Hong Kong: Beach water quality forecast set

The Environmental Protection Department today launched the Beach Water Quality Forecast System to provide daily water quality forecasts for all gazetted beaches in Hong Kong that are open for swimming.

Relevant data will be updated every morning through the mobile app or the thematic website to assist the public in making plans for water recreation activities.

The department said it conducted a research and development project with the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology using the statistical multiple linear regression model, which takes into account the most relevant and the latest environmental and hydrometeorological parameters to forecast the daily E. coli level in the water of the beaches.

The forecast results are then converted into an easy-to-understand forecast index.

The department explained that the forecast system aims to predict the short-term beach water quality fluctuations arising from changes in hydrometeorological conditions, and supplement the existing Beach Water Quality Monitoring Programme which relies on water quality monitoring data.

The forecast index is categorised into one to four, representing good, fair, poor and very poor respectively. Bathers should avoid swimming at a beach with a forecast result of four ie very poor.

This story has been published on: 2023-08-15. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
7 dead in central China rockslide

Xinhua) 08:42, August 15, 2023

WUHAN, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Seven people were dead in a rockslide Monday night in the suburbs of Yichang City, central China's Hubei Province, the local government confirmed.

Falling rocks hit a passing van on a country road in Xingshan County at around 8:30 p.m. and all the seven people on board were killed, the county government said.

It said rescue and repairs are underway.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
"I congratulate you all. Jai Hind! As we all get together to celebrate the 77th Independence Day, let us pay tribute to the sacrifice of our freedom fighters who gave away their present for our better future," Singh said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The message was a poignant reminder of the countless individuals who fought relentlessly against colonial rule.

"On this day, we must also collectively thank our Armed Forces," he said.

Earlier, PM Modi hoisted the national flag at the Red Fort in the national capital and addressed the nation.

He also took to his official handle on 'X', formerly Twitter, to greet countrymen on the occasion.

"Best wishes on Independence Day. We pay homage to our great freedom fighters and reaffirm our commitment to fulfilling their vision. Jai Hind!," the Prime Minister wrote.

On his arrival at the Red Fort, PM Modi was received by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Minister of State (Defence) Ajay Bhatt, and Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane.

This years Independence Day will culminate the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, which were launched by Prime Minister Modi from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on March 12, 2021, and will usher the country into Amrit Kaal. (ANI)
Speaking in his Independence Day speech at celebrations that were held at the Khanapara Playground here, the chief mister said that the AFSPA is in place in eight districts of the state now after his government came to power.

https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1691319547553517568?s=20

"Our government's aim is to completely withdraw the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from the state by the end of this year. Before our government came to power, previous governments had requested the Centre to extend AFSPA 62 times. Now the situation has been improving," Sarma said.

He said that during his tenure, four peace accords were signed with the insurgent groups and nearly 8000 militants have been integrated with the mainstream politics.

He also said that his government is committed to making Assam a 'Drugs Free', 'Corruption Free' state.

While declaring "zero tolerance" against corruption, CM Biswa said that police have arrested 127 government employees in graft cases in the last two years.

"127 government employees have been arrested on corruption charges. Our government has taken the initiative to dismiss the arrested government employees from service," the chief minister said.

Chief Minister Sarma also said that his government will bring a strong law to end polygamy in the state.

The nation celebrating its 77th Independence Day with great fervour and Zeal. PM Modi who led the celebrations, addressed the nation for the tenth consecutive time from the iconic Red Fort in New Delhi. (ANI)
A man with the same name as Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday attempted to enter a high-security zone during the State level Independence Day function at the Gandhi Maidan in Patna. The man who was holding a poster in his hand was apprehended by security personnel at the venue where the Chief Minister was delivering his speech as part of the 77th Independence Day celebrations. The man identified as Nitish Kumar, 26 and a native of the States Munger district, was demanding a job on compassionate grounds following the death of his father, a Bihar Military Police personnel. The man also raised slogans at the venue before he was taken away by security personnel. Chandrashekhar Singh, District Magistrate, Patna said, The man identified as Nitish Kumar, is a resident of Bihars Munger district. He said that his father used to work in Bihar Military Police (BMP) and had died during election duty in 1996. So he was demanding a compassionate appointment and following the same he had made an attempt to reach out the CM which was stopped. His demands were conveyed to police headquarters and action will be taken as per rules. The CM has also ordered to that his grievances be heard and do justice in compliance to the rules, the DM said. (ANI)
NCP working president Supriya Sule on Tuesday dismissed speculation that the party chief Sharad Pawar is moving towards the BJP camp. She said that Sharad Pawar has cleared his stand in his Sangola speech where he said that his party will not go with the BJP as its ideology does not fit in NCP's political framework. "I have spoken with Congress and Shiv Sena(UBT). There is no confusion. No need to worry. Confusion must have cleared if you have listened to the Sangola speech and press brief of Sharad Pawar where he has cleared his stand," she said while talking to reporters. On Monday, Congress leader Nana Patole slammed Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar over the "secret" meeting held at Pune and said that such meetings are creating confusion among the people.Talking to the reporters, Patole said, "Such meetings are creating confusion among the people. If they are relatives, what was the need for them to meet secretly". Sharad Pawarhad earlier scotched speculation following a meeting between him andAjit Pawar, saying that it was not a secret meeting.What is wrong with meeting my nephew? How it can become secret when it was held at someones residence. I was there at his residence, he said.Patole also said that he had discussed this with (UBT Shiv Sena) party chief Uddhav Thackeray. (ANI)
As the Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge skipped the 77th Independence Day celebrations at Red Fort, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday took a jibe at the former saying that "he attended the family-controlled program." Earlier in the day, Mallikarjun Kharge skipped the Independence Day function at the Red Fort from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation. A picture of an empty seat reserved for the Congress president also did rounds on social media, with BJP saying that it reflects the grand old party's mindset. Kharge, however, cited eye-related problems and clarified that he had to attend the Independence Day event at the Congress office and could not have made it on time due to security protocols if he had gone for the function at Red Fort. "Firstly, I have some eye-related problems. Secondly, I had to hoist the Tricolour at my residence at 9.20 am as per protocols. Then I had to come to the Congress office and hoist the Tricolour here too. So, I could not have reached here," Kharge had said. "The security is so tight that they don't let anyone else leave before the PM leaves. I thought that I will not be able to reach here on time. I thought it better to not go there to the security situation and lack of time," he had added. Responding to it, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that if the Congress leader has an eye-related problem he should get it checked. "I think Mallikarjun Kharge had some problem in his eyes, he should get it checked. He did not attend the Independence Day program at Red Fort because of this eye problem but he attended the family-controlled program...," Puri said while talking to reporters. Attacking Congress, Anurag Thakur said, If a leader of the main Opposition party and a Leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha has not come to the event then you can imagine the Congress mindset. Now when they are in opposition, they are .like a fish without water." Meanwhile, in his address to the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort, PM Modi took a veiled dig at Congress and some other opposition parties, saying corruption and appeasement politics have damaged the country. The Prime Minister said there is a need to fight corruption, dynasty and appeasement."'Parivarvaad' and appeasement have caused immense damage to the country. How can a political party have only one family in charge? For them, their life mantra is 'Party of the family, by the family and for the family," PM Modi said. (ANI)
Bihar Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Samrat Choudhary on Tuesday hit out at Chief Minister Nitish Kumar after an SHO was shot dead by cattle smugglers in Samastipur district and said that Bihar is tired. The BJP chief said that police officers are killed by criminals in the state and the state government is sleeping comfortably adding that the CM is embarrassing the democracy of Bihar. It is the bad luck of Bihar that here the Chief Minister is sick, his party is also sick and now CM Nitish Kumar is working on making Bihar also sick He is embarrassing the democracy of Bihar Here its not criminals but the police officers who are getting killed Some by sand mafia, or by smugglers, police officers are beaten up daily by these criminals But the Bihar government headed by Nitish Babu is sleeping comfortably, his ears dont catch this news This is the situation in Bihar. He promised many things, but now Bihar is tired Bihar is tired of Nitish Kumar Ji In the last 18 years, Nitish Ji cannot do anything in Bihar He doesnt want to allocate land for the airport, four lanes and AIIMS, Samrat Choudhary said. Earlier today, the State House Officer (SHO) of Mohanpur police station in Bihars Samastipur died after being shot at by cattle smugglers. According to the police, SHO Nandkishore Yadav succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) in Patna. Samastipur Superintendent of Police (SP) Vinay Kumar said that SHO Yadav was shot above his eye during a cattle theft investigation. "There were incidents of cattle theft for the past few days in the Mohanpur area. Mohanpur OP in-charge SHO Nandkishore Yadav was looking into the matter. During the investigation, a gang from Nalanda come to the fore. Yesterday, there was information that some miscreants were trying to steal cattle. After getting the information, the police team caught three thieves, a truck and a pickup vehicle. During interrogation of the thieves they received information about the other gang members & he (Nandkishore Yadav) left with his team to nab the other gang members...The other gang members opened fire & the bullet hit him above his eye...," SP Vinay Kumar said. The SHO was rushed to a hospital in Begusarai following the incident. He was then shifted to IGIMS after his condition turned critical. (ANI)
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said that mining activities at Etapalli in the Gadchiroli district of the state are going on very well and new investments worth around Rs 20,000 crores are in the pipeline to be invested in the area, generating more employment. "The mining activities are going on very well. The first plant is ready and will be inaugurated soon. Another investment worth Rs 20,000 crores is under the pipeline. This will provide huge employment opportunities. While focusing on the development, we don't want to end the culture and traditions of Adivasis but we want to carry them along as their culture has restored the sustainability here." "Environment-friendly mining is being done here in Etapalli of Gadchiroli, along with mining, steel making will also happen here," The Chief Minister said. The Deputy Chief Minister praised the police for containing the Maoist menace in the area. "Gadchiroli police did such a good job in area domination that now Maoists are neither getting support nor recruitment in Gadchiroli district. Police are getting people's support, and have done the work of eliminating the top Maoist leaders," Fadnavis said. (ANI)
Congress leader Udit Raj on Tuesday said that there is no dynasty politics in the party and slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his Parivarvaad remark during the Independence Day speech adding that the PM should see in his party that so many MPs sons are MLAs. Affirming Congress party chief Mallikarjun Kharges statement that next year PM Modi will hoist flag from his residence and not from Red Fort, Udit Raj said, it is going to happen. "Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that from the next year, PM Modi will be hoisting the flag from his residence and not from the Red Fort, it is going to happen. In a corruption case of Rs 70,000 crores, he (PM Modi) blamed Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, and Ajit Pawar. He promised to send them to jail, and now he has made them ministers. There's no dynasty politics in Congress, our party president is Kharge ji. He (PM Modi) needs to see in his party that so many MP's sons are MLAs, the Congress leader said. Earlier today, Kharge slammed PM Modi over his "The next 15th August, from this Red Fort, I will present before you the achievements of the country" statement during the I-Day speech and said, He will be hoisting the National Flag once again next year, he will do that at his home. Kharges statement garnered criticism from BJP leaders that included Union Minister Anurag Thakur hitting out at the Congress chief. Anurag Thakur said that the public brought the son of a poor family to the PMs post adding that they will break the arrogance of the Ghamandia alliance once again in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. "Congress had the same before 2014 too but we came (to power) with an absolute majority. They said the same before 2019, but PM Modi came back with a full majority again...Those who are called 'raakshas' by Congress, the public of this democracy who we consider like God blessed and brought the son of a poor family to the Prime Minister's post...The public will break the arrogance of 'Ghamandia' alliance once again..., he said. In his address to the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a veiled dig at Congress and some other opposition parties, saying corruption and appeasement politics have damaged the country. The Prime Minister said there is a need to fight corruption, dynasty and appeasement. "'Parivarvaad' and appeasement have caused immense damage to the country. How can a political party have only one family in charge? For them, their life mantra is 'Party of the family, by the family and for the family," he said. (ANI)
Nursing officers expressed their gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for inviting them as Special Guests to listen to his Independence Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort on Tuesday. They shared that it was a motivational gesture for all of them and that it emboldened their spirit and morale. One of the nurses said that she has no words to express her feelings about being invited to the Independence Day event. "I cannot express in words how good I felt. We would like to thank Prime Minister Modi ji and Honourable Minister on behalf of all the nurses," she said. Another nursing officer said that she had to check her mail twice before she could believe that she has been invited to the Independence Day event. "As soon as I got the invitation, I could not believe it. I checked my mail twice and then I could confirm. Prime Minister has encouraged us and welcomed us. I would like to thank him on behalf of my entire fraternity," she said. Another officer said that he felt that the government is finally recognising them for their contribution during the pandemic. "When we used to work during Covid times we used to think that no one appreciates our work. But when we got the invitation, we felt that the government recognises us and god is with us," he said. Another nurse shared that this was the first time in her lifetime, she got the opportunity to come for the Independence Day event. "This is the first time in my life that I got this golden opportunity to be part of this Independence Day program...I don't have words to say thanks to our PM...I am so happy, so motivated..." One of the nurses also said that this gesture on the part of the Prime Minister "will give motivation to all nurses to continue their good work" Another nurse said that usually doctors get all the limelight but this is the first time that nurses are being given prominence for their service. "This is the first time that nurses are being recognised. Usually, the recognition goes to the doctors, but we visit the patients 24x7. For the first time the Prime Minister has recognised the nursing profession...," she said. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya appreciated the nurses for their "tireless noble work for changing the fortunes of the country", a press release from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare stated. Underscoring the phenomenal contribution of the nursing profession and medical fraternity, Mandaviya emphasized that their efforts laid the foundation for the global recognition, trust and praise garnered by India from the world. The Union Health Minister lauded the dedication of nurses and stated their service during the pandemic will be remembered forever. "This is our culture that taught us to serve people. Health is not a commerce but a service which is inherent in our culture, he said. He added, The world was sceptical about our health infrastructure but when Covid-19 was over, I visited World Economic Forum at Davos where Bill Gates congratulated India on its triumph over Covid-19. A total of 50 nurses along with their family members from across the country were invited as Special Guests to listen to Prime Minister Narendra Modis Independence Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort on Tuesday. (ANI)
Telangana Chief Minister and BRS President Kalvakuntla Chandrashekhar Rao today hoisted the National flag at Golconda fort on the occasion of the 77th Independence Day. Earlier today, he paid tribute to the bravehearts at the War Memorial, Parade Grounds. Addressing the people Telangana CM KCR said, "I wish a very happy Independence day to all the people on the occasion of 77th Independence day. Though the 75 years of Independence is of very great significance, we could not reach the heights we hoped for. Though the country has natural resources and hardworking people, the resources are not being utilised because of misgovernance. The freedom we achieved will be meaningful only when the resources will be properly utilised for the development of people of all communities equally." CM KCR said that when Andhra Pradesh state was united, all sectors of Telangana were destroyed. Telangana was looted and a victim of unequality. CM KCR said, "The separate Telangana state was a result of a elaborate Telangana movement. The people faced a lot of difficulties when Andhra Pradesh was united. The BRS government which was formed amidst all these have worked towards the reformation of Telangana. We have tirelessly worked towards the development of Telangana. We have brought Telangana to the first place in many sectors. We have reached a stage where 'Telangana practices and the country follows'. Telangana which used to await for a drop of water, is now full of water with more than 20 reservoirs." With the 3 crores tonnes of grain production, Telangana has become the Annapurna of the country. We are in a golden period in welfare and development, he said. CM KCR further said, "The entire country is in awe seeing the progress of Telangana in a decade. Per capita income, electricity consumption per individual, clean drinking water, high quality of medical care and education are the factors for measuring the development of a state. Telangana is in first place in all these factors. We have increased our wealth and distributed it to the people. Telangana is the only state that provides 24 hours electricity to all sectors and free electricity to farmers." Telangana faced incessant continuous rains last month and the government have taken precautions in advance. We have alloted officials, equipments, NDRF teams and all others for rescuing people during the floods, he said. Telangana CM said, "We have alloted Rs. 500 crores for the rescue operations. We have given ex-gratia to the people who died in the floods and also supported all the people who faced losses. We also waived off loans to the farmers. In two terms of government, we waived off Rs. 37,000 crores to the farmers. There is no other state which can match Telangana in the welfare of farmers. While Telangana is performing well, some people are making unnecessary statements like 3 hours of electricity is enough for farmers. The people will give a befitting reply to them." The Telangana government has also started the Palamuru Rangareddy lift irrigation project, CM KCR said. He said, "Along with giving water to 12 lakh acres, the project will also provide drinking water to 1200 villages. However, the opposition are putting cases in Green tribunal to stop this project. They have kept the lives of the people at stake for their gains. However, the project will be completed soon. The government has also given podu lands. We are also building houses for the poor. Around 1 lakh houses are constructed and ready to be distributed in Hyderabad. We also have 'Gruha Lakshmi' scheme for those who have lands and wish to construct houses. There is a 5% reservation in the scheme for Divyang." The government is providing financial assistance for Dalits, minorities and others. It is also giving aasara pensions, he further said. "We have also taken up many steps for the development of RTC corporation. For the welfare of the RTC employees, we have decided to merge 43,373 employees into the government. However, some forces tried to stop the bill in assembly but we were successful in passing the bill. While the formation of Telangana, there were only 3 medical colleges in Telangana. BRS government with an aim of establishing a medical college and nursing college in every district of Telangana have started 21 medical colleges and the cabinet have sanctioned 8 more medical colleges. We have a high quality medical facility in the state. We are also building 4 super speciality hospitals in the 4 corners of Hyderabad. We are also building a super speciality hospital in Warangal and are also expanding the beds in NIMS hospital," Telangana CM said. The BRS government has uplifted the Singareni colleries that the previous governments have pushed into losses, he said. "We have lifted the company's turnover from Rs.12,000 crores to Rs.33,000 crores. As Dusshera-Diwali bonus, we will give Rs.1000 crores to the Singareni workers. Telangana is implementing Stratergic road devlopement in Hyderabad to make it singal free city with Rs.67,149 crores. We are also expanding the metro and link roads. Telangana has become a destination for the national and international investments and a heaven for industries. We have recieved 2,51,000 crores of investments of industries in the state. In the last 9 years, 17,21,000 people got employment in the industrial sector. The IT sector was also developed in Telangana," the CM said. The BRS government is going forward with equal and integrated development. We have been giving development and welfare equal weightage, Telangana CM added. (ANI)
The AT HOME function hosted by Andhra Pradesh Governor S Abdul Nazeer on the occasion of 77th Independence Day was held at Raj Bhavan here on Tuesday. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy along with his wife YS Bharathi Reddy, Chief Justice of High Court of Andhra Pradesh Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur along with his wife Gudiya Thakur attended the function, said the Raj Bhavan. Thammineni Seetharam, Speaker of the AP Legislative Assembly, some of the state ministers and MLAs and MPs, sportspersons, Padma Awardees, Media persons, and Freedom Fighters, were among other dignitaries who attended the function. Earlier, Governor Abdul Nazeer went around and personally greeted all the guests who attended the AT HOME function held at Raj Bhavan lawns, said the Raj Bhavan in a media release. Earlier in the day, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy hoisted the National Flag at the 77th Independence Day celebrations at the IGM Stadium in Vijayawada. The Chief Minister said in his Independence Day speech that his government has been striving to usher in Grama Swaraj visualized by Mahatma Gandhi by changing the face of agriculture, industry and services. "Andhra Pradesh is the only state that has brought in major changes in the rural administrative system through 15,000 village and ward secretariats, digital libraries, RBKs and the volunteer system to extend quick civic services to the people in full transparency," CM Jagan said. (ANI)
The main function was held in the premises of Govt PG College(Boys) in Udhampur where Lal Chand, Chairman District Development Council (DDC) Udhampur who was the chief guest, hoisted the National Flag and took salute at an impressive march past presented by the J&K Police Personnel, ITBP, SKPA, NCC students and children drawn from various educational institutions.

Students through cultural programmes spread messages to the youngsters including Say no to drugs and divert your energy into positive ways, and participate in the development of the country.

Deputy Commissioner Udhampur Sachin Kumar Vaishya, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Udhampur-Reasi Range Suleman Chowdery (IPS), SSP Udhampur Vinod Kumar and other officers of District Administration as well as police were present on this occasion.

Large number of people had also gathered to view the celebrations. (ANI)
According to a spokesperson of Faridabad police, Bittu Bajranig, accused of raising slogans in front of a female police officer in Nuh with weapons like swords, was arrested after questioning.

A case was registered against him and 15-20 others in Thana Sadar, Nuh under the Illegal Arms Act and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Violence had broken out between two groups on July 31 in Haryana's Nuh district that claimed the lives of six people including two Home Guards.

However, days after the violence, the Nuh administration, in a crackdown launched an anti-encroachment drive and razed down several commercial shops, including the one from where stones were pelted during the violence.

Moreover, according to the Haryana government, as many as 156 people were arrested and 56 FIRs were in connection with the violence and rioting in the Nuh district. (ANI)
A24-year-old woman has been arrested for allegedly killing the son of her live-in partner and stuffing his body in a bed box, according to the police. The accused identified as Pooja Kumari, a resident of Ranhola, killed 11-year-old Divyansh, the son of her live-in-boyfriend Jitender. The police further said that the accused killed the minor on August 10, holding him responsible for his father not divorcing his wife. The accused strangulated the child when he was sleeping in his house and then concealed his dead body inside the bed, the officials said. The police, however, have registered a case at Inderpuri police station of New Delhi under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). On Thursday, around 8.30 pm, police received information from BLK Hospital that a boy had been brought dead and there were strangulation marks on his neck. Police, after that, started a probe into the matter and during the investigation, footage from a CCTV camera was examined. It showed that the last person who visited the 11-year-old boys house was the woman, Pooja Kumari, a senior police officer said, adding that the accused had strangled the child to death when he was sleeping and then concealed his body inside the bed box. Police checked the footage of more than 300 CCTV cameras, leading to her arrest, Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ravindra Singh Yadav said. As per the police, accused Pooja got reportedly married to Jitender, on October 17 in 2019 in Arya Samaj Mandir. As Jitender was already married and had a son, he assured her that he will get married in Court after getting a divorce from his wife. Jitender and Pooja started living together in a rented house. Meanwhile, a quarrel started between Jitender and Pooja on the point of divorcing his wife. After some time Jitender refused to get divorced from his wife, the official said. After some time, Jitender moved out of the rented house and started staying with his wife, police said. He had moved out in December last year, and Pooja Kumari was furious about it. She assumed that Jitender left her because of his son, the police added. On Thursday, she met her friend and asked him to take her to Jitenders house, police said. They reached JJ Colony, Inderpuri (Jitender house) where the door was found open and Divyansh alias Bittoo was sleeping. Finding a golden chance, she strangulated him. Thereafter, she took out clothes from the bed and put the boy inside the bed and fled away from the spot after locking the door, the police said. She murdered the boy in revenge as Jitender was refusing to live with her, officials added. (ANI)
Border Security Force (BSF) from all over the country celebrated the 77th Independence Day on Tuesday with much enthusiasm and fervour. BSF Jawans deployed at the Indo-Pak border Nadabet in Gujarat also celebrated Independence Day. BSF personnel distributed sweets to children at the Nadabet border. BSF Gujarat Frontier Inspector General Ravi Gandhi hoisted the Tricolour and extended his warm wishes to everyone. I extend my greetings to everyone on the occasion of Independence Day. I appeal to the people of the country to participate in the development work under the leadership of PM Modi. BSF personnel are ready to make every possible effort to safeguard the borders of the country. We pledge that we will work hard to protect and safeguard the country... said IG Ravi Gandhi. In Tripura, a wreath-laying ceremony was also organized to remember the personnel who sacrificed their lives in the service of the nation. BSF Tripura Frontier Inspector General MP Gupta reminded the supreme sacrifices made by the freedom fighters to make our future bright. He emphasized that it is our moral responsibility to make a fearless and progressive society to protect the future of the next generation. Several programs under the aegis of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav like Meri Mati Mera Desh, cycle and motorcycle rally, tree plantation, 5 Kms Tiranga run, band display, cultural programme, march with civil society with national flags were organized to spread awareness among the local populace to inculcate the sense of integration in the mainstream of the nation. Like last year, this year also "Har Ghar Tiranga" campaign was organized at Frontier HQ Tripura, all under command headquarters and at BOPs. India celebrated the completion of 76 years of Independence with Amrit Mahotsav this year on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoisted National Flag at Red Fort on the 77th Independence Day. (ANI)
Italian scientists used high-throughput 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, which provides a detailed picture of what microbes are present and in what proportions. This study sheds light on the intricate interactions of microorganisms throughout the manufacturing process and fosters a deeper understanding of the craftsmanship behind this esteemed Italian cheese, said Dr Alessia Levante of the University of Parma, lead author of the study inFrontiers in Microbiology. Buffalo mozzarella must be made according to a specific recipe in order to qualify for protected designation of origin (PDO) status. Water buffalo milk, either raw or pasteurised, is heated and inoculated with a rennet and natural whey starter. This starter quickly acidifies the curd, bringing it to the proper pH and making it stretchy enough to be moulded. The formed curds are ripened for about four hours until they reach the proper pH, at which point they become elastic and can be stretched and moulded under boiling water. These curds are then brined and hardened under running water. Minor differences in this procedure distinguish the products of different dairies. To investigate the role of bacteria and whether it differs between traditional and modern dairies, Levante and her colleagues chose two dairies in Campania that produce mozzarella that qualifies for PDO status: one larger and using more modern technology, and one smaller and using more traditional processes. They sampled the milk, natural whey starter, cheese curd before stretching, brine, and mozzarella from the dairies. While both dairies produced PDO mozzarella di bufala Campana, subtle variations, such as temperature and duration of processes, influenced the cheeses microbial composition and potentially impacted organoleptic properties, said Levante. 19 samples were concentrated enough to be sequenced for the 16S rRNA amplicon gene. This method works by sequencing a sample's DNA and amplifying specific regions of a highly variable gene, then using this information to identify the microbe species present and the proportions in which they appear. The team discovered that while the more modern dairy's pasteurised milk added fewer microbes and species of microbes to the process than the more traditional dairy's thermalized milk, the brine samples were just as rich in species as the processed cheese samples. During the curd process, a few species emerge and take over. Microbes from the Lactobacillus and Streptococcus genera dominated both samples. The more traditional dairy's natural whey starter contained roughly equal amounts of both, whereas the more modern dairy used a natural whey starter dominated by Streptococcus. Certain species within each genus were unique to each dairy. Lactobacillus increases and Streptococcus decreases after curdling in both sets of samples, possibly due to the removal of thermal stress caused by the stretching process. The brine also provides a source of microbial diversity by inoculating the external layer of the cheese with new microbes as it comes into contact with it. However, not all of the microbes found in the brine are present in the cheese. This could be because they aren't adapted to living on cheese, or because they appear later in the cheese's shelf life after the samples were taken. Despite the large number of microbe species present in the milk and brine, it appears that the natural whey starter has the greatest influence on the microbial make-up of mozzarella. We are planning a larger project to investigate more deeply the role of raw buffalos milk in defining the microbiota, said Levante. This studys scope was limited to two dairies and a specific sampling size. To provide more comprehensive insights into the microbial intricacies of traditional food production, future research aims to encompass a larger number of producers and manufacturing days. (ANI)
A day before Pakistan's 76th Independence Day, Jan Mohammad Mahar, a top journalist working for a private Sindhi daily and TV station, was fatally shot on late Sunday night outside St. Saviour School on Queens Road, according to Dawn. According to the area police, the assailants shot several fires at Mahar, who was travelling in his car. According to the police, the journalist was shot multiple times in the head and close to his eyes. They also stated that he was transferred to a private hospital in an extremely bad condition. While the surgery was taking place, he passed away from his injuries, according to hospital sources. A motive behind the attack could not be ascertained immediately but police believed that an old enmity might have led to the murder, Dawn reported. World Sindhi Congress condemned the murder of journalist Jan Mohammed Mahar. "WSC strongly condemn the brutal and cowardly murder of journalist Jan Mohammad Mahar in Sukkur, #Sindh, #Pakistan. This tragic incident not only reflects a grave violation of freedom of the press but also serves as a stark reminder of the dangers journalists face in their pursuit of truth and information, World Sindhi Congress wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. "The murder of Jan Mohammad Mahar... is a blow to the principles of free speech and transparency that are essential for the functioning of a just society," WSC wrote further. "It is deeply concerning that #Pakistan has consistently been ranked as one of the most dangerous countries for journalists. The repeated acts of violence and intimidation against members of the press have created an environment of fear and censorship, preventing the dissemination of information that is essential for a well-informed public," the WSC wrote mentioning about the acts of violence against minorities in Pakistan. WSC also called upon the authorities in Pakistan to take immediate and effective actions to apprehend the culprits responsible for this heinous crime. "It is imperative that a thorough and transparent investigation be conducted to bring the perpetrators to justice," WSC said. Only by ensuring that those responsible are held accountable can we send a strong message that violence against journalists will not be tolerated. The police have started a hunt for the attackers. A large number of media personnel gathered at the hospital soon after learning about the incident. They and the entire local journalist community were shocked to know about the demise of Mahar, Dawn reported. This is only the latest in a long line of atrocities committed against the people of Sindh in Pakistan. In the recent past, the minority community of Sukkur in Pakistan's Sindh have faced multiple such attacks. Earlier this year, in July, hundreds of armed men attacked a village nearby Sukkur in Sindh, kidnapped two women and a child, and killed at least two men, Dawn reported. The Express Tribune saw the assailants, who were apparently carrying modern weaponry, riding motorcycles past the Sangi police station and heading into the village of Nirch in broad daylight. The attackers also abducted two women and a young girl, leaving at least three other people injured, The Express Tribune reported. Before that, in June, miscreants forcibly entered the premises of Singh Sabha Gurdwara in Sukkur city of Pakistan's Sindh province, abusing the priests and forcibly asking them to stop kirtan or religious devotional songs. Many local Sikhs and Hindus, who were present at the historical Gurdwara, alleged that the miscreants also desecrated the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture of the Sikhs. The miscreants, who were handed over to the police, were released without proper investigation and interrogation, it was alleged. (ANI)
Abu Dhabi [UAE], August 15 (ANI/WAM): The UAE has strongly condemned the terrorist attack that targeted a religious shrine in the city of Shiraz, Iran, which resulted in numerous deaths and injuries. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) affirmed that the UAE expresses its strong condemnation of these criminal acts, and its permanent rejection of all forms of violence and terrorism aimed at undermining security and stability in contravention of human values and principles. The Ministry also expressed its sincere condolences and sympathy to the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and people, and to the families and relatives of the victims of this heinous crime, and its wishes for a speedy recovery for all the injured. (ANI/WAM)
The BRICS Summit set to be held in South Africa from August 22-24 is taking place at a critical juncture in geopolitics. India as one of the founding members of the BRICS is set to play an important role in pushing for the establishment of a true multipolar world order, South Africa-based news website IOL reported citing The Star. BRICS is anacronymfor the grouping of the worlds leading emerging economies, namelyBrazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. India wants BRICS to take a constructive stance on contemporary issues amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sifiso Mahlangu wrote in the IOL report. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a strong advocate of dialogue and diplomacy as a means to end the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. India has stressed that BRICS should adhere to the concept of sovereignty and territorial integrity. India also wants BRICS to play a proactive role in countering cross-border terror and combating terror financing as was witnessed during the recently held BRICS NSA meeting in Johannesburg, IOL reported citing The Star. Terrorism is considered one of the key threats to international peace and security. At the recently held BRICS NSA meeting in Johannesburg, NSA Ajit Doval said that listing terrorists and their proxies under the UN counter-terrorism sanctions was an area where BRICS countries could work together. He called it important that the decision-making of the UN Security Council sanctions committee be free from politicisation and double standards. He stressed that the meeting was being held at a time of instability in the international security environment. In his address at the BRICS Foreign Ministers meeting in Cape Town in June, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke about the significance of BRICS as a "symbol of change" and emphasised the need for a serious and constructive approach to constructive issues. He called for the promotion ofinclusive and decentralised economic practices to ensure global political democratisation. He said, "Our gathering must send a resolute message that the world is multipolar, undergoing rebalancing and that traditional approaches are inadequate for addressing new realities. As a symbol of change, we must act accordingly." Jaishankar emphasised the vulnerability faced by many nations due to the economic concentration in the hands of a few rich nations. He even mentioned recent cases that countries have tackled while addressing their health, energy, and food security needs as illustrations of this fragility, IOL reported citing The Star. In his address at the previous sitting of the BRICS Summit, PM Modi spoke about India's development partnerships with Africa, Central Asia, Southeast Asia and the Caribbean. He stressed that India is committed to a free open, inclusive, and rules-based maritime space, respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations and reform of the multilateral system. Over the years, BRICS nations have played a key role in driving global economic growth. This group, which includes major emerging economies, focuses on economic and financial collaboration, political and security cooperation as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges. Together, the BRICS nations represent 41 per cent of the worlds population and account for 24 per cent of the global GDP, IOL reported citing The Star. BRICS members have repeatedly stressed that the current international challenges should be tackled through a reinvigorated and reformed multilateral system, with a view to intensifying global capacity to effectively address various challenges of the present time and to adapt them to 21st-century realities, IOL reported citing The Star. In 2022, BRICS agreed that global governance should bemore inclusive, representative and participatory to enable greater and more meaningful participation of developing and the least developed nations, particularly Africa, in global decision-making processes and structures, Sifiso Mahlangu wrote in the IOL report. BRICS nations have also called for governance reform in the recruitment processes of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by ensuring that the selection is done through an open and merit-based process. (ANI)
US State Department's Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel on Monday (local time) said that there is no reason to over-torque about Taiwan Vice President William Lai's transit through the United States into "anything escalatory." He said that the transit of William Lai is not any kind of pretext for "coercion and provocative activity." Asked about China's statement about taking counter-measures and the nature of the Taiwanese Vice President's visit, Vedant Patel said, "So first what I would say is that there is no reason to over-torque this transit into anything escalatory. This is consistent with our one China policy. We are not interested in deviating from the status quo. It is not any kind of pretext for coercion or provocative activity." Vedant Patel further said that William Lai transited in the US through the outbound leg of his journey to Paraguay. He said that Lai will transit through San Francisco on the return leg and called these transits routine. He noted that Lai had previously transited through US in 2021. "What I can offer on this transit is that Vice President Lai transited the US on August 12th through 13th for the outbound leg of his journey to Paraguay. He will transit San Francisco on the return leg. Such transits are routine and given the distances involved and they are common. There have been 10 vice presidential transits in the last 20 years. All have occurred without incident. This transit by VP Lai is the 11th transit and his second. Hes previously transited in 2021," Vedant Patel said. Taiwan's vice president and presidential candidate William Lai's stopover in the US on Sunday en route to Paraguay irked China. Denouncing the move, the Chinese Foreign Ministry branded him a "troublemaker through and through," according to CNN. On his way to Paraguay, where he will witness Santiago Pena's inauguration as president on August 15, Lai arrived in New York on Saturday. In a statement posted on Twitter, Lai stated, "Happy to arrive at the #BigApple, icon of liberty, democracy & opportunities. Its very nice of @Bikhim & #AITs Ingrid Larson to greet me with a warm welcome at @JFKairport. Looking forward to seeing friends & attending transit programs in #NewYork." Shortly after Lais arrival in New York, Chinas foreign ministry said it "firmly opposes" any official interaction between the US and Taiwan and any "Taiwan independence separatists to the US." Notably, China claims Taiwan as part of its territory. "China deplores and strongly condemns the US decision to arrange the so-called stopover," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Lai clings stubbornly to the separatist position for Taiwan independence. He is a troublemaker through and through, it further said. The Chinese Foreign Ministry also said Taiwan was the core of the core interests of China and urged the US to abide by the one-China principle, adding it was closely following developments and "would take resolute and strong measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity." Meanwhile, Taiwan's vice president William Lai on Sunday said that the island will never yield in the face of escalating Chinese threats, CNN reported. In a speech to supporters at a lunch banquet in New York, Lai portrayed Taiwans long-term survival as something the international community should take an interest in. "When Taiwan is safe, the world is safe, and when there is peace on the Taiwan Strait, there will be world peace," Lai said, according to Taiwans presidential office, CNN reported. "No matter how great the threat of authoritarianism is to Taiwan, we absolutely will not be scared nor cower, we will uphold the values of democracy and freedom," he added. (ANI)
US State Department's Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel on Monday (local time) said that there is no reason to overtalk about Taiwan Vice President William Lai's transit through the United States into "anything escalatory." He said that the transit of William Lai is not any kind of pretext for "coercion and provocative activity." Asked about China's statement about taking counter-measures and the nature of the Taiwanese Vice President's visit, Vedant Patel said, "So first what I would say is that there is no reason to over-torque this transit into anything escalatory. This is consistent with our one China policy. We are not interested in deviating from the status quo. It is not any kind of pretext for coercion or provocative activity." Vedant Patel further said that William Lai transited in the US through the outbound leg of his journey to Paraguay. He said that Lai will transit through San Francisco on the return leg and called these transits routine. He noted that Lai had previously transited through US in 2021. "What I can offer on this transit is that Vice President Lai transited the US on August 12th through 13th for the outbound leg of his journey to Paraguay. He will transit San Francisco on the return leg. Such transits are routine and given the distances involved and they are common. There have been 10 vice presidential transits in the last 20 years. All have occurred without incident. This transit by VP Lai is the 11th transit and his second. Hes previously transited in 2021," Vedant Patel said. Taiwan's vice president and presidential candidate William Lai's stopover in the US on Sunday en route to Paraguay irked China. Denouncing the move, the Chinese Foreign Ministry branded him a "troublemaker through and through," according to CNN. On his way to Paraguay, where he will witness Santiago Pena's inauguration as president on August 15, Lai arrived in New York on Saturday. In a statement posted on Twitter, Lai stated, "Happy to arrive at the #BigApple, icon of liberty, democracy & opportunities. Its very nice of @Bikhim & #AITs Ingrid Larson to greet me with a warm welcome at @JFKairport. Looking forward to seeing friends & attending transit programs in #NewYork." Shortly after Lais arrival in New York, Chinas foreign ministry said it "firmly opposes" any official interaction between the US and Taiwan and any "Taiwan independence separatists to the US." Notably, China claims Taiwan as part of its territory. "China deplores and strongly condemns the US decision to arrange the so-called stopover," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Lai clings stubbornly to the separatist position for Taiwan independence. He is a troublemaker through and through, it further said. The Chinese Foreign Ministry also said Taiwan was the core of the core interests of China and urged the US to abide by the one-China principle, adding it was closely following developments and "would take resolute and strong measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity." Meanwhile, Taiwan's vice president William Lai on Sunday said that the island will never yield in the face of escalating Chinese threats, CNN reported. In a speech to supporters at a lunch banquet in New York, Lai portrayed Taiwans long-term survival as something the international community should take an interest in. "When Taiwan is safe, the world is safe, and when there is peace on the Taiwan Strait, there will be world peace," Lai said, according to Taiwans presidential office, CNN reported. "No matter how great the threat of authoritarianism is to Taiwan, we absolutely will not be scared nor cower, we will uphold the values of democracy and freedom," he added. (ANI)
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Monday interacted with BrahMos Aerospace officials about the developments in BrahMos missile during the Army 2023 defence exhibition. India's Ambassador to Russia Pavan Kapoor on Monday inaugurated the India Pavilion at the International Military Technical Forum. Taking to his Twitter handle, Pavan Kapoor stated, "Inaugurated the India Pavilion at the International Military Technical Forum #ARMY2023. Pleased to show Deputy PM Denis Manturov some excellent products on offer from @DRDO_India & our Defence PSUs #BEL, #BEML, #GSL@DefenceMinIndia." The Army 2023 international military-technical forum is being held at the Patriot Congress and Exhibition Center, the Alabino training ground and the Kubinka airfield outside Moscow from August 14-20, TASS reported. On Monday,Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu inspected various products made by the domestic defence industry which are exhibited at the Army-2023 International Military-Technical Forum which started in Kubinka outside Moscow on Monday. Shoigu examined the Drok 82 mm self-propelled mortar, Kornet-D1 self-propelled anti-tank missile system, the Lotos 120 mm self-propelled artillery system, the Zavet-D automated control system managing airborne mortar teams and the Aistyonok portable radar reconnaissance station, TASS reported. The exhibition stands also included theOryol round-the-clock, optical-electronic, multifunctional device, Orlan-30 and Orlan-10 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the Kub system equipped with guided munitions, the Lancet system equipped with small and medium-sized loitering munitions, the Supercam-S350 drone, the Malva 152 mm self-propelled artillery system, and the Tornado-G 122 mm multiple launch missile system. Sergei Shoigu was also briefed on the capabilities of the Planshet-M-IR artillery battalion fire control system, the Salago-system for integrated intelligence processing and the PRP-5 Mars-2000 mobile reconnaissance vehicle, and the Salaga-O system for integrated intelligence processing, according to TASS report. He met with senior executives from Promsvyazbank and Novikombank, TASS reported. He also saw the goods produced by a number of Russian companies serving the defence sector, including an air-to-air advanced guided airborne missile made by the Kurganpribor research and production facility. The BrahMos missile is a type of supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from various platforms like submarines, ships, aeroplanes, or land. It is currently the fastest supersonic missile in the world and was developed by a partnership between Indias Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russias NPO Mashinostroyeniya, forming BrahMos Aerospace. The missile is named after two rivers, the Brahmaputra in India and the Moskva in Russia. Recently, the Indian Navy successfully test-fired the ship-launched version of the BrahMos missile. The missile test was conducted using an indigenous seeker and booster in the Arabian Sea. Notably, its anti-ship version was jointly test-fired by the Andaman and Nicobar Command and the Navy in April 2022. (ANI)
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, who is presiding over the grand jury in the former US President Donald Trump election subversion case has reviewed and signed the grand jurys finding, CNN reported. He then gave the paperwork to an official from the clerk's office, who then left the courtroom. Earlier, the clear's office official, a prosecutor, and a bailiff brought the paperwork into McBurneys courtroom. Former Georgia Lt Governor Geoff Duncan testified before the Fulton County grand jury in the Donald Trump 2020 election subversion case, according to CNN. Donald Trump is facing a potential fourth indictment, this time in Georgia. State prosecutors in Georgia might soon bring charges over his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results there. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis started the investigation in early 2021 and has carried out a probe into Trumps attempts to pressurise Georgia officials into interfering with the vote tally, the "fake electors" scheme to subvert the Electoral College and other efforts to undo the will of the voters, according to CNN. The grand jury in the case has been hearing testimony on Monday (local time) as part of the prosecution's presentation of evidence. Willis, who is leading the investigation, planned for her presentation to the grand jury to last one or two years. Then-US presidential candidate Joe Bidens victory in Georgia was confirmed by two recounts and certified by Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. However, Trump instead of conceding, started amulti-pronged effort to overturn the results, including a pressure campaign targeting key state officials. Trump wanted them to abuse their powers to find enough votes to flip the results or to block Bidens victory from being certified, CNN reported. However, they were refused. After he failed in his efforts, Trump urged Georgia lawmakers to convene a special session of the GOP-run legislature so they could overturn Bidens victory. As per the news report, the allies of Donald Trump, including his attorney Rudy Giuliani, made fraud claims to the state House and Senate at hearings in December 2020. Trump's campaign supported by outside lawyers filed lawsuits that attempted to overturn the Georgia results. Trumps campaign also involved a group of GOP activists in Georgia to serve as fake electors attempted to weaponize the US Justice Department to help him intervene in Georgia and has been connected by text messages obtained by Willis team to a voting system breach in Coffee County. (ANI)
French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated India on its 77th Independence Day and said New Delhi can count on Paris as a "trusted friend." On the social media account, X (formerly known as Twitter), Macron called Priem Minister Narendra Modi a "friend" and said that they had set new ambitions for Indio-French relations. https://twitter.com/EmmanuelMacron/status/1691321596969938944 "Congratulations to the Indian people on your Independence Day! A month ago in Paris, my friend @narendramodi and I set new Indo-French ambitions all the way to 2047, the centenary year of Indias Independence. India can count on France as a trusted friend and partner, always." He reshared his old video dated July 15, where he shared the highlights of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 2-day official visit to France. PM Modi was on a two-day visit to France on July 13 and 14. Apart from France, the US, Sri Lanka and Nepal's Foreign Ministers also extended warm wishes to India. Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Ali Sabry on Tuesday wished India Independence Day and said that he is confident that bilateral ties will be "further strengthened" between the two nations. "Warm Greetings, Foreign Minister @DrSJaishankar and the Government & people of #India on the occasion of your Independence Day. I am confident that in the years ahead our bilateral ties will be further strengthened between our two nations India and Sri Lanka," Sabry said on the social media account X. Nepal's Foreign Minister Narayan Prakash Saud also extended wishes on the occasion. "As India celebrates its 77th Independence Day, I would like to convey warm greetings and felicitations to H.E. @DrSJaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India. Wish Happy Independence Day to the people and Government of India!" he tweeted. The United States Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, attended the Independence Day celebration at the Red Fort here today and extended his greetings. He also said that it is an "honour" to be present at the "iconic Red Fort." Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken extended his wishes on India's 77th Independence Day. "On behalf of the United States of America, we send our warmest wishes to the people of India as they commemorate 76 years of independence this August 15. On this momentous day, we reflect on the depth and breadth of our strategic partnership, and we celebrate the proud history of the Indian people, who are the key to the bright future we are building together," Antony Blinken said in a statement. Blinken noted that the relationship between India and US has grown "deeper" and it has become "more expansive than ever." (ANI)
Wishing India on its 77th Independence Day, Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Ali Sabry on Tuesday said, he is confident that bilateral ties will be "further strengthened" between the two nations. "Warm Greetings, Foreign Minister @DrSJaishankar and the Government & people of #India on the occasion of your Independence Day. I am confident that in the years ahead our bilateral ties will be further strengthened between our two nations India and Sri Lanka," Sabry said on the social media account, X (formerly known as Twitter). Nepal's Foreign Minister Narayan Prakash Saud also extended the wishes on the occasion. "As India celebrates its 77th Independence Day, I would like to convey warm greetings and felicitations to H.E. @DrSJaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India. Wish Happy Independence Day to the people and Government of India!" he said on the X. The United States Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, attended the Independence Day celebration at the Red Fort here today and extended his greetings. He also said that it is an "honour" to be present at the "iconic Red Fort." Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also extended his wishes on India's 77th Independence Day. "On behalf of the United States of America, we send our warmest wishes to the people of India as they commemorate 76 years of independence this August 15. On this momentous day, we reflect on the depth and breadth of our strategic partnership, and we celebrate the proud history of the Indian people, who are the key to the bright future we are building together," Antony Blinken said in a statement. Blinken noted that the relationship between India and US has grown "deeper" and it has become "more expansive than ever." Calling India a "fastest-growing major economy," Singapore High Commissioner Simon Wong also wished the countrymen on the 77th Independence Day. "Happy 77th #IndependenceDay to our dearest friends! Frm s largest democracy, to fastest growing major econ, tech epicentre & more - has much to celebrate & aspire towards. is proud to be steadfast partner & look fwd to scaling greater heights tgt!," Wong said on the X. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoisted the tricolour at Red Fort in the national capital and addressed the nation. He highlighted the country's development and said that decisions and the work done by the country today will impact its future for the coming 1000 years. (ANI)
Calling India a "fastest-growing major economy," Singapore High Commissioner Simon Wong on Tuesday wished "dearest friends" on the 77th Independence Day. On the social media platform, X (formerly known as Twitter), Wong said, "Happy 77th #IndependenceDay to our dearest friends! Frm s largest democracy, to fastest growing major econ, tech epicentre & more - has much to celebrate & aspire towards. is proud to be steadfast partner & look fwd to scaling greater heights tgt!" Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also extended his wishes on India's 77th Independence Day. He stated that India and US have a "strong bond" as the two nations work together for an open, prosperous, secure, stable and resilient world. "On behalf of the United States of America, we send our warmest wishes to the people of India as they commemorate 76 years of independence this August 15. On this momentous day, we reflect on the depth and breadth of our strategic partnership, and we celebrate the proud history of the Indian people, who are the key to the bright future we are building together," Antony Blinken said in a statement. Blinken noted that the relationship between India and US has grown "deeper" and it has become "more expansive than ever." Meanwhile, in New Delhi, with the nation echoing with zeal and enthusiasm on the occasion of the 77th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoisted the tricolour at Red Fort. From the ramparts of Red Fort, PM Modi addressed the nation and highlighted the country's development and said that decisions taken by the country today and the work done will impact its future for 1000 years. Continuing with his custom of wearing colourful turbans, PM Modi donned a multi-coloured Rajasthani-style turban and paired this with an off-white kurta and churidar and a black jacket. Various iconic buildings and monuments in the national capital have been illuminated in the tricolour lights on Independence Day. Old Delhi Railway Station, New Delhi Railway Station and India Gate were light-up as the city soaks in Independence Day fervour. (ANI)
"As of 6:00 a.m. local time (3:00 a.m. GMT) on August 15, the tragedy killed 27 people and left 102 injured," Melikovs press service quoted him as saying.

According to the regional head, there were three children among those killed.

The explosion occurred opposite a filling station in Makhachkala on Monday night. Following this, fire erupted in the area which reached 600 square meters. The open fire was extinguished.

Earlier, while Speaking to reporters, Dagestan Head Sergey Melikov said that the explosion occurred opposite the filling station. Melikov said that the "causes and nature" of the explosion are being determined, TASS reported.

As per the news report, two out of eight fuel tanks exploded. More than 70 people and 20 pieces of equipment were involved in containing the fire. Police and city officials were moving people away from the spot as there is a risk of a second explosion.

According to the regional prosecutors office, an inspection has been conducted in connection with the fire at the filling station, TASS reported. Senior Dagestani officials reached at the site of the incident while the first deputy head of the Russian Health Ministry Viktor Fisenko arrived in Dagestan. (ANI)
Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal wished India on the occasion of the 77th Independence Day. "On the auspicious occasion of the 77th Independence Day of India, I extend warm greetings and best wishes to PM @narendramodi ji and to the friendly people of India for continued peace, progress and prosperity @PMOIndia," Nepal PM said in a tweet. Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated India on its 77th Independence Day and said New Delhi can count on Paris as a "trusted friend." On the social media account, X (formerly known as Twitter), Macron called Priem Minister Narendra Modi a "friend" and said that they had set new ambitions for Indio-French relations. "Congratulations to the Indian people on your Independence Day! A month ago in Paris, my friend @narendramodi and I set new Indo-French ambitions all the way to 2047, the centenary year of Indias Independence. India can count on France as a trusted friend and partner, always." He reshared his old video dated July 15, where he shared the highlights of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 2-day official visit to France. The US, Sri Lanka and Nepal's Foreign Ministers also extended warm wishes to India. Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Ali Sabry on Tuesday wished India Independence Day and said that he is confident that bilateral ties will be "further strengthened" between the two nations. "Warm Greetings, Foreign Minister @DrSJaishankar and the Government & people of #India on the occasion of your Independence Day. I am confident that in the years ahead our bilateral ties will be further strengthened between our two nations India and Sri Lanka," Sabry said on the social media account X. Nepal's Foreign Minister Narayan Prakash Saud also extended wishes on the occasion. "As India celebrates its 77th Independence Day, I would like to convey warm greetings and felicitations to H.E. @DrSJaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India. Wish Happy Independence Day to the people and Government of India!" he tweeted. The United States Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, attended the Independence Day celebration at the Red Fort here today and extended his greetings. He also said that it is an "honour" to be present at the "iconic Red Fort." Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken extended his wishes on India's 77th Independence Day. "On behalf of the United States of America, we send our warmest wishes to the people of India as they commemorate 76 years of independence this August 15. On this momentous day, we reflect on the depth and breadth of our strategic partnership, and we celebrate the proud history of the Indian people, who are the key to the bright future we are building together," Antony Blinken said in a statement. Blinken noted that the relationship between India and US has grown "deeper" and it has become "more expansive than ever." (ANI)
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Afghanistan Cultural Association (AKIS) in collaboration with Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) organised a protest in front of the United Nations Office in Austria's Viena to mark the anniversary of Taliban rule in the country. During the demonstration on Monday, diaspora leaders spoke on the rights of Afghan people and the need for the world to stand by Afghan people to guarantee their basic rights and livelihood. They raised slogans against Pakistan and their intelligence agent for their interference in Afghan affairs and for being the real reason for the present status of Afghanistan. Ghousuddin Mir, President of AKIS, stated that Pakistan is using the present situation in Afghanistan and imposing its interest on the Taliban. They have illegally occupied territories of Afghanistan along the borders. They are using Afghanistan as a source for their drug trafficking networks. Satori Khan, President of PTM in Vienna said women's education is very important for human development and depriving women of education and their rights will have a strong impact on Afghan society. The international community should put pressure on the Taliban to guarantee women's rights. This should be the basis for any dealings with the Taliban, Khan added. Hakan Grd, leader of a newly formed Austrian political party viz., Social Austria of the Future also joined the protest and spoke in support of the demonstrators. Afghanistan's women have faced numerous challenges since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Girls and women in the war-torn country have no access to education, employment and public spaces. Taliban has imposed draconian restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, association, assembly, and movement for women and girls. Not only this, Taliban leaders have also disregarded international calls for women and girls to be given access to education and employment. Apparently, they have also issued warnings to other nations not to meddle in Afghanistan's domestic affairs. The Taliban have barred girls from attending secondary school, restricted women and girls' freedom of movement, excluded women from most areas of the workforce and banned women from using parks, gyms and public bath houses. (ANI)
South Korea's Ambassador to India Chang Jae Bok has confirmed that the country's President Yoon Suk Yeol will attend the upcoming G20 Summit, scheduled to take place in September in Delhi. Yes, our President is coming to the (G20) Summit which is being held on 9-10 September. We strongly support Indias G20 presidency this year and we hope that the Summit meeting in September will be the highlight and culmination of the G20 presidency efforts by the Indian Government, the envoy said. "During G20 of course we discuss the economic recovery of the world in the world situation but we also discuss regional security affairs. So we hope that India will lead the G 20 members towards the very good outcome of the G 20 for contribution to peace and security of the world and the stable economic situation in the world," he said. G-20 leaders' summit under Indias presidency is scheduled to take place in New Delhi this September. South Korea commemorates the 78th anniversary of Liberation Day or Independence Day today. "15th of August is the Independence Day for both India and Korea. So, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to India and the people of India," South Korea's Ambassador to India said. "Since the end of February, 'Naatu Naatu' dance cover by the Korean Embassy was a big hit and viral. Since then many Indians showed interest in Korean culture...but this has not been the phenomenon now. It has been a big phenomenon by the young generation of India for a couple of years..." the envoy said recalling the success of the Oscar winning song 'Naatu Naatu' from the hit Telugu-language film 'RRR'. Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar wished South Korea on its Independence Day. "Warm greetings to @FMParkJin and the Government and the people of the Republic of Korea on their National Day. Confident that our Special Strategic Partnership would keep advancing," Jaishankar said in a tweet.(ANI)
Indian High Commission in the United Kingdom (UK) hoisted the Indian tricolour and celebrated the 77th Independence Day in London on Tuesday. The event which was held outside the Indian High Commission in London was attended by the Indian high commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami, Indian Army officials, NCC cadets from India and British officials. People of the Indian community as well as Britain nationals gathered outside the high commission in large numbers and waved the tricolour to mark Indias Independence Day. People from the Indian diaspora were also seen singing Indias National Anthem and the patriotic Vande Mataram song during the celebrations. High Commissioner of India to the UK,Vikram Doraiswami also distributed gifts to the delegation of NCC cadets from India, who were in the UK from August 5. Doraiswami told ANI, So many friends from the Indian community and PIO community turned out. Even shall we say friends of India, Britons who are not just of Indian origin also turned up. He added, There's a lot to celebrate about India. And I think they turned up in big numbers today more than we anticipated. We thought maybe 300 will come. We had nearly double the number turning up. Even though it's a working day for people in the UK, people turned up, people really seemed to be enjoying themselves. So it was great to have so many of our friends here celebrating India on its seventy-seventh birthday. Earlier on Monday, Indian High Commission in the UK hosted a photo exhibition and a ceremony to mark 'Partition Horrors Remembrance Day'. On the occasion, the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami inaugurated an exhibition of photographs of the partition horrors. The 'Partition Horrors Remembrance Day was observed at India House in London's Aldwych. People present at the ceremony watched the photographs of the partition displayed on the screen. On the occasion, Doraiswami said that India's celebration of independence was always somewhat mixed as it came at a "very high price." He said that they cannot undo what happened in history and how much pain it brought to the people. (ANI)
The Indian Embassy in Russia celebrated the 77th Independence Day along with a large number of Indians. Ambassador Pavan Kapoor paid floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and hoisted the National Flag. He also read out excerpts from President Droupadi Murmu's address to the nation on the eve of the Independence Day. A vibrant cultural programme was also organised by school students and community association members which reflected the spirit of Har Ghar Tiranga and Meri Maati Mera Desh. "The 77th Independence Day was celebrated at the Embassy along with a large number of Indians from the diaspora. @AmbKapoor paid floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, hoisted the and read out excerpts from our Honble President's address to the nation," the Indian Embassy in Moscow tweeted. "A vibrant cultural programme by school students & community association members reflected the spirit of #HarGharTiranga and #MeriMaatiMeraDesh," the Indian Embassy informed further via X, formerly known as Twitter. Indian High Commission all over the world celebrated the festival of Independence with great fervor. The Indian embassy in Kuwait hoisted the tricolour on the occasion of the 77th Independence Day. Ambassador of India to Kuwait, Adarsh Swaika hoisted the flag and read out President Droupadi Murmu's address to the nation on the eve of Independence Day. "Glimpses of the 77th Independence Day celebrations at the Embassy of India in Kuwait. Ambassador hoisted the tricolour and read out Honble Rashtrapatijis address to the nation. The vibrant Indian community participated in large numbers despite being a hot and humid morning," Swaika said in a tweet. Earlier, the Indian embassy in Medan, a city in Indonesia, also celebrated the 77th Independence Day. Indian Origin Tamil Community members sang a rendition of Vande Mataram. Earlier, the Indian mission in Kathmandu marked the 77th anniversary of Independence and organised a celebration. The celebration was part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, an initiative of the Union government to celebrate 75 years of independent India and remarkable achievements by Indians across spheres. Naveen Srivastava, the Indian Ambassador to Nepal, hoisted the national flag in the Gulf country. Later, President Droupadi Murmu's address to the nation on the eve of Independence Day was played, while highlighting the progress across fields in recent years and paying tribute to the freedom fighters, who laid down their lives in the quest for the country's independence. During the celebration, Ambassador Naveen Shrivastava felicitated widows and next of kin of deceased Gorkha soldiers of the Indian Armed Forces by disbursing their dues worth crores and a blanket to each family. The celebrations saw the rendition of patriotic songs and dances by teachers and students of Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre of the Embassy and Kendriya Vidyalaya School, Kathmandu. Meanwhile, in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoisted the tricolour at the Red Fort before delivering his customary address to fellow countrymen. (ANI)
An Indian studying in the US thanked Indian Army on Independence Day as an Indian Army doctor helped save her fathers life in Ladakh during a family trip last month. In a series of tweets on X (formerly known as twitter) user named Ritwika Das narrated her story that how her father fell sick during a trip to the Nubra Valley west of the Ladakh capital Leh. On the occasion of #IndependenceDay, I, here in USA, want to thank Indian Army and Ladakh Govt for saving life of my dad when we were in Ladakh in the month of July. Indebted to Dr Ritesh Sharma and Mr Angdus for being there in times of our need. Thank you, she tweeted. https://twitter.com/dancintheraain/status/1691150518410686480?t=vulExvMOVn2DjhRvL9XjPg&s=08 She said that during the trip, her father suddenly developed serious breathing issues and was getting incoherent. I tried to help him but it was a really bad situation. I asked the driver to take us to Leh which is good 4-5 hours away, she said. She said that for the whole night, her father's condition remained bad and she, a stranger was feeling helpless as she didn't know what to do. In the meanwhile, her uncle who was in Jammu, told her that he has contacted some friend of his and that she will receive some help the next morning. "In the morning, I got a call from Mr Angdus who is a Ladakh administration employee and he assured me of help. Shortly, I received another call from one Dr Ritesh, and he stated that both of them will be coming to hospital shortly," she informed. "To my surprise, both of them, classmates from school ( as I got to know later) were there in a short while and they had some discussion with hospital authorities and my dad was immediately shifted to ICU," Ritwika tweeted. She stated that she got to know that Dr Ritesh is there was in Leh on leave and that he is a doctor with Indian Army as an Anaesthesiologist with Critical care expertise. The Army doctor got actively involved in the treatment of my father along with doctors of SNM hospital and yes, the condition of my dad started to improve. His presence was extremely calming and comforting. Ritwika said, I cannot thank these two souls much and would like to thank Indian Army and Govt of Ladakh for producing such gems of persons which makes us citizens proud of our Army and Government. Indebted, she said. (ANI)
China, an upper riparian nation, has built roughly eight hydroelectric power projects (HPPs) on the lower levels of the Brahmaputra; some of them are currently operational, others are being built, and one mega-dam is being considered, according to the Daily Mirror. According to Beijing's 14th Five-Year Plan (202125), the 9th projected 60 GW HPP could be constructed at the Great Bend in Motuo County of Linzhi Prefecture, Tibet. Bangladesh is the most riparian nation in South Asia and heavily depends on international rivers. Millions of people who depend on it for their livelihood make up the lower riparian nation of South Asia, where the Brahmaputra is one of the most significant rivers. The powerful, braided Brahmaputra is known by various names in different locations, including Yarlung Tsangpo, Jamuna, and others. It is a transboundary river that is joined by numerous tributaries as it travels. It has recently grown into a significant cause of geopolitical conflict on the Indian subcontinent. Mekong Rivers current situation is a classic example of how lower riparian countries are seriously impacted by Chinas hydro-hegemony, as Beijing considers rivers are strategic resources under the vague umbrella of national security, instead of shared natural resources for humanity The Yarlung Tsangpo Brahmaputra Jamuna River System hosts fragile biodiversity hotspots, housing rare species of flora and fauna. River issues are a relatively new addition to the Sino-Indian dialogue agenda, but it appears that riparian issues are becoming yet another source of contention rather than cooperation, the Daily Mirror reported. Differences and misunderstandings could have spillover effects in amicable consultations between the riparian states for responsible sharing of hydrological data and equitable distribution of water resources in future. There have been growing suspicion and just concerns voiced regularly by Bangladesh and India towards Beijings plans for water diversion of Tibetan rivers, including Brahmaputra, to arid Northwest China through the Red Flag Canal, under the South-North Water Transfer Project (SNWTP), the Daily Mirror reported. According to statistics, at least 60 per cent of Bangladesh's population relies on the Brahmaputra's catchment basin. Construction activities, landslides and mining for precious metals and Rare Earth Elements by China in the region seriously impact sedimentation, siltation, river quality and rate of flow downstream, as evident from the recent blackening of Siang and Kameng tributaries. As Bangladeshi officials remark that they could experience heavy water flow when they do not require, it and the least or no water during the dry season when they require it the most. The comments are in the light of upstream riparian countries with China in particular having leverage to withdraw or release water as per their requirement, the Daily Mirror reported. The expert expresses apprehension that the Chinese diversion of water, apart from the generation of electricity, could prove detrimental to the millions of lower riparian communities of Bangladesh. Sheikh Rokon, secretary general of environment campaigners Riverine People, said the multilateral discussion should be held before China builds any dams in future. He further remarked shaping up the right attitude in treating co-riparian countries, sharing of equitable benefits, sub-regional cooperation and basin-wide approach will go a long way in maintaining a sustained riparian relationship, the Daily Mirror reported. Dam building overlaid with border disputes and lack of political trust is exactly the type of problem that international observers predict will exacerbate resource competition in developing regions. Management of Brahmaputra is woefully under-institutionalized. Due in part to the river passing through disputed territory, there remains no multilateral water-sharing accord between China, India, and Bangladesh, the Daily Mirror reported. Hydro-hegemonic activities by China on the Brahmaputra, without genuine consultation involving local people and authorities of Bangladesh could prove counter-productive, and further cause irreversible damage to the fragile flora, and fauna already reeling under the much larger issue of climate change. (ANI)
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday congratulated India and the Indo-Canadian communities on the 77th Independence Day of the country. The Canadian PM in an official statement said that he joins the people of India and Indo-Canadian communities across the country to celebrate Indias Independence Day. He said, On behalf of the Government of Canada, I extend my best wishes to all those celebrating Indias Independence Day. Canadian prime minister stressed that Canada is home to one of the longest Indian diasporas in the world and he claims nearly 1.4 million people of Indian descent living in the country. The statement read, The Canada-India relationship is based on strong and longstanding ties between our people. Canada is home to one of the largest Indian diasporas in the world, with nearly 1.4 million people of Indian descent living in our communities from coast to coast to coast. These communities are an integral part of Canadas national identity, and today we recognize their valuable contributions, past and present, that have made our country stronger, more prosperous, and more inclusive. Canadian PM also mentioned Indias presidency of G20 this year and called India, a key partner for Canada in the promotion of shared values of democracy. The statement added, As the worlds largest democracy, India is and will continue to be a key partner for Canada in the promotion of our shared values of democracy, pluralism, and progress. We are committed to building on this rich history of collaboration, including under Indias presidency of the G20 this year. The statement further added, Looking ahead, as Canada strengthens its presence in the region under its Indo-Pacific Strategy, we will continue to work together to preserve the rules-based international order, promote multilateralism, and grow our economic ties to benefit people in both our countries as well as the region at large. (ANI)
The members of the Hindu community, residing in the Narowal district of Pakistan have to face a lot of difficulties and travel long distances to perform their religious and cultural rituals, including marriage and death rites because of the absence of any functional temple in the district, Dawn news reported on Tuesday. Dawn is a Pakistani English-language daily newspaper. It reported that, the official data revealed that the three tehsils of the Narowal district, Narowal, Shakargarh and Zafarwal have a total population of 1,253 Hindus including men, women and children. Hindu families are living in Ghauta Fatehgarh, Bathanwala, Badumalhi, Ahmedabad, Malukpur, Alipur, Aurangabad and other villages of Narowal tehsil, while in Shakargarh tehsil They are residing in Beriyan, Sangran, Sukhochak, Raibamor. Bajar, Ikhlaspur, Bherri Khurd Jasad and Aliabad villages. Similarly, many Hindu families live in Zafarwal tehsils Lala, Sankhatra, Sangyal, Dudhochak, Darman, Kot Bawa, Bada Pind, Jarpal and Jatwal villages. According to Dawn News, the former member of Narowal district council, Ratan Lal Arya who is also a member of the District Peace Committee and an ex-President of the Pak Dharam Astan Committee said, Due to the absence of a temple in the district, members of the Hindu community have either to perform their religious rituals inside their homes or go to the temples located in big cities like Sialkot, Lahore and Rawalpindi for the purpose on the occasion of Holi, Diwali, Month of Shabrati, Rakshaw Bandha etc, Dawn news reported. He alleged that the two Hindu temples in Narowal City and five others in Zafarwal were rented out abruptly by the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) in connivance with some interested parties, who are using these places for other purposes. He added that the renovation of the two rooms of a temple at Bohli in Zafarwal tehsil was done by the ETPB for performing rituals on the insistence of the local Hindu community but a year later the status of the temple was changed and rented out to a private person. Another member of the Hindu community stressed the issue that on religious festivals, Hindu families have to perform rituals inside their homes because there is no temple nearby, Dawn News reported. He says the government of Pakistan spends millions of rupees annually on the welfare of the minorities and the beautification of their places of worship, but ETPB officials have deprived the Hindu community in the district of their right to have a functional temple. Sialkot ETPB Deputy Administrator Tanveer Hussain, says that the board has so far received no request from Narowal for the allotment and restoration of any temple for the Hindu community. He termed the allegations of collusion of ETPB officials with any private party for renting out temples false and baseless, reported Dawn News. The atrocities on minority communities have always been in the news and forceful conversions to Islam cannot be ignored. Raising the same issues, the minorities alliance in Pakistan had also staged a protest against the Pakistan government. Earlier, Hundreds of individuals from minority and marginalised communities in Pakistan held the first 'Minority Rights March' at the Frere Hall area of Karachi on Friday, advocating for their rights and demanding an end to the practice of forced conversions. Demanding urgent action to address the pressing issues faced by religious minorities in the country, the enthusiastic participants displayed banners calling for an end to abductions, harassment, forced conversions and marriages and rape of women and girls of religious minorities. (ANI)
Amid the rush of Bhutanese individuals seeking knowledge and advancement abroad, a poignant shift is taking shape, a revival of interest in spiritual wisdom and cultural roots. This quest for equilibrium in the pursuit of personal aspirations has sparked a remarkable trend: a renewed reverence for Bhutans spiritual legacy among its diaspora, The Bhutan Live reported. At the forefront of this evolving narrative stands Lungchutse, a sacred hilltop that has seamlessly intertwined itself with Bhutanese ambitions. Amid the diverse crowd of residents and visitors, the hills elevation of 3,569 meters above sea level belies its celestial importance. It houses a revered lhakhang, a sacred choeten, and a contemplative crematoriumthree historical symbols, each with its own unique story to tell. Embarking on a pilgrimage to Lungchutse involves a two-hour climb from Dochulas Druk Wangyel Choeten. The journey unfolds through a lush heritage of rhododendrons, juniper trees, and a lively chorus of fungi and avian creatures. Throughout this path, vibrant prayer flags sway in harmony with the breeze, guiding travellers along a route where nature and spirituality meld in perfect companionship, The Bhutan Live reported. The zenith of this poetic journey is the revered temple, a testament to the artistry of Tertoen Drukdra Dorji. Constructed over the span of the seventeenth to eighteenth centuries, this sanctum enshrines the transcendent Guru Padmasambhava, or Guru Nga-drama, as its central luminary. Tertoen Drukdra Dorjis historical significance extends furthera venerated Buddhist sage whose prophetic wisdom foreshadowed the birth and reign of Bhutans Fourth King, forever etching His name into the Bhutanese destiny, The Bhutan Live reported. Yet beneath the grandeur of the temple lies the wish-fulfilling choeten, a modest yet potent monument erected in 2003. Crafted under the watchful eye of Queen Mother Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck, it is said to safeguard relics from Punakha Dzong. To receive its blessings, the faithful circumambulate it nine times, with each step engraving their aspirations into the fabric of the universe. Thus, the collective faith in the choetens benevolence attracts a constant stream of pilgrims and visitors, their hopes intertwined with its ancient stones. Adjacent to this canvas of faith stands a crematorium, a simple yet profound sanctuary of reverence and remembrance. It was here that Tertoen Drukdra Dorji bid his final farewell to his mother, weaving yet another thread of connection between Lungchutses sacred sites, The Bhutan Live reported. However, as spiritual yearning and cultural reconnection flourish, so do challenges. The hills increasing popularity raises concerns about water scarcity and waste management. Lam Ugyen Penjors voice resonates, narrating the uphill struggle faced by water pumps on rough terrain. Rainwater collection offers a temporary solution, as the lhakhang endeavours to extend Bhutanese hospitality amidst arid conditions. In the ongoing tale of Lungchutse, community-led solutions are unfolding. Volunteer groups and scouts shoulder the responsibility of cleanliness. The path to Lungchutse finds a guardian in Wind Horse Tours, whose dedication goes beyond maintenance, fostering an environment conducive to contemplation, The Bhutan Live reported. The serene silence enveloping Lungchutse invites meditation, a sentiment mirrored in the tsham khanga sanctuary for inner reflection that complements the external journey. Trumpets and drums punctuate auspicious days and Buddhist events, as the lhakhang resonates with the rhythm of devotion and ritual. Within Lungchutses sacred precincts, Zhung Dratsang stands as its guardian. Six soulslams and tshampasreside within its walls, preserving not only the physical structure of the temple but also its spiritual resonancean exquisite blend of Bhutans heritage, modern dynamism, and limitless aspirations, The Bhutan Live reported. As you tread the path to Lungchutse, the stories of those who have ascended before you are carried by the winds. This is more than an ascent; its a journey to the heart of Bhutans spirit, a pilgrimage that converges the past, present, and future. (ANI)
Other than the tricolour, the worlds tallest building also showcased quotes of Happy Independence Day to Mother India and Long Live India UAE Friendship.

It also displayed Mahatma Gandhis picture along with quotes Har Ghar Tiranga and Jai Hind.

Meanwhile, the ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum conveyed his greetings to India on Independence Day on Twitter.

As India celebrates its 77th Independence Day, I extend my congratulations to the leadership and the people of this great nation. On this joyous occasion, the UAE reaffirms its commitment to building a future of shared prosperity and growth, elevating our partnership to new heights, and exploring new horizons of political, economic, and cultural relations. Happy Independence Day, Swatantrata Diwas!, he tweeted.

Earlier in July, the Burj Khalifa had lit up in tricolour as a mark of welcome to Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was on a visit to UAE.

A leaping skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Burj Khalifa is one of the top attractions to visit in the city.

Meanwhile, the 77h Independence Day was celebrated across India with full enthusiasm and a vibrant showcase of culture and diversity.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation from the Red Fort for the 10th successive time.

PM Modis address highlighted a range of achievements over the past years, reflecting India's progress in multiple sectors. (ANI)
Star chef Vikas Khanna on Tuesday unveiled a replica art piece of the famous Konark Sun Temple in front of Times Square in New York, where the Indian diaspora had gathered in huge numbers to celebrate Indias 77th Independence Day. The art piece is made of sandstone, a handcrafted replication that is inspired by the wheels at Konark Sun Temple. Several villages from the Lalitagitri Village of Odisha have worked day and night for preparing this art piece. This piece will also be displayed as a symbol of unity between the Indian diaspora and Americans in Vikas Khannas upcoming restaurant in New York City in 2024. From now on, Americans, who have not visited Konark as yet, will get an idea of the temples architectural designs. The 13th-century Sun Temple at Konark in Puri has been attracting visitors from different parts of India and abroad alike. On the occasion of the 77th Independence Day, the Indian diaspora gathered in huge numbers. People could be seen wearing traditional dress with tricolours in their hands. Patriotic songs were also played at the event. Randhir Jaiswal, the Consulate General of New York was present on the occasion and stressed the Indo-American partnership in the digital age. We have a lot together to do in the digital age, in the knowledge world and we count on all your support. The message of India, then, today and tomorrow will be of togetherness and unity. And he (Amjad Ali Khan) has been doing the same through his music and love, spreading Indias message of Vasudhav Kutumbakam (the world is one). I once again convey my warmest wishes to all of you, Jaiswal said. Amjad Ali Khan, the Santoor maestro also graced the occasion and praised Prime Minister Narendra Modis message of Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas. We love America. We love our country and it is a great message that we are all united Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas. And we are very proud to have Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is celebrating Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. It is a great honour, pleasure to be here. Indo-American Art Council doing a great service, he said. The Konark Sun Temple is a monumental representation of the chariot of the Sun God. This UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site was built in the 13th century. It is located on the eastern shores of Odisha. The 24 wheels on the monument are decorated with symbolic designs and led by seven horses symbolising time. It is a beautiful example of the intricacies of temple architecture and art in India. This creative masterpiece was built in 12 years with the effort of 12,000 workers. (ANI)
BROWNSVILLE, Brooklyn (WPIX)  One person died and another was seriously injured after falling from the top floor of a New York apartment building while trying to escape a fire Monday afternoon, fire officials said.

The fire happened at a six-story apartment building in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn around 2 p.m., according to the New York City Fire Department.

FDNY Deputy Chief Jim Carney said there was heavy smoke and fire coming from the top floor of the apartment building when firefighters arrived.

Five people injured in multi-vehicle crash on 18th Street Expressway in KCK

Witnesses told Nexstars WPIX that they watched two men dangle from the top floor in an attempt to escape the fire before falling to the ground below.

The guy was yelling, Its fire here, its fire here. When I saw the corner of the building, he was hanging out, said witness Mario Pineda.

Cell phone video shows one of the men trying to keep his grip on the window sill before falling and landing on the grass.

Another man, a 49-year-old, had been hanging out of a side window before landing on the concrete. He was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead, officials said.

I turned around and came out. I heard a boom and a window blew out on that side over there, said Anthony Tillman, who lives in the building. Then the other guy right here jumped and hit the grass  The other one was trying to hang on for his life. He hung on, and when the fire started hitting that hand of his, he had to let go.

A third person was also rushed to a hospital with burns.

Firefighters were able to quickly put out the fire and keep it contained to a top-floor apartment, Carney said. No injuries to firefighters were reported.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
1 ousted Richland school official takes to Fox News to lay blame for his loss

The recall election results ousting three Richland School Board members from office was certified Tuesday morning.

That means the three board members  Kari Williams, Misipati Semi Bird and Audra Byrd  who voted in favor of violating Washingtons indoor mask mandate last year are officially out of office.

Minutes later, Educational Service District 123 in Pasco began accepting applications to fill one of the vacancies  the seat held by Bird, a Richland conservative who is now running for governor as a Republican.

He went on Fox News in an interview published Tuesday to explain how the cards were stacked against them. He blamed low conservative voter turnout, high spending amounts in favor of the recall and progressives moving to Benton County for losing the recall election.

Its important for people to understand. Theyll say, well, Benton County is a conservative county  they dont understand our school district and Benton County. We have a lot of progressives who have moved into our county, specifically through our federal contracting agencies who work here, specifically through Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and others. So, they were against us from the beginning, he told Fox.

Bird insists that their campaign to fend off the recall, Resist the Recall, was outspent. But public filings on the Washington Public Disclosure Commissions website show both sides engaged in a comparable spending and fundraising blitz, shelling out thousands for campaign signs, radio and television advertisements, and mailers.

Total expenditures show Richland School Board Recall spent about $15,600 while Resist the Recall spent nearly $13,700.

The amount of total receipts were also comparable. Resist the Recall reports roughly $17,200 while the Richland School Board Recall had $16,800.

About 36.6% of eligible registered voters in Benton County turned out for the Aug. 1 primary election.

Thats low compared with general election turnout  and especially low when you compare it with presidential election years, the next one of which will occur in 2024.

But the Aug. 1 turnout was relatively high compared with similar elections of its kind, especially the Aug 6, 2019, election, where about 22% of voters turned out.

Richland board applications

The voter-led initiative has left the school board with only two publicly elected officials, which isnt enough to form a majority quorum required by state law to hold public meetings and conduct business.

ESD 123s board must now appoint one board member to fix the incapacitated board, and it aims to have that work finished by Tuesday, Aug. 29.

Applications can be found online and are due back by 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 23.

ESD 123 is the regional education authority that assists local school districts with public education in Southeast Washington, from Clarkston to Prosser.

Its nine-person board will screen applicants and select up to five finalists at an Aug. 24 public meeting. Then, at another public meeting set for Aug. 29, the board will interview the finalists and select one person to fill Birds seat.

The chosen candidate will serve for less than three months before the voters choose a new school board member during the Nov. 7 general election. Candidates Nino Kapitula and Chelsie Beck will face off for that position.

In order to be eligible for the seat, a person must show proof of residency within the Richland School District boundaries and be a registered voter.

In order to be considered, candidates must turn in an application, answer the additional questions listed on the application and submit a resume to kvotaw@esd123.org. Paper copies can be submitted at ESD 123s regional office, at 3924 W Court Street in Pasco.

The Richland School Board plans to hold its next meeting Thursday, Aug. 31, which will be two days after ESD 123s appointment.

With a majority, the board will be able to begin the process of accepting applications and making their own appointments to fill out the other two vacant positions.

One of those vacancies will be filled until the November general election is certified and the other will be filled for the remaining two years of Audra Byrds term.
Research has shown that parental involvement in their childrens school experience has a positive effect on their academic, behavioral and social-emotional success.

Research has shown that parental involvement in their childrens school experience has a positive effect on their academic, behavioral and social-emotional success.

Back-to-school season is an exciting but busy time. Theres the shopping for school supplies, the flurry of events and emails, and the introduction to new teachers and classroom environments.

During this time of transition, parents and caregivers should also work to establish a line of communication with their childrens educators.

Communication, especially proactive communication, can alleviate so much confusion about assignments, student concerns, challenges, grades, and more, Staci Lamb, a teacher and blogger at The Engaging Station, told HuffPost. Communication also creates connection and community, both of which ultimately allows teachers and parents to best meet the needs of the student.

Research has shown that parental involvement in their childrens school experience has a positive effect on their academic, behavioral and social-emotional success.

When parents and teachers establish a partnership early in the school year, parents have the opportunity to learn how they can best help their children from the start. And parents are able to share important information about their children that helps the teacher seamlessly build rapport, which leads to student engagement, motivation, confidence and success, said Tracee Perryman, author of Elevating Futures: A Model For Empowering Black Elementary Student Success.

To help foster this kind of healthy communication and open conversation, we asked education and child development experts to share the one question they recommend parents ask their childrens teachers at the beginning of the school year. Heres what they said:

What can I do to help my child succeed in your classroom?

Paulo Graziano, a psychology professor and researcher at the Center for Children and Families at Florida International University, recommended asking, What can I do to help my child succeed in your classroom?

This question lets the teacher know that as a parent you will be an ally in the childs educational journey, he explained. This is particularly important should your child have any behavioral, academic, and/or social-emotional difficulties during the school year.

He also recommended displaying a sense of positivity and appreciation for teachers. Try to give them time to settle into a routine before asking for extra meetings or accommodations.

The beginning of the school year is quite hectic so try to be as helpful as possible as a parent in terms of bringing supplies that teachers ask for and signing up for volunteering opportunities if you can, Graziano said.

Asking your childs teacher how you can best support your child is helpful to both the educator and the student.

Especially in secondary school with students having upwards of eight different classes, the demands for each can become overwhelming for students and parents, Lamb said. If parents can help students stay organized and keep them accountable, it will be extremely beneficial.

What are the safety protocols at school?

I would ask your childs teacher if they know what the school safety policies and protocols are  with the most important being those on bullying and on weapons brought into the school and potential active shooter incidents, said clinical psychologist John Mayer.

Its important to find out if your childs school and teachers are prepared to keep their students safe amid rising incidents of gun violence.

The importance of parents communicating with the school and the teachers is vital to your childs education and well-being, Mayer explained.

What level of support should I be providing at home?

According to Reno, Nevada-based first-grade teacher Katy Carscadden, parents of young students should also ask what they can do to best support their child at home.

This is an important question due to their developmental abilities at such a young age, she said. Elementary age students will need support such as setting healthy bedtime routines [and] academic support such as reading together. Most importantly, young children need social emotional support from home to feel confident and comfortable at school each day.

If your child is in high school, this is also a question you should ask of their teachers.

To me, this is such an important time for adolescents to learn to self-advocate and how to take on more responsibilities, said Erin Castillo, a high school special education in the Bay Area of California. So we want a healthy balance of letting teenagers start to take the lead when it comes to academics, but still having parents that are willing to step in and help support if things are heading in a negative direction.

Talking to your child's teacher will help you get a sense of what kind of support you can provide at home.

Talking to your child's teacher will help you get a sense of what kind of support you can provide at home.

How does this school create a welcoming environment?

I would say parents should ask teachers, How do you support, welcome, and celebrate individual differences/diversity in students? Mayer said. And, to uncover that in schools, what activities, programs, courses or extracurriculars do you have at the school to serve students of all types and interests?

He believes a welcoming environment is a crucial part of any good school, so parents should encourage educators to foster an inclusive community.

For too long in the history of education, parents took a hands-off approach to their childs school life  thinking that it was the schools responsibility to not only educate your child, but to socialize them, teach them civics, good behavior, values, maturity, responsibility, and on and on, Mayer said. Schools do not and did not have the resources or mission to do all these developmental tasks for kids. The result is that many kids are not receiving guidance in these critical skills from any source.

What skills do you expect from my child?

Some questions that I would recommend asking are related to your childs academic performance, Perryman said. What skills do you expect my child to perform when they enter the classroom the first day? How can I help my child come to your classroom prepared to learn the content you plan to teach? What resources do you recommend I use to help my child? What does success look like as my child practices these skills? How will I know if my child is able to move on to practicing another skill?

She recommended asking these questions, as well as any relevant follow-up questions to find free resources, as well as strategies and tools that can keep your child stay on track.

What is your approach to teaching different types of children?

I think it is very important to ask questions related to your childs social adjustment in the classroom, Perryman said. In other words, ask questions that help you understand the teachers strategies for managing various social situations within the classroom.

She recommended asking questions like, What is your approach to teaching children with a temperament like your child(ren)s  shy, bold, talkative, etc...? as well as those with different temperaments to see how they might manage conflicts between your child and others. She also suggested asking, How do you incorporate student interests into learning?

This may provide some clues into the teachers ability to engage students your childs age, Perryman explained. Finally, scan the classroom carefully. Look to see if the classroom is colorful, and if the posters, pictures and objects engage students with various learning styles. Look for visual cues that may reveal the teachers value of social/emotional learning.

How can we as parents help you this year?

The top question to ask is, How can we as parents help you this year? said educational psychologist Reena B. Patel.

She and other experts who spoke to HuffPost recommended making it clear that you are part of their team and share the same goals as the teacher.

Teaching is collaborative work, said Vera Ahiyya, the author of KINDergarten: Where Kindness Matters Every Day and a teacher herself. Teachers collaborate with students, colleagues, administration and parents/caregivers. Together, we work to ensure that every child receives the best educational experience possible.

What is the best way to contact you?

The most important question centers on communication, said communication consultant Laura Fredericks. What they should ask right away is, As you know, things will come up that we would very much like to ask you. Hearing from you right away is very important to us as I am sure it is for you. What is the best way to contact you  by calling or a text  and may we have your number?

Establishing a mutually open line of communication allows both parents and teachers to get in contact when something important comes up  whether its related to school safety, bullying, curriculum changes, academic performance or mental health challenges. You dont have to ask in a pushy way, but can instead sincerely state your intention and figure out the proper protocol for getting in touch with the teacher and appropriate frequency.

Related...
12-Year-Old Speaks Out After Being Falsely Arrested While Taking Out Trash, Says Hes Shocked And Frightened About The Situation And How It Happened | James C Hooper via Getty Images

The 12-year-old Black Michigan teen falsely arrested and detained by the Lansing Police Department while taking out the trash opened up about the incident for the first time on Good Morning America.

What has now become a viral video revealed an unfair situation with authorities that left 12-year-old Tashawn Bernard in handcuffs and placed in the back of a police vehicle. The video began with an officer holding the preteens arm as he led him near the car. The childs father had asked him to take out the trash, and he grabbed the bag and stepped outside. While in the middle of his chore, an officer pulled up and assumed he was the suspect of a crime based on a description and quickly apprehended him.

Although authorities released him minutes later, the look on the childs face was surprise and confusion, which he explained is how he felt.

When it happened, I was really, like, shocked and frightened about like the situation, and how it happened, Bernard told GMA on Monday.

According to a statement the Lansing Police Department released in response to the nationwide backlash, they were investigating a string of Kia thefts, including a specific one reported on the 3600 block of W. Jolly Road with multiple suspects.

One of the witnesses of a robbery said the suspect was wearing neon shorts and a white shirt when an officer spotted him, which caused him to run into an apartment complex.

The Bernards lawyer, Rico Neal, said there is no way his client should have been assumed to be the criminal at large because he had on a light gray or a light bluish shirt.

In the Facebook post, Lansing Police acknowledged the misstep. The department disclosed when things unfolded with Tashawn and expressed their hope to reunite as a community following this unfortunate occurrence.

A different officer was in the area and saw the young man pictured in the viral video wearing a very similar outfit and made contact with him. The initial officer was able to respond and clarify the young man in the video was not the suspect who fled earlier, the statement continued. Once this information was obtained, the young man was released and officers continued to search the area. We are including pictures of both individuals. We have blurred both photos to protect the identities of the subjects.

Community relations is a top priority for us as a department, from top-down. Our hope is we can put this unfortunate case of wrong place, wrong time behind us and continue to represent the community that we serve.

Lansing Police Department Chief Ellery Sosebee published a statement to share his remorse openly that Tashawn was placed in that predicament by his staff.

Its unfortunate that incidents like this occur but through communication and sharing of information, we can help people understand the whole story. We understand that something like this has an impact on all parties involved, Sosebees statement read.

He continued, As the Chief of Police, I want to apologize that this incident had such an effect on this young man and his family. Im asking for the community to consider all the facts of the situation before making a judgment. The relationship with our community has been and will continue to be a top priority for the Lansing Police Department.

Watch the full GMA interview below:
Fulton County, Ga., District Attorney Fani Willis (D) noted 12 of former President Trumps tweets as part of her case charging Trump for his efforts to remain in power following the 2020 election.

The indictment lists more than 150 alleged acts that prosecutors say all contributed to a conspiracy to overturn Georgias election results, and a dozen of them comprised a Trump tweet.

Heres a look at the tweets that are now part of Williss prosecution:

Tweets about Georgia Legislature hearings

Attorney John Eastman, the architect of a legal strategy aimed at keeping former President Donald Trump in power, talks to reporters after a hearing in Los Angeles, Tuesday, June 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

In five of the posts included in the charging documents, Trump referenced hearings held by committees of Georgias state Legislature, at which Trumps allies promoted unfounded claims of mass election fraud to convince them to overturn the results.

Several Trump attorneys who testified before state lawmakers now face charges of making false statements or soliciting a public officer to violate their oath, including Rudy Giuliani, Ray Smith and John Eastman.

More Trump Georgia indictment coverage

Trump himself did not travel to any of the hearings, but he repeatedly posted about them on Twitter  the platform now known as X  as they were taking place.

Georgia hearings now on @OANN. Amazing! one tweet read as a Dec. 3, 2020, hearing, the first of the three, kicked off.

Trump promoted false fraud claims discussed at the hearing about an hour later, tweeting, Wow! Blockbuster testimony taking place right now in Georgia. Ballot stuffing by Dems when Republicans were forced to leave the large counting room. Plenty more coming, but this alone leads to an easy win of the State!

The indictment also lists three tweets issued on Trumps account during a Dec. 30, 2020, Georgia Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing about the election.

Hearings from Atlanta on the Georgia Election overturn now being broadcast, Trump wrote just after 9 a.m. Check it out. @OANN @newsmax and many more. @BrianKempGA should resign from office. He is an obstructionist who refuses to admit that we won Georgia, BIG! Also won the other Swing States.

About an hour later, Trump again encouraged people to tune in, tweeting a link to a livestream of the hearing and writing, Hearings from Atlanta on the Georgia Election overturn now being broadcast LIVE via @RSBNetwork!

At 6 p.m., after the hearing concluded, Trump tweeted again, promoting his false claims of mass election fraud.

We now have far more votes than needed to flip Georgia in the Presidential race, Trump wrote. Massive VOTER FRAUD took place. Thank you to the Georgia Legislature for todays revealing meeting.

Tweets pressuring top state officials

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp speaks during Georgia Chamber Congressional Luncheon at The Classic Center, Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, in Athens, Ga. (Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Four of the tweets outlined in the indictment relate to Trumps pressure campaign on Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R), both of whom refused to declare Trump the winner of the Peach State.

People in Georgia got caught cold bringing in massive numbers of ballots and putting them in voting machines. Great job @BrianKempGA! Trump claimed in a Dec. 3 tweet without evidence.

Three days later, Kemp and Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan (R) issued a joint statement saying it would be unconstitutional for state lawmakers to name pro-Trump electors in light of Joe Bidens victory in the state.

Gee, what a surprise, Trump tweeted that evening. Has anyone informed the so-called (says he has no power to do anything!) Governor @BrianKempGA & his puppet Lt. Governor @GeoffDuncanGA, that they could easily solve this mess, & WIN. Signature verification & call a Special Session. So easy!

Trump similarly called for a special session Dec. 14, the day that 16 pro-Trump individuals allegedly met in the state capitol and signed documents purporting to be Georgias valid electors.

What a fool Governor @BrianKempGA of Georgia is, Trump wrote. Could have been so easy, but now we have to do it the hard way. Demand this clown call a Special Session and open up signature verification, NOW. Otherwise, could be a bad day for two GREAT Senators on January 5th.

And Willis cited a tweet Trump sent after his infamous Jan. 2, 2021, call with Raffensperger, when he asked the secretary of state to help find 11,780 votes.

I spoke to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger yesterday about Fulton County and voter fraud in Georgia, Trump tweeted the next day. He was unwilling, or unable, to answer questions such as the ballots under table scam, ballot destruction, out of state voters, dead voters, and more. He has no clue!

Tweets pressuring Pence

Republican presidential candidate former Vice President Mike Pence speaks to fairgoers at the Iowa State Fair, Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

The final three Trump tweets listed in the indictment revolve around Trumps pressure campaign against his vice president, Mike Pence, in the lead-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

The 98-page indictment at length discusses Trump and his inner circles alleged scheme to overturn the election results by submitting false slates of electors and leveraging Pence in his role presiding over the counting of the Electoral College votes as president of the Senate.

The Vice President has the power to reject fraudulently chosen electors, Trump claimed in a Jan. 5 tweet.

The indictment also lists two tweets on Jan. 6 itself, in the early morning hours.

If Vice President @Mike_Pence comes through for us, we will win the Presidency, Trump wrote. Many States want to decertify the mistake they made in certifying incorrect & even fraudulent numbers in a process NOT approved by their State Legislatures (which it must be). Mike can send it back!

Just after 8 a.m., when the former presidents supporters were gathering on the Ellipse for a rally at which Trump and multiple other defendants in the indictment spoke, Trump tweeted again:

States want to correct their votes, which they now know were based on irregularities and fraud, plus corrupt process never received legislative approval, Trump tweeted. All Mike Pence has to do is send them back to the States, AND WE WIN. Do it Mike, this is a time for extreme courage!

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
John Eastman and Rudy Giuliani have been indicted in cases in Georgia and beyond

As former US President Donald Trump is charged with attempting to overturn his 2020 election defeat in Georgia, who are the other 18 people accused along with him?

Here's a potted guide to the others charged, with input from BBC North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher (AZ).

Short presentational grey line

The lawyers

Rudy Giuliani

Perhaps the best known of the co-accused, the former mayor of New York City was a personal lawyer for Mr Trump at the time of the election.

He led legal challenges to dispute the outcome of the elections, and is accused of making numerous false statements about election fraud, including claims that errors had been made by the Dominion vote-counting machines.

He faces 13 charges, more than any of the co-accused except for Mr Trump himself. He has dismissed the investigation against him as politically motivated.

AZ: As mayor of New York, Giuliani was one of the most popular politicians in the US. As a close adviser after the 2020 election, he helped organise attempts to challenge Mr Trump's defeat at the polls.

John Eastman

Mr Eastman, a lawyer for Mr Trump, represented the former president in a lawsuit trying to overturn election results in four states he lost in 2020.

In Georgia he is alleged to be part of a plot to urge state senators to disregard the election results and appoint fake electors.

AZ: A California law professor who advanced the theory that Vice-President Mike Pence had the power to reject the certified results from certain states that Mr Trump lost in 2020, including Georgia, based on allegations of voting irregularities.

Sidney Powell

Sidney Powell at a news conference on voter fraud in November 2020

Another Trump attorney and a vocal promoter of false fraud claims.

Some of her more outlandish claims - that electronic systems switched millions of votes to President Biden and that he won thanks to "communist money" - led Mr Trump's team to distance itself from her in the weeks after the election.

AZ: A lawyer closely tied to Mr Trump's attempts to challenge the 2020 election results. She is also alleged to have been involved with an illegal breach of election data in Coffee County, Georgia, in an attempt to find evidence of voter fraud.

Kenneth Chesebro

Mr Chesebro is an appellate lawyer who first became involved in the Trump campaign's post-election efforts in Wisconsin before expanding into other states lost by Mr Trump.

In Georgia he is accused of helping to devise a plan to submit fake slates of electors for Mr Trump.

It is alleged he wrote a memo that provided instructions for how such electors in states including Georgia should proceed to meet and cast votes for Mr Trump.

AZ: The indictment alleges this scheme constituted, among other things, fraud and forgery.

Jenna Ellis

Jenna Ellis is said to have written legal memos for the former president

Another of Mr Trump's legal team alleged to have been involved in trying to get false electors appointed in four states, including Georgia.

She is said to have written legal memos for the former president advising how then vice-president Mike Pence could delay the certification of Mr Biden's election win.

AZ: A Trump attorney who, along with Mr Giuliani, was one of the most ardent supporters of allegations of election fraud and an organiser of attempts to reverse the election results.

Ray Smith III

A member of the Trump legal team who filed one of the campaign's election challenges in a state court and is alleged to have made false claims at a legislative hearing in the state.

Robert Cheeley

A Georgia-based lawyer, accused of making unfounded accusations that election workers were double and triple-counting votes.

He has also served as an attorney for another of the accused, Cathy Latham, according to the Washington Post.

AZ: Smith and Cheeley are attorneys involved in the Trump team's efforts to advance "alternate" presidential electors who claimed Mr Trump won Georgia

Short presentational grey line

Federal and Trump campaign officials

Mark Meadows

Mark Meadows - October 2020

The former congressman was Mr Trump's chief of staff at the time of the election.

He is alleged to have tried to pressure a chief investigator to speed up signature verification in Fulton County and to have been involved in a phone call in which Mr Trump tried to persuade Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" enough votes to overturn Joe Biden's victory in the state.

AZ: A former conservative leader in the House of Representatives, he headed the Trump White House team. He has been indicted for his involvement in that phone call.

Jeffrey Clark

Jeffrey Clark speaking to a congressional committee

A former Department of Justice (DoJ) official, Mr Clark is accused of trying to persuade the then acting attorney-general to write to the Georgian authorities claiming voting irregularities had been found there.

He is also alleged to be part of wider efforts to use the department to investigate voter fraud.

AZ:Mr Trump reportedly considered making Mr Clark the acting US attorney general - but he backed down when other senior Justice Department officials threatened to resign en masse.

Michael Roman

A senior member of the Trump election campaign, he is said in the indictment to have played a role in organising the fake electors' plot.

Short presentational grey line

Georgia state and county officials

David Shafer

At the time, Mr Shafer was chairman of the Georgian Republican Party.

He is one of those charged with mailing a fake certificate of Trump electors to a federal courthouse, and making false statements to investigators.

He portrayed himself as the "chairperson" of the 16 fake Trump electors.

AZ:He led the meeting of "alternate" electors who claimed Mr Trump won Georgia.

Misty Hampton

Former election supervisor of Coffee County, who is alleged to have helped Trump supporters gain access to the county's voting equipment.

She also made a video soon after the election claiming that voting machines used in the county could be manipulated.

Cathy Latham

Former Republican Party chair in Coffee County and one of the 16 fake Trump electors for the state.

Shawn Still

Then finance chair of the state Republican Party and now a Georgian state senator, he was another of the fake electors.

Short presentational grey line

Others

Trevian Kutti

A former publicist for R Kelly and Ye (formerly known as Kanye West), accused of involvement in a plot to pressure a Fulton County election worker to falsely admit committing fraud.

Stephen C Lee

A Lutheran pastor from the state of Illinois accused of efforts to intimidate election workers in the Georgian state capital Atlanta.

Harrison Floyd

Former head of a group called Black Voices for Trump, also accused of intimidation of Atlanta election workers.

Scott Hall

Bail bondsman and Trump supporter involved in allegedly trying to gain access to sensitive election equipment in Coffee County.

AZ: Lee, Floyd and Kutti are Trump supporters alleged to have attempted to illegally pressure Ruby Freeman, a volunteer election worker, into admitting that she committed election fraud.

More on Trump's legal troubles
In addition to charging Donald Trump, a grand jury in Fulton County, Ga., returned an indictment Monday of 18 other people as co-defendants in the former presidents effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia and elsewhere. They include Trumps former White House chief of staff, a handful of his former lawyers and several so-called false electors.

Here are all the defendants  and what they are accused of  in State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump.

Donald Trump

According to the charges brought by District Attorney Fani Willis, the former president was the head of a criminal enterprise aimed at corrupting the results of the 2020 election. Trump supervised a vast scheme to derail the transfer of power to Joe Biden, prosecutors say, accusing Trump of orchestrating several distinct  and illegal  efforts to remain in office.

Rudy Giuliani

Willis case against Trump portrays his former personal attorney as his closest associate in multiple facets of the scheme. Giuliani oversaw Trumps effort to lobby state legislatures to reverse the outcome of the election. In mid-November 2020, Giuliani, along with several other Trump lawyers (also charged in the indictment), held a press conference at the Republican National Committee headquarters to claim ballot fraud in Georgia and other states. Giuliani subsequently visited state Capitols and sought to rally GOP lawmakers to embrace unfounded claims of fraud. Giuliani was described as Co-conspirator 1 in Trumps federal indictment over election interference, brought earlier this month by special counsel Jack Smith.

John Eastman

Eastman helped develop the most extreme, last-ditch efforts to keep Trump in office and used his access to the White House to put direct pressure on then-Vice President Mike Pence and his aides to try to subvert the election single-handedly. The conservative attorney joined Trumps post-election efforts as part of a working group to prepare for election-related litigation. He then helped Giuliani lean on state legislatures to appoint pro-Trump electors and override the will of their voters. A federal judge ruled last year that evidence showed Eastman and Trump likely committed crimes. Eastman was denoted Co-conspirator 2 in the federal indictment.

Mark Meadows

The former White House chief of staff was instrumental in Trumps post-election efforts to overturn the election, even joining Trumps call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in January 2021. As evidence of the racketeering conspiracy, the indictment cites a meeting between Trump, Meadows and several Michigan officials in which Trump made false statements about the election results in Michigan.

Kenneth Chesebro

Chesebro is a lawyer who drafted memos about assembling slates of contingent electors in states Trump lost and having them meet in state Capitols on the same day the certified Democratic electors were required by law to meet. He was also part of the effort to push Pence to block Bidens election, drafting a President of the Senate strategy memo. His memos largely laid the groundwork for Trump and Eastmans final desperate bids to upend the election. The federal indictment described him as Co-conspirator 5.

Jeffrey Clark

Clark was a little-known Justice Department attorney until Trump considered appointing him as acting attorney general in order to empower him to help use the DOJ to pressure state legislatures to appoint new slates of electors. Clark helped draft a letter that would have touted the specter of fraud and irregularities to lean on state lawmakers to reconvene and consider appointing pro-Trump electors in states won by Biden. In the federal indictment, he was dubbed Co-conspirator 4.

Jenna Ellis

A lawyer who traveled with Giuliani to advance his efforts in various states, Ellis also drafted memos supporting the notion that Pence had the authority to block Bidens win.

Ray Stallings Smith III

A Georgia lawyer who helped work on Trumps post-election litigation, Smith had indicated in recent weeks that he believed he might be a target of Willis probe.

Robert Cheeley

He sought to connect Eastman to Georgia officials in an effort to assist Eastmans efforts in overturning the election results and to advance Eastmans efforts with false electors in Georgia.

Michael Roman

He was a Trump campaign aide who played an instrumental role in assembling and carrying out ceremonies for Trumps false elector slates, working with aides like Chesebro to distribute forms and handle logistics of their meetings.

David Shafer

The chair of the Georgia Republican Party and one of Trumps false electors in Georgia, Shafer was viewed as standing apart from the other fraudulent electors because of his leadership role and deeper ties to the Trump campaign.

Stephen Cliffgard Lee, Harrison William Prescott Floyd, Trevian C. Kutti

According to the indictment, Lee, Floyd and Kutti attempted to influence the testimony of Ruby Freeman, a Fulton County election worker, before the grand jury.

Sidney Powell

Powell is a lawyer who became one of the loudest voices in Trumps efforts to undermine confidence in the election results. She worked with several other Trump allies to push Trump to assert federal authority to seize voting machines. According to the indictment, Powell hired a Fulton County-based forensic data firm for the performance of computer forensic collections and analytics on Dominion Voting Systems equipment in Michigan and elsewhere, a step that resulted in the unlawful breach of election equipment in Georgia. She also instructed the forensic data firm to provide her and others with a copy of all data from the Michigan equipment, the indictment says.

Cathleen Alston Latham

Another one of Trumps false electors, Latham was cited in the indictment for her involvement in an alleged scheme to help grant pro-Trump activists unauthorized access to voting equipment in Georgias Coffee County.

Shawn Micah Tresher Still

Yet another false elector, Still was interviewedby the House Jan. 6 select committee and said the false electors were told by the Trump campaign that their votes were only meant to be contingent in the event Trump prevailed in any pending litigation.

Scott Graham Hall

He is a Georgia bail bondsman who sought to illegally breach election equipment at the Coffee County Board of Elections Registration office, according to the indictment.

Misty Hampton

She allegedly tampered with electronic ballot markers and tabulating machines in Coffee County, according to the indictment.
Each morning at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Jaskirat Singh and his fellow male recruits would stand in front of the mirror in the bathrooms, joking around and getting themselves ready for the day.

The only difference, according to Singh? While the other recruits were shaving their faces, he was tying his turban and grooming his beard.

Now a private first class, Singh, 21, has become the first Marine known to have made it through boot camp with his Sikh articles of faith, including unshorn hair and a turban, beard and steel bracelet.

He graduated from the recruit depot Friday, following a legal win in December 2022 in which a federal appeals court agreed that the Corps refusal to grant accommodations to him and two other Sikh men violated their rights to religious liberty.

My personal hope is that todays events can show other young Sikhs that if they want to pursue a career in the military, they can do so while staying true to their faith, Singh told reporters Friday following his graduation.

Heres how the Corps will accommodate a Sikh recruit in boot camp

In the Sikh faith, which has a long warrior heritage, men traditionally wear turbans, unshorn hair and beards, and steel bracelets as visible symbols of their beliefs.

The Marine Corps, for the first time, recently allowed Sikh men to wear articles of faith as full-fledged Marines, though not in combat zones, following related litigation involving Marine Capt. Sukhbir Singh Toor.

But the Corps had resisted providing those religious accommodations to Sikh recruits while in boot camp.

That made the Marine Corps the only military service that would not let Sikh men go through training with their articles of faith, according to the Sikh Coalition, one of the organizations representing Singh and Toor.

In April 2022, Jaskirat Singh, Milaap Singh Chahal and Aekash Singh filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Marine Corps ban on articles of faith in boot camp. Sikh men traditionally all receive the surname Singh, in protest of the caste-based distinctions that different last names historically have signified, according to the Sikh Coalition.

At that point, the men were considered poolees  those who have signed up for the Marine Corps but havent yet shipped off to boot camp.

After a Washington, D.C., federal judge declined to issue a preliminary injunction that would have allowed the plaintiffs to head to boot camp with articles of faith, the men appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in September 2022.

At oral arguments before a three-judge panel on the appeals court, the Justice Department argued on behalf of the Marine Corps that uniform grooming standards helped instill a shared Marine identity in recruits. Building that shared identity in boot camp helps transform civilians into combat-ready Marines, Brian Springer, a Justice Department lawyer, said in an October 2022 oral argument.

Judge Patricia Millett wrote in December 2022 on behalf of the court that the Marine Corps had to accommodate the plaintiffs articles of faith in boot camp. The Corps doesnt really have uniform grooming standards, she noted: Women can wear a variety of long hairstyles, men with chronic razor burn can wear short beards and Marines can display unique tattoos.

[T]he Marine Corps has failed to demonstrate that denying Plaintiffs the same accommodations during boot camp that they would be given during later service in the Corps is the least restrictive means of advancing its interest in developing unit cohesion and a team-oriented mindset, Millett wrote. Least restrictive means is one of the legal standards the government must meet for it to be allowed to burden someones religious exercise.

A lower-court judge in April laid out in a preliminary injunction how the grooming accommodations would work for Jaskirat Singh. By that point, Chahal had contracted to join the Washington Army National Guard, and Aekash Singh was hoping to attend the Marine Corps Officer Candidates School, Marine Corps Times previously reported.

In the camouflage combat utility uniform, the typical attire for Marine recruits, Jaskirat Singh had to wear a cloth patka or parna, more informal versions of the Sikh turban.

In his service uniform and dress blue uniform, he had to wear a dark green or white turban, respectively  matching the colors of the hats, known as covers, that otherwise go with those uniforms.

During swimming, Singh could wear a black swim cap, according to the judges injunction. The steel bracelet was authorized except when it posed a risk to others, like during martial arts training.

The recruits who trained alongside Singh did ask questions about his turban, the private first class said Friday. But he said he didnt mind providing the answers.

They were pretty much like, Yo, thats pretty cool. Thats dope, Singh said. Theyre very supportive of ... the diversity coming into the Marine Corps now.

Pfc. Jaskirat Singh graduated from Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego on Aug. 11, 2023. (Mark Abramson via the Sikh Coalition)

The drill instructors didnt pick on him in particular, Singh said: They gave him incentive training, extra physical exercises, no more than other recruits.

He said he was able to make it through the tear gas chamber with his gas mask sealed. Despite the beard, according to Singh, it was pretty easy.

Brian Song of BakerHostetler, one of Singhs attorneys, emphasized his client was speaking for himself and not for the Defense Department.

Marine spokesman Maj. Joshua Pena said Monday in a statement to Marine Corps Times that Marine Training and Education Command congratulates Singh and his battalion on their recent graduation.

He graduated as a squad leader in his platoon, which speaks to his dedication and leadership during his time in the period of instruction, Pena said of Singh. We wish him the best as he continues to his follow-on training at the School of Infantry.

Giselle Klapper, an attorney with the Sikh Coalition, said her organization is pushing for the Marine Corps to make a policy change, so that the next Sikh man who wants to become a Marine can secure a religious accommodation without having to go to court.

The Sikh Coalition is continuing to advocate for fewer restrictions on where Toor, the Marine captain, and now Singh can wear their articles of faith, according to its news release Friday.

Im proud to demonstrate that wearing a turban or a beard does not make me any different or less of a Marine, and I intend to prove that in the future, Singh said.
Two people were taken into custody after shots were fired into a Logan County home early Monday morning.

Shortly before 1:30 a.m., Washington Township police were dispatched to the 8900 block of Crescent Street in Lakeview in reference to a firearm complaint, Washington Township Police Chief Michael Thompson said in a release.

Upon arrival, Thompson said officers located several bullet holes on the exterior of the residence that protruded into the interior of the home.

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At the time of the shots being fired into the home, two people were inside. No injuries were reported.

Investigations led officers to a residence in Russells Point.

When officers attempted to make contact with the suspect, Thompson said the suspect ran from the residence.

A short foot pursuit was initiated, and during the foot pursuit, officers observed the suspect throw a handgun into Indian Lake.

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A suspect, a 17-year-old of Russells Point was taken into custody.

The 17-year-old was transported to the Central Ohio Youth Center and lodged on a probation violation. Officers are filing attempted murder, discharging a firearm into a habitation and tampering with evidence charges with the Logan County Prosecutors Office, Thompson said.

A second suspect, a 19-year-old of Bellefontaine, was taken into custody on a probation violation after being located in the area. Charges have been forwarded to the Logan County Prosecutors Office for his involvement in the shooting.

The Indian Joint Fire District Dive Team assisted at the scene and were able to locate the firearm in Indian Lake.

The Logan County Sheriffs Office assisted with the investigation.
On the border with Pakistan, thousands of Afghans are waiting in line to get their passports stamped so they can leave Afghanistan behind and never return.

On this hot and humid day, as they cram between two fences like livestock, the sight of desperate travelers passing out is all too common, with waiting times averaging from three hours to a whole day during the busiest periods.

The only relief from the heat is the bottled water sold by children as young as 5 who run up and down the fence shouting prices at thirsty travelers.

Beyond the chaotic crossing, a former contractor sighed in relief.

"I'm happy because I feel like I have been bailed out of jail" said 45-year-old Yousafkhel Jabar Khan. He plans to secure his asylum case through an embassy.

"I hope that I do not see their (Taliban) faces again," he said.

Taliban fighters stand guard at the scene of a deadly explosion near the Foreign Ministry in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 27, 2023. / Credit: Ebrahim Noroozi/AP

Khan's story is echoed by countless others who want to put the Taliban's Afghanistan in their past. Two years since the Taliban took over again, Afghanistan is in the hands of Hibatullah Akhundzada, known as the Amir Al Mu'mineen, or "Commander of the Faithful."

But despite the prominence of his role, Hibatullah maintains anonymity for the most part. Since the Taliban declared victory following the U.S. pullout from Afghanistan, their leader has not yet been seen in public.

Even among his ranks, it's extremely difficult to speak to any Taliban official on the record about their supreme leader.

Clandestine-like meetings

A deputy minister in the Taliban's government described having to travel more than 300 miles to the ancient city of Kandahar to meet with the country's leader.

Once there, he waited for around three days before getting a call confirming that the meeting would go ahead. In a scene akin to a clandestine meeting, he was taken to two separate locations and had his belongings confiscated before finally being taken to Hibatullah.

"He was sitting on the floors despite the room having couches. He came across very humble yet impressive, his knowledge regarding Islamic law and its jurisdiction has to be acknowledged," the deputy minister said.

The Afghan Taliban's supreme leader, Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada, in a 2021 file photo. / Credit: Rob Welham/Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group/Getty

Another high-ranking Taliban member told CBS News the leader is ruling the country like a ghost from his own capital.

He described similar levels of secrecy and security preceding his meeting with Hibatullah, going so far as to be given passwords to memorize in order to verify his identity before being transported to the meeting location.

Afghanistan's leader maintains this extraordinarily low profile due to the looming threat from US drone strikes and the ISKP  an Islamic State affiliate group  according to a source within the Taliban leadership.

Within his circle, every staff member is under 24-hour surveillance and smartphones are banned.

Iron fist rule

But from behind the veil of secrecy and protection, Hibatullah rules with an iron fist. Since climbing to power, he has been responsible for stopping girls and women from attending high school or universities, banning them from parks, gyms and public baths, and ordering them to cover up when leaving home.

From early adulthood, he was against modern-day education for boys and girls and referred to schooling as a source of evil and degenerating of morality.

Afghan political analyst and critic Asmat Qani recalled meeting Hibatullah when he was just a young judge.

In an image shared with CBS News, Afghan women stage a protest in Kabul, Afghanistan, April 29, 2023, calling on the U.N. to deny the country's Taliban rulers any formal recognition ahead of a U.N.-hosted conference in Doha, Qatar, on how the international community should

"[He] lives in his own world," Qani told CBS News. "The majority of the Taliban agree on the importance of women's education and want to allow girls to attend schools and universities. He alone is mostly responsible for the ban."

"Such violent and narrow-minded interpretation of Islam has made Afghanistan a living hell for women," a former Taliban minister told CBS News.

The source also blamed the supreme leader's actions for the international sanctions Afghanistan has been living under.

Mullah Basir is a former classmate of Hibatullah and, despite criticizing him as a hardliner and extreme conservative, described him as a "kind, devout and intelligent person."

He told CBS News that after the killing of the Taliban leader who preceded him, Hibatullah was taken away and he never saw him again.

Supreme authority

His appointment as supreme leader was explained to CBS News by a source among the Taliban leadership as a way to stabilize the problems at the top. Hibatullah was seen as a neutral and respectable figure among Taliban seniors

"Hibatullah has gradually learned and felt that he is the final level of authority, a man at the top of the hierarchy of a group that is fiercely loyal to him," Qani told CBS. "He can do pretty much whatever he wishes."

Today, Hibatullah surrounds himself with around 2,500 suicide bombers who are prepared to sacrifice themselves for his safety. They live in a camp that used to host Taliban founder Mullah Omar and was later used as a compound by the CIA in Kandahar.

One member of the Supreme Leader's Guard Corps told CBS News they are paid a salary of $170 a month and are not allowed to have smartphones, watch TV or access social media.

In June, Hibatullah said in a rare public message that the measures he took regarding women's rights in Afghanistan have provided a "comfortable and prosperous life according to Islamic Sharia."

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Age is just a number!

At least thats what couple Bret LaBelle and StanChris believe about their 27-year age gap.

The pair opened up about their relationship in a recent interview with Bear World Magazine who called them the Bear It couple.

LaBelle, 49, was a contestant on The Amazing Race, but really made a name for himself while on the Millennials vs. Gen X season of Survivor where the Boston Police Lieutenant shocked everyone by coming out as gay.

His boyfriend StanChris, 23, on the other hand, is a YouTuber and TikToker who made it big doing vacation vlogs and man-on-the-street style interviews where he approaches strangers and quizzes them about gay culture and celebrities.

The age-gap couple told Bear World Magazine that they met because they both slid into each others DMs. StanChris admitted to first noticing LaBelle when he was binging Survivor during quarantine.

I watched Brets season and noticed that he was from Boston, StanChris, whose real name is Chris Stanley, admitted. I was in New Hampshire, so it wasnt that far away. And the whole time I was like, oh, hes so hot, hes so handsome, hes so everything. And then he came out and I was like, Oh my God! Hes gay? I actually could have a shot! So I just shot my shot with him on Instagram.

Thats when StanChis noticed that LaBelle had DMd him before.

I got this message from him, and he already had a lot of followers at the time, the reality show alum said. Instagram has the three message boxes, the primary, general, and the crazies. Usually, if you dont follow someone, theyre in the crazies. All of a sudden, hes in my primary. I go, how is he in my primary?

Turns out LaBelle had drunkenly messaged the TikToker before and didnt remember until that moment. We think this is a really cool story. It means that we both sought each other out at different times, he said.

In the early days of their relationship the large age gap bothered LaBelle, But as we got to know each other and as the relationship formed, it got to the point where I still was worried about it, he was becoming less worried about it. But then, I said, well, who cares? This is working, he said.

The couple has also had to navigate the tricky world of fame together. Both have fans sliding into their DMs, but they try not to get jealous. This was tested recently when LaBelle was behind the camera for a video where his boyfriend was asking two Bears if they wanted to kiss or slap him and the two men picked StanChris up and kissed him on the cheek.

Its not that I get jealous. A lot of people know who I am now when Im sitting there holding the camera. It just feels a little weird. So Im just saying, maybe if Im the cameraman that day, dont do that one. Thats all, LaBelle quipped.

The Bear/twink couple, who have been dating for two years, announced their relationship on social media where they faced some backlash from people who thought there was too big of a gap in their ages. But that hasnt stopped the pair from sharing their life online. In fact, theyve done a few Q&As on YouTube and even have a joint Instagram account where they post photos and videos about their adorable relationship.

Theyre so sweet theyre giving us a toothache!
HAMPTON  A Massachusetts man who was pulled to shore in an ocean rescue last month has died, according to authorities.

Edmilson Gomes, 27, of Brockton, Massachusetts, died Aug. 1, according to his obituary, 10 days after first responders pulled him and two others to shore from a dangerous rip current at Hampton Beach. Gomes and two of his co-workers were in the water across from Nudd Avenue around 8:25 p.m. when they became caught in a rip current July 22, Hampton fire officials said.

A Massachusetts man, who was pulled to shore in an ocean rescue after being caught in a rip current July 22, has died.

Gomes was unresponsive when he was brought to shore by first responders that included off-duty lifeguards. He was treated on the beach with advanced cardiac life support, or ACLS, for several minutes, according to the Hampton Fire Department, and then transported to Portsmouth Regional Hospital. The rescue effort included bystanders who created a "human chain" to reach the swimmers, according to Hampton Fire Chief Michael McMahon.

Previous story: 'Human chain' formed to save swimmers caught in rip current

Gomes remained in a coma in the days following the incident, according to his co-worker Edzana Fernandes, who was also rescued that day. She said he had been beginning to move his hands while in the hospital and had hopes he would get better.

McMahon said his funeral service was scheduled for Monday. Gomes left behind his mother, siblings and other relatives. He was born in Fogo, Cape Verde, according to the obituary.

Authorities, including the Hampton Beach lifeguards, warn beachgoers to be wary of rip currents, which pull swimmers away from shore and appear between sand bars. Hampton Beach lifeguard Chief Patrick Murphy said Tuesday they had made 299 water rescues this summer.

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McMahon said there is typically one fatality a year due to drowning. He said there has been only one this year but that there have been many close calls in 2023.

Its always tragic, McMahon said. Its very frequently young people who are just visiting to have a good time with friends and family.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Massachusetts man dies after Hampton Beach NH rip current rescue
Volyn Oblast Governor Yurii Pohuliaiko said three people were killed in Russia's attack on western Ukrainian city of Lutsk. Pohuliaiko reported earlier that at least two people were injured when a missile hit an industrial plant in the city in the morning of Aug. 15.

Lutsk is located 85 kilometers east of Ukraine's border with Poland.

Following the missile attack that targeted western Ukraine's oblasts, Lviv Mayor Andrii Sadovyi said "a few rockets were downed" but several residential buildings were hit, as well as a backyard of a local kindergarten.

There were no casualties, according to the mayor. Four people have been receiving medical treatment, according to Sadovyi.

Ukraine's Air Force reported that Russia launched 28 missiles at Ukraine overnight on Aug. 15. At least 16 Kh-101/Kh-555 missiles were downed by Ukraine's air defense.

Read also: Russia hits Dnipro, Lviv, Lutsk during night attack

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Three men who have served over two decades in prison for the murder of a 70-year-old woman in her home outside Philadelphia asked a judge to throw out their convictions, citing new DNA evidence they say points to an unknown man as the killer.

However, prosecutors say the three men were convicted based on other evidence and the DNA evidence does not absolve them of the crime.

The case concerns Derrick Chappell, 41, Morton Johnson, 44, and Samuel Grasty, 47, who each were convicted in separate trials of second-degree murder and other charges in 2000 and 2001 and sentenced to life in prison.

Teenagers and young men at the time of the killing, they have maintained their innocence over the two decades since. They now are represented by nonprofit organizations that work to free people they believe are wrongly convicted: Johnson by the Innocence Project, Chappell by the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, and Grasty by Centurion. The law firm Shook, Hardy & Bacon, is also providing pro bono legal services for Chappell.

On July 25, the men appeared in court for an evidentiary hearing as their attorneys argued semen and other DNA from the crime scene points to the real suspect  a yet-unidentified man who raped and killed the woman.

This was a crime, a sexual assault-murder, committed by a single assailant, and the wrong men are in prison today and have been for nearly a quarter-century now, Vanessa Potkin of the Innocence Project, who represents Johnson, told CNN.

Still, prosecutors have fought to keep the trio behind bars and uphold the convictions, saying the new DNA evidence did not alter anything that wasnt already known at the time of their trials.

The post-conviction DNA evidence is neither compelling nor is it evidence of innocence, Delaware County Assistant District Attorney Sara G. Vanore wrote in a legal response to Chappells filing.

Paul Casteleiro of Centurion, who represents Grasty, said the prosecutions case hinged on testimony from a 15-year-old with an intellectual deficiency who was facing years in prison. He believed the teens testimony was coerced and noted the overwhelming and very significant DNA evidence, he said.

Its a really frightening case I think, he told CNN in a phone call. As frightening a case as Ive ever handled.

One defense witness testified at the July 25 hearing, and another witness will testify for the defendants at a hearing on August 22 when the proceeding resumes. Delaware County prosecutors will then be able to present evidence to support their request to uphold the convictions.

What the case is about

The case stems from the brutal killing of 70-year-old Henrietta Nickens, who lived alone in her home in Chester, Pennsylvania. On October 10, 1997, her daughter arrived to find her beaten body, the apartment ransacked and blood stains on the wall and bed sheets, according to a summary of the case included in a filing from Chappells attorneys.

The medical examiner found that Nickens suffered multiple blunt force impacts to the face, which, combined with underlying lung and heart issues, caused her death.

There was also evidence of sexual intercourse, as her underwear was removed and swabs taken from her rectum tested positive for semen, prosecutors wrote. In addition, a large green jacket  with cocaine and a chewed plastic straw in a pocket  was found on top of her television, according to the Innocence Project.

Richard McElwee, a 15-year-old with a limited level of intelligence facing unrelated drug charges, implicated himself and Chappell, Johnson and Grasty in the crime after allegedly being intimidated by police, the attorneys wrote.

Tests on the DNA from the semen, however, did not match with any of them, according to the filing.

Chappell and his alleged co-conspirators have been excluded from every item of evidence tested, the defense wrote. A crime of this nature, occurring in such a small space, could not have been committed by four teenagers without leaving a trace.

Still, police charged the four with murder, and at their trials, McElwee testified that he stood lookout while the other three robbed Nickens of $30, the filing states. In exchange for his testimony, McElwee agreed to plead guilty to third-degree murder and other charges and was sentenced to six to 12 years in 1999, according to court records.

At the trials, prosecutors offered several potential theories for the semens presence. One was that Nickens may have had a secret consensual relationship. In Chappells trial in 2000, the prosecutor explicitly told the jury that the source of the semen was a mystery and was not from any of the four men charged in the case, according to a filing from the prosecution.

Prosecutors say the three men were convicted at trial based on other evidence, primarily McElwees testimony. In addition, McElwees mother testified that Chappell told her Grasty killed someone, and a woman testified she overhead a conversation in which Chappell, McElwee and Grasty discussed the attack. Further, prosecutors tied the green jacket at the scene to both Johnson and Grasty, according to court testimony summarized in the filings.

Chappell, Johnson and Grasty have remained behind bars since.

CNN was not able to reach McElwee. Casteleiro, Grastys attorney, said McElwee has in the past refused to talk to their legal team, and they have not been able to find him within the last year.

New DNA evidence shows single perpetrator, attorneys say

Modern DNA testing techniques, particularly touch DNA, have revealed that the DNA from the semen matches several other items of crime scene evidence, including more semen on the green jacket and on the bedsheet and items in the jackets pocket, according to attorneys for the defendants.

This new DNA testing, which took place in 2021, further linked evidence from the crime scene to this unknown person and excluded the three defendants, according to Chappells attorneys.

In its response, the prosecution argued that the trials did not connect the semen to the defendants, and so these test results did not change the evidence. All three defendants were convicted separately, two by juries and one by a judge.

The prosecution also argued there was no evidence the sex was nonconsensual or that this mystery person killed Nickens.

The totality of the evidence  including the post-conviction DNA evidence  is just as consistent, if not more consistent, with Ms. Nickens having consensual intercourse prior to the assault as it is with an unknown perpetrator committing both a rape and an assault, prosecutors wrote. Seventy-year-old people are capable of sexual activity, and like all people, may not always tell their close family members about their sexual partners.

Prosecutors added: The fact that the sex occurred on a bed and that he left a jacket behind does not automatically turn Unknown Male into a rapist and murderer, no matter how many times the petitioner says it.

Potkin, Johnsons attorney, told CNN she thought the prosecutions argument was both wrong and offensive.

This 70-year-old woman in bad health was having consensual anal sex with someone who came over to her house to do cocaine? Its preposterous, outlandish, offensive, yet this is what theyre doing, she said.

The DNA from the semen has been entered into CODIS, the US DNA database, but it has not had a match. The defendants attorneys also sent the DNA sample for genetic genealogy testing, but no match was found, said Casteleiro, Grastys attorney.

Defendants are hopeful about the appeal

At the court hearing on July 25, prosecutors and the defense offered their opening statements, with the defense asking the judge to vacate the convictions and order new trials for the three men.

We were glad that we were finally able to start bringing scientific evidence forward and for these petitions to have their day in court, Nilam Sanghvi of the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, which represents Chappell, told CNN.

A crime scene reconstructionist will testify on August 22 to recreate the murder scene, Casteleiro said. The prosecution is also expected to call one witness to testify in response. A decision from the judge will likely come sometime after that.

CNN was not able to reach Carlotta Nickens, the victims daughter, for comment.

She told The Washington Post at the July 25 hearing she was unconvinced by the defendants arguments. If they werent guilty, they wouldnt be here, she said, according to the Post.

As they await a potential reprieve, the three defendants remain hopeful, their attorneys said.

Chappell, who was 15 when the crime took place, has been working toward an associates degree while behind bars at SCI Greene, Sanghvi said.

He shouldnt be in prison, but as hes there, hes taking advantage of any opportunities offered to him, she said. Hes just happy that hes had this chance to get back into court and try to clear his name.

Potkin said her client Johnson will fight with every living breath until hes exonerated.

He knows that its an uphill battle to overturn a wrongful conviction. He and his family have been at it for decades, she said. He felt good about the hearing, hes optimistic. Despite whats happened to him, hes optimistic truth is going to prevail in his case and justice is going to be done.

Casteleiro said his client Grasty was hoping for good news.

Hes real hopeful. Hes an intelligent guy. He sees the evidence, and hes hopeful that the judge is going to see it, Casteleiro said.

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Russian authorities said 35 people died and 80 were injured during a gas station explosion on Monday night. Photo by Russian Emergencies Ministry/EPA-EFE

Aug. 15 (UPI) -- At least 35 people died and 80 others were injured on Monday night after an explosion and fire that shook a gas station at the edge of the Russian city of Makhachkala, officials said.

Emergency officials said a fire believed to be connected to the explosion started at a car repair shop next to the gas station. Authorities used search-and-rescue dog teams to look for other possible victims.

"The blast that occurred at a gas station on the Astrakhan-Makhachkala highway near the Novokuli settlement on Aug. 14 caused casualties," the regional governor said on Tuesday, according to the state-run news agency TASS.

According to Russia's Investigative Committee, a fire broke out during some car maintenance work and was followed by a "bang" and a criminal case has been opened to find out what happened.

Those who sustained the most serious injuries were transferred to medical facilities in Moscow as authorities said that emergency services were ongoing and it was likely that the death toll will increase.

"Dagestan's head Sergey Melikovis sends his condolences to the families and friends of those killed. He has issued an order declaring August 15 to be a day of mourning in the Republic of Dagestan."

Melikov said a state of emergency was declared in the Kumtorkalinsky district in Dagestan as about 260 emergency workers moved in to assist in recovery.
A massive explosion at a gas station in Russias southern republic of Dagestan left 35 people dead and more than 100 injured, Russian officials said.

The explosion happened in the outskirts of Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, on Monday night, killing 35 people, including three children, and injuring 115 people. The Associated Press (AP) reported that a fire began at a car repair shop and spread to a nearby fuel station, prompting the explosion.

Of those injured, 65 people, including 16 children, were still in the hospital as of midday Tuesday, according to Dagestan Gov. Sergey Melikov said in a Telegram post. Eleven of those people, including two children, were in grave condition, according to AP reports.

The Investigative Committee of Russia said it would be investigating the incident, according to a Telegram post from the committee. The committee posted a short video of investigators at the scene, and Melikov said law enforcement agencies are conducting an inspection of the event. He said the investigation will ensure safety of Dagestan residents and that justice prevails.

The Dagestan Regional Health Ministry said there are still bodies of victims that have not been identified, Russian state news agency TASS reported. The ministry said the closest relatives of missing persons must contact the Makhachkala municipal morgue and give biological samples to help identify the victims, according to the TASS report.

Tuesday was declared a day of mourning in Dagestan, according to AP reports.

The Kremlin issued a statement Tuesday, writing, President Putin expressed his sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims of an explosion at a fuel station in Makhachkala and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.

The Associated Press contributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
In this photo released by the Nias office of the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS), members of BASARNAS talks Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023, with Australian tourists who have been rescued after they were missing for two days in the waters off Indonesia's Aceh province. Four Australian tourists and two Indonesians were rescued after being missing for two days in the waters off Indonesia's Aceh province, officials and the father of one of the Australians said Tuesday. (BASARNAS via AP)

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)  Four Australian tourists and two Indonesians were rescued after being missing for two days in the waters off Indonesia's Aceh province, officials and the father of one of the Australians said Tuesday.

Peter Foote, the father of Elliot Foote, who had traveled to Indonesia to celebrate his 30th birthday with friends, said he received a text message from his son saying he is OK.

It says: Hey Dad, Elliot here. Im alive. Safe now. Love you. Chat later, Peter Foote said at a news conference in Sydney on Tuesday. Its great, its good news. Ill have to talk to him and want to see photos and see what he looks like. Its all good."

A wooden speedboat carrying the four Australians and three Indonesian crew members ran into bad weather on Sunday. The details of how they ended up in the sea remain unclear.

One Indonesian crew member is still missing, according to the head of the local rescue agency.

Peter Foote was told his son had paddled his surfboard to an island to raise the alarm, and that the three other Australians were found clinging to their boards at sea. It is not clear how the two Indonesians survived.

The six who were rescued were taken to Pinang island for medical assistance.

Elliot Foote, his partner Steph Weisse, and friends Will Teagle and Jordan Short, along with the three Indonesians, were in the boat in waters around Sarang Alu and Banyak islands. They were part of a group of 12 Australians and five Indonesians in two boats who were traveling to Pinang Island, a destination known for its pristine beach and good waves for surfing.

The boats left Nias island, which is located around 150 kilometers (93 miles) from Indonesias Sumatra island, on Sunday afternoon and experienced bad weather with very heavy rain during the trip.

Ten of them decided to stay and shelter on Sarang Alu island, while the others continued the trip. The resort on Pinang Island later reported to the agency that the boat with 10 passengers had safely arrived later on Sunday night, but the boat that had left earlier had not been seen.

Peter Foote said he expected his son and friends would continue the final eight days of their surfing vacation.

Indonesia is an archipelago with more than 17,000 islands, and ferries and boats are a common form of transportation. With lax safety standards and problems with overcrowding, accidents occur frequently.

In July, an overloaded passenger boat capsized off Indonesias Sulawesi island, killing 15 people.

In 2018, an overcrowded ferry with about 200 people on board sank in a lake in North Sumatra province, killing 167 people. In one of the countrys worst recorded disasters, an overcrowded passenger ship sank in February 1999 with 332 people aboard. Only 20 people survived.

___

Associated Press journalist Rod McGuirk wrote from Canberra, Australia.
After a string of antisemitic vandalism around the city of Pensacola and Escambia County, the Pensacola Police Department arrested four teens in early August and enhanced their charges to hate crimes.

Since mid-July, the four teens had allegedly tagged local buildings and Jewish centers with swastikas and other antisemitic graffiti and thrown at least three bricks through two Jewish temples.

Officers arrested 18-year-old Kessler Ferry for one count of felony criminal mischief enhanced to a hate crime. In addition, officer also arrested the following teens on multiple charges:

17-year-old male: Seven counts of felony criminal mischief enhanced to a hate crime, one count of misdemeanor criminal mischief and one count of felony trespassing in a construction zone.

15-year-old male: Seven counts of felony criminal mischief enhanced to a hate crime, one count of misdemeanor criminal mischief and one count of felony trespassing in a construction zone.

16-year-old male: Four counts of felony criminal mischief enhanced to a hate crime and one count of trespassing in a construction zone.

Teens arrested: Pensacola police arrest 4 teens in connection to string of antisemitic vandalism

What to know: Four Pensacola teens arrested in antisemitic vandalism case. Heres everything we know:

Honor Bell III explains that they have already started removing the Nazi symbols painted on the Pensacola Liberation Center on West Yonge Street in Pensacola on Friday, Aug. 4, 2023. The overnight graffiti is the latest anti-Semitic vandalism in the Pensacola area.

Here's what you need to know about the case so far:

What are the details in Kessler Ferry's alleged crimes?

According to Ferry's arrest report, the other suspects involved all say he was the driver during the alleged graffiti tagging and brick-throwing incidents. In addition to driving the other three suspects to the Al Islam Dawah Center where they allegedly spray painted the Star of David on the front door, Kessler also allegedly drove the three to various sites where they allegedly spray-painted antisemitic symbols on buildings.

"(Suspect 1) explained that he grabbed the yellow spray paint from the back seat area of Kessler's white vehicle," the arrest report stated. "(Suspect 1) advised Kessler waited in the vehicle while him and (suspect 2) committed the criminal mischief."

One deputy was performing surveillance one night and began tailing Ferry's vehicle after seeing two people get out of the car with black hoodies over their heads, and around 4:30 a.m. the deputy saw Ferry's vehicle stop on Crown Cove and two of the four suspects got out of the vehicle. The deputy then drove by and says he saw Ferry driving the vehicle.

What is a hate crime?

The state of Florida has a statute called "evidencing prejudice while committing offense; reclassification." Under that statute, anyone committing a felony or misdemeanor crime that evidences prejudice based on a person's race, color, ancestry, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, homeless status or advanced age could face enhanced penalties.

The statute allows for a convicted defendant's charge to increase by one degree forward for sentencing purposes. For example, a person convicted of a second-degree misdemeanor would face the penalty of a first-degree misdemeanor if enhanced by the "hate crime" statute.

This statute also says that it is "an essential element of this section that the record reflect that the defendant perceived, knew, or had reasonable grounds to know or perceive that the victim was within the class delineated in this section."

Antisemitic incidents: The heinous acts of a few does not define Pensacola. We stand with our Jewish neighbors.

How does the "hate crime" statute affect Kessler Ferry's charge?

Although PPD arrested Kessler for allegedly committing third-degree criminal mischief, the Office of the State Attorney has filed two cases against the 18-year-old, both felony criminal mischief charges.

The first is criminal mischief involving a church, synagogue or mosque. The statute he's charged under reads, "Any person who willfully and maliciously defaces, injures or damages by any means a church, synagogue, mosque or other place of worship" commits a third-degree felony.

The second charge is criminal mischief that caused $1,000 or more in damages.

The Pensacola Police Department is investigating the recent rise in antisemitic graffiti and vandalism within the city limits, such as this example on Interstate-110 near East Gregory Street.

It is unknown if both charges will be enhanced, but prosecutors will likely enhance the first charge involving the places of worship.

If Kessler were to be convicted of third-degree felony criminal mischief and the hate crime enhancements were added, he would face the penalties of being convicted of a second-degree felony.

The 18-year-old faces up to five years in prison for each third-degree felony. With the hate crime enhancements, Kessler would face up to 15 years in prison each charge.

Will the State Attorney charge the other three teens as adults?

Chief Assistant State Attorney Bridgette Myers told the News Journal they are still "in the process of reviewing the charges" against all four teenagers, so it is unknown if the remaining suspects will be charged in adult court.

However, Florida law does provide as explanation of when juveniles can be tried as adults. There are three scenarios allowing a child tp be tried in adult court, and in all three the child must be at least 14 years old.

First, the defendant can request a transfer to adult court in writing if the defendant is joined by the parent or legal guardian. The second would be the State Attorney filing an involuntary discretionary waiver to try the defendant as an adult.

The final is the State Attorney filing an involuntary mandatory waiver where they are mandated to try a juvenile 14 or older if the defendant has been previously adjudicated delinquent for certain felonies like murder, robbery or sexual battery.

In making the determination to try a juvenile as an adult, Florida law says the court should consider various factors such as the seriousness of the alleged offense to the community, whether the offense was against a person or property, whether the offense was aggressive and premeditated the probable cause, and the sophistication and maturity of the child.

What are some other religious-motivated hate crimes in Florida?

Hate crimes in Pensacola and Escambia County as a whole seem to be rare, as the Office of the State Attorney says they haven't had any hate crime cases in recent memory.

However, there have been various hate crimes around Florida, especially religious-motivated crimes.

In 2021, 24-year-old Florida man Steven Shields was charged with setting fire to the Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Ocala, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Related: Are there hate symbols being displayed in your Florida community? Check with this list

His indictment alleges his actions were due to the church's religious character and he was charged under the Church Arson Prevention Act. His federal case is still pending.

In 2022, 25-year-old Kaleb Cole, who is a leader of neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division, was convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison of one count of interfering with a federally protected activity because of religion, three counts of mailing threatening communications and one count of conspiring with other Atomwaffen members to commit addition offenses against the United States.

According to Assistant Director Timothy Langan of the FBI's Counterterrorism Division, Cole "sought to intimidate journalists and advocates working to expose anti-Semitism."

In 2018, 26-year-old Miami man Dustin Hughes was sentenced to four years in prison and three years of supervised release for obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs by threatening to detonate a bomb at Ul Muttaqeen Mosque of Pembroke Pines.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola antisemitic vandalism case may wind up in adult court
Former President Trump was charged alongside 18 co-defendants in a sweeping indictment touching on nearly every aspect of his effort to reverse his 2020 election loss in Georgia.

The 98-page indictment outlines Trumps pressure campaign against numerous Georgia officials, a plot to submit false slates of electors and a lawsuit with faulty claims affirmed by Trump that sought to overturn the results in the state.

And it devotes substantial time to lies about the election from Trump and his allies, whether about voter fraud in the state or those that unleashed a wave of threats against a Georgia election worker they accused of mishandling ballots.

The indictment caps a more than two-year investigation by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) who gave the defendants until noon on Aug. 25 to voluntarily surrender in Georgia.

I make decisions in this office based on the facts in the law, Willis said after the late Monday charges were filed. The law is completely nonpartisan.

Willis pulls no punches on co-defendants

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks in the Fulton County Government Center during a news conference, Monday, Aug. 14, 2023, in Atlanta. Donald Trump and several allies have been indicted in Georgia over efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

The substantial charges for Trump are matched by a lengthy list of those indicted alongside him.

Nearly every member of Trumps legal team is listed in the indictment, with Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Kenneth Chesebro, Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell all facing charges as a result of the probe. Jeffrey Clark, a former DOJ lawyer Trump mulled installing as attorney general, is also listed in the indictment.

Chesebro, who drafted the memo hatching the fake elector plot, was charged alongside just three of those who served as alternate electors: Shawn Still, David Shafer, and Cathy Latham. While 16 Georgians participated in the scheme, many have since received immunity deals in the investigation.

More Trump Georgia indictment coverage

And in a departure from the federal election interference case, Willis also brings charges against former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, who, alongside Trump, is charged with soliciting Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to reverse the election results by suggesting he find enough votes for Trump to carry a state Joe Biden won.

Charges were also filed against Trump campaign staffers and those who sought to pressure election worker Ruby Freeman after Giuliani claimed she had improperly handled ballots.

The indictment also targets those involved in the breach of an elections office in Coffee County, including Misty Hampton, Coffee Countys election supervisor who sent a written invitation to Trumps legal team after posting a viral video claiming Dominion Voting System machines could be manipulated.

Georgia case is more sweeping than the federal one

Former President Donald Trump speaks during the 56th annual Silver Elephant Gala in Columbia, S.C., Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Artie Walker Jr.)

The heart of the indictment is labeling Trumps efforts in the state as a criminal enterprise  a designation that allows for the use of the states Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) law.

The indictment lists 161 acts that form the basis for the RICO charges, a point-by-point recounting of nearly every act and lie Trump or his associates made in the course of trying to overturn the election.

Use of the law also allows Willis to sweep in crimes that occurred outside her jurisdiction, like the effort to breach Coffee County elections systems and the charges for Clark, who advocated for the Justice Department to send a letter to the state asking that it hold off on certifying President Bidens victory in Georgia while DOJ investigated Trumps baseless claims of election fraud.

Like the federal indictment brought earlier this month, Willis focuses on the fraudulent claims made by Trump and his team. But where special counsel Jack Smith condenses the behavior into one fraud charge, Williss indictment brings charges under crimes that bar forgery, making false statements, and filing false documents.

The Fulton County indictment also alleges specific violations of Georgia election law.

An emphasis on a single poll worker

Rudy Giuliani departs the federal courthouse, Friday, May 19, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

The indictment spends considerable energy on lies spread by Guiliani that turned the life of Georgia election worker Ruby Freeman upside down.

Guiliani shared a video of Freeman working alongside her daughter, Shaye Moss, during ballot counting at the State Farm Arena, later saying the two were passing around USB ports as if theyre vials of heroin or cocaine.

Freeman was actually handing her daughter a mint.

Trump would go on to call Freeman a professional vote scammer.

Those lies fueled the total disruption of the lives of both women and are also the basis of a civil defamation suit brought by the women.

Moss would go on to testify before the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack, tearfully recounting how she feared for her life and she and her mother were advised by law enforcement not to return to their homes out of fear for their safety.

The two Black women also faced a series of racist threats after being thrown into the spotlight.

A lot of threats wishing death upon me, telling me Ill be in jail with my mother and saying things like, Be glad its 2020 and not 1920, Moss said during the hearing.

Other Trump campaign allies like Harrison Floyd and Trevian Kutti were charged, accused of pressuring others to make false statements about election operations on Election Day 2020.

Trumps efforts to overturn the election continued for months

Former President Donald Trump and President Biden

Former President Donald Trump and President Biden

It was clear Trump had lost the 2020 election by mid-November, and by January 2021, Biden had assumed office.

But Williss indictment alleges a conspiracy spanning from Nov. 4, 2020  the day after Election Day  to September 2022, nearly two years down the line.

The last charges against Trump point to a Sept. 17, 2021, letter to Raffensperger asking that he begin decertifying the states election results well after the inauguration. The move nods to the length of Trumps effort in the state and an argument he has made in other cases  that he should be immune for actions taken during his presidency.

Lawyer Robert Cheeley and Cathy Latham, a retired teacher who served as the chairwoman of the Coffee County Republican Party, were each charged with perjury for knowingly, willfully and unlawfully making at least one false statement about their involvement in the alleged plot.

Prosecutors say Latham lied under oath during a deposition for a different legal matter involving Raffensperger about her role in a breach of election equipment at the Coffee County Board of Elections & Registration Office. Cheeley allegedly perjured himself before the Fulton County Special Purpose Grand Jury.

Includes conduct that features little in the federal indictment

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at the Des Moines International Airport after a visit to the Iowa State Fair, Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Its long been suspected that details like Trumps call to Raffensperger and his lawyers fake electors scheme would play a central role in a Georgia indictment  details that have played a key role in Smiths federal investigation of the 2020 election aftermath, as well.

However, Williss indictment ultimately weaved in lesser-known local efforts that allegedly advanced the broader conspiracy.

The indictment details Trump lawyers efforts to persuade state lawmakers of the former presidents false election fraud claims, plus his allies alleged efforts to pressure Freeman, the election worker. Prosecutors also tie an election equipment breach in Coffee County to Powell, one of the former presidents most front-facing surrogates for his election fraud claims.

The result of Williss wide-reaching narrative is the most comprehensive indictment to date, detailing Trump and his allies efforts to stop the 2020 election results from going into effect.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Rapper 50 Cent has doubled down on the decline in the quality of life in Los Angeles following a series of brazen smash-and-grab robberies in shopping malls.

On Sunday, he wrote on Instagram: "I told you LA was finished. they are gonna have to lock the doors, appointment only. SMH," in a post accompanied by video footage of a flash mob of 50 people ransacking a Nordstrom in Canoga Park of up to $100,000 worth of merchandise.

Fellow rapper YG, a native of the Los Angeles suburb of Compton, commented on the post, "We aint finished. We just getting started."

CALIFORNIA NORDSTROM RANSACKED IN HUGE FLASH MOB SMASH-AND-GRAB

Over the weekend, 50 Cent wrote that Los Anegeles "was finished" on social media, accompanied by video footage of a flash mob looting a retail store.

Video captured from inside the Nordstrom store shows dozens of people ransacking the store and rushing to the front entrance bags and other items in hand, while scooping up whatever merchandise they can while tripping on racks to which some items were still attached.

Last week, a mob was seen at an Yves Saint Laurent store in the suburb of Glendale, fleeing with armloads of merchandise worth an estimated $300,000, Fox Los Angeles reported.

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In July, 50 Cent commented on crime in Los Angeles. He wrote that "LA is finished" while sharing a FOX 11 Los Angeles news segment about the reinstatement of the zero bail policy in Los Angeles County.

"LA is finished watch how bad it gets out there.SMH [shaking my head]" the "Candy Shop" rapper wrote on Instagram.

A large group of 30-50 people were caught on video ransacking a Nordstrom at Topanga Mall in Los Angeles, California on Aug. 12, 2023.

The policy has been criticized by many and cited as a prime reason for what critics say lets criminals back onto the streets to re-offend. It states that authorities can't detain people accused of misdemeanor crimes.

The bail policy was adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic in an effort to reduce crowding in jails. It was lifted in July 2022.
Sens. Raphael Warnock, Ted Cruz, and Elizabeth Warren all made over $400,000 in their capacity as book authors last year. Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images; Bill Clark and Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images

Senators raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars from book sales in 2022, disclosures show.

Six of them made more than the $174,000 salary they receive as senators.

They include Sens. Raphael Warnock, Ted Cruz, Elizabeth Warren, Tim Scott, and others.

Picture this: you're a United States senator, and you're looking to make hundreds of thousands of dollars in extra income.

You already have a $174,000 yearly salary, courtesy of taxpayers. But while that sum isn't exactly nothing, it hasn't been raised in 14 years. And given the unique challenges of maintaining residences in both Washington, DC and your home state, you might be feeling a pinch.

You could try trading stocks while in office, but the American public overwhelmingly thinks you shouldn't be able to do that, and the ongoing effort to ban the practice outright could eventually close off that route. Plus, you would need to have access to a significant amount of wealth to make those investments in the first place.

But if you're famous enough, there's one above-board way that several of your colleagues are already taking advantage of: writing best-selling books.

In fact, a handful of senators made far more from book sales than their congressional salaries in 2022, according to recently-filed financial disclosures.

Those six senators include:

Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock $655,000

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas $500,000

Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois $462,500

Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas  $373,537

Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina  $370,033

Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts  $443,141

As Insider has previously reported, book sales can be a particularly lucrative avenue for lawmakers looking to burnish their brand or tell their stories.

Other senators reported significant windfalls from book sales in 2022 as well.

Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont nearly doubled his income by writing a book railing against capitalism. Republican Sen. JD Vance of Ohio is still making money off of his 2016 bestseller "Hillbilly Elegy," bringing in more than $121,000 in 2022. Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono disclosed making $90,000 from her memoir "Heart of Fire," while Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota made $55,000 off of "The Joy of Politics."

Some of the disclosures offer a window into the arrangements lawmakers make with publishers as well.

Cruz, whose publisher digitally altered the cover of his forthcoming book "Unwoke" to remove his mullet, agreed last year to a deal where the Texas senator is paid $1.1 million for two books.

And Warnock, despite facing a competitive re-election campaign in Georgia, took part in something of a book tour for his book, "A Way Out of No Way," in June and July of last year, some of which was reimbursed by his publisher.

Sen. Raphael Warnock disclosed details of his book tour on his 2022 financial disclosures. US Senate Select Committee on Ethics

Warren, a 2020 presidential candidate, has written a variety of best-selling books since becoming a politician.

But her disclosures also show that she continues to benefit from her past life as law professor, receiving $23,000 in royalty payments in 2022 for textbooks she helped write long ago, including "Chapter 11: Reorganizing American Businesses" and "Secured Credit: A Systems Approach."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Seven Bradenton residents were charged for their alleged involvement in a conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine in Manatee County, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Florida announced Friday.

United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced the unsealing of a 17-count indictment Friday that shows that charges Clemente Bentacourt, 27, Estevan Bentacourt, 18, Larry Lee Woodward Jr., 28, Adonis Bonilla, 28 Omar Mejia, 28, Jesse Leahy, 47, and Alexander Perez, 29, with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Between March 2022 and May 2023, they were allegedly in possession of more than 50 grams of methamphetamine while in Bradenton, according to the indictment, which said that, in addition to the conspiracy charges, they are also charged with narcotics transactions on specific dates.

If convicted on all counts, each faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison, according to a release sent by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Florida on Friday.

As part of the indictment, any property traced to the proceeds of the drug offenses will also be forfeited to the United States government, the release said.

At the time of the arrests, three firearms, around one pound of methamphetamine, 22 cellphones, cocaine and marijuana were seized after a search warrant was executed at Clemente and Estevan Bentacourts houses in Bradenton, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Florida said.

The case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation, which includes Homeland Security Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

It also involved the Central Florida Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, which is made up of the Bradenton Police Department, the Manatee County Sheriffs Office, the North Port Police Department, the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service, the Palmetto Police Department, and the Sarasota Police Department.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also assisted with the investigation.
California was the first state to pass free lunch legislation after the COVID-19 meal plan was not renewed for the 2022-2023 school year. Christina House / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Massachusetts is the latest state to expand free school lunch since a COVID-era program ended.

The state funds it through a 4% millionaire's tax, while other states increase property taxes.

Here's how eight states pay for free lunch for public school students.

Last week, Massachusetts became the eighth state to offer free lunch for all public school students, joining a small but growing roster of states that have expanded their free school lunch programs since the expiration of Congress' COVID-19 federal free lunch funding.

Massachusetts' program, which was part of a record $56.2 billion fiscal budget for 2024 signed by Gov. Maura Healey on Wednesday, will be supported by a 4% millionaire's tax aimed at people's income above $1 million per year, as well as federal and state funding.

The decision will allow students regardless of family income to have free lunch every school day  a move advocates like CEO and President of Project Bread Erin McAleer told CBS News takes "the burden off of kids" and lets them "just go to school and get free school meals."

But Massachusetts' plan isn't novel. Seven other states have also created free lunch programs after a divided Congress let its COVID-era federal program expire before the 2022-2023 school year.

Here are how eight US states pay for free lunch.

Most states mandate school participation in free lunch programs

Before Massachusetts announced its program, seven states had been offering school lunch and school breakfast programs: California, Colorado, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Vermont. All of those states except Colorado required school districts to offer free meal programs, according to the Associated Press.

Some states have established hearty budgets for free lunch, paying for the programs through general revenues or education funds.

California, for instance, became the first state to establish a free lunch program, deciding in June 2021 to include funding in its state budget rather than as a separate bill, according to EdSource. The Proposition 98 fund of $650 million reimburses school districts for the meals and determined what portion of the money goes to both community colleges and K-12 schools.

Maine, following closely after California, passed its free meals legislation in June 2021. When the bill was introduced, it received a 33-0 bipartisan state Senate vote, The Portland Press Herald reported at the time, and its estimated $34 million annual cost would be included in the state's fiscal budget.

New Mexico similarly set aside $22 million in its state budget when it passed its free school meals in March 2023. Additional money would be used to improve school kitchens and cooking equipment, AP said.

This past July, Michigan included a $160 million investment in its fiscal year budget for free meals, although the state has been offering free and reduced meals to about 50% of students for years, according to WPBN.

And Minnesota's free meal plan  close to a massive $400 million in its first two years and increasingly more expensive in the future, according to MPR News  is state-funded but doesn't include second helpings or separate a la carte items.

Like Massachusetts, other states fund their free meals through increases in specific taxes

While many states fund their programs through state budgets, Massachusetts joins a few states that found more creative ways to pay for free meals. Its 4% millionaire tax, which is on income, is different from President Joe Biden's billionaires' tax proposal from February, which is aimed at wealth.

Colorado, the one state that doesn't require school districts to participate, handles the funding of universal free lunch through a voter-passed tax measure. The state's Healthy School Meals for All program passed 55.1% to 44.9% in 2022, reduces income tax deductions for households earning $300,000 or more to fund its meals, AP said.

And Vermont's free meals program, which was allowed through in June 2023 by Gov. Phil Scott despite him opposing it and not signing it, according to Vermont Public  will result in a $0.03 increase in the property tax rate.

Free meals make a difference, advocates say

Regardless of how states fund their public free meal programs, advocates praise the moves for allowing students to focus on their education rather than worrying about going hungry.

"They should have to come to school to learn and not worry about where their next meal is coming from," Susan Caswell, principal of Comstock Elementary School in Southwest Michigan, told WPBN.

And while only a few US states now offer free lunch, some say the momentum for future programs across the nation is growing.

"There's always been a small number of people who are very, very passionate about universal school meals," Erika Edwards, the director of operations for Jefferson County schools in Colorado, told Education Week. "The availability of universal free meals during the pandemic absolutely changed that momentum."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Joseph Walters, the man accused of "brutally" killing a rooster on Flagler Avenue last month, has been taken into custody, police said Monday.

Walters, 24, was arrested in St. Louis a few days after authorities identified him through tips received from the public.

The suspect is now pending extradition to Florida, where the State Attorney's Office will likely charge him with felony animal cruelty with a $15,000 bond.

On July 25, Walters was allegedly caught on camera "luring the bird close to him, then quickly picking it up, slamming it onto the sidewalk twice, then stomping on the body," according to New Smyrna Beach police.

Previous coverage: NSB police identifies accused rooster killer; animal cruelty charges ahead

According to state statute, "a person who intentionally commits an act to any animal  which results in the cruel death, or excessive or repeated infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering, or causes the same to be done, commits aggravated animal cruelty," a third-degree felony.

In addition, Ponce's Law allows for a Florida judge to prohibit a convicted animal abuser from owning, possessing, keeping, harboring or having custody or control over any animal for a period of time determined by the court.

Walters could face a sentence of up to five years in prison and/or a fine of $10,000 if convicted.

Ponce's Law: Accused NSB rooster killer could face Ponces Law: What does the 2018 legislation say?

It is yet unclear when Walters will be extradited to Florida. The News-Journal has reached out to the State Attorney's Office for comment.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NSB accused rooster killer to be extradited after arrest in Missouri
New York City Mayor Eric Adams unloaded on the Biden administration Tuesday, repeating his claim that for the federal government to deny approximately 100,000 migrants who have arrived in the Big Apple the right to legally work in the United States is staunchly "anti-American."

Adams, a Democrat, also called on the city to show a "God-like spirit" in continuing to accept asylum seekers, demanding that "its not acceptable for immigrants to turn on immigrants."

"This city is supposed to be displaying what the God-like spirit is, and it doesn't mean stating that we don't want those people," he said. "I don't care if you are Irish Americans coming here. If you were Caribbean Americans coming here. If you are African Americans migrating from the South, if you were Jewish, Polish, Indonesian, Chinese, everyone heard this same rhetoric that's coming from the body of hateful people."

"What is more anti-American than not allowing someone to work? What is more anti-American than that?" he said. "So what is wrong with them having the right to work? There's no reason the national government is not staying true to the basic principle of the American experience to allow you to the right to work. It is unacceptable. It's unacceptable that they cannot work."

SECOND MIGRANT PART OF ADAMS' RESETTLEMENT PROGRAM CHARGED WITH SEXUALLY ASSAULTING WOMAN

"This is not a New York City problem. This is a national problem," Adams said, noting how the Big Apple is on course to spend $12 billion over the next three years managing the influx of 100,000 migrants. "It's going to come from our schools services. It's going to come from our streets. It's going to come from what we provide to children."

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"This is the greatest challenge our city has faced in decades. We got to get it right," he added.

At the same press conference, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso argued that it was the federal governments responsibility at this point to step in to address the migrant crisis. He warned media outlets that the federal government would be at fault if Democrats lost New York congressional seats next year over the issue.

"I don't want to see any printed media, any media talking about New York. We're doing our part. We're protecting you by housing 70,000 people without any issue," Reynoso said.

"We're protecting you. And all we're saying is come and help us," he added. "But if it goes the wrong way, don't call us. Don't quote us. You're forewarned that this might happen, and it won't be our fault. We are absolved at this point."

NYC MAYOR ADAMS SLAMS RIGHT TO SHELTER, SAYS MIGRANT CRISIS NOT SUSTAINABLE AFTER TOUTING SANCTUARY STATUS

Reynoso argued that the GOP could use Adams "decompression strategy" plan, which involves resettling migrants who have come to New York City elsewhere in the state, to hurt Democrats. The plan came under fire after Erie County, which has a Democratic executive, demanded New York City stop sending asylum seekers after a migrant was charged with sexually assaulting a hotel worker. That was the second sex crime case there involving a migrant sent from New York City in two weeks.

"We've seen that with the GOP they fight cultural wars versus policy wars. And what's going to happen is that in Long Island, it's like, Oh, we're going to have migrants coming into your neighborhood, and use that fear, right?" Reynoso said. "To pit us against them to be able to win races that would be very close  in Long Island, in upstate  and we need those seats. So, I want to be very clear that this can be used against the party during these congressional races. And we've seen them do a lot worse with a lot less."

Migrants await registration outside the Roosevelt Hotel in midtown Manhattan on Aug. 1, 2023.

Briefly directing some criticism toward former President Donald Trump, Adams took issue Tuesday with how the "the former president called COVID China virus."

"People were attacking Chinese residents and not patronizing their business, and hurtful and harmful tones were being said as they rode to subway system and moved about," Adams said.

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The mayor recalled how Chinese residents recently came up to him in Queens, claiming they said, "We need to throw those people out. They don't deserve being here."

"We need workers. We need people contributing in our society," Adams said. "We need people making this the melting pot that it is. That is how our city has become the greatest city on the globe by opening our doors. But we can't do it alone. This is wrong."
Editors note: This story is available as a result of a content partnership between WFTV and the Orlando Business Journal.

The final stretch of 2023 still has some new additions on the way to Central Floridas theme park giant, Walt Disney World.

Read: The tropics are getting more active with 2 tropical waves in the Atlantic

A new attraction experience and a new nighttime show are headed to Disneys Epcot theme park in Orlando. The pair of new offerings is set to debut before years end at the theme park, which is undergoing a larger transformation.

Heres whats in store:

Click here to read the full story on the Orlando Business Journals website.

Click here to download our free mews, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.




In this April, 2020 image provided by International Rights Advocates, children from Burkina Faso are seen resting while working on a cocoa plantation in Ivory Coast in Daloa. Child welfare advocates are suing the Biden administration for failing to block imports of cocoa picked by children in West Africa bound for Americas most popular chocolate bars. (Terrence Collingsworth/International Rights Advocates via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP)  Child welfare advocates filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday asking a judge to force the Biden administration to block imports of cocoa harvested by children in West Africa that can end up in America's most popular chocolate desserts and candies.

The lawsuit, brought by International Rights Advocates, seeks to have the federal government enforce a 1930s era federal law that requires the government to ban products created by child labor from entering the U.S.

The nonprofit group says it filed the suit because Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security have ignored extensive evidence documenting children cultivating cocoa destined for well-known U.S. candy makers, including Hershey, Mars, Nestle and Cargill.

The major chocolate companies pledged to end their reliance on child labor to harvest their cocoa by 2005. Now they say they will eliminate the worst forms of child labor in their supply chains by 2025.

They will never stop until they are forced to," said Terry Collingsworth, International Rights Advocates' executive director. He added that the U.S. government has "the power to end this incredible abuse of African children by enforcing the law.

Spokespeople for CBP declined to comment on the suit, which was filed in the U.S. Court of International Trade. When asked more generally about cocoa produced by child labor, the federal agency said it was unable to disclose additional information or plans regarding forced labor enforcement activities due to protections of law enforcement sensitive and business confidential information.

Cocoa cultivation by children in Cote dIvoire, also known as the Ivory Coast, as well as neighboring Ghana, is not a new phenomenon. Human rights leaders, academics, news organizations and even federal agencies have spent the last two decades exposing the plight of children working on cocoa plantations in the West African nations, which produce about 70% of the world's cocoa supply.

A 2019 study by the University of Chicago, commissioned by the U.S. government, found 790,000 children, some as young as 5, were working on Ivory Coast cocoa plantations. The situation was similar in neighboring Ghana, researchers found.

The U.S. government has long recognized that child labor is a major problem in the Ivory Coast. The Department of Labor reported in 2021 that children in Cote dIvoire are subjected to the worst forms of child labor, including in the harvesting of cocoa and coffee.

The State Department in a recent report said that agriculture companies in the Ivory Coast rely on child labor to produce a range of products, including cocoa. The department said this year that human traffickers exploit Ivoirian boys and boys from West African countries, especially Burkina Faso, in forced labor in agriculture, especially cocoa production."

To try to force companies to abandon cocoa produced by child labor, International Rights Advocates has sued some of the worlds large chocolate companies over the use of child labor in harvesting cocoa beans. It lost a case before the Supreme Court in 2021. Several others are pending.

Pressured by lawmakers and advocates, major chocolate makers in 2001 agreed to stop purchasing cocoa produced by child labor. That goal, experts and industry officials say, has not been met.

These companies kept saying, We cant trace it back. Thats BS," said former Sen. Tom Harkin, who led a push for legislation to reform the industry, but ended up agreeing to a protocol that allows corporations to regulate themselves. They just wont do it because it will cost them money.

Harkin said Americans dont realize the treats they hand their children originate with child abuse.

Its not just the chocolate you eat, its the chocolate syrup you put on your ice cream, the cocoa you drink, the chocolate chip cookies you bake," he said.

The World Cocoa Foundation, which represents major cocoa companies, said it is committed to improving livelihoods of cocoa farmers and their communities.

A Hershey spokesperson said the company does not tolerate child labor within our supply chain. Cargill, Nestle and Mars did not respond to requests for comment. Their websites all describe their work to end child labor in cocoa plantations.

Ivory Coast officials have said they are taking steps to eradicate child labor but blocking imports of the nation's cocoa would devastate the nation's economy.

We dont want to un-employ the whole country, said Collingsworth, the labor advocate who brought Tuesday's lawsuit. We just want children replaced by adults in cocoa plantations.

Collingsworth was in the Ivory Coast investigating working conditions when he noticed children chopping through brush and harvesting cocoa. He pulled out a phone and took video and photographs of the boys and girls at work. He also stopped by a nearby processing facility and took a photos of burlap sacks with labels of U.S. companies.

International Rights Advocates decided to petition the CBP to block imports of the cocoa, filing a 24-page petition in 2020 asking the agency take such action. The petition contained what it said was photographic and other evidence detailing how the companies were violating the law.

Collingsworth said his group also provided CBP with interviews with children as young as 12 who said their wages were being withheld, and that they had been tricked by recruiters into working long hours on a false promise they would be given land of their own.

CBP failed to take any action on the petition, the lawsuit alleges.
Landlocked and mountainous, Afghanistan has suffered from such chronic instability and conflict during its modern history that its economy and infrastructure are in ruins, and many of its people are refugees.

The Taliban, who imposed strict Islamic rule following a devastating civil war, were ousted by a US-led invasion in 2001, but made a rapid comeback to take over almost all of the country after US forces left in 2021.

Though the war ended with the Taliban takeover, there are attacks on the Taliban by Islamic State, as well as an anti-Taliban insurgency in some areas.

Read more country profiles - Profiles by BBC Monitoring

ISLAMIC EMIRATE OF AFGHANISTAN: FACTS

Capital: Kabul

Area: 652,867 sq km

Population: 38.3 million

Languages: Pashto, Dari

Life expectancy: 63 years (men) 66 years (women)

LEADER

Taliban leader : Hibatullah Akhundzada

Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada

Hibatullah Akhundzada became the supreme commander of the Taliban in 2016, and is now head of state of the interim government in Kabul, called the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

He fought in the resistance to the Soviet military occupation in the 1980s, and went on to lead the Islamic courts during the Taliban's last period in government in 1996-2001.

MEDIA

Afghan media have faced difficulties since the Taliban took power in Kabul in August 2021.

Outlets have endured severe restrictions, an economic crisis and waning Western support.

There is growing self-censorship and editorial appeasement of the Taliban. Freedom of expression has largely disappeared.

TIMELINE

Soviet troops withrew after a bloody decade fighting the Afghan resistance

Some key dates in Afghanistan's history:

18th Century - The modern state of Afghanistan begins with Ahmad Shah Durrani (ruled 1747-1772) and the Durrani Afghan Empire that at its maximum encompasses northern India and eastern Iran.

1826 - With the decline of Durrani dynasty Dost Mohammad Khan Barakzai becomes Emir of Afghanistan.

1839-42 - First Anglo-Afghan War: British initially successfully invade, deposing Dost Mohammad and replacing him with the former emir Shah Shujah but the British forces are almost completely massacred during their retreat.

1878-80 - Second Anglo-Afghan War: British invade forcing Amir Sher Ali Khan to flee. Ali's successor signs a peace treaty but after the massacre of a British diplomatic mission fighting restarts. The Afghans defeat a British force at the Battle of Maiwand but the British decisively defeat the Afghans outside Kandahar to end the war.

1893 - Durand Line established as the border between British India and the Emirate of Afghanistan by British diplomat Mortimer Durand and Afghan Emir Abdur Rahman Khan. However, the exact line of the border remain remains disputed.

1919 - Third Anglo-Afghan War: Afghanistan invades British India. Peace treaty results in Afghanistan gaining control of its foreign affairs from Britain.

1926 - Emir Amanullah Khan declares himself king and the Emirate of Afghanistan becomes the Kingdom of Afghanistan.

1928-29 - Afghan civil war: Facing armed opposition to his reforms, King Amanullah abdicates. Kabul is temporarily captured by opposition forces, who are defeated by Prince Mohammed Nadir Shah, Amanullah's cousin.

1933 - King Nadir Shah adopts more gradual approach to modernization, but is assassinated. Mohammed Zahir Shah reigns as king from 1933 to 1973, pursuing a policy of neutrality.

1973 - Mohammed Daoud Khan deposes the king in a bloodless coup and becomes Afghanistan's first president.

1978 - Communists under Nur Muhammad Taraki seize power in a coup against President Mohammed Daoud Khan. They start land distribution reforms and oppress political dissent, provoking strong opposition which quickly expands into civil war.

1979 - Taraki is assassinated in a power struggle led by then-prime minister Hafizullah Amin. Displeased with Amin's government, the Soviet Union invades, capturing Kabul and killing Amin, installing a more complaint communist regime.

1979-89 - Soviet-Afghan War: Soviet troops in substantial numbers are sent to stabilize Afghanistan marking the beginning of a bitter war.

The US and Pakistan send military aid to resistance groups. Between 560,000 and two million Afghans are killed, six million become refugees.

1989 - Soviet forces leave and Afghanistan collapses into renewed civil war. Some 400,000 Afghans are estimated to have been killed between 1990-2001.

1996 - Taliban seize control of Kabul and impose hard-line version of Islam.

2001-2021 - War in Afghanistan: The United States, including Nato and other allies intervene militarily following September 11 attacks on the US. The Taliban are ousted from Kabul and Hamid Karzai becomes head of an interim power-sharing government.

The war becomes the United States' longest military engagement as the Taliban regroup and regain control of large areas of the countryside.

2014 - Nato formally ends its combat mission in Afghanistan, handing over to Afghan forces - supported by US troops - who face a growing insurgency. Between 176,000-212,000 people are killed in the 20-year war.

2020 - Unable to defeat the Taliban militarily, the US and Taliban sign the Doha Agreement: US troops will withdraw, in return for which Afghan territory will not be used for militant attacks against the US and its allies.

2021 - Taliban recapture Kabul after US forces withdraw.

Western troops failed to stabilise the conflict-ridden country
Two years after the Taliban took Kabul, a think tank has criticised the UK's treatment of people escaping from Afghanistan.

More in Common said some had been living in hotels for two years, and now faced eviction.

How many Afghans have arrived in the UK?

The government says that around 24,600 people had arrived in the UK from Afghanistan as of the end of March 2023, including British nationals.

Of these, about 21,000 have been resettled under different schemes.

Most came as part of Operation Pitting, the British military operation to evacuate British nationals and Afghans from Kabul which began in August 2021.

About 2,000 came before Operation Pitting

15,000 arrived during Operation Pitting

7,000 have arrived since

Operation Pitting saw around 15,000 people evacuated from the Afghan capital Kabul

In written evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee in November 2021, Raphael Marshall - who previously worked on the Foreign Office's Afghanistan crisis response - estimated that between 75,000 and 150,000 people had applied for evacuation in August 2021, of whom 5% received assistance.

The Home Office said another 1,400 former staff and their families had already been relocated since 2013 under an earlier scheme.

What are the Afghan resettlement schemes and how do they work?

In April 2021 - before the Taliban took control of Afghanistan - the government launched the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme.

Under ARAP, Afghans who worked for the British military and UK government - for example, as interpreters - could apply to settle permanently in the UK, rather than get five years' residency, which was previously offered.

The government also opened the Afghan Citizens' Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) in January 2022, which it said would allow up to 20,000 refugees to settle in the UK.

This scheme focuses on women and children as well as religious and other minorities in danger from the Taliban.

Immediate family members of those eligible under either the ARAP or ACRS schemes are also eligible for resettlement in the UK.

How much money is the government spending on the Afghan resettlement schemes?

As part of an initiative called "Operation Warm Welcome", local councils have been allocated funding packages of 20,520 per person over three years.

The money should help refugees enrol in education, find work and integrate in their new communities.

The government promised an additional 10m in the first year for housing costs, then 5m and 2m in the two following years.

What accommodation have Afghan refugees been offered?

The government announced 35m to help local authorities move around 8,000 Afghans out of hotels and into permanent homes across the UK. It promised a further 250m for the local authority housing fund.

The refugees were given three months to vacate their hotels for relocation.

At the end of March 2023, the Home Office said that just under 1,000 refugees had been moved into permanent accommodation, and another 468 were waiting to move in.

However, 8,799 Afghan refugees were still living in hotels or serviced accommodation, with one man telling the BBC he had spent almost two years in a hotel.

According to the Home Office, 315 households (around 1,200 people) refused accommodation offers for "varied and often justifiable reasons".

Cabinet Office minister Johnny Mercer - who served in Afghanistan during his time in the military - told the BBC that "things could always have been done differently", and that some Afghan families had been in hotels "for far too long".

In February 2022, the Home Office said that accommodating Afghan refugees in hotels cost 1.2m per day.

How can other Afghans come to the UK?

In theory, they can come through the UK Resettlement Scheme which prioritises refugees from regions in conflict. In 2022, 36 Afghans came through this route.

Some Afghans have also made their way to the UK and then sought asylum.

The number of Afghans arriving in the UK on small boats, which have crossed the English Channel has increased sharply:

2020: 494

2021: 1,437

2022: 8,633

In the first three months of 2023, 1,054 arrived this way.

Home Office statistics show that nearly 11,000 Afghans and their dependents applied for asylum in 2022.

However, the Illegal Migration Bill, which became law in July 2023, means anyone arriving illegally may be detained and removed either to Rwanda, or another so-called "safe" third country.

There are continuing legal challenges to the Rwanda policy.

How many people did other countries evacuate?

The US evacuated the largest number of people from Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power.

From 14 August to 28 August 2021, it got 113,500 people out.

Afghans wait to be processed after arriving in the US on an evacuation flight

Other countries evacuated much smaller numbers over that period, according to official statements and press releases:

Germany: more than 5,300

Italy: more than 5,000

Canada: more than 3,700

France: around 3,000

Since August 2021, some countries have continued to carry out occasional evacuations. On December 3 of that year, France said that it had evacuated 258 people from Afghanistan.

There was also an increase in the number of Afghans who applied for asylum in some EU countries such as Greece, France and Germany.
A border force official assists and Afghan refugee on her arrival to Heathrow airport

Many Afghan refugees have been "let down" by the UK, with some living in hotels for up to two years and now facing eviction, a think tank has said.

More in Common said lessons needed to be learned so future refugees were better supported.

It comes on the anniversary of the UK's evacuation programme and the fall of Kabul to the Taliban on 15 August 2021.

Minister Johnny Mercer admitted there had been "challenges" but said he was determined to make Afghan schemes work.

Operation Pitting saw the UK airlift around 15,000 people out of Kabul - including British nationals, as well as people who worked with the UK in Afghanistan and their family members.

Those who had nowhere to live were placed in government-funded hotels. This was supposed to be temporary accommodation but by the end of March, there were still around 8,800 Afghans living in hotels.

The government has imposed a deadline of the end of August for Afghans to be moved out of hotels, but councils have warned some are facing homelessness as they cannot find anywhere else to live.

More In Common, an organisation founded in the wake of the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox, surveyed 132 Afghans in the UK.

It was told of failures in communication with local authorities and the Home Office on housing, rental applications being repeatedly rejected, and unsuitable homes being offered, sometimes hundreds of miles away.

One example saw a refugee living in temporary accommodation in Bristol, where they had family, offered permanent housing in Northern Ireland.

Amir Hussain Ibrahimi was evacuated from Afghanistan by the UK two years ago and has been living in a hotel in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, ever since.

The 24-year-old, who was a journalist and photographer in Afghanistan, said he was forced to leave his family behind after he was arrested and attacked by the Taliban.

"The first days when I was in the hotel we had a lot of promises - the government told us that you're going to stay three months or four months or five months," he told BBC News.

"It is quite hard because you don't know what is the next step for your life."

"Sometimes you want to feel a place is like a home," he said, adding that he had felt depressed at times since coming to the UK.

Mr Ibrahimi said he was relieved the council had finally found him a permanent home, after being rejected by more than 10 landlords. He is now waiting to see if this landlord will accept him as a tenant.

However, he said he knew many other families who had not managed to find homes.

Mr Ibrahimi acknowledged there were challenges as other Afghans did not have experience working in the UK and often had large families. However, he said the government needed to do more to help.

Amir Hussain Ibrahimi now works as a marketing and production assistant in east London

Cabinet Office minister Mr Mercer, who served in Afghanistan during his time in the military and is responsible for the resettlement scheme, acknowledged "things could always have been done differently" and that Afghan families had been in hotels "for far too long".

He told the PA news agency the deadline for people to leave hotels by the end of August had been "a controversial move" but it was done "with compassion in mind".

He said 440 Afghans had been matched to homes in the past week "and I couldn't have generated that momentum without putting that hard deadline in there".

The government said it had provided 285m of funding to help move Afghans into permanent homes, with more than 10,500 people moved from hotels to long-term accommodation so far.

A spokesperson for the Local Government Association said councils had worked "incredibly hard" to support Afghan families but had faced challenges including a shortage of housing.

It accepted there were lessons to be learned but blamed a "delay in funding and guidance from government for creating a lot of uncertainty".

Sir Laurie Bristow, who was the UK's ambassador to Afghanistan when Kabul fell to the Taliban, said Britain has a responsibility to those who worked for the UK there.

"There are people in Afghanistan and in refugee camps who worked for us and worked with us and whose lives are in danger as a result of doing so," he told Radio 4's Today programme.

As debate continues over whether countries should engage with the Taliban, Sir Laurie said that doing so effectively could help to address reasons why Afghans were leaving the country for the UK.

Operation Pitting saw around 15,000 people evacuated from Kabul

Meanwhile, charities have criticised resettlement schemes for being too slow and leaving many people who want to come to the UK stuck in Afghanistan.

Since the original evacuation, the numbers arriving under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) have been low, with only 40 refugees who have fled Afghanistan to neighbouring countries being resettled in the UK up to the end of March, while only 14 members of at-risk groups have been resettled directly from Afghanistan.

A further 9,059 people, who arrived in the UK under Operation Pitting, have also been resettled under the ACRS, while 11,398 have been brought to the UK under a scheme for Afghans who worked for or with the UK government.

In the meantime others have taken dangerous routes like crossing the Channel in small boats, with Afghan the most common nationality recorded among those arriving this way so far this year.

Human rights organisation Justice said the schemes had been marked by "significant delays, lack of transparency and lack of consistency".

It called for quicker processing times and better communication with applicants.

Mr Mercer acknowledged some people had been left behind after the Taliban takeover and had still not been brought to safety.

However, he said he was determined to make resettlement schemes "work properly" and that the UK should be "proud" of its efforts to rescue people.

A Home Office spokesperson said the UK had made "one of the largest commitments of any country to support Afghanistan" and there was "no need for Afghans to risk their lives by taking dangerous and illegal journeys".
Serhii Tiurin, first deputy head of the Khmelnytskyi Oblast Military Administration, reported early on Aug. 15 that explosions were heard in the region and air defense is active. He urged residents to remain in shelters.

Explosions were also reported in Lviv and Volyn oblasts. Lviv Mayor Andrii Sadovy asked city residents not to stand close to the windows.

According to the Air Force, there is a threat of missile attack targeted at Ukraine's western oblasts. The air raid alert was activated nationwide.

On Aug. 14, Russia attacked Ukraine in several waves using Iranian-made kamikaze drones and cruise missiles, Ukraine's Air Force reported.

According to the report, Russia used 15 Shahed-136/131 drones and eight Kalibr missiles, all of which were shot down. The drones were launched from Primorsko-Akhtarsk, a town on the Azov Sea coast in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, and the missiles flew from a ship stationed near Yalta in Russian-occupied Crimea, the military wrote.

Read also: Ukraine war latest: Military reports 3 square kilometers advance near Bakhmut over last week

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The Russian invaders attacked Ukraine with 28 air- and sea-based missiles at around 04:00 on 15 August 2023, and Ukrainian defenders have destroyed 16 Kh-101/Kh-555 and Kalibr cruise missiles.

Source: Ukraine's Air Force

Details: In total, launches of at least 28 cruise missiles of various types were recorded:

Russian forces launched 4 Kh-22 cruise missiles from six Tu-22M3 long-range aircraft (Soltsy and Shaykovka airfields);

Russian forces launched 20 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles from 11 strategic aviation aircraft (Engels and Olenya airfields);

Four Kalibr cruise missiles were launched from a frigate located in the Black Sea (Yalta area).

An air-raid warning was issued throughout the territory of Ukraine. Air defence forces, including anti-aircraft missile units, mobile air defence fire groups, fighter aircraft and direct cover units, responded in many oblasts.

As a result of combat operations by the forces and assets of the Ukrainian Air Force, in cooperation with units of other components of the Defence Forces, 16 Kh-101/Kh-555 and Kalibr cruise missiles were destroyed.

In addition, eight launches of Russian S-300 and S-400 anti-aircraft guided missiles were recorded in Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.

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!
An air-raid warning was issued at Ukraine on the night of 14-15 August due to the launch of cruise missiles from the Caspian Sea.

Source: Ukraine's Air Force

Quote: "Sumy, Poltava and eastern oblasts  missile threat!"

Details: The Ukrainian Air Force specified that an air-raid warning had been issued due to the launch of cruise missiles from Tu-95MS strategic bombers from the Caspian Sea.

"The first missiles are entering Ukraines airspace," the Air Force noted at 03:07 and urged residents not to ignore the air-raid warning.

Updated: Later, due to the missile threat, an air-raid warning was also issued at the southern oblasts.

After that, an air-raid warning was issued in Kyiv and all oblasts of Ukraine, except for the western ones.

At 03:47, the Air Force reported, "Probably two groups of cruise missiles have been fired towards Ukraines territory.

From preliminary information as they crossed the border, the enemy assets are simulating high-speed targets."

After 04:00, the air-raid warning extended to the western oblasts, covering all oblasts of Ukraine.

At 05:51 the all-clear was given in the oblasts.

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!
Air-raid warnings were issued all over Ukraine on 15 August after MiG jets that can carry Kinzhal missiles took off from Russia.

Source: map of air-raid warnings in Ukraine; Ukraines Air Force on Telegram

Quote from Ukraines Air Force: "Attention! Enemy MiG-31 jets took off from the Savasleyka airfield!"

Updated: An all-clear was given at 16:15.

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 use of artificial intelligence impacts every industry and sector of society, including news, gaming and fashion. And academia is no exception. Colleges and universities are adapting to new ways of enrolling, teaching and retaining students with AI technology.

Part of the motivation is that "with fewer college-age students in the pipeline," universities need to "employ even more sophisticated enrollment-management strategies to fill their classes," Best Colleges reported. But while many schools are embracing the new technology, others are wary of its drawbacks.

Benefits for students

Students entering college who need financial assistance can use RaiseMe. This AI tool provides access to "micro-scholarships," which can be earned through achievements aside from good grades including "club involvement, sports, volunteer activities and the like," according to Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative. "For each achievement, students are awarded more that can be applied to the cost of attending college."

Once in school, artificial intelligence can help students with time and financial management. "AI-generated emails can remind students about important deadlines, prompt them to register for classes, turn in assignments and pay their fees on time," reported Forbes.

And for those finishing their studies, AI can assist with graduating on time and entering the workforce, according to Best Colleges. Using an AI resume builder can assist college grads with landing a job, per Tom's Guide.

Benefits for teachers and administrators

Schools are finding benefits in both student retention and teaching. Nova Southeastern University uses Aible to identify students who are most likely to leave the school and "prioritize its retention efforts for the most at-risk students," according to Forbes. And Georgia Tech uses a virtual teaching assistant known as Jill Watson.

The AI tool Packback offers real-time responses from teachers. The technology "helps instructors moderate class discussions, give feedback and grade participation automatically," Harvard Advanced Leadership Initivate reported. This allows students to know their current academic standing in a course, giving them an opportunity for improvement where needed, stated Entrepreneur.

"The less students need educators to be the main source of knowledge, the more educators can focus on developing the ability to curate, guide, critically assess learning," Vriti Saraf, the CEO and founder of K20 Educators, told the World Economic Forum. This can "help students gain skills that are so much more important than memorizing information."

Enabling and detecting plagiarism

According to Forbes, "In a particularly controversial use, AI-based software is increasingly able to detect plagiarized assignments." At Florida Gulf Coast University, the dean of students office began to "tag academic misconduct cases for instances of generative-AI usage, and an explicit syllabus statement [was] generated for faculty use to prevent cases of unauthorized assistance," according to the office's June agenda, as reported by the Pensacola News Journal.

A former student at the University of Bristol used ChatGPT on an old essay as an experiment and received a 65%. In response, a spokesperson for the university told BBC News that "ChatGPT's unauthorized use, like that of other chatbots or artificial intelligence software, would be considered a form of cheating under our assessment regulations." Steve West, the vice chancellor at the University of the West of England, put it simply: "Don't take the chance."

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A correctional officer in Alabama was arrested and subsequently terminated from his position after being caught stealing Pokemon cards over the weekend.

Team Rocket vibes: Officer Josh Hardy was still in uniform and had just completed his shift at the Calhoun County jail when he committed the alleged theft around 7 p.m. on Saturday at a Walmart store in Oxford. Hardy has since been taken to the Oxford City Jail and charged with theft.

Catch em all gone wrong: According to Calhoun County Sheriff Matthew Wade, Walmart's loss prevention team observed Hardy opening multiple packs of Pokemon cards and placing individual cards into his pockets. The team confronted Hardy after he attempted to leave the store without paying for the items. Hardy, who fled the store on foot, was apprehended by officers from the Oxford Police Department at a nearby restaurant. The stolen Pokemon cards were recovered from his possession.

Not the very best: Sheriff Wade expressed his disappointment in a news release, stating, "It is with great embarrassment that we have to report this incident, and Hardy has been terminated from the Calhoun County Sheriffs Office. He has tarnished our agency and the image of all law enforcement. As Sheriff, I promised to be transparent and hold my staff accountable to a standard higher than average citizens."

More from NextShark: Increasing number of Chinese researchers leaving the US out of fear, study says

High-value items: Pokemon cards are considered collectibles and those that are printed in limited supply can become very expensive over time. Last year, a rare 1998 Pikachu Illustrator holographic Pokemon card sold for $900,000 through New Jersey-based Goldin Auctions.

In Japan, several cases of similar Pokemon card thefts have occurred this year alone, including one incident in Fujiyoshida City and another in Tokyo.

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Extratropical Typhoon Merbok (Photo/USGS.gov)

The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) has announced a grant allocation of $4,726,333 to the Alaska Legal Services Corporation (ALSC) with the objective of providing legal assistance to individuals of limited means who have been impacted by natural disasters during the year 2022.

ALSC is among the 14 selected organizations across the nation that have been chosen to receive these grants. LSC, renowned as the principal source of financial support for civil legal aid within the United States, has been granted $20 million in supplementary funding through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, which was passed by Congress to bolster the comprehensive response to natural calamities.

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Following severe climatic events, affected individuals often find themselves in need of prompt legal aid to facilitate the application for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and insurance benefits. They also require assistance with matters involving landlords and tenants, accessing unemployment benefits, and procuring replacements for vital documents essential for education and medical benefits. Legal issues stemming from disasters can endure for extended periods. Cases entailing FEMA appeals, bankruptcy, public housing, and instances of domestic violence may arise, rendering disaster survivors susceptible to deceitful schemes and fraudulent activities.

LSC President Ron Flagg emphasized, "Disaster response entails far more than just physical repairs, as countless Americans come to realize each year when their homes or families are impacted by these catastrophic events. Legal aid providers play a pivotal role in aiding low-income families in accessing crucial services and resources that set them on the path to recovery."

The allocated funds will be employed by ALSC to establish a collaborative disaster relief resource hub and a training network geared toward aiding non-attorney community justice workers (CJWs) in responding to twelve instances of natural disasters in American Indian and Alaska Native communities served by ALSC, Montana Legal Services, Oklahoma Indian Legal Services, Anishinabe Legal Services, and DNA People's Legal Services. ALSC will take the lead on the grant while other legal assistance organizations will function as subgrantees. The vulnerability of Alaska Native and American Indian communities to disasters is heightened due to their higher rates of poverty, food insecurity, and substandard housing in comparison to the rest of the nation. In the year 2022, a dozen major disasters were declared in the rural communities encompassed by the collaborating organizations.

The grant will facilitate the employment of fourteen full-time staff members for the initiative, in addition to the development of online training modules and support for the online training platform. The project aims to supply immediate legal services to affected communities by assembling a network of trained local CJWs specializing in disaster response.

Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Rep. Mary Sattler Peltola (D- AK, At-Large) expressed their appreciation to ALSC for securing the grant and for their pivotal role in disaster relief efforts.

"The aftermath of Typhoon Merbok inflicted significant damage on numerous communities, leaving many Alaskan families grappling with financial challenges, insurance claims, housing issues, and more. This grant from the Legal Services Corporation is a positive development for the survivors of Typhoon Merbok in Alaska. The funding will furnish them with legal aid as they continue to recover from the detrimental effects of the typhoon," stated Senator Murkowski.

"This grant designed to aid Typhoon Merbok survivors is heartening news. Merbok caused extensive damage amounting to millions of dollars in a region where resources are scarce and communication with federal agencies can be sluggish. Several Alaskans are still grappling with navigating the FEMA application and appeals processes, and this funding for legal assistance will significantly impact their lives. Alaska rallied to support the communities affected by the storm, and it remains crucial that we continue to do so until the damage is rectified," Rep. Peltola said.

About the Author: "Native News Online is one of the most-read publications covering Indian Country and the news that matters to American Indians, Alaska Natives and other Indigenous people. Reach out to us at editor@nativenewsonline.net. "

Contact: news@nativenewsonline.net
Salt Lake Police investigate a scene in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. An Alaska man was arrested Friday and accused of killing his Utah wife and hiding her body in a storm drain. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

An Alaska man was arrested Friday and accused of killing his Utah wife and hiding her body in a storm drain.

Zarrius Ray Hildabrand, 21, was booked into jail Friday for investigation of murder and tampering with evidence, according to a press release from Anchorage police.

His wife, Saria Barney Hildabrand, 21, who is from Utah and attended Hillcrest High School in Midvale but moved to Alaska earlier this year to be with her husband, was on active duty in the military there, family members said. Saria Hildabrand was reported missing on Aug. 7, several days before her body was located in a storm drain and the case became a homicide investigation.

Her family traveled to Alaska last week to assist in the search and is planning to transport her body back to Mt. Pleasant, Sanpete County, for burial, according to a GoFundMe page.

"I would just like people to know that she's amazing," Saria Hildabrand's mother, Meredith Barney, said. "Just to see how many people loved her and how many people's lives she touched, it brings a comfort to my heart to hear that and to hear people's stories and see their pictures that they send me. So it's hard and beautiful."

The Hildabrands attended a bar with friends on Aug. 5 to celebrate Zarrius' birthday, police said in an amended criminal complaint. Because the Hildabrands were hung over the next morning, Saria Hildabrand decided to walk the mile distance to work instead of driving, police said.

Saria Hildabrand forgot to take her phone with her when she left the apartment, court documents say. Zarrius Hildabrand said he discovered his wife was missing later that day when he went to pick her up from work and found out she never made it.

Zarrius Hildabrand told detectives he didn't worry about his wife until 10 p.m. that night, which is when he went out looking for her. Zarrius Hildabrand said he searched for her, driving around the neighborhood, going to friends' houses, calling her parents, contacting hospitals and the jail, the criminal complaint states.

Zarrius Hildabrand contacted police and reported his wife missing on Aug. 7, about 36 hours after she left home for work. The criminal complaint says Zarrius Hildabrand said he waited so long to make the missing person report because "he thought he might find his wife and find it was a misunderstanding."

A search for Saria Hildabrand started, but police and more than 60 volunteers were unable to locate Saria Hildabrand during the next two days.

During the investigation, police discovered a text was sent from Saria Hildabrand's phone to her co-workers on Aug. 6 at 10:45 a.m.  45 minutes after she left the apartment  saying she was not going to work. An employee responded, saying she needed to contact the business owner to notify them of her absence. Another text from the woman's phone said she did not have the owner's number, so the employee gave it to her, according to police.

Investigators determined through speaking with employees that the business owner and Saria Hildabrand's mom that Saria Hildabrand had the owner's number stored in her phone and the owner was never contacted.

Detectives asked Zarrius Hildabrand about the texts sent from his wife's phone after she had left for work and forgotten her phone in the apartment. He denied sending the texts and couldn't explain what happened, police said.

As police investigated, they found a person had reported hearing a gunshot at 2:45 a.m. on Aug. 6. The report was located just across a courtyard from the Hildabrands' apartment, though officers who were sent to the area didn't find anything suspicious, according to court documents.

When detectives spoke with Zarrius Hildabrand on Tuesday, he said he stayed home the whole day while he thought his wife was at work, but he later changed his story to say he went out and ran some errands, court documents say.

Detectives obtained information from a Fred Meyer store showing that Zarrius Hildabrand made three purchases on Aug. 6, at 12:26 p.m., 6:12 p.m. and 10 p.m.; surveillance footage shows Hildabrand exiting the store just after 10 p.m., police said. He bought a jar of marinara sauce, a set of sheets, a mattress cover, hydrogen peroxide, an empty spray bottle and some personal hygiene items, court documents state.

While police spoke to Zarrius Hildabrand on Tuesday, they reported seeing in his apartment two guns, brand new sheets of the same brand he purchased at Fred Meyer on the kitchen table and a bed with only a mattress pad on it. Zarrius Hildabrand refused to let police look under his bed, claiming embarrassing items were located there, court documents said.

Zarrius Hildabrand was interviewed by special investigators Wednesday and claimed to only have one gun. That same day, police obtained a search warrant for the Hildabrand residence and found the mattress was "saturated by human blood."

"There was so much blood on the mattress that the blood soaked through onto the carpet and into the wood frame," court documents state.

A blood reagent spray discovered blood residue all over the bathtub and on some of the floors, police said. Two handguns were recovered, one of which was fully loaded and the other had one bullet out of the magazine. No shell casing was located in the apartment.

Detectives discovered on Thursday that Zarrius Hildabrand's phone data showed he was in the area of a Lowes home improvement store on Aug. 6 between 10 and 10:30 p.m. Further investigation found Hildabrand purchased a 96-gallon trash can with wheels, court documents state.

Detectives then searched the area of the Hildabrands' apartment and found a large garbage can with wheels in the back of a landscaping truck on the north side of the apartment complex. Blood was found inside the trash can but no other evidence was located.

At 6:17 p.m. Thursday, police used a drone to search the area and found a pillow and "something light colored" inside a storm drain down the trail from where the trash can was found. Police found what appeared to be human remains under the pillow and blood on the rim of the drain.

The remains were recovered from out of the drain and positively identified as Saria Hildabrand, with a gunshot wound on her left temple. Zarrius Hildabrand was taken into custody Friday by Anchorage police.

According to the GoFundMe* account, Saria Hildabrand was a member of the Alaska National Guard, was enrolled in college classes and had been living in Alaska since the beginning of the year.

Contributing: Andrew Adams

*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.
Last spring, I had the chance to visit a school unlike any I had ever seen before.

Mat-Su Central in Wasilla, Alaska, is hard to label. It might accurately be called a hybrid homeschool, but that newfangled term belies its much-older origins. The schools unique history helped shape it into what could be a model for the rest of the country, and it has lessons for any state or district leader looking to deliver personalized, high-quality public education.

Mat-Su Central is a public school with about 2,200 students in grades K-12. It takes all students, and its workers are employees of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District. Its district is the second-largest in the state of Alaska, serving nearly 20,000 students spread out across a geographic area roughly the size of West Virginia.

A road in Wasilla, Alaska (Sebastiano Tomada/Getty Images)

To reach all families, especially in the harsh winter months, in 1972 the Mat-Su district opened a correspondence school, which allowed students who werent physically present to complete coursework in their own homes on their own time. Its licensed teachers functioned more like advisers. They worked with families to craft an educational plan, but parents had to take some responsibility for teaching and even grading their childs work, with the school providing ultimate oversight to make sure kids remained on track.

Over time, Mat-Su Centrals leaders noticed that too many students werent graduating. After engaging a core group of families, they diagnosed the problem as a lack of connection among students, teachers and peers. So, a little more than a decade ago, the school added on-site classes to shift away from pure distance learning into the hybrid model it operates today.

Every student has an individual learning plan that teachers, parents and students build together. They incorporate each students strengths and weaknesses and take into account classes the students need in order to graduate  such as reading, math, science and history, as well as any remedial work  and subjects they want to pursue, including art, music, welding and gymnastics.

Some families opt for fully virtual classes, akin to private homeschooling but with the guidance and oversight of Mat-Su teachers. Other students want more in-person interaction, and they can take up to two classes at their local public school, enroll in college courses, attend classes on site or participate in local community programs. This flexibility affords families choices about what classes their kids want to take and what format they want to take them in.

Parents can talk through those choices with their advisers, and the school has an online roster that lets users sort potential offerings by grade, subject and method (online, hands-on or paper and pencil), and how the material is graded (by school staff, by parents or through an external provider). The site features staff notes listing the advantages and disadvantages of different curricula and whether those are available to rent from the school.

Mat-Su Central doesnt have traditional classrooms, but it has dedicated art, music and technology rooms, plus a student-run coffee shop and flexible spaces for a variety of programs. On any given day, those rooms might be used by teachers for traditional subjects like history or Spanish, but they may also be used for walk-in math labs or guitar or ukulele lessons. A series of informational Flapjack Friday events touch on topics such as building household budgets or traveling to Europe.

Families have access to educational options through allotments of $2,600 to $3,000 per student, depending on grade level. Its not a voucher or cash payment; the school retains control of the money and is responsible for paying and vetting vendors. Each childs learning plan outlines how the allotment will be used, including for curriculum, community programs or other educational services. Students can also put the money toward a computer and monthly internet service.

Over time, the school has curated a list of 300 community business partners who provide instruction and learning opportunities. (Each vendor must have a business license and pass the schools quality review, as well as background checks for anyone working with students.) My favorite: This being Alaska, students have the option to use a portion of their allotment to earn their pilots license, in lieu of driver ed programs at many schools.

Some Mat-Su Central offerings for the 2023-24 school year. (Matsucentral.org)

Even with the allotments, Mat-Su Central spends only $7,975 per pupil, less than half of the districts $16,545 average. One reason is that the school doesnt deploy teachers in normal classroom roles. Instead, it has 25 advisory teachers. Each serves as the teacher of record for an average of about 100 students, and some also provide tutoring or work with children with disabilities. They help craft and monitor students learning plans and guide families throughout the year.

The school has full-time art and music teachers on site, a nurse and two counselors who are available for in-person or telehealth visits. Advisory teachers can also design supplemental offerings for students to choose from.

As the schools core mission is serving families, staff members have been known to drive to students homes for parent meetings, met up at a coffee shop to work on a childs learning plan or connected at Target to drop off textbooks.

Still, Mat-Su Central puts a lot of responsibility on parents to monitor their childs progress and even step in as instructor or evaluator. It doesnt serve the full-day custodial role of a traditional school or provide transportation.

Mat-Su graduation 2023

Its also hard for outsiders to know how well students at Mat-Su Central are performing. The state has flagged the school as needing additional targeted support because of low achievement among English learners. Principal Stacey McIntosh attributes that to the very high percentage of families who opt out of state exams. She also notes that each individualized learning plan must include a standardized test to measure student proficiency, as well as a specific plan spelling out how any child not already proficient is going to get there.

One testament in Mat-Su Centrals favor is that families continue to flock to it. Enrollment in Mat-Su Central has roughly quadrupled over the last 20 years, far outpacing student population increases in the district and the state. McIntosh attributes that demand to concerns about bullying or students experiencing anxiety at more traditional schools, and she noted that pandemic-era closures led to a particular surge in interest. Going forward, the district is about to break ground on a new building for the school to continue expanding its on-site offerings of clubs, classes and workshops.

Rendering of Mat-Su Centrals new building (Mat-Su Central)

After seeing Mat-Su Central in person, I left believing that every state needs a hybrid homeschool like it. This could take the form of statewide districts as Robin Lake and Kelly Young outlined in a recent report for the Center on Reinventing Public Education. Or, states could grant individual school districts or charter schools the authority to serve families from broad geographic areas.

Mat-Su Centrals hybrid model may not be for everyone, but it provides an option for children who arent well served by traditional public school districts. The combination of flexibility and portability for families, along with built-in monitoring and support from the teacher advisers, makes it an approach for other states to consider.

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Before Zoom and Coronavirus, How the Telephone Became the 20th Centurys Most Successful Remote-Learning Technology for Homebound Students
Photo: The Canadian Press FILE - Former President Donald Trump speaks at a fundraiser event for the Alabama GOP, Friday, Aug. 4, 2023, in Montgomery, Ala. Just one month after Donald Trumps January 2021 phone call to suggest Georgias secretary of state could overturn his election loss, district attorney Fani Willis announced she was looking into possibly illegal attempts to influence the results. (AP Photo/Butch Dill, File)

A list of criminal charges in Georgia against former President Donald Trump briefly appeared Monday on a Fulton County website, but prosecutors said Trump had not been indicted in their long-running investigation of the 2020 presidential election.

A Fulton County grand jury began hearing from more witnesses Monday. Shortly after 12 p.m., Reuters reported on a list of several criminal charges to be brought against Trump, including state racketeering counts, conspiracy to commit false statements and solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer.

Reuters, which later published a copy of the document, said the filing was taken down quickly. A spokesperson for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said the report of charges being filed was inaccurate, but declined to comment further.

Fulton County courts clerk Che Alexander's office later released a statement that seemed to only raise more questions, calling the posted document fictitious, but failing to explain how it got on the court's website. The clerk's office said documents without official case numbers are not considered official filings and should not be treated as such. But the document that appeared online did have a case number on it.

When asked by The Associated Press why there was a case number on the document, Alexander declined to comment.

Trump and and his allies, who have characterized the investigation as politically motivated, immediately seized on the apparent error to claim that the process is rigged. Trumps campaign aimed to fundraise off of it, sending out an email with the since-deleted document embedded.

The Grand Jury testimony has not even FINISHED  but its clear the District Attorney has already decided how this case will end, Trump wrote in the email, which included links to give money to his campaign. They are trying to rob me of my right to due process. This is an absolute DISGRACE.

Trump's legal team

It was unclear why the list was posted while grand jurors were still hearing from witnesses in the sprawling investigation into actions taken by Trump and others in their efforts to overturn his narrow loss in Georgia to Democrat Joe Biden. It was also unclear whether grand jurors were aware on Monday that the filing was posted online. They still would need to vote on charges, so the counts listed in the posting may or may not ultimately be brought against Trump.

Trump's legal team said it was not a simple administrative mistake," but showed that the prosecutors' office had no respect for the integrity of the grand jury process.

"This is emblematic of the pervasive and glaring constitutional violations which have plagued this case from its very inception, Trump lawyers Drew Findling, Jennifer Little and Marissa Goldberg said

Legal experts said it was likely a clerical error listing charges prosecutors were planning to ask the grand jury to vote on. Prosecutors draft indictments and present them to the grand jury, which ultimately decides whether to hand charges down.

I think this tells us what they are planning to present to the grand jury, and the grand jury could say no, said Clark Cunningham, a Georgia State University law professor. Cunningham said while the error will give Trump's legal team fodder to complain, it likely won't ultimately impact the case.

It will not scuttle the case. Will his lawyers make a lot of noise about it? Yes, they will. Will Mr. Trump make a lot of noise about it? Yes, he will. Im sure there will have to be an explanation for it, Cunningham said.

One person who said hedbeen called to testify to the grand jury suggested on Monday that the process may be moving more quickly than anticipated. George Chidi, an independent journalist, had tweeted previously that he was asked to testify on Tuesday, but later posted he was going to court on Monday, adding: Theyre moving faster than they thought.

Chidi wrote in The Intercept last month that he barged into a semi-clandestine meeting of Republicans pretending to be Georgias official electors in December 2020. He described being thrown out of the room just after entering, told that it was an education meeting.

The grand jury filing Monday lists more than a dozen felony counts, including Georgias Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO. Willis has long been expected to levy that charge against Trump and his associates, accusing them of participating in a wide-ranging conspiracy to overturn the states 2020 election results.

Two counts  including solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer  lists the date of offense as Jan. 2, 2021, which was when Trump during a phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said he wanted to find enough votes to overturn his loss in the state. Other counts list the date of offense as Sept. 17, 2021, which is the same day Trump sent Raffensperger a message urging him to investigate large scale voter fraud," decertify the election and announce the true winner if the investigation found the fraud.

Former Democratic state Sen. Jen Jordan, who had been subpoenaed to testify before the grand jury, said as she left the Fulton County courthouse late Monday morning that she had been questioned for about 40 minutes. Former Democratic state Rep. Bee Nguyen also confirmed that she testified. News outlets reported that Gabriel Sterling, a top official in the secretary of states office, was seen arriving at the courthouse earlier Monday.

No individual is above the law, and I will continue to fully cooperate with any legal proceedings seeking the truth and protecting our democracy, Nguyen said in a statement.

Nguyen and Jordan both attended legislative hearings in December 2020 during which former New York mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and others made false claims of widespread election fraud in Georgia. Trump lawyer John Eastman also appeared during at least one of those hearings and said the election had not been held in compliance with Georgia law and that lawmakers should appoint a new slate of electors.

Sterling and his boss, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger  both Republicans  forcefully pushed back against allegations of widespread problems with Georgia's election.

Trump famously called Raffensperger on Jan. 2, 2021, and suggested the state's top elections official could help find the votes Trump needed to beat Biden. It was the release of a recording of that phone call that prompted Willis to open her investigation about a month later.
A soldier in Alaska has been charged with murder after the body of his missing wife -- also a member of the Army -- was discovered in a storm drain in Anchorage near an apartment the two shared, according to local media reports.

Zarrius Hildabrand, 21, was arrested Friday and charged with first- and second-degree murder, as well as tampering with evidence in the death of his wife, Saria Hildabrand, 21, according to law enforcement. He had reported her missing Aug. 7, and joined his wife's family and search teams who were hoping to find her alive.

Dozens of volunteers, including about 40 National Guardsmen, joined the family in the search for Saria over several days last week, according to a service spokesperson. The two were married in December, and Saria was a medic in the Alaska Army National Guard.

Read Next: Army, Navy and Marine Corps Sexual Harassment, Bullying, Hazing Response Under Investigation by Pentagon Watchdog

Zarrius Hildabrand was arraigned on the murder charges in Anchorage on Friday.

The two met in basic training, Saria Hildabrand's mother, Meredith Barney, told local media Friday. Saria originally enlisted into the Utah National Guard as a field artillery firefinder radar operator in May 2021, but joined the Alaska National Guard in April.

Zarrius Hildabrand initially told police his wife left for work the morning she went missing. That evening, he called police and her family, who flew in from Utah to help in search efforts.

He also took to Facebook to post photos of his wife and plead for the public to share any details on her disappearance with the police, writing "Updated information on my missing wife PLEASE SHARE AND REPOST!!!!!!"

"He walked around for hours with me searching for my daughter, knowing that she was dead," Barney said during an arraignment Friday, according to the Anchorage Daily News. "He lied to me multiple times, and tried to play it off like he was a concerned husband."

Saria, who served in the Alaska Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 297th Infantry Regiment, as a medic, was supposed to go to work Aug. 6, but never showed up.

Zarrius reported her missing after he was supposed to pick her up from work that evening.

Neighbors reported hearing a gunshot around 2:45 a.m., according to the Anchorage Daily News. Authorities discovered Zarrius' bed was missing a sheet and there was a new sheet on his kitchen table.

He went to the store the day his wife disappeared to buy hydrogen peroxide, a mattress cover, a large wheeled garbage can, and the new bedsheet, the newspaper reported.

Zarrius Hildabrand is an artilleryman assigned to the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. He enlisted into the Army in September 2021.

"Spc. [Saria] Hildabrand took an oath to selflessly serve and defend not only the state of Alaska, but the entire nation, a commitment worthy of admiration and respect," Maj. Gen. Torrence Saxe, the adjutant general of the Alaska National Guard, said in a statement. "Her untimely passing impacts everyone on the Alaska National Guard team. She will be sorely missed."

-- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon.

Related: Army Identifies Command Sergeant Major Who Was Killed Alongside 3 Children
Alex Murdaugh allegedly planned a birthday party for his son Paul just 10 months after the disgraced lawyer gunned him down on their property in South Carolina.

Details of the alleged celebration were described in a new book Tangled Vines: Power, Privilege, and the Murdaugh Family Murders by John Glatt.

Mr Glatt noted in the book that the party was just one of the many efforts Murdaugh made to try and save his reputation and convince the public he did not kill his son and wife Maggie.

Mr Glatt told Court TV the information about the alleged party came from an anonymous journalist who filed a Freedom of Information request at the Alvin S Glenn Detention Center, where Murdaugh was jailed at the time.

Murdaugh had not yet been charged with Pauls murder when the party was set to happen in April 2022, but was behind bars for a host of alleged financial crimes and insurance fraud charges for which he is still awaiting trial.

He made more than 200 calls, many of which were to his surviving son Buster, who had been given a list of specific people to invite to Pauls 23rd birthday party on 14 April 2022.

In a call on the day of the party, Mr Glatt claims that Buster told his father not everyone on his list had been invited, but assured him that the party would be big and that word had spread on social media.

Buster, Maggie, Paul and Alex Murdaugh left to right (Maggie Murdaugh/Facebook)

Buster can be heard in one of the recorded phone calls, according to the book, telling his father, I think youll be happy to know that a bunch of those boys down in Charleston are all going tonight. Its kind of like a commemorative thing.

Murdaugh is allegedly heard on the call replying: I appreciate you doing that very much. Did you get all of them that were on that list?

Not in its entirety, Buster responded. The ones that I didnt get on the phone I texted, and people have been posting stuff on social media all day. So, everybody knows.

The alleged party was meant to take place at Shem Creek Bar and Grill, a restaurant in Charleston Harbor. Its not clear if an official party was held at the establishment, which has been operating under new ownership as of September 2022. A manager at the restaurant did not return The Independents call for comment on Monday.

Mr Glatt also wrote in his book that the jail calls revealed Murdaughs obsession with having his son leave flowers in his name for his wife Maggie on Mothers Day.

Buster Murdaugh took the witness stand in his fathers murder trial (Law & Crime)

One of the calls allegedly included Murdaugh asking his sister-in-law Liz to push Buster to leave the flowers.

Busters going to Hampton tomorrow to the cemetery, he told her. Make sure he takes flowers.

He also reminded Buster himself to leave the flowers, adding, And I want you to put some for me too. Shed like that.

In March 2023, Murdaugh was convicted in the 7 June 2021 killings of his son Paul, 22, and his wife, Maggie, 52.

Their bodies were found by the dog kennels on his sprawling Hampton estate Moselle.

Buster stood by his father throughout his murder trial  attending each day of the courts proceedings with his family members in a show of support.

He sat through brutal testimony revealing that Paul was shot twice with a 12-gauge shotgun while he stood in the feed room of the dog kennels on the affluent familys 1,700-acre Moselle estate. The second shot to his head blew his brain almost entirely out of his skull.

Alex Murdaughs new mugshot after he was sentenced to life in prison (South Carolina Department of Corrections)

After killing Paul, prosecutors said Murdaugh then grabbed a .300 Blackout semiautomatic rifle and opened fire on Maggie as she tried to flee from her husband.

She was shot five times including twice in the head after she had fallen to her knees.

Buster also testified in his fathers defence saying that Murdaugh had been destroyed and heartbroken in the aftermath of the deaths of his mother and brother.

Following a dramatic and high-profile trial  in which Murdaugh confessed to lying about his alibi on the night of the murders  the disgraced legal scion was convicted in March of the murders.

Murdaugh is also facing more than 100 charges over a vast financial fraud scheme where he stole millions of dollars from law firm clients going back years.

He is also awaiting trial over a botched hitman plot where he allegedly paid an accomplice to shoot him by a Hampton County roadside.

Murdaugh is currently serving two life terms with no chance of parole at the maximum security McCormick Correctional Institution in South Carolina.
This Jan. 7, 2021, image taken from Coffee County, Ga., security footage, appears to show Cathy Latham (center, turquoise top) introducing members of a computer forensics team to local election officials at the county elections office in Douglas. (Coffee County, Ga./AP) (AP)

Four people who pushed the disproven narrative that Donald Trump won the 2020 election face charges of conspiracy to commit computer theft, conspiracy to commit computer trespass and conspiracy to commit computer invasion of privacy, according to an indictment released Monday night in Georgia.

The charges take aim at attorney Sidney Powell; former Coffee County elections supervisor Misty Hampton; the former head of the Coffee County Republican Party, Cathy Latham; and Scott Hall, a bail bondsman and Trump supporter. The indictment accuses Powell of hiring a firm "for the performance of computer forensic collections and analytics on Dominion Voting Systems equipment in Michigan and elsewhere," with a breach of election equipment in Coffee County taking place under the agreement, according to the indictment. And it also accuses Latham, Hampton and Hall of helping take and examine data from Dominion Voting Systems machines inside the Coffee County Elections and Registration Office.

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The four face additional charges, such as conspiracy to commit election fraud, stemming from the same or similar alleged acts.

The indictment also mentions (without naming) four unindicted co-conspirators who "unlawfully accessed certain data" on the Coffee County voting machines by downloading information from a server maintained by forensics data firm SullivanStrickler (more on that firm later).

And Rudy Giuliani, who has served as an attorney for Trump, faces charges of allegedly making false statements to the Georgia House that two named election workers and another unidentified person were "quite obviously surreptitiously passing around USB ports as if they're vials of heroin or cocaine" at State Farm Arena to be used to "infiltrate the crooked Dominion voting machines," among other claims.

Those are the biggest cyber-related takeaways in a far more sweeping indictment that features charges for Trump and 18 others, the fourth indictment of Trump to date.

The indictment calls the totality of the effort a criminal enterprise that was "corruptly conspired in Fulton County, Georgia, and elsewhere to unlawfully access secure voting equipment and voter data."

"In Georgia, members of the enterprise stole data, including ballot images, voting equipment software, and personal voting information," it reads. "The stolen data was then distributed to other members of the enterprise, including members in other states."

The intrusion allegations date back to Dec. 6, 2020, when Powell entered into a written agreement with SullivanStrickler (based in Fulton County, the site of the indictment), under which the "unlawful breach of election equipment" occurred, according to the indictment.

The indictment says that Latham, Hampton and Hall "aided, abetted, and encouraged" SullivanStrickler employees in accessing the machines.

SullivanStrickler wasn't charged in the indictment. The company previously said that it believed it was working with attorneys who were authorized to access the voting machines, and that it didn't have any reason to think the firm would be asked to do anything improper or unlawful.

Separately, Giuliani is not contesting as a legal matter that he made false statements about the two election workers in question, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, according to a July court filing in a defamation lawsuit the two women brought. But he said his statements were constitutionally protected speech.

Trump wasted little time in condemning the charges. His legal team called Monday's events "shocking and absurd" and said that Willis built her case on "witnesses who harbor their own personal and political interests."

"We look forward to a detailed review of this indictment which is undoubtedly just as flawed and unconstitutional as this entire process has been," the statement said.

Hampton, Latham, Hall and an attorney for Powell did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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What the frick is that? she asked viewers. Disgusting. Zero out of ten. @dasiavu__ / TikTok

A tourist told TikTok she had "accidentally spent $100 on the most disgusting breakfast."

Some viewers said it should be "illegal" for breakfast to cost that much.

Others said they didn't understand why she was complaining, and that the breakfast looked great.

A TikTok video of an American woman documenting her experience of paying $100 for the "most disgusting breakfast" in Paris has sparked debate and highlighted some cultural differences when it comes to breakfast food.

The video was posted on July 9 by a TikToker called Dasia Jacobs, whose bio says she is based in Los Angeles and Atlanta. "Tell me why I have just spent $100 on the most disgusting breakfast I've ever had," she said to viewers. "Paris, you have let me down yet again."

Jacobs filmed herself walking to a cafe and drinking a glass of orange juice. "It was actually tasty and I should have drank every little inch of it if I would have known what was gonna happen," she said.

Then she showed viewers the French toast she'd ordered, which was a thick slice of bread covered in fruit and ice cream, and expressed shock at its appearance.

"What the frick is that?" she asked viewers as she showed off the plate of food. "Disgusting. Zero out of 10."

She also pointed to a small bunch of red berries, which Jacobs said looked like "the fake fruit on those little trees." These were most likely redcurrants, a type of berry that is often found across Europe but is uncommon in the US.

Another difference is that unlike in the US, in France French toast is typically made using stale bread that would otherwise be wasted. It is highly sweetened and is often served as a dessert item, as opposed to a breakfast dish.

Jacobs' order also included a side of bacon, which was on a separate plate, and she wasn't a fan of it either.

"It was tasty-ish. But it was super fatty and now my stomach hurts, not gonna lie to you," she said. American bacon is typically served crispy, whereas in the UK and Europe it's typically thicker and more chewy.

Jacobs went on to show a buffet-style breakfast, which she said she assumed was free as it was in her hotel. She filmed herself eating a slice of watermelon, a croissant, a pancake, some cheese, and a piece of salami, and then said she was charged 48, or $52.50. Breakfast buffets are not always included with the cost of a room, and hotels will typically charge a flat fee to guests for access.

"Are you freaking joking? I was sick, y'all, I had to go to bed," she told viewers.

The video has been viewed over 475,000 times and has received a mixed response in the comments.

Many viewers were shocked by how much money Jacobs had spent on the food. One top comment, which has over 5,800 likes, read, "Breakfast costing 48 dollars should be illegal."

Several people suggested that the hotel breakfast cost that much because it was a buffet, and she could have got much more food for that price if she had chosen to. Others pointed out that they thought all food in Paris was expensive.

The average cost of breakfast in a hotel is 13, or $14.20, according to the travel blog France Hotel Guide, although they added that the average cost of breakfast in a "luxurious hotel" is 40, or $43.70.

But some commenters disagreed with Jacobs' perception of her meals, saying that they didn't understand what she was unhappy with.

One viewer wrote that the video was an example of an "average American visiting Europe moment," while another suggested that Jacobs' reaction was why Americans "aren't all that well-liked in Europe."

Stories of culture shocks often go viral on TikTok. Many Americans have used the platform to share their stories about how flinching at loud noises when traveling abroad made them realize they are instinctively scared about potential guns. People who had recently visited or moved to the US also used TikTok to share their confusion over US tipping culture.

Jacobs did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Insider
The Eiffel Tower interlopers were recovered by firefighters specialising in dangerous heights (BERTRAND GUAY)

Two American tourists were found sleeping off a heavy night in the heights of Paris' Eiffel Tower on Monday, after dodging security the night before, the monument's operator said Tuesday.

Security guards roused the men "in the early morning" as they were making their rounds before the French landmark's 9:00 am opening time, publicly-owned Eiffel Tower operator Sete said.

They "appear to have got stuck because of how drunk they were," Paris prosecutors told AFP.

The inebriated Americans had spent their illicit night under the stars in a spot normally closed to the public between the tower's second and third levels, but "did not pose any apparent threat," said Sete.

After paying for an entry ticket around 10:40 pm on Sunday, the pair hopped security barriers while climbing down the stairs from the tower's top, a police source said.

Firefighters, including a specialist unit for recovering people from dangerous heights, were sent to recover the interlopers, the police source added.

Both men were brought to the police station in Paris' seventh district for questioning, while Sete said it would file a criminal complaint.

The discovery of the nocturnal infiltrators delayed the tower's opening to the public on Monday morning for around an hour.

Two bomb threats had on Saturday forced the evacuation of the landmark, and police are now investigating.

A further email with a bomb threat against the 330-metre (1080 feet) steel tower was sent to three Paris police stations on Monday, but police advised against evacuating it.

alh-al-clw/tgb/cw
A week after blowtorch winds brought the most horrific disaster in modern Hawaiian history, members of Mauis working class have become do-it-yourself first responders and cul-de-sac commanders.

With everything from U-Haul trucks to borrowed boats to dugout canoes, hundreds of lifeguards, carpenters and bartenders have set up and stocked nearly a dozen pop-up relief centers around the scorched earth of Lahaina, mostly without the help of anyone in uniform. The outpouring has been so great that what started as a plea for fuel, ice and diapers has turned into a request for shipping containers to store it all.

A woman collects water at a shopping center in Lahaina where different groups are handing out supplies. - Evelio Contreras/CNN

But between the disappointing official response, tourists who went snorkeling during the search for bodies and stories of real estate speculators hounding families in grief, Hawaiis famous aloha spirit is being strained.

Look around, Keoki Naihe said on Sunday as he nodded at the impromptu encampment feeding a small crowd with organized efficiency at Pohaku Beach Park, questioning why there were no officials lending their support.

They dont give a sh*t about us, Alika Peneku chimed in. The home of the self-employed contractor and mechanic was spared from the flames, but after giving it up to a displaced family with an infant, hes been sleeping on a cot next to neighbors and strangers in one of the groups the community calls pods.

Alika Peneku, left, and Keoki Naihe, said tourists should leave while Maui heals. - Evelio Contreras/CNN

Tourists have slept here, he said. We had three families sleep here the first night and we fed them just as if they were local. Why wouldnt we? But nobody came to help us.

He nodded at Charlie and Brittany Fleck, a Maui couple who spent the week crowdfunding on Facebook and passing cash out to survivors. CNN was there as they sweet-talked a caravan of relief supplies through red tape and checkpoints.

Charlie Fleck organized a nine-truck convoy to Lahaina. - Evelio Contreras/CNN

They need more help than we can imagine, Charlie Fleck said, voice choking with emotion. When they pulled their rented U-Haul full of pillows and medicine into Lahaina and saw the destruction for the first time, they wept.

I cant imagine being up here, Charlie said, absorbing the destruction all around. No power, no AC, just pain, just in the dark, you know?

The destruction of Lahaina, seen from the only road into the town. - Evelio Contreras/CNN

As the Flecks delivered cash to grateful families, Grace Hurt was running an improvised boat lift to supply pods like Penekus.

Everyone who is a native Hawaiian and everyone who has built their homes here, we respect you, she said, describing the tons of supplies her friends had delivered to cut-off communities. Were here for you. We are partnering with you. We will bring you back.

But as she spoke, a tourist charter docked alongside and unloaded snorkelers from an excursion near Lahaina. That is not pono, she said, using the Hawaiian expression for righteous harmony, shaking her head in disgust.

While the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau took to social media to strongly discourage visitors from vacationing on the western side of Maui. Peneku was more blunt.

Leave, he said. Give us the chance to heal. If any one of those tourists homes burned down, they wouldnt want anybody outside their home doing fun excursions. They would want time to mourn. They would want time to rebuild.

While impromptu encampments pop up like the one at Pohaku Beach Park, recovery crews are going through what used to be homes, businesses and historic landmarks that burned to the ground when the wildfires began spreading erratically August 8. At least 99 people have been confirmed dead from the wildfires, and the number could double over the next 10 days, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green told CNN Monday.

Supplies are sorted, stored and sent out from under a blue tarp. - Evelio Contreras/CNN

A few miles away from Pohaku Beach Park, amid another buzzing hive of survivors and volunteers, the Hall of Fame waterman leading them agreed that tourism may be massively important to the economy, but it can wait.

(Officials) should not be telling us, Oh, we want to open six months from now, Archie Kalepa told CNN from his yard piled with relief supplies. The truth of the matter is, there is devastation. We are not going to be ready to allow people to see what were living through in six months.

As Mauis former Chief of Ocean Safety, the ninth generation Hawaiian once led dozens of lifeguards responsible for millions of visitors and pioneered the use of Jet Skis in ocean rescue. Now hes trying to find a dust fence and face masks to protect his neighborhood from blowing toxic ash.

Kalepa said that, thanks to a valiant effort by neighbors and firefighters, only two of the 104 houses in his neighborhood burned and, with aloha to spare, he defended Maui Countys disaster management from mounting community criticism.

I dont think thats fair, he said. Because this is a crime scene, he added, indicating the charred remnants of his neighbors home. His biggest long-term worry is that Maui will be rebuilt without his ohana, or extended family, as they are priced out of their native paradise.

One of the struggles we will see in this community, is the big land buyers are going to buy us out. And you know what happens if that happens? Were gone. The people who lived here a very, very long time are going to get offers to leave. We need to find solutions to guarantee that they dont have to come back to ground zero and pay for building their homes from the bottom up.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told CNN after a weekend tour of Lahainas ruins that the agency has a limited amount of funding that can help support some repairs to homes but as we see here, there is no repairing some of these homes.

So if they dont have enough insurance, they have a little bit of funding from FEMA, Criswell said. We can also work with our partners like the Small Business Administration, who can do small home loans for up to $500,000.

But in a playground of billionaires and skyrocketing home prices, theres concern that wont be enough for some families to rebuild and stay.

A friend already got a call from someone wanting to buy their property, Naihe said at the beach encampment. Similar stories on social media have raised as much scorn as the insensitive snorkelers.

Weve already been priced out of a lot of these homes and had three to four families working multiple jobs just to stay, Peneku said, shaking his head. So now I can see how the pressure is probably at the breaking point but  do not sell your property, he implored his working-class neighbors. Do not run away. Please. Just hang on as long as you can, he said with a sigh and shrugged.

Its hard to be a Hawaiian in Hawaii.

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Job seekers read recruitment information at a job fair in Yinchuan, the capital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China, Aug. 5, 2023. Credit - Feng KaihuaXinhua/Getty Images

Chinas youth unemployment rate hit a record high in April, with 20.4% of 1624-year-olds unable to find jobs. Then it hit a new high in May, rising to 20.8%. It kept going up in June, to an unprecedented 21.3%.

Its a concerning trend for the worlds second-largest economy, which already faces troubling demographic headwinds of a rapidly aging population.

The July youth unemployment rate, however, wont set a new record. But its not because a solution has been found. Rather, Chinas National Bureau of Statistics, which would typically share the last months employment data around this time, announced on Tuesday that it would suspend disclosing the countrys youth joblessness rate, citing a need to reassess its methodology.

The main reason is because the economy and society are continually developing. Statistics work needs to keep improving, said bureau spokesperson Fu Linghui, who specified that the bureau is reconsidering the inclusion of students in youth unemployment calculations, though only people actively seeking work are currently considered unemployed.

The latest move seems to suggest that previous numbers released have been inflated. In reality, observers have argued that the bureau has already been underestimating the countrys actual youth joblessness rate. Most other countries and international organizations, including the World Bank and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), use a 1524 age range for calculating youth unemployment, while Beijing only counts those aged 1624. Meanwhile, universities in China have reportedly pressured recent graduates to lie about their employment status in order to burnish the schools reputation, which the Ministry of Education has vowed to crack down on.

(Chinas stat keepers have also come under criticism in recent months for revealing that anyone working at least one hour per week is considered employed, though this is the widely-used International Labour Organization standard.)

The monthly publishing of a youth unemployment rate, which began in 2018, initially appeared to be an effort on Chinas part to align itself with international standards, says Alfred Wu, an associate professor who researches Chinese governance at Singapores Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. But the data now looks bad, Wu tells TIME, and they dont want people to look.

China massages data all the time, he adds. Its very much a simple propaganda exercise.

China has long been criticized for its lack of transparency. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the government was accused of underrepresenting its true infection numbers and death toll. And earlier this year, Chinese authorities came under fire for suddenly restricting international access to the countrys public data, in an apparent attempt to block researchers from analyzing its science and technology policies.

Read More: Chinas Solution to Inequality? Cracking Down on Displays of Wealth and Poverty

Halting the release of youth unemployment data can reduce the public's attention to this issue, Shan Wei, a senior research fellow of Chinese politics at the National University of Singapore, tells TIME. But, he notes, even though the data is not being published, the issue still exists.

Over the long term, this situation could undoubtedly threaten the legitimacy of the Chinese government, says Shan, adding that the Chinese Communist Party, which is keenly aware of the potential fallout, is now focusing on both intensifying social control and improving youth employment.

But its not just the official unemployment figures that authorities have to worry about. Theres also an increasing number of youthsexhausted by burnout or disillusioned by dismal prospects for social mobilitywho have given up on job searching entirely and are not included in labor force statistics, or who have jobs but have decided to resist the pressure to work tirelessly.

Many in China today are choosing to lie flat and let it rot, or to return home as full-time childrenpopular slogans in a growing movement of young people embracing doing just the bare minimum or nothing at all. If these kinds of groups were included in the tally, the youth unemployment rate could be as high as 46.5 percent, argued Peking University economics professor Zhang Dandan in an article published last month in the Chinese financial magazine Caixin that has since been removed.

Chinese authorities have taken to telling youths to lower their expectations and endure hardships, though this has only exacerbated resentment among people who were told all their lives that hard work would be rewarded with success.

The decision to stop releasing youth unemployment statistics doesnt seem likely to quell any bitterness, instead already inviting tongue-in-cheek jabs from Chinese social media users.

This is by far the only effective policy dealing with high youth unemployment, reads one comment on a Weibo post about the National Bureau of Statistics announcement.

How did you do for your exam? Not bad, I got most of the questions correct. What was your score? Not telling you, reads another popular comment.

Adds another user: Im guessing this comments section will be shut down soon.

Contact us at letters@time.com.
Far-right activist Ammon Bundy has claimed to have approximately $50,000. He actually controls ten times that much, according to a hospital that is suing him.

Bundy, who made his name in a pair of armed standoffs against the federal government, is being sued by an Idaho hospital group, after a Bundy-led mob falsely accused the hospital of being a nexus for child sex trafficking. Bundy repeatedly failed to participate in the hospitals defamation lawsuit, leading a jury to order a $52 million verdict against Bundy and his co-defendants this year. Now the hospital is suing Bundy again, this time for allegedly hiding assets to avoid paying his share of the $52 million.

On Monday afternoon, Bundy appeared in court for the first time in his legal battle with St. Lukes Health Systems. During the court appearance, which came after a weekend arrest on contempt charges stemming from the hospitals first lawsuit against him, Bundy insisted that he was the victim of an an absolute political prosecution.

Speaking during the hearing for a temporary restraining order, Bundy claimed St. Lukes is attacking me because I exposed them.

Ammon Bundy Posts Bond, Released From Jail After Friday Night Arrest

In fact, St. Lukes employees alleged in their first lawsuit that Bundy and his associates, including the far-right group Peoples Rights Network, had put doctors and the hospital at risk with wild conspiracy theories falsely accusing them of trafficking children. Bundy was previously arrested and pleaded guilty to trespassing in the hospitals ambulance bay, during a protest that temporarily put the medical facility on lockdown.

But throughout the hospitals first lawsuit, Bundy remained adamant that he would not pay any of the plaintiffs, even suggesting last year that he would engage in another armed standoff.

Theyre suing me for defamation. Theyre probably going to try to get judgments of over a million dollars and take everything they have from me, Bundy said in a December video. And Im not going to let that happen. Im making moves to stop that from happening. And if I have to meet em on the front door with my, you know, friends and a shotgun, Ill do that. Theyre not going to take my property.

Shortly before filming that video, according to a new lawsuit from St. Lukes, Bundy took steps to prevent the court from seizing his house. That allegedly included selling the million-dollar home to his former gubernatorial campaign treasurer for a quarter of its value and continuing to live on the property for a cut-rate rent.

Around November, Bundy asked Aaron Welling if he (Mr. Welling) wanted to purchase the Real Property from Bundy and Lisa M. Bundy, and that he needed him to do it quickly, reads the latest lawsuit, which quotes from a deposition by Welling. Mr. Welling also testified that Bundy knew Mr. Welling was not paying full price for the Real Property, and that Mr. Welling himself knew it was worth probably close to a million.

Welling bought the home for $250,000 this year, court records show.

During the deposition, Welling recalled that Bundy did say to me, hes like, Yeah, this is a deal, youre not paying full price for it, but you dont owe me anything, this is it. He made sure that was really clear, because I said I didnt feel comfortable with it at first. I said thats a little low, but he said it helped him out.

According to the lawsuit, Bundy and his family continued to live in the house, while Bundy told the media his savings were too modest to cover St. Lukes demands. I have a few cars that I own, Bundy told the Idaho Capital Sun this spring, adding that he also had some tools and approximately $50,000 in cash.

St. Lukes lawyers claim the house sale was a sweetheart deal. The property was assessed late last year as being worth between $1 million and $1.1 million. A rental agreement, included in the latest lawsuit, shows that Bundy and his family agreed to lease their house from Welling for the next five years for a discount rate of $2,620 per month, while continuing to manage the estates orchard.

Bundy has failed to disclose other holdings, St. Lukes lawyers allege. Ammon Bundy owns or controls, through various entities, other real property estimated to have a collective market value in excess of $5,000,000, their lawsuit alleges.

Some of those funds are allegedly stashed in cryptocurrency.

Ammon Bundy Sparks Standoff Scare After Court Loss

Upon information and belief, since the filing of the 2022 Bundy Lawsuit, Ammon Bundy has diverted, hidden, and concealed donations of cash and/or crypto currency intended for PRN to benefit himself and others involved in the smear campaign central to the facts underlying the 2022 Bundy Lawsuit, the latest suit alleges.

The suit also suggests he has funds stashed in an Idaho credit union, citing a Facebook post he made in 2020, when he lauded the credit union for relaxed masking policies during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Gem County, Idaho, judge issued a temporary restraining order against Bundy on Monday, temporarily prohibiting him from making other large cash and property transfers. Bundy is also facing civil contempt charges from his failure to appear in the first lawsuit. He was arrested on those charges this weekend and left jail on a $10,000 bond.

Ironically, Bundys Monday court appearancea first during his St. Lukes feudwas not legally required. Hearings for temporary restraining orders often take place without the presence of the subject of the restraining order, a judge noted.

Still, a lawyer for St. Lukes expressed optimism at seeing Bundy in the courtroom.

Its great today that hes in court and we can start exploring these things in front of a judge, the lawyer said.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Russias aggression against Ukraine has increasing repercussions beyond Eastern Europe  political, economic, social, legal, and humanitarian. Against this background, it is worth revisiting the full-scale wars earliest and most urgent Ukrainian request for direct Western military support.

Shortly after the start of Russias massive invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, Kyiv launched an international campaign asking to provide Ukraines entire territory with a no-fly zone.

While empathizing with Ukrainian fears, NATO and its member countries quickly rejected Kyivs proposal as too risky a step. Even partially satisfying the Ukrainian demand by, for instance, declaring certain parts of Ukraines western hinterland as no-fly zones was not seen as being in NATO member states national interests.

This schematic reasoning was already questionable in 2022. It has become increasingly dubious in 2023.

Active military engagement over Ukraines rear with fighter planes and anti-aircraft weaponry by Western and other interested countries would not only satisfy a Ukrainian cry for help. Russias war against the Ukrainian state, economy, and population also touches, in many instances, core national interests of nations outside Eastern Europe.

Read also: Russia launches mass missile strike on Ukraine, killing 3 people

The security concerns of Ukraine and many other countries align in at least four ways, and thus demand direct action from non-Ukrainian actors:

First, Ukraines continued ability to harvest and export foodstuff and especially grain is not only closely linked to worrisome humanitarian questions. It is also a condition necessary for the preservation of worldwide stability and order.

A shortage of and new rise in prices for basic nutrition products such as flour and bread will have grave transcontinental social and political repercussions. They may include unstable governments, armed upheavals, migration flows, the rise of xenophobia, and even civil or inter-state wars.

The use of Western and non-Western air and anti-aircraft power to help Ukraine secure its food production and export is thus not only a question of charity for Ukrainians. Such direct employment of NATO and non-NATO military might would be sufficiently justified by the need to minimize generic risks for international security.

Preventing hunger and its destructive aftereffects on the global order is, by itself, enough ground to consider creating no-fly zones over and around Ukraine. Such measures could be justified without even mentioning the Ukrainian request for them, and with exclusive reference to non-Ukrainian national and broader transnational concerns.

Second, Ukraines nuclear power plants (NPPs)  including the defunct Chornobyl NPP with the sarcophagus covering its broken atomic reactor  have, since the start of the full-scale invasion, become repeatedly sites, theaters, targets, and instruments of Russian military activity.

The transborder risks emanating from such behavior for the health not only of millions of Ukrainians but also of citizens of several NATO member states are obvious. When Ukraine asked for a no-fly zone in 2022, it was surprising that the high national interest of various European countries in the safety of Ukraines radioactive material remained under the radar screen.

It is now high time for NATO and its governments to become directly engaged in protecting their citizens from a repetition of the fallout from the 1986 Chornobyl disaster. As with the enablement of stable Ukrainian food production and transportation, Ukraines interest in protecting its NPPs can even be seen as secondary. Here too, Kyivs request for a no-fly zone does not have to be mentioned in a vindication of military engagement of NATO and other allies in Ukraines airspace.

Read also: Eugene Czolij: A no-fly zone in Ukraine will ensure a victory and stop a genocide

Third, the city of Kyiv has become a favorite target of Russian missile and drone attacks (as I offline witnessed numerous times). Russian rockets and UAVs have repeatedly hit purely civilian infrastructure and killed non-combatants. Frequently, houses are damaged or Kyivans are wounded by falling debris from intercepted Russian missiles and drones as well as from Ukrainian anti-aircraft ammunition.

Kyiv is the home of dozens of foreign embassies and consulates, as well as of offices of numerous Western and non-Western governmental and non-governmental organizations. Oddly, the security of hundreds if not thousands of NATO and non-NATO countries citizens in Kyiv depends entirely on the Ukrainian Iron Dome over the capital, and the citys numerous shelters.

Many diplomats and other governmental officials permanently or temporarily located in Kyiv represent countries with advanced air and anti-aircraft forces. Yet, these posted or seconded officials as well as other foreign taxpayers can so far neither on their way to nor within Kyiv count on their own countries capable militaries to protect them. This is despite the Ukrainian governments expressive request to do so.

Last but not least, the Ukrainian recovery and rebuilding campaign is starting. It involves more and more Western and non-Western foreign investment and presence throughout the country. Billions of euros and dollars of taxpayer money will be put toward the demining, repair, and reconstruction of Ukraine. This will increase the national interest of many Western and some non-Western countries in basic security in Ukraine.

Read also: How controversial cluster munitions give Ukraine needed punch during counteroffensive

If Russias terror campaign in Ukraine, with long-range missiles and drones, continues, the question of securing internationally financed civilian infrastructure from attacks will become increasingly salient. Western governments and citizens may wonder what will happen to the various projects they finance. Will they have a sustainable effect or sooner or later be neutralized by Russian terror attacks?

Private direct investment is also set to become a factor in helping Ukraines economy revive. It is, in spite of complicated insurance issues, seen by many Western officials as a major determinant of Ukraines future revival. Especially in the case of large office or factory buildings erected or renovated by or with the help of foreign companies, there will be the question of their protection from Russian air raids. The governments of various countries where the headquarters of companies investing in Ukraine and their insurers are located will get under pressure to help the Ukrainian government to make these investments secure.

Many observers see an implementation of Western-supported no-fly zones even over Ukraines hinterland as a straight road to World War III. However, it is doubtful that such an escalation will indeed happen as long as Western troops do not become involved in front-line combat. Russia has not been using any manned fighter planes for its intrusions into the airspace of Ukraines rear. The Russian terror attacks on cities and smaller settlements in the Ukrainian hinterland are exclusively done with various types of missiles and drones.

Read also: Andreas Umland: Should Kyiv be pressured to exchange land for peace?

If Western fighter planes and anti-aircraft rockets or bullets hit Russian flying objects, they would not kill Russian soldiers. Note in this context, that, in 2015, the Turkish Air Force shot down a Russian fighter plane over Syria, as a result of which one of the planes pilots was killed. Russia responded to this action by a NATO member state with temporary economic sanctions against Turkey. Putin soon restored full and rather friendly relations with Erdogan  as if nothing had happened.

New discussions of Ukraines old request for a no-fly zone are necessary. These domestic and multilateral debates need to weigh the costs, gains, and risks of implementing one or another permutation of Kyivs original idea. Ukrainian territories and objects of high relevance for NATO or EU member states as well as for other nations need to be identified.

A full, rational, and unemotional assessment of the new situation in 2023 should clarify which Western and other countries concerns are at stake, and what will be won and lost with the establishment of no-fly zones. On this basis, either an organization like NATO, or a coalition of the willing, should act. It should declare select parts of Ukraines territory as critical to their members security and implement, in agreement with the Ukrainian government, no-fly zones over them.

Editors Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent.

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Shanghai to deepen 5G applications

09:00, August 15, 2023 By SHI JING in Shanghai ( China Daily

Metropolis unveils new action plan to integrate networks, boost ocean tech

Oceanic coverage of 5G networks and related applications should be significantly deepened in Shanghai by 2024 so that the city can grow into a powerhouse for smart ocean technologies, said the local government.

The above goals were laid out in an action plan jointly released by the local administrative bodies on Friday.

According to the action plan, Shanghai will build an integrated network connecting all land, sea, air and space internet infrastructure platforms. The development of navigation, wind power and offshore engineering should be coordinated so that facilities are connected across these industries.

The application of 5G technologies should be promoted for more scenarios, including marine supervision, science and technology, marine economy and intelligent shipping. Risk evaluations should be made to test the security of applying 5G technologies in the marine environment, according to the action plan.

Specifically, the advantages of 5G, including larger bandwidth, low latency and wide connectivity, should add more intelligent aspects to the industries of aquaculture and fishing, shipping, tourism, offshore photovoltaics and offshore wind power.

The action plan noted that a 5G-based private network should be built for the cruise industry to promote the high-quality development of Shanghai's international cruise economy, which will be part of the efforts to deepen the integration between the marine and digital economies.

Adora Magic City, China's first domestically built large cruise ship that was made by Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co, is the world's first 5G-based cruise ship, with the 5G network specially created by China Telecom's Shanghai branch. The ship completed its first sea trial and returned to its home port of Shanghai in late July.

Additionally, Shanghai should explore building a 5G intelligent ship simulation laboratory where frontier scientific theories are nurtured and basic research is conducted. Marine environmental perception, sea-powered systems, marine green resources and smart ships should be the major research areas, said the recently released action plan.

Industrial data acquisition and transmission, as well as predictive maintenance, should be more widely used in shipbuilding and container manufacturing with 5G proliferation. The automation of ports and freight yards should be accelerated by integrating 5G, artificial intelligence and big data, stated the plan.

Xie Qunwei, director of the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration, said that the integrated application of 5G technologies is an important engine to drive the city's digitalization and smart transformation. It is with high-quality network coverage that smart transformation in the shipping industry can be made possible.

More pilot programs and projects applying 5G technologies in the shipping industry should be launched so that successful results can be replicated more rapidly and promoted more extensively, said Wang Tianguang, head of the Shanghai Communications Administration.

Shanghai launched its attempt at 5G applications in the marine sector earlier. The action plan rolled out in March 2022 to promote 5G applications in smart manufacturing, steel and ports is a good start, said Qin Ling, deputy director of the Lingang communications management office under the Shanghai Communications Administration.

Data provided by the Shanghai municipal government showed that the metropolis built a total of 78,835 5G base stations by the end of May, with an average annual growth rate of over 65 percent. More than 12 base stations are set up per square kilometer in Shanghai, the highest coverage density in China.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Photo: North Shore Rescue A North Shore Rescue volunteer transports an exhausted boxer back to the parking lot via ATV, after the dog became unable to continue on Lynn Headwaters Trail.

After a long hike on a hot day, he was dog-tired. Luckily, the pooch was picked up by the folks at North Shore Rescue, who transported the exhausted animal to safety.

At around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, NSR received a call from a group of three hikers with a dog in distress on the Lynn Headwaters Trail.

A father and his two kids were on a hike when their canine companion, an 80-pound boxer, became exhausted and was unable to continue. The dad wore himself out too trying to carry his dog, said Dave Barnett, search manager with NSR.

Both were in need of assistance, and were without any lights. The man had also sent the children back to the parking lot, where they were waiting when the rescue volunteers arrived.

I think that was the right call, because where this individual was, even though we had his phone number, we couldnt make contact with him because the cell service is really spotty in that area, Barnett said, adding that some other hikers had also encountered the man and called in his location.

Mounting e-bikes and a six-wheel ATV, NSR members reached the man and his pooped pooch, around five kilometres up the trail. There, the rescue team first put the dog in a large backpack for the first leg of the exit, Barnett said, before reaching the ATV, where the dog was placed on a spine board to drive the rest of the way to the parking lot. A Metro Vancouver parks caretaker also assisted in the effort.

While overexerted, the dogs owner was able to make the hike out on foot, walking back to the parking lot to meet his kids, who were joined by the mans wife. Everyone was off the trail by midnight, Barnett said.

This is far from the first time that NSR crews have had to rescue a dog in distress.

Barnett encourages hikers to avoid taking their canines on long, challenging hikes, especially in warm weather.

Even better, just keep your dogs on smoother trails that are approved [for dogs], because even if the dogs dont get heat exhaustion, some of them have had beat up pads and feet and aren't able to walk for that reason as well, he said.

While dogs with flat faces are less effective panters, making them more susceptible to overheating, Barnett said NSR has had to rescue all kinds of pups.

The rescue manager also reminds people to have lights handy on hikes. A list of hiking essentials can be found on NSRs website.
Wilmington police are investigating a shooting that occurred outside a nail salon on Lancaster Avenue, though the victim was found outside Cab Calloway School of the Arts Tuesday afternoon.

Police said a 47-year-old woman was shot about 2:45 p.m. while in the 2900 block of Lancaster Avenue. The woman was taken to an area hospital. While police did not provide a medical condition, they said she was stable.

Witnesses who stood outside the performing arts school, which shares the building with Charter School of Wilmington, said a woman in a blue four-door sedan pulled up outside of the building and got out of the vehicle wounded from the shooting.

Several people near the school building, located at the corner of North Dupont Road and Lancaster Avenue, provided the woman first aid while they waited for first responders to arrive.

Wilmington police investigate an apparent shooting in the 2900 block of Lancaster Avenue that ended with victim at performing arts school.

One person told Delaware Online/The News Journal that a tourniquet was applied.

Just before 3:10 p.m., a lone Wilmington officer arrived outside the school and parked behind the blue car as Wilmington fire officials could be seen cleaning blood off the pavement with a hose.

Kathy McGuiness sues: Former state auditor sues Delaware attorney general for defamation tied to criminal case

The victim's dog, which she had in her car, was taken by police.

The woman's car was hit by gunfire once.

While classes are not set to start for another two weeks, students have returned to the school for practices and other activities, including senior portraits. Because of that, students could be seen leaving the school building and staff milled around discussing what happened.

Wilmington police investigate a shooting that occurred Tuesday afternoon in the 2900 block of Lancaster Avenue. The victim drove to Cab Calloway School of the Arts, where she received first aid and was taken to the hospital.

CENTREVILLE CARJACKING: He had a distinctive eye tattoo and shoes. How police ID'd carjacking, kidnapping suspect

As this was going on outside the school building, police could be seen focusing their investigation in the 2900 block of Lancaster Ave., outside Paradise Nails Bar.

Detectives were seen collecting evidence and shell casings on the sidewalk along Lancaster Avenue. At least four evidence cones were in the street.

Shell casings sat inside yellow circles next to the evidence cones. Wilmington police's forensic team photographed the evidence before placing it in small paper bags.

Wilmington police investigate an apparent shooting in the 2900 block of Lancaster Avenue that ended with victim at performing arts school.

One man, who said his wife gets her nails done at the salon, asked what occurred then said its crazy. He said he moved from Philadelphia a few years ago because of the high property taxes there and he wanted to be in a quieter area.

Its a shame that theres so much violence out here, he said.

By 3:40 p.m., police were taking down crime scene tape, though officers remained outside the salon.

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact Detective Justin Wilkers at (302) 576-3634

Got a story tip or idea? Send to Isabel Hughes at ihughes@delawareonline.com. For all things breaking news, follow her on Twitter at @izzihughes_

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Wilmington police investigating shooting near Cab Calloway school
Attorney General Merrick Garland has named Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney David Weiss of Delaware as special counsel in the Hunter Biden case after a plea deal with the president's son fell apart. Hunter Biden unexpectedly pleaded not guilty to tax and gun charges after a judge objected to the terms of his agreement with prosecutors, which would have allowed him to avoid jail time in exchange for guilty pleas and granted him broad immunity from future charges. Weiss' office now says negotiations on reviving the plea deal are at an impasse.

Hunter Biden's lawyers on Sunday accused Weiss of reneging on a key part of the deal  his agreement to participate in a diversion program for gun offenders. The allegation was the latest sign of an escalating dispute over Hunter Biden's finances and personal life that "Republicans have made a central prong in their attacks on President Biden," according to The New York Times.

Despite the clash between Hunter Biden's legal team and Weiss' office, many Republicans are complaining about Garland's appointment of Weiss, whom then-President Donald Trump appointed to investigate Hunter Biden in 2018. Russell Dye, a spokesperson for House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), said Garland had chosen Weiss "to whitewash the Biden family's corruption." But the Justice Department says this is all about transparency and ensuring a fair investigation. Is Hunter Biden being treated fairly, or is he being singled out for special treatment?

Garland is trying to sweep this under the rug

Garland isn't getting tough with Hunter Biden by naming a special counsel, said Ed Morrissey at Hot Air. He and Weiss "desperately want to bury this matter as quietly as possible" by salvaging Hunter Biden's sweetheart plea deal. Their goal is to keep the president's son out of prison "and quash any more efforts to pry open the Bidens' bank records." Weiss didn't renege on the deal as Biden's lawyers claim. The House Oversight Committee raised "a stink" about it, and a judge rejected it. Weiss and Garland want to make "a dressed-up version of the old plea deal more credible." Weiss is hinting at a change of venue, which means the plan is to try again with a more sympathetic judge.

Weiss has already shown he's not seriously investigating the Bidens, said the National Review in an editorial. IRS whistleblowers have testified to Congress about the slow-walking of the investigation, "on Weiss' watch." Weiss has already spent five years on the Hunter Biden case and all he has to show for it is a "highly irregular, extremely generous plea agreement" that would have let Hunter Biden off with "a couple of misdemeanor tax charges." That "blew up on its first contact with a judge," sending Garland back to the drawing board. He picked Weiss because he can trust him to "make a politically inconvenient case go away" while the "statute of limitations has begun to lapse on a crucial period of Hunter's overseas 'work.'"

Garland is doing the right thing

It's hard to argue that Garland is going easy on the Bidens, said the Houston Chronicle in an editorial. In January, the attorney general appointed a special counsel to investigate Joe Biden's mishandling of classified documents, and now he's assigning Weiss to "continue probing Hunter Biden's drug use, taxes and foreign business dealings." Garland is showing the kind of independence the nation needs from an attorney general. That "firewall between politics and justice can sometimes have drastic consequences, such as when FBI Director James Comey announced an investigation into Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton weeks before the 2016 general election." And the Hunter Biden investigation might have a "similar drag" on his father's reelection prospects. But boosting Joe Biden's campaign isn't Garland's job. "Prosecuting Hunter Biden for alleged federal crimes is."

Appointing a special counsel "was the right move," said The Washington Post's editorial. It shows the public "that the process will be independent and transparent and, therefore, that it is more likely to be fair." That's crucial now that the original plea agreement has fallen apart under a judge's "scrutiny," justifying complaints that it might have "given special treatment" to the president's son. The IRS whistleblowers' complaints revealed "political sensitivities" that justify granting Weiss "the formal independence that comes with being a special counsel." The goal in this case should be to "treat Hunter Biden, as far as possible, like any other defendant"  not tougher or more gently than anybody else. As a special counsel, Weiss will have "all the independence and resources he needs" to do just that.

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Access to AP African American Studies is now in question for dozens of students in Arkansas, the latest state to challenge the course over what it calls "indoctrination."

Teachers were told late last week about the shift, just ahead of the school year beginning across the state. The Arkansas Department of Education said students who take the course, banned earlier this year in Florida, could not earn high school credit for the class in part because it is still in a pilot phase.

The course, the agency said, is still being revised, and could violate Arkansas laws about prohibited topics. That could put teachers at risk of violating state law.

The department encourages the teaching of all American history and supports rigorous courses not based on opinions or indoctrination, state education department spokesperson Kimberly Mundell told USA Today Tuesday.

Several states questioned AP course

Arkansas began looking into the College Board course months ago, following executive orders from Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. One of those orders, signed on her first day in office, bans indoctrination and critical race theory in schools."

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaks while delivering the Republican response to President Biden's State of the Union address in February

Two Arkansas high schools offered the course last year, and a total of six high schools in the state were set to offer the course this school year, as part of a second year of pilot testing the course.

After Florida banned the course, officials in Arkansas and three other Republican-led states, including Virginia, announced they were reviewing its curriculum to ensure it complied with policy.

Other states led largely by Democratic governors, however, embraced the course. Some 800 high schools across the country and about 16,000 students are a part of the testing, or about twice as many as originally planned thanks to a surge in demand for the course in recent months.

AP African American studies is an interdisciplinary college-level course that covers themes ranging from early African empires and the transatlantic slave trade to reconstruction and Black power and pride. Shortly after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis denounced the course in January, the College Board removed or made optional topics such as intersectionality and the Black Lives Matter movement.

We share in their surprise, confusion, and disappointment at this new guidance that the course wont count toward graduation credits or weighted the same as other AP courses offered in the state, the College Board said Tuesday in a statement, also noting it has had an excellent working relationship with the Arkansas education department.

Arkansas Education Secretary Jacob Oliva told the Arkansas Advocate that shift means the state will not pay the $98 fee for students to take the end-of-year AP exam, as it does for other AP exams. Some institutions grant students college credit depending on how well they score.

The state said the pilot may not meet its graduation requirements and does not comply with the same rules as other Advanced Placement courses, such as AP European History, United States History and World History: Modern. Arkansas offers an African American History course that students can take for high school credit, the state education department noted.

In demand: Interest in AP African American Studies surges across US as Florida ban remains

'An attack on our civil rights'

The College Board, which also administers the SAT, said more than 200 colleges and universities have agreed to grant college credit based on AP African American Studies exam scores, including the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, the University of Arkansas systems flagship.

Groups including the NAACP were outraged by the move.

The class teaches history. Students at Little Rock Central High School, where the AP African American History course is being piloted, have a right to learn about their history, NAACP said. Over 66 years ago in 1957, the Little Rock Nine made history by integrating Central High School. This decision is reprehensible and an attack on our civil rights as well as the advancement of students of color in Arkansas.

Five of the six schools slated to offer the course this school year did not respond to requests for comment. One declined to comment.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is AP African American Studies 'indoctrination'? Arkansas says so
The Arkansas Education Department abruptly removed course credit for an Advanced Placement African American Studies course, just months after Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed bills limiting what educators can teach in public schools.

The AP African American Studies course wont be eligible for early college credit this school year, Kimberly Mundell, the Education Departments communications director, confirmed. Teachers may offer the curriculum, but the class wont be weighted the same on students grade point averages as other AP courses offered in the state, reported the Arkansas Times, a monthly Little Rock newspaper.

"The department encourages the teaching of all American history and supports rigorous courses not based on opinions or indoctrination," she said in a statement.

Mundell told local KHBS-TV of Fort Smith that the class was being piloted at some Arkansas schools and is still undergoing revisions.

Arkansas law contains provisions regarding prohibited topics, she told KHBS, referring to state education restrictions. Without clarity, we cannot approve a pilot that may unintentionally put a teacher at risk of violating Arkansas law.

The news comes amid a national shift in education systems as several states restrict what educators can teach about race, gender and sexuality. Sanders has championed limits on education in the state. In March, she signed the LEARNS Act into law, restricting classroom lessons about gender identity and sexual orientation. The policy had been ushered in by Jacob Oliva, the states education secretary, in February. In January, Sanders signed an executive order banning indoctrination and critical race theory in schools.

Alexa Henning, the communications director for the governors office, sent NBC News a thread of her tweets as her official statement on the matter. Henning reiterated Mundells comments that the class is not a history course. She added that the pilot may not meet graduation requirements and does not comply with the rules of the departments AP program like other vetted courses.

There is currently an African American History class students can receive credit for, she continued. The department encourages the teaching of all American history and supports rigorous courses not based on opinions or indoctrination.

A photo shared and circulated on social media appeared to show that the course had been deleted from the departments Course Code Management System. Kandys Triplett, who oversees the system for the department, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The College Board, a nonprofit organization that oversees AP courses and administers the SATs, was piloting its AP African American Studies course at 60 schools across the country this year, including in Arkansas. Holly Stepp, a spokesperson, said in a statement that the College Board has long had a good relationship with the Arkansas Education Department. Six schools, including Little Rocks Central High School, were scheduled to use the program this school year.

On this first day of school, we share in their surprise, confusion, and disappointment at this new guidance that the course wont count toward graduation credits or weighted the same as other AP courses offered in the state, Stepp said Monday. College Board is committed to providing an unflinching encounter with the facts of African American history and culture, and rejects the notion that the AP African American Studies course is indoctrination in any form.

The College Board came under fire this year for including Black Lives Matter, Black queer studies and reparations in its course. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis blocked the AP African American Studies curriculum from being taught, saying it was historically inaccurate and violated state law.

The College Board then drew criticism for appearing to back down and remove much of the content Florida complained about. The group later reiterated its commitment to AP African American studies and clarified that it had not downplayed the importance of topics like Black Lives Matter, mass incarceration and reparations in the curriculum.

We deeply regret not immediately denouncing the Florida Department of Educations slander, magnified by the DeSantis administrations subsequent comments, that African American Studies lacks educational value, the group said in a statement on its website in February.

Our failure to raise our voice betrayed Black scholars everywhere and those who have long toiled to build this remarkable field, it said.

The Little Rock School District, which oversees Central High School, said in a statement that district officials learned of the change only over the weekend. Superintendent Jermall Wright is speaking with state education officials to explore options that will allow our students to fully benefit from this course despite ADEs decision. ADE is the Arkansas Department of Education.

At this time, we are weighing the options provided to us with the staff at Central High School and will decide the next steps within 24-48 hours, the statement read. Rest assured, we are actively working to ensure that our students continue to receive a well-rounded education that includes diverse perspectives and meaningful learning opportunities.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Michel Labine, a long-time resident of Fort Smith in Canada's Northwest Territories, has often been the one fighting wildfires or helping evacuees in his hometown.

But last weekend, the 63-year-old found himself for the first time on the other side, forced to flee as a nearby forest fire inched closer and closer to his community.

The sky was smoky that Saturday morning but had turned pitch black by noon from the fires.

"Then it broke up a bit and there was just a red, amber sky," Mr Labine told the BBC. That is when he saw fire trucks driving from home to home warning people to get out.

Mr Labine and his family were later airlifted by the military 365km (226 miles) away to Fort McMurray, Alberta. The airlift is the biggest rescue operation in the territory's history.

The Labines managed to get out with only the essentials.

"We had no luggage," Mr Labine said. "I had my bag with my medical items and that was it. We had nothing."

He is one of more than 6,500 people who have been ordered to evacuate in parts of the Northwest Territories due to 236 active wildfires in the region.

On Tuesday, the government declared a territory-wide state of emergency, while the mayor in the small town of Hay River warned people in her community that time to escape is running out.

"It is life-threatening to be here," Kandis Jameson said at a news conference, adding the fire is about 15 kilometres from the town. Ms Jameson said about 500 people have yet to evacuate.

This is Hay River's second evacuation this summer. The town also housed evacuees from Fort Smith, who were forced to flee again on Sunday.

"When they evacuated Hay River, there were over 5,000 people there," Mr Labine said. "Normally there would be 3,500, but they had a lot of people from Fort Smith."

One of those fires has destroyed nearly all of the hamlet of Enterprise, its mayor said on Tuesday, which is home to 120 people.

"I think there's seven or eight houses left and three or four businesses," Michael St Amour told the CBC. "Between 85 and 90% of the community is gone."

Another fire is within one mile of Fort Smith, Mr Labine said.

"If the wind is in our favour then we might be saved," he said. "But if the wind shifts to the south  the town's gone."

"All we can do is pray now, and hope that the guy upstairs says 'we're going to let you go this year,'" said Mr Labine, who is now sheltering at a hotel full with other evacuees.

Canada is witnessing its worst wildfire season on record, with nearly 1,100 active fires across the country as of Tuesday, thanks to a drier than normal summer.

A total of 13.2m hectares (32.6m acres) have burned so far - roughly the size of Greece.

The Canadian government has deployed its military to the Northwest Territories to help fight the fires and coordinate evacuations.

Meanwhile, Yellowknife - the territorial capital - declared a local state of emergency on Monday night due to the "imminent threat" of wildfires. The declaration allows the city to take pre-emptive steps to respond and to prepare residents to leave at a moment's notice.

A retired renewable resources officer whose role included dispatching fire crews in his community, Mr Labine said this year's wildfire season is unlike any other he has witnessed.

The ground has been so dry this summer that walking on grass felt like stepping on broken glass, he said.

"When you stepped on it, it just crunched," Mr Labine said. "I've never seen it that dry. We've had very little rain."

The Northwest Territories saw its hottest temperature on record this July, reaching 37.4C in the northern community of Fort Good Hope.

Wildfires are also burning in British Columbia, where several heat warnings are in effect this week due to record-high temperatures.

Scientists say climate change increases the risk of the hot, dry weather that is likely to fuel wildfires.

Extreme and long-lasting heat draws more and more moisture out of the ground and vegetation.

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.
Carlos De Oliveira, center, property manager of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, leaves the Alto Lee Adams Sr. U.S. Courthouse following his arraignment hearing, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023, in Fort Pierce, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP)  Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to scheming with Donald Trump to try to delete security footage sought by investigators probing the former president's hoarding of classified documents.

An attorney for De Oliveira entered the plea on his behalf during a brief hearing in the Fort Pierce, Florida, federal court, where Trump is charged with illegally holding onto top-secret records at his Palm Beach club and thwarting government efforts to retrieve them.

It's the third court appearance for De Oliveira, who twice before had his arraignment postponed because he hadn't yet finalized a Florida-based attorney, which is required under court rules.

De Oliveira spoke only to answer the magistrate judge's questions, such as whether he understood the charges against him. De Oliveira and his new attorney, Donnie Murrell of West Palm Beach, walked out of the courthouse without speaking to reporters.

De Oliveiras arraignment comes a day after Trump was charged in a fourth criminal case. Monday night Trump and 18 allies were indicted in a case out of Fulton County, Georgia, over alleged efforts by him and his supporters to illegally meddle in the 2020 election in that state.

In the Mar-a-Lago case, Trump and his valet, Walt Nauta, were originally charged in June in one of two cases brought by special counsel Jack Smith. Smith has also charged Republican Trump in Washington with illegally conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

An updated indicted unsealed late last month brought more charges against Trump and Nauta, and added De Oliveira to the Florida case. Trump is facing dozens of felony counts in the classified documents case, and Smith's new indictment included additional counts of obstruction and willful retention of national defense information.

Trump and Nauta have also pleaded not guilty. The former president has denied any wrongdoing.

De Oliveira, Trump and Nauta are facing charges that include conspiracy to obstruct justice in the case stemming from secret government documents found at Mar-a-Lago after Trump's presidency ended in 2021. De Oliveira is also charged with lying to investigators. Prosecutors allege he falsely claimed he hadnt even seen boxes moved into Mar-a-Lago after Trump left the White House.

The trial is scheduled to begin in May in front of U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon. If the date holds, it would follow close on the heels of a separate New York trial for Trump on dozens of state charges of falsifying business records in connection with an alleged hush money payment to a porn actor.

The allegations in the latest indictment focus on security footage prosecutors say Trump tried to have deleted after investigators sent a subpoena for it in June 2022. Prosecutors have not alleged the footage was actually deleted.

Prosecutors say De Oliveira asked an information technology staffer how long the server retained footage and told the employee the boss wanted it deleted. When the employee said he didnt believe he was able to do that, De Oliveira insisted the boss wanted it done, asking, What are we going to do?

Video from Mar-a-Lago could ultimately become vital to the governments case because, prosecutors said, it shows Nauta moving boxes in and out of a storage room  an act alleged to have been done at Trumps direction and in effort to hide records not only only from investigators but also from Trumps own lawyers.

___

Richer reported from Boston. Associated Press reporter Freida Frisaro contributed from Fort Lauderdale.
As a result of the attack on the Lviv Oblast, 15 people were injured, including at least one child, and about 40 houses have been damaged.

Source: Maksym Kozytskyi, Head of Lviv Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram; State Emergency Service of Ukraine press service

Quote from Kozytskyi: "15 people were injured. The youngest victim is 10 years old, and the oldest is 72. Most of the victims have scratches and cuts due to broken windows and bruises. Five people were hospitalised.

The invaders damaged about 40 houses."

Details: Kozytskyi said that the Russians attacked Lviv Oblast with missiles between 05:20 and 05:30 in the morning. Air defence forces shot down one missile, and six more reached their targets.

In Lviv, 20 buildings in the Zaliznychnyi district were destroyed. Most of them were on Kakhovska and Paton streets. There were fires, and windows and roofs have been damaged. Windows were smashed in the Monada Medical College in Lviv, and three buildings of an industrial business caught fire.

One of the missiles hit the premises of a kindergarten, and the building of the kindergarten has been damaged.

In Stavchany, Lviv district, 15 residential buildings in the private sector have been damaged, six of them significantly. Cars have also been damaged. In the village of Sukhovolia, Lviv district, four residential buildings in the private sector have been damaged by missile fragments. There were no casualties.

As of now, the damaged buildings are being inspected, and the services are dealing with the aftermath of the strike.

Kozytskyi also said that residents whose homes were destroyed or damaged can apply for compensation for repairs on the Diia platform. The maximum amount of compensation is UAH 200,000 (USD 5,396).

Background:

In the morning of 15 August, the Russians launched a massive missile attack on Ukraine. The invaders missiles hit an industrial business in Lutsk (three people were killed), residential buildings in Lviv, and a business in Dnipro (a fire broke out,and two people were injured). Explosions were also heard in Khmelnytskyi and Smila, Cherkasy Oblast.

Earlier, 10 people were reported injured in Lviv Oblast.

Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron!
Despite using what state officials call many best practices, an audit of the Georgia Department of Educations gifted program found reduced effectiveness due to deviations in how the programs funds were used.

The state auditor described the Gifted Program as one where Services are not aligned with funding intent.

According to the report by the state auditor, some of Georgias schools are not following the requirements of the program, but still receive funding.

However, the number of classes benefiting from the funding without meeting program requirements was a large portion, the report data shows.

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The audit report said the funding, which is based on a teacher-to-student ratio of 12 students per teacher in gifted classes, 77% of Georgia classes exceeded that ratio.

All told, gifted classes in the Peach State are averaging 23 students for each Gifted-endorsed teacher.

Local school systems earned Gifted funding for classes that did not meet state requirements related to student eligibility and teacher endorsements, according to an analysis by state officials. The excess funding due to these issues totaled $13.1 million.

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By way of student eligibility, the state auditor found 10% of classes receiving Gifted funding lacked a Gifted-endorsed teacher, while about 2% of the nearly 200,000 students in Gifted segments were not actually Gifted-eligible, according to the Georgia Department of Education.

The report also said Systems should only receive Gifted funding for students who meet eligibility requirements and for classes with a Gifted-endorsed teacher, and these requirements cannot be waived, but local school systems have earned Gifted funding for classes that did not meet state requirements.

Furthermore, the state audit report said resource constraints can make it so systems cannot implement best practices when it comes to identifying Gifted children.

The report said that fewer resources also means creates limits for the number of Gifted-endorsed teachers by reducing how many can receive stipends or other incentives to get the required training to teach those programs.

It also limits how many teachers that are Gifted-endorsed a school district is able to employ, or which delivery models the school systems can pick for their Gifted classes to ensure the classes are different than typical lessons.

These issues can reduce the funding that systems receive to implement the program since student eligibility and teacher endorsement requirements cannot be waived, according to the Georgia State Auditor.

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The provinces police watchdog has cleared six Vancouver cops involved in a December 2022 arrest of a man who suffered four broken fingers while being taken into custody at a housing complex.

At the same time, Ronald MacDonald, chief civilian director of the Independent Investigations Office, suggested police could have potentially de-escalated the situation before firing three beanbag rounds from a shotgun at the man.

In situations where someone is experiencing a mental health crisis, there is some research that indicates that police commands that are delivered in a loud and/or aggressive manner are likely to have adverse outcomes when the person is experiencing a mental health crisis, MacDonald said in a report released Aug. 9.

MacDonald said there may have been an opportunity for officers to try to de-escalate the situation before yelling commands at the man, who was clearly facing some sort of mental health crisis.

This may have provided a better chance that [the man] would have been compliant with officers.

MacDonald added the polices use of force in this case was within the range of reasonableness to stop the man from retreating into his room or harming officers or other occupants of the building.

I do not consider that there are reasonable grounds to believe that an officer may have committed an offence under any enactment and therefore the matter will not be referred to Crown counsel for consideration of charges, he concluded.

Armed with scissors

The case dates back to Dec. 6, 2022, when police were dispatched at 8:21 p.m. to answer a call of a man who allegedly threatened a neighbour with scissors during a fight, according to MacDonalds report, which doesnt provide the address of the housing complex.

Six police officers arrived four minutes after the 911 call and heard from a witness that the man was armed with scissors, had chased another resident and cut tags off his door. Three officers went upstairs to the mans room while one secured the stairwell and two others remained in the lobby.

When police knocked on the mans door, he cracked it open and said something that could not be understood by officers. A witness heard police tell the man to open the door, come out and make sure he didnt have anything in his hands.

The man then entered the hallway with a dish towel in his right hand. An officer repeatedly told the man to drop the towel because he couldnt see his hands, fearing he might be concealing scissors.

Police fire three beanbags from a shotgun

The man did not listen and began to walk towards the three officers. One of the officers then fired a beanbag round from a shotgun at the man, which struck him in the stomach. He clutched his stomach and attempted to return to his room.

Police did not want him to return to his room because they were not certain whether the man had access to more weapons, which could potentially put more residents in the hallway in danger, according to the IIOBC report.

Police fired two more beanbag rounds from the shotgun at the man.

After the third round of beanbag deployment, [the man] put his hands up in the air, the report said. [The man] was arrested and placed in custody. A pair of scissors were located in [the mans] rear pants pocket.

He was taken to hospital after suffering a cut on his stomach, a broken finger on his right hand and three broken fingers on his left hand. Investigators from MacDonalds office asked for an interview with the man, but he refused, the report said.

MacDonald noted the man presented less of a threat when he was walking away from the officers and back towards his room. However, he said, it was clear that officers could not allow him to return to his room, as he potentially posed a danger to himself or others.

With this in mind, the further use of the beanbag shotgun by [the officer] to gain [the mans] compliance cannot be said to be unreasonable in the circumstances, the report said.
Moonwatchers get an extra treat this month with a Blue Moon.

A Blue Moon is typically defined as the third full moon in a season that has four full moons, although the term is sometimes also used to refer to a second full moon in a single month.

The Blue Moon will rise on the night of August 30, at 9:35 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time , according to the U.S. Naval Observatory, and will both a "Blue Moon" and a "supermoon"  not only is it the second full moon in a month, but the moon is as close to Earth as it gets and thus appears slightly larger and brighter than normal. On the same day the moon will make a close approach the planet Saturn.

Related: Blue Moon: What is it and when is the next one?

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Blue Moons occur about every two and a half years. "Blue moon," like "supermoon" is not really an astronomical term. A Blue Moon refers to one of two things: A second Blue Moon in a month (called a calendrical Blue Moon) or a fourth full moon in a season (a seasonal Blue Moon). A season is the period between solstices and equinoxes (so for example the Summer season starts on June 21  the summer solstice -- and ends on Sept. 23, the autumn equinox). Ordinarily one would expect three full moons in a season, but occasionally we see four. In this case there are still three full moons between June 21 and Sept. 23, but we get two full moons in August because the month has 31 days. So this August Blue Moon is a calendrical one, not a seasonal one.

A full moon occurs when the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun, a position it reaches about every 29.5 days. Technically, its celestial longitude is 180 degrees away from the sun in the sky. The moon's orbit is tilted some five degrees from the plane of the Earth's orbit, so even though the moon is "behind" Earth, it isn't in Earth's shadow each time it makes a circuit of our planet. When it does pass through the shadow of Earth, we see a lunar eclipse, but that won't happen this time. Timing of lunar phases depends on one's time zone, because it depends on the moon's position relative to the Earth rather than one's position on Earth.

Supermoons, meanwhile, refer to when a full moon coincides with perigee, the point in the moon's orbit when it is closest to Earth. At those times the moon appears slightly larger and thus brighter, though it usually isn't noticeable to the casual observer. This happens because the orbit of the moon isn't a perfect circle; while the average distance to the moon is 238,855 miles (384,400 kilometers) this time the moon will be 221,942 miles (357,181 kilometers) away . We call this a supermoon, but in reality the moon can be that close at any time  it's just more notable when it coincides with the full phase. The moon will reach perigee at 11:55 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time , according to NASA, and appear about 7 percent larger than normal.

In New York City, the moon, in the constellation Aquarius, rises the evening of Aug. 30 at 7:44 p.m. and sets the next morning at 6:47 a.m. Saturn will appear above and to the right of the moon as it rises. The closest approach between the moon and Saturn will occur at 2:07 p.m. Eastern according to In-the-Sky-org , so it won't be visible from the Western Hemisphere. Observers in central Europe, however, are well placed to catch the moment when the moon and Saturn are in conjunction  sharing the same celestial longitude  and when they make their close approach. In Warsaw, for example, the moon and Saturn rise at about 7:37 p.m. local time and the conjunction occurs at 8:07 p.m. At 9:43 p.m. local time the moon will pass within just over 2 degrees of Saturn, with the moon appearing just below the planet.

As one moves eastward the conjunction occurs later in the evening and the moon and Saturn are correspondingly higher in the sky. From Istanbul the moon and Saturn rise at about 7:35 p.m., and the close approach happens at 10:43 p.m. The moon will appear more directly below Saturn than in New York. In New Delhi, the conjunction and close approach both occur after midnight; the close approach is at 1:13 a.m. local time on Aug. 31., about an hour after the moon reaches its highest point in the sky; the moon will be directly below and slightly to the left of Saturn, about 44 degrees high in the south.

In the Southern Hemisphere, the conjunction will look different  Saturn will appear below the moon, since the sky looks "upside down" from there. In Melbourne, Australia, for example, the close approach occurs at 5:43 a.m. local time on August 31, and the pair will be low in the west, with Saturn appearing below the moon and to the right. Both set by about 6:50 a.m. local time.

And remember: If you're looking for a telescope or binoculars to observe the Blue Moon or any other moon, our guides for the best binoculars deals and the best telescope deals now can help. Our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography can also help you prepare to capture the next skywatching sight on your own.

Visible Planets

Besides Saturn, which will be closely tracking the moon (even when it isn't in conjunction it will spend the night within a few degrees of the moon), Jupiter rises on Aug. 30 at 10:16 p.m. local time in New York. In the constellation Aires, the planet is distinct because of its brightness relative to other stars in that region of the sky.

Mars will be just barely visible in the evening; on August 30 in New York the sun sets at 7:31 p.m. Eastern. Mars sets only an hour later, at 8:32 p.m.; it's possible to see it if one is lucky and has a clear sky and unobstructed horizon, but a half hour after sunset the planet is only 6 degrees above the horizon.

Venus will be a "morning star"  the planet rises on the morning of Aug. 31 at 4:33 a.m. Eastern and is about 10 degrees high by 5:30 a.m., when the sky is just starting to get light. Venus is so bright that it is obvious against the sky and among other stars, and in fact stays visible even after the stars begin to fade; it's often the last celestial object (besides the moon) that people can spot ahead of sunrise.

night sky august 2023

Constellations

The constellations visible at the end of August are still largely those of Summer; by about 9 p.m. in mid-northern latitudes the Summer Triangle is still visible near the zenith; the highest of the three bright stars that marks it is Vega, if one is facing south Deneb will appear to the left and slightly closer to the horizon, while Altair is the southernmost  the Summer Triangle looks like a large right triangle with Vega at the 90 degree corner and the hypotenuse connecting Deneb and Altair. Like the Big Dipper one can use it to find one's way; the line between Vega and Altair always points roughly southwards in the Northern Hemisphere.

Scorpius and Sagittarius will be visible in the south; the latter is about as high in the sky as it gets. Antares is a bright reddish star that is the heart of Scorpius, the Scorpion. Just above Scorpius is a region of sky containing a group of five stars that looks like a tall, narrow box topped with a triangle, like an A-frame house. This is the body of Ophiuchus, the Serpent-bearer. From city locations the constellation is more difficult to see; its stars are relatively faint compared to Antares or visible planets.

Turning westwards, (to the left) and looking towards the moon, one can see the autumn constellations rising; to the left of the moon is Pegasus, the legendary winged horse that can be spotted by looking for the "Great Square" which will appear to be standing on one corner, with that corner pointed directly to the Eastern horizon. The star that is on the left of the Great Square is the head of Andromeda, who was, according to legend, to be sacrificed to the Leviathan (Cetus, which rises later in the night). Andromeda is made of two curving lines of stars that appear to make a banana like shape.

As one continues turning northwards, one can see above and to the left of Andromeda the "W" of stars that is Andromeda's mother Cassiopeia, the Queen, and if one looks to the left one runs right into Polaris, the Pole Star. Almost exactly opposite Cassiopeia is the Big Dipper, part of Ursa Major, the Great Bear. The Dipper will appear with the "bowl" facing upwards and to the right. If one is in a dark sky location it is also possible to see Draco the Dragon, which is a line of stars that winds between the Big Dipper and Little Dipper (Ursa Minor, the Little Bear).

From the mid-southern latitudes Vega will be almost due north at about 9 p.m., from Santiago, Chile, Cape Town, or Melbourne it will be about 17 degrees above the horizon. Cygnus, the Swan, which contains Deneb, will be to the right (eastwards) and Altair will be at about 45 degrees. In the Southern Hemisphere the sky is reversed, so the Summer Triangle points away from the horizon. If one follows the line from Vega to Altair eastwards and passes the moon and Saturn (Saturn will be above the moon) one can see Fomalhaut, the brightest star in Piscis Austrinus, Southern Fish. Further to the right (now heading towards the southeast) one can spot the fainter group of stars that is Grus, the Crane; it's easiest to look for a vertical line of three stars that is the body of the bird. In the Southeast, about 20 to 23 degrees high is Achernar, the brightest star in Eridanus, the River, which starts near the foot of Orion in the Northern Hemisphere.

Turning due south, towards the southern celestial pole (there is no equivalent of Polaris there), one will see brighter stars to the right, in the southwest. The Southern Cross, Crux, is lying on its side, a small bright group that also has the distinction of being the smallest of the 88 modern constellations. Above Crux are two bright stars, the higher of which is Rigil Kentaurus, also known as Alpha Centauri. The one below it is Hadar, or Beta Centauri.

an illustration of the night sky showing three stars that form a triangle

Blue Moon names

Native people in North America had a number of different associations and names for the August lunation and full moon; the Old Farmer's Almanac says the August full moon is the Sturgeon moon, as that is when the fish are abundant. That said, the Old Farmer's Almanac names derive from a combination of European traditions and Native Americans in regions where the English, French, and Dutch established their colonies, largely in the northeastern part of the continent.

That doesn't reflect what Native people in every part of the Americas thought, as the traditions Native peoples developed depended a lot on the local environment and their histories; for example in the Pacific Northwest, the Tlingit refer to the month of August (the eighth lunation) as Sha-ha-yi Dis, which means "berries ripe on the mountain" and the ninth lunation (which the Aug. 30 new moon will be) is Dis Yadi, or young animals moon. Even in the northeast there were differences: the Abenaki (according to the English fur trader William Pynchon, writing in 1645) called the lunations from July through August matter lawawkesos which meant "when the squashes are ripe" and the ninth full moon was micheeneekesos or "when Ind(ian) corne is eatable."

In England, the Anglo-Saxon derived name for the eighth full moon (which usually occurs in August) is the Fruit moon . The eighth lunar month, according to St. Bede (writing in his book De Temporium Ratione, or "The reckoning of Time" in 725 CE) notes that the "heathens"  the not-yet-Christianized people living in what is now the British Isles  called the eighth lunation Weodmonath, or "plant month" and in Old German the August moon marks Aran-manod, or "harvest month."

In the southern hemisphere September is in the spring, with the days getting warmer, it's no surprise that the Maori of New Zealand described the lunar months in August to September as Mahuru: "The Earth has now acquired warmth, as well as vegetation and trees," according to the Encyclopedia of New Zealand.

Editor's Note: If you get a great photo of the Blue Moon of August 2023 and would like to share it with Space.coms readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
Austin firefighters late Sunday night were on the scene of a brush fire that had erupted at a homeless encampment.

AFD tweeted photos of the brush fire that had originated in an encampment along I-35 near Stassney.

The department did not offer details about how the blaze started, the extent of the damage, or whether there were any injuries.

A brushfire in Austin, Texas.

Austin resident Jamie Hammonds, who has been documenting the citys homelessness crisis, filmed a video depicting the aftermath of the blaze. The contents of the camp and surrounding vegetation is visibly damaged.

In a statement to Fox News, Hammonds criticized city leaders for allowing encampments "to grow for long that they are a danger to the general public."

HISTORIC MAUI CATHOLIC CHURCH STILL STANDING AMID FATAL FIRES RIPPING ACROSS HAWAII: MIRACLE

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

"At this point, the ingredients are in place for a major fire that has the ability to destroy lives, homes, and businesses," he said. "Sadly, it is too late for the city of Austin to change course. I only hope we can make it through the next several weeks without any loss of life or property."

He noted that warnings of potential fires have abounded for years.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Parks and Recreation and Public Health Department for comment.

Homeless encampments have proliferated in Austin for several years, particularly in the citys greenbelts. City officials relocated homeless people in the Gaines Creek area in June after Hammonds exposed the encampments degradation.

It was not clear how the fire started.

The city said it relocated people to close encampments that pose the highest health and safety risks.

The proliferation of encampments is one of many problems afflicting Austin, particularly since the city council voted unanimously to gut APDs budget by about one-third, or $150 million, during the 2020 riots.

The state legislature passed a law the following year forcing Austin to restore the funding it had cut, but by then police officers had retired or chosen to depart in huge numbers  and the cancelation of police academy classes left the department unable to replace them.

The same city council voted to lift the ban on homeless camping all over the city in 2019. Voters later rebuked the city council and passed a referendum to reinstate the ban on homeless camping, but the camps have continued to proliferate.

The shortages in the police department and 911 staffing have, in turn, led to longer response times and an increase in crime. Texas has also suffered higher than usual summer temperatures and little rain this year, making fire conditions more dangerous.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks on the USS Iowa in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, United States September 15, 2015. Reuters

The average US president has been charged with 2 felonies.

The fact is a result of former President Donald Trump being a statistical outlier: he alone has been charged with 91 felonies.

He's officially become the "Spiders Georg" of world leaders.

Forty-five men have been elected president of the United States. Before Donald Trump, the average number of felonies charged per president was zero. Following Monday night's indictment, that number now stands at just over 2.

Trump has been charged with a whopping 91 felonies total across four indictments, two federal and one each in Georgia and New York.

He faces charges around allegations he paid off an adult film star, mishandled classified documents at his Mar-A-Lago residence, and tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Trump has become an unfortunate statistical outlier in the nation's 247-year history, comparable only to "Spiders Georg," a fictional person dreamed up by a Tumblr user who "lives in cave & eats over 10,000 [spiders] each day" and is solely responsible for upping the average number of spiders eaten by each person per year.

Despite the litany of felony charges levied against him, Trump is comfortably in the lead in GOP presidential primary polling. According to an average of national polls deemed "major" by FiveThirtyEight, Trump currently draws in an average of 52.7% support, nearly 38 percentage points ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who's in second place.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A bomber task force comprising 150 airmen and three B-2 Spirit aircraft from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, arrived at Icelands Keflavik Air Base on Sunday, U.S. Air Forces in Europe announced Monday.

The visit marks the stealth bombers return to routine operational rotations after a jet caught fire in December, prompting the Air Force to ground the fleet for five months. And the aircraft has been away from Europe even longer: It last deployed to the region for six months in 2021.

While across the Atlantic, B-2s will train with American and allied troops and take on real-world surveillance and long-range strike missions as needed. The aircraft, which can carry conventional and nuclear weapons, also serve to deter Russia from employing nuclear weapons in its war against Ukraine  and, by extension, its NATO neighbors.

This [bomber task force] initiative was designed to bolster [U.S. European Commands] overarching security mandates across the European continent, while also affording aircrews the opportunity to acclimate themselves to the intricacies of joint and coalition operations in foreign locations, the Air Force said in a release Monday.

Though the aircraft were approved to return to normal operations in May, it remains unclear what happened over the course of myriad safety inspections or whether any bombers are still out of commission. The Air Force has not yet released a public version of its investigation into that accident.

The Spirits are replacing a task force of B-1 Lancer bombers  the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron out of Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, that arrived in Europe in May.

During that rotation, the Lancers headed to the Middle East to participate in a live-fire exercise with advanced munitions as a show of force in the region. The U.S. has dispatched additional air and sea assets to U.S. Central Command in response to rising tensions with Russian and Iranian-backed forces in Syria.

Two B-1s flew from RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom to release guided bombs and an air-to-surface cruise missile at ranges in Jordan and Saudi Arabia on June 8, according to Al-Monitor.

It was the first time AFCENT flew multiple weapons types and practiced employment against multiple simulated targets during [a] single bomber task force mission, the Air Force said June 8.

While in Europe, the Lancers also practiced hot-pit refueling, or receiving gas with the engine running, in Romania, and landed in Sweden for the first time, among other training missions.

The Air Force began sending its bomber fleets on short-term deployments around the world in 2018 amid fears that longer stints overseas could make them vulnerable to attack. But the trust and experience American airmen gain with their foreign counterparts on those periodic visits remains valuable.

There is simply no substitute for the hands-on integration with our allies and partners that were able to accomplish during a BTF deployment like this one, Lt. Col. Andrew Kousgaard, who is leading the B-2 deployment as commander of the 393rd Bomb Squadron, said in Mondays release.
POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA)  A baby alligator was found in a softball dugout at a school in Polk County, Florida, on Friday.

The Polk County Sheriffs Office said the gator was found in one of the dugouts at Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School.

Today was the first day of school at Fort Meade Middle/Senior High School, and look who showed up to try out for the softball team, the sheriffs office posted on Facebook.

Shawnee woman hospitalized after Leawood crash

School Resource Deputy Clanton provided a little gator-aid by helping the gator leave the dugout.

Noting the rivalry between the Florida Gators and Florida State Seminoles, the sheriffs office joked that the deputy checked the dugout for a Seminole as well, but had no such luck.

Would have been a nice matchup, the sheriffs office said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The scramble is on in South Florida to get children vaccinated for the new school year.

Health departments, pediatricians and mobile clinics are slammed with children who still need the required vaccines to start school for the first time, or to enter the seventh grade. During the pandemic, many Florida children fell behind on yearly well-checks and vaccine schedules. Now, parents are trying to catch up to prevent their children from missing school.

On Friday, Latoya Brown said she is one of those parents. She brought her 9-year-old daughter Kaylie to get a wellness exam and vaccines at the Joe DiMaggio Childrens Mobile Health Center parked outside the Boys and Girls Club in Davie.

She was up to date before the pandemic but she never got back on schedule, Brown said.

The Hollywood mother said she lost private insurance coverage for Kaylie during the pandemic, but wants her daughter to be protected from diseases. She learned about the mobile clinic from her daughters summer camp, just in time for the start of the new school year. Its less daunting for parents and its free of charge, she said.

Floridas required immunizations protect against diseases including tetanus, diphtheria, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, hepatitis B and polio. Some of the shots are a series of boosters spaced apart. Immunization forms are required to start kindergarten and again in seventh grade when additional shots are needed.

A lot of children are behind on vaccines but they will get what they need to get into school with the understanding that they will need to catch up on boosters after school starts, said Dr. Lisa Gwynn, medical director for the UHealth Pediatric Mobile Clinic for uninsured children. She also is Program Director for the School Health Initiative, nine pediatric clinics in Miami-Dade County schools.

The 2020-21 school year marked a more than 10-year low for Floridas kindergarten and seventh-grade students completing all doses of required immunizations, according to a Florida Department of Health report.

About 91.7% of kindergarten students statewide completed the required vaccines and 94.3% of seventh-grade students. The state goal is for 95% of students to have received all doses of required vaccines. The statewide immunization rate is not available yet for the 2022-23 school year.

Florida pediatricians are pushing harder this school year, concerned that childhood diseases nearly wiped out through vaccinations could come back if immunization rates further decline.

This is a busy time for pediatricians trying to get kids into our clinics who are behind on mandated vaccine requirements, said Dr. Thresia Gambon, a Miami pediatrician and president of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Pediatricians in all areas of the state are attending health fairs, doing promotion on social media  we are all promoting back-to-school immunizations and hoping kids come in and get them.

Across South Florida, health departments are holding free immunization clinics, and mobile clinics are going into neighborhoods to reach families who are uninsured or underinsured. At Joe DiMaggio Childrens Hospital in Hollywood, a Back-to-School Health Fair on Aug. 5 drew 150 children who received physical exams and vaccinations.

Dr. Michelle Smith, a pediatrician with Joe DiMaggio Childrens Hospital, says parents have more questions this year about vaccines. They want to know which vaccines are absolutely needed, what they cover and what are the possible side effects.

Smith, who works on the Joe DiMaggio mobile clinic and oversees pediatric residents at the hospital, says for most part childhood vaccines are well-tolerated. These are not new vaccines. They have been around a long time. The most common side effect is redness or swelling at injection site.

Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties all have immunization vans that travel into neighborhoods with a higher rate of uninsured families. In Broward County, the Joe DiMaggio mobile health unit travels throughout South Broward.

Our mobile van is a full-fledged clinic, said Soraya Hernandez, director of community services for Joe DiMaggio Childrens Hospital.

Hernandez said children dont need an appointment to get their shots at the mobile clinic, but can schedule one if desired.

The last few weeks have been very busy, she said. This week we have been going to YMCAs or places that have camps going on. We get there in the morning and stay all day. Yesterday we saw 30 children.

Because Florida keeps an electronic record of shots, Hernandez said a pediatrician in the mobile clinic can see exactly what vaccines a child needs and afterward can provide the required form for school. This year, she said, they are seeing children arrive from out of the state or out of the country who need multiple vaccines.

Kizzy Moreira arrived in Miramar from Venezuela last month, eager to get her two children enrolled in public schools.. Her sons Silvano Castillo, 10, and Santiago Castillo, 4, both needed required shots and physical exams. Friends had told her about the mobile van and on Friday, Moreira arrived with her boys for a walk-in appointment.

It was so easy, she said after she received the paperwork she needed. They are ready to start school.

Broward County Public Schools takes a tough stance on vaccine requirements and a doctors exam. Their rule is students without a completed Certificate of Immunization will not be allowed to attend classes until the document is provided. The absence is considered unexcused. School starts Aug. 21. However a spokesperson for the district said students new to Broward County Public Schools have 30 days to get into compliance with the vaccination requirements.

Palm Beach County requires shots and a physical. School started in Palm Beach County on Thursday. The school district says students must show a Florida Certification of Immunization before they can attend school.

Pediatricians say they are concerned about the rise in students who get exemptions from immunizations. Students can get a medical exemption signed by a doctor, or a religious exemption. These exemptions now account for 8.2% of Floridas kindergarten students, according to state health records. The number of students who opted out of vaccinations for religious reasons in particular has risen and last year accounted for about 7,913 children.

Its important for kids to get vaccinated to protect them from diseases that can be a threat to their health, Gwynn said. We still see outbreaks of these diseases when immunization rates get below a certain threshold. Even cases of polio still exist.

Florida pediatricians worry that the controversy over the COVID-19 vaccine created a spillover effect for childhood immunizations.

At the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics we really try to promote wellness vaccines and point to their long standing safety profiles, Gambon said. We try on a individual basis to talk to the parents and the kids about importance of vaccines to keep them healthy as well as to keep others healthy.

-------
Last winter, Jesse Lipson was among the million to test out ChatGPT, a large language model that rapidly responds to prompts with typed-out answers that are novel, lengthy, thorough and usually correct.

Launched in November by the company OpenAI, ChatGPT marked a major breakthrough in a category of artificial intelligence called generative AI, which produces text, sounds, images and data analyses that didnt previously exist. Many explored the program as a neat trick, a viral technology that possessed immense  if still undefined  potential. But for Lipson, the promise of generative AI felt like a near-term reality.

Lipson is the founder and CEO of Levitate, a Raleigh marketing software firm that helps small companies keep in touch with clients through email and social media.

A serial tech entrepreneur who founded and sold the successful cloud storage firm ShareFile, Lipson formed Levitate in 2017 with artificial intelligence squarely on his mind. When he registered Levitates website, he picked a domain address that ended not in .com but in .ai.

But it wasnt until a few months ago, he said, that the leading generative AI technology felt reliable enough to incorporate commercially.

Before starting Levitate, Jesse Lipson sold his last startup, ShareFile, to Citrix in 2011. He's now embracing AI

In April, Levitate introduced its ChatGPT-backed services. Users can feed the program writing instructions, like Draft a thank you note to Marta, and watch as a never-before-seen message of gratitude materializes in seconds. Tailored responses are offered by toggling among various text lengths and personality options (formal, informal and humorous). Customers can then edit what the AI ghostwriter produces.

By far the fastest uptake of any feature that we released, Lipson said. To (our customers), its like magic.

AI for lawyers

Across the Triangle, businesses have jumped on the latest generative AI advances.

Fellow Raleigh software firm Pendo unveiled its artificial intelligence platform last month. Diveplane, a Triangle company that promotes more ethical uses of AI, itself uses artificial intelligence to write certain boilerplate code.

And in May, the legal research database LexisNexis, which runs its global technology operations at North Carolina State Universitys Centennial Campus, began piloting its generative AI platform to 10 global law firms.

Lawyers, in particular, generate lots of documents and lots of text, said Jeffrey Pfeifer, chief product officer and Raleigh site leader for LexisNexis. We see tremendous opportunity for the technology to drive improvements in the way lawyers work, the way they draft documents and the way they search for information about legal questions.

Attorneys, Pfeifer explained, can use AI to write documents, converse on legal searches, and summarize dense legal documents.

LexisNexis houses its U.S.-tech hub on North Carolina State Universitys Centennial Campus in Raleigh.

While ChatGPT hasnt been foolproof in the legal field  in June, New York lawyers were chided for citing fake cases created by the model  Pfeifer assured the proprietary LexisNexis AI model only culls from the companys verified database. He noted the program, underpinned in party by ChatGPT, offers reference citations to the answers it provides.

ChatGPT is the most famous of the large language models, which generate their answers from vast troves of information. Machine learning then orders the responses in a proper sequence. While it all may seem human-like during conversation, the AI is simply using predictive modeling to determine its next word.

When the response is wrong, it intakes user feedback to improve accuracy.

As you train it, it makes all of your models smarter, said Todd Olson, CEO and cofounder of Pendo.

Distilling a corpus of knowledge

In January, Microsoft invested $10 billion into OpenAI. In March, Google introduced its generative AI platform, Bard, which Pendo also uses. Headquartered in downtown Raleigh, Pendo helps companies understand how their clients and employees engage with software.

We have a corpus of knowledge of how people use software, Olson said. One of the biggest obstacles is how to distill the info to actionable steps.

Enterprise artificial intelligence differs from what individuals can access for free online. Paid versions of ChatGPT are more advanced, bespoke, and can keep data private rather than using the information to retrain the broader language model.

Todd Olson, Pendo CEO and founder, shows off the software companys new downtown Raleigh headquarters Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022.

As generative AI enters the corporate world, some stress the importance of proper model instruction. Founded in 2018, the Raleigh startup Diveplane advocates for explainable artificial intelligence, models that permit humans to understand how the results came to be.

What AI allows us to do is scale decisions, scale information, and it can affect more and more people, more easily, more efficiently, said Chris Hazard, cofounder and chief technology officer at Diveplane. It can cause a lot of harm that way. Understanding the whys can make it easier to do the right thing.

Business applications are poised to multiply as the technology progresses. In March, OpenAI released a new version called GPT-4, with advanced capabilities. Then this summer, the company released Code Interpreter, which allows users to upload files like Excel spreadsheets and create charts or solve math problems based on the data.

For Lipson, who is relatively well versed in the powers of generative AI, new products like Code Interpreter have left him awestruck.

That feels pretty magical, he said.

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Algerian officials are worried that the film, which features an A-list cast including Margot Robbie as Barbie, will damage morals

Algeria has banned the popular Barbie film three weeks after its release in the mainly Muslim North African nation.

The culture ministry has asked cinemas to withdraw the Hollywood blockbuster immediately.

The movie promoted homosexuality and did not comply with Algeria's religious and cultural beliefs, an official source told the Reuters news agency.

Cinemas in the cities of Algiers, Oran and Constantine have been packed, according to 24H Algerie news website.

The film was officially being banned for "damaging morals", the privately owned news website said, adding that since its release viewings had sold out every day.

There has been criticism in the Arab world about the movie's social values, with Kuwait banning Barbie last week to protect "public ethics".

The film, starring Hollywood A-listers Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, is a coming-of-age story based on the children's toy, where Barbie journeys to the real world and explores her identity.

Around the time of the film's release, director Greta Gerwig told the New York Times that it was supposed to be "funny" and that her hope for the movie was for society to "let go of the things that aren't necessarily serving us as either women or men".

Barbie has received a warmer welcome from leaders in other countries, such as the UK and Spain, where British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the Spanish royal family were pictured on cinema outings to see it.

Since the movie's release it has grossed more than $1bn (786m) worldwide.
The sleek Batmobile replica had much to recommend it beyond its stylish and vibrant black-and-red hues, its fealty to the film and TV versions of the DC superhero's speedy vehicle, and its make-believe bat phone within reach of the driver.

There was also the autograph on the door from actor Adam West, who portrayed Batman in the campy and popular 1960s TV series, as well as photos showing that Julie Newmar, the actress playing Catwoman in the same series, had once ridden in the car.

At the 2018 auction in Pennsylvania, the replica, built upon a Lincoln chassis, sold with little trouble. There to watch his refurbished vehicle be auctioned, while donning his own Batman t-shirt, was Greece Supervisor Bill Reilich.

Now, that car and numerous others have become central ingredients in a federal lawsuit in which a former town employee, Deputy Public Works Commissioner Robert "Bobby" Johnson, alleges that he was forced to do odd jobs and mechanical work for Reilich and Deputy Town Supervisor Michelle Marini. The lawsuit has also sparked an investigation by the Monroe County District Attorney's Office.

Johnson is suing the town, Reilich, Marini and other officials.

Reilich and Marini said in a statement before papers were officially served, "Although the Town has not yet been formally served with a complaint, we are aware of the allegations levied by Robert Johnson. The Town looks forward to vigorously defending against this lawsuit in a court of law."

Reilich last week declined to comment further. He said attorneys have advised him not to comment because of the pending litigation.

Hot Rod Ranch

In the Town of Sweden, tucked into the woods off of Swamp Road, is Reilich's "Hot Rod Ranch," as it advertises itself on its gate (which is under the watchful gaze of a security camera). The wooden gate is also marked by a metal piece of artwork reminiscent of gearhead movie posters from decades ago: A buxom woman, her skirt hiked much closer to her hips than her knees, sits on the hood of a car as the driver, his hair tightly gelled and his grin wide and toothy, rests coolly with his arm draped out the window.

Greece Town Supervisor Bill Reilich's property, known as 'Hot Rod Ranch,' at 299 Swamp Road in the town of Sweden Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023.

The Batmobile was just one of many cars Johnson alleged he worked on at Reilich's orders. According to records the Batmobile sold at auction for more than $195,000. (A seller also pays a commission to the auction house.)

Other vehicles Johnson alleged that he repaired and refurbished included a "1980 Shay Model A replica, a 1991 Crown Victoria Station Wagon, a 1998 Lincoln, a 1971 Corvette, a Bentley, a 1955 Chevy, a 1968 Mustang, a 2005 green Thunderbird, a Volkswagen Bug, a 2005 Corvette, a 1950s Truck, (and) a 1947 Ford."

Reilich has long been known for his affinity for vintage cars. Among his past businesses were Upstate Motor Car of Rochester and Rochester Auto Design. A former Assemblyman, Reilich previously served as chair of the national State Automotive Enthusiast Leadership Caucus.

"Assemblyman Reilich immediately demonstrated his desire to get involved in keeping the laws in New York fair and hobby-friendly when he joined the Caucus in 2006," the association said in a newsletter. "Reilich helped defeat a bill to effectively ban the use of brush and grille guards on New York public roads." (The guards attach to the front of vehicles. Some lawmakers said they were more dangerous to pedestrians, a claim that many say were without solid proof.)

In the newsletter, Reilich said: "As a New York State Legislator, I have been diligent in my efforts to protect the interests of automobile enthusiasts in my state. When researching bills dealing with vehicle modification, I am careful to share with my colleagues the whole and accurate picture regarding proposed legislation. Those that don't share our love of the automobile are often unaware of the unintended effect of many of the bills."

As WXXI News reported in its coverage of the lawsuit, "In 2011, (Reilich) introduced a bill to exempt hot rods from certain equipment and emission requirements, but it was never brought to the floor for a vote."

Greece Town Supervisor Bill Reilich's property, known as 'Hot Rod Ranch,' at 299 Swamp Road in the town of Sweden Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023.

Reilich purchased the Ranch property over a decade ago for $82,500. The property, almost 20 acres, has been advertised as: "Perfect for hunters, landscapers, nature enthusiast. Salmon Creek runs through the back. Poll barn w/ 4160sq. ft of space. Includes a generator to power out building."

The previous owner used the property for "an informal gun club ... where games birds are raised," according to minutes from the Town of Sweden Planning Board.

The allegations

The allegations against Reilich and Marini paint a picture of untoward influence over a town employee, who claims he did multiple jobs for the pair and was forced to use paid time off, or PTO, for some. Reilich allegedly had him at the Ranch on Saturdays, before the use of PTO, and paid him minimally. He was not paid minimum wage or overtime, the lawsuit alleges.

He alleges that Marini once told him, "If you are working for Bill then you are working for the town."

Johnson alleges that his retirement was prompted by the District Attorney's Office investigation into the 2021 drunken driving crash of former Police Chief Andrew Forsythe. Johnson alleges that Reilich said he should be prepared to lie if he was questioned about the work done for Reilich and Marini.

Johnson also alleges that the town has withheld his retiree health care from him.

Johnson's attorney, Maureen Bass, said Johnson has receipts and photos that undergird the allegations. Among those are numerous Saturday breakfast receipts from a restaurant about three miles from the Ranch.

The lawsuit alleges that Johnson in late 2020 asked his supervisor, Kirk Morris, to intervene and "stop the unlawful labor practices and protect his job." Instead, Johnson alleges, Marini or Reilich learned of his complaints and Johnson was stripped of his supervisory role and reassigned.

Johnson had then been deputy commissioner for 14 years "without so much as a single write-up, counseling memo, or suspension," according to the lawsuit.

Johnson worked for the town for 36 years, starting as a part-time automotive worker while in high school.

It was those abilities, according to the lawsuit, that led Johnson to the Ranch and Reilich's constant rotation of used and vintage automobiles.

His jobs, he alleges, were plentiful, if not well compensated.

Among his jobs, according to the lawsuit, were, "working on headliners, grills, pressing bearings, repairing CV (constant velocity) shafts, replacing brakes, replacing clutches, replacing fuel and brake lines, replacing water pumps, replacing radios, replacing broken tail and head lights, replacing window and wiper switches, repairing and replacing electrical systems, installing wiring, removing plow frames, suspension and driveline work, radiator repair, body work, welding and repairing motors."

Johnson is seeking more than $4 million in the lawsuit. Under federal court procedures, it will now go to attempted mediation.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Hot Rod Ranch and a Batmobile replica: Behind Reilich, Greece lawsuit
Three Bulgarian citizens were arrested in the U.K. on suspicion of espionage for Russia, the BBC reported on Aug. 15.

The suspects were detained back in February and have been held in custody ever since, according to the media outlet. They were accused of working for the Russian security services.

British authorities charged Orlin Roussev, Bizer Dzhambazov, and Katrin Ivanova with possessing fake identity documents with "improper intention," the BBC wrote.

Those reportedly include passports, identity cards, and other documents for the U.K., Bulgaria, France, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece, and the Czech Republic.

According to the BBC, all three suspects have lived in the U.K. for years, working in various jobs and residing in suburban properties.

The defendants, who have yet to respond to the charges, will face trial in January, the media outlet added.

The BBC also cited the U.K. anti-terrorist police saying they have spent an increasing amount of time on cases of state threats and espionage, particularly linked to Moscow.

Earlier in August, German and Polish authorities reported that they had arrested suspected Russian spies in their countries, accused of gathering and sharing sensitive information as well as spreading pro-Russian propaganda.

Read also: Investigative Stories from Ukraine: Russia spies in EU with its embassies satellite dishes, media find

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Photo: The Canadian Press FILE - This Aug. 15, 2019, photo shows the HP logo on Hewlett-Packard printer ink cartridges at a store in Manchester, N.H. HP Inc. has failed to shunt aside claims in a lawsuit that it disables scanners and other functions on its multifunction printers whenever the ink runs low. The suit claims that HP's so-called all-in-one printers provide consumers no indication the devices require printer ink to scan documents or send faxes. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, file)

HP has failed to shunt aside class-action legal claims that it disables the scanners on its multifunction printers when their ink runs low. Though not for lack of trying.

On Aug. 10, a federal judge ruled that HP Inc. must face a class-action lawsuit claiming that the company designs its all-in-one inkjet printers to disable scanning and faxing functions whenever a single printer ink cartridge runs low. The company had sought  for the second time  to dismiss the lawsuit on technical legal grounds.

It is well-documented that ink is not required in order to scan or to fax a document, and it is certainly possible to manufacture an all-in-one printer that scans or faxes when the device is out of ink, the plaintiffs wrote in their complaint. Indeed, HP designs its all-in-one printer products so they will not work without ink. Yet HP does not disclose this fact to consumers.

The lawsuit charges that HP deliberately withholds this information from consumers to boost profits from the sale of expensive ink cartridges.

Color printers require four ink cartridges -- one black and a set of three cartridges in cyan, magenta and yellow for producing colors. Some will also refuse to print if one of the color cartridges is low, even in black-and-white mode.

HP declined to comment on the issue, citing the pending litigation. The companys court filings in the case have generally not addressed the substance of the plaintiffs allegations.

In early 2022, U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman dismissed the complaint on legal grounds but did not address the lawsuit's claims. The judge allowed the plaintiffs to amend their claim and resubmit it. On Aug. 10, the judge largely rejected HP's request to dismiss the revised complaint, allowing the case to proceed.

All-in-one inkjet printers generally seem like a bargain compared to the cost of separate devices with scanning, copying and fax functions. For instance, HP currently sells its all-in-one OfficeJet Pro 8034e online for just $159. But its least expensive standalone scanner, the ScanJet Pro s2, lists for $369  more than twice the cost of the multifunction printer.

Of course, only one of these devices requires printer ink. Printer ink is wildly expensive, Consumer Reports states in its current printer buying guide, noting that consumer ink costs can easily run more than $70 a year.

Worse, a significant amount of printer ink is never actually used to print documents because it's consumed by inkjet printer maintenance cycles. In 2018, Consumer Reports tested of hundreds of all in one inkjet printers and found that with intermittent printer use, many models delivered less than half of their ink to printed documents. A few managed no more than 20% to 30%.

HP isn't alone in facing such legal complaints. A different set of plaintiffs sued the U.S. unit of printer and camera maker Canon Inc. in 2021 for similarly handicapping its all-in-one printers without disclosure. The parties settled that case in late 2022.
The author rests with her cat Star in July 2020.

The author rests with her cat Star in July 2020. "Frequent rest is essential for many people with long COVID," she writes.

My husband and I have a video call every Sunday with my mother-in-law, a doctor in New Delhi. The conversation is usually light, but one morning she wanted to discuss the more serious matter of my health. For more than a year, Id talked about how Id been struggling with a disabling chronic illness following an infection with COVID-19. She knew doctors across specialties and asked if she could share my lab results with a few of them for an informal opinion. I agreed, thinking that I had nothing to lose. Maybe theyd uncover some insight that others had missed.

A couple of weeks later, on a sunny morning in June 2021, my mother-in-law signed on to the video call with a huge smile. Shed heard from her doctor friends.

Great news! she said. They looked at your labs and history. It turns out  cue drumroll  theres nothing wrong with you! Focus on healthy eating, do yoga every day, and youll feel better soon.

My heart dropped. After more than a year of talking about the symptoms that had left me unable to work  and sometimes to get out of bed  my own family didnt believe I was sick? I didnt want to offend her. I forced a tight smile, thanked her for trying, and then stayed silent. After the call ended, I began to cry  incredulous that even she didnt understand and ashamed for acting so upset.

Ive had long COVID since March 2020. My illness has given me a firsthand look at the dismissal faced by patients, especially women, who have chronic illnesses. Doctors repeatedly doubted the reality of my symptoms, leaving me without medical care for more than a year. Sadly, Im not alone in this experience.

In a recent study, patients with long COVID described encountering medical professionals who dismissed their experience, leading to lengthy diagnostic odysseys and lack of treatment options. They often characterized these interactions as gaslighting, the maddening feeling of stating an obvious truth and then being disbelieved.

Discrimination appears to drive these dynamics. The widespread dismissal of long COVID is a familiar story for many people with illnesses such as chronic pain and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, or ME/CFS. Patients often struggle for years to receive diagnoses and treatments. ME/CFS, a disease thats similar to long COVID and can result from infections such as mononucleosis, has a particularly ugly history.

The author and her husband, Jawahar Shah, in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, on their first wedding anniversary in June 2019.

The author and her husband, Jawahar Shah, in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, on their first wedding anniversary in June 2019. "This was me before I got COVID," she writes.

Many of those with severe ME/CFS have waited decades for doctors to take their symptoms seriously. Meanwhile, their lives have wasted away in darkened rooms, as the sickest patients are unable to leave their beds or care for basic needs  eating, showering, using the bathroom  without around-the-clock help. About 90% of all people with ME/CFS, the vast majority of whom are women, still havent been diagnosed. Long COVID echoes this tragedy, although patients with the disease have faced less neglect than those with ME/CFS.

Like many people with long COVID, my illness started with a mild case of COVID-19. It was the kind of infection that doctors said would resolve in 7-10 days. I got into bed and waited. However, as days turned into weeks, my symptoms werent getting better; they were merely changing. I no longer felt short of breath but began having trouble looking at things, as I said about my eyestrain and light sensitivity.

My main symptom, a crushing exhaustion, was growing worse. The feeling was unlike sleep deprivation or overwork. Rather, it was more akin to the aftermath of being hit in the head with a bat: constant headaches, unfocused eyes, pain caused by light and sound, and a sense that I needed to curl into a cocoon and wait for the sickness to pass. After about a month, I could barely get out of bed. I would lie in a dim room for interminable hours, looking out my window at a patch of sky.

I began to understand intuitively that my illness could be long-term. Once, I glanced at the background of my phone: a picture of my hike in Maine over the previous Labor Day, with jagged rocks and pine trees opening to reveal a vast blue ocean. Despair began to creep into my chest, as I realized I might never again walk through nature unencumbered by a failing body. I told everyone  my family, doctors  that I was afraid I wouldnt get better. They said variations of yes, I know you feel that way.

After being seriously ill for about six weeks, I was desperate to talk to an expert who could explain what was happening to me. I found a primary care doctor and told her my story: I couldnt get out of bed for more than 30 minutes without feeling physically crushed. I had trouble focusing my eyes. Exposure to normal light and sound would give me terrible headaches and nausea, and would make me feel terribly sick.

She listened for a few minutes and then, with a half-smile, said my symptoms were caused by anxiety. I agreed that I was anxious, because I wasnt recovering. But could anxiety cause an inability to focus my eyes? Yes, she said flatly with the same half-smile, like she was speaking to a stubborn child.

Five months later, I saw a neurologist. This time, after a series of tests, she said my symptoms were likely to be a rational response to the trauma of the pandemic. In other words, I was anxious or depressed.

The author votes in the 2020 election on Halloween.

The author votes in the 2020 election on Halloween. "I had recently relapsed, and walking two blocks to drop off my absentee ballot was tiring," she writes.

Even my therapist didnt believe I was sick for months, giving me terrible medical advice that I now think she wasnt qualified to offer. She was convinced that my symptoms were caused by obsessive-compulsive disorder. According to her logic, I was obsessed with monitoring the way my body felt, and this caused me to believe, falsely, that I could barely get out of bed. She told me not to talk to doctors after my primary care provider said my symptoms were caused by anxiety. Just try to pay less attention to your body, and live your life the best way you can, she said.

As anyone who is familiar with long COVID or similar illnesses knows, my therapists advice to ignore my symptoms was bound to end in disaster. Treatment of long COVID as a psychological disorder is negligent and dangerous. Patients are prompted to push through their exhaustion, which can make their illnesses much worse.

Even without support, I managed my disease adequately for the next six months, improving enough to return to my full-time job. However, my health came crashing down with a crushing relapse in October 2020, following weeks of overwork and family stress. I became nearly bed-bound again.

Ive since improved at a glacial speed, but more than two years later, Im still sicker than I was before my crash. I spoke with my therapist shortly after it happened and said emphatically: I am not anxious. My anxiety is well controlled. I just feel terrible. She sighed, realizing her mistake, and replied, OK, yes, go see someone about it. She didnt take responsibility for her massive fuckup. She didnt apologize. Soon afterward, I found a different therapist who believed I was sick.

Many experts think that skepticism around chronic illness is rooted in sexism, which has historically pervaded medicine. In an article for The New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Steven Phillips and Michelle Williams wrote, If the past is any guide, they [patients with long COVID] will be disbelieved, marginalized, and shunned by many members of the medical community. The authors said that long COVID disproportionately affects women, which may exacerbate the disregard. Our medical system has a long history of minimizing womens symptoms and dismissing or misdiagnosing their conditions as psychological, they wrote.

My experiences suggest that medical discrimination is, indeed, alive and well. Doctors concluded that my disease didnt exist, presumably because they didnt know how to diagnose or treat it. My gender likely made me even easier to dismiss, as women have long been labeled hysterical. When I face this kind of mistreatment, I sometimes feel that peoples prejudices are more important to them than my humanity.

The author receives hyperbaric oxygen therapy, an experimental treatment for long COVID, in March 2023.

The author receives hyperbaric oxygen therapy, an experimental treatment for long COVID, in March 2023.

After more than a year without medical care, I finally saw two leading specialists in post-infection illness who diagnosed me with long COVID, along with a host of related conditions such as dysautonomia, small fiber neuropathy, mast cell activation syndrome and primary immunodeficiency.

Extensive lab tests, which were taken mostly after my mother-in-laws attempt to find answers, showed that my immune system is dysregulated, meaning that I am both immunocompromised and have chronic inflammation that continuously injures my body. My nervous system is damaged, preventing my blood from circulating effectively and causing chronic low-level oxygen deprivation. Theres evidence that my body cant extract oxygen efficiently from my blood vessels, and my mitochondria are damaged.

I eventually convinced my mother-in-law that my illness is real. She and I had an hourlong discussion about long COVID  the research, my lab tests  when she visited my husband and me last summer. This time, my arguments seemed to break through. My husband said she regrets the way she initially reacted and now wholeheartedly believes in the seriousness of my illness.

However, the battle for recognition of long COVID continues. I often see the disease being minimized or dismissed in the news and on social media. A recent Slate article proclaimed, Long COVID is neither as common nor as severe as initially feared. In an apparent rebuttal to such statements, Ed Yong said in an article for The Atlantic that what was once outright denial of long COVIDs existence has morphed into [a conviction] ... that long COVID is less common and severe than it has been portrayeda tragedy for a small group of very sick people, but not a cause for societal concern.

Long COVID is far from rare, and its often serious. Research has found that 10% of those who first contracted COVID-19 amid the spread of the omicron variant had long COVID after six months, and about one-fourth of people with long COVID say they are significantly limited in their daily activities. People with commonly associated conditions, including dysautonomia and ME/CFS, are expected to experience lifelong symptoms. Im among those patients, and I know others who are too.

Before my illness, I was an energetic person who could work in an office for 10 hours, go out for drinks in the evening, and then do it all again the next day. Now, my former commute might wipe me out by itself. I can work for five hours on a good day before I need to rest. (When I say rest, I mean lie in a dark, silent room with my eyes closed.) If I push past my exertion limits, or spend time in loud spaces, I become nauseated and unfocused, and I develop a painful headache.

The author with her cats (from left) Tony, Gandalf and Star in December 2022.

The author with her cats (from left) Tony, Gandalf and Star in December 2022. "Although my long COVID has improved somewhat over time, daily rest is still essential," she writes.

In May, I attended my sisters graduation, a two-hour affair full of long speeches and animated screaming. I wore earplugs, but still left the event exhausted and in pain. I got into bed at 4 p.m., put on my eye mask, and didnt emerge until the next day. My sister, who understands, let me leave without hesitation. Im not always so lucky. When I tell friends that I need to rest or cancel plans, I often hear polite frustration in their voices.

Some communication gaps are understandable, as most people have never experienced anything like long COVID or similar diseases. The symptoms are mostly invisible to others, who only see that people like me often rest, if they see anything at all. Our society doesnt have the language to explain these illnesses. Medical terms like post-exertional malaise, which refers to the crushing sickness and exhaustion that follows mental or physical exertion, sound more euphemistic than descriptive.

However, even if many people find it difficult to comprehend what long COVID and other chronic illnesses feel like, it shouldnt be hard to understand that patients experiences are real. Ive never had altitude sickness (a condition characterized by fatigue, headaches and nausea resulting from difficulty adjusting to high elevations), but Ive never doubted that it exists or heard anyone else do so. That would be bizarre.

Similarly, people who are colorblind presumably accept the word of others who can perceive colors. Chronic illness is the same type of situation, except that it carries widespread stigma. As recently as last year, the disbelief was so profound that many doctors with long COVID were dismissed by their colleagues. Most of the clinicians who doubted my illness were women, suggesting that the sexism contributing to these biases is so ingrained that it often isnt recognized.

Before I got sick, I had never experienced gaslighting on a wide scale. It was easy to tell myself that most people believed me because they knew I was credible. Now I realize that they were often biased in my favor. I showed people with privilege the world that they wanted to see: a place with few threats, where self-reliance and opportunity will always be available.

Julie Strack is a health communication specialist and writer based in New York City. She has presented original research on health inclusivity at the American Public Health Associations annual meeting and published on patient-provider engagement in the journal PLOS ONE. Julie has been a patient with long COVID since March 2020. Reach her on Twitter via her account @juliestrack.

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Lt. Ashley Berry was a beloved Virginia firefighter known for her generous spirit.

So much so, Berry spent Thanksgiving in 2019 creating food baskets for others. But that same night, she performed her last act of love when she shielded her 5-year-old son from gunfire that killed her, according to the Hopewell Police Department and details family members shared with news outlets.

She was living proof of a superhero, her cousin, Angel Berry, told WTVR. She saved so many lives, and shes still saving lives in her strength and her courage.

Now, almost four years after Ashley Berry was shot to death, a Hopewell man has been charged with murder. Officers in an Aug. 15 news release didnt list attorney information for the man, identified as 30-year-old Darrell Donnell Taylor Jr.

Mother shows one last act of love

The case dates to the night of Nov. 28, 2019, which was Thanksgiving. Ashley Berry  a mother of three and an off-duty firefighter  was leaving a holiday celebration with her youngest child when gunfire erupted, according to police and the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Officers said the 33-year-old mom used her body to shield the boy from the bullets. But she was seriously injured in the shooting and rushed to a hospital, where she died after protecting her son.

(I told him) Your mothers last act of love, for you, was to push you down, Waverly Berry, the boys grandfather, told WTVR.

Police believed Ashley Berry was killed in a drive-by shooting and wasnt the intended target. As the years passed, officers asked the public for help as they sought clues in their homicide investigation.

Her family is truly devastated, William Spindle of the Brothers and Sisters Combined Firefighters Union told WRIC in November 2019. This doesnt make it any better that this is the holidays, the time of being thankful for what you have. This is without question a senseless act of unnecessary violence.

Then, years later on Aug. 15, police announced that a grand jury indicted Taylor on charges of murder, use of a firearm while in commission of a felony, conspiracy to commit murder and shooting into an occupied building. He already was in custody in Brunswick County on unrelated charges.

This tragic incident occurred almost four years ago and yet the officers and detectives working this investigation never gave up hope, Gregory Taylor, interim police chief, wrote in the release.

Firefighter was truly beloved

Meanwhile, Ashley Berry is remembered as a selfless person who was a pillar in the community and a truly beloved member of the Richmond Fire Department.

She was an amazing mother, daughter, friend, and employee who accepted challenges faced before her while doing her best, the department wrote in a 2019 Facebook post.

Police in Hopewell, roughly 20 miles southeast of downtown Richmond, said a reward of up to $1,000 may be available for people who share information leading to additional arrests in the case. Anyone with details is asked to call officers at 804-541-2284, Crime Solvers at 804-541-2202 or use the P3 Tips smartphone application.

31-year-old officer with infectious laugh shot and killed on duty, Virginia cops say

Beloved doctor gunned down at NC park in the middle of the day, officials say
Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon stands at the start of day two of his aggravated menacing bench trial, Tuesday, August 15, 2023. His attorneys are Meryln Shiverdecker, left, and Scott Croswell. Hamilton County Municipal Judge Gwen Bender is presiding over what prosecutors say was a road-rage incident involving a gun on Jan. 21, 2023 in downtown Cincinnati.

Arguments Tuesday in the misdemeanor trial for Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon focused on whether the woman accusing him in a road rage incident in January was scared or angry when she encountered him.

The alleged victim, her co-worker and police officers testified. It remains unclear whether Mixon will take the stand in his own defense.

Prosecutors said Mixon cut off another driver in traffic and, after exchanging words, pointed a gun at her. According to the woman's account, Mixon said he ought to shoot her and said police wouldn't do anything to him.

Mixon's lawyers have argued he was reacting to her rage and that she was not afraid during the exchange. They also argued there was no evidence a gun was present other than the woman's statements, and no one could back up her story.

The woman, who is not being identified under Marsy's Law provisions, said she was cut off in traffic at Second and Walnut streets on Jan. 21. This caused her to slam on her brakes and prompted her to honk her vehicle's horn. She said she then photographed the license plate on the other vehicle and pulled up alongside it.

The prosecutors and defense team differ in who made the next move.

Mixon's attorneys argue that the woman was the person suffering from road rage and provoked him. The woman says she heard yelling and rolled down her window.

"He was screaming before my middle finger ever went up," she said on the witness stand Tuesday.

During a recorded interview with police, the woman said her natural reaction, when she feels attacked, is to become angry, not scared. The defense lawyers have continually circled back to this statement during the trial.

The woman also admitted she flipped off Mixon, referred to him as a "b----," and repeatedly told him, "you're what's wrong with America."

A police officer testified Tuesday that the woman did seem scared when she came into the Central Business District police quarters to make a report shortly after the encounter. However, the officer admitted under cross-examination that she did not tell him about any of the statements she made toward Mixon. The recorded statement was made at a later date. She said on the stand that by that point, she had become more angry about the incident because she had been "victimized by the media."

The woman's coworker testified that when she came into work after the encounter the woman was "frazzled, upset, scared" and "visibly shaking." He said he knew something was wrong because she was normally happy and bubbly.

He said he encouraged her to make the report, and that she had no clue who was driving the vehicle. She also told police that she did not know who was driving.

The bench trial before Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Gwen Bender will continue at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. The prosecution team said it has one more witness to call. At that point, Mixon and his lawyers will decide how to proceed, which could include putting Mixon on the stand to testify.

Hamilton County Municipal Judge Gwen Bender is presiding over the bench trial of Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon for aggravated menacing, Tuesday, August 15, 2023. Prosecutors say it was a road-rage incident involving a gun on Jan. 21, 2023 in downtown Cincinnati.

Charged and recharged

In February, Mixon was charged with aggravated menacing following the incident. A warrant was issued, making national news. But the charges were immediately dropped so police could further investigate.

At the time, the prosecutor said charges could be refiled and said the woman who made the complaint indicated she would go forward with the case.

Police Chief Teresa Theetge said the investigation was not finished and there was a new piece of evidence. The case was assigned to a new investigator. Cincinnati's police union president said the original investigator was transferred to a different district over the incident.

Mixon was recharged in April with the same misdemeanor. Aggravated menacing is a first-degree misdemeanor, the most serious level, and is punishable by up to six months in jail and a maximum $1,000 fine.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Bengals' Joe Mixon trial: Lawyers focus on whether woman was afraid or enraged
Beyonce declares, I love you, Lizzo, during a Monday performance of Break My Soul at her Atlanta show as her embattled fellow singer faces a lawsuit from former dancers.

Superstar Beyonce showed support for Lizzo onstage during a concert this week in Atlanta. She shouted out the fellow singer and flutist amid controversy Lizzo now faces stemming from a lawsuit filed by some former dancers.

The 32-time Grammy Award winner called out the four-time trophy recipient while performing Break My Soul (The Queens Remix) at a performance Monday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Beyonce name-checks many famous women musicians during the remix, and cried, Lizzo. I love you, Lizzo! in that segment in front of her ATL audience.

Beyonces exclamation of love and support for Lizzo comes after the About Damn Time hitmaker became the target of a recent lawsuit from three former background dancers. Following the suits announcement, Beyonce replaced Lizzos name from the Break My Soul (The Queens Remix) with that of Erykah Badu during her performance on Aug. 1 in Massachusetts.

Lizzo attends The BRIT Awards 2023 on Feb. 11 at The O2 Arena in London. Beyonce shouted out the fellow singer and flutist amid controversy Lizzo now faces stemming from a lawsuit filed by some former dancers. (Photo by Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)

The pop stars ex-dancers  named Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez  accuse Lizzo of sexual harassment, creating a hostile work environment and fat-shaming between 2021 and 2023. They claimed that she allegedly pressured them to touch nude performers at an Amsterdam strip club and also allege that Lizzos dance captain, Shirlene Quigley, simulated oral sex and shared lewd fantasies around them.

The lawsuit also accuses Lizzo of criticizing their weight following a South by Southwest music festival performance.

Lizzo has denied the allegations.

My work ethic, morals, and respectfulness have been questioned, she wrote on her Instagram page. Usually, I choose not to respond to false allegations, but these are as unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous to not be addressed.

Lizzo took particular umbrage with accusations of fat-shaming.

I know what it feels like to be body shamed on a daily basis, and I would absolutely never criticize or terminate an employee because of their weight, she maintained. I am hurt, but I will not let the good work Ive done in the world be overshadowed by this.

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The post Beyonce shouts out Lizzo during concert amid lawsuit appeared first on TheGrio.
WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden took his economic sales pitch to Wisconsin on Tuesday  a battleground state that could prove decisive in 2024 and exemplifies the struggle the Democrat faces in convincing blue-collar workers to give him their votes.

In his remarks around the nation in recent months, Biden has taken to telling workers, that he isn't visiting to "claim victory on the economy." He repeated the refrain Wednesday in Wisconsin, adding, "We're not there yet. We have more work to do, but we always have a plan."

The once reliably Democratic midwestern state and its 10 electoral votes have become competitive in the last decade.

That's because white men without a college degree in Wisconsin have become considerably more Republican, said Charles Franklin, director of the Marquette Law School Poll, while the population of college-educated voters in the state has remained mostly unchanged.

The president may be able to marginally improve his performance among a smaller group of blue-collar union workers.

"But those union workers are not your grandfather's union guys, in terms of partisanship. They're not dedicated Democrats anymore," Franklin said. "And the unions really have to work hard to get their members to turn out for Democrats in both state and national elections."

Biden officially visited Milwaukee to promote his jobs and climate agenda a year after signing the Inflation Reduction Act into law. Yet, the trip landed a week before Republicans seeking the presidency will be in the city participating in their first primary debate.

President Joe Biden arrives to speak during an event at Henry Maier Festival Park in Milwaukee, Monday, Sept. 5, 2022. Biden is in Wisconsin this Labor Day to kick off a nine-week sprint to the crucial midterm elections.

The Democrat who is competing for reelection narrowly defeated Donald Trump in Wisconsin in the last presidential contest, and polling published by Marquette in June showed that independents would back Biden 52%-43% in a rematch against the former Republican president.

Were Biden to face another Republican, though, he could run into trouble. Wisconsin has a Senate seat on the ballot, and both political parties are making an aggressive play for the state. Besides the debate, it is also the location of the Republican National Convention.

Independents were less likely to back Biden, the Marquette survey shows, when he was not in a head-to-head contest with Trump. In a face-off with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the sitting president had a two-point advantage. But the tally was inside the margin of error.

Democratic strategist Joe Zepecki, who was the Wisconsin communications director for former President Barack Obama's reelection campaign in 2012, said the state  which has a mostly white population and is not as diverse as battlegrounds such as Arizona and Georgia  is likely to remain a politically-appealing target for Republicans.

Trump beat Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in Wisconsin in 2016 with the help of blue-collar voters after she did not visit the state during the general election.

"The reminder of that, and the prospect of that happening again, sends shivers down the spine of every Democratic operative in the country," Zepecki said.

The Biden team's focus on Wisconsin demonstrates the lingering concern, he said. "Whether it's ever-present, or just a thing they remember once in a while as a fun piece of campaign trivia, they are showing that they are going to be here early and often."

White House hits Milwaukee twice in August

The day trip to Milwaukee to tour a factory that produces wind turbine generators is his latest push for an agenda the White House had dubbed "Bidenomics" over its emphasis on investments in clean energy and manufacturing and the creation of middle-class jobs. Last week, Biden visited New Mexico and Arizona, another swing state he barely won.

"Bidenomics is just another way of saying 'restoring the American Dream,'" Biden said on Tuesday. "I believe every American willing to work hard should be able to get a job, no matter where they live  in the heartlands, small towns, raise their kids on a good paycheck and keep their roots where they grew up. That's the American Dream. That's Bidenomics."

His trip to Wisconsin was his second of the year, as he sought to get credit with swing voters for his economic policies. He visited a union hall in Madison in February. It was his first stop after he delivered the State of the Union. Biden also visited Milwaukee last Labor Day.

Vice President Kamala Harris was just in Milwaukee, too. She visited the city earlier in the month.

In a statement on the proximity of the president's latest visit to the GOP debate in Milwaukee and so soon after Harris' stop, Biden's reelection campaign took aim at Trump.

"Wisconsinites remember when Donald Trump promised 13,000 manufacturing jobs and a new Foxconn plant to their state. They also remember when that never happened. President Biden has succeeded where the former president failed American families, including by helping create nearly 800,000 manufacturing jobs that actually exist throughout the country and more than doubling the construction of new manufacturing plants," Biden campaign spokesman Kevin Munoz said.

Biden's spokesman accused Republicans of wanting to ship jobs overseas and cut taxes for wealthy Americans. "Voters in Wisconsin rejected the extreme, divisive MAGA agenda in 2020, and they rejected the MAGA attacks on choice just this year in their Supreme Court election. They will reject it again in 2024," Munoz said.

Still, voters remain skeptical. Although he outperformed Trump in the state in a 2024 matchup, Biden's job approval rating was at 45% in Wisconsin in June in Marquette's survey.

Still, his standing was better than it was last October, when he had a 41% favorability rating in the same poll. The increase was primarily due to improving sentiment among independents, 36% of whom approved of the job Biden was doing last fall, compared with 46% who said the same thing this summer.

Harris' visit to Wisconsin to promote broadband internet access and Biden's trip to tout clean energy and healthcare initiatives will only help to reinforce the choice for voters ahead of the GOP debate, Zepecki said.

"And that's the smartest political move they can make at a time when the president's numbers are still not great," the former Obama administration official said. "This helps the contrast, and it helps it for critical voters in an absolutely essential battleground state that both sides want in their column come election night 2024."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden in Wisconsin pushing to strengthen Blue wall ahead of 2024
Biden says he and first lady will visit Hawaii "as soon as we can"

President Biden said Tuesday that he and first lady Jill Biden are working on traveling to Hawaii "as soon as we can" to assess the damage from the state's devastating wildfires that have left at least 101 dead and destroyed the historic town of Lahaina on the island of Maui.

"The deadliest wildfire in more than a hundred years," Mr. Biden said Tuesday at an event in Milwaukee. "A whole city destroyed. Generations of native Hawaiian history turned into ruin."

Deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton said earlier Tuesday that the White House was having "active conversations" about when the Bidens could visit. More than 1,000 people still remain unaccounted for in Maui.

The president noted that he had approved Hawaii Gov. Josh Green's request for a federal disaster declaration, and that 500 federal personnel had been deployed to Hawaii. Mr. Biden said he had spoken to Green and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell.

"My wife Jill and I are going to travel to Hawaii as soon as we can. That's what I've been talking to the governor about," he said. "I don't want to get in the way, I've been to too many disaster areas, but I want to go and make sure they get everything they need. I want to be sure we don't disrupt the ongoing recovery efforts."

President Biden and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers are greeted by workers as they arrive at Ingeteam Inc. in Milwaukee on Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023. / Credit: Jacquelyn Martin / AP

Mr. Biden said he had directed Criswell to streamline the process, and FEMA had so far approved 50,000 meals, 75,000 liters of water, 500 beds, 10,000 blankets and other shelter supplies to survivors. He said FEMA had also authorized one-time payments of up to $700 per household for residents who have been displaced.

The president said he had authorized "all available federal assets" to assist local crews, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the Navy's Third Fleet and the U.S. Army.

"Every asset they need will be there for them and we will be there in Maui as long as it takes," Mr. Biden said.

Last week, he approved the federal disaster declaration, clearing the way for federal funding to be provided to people on the island affected by the fires.

In Milwaukee, he toured Ingeteam, Inc., a clean energy company, and talked about his economic plan. He was set to return to the White House later in the day.

Green said Monday that search crews could recover "10 to 20 people" a day going forward, and Maui County Police Chief John Pelletier said that 25% of the area had been searched as of Monday night.

While much of the focus has been on Lahaina, fires continue to burn in the Upcountry region of Maui. In the Upcountry town of Kula, located just 25 miles east of the Lahaina disaster, firefighters on Tuesday were battling smaller blazes that have ravaged approximately 700 acres and claimed 19 homes.

Fulton County DA Fani Willis aims to try Trump, 18 co-defendants at once

Activists speak after winning Montana climate case

Maui wildfires destroy sacred Indigenous sites
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Maui, Hawaii, as soon as we can, he said Tuesday in the wake of the wildfires that raged through the island to become the countrys most lethal wildfire in a century.

My wife Jill and I are going to travel to Hawaii as soon as we can. That's what I've been talking to the governor about. I don't want to get in the way, Biden said while delivering remarks on the economy in Wisconsin.

The wildfires have left 96 people dead as of Monday since the fires began last week in the historic town of Lahaina on Maui island. The catastrophic blaze has led to mass evacuations and widespread power outages, impacting thousands.

The Maui blaze was 85 percent contained by Sunday night, according to officials. Hawaii Gov. Josh Green warned Monday that many more people could be found dead as search and rescue teams continue to inspect the area.

We are prepared for many tragic stories, Green told CBS Mornings in an interview that was aired Monday. "They will find 10 to 20 people per day, probably, until they finish. And its probably going to take 10 days. Its impossible to guess, really.

On Thursday, Biden approved a major disaster declaration for Hawaii in order to free up federal aid to support the island. Biden also had an extended phone call with Green last week, assuring him of his commitment to ensuring the state receives everything it needs from the federal government.

Kelly Garrity contributed to this report.


Two companies are proposing expansions into Fort Worth that would create more than 1,700 jobs with nearly $600 million in investment.

Industrial manufacturing giant Siemens and beverage container manufacturer DrinkPak are both seeking incentives from the city. The economic news Tuesday comes on the heels of Gulfstream Aerospace proposing its own expansion in Fort Worth that would employ more than 100 workers.

Siemens Industry Inc., the German companys U.S. subsidiary, has a low-voltage circuit breaker plant in Grand Prairie and is now looking to open an advanced manufacturing plant in Fort Worth.

A new Siemens plant at 7200 Harris Legacy Drive would focus on production of low-voltage switchboards and switchgear. Under the proposed incentives, Siemens would invest $70 million in building by the end of 2024 and another $63 million in equipment by January 2025.

The company would create up to 715 full-time jobs by the end of 2026, with nearly one-quarter of jobs coming to Fort Worth by the end of 2024. The jobs would pay an average salary of $63,000.

DrinkPak, an alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage manufacturer founded in 2020 in Los Angeles, is looking to open two facilities in Fort Worth that would employ 1,000 people. New manufacturing plants would revolve around the production of canned cocktails, energy drinks, canned cold brew, hard seltzers and more.

One location in Denton County at 25001 Eagle Parkway would sit within the Trammel Crow development near Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport. That site would finish in January 2027. The second plant would open in southeast Fort Worth in the Carter Park East industrial park by January 2028. DrinkPak would invest $452 million across both locations.

DrinkPak says it would create 550 jobs by December 2026 for the first manufacturing plant and 450 jobs by December 2027 for the second location. Jobs would have an average annual salary of more than $70,000.

Both Siemens and DrinkPak would commit to spending 15% of their construction costs on local minority- or women-owned firms.

The Fort Worth City Council will decide Sept. 12 whether to approve incentives for both companies.

The city would provide DrinkPak a $21 million tax abatement, or an exemption of up to 70% of DrinkPaks incremental real and business personal property over the next 10 years. The proposed package for Seimens would provide an estimated $6 million tax abatement, which is up to 70% of the companys incremental real and business personal property over 10 years. The grant would be lowered by 10% if Siemens does not meet equity construction requirements.

City staff expect the Seimens to generate $2.6 million in new tax revenue, which would pay back the incentives in around six years. DrinkPaks expansion is expected to generate $8.9 million in tax revenue, making up for the incentives in about seven years.

Both the Siemens site and second DrinkPak site on Oak Grove Road are owned by industrial development company Carter Park East Land LLC.
(Reuters) -Crypto exchange Binance late on Monday filed for a protective court order against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, saying the regulator's requests for information were "over broad" and "unduly burdensome."

BAM Trading, Binance U.S.' operating company, and BAM Management in a court filing in the US District Court of Columbia said the group had already provided sufficient information to the regulator.

The protective order seeks to limit the SEC, among other things, to four depositions from BAM employees and to drop the deposition of BAM's chief executive and of its chief financial officer, without naming anyone.

Binance did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while the SEC declined to comment.

U.S. regulators sued Binance and CEO Changpeng Zhao in June for allegedly operating a "web of deception," listing 13 charges including claims the company artificially inflated its trading volumes, diverted customer funds, failed to restrict U.S. customers from its platform and misled investors about its market surveillance controls.

"The SEC has still yet to identify any evidence suggesting that customer assets were misused or dissipated in any way," the filing said.

The SEC has declined BAM's proposals to meaningfully limit its requests and is opposed to the motion for a protective order, the filing said.

(Reporting by Lavanya Ahire in Bengaluru; Editing by Kim Coghill, Sharon Singleton and Mark Porter)
NatureScot says it is receiving fewer reports of dead birds

New outbreaks of avian flu have been confirmed at premises in Aberdeenshire and Dumfries and Galloway.

Protection and surveillance measures have been put in place at two locations near Fraserburgh and one near Kirkcudbright.

However, environment agency NatureScot said it was now receiving fewer reports of dead birds.

The carcasses of thousands of dead seabirds have been removed from coastlines in recent weeks.

NatureScot said in a statement: "We are continuing to see dead birds, particularly kittiwakes, guillemots and herring gulls, reported on our east coast shores, although we have been receiving fewer reports since the final week of July.

"However, we are also now seeing small numbers of seabirds affected in other parts of Scotland."

The agency said a few dead auks had tested positive on the west coast, including a guillemot in Dumfries and Galloway and a puffin, a razorbill and two guillemot in Kintyre.

It is thought possible that the carcasses may have washed over from Rathlin Island in Northern Ireland, where avian flu has been suspected of hitting kittiwakes and guillemots.

Bird flu has now been confirmed in gulls on Canna and signs of the disease have been reported in gulls in Lewis and Harris and in Ullapool.

"Avian influenza has also been detected in the Northern Isles, with two Arctic terns testing positive in Shetland, but there are no reports of a widespread effect of avian flu on seabirds at this time in Shetland or Orkney," NatureScot said.

"Overall, there are now positive avian flu test results from regions including Aberdeenshire, the Highlands, East Lothian, Fife, Angus and Argyll.

"NatureScot and partners are continuing surveillance at key seabird sites and collecting samples for testing. Testing updates are posted by the Animal and Plant Health Agency.

The virus risk to human health is described as low.
Photo: The Canadian Press Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, center, speaks in the Fulton County Government Center during a news conference, Monday, Aug. 14, 2023, in Atlanta. Donald Trumps defiant march deeper into infamy barely broke stride Tuesday after a grand jury in Georgia finally handed up another long-awaited indictment of the former president  his fourth in five months. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-John Bazemore

Donald Trump's defiant march deeper into infamy barely broke stride Tuesday after a grand jury in Georgia finally handed up another long-awaited indictment of the former president  his fourth in five months.

"Communism has finally reached America's shores," Trump's campaign, seemingly buoyed by his mounting legal woes, declared in a fundraising missive that accused "rogue prosecutors" of "criminalizing dissent."

Monday's 98-page, 41-count indictment includes 13 charges against Trump himself while also indicting 18 co-conspirators, all of whom are accused of violating the state's RICO law: the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

Unlike in New York, Florida and Washington, D.C., where Trump is also facing charges, televised court proceedings are more the norm than the exception in Georgia, which means interested Canadians will be able to follow along.

"There's going to be a forest full of attorneys with so many defendants," said Charles Bullock, a political science professor at the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga.

"Many of them will want to have their own counsel. So it's going be a courtroom full of lawyers on the defence side of the courtroom, and some of them probably will be playing to the cameras."

Now that all four indictments are unsealed, here's a look at some of the details of each one.



GEORGIA

Charges: 41 in total, spread out among 19 co-defendants, including violation of the RICO Act, making false statements, forgery, perjury, impersonating a public officer, infuencing witnesses and conspiracy to commit election fraud.

Allegation: "Trump and the other defendants charged in this indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and wilfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump," the indictment reads. "That conspiracy contained a common plan and purpose to commit two or more acts of racketeering activity in Fulton County, Ga., elsewhere in the State of Georgia and in other states."

RICO: The Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations Act was first enacted in 1970 as part of a federal crackdown on organized crime. Numerous states have since enacted similar statutes. Broadly speaking, prosecutors must show an accused took part in two or more specific, related criminal acts  the "racketeering" component  as part of an ongoing "enterprise," in this case the bid to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results.

Indicted co-conspirators: The list includes some of the most prominent members of Trump's post-election entourage, including lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who targeted New York City crime bosses under RICO in the 1980s while serving as Manhattan district attorney. Also indicted are constitutional lawyer John Eastman, former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows and Sidney Powell, who famously vowed to "release the Kraken" with her doomed legal effort to uncover non-existent voter fraud.

Televised? Likely, since Georgia is a jurisdiction that's long been receptive to allowing cameras in the courtroom. That's going to make it difficult to escape, said Bullock: "It's going to get tremendous viewership, and then bring in people who aren't viewing it themselves. They're gonna hear about it."

___

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Charges: Four felony counts, including obstructing an official proceeding, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy against rights.

Allegation: The indictment accuses Trump of perpetrating three separate criminal conspiracies: to "impair, obstruct or defeat" the government's efforts to determine and certify the election results; to "obstruct and impede" the congressional effort to certify the outcome; and "a conspiracy against the right to vote and to have one's vote counted."

Indicted co-conspirators: None. The indictment mentions but does not name multiple unindicted co-conspirators, part of what experts say is a strategy by special counsel Jack Smith to ensure a speedy trial. Prosecutors have asked for that trial to begin as early as Jan. 2 of next year. Powell, Eastman and Giuliani are all widely believed to be among those unnamed Trump allies.

Televised? Possibly. Broadcasters are mounting an effort to convince U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to entertain a petition to allow cameras, a rarity in federal criminal proceedings in the U.S. The likelihood of a televised trial in Georgia "has no impact at all on what were seeking in the Trump D.C. criminal case," said Dan Shelley, president of the U.S. Radio Television Digital News Association.



FLORIDA

Charges: 40 felony charges against Trump, including 31 counts of wilful retention of national defence information, as well as conspiracy to obstruct justice, concealing documents and making false statements. Longtime aide Walt Nauta faces nine charges. A superceding indictment handed up late last month added multiple charges, including four against Carlos De Oliveira, an employee at the former president's country-club compound in Florida, Mar-a-Lago.

Allegations: The original indictment accused Trump and Nauta of conspiring to retain numerous classified documents after leaving the White House and of trying to thwart Justice Department efforts to get them back. The updated indictment added claims that Trump asked De Oliveira to delete security camera footage, and accused the former president of sharing classified information with people lacking clearance.

Indicted co-conspirators: Nauta and De Oliveira.

Televised? Unlikely. Federal trials are rarely televised in the U.S. The RTDNA's efforts will seek to convince the Judicial Conference, the policy-making arm of the U.S. court system chaired by Roberts, to allow cameras at all of Trump's trials, but their main goal is getting the D.C. trial televised.



NEW YORK

Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg's case against Trump, first unsealed in early April, is by now best known as the historic first time a former U.S. president has been indicted on criminal charges. But on its legal merits, experts say it packs the weakest punch.

Charges: 34 counts of falsifying business records "with intent to defraud and intent to commit another crime and aid and conceal the commission thereof"  a wrinkle that elevates what would typically be misdemeanor charges to the level of a felony.

Allegations: Trump is accused of trying to conceal a series of so-called "hush-money" payments his campaign made to various individuals during his 2016 presidential campaign, including adult film star Stormy Daniels. Prosecutors are expected to argue that some or all of those payments comprised illegal campaign contributions.

Indicted co-conspirators: None, although evidence given by Trump's former fixer Michael Cohen, who was convicted in 2018 on tax evasion and campaign law violations for his role in the schemes, is central to the case.

Televised? Doubtful  New York has long been reticent about cameras in the courtroom, although state legislators are trying to advance measures that would ease some of those restrictions in an effort to reduce opacity in New York's legal system.
TechCrunch

A year ago, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, a law loaded with incentives for climate tech and designed to encourage companies like automakers to bring manufacturing back to the United States. The battery factory trend might have started before the IRA was signed, but the law has helped accelerate the ramp. ElectraMeccanica, previously the maker of the three-wheeled Solo EV, is merging with an electric truck startup Tevva, and the whole deal makes me wonder if there's a place for such tiny autocycles in the U.S.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that efforts to bring home Americans wrongfully detained in Iran are not linked to efforts to rein in Tehrans nuclear activity.

The secretary added that Irans positive steps toward freeing the imprisoned Americans do not impact the Biden administrations objections to the Islamic Republics other abusive actions, including its human rights violations; support for terrorist proxies in the Middle East and attacks against U.S. troops in the region; and providing weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine.

Nothing about our overall approach to Iran has changed, Blinken said in a press conference at the State Department.

Weve been clear that Iran must de-escalate to create space for future diplomacy. This development, that is the move of our detainees out of prison and to home detention, is not linked to any other aspect of our Iran policy, it is simply about our people.

The Biden administration announced last week that five Americans imprisoned in Iran were released and placed on house arrest as part of negotiations toward their eventual return to the U.S.

U.S. officials have cautioned that talks with Iran to free the Americans remain ongoing. Part of the negotiations with Iran is allowing Tehran to access $6 billion in oil profits frozen in a South Korean bank, which the administrations says can only be used for humanitarian purposes.

The release of the Americans is also reportedly contingent on an exchange of Iranians jailed in the U.S. on charges related to sanctions violations.

Blinken said negotiations to secure the Americans release have always been separate from the administrations pursuit of diplomacy with Iran to roll back advancements to its nuclear weapons program. Iran began pursuing those advancements following former President Trumps withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the formal name for the nuclear deal that put strict caps on Irans nuclear activity in exchange for sanctions relief.

Intensive diplomacy by the Biden administration and the European signatories to the JCPOA to rejoin the nuclear deal fell apart over Iranian demands that the U.S. said were unrelated to the deal. The talks between U.S. and Iranian officials  conducted through intermediaries  further fell apart over criticisms of Irans brutal crackdown on domestic protests related to the death in Iranian custody of a young Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, who was detained for allegedly wearing her headscarf inappropriately.

But the Biden administration in recent weeks had reportedly engaged with Iran over efforts to de-escalate its nuclear activity and roll back its enrichment of nuclear weapons-grade fuel to 60 percent purity, below the 90 percent needed for a bomb but far above the 3.67 percent limit of the JCPOA.

Blinken on Tuesday would not confirm a Wall Street Journal report that Iran had slowed its buildup of weapons-grade uranium as part of easing tensions linked to the efforts to return home-detained Americans, free up Irans oil profits for humanitarian purposes and release Iranians in U.S. jails.

There is no agreement between us on nuclear matters, he said.

The agreement that were pursuing to bring home those who are wrongfully detained in Iran is an entirely separate matter that we want to bring to a successful conclusion. And thats what Im focused on.

Blinken also wouldnt address the imprisonment in Iran since 2016 of U.S. permanent resident Shahab Dalili, whose family argues he is being unjustly detained, though the Biden administration has yet to make such a determination.

Dalili is reportedly on hunger strike in jail, while his son Darian is carrying out a hunger strike in the U.S. while protesting in Washington.

We continue to look, and will always continue to look at the situations conditions of other Americans around the world, who may be detained, Blinken said. He added that he was barred from talking about individual cases because of privacy reasons.

I can simply say that as a matter of policy were constantly reviewing whether any particular individual, whether an American citizen or legal permanent resident, who is incarcerated in another country is wrongfully detained, and that of course triggers a whole series of actions and steps that we take to try and secure their release.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Secretary of State Blinken meets with Iranian activists at the U.S. State Department in Washington

By Humeyra Pamuk and Arshad Mohammed

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday he could not confirm a report that Iran slowed its pace of amassing near-weapons-grade enriched uranium but would welcome any Iranian steps to de-escalate its "growing nuclear threat."

Blinken also told reporters that Iran moving U.S. detainees into house arrest was not related to any other aspect of U.S. policy toward Iran, which he said reflected a strategy of deterrence, pressure and diplomacy.

On Thursday, sources said Iran may free five detained U.S. citizens as part of a deal to unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian funds in South Korea. Iran allowed four detained U.S. citizens to move into house arrest from prison. A fifth was already under home confinement.

The Wall Street Journal on Friday reported Iran had significantly slowed the pace at which it was accumulating near-weapons-grade enriched uranium and diluted some of its stockpile, moves that could help ease tensions with the U.S. and revive broader talks over Iran's nuclear program.

"Of course, we would welcome any steps that Iran takes to actually deescalate the growing nuclear threat that it has posed since the United States got out of the Iran nuclear deal," Blinken told a news conference, alluding to former U.S. President Donald Trump's 2018 abandonment of that agreement.

Under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and six major powers, Iran had agreed to curb its nuclear program to make it harder for it to obtain an atomic weapon - an ambition it denies - in return for relief from U.S., European Union and United Nations sanctions.

When asked if Iran's reported slowdown and the release of the detainees to house arrest was in any way linked, Blinken said they were different issues. "The agreement that we're pursuing to bring home those who are wrongfully detained in Iran is an entirely separate matter that we want to bring to a successful conclusion, and that's what I'm focused on."

WRONGFULLY DETAINED

The deal announced last week has left out Shahab Dalili, 60, a U.S. permanent resident who has been detained in Iran since 2016, even though his family have repeatedly pleaded with the Biden administration to include him in the deal or at least label him "wrongfully detained".

Dalili has started a hunger strike in the Evin prison in Iran where he has been jailed, his son said on Monday.

The State Department makes the legal determination of wrongful detainment, which effectively means the U.S. government views the charges as politically motivated and false.

Blinken emphasized that the agreement included U.S. citizens who have all been designated as wrongfully detained and said Washington would continue to examine other cases.

"For reasons of privacy, I can't talk about any individual cases. I can simply say that as a matter of policy, we're constantly reviewing whether any particular individual, whether an American citizen or a legal permanent resident, who was incarcerated in another country is wrongfully detained," he said.

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk, Simon Lewis, Arshad Mohammed and Daphne Psaledakis; Writing by Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Josie Kao)
An international scheme involving ill-gotten COVID-19 benefits totaling millions of dollars has landed a Bloomington woman in prison with a $4 million debt to repay.

On Aug. 9, U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Walton Pratt sentenced 28-year-old Oluwatobi Seton to five years in prison. She pleaded guilty to wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Court documents allege Seton conspired with partners in Nigeria to obtain state and federal unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic by applying for benefits using stolen identities.

A news release from the State Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Indiana said Seton and those working with her used stolen personal information to open GoBank accounts with debit cards.

They submitted fraudulent applications to unemployment agencies throughout the U.S., the statement said, and arranged to have the money deposited into the GoBank accounts.

"Seton then used fake drivers licenses in the victims names to access the proceeds of the fraud scheme. At the time of her arrest, Seton had over 1,400 GoBank cards and 10 drivers licenses with different names in her possession," the news release said.

Where to put the jail: Monroe County, Bloomington eye former Thomson plant site for new jail

Investigators said the scam resulted in at least $5.5 million in "actual and attempted losses" to state and federal agencies that provided unemployment funds during the pandemic.

Seton kept a portion of the proceeds and sent the rest to co-conspirators, including business partners in Nigeria, the news release said. Investigators reported seizing more than $550,000 in cash and in bank accounts linked to the scheme.

This international criminal enterprise conspired to steal millions of dollars meant to help our citizens as we fought through the unprecedented pandemic, Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District, said in the statement.

Fraudsters like this defendant who sought to exploit the urgent need to provide pandemic relief must be held accountable."

Contact H-T reporter Laura Lane at llane@heraldt.com or 812-318-5967.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington, Indiana woman sent to prison for COVID-19 benefits fraud
Boater missing off Florida, Coast Guard finds his empty vessel 8 miles off shore

U.S. Coast Guard crews are searching for a missing boater whose empty vessel was found off the coast of Florida, officials said Monday.

Andre Nolasco, 57, was reported missing after launching his boat from Nicks Park in Port Richey on Sunday morning, the U.S. Coast Guard Southeast said.

Air and water crews began a search for Nolasco, with a Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater MH60 Jayhawk helicopter eventually finding his vessel about 8 miles west of Hudson, the agency said.

The boat, however, had no one on board.

US COAST GUARD, NAVY RESCUE 4 MISSING DIVERS OFF COAST OF CAPE FEAR, NC

Andre Nolasco, 57, was reported missing after setting sail from Nick's Park in Port Richey, Florida, on Sunday morning.

Officials said crews are now searching for a person in the water. The search continued overnight Monday into Tuesday morning, and will remain ongoing throughout Tuesday.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

A Coast Guard MH60 Jayhawk helicopter located Andre Nolasco's boat on Monday. Crews, however, found no sign of Nolasco on board.

No additional information was immediately released about the search for Nolasco.

Nolasco, a father of two, lives in Port Richey and is originally from the Dominican Republic, his family told WTSP-TV.

BODY FOUND IN OREGON RESERVOIR AMID SEARCH FOR MISSING WOMAN LAST SEEN NAKED AND AFRAID AT CONSTRUCTION SITE

Nolascos friend Yancy Hiraldo told the station that he is holding onto hope that the missing boater will be found safe.

"Come back to your family because, trust me, your kids need you," Hiraldo said.

Coast Guard crews searched overnight Monday into Tuesday morning without success. Crews will continue searching the waters for Andre Nolasco throughout Tuesday, officials said.

The latest search comes after the Coast Guard and U.S. Navy rescued four divers who were reported missing Sunday off the coast of the Carolinas. The four men had gone diving off a leisure boat called "Big Bills" about 63 miles east of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, but never resurfaced.

The divers were found safe on Monday about 46 miles southeast of Cape Fear River, North Carolina.
A boater vanished in an Idaho river after the passenger went to get help for their stuck boat, deputies said.

Two men were in a jet boat around 9 p.m. on Aug. 12 in the Snake River when they struck rocks, the Idaho County Sheriffs Office said in a Facebook post.

The rocks tore a hole in the bottom of their boat, deputies said, so they floated down the river until they became stuck on a gravel bar.

Thats when the passenger got out of the boat to call for help, leaving 32-year-old Wacy DeCora of Moscow, Idaho, inside the boat, deputies said.

The water rose while he was gone, so he couldnt return to the boat, deputies said. At about 3 a.m. on Aug. 13, deputies said he tried to communicate with DeCora but couldnt find him.

Deputies said its likely DeCora drowned. Now they are monitoring the river and the riverbank for his body.

Our deepest sympathy goes out to the family of Wacy, deputies said.

At least 4,000 people die from drowning every year in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and drowning is a leading cause of death for children.

Some factors can make drowning more likely, including not knowing how to swim, a lack of close supervision, not wearing a life jacket and drinking alcohol while recreating near or in water.

The National Drowning Prevention Alliance said there are tips to help keep you safe in the water, including checking local weather conditions, never swimming alone and choosing the right equipment.

Dont hesitate to get out of the water if something doesnt feel right, the group said on its website. Whether its that the current is getting rough, rain has started to fall, or your body is just not responding like you would like it to due to fatigue or muscle cramps, then just leave and return to the water another day. Its always a good thing to trust your instincts.

Friends lose sight of man swimming, but find shoes at waters edge, Texas officials say

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Former President Trump is facing 13 new charges in Georgia stemming from his efforts to remain in power following the 2020 election.

A 98-page indictment outlines Trumps pressure campaign against election officials, a plot to submit false slates of electors and a lawsuit seeking to overturn the results in the state. Trump is also charged alongside 18 co-defendants.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Williss (D) prosecution has only added to Trumps three existing criminal indictments, with the former president now facing a combined 91 counts across the cases.

Here are the new charges Trump faces.

Racketeering

Trump is charged with violating Georgias Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, Act for allegedly partaking in a wide-reaching plot to subvert the states 2020 election results and stay in power.

All 19 defendants in the case are charged with violating RICO, and prosecutors outlined 161 alleged acts they claim were part of a conspiracy to overturn the election results in the state

The federal RICO Act was created in 1970 to combat organized crime, but Georgias version of the law is broader; the state law can be aimed at any enterprise, meaning prosecutors can use it for a broader array of conduct.

Designed to help prosecutors take on criminal leaders  not just low-level henchmen doing their dirty work  RICO laws let prosecutors paint a bigger picture by weaving together multiple crimes by different actors.

The alleged acts span a wide variety of conduct beginning the day after the election and extending as far as September 2021, months after Trumps tenure in the White House ended.

Prosecutors accused Trump and his allies of attempting to overturn the election results by, among other things, encouraging state officials to violate their oaths of office, devising a plan to submit a false slate of pro-Trump electors, intimidating an election worker and unlawfully breaching voting equipment.

The charge is designated a serious felony by the state, a status determined by sentence length, putting it on par with other serious felonies such as robbery, kidnapping and murder.

Fake electors plot

Several of the charges relate to a plot among Trump and his allies to submit false slates of pro-Trump electors to Congress in key swing states, including Georgia.

In connection with the scheme, Trump is charged with conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer, two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree, two counts of conspiracy to commit false statements and writings and conspiracy to commit filing false documents.

An array of Trumps lawyers and affiliates also face a mix of those charges, including longtime ally Rudy Giuliani and lawyer John Eastman.

Kenneth Chesebro, a Trump-allied attorney who wrote multiple memos laying out the plan, faces several charges in connection with the plot.

Ray Smith and Robert Cheeley, both lawyers, and Michael Roman  a Trump staffer  also face related charges.

The memos ultimately set the stage for a Dec. 14 meeting inside the state capitol, where 16 pro-Trump electors signed documents casting purported Electoral College votes for Trump.

Trump-Raffensperger call

The former president is also charged with false statements and writings, and solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer  both charges linked to a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call Trump made to Raffensperger.

In the call, Trump asked Raffensperger to find another 11,780 votes in the state that favored him. A recording of their conversation, first published by the Washington Post, has long been considered one of the most incriminating pieces of evidence against the former president.

Raffensperger testified before the House Jan. 6 committee in June 2022 that his office didnt have any votes to find.

We just followed the law and we followed the Constitution, Raffensperger said at the time. And at the end of the day, President Trump came up short.

John Lauro, one of Trumps attorneys, characterized Trumps comments as political speech and said the former president was asking Raffensperger to get to the truth.

Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, who was on the call, was also charged with soliciting a violation of oath by a public officer.

Soliciting Georgia House Speaker

Willis charged Trump with soliciting a public officer to violate their oath of office by pressuring Georgia House Speaker David Ralston (R) to call a special session of the Legislature.

The Dec. 7, 2020, conversation occurred the same day that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) recertified Joe Bidens victory in the state after counting the ballots a third time.

Prosecutors will need to prove Trump attempted to cause Ralston, who has since died, to commit conduct that would constitute a felony. The charge carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison.

Trump New Years Eve lawsuit

Trumps campaign filed multiple post-election legal challenges in Georgia seeking to throw out ballots or overturn the results.

The indictment takes aim at one of those suits, which was filed on New Years Eve 2020 and falsely alleged mass fraud that was enough to change the outcome of the election in Georgia.

The suit demanded the court direct Kemp and Raffensperger to decertify the election results, making unfounded claims about dead people voting and other illegal votes.

Williss office charged Trump with one count of filing false documents, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment and a $10,000 fine.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court by Eastman, an attorney who pressured then-Vice President Mike Pence into overturning the results, and Kurt Hilbert, a Georgia-based attorney who represented Trump. Eastman was also charged with filing false documents, although Hilberts name does not appear in the indictment.

Trump had signed a document, which was filed with the court, verifying the facts contained within the Dec. 31 complaint as true to the best of his knowledge.

September 2021 letter to Raffensperger

The final two charges against Trump relate to a letter he sent to Raffensperger nearly a year after the election.

On Sept. 17, 2021, Trump alleged that 43,000 absentee ballots in DeKalb County violated chain of custody procedures.

I would respectfully request that your department check this and, if true, along with many other claims of voter fraud and voter irregularities, start the process of decertifying the Election, or whatever the correct legal remedy is, and announce the true winner. As stated to you previously, the number of false and/or irregular votes is far greater than needed to change the Georgia election result, Trump wrote.

Willis charged the former president with another count of soliciting a public officer to violate their oath of office and making a false statement. He is the only defendant to face those charges.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
WARNING: This story contains mention of self-harm. Resources and support are available 24/7 through the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988.

BRICK TOWNSHIP - A Brick Township man is in critical condition after breaking into his ex-wife's home, shooting at a police officer and then shooting himself on Monday, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced Tuesday.

Around 8:40 a.m. on August 14, Brick Township Police received a 911 call from a woman stating that she had been notified by her Ring doorbell camera that her ex-husband - Corey Johnson, 28, - had broken into her residence on Judy Court, Billhimer said.

After receiving the Ring notification, the woman, who was not named, left work and was on the phone with a 911 dispatcher when she arrived at the parking lot of her residence, according to the prosecutor. Johnson, who had exited the home, pulled his motor vehicle in front of hers, blocking her in.

A Brick Township police officer arrived on scene and exited his vehicle, Billhimer said. As he did so, Johnson also got out of his vehicle, firing one shot in the direction of the officer and striking his windshield. The officer was uninjured.

Immediately after, Johnson turned the gun on himself and shot himself in the head, Billhimer said. He was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center and is in critical condition. The incident is under active and ongoing investigation.

Jenna Calderon covers breaking news and cold cases in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Before coming to the Press, she covered The Queen City for Cincinnati Magazine in Ohio. Contact her at 330-590-3903; jcalderon@gannettnj.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Shooting in Brick NJ: Corey Johnson breaks into home, shoots himself
Britain has charged three Bulgarian nationals who are accused of spying on behalf of the Russian intelligence services. The trio are scheduled to go on trial at the Old Bailey court in January. File Photo by Michael D Beckwith/Wikimedia Commons

Aug. 15 (UPI) -- The British government charged three Bulgarian nationals suspected of spying for Russia, police said Tuesday.

Biser Dzhambazov, 41, Katrin Ivanova, 31, and Orlin Roussev, 45, were arrested by counter-terrorism police in February and charged with having fake identity documents with "improper intentions."

The trio were charged under the 1911 Official Secrets Act with the government alleging they worked for the Russian intelligence services, the BBC reported.

The trio had passports and documents from Spain, Italy, Croatia, France, the Czech Republic, Greece, and Slovenia, the report added.

The Metropolitan police said the three were arrested in February while two other people were arrested at the same time. All five are due in court in September with a trial set for January.

Ivanova and Dzhambazov are believed to be a couple and have lived in Britain for about a decade and ran an organization to help integrate Bulgarian immigrants into British society.

The pair reportedly assisted the Bulgarian election commission's process of expatriate voting in Britain.

Roussev moved to Britain in 2009 and has business ties to Russia, the BBC said.

Roussev has been described as a software engineer and claims to have worked for the Bulgarian Energy Ministry and to have owned the now-defunct company NewGenTech Ltd.
Caitlyn Jenner took aim at the Georgia indictment brought against former President Trump late Monday night, saying that it was the first time she has been ashamed of the United States.

I am the child of a World War II veteran  I grew up a patriot, Jenner said on Fox News @ Night. I was the first person to put up a flag at the finish line to good old USA. Why? Cause I was so proud of my country. And I have to say today, and watching all this come down  this is the first time Ive ever been ashamed of my country and what is going on.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) unveiled a 98-page indictment Monday evening charging Trump and 18 others over their actions related to efforts to overturn the 2020 Georgia election results. Trump alone faces 13 counts, ranging from issuing false statements and impersonating a public officer to conspiracy and racketeering.

Jenner, a former reality star and GOP gubernatorial candidate in California, has previously criticized Trumps Republican presidential opponents for not going far enough to defend him in the aftermath of his numerous indictments. She also Monday compared the United States to developing nations.

I mean, we look at elections in Venezuela and other places in the world, these third-world countries, and we are turning into that  we are turning into that country, she said. And thats a shame.

Meet the 18 people charged with Trump in Georgia indictment

She said that the prosecutors botched the case after Reuters reported that a document, purporting to indict Trump on several criminal charges, appeared on the court website Monday afternoon before it was quickly removed.

Donald Trump is a stand-up guy, she said. Its a shame to see what our weaponized judicial system here in the United States is doing. Honestly, Im ashamed. I mean, its horrible.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Photo: Vancouver Police Department. The (VPD) is releasing surveillance photos of a suspect in a sexual assault in hopes to identify him.

Vancouver police are seeking the public's help in identifying a suspect in a sexual assault.

The incident took place in the early hours of July 15 after the suspect and victim met each other near Robson and Granville streets and left the area in a vehicle, shares the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) in a news release.

The suspect is described as a dark-skinned man with short black hair and a black beard.

Surveillance images show that he may have been wearing a light-coloured t-shirt, checkered shorts, and flip flop sandals around the time of the alleged assault.

Anyone who recognizes him is asked to call VPD investigators at 604-717-0603.
A Caldwell man convicted by a jury of sexually abusing a child could serve 30 years in prison.

Third District Judge Randall Grove on Tuesday sentenced Yovany Garcia-Lopez, 39, to a prison term of 17 years fixed and 13 indeterminate, which means he must serve 17 years before being eligible for parole, according to a news release from Canyon County.

A jury in June found Garcia-Lopez guilty on two counts of lewd conduct with a minor, and one count each of sexual abuse of a minor and injury to a child, according to previous Idaho Statesman reporting.

All three charges are felonies, and all were related to a single victim who was abused, manipulated and groomed between 201 1 and 2021, the release said. Garcia-Lopez made threats to prevent the child from disclosing the abuse, authorities said.

Grove also ordered Garcia-Lopez to pay a $5,000 fine and not have any contact with the victim for the duration of his sentence, whether hes in prison or out. He has to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

The bravery shown by the victims in these types of cases is truly commendable, said Bryan Taylor, Canyon County prosecutor, in the release. Not only do they have to undergo physical and sexual abuse, but they also have to endure getting up on a witness stand and confronting their abuser. That takes incredible strength, and Im thankful for days like today when they receive the type of justice that they deserve.

Caldwell man charged with sexually abusing child for a decade. Heres the jurys verdict
CORRECTS TO 37 INTEAD OF 30 SACRAMENTO PERCH California Fish and Wildlife biologist Matt Lucero releases some of the 37 Sacramento Perch juveniles in Lindo Lake County Park in the Lakeside suburb of San Diego, Friday, Aug. 11, 2023. Lucero brought the fish from Bridgeport reservoir, a picturesque body of water surrounded by snow-capped mountains that has become a bottleneck for the fish's genes because the isolated population cannot migrate. (AP Photo/Julie Watson)

SAN DIEGO (AP)  Californias only native sunfish, the Sacramento perch, survived catastrophic floods in the 1860s and was so abundant that it was a regular staple in San Franciscos markets before invasive species decimated its population.

Today it is relegated to mostly isolated lakes, reservoirs and ponds with few predators. But as the planet heats up and threatens many cold-water game fish species like trout, the Sacramento perch may be on the cusp of a comeback, thanks in part to its ability to tolerate warm water and extreme conditions.

State officials recently introduced Sacramento perch to Southern California in an attempt to widen its range, strengthen its gene pool, create a breeding stock and generate interest among more anglers. Biologists with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife released the first batch of 37 mostly juvenile Sacramento perch on Thursday evening in San Diego Countys only natural lake, Lindo Lake in Lakeside, a suburb east of the city of San Diego.

Its a native game fish that we can promote as a viable fishery in the future where we may not be able to have trout in certain areas because of climate change and warming waters, environmental scientist Matt Lucero with the department said after releasing the fish in batches.

The multiyear experiment reflects the changes facing sportfishing as rivers, streams, lakes and ponds warm. Climate change is the biggest threat to the survival of trout in Americas interior West, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. It estimates up to 50% of trout habitat in the Rocky Mountain region is at risk of disappearing by the end of the century.

Sacramento perch will never replace trout, state biologists said. Instead, the focus is on preserving a native species, and as an added benefit, the fish could allow anglers another option as temperatures rise, limiting seasons for cold-water species in some places.

Max Fish, the department's senior environmental scientist overseeing the efforts, said the hope is it can be introduced to fishing spots in more urban areas.

We're in an exploratory phase to evaluate how well the fish will do, and how communities react to those fisheries, he said.

Tiffany Turner of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, which advocates for conservation to help anglers and hunters, said California is smart to act now to expand the habitat of climate-resilient fish, though she expects some resistance initially in a sport that is steeped in traditions.

Anglers are going to have to adapt if we want to keep doing what we love," she said.

Biologists say the iridescent green and purple fish, whose markings and long spiny dorsal fins hint at its legacy dating back 15 million years, stands out for its ability to thrive in everything from cold mountain lakes to warm stagnant, brackish water.

Sacramento perch's resiliency allowed it to survive the catastrophic floods that wiped out much of Central California more than 160 years ago.

But its numbers plummeted by the early 20th century with the introduction of non-native species, including other more aggressive sunfish from the midwestern United States, which pushed the Sacramento perch out of its native habitat in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

It's unknown if any still exist in its native habitat. Most of the population is concentrated in more than two dozen high-altitude lakes in Northern California, and a handful of western states.

Scientists hope that by introducing it to Southern California it will help strengthen the gene pool and build data for the captive breeding of Sacramento perch. Some hope the native fish can someday flourish as a food source much like tilapia, a highly adaptable warm-water species that is illegal to produce in California due to its potential to invade native ecosystems.

Peter Moyle, a Sacramento perch expert at the University of California, Davis, applauds the state for bringing it to Southern California. It's one of the best tasting freshwater fish I know of, he said, adding that it's also fun to fish since it puts up a fight.

Lucero said the project will take at least three years, and it'll be awhile before fishing even opens at Lindo Lake. There are still many challenges to overcome.

Last summer biologists released Sacramento perch larval in Lindo Lake after it was drained, dredged and restored to its natural state and outfitted with fish habitat structures. But someone since then dumped in a bucket of largemouth bass, which eat native sunfish eggs, Lucero said.

Biologists still dont know how many have survived. They hope the introduction of juveniles will give the population a fighting chance of establishing itself. The juveniles are believed to be a year old and are expected to be able to spawn in another year, and lay as many as 10,000 eggs, Lucero said.

San Diego County officials have posted No fishing signs around Lindo Lake. Rangers also patrol regularly during daylight hours but it is a public park surrounded by apartment buildings, stores and modest ranch style homes.

Officials say the best assurance is educating people about how special the Sacramento perch is.

Lucero brought the Sacramento perch from Bridgeport reservoir, nestled in the jagged snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains. Biologists identified it as a gene bottleneck for the species.

Lucero, with other state biologists, stunned the perch with an electrical current so they would float to the surface belly up to be able to scoop them up. They eventually loaded 37 young fish into a bin in the bed of a pickup truck, and Lucero drove them eight hours to the lake in San Diego County.

After arriving with the fish, Lucero spent an hour acclimating them to their new home, which is 6,000 feet (1,828 meters) lower in elevation. He slowly poured into their bin Lindo Lake water, which was at 83 degrees Fahrenheit (28.3 Celsius), while swapping out the water from Bridgeport, which was at 68 degrees Fahrenheit, (20 degrees Celsius).

The fish huddled together in a corner of the bin. Then they slowly spread out and swam around as the hour passed, which Lucero saw as a sign that they were ready to be released.

He eyed the lake. He said he did not want to release them too close to the dock where some of the bass might be waiting. But he said too far out in the center there were cormorants. A heron also watched nearby.

Lucero put on his waders and went in up to his waist.

Fellow environmental scientist Austin Sturkie, who is also with the department, stood on the dock and scooped out batch after batch of the fish as the sun began to dip and handed the net to Lucero in the water.

The fish wiggled out and swam away.

Boys stay together, Lucero joked.

As Lucero worked, a man on a skateboard zipped by and yelled Yay! More bass.

No, it's Sacramento perch," Lucero shot back, smiling. "They're better!
California Democrats are backing a campaign by Gov. Gavin Newsom to amend the United States Constitution with gun ownership age limits, universal background checks and an assault weapons ban.

Lawmakers on Monday introduced a joint resolution that would support Newsoms proposed gun control amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Newsom started making his case for the amendment in June, through his Campaign for Democracy political action committee.

Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer, D-Los Angeles, and Sen. Aisha Wahab, D-Hayward, authored the legislation, which calls for a constitutional convention to produce an amendment that would allow states and local governments to limit firearm possession.

It would also raise the legal age for gun ownership to 21, require universal background checks, impose minimum waiting periods and institute an assault weapons ban.

Newsom has renamed his effort the Right to Safety Amendment to avoid confusion with the proposed Equal Rights Amendment.

Two-thirds of states must pass similar constitutional convention legislation for the amendment to be successful. None of the 27 amendments have come from the convention process, and constitutional scholars have said the governors effort is essentially impossible.

But that has not deterred Newsom, who told reporters on Friday he really (believes) this is going to happen, that were going to get enough states.

The U.S. Supreme Court in June struck down stringent concealed carry regulations and limited states abilities to restrict firearm possession with its New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen decision.

California lawmakers have a handful of state gun control bills in the Sacramento pipeline this year. But Newsom still wants to see the states efforts lead to national change.

The Legislature last year failed to pass a bill to shore up the states concealed carry permitting in light of the Bruen decision. Sen. Anthony Portantino, D-Burbank, this year brought the measure back for another try, and Newsom has already vowed to sign it.

A different bill from Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel, D-Woodland Hills, would create an excise tax on guns and ammunition to fund violence prevention efforts.

President Joe Biden this year has pushed for a new national ban on assault weapons after 1994 restrictions expired in 2004. But Newsom said he recently told Biden those efforts may not be constitutional in light of the courts stance.

This Supreme Court is that bad, Newsom said. The Bruen decision was that bad. When I say code red, this is code red. Californias led the nation on common sense gun safety laws.

And we have the receipts, he added. The efficacy of those laws is demonstrable. The data bears out  Californias gun death rates significantly declined since Californias leadership in this space.
As contract bargaining heats up across the state, the chairs of Californias statehouse committees on labor and public employment have called on Gov. Gavin Newsom to bargain fairly with the largest public employee union in state government.

Assembly Labor and Employment Committee Chair Ash Kalra, along with the chairs of the Assembly and Senate committees on public employment and retirement, wrote to Newsom urging his administration to reach a contract agreement with SEIU Local 1000 this week.

The union represents more than 96,000 state employees in positions as diverse as business analysts, nursing home evaluators, prison librarians and teachers at the state schools for the deaf and the blind. Theyve been bargaining with the state since April, and their previous contract expired at the end of June.

It is unacceptable that the state workers who make up the backbone of our departments, providing crucial public services to millions of Californians, are struggling to pay their bills as they are offered pre-pandemic wages in contract negotiations, said Kalra in a statement Monday. The San Jose Democrat criticized the state for needless delays and said the lengthy bargaining timeline could increase the risk of workers falling into dire financial situations.

The California Department of Human Resources, which represents Newsoms administration at the bargaining table, cannot comment on contract negotiations while talks are still underway, said department spokesperson Camille Travis.

CalHR is working in good faith with SEIU Local 1000 at the bargaining table to reach an agreement that meets both the unions interests and the States priorities, Travis wrote in an emailed statement.

The letter was co-authored by Assemblymember Tina McKinnor, an Inglewood Democrat who chairs the Assembly committee on public employment and retirement, and Sen. Dave Cortese, a Santa Clara Democrat who chairs the same committee in the Senate. It urged Newsom to quickly reach a deal that would give adequate raises to public workers who play crucial roles in implementing his administrations goals, such as combating climate change, providing health care and improving transportation infrastructure.

The union originally asked for a 30% raise over a three-year contract. State negotiators initially countered with 6% over that same time frame, which union leaders called offensive and disrespectful to members. Late last week, the state bumped the offer up to 8%, according to a Local 1000 update.

State workers have repeatedly said that stagnant wages are eroding the sense of security and stability that used to come with careers in state civil service. A recent study commissioned by Local 1000 and conducted by the UC Berkeley Labor Center showed many members were struggling financially, particularly women, Black and Latino employees. Workers also say theyre worried about how theyll cover the planned increase in CalPERS health premiums next year.

The small cost of living adjustments your Administration has offered as a salary increase per year fails to cover workers basic needs and would roll back wages to pre-pandemic status, the letter stated.

Lawmakers have until early September to approve deal

The call to action, co-signed by 21 assemblymembers and five senators, came as lawmakers returned from recess for the last stretch of the legislative session.

The authors argue that if the administration doesnt deliver a deal before the Legislatures Sept. 1 deadline for fiscal committees to meet and report bills to the floor, then union members could be left without raises until lawmakers reconvene in January and vote to fund the contract.

In 2019, the last time Local 1000 negotiated a contract, the union and the state reached an agreement on Aug. 29  two days before the fiscal committee deadline on Aug. 31. Negotiations in 2016 extended well into the fall and led to a planned one-day strike in December. The work stoppage was eventually called off after union leaders reached a deal that workers approved in mid-January.
An Orange County, California, judge suspected in the fatal shooting of his wife pleaded not guilty to a murder charge in the killing Tuesday.

Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson, 72, was arrested by homicide detectives Thursday after they received reports of a shooting at the couples home. Fergusons wife, Sheryl, was found inside the house, suffering from at least one gunshot wound, the Anaheim Police Department said in a news release.

His attorney says the shooting was accidental.

Sheryl Ferguson was pronounced deceased at the scene, and her husband was arrested at the location on suspicion of murder, the release states.

Ferguson was released on $1 million bail Friday, Kimberly Edds, with the Orange County District Attorneys office, told CNN.

He appeared in a Los Angeles County courtroom Tuesday wearing a suit and tie.

He will remain out of custody on bail and agreed to surrender his passport and wear a location monitoring ankle bracelet. His travel is limited to Orange, Riverside and Los Angeles counties.

Ferguson was also ordered to stay away from all sorts of alcoholic beverages and to submit to blood alcohol monitoring.

Hes also not allowed to possess weapons or ammunition of any kind.

For 40 years, Judge Ferguson protected Orange County as a prosecutor and a judge, John Barnett, an attorney for Ferguson, told CNN in a phone call. This tragic family accident is nothing more than an accident and we believe the jury will find that.

A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for October 30.

CNNs Taylor Romine contributed to this report.

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Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson appears during a hearing at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023, in Los Angeles. Judge Ferguson, charged with killing his wife during an argument while he was drunk, pleaded not guilty Tuesday, and his lawyer says it was an accidental shooting. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

LOS ANGELES (AP)  A Southern California judge charged with killing his wife during an argument while he was drunk pleaded not guilty to murder Tuesday, and his lawyer says it was an accidental shooting.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ricardo Ocampo ordered Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson, who appeared in court in a suit and tie, to surrender his passport, submit to searches, and wear monitoring devices for blood alcohol content and GPS as part of new bail conditions sought by prosecutors. Ferguson, who is free on $1 million bail, also is barred from possessing firearms and alcohol and frequenting places such as bars and liquor stores.

After the hearing, Fergusons lawyers told reporters the long-time judge and former prosecutor was confident a jury would agree with him that no crime was committed.

This was an unintentional, accidental shooting and not a crime, attorney Paul Meyer said.

The hearing was held in Los Angeles because Ferguson has been a judge hearing criminal cases in a courtroom about 25 miles (40 kilometers) to the southeast in Orange County. The next hearing in Fergusons case was set for Oct. 30.

The 72-year-old was arrested on Aug. 3 at his home in the upscale neighborhood of Anaheim Hills after police found his wife, Sheryl Ferguson, shot to death. Prosecutors said in court filings that the couple had been arguing and the judge was drinking when he pulled a pistol from an ankle holster and shot her in the chest. The couple's adult son and Ferguson called 911, and Ferguson texted his court clerk and bailiff to say he had shot his wife, according to the filings.

He texted: I just lost it. I just shot my wife. I wont be in tomorrow. I will be in custody. Im so sorry, according to the filing.

Prosecutors argued the new bail conditions protect public safety and ensure Ferguson doesnt flee after authorities found 47 weapons, including the pistol used in the shooting, and more than 26,000 rounds of ammunition at his home. They say the weapons are legally owned but a rifle registered in his name is still missing.

Ferguson was charged with one count of murder and weapons-related enhancements.

Larry Rosen, Sheryl Fergusons brother, spoke with reporters after Tuesday's hearing and said it was hell when Ferguson looked at him in the courtroom.

My sister was a wonderful person, very caring, very selfless, Rosen said. The family is absolutely in shock.

Rosen declined to discuss Fergusons lawyers' claims that the shooting was an accident and said he would defer to the police and prosecutors who are investigating.

Rosen said his sister helped take care of him since he was still a minor when their mother died. He also said she was an active member of her community, participating in Boy Scouts and activities with her now-adult son. The son, who authorities said called 911 after the shooting, is the main focus of the family now, Rosen said.

Its a tragedy for me. I cant even fathom what hes going through right now, Rosen said.

The arrest shocked the Southern California legal community and officials have been grappling with how the case should be handled. The district attorneys office in Orange County  a cluster of cities that are collectively home to more than 3 million people  asked state officials to weigh in on whether there was a conflict before charging him last week.

Ferguson has been a judge since 2015. He started his legal career in the Orange County district attorneys office in 1983 and went on to work narcotics cases, for which he won various awards. He served as president of the North Orange County Bar Association from 2012 to 2014.

In 2017, Ferguson was admonished by the Commission on Judicial Performance for posting a statement on Facebook about a judicial candidate with knowing or reckless disregard for the truth of the statement, and for being Facebook friends with attorneys appearing before him in court, according to a copy of the agencys findings.

Ferguson said on his Facebook page that he grew up in a military family and traveled throughout Asia as a child. He went on to attend college and law school in California. He and his wife were married in 1996.
OAKLAND, Calif.  The top prosecutor for a San Francisco Bay Area county was playing defense as she absorbed criticism from furious residents of its largest city  a tense meeting that felt like a proxy for a mounting recall fight.

People packed a church in an affluent Oakland neighborhood in late July to demand progressive Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price answer for disturbingly pervasive carjackings and assaults, often shouting questions over her answers.

I voted for you, but I dont feel safe here, said a woman who described being pulled out of her car, at gunpoint, on a recent morning.

But Price had some backup, supporters  some summoned by a social media post urging them to show up in force and challenge opponents of criminal justice reform  were at the church to insist that Price was being unjustly maligned for enduring problems.

The vitriolic, chaotic town hall had the feel of a campaign event  and it may well have previewed Californias third attempted recall of a reform-minded prosecutor in less than 18 months, including the successful ouster of District Attorney Chesa Boudin just a dozen miles away in San Francisco. In an illustration of the states uneasy embrace of criminal justice reform, voters in Democratic strongholds have repeatedly elected prosecutors vowing to transform the system and then moved to oust those DAs before they finish their first term.

The pattern is not isolated to California. While they did not face recall attempts, other progressive DAs from Manhattans Alvin Bragg to Philadelphias Larry Krasner have faced state legislative action meant to curb their efforts to rethink criminal justice with lighter sentences and more police accountability. Critics see the backlash as proof that progressive prosecutors are forcing unpopular and dangerous policies that national Republicans have used to hammer reformers and their Democratic allies. Reformers see entrenched law enforcement interests defending a broken system.

They were going to try to recall her no matter what, said Boudin, whom voters ousted in a 2022 recall that was widely interpreted as a gauge of a sweeping movement against reformers, in an interview. They want anybody who has a vision for trying to change the system to learn the lesson that you dont try to change the system.

Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon dodged a recall campaign last year, shortly after Boudins ejection, but he faces a fierce 2024 re-election fight. Now it may be Prices turn.

The burgeoning recall effort against her is following a familiar script. A candidate opposed by law enforcement wins a DA race in a deep-blue county. They change sentencing policy to lessen time in prison and investigate peace officers who have killed or used force on suspects. Then comes the pushback: Old-guard deputy prosecutors who quit or are pushed out describe a dysfunctional office that favors defendants over victims; shocking crimes spur outrage and fear; social media blazes with criticism; and recall whispers turn to petitions.

Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce President Carl Chan, one of the recall proponents, said in an interview that Price was emboldening criminals by signaling a lack of consequences.

Six months in, youre already pretty much destroying the legal system, said Chan, who was assaulted last year  before Price took office  as a wave of attacks rattled the Asian-American community. Justice reform doesnt mean we have to go the wrong direction. We cannot use justice reform to allow people to commit crimes against innocent people.



Price said in an interview Monday that she was honoring voters mandate to dismantle an abusive and discriminatory system built on racial and gender and economic disparities. She pointed to disproportionate rates of incarceration and punishment among Black people  often driven by excessive penalties  to argue they had for decades been stiffed by the justice system.

Price argued that the recall push was consistent with the history of fighting against racial oppression in this country. Racism is real, and it does not evaporate just because we won the election.

Prices supporters say the longtime civil rights litigator has done precisely what she campaigned on. She has sharply curtailed the use of sentencing enhancements that add time for factors like gang membership, sought to avoid condemning people to life without parole, revived probes of police shootings and jail deaths, reviewed old convictions and expanded oversight of a troubled county jail.

Some of the criticism of her started before she even took office, said civil rights activist and attorney Walter Riley. It has nothing to do with the quality of her work.

The resistance escalated swiftly. In April, Price was rallying at the county courthouse with supporters against what she called a backlash to those who stand up for justice and freedom. By July, a recall committee had Price drawing comparisons to Jan. 6, 2021, saying foes were trying to seize control from local voters because they refuse to accept the results of a legitimate, democratic election.

Oakland, a city of over 400,000 people, has increasingly attracted tech workers from nearby San Francisco and seen housing prices skyrocket as its historic Black population shrinks. Violent and property-related offenses have risen markedly in recent years despite being below historical highs, with homicides up 80 percent and car break-ins soaring by 90 percent compared to 2019. Brazen daytime crimes in wealthier neighborhoods have amplified demands for a crackdown in a city long divided between poorer flatlands that backed Price and affluent uphill districts where she drew less support.

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, a progressive in her first term, has asked Gov. Gavin Newsom to deploy more California Highway Patrol officers to her city. The Oakland NAACP turned heads  and won Fox News coverage  with aJuly letter that deplored an intolerable public safety crisis and castigated Price.

Theres too many citizens coming forward that are just fed up with all the crime, said Oakland NAACP member Darren White, who has long worked with the citys youth. Ive heard it from young people on the street that we can do A, B, or C because were not going to get charged.

Prices supporters say it is absurd to hold her chiefly responsible for crimes, arguing she cannot arrest suspects or fund the kinds of violence-preventing community services that collapsed during the pandemic. They note that crime did not abate in San Francisco after voters replaced Boudin with a more hardline district attorney.

It is not the job of the DA to go out and prevent crimes," said Emeryville City Council Member Kalimah A. Priforce, who spoke in Prices defense at the July town hall. Its as if were treating her like shes crime nanny, that shes supposed to go and solve all of our public safety woes.

But Price could be dogged by several high-profile charging decisions, including a plea deal she offered a man who had faced multiple homicide charges. The judge forcefully rejected the deal while accusing Prices office of being uncommunicative. So she unsuccessfully sought to disqualify the judge from hearing cases.

Her office has also gotten heat for her handling of the fatal 2022 freeway shooting of 23-month-old Jasper Wu, in which Price initially spoke broadly of non-jail punishment and then dropped charges that could have prevented parole. The case has been closely watched by Asian Americans, a community that overwhelmingly supported Boudins recall. Price accused critics of disseminating politically driven misinformation by overstating her ability to win specific convictions.

Price also has been under scrutiny for staffing decisions. A top deputy has been accused of misconduct in a prior job  allegations Price rebutted  and she has hired her partner for a six-figure role in a move a Democratic state lawmaker called indefensible (Price said her partner is qualified for the job, noting he managed her campaign). Price has argued holdovers who worked for her predecessor  some of whom actively worked to keep her out of office  have undermined her agenda, and charged a former deputy for allegedly sharing work product with a police officers counsel.

Recall supporter Len Raphael said he was motivated by the Wu case, assaults on women in his neighborhood and a sense that Price was creating a consequence-free culture. He has spent weekends canvassing farmers markets and said he has found numerous people who regret voting for Price.

A lot of people will be hurt, Raphael said. Its an experiment, and I dont want to be part of the experiment.

It is not clear whether the recall effort will go to voters. Supporters have yet to file formal paperwork and have not disclosed how much money theyve raised  a potentially decisive factor, with Boudins ouster buoyed by huge contributions from conservatives and tech moguls like investor William Oberndorf.

This is not San Francisco, Price said. There are some a lot of structural hurdles that have to be overcome  the financial hurdle of running a major campaign of that nature  and Alameda County is huge.



But veterans of Californias prosecutor wars say Price would be wise to take the threat seriously.

The lesson learned from the recall of DA Boudin is that opponents can't wait to see if it qualifies to launch an aggressive anti-recall effort, Max Szabo, a Democratic strategist who worked for Los Angeles DA Gascon, said in a text message. Recalls aren't popularity contests, they're an up or down vote, and this job is so steeped in controversy that the advantage tips dramatically in favor of proponents if it gets on the ballot.

Jamarah Hayner, who led the campaign against the Gascon recall push, said embattled district attorneys must demonstrate they are receptive to public safety qualms. Gascon himself said last year that Boudin erred in failing to realize you cannot use data to deal with feelings.

People want to know youre hearing them and youre on their side, Hayner said.

At the same time, Hayner said attempts to oust prosecutors were becoming all but inevitable as the cottage industry that has become recalls in California exploited anxiety about crime  a common sentiment among reformers.

The recall in San Francisco did not result in a reduction of crime, so that seems to be a failed pathway forward, said Ludovic Blain, a Price supporter who heads the liberal fundraising organization California Donor Table. But, he added, Instead of the focus being: Why is that after a reformer is recalled crime goes up? Its: Okay, shes the next reformer, lets go after her.
California Marine charged with sexually assaulting teen girl who was found at Camp Pendleton

A U.S. Marine is charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl who was found at Californias Camp Pendleton in June weeks after her family reported her missing.

The Marine, whose identity has not been released, is charged with sexual assault of a minor and with violating liberty restriction from an earlier, unrelated case.

The entrance to Marine Corps base Camp Pendleton is seen on Sept. 22, 2015, in Oceanside, Calif.

The girl had been missing for more than two weeks when military police located her inside a barracks on June 28 at the base 40 miles north of San Diego.

Her grandmother has said the girl ran away in early June. Other relatives have speculated that she was sold by a sex trafficker.

FLORIDA MAN ALLEGEDLY MADE SEXUAL REMARKS TO VICTIM AT BUS STOP, THEN STABBED HER: POLICE

She has been returned to her grandmother in suburban Spring Valley, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department said.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

The circumstances of how the Marine met the teenager and how she got onto the base werent immediately released.

After a preliminary hearing scheduled for Aug. 17, authorities will decide whether the Marine will face a court-martial, according to a statement from Capt. Charles Palmer with the 1st Marine Logistics Group.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
California authorities arrested a suspect accused of "peeping [into] and prowling" a household with children last week.

Glendale resident Calese Carron Crowder, 37, was apprehended on Friday. The incident took place on August 6.

Authorities say that Crowder nefariously peeped into the residence of a local family. Detectives investigated the incident for nearly a week before arresting the suspect.

"In the most recent incident, Crowder is accused of peeping into the occupied residence of a Glendale family," Glendale Police Department said in a press release. "The family, including children, were home at the time of the incident."

GRANDMA, 84, SLAMMED TO GROUND AFTER ALLEGEDLY BEING ATTACKED ON LOS ANGELES BUS, VIDEO SHOWS

Glendale resident Calese Carron Crowder, 37, was apprehended for the recent peeping incident.

Glendale Police Department said Crowder is a suspect in active sexual assault cases. According to a city press release from 2021, Crowder "has a long history of peeping, prowling and residential burglary."

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

The suspect's rap sheet dates back to 2011, when he was arrested for peeping and occupied residential burglaries in Glendale. He was convicted and sentenced to 8 years in prison.

LOS ANGELES COUNCILMAN, ACTIVIST WON'T FACE CHARGES OVER HOLIDAY FIGHT THAT WENT VIRAL

On September 5, 2021, Crowder was arrested for looking into the bedroom window of an occupied residence. He was also accused of peeping into a kitchen window less than two weeks later on September 17, 2021  both incidents took place on the same street.

"The Glendale Police Department appreciates the support and cooperation of the Glendale community," the police department said in a statement. "The Glendale Police Department remains committed to the safety of those that live, work and visit our city."

Anyone with relevant information about the suspect is urged to call police at 818-548-4911. The Glendale Police Department is actively investigating the case.
Former President Donald Trumps fourth indictment late Monday drew condemnation and consolation from his opponents in the 2024 Republican presidential primary.

Conservative entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy weighed in even before the Georgia events unfolded, describing the anticipated charges against the frontrunner in the GOP race as another disastrous Trump indictment after the Fulton County court where Trump was later charged appeared to post and then remove a document detailing the impending indictment.

Ramaswamy went beyond attacking the Georgia prosecutors bringing the charges, suggesting hed be willing to assist in the former presidents legal defense.

As someone whos running for President against Trump, Id volunteer to write the amicus brief to the court myself: prosecutors should not be deciding U.S. presidential elections, and if theyre so overzealous that they commit constitutional violations, then the cases should be thrown out & they should be held accountable," Ramaswamy wrote on X , the social media site formerly known as Twitter.

On Tuesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis denounced the indictment during a call with New England media outlets, promising to end the weaponization of federal agencies like the DOJ and FBI.

I think its an example of this criminalization of politics, DeSantis said. I dont think this is something thats good for the country.



Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson was not so sympathetic, instead reiterating his calls for Trump to drop out of the race.

Over a year ago, I said that Donald Trumps actions disqualified him from ever serving as President again. Those words are more true today than ever before, Hutchinson wrote on X late Monday, following the news of the indictment.

Trumps latest charges, leveled by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis after a two-year investigation, include allegations that he conspired to derail the Electoral College process , and pressured Georgia officials to undo the election results all while lying about fraud allegations.

Another Trump critic, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, tacked a slightly different path. A former U.S. attorney, he dinged Willis for what he characterized as an ego move, given that the former president already faced charges for election interference at the federal level.

I think the double charging here of Donald Trump is just something that complicates things in a way that makes the administration of justice much more difficult in the near term. I didnt think it was a necessary thing to do, once you saw Jack Smith was charging him for him federally for the very same conduct, Christie told CNNs Jake Tapper on Tuesday afternoon, referring to the special counsel overseeing the federal investigation. Im a little bit concerned that this had more to do with ego than anything else.

But Christie said that the former presidents conduct was still disturbing and that Willis brought a permissible case under the racketeering law that Trump and his co-defendants face charges on.

In some ways, the Georgia case does put Trump in a tighter legal bind. If elected president again, he might try to pardon himself on the federal charges or have those cases dismissed, but he would not have the jurisdiction to free himself from the Georgia state charges.

Former Rep. Will Hurd of Texas said on Tuesday that its time to move beyond dealing with the former presidents baggage.

Another day, another indictment, and another example of how the former presidents baggage will hand Joe Biden reelection if Trump is the nominee, Hurd said. This is further evidence that Trump knew he lost the 2020 election and was ready to do anything it took to cling to power. He will use this latest indictment as another opportunity to manipulate Americans into paying his legal bills.



Leaders in Congress were quick to deliver what have become consistent responses in the wake of news of Trumps growing legal woes.

The actions taken by the Fulton County District Attorney, along with other state and federal prosecutors, reaffirms the shared belief that in America no one, not even the president, is above the law, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a joint statement with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Monday night.

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), who chaired the committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and the events leading up to it, wrote: The January 6th Select Committee revealed that Donald Trump and his allies used the Big Lie of a stolen election to pressure Georgia public servants to betray their oaths and manipulate the outcome of the 2020 Presidential election.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy accused President Joe Biden of weaponizing the government against Trump, and attacked Willis, claiming she brought the indictment in an effort to fundraise her political career.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) also came to the former presidents defense.

Todays indictment is just the latest political attack in the Democrats WITCH HUNT against President Trump, Jordan, who heads the House Judiciary Committee wrote on X . He did nothing wrong!

Kierra Frazier and Andrew Zhang contributed to this report.


[HK](02099):2023630 20230815 07:25:56 

:

    CHINA GOLD INTERNATIONAL RESOURCES CORP. LTD.





2099

CGG









2023815CGG20992023814SEDAR (www.sedar.com)2023630



























2023815



.

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited and The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited take no responsibility for the contents of this announcement, make no representation as to its accuracy or completeness and expressly disclaim any liability whatsoever for any loss howsoever arising from or in reliance upon the whole or any part of the contents of this announcement.

Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial

Condition and Results of Operations

Three and six months ended June 30, 2023

(Stated in U.S. dollars, except as otherwise noted)







































































Suite 660, One Bentall Centre, 505 Burrard Street, Box 27, Vancouver, BC, V7X 1M4

Tel: 604-609-0598 Fax: 604-688-0598 E-mail: info@chinagoldintl.com, www.chinagoldintl.com MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS



Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023.

(Stated in U.S. dollars, except as otherwise noted)



FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS 2

THE COMPANY 3

OVERVIEW 3

PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS 3

OUTLOOK 3

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS 4

SELECTED QUARTERLY FINANCIAL DATA 4

SELECTED QUARTERLY PRODUCTION DATA AND ANALYSIS 4

REVIEW OF QUARTERLY DATA 5

NON-IFRS MEASURES 7

MINERAL PROPERTIES 8

THE CSH MINE 8

THE JIAMA MINE 10

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES 13

CASH FLOWS 14

OPERATING CASH FLOW 14

INVESTING CASH FLOW 14

FINANCING CASH FLOW 14

EXPENDITURES INCURRED 15

GEARING RATIO 15

SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENTS, ACQUISITIONS AND DISPOSAL OF SUBSIDIARIES. ASSOCIATES AND JOINT VENTURES, AND FUTURE PLAN FOR MATERIAL INVESTMENTS OF CAPITAL ASSETS 15 CHARGE ON ASSETS 15

EXPOSURE TO FLUCTUATIONS IN EXCHANGE RATES AND RELATED HEDGES 15 COMMITMENTS 15

RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS 16

PROPOSED TRANSACTIONS 17

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES 17

CHANGE IN ACCOUNTING POLICIES 17

FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS AND OTHER INSTRUMENTS 17

OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS 17

DIVIDEND AND DIVIDEND POLICY 17

OUTSTANDING SHARES 18

DISCLOSURE CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES AND INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING 18

RISK FACTORS 18

QUALIFIED PERSON 18



The following Management Discussion and Analysis of financial condition and results of operations (MD&A) is prepared as

of August 14, 2023. It should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto of China Gold

International Resources Corp. Ltd. (referred to herein as China Gold International, the Company, we or our as the

context may require) for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023 and the three and six months ended June 30, 2022,

respectively. Unless the context otherwise provides, references in this MD&A to China Gold International or the Company

refer to China Gold International and each of its subsidiaries collectively on a consolidated basis.

The following discussion contains certain forward-looking statements relating to the Companys plans, objectives, expectations

and intentions, which are based on the Companys current expectations and are subject to risks, uncertainties and changes in

circumstances. Readers should carefully consider all of the information set out in this MD&A, including the risks and

uncertainties outlined further in the Companys Annual Information Form (Annual Information Form or AIF) dated March

30, 2023 on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, www.chinagoldintl.com and www.hkex.com.hk. For further information on risks and

other factors that could affect the accuracy of forward-looking statements and the result of operations of the Company, please

refer to the sections titled Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factors and to discussions elsewhere within this MD&A.

China Gold Internationals business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected by

any of these risks.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS



Certain statements made herein, other than statements of historical fact relating to the Company, represent forward-looking

information. In some cases, this forward-looking information can be identified by words or phrases such as may, will,

expect, anticipate, contemplates, aim, estimate, intend, plan, believe, potential, continue, is/are likely

to, should or the negative of these terms, or other similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking information. This

forward-looking information includes, among other things; China Gold Internationals production estimates, business strategies

and capital expenditure plans; the development and expansion plans and schedules for the CSH Mine and the Jiama Mine;

China Gold Internationals financial condition; the regulatory environment as well as the general industry outlook; general

economic trends in China; and statements respecting anticipated business activities, planned expenditures, corporate strategies,

participation in projects and financing, and other statements that are not historical facts. By their nature, forward-looking information involves numerous assumptions, both general and specific, which may cause the

actual results, performance or achievements of China Gold International and/or its subsidiaries to be materially different from

any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forwardlooking information. Some of the key

assumptions include, among others, the absence of any material change in China Gold Internationals operations or in foreign

exchange rates, the prevailing price of gold, copper and other non-ferrous metal products; the absence of

lower-than-anticipated mineral recovery or other production problems; effective income and other tax rates and other

assumptions underlying China Gold Internationals financial performance as stated in the Companys technical reports for its

CSH Mine and Jiama Mine; China Gold Internationals ability to obtain regulatory confirmations and approvals on a timely

basis; continuing positive labor relations; the absence of any material adverse effects as a result of political instability,

terrorism, natural disasters, pandemics such as COVID-19, litigation or arbitration and adverse changes in government

regulation; the availability and accessibility of financing to China Gold International; and the performance by counterparties of

the terms and conditions of all contracts to which China Gold International and its subsidiaries are a party. The

forward-looking information is also based on the assumption that none of the risk factors identified in this MD&A or in the

AIF that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information actually occurs.

Forward-looking information contained herein as of the date of this MD&A is based on the opinions, estimates and

assumptions of management. There are a number of important risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual

actions, events or results to differ materially from those described as forward-looking information. China Gold International

disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, estimates,

opinions or assumptions, future events or results, or otherwise except to the extent required by law. 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 statements. The forward-looking information in this MD&A is expressly qualified by this cautionary

statement. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. THE COMPANY

Overview



China Gold International is a gold and base metal mining company registered in British Columbia Canada. The Companys main

business involves the operation, acquisition, development and exploration of gold and base metal properties.

The Companys principal mining operations are the Chang Shan Hao Gold Mine (CSH Mine or CSH), located in Inner

Mongolia, China and the Jiama Copper-Gold Polymetallic Mine (Jiama Mine or Jiama), located in Tibet, China. China Gold

International holds a 96.5% interest in the CSH Mine, while its Chinese joint venture (CJV) partner holds the remaining 3.5%

interest. The Company owns a 100% interest in the Jiama Mine, which hosts a large scale copper-gold polymetallic deposit

containing copper, gold, molybdenum, silver, lead and zinc metals. China Gold Internationals common shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) and The Stock Exchange of Hong

Kong Limited (HKSE) under the symbol CGG and the stock code 2099, respectively. Additional information about the

Company, including the Companys Annual Information Form, is available on SEDAR at sedar.com as well as Hong Kong

Exchange News at hkexnews.hk.

Performance Highlights



Three months ended June 30, 2023

? Revenue decreased by 75% to US$73.0 million from US$292.0 million for the same period in 2022. ? Mine operating loss of US$6.2 million, decreased by 105% from mine operating earnings of US$117.7 million for the same

period in 2022.

? Net loss of US$53.3 million decreased by 165% or US$135.0 million from net income of US$81.7 million for the same

period in 2022.

? Cash flow used in operation of US$73.5 million, decreased by 168% from cash flow from operation of US$107.6 million for

the same period in 2022.

? Total gold production decreased by 44% to 36,490 ounces from 65,527 ounces for the same period in 2022.

? Total copper production was nil as all production was halted at the Jiama mine during Q2 2023. Copper production was

47.1million pounds (approximately 21,356 tonnes) for the same period in 2022. Six months ended June 30, 2023

? Revenue decreased by 45% to US$325.8 million from US$596.0 million for the same period in 2022. ? Mine operating earnings decreased by 57% to US$96.6 million from US$223.2 million for the same period in 2022.

? Net income of US$25.3 million decreased by 84% or US$128.2 million from US$153.5 million for the same period in 2022.

? Cash flow from operation decreased by 80% to US$54.2 million from US$268.4 million for the same period in 2022.

? Total gold production decreased by 28% to 89,317 ounces from 124,110 ounces for the same period in 2022.

? Total copper production decreased by 54% to 44.1 million pounds (approximately 20,019 tonnes) from 95.4 million pounds

(approximately 43,279 tonnes) for the same period in 2022. The decrease in production and profit was mainly attributed to the suspension of operations of the Jiama Mine as of March 27,

2023 due to the overflow at the Guolanggou tailings pond. As a result of the suspension, the Company did not record any product

sales from the Jiama Mine during Q2 2023, with the exception of a minor amount of molybdenum. OUTLOOK



On March 27, 2023, an overflow occurred at the Guolanggou Tailings Dam at Jiama Mine (the overflow). The Company

quickly contained and repaired the breach to ensure no damage to the environment or neighbouring communities. Subsequent to

The overflow occurred at the top 19th subsequent dyke of the Guolangou Tailings Dam. However, other levels of subsequent

dykes and the starter dyke were also damaged to varying degrees. The Company is conducting a comprehensive inspection and

assessment of all 19 levels of subsequent dykes and the starter dyke of the tailings dam and is making permanent repairs and

reinforcements of the dam. As at the date of this MD&A, the overall progress is on schedule. The dam's repair and major

reinforcement works have been completed and some reinforcement works are still in the final stage. The Company is working

towards submitting a safety assessment report to the regulatory authority on or around the end of August 2023. The Company is

adopting various active measures to promote the resumption of production of the Jiama Mine.

Due to the uncertainty of the date of resumption of production at Jiama Mine, the Company has withdrawn its annual production

guidance for 2023 as set out in the announcement of the Company dated January 20, 2023. Once the impact of the overflow on

the operation can be more clearly evaluated, the Company will re-issue the production guidelines. However, the Company notes

that production operations at the Company's CSH gold mine remain normal and stable. RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Selected Quarterly Financial Data





Quarter ended 2023 2022 2021 31-Mar 30-Jun 31-Dec 30-Sept 30-Jun 31-Mar 31-Dec 30-Sep 252,778 73,016 79,166 150,068 102,710 (6,150) 9,584 7,896 45 35 4,642 1,442 88,449 (15,533) (11,679) 3,310 6,706 6,880 87,152 (52,907) 8,493 432 78,659 (53,339) (13.55) 19.62 N/A N/A 253,904 255,030 291,994 304,021 157,271 179,322 174,304 198,493 96,633 75,708 117,690 105,528 18,390 16,215 8,296 9,949 102 81 256 40 6,659 7,357 5,470 5,885 71,482 52,055 103,668 89,654 6,007 (16,085) (11,542) 1,673 7,103 7,504 7,943 8,188 70,603 30,607 90,098 83,956 22,083 7,251 8,374 12,155 48,520 23,356 81,724 71,801 11.90 5.84 20.48 17.97 N/A N/A N/A N/A 312,016 248,326 200,210 165,681 111,806 82,645 16,165 9,462 358 260 10,347 6,619 84,936 66,304 2,071 (161) 8,296 8,670 81,198 57,885 22,422 5,650 58,776 52,235 14.76 13.11 N/A N/A

Selected Quarterly Production Data and Analysis



CSH Mine Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30 2023 2022 2023 2022

Gold sales (US$ million) 72.17

71.33

137.75 141.90

Realized average price (US$) of gold per ounce 1,977 1,868

1,935 1,870

Gold produced (ounces) 38,607

36,069

75,884

71,360

Gold sold (ounces) 38,636

36,079

75,902

71,179

Total production cost (US$ per ounce) 1,442

1,354

1,489

1,346

(1)

Cash production cost (US$ per ounce) 798

913

814 878



(1) Non-IFRS measure. See Non-IFRS measures section of this MD&A

Gold production at the CSH Mine decreased by 7% to 36,069 ounces for the three months ended June 30, 2023 compared to 38,607

ounces for the same period in 2022 due to lower grades of ore. The total production cost of gold for the three months ended June 30,

2023 decreased by 6% to US$1,354 per ounce compared to US$1,442 for the same period in 2022. The decrease in total

for the three months ended June 30, 2023 increased by 14% to US$913 per ounce from US$798 for the same period in 2022. The

increase in cash production cost is mainly due to higher stripping ratio and waste ore mined in order to ensure the stability of the

open pit slope in Q2 2023.



Jiama Mine Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30, 2022 2022

2023 2023

Copper sales (US$ in millions) 159.11 337.78

- 134.40

1

Realized average price (US$) of copper per

pound after smelting fee discount 3.72 3.68

- 3.27



Copper produced (tonnes) 21,356 43,279

- 20,019



Copper produced (pounds) - 47,080,848 44,133,380 95,412,864

Copper sold (tonnes) 19,860 41,638

- 18,656



Copper sold (pounds) 43,782,721 91,795,712

- 41,129,646



Gold produced (ounces) 26,920 48,226

- 17,957



Gold sold (ounces) 24,369 45,473

- 17,729



Silver produced (ounces) 890,888 1,696,631

- 740,652



Silver sold (ounces) 824,791 1,635,158

- 709,096

Lead produced (tonnes) - -

- -

Lead produced (pounds) - - - -

Lead sold (tonnes) - - - -

Lead sold (pounds) - -

- -

Zinc produced (tonnes) - -

- -

Zinc produced (pounds) - -

- -

Zinc sold (tonnes) - - - -

Zinc sold (pounds) - - - -

Moly produced (tonnes) 253 466

- 232

Moly produced (pounds) 558,541 1,026,403

- 510,760

Moly sold (tonnes) 210 475

69 247

Moly sold (pounds) 152,004 463,477 544,942 1,046,553





2

Total production cost (US$) of copper per

pound 3.00 3.13

- 4.32

2

Total production cost (US$) of copper per

4

pound after by-products credits 1.66 1.91

- 3.09





4

Cash production cost (US$) per pound of copper 2.28 2.43

- 3.26

3

Cash production cost (US$) of copper per

4

pound after by-products credits 0.94 1.21

- 2.03

1 A discount factor of 13.5% to 24.4% is applied to the copper benchmark price to compensate the refinery costs incurred by the buyers. The discount

factor is higher if the grade of copper in copper concentrate is below 18%. The industry standard of copper in copper concentrate is between 18-20%.





2 Production costs include expenditures incurred at the mine sites for the activities related to production including mining, processing, mine

site G&A and royalties etc.

3 Non-IFRS measure. See Non-IFRS measures section of this MD&A 4 By-products credit refers to the sales of gold and silver during the corresponding period.

Due to the overflow of the tailings dam on March 27, 2023, production at the Jiama Mine was suspended during Q2 2023..

Review of Quarterly Data

in 2022. Realized average gold price increased by 6% from US$1,868/oz in Q2 2022 to US$1,977/oz in Q2 2023. Gold sold by the

CSH Mine was 36,079 ounces (gold produced: 36,069 ounces), compared to 38,636 ounces (gold produced: 38,607 ounces) for the

same period in 2022.

Revenue from the Jiama Mine was US$1.7 million, a decrease of US$218.1 million, compared to US$219.8 million for the same

period in 2022. No production occurred during Q2 2023 due to the operational suspension from the tailings dam overflow, with a

minor amount of molybdenum sales.

Cost of sales of US$79.2 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2023, a decrease of US$95.1 million from US$174.3 million for

the same period in 2022, mainly due to the suspension of operations at the Jiama Mine. Mine operating loss of US$6.1 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023, a decrease of US$123.8 million from mine

operating earnings of US$117.7 million for the same period in 2022, mainly due to the suspension of operations at the Jiama Mine.

General and administrative expenses decreased by US$0.4 million, from US$8.3 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 to

US$7.9 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2023.

Research and development expenses of US$1.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023, decreased from US$5.5

million for the comparative 2022 period. The decrease in the second quarter of 2023 was mainly due to suspension of operations at

the Jiama Mine.

Loss from operations of US$15.5 million for the second quarter of 2023, decreased by US$119.2 million, compared to an income

of US$103.7 million for the same period in 2022.

Finance costs of US$6.9 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023, decreased by US$1.0 million compared to US$7.9

million for the same period in 2022. The decrease was primarily due to the reduction in the total amount of borrowings

outstanding.

Foreign exchange loss of US$11.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023, increased from US$11.5 million for the

same period in 2022. The loss was attributed to changes in the RMB/USD exchange rates and the revaluation of monetary items

held in Chinese RMB.

Interest and other income of US$3.8 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023, decreased from US$5.9 million for the

same period in 2022, primarily due to the less dividends received from China Nonferrous Mining Corporation Limited in the

current quarter compared to last year.



Other expense of US$22.6 million was recognized in Q2 2023. In the current quarter, the Company recognized estimated

litigation compensation of US$22.6 million arising from the litigation between Huaxin Construction Group Co., Ltd.,

Zhongxinfang, and the Company's subsidiary, Tibet Huatailong Mining Development Co. Ltd. Refer to Note 17 Contingencies of

the condensed consolidated financial statements for details. .

Income tax expense of US$0.4 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2023, decreased by US$8.0 million from US$8.4 million for

the comparative period in 2022. During the current quarter, the Company had US$15.1 million of deferred tax credit compared to

US$7.5 million for the same period in 2022.

Net loss of US$53.3 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023, decreased by US$135.0 million from an income of US$81.7

million for the three months ended June 30, 2022.

Six months ended June 30, 2023 compared to six months ended June 30, 2022

Revenue of US$325.8 million for the first half of 2023, decreased by US$270.2 million from US$596.0 million for the same

period in 2022.

Revenue from the CSH Mine was US$137.7 million, a decrease of US$4.2 million from US$141.9 million for the same period in

2022. Realized average gold price increased by 4% from US$1,870/oz in the first six months of 2022 to US$1,935/oz in 2023.

Gold sold by the CSH Mine was 71,179 ounces (gold produced: 71,360 ounces), compared to 75,902 ounces (gold produced:

75,884 ounces) for the same period in 2022.

Revenue from the Jiama Mine was US$188.0 million, a decrease of US$266.1 million, compared to US$454.1 million for the same

period in 2022. Realized average price of copper decreased by 11% from US$3.68/pound in the first six months of 2022 to

for the same period in 2022. Cost of sales as a percentage of revenue for the Company increased from 63% to 70% for the six

months ended June 30, 2022 and 2023, respectively, primarily due to the suspension of operations at the Jiama Mine.

Mine operating earnings of US$96.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023, a decrease of 57%, or US$126.6 million,

from US$223.2 million for the same period in 2022. Mine operating earnings as a percentage of revenue decreased from 37% to 30%

for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2023, respectively, primarily due to the suspension of operations at the Jiama Mine.

General and administrative expenses decreased by US$0.7 million, from US$18.2 million for the six months ended June 30,

2022 to US$17.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023. Research and development expenses of US$6.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023, decreased from US$11.4 million

for the comparative 2022 period, mainly due to the suspension of operations at the Jiama Mine. Income from operations of US$72.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023, decreased by US$120.4 million, compared

to US$193.3 million for the same period in 2022.

Finance costs of US$13.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023, decreased by US$2.5 million compared to US$16.1

million for the same period in 2022. The decrease was primarily due to the reduction in the total amount of borrowings

outstanding.

Foreign exchange loss of US$8.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023, decreased from US$9.9 million for the same

period in 2022. The loss was attributed to changes in the RMB/USD exchange rates and the revaluation of monetary items held in

Chinese RMB.

Interest and other income of US$5.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023, decreased from US$6.7 million for the

same period in 2022, mainly due to the less dividends received from China Nonferrous Mining Corporation Limited in the second

quarter of 2023 compared to last year.



Other expense of US$22.6 million was recognized in Q2 2023. In the current quarter, the Company recognized estimated

litigation compensation of US$22.6 million arising from the litigation between Huaxin Construction Group Co., Ltd.,

Zhongxinfang, and the Company's subsidiary, Tibet Huatailong Mining Development Co. Ltd. Refer to Note 17 Contingencies of

the condensed consolidated financial statements for details.

Income tax expense of US$8.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023, decreased by US$11.6 million from US$20.5

million for the comparative period in 2022. During the period, the Company had US$17.8 million of deferred tax credit compared

to US$8.6 million for the same period in 2022.

Net income of US$25.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023, decreased by US$128.2 million from US$153.5 million

for the six months ended June 30, 2022.



NON-IFRS MEASURES



The cash cost of production, cash cost after by-product credits and cash cost per ounce and per pound are measures that are not in

accordance with IFRS.

The Company has included these metrics to supplement its consolidated financial statements, which are presented in accordance

with IFRS. Non-IFRS measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS, and therefore they may not be

comparable to similar measures employed by other companies. The data is intended to provide additional information and should

not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance, operating results or financial condition prepared in

accordance with IFRS. The Company has included cash production cost per ounce and per pound data because it understands that

certain investors use this information to determine the Companys ability to generate earnings and cash flow. The measures are not

necessarily indicative of operating results, cash flow from operations, or financial condition as determined under IFRS.

The following tables provide a reconciliation of cost of sales to the cash costs of production in total dollars and in dollars per gold

ounce for the CSH Mine or per copper pound for the Jiama Mine:

Cash production cost for gold is calculated as total cost of sales adjusted by depreciation and depletion and amortization of

Six months ended June 30,



Three months ended June 30,

2022

2022 2023

2023



US$ US$ US$ US$ US$

Per Per ounce

US$ Per

US$ ounce

US$ Per ounce ounce

1

Total Cost of sales 55,729,581 1,442 112,993,791 1,489

48,850,423 1,354 95,842,023 1,346

Adjustment 

Depreciation & depletion (24,405,716) (632) (45.474,215) (599) (15,646,311) (434) (37,251,952) (523)

Adjustment 

Amortization of

intangible assets (469,635) (12) (886,243) (12)

(264,987) (7) (636,227) (9)

Total cash production

costs 30,854,230 798 66,633,333 878

32,939,125 913 57,953,844 814

Total Gold sold ounces 38,636 75,902

36,079 71,179

Cash production cost of gold US$ per ounce calculated as total cash production cost divided by total gold sold ounces





Cash Production cost for copper is calculated as production costs (total cost of sales adjusted by General and administrative

expenses and Research and development expenses) adjusted by depreciation and depletion and amortization of intangible assets.

Cash production cost of copper pound is calculated as total cash production cost divided by total copper sold (pounds). Note that

production and cash costs were not calculated for Q2 2023 as production was halted at the Jiama mine during this period.





Jiama Mine (Copper with by-products credits)

Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30,



2022

2023

2023 2022



US$

US$ US$

US$ Per

Per Per

US$ Per Pound US$ Pound

US$ Pound US$ Pound

Total Cost of sales 118,575,000 2.71 259,803,450 2.83

30,315,573 - 133,391,585 3.24

General and administrative

expenses 7,230,471 0.17 16,216,993 0.18

6,779,160 - 15,461,330 0.38

Research and development

expenses 5,470,289 0.12 11,355,013 0.12

1,442,235 - 6,084,084 0.15

Total production cost 38,536,968 - 131,275,760 3.00 154,936,999 3.77 287,375,456 3.13 Adjustment  Depreciation

& depletion (21,592,060) (0.49) (43,730,305) (0.48)

(13,922,110) - (34,050,478) (0.83)

Adjustment  Amortization

of intangible assets (10,100,897) (0.23) (20,173,129) (0.22) (432,947) - (9,503,436) (0.23)

Total cash production costs 99,582,803 2.28 223,472,022 2.43 24,181,911 - 111,383,085 2.71

By-products credits (58,719,227) (1.34) (112,415,527) (1.22) (717,537) - (50,446,098) (1.23)

Total cash production

costs after by-products

40,863,576 0.94 111,056,495 1.21

credits 23,464,374 - 60,936,987 1.48

Total Copper sold pounds 43,782,721 91,795,712

- 41,129,646

Cash production cost of copper US$ per pound calculated as total cash production cost divided by total copper sold pounds



MINERAL PROPERTIES

The CSH Mine



The CSH Mine is located in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China (Inner Mongolia). The property hosts two low-grade,

near surface gold deposits, along with other mineralized prospects. The main deposit is called the Northeast Zone (the Northeast

Zone), while the second, smaller deposit is called the Southwest Zone (the Southwest Zone). updated its mine plan based on a result of latest ultimate limit optimization, in which the production rate was reduced to 40,000 t/d

with a life of mine (LoM) of seven years as of 2019. The run-of-mine ore is heap leached with cyanide solution to extract gold

and electro-winned to produce a gold dore which is sold to refiners. In June 2020, the operation of southwest pit ended.



The major new contracts entered into during the six months ended June 30, 2023:

Item No. Contract Name Counterpart Subject amount (US $ millions) Contract period (effective day and expiration date) Date of Contract 1 2023-2025 Open-pit Mining and Striping Engineering Contract of Inner Mongolia Pacific Mining Co., Ltd. China National Gold Engineering Corporation Estimated: 128.3 2023.1.1-2025.12.31 2023.4.26 2 Supply Agreement of 10,800 tons of liquid Sodium Cyanide in 2023 Inner Mongolia Chengxin Yongan Chemicals Co., Ltd. Estimated: 6.3 2023.2.19-2023.5.19 2023.2.19 3 Supplementary Contract for Open-pit Mining and Stripping Engineering of CSH Gold Mine Expansion Project of Inner Mongolia Pacific Mining Co., Ltd. China Railway 19TH Bureau Group Mining Investment Co.,Ltd. Estimated: 6.8 2023.1.1-1.31 2023.3.3 4 Supply Agreement of 10,800 tons of liquid Sodium Cyanide in 2023 Inner Mongolia Chengxin Yongan Chemicals Co., Ltd. Estimated: 5.1 2023.6.19-2023.9.19 2023.6.18



Production Update



CSH Mine Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30,

2022 2022

2023 2023



Ore mined and placed on pad (tonnes) 4,344,499 7,930,782

3,459,258 8,273,642

Average ore grade (g/t) 0.49 0.65 0.56 0.63

Recoverable gold (ounces) 33,072 54,097 89,450 96,362

Ending gold in process (ounces) 180,718 180,718

190,674 190,674

Waste rock mined (tonnes) 5,506,015 9,058,907

8,726,411 12,021,446



For the three months ended June 30, 2023, the total amount of ore placed on the leach pad was 3.5 million tonnes, with total

contained gold of 33,072 ounces (1,029 kilograms). The overall accumulative project-to-date gold recovery rate has remained at

approximately 55.09% at the end of June 30, 2023 from 54.95% at the end of March 31, 2023. Of which, gold recovery from the

phase I and phase II heap leach pads were 59.77% and 52.11% at June 30, 2023, respectively.

Exploration



As of June 2023, CSH Mine has completed three drill holes with the total meterage of 3,261.53m in its exploration program which

takes up 77.66% of the annual drilling plan of 4,200m on June 15, 2023. A verification report of the mineral resources and

reserves of the CSH Mine (the MRR Report) has passed the preliminary review and was continually approved by the Reserve

Evaluation Center of the Geology and Survey Institute of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The preparation of the final

approval of the evaluation to the amended MRR Report is undergoing currently. The Evaluation and Achieving Prove of the

Mineral Resources and Reserves of CSH Mine will be issued next.



CSH Mine Mineral Resources by category, at December 31, 2022 under NI 43-101 are listed below: Location Metal

Mineral

Resource Tonnage (x1000

Au (g/t) Au (t) Au (Moz)

Category t)

Measured 17,088 0.64 10.96 0.35

Remaining

within the open

Indicated 19,990 0.68 13.56 0.44

pit limit at a

cut-off grade of

M+I 37,078 0.67 24.52 0.79

0.28 g/t Au

Inferred 5,395 0.42 2.28 0.07



Underground at Measured 88,200 0.67 58.66 1.89

a cut-off grade

Indicated 89,850 0.58 52.07 1.67

of 0.30 g/t Au

M+I 178,050 0.62 110.73 3.56

Inferred 62,090 0.49 30.68 0.99

Note:

Mineral Resources are reported in relation to a conceptual open-pit mining and underground block caving mining. Mineral Resources are

not Mineral Reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. All figures are rounded to reflect the relative accuracy of the

estimate. Raw assays have been capped. Mineral Resources include Mineral Reserves. Mineral Resources are reported at a cut-off grade of 0.28 g/t Au for open-pit mining, based on the following parameters; the heap leaching

& metallurgical recovery of 60% and gold bullion market price of USD 1,980 per ounce. Additional Mineral Resources are reported at a

cut-off grade of 0.30 g/t Au for underground block caving mining, based on the following parameters: the heap leaching & metallurgical

recovery of 60% and gold bullion market price of USD 1,980 per ounce. USD 1.0000=RMB 6.3457 dated in April 2022, and one troy

ounce is equal to 31.1035 grams.

Resource Estimate by CGME Consulting Limited on August 19, 2022 and updated by Gerald Guo, P.Eng., a qualified person as defined by

NI 43-101.



Mineral Reserves Update

CSH Mine Mineral Reserves by category at December 31, 2022 under NI 43-101 are summarized below: Metal

Diluted

Type T (x 1,000) Au g/t Au t Au Moz

Proven 17,088 0.62 10.52 0.34

Probable 19,990 0.65 13.02 0.42



37,078 0.63 23.54 0.76

Total

Note:

Mineral Reserves are reported based on the optimized ultimate open pit limit. All figures are rounded to reflect the relative accuracy of the

estimate. Mineral Reserves are included in Mineral Resources. Mineral Reserves are reported at a cut-off grade of 0.28 g/t Au for open-pit mining, based on the following parameters: the heap leaching &

metallurgical recovery of 60% and gold bullion market price of USD 1,568 per ounce. USD 1.0000=RMB 6.3457 dated in April 2022, and

one troy ounce is equal to 31.1035 grams

Reserve Estimate by CGME Consulting Limited on August 19, 2022 and updated by Gerald Guo, P.Eng., a qualified person as defined by NI

43-101.



The Jiama Mine

Jiama is a large copper-gold polymetallic deposit containing copper, gold, silver, molybdenum, lead and zin, located in the Gandise

metallogenic belt in Tibet Autonomous Region of China.

The Jiama Mine has both underground mining and open-pit mining operations. Phase I of the Jiama Mine commenced operation in

the latter half of 2010 and reached its design capacity of 6,000 tpd in early 2011. Phase II of the Jiama Mine commenced mining

operations in 2018 with 44,000 tpd design capacity. The combined mining and processing capacity at the Jiama Mine is 50,000

tpd.



Item No. Contract Name Counterpart Subject amount (US $ millions) Contract period (effective day and expiration date) Date of Contract 1 Sodium hydrosulfide Purchase Contract Shandong Xingtai Chemical Co., Ltd Estimated: 3.0 2023.5-2024.5 2023.5 2 Contract for loans of working capital Industrial Bank Corporation Lhasa Branch Estimated: 26.6 2023.6-2026.6 2023.6 3 Contract for Ecological Restoration Project (Section III) in 2022 The Second Geological Brigade of Tibet Autonomous Region Geological and Mineral Development Bureau Estimated: 4.2 2023.4-2024.4 2023.4 4 Contract for Underground Drilling Engineering Project in Jiama Mining Area from 2023 to 2025 Qinhuangdao Huakan Geological engineering Co., Ltd Estimated: 4.3 2023.4-2026.2 2023.4 5 Mechanical Equipment Rental Project Contract Sichuan Haotianyu Construction Machinery Leasing Co., Ltd Estimated: 11.9 2023.2-2025.1 2023.2 6 Contract for loans of working capital Tibet Autonomous Region Branch of China Construction Bank Corporation Estimated: 55.4 2023.6-2026.6 2023.6 7 Contract for loans of working capital Lhasa Chengguan District Sub branch of Agricultural Bank of China Co., Ltd Estimated: 41.5 2023.6-2026.6 2023.6 8 Ecological Restoration Project (Section 1) China National Gold Group Corporation Construction Co., Ltd Estimated: 4.7 2023.3-2024.3 2023.3 9 Tripartite Cooperation Agreement for "Factoring e-Finance" Business Tibet Autonomous Region Branch of Agricultural Bank of China Co., Ltd Estimated: 6.9 2023.1-2025.1 2023.1 10 Contract for loans of working capital China Gold Finance Estimated: 55.4 2023.6-2026.6 2023.6 11 Contract for Niumatang Heavy Metal Ion Acid Water Treatment Project Henan Tianfang Construction Engineering Co., Ltd Estimated: 3.5 2023.4-2023.6 2023.4 12 Contract for loans of working capital Mozhugonka County Sub branch of Agricultural Bank of China Co., Ltd Estimated: 13.8 2023.6-2026.6 2023.6 13 Contract for Ecological Restoration Project (Section 2) in 2022 North China Nonferrous Engineering Survey Institute Co., Ltd Estimated: 4.4 2023.4-2024.4 2023.4

Production Update



Jiama Mine Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30,

2022 2022

Ore processed (tonnes) - 4,291,104 4,236,835 8,739,722

Average copper ore grade (%) - 0.58 0.56 0.58

Copper recovery rate (%) - 85 85 85

Average gold grade (g/t) - 0.26 0.20 0.24

Gold recovery rate (%) - 74 63 71

Average silver grade (g/t) - 9.49 9.42 9.19

Silver recovery rate (%) 68 66

- 56

Average Moly grade (%) 0.027 0.025

- 0.029

Moly recovery rate (%) 22.11 21.58

- 15.03



Production was halted during the Q2 2023 period at the Jiama Mine.



In 2023, Tibet Huatailong Mining Development Co., Ltd. plans to implement two geological exploration projects, namely detailed

exploration of copper and lead project outside the current mining area of the Jiama Mine and prospecting of copper project in Bayi

2 2

Farm, with a designed workload of 15,370 m of 20 holes for surface drilling, 37.31 km for geological prospecting, 26 km for soil

2

sampling and 26 km for rock sampling with an estimated total budget of RMB 34.47 million. The temporary land usage permit for

geology prospecting has been issued, however, the geological prospecting program has been temporarily suspended due to the

impact of the tailings dam overflow.



Mineral Resources Estimate

Jiama Mine resources by category at December 31, 2022 under NI 43-101: Jiama Project - Cu, Mo, Pb, Zn ,Au, and Ag Mineral Resources under NI 43-101 Reported at a 0.3% Cu Equivalent Cut off grade*, as of December 31, 2022



Class Quantity Mt Cu % Mo % Pb % Zn % Au g/t Ag g/t Cu Metal (kt) Mo Metal (kt) Pb Metal (kt) Zn Metal (kt) Au Moz Ag Moz Measured 91.94 0.38 0.04 0.04 0.02 0.07 5.05 350.6 33.7 33.5 16.8 0.216 14.921 Indicated 1315.48 0.40 0.03 0.05 0.03 0.10 5.48 5216.8 451.9 613.1 380.0 4.197 232.005 M+I 1407.42 0.40 0.03 0.05 0.03 0.10 5.46 5567.4 485.6 646.6 396.8 4.412 246.926 Inferred 406.10 0.31 0.03 0.08 0.04 0.10 5.13 1247.0 123.0 311.0 175.0 1.317 66.926 Note: Figures reported are rounded which may result in small tabulation errors. The prices of Cu, Mo, Pb, Zn, Au and Ag are US$2.9/lbs; US$15.5/lbs; US$2.9/lbs; US$0.95/lbs; US$1,300/oz and $20/oz respectively.  :  :2023630    CHINA GOLD INTERNATIONAL RESOURCES CORP. LTD.2099CGG2023815CGG20992023814SEDAR (www.sedar.com)20236302023815.Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited and The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited take no responsibility for the contents of this announcement, make no representation as to its accuracy or completeness and expressly disclaim any liability whatsoever for any loss howsoever arising from or in reliance upon the whole or any part of the contents of this announcement.Managements Discussion and Analysis of FinancialCondition and Results of OperationsThree and six months ended June 30, 2023(Stated in U.S. dollars, except as otherwise noted)Suite 660, One Bentall Centre, 505 Burrard Street, Box 27, Vancouver, BC, V7X 1M4Tel: 604-609-0598 Fax: 604-688-0598 E-mail: info@chinagoldintl.com, www.chinagoldintl.com MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION AND ANALYSISManagements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023.(Stated in U.S. dollars, except as otherwise noted)FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS 2THE COMPANY 3OVERVIEW 3PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS 3OUTLOOK 3RESULTS OF OPERATIONS 4SELECTED QUARTERLY FINANCIAL DATA 4SELECTED QUARTERLY PRODUCTION DATA AND ANALYSIS 4REVIEW OF QUARTERLY DATA 5NON-IFRS MEASURES 7MINERAL PROPERTIES 8THE CSH MINE 8THE JIAMA MINE 10LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES 13CASH FLOWS 14OPERATING CASH FLOW 14INVESTING CASH FLOW 14FINANCING CASH FLOW 14EXPENDITURES INCURRED 15GEARING RATIO 15SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENTS, ACQUISITIONS AND DISPOSAL OF SUBSIDIARIES. ASSOCIATES AND JOINT VENTURES, AND FUTURE PLAN FOR MATERIAL INVESTMENTS OF CAPITAL ASSETS 15 CHARGE ON ASSETS 15EXPOSURE TO FLUCTUATIONS IN EXCHANGE RATES AND RELATED HEDGES 15 COMMITMENTS 15RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS 16PROPOSED TRANSACTIONS 17CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES 17CHANGE IN ACCOUNTING POLICIES 17FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS AND OTHER INSTRUMENTS 17OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS 17DIVIDEND AND DIVIDEND POLICY 17OUTSTANDING SHARES 18DISCLOSURE CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES AND INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING 18RISK FACTORS 18QUALIFIED PERSON 18The following Management Discussion and Analysis of financial condition and results of operations (MD&A) is prepared asof August 14, 2023. It should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto of China GoldInternational Resources Corp. Ltd. (referred to herein as China Gold International, the Company, we or our as thecontext may require) for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023 and the three and six months ended June 30, 2022,respectively. Unless the context otherwise provides, references in this MD&A to China Gold International or the Companyrefer to China Gold International and each of its subsidiaries collectively on a consolidated basis.The following discussion contains certain forward-looking statements relating to the Companys plans, objectives, expectationsand intentions, which are based on the Companys current expectations and are subject to risks, uncertainties and changes incircumstances. Readers should carefully consider all of the information set out in this MD&A, including the risks anduncertainties outlined further in the Companys Annual Information Form (Annual Information Form or AIF) dated March30, 2023 on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, www.chinagoldintl.com and www.hkex.com.hk. For further information on risks andother factors that could affect the accuracy of forward-looking statements and the result of operations of the Company, pleaserefer to the sections titled Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factors and to discussions elsewhere within this MD&A.China Gold Internationals business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected byany of these risks.FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTSCertain statements made herein, other than statements of historical fact relating to the Company, represent forward-lookinginformation. In some cases, this forward-looking information can be identified by words or phrases such as may, will,expect, anticipate, contemplates, aim, estimate, intend, plan, believe, potential, continue, is/are likelyto, should or the negative of these terms, or other similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking information. Thisforward-looking information includes, among other things; China Gold Internationals production estimates, business strategiesand capital expenditure plans; the development and expansion plans and schedules for the CSH Mine and the Jiama Mine;China Gold Internationals financial condition; the regulatory environment as well as the general industry outlook; generaleconomic trends in China; and statements respecting anticipated business activities, planned expenditures, corporate strategies,participation in projects and financing, and other statements that are not historical facts. By their nature, forward-looking information involves numerous assumptions, both general and specific, which may cause theactual results, performance or achievements of China Gold International and/or its subsidiaries to be materially different fromany future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forwardlooking information. Some of the keyassumptions include, among others, the absence of any material change in China Gold Internationals operations or in foreignexchange rates, the prevailing price of gold, copper and other non-ferrous metal products; the absence oflower-than-anticipated mineral recovery or other production problems; effective income and other tax rates and otherassumptions underlying China Gold Internationals financial performance as stated in the Companys technical reports for itsCSH Mine and Jiama Mine; China Gold Internationals ability to obtain regulatory confirmations and approvals on a timelybasis; continuing positive labor relations; the absence of any material adverse effects as a result of political instability,terrorism, natural disasters, pandemics such as COVID-19, litigation or arbitration and adverse changes in governmentregulation; the availability and accessibility of financing to China Gold International; and the performance by counterparties ofthe terms and conditions of all contracts to which China Gold International and its subsidiaries are a party. Theforward-looking information is also based on the assumption that none of the risk factors identified in this MD&A or in theAIF that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information actually occurs.Forward-looking information contained herein as of the date of this MD&A is based on the opinions, estimates andassumptions of management. There are a number of important risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actualactions, events or results to differ materially from those described as forward-looking information. China Gold Internationaldisclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, estimates,opinions or assumptions, future events or results, or otherwise except to the extent required by law. There can be no assurancethat forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially fromthose anticipated in such statements. The forward-looking information in this MD&A is expressly qualified by this cautionarystatement. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. THE COMPANYOverviewChina Gold International is a gold and base metal mining company registered in British Columbia Canada. The Companys mainbusiness involves the operation, acquisition, development and exploration of gold and base metal properties.The Companys principal mining operations are the Chang Shan Hao Gold Mine (CSH Mine or CSH), located in InnerMongolia, China and the Jiama Copper-Gold Polymetallic Mine (Jiama Mine or Jiama), located in Tibet, China. China GoldInternational holds a 96.5% interest in the CSH Mine, while its Chinese joint venture (CJV) partner holds the remaining 3.5%interest. The Company owns a 100% interest in the Jiama Mine, which hosts a large scale copper-gold polymetallic depositcontaining copper, gold, molybdenum, silver, lead and zinc metals. China Gold Internationals common shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) and The Stock Exchange of HongKong Limited (HKSE) under the symbol CGG and the stock code 2099, respectively. Additional information about theCompany, including the Companys Annual Information Form, is available on SEDAR at sedar.com as well as Hong KongExchange News at hkexnews.hk.Performance HighlightsThree months ended June 30, 2023? Revenue decreased by 75% to US$73.0 million from US$292.0 million for the same period in 2022. ? Mine operating loss of US$6.2 million, decreased by 105% from mine operating earnings of US$117.7 million for the sameperiod in 2022.? Net loss of US$53.3 million decreased by 165% or US$135.0 million from net income of US$81.7 million for the sameperiod in 2022.? Cash flow used in operation of US$73.5 million, decreased by 168% from cash flow from operation of US$107.6 million forthe same period in 2022.? Total gold production decreased by 44% to 36,490 ounces from 65,527 ounces for the same period in 2022.? Total copper production was nil as all production was halted at the Jiama mine during Q2 2023. Copper production was47.1million pounds (approximately 21,356 tonnes) for the same period in 2022. Six months ended June 30, 2023? Revenue decreased by 45% to US$325.8 million from US$596.0 million for the same period in 2022. ? Mine operating earnings decreased by 57% to US$96.6 million from US$223.2 million for the same period in 2022.? Net income of US$25.3 million decreased by 84% or US$128.2 million from US$153.5 million for the same period in 2022.? Cash flow from operation decreased by 80% to US$54.2 million from US$268.4 million for the same period in 2022.? Total gold production decreased by 28% to 89,317 ounces from 124,110 ounces for the same period in 2022.? Total copper production decreased by 54% to 44.1 million pounds (approximately 20,019 tonnes) from 95.4 million pounds(approximately 43,279 tonnes) for the same period in 2022. The decrease in production and profit was mainly attributed to the suspension of operations of the Jiama Mine as of March 27,2023 due to the overflow at the Guolanggou tailings pond. As a result of the suspension, the Company did not record any productsales from the Jiama Mine during Q2 2023, with the exception of a minor amount of molybdenum. OUTLOOKOn March 27, 2023, an overflow occurred at the Guolanggou Tailings Dam at Jiama Mine (the overflow). The Companyquickly contained and repaired the breach to ensure no damage to the environment or neighbouring communities. Subsequent toThe overflow occurred at the top 19th subsequent dyke of the Guolangou Tailings Dam. However, other levels of subsequentdykes and the starter dyke were also damaged to varying degrees. The Company is conducting a comprehensive inspection andassessment of all 19 levels of subsequent dykes and the starter dyke of the tailings dam and is making permanent repairs andreinforcements of the dam. As at the date of this MD&A, the overall progress is on schedule. The dam's repair and majorreinforcement works have been completed and some reinforcement works are still in the final stage. The Company is workingtowards submitting a safety assessment report to the regulatory authority on or around the end of August 2023. The Company isadopting various active measures to promote the resumption of production of the Jiama Mine.Due to the uncertainty of the date of resumption of production at Jiama Mine, the Company has withdrawn its annual productionguidance for 2023 as set out in the announcement of the Company dated January 20, 2023. Once the impact of the overflow onthe operation can be more clearly evaluated, the Company will re-issue the production guidelines. However, the Company notesthat production operations at the Company's CSH gold mine remain normal and stable. RESULTS OF OPERATIONSSelected Quarterly Financial DataSelected Quarterly Production Data and AnalysisCSH Mine Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30 2023 2022 2023 2022Gold sales (US$ million) 72.1771.33137.75 141.90Realized average price (US$) of gold per ounce 1,977 1,8681,935 1,870Gold produced (ounces) 38,60736,06975,88471,360Gold sold (ounces) 38,63636,07975,90271,179Total production cost (US$ per ounce) 1,4421,3541,4891,346(1)Cash production cost (US$ per ounce) 798913814 878(1) Non-IFRS measure. See Non-IFRS measures section of this MD&AGold production at the CSH Mine decreased by 7% to 36,069 ounces for the three months ended June 30, 2023 compared to 38,607ounces for the same period in 2022 due to lower grades of ore. The total production cost of gold for the three months ended June 30,2023 decreased by 6% to US$1,354 per ounce compared to US$1,442 for the same period in 2022. The decrease in totalfor the three months ended June 30, 2023 increased by 14% to US$913 per ounce from US$798 for the same period in 2022. Theincrease in cash production cost is mainly due to higher stripping ratio and waste ore mined in order to ensure the stability of theopen pit slope in Q2 2023.Jiama Mine Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30, 2022 20222023 2023Copper sales (US$ in millions) 159.11 337.78- 134.40Realized average price (US$) of copper perpound after smelting fee discount 3.72 3.68- 3.27Copper produced (tonnes) 21,356 43,279- 20,019Copper produced (pounds) - 47,080,848 44,133,380 95,412,864Copper sold (tonnes) 19,860 41,638- 18,656Copper sold (pounds) 43,782,721 91,795,712- 41,129,646Gold produced (ounces) 26,920 48,226- 17,957Gold sold (ounces) 24,369 45,473- 17,729Silver produced (ounces) 890,888 1,696,631- 740,652Silver sold (ounces) 824,791 1,635,158- 709,096Lead produced (tonnes) - -- -Lead produced (pounds) - - - -Lead sold (tonnes) - - - -Lead sold (pounds) - -- -Zinc produced (tonnes) - -- -Zinc produced (pounds) - -- -Zinc sold (tonnes) - - - -Zinc sold (pounds) - - - -Moly produced (tonnes) 253 466- 232Moly produced (pounds) 558,541 1,026,403- 510,760Moly sold (tonnes) 210 47569 247Moly sold (pounds) 152,004 463,477 544,942 1,046,553Total production cost (US$) of copper perpound 3.00 3.13- 4.32Total production cost (US$) of copper perpound after by-products credits 1.66 1.91- 3.09Cash production cost (US$) per pound of copper 2.28 2.43- 3.26Cash production cost (US$) of copper perpound after by-products credits 0.94 1.21- 2.031 A discount factor of 13.5% to 24.4% is applied to the copper benchmark price to compensate the refinery costs incurred by the buyers. The discountfactor is higher if the grade of copper in copper concentrate is below 18%. The industry standard of copper in copper concentrate is between 18-20%.2 Production costs include expenditures incurred at the mine sites for the activities related to production including mining, processing, minesite G&A and royalties etc.3 Non-IFRS measure. See Non-IFRS measures section of this MD&A 4 By-products credit refers to the sales of gold and silver during the corresponding period.Due to the overflow of the tailings dam on March 27, 2023, production at the Jiama Mine was suspended during Q2 2023..Review of Quarterly Datain 2022. Realized average gold price increased by 6% from US$1,868/oz in Q2 2022 to US$1,977/oz in Q2 2023. Gold sold by theCSH Mine was 36,079 ounces (gold produced: 36,069 ounces), compared to 38,636 ounces (gold produced: 38,607 ounces) for thesame period in 2022.Revenue from the Jiama Mine was US$1.7 million, a decrease of US$218.1 million, compared to US$219.8 million for the sameperiod in 2022. No production occurred during Q2 2023 due to the operational suspension from the tailings dam overflow, with aminor amount of molybdenum sales.Cost of sales of US$79.2 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2023, a decrease of US$95.1 million from US$174.3 million forthe same period in 2022, mainly due to the suspension of operations at the Jiama Mine. Mine operating loss of US$6.1 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023, a decrease of US$123.8 million from mineoperating earnings of US$117.7 million for the same period in 2022, mainly due to the suspension of operations at the Jiama Mine.General and administrative expenses decreased by US$0.4 million, from US$8.3 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 toUS$7.9 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2023.Research and development expenses of US$1.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023, decreased from US$5.5million for the comparative 2022 period. The decrease in the second quarter of 2023 was mainly due to suspension of operations atthe Jiama Mine.Loss from operations of US$15.5 million for the second quarter of 2023, decreased by US$119.2 million, compared to an incomeof US$103.7 million for the same period in 2022.Finance costs of US$6.9 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023, decreased by US$1.0 million compared to US$7.9million for the same period in 2022. The decrease was primarily due to the reduction in the total amount of borrowingsoutstanding.Foreign exchange loss of US$11.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023, increased from US$11.5 million for thesame period in 2022. The loss was attributed to changes in the RMB/USD exchange rates and the revaluation of monetary itemsheld in Chinese RMB.Interest and other income of US$3.8 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023, decreased from US$5.9 million for thesame period in 2022, primarily due to the less dividends received from China Nonferrous Mining Corporation Limited in thecurrent quarter compared to last year.Other expense of US$22.6 million was recognized in Q2 2023. In the current quarter, the Company recognized estimatedlitigation compensation of US$22.6 million arising from the litigation between Huaxin Construction Group Co., Ltd.,Zhongxinfang, and the Company's subsidiary, Tibet Huatailong Mining Development Co. Ltd. Refer to Note 17 Contingencies ofthe condensed consolidated financial statements for details. .Income tax expense of US$0.4 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2023, decreased by US$8.0 million from US$8.4 million forthe comparative period in 2022. During the current quarter, the Company had US$15.1 million of deferred tax credit compared toUS$7.5 million for the same period in 2022.Net loss of US$53.3 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023, decreased by US$135.0 million from an income of US$81.7million for the three months ended June 30, 2022.Six months ended June 30, 2023 compared to six months ended June 30, 2022Revenue of US$325.8 million for the first half of 2023, decreased by US$270.2 million from US$596.0 million for the sameperiod in 2022.Revenue from the CSH Mine was US$137.7 million, a decrease of US$4.2 million from US$141.9 million for the same period in2022. Realized average gold price increased by 4% from US$1,870/oz in the first six months of 2022 to US$1,935/oz in 2023.Gold sold by the CSH Mine was 71,179 ounces (gold produced: 71,360 ounces), compared to 75,902 ounces (gold produced:75,884 ounces) for the same period in 2022.Revenue from the Jiama Mine was US$188.0 million, a decrease of US$266.1 million, compared to US$454.1 million for the sameperiod in 2022. Realized average price of copper decreased by 11% from US$3.68/pound in the first six months of 2022 tofor the same period in 2022. Cost of sales as a percentage of revenue for the Company increased from 63% to 70% for the sixmonths ended June 30, 2022 and 2023, respectively, primarily due to the suspension of operations at the Jiama Mine.Mine operating earnings of US$96.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023, a decrease of 57%, or US$126.6 million,from US$223.2 million for the same period in 2022. Mine operating earnings as a percentage of revenue decreased from 37% to 30%for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2023, respectively, primarily due to the suspension of operations at the Jiama Mine.General and administrative expenses decreased by US$0.7 million, from US$18.2 million for the six months ended June 30,2022 to US$17.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023. Research and development expenses of US$6.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023, decreased from US$11.4 millionfor the comparative 2022 period, mainly due to the suspension of operations at the Jiama Mine. Income from operations of US$72.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023, decreased by US$120.4 million, comparedto US$193.3 million for the same period in 2022.Finance costs of US$13.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023, decreased by US$2.5 million compared to US$16.1million for the same period in 2022. The decrease was primarily due to the reduction in the total amount of borrowingsoutstanding.Foreign exchange loss of US$8.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023, decreased from US$9.9 million for the sameperiod in 2022. The loss was attributed to changes in the RMB/USD exchange rates and the revaluation of monetary items held inChinese RMB.Interest and other income of US$5.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023, decreased from US$6.7 million for thesame period in 2022, mainly due to the less dividends received from China Nonferrous Mining Corporation Limited in the secondquarter of 2023 compared to last year.Other expense of US$22.6 million was recognized in Q2 2023. In the current quarter, the Company recognized estimatedlitigation compensation of US$22.6 million arising from the litigation between Huaxin Construction Group Co., Ltd.,Zhongxinfang, and the Company's subsidiary, Tibet Huatailong Mining Development Co. Ltd. Refer to Note 17 Contingencies ofthe condensed consolidated financial statements for details.Income tax expense of US$8.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023, decreased by US$11.6 million from US$20.5million for the comparative period in 2022. During the period, the Company had US$17.8 million of deferred tax credit comparedto US$8.6 million for the same period in 2022.Net income of US$25.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023, decreased by US$128.2 million from US$153.5 millionfor the six months ended June 30, 2022.NON-IFRS MEASURESThe cash cost of production, cash cost after by-product credits and cash cost per ounce and per pound are measures that are not inaccordance with IFRS.The Company has included these metrics to supplement its consolidated financial statements, which are presented in accordancewith IFRS. Non-IFRS measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS, and therefore they may not becomparable to similar measures employed by other companies. The data is intended to provide additional information and shouldnot be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance, operating results or financial condition prepared inaccordance with IFRS. The Company has included cash production cost per ounce and per pound data because it understands thatcertain investors use this information to determine the Companys ability to generate earnings and cash flow. The measures are notnecessarily indicative of operating results, cash flow from operations, or financial condition as determined under IFRS.The following tables provide a reconciliation of cost of sales to the cash costs of production in total dollars and in dollars per goldounce for the CSH Mine or per copper pound for the Jiama Mine:Cash production cost for gold is calculated as total cost of sales adjusted by depreciation and depletion and amortization ofSix months ended June 30,Three months ended June 30,20222022 20232023US$ US$ US$ US$ US$Per Per ounceUS$ PerUS$ ounceUS$ Per ounce ounceTotal Cost of sales 55,729,581 1,442 112,993,791 1,48948,850,423 1,354 95,842,023 1,346Adjustment Depreciation & depletion (24,405,716) (632) (45.474,215) (599) (15,646,311) (434) (37,251,952) (523)Adjustment Amortization ofintangible assets (469,635) (12) (886,243) (12)(264,987) (7) (636,227) (9)Total cash productioncosts 30,854,230 798 66,633,333 87832,939,125 913 57,953,844 814Total Gold sold ounces 38,636 75,90236,079 71,179Cash production cost of gold US$ per ounce calculated as total cash production cost divided by total gold sold ouncesCash Production cost for copper is calculated as production costs (total cost of sales adjusted by General and administrativeexpenses and Research and development expenses) adjusted by depreciation and depletion and amortization of intangible assets.Cash production cost of copper pound is calculated as total cash production cost divided by total copper sold (pounds). Note thatproduction and cash costs were not calculated for Q2 2023 as production was halted at the Jiama mine during this period.Jiama Mine (Copper with by-products credits)Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30,202220232023 2022US$US$ US$US$ PerPer PerUS$ Per Pound US$ PoundUS$ Pound US$ PoundTotal Cost of sales 118,575,000 2.71 259,803,450 2.8330,315,573 - 133,391,585 3.24General and administrativeexpenses 7,230,471 0.17 16,216,993 0.186,779,160 - 15,461,330 0.38Research and developmentexpenses 5,470,289 0.12 11,355,013 0.121,442,235 - 6,084,084 0.15Total production cost 38,536,968 - 131,275,760 3.00 154,936,999 3.77 287,375,456 3.13 Adjustment  Depreciation& depletion (21,592,060) (0.49) (43,730,305) (0.48)(13,922,110) - (34,050,478) (0.83)Adjustment  Amortizationof intangible assets (10,100,897) (0.23) (20,173,129) (0.22) (432,947) - (9,503,436) (0.23)Total cash production costs 99,582,803 2.28 223,472,022 2.43 24,181,911 - 111,383,085 2.71By-products credits (58,719,227) (1.34) (112,415,527) (1.22) (717,537) - (50,446,098) (1.23)Total cash productioncosts after by-products40,863,576 0.94 111,056,495 1.21credits 23,464,374 - 60,936,987 1.48Total Copper sold pounds 43,782,721 91,795,712- 41,129,646Cash production cost of copper US$ per pound calculated as total cash production cost divided by total copper sold poundsMINERAL PROPERTIESThe CSH MineThe CSH Mine is located in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China (Inner Mongolia). The property hosts two low-grade,near surface gold deposits, along with other mineralized prospects. The main deposit is called the Northeast Zone (the NortheastZone), while the second, smaller deposit is called the Southwest Zone (the Southwest Zone). updated its mine plan based on a result of latest ultimate limit optimization, in which the production rate was reduced to 40,000 t/dwith a life of mine (LoM) of seven years as of 2019. The run-of-mine ore is heap leached with cyanide solution to extract goldand electro-winned to produce a gold dore which is sold to refiners. In June 2020, the operation of southwest pit ended.The major new contracts entered into during the six months ended June 30, 2023:Production UpdateCSH Mine Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30,2022 20222023 2023Ore mined and placed on pad (tonnes) 4,344,499 7,930,7823,459,258 8,273,642Average ore grade (g/t) 0.49 0.65 0.56 0.63Recoverable gold (ounces) 33,072 54,097 89,450 96,362Ending gold in process (ounces) 180,718 180,718190,674 190,674Waste rock mined (tonnes) 5,506,015 9,058,9078,726,411 12,021,446For the three months ended June 30, 2023, the total amount of ore placed on the leach pad was 3.5 million tonnes, with totalcontained gold of 33,072 ounces (1,029 kilograms). The overall accumulative project-to-date gold recovery rate has remained atapproximately 55.09% at the end of June 30, 2023 from 54.95% at the end of March 31, 2023. Of which, gold recovery from thephase I and phase II heap leach pads were 59.77% and 52.11% at June 30, 2023, respectively.ExplorationAs of June 2023, CSH Mine has completed three drill holes with the total meterage of 3,261.53m in its exploration program whichtakes up 77.66% of the annual drilling plan of 4,200m on June 15, 2023. A verification report of the mineral resources andreserves of the CSH Mine (the MRR Report) has passed the preliminary review and was continually approved by the ReserveEvaluation Center of the Geology and Survey Institute of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The preparation of the finalapproval of the evaluation to the amended MRR Report is undergoing currently. The Evaluation and Achieving Prove of theMineral Resources and Reserves of CSH Mine will be issued next.CSH Mine Mineral Resources by category, at December 31, 2022 under NI 43-101 are listed below: Location MetalMineralResource Tonnage (x1000Au (g/t) Au (t) Au (Moz)Category t)Measured 17,088 0.64 10.96 0.35Remainingwithin the openIndicated 19,990 0.68 13.56 0.44pit limit at acut-off grade ofM+I 37,078 0.67 24.52 0.790.28 g/t AuInferred 5,395 0.42 2.28 0.07Underground at Measured 88,200 0.67 58.66 1.89a cut-off gradeIndicated 89,850 0.58 52.07 1.67of 0.30 g/t AuM+I 178,050 0.62 110.73 3.56Inferred 62,090 0.49 30.68 0.99Note:Mineral Resources are reported in relation to a conceptual open-pit mining and underground block caving mining. Mineral Resources arenot Mineral Reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. All figures are rounded to reflect the relative accuracy of theestimate. Raw assays have been capped. Mineral Resources include Mineral Reserves. Mineral Resources are reported at a cut-off grade of 0.28 g/t Au for open-pit mining, based on the following parameters; the heap leaching& metallurgical recovery of 60% and gold bullion market price of USD 1,980 per ounce. Additional Mineral Resources are reported at acut-off grade of 0.30 g/t Au for underground block caving mining, based on the following parameters: the heap leaching & metallurgicalrecovery of 60% and gold bullion market price of USD 1,980 per ounce. USD 1.0000=RMB 6.3457 dated in April 2022, and one troyounce is equal to 31.1035 grams.Resource Estimate by CGME Consulting Limited on August 19, 2022 and updated by Gerald Guo, P.Eng., a qualified person as defined byNI 43-101.Mineral Reserves UpdateCSH Mine Mineral Reserves by category at December 31, 2022 under NI 43-101 are summarized below: MetalDilutedType T (x 1,000) Au g/t Au t Au MozProven 17,088 0.62 10.52 0.34Probable 19,990 0.65 13.02 0.4237,078 0.63 23.54 0.76TotalNote:Mineral Reserves are reported based on the optimized ultimate open pit limit. All figures are rounded to reflect the relative accuracy of theestimate. Mineral Reserves are included in Mineral Resources. Mineral Reserves are reported at a cut-off grade of 0.28 g/t Au for open-pit mining, based on the following parameters: the heap leaching &metallurgical recovery of 60% and gold bullion market price of USD 1,568 per ounce. USD 1.0000=RMB 6.3457 dated in April 2022, andone troy ounce is equal to 31.1035 gramsReserve Estimate by CGME Consulting Limited on August 19, 2022 and updated by Gerald Guo, P.Eng., a qualified person as defined by NI43-101.The Jiama MineJiama is a large copper-gold polymetallic deposit containing copper, gold, silver, molybdenum, lead and zin, located in the Gandisemetallogenic belt in Tibet Autonomous Region of China.The Jiama Mine has both underground mining and open-pit mining operations. Phase I of the Jiama Mine commenced operation inthe latter half of 2010 and reached its design capacity of 6,000 tpd in early 2011. Phase II of the Jiama Mine commenced miningoperations in 2018 with 44,000 tpd design capacity. The combined mining and processing capacity at the Jiama Mine is 50,000tpd.Production UpdateJiama Mine Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30,2022 2022Ore processed (tonnes) - 4,291,104 4,236,835 8,739,722Average copper ore grade (%) - 0.58 0.56 0.58Copper recovery rate (%) - 85 85 85Average gold grade (g/t) - 0.26 0.20 0.24Gold recovery rate (%) - 74 63 71Average silver grade (g/t) - 9.49 9.42 9.19Silver recovery rate (%) 68 66- 56Average Moly grade (%) 0.027 0.025- 0.029Moly recovery rate (%) 22.11 21.58- 15.03Production was halted during the Q2 2023 period at the Jiama Mine.In 2023, Tibet Huatailong Mining Development Co., Ltd. plans to implement two geological exploration projects, namely detailedexploration of copper and lead project outside the current mining area of the Jiama Mine and prospecting of copper project in Bayi2 2Farm, with a designed workload of 15,370 m of 20 holes for surface drilling, 37.31 km for geological prospecting, 26 km for soilsampling and 26 km for rock sampling with an estimated total budget of RMB 34.47 million. The temporary land usage permit forgeology prospecting has been issued, however, the geological prospecting program has been temporarily suspended due to theimpact of the tailings dam overflow.Mineral Resources EstimateJiama Mine resources by category at December 31, 2022 under NI 43-101: Jiama Project - Cu, Mo, Pb, Zn ,Au, and Ag Mineral Resources under NI 43-101 Reported at a 0.3% Cu Equivalent Cut off grade*, as of December 31, 2022Note: Figures reported are rounded which may result in small tabulation errors. The prices of Cu, Mo, Pb, Zn, Au and Ag are US$2.9/lbs; US$15.5/lbs; US$2.9/lbs; US$0.95/lbs; US$1,300/oz and $20/oz respectively. 
The Prime Minister has condemned the way looting and disruption has been organised on social media as "appalling" and "unacceptable".

Rishi Sunak's comments follow calls by the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) for parents to be held accountable for children involved in criminal social media crazes

Disorder in London's Oxford Street spread last week after online rumours.

Mr Sunak said those involved should face "the full force of the law".

Nine people were arrested after trouble broke out on 9 August when social media videos urged people to turn up and cause disorder.

West End stores were forced to close their shutters and lock customers inside during the looting bid, which was reportedly inspired by a social media craze encouraging people to take part in an "Oxford Street JD robbery".

Rishi Sunak made the comments about the disorder in London following a visit to a hospital in Milton Keynes

Asked what he made of the disturbances, which occurred while he was on holiday in the US, Mr Sunak told broadcasters: "I have got to say it is appalling.

"Criminal damage, criminal behaviour is unacceptable.

"I fully support the police in bringing those people to justice - because that type of behaviour is simply unacceptable in our society."

Dispersal orders were also imposed in Southend after posts encouraging anti-social behaviour.

Donna Jones, who is PCC for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight as well as chair of the APCC, said that such incidents were organised and shared on social media and were a "real indication of societal breakdown".

She said the trend for social media crazes was "incredibly worrying" and called for action from social media companies.

"This is mindless vandalism, and it's also criminal activity in terms of shoplifting and theft, looting, mass looting," she said.

"This is taking away police hours from operational policing that they should be doing to keep genuine people that need protecting safe."

Ms Jones said parents could be forced to pay the fines for the criminal behaviour of their children under the age of 16, or under 18 if in full-time education.

"We need to send a clear message - this is not acceptable and the parents need to be held accountable," she said.

She said another social media craze involved teenagers in Southampton goading others into taking paracetamol.

BBC Verify searched TikTok to see whether there were recent videos about a paracetamol challenge involving teenagers in Southampton but couldn't find any.

They asked TikTok whether any had existed but had been deleted by them.

TikTok said: "These claims are simply wrong. We have found no evidence to support them and this content has not trended on TikTok. We have written to the government with the facts to clear up these misrepresentations."

Ms Jones said a "handful" of children were admitted to hospital in Southampton as a result of an alleged paracetamol-taking challenge.

Southampton City Council said the incident happened at Southampton Central train station, and involved children aged between 15 and 17.

It said: "We are aware of the incident in question and are continuing to work across the appropriate agencies as part of ongoing investigations and to ensure those involved are fully supported. We are unable to comment any further."

"I don't think [teenagers] understand that the fun that goes along with it - as they see it as fun - could actually potentially be very, very worrying," she added.

"This is taking up much needed ambulance time, police time and of course we can't afford for that to happen and I think parents need to get involved."

NHS advice is that paracetamol is safe to take as a painkiller when used correctly and when the dosage recommendations are followed, but can cause serious liver damage if those are exceeded.

Ms Jones called for TikTok in particular to investigate its role in organising gatherings and harmful challenges.

In a statement, TikTok said: "We have seen no evidence to support these claims and we have zero tolerance for content facilitating or encouraging criminal activities.

"We have over 40,000 safety professionals dedicated to keeping TikTok safe - if we find content of this nature, we remove it and actively engage with law enforcement on these issues."

Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk
A dusty costume of a tinfoil wrapped donair sandwich has sold in Canada for C$16,025 ($11,900; 9,400).

The strangeness of the listing - and the fact it depicts a beloved Canadian street food - captured hearts when it was posted online on an Alberta government surplus auction site.

That sparked a bidding war for the never-used outfit between rival donair restaurants across the country.

The 4ft 8in (142cm) suit was eventually won by an Alberta donair chain.

For those unfamiliar with the food, a donair is derived from the Greek gyro and Turkish doner kebab, said Canadian food writer Lindsay Wickstrom, who has written a book on the snack.

Greek immigrant Peter Gamoulakos created the sandwich in the mid-1970s in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The restaurateur had ambitions of bringing the gyro to Atlantic Canada, but discovered that the savoury of flavours of garlic, yogurt and lamb didn't align with local tastes at the time.

So he put a slightly sweeter spin on the sandwich.

The man-sized donair suit features lettuce - a controversial topping in the sandwich's hometown of Halifax, Nova Scotia

A donair has spiced ground beef shaved into a grilled Lebanese pita and covered in a sauce of evaporated or condensed milk, and vinegar and sugar. There is often a hint of garlic, and tomato or onion as a topping.

"The late night food that you eat after some drinks usually," Ms Wickstrom told the BBC.

It's since been declared Halifax's official food, reaching "iconic and unique" status.

The dish eventually made its way west to Alberta, where it was already popular with Atlantic Canadians who had settled there to work in the oil industry.

There, it is often sold with a controversial addition: lettuce.

"People in Halifax are purists about the donair," Ms Wickstrom said. "You will be publicly shamed, even driven out of the city for even putting lettuce on it."

Under a wave of interest earlier the summer, Alberta revealed the origins of the donair costume, which comes with a "silver-coloured body suit for that authentic tinfoil look!".

The one-of-a-kind outfit was bought in 2015 for an anti-drug awareness campaign that in the end was never produced. In July, it ended up listed under the "oddities" section of the auction site. Condition: dusty but excellent.

But the costume features lettuce, fuelling a long-standing regional dispute between Halifax and Edmonton on what constitutes a true, authentic donair.

Adil Asim, the owner of the Alberta-based restaurant chain Prime Time Donair & Poutine, told the BBC on Tuesday that he entered the bidding competition to save the lettuce, after Halifax restaurants vying for the costume promised to remove it.

"I am born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, and I had my first donair at the age of two" most of which had the leafy green on them, the 42-year-old said.

For Canadian YouTuber Steve Wallis, a life-time of eating donairs inspired him to join the bidding war for the man-sized outfit.

The 41-year-old said he hoped to use it to raise money for food banks, a cause his late wife was passionate about.

"Who wouldn't want a profile picture of them with this donair? It's just attracted so much attention," he said.

Mr Wallis was eventually outbid in the final hours of the auction by Mr Asim.

But the two have since connected to collaborate on a charity event that will feature the costume.

"If we can use this suit to do some good (and have some fun while doing it), then we think everyone can be a winner here," Mr Asim told Mr Wallis in a message shared on social media.
A new sketch of the last known victim of the notorious Candy Man serial killer Dean Corll has been released 50 years after he was discovered in a mass grave.

For decades, the young man whose mutilated body was found in belted brightly-colored swim trunks has only been known as Swimsuit Boy or John Houston Doe  but now officials are hoping the new sketch will finally be able to give the victim his name back.

The facial rendering was released by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) last week, on the 50th anniversary of the day many of the bodies were found in mass graves on 9 August 1973.

Corll, who was infamously nicknamed The Candy Man because he was known to hand out free candy to kids at his parents candy store, terrorised young men in the Houston area in the early 1970s.

Between 1970 and 1973, Corll and his accomplices David Owen Brooks, then 17, and Elmer Wayne Henley, then 18, kidnapped, tortured, raped and killed at least 28 males between the ages of 13 and 20. Its believed the number of slayings, known as the Houston Mass Murders, were far more than 28.

The victims remains were found after Henley led Houston police to a boat storage shed, where 17 bodies were found wrapped in plastic or sheets and buried under a layer of lime plaster, according to Dean Corll: The True Story of The Houston Mass Murders: Historical Serial Killers and Murderers, by Jack Rosewood.

On 8 August 1973, a day before the bodies were found, Henley shot and killed 33-year-old Corll with the killers own .22 pistol, allegedly screaming: I cant go on any longer! I cant have you kill all my friends!, Texas Monthly reported.

Henley admitted direct involvement in six of the killings, and is serving six consecutive terms of 99 years of imprisonment with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. He will be eligible for parole in October 2025 at the age of 70.

Brooks died from COVID-19 in 2020 in a Galveston hospital while serving a life sentence.

A new sketch of the last known victim of the notorious Candy Man serial killer Dean Corll has been released 50 years after the bodies were discovered (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children)

John Doe was found with belted Catalina swim trunks with vertical red, turquoise, gold, and dark blue stripes, with the letter C with golden wings on the silver buckle (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children)

A close up look at John Does swim trunks (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children)

Over the past 50 years, investigators have been able to identify 27 of Corlls known victims, giving each of The Lost Boys a name  except one  John Doe 1973.

The latest attempt to identify the final victim from the 1970s horror was revived this year after Corlls house was razed in February. At least eight victims were shot and killed at that house, officials have said.

John Doe, who police believe was white possibly Hispanic, and between 15 and 18 when he was killed, was one of the 17 bodies found at the boat shed, according to NCMECs website.

He was found with belted Catalina swim trunks that had bright red, turquoise, gold, and dark blue stripes. The shorts also had the letter "C" with golden wings on the silver buckle.

The victim was wearing a khaki-colored long sleeved 70s style shirt that tied in the front, with a large red, white, and blue peace symbol and the letters USA.

Dark blue corduroys, a knotted leather ankle bracelet, and brown leather cowboy boots that were 12 inches in length and had the word "NEOLITE" on the heel, were also found.

The victim was wearing a khaki-colored long sleeved 70s style shirt that tied in the front, with a large red, white, and blue peace symbol and the letters USA." (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children)

The front of the khaki-colored long sleeved 70s style shirt (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children)

John Doe 1973 was also located with brown leather cowboy boots that went above the calf and had the word NEOLITE on the heel. (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children)

It was later determined that the young man had a mild form of spina bifida, according to NCMEC.

Carol Schweitzer, supervisor of NCMECs Forensic Services Unit, said they remain hopeful that this young mans family and friends are still looking for him.

This young mans friends and classmates would be in their late 60s to early 70s, and we hope that this new imagery reaches them and helps bring in that one single lead needed to resolve this case, Ms Schweitzer said in a statement.

He may have siblings, cousins, classmates, neighbors, or friends who have always wondered what happened to him. This young mans friends and classmates would be in their late 60s to early 70s and we hope that this new imagery reaches them and helps bring in that one single lead needed to resolve this case.

Anyone with information on John Doe 1973, is asked to call the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST or the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences and reference case number ML73-3356.
WASHINGTON  A congressionally mandated commission on Tuesday took its first shot at convincing the Pentagon and Congress to reform its budget planning process.

The Commission on Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Execution Reform released an interim report detailing 13 improvements that could be implemented now and another 10 suggestions that require additional stakeholder feedback before the final report is due in March.

The Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Execution, or PPBE, process is the Pentagons multiyear system for aligning strategy with funding, which culminates in the presidents annual defense budget request to Congress. In the fiscal 2022 defense policy bill, Congress created a bipartisan commission to review the PPBE process.

Were looking at a number of improvements, Commission Chairman Bob Hale, a former Pentagon comptroller, told reporters at a Defense Writers Group roundtable on Tuesday. Can we make PPBE better able to foster innovation  because we know how important that is to national security  and to adapt more quickly to changing requirements?

The recommendations for immediate implementation include:

Improved Pentagon information sharing with Congress

Consolidating budget line items

Bolstering the Pentagons budget management workforce

Modernizing information systems

Streamlining disparate budget data sets within Pentagon budget offices

The commission is still seeking feedback from the Defense Department and Capitol Hill on its pending recommendations, which include:

Making congressional appropriations available for two years, instead of one

More flexibility for the Pentagon to reprogram certain funds

Allowing new initiatives to begin even when Congress only passes short-term funding bills instead of a full budget

As part of its research, the commission has conducted 560 interviews so far with Pentagon and congressional staffers and compared the Pentagons PPBE system with the budget process in other federal agencies. It has also compared the U.S. defense budget process with equivalent systems in China and Russia as well as other allied countries with parliamentary systems.

We want to make sure that we have stakeholder engagement so that when that final report comes out, its not a surprise to anyone and it is actionable, said commission vice chairwoman Ellen Lord, who previously served as the Pentagons Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. There are some things in our interim report that can be acted on now. And we think there are many potential recommendations that will begin a dialogue.

Immediate recommendations

To improve information sharing with Congress, the interim report recommends the Pentagon comptroller provide an annual midyear briefing to lawmakers to coincide with the yearly reprogramming request the Defense Department typically submits on June 30.

It also recommends moving from paper to electronic documents via classified and unclassified enclaves that would include the electronic transmission of budget justification books that makes them searchable, sortable and able to be updated electronically.

Hale noted Congress receives an avalanche of information when the president submits the defense budget request, but that the Pentagon is slower to provide updates later in the year and sometimes its not consistent with information [lawmakers have] gotten before.

Another recommendation calls on the Pentagon and Congress to collaborate to consolidate budget line items and accounts where appropriate, noting the current structure sometimes makes it difficult for [the Defense Department] to manage defense programs and for Congress to clearly track and understand them.

Additionally, it recommends standardizing the departments detailed budget justification books in a common format while creating training courses for the staff who produce them.

The report also recommends improving recruiting and retention in the comptrollers office while familiarizing them with private sector practices and improving analytic capabilities to reduce personnel workload. This pairs with another possible recommendation, pending feedback, that would call for increased staff levels in the comptrollers office and the Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation Office, or CAPE.

Another immediate recommendation would modernize and streamline Defense Department information, allowing for better budget analysis. That includes accelerating consolidation of the data sets used by the comptrollers office and CAPE, which have historically used separate databases and separate tracking systems, resulting in duplicative entries in different formats.

Notably, the fiscal 2024 defense policy bill the House narrowly passed 219-210 in July includes a provision that would abolish CAPE and direct the defense secretary to move its functions elsewhere  without specifying exactly where.

If they just abolished CAPE and didnt provide those functions, it would be a disaster, Hale told Defense News. The commission report says both CAPE and the program budget organization within the comptroller provided strong support to the PPBE. I think the commission agrees with that.

Possible recommendations

The commission is also considering some more significant changes to the PBBE process. These possible recommendations are contingent on stakeholder feedback.

Notably, the interim report says the commission feels strongly that changes should be made to provide congressional funds beyond a one-year basis.

One potential recommendation suggests a two-year minimum availability for all appropriations accounts, which would reduce use-it-or-lose it pressure and allow for reprogramming of expiring funds, particularly [operation and maintenance], reducing lost buying power due to expiration and cancellation.

The report notes other agencies like NASA and the Department of Homeland Security run on two-year appropriations for some accounts and activities.

Other possible recommendations would have the Pentagon streamline its procedures to reprogram funds while allowing reprogramming under certain dollar thresholds for some accounts without advance congressional approval.

Finally, the commission is looking at how to help the Pentagon cope with Congress constantly forcing it to operate on short-term funding bills past the end of the fiscal year, which inhibit the Defense Departments ability to launch new initiatives.

Hale said one potential recommendation would be to allow new starts under a [continuing resolution] but with the provisio that all four defense committees had acted on the budget, passed a bill and none of them had prohibited that new start.
More people died by suicide in 2022 than ever before, according to new provisional data from the CDC. The agency reports the suicide rate also spiked in 2021 after a two-year decline nationwide.

These findings show about 49,500 people took their own lives last year. It shows guns were involved in more than half of all suicide deaths.

Experts say theres more access to guns now along with other contributing factors.

We also have large scale economic uncertainty, social isolation [is a] major factor. Also difficulty around accessing mental health care is really important here, said Dr. Naomi Torres-Mackie, clinical psychologist at Lenox Hill Hospital and head of research at The Mental Health Coalition.

This latest CDC data shows the number of suicide deaths increased for almost every age group. The highest was among seniors over 65. But it also shows these numbers dropped for young people between 10 and 24 years old.

These numbers wont finalized until later this year. However, Dr. Torres-Mackie said the COVID-19 pandemic is another major factor.

We will be seeing the impact of pandemic loss of disrupted income, disrupted plans, the mental health load of surviving a global pandemic, its hard to overstate the importance of that, she said.

This all comes one year since the launch of the 988 Suicide and Crisis lifeline. This number connects you to licensed counselors who are trained to help de-escalate a crisis and provide emotional support or additional mental health resources.

Federal data shows staff responded to nearly 5 million calls, texts, and online messages through the hotline over the last year.

Nine in ten Americans today will tell you that theyre experiencing a mental health crisis, said Secretary Xavier Becerra for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

But a recent poll released by the National Alliance on Mental Illness reveals more than 80 percent of adults were unfamiliar it or hadnt heard of the number.

Sec. Becerra said he wants people to know there is help if they need.

If you have an emergency at home you know to call 911. Now after decades thats in our brain - 911. Well people should think 988 - its the same thing but for mental health crises, he said.

Some experts also want the federal government to increase funding for mental health treatments.

You can find a list of mental health resources here:

https://988lifeline.org/talk-to-someone-now/

https://www.thementalhealthcoalition.org/resources/

https://www.nami.org/Support-Education/Support-Groups

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Cecily Aguilar was sentenced to 30 years in prison Monday for aiding in the cover-up of U.S. soldier Vanessa Guillen's murder. Photo courtesy of Bell County Jail

Aug. 14 (UPI) -- Cecily Aguilar, who pleaded guilty to one count of accessory to murder in the 2020 coverup and murder of U.S. Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison, the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Texas, confirmed Monday.

Aguilar, 25, was sentenced to the maximum penalty in Waco, Texas, after pleading guilty in November to federal charges in connection to the killing at Fort Hood, where she admitted to helping mutilate and hide Guillen's body. Aguilar pleaded guilty to one count of accessory to murder after the fact and three counts of false statement or representation.

"Our hope is that today's sentence brings a sense of relief and justice to the Guillen family, who have endured such pain throughout these past few years," U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas said Monday in a statement.

"Ms. Aguilar's actions were indefensible, and she will now face the maximum penalty for the choices she made. I'm grateful for our law enforcement partners who worked tirelessly on this case, as their dedication was essential in bringing this defendant to justice," Esparza added.

Guillen, 20, was stationed at Fort Hood when she was reported missing on April 23, 2020. She was last seen in the parking lot of her Regimental Engineer Squadron Headquarters. Her remains were found two months later near Leon River in Bell County, Texas.

Vanessa Guillen, 20, was stationed at Texas' Fort Hood when she was reported missing on April 23, 2020, one day after she was last seen in the parking lot of her Regimental Engineer Squadron Headquarters. Her remains were found two months later. Photo courtesy U.S. Army

Army Specialist Aaron David Robinson was named a suspect in her killing and shot himself to death after fleeing Fort Hood as authorities closed in. Prosecutors said Robinson struck Guillen in the head with a hammer on the day she vanished. Guillen's family said Robinson had sexually harassed Guillen, who had been afraid to issue a formal complaint.

Aguilar, Robinson's girlfriend, was arrested in early July of 2020 for helping to him "mutilate and dispose" of Guillen's body.

During Aguilar's sentencing hearing, witnesses said she and Robinson visited the site where they buried Guillen's remains several times to dismember the body and again to mix her remains with cement.

Despite Aguilar's apology to the family during her testimony, "nothing will ever bring back my sister," Mayra Guillen told reporters in Spanish after Monday's sentencing.

"After three years, it would not be so easy to forgive someone who made us suffer so much," Guillen added in a post on X.

"You received Justice today Vanessa Guillen. Rest easy sister."

You received Justice today. @vguillen_30 rest easy sister. Today was such a hard day, I learned so many details regarding your death after the fact of it's been 3 YEARS. My heart hurts. Cecily Ann Aguilar has received the Maximum sentence of 30 years. pic.twitter.com/2DlyKf5Jsg Mayra Guillen (@mguilen_) August 14, 2023
Local nonprofits are encouraged to apply for funding through the CenterPoint Energy Foundation as the deadline for the 2023 grant cycle is August 18.

>>TRENDING: Frightening, life-altering; Local man recounts escaping deadly Maui wildfires

The foundation awards grants to nonprofit organizations in the communities that the company serves, including the southwestern Ohio region, according to a spokesperson from CenterPoint.

Additionally, the nonprofit applying for a grant must be focused on CenterPoints two main areas of giving, community vitality and education.

The company prioritizes programs that serve under-resourced populations, advance equity, and promote inclusion to help communities thrive, a spokesperson from CenterPoint said.

CenterPoints foundation is funded by shareholders and does not impact customer rates. For more information, visit CenterPoints website.

The CenterPoint Energy Foundation continues to invest in initiatives that not only improve our stakeholders lives today but also build a strong foundation for tomorrow. As we strive to fund programs with strong impact and measurable outcomes within our funding priorities, we encourage eligible organizations to apply for a grant during what is the final cycle of funding for 2023, Amanda Schmitt, CenterPoint Energy Foundation President, said.
Cine Casual Film Series, Charlottes very own Latin American film festival, is back for its third annual go-round. And this time, there will be even more films to sample.

Giovanna Torres founded the festival and produces it with her husband, Alex Pineres, a mighty team of two. The series runs from Aug. 25 to Sept. 16, and will feature six acclaimed, award-winning Latin American films and a block of short films made in North Carolina by Latinx talent.

Most screenings will be held at the Independent Picture House, while a special screening will be hosted at Mint Museum Uptown. The countries represented in the films are Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Guatemala.

Because most films coming out of the Latin America cinema scene rarely make it to a mainstream streaming platform, Torres said this is likely the only chance people around Charlotte will get to see such titles.

Torres has been promoting Latin American films since 2016, and established Cine Casual in 2020. She saw it as a way to connect the citys booming Latino population and the larger community.

Medida Provisoria (Executive Order), is a Brazilian sci-fi drama set in a dystopian future, where an authoritarian government orders all citizens of African descent to move to Africa, creating protests and an underground resistance movement.

More than 500 people attended Cine Casual last year, and Torres is hopeful more will attend this year because of the additional programming.

In an email interview, Torres attributed the growing success of the event to the intentionality behind the curation and the quality of the films.

Weve also had a good number of folks who have stuck with us from our first edition in 2020. Folks that understand the value of seeing films in a community setting and want to celebrate their culture through art and film. *happy tears*, she said.

Cine Casual founder Giovanna Torres, center, at Cine Casuals first film screening at Independent Picture House, in 2022.

This years films

All films, except for one, will be screened at Independent Picture House (IPH), 4237 Raleigh St., Charlotte. The films in the series are:

 Medida Provisoria (Executive Order), from Brazil, Aug. 25, IPH. The sci-fi drama is set in a dystopian near future in Brazil, where an authoritarian government orders all citizens of African descent to move to Africa, creating protests and an underground resistance movement. The show will be followed by an outdoor African drum circle next door at Charlotte Art League.

 El castigo (The Punishment), from Chile, Aug. 26, IPH. Two parents search for their missing boy in a Chilean forest and face uncomfortable truths.

The Chilean film El castigo (The Punishment) centers on parents searching for their missing boy in a Chilean forest and facing uncomfortable truths.

 La pecera (The Fishbowl), from Puerto Rico, Aug. 30, Mint Museum Uptown, 500 S. Tryon St., Charlotte, (free; presented in partnership with Levine Museum of the New South.) As her cancer spreads, a woman decides to return to her native Puerto Rico, and claim her freedom to decide her own fate.

 Hecho Aqui: Local Shorts Showcase, Sept. 8, IPH. A selection of four shorts made in North Carolina by or starring Latinx talent: Un buen carnicero (A Good Butcher); El Aguante: Enduring Pain as a Badge of Honor; Making Waves: the Cocoa Cinnamon Story; and El sonador (The Dreamer).

 El viaje extraordinario de Celeste Garcia (The Extraordinary Journey of Celeste Garcia), from Cuba, Sept. 9, IPH. A former teacher and current guide at the Havana Planetarium, is looking for a life change. When aliens land in Cuba offering earthlings a chance to visit their planet, the teacher signs up for the journey.

 El silencio del topo (The Silence of the Mole), from Guatemala, Sept. 15, IPH. The story of journalist Elias Barahona, El topo, who in the 1970s infiltrated Gen. Romeo Garcias dictatorship posing as a press officer for the Ministry of the Interior.

El silencio del topo (The Silence of the Mole), is from Guatelmala and tells the story of a journalist who infiltrated General Romeo Garcias dictatorship in the 1970s posing as a press officer.

 Regreso a Escalona (Back to Escalona), from Colombia, Sept. 16, IPH. Carlos and Egidio embark on a journey to find Rafael Escalonas lost notebook containing unpublished songs as well as the composers greatest hits

For the first time, Cine Casual will have a special guest attending the series. Afro-Venezuelan filmmaker Beni Marquez is based in L.A. , and at the closing event, he will present an exclusive preview of his new salsa documentary, Salsa, A Caribbean Flow!

Cine Casuals plans for more expansion

Torres said she hopes to expand the programming even further next year. Shes hopeful that will help position Cine Casual as the leading Latin American film festival in the Southeast, since other such festivals are more commonly held in cities like New York, Boston and Philadelphia.

And Torres said she is looking to launch year-round programming soon, including free community outdoor screenings.

La pecera (The Fishbowl), is a Puerto Rican film about a woman with cancer who decides to return to her native Puerto Rico.

Cine Casual

When: Aug. 25-Sept. 16

Ticket cost: $10 per film or $55 for an all-access pass

For more info and to order tickets: cinecasual.com/filmseries/

More arts coverage

Want to see more stories like this? Sign up here for our free Inside Charlotte Arts newsletter: charlotteobserver.com/newsletters. And you can join our Facebook group, Inside Charlotte Arts, by going here: facebook.com/groups/insidecharlottearts.
Chasten Buttigieg gave a book talk with CBS News correspondent David Begnaud at the Library of Congress 2023 National Book Festival on Saturday in Washington, D.C. that saw a full house.

Thousands of book lovers visited the Walter E. Washington Convention Center to peruse the latest fiction and nonfiction. They also got their hard copies signed and heard authors speak about their experiences. According to a Library of Congress spokesperson, more than 1,100 people gathered at the Inspiration Stage to listen to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigiegs husband discuss his original memoirs adaptation, I Have Something to Tell You: For Young Adults.

Throughout the text, Buttigieg discusses growing up in a conservative town in Michigan, Traverse City, as a gay kid who knew no other gay people and struggled with his identity. He explains how he came out to his parents in a letter he handed his mother as he ran away from home and that after he returned home, he struggled with talking to his grandmother about his secret in fear of her reaction.

Buttigiegs mother, Sherri Glezman, sat in the first row proudly listening to her son discuss his childhood and writing process.

At one point, Glezman reacted from the audience, saying that a book like her sons would have been valuable to her when he was growing up and coming out.

Begnaud asked Buttigieg, as an author, to consider this political moment when Republicans are going around the country banning books and topics of conversation in schools through legislation.

Do you think your book will be banned? asked Begnaud.

I mean, its a completely age-appropriate book, Buttigieg noted as he began answering the question.

2023 National Book Festival - Inspiration Stage youtu.be

Im a teacher and a dad, and so I know my audience, he said, adding that if somebody did challenge the book, it would be out of political motivation and nothing more.

The father of two-year-olds took a moment to gather his thoughts and appeared to fight back emotions as he considered the political moment the country finds itself in.

Whats happening right now is it is not about books. Its just about using the LGBTQ community as a scapegoat for an entire political party that has lost its mooring, he said. They have no idea.

Buttigieg added, These are people who say they care about protecting our kids, and so they go after the most vulnerable kids in America. And if you say that you care about protecting children and you wont raise a finger on gun violence, the number one cause of death among young people in this country, then your priorities are way out of whack.

Buttigieg has been on a nationwide tour promoting the book. He said that in that time, hes talked with dozens of young people to get their thoughts on life.

I have been to over 35 cities with this book this year, and [in] almost every city, I have an opportunity to sit down with students in that city and talk about what matters most to them, Buttigieg said. And every single place I go, whether its Texas, Florida (heard of her?), Missouri, Tennessee, [or] anywhere I go, the number one topic on their minds is gun safety. Its not about LGBTQ people. But [Republicans] have found something that works. They threw everything at the wall. They wanted to see what would stick, and its attacking LGBTQ people.
The News

ChatGPT creator OpenAI has been using its most advanced large language model to enforce the companys content policies, marking a major milestone in the capabilities of the technology, the firm revealed Tuesday.

Lilian Weng, OpenAIs head of safety systems, said in an interview with Semafor that the method could also be used to moderate content on other platforms for social media and e-commerce. That job is currently done mostly by armies of workers, often located in developing countries, and the task can be grueling and traumatizing.

I want to see more people operating their trust and safety, and moderation [in] this way, Weng said. This is a really good step forward in how we use AI to solve real world issues in a way thats beneficial to society.

The method OpenAI used to get GPT-4 to police itself is as simple as it is powerful. First, a comprehensive content policy is fed into GPT-4. Then its ability to flag problematic content is tested on a small sample of content. Humans review the results and analyze any errors. The policy team then asks the model to explain why it made the errant decisions. That information is then used to further refine the system.

It reduces the content policy development process from months to hours, and you dont need to recruit a large group of human moderators for this, Weng said.

The technique is still not as effective as experienced human moderators, OpenAI found. But it outperforms moderators that have had light training.

If the method proves successful on other platforms, it could lead to a major shift in how companies handle problematic online content, from disinformation to child pornography. Weng said OpenAI is also researching how to expand the capabilities beyond text to images and video.

An OpenAI spokeswoman said the company knows of some customers already using GPT-4 for content moderation, but they did not give permission to be named.

Know More

Content moderation has been a vexing problem for OpenAI and other purveyors of AI chatbots. When ChatGPT was released last year, users put the content controls to the test, eliciting embarrassing or inappropriate responses and posting them to social media.

The most extreme examples came from users who were able to jailbreak the chatbot to get it to ignore its moderation policies, showing what the service might look like without them. A Vice reporter, for instance, was able to jailbreak ChatGPT and then coax it into describing detailed sex acts involving children.

OpenAI has been closing those jailbreaking loopholes and the incidents have become less common.

The company faced more criticism for its efforts to block offensive content than the controversial material itself. A Time investigation found that OpenAI paid workers in Kenya to help label offensive content so that it could be automatically blocked before it reached users. According to the magazine, workers were shown text describing child sexual abuse, bestiality, murder, suicide, torture, self harm, and incest. Some workers reported being traumatized.

Semafor reported last year that OpenAI was still using traditional methods of content moderation, and employed an outside firm to scan images produced by DALL-E before they reach users.

Weng said the previous version of its large language model, GPT-3, wasnt powerful enough to reliably moderate itself. That capability emerged in GPT-4 roughly a year ago, but before it was released to the public.

While there will still be humans involved in the process  both to craft and constantly update policies, but also to help check edge cases  the new method will likely drastically reduce the number of people who do this work.

OpenAI acknowledges that ChatGPTs ability to moderate itself wont be perfect. And it was put to the test over the weekend at the DEF CON security conference, where hackers did their best to prompt ChatGPT and other large language models to produce restricted content.

We cant build a system that is 100% bullet-proof from the beginning, Weng said. At DEF CON, people are helping us find mistakes in the model and we will incorporate that, but Im pretty confident it will be good.

The method OpenAI is using for moderation differs from the Constitutional AI system used by Anthropic, a competitor founded by former OpenAI employees.

For Constitutional AI, a model is instilled with certain values that become the guiding principles for how the AI operates and what content it allows to be created.

OpenAI

Reeds view

Automated content moderation has been one of the holy grails of the tech industry. Before the Cambridge Analytica scandal, companies like Facebook employed comparatively few moderators, betting instead that the technology would soon arrive that would allow them to automate the process.

Thats why its shocking that Facebook and Google didnt figure this out first. It probably wont be long before they come up with their own solutions.

Humans actually arent very good at content moderation. The policies are like legal textbooks. And even if an employee can remember every rule, there is a constant flow of content that falls into gray areas where the rulebook doesnt give a clear answer.

If you want insight into how messy content moderation can be, just go back and follow the Twitter Files, Elon Musks attempt to uncover bias on his platform now known as X. The Twitter files show how content policies are fraught with ambiguity, which allows the political biases of individuals to seep into the decision-making process.

I wrote in 2019 about a lawsuit that alleged YouTube was discriminating against LGBT creators. One of the reasons was that content moderators from other countries flagged anyone who was openly gay as sexual content, muddying the algorithmic waters.

Using large language models to moderate content is a step forward, not because it will be perfect, but because it will be more consistent and less prone to human emotion and cultural differences.

And even if human-run content moderation is still a little better, there are still benefits in having a computer do it. It avoids having a person look at disturbing content all day as part of a job.

Room for Disagreement

Associated Press reporter Frank Bajak argues it will be difficult to ever rein in large language models like ChatGPT. Current AI models are simply too unwieldy, brittle and malleable, academic and corporate research shows. Security was an afterthought in their training as data scientists amassed breathtakingly complex collections of images and text. They are prone to racial and cultural biases, and easily manipulated, he wrote.

And while ChatGPT and other AI models are attacked for being too permissive, they have been and will continue to be criticized by conservatives for being too restrictive, or woke.

Notable

Time detailed how GPT-3s content controls were largely honed in Kenya, at great human cost. The article may have played a role in OpenAIs decision to try to cut most humans out of moderating in the next version, GPT-4.
The fires that have been burning in Maui since Tuesday could pose long-term health risks to residents due to chemical compounds contaminating the air, water and wreckage, authorities and experts have warned.

The Hawaii State Health Department cautioned Friday that ash and dust from burned buildings might carry toxic chemicals like asbestos and lead. Many destroyed buildings in Lahaina  the hardest-hit community  may have contained these chemicals because they were built before lead and asbestos were phased out of construction in the 1970s.

"Things like lead and asbestos are sort of top of the list. Those are things that are in paint, in buildings, and then do not really get destroyed with burning, so they're now in the ash and the dust," said Diana Felton, Hawaii's state toxicologist.

Felton said that there is some concern that people in Lahaina might inhale lead and asbestos particles in the air but that the bigger worry is that residents might unintentionally ingest the chemicals if they get on clothes or hands.

The fires may also have stirred up arsenic in the soil, because the chemical was used as an herbicide in parts of Hawaii  particularly sugar cane and pineapple fields  in the early 1900s, Felton said. The chemical binds tightly to the dirt, she added, so it is most likely to be found in dust and ash.

Then, on top of the usual health risks of wildfire smoke, the air in areas that burned might also contain volatile organic compounds  a term for a large group of chemicals that can increase the risk of some cancers, birth defects and cognitive impairment among people with long-term exposure. The compounds enter the air when materials like rubber, metal or plastic get incinerated, as was the case in Lahaina.

Once inhaled, such particles can enter the lungs and potentially the bloodstream.

Maui Wildfires - Lahania, HI (Matt McClain / The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Given the scale of the devastation in Maui, there are probably a fair number of people who had these exposures, said Dr. Anthony Gerber, a pulmonologist at the Office of Research Innovation at National Jewish Health in Colorado.

Meanwhile, Maui County told residents in two areas  Lahaina and Upper Kula  not to use, drink or boil their water because it, too, may contain benzene and other volatile organic compounds.

The county advised residents to avoid baths or swimming pools, take quick showers using lukewarm water, wash clothing in cold water, avoid ice from automatic ice makers and use dishwashers with air-dry settings to wash dishes.

The recommendation is set to remain until test results come back, but the county has not given a timeline for when that might be. Felton said the water tests will look for volatile organic compounds as well as a subgroup of chemicals called semivolatile organic compounds.

Allen Tom, a Kula resident, said the taps were briefly shut off because of the fire. Then, hours after water came back Thursday, his neighbor told him not to drink it.

"I look at the water faucet now and I think, 'Hmm, what carcinogen is coming out of there?' I think its something I took for granted that we had clean water before," he said.

Claudia Garcia, a Maui resident who manages roughly two dozen properties in the Upper Kula area, said she has been distributing bottled water to tenants daily since Thursday. One tenants husband has a respiratory issue, she said, so the family is avoiding their taps altogether.

Her husband is really sick, and she said, I dont even want him to touch it. She was really afraid of it, Garcia said.

Many families are wary of government-issued advice at the moment, she added: People are just afraid. They dont have trust anymore with what happened in Lahaina  with no warning, that fire coming and killing all these people.

Andrew Whelton, a professor of environmental and ecological engineering at Purdue University, said he is concerned that residents were told it is safe to take lukewarm showers, given that the water has not yet been tested. Whelton said he asked the State Health Department to reassess the guidance.

"As you increase [water] temperature, the amount of chemical that goes into the air will increase," he said.

Last week's inferno on the island of Maui is already the deadliest US wildfire in a century, with only a quarter of the ruins of the devastated town of Lahaina searched for victims so far. (Yuki Iwamura / AFP - Getty Images)

The reason for the possible water contamination, according to Maui County, is that some water systems lost water pressure because of the fire, which can allow contaminants to enter the supply.

A similar issue arose in Louisville, Colorado, after the Marshall Fire, which destroyed more than 1,000 homes in late 2021 and early 2022. After Louisville lost water pressure, Whelton said, volatile and semivolatile organic compounds were sucked in and dragged around the water system there.

The threat of chemical exposure from the debris in Lahaina will linger until recovery workers and authorities remove the ash and rubble, said Dr. Rosalind Wright, a pediatrics professor at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.

Cleaning that all up in a timely way will help. Not just the air  but its seeping into other things, the soil, the water. Every time the winds kick that up, stuff gets reintroduced, she said.

Gerber said people who are still living around Lahaina or are returning to the area should probably wear N95 masks.

If they are now noticing, several days after the exposure, that theyre still having respiratory or sinus symptoms, I would encourage them to get evaluated, he said.

Felton said efforts are underway to remove larger-scale hazardous materials, such as propane tanks, from burned areas. Then authorities will determine how to clean up the dust, ash and soil, she said.

Over the weekend, she added, the State Health Department started distributing more than 5,000 masks across Maui to residents and people in evacuation shelters. The department has also opened a clinic in Lahaina where people can receive first aid, she said, and it is working to obtain disposable protective suits for people in fire-ravaged areas to wear over their clothes.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
RICHMOND  A Chester man faces 20 years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty Monday to embezzling $1.9 million from his former employer.Bahrain Khosropanah, 65, of the 6300 block of Bel Loc Drive, was convicted of mail fraud in U.S. District Court in Richmond. According to court records, Khosropanah falsified invoices for computers purchased by his company, then sold the computers on eBay and to other third-party vendors.

U.S. District Attorney Jessica Aber said Khosropanah sold more than 850 computers and other electronics without his employers knowledge, then used the assets from those sales for his personal use. Aber said the defendant lived a lavish lifestyle off those assets, including the purchase of a Ferrari and other luxury vehicles.

Khosropanah will be sentenced Nov. 2.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Chester man pleads guilty in federal court to mail fraud
China on Tuesday released weaker than expected economic data, with slowing retail sales growth pointing to shaky consumer confidence in the world's second-largest economy.

A slew of disappointing figures in recent months has reflected a slump as China's post-Covid rebound fades.

Retail sales, a key gauge of consumption, grew 2.5 percent year-on-year in July, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Tuesday, down from 3.1 percent in June and falling short of analyst expectations.

Chinese leaders have sought to boost domestic consumption in recent weeks, with the State Council last month releasing a 20-point plan to encourage citizens to spend more in sectors including vehicles, tourism and home appliances.

Officials cut the medium-term lending facility (MLF) rate -- the interest for one-year loans to financial institutions -- from 2.65 percent to 2.5 percent.

A lower MLF rate reduces commercial banks' financing costs, in turn encouraging them to lend more and potentially boosting domestic consumption.

The country's top leaders, known as the Politburo, have warned that the economy faces "new difficulties and challenges" as well as "hidden dangers in key areas".

Overall, unemployment rose to 5.3 percent in July compared to 5.2 percent in June, the NBS said, without giving a specific figure for youth unemployment, which hit a record high in June.

The NBS said industrial production grew 3.7 percent in July from a year ago, down from 4.4 percent in June.

The recent data suggests that China may struggle to achieve a five percent growth target set for the year.

The world's second-largest economy only grew 0.8 percent between the first and second quarters of 2023, according to official figures.

Many economists are now calling for a vast recovery plan to boost activity.

But for the time being, the authorities are sticking to targeted measures and declarations of support for the private sector -- with little in the way of tangible steps.

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The News

Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu said Tuesday that Beijing was committed to deepening its defense cooperation with Iran and Belarus  both Russian allies who are playing critical roles in aiding the Kremlins efforts in Ukraine.

The remarks were made during the Moscow Conference on International Security, which took place shortly after Semafor reported that Tehran is preparing to build a drone-production facility in Belarus  a move that could significantly enhance Russias ability to attack Ukraine.

Know More

China is aggressively seeking to expand its military partnerships globally to compete against the U.S., and much of this focus is on Asia, Eurasia, and the far Pacific.

The China-led Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which Iran recently became a member of, is one of Beijings primary vehicles to extend its reach. In his speech, Li described Belarus as a soon-to-be member of the bloc.

We are committed to promoting peace talks and a great international consensus to solve differences, Li said, whether it is the Afghan issue, the Syrian issue...the Ukraine crisis, or the Iranian nuclear issue.

Beijings defense chief also took the opportunity to assert that Taiwan was regarded as Chinas territory, and that any attempt by foreign actors to use the island to control China would fail.
Chris Christie is catching up with Ron DeSantis, at least in New Hampshire.

The former New Jersey governor has jumped past DeSantis into second place in the 2024 Republican presidential primary race in a new poll, although both remain way behind former President Trump.

Christie, who is struggling in national polls, scored 9% support in the Emerson College poll of the Granite State, edging ahead of the fast-fading DeSantis at 8%.

Trump remains far and away the front runner with the backing of 49% of voters in the poll in the first-in-the-nation GOP primary state.

But Christie is running as a much more strident critic of Trump, and could now be poised to use his second-place spot to expand his attacks on the former president.

DeSantis has been the alternative to Trump. This is the first time we have seen DeSantis drop out of second place in our polling, and fall back into the pack of candidates, said Emerson College Polling executive director Spencer Kimball.

The poll amounts to a hammer blow to DeSantis, whose campaign has been in a downward spiral for months. He recently rebooted his campaign and vowed to cut costs, but voters have been turned off by his reserved personality.

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who has been rising in some national polls recently, is in fourth place with 6% in New Hampshire.

Long-shot candidate North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Nikki Haley each clocked in at 4% followed by biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy at 3%.

Christie is the only major GOP candidate who has regularly unleashed withering attacks on Trump, especially since the former president has been indicted by federal and state prosecutors.

A feared debater, Christie has taunted Trump over his refusal to commit to taking part in the first GOP clash next week in Milwaukee.

New Hampshire is set to be the second state to weigh in on the Republican nomination race, after the Iowa caucus.

Christie, a moderate, is not competing in Iowa, where conservative evangelical Christians dominate the Republican caucus field.

Democrats have shaken up their presidential selection primary and neither state will play a key role going forward as they have in the past.

Independent voters and Democrats can cross the aisle to vote in the GOP primary in New Hampshire, raising the potential danger for Trump in the state.

The poll also put President Biden with a 49%-to-41% lead over Trump in a potential general election matchup.

New Hampshire has been considered a presidential battleground state but it has trended towards Democrats in recent cycles and most analysts believe Biden should be confident of carrying the state in his reelection fight.

_____
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) has surpassed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in the critical early presidential primary state of New Hampshire, according to an Emerson College survey released Tuesday.

Christie leapfrogged DeSantis for second place in the Granite State, garnering 9 percent support. DeSantiss support, on the other hand, fell to 8 percent from 17 percent in March. Christies 1-point lead over DeSantis falls within the polls plus-or-minus 3.4 percent margin of error.

DeSantis has been the alternative to Trump in Emerson polling this presidential cycle. This is the first time we have seen DeSantis drop out of second place in our polling, and fall back into the pack of candidates, said Spencer Kimball, the executive director of Emerson College Polling.

Christies campaign has maintained an intense focus on New Hampshire, while DeSantiss team has prioritized Iowa. However, DeSantis has still made a number of trips to the Granite State.

Former President Trump still dominates the GOP primary field with 49 percent support, according to the same poll.

The Hill Elections 2024 coverage

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott trails DeSantis in fourth place at 6 percent support, while North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley tied at 4 percent. Businessmen Vivek Ramaswamy and Perry Johnson came in at 3 percent and 2 percent, respectively. Former Vice President Mike Pence and former Rep. Will Hurd (Texas) each received 1 percent support.

Thirteen percent of voters said they were undecided.

The Real Clear Politics polling average shows Trump in first place at 54.5 percent support, while DeSantis is in second place at 14.8 percent. Ramaswamy is in third place at 6.3 percent.

The Emerson College Poll was conducted August 9-11 among 837 registered voters in New Hampshire.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has jumped to second place among GOP presidential candidates, according to a recent poll of New Hampshire voters.

Christie ranked a point above Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis but remains a distant runner-up to former President Donald Trump, behind by 40 points, in the poll by Emerson College.

A month ago, Christie told USA TODAY he was confident in his New Hampshire chances, despite polling fourth at the time among GOP candidates and 17 points behind DeSantis in a Granite State Poll.

I don't think Ill ever be ahead in a poll in New Hampshire, until election night. But then Ill win on election night in New Hampshire, Christie told USA TODAY in July. And everyone will be completely shocked.

Christies campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Christie announced his bid for president in June. In a crowded field of GOP candidates vying to unseat a still-popular former president, Christie has been Trumps most outspoken 2024 opponent.

Hes a liar and a coward. Hes not getting indicted for anyone other than because of his own conduct, Christie said on CNNs State of the Union in July.

Trump then had two cases against him. Now, the former president faces four indictments, the latest coming from a Fulton County, Georgia grand jury Monday.

DeSantis was once thought to represent Republicans best chance of beating Trump. But months out from the first presidential primary in the Granite State, the Florida governors 2024 campaign has faced numerous setbacks and overhauls. Once polling at 23% and 14 points behind Trump in July, DeSantis had just 8% of the vote in this most recent poll, trailing Trump by 41 points.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chris Christie polls second with New Hampshire voters, above DeSantis
GOP presidential candidate and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday rejected a comparison of former President Trumps efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results and former Vice President Al Gores legal challenges in the 2000 vote, noting that eventually Gore conceded when rebuffed by the courts.

Harvard University law professor and The Hill opinion contributor Alan Dershowitz had argued to Fox News ahead of Mondays release of the Georgia indictment against Trump that the former presidents actions in challenging the election results in the state were very similar to those of Gore during the Florida recount, which ultimately decided the 2000 presidential race for George W. Bush.

Fox News host Bill Hemmer asked Christie, one of Trumps most vocal GOP critics, about Dershowitzs argument that the same tactics were used for Gores challenge in Florida.

Except when Al Gore lost his legal challenges, he conceded the election, Christie said. Al Gore took it all the way to the United States Supreme Court. He availed himself of all the legal challenges.

Meet the 18 people charged with Trump in Georgia indictment

He said Gore disagreed with the Supreme Courts 5-4 decision that ended the Florida recount and declared Bush the winner in the state and the election overall, but he backed off after the ruling was released.

Christie said he told Trump in December 2020  the last time that he and I spoke  that he had used up the legal avenues available to him.

Theres nothing left. You need to concede the election, Christie said he told the then-president.

But he said Trump responded: I will never, ever, ever admit it.

Well, look, if youre gonna continue to use the power of the presidency, which he was doing, to put pressure on people, youre gonna put yourself in a very dangerous circumstance, Christie said.

The Hill Elections 2024 coverage

Trump was charged late Monday with 13 counts over his alleged efforts to overturn the results of Georgias election, including racketeering, solicitation of violation of an oath by a public officer and various conspiracy charges. A dozen-and-a-half other individuals involved in the efforts have also been charged in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Williss investigation.

One of the most notable moments of Trumps attempts to change the election result was his phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R), in which he asked for help to find 11,780 votes, enough for him to flip the state.

Christie said Trumps conduct must not be normalized.

This has never happened before in this country ever, where you had a candidate for president of the United State conduct himself in this way, to disrespect the election process in this way, to refuse to accept the verdict of the voters. What does that say about his judgement? he asked.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has swiped the second spot in the upcoming New Hampshire primary from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis even as former President Donald Trump remains dominant.

A new poll from Emerson College released on Tuesday shows Mr Christie at nine per cent support, while Mr DeSantis is at eight per cent, down from 17 per cent in March. Mr Christies lead is within the polls 3.4 per cent margin of error. Mr Trump received 49 per cent.

Spencer Kimball, the executive director of Emerson College Polling, said that DeSantis has been the alternative to Trump in Emerson polling this presidential cycle. This is the first time we have seen DeSantis drop out of second place in our polling, and fall back into the pack of candidates.

Meanwhile, the 2024 election looks set to be a rematch between President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump.

Despite his mounting legal problems, Mr Trump is by far the most popular candidate in the Republican field.

The Republican primary is scheduled to begin with the Iowa caucuses on 15 January and the New Hampshire primary on 23 January.

Key Points

Ramaswamy beats DeSantis in fight for second in primary poll

Majority of Republicans want Trump to be nominee

Biden needs to get stronger with his base, Trump with independents, GOP strategist says

Biden fighting dropping enthusiasm in Rust Belt cities ahead of 2024

I never count out Ohio'

Majority of Republicans want Trump to be nominee

08:00 , Gustaf Kilander

As of Monday, Donald Trump was in the lead in the Republican field with 52.7 per cent of the vote, according to FiveThirtyEights polling average.

Trump: 52.7%

DeSantis: 14.0%

Ramaswamy: 7.2%

Pence: 6.0%

Haley: 4.0%

Christie: 2.7%

Scott: 2.6%

Burgum: 0.7%

Hutchinson: 0.5%

Suarez: 0.2%

Hurd: 0.1%

Compared to last week, Mr Trump has gained 0.3 per cent and Mr DeSantis has lost 1.6 per cent.

Ramaswamy beats DeSantis in fight for second in primary poll

Monday 14 August 2023 21:18 , Gustaf Kilander

In a poll conducted by Kaplan Strategies between 9 and 10 August, Mr Trump led the GOP field with 48 per cent of the vote.

Vivek Ramaswamy came in second with 11 per cent, and Ron DeSantis in third with 10 per cent.

Mike Pence received eight per cent, while Chris Christie and Nikki Haley got for. Tim Scott received two per cent in the poll.

Majority of Republicans want Trump to be nominee

Monday 14 August 2023 18:15 , Gustaf Kilander

As of Monday, Donald Trump was in the lead in the Republican field with 52.7 per cent of the vote, according to FiveThirtyEights polling average.

Trump: 52.7%

DeSantis: 14.0%

Ramaswamy: 7.2%

Pence: 6.0%

Haley: 4.0%

Christie: 2.7%

Scott: 2.6%

Burgum: 0.7%

Hutchinson: 0.5%

Suarez: 0.2%

Hurd: 0.1%

Compared to last week, Mr Trump has gained 0.3 per cent and Mr DeSantis has lost 1.6 per cent.

Biden needs to get stronger with his base, Trump with independents, GOP strategist says

Monday 14 August 2023 15:00 , Gustaf Kilander

The closest of all the swing states is set to be Wisconsin, some close to the Biden campaign told Politico.

Wisconsin could be the state where Mr Biden reaches 270 electoral votes followed by Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada.

A number of those close to the campaign believe that Georgia is only a winnable state with Mr Trump as the Republican nominee. Others say the state could be won regardless of who the GOP puts forward.

GOP strategist Alex Conant told the outlet: Does he recover his footing with younger voters, with non-white voters? Can he get those numbers back up? If not, it makes states like North Carolina and Nevada really tough for him.

For Trump, can he improve his standing with independents? My sense is that he has not so far. If he cant, due to reminders of January 6, then you could see Pennsylvania fall off the map, maybe Arizona and Georgia get tougher, too, he added.

Biden fighting dropping enthusiasm in Rust Belt cities ahead of 2024

Monday 14 August 2023 12:00 , Gustaf Kilander

While those in charge of getting the president reelected arent overly concerned about Mr Trumps comeback chances, they told Politico that it will be a close race.

The advisors argue that Mr Bidens global leadership, his legislative accomplishments and the USs economic performance after the pandemic will get him another term.

They also note that Mr Trumps myriad of scandals, mounting legal woes, and extreme stances by MAGA candidates will push away independents and other swing voters.

But they also admit that Mr Trumps support in swing states remains strong, especially among the white working class.

Mr Trumps support from unionized workers has also increased despite Mr Bidens longtime union connections.

The three Rust Belt states  Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin  all have large cities  Philadelphia, Detroit and Milwaukee  where Mr Biden needs to fight drooping enthusiasm among younger voters and African Americans, specifically among men.

Biden spokesperson Kevin Munoz told Politico that in the midterms and throughout elections this year, weve seen that President Bidens message is the winning one for 2024. That said, we fully expect this to be a competitive election and will take nothing for granted.

We must earn every Americans vote, which is why were already investing in our battlegrounds and key voting blocs, he added.

Maybe all of a sudden Ohio is in play'

Monday 14 August 2023 09:00 , Gustaf Kilander

The Biden campaign is focusing on the three Rust Belt states that the president won back in 2020, five people close to the campaign told Politico.

States in the Sun Belt, such as Nevada, Georgia, and Arizona, are toss-ups, according to the Biden team. They were all narrowly won by Mr Biden in 2020.

The Biden allies also believe that Mr Trump is likely to win the Republican nomination.

Will it probably just be the same states? Yeah, probably, one individual close to the campaign told the outlet.

But they added that the abortion issue is alive and well and that You have an abortion referendum in places like Florida and Ohio. Well, that makes you take a good look at things.  Maybe all of a sudden Ohio is in play.

While the White House has sent Mr Biden and top staff to events in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan, polling there still shows a close race with Mr Trump.

Last week, a poll from Emerson College had the two at 44 per cent each in Michigan, with Mr Trump in a narrow lead if third-party candidate Cornell West is on the ballot.

A recent poll by Marquette Law School found a 50-50 tie in Wisconsin between Mr Biden and Mr Trump. Similarly, a poll by Quinnipiac revealed that Mr Trump was narrowly ahead in the state, 47 to 46 per cent, however within the margin of error for the poll.

Biden operatives see Florida and Ohio as longshot possibilities

Monday 14 August 2023 06:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Mr Bidens team also tried to maximize the ways the campaign could reach 270 electoral votes in 2020 by putting states like Georgia and Arizona, states that the president ended up winning, on its list of target states.

While the simplest path to victory was taking back the traditionally Democratic Rust Belt states that voted for Mr Trump in 2016, the Biden team went for states thought to be harder to win to protect against uncertainty, senior Biden adviser Becca Siegel told Politico.

Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin were unexpectedly won by Mr Trump in 2016, and they went for Mr Biden in 2020.

But Biden operatives see Florida and Ohio as longshot possibilities, with few agreeing with Ms Weingartens belief Ohio could be in play and some say winning in Florida is wishful thinking.

While Mr Obama won both of them in 2008 and 2012, they have since experienced a rightward shift.

I never count out Ohio'

Monday 14 August 2023 03:00 , Gustaf Kilander

The Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) have placed ads in North Carolina and in Florida  a state most recently won by a Democrat on the presidential level in 2012. Barack Obama also won it in 2008, taking it back for Democrats after two straight wins in the state for President George W Bush.

An amendment to restore abortion rights in the Sunshine State could be on the ballot in 2024. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the main rival for the Republican presidential nomination to former President Donald Trump, has recently signed a six-week ban on abortions.

This week in Ohio, now widely considered to have gone from a purple to a red state, voters rejected a proposal intended to limit abortion rights. Some in Mr Bidens circle now hope that the state could possibly be in play.

Mr Obama won the state twice, as did Mr Bush and Mr Trump.

Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers and a Biden ally, told Politico: I never count out Ohio.

What you saw [this week] in terms of Ohio is that fairness won out, she added.

Some in Biden team believe abortion rights will open new paths to victory in 2024

Monday 14 August 2023 00:00 , Gustaf Kilander

While many working on getting President Joe Biden reelected in 2024 think the road to victory looks similar to 2020, some see fresh pathways to remaining in the White House for another four years.

Behind that optimism is the steadfast focus of many voters on abortion rights following the fall of Roe v Wade last year.

The main path to a win is seen as going through the so-called blue wall  the Rust Belt states such as Pennsylvania and Michigan  as well as once again attempting to win states that have recently become more winnable for Democrats such as Georgia and Arizona.

But aides to Mr Biden are now working on winning back territory not won by Democrats in a decade or more.

A top comeback opportunity in North Carolina, a state not won by Democrats on the presidential level since President Barack Obama won it in 2008.

A 12-week ban on abortion has gone into effect in the state over the objections of Democratic Governor Roy Cooper, who was overruled after vetoing the bill.

An anonymous Biden campaign official told Politico that it would be crazy not to go for North Carolina since Mr Biden lost it by a single percentage point in 2020.

Labor leader says fall of Roe is expanding the map'

Sunday 13 August 2023 21:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, told Politico when Roe v Wade fell, there was a huge shock of Oh my god, this really happened. They really took away a right.

And as these states have been more and more extremist, youre seeing more women and families wondering why their government is taking rights away from them. I do think it is expanding the map, she added.

VIDEO: The Hunter Biden Affair: Epic scandal or nothing-burger?

Sunday 13 August 2023 19:00 , Gustaf Kilander

2024 set to feature the smallest map in the history of American politics'

Sunday 13 August 2023 18:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Mr Obamas 2012 campaign manager Jim Messina told Politico that political divisions in the US will create the smallest map in the history of American politics in 2024.

Thats because the candidates are so well-known and the increased political tribalism.

Some in Bidenworld think Pennsylvania will only get harder for Democrats to win

Sunday 13 August 2023 15:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Those in the Biden circle feel surest about winning Michigan out of all the Rust Belt states but admit that even the home of Motown will be a fight to win.

Many close to the campaign think Pennsylvania will be harder to win again, despite Mr Biden, whos from bordering Delaware, having spent more time there than any other swing state.

Mr Trump has displayed strong support among the white working class in the Keystone State. Mr Biden didnt reach his projected levels with the group in 2020, internal campaign data has shown, according to Politico.

Some close to the president think Pennsylvania is where Ohio was a decade ago and that the state will only become harder for Democrats to win. But others point to wins by Governor Josh Shapiro and Senator John Fetterman last year to mean Democrats have a strong footing in the state.

Biden needs to get stronger with his base, Trump with independents, GOP strategist says

Sunday 13 August 2023 12:00 , Gustaf Kilander

The closest of all the swing states is set to be Wisconsin, some close to the Biden campaign told Politico.

Wisconsin could be the state where Mr Biden reaches 270 electoral votes followed by Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada.

A number of those close to the campaign believe that Georgia is only a winnable state with Mr Trump as the Republican nominee. Others say the state could be won regardless of who the GOP puts forward.

GOP strategist Alex Conant told the outlet: Does he recover his footing with younger voters, with non-white voters? Can he get those numbers back up? If not, it makes states like North Carolina and Nevada really tough for him.

For Trump, can he improve his standing with independents? My sense is that he has not so far. If he cant, due to reminders of January 6, then you could see Pennsylvania fall off the map, maybe Arizona and Georgia get tougher, too, he added.

Biden fighting dropping enthusiasm in Rust Belt cities ahead of 2024

Sunday 13 August 2023 09:00 , Gustaf Kilander

While those in charge of getting the president reelected arent overly concerned about Mr Trumps comeback chances, they told Politico that it will be a close race.

The advisors argue that Mr Bidens global leadership, his legislative accomplishments and the USs economic performance after the pandemic will get him another term.

They also note that Mr Trumps myriad of scandals, mounting legal woes, and extreme stances by MAGA candidates will push away independents and other swing voters.

But they also admit that Mr Trumps support in swing states remains strong, especially among the white working class.

Mr Trumps support from unionized workers has also increased despite Mr Bidens longtime union connections.

The three Rust Belt states  Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin  all have large cities  Philadelphia, Detroit and Milwaukee  where Mr Biden needs to fight drooping enthusiasm among younger voters and African Americans, specifically among men.

Biden spokesperson Kevin Munoz told Politico that in the midterms and throughout elections this year, weve seen that President Bidens message is the winning one for 2024. That said, we fully expect this to be a competitive election and will take nothing for granted.

We must earn every Americans vote, which is why were already investing in our battlegrounds and key voting blocs, he added.

Maybe all of a sudden Ohio is in play'

Sunday 13 August 2023 06:00 , Gustaf Kilander

The Biden campaign is focusing on the three Rust Belt states that the president won back in 2020, five people close to the campaign told Politico.

States in the Sun Belt, such as Nevada, Georgia, and Arizona, are toss-ups, according to the Biden team. They were all narrowly won by Mr Biden in 2020.

The Biden allies also believe that Mr Trump is likely to win the Republican nomination.

Will it probably just be the same states? Yeah, probably, one individual close to the campaign told the outlet.

But they added that the abortion issue is alive and well and that You have an abortion referendum in places like Florida and Ohio. Well, that makes you take a good look at things.  Maybe all of a sudden Ohio is in play.

While the White House has sent Mr Biden and top staff to events in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan, polling there still shows a close race with Mr Trump.

Last week, a poll from Emerson College had the two at 44 per cent each in Michigan, with Mr Trump in a narrow lead if third-party candidate Cornell West is on the ballot.

A recent poll by Marquette Law School found a 50-50 tie in Wisconsin between Mr Biden and Mr Trump. Similarly, a poll by Quinnipiac revealed that Mr Trump was narrowly ahead in the state, 47 to 46 per cent, however within the margin of error for the poll.

Biden operatives see Florida and Ohio as longshot possibilities

Sunday 13 August 2023 03:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Mr Bidens team also tried to maximize the ways the campaign could reach 270 electoral votes in 2020 by putting states like Georgia and Arizona, states that the president ended up winning, on its list of target states.

While the simplest path to victory was taking back the traditionally Democratic Rust Belt states that voted for Mr Trump in 2016, the Biden team went for states thought to be harder to win to protect against uncertainty, senior Biden adviser Becca Siegel told Politico.

Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin were unexpectedly won by Mr Trump in 2016, and they went for Mr Biden in 2020.

But Biden operatives see Florida and Ohio as longshot possibilities, with few agreeing with Ms Weingartens belief Ohio could be in play and some say winning in Florida is wishful thinking.

While Mr Obama won both of them in 2008 and 2012, they have since experienced a rightward shift.

I never count out Ohio'

Sunday 13 August 2023 00:00 , Gustaf Kilander

The Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) have placed ads in North Carolina and in Florida  a state most recently won by a Democrat on the presidential level in 2012. Barack Obama also won it in 2008, taking it back for Democrats after two straight wins in the state for President George W Bush.

An amendment to restore abortion rights in the Sunshine State could be on the ballot in 2024. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the main rival for the Republican presidential nomination to former President Donald Trump, has recently signed a six-week ban on abortions.

This week in Ohio, now widely considered to have gone from a purple to a red state, voters rejected a proposal intended to limit abortion rights. Some in Mr Bidens circle now hope that the state could possibly be in play.

Mr Obama won the state twice, as did Mr Bush and Mr Trump.

Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers and a Biden ally, told Politico: I never count out Ohio.

What you saw [this week] in terms of Ohio is that fairness won out, she added.

Some in Biden team believe abortion rights will open new paths to victory in 2024

Saturday 12 August 2023 21:00 , Gustaf Kilander

While many working on getting President Joe Biden reelected in 2024 think the road to victory looks similar to 2020, some see fresh pathways to remaining in the White House for another four years.

Behind that optimism is the steadfast focus of many voters on abortion rights following the fall of Roe v Wade last year.

The main path to a win is seen as going through the so-called blue wall  the Rust Belt states such as Pennsylvania and Michigan  as well as once again attempting to win states that have recently become more winnable for Democrats such as Georgia and Arizona.

But aides to Mr Biden are now working on winning back territory not won by Democrats in a decade or more.

A top comeback opportunity in North Carolina, a state not won by Democrats on the presidential level since President Barack Obama won it in 2008.

A 12-week ban on abortion has gone into effect in the state over the objections of Democratic Governor Roy Cooper, who was overruled after vetoing the bill.

An anonymous Biden campaign official told Politico that it would be crazy not to go for North Carolina since Mr Biden lost it by a single percentage point in 2020.

VIDEO: AG appoints special counsel for Hunter Biden

Saturday 12 August 2023 19:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Labor leader says fall of Roe is expanding the map'

Saturday 12 August 2023 18:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, told Politico when Roe v Wade fell, there was a huge shock of Oh my god, this really happened. They really took away a right.

And as these states have been more and more extremist, youre seeing more women and families wondering why their government is taking rights away from them. I do think it is expanding the map, she added.

2024 set to feature the smallest map in the history of American politics'

Saturday 12 August 2023 15:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Mr Obamas 2012 campaign manager Jim Messina told Politico that political divisions in the US will create the smallest map in the history of American politics in 2024.

Thats because the candidates are so well-known and the increased political tribalism.

VIDEO: Trump supporters heckle Mike Pence

Saturday 12 August 2023 14:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Biden needs to get stronger with his base, Trump with independents, GOP strategist says

Saturday 12 August 2023 12:00 , Gustaf Kilander

The closest of all the swing states is set to be Wisconsin, some close to the Biden campaign told Politico.

Wisconsin could be the state where Mr Biden reaches 270 electoral votes followed by Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada.

A number of those close to the campaign believe that Georgia is only a winnable state with Mr Trump as the Republican nominee. Others say the state could be won regardless of who the GOP puts forward.

GOP strategist Alex Conant told the outlet: Does he recover his footing with younger voters, with non-white voters? Can he get those numbers back up? If not, it makes states like North Carolina and Nevada really tough for him.

For Trump, can he improve his standing with independents? My sense is that he has not so far. If he cant, due to reminders of January 6, then you could see Pennsylvania fall off the map, maybe Arizona and Georgia get tougher, too, he added.

Some in Bidenworld think Pennsylvania will get harder and harder for Democrats to win

Saturday 12 August 2023 09:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Those in the Biden circle feel surest about winning Michigan out of all the Rust Belt states but admit that even the home of Motown will be a fight to win.

Many close to the campaign think Pennsylvania will be harder to win again, despite Mr Biden, whos from bordering Delaware, having spent more time there than any other swing state.

Mr Trump has displayed strong support among the white working class in the Keystone State. Mr Biden didnt reach his projected levels with the group in 2020, internal campaign data has shown, according to Politico.

Some close to the president think Pennsylvania is where Ohio was a decade ago and that the state will only become harder for Democrats to win. But others point to wins by Governor Josh Shapiro and Senator John Fetterman last year to mean Democrats have a strong footing in the state.

VIDEO: Trump's federal election interference trial date

Saturday 12 August 2023 07:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Biden fighting dropping enthusiasm in Rust Belt cities ahead of 2024

Saturday 12 August 2023 06:00 , Gustaf Kilander

While those in charge of getting the president reelected arent overly concerned about Mr Trumps comeback chances, they told Politico that it will be a close race.

The advisors argue that Mr Bidens global leadership, his legislative accomplishments and the USs economic performance after the pandemic will get him another term.

They also note that Mr Trumps myriad of scandals, mounting legal woes, and extreme stances by MAGA candidates will push away independents and other swing voters.

But they also admit that Mr Trumps support in swing states remains strong, especially among the white working class.

Mr Trumps support from unionized workers has also increased despite Mr Bidens longtime union connections.

The three Rust Belt states  Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin  all have large cities  Philadelphia, Detroit and Milwaukee  where Mr Biden needs to fight drooping enthusiasm among younger voters and African Americans, specifically among men.

Biden spokesperson Kevin Munoz told Politico that in the midterms and throughout elections this year, weve seen that President Bidens message is the winning one for 2024. That said, we fully expect this to be a competitive election and will take nothing for granted.

We must earn every Americans vote, which is why were already investing in our battlegrounds and key voting blocs, he added.

Maybe all of a sudden Ohio is in play'

Saturday 12 August 2023 03:00 , Gustaf Kilander

The Biden campaign is focusing on the three Rust Belt states that the president won back in 2020, five people close to the campaign told Politico.

States in the Sun Belt, such as Nevada, Georgia, and Arizona, are toss-ups, according to the Biden team. They were all narrowly won by Mr Biden in 2020.

The Biden allies also believe that Mr Trump is likely to win the Republican nomination.

Will it probably just be the same states? Yeah, probably, one individual close to the campaign told the outlet.

But they added that the abortion issue is alive and well and that You have an abortion referendum in places like Florida and Ohio. Well, that makes you take a good look at things.  Maybe all of a sudden Ohio is in play.

While the White House has sent Mr Biden and top staff to events in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan, polling there still shows a close race with Mr Trump.

Last week, a poll from Emerson College had the two at 44 per cent each in Michigan, with Mr Trump in a narrow lead if third-party candidate Cornell West is on the ballot.

A recent poll by Marquette Law School found a 50-50 tie in Wisconsin between Mr Biden and Mr Trump. Similarly, a poll by Quinnipiac revealed that Mr Trump was narrowly ahead in the state, 47 to 46 per cent, however within the margin of error for the poll.

Biden operatives see Florida and Ohio as longshot possibilities

Saturday 12 August 2023 00:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Mr Bidens team also tried to maximize the ways the campaign could reach 270 electoral votes in 2020 by putting states like Georgia and Arizona, states that the president ended up winning, on its list of target states.

While the simplest path to victory was taking back the traditionally Democratic Rust Belt states that voted for Mr Trump in 2016, the Biden team went for states thought to be harder to win to protect against uncertainty, senior Biden adviser Becca Siegel told Politico.

Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin were unexpectedly won by Mr Trump in 2016, and they went for Mr Biden in 2020.

But Biden operatives see Florida and Ohio as longshot possibilities, with few agreeing with Ms Weingartens belief Ohio could be in play and some say winning in Florida is wishful thinking.

While Mr Obama won both of them in 2008 and 2012, they have since experienced a rightward shift.

I never count out Ohio'

Friday 11 August 2023 21:00 , Gustaf Kilander

The Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) have placed ads in North Carolina and in Florida  a state most recently won by a Democrat on the presidential level in 2012. Barack Obama also won it in 2008, taking it back for Democrats after two straight wins in the state for President George W Bush.

An amendment to restore abortion rights in the Sunshine State could be on the ballot in 2024. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the main rival for the Republican presidential nomination to former President Donald Trump, has recently signed a six-week ban on abortions.

This week in Ohio, now widely considered to have gone from a purple to a red state, voters rejected a proposal intended to limit abortion rights. Some in Mr Bidens circle now hope that the state could possibly be in play.

Mr Obama won the state twice, as did Mr Bush and Mr Trump.

Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers and a Biden ally, told Politico: I never count out Ohio.

What you saw [this week] in terms of Ohio is that fairness won out, she added.

Some in Biden team believe abortion rights will open new paths to victory in 2024

Friday 11 August 2023 18:00 , Gustaf Kilander

While many working on getting President Joe Biden reelected in 2024 think the road to victory looks similar to 2020, some see fresh pathways to remaining in the White House for another four years.

Behind that optimism is the steadfast focus of many voters on abortion rights following the fall of Roe v Wade last year.

The main path to a win is seen as going through the so-called blue wall  the Rust Belt states such as Pennsylvania and Michigan  as well as once again attempting to win states that have recently become more winnable for Democrats such as Georgia and Arizona.

But aides to Mr Biden are now working on winning back territory not won by Democrats in a decade or more.

A top comeback opportunity in North Carolina, a state not won by Democrats on the presidential level since President Barack Obama won it in 2008.

A 12-week ban on abortion has gone into effect in the state over the objections of Democratic Governor Roy Cooper, who was overruled after vetoing the bill.

An anonymous Biden campaign official told Politico that it would be crazy not to go for North Carolina since Mr Biden lost it by a single percentage point in 2020.

Christie is doing a great job of reaching Republicans who think that Trump did crimes'

Friday 11 August 2023 15:00 , Gustaf Kilander

A national poll by Fairleigh Dickinson University shows Mr Trump still well in the lead in the GOP primary.

Professor of Government and Politics at FDU and poll director Dan Cassino told NorthJersey.com that Trump is still well in the lead. But that doesnt mean that his legal problems arent hurting him.

Mr Trump received 58 per cent in the poll while Mr DeSantis received 15 per cent and Mr Christie and Mr Pence received five per cent.

Prof Cassino said Mr Trump is sucking all of the air out of the room.

He added that criticisms of Trump have gotten Christie and Pence a lifeline, but so far, its not enough.

Forty-eight per cent of Trump supporters said they would consider backing someone else.

While only 17 per cent of GOP primary voters think the indictments against Mr Trump, within that group, Mr Christie is in the lead with 25 per cent. Mr DeSantis received 19 per cent with his cohort and Mr Pence 16 per cent.

But 10 per cent said that they would support Mr Trump even if they agreed that the charges against him are correct.

Christie is doing a great job of reaching Republicans who think that Trump did crimes, Prof Cassino added. The problem is that there just arent enough yet of them to win a Republican primary.

Majority of Americans have unfavourable view of Donald Trump

Friday 11 August 2023 12:00 , Gustaf Kilander

According to FiveThirtyEights polling average, 39.6 per cent of Americans had a favourable view of former President Donald Trump, while 56.1 per cent had an unfavourable view as of 9 August.

Mr Trump is the overwhelming favourite to win the GOP presidential nomination, with 52.4 per cent support with the Republican primary electorate as of 8 August.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is in second place with 15.6 per cent.

Joe Bidens approval rating reaches 40.5 per cent

Friday 11 August 2023 09:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Joe Bidens approval rating reached 40.5 per cent on FiveThirtyEights polling average as of 9 August.

Meanwhile, 55.1 per cent disapprove of the president.

The last time more Americans approved than disapproved of Mr Biden was in August 2021.

Anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F Kennedy Jr gets 15.2% in Dem primary polling average

Friday 11 August 2023 06:00 , Gustaf Kilander

President Joe Biden faces no real threats on his path to the Democratic presidential nomination in 2024.

Author Marianne Williamson and anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F Kennedy Jr have joined the race but are not seen as effective challengers.

Ms Williamson doesnt have sufficient support to appear in FiveThirtyEights average of national primary polls, while Mr Kennedy receives 15.2 per cent.

Mr Biden was at 64.3 per cent as of 8 August.

Christie is doing a great job of reaching Republicans who think that Trump did crimes'

Friday 11 August 2023 03:00 , Gustaf Kilander

A national poll by Fairleigh Dickinson University shows Mr Trump still well in the lead in the GOP primary.

Professor of Government and Politics at FDU and poll director Dan Cassino told NorthJersey.com that Trump is still well in the lead. But that doesnt mean that his legal problems arent hurting him.

Mr Trump received 58 per cent in the poll while Mr DeSantis received 15 per cent and Mr Christie and Mr Pence received five per cent.

Prof Cassino said Mr Trump is sucking all of the air out of the room.

He added that criticisms of Trump have gotten Christie and Pence a lifeline, but so far, its not enough.

Forty-eight per cent of Trump supporters said they would consider backing someone else.

While only 17 per cent of GOP primary voters think the indictments against Mr Trump, within that group, Mr Christie is in the lead with 25 per cent. Mr DeSantis received 19 per cent with his cohort and Mr Pence 16 per cent.

But 10 per cent said that they would support Mr Trump even if they agreed that the charges against him are correct.

Christie is doing a great job of reaching Republicans who think that Trump did crimes, Prof Cassino added. The problem is that there just arent enough yet of them to win a Republican primary.

Majority of Americans have unfavourable view of Donald Trump

Friday 11 August 2023 00:00 , Gustaf Kilander

According to FiveThirtyEights polling average, 39.6 per cent of Americans had a favourable view of former President Donald Trump, while 56.1 per cent had an unfavourable view as of 9 August.

Mr Trump is the overwhelming favourite to win the GOP presidential nomination, with 52.4 per cent support with the Republican primary electorate as of 8 August.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is in second place with 15.6 per cent.

Joe Bidens approval rating reaches 40.5 per cent

Thursday 10 August 2023 21:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Joe Bidens approval rating reached 40.5 per cent on FiveThirtyEights polling average as of 9 August.

Meanwhile, 55.1 per cent disapprove.

The last time more Americans approved than disapproved of Mr Biden was in August 2021.

Anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F Kennedy Jr gets 15.2% in Dem primary polling average

Thursday 10 August 2023 18:00 , Gustaf Kilander

President Joe Biden faces no real threats on his path to the Democratic presidential nomination in 2024.

Author Marianne Williamson and anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F Kennedy Jr have joined the race but are not seen as effective challengers.

Ms Williamson doesnt have sufficient support to appear in FiveThirtyEights average of national primary polls, while Mr Kennedy receives 15.2 per cent.

Mr Biden was at 64.3 per cent as of 8 August.

I wonder if there is any other political figure in America who could generate this level of loyalty'

Thursday 10 August 2023 15:00 , Gustaf Kilander

An NHJournal/co-efficient poll has revealed that 62 per cent of New Hampshire GOP primary voters would vote to make Mr Trump president even if hes convicted of a felony, with 57 per cent saying that they would support him even if hes serving time in prison by the time Election Day 2024 rolls around.

Co-efficient CEO Ryan Munce told the NHJournal that As a pollster, I wonder if there is any other political figure in America who could generate this level of loyalty.

It will be difficult for any Republican to peel away these voters, he added.

57% of New Hampshire GOP voters would back Trump even if hes in prison

Thursday 10 August 2023 12:00 , Gustaf Kilander

New Hampshire GOP all-in for President Trump 2024, leads 43%-9% for @RonDeSantis @GovChristie @NewHampJournal 62% would vote Trump even if convicted; 57% if in prison on Election Day.@IAMMGraham 'They are sticking with Trump.'https://t.co/WlePIekTKU  Paul Bedard (@SecretsBedard) August 8, 2023

There remain opportunities for primary challengers to go on the offensive'

Thursday 10 August 2023 06:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Only 25 per cent of Republican primary voters in New Hampshire said in an NHJournal/co-efficient poll that they believed Mr Trump committed any crimes in connection to the insurrection on January 6, 2021.

The remaining 75 per cent either say say hes innocent  35 per cent  while some said they were unsure if hes guilty but that hes only being prosecuted because hes Donald Trump.

GOP strategist Jim Merrill told the NHJournal that To paraphrase Donald Trump, he could stand in the middle of Elm Street and shoot someone and not lose any voters.

Impressive loyalty, and yet, he still has under 50 per cent primary support. There remain opportunities for primary challengers to go on the offensive, draw contrasts more forcefully, and get creative, he added. But theyre climbing an awfully steep hill to make it happen, and the clock is ticking.

Christie and DeSantis tied for second in New Hampshire

Thursday 10 August 2023 03:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and ex-New Jersey Governor Chris Christie are tied in second place behind Donald Trump among New Hampshire Republicans, according to an NHJournal/co-efficient poll.

Mr Trump is in the lead with 43 per cent while the governors both have nine per cent support.

Nikki Haley, the former UN ambassador, is at seven per cent, while Senator Tim Scott and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy both have five per cent.

North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum is at four per cent and former Vice President Mike Pence has three per cent support.

I wonder if there is any other political figure in America who could generate this level of loyalty'

Thursday 10 August 2023 00:00 , Gustaf Kilander

An NHJournal/co-efficient poll has revealed that 62 per cent of New Hampshire GOP primary voters would vote to make Mr Trump president even if hes convicted of a felony, with 57 per cent saying that they would support him even if hes serving time in prison by the time Election Day 2024 rolls around.

Co-efficient CEO Ryan Munce told the NHJournal that As a pollster, I wonder if there is any other political figure in America who could generate this level of loyalty.

It will be difficult for any Republican to peel away these voters, he added.

57% of New Hampshire GOP voters would back Trump even if hes in prison

Wednesday 9 August 2023 21:00 , Gustaf Kilander

New Hampshire GOP all-in for President Trump 2024, leads 43%-9% for @RonDeSantis @GovChristie @NewHampJournal 62% would vote Trump even if convicted; 57% if in prison on Election Day.@IAMMGraham 'They are sticking with Trump.'https://t.co/WlePIekTKU  Paul Bedard (@SecretsBedard) August 8, 2023

Majority of Republicans want Trump to be nominee

Wednesday 9 August 2023 18:12 , Gustaf Kilander

As of Tuesday, Donald Trump was in the lead in the Republican field with 52.4 per cent of the vote, according to FiveThirtyEights polling average.

Trump: 52.4%

DeSantis: 15.6%

Ramaswamy: 7.2%

Pence: 5.2%

Haley: 4.1%

Scott: 3.4%

Christie: 2.1%

Hutchinson: 0.9%

Burgum: 0.3%

Hurd: 0.1%

Suarez: 0.1%

Cornell West candidacy narrows Trump-Biden gap in Arizona poll

Wednesday 9 August 2023 15:00 , Gustaf Kilander

When Green Party candidate Cornell West was included in an Arizona poll by Emerson College, it narrowed the gap between Mr Trump and Mr Biden.

Mr West received four per cent, while Mr Biden was backed by 41 per cent and Mr Trump by 42 per cent.

The Executive Director of Emerson College Polling, Spencer Kimball, said in a press release that in national and statewide polling in recent months, Wests candidacy has taken votes away from Biden in the general election, however in Arizona it appears to tighten the race, rather than just reduce Bidens support.

Trump holds massive lead in Arizona primary

Wednesday 9 August 2023 12:00 , Gustaf Kilander

A new Arizona poll from Emerson College shows that Mr Trump leads the Republican field with 58 per cent while Florida Governor Ron DeSantis received 11 per cent.

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was backed by six per cent and four per cent supported entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

The rest of the candidates in the GOP field received three per cent or less. Nine per cent said they would support another candidate and half a per cent said they were undecided, The Hill noted.

Biden backed by 65 per cent of Arizona Democrats as 21 per cent remain undecided

Wednesday 9 August 2023 09:00 , Gustaf Kilander

A new poll from Emerson College has found that Mr Biden leads the Democratic field with 65 per cent in Arizona, with anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F Kennedy receiving 10 per cent and two per cent backing author Marianne Williamson.

Neither Mr Kennedy nor Ms Williamson are considered serious challengers to Mr Biden.

Among Arizona Democrats, 21 per cent said they were undecided, The Hill noted.

Trump and Biden running close in Arizona ahead of 2024

Wednesday 9 August 2023 06:00 , Gustaf Kilander

A new poll from Emerson College shows that Mr Trump and Mr Biden are running close in Arizona, one of the states won narrowly by Mr Biden in 2020, helping him reach the White House.

Mr Trump has almost 45 per cent support while Mr Biden has just over 43 per cent. The difference of 1.5 per cent is within the polls 2.6 per cent margin of error.

Nine per cent said they would back someone else and four per cent remained undecided, according to The Hill.

Cornell West candidacy narrows Trump-Biden gap in Arizona poll

Wednesday 9 August 2023 03:00 , Gustaf Kilander

When Green Party candidate Cornell West was included in an Arizona poll by Emerson College, it narrowed the gap between Mr Trump and Mr Biden.

Mr West received four per cent, while Mr Biden was backed by 41 per cent and Mr Trump by 42 per cent.

The Executive Director of Emerson College Polling, Spencer Kimball, said in a press release that in national and statewide polling in recent months, Wests candidacy has taken votes away from Biden in the general election, however in Arizona it appears to tighten the race, rather than just reduce Bidens support.

Trump holds massive lead in Arizona primary

Wednesday 9 August 2023 00:00 , Gustaf Kilander

A new Arizona poll from Emerson College shows that Mr Trump leads the Republican field with 58 per cent while Florida Governor Ron DeSantis received 11 per cent.

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was backed by six per cent and four per cent supported entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

The rest of the candidates in the GOP field received three per cent or less. Nine per cent said they would support another candidate and half a per cent said they were undecided, The Hill noted.

Biden backed by 65 per cent of Arizona Democrats as 21 per cent remain undecided

Tuesday 8 August 2023 21:00 , Gustaf Kilander

A new poll from Emerson College has found that Mr Biden leads the Democratic field with 65 per cent in Arizona, with anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F Kennedy receiving 10 per cent and two per cent backing author Marianne Williamson.

Neither Mr Kennedy nor Ms Williamson are considered serious challengers to Mr Biden.

Among Arizona Democrats, 21 per cent said they were undecided, The Hill noted.

Trump and Biden running close in Arizona ahead of 2024

Tuesday 8 August 2023 18:00 , Gustaf Kilander

A new poll from Emerson College shows that Mr Trump and Mr Biden are running close in Arizona, one of the states won narrowly by Mr Biden in 2020, helping him reach the White House.

Mr Trump has almost 45 per cent support while Mr Biden has just over 43 per cent. The difference of 1.5 per cent is within the polls 2.6 per cent margin of error.

Nine per cent said they would back someone else and four per cent remained undecided, according to The Hill.

DeSantiss battle with Disney doesnt appear to be doing him any favours with GOP voters

Tuesday 8 August 2023 15:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Ron DeSantiss battle with Disney doesnt appear to be doing him any favours with the Republican electorate, according to a NYT/Siena College poll.

Thirty-eight per cent of GOP voters said they would back a candidate pledging to fight woke corporations, while 52 per cent would support a candidate who says that the government should stay out of deciding what corporations should support.

The poll found that 30 per cent of Republican voters think that transgender people should be accepted as the gender they identify with, while 58 per cent said those identities should be rejected.

Half of all GOP voters support gay marriage, while 41 per cent oppose it, the poll found.

More than half  51 per cent  said they would back a candidate who pledged to guarantee individual freedom instead of traditional values. Forty per cent said they would back the latter.

Bashing wokeism less effective with GOP primary voters than law and order, poll shows

Tuesday 8 August 2023 12:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Slamming woke institutions and beliefs may be less effective to persuade Republican primary voters than previously believed, polling shows.

NYT/Siena College polls of national and Iowa GOP voters have revealed that candidates were unlikely to convince voters to support them by mostly focusing on battling wokeism.

Republicans are instead more enticed by more libertarian economic policies and strong messaging on law and order, specifically regarding cities and the border.

When Mr Trump was in Iowa in June, Mr Trump said: I dont like the term woke. Its just a term they use  half the people cant even define it, they dont know what it is.

While the line appeared to be intended as a criticism of Mr DeSantis, the polling indicates that Mr Trump me be on to something.

Choosing between two hypothetical GOP candidates, 24 per cent of national GOP voters supported a candidate who focuses on defeating radical woke ideology in our schools, media and culture instead of a candidate who focuses on restoring law and order in our streets and at the border.

Meanwhile, 65 per cent said they would support the law and order candidate.

In the group of voters aged over 65, a demographic with high voter turnout, only 17 per cent preferred the anti-woke option.

Poll: Half of all Americans believe Trump tried to stay in office illegally

Tuesday 8 August 2023 08:00 , Gustaf Kilander

ICYMI: A new @CBSNewsPoll found half the country believes former President Trump tried to remain in office after the 2020 election through illegal and unconstitutional means. But 29% say he tried to stay in office through legal means. @SalvantoCBS has more. pic.twitter.com/zQFmCBQ0Z6  Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) August 7, 2023

Trump asks supporters heavily leading question about participating in GOP debate

Tuesday 8 August 2023 03:00 , Kelly Rissman

Former president Donald Trumps 2024 campaign is asking supporters whether they think he should participate in the first Republican primary debate  in a not-so-subtle way.

On his campaign site, it provides a poll: Should President Trump show up to the GOP debate? The clickable choices are: Yes or No  let all of the many other candidates attack each other while President Trump unites the rest of our party to focus on the important battle of beating Biden.

Read more:

Trump asks supporters heavily leading question about participating in GOP debate

DeSantiss battle with Disney doesnt appear to be doing him any favours with GOP voters

Tuesday 8 August 2023 00:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Ron DeSantiss battle with Disney doesnt appear to be doing him any favours with the Republican electorate, according to a NYT/Siena College poll.

Thirty-eight per cent of GOP voters said they would back a candidate pledging to fight woke corporations, while 52 per cent would support a candidate who says that the government should stay out of deciding what corporations should support.

The poll found that 30 per cent of Republican voters think that transgender people should be accepted as the gender they identify with, while 58 per cent said those identities should be rejected.

Half of all GOP voters support gay marriage, while 41 per cent oppose it, the poll found.

More than half  51 per cent  said they would back a candidate who pledged to guarantee individual freedom instead of traditional values. Forty per cent said they would back the latter.

Bashing wokeism less effective with GOP primary voters than law and order, poll shows

Monday 7 August 2023 21:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Slamming woke institutions and beliefs may be less effective to persuade Republican primary voters than previously believed, polling shows.

NYT/Siena College polls of national and Iowa GOP voters have revealed that candidates were unlikely to convince voters to support them by mostly focusing on battling wokeism.

Republicans are instead more enticed by more libertarian economic policies and strong messaging on law and order, specifically regarding cities and the border.

When Mr Trump was in Iowa in June, Mr Trump said: I dont like the term woke. Its just a term they use  half the people cant even define it, they dont know what it is.

While the line appeared to be intended as a criticism of Mr DeSantis, the polling indicates that Mr Trump me be on to something.

Choosing between two hypothetical GOP candidates, 24 per cent of national GOP voters supported a candidate who focuses on defeating radical woke ideology in our schools, media and culture instead of a candidate who focuses on restoring law and order in our streets and at the border.

Meanwhile, 65 per cent said they would support the law and order candidate.

In the group of voters aged over 65, a demographic with high voter turnout, only 17 per cent preferred the anti-woke option.

Poll: Half of all Americans believe Trump tried to stay in office illegally

Monday 7 August 2023 18:00 , Gustaf Kilander

ICYMI: A new @CBSNewsPoll found half the country believes former President Trump tried to remain in office after the 2020 election through illegal and unconstitutional means. But 29% say he tried to stay in office through legal means. @SalvantoCBS has more. pic.twitter.com/zQFmCBQ0Z6  Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) August 7, 2023

97% of Iowa Trump-backers say their support is strong

Monday 7 August 2023 15:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Ninety-seven per cent of Trump-supporting Iowa Republicans taking part in the recent NYT/Siena poll said that they support the former president strongly.

That figure for Mr DeSantis is 76 per cent. For those backing other candidates, 54 per cent said they support them strongly.

Almost half of all Trump supporters in Iowa open to backing other candidates

Monday 7 August 2023 13:00 , Gustaf Kilander

The NYT/Siena poll of Iowa Republicans has revealed that around 47 per cent of those backing Mr Trump are open to supporting other candidates.

Among GOP voters in the state with a college degree, Mr Trump and Mr DeSantis are tied at 26 per cent support each.

But in a head-to-head poll in Iowa between Mr Trump and Mr DeSantis, the former president leads his rival, 55 to 39 per cent.

If the matchup is limited to college-educated voters, Mr DeSantis leads Mr Trump in Iowa 53 to 38 per cent.

Democratic challengers trail Biden by more than 50 points

Monday 7 August 2023 09:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Enthusiasm among primary voters is an important factor for candidates involved in especially close races  or, conversely, can be seen as the reason those races are close to begin with. Mr Biden is thought to be headed for a close reelection fight as voters sour on the idea of re-electing someone who was already the oldest individual to ever take the oath of office of president, even as his likely opponent is battered by escalating legal troubles.

Hillary Clintons inability to stoke enthusiasm for her campaign after her defeat of Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic primary was viewed as a significant factor leading to her eventual loss to Mr Trump that year.

But as it stands, Mr Biden will almost certainly be his partys nominee, concerns about age aside. His two announced challengers for the Democratic nomination, Robert F Kennedy Jr and Marianne Williamson, trailed him by more than 50 points each.

The NYT/Siena poll was conducted between 23-27 July and included a subpopulation of 296 likely Democratic primary voters. Information about the polls methodology can be found here.

Democrats would prefer Kamala Harris over Joe Biden as 2024 nominee, poll shows

Monday 7 August 2023 04:00 , John Bowden

Another new poll is out suggesting that Democrats could have a stronger chance at winning in 2024 should President Joe Biden step aside for a younger successor.

The survey, published by The New York Times in partnership with Siena College, was released on Tuesday. It found low numbers of enthusiasm among Democrats for the re-nomination of either Mr Biden or a potential decision by the president against running for reelection in favour of endorsing his vice president, Kamala Harris, to run in his stead.

But the latter option was more popular among members of the presidents party by six percentage points, indicating that Democrats primary concern with the Biden brand is the stamina of the candidate himself. Theres a catch, however  the percentage of Democratic primary voters who were unsure about how they would feel about their partys nominee jumps slightly were Ms Harris to take the reins, and as a result the total percentage of primary voters who were at the very least satisfied with their partys pick was actually lower with Ms Harris at the top of the ticket.

It was a confounding poll result that reveals one fact clearly: Democratic voters are deeply unsure about who they want to be their partys standard-bearer should the incumbent president be sidelined for any reason. And separately, the poll found concerns about age outweighed any other complaint levied against Mr Biden by primary voters by an almost 2-to-1 margin.

Trump dominates GOP primary as general election looks set to be 2020 rematch

Monday 7 August 2023 01:00 , Gustaf Kilander

The 2024 election looks set to be a rematch between President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump.

Despite his mounting legal problems, Mr Trump is by far the most popular candidate in the Republican field.

A recent Times/Siena found that 54 per cent of likely GOP primary voters prefer Mr Trump as the nominee, compared to 17 per cent for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

All other candidates are in the low single digits.

That same poll, conducted last month, found that Mr Trump and Mr Biden are tied in a hypothetical 2024 rematch at 43 per cent each.

Among registered Republicans, 88 per cent supported Mr Trump, while 83 per cent of registered Democrats backed Mr Biden.

Independents supported Mr Biden, 42 to 37 per cent.

Most voters are not excited about their options  55 per cent said they see Mr Trump somewhat or very unfavourably, with that number being 54 per cent for Mr Biden.

The poll was conducted between 23 and 27 July and included 1,329 registered voters.

14 per cent of voters decline to support either Trump or Biden

Sunday 6 August 2023 22:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Mr Biden and Mr Trump are tied at 43 per cent according to a NYT/Siena College poll conducted last month, with 14 per cent of respondents declining to back either of them.

Some said they wouldnt vote, while others said they would vote for a third party candidate and a number didnt provide an answer at all.

But a number of these voters will likely vote for Mr Biden or Mr Trump in next years election. And while theyre far from excited about Mr Biden, they strongly dislike Mr Trump.

Of these voters, 27 per cent have a favourable view of Mr Biden, while only 15 per cent have a favourable view of Mr Trump, according to the poll.

49% of Americans say Trump should suspend campaign in light of Jan 6 charges

Sunday 6 August 2023 19:00 , Gustaf Kilander

"a plurality of Americans (49%) said Trump should suspend his presidential campaign, while 36% said he shouldn't." https://t.co/5pq28Ccr0x  Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) August 4, 2023

DeSantis seen as more moral but less likable, poll shows

Sunday 6 August 2023 16:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Mr DeSantis is seen as both more moral and likeable than Mr Trump among Iowa Republicans.

Among that group, 57 per cent said the word moral better described Mr DeSantis than Mr Trump while 52 per cent said the same for likeable in the NYT/Siena poll.

Forty per cent said Mr DeSantis would be able to beat Joe Biden and 31 per cent he was more of a strong leader.

When asked who was more fun, only 19 per cent said Mr DeSantis.

Among national GOP voters, 45 per cent said Mr DeSantis was the more moral of the top two contenders for the nomination, the same figure as for who was more likeable.

The national GOP had significantly less faith in Mr DeSantis ability to beat Joe Biden, with only 22 per cent saying the governor had a bigger chance in 2024.

In the national GOP, 16 per cent of voters said Mr DeSantis was more fun.

DeSantis more favourable than Trump among Iowa ROP

Sunday 6 August 2023 13:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Despite his lead in Iowa, Mr Trump is in second place in the state when it comes to favourable ratings.

South Carolina Senator Tim Scott comes in third place with 70 per cent of Iowa Republicans having a favourable view of him.

Mr Trump comes in at 72 per cent with Mr DeSantis in the lead with a favourable rating at 77 in the NYT/Siena poll.

Half of white evangelical Iowa Republicans back Trump

Sunday 6 August 2023 09:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Half of white evangelical members of Iowa GOP voters support Mr Trump, six per cent more than Mr Trumps support in the state as a whole.

Mr Trumps former Vice President Mike Pence has the same level of support among white evangelicals as he has among Iowa Republicans as a whole  three per cent.

Among white evangelicals, 48 per cent has a favourable view while 49 per cent has an unfavourable view, according to the NYT/Siena poll.

Trump lead in Iowa ten points smaller than nationwide

Sunday 6 August 2023 04:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Mr Trumps lead in Iowa is ten points smaller in Iowa than among GOP voters nationwide.

Mr DeSantis has 20 per cent support in Iowa to Mr Trumps 44 per cent, according to a Times/Siena poll.

Nationwide, Mr Trump leads the field with 54 per cent support to Mr DeSantiss 17 per cent.

In Iowa, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott is in third place with nine per cent, followed by entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy at five per cent, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley at four per cent, and former Vice President Mike Pence at three per cent.
Cillian Murphy has named the Christopher Nolan he thinks would make the best double bill with Oppenheimer.

The Irish actor plays J Robert Oppenheimer in the biographical drama about the man who helped create the atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Nolans latest film has become a blockbuster hit  and one of the most successful film of the directors career to date. At the time of writing, it has made $560.9m globally, and looks set to majorly build on this in the coming weeks following news its 70mm IMAX run has been extended.

Part of the reason for its huge success is undoubtedly due to the Barbenheimer craze, which saw many double bill the film with Greta Gerwigs Barbie. Murphy told The Independent, in an interview completed ahead of the Hollywood actorss strike, that he was going to see Barbie  but he was then asked which Nolan film he would pick for a double bill with Oppenheimer.

It turns out that, for Murphy, it comes down to two options.

He told The Independent: You could go Interstellar, which is very... explores similar scientific, physic themes. Or you could watch Dunkirk, which is also set in World War II. Dunkirk is shorter, so that might be a good match cause its like an hour-and-a-half, and then you can go into [Oppenheimer].

Oppenheimer marks Murphys sixth collaboration with Nolan after the Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, and Dunkirk.

When asked which Nolan film hed have liked to appeared in, he settled for Interstellar, the space drama starring Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway released in 2017.

I adore Interstellar just because I find it so emotional, he said.

I remember seeing it in the cinema when I had little kids. It just had a big impact on me. It broke my heart. I love watching his films when Im not in them because you dont have to freak out about the size of your ears, or whatever.

He said, though, that the right people were cast in the film. Murphy also addressed whether would star in 28 Years Later, a 28 Days Later sequel in the works from Danny Boyle and Alex Garland.

Fans of Oppenheimer have been highighting a small disturbing detail involving Florence Pughs character, Jean Tatlock, that many viewers missed the first time around.

Read The Independents full interview with Murphy and Nolan here.
Kate McCann

Chicago Tribune

Kate holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from Southern Illinois University Carbondale and a masters degree in Public Affairs Reporting from the University of Illinois Springfield. She's previously worked for The Associated Press, The Kentucky Gazette and The Daily Southtown. Kate lives in Geneva with her husband and children.
A city hall employee was arrested for scamming an elderly man out of thousands of dollars, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

On Aug. 8, the Toccoa Police Department requested the GBI to conduct a theft investigation.

Officials said an elderly man went to the Toccoa City Hall to pay for the repair of a water leak. The man spoke limited English, according to the GBI.

The man reportedly made a cash payment of $2,000.

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Authorities said after the man learned that only $200 was credited to his bill, he called the police.

Investigators learned that the money was reportedly collected by city employee, Jennifer Nicole Johnson, 35, of Toccoa.

On Aug. 10, Johnson was arrested and booked into the Stephens County Detention Center and bonded out of jail the same day. She is charged with theft by deception and exploitation and intimidation of an elderly person.

Once the investigation is completed, the case will be turned over to the Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorneys Office for prosecution.

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In 1941, a Philadelphia newspaper visited the 75th anniversary of the Grand Army of the Republic, a veterans' organization for Union veterans of the Civil War. One of the men interviewed that night looked to be around 100 years old  because he was. Civil War veteran William Henry Jackaway turned 100 years old in December 1940.

Jackaway, even in his advanced age (the average life expectancy for an American man in 1941 was 63 years old), stood tall on his own two legs and declared that he was ready for anything and ready to fight any time, any style, anywhere. A newspaper clipping from the event has since made its rounds on the internet.

Hitler is a bag of wind, the old timer said presciently, Ive got no use for him. He was attending the GAR anniversary as one of the Philadelphia chapters founding members. Jackaway joined the 72nd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, also known as The Philadelphia Brigade or Webbs Brigade, which fought at Balls Bluff, Antietam, and the Overland Campaign, among other battles.

The 72nd Pennsylvania is best known for its defense of The Angle for two days during the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. Wearing their distinctive Zouave uniforms, they held the stone wall against a Confederate onslaught. During Picketts Charge on July 3, 1863, the 71st began to fall back after losing its color bearers, but the 72nd remained in place, becoming a rally point for Union soldiers to plug the gap in the line.

Members of the regiment were also present during the first shots of the Siege of Petersburg in 1864, the pivotal battle that would lead to the fall of the Confederate capital of Richmond on April 3, 1865.

The Philadelphia reunion of the Grand Army of the Republic wasnt the only time William Henry Jackaway raised eyebrows for reporters.

Jackaway attended the 75th Reunion of Civil War veterans who fought at Gettysburg in 1938. At age 97, he complained the battlefield didnt look the way he recalled it 75 years earlier. Even forgetting that it was filled with dead men, it doesnt look the same. He pointed to Little Round Top and told a reporter that there was no brush on it, instead, it was as bare as a turkey gobblers snout.

On the second day of the Gettysburg reunion, Jackaway visited the monument to the 72nd Pennsylvania on Cemetery Ridge. A reporter watched him, the last survivor of the unit, as he traced the monuments lettering with his shaking hand and said, They were a fine bunch, and dont you forget it. They stopped that Pickett fellow.

Jackaway was later photographed shaking hands with Confederate veteran William O. Gillette across the wall he once defended. The photograph is in the Library of Congress, and Jackaway is the third man from the camera on the Union side.

Union and Confederate Civil War veterans shaking hands at a reunion to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg. (Library of Congress)

Im ready to pick up a gun tomorrow to keep the American flag flying, he said at the 1941 Philadelphia reunion. Id pick up a cannon. I believe in standing up for our rights. Jackaway vowed to live to be 120, but he would die in 1944 at age 103. The Grand Army of the Republic didnt last much longer. It dissolved in 1956 when the last Union veteran, Albert Woolson, died at age 106.
The indictment that Fulton County Dist. Atty. Fani Willis unveiled Monday night offers a panoramic recapitulation of the misdeeds that former President Trump and his confederates allegedly perpetrated to unlawfully retain power in the months after the 2020 election. Its core charge against Trump and 18 other defendants is a violation of Georgia's version of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, traditionally used to prosecute organized crime.

About half the indictment consists of a recitation of 161 overt acts in furtherance of the RICO violation, 40 of which are crimes in themselves. It covers much of what we learned from the House Jan. 6 committee and Trump's federal indictment on charges of attempting to overturn the 2020 election, adding details such as those concerning a plot to infiltrate voting systems in rural Coffee County.

Notwithstanding that it covers plenty of familiar ground, Trump's fourth indictment in four months is something new in the effort to hold the former president accountable. It is in many ways the most aggressive prosecutorial response to this shameful chapter of our history.

Read more: Opinion: We've defended Trump's 1st Amendment rights. But his latest claims about the Jan. 6 indictment are nonsense

The RICO law permitted Willis to pack a Georgia indictment with much of Trump and company's nationwide scheme to steal the election, which extended to five other states. Under the capacious structure of the statute, it alleges that the 19 defendants participated in a criminal enterprise to keep Trump in power beyond his elected term.

If that sounds amorphous, its because it is, as RICO's critics have long argued. But prosecutors can satisfy the RICO charge by proving just two of the 40 other crimes alleged, something that isn't likely to be a heavy lift.

One of the most important differences between the Fulton County indictment and the federal case is its inclusion of 18 defendants in addition to Trump. These alleged criminals run the gamut from what Mike Pence called the gaggle of crackpot lawyers who surrounded and abetted Trump  Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman and the others who special counsel Jack Smith listed as unnamed co-conspirators  to lesser-known Georgia players who took part in more provincial aspects of the plot. Whereas Smiths Jan. 6 indictment was an arrow aimed straight at Trump, Willis is a blunderbuss.

The profusion of defendants has several implications. Perhaps most important, it pressures them to cooperate against the other defendants, especially Trump. That's particularly true because it's a state rather than a federal case, which means anyone convicted can't hope for a pardon from Trump or another Republican president.

Read more: Litman: Three takeaways from the most important Trump indictment yet

The crowd of alleged accomplices could constitute a giant step forward in the pursuit of accountability. Just as Watergate culminated with the imprisonment of several of the presidents men, justice for Trump's outrages must extend to the brazen lawlessness of those who enabled and executed his schemes.

The crowd of defendants also presents colossal logistical problems for the Fulton County system. Willis said during her brief remarks Monday night that she wants to try all of them together. But the prospect of a 19defendant trial that includes a former president is more than a challenge; it's close to unfathomable. We have to expect that the number will narrow as defendants choose to cooperate and are divided into more manageable groups.

Another remarkable feature of the indictment is that most of the charged conduct was also in violation of federal law and perpetrated by a president and his allies during his term. That is in stark contrast with Manhattan Dist. Atty. Alvin Braggs case, which concerns violations of New York law mostly before Trump took office.

Read more: Column: Another day, another Trump indictment isn't some ho-hum event

That poses one legal and one policy quandary. First, Trump can and surely will argue that the case should be transferred to federal court because it concerns official conduct he undertook as president. Willis will likely respond by arguing that Trump's alleged crimes fell outside the parameters of his official duties.

Willis argument should probably prevail, as it has in other matters concerning Trumps very unpresidential post-election conduct. But if it doesn't, prosecutors from Willis' office could be forced to try the case in an unfamiliar federal court, with a federal jury pool and according to federal procedures.

The policy point is that however righteous Willis' case might be, and however overwhelming the evidence she has marshaled, it raises legitimate questions about local prosecution of a former president. Thats the line that Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) immediately took, asking on Fox News, Are we going to let county prosecutors start prosecuting the president of the United States, the former president of the United States? You open up Pandoras box.

Read more: Column: Why Donald Trump's federal indictment is as breathtaking as it was inevitable

Trump's latest indictment is also distinct from the others by virtue of the government-friendly laws that will apply at trial. Those begin with RICO, the Georgia version of which is unusually expansive, encompassing predicate acts such as perjury that are not included in its federal counterpart.

Georgia also has stricter laws governing the conditions of release that lean toward pretrial detention, including a requirement that defendants show they pose no risk of intimidation to witnesses. Given Trump's history, imagine the challenge that presents for his lawyers when he is arraigned, probably later this month.

Georgia also has strong speedy-trial provisions that could allow another defendant to demand to be tried within a few months, which could put Trump in a tight spot.

Even as it repackages much familiar evidence and treads some of the ground covered by another prosecution, Trump's fourth indictment is a lot more than piling on. In some respects, it is the most far-reaching and portentous response to Trump's assault on democracy.

Harry Litman is the host of the Talking Feds podcast. @harrylitman

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.
Ukrainian forces prevented two Russian sabotage groups from crossing the state border into Chernihiv Oblast, the Joint Forces Commander Serhii Naiev reported on Aug. 15.

An observation posts sentry noticed two armed groups of (Russian) militants approaching the control strip from different sides. A shoot-out ensued, Lieutenant General Naiev said.

According to Naiev, Ukrainian troops immediately opened artillery fire on the Russian unit. Having suffered losses in wounded and killed, the enemy retreated in the opposite direction.

The sabotage groups consisted of five and seven soldiers, respectively, the commander added, citing preliminary data.

Chernihiv Oblast is located on Ukraines northern border with Russia and Belarus. It was partially occupied during Russia's initial offensive in February 2022, but the invading force retreated in April after the Kremlin failed to take Kyiv.

Since then, Russian forces have regularly attacked regional settlements near the border. Previously, Naiev reported unsuccessful Russian attempts to cross the border of Chernihiv Oblast on Aug. 1 and July 21.

Read also: Putin cracks down on pro-war opposition as all-out war falters

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
A community in Tennessee is dealing with the aftermath of a diesel spill into an underground reservoir that left many residents without safe drinking water for a week, NBC News reported.

Despite being told that the water supply was once again safe, some are still concerned about smells coming from faucets that may suggest things arent quite back to normal yet.

What happened?

On July 20, a diesel spill at a treatment plant that serves Germantown, Tennessee, contaminated the water supply. Fuel was spilled into a reservoir during refueling after being used at the treatment plant following a loss of power caused by storms.

After reports of a diesel smell in their tap water, residents were told to not use it for anything other than flushing toilets, according to The Guardian. That affected 40,000 residents.

On July 27, the city of Germantown announced residents could flush their water system and begin using the water for consumption again, advising homeowners to open faucets and run them for five minutes if no odor was detected.

Why is this still a concern?

Speaking to NBC News, five residents could smell a gasoline-like odor coming from their home faucets, with some comparing it to turpentine. One said that was still the case despite following guidelines from the city to flush out the system before use.

Consumption of contaminated water can lead to health problems. According to the citys county health department, it could cause an upset stomach, vomiting, and diarrhea, while long-term issues include liver and kidney damage. Benzene, a human carcinogen, is also found in diesel.

According to Professor Phillip Scheuerman at East Tennessee State University, the smell of diesel in the water supply should prompt additional testing before being used.

He told NBC News: I would err on the side of caution and use bottled water and ask the city to come take a measurement.

What can be done to prevent future incidents?

Germantown has been dealing with a series of extreme weather events that have necessitated generator use to provide power for essential local services.

As NBC News noted, storms on July 18 led to power lines being downed, while flash floods and high winds weeks before also resulted in power outages across the city.

While improved local infrastructure will be important to prevent further incidents, the need to take measures to decrease the number of weather events related to increased carbon emissions should also be at the forefront of peoples minds.

Some areas in Tennessee have announced ambitious climate goals. According to U.S. Green Economy, Knoxville aims to cut [carbon] emissions by 50% by 2030 and 80% by 2050, and Memphis intends to reduce emissions by 71% by 2050.

Join our free newsletter for cool news and actionable info that makes it easy to help yourself while helping the planet.
Amazon and Meta are among firms offering sky-high salaries to attract AI talent. Gabe Ginsberg/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images; Tony Avelar/AP

Companies like Amazon and Meta are hoping to snag generative AI talent with six-figure salaries.

The race to hire comes as companies seek to cash in on the hype around the technology.

Without enough AI experts to fill demand, salaries are getting increasingly competitive.

As companies race to keep up with the hype around generative, employers are looking to hire workers with deep knowledge of the technology.

Since the beginning of this year, the number of listings related to generative AI on the job site Indeed quadrupled, according to data from Indeed obtained by The Wall Street Journal.

Without a big enough supply of experienced AI professionals to fill the demand for these roles, US companies are offering competitive six-figure salaries in attempts to woo skilled workers, recruiters told the Journal.

"This is pure market economics," Paul J. Groce, a partner at executive recruitment firm Leathwaite, told the Journal. "We do not magically have thousands of additional AI developers, product managers and everything else."

Last month, Netflix made headlines for offering up to $900,000 for an AI-focused product manager role amid the actors' and writers' strikes.

Dating app Hinge is hiring a VP of artificial intelligence who could earn up to $398,000 a year to lead the app's AI strategy, and Amazon posted a job listing for a senior manager in applied science and generative AI who could land a salary as high as $340,300.

It's not just tech companies getting in on the AI hype. Capital One posted a listing for a distinguished engineer of generative AI, offering a salary of up to $325,700, while Walmart is seeking a senior manager for its conversational AI platform who could earn between $168,000 and $252,000 a year.

"As advancements take shape, we're creating new jobs and opportunities for associates to learn new skills," a Walmart spokesperson said.

Early-to-mid career workers familiar with AI can also cash in  in some cases with nothing more than a college degree.

Meta, for instance, posted a job listing for a generative AI research engineer with an annual salary as high as $137,000. The company is seeking recent college grads for the role. And chip giant Nvidia posted an entry-level job opening for a generative AI research scientist. The position has a salary between $156,000 and $247,250.

Amazon, Capital One, Meta, and Nvidia did not respond to Insider's requests for comment when asked for specifics about their AI-focused roles.

The growth of generative AI-roles comes as companies warm up to the idea that understanding generative AI tools like ChatGPT may, in fact, be a skill that can improve products and boost productivity.

In June, Crossover, a search engine for remote jobs, closed applications for a senior director role and a chief product officer role. Both listings offered $800,000 salaries and required that applicants apply ChatGPT to their work.

"As this tech is still so new, there is a race to bring on employees with this skill in order for the company to stay cutting edge," Stacie Haller, the chief career advisor at job site Resume Builder, told Insider. "And it looks like companies are willing to pay to do so."

Read the original article on Business Insider
A controversial tree removal is underway Monday in the Maple Leaf neighborhood. We saw crews up in the branches with chainsaws in the afternoon.

We have been watching the back-and-forth between developers and protesters for weeks.

Pacific Tree Management was hired for the removal, making way for a new housing project, but the group Tree Action Seattle is trying to prevent the removal of this tree named Doug the Fir and others like it.

This tree in particular is half an inch shy of the 30-inch exeption criteria. Saws started buzzing last Saturday, but neighbors rushed to stop them.

The city said the removal company didnt give enough advance warning before trying to take the tree down.

Then Monday the group said an unmarked truck showed up with a chainsaw.

This is part of climate justice, it is not right to be removing part of our urban forest that keeps us healthy right now and its totally doable to build new houses and keep these amazing trees, so we need to do that and were not going to give up, said a member from Tree Action Seattle.

If this sounds familiar, we saw something similar not long ago in Wedgwood as the community saved a massive Western Red Cedar.

It was scheduled to be taken down last month but activists, including tree climbers, blocked that and won widespread community support and backing from the Snoqualmie Tribe.
While exploring a swamp in Perus Otishi National Park, a group of scientists spotted a long, smooth creature nestled between patches of feather grass, sunbathing on a pile of moss.

It was a new species of snake, according to a study published Aug. 15 in Salamandra, German Journal of Herpetology.

Researchers determined that the male snake they collected from Peru was part of an unidentified kind of Tachymenoides, the study said. Previously, only one species of the genus was known.

Scientists indicated where they found the snake sunbathing.

The new species was named Tachymenoides harrisonfordi, or Harrison Fords Slender Snake. Scientists said they named the creature in honor of actor Harrison Ford to recognize his work for Conservation International and his voice for nature.

Fords most famous movie character, Indiana Jones, was well known for his hatred of snakes.

These scientists keep naming critters after me, but its always the ones that terrify children. I dont understand, Ford said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. This discovery is humbling. Its a reminder that theres still so much to learn about our wild world  and that humans are one small part of an impossibly vast biosphere.

The approximately 1.3-foot snakehas smooth, pale yellow-brown scales on its back with scattered black blotches, researchers said. The black spots form two stripes on each side of the creatures spine.

Arrows indicate where the unusual skin folds are on the snakes back.

The creatures head also has a black stripe, and it has copper irises with a vertical pupil, experts said in the study.

The creature has vibrant copper eyes with a vertical pupil.

Researchers distinguished the new species from others by identifying unusual skin folds on its back and sides that resemble the bottom fin of a sailboat, or a keel. Typically, these folds are indicative of malnutrition or childbirth, but the Tachymenoides harrisonfordi appeared to be in good condition and behaved normally, according to the study.

Scientists said Tachymenoides harrisonfordi is only known in the location it was found  a humid valley with several ponds that create a swamp. The valley is filled with tall Peruvian feather grasses, mosses, bushes, small scattered trees and some bamboo.





The creature was found in a swampy area of Otishi National Park on a pile of moss among tall grasses.

The creature likely preys on other reptiles in the area, according to the study.

Otishi National Park is about 340 miles east of Lima.

Six-eyed orange goblin creature found on remote Japan island. See the new species

Eight-eyed critter with woolly, golden hairs found burrowing in Iran. See new species

Mysterious kidney-shaped creature found among pebbles in China. Its a new species
The call that brought Tampa police officers to the JW Marriott on Water Street last month started off like many others involving a possible suicide.

A man threatened to end his life during an argument with a woman in front of the hotel. The man was seen with a gun heading to a room on the hotels 12th floor.

Officers converged on room 1217 and ordered the man and woman to come out with their hands up.

What are you doing? the man asked as officers handcuffed him. You know Im the director of the Miami-Dade Police Department?

Taking someone into protective custody under Florida law is already a weighty decision for police. In this case, officers had to decide if they should take in one of their own who wasnt just a rank-and-file cop, but a leader of one of the states largest law enforcement agencies.

Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, a past president of the sheriffs association who was at the hotel at the time for a conference, and Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister said Tampa police made the right call to let Alfredo Freddy Ramirez go on the night when he would later try to take his own life. Experts who reviewed the case for the Tampa Bay Times agreed.

But it wasnt an easy decision for officers to make, said Jillian Snider, an adjunct lecturer for John Jay College of Criminal Justice, who reviewed body camera footage from that night.

I think that they were kind of stuck in a really hard position, Snider said.

Direct evidence needed

The Florida Legislature passed the Baker Act, also known as the Mental Health Act, in 1972. Under the law, police can take a person into custody involuntarily if there is a substantial likelihood that, without care or treatment, the person poses a danger to themselves or others.

Police officers are not health counselors or psychologists or doctors, said George Indest III, president and managing partner of The Health Law Firm in Orlando, which handles Baker Act cases. The purpose of the act is to get the individual into the hands of doctors, and psychiatrists specifically, to evaluate the patient.

Law enforcement must have evidence to support taking a person into custody.

You cant just take rumor, gossip or hearsay, said Indest, who reviewed the Tampa police report and body camera footage for the Times in the Ramirez case.

He noted police had no witnesses who reported seeing him threaten himself with his gun.

That is direct evidence that I think would have led them to take him away and commit him under the Baker Act, but we didnt have that in this case, he said.

Do you want to harm yourself right now?

By about 6 p.m. on July 23, a Sunday, sheriffs and other attendees of a law enforcement conference had gathered in the hotel lobby for a welcoming reception.

Gualtieri said he spoke to Freddy Ramirez and his wife, Jody, at about 6:20 p.m. and they seemed fine.

Director of the Miami-Dade Police Department, Alfredo Ramirez, speaks to reporters in front of the Miami-Dade Police Headquarters earlier this year.

But soon after, Tampa police received a call about a man with a gun outside the hotel.

Hotel security told responding officers that two witnesses approached two sheriffs and reported seeing a man and woman arguing. During the argument, the man pulled out a gun, put it to his head and said he was going to end it all or end it here, according to a 22-page Tampa police report on the incident.

Security personnel told police that the original witnesses were no longer on the scene to verify the account and that they didnt know which agency the sheriffs were from. In body camera footage released by Tampa police, a hotel employee can be heard telling officers that he caught the end of the couples argument and saw that the man had a gun on his hip, but the employee did not see the man point the gun at himself or anyone else. The employee followed the couple to their room and directed police there.

At about 6:49 p.m., officers, including one carrying a ballistic shield, knocked on the door. Jody Ramirez answered and officers ordered her and her husband out of the room, and questioned them separately.

Officer Jergens Pierre, a supervising officer on the scene, asked Ramirez what happened outside with his wife.

Ramirez confirmed he was armed but said he had not displayed the gun or done anything else with it.

Just talking about marriage stuff, he said.

Do you want to harm yourself right now, sir? Pierre asked a moment later.

Nope, no, sir.

Soon after, an officer removed the handcuffs.

Jody Ramirez told police she and her husband were just having a heated conversation that started on the street and was about stuff thats going on at home.

When an officer asked if her husband took the gun and waved it or pointed it at himself, she at first said she didnt remember because shed been drinking, then a moment later said no. She said her husband was fine and just mad at her because she was pressing on his buttons.

Pierre, the officer who questioned Freddy Ramirez, then approached Jody Ramirez.

Do you have any concerns , Pierre began.

For my safety? Jody Ramirez said. No.

Pierre went back down the hall and explained to Freddy Ramirez the call that brought them there and why they responded the way they did.

Ramirez nodded and said he understood.

We thought we were dealing with a suicidal individual at that moment in time, OK?

OK, Ramirez said.

Moments later, Ramirez thanked the officers and shook Pierres hand.

Due to the unconfirmed third-hand information, and no statements advising that anyone was a threat to themselves or others, it was determined that the male subject did not meet Baker Act criteria, the police report said.

The report said that a Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office lieutenant who was at the hotel, Cason Ulmer, told Tampa police by phone that sheriffs office senior staff had become aware of the incident and that deputies were tracking down witnesses and would be placing Ramirez under a Baker Act.

Pierre asked if there was anything that happened that she hadnt told them. She said again that she felt safe.

If I felt unsafe I would tell all of you right this minute because that would be my savior, she said.

But Amanda Granit, a spokesperson for the sheriffs office, told the Times that Hillsborough deputies and other personnel were at the hotel for the conference but did not get involved in the investigation, locate any witnesses or make any determination about whether Ramirez should be taken into protective custody. She said Ulmer conferred with Gualtieri about what had happened.

Granit said by the time Chronister got to the hotel, the Ramirezes had left.

Sheriff Chronister agrees with what (the Tampa Police Department) did, Granit said. With the information they had, they couldnt have done anything else.

Absolutely right

Gualtieri said he spoke with other sheriffs shortly after the incident to make sure that Ramirez, because of his position, wasnt given well-meaning but misguided professional courtesy.

He said he was very satisfied that Tampa police got it absolutely right.

But hotel management still wanted the couple to leave, and Gualtieri called Ramirez to ask him to do so.

Tampa Police Department spokesperson Eddy Durkin said Tampa police Chief Lee Bercaw didnt have time to be interviewed for this story and instead released a statement from him.

Tampa Police officers are trained in crisis intervention to assist those who may be experiencing a mental health crisis, the statement said. Every call for service related to someone who may be experiencing a mental health crisis is addressed with understanding and ensuring that those determined to be in crisis are connected with the mental health resources they may need.

Snider, who is a former New York City Police Department officer, reviewed the case for the Times and said officers made the best decision they could have given the information they had. She said law enforcement officers are cognizant of the stress that comes with the job and high suicide rates in the profession.

I dont think a cop would have extended a professional courtesy that they thought could have led to an officer, or in this case, Director Ramirez, inflicting a gunshot wound upon himself, Snider said. Thats where you draw the line of professional courtesy, because you want to do whats in the best interest of that person.

Its unclear what happened in the car just before Ramirez shot himself. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting

A statement the Ramirezes released Sunday through their lawyer said the reckless allegation that Ramirez took out his gun that evening is false and unsupported by either witnesses or camera footage.

The statement said the couple headed home to put a bad nights experience behind them. 

After the seriously troubling and confusing events that had befallen them, during the drive home, with both still bewildered and distraught, Jody was able to grab her husbands arm so that the resulting injury was serious but not fatal, the statement said. She saved Freddys life.

Tony Marrero is the Hillsborough criminal justice reporter. Reach him at tmarrero@tampabay.com.
Its not a large increase in cases. But COVID-19 is making people sick in Stanislaus County this month.

County health officials said a rolling average rate was 3.7 cases per 100,000 population as of last week. Thats an increase from 2.6 coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents.

County public health released a COVID-19 test positivity rate of 10%, compared to 6.4% in July. The county is seeing a few outbreaks in congregate living centers.

Signs of COVID-19 transmission also are revealed in wastewater surveillance, as infected people shed the virus when they use the restroom.

In the latest analysis Aug. 5, Modestos wastewater reading for COVID increased 5% over the previous two-week period, while Turlocks increase was 15%. The San Joaquin Valley region jumped from a low wastewater detection level to medium this month.

Officials said the XBB.1.5 subvariant is most prevalent in Modestos wastewater (59%) and represents 87% of Turlocks test results. The XBB subvariant is in the family of Omicron variants and has stronger binding capabilities. According to information from UC Davis Health, it is more contagious than other variants but there is no evidence of more severe illness.

People infected may have a combination of the typical COVID symptoms, including fever or chills, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, nasal congestion and shortness of breath.

The EG.5 strain, an offshoot of XBB, also is being detected in larger proportions in California, but theres no evidence that subvariant causes more pernicious disease.

Kamlesh Kaur, a health educator for the county, said COVID-19 tended to produce summer and winter surges when it was running rampant. Whats going on this month is more like a bump on the line graph.

Deaths, about eight per day statewide, and hospitalizations are very low in California compared to previous trends with COVID-19.

Health officials advise people who are sick to stay home and get tested, because the same symptoms may indicate flu or another viral illness. People susceptible to severe illness may want to wear an N95 mask in public or at a gathering.

Those testing positive for COVID-19 can ask their doctor about oral antiviral pills within five to seven days of symptoms. According to a Yale Medicine blog, an often-used treatment, Paxlovid, helps to prevent severe illness for high-risk individuals. Some people have reported a rebound effect, or temporary relief and then a return of symptoms.

Here is updated information on COVID vaccines:

The mRNA booster shots currently available are bivalent, protecting against both the original coronavirus and the earlier omicron variants that became widespread in 2022.

Updated vaccines are expected in the fall with only a monovalent version that targets XBB.1.5, the more recent omicron subvariant.

The California Department of Public Health expects vaccine recommendations for all age groups in mid to late September, after which healthcare providers should be able to order updated vaccines.
The last printed issue of the Marion County Record sits in a display in its office, Sunday, Aug. 13, 2023, in Marion, Kan. Editor and Publisher Eric Meyer says the newspaper will publish its regular weekly issue on Aug. 16, 2023, despite a raid by local law enforcement officers and the seizure of computers and cell phones. (John Hanna/AP)

MARION, Kan.  A small newspaper and a police department in Kansas are at the center of a dispute over freedom of speech as the newspaper struggled Monday to publish its next edition, days after police raided its office and the home of its owner and publisher.

Officials with the Marion Police Department confiscated computers and cellphones from the publisher and staff of the Marion County Record in Fridays raid. On Monday, Kansas state authorities confirmed they are also involved in a criminal probe of the newspaper over allegations that it illegally obtained and used personal information about a local business owner.

Fridays raids have been widely condemned by press freedom watchdogs as a blatant violation of the U.S. Constitutions protection for a free press. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly called the raids concerning. An attorney for the newspaper deemed the searches and seizures illegal and said the police departments action offends the constitutional protections the founding fathers gave the free press. The Society of Professional Journalists pledged $20,000 toward the newspapers legal defense.

But some Marion residents hold a different view, accusing the newspaper of aggressive news coverage that has driven out businesses and painted a negative picture of the town of about 1,900 people.

Newspaper publisher and co-owner Eric Meyer said he believes the newspapers dogged coverage of local politics and Police Chief Gideon Codys record are the main reason for the raids. The Record was in the midst of digging into the newly hired chiefs past as a Kansas City, Missouri, police captain when the raids were carried out, Meyer said, although the newspaper hasnt yet published a story.

The newspapers attorney, Bernie Rhodes of Kansas City, sent a letter to the Cody demanding that police not review any information on the computers or cellphones seized, saying they were taken illegally and contain identities of confidential sources. He also accuses Cody of misinterpreting laws on privacy and wrongly applying them to news reporters.

These are Hitler tactics, Rhodes said. I can assure you that the Record will take every step to obtain relief for the damages your heavy-handed actions have already caused my client.

The police searches appear to have been prompted by a complaint from a local restaurant owner, Kari Newell, who accused the newspaper of invading her privacy after it obtained copies of her driving record, including a 2008 drunken driving conviction. Newell says the newspaper targeted her after she ordered Meyer and a reporter out of her restaurant earlier this month during a political event.

Meyer says a source gave the newspaper the information unsolicited and that reporters verified it through public online records. The paper eventually decided not to run a story, but it did report on Newells complaints about the newspapers investigation at a city council meeting, where she publicly confirmed shed had a DUI conviction and that she drove after her license was suspended.

The search warrant names Newell as a victim and lists the underlying reasons for the searches as suspicion of identity theft and unlawful acts concerning computers.

Both Meyer and Newell have said they have fielded messages  and some threats  from as far away as London in the aftermath of the raids. Meyer worked with his staff Monday to reconstruct stories, ads and other materials for its next edition Wednesday.

Cody defended the raid on the newsroom, saying it was conducted legally, while press freedom and civil rights organizations have said that police overstepped their authority.

Jared Smith, a lifelong Marion resident, said Monday that he supports the police raid. Smith accused the newspaper of ruining his wifes day spa business opened only a year ago by digging into her past and discovering she had appeared nude in a magazine years before. That fact was repeated in the Record more than 20 times over a six-month period, Smith said.

The newspaper is supposed to be something that, yes, reports the news. But its also a community newspaper, he said. Its not, How can I slam this community and drive people away? "

Authorities appeared unprepared for the public backlash to the raids, as involved agencies either refused to comment Monday or took pains to acknowledge the constitutional right to a free press while defending the ability of police to investigate journalists.

Cody referred questions Monday to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, saying it was leading the investigation. The state agency, in turn, refused to say it had taken over the investigation, referring instead to a statement saying it had joined the investigation and seemed to try to distance itself from the raids.

The state police agency said it had assigned an agent to the case at the request of Cody on Aug. 8  three days ahead of the raids  but did not apply for the search warrants and wasnt there when they were executed. While the agency declared freedom of the press as a vanguard of American democracy, it also appeared to defend the actions of local police, saying: No one is above the law, whether a public official or a representative of the media.

Both Meyer and Newell are contemplating lawsuits  Newell against the newspaper and Meyer against the public officials who carried out the search.

Meyer also blames the raid at his home for stressing his 98-year-old mother enough to cause her death on Saturday. Joan Meyer was the newspapers co-owner.

Beck reported from Omaha, Nebraska.
High up a remote mountain range in India, a semi-aquatic creature lurked beneath the surface of a lake. The cryptic animals had been seen before by locals but remained largely overlooked.

Until scientists spotted the animals  and discovered they were a new species.

Researchers ventured into the mountain forests of Manipur on several field surveys in 2022, according to a study published Aug. 14 in the journal Herpetezoa. They hiked to swamps and lakes searching for salamanders.

While surveying Zaimeng Lake, researchers found salamanders lurking in the water. The salamanders were unlike any theyd encountered and turned out to be a new species: Tylototriton zaimeng, or the Zaimeng Lake crocodile newt.

The Zaimeng Lake crocodile newt is a medium-sized salamander, reaching about 6.4 inches maximum and weighing about an ounce, the study said. It has very rough skin and knob-like warts along its body.

Photos show the newfound salamander species. Its body is earthy brown with orange markings along its head and orange-brown warts down its back and sides. Its tail fades from brown at the base to yellow-orange at the tip.

A Tylototriton zaimeng, or Zaimeng Lake crocodile newt, sitting on the ground.

Co-author Hmar Tlawmte Lalremsanga told McClatchy News the Zaimeng Lake crocodile newt is a captivating and mysterious creature.

Researchers found Zaimeng Lake crocodile newts at all times of day. The animals were seen slowly moving along the muddy bottom of the lake. During one survey, researchers saw hundreds of newts lurking underwater. A photo shows the creatures swimming just below the surface.

A lake with several Tylototriton zaimeng, or Zaimeng Lake crocodile newts, in the foreground.

Locals are familiar with the Zaimeng Lake crocodile newt and have several names for it, the study said. One name translates to tailed amphibian. Scientists have documented the species previously but misidentified it as a different species.

Researchers named the new species after the local Liangmei word zaimeng, a reference to the name of the lake. Zaimeng means puzzle lake or mystery lake and refers to the indigenous Zeliangrong people who passed by the lake  (and) return(ed) to the same spot again and again, never arriving at their original destination.

A group of Tylototriton zaimeng, or Zaimeng Lake crocodile newts.

The Zaimeng Lake crocodile newt has been found in five mountainous areas of Manipur, the study said. Although its full range is unknown, the species likely lives in surrounding mountains.

Manipur is a state in northeastern India, about 1,300 miles southeast of New Delhi. Manipur borders Myanmar and is also close to the India-Bangladesh border.

Researchers think the Zaimeng Lake crocodile newt is a vulnerable species. Its known range is limited and threatened by deforestation and human interference.

The new species was identified by its coloring, body shape and teeth as well as its geographic isolation, the study said. DNA analysis confirmed the new species had between 3% and 8.6% genetic divergence from other crocodile newts.

The research team included Ht. Decemson, Hmar Tlawmte Lalremsanga, Premjit Singh Elangbam, Mathipi Vabeiryureilai, Parag Shinde, Jayaditya Purkayastha, Dmitriy Arkhipov, Andrey Bragin and Nikolay Poyarkov.

Secretive creature with sharp claws  found lurking on island. Its a new species

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The primary tool for real estate professionals in Fresno and other parts of California to post listings and see whats available for buyers was still out of commission Monday from a cyberattack that took down their vendors servers.

Rapattoni Corporation in southern California, which hosts multiple-listing services across the state and nation, was hit by hackers on Aug. 9, and its servers remained offline Monday, said Brian Domingos, president of the Fresno Association of Realtors. Rapattoni has not provided an estimate for when the system may be restored, he said, just that theyre working around the clock.

Inman, a real estate information website, reported that a ransomware attack was to blame, which is when a hacker takes control of systems until a ransom is paid. Inman cited messages from Rapattoni to its customers that said federal authorities were investigating and that its insurance company was negotiating with the ransomware individuals. The report added that the attack is affecting hundreds of thousands of MLS member agents nationwide.

The outage means that in affected areas, home sellers wont have as much exposure for their properties and buyers wont be able to see as easily whats available. This doesnt mean agents cant call each other or use other digital methods to spread the word. Even so, MLS services for decades have been the primary vehicles for real estate professionals to do their jobs.

The cyberattack has been cramping the flow of the local real estate market, Domingos told The Bee. Its challenging, because the MLS is the traditional way we find out about listings, sold listings and homes under contract. All of that is not being reported.

Fresno Association of Realtors president Brian Domingos addresses the cyberattack that has disabled the associations multiple-listing service since Aug. 9, 2023. Photo from Domingos Aug. 10, 2023 video posted to Facebook

The Fresno Association has been with Rapattoni for about 23 years, Domingos said. Theyre a national vendor, very reputable. But there are thousands of Realtors affected by the outage.

The reports have caused concern over whether credit card information and other data shared by real estate agents and brokers with Rapattoni via the local MLS system could be at risk. Weve asked that question because we need to protect our members. Has any of that information been compromised? They told us they dont believe so.

Its not clear if customer information related to listings hosted by Rapattonis servers was compromised.

On social media platforms Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), Rapattoni acknowledged Saturday that the company does not know when its systems will be up and running again.

All technical resources at our disposal are continuing to work through the weekend. We still do not have an ETA at this time, the company posted on Facebook on Saturday.

Of the hundreds of various multiple-listing services across the country, industry data sites indicate that Rapattoni serves about 5%. Rapattonis web site reflects that at least 34 other real estate organizations in 12 states subscribe to the companys real-time information service. Besides the Fresno Association of Realtors MLS, other California MLS systems being affected by the attack include Bakersfield, Bay Area Real Estate Information Services, Calaveras County, Kings County, Sacramento Association of Realtors, Ojai Valley, San Francisco Association of Realtors, South Tahoe Association of Realtors, and the Tehachapi Area Association of Realtors.

Real estate professionals rely on multiple listing services to submit listings of homes for sale on a platform that allows agents representing buyers to know what homes or properties are available on the market, as well as the listing price and myriad other details including open houses. Realtors also use the MLS to update their listings to reflect what properties have sold and at what prices.

The MLS is our primary source of data related to real estate listings, Domingos said. Third-party sites get their information from us (through the MLS), status changes, new listings, sold data. If a Realtor is looking for homes that meet certain criteria for buyers, or advertising open houses, they go to the MLS.

The MLS also provides comps, or pricing data on comparable sales when agents are helping sellers price their properites for sale, he added..

In the meantime, the Fresno Association or Realtors  and many other affected MLS systems  are finding work-arounds. In Fresno, Domingos said, were manually submitting new listings and open houses to the FRA staff, and theyre compiling those for hourly updates to member agents.

Ralph Hoover, Rapattonis president, did not return a phone message left by The Bee at the companys offices on Monday.
A Dallas man was sentenced to a year and a half in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to scamming a summer food program out of millions of dollars, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton said Tuesday in a news release.

Michael Anthony Munson, 47, who founded the Heloise Munson Foundation  a nonprofit free food service  was indicted in August 2018 and pleaded guilty in July 2022 to conning the U.S. Department of Agricultures Summer Food Service Program out of more than $2.3 million.

He was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Ada Brown.

Munson admitted he inflated meal counts for summer food sites that his foundation served and provided false meal counts for sites it did not serve, according to plea papers.

He also admitted he paid someone $75,000 to create fake invoices from a fake company, Janus Wholesale Food Inc., suggesting that Munsons foundation had bought enough produce including food, juice and milk to distribute the number of meals it claimed to provide, according to the release.

Munson claimed to have provided more than 2.4 million meals to children in need, but actually provided less than a million meals, collecting fraudulent reimbursements for more than 1.4 million meals that were never provided, according to court documents.

The judge also is expected to order that Munson pay restitution in the case, authorities said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General and the FBIs Dallas Field Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Brasher prosecuted the case.
A Georgia grand jury voted to indict former President Donald Trump and 18 of his allies, including former Georgia state Senator David Shafer.

Shafer became the chair of the Georgia Republican Party and was the organizer of the false electors meeting in Dec. 2020 that he insisted be held in secret -- even though Shafer continues to insist he allowed the press inside the State Capitol meeting room to record the event.

After the electors, including Shafer, cast their ballots for Donald Trump and signed the document later sent to Washington, he stepped outside Room 216 and spoke with Channel 2s Richard Elliot.

I mean, I arrived at noon. I mean, its in the law that electors are required to meet at noon, and we have the contest pending thats undecided, Shafer said.

[READ: Former President Donald Trump among 19 indicted in Georgia election interference case]

At the time, Shafer insisted the meeting was legal and necessary to maintain a lawsuit filed by Trumps attorneys in Fulton County.

Otherwise, he said, a judge might be able to toss it out saying the GOP had no electors, so there was no need for the suit.

Because the presidents lawsuit contesting the Georgia election has not been decided or even heard, we held this meeting to preserve his rights. Had we not held the meeting, then his lawsuit would effectively be mooted, Shafer said.

But its that very meeting that caught the attention of prosecutors and of the Jan. 6 Commission.

That commission determined the false electors meeting in Georgia and in other key battleground states were part of a conspiracy to overthrow the popular vote and have then-Vice President Mike Pence refuse to accept the legal Democratic slate of electors and instead the Republican false slate of electors.

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Shafer was one of the Georgia false electors who received a letter from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis informing him he was a target for possible criminal investigation and prosecution for his role in that scheme.

Later, after several electors received immunity deals in return for testimony, Shafers lawyers sent Willis a letter insisting hed broken no laws and requested a meeting.

Media reports have suggested that certain high-level members of then-President Trumps legal team (John Eastman, Rudy Giuliani) may have developed plans to attempt to persuade Vice President Pence to count these contingent ballots as the valid electoral votes. Mr. Shafer was not involved in and had no knowledge of any such plans, the letter read.

Outside that Dec. 2020 meeting, Shafer insisted he aggressively had to pursue the election challenge or under Georgia law, the contest was over.

The precedent is that the election contest has not been resolved through, would have to under Georgia law, the contestant in an election must aggressively pursue that contest or its effectively abandoned, Shafer said.

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Local pets can get their microchips checked today for free at the Humane Society of Greater Dayton.

>>TRENDING: Cincinnati-area nonprofit deploys disaster team to Maui

Tuesday, August 15 is National Check the Chip Day for pet owners and their furry friends.

Outside of the Humane Societys main shelter on 1661 Nicholas Road, a drive-up tent will be set up for families to quickly check the microchip registration and information, according to their recent Facebook post.

Pet owners will be able to update the information on the spot if need be.

If your pet doesnt have a microchip, the Humane Society is offering to microchip pets for $15 all day.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, microchips significantly increase the chances of lost or stolen pets being reunited with their families.

Be sure to register and update your pets microchip annually as it wont be as effective with the wrong information.

For more information on microchipping your pet, visit the AMVAs website or speak to your veterinarian.
As cities across the U.S. grapple with a growing shoplifting problem, a Washington, D.C., grocery store may be on the verge of closure after rampant theft has depleted much of its resources, a D.C. councilman warned.

A popular Giant Food store reported $500,000 in product loss due to shoplifting, the store's management told D.C. Councilman Trayon White recently, which equates to roughly 20% of sales after theft.

White called the news "disheartening" in a press conference last week, especially after the store recently spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to hire security guards and upgrade its equipment.

Despite its effort to crack down on shoplifters, thieves remained emboldened and continued to walk out of the store with their carts filled with stolen items, White said.

GIANT GROCERY CHAIN FIGHTING TO KEEP STORES OPEN AS THEFT, VIOLENCE HAS 'INCREASED EXPONENTIALLY:' REPORT

A chain with padlocks secures freezer doors at a Walgreens store on July 18, 2023 in San Francisco, California. A San Francisco Walgreens store has locked its freezers with chains and padlocks to thwart shoplifters that have been hitting the store on a regular basis and stealing frozen pizzas and ice cream.

"We know it's tough times, and we know the price of food has skyrocketed in the last three years," White said. "Well, we cannot afford to hurt ourselves by constantly taking from the store, because I mean, everybody is going to be without a place to eat, and enough is enough."

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The store has had to stop suspects 135 times, "and they almost doubled that amount and didn't get stopped," White said.

If the store has to shut its doors, White warned the impact would be felt hard in the community, as the chain is the only major grocery outlet in Ward 8, serving more than 85,000 people.

NEWS CREW IN SAN FRANCISCO WATCHES LIVE AS MAN BRAZENLY STEALS FROM A WALGREENS: 'DID THAT GUY PAY?'

An unspecified grocery store seen in Virginia on July 13, 2022.

"We are home to a lot of senior citizens and elders. We have to eat at this store, and what we take from his store we put the store in jeopardy of closing down," he said.

The store hasn't announced any plans to close, but amid an uptick in grocery store shoplifting across the country, people are worried. And it wouldn't be the first Giant store to shut down.

In June, Giant President Ira Kress told Washington, D.C., radio station WTOP that thieves are stealing "everything" at the chain's outlets, from food to beauty products. Some Giant locations began placing products behind a lock and key.

He added that shoplifting at Giant has "probably increased five to 10 times in the last three years." The chain has 165 locations across Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and D.C.

CALIFORNIA GROCERY STORE IMPLEMENTS ANTI-THEFT DOORS

Aftermath of a New York City Looting

The trend of brazen shoplifting, also known as organized retail crime, has become common in cities like Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Portland. Many major retailers like Walgreens, Nordstrom, and Whole Foods have shuttered stores in these cities.

A brand new Whole Foods in San Francisco's mid-market neighborhood closed this year after only one year of operating, citing theft and unsafe conditions for its employees. In May, an Old Navy also shut its doors in the crime-ridden city.

Meat, seafood, candy, energy drinks and alcohol are among the top pilfered retail items, according to a 2022 National Retail Security survey. According to the survey, organized retail theft has resulted in losses exceeding $100 billion.
Duval County Public Schools is changing course for the second time in as many weeks and has announced it will now offer AP Psychology this school year.

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The decision could impact as many as 1,100 students in the district who had signed up for the AP Psychology course this year.

In a statement, the district attributed the change in direction to the College Board greenlighting its course syllabus, but it noted the decision to offer the course will ultimately fall on individual schools.

A total of 11 schools in the district had planned to offer the course before the controversy began earlier this month.

Families can be assured that any alternatives that remain in place instead of AP Psychology will provide students with the opportunity to earn college credit, said a district spokesperson in an emailed statement. Families and students who were enrolled in any alternative advanced psychology course will be notified by school personnel this week regarding their schools plan moving forward.

After the College Board released a statement on August 3rd claiming the state had effectively banned the course due to a section on gender and sexual orientation included in the course framework, Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz sent two separate letters to districts clarifying the course could be taught in its entirety in accordance with Florida law.

We want to make sure that all of our students in Florida have all of the options available to them, said Diaz.

Diaz blamed the College Board for spurring the confusion, noting the Department of Education never said it couldnt be offered.

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But Im glad to see that districts have seen past that, have looked at our communications and are continuing to whats best for students and providing the best options for their education, said Diaz.

On the other hand, President of the Florida Education Association Andrew Spar argued the department isnt without fault for the controversy, as a rule, adopted earlier in the year limited instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation to reproductive health courses and health lessons in higher grade levels.

He gave credit to parents for pressuring the department and school districts to keep the course in the classroom.

I think what we continue to see from the Governor and from the Commissioner is trying to limit the opportunities and course offerings and content for our students and I think what we saw here was parents say no, were not going to allow that to happen, said Spar.

In Northeast Florida there is at least one district that still does not plan to offer AP Psychology this year.

Clay County Public Schools told Action News Jax Tuesday its sticking with its plan to substitute the course with AICE and Dual Enrollment Psychology.

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A Russian serviceman fighting in Ukraine has expressed a desire to escape from the frontline with looted property.

Source: intercepted conversation of the occupier, published by the Chief Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine on Telegram and YouTube

Details: In a conversation with his family, tge occupier voices the advice he was given to escape from Ukrainian territory. He says he should either contact the military prosecutor's office, ask for help from a lawyer, or go to the hospital and then consider his options.

The Russian soldier mentions another option, to escape silently. But then he would have to leave the stolen motorbike behind. He is not satisfied with this, and he comes up with the idea of transferring the loot through people who bring humanitarian assistance to the Russians at the front.

Background: In May, Russian forces took looted goods away from the frontline settlements in the temporarily occupied territories of Zaporizhzhya Oblast under the guise of "evacuation".

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A Fulton County grand jury voted Monday night to indict former President Donald Trump and 18 others for allegedly interfering with the 2020 election in Georgia.

Those indicted include the former president, Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Mark Meadows, Kenneth Cheseboro, Jenna Ellis, Ray Smith, David Shafer, Sidney Powell, Cathy Latham and more. The charges in this case date back to the Nov. 2020 presidential election after Trump lost to now-President Joe Biden here in Georgia.

The 98-page indictment lists 19 co-defendants and 41 charges.

[PHOTOS: Who was named in Georgia election interference indictment?]

Former President Trump and Giuliani, one of his attorneys, face the highest number of charges, with 13 each.

All 19 of the co-defendants are charged with violating Georgias Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.

RELATED STORIES:

Channel 2 Action News is breaking down what charges each of the defendants is facing.

Former President Donald Trump

Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

Solicitation of violation of oath by public officer (three counts)

Conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer

Conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree (two counts)

Conspiracy to commit false statements and writings (two counts)

Conspiracy to commit filing false documents

Filing false documents

False statements and writing (three counts)

Rudy Giuliani

Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

Solicitation of violation of oath by public officer (three counts)

False statements and writing (three counts)

Conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer

Conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree (two counts)

Conspiracy to commit false statements and writings (two counts)

Conspiracy to commit filing false documents

John Eastman

Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

Solicitation of violation of oath by public officer

Conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer

Conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree (two counts)

Conspiracy to commit false statements and writings (two counts)

Conspiracy to commit filing false documents

Filing false documents

Mark Meadows

Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

Solicitation of violation of oath by public officer

Kenneth Chesebro

Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

Conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer

Conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree (two counts)

Conspiracy to commit false statements and writings (two counts)

Conspiracy to commit filing false documents

Jeffrey Clark

Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

Criminal attempt to commit false statements and writings

Jenna Ellis

Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

Solicitation of violation of oath by public officer

Ray Smith III

Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

Solicitation of violation of oath by public officer (three counts)

False statements and writings (two counts)

Conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer

Conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree (two counts)

Conspiracy to commit false statements and writings (two counts)

Conspiracy to commit filing false documents

Robert Cheeley

Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

Conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer

Conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree (two counts)

Conspiracy to commit false statements and writings (two counts)

Conspiracy to commit filing false documents

Solicitation of violation of oath by public officer

False statements and writings

Perjury

Michael A. Roman

Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

Conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer

Conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree (two counts)

Conspiracy to commit false statements and writings (two counts)

Conspiracy to commit filing false documents

David Shafer

Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

Impersonating a public officer

Forgery in the first degree (two counts)

False statements and writings (three counts)

Criminal attempt to commit filing false documents

Shawn Still

Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

Impersonating a public officer

Forgery in the first degree (two counts)

False statements and writings (two counts)

Criminal attempt to commit filing false documents

Stephen Lee

Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

Criminal attempt to commit influencing witnesses (two counts)

Conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements and writings

Influencing witnesses

Harrison Floyd

Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

Conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements and writings

Influencing witnesses

Trevian C. Kutti

Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

Conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements and writings

Influencing witnesses

Sidney Powell

Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

Conspiracy to commit election fraud (two counts)

Conspiracy to commit computer theft

Conspiracy to commit computer trespass

Conspiracy to commit computer invasion of privacy

Conspiracy to defraud the state

Cathy Latham

Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

Impersonating a public officer

Forgery in the first degree

False statements and writings

Criminal attempt to commit filing false documents

Conspiracy to commit election fraud (two counts)

Conspiracy to commit computer theft

Conspiracy to commit computer trespass

Conspiracy to commit computer invasion of privacy

Conspiracy to defraud the state

Scott Hall

Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

Conspiracy to commit election fraud (two counts)

Conspiracy to commit computer theft

Conspiracy to commit computer trespass

Conspiracy to commit computer invasion of privacy

Conspiracy to defraud the state

Misty Hampton

Violation of the Georgia RICO Act

Conspiracy to commit election fraud (two counts)

Conspiracy to commit computer theft

Conspiracy to commit computer trespass

Conspiracy to commit computer invasion of privacy

Conspiracy to defraud the state

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DONALD JOHN TRUMP, RUDOLPH WILLIAM LOUIS GIULIANI, JOHN CHARLES EASTMAN, MARK RANDALL MEADOWS, KENNETH JOHN CI-IESEBRO, JEFFREY BOSSERT CLARK, JENNA LYNN ELLIS, RAY STALLINGS SMITH III, ROBERT DAVID CHEELEY, MICHAEL A. ROMAN, DAVID JAMES SHAFER, SHAWN MICAH TRESI-IER STILL, STEPHEN CLIFFGARD LEE, HARRISON WILLIAM PRESCOTT FLOYD, TREVIAN C. KUTTI, SIDNEY KATHERINE POWELL, CATHLEEN ALSTON LATHAM, SCOTT GRAHAM HALL, and MISTY HAMPTON
The number of Russian attacks along the eastern front line has decreased as Russia seeks to regroup and restore its forces, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on Aug. 15.

"During the past week and on the first day of this week, we have recorded a quantitative decrease of shellings and attacks in the east," Maliar said on television.

But that does not mean that Russia gave up on its plans, she added.

The deputy defense minister explained that at the moment, Russian forces are attempting to regroup and restore their forces after previous combat losses. The decrease in the frequency of artillery strikes is also related to the fact that Ukrainian troops "hit the enemy very powerfully when it became more active in the Kupiansk and Lyman directions," she added.

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Ukrainian counteroffensive operations continue in the Bakhmut direction of Donetsk Oblast, with further gains reported earlier on Aug. 15 in the area of Urozhaine, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said.

According to the General Staff, Russia attempted unsuccessful attacks near Marinka and Krasnohorivka in Ukraine's east. "The enemy is putting up strong resistance, moving units and troops, and applying reserves."

Ukraine's military added that it keeps holding back Russian offensive operations in the Lyman, Bakhmut, and Kupiansk directions.

Read also: Ukraine war latest: Military reports 3 square kilometers advance near Bakhmut over last week

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
On the morning of Aug. 8, Susan Burch was at her Lahaina home playing games with neighbors to celebrate her 62nd birthday when a friend frantically knocked on her door, saying her house was on fire. Within 10 minutes, fire erupted across the street from her.

There was a Salvation Army that went into flames and we literally had five minutes to run into our houses and get whatever we could and get in the car, Burch said. Originally from Mundelein, Burch has lived in Lahaina, Hawaii, for 19 years, working in an art gallery and as a bartender.

Susan Burch, 62, in an undated photo. (Susan Burch)

Burch was able to grab her 17-year-old cat Sidney and a couple of clothing items before leaving the historic town on the island of Maui. She slept in a car with her friend for a few days before resting in the home of people she had met just three days prior.

Burch is now scheduled to fly back to Mundelein on Tuesday to mourn her brother, who died last week, unrelated to the fire. But shes also returning to her hometown to rebuild her life. She hopes shes allowed to bring her cat on the plane.

I havent even allowed myself to cry because its just too much, she said. I think Im just going to need to get home and start thinking about things, but literally everything I own is burned, so Im going to be starting over.

Burch was one of thousands of people who lost their homes in the fires that engulfed Maui last week. More than 2,700 buildings in Lahaina were destroyed, wiping out $5.6 billion in value. The confirmed death toll rose to 96 early Monday, and is expected to increase as searches continue. The flames on Maui quickly spread through dry brush covering the island during a dry summer, pushed by strong winds from a passing hurricane.

People surveying wildfire damage in Lahaina, Hawaii, on Aug. 11, 2023. During the last half-century, the town on the island of Maui transformed from a center of agriculture to a tourism magnet. (Philip Cheung/The New York Times)

While the cause of the fire is under investigation, its already the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. Chicago-area residents are springing into action to help family, friends and residents affected by the blaze, while volunteer organizations rally donations.

Burchs sister, Janet Spangle, started a GoFundMe for her last week, raising more than $6,700, as of Monday afternoon. Spangle, 59, of Mundelein, said she found out about the fire on the news.

Were just really, really lucky and grateful that my sister is alive and theres been some very generous people with the GoFundMe page, she said. Thats definitely going to help her reestablish herself and restock her clothes and everything she needs and hopefully help her with a down payment on getting a car.

[ Hawaii works to identify 99 confirmed dead after Maui wildfires as teams intensify search ]

Burch said that while Lahaina, a town of 13,000 people, will never be the same, she hopes its culture is preserved. Others have expressed worries that the town will lose its historic charm and be rebuilt as a tourist destination packed with luxury housing, pushing out Native Hawaiians and other low-income people.

Survivors and churchgoers pray during a Sunday church service held by Pastor Arza Brown of Lahaina's Grace Baptist Church, at Maui Coffee Attic in Wailuku, central Maui, Hawaii, on Aug. 13, 2023. Maui Coffee Attic opened up space for the service after the church and the pastor's home in Lahaina were destroyed by wildfire. (Yuki Iwamura/Getty-AFP)

Burch said she believes a lot of her friends are alive, but some are still missing. She asked people to pray for the people of Lahaina and donate to rescue efforts if they can.

Randall Fassbinder, 37, of Avondale, started a GoFundMe to support his family members in Lahaina. It had raised more than $11,700 as of Monday afternoon.

For a while, nobody had service. And I was talking to my brother-in-law the other day, like Saturday morning, and talking about what was going on, and he was driving around helping people, Fassbinder said.

Fassbinder said his sister-in-law just had a baby, Oliver, who is 3 weeks old, and shes looking for somewhere to stay permanently. He said she grew up in Lahaina and that the whole family worked in the tourism industry. He called the donations heartwarming.

Hawaii officials said the best way to help wildfire victims is through monetary donations to relief organizations, such as the Maui Strong Fund, the Salvation Army and the American Red Cross. Because there isnt a reliable distribution system in place yet, officials are asking people to hold off on donating physical items.

Brian Duewel, the communications director for the Salvation Armys North and Central Illinois Division, confirmed that three Salvation Army facilities were destroyed by the wildfires. He said the organization is heartbroken about how this tragedy has affected the residents of Hawaii.

He said the nonprofit is serving meals and providing emotional and spiritual care to evacuees at three shelters in Maui. He said people can also donate by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY or texting FireRelief to 51555.

Residents collect food and other supplies delivered by volunteers in Olowalu, Maui, Hawaii, Aug. 12, 2023. (Max Whittaker/The New York Times)

Joy Squier, the communications director for the American Red Cross Illinois region, said more than 250 Red Cross disaster workers were sent to help. She said the Illinois Red Cross started sending volunteers on Friday, and so far six people from Illinois have volunteered to travel to Hawaii to assist those affected by the wildfires.

She said people can call 1-800-RED-CROSS or text the word HAWAII to 90999 to make a $10 donation. She said $5 can provide a blanket and $10 can provide a meal.

Recovering from a wildfire of this magnitude will take time and the full community coming together to support one another, Squier said. Since the fires began, the Red Cross and partners have provided more than 3,600 overnight shelter stays for people seeking refuge in 11 emergency shelters.

Paul Bamman, 67, of Frankfort, is one of the volunteers who has flown out to help. Talking with the Tribune Monday afternoon from the Honolulu airport, he said he was preparing to catch a flight to Maui in a couple of hours. The veteran Red Cross volunteer flew Friday morning from Chicago and stayed in Honolulu for three nights, waiting for the Red Cross to secure a place for him to sleep in Maui.

Hawaii officials are urging tourists to avoid traveling to Maui, as many hotels prepare to house evacuees and first responders.

Bamman said he saw reports of the fires on the news Thursday morning and decided to help. Bamman has volunteered with the Red Cross since 2018 and estimates hes been on about 13 deployments, including helping with flooding in eastern Kentucky last year.

Natural disasters seem to be occurring more and more often, and they seem to be more severe. Our ranks are somewhat depleted. Were still recovering from COVID restrictions, so we need more volunteers that are willing to do stuff, Bamman said. You can volunteer and stay right there in Chicago and do virtual work for us.

Bamman said hes been assigned to the logistics team, meaning hell help shelters to secure snacks, bedding, toilet paper and other supplies. He expects to be in Hawaii for three weeks or potentially longer, depending on how much help is needed.

Dont forget about the needs of the people, he said. The people that lived through this  theyre really shook up in some cases. Theyre going to need mental health counseling. Theyre going to need a place to stay. Their whole world has been upset.

rjohnson@chicagotribune.com
Police look on as students return to Richneck Elementary in Newport News, Virginia.

The mother of a Virginia elementary school student who shot and critically injured his teacher inside her classroom pleaded guilty to felony child neglect Tuesday.

The January shooting of teacher Abby Zwerner, 25, by the first grader, 6, shocked the world and sparked a new national conversation about kids and guns in schools. The child's mother, Deja Taylor, faces up to six months in prison as part of a plea deal in which prosecutors agreed to drop a misdemeanor charge of reckless storage of a firearm, court records show.

Taylor previously pleaded guilty in a related federal prosecution for possessing marijuana while owning a handgun. She said in interviews that her son has been diagnosed with ADHD, and that the 9mm handgun was locked up. Investigators reported they found no evidence of the gun being safely stored.

In May, Taylor apologized to Zwerner, who is suing the Newport News school district for $40 million. The boy is too young to prosecute under Virginia law.

Taylor's attorney said she was suffering following miscarriages and domestic abuse, and that he hoped the court would take those into account as mitigating factors, along with her guilty pleas.

"Her guilty plea in both state and federal courts indicate her willingness to accept responsibility for her role in this terrible tragedy," defense attorney James Ellenson said.

Zwerner's civil lawsuit claims leaders at Richneck Elementary School created an unsafe work environment and ignored multiple warnings the child had a gun at school that day. Her attorney, Diane Toscano, said Zwerner is committed to finding out how Taylor's son got the gun and why school officials didn't stop him.

As the criminal probe widens, our focus remains on justice for Abby and holding the school system accountable for failing to act on warnings the boy had a gun," Toscano told USA TODAY.

In interviews, Taylor acknowledged that until a week before the shooting, the school required her son to be accompanied by a family member to classes, and that he shot Zwerner the day after returning from a suspension for breaking her cell phone.

According to court documents, the boy admitted to a teaching aide that he shot his teacher.

While restraining him, (the child) made statements like, 'I shot that (expletive) dead.' And 'I did it. I got my mom's gun last night,  the search warrant filed by police said.

In a statement, prosecutors said they could not comment on the guilty plea, given the ongoing case. Taylor is due to be sentenced Oct. 27 after a pre-sentence investigation by court officials into her background, family life, any criminal history, and potential mitigating factors.

"We are thinking of Ms. Zwerner and all the students and faculty who experienced these events as our office continues its investigation," Newport News Commonwealth's Attorney Howard Gwynn said. "The safety of our schools is of paramount importance, and we will continue to support the victims as they work through the effects of this incident."

Attorneys for the school district did not return a request for comment.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Deja Taylor, whose 6-year-old son shot teacher pleads guilty
Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey at a hearing on Capitol Hill on February 1, 2023. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images

Rep. Jeff Van Drew, then a Democrat, voted against an impeachment inquiry into Trump in 2019.

At the time, he said it would be divisive, lacked bipartisan support, and would fail in the Senate.

Now a Republican, he's urging an impeachment inquiry into Biden, despite similar political dynamics.

In October 2019, then-Democratic Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey was one of just two members of his party to vote against launching an impeachment inquiry into then-President Donald Trump.

"Without bipartisan support I believe this inquiry will further divide the country tearing it apart at the seams and will ultimately fail in the Senate," Van Drew said in a statement at the time.

House Democrats had decided to launch the inquiry after a whistleblower came forward alleging that Trump pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate Hunter Biden. The House later voted to impeach Trump along partisan lines, and the effort did fail in the Senate, which was controlled by Republicans at the time.

Van Drew famously switched parties a few months later and has since become a stalwart Trump backer who votes in lockstep with House Republicans.

And now that he's a Republican, he's pushing for an impeachemnt inquiry into President Joe Biden  despite the fact that the inquiry is likely to also be a partisan affair, and the fact that the effort would almost certainly fail in the Senate, which is now controlled by Democrats.

"We have to be a little tough about this, we can't be weak-kneed as Republicans," Van Drew said on Fox Business recently.

Congressman Jeff Van Drew (@Congressman_JVD) August 1, 2023

Notably, Van Drew is calling for an inquiry in relation to Hunter Biden's business dealings  the same reason that Trump sought to pressure Zelenskyy to investigate him in 2019.

Congressman Jeff Van Drew (@Congressman_JVD) August 11, 2023

On a conference call with House Republicans on Monday, Van Drew again spoke up in favor of the effort, according to multiple reports.

"It is definitely time, as we come back in September, in my opinion, for an impeachment inquiry," said Van Drew on a conference call with House Republicans on Monday evening, according to Semafor.

Van Drew's office did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on the congressman's apparent change of heart on the divisiveness of partisan impeachment inquiries.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Brandon Cole was fatally shot by a Denver police officer after she mistook a black marker for a knife (Denver Police)

A Denver police officer fatally shot a man after mistaking the black marker he was holding for a weapon.

Body-camera footage released by the Denver Police Department captured the deadly incident as officers responded to a domestic violence report on 5 August, just before 8pm.

A neighbor had called 911 to report that the woman may have been pushed out of her wheelchair, and said 36-year-old Brandon Cole was going after his son, according to the Denver Post.

The video showed a woman sitting on the ground next to a wheelchair. She can be heard yelling to the officers: Dont, dont pull your gun out on my husband, please.

Cole is seen between two officers on a street as he approaches one of them, who strikes him with a taser. Then, Cole approaches the other officer as he holds an object up to his chest and lunges toward her.

The officer, whose name has not been released, apparently believed Cole was holding a weapon and subsequently shot him.

This is a tremendous tragedy, Police Chief Ron Thomas said at a news conference on Monday.

Police Cmdr Matt Clark said Cole was agitated and was aggressive toward the officers. Even after officers asked him to stop approaching them, he took an aggressive stance toward the officers, he added.

Thats when one officer deployed a taser, but it was ineffective. Cole then approached the other officer who shot and killed Cole.

Cmdr Clark said that the officer feared Cole would stab her.

On top of this, an adult and child can be seen walking directly behind Cole in the footage.

You can see in the video that when she finally deploys her duty weapon, the person is so close to her that the view of the young child and other person are not even clear to her, Chief Thomas explained. Certainly that was a consideration, but there was not much time to act before she was overrun by that individual.

No one else was injured in the incident.

The unidentified officer has been with the police department since 2019 and has not been involved in any prior shootings, the Denver Post reported.

The Denver District Attorney will determine whether the officer acted legally when she killed Cole, the outlet reported.
The U.S. Dept. of Interior is hosting a final public meeting to discuss revisions to the Indian Arts and Crafts of 1990 in conjunction with the 101st Santa Fe Indian Market. (Photo/Levi Rickert for Native News Online)

SANTA FE, N.M.On Friday, August 18, the U.S. Department of the Interior will host its final public meeting on efforts to change regulations to the Indian Arts and Crafts Act. The Act protects the authenticity and marketability of products claiming to be Indian-made.

The meeting is part of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) effort to change aspects of the Indian Arts and Crafts Act (IACA), by including additional items that would be eligible to be marketed as an Indian Product, who can produce Indian arts and crafts products, and if Native Hawaiian Organizations should be included in the law.

Meridith Stanton, the U.S. Department of the Interiors Director Indian Arts and Crafts Board, said in an email to Native News Online that the BIAs proposed revisions to the current IACA regulations focus on expanding what is considered Indian art and craftwork to include products ranging from non-Indian made products to agricultural and food items. Besides expanding the definition of Indian arts and crafts, Stanton said she cannot discuss other pending changes.

Suzan Harjo, a Cheyenne and Hodulgee Muscogee Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, spoke of the changes to regulations of IACA in an interview with Native News Online and said many of the changes would expand protections for mediums, or Indian products, not previously protected, but still fall short. The proposed changes also include protections for film, television, podcasts, books, cartoons, and news media, but do not include performing arts or academia.

Why stop at hot dogs and leave out academia and performing arts? Harjo asked about the additional proposed Indian products. If you take care of performing arts, it takes care of a lot of the Hollywood problem.

Harjo, who lobbied for the passing of IACAs 1990 Amendment, has been advocating for additional protections and enforcement of law for many years. When IACAs Amendment was signed in 1990, it expanded the original 1935 law by providing criminal and civil penalties for marketing products as "Indian-made" when products are not made by Indians, as defined by the Act. Under the law, an Indian is defined as an enrolled member of any federally or officially state recognized tribe in the United States, or an individual certified as an Indian artisan by an Indian tribe.

In other words, its a federal Indian law that acknowledges state-recognized tribes. Members of state-recognized tribes are authorized to exhibit, promote, market, produce, and sell Indian arts and crafts like members of federally recognized tribes. Other federal Indian laws do not apply to state-recognized tribes; the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 does not apply to state-recognized tribes.

Since the law was passed, Tribal Nations have not had input of enforcing the law when individuals pose as a member of a tribe. In 2021, the National Congress of American Indian passed a resolution asking for the Indian Arts and Crafts Act Board (IACAB) to update its regulations of who is protected under the law because of the widespread use of Indigenous, Descendant, Ancestral Ties to, or Adopted by. The resolution was aimed to prevent fraudulent artists from mis-representing protected Indian arts and crafts and to emphasize that the IACA, a public law, is not enforced.

NCAI also passed a resolution in 2020, opposing the use of Indigenous affiliation or Indigenous in the same manner as someone enrolled in a federally recognized tribe or a state recognized tribe for employment or grants in the arts.

NCAI calls on museums, research institutions, arts organizations, and employers who promote the history, art, language, and culture of the United States Tribal Nations to require proof of tribal enrollment in a state or federally recognized Tribal Nation from individuals who present themselves as Native professionals and artists, and as a prerequisite to eligibility for grant funding or any professional alliance as a Native professional or artist with said museums, research institutions, federal or state grant programs, and prior to any public listing as Native American (American Indian or Alaska Native) affiliation, the resolution states.

The 1990 law also paved the way for an individual Indian person, a federally recognized Tribe, or an Indian arts and crafts organization to file a civil suit in federal court against a perpetrator.

Is this enough authority for an individual, or a Tribe, to go after a perpetrator on their own? Harjo questioned the protections, noting that the matter is a civil and not a criminal action. In order for Tribes to have authority to enforce this law as well, they must be permitted across jurisdictions, across state lines, to pursue offenders.

By allowing Tribes to bring the cases in Tribal court, the law would also recognize Tribal jurisdiction, as the Tribal Section of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) that returned some criminal jurisdiction to Tribes.

This also allows Tribes to go after offenders who defame the Tribes name and image, said Harjo.

If successful, the Indian Tribe, individual Indian, Indian arts and crafts organization, or United States may request that the court order the relief including actual damages, punitive damages, and/or forfeiture of proceeds, but not a quantifier. If the law includes triple the damages, thats a good intent for Tribes and others to bring their lawsuits against perpetrators.

Given that the Department of Interior is in the comment period, citizens, Tribal Nations and Tribal citizens should closely review the revisions, said Honorable Danielle Tasheena Finn, an Adjunct Professor at Sinte Gleska University and Judge for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in an interview to Native News Online. Civil actions may have big implications for enforcement.

It only took 33 years to bring revisions to the people for discussion, Harjo said.

Updating the regulations does not make changes to the existing law. Our goal in updating these regulations is to better support Native artists and craftspeople, so it is critical that we hear their feedback, said BIAs Director of Public Affairs Joshua Barnett in an email to Native News Online. This draft rule is intended to be a starting point for this conversation.

Tribal consultations began in early April and will end in August. The DOI is accepting written comments until the end of business day on Friday, September 1, 2023 and should be emailed as soon as possible to consultation@bia.gov.



The meeting at the Santa Fe Indian Market is scheduled from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm Mountain Time at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, in conjunction with the 2023 Santa Fe Indian Market.

About the Author: "Darren Thompson (Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe) is a staff reporter for Native News Online who is based in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. Thompson has reported on political unrest, tribal sovereignty, and Indigenous issues for the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, Indian Country Today, Native News Online, Powwows.com and Unicorn Riot. He has contributed to the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Voice of America on various Indigenous issues in international conversation. He has a bachelor\u2019s degree in Criminology & Law Studies from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. "

Contact: dthompson@nativenewsonline.net
Ohio state Rep. Bob Young, left, and his attorney John Greven listen as Judge Edward OFarrell speaks during his arraignment hearing at Barberton Municipal Court Aug. 4. Young pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor assault charges involving his family members.

Someone called deputies to current state Rep. Bob Young's house in 2020 for a domestic dispute after an early morning argument between Young and his wife, according to a report from the Summit County Sheriff's Office.

No charges were filed and no arrests were made following the incident, according to the report released late Monday five weeks after the Akron Beacon Journal requested any prior police reports from Young's address.

The Green Republican is currently facing two misdemeanor charges after being accused July 7 of slapping a female family member in the face, throwing her phone in a pool and several hours later charging a male family member, leaving behind a broken storm door and spots of blood.

Witness statements released Tuesday were consistent with the allegations, but also included a new Aug. 8 statement from a woman alleging Young also "struck" her that night.

Young has pleaded not guilty and rebuffed a request for his resignation from the House speaker. He is expected in court for a pre-trial hearing Aug. 31.

The 2020 incident occurred months before Young's first election to the Ohio House of Representatives, a campaign during which he accused his opponent of domestic violence  a claim that is now the subject of an ongoing defamation lawsuit against Young.

In a written statement to the Beacon Journal Tuesday about the 2020 report, Young said: "Like many married couples, sometimes my wife and I have strong disagreements and this incident was a heated argument. It was loud. That's why the police came. No charges were filed against either of us. I continue to ask the public to allow my wife and I to work out our marital difficulties together, in private."

You're safe. Videos show aftermath of incident that led to arrest of Rep. Bob Young

What happened in 2020?

A Summit County Sheriff's deputy arrived in response to a report of a "physical domestic disturbance" at the Greensburg Road residence at about 2:26 a.m. on May 22, 2020.

"Upon arrival, I was met at the front door of the residence by the homeowner's mother that lives next door," a deputy wrote. "(She) stated there was an argument between her son and his wife but now everything was fine."

The report states the deputy spoke with Young's wife, who was crying and would not talk about the dispute. The deputy observed no visible signs of injury during the interview with her.

Upon interviewing Young, the deputy reported two visible scratches on the left side of his face. When asked about the scratches, he told police "he had no recollection as to what caused the scratches," according to the report.

"Mr. Young refused to answer any questions, opting to smugly stare at the ground," the deputy wrote.

Young and his wife declined medical treatment.

Two children were asked about the alleged incident but reported they saw nothing, the report said.

The deputy advised the family that another incident would require an alternative living arrangement for the rest of the evening.

The sheriff's office said 911 calls are retained for one year and no longer available for this incident.

Bob Young accused of assaulting two family members

In this image from body-worn camera, a Summit County Sheriff's deputy takes picture of a broken storm door and a flower pot that was knocked over July 7 during a domestic dispute at the home of a relative of Rep. Bob Young, R-Green. Green was indicted on two first-degree misdemeanors for domestic violence the night before and assault for this incident where a relative blocked him from entering his home. Blood is visible on the steps.

The first of two incidents Young is accused of took place at 1 a.m. July 7 at his home on Greensburg Road, where a private party was held after a GOP fundraiser.

A child awakened in Young's home by arguing looked out a window to see Young slap his wife in the face, according to a police report. The child also saw Young throw her phone into the swimming pool.

An argument started between Young and a friend of his wife, the report states. His wife put her hand over his face. That's when he allegedly grabbed her arm and struck the left side of her face with an open hand.

A witness statement released by the sheriffs office Tuesday revealed another woman claimed she also was struck by Young earlier during the gathering after he became angry when she complained about his behavior.

He began calling us names, mostly me in our faces, she wrote in a Aug. 8 witness statement a month after the event. "We were both putting our hands in his face trying to get him to stop. In that moment, I got struck by Bob on my forehead on the left side.

The woman, who remained at the home, said she later witnessed Young hit his wife and toss her phone into the pool.

Following the incident, his wife and children left the house for a relative's home roughly one mile away. Eight hours later, Young showed up.

Standing on the front stoop, a male relative told Young he was not allowed to enter the house, police said.

Denied entry, Young allegedly "lowered his shoulder and charged at (the relative) in an attempt to enter the home without permission," the report reads. The following scuffle saw the relative defend himself by pushing the lawmaker back through the glass storm door.

Young faces two first-degree misdemeanor charges in Barberton court  domestic violence and assault.

He faces no felony charges, though he was initially charged with a felony count of disrupting public service. A felony conviction would have prevented Young from serving as a state representative.

Restraining orders currently prevent the lawmaker from having contact with the two family members who were victims in the case.

Rep. Young refuses to resign

Since the incidents, Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens, who attended a fundraiser for Young and visited his home afterward, has called for Young's resignation so he can focus on his family.

In a July 18 statement to the Beacon Journal, Young called his behavior inappropriate, but not criminal. He said he has voluntarily entered a counseling program to "work through these issues." He refused to resign.

"On this particular evening at my home, we had some drinks and I acted poorly and said things I shouldnt have," Young wrote. My behavior, while not criminal, was inappropriate and out of character.

Lawsuit over 'false' domestic violence attack ads

While Young faces misdemeanor charges of domestic violence and assault, he is also being sued for campaign ads in 2020 that accused his then-opponent, Matt Shaughnessy, of being "guilty" of domestic violence 20 years earlier.

Shaughnessy, however, was never charged with domestic violence.

Shaughnessy, like Young, is a former Green councilman. He worked to help domestic violence victims recoup economic losses.

The lawsuit is ongoing as of mid-August. Young and his campaign filed a motion denying that the ads were false or defamatory in February.

Sheriff's office withheld records

This week's records release included documents the Beacon Journal originally sought immediately after Young's arrest. In cases like Young's arrest, journalists routinely request public records to determine if any pertinent reports have been filed before. Such records, if they exist, are normally provided within a few business days by most agencies.

In this case, the Beacon Journal's attorney formally objected to the delay in releasing the records on Aug. 7, asking the Summit County Prosecutor's Office to ensure the sheriff was following public records law.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Deputies called to Rep. Bob Young's home in 2020 domestic dispute
A Texas deputy killed a man while on vacation in California, then tried to return to life as usual, authorities told news outlets.

Giovanni Ceja, 31, is facing charges of murder, driving under the influence and hit-and-run causing death, the Bexar County Sheriffs Office said in a news release.

Ceja was on the job and in uniform on Aug. 14 when the sheriffs office received a call from the Riverside County Sheriffs Office in California, informing them that they had a warrant for Cejas arrest in the hit-and-run death, KENS reported.

Ceja has since been dishonorably discharged and will be extradited to California to face the charges, the sheriffs office said in a release.

On Aug. 7, Ceja was driving a relatives car while under the influence of alcohol and fatally hit a man filling up his vehicle with gas on the side of U.S. Interstate 215, the release said.

Additionally, at the time of Ceja striking the victim, the victims wife and one of his children were waiting in a separate vehicle nearby and witnessed the incident unfold, the release said.

Though Ceja drove away from the scene, the vehicle was damaged and parts were left behind, Sheriff Javier Salazar told KSAT.

Following the deadly collision, Ceja carried out his normal duties as deputy until the sheriffs office was contacted by California authorities, Salazar told the TV station.

Investigators in California had been in contact with Ceja during their investigation, but the deputy didnt mention this to anyone at work, the sheriffs office told the San Antonio Express-News.

San Antonio is the county seat of Bexar County, and Riverside County is about 55 miles east of Los Angeles.

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Former Trump lawyer Alan Dershowitz said Tuesday he predicts there will be some convictions, in former President Trumps four criminal cases, which he expects will all take place before the 2024 presidential election.

The Hill Elections 2024 coverage

I predict therell be some convictions, Dershowitz said during an appearance on Bannons War Room, a podcast hosted by former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon. I think the strategy is to get bad convictions, but to get them fast in New York and Florida, in Washington, and in Fulton County.

Dershowitz argued these convictions will be reversed, but not until after the election.

The whole get Trump approach is to get him before the election, convict him before the election, and then he wins on appeal, Dershowitz said.

A grand jury in Georgia indicted Trump and 18 co-defendants Monday night, marking the former presidents fourth indictment this year. These latest charges stem from Trump and his allies efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) led a more than two-year probe into Trumps attempts to intervene with the election results and alleged organization of a group of 16 Georgia residents to serve as fake electors and claim he won the state, instead of Biden.

In a press conference Monday night, Willis said she hopes to schedule a single trial for all the defendants within the next six months.

Trumps three other criminal trials are all likely to start within the first half of 2024. His trial in New York state court over alleged hush money payments is scheduled for March 25 while the classified documents trial is slated to start May 20 in federal court.

Earlier this month, a federal grand jury handed down an indictment of Trump related to his efforts to remain in power after the 2020 election. The Department of Justice asked Federal District Court Judge Tanya S. Chutkan to set a Jan. 2, 2024 trial start date, though an official date has not been date.

Dershowitz also pointed to an apparent document that Reuters reported was posted on the Fulton County courts website Monday and indicated several criminal charges against Trump. In a clarification post, Reuters said the document was taken down without explanation.

The fact that they were willing to put the indictment on the website before the grand jurors voted, proves something that any of us who have had experience in criminal law know  the grand jury is meaningless, Dershowitz said.

They [the grand jury] rubber stamp something that the prosecutor put before them and the best evidence is the prosecutor was so confident, she was willing to put it on her website even before the vote took place, he continued.

The Fulton County, Ga. Court clerks office called the mystery document fictitious, without providing any details on how the document ended up on the courts website.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Dershowitz slams GA indictment, says Trump used same tactics as Al Gore in 2000: not a crime'

The former legal counsel for Al Gore who challenged  and lost  the presidential election results in 2000 says Gore's team did "the same thing" as what a Georgia prosecutor is claiming Trump committed as a crime.

Donald Trump is facing a fourth indictment, this time from Fulton County, Georgia district attorney Fani Willis, involving allegations that Trump sought to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia.

Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz, speaking to Fox News Digital, criticized the pending indictment, calling Trumps actions "very similar" to that of Al Gores legal strategy in the Bush v. Gore case that decided the 2000 presidential election.

"We challenged the election, and we did much of the things that are being done today and people praised us. I wrote a bestselling book called Supreme Injustice. Now they're making it a crime," Dershowitz said.

TRUMP INDICTED OUT OF GEORGIA PROBE INTO ALLEGED EFFORTS TO OVERTURN 2020 ELECTION

Former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures to the crowd at a campaign event on July 1, 2023 in Pickens, South Carolina.

On Monday a grand jury returned an indictment of Trump after a years-long criminal investigation led by state prosecutors in Georgia into his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, attorneys Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, Kenneth Chesebro, Jeff Clark, John Eastman, and others, were also charged out of the years-long investigation.

READ THE INDICTMENT

The charges include violating the Georgia RICO Actthe Racketeer Influenced And Corrupt Organizations Act; Solicitation of Violation of Oath by a Public Officer; Conspiracy to Commit Impersonating a Public Officer; Conspiracy to Commit Forgery in the First Degree; Conspiracy to Commit False Statements and Writings; Conspiracy to Commit Filing False Documents; Conspiracy to Commit Forgery in the First Degree; Filing False Documents; and Solicitation of Violation of Oath by a Public Officer.

Dershowitz, in speaking to Fox News Sean Hannity Monday evening, said it would be wrong to "expand" the RICO statute to "include political objections," including ones that members of the Democrat party have made.

"You cannot start making crimes out of things that the Democrats did -- Tilden Hayes, John Kennedy election 2000 election 2016 election, Jamie Raskin gets up and does some of the same things. These are political actions that the Constitution prefers us to take rather than going out on the streets and rioting. We're supposed to go to court. We're supposed to go to Congress. You can't make those things crimes. And you can't expand the RICO statute to now include political objections," he said.

When Trump was disputing the results of the 2020 election, he made a phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to help him "find 11,789 votes,"

"All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state," Trump reportedly said.

Georgia certified election results showing that Trumps Democratic opponent Joe Biden won the states Nov. 3 election by 11,779 votes.

Dershowitz compared the call to Gores legal strategy in 2000.

"Its pretty much the same thing I did and Professor Lawrence Tribe did, and those of us who were on the Al Gore team," Dershowitz said.

"I was representing the voters of Palm Beach County, and we were saying please check this county, check that county, find this vote find those votes. We think there are more votes," Dershowitz described.

GEORGIA SECRETARY OF STATE TO INTERVIEW WITH SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH AS PART OF JAN. 6 PROBE

Former President Donald Trump was indicted for a fourth time on Monday.

"We did the same thing and Professor Tribe, wrote a legal memorandum essentially laying out a strategy very similar to the strategy for which these folks are being indicted today," he said.

"So if you look back at the 2000 election and the protests, I still think to this day, and I'll say it here on television, that that election was stolen from Al Gore by Bush that he won the actual election. I'm saying that -- are they going to come after me now?" Dershowitz said.

The district attorney's office erroneously posted an indictment document earlier on Monday prior to the grand jury vote. They reportedly said that document was "fictitious" and it was taken down off the website.

TRUMP PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO CHARGES STEMMING FROM SPECIAL COUNSEL'S JAN. 6 PROBE

Former President Donald Trump gestures on stage during the Alabama Republican Partys 2023 Summer meeting at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel on August 4, 2023 in Montgomery, Alabama.

Dershowitz commented that the indictments should not be taken seriously after the prosecutors flub.

"Nobody should take the indictments at all seriously, because they announced the indictment before the grand jury even voted. So the grand jury is just a rubber stamp. And so, nobody should say, Oh, the grand jury indicted, so it must be serious," Dershowitz said.

"It's not the grand jury who indicted, it's the prosecutors," he added.

Fox News Digital's Brooke Singman and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

For months, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign sat in second in GOP primary polls behind former President Donald Trump.

Now, DeSantis has a new GOP candidate to worry about: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

A new Emerson College poll shows Christie in second place, ahead of DeSantis.

According to a recent Emerson College poll, more likely New Hampshire Republican primary voters said they prefer former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The results of the poll, which was conducted between August 9 and 11, show that 9% of likely GOP primary voters in New Hampshire want Christie to be the Republican nominee, compared to the 8% who said they'd rather have DeSantis represent the party.

The poll's finding that DeSantis is slipping and Chris Christie is rising is far from alone in New Hampshire, with recent polls from co/efficient, National Research, and the Manhattan Institute putting the former governor of New Jersey tied or within the margin of error of DeSantis.

Former President Donald Trump was far and away the most desired GOP candidate to the polled likely New Hampshire Republican primary voters, as 49% of them said they plan to support him.

When comparing the August poll to the findings of an Emerson Poll from March, it appears that DeSantis and his campaign are moving in the entirely wrong direction if he wants to have a chance at catching up to Trump and Christie moving forward.

In March, the Emerson College survey found that 17% of likely New Hampshire Republican primary voters said they would support DeSantis for the GOP nomination. Eight months later, DeSantis has dropped nine percentage points in the polls.

DeSantis' drop in the polls coincides with his campaign's repeated self-inflicted errors, such as when it posted a homophobic video on Twitter or when a staffer shared a video online that included a Nazi symbol.

While Christie has taken some shots at DeSantis while on the campaign trail, he's almost entirely fixated his campaign and media appearances on Trump's missteps in office and how he believes he's the best candidate to defeat the 45th president.

DeSantis will have a chance to regain some of the support he's lost from the GOP base at the upcoming Republican presidential debate on August 23. Trump has repeatedly hinted that he may skip out on the event, leaving ample opportunity for DeSantis to sway any unsure voters.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Glen Gilzean Jr. stepped into controversy when he accepted the gig to oversee Gov. Ron DeSantis' district governing Disney World, which is in a legal skirmish with Disney.

But questions are now being raised over whether he should have made that step at all.

Gilzean is also the DeSantis-appointed chair of the Florida Commission on Ethics. But on its website's "About Us" page is the line, "No member may hold any public employment."

It's a rule that's set in law.

First reported by Florida Bulldog, an online investigative news outlet, the questions have prompted no answers from Gilzean himself.

"I refer you to the FL Commission on Ethics," wrote Alexei Woltornist, a district spokesman.

The commission is made up of nine members, who don't receive a salary, and around 25 employees. It "serves as the guardian of the standards of conduct for officers and employees of Florida and its political subdivisions," according to the website.

Gilzean was first appointed to the commission in 2019. Commission representatives did not respond to a media request.

Glenton Gilzean Jr.

"It should be mentioned first and foremost that unquestionably Glen Gilzean has given superlative service to the Florida Commission on Ethics and through that the people of the state of Florida," said Caroline Klancke, executive director of the nonprofit Florida Ethics Institute. "However, the membership requirements of the commissioners... they're set forth by law.

"Thus, the question then remains whether his position, newly-acquired, as administrator for the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, constitutes a public employment position," she said.

Klancke said it's a factual question, and she doesn't have enough facts to weigh in.

Ben Wilcox, research director and co-founder of the nonpartisan government watchdog Integrity Florida, said it looks to him like a public position.

"It seems to me [Gilzean] is going to have to resign from one of those positions," Wilcox said.

"It's a pretty clear conflict of interest for a member of the Florida Commission on Ethics to also be serving in a public position, because those cases involving public officers, are exactly the cases that are going to come before the [commission]," he said.

Gilzean has falling out with org: 'Dismayed:' DeSantis' Disney district admin rebuked by 'betrayed' civil rights group

A background on Gilzean: Who is Glen Gilzean Jr., DeSantis' go-to guy for African American History and Disney district?

Back in May, the DeSantis appointed Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board unanimously approved Gilzean as administrator, giving him a $400,000 salary. That's $45,000 more than the last administrator got, but the board said the new role came with more responsibilities and the knowledge the person filling it would have to deal with litigation from Disney.

How the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District came to be

Disney used to control the district, which takes care of roads, construction permits, fire protection, water and waste collection and other infrastructure needs across 25,000 acres of property in Orange and Osceola counties.

But that was back when it was called the Reedy Creek Improvement District.

Last year, Disney spoke out spoke out against the Parental Rights in Education Act, dubbed "Don't Say Gay" by critics, which restricts instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in schools.

DeSantis and his GOP legislative allies responded with actions Disney says were retaliatory and a violation of its free speech rights, such as stripping Disney's control of the district and giving it to the governor. It was renamed in the process.

In April, the theme park giant filed a federal lawsuit against the governor.

Gilzean and the board, along with acting Secretary of the Department of Economic Opportunity Meredith Ivey, are also named in the suit. The board filed a legal salvo of its own against Disney in state court.

In interviews, writings and at the podium, DeSantis has repeatedly connected the legislative crackdown on Disney with what he calls their "woke" criticism of his signature parents rights law. But at other times and in his legal arguments, he said those efforts were focused on fairness, putting Disney on "a level playing field with every other business in Florida."

Though, in a pivot of tone, DeSantis said on Monday that the state has basically moved on from issues surrounding the changes to the former Reedy Creek Improvement District, and Disney should drop its lawsuit.

But ramifications of the takeover are still far from settled, even outside the courts, as evidenced by the DEI announcement.

And, last month, the board, encumbered with litigation costs due to the Disney dispute and other start-up expenses, said it's eyeing cutting $8 million used to pay off-duty law enforcement officers who exclusively patrol Disney properties. Chairman Martin Garcia called it "wasteful spending."

Gilzean controversies

The litigation isn't the only controversy Gilzean is embroiled in.

Earlier this month, the district announced it was abolishing its diversity, equity and inclusion programs. In the announcement, Gilzean name-dropped his previous employer.

"Our district will no longer participate in any attempt to divide us by race or advance the notion that we are not created equal," Gilzean, who is Black, said. "As the former head of the Central Florida Urban League, a civil rights organization, I can say definitively that our community thrives only when we work together despite our differences.

But that civil rights organization is an affiliate of the National Urban League, which, in a statement sent to the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, blasted Gilzean and the decision.

"The National Urban League and our nationwide movement of more than 90 local affiliates are shocked and dismayed by Glen Gilzeans betrayal of the values at the very core of our mission," said Marc Morial, its president and CEO, in a statement to the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida.

Gilzean is also the chair of the African American History Task Force. Amid a controversy about Floridas new African American history standards, particularly on required instruction that "slaves developed skills" for "personal benefit," he has defended the curriculum.

When DeSantis took fire after Florida rejected the Advanced Placement African American Studies course, Gilzean wrote an opinion piece defending the governor and the move.

Contributed: News Service of Florida

This reporting content is supported by a partnership with Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. USA Today Network-Florida First Amendment reporter Douglas Soule is based in Tallahassee, Fla. He can be reached at DSoule@gannett.com. Twitter: @DouglasSoule.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Conflict question: DeSantis' Disney district head also ethics chair
More flights between China, US approved

09:13, August 15, 2023 By LUO WANGSHU ( Chinadaily.com.cn

An Air China plane takes off from Beijing Daxing International Airport. [Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]

Air carriers will be allowed to increase, and eventually double, the number of international passenger flights between China and the United States, in a move to better facilitate people's movement between the two countries.

The US Department of Transportation said on Friday that Chinese airlines can increase the total number of weekly round-trip flights to the US to 18, from the current 12, and the number will rise to 24 by Oct 29.

The number will be equal to what China will allow for US airlines. In total, 36 weekly round-trip flights will be allowed to be operated by Chinese and US carriers starting on Sept 1, and 48 beginning on Oct 29.

In an application filed last week with the US department, Air China noted that it is requesting permission to add a new weekly flight between Beijing and Los Angeles. China Eastern said it seeks to add a new weekly flight between Shanghai and Los Angeles.

Currently, Air China, China Eastern, China Southern and Xiamen Airlines provide scheduled flight service to the US. Their US counterparts United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines operate passenger flights to China.

In May, the US department announced that the number of direct flights between the two countries would rise to 12 per week  the first increase in three years  to match the number of flights operated by Chinese carriers. As a result, a total of 24 round-trip flights now operate each week.

As of the end of June, the total number of international flights to and from China was 3,368 per week, about 44 percent of the volume before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

Earlier this year, the administration estimated that if the market recovers well, the number of international flights to and from China is expected to reach about 75 percent of the pre-COVID level by the end of the year.

Group tours resume

More positive signals have been seen recently. Last week, China announced the resumption of group tours to another 78 countries, including the US, the United Kingdom, Japan and Australia. Last month, a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee called for increasing international flights in the second half of this year.

In June, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said that China stands ready to work with the US to increase flights with flexibility and pragmatism, after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Beijing.

During the visit, both sides reached a common understanding on promoting people-to-people exchanges, Mao said. China and the US agreed to encourage more people-to-people and educational exchanges, and had positive discussions on increasing passenger flights between the two countries, she added.

The number of international flights to and from China had been reduced due to disruptions caused by COVID-19. Since 2020, US carriers began to suspend scheduled passenger flights to China. In March 2020, China introduced the "circuit breaker" policy  the suspension of carriers for two weeks if five or more passengers tested positive for COVID upon landing in China, or four weeks if 10 or more passengers tested positive.

In June 2020, the US suspended all scheduled passenger flights between the two sides.

Flight service between the two countries has gradually increased since January, as China optimized its COVID response measures and promoted the resumption of international flights.

"China's international flight market has seen a positive resumption. The number of flights to some Asian countries, such as Japan and South Korea, has reached pre-pandemic levels," said Qi Qi, a senior aviation expert.

However, flight service to North America, including the US and Canada, hasn't recovered fully due to the lack of market demand, Qi said.

He added that the capability of overseas airports to ensure safety is also needed.

"Due to the low traffic for the past three years, some overseas airports lack the capability to receive sufficient flights from China," he said.

Shedding further light on why the recovery is not as good as expected, Li Xiaojin, a professor of aviation economics at Civil Aviation University in Tianjin, said, "Some countries required equal civil aviation rights, such as the US. And some countries are still recovering from the impact of COVID-19, with less demand for international travel."

A passenger surnamed Shang traveled from Beijing to San Francisco and back in May and earlier this month. Shang said she experienced two exhaustive layovers both times  one in Hong Kong and the other in Tokyo.

In May, the trip from Beijing to Hong Kong was severely delayed, and Shang missed the second flight. Though the most recent flight departed on time, it was still tiresome for her to travel 20 hours with her 6-year-old daughter.

Shang said she was glad to see that more choices will be available.

"I'm looking forward to more direct flights," she added.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Victor Parra was a Chicago-area radio host, musician and bandleader who championed Afro-Cuban jazz music as the host of his weekly radio show, Mambo Express, on both WBEZ-FM and WDCB-FM.

Parra was on Chicagos airwaves for more than 25 years, and he performed with his band for a similar amount of time.

He was really in love with Cuban music, said Juan Montenegro, a friend and a former Chicago radio host. And he was really an innate musician and percussionist who managed to gather around him  musicians in the Chicago music scene that he incorporated into his band.

Parra, 87, died of a lung infection aggravated by the recent Canada wildfires on July 26 at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, said his wife of 34 years, Connie. He had been a longtime resident of the Little Italy neighborhood.

Born in Chicago to Mexican immigrant parents, Parra grew up in Little Italy and lost both his parents by the time he was 9 years old. As a result, Parra never attended grammar school or high school, his wife said.

Instead, Parra held various jobs in his neighborhood from a young age, selling newspapers and shining shoes, his wife said. He later worked in the garment district around Maxwell Street, operating pressing machines and handling retail.

My education was when I hit the street, Parra told the Tribune in 2017. Thats the best education you can get, man. You meet different people every day.

Parra heard Mexican music at home, but he told the Tribune that he was hooked by the mambo and cha-cha music of the long-running, Havana-based band Orquesta Aragon, and he began collecting Afro-Cuban records.

I heard 78s (records) of Orquesta Aragon and Perez Prado, he told the Tribune in 1999. I had no idea it was Cuban music, it just sounded good to my ears. So I started to become a small-time collector, getting 78s wherever I could.

Parra later served in the Army and was stationed in Panama. Back in Chicago, he worked in the clothing industry and then started distributing records, initially from his car.

From 1972 until 1977, Parra operated his own record store, VP Records, in a former cigar store at the intersection of Damen, Milwaukee and North avenues in Wicker Park.

Disc jockey Victor Parra on Feb. 8, 1982. Parra was on Chicagos airwaves for more than 25 years. (Don Casper/Chicago Tribune)

I was one of the first guys to play music before you bought it, Parra told the Tribune in 1999. I used to do clinics before those things had a name. (Musicians) would come to my store and I would say, This is the man. Come here and ask him the questions.

One of Parras employees at the record store, Edwin Claudio, later served on Chicagos Board of Education and also helped the Board of Education-owned radio station, WBEZ-FM, develop a Latin music show. That led Claudio to his old boss, despite Parras lack of previous radio experience.

Parra began co-hosting Mambo Express, a half-hour show on WBEZ on Saturday mornings with fellow Chicagoan Bill Zayas, with Parra becoming the shows solo host in 1988. By that point, the Mambo Express show remained informative but felt more like a lush two-hour Cuban dance party, the Tribune wrote in 1999.

I loved it, it was easy, it was a pleasure, Parra told the Tribune in 1999. People used to call me and tell me that they planned parties around my show.

Dayna Calderon, a friend and former producer at WBEZ, called Parra a walking party.

Back in the day, the DJs would walk into the WBEZ studios with their canvas bags filled with vinyl from their personal collections, and Victors bag was bursting with the all-stars of the mambo genre, Calderon said. He was so entrenched in this music that for the longest time I just assumed he was Cuban. My Mexican compadre was a true fan of the music and the history.

Noted New York record producer Harvey Averne, who established a record label specializing in Afro-Cuban and Latin American music, called Parra a great salesman for the music.

The best thing I can say about Victor is that he was the real deal, Averne said. He loved the music and he was very knowledgeable. He just talked from the heart and he was a great messenger.

In 1987, Parra, whose day job was as a laborer at the University of Illinois at Chicago, formed his own mambo band, the Mambo Express, with a group of veteran local sidemen. A percussionist, Parra played the congas, and his band played local clubs and then at city festivals like Jazz Fest and Taste of Chicago.

Victor always said that Cuba put the world to dance, musically, because there was nothing political here. It was about the music, Parras wife said.

Parras program on WBEZ came to an end in 1995 after he and the stations management differed over whether to broaden its focus to music from all over Latin America. Parra stood firm that he didnt want to host a pan-Latin program.

Parra retired from UIC in 2001. In 2004, he resumed hosting the weekly show Mambo Express, this time on Sunday afternoons on WDCB-FM, the College of DuPage-run public radio station in Glen Ellyn. He hosted that show until retiring in 2017, citing the lengthy commute from the city to Glen Ellyn, especially in winters.

Its hard to let this go, Parra told the Tribune in 2017. In the wintertime, you dont know what the weather is going to be. Sometimes I cant get out of my garage. We get these snow drifts, and Ive got to shovel.

A first marriage ended in divorce. In addition to his wife, Parra is survived by two sons, Victor and Ted; and two grandchildren.

Services were held.

To purchase a death notice, visit https://placeanad.chicagotribune.com/death-notices. To suggest a staff-written obituary on a person of local interest, email chicagoland@chicagotribune.com.
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida got married at Disney World in 2009. Joe Raedle/Getty Images and AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida told CNBC he and his allies would like to move on from the Disney feud.

DeSantis said he'd like to tell CEO Bob Iger to drop the lawsuit and that Disney couldn't win it.

But legal experts previously told Insider the lawsuit brought by Disney had some teeth.

Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida has apparently moved on from his long, public feud with Disney  and would like the House of the Mouse to do the same.

In an interview with CNBC that aired Monday, DeSantis said he and his allies had "basically moved on" from sparring with Disney.

The feud kicked off last year when DeSantis revoked Disney's special tax status after the company spoke out against the state's Parental Rights in Education Act, dubbed by critics the "Don't Say Gay" law.

DeSantis added that he did not plan to undo the changes to Disney's tax status.

"So all we want to do is treat everybody the same, and let's move forward. I'm totally fine with that," DeSantis told CNBC. "But I'm not fine with giving extraordinary privileges, you know, to one special company at the exclusion of everybody else."

When asked what he would tell Disney CEO Bob Iger today, DeSantis said he would tell him to "drop the lawsuit."

"I would just say, go back to what you did well. I think it's going to be the right business decision," he added.

DeSantis was referring to a lawsuit Disney brought against Florida in April alleging the state weaponized government power to punish the company for its protected speech.

The suit accused DeSantis and his office of orchestrating "a targeted campaign of government retaliation" against Disney that "threatens Disney's business operations, jeopardizes its economic future in the region, and violates its constitutional rights."

DeSantis has said that Disney is not entitled to special privileges that other companies do not receive. He also told CNBC that Disney couldn't win.

"They're suing the state of Florida. They're going to lose that lawsuit," he said.

But legal experts previously told Insider's Sindhu Sundar that the lawsuit appeared to have merit and that the company might be able to prove the state infringed on its constitutional rights.

"If it was unequivocally clear that the whole purpose of a law was to retaliate against Disney for its executives' statements, that's a First Amendment violation," David Schultz, a visiting professor at the University of Minnesota Law School, said, adding: "The government is not supposed to punish you for the views you express."

Though Disney may have a case, it's not a slam dunk, as the company would have to prove the intention behind revoking its tax status was retaliation.

The lawsuit cited some examples that could be used to prove the company was retaliated against, including a Florida state legislator saying: "You kick the hornet's nest, things come up."

The Walt Disney Co. and DeSantis' office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) called the indictment against former President Trump in Georgia an example of a criminalization of politics.

I think its an example of this criminalization of politics, DeSantis said while on a press call with New England media. I dont think this is something thats good for the country.

DeSantis, also a 2024 presidential candidate, claimed Atlanta has huge problems with crime right now and called the citys approach to crime less than exacting.

I think there are criminals that theyve let out that shouldnt have been let out, DeSantis said. And so now theyre doing an inordinate amount of resources to try to shoehorn this contest over the 2020 election into a RICO statute, which was really designed to be able to go after organized crime.

A Georgia grand jury handed down a 98-page indictment against Trump and 18 other co-defendants Monday night. The 19 defendants face 41 counts in total, including charges they violated Georgias Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act for their alleged scheme to overturn the states 2020 election results.

Created in 1970, the federal RICO Act was intended to help fight organized crime. Georgias version of the law is broader, making it a crime to participate in, acquire or maintain control of an enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity or to conspire to do so.

The law is designed to help prosecutors target people in positions of authority within a criminal organization, not just the low-level henchmen doing the dirty work. In Georgia, conviction for a RICO charge carries a prison term of five to 20 years; a fine of $25,000 or three times the amount of money acquired from the criminal act, whichever is greater; or both a prison sentence and a fine.

The indictment comes after a years-long investigation by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) into efforts by Trump and allies to intervene in Georgias 2020 presidential election results  while also arranging a group of 16 Georgia residents to serve as fake electors and claim he actually won the state, not Joe Biden.

DeSantiss criticism of the Georgia indictment follows his previous comments aimed at the Washington, D.C., jurors who indicted Trump earlier this month for his attempts to remain in power after the 2020 election. DeSantis called the capital city a swamp and argued it is unfair to have to stand trial before a jury that is reflective of the swamp mentality.

Despite Trumps mounting legal battles, he continues to be the front-runner in the 2024 GOP presidential primary while DeSantis trails behind. A Morning Consult poll released Tuesday shows Trump with 57 percent support in the Republican primary and DeSantis with 16 percent.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signaled on Monday that he wanted an end to his war with Disney, saying the media giant should drop its lawsuit against the state.

[W]here we are today, you know, weve basically moved on, DeSantis said during an interview on CNBCs Last Call. Theyre suing the state of Florida, theyre going to lose that lawsuit. So what I would say is, drop the lawsuit.

The GOP presidential hopeful also indicated that he would be willing to speak with Disney CEO Bob Iger, touting his efforts to keep businesses open during the Covid-19 pandemic.

No one has made Disney more money recently than me, the Florida governor said on Monday. Because during Covid, they were open in Florida.



DeSantis feud with Disney began last year, sparked after the company publicly criticized Floridas Republican-controlled Legislature for approving a bill banning teachers from leading discussions on gender identity and sexual orientation, a measure that came to be known as the Dont Say Gay bill.

In April, Disney took the battle to federal court, alleging that DeSantis and other state officials retaliated against the company and violated its First Amendment rights. In May, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District brought its own state lawsuit against Disney, alleging that a deal struck over the companys authority over itself violated state law.

The Florida governors tussle with the company has drawn criticism from his political opponents as he seeks the GOP presidential nomination. DeSantis comments on Monday are some of the first signs he might be willing to stand down.
During WSB-TVs 75 year history, weve watched history unfold and chronicled important moments in the field of education.

Like Hamilton Holmes Charlayne Hunter. They became the first African-American students to register at the University of Georgia in 1961. Mary Francis Early became the first African-American to graduate from UGA in 1962.

You cant talk about education in Atlanta without talking about desegregation. Until the 1960s, Blacks went to one school and whites went to another. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 changed that.

Clark Atlanta University education professor James Clayton Young says the 1954 Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education ruled racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.

What they did not do is say how would you do that in terms of the practice, Young told Channel 2s Tom Jones.

Young says the decision led to white flight in and around Atlanta.

Rather than to comply with the Supreme Court decision of 1954, it was white resistance.

Young said Atlanta civil rights icons like Maynard Jackson and Andy Young were great at bridging the divide and working to bring all sides together.

Atlanta was a city too busy to hate. too busy to hate, the professor said.

Atlanta made national and international with APS cheating scandal in 2009.

You had the whole world watching, Gerald Griggs said.

CELEBRATING 75

Nearly three dozen educators were accused of a racketeering scheme where they changed standardized test scores for financial gain, including Superintendent Beverly Hall.

Some went to prison. Several took plea deals and were sentenced to community service. Some educators still have open cases. Griggs represented several of the defendants.

You had the possibility of your client going to jail for a long, long, long amount of time, he said.

He says no child was helped by the prosecution of the educators and says the teachers were scapegoats.

You had low level individuals, some of which didnt cheat at all or were merely pressured to cheat...ultimately being convicted, Griggs told Jones.

Clint Rucker was co-lead counsel for the district attorneys office on the cases.

I thought it was very important that the community know what was going on in our public schools, he said.

Rucker says the educators were robbing students and adversely impacting their futures.

Because they are not achieving at the level these false scores are indicating.

Rucker says the students didnt get federal funds to help with tutoring or after school programs. All because of cheating.

When we looked at those numbers and the evidence it was just shocking to me.




Desperate survivors in Lahaina are robbing people at gunpoint as they wait for food and shelter in the aftermath of the Maui wildfires, Hawaiian locals said.

"There's some police presence. There's some small military presence, but at night people are being robbed at gunpoint," co-owner of a Lahaina bar called The Dirty Monkey, Matt Robb, told Business Insider.

Robb added: "People are raped and pillaged. I mean, they're going through houses  and then by day it's hunky-dory. So where is the support? I don't think our government and our leaders, at this point, know how to handle this or what to do."

Fox News Digital reached out to the County of Maui for information about the alleged looting but did not hear back by time of publication.

HAWAII WILDFIRE BECOMES DEADLIEST US BLAZE IN MORE THAN A CENTURY AS DEATH TOLL REACHES 93, EXPECTED TO GROW

Residents spoke to local news outlets as they await rescue crews to deliver food, water, diapers, and other necessities, many who lost everything are growing desperate.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Owner of restaurant Coconut Caboose Jeremy Aganos, one of the businesses that survived the fires, told KITV it is "utter chaos" for those seeking aid. His business was attacked by looters, he said.

Aganos set up a GoFundMe for the restaurant's losses.

Another Lahaina resident, Barrett Procell, told the news station he and his wife are now homeless and wearing donated clothes. He said he understands the desperate measures some Lahaina survivors are taking.

"When your children are here starving after almost burning to death and the police wont let people drive in to give you necessities, you may turn to desperate measures. It is unfortunate people are turning to looting right now, but its about helping them and not villainizing them," he said.

HISTORIC MAUI CATHOLIC CHURCH STILL STANDING AMID FATAL FIRES RIPPING ACROSS HAWAII: 'MIRACLE'

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)

An Oregon resident who flew in to provide aid to residents was robbed at gunpoint soon after his arrival, KITV reported.

One user of X, formerly Twitter, wrote Sunday: "Looting happening in Lahaina town. The only thing left from my uncles house was a fireproof safe. Family went to check on the property yesterday only to find the safe has been pried open the last of their possessions gone."

Another user wrote Friday that "looting is out of control."

After the wildfire ravaged Lahaina last week, the aftermath revealed a landscape of destruction.

Thousands of structures were lost, forcing residents to evacuate. Only 3% of the search zone has been combed through by cadaver dogs and crews amidst the ruins, according to Maui Police Chief John Pelletier.

HAWAIIAN COUPLE SUES POWER COMPANIES OVER LAHAINA DESTRUCTION AMID HISTORIC MAUI WILDFIRES

An aerial view shows damage along the coast of Lahaina in the aftermath of wildfires in Maui, Hawaii, U.S. August 9, 2023 this screen grab obtained from social media video. Richard Olsten/Air Maui Helicopters/via REUTERS

On Saturday, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green visited the damage and told reporters that around 2,200 buildings were harmed or destroyed in West Maui. Out of these, 86% were people's homes.

According to the county, as of Monday, several wildfires are affecting Maui County. The most prominent among these fires include the Lahaina fire, which has scorched 2,710 acres and is now 85 percent under control.

The Kula fire, just southeast of West Maui, burned 678 acres and is 60 percent contained. At least 96 people have been confirmed dead while 24 people have sustained injuries. Officials expect casualties to increase.
Triple digit temperatures continue through Thursday in Sacramento, with sightings of lighting activity early Tuesday morning, according the National Weather Service.

But did any rain actually fall in the Sacramento area?

Sacramento did not record measurable rainfall, according to the weather service  though some residents reported sprinkles. Lightning was spotted between the Livermore and the Stockton area, said Kate Forrest, a weather service meteorologist.

The lightning struck specifically in the Diablo Range, which was visible from Sacramento.

I dont believe we had any rain, I believe all of it was mostly high based  so there was some virga, said Forrest.

According to the weather service, virga is ghostly precipitation that never makes it to the ground.

Valley faces muggy weather

Things will remain pretty clear in the downtown Sacramento area for the remainder of the week, Forrest said.

Heat advisory warnings will remain in place until 11 p.m. Thursday, in the Sacramento area, according to the weather service forecast. Tuesday triple digit temperatures will reach 105, then Friday there is some relief with temperatures remaining in the upper 90s.

The weather service urges residents to stay hydrated and assure you have access to proper cooling.

Theres a chance also with that elevated moisture that were going to see some higher humidity in the valley, Forrest said.

The dew point  which is used to measure how dry or humid the air is  in the Valley briefly hit 70 degrees in Stockton on Sunday, according to the weather service.

Dew point temperatures less than 55 degrees are considered dry and comfortable, The Bee previously reported. Then, 55 to 65 degrees is sticky with muggy evenings, and more than 65 degrees means lots of moisture in the air, becoming oppressive.

The higher the dew point = the muggier it feels outside, the weather service posted on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter.

The dew point forecast for Sacramento shows the temperature reaching 64 degrees Thursday afternoon.

Dew points through the Valley are quite elevated compared to what we ordinarily see on a summer evening.



Current Valley dew points range from 55F at Vacaville all the way to 67F (briefly rising to 70F) in Stockton where rain showers have been observed. #CAwx  NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) August 14, 2023

Potential for rain in the Sierra

Rain and thunder will mostly be focused in the Sierra crest and Sierra range for the rest of the week, Forrest said.

Scattered thunderstorms continue to be forecast in the Tahoe region, according to the weather service. Temperature highs will reach 83 on Wednesday in the Tahoe area.

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.

The Bees Hanh Truong contributed to this story.
At least 99 people are dead and thousands more have been forced to evacuate the island of Maui after deadly wildfires raged throughout Hawaii.

The fires, which are believed to be the deadliest in the US in the last century, erupted on three of Hawaiis islands forcing visitors to flee and residents to seek emergency shelter.

Photos and videos from Maui show the destruction the fires have caused, with some neighbourhoods including the historic town of Lahaina, nearly burned to ash.

Search and recovery efforts then began as firefighters worked to contain and put out the fires. But the wildfires have sparked a frenzy of questions about how disasters like this can be prevented in the future.

Heres everything we know about how the Hawaii wildfires started.

How did the wildfires start?

August is part of Hawaiis typical dry season when parts of the island experience abnormal to severe droughts.

Since the beginning of August, most of Maui has been under an abnormally dry level of drought, according to the US Drought Monitor.

But beginning on Tuesday, 8 August, a portion of Maui escalated to a severe drought level making the area more susceptible to wildfires.

Though the islands are no stranger to some wildfires, the number of fires has increased exponentially over the past century due to human activity and an increase in invasive, flammable grasses, according to the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization (HWMO).

Nonnative grasslands and shrublands now cover nearly one-quarter of Hawaiis total land area and, together with a warming, drying climate and year-round fire season, greatly increase the incidence of larger fires, the HWMO wrote in a factsheet.

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 (AP)

The dry vegetation combined with the drought conditions made for the perfect environment for wildfires.

But what may have caused the explosion in wildfire conditions is the strong winds brought on by Hurricane Dora, a Category 5 hurricane located several hundred miles off the coast of Hawaii.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a red flag warning to the Hawaii National Guard due to the high winds, low humidity and drought, according to The Washington Post.

This graphic shows the location of fires on the island of Maui, Hawaii (AP)

The biggest utility company in Hawaii is now coming under scrutiny as questions mount if it took enough precautions to prevent a wildfire as the heavy winds began to hit Maui last week.

Attorneys representing Lahaina residents are suing Hawaiian Electric, claiming that its equipment wasnt strong enough to handle the winds coming in over the island, adding that the company should have shut down the power before the winds struck the area, according to The New York Times.

Wildfire experts who have looked into the fires in California over the last 20 years see problems with Hawaiian Electric.

Officials on the state and local levels have not yet determined a cause for the fire almost a week after they began, but the conditions were similar to other parts of the US where wildfires have been started by electrical equipment, namely old infrastructure, high winds, and dry, easily flammable brush.

Many US wildfires start when powerlines are blown down, or when branches or other things land on powerlines leading to flashes of electricity, prompting some utility companies to shut power down ahead of strong winds.

The National Weather Service expected winds of 45 miles per hour and gusts of 60 miles per hour to hit Maui on 8 August as Hurricane Dora passed by the island about 700 miles south.

The chief executive of the Frantz Law Group, James Frantz, told The Times that we allege that many of the regulatory laws that require maintenance of equipment were broken.

The group is one of several firms going up against Hawaiian Electric.

Theres got to be some accountability, he said.

Investors in the utility company appear to be concerned as its share price dropped more than a third of its value on Monday 14 August. The company may have to pay large amounts to settle lawsuits from homeowners and businesses, and also invest in fireproofing its current infrastructure.

Stock analyst Shahriar Pourreza told The Times that the issue becomes whether they did everything they could that was reasonable to prevent this incident.

Was there gross negligence, was there imprudence? he added.

Hawaiian Electric was founded in 1891, and on Maui, it functions under a subsidiary  Maui Electric. The company is minuscule compared to the California companies that have doled out massive settlements following wildfires.

In 2022, its revenue was $3.7bn compared to $21.7bn for Californias Pacific Gas and Electric.

The chief executive of Hawaiian Electric, Shelee Kimura, said during a press conference on 14 August that they didnt have a shutdown programme and that shutting down the power may have led to problems for people using certain kinds of medical equipment.

She noted that turning the power off would have required coordination with the emergency services.

In Lahaina, the electricity powers the pumps that provide the water and so that was also a critical need during that time, she said. There are choices that need to be made and all of those factors play into it.

On Saturday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Pacific Disaster Center said that more than 2,000 structures had been damaged or destroyed on Maui, with an estimate for rebuilding costs being $5.52bn.

Mr Pourreza noted that Hawaiian Electric could be liable for more than $4bn. In June, the company had $314m in cash.

Lightning strikes have also caused some wildfires in the US West but NASA lightning detectors didnt see any such activity around Hawaii when the fires began.

Whisker Labs is a private firm that monitors the electrical grid in cities for issues which may lead to a home fire. Its data seems to show major incidents on powerlines close to where the fire is thought to have begun, according to The Times.

Late on 7 August and into the early hours of 8 August, the data shows that power lines started to lose voltage, which can occur when branches and other types of vegetation begin to affect wires, lines, poles, or other types of equipment.

The firm said it has nearly 1,000 sensors in Hawaii and around 70 on Maui. While all of the sensors on Maui sensed a fault, the strongest one was near Lahaina.

Its co-founder and chief executive Bob Marshall told The Times that it lasted eight seconds, which is an eternity in electrical grid time.

Something on the grid was very unhappy for eight seconds and trying to recover from a shock, he added.

In a 2022 regulatory filing, Hawaiian Electric outlined efforts to reduce the risk of fires. It stated that the firm was hardening poles to be able to handle strong winds and that it was removing vegetation, citing Lahaina as a priority area.

Safety measures take time and may be expensive for a company to carry out.

Standford climate and energy policy scholar Michael Wara told The Times that burying power lines costs between $3m and $5m for every mile, with those costs usually added to bills for customers. The rates for electricity in Hawaii are already the highest in the US, the US Energy Information Administration states.

Why did they not do the cheap thing, turn the power off? Mr Wara asked.

Where did the wildfires start?

The fires broke out earlier this week on three islands: Hawaii, Maui and Oahu with the deadliest fires being on Maui.

It is unclear where the fires first began but from the time they started, they moved extremely quickly.

The town of Lahaina, located in western Maui, was seemingly hit the hardest with more than 270 structures burned.

On Saturday 12 August, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Pacific Disaster Center said that about 2,000 structures had been destroyed or damaged on Maui.

The speed at which the fire in Lahaina moved on made it difficult for firefighters to contain the massive blaze.
Charles McGonigal, former special agent in charge of the FBI's counterintelligence division in New York, arrives to Manhattan federal court in New York, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023, in New York. John Minchillo/AP

Charles McGonigal pleaded guilty on Tuesday to working with a sanctioned Russian oligarch.

The former FBI agent was once a top counterintelligence chief.

He admitted to money laundering and violating sanctions.

Charles McGonigal, the FBI's former chief New York City spyhunter, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to working with a sanctioned Russian oligarch.

McGonigal pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering and conspiracy to violate sanctions.

His plea marks what could be the beginning of the end of one of the most embarrassing scandals in FBI history. Sources from within the government have repeatedly denied that McGonigal engaged in any espionage, a crime he was never charged with. But the fact that McGonigal broke the law to do any work for Deripaska is itself hugely embarrassing, given Deripaska's closeness to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the many US secrets that McGonigal was charged with keeping.

McGonigal's co-defendant, Sergey Shestakov, a former Russian diplomat who later became a US citizen and worked as an interpreter in the federal courts, was not present at the Tuesday hearing. Shestakov has pleaded not guilty to the same five counts that McGonigal was initially charged with. His attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

McGonigal faced two indictments  one in New York and one in Washington DC  in January of this year after a secret grand jury investigation into the counterintelligence chief, and specifically, his relationship with a representative of Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch.

Insider previously reported that federal prosecutors charged McGonigal with money laundering and making false statements in his mandatory employee disclosures to the FBI. He was also charged with taking money from a representative of Deripaska, which violated US economic sanctions against Russia.

In court, McGonigal read from a handwritten statement. He admitted that he took money to collect information about Vladimir Potanin, a business competitor of Deripaska's, in order to get him sanctioned.

"I never intended to hurt the US, the FBI, my family and friends," he said in court, choking up as he thanked the FBI and prosecutors who he had once worked alongside. He said he was "deeply remorseful" for his actions. He described how he had knowingly routed payments from a Russian Gazprombank account associated with Deripaska through Cyprus to a New Jersey corporation. His purpose, he said, was to conceal the source of the payment which he knew to be in violation of US sanctions.

Prosecutors filed a document today describing the specifics of the crime that McGonigal plead guilty to. In court, they described some of the evidence that would have come to light had McGonigal's case proceeded to trial. It included, they said, electronic messages showing that McGonigal and Shestakov stood to gain as much as $3 million if they succeeded in obtaining records showing Potanin's hidden assets. They also said they had evidence of a meeting that the two men held in Manhattan with an agent of Deripaska's, a man who has been named in earlier court proceedings as Yevgeny Fokin.

On Tuesday, Judge Jennifer Rearden pointed out that McGonigal is also being prosecuted for a separate charge in Washington DC in which he is accused of soliciting a $500,000 bribe to help set up a meeting between the US and the UN. Rearden said McGonigal's sentences could be consecutive.

Outside of the courtroom, McGonigal's attorney, Seth DuCharme, said, "He's had a black cloud hanging over him for a long time. Now, hopefully, the clouds are starting to part a little bit."

When asked whether McGonigal's plea agreement required that he cooperate with the government, DuCharme simply replied "the agreement is the agreement."

McGonigal will be sentenced on December 14.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A person steps through a door that is covered by a mural depicting American hostages and wrongful detainees who are being held abroad, on July 20, 2022, in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington. At left in the mural is Siamak Namazi, who has been in captivity in Iran since 2015. At right is Jose Angel Pereira, who has been imprisoned in Venezuela since 2017. (Patrick Semansky/AP)

Negotiating with Iran is never easy or uncontroversial. But its often necessary to solve problems  or in one case last week, to free Americans who were imprisoned unjustly by the Iranian authorities.

On Thursday, the Biden administration announced the beginning of a highly synchronized process that, ideally, will end with the release of five Americans to their families after years of detention. In exchange, the U.S. agreed to release five imprisoned Iranians and unfreeze $6 billion of Irans own money that was stuck in a South Korean bank courtesy of U.S. sanctions. Those funds will be transferred to a Qatari bank, available for Tehran to purchase humanitarian supplies. All five Americans are now under house arrest waiting for the process to play out. According to the terms of the deal, they will be allowed to leave Iran as soon as the $6 billion makes its way into the Qatari account.

This is hardly the first prisoner exchange to occur between the U.S. and Iran. While the two nations havent had diplomatic relations with each other in more than four decades, they have nevertheless found a way to haggle when its in their interest to do so.

In 2016, President Barack Obamas administration finalized a 14-month negotiation that resulted in the freeing of four Americans, including Washington Post columnist Jason Rezaian. In return, Washington dropped criminal charges against seven Iranians who were convicted of violating U.S. sanctions against Tehran. In 2019, President Donald Trumps administration and Iran agreed on a one-for-one swap, bringing home an American student who was in the fourth year of a 10-year sentence for espionage.

Just as those previous agreements generated outright opposition from some quarters in Washington, last weeks accord spurred a fusillade of criticism from lawmakers who believed the terms were extremely advantageous to Iran. Sen. Jim Risch, the ranking member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, tweeted that unfreezing $6B in #Iranian assets dangerously further incentivizes hostage taking & provides a windfall for regime aggression. Rep. Michael McCaul, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, blasted the Biden administration on television for essentially enabling Irans proxy wars in the Middle East by handing over billions of dollars. And Sen. Tom Cotton, perhaps the most hawkish of the Iran hawks on Capitol Hill, labeled the deal a craven act of appeasement.

[ Daniel DePetris: Do we face nuclear confrontation? The erosion of agreements has heightened the risk. ]

Viewed impartially, however, none of this criticism makes a whole lot of sense. Appeasement, for instance, is a loaded term, suggesting the U.S. was raked over the coals during negotiations and left the room without any concessions at all. Naturally, this isnt the case; the U.S. ended the ordeal of five Americans who were rotting in Iranian prison cells. (One prisoner, Siamak Namazi, was in Irans notorious Evin prison for about seven years.) While one can dispute the specific concessions the U.S. provided to win those Americans their freedom, nobody can seriously argue that concessions werent required to bring the agreement over the finish line. What Cotton is opposed to, it seems, is the very idea of diplomacy itself.

The notion that Iran will see a cash windfall for its destabilizing deeds in the region is also far-fetched. Its not like the $6 billion will be deposited in a bank controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. While the Iranians will have access to the funds, they wont be able to spend them freely. The U.S. Treasury Department, with the assistance of its Qatari partners, will have eyes on how the funds are disbursed and how much is being withdrawn. This money isnt going toward Tehrans missile development or regional proxies but rather to pay suppliers for humanitarian goods, such as food, medicine and medical devices the Iranian people so desperately need. The notion propagated by McCaul is simply inaccurate.

Finally, lets be clear about what most of this opposition is about: a refusal to negotiate with Iran under any circumstances whatsoever. Its no coincidence that the very lawmakers who disapprove of last weeks prisoner exchange were also proponents of killing the Iran nuclear deal and instituting a policy of maximum pressure on Tehran. The motivation behind this policy was to squeeze the Iranian economy so tightly that Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would have no choice but to crawl back to the negotiating table and cater to U.S. demands in order to stem the financial bleeding. What the U.S. received instead was the exact opposite: U.S.-Iran relations worsened dramatically, the constraints and limitations over Irans nuclear program were removed, and another dose of tension was injected in the Middle East.

Next to Vladimir Putins Russia, Iran is the boogeyman to a significant swath of the U.S. foreign policy elite. The idea of sitting down with one of Americas foremost adversaries, one whose proxies often launch missiles and drones against U.S. forces in Syria, is too much to bear.

But international relations isnt a morality contest between good and evil. Sometimes, talking with your enemies is unavoidable or the least bad option on the table. If Ronald Reagan, the arch Cold War warrior, could negotiate with the Soviet Union, theres no reason why Biden or any other U.S. president cant exhibit the confidence and dexterity to negotiate with Iran, a much weaker country than the Soviet Union ever was.

The alternative is to trap yourself in a zero-sum mentality, in which diplomacy is seen as a reward rather than the cost of doing business.

Daniel DePetris is a fellow at Defense Priorities and a foreign affairs columnist for the Chicago Tribune.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
TechCrunch

Enough is pumping that dough into doubling the output capacity of its first production site in the Netherlands, completed last September. Enough was founded as 3F BIO in 2015 by Jim Laird, who has a background in food operations. The companys proprietary technology feeds fungi with sugars from renewable feedstocks and then ferments it similar to the way beer is made.
In a Tuesday filing, federal prosecutors working on the case against President Joe Bidens son, Hunter, said they did not renege on a previous plea agreement with the younger Biden.

Hunter Biden and his legal team alleged in a filing earlier this week that federal prosecutors reneged on a previously agreed-upon Plea Agreement for tax and gun charges he received in June. However, the government responded by saying a probation official did not approve of the deal at the time.

Thus, neither proposed agreement entered into effect, the federal prosecutors filing read. Instead, as of the end of the hearing on July 26, the two proposed agreements were drafts that either party could propose changes to. And both parties did so following the hearing.

On Friday, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed U.S. Attorney for Delaware David Weiss as a special counsel in the investigation into the presidents son. The designation by Garland allows Weiss to expand the scope of the investigation.

Upon considering his request, as well as the extraordinary circumstances relating to this matter, I have concluded that it is in the public interest to appoint him as special counsel, Garland said at the announcement of the appointment.

Several Republicans have slammed the appointment, raising alarms about how a special counsel could affect their own investigations. Among the criticism was that from House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.), who called the move part of the Justice Departments efforts to attempt a Biden family coverup in a statement from last week.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Dolly Parton said she started a foundation to give free books to children because her father, though he was very smart, couldnt read.

That seemed to trouble him a lot so it troubled me that my daddy was troubled, Parton, an internationally famous country music star, said. I thought, Im gonna start a program and Im gonna get my dad involved in this.

Speaking to a crowd in Overland Park Monday, Parton said she told her father that millions of people didnt know how to read. Prior to his death, Parton said, her father worked with her to get the program off the ground.

I made him feel better about himself and he made me feel better because Daddy was smart and he could guide me and direct me in certain ways, she said.

Parton visited Overland Park Monday to celebrate the full implementation of the program, the Imagination Library, in Kansas. Starting this summer every child in the state up to the age of five can receive a free book every month by mail.

During an on-stage interview with Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, Parton shared personal stories and discussed life as a celebrity and her other philanthropic and business efforts. She explained that her father couldnt read because he didnt have a chance to go to school. He married her mother when he was 17 and had 12 children by the time he was 37.

Kelly, who is Irish Catholic, quipped that with that many siblings Parton could be Irish.

People always ask, they say while you have 12 kids, your parents have 12 kids, you must be Catholic, responded Parton, who grew up in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

I said, No, were just horny hillbillies.

Parton ended the conversation asking Kelly how someone so-soft spoken had gotten into politics and performed two songs, Try and Coat of Many Colors, for the crowd at the Jewish Community Centers White Theatre.

Imagination Library

Partons program started in Tennessee in 1995. In 2005, Pratt, Kansas, was the first community outside Tennessee to begin a local Imagination Library program.

Earlier this year, Kansas lawmakers approved $1.5 million in funds for Kellys Childrens Cabinet, which administers early childhood programs, to expand the Imagination Library. Prior to the expansion in July, Johnson and Wyandotte Counties were among 12 counties in the state that did not have universal access to the program. Last year, the Shawnee Mission Education Foundation began offering the program to Johnson County children within Shawnee Mission School District boundaries.

State Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat, said she was excited to see the program expand to Johnson County families and believed they would benefit from the tips offered to parents in each book.

Theres something about getting something in the mail and the excitement and wanting to share that with your child, she said.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, left, and Dolly Parton speak about the Imagination Library at White Theatre at the Jewish Community Center on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023, in Overland Park, Kan.

The program has grown by about 12,000 students in the past year, said Melissa Rooker, executive director of the Kansas Childrens Cabinet. Much of that has come through promotion over the summer as the program expands. State and local partners cover the cost of postage and books for Kansas children while Partons foundation manages all administrative and overhead costs.

Lawmakers and advocates hope the program will play a role in improving reading outcomes for Kansas students, which have been declining for more than a decade.

According to data from the Annie E Casey Foundation, Kansas reading proficiency rates have been consistently declining since 2011.

From 2011 to 2013, the percentage of fifth graders in the top three performance levels on reading assessments from 87.29% to 84.91%. In 2015 the state began calculating instead the reading proficiency among students between 3rd and 8th grade. In 2015, 79.62% of those students met the basic assessment level or above. In 2021 that number had dropped to 70%.

The drops in proficiency came on a backdrop of lawsuits alleging insufficient funding for Kansas K-12 schools immediately followed by COVID-19, which wreaked havoc on student achievement nationwide.

Leah Fliter, a lobbyist for the Kansas Association of School Boards, said districts are expecting to see scores improve when they are reported later this year.

School funding has been phased back in and with COVID now hopefully out of the way, Fliter said. Were going to start seeing some improvement.

Similar challenges have been seen nationwide as questions have been raised about the efficacy of common methods used to teach reading.

Partons foundation hits on an area many see as a pathway toward improved outcomes for students, strong early childhood opportunities.

Youve got to start young to avoid problems later, Kelly told reporters before the event. This really levels that playing field so that every child everywhere, every family, will have access to books and with the emphasis on actually reading the book.

State Sen. Renee Erickson, a Wichita Republican, said she was concerned about the states declining test scores despite increased funding for K-12 schools in recent years. She said she hoped expansion of Partons program would help with early intervention, but that it would only work if parents signed up.

Hopefully with Dolly, herself, coming to the state, and getting some publicity around that, that will help families become aware of this opportunity, Erickson said.

In addition to holding the celebration Monday, billboards promoting the non-profit are up around the state. Rooker said the childrens cabinet has plans to increase promotional work in the coming months.

Though the Imagination Library has been shown to have success in improving literacy in the areas its been implemented, Kansas advocates say it is a step toward better outcomes and not the solution.

John Wilson, president of Kansas Action for Children, said Kansas needs to look next to more substantial investment in the early childhood education system.

Programs like the Imagination Library are critical and can be powerful tools in and of themselves, Wilson said. We undercut our investment in the Imagination Library if we dont invest in other areas.

This story was updated to reflect the program has been available in the Shawnee Mission School District since last year.
I just returned from vacationing in the Keys and saw firsthand what heat and global warming has done to Floridas reef. All the coral was white and much of it appeared to be dying. I was so disappointed, as this trip was on my bucket list. Recently, I read about a plan to show videos in Florida classrooms that downplay global warming.

Are you nuts?

Only if Floridians band together will they be able to save the coral reef. Coral is the heart of the ocean ecosystem. Without coral, there is no plankton which smaller fish eat. Reefs provide homes for more than 4,000 species of fish, 700 species of coral, and thousands of other plants and animals.

If Floridas educators and legislators ignore this issue, the state will lose much tourism. Please teach global warming to Floridas students, so they dont grow up ignorant of these issues.

Donalee Foster,

Ankeny, IA

Benefits of home-schooling

As Florida students begin the new school year, they may find themselves, once again, being taught via Zoom or by military veterans who only have a two-year degree, due to a statewide teacher shortage.

(Wouldnt it wonderful, however, if those veterans were instead hired as armed security guards at our schools, keeping our children safe?)

Florida has 8,000 teaching positions, as of Aug. 10, that must be filled before school starts (3,000 more openings than last year). More than 200 of those openings are in Miami-Dade County. Certified teachers are leaving the profession, or moving out of state to teach, in fear of teaching and losing their licenses under Gov. Ron DeSantis unrealistic and inappropriate curriculum guidelines.

DeSantis and his supporters believe parents should have a voice determining what will be taught and discussed in the classrooms; what books are suitable for our children to read; how textbooks should be altered to meet parental beliefs; which AP classes will or wont be taught because of their curriculum content; and what curriculum should be eliminated or altered in fear of teaching woke theory, human growth and development, and sexual gender identity. Evidently, our governor is under the impression that parents are better teachers than teachers.

As a retired Dade educator, I have the perfect solution for the teacher shortage that will save the state a great deal of money while returning, to the parents, control of what is or isnt taught in our schools. It also will test the governors theory that parents know what is best for their children: encourage or require a parent to stay home and home school their children.

Teacher shortage problem solved.

Ruth Gordon,

Miami

Room for more

In the Aug. 10 op-ed Dont let self-interested Republicans, Democrats hijack a third-party bid for president, Philip Levine supports the No Labels party, decrying the two major parties monopolistic hold on political discourse. His argument is well-reasoned, but doesnt go far enough.

The drive for power supersedes all rational thinking. Honest debate has been replaced by talking points and demonization. This is what English novelist George Orwell referred to as doublespeak.

Why would anyone in their right mind think this is the best we can do?

We must support the inclusion of other points of view. If you can get your name on a ballot, you should be welcomed to the dais to debate. Otherwise, its just Sleepy, creepy, Joe versus Hitler all over again.

We need more political parties to foster meaningful discourse. Coalitions will force politicians to compromise and get something done for a change. We need term limits to end corruption on Capitol Hill and we must limit the money spent on ridiculous, non-stop campaigning.

If not, Big Brother is happy to take care of everything and convince you that slavery is freedom.

James Gersing,

Kendall

Tropical living

Re Herald reporter Jeff Kleinmans Aug. 11 article, How cold should you keep your air conditioner? In addition to saving money and the planet, setting the thermostat at 78 degrees (or higher) makes for a more comfortable South Florida living.

Those of us who live without air-conditioning know that for much of the morning, temperatures here are in the comfortable low 80s. Stepping out to a typical South Florida morning from 78 degrees is not unpleasant. Stepping out from 74 degrees, however, is to be hit by a blow torch. Setting a thermostat below 78 not only is costly and environmentally irresponsible, it also makes one more uncomfortable. We must all learn to live in and with our climate.

We also should lobby the government, at all levels, to set thermostats to 78 or higher. This will help stop burning taxpayer dollars and the planet.

Martin Motes,

Redland

Faith in democracy

I agree with Philip Levines premise that our two-party system no longer serves us well. However, his advocacy for the No Labels movement fails to take into consideration certain dangers. His argument would carry more weight if we elected our presidents via direct popular vote. With our Electoral College system, we elected two presidents just 16 years apart who lost the popular vote.

Having only two parties is problematic; now that one of those two parties has gone completely rogue, our democracy hangs by a thread. Risking a Republican victory in 2024 could well be the tipping point beyond which there is no return.

If we had direct popular presidential elections, and if we required run-offs between the two top vote-getters in cases in which no one wins more than 50% of the vote, we would have safeguards to protect us from authoritarians gaining power, while also making third parties more viable.

Frank J. Corbishley,

Coral Gables

Coming soon

Whether or not Donald J. Trump ever sees the inside of a jail cell, Americans will have to eventually ask themselves how they could have elected a man who, almost immediately after he was sworn in as president, violated his oath of office and continued to do so for the remainder of his term.

Trump failed to put the national security interests of the United States ahead of his own political needs. In the face of a devastating pandemic, he was unable or unwilling to marshal needed resources to save lives, while encouraging dangerous public behavior that spread the disease. Then, when rejected by voters in 2020 for his failures, he refused to concede defeat, instigated an insurrection and incited a mob that stormed the Capitol.

History will demand answers from Americans. We can only hope our republic, with democratic principles, will still be standing when those answers are given.

Joanne Tomarchio,

Miami

Troubling conduct

As a retired police chief, I was appalled by the video involving Miami-Dade Police Director Freddy Ramirez. He posed no threat to the officers, and their response was an overreaction. Placed in handcuffs, he was humiliated. Yet, I did not hear anyone placing him under formal arrest. This constitutes an improper, probably unlawful, detention.

Even after informing them he was police and his wife said she did not feel threatened, the officers continued interrogating Ramirez. No one asked if he needed help or perhaps needed to contact someone for assistance. This is despicable.

No crime was committed. My brothers and sisters in blue would have extended more professional conduct. Shame on them.

Alfredo Bared,

Miami

Pets betrayed?

In the Aug. 10 Open Mic letter, Animals suffering in Dades old shelter, Michael Rosenberg and Rita Schwartz criticized Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava for the horrible conditions in the old Medley animal shelter.

As co-founders of Pets Trust, why didnt they do something about the conditions of these poor animals? Where is the trust that they will help these unfortunate pets?

Judith Villar del Saz,

Pinecrest

Liars will lie

I keep reading ad nauseam about Donald Trumps lies. That may be the case, yet everything the current occupant of the White House says is either embellished or a flat-out lie.

That seems to be just fine to the readers of this newspaper.

Dave Schaublin,

Key Largo
The Trump campaign described the charges as "bogus" and said they were designed to "damage the dominant... campaign"

Former US President Donald Trump has been charged with attempting to overturn his 2020 election defeat in the state of Georgia.

It is the fourth criminal case brought against him in five months.

Mr Trump, who is the leading Republican candidate for president in 2024, was indicted along with 18 other allies.

He denies all 13 charges against him, which include racketeering and election meddling. He has said they are politically motivated.

Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis first launched an investigation in February 2021 into allegations of election meddling against Mr Trump and his associates.

In a 98-page indictment made public late on Monday, prosecutors listed 41 charges against the 19 defendants.

Ms Willis announced she was giving defendants the opportunity to voluntarily surrender no later than noon on Friday 25 August. She said she plans to try all 19 accused together.

The list of alleged co-conspirators includes former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former White House lawyer John Eastman.

Others include a former justice department official, Jeffrey Clark, and Sidney Powell and Jenna Ellis - two Trump lawyers who amplified unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud.

The indictment says the defendants "knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favour of Trump".

The former president is accused of felony counts including:

Racketeering

Solicitation of violation of oath by public officer

Conspiracy to impersonate a public officer

Conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree

False statements and writings and filing false documents

The indictment refers to the defendants as a "criminal organisation", accusing them of other crimes including influencing witnesses, computer trespass, theft and perjury.

The most serious charge, violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (Rico) Act, is punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison.

The act - designed to help take down organised criminal syndicates like the mafia - helps prosecutors connect the dots between underlings who broke laws and those who gave them orders.

More on Trump's legal troubles

In a statement, the Trump campaign described the district attorney as a "rabid partisan" who had filed "these bogus indictments" to interfere with the 2024 presidential race and "damage the dominant Trump campaign".

"This latest co-ordinated strike by a biased prosecutor in an overwhelmingly Democrat jurisdiction not only betrays the trust of the American people, but also exposes the true motivation driving their fabricated accusations," said the statement.

He is the first former president in US history to face criminal charges.

Earlier this month, Mr Trump was charged by federal prosecutors in Washington DC with conspiring to overturn the 2020 election, which he lost to President Joe Biden, a Democrat.

That charge sheet devoted significant time to the Trump team's activities in Georgia. Mr Trump has pleaded not guilty in that case.

Ms Willis' investigation focuses specifically on Georgia, a key battleground state for the US presidency that Mr Trump narrowly lost.

In January 2021, Mr Trump was recorded on a phone call asking Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" 11,780 votes - the number he would have required to beat Mr Biden in that state.

The indictment outlines an alleged scheme to tamper with voting machines in one Georgia county and steal data.

It also mentions an alleged scheme to submit false lists of electors, officials who make up the Electoral College that elects the president and vice-president.

Mr Raffensperger released a statement following the indictment, saying: "The most basic principles of a strong democracy are accountability and respect for the Constitution and rule of law. You either have it, or you don't."

There are key differences between state charges such as those in Georgia and federal ones. Significantly, if Mr Trump were to become president again in 2024, he would not have the power to pardon himself from state charges.

Mr Trump also faces a New York state trial on 25 March next year involving a hush money payment to a porn star. And he is due to go on trial in Florida on 20 May on allegations related to his handling of classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago residence after his presidency.

In both cases Mr Trump also pleaded not guilty.

With additional reporting from Jonathan Csapo
The News

A grand jury in Georgia indicted former U.S. President Donald Trump Monday on charges related to his efforts to overturn Joe Bidens victory in the state in 2020.

This marks the fourth time Trump has faced criminal charges in less than five months.

According to a filing in Fulton County, Trump faces 13 criminal charges, including racketeering under Georgias RICO law, which has been used to charge members of criminal organizations. He also faces charges including conspiring to commit forgery, making false statements, and filing false documents.

Know More

Eighteen other people, including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, were indicted alongside Trump. That list also includes ex-Trump lawyers John Eastman and Sidney Powell as well as former Georgia GOP chair David Shafer. They were all charged under the racketeering statute. The defendants have until the noon of Aug. 25 to voluntarily surrender.

The former president and the others charged refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump, the indictment said.

Prosecutors described the defendants as constituting a criminal organization whose members engaged in various related criminal activities including impersonating a public ofcer, forgery, ling false documents, inuencing witnesses, and computer theft, among others.

The allegations surround Trumps efforts to interfere with Georgias 2020 election results, including a call to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which Trump asked Georgia officials to find 11,780 votes, just enough to reverse his loss.

Prosecutors also looked into a plan that involved convening a slate of fake Republican electors who signed certificates declaring Trump had won Georgias 16 Electoral College votes.

Willis said she will ask for a trial to be held within the next six months and intends to try all 19 defendants together.

Trump is also awaiting trial on federal charges related to the 2020 election as well as his handling of classified documents, along with New York state charges in the Stormy Daniels hush money case.

Step Back

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis  a veteran prosecutor who has been known to take on high-profile defendants  convened a special grand jury in 2022 to help investigate whether a crime was committed in the weeks after the 2020 election. The special grand jury itself could not issue indictments, but had the power to subpoena witnesses.

A total of 75 people were interviewed  including Trumps former attorney Rudy Giuliani and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham. The grand jury ultimately made recommendations on whether prosecutors should pursue charges. The decision to seek the indictments rested with Willis, who presented the charges to a traditional grand jury that was convened starting in July.

Throughout the investigation, Trump attacked Willis as a young, ambitious, Radical Left Democrat Prosecutor, while his legal team sought to disqualify her. In the days before he was indicted, Trump baselessly accused Willis of having an affair with a gang member, a charge Willis denied as derogatory and false.

In a statement Monday night, Trump's campaign called the indictment "bogus" and accused Willis of trying to "maximally interfere with the 2024 presidential race and damage the dominant Trump campaign."
Donald Trump said he will unveil irrefutable evidence to exonerate himself after he was charged with racketeering over attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.

The former president said he will publish a dossier at an event on Monday, after prosecutors brought 13 charges linked to an alleged criminal enterprise of racketeering in the state in the days after he lost the last presidential election to Joe Biden.

It is the fourth criminal indictment against Mr Trump and could prove to be the most legally problematic ahead of his bid to retake the White House in next Novembers election.

Fani Willis, the district attorney of Fulton County in Georgia, brought the case against Mr Trump and 18 alleged accomplices on Monday night and called for them to be tried within six months.

She claimed the group conspired to overturn Mr Trumps narrow loss in the state by falsely certifying a victory, submitting false documents and conspiring to impersonate public officials.

The charges Donald Trump is facing in Georgia

Several of the former presidents closest allies were indicted in a 98-page filing, including Rudi Guiliani, his former attorney, Mark Meadows, his former chief of staff, and Jeffrey Clark, a former Department of Justice official.

On Tuesday, Mr Trump responded to the indictment by attacking the out of control and very corrupt prosecutor and claiming to have produced a document that proves his allegations of voter fraud.

A Large, Complex, Detailed but Irrefutable REPORT on the Presidential Election Fraud which took place in Georgia is almost complete & will be presented by me at a major News Conference at 11:00 A.M. on Monday of next week in Bedminster, New Jersey, he wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Based on the results of this CONCLUSIVE Report, all charges should be dropped against me & others  There will be a complete EXONERATION!

They never went after those that Rigged the Election. They only went after those that fought to find the RIGGERS!

Mr Trump and his allies, including Mr Guiliani, have repeatedly alleged that Mr Bidens victory in Georgia in 2020 was falsified, but have not provided credible evidence to substantiate their claims.

Mr Trump will be arraigned in the next ten days in Georgia and should face trial before February next year, Ms Willis said in a press conference on Monday night.

The indictment alleges that rather than abide by Georgias legal process for election challenges, the defendants engaged in a criminal racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgias presidential election result, she said.

The indictment charges all defendants with a breach of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations (RICO) Act, which has historically been used to prosecute mobsters.

Responding to his claim to have evidence of voter fraud, Brian Kemp, the Republican Georgia governor, said the election was not stolen.

For nearly three years now, anyone with evidence of fraud has failed to come forward  under oath  and prove anything in a court of law, he said.

The indictment reignited criticism of Ms Willis in Republican circles, including from Kevin McCarthy, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, who said the attorney was following Bidens lead by attacking President Trump and using it to fundraise her political career.

Mr Giuliani, a former mayor of New York who made his name prosecuting gangsters with the same racketeering legislation, said the indictment was the next chapter in a book of lies with the purpose of framing President Donald Trump and anyone willing to take on the ruling regime.

Fulton County's clerk passes the indictments to Judge Robert McBurney - AP

The broad scope of the charges and long list of witnesses could make the Georgia indictment Mr Trumps most difficult to defend, as prosecutors seek to flip co-defendants into witnesses for his prosecution.

The trial is likely to be broadcast on television  the first time in US history that a former president has been prosecuted in a televised criminal trial.

If he were to be convicted, Mr Trump will also be unable to seek a presidential pardon because the charges have been brought at a state level, where the White House does not have jurisdiction.

Any pardon could only be granted by a Georgia state board, and only after the duration of his full sentence, plus five years of good behaviour.

There really is no way he can wheel and deal his way into a pardon, Anthony Michael Kreis, a law professor at Georgia State University, told The Telegraph. Georgia is particularly stingy with the way we treat criminal convictions. We dont typically apply our parole system in a relaxed or liberal way.

The fourth criminal indictment comes after prosecutors in three other cases charged Mr Trump with paying hush money, handling classified documents improperly and attempting to overturn the 2020 election result. He has denied all allegations against him.

Mr Trumps supporters claim he has been persecuted by politically-motivated investigations orchestrated by Democratic attorneys and the Biden-controlled Department of Justice.

On Tuesday, the former president claimed that the accidental publication of an indictment on the Fulton County courts website on Monday afternoon was evidence the investigation was a witch hunt.

The saga has overshadowed the beginning of the Republican primary race, which begins with the first televised debate in Milwaukee on Wednesday Aug 23.

Opinion polls suggest Mr Trump has the support of more than half of Republican primary voters, putting him almost 30 points ahead of his next closest rival, Ron DeSantis.

Both Mr DeSantis and the third-place contender Vivek Ramaswamy have indicated they would pardon Mr Trump for any federal convictions that result from the classified documents and election interference cases in Miami and Washington DC.

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Donald Trump has now added a fourth criminal case to his list of ever-growing legal troubles  this time for hisalleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia.

The former president was indicted by a grand jury in Fulton County on 14 August on 13 charges accusing the ex-president of engaging in a conspiracy to replace public officials with fake electors as well as engaging in overt acts to further the conspiracy.

The indictment arrived after a two-year-long investigation from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis into Mr Trumps actions following the 2020 election.

It is the second criminal indictment the former president is facing related to his alleged interference in the election that Mr Trump lost. The ex-president was charged with four federal counts related to his supposed efforts earlier this year.

A statement from Mr Trumps campaign called the latest indictment bogus and accused Ms Willis of engaging in political targeting.

Combined with the intentionally slow-walked investigations by the Biden-Smith goon squads and the false charges in New York, the timing of this latest coordinated strike by a biased prosecutor in an overwhelmingly Democrat jurisdiction not only betrays the trust of the American people, but also exposes true motivation driving their fabricated accusations, the statement from Mr Trumps campaign read.

They are taking away President Trumps First Amendment right to free speech, and the right to challenge a rigged and stolen election that the Democrats do all the time. The ones who should be prosecuted are the ones who created the corruption.

What charges is he facing?

The indictment in the 2020 election interference case charges Mr Trump with 13 counts: violating the RICO Act, three counts of solicitation of violating an oath by a public officer, conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer, two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree, two counts of conspiracy to commit false statement and writings, conspiracy to commit filing of false documents, filing false documents and two counts making false statements.

The charges stem from an alleged plot and conspiracy Mr Trump engaged in to turn Georgias votes over to himself. One of the many actions stated in the indictment was Mr Trumps effort to replace electors in Georgia with false ones.

It is the second criminal case over Mr Trumps alleged actions while he was running the country.

Former President Donald Trump walks over to speak with reporters before he boards his plane at Ronald Reagan Washington Airport after his arraignment (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The first federal indictment against the ex-president occurred on 8 June, when a grand jury in Mr Smiths investigation charged Mr Trump and his co-defendant Walt Nauta on 37 counts related to Mr Trumps alleged unlawful retention of national defence information and obstruction of justice.

Those charges stem from a case that began early last year after National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) officials discovered more than 100 classified documents in boxes that were retrieved from Mr Trumps Palm Beach, Florida residence.

This came after his first criminal indictment in March on state charges in New York.

In that case, he appeared in a Manhattan courtroom to face criminal charges following Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs investigation into hush payments leading up to the 2016 presidential election.

After the first two arraignments, he returned to his properties to deliver remarks to crowds of supporters to cast himself as a victim of political persecution, baselessly accusing his political rivals of interfering with his chances of winning election to the presidency in 2024.

In all three cases, Mr Trump has pleaded not guilty.

In this handout photo provided by the U.S. Department of Justice, stacks of boxes can be observed in the White and Gold Ballroom of former U.S. President Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida (Getty Images)

This most recent indictment stems from a years-long investigation from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis that has been probing Mr Trumps attempts to reject the results of that election in the state of Georgia.

So will he go to jail?

With his growing list of criminal cases, speculation is mounting as to whether Mr Trump will face jail time.

If convicted, federal and state prosecutors and judges could have to decide whether to jail a presidential candidate  or even the potential victor in the 2024 race.

Following the first federal indictment, experts said that the Justice Department was likely to attempt to have Mr Trump incarcerated if hes convicted.

Each charge in that case  the classified documents case  carries a maximum sentence ranging from five years to 20 years. A potential sentence, if convicted, could include decades in prison.

National security lawyer and George Washington University law professor Kel McClanahan said that the department will probably want to go for incarceration in the case of Mr Trump, according to Insider.

Mr McClanahan said that the evidence in the indictment is intended to show that Mr Trump is a kingpin who knowingly broke the law, endangered national security, endangered nuclear weapon security, [and] endangered other countries national security.

Former US President Donald Trump waves from his vehicle following his appearance at Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. United States Federal Courthouse, in Miami, Florida, on June 13, 2023 (AFP via Getty Images)

The consensus among most legal experts commenting on the indictment appears to be that Mr Trump is in serious legal jeopardy.

In Georgia, there are mandatory minimum sentences under the racketeering charges Mr Trump faces. The former president could be sentenced to between five and 20 years in prison if he is convicted.

A former assistant US attorney in the Southern District of New York, Sarah Krissoff, said that to the extent that theres a conviction here, the Department of Justice is going to want to be seeking a real sentence because of the nature of the conduct, how long it lasted, his involvement, the involvement of other people, working allegedly at Trumps direction.

She noted that if Mr Trump is convicted, the sentence would depend on the judge, which seems likely to be Trump-appointee Aileen Cannon in the District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump could be looking at a maximum of five to 20 years of prison time if he is convicted in the January 6 charges.
The Downtown Dayton Partnership (DDP) has named its next president.

Katie Meyer was selected by the Board of Trustees of the DDP to succeed former president Sandy Gudorf, who stepped down last month after holding the role for 17 years.

>> Ohio State TE to miss 2023 season after testing positive for banned substance

Meyer has spent her career developing solutions to the citys needs, according to Dayton Mayor Jeffrey Mims.

We are excited that she has chosen to join the DDP and help accelerate the positive momentum downtown Dayton has experienced over the last decade, Mims wrote.

Since 2019, Meyer has served as the policy and program manager for UniCity, altafibers smart city division based out of Dayton. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Heritage Ohio, YWCA Dayton, Boys and Girls Club of Dayton, and NKY Pride.

>> Retrial begins for man convicted of killing Miamisburg teen

Meyer said shes thrilled to get the chance to lead the DDP during such an exciting time in Dayton history.

I already have a deep love and appreciation for the Dayton community and look forward to building on the organizations momentum towards social and economic vibrancy alongside the staff and many dedicated stakeholders, Meyer said in a statement.

Meyer is expected to start her new role on Sept. 5.
A driver pulled over on an Arizona highway after she heard noises coming from under her cars hood.

When she took a look, she found two joyriding kittens.

The woman was driving along Interstate 10 on Aug. 14 in Phoenix when she heard meowing and decided to stop, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said in a Facebook post.

Turns out that purring sound wasnt coming from the engine! troopers said in the post.

It was two fuzzy kittens  both uninjured.

A trooper and a roadside motorist assistant took her tire off so her husband could pull the kittens out.

Now the cute cats are going home with the couple, troopers said.

Aww so cute and such a great happy ending for those kittens, one person commented.

Stowaway creature caught hitching a ride to Hawaii on cargo ship, officials say

Crying from storm drain leads firefighters to trapped baby deer. See photos of rescue

Driver hears strange noises from car  and discovers stowaway creature under hood
President Joe Biden arrives to speaks about artificial intelligence in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, July 2, 2023, in Washington. From left are: Biden, Adam Selipsky, CEO of Amazon Web Services, Greg Brockman, president of OpenAI, and Nick Clegg, president of Meta watch. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

In response to widespread concerns over artificial intelligence, representatives from Amazon, Anthropic, Google, Inflection, Meta, Microsoft and OpenAI met last month with President Joe Bidens administration to help move toward safe and responsible AI technology.

As part of that meeting, the White House released a document that underscores the principles of safety, security and trust as fundamental to AIs future. It is, however, quite surprising that the document available online does not mention the White House; it is void of any official signs such as standardized formatting, letterhead, authorship or source, signature, reference number or even a date.

These issues aside, when dealing with high-tech giants such as Amazon, Google and Microsoft, the notion of voluntary commitment is more like a joke than anything serious. Indeed, even in cases in which established laws exist and commitments are mandatory, these companies often have the financial and legal resources to navigate around them, sometimes pushing the boundaries of whats permissible and bending the rules to their benefit.

Google and Amazons union-busting efforts, Facebooks Cambridge Analytica scandal, and Microsoft and OpenAIs copyrights violations are only the tip of the iceberg, demonstrating that regulators already have a hard time enforcing existing mandatory laws. So how can voluntary commitments be expected to yield better results?

Regarding the challenges with implementation and effectiveness, the variability in interpretation stands out because companies could interpret and implement these commitments in dissimilar ways. Particularly in cases of potential competitive disadvantage  such as when abiding by these commitments could be against the financial bottom line  flouting or interpreting the guidelines in a lax manner could be a matter of life and death for these companies. This is likely given the international nature and implications of AI development.

The White Houses consultations with a broad spectrum of countries  Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom  indicate an appetite for creating an international front to address these issues effectively. But history has shown that aligning on international agreements, especially on issues with deep economic implications, often yields more rhetoric than action. (Climate change and the Paris climate accord are a shining example.) Essentially, creating a cohesive and enforceable international framework clashes with the reality of geopolitical competition.

In the case of AI, the U.S. major technological competitor, China, is not listed among the countries the White House consulted with. Will the U.S. or its allies forgo a competitive edge by committing to guidelines and moral principles that other nations choose not adopt? Again, the example of climate change is illuminating. The U.S. and China are the worlds top two carbon emitters, and despite showing good intentions to curb their emissions, because they compete in developing solar energy equipment, their interests keep clashing, and consequently, global efforts to combat climate change are negatively affected.

Lastly, it is also important to note that voluntary commitments tend to offer false assurance, creating an illusion of safety and security, even when underlying issues persist and nothing changes in practice. What makes the notion of voluntary commitments in the case of AI more troublesome is that it puts users safety, security and trust at the mercy of companies that already have bad records and can use technological competition with China as a convenient excuse to disregard their voluntary commitments.

Thus, its vital to be critical toward soft measures such as voluntary commitments and advocate for devising more comprehensive and internationally inclusive solutions that include monitoring and evaluation regimes as well as sanctions for the companies and countries that dont comply.

Mohammad Hosseini, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Preventive Medicine at Northwestern Universitys Feinberg School of Medicine, a member of the Global Young Academy and an associate editor of the journal Accountability in Research.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
Two American tourists were found sleeping in the Eiffel Tower after they got stuck in the monument because of how drunk they were.

The men, who visited the Parisian landmark on Sunday night, were discovered by security guards in the early hours of Monday, the Eiffel Tower operator said.

The pair were discovered in a spot normally closed to the public, between the second and third levels of the tower, but did not pose any apparent threat, the Societe dExploitation de la Tour Eiffel (Sete) added, in a statement on Tuesday.

A source in the police told news agency AFP the men bought entry tickets to the Eiffel Tower at around 10:40pm on Sunday night, and hopped over security barriers on their way down.

The police source also revealed firefighters and a specialist unit, trained to recover people from dangerous heights, were called to the 1,080-ft tower to help rescue the visitors.

The men were reportedly questioned at a police station in Paris seventh district, and Sete said it would file a criminal complaint against them.

Prosecutors said they appear to have got stuck because of how drunk they were.

The incident caused officials to delay the opening of the prominent tourist attraction, which draws millions of visitors each year, by an hour, according to media reports.

This comes days after the Eiffel Tower was evacuated due to a bomb threat, with staff escorting visitors out from all three levels as well as the square underneath.

Shortly after, police confirmed the threat was a hoax and advised the site could reopen to tourists on Saturday 12 August.

In 2019, the Eiffel Tower was evacuated after a man was caught trying to scale it.
Two employees of the S.C. Department of Social Services have been arrested after abandoning a child in their custody at a gas station earlier this year, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

On Monday, SLED charged 42-year-old Michelle Lorraine Holmes, a DSS case manager, with unlawfully placing a child at risk and willfully abandoning a child, a felony, according to a news release. A second DSS case manager, 26-year-old Marcus Antonio Hutchins, was charged with criminal conspiracy, also a felony.

The pair were transporting a child to the Spartanburg County DSS Office on March 6 when they stopped at a gas station on Fairforest Road in Spartanburg, according to an affidavit. The child had been placed in DSS custody by the Spartanburg County Sheriffs Office as a foreign national with no known family in South Carolina. The childs age was not disclosed.

Hutchins took the child to a public bathroom inside the gas station while Holmes waited in the car, according to an affidavit. Once the child was in the bathroom, Hutchins exited the store, and the two case managers left the property.

When the child, who had limited knowledge of English, was unable to find Hutchins or Holmes, a gas station employee called 911.

Hutchins and Holmes later arrived at the DSS office. They led a supervisor to believe that the child had wandered off, according to SLED.

DSS declined to comment on the arrests, but said Hutchins and Holmes are no longer with the department.

Both of the defendants were booked at the Spartanburg County Detention Center. The South Carolina Attorney Generals Office will prosecute the case.

If found guilty, Hutchins could face a fine and up to 10 years in prison, according to South Carolina law. Holmes could be fined up to $5,000 and face up to five years in prison.
One of the first big battles in the new racketeering case against Donald Trump is likely imminent: Should the former president face a jury in state or federal court?

Although the charges were filed in state court in Fulton County, Ga., Trump is sure to attempt to remove the case to federal court, where he would potentially have a friendlier jury pool and the chance of drawing a judge whom he appointed to the bench.

To try to get the case into federal court, Trump is expected to argue that much of the conduct hes been charged with was undertaken in his capacity as an officer of the federal government, because he was still president during the critical period when he and his allies attempted to subvert the 2020 election results. A federal law, known as a removal statute, generally allows any officer of the United States who is prosecuted or sued in state court to transfer the case to federal court if the case stems from the officers governmental duties.

Trump has already attempted to make this move in New York, where hes facing state charges for falsifying business records to cover up an affair with a porn star. A federal judge there rejected the effort and directed the case back to state court, noting that the charges there didnt really implicate Trumps powers as president.

There is an outer perimeter to a President's authority and responsibilities beyond which he engages in private conduct, U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein ruled, sending the case back to New York state court. Trump is appealing the ruling.



But Georgia could be different: Most of the charges Trump is facing  sweeping allegations of using his office to corrupt the 2020 election  involve his presidential authorities and his efforts to manipulate the federal processes he was charged with overseeing. That makes removal a more viable option in Georgia than New York.

For Trump, taking the case federal may have several benefits. For one thing, a trial in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia would draw from a wider jury pool than the current case sitting in Fulton County, where Trump is deeply unpopular. In addition, Trump has appointed four of the 15 judges on the Northern District of Georgia District Court bench, giving him at least a fair chance of drawing one of his own picks. (In yet another one of his criminal cases  his federal prosecution in Florida for hoarding classified documents  Trump managed to draw one of his own judicial appointees, Judge Aileen Cannon.)



In New York, Trump argued that his alleged efforts to steer money to porn star Stormy Daniels stretched into the first year of his presidency, which meant he took actions within the color of his office.

The charges involve alleged federal and state election law violations that have a federal preemption defense, Trumps attorney Susan Necheles argued.

Trump is sure to make a similar argument in Georgia when the time comes to file motions.

Though federal courts often take a permissive view of removal efforts, some legal analysts said Trumps inevitable bid will face obstacles.

Anthony Michael Kreis, an assistant professor of law at Georgia State University, pointed to two charges tied to alleged conduct Sept. 17, 2021  after Trump left office  as being particularly significant because they indicate that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is seeking to prove Trump continued the conduct in his capacity as a private citizen. On that day, Trump is accused of urging Georgias secretary of state to decertify the election and announce Trump as the true winner.



Shes trying to hedge off a removal motion, Kreis said.

Shes trying to say, No, this was not about his office, he added. If he can make a colorable claim that he was acting in part as president, theres a really strong claim that he could say that this case belongs in federal court. Theyre trying to say, No, this was never about Donald Trump in his official capacity as president.

A panel of Brooking Institution attorneys, in an analysis last year , also disputed Trumps right to get the case moved to federal court.

[N]either the Constitution nor applicable federal statutes vest the president with any authority or responsibility to interfere with the administration of the Georgia election, they wrote.

Trumps effort to coerce Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find enough votes to flip the outcome, and his effort to assemble a false slate of presidential electors in Georgia, would fall outside even the loosest interpretation of his official duties, they argued.



The panel also contended that Willis could make an even more basic argument to try to keep her case local. Willis could argue that the federal removal statute doesnt count the president as an officer capable of removing the case at all. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg made this argument in New York but Hellerstein rejected it.

Hellerstein noted that removal aims to prevent individual states from using their laws to hinder the federal government from exercising its lawful authority. Trump, as a former president, must be able to at least make that claim, he said.

It would make little sense if this were not the rule, for the very purpose of the Removal Statute is to allow federal courts to adjudicate challenges to acts done under color of federal authority, he said.
Ecuador candidate Gonzalez says will use $2.5 billion in reserves to help economy Ecuadorean presidential candidate Gonzalez attends an interview with Reuters, in Quito

By Alexandra Valencia

QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuadorean presidential candidate Luisa Gonzalez, who has led polls ahead of a Sunday vote riven by the murder of one of her competitors, said on Tuesday she will use $2.5 billion from international reserves to shore up the struggling economy if elected.

Anti-corruption candidate Fernando Villavicencio, a long-time antagonist of Gonzalez's mentor, former President Rafael Correa, was gunned down leaving an event in Quito last week, highlighting deteriorating security in the Andean country and prompting his erstwhile competitors to pledge to fight crime.

Ecuador has leaned on international financing since its economy was battered by the coronavirus pandemic.

The country concluded a credit agreement for $6.5 billion with the International Monetary Fund at the end of last year and this month took out a $500 million loan with the Inter-American Development Bank.

A lack of employment has motivated many young people to emigrate, even via dangerous routes, in search of opportunities.

Ecuador had some $6.96 billion in international reserves as of June, according to central bank data.

"I'll bring $2.5 billion to inject into the national economy, money that isn't generating anything, which is stored and not generating a cent, to guarantee the payments to bondholders," Gonzalez, 45, told Reuters in an interview.

Some $500 million would go toward police arms and vehicles, she said, with equal amounts for health and education, small business loans and infrastructure.

An expansion of debt with organization like the IMF would need to be well thought out, Gonzalez said.

"I know how to invest it," she said. "We won't pay a debt to die, so we are left in unemployment, so we are left without medicines."

"The debts that we have, the bond payments are planned. The debt must of course be honored and for the rest we'll look according to expiry dates."

A lawyer and former lawmaker, Gonzalez has led polling with about 30% of voting intention. No polls have been published since Villavicencio's murder.

Gonzalez has pledged to bring back social policies reminiscent of Correa's decade in power.

The former president left office in 2017 and was later sentenced to eight years in prison on corruption charges. Correa has lived in Belgium since he left office and Gonzalez has denied she would pardon him if elected.

"We are going to reactivate the economy with public investment in infrastructure. Efficient public investment attracts foreign investment, activates the economy and pushes the private sector to create dignified employment," she said.

Improvements to security cannot just be focused on security forces, she added, but must take into account social factors.

"When poverty rises, unemployment rises, violence rises," she said.

Ecuador and neighboring Colombia must work together to control their border, a cocaine trafficking hub, Gonzalez added.

Correa would serve as one of her advisors, she said, and she has already asked him to meet with Colombian President Gustavo Petro.

"We are advancing in conversations for joint work," she said, adding she has asked European Union ambassadors in Ecuador for help with technology and intelligence to fight crime.

(Reporting by Alexandra Valencia; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
The chief state prosecutor in Orlando, Monique Worrell lived under the shadow of the headsmans ax for months.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hinted, threatened and joked sarcastically about suspending her from office. He rallied allies to attack her, sent accusatory demands for data to discredit her, trampled clear boundaries meant to keep politics out of criminal justice and twisted the truth to justify his political games.

That axe fell Wednesday as the Republican governor immediately suspended the elected Democratic prosecutor, accusing her of neglect of duty and incompetence for a pattern of going far too easy on dangerous criminals.

From a distance, Floridians might think DeSantis actions were justified, but it was political theater and a power play. It also was a blunt weaponization of government that DeSantis claims to oppose, and it had little to do with facts, the law or Worrells job performance.

It was also more of the same. DeSantis has removed elected officials from office in ways that far exceed his actual authority. In South Florida alone, they have included a sheriff, election supervisor and four school board members. All were elected by voters. None was charged with a crime.

DeSantis power is limited to suspending public officials for malfeasance, misfeasance, neglect of duty, drunkenness, incompetence, permanent inability to perform official duties, or commission of a felony. Even if the carefully mined statistics in his executive order and press release are true, it boils down to policy differences. Prosecutors have broad discretion in how they handle criminal cases brought to their offices by police. That discretion provides a critical firewall against abusive behavior by law enforcement and a way to ensure that the punishment fits the crime.

When DeSantis suspended Tampa-area State Attorney Andrew Warren a year ago, he included allegations that were clearly untrue, such as an assertion that Warren had neglected his duty or showed incompetence for not prosecuting under laws that were not even in effect when Warren was ousted, and for which no arrests had been made.

Even if DeSantis statistics are correct, it is already apparent that hes blaming Worrell for things that are largely outside her authority, such as how juvenile justice officials process cases, or decisions judges make in setting defendants bail.

The hypocrisy here is stunning. This is the same governor who looked the other way for nearly two years as former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg abused his office in increasingly blatant ways, such as using taxpayer equipment to mine bitcoin and make fake driver licenses for underage girls. Greenberg really was charged with felonies, including child sex trafficking, and belatedly resigned a week after his first federal indictment.

Thats evidence enough that DeSantis attacks focus on officials whose removal he thinks will benefit him politically, often in cases that rouse public emotions, such as the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. That led to DeSantis suspension of Broward Sheriff Scott Israel, an action that even the Republican-controlled Florida Senates own legal expert said was unwarranted.

The Worrell suspension is not only blatantly partisan but carries obvious racial overtones, which DeSantis tried to deflect by choosing as her interim replacement Andrew Bain, a Black county court judge and DeSantis appointee with three years of experience.

Bain, 37, a Pompano Beach native and graduate of Blanche Ely High School, is a member of the right-wing Federalist Society that DeSantis uses as a recruiting tool.

Worrell, Floridas only Black woman state attorney, ran on a progressive agenda of criminal justice reform and as a critic of mass incarceration. She won three years ago with an impressive 66% of the vote. The people of Orange and Osceola counties knew who they were voting for when they chose her.

Worrell said she will continue to seek re-election, and thats the only obvious course of action. Let voters choose their top prosecutor  not an autocratic bully who spends most of his time out of state pursuing his presidential ambitions.

Indeed, the timing of Worrells suspension, one day after a highly publicized campaign shakeup, strongly suggests a ploy by DeSantis to divert the medias glare from his floundering campaign.

The announcement of Worrells suspension was a vintage DeSantis rush job at the state Capitol in Tallahassee. The public and news media received 30 minutes notice; he took no questions from reporters and beat a hasty retreat.

What happened to Monique Worrell is frightening, a disgrace and an abuse by a governor drunk with power. But she is not the only victim. The voters of Central Florida who elected her were the ones DeSantis hurt the most.

___
Fulton County Dist. Atty. Fani Willis, center, speaks at a news conference in Atlanta on Monday. Donald Trump and 18 allies have been indicted in Georgia over efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state. (John Bazemore / Associated Press)

Although it was expected, the indictment by a Fulton County, Ga., grand jury of Donald Trump and 18 others is still a wrenching moment  another one  for American democracy. As with the federal indictment that also grew out of Trumps outrageous attempts to overturn the 2020 election, the former president is presumed innocent until proven guilty as are the other defendants.

But the audacious racketeering plot alleged in the Georgia indictment is a reminder of how a narcissistic defeated president engaged in a separate attempt to cling to power that continues to jeopardize American democracy. Whatever the outcome of this and the other prosecutions, Trump is a dangerous demagogue who should never return to the White House.

Read more: Editorial: Trying to overturn an election must have consequences, even for former presidents

That, of course, is a decision that must be made by voters, including Republicans who need to get over their delusion  abetted by cowardly GOP politicians  that Trump won in 2020. But the fact that Trump is a candidate doesnt mean that state and federal prosecutors should stand back and not pursue criminal charges they believe are supported by the evidence.

Nor is the indictment handed up in Georgia on Monday night redundant. While the federal government charged only the former president in the effort to overturn the election, the Georgia grand jury has accused a collection of Trump supporters and operatives of taking part in a criminal enterprise to reverse legitimate results in Georgia. The defendants include two prominent Trump allies: former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Read more: Editorial: Trump should never return to the White House

The indictment says that Trump and the other defendants charged in this indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump. It alleges a constellation of actions in furtherance of that objective. They include false statements, solicitation of an election official to violate his oath, machinations aimed at appointing false electors, harassment of an election worker and breaches of voting equipment. The indictment is exquisitely detailed and sobering to read.

It isnt piling on for authorities in Georgia to investigate and file charges in connection with an alleged attempt to overturn the will of that states voters. In our federal system, prosecuting crimes  including those involving elections  is not the province only of the U.S. Justice Department.

Read more: Column: Another day, another Trump indictment isn't some ho-hum event

Equally important, a conviction of Trump in a Georgia state court could not be erased by a presidential pardon if Trump were to return to office. In that sense it could constitute an insurance policy against Trumps abuse of the pardon power.

Its understandable that Americans, including those who never supported Trump, might be bewildered and exhausted by the multiplicity of charges leveled against the former president. They include allegations that he unlawfully retained national defense information and state charges in New York related to payments allegedly made during the 2016 presidential campaign to cover up an affair with a porn actress.

They should consider the possibility that the array of investigations and allegations represents not a political plot against the former president but an overdue reckoning for his own conduct.

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.
Mayor Eric Adams is struggling with the burden of providing shelter for tens of thousands of migrants flowing into New York City and getting zero assistance from President Joe Biden with funding or changes in immigration rules to let these people legally work.

Biden, running for reelection against anti-immigration Republicans like Donald Trump, is wary of helping or even opening up federal properties like Floyd Bennett Field, but ultimately the responsibility lies not with the president or the mayor, but with Gov. Hugh Carey and his successor, Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The right to shelter, which Hochul wrongly claims only applies in New York City, stems from the Social Welfare Article XVII that has been part of the state Constitution since voters approved it in 1938: The aid, care and support of the needy are public concerns and shall be provided by the state and by such of its subdivisions, and in such manner and by such means, as the Legislature may from time to time determine.

The state has the duty here, the city is but one of its subdivisions.

The 1979 lawsuit, and the subsequent consent decree, that controls the right to shelter is called Callahan vs. Carey. The Coalition for the Homeless and the Legal Aid Society are still representing the plaintiffs needing shelter, including the long-dead Robert Callahan, and the state is still the defendant, with Hochul standing in for the long-dead Carey.

In fact, most of the parties and lawyers and judges of the original cases from more than 40 years ago are dead. One who is quite alive is Steve Banks. He was Legal Aids attorney back then. Now hes representing the Coalition for the Homeless.

We offer this history lesson to show Hochul that she, as governor, has to find the solution with Adams. Its more than just supplying money (which the feds can and should do and have failed), and she correctly got the Legislature to set aside $1 billion, a quarter of which has already been delivered to City Hall.

For starters, Hochul must end the dozens of anti-migrant measures being thrown up by most of the 57 other counties. We stopped counting at 30. Adams, who wanted to use his own limited funds to house a handful of migrants in hotel rooms outside the city, sued the counties in state court. But a Manhattan judge has ruled that each county must be sued individually in the courts in that county, a ridiculously wasteful exercise. Hochul has to stop this nonsense with a single executive order, laying down the law. If the counties resist, then she must sue them, not Adams.

New York City has 43% of the states population. By right, 43% of the migrants should be housed here, not 99% and Hochul has the power, authority and obligation to get involved to work with the mayor to distribute people around the state, equitably and voluntarily.

Showing how wrong the governors claims are, Attorney General Tish James has withdrawn as Hochuls lawyer.

The judge overseeing the Callahan case directed Adams to write to Hochul on his needs. The state must answer by Tuesday. Both letters must be made public. If the city and state wont publish them, the judge should order it.

___
US Coast Guard crews are searching for a boater who reportedly disappeared, leaving behind an empty vessel floating off the coast of Florida, according to officials.

Andre Nolasco, 57, was reported missing after setting sail from Nick's Park in Port Richey on Sunday morning, according to the US Coast Guard Southeast division.

Mr Nolasco's girlfriend filed a missing person's report on Monday after he failed to show up for work. The report prompted the US Coast Guard to begin searching for the missing mariner using a helicopter. The aircraft eventually located the boat floating approximately eight miles west of Hudson, Florida, the agency said.

Though the boat was found, there was no sign of Mr Nolasco onboard.

The Coast Guard is now searching for Mr Nolasco in the water. The search continued overnight into Tuesday and is still ongoing.

No further information has been released on the Coast Guard's search.

Mr Nolasco is a father of two who lives in Port Richey. He is originally from the Dominican Republic, according to WTSP.

Yancy Hiraldo, one of Mr Nolasco's friends, said he remains hopeful that his friend will be found alive.

"Come back to your family because, trust me, your kids need you," Mr Hiraldo told the outlet.

Andre Nolasco, 57, is presumed missing at sea after his boat was found floating off the coast of Florida by the US Coast Guard (US Coast Guard Southeast)

ONLY ON 10: Friends & family speak out after a #PortRichey boater goes missing. He was last seen Sunday at 11AM at Nick's Park. @USCGSoutheast, @MyFWC, @PascoSheriff's Marine Unit all looking for him overnight. #AndreNolasco's family holding onto hope he's still alive @10TampaBay pic.twitter.com/gWHBXhnPt3  Angelina Salcedo (@AngelinaOnTV) August 15, 2023

He told the outlet that he and his brother found Mr Nolasco's truck parked near the marina where he launched his boat. He found a note on the truck from Mr Nolasco's friends and family asking him to call the Port Richey Police Department upon his return as they were concerned he had gone missing.

The US Coast Guard was busy with rescues over the weekend; they, along with US Navy vessels, worked to locate a group of four men who disappeared on Sunday while diving off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

After the men failed to resurface, a search was launched. The men were eventually found safe on Monday approximately 46 miles southeast of Cape Fear River, North Carolina.
Former Mexico City mayor and presidential hopeful Claudia Sheinbaum greets supporters during a rally in Guadalajara, Mexico. She is campaigning to be nominated by the president's party, Morena. (Ulises Ruiz / AFP via Getty Images)

The two presidential front-runners grew up exposed to sharply different visions of what a woman in Mexico could aspire to be.

In her impoverished home in the state of Hidalgo, Xochitl Galvez faced beatings from her alcoholic father, who once threatened to kill her mother. She'd hear the men in her family quip, "Women are only good for the petate (a bed) and the metate (a stone to grind grains).

Claudia Sheinbaum grew up hearing her parents, both scientists and former student activists, talk politics in their home in the state of Mexico. She saw firsthand what a woman could accomplish, spending a night at age 15 at a hunger strike with Rosario Ibarra de Piedra, the pioneering crusader for the disappeared whose work helped build Mexico's human rights movement.

As the decades ticked by, both women rose in their careers  in academics or business, and then politics  as Mexico pushed to increase womens participation in the political arena.

Sen. Xochitl Galvez, an opposition presidential hopeful, speaks to journalists in Mexico City after registering as a contender. (Fernando Llano / Associated Press)

Now they're fighting to become Mexico's first woman president.

Galvez, a senator, and Sheinbaum, the former mayor of Mexico City, are campaigning hard to get on the ballot in next year's election. As Sheinbaum aims to represent the president's party and Galvez fights for an opposition coalition's nomination, each is invoking her gender and the glass ceiling she would shatter.

Mexico is no longer written with the M of machismo ... but M of mother, M of mujer" or woman, Sheinbaum declared to thousands of supporters just before leaving her post as mayor to enter the presidential race.

Read more: This woman is the front-runner to be Mexico's next president

Galvez has called Mexico's president a "machista" and told reporters, "You need many ovaries like the ones I have to confront such a powerful man."

But even with two women as front-runners, the election is less likely to turn on issues of gender, including rampant violence against women, than how voters feel about one man. The race is widely seen as a referendum on President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, whose Morena party controls a huge swath of the country.

"People vote for women without a problem. What matters is the political party, and you have to understand that Mexico is not a feminist country," said Karolina Gilas, a political scientist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, or UNAM. "Mexican society continues to be very conservative."

While the presidential hopefuls can't ignore feminist issues in a country where an average of 10 women a day were slain last year, the movement doesn't have the weight to tip a national election either, Gilas said.

"Women make up a bit more of the electorate than men, and participate a bit more than men, but feminism in particular does not decide elections," said Gilas.

In fact, said UNAM sociologist Georgina Cardenas, "in this country, saying that youre a feminist in certain spaces doesnt generate sympathy."

"People have the idea that being a feminist is being a radical person, of women burning bras and being against men. They dont understand it as a social movement to fight for equality.

Read more: A cop feared for her life around her boyfriend. What happened after she killed him

Cardenas has watched the antagonism between Galvez and Lopez Obrador but views Galvez's rhetoric as a way for her to gain recognition as an opposition figure.

Sheinbaum, Cardenas said, has used less striking language when talking about women's issues, probably in an attempt to avoid alienating voters for whom they are not a priority.

"She doesn't need to commit herself to something radical," Cardenas said, "because she feels that in one way or another she'll inherit the political capital of her leader, so she doesn't need the risk."

Gender quotas and growing parity

The fact that Mexico  where women didn't have a constitutional right to vote until 1953 and which today struggles with femicides  could have a woman president might seem remarkable.

But political experts point to Latin American leaders such as Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner in Argentina; Michelle Bachelet in Chile; Violeta Barrios de Chamorro in Nicaragua; and most recently, Xiomara Castro in Honduras. And they note the gender parity laws across the region that led to more women entering politics.

In the 1990s, Mexico began passing reforms to open up the political sector to women  first with a recommendation for political parties to post female candidates, followed by obligatory gender quotas.

In 2018, women won nearly half the seats in both houses of Mexico's Congress, and the next year both chambers overwhelmingly passed a constitutional reform requiring parity in the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government.

Today, a woman heads the Supreme Court. Women hold eight of Mexicos 31 state governorships and, in 2022, accounted for 25% of the countrys mayors.

In 2020, Mexico criminalized political violence against women, which includes restricting voting rights, threats aimed at ending a campaign and distributing political propaganda with gender stereotypes.

The next year, the country's top electoral tribunal annulled an election after billboards and graffiti aimed at a mayoral candidate in Guerrero state blared messages such as "It's time for men" and "Not one more old woman in power."

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who cannot run for a second term, has disaparaged presidential opposition candidate Xochitl Galvez during his daily morning news conferences at the National Palace in Mexico City. (Luis Barron / Future Publishing via Getty Images)

As the presidential campaigns have ramped up, Galvez has accused Lopez Obrador of political violence in his frequent disparagement of her, including saying she was a puppet chosen by powerful men.

After the top electoral court said some of the president's expressions could be considered gender-based violence, Lopez Obrador questioned whether he wasn't a victim too: Everything that they say to me, isnt that gender violence?

Read more: Mexico's president says the U.S. is suffering from moral decay. He offers some advice

'You're a woman'

Sheinbaum and Galvez have campaigned most heavily on whether they would continue or reverse the policies of the popular leftist president  a populist who expanded social welfare programs but has been criticized for his attempts to weaken institutions seen as checks and balances on government power, including the National Electoral Institute.

Read more: Mexicos transparency institute has revealed government corruption and wrongdoing. Its now paralyzed

But the candidates have also sought to harness support by talking about their gender.

"They told me, 'You're a woman, you're not going to be able to handle the security of the city," Sheinbaum, 61, recounted at a campaign event in Mexico City before saying that under her watch the city's homicides have diminished significantly.

When she was mayor, Sheinbaum spoke often about her initiatives for women, including centers where victims of violence could get legal and psychological support, an emergency hotline for women to report violence, more street lighting and cameras and a DNA bank to help solve sex crimes.

She's touted her work in battling violence against women, pointing to a reduction in the violent deaths of girls and women and an increase in judges approving charges against femicide suspects. And she made headlines last year when she accused the attorney general of the neighboring state of Morelos of covering up the killing of 27-year-old Ariadna Lopez. That official was recently taken into custody by Mexico City prosecutors.

Read more: Amid femicide epidemic, Mexico prosecutor charged with cover-up in a single mom's death

But Sheinbaum, whose campaign did not respond to multiple requests for an interview, has had a tense relationship with feminist activists over her reactions when they occupied public spaces.

In September 2020, when women in black hoods stormed the National Human Rights Commission in downtown Mexico City and evicted government workers  declaring the building a shelter for female victims of violence  Sheinbaum called the takeover violent and said that she didn't understand its purpose because the government had been doing its job.

She later she clashed with feminists who installed protest art on a pedestal where a Columbus statue once stood on a busy roundabout. The purple silhouette of a girl with her fist raised was meant to draw attention to victims of femicides and abuse and to serve as a meeting point for protests.

Read more: A single mother in Mexico was blamed for her own death. Now a well-connected playboy has been charged

When the mayor announced she would replace the monument with a replica of a pre-hispanic sculpture of a young Indigenous woman, and the feminists protested, Sheinbaum called them profoundly racist and classist. The city ultimately agreed to allow the feminists' monument to remain.

Sheinbaum should have been more careful in how shes approached feminists, said Lorena Villavicencio, a former federal congresswoman who helped form a group to back Sheinbaum's campaign and promote gender equality. But as mayor, she said, Sheinbaum was stuck between safeguarding property rights and freedom of expression.

'Senora Xingona'

Galvez, 60, who holds progressive views although she represents a conservative party, shot to fame in recent months after the president began talking about her, saying she represented the "mafia of power.

The National Electoral Institute ruled he had to stop, so during a segment of the president's daily morning news conferences called Whos Who in the Lies of the Week," in which he accuses reporters of fake news," Lopez Obrador said he wouldn't mention Galvez's name and a spokesperson dubbed her "Senora X."

Im the Senora Xingona, with an X. I like it, Galvez told a local newspaper, a play on the word chingona, slang for badass woman.

At a campaign event where she called the president soft on security, she told attendees "you need ovaries to combat crime, and I have enough ovaries to apply the law."

Galvez, of Indigenous descent, said in an interview with The Times that her career has been focused more on the Indigenous than womens issues. But she pointed to several initiatives she's led, including a foundation to improve nutrition for children and pregnant women, as well as centers for Indigenous women to learn about sexual health and get legal help in cases of violence, when she was former President Vicente Foxs top Indigenous affairs official in the 2000s. As senator, she fought to pass a law to give social security to domestic workers.

Read more: A ranting former Mexican president manages to offend retirees, Jews and the French

She called for better follow-up to domestic abuse complaints and said prosecutors' offices should employ psychologists for victims. She said she wouldn't make the same mistakes as Sheinbaum when approaching feminist protests over gender violence because of her own experience escaping a sexual assault as a university student.

I think I would have the capacity to put myself in the shoes of these women, she said. I would be empathetic in understanding the meaning of the protests and not generalizing that all women who take to the streets intend to be violent.

'It's not enough to name yourself a feminist'

Prominent Mexican feminists say neither candidate has shown enough commitment to changing women's lives.

Were a bit tired that people name themselves feminists and think that with that they have our vote, said Arussi Unda, founder of Las Brujas del Mar, which helped organize a national women's one-day strike in 2020. She said that having a woman as president is important  but one with a clear feminist agenda is more so.

"Of course parity is important, representation of women in all spaces is important  but which women?" Unda asked. "I think that should always be the question."

Renata Villarreal, co-founder of the feminist group the Green Tide, said that although she agreed with Galvez's assessment of the president as a machista, her rhetoric could be strategy. When asked if Sheinbaum was a feminist, her answer was clear: Of course not.

A feminist woman who supports victims and knows what women experience will never be against that someone who scratches a wall, breaks a monument or closes a street, Villarreal said. We know that when you get to that place, its because you already exhausted all the other options. Its when youre fed up and angry.

Esperanza Palma, a sociologist at the Metropolitan Autonomous University in Mexico City, said that the front-runners won't benefit from emphasizing gender issues too much. "They can't only focus on a feminist agenda. Mexico has problems of violence and organized crime. ... They have to present a strategy."

Read more: Dream interrupted: As gang violence soars in Mexico, migrants in U.S. rethink plans to go home

However, she was hopeful that having two front-runners speak about women's issues helps show that "it's important to be done with a machista Mexico."

Gilas, the political scientist, said that it's natural that both women would present themselves as feminists but that the polarization between the president's party and the opposition is "so strong that all other considerations are secondary. The election of 2024 is, do you want to continue with the Lopez Obrador camp or do you want another?"

"Gender will not be what determines the electoral result, it'll be people's posture towards this government," she said.

That was clear at a recent rally for Sheinbaum in a lower-income borough of Mexico City. As several hundred people waited in pouring rain for Sheinbaum to speak outside a cable car station her administration built, residents said they supported her because of government stipends for students to buy school supplies and meals and low cost public transportation. But most of all, for her loyalty to Lopez Obrador, who has won support with his cash assistance to farmworkers, the elderly and people with disabilities.

Read more: Mexico says it doesn't have a fentanyl problem. New data reveal a hidden epidemic

No one had supported us like him, no one had cared about the poor, said Maria Hernandez, 58, who attended with her husband and neighbors. "She has to follow his same projects, thats why were putting our trust in Claudia.

Hernandez said it was poor taste of Galvez to share her story of poverty "to win over the people" and doubted that she had risen honestly from selling jello cups with her mom as a child in Hidalgo to founding her own company. She's been angered by Galvez's feud with Lopez Obrador.

"We talk among ourselves and say, 'What's the matter with her, why is she telling off our president?'"

Special correspondent Cecilia Sanchez in The Times Mexico City bureau contributed to this report.

Sign up for Essential California, your daily guide to news, views and life in the Golden State.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A spectacularly unfortunate chapter for the Sacramento City Council does not end because the city is paying a $26 million settlement to developer Paul Petrovich, who soundly beat the city in court for its handling of his Curtis Park development project.

The headache only continues due to the citys decision to buy from Petrovich a near-empty office building on one of the most distressed blocks on K Street in downtown Sacramento.

Opinion

The city confirmed that it had to dig into its own coffers to make Petrovich whole. Insurance money is not covering the purchase of the Hales Building at 831 K Street (site of the former Rite Aid store) from a Petrovich firm for $18.5 million. That is roughly the same amount that the city spends from its general fund on directly homeless services in a year. This is a big deal; it is the citys living legacy of council meetings that courts found had acted in a biased manner.

The settlement also includes $7.5 million in direct settlement payments. The sources of funds, according to the settlement, will include the city and by one or more of the defendants insurers. According to city spokesman Tim Swanson, the city will entirely fund the purchase of the office building at 831 K Street from the general fund and a risk fund that is used to pay liabilities not covered by insurance.

How great a time is it for the city to get into the office business on this block of K Street? Consider that just a few steps away, the 28-story Renaissance Tower at 801 K Street is approximately two-thirds empty, based on lease availability. Across the street, 830 K Street is most empty And the Kress Building at 818 K Street is almost entirely empty.

The city will also rename the Crocker Village park as the Petrovich Family Playfield, with a plaque honoring the developers father, John Pete Petrovich. It has also apologized in writing to Petrovich for conducting an unfair hearing.

All this money and angst was over a proposed gas station.

Petrovichs proposal to build a gas station as part of his Crocker Village retail complex took on a larger-than-life quality to the neighborhood. The opposition in the neighborhood saw it as creating pollution and traffic. Petrovich saw it as an important amenity for the complex.

Leading the charge against the gas station on behalf of the neighborhood was its representative on the city council, Jay Schenirer. He has been a true public servant for years in Sacramento on the council and the board of the Sacramento City Unified Schools District. But he went too far. In one ruling Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael Kenny wrote that Schenirer demonstrated an unacceptable probability of actual bias.

When a council doesnt give an applicant a fair hearing, it has crossed a legal line into trouble. As an appellate panel wrote, Councilmember Schenirer acted as advocate, not a neutral and impartial decision maker, and should have recused himself from voting on the appeal.

Schenirer served on the council from 2010 to 2022 and was a signatory to the settlement. He did not apologize.

There is a broader lesson to be learned here. It is for city council members to recuse themselves when they have become so biased as to be unable to be fair. Or a city attorney can advise that the council member step down from voting out of the same concern because voting could expose the city to legal liability. Neither happened. And now Sacramento will pay dearly.

What is the citys plan for its office investment at 831 K Street? To convert the building into some other use other than an empty building, where is the money going to come? The drain on city funds could only be beginning.

Petrovich has been among that rare breed of developers who has shunned the relative simplicity of suburban development for the grit of urban redevelopment, in this case converting the once-polluted Curtis Park rail yard into a modern urban neighborhood. The political environment surrounding the redevelopment project ended up creating its own kind of toxic environment.

It took no less than three lawsuits and untold massive legal bills (the city spent more than $2 million on lawyers) for Petrovich to finally get justice. The city fought and fought until it simply ran out of options. The city council and Mayor Darrell Steinberg, in directing this litigation through decisions in closed sessions, behaved like gamblers. They doubled down after losing one ruling after another until their pockets were empty of legal theories.

They gambled with our money.

Who knows how often local governments act so unfairly that it is downright illegal. It takes a very deep pocket and years of patience to prove it. Paul Petrovich did it. Hopefully the Curtis Park gas station fiasco does not haunt 831 K like a ghost.
JPMorgan was accepting client referrals from Jeffrey Epstein years after he left the bank and just months before his 2019 arrest for child sex-trafficking, court documents reveal.

Kathy Ruemmler, who served under Presidents Clinton and Obama before joining white-collar defense firms, was one such referral. As The Daily Beast reported, Ruemmler showed up to Epsteins New York arraignment and her name was found multiple times in Epsteins 2014 schedule for meetings with Ehud Barak, Peter Thiel, and Bill Gates.

In February 2019, Epsteins longtime assistant Lesley Groff emailed Mary Erdoes, the CEO of the banks Asset & Wealth Management arm, about Ruemmler.

Jeffrey wanted me to reach out to you re his very good friend and former White House counsel to Pres. Barak [sic] Obama, Kathy Ruemmler, wrote Groff, who was named as a potential co-conspirator in Epsteins 2008 plea deal in Florida. (She denies any wrongdoing.)

She would like to open an account with JPM, Groff added. Jeffrey requests she deal with you personally. Might this be possible?

The latest revelation about Ruemmler and other Epstein associates comes from an unredacted legal filing in the U.S. Virgin Islands lawsuit against JPMorgan. The territory has accused the bank of enabling and profiting off Epsteins trafficking ring and is seeking at least $190 million in damages in a case thats headed to trial this fall.

Days later, Erdoes thanked Groff and wrote, I dont handle accounts myself but we will definitley [sic] get her in the right hands. Groff replied, Mary, Jeffrey just thought that kathy is one of the most powerful women in washington and thought you two would bond..

Erdoes also emailed JPMorgans general counsel Stacey Friedman asking, Do you know Kathy? Any reason we shouldnt take her? Odd that this is coming through JE Friedman answered, Were using her on some key matters. I would think she would be a great client.

The court records show that years earlier, Epstein referred another high-profile client: Nick Ribis, the former head of Donald Trumps hotel and casino empire.

The Fight Between Leon Black and His New Accuser Is Getting Nasty

One January 2007 email from a JPMorgan employee included an attached memo that read, Also, as you know, earlier today, Jeff called me to say he has asked two potential new clients in 200M range (Nick Ribis and Ben Jacobson) to call me directly.

That month, a JPMorgan wealth adviser fired off an email to colleagues saying he just got call from one of Jeffs referrals, Nick Ribis, who was an executive at Colony Capital specializing in ownership of casinos. Ribis, the staffer said, asked for a meeting the following week at his Manhattan officealbeit without Epstein. He also thought unnecessary to invite Jeffrey, but I will call Jeff and let him know Nick called me and he and I set up lunch, the adviser wrote.

Epstein and Ribis were still rubbing elbows years later. Emails obtained by The Daily Beast show that Groff asked Epstein about scheduling meetings with Ribis in April 2011, on the same day he had meetings with Bill Gates, Larry Summers and JPMorgan executive Jes Staley.

Ribis wasnt the only potential client in the JPMorgan memo. Under a heavily-redacted section that refers to clients/prospects, the document listed public relations expert and onetime Epstein mouthpiece Howard Rubenstein. (According to the USVIs statement of material facts, JPMorgan wired Rubenstein a total of $200,000 from Epsteins accounts from October 2007 to June 2008, when Rubenstein acted as the sex-traffickers spokesman while he fended off serious charges in Palm Beach.)

Meanwhile, in 2006, Erdoes emailed fellow executives about moving Googles business with the bank from San Francisco to New York because of Epstein. JPMorgan, legal filings allege, considered Epstein an adviser to Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

Again, I want to reiterate that this is NOTHING to do with the abilities of the SF team, Erdoes wrote in an October 2006 email. This is solely because of our need to have a NY team to cover a NY person, Jeffrey Epstein (as the advisor to the partners).

On the same day, employees emailed about Google founder GRATS, or grantor retained annuity trusts that transfer wealth to heirs without gift or estate taxes. One executive wrote that she was setting up a conference call to get the necessary background on the potential investment mgt opportunity associated with Jeffrey Epstein (advisor) to the trusts set up on behalf of the Google founders kids.

While the email doesnt name the Google co-founder, the USVIs legal filings indicate Brin and executives from his family office, Bayshore Global, met with Erdoes and other JPMorgan bigwigs. And internal documents from JPMorgan stated that in 2014, Brins relationship was one of the largest in the Private Bank and worth $4 billion.

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon: Epstein Lawsuits Only Hurt Brand Name a Little Bit

The unredacted documents also share more information about Epsteins work with billionaire Leon Black, who is currently fighting a vicious legal battle with a law firm thats represented three of his sexual abuse accusers.

According to a USVI pleading, Epstein occasionally brought opportunities to JPMorgan for them to deepen their relationship with Leon Black. One of those chances arrived in July 2012, when Epstein requested a loan on Blacks behalf for an art purchase.

John Duffy, the CEO of the Private Bank, emailed another JPMorgan director the following October, asking, Did we ever engage with Leon on a loan for his art purchase?

Not on our end, the employee responded, adding, I have a suspicion that the Epstein episode was not helpful to our relationship and connectivity with Leon.

Still, in May 2013, Epstein emailed JPMorgan employees requesting a meeting at Black's office that June. One senior employee wrote to colleagues, Jeffrey just called to discuss meeting. There is a $1B credit facility with JPM in the mix

The manager of Leon Blacks family office, Eileen Alexanderson, emailed Justin Nelson, Epsteins banker at JPMorgan, in August 2013: At your convenience, I would be interested in discussing potential terms for a collateralized personal borrowing by Mr Black.

Two months later, a JPMorgan director contacted Nelson about Epsteins role as Blacks financial adviser. Are we still doing any business with him or his clients &/or is there any way for us to insert ourselves or get Jeffrey to insert us into transactions with people he apparently influences like Leon? the director wrote.

In February 2014, Duffy wrote an underling that Blacks family office manager wanted to open Blacks accounts through Nelson. The employee responded, We all remain very concerned about the Epstein link.

Totally get it  Im sure this was hard for the team, Duffy wrote.

In 2012, a JPMorgan employee contacted Duffy about approvals for high risk private bank clients, among them Epstein. Can we please review the cash withdrawal activity for his entities? Duffy replied in an email.

When a compliance official found cash withdrawals worth $30,000 or $40,000 each in an account associated with Epsteins private jet, Duffy replied, JE and I spoke about his pattern of cash withdrawals. His answer was fuel payments in foreign countries.

"Sounds like I still need to speak with him, however I did ask him to withdraw this cash from his aviation account for these payments, Duffy continued. Clearly he is doing this."

But USVI, in its statement of material facts, says, There is no evidence that the Bank asked Epstein for any receipts or other documentation to support his cash-for-fuel explanation. They took Epstein at his word.

The unredacted legal filing highlights other red flags related to Epstein, including the bank learning in 2011 that Bear Stearns faced a subpoena over the wealthy sex offender.

JPMorgan acquired Bear Stearns in 2007, and as a result, one of Bear Stearns anti-money laundering compliance officials held a similar role at the bank. That official was responsible for responding to a 2007 subpoena by the federal prosecutors investigating Epstein for federal sex crimes, the document states.

Seems JPMC never was served a subpoena, which I find odd since we were his #1 bank and actually Bear got one in 07, one employee noted in a January 2011 email.

Virgin Islands Says Epstein $$ Will Pay for New Anti-Trafficking Plan

JPMorgan employees then tracked down the U.S. Attorneys Office subpoena to Bear Stearns which requested, among other things, a list of accounts at other financial institutions that Bear Stearns has either transferred money to or receive money from on behalf of Mr. Epstein. (In response to this subpoena, Bear Stearns indicated in a regulatory report that it didnt find any suspicious wire transfers.)

The legal filing also notes that Epstein sued Bear Stearns in 2009 for fraudulently overstat[ing] the value of its mortgages and securities, as well as other alleged misconduct.

In 2011, after JPMorgan offered to settle Epstein's claims for $21 million, the banks general counsel Stephen Cutler sent an email to employees including Erdoes and Staley, This is not an honorable person in any way. He should not be a client. Cutler also wrote to Erdoes, I would like to put it and HIM behind us. Not a person we should do business with  period.

It would be two more years, however, before JPMorgan cut ties with Epstein.

I appreciate the effort, the perverted financier wrote to Erdoes after the settlement. Lets move on, [sic] and make some real money.

Onwards and upwards, on so many fronts, Erdoes replied.

Since the USVI and a victim known as Jane Doe sued JPMorgan over its decade-long relationship with Epstein in late 2022, CEO Jamie Dimon claimed that he never knew Epstein was a client of the bank until his death in a Manhattan jail.

But the unredacted filings reveal that Dimon and Epstein served on the same internal working group related to Highbridge Capital Management, the investment fund of Epsteins close friend Glenn Dubin. JPMorgan acquired Highbridge in 2004, and the fund paid an Epstein company $15 million for merger and acquisition advice.

After the deal closed, Staley asked his assistant to send an email to Dimon and Dubin with Epstein blind-copied on the message. Youve done an amazing job of bringing our businesses together and delivering numbers (both financial returns and investment returns) that will earn the envy of our industry, the draft read.

We are well on our way to resume our position as one of the most repected [sic] asset and wealth managers.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Dr. Amna Dermish, chief operating and medical services officer for Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas, poses for a portrait in an exam room of a Planned Parenthood facility in Austin on Aug. 8, 2023. Credit: Montinique Monroe for The Texas Tribune

For more than a decade, the state has been trying and failing to chase Planned Parenthood out of Texas.

Texas restricted and then banned abortion. The state removed Planned Parenthood affiliates from state-funded health programs and turned down federal dollars rather than allow Planned Parenthood to receive them. Planned Parenthood has been cut out of funding for cancer screenings, contraception, HIV prevention and sex education.

Despite this concerted effort from the highest levels of state government, Planned Parenthoods clinic doors have remained open in Texas.

My mantra is, every day that I show up to the clinic, Im winning, said Dr. Amna Dermish, the chief operating and medical services officer at Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas.

But now, the organization is facing a potentially existential threat from its longtime tormentor.

Last year, the state filed a federal lawsuit claiming Planned Parenthood improperly billed Medicaid for $10 million in payments during the period when the state was trying to remove the organization from the program.

Texas is seeking more than $1.8 billion in reimbursement, penalties and fees.

Planned Parenthood has called the lawsuit meritless, pointing out that there was an injunction in place that allowed it to continue to bill Medicaid during that time.

U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a conservative who previously worked on anti-abortion cases as a religious liberty lawyer, will hear arguments from both sides today in Amarillo.

We have weathered a lot of storms, but weve always been able to come through and be there for our patients, Dermish said. That ultimately is why I come to work every single day, and its just my biggest fear if one day were not able to do that.

Early efforts to defund Planned Parenthood

At the dawn of the 2010s, a long-simmering tension between conservative states and Planned Parenthood reached a full boil.

It was Planned Parenthoods work as an abortion provider that put a target on its back. But because, typically, state or federal funds cant be used to fund abortion services, red states have had to find other ways to starve Planned Parenthood of its resources.

Texas, as is its style, led the way. In 2011, legislators eviscerated the states family planning budget from $111 million to $38 million and directed the remaining money to be distributed first to public agencies, like county health departments, and primary care centers. Specialized family planning organizations like Planned Parenthood could access this funding only if there was no one else willing to offer contraception and family planning services in the area.

Files at an Austin Planned Parenthood show a range of medical services provided. Credit: Montinique Monroe for The Texas Tribune

As a result of these funding cuts, 82 clinics  25% of publicly funded clinics statewide  closed or stopped providing family planning services. Clinics that remained open scaled back their hours and services, especially when it came to more expensive and time-intensive contraception methods like IUDs, sterilization and vasectomies.

Most of the clinics that closed were not affiliated with Planned Parenthood. But at the same time, legislators tried to remove Planned Parenthood from the Womens Health Program, another funding stream that helped low-income women access contraception. This program was primarily funded by the federal government, which paid $9 for every $1 that Texas kicked in.

The Obama administration told Texas it couldnt exclude a qualified health care provider from the program; the courts agreed, as they did in every case concerning a states effort to cut Planned Parenthood out of federal funds.

But then, Texas did something no other state had tried yet: It walked away from about $30 million in annual federal funds rather than allow Planned Parenthood to continue to provide contraception to low-income women. In 2013, Texas launched its own womens health program, relying entirely on state dollars.

Texas reproductive health care landscape never recovered from this tornado, even when the state tried to make up the lost funding in future sessions.

Because they had decimated a network that had taken decades to build, if they wanted to actually effectively fix that problem, they would have had to devote even more resources in a dedicated way, said Amanda Stevenson, a sociologist at the University of Colorado who studied these changes. Once you close a clinic, getting it open again is way more expensive than just staying open.

This was just the beginning: In 2015, legislators removed Planned Parenthood from the Breast and Cervical Cancer Services program, which provides cancer screenings to low-income women, and cut off funding for one affiliates long-standing HIV prevention program.

Every time the state cuts these programs in an attempt to score political points ... the true victims here are tens of thousands of women and men who no longer have access to health care that they need, Rochelle Tafolla, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, told the Texas Tribune at the time.

Removing Planned Parenthood from Medicaid

Just as the dust was beginning to settle on these huge changes to the family planning program, Texas opened a new line of attack on Planned Parenthood. The impetus was videos secretly recorded by anti-abortion activists that claimed to show Planned Parenthood employees in California discussing the illegal sale of fetal remains.

Planned Parenthood vehemently denied the claims, saying the videos were doctored and instead reflected conversations about the legal donation of fetal tissue for research purposes.

The same activists also visited a Planned Parenthood in Houston, and Attorney General Ken Paxton said at the time he had obtained hours of recordings detailing how the clinic handled fetal remains.

Twelve states, including Texas, and Congress investigated the claims; a grand jury in Texas found no evidence of wrongdoing by Planned Parenthood  and, instead, indicted the anti-abortion activists for their deceptive methods. (The charges were later dismissed.)

But Texas used the public outrage around these videos to try to finally remove Planned Parenthood from the Medicaid program once and for all. At the time, Planned Parenthood clinics in Texas received about $3.1 million a year in Medicaid funding to provide family planning and primary care to low-income Texans.

As one of just 12 states that has not expanded the program, Medicaid in Texas essentially provides health insurance coverage only for children, pregnant women, disabled adults and the poorest residents.

These are very vulnerable patients, said Laura Thomas, vice president of patient care at Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast. And a lot of practices dont take Medicaid, or they have a long waitlist or maybe the facility isnt accessible  so it felt really important that we keep being able to provide this.

In 2016, Texas Health and Human Services Inspector General Stuart Bowen issued a final notice to Planned Parenthood, saying the undercover videos showed the organization acting in a way that violate[s] generally accepted medical standards, as reflected in state and federal law, and are Medicaid program violations that justify termination.

Planned Parenthood sued, kicking off a yearslong legal battle to determine whether Texas had the right to remove a provider from the joint state-federal program. In 2017, a judge granted an injunction that allowed Planned Parenthood to continue to treat patients and bill Medicaid while this question moved through the courts.

During this time, Planned Parenthood affiliates in Texas continued to provide birth control, cancer screenings, HIV tests and other medical services to patients on Medicaid, it continued to bill the state for those services and it continued to be reimbursed.

Finally, in March 2021, the final ruling came down, allowing Texas to remove Planned Parenthood from the Medicaid program.

That was one of the hardest days of my career, Thomas said. These were patients wed been treating for a long time, who came to us for a lot, and we were just very worried about where they were going to go.

With several rounds of funding and program cuts under their belt, the providers at Planned Parenthood knew there wasnt a robust system of medical practices that accepted Medicaid waiting to catch these new patients.

The assumption that patients will simply obtain their health care elsewhere is simply not true, said Laura Terrill, the president at Planned Parenthood South Texas. Weve seen STI rates increase, maternal mortality rates increase, teen pregnancy increase  after health centers were forced to close.

The clinics did what they could, making medical records available for transfer, preparing lists of possible providers and fundraising to provide low-cost private pay options. While this was happening, the state implemented a new abortion law that prohibited the procedure after about six weeks of pregnancy. Planned Parenthood, like all abortion clinics in Texas, complied.

This was a time when we should be encouraging additional people to come into the health care network, and instead, there was a concerted effort to kick critically important providers out of the network, Terrill said.

And then came the lawsuit. Texas and an anonymous filer, claiming to be associated with the group that released the videos back in 2015, claim Planned Parenthood should have to pay back all the Medicaid reimbursements it received while the injunction was in place.

The 2022 lawsuit, filed by Paxton before he was impeached this year, argues that Planned Parenthood erred by not appealing the initial termination through administrative channels and instead pursuing the case through the courts.

Though theyre seeking to claw back $10 million in payments, theyve asked the judge to order Planned Parenthood to pay an additional two times that value, plus civil penalties and interest from the day the payment was billed as well as expenses, costs and attorneys fees.

The estimated $1.8 billion payment would likely bankrupt Texas three Planned Parenthood affiliates several times over at a moment the organization argues they are needed more than ever.

Dr. Amna Dermish, chief operating and medical services officer at Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas, and Melissa Lynn, a nurse practitioner at the Waco clinic, discuss ultrasounds at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Austin on Aug. 8, 2023. Credit: Montinique Monroe for The Texas Tribune

We have a high uninsured and underinsured rate in Texas, Dermish said. We have an epidemic of syphilis. We have no access to prenatal care. I dont see anybody rushing to fill that void, and in the aftermath of [Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization], theres been no effort to truly expand access to care. Its just so frustrating.

Thomas said one of the most painful parts of this lawsuit is the implication that the organization, knowing how dedicated Texas is to shutting it down, failed to follow proper administrative procedure.

Our organization knows we always have to be making decisions that are the most ethical and the most compliant with any rule or regulation out there, so it just felt like a great injustice, she said. I had hoped that if you play by the rules and do the right thing, it will turn out right, but thats not the case.

This lawsuit was filed in 2022 in Amarillo, a city that does not have a Planned Parenthood clinic, ensuring it would be heard by Kacsmaryk, a favorite judge among conservative litigants.

Before President Donald Trump appointed him to the bench, Kacsmaryk worked for First Liberty Institute, a conservative religious liberty firm based in Plano. He litigated several anti-abortion cases and has espoused personal animus toward abortion.

In April, Kacsmaryk suspended approval of mifepristone, a common abortion-inducing drug. The U.S. Supreme Court put that ruling on hold temporarily. He also ruled that Title X, a long-standing federal program that provides confidential contraception to anyone, including minors, violated Texas parents rights.

Planned Parenthood has called this lawsuit meritless and asked Kacsmaryk to dismiss it entirely. But Texas and the anonymous plaintiff recently filed a brief claiming a June Supreme Court decision about the False Claims Act clarified the law in their favor.

Kacsmaryk is scheduled to hear arguments from both sides today. He has not said when he will rule.

Disclosure: Planned Parenthood 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.
[Source]

An ex-convict was arrested and charged for fatally slashing a mans neck during a fight near Chinatown in New York City.

What happened: The unidentified victim got into an argument with Huang Yu Feng, 49, at around 3:30 a.m. on Sunday on Bayard Street near the entrance of Columbus Park. Feng was reported to have slashed the mans neck. The victim was found by police and rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where he was eventually pronounced dead.

Arrest and charges: Feng, who lives by Sara D. Roosevelt Park, was reportedly arrested at the scene. He was later charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon. The altercation leading up to the physical fight is currently unclear.

Criminal history: Feng has a long history of arrests dating back over 20 years, according to the New York Police Department. He was arrested for robbery in 2000 and was also detained twice for criminal possession of a weapon and assault in 2008. In 2016 and 2018, he was taken into custody for forcible touching.

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Feng also served around three months in state prison from October 2009 to January 2010 for second-degree assault and around two years in state prison on a first-degree attempted sexual abuse conviction from 2019 to 2021. He was reportedly released on parole, which expired last year.

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Charles McGonigal, a former FBI official arrives at Federal Court in New York

Ex-FBI agent pleads guilty over illegal work for Russian oligarch under US sanctions Charles McGonigal, a former FBI official arrives at Federal Court in New York

By Jody Godoy

(Reuters) - A former FBI agent admitted to working for Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska while he was under U.S. sanctions and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy in a New York court on Tuesday, in exchange for prosecutors dropping other charges.

Prosecutors in January said Charles McGonigal, who led the FBI's counterintelligence division in New York before retiring in 2018, received concealed payments from Deripaska in exchange for investigating a rival businessman and unsuccessfully pushed in 2019 to have Deripaska's sanctions lifted.

At the time, McGonigal pleaded not guilty to four criminal counts including sanctions violations and money laundering.

McGonigal, 55, said in federal court in Manhattan on Tuesday that he worked for Deripaska between spring and autumn of 2021 to find negative information on Vladimir Potanin in an attempt to have the Deripaska rival put on the U.S. sanctions list.

The former FBI agent received $17,500 for that work, which was routed from Russia through accounts in Cyprus and New Jersey in an attempt to mask the source of the payments, he said.

McGonigal told the court he was "deeply remorseful" for his actions.

His attorney Seth DuCharme told reporters after the hearing that his client was treated fairly.

The conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison. U.S. District Judge Jennifer Rearden is scheduled to sentence McGonigal on Dec. 14.

Matthew Olsen, who leads the U.S. Department of Justice's National Security Division, said in a statement that the case shows the DOJ's "resolve to pursue and dismantle the illegal networks that Russian oligarchs use to try to escape the reach of our sanctions and evade our laws."

U.S. prosecutors charged McGonigal as they ramped up efforts to enforce sanctions on Russian officials and police their suspected enablers following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Deripaska, the founder of Russian aluminum company Rusal was among the two dozen Russian businessmen and government officials who Washington imposed sanctions on in 2018 in reaction to Russia's purported meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.

He and the Kremlin have denied any election interference.

Potanin, 62, is one of Russia's richest men and the president and chairman at Nornickel, the world's largest producer of palladium and refined nickel.

He was placed on the U.S. sanctions list in December 2022.

(Reporting by Jody Godoy in New York; editing by Grant McCool)
Washington  Charles McGonigal, the former top FBI counterintelligence official in New York, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal charge stemming from his work for a sanctioned Russian oligarch and close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In January, federal prosecutors in New York indicted McGonigal on five counts of violating U.S. sanctions, money laundering, conspiracy and making false statements. Prosecutors alleged he was on the payroll of Oleg Deripaska, whom he investigated in his role as the special agent in charge of the counterintelligence division in the FBI's New York Field Office. Deripaska has been sanctioned by the U.S. since 2018, making it illegal to do any business with him.

McGonigal initially contested the charges but changed his stance on Tuesday, pleading guilty to one count of conspiring to violate a law known as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and to launder money. The charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. McGonigal must also forfeit $17,500 under the terms of the plea agreement.

"After his tenure as a high-level FBI official who supervised and participated in investigations of Russian oligarchs, Charles McGonigal has now admitted that he agreed to evade U.S. sanctions by providing services to one of those oligarchs, Oleg Deripaska," said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan. "This Office will continue to hold to account those who violate U.S. sanctions for their own financial benefit."

Former FBI official Charles McGonigal arrives at Manhattan Federal Court in New York on Feb. 9, 2023. / Credit: YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images

In exchange for his guilty plea, the U.S. Attorney's Office in New York will seek to dismiss the other charges included in the original indictment and could recommend a slightly more lenient sentence if McGonigal "clearly demonstrates acceptance of responsibility" before sentencing.

After McGonigal retired from the FBI in 2018, prosecutors alleged he and a former Russian diplomat-turned-interpreter for U.S. courts worked unsuccessfully on Deripaska's behalf to get sanctions against him lifted. The pair also investigated a rival Russian oligarch for Deripaska and hide the source of Deripaska's payments.

They "attempted to conceal Deripaska's involvement by, among other means, not directly naming Deripaska in electronic communications, using shell companies as counterparties in the contract that outlined the services to be performed, using a forged signature on that contract, and using the same shell companies to send and receive payment from Deripaska," the Justice Department said Tuesday.

McGonigal admitted to investigating the rival and trying to hide the payments in a criminal information filed with his guilty plea on Tuesday.

Federal prosecutors also said in the original indictment that while McGonigal was still at the FBI he helped arrange an internship for the daughter of an alleged Russian intelligence officer, who worked for Deripaska, with the New York City Police Department.

After McGonigal was indicted, FBI Director Christopher Wray defended the bureau from criticism about its credibility. During his 22-year career at the FBI, McGonigal investigated Russian counterintelligence and espionage operations, and the allegations raised questions about whether any FBI investigations had been jeopardized.

"The way we maintain the trust and confidence of the American people is through our work  showing, when all the facts come out, that we stuck to the process and we treated everyone equally, even when it is one of our own," he said in a Jan. 23 statement. "The FBI will go to great lengths to investigate and hold accountable anyone who violates the law, including when the individual is an FBI employee."

Seth DuCharme, an attorney for McGonigal and a former Justice Department official, said after the indictment that McGonigal had a "long, distinguished career with the FBI."

He has also been charged in a separate case in Washington, D.C., with concealing $225,000 he allegedly received from a former Albanian intelligence employee and misleading the FBI about his contacts with foreign nationals and travel while he was still employed by the bureau.

McGonigal still maintains his not guilty plea in that case.

Political violence risk reignited as Trump faces indictments

Jan. 6 committee lead investigator examines Trump's Georgia indictment

Trump required to surrender in Georgia by noon on August 25
John Alite. Courtesy of John Alite

An ex-mobster called it "disgusting" that Donald Trump is facing a RICO charge like the one he pleaded guilty to.

"I was a menace to this country. I was a criminal," former Gambino associate John Alite told Insider.

Trump and allies like Rudy Giuliani have been indicted on RICO charges famously used against the mafia.

An ex-mobster defended Donald Trump and allies of the former president like Rudy Giuliani after they were indicted in Georgia on RICO charges famously used against the mafia  and even himself.

"They're being treated no different than I was," mafia turncoat and former hitman for the notorious Gambino crime family John Alite told Insider in an interview on Tuesday.

Alite  who pleaded guilty in a Florida federal court in 2008 to RICO conspiracy charges, including two murders and a slew of other crimes  called the latest indictment against Trump "disgusting."

"How can you charge these guys like you charged somebody like myself when I was a criminal?" questioned Alite. "I was a menace to this country. I was a criminal. There is no excuses for the way I lived. I made bad choices."

The 60-year-old ex-mobster enforcer says he has been involved in more than 40 shootings and has since turned his life around, becoming an author, podcast host, and youth motivational speaker to denounce crime.

Alite, a Queens, New York, native who supports Trump, told Insider, "These guys didn't make bad choices. These guys made pro-America choices."

Former President Donald Trump Alex Brandon/AP

A Georgia grand jury late Monday indicted Trump and 18 co-defendants, including ex-New York City mayor Giuliani, over their efforts to overturn Trump's Georgia loss during the 2020 presidential election.

Prosecutors using the state's version of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (known as RICO) alleged that Trump and his co-defendants operated a "criminal organization" to conspire to overturn the 2020 election results.

The 41-count indictment marks the fourth criminal case against Trump. If the former president or his co-defendants are convicted of the RICO charges in Georgia, they could face between five and 20 years behind bars.

"This is insanity," said Alite, who served three years behind bars in Brazil and 10 years in prison in the US before he was released in 2013.

Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani. AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File

"The reason why I am speaking up for Giuliani and Trump is because they're not me. They're not guys that did the wrong thing. They have no business being treated like this," Alite said.

Ironically, Giuliani pioneered the use of RICO laws to go after the mafia and mob bosses in New York while he was working as a federal prosecutor in the 1980s.

"The guy saved so many lives as a prosecutor, as a mayor," Alite said of Giuliani.

When asked whether he had any advice to offer Giuliani or Trump since he's been hit with RICO charges himself, Alite said: "What good advice can you give guys like Rudy Giuliani whose been a crime-fighter his whole life, who cleaned up our whole city."

Read the original article on Business Insider
As a light drizzle fell Tuesday afternoon, streets around the Lewis R. Slaton Courthouse in Atlanta were surprisingly quiet  especially given that the night before it had been the scene of the fourth indictment of former President Donald J. Trump.

Dozens of reporters for local, national, even international outlets sought refuge under awnings and trees along the still-barricaded Pryor Street, waiting. Law enforcement was waiting, too  with officers sitting in vehicles or standing next to motorcycles.

At one point a deputy drove past in an oversized Fulton County Sheriff golf cart, with what appeared to be a rifle between his knees.

Even a thunderstorm Tuesday afternoon did not disperse the media camped outside the Lewis R. Slaton Courthouse in Atlanta where, on Monday, a grand jury indicted former president Donald J. Trump

A storied courthouse adds another chapter

The courthouse is in the heart of Atlanta's government district, within blocks of the state Capitol building and Atlanta's city hall. It has been the venue for many famous trials, including one in 1974 that ended with Marcus Wayne Chenault sentenced to death for the murder of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s mother, Alberta.

More recently, 11 Atlanta Public Schools teachers and administrators were found guilty in 2015 in the nation's largest test-cheating scandal  a case charged under the state racketeering law again used by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in the historic indictment of Trump and his associates broadcast around the world Monday night.

RICO charges, false statements 7 Takeaways from Trump's Georgia indictment

On Tuesday, the block in front of the courthouse was a riot of colors. Parking spaces were barricaded by orange plastic barriers. Neat rows of red, white and blue media tents stretched up onto sidewalks and into an adjacent courtyard, a reminder of Monday's daylong vigil following rumors of the impending indictments.

Pryor Street in Atlanta was blocked off Tuesday in front of the Lewis R. Slaton Courthouse in Atlanta, where on Monday evening a grand jury indicted former president Donald J. Trump

Otherwise, like any other weekday, pedestrians with official government business walked through the area, some carrying papers or license plates. Brayon Velas was caught off guard by the scene.

Velas, a senior at George State, was trying get a car registered. He was not up to date on the indictment, but he did know something was different  TV vans had replaced the normal food trucks.

"This is not regular," he said.

Mixed feelings on the indictment

Octavia Cook had seen the indictment on the news but decided to come down for her annual car registration anyway. Cook, who is Black, said she liked the former president because she feels he helped Black people and Biden hasn't.

"I hope they free Trump, I hope that they drop all the charges," she said. "I don't believe Trump did all that."

Media found tent spaces along the road, on the sidewalk and in the courtyard of an adjacent building as they continued watching the Lewis R. Slaton Courthouse on Tuesday

Willis had notified law enforcement well in advance of the potential indictment, giving them time to prepare security. But on Tuesday, these security preparations were not being tested in any obvious ways. Most passers by did not seem particularly interested in the courthouse  no protestors or street preachers or onlookers.

An exception to this last category was Michael Penn and his brother Sidney, who decided to bike down to the courthouse to see what was up.

"I was hoping (the indictment) came today because I kind of wanted to be here," Michael said.

Michael noted that the investigation took a long time, and likely was expensive for taxpayers. But when Willis "put the hammer down, she put it down," he said. "So I guess it was worth waiting."

Both brothers retired from the military; Sidney then worked in law enforcement.

"Coming from a law enforcement background," he said, "I believe if you did the crime you gotta do the time."

Michael agreed  he said he hopes all those indicted will serve time or serve as witnesses against others: "They were trying to overthrow our government," he said. "That's almost unheard of."

As the afternoon stretched on, the main event was a thunderstorm. Even as it broke, a few TV anchors carried on with their stand ups from under cover of their tents, recapping the news from the day before and speculating about what comes next  again and again.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: After Trump indictment, Fulton County Courthouse is surprisingly quiet
Former President Donald Trump and 18 allies in Georgia were formally charged under a statute typically linked to organized crime in connection with their actions aimed at overturning the 2020 election results in the state.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis brought the charges Monday night after a two-and-a-half-year criminal investigation into the efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn President Joe Biden's victory in Georgia's 2020 presidential election.

Prosecutors have alleged that the ex-president, along with lawyers and other aides, engaged in a "criminal enterprise" with the intention of maintaining his hold on power. Willis, who has a track record of relying on Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act throughout her career, used the statute to combine several alleged crimes into one racketeering charge that carries up to 20 years in prison.

"Using RICO allows the government to piece together a mosaic of conduct by many different people in different places and times that altogether amounts to a crime," Nathan Chapman, a professor of law at the University of Georgia, told Salon. "The fact that it was developed for organized crime, and it is charged here, may suggest to some people that the alleged crimes are 'like' those committed by the mob or a drug ring. I would expect Trump's political opponents to make hay out of that."

Two years ago, Willis enlisted the expertise of John Floyd, an experienced attorney who authored the book on Georgia state RICO laws, to aid in the investigation related to Trump, according to ABC News. This move provided insight into her potential approach to handling the case.

"RICO is a hugely important statute in Georgia," Eric Segall, the Kathy & Lawrence Ashe Professor of Law at Georgia State University, told Salon. "It carries a minimum sentence of five years. It's inconceivable to me that this case will go to trial because it's inconceivable to me that Trump would roll that dice if it gets there."

The most important thing is whether the former president can "remove" the Georgia case to federal court, Segall added.

The "removal statute" refers to a legal provision that allows any "officer of the United States" to remove a case from a state court to a federal court if the case arises from their official responsibilities.

This typically happens when the case involves federal law or when parties from different states are involved, and the defendant believes they would have a fairer trial in a federal court.

In order to move the case, Trump would have to satisfy specific conditions. He would have to be considered a "federal officer," who was performing his "official duties" and took actions within "the color of his office."

"Colorable federal defense" and engaging in "official duties" are defined "incredibly broadly," and can provide validity to Trump's argument, Segall said.

Even though the most recent indictment was filed in state court in Fulton County, Ga., Trump is expected to try and "remove" the case to federal court, where he is likely to encounter a friendlier jury pool and a judge he appointed to the bench.

"Most importantly, there's a good chance he can get the charges dismissed," Segall said.

Trump, who is running again for president in the 2024 election, has now been indicted in four separate criminal investigations this year. Earlier this month, the ex-president was indicted over his attempts to remain in the White House after losing the 2020 election.

Now, after his most recent indictment, Trump may rely on a familiar tactic he used after being charged for falsifying business records to cover up an affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels.

Trump argued that the payments to Daniels in 2016 were connected to his duties and that the case should therefore be shifted to federal court.

"The judge correctly said that 'you don't get to take this case to federal court because paying Stormy Daniels hush money cannot be an official act of the president's. There's nothing government about that,'" Segall said.

Within the context of Georgia, Trump could potentially assert that, in his role as the president of the United States, his efforts were aimed at ensuring the integrity and fairness of the federal election process, he added.

"We know that wasn't his motivation," Segall continued. "His motivation was he hated losing."

Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.

But states can't criminalize the official duties of federal officials. Federal law is supreme and the issue ultimately comes down to which judge gets to decide the case, Segall said.

The nearly 100-page indictment outlines several instances in which Trump or his allies tried to reverse his election loss. Their actions include urging Georgia's secretary of state to find enough votes for him to win the battleground state, subjecting an election worker to harassment based on baseless fraud allegations, organizing fake slates of electors and even breaching sensitive election equipment machines in Coffee County, Ga.

The 41-count indictment brings charges against some of Trump's most trusted advisers and key allies, including his former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and attorneys John Eastman, Sidney Powell, Jeff Clark, Ken Chesebro and Jenna Ellis.

Willis has said the defendants have until noon Friday, Aug. 25, to surrender to Georgia authorities. She also said she plans to seek a trial date within six months and that she intends to try the defendants collectively.

"Do not expect a trial in Georgia anytime in the near future," Segall said. "I know she said six months. I'm here to tell you there's almost no chance."

He pointed to the possibility of some of the 18 defendants, who were charged alongside Trump, flipping and testifying against the former president, which would add more time.

But if Trump tries to remove his case to federal court, this would further slow down the timeline.

"We have a defendant being charged in four different jurisdictions in some very complicated cases," Segall said. "As reprehensible as Donald Trump is, he has a constitutional right to due process of law and he has a constitutional right to be treated like other defendants."

The scheduling issues around all four of the indictments Trump is facing are going to be "complex" and "difficult" to navigate, he added. But in order to "intellectually and honestly" analyze these cases, "we've got to take Trump's awfulness out of the equation and ask how do we want future presidents to be treated?"

Some precedents can be set here although it's "very bad" to set legal precedents, he added.

"You know, they say hard cases make bad law," Segall said. "Well, hard constitutional cases involving the president of the United States can make very bad law."

Read more

about the Fulton case
By Tom Hals

(Reuters) -Former U.S. President Donald Trump was indicted on Monday for his alleged efforts to illegally overturn the Georgia vote in the 2020 presidential election which put Joe Biden in the White House.

Donald Trump and his 18 co-defendants have until noon on Aug. 25 to surrender to authorities in Fulton County on charges of trying to overturn the former presidents loss in the 2020 election in Georgia.

In a press conference following the release of a 41-count indictment, District Attorney Fani Willis said a grand jury has authorized arrest warrants for all the defendants. Willis said she intends to try all 19 defendants together, and to hold a trial within the next 6 months.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

After defendants in Georgia are indicted by a grand jury, they are arraigned, which is the formal reading in court of the charges. Defendants are also asked to enter a plea. Trump's attorney could ask the court to waive the arraignment, and he could enter a plea of not guilty without appearing in court.

Bail also will be determined. He likely will be released, probably in exchange for a promise to return to face the charges at trial.

Trump will have his mugshot taken upon being taken into custody, Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat told local media this month.

HOW FAR OFF IS A TRIAL?

Trump is known for using the courts to draw out cases, and the prosecution could be further slowed by novel legal questions stemming from the unprecedented nature of the case.

Legal experts said a delay could benefit the former president, who is seeking the Republican nomination for the Nov. 5, 2024, presidential election.

Trump is likely to challenge the prosecution, claiming it was motivated by political bias.

Trump may try to move it to another part of the state, arguing the jury pool in Fulton County, which Biden won with about 73% of the vote, would be biased against him.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE CASE GOES TO TRIAL?

The process of selecting a jury could be lengthy, given the passionate views many people have of the former president and the amount of time jurors would have to dedicate to the trial. In the ongoing trial in Atlanta of rapper Young Thug, or Jeffery Lamar Williams, jury selection ran for months.

A jury of 12 people from Fulton County must all agree beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump is guilty for a conviction on any count. If the jury cannot reach a unanimous verdict, the judge can declare a mistrial.

If Trump is convicted, he would likely seek a new trial by asserting the outcome was inconsistent with evidence or contrary to the law.

(Reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware; Additional reporting by Jack Queen in New York; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Alistair Bell)
(Reuters) - The indictment of former U.S. President Donald Trump and 18 others in Georgia includes charges against three alleged co-conspirators related to the harassment of election workers. The involvement of the trio  Trevian Kutti, Harrison Floyd and Stephen Cliffgard Lee  in efforts to keep Trump in power was first revealed by Reuters in a series of reports in 2021 and 2022.

THE CHARGES

Kutti, Floyd and Lee are charged with solicitation of false statements and influencing witnesses for their efforts to compel Ruby Freeman, an election worker in Georgias Fulton County, into making a bogus confession to voting fraud in January 2021.

All three did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.

Trump has denied all the charges against him as a politicized effort to keep him from regaining the presidency.

THE BACKSTORY

Following the November 2020 vote, Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea Shaye Moss, were falsely accused by Trump and his campaign of illegally counting phony mail-in ballots after pulling them from mysterious suitcases while working on Election Day at Atlantas State Farm Arena. In fact, the suitcases were standard ballot containers, and the votes were properly counted, county and state officials quickly confirmed, refuting the fraud claims.

TREVIAN KUTTI

As Reuters reported, Trevian Kutti, a publicist, traveled to Georgia days before the Jan. 6, 2021, riot and showed up uninvited at Freemans door. Kutti told Freeman she was sent by a high-profile individual, whom she didnt identify, to deliver Freeman a message: Freeman was in unspecified danger, due to the election, and had just 48 hours to get ahead of the issue before unknown people were going to show up at her home.

In an Instagram post after that article was published, Kutti denied pressuring Freeman to falsely admit fraud.

Kutti had been identifying herself publicly as a member of the Young Black Leadership Council under President Donald Trump. She also had claimed to work for Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, and that her clients included the Queen of Jordan. A spokesperson for the queen denied any involvement with Kutti; a representative for Ye said Kutti wasnt associated with the rapper when she met Freeman.

HARRISON FLOYD

In a follow-up article, Reuters reported that Trump campaign aide Harrison Floyd, executive director of a group called Black Voices for Trump, told the news organization he had recruited Kutti to meet with Freeman. Floyd said he then participated by phone in a meeting Kutti held with Freeman at a police station in Georgias Cobb County.

Floyd told Reuters he was asked if hed be willing to set up the meeting by a man he described as a chaplain with connections in federal law enforcement. He declined to name the clergyman or to detail his connections. Floyd said he arranged the meeting to help Freeman. Floyd said the chaplain, who is white, wanted him to approach Freeman, who is Black, to discuss an immunity deal for her, out of a belief that she would not trust a white stranger. Floyd and Kutti are Black.

STEPHEN LEE

In September 2022, Reuters identified Stephen Lee, an Illinois-based former police officer, as the man who sought Floyds help with Freeman, drawing on police bodycam footage and other reporting. In December 2020, Reuters reported, Lee had visited Freemans house himself but was turned away by the frightened election worker. Lee, in a brief interview at his home in Montgomery, Illinois, did not dispute that he visited Freeman but declined to discuss why or whether someone had sent him. Lee formerly worked as a police officer in California and later served as a chaplain comforting officers and others after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York.

The hounding of Freeman and Moss upended their lives, unleashing a wave of death threats against them and forcing Freeman to flee her home, as Reuters chronicled. They later described their ordeal in dramatic testimony before the U.S. Houses Jan. 6 committee.

(This Aug. 15 story has been corrected to read 'All three' instead of 'The three men', as Kutti is a woman, in paragraph 3)

(Reporting by Jason Szep and Lindo So; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
Explainer-Trump charged under law used to prosecute mafia bosses Republican presidential candidate Trump holds a campaign rally in Windham

By Jack Queen

(Reuters) - Criminal charges filed against former U.S. President Donald Trump in Georgia state court include allegations that he violated an anti-organized crime law known as RICO that is more expansive than its federal counterpart.

WHAT IS RICO?

U.S. lawmakers passed the federal Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act in 1970 to battle organized crime, notably the mafia. Most states enacted similar laws with various twists.

The main requirements under the federal RICO law are at least two underlying crimes and participation in a criminal enterprise over a long period of time.

Georgia's RICO law does not require criminal enterprises to be long running and lists nearly 50 underlying crimes that qualify as racketeering, compared with 35 under its federal counterpart.

Defendants who are found guilty of Georgia RICO charges face between five and 20 years in prison, and while federal law has the same maximum, it does not have a minimum.

HOW IS RICO TYPICALLY USED?

The mafia in the U.S. has largely been dismantled, and RICO's application has been broadened to many other types of organized criminal activity.

Prosecutors have applied the law to all sorts of groups that they characterize as criminal "enterprises," including Wall Street banks and traders engaged in market manipulation.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, an elected Democrat who brought the charges against Trump, once used the law to prosecute more than two dozen Atlanta educators for allegedly scheming to cheat on standardized test scores in 2014.

Attorneys for the teachers said Willis overreached by deeming Atlanta's public school system a "criminal enterprise," but the convictions held up on appeal.

WHY ARE PROSECUTORS USING RICO?

RICO was originally conceived as a tool to go after mafia kingpins who kept their hands clean by parking ill-gotten gains in shell corporations and leaving the dirty work to underlings.

The law does not require prosecutors to prove that defendants directly engaged in criminal activity, just that they were part of a larger organization that did.

That means prosecutors would not necessarily have to prove Trump personally broke the law but knowingly coordinated with others who did.

WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF USING RICO?

RICO cases are inherently more complex because prosecutors must first prove the existence of a criminal enterprise.

The Trump indictment names an additional 18 co-defendants, including Trump's onetime lawyer Rudy Giuliani, his former chief of staff Mark Meadows and lawyer John Eastman.

Prosecutors will need to prove that Trump and his co-defendants worked together towards a common criminal purpose, which is not always as straightforward as proving an underlying RICO crime.

But each additional co-defendant is another that prosecutors could coax into testifying against the others.

(This story has been refiled with a corrected picture caption)

(Reporting by Jack Queen in New York; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Howard Goller)
By Sarah N. Lynch, Jacqueline Thomsen

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Former President Donald Trump again stands accused of illegally trying to overturn the 2020 election results to stay in power. But for the first time some allies and closest advisers also face criminal charges for their roles in the alleged scheme.

Already charged by a federal grand jury in Washington with orchestrating a plot to overturn the election, Trump is the lead defendant in a parallel case in Georgia now, charged with racketeering and other crimes along with aides, associates and others listed below.

Not listed are six lesser-known people, including some Georgia officials, charged with additional crimes ranging from perjury to conspiracy to commit computer theft in addition to racketeering.

MARK MEADOWS

Mark Meadows, who went from being one of Trump's top Republican allies in the U.S. House of Representatives to his White House chief of staff, attended White House meetings related to attempts to undo Trump's election defeat.

The indictment alleges he helped to fuel the conspiracy by making false statements about the election and conspired with Trump to develop a plan to disrupt and delay the congressional certification of the electoral votes on Jan. 6, 2021.

It also alleges he tried to pressure a chief investigator in the Georgia secretary of state's office, Frances Watson, to speed up the Fulton County signature verification and that he took part in a phone call in which Trump pushed Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" enough votes to reverse his narrow loss in the state. Raffensperger declined to do so. An attorney for Meadows did not respond to a request for comment.

RUDY GIULIANI

Trumps former personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, played a prominent public role in the Trump campaign's efforts to push false claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. The former New York City mayor was involved in litigation that was rejected by courts and falsely claimed in testimony at local hearings in Georgia that he was in possession of evidence proving election fraud.

The indictment alleges he made numerous false statements about election fraud, including to officials in other states like Arizona and Pennsylvania, in a failed bid to convince them to approve an alternative slate of electors to keep Trump in power. He and other Trump allies are also accused of making false statements to Georgia lawmakers about the election, including claims about vote counting errors by Dominion voting machines. Giuliani's attorney declined to comment.

JOHN EASTMAN

Attorney John Eastman represented Trump in a long-shot lawsuit to overturn voting results in four states Trump lost in 2020. He has been under scrutiny by both U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith's office and state prosecutors in Georgia for penning a series of legal memos which claimed that former Vice President Mike Pence could reject electors from certain states to deny Democrat Joe Biden a majority of Electoral College votes. The indictment in Georgia alleges he was part of a plot to appoint fake electors. His attorney did not respond to a request for comment.

JEFFREY BOSSERT CLARK

Jeffrey Clark is a former high-ranking Justice Department official. In the waning days of the Trump administration, Clark sought to persuade Trump to oust Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen so that he could take over the department and help pursue Trump's false claims by opening an investigation into voter fraud in Georgia and other swing states. The federal indictment brought by Smith against Trump also appears to refer to Clark as a co-conspirator. Monday's indictment cites Clark's efforts to persuade Rosen to submit a letter to Georgia falsely claiming the Justice Department had detected voting irregularities there.

Rachel Cauley, a spokesperson for Clark's employer Center for Renewing America, said in a statement that Clark "was simply doing his job in 2020, and he doesn't deserve to be subjected to this naked political lawfare."

SIDNEY POWELL

Attorney Sidney Powell played a leading role in promoting false fraud claims after the 2020 U.S. election. She was part of a team that filed unsuccessful lawsuits seeking to overturn election results and was sanctioned by a Michigan judge in one of those cases. She became an adviser to Trump on fraud claims after the election. The indictment accuses her of tampering with electronic ballot markers and tabulators in Coffee County, Georgia, computer theft and unlawfully possessing ballots. She could not be immediately reached for comment.

KENNETH CHESEBRO

Kenneth Chesebro is a Trump campaign attorney accused in the indictment of helping to devise a plan to submit fake slates of electors for Trump to obstruct U.S. congressional certification of the election results. The indictment alleges he wrote a memo that provided instructions for how alternate slates of electors in states including Georgia should proceed to meet and cast votes for Trump. An attorney for Chesebro did not respond to a request for comment.

JENNA ELLIS

Attorney Jenna Ellis was part of the Trump campaign's legal team that falsely claimed widespread voter fraud in 2020. The indictment alleges that Ellis was part of an effort to get false electors appointed by state lawmakers in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan and Pennsylvania. The court papers assert that she wrote legal memos for Trump on how Pence on Jan. 6, 2021, could delay the certification of Bidens election win. Ellis in March agreed to be censured by a Colorado court after admitting to making false claims about voter fraud. In a social media post on Tuesday, Ellis accused the Fulton County district attorney of "criminalizing the practice of law."

DAVID SHAFER

The indictment alleges that David Shafer, who served as Georgia Republican Party chairman, played a key role in organizing and executing the plan to submit an alternate slate of electors. Shafer is among those charged with mailing a fake certificate of the so-called Trump electors to a federal courthouse, as well as other offenses tied to the fake elector plot. He is also charged with making false statements to Fulton County investigators.

In a statement, lawyers for Shafer said their client is "totally innocent" of the charges. "His conduct regarding the 2020 presidential election was lawful, appropriate and specifically authorized by the U.S. Constitution," they added.

MICHAEL ROMAN

Michael Roman, who worked for Trumps 2020 campaign, is alleged to have played a role in orchestrating the fake elector plot. The indictment claims he was in touch with those organizing a meeting of the fake Trump electors in Georgia. He could not be immediately reached for comment.

TREVIAN KUTTI

Reuters reported that Trevian Kutti, a publicist, traveled to Georgia days before the Jan. 6, 2021, riot and showed up uninvited at the door of Ruby Freeman, an election worker in Georgias Fulton County. Kutti told Freeman she was sent by a high-profile individual, whom she didnt identify, to deliver Freeman a message: Freeman was in unspecified danger, due to the election, and had just 48 hours to get ahead of the issue before unknown people were going to show up at her home.

In an Instagram post after that article was published, Kutti denied pressuring Freeman to falsely admit fraud.

HARRISON FLOYD

In a follow-up article, Reuters reported that Trump campaign aide Harrison Floyd, executive director of a group called Black Voices for Trump, told the news organization he had recruited Kutti to meet with Freeman. Floyd said he then participated by phone in a meeting Kutti held with Freeman at a police station in Georgias Cobb County.

Floyd told Reuters he was asked if hed be willing to set up the meeting by a man he described as a chaplain with connections in federal law enforcement. He declined to name the clergyman or to detail his connections. Floyd said he arranged the meeting to help Freeman.

STEPHEN LEE

In September 2022, Reuters identified Stephen Lee, an Illinois-based former police officer, as the man who sought Floyds help with Freeman, drawing on police bodycam footage and other reporting. In December 2020, Reuters reported Lee had visited Freemans house himself but was turned away by the frightened election worker. Lee, in a brief interview at his home in Montgomery, Illinois, did not dispute that he visited Freeman but declined to discuss why or whether someone had sent him.

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and Jacqueline Thomsen; Additional reporting by Jack Queen in New York; Editing by Ross Colvin, Howard Goller and Daniel Wallis)
A video from an Applebees employee shows the violent handling of Jermelle English, Jr. as he held his infant.

Months in jail and thousands of dollars in fines. Those are the penalties a Black couple faces for Wisconsin police arresting them instead of the actual suspects. The innocent duo fought back, and the prosecutor charged them for defending themselves.

Last month, Kenosha, Wisconsin, police arrested Jermelle English Jr. and Shanya Boyd in an Applebees after mistaking them for suspects in a hit-and-run. Prosecutors subsequently charged a 17-year-old with felony hit-and-run, not Boyd or English. That doesnt matter. The duo insisted on their innocence and fought back. For not going quietly to jail with their baby, prosecutors charged them with resisting arrest.

A video from an Applebees employee circulated on social media shows the violent arrest of English, which community leaders and activists denounced. In the video, several Kenosha officers grabbed and pushed English as he sits on the restaurant floor cradling his infant and insisting he did nothing wrong. English yells, Get off of me while the baby cries and an employee pleads with the officers not to harm the babys head as they shake the childs father.

After the babys removal, cops wrestle English to the ground. One cop appears to punch him repeatedly. One employee argues with an officer about his right to film the incident. That officer retorts, Youre obstructing my investigation, before instructing the employee to back away.

The Kenosha County District Attorneys office did not respond to requests for comment from theGrio. As of this writing, English and Boyd still face charges.

Jermelle English Jr. and Shanya Boyd face charges for resisting arrest in an Applebees after police officers mistook them for suspects in a hit-and-run. Prosecutors subsequently charged a 17-year-old with felony hit-and-run. (Photo by Paul Weaver/Getty Images)

Aug. 23 marks three years since the Jacob Blake police shooting in Kenosha, which was part of the racial reckoning that captured the nation in 2020. That tragic anniversary stands top of mind for community leaders decrying the legal troubles Boyd and English face.

Were disheartened, saddened and angry that were still having the same conversation in 2023 that we had in 2020, Tanya McLean, the executive director of Leaders of Kenosha told theGrio. Were back in the news for a police brutality-related incident.

McLean observed that the only reason English and Boyd face charges is because the police made a mistake identifying the correct suspect. Were not anti-police, she said. Were anti-people who oppress based on the color of someones skin out of fear.

Prosecutors charged English and Boyd with resisting an officer, disorderly conduct, according to court documents. Boyd faces an additional marijuana possession charge. Community activists and leaders in Kenosha condemned the arrest as unwarranted and brutal. The Kenosha Police Department is investigating the incident.

If convicted, the maximum penalty for resisting arrest in Wisconsin is nine months in jail and a $10,000 fine. For disorderly conduct, a person could spend 90 days in jail and pay $1,000. For marijuana possession, Boyd could spend six months in jail and pay $1,000.

The Kenosha Police Department did not respond to requests for comment from theGrio, but according to a criminal complaint reported by The Kenosha News, when the officers approached the couple in Applebees English tried to walk away from them, and the cops told him he was not free to go.

The complaint says that the officers asked the couple which car belonged to them, but they didnt want to answer. When one of the officers tried to stop English from leaving again, they got into a struggle.

Despite being assisted by the Pleasant Prairie Police, (the man) continued to try to pull away and had to be decentralized to the ground. While (the man) was on the ground, he was ordered to put his hands behind his back and (an officer) delivered several strong side hand and forearm strikes in order [to] ensure compliance, the complaint says.

The police also say that Boyd fought with one of the officers, and after arresting her found marijuana in her possession.

Lawyers for Boyd and English did not respond to requests for comment. TheGrio contacted the attorneys of record on court documents and has not been able to determine if they have counsel beyond the listed public defenders.

According to the website for the Cohen Law Offices based in Wisconsin, resisting an arrest involves the use of force to prevent the arrest, while obstruction [may] include any actions meant to impede the arrest or investigation. You can also be charged with resisting an arrest by using non-physical resistance.

The Cohen firm, which is not involved in the case, lists possible defenses for such charges on its web pages. It states:

You may legally resist arrest when the officer clearly lacked a duty to arrest you for any supected wrongdoing.

You may resist excessive force from an arresting officer. Excessive force employed during an arrest makes the arrest unlawful if the officer has legitimate grounds to arrest you. If you can show that you fought back purely to defend yourself against such force, you may win a dismissal of your case.

McLean expects the body-camera footage to be released soon and hopes that the communitys reaction will influence the prosecutors in the case. We need to continue to apply pressure, McLean says. This can happen to anyone.

TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today!

The post Falsely accused WI couple at risk of fines and jail time appeared first on TheGrio.
Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis (R) is taking on Donald Trump in an sweeping election interference case (CHANDAN KHANNA)

Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis, the woman spearheading the case against Donald Trump for alleged racketeering and election wrongdoing over his 2020 loss to Joe Biden, kept observers in suspense before the late-night bombshell: 13 felony counts against the former president.

Willis, who is in her early 50s, is described as strict and ambitious -- and she has said herself that failure is not an option.

The Democrat, the first woman elected as the district attorney of Fulton County, which includes Atlanta, took up her post on January 1, 2021. She very quickly had to make a decision whether to take aim at the former Republican president.

Trump had made what is now an infamous phone call to Georgia's secretary of state, who is responsible for ensuring the sanctity of elections, asking him to "find" just the number of votes that would reverse Joe Biden's victory in the Peach State.

That was the starting point for what is now the fourth criminal indictment targeting the 77-year-old Trump since March.

"My career has taught me, no matter the political pressure, just do what's right," Willis, who is Black, said after winning office.

"And no matter if you were at the state Capitol or the slums, you will be held accountable if you commit a crime in my community."

- Early exposure to courts -

Born in California and raised in the US capital, Willis has long been immersed in the legal world.

Her father, a lawyer who once belonged to the Black Panthers, often brought her to court in Washington in the 1980s, at the height of the city's crack epidemic.

She told The New York Times that at the tender age of eight, she was "putting his criminal files together" on drug and murder cases.

Far from repulsing her, the atmosphere illuminated a career path for her: she studied at Howard University, the storied predominantly Black college in Washington, and then got her law degree at Emory University in Georgia.

She opened her own practice before moving to the district attorney's office in Fulton County.

- 'Pit bull' -

Willis has a penchant for tackling complex cases, including a cheating scandal in Atlanta's public schools, murders and gang conspiracies like the one ensnaring rapper Young Thug.

She has targeted both Trump and Young Thug for violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act -- usually used to prosecute organized crime cases.

"She is a pit bull," longtime Atlanta homicide detective Vince Velazquez, who worked frequently with Willis, told The Washington Post.

"If I committed a crime, I would not want to be prosecuted by Fani Willis."

Trump, as he often does with his adversaries, has conjured up a nickname for her: "Phoney Fani," with an intentional spelling to refer to his infamous phone call.

He has reserved a barrage of pejorative adjectives for her on his Truth Social platform: "severely underperforming," "very corrupt," "out of control" and even "RACIST."

Trump said Willis had "campaigned and raised money on, 'I will get Trump.'" -- and even suggested at a campaign rally that she had an affair with a gang member.

Willis, who says she has received death threats and often travels with a security detail, is confident in her work.

"I refuse to fail," the mother of two, who gets to the office at 6:30 am every morning for a regular 12-hour day, told The Wall Street Journal.

iba/sst/st
Former President Donald Trump and a long list of alleged co-conspirators were indicted late on Monday night on felony racketeering charges by a grand jury in Atlanta over Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state.

In a 98-page document naming 19 different defendants (as well as roughly 30 unindicted co-conspirators, along with "others not named"), Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis outlined a large-scale alleged conspiracy to keep Trump in power through corrupt tactics following the 2020 presidential election. In addition to Trump, the indictment names well-known Trump confidants and advisers  including Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Mark Meadows, Jeffrey Clark, Kenneth Chesebro, Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell  as well as several Georgia Republican officials allegedly involved in either the "fake elector" scheme or in breaching the voting systems in rural Coffee County.

In a press conference that began at about 11:30 p.m., Willis said that Trump and the other defendants would be required to surrender in person for arraignment by Friday, Aug. 25, at 12 noon.

Charging Trump under Georgia's racketeering statute allows prosecutors to tie together crimes committed by different people in pursuit of one common goal. The statute carries a prison term of five to 20 years.

"So it's a very, very serious crime and one of the things that it does is if you indict a lot of people under the RICO Act, that creates a huge incentive for people who are kind of lower the food chain to cooperate to avoid spending at least five years in prison," Georgia State law professor Clark Cunningham told Salon.

If Trump is once again elected president next year, he could presumably use his powers to shut down the federal indictments against him. But he would have no power to do anything about the Georgia case, which is technically a county-level prosecution.

"If he were to win the presidency or if a Republican sympathetic to him were to win ... the president of the United States can't pardon or can't dismiss" these charges, Georgia State law professor Anthony Michael Kreis told Axios. "That puts it in a very different light from the federal cases."

The grand jury indictment is the culmination of a years-long probe by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. A special purpose grand jury started its investigation into the former president in May of 2022 and concluded its work in January. The jurors looked specifically into Trump and his allies' repeated efforts to persuade Georgia state officials to attempt to overturn the 2020 election.

The most famous of those efforts was the infamous phone call that Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in early January of 2021, in which the former president asked him to reverse the election results.

"All I want to do is this: I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more that we have because we won the state," Trump said on the call to Raffensperger, who insisted that the Georgia count was accurate.

CNN has also reported that at least one additional call by Trump to a Georgia state official was part of the investigation.

According to The Guardian, Willis' investigation also included a phone call from Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., in which Graham asked Raffensperger if he had the power to throw out absentee ballots in the state. Willis also investigated Trump allies' efforts to remove BJ Pak, a former U.S. attorney in Atlanta, after he rebuffed Trump's efforts to overturn the election.

The investigation also targeted the so-called fake elector scheme and various texts and documents indicating that Trump's legal team was involved in a breach of voting systems in Coffee County, Georgia.

Ahead of the Georgia indictment, Trump was also accused of potential witness tampering after calling on former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan not to testify. Duncan reportedly spent more than an hour before the Fulton County grand jury earlier on Monday.

The special grand jury heard from 75 witnesses, including Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, Raffensperger, former Trump laywer Riudy Giuliani, Graham and Mark Meadows, Trump's former chief of staff.

Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.

Three portions of the special grand jury's report to the Fulton County district attorney were made public in February, including the introduction, conclusion and a section discussing witnesses who appeared in front of the grand jury that may have lied. The sections made it clear that the grand jury believed perjury charges were warranted for certain witnesses.

The foreperson of the special grand jury in March told CNN that the panel was recommending multiple indictments for more than a dozen people.

Trump, who launched his 2024 campaign for president late last year, has denied any criminal wrongdoing, and has accused Willis of being politically biased. He regularly promotes the false claim that he won the election in Georgia.

Trump's lawyers filed a motion in Atlanta in late March to suppress the release of the grand jury's report, seeking to "preclude the use of any evidence derived" from the special grand jury's investigation. The motion also requests that the office of Willis be disqualified from the case.

Fulton County Superior Judge Robert McBurney last month rejected the motion, writing Trump that can't do anything to quash the probe since he has not been charged.

"[W]hile 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," McBurney wrote.

In a footnote, the judge noted the former president's effort to turn his legal woes "into golden political capital, making it seem more providential than problematic," a la "Rumpelstiltskin."

"While both sides have done enough talking, posting, tweeting ("X'ing"?), and press conferencing to have hit (and perhaps stretched) the bounds of Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct  neither movant has pointed to any averments from the District Attorney or her team of lawyers expressing belief that Trump  is guilty or has committed this or that offense," the judge wrote.

Local law enforcement ramped up security ahead of Trump's indictment. Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat vowed earlier this month that Trump would be treated like any other detainee if he is arrested.

"It doesn't matter your status. We have a mugshot ready for you," Labat told reporters, adding that unless "someone tells me differently, we are following our normal practices."

Read more

about the Georgia investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said its agents followed the Department of Justices policy on use of deadly force when they shot a Utah man last week who allegedly made threats against President Biden.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the FBI said it continues to review the agent-involved shooting that happened at about 6:15 a.m. on Aug. 9 in Provo, Utah.

That morning, agents went to 75-year-old Craig Deleeuw Robertsons home to serve arrest and search warrants after he allegedly made threats toward elected officials and law enforcement officers.

FBI AGENTS KILL MAN IN UTAH WHO ALLEGEDLY THREATENED BIDEN

Utah resident Craig Robertson was killed on Wednesday morning while Federal Bureau of Investigation agents attempted to execute a search and arrest warrant, and officials say the man has made numerous online threats against President Biden and other politicians.

"Robertson resisted arrest and as agents attempted to take him into custody, he pointed a .357 revolver at them," the FBI said. "The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents and task force officers seriously. In accordance with FBI policy, the shooting incident is under review by the FBIs Inspection Division."

The agency did not have any other details about the investigation.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

But when it comes to when agents are permitted to use deadly force, the FBI said it follows the DOJs policy, which was adopted on May 20, 2022.

WHO WAS CRAIG ROBERTSON? UTAH MAN KILLED BY FBI AGENTS AFTER ALLEGEDLY MAKING THREATS AGAINST PRESIDENT BIDEN

A photo from court documents in which the FBI says Craig Robertson described a rifle as a "DEMOCRAT ERADICATOR."

"Law enforcement officers and correctional officers of the Department of Justice may use deadly force only when necessary, that is, when the officer has a reasonable belief that the subject of such force poses an imminent danger of death or serious physical injury to the officer or to another person," the FBI said of the policy, which can be found on the DOJs website.

Prosecutors filed a complaint last Monday in U.S. District Court, Utah district, stating that Robertson was being charged with interstate threats, influencing, impeding and retaliating against federal law enforcement officers by threat, and threats against the president.

EX-FBI LEADER INVOLVED IN TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE MAY CHANGE PLEA IN CHARGES FOR WORKING WITH RUSSIAN OLIGARCH

Prosecutors also allege that Robertson threatened on social media to kill Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

Other posts allegedly included threats against other politicians like California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

In a court filing, an FBI agent said Robertson appeared to "own a sniper rifle and a ghillie suit" in addition to other firearms.
Federal regulators are warning residents not to use pregnancy, ovulation or any other tests manufactured by the lab recently found operating illegally in Fresno County.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a news release that tests manufactured by Universal Meditech Inc., whose Reedley lab was discovered in recent weeks, may not be safe or effective.

The company, whose owners live in China, informed federal authorities the lab is no longer operating or supporting its tests, the FDA said.

The slew of different tests, the FDA said, have been sold online by four distributors: AC&C Distribution LLC., HealthyWiser, Home Health US Inc. and Prestige Biotech Inc.

The company was found to be operating in Reedley in December after being forced out of the city of Fresno late last year, officials have said.

The tests in question may not be labeled as UMI products by the manufacturer and could have been distributed by other manufacturers, the FDA said.

UMI has started a recall for tests that have gone out to distributors, but has not initiated a recall for tests that have already reached consumers, the FDA said.

Federal officials said their concerns about the tests led to the warning.

Officials said consumers should not buy any of the tests listed, and should destroy and toss out any they may already have.

Anyone who has used one should not trust the results, the FDA said. Officials recommend re-testing with a different product and  if still insure  consumers should seek advice from a medical professional.

Consumers should also report any problems experienced with the use of the tests to the FDAs MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program.

Here are the tests federal officials warned against:

One Step Pregnancy Test

DiagnosUS One Step Ovulation Test

HealthyWiser UriTest 10 Parameter Reagent Test Strips for Urinalysis

HealthyWiser UriTest UTI Test Strips

HealthyWiser KetoFast Ketone Test Strips

HealthyWiser pH-Aware pH Test Strips

To Life hCG Pregnancy Urine Test

Am I Pregnant Pregnancy Midstream Test

DeTec hCG Pregnancy Urine Test

PrestiBio Pregnancy Strips

PrestiBio Rapid Detection Pregnancy Test Midstream

PrestiBio Ovulation Strips

PrestiBio Urinalysis Test Strip 10 Parameters

PrestiBio Ketone Test Strips

PrestiBio Breast Milk Alcohol Test Strips

For any further questions, email the Division of Industry and Consumer Education at DICE@FDA.HHS.GOV or call 800-638-2041 or 301-796-7100.
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by two conservative groups intended to halt the Biden administrations plan to cancel $39 billion in student loans for more than 800,000 borrowers.

In an order issued Monday, U.S. District Judge Thomas Ludington of the Eastern District of Michigan dismissed the lawsuit without prejudice, arguing that the groups did not have the standing for their complaint. Ludington said that the groups alleged injuries were not sufficient.

Buteven assuming that Plaintiffs alleged injury was sufficientthey have not adequately demonstrated a causal link between Defendants action and an identifiable injury, the judge wrote in the 18-page order.

The complaint  which was filed by the New Civil Liberties Alliance on behalf of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy and the Cato Institute earlier this month  argued that the administration overstepped its power when it announced the forgiveness in July.

The lawsuit came just weeks after the Supreme Court struck down a broader cancellation plan for student loans pushed by President Biden.

The district court did not rule on the merits of the case and instead said Cato and Mackinac were not the right parties to bring it, Sheng Li, litigation counsel for New Civil Liberties Alliance, said in a statement to The Hill. We disagree with the courts conclusion regarding legal standing and are reviewing legal options with our clients.

The dismissal comes a month after the Education Department announced it will provide $39 billion in total student debt relief for 804,000 borrowers. The Supreme Court had struck down Bidens prior plan to give $10,000 of student debt relief to low- and middle-income borrowers and up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients in a 6-3 decision in June.

A spokesperson told The Hill that the Education Department will not back down or give an inch when it comes to defending working families.

The Biden-Harris Administration is fighting every day to fix the broken student loan system and make sure borrowers get the relief they earned, need, and deserve, the spokesperson said. This lawsuit was nothing but a desperate attempt from right wing special interests to keep hundreds of thousands of borrowers in debt, even though these borrowers have earned the forgiveness that is promised through income-driven repayment plans.

Updated Aug. 15 at 11:16 a.m. ET

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Newton B. Jones, the embattled leader of the Kansas City, Kansas-based International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, is out as the unions longtime international president, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.

In what he called a preliminary ruling from the bench, Chief Judge Eric F. Melgren, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas, upheld a June 2 decision by the unions top executives to remove Jones as president.

As of that day, Mr. Jones was removed from office, Melgren said. The judge said he would issue a final, written ruling on the issue within the week.

After the hearing, members of the unions executive council said theyd unanimously elected former International Vice President Warren Fairley, who retired in February, to be the unions new leader.

The judges ruling came at the end of the third hearing in the past two months on the contentious issue that began when the unions executive council voted to oust Jones for allegedly misusing union funds for personal gain  including funneling large sums of money to his Ukrainian wife for work she never performed.

This is historic, said Tom Baca, of California, one of the unions five international vice presidents. This is a huge victory. What a roller coaster ride.

We won for the union, we won for the members and for all the brothers going forward.

Baca said improvements within the union were already in the works.

Our international (union) has been sinking  weve lost 40 percent of our membership since Jones has been in office, he said. Were going to start growing it back. There are lots of major changes coming quickly.

Warren Fairley, a retired Boilermakers international vice president, now becomes the unions international president after a judge upheld the removal of Newton B. Jones. Fairley spoke with union members after a June hearing outside the Robert J. Dole Federal Courthouse in Kansas City, Kansas. Nick Wagner/nwagner@kcstar.com

The International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers was established in 1880 and is one of the nations oldest unions. It represents about 46,000 workers in the United States and Canada who assemble, install and repair boilers, fit pipes and build power plants and ships.

In a letter sent late Tuesday afternoon to Lodge Leaders, Members, Affiliates, Partners and Friends of the Boilermakers, Fairley called the judges decision a new day for the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers and said it meant that our organization can move forward.

There will be further actions, including an audit to determine what Mr. Jones owes and continued efforts to collect those amounts from him, wrote Fairley, of Lucedale, Mississippi. This will likely be a long process, but we are dedicated to recovering funds from him and anyone else who misused our funds. We are dedicated to correcting any abuses.

Jones sat emotionless throughout Tuesdays hearing. He told The Star afterward that he was disappointed with his executive council.

We have a constitution, he said. We cant treat it like its been treated. I believe Ive followed it and have done everything thats been expected of me. I dont believe the international vice presidents have.

Jones, 70, who has led the union since his father retired in 2003, said he planned to get on with my life.

Ive spent 52 years with this union, and Ive done a lot of great things for this union, he said. And for these guys to take this action? Of course Im disappointed.

As for the allegations of financial malfeasance, he said, Thats all bullshit.

The executive councils June 2 decision also ordered Jones to be removed from union membership. And Jones, the longtime chairman and CEO of the union-owned Bank of Labor, resigned from that position earlier this month, union officials said Tuesday.

Prior to Tuesdays hearing, union members werent sure who was in charge. Jones had refused to step down after his ouster, and the executive council members who removed him had named Fairley as the new president. Jones, under the guise of the union, sued the executives, asking for an injunction to reverse their decision to remove him. The union executives then filed a countersuit, asking for an injunction upholding their decision.

At a June 20 court hearing, Melgren left Jones in place, ordering that the union leadership remain in status quo until the case was resolved. Then last month, Jones announced he was retiring and named a union member from Canada as his successor.

After a July 27 hearing, Melgren ruled that the union executives had not met the high burden of proof necessary for the injunction to be granted. But Melgren also said that Jones appointment of a successor was highly suspect and violated his June 20 order that the union remain in status quo.

Members of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers gathered outside the Robert J. Dole Federal Courthouse in Kansas City, Kansas, for an earlier hearing in the case. Nick Wagner/nwagner@kcstar.com

Melgren said he also had concerns about a new filing in the case claiming that Jones, his wife, Kateryna, and union Secretary-Treasurer William Creeden had recently been paid $500,000 for purported unused vacation. Those figures were later updated, saying Newton Jones received $107,733; his wife, $111,057; and Creeden, $484,800. Melgren said the action was of questionable validity and in violation of the Courts injunction.

After Jones announced he was retiring, the union executives filed a new motion asking that their request for an injunction be converted into a motion for summary judgment, which would end the case before it went to trial.

Melgren said that process wouldnt work, in part because new issues had arisen in the case, including the vacation pay and Jones appointment of an interim president.

But because the parties have demonstrated an unusual capacity for mischief, leading the Court to determine that time is of the essence, Melgren said he would hold a hearing on Aug. 15 on any motions for summary judgment the parties wanted to file.

The international vice presidents took him up on that, filing a motion on Aug. 7 asking the court to rule that their removal of Jones was valid.

At Tuesdays hearing, their attorneys argued that the judge should issue a declaratory judgment against Jones because they had followed the process laid out in the unions constitution to remove him. They also said Jones didnt attend the disciplinary hearing on the charges lodged against him and that because he didnt file a timely appeal to their decision to oust him, he was bound by its terms.

In their Aug. 7 motion, the executive council also said that Jones had continually refused to abide by their June 2 decision, including attempting to name his own successor and failing to repay the union membership the money he had allegedly misspent.

Jones attorney, Sam Gladney, argued that the executives motion for summary judgment be denied, saying Jones had not received adequate notice of their May 30 disciplinary hearing on the allegations against him and that he was denied an opportunity to review the evidence presented against him. Jones didnt attend the May 30 hearing, but sent two people.

Gladney also argued that the charges regarding some of Jones expenditures were not specific enough, which prejudiced his ability to prepare a proper defense for his disciplinary hearing.

The allegations were that Jones had ordered the union to give Kateryna Jones more than $100,000 plus benefits in back pay for apparently no union purpose while she was living in the Ukraine and spent more than $20,000 in union funds for flights to Ukraine to visit his wife and to go to the home which he owns in the Ukraine.

Jones and his wife also turned in about $40,000 in receipts for meals for them and other family members when at their home in North Carolina  some quite lavish and expensive  with no justification for the expenses, the executive council found.

In the end, Melgren didnt buy Jones arguments. He noted that Jones did not request more time to respond to the allegations, nor did he ask for more details on his alleged expenditures.

And he didnt even attend the hearing, Melgren said, instead relying on a committee he had appointed to conduct its own investigation into the allegations.

Thats a gamble that he took, Melgren said. Thats a gamble that he lost.
FILE - In this aerial photo, a bathtub ring of light minerals show the high water mark on the shore of Lake Mead along the border of Nevada and Arizona, Monday, March 6, 2023, near Boulder City, Nev. The federal government is expected to make an announcement on Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023, about the health of the Colorado River and water cuts in 2024. (AP Photo/John Locher,File)

WASHINGTON (AP)  Federal officials said Tuesday they will ease water cuts for Western states reliant on the Colorado River in 2024, thanks to a slightly improved outlook, but long-term challenges remain.

The river serves seven U.S. states, Native American tribes and two states in Mexico. It also supports a multibillion-dollar farm industry in the West and generates hydropower used across the region. Years of overuse by farms and cities, and the effects of drought worsened by climate change has meant much less water flows today through the Colorado River than in previous decades.

The U.S. government announces water availability for the coming year months in advance so that cities, farmers and others can plan. The first mandatory cuts that magnified the crisis on the river went into effect in 2022, followed by even deeper cuts this year due to drought, poor precipitation and less runoff from the headwaters in the Rocky Mountains.

Conservation measures and a wetter winter have improved the river's health, leading to cuts being dialed back, starting in January. It won't lead to dramatic changes because those affected have been living with water cuts for two years  or are voluntarily conserving water.

WHAT CUTS WERE ANNOUNCED?

The Bureau of Reclamation uses the water levels at Lake Powell and Lake Mead as measures of the river's health. Once Lake Mead drops to a certain point, water reductions are enacted for Arizona, Nevada, Mexico and  much later  California.

Bountiful snowfall and rain pulled much of the region out of drought this spring and raised water levels at the reservoirs, though not enough to avoid mandatory reductions altogether.

Still, water users are intent on creating a safety net in Lake Mead and will pull out less in 2024 than in other years because of conservation and other voluntary efforts.

The reductions announced Tuesday are in the same Tier 1 category that were in effect in 2022. That means Arizona again will mark an 18% cut from its total Colorado River water allocation, down slightly from this year.

Nevada receives far less water than Arizona and California. Its reduction will be down slightly from this year. Mexico's allocation goes down 5%.

California has not faced any forced water cuts yet, based on its legal status as a high-priority user.

WILL THE RIVER KEEP GETTING HEALTHIER?

No. Recent snow and rain were a welcome relief, but the river is stressed by hot, dry temperatures and demand.

Lake Powell and Lake Mead, the largest of the Colorado River reservoirs, remain low, at about 39% and 33% full, respectively.

That is a little better than last year but still extremely low. It only takes a few dry years to set us back, said Kim Mitchell, senior water policy adviser at Western Resource Advocates.

ARE DEEPER CUTS COMING?

Yes but not immediately. This week's announcement is just one piece of various water-savings plans already in place or being negotiated.

Earlier this year, Arizona, California and Nevada released a plan to conserve an additional 3 million acre-feet of water through 2026 in exchange for $1.2 billion from the federal government. An acre-foot of water is enough to serve two to three households annually. The Interior Department is expected to release its analysis of the proposal this fall and finalize the plan in 2024.

Similar agreements also are playing out.

The Gila River Indian Community in Arizona agreed in April not to use some of its river water rights in return for $150 million in federal funding and money for a pipeline project. The tribe gets Colorado River water through the the same aqueduct system that delivers river water to Arizonas major cities.

Jason Hauter, a tribal member and water attorney said Tuesday's announcement wouldn't be a big swing one way or another when it comes to water use on the reservation.

WHAT ABOUT WESTERN FARMS?

Farmers use between 70% and 80% of all water in the Colorado River system, but Tuesday's announcement will not change much for most of them.

One farming district in Arizona's Pinal County outside of Phoenix lost almost its entire Colorado River water supply in 2022, and the district won't get it back.

Instead, farmers have turned to groundwater or left fields unplanted. As much as half the farmland has been fallowed in the past two years, said Brian Yerges, general manager of the Maricopa-Stanfield Irrigation and Drainage District, which serves the region.

WHAT ABOUT CITIES?

Major cities are unlikely to be impacted by Tuesday's announcement. Phoenix, for example, has a mix of water from the Colorado, and the in-state Salt and Verde rivers, along with groundwater and recycled wastewater that it uses to serve residents in the fifth-largest U.S. city.

In the Las Vegas area, ornamental lawns are banned, swimming pool sizes are limited and almost all water inside homes is recycled, limiting the impact of water cuts. The Southern Nevada Water Authority said strict conservation measures will continue.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which supplies nearly 20 million people, lifted water restrictions in March for nearly 7 million people. The district draws from rivers in Northern California that swelled with spring runoff, as well as the Colorado River.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Guidelines in place for doling out Colorado River water are set to expire in 2026.

We have a generational set of agreements coming up, said Bill Hasencamp, manager of Colorado River resources for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Thats where we need to focus.

Discussions among states, tribes and the federal government about their priorities for the river after 2026 are just starting. Mexican negotiators will engage in a similar but parallel process with U.S. officials.

Negotiators say long-term discussions will be geared toward living with significantly less water in the system.

We had a good year, said Anne Castle, U.S. Commissioner to the Upper Colorado River Commission. But no one expects thats going to be the new normal. The question is, Whats the plan for the future?

___

Associated Press writers Ken Ritter in Las Vegas and Amy Taxin in Orange County, California, contributed.

___

The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of APs environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment
Feeling stressed? You're not alone. According to a new study, York is the second most stressed city in Pennsylvania.

The study, conducted by Leafwell, took information from the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the CDC, Google, HUD and the Federal Reserve to analyze seven key metrics and uncover which area is the most stressed out.

How did they come up with rankings?

According to a news release, these metrics included Google searches for common stress-related search terms, such as "stress relief" and "stress remedies," employment metrics including unemployment rates, commute times and household incomes, changes to housing prices, and the number of uninsured citizens, and gave a combined maximum stress score of 80.

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The study found that East Stroudsburg is Pennsylvania's most stressed out area,scoring 67.1 out of a possible 80. It has the highest unemployment rate of all areas in Pennsylvania.

York comes second with a stress score of 56.9 out of 80. It ranks fifth overall for unemployment, with 12 percent of its under-65 population lacking health insurance, surpassing the national average of 7.7 percent. The White Rose City also ranks second in stress-related Google searches, with around four out of every 100 citizens searching for terms such as "anxiety" and "depression" each month.

Other central Pa. city scores

By regional comparison, Harrisburg ranked 7, with a stress score of 51.42. Gettysburg came in at number 11, with a score of 51.04 and Chambersburg ranked 18, with a score of 48.22. Lancaster has a stress score of 47.08, bringing it to 23 on the list, and Lebanon comes in at 28, with a score of 45.21. With a score of 43.70, Hanover comes in at number 30 on the list of most stressed out cities in Pennsylvania.

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This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Yorkers are stressed, new study reveals
The fiance of the second woman killed in the Aug. 9 railroad crossing shooting said they were meeting up that early morning and planned to get married the same day.

"My name is Maurice Fisher. I am the fiance of the late Tara Baker. Tara and I were together for over 20 years," he posted on a newly established GoFundMe page. "She was My everything. Her death is still unreal to me and it has been extremely difficult to process. My family and I have created this GoFundMe page in hopes of spreading Tara's story and giving her the homegoing she deserves.

Fisher, 62, goes on to describe how his 53-year-old wife-to-be was shot along with another woman who were both stopped at the Hendricks Avenue/Nira Street train crossing in Jacksonville's San Marco neighborhood. Baker was on a bicycle and 28-year-old Paige Pringle was driving a white sport-utility vehicle. It was about 1:40 a.m. and the two didn't know each other.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office on Tuesday announced a donation by the Fraternal Order of Police Foundation to increase a reward total to $13,000 for information leading to the arrest of the individual or those responsible.

The Sheriff's Office also provided a brief update in the investigation advising that while the younger woman was waiting for the train to cross, "an unknown individual(s) approached the victim as she sat in the vehicle and shot her multiple times  causing the vehicle to move forward, striking the train. At some point during the incident, a second victim (white/female, 53) was shot as she stood on an adjacent sidewalk waiting for the train to pass. ... It is unknown at this time the motive for the shooting of each victim, or if they were somehow connected."

'She was our family': Dos Gatos mourns death of bartender killed in rail crossing shooting

Tara Baker and fiance Maurice Fisher. Baker was on a bicycle stopped at a Hendricks Avenue railroad crossing when she was shot and killed Aug. 9. Paige Pringle, who was in a vehicle stopped there too, also was killed.

Fisher said he believes Baker was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"This incident was completely unexpected and disturbing," Fisher posted. "... This is also the day, this year 2023, we planned to make it official and get married. One of my biggest regrets is not making this amazing woman my wife sooner. This has devastated myself and our family. Tara was a loving, kind and positive person. Her spirit will forever live on in our hearts."

He also told Times-Union news partner First Coast News that he also was on a bicycle and they were on their way to meet up and ride home together.

"I was on Atlantic Boulevard at the railroad tracks. She was on Hendricks Avenue at the railroad track. We were both caught by the train, waiting for the train to pass," Fisher told the station. After the train passed, I waited 45 minutes. I thought she went back to where she was at."

Court records show the couple has had some difficult times, including an eviction filing last year.

"We have good days, we have bad days. That was going to be a good day, but it turned out to be the worst day of my life," Fisher said about Aug. 9 to First Coast News.

The other woman, Pringle, was a popular bartender at Dos Gatos, a downtown bar on Forsyth Street. WJXT TV-4 talked with Dos Gatos co-workers who said Pringle had just left the bar after visiting. Police said she was shot multiple times, and then her vehicle continued forward and crashed with the passing train.

"We stand here with grieving hearts, shocked and saddened," the bar posted on its Facebook afterward. "She was one of the best. She was our family. And we loved her immensely."

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Paige Pringle, 28, was shot and killed along with another woman Aug. 9 outside a railroad crossing on Hendricks Avenue in Jacksonville. She worked at Dos Gatos, which posted the bar's grief on its Facebook.

First Coast News also obtained surveillance video from Fifi's Fine Resale Apparel that shows Pringle's vehicle traveling south on Hendricks Avenue with another vehicle traveling closely behind her at about 1:30 a.m. The video also shows a person walking in front of the store and Baker, riding a bike in the same direction around the same time.

Sgt. Steve Rudlaff had said they hope to utilize security video from businesses near the scene for possible leads and hope to hear from anyone who also may have information. The Sheriff's Office has not released any new details.

Jacksonville police investigate an early morning shooting that killed two women at a rail crossing on Hendricks Avenue on Aug. 9. One was found inside her vehicle that also crashed with a train, and the other was found outside where she had been on a bike.

Anyone with information on the case can contact the Sheriffs Office at (904) 630-0500 or First Coast Crime Stoppers at (866) 845-8477 (845-TIPS) or text **8477 to remain anonymous and be eligible for rewards. Or email JSOCrimeTips@jaxsheriff.org or rewards@fccrimestoppers.com.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville train crossing victim was getting married that day
Neighbors at a childs birthday party got into a fight over paying for beer, then one shot the other, police told local news outlets.

Officers with the Houston Police Department in Texas responded to the shooting at about 11:15 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 13, according to a news release.

A preliminary investigation determined several neighbors were gathered outside of an apartment for a celebration when the victim and suspect got into an argument, police said.

They were arguing over who should pay for the beer, police told KTRK and KRIV.

Witnesses told police the 30-year-old man fired his gun into the air, then he started shooting at his neighbor, authorities said. The 39-year-old man was shot twice.

Houston Fire Department paramedics took him to a hospital in stable condition, according to the news release.

The accused shooter had already drove away from the scene, police said, but he later returned to give a statement to officers.

He was charged with aggravated assault and booked into the Harris County Jail, authorities said.

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Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office video depicts Alec Baldwin speaking with investigators following a fatal shooting on a movie set in Santa Fe, N.M., that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. (Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office via AP)

New Mexico prosecutors overseeing criminal cases in the deadly "Rust" shooting have received a new firearms report that appears to cast doubt on actor Alec Baldwin's account of the tragedy.

Baldwin has long maintained he did not pull the trigger of his prop Colt .45 revolver, firing a bullet that accidentally killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a movie rehearsal nearly three years ago. Baldwin has said he pulled, then released, the gun's hammer because Hutchins wanted to get a close-up camera angle of the gun's loaded barrel.

Prosecutors initially filed two counts of involuntary manslaughter against Baldwin as well as the film's armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed.

Special prosecutors Kari T. Morrissey and Jason J. Lewis took over the case in late March following missteps by previous prosecutors. They quickly dismissed criminal charges against Baldwin.

Morrissey and Lewis said they could not move forward with Baldwin's prosecution because "new facts were revealed that demand further investigation and forensic analysis."

Sources have said prosecutors were told the gun had been modified before it was delivered to the "Rust" set near Santa Fe, N.M.

Read more: 'Rust' prosecutors drop charges against Alec Baldwin after questions over gun misfire

Morrissey and Lewis in April left open the option of refiling charges against Baldwin, saying their decision to withdraw the charges did not "absolve Mr. Baldwin of criminal culpability."

After special prosecutors dropped the charges, Baldwin reportedly traveled to Montana to resume the filming of "Rust." Production of the movie wrapped in mid-May.

A respected firearms expert was brought in by prosecutors to determine whether the Italian-made Pietta pistol, a replica of a vintage 1873 model, was functional or faulty, which could have contributed to the deadly accident on set.

The firearms expert, Lucien C. Haag, recently completed his report.

"Although Alec Baldwin repeatedly denies pulling the trigger, given the tests, findings and observations reported here, the trigger had to be pulled or depressed sufficiently to release the fully cocked or retracted hammer of the evidence revolver," Haag wrote in his Aug. 3 report submitted to Morrissey and Lewis and viewed by The Times.

It's unclear whether prosecutors will use the report's findings to bring new charges in the Oct. 21, 2021, shooting that killed Hutchins and injured the film's director, Joel Souza, who has since recovered.





An attorney for Baldwin was not immediately available for comment. Baldwin  who is also one of the film's producers  in the past has blamed the tragedy on others who he said did not perform their duties.

Morrissey has previously said prosecutors would make a determination about Baldwin by mid-August. On Tuesday, Morrissey declined to comment, indicating her office was still gathering information.

Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, N.M., a day after an incident left one crew member dead and another injured. (Roberto E. Rosales / Albuquerque Journal)

The gun's functionality has long been in dispute.

The FBI, in a separate report last year, concluded the gun's trigger needed to have been pulled for the gun to fire. But FBI analysts also acknowledged they damaged the gun during testing at the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Va., to see whether the gun would misfire.

The FBI report said that during testing, analysts could not fire the gun when the hammer was cocked, unless they pulled the trigger. However, the report did note that when the hammer was in the "rest" position, the gun could fire "without a pull of the trigger when the hammer was struck directly" by another object.

In court documents, Baldwin's attorneys have pointed to the broken components, suggesting the gun was not reliable.

In his 30-page report, Haag said he was asked to assess the operation and condition of the weapon at the time of the incident. He described taking possession of the prop gun from the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office, where it has been stored in evidence. Haag said he needed to rebuild the weapon to complete his analysis.

"The full-cock step on the hammer had been severely damaged, the top of the triggers sear was broken off and the bolt (cylinder stop) was also broken," Haag wrote.

Haag said he then installed a new bolt and "the trigger and hammer from a new, unfired Pietta 1873, .45 Colt, [single/action] revolver."

"Upon reassembly, the evidence revolver was found to function properly and in accordance with the operational design of original Colt 1873 single-action revolvers," wrote Haag, who owns Arizona-based Forensic Science Services Inc.

Read more: 'Rust' prosecutors turn focus on movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed in shooting

His findings appear to bolster the FBI's conclusions last year.

Haag's analysis also showed a "trigger pull value" of about 2 pounds, roughly the same as the FBI findings. He also included several images in his report of Baldwin practicing with the gun before the fatal shooting with his finger on or near the trigger. Cameras were not rolling when the tragedy occurred.

The report did not mention any modifications to the gun.

Separately, weapons provider Seth Kenney said in a July 11 witness interview that the gun had not been modified, according to a video of Kenney's appearance before prosecutors.

"Absolutely not," Kenney said, noting that a California-based supplier had sent him the gun, via Federal Express, and he then turned it over to the film's prop master, Sarah Zachry, to deliver to the set.

Kenney was not immediately available for comment.

Read more: It was supposed to be their big break. Now two 24-year-olds are at the center of the 'Rust' shooting investigation

The case has been fraught.

The original prosecutors were pressured to step down from the case after several struggles, including filing a count against Baldwin and Gutierrez that would have carried a mandatory five-year prison sentence. However, the law requiring a five-year sentence wasn't on the books in late 2021, when the accident occurred.

Special prosecutor Andrea Reeb resigned amid controversy in March over her dual role as a member of the prosecution and of the New Mexico Legislature. Later that month, 1st Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies relinquished the case after the judge refused to allow her to team up with special prosecutors. Carmack-Altwies had argued that her office was short-staffed and she needed help.

An investigator hired by Carmack-Altwies dismissed the sheriff's investigation as sloppy. In an email to the prosecutors, investigator Robert Shilling wrote: The conduct of the Santa Fe County Sheriffs Office during and after their initial investigation is reprehensible and unprofessional to a degree I still have no words for. Shilling has since stepped down.

The Santa Fe sheriff has previously declined to comment on Shilling's assessment.

In recent months, prosecutors have stepped up their case against Gutierrez Reed. The 25-year-old armorer pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering charges.

Morrissey has said Gutierrez Reed was the most culpable defendant in a case that resulted in the senseless death of another person.

In June, they accused Gutierrez Reed of drinking and smoking marijuana during off-hours while the western was in production. They have alleged that she probably was hung over on the fatal day when Baldwins gun fired during the rehearsal in an old wooden church at Bonanza Creek Ranch. Her attorneys have challenged the allegations, saying there was no proof of drug use.

Read more: Alec Baldwin prosecution 'on its heels' after DA leaves 'Rust' case, experts say

Investigators have been unable to figure out how six live bullets made their way onto the movie set. Film industry protocols forbid actual bullets on movie locations.

In addition to the bullet that killed Hutchins, sheriff's deputies found several other live bullets along with so-called dummy rounds on the prop cart used by Zachry and Gutierrez Reed.

Another functional bullet was located in a gun holster and another was found in an additional actor's gun belt, according to Haag's report. That gun belt or bandolier was described as "youth size," the report said, suggesting that it might have been assigned to a young actor appearing in the western.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A firm which was contracted to moderate Facebook posts in East Africa has said with hindsight it should not have taken on the job.

Former Kenya-based employees of Sama - an outsourcing company - have said they were traumatised by exposure to graphic posts.

Some are now taking legal cases against the firm through the Kenyan courts.

Chief executive Wendy Gonzalez said Sama would no longer take work involving moderating harmful content.

Warning - this article contains distressing content

Some former employees have described being traumatised after viewing videos of beheadings, suicide and other graphic material at the moderation hub, which the firm ran from 2019.

Former moderator Daniel Motaung previously told the BBC the first graphic video he saw was "a live video of someone being beheaded".

Mr Motaung is suing Sama and Facebook's owner Meta. Meta says it requires all companies it works with to provide round-the-clock support. Sama says certified wellness counsellors were always on hand.

Ms Gonzalez told the BBC that the work - which never represented more than 4% of the firm's business - was a contract she would not take again. Sama announced it would end it in January.

"You ask the question: 'Do I regret it?' Well, I would probably put it this way. If I knew what I know now, which included all of the opportunity, energy it would take away from the core business I would have not entered [the agreement]."

She said there were "lessons learned" and the firm now had a policy not to take on work that included moderating harmful content. The company would also not do artificial intelligence (AI) work "that supports weapons of mass destruction or police surveillance".

Wendy Gonzalez said "lessons" had been learned

Citing continuing litigation, Ms Gonzalez declined to answer if she believed the claims of employees who said they had been harmed by viewing graphic material. Asked if she believed moderation work could be harmful in general, she said it was "a new area that absolutely needs study and resources".

Stepping stone

Sama is an unusual outsourcing firm. From the beginning its avowed mission was to lift people out of poverty by providing digital skills and an income doing outsourced computing tasks for technology firms.

In 2018 the BBC visited the firm, watching employees from low-income parts of Nairobi earn $9 (7) a day on "data annotation" - labelling objects in videos of driving, such as pedestrians and street lights, which would then be used to train artificial intelligence (AI) systems. Employees interviewed said the income had helped them escape poverty.

The company still works mainly on similar computer vision AI projects, that do not expose workers to harmful content, she says.

"I'm super proud of the fact that we've moved over 65,000 people out of poverty," Ms Gonzales said.

It's important, she believes, that African people are involved in the digital economy and the development of AI systems.

Throughout the interview Ms Gonzalez reiterated that the decision to take the work was motivated by two considerations: that moderation was important, necessary work undertaken to prevent social media users from harm. And that it was important that African content was moderated by African teams.

"You cannot expect somebody from Sydney, India, or the Philippines to be able to effectively moderate local languages in Kenya or in South Africa or beyond," she said.

She also revealed that she had done the moderation work herself.

Moderators' pay at Sama began at around 90,000 Kenyan shillings ($630) per month, a good wage by Kenyan standards comparable to nurses, firemen and bank officers, Ms Gonzalez said.

Asked if she would do the work for that amount of money she said "I did do the moderation but that's not my job in the company".

Training AI

Sama also took on work with OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT.

One employee, Richard Mathenge, whose job was to read through huge volumes of text the chatbot was learning from and flag anything harmful, spoke to the BBC's Panorama programme. He said he was exposed to disturbing content.

Sama said it cancelled the work when staff in Kenya raised concerns about requests relating to image-based material which was not in the contract. Ms Gonzalez said "we wrapped up this work immediately".

OpenAI said it has its own "ethical and wellness standards" for our data annotators and "recognises this is challenging work for our researchers and annotation workers in Kenya and around the world".

But Ms Gonzalez regards this type of AI work as another form of moderation, work that the company will not be doing again.

"We focus on non-harmful computer vision applications, like driver safety, and drones, and fruit detection and crop disease detection and things of that nature," she said.

"Africa needs a seat at the table when it comes to the development of AI. We don't want to continue to reinforce biases. We need to have people from all places in the world who are helping build this global technology."

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An array of radio telescopes pointing into the night sky with the milky way behind

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

We're only halfway through 2023, and it feels already like the year of alien contact.

In February, President Joe Biden gave orders to shoot down three unidentified aerial phenomena  NASAs title for UFOs. Then, the alleged leaked footage from a Navy pilot of a UFO, and then news of a whistleblower's report on a possible U.S. government cover-up about UFO research. Most recently, an independent analysis published in June suggests that UFOs might have been collected by a clandestine agency of the U.S. government.

If any actual evidence of extraterrestrial life emerges, whether from whistleblower testimony or an admission of a cover-up, humans would face a historic paradigm shift.

As members of an Indigenous studies working group who were asked to lend our disciplinary expertise to a workshop affiliated with the Berkeley SETI Research Center, we have studied centuries of culture contacts and their outcomes from around the globe. Our collaborative preparations for the workshop drew from transdisciplinary research in Australia, New Zealand, Africa and across the Americas.

In its final form, our group statement illustrated the need for diverse perspectives on the ethics of listening for alien life and a broadening of what defines "intelligence" and"life." Based on our findings, we consider first contact less as an event and more as a long process that has already begun.

Who's in charge of first contact

The question of who is "in charge" of preparing for contact with alien life immediately comes to mind. The communities  and their interpretive lenses  most likely to engage in any contact scenario would be military, corporate and scientific.

By giving Americans the legal right to profit from space tourism and planetary resource extraction, the Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act of 2015 could mean that corporations will be the first to find signs of extraterrestrial societies. Otherwise, while detecting unidentified aerial phenomena is usually a military matter, and NASA takes the lead on sending messages from Earth, most activities around extraterrestrial communications and evidence fall to a program called SETI, or the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

SETI is a collection of scientists with a variety of research endeavors, including Breakthrough Listen, which listens for technosignatures, or markers, like pollutants, of a designed technology.

SETI investigators are virtually always STEM  science, technology, engineering and math  scholars. Few in the social science and humanities fields have been afforded opportunities to contribute to concepts of and preparations for contact.

In a promising act of disciplinary inclusion, the Berkeley SETI Research Center in 2018 invited working groups  including our Indigenous studies working group  from outside STEM fields to craft perspective papers for SETI scientists to consider.

Ethics of listening

Neither Breakthough Listen nor SETI's site features a current statement of ethics beyond a commitment to transparency. Our working group was not the first to raise this issue. And while the SETI Institute and certain research centers have included ethics in their event programming, it seems relevant to ask who NASA and SETI answer to, and what ethical guidelines they're following for a potential first contact scenario.

SETI's Post-Detection Hub  another rare exception to SETI's STEM-centrism  seems the most likely to develop a range of contact scenarios. The possible circumstances imagined include finding ET artifacts, detecting signals from thousands of light years away, dealing with linguistic incompatibility, finding microbial organisms in space or on other planets, and biological contamination of either their or our species. Whether the U.S. government or heads of military would heed these scenarios is another matter.

SETI-affiliated scholars tend to reassure critics that the intentions of those listening for technosignatures are benevolent, since "what harm could come from simply listening?" The chair emeritus of SETI Research, Jill Tarter, defended listening because any ET civilization would perceive our listening techniques as immature or elementary.

But our working group drew upon the history of colonial contacts to show the dangers of thinking that whole civilizations are comparatively advanced or intelligent. For example, when Christopher Columbus and other European explorers came to the Americas, those relationships were shaped by the preconceived notion that the "Indians" were less advanced due to their lack of writing. This led to decades of Indigenous servitude in the Americas.

The working group statement also suggested that the act of listening is itself already within a "phase of contact." Like colonialism itself, contact might best be thought of as a series of events that starts with planning, rather than a singular event. Seen this way, isnt listening potentially without permission just another form of surveillance? To listen intently but indiscriminately seemed to our working group like a type of eavesdropping.

It seems contradictory that we begin our relations with aliens by listening in without their permission while actively working to stop other countries from listening to certain U.S. communications. If humans are initially perceived as disrespectful or careless, ET contact could more likely lead to their colonization of us.

Histories of contact

Throughout histories of Western colonization, even in those few cases when contactees were intended to be protected, contact has led to brutal violence, pandemics, enslavement and genocide.

James Cooks 1768 voyage on the HMS Endeavor was initiated by the Royal Society. This prestigious British academic society charged him with calculating the solar distance between the Earth and the sun by measuring the visible movement of Venus across the Sun from Tahiti. The society strictly forbade him from any colonial engagements.

Though he achieved his scientific goals, Cook also received orders from the Crown to map and claim as much territory as possible on the return voyage. Cooks actions put into motion wide-scale colonization and Indigenous dispossession across Oceania, including the violent conquests of Australia and New Zealand.

The Royal Society gave Cook a "prime directive" of doing no harm and to only conduct research that would broadly benefit humanity. However, explorers are rarely independent from their funders, and their explorations reflect the political contexts of their time.

As scholars attuned to both research ethics and histories of colonialism, we wrote about Cook in our working group statement to showcase why SETI might want to explicitly disentangle their intentions from those of corporations, the military and the government.

Although separated by vast time and space, both Cook's voyage and SETI share key qualities, including their appeal to celestial science in the service of all humanity. They also share a mismatch between their ethical protocols and the likely long-term impacts of their success.

The initial domino of a public ET message, or recovered bodies or ships, could initiate cascading events, including military actions, corporate resource mining and perhaps even geopolitical reorganizing. The history of imperialism and colonialism on Earth illustrates that not everyone benefits from colonization. No one can know for sure how engagement with extraterrestrials would go, though its better to consider cautionary tales from Earths own history sooner rather than later.

This article has been updated to correct the date of James Cooks voyage.

This article was first published by The Conversation.
Navy Admiral Lisa Franchetti is the first woman to lead a military branch in an acting capacity under the Defense Department, following a ceremony at the U.S. Naval Academy on Monday.

President Biden nominated Adm. Franchetti to serve as chief of naval operations in July, but Franchetti will serve in an acting capacity until officially confirmed by the Senate. If confirmed, Franchetti would be the first woman to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Franchetti is now one of 300 military officers whose nominations are held up in the Senate following a hold from Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville. The U.S. Navy is the third branch without a Senate-confirmed leader, following the "relinquishment of office" ceremony for Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, on Monday.

Gildays relinquishment followed both the retirement and relinquishment from Army Chief Gen. James McConville earlier this month and then-Commandant of the Marine Corps David Berger in July.

AMERICA'S VETERANS CAN INSPIRE THE NEXT GENERATION TO SERVE

Admiral Lisa Franchetti is the first woman to lead a military branch in an acting capacity under the Defense Department.

Tubervilles hold is over the Pentagon's post-Dobbs abortion policy, established earlier this year. The Pentagons new policy pays for the travel and time off service members must take to receive abortions if the state where they are stationed does not allow the procedure. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley have both called Tuberville's hold a national security concern.

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"This is unprecedented. It is unnecessary, and it is unsafe, and this sweeping hold is undermining America's military readiness," Austin said in his remarks Monday.

SENATE DEMOCRAT SAYS TUBERVILLE PREPARED TO BURN THE MILITARY DOWN AMID BLOCKADE: REPORT

During the relinquishment of command, Franchetti read, "When there is a vacancy in the office of the chief of naval operations, the vice chief of naval operations shall perform the duties of the CNO until its successor is appointed."

Tuberville's office responded Monday by saying the senator was "not blocking votes  hes forcing votes."

Franchetti took over as the Navy's acting chief of naval operations Monday.

On Aug. 2, Austin issued a memo on how the military could "mitigate the disruption" of the hold. One way would be by having military leaders postpone retirement; another would see military leaders in acting capacities fulfilling their old roles at the same time, essentially doing two jobs at once.

The now-retired Gilday spoke to Franchettis qualifications for the job.

"She is a war fighter with combat experience. She's an operational leader. She's a strategist. She's an innovator. She's a team builder. She's a trailblazer. She's an example of personal and professional resilience and a testament to the power of the American dream to inspire service and sacrifice," Gilday said.

Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said it's "well past time" for the Senate to address the outstanding nominations.

LEADERS, WOKE POLICIES TO BLAME FOR AMERICAN LOSS OF CONFIDENCE IN MILITARY, FORMER SEAL SAYS

"The American people deserve to have their best military leaders in place, and in our Department of the Navy that includes a confirmed chief of naval operations and commandant of the Marine Corps," Del Toro added.

Monday's Navy "relinquishment of office" ceremony.

Tubervilles office earlier this month pointed out that the hold "does not prevent anyone from being confirmed."

It would take more than 650 hours to confirm all 300-plus officers if the Senate were to vote one-by-one.

Franchetti was commissioned in 1985 and served as the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Korea, director of Strategy, Plans and Policy for the Joint Chiefs of Staff and chief of naval operations for warfighting development; she also led two carrier strike groups. Just several weeks into leading the U.S. 6th fleet, Franchetti oversaw the first-ever Tomahawk missile strike by a Virginia-class submarine. She became the vice chief of naval operations in 2022.

Franchetti has received the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal (two awards), Legion of Merit (five awards), Meritorious Service Medal (five awards), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (four awards) and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (two awards), according to her official bio.

Three photos missing from the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The Joint Chiefs chairman is another position that could go unfilled when the current chairman, Gen. Mark Milley, retires, if Tuberville continues the hold. Milley is expected to retire in October when his term comes to an end.

Fox News' Aishah Hasnie contributed to this report.
A suspect was arrested for allegedly making lewd remarks to a woman and then stabbing her at a bus stop, Miami police say.

Miami Beach resident Richard Jin, 34, was charged with second-degree felony attempted murder, third-degree robbery by sudden snatching and third-degree criminal mischief.

The incident took place at around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday while the victim and a witness were waiting at a bus stop on Biscayne Boulevard.

In a police report obtained by Fox News Digital, a witness told police that she and the victim were waiting for the bus when they were approached by the suspect. Jin allegedly made lewd remarks that were later redacted by the police.

FLORIDA WOMAN DOUSED HERSELF IN DIET MOUNTAIN DEW TO ERASE DNA AFTER KILLING ROOMMATE, 79: COPS

Miami Beach resident Richard Jin, 34, was charged with second-degree felony attempted murder and additional charges.

When the victim began recording Jin's behavior, he allegedly grabbed her cellphone and threw it on the street, shattering its screen.

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"The victim ran after her phone; to which the defendant responded by chasing her and tackling her to the ground," the police report read.

The suspect then procured a large knife and stabbed the victim multiple times, according to the witness.

FLORIDA SUSPECT REPORTEDLY FAKES HEART ATTACK DURING DRUG ARREST: 'WON'T LEARN HIS LESSON'

"The witness specifically recalls the defendant aiming for the victim's neck with the knife," the report added. The victim suffered punctures on her right upper-arm, her right thigh and the right side of her neck.

"Miami Police Officers' swift actions in collecting evidence and witness statements during their thorough investigation lead to the successful apprehension of 34-year-old Richard Jin," an official said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

"These offenses are never taken lightly and this arrest is a prime example of the hard work and dedication our officers exemplify day in and day out while on street patrol to locate those who break the law and victimize innocent individuals within our community."

Jin was apprehended and transported to a jail. Miami Police Department is actively investigating the incident.
A Florida man has been arrested after he posed as a veterinarian, but was in reality a licensed pet groomer, and performed surgery on a pregnant Chihuahua that later died, authorities said.

Osvaldo Sanchez is charged with animal abuse and practicing veterinary medicine without a license following an investigation by Animal Cruelty Investigations Alliance of the Collier County Sheriff's Office.

"Pets lives are at risk if unlicensed individuals perform surgery, prescribe medication and claim to provide needed care," Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said. "Such individuals who believe they can operate outside the law will be arrested and held accountable  our dedicated detectives will see to it."

VERMONT DOG RELOCATED, UP FOR ADOPTION IN NEW JERSEY AFTER FLOODING THREATENS SHELTER

Detectives were notified after the death of Sugar, a six-pound Chihuahua, following the May 18 surgery. The dog's owners contacted Sanchez after Sugar appeared to be having difficulty delivering her puppies, authorities said. Sanchez has been introduced to the couple as a veterinarian.

Osvaldo Sanchez allegedly performed a surgery on a pregnant dog named Sugar, who later died, according to the Collier County Sheriffs Office.

He allegedly examined the dog and performed a C-section and spay procedure on the dog in his mobile office, a converted ambulance. During the procedure, he allegedly removed a stillborn puppy and charged the couple $600.

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After the surgery, Sugar became ill from an infection and spent the following week in the care of a licensed veterinary clinic in "dire shape," the sheriff's office said.

On May 25, the dog was taken to a 24-hour emergency pet hospital for an ultrasound.

"The doctors noted Sugars surgical incision was closed with string or thread and not the standard suture material which could have contributed to her infection," the sheriff's office said. "Sugar returned to the veterinary clinic the same day and died later that night from multiple complications from the surgery."

The doctor at the hospital told investigators that a C-Section is not an uncommon procedure on pregnant dogs. Had a qualified veterinarian performed the surgery, Sugar would have likely survived, the doctor said.
Samantha Kervin hasnt had to think much about what name she goes by in the past. In class and to her friends, shes Samantha or Sam. Its never been a big deal.

But this year, with a new rule put in place by the Florida Board of Education that requires a parents signature if a student wants to go by an alternative to their legal name, her nickname is causing more of a hassle.

It kind of just annoyed me that people wouldnt be able to be called by what they want to be called because of a form, the Brevard ninth-grader said. That seems counterintuitive.

In districts across Florida  including Brevard, Orange, Seminole, Sarasota, Leon County and more  administrators are in the process of getting the form out to parents as the new school year kicks off.

It should be available to parents beginning this week, said Russell Bruhn, spokesperson for Brevard Public Schools, adding that the form is available to individual schools to provide and on the districts website.

The new requirement comes after a July meeting of the Florida Board of Education, where the board laid out guidelines for school districts regarding how to follow recently passed legislation. It was there that they passed multiple rules affecting LGBTQ students, including a requirement for districts to have parents sign a form before their child could go by another name, though no law specifically mentions anything about whether or not a child must use their legal name.

Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. speaks Jan. 23, 2023, at Duval Charter School at Baymeadows K-12 in Jacksonville.

New DOE rules explained: Florida Board of Education votes on guidelines on bathrooms, pronouns

First day of school kicks off in Brevard Teachers, principals, superintendent greet kids as they head back to school in Brevard

At the meeting, Matthew Woodside, a Brevard teacher of 17 years who has been outspoken against local LGBTQ issues, spoke in favor of the rule. He said in the past, he has used nicknames for his students, but the amendment was necessary because the number of transgender students has skyrocketed recently.

"Many students are attempting (to go by a different name) without the knowledge of their parents, and many schools are complicit in this scheme, keeping this information from these parents, undermining the God-given rights of the parents," he said.

"When something as sensitive as a student wanting to be called by a name of the opposite sex occurs, we must recognize that these students are minors. They are minors, and their desire for autonomy and secrecy will never trump the rights of parents to raise their child with full knowledge of who they project to be at school."

Drew Kloes, a Brevard 12th-grader, disagrees with the idea that the rule protects children or parental rights. The 17-year-old considers himself lucky -- he's been out as transgender for about four years, and his parents are accepting. But the same isn't true for everyone.

"(Florida is) trying to make it look like it's protecting a certain group, but in reality, it is targeting minorities, including transgender people," he said. "I know so many people who wouldn't be able to do that and ask their parents to sign that form."

While Drew said his teachers are respectful of using his chosen name, he said he and two other trans students were singled out by a teacher at his school and told they must get the form filled out by their parents.

"I just felt annoyed, and kind of really upset," he said. "I felt like that was extremely unfair."

About 250 people gathered at Eau Gallie Square on March 31 to celebrate International Transgender Day of Visibility.

But it's not just trans students who are impacted: Anyone who goes by a nickname will have to fill out a form and turn it into their district, save for in Leon County, whose website notes that nicknames do not require a form.

Samantha, who said the form was discussed by all of her teachers on the first day of class, feels that the board's rule has a broad impact on everyone.

"For the people that created and accepted this, (they) aren't thinking of the broader consequences of said actions," she said. "In my eyes, their view is one-sided, where all they see is what they want to see. They do not see the broader impact that it has on everybody, only (the impact) they want it to have on the certain people they attack."

Why the rule was adopted wasnt clear Monday. While HB 1069 prohibits districts from imposing or enforcing personnel or students to be referred to by pronouns that dont correspond with their sex assigned at birth, the law doesnt reference the usage of preferred names. The amendment posted to the boards July 19 meeting agenda also doesnt reference any law as a reason for the change, instead simply saying the purpose of the amendment was to strengthen the rights of parents and safeguard their childs educational record to ensure the use of the childs legal name in school. It adds that a local rule adopted by each school district around Florida will ensure full transparency to enhance the students record and protect parental rights.

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Mullins returns to Brevard schools: Former superintendent Mark Mullins returns to Brevard Public Schools as guidance counselor

Starting Wednesday, Brevard Public Schools will send out a series of messages reminding families to update their childs nickname via the new forms. Bruhn said there will be three messages and that the goal is to have all names updated by the end of September.

The district referenced the boards decision as the reason for the creation of the form, but went on to quote a Florida statute as the reason why teachers and other staff may not use a students preferred pronouns.

It shall be the policy of every public K-12 educational institution that is provided or authorized by the Constitution and laws of Florida that a person's sex is an immutable biological trait and that it is false to ascribe to a person a pronoun that does not correspond to such person's sex, the letter said, quoting Florida statute.

That statute also states that a student may not be asked by an employee of a public K-12 school to provide their preferred personal title, though Brevard did not reference that section of the statute.

In Leon County, the district blamed the change on HB 1557, dubbed the Parental Rights in Education by Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Dont Say Gay law by critics.

Alternatively, in Sarasota County, the district referenced HB 241, the Parents' Bill of Rights. The law was passed in 2021, and HB 1557 later drew from it.

"This rule, aligned with Florida's Parents' Bill of Rights, allows parents to specify alternative names that school personnel may use when referring to your child at school," Sarasota Schools Superintendent Terry Connor wrote in an email to the district.

Emmy Kenney speaks at a rally to oppose the "Don't Say Gay" bill (HB 1557) and other proposed legislation in in West Palm Beach, Florida on March 1, 2022.

Brandon Wolf, press secretary for Equality Florida, decried the rule, calling it part of DeSantis' "war on academic freedom."

"On top of navigating which classes are under siege, which books are being censored, which history lessons are being whitewashed and which bathroom their child will be forced into, parents are now having to complete paperwork to ensure their child's name is being respected," Wolf said in a statement to FLORIDA TODAY. "Florida's families deserve better than a state government determined to make everything harder for them. And school districts deserve better than this Governor's anti-freedom agenda of chaos and confusion."

Drew said the new rule, on top of other anti-trans legislation, makes him feel like Florida is no longer safe for him.

"It's just sickening, and it makes me feel unsafe in my home state," he said. "It just makes me want to leave, and the only reason that I'm still here is because I'm still only 17, and I won't be able to move until after I graduate, because I don't want to move schools right as soon as I turn 18."

For Samantha, the requirement sparks frustration. Though its an extra step shes not used to taking, her parents are willing to sign the form. But she shares Drew's frustration, knowing that that isn't the case for some of her transgender friends who don't have supportive parents.

Its upsetting because I cant do anything, she said. I feel powerless in that regard. The only thing I can do is make people more aware of whats going on.

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: Parents' signature needed if Florida students prefer alternative name
After a major U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year on Second Amendment rights, the Florida Supreme Court could decide whether to uphold a state law barring the possession of guns by convicted felons.

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An attorney for convicted felon William Edenfield on Tuesday asked the Florida Supreme Court to take up a constitutional challenge to the law. The request came after a three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal in May rejected Edenfields arguments.

Tuesdays brief focused, in part, on a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision in a case known as New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen. In that case, the U.S. Supreme Court was required to evaluate gun restrictions by whether they are consistent with the nations historical tradition of firearm regulation.

Edenfields attorney, Tyler Kemper Payne, wrote that the 1st District Court of Appeal interpreted the Bruen decision to read into the Second Amendment a limitation to only law-abiding, responsible citizens. Such a qualification is found nowhere in the Second Amendments controlling text. The district court cited almost no historical evidence in support of this limitation.

In short, the district court expressly construed the Second Amendment, a provision of the federal Constitution, by limiting its scope and finding the prohibition at issue historically supported, Payne, an assistant public defender in the 2nd Judicial Circuit, wrote. Petitioner (Edenfield) asks this (Supreme) Court to accept jurisdiction to resolve whether Floridas prohibition on felons from possessing firearms remains constitutional in the wake of Bruen.

But in its May 31 decision, the appeals court said a review of the pertinent precedent from the United States Supreme Court on the Second Amendment shows that a felon, such as appellant (Edenfield), still cannot claim an unfettered constitutional right to possess a firearm post-Bruen.

The appeals court ruling, written by Judge Ross Bilbrey and joined fully by Judge Thomas Winokur said that whether based on legal precedents excluding convicted felons from having protected Second Amendment rights, or whether based on the historical tradition of the Second Amendment as given by Bruen, we conclude that Florida law prohibiting convicted felons from possessing firearms survives Second Amendment scrutiny.

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Judge Robert Long concurred with the result but did not sign on to the majority opinion.

The challenge came after Edenfield was convicted in Leon County on two counts of aggravated battery with a firearm and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to the brief filed Tuesday. The Florida Department of Corrections website shows that Edenfield also had previous convictions on theft and burglary charges.

The U.S. Supreme Courts Bruen decision has raised other challenges to gun laws across the country. As an example, a filing Friday at the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals indicated it could become an issue in a Florida lawsuit challenging a federal prohibition on medical-marijuana patients buying and possessing guns.

It is unclear when the Florida Supreme Court will decide whether to take up Edenfields case. Edenfield is an inmate at Blackwater River Correctional Facility, according to the Department of Corrections website.

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As the start of the school year approaches in Florida, some teachers say chaos and confusion have marked the days leading up to reopening as they navigate how to teach under new state policies. Teachers say they are going into classrooms less confident about their lesson plans, confused about changes to state laws and on high alert that once-benign instructions could now get them fired or charged with felonies.

I dont know how to approach the year, said Richard Judd, a social studies teacher at Nova High School in Broward County. Theres a lot of different ways you can get in trouble. And thats whats so insidious about these policies.

Mayade Ersoff, 61, who teaches civics and world history at Palmetto Middle School, said she had not had any guidance from the schools principal or Miami-Dade Public Schools about recent decisions that have made national headlines, such as the states new African American history standards for K-12 students, which include instruction that enslaved people benefited from skills that they learned.

Its very unsettling, Ersoff said.

Judd, 52, said he was unsure whether his school district had even had time to digest any of the changes.

I dont know that anybody has any guidance, because so many of these things came out so recently, Judd said. They came out within weeks of the school year, which is what really makes them so disruptive.

Some teachers said they were holding out hope that a meeting scheduled for the day before school starts in the coming days would help clear up their confusion, even if it comes weeks after their curriculums had been finalized.

The new laws and policies change how schools teach African American history and topics involving LGBTQ people, among other things.

In recent weeks, Florida was accused of effectively banning the College Boards Advanced Placement Psychology classes because of its sexuality and gender content. The state Education Department said the course can be taught in its entirety in a manner that is age and developmentally appropriate  an explanation that some teachers said was borrowed from legislation that is anti-LGBTQ and intentionally vague  leaving teachers vulnerable to attacks from parents and conservative politicians alike. Amid the confusion, several districts said they would stop offering the longtime course.

Theyve created these really ambiguous terms that can get people in trouble, like losing your teaching license, which is basically losing your livelihood, Judd said. Without clear-cut definitions.

The conflict was spurred by Floridas Parental Rights Act, which critics call the Dont Say Gay bill. The measure, which Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law in March 2022, originally forbade instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. The Education Department expanded the prohibition to include all grades in April, and DeSantis signed that measure into law in May.

And last week, Hillsborough County Public Schools said students in the district will be reading only excerpts from William Shakespeares plays as opposed to the full texts under redesigned curriculum guides developed, in part, to take into consideration the new laws that restrict classroom materials whose content can be deemed sexual. The state already requires that any book in a classroom be deemed appropriate by a librarian or a certified media specialist.

In a statement sent after this article was published, Cailey Myers, the communications director for the state Education Department said, Teachers should not be confused about African American history standards for this school year since the standards do not go into effect until NEXT school year. Myers also said, Students can enjoy Shakespeare and the Florida Department of Education in no way believes Shakespeare should be removed from Florida classrooms.

Judd said he would not maintain a classroom library or lend any books to students, which he said he had always done in his more than 20 years in the profession, so as not to unknowingly allow students access to any of the books the state has banned.

The reality is that when you start telling people that they can be a criminal for putting books on the shelf, theyre going to start self-banning, Judd said.

Florida faces a teacher staffing crisis. The Florida Education Association, the states largest teachers union, said there are 6,920 advertised vacancies for teachers statewide, compared to 6,006 at the same time last year. The association cited positions advertised on district websites and blamed DeSantis and his legislative allies anti-education agenda, saying it is harming Floridas children.

Jeremy Redfern, a spokesman for DeSantis said the unions contention is blatantly false.

In a news release Tuesday, the state Education Department, which did not respond to a request for comment, said there are 4,776 teacher vacancies to begin the year, compared to 5,208 last year. With an average of 1.28 vacancies per school, Floridas vacancy rate is less than the national average of 2 vacancies per school and less than the 1.4 vacancies per school Florida experienced last year, the department said.

Miami-Dade Public Schools did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Broward County Public Schools said it had made parental consent a requirement to enroll in AP Psychology for high school students.

Ersoff and other teachers said they were not confident any clarity would come. The states education commissioner, Manny Diaz Jr., backed out of a planned town hall in the predominantly Black neighborhood of Miami Gardens last week that was intended to address the widely condemned African American history standards, among other things. The event had been promoted for weeks. Diaz defended his decision under criticism, saying there was nothing sudden about his inability to attend.

Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. at a press conference alongside Gov. Ron DeSantis in Miami on May 9, 2023. (Rebecca Blackwell / AP file)

Heather Felton, 48, who resigned from her job teaching English at South East High School in Manatee County at the end of the last school year, said she removed a little less than half of the 700 books she had in her classroom ahead of a planned visit by a media specialist. She said she had a panic attack the day the media specialist pored through her classroom library.

The day they came through to vet my books, I passed out in class, Felton said. That was the big thing  my health was in jeopardy. I have rheumatoid arthritis and other things, and it was flaring so bad. My husband said, You need to get out of this job.

She finished out the school year and submitted her resignation in May.

You make it a felony to be in a possession of a book, said Felton, who is unemployed. Were pretending that LGBTQ people dont exist. My children are nonbinary; they use they/them pronouns. That is no longer allowed.

Another high school English teacher in Miami-Dade County, who asked not to be named out of fear of retaliation, said they started telling their students they were being censored in their role as an educator.

"I tell the students about all the rules that have been passed," the teacher said, adding that they have had to modify their lessons.

The Dont Say Gay bill is so vague, the teacher said. Any parent could say they dont think we should discuss queer people. The district could be sued, and the teacher could lose their license.

Lost in the conversation and controversies, the teacher said, is whom the policies affect the most.

I care about what I do, the teacher said through tears. And I know that this is hurting kids. Ultimately thats what this is about.

Jose M. Consuegra, 31, who teaches chemistry in the Miami-Dade school system, said he originally believed he was safe from the DeSantis-era policies but no longer believes that.

Consuegra said a student once questioned why he taught a lesson about Black chemists from a science news article outside of Black History Month.

And I responded, Every month is Black History Month, Consuegra recalled. And then the kid said, Im gonna tell my principal about that.

Nothing came of it, but Consuegra said it made him realize he was vulnerable. He said he also feels limited in what he can say and teach about climate issues in a state where some residents spent 20-something days under heat advisories.

At first glance, I really didnt worry about any of this, he said. But now that Im learning more about it and Im actually planning my lessons, Im realizing, Oh, my God, I cant teach this; oh, I cant talk about this or I cant do this, I cant do that. So in essence, it really just damages the students.

The teachers said they place the blame squarely on DeSantis.

Felton, the retired teacher, said she does not fault principals.

Theyre doing the best they can with what theyve been handed, she said. The state is not giving the district information. The districts need to fight back. The superintendents need to get together and explain this is hurting our teachers. This is hurting our students.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
A Florida teen saved a babys life after he found the infant abandoned by a car thief on the street.

On Sunday, Jamichal Young found a 21-month-old boy, left in the scorching hot temperatures in Broward County.

Authorities believe the little boy was inside a car that was stolen just minutes earlier.

Watch: 13 people injured when 2 airboats collide at Wild Florida

Young and his family quickly made sure the baby was OK and got in contact with the mother.

We changed his diaper cause it was wet and then we got us some juice and stuff, Young said.

Read: Florida town plans to give peacocks vasectomies to cut down overpopulation

Authorities in Broward County are still searching for the person who stole the car.

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.
When you leave your vehicle in an airport parking lot, you have a reasonable expectation that the machine will be there when you return. That might not be the case if you drive a Ford truck to the Denver International Airport, however. Thats because the F-150 and its Super Duty siblings have become the leading target of an increasing wave of auto thefts at the Mile High Citys extremely busy airport.

Denver International Airport is consistently one of the most-trafficked airports in the world. According to Airports Council International, DIA was the third busiest airport in the world in 2022, servicing some 69,289,461 passengers. Only HartsfieldJackson Atlanta International Airport and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport surpassed those numbers. Encompassing over 52 square miles of land, DIA is also the second largest airport anywhere in the world. It shouldnt come as a surprise to learn that the facility has over 40,000 public parking spaces available for travelers on-site. Unfortunately for Ford truck owners, these lots have proven to be a fruitful hunting ground for car thieves.

Robert Alexander - Getty Images

According to data provided to R&T by the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority (CAPTA), 189 Ford F-Series trucks have been stolen from within 2.5 miles of DIA since the start of 2023. CAPTA program assistant Cale Gould told R&T that this radius includes the popular parking, rental car, and shuttle lots associated with the airport. Of the trucks taken within that radius, the overwhelming majority are F-150s, with 102 stolen as of August 10. That figure makes the F-150 the most popular target among thieves at DIA.

The F-250 Super Duty and F-350 Super Duty arent spared from the crime wave either, with 53 of the former and 29 of the latter being stolen as well. If you expand the radius around the airport to seven miles, which incorporates more of the local parking and shuttle service lots, those numbers are even higher. CAPTA notes that the larger radius included 123 F-150, 74 F-250, and 41 F-350 thefts through August 10. It is important to note that these figures change every day, as more cases are opened and closed.

According to Gould, CAPTA isnt aware of any specific reasons why the Ford F-Series lineup is being targeted at DIA. That said, there might be a few particular factors driving those figures. The F-150 is going on its 47th year as the best-selling truck in the United States. According to the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles , the F-150 was the most popular vehicle in the state in 2022, with some 94,783 active registrations. Gould believes the high rate of F-150 ownership combined with factors like owner behavior and security system exploits are driving the issue.

Ford

When we talk about vehicles with high theft volume, traditionally there isn't a 'type' or a single factor that creates this theft volume via targeting, Gould said to R&T. It just happens to be what vehicle type that thieves learn how to exploit owner behaviors or otherwise overcome security features of.

When asked about the high volume of Ford trucks being taken from DIA, a spokesperson with the Blue Oval provided this statement:

"Ford vehicles are equipped passive anti-theft engine immobilization technology that helps prevent the engine from starting unless you use a coded key programmed to the vehicle. F-Series has been Americas best-selling truck for 46 years and as a highly sought-after vehicle, can be a popular target for thieves. We recommend that all customers take common steps to help prevent theft, including parking in secure, lighted areas, making sure vehicles are locked when not attended."

The F-150 hasnt always been one of the most popular vehicles among car thieves at Denver International Airport, according to CAPTA data. From January to July 2021, the Kia Optima was the most targeted vehicle at DIA, with 23 cases. The Chevrolet Silverado actually took home that honor in 2022, with 57 trucks taken from DIA during that same time period.

The number of stolen vehicles at DIA is up dramatically for 2023, with more than twice as many F-150s being stolen through this part of the calendar year. A total of 801 cars have been stolen from DIA between January and July, up from 715 cars in 2022 and 466 cars in 2021, respectively. Those figures represent cars stolen from within a seven-mile radius of the airport. Meanwhile, auto theft is otherwise trending down in Colorado when compared to 2022, with some 22 percent fewer cases during the first quarter alone, according to the Colorado State Patrol. That said, DIA remains a hot spot.

According to a report from Westword, Kevin Griffitts' Shelby-modified F-150 was stolen shortly after he parked it at DIA on March 4. The pickup, nicknamed "Beast Truck," was a lifelong dream purchase for Griffitts.

If I had been aware that that was the case, I would have parked somewhere else or taken the shuttle, Griffitts told Westword. Anything but leave my truck where it was. At this point, in hindsight, I feel like I literally just left the keys in the driver's seat and said, Here you go.'

Luckily for the impacted truck owners like Griffitts, Denvers law enforcement agencies have a particularly high recovery rate when it comes to stolen vehicles. Gould told R&T that 87 percent of stolen vehicles in Colorado were recovered in 2022, while around 83 percent of vehicles taken in 2023 have been recovered thus far. Over 91 percent of the vehicles recovered from a DIA theft in 2023 have been located in the Denver metro area. Only 25 vehicles have been recovered out of state, with New Mexico and Texas leading the charge with each having seven recovered vehicles. One vehicle was even recovered from Juarez, Mexico.

Ford

CAPTA states that owners who are concerned about leaving their vehicles at DIA can follow a few steps to limit the risks involved.

We are a huge advocate of physical hardening systems, everything from the old school steering wheel lock like 'the club' to re-imagined security devices like parking boots, shift locks, pedal cages, and more, Gould said. These serve as a visual deterrent to a thief as well as a physical prevention device. Then of course we also highly value kill switches, aftermarket alarm systems, and the number one way to stop a vehicle theft is a vehicle engine immobilizer meeting the UL 338 standard. Through a combination of key security, environmental awareness, and vehicle hardening; any car can be theft-proof.



It's important to be proactive when it comes to your vehicle, whether that involves service or anti-theft measures. Taking steps to make your truck harder to steal before you visit Denver International Airport is probably a good move, particularly if that truck is a Ford F-Series. Parking further away from the airport might also be a smart choice, as the rate of thefts increases as you draw closer to the physical location. Police activity has also been stepped up in the area, which aims to help curb this issue for travelers and locals alike.

Ford

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As it turns out, Maleficent's black cape might just be the perfect wedding-dress inspiration. Disney

Alabama-based bridal stylist Lillie Dawson has gone viral for creating princess wedding looks.

But she told Insider more brides seem to prefer villain-esque dresses these days.

She also shared why she thinks that's the case, and her tips for finding the perfect dark dress.

Ball gowns, tiaras, and other princess-esque pieces have long been staples of bridal fashion. After all, who doesn't want to look like Disney royalty on their big day?

According to bridal stylist Lillie Dawson, there are actually lots of brides who don't.

The 24-year-old from Alabama told Insider that while princess looks still have an audience, many brides she works with are trying to find gowns that give off the strong, darker energy of characters like Maleficent and Ursula.

You might recognize Dawson from TikTok, where she regularly shares videos of themed bridal looks she creates, from Barbie-esque dresses to gowns for every zodiac sign.

Her princess-themed videos, in particular, have skyrocketed on the platform  one has reached over 63.8 million views as of Tuesday  but she said the brides who "are bringing in screenshots" of her villain videos have encouraged her to start stocking darker, sexier gowns at Bella's Bridal, the boutique she works at.

"I'm constantly trying to get more black dresses in the store, more dark greens, dark blues  everything fun," she said.

Why brides are shifting to the dark side

Wedding trends could be influencing brides to look for less traditional gowns. Dawson said she's noticed an uptick in themed receptions, darker color schemes, and reversed dress codes, where brides wear black and guests wear white.

But she also thinks the change is cultural.

"It almost feels like brides are remembering that young, princess innocence you feel at a young age when you think about your wedding, but then realize we've gotten older, gone through life, and dealt with heartbreak and hardships," she said. "We've become women now, so we're gonna be the sexy, dark villains."

How to find the villain-esque dress of your dreams

Dawson knows that choosing a darker, sexier dress isn't always easy  even for the most enthusiastic brides. So she recommends starting slow.

"I have some brides that go full dark with black lace on top and a black lining underneath," she said. "But if you're just not there yet, start by trying on a black dress that has a nude, white, or blush underlay to balance out that darkness on top."

There's also a specific dress that can help you get a good sense of whether or not the trend is for you.

"We have the Zander dress from Maggie Sottero, which is one that I pull for all of my brides who want to start exploring dark wedding gowns," she said. "It's a beautiful black dress, and it has this nude underlay that breaks up the black lace. It allows you to put your feet in the water and see if you really like that look."

Dawson said it's important to remember that your wedding day is for you, and your dress should be something you love.

"Weddings are a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and you're allowed to lean into your princess, poofy feminine side," she said. "But you're also allowed to lean into your dark, feminine energy and your villain side."

"I just want brides to enjoy that feeling, whether they wanna look like a princess or feel super sexy like a villain," she added. "Just take that attention, because you deserve it."

Read the original article on Insider
Tashawnda Johnson and Nick Logan, parents of a Des Moines Public Schools student, speak out in early 2020 about the case against a teacher later convicted of sexually abusing him. They've now settled their civil case against her.

The family of a former Harding Middle School student has settled its lawsuit against a teacher convicted in a criminal case of sexually abusing the boy.

Makenzie Johnson, then a special-needs teacher for the district, was charged with multiple sex offenses in 2019 involving the then-14-year-old student, including for sending him nude pictures, asking to have sex with him and inappropriately touching him over his clothes. She ultimately pleaded guilty to lascivious conduct with a minor and was sentenced to a year in jail.

Johnson, who also was required to register as a sex offender, was placed on leave by the district when it learned of the investigation. She resigned shortly afterward.

The student's mother sued Johnson and the school district, alleging that the teen, formerly an excellent student, had suffered both academically and socially as a result of the abuse, and that the district had failed to protect him from Johnson. A judge in 2021 dismissed the district from the suit, finding that the plaintiffs failed to point to evidence that should have alerted the district to Makenzie Johnson's inappropriate relationship with the student.

Now the family has dismissed its remaining claims against Johnson after an undisclosed settlement. The plaintiffs first notified the court of the pending settlement in April, and on Aug. 9, the suit was formally dismissed. The school district is not involved at all in the settlement, a spokesperson confirmed.

Makenzie Johnson's attorney declined to comment, and an attorney for the boy's mother, Tashawnda Johnson, did not respond to messages seeking comment.

'I feel like I failed to protect my son'

Tashawnda Johnson and Nick Logan, the student's father, had previously criticized the district and law enforcement officials for what they said they viewed as a "slap on the wrist" for the teacher.

"To be completely honest, I think the whole situation has been swept under the rug and silenced," Johnson told the Des Moines Register in a 2020 interview.

"If (my son) were to be white and she was Black, it would be an uproar," Johnson, who is Black, said of Makenzie Johnson, who is white. "People would be offering support and resources, things that we haven't received."

From April: Dowling English teacher arrested for alleged sexual exploitation of 17-year-old student

She said the family at that time had not received any support or apologies from the school district, and that the impact on her son was severe and long-lasting.

"I feel like I failed to protect my son. As a mother that is a hard pill to swallow," she said.

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: Ex-Des Moines teacher's sex abuse lawsuit ends in settlement
A former top counterintelligence official for the FBIs New York field office pleaded guilty on Tuesday to violating U.S. sanctions by helping a Russian oligarch dig up information on his business competitor.

Charles McGonigal, who investigated Russian oligarchs during his two-decade tenure at the FBI before retiring in 2018, struck a plea deal with prosecutors from the U.S. attorneys office for the Southern District of New York. In federal court, he admitted to one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and money laundering, according to the Justice Department.

The charge, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, stemmed from a 2021 scheme to evade U.S. sanctions on behalf of Oleg Deripaska, an aluminum magnate and associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

McGonigal agreed to probe a rival Russian oligarch, Vladimir Potanin, to try to have him sanctioned in exchange for concealed payments from Deripaska. He also tried to get Deripaska removed from the U.S. sanctions list.

After his tenure as a high-level FBI official who supervised and participated in investigations of Russian oligarchs, Charles McGonigal has now admitted that he agreed to evade U.S. sanctions by providing services to one of those oligarchs, Oleg Deripaska, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement on Tuesday.

Sentencing for the case is set for Dec. 14. McGonigal is concurrently facing a separate case involving his collection of $225,000 in undisclosed payments from a former Albanian intelligence officer while working for the bureau.
The FBIs former top spy catcher in New York pleaded guilty on Tuesday to conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions by taking money from Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska in exchange for information on a rival.

Charles McGonigal, former special agent in charge of counterintelligence at the FBIs New York office, told the court he received $17,500 from Deripaska, laundered from Gazprom Bank in Russia to Cyprus to a business bank account in New Jersey and then McGonigal's private account.

Deripaska, an associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin whose net worth has been estimated at more than $3 billion, was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2018 and then charged last year by federal prosecutors in New York with violating the sanctions.

McGonigal, who left the FBI in 2018, signed a plea agreement with federal prosecutors that does not include a cooperation agreement and could lead to a maximum sentence of five years in jail.

McGonigal is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 14.

After he pleaded guilty, McGonigal told the court, This, as you can imagine, has been a painful process not just for me but for my family, friends and loved ones.

He said he is deeply remorseful and takes full responsibility and never intended to hurt the U.S., F.B.I. or my family.

Asked by Judge Jennifer Rearden, Did you know what you were doing was wrong and unlawful? he answered, Yes, your honor.

Matthew G. Olsen, assistant attorney general of the Justice Departments National Security Division, said, Charles McGonigal, by his own admission, betrayed his oath and actively concealed his illicit work at the bidding of a sanctioned Russian oligarch."

As part of his plea, McGonigal admitted that he took money from Deripaska to collect open-source derogatory information about Vladimir Potanin  a Deripaska competitor  and could have received over $650,000 had he successfully found and produced the location of $500 million in hidden Potanin assets.

Potanin, a deputy prime minister during Boris Yeltsins presidency in the 1990s, had several well-publicized business disputes with Deripaska. He was sanctioned in 2022 by the U.S. government.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
In an unprecedented move, a Fulton County grand jury voted Monday night to indict former President Donald Trump for allegedly interfering with the 2020 election here in Georgia.

Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne learned these details after seeing the indictment moments before it was made public.

Those indicted include former President Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Mark Meadows, Kenneth Cheseboro, Jenna Ellis, Ray Smith, David Shafer, Sidney Powell, Cathy Latham and more.

The former president is being charged with violation of the Georgia RICO Act, solicitation of violation of oath by public officer, conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer, conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree, conspiracy to commit false statements and writings, conspiracy to commit filing false documents, conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree, conspiracy to commit false statements and writings, filing false documents, solicitation of violation of oath by public officer, false statements and writings, solicitation of violation of oath by public officer and two more counts of false statements and writings.

Criminal indictment against... by WSB-TV Assignment Desk

Trump and the other Defendants charged in this Indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said during a Monday night news conference following the release of the indictment.

The Trump campaign released a statement Monday night, saying:

Like Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, Deranged Jack Smith, and New York AG Letitia James, Fulton County, GAs radical Democrat District Attorney Fani Willis is a rabid partisan who is campaigning and fundraising on a platform of prosecuting President Trump through these bogus indictments. Ripping a page from Crooked Joe Bidens playbook, Willis has strategically stalled her investigation to try and maximally interfere with the 2024 presidential race and damage the dominant Trump campaign. All of these corrupt Democrat attempts will fail.

Combined with the intentionally slow-walked investigations by the Biden-Smith goon squads and the false charges in New York, the timing of this latest coordinated strike by a biased prosecutor in an overwhelmingly Democrat jurisdiction not only betrays the trust of the American people, but also exposes true motivation driving their fabricated accusations.

They could have brought this two and half years ago, yet they chose to do this for election interference reasons in the middle of President Trumps successful campaign. He is not only leading all Republicans by a lot but he is leading against Joe Biden in almost every poll. President Trump represents the greatest threat to these Democrats political futures (and the greatest hope for America).

The legal double-standard set against President Trump must end. Under the Crooked Biden Cartel, there are no rules for Democrats, while Republicans face criminal charges for exercising their First Amendment rights.

These activities by Democrat leaders constitute a grave threat to American democracy and are direct attempts to deprive the American people of their rightful choice to cast their vote for President. Call it election interference or election manipulationit is a dangerous effort by the ruling class to suppress the choice of the people. It is un-American and wrong.

They are taking away President Trumps First Amendment right to free speech, and the right to challenge a rigged and stolen election that the Democrats do all the time. The ones who should be prosecuted are the ones who created the corruption.

President Trump will never give up and will never stop fighting for you, as we all work to Make America Great Again in 2024.

The charges in this case date back to the Nov. 2020 presidential election after Trump lost to now-President Joe Biden here in Georgia.

The election was held on Nov. 3, 2020, and after several vote recounts, Biden was officially declared the winner in Georgia on Nov. 13, 2020.

Once that happened, Trump continued to make public statements saying the election was rigged in Georgia and mounted a pressure campaign on state and local officials to overturn the election.

What unfolded after his loss led then-newly elected Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to impanel a special purpose grand jury to look into possible criminal interference in the election.

Throughout the eight months that the grand jury met, we know that 26 Fulton County residents heard evidence from 75 witnesses.

[TIMELINE: Fulton County grand jury investigation into potential interference in Georgia elections]

The grand jurors investigated several events surrounding the election, including the now-infamous phone call from Trump to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. During the January 2020 call, Trump seemed to pressure Raffensperger to overturn the election.

All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have, Trump told Raffensperger during the call. Because we won the state.

The call lasted more than an hour between Trump, Raffensperger, his attorney Ryan Germany and White House senior staff members.

During the first 12 minutes of the call, Trump talked without interruption, going through debunked conspiracy theories about what he repeatedly called certified numbers showing that he won Georgia, not Biden.

President Trump, weve had several lawsuits, and weve had to respond in court to the lawsuits and the contentions. We dont agree that you have won, Raffensperger told Trump during the call.

Another aspect of the case the grand jury looked into was the false allegations of voter fraud made by Trumps attorney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani in a hearing in front of a state Senate subcommittee.

During the Dec. 2020 hearing, Giuliani, attorney John Eastman and other Trump allies testified and showed video from State Farm Arena claiming what they said was massive voter fraud in Fulton County.

Giuliani called it the smoking gun showing Democrats stole the election. Giuliani also made claims of thousands of convicted felons, dead people and people out of state voting in Georgia.

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The video and all of the claims were quickly investigated and debunked by federal and state investigators.

Channel 2 investigative reporter Justin Gray watched the video with state election officials, who walked him through it frame-by-frame.

(There were) no magically-appearing ballots, Gabriel Sterling with the Secretary of States office said. These were ballots that were processed in front of the monitors, processed in front of the monitors and placed there in front of the monitors.

These are just typical everyday election workers are just doing their jobs. This is not some Oceans 11-level scheme being put together in the middle of the night, Sterling continued.

A third part of the investigation centered around the meeting of false electors inside the state capitol.

On the day when members of the Electoral College were casting their votes at the State Capitol for Biden, another group of alternate electors met in another room to cast votes for Trump.

Channel 2s Richard Elliot was allowed into the room and witnessed the vote. Among those alternate electors was now-Lt. Gov. Burt Jones.

Sources at that meeting told Elliot at the time that the Trump campaign sent out an email asking attendees to keep the meeting quiet and to say instead they were meeting with Jones and state Sen. Brandon Beach.

Following the meeting, Elliot asked David Shafer, who was head of the Georgia GOP at the time, why they met.

The presidents lawsuit contesting the Georgia election has not been decided or even heard, we held this meeting to preserve his rights. Had we not held this meeting, then his lawsuit would effectively be mooted, Schafer said at the time.

The grand jury lasted for eight months and was dissolved after sending its final report to Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney in January 2023.

After several court hearings, only small parts of the report were allowed to be released.

According to the released parts of the report, a majority of the jurors believed perjury may have been committed by one or more witnesses and recommended Willis seek appropriate indictments.

We find by a unanimous vote that no widespread fraud took place in the Georgia 2020 election that could result in overturning that election, the report said.

The Georgia indictment is just the latest legal action taken against Trump. Many of the charges laid out in this indictment mirror much of what was brought up in the federal indictment handed up by a federal grand jury on Aug. 1 alleging Trumps involvement in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election on a nationwide scale.

Those charges include:

A conspiracy to defraud the United States by using dishonesty, fraud and deceit to obstruct the nations process of collecting, counting, and certifying the results of the presidential election (Count 1, in violation of 18 USC 371).

A conspiracy to impede the Jan. 6 congressional proceeding at which the collected results of the presidential election are counted and certified (Count 2, in violation of 18 USC 1512).

The indictment also alleges that Trump attempted to, and did, corruptly obstruct and impede the certification of the electoral vote (Count 3, in violation of 18 USC 1512).

A conspiracy against the right to vote and to have that vote counted (Count 4, in violation of 18 USC 241).

Trump pleaded not guilty to those charges.

In March, Trump was indicted in a case in New York City making him the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges. He was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.

In May, a jury ordered former President Donald Trump to pay about $5 million in damages after finding him liable of battery and defamation in a civil lawsuit brought by longtime magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll.

Carroll accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in a dressing room at a luxury department store in New York in the 1990s and said he defamed her after he called her a liar when she later went public with the allegations.

Trump said he will appeal the jurys verdict, calling it a disgrace.

In June, a federal grand jury handed up a 37-count indictment against Trump alleging that he kept classified documents in the bathroom and shower at his Florida estate, as well as various other locations that included a ballroom, storeroom, office, and bedroom.

He pleaded not guilty.

There are other civil cases in New York against Trump as well.

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Denis Sharonov, the former Agriculture Minister of Russias Komi Republic, has fled Russia after getting a mobilization notice and requested political asylum in the United States, independent Russian media outlet RTVI reported on Aug. 15.

In the interview with RTVI, Sharonov said he now works as a truck driver in the United States.

Read also: The Kremlin is changing the rules of mobilization. Whom does Putin plan to call up for war

The journalists contacted him after he posted a video describing his decision to flee Russia. Sharonov was dismissed from his ministerial post in January 2022 and received a mobilization notice in October 2022.

Read also: Putin sidesteps general mobilization: Chechen mercenaries, convicts to replace Wagner  Bloomberg

 Ive been to the United States 28 years ago, as a student; I studied here for a year and realized that locals treat blue-collar workers completely differently here, he explained his willingness to drive trucks for a living after his career in Russia.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
A man was found dead in Shenango Township, and police are suspecting foul play.

According to Pennsylvania State Police, officers were called to the 2300 block of Old Chewton Road on Monday morning.

Jason Altman, 51, was found dead by a family member. Police said evidence of foul play was found at the scene.

State police are handling the investigation, and are asking anyone with information to call 724-598-2211.

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Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said the latest indictment of former president Donald Trump showed how he pushed his "Big Lie" to steal the 2020 election, undermine democracy and "overturn the will of the people of Georgia." File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI

Aug. 15 (UPI) -- Political reaction Tuesday to the criminal indictment of former President Donald Trump on charges he and more than a dozen co-defendants illegally interfered in the 2020 election in Georgia largely split along party lines.

The Democratic leadership on Capitol Hill welcomed the indictment, the fourth against Trump, saying it reaffirmed the belief that in America no one, not even the president, was above the law, but on the other side of the aisle furious Republicans called it a "sham" and a weaponizing of government to game the 2024 election.

The indictment, like the three preceding it, revealed a pattern of criminal behavior showing how Trump pushed his "Big Lie" to steal the 2020 election, undermine democracy and "overturn the will of the people of Georgia," Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. said in a joint statement.

"The actions taken by the Fulton County District Attorney, along with other state and federal prosecutors, reaffirms the shared belief that in America no one, not even the president, is above the law."

But House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., condemned the latest legal action against Trump, describing it as a political attack by President Joe Biden.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., condemned the latest legal action against former President Donald trump as a political attack. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI

"Justice should be blind, but Biden has weaponized government against his leading political opponent to interfere in the 2024 election," he said.

"Now a radical District Attorney in Georgia is following Biden's lead by attacking President Trump and using it to fundraise her political career. Americans see through this desperate sham."

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, maintained his stance that former President Donald Trump had disqualified himself from holding office. File Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI

House Judiciary Committee chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said the indictment was the latest effort by Democrats to conduct a "Witch Hunt" against the former president.

"He did nothing wrong!" Jordan wrote on social media.

Arrangements are likely to be coordinated between Trump's lawyers and Willis' office with input from the Secret Service and the Fulton County Sheriff's Department, which is responsible for the main jail system for Atlanta, as well as courthouse security. Photo by Erik S. Lesser/EPA-EFE

But fellow Republicans vying with Trump to become the party's candidate for president in next year's election had a different response.

In a statement early Tuesday, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson maintained his long-standing position that Trump had disqualified himself from ever holding the nation's highest office again and appealed to voters to give him the chance to challenge Trump by helping him meet the criteria for the first Republican presidential debate in Milwaukee on Aug. 23.

The indictment by the grand jury was "another day of challenge for our democracy," Asa said.

As a former federal prosecutor who had pursued racketeering charges in federal court against terrorist organizations, he said he understood the difficulty of a multi-defendant state indictment and how slow the case may proceed.

"Regardless, I expect voters to make the ultimate decision on the future of our democracy."

Debate is now turning to the logistics of Trump's arrest and arraignment with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis mandating he voluntarily surrender to authorities there no later than Aug. 25.

Security has been stepped up in and around the court complex in Atlanta over fears the case could attract pro-Trump demonstrators, some of whom could be violent. Willis has reportedly requested FBI assistance with security and kitted out some members of staff with bulletproof vests.

Arrangements are likely to be coordinated between Trump's lawyers and Willis' office with input from the Secret Service and the Fulton County Sheriff's Department, which is responsible for the main jail system for Atlanta, as well as courthouse security.

The sheriff has said Trump would not receive any special treatment which could mean he would to taken to jail on Rice Street in the northwest of the city for a medical, fingerprinting, a check for outstanding warrants and have his booking photo taken.

Those who fail to post, or are refused, bail usually appear before a judge within 24 hours of being arrested.

When Trump surrendered to New York prosecutors in April after being indicted on business fraud charges related to alleged hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, he was neither handcuffed nor required to have his mugshot taken.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health will offer free potassium iodide, or KI, tablets on Thursday to Pennsylvanians who are within ten miles of the states four active nuclear power plants as part of routine preventive efforts in case of future emergencies.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health hosts an annual distribution event every summer.

Making potassium iodide tablets available for residents is a critical part of emergency preparedness and public health, said Acting Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen. Radiological emergencies are rare, but it is important to have tablets on hand. The tablets should only be taken when instructed and in the event of an emergency, Pennsylvanians should follow local authorities instructions.

Potassium iodide can add another layer of protection against harmful radioactive iodine and can be taken by anyone if they are not allergic. It is safe for pregnant women and those who are breastfeeding, people on thyroid medication, children and infants. Individuals who are unsure if they should take potassium iodide should ask a health care provider and only take if instructed to do so by state health officials.

The states four active nuclear facilities are Beaver Valley Power Station; Limerick Generating Station; Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station; and Susquehanna Steam Electric Station.

The tablets are available to all Pennsylvanians who live or work within ten miles of the states four active nuclear power plants by visiting a distribution center listed below on Aug. 17. No appointments are necessary. Residents can also call the Department of Health at 1-877-PA-HEALTH or visiting a county and municipal health department or state health center.

Individuals requesting KI tablets may do so for other family members or those who are unable to get the tablets on their own. School districts and employers within a ten-mile radius can also arrange to obtain their supply of KI tablets from the department.

Locally, KI tablets will be distributed from 2 to 7 p.m. Aug. 17 at the Beaver Valley Mall, Center at the Mall, Unit, No. 284, 570 Beaver Valley Mall Blvd., Monaca.

Information sheets explaining how many KI tablets should be taken, when to take the tablets, and how to store them are provided with the packages. Public health nurses can answer questions about the process over the phone as well.

Additional information on potassium iodide (KI) tablets and nuclear power plant safety can be found on the Department of Healths website at health.pa.gov.

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Back when they started, frequent flyer schemes were simple affairs. The premise, first introduced in 1979 by Texas International Airlines, was straightforward: customers who chose to fly with a specific airline would be rewarded for their loyalty. Early rewards might come in the form of perks or special fares for frequent customers, but this quickly evolved into air miles, which could go towards the cost of future flights once enough of them had been accrued. The idea was taken up by airlines around the world, in the hopes that offering an incentive would encourage passengers to pick them over a competitor.

Skip forward to 2023 and these programmes have morphed into something much more complicated. Air miles have been replaced by points, with different names, values, methods of collection and stipulations around how you can spend them depending on the carrier or group of airlines (British Airways recently made waves by changing the way Avios (its name for points) are earned from per mile flown to per pound spent). These days, you dont just earn  or have to redeem  points from or on flights; stay in the right hotel chain, rent a car from the right company and pay with the right credit card, and points can be garnered and used on partner airlines, or indeed spent on a whole host of other travel experiences.

With ever-more complex rules, travellers have to be increasingly savvy in order to make collecting points worthwhile. Entire online communities and websites have sprung up to cater to this new breed of loyalty scheme gameification, such as The Points Guy, Head for Points, One Mile at a Time, View From the Wing and Inside Flyer. Website thepointsguy.com, for instance, is packed with articles advising travellers on how to get more points for their buck, from How to maximize your rewards earning with the Ink Business Preferred to Amex Platinum vs. Delta Reserve: Which card is best for Delta loyalists?.

Airlines are incentivising a small group of incredibly frequent flyers to take flights they dont even want, just to get points

Alethea Warrington, Possible

Amid this mind-bending world of virtual currency, airlines have introduced tier points  separate from reward points  to denote just how special a customer is. The more you fly  but, more importantly, the more money you spend  the more tier points you receive, and the higher status youre given. Different tiers, for example Bronze, Silver and Gold, come with varying levels of benefits. These could include access to exclusive lounges, priority boarding, and more reward points awarded per flight.

But rather than simply encouraging customer loyalty, these days Frequent Flyer Programmes (FFP) incentivise travellers to spend more, take unnecessary flights, and plump for the most expensive class of airline seat (with the biggest carbon footprint) to keep their elite status, according to new research from climate charity Possible.

Its latest report, entitled Pointless: The Climate Impact of Frequent Flyer Status, assessed British Airways and Virgin Atlantics FFPs, and the carbon footprints needed for an individual to attain tier status. The results are sobering. Flying enough to qualify for any kind of FFP membership requires emissions between seven and 112 times higher than the average UK air travel footprint, Possible claims (although British Airways asserts that this is incorrect, arguing that anybody can sign up to the British Airways Executive Club for free without the need to take a flight).

Achieving Gold Status with either British carrier means taking flights that emit an average of 27 tonnes of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) every year, over 33 times higher than the average UK air travel footprint. Gaining or keeping elite-tier status requires an exceptionally large air travel carbon footprint, up to more than 90 tonnes CO2e each year for higher levels. And lifetime membership status can require a carbon footprint of more than 1,800 tonnes of CO2e per person for the highest FFP status level  34 times the lifetime per person share of the remaining carbon budget for a 50 per cent chance of limiting global warming to 1.5C.

Travellers can collect points by using the right credit card (Getty Images)

We need urgent action to protect the climate, but frequent flyer reward programmes are sending emissions soaring in the wrong direction, says Alethea Warrington, senior campaigner at Possible. Airlines are incentivising a small group of incredibly frequent flyers to take flights they dont even want, just to get points  while people around the world pay the real price as they face dangerous heat waves and out of control wildfires. Airlines need to end this irresponsible behaviour, and stop awarding points for pollution.

This summer, weve already seen scorching heatwaves affect the realm of travel. Countries across southern Europe issued weather warnings ahead of 40C+ temperatures; holidaymakers had to be evacuated in their thousands as wildfires swept across Greek and Hawaiian islands. It followed a warm winter blighted by a dearth of snow across the continents ski resorts. Tourist destinations are having to adapt, while travel experts predict a move from holidays in the Mediterranean to northern Europe, and that peak holiday season will switch from summer to autumn and spring in years to come. Climate change isnt some far-off future event to be worried about later. It is already here, impacting the way we live. And, somewhat ironically, every flight we take to go on holiday contributes to the climate change-related issues we encounter once were there.

Under such circumstance, perhaps one of the most abhorrent trends that has sprung forth as a result of FFPs is the tier point run. This is a term used in FFP member circles to describe a journey taken for the sake of collecting tier points, rather than because the passenger really needs to take the flight. These are often long and convoluted routes, since indirect flights can be cheaper, and splitting a journey into multiple legs can result in more points. One tier point run recommended on frequent flyer forums is Malaga-Helsinki-London-New York-Los Angeles-San Francisco, resulting in 1,080 British Airways points (Avios) for a return flight  and a carbon footprint of 14.2 tonnes of CO2e (13kg CO2e per tier point).

Its not a sensible thing to have to do from a personal health perspective, its certainly not green

Anonymous flyer

Another British Airways tier point run involves flying from Budapest to Honolulu via London, Helsinki, New York and Los Angeles to collect 1,080 points, with emissions of 15 tonnes of CO2e (13.9kg CO2e per tier point). One frequent flyer described flying to Hawaii for just 90 minutes in order to accrue tier points: Seven of the other people in the front cabin were all doing the same thing as me  flying just to get their status its not a sensible thing to have to do from a personal health perspective, its certainly not green, they told BBC Sounds on its Inside the World of the Frequent Flyer podcast.

In this context, FFPs dont just seem frivolous  they are unethical, argues Possible. The charity is calling for the immediate scrapping of FFPs by airlines operating in the UK, and in fact suggests that those who fly most be penalised rather than rewarded, with the proposed introduction of a frequent flyer levy, as well as a kerosene tax. According to Possible, This would help to reduce excessive, wasteful consumption of high-carbon travel by a small group of people, and more accurately reflect the real cost of flying for our climate.

A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson told The Independent: Long haul connectivity brings huge societal and economic benefits, and we believe that aviation can innovate forward to reduce the carbon impact of flying whilst continuing to connect families, businesses and communities around the world.

Flying Club is our loyalty programme designed to reward those who choose Virgin Atlantic when they travel, rather than based on their flying frequency. Our customers can earn Virgin Points through a variety of purchases, from everyday items to higher value experiences, with the majority of points earned on the ground through our credit cards. When customers do choose to use their points to fly with us, they are doing so on one of the most fuel-efficient fleets across the Atlantic.

Meanwhile, British Airways said in response to the research: Like many other airlines and brands globally, we recognise our customers loyalty by offering tangible benefits as part of our Executive Club programme. We acknowledge the need to balance this with our environmental commitments. As part of our BA Better World programme and commitment to net zero emissions by 2050, we have a clear roadmap and have introduced a range of measures, including investing in the development of sustainable aviation fuels, flying more fuel-efficient aircraft and investing in the growth of zero emissions hydrogen-powered aircraft. In addition, our CO2llaborate platform gives customers the option to calculate and address their emissions before, during or after their flight.

Previous research from Possible found that just 15 per cent of Brits were responsible for taking 70 per cent of all flights; around half the population dont set foot on a plane each year. Though we might not think of it as such, aviation is already an elite activity  and flying enough to qualify for top tier FFP status is elite as it gets. Isnt it time the biggest emitters paid the price rather than getting a pat on the back?
Donald Trump and members of his 2020 campaign legal team were slapped with a comprehensive list of criminal charges related to their efforts to change the lawful results of the presidential election in Georgia late Monday evening.

A wide range of charges were listed on the document, unsealed just before midnight after hours of work by the grand jury, containing more than 40 in total and climbing to nearly 100 pages in length.

District attorney Fani Willis spoke just before midnight, calling the efforts of the Trump team a criminal conspiracy.

The list of criminal counts itself was overshadowed only by the sheer number of individuals connected to Mr Trump who have now been charged. Every prominent member of Mr Trumps legal team, including Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, Kenneth Chesebro, Sidney Powell and John Eastman are now under indictment, as is former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. The list goes on to include a former publicist for the rapper Ye, better known as failed (two-time?) presidential contender Kanye West, as well as a currently-sitting member of the Georgia state Senate, Shawn Still.

Mr Trump himself faces 13 criminal counts, including one he shares with every other defendant: A violation of Georgias Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute, which charges those who take actions in service of a criminal enterprise.

He also faces 12 other charges, including: Conspiracy to impersonate a public officer, two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery, two counts of conspiracy to make false statements under oath, two counts of conspiracy to file false documents, two counts of solicitation of a public officer, filing false documents, conspiracy to solicit false statements, and making false statements.

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It was the URL heard around the world.

On Monday, a charge sheet announcing 13 counts against Donald Trump was briefly published online on the Fulton County court website  before being deleted just as quickly  kicking off rampant speculation about the looming indictment and instantly fuelling claims of foul play from the former president.

The initial charge sheet seemed to show an extensive list of criminal charges against Mr Trump stemming from the long-running Georgia investigation into his attempts to overturn the states 2020 election results, according to Reuters.

It was published hours before the grand jury had voted to indict the former president and a group of his closest allies for running a criminal enterprise to overturn the 2020 election in the state and keep Mr Trump in power.

The document, which can still be viewed on the Reuters website, was quickly taken down.

Hours later, when the indictment was handed down, it appeared under a different case code.

It also included Mr Trumps 18 co-defendants  something the original document did not.

But there were some similarities with the initial charge sheet and the final charge sheet both including the exact same 13 charges against the former president.

With officials doing little to hamper speculation or offer any concrete explanation for the apparent mistake, Mr Trump and his allies seized on the document to claim foul play.

In an email to his supporters asking for donations to his campaign, the former president claimed the document was another sign of the Witch Hunt against him and asked his supporters for more money.

This is an absolute DISGRACE. These rabid left-wing prosecutors dont care about uncovering the truth. They dont care about administering justice or upholding the rule of law, he wrote to his donors in an email with the subject line LEAKED CHARGES AGAINST ME.

The Grand Jury testimony has not even FINISHED  but its clear the District Attorney has already decided how this case will end.

Online commentators also began speculating that the document was a hack or maybe a leak; after all, the unthinkable and unexpected already happened once in recent months, with the 2022 leak of a draft opinion of the Supreme Courts eventual decision overturning Roe v Wade.

Republican lawmakers meanwhile flew into a rage.

Donald Trump (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

"This is OUTRAGEOUS government conduct and is a very legitimate basis to deem the entire Grand Jury process tainted & corrupted, Florida Representative Matt Gaetz wrote on social media. MOTION TO DISMISS!!!"

The overarching political narratives  judgment day for Mr Trump, or a political prosecution gone too far  had outrun the verifiable facts on the ground.

The Fulton County District Attorneys office told Reuters that initial reports of the document filed online were inaccurate but didnt explain what led to the reported original upload.

The Fulton County clerks office reinforced this message, writing in a statement of fictitous reports about charges being approved by the grand jury investigating Donald Trump.

There have been no documents today regarding such, officials said.

The office added that documents without official case numbers are not considered official filings and should not be treated as such  despite the fact that the document that appeared online did have a case number.

When pressed about the document before the indictment was handed down, the court clerk Che Alexander continued o offer little in the way of an explanation.

I mean, I dont know what else to say, he said.

All the while, the actual grand jury process, the body that eventually recommended Mr Trumps fourth major criminal indictment of the year, continued throughout Monday, extending into after-hours testimony from Georgia officials.

Outside, police continued with a stepped-up security posture including K-9 dogs, as Georgia officials have suggested a charging decision could come this month.

Media organisations surrounded the court complex, with lines of tents and cameras that heightened the atmosphere of anticipation.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks during a news conference announcing the charges (Getty Images)

When the indictment was unsealed it emerged that there are 13 felony charges against Mr Trump, including RICO, conspiracy to commit forgery, filing false documents, Solicitation of Violation of Oath by Public Officer and more.

In addition, 18 Trump associates have also been indicted, including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani.

When asked at Mondays press conference about the document, Ms Willis said: I cant tell you anything about what you refer to.

The document drama was the latest bizarre twist in a high-profile investigation that began shortly after an infamous 2021 phone call, in which Mr Trump was recorded giving explicit requests for top state officials to find him enough votes to reverse Joe Bidens victory in Georgia.

Most recently, Mr Trump has falsely claimed Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis had an affair with a rapper who was the target of a racketeering probe by her office.

The speculation surrounding the charges also overshadowed a major update in the case.

On Sunday, CNN reported that Ms Williss office had text messages allegedly linking the Trump campaign team to breaches of voting machines in Coffee County, Georgia.
Former President Trump has been indicted in Georgia after an investigation by Fulton County Dist. Atty. Fani Willis into efforts to overturn the state's 2020 presidential election results. Eighteen others were also indicted, including Trump's personal lawyers Rudolph Giuliani and Sidney Powell, and former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.

Trump was charged in the sweeping 98-page indictment with racketeering and a dozen other felonies, including solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer, conspiracy to commit forgery and false statements and writings.

Willis launched the probe in February 2021 after news broke that the former president was recorded during a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call pressuring Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find him 11,780 votes, enough to win in Georgia. Trump has insisted that making the call was appropriate.

Willis, a Democrat, had reportedly long focused on charging Trump and his associates under Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, allowing her to prosecute numerous people allegedly involved in a wide-ranging criminal scheme. All 19 defendants are charged under that statute. The act is broader than the federal RICO law.

The enterprise was working to accomplish the illegal goal of allowing Donald J. Trump to seize the presidential term of office beginning on Jan. 20, 2021," Willis said at a news conference late Monday night.

"...Rather than abide by Georgia's legal process for election challenges, the defendants engaged in a criminal racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgia's presidential election result," Willis said.

Arrest warrants were issued for all the defendants, Willis said, but she is allowing them to voluntarily surrender by noon on Aug. 25. Willis said she intends to ask for a trial date scheduled within the next six months and will try all 19 defendants together.

"I don't have any desire to be first or last," Willis said as to when she hoped to try her case as Trump faces three other trials in New York, Florida and Washington, D.C. "I want to try him and be respectful for our sovereign states."

Read more: Read the Fulton County indictment of Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani and associates

The indictment lays out a sprawling effort to disrupt the 2020 election in Fulton County, elsewhere in Georgia and in other states, including false representations in the courts, false accusations made by Trump and others against a pair of poll workers, and misusing the power of the Justice Department to try to convince state lawmakers to overturn the results.

The indictment details a plan to assemble a slate of fake electors to meet in secret at the state Capitol to cast votes for Trump despite Joe Biden having won a majority of votes in the state, and to use the competing slates to throw Georgia's result into turmoil when Congress met to certify the election results on Jan. 6, 2021, as well as pressure put on former Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the election himself during that proceeding. It also outlines the successful effort to copy the Coffee County, Ga., election system on Jan. 7, 2021.

The indictment, which came after grand jurors heard roughly 10 hours of testimony Monday, contains 41 criminal counts. The other defendants are Trump's attorneys John Eastman, Jenna Ellis, Bob Cheeley, Ray Smith III and Kenneth Chesebro; former Assistant U.S. Atty. Gen. Jeffrey Clark; GOP strategist Michael Roman; former Coffee County elections supervisor Misty Hampton; former Coffee County GOP Chair Cathy Latham; Atlanta bail bondsman Scott Hall; publicist Trevian Kutti; Illinois pastor Stephen Cliffguard Lee; Harrison Floyd, the director of Black Voices for Trump; state Sen. Shawn Still; and former Georgia Republican Party Chair David Shafer.

Several of the indicted Georgia residents were charged with impersonating a public officer by holding themselves out as duly qualified electors. Cheeley was charged with lying to the special grand jury that heard evidence in the case for roughly seven months. The special grand jury recommended more than a dozen people for indictment, and its forewoman hinted in an interview with the New York Times in February that Trump was among them. Willis needed approval from a regular grand jury, which voted Monday to bring charges.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney receives documents from County Court Clerk Che Alexander in Atlanta on Monday. (Megan Varner / Getty Images)

In a statement released by his campaign, Trump accused Willis of waiting to seek charges until it would influence the 2024 presidential campaign. His campaign also released detailed criticism of Willis' record as a prosecutor and accused her of fundraising off of the investigation.

"Ripping a page from Crooked Joe Bidens playbook, Willis has strategically stalled her investigation to try and maximally interfere with the 2024 presidential race and damage the dominant Trump campaign," it said.

Willis dismissed the idea that she had a political motive for bringing the indictment. I make decisions in this office based on the facts and the law, Willis said. The law is completely nonpartisan.

Read more: Inside the MAGA world scramble to produce findings suggesting the 2020 election was stolen

Former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, one of the witnesses who testified before the grand jury Monday, called the investigation a "pivot point" in American politics.

As Republicans, we either are going to have to take our medicine and realize the election wasnt rigged, Donald Trump was the worst candidate ever, in the history of the party  and now we are going to have to pivot from there, Duncan told reporters as he left the courthouse.

Earlier in the day Trump posted on Truth Social that Duncan shouldn't testify.

On July 31 a Fulton County judge rejected an attempt by Trump's attorneys to gut the district attorneys investigation before criminal charges were announced.

A police officer and a protester argue Monday before the indictment of former President Trump in Atlanta. (Christian Monterrosa / AFP via Getty Images)

Security around the courthouse in Atlanta has increased over the last few weeks. On Tuesday, law enforcement will close security gates around the state Capitol for an undetermined period of time in anticipation of potential protests. Protesters gathered outside the statehouse after Trump lost in 2020.

Trump's indictment by a Georgia grand jury adds to a growing list of legal troubles amid his presidential campaign.

Trump was indicted Aug. 1 in Washington, D.C., following an investigation by special counsel Jack Smith into actions that Trump and his allies allegedly took to keep him in office despite losing the 2020 election. He was arraigned in that case on Aug. 3, pleading not guilty to all four felony charges.

Trump is also scheduled to go to trial in New York in March for state charges related to payments allegedly made during the 2016 presidential campaign to cover up an affair with porn actor Stormy Daniels. And he has another trial scheduled for May on 39 federal charges brought by Smith related to his retention of classified documents after he left office. He has pleaded not guilty in both cases.

Times staff writers Jenny Jarvie in Atlanta and Seema Mehta in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Get the best of the Los Angeles Times politics coverage with the Essential Politics newsletter.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
With a potential indictment looming against former president Trump and others, law enforcement officials are prepared for whatever may happen.

Channel 2s Michael Seiden was out near the courthouse on Pryor Street all day Monday.

Outside the Fulton County Courthouse Monday, security measures were on full display as a grand jury decides whether to indict former president Donald Trump.

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Never seen downtown like this before. Every block is completely shut down with police or media like yourselves, Britton Clark told Channel 2 Action News.

Despite the tightened security, the courthouse and government center both remained open for normal business.

But getting to either building presented quite the challenge for many, including Nicole Low.

I dont drive but if I was, it would be really, really chaotic trying to find a parking space, Low said.

As of Monday afternoon, there are no reports of any trouble or issues.

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But Sheriff Pat Labat isnt taking any chances, he has canceled all off days for his deputies and ordered everyone to work 12-hour shifts.

County law enforcement is also getting support from local, state, and federal agencies.

Early Monday, Channel 2s Michael Seiden spoke with some Atlanta police officials who told me that all of their specialized units are ready and available but at this point, they will only step in if they are needed.

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Six white former police officers pleaded guilty on Monday to state charges for torturing two Black men.

The men had sworn an oath to protect and serve were huddled on the back porch of a Mississippi home as Michael Corey Jenkins lay on the ground, blood gushing from his mutilated tongue where one of the police officers shoved a gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger.

The roughly 90-minute period of terror preceding the shooting began late on January 24 after a white neighbor called Rankin County Deputy Brett McAlpin and complained that two Black men were staying with a white woman inside a Braxton home.

McAlpin tipped off Deputy Christian Dedmon, who texted a group of white deputies who called themselves The Goon Squad, a moniker they adopted because of their willingness to use excessive force.

Are yall available for a mission? Dedmon asked. They were.

Five of the former officers are from Rankin County Sheriffs Office  Chief Investigator Brett McAlpin, Narcotics Investigator Christian Dedmon, Lieutenant Jeffrey Middleton, Deputy Hunter Elward, and Deputy Daniel Opdyke  while one is from the Richland Police Department, Narcotics Investigator Joshua Hartfield. Some of the group calls themselves the Goon Squad, as they were known for using excessive force and not reporting it.

All pleaded guilty to state charges of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to hinder prosecution. Each reached individual plea agreements that include prison sentences ranging from five to 30 years, according to court records obtained by the Associated Press.

The guilty pleas to the state charges arrive just over a week after all six men also pleaded guilty to 16 federal felonies stemming from the torture and physical abuse of two Black men.

They will be sentenced for the federal charges in mid-November.

According to the Justice Departments release earlier this month, the officers admitted kicking in a door and entering a home belonging to two Black men  Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker on 24 January  without a warrant.

The two men were handcuffed and arrested  without probable cause to believe they had committed any crime. The officers called them racial slurs, and warned them to stay out of Rankin County, according to the release.

The officers reportedly punched and kicked Mr Jenkins and Mr Parker, tased them 17 times, forced them to ingest liquids, and assaulted them with a dildo.

Court records detail how they burst into a home without a warrant, handcuffed Jenkins and Parker, assaulted them with a sex toy and beat Parker with wood and a metal sword. They poured milk, alcohol and chocolate syrup over their faces and then forced them to strip naked and shower together to conceal the mess.

Then one of them put a gun in Jenkins mouth and fired.

As Jenkins lay bleeding, they didnt render medical aid. They knew the mission had gone too far and devised a hasty cover-up scheme that included a fictitious narcotics bust, a planted gun and drugs, stolen surveillance footage and threats.

Jeffrey Middleton, a former sheriffs deputy in Rankin County, Miss., walks into the federal courthouse

The deputies were under the watch of Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey, who called it the worst episode of police brutality he has seen in his career.

On top of other torturous behaviour, the former officers devised a cover-up, involving making false statements and charging the two men with crimes they did not commit, but also neglected to provide medical aid to them.

An anti-police brutality activist looks back at the entrance to the Rankin County Sheriffs Office (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Law enforcement misconduct in the U.S. has come under increased scrutiny, largely focused on how Black people are treated by the police. The 2020 killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police ignited calls for sweeping criminal justice reforms and a reassessment of American race relations. The January beating death of Tyre Nichols by five Black members of a special police squad in Memphis, Tennessee, led to a probe of similar units nationwide.

In Rankin County, the brutality visited upon Jenkins and Parker was not a botched police operation, but an assembly of rogue officers who tortured them all under the authority of a badge, which they disgraced, U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca said.

Daniel Opdyke, a former sheriffs deputy in Rankin County

The county just east of the state capital, Jackson, is home to one of the highest percentages of Black residents of any major U.S. city. A towering granite-and-marble monument topped by a Confederate soldier stands across the street from the sheriffs office.

The officers warned Jenkins and Parker to stay out of Rankin County and go back to Jackson or their side of the Pearl River, court documents say, referencing an area with higher concentrations of Black residents.

Kristen Clarke, head of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division, said the trauma is magnified because the misconduct was fueled by racial bias and hatred. She mentioned another dark chapter in Mississippi law enforcement: the 1964 kidnapping and killing of three civil rights workers.

The violent police misconduct is a reminder there is still much to be done, Clarke said.
The average price for a gallon of gasoline in the U.S. is $3.85. Thats up nearly 30 cents from a month ago.

Prices are still lower this year than they were last year due to spikes caused by Russias invasion of Ukraine; however, they are at their highest point this year.

Factors influencing the high gasoline prices include oil supply cuts abroad and issues at refineries that turn crude oil into gasoline.

Oil prices are a major factor in the price of the gasoline that eventually reaches consumers at the pump. Oil prices have been on the rise over the past month or so along with gasoline prices.

Experts said that production cuts from a group of oil-producing nations known as OPEC+ since October are a major factor in the prices of both oil and gasoline.

If not for the OPEC cuts, I think wed be paying somewhere between $3.25 to $3.50 for gas, said Tom Kloza, global head of energy analysis at the Oil Price Information Service.

They took extraordinary measures and I think those measures are having an impact, he said.

In October, OPEC+, which includes Russia and Saudi Arabia, said they would cut supplies by 2 million barrels per day of oil before an additional large cut in April. On top of that, Saudi Arabia announced it would cut 1 million barrels per day for at least the months of July, August and September, while Russia also announced a cut of 500,000 barrels per day for August.

And while the U.S is producing more oil than it did before the pandemic  a new government forecast says it is expected to produce an average of 12.8 million barrels per day this year, up from 12.2 million in 2019  theyre not expected to fully offset the cuts in other countries.

Naser Ameen, who leads crude oil production forecasts at the Energy Information Administration  a nonpartisan statistics branch of the Energy Department  said that while the international cuts may create a price signal that encourages more U.S. production, domestic companies would not be expected to fully replace them.

The U.S. is a bunch of independent producers making their own independent decisions based on their balance sheets, Ameen said.

Ben Cahill, senior fellow in the energy security and climate change program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that U.S. companies in recent years have been more hesitant than usual to try to make up a deficit created when OPEC+ countries cut supply as they look to pursue discipline rather than expansion.

The sectors not as elastic as it used to be, Cahill said. Producers are not chasing higher prices any more, and I think it gives OPEC more leverage. Theyre less afraid that if they cut then the shale producers will benefit and that the U.S. will immediately respond and produce more.

In addition to the OPEC cuts, issues at refineries in the U.S. are also contributing to high gasoline prices.

According to the American Automobile Association, extreme heat took about 500,000 barrels per day of refining capacity offline. This makes up about 3 percent of the U.S.s total capacity to make gasoline from oil.

The hot weather around the world forces refiners to cut back on their processing rates because the equipment simply cant function correctly, said Andy Lipow, president of consulting firm Lipow Oil Associates.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A newly published biography of fired Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson is not doing well in sales. The book, authored by gay conservative Chadwick Moore, sold only 3,000 copies in its first week of publication, which ended August 1.

Tucker came in at number 15 in Publisher Weeklys hardcover nonfiction category, selling only 3,227 copies. The book, currently 70th on Amazons biographies list, also did not make the coveted New York Times bestseller list, Mediaite reports.

The book paints Carlson in an unrealistic light  most of it incredibly flattering to the entertainer.

Moore was frequently invited onto Carlsons prime-time Fox News program before the hosts termination in April, which was partly related to racist texts of Carlson's uncovered during discovery for the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit against his then-employer. (Fox News also recently paid out $12 million to a female producer on Carlson's show after she sued Fox News, claiming Carlson created a hostile and bigoted environment, which likely also contributed to the firing.)

In light of the bombshell Dominion settlement and Carlsons abrupt departure from his top-rated Fox News show, one might expect more interest in the onetime Fox superstar. But the biography, which Moore had boasted contains hundreds of hours of interviews with the disgraced news personality, is being met with a distinct lack of buzz and minimal sales.

Much of Moore's over-the-top promotional tour was devoted to trolling liberals online, deriding Fox News, and pushing rumors about Carlsons termination.

Both Moore and Carlson insist that Carlson was released from his contract as part of a deal between the network and Dominion Voting Systems under the networks settlement with the company. Fox News resolved the defamation suit from Dominion  which brought litigation after several Fox talking heads erroneously claimed Dominion was responsible for widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election  for a staggering $787 million.

Because of the settlement, many of the most prominent stars within the network were not required to testify under oath.

Numerous revelations about lies the network knew it was telling were revealed during the investigations relating to Dominion's civil lawsuit. For Carlson, not only were his racist texts uncovered in discovery, but so were his frequent lies to his massive audience, including his true feelings about Donald Trump.

Editors note: Chadwick Moore contributed to The Advocate several times between 2014 and 2016.
Debates about education policy and the workplace are typically carried out by people far removed from high school classrooms. Theres good reason for that, since age and experience often bring clearer insights not visible to the young.

But education today is in a time of disruption and transition. In many respects, its not meeting the needs of young people as they enter a changing workforce.

Maybe its time to ask high school students what they need most.

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The June 2023 Question the Quo nationally representative survey of high school students ages 14 to 18 does just that. It documents Gen Z high schoolers views and shifting priorities on education and work. It was conducted by the nonprofit ECMC Group in partnership with VICE Media, the seventh survey report since 2020.

It turns out that Gen Z high school students have new and sensible ideas about the relationship between their K-12 education, going to college and starting a career. They want K-12 to provide them with practical knowledge and skills that lead to more education, training and career options after graduation than they now have. Policymakers and educators can and should take these views into serious consideration as they map out new programs and reforms.

Related

What Does Gen Z Want? Equity in Education Funding, Better Transportation & More

Here are four main questions Gen Z high schoolers have on their minds as they think about their futures.

Do we need a college degree?

Gen Z is skeptical about the value of a traditional four-year college degree. They question whether it delivers sufficient return on investment, having heard stories about student loans and debt. Around half (51%) are thinking about pursuing a college degree, down more than 10 percentage points since before the pandemic and 20 points since shortly after COVID began. Other surveys of young people and adults find similar skepticism about the value of a four-year degree.

On the other hand, 65% of Gen Z high schoolers who responded to Question the Quo believe education after high school is necessary. But they want options such as online courses, boot camps and apprenticeships.

What skills should K-12 schools teach us?

The practical mindset concerning college also applies to what young people want from high school. Gen Z places a priority on learning life skills along with academics  things like financial literacy, communication, problem-solving and understanding their own and others emotions, which are overlooked in the traditional K-12 curriculum. They value good grades and practical, real-world skills. They also have an entrepreneurial spirit, with a third wanting to start their own business.

Nearly 8 in 10 (78%) believe it is important to develop these practical skills before they graduate from high school, so they are better prepared to decide on career paths. These views are consistent with other national surveys of the American public and young people on these issues.

How can work and life coexist?

Gen Z high schoolers are not only interested in making money; they also want time for their personal lives. They see work-life balance as an important priority. In fact, two of the top factors that impact what they will decide to do after high school  long-term earning potential and physical and mental health  have remained consistent throughout ECMCs seven surveys. In other words, young people yearn for meaningful work that leaves room for personal development and leisure. Their approach to careers echoes a holistic perspective on the need for a healthy balance between work and personal life, which was a key theme of the December 2021 report from the U.S. surgeon general on youth mental health.

How do I achieve my dreams?

Gen Z high schoolers want to learn on the job and over their lifetime. More than two-thirds say their ideal post-high school learning should be on the job through internships or apprenticeships (65%) or through hands-on learning in a lab or classroom (67%). Only a third say their ideal learning would be only through coursework. More than half (53%) want more formalized learning throughout their life. And 8 in 10 believe government and employers should subsidize, pay full tuition or provide direct training for students.

Related

$2.5M Gen Z Program Aims to Expand Career Options for High School Students

Gen Z high schoolers do not reject formal academic learning. Rather, they want a system that is more flexible and personalized in its approach to learning and work than what they have now. They are asking K-12 schools, colleges, employers and other stakeholders to think differently about how best to prepare them for jobs and careers.

Disclosure: Walton Family Foundation provides financial support to The 74.
An RV dealer based in Michigan is about to begin a large investment for its North Carolina debut.

General RV Center is set to break ground tomorrow on a 71,000-square-foot facility outside of Salisbury, a $25 million investment that is expected to create 150 full-time jobs.

The company has said that it expects to open the dealership next year.

ALSO READ: Honda to build new light-jet model in central North Carolina, creating 280 jobs

The facility will be built on a 40-acre site off East Ritchie Road near Exit 74 of Interstate 85.

Read more here.

VIDEO: Honda to build new light-jet model in central North Carolina, creating 280 jobs
Counteroffensive operations continue in the directions of Bakhmut, Melitopol, and Berdiansk, the General Staff of Ukraines Armed Forces reported on Aug. 15.

Ukrainian forces made further gains in the area of Donetsk Oblasts Urozhaine, entrenching the regained positions, the General Staff wrote.

This report follows an Aug. 10 statement of Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar that Ukrainian troops had achieved partial success in the Urozhaine direction, east of the recently liberated village of Staromaiorske.

Urozhaine lies in the southwestern part of Donetsk Oblast, some 150 kilometers from Bakhmut, where Ukrainian troops are reportedly on the offensive south of the city.

According to the General Staff, Russia attempted unsuccessful attacks near Marinka and Krasnohorivka in Ukraine's east.

The enemy is putting up strong resistance, moving units and troops, and applying reserves.

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Ukraines military added that it kept holding back Russian offensive operations in the Lyman, Bakhmut, and Kupiansk directions.

On Aug. 10, local authorities began a mandatory evacuation of civilians from the Kupiansk district, Kharkiv Oblast, where Moscow is reportedly trying to recapture the territories lost during the Ukrainian surprise counteroffensive last autumn.

Read also: Ukraines counteroffensive lurches forward: Key moment looms as more forces committed





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When I was 5 years old, I didnt understand what a scapegoat was. All I understood was that, because of Japans aggression that pulled the United States into the war, my family and I had to leave our Los Angeles home at gunpoint, taking with us only what we could carry.

My mother, tears in her eyes, managed to stash an entire new portable sewing machine in her bag. She knew that where we were going, we might need to make our own clothes. She was right.

We were put on buses and sent to a racetrack in Santa Anita, California, where I lived with my parents and two siblings in a single horse stable for months. Then, it was a thousand-mile journey by train eastward, the blinds pulled down, supposedly for our own safety. No telling what locals might do if they knew a train full of Japs was passing through.

Texas Just Re-Elected My Trans Sons Worst Bullies

Our new home was an incarceration camp in the swamplands of Rohwer, Arkansas. We were sent there because America needed someone to blame. And President Franklin Delano Roosevelt needed to prove he was tough on the Japanese, even though our community, comprising mostly American citizens, had absolutely nothing to do with the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

That scapegoating went unchallenged by most Americans, was signed off on by our Supreme Court, and left a devastating toll in its wake. A total of 125,000 of us lost our homes, our jobs, our businesses. We were rendered destitute, then held without charge or trial behind barbed wire, all for the crime of looking like the people whod bombed Pearl Harbor.

When I was older, I came to understand what being scapegoated meant: a convenient target for politicians, a way to whip up hate and bigotry to win elections, a place to lay blame where none should lay. It meant hate, vilification, injusticeand even the very power of the state turned upon us.

I have worked my whole life to help ensure that scapegoating on such a massive scale doesnt happen again in America. But my heart is heavy, some 80 years after our internment. Because once again, my own community is being scapegoated.

This time it is a community I chose to join openly: the wonderful, joyous, yet so often misunderstood and reviled LGBTQ+ community, letters that represent a veritable rainbow of sexual and gender identities. We are a people who have literally had to fight for the right to live, the right to love, and still today, the right to simply be who we are.

Just a few years ago, things were looking promising. Marriage equality was finally the law of the land, after decades of struggle for acceptance and recognition under the law.

I was able to legally marry my longtime partner Brad in Californiaand, on September 14 of this year, we will celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary as husband and husband, though we have been together as a committed couple for 37 years.

Attitudes of Americans had shifted strongly in favor of gay rights, with strong majorities now in favor of non-discrimination laws. And efforts to turn back the clock had failed, at least until recently.

Enter the scapegoating. Armed with dangerous tropes from over 50 years ago, where gay and trans people are labeled as groomers who are a danger to children, wily politicians such as Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida began a campaign to drive us out, to erase our families and identities in education, in library books, and in our own communities. They even targeted retail stores that supported us during our month of Pride.

More ominously, and in the name of protecting trans kids and in defiance of all expert opinion, politicians at the state level have banned critically necessary trans medical care, leaving desperate parents and families without alternatives. It was not only ignorant, but it was also deliberately cruel. And it is leading to untold suffering for young people already burdened with the weight of successfully transitioning. They are a group that currently suffers the highest rates of suicide among teens.

I have seen where scapegoating, if left unchallenged, leads. And it is a very dark place, indeed. And I am alarmed that the fearmongering and hate, particularly against the trans community, are just the beginning. I know this because it was how it started with us, 80 years ago. First, the editorials. Then the brutal, restrictive rules. Followed by the ire of our larger communities, which ultimately turned upon us.

America is not somehow immune from these dark forces, the kind that led to the horrors of the Holocaust in Europe. Indeed, we have a long and terrible history of bringing the full power of the state behind the very laws that separate, discriminate, and punish based on differences in race or sexuality.

I see those levers of power being pulled again, and I recoil, as we all should. There are few things more terrifying than demagogic populism, sharpened dangerously into authoritarian rule, with minorities left at the mercy of those now in charge of writing and enforcing the laws. Yet that is precisely what is happening across much of Red State America today. Most of the candidates running to be the Republican pick for president have been freely expressing their anti-LGBTQ, anti-trans bigotry in a bid for votes, no matter the harm they are doing.

We are more than 80 years out from the Japanese American internment, but we have yet to learn its true lessons. Today, we must do more than call the scapegoating out. We must provide safe harbor for communities affected, and we must demand coordinated, federal-level responses that deter and prevent such abuses in the first place.

All of us have a role to play to ensure what happened before in America does not ever happen again. In 2024 we, and our allies, must vote as if our lives depended on itbecause they do.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Georgia officials announced on Monday that security gates around the state's Capitol will be closed starting Tuesday in anticipation of protests following the indictments of former President Trump and others.

"In anticipation of potential protests occurring as a result of high-profile indictments expected later this week, [Georgia Building Authority] will be closing the security gates around the Capitol for an undetermined period of time," the announcement read. "The duration and intensity of any protests will dictate how long the gates will remain closed."

The announcement also noted that the gates would be closing sometime during business hours on Tuesday, and the closing could last for several days.

FORMER GEORGIA LT. GOV. GEOFF DUNCAN TO TESTIFY BEFORE GRAND JURY TUESDAY AHEAD OF POSSIBLE TRUMP INDICTMENT

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 14: A Fulton County Sheriff officer rearranges fencing around the Fulton County Courthouse on August 14, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia. The heightened security is in place as Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis may announce a grand jury indictment in her investigation into former President Donald Trump and his Republican allies alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 election in the state.

Last week, security was ramped up outside the Fulton County courthouse in Georgia, with the street outside the courthouse closed off with barriers.

Multiple police agencies and a bomb-sniffing dog for media vehicles were also outside the courthouse, according to reports.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

TRUMP INDICTMENTS MAY DOMINATE 2024 RACE  IT WILL BE INESCAPABLE

People enter the Fulton County Courthouse as barricades run along the street.

The closures from last week were expected to be in place through Aug. 18.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is investigating Trump for his efforts to overturn Georgias 2020 election results, and she indicated she would make an announcement sometime this month.

GEORGIA COURTHOUSE RAMPS UP SECURITY AHEAD OF POTENTIAL 4TH TRUMP INDICTMENT

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 14: Fulton County Sheriff officers block off a street in front of the Fulton County Courthouse on August 14, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia. The heightened security is in place as Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis may announce a grand jury indictment in her investigation into former President Donald Trump and his Republican allies alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 election in the state.

The DA told area judges and law enforcement in May that she planned to present her case to a grand jury in the first half of August.

If the grand jury hands down an indictment, it will be the fourth for Trump and the second related to the 2020 election.

The former president currently faces charges for making hush payments to a porn star, mishandling classified documents, and attempting to overturn the 2020 election in Washington, D.C.

Anders Hagstrom of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
The indictment unveiled in Georgia late Monday night charged former President Trump with 13 crimes.

But unlike the other three indictments Trump faces, Georgias case sees a plethora of aides, lawyers and supporters charged, as well.

In addition to Trump, 18 people have been indicted as a result of the probe spearheaded by Fulton County, Ga., District Attorney Fani Willis (D).

In aggregate, prosecutors paint a picture of a concerted effort to thwart the will of Georgia voters. The alleged quest encompassed several component parts and a number of big names, all seeking to aid Trump and his desire to stay in power. Here are five of the best-known people enabling Trump and a summary of the charges against them.

No arraignments have taken place yet, but it is widely assumed  based in part on previous public statements  the defendants will plead not guilty to all charges.

READ: Trump indicted by Fulton County grand jury

Rudy Giuliani: 13 counts

The former New York City mayor and Trump lawyer is charged with racketeering under Georgias anti-racketeering and corruption statutes, as are all the other defendants.

But Giuliani faces numerous other charges. Among them are soliciting a public officer to violate their oath, several offenses relating to false statements and two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree. His 13 counts are the same number as Trumps and more than any other co-defendant.

The indictment outlines a number of acts that prosecutors allege constitute crimes.

For example, it posits that Giulianis presentation to members of the Georgia Senate, while Trump and his allies were seeking to overturn the 2020 election result in the state, amounted to soliciting those members to violate their oaths of office.

It further contends Giuliani knowingly and willfully made false statements and representations at that meeting  such as that a voting machine in Michigan recorded 6,000 votes for President Biden that had actually been cast for Trump.

More Trump indictment coverage

A separate count alludes to a meeting later the same month  December 2020  with members of the Georgia House.

The indictment lists even more false statements allegedly made by Giuliani then, including untrue allegations of fraud by named election workers at the vote count in an Atlanta arena.

The forgery charges pertain to an apparent effort to put forward unauthorized pro-Trump electors in Georgia, in effect overturning the elections outcome.

John Eastman: 9 counts

Eastman, an attorney, only came to widespread public attention because of his pro-Trump efforts.

He is charged with many of the same offenses as Giuliani, including racketeering and solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer.

Eastman was also party to the December 2020 meeting with Georgia state senators.

One intriguing detail in the indictment is the mention of a phone call in December 2020 by Trump and Eastman to Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee.

According to the indictment, the call was made to request her assistance in finding people willing to serve as pro-Trump electors in contravention of the official election results. The indictment considers this call an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy.

McDaniel has not been charged with any crime.

The indictment also refers to a New Years Eve 2020 court filing from Eastman and Trump, suing for injunctive relief regarding the Georgia results. Prosecutors allege the duo had reason to know the filing contained materially false statements.

Prosecutors further allege Eastman sent an e-mail to attorneys associated with the Trump Campaign admitting his knowledge that at least some of the allegations in the verified complaint were not accurate.

Sidney Powell: 7 counts

Powell was a controversial lawyer even inside Trump World, where some loyalists considered her claims outlandish.

The charges against Powell, beyond racketeering, are different from many of the other co-defendants.

Powell is charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit election fraud; three counts related to computer theft, computer trespass, and computer invasion of privacy; and an additional charge of conspiracy to defraud the state.

The computer-related charges pertain to Powells apparent efforts to prove claims of fraud by delving into how the election was conducted in a strongly pro-Trump county, Coffee County.

The indictment includes the allegation that Powell and other allies unlawfully conspired to use a computer with knowledge that such use was without authority and with the intention of removing voter data and Dominion Voting Systems Corporation data from said computer.

It contends the same group  Powell and three others  also conspired by roughly the same means with the intention of examining personal voter data with knowledge that such examination was without authority.

Mark Meadows: 2 counts

Meadows was Trumps chief of staff in the last year of his White House tenure, having served in Congress representing a North Carolina district and leading the House Freedom Caucus.

In addition to the racketeering charge, Meadows is charged  jointly with Trump  with soliciting a violation of oath from a public officer.

The charge seemingly refers to the infamous phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) on Jan. 2, 2021. On the call, which was recorded, Trump urged Raffensperger to find exactly enough votes to overtake President Bidens narrow margin of victory in the state.

Meadows was also on that hourlong call and spoke up on occasion.

Jeffrey Clark: 2 counts

Clark has been a deeply contentious figure since dramatic developments at the Department of Justice were revealed by The New York Times in late January 2021.

According to the Times, Clark, a department official at the time, secretly met with Trump, who was still president, without the knowledge of his superiors.

As characterized by the Times, Clark and Trump devised a plot that would have seen the acting attorney general, Jeffrey Rosen, ousted and Clark replace him.

Clark would also have sent a letter to Georgia officials contending the Department of Justice found significant concerns with voting in 2020 that may have impacted the outcome of the election in multiple states.

This was untrue. Rosens predecessor William Barr told Trump  and had said publicly in an Associated Press interview  there was no evidence of voting irregularities on a scale that could have changed the elections outcome.

The Trump-Clark plan faded after senior leaders at the Justice Department threatened to resign in protest.

Clark is now charged with racketeering and with a criminal attempt to commit false statements and writings.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Fulton County, Ga., court clerks office addressed Monday what it called a fictitious document that Reuters reported had been briefly posted on the courts website indicating charges against former President Trump for his attempts at overturning his 2020 election loss in the state.

But the clerks office failed to provide any information on how the document in the high-profile case ended up on its court website, which Reuters reported had been taken down without explanation.

The document appears to outline multiple criminal charges against Trump in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Williss (D) probe of the former presidents efforts to subvert the states 2020 election results to stay in power.

In a statement, the court said it is aware of a fictitious document that has been circulated online and reported by various media outlets related the The Fulton County Special Purpose Grand Jury. The statement never addresses Trump specifically, but a special purpose grand jury was put in place to investigate the case expected to be brought by Willis.

Trump indictment watch: Witnesses testify before grand jury as Fani Willis presents case

As the custodian of various county records, the Clerk of the Courts understands the sensitivity of all court filings, especially those that are at the forefront of the national spotlight and remains committed to operating with an extreme level of efficiency, accuracy and transparency, according to the court statement.

The Hill has requested comment from the court clerks office. NBC and Reuters have reported on the statement.

Reuters issued a clarification to its report that indicated Trump had been indicted in Georgia in connection with his efforts to overturn the states 2020 election results.

The report was widely circulated on social media and prompted the court to issue a statement shooting it down.

In a clarification posted online shortly after, Reuters said the courts website briefly posted a document Monday listing several criminal charges against Trump, before taking the document down without explanation.

The document was dated Aug. 14, the wire and news service said, noting the document named Trump and cited the case as open.

Reuters was not immediately able to determine why the item was posted or removed, the outlet wrote on its website.

As of Monday evening, members of the grand jury overseeing the case were still hearing evidence and had not voted on whether to indict the former president.

Trumps attorneys Drew Findling and Jennifer Little, meanwhile, pounced on brief release of the document, suggesting in a statement that the Fulton County District Attorneys Office has no respect for the integrity of the grand jury process.

This was not a simple administrative mistake, they said. A proposed indictment should only be in the hands of the District Attorneys Office, yet it somehow made its way to the clerks office and was assigned a case number and a judge before the grand jury even deliberated. This is emblematic of the pervasive and glaring constitutional violations which have plagued this case from its very inception.

An indictment in Georgia would be Trumps fourth criminal indictment this year.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The clerk of the Fulton County, Georgia, court system acknowledged Tuesday accidentally releasing what appeared to be a list of criminal charges against Donald Trump before he was actually indicted, and sought to deflect blame amid mounting criticism from Republicans who have seized on the blunder to characterize the case as rigged.

After refusing to explain what happened for more than a day after Reuters posted the document the media outlet said was published on the court's website, clerk Che Alexander's office said she was doing a trial run of the court's filing system on Monday in anticipation of issues that arise with entering a potentially large indictment.

Alexander's office said that led to the docketing of what appeared to be an indictment, but which was, in fact, only a fictitious docket sheet. Reuters found the docket and reported on it Monday afternoon, hours before the grand jury returned the indictment charging Trump and 18 allies over efforts to subvert the 2020 election results.

The docket sheet published by Reuters included a list of 13 counts against Trump, including Georgias Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, solicitation of violation of oath by public officer and false statements and writings. They were the exact same counts the former president was charged with in the indictment handed down late Monday. The erroneous document also included a case number, though it differed from the one on the actual indictment.

The statement comes on the heels of confusing comments from the clerk and her office that have fueled speculation about the document Trump and his allies have pounced on to claim that the charges against him were already decided before grand jurors took a vote. It has given Trump and his legal team an opening to try to undermine the credibility of prosecutors and the clerk's office at the very outset of the high-stakes case.

The clerk's office said shortly after Reuters posted the document online that the clerk had learned of what it called a fictitious document that has been circulated online." When pressed about it later Monday, Alexander said she didn't know what else to say," adding: "I havent seen an indictment, right? So I dont have anything. Alexander also didn't publicly rule out that it could have been the result of a hack when asked Monday.

In the latest statement, however, Alexander's office said that the clerk immediately took down the document upon learning of the mishap.

The Office understands the confusion that this matter caused and the sensitivity of all court filings. We remain committed to operating with an extreme level of efficiency, accuracy and transparency, the clerk's office said.

I am human, Che Alexander told WSB-TV, a local station in Atlanta. It was the dry run. It was a work sample.

The confusion over the document thrust the newly sworn in Fulton County courts clerk into the spotlight as reporters descended onto the Atlanta courthouse to get a glimpse at the witnesses called in to testify before the grand jury hearing District Attorney Fani Willis sprawling case. Hours later, cameras followed as Alexander handed a stack of indictments  which included the 2020 election case  to Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney.

After the document was posted but before the grand jury handed up the indictment, a spokesperson for Willis said it wasnt accurate that charges had been filed but declined to comment further.

Willis was asked about the document during a news conference Monday evening. She said she couldnt say anything about the matter but explained that the grand jury met and deliberated and returned the indictment around 8 p.m.

I am not an expert on clerks duties or even administrative duties. I wouldnt know how to work that system, and so Im not going to speculate, she said, cutting off any further inquiries on the topic, curtly saying, Next question.

It's the fourth criminal case against the Republican former president, who has characterized all the cases against him as a bid to hurt his 2024 bid to reclaim the White House.

Trump legal team has already suggested it would claim prosecutorial misconduct, saying shortly after the document was posted that this was not a simple administrative mistake, but is emblematic of the pervasive and glaring constitutional violations which have plagued this case from its very inception.

The events that have unfolded today have been shocking and absurd, starting with the leak of a presumed and premature indictment before the witnesses had testified or the grand jurors had deliberated and ending with the District Attorney being unable to offer any explanation, lawyers Drew Findling, Jennifer Little and Marissa Goldberg said in a statement after the indictment was released. In light of this major fumble, the Fulton County District Attorneys Office clearly decided to force through and rush this 98-page indictment.

Trump himself also seized on the issue to raise money for his 2024 presidential campaign, writing in an email before the indictment came down: "The Grand Jury testimony has not even FINISHED  but its clear the District Attorney has already decided how this case will end."

Legal experts had said the filing was likely a list of potential charges prosecutors were presenting to the grand jury ahead of Monday's vote.

Prosecutors draft indictments and present them to the grand jury, which meets in secret and ultimately decides whether to hand charges down. Grand juries  made up of people randomly drawn from the community, like juries that decide trials  are designed to safeguard against politically motivated prosecutions, but theyve long been criticized by some as little more than a rubber stamp for prosecutors.

The grand jury doesn't sit around and write indictments, it's presented to them," said Clark Cunningham, a Georgia State University law professor. Presumably before this morning, they had drafted an indictment  there's nothing wrong with that.

And experts said that while Trump may use the premature posting in an effort to undermine the integrity of Willis' investigation on the campaign trail, it's unlikely to ultimately have an impact in the courtroom.

Unfortunately errors happen in today's world with things being done online, said Stanley Twardy, Jr., a former U.S. attorney for Connecticut. I don't think this is something that is going to create issues.

Alexander was sworn in as the courts clerk less than two months ago to replace Tina Robinson, who retired in June after 16 years in the role. Alexander appears to have previously campaigned for Willis in her bid for a judgeship in 2018. Her Instagram page includes multiple photos of Willis and her campaign posters, including one with a caption that said Willis has truly been an inspiration to me and countless others and included #realfriends.

___

Richer reported from Boston. Associated Press writers Kate Brumback, Jeff Martin and Jeff Amy in Atlanta contributed to this report.
Former President Donald Trump was indicted for a fourth time Monday as a grand jury investigating whether he and 18 other defendants named in the 98-page indictment illegally interfered in the 2020 election in Georgia. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI

Former President Donald Trump was indicted for a fourth time Monday by a grand jury investigating whether he and 18 other defendants named in the 98-page indictment, illegally interfered in the 2020 election in Georgia.

The indictment names a total of 19 defendants, including Trump, his former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Trump's lawyers Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman.

"Defendant Donald John Trump lost the United States presidential election held Nov. 3, 2020," the indictment reads. "One of the states he lost was Georgia. Trump and the other defendants charged in this indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump. That conspiracy contained a common plan and purpose to commit two or more acts of racketeering activity in Fulton County, Ga., elsewhere in the state of Georgia and in other states."

The charges were unsealed just before 11p.m. EDT Monday about two hours after Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney said, "That's it," as he signed off on the documents.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis told reporters shortly afterward that the defendants will have until noon Aug. 25 to voluntarily surrender or face arrest.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who led the grand jury investigation into former President Donald Trump's alleged attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia, is giving the defendants until noon August 25 to voluntarily surrender. File Photo by Erik S. Lesser/EPA-EFE

"As is the normal process in Georgia law, the grand jury issued arrest warrants for those who are charged," she said, reminding reporters that the indictment is only a "series of allegations based on a grand jury's determination of probable cause to support the charges."

The others charged are: Kenneth Chesebro, Jeffrey Clark, Jenna Ellis, Ray Smith III, Robert Cheeley, Michael Roman, David Shafer, Shawn Still, Stephen Lee, Harrison Floyd, Trevian Kutti, Sidney Powell, Cathy Latham, Scott Hall and Misty Hampton.

Donald Trump's former attorney Rudy Giuliani, who was named as a defendant Monday, did not contest a federal court's ruling that he had lied about two election workers in Atlanta manipulating ballots. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI

"Each individual charged in the indictment is charged with one count of violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization's Act through participation in a criminal enterprise in Fulton County, Ga., and elsewhere to accomplish the illegal goal of allowing Donald J. Trump to seize the presidential term of office beginning on Jan. 20, 2021," Willis said.

"All elections in our nation are administered by the states, which are given the responsibility of ensuring a fair process and an accurate counting of the votes," Willis added. "The states' role in this process is essential to the functioning of our democracy."

"The indictment alleges that rather than abide by Georgia's legal process for election challenges, the defendants engaged in a criminal racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgia's presidential election result," she said.

Trump, who is the current frontrunner for the Republican nomination for the presidency in 2024, has been indicted in three other cases this year.

In Monday's indictment, Trump is facing a total 13 counts out of the 41 against the defendants. The filing also notes there are 30 unindicted co-conspirators.

The indictment charges Trump with violating the Georgia RICO Act; three counts of solicitation of violation of oath by public officer; conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer; conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree; conspiracy to commit false statements and writings; two counts of conspiracy to commit filing false documents; conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree; two counts of false statements and writings; and filing false documents.

The Trump campaign released a statement Monday night shortly before the latest indictment was unsealed, accusing prosecutors of election interference.

"These activities by Democrat leaders constitute a grave threat to American democracy and are direct attempts to deprive the American people of their rightful choice to cast their vote for president," Trump's campaign wrote. "Call it election interference or election manipulation -- it is a dangerous effort by the ruling class to suppress the choice of the people. It is un-American and wrong."

The charges brought by Willis come after an investigation that started in 2021. At the center of the probe is a recorded phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which Trump asked Raffensperger to "find" votes to swing the election results in his favor.

A Fulton County grand jury has since probed Trump's alleged attempt to undermine or overturn the results of the election. This effort included calling certified electors into question and applying pressure on election officials, including Raffensperger.

Several Trump loyalists testified to the grand jury, including Meadows, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Giuliani, who on Monday called the indictment "unjust."

Last month, a court filing with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia revealed that Giuliani admitted to lying about two election workers in Atlanta: Ruby Freeman and Wandrea Moss. Giuliani had claimed that the two had manipulated ballots to swing the results of the election in favor of President Joe Biden.

Former state Rep. Bee Nguyen confirmed her grand jury appearance in a statement released Monday.

"We all have a duty to preserve our democracy," she wrote. "We owe this duty to the great individuals that fought and sacrificed to create and pass down this democracy to us, and we owe this duty to future generations that cannot pick up the mantle yet."

In the meantime, Trump blasted the proceedings in a series of social media posts Monday.

"No, I didn't tamper with the election! Those who rigged & stole the election were the ones doing the tampering, & they are the slime that should be prosecuted," Trump wrote in a post in all caps on Truth Social.

"I made a perfect phone call of protest. Why wasn't this fake case brought 2.5 years ago? Election interference!" Trump added.

The state case has proceeded alongside a federal one, headed by special counsel Jack Smith. On Aug. 1, Trump was indicted in Washington on charges related to his efforts to subvert the election results, culminating in the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He pleaded not guilty to the four counts in that case: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of an official proceeding, and conspiracy against the right to vote.

Trump also dispatched his own electors to states where he challenged the results of the election. The uncertified electors meant to disregard legitimate electoral votes for Biden and deliver their own votes to Congress.

The "fake" electors in Georgia have since reached a plea agreement to avoid state charges.

While Willis assembled her case against Trump, the former president mounted an attempt to block the investigation. On July 17, the Georgia Supreme Court rejected Trump's latest attempt to halt the investigation, deciding that he has not shown the type of extraordinary circumstances that would warrant the court stepping in.

In May, Trump tried to have Willis dismissed from the investigation, arguing that his due process rights had been violated by a "tainted grand jury process." The maneuver also failed to yield the result Trump was seeking.

Willis in April asked the Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat to coordinate an increased security presence ahead of the indictment.

"Open-source intelligence has indicated the announcement of decisions in this case may provoke a significant public reaction," Willis wrote. "We have seen in recent years that some may go outside of public expressions of opinion that are protected by the First Amendment to engage in acts of violence that will endanger the safety of our community."

Trump's growing legal crises include a New York indictment on charges related to the payment of hush money to adult film start Stormy Daniels and another federal case in Florida alleging he mishandled classified documents at his Palm Beach estate after leaving office.
A grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, has indicted former President Donald Trump and more than a dozen of his associates for election fraud, racketeering and other charges related to alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Trump, the first former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges, has now been charged in four separate cases involving allegations that bookend his presidency.

District attorney comments on charges

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said at a news conference Monday night that arrest warrants have been issued for all the defendants in the case, and that they have until noon on Aug. 25 to turn themselves in.

"The state's role in this process is essential to the functioning of our democracy," Willis said.

"Georgia, like every state, has laws that allow those who believe that results of the election are wrong, whether because of intentional wrongdoing, or unintentional error to challenge those results in state courts," she said. But rather than abiding by Georgia's legal process for election challenges, she said, the defendants "engaged in a criminal racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgia's presidential election result subsequent to the indictment."

According to Georgia code, anyone convicted of a RICO offense can be imprisoned, fined, or both. The law says anyone found guilty of a RICO offense is "guilty of a felony and shall be punished by not less than five nor more than 20 years' imprisonment or the fine specified in subsection (b) of this Code section, or both."

Willis said the racketeering charges have "time that you have to serve, so it's not a probated sentence."

Willis also noted that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven otherwise.

What does the indictment allege?

The indictment names Trump as the top defendant and 18 others, including Rudy Giuliani, his former lawyer; John Eastman, a conservative lawyer; and Mark Meadows, former White House chief of staff. Other co-defendants include Jeffrey Clark, a former Justice Department official; and Sidney Powell and Jenna Ellis, conservative lawyers who pushed baseless claims of voter fraud.

The filing lists 41 total counts, including 13 against Trump, and notes there are 30 unindicted co-conspirators. In all, 19 defendants are charged with "the offense of violation of the Georgia RICO Act," among other charges.

Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, better known as RICO, allows this group of people to be charged for criminal acts that are alleged to have taken place both in Georgia or outside the state in furtherance of the conspiracy to overturn the outcome of the presidential election in Georgia.

Read the Georgia Trump indictment here

The indictment describes the group as "a criminal organization whose members and associates engaged in various related criminal activities including, but not limited to, false statements and writings, impersonating a public officer, forgery, filing false documents, influencing witnesses, computer theft, computer trespass, computer invasion of privacy, conspiracy to defraud the state, acts involving theft, and perjury."

The 98-page indictment lays out a scheme that began with Trump's loss in the 2020 presidential election, including in the state of Georgia, and says that those charged "refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump."

"That conspiracy contained a common plan and purpose to commit two or more acts of racketeering activity in Fulton County, Georgia, elsewhere in the state of Georgia, and in other states," the filing states.

The indictment describes several schemes allegedly used by Trump and his co-defendants to attempt to reverse his electoral loss, including making false statements to state legislatures and top state officials; creating fake Electoral College documents and recruiting supporters to cast false votes at the Georgia Capitol; harassing Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman; and "corruptly" soliciting senior Justice Department officials and then-Vice President Mike Pence.

It also accuses members of the "enterprise" of stealing data, including ballot images, voting equipment software and personal voter information, from Coffee County, Georgia, and making false statements to government investigators.

What are Trump and his lawyers saying?

Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

In a statement Monday night, attorneys for Trump criticized the investigation, saying "this one-sided grand jury presentation relied on witnesses who harbor their own personal and political interests."

"We look forward to a detailed review of this indictment which is undoubtedly just as flawed and unconstitutional as this entire process has been," said the attorneys, Drew Findling, Jennifer Little and Marissa Goldberg.

The charges against Trump

The indictment charges Trump with the following felony counts:

Violating the Georgia RICO ActThree counts of solicitation of violation of oath by public officerConspiracy to commit impersonating a public officerTwo counts of conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degreeTwo counts of conspiracy to commit false statements and writingsConspiracy to commit filing false documentsTwo counts of false statements and writingsFiling false documents.

The grand jury returned the indictments around 9 p.m. ET and it took around two hours to process before the details became public.

The investigation, led by Willis, was prompted in part by a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call in which Trump told Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger: "I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state."

The indictment alleges that Trump also made a number of false claims about the election in Georgia to Raffensperger and two other state officials during the call, including that nearly 5,000 dead people voted in the November presidential election, hundreds of thousands of ballots had been "dumped" into Fulton County and an adjacent county, and that he won the presidential election in the state by 400,000 votes.

According to the indictment, "by knowingly, willfully, and unlawfully making" false statements and representations to state officials, Trump committed a felony offense.

In a September 2022 statement, Trump called his conversation with Raffensperger "an absolutely PERFECT phone call" in which he did "nothing wrong." Trump has since repeated that the call was "perfect," including at an Aug. 7 rally in New Hampshire.

The investigation grew from its initial focus, eventually probing a variety of efforts by Trump and his allies to undermine Joe Biden's victory in Georgia  including an alleged scheme to submit an alternate slate of electors committed to electing Trump, attempts to pressure or intimidate election workers and, in at least one county, accessing election software and data.

Over the course of about six months in 2022, the special purpose grand jury's dozens of interviews included Trump advisers such as Giuliani and Meadows, as well as Georgia officials such as Raffensperger and Gov. Brian Kemp. In January, it completed a report based on its investigation and turned it over to Willis, who ultimately decided to bring the charges before a regular grand jury.

Before any charges were released to the public Monday, the Trump campaign released a statement calling Willis a "rabid partisan" who "stalled her investigation to try and maximally interfere with the 2024 presidential race" and damage Trump's campaign.

Attorneys for Trump said in February that they would challenge any indictment filed by Willis' office.

In their statement following the indictment, Trump's attorneys called Monday's events "shocking and absurd."

"This one-sided grand jury presentation relied on witnesses who harbor their own personal and political interests some of whom ran campaigns touting their efforts against the accused and/or profited from book deals and employment opportunities as a result," the Trump attorneys said. "We look forward to a detailed review of this indictment which is undoubtedly just as flawed and unconstitutional as this entire process has been."

Who is charged in the Georgia indictment?

The individuals charged in the case are:

Donald John TrumpRudolph William Louis GiulianiJohn Charles EastmanMark Randall MeadowsKenneth John ChesebroJeffrey Bossert ClarkJenna Lynn EllisRay Stallings Smith IIIRobert David CheeleyMichael A. RomanDavid James ShaferShawn Micah Tresher StillStephen Cliffgard LeeHarrison William Prescott FloydTrevian C. Kutti Sidney Katherine PowellCathleen Alston LathamScott Graham HallMisty Hampton

Giuliani, a former federal prosecutor who served as mayor of New York City from 1994 through 2001, was Trump's personal attorney for more than half of Trump's presidency. Giuliani spearheaded the effort to, as he described it, find voter fraud, and as prosecutors claim, overturn the election.

In a July interview with CBS News, Giuliani's attorney Robert Costello described his role in the aftermath of the election as "among this election fraud group of lawyers and investigators, he was like the general of this army."

"So in lots of areas he didn't really have anything to do with it, but they reported the results to him, so he had to rely on his soldiers," Costello said.

Reached Monday evening, Costello declined to comment on the charges, but said he was "surprised."

Asked if he believed Giuliani was surprised, too, Costello said, "Yes, I believe so."

The indictment unsealed Monday paints Giuliani as being at the center of a team bent on reversing the election's results.

In a statement to CBS News, Giuliani said the case "is an affront to American Democracy and does permanent, irrevocable harm to our justice system."

"The real criminals here are the people who have brought this case forward both directly and indirectly," Giuliani said.

Meadows, Trump's chief of staff during his final months in the White House, is charged with two counts, for allegedly violating Georgia's RICO Act and solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer, which stems from the Jan. 2, 2021, call to Raffensperger.

Those charged also include several other attorneys who worked on behalf of Trump or the campaign, including Powell, Eastman, Clark, Ellis, Kenneth Chesebro and Ray Smith III, who made false claims about election fraud in public and also allegedly plotted to overturn the outcome of the election.

The filing also describes attempts by three of the co-defendants  Lee, Floyd and Kutti, a former publicist for Kanye West  to allegedly influence testimony from Freeman, the Fulton County election worker, at an official proceeding. Lee traveled to Freeman's home twice in mid-December 2020, while Kutti visited Freeman's house in early January 2021, the indictment claims.

Three other felony cases against Trump

The indictment in Georgia is now the fourth felony case filed against the former president.

In a New York State criminal case, Trump entered a not guilty plea on April 4 after he was charged with 34 felony counts of falsification of business records. The charges relate to alleged efforts to obscure the source of payments made to porn actress Stormy Daniels, who agreed in October 2016 not to speak publicly about an alleged affair with Trump. Trump has denied having the affair and any wrongdoing in connection with this case. He claims this case is also politically motivated.

He is also facing two federal cases filed by special counsel Jack Smith.

In Florida, Trump entered a not guilty plea on June 13 to 37 counts after he was indicted on allegations related to his handling of classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago residence after his presidency. He also pleaded not guilty in August to additional counts filed in a superseding indictment. Trump has denied wrongdoing and repeatedly criticized Smith, calling him a "radical."

And in Washington, D.C., Trump pleaded not guilty on August 3 to four federal counts related to an alleged conspiracy to thwart the electoral vote count following his 2020 election loss.

Ellis Kim contributed to this report.

Political violence risk reignited as Trump faces indictments

Jan. 6 committee lead investigator examines Trump's Georgia indictment

Trump required to surrender in Georgia by noon on August 25
The twice-impeached former president has now been indicted for a fourth time. But while Department of Justice Special Counsel Jack Smith took care to bring narrow indictments against Donald Trumpover his personal role in efforts to overturn the 2020 electionthe Fulton County district attorney, Fani Willis, has laid out a sprawling criminal conspiracy centered on many of the same actions.

The 41-count indictment charges Trump and 18 other peoplesome of them his very closest and topmost aideswith a number of charges related to the former presidents attempts to cling to power after losing the 2020 election. Those efforts to stay in power included intimidating Georgias top elections official and recruiting fake electors to hijack the nations democratic process.

Among the 19 people indicted Monday night were Trump personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, election lawyer John Eastman, attorney Ken Chesebro, DOJ official Jeffrey Clark, Trump campaign lawyer Jenna Ellis, Trump campaign aide Mike Roman, and Trump campaign lawyer Sidney Powell. Additionally, there were 30 unindicted co-conspirators mentioned in the document who, with the indicted individuals, are collectively referred to as a criminal organization.

Read the Damning 98-Page Georgia Indictment Against Donald Trump

All are accused of taking part in a mob-like racketeering scheme during a nearly two-year period stretching from Election Day 2020 until September 2022.

Trump and the other defendants charged in this indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump, the indictment said in its introduction.

The indictment goes on to claim these individuals unlawfully conspired and endeavored to conduct and participate in a criminal enterprise in Fulton County, Georgia.

The enterpriseas the indictment also calls the group, as defined by Georgia lawis accused of false statements and writings, impersonating a public officer, forgery, filing false documents, influencing witnesses, computer theft, computer trespass, computer invasion of privacy, conspiracy to defraud the state, acts involving theft, and perjury.

During a press conference just before midnight, Willis gave all 19 men and women no later than noon on Friday to turn themselves in voluntarily, or they would face arrest.

All elections in our nation are administered by the states, which are given the responsibility of ensuring a fair process and an accurate counting of the votes. That includes elections for presidential electors, Congress, state officials, and local offices, Willis said, stressing that fair elections are essential to the functioning of our democracy.

Willis noted that she wants to put all of the defendants on trial simultaneously sometime in the next six monthspotentially interrupting Trumps re-election campaign as he seeks the 2024 Republican nomination.

The 98-page indictment, unsealed just before 11 p.m., was the result of a more than two-year investigation by Willis and her office.

The indictment accuses many of those in the group with false statements and perjury related to conspiracy theories in official state legislative hearings in the weeks after the 2020 election, as Trump and his associates tried to cast doubt on election results in Georgia.

The purpose of these false statements was to persuade Georgia legislators to reject lawful electoral votes cast by the duly elected and qualified presidential electors from Georgia. Members of the enterprise corruptly solicited Georgia legislators instead to unlawfully appoint their own presidential electors for the purpose of casting electoral votes for Donald Trump, the indictment said.

Trump Blames Everyone But Himself After Latest Indictment

Notably, the indictment pins the worst behavior on Trump himself, noting the way he tried to have a loyalist at the upper echelons of the Department of Justice intimidate Georgia state officials into changing the election outcome.

Donald Trump stated to the Acting United States Attorney General, Just say that the election was corrupt, and leave the rest to me and the Republican congressmen, the indictment said.

The indictment also alleges that members of the enterprise corruptly solicited Vice President Mike Pence to violate the United States Constitution and federal law by unlawfully rejecting Electoral College votes cast in Fulton County, Georgia.

Although this law enforcement effort by the local DA in Atlanta is the last of the expected indictments against Trump, it appears to be the farthest-reaching one. The conspiracy laid out by prosecutors documents phone calls, meetings, and planning sessions that took place across the countrystretching from Arizona to Pennsylvania. In doing so, the indictment attempts to hold Trump accountable not just for what he did in Georgia, but the overall coup plans he had to remain in power after losing to Joe Biden.

Prosecutors also describe the way Sidney Powella conspiracy-spewing lawyer who tried to flood the nations courts with multi-tentacled Kraken lawsuitsallegedly teamed up with Georgia computer forensics firm SullivanStrickler to illegally access voting machines in a rural county. The Daily Beast first uncovered that plot in June 2022, citing never-before-seen text messages that show county and state GOP officials conspiring after the election to breach those machinesironically, while they were publicly claiming that leftists had done that to tamper with election results.

The DA is attempting to nail each of Trumps most trusted associates for every action that grabbed headlines in the stressful weeks after the tumultuous election. She charged Meadows with racketeering over the way he tried to force his way into the Cobb County Civic Center during a signature match auditwhich was closed to the publicand the conversations he had with employees at the Office of Georgia Secretary of State. She also charged Illinois pastor Stephen Cliffgard Lee and Black Voices for Trump member Harrison William Prescott Floyd over their roles in a pressure campaign that defamed and scared election-poll worker Ruby Freeman.

Georgia Poll Workers Pick Up Where Jan. 6 Committee Left Off

Prosecutors also targeted several Republican operatives with lying profusely about the entire affair. They criminally charged David J. Shafer, until recently the states Republican Party chairman, with making false statements to Fulton County investigators. They also levied a perjury charge against Robert David Cheeley, a plaintiff lawyer who helped Giuliani present fake evidence about supposed ballot stuffing, over his closed-door testimony to a special purpose grand jury last year. That panel undertook a months-long investigation which recommended Willis seek this very indictment.

A Georgia courtroom stayed late Monday night to hand the indictments over to Judge Robert McBurney at almost exactly 9 p.m., with the whole spectacle taking place on live television. The judge reviewed the indictments and handed the documents back to a clerk, who then uploaded the documents about two hours later.

These historic indictments originated from an equally extraordinary event: a phone call Trump made from the White House on Jan. 2, 2021, to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger pressuring him to find 11,780 votes that didnt exist. The ham-fisted scheme sought to erase Joe Bidens leadby one single voteand flip the election results.

The DA has also examined how the Trump campaign and his personal lawyers, including former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, sowed chaos in the weeks after the 2020 election by spreading easily disproven conspiracy theories and trying to convince state legislators to overturn ballot results. The most bizarre aspect of their plan involved assembling a shadow team of alternate electors willing to do what actual electors would not: submit official paperwork to Congress that perpetuated Trumps hallucinatory presidential victory.

Even before the indictments had dropped, Trump released a rambling statement on his social media app claiming that Willis, the DA, was a rabid partisan.

Ripping a page from Crooked Joe Biden's playbook, Willis has strategically stalled her investigation to try and maximally interfere with the 2024 presidential race and damage the dominant Trump campaign, Trump claimed. All of these corrupt Democrat attempts will fail. Combined with the intentionally slow-walked investigations by the Biden-Smith goon squads and the false charges in New York, the timing of this latest coordinated strike by a biased prosecutor in an overwhelmingly Democrat jurisdiction not only betrays the trust of the American people, but also exposes true motivation driving their fabricated accusations.

Trumps insistence on brazenly flouting election rules is why this real estate tycoon is also facing serious criminal charges in New York. In late March, a Manhattan grand jury formally charged him with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records over the way he used his private company to pay off porn star Stormy Daniels to prevent the American public from learning about their one-night sexual affair before the 2016 election.

And his stubborn refusal to abide by the most basic rules is why hes also facing criminal charges in Florida. In June, a federal grand jury in Miami indicted him over the way he amassed hundreds of classified records at his oceanside estate of Mar-a-Lago after leaving the White Houseand lied to investigators to try covering it up. That indictment was revised in July, with additional accusations that Trump ordered his lackeys to delete the mansions video surveillance footage as part of the coverup.

And then another federal grand jurythis one in D.C.indicted Trump less than two weeks ago for inciting MAGA loyalists to attack Congress to prevent it from certifying the results of the 2020 election he lost.

At this point, Trump faces four historic criminal trials that could each send him to prison in the run-up to the 2024 presidential electionone in which he remains, despite it all, the Republican frontrunner.

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The Georgia grand jury hearing evidence about former President Trumps efforts to overturn the 2020 election returned an indictment Monday night.

Its not clear who might be named in the indictment or what charges would be included. Clerks at the Fulton County Superior Court said it could take hours for the court documents to be posted publicly.

The grand jury heard a full day of testimony in the case Monday, after a more than two-year investigation by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D).

Jurors stayed at the courthouse until nearly 9 p.m. to complete their work, staying well after the courts 5 p.m. closing time.

Two Georgia Democrats, former state Rep. Bee Nguyen and former state Sen. Jen Jordan, testified in front of the Fulton County grand jury Monday, as did former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan (R).

Duncans appearance came after hours Trump chided him for complying with the subpoena.

I am reading reports that failed former Lt. Governor of Georgia, Jeff Duncan, will be testifying before the Fulton County Grand Jury. He shouldnt, Trump wrote on Truth Social.

While charges remain unclear with the documents not yet made public, a model prosecution memo drafted by legal experts suggests Willis could pursue Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) charges as well as charges under several other statutes dealing with fraud and creating false records.

The Trump campaign Monday attacked Willis for bringing an indictment.

GAs radical Democrat District Attorney Fani Willis is a rabid partisan who is campaigning and fundraising on a platform of prosecuting President Trump through these bogus indictments, they said in a statement.

Updated at 10:25 p.m. ET

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
(Bloomberg) -- An Atlanta grand jury handed up indictments amid a local prosecutors probe over former President Donald Trumps efforts to undo his 2020 election defeat in Georgia.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The indictments in Fulton County Superior Court werent immediately released on Monday night after they were presented to a judge for his signature in a crowded courtroom after hours. The judge reviewed the indictments in open court without revealing any details to the assembled reporters about the defendants or the charges.

The New York Times reported that the indictments were related to the Trump case, while CNN reported a grand jury returned 10 indictments. The charges were expected to be released by the county clerks office later Monday.

After the grand jury handed up the indictments to Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, he reviewed the documents and sent them to the county clerks office to process for public release. CNN reported that the process could take as long as three hours.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has spent the last two-and-a-half years investigating a two-month pressure campaign on election officials that Trump and his allies conducted after he lost the 2020 race to President Joe Biden. An indictment of Trump would be his fourth this year, even as he holds a commanding lead in polls over his Republican rivals seeking the GOP presidential nomination next year.

Several subpoenaed witnesses appeared at the courthouse and were prepared to testify in secret to the grand jury. Former Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan confirmed he testified, telling CNN that the appearance was intense.

Former state lawmaker Bee Nguyen also posted online she testified to the grand jury. Independent journalist George Chidi posted online about being summoned on Monday, but by the evening he shared that his testimony wasnt needed.

Multiple reporters spotted Gabe Sterling, a top official in the secretary of states office at the courthouse, but it wasnt confirmed if he testified.

--With assistance from Megan Howard.

(Updates with details of testimony on Monday)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Fani Willis has brought the indictment against former President Donald J. Trump and his inner circle that special counsel Jack Smith could have brought if he had been given more time from Attorney General Merrick Garland to make his case.

Willis, the District Attorney for Fulton County, Georgia, has charged Trump and 18 co-defendantsincluding Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, Sydney Powell, John Eastmanwith a 41 count indictment alleging that they conspired to form a criminal enterprise under Georgias racketeering statute to unlawfully overturn the 2020 election. In total, the indictment lists 161 overt actssteps taken in furtherance of the racketeering conspiracy.

These actions include the intimidation of election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Mosswho were wrongfully targeted by Trump and Giuliani with baseless claims of having stolen votesas well as the plans to use so-called false elector slates to be substituted for the actual Electoral College electors that had been voted in by the people of Georgia.

The 5 Most Surprising Takeaways From Donald Trumps Fourth Indictment

Arising from an investigation spanning two years and two grand juries, Willis charging of the other defendants marks the first time that members of Trumps inner circle are being held legally accountable for their roles in the efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Willis skillfully weaves the actions of these conspirators into a story that tells the numerous steps involved in the conspiracy. It is this level of detail, combined with the naming of the actors, that poses the greatest threat to Trumps much-vaunted First Amendment defensein which Trump essentially claims that he was just talking rather than committing a crime. The 161 overt acts described by Willis, that involved 18 other co-defendants, tends to shred Trumps stated defense that he was only talking.

The Georgia charges are narrower compared to the federal indictment election interference charges brought by special counsel Jack Smith.

Willisas befitting her authority as a state prosecutorcharges only actions related to what happened in her state, while Jack Smith describes a nationwide conspiracy that involved multiple states including Georgia. But Smiths indictmentperhaps with the intent of streamlining his case in order to have a chance at being tried before the presidential election seasonreferences six co-conspirators. For her part, Willis decision to name and charge the conspirators that Smith left unnamed makes the effect of her case broader than Smiths case.

Everyone Indicted With Donald Trump in Georgia

Purely as a matter of deterrence, her charges send a message to the Republican establishment that mere self-serving loyalty to Trump is not a shield against criminal prosecution.

There is a gravity to Willis case that is greater than her status as a state district attorney. Perhaps that comes from the fact that at any other time in our history, the criminal charging of people like Rudy Giulianithe former Mayor of New York City and once the top federal prosecutor for the cityand Mark Meadowsthe former White House chief of staffwould be major standalone news.

But today, their notoriety pales next to the historical significance of a former president who now faces four different criminal indictments.

Her case also adds far more peril to Trump because it is the second case brought by state prosecutors, which make the charges immune to the possibility of pardon by Trump or any other Republican presidential administration.

This fourth case also severely diminishes Trumps chances of being able to completely evade a criminal conviction. He is now being charged by the Justice Department, the Manhattan District Attorneys Office and Willis. Such a lineup is rare in criminal prosecutions.

AG Garland on Doomed Quest Over Hunter Biden Special Counsel

While defendants do get tried multiple times, those instances usually involve mistrials where the defendant is re-tried on the same case by the same prosecutor. Multiple simultaneous cases by federal and state prosecutors are rare and present an impossible situation for any defendanteven a former president.

Its not just the financial and psychological stress that makes the situation impossible for Trump. It is who is charging him. The Justice Department, the Manhattan D.A., and Fulton County D.A. are all extremely experienced prosecutors and, in the case of DOJ and Manhattan, they are historically fabled offices for their prosecutorial prowess. Just ask Rudy Giuliani who was the former number three at DOJ and a former top federal prosecutor.

The chances of Trump being able to beat all three of these prosecutors in court in four different cases are essentially non-existent. For Trump that means he is beginning to feel the pressure of the criminal justice systems often slow but also inexorable grind.

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Donald Trump has been indicted four times this year but the latest charges -- in Georgia -- may carry particular peril for the former president.

The Georgia case is the only trial likely to be televised, with the historic proceedings streamed and broadcast into households across the United States and around the world.

The billionaire real estate tycoon starred for 14 seasons in the reality television show "The Apprentice," but he will be in a far different role when the case eventually comes to trial -- that of criminal defendant.

Fani Willis, the Georgia district attorney who charged Trump and 18 others with racketeering and other offenses related to their efforts to overturn the 2020 election, said Monday she wants to hold the trial within the next six months.

Trump also faces federal charges brought by special counsel Jack Smith for allegedly conspiring to defraud the United States with his attempts to upend the election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.

A judge is to set a date on August 28 for a trial in the nation's capital -- but television cameras are not allowed in federal courtrooms.

Smith has asked for the trial to begin on January 2, 2024, nearly three years to the day after Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol in a final bid to prevent Congress from certifying Biden's victory.

The special counsel has also accused Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, of mishandling top secret government documents in a case set to go to trial in Florida in May 2024.

Trump also faces a state trial in New York in March 2024 for allegedly paying election-eve hush money to a porn star, but those charges pale in severity to the accusations in Georgia.

The 77-year-old Trump is accused in Georgia of trying to overturn the results of the election in the southern state, where he lost to Biden by less than 12,000 votes.

In a call to Georgia election officials, Trump was recorded asking them to "find 11,780 votes" -- the exact number he would need to upend Biden's victory.

- Racketeering -

Trump and the other defendants in the Georgia case, who include Mark Meadows, his former White House chief of staff, and his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, are charged with racketeering, a charge that does not figure in the other criminal prosecutions.

"Willis ties them all together by levying one charge against Mr. Trump and each of the 18 other defendants under Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act, or RICO, accusing Mr. Trump and his co-conspirators of functioning as a criminal gang," attorneys Norman Eisen and Amy Lee Copland said in a column in The New York Times.

The Georgia indictment is the "first to plumb the full depths, through a state-focused bathyscaph, of the conspiracy" to upend the 2020 election, they said.

"That all of this is likely to play out on television only deepens the historic nature of the indictment."

A conviction for racketeering -- typically used to target organized crime -- carries a minimum sentence of five years in prison.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to the New York and federal charges, and has accused his Democratic political opponents of bringing them to derail his bid to recapture the White House.

As for a pardon, the New York and Georgia indictments both involve state charges, not federal ones, and Trump would not be able to pardon himself if he does manage to win the election next year.

A US president can only issue pardons for federal crimes, not state convictions.

In Georgia, pardons are granted by a five-member Board of Pardons and Paroles, not by the governor as in many other states.

An offender can only apply for a pardon, however, at least five years after completing their prison sentence and they must have "lived a law-abiding life" since their release.

cl/sst
Welcome to the Jackson Pollock school of prosecution. The 98-page indictment from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is the legal version of Pollocks style of throwing paint splatters on canvas as artistic expression. It basically makes every telephone call, tweets, and meeting a separate conspiratorial act.

There are 161 separate acts. Not surprisingly, everyone then becomes part of the conspiracy. The indictment covers 19 people, including Trevian Kutti (the former publicist for R. Kelly and Kanye West). Willis wants them all thrown into a single trial and let the jury figure it out.

But for all the disparate acts that Willis says constitutes a criminal conspiracy, part of this emerging picture should worry Trump.

The 5 Most Surprising Takeaways From Donald Trumps Fourth Indictment

SPLATTERING ACCUSATIONS EVERYWHERE

Pollock once advised confused observers that they needed to stop looking for objective meaning. The same may be true with the fourth Trump indictment. Willis simply treats every statement as a knowing falsehood and conspiratorial effort.

The indictment, to many, reads like the type of unabashedly biased spin thats typically seen on cable television shows.

For example, the indictment relies on calls like the controversial one Trump had with Georgia officialsa call long cited as indisputable evidence of an effort at voting fraud. In the call, Trump pushed his demand for a statewide recount. Trump had lost the state by less than 12,000 votes. When officials insisted that there was little likelihood that such a recount would make a difference, he stated, I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have because we won the state.

The call is still cited as one of those 161 individual steps toward the criminal conspiracy. Even though the indictment effectively repackages the same claims as the federal prosecution, Willis insists that Trump should be effectively tried twice under these allegations.

It is easy to dismiss such a Pollock prosecution as political gamesmanship. The timing alone in bringing the case (which should have been brought two years ago) is enough for many to discount this prosecution. However, it does represent a serious threat to Trump. It has legs as an indictment that is not likely to be dismissed in its entirety before trial.

ITS GOT LEGS

There are three reasons why this indictment could be the most perilous for Trump, as opposed to the Jan. 6 indictments, which present serious threshold constitutional questions.

First, the racketeering cases tend to be iron-plated before trial because challenges concern the interpretation of facts, which are traditionally questions left to the finder of fact (in this case a jury).

Georgia Indictment Digs Much Deeper Into Trumps Conspiracy to Overturn 2020 Election Than DOJs

Willis is likely to argue successfully that she should be allowed to prove the case. In the course of that prosecution, Willis probably hopes that one or two of the 18 other defendants will flip and turn states evidence.

Second, in D.C., special counsel Smith is essentially trying to create new law, or at least stretch existing case law to the point of breaking down. Conversely, elections are left largely to the states, and state prosecutors routinely bring election-based prosecutions.

Willis may be stretching the evidence, but she is not stretching the law. Racketeering laws are routinely used far afield from their origins in combating criminal gangs.

Finally, as a state action, this is not a prosecution that can be ended prematurely with a presidential pardon. If Trump is elected, he could grant himself a self-pardon, even a preemptive pardon before trial. Various GOP presidential candidates have indicated that they will also consider a pardon. That could put an end to the Smith prosecutions before any trial if the special counsel cannot try the case before the election.

There is no federal pardon option for Georgia. Indeed, it is even hard to secure a state pardon, which is not issued by the governor but a pardon board.

None of this means that the indictment is justified. While the indictment contains a litany of calls and meetings, there is now clear evidence that Trump did not believe that the results of the election could be flipped through these challenges. The concern is that the indictment criminalizes challenges to elections.

In covering decades of presidential elections for CBS, NBC, BBC, and Fox, every election has produced challenges, including many with little support. This coverage included multiple challenges by Democratic lawmakers to the certification of Republican presidents in Congress.

It has also included challenges to voting machines.

Trump Was Indicted for Being WrongWhich Is Not a Crime

For example, Marc Elias, who served as Hillary Clinton's campaign general counsel and played a role in the funding of the infamous Steele dossier on Russian collusion, has challenged past elections on such grounds. After the 2020 election, he challenged one New York election by claiming that there is reason to believe that voting tabulation machines misread hundreds if not thousands of valid votes as undervotes, and that these tabulation machine errors disproportionately affected [the Democrat].

That was no crime. Elias had every right to seek judicial review even though the claim was quickly rejected as unfounded.

Many of us disagreed with Trump after the election and publicly rejected the claims of systemic voting fraud. However, Trump had a right to not only challenge the election but to be wrong.

That is why the Willis indictment is a serious threat to Trump but also to our system of democratic process. Pollock once said that when I am in my painting, Im not aware of what Im doing. Unlike painters, prosecutors do not have the same luxury. What Willis is doing here is excessive and it is dangerous.

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UN agencies persist in aiding Niger

Xinhua) 09:32, August 15, 2023

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations persists in delivering aid to Niger, three weeks following President Mohamed Bazoum's detention by his own guards, a UN spokesman said on Monday.

Agencies continue to reach people despite the challenges, including the ongoing rainy season, Stephane Dujarric told journalists in New York on Monday.

Approximately 4.3 million individuals in the West African nation depend on humanitarian assistance.

Just last week, in the central Maradi region, 22,000 residents received both cash support and food supplies.

"We and our humanitarian partners are also working with de facto authorities to identify and prepare a site to accommodate about 13,000 internally displaced people in Ouro Gueladjo, in the Tillaberi region," Dujarric said.

He noted that these individuals were displaced from various villages in mid-July, prior to the ongoing political turmoil.

The UN and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have denounced the attempted coup against Bazoum.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, along with other high-ranking UN representatives, have consistently advocated for the restoration of the democratically chosen leader, who is currently under house arrest.

Last week, both Guterres and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, voiced concern following reports that the President and his family were living without electricity, water, food or medicine.

"Those responsible for the detention of the President must ensure the full respect and protection of his human rights, and of all others being held," Turk said on Friday.

The Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simao, representing the secretary-general, has further cautioned that the region's security scenario might deteriorate if the political unrest in Niger remains unresolved.

The UN is backing ECOWAS's mediation initiatives aimed at re-establishing constitutional governance in Niger.

At a recent assembly in Abuja, Nigeria, the regional assembly mandated the swift deployment of its intervention brigade.

Following its special summit convened in Abuja shortly after the onset of the crisis, regional leaders released a communique demanding Bazoum's reinstatement within a week from their gathering.

On Monday, global news outlets reported that the interim leaders of Niger intend to charge the president with high treason and jeopardizing both internal and external security.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan (R) said his Monday testimony before the Fulton County grand jury investigating former President Trumps and his allies efforts to overturn the 2020 election in the state was very serious.

It was a very serious atmosphere, as you would expect, and one that was, you know, a back-and-forth conversation. And I was certainly honored to answer their questions to the best of my ability, and thats what I did for of my period of time that I was in there, he told CNNs Erin Burnett on Erin Burnett OutFront.

Im going to stay away from the details  making sure I dont jeopardize the integrity of the investigation  but it was it was a very intense meeting, he added.

Duncan said his testimony  which was moved up from Tuesday to Monday  lasted for maybe an hour-plus. He said there was nothing that he did not expect during his testimony, adding that he was able to give a simple answer for the questions thrown at him.

I can tell you that there was the highest level of attention in that room for folks with the district attorneys office to the jurors, he said. It was just an extremely intense period of time, and everybody was prepared. Its just like walking into a perfect meeting where everybody is prepared and ready to go to work, and thats really what it was: very, very serious work.

While he did not speculate on whether an indictment from the grand jury would come Monday night, he noted that there was a heightened level of security near the courthouse.

Im not certain of those details, Duncan said. I will tell you that there is a heightened level of security like Ive never seen in around that courthouse. You know, the capitol is only a block, maybe a block-and-a-half away from the doors I walked out of. So, you know, I know that area. Well, Ive just never seen that much police activity, and certainly theyre prepared for whatever the scenario ends up being.

Trump said earlier Monday that Duncan should not testify before a grand jury, calling him a nasty disaster for people looking into allegations of election fraud in Georgia.

I barely know him but he was, right from the beginning of this Witch Hunt, a nasty disaster for those looking into the Election Fraud that took place in Georgia, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. He refused having a Special Session to find out what went on, became very unpopular with Republicans (I refused to endorse him!), and fought the TRUTH all the way. A loser, he went to FNCNN!

Updated Aug. 15 at 9:24 a.m. ET

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Donald Trump was indicted Monday for a whopping fourth time, and the second time for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Trump and several of his top allies were charged with felony racketeering for their role in efforts to overturn the results of the election in Georgia. The 41-count indictment also goes after Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Sidney Powell, Kenneth Chesebro, Jenna Ellis and Ray Smith, along with several others. Trump himself faces 13 criminal counts.



The former president and his 18 co-defendants were charged with engaging in a criminal racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgias presidential election result.



The charges fall under Georgias Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO Act), which was originally used to go after organized crime groups and mobsters. Prison sentences for those found guilty under Georgias RICO Act are between five and 20 years.



Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been steadily working her way closer to Trump for the past two years.

The charges cite Trumps January 2, 2021 phone call begging Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find 11,780 votesthe exact amount needed to flip the states election results away from Joe Biden. Several of Trumps co-defendants are also facing charges related to a breach of voting machines in Coffee County, which is a few hours south of Fulton.

A group of pro-Trump people, paid by Powell, accessed voting machines at the countys election office. They copied sensitive data and uploaded them to a site for election deniers to access and use to try to prove the election had been rigged. Coffee County is not in Fultons jurisdiction, but the racketeering charge lets prosecutors point to the data breach as part of a pattern of behavior to corruptly keep Trump in office.

Trump is stillappallinglythe frontrunner in the Republican presidential race, despite the growing mountain of charges against him. The twice-impeached former president has already been found liable for sexual abuse and defamation. He was indicted earlier this month for his role in inciting the January 6 riot, and he has been charged with keeping classified national defense documents without authorization, making false statements, and conspiring to obstruct justice. Trump also has been charged with business fraud in New York for his alleged role in making hush money payments to Stormy Daniels.



And in classic Trump form, hes not taking any of it well. He has attempted to block the Georgia investigation and get Willis disqualified from court proceedings. Trump also begged for a new sexual abuse trial and to toss E. Jean Carrolls second defamation lawsuit against himall to no avail.
(Bloomberg) -- German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has abandoned a week-long trip to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji after her government Airbus A340 was twice forced to return to Abu Dhabi due to a technical fault.

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A malfunction meant the wing flaps on the aircraft  which is more than two decades old and has a history of mechanical problems  could not be retracted correctly on both attempts to fly on from the the United Arab Emirates capital, according to the German air force.

We have tried everything: unfortunately it is logistically impossible to continue my Indo-Pacific trip without the defective plane, Baerbock said Tuesday in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. This is more than unfortunate.

Flight tracking website Radarbox.com showed that Baerbocks aircraft left Berlin on Sunday afternoon and landed in Abu Dhabi in the early hours of Monday morning.

It made a first attempt to continue on to Australia at 3:33 a.m. local time, returning about two hours later after dumping fuel to make it light enough to land. Another effort was made at 1 a.m. on Tuesday but the plane was forced to return Abu Dhabi once again, landing some two hours after takeoff.

Baerbock had arranged a host of events and meetings during her visit to the three southern hemisphere nations, including talks with her Australian, New Zealand and Fiji counterparts.

In the Indo-Pacific, we not only have close friends and partners, she wrote in the X post. The region will decisively shape the world order of the 21st century. That is why substantive and personal exchange is so important.

The aircraft is the same one that was forced to turn back to Cologne with former Chancellor Angela Merkel on board on her way to a Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires in late 2018.

Current Chancellor Olaf Scholz, finance minister and vice chancellor at the time, was also on that flight, which was aborted due to an issue with the planes electronics systems.

A few weeks earlier, Scholz was delayed in returning from Indonesia when rodents chewed through wiring and incapacitated the aircraft.

The German government is phasing out the aging, four-engine A340s and replacing them with advanced and fuel-efficient A350 twin-jets.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

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05 February 2020, Berlin: The Air Force Aibus A340 named Theodor Heuss is ready for boarding at the military part of Tegel Airport. Chancellor Merkel travels to South Africa and Angola. Photo: Kay Nietfeld/dpa (Photo by Kay Nietfeld/picture alliance via Getty Images)

The German Air Force has decided to immediately retire its two Airbus A340 VIP transport aircraft, which are used to fly the German chancellor and other leading officials on long-haul trips around the world. The snap decision comes in the aftermath of an embarrassing episode in which two technical problems suffered by one of the Air Force One jets forced German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock to cancel her trip to the Asia Pacific region.

While the German Air Force, or Luftwaffe, has already introduced three new A350s, as part of a wholesale modernization of its VIP fleet, the latest development adds to a catalogue of problems with aircraft availability that has also affected other parts of its inventory in recent years.

Taking to Twitter, the Luftwaffe announced today: We will take the two A340s out of service as soon as possible, i.e. in the coming weeks, ahead of schedule.

https://twitter.com/Team_Luftwaffe/status/1691360798134722560?s=20

The air force added that the two A340-300s were originally scheduled to be retired in September 2023 (aircraft 16+02) and at the end of 2024 (aircraft 16+01). The second of these was the jet that left Foreign Minister Baerbock stranded in Abu Dhabi.

With the A350, the Flight Readiness Service has a robust and modern aircraft available for long-haul flights, the Luftwaffe added.

The Flight Readiness Service, or Flugbereitschaft, is the Luftwaffes VIP and specialist transport arm, based at the international airport in Cologne, in the west of Germany.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YmGTmlm3v0

Interestingly, the Luftwaffe had previously issued a series of tweets explaining the problems that had affected 16+01 earlier this week. This aircraft had originally departed Germany on Sunday for what was planned to be a week-long trip.

Yesterday, in a tweet that began with the words safety first! the air force reported that the four-engine A340 had to return to Abu Dhabi after taking off from there. Due to a technical fault, the wing flaps could not be retracted correctly. We are working at full speed to enable our guests to continue their journey and will inform you when it resumes, the Luftwaffe stated, adding that the A350s were not available for this mission, due to undisclosed other commitments.

https://twitter.com/Team_Luftwaffe/status/1690927696832806912?s=20

The fault reportedly appeared after refueling in Abu Dhabi, leaving the minister stranded for hours while the technical crew battled to fix a problem with the wing flaps, according to the AFP news agency.

Hours later, the Luftwaffe tweeted that it had undertaken a functional check flight and posted a screen capture from the ADS-B Exchange website, a popular flight-tracking service aggregator.

https://twitter.com/Team_Luftwaffe/status/1691142355598848000?s=20

There were no problems, the Air Force said. We are therefore planning to continue our journey to Sydney later this evening.

Later that day, the next update brought more bad news:

A340  Mission aborted! the Luftwaffe tweeted. The problem occurred again with the now fully refueled machine. We are now landing back in Abu Dhabi.

https://twitter.com/Team_Luftwaffe/status/1691202758152527872?s=20

In the following video, posted to social media by Christoph Schult, a journalist for Der Spiegel, the A340 captain can be heard explaining to Foreign Minister Baerbock and her delegation that the aircraft is having to dump fuel and return to Abu Dhabi because of the recurring flap problem. This happened overnight to Tuesday, local time.

The captain adds that nothing like this has happened before.

https://twitter.com/schultchristoph/status/1691221579764547587?s=20

The next tweet on the Luftwaffes official account confirmed the decision to retire both the A340s early.

As for Baerbock, she had been planning to visit Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji, before the trip was canceled. Taking to Twitter, her frustration at the situation was palpable:

We have tried everything: Unfortunately, it is logistically impossible to continue my Indo-Pacific journey without the broken plane. This is more than annoying.

https://twitter.com/ABaerbock/status/1691312170808573952?s=20

Baerbock continued: In the Indo-Pacific, we not only have close friends and partners. The region will decisively shape the world order of the 21st century. Thats why substantive and personal exchange is so important.

Baerbock was expected to return to Germany on a commercial flight.

The A340 in question is 23 years old and previously served as a commercial airliner with Lufthansa, but its not too much to expect that it would have been very well maintained by the Air Force, while its prestige role should also mean that its available when required.

German Police, honor guards, and foreign office officials practice a state visit at Berlin Brandenburg Airport, with an A340 in the background. Bundeswehr/Jane Schmidt

However, previous technical problems have also prevented the same aircraft from undertaking important duties.

Most notably, back in 2018, the-then German Chancellor Angela Merkels trip to the G20 summit was delayed, due to an electronic fault on the jet.

Other embarrassing episodes have affected the Luftwaffe VIP fleet in recent years, too.

Also in 2018, Olaf Scholz  then the finance minister, now the chancellor  was forced to take a commercial flight back from Indonesia after rodents chewed cables on the same A340.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz disembarks a Luftwaffe A340 after landing in Prague, Czech Republic, on August 29, 2022. Photo by Kay Nietfeld/picture alliance via Getty Images

In May this year, Baerbock was again stranded in the Middle East, after her aircraft suffered a flat tire in Qatar. She was forced to extend her visit there by a day.

Although these incidents dont necessarily reflect badly on levels of maintenance, they have certainly been picked up by the German media and add to general concerns over Luftwaffe aircraft availability.

After the government in Berlin spent $1.3 billion on three new A350s, the VIP fleet should be in good shape for future long-haul missions. However, the repeated problems with the A340 fleet do raise questions over general levels of maintenance and availability.

A Luftwaffe Flight Readiness Service A350-900. Bundeswehr/Tobias Koch

https://twitter.com/SpaethFlies/status/1691087102534975489?s=20 https://twitter.com/BaainBw/status/1592865103489236992?s=20

The A350-900s are part of a Flight Readiness Service fleet that is now one of the most modern anywhere in the world.

For short- and medium-haul missions, the service also operates three twin-engine A319s and three A321s, as well as three Global 5000 and Global 6000 bizjets.

Three types operated by the Flight Readiness Service. From left to right: Bombardier Global 5000, Airbus A340, and Airbus A319CJ. Bundeswehr/Ingo Bicker

Based in Berlin, meanwhile, are three VIP-configured AS532U2 helicopters, while the Flight Readiness Service is also responsible for the Luftwaffes aerial refueling fleet, comprising A330 MRTTs operated as part of the Multinational Multirole Tanker Transport Unit.

However, the Luftwaffe has repeatedly been criticized for failing to meet adequate levels of aircraft availability.

Back in 2017, for example, it emerged that only around 35 percent of the Tornado combat aircraft fleet was combat-ready at any given time. While a replacement has now been lined up for these jets, they continue to serve, for now, alongside the newer Eurofighter EF2000, which has suffered from availability problems of its own.

In June 2020, the German Ministry of Defense announced that there had been a positive trend in Eurofighter serviceability over the previous 12 months.

During this reporting period, the squadrons had about six more Eurofighters available for flight operations each day than on average during 2019, the defense ministry said. Overall, the number of operational Eurofighter has increased by 50 percent in the last three years. As a result, the development of flight hours also shows a positive trend, it added.

A Luftwaffe Eurofighter EF2000. Bundeswehr

As well as pilot shortages of the kind that many Western air forces contend with, the rolling upgrade programs for the Eurofighter have also limited the number of jets that are ready on the flight line each day. In recent years, as many as 40 percent of the Luftwaffe Eurofighter fleet has been undergoing modification. A lack of spare parts further compounds the problem.

These kinds of issues are also not restricted to the Luftwaffes aircraft. In the past, we have reported on problems faced by the Germany Armys helicopter fleets. As of November 2019, just 15 percent of German Army Tiger attack helicopters and only around 12 percent of its NH90 transport helicopters were mission capable. The Tiger is now also headed for an early retirement.

A German Army Tiger attack helicopter. Bundeswehr/Marco Dorow

Outside of aircraft, low availability has also affected the German Armed Forces ships, submarines, and more, with a catalog of equally dismal mission-capable rates. There have even been times in recent years when none of the Germany Navys six Type 212A submarines have been operational.

At the same time, German authorities have continued to struggle to improve readiness across the countrys military.

Now, with Germany having steadily boosted its defense spending in response to Russian aggression in Ukraine and with a very modern VIP fleet provided for its officials, there shouldnt be many excuses left for the kind of embarrassing situation that forced Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock to cancel her high-profile trip.

Contact the author: thomas@thedrive.com
Ministers of Finance of Ukraine and Germany - Sergii Marchenko and Christian Lindner

During a visit to Kyiv on Aug. 14, German Finance Minister Christian Lindner announced that Germany aims to allocate EUR 5 billion ($5.45 billion) annually in financial assistance to Ukraine, until at least 2027.

Ukraine's Finance Minister Sergey Marchenko and Lindner signed a memorandum of cooperation between Kiev and Berlin, which aims enhance the capacity for assisting Ukraine's budget in the future.

The memorandum anticipates Germany offering advisory support to Ukraine in the areas of customs policy, financial market monitoring, state investment management, and the privatization of state enterprises.

Read also: Kryvosheyev leaves Servant of the People in protest of personnel policy, budget committee head

Meanwhile, Lindner noted that Germany will support Ukraine "as much as needed."

He highlighted that at this time, Germany has already provided EUR 22 billion ($24 billion) in financial support to Ukraine, including EUR 12 billion worth of military aid.

Read also: German Rheinmetall to deliver next generation drones to Ukraine by year-end

Lindner added that Germany has developed a program to support Ukraine until 2027, which foresees an annual diverse assistance amount of EUR 5 billion, Forbes magazine reports.

Earlier, Lindner supported the transfer of German-made Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.

Read also: Berlin preparing to transfer Taurus missiles to Ukraine  report

On Aug. 9, Germany reported handing over two more Patriot missile systems launchers to Ukraine. Berlin also confirmed the delivery of additional Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine, which were previously purchased by Rheinmetall from Belgium.

On July 14, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that his countrys government has prepared a funding program, which aims to provide armaments to Ukraine amounting to EUR 17 billion, by 2027.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
FILE PHOTO: The logo of Gilead Sciences Inc pharmaceutical company is seen in Oceanside, California

(Reuters) -Gilead Sciences said on Tuesday it had entered into an agreement with privately held Tentarix Biotherapeutics to develop therapies for cancer and inflammatory diseases.

Tentarix will receive upfront payments and an equity investment totaling $66 million from Gilead, which has the option to buy up to three of the drug developer's units for $80 million each, the companies said.

The deal gives Gilead access to Tentarix's proprietary drug development platform for antibody-based therapies that specifically target immune cells related to the disease without activating other immune cells that may lead to adverse events.

Gilead earlier this month flagged a more than 25% jump in research and development costs owing to multi-year plans it undertook to diversify its pipeline to expand beyond HIV drugs, its strongest revenue driver.

(Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur and Shounak Dasgupta)
Rudy Giuliani earned the nickname "America's Mayor" for steering New York through the horror of the September 11, 2001 attacks (Angela Weiss)

Forty years ago, Rudy Giuliani was the fearless Mafia-busting prosecutor whose aggressive use of racketeering laws brought down New York's Five Families.

On Tuesday, he was fighting for his own freedom after being ensnared by the very legal strategy he had pioneered.

The man once feted as "America's Mayor" for steering the US financial hub through the horror of the September 11, 2001 attacks has experienced a stunning fall from grace.

Charged with 13 felonies over the help he is alleged to have given his client and longtime friend Donald Trump in trying to subvert the 2020 presidential election, the attorney is threatened with years behind bars as his 80th birthday approaches.

"It's just the next chapter in a book of lies with the purpose of framing President Donald Trump and anyone willing to take on the ruling regime," Giuliani said on X, formerly known as Twitter, after he was charged Monday.

It was a typically bombastic response from the 107th mayor of New York City, who played a starring role in Trump's post-election push to cling to power through an allegedly criminal campaign of lies about voter fraud.

Giuliani was charged Monday under Georgia's Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Practices (RICO) statute, the plaudits he once earned squandered in a series of increasingly bizarre media appearances around the 2020 election.

He is one of 18 co-defendants charged alongside Trump.

- 'Person of the Year' -

They included an unwitting cameo in a Sacha Baron Cohen movie in which Giuliani was filmed lying on a hotel bed with his hands down his pants, and a post-election press conference held outside a landscaping business surrounded by a crematorium and a sex shop.

At another press event, Giuliani and his allies claimed mass voter fraud without a shred of evidence as hair dye streamed in dark rivulets down the attorney's cheeks.

Born in an Italian American enclave of Brooklyn on May 28, 1944, Rudolph William Louis Giuliani made his name in his 40s as a pioneering US attorney for Manhattan, using RICO to bring down the high command of the New York mob.

Giuliani captured the New York mayorship in 1993, and gained national prominence in the wake of the 9/11 attacks by helping salve the shocked city's soul, earning Time Magazine's prestigious "Person of the Year" honor.

"We've undergone tremendous losses, and we're going to grieve for them horribly, but New York is going to be here tomorrow morning, and it's going to be here forever," he declared.

The Republican suffered his first big setback in 2008 with a disastrous bid for the White House, and appeared adrift until Trump eventually brought him back into the fold.

- Gaffes and walk-backs -

After Trump was elected, he appointed Giuliani to fight a federal probe into the campaign's extensive ties to Russia, and the lawyer became a constant TV presence.

But gaffes and walk-backs were as much a feature of Giuliani's lawyering as his spirited talk show diatribes -- and he led Trump into trouble as often as steering him away.

Never the most reliable spokesman, Giuliani proved susceptible to seemingly unforced admissions -- contradicting Trump's denials over hush money payments to a porn star and his pursuit of a business deal in Moscow before the 2016 election.

But the effort to reverse Trump's clear election loss in 2020 appears in the end to have sealed Giuliani's downfall.

One by one, his post-election court challenges were withdrawn or dismissed as groundless.

Giuliani's license to practice has been suspended in New York over his "demonstrably false" claims of a stolen election and the Bar in the nation's capital is considering disbarring him.

Long before attracting the attention of a legal system that once basked in his reflected glory, Giuliani acknowledged that representing Trump could end up being his legacy.

"I am afraid it will be on my gravestone. 'Rudy Giuliani: He lied for Trump,'" he told The New Yorker in 2019.

"If it is, so what do I care? I'll be dead. I figure I can explain it to St. Peter."

ft/tjj/sst
The Republican National Committee wants qualifying candidates to sign a pledge backing the eventual GOP presidential nominee ahead of the first debate, a request thats rubbed several of those running the wrong way.

With the debate coming up quick on Aug. 23, however, top contenders arent taking any chances, putting pen to paper for a guaranteed slot in the spotlight.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is the latest GOP candidate to signal his intent to sign the pledge  once someone actually sends it to him.

Once the RNC reviews Christies donors and other data, I will sign it, he told Fox News Tuesday morning. "The most important thing is to be on the stage so our voters get to make an informed choice about who can beat Joe Biden.

Christie continued to bash former President Donald Trump, who said he wont sign the pledge and might not attend the debate because it would be a stupid move as the frontrunner. Christie, who is far behind in the polls but has gained traction in New Hampshire recently, said Trump doesnt want to defend his conduct since he lost the election in 2020.



Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has consistently polled in a distant second behind Trump, told reporters on Friday that he signed the pledge.

"You can't on the one hand say the country is going in such a bad direction, which we all believe, and on the other hand say you're just going to take your ball and go home, he said while campaigning in Iowa.

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum have also signed the pledge in recent weeks. Former Vice President Mike Pence has said he'll sign it, too.

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who has been critical of the pledge, and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez have also signaled their intent to sign if they meet the requirements to make the debate stage in Milwaukee on Aug. 23.

Former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, who hasnt met the debate requirements, also said he wont sign the pledge.

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, he told CNN in late June, citing his opposition to Trump.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) said Tuesday that he was the victim of a hacking attack by Chinese spies after hackers reportedly also managed to read emails belonging to State Department employees.

I thank the FBI for notifying me that the CCP hacked into my personal and campaign emails from May 15th to June 16th of this year, Bacon wrote Monday on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, referring to the Chinese Communist Party. He added that the hackers utilized a vulnerability in the Microsoft software and that the breach was not caused by user error.

Bacon, who has been a member of congress for the last six years, said the CCP hackers also targeted other victims in their operation.

Thus, there were other victims in this cyber operation, the congressman added. The Communist government in China are not our friends and are very active in conducting cyber espionage.

Ill work overtime to ensure Taiwan gets every $ of the $19B in weapons backlog theyve ordered, and more, Bacon said.

Republicans on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee launched an investigation earlier this month into recent data breaches of email systems at federal agencies such as the State Department and the Department of Commerce.

Chinese-based hackers also breached the email of U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns last month.

In their letters, the Oversight Republicans told Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo that they are requesting a briefing on the matter, saying the purpose is to understand the extent and ramifications of the breach by Chinese hackers.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Republican lawmakers are reacting to the indictments handed up by a Georgia grand jury in the state's case against former President Donald Trump and his allies over his alleged efforts to undo the 2020 election results.

The Fulton County grand jury handed up 19 indictments in the years-long investigation, charging the former president, as well as former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, attorneys Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, Kenneth Chesebro, Jeff Clark, John Eastman, and 12 others.

"Justice should be blind, but Biden has weaponized government against his leading political opponent to interfere in the 2024 election," House Speaker Kevin McCarthy wrote on X. "Now a radical DA in Georgia is following Bidens lead by attacking President Trump and using it to fundraise her political career. Americans see through this desperate sham."

GRAND JURY RETURNS TEN INDICTMENTS IN TRUMP GEORGIA CASE

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., conducts a news conference in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, July 25, 2023.

"This is another rogue Far Left radical District Attorney weaponizing their office to target Joe Bidens top political opponent President Trump," said Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y. "President Trump had every legal right to challenge the results of the election. This radical DA displayed political bias toward President Trump so much that a judge disqualified her from part of this case. This blatant election interference by the Far Left will not work, President Trump will defeat these bogus charges and win back the White House in 2024."

"Not sure how any of this can be taken serious when the indictment was leaked hours before the grand jury deliberated while at the same time the DA is fundraising off the indictment," Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

"This is another sad prosecutor trying to make a career out of indicting Trump. Thats all this is about," she said.

Former President Donald Trump looks on at the first tee prior to the start of day three of the LIV Golf Invitational - Bedminster at Trump National Golf Club on August 13, 2023 in Bedminster, New Jersey.

"Electing Trump for the third time, putting him back in the White House, and saving our country is plan A," said Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La. "I advise all Democratspray for plan A."

"Im so over this - the first 73 indictments, I was hanging in. The last 48, kind of repetitive," added Jonathan Wilcox, communications director for Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif.

"If there are indictments tonight, it will be the fourth indictment of Donald Trump," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said. "This is disgraceful. We had never indicted a former president or a leading presidential candidate. Joe Biden & Democrats are weaponizing the justice system because they fear the voters."

Rudy Giuliani, personal lawyer to U.S. President Donald Trump, speaks during a news conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020.

On March 30, Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records stemming from a $130,000 hush-money payment to an adult film actress.

"Like Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, Deranged Jack Smith, and New York AG Letitia James, Fulton County, GA's radical Democrat District Attorney Fani Willis is a rabid partisan who is campaigning and fundraising on a platform of prosecuting President Trump through these bogus indictments," the Trump campaign told Fox News Digital.

"Ripping a page from Crooked Joe Biden's playbook, Willis has strategically stalled her investigation to try and maximally interfere with the 2024 presidential race and damage the dominant Trump campaign," they continued.

"All of these corrupt Democrat attempts will fail," the campaign added.

Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell, right, attorneys for President Donald Trump, conduct a news conference at the Republican National Committee on lawsuits regarding the outcome of the 2020 presidential election on Thursday, November 19, 2020.

The charges include violating the Georgia RICO Actthe Racketeer Influenced And Corrupt Organizations Act; Solicitation of Violation of Oath by a Public Officer; Conspiracy to Commit Impersonating a Public Officer; Conspiracy to Commit Forgery in the First Degree; Conspiracy to Commit False Statements and Writings; Conspiracy to Commit Filing False Documents; Conspiracy to Commit Forgery in the First Degree; Filing False Documents; and Solicitation of Violation of Oath by a Public Officer.

This is the fourth time Trump has been indicted. Trump is the first former president in U.S. history to be indicted on criminal charges.

Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
[Source]

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said China could invade Taiwan without major consequences from the U.S. once he has hypothetically attained the nations semiconductor independence in 2028.

Semiconductor independence: In an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, Ramaswamy stressed the importance of semiconductors and why the U.S. should take aggressive action until the nation is able to produce its own. Ramaswamy noted that China would hypothetically not take the risk of aggressing towards Taiwan for his term if we show were serious about [semiconductor independence].

"The truth of the matter is there are two reasons why China wants to annex Taiwan. One is to squat on the semiconductor supply chain so they can exert leverage over the United States of America. Thats not happening on my watch. Id take a firm position on that. "But the second reason why is that they have unfinished nationalistic business dating back to their civil war in 1949. And if thats the sole basis for Xi Jinping going after Taiwan after we have semiconductor independence, then you know what? I am not going to send our sons and daughters to die over that conflict. And thats consistent with my position on Ukraine as well." More from NextShark: New trend sees Chinese influencers head to Shanghai Costco to pretend theyre in the US

Strategic ambiguity to strategic clarity: Ramaswamy thinks that China wants to forcibly annex Taiwan before 2049, which he notes is the hundred-year anniversary of the Chinese civil war when Chiang Kai-shek left. The candidate believes that Chinese President Xi Jinpings rush to do it before 2028 is going to change if he becomes the next U.S. president because he will move from strategic ambiguity to strategic clarity.

Whats clear to me is that you are saying I will go to war, including attacking the Chinese mainland, if you attack before semiconductor independence. And afterwards, you can have Taiwan. So if you just wait until 2029, you may have Taiwan, Hewitt clarified with Ramaswamy.

Im choosing my words very carefully right now, Ramaswamy replied.

More from NextShark: Olivia Rodrigo visits White House to tell young people COVID-19 vaccinations are 'good 4 u'

"Im being very clear: Xi Jinping should not mess with Taiwan until we have achieved semiconductor independence, until the end of my first term when I will lead us there. And after that, our commitments to Taiwan, our commitments to be willing to go to military conflict, will change after that, because thats rationally in our self-interest. That is honest. That is true, and that is credible."

While Taiwan currently maintains its own government, Beijing has claimed sovereignty over the island since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949. Xi has vowed to reunify Taiwan with China using military force if necessary. The U.S., which has close ties with Taipei, acknowledges Beijings claim while considering Taiwans sovereignty unsettled.

About Ramaswamy: Ramaswamy was born to Indian immigrant parents in Cincinnati. He received his education at Yale and Harvard before later finding success as a biotech entrepreneur. Ramaswamys campaign is focused on restoring the national identity in America and rejecting the poison of wokeism, climatism, transgenderism and COVIDism.

More from NextShark: NY Congresswoman Grace Meng Tweets Photos of Office Barricade During Capitol Riots

Enjoy this content? Read more from NextShark!

Vietnamese commander becomes 1st non-white police chief in London, Ontario
For all the people wondering if would ever be built, a date is set for the groundbreaking for Buc-ees new travel center on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

The day is less than a month away  on Sept. 13  at the site near Pass Christian. Harrison County Supervisors and other local leaders will be invited to attend the ceremony at 11 a.m.

Harrison County is a vibrant community with five thriving cities and stunning beaches, said Stan Beard of Buc-ees. Its perfectly situated along I-10 between our Texas and Alabama stores and we cant wait to be the best place to stop on the Mississippi Coast.

Buc-ees will bring at least 200 full-time jobs to South Mississippi, the company said, with starting pay beginning well above minimum wage, along with full benefits, a 6% matching 401k and three weeks of paid vacation.

This is the first Buc-ees in Mississippi, at the Menge Avenue exit 24 off Interstate 10.

The travel centers are known for being huge, and this location will be a massive 74,000 square feet, with 120 fueling pumps and 24 EV charging stations.

Buc-ees favorites including Texas barbeque, homemade fudge, kolaches, Beaver Nuggets, jerky and fresh pastries will all be available, the company said in a press release.

Buc-ees also is knows for its clean restrooms, low gas prices, Buc-ees brand souvenirs and gifts.

The company was founded in Texas in 1982 and has 46 stores across Texas and the South. Its now expanding west with groundbreakings in Colorado and Missouri.
A new report has exposed what has been described as structural racism at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, revealing various incidents of discriminatory comments and actions from tutors that contributed to an unwelcoming culture.

The prestigious London drama school was established in 1880, and boasts a starry list of alumni including Damien Lewis, Daniel Craig, Hayley Atwell, Orlando Bloom, Lily James and Joseph Fiennes.

Actors Michaela Coel and Paapa Essiedu were also Guildhall students, and have drawn attention to the negative experiences they had there as young Black actors.

After the Black Lives Matter movement gained traction in 2020, the school commissioned an independent review into discrimination experienced by students on its reputable acting course.

In a newly published report, detailing the findings of a 28-page document created by Freshwaters Consultancy in 2021, entertainment news publication Deadline has shared insight into students experiences while at the school.

The investigation found that graduates were consistent and explicit in their accounts of experiencing or witnessing racism at the institution, including various incidents in which the N-word was allegedly used during teaching exercises.

Contributors to the report described the teaching practices at the school as hostile, with others describing the culture at large as unwelcoming.

Incidents of personal racism were alleged to have been perpetrated by a small number of named individuals who had been in leadership positions within the acting programme for many years, the report, written by academic Maureen Salmon, said.

Their behaviours appeared to have been enabled and empowered through structural racism in the schools systems.

Paapa Essiedu and Michaela Coel (Getty)

According to the report, the environment in the school was one in which white students refused to work with their Black peers. One incident details an acting exercise in which a white student allegedly spat in the face of a Black classmate. The tutor deemed that it was dramatically justified, despite the Black student disagreeing.

While noting that Black students received the worst forms of racism while at Guildhall, the report states that teachers also made antisemitic comments and were derogatory towards Asian students.

In a statement to Deadline, Guildhall School of Music and Drama said it had apologised to all alumni affected by the findings. The school added that Freshwaters Consultancys recommendations had been implemented, including anti-racism training and the launch of a more diverse curriculum.

Speaking to The Independent in 2020, Essiedu recalled an incident when a teacher launched a racial slur at him during a class that also included his future I May Destroy You co-star, Coel.

We were all playing prisoners and she was the officer, he said of the tutor. She shouted the N-word and, as the only two black people in the group, me and Michaela looked at each other in horror. It was under the guise of, Oh, its an improvisation, I was in character.

But she wasnt even in the play, you know, so... That school was definitely not a safe place for black and brown people.

Last year, the institution apologised to Esseidu for the appalling and unacceptable experiences he faced.
The four men accused of carjacking and attempting to carjack several people during their morning commutes this spring  resulting in the kidnapping and rape of one woman  chose innocent victims at random, federal officials say.

Twenty-four-year-old Tonnaire McNair-Matthews, 23-year-old David Hinson, 21-year-old Michael Caldwell and 20-year-old Mahkiya Powell are being held in federal and state prison pending trial. They are all from Delaware.

While the motive for the accused crimes remains unclear, recently-unsealed federal court documents shed light on how the groups hours-long reign of terror in April unfolded  and ended.

The documents also detail how a distinctive eye tattoo, a pair of Yeezy sneakers and Instagram posts led to the arrest of McNair-Matthews, whom prosecutors allege was the ringleader of the group.

Delaware State Police arrest Michael Caldwell or David Hinson on April 14, 2023.

No drive will ever feel safe

The horrific crime spree began a little after 6:30 a.m. on April 14, a Friday, near Thompsons Bridge and Guyencourt roads in Centreville, prosecutors say. Thats when McNair-Matthews, driving a stolen Jeep with Powell and Hinson as passengers, is accused of crashing into a womans Toyota.

The woman, who lives in Pennsylvania but was on her way to work in Delaware, pulled over and dialed 911. As she was speaking to a dispatcher, prosecutors say McNair-Matthews, who was wearing a disguise, came up to her car and smacked the phone out of her hand.

FEDERAL INDICTMENT: Men who police say carjacked multiple people, kidnapped and raped woman indicted

After getting into the car, prosecutors say McNair-Matthews forever destroyed the womans sense of safety by forcing her to disrobe at gunpoint. He sexually assaulted her while driving and then raped her, prosecutors say, before he abandoned her on the side of a secluded road in Pennsylvania and took off in her car with her purse.

No drive will ever feel safe again, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Pierce wrote in a motion for pre-trial detention. Tonnaire McNair-Matthews, in a stolen Black Jeep Cherokee, forever ruined (the victims) daily routine."

Following the rape, prosecutors say McNair-Matthews drove back into Delaware, to a Wawa on Route 202. There, he used the victims debit card to withdraw money before heading to the Towne Estates housing complex in Wilmingtons Hedgeville neighborhood.

Powell, whose mother lives in the area, and Hinson, had driven there in the stolen Jeep, court documents say. Surveillance video shows the two men with Caldwell, who presumably met up with the duo at some point after the initial carjacking.

Tonnaire McNair-Matthews, right, and David Hinson, left, pose in front of a stolen Jeep on April 14, 2023.

About 20 minutes after this sighting, video shows McNair-Matthews arriving at the complex in the stolen Toyota. He directed Powell, Hinson and Caldwell to wipe down the car, prosecutors say, then went to change clothes.

After the Toyota was clean, Hinson and Caldwell used a third car  a stolen Nissan that was in the area  to drive to a Royal Farms in Wilmington. McNair-Matthews and Powell arrived shortly after in the stolen Jeep, court documents say.

Shortly after 9 a.m., about two hours after the first carjacking, Wilmington Police spotted the Jeep at the gas station and tried to stop it. McNair-Matthews and Powell fled in the Jeep, leading officers on a high-speed chase before ultimately losing them near Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania.

Hinson and Caldwell, who remained at the gas station when police arrived, left in the Nissan shortly after the chase in hopes of finding the other two men. McNair-Matthews, court documents say, used the maps feature on his phone to drop a pin of his location.

As Hinson and Caldwell drove up I-95 toward Pennsylvania, Hinson crashed the Nissan into another vehicle that was occupied by two people. Caldwell, who prosecutors say now had the gun McNair-Matthews previously used, pointed it at the occupants in an attempt to carjack them.

As Delaware State Police arrived on scene, Hinson and Caldwell fled in the Jeep but ultimately crashed near Route 202, court documents say. Both tried to run on foot, with Caldwell throwing the gun into a wooded area, but they were arrested.

Troopers later found the ghost gun  a firearm with no serial number that can be assembled at home  under a rock.

Delaware State Police located a ghost gun used during the carjacking spree under a rock.

Powell and McNair-Matthews were arrested three days later. McNair-Matthews was in Maryland at the time of his capture.

'Robbed for sport'

Though McNair-Matthews was on the run for three days before being arrested, it didnt take long for investigators to identify him, court documents say.

Despite wearing a mask at the time of the carjacking and rape, a tattoo along the right side of the 24-year-olds eyelid and brow was visible to the victim. She told police it consisted of letters.

She and another victim also noted that McNair-Matthews was wearing all black, a black mask and distinct white or cream-colored sneakers. Before changing at the Towne Estates complex, McNair-Matthews was wearing Adidas Yeezy 450s, prosecutors say, which are uniquely shaped and designed.

While on the run from police, prosecutors say Tonnaire McNair-Matthews posted this photo to his Instagram account.

An Instagram story from the day of the crime shows McNair-Matthews and Hinson leaning on the stolen Jeep used in the robberies. McNair-Matthews was wearing the Yeezy 450s in the photo.

Wawa surveillance video also shows him in the shoes as he withdrew money from the first victims bank account.

INITIAL STORY: Woman sexually assaulted during carjacking scheme, Delaware State Police say

McNair-Matthews continued to stand out even after he changed clothes, prosecutors say. During the clothes swap, he donned a sweatshirt with white letters spelling POLO across the front, distinctive black jeans with white marks on them and Nike Foamposites, another unique shoe.

He posted various stories in these clothes on the same Instagram account, prosecutors say, along with a gun with an extended magazine and suppressor.

That photo, posted sometime between when the spree began and his arrest, is captioned: Feds on my ass ima give em sumn to talm (sic) bout they cant catch me.

McNair-Matthews was wearing the same Nike shoes when he was ultimately arrested in Maryland, prosecutors say. He later admitted to driving the stolen Jeep from the Royal Farms.

Though federal court documents do not provide a motive for the spree, prosecutors argue the men robbed for sport. In court, Pierce, the federal prosecutor, also suggested that McNair-Matthews was the mastermind of the operation and Hinson, Powell and Caldwell were not entirely aware of what was going to occur that April morning.

When he was arrested, Tonnaire McNair-Matthews was wearing the same Nike shoes that prosecutors say he wore during the April 14, 2023 crime spree.

In a response to Pierces motion for detention pending trial, Powells attorney argued as much, writing that Powell is not alleged to have had an active role in either crime.

Defendant believes that the theory of guilt being presented by the government is that Mr. Powell aided and abetted a codefendant, attorney Richard Sparaco wrote.

MORE: 4 men charged with series of carjackings, sexual assault Friday, all in police custody

Defendant does not concede that he actively participated nor does he concede that he had advance knowledge of his codefendants use or carrying of a gun, Sparaco added.

Despite these arguments  and that Powell would not be a flight risk if he was required to remain at his moms Towne Estates home pending trial  federal Magistrate Judge Sherry Fallon was unconvinced.

She wrote in a detention order for Powell that the charges involve violent conduct against an innocent and random victim. She also said she had concerns for safety given the access Powell and McNair-Matthews had to personal items, such as the first victims license.

In McNair-Matthews order for detention, Fallon noted his lengthy criminal record beginning as a juvenile at age 14, which includes charges involving stolen cars and guns among other offenses.

He has a record of failing to show for court appearances, Fallon wrote.

All four men have pleaded not guilty to the charges. They remain in federal and state prisons.

Got a tip? Send to Isabel Hughes at ihughes@delawareonline.com or 302-324-2785. For all things breaking news, follow her on Twitter at @izzihughes_

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware carjacking suspects chose 'innocent' victims randomly: docs
Earlier this year, award-winning actress and entrepreneur, Halle Berry invested in the digestive health-focused brand Pendulum. Along with her investment she became the gut health companys chief communications officer.

Pendulum offers supplements including probiotics geared towards rebalancing the good bacteria present within the human body. The brands current lineup includes a series of capsules. While each product has its own unique purpose, a majority of the products target improving digestive health from every angle.

What is Akkermansia?

Akkermansia is a bacteria that is naturally found within the mucus lining of human intestines. Its also a common ingredient in many Pendulum supplements.

According to the National Library of Medicine (NLM), when used as a supplement, the boost of akkermansia prevents intestinal damage. It does so by balancing the environment within your gut as well as reducing inflammation.

[Akkermansia] bacterial products or secreted proteins, named as postbiotics, have been proven to be promising targets as new therapeutic tools against chronic inflammatory and metabolic diseases, the NLM noted.

While taking akkermansia is generally good for digestive health, you dont want to overdo it.

An overabundance of [akkermansia] led to a thinning of the intestinal mucus layer, the NLM warned.

If youre unsure of how much akkermansia you should take, please consult your medical provider.

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Pendulums Akkermansia for Gut Health is a daily supplement that boosts your guts health. If you just want to dive right into akkermansia this is the capsule to do it.

One capsule a day is all you need to support a healthy intestinal wall. When your intestines are happy, its easier for your body to absorb essential nutrients and pass waste. Each serving within this 30-day supply delivers 100 million AFU of the bacteria to your gut.

The unique element to this supplement is that the akkermansia is alive. That means once the supplements dives in, it gets right to work.

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If your gut only needs a little beneficial boost, try Pendulums Akkermansia Light. It has 20 million AFU of the living gut bacteria. Rember, you dont want to take too much akkermansia.

Just like its more potent counterpart, you only need one capsule of Akkermansia Light each day to feel the benefits. You get 30 capsules per bottle.

Pendulum Polyphenol Booster

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Pendulums Polyphenol Booster is a plant-based prebiotic supplement. It contains a combination of pomegranate, grape seed, and green tea polyphenols.

Polyphenols are secondary metabolites found normally in plants. That means they are a key part in helping plants process nutrients.

As for humans, polyphenols provide significant protection against the development and progression of many chronic pathological conditions, per the NLM. That means it can help improve both gut and heart health.

To receive the benefits from this supplement, just take two capsules each day. You get 60 in one container. Thats basically a one month supply.

Pendulum Metabolic Daily

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If your digestive health is all over the place, Pendulums Metabolic Daily is here to help. It combines akkermansia with additional probiotics like anaerobutyricum hallii. According to the NLM, anaerobutyricum hallii produces both propionate and butyrate, metabolites that have been shown to have a positive effect on gut and overall health.

Essentially, this is the supplement to take when your gut needs all-hands-on-deck to get back on track. This is another 30-day supply in a bottle. You take one capsule everyday.

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On those days when bloating and gas take over your gut, reach for Pendulums Butyricum. It highlights clostridium butyricum. The living probiotic that increases levels of good bacteria while preventing bad bacteria from controlling your digestive system, per the NLM. Essentially, it levels out the bacteria in your gut.

With everything in balance, youll be able to better process foods that pass through your intestines. That means, youll be alleviated from the discomfort of gas and bloating. This is a one-capsule-a-day 30-day supply.

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 Halle Berry Is Taking on the Wellness World with Pendulum Probiotics appeared first on 21Ninety.
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu has signed a bill into law banning use of the LGBTQ+ panic defense in homicide cases.

Sununu, a Republican, signed House Bill 315 last week. It bars defendants in these cases from blaming their actions on a victims actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity. The bill was the subject of contention among legislators, with some objections from both parties.

Some Republicans, for instance, claimed that the bill would make it harder for women to defend themselves against sexual assault. Others said it would limit self-defense pleas in general.

But during the wrangling over the legislation, Democratic Sen. Becky Whitley said, Absolutely, self-defense is still permitted in this situation. Were talking about homicide. It ended up being passed in both houses of the legislature.

Its lead sponsor, Rep. Shaun Filiault, quit the Democratic Party and became an independent because he felt Democrats had not done enough to get the bill passed, even though almost all of them voted for it. Filiault, who is gay, ran on a platform of banning the defense. He expressed gratification and relief that the legislation was finally passed and signed.

That really shows this is a bipartisan issue of protecting lives and protecting public safety, he told The Keene Sentinel. It is nice to see this signed by a Republican governor in a state that has a Republican-controlled legislature.

He also tweeted, This affirms that we are each born equal and deserve equal dignity before the law. The statute goes into effect January 1.

At least 17 states and the District of Columbia have banned use of the defense. Delaware legislators have recently passed such a bill, and its awaiting the governors signature, which is expected.

Pictured: Gov. Chris Sununu
A woman claims she broke her ankle after slipping on a piece of prosciutto in Eataly's Boston store. fcafotodigital/Getty Images; Paul Marotta/Getty Images

A woman claims she broke her ankle after slipping on a piece of prosciutto in Eataly's Boston store.

The injures led to more than $7,500 in medical expenses, she claimed.

The woman sued the store and is seeking a trial by jury.

A woman has sued Italian restaurant and store chain Eataly, claiming that she slipped on a piece of prosciutto in a store in Boston and broke her ankle.

Alice Cohen, from New Hampshire, was approaching the part of the store where food samples were being offered when she "slipped and fell on a piece of prosciutto on the floor injuring her left ankle resulting in a fracture," the lawsuit alleges.

A statement of damages attached to the lawsuit describes her injury as a left ankle sprain and distal fibular avulsion fracture. Cleveland Clinic says that common symptoms of avulsion fractures include swelling, pain that spreads to nearby parts of your body, and limping or an inability to walk.

The lawsuit, filed by Cohen and her husband in the Suffolk County Superior Court in Massachusetts on Friday, accuses the store of negligence and breaching its duty of care by "failing to ensure that the floor was safe."

Cohen experienced "great pain and suffering" and a loss of enjoyment of life following the slip in October 2022, the lawsuit says. The statement of damages says that Cohen paid $2,104 in hospital fees, $170.68 in doctors fees, and $5,265 in physical therapy fees.

The lawsuit also claims that Cohen's husband suffered a loss of consortium of his wife because of the slip.

The lawsuit is seeking compensation for Cohen's alleged injuries and damages and her husband's loss of consortium, as well as a trial by jury.

Eataly and the Cohens' lawyers didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, made outside of regular working hours.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Hampton will not approve any short term rentals until at least November as the city government puts a pause on applications to receive legal advice and further study how the rentals will impact residential neighborhoods.

The City Council deferred voting until November on five applications on the agenda at Wednesdays meeting to give staff more time to research issues of density and talk to more Hampton residents. Mayor Donnie Tuck said the council had so far approved 11 use permits for short-term rentals and approximately 50 applications were pending.

The council took action last year to regulate short-term rental homes  such as those rented through Airbnb or Vrbo  by requiring all short-term rentals to have a use permit and a business license. The council also made it possible for more property owners to operate short-term rentals by removing a previous requirement that short-term rentals were only allowed as an accessory use to a home that is primarily a residence.

Before enacting the new use permit rules, the city estimated about 370 short-term rentals were advertised online in Hampton.

Since the December vote, the council and city staff have discussed ways to regulate short-term rentals and what conditions they would like to see included in use permit applications. Before the city began considering short-term rental use permits, it had also convened a stakeholder group  made up of Neighborhood Commission members, a bed-and-breakfast operator, a hotel operator, and short-term rental operators  to provide the council with recommendations about how to best regulate short term rentals.

The group provided the council with recommended conditions for short-term rentals, Tuck said. However, since the council began holding public hearings regarding specific use applications, weve heard from many other community members about the anticipated impacts to their neighborhoods stemming from the use.

Tuck said city staff was already evaluating the issue of density and how many short-term rentals should be in a given area. They are now also looking at what city areas make the most sense to contain short-term rentals.

He said the deferral of the applications until November will allow the city to receive legal guidance from the city attorney and weigh the density and location questions.

Several property owners who had expected their short-term rental applications to be considered at last weeks meeting were upset at the delay.

Loretta OBrien-Parham, who owns a home on Chesapeake Avenue near the water, questioned why the council voted in December to change how it regulated short-term rentals if the city was not ready to make decisions on applications.

I think that the process has been exhausting, she said. For me, as an applicant, I started this process in March, and its been delay after delay after delay.

OBrien-Parham called her property a second home and said she isnt trying to rent it to strangers. Instead, she wants to be able to rent it to friends and family.

I simply was following what I thought were well-established rules and policies, she said of submitting her application to the city.

Despite the setbacks, OBrien-Parham says she has not given up.

Antoinette Smith, who has a property on Settlers Landing Road, called the delays very stressful.

It takes a lot to get an Airbnb, short term rentals, in order. It is a business, she said. People put their passion and heart into it.

She also expressed concern that people who follow the new short-term rental rules  by filing for a permit are being punished by the delays.

Were being punished for wanting to follow the rules, Smith said. There are a number of Airbnbs being run that are not following the rules that have never filed a permit. And so theyre really placing this signal out that the ones who want to follow the rules get punished.

Smith noted that if Hampton wants to attract people to the city for tourism, it needs places to house them. While there are hotels, she said many families prefer to have kitchens and space that come with short-term rentals.

You cant just say, We want to market the great things that have been happening to Hampton, but we dont have anywhere for you to stay, Smith said. And if we have somewhere for you to stay, were going to force you into a hotel. But guess what? People will look elsewhere.

Josh Janney, joshua.janney@virginiamedia.com
(NEXSTAR)  The crew of a recent American Airlines flight was forced to make an immediate controlled descent following a possible pressurization issue on Thursday, dropping the planes altitude by nearly 20,000 feet in a span of minutes.

The plane ultimately landed safely at its intended destination in Gainesville, Florida, but not before causing concern among passengers, one of whom shared photos of himself and fellow travelers wearing the oxygen masks that fell from their overhead panels.

Ive flown a lot. This was scary, wrote Harrison Hove, an education administrator and former anchor at Nexstars WCMH in Columbus, Ohio.

Kudos to our amazing flight crew- cabin staff and pilots on @AmericanAir 5916, Hove added. The photos cannot capture the burning smell, loud bang or ear pops. Good to be on the ground.

Both American Airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration said a possible pressurization issue was responsible incident, but could not yet say what may have caused any depressurization in the first place. The FAA is currently investigating.

Pilots miscommunication blamed for United jets plunge toward ocean: NTSB

The depressurization of an airline cabin, however, can be caused by several factors, according to the FAA. Skybrary, an online resource initiated in part by the United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the international Eurocontrol air-traffic management organization, says these events can be caused by structural failures, malfunctions concerning the planes pressurization system, or human actions (whether deliberate or inadvertent). More than one FAA document also refers to depressurization being the result of a hole or opening in the plane.

Depressurization events are often classified as gradual, rapid or explosive depending on how fast depressurization occurs. During this time, passengers may become aware of additional noise, wind, cooler temperatures, flying debris, fog, or expanding gas in their GI tract or ears, the FAA warns.

As passengers are often told, any change in cabin pressure will also result in the aircrafts oxygen masks dropping from the overhead panels. These masks are required to supply at least a 10-minute supply of oxygen for all occupants of any plane flying over 25,000 feet, per FAA regulations.

Depending on the size of the plane, its altitude, and the rate of decompression (among other factors), the cockpit crew is then tasked with taking additional measures to keep passengers safe.

As was the case with the recent American Airlines incident, the cabin crew initiated a controlled decent  dropping from around 30,000 feet in altitude to just over 10,000 feet in less than 10 minutes, according to FlightAware  to bring the plane to an altitude where supplemental oxygen is not necessary, according to the FAA. (A representative for the FAA tells Nexstar commercial pilots are trained to descend to at least 12,000 feet, below which supplemental oxygen is not required.)

Such controlled descents are standard during depressurization incidents to prevent passengers from experiencing hypoxia, or a lack of oxygen to the lungs or blood. If hypoxia occurs, passengers may experience dizziness, lightheadedness, tingling, numbness, loss of consciousness, or, in cases where the plane remains at high altitude for too long without sufficient supplemental oxygen, possible permanent brain damage, the FAA says.

The effects of hypoxia are still possible even with supplemental oxygen, the FAA warns, though recovery from symptoms usually occurs in a matter of seconds once 100 percent oxygen is administered. More severe cases may require medical attention, especially if symptoms persist.

Which airlines are most likely to bump you? DOT data explains

No one was injured during last weeks American Airlines descent, the airline told Nexstar.

While inflight, the crew received an indication of a possible pressurization issue and immediately and safely descended to a lower altitude, reads a statement shared by the airline. We apologize to our customers for any inconvenience and thank our team for their professionalism.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
A marine crew disentangled a humpback whale named Pinball off Cape Ann on Saturday, after the large mammal became caught up in fishing gear while swimming in the ocean with her calf.

The Center for Coastal Studies Marine Animal Entanglement Response team responded to assist Pinball after boaters saw the whale in distress as she struggled in fishing gear on Saturday morning, officials said in a statement on Tuesday.

After reporting the whales condition to the Marine Animal Entanglement Response hotline, the boaters stayed near the whale at a safe distance. At some point the whale swam off, still entangled, officials said.

With the help of the Hurricane II and the U.S. Coast Guard out of Gloucester, mariners kept watch over the whale and her calf as they swam south.

Once on scene, the Marine Animal Entanglement Response team spent the next few hours assessing the whale and attempting disentanglement, under the direction of Scott Landry, director of the Center for Coastal Studies Marine Animal Entanglement Program.

Members of the Center for Coastal Studies Marine Animal Entanglement Response team disentangled an entangled humpback off Cape Ann Saturday. Shown left to right: Emily Kelly, Paulette Durazo, and Bob Lynch.

During the process, Pinballs calf, now around eight months old, spent time away from its mother, periodically rejoining her to nurse, officials said.

Using large floats and the drag from its small inflatable boat, the response team eventually removed all of the entangling gear that was lodged in her mouth, officials said. The team stayed with Pinball until she rejoined her calf.

The prognosis for both whales is now much improved, officials said.

The MAER team was assisted by Good Samaritan boaters, the Hurricane II whale watch vessel, a commercial fisher and the U.S. Coast Guard.

CCS is grateful to to all the mariners who helped, the Center for Coastal Studies said in its statement.

Boaters are urged to report any entanglement sightings of whales, sea-turtles or other marine animals to the Marine Animal Entanglement Response team hotline at 1-800-900-3622 or the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF 16, and to stand by the animal at a safe distance until trained responders arrive.

The centers disentanglement work is supported in part by grants from the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, the Massachusetts Environmental Trust, and private foundations and donors, officials said. All disentanglement activities are conducted under a federal permit authorized by NOAA.

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The apartments reportedly cost applicants who earn 125% of the Area Median Income $2,311 and have a minimum income requirement of $80,000.

In a city where there is already a Black exodus  Black people leaving in large numbers  the rent for the newest affordable studio apartments in Harlem is $2.3K per month.

Patch reported that the apartments cost applicants who earn 125% of the Area Median Income $2,311 and have a minimum income requirement of $80,000.

Single New Yorkers must make between $79,235 and $128,570 annually to qualify. Couples who want to share a studio must make a combined $146,900 annually.

View of Harlem from Morningside Heights, in Manhattan, New York City. (Photo Credit: Adobe Stock)

There is a dishwasher inside each unit, but tenants should plan to foot the bill for their electricity, including [an] electric stove, per the listing. The elevator building offers a laundry room, rooftop patio, virtual doorman, gym, and bike storage.

The not-so-affordable apartments are advertised as Black residents leave urban neighborhoods around the city, particularly Harlem  the center of Black heritage and culture  for more rural locations.

According to Gothamist, New York Citys non-Hispanic Black population is declining at one of the fastest rates among major cities in the U.S., only behind Chicago and Detroit. The trend foreshadows what many locals, demographers, and other experts consider upcoming complex political, social, and economic issues. Some observers note that changing demographics raises the unsettling question of whose interests New York City serves.

These are not just issues that are persistent in the Black community in Brooklyn, said Brooklyn NAACP president L. Joy Williams, Gothamist reported. They are issues of working-class and poor people across the city.

African Americans are leaving New York in such great numbers for various reasons. Demographers point out that the aging population may be a factor, and some African Americans, like other groups, may move away to stretch their retirement funds, avoid high taxes, and take advantage of better possibilities elsewhere.

Researchers also highlight the housing crisis, which has sparked disputes in neighborhoods about affordability and what more can be done to protect housing for individuals with the lowest incomes. Additionally, despite the citys economy adding more high-paying employment, they claim that, overall, Black New Yorkers have had less economic growth and fewer job prospects than other groups, as reported by The New York Times in April.

Despite the citys many challenges, people still love New York, explained Zulema Blair, chair of public administration at CUNYs Medgar Evers College and an expert on the citys shifting Black population, in a Gothamist interview. But its not a place that they feel that they can thrive, said Blair.

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The post New Harlem studio apartments cost $2.3K per month as Black people leave the neighborhood, city in droves appeared first on TheGrio.
Harrison Ford's legendary Indiana Jones character may fear snakes, but the actor now has a real reptile named after him.

A new found species of snake in Peru has been named Tachymenoides harrisonfordi to honour the actor's environmental advocacy.

Ford, who is the vice chair of non-profit group Conservation International, called it "humbling".

The actor also has an ant and a spider named after him.

"These scientists keep naming critters after me, but it's always the ones that terrify children," Ford told Conservation International. "I don't understand. I spend my free time cross-stitching. I sing lullabies to my basil plants, so they won't fear the night."

Unlike his character, Indiana Jones, Ford has repeatedly said he actually liked snakes and "found a quick kinship with this one".

"The snake's got eyes you can drown in, and he spends most of the day sunning himself by a pool of dirty water  we probably would've been friends in the early '60s," he said. "It's a reminder that there's still so much to learn about our wild world - and that humans are one small part of an impossibly vast biosphere,"

The discovery, a joint collaboration between researchers from Peru and the United States, was made in Peru's Otishi National Park.

The Tachymenoides harrisonfordi is a slender snake, measuring a modest 16in (40.6cm) when fully grown. It is not harmful to humans.

"For a biologist, describing a new species and making it public with its new name is one of the most vital activities during the biodiversity crisis," said Edgar Lehr, the lead scientist on the project. "Only organisms that are known can be protected."

He hopes the discovery will draw attention to the extinction crisis facing species around the world.

Reptiles are particularly prone to extinction, with more than a fifth of all reptiles currently under threat, a study co-authored by Conservation International researchers found.

It was in 1993 that a new species was first named after Ford - the Calponia harrisonfordi, which is a California spider. Years later, an ant was dubbed after the actor - named Pheidole harrisonfordi.
EXCLUSIVE: A Hawaii Democrat criticized President Bidens response to reporters question about the deadly fires in his state as "shocking" and "quite disappointing."

Bloomberg White House correspondent Justin Sink reported Sunday that Biden had nothing to say during his Delaware beach getaway on the rising death toll due to severe wildfires, which reached 96 as of Monday afternoon with hundreds more missing.

"After a couple hours on the Rehoboth beach, @potus was asked about the rising death toll in Hawaii No comment, he said before heading home," Sink reported on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Video footage of the exchange appeared to corroborate Sinks account.

WHITE HOUSE SAYS BIDEN PRAYING FOR HAWAII FAMILIES AFTER GIVING NO COMMENT BEFORE

U.S. first lady Jill Biden (L) sits with US President Joe Biden (R) on the beach in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware on August 13, 2023.

The comment sparked a wave of backlash, including by former Hawaii state Rep. Mark Kaniela Ing, a Democrat who now serves as national director of the Green New Deal Network.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

"I campaigned for you. Now, when I lose dozens of my friends, family, and neighbors. This?" Kaniela Ing wrote in a now-deleted post.

Kaniela Ing told Fox News Digital in a phone interview Monday that he found Bidens remark "shocking" and out of character.

"When things like this happen, it's really the time to  if you do the kind of work I do, when the wave crests, youve got to paddle hardest," he said. "When tragedies like this occur, it's shocking to see people just conducting business as usual.  On the one hand, you don't want everyone to be in a perpetual somber mood, but on the other hand, how can you just carry on like that?"

"I think everyone deserves some time to take care of themselves, wind down, but, as someone in leadership role, you need to be ready any moment to offer some empathy and solace and comfort to people that are facing a lot of trauma right now," he said.

Kaniela Ing said he deleted his post because he thought Bidens exchange with reporters may have been more nuanced than initially reported.

"Whether or not it was as dismissive as originally reported, it is quite disappointing," he added, adding, "I would expect more."

"He should be talking about what hes done and what he will do," he said. "The talking and offering words of solace and comfort, great. I'm not too hung up on that, to be honest. What I'm looking for is action."

US President Joe Biden waves as he returns to a car after visiting the beach near his vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware on August 13, 2023.

Kaniela Ing said his Green New Deal Network wants three things from Biden that it believes he has fallen short on, or else "these disasters are going to keep happening more frequently and more severe."

"Declare a climate emergency. Deny fossil fuel permits, and invest substantial federal funds to the tune of $1 trillion a year," he said. "Hawaii came out for Biden in a big way, and I think President Biden and anyone running for president right now needs to address this head on, not just in terms of immediate relief, but in longer term recovery and accountability."

When reached for comment by Fox News Digital Monday morning, White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates explained that the president released a statement on the fires last week and also pointed to "the governors positive comments about the federal response on multiple Sunday shows."

The White House later released a statement that read, "President Biden has mobilized and led a whole-of-government response to the wildfires in Hawaii from the beginning, working closely on it and receiving detailed briefings every day since."

"Yesterday he received two updates from FEMA Administrator Criswell while she was on the ground," the statement continued. "As Governor Green stressed yesterday, within six hours of receiving Hawaiis request, President Biden signed a Major Disaster Declaration and ordered all available federal resources in the state to help with the response. Governor Green described this as having provided "amazing support for recovery." Senator Hirono also thanked President Biden for the immediate support federal agencies have delivered for the residents of Hawaii, as has Senator Schatz."

"Like President Biden said on Thursday, I've directed that we surge support to these brave firefighters and first responders and emergency personnel working around the clock [] I'm going to make sure the state has everything it needs from the federal government to recover," the White House statement added.
The wildfires began last Tuesday, destroying homes and important historical landmarks. @ melo_ds, @sweet.t.808, and @mindfullykai via TikTok

Hawaiian TikTokers are urging tourists not to visit Maui following devastating wildfires.

The creators are saying that resources on the island need to be reserved for local people.

Tourists currently in Maui are being accused of insensitive behavior towards local people.

Hawaiian TikTokers are urging tourists not to visit Hawaii in the aftermath of wildfires in Maui, which have killed at least 99 people, Hawaii Governor Josh Green told CNN.

The wildfires, which are still being contained, according to an update from the County of Maui on Facebook, began last Tuesday, destroying or damaging homes and historical landmarks. A statement from the Pacific Disaster Centre said that 2,207 structures had been damaged or destroyed in the Lahaina fire as of August 11. Cadaver dogs are being used in the search for people who are still missing, NBC reported.

Last Thursday, the Hawaii Tourism Authority said visitors were being asked to leave Maui and that tourists with plans to come to the island should cancel or rearrange them, Insider previously reported.

"In the weeks ahead, the collective resources and attention of the federal, state, and county government, the West Maui community, and the travel industry must be focused on the recovery of residents who lost loved ones, homes, their belongings, and businesses," an updated statement from the authority, posted on August 14, reads.

TikTokers who say they're native to Hawaii have also been using their platforms to plead with tourists, asking them not to visit.

One user, @sweet.t.808, said in a post from August 10 that tourism impacts the availability of essential resources needed in Hawaii at this time, such as water. "For every single one of you guys coming to Hawaii, you are depleting our water source," she said.

"All the resources that are currently here need to be used on local residents," added another user, @melo_ds, in a post from August 12.

Water shortages in Maui have been a concern for some time, and county authorities have urged residents to conserve water. Tourism has exacerbated the issue, as hotels and resorts have high consumption.

A user named @mindfullykai, who said she was currently in Maui, said in a TikTok from August 14 that there were still tourists on the island, some of whom were asking for discounts on their hotel rooms due to disruptions to their stay after the fires.

"They are in the way, right now, as people mourn the loss of their loved ones, of the places that burned down, of the history that was completely erased," she said, describing tourists on the island. Others have also said they've seem visitors in Hawaii following the fires. One resident told the BBC she spotted tourists swimming in the same waters that bodies were recovered from just days before.

Some TikTokers who appear to be based in the US have also been criticizing tourists who regularly visit Hawaii for not taking more of a visible stand to support local residents dealing with the aftermath of the fire.

"It is wild to see all of these people talking about, 'Oh my Maui vacation, my second home, my island paradise.' The whole island is on fire, and you have posted nothing, talked about nothing," said a user who goes by @destnyshalom, who is based in LA according to her Instagram bio, in a TikTok from August 10.

Tensions between tourists and Hawaii locals have run high for years. In 2020, during COVID-19 lockdowns, Hawaii implemented a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all visitors after many traveled despite the restrictions. John Monahan, president of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, sent a letter to several media outlets asking them not to promote travel to Hawaii, CNN reported at the time.

Many Hawaii natives have in the past urged tourists to consider the community when visiting, such as by making a point to support local businesses, cleaning up their trash, and being mindful of the environment.

For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here.

Read the original article on Insider
Hawaiia Governor Josh Green on Monday confirmed that Maui wildfires are responsible for the deaths of nearly 100 people and scores more could be found dead in the following days.

On a video posted to his Twitter account, Green confirmed there have been 96 confirmed fatalities and "there will be more."

The governor said there are 416 FEMA officers helping with recovery efforts. At least 20 cadaver dogs are making their way through blocks reduced to ash and at least 175 National Guardsmen are on duty.

Gov. Green had told "CBS Mornings" that rescue officials are expecting to find 10 to 20 people per day until they are finished."

"And it's probably going to take 10 days. It's impossible to guess, really," Green said.

DESPERATE RESIDENTS ARE LOOTING BUSINESSES AND ROBBING PEOPLE AT GUNPOINT, MAUI LOCALS SAY

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

The blazes that consumed most of the historic town of Lahaina are already the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century. The cause was under investigation.

As cellphone service has slowly been restored, the number of people missing dropped to about 1,300 from over 2,000, Green said.

Elsewhere, evacuees were expected to begin moving into hotels Monday evening. Green said Sunday that 500 hotel rooms were being made available for displaced locals and an additional 500 rooms will be set aside for workers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency who are aiding in the recovery.

AUSTIN FIRE OFFICIALS BATTLE BLAZE AT HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT AFTER YEARS OF WARNINGS FROM CITIZENS

In addition, FEMA has started to provide $700 to displaced residents to cover the cost of food, water, first aid and medical supplies, agency administrator Deanne Criswell said Monday. The money is in addition to whatever amount residents qualify for to cover the loss of homes and personal property.

A picture displaying the devastation across Lahaina, Hawaii.

"We're not taking anything off the table, and we're going to be very creative in how we use our authorities to help build communities and help people find a place to stay for the longer term," Criswell said. More than 3,000 people have registered for federal assistance, according to FEMA, and that number was expected to grow.

HAWAII DEMOCRAT SAYS BIDEN'S NO COMMENT ON WILDFIRES SHOCKING: I WOULD EXPECT MORE

The Biden administration is seeking $12 billion more for the government's disaster relief fund as part of its supplemental funding request to Congress.

Authorities had required anyone traveling into the disaster areas to get a police-issued placard, but that was suspended Monday due to overwhelming demand.

Governor of Hawaii Josh Green speaks during a press conference about the destruction of historic Lahaina and the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui in Wailuku, Hawaii on August 10, 2023.

The blaze that swept into centuries-old Lahaina last week destroyed nearly every building in the town of 13,000. That fire has been 85% contained, according to the county. Another blaze known as the Upcountry fire has been 60% contained, officials said.

Even where the fire has retreated, authorities have warned that toxic byproducts may remain, including in drinking water, after the flames spewed poisonous fumes. And many people simply have no home to return to.

The Red Cross said 575 evacuees were spread across five shelters on Monday, including the War Memorial Gymnasium in Wailuku.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Florida Department of Health in Marion County said after an unvaccinated horse tested positive for rabies the source of transmission is currently under investigation.

>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<

According to a news release, the incident took place in Reddick. An Animal with rabies could infect other animals that have not received a rabies vaccination.

Domestic animals are at risk if they are not vaccinated; rabies is always a danger in wild animal populations., Bill Thompson, Public Information Officer at the Florida Department of Health in Marion County said.

Read: Mortgage rescue scam warning: Scammers targeting homeowners after a disaster

Residents and visitors are advised to take the following precautions to prevent exposure to rabies:

Avoid all contact with wildlife, particularly raccoons, bats, foxes, skunks, otters, bobcats and coyotes. Never adopt wild animals or bring them into your home.

Never handle unfamiliar animals (wild or domestic), even if they appear friendly.

Do not feed or unintentionally attract wild animals with open garbage cans or trash.

Keep rabies vaccinations current for all pets.

Keep pets under direct supervision so they do not come into contact with wild animals.

Prevent bats from entering living quarters or occupied spaces in homes, churches, schools, and other similar areas where they might encounter people and pets.

Read: Florida Puerto Rican Parade and Festival sets date for 2024 in Orlando

If you have been bitten or scratched by a wild or domestic animal, seek medical attention and report the injury to DOH-Marion by calling 352-629-0137

For more information click here:

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.
A tragedy unfolded after torrential downpours unleashed buckets of rain over a short time in the Washington, D.C., area on Monday evening. A 5- to 6-foot wall of water burst through the front windows of a dog daycare business, District Dogs, quickly flooding the building and turning the business into a frantic rescue scene.

Workers of the business and firefighters had only seconds to jump into action due to the sheer amount and force of the floodwaters. Twenty dogs were rescued, but some of the pets did not survive.

"First, we want to express our sympathies to everyone who lost a dog during the flooding yesterday. It is heartbreaking to know some of the animals did not survive despite the heroic efforts of the staff at District Dogs and the firefighters that responded," John Lisle of DC Water said in a statement on Tuesday. He went on to explain, "That area has experienced chronic flooding as far back as the late 1800s, especially during intense rainstorms."

Caroline Kruk told AccuWeather Bill Wadell that her dog Emmy was saved amid the flooding at District Dog. (AccuWeather/Bill Wadell)

According to Lisle's statement, DC Water measured about 2 inches of rain between 4:30 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. EDT in northeast D.C. Monday evening, which is enough to overwhelm the sewer system.

"This location under the Metro overpass is a low point that acts as a bowl and stormwater flows into it from multiple directions, including from the tracks above. There are storm drains there, but if the sewer is filled to capacity, there is nowhere for that water to go," Lisle said.

On Tuesday morning, AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell reported from the scene as crews arrived to remove damaged drywall at District Dogs. He caught up with dog owners and others who stopped by to pay their respects to the lost pets.

DC resident Jade Belmes with a Schnauzer named Lusa at District Dogs on Tuesday morning in the wake of the tragic flooding. (AccuWeather/Bill Wadell)

"I'm feeling grateful that they were able to get her. I'm feeling really sad for the ones they weren't able to save," Jade Belmes, D.C. resident and owner of a schnauzer named Lusa, tearfully told Wadell. "Coming here - we didn't know if she was going to be saved, or not, be alive or well."

"She was OK," Belmes said. "And I just want to thank the people that were there. They protected as much as they could. Just saying thank you. Just send prayers to them."

Caroline Kruk, another dog owner and D.C. resident, shared that she saw news video footage of her dog being carried out in a firefighter's arms. She ran down to make sure her dog, Emmy, was OK.

"She's still very new in my life, and I love her with my whole heart," Kruk told Wadell. "Just to think I could lose her so quickly was scary."

Additional reporting by AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell.
The Pacific Northwest is facing its second major heat wave of the summer, following an early heat wave in May. The extreme heat first arrived in parts of Washington and Oregon state on Sunday and is expected to last through the week.

The Pacific Northwest largely avoided the excessive heat waves that tormented much of the southern and northeastern United States earlier this summer.

An excessive heat warning is in effect through Wednesday night, though there is a risk the heat will persist through Friday, according to The National Weather Service.

Washington and Oregon residents face extreme heat

In Portland, Oregon, highs could reach 107 on Monday and 104 on Tuesday before dropping below triple digits on Wednesday. Temperatures in Seattle this week will be the warmest recorded this year with afternoon highs in the 80s and low 90s.

Wildfires threaten the Pacific Northwest

This weeks extreme heat will increase wildfire threats in the region. In western Washington and Oregon, red-flag warnings for high fire danger are in effect. The Lookout Fire led to evacuations late Sunday in eastern Lane County, Oregon.

Record high temperatures expected in parts of Washington, Oregon

The ongoing heat wave has the potential to shatter Salem, Oregon's previous August temperature record, if the temperature climbs above 108F. In areas spanning the Willamette Valley, from Salem to Eugene, temperatures could surge between 105F and 110F on Monday.

In Yakima, Washington, a high of 107F is projected for Tuesday, surpassing the previous daily record of 103F set in 2021. Similarly, Kennewick, Washington anticipates a high of 108F on Tuesday, breaking the previous daily record of 104F set in 2021.

How to stay safe during a heat wave

Authorities strongly advise residents and visitors who don't have access to cool or air-conditioned spaces to limit their heat exposure. The National Weather Service recommends staying hydrated, limiting strenuous outdoor activities, as well as keeping pets out of locked vehicles.

 With dangerous heat forecast next week, we want to emphasize HEAT SAFETY:



1) Stay in air conditioned locations

2) Stay hydrated

3) Check on those most vulnerable. No one should be alone during a heat wave

4) Limit strenuous afternoon outdoor activities#ORwx #WAwx (1/2) pic.twitter.com/ZEanWakDWy  NWS Portland (@NWSPortland) August 11, 2023

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pacific Northwest heat map shows extreme temperatures across region
On Christmas day 2020, while millions of American families were navigating virtual holiday gatherings, Jeremy Hepker was sitting in an Iowa City hospital room holding the hand of Marisa Doolin, his teenage niece. Doolin had been shot in the face three days earlier and was in a medically induced coma to stop the swelling in her brain. The next day, Doolins family decided to take the 18-year-old off life support.

I felt so powerless, I felt so angry and I felt vengeful, Hepker said.

Hepker, who remembers Doolin as nurturing, said he knew who had shot his niece the moment he heard about it  her boyfriend, who the family had worried was physically abusing the teen.

Hepkers instincts turned out to be right. Doolins boyfriend had been on the run from an arrest warrant, when he traveled more than 400 miles from Michigan to Cedar Rapids, got a gun, and shot Doolin, according to prosecutors. He was convicted of manslaughter.

There was no earthly reason [he] should have had a firearm. The fact he was able to access a firearm shows the issue with our society, said Nick Maybanks, the prosecutor who handled Doolins case.

Doolin was one of at least 13 Black women who were killed in Iowa in 2020, more than six times the number who were killed the year before, when two Black women were slain, according to a Guardian analysis of Iowas public safety data. By comparison, the overall number of homicides in the state increased by about 63%, from 70 in 2019 to 111 in 2020. All but one Black woman killed in Iowa died from a gunshot wound, according to a Guardian analysis of public health data, police data and news clippings.

In 2020 and 2021, there was an unprecedented national rise in homicides, most of them committed with guns. Within this national increase was an alarming yet overlooked rise in the homicide rate for Black women.

The Guardian looked back at 2020, a year also marked by the pandemic and nationwide protests for racial justice, and found that for Black women in the US, the homicide rate rose 33%. Thats a sharper increase than for every demographic except Black men, and more than double the rate of white women, according to a Guardian analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Nearly half of the killings of Black women and girls nationwide in 2020 were committed by someone they knew  including partners, family members, friends and acquaintances.

In Iowa, a small, majority white, mostly rural state with a strong gun culture and few gun restrictions, this trend was particularly pronounced. Overall, Black residents represented half of the 106 people killed in Iowa in 2020, according to data from the CDC, despite making up 5% of the states population.

Getting this count of how many Black women were killed in recent years was surprisingly difficult. By the Iowa department of public safetys count, there were 12 Black women killed in Iowa in 2020. But this left out at least two cases, which the Guardian found through local news reports: one of an 18-year-old who was shot and killed and one of a 10-year-old who was killed in 2020 but whose body was not found until the next year. The race of another woman, who was shot and killed outside a Waterloo bar in September, was marked as unknown, but she turned out to be African American.

The public safety departments dataset also included two women who were allegedly killed outside a bar in Polk county. But the women, who were shot, actually survived their injuries, the Polk county sheriff confirmed.

State departments of public health typically keep track of and release data on homicides, but in Iowa, this department doesnt publicly share year-to-year statistics, since the numbers of Black women killed annually are relatively small and the identities of the deceased can be easily discovered.

Victims families, victim advocates and prosecutors, like Maybanks, say the increase in gun homicides of Black women is the devastating byproduct of years of disinvestment in Iowas Black communities, and the ease with which someone can get a gun in the state.

When a 14-year-old kid can tell me its easy for them to get a gun, thats scary to me. Thats the unfortunate reality of whats happening here, said Dedric Doolin, another of Marisas uncles, who is also the branch president of the Cedar Rapids NAACP. Some of the violence is connected to health, job and housing issues  all of these things are intertwined.

***

Calvetta Harris keeps a small notebook with her at all times. But the pages arent filled with notes-to-self or grocery shopping lists. Instead, theyre filled with the names and ages of Iowas murder victims.

Rhonda Howard, 56, she read from the notebook. They did a welfare check and found that she had a lot of bodily trauma. They think it was domestic.

Johnita Clemons in 2013. I bought her kids presents after she was killed. Their mothers case is still unsolved, she said.

Connie Simmons, she continued. I knew her personally. It was a domestic violence thing a few blocks from me. I dont think they ever found her head.

Harris started this list in 2013 when she founded Mothers Against Violence, a violence prevention and victim support non-profit, in memory of a longtime friend, who was shot and killed.

In my community its become the norm for my kids to hear gunshots, said the mother of four. It makes me so sad. It ruins everyones life and changes families that day. No one wins. We all end up sad and angry.

Her work has gotten busier in recent years amid the pandemic, and with the increased need, shes become stretched thin.

Luana Nelson-Brown has had a similar experience. Through the Des Moines-based Iowa Coalition for Collective Change, she helps families of homicide victims with essential needs, such as transportation, guidance through the criminal justice system and day-to-day logistics like getting kids to daycare.

We are all doing triple and double duty on other issues so we are exhausted, Nelson-Brown said.

She and Harris are among a handful of Black Iowans in cities such as Des Moines, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids and Davenport who are organizing to stop violence and put the racial and gender disparities of homicide at the center of the states public safety agenda.

It gets frustrating when you speak out and help, and next week someones dying again, Harris added. We all need help. And were not getting it.

The majority of gun deaths in Iowa are not homicides, but suicides, which claim more than 200 lives a year in the state, according to the CDC. Firearm homicides, in contrast, total a few dozen a year and in recent decades Iowas murder rates have been below the national average. Given the rarity of homicides in Iowa compared with the rest of the nation, the increase in killings of Black women stands out.

We tend to be disparately impacted by so many things. [Gun violence] is one that is indicative of how our communities have been harmed for decades, said Dr Nafissa Egbuonye, the former public health director for Black Hawk county, home to the city of Waterloo.

The socioeconomic needs and public safety concerns that Black Iowans hold have been largely ignored by the states majority white and conservative legislature, families and advocates say. In addition the outsized numbers of Black homicide victims, in 2020, 2021, and 2022 the state had some of the nations highest disparities in incarceration, with Black Iowans making up 4% of the states population but a quarter of its prison population in 2021.

All of the factors like poverty, unemployment, having a job where you cant work from home, food deserts, housing shortage all of those things came to a head [in 2020], Nelson-Brown added.

I think were seeing the result of a pandemic of racism and sexism combine with Covid to create something new, she said.

Waterloo is one of the states biggest cities and also has one of its highest Black populations, at 17%, according to census data. There were 10 homicides in the county in 2020, according to the Iowa department of public safetys website. Four of the victims were Black women, according to a Guardian analysis.

During her time in the department, Egbuonye said the community called on officials to create more programming for youth, improve job opportunities and invest more in Black communities overall. We need to do right by the African American community, remove the barriers and plant safe spaces in our communities where violence is perpetuated.

Two of the women killed in Waterloo were cousins: Tamica Allison, 42, and Andrea Rochelle Anderson, 41. They were shot on 10 February 2020 in the apartment Allison shared with her boyfriend, Matthew Buford. On 14 June, Buford was found guilty on two counts of first-degree murder. Both of the women were mothers and had 12 children between them, according to Fatimah Calhoun, Andersons eldest daughter.

My mother was a strong woman, thats the first thing that everyone knows, said Calhoun. She was a light, she was a great teacher, role model. I wouldnt be here today if I didnt have her as a mother.

Even before her mothers murder, Calhoun had experienced the violence that Black women and girls face. In 2015, when she was in high school, Calhoun was shot in the leg while hanging out with friends. During these teenage years, a friend was also killed after she was shot in the head by a peer.

She says violence has only gotten worse in recent years and continues to affect her family. In May 2022, her older brother was shot  and survived  while at a lemonade sale the children in their family had set up.

Now, more than three years after her mother was killed, Calhoun, 23, is expecting her second child and is raising five siblings who are still minors. She hopes to adopt them but doesnt have the money for an attorney. She says her lack of legal custody precluded her siblings from getting victim compensation money.

Bufords guilty verdict for killing her mother and Allison made Calhoun feel happy that day, she told the Guardian.

***

In the years since Marisa Doolins killing, Iowas gun laws have only loosened. While there are still age restrictions on gun and ammunition purchases and bans for people with felonies, in April 2021, Governor Kim Reynolds signed a law that allows anyone over 21 to buy or carry a handgun without a permit  known as constitutional or permitless carry.

What gets me is: why are peoples rights to own guns more important than peoples lives? Dedric Doolin said.

Marisa Doolins boyfriend, Larenzo Burnett, now 22, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and witness tampering, and was sentenced to five years in prison.

Doolin was one of two Black women killed in Cedar Rapids in 2020. The other was Asia Taqara Grice, a pregnant 25-year-old who was shot to death on 1 May by her boyfriend. Grices boyfriend was sentenced to 50 years in prison last May.

The states loose gun laws are a point of ire for activists, who say that easy access to guns combined with a lack of investment in programs that can respond when peoples lives are disrupted by homicide have created a dire situation for Iowas most underserved communities.

If this was happening to white women it would be a state of emergency, but thats not happening because its our Black women, said Lisa Ambrose, the founder, CEO and executive director of the non-profit Amani Community Services.

***

In the summer of 2021, Black women across the south and midwest organized marches to raise awareness of the violence against Black women and girls that they had witnessed. There were demonstrations last year in Little Rock, Arkansas; Chicago; Atlanta and Des Moines.

One of the cases that inspired the Iowa protest was that of 10-year-old Breasia Terrell, who went missing in July 2020. Her body was found the following year, though authorities believe she was killed shortly after she went missing, Michael Walton, the former Scott county attorney, told the Guardian.

Fifty-one-year-old Henry Dinkins, the father of one of Terrells siblings, was arrested and charged with her killing; he has pleaded not guilty. The trial began this month.

Terrell was one of two Black female homicide victims in Davenport in 2020. The other was 22-year-old Italia Kelly, who was shot in her torso while leaving a protest on 31 May. Kelly had joined hundreds of others to protest police violence and racism following the killing of George Floyd.

Italia was such a wonderful person, Sharon Kelly said of her daughter, the oldest of six. She was everything to her siblings.

The morning after she was killed, Italias father, Michael, was getting ready for his shift as a braille transcriber at Iowas Newton correctional facility, about 40 miles west of Des Moines, where he is incarcerated. An officer came into his cell and he was told to call Italias mother.

At first it didnt register. And once it registered, I just broke down, he said.

Michael Kelly had to watch Italias funeral over Zoom because of Covid restrictions. On the third anniversary of Italias death, he bought some food and shared a meal and some laughs with friends in memory of his daughter.

Parker Belz was arrested and charged with Italias death and accepted a plea deal for a single charge of attempt to commit murder. The 22-year-old was sentenced to 25 years in prison and fined $150,000.

With gun violence youre not just taking that person, youre destroying a whole family and thats what people need to come to realize: youre affecting a community, Sharon Kelly said.

Michael said he didnt think you can ever say [you got] justice when someone is gone and the tragic way in which she died. I can live with it. But I dont know if justice is a term I think anyone should use.

Since Italias killing, Sharon and her children have moved to Ohio, where her brother lives, to get away from the places that remind her of her daughter. It was just the easiest thing to do. I couldnt heal there; it was just too much, she said.

Though Italias siblings still struggle with anxiety and nightmares, they have found a sense of peace in the small town they have settled in.

Me and my kids have peace again and thats everything. I never thought I would, Sharon added.  I still have moments where it hits me out of the blue. But Im learning to put one foot in front of the other.

Calvetta Harris, of Mothers Against Violence, reached out to the Kellys after Italia was killed and supported Sharon through her daughters funeral proceedings, which Sharon said meant everything in the world.

Since the increase in gun homicides of Black Iowans in 2020, Harris, Nelson-Brown of Iowa Coalition for Collective Change and Ambrose of Amani Community Cervices say the conditions that underlie gun violence among Black Iowans  including poverty and a lack of programs and services for youth  remain largely unchanged.

But they and others are making headway through recently implemented violence prevention programs in Cedar Rapids and Davenport, Waterloo and Des Moines, Nelson-Brown said.

Its sad that we have to keep saying these names and going to these vigils because they didnt get to live their lives and its unnecessary and senseless, said Harris, who recently began working as an outreach worker and violence interrupter with Creative Visions, the non-profit that runs Des Moiness violence prevention initiative.

But I say it because someone else can hear me and maybe theyll join in the cause.
Since Tuesday, large-scale wildfires have devastated the state of Hawaii, specifically the Island of Maui, with fatalities reaching 93 as of Sunday.

The various wildfires on Maui have decimated the entire community of Lahaina and have caused hundreds of acres of land, historic buildings, and homes to burn to the ground. It has also caused days-long power outages, and many people to have lost contact with loved ones who are still unaccounted for. The widespread destruction is unavoidable for Maui residents.

State Governor Josh Green said in a press conference that the town of Lahaina has suffered near-total decimation. Lahaina, with a few rare exceptions, has been burned down... without a doubt, it feels like a bomb was dropped on Lahaina.

President Biden approved a national disaster declaration for Hawaii, unlocking federal resources to help in the massive response efforts to the ongoing wildfires. Many public figures have come forward to contribute to relief efforts, including Oprah, Jeff Bezos, and Jason Momoa. But the impact of the devastation is so massive, no amount of help is too small.

If youre wondering how you can help Maui, agencies are standing by to turn your aloha into action. Here are ways to get involved.

Avoid Tourism

Respect the wishes of those in Maui during this time and avoid unnecessary travel to Maui. The community needs time to heal, grieve, and restore. This means the less visitors on the island taking up extremely limited and critical resources, the better.

The American Hotel & Lodging Association and Hawaii Hotel Alliance are currently working with hotels in other parts of Hawaii to house displaced residents. This is why its important to not use these resources.

Justin Sullivan - Getty Images

Volunteer Locally

If you are based in Hawaii and can safely get out and volunteer, The American Red Cross of Hawaii is working tirelessly to offer aid to the wildfire victims.

Hawaii Restaurant Association is also organizing donations and local volunteer efforts on Maui and for evacuees on Oahu. You can contribute to relief efforts on Maui here.

If youre Maui-based and have room for furry friends, foster a Maui Humane Society animal. The animals in their facility are safe, but the organization needs to free up space to take in more displaced pets.

Donate

American Red Cross of Hawaii, Hawaii Restaurant Association, and Maui Humane Society seek donations and volunteers.

Hawaiian Salvation Army is providing meals for thousands displaced inMaui emergency shelters. Theyre accepting donations here.

The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, Alakaina Foundation Family, and Kakoo Haleakala will match up to $100,000 in donations for Kakoo Maui. Funds will go to families and businesses. You can donate here.

GoFundMe has set up a verified fundraiser page for affected individuals and families. Check them out here.

HSTA is accepting donations and has compiled a list of fundraising pages for teachers in need. Help out Hawaii teachers here.

Aloha United Way has created the Maui Relief Fund that will go directly to efforts supporting victims of the fires. You can donate here.

The Maui Food Bank seeks monetary donations to feed thousands of displaced residents. Donations can be made here. The Maui Food Bank is asking the public to limit phone and email inquiries so the organization can focus on emergency relief.



Maui Mutual Aid is seeking donations to support Maui families, kupuna, people with disabilities, and those without insurance. Donations can be made here.



The Maui Strong Fund by the Hawaii Community Foundation will supportMaui communities affected by recent fires, including response and recovery efforts. Donations can be made on their website. Donations can also be made through Aina Momona here.



Non-profit Baby 2 Baby is preparing to send supplies for babies and children affected by the Maui fires.

Vegas residents, Maui Relief has donation bins in Las Vegas. Las Vegas businesses, including Honors Brand, 9th Island Kava, 2 Scoops of Aloha, and Generations Kitchen, participate in the drop-off from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

The businesses ask for first aid supplies, toiletries, water, dry food, and clothes. For more information, click here.

Share Resources

Maui Wildfire Emergency Resources is a great resource that is regularly updated with information from the government, volunteer opportunities, and how to contact missing loved ones on Maui.

Share information on Instagram from organizations in Hawaii. Look for accounts like Hawaiinewsnow, Kakoo_Haleakala, and Hawaiicommunityfoundation and share their knowledge and resources with others.

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Massachusetts' new 4% tax on millionaires is bringing in $1 billion in revenue this year.

Gov. Maura Healey last week signed a $55.98 billion state budget that spends the funds.

The money is going toward free school lunches, discounted transit fares, and college financial aid.

Massachusetts' new 4% millionaire's tax is giving a major boost to education and transportation initiatives in the state.

Thanks to the state's voter-passed Fair Share amendment that put a 4% surtax on people's annual incomes above $1 million, $1 billion in revenue has been added to the state's budget.

Democratic Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey last week signed a $55.98 billion state budget for the 2024 fiscal year to spend the money.

The state's budget "makes significant investments in schools, child care, clean energy, the environment, and access to mental and physical health care," Healey previously said in a statement.

Of that $1 billion, $524 million has been earmarked for education programs  including giving public school students in the state access to free meals  and $477 million has been allocated for transportation initiatives.

The signing of the budget made Massachusetts the eighth state to adopt a plan for free school lunches since the expiration of federal free school lunches that had emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here's a complete breakdown of how the $1 billion revenue from the millionaire's tax will be spent, according to the governor's office:

$71 million for early education and care. The governor's office says this will increase childcare slots for income-eligible families and put the state on a path to universal pre-K

$224 million for K-12 education, which Healey's office says will guarantee access to free lunch for students across the state, expand routes for high school students to earn college degrees, and fund clean energy infrastructure in schools

$229 million for higher education. The governor's office says this will help make community college and a four-year degree more accessible through the MassReconnect program and financial aid expansions

$477 million is earmarked for transportation programs. This includes: $206 million to improve accessibility at commuter rail stations, the implementation of "a means-tested fares pilot," to support the workforce and safety. $75 million for "critical highway bridge" infrastructure $100 million to fix and maintain roadways $96 million for regional transit, especially in rural communities, and water transportation



A spokeswoman for Healey's office told Insider: "This 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."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Take a look at paid maternity leave in countries around the world. Hispanolistic/Getty Images

The amount of time off work a new mother will get varies wildly depending on where they live.

It varies from more than a year of paid time off in Bulgaria to no leave at all in the US.

Research shows that paid maternity leave benefits individuals, businesses, and the economy.

In some places in the world, new mothers can take several months off work after giving birth  and they don't have to worry about money because they're getting paid.

Some countries pay mothers the same amount as the salary they were making before, while others offer a percentage of their former salary, starting at about 30% for developed countries.

Most developed nations pay new mothers at least half of their previous salary during their time off, according to a report by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, or the OECD, that studied maternity leave in 42 countries around the world. The OECD, a 35-member organization dedicated to democracy and the market economy, looked at policies in place as of April 2016.

On average, maternity leave in OECD countries lasts 18 weeks. Only one developed country  the United States  offers zero paid maternity leave.

Research shows that paid maternity leave is good for individuals, businesses, and the economy. A study by the Institute for Women's Policy Research found that it keeps women in the workforce and lowers their need for public assistance.

Here is a snapshot of paid maternity leave in 42 countries around the world, listed in alphabetical order.

Australia: 18 weeks

Australian mothers get the equivalent of 7.5 weeks off at full pay. f11photo/Shutterstock

Australians get 18 weeks of paid maternity leave at the average pay rate of 42% of their former salary, which comes out to about 7.5 weeks of full-time pay.

Austria: 16 weeks

Austrian mothers get 16 weeks of completely paid maternity leave. Brian Kinney/Shutterstock

Austria pays new mothers 100% of their salary for 16 weeks.

There is, however, one caveat: Maternity leave must start eight weeks before the due date, according to the country's government website.

Belgium: 15 weeks

Belgian moms can also choose to take eight months of part-time leave instead. ilolab/Shutterstock

In Belgium, the 15 weeks of maternity are paid at a rate of 64.1% of the previous salary. This equates to 9.6 weeks with full-time pay.

According to Business Insider, however, Belgian moms can opt to take eight months of part-time leave instead of the 15 full weeks.

Bulgaria: 58.6 weeks

Bulgarian mothers are guaranteed more than a year of paid maternity leave. Nataliya Nazarova/Shutterstock

This Eastern European country gives new mothers a whopping 58.6 weeks  more than a year  of paid maternity leave, according to the OECD.

The pay rate is 78.4% of the mother's previous full-time salary, which comes out to about 45.9 weeks off with full-time pay.

Canada: 17 weeks

Jeff Whyte/Shutterstock

The US's neighbor to the north offers new mothers 17 weeks off at 48.4% pay or 8.2 weeks at full-time pay.

Chile: 18 weeks

Chilean mothers get 18 weeks off, paid at their full salary. Jose Luis Stephens/Shutterstock

Chile offers 18 weeks of maternity leave at 100% pay.

Costa Rica: 17.3 weeks

Stefan Neumann/Shutterstock

In Costa Rica, which is not an OECD member country, mothers are guaranteed 17.3 weeks of fully-paid maternity leave.

Croatia: 30 weeks

That's nearly seven months. Dreamer4787/Shutterstock

Croatia sits on the higher end of the spectrum by offering 30 weeks of fully-paid maternity leave.

Croatia is also not an OECD member country, but its maternity leave is well above the OECD average.

Cyprus: 18 weeks

Cyprus is not an OECD member. Oleksandr Savchuk/Shutterstock

This island country gives new mothers 18 weeks of maternity leave. Moms are paid 75.2% of their salary, which would come out to 13.5 weeks off if they were fully-paid.

Czech Republic: 28 weeks

The Czech Republic gives mothers more than half a year off. cge2010/Shutterstock

The Czech Republic pays new mothers 62.6% of their salary for 28 weeks, making the equivalent time off with full-time pay 17.5 weeks.

Denmark: 18 weeks

18 weeks is the average maternity leave in OECD countries. Wila_Photo/Shutterstock

New moms in Denmark get 18 weeks off work and are paid 53.6% of their salary.

That comes out to 9.6 weeks at full-time pay.

Those 18 weeks break down to four weeks before the birth and 14 weeks after, according to Business Insider.

Estonia: 20 weeks

That's two weeks longer than the OECD average. RossHelen/Shutterstock

Estonia, a European country just west of Russia, provides 20 weeks of leave at a 100% pay rate, according to the OECD.

Finland: 17.5 weeks

Scanrail1/Shutterstock

The Finns get 17.5 weeks off for maternity leave at 74.4% pay. This would equate to 13 weeks of fully-paid time off.

France: 16 weeks

Tomas Marek/Shutterstock

Mothers in France get 16 weeks off after the birth of their baby, paid at an average of 94.2% of their previous salary. This equates to 15.1 weeks paid at a full-time rate.

But fewer French people are having babies, with the birth rate falling for the third year in a row in 2017, according to France 24.

Germany: 14 weeks

And Germans are having more babies than ever. S.Borisov/Shutterstock

German mothers are guaranteed 14 weeks of fully-paid maternity leave.

This is a good thing, as the German birth rate is at its highest level in decades, The Local Germany reported.

Greece: 43 weeks

Roman Sigaev/Shutterstock

Greece provides mothers with 43 weeks off and pays them 54.2% of their previous salary, which comes out to 23.3 weeks with full-time pay.

Hungary: 24 weeks

Hungary's maternity leave policy seems great. Giantrabbit/Shutterstock

In Hungary, you're guaranteed 27 weeks off as a new mother with 70% pay.

The full-time pay equivalent is 16.8 weeks of paid leave.

Iceland: 13 weeks

Icelandic moms get 13 partially-paid weeks off. Guitar photographer/Shutterstock

Iceland's 13 weeks of maternity leave come with a 59% pay rate, which would be 7.8 weeks at a full-time salary.

Ireland: 26 weeks

Irish moms are paid at a rate of 34% of their previous salary. Patryk Kosmider/Shutterstock

The lucky Irish mothers get 26 weeks of maternity leave, but they're paid just 34.3% of their salary.

If they were fully-paid, that leave would come out to 8.9 weeks.

Israel: 14 weeks

Sean Pavone/Shutterstock

In Israel, maternity leave is guaranteed for 14 weeks with 100% pay.

Israel had the highest birth rate out of any OECD country in 2016, according to the Times of Israel.

Italy: 21.7 weeks

Italian women are having fewer and fewer babies. Roman Sigaev/Shutterstock

Italy promises 21.7 weeks of maternity leave at 80% pay, making the equivalent time off with full-time pay would be 17.4 weeks.

Italy's birth rate is on the decline, according to The Local Italy, with 9,000 fewer babies born in 2017 than in 2016.

Japan: 14 weeks

Birth rates and marriage rates are at a record low in Japan. r.nagy/Shutterstock

Japanese mothers get 14 weeks off for maternity leave, and they're paid 67% of their previous salary. The equivalent with full pay would be 9.4 weeks.

Despite this policy, the rates of birth and marriage in Japan are at a record low, according to The Diplomat.

Korea: 12.9 weeks

South Korea is another country with a declining birth rate. nami chwang/Shutterstock

In South Korea, the allotted maternity leave is 12.9 weeks at 79.5% pay. This works out to 10.2 weeks of fully-paid leave.

South Koreans are having fewer babies than ever, according to Quartz, with only 357,000 born in 2017.

Latvia: 16 weeks

Nick N A/Shutterstock

This Northern European country provides 16 weeks of maternity leave at a pay rate of 80%.

This would be 12.8 weeks at a full-time salary.

Lithuania: 18 weeks

Lithuania is not an OECD member country. Scanrail1/Shutterstock

This county in northeastern Europe grants mothers 18 weeks of maternity leave  the OECD average  paid at the rate of their full salary.

Luxembourg: 16 weeks

This is two weeks less than the OECD average, but mothers are paid 100% of their previous salary. RossHelen/Shutterstock

This tiny European country assures mothers 16 weeks off, fully-paid.

Malta: 18 weeks

ZGPhotography/Shutterstock

Malta moms get 18 weeks off for maternity leave and they're paid at 87% of their salary.

This would be 15.7 weeks if they were fully-paid.

Mexico: 12 weeks

Aberu.Go/Shutterstock

Mexico assures its new mothers 12 weeks of maternity leave at a 100% pay rate.

Netherlands: 16 weeks

Maternity leave in the Netherlands usually starts between four and six weeks before the due date. S.Borisov/Shutterstock

Known for its bikes, canals, and tulip fields, the Netherlands offers its new moms 16 weeks of fully-paid maternity leave.

New Zealand: 18 weeks

Milosz Maslanka/Shutterstock

Currently, New Zealand offers new mothers up to 18 weeks of paid leave at 42% pay. That comes out to 7.7 weeks of full-time paid time off.

But according to CNN Money, New Zealand will increase paid time to 22 weeks this year.

Despite the allotted amount of time, New Zealand's pregnant Prime Minister, whose baby is due on June 17, 2018, will only take six weeks of maternity leave, according to The Straits Times.

Norway: 13 weeks

Norwegian mothers are allowed 13 weeks off and they're paid almost the equivalent of their full salary  97.9%.

That would amount to a slightly lesser 12.7 fully-paid weeks.

Poland: 20 weeks

Mothers are paid 100% of their previous salary. Lukasz Stefanski/Shutterstock

In Poland, maternity leave comes in at 20 weeks  and mothers are paid their full salary.

Portugal: 6 weeks

New moms are allowed six weeks off, fully-paid. RossHelen/Shutterstock

This Southern European country offers six weeks of maternity leave, well below the OECD average.

Those six weeks are, however, fully-paid.

Romania: 18 weeks

Romanian mothers are paid 85% of their salary while on maternity leave. Andrii Lutsyk/Shutterstock

Romania offers mothers 18 weeks off and pays them a rate of 85% of their salary.

In fully-paid time off, this would amount to 15.3 weeks.

Slovakia: 34 weeks

That's nearly eight months. emperorcosar/Shutterstock

Officially the Slovak Republic, Slovakia promises new mothers 34 weeks of leave at 70% payment rate, which comes out to 23.8 fully-paid weeks.

Slovenia: 15 weeks

Slovenian women are paid 100% of their former salary during their time off. S-F/Shutterstock

Slovenian mothers get 15 weeks of leave and they're paid the equivalent of their full former salary.

Spain: 16 weeks

The time off is paid at 100% of the mother's former salary. emperorcosar/Shutterstock

Spanish moms get 16 weeks of fully-paid maternity leave.

Sweden: 12.9 weeks

Moms are paid 77.6% of their previous salary for just under 13 weeks. Scanrail1/Shutterstock

In Sweden, mothers get 12.9 weeks off and are paid at a rate of 77.6% of their former salary.

This would work out to 10 fully-paid weeks.

Switzerland: 14 weeks

Swiss moms get 14 paid weeks off. b-hide the scene/Shutterstock

Maternity leave in Switzerland is 14 weeks with a pay rate of 56.4%.

That corresponds with 7.9 weeks off with full pay.

Turkey: 16 weeks

muratart/Shutterstock

Turkish moms get 16 weeks of paid maternity leave. The pay rate is 66% of their previous salary, which would work out to 10.6 fully-paid weeks off.

The United Kingdom: 39 weeks

ansharphoto/Shutterstock

Mothers in the UK are allowed up to a whole year off for maternity leave, but only the first 39 weeks are paid  at a rate of 30.9% of their former salary.

The fully-paid equivalent time off would be 12.1 weeks.

United States: 0 weeks

The US is the only developed country that doesn't give new mothers any paid leave. Orhan Cam/Shutterstock

There's no sugarcoating it  the US is the only country in the developed world that doesn't guarantee any paid maternity leave for mothers, according to the OECD.

The US has no federal law guaranteeing women (or men) paid time off after they have a baby. Instead, they leave it up to employers, which results in more than 40% of companies choosing not to offer any paid maternity leave at all, according to a 2016 survey of medium-to-large companies.

Some companies take it upon themselves to offer paid leave.

Netflix, for example, offers employees a full year of paid time off after the birth of their child, according to Business Insider. That includes birth and adoptive parents of any gender.

Read the original article on Insider
Pedro de la Cruz walks in a bone-dry area that was once part of Lake Titicaca (Aizar RALDES)

Pedro de la Cruz stands beside his stranded boat and supplicates his God, lifting his arms and praying anxiously for rain to replenish Lake Titicaca, the massive body of water at a breath-sapping altitude in the Andes on the border between Bolivia and Peru.

"Dear God, make more rain come," the 74-year-old says, invoking Pachamama, Mother Earth for Indigenous people of the region. "Help us, please, we are parched here.... Make the rain showers come... Father in heaven, have pity."

De la Cruz, a former state employee, spoke in Aymara, his native language, as he surveyed what was once the shore of Lake Titicaca, some 45 miles (77 kilometers) west of the capital La Paz.

The waters of Lake Titicaca are within 10 inches (25 centimeters) of their all-time low, a record set in 1996, the chief forecaster for Bolivia's weather service (Senhami), Lucia Walper, tells AFP.

Along what was once the 700-mile shoreline of the lake, one now sees boats stranded on dry land and orphan docks stretched over nonexistent water.

Low levels mean that fish that ordinarily spawn near shore are now unable to, and that leads Edwin Katari, a 43-year-old fisherman, to mull a question.

"So where are the fish going to spawn?" Katari asks.

- Dark forecast 

Bolivia's Senhami has measured water levels of the lake since 1974.

At its highest point in 1986, water levels reached 12 feet higher than they are today, topping out at 12,504.2 feet (3,811 meters) above sea level. But in 1996, they had fallen to 12,491.4 feet above sea level.

Walper says falling water levels are "the result of climate change" and the outlook is not good.

"It is very probable that they keep falling until they hit even lower levels," she says.

A satellite survey still has not been made to see how much Lake Titicaca, which once had a surface area of 3,200 square miles (8,300 square kilometers), has shrunk.

It is the highest of the world's large lakes and is one of the largest in South America, after Venezuela's Lake Maracaibo (which is actually connected to the Caribbean Sea) and Brazil's Lagoa dos Patos, a coastal lagoon.

- La Nina and El Nino 

The level of Lake Titicaca "has been progressively decreasing due to many meteorological, hydrological and climatic factors," explains Walper, who emphasizes that "there is less rainfall."

"Over the years, each phenomenon, whether El Nino and/or La Nina, has been presenting a distortion in its parameters and factors," she points out, explaining the characteristics of these events -- associated with rains or droughts -- over time.

The rainfall and the inflow to the lake from Peruvian rivers "were not sufficient to generate the normal rises in times of rain," she says.

El Nino is a natural climatic event, generally associated with increased temperatures, drought in some parts of the world, and heavy rains in others. La Nina, on the other hand, causes the opposite effects, particularly a drop in temperatures.

Other stresses impact the lake. It is heavily polluted by waste from the city of El Alto, a metropolis of one million people in this landlocked country. Additionally, indiscriminate fishing has decimated species.

- Despair sets in 

Because the decline in water levels is linked to climate change, the solution "is a global issue," Walper adds.

The recent summit in Brazil of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) reaffirmed the call for industrialized countries to fulfill their promises of economic resources to finance actions against climate change.

But in the villages around Lake Titicaca, despair has set in that water levels will never return to normal in the world's highest navigable sea.

"If there is no water, if there is no rain, we will not be able to live," frets De la Cruz.

jac/pb/mr/tjj
A Whidbey Island Naval Air Station Search and Rescue (SAR) team rescued a hiker in Okanogan County on Sunday and airlifted him to Bellingham for treatment.

The 54-year-old unnamed man was suffering from a heat-related condition while hiking the Windy Creek Trail at about 5,500 feet of elevation, according to a release detailing the rescue response.

The SAR team responded via helicopter at about 6:40 p.m. on Sunday and arrived at the Windy Creek trailhead just after 7:30 p.m. The team located the hiker on a slope with sparse tree coverage and dead trees nearby from a previous wildfire.

The SAR crew decided to insert rescue personnel about 50 meters down trail from the groups location to avoid rotor wash on the patient and potential brownout conditions, the release states.

The hiker was hoisted into the rescue helicopter and taken to St. Josephs Medical Center in Bellingham for treatment at about 8:45 p.m.

The 5-mile Windy Creek Trail is considered to be a more difficult trail in the Pasayten Wilderness, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The trail follows Windy Creek through fire-damaged lodgepole pine up to the ridge and to Windy Peak Trail. From there, it is about half a mile to the top of Windy Peak, which has panoramic views of the North Cascades. On a clear day, Mt. Baker is visible.

The closest town to the trail is Tonasket, Washington. The high temperature in Tonasket on Sunday was about 101 degrees Fahrenheit.

Heat exhaustion is a mild heat-related illness that occurs in hot temperatures and when you do not drink enough water or other non-alcoholic fluids, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People at the highest risk for heat exhaustion are the elderly, those with high blood pressure and those working or exercising in the heat.

Heat exhaustion can lead to heat stroke, a serious heat-related illness. Heat stroke occurs when the bodys temperature rises quickly, and cannot cool itself down.

Naval Air Station Whidbey Island SAR has conducted 26 missions so far this year, including one medical evacuation, four searches and 21 rescues. Whidbey Island is located off the coast of Whatcom and Skagit counties.
Hillary Clinton (left) and Ron DeSantis (right). Europa Press News, Sergio Flores/Getty Images

Hillary Clinton told Rachel Maddow she thinks Ron DeSantis is "pathetic" and just trying to get "attention."

The pair were discussing DeSantis' beliefs that the DOJ should not be an "independent" agency.

DeSantis has suggested that Republican leaders should exert more control over the DOJ.

Hillary Clinton says Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is "pathetic" and just trying "to get some attention" for suggesting that presidents should have more control over the Department of Justice.

Clinton spoke with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow on Monday night as Georgia announced an indictment against Donald Trump  the fourth in a series of indictments against the former president.

"In terms of getting out of this and coming out of this crisis stronger, for having confronted very dark prospects in terms of what this means for democracy, it does feel like the Republican Party as a whole is not ready to make that turn," Maddow told Clinton. "And I'm thinking, really, about Ron DeSantis as the guy who's running second to Donald Trump in the Republican primary right now. He is promising that there shouldn't be an independent Department of Justice."

"He's promising anything to try to get some attention," Clinton told Maddow. "It's kind of pathetic, isn't it?"

In the interview, Clinton and Maddow were seemingly referencing previous statements from DeSantis in which he questioned the constitutional legitimacy of a DOJ independent from the president's influence.

"There's always been an assumption, for example, that agencies like the DOJ and FBI are quote 'independent.'" DeSantis said in an interview on the Larry P. Arnn Show in April. "That's like, Washington speak. 'Oh, these are independent  the president can't be involved in those agencies.'"

DeSantis continued: "I think Republican executive in particular, you know, you've got to be exercising proper oversight and holding those agencies personally accountable. You can't just say that they're independent and hands-off. You can't do anything. That's not the way the system is designed."

Ron DeSantis' press secretary, Bryan Griffin, told Insider via email on Tuesday that DeSantis maintains this position.

"As he has consistently said, Ron DeSantis will ensure the justice and law enforcement agencies of the federal government are de-weaponzied and held accountable for engaging in politically-motivated activities beyond the scope of their duty," Griffin wrote to Insider. "The president has the power to  and should  rein in the bureaucracy when the bureaucracy is not serving the interests of the American people."

He added, "We do not care what Hillary Clinton has to say."

Just last week, DeSantis suspended State Attorney Monique Worrell from her elected position, arguing that she was too lenient on criminals. Critics have accused DeSantis' move of being politically motivated, Politico reported. That was the second elected prosecutor DeSantis removed from office.

In their interview, Maddow told Clinton that it feels like law enforcement "being used as a tool of partisan politics is something that  with whatever justification  the Republican Party is really embracing and ready to run with or without Trump."

"That is yet to be determined," Clinton responded. "I think it is possible that there are many now in the Republican Party who have now signed on to that kind of approach to politics  that undermining of democracy, undermining the rule of law."

"But the shadow of Trump looms so large over all of them," she added. "It's really hard to know, once he's off the scene, one way or the other, politically or because of accountability arising out of the various indictments he faces, whether or not backbone will all of the sudden be regrown, whether or not conscious will once again be part of the Republican Party ethos."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Former first lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the indictments handed to former president Trump this year is evidence of the American judicial system at work.

I dont know that anybody should be satisfied. This is a terrible moment for our country, to have a former president accused of these terribly important crimes, Clinton said during an appearance on Rachel Maddows MSNBC program Monday. The only satisfaction is that the system is working. That all of the efforts by Trump and his allies and enablers to try and silence the truth and undermine democracy have been brought into the light. And justice is being pursued.

Trump this week faces a possible indictment in Georgia stemming from his alleged efforts to overturn the states 2020 election results; he has been indicted three prior times this year.

A grand jury turned over to the court 10 indictments late Monday evening in the case, though it was immediately unclear if Trump was named in the documents or what the charges contained within are.

Trump has already been indicted in New York, Florida and Washington, D.C., relating to his business dealings, handling of classified documents and efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Clinton, who ran for president against Trump in 2016 and lost, on the campaign trail repeatedly painted Trump as having dictator-like tendencies and arguing that the Republican is a threat to American democracy.

The former Democratic nominee for president joked at the end of her interview with Maddow about having her appearance pushed until later in the hour as the network covered breaking news of the grand jury indictment Monday evening.

I really appreciate you being here tonight, I apologize for it being in the middle of this news, Maddow said, prompting a laugh from Clinton.

Yeah, I never would have guessed it, but here we are, she replied. I was going to say, just tell me when to show up the next time, well see what hes charged with then.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
When Doug Nelson first bought his home after moving to Tampa Bay, he knew exactly where hed put his solar panels.

Now, 20 years later, his 1-acre Valrico estate is powered almost completely by the sun.

Im a conservationist, he said. I feel like Im personally responsible for my impact on the environment, and so I was going to do this project. It was just a matter of timing.

Nelson, 59, installed his panels through Solar United Neighbors, a nonprofit partnered with Hillsborough County and the city of Tampa, among others. The program brings together residents looking to convert to solar and gets them a good deal, according to Ben Delman, the nonprofits spokesperson.

Weve been doing this for about almost 15 years now. Weve helped more than 2,400 families in Florida, he said. So, its a really tried-and-true process to help people save money by taking control of where their energy comes from.

This year marks the seventh project in Hillsborough County, and 88 households have signed up for the 2023 solar co-op so far. Residents have until the end of August to get involved.

While the process allows solar vendors to compete for the lowest bid, Delman said the savings for residents are difficult to measure.

Its hard to say because weve seen that proposals vary pretty widely from installer to installer, he said. The benefit of going solar through the co-op is that members get a quality installation at a good price.

Delman said this years co-op is ramping up at an important time: hurricane season.

If a storm comes through and knocks the power out, then you can still keep critical infrastructure  your AC, your refrigerator, those kinds of things  running, he said. For those reasons, folks are really interested to learn more about that process.

But for a completely off-the-grid system like the one in Delmans situation, residents would need batteries that store the extra power that isnt used during the day. Nelson said buying those batteries would have doubled the cost of his solar installation, so he opted out.

Without batteries, Nelsons house draws power from the grid at night. But since his panels produce more energy than he needs during the day, Nelson sells that extra electricity back to the utility. He said this is an even trade and he earns a credit on his next months power bill, bringing his electric costs down to zero each month.

Most days, Nelson said the power generated by his panels is at a small surplus, despite cloudy or rainy conditions. He asked the installer to add more panels than he needed just to be certain he was never without solar-powered energy in the daytime.

Last year, Nelson sat in on an educational meeting hosted by the county. Interested attendees asked questions about how solar energy works, but Nelson said he was more intrigued by the workings of the co-op.

Ive been a solar nerd for a long time, he said.

After enough community members jump on board  typically between 25 to 30  a committee is created to select the best bid from solar providers.

Costs differ for residents as their energy needs vary. All members have to stick with the same solar provider if they decide to stay involved in the project, but they can leave at any time, Delman said. Some residents may choose not to spring for all the bells and whistles offered, and they wont have to share those costs with residents who select more expensive options.

Last year, it took Nelson and the other committee members two hours to choose between eight solar installers.

We had all the offers laid out for us, he said. It was a pretty easy process.

Once they picked a provider, Nelson said it took just one day of work to get his system installed.

Nelsons setup is high tech. Each panel has its own power converter that transforms solar energy into stable voltage, and an app on his phone tells him when a panel is down. Hes also run the numbers: He says his panels sequester the carbon equivalent of planting 157 trees.

Before going solar, Nelson said he couldnt understand why everyone didnt make the switch. But now, 24 panels and $24,000 later, he understands the financial burden. But he said its worth it if you can afford it.

Nelson works in environmental remediation, where he says he helps clean up hazardous waste sites created through energy production processes  and accidental spills  by oil, natural gas and coal industries.

Ive seen the mess they make. I mean, theres a cost, he said. We can be better. And this is an opportunity to be better.

Nelson is also happy with how the panels look. They are south-facing  an optimal position that catches the most sunlight  and only visible from his backyard.

In the old days, if you did a solar project, it looked like you put a science experiment on your roof, he said.

Nelsons sleek, modern panels reflect vivid sunsets like mirrors on his roof. An unintended side effect of going solar was that he now spends more time looking up at the sky.

I didnt appreciate the clouds until I got this installed, he said. Its actually reflecting the sky. Its beautiful.
There is something of an impeachment furor in Washington.

But only among some Republicans.

Theres hubbub about Hunter Bidens now nullified plea deal. Questions about whether Hunter Biden used his father for business access.

The House is out of session for nearly another month. But that didnt stop Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., from introducing four articles of impeachment for the President himself.

BIDEN REPEATEDLY CLAIMED HUNTER DID 'NOTHING WRONG' PRIOR TO SPECIAL COUNSEL APPOINTMENT

One article of impeachment alleges the President sold access when he was Vice President. A second article suggests collusion between the presidents 2020 campaign and the Justice Department to hide alleged tax crimes by Hunter Biden and shield him from legal jeopardy. A third article purports fraud by Biden family businesses. The fourth article claims the Biden family finances helped fuel drug transactions and even prostitution.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

"It is long past due to start the impeachment process," said Steube on Fox.

President Biden conceded he helped block assistance to Ukraine when he served as Vice President unless Kyiv fired prosecutor Viktor Shokin. Shokin was investigating the Ukrainian energy firm Burisma. Hunter Biden served on the board of Burisma.

Republicans suggest a quid pro quo.

"We know the quo happened," said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tex., on Fox. "The only question for bribery is the quid. Did that oligarch pay Joe and Hunter $10 million? $5 million for Joe. $5 million for Hunter. If yes, thats bribery. And Biden should be impeached. He should be removed from office. He should be prosecuted. And he should go to jail."

Theres a push by the hard right for impeachment now. Some conservatives are growing tired of the behind-the-scenes "transcribed interviews" and various letters written to Biden-related figures by House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. They want action. The measured pace of Congress doesnt match the political realities of ultra-conservative, Republican districts which have nothing but disdain for President Biden.

"What you're seeing is the frustration of some of our supporters," conceded Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., on Fox. "But yes, at some point, as (House) Speaker (Kevin) McCarthy, R-Calif., said before we left for the district work period, an impeachment inquiry is called for here."

However, thats not exactly what the Speaker said.

BERNIE SANDERS PUSHING CAMPAIGN CASH TO WIFE AND STEPSON'S NONPROFIT RAISES 'LEGITIMATE CONCERN': WATCHDOG

On two different occasions on Fox last month, McCarthy teased an impeachment inquiry (remember that specific term) for both Attorney General Merrick Garland and President Biden. An impeachment "inquiry" is miles from impeachment. But its important that the Speaker began to mention impeachment. After all, thats what many anti-Biden voters and Freedom Caucus members needed to hear: the I-word. McCarthys verbiage amplified the potential for impeachment  because its coming from the Speaker. But it also served as a trial balloon for McCarthy to see if he could get his members in a place to push for impeachment. That would begin with an "impeachment inquiry." A formal impeachment inquiry requires an actual vote by the full House of Representatives. It gives the House more authority to call for witnesses and conduct depositions.

But the House cant formally begin an impeachment inquiry without voting to do so. And its far from clear if Republicans  with a four seat majority and 18 House Republicans representing districts carried by the President  would ever have the votes to go down this path.

But there may have been a rhetorical sleight-of-mouth by McCarthy.

The mere fact that McCarthy mentioned "impeachment"  inquiry or not  may have helped McCarthy get in front of a push for impeachment by House conservatives and not seem like he was lagging behind.

In late July, McCarthy made sure the Congressional press corps understood precisely what he said about impeachment  even if some conservative voters heard what they wanted, without the nuance.

"I didnt say I was doing an impeachment inquiry," said McCarthy. "I said if they didnt provide us the information, that could rise to an impeachment inquiry."

However, some Republicans are reluctant to rush into the impeachment maelstrom.

"Inquiry" or otherwise.

SPECIAL COUNSEL LESS THAN IDEAL FOR THE WHITE HOUSE AHEAD OF 2024: STEPHEN NEUKAM

"An inquiry and impeachment vote is too soon as I've stated," said Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., on Fox Business. "I dont think were there just yet. But I do believe that we will be at some point later this year."

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., also weighed in on Steubes gambit during an appearance on Fox.

"Is it premature? To me, it is," said Issa. "Were a long way from the conspiracy that should and possibly need to be investigated. And we should do an investigation."

However, Issa noted one potential hurdle.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy



"The last thing I would want today is a vote on impeachment in the House that would die in the Senate," said Issa.

That echoes something similar that Comer said to Fox in late July.

Its unclear if this commentary about the Senate failing to convict the president is a GOP escape hatch for Republicans who want to talk about impeachment, have revved up their base about impeachment, but know that actually executing impeachment  inquiry or otherwise, is challenging.

Its all about the math.

Republicans sport a reed-thin, four-seat majority in the House. Its a roll of the dice to determine if Republicans would ever have the votes to begin an impeachment inquiry  or actually impeach the President.

And its really about the math in the Senate.

The Constitution requires a two-thirds vote to convict and remove the president. Thats 67 votes. Republicans only have 49 votes right now. The Senate could never get there.

Thus, a potential escape hatch?

But the pressure is going to be on McCarthy in the late summer and early fall to do something on impeachment.

"McCarthy has shown over this last eight or nine months that hes been in charge that he does not have a whole lot of grip over his own caucus," said David Cohen, political science professor at the University of Akron. "McCarthys going to have to give in to the conservatives in his party. I dont know that he has a choice if he wants to remain Speaker."

It would be risky for McCarthy to forge ahead on impeachment. And, it may be risky for McCarthy not to forge ahead on impeachment.

History may not repeat itself. But it sure does rhyme.

Voters punished Republicans 25 years ago for impeaching former President Clinton. Voters believed the impeachment wasnt warranted.

Its unclear where middle-of-the-road voters are on impeachment this year. The GOP campaigned on fixing the supply chain and the economy. Not impeachment.

When Republicans impeached Mr. Clinton in 1998, the president had very high approval ratings. Thats not the case with President Biden. And thats why this impeachment dynamic may be harder to figure out.
Booking.com said a "small number" of its hosts haven't been paid due to "unforeseen technical issues". Sheldon Cooper/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

A rental host is claiming that Booking.com hasn't paid him for months, and owes him $63,000.

Mark Winship said he's even been invoiced for commissions on payments he hasn't received.

The travel company said a "small number" of its hosts haven't been paid due to "technical issues."

A vacation property host in the UK says travel company Booking.com still owes him around $63,000 after it failed to pay him for customer stays since June.

Mark Winship, 42, who owns serviced houses and apartments in Southampton, Yeovil, and Leicester, said he hasn't been able to pay his staff because of the delays, the BBC reported on Thursday.

The travel site has also been invoicing Winship for its commission fees off payments he hasn't received, he told the outlet, adding that he knows many other hosts were not getting their money either.

"As hosts we have been left completely in the dark. We still don't know if and when we are going to be paid," Winship added, per the BBC.

In a Monday episode of his show, "The Secret Serviced Podcast," Winship said there was still "no prospect of payment at the beginning of this week."

One of Winship's staff, who said on the podcast that she spoke to a representative for Booking.com, told him that they had no word on when the payments would come in.

Winship and his team have since started calling customers to encourage them to book directly with his family-owned business.

"Because nobody knows what's going on, nobody knows if their money is safe," Winship said. "And obviously, if we don't receive the money for their booking, strictly speaking, we shouldn't be giving them access to the property."

Winship added that it was never his intention to "undermine" online travel agents but said that his team is forced to act under "unprecedented circumstances."

On Tuesday, a Booking.com representative told Insider that Winship has been paid.

Winship did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours.

Booking.com said it was "urgently working to resume payments, which were delayed as a result of a planned system maintenance."

The firm said most of its hosts were notified of the delays in advance, and have since received payment.

However, "in a small number of cases, there have been unforeseen technical issues that are being quickly resolved by our team," it added.

August 16, 2023: This story was updated to reflect comment from Booking.com.

Read the original article on Insider
(Reuters) -Hollywood studios have made a new offer to striking screenwriters that includes concessions on issues such as the use of artificial intelligence and access to viewer data, Bloomberg News reported on Monday citing people familiar with the discussions.

The Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers has agreed to ensure humans are credited as writers of screenplays, instead of replacing them with AI, the report said, adding that the companies would also share data on the number of hours viewed on streaming services.

Other parts of the offer include a better-than-20% increase in residual payments to writers when their shows appear on networks other than the one they were made for, Bloomberg said.

Netflix Co-Chief Executive Officer Ted Sarandos has emerged as a strong force and Walt Disney Co CEO Bob Iger, in recent weeks, has joined him in seeking to reach a deal with the writers, the report added.

The union representing striking Hollywood writers said on Friday it had received a counterproposal from the studios that it would consider, an apparent sign of progress in the more than 100-day-old strike.

The strike by Hollywood writers began on May 2 after talks between the WGA and the major studios reached an impasse over compensation, minimum staffing of writers' rooms and residual payments in the streaming era, among other issues.

The Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers and Writers Guild of America didn't immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

(Reporting by Kanjyik Ghosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Kim Coghill and Cynthia Osterman)
Home and Away spoilers follow for UK viewers.

There could be a new romance in Summer Bay, with John Palmer and Irene Roberts getting closer next week on Home and Away.

The aftermath of the explosion has seen John staying with Irene, with doctors continuing to tell him that hes not yet ready to live alone as a result of his injuries.

The pairs relationship continues to blossom as they embark on a shopping spree, unaware that Marilyn is anxious at the prospect of them getting closer.

Channel 5

Related: Home and Away's Mercedes Da Silva makes a move on Remi Carter

The sparks dont go unnoticed in the Bay, with Xander telling Mackenzie of their growing connection, and she subsequently wants to get to the bottom of things by questioning John.

Mali, however, informs the pair, with John and Irene surprised to find out that the community thinks theyre an item.

John attempts to clarify the situation by informing everybody that theyre just friends, but Irene has a slightly different view of the situation and believes love could be in the air

Elsewhere on the soap, there will soon be two new faces arriving in Summer Bay, with Jessica Redmayne and Ally Harris making their debuts as sisters Harper and Dana later this year.

Channel 5

Related: Home and Away's Felicity Newman hunts for clues in attack aftermath

Redmayne, who has previously worked on fellow Australian soap Neighbours, spoke about her experience on the set of Home and Away, saying she is fortunate to be on the soap.

"Everyone was extraordinarily warm and welcoming," she said. "I'm very fortunate to enter a really great company of people because it is really easy to come to work every day.

"I remember the first day I walked onto the set of Lynne's [McGranger] house, it was quite extraordinary  it's like I was living that dream," she added.

Home and Away airs weekdays at 1.45pm on Channel 5 and 6pm on 5STAR. First-look screenings air at 6.30pm on 5STAR and the show also streams on My5.

Selected classic episodes are available via Prime Video in the UK.

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One Redditor recently complained that their HOA caused their front lawn to die during a drought.

Usually, HOAs are known for insisting on beautiful yards and healthy lawns. They have rules about how homes look, with the goal of keeping property values high. Many HOAs are wasteful with water in common areas, and some demand that homeowners heavily water their lawns, too.

But according to this Redditor, when it was the HOAs job to care for residents lawns instead, that generous attitude was nowhere to be found.

The Redditor explained that their HOA has total responsibility for  and control over  the front yards in their section of the neighborhood.

We cannot add any of our own landscaping, mow our own lawns, etc., they wrote.

In a typical year, full-service lawn care might be worth the extra HOA fees, but not this time.

Last year we had a [record-breaking] drought, and this year, lawns look awful, they said, adding that the grass was 100% dead, covered in weeds.

According to the Redditor, the HOA claimed the drought was to blame, but that excuse doesnt hold up. The dead lawns are only in the section of the neighborhood that has to pay extra for front yard maintenance.

The parts of the neighborhood that pay less and take care of their own lawns look 10 times better, they added. Not to mention they have made sure to maintain the common areas visible to the roads entering the neighborhood.

Despite asking for the problem to be fixed and paying extra for lawn care, the frustrated homeowner said they were still getting the runaround from the HOA. They even asked whether they could sue for the damage.

One commenter pointed out that suing may be the wrong move.

All thats gonna do is cause your dues to go up to pay for the legal fees the HOA incurs, on top of what it costs to have your lawyers, they wrote. You may get what you want, but you will definitely be paying for it.

Other homeowners with a dead lawn or who want to stop wasting water can work with companies like Yardzen to install water-saving, drought-resistant landscaping.

Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more, waste less, and help yourself while helping the planet.
The Allegheny County Fire Marshals office has confirmed the house that exploded in Plum on Saturday had hot water tank issues.

The tank was located in the basement of the home along Rustic Ridge Drive. The fire marshal said in an update that they will investigate that information, as well as any other possibilities that may explain what happened.

Six people were killed in the explosion.

Officials said people who do not live in the area or have no reason to be there continue to travel to the site of the explosion. Allegheny County leaders are asking anyone who does not live in the area and has no reason to be there to stay away.

The fire marshal has released all but three properties back to the homeowners, with the exception of 139, 141 and 143 Rustic Ridge Drive.

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New video shows moment house exploded in Plum Borough LATEST UPDATES: 5 people dead, including child, after massive explosion in Plum Father, son among five killed in Plum Borough house explosion VIDEO: Plum Borough School District offering support services to community following house explosion DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts
House Republicans are eyeing a short-term funding stopgap to keep the government open past the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30 as lawmakers struggle through an appropriations process characterized by conservatives push to slash spending.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said on a GOP conference call Monday evening that the House will likely have to pass a short-term solution known as a continuing resolution (CR), according to two sources on the call.

McCarthy said he does not want the CR to be jammed at the end of the year or stretch into the December holidays, the sources added.

But a CR likely wont come easily.

Some members of the partys right flank have stressed they will only vote for bills that set funding at fiscal 2022 levels, and a CR would keep spending the same as in fiscal 2023.

Border issues and Ukraine funding could also add wrinkles to passing the stopgap solution.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and 14 other Texas Republicans signed a letter last week pledging to vote against any bill that funds the Department of Homeland Security unless there are major changes to the U.S. border and migration policy. That would be more than enough opposition in a slim GOP majority to require Democratic votes to pass a continuing resolution.

And the White House last week unveiled a $40 billion supplemental funding request that includes $24 billion in military, financial and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine, which is already sparking opposition from Republicans who have become critical of funding for Kyiv.

While the border remains wide open, crime in major cities is out of control, and Americans cannot afford daily necessities  Biden wants $24 billion MORE for Ukraine. Put America first, Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

One GOP member is pessimistic about government funding when lawmakers return to Washington in September.

I just got off a member call  its clear President Biden and Speaker McCarthy want a government shutdown, so thats what Congress will do after we return in September. Everyone should plan accordingly, Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) said on X.

House lawmakers have just 12 days in session before the Sept. 30 funding deadline.

The House has passed just one of 12 appropriations bills thus far: It cleared legislation to fund military construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs and related agencies just before breaking for the long August recess. But that same week, House GOP leadership scrapped its plan to vote on a bill to fund agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration as intraparty differences put the measure in jeopardy.

House Democrats have opposed the GOP funding bills because the party marked the appropriations bills up at levels lower than spending caps agreed to by McCarthy and President Biden in a debt limit deal earlier this year.

The Senate  which has not passed any of its 12 appropriations bills  marked up its legislation at levels in line with the debt limit deal struck by McCarthy and Biden, putting the two chambers on a collision course that could bring the government to the brink of a shutdown.

But lawmakers have an incentive to fully fund the government by Jan. 1, due to a provision in the debt limit bill to slash discretionary spending across the board by one percent if Congress has not completed the spending bills.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
President Joe Biden speaks at the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center on August 10, 2023 in Salt Lake City, Utah Credit - George FreyGetty Images

The top Republican on the House Oversight Committee intends to call President Joe Biden to testify in an ongoing investigation into the overseas business dealings of his son, Hunter Biden. Such a move would set off a tug of war between Congress and the White House, but its unlikely Biden would ultimately be forced to appear. Its very rare for a sitting President to testify before Congressional committees, and no sitting president has ever been forced to answer questions in front of Congress.

Only three sitting Presidents have ever testified before Congressional committeesAbraham Lincoln in 1862, Woodrow Wilson in 1919, and Gerald Ford in 1974and they all appeared voluntarily. After he left office, the House Jan. 6 Committee subpoenaed former President Donald Trump to describe his role in efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss. Trump refused and the committee never secured his testimony.

Rep. James Comer, a Kentucky Republican who chairs the House Oversight Committee, said in an interview with Fox Businesss Maria Bartiromo on Thursday that he intends to call both Hunter Biden and Joe Biden to testify before his committee, after completing more transcribed interviews with other witnesses.

Comers investigation has focused on money Hunter Biden made from Ukrainian and Chinese businesses while Joe Biden was Vice President. Comers investigation hasnt shown any instance in which Joe Biden received money from Hunter Bidens business or made policy decisions because of his sons influence.

The committee recently heard from Devon Archer, Hunter Bidens longtime business partner, who testified that Hunter Biden repeatedly gave the impression to business associates that he had access to his father while he was Vice President. Joe Biden would often call Hunter back while his son was in business meetings and Hunter would put the Vice President on speaker phone. During those calls, Joe Biden spoke in generalities and didn't talk business, Archer testified. While those exchanges allowed Hunter Biden to show that he was close to his father and gave the impression he could influence him, Archer said he never heard Joe Biden discuss any business dealings on those calls.

There are lingering questions about how much Biden knew about his sons business dealings while serving as Vice President. During a 2020 presidential debate, Biden was asked if the work his son had done in China or for a Ukrainian energy company was inappropriate or unethical. "Nothing was unethical," Biden said in response. "My son has not made money in terms of this thing about, what you are talking about, China." That wasnt true. Hunter Biden had been paid by Chinese businesses, according to a September 2020 report written by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, which was led by Republicans at the time.

The spotlight on Hunter Biden isnt just coming from the Republican-controlled House. Hunter Biden also remains a target of investigations by the Justice Department. In July, Hunter Bidens plea deal fell apart after the US Attorney in Delaware, David Weiss, hit an impasse with Hunter Bidens attorneys over tax evasion and a gun charge. On Friday, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced he had appointed Weiss as special counsel in the Hunter Biden probe, signaling that Weiss plans to continue investigating the Presidents son.

All of that means that Hunter Biden will remain in the headlines, and an ongoing political headache for Bidens White House and reelection campaign.

Nonetheless, a subpoena of President Biden by Congress is not imminent. We want to talk to about three or four more associates first, Comer said on Fox Business. "It's very difficult, he added. You know how hard the Democrats tried to get Donald Trump" to testify.

The White House press office would not say if Biden would agree to testify if subpoenaed by Comers committee. In a statement, White House spokesman Ian Sams called Comers investigation a wild goose chase, and said, They simply will continue to spread innuendo and lies as they pursue a baseless impeachment stunt to attack the President.

The last sitting president to testify before Congress was Ford, who wanted to appear before the House Judiciary Committee in October 1974 to explain his decision a month earlier to pardon his predecessor, Richard Nixon. Before he was pardoned, Nixon had been expected to face criminal charges for obstruction of justice or bribery in covering up his reelection campaigns breaking into the Democratic National Committee offices at the Watergate office complex. Ford later said that when Nixon accepted the pardon, Ford believed Nixon was publicly acknowledging his guilt in the Watergate coverup.

How far congressional investigations into a President can go has been an issue of debate for decades. More recently, while Trump was president, House Democrats sought Trumps tax records from an accounting firm called Mazars USA as part of their investigation into Trumps business and real estate transactions with foreign governments and potential conflicts of interest. Trump sued to block the firm from complying. Ultimately the Supreme Court ruled that Mazars USA had to provide Congress with records it requested, as long as Congress could show those records related to efforts to draft legislation. House Democrats finally received some of those records from Mazars in 2022, years after first seeking them.

If Comer moves forward with a subpoena to demand Biden testify, his committee may have to show in court that his investigation is related to an effort to draft laws, and not just to score political points.

Biden will also have to contend with the possibility that House Republicans, if they issue a subpoena, may be wanting him to refuse to appear, allowing them to use that as a basis for an article of impeachment, says Timothy Naftali, an expert on the power of the presidency and a senior research scholar at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs. The other issue that President Biden has to consider is the fact that the House may also be engaging in an impeachment trap, in other words, giving itself a reason for one article of impeachment for contempt of Congress, Naftali says.

While some House Republicans have been pushing to impeach Biden over unproven claims of financial misconduct, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has so far held off on such efforts. But in July, McCarthy hinted that hes open to the possibility, saying an impeachment inquiry is the the apex of power of Congress.

One challenge facing House Republicans in pursuing Bidens testimony may be the precedent that Trump set in repeatedly rebuffing the Jan. 6th Committee, says Lauren Wright, a political scientist at Princeton University. Theres a really strong precedent thats recent where the other party tried something similar and failed, Wright says.

Ultimately, Republicans may not even gain much politically from these investigations of Biden anyway, Wright says. Public opinion polling shows that people fail to see these investigations as something that affects their daily life and so its unlikely to affect the way they vote, says Wright.

Contact us at letters@time.com.
In a summer of bleak news about the natural world comes a welcome development: A pack of gray wolves has been discovered in Sequoia National Forest.

The mother and four pups  two males, and two females  were determined by state wildlife officials to be the pack living in the southern Sierra. A wolf sighting in July spurred state biologists to search where the sighting occurred. They found wolf scat and fur and wolf tracks.

The state Department of Fish and Wildlifes forensics laboratory performed DNA analysis to determine if the samples were from wolf, as well as sex, coat color, individual identity, relation to one another and pack origin, the agency said in a news release. All 12 samples were confirmed gray wolf.

Paw prints from a gray wolf are seen in photographs taken by Colibri Ecological Consulting survey staff in the forests of Tulare County. Genetic analysis of a dozen hair and scat samples were able to determine the sex, coat color, individual identity, relation to one another and pack origin of each wolf, state wildlife officials said.

The news was cheered by wildlife advocates.

California has reached another exciting milestone in gray wolf recovery with the discovery of a new pack in the southern Sierra Nevada, said Pamela Flick, California program director for Defenders of Wildlife. This recently detected group of wolves is at least 200 straight-line miles from the nearest known California pack and demonstrates the species amazing ability to disperse long distances and take advantage of the states plentiful suitable habitat.

But ranchers who run cattle in summer months in the high country of Tulare County worry that their livestock might be hunted by the wolves.

Wolves in Northern California have killed or maimed dozens of cows and calves in recent years, and likely many more that have gone unreported, said John Hammon, president of the Tulare County Cattlemens Association in an email. Wolf presence also stresses cows, impacting weight gain and even causing cows to abort their calves. We urge CDFW to collar these wolves as soon as possible and help ranchers avoid wolf conflicts before this pack gets in the habit of relying on livestock for their meals.

The packs discovery marks Californias southernmost group of wolves in nearly a century. Gray wolves, a species native to California, used to roam the state. But as California developed and sheep and cattle ranchers pushed into the wolves territory, the animals were hunted until there were no more as of the 1920s.

Nearly 30 years ago the federal government began a program to reintroduce gray wolves to the northern Rocky Mountains and Yellowstone National Park. The government had a particular interest in reducing the elk population in Yellowstone because it had gotten too large. Also faring well without wolves were coyotes, whose numbers had similarly increased, and that caused different problems.

Since the reintroduction program began, wolves slowly spread west, getting a foothold in parts of Oregon. In 2011 a lone wolf, named OR 7, crossed from Oregon into far Northern California before returning back across the state line. Since then, three distinct packs have established themselves in Northern California.

Wolves returning home

News of wolves returning to the southern Sierra comes as natural disasters have occurred across America in this summer of extremes.

Phoenix endured a run of 31 days when the daily high temperature was 110 degrees or hotter; the dubious record came to an end on July 31, when it was 108.

July also saw blistering temperatures across much of the desert Southwest and Texas, as well as torrential rains in the Northeast.

More recently, a wind-driven wildfire burned away the city of Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui. Close to 100 people died in the fire, making it the deadliest blaze in the United States in over a century.

Wildfire is well known in the Sierra, a mountain range with overgrown conifer forests that contribute to big blazes. Such forests are home to deer.

Deer are prey for both wolves and mountain lions, meaning the Sequoia pack will have competition. Hammons worries reflect how ranchers foresee a resumption of a century-old conflict.

But wolves were native to the Sierra long before any cattle operations began. It is exciting to see them now in Sequoia National Forest.
At least 35 people were killed and more than 100 injured in an explosion at a gas station in the far southwestern Russian republic of Dagestan, Russian officials said.

Among the dead are three children, according to Dagestan's governor, Sergei Melikov.

Footage distributed by emergency services shows firefighters battling enormous blazes at the gas station, next to burned out vehicles.

Firefighters continue to work at site after an explosion at a gas station in Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia on August 15, 2023 / Credit: Anadolu Agency/Getty

The explosion in the city of Makhachkala happened after a fire broke out, the regional branch of the Investigative Committee, which probes major incidents, announced on social media.

"A fire occurred during car maintenance work, followed by a bang, as a result of which people were injured and died," the committee said, adding that nearby buildings and cars were damaged.

State-run news agencies TASS and Ria Novosti reported that the fire had been extinguished, citing the emergencies ministry.

A criminal case has been opened to establish the circumstances leading to the fire, it added.

Families of the victims will receive 1 million rubles (about $10,000) each, Dagestan authorities said, and those injured - 200,000-400,000 rubles (about $2,000-$4,000).

Tuesday has been declared a day of mourning in Dagestan.

The Kremlin issued a statement saying, "President Putin expresses his most sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims of the tragedy in Dagestan and wishes a speedy recovery to the victims."

Makhachkala, a city of over 600,000 on the Caspian Sea, is the capital of Dagestan, which borders Chechnya.

Across Russia, in western Siberia, another blast killed two people and wounded five more on Monday night. That explosion occurred at an oil mine in the Khanty-Mansiysk region late in the evening, local authorities said.

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Russian tourists arrive at Antalya Airport in Antalya, Turkey on July 9, 2023. Mustafa Ciftci/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Two flights operated by Russian airline Red Wings were unable to depart from Antalya, Turkey.

The Boeing 777s had technical issues, leaving hundreds of Russian tourists stranded.

Flying in Russia has become dangerous as Western sanctions continue to bite the aviation industry.

Hundreds of Russian tourists were left stranded in Turkey after two Boeing 777s broke down due to technical problems likely resulting from Western sanctions, according to multiple reports.

The flights both belonged to Russian low-cost carrier Red Wings Airlines and were due to fly from Antalya Airport in Turkey over the weekend, The Moscow Times reported.

The first Boeing 777, which was traveling to the city of Yekaterinburg on Saturday, was rescheduled several times without explanation, passengers told the local news outlet E1.ru., and was eventually delayed for 48 hours.

The Prosecutor General's Office in the Russian Urals Federal District, where Yekaterinburg is located, confirmed that the delays left 410 people stranded in Turkey for at least two days.

It is unclear what exactly the technical problems were with the plane, but a source in the aviation industry told E1.ru. that Red Wings had taken on too many flights with just three Boeing 777s in its fleet.

The second Boeing 777, which was headed to Zhukovsky airport in the Moscow region on Saturday, experienced an issue with a damaged cooling system and was grounded for more than 11 hours.

As a result, three passengers fainted and an additional passenger experienced a panic attack, according to the Telegram messaging app, Mash. It is unclear how many people were on the flight.

"Two Boeing 777 aircraft out of the three available in the airline's fleet were simultaneously out of service due to technical reasons," Red Wings said in a statement, according to The Moscow Times.

The company did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine more than 17 months ago, the West imposed heavy sanctions against Russia that severely impacted its aviation industry.

This included closing allied airspace and preventing plane makers, like Boeing and Airbus, from servicing or sending spare parts to Russia.

As a result, the Kremlin announced earlier this year that it would legalize "cannibalization," which means Russian engineers can strip serviceable parts from one plane to keep others flying  though this often takes a long time.

The lack of aircraft maintenance has already led to several close calls in the industry.

One Aeroflot flight in January had to make an emergency landing due to a faulty toilet system, while another was forced to land one month later due to an air conditioning malfunction, according to a report by the independent Russian news outlet Arbat.

In May, Russia's biggest commercial airline Aeroflot asked its employees to refrain from reporting malfunctions even if they are aware of them, according to the investigative Russian outlet Proekt.

A former Aeroflot employee told the outlet that the main reason behind the directive is "to prevent aircraft from being grounded due to a malfunction that, on paper, should prevent the aircraft from being operated until it is fixed."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Hunter Bidens defence attorney asked to withdraw from the federal case against his client  regarding tax offenses and a gun possession charge  because he said he could be called as a witness in the future.

Christopher Clark, Mr Bidens lawyer, filed a motion with the Delaware judge on Tuesday.

Based on recent developments, it appears that the negotiation and drafting of the plea agreement and diversion agreement will be contested, and Mr Clark is a percipient witness to those issues, the filing states.

Under the witness-advocate rule, it is inadvisable for Mr Clark to continue as counsel in this case, it continued.

Withdrawal will not cause a substantial hardship to Mr Biden because counsel from the other firms that have entered an appearance will continue to represent Mr Biden in this matter, the filing said.

The move comes after an 11 August filing by prosecutors, led by David Weiss, who was granted special counsel status, asking the court to cancel its request that both sides reach a renewed agreement on the plea deal since there is no longer a plea agreement or diversion agreement for the Court to consider.

Both parties are at an impasse regarding the tax charges and the parties havent reached a diversion agreement regarding the gun possession charge, Mr Weiss wrote.

Days later, on Sunday, Mr Bidens attorneys argued in a filing that the Justice Department decided to renege on its side of the deal on tax charges; the gun charge agreement also contains an immunity clause against federal prosecutions for some other potential crimes. His lawyers also wrote that the parties have a valid and binding bilateral Diversion Agreement.

In response on Tuesday, prosecutors wrote in a filing that it did not renege on the previously agreed-upon Plea Agreement.

The special counsel wrote that because the Chief United States Probation Officer did not approve the now-withdrawn diversion agreement, it never went into effect and, therefore, none of its terms are binding on either party.
Hunter Biden had sought to plead guilty to two tax offences and avoid a gun charge - REUTERS

A US prosecutor has said a plea deal for Hunter Biden to avoid a gun charge is invalid, intensifying the presidents sons legal headaches.

Special counsel David Weiss moved to strike the deal his team previously reached with Mr Biden in a court filing on Tuesday.

Mr Bidens lawyers had argued over the weekend that the agreement, which would have seen him spared prosecution for buying a gun while abusing drugs, was valid and binding.

They accused Joe Bidens Justice Department of reneging on the deal.

Mr Weisss team hit back on Tuesday, arguing that since the deal was never signed by a probation officer, it never went into effect.

Therefore, none of its terms are binding on either party, their filing stated.

The two sides had appeared in court last month to have the agreement signed off by a Delaware judge.

It would have seen the younger Mr Biden, 53, plead guilty to two minor tax offences, and avoid a gun charge if he kept out of trouble for two years.

In exchange, he would have avoided both a trial and possible prison sentence. Republicans had denounced it as a sweetheart deal.

However, the deal rapidly unravelled as it became clear Mr Weiss team had not ruled out charging the presidents son with further crimes.

After further negotiation, Mr Weiss told the judge the two sides had reached an impasse last week.

David Weiss, the prosecutor, has been named a special counsel - AP

He then asked to be named a special counsel by the Justice Department, a title which grants him an additional layer of independence from the department.

It also raises fresh questions about the case, which could now potentially go to trial ahead of the 2024 election.

It also raises fresh questions about whether the case would cast a shadow over the 2024 election as the elder Mr Biden campaigns for a second term.

Prosecutors said in an earlier filing that the case was now likely to go to trial.

In light of his new powers, Mr Weiss has moved to pull the tax charges he filed against Mr Biden in Delaware so he can potentially file them in other courts, such as California or Washington.

The dispute between prosecutors and Mr Biden is now in front of district judge Maryellen Noreika in Delaware.

She will consider the prosecutions motion to pull the tax charges and the plea agreement.

In anticipation, Mr Bidens lawyer, Christopher Clark, withdrew from his defence team on Tuesday because he could potentially be called as a witness in the case.

He has been replaced by another of Mr Bidens lawyers, Abbe Lowell.

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WASHINGTON  Hunter Biden's attorneys accused prosecutors of reneging on a plea agreement that faced scrutiny from a federal judge for the president's son to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax evasion charges and receive immunity from future charges.

In a court filing Sunday, Hunter Biden's legal team said prosecutors  not the defense  "proposed and largely dictated the form and content" of both the plea agreement and a separate diversion agreement the defense interpreted as granting their client immunity.

"The Defendant, through counsel, accepted the prosecutors invitation to engage in settlement discussions that the Defendant and counsel understood would fully resolve the Governments sprawling five-year investigation," Hunter Biden's attorneys said in the filing.

The plea deal unraveled in court last month.

The investigation remains open after Attorney General Merrick Garland designated special counsel status to U.S. Attorney David Weiss, the Delaware prosecutor who has overseen the five-year investigation of President Joe Biden's son.

Shortly after the special counsel appointment, prosecutors filed a motion stating that the two sides are at an "impasse" and that the government expects the matter to go to trial. The Justice Department is seeking to move the case to either a federal court in Washington or California. As special counsel, Weiss will have the authority to bring charges in any federal court he chooses.

President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden leaves after a court appearance, Wednesday, July 26, 2023, in Wilmington, Del.

U.S. District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika, at a July 26 hearing, rejected a plea deal between Hunter Biden and prosecutors. Noreika raised concerns about the terms of the agreement including disagreements over assurances Hunter Biden's legal team sought for immunity from any future criminal charges related to the case.

Attorneys for Hunter Biden argued the immunity provision covered his overseas business ventures. But prosecutors framed immunity more narrowly and left open the possibility the government could bring charges under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

The defense said in Sunday's filing that Hunter Biden's understanding of the plea agreement, including full immunity, is "corroborated by prosecutors contemporaneous written and oral communications during the plea negotiations."

Hunter Biden's lawyers said they are "still prepared respond to the questions" the judge posed at the hearing but "in light of the United States decision on Friday to renege on the previously agreed-upon plea agreement, we agree that those issues are moot at this point."

After the judge refused to accept the plea agreement, Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty last month to failing to pay more than $100,000 in taxes on $1.5 million in taxable income he made in 2017 and 2018. He faces a separate charge for possessing a firearm in 2018 as a drug user.

The appointment of a special counsel and a possible trial likely assures that Hunter Biden investigation will continue into 2024 while President Joe Biden is running for reelection.

Abbe Lowell, Hunter Biden's lead attorney, blamed he prosecution when asked on CBS' Face the Nation Sunday why the deal fell apart.

"The possibilities are only, one, they wrote something and weren't clear what they meant, two, they knew what they meant and misstated it to counsel, or, third, they changed their view as they were standing in court in Delaware," Lowell said.

Lowell said he has confidence no new evidence will turn up against his client, arguing that Weiss' elevation to special counsel changes little in the case than a "new title."

"I'm confident that if this prosecutor does what has been done for the last five years, look at the facts, the evidence and the law, then the only conclusion can be what the conclusion was on July 26th," Lowell said. "There's no new evidence to be found."

Reach Joey Garrison on Twitter @joeygarrison.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hunter Biden's attorneys accuse prosecutors of reneging on plea deal
WASHINGTON  Hunter Bidens top criminal attorney has asked a federal judge in Delaware to allow him to withdraw as Bidens counsel, saying he could become a witness to the case following the collapse of a plea agreement he had negotiated with prosecutors.

Attorney Christopher Clark filed a motion on Tuesday asking to step down from the case, citing questions about Biden's now-defunct plea agreement on tax charges and a diversion agreement on a gun-possession offense.

Based on recent developments, it appears that the negotiation and drafting of the plea agreement and diversion agreement will be contested, and Mr. Clark is a percipient witness to those issues, the motion said.

Biden will continue to be represented by other attorneys, including Abbe Lowell, who appeared on Sunday talk shows last weekend to talk about the naming of the special counsel in the investigation. Attorney General Merrick Garland gave special counsel status to U.S. Attorney David Weiss, the Delaware prosecutor who has overseen the five-year investigation of President Joe Biden's youngest son.

Dealing with substance abuse: Hunter Biden's drug use back in public eye as criminal charges could be around the corner

President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden leaves after a court appearance, Wednesday, July 26, 2023, in Wilmington, Del.

Clarks motion to withdraw comes after the plea agreement collapsed last month.

U.S. District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika rejected the plea deal between Hunter Biden and prosecutors during a July 26 hearing. Noreika raised concerns about the terms of the agreement, including disagreements over assurances Hunter Biden's legal team sought for immunity from any future criminal charges related to the case.

Biden agreed in June to plead guilty to two misdemeanor charges of tax evasion in exchange for prosecutors recommending that he receive probation instead of jail time. The deal also called for Biden to participate in a pretrial program for a gun possession offense.

After the judge refused to accept the plea agreement, Biden pleaded not guilty to failing to pay more than $100,000 in taxes on $1.5 million in taxable income he made in 2017 and 2018. He faces a separate charge for possessing a firearm in 2018 as a drug user.

In a court filing Sunday, Biden's attorneys accused prosecutors of reneging on the agreement. Prosecutors say they never reneged on the deal and argue the plea and diversion agreements hadn't taken effect and therefore weren't binding on either party.

Michael Collins and Joey Garrison cover the White House. Follow Collins on the social platform X, formerly Twitter, @mcollinsNEWS. Follow Garrison @joeygarison.

Political fallout: Hunter Biden case assured to hang over Joe Biden's 2024 campaign with special counsel

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hunter Biden's criminal lawyer quits case, say he may become a witness
(Reuters) - Christopher Clark, the senior lawyer representing Hunter Biden, is seeking to withdraw from the case involving the U.S. president's son on the grounds he might be called to testify, according to a court filing on Tuesday.

Biden, facing tax and gun charges, may be headed for a criminal trial, U.S. Special Counsel David Weiss said last Friday after being appointed to the post.

Weiss said parties in the case were at an impasse in plea negotiations over the tax charges and a proposed diversion agreement on the firearm charge that would allow Biden to avoid prison time or a criminal conviction.

The case is being heard in the U.S. state of Delaware, where Biden is represented by the Berger Harris law firm.

"It appears that the negotiation and drafting of the plea agreement and diversion agreement will be contested, and Mr. Clark is a percipient witness to those issues," said the filing with U.S. District Court in Delaware.

"It is inadvisable for Mr. Clark to continue as counsel in this case," continued the joint filing from Berger Harris and Clark Smith Villazor, Clark's firm.

In the filing, the two said Clark's withdrawal would not cause Biden substantial hardship since other firms involved in the case would continue to represent him.

Lawyers for Biden said in a court filing on Sunday that prosecutors reneged on a plea deal that would have resolved the charges against the U.S. president's son as his father seeks reelection next year.

(Reporting by David Ljunggren; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
Republican presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson responded to news of the fourth indictment of former President Trump by repeating his claim that Trump has disqualified himself from holding the presidency again.

Donald Trump has disqualified himself from ever holding our nations highest office again, Hutchinson, the former Arkansas governor, wrote late Monday night in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Trump and 18 co-defendants were indicted in Georgia related to an alleged conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. Trump faces 13 new charges, and every defendant was charged with racketeering.

The Hill Elections 2024 coverage

This is another day of challenge for our democracy with the indictment handed down by the grand jury in Georgia, Hutchinson wrote in a formal statement. As a former federal prosecutor, I have personally pursued racketeering charges in federal court against terrorist organizations, and I understand the difficulty of a multi-defendant indictment and how slow the case will proceed in state court.

Regardless of the specifics of the Georgia indictment, I expect the voters will make the ultimate decision on the future of our democracy, he said, adding Over a year ago, I said that Donald Trumps actions disqualified him from ever serving as President again. Those words are more true today than ever before.

Hutchinson has been one of Trumps most outspoken critics within the party since the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on the Capitol.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The publicist for Attorney General 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 (DAG) claimed that 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, the judge 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 are expected to comport themselves with dignity toward the judiciary. To have the Attorney Generals Office falsely question 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.

Jim Jones is a Vietnam combat veteran who served 8 years as Idaho Attorney General (1983-1991) and 12 years as a Justice on the Idaho Supreme Court (2005-2017). He is a regular contributor to The Hill online news. His columns are collected at JJCommonTater.com
The largest contiguous wilderness area in the Lower 48 states just grew by 38 acres.

A nonprofit that converts private land in wilderness areas for public use last week turned over a mining claim called the Surprise Lode property within the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness to public ownership, according to a news release.

That nonprofit, The Wilderness Land Trust, purchased Surprise Lode, located 25 miles upstream from the Vinegar Creek Launch, in 2021. It became the seventh property in Idaho converted by the group and the second property the nonprofit has merged with the Frank Church wilderness since 2017, the release said.

The nonprofit previously transferred Painter Mine, a 37-acre parcel connected to Surprise Lode, in 2017.

The Wilderness Land Trust, a non-profit that purchases private land in wilderness areas to convert to public use, announced Tuesday that it had transferred the 38-acre Surprise Lode property, which it purchased in 2021, to public ownership in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. The property is 25 miles upriver from the Vinegar Creek launch. It also added the 37-acre Painter Mine property to the wilderness area in 2017, and its the 7th property protected by the Trust in Idaho.

Margosia Jadkowski, director of marketing and communications for the trust, said in a call with the Idaho Statesman that the nonprofit often serves as a go-between for owners of these properties and federal agencies. The owners often dont have time to wait the years it can take to make their property part of a wilderness area.

The nonprofit buys the land and holds it for as long as needed while agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service assess the parcel, which can include habitat restoration, removing buildings and studying indigenous structures or artifacts.

At Painter Mine, the trust removed mining buildings and equipment from the property before it was transferred to public ownership, Jadkowski said.

Were able to kind of speak their terms and work on their timeline, and then well hold the property for as long as it takes for the agency to be able to go through their process, she said.

An old Jeep had to be removed from the Painter Mine property, 25 miles upriver from the Vinegar Creek Launch in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, before The Wildnerness Land Trust could turn it over to public ownership in 2017. The Trust announced on August 15 that it had also added the 38-acre Surprise Lode property, connected to Painter Mine, to the wilderness area.

Jenni Blake, a recreation, lands and information resources officer for the U.S. Forest Service, which leads management of the wilderness area, told the Statesman that the agency performed an environmental analysis and compiled a minerals report on the Surprise Lode site. If the mineral rights and surface rights had been severed at some point, with the mineral rights still held privately, the agency wouldnt accept the land, she said.

The agency also checked for hazardous materials, such as mining tailings, she said.

We dont want to take something that were going to end up having to clean up, spend a lot of taxpayer money for cleaning up, Blake said.

Land turned over by the nonprofit Wilderness Land Trust also completed the Hells Canyon Wilderness and the North Fork Owyhee Wilderness, the release said. There are roughly 70 patches of private land left over within Idahos nearly 5 million acres of wilderness, according to the group.
There are certain basic functions of government that we should expect of our state government, such as providing a public education, conducting elections and maintaining public safety.

One of those functions is inspecting nursing homes.

And yet, as Idaho Statesman reporter Noble Brigham uncovered, many nursing homes in Idaho have gone without required inspections for years.

One Boise facility has not had a full inspection in the nearly four years since inspectors found serious problems.

Half of the nursing homes in Idaho still havent had a comprehensive inspection since 2020, according to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.

Thats because Health and Welfare cant maintain a full roster of inspectors to do the job.

The department had the third-highest rate of inspector vacancies in the country, according to a U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging report in May.

More than 70% of inspector positions were vacant in Idaho at the time of the report, behind only Kentucky and Alabama, leaving just five inspectors to cover the state.

Thats because the Legislature wont pay enough to keep them on the job. The federal government, by Health and Welfares own account, shares some of the blame for not increasing funding since 2015.

Inspectors were earning $30 an hour, about half what they could earn in the private sector. The state has raised salaries to $33.46 an hour. But it still isnt enough.

Twelve inspectors have quit or retired in the past three years, leaving Health and Welfare with just eight inspectors right now, about half the number necessary.

Ironically, a chain with one of the most troubled facilities in the state hired away two inspectors, paying them $20 an hour more than they were making with the state.

Gov. Brad Little this year proposed a 14% pay increase, but the Legislature rejected it.

Meanwhile, the state of Idaho had a $100 million surplus at the end of fiscal year 2023, which ended June 30. Last fiscal year, the surplus was $1.4 billion.

The Idaho Legislature has approved $2.7 billion in tax cuts and rebates over the past three years.

And in yet another prime example of Idahos conservative legislators being penny-wise but pound-foolish, because of the shortage of inspectors, the state has to contract out the services to private contractors.

What does Health and Welfare pay them? About $81 to $97 per hour.

Whenever you hear any state official or politician bragging again about how fiscally conservative Idaho is, just ask them one question:

Is Idaho able to perform even the most basic government functions, such as ensuring our elderly and vulnerable citizens are safe?

If the answer is no  and the answer is no  tell them to go back and do their jobs.

Statesman editorials are the unsigned opinion of the Idaho Statesmans editorial board. Board members are opinion editor Scott McIntosh, opinion writer Bryan Clark, editor Chadd Cripe, newsroom editors Dana Oland and Jim Keyser and community members Mary Rohlfing and Patricia Nilsson.
Fifty years after his mutilated body was recovered among 16 others in a mass grave, a fresh facial rendering of "Swimsuit Boy" has been released as investigators try to identify the "Candy Man" serial killer's last unidentified victim.

Texas murderer Dean Corll  whose nickname came from his family's candy store and his tendency to give free sweets to children  paid teenagers David Owen Brooks and Elmer Wayne Henley to bring him area boys, who the accomplice teens lured with the promise of parties and rides. Later, Brooks and Henley testified that they were paid $200 per victim brought to Corll.

Between 1970 and 1973, Corll killed at least 28 teenagers and young men in Houston and Pasadena, ranging in age from 13 to 20. Each was raped and underwent sadistic abuse on the killer's "torture board" before they were strangled or shot with a .22-caliber pistol.

Henley  eligible for parole in October 2025 at 70 years old  shot Corll dead on Aug. 8, 1973. Fearing for his own life, Henley allegedly screamed, "I can't go on any longer! I can't have you kill all my friends!" before pulling the trigger, Texas Monthly reported.

EXTRAMARITAL AFFAIR TURNS INTO TEXAS MURDER CASE THAT COUPLE ALLEGEDLY TRIED TO HIDE

Of the 28 known victims of serial killer Dean Corll, only one has yet to be identified: a 15- to 18-year-old boy known only as the "Swimsuit Boy," "John Houston Doe" and reference number ML73-3356.

Henley, who has admitted direct involvement in six of the killings, then called Houston police to the house, telling an officer who was trying to read him his Miranda rights, "I don't care who knows about it, I have to get it off my chest," according to the Sarasota Journal.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Later that day, a shaken Henley led police to the rented boat shed on Silver Bell Street in southwest Houston where, over the course of three days, they would find 16 bodies wrapped in plastic or sheets and buried under a layer of lime plaster, according to "Dean Corll: The True Story of The Houston Mass Murders: Historical Serial Killers and Murderers," by Jack Rosewood.

Brooks was also sent to prison after the crimes and died in 2020 while still incarcerated.

HOUSTON SERIAL KILLERS COMPASSIONATE RELEASE CONSIDERATION SPARKS PROTEST FROM VICTIMS FAMILY

"Swimsuit Boy," also known as "John Houston Doe" and by the reference number ML73-3356, is the last of the corpses found in the boat shed  and other bodies found at Lake Sam Rayburn and High Island Beach  to be identified.

"This young mans friends and classmates would be in their late 60s to early 70s, and we hope that this new imagery reaches them and helps bring in that one single lead needed to resolve this case," Carol Schweitzer of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) said in a statement.

The NCMEC released the new image of "Swimsuit Boy" in an effort to identify him.

SUSPECTED GILGO BEACH SERIAL KILLER REX HEUERMANN TAKEN OFF JAIL'S SUICIDE WATCH, SHERIFF SAYS

A newspaper headline tells the gruesome details of the sex-related murders of teenaged boys committed by electrician Dean Corll. His house, shown here, was torn down in February 2023.

Believed to be between 15 and 18, the boy had long brown hair and stood between 5 feet 2 inches and 5 feet 7 inches tall. He was White or possibly of Hispanic heritage.

He was found wearing a Catalina-brand striped swimsuit, 12-inch-high cowboy boots, dark-blue corduroy jeans and a beige '70s-style shirt with peace sign design on the back.

"We want to make sure we're creating an image that the public won't be fixated on because there's dirt or blood on the shirt," Colin McNally, a supervisor of NCMEC's forensic imaging unit, told ABC 13 of the recreations.

John Doe's skeleton indicated that he suffered from a slight case of spina bifida, which could have caused him pain or affected his stride.

His body was found in an advanced stage of decomposition, leading investigators to suspect that he was an earlier victim killed in 1971 or 1972.

PORTLAND SERIAL KILLER FEARS: VICTIMS' PARENTS SPEAK OUT AFTER 'CAREER CRIMINAL' NAMED AS PERSON OF INTEREST

Dr. Sharon Derrick, who spent 12 years striving to identify the boy with the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, told the Houston Chronicle that he had "beautiful teeth."

From the time she began working on the "Houston Mass Murders" case, Derrick was able to identify seven of Corll's victims, according to Texas A&M University.

"When I got to the Harris County Medical Examiners Office, one of the things I was charged with was looking through all the stored remains to see if there was any work that could be done on them," Derrick said. "I found three boxes that were labeled Houston Mass Murders."

"There was more than one individual in each box," she continued. "Out of all the individuals in the boxes, theres only one that we were not able to identify, and thats ML73-3356."

This latest attempt to identify this victim comes after Corll's final house, where he would take the lives of eight teenagers and where Henley would shoot him dead, was razed in February.

FAMILY OF SUSPECTED SERIAL KILLER REVEALS CHAOTIC MESS INSIDE ACCUSED MURDERER'S RAMSHACKLE HOME

Elmer Wayne Henley is pictured here in prison.

It was purchased at almost $100,000 under market value by the Pasadena Economic Development Corp. in December 2022, per Harris County records. A city spokesperson told ABC 13 that the property would be used for the Little Vince Bayou Project, and a neighbor told the outlet that it would be a trail head.

"I feel for a lot of families, the lingering pain would still be there if that place was there, so many memories," a neighbor told ABC 13.

"Just knowing I'm on the same street, I tell people, and that's the first thing people bring up: 'That's the Candy Man's house,'" she said.

As recently as August 2021, Texas EquuSearch dug up and turned over the property's backyard in search for additional bodies, but none were recovered.
The Delhi High Court has ruled that Google's Ads program falls under the purview of the country's Trademarks Act and the company must remove ads that infringe upon trademarks in a major decision that may redefine online advertising's legal landscape.

The decision (PDF), delivered by a division bench of Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice Amit Mahajan last week, observed that Google was an "active participant" in the use of the trademarks of proprietors. Googles practice of suggesting competitors' trademarks as keywords to advertisers yielded significant profits for the search giant via keyword sales.

This case was spurred by a complaint from logistics firm DRS, which pointed out that searches for its trademark "Agarwal Packers and Movers" returned competitor websites. DRS alleged that Googles ad mechanism exploited its trademark to divert users to rival sites.

Upholding the initial order, the division bench directed Google to act on DRS's grievances and remove offending ads. This verdict implies that platforms like Google must introduce novel systems to address such trademark concerns continually.

"One of the worst ways to spend money as a business is to advertise against your own keywords," said Nithin Kamath, founder and chief executive of trading platform Zerodha, of the ruling in a thread on X. "Businesses do this because if they don't, competitors who advertise for their keywords show up above them in search results. So if you search for Zerodha, an ad from a competitor might show up above the organic search result. Many times these ads can be deceiving as well. This perverse situation was the result of the lack of trademark protection."

The courts assertion that Google is not a passive intermediary but runs an advertisement business, over which it has pervasive control, comes as a significant blow to the tech giant.

Merely because the said business is run online and is dovetailed with its service as an intermediary, does not entitle Google to the benefit of Section 79(1) of the IT (Information Technology) Act, in so far as the Ads Programme is concerned, the bench ruled.

While Google argued its position as an intermediary entitled it to "safe harbor," the bench said they found no issue in the prior single judges order, which suggested that the benefit of safe harbor under Section 79(1) of the IT Act would not be available to it if they were found guilty of trademark infringement.

This decision casts a shadow on the tech giant's advertising operations in one of its largest markets.
The state of Indiana reportedly blocked a doctor from receiving a prestigious award after she made national headlines and was reprimanded for revealing that she performed an abortion on a 10-year-old rape victim.

Dr Caitlin Bernard had been recommended as one of the winners of the states Torchbearer awards, which recognises women who have become true beacons of light.

Dr Bernard was chosen among a handful of winners by the judges from around 60 women nominated for the awards.

But when it came to the states Indiana Commission for Women approving the winners, Dr Bernards name had not approved written next to it, reported The Indianapolis Star.

Dr Bernard, a leading obstetrician-gynaecologist, faced a Republican backlash over the abortion case, which took place shortly after the Supreme Court dismantled Roe v Wade and was then reprimanded by the states medical board.

Indianas Medical Licensing Board determined that Dr Caitlin Bernard  who provided care for the 10-year-old patient who travelled from Ohio to obtain legal access to abortion  had violated patient privacy laws by speaking to a reporter about the case.

Dr Bernard received a letter of reprimand and a $3,000 fine.

When the Star asked why Dr Bernard had been removed from award consideration, the Indiana Civil Rights Commission said it was due to her case that went before the Medical Licensing Board.

It feels like the governor has said, women cannot be trusted to choose their own heroes, said Deb Chubb, executive director of the Indiana Womens Action Movement and one of the Torchbearer judges. I think its just another kick in the gut to women in Indiana.

The judges requested that Governor Eric Holcomb provided an explanation for weeks, but did not receive one.

Stephanie Slone, deputy director of internal and external programming at the Indiana Civil Rights Commission, eventually issued a statement to the Star after multiple requests.

After reviewing the backgrounds and supporting documentation of the nominations provided by the council of judges, it was determined that Dr Bernards nomination was not appropriate due to her ongoing case with the Medical Licensing Board, she told the newspaper in an emailed statement.
Editor's note: This is the third report in a three-part series that looks at the proposed use of water resources in Tippecanoe County to benefit economic development in Boone County.

LAFAYETTE, Ind.  If you own the land, Indiana law says you may use the water beneath the property.

This means that if Lebanon's LEAP developers buy land over the Wabash River aquifer in southwestern Tippecanoe County, they legally can tap into its water, pump between 10 million and 100 million gallons of water a day across one-third of the state to Lebanon for use at its 9,000-acre business park.

There's nothing that anyone here can do about it.

Originating in Ohio, the roughly 500-mile-long Wabash River, which empties into the Ohio River near Mount Vernon, is Indiana's official state river.

Indiana code specifies that water must be put to reasonable and beneficial use," said Ryan Mueller, deputy director of regulatory services for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources during an April online discussion of Indiana's water rights.

If there is a dispute about what is reasonable and beneficial, it would be decided by the courts, Meuller said.

Like most Midwestern and Eastern states, Indiana recognizes a system of riparian water rights where use of surface or ground water is associated with the ownership of land adjacent to or overlying ground water resources, Mueller said.

More: LEAP project proposes piping millions of gallons of water from Tippecanoe County aquifer

More: A look at potential impact of transferring water from one part of the state to another

High-capacity water withdraw operations, such as the one proposed by LEAP, must register with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources after it goes into operation, Mueller said. It does not require prior approval from the state.

After the high-capacity water withdraw is in operation, the owners will be required to file an annual report with the state, said Mark Basch of the water rights and use section of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

If a high-capacity user of ground water causes smaller wells to dry up, then those responsible for the high-capacity use of ground water are required to fix the problem.

This happened during the 2012 drought when Fair Oaks  a large livestock farming operation in Jasper County  caused residential wells to run dry, said Keith Cherkauer, a Purdue professor of agricultural and biological engineering and the director of the Indiana Water Resources Research Center.

In that instance, Fair Oaks paid for new, deeper wells for the smaller-capacity water users.

The proposed LEAP project

Jane Frankenberger, professor and extension agricultural engineer, began that April discussion by noting, If the analysis showed that the withdraw would be harmful to those who use the water today or will in the future  and I want to be clear, that this is not the case for the Lebanon withdraw  would it be allowed?

"Most likely  yes, in the Lebanon case," she said.

The Indiana Economic Development Corp.'s proposed LEAP development is on 9,000 acres in Boone County on the west side of Interstate 65 and mostly north of Indiana 32 plans. It is intended to house manufacturing operations as well as research and development businesses.

But Lebanon doesn't have the water to sustain such large manufacturing or R&D operations on the scale proposed for LEAP.

Ginger Davis, research hydrogeologist with Indiana Geological & Water Survey, said Lebanon is on a high-ground area, and ground water is moving in multiple directions. But the ground water there is in shallow systems, not on deeper bedrock system, like the aquifers in Tippecanoe County.

LEAP developers' solution is to tap the Wabash River aquifer in southwestern Tippecanoe County, pump the water 40 or 50 miles to Lebanon for treatment and use. As comparison to the vastness of the project, Indiana is 140 miles wide, so LEAP is proposing to pump water across roughly one-third of the state.

It's been estimated that the LEAP development will need between 10 million and 100 million gallons of water a day. By comparison, Lafayette uses between 10 million and 17 million gallons of water a day from the Teays River aquifer, Lafayette Mayor Tony Roswarski said.

Roswarski also wondered that if the aquifers in Tippecanoe County are tapped for Lebanon, might they be used in the future to meet the water needs of a growing metropolitan Indianapolis?

Indiana water use and its future

Whether the LEAP development ever materializes, the developers' plan at least started a statewide conversation about water use and water conservation in the state.

The question for each of us to think about is: Are we happy with this situation?" Frankenberger asked during the online presentation in April. "And if not, what policy changes could be implemented to protect our water resources from future unsustainable withdraws and transfers.

Cherkauer said, From the perspective as one who studies water resources, the biggest thing is Indianas current law is only about reacting to problems when theyve happened. I would like people in the state to think about the potential.

What do we want the future of this state to look like?" Cherkauer said. "Do we want people to be able to move water anywhere in the state? Do we want to put regulations on that? If we put regulations on that, what would they look like?"

The April discussion indicated that surface water in the state is increasing, but ground water, such as aquifers, is the unknown because they are not monitored closely.

I think it would take a lot for Indiana to go from where it is now, which is water rich, to a place where it would be really bad, Cherkauer said.

Indiana has plentiful water resources," Cherkauer said, "but they are not evenly distributed. That is why were having these conversations about moving water from one watershed to another.

In order to have a better understanding, ... we have to have better observational records, he said, describing the need to have test wells to monitor aquifer levels.

In Ohio, high-capacity pumping from wells requires permits from the state, according to the April discussion.

Proposals in the Indiana General Assembly to address how to regulate the state's water resources have failed.

Basch noted Indiana has a drought plan, but it is vague.

The Department of Natural Resources and Homeland Security can issue a drought watch, which is mostly voluntary conservation of water, Basch said.

The governor can declare a drought warning, which sets priorities for water use. Some of the those priorities are health and safety, power production, agricultural and domestic purposes, Basch said.

As for who may tap into groundwater, what it can be used for and even if it can be pumped to another watershed for use, the answer comes back to ownership of the land above the aquifer.

Davis raised concerns about aquifer water levels.

The trend of the water is declining, with obviously some droughts impacting that," Davis said. "We love to see that rebound and recharge of the aquifer with the water coming back up after droughts. But we are seeing a steady decline in those water levels.

The consequences for over withdraw  there are many, and they have been misunderstood and not characterized within the state," Davis said in April. "Id like to impress on you today the importance of characterizing these things before we over withdraw any aquifer.

Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Indiana laws give water rights to those who own the land
By Rupam Jain

NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday peace was returning to the strife-torn northeastern state of Manipur where at least 180 people have been killed and tens of thousands forced from their homes in sectarian clashes since May.

The federal government has deployed security forces to the hilly state bordering Myanmar governed by Modi's nationalist party to quell the violence, which comes as he is looking to secure a third term in a general election due by May next year.

"For some days now, we are getting reports of extended peace. The country is with the people of Manipur. The country wants the people of Manipur to hold on to the peace of the last few days and take it forward," Modi said in an Independence Day speech from the ramparts of New Delhi's Red Fort.

The violence between members of the majority Meitei ethnic group and minority Kuki began over competition for government benefits linked to education, jobs and influence.

Among those killed have been 21 women. Numerous incidents of rape have grabbed global attention and raised questions about the ability of Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to ensure security.

Modi condemned the sexual assault of women in Manipur and promised tough action but opposition parties accuse his government of dividing the state and not doing enough to end the clashes.

The government rejects those accusations and defeated an opposition vote of no-confidence motion over the handling of the conflict last Thursday.

"The state and federal governments are working very hard and will continue to work hard to resolve this peacefully," Modi said.

Civil rights group in Manipur say thousands of people who have fled from their homes are too scared to return and the restoration of normalcy requires financial aid and legal support. Manipur state chief minister hoisted India's tri-colour flag in the capital city of Imphal to commemorate Independence Day and there were no immediate reports of violence, officials said.

In his address, Modi listed the social, economic and pro-poor policies implemented during his nine years of rule and said his commitment to growth and making India an economic powerhouse would be sustained after securing a third term.

Leaders from Indian opposition parties' alliance called "INDIA" said Modi's Independence Day speech will be his last as his party will be routed in the general elections.

"Modi's failure in last nine years can be categorised under bad policies, injustice and perhaps most importantly ill intention," said Jairam Ramesh, a federal lawmaker from the opposition Congress party.

"Rhetoric and bluster can no longer cover up this truth which is now evident to the entire country," he said in a statement.

(Reporting by Rupam Jain; Editing by Robert Birsel and Susan Fenton)
Former President Donald Trump and more than a dozen of his allies were indicted on Monday in the state of Georgia connected to their alleged attempt to overturn and interfere with the 2020 presidential election that he lost to now-President Joe Biden.

Trump, and 18 others, were charged with RICO, or Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act  a statute originally applied to mob prosecutions and touted by ex-Mayor of New York Rudolph Giuliani when he served as a prosecutor in the 1980s, ABC News reports. Ironically, Giuliani himself is now charged under the statute in Georgia.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks during a press conference in Atlanta. (Photo: Facebook/ Fulton County District Attorneys office.) Former President Donald (Getty Images)

Among others charged include lawyer Sidney Powell, former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, and head of Black Voices for Trump, Harrison Floyd, according to reports and the lengthy indictment.

Related: She Obviously Wants Me Behind Bars: Donald Trump Plays Victim, Defies Judges Warning to Refrain from Inflammatory Comments, Slams Her As Biased and Unfair

The indictment alleges that rather than abide by Georgias legal process for election challenges, the defendants engaged in a criminal racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgias presidential election result, Fulton County District Attorney said at a news conference.

When a reporter asked Willis if she plans to try the defendants together, she responded: Yes. She also added that the group has until noon on Aug. 25 to turn themselves in. Trump, a GOP presidential contender, responded to the announcement and said that he is being targeted amid his White House bid.

So, the Witch Hunt continues! 19 people Indicated tonight, including the former President of the United States, me, by an out of control and very corrupt District Attorney who campaigned and raised money on, I will get Trump, he wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday afternoon. And what about those Indictment Documents put out today, long before the Grand Jury even voted, and then quickly withdrawn? Sounds Rigged to me! Why didnt they Indict 2.5 years ago? Because they wanted to do it right in the middle of my political campaign. Witch Hunt!

Those indicted in Georgia:



Donald Trump

Rudy Giuliani, Trump lawyer

Mark Meadows, White House chief of staff

John Eastman, Trump lawyer

Kenneth Chesebro, pro-Trump lawyer

Jeffrey Clark, top Justice Department official

Jenna Ellis, Trump campaign lawyer

Robert Cheeley, lawyer who  Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) August 15, 2023

Other charges Trump faces include two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree, conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer, and conspiracy to commit filing false documents, according to WXIA-TV.

As the indictment news trickled in, some people on social media reacted by making memes and praising Willis for her actions. Willis  who has been making national headlines due to this case  said in 2021 she would look into efforts to meddle in the presidential election in the Peach State, according to reports. Her announcement came shortly after taking office.

You get an indictment, you get an indictment, you get an indictment. 18 people and Trump FAAFO that Fani Willis plays no games, political and culture commentator Reecie Colbert tweeted.

You get an indictment, you get an indictment, you get an indictment. 18 people and Trump FAAFO that Fani Willis plays no games. pic.twitter.com/pZN2oziipU  Reecie @BlackWomenViews (@ReecieColbert) August 15, 2023

Adding sister DA Fani Willis to our prayer circle. She will be attacked by the media, MAGA, and everyone in between. She is fierce but even the strongest among us needs to be lifted up and kept in our thoughts and prayers. https://t.co/dtfM3WzSkx pic.twitter.com/4fFBRTLVNK  Candidly Tiff (@tify330) August 15, 2023

Fani Willis embodies the top 3 things Donald Trump hates in a woman-



1. She's black,

2. she's educated,

3. she's not afraid of him.  John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) August 15, 2023

Another person made a meme of Willis in a Barbie box, dubbing her Donald Trumps Worst F**kin Nightmare.

To commemorate Donald Trump's fourth Indictment, brought against him by Fulton County DA Fani Willis, Mattel releases a special edition "Donald Trump's Worst F**kin' Nightmare" Barbie.



Collect all 18! #BarbieMovie pic.twitter.com/5pkhxmagxK  PaulLeeTicks (@PaulLeeDicks) August 15, 2023

Fani Willis opened a can of Rico Whoop-ass on Donald Trump tonight. pic.twitter.com/7tcBbZBwWH    (@LePapillonBlu2) August 15, 2023

She is also known for spearheading the RICO indictment against Atlanta rapper Young Thug.

Donald Trump and Young Thug both facing RICO charges from the same D.A. might be the craziest melding of worlds weve ever seen.  kevikev (@KevCoke6) August 15, 2023

Trump & Young Thug in Georgia pic.twitter.com/g3FHPEPtAa  john carelli (@carellijawn) August 15, 2023
Donald Trumps former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows was charged Monday with multiple felonies stemming from his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia and other battleground states.

While Meadows is just one player in the alleged conspiracy laid out by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, the passages in the indictment bearing his name are noteworthy. Meadows made an appearance in front of the grand jury in Georgia but refused to answer questions, citing his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination.

Trump charged in Georgia: Read the full indictment

The indictment alleges that Meadows and Trump met on or about the 20th day of November 2020 with Michael Shirkey, leader of the Michigan state Senate; Michigan Rep. Lee Chatfield; and others. During the meeting, Trump allegedly made false statements concerning fraud in the 2020 election. A day later, per the indictment, Meadows sent a text message to United States Representative Scott Perry from Pennsylvania, asking for the phone number for the speaker and leader of that states Legislature. Both those contacts, the indictment states, were in furtherance of the conspiracy to overturn the election.

Then-chief of staff Mark Meadows outside the White House in 2020. (AP/Patrick Semansky)

On or around Nov. 25, 2020, the indictment states, Meadows attended a White House meeting with Trump, lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis (who were also charged Monday) and a group of Pennsylvania state lawmakers to discuss the possibility of holding a special session of that states General Assembly to challenge the election results.

Between Dec. 1 and Dec. 30, 2020, Meadows and Trump met with political adviser John McEntee to request that McEntee prepare a memorandum outlining a strategy for disrupting and delaying the joint session of Congress on January 6, 2021, the indictment states.

The strategy included having Vice President Michael R. Mike Pence count only half of the electoral votes from certain states and then return the remaining electoral votes to state legislatures, the indictment reads.

Read more on Yahoo News: Meet the 18 people charged with Trump in Georgia indictment, via The Hill

Meadows traveled to Cobb County, Ga., on or about Dec. 22, 2020, according to the indictment, attempting to observe ballot signature matching. At the Cobb County Civic Center, where the audit of signatures was being conducted by law enforcement officers, Meadows was denied entry.

Then-President Donald Trump and Meadows in 2020. (AP/Alex Brandon)

On or about Dec. 27, the indictment states, Meadows pressured Georgia Secretary of State Chief Investigator Frances Watson to speed up the audit.

Is there a way to speed up Fulton county signature verication in order to have results before Jan. 6 if the Trump campaign assist nancially, Meadows wrote, according to the indictment.

Read more on Yahoo News: Explainer  Trump charged under law used to prosecute mafia bosses, via Reuters

On Jan. 2, 2021, the indictment states, Trump and Meadows committed a felony by unlawfully soliciting, requesting, and importuning Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger during a phone call.

What I want to do is this. I just want to find, uh, 11,780 votes, which is one more than [the 11,779-vote margin of defeat] we have, because we won the state, Trump told Raffensperger as Meadows listened.

That pressure to find votes, according to the indictment, amounted to unlawfully inuencing the certied returns for presidential electors for the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia.
People shout slogans and hold up placards during a protest against violence in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur on July 21 in Bengaluru, India. Credit - Abhishek ChinnappaGetty Images

For nearly three months, the Indian state of Manipur had been raked with bloody violence between the majority Hindu Meitei and predominantly Christian Kuki-Zo tribes. But when a shocking 26-second videowhich showed armed Meitei men stripping two Kuki women and parading them naked through the streets of Kangpokpi districtwent viral in mid-July, the crisis sparked international condemnation and finally broke the Indian governments silence.

The criticism grew after police records showed the incident occurred on May 4, raising questions over why the video only surfaced 78 days later.

The answer, experts tell TIME, is that the authorities shut off the internet in Manipur on May 3. The state government, led by the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), says it did so to curb rumors and disinformation and quell the violence. But digital rights activists say there is no evidence that turning the internet off helped keep anyone safeand that the move may have even fueled violence.

The Manipur shutdown crippled the ability for information to reach the rest of the world, says Mishi Choudhary, an Indian technology lawyer based in the U.S. who founded the Software Freedom Law Center, or SFLC.in, to fight for digital rights back home. If we had seen the videos hidden from us for almost 80 days back in May, we could have reacted to it sooner.

While the internet shutdown in Manipur may be one of Indias longest shutdowns yet, it is hardly unprecedented. By and far, India is the most brutal censor of the internet in the democratic world, says Choudhary.

India has ranked first in the world for shutting off the internet over the past five years, according to SFLC.in and other digital rights watchdogs. In the first six months of this year, it imposed almost as many shutdowns as it did in all of 2022, according to Surfshark, a Netherlands-based virtual private network (VPN) provider.

In addition to cutting off the internet, the government also routinely blocks specific websites or successfully pushes social media platforms to block content in India. Last year, that included nearly 7,000 posts and social media accounts, according to the nonprofit Access Now.

In Manipur, the governments first course of action after the viral video triggered global outrage was to ask Twitter and other social media platforms to take it down because it could further disrupt the law and order situation in the state, a senior government official told The Indian Express on July 21. Four days later, Manipurs high court intervened to direct the government to restore the internet, but in a limited fashion.

This means that social media websites, WiFi hotspots, VPNs, and mobile internetused by the vast majority of Manipurs 2.2 million peopleremain blocked. The Internet Freedom Foundation in New Delhi has called this illegal and a deprivation of basic human rights.

As Manipur entered its 100th day of an internet shutdown on Friday, a far broader debate has emerged across India about the use of shutdowns, whether they work, and what social and economic costs they bring on.

The current era of total internet shutdowns began in India on Aug. 5, 2019, when the Muslim-majority region of Kashmir entered what would eventually be the worlds longest internet shutdownlasting 552 dayswhich the Indian government imposed after controversially revoking the states constitutional autonomy. Authorities eventually reinstated 4G mobile services in 2020, after the Supreme Court determined the ban could not be indefinite.

Although internet access had been restricted around the country before, Kashmir was a complete communications blockade, says Choudhary.

Kashmiri journalists hold placards and protest against 100 days of internet blockade in the region in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, on Nov. 12, 2019. Internet services have been cut since Aug. 5 when Indian-controlled Kashmir's semi-autonomous status was removed. Mukhtar KhanAP

Since then, the Indian government has imposed total shutdowns in many cases of communal unrest or public protests occurring across the country. To date, India has experienced a whopping 752 shutdowns since 2012, SFLC.in estimates.

The Indian government has not released a detailed accounting of the use of shutdowns. In July, Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar said the government does not maintain centralized data on the number of shutdowns imposed in India, and added that there was no report available to assess the economic loss. (Chandrasekhar was not available for comment.)

India had no laws to regulate Internet shutdowns until 2017, when the Indian Telegraph Act of 1885 was amended to say that shutdowns could only be ordered by a state governments home secretary when deemed necessary or unavoidable in public emergencies or in the interest of public safety. The amendments also dictate that a district magistrate, the administrative officer in charge in every state, must regulate shutdowns by clearly stating the rationale behind the decision in writing, which is then reviewed by a bureaucratic committee within three days.

But there is considerable latitude because terms like public safety and public emergency are not defined. In 2021, the internet was switched off when Indian farmers staged a months-long protest against new farm laws in the nations capital; in 2022, it was switched off in the city of Udaipur, in western India, when a Hindu tailor was murdered by a Muslim man in an incident that prompted fears over communal violence; and earlier this year, it was switched off once more when Punjab was placed under a three-day cellular blackout as police went on a manhunt to track down Amritpal Singh, a separatist Sikh leader on the run.

Sometimes the government implements shutdowns for seemingly mundane reasonslike preventing cheating in school exams or entry tests for competitive government jobs. A report by the Internet Freedom Foundation and Human Rights Watch found that almost a third of the disruptions counted from 2020 to 2022 were intended to prevent exam cheating.

The Supreme Court sought to toughen the rules against imposing shutdowns when it heard the case Anuradha Bhasin versus the Union of India regarding Kashmir. In a landmark verdict, the court prohibited the government from suspending the internet indefinitely and limited shutdowns to 15 days or less, providing a detailed set of guidelines to regulate such orders.

But the new guidelines did not prevent the shutdown in Manipur, which continues to be enforced through orders re-posted every few days. To SFLC.ins Choudhary, the implications of this are clear. Whether it's 78 days in Manipur or 552 days in Kashmir, internet shutdowns constitute a digital war in todays India, she says.

Houses are seen burnt following ethnic clashes and rioting in Sugnu, in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, on June 21. Altaf QadriAP

The impact of internet shutdowns is only growing as more and more people rely on an internet connection for their social and economic livelihoods.

In large part, thats because Indias Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has for years pushed for a Digital India to transform the countrys economy and boost growth. India has built an extensive, public-facing digital infrastructure over time that includes a biometric identity system, a digital payment interface that allows payments through QR codes (and which now accounts for over 70% of all non-cash retail payments in India), and an online data management system containing IDs, tax documents, vaccine certificates, and more.

On the one hand, the government pushes us all to live online, and on the other, it maintains a kill switch and uses it often, Choudhary says. And once you use that, you bring the entire economy and the entire social services to its knees.

Top10VPN, a global digital privacy and research organization, estimates the overall cost of shutdowns in India was $184.3 million in 2022. The figure is likely an underestimate; it excludes the informal work sector and not every shutdown is reported. The cost estimate also masks the ways in which shutdowns affect specific communities, typically poor or marginalized ones. In Kashmir, for example, at least 500,000 peoplemostly in the tourism sectorbecame unemployed as a result of the shutdown in 2019, according to a report by the Kashmir Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

And many experts say the shutdowns dont work, even judging by the rationale the government uses for them. What helps people keep safe in any crisis is the ability to access and exchange information, says Namrata Maheshwari, who serves as Access Nows Asia Pacific legal counsel, and shutdowns can never be justified because theyre always inherently a disproportionate measure.

They say that Indias situation is especially concerning given that in 2013 it joined many countries to proclaim, under Article 19 of the U.N.s International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, that the right to freedom of expression and information must also be protected online. There could not be a clearer basis for the illegitimacy of Internet shutdowns, wrote Tanja Hollstein and Ben-Graham Jones, in an op-ed for the Westminster Foundation for Democracy.

Yet Indian authorities continue to double down on their approach. After the sexual assault video in Manipur garnered international headlines last month, the states chief minister, N. Biren Singh, said that hundreds of similar cases have happened, that is why the internet is banned.

For digital rights activists, not to mention the people in Manipur left in the darkness, such comments are dismaying. When they say there are hundreds of crimes like the one we've already seen, then what is the point of all the shutdowns? asks Choudhary.

This story was supported by The Global Reporting Centre and The Citizens.

Write to Astha Rajvanshi at astha.rajvanshi@time.com.
An investigation is underway after a 93-year-old woman drowned while swimming in the water off a beach in Boston on Monday.

Troopers responding to a report of a person in distress in Castle Islands Pleasure Bay around 12 p.m. learned a client of an adult daycare program had inadvertently swam into deeper water during a supervised trip to the beach, according to Massachusetts State Police.

When the woman realized the depth of the water she was in, she panicked and yelled for help before becoming submerged, state police said.

Lifeguards and friends of the woman pulled her to shore, where they immediately began performing CPR. She was later transported to Boston Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

I was out about 50 yards just swimming, said Paul McGrath who grew up in Southie. I noticed that all the lifeguards and they were doing chest compressions.

State Police confirmed the woman was at the beach with an adult daycare group called Second Home Adult Health Care in Watertown. Boston 25 reached out for comment but got no reply.

McGrath says the water was calm and the beach was silent until this devastating incident Monday morning.

It was eerily quiet because everyone was seeing what the situation was, said McGrath.

We reached out to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Executive Office of Elder Affairs to see if the incident was reported to them and if the adult day care is under investigation.

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.

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The University of Massachusetts Boston launched an investigation after one of its students fell overboard from a school boat during a tour of Boston Harbor.

UMass Boston hosted a reception on the universitys research boat, named Columbia Point, for students completing their summer employment with the city of Boston on Friday.

During the tour of Boston Harbor, a student fell overboard and was pulled to safety on another, passing boat, according to University officials.

UMass Boston Police and University Health Services staff responded to the incident, examining the student for possible injuries and encouraging him to complete a full evaluation at a local hospital. After the Health Services exam, the student returned home, reads a statement from the university.

Members of the U.S. Coast Guard inspected Columbia Point and interviewed its crew members on Saturday. The UMass Boston vessel has been cleared to return to service.

The university said it will conduct its own investigation into the incident.

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.

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Welcome to Investigative Stories from Ukraine, the Kyiv Independent's newsletter that walks you through the most prominent investigations of the past week.

If you are fond of in-depth journalism that exposes war crimes, corruption and abuse of power across state organizations in Ukraine and beyond, subscribe to our investigative newsletter.

If youre enjoying this newsletter, consider joining our membership or supporting us with a one-time donation. Start supporting independent journalism today.

Top investigative stories

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Journalists identify Russian commanders involved in July strikes on Odesa

Ukrainian journalists with Telebachennia Toronto, a news and satire YouTube channel, identified Russian commanders allegedly involved in P-800 Onyx missile strikes on Odesa on July 19 and July 23, damaging the city's UNESCO heritage sites.

Onyxes are supersonic cruise missiles designed to destroy ships. They were reportedly launched from Bastion missile systems in occupied Crimea.

Journalists found that Russias 15th Coastal Defense Brigade is the only unit that operates Bastions. It is stationed in Russian-occupied Sevastopol in southwestern Crimea.

The channel named three Russians who allegedly participated in the attack: Brigade commander Oleg Scherbak, Bastion unit commander Alexander Myamlin, and the commander of one of the Bastion launchers, Alexey Vavilov.

In a series of strikes on Odesa, Russian forces targeted critical port and grain infrastructure following Moscows unilateral withdrawal from the United Nations-brokered Grain deal on July 17. They also damaged the historic city center and a UNESCO-listed cathedral.

Watch the full report in the Ukrainian language with English subtitles here.

RFE/RL: Top official moves to Miami while on government payroll

Yuriy Bulgak, a member of Ukraines Central Election Commission, moved to the U.S. 12 days before the Russian full-scale invasion began, but stayed on the government payroll, according to Schemes, an investigative project of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Since the move, he has received over Hr 1.5 million ($40,600) from Ukraine in salary and benefits.

Citing border crossing data, Schemes reported that Bulgak left Ukraine and never returned. He ostensibly went on vacation, according to the journalists. They combed through social media and found that the Bulgak family resettled on the ocean coast in the Miami suburbs.

Ukraines Central Election Commission allowed its employees to work remotely until March 9, 2023. On the day when the staff was supposed to be back at their desks in Kyiv, Bulgak took paternity leave, Schemes reported. He kept his job and even received benefits.

On Feb. 14, 2022, two days after Bulgak left Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky called on all traveling officials to return to the country within 24 hours. Bulgak told Schemes he thought this didnt apply to him.

Read the full story in Ukrainian here.

Media: Lviv Oblast city councilman fled Ukraine in spite of travel restrictions

Dmytro Kopanchuk, a 22-year-old member of the Rudky city council in Lviv Oblast, and a son of a member of the national parliament, left the country in January and has not returned, Lviv-based investigative outlet NGL Media found.

Both Dmytro Kopanchuk and his mother, Olena Kopanchuk, are in the ruling party, Servant of the People, the party of President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Since Russia launched its all-out war, Ukrainian men between 18 and 60 years of age have not been allowed to leave the country without a special permit from state authorities.

The official reason for Kopanchuks trip abroad was to accompany his disabled father, who has since come back to Ukraine.

Kopanchuk missed 14 out of 24 meetings of the city council since autumn 2020, according to the media report, which may be grounds for recall. Kopanchuk hasnt been seen at work since Dec. 15 last year, according to Rudky city council secretary, cited by the NGL Media.

Following the journalist investigation, Kopanchuk filed a letter of resignation to the city council on Aug. 9.

Read the full story in English here.

Meanwhile, in Russia

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Russian media confirm identities of 30,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine

Independent Russian outlet Mediazona and BBC Russia confirmed the names of 30,003 Russian soldiers who were killed in the first 17 months of the full-scale invasion. They used open-source information and counted the dead name by name.

Like Ukraine, Russia doesn't make its casualty statistics publicly available. Russias Defense Ministry said in late September 2022 that only 5,937 Russian troops had been killed in Ukraine.

For the count conducted by Russian independent journalists, they relied on information from obituaries, social media posts by relatives, regional news reports and statements by local authorities.

Since the latest update on July 28, a total of 1,351 names have been added to the list. The authors of the project said that the actual totals are likely to be considerably higher.

The latest update shows that the casualties among Russian artillery and rocket troops are gradually growing, according to Mediazona. Open-source researchers who are monitoring Ukraines counteroffensive in Zaporizhzhia Oblast have also spotted the same trend.

Since the latest update in July, the journalists also confirmed the deaths of four Russian officers with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel or higher, bringing the total tally of high-ranking officers to 284.

At least 176 military pilots are known to have been killed, according to Mediazona.

Check out the joint project by BBC Russia and Mediazona here.

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
The encampment on 28th and C in Downtown Sacramento was no different than other homeless encampments throughout California: Around 30 people, most living in tents, having been on the streets for months or years.

Every day for nearly three months, local outreach teams helped get people off the street. At a city council meeting, I asked: How many were enrolled in comprehensive, wraparound mental health and substance abuse treatment services? The stunning answer: Only one.

But why hasnt the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), the millionaires tax initiative I led in 2004, done more to alleviate the homeless crisis for the thousands of people with serious mental illness and substance abuse living on our streets? The answer: very little MHSA money is focused on chronic homelessness.

To be clear, the MHSAs billions have helped tens of thousands of people get the care they need. And, until recently, it was essentially the primary source for addressing the needs of people without insurance or access to mental health care.

Opinion

Now, nearly 20 years later, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Senator Susan Talamantes Eggman are seeking to modernize the MHSA. Senate Bill 326, if approved by the voters next March, would give the Legislature greater flexibility in dispersing MHSA funds. Newsom and Egman propose a more aligned approach for counties to spend dollars on proven responses to data-driven needs while retaining local flexibility to meet local needs. Larger percentages of funding will be allocated to housing for people living with serious mental illness or substance abuse and wraparound services, with a specific focus on the chronically homeless and a continuing focus on community care, including prevention and early intervention.

While there has been wide support across the state, from mental health advocates and first-responders to local leaders like me, a few changes have drawn a predictable response from some county leaders who suggest that if theyre required to spend more MHSA dollars on chronic homelessness, valuable programs must be cut.

Currently, Californias 58 counties invest billions of dollars in community-based care with virtually zero state guidance. For the first time, a California governor is proposing that the state has both the right and the obligation to set priorities that address the most serious crisis of our time. Newsom is creating accountability to deliver results and establishing ongoing funding for statewide housing and workforce to ensure our state has the mental health care beds and health care workers it needs.

The governors call to prioritize the chronically homeless mirrors the original intent of the act.

In 2004, we wrote Proposition 63 to build on a successful pilot program I authored to begin fulfilling then-Governor Ronald Reagan and the legislatures unkept promise when they shut state hospitals. Their well-intended policy promised to shift 90% of the savings from hospital closures to community-based mental health care, but that never came to fruition. The idea, the language and the campaign for the MHSA in 2004 emphasized addressing the most tragic consequence of that failed promise: the growing numbers of chronically homeless people living with serious mental illness.

Nearly two decades later, homelessness remains a top priority for most Californians, as recent studies show the money being spent is not focused enough on addressing this crisis. Newsoms proposal would bring about much-needed accountability at the local level so Californians can finally see results.

Approximately 82% of unsheltered Californians live with a serious mental health condition, according to UCSF. Current MHSA rules require the majority of direct service funds be directed toward the whatever it takes approach, but MHSAs oversight and accountability commission reported that nine out of 10 counties with the highest homeless population are failing to meet this requirement.

Orange County, the only county meeting the required standard, saw a 17% drop in people experiencing homelessness from 2019 to 2022  even while the statewide homelessness rate went up. That success is not a coincidence.

As for concerns about cutting prevention programs, its important to note that the modernization of the MHSA is not occurring in a funding vacuum. Over the past decade, state and federal funding for behavioral health has more than doubled. A recent report provides a detailed look at these funding increases.

Until now, California has never had a governor who made behavioral health a real priority. Newsom and the Legislature have invested billions of dollars in a complete overhaul of our statewide behavioral health network. Combining these new investments with a more focused and accountable MHSA is the best chance we have to make good on one of Californias longest unfulfilled promises.

Darrell Steinberg is the current Mayor of Sacramento, former president of the California State Senate and led the Proposition 63 initiative in 2004.
Last week, India's ruling government unveiled three new bills in parliament, stating that they would usher in a "significant transformation in our criminal justice system".

The bills are crafted to abolish and replace a trio of criminal laws. The Indian Penal Code and the Indian Evidence Act are antiquated colonial-era laws, while the Code of Criminal Procedure is half a century old. The bills have been referred to a parliamentary committee for further debate. Home Minister Amit Shah says their objective is to "deliver justice, not mere punishment".

India's criminal justice system needs urgent reform: shoddy police investigations often result in catastrophic miscarriages of justice; jails overflow with undertrials and the slow moving courts are clogged with some 50 million cases.

Legal scholars say the bills do contain some significant changes covering a swathe of the justice system.

For one, they bring offences like terrorism, corruption, mob lynching and organised crime under penal laws. They allow people to register a police complaint in any police station, regardless of the location where the crime took place. They propose video recording of search and seizure operations and increased use of electronic evidence and forensics during investigation. They introduce community service as a new form of punishment. They advocate speedier justice through video trials, and holding trials in absence of the accused.

India's criminal justice system needs urgent reform - the courts are clogged with some 50 million cases

Yet, experts are sceptical about how some of these laws will work. Anup Surendranath, a professor of law at Delhi's National Law University, says the manner in which the new offences - acts endangering sovereignty, organised crime, mob lynching, terrorism, rape by false promise to marry - are drafted "continues to be so vague that it ends up giving the police unreasonably wide powers of arrest". "These vague provisions perpetuate the exercise of police powers in constitutionally unacceptable ways," he says.

For decades, successive governments have used India's colonial-era draconian sedition law against students, journalists, intellectuals, social activists and those critical of authority. The government now claims that it has taken a "historic" decision by repealing the controversial law.

Not quite, say experts. The sedition law has been replaced by another in the new bill which punishes "acts endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity of India". In other words, experts say, this is really an expanded definition of sedition itself. "Sedition should have gone. It has been retained and perhaps also strengthened," says Naveed Mehmood Ahmad, a senior fellow at Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, a Delhi-based think-tank.

Experts point out that the bills overlook certain crucial aspects. Marital rape has not been criminalised despite India having tough laws to deter sexual violence against women. (The Supreme Court is also getting ready to start hearing petitions seeking its criminalisation.) Offences that criminalise speech - including sedition and obscenity - require reconsideration.

Botched investigations often lead to miscarriage of justice in India

Then there's semantics. Mrinal Satish, a professor of criminal law at the Bangalore-based National Law School of India University, suggests that the terminology of "modesty" employed in the code for the offence of "outraging the modesty of a woman" should be taken out. The bills should have also "revisited the offences relating to religion and blasphemy, some of which are still very vague and ambiguous to even qualify as criminal provisions", according to Mr Ahmad.

Some of the proposals appear to be fuzzy. Mr Ahmad highlights a provision that mandates a minimum sentence of seven years in prison, life imprisonment, or even the death penalty for every individual within a mob - a gathering of five or more people - found guilty of committing murder based on considerations of race, caste, and community.

"I am not sure what is the most appropriate punishment in this case, but certainly not the death penalty. Imagine sentencing a mob of 50 people to death for murder," Mr Ahmad says.

"Also, the bigger problem in these cases is the investigation, the evidence, and the manner in which the trial is conducted. I don't know how useful it is to club this offence with murder when we know that there are social and political factors that may impact these cases. This may need a very different approach - for determining guilt, collecting evidence and investigation."

Experts agree that many of the provisions in the 163-year-old Indian Penal Code are embarrassingly outdated. There's punishment for a thug, and the offence of obscenity is based on the ideas of Victorian morality. "Except removing the reference to thugs and punishment for it, the new bill retains other outdated parts and definitions. Seeking to change an existing law on the ground that it was enacted during the colonial period is not sufficient justification," says Prof Satish.

Moreover, there exist formidable institutional challenges, say experts. For instance, the bills propose that every crime scene must undergo forensic investigation. "But is India's forensic system ready to handle that? Everyone knows it isn't," says Prof Surendranath.

Some 9,000 people were held between 2011 and 2013 for sedition in Tamil Nadu for protesting against a nuclear plant

Most experts say the new bills "retain more than 80%" of the 160-year-old Indian Penal Code, drawn up by British historian Thomas Babington Macaulay. Also, the 50-year-old Code of Criminal Procedure, they say, has been updated and amended regularly, including as recently as 2018. "This is not an overhaul," says Prof Surendranath. "The majority of these bills retain exactly the same existing provisions under new names".

Experts say instead of repealing laws and dealing with the massive administrative challenges that would follow them, India could have just amended the existing laws. Countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Bhutan are still using the colonial penal code - Singapore recently made amendments to update it and introduce present-day requirements. India also changed and updated its law on sexual violence in 2013. "That would have been the way forward, not what the bills propose to do," says Prof Satish.

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:
Iranian authorities have re-arrested a journalist who interviewed the father of the woman whose custody death sparked months of protests, just two days after her release from jail, activists said on Tuesday.

Nazila Maroufian walked out of Tehran's Evin prison on Sunday, posting on social media a picture of herself without a headscarf in defiance of the Islamic republic's strict dress code for women.

"Don't accept slavery, you deserve the best!" she wrote in her posts.

But she has now been detained again and moved outside of Tehran to Qarchak women's prison, whose conditions are repeatedly criticised by rights groups, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said.

The group, which collates information from activists, said it had confirmed her re-arrest with a source close to the family.

Maroufian, whose age is given by Persian media outside Iran as 23, in October published an interview on the Mostaghel Online news site with Amjad Amini.

He is the father of Mahsa Amini, 22. Her death in custody last September 16 after she allegedly violated the dress rules sparked months of protests.

In the interview, Amjad Amini accused authorities of lying about the circumstances of his daughter's death.

Iranian authorities have indicated she died because of a health problem, but the family and activists have said she suffered a blow to the head while in custody.

- Echoes of another case -

Maroufian, a Tehran-based journalist from Amini's hometown of Saqez in Kurdistan province, was first arrested in November.

She was later released but in January said she had been sentenced to two years in jail, suspended for five years, on charges of propaganda against the system and spreading false news.

According to rights groups, Maroufian was again ordered back to Evin prison in early July.

Her rapid return to prison after posting defiant images upon her release on Sunday recalls the case of labour activist Sepideh Gholian.

In March, Gholian was re-arrested hours after she walked free from jail bare-headed and chanting slogans against Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Gholian, one of the most prominent female activists detained in Iran, remains in prison.

Iran has reacted harshly to reporting inside the country on the Amini case.

The two women journalists who helped bring the story to the world's attention have now spent almost a year in Evin prison after their arrest in September.

Niloufar Hamedi reported for Iran's Shargh newspaper from the hospital where Amini languished in a coma for three days before she died, and Elahe Mohammadi, a reporter for the Ham Mihan newspaper, went to Saqez to report on Amini's funeral.

Both are now on trial on charges of violating national security, which they vehemently deny.

According to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, 95 reporters were arrested in the crackdown on the Amini protests, although most have now been released on bail.

The crackdown left hundreds dead, mainly demonstrators but also security personnel.

sjw/it
Iranian director Saeed Roustaee, pictured in 2019, will serve about nine days in prison (ATTA KENARE)

A court in Iran has sentenced prominent movie director Saeed Roustaee to six months' prison for the screening of his film "Leila's Brothers" at the Cannes Film Festival last year, local media reported Tuesday.

"Leila's Brothers", a rich and complex tale of a family struggling with economic hardship in Tehran, has been banned in Iran since its release last year.

The movie was in competition for the Palme d'Or at last year's Cannes festival. It missed the top prize but won the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) award.

On Tuesday, the reformist daily Etemad said that Roustaee, along with the movie's producer Javad Noruzbegi, "were sentenced to six months in prison for screening the movie at Cannes Film festival".

Roustaee and Noruzbegi were found guilty of "contributing to propaganda of the opposition against the Islamic system."

"Leila's Brothers" was banned after it "broke the rules by being entered at international film festivals without authorisation," and the director refused to "correct" it as requested by the culture ministry, official media said at the time.

The film-makers will only serve one-twentieth of their sentence, about nine days, while the remainder "will be suspended over five years," according to Etemad, which added the verdict can be appealed.

During the suspension period, the defendants will be required to take a film-making course while "preserving national and ethical interests" and refrain from associating with other cinema professionals, the newspaper said.

Roustaee, 34, has gained international renown since the 2019 release of his film "Just 6.5", an uncompromising look at Iran's drug problem and the brutal, and fruitless, police response.

Iran has long had a thriving cinema scene, with figures like Jafar Panahi and Asghar Farhadi scooping awards around the world.

ap/mz/it
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The Islamic State group still commands between 5,000 and 7,000 members across its former stronghold in Syria and Iraq and its fighters pose the most serious terrorist threat in Afghanistan today, U.N. experts said in a report circulated Monday.

The experts monitoring sanctions against the militant group, also known by its Arab acronym Daesh, said that during the first half of 2023 the threat posed by IS remained mostly high in conflict zones and low in non-conflict areas.

But the panel said in a report to the U.N. Security Council that the overall situation is dynamic, and despite significant losses in the group's leadership and reduced activity in Syria and Iraq, the risk of its resurgence remains.

The group has adapted its strategy, embedding itself with local populations, and has exercised caution in choosing battles that are likely to result in limited losses, while rebuilding and recruiting from camps in the northeast of the Syrian Arab Republic and from vulnerable communities, including in neighboring countries, the experts said.

The Islamic State group declared a self-styled caliphate in a large swath of territory in Syria and Iraq that it seized in 2014. It was declared defeated in Iraq in 2017 following a three-year battle that left tens of thousands of people dead and cities in ruins, but its sleeper cells remain in both countries.

Despite sustained counter-terrorism operations, Daesh continues to command between 5,000 and 7,000 members across Iraq and Syria, most of whom are fighters, though it has reduced its attacks deliberately to facilitate recruiting and reorganization, the experts said.

In northeast Syria, approximately 11,000 suspected Daesh fighters are being held in facilities of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which have played a prominent role in the fight against IS, the panel said. The fighters include more than 3,500 Iraqis and approximately 2,000 from almost 70 nationalities, it said.

Northeast Syria is also the site of two closed camps  al-Hol and Roj  where the experts said some 55,000 people with alleged links or family ties to IS are living in dire conditions and significant humanitarian hardship.

Approximately two-thirds of the population are children including over 11,800 Iraqis, nearly 16,000 Syrians and over 6,700 youngsters from more than 60 other countries, the experts said.

The panel quoted one unnamed country as saying Daesh has maintained its Cubs of the Caliphate program, recruiting children in the overcrowded al-Hol camp. In addition, more than 850 boys, some as young as 10, were in detention and rehabilitation centers in the northeast, the experts said.

In Afghanistan, the panel said U.N. members assess the Islamic State group poses the most serious terrorist threat to the country and the wider region. IS has reportedly increased its operational capabilities and now has an estimated 4,000 to 6,000 fighters and family members in Afghanistan, it said.

In Africa, on a positive note, the experts said the deployment of regional forces in Mozambiques Cabo Delgado province disrupted the IS affiliate, and regional countries estimate it now has 180-220 male fighters with battlefield experience, down from 280 previously.

In the east, the experts said several countries expressed concern that terrorist groups like Daesh could exploit political violence and instability in conflict-wracked Sudan.

And some countries assess that the Daesh affiliate in Africa's Sahel has become increasingly autonomous and had played a significant role in the escalation of violence in the region, alongside other terrorist groups, they said, pointing to increased IS attacks on several fronts in Mali and to a lesser extent in Burkina Faso and Niger.
File - Prisoners work at a nearly 1,800-year-old decorated floor from an early Christian prayer hall discovered by Israeli archaeologists on Sunday, November 6, 2005 in the Megiddo prison. Israeli officials are considering uprooting the mosaic and loaning it to the controversial Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C., a proposal that has upset archaeologists and underscores the hardline government's close ties with evangelical Christians in the U.S. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit, File)

TEL MEGIDDO, Israel (AP)  An ancient Christian mosaic bearing an early reference to Jesus as God is at the center of a controversy that has riled archaeologists: Should the centuries-old decorated floor, which is near what's believed to be the site of the prophesied Armageddon, be uprooted and loaned to a U.S. museum that has been criticized for past acquisition practices?

Israeli officials are considering just that. The proposed loan to the Museum of the Bible in Washington also underscores the deepening ties between Israel and evangelical Christians in the U.S, whom Israel has come to count on for political support, tourism dollars and other benefits.

The Megiddo Mosaic is from what is believed to be the world's earliest Christian prayer hall that was located in a Roman-era village in northern Israel. It was discovered by Israeli archaeologists in 2005 during a salvage excavation conducted as part of the planned expansion of an Israeli prison.

The prison sits at a historic crossroads a mile south of Tel Megiddo on the cusp of the wide, flat Jezreel Valley. The compound is ringed by a white steel fence topped with barbed wire and is used for the detention of Palestinian security inmates.

Across a field strewn with cow-dung and potsherds, the palm-crowned site of a Bronze and Iron Age city and ancient battles is where some Christians believe a conclusive battle between good and evil will transpire at the end of days: Armageddon.

For some Christians, particularly evangelicals, this will be the backdrop of the long-anticipated climax at the Second Coming, when divine wrath will obliterate those who oppose God's kingdom; it serves as the focus of their hopes for ultimate justice.

The Israel Antiquities Authority said that it will decide about the move in the coming weeks, following consultations with an advisory body.

Theres an entire process that academics and archaeologists are involved with, said IAA director Eli Eskozido. The organization said that moving the mosaic from its original location was the best way to protect it from upcoming construction at the prison.

Jeffrey Kloha, the Museum of the Bibles chief curatorial officer, said a decision on the loan would be made solely by the IAA.

The museum of course would welcome the opportunity to educate our thousands of visitors on important pieces of history such as this mosaic, he told The Associated Press via email.

Several archaeologists and academics have voiced vociferous objections to the notion of removing the Megiddo Mosaic from where it was found  and all the more so to exhibit it at the Museum of the Bible.

Cavan Concannon, a religion professor at the University of Southern California, said the museum acts as a right-wing Christian nationalist Bible machine with links to other institutions that promote white evangelical, Christian nationalism, Christian Zionist forms.

My worry is that this mosaic will lose its actual historical context and be given an ideological context that continues to help the museum tell its story, he said.

Others balk at the thought of moving the mosaic at all before academic study is complete.

It is seriously premature to move that mosaic," said Matthew Adams, director of the Center for the Mediterranean World, an non-profit archaeological research institute, who is involved in digs at Tel Megiddo and the abutting Roman legionary camp of Legio.

Asked about criticisms of the Washington museums practices, Kloha said, Major museums and distinguished institutions committed to preserving history have had to grapple with cultural heritage issues, particularly in recent years.

To be clear: Museum of the Bible is proud to have proactively launched research and a thorough review of items in its collections, he added. The museum initiated returns where appropriate to countries of origin without obligation to do so and encourages other institutions to do the same.

Based on other finds found in the dig and the style of the letters in the inscriptions, IAA archaeologists have dated the mosaic floor to the third century  before the Roman Empire officially converted to Christianity and when adherents were still persecuted. Nonetheless, one of the donors who paid to decorate the ancient house of worship was a centurion serving in the adjacent Roman legionary camp.

The mosaic bears Greek inscriptions, among them an offering To God Jesus Christ.

Since opening its doors in 2017, the Museum of the Bible has faced criticism over its collecting practices and for promoting an evangelical Christian political agenda. In 2018, it had to repatriate an ancient Mesopotamian tablet looted from Iraq and admit that several of the Dead Sea Scroll fragments in its collection were modern forgeries. American authorities also seized thousands of clay tablets and other looted antiquities from the museums founder, Hobby Lobby president and evangelical Christian Steve Green, and returned them to Iraq.

The mosaic loan would reinforce ties between Israel and the museum. The museum sponsors two archaeological digs in Israel, has a gallery curated by the IAA. Kloha said the museum also is planning a lecture series featuring IAA archaeologists.

Evangelical Christians, whose ranks have been growing worldwide, have become some of Israel's most fervent supporters, donating large sums of money and visiting the country as tourists and pilgrims. In the U.S., they also lobby politicians in Congress in support of Israel.

Evangelicals, who make up more than a third of the world's estimated 2 billion Christians, say their affinity for Israel stems from Christianitys Jewish roots.

Some view the founding of Israel as fulfilling biblical prophecy, ushering in an anticipated Messianic age when Jesus will return and Jews will either accept Christianity or die. That tenet has generated unease among some Israelis, but politicians have embraced evangelical support for the state nonetheless.

Since its discovery, the mosaic has remained buried beneath the grounds of the Megiddo Prison. But in recent years the Israeli government has started advancing a multi-year plan to move the prison from its current location and develop a tourist site around the mosaic.

The Tel Megiddo archaeological site is already a major attraction for evangelical Christians visiting the Holy Land. Busloads of pilgrims stop on their way to or from the Galilee to see the ruins of a biblical city and pray at the site where they believe the apocalypse will take place.

Neither the IAA nor the museum would discuss the exact terms of the loan proposal, but Eskozido suggested something similar to the decade-long global tour of a Roman mosaic found in the central Israeli city of Lod until Israel had completed a museum to house it.

Experts remain skeptical of uprooting the mosaic.

Once you take any artifact outside of its archaeological context, it loses something, it loses a sense of the space and the environment in which it was first excavated, said Candida Moss, a theology professor at University of Birmingham who co-wrote a book about the Museum of the Bible.

Rafi Greenberg, a professor of archaeology at Tel Aviv University, said the proposal smacked of colonialism, where historically dominant powers have extracted archaeological discoveries from colonies.

Even if Israel doesnt ever recognize itself as being a colony, it is actually behaving like one, which I find odd, he said. Greenberg said that archaeological finds should stay where they are and not be uprooted and taken abroad to a different country and basically appropriated by a foreign power.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Several tonnes of medicines sent by Israel to Ukraine have been delivered to Kyiv.

Source: Michael Brodsky, Israels Ambassador to Ukraine, on Telegram

Details: On Tuesday 15 August, the medicines were handed over to Ukrainian officials.

Quote: "Israel has supplied several tonnes of medicines to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. The handover ceremony took place today in Kyiv with the participation of Israel's Deputy Ambassador to Ukraine Liron Finkelstein and Ukrainian officials."

Background:

Recently, the Israeli government decided to cancel health insurance for refugees from Ukraine. But later, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen promised that his country would not do so.

French President Emmanuel Macron would prefer that Israel and some other democratic countries do more for Ukraine during the ongoing full-scale war with Russia.

Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron!






Wearing a 12-foot albino Burmese python named Fluffy around his neck is just another day at work for Jack Baugus.

Or, maybe hes checking on Bubbles, his 3-foot-long alligator, or chatting it up with Scoot, an 18-year-old blue and gold Macaw.

I have to keep reminding myself that my normal everyday routine is completely out of the world to a lot of people, Baugus said.

The Chesapeake resident, affectionately known as Jungle Jack, is like a walking encyclopedia when it comes to animals. And it was that passion that drove Baugus to start his small business, Jacks Jungle, three years ago.

The mobile zoo brings a variety of animals to parties, schools, corporate events and festivals to educate, create connections and foster a respect for nature, the environment and animal conservation.

Jacks Jungle has roughly 200 animals, including four giant African millipedes; tarantulas; iguanas; a sailfin dragon; a scorpion; an African pixie frog; Nikki, a yellow anaconda; and Steve Irwin, the blue-tongued skink.

Shows typically last one hour and consist of six animals  Baugus selects three and the customer selects the other three. Shows can be customized for longer time slots and additional animals. He delves into the origin of each animal, its eating habits, predators, ecological roles and more. If the animal can be touched or held, guests are invited to do so.

Baugus has no restrictions on how far Jacks Jungle will travel, but there is a fee based on driving distance. From Washington, D.C., for a corporate event for Microsoft, to events in Kitty Hawk and Raleigh, North Carolina, and throughout Hampton Roads, Baugus said the farthest hes traveled to date is three and a half hours.

___

Finding his animal career

Originally, Baugus said his plans were to be a veterinarian but halfway through college, he realized he didnt like medicine.

I really just liked animals and animal education, he said.

Even as a young boy, Baugus said he was out in the yard catching frogs, snakes and salamanders.

When I was 10, I started my very first business breeding rats and mice, he said.

Hired at the education department at the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk in 2019, Baugus was on a team that ran birthday parties, guided tours, slumber parties and special events.

Then, the pandemic hit.

A year into his dream job of handling animals all day and educating the community, Baugus said he and other co-workers in his department were blindsided when they were laid off via Zoom. The zoo closed to the public for more than three months and then followed pandemic-related precautions that limited certain activities.

Working a part-time job at a pet store at the time, Baugus said he picked up more hours there and was quickly promoted to manager.

But I had fallen in love with working at the zoo and when they laid me off, I was like, I cant accept not doing this anymore, he said.

With a dozen exotic pets already in his possession, including snakes, a lizard and a tortoise, Baugus set his business plan in motion and opened Jacks Jungle in August 2020. He kicked it up a notch by adding a menagerie of animals, or educational ambassadors as Baugus likes to call them.

___

Passion leads to expansion

And by early fall, Baugus plans to load his barnyard animals into a livestock trailer for a mobile petting zoo. They include Peanut, Butter and Jelly, the triplet dwarf goats; Bjorn the Viking, a Kunekune piglet; Red the Bull, a mini cow; and Doodle, a miniature donkey.

His bird flock includes turkeys, ducks, geese and chickens and should reach 50 by the years end.

Of all the creatures, Baugus said his four Sulcata tortoises named Thomas, Harriet, Duke and Charles are his favorite.

They have big personalities and theyre easy to care for, Baugus said.

With a bookkeeper on staff, a veterinarian on call and several helpers at the ready, Baugus team is quickly growing, but more are needed.

Last month, we turned away 15 shows because I was just so booked, he said.

He also has a 13-foot temperature controlled trailer complete with 25 enclosures to set up for three hours at festivals. Guests walk through to see everything from parrots to bunnies to snakes to alligators, he said.

I get to teach people about animals and hang out with animals all day, Baugus said. Plus, seeing kids conquer their fears and that spark in their eyes is really cool.

___

Is this really my job?

Kristi Mooneys two sons, John, 10, and Matthew, 8, both wanted Jungle Jack at their birthday parties last year.

Theyre both really into animals, Mooney said. Its great because its very interactive and educational.

KeShera Kiki McIntyre, director of My Joy Learning Center & Childcare in Norfolk, has had Jacks Jungle out several times.

It allows the kids to have an opportunity they wouldnt normally have, she said. And he adds so much excitement to what hes teaching.

Despite setbacks, its clear Jungle Jack found his way.

I wake up and Im like, Is this really my job? he said.

For more information, visit jbjungle.com.

Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-652-5836, sandra.pennecke@insidebiz.com
By Humeyra Pamuk and Simon Lewis

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. permanent resident detained in Iran since 2016 has begun a hunger strike in protest of his exclusion from last week's deal between Washington and Tehran that could eventually result in the release of five Americans jailed in Iran, his son said on Monday.

Shahab Dalili, 60, a shipping captain who had emigrated to the United States after retiring, was detained in Tehran in April 2016 during a visit for his father's funeral.

He was charged with aiding and abetting a foreign country and was handed a 10-year prison sentence that he is serving in Iran's Evin prison which holds many political prisoners.

Under a complicated agreement whose implementation will likely take weeks, Iran may free five detained U.S. citizens in return for $6 billion of Iranian funds in South Korea being unfrozen. Washington would also release several jailed Iranians.

As first step of the deal, Iran last week allowed four detained U.S. citizens to move into house arrest from Tehran's Evin prison, a lawyer for one said. A fifth was already under home confinement.

"The deal is being done and he's not part of it. That was very heartbreaking," Dalili's son, Darian, said in a brief telephone interview. He added that he himself also began a hunger strike to raise awareness about his father.

"He feels betrayed. He is demoralized. He believes that the U.S. would bring back anyone that they want to bring back," Darian said.

Pressed by reporters at the State Department daily briefing, deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel did not give a clear reason why Dalili was not part of the deal but said he has not yet been declared "wrongfully detained."

The legal determination is made by the State Department and effectively means that the U.S. government views the charges levied against the individual as politically motivated and false.

The determination allows the U.S. State Department to dedicate more resources into the case, assigns the responsibility with a special presidential envoy and raises the prominence of the issue.

Patel also did not say why Dalili was not categorized as wrongfully detained. Dalili's son Darian told Reuters that he received a phone call on Friday from the Department's acting special envoy for Iran, Abram Paley.

"I asked why haven't the (wrongfully detained) designation happened yet and he wasn't able to provide an answer," Darian said.

The State Department declined to comment specifically on Paley's phone call with Dalili's son but Patel earlier said the United States "regularly and actively review individual cases for indications and indicators of possible wrongful detention."

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Simon Lewis in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
Multiple doctors have advised Farah Nurfirman to leave her hometown Jakarta for her health's sake.

The 22-year-old asthmatic often wears a mask and carries an inhaler, but the air quality in the city is not helping.

The Indonesian capital, which has long wrestled with air pollution, was ranked the most polluted city on global charts nearly every day last week.

President Joko Widodo on Monday even mandated that all civil servants work from home amid worsening air quality.

Last week, Jakarta saw its airborne concentration of the pollution particles known as PM2.5 outpace other heavily polluted cities such as Riyadh, Doha and Lahore, according to live data from Swiss air quality technology company IQAir. The company ranks pollution in major cities in real time every day.

Jakarta has also been consistently ranked among the 10 most polluted cities globally since May. The capital city and its surrounding region are home to about 30 million people.

These days, Farah also carries an oximeter - a device usually placed on a fingertip to measure oxygen levels in someone's blood - to better monitor her condition.

"For people with asthma, even if your oxygen levels fall just a little, you can really feel it. And it's not just tightness, my chest really hurts. So it's hard to breathe," said Farah, who works as an intern at a marketing agency.

"My asthma is severe and also hereditary. Every doctor told me to move out of Jakarta. 'Get out of Jakarta if you want to get better, or you will continue to be like this,' they'll say."

"I am quite tired because I can't do anything. But this is where I live. Apart from wearing a mask, there is not much I can do," Farah said.

Local authorities blame the pollution spike on the dry season and vehicle emissions, and will soon carry out random checks on vehicles and force drivers to undergo emission tests.

President Widodo urged weather modification to produce artificial rain in Greater Jakarta, and advised companies to impose hybrid working.

The city government is also considering an order for half of its civil servants to work from home.

But Jakarta residents like Juan Emmanuel Dharmadjaya find themselves in a dilemma. "I really want to stay in Indonesia because this is where I was born and my family is here. But the air pollution is a silent killer."

The 22-year-old previously suffered from tuberculosis and now has sinus issues. The deteriorating air quality is taking a toll on his health, he said.

"I cannot focus on my daily life because my nose gets runny and very itchy all the time," said Juan, who works in the IT industry.

Alluding to his time as a student in Germany, he said: "In Europe, I've never had a runny nose or cough even during the winter when the temperature goes below freezing. But when I returned to Jakarta, my nose immediately ran. It's so bad and clogged."

Sigit Reliantoro, a senior official at Indonesia's Ministry of Environment and Forestry, told reporters at a press conference last Friday that dry air in June, July, and August has "invariably" led to an escalation of air pollution in Jakarta.

Dry air typically means pollutants remain suspended in the air for extended periods. Wildfires are also more common during dry seasons.

Government research shows that vehicle emissions account for 44% of air pollution, Sigit noted.

But activists like Muhammad Aminullah believe factories and coal-fired power plants are the primary contributors to Jakarta's toxic smog.

Although Indonesia has big ambitions to cut carbon emissions - such as by phasing out coal for electricity by 2056 - it is currently the world's biggest exporter of thermal coal. Phasing out coal is costly because of the large numbers of people employed in related industries in Indonesia.

The government has not come down hard enough on these industries because of "economic and political interests," said Aminullah, who leads The Indonesian Forum for the Environment, also known as Walhi. He claims that the ashes from burning coal are not properly managed even if the plant is located near a community settlement.

Amrin (not his real name), who lives near a coal-fired power plant, is among those affected.

He told the BBC his family used to store rainwater for bathing and consumption. But that was no longer feasible after the plant started operating in 2009.

"We don't dare to do that anymore because the water collected is black and contaminated by a lot of thick black dust on the roof," he said.
A Georgia grand jury voted to indict former President Donald Trump and 18 of his allies, including one of his attorneys Jenna Ellis.

Ellis didnt deliver any testimony at a state Senate subcommittee hearing just weeks after the November 2020 election, but she was there alongside Rudy Giuliani, Jacki Pick and, virtually, John Eastman.

[READ: Former President Donald Trump among 19 indicted in Georgia election interference case]

They were all a part of then-President Donald Trumps legal team trying to convince legislatures in seven key battleground states, including Georgia, that there had been so much voter fraud they had the constitutional authority to overturn the election and select their own slate of Republican electors.

It was at that hearing that trumps Georgia attorney Ray Smith testified that more than 130,000 people voted illegally here -- something multiple state and federal investigations proved just wasnt true.

2,506 felons voted illegally in Georgia, Smith said. 10,315 or more individuals voted who were deceased by the time of the election. 15,700 to vote in Georgia who filed a national change of address form with the Postal Service prior to Nov. 3, 2020.

RELATED STORIES:

The Jan. 6 Commission said Ellis was one of the architects of the scheme to convince then-Vice President Mike Pence to toss out the legally certified Democratic electors from those battleground states on Jan. 6 and instead count the Republican false electors, thereby throwing the election to Trump.

Legal experts agreed that Pence did not have the constitutional authority to that, and he refused.

In the summer of 2022, after originally fighting the subpoena, Ellis reported and testified before the Fulton County special purpose grand jury.

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About 100 parents gathered outside a New Jersey courthouse Tuesday as a judge considers whether to block three school districts from implementing a new policy that requires teachers to notify parents if their children request to change gender identities.

The policies at Middletown, Marlboro and Manalapan-Englishtown regional school districts were approved on June 20, but less than a day later, New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin filed three "emergency" lawsuits on behalf of Gov. Phil Murphy's administration in opposition to them.

Inside the courthouse in Freehold on Tuesday, the state argued for the court to keep the current preliminary injunction on the policies in effect.

"There will be irreparable harm if the policy is implemented. Once a school outs a student to their parent, the harm is done. Its irreversible," New Jersey Deputy Attorney General James Michael said.

NEW JERSEY SUES SCHOOL DISTRICTS OVER TRANSGENDER NOTIFICATION POLICY, CLAIMS IT POSES SEVERE RISK TO KIDS

But Marlboro school district lawyer Marc Zitomer argued that "parental notification is not discriminatory."

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

"I think that we all can see there is a constitutional right for a parent to oversee the upbringing of their child," Judge David Bauman said at one point in the proceedings before later dismissing the court and telling lawyers from both sides that he would give a written notice with an answer "shortly."

Ten transgender activists showed up outside the courthouse in Freehold on Tuesday as the proceedings went on inside.

In Middletown, the new policy stated that teachers and administrators must alert parents if their child begins using a different name, pronouns or a bathroom that contradicts their sex.

In the states lawsuit, Platkin stated that "outing" transgender, gender-nonconforming and non-binary students poses "serious mental health risks; threatens physical harm to students, including increased risk of suicide; and shirks the District's duty to create a safe and supportive learning environment for all."

"In New Jersey, we will not tolerate any action by schools that threatens the health and safety of our young people. Without question, the discriminatory policies passed by these Boards of Education, if allowed to go into effect, will harm our kids and pose severe risk to their safety," Platkin later added.

In a statement to Fox News Digital in June, Middletown Board Counsel Bruce Padula said the policy was neither discriminatory nor does it treat transgender students differently.

NEW JERSEY BOARD OF EDUCATION ADOPTS EQUITY POLICY, REMOVING TERMS LIKE FEMALE AND MALE IN FAVOR OF ALL STUDENTS

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy

"While the State of New Jersey mandates that school districts adopt a transgender student policy, specifically singling out these students in our community, Middletowns policy treats all students the same," he said. "If any student, regardless of gender identity or expression, sought to change their official school records or was seeking or identified as needing counseling, parents would and should be notified, just as they are informed of every other aspect of their childs activities in school. Contrary to the Attorney Generals false narrative, this is not an outing policy. Middletown will vehemently defend its policy."

The policies in the kindergarten through eighth-grade districts of Marlboro and Manalapan-Englishtown include similar provisions, with slight alterations related to what triggers a notification to parents and whether school professionals are included in the discussion.

Platkin has said that transgender children are a protected class, and as such, school districts implementing similar policies directly violate New Jersey's Law Against Discrimination.

The lawsuits also states that the policies directly defy the New Jersey Department of Education's policy on transgender students, which claims parents should not be informed about what their child does in school.

Fox News' Angela Bertorelli and Courtney De George contributed to this report.
US President Joe Biden says he will travel to Hawaii "as soon as he can" amid criticism of his response to the island's deadly wildfires.

Speaking in Milwaukee on Tuesday, Mr Biden said he wanted to ensure that the people in the state had "everything they need".

The death toll from the fires is now 101 with some 1,300 people missing.

Hawaii residents have complained about the pace of the federal government's response to the disaster.

While at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, over the weekend, Mr Biden was asked by a reporter about the rising death toll in Hawaii, and responded: "No comment."

The president said on Tuesday he had not yet visited because of concerns that doing so would divert resources and attention from the humanitarian response. Jill Biden will accompany him to Hawaii, he said.

"I don't want to get in the way. I've been to too many disaster areas," Mr Biden said. "I want to be sure we don't disrupt ongoing recovery efforts."

Over 500 federal emergency personnel have so far been dispatched to help with relief efforts, including 150 search and rescue specialists.

Additional personnel are being sent to Maui to help those already on the ground, Mr Biden added.

He said that "all available federal assets" in the region would be used for recovery efforts, including the US military and Coast Guard.

"It's painstaking work. It takes time and it's nerve wracking," the president said.

Emergency workers search through destroyed neighbourhoods in the Maui city of Lahaina, Hawaii

The US Small Business Administration has also begun offering low-interest disaster loans to help local residents rebuild.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) has approved one-time payments of $700 (550) per household to help with immediate needs in the wake of the disaster.

"Every asset they need will be there for them," said Mr Biden. "And we'll be there in Maui as long as it takes."

In a video update on Tuesday, Governor Josh Green said he and Mr Biden were speaking "often" and would work out a time for the president to visit once "the heart-breaking work is done on the ground finding those we've lost".

Officials in Hawaii have said they expect the death toll to rise in the coming days as more bodies are recovered from the worst hit parts of Maui. Only 25% of the affected area has so far been searched for human remains.

Approximately 80% of Lahaina - a town of about 12,000 residents - was destroyed in the blaze.

On the ground in Maui, many residents told the BBC they have been frustrated at the scale and the speed of the recovery efforts.

One resident, Les Munn, said he had so far received $500 from Fema - less than the price of a night in most hotel rooms on the island.

For now, he is still sleeping on a cot in a shelter.

Joe Biden in Milwaukee

Another local, Felicia Johnson, said that "everybody wants the glory but nobody wants to put their feet on the ground".

On a street above the fire line in Lahaina, one woman said she feared she would starve to death in the days after the fire.

But now people are dropping bags of ice, water, clothing, batteries and small solar chargers at her neighbour's home, one of several grassroots relief supplies hubs co-ordinated by locals in the area.

Ahead of a second trip into the worst-hit area, Amory Mowrey spent $1,700 to load his and his friend's SUVs with toilet paper, cases of water, packs of batteries and sacks of rice.

"We're just trying to get supplies as fast as possible into the affected areas so people get what they need," he said. "There's a lack of response, it felt like, from large organisations."

Others expressed frustration that locally sourced supplies were being turned away by government officials, or that road closures had prevented people from entering Lahaina to help.

"The government's getting in the way of people helping," said Liz Germansky, who lost her home in the fire.

"I don't think the government could have done less," she told the BBC while sitting in a traffic jam on the island.

"The way things are unfolding right now is typical of what we all experienced on Tuesday... it's no wonder that this got so out of hand."

Additional reporting by Regan Morris in Maui
A Fayette County judge on Monday dismissed a manslaughter charge against a mother accused of fatally stabbing a man who attacked her in front of her kids, saying there was no evidence to suggest she acted in anything other than self-defense.

Jennifer Kashuba, 36, was indicted for charges of second-degree manslaughter, abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence in the death of James Jimmy Medlock. Kashuba stabbed Medlock, hid his body in the closet for months, and later dumped him near a dumpster, according to court testimony and previous police statements.

Fayette Circuit Judge Julie Goodman said there was no question Kashuba killed Medlock and hid his body, but added there was not a scintilla of evidence to suggest that Medlock was not the original aggressor.

There was absolutely no evidence that he was the victim of aggression, she said Tuesday morning.

Kashuba was originally charged with murder, but that charge was reduced following a grand jurys ruling. According to testimony, Medlock was transient and would stay on Kashubas couch. The day of the stabbing, Medlock came home and began assaulting Kashuba in front of her three young children, according to court testimony.

One of the children distracted Medlock long enough for Kashuba to run and grab a kitchen knife, which she used to stab Medlock  who died from one single stab wound to the chest, according to Lexington police Detective Jeremy Adkins.

Without a phone and unable to go to a neighbors home at the height of the pandemic, Kashuba began to panic and hid Medlocks body in her home closet so her kids would not see, according to court testimony. Medlocks body was found months later wrapped in plastic and severely decomposed.

Kashuba admitted to causing the death, and testified to a grand jury about the fight. A child in the home also testified after witnessing the fight. Testimony in Tuesdays hearing revealed Medlock had an extensive history of domestic violence.

Marcel Bush Radomile, Kashubas attorney, said her clients focus was protecting her children. She said the case was a perfect self-defense case.

This is as good of a self-defense case as you can get except that she could not get to the police fast enough, Radomile said. Kashuba could be heard sobbing after the charge was dismissed, which Radomile said is because she has hope of returning to her children.

After Kashubas attorney requested the charge be dismissed, Assistant Commonwealths Attorney James Judge filed court documents which featured a nearly identical recollection of events to Kashubas statements. Goodman questioned if there was ever probable cause for Kashuba to be charged with murder.

Judge pointed to Kashubas actions after the fact to suggest she acted wantonly, and not in self defense.

They were technically not in a domestic relationship, but this has the same factors that go into a routine domestic violence case, Judge told media after the hearing. In a situation like this, you have the side of the defendant and the side of a corpse left to rot for six months. Police did a wonderful job of finding a suspect and it was determined this was self-defense.

Radomile praised prosecutors and Lexington police Detective Jeremy Adkins for their work on the case. She said they conducted an appropriate investigation.

Kashuba still faces charges of tampering with physical evidence and abuse of a corpse  both Class D felonies. She faces a maximum of 10 years in prison for both charges. Both Radomile and Judge said they feel the case can be resolved quickly.

Kashuba was still being held in the Fayette County Detention Center Tuesday and is scheduled to make her next court appearance Sept. 7.
a map showing regions of heat across the globe. Almost all areas are highlighted in red, showing that temperatures are rising way quicker than they should be.

In the wake of Hawaii's tragic wildfires, responsible for the deaths of more than 90 people and counting, NASA experts gathered Monday (Aug. 14) to discuss the state of our planet's climate emergency. The discussion was quite jarring.

Not only did the panelists confirm that July of this year was the hottest month on a record dating back to the late 1800s, but also that the last five hottest Julys in this database occurred within the past five years. The agency further projects that next year will be hotter still .

More specifically, a statement put out soon after the conference states that July was 0.43 degrees Fahrenheit (0.24 degrees Celsius) warmer than any other July in NASAs record, which goes back to 1880, and 2.1 degrees Fahrenheit (1.18 degrees Celsius) warmer than the average July temperature between 1951 and 1980.

"It was the warmest July by a longshot," Sarah Kapnick, chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said during the conference.

And a major takeaway from today's conversation was that it's humankind who holds the reins to this unfortunate truth.

"Long-term trends we've been seeing since the 19th century, particularly since the 1970s, are all due to anthropogenic effects," said Gavin Schmidt, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

The term "anthropogenic" in this case simply refers to human-driven activity such as burning coal for power, cutting down trees to build infrastructure and fostering air pollution.

Related: NASA searches for climate solutions as global temperatures reach record highs

Schmidt explained that NASA's data clearly shows other climate change factors such as El Nino events, which are natural weather patterns that lead to warming ocean surfaces, and volcanic activity create "very, very small" impacts on global warming when compared to these anthropogenic components.

El Nino, for instance, can lead to a temporary temperature increase of about 0.1 degrees Celsius, according to agency data , yet global warming observed so far exceeds that quantity by quite a bit. "Without those human contributions to the drivers of climate change, we would not be seeing anything like the temperatures that we're seeing right now," Schmidt said.

The team's long-term observations come from statistical models filled with information about Earth's temperature evolution as it correlates with different processes occurring across the globe, natural as well as not.

"Temperatures we are now experiencing, you can only get those temperatures if you include those greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere and the land-use change that we have created on Earth," Kapnick said.

Such rising temperatures are worth worrying about because they help create the perfect conditions for severe natural disasters such as drought , cyclones and wildfires including Hawaii's crisis that's been taking place over the past few days.

"Just look around you and you'll see what's happened," NASA administrator Bill Nelson said during the conference. "We have record flooding in Vermont. We have record heat in Phoenix and in Miami. We have major parts of the country that have been blanketed by wildfire smoke and, of course, what we are watching in real-time is the disaster that has occurred in Hawaii with wildfires."

On that note, while he admits there are local situations on the Hawaiian island of Maui that contribute to the risk of wildfires, such as abandoned sugar plantations and non-native grasses, Schmidt explained that global warming definitely plays a part. To name just one example, climate change has forced storms to move north, leading to less rainfall over the island and creating drier conditions .

"In general," Schmidt said, "climate change is a kind of threat-multiplier for wildfires."

Going forward, NASA intends to better understand exactly how much climate change is contributing to these Hawaiian wildfires as a specific, primary cause is yet to be formally announced.

Monday's discussion also touched upon the effects climate change is having on marine health. "The oceans are experiencing about 90% of global warming," Carlos Del Castillo, Ocean Ecology Laboratory chief at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, said during the conference. "As the oceans heat, the water expands. When you combine that with the melting of ice overland, that contributes to increases in sea level rise."

Consequences of such sea level rise  which is accelerating as the years go by  include coastal flooding and even coastal erosion. Castillo pointed to the example of Florida's Miami Beach. "They have been experiencing more frequent coastal flooding," he said, "five times more than what they experienced 50 years ago."

Castillo also brought attention to the fact that Louisiana's marshes are disappearing, and emphasized why we should be alarmed that coral reefs and sea grasses are dying off.

"Unfortunately, coral reefs cannot grow legs and move away. So they have to stay put and experience the brunt of global warming," he said. "25% of marine species have something to do with corals. They contribute to medicine. They contribute to the livelihoods of millions of people. They protect the coastline from tidal surges and storms."

Related Stories:

 Aftermath of Hawaii's deadly wildfire inferno revealed in gut-wrenching satellite images

 Satellites observe record-breaking marine heatwave hit North Atlantic

 Satellites watch as wildfires rage across Greece (photos)

Shining a glimmer of hope on the situation is NASA's upcoming PACE mission, which stands for Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem.

One of many climate solutions the agency is working on  in addition to self-flying aircraft that'll tend to wildfires and open-source Earth data websites for scientists to glean information from  PACE is slated to launch in 2024 and intended to detect changes in things like ocean color changes.

"A year like this gives us a glimpse at how rising temperatures and heavier rains can impact our society and stress critical infrastructure over the next decade," Kapnick said. "These years will be cool by comparison, by the middle of the century, if we continue to warm our planet."
A state law enforcement agency under the direction of the Kansas office of attorney general has opened a criminal investigation into the events surrounding a local police raid of a small-town newspaper that has drawn widespread condemnation from First Amendment advocates and international press freedom groups.

But it remains unclear whether the Kansas Bureau of Investigation is focusing its probe around the actions of the Marion Police Department or the Marion County Record, where officers and sheriffs deputies seized phones and equipment and effectively forced the 154-year-old weekly paper to shut down last week.

As of 14 August, KBI is the lead law enforcement agency investigating the incidents in Marion County, a spokesperson said in a statement shared with The Independent.

As we transition, we will review prior steps taken and work to determine how best to proceed with the case, the statement added. Once our thorough investigation concludes, we will forward all investigative facts to the prosecutor for review.

The two-page warrant for the raid, signed by Marion County District Court Magistrate Judge Laura Viar, stated that officers were allowed to seize phones, software, items that contained passwords, and all correspondence and documents pertaining to a local restaurant owner Kari Newell under the papers investigation, though no stories about her were published.

The warrant appeared to allege that a reporter illegally obtained sealed state records about Ms Newells prior arrest and citation for driving under the influence in 2008.

The paper also was actively investigating allegations of misconduct surrounding Gideon Cody, Marions chief of police.

Officers also reportedly photographed personal financial statements and seized personal items, including a smart speaker used by the papers 98-year-old co-owner Joan Meyer who used the device to ask for assistance.

Ms Meyer  the mother of publisher Eric Meyer, and stressed beyond her limits and overwhelmed by hours of shock and grief, according to the newspaper  collapsed and died one day after the raid.

Joan Meyer, co-owner of the Marion County Record newspaper, died the day after a police raid of the papers office and her home. (AP)

A letter from an attorney for the newspaper demanded that Kansas authorities refrain from reviewing any of the seized materials

The computers, cell phones and other items you illegally seized contain the identity of confidential sources, as well as information provided by those confidential sources, according to the letter from Bernie Rhodes. This information is protected by both federal and state law.

He also referenced a shield law that protects journalists from the seizure of their materials without a hearing.

A statement from the Marion Police Department acknowledged that the federal Privacy Protection Act protects journalists from most searches of newsrooms unless they themselves are suspects in the offense that is the subject of the search.

On 13 August, a group of more than 30 news organisations and publishers including The New York Times and the Associated Press joined a statement from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press urging the Marion Police Department to return seized material, purge records that were accessed, and initiate a full independent and transparent review of the incident.

Newsroom searches and seizures are among the most intrusive actions law enforcement can take with respect to the free press, and the most potentially suppressive of free speech by the press and the public, the statement said.

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly also voiced her concerns surrounding the raid.

I want to make sure that in the state of Kansas, that we are not violating either individuals or presss constitutional right to free speech, she said, according to The Star. We look forward to getting all of the facts out so we know what kind of issue we have.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre fumbled both Hawaiian senators' names and referred to female Democrat Sen. Mazie Hirono as a "he."

The gaffes come one day after President Biden declined to comment on the rising death toll in Maui following the devastating wildfires that have left nearly 100 Americans dead.

"Sen. Horino (sic), who I've said the president spoke to just last night," Jean-Pierre said. "He thanked the president for the immediate support the federal agencies have delivered for residents of Hawaii."

WHITE HOUSE SAYS BIDEN PRAYING FOR HAWAII FAMILIES AFTER GIVING NO COMMENT BEFORE

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"And so has Sen. Schwartz, (sic)" she added.

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The two Hawaiian senators are Hirono and Democrat Sen. Brian Schatz.

At the same briefing, Jean-Pierre said the president and first lady Jill Biden are "praying" for the victims of the Maui wildfires a day after the president declined to comment on the tragedy.

During Monday's press briefing, Jean-Pierre said the president and his wife were sending prayers to the victims of the Maui wildfires that leveled the town of Lahaina.

"As the president said last week that he and the first lady are praying for families who are grieving their loved ones and for everyone who has suffered devastating losses of land and property as a result of the wildfires in Maui," Jean-Pierre said.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre referred to female Sen. Mazie Hirono as a "he."

"The president continues to stay closely engaged with his team and state and local officials to ensure a robust, whole-of-government response continues," she added.

Jean-Pierre said the president has been in contact with FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and state and local officials since Sunday night.

The spokesperson's claim comes in contrast to the president's declining to comment while on a Delaware beach on Sunday.

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during the daily briefing at the White House on July 19, 2023.

In response to a request for comment, the White House pointed to positive comments about the federal government's response on Sunday from Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, who told MSNBC that he was "honored to have the president jump to it so fast."

"President Biden has mobilized and led a whole-of-government response to the wildfires in Hawaii from the beginning, working closely on it and receiving detailed briefings every day since," a spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

"Yesterday he received two updates from FEMA Administrator Criswell while she was on the ground. As Gov. Green stressed yesterday, within six hours of receiving Hawaiis request, President Biden signed a Major Disaster Declaration and ordered all available federal resources in the state to help with the response. Gov. Green described this as having provided 'amazing support for recovery.' Sen. Hirono also thanked President Biden for the immediate support federal agencies have delivered for the residents of Hawaii, as has Sen. Schatz. Like President Biden said on Thursday, 'I've directed that we surge support to these brave firefighters and first responders and emergency personnel working around the clock[] I'm going to make sure the state has everything it needs from the federal government to recover.'"

White House officials also said Sunday that Biden was briefed by FEMA Administrator Criswell on the situation in Maui. The president posted an update late Monday morning.

Fox News Digital's Hanna Panreck contributed reporting.
A woman who worked for Katharine McPhee and David Foster as a nanny was killed after being run over at a California car dealership, say reports.

Yadira Calito was killed when an 84-year-old woman behind the wheel of a Toyota RAV4 ploughed into the reception area of Hamer Toyota in the Los Angeles area last week, according to TMZ.com.

The nanny was pinned under the car and dragged 20ft before she could be freed. She was taken to hospital in critical condition and was later pronounced dead, the outlet reported.

Investigators say that the 84-year-old driver, who is from Mission Hills, had taken her car into the dealership fora service and accidentally pressed the accelerator instead of the brakes. No arrests have been made following the incident.

Two Toyota workers, aged 23 and 35, were also injured in the incident but are expected to make a full recovery, says TMZ.

McPhee cancelled the final two shows of her Asian tour, posting on Instagram that her family had suffered a horrible tragedy and that she needed to return home quickly.

The couple married in 2019 and share a 2-year-old son, Rennie.
A Kent, Washington, man will spend nearly a decade in prison after he hit a 49-year-old Bellingham womans vehicle in January, causing it to immediately burst into flames, resulting in her death.

Teofilo Garcia Uribe, 37, was sentenced Tuesday morning in Whatcom County Superior Court to nine years and two months in prison, with a year and a half of probation for the Jan. 6 death of Tarria K. Conger.

Uribe pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide by way of reckless driving. He was previously charged Jan. 9 with one count of vehicular homicide and one count of hit-and-run of a fatality accident, both felonies, according to court records.

The hit-and-run charge was dropped as part of an agreed upon recommended sentence for Uribe.

The prosecutor and Uribes public defense attorney presented the recommended sentence of 110 months in prison at Uribes sentencing hearing Tuesday morning. Uribes standard range for his conviction was nearly eight years at the lowest end and 10 1/2 years at the highest end.

Whatcom County Superior Court Judge Lee Grochmal said Uribes standard range was high, but added that it was because there was a level of recklessness involved in the crime that ultimately resulted in the death of another person.

Grochmal said Uribe accepted responsibility for his actions very quickly. While eight months between when the case was filed to when it was resolved may not seem like a short time for people impacted by the case, Grochmal said it was compared to the length of time it takes other cases to resolve.

Uribe taking responsibility at eight months is a benefit to the family to be able to put some closure on this and to have some resolution. I credit Mr. Uribe for taking responsibility. It appears he has a great deal of remorse over what happened, not just for himself but for the family of the victim, Grochmal said Tuesday before following the agreed recommendation and sentencing Uribe to nearly a decade in prison.

A car burns after a fatal collision at 9:44 p.m. Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, in the 4200 block of Meridian Street in Bellingham, Wash.

Its a long time in prison for something that was not intentional, although it was clearly reckless, Grochmal said.

As part of Uribes sentence, he will not be allowed to possess or consume alcohol. His drivers license will also be revoked for two years following his release from prison.

Restitution is not being sought in the case.

Uribes sentence was deemed appropriate for his actions. He wasnt given much of a break, if at all, and has taken responsibility for his actions here pretty quickly, Whatcom County senior deputy prosecuting attorney Kellen Kooistra said after the hearing.

Heres what happened

Around 9:45 p.m. on Jan. 6, Bellingham police responded to the intersection of Meridian Street and East Kellogg Road for a vehicle collision involving a car on fire.

While officers were en route, they were advised that city traffic cameras captured footage of a white Dodge Ram colliding into a red Saturn Ion, which was on fire in the intersection. Uribe was later identified as the driver of the Dodge Ram, while Conger was identified as the driver of the Saturn Ion, according to police and court records.

Both Uribe and Conger were traveling southbound on Meridian Street at the time of the collision. City traffic cameras showed Uribe driving the Dodge Ram at a high rate of speed consistent with highway speeds before rear-ending Congers Saturn Ion with enough force to push the Ion from the 4300 block to the 4200 block of Meridian Street  more than 100 yards, court records show.

Once Uribes truck hit Congers car, the car immediately burst into flames. Uribe continued to push Congers car  while it burned  until his truck reached the intersection with East Kellogg Road. Uribe was then seen by city traffic cameras and nearby witnesses leaving the scene at a high rate of speed onto East Kellogg Road, court records state.

Conger was the sole occupant of the Saturn Ion. She became trapped inside and probable cause for vehicular homicide was established due to the extent of destruction and damage caused to the person by the flames inside the vehicle, the records show.

Whatcom County Sheriffs deputies found the Dodge Ram in the 700 block of East Kellogg Road and stopped the vehicle. The driver, who was identified as Uribe, exited the vehicle and was detained seconds later.

Uribe admitted to sheriffs deputies that he had been drinking. When a Bellingham police officer arrived, the officer noticed Uribes eyes were watery and bloodshot and the officer could smell a strong odor of alcohol coming from Uribes breath, according to court records.

Uribe declined to take voluntary field sobriety tests.

A witness from a nearby gas station was brought to the scene and positively identified Uribe as the driver of the Dodge Ram that hit the Saturn Ion driven by Conger, the court records state.

Uribe was then arrested without incident.

He has been incarcerated in the Whatcom County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail since his Jan. 7 arrest, court and jail records show.

Presentence report

In a presentence and mitigation report submitted to the court, Uribes public defense attorney Shoshanah Epstein wrote that Uribe grew up in California as the son of immigrant farm workers from Mexico.

He was recruited by a gang at 9 years old, and was attracted to the social support he received, Epstein wrote.

In an interview done with Uribe for the presentence report, Uribe said he had limited choices during his childhood and felt there were little to no other options for him at the time. He said his parents were hardworking, loving and dedicated to the family and their occupations, but were unaccustomed to gang life and believed tough love was the approach that would correct Uribes behavior.

You dont say no to the gang. You have to go with the flow to survive, Uribe said, according to the report.

Uribe spent much of his childhood and adolescent years incarcerated in juvenile detention facilities and did not participate in school past age 14. The last school he attended was an elementary school in South Lake Tahoe, California, the report states.

Uribes siblings helped him relocate to Washington state within the past couple years, following his most recent release from prison in California. Uribe said he wanted a fresh start. He got a job working for a concrete contractor, was sober and was reconnecting with family, according to the report. Uribe later met and married his wife, who was based in Whatcom County.

In interviews with Uribes family, they described Uribe as a good person who would always help family, friends and strangers, sometimes to his own detriment. Uribes family said they noticed a difference in him almost immediately following his relocation to Washington. They said it was clear he was serious about wanting to change his life, the report states.

On Jan. 6, Uribe met his wife at a bar in Ferndale. There, he got into a fight with other patrons and was later thrown out. He then tried to drive home, but instead crashed into Congers vehicle, killing her.

Uribe had no intention of harming anyone, and regrets making the decisions he did that led to his preventable crash, Epstein, his defense attorney, wrote.

He deeply regrets the pain that he has caused to [Congers] surviving family, Epstein wrote in the report. He realizes at this time there is nothing he can do to bring Tarria Conger back or to make things right. Although it may be small comfort, he also will live with this memory for the rest of his life.
Screenshot of Daniel Cameron standing with law enforcement officers in a campaign ad during his primary campaign.

Kentucky's largest police union announced Tuesday it is backing Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron in his race for governor against incumbent Andy Beshear, whom the organization had backed in his successful 2019 run.

The Kentucky State Fraternal Order of Police announced its endorsement of Cameron on social media, following a vote of its members the previous day at a national FOP conference in Las Vegas.

Attorney General Cameron has been a friend to the FOP since the day he stepped foot into public office, Berl Perdue Jr., the Kentucky State FOP's president and sheriff of Clark County, said in a press release. We are excited to stand with Daniel and look forward to helping him during the remaining months of the campaign.

Perdue added that Cameron has had our backs during his tenure as attorney general, as our members know that he is available when reached, supports us in good and bad times and ultimately offers the best platform for law enforcement to thrive in the Commonwealth.

In a statement, Cameron said he was "honored and humbled" to have received the endorsement.

Ive stood with our law enforcement officers every single day as Attorney General, and the FOP knows Ill do the same as Governor," Cameron stated. "I am the only candidate in this race with a serious plan to reduce crime and support our law enforcement officers."

The Kentucky State FOP is the state's largest organization of law enforcement officers, representing 67 lodges and more than 10,000 members. The police union also announced Tuesday it was endorsing the straight Republican ticket in the general election, including the other five candidates on the ballot for statewide constitutional offices.

Beshear's endorsement from the state FOP in his 2019 race against former Gov. Matt Bevin was significant in his narrow victory that fall, with the union strongly opposed to a controversial pension bill pushed by Bevin and blocked by a lawsuit filed by Beshear, who was then attorney general.

Both Cameron and Beshear made their pitches for the coveted police union endorsement in recent months, with Cameron releasing a public safety plan in July and Beshear proposing increased budget spending last week.

Cameron's proposal included $5,000 recruitment and retention bonuses to fill police positions, tougher penalties against drug traffickers responsible for causing deaths, the death penalty for anyone convicted of murdering a police officer and making it harder for the state parole board to release inmates.

The attorney general also said he would push for wiretapping legislation to target crimes related to drugs and gangs and a law to crack down on carjacking, while opposing civilian review boards having subpoena power in their oversight of police.

At a June campaign event where he was flanked by law enforcement officers backing his campaign, Beshear defended his record on crime and support for Kentucky State Police raises instituted last year. He also criticized Cameron for saying the governor "bears all of the responsibility for increased crime rates despite the attorney general being the state's chief law enforcement official.

Last week, ahead of the FOP vote, Beshear announced his upcoming legislative and budget priorities for law enforcement in next year's session of the Kentucky General Assembly, should he be reelected, including moving all state officers to traditional defined benefit pension plans, increasing pension income for retired officers, a $2,500 raise for state troopers, training stipends for local officers and more money for body armor.

Beshear's campaign also released two TV ads last week featuring law enforcement officers saying why they are endorsing him.

The issue of crime related to clemency orders has been a point of attack from both campaigns, with Republican ads hitting Beshear for the 1,870 commutations he issued at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic by pointing to crimes they later committed, while Democratic ads have hit Cameron for not investigating the controversial pardons issued by Bevin in 2019 and hiring one of Bevin's top aides who recommended some of those clemency orders.

Cameron's statement on the FOP endorsement again brought up commutation recipients charged with subsequent crimes, saying the endorsement "underscores the contrast in this race: I am the law and order candidate and Andy Beshear is the catch and release candidate.

The two candidates also sparred during the primary campaign over Cameron's proposal to create an outpost of the Kentucky State Police in Louisville to control violent crime, with Beshear saying it was unfeasible to pull KSP troopers from less-populated areas and questioning whether Cameron had enough faith in Louisville Metro Police.

Cameron breezed to victory in his Republican primary despite attack ads from a PAC funded by the husband of opponent Kelly Craft that portrayed the attorney general as a "soft-on-crime teddy bear" for his past work with a criminal justice reform group. The campaign of Craft  who finished a distant third in the primary  also aired an ad hitting Cameron for not opposing the U.S. Department of Justice's scathing report on civil rights violations of LMPD, claiming he "let" President Joe Biden "and his woke DOJ ... take over" LMPD.

Cameron gained both national prominence and criticism from his offices investigation of the 2020 killing of Breonna Taylor by Louisville police officers in a raid of her home, in which he recommended to a grand jury that no officers be indicted related to her death. Several officers were subsequently indicted by federal prosecutors related to false information on the search warrant that led to the raid of Taylors home.

His campaign aired an ad in the primary showing protesters on his front lawn in the summer of 2020, saying they tried to intimidate me and my family, but he stood up to them and would be a governor who backs the blue.

Responding to the FOP's endorsement of Cameron, Beshear campaign spokesman Alex Floyd said the governor is "proud of the support hes earned from law enforcement officers from across the Commonwealth, including (Floyd County) Sheriff John Hunt, who has called Andy Beshear the best governor for law enforcement in my lifetime."

Andy has consistently fought to protect their pensions, provide better funding, and secure higher pay for our law enforcement officers, and will continue to advocate for them in the future.

Reach reporter Joe Sonka at jsonka@courierjournal.com and follow him on Twitter at @joesonka.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky police union endorses Daniel Cameron in governor race
This article was originally published in Kentucky Lantern.

After a disastrous first week of school that saw students in their district not getting home until 10 p.m. on Wednesday and school subsequently being canceled for two days, Jefferson County Republican lawmakers want a special session to enact changes to the district  including a school choice amendment and evaluating splitting the school system up.

The 12 lawmakers, who include House Majority Whip Jason Nemes and Senate Majority Caucus Chair Julie Raque Adams, signed an open letter released Thursday saying the school district failed to keep our kids safe and structural changes are needed. Both legislators represent Louisville.

Our school district has failed for far too long, the letter reads. For the good of our community and, most importantly, for the future of our children, we must act boldly. And we must act now.

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The efforts they would spearhead if Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear calls the special session include:

A neighborhood schools bill, which the lawmakers said would give students the right to attend their neighborhood schools and reduce the need for students to be transported across the county. Rep. Kevin Bratcher, R-Louisville, filed such a bill in 2017, but the bill faced pushback from residents about how it would affect magnet programs in the system.

Creating a commission to evaluate splitting up JCPS, which is currently Kentuckys largest school system and the 30th largest in the country. The lawmakers said the district is too big to properly manage because it has nearly 100,000 students and 165 schools.

Extensive changes to the school board. GOP lawmakers claim the board is not up to the task of managing the $2 billion school district.

Putting a school choice amendment on the ballot in 2024 to allow students to enroll in schools other than their assigned public school district and allow public school dollars to follow them.

Scottie Ellis, deputy communications director for Beshears office, said in a Friday statement that no legislator has directly contacted the office about a special session.

A special session is an extraordinary step that costs significant tax dollars and should only be taken after full consensus is reached and legislation has been drafted and then agreed upon, Ellis said.

Students returned to JCPS on Wednesday for the first day of school. According to media reports, some bus riders were not dropped off until nearly 10 p.m.

JCPS canceled classes on Thursday and Friday to address its bus routes. Ahead of the school year, the school district changed start times and cut bus routes because of a bus driver shortage. The district hired Boston-based company AlphaRoute to optimize bus routes and the districts schedule.

In a Thursday video, Superintendent Marty Pollio apologized to students, their families, bus drivers and school employees and said the issue fell to him and his team. He added that over the next few days bus routes and stops will be reviewed, bus drivers will be paid to practice their routes and communication will increase, including the district upping the number of people answering calls for a bus hotline.

I can say change is hard and it is, Pollio said. The massive change we are undertaking is extremely difficult, but in the end that cant be the excuse. We have to be better at what we are doing.

On Friday, Pollio told reporters that it could be the middle of next week before students return to school. As for deconsolidation of JCPS, Polio said that would bring several challenges, especially when it comes to dividing schools between areas with high and low property assessments. Multiple transportation systems and alternative school programs for each new district would also be needed.

I dont want to say its not possible, but I think it would be the most disruptive thing to this community, he said. And I will say once again, I think, especially students in high poverty areas would suffer more than anywhere else as a result of that.

Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com. Follow Kentucky Lantern on Facebook and Twitter.
A Kentucky woman who stole money from elderly people and used it for pet care, tanning sessions and other personal purchases has been sentenced to a year and a half in federal prison.

Donna Sue Glass was sentenced to prison time Monday after previously pleading guilty to two charges of wire fraud. She also was ordered to pay a total of $87,700 in restitution to the estates of three people whose money she took, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Glass, 53, ran the Glass Family Care Home in Greenup County, a personal-care home where Glass looked after older people.

Glass became guardian to two residents and had access to the bank account of a third, and misappropriated money the three received from sources such as pensions or Social Security, according to court records.

Glass attorney, Michael J. Curtis, said in a sentencing memorandum that she did an excellent job caring for people.

But the prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Dieruf, said Glass took advantage of vulnerable people who needed care because of physical or mental infirmities.

From the way she spent their money, it is clear that (Glass) was motivated by greed, the prosecutor wrote.

In addition to taking money from residents, Glass housed more people than state law allowed and squeezed two people into a room that measured 16 feet by 20 feet and had no private bathroom, according to the sentencing memo.

Court documents cite several ways Glass spent the money she took from the three, including a vacation, memberships to a tanning salon, veterinary care, her daughters beauty pageant expenses, a limousine service and Victorias Secret.

When Glass drained all the money from one mans account, she deposited money from other renters into the account so she could keep using it, according to the government sentencing memo.

The memo said she used the victims bank account as her personal and business clearinghouse, without his knowledge or authorization.

Glass also increased one womans rent past what she could afford  signing off on the increase as the womans guardian  in order to generate a debt to herself, then took money from the womans savings account to cover the debt, according to court documents and a news release.

When the woman moved to another facility, Glass kept receiving and spending her retirement benefits without paying the other facility, under the pretense the woman owed her money, according to the release.

The personal-care home has since closed. Glass was sentenced by U.S. District Judge David L. Bunning.
A resident of Kherson who was seriously wounded during Russian shelling of the city on Aug. 14, has died in hospital, the head of the press office of Kherson Regional Military Administration, Oleksandr Tolokonnikov, said on Aug. 15.

The Russians shelled the liberated areas of Kherson Oblast 71 times over the past 24 hours, with up to 300 separate projectile launches being recorded, Tolokonnikov said.

Nine people were injured as a result of Russian aggression, Tolokonnikov said.

Today we received sad news. The man who was injured yesterday died today in hospital.

Russian invading forces shelled Kherson and the surrounding area early on Aug. 14, injuring four civilians and causing damage to residential and farm buildings.

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Kimora Lee and her children went to Japan over the weekend, and it looked like the perfect family trip. The mother of five documented her family trip with several photos shared on Instagram. In the first Instagram post, she showed off her natural beauty by posing in front of greenery while holding a blue umbrella to protect her flawless skin from the sun.

In the two carousel posts, Lee shows off the beauty of Tokyo and Japanese culture  visiting restaurants, trails, museums and more.

In the photos, the Baby Phat founder posed alone in front of a restaurant sign with a bare face, pulled back hair, and wore a gray crop tank and blue denim jeans. In the second, she is in her 14-year-old son Kenzos embrace as they pose at what appears to be Tokyo Disneyland.

Lee made sure to catch every moment with her littles; one photo, in particular, showcased her large family enjoying their quality tie together. The photo included daughters Ming, 23, Aoki, 20, son Wolfe, 8, and adopted son Gary, 13, and some of their friends in front of the city.

Ohayo gozaimasu , she captioned the group family photo, which is a formal Japanese greeting that translates to Good morning.
Two estranged sons of Thailands King Maha Vajiralongkorn said Monday they hoped to return to the country soon after an unexpected visit that has fueled speculation among many in the kingdom.

The brothers surprise trip was their first back to their homeland in 27 years though the Royal Palace has not released any official information or public comment on their visit.

The week has passed quickly. There are many things I want to do and fulfill but there is little time. Since I have returned to Thailand this time, I have received warmth from everyone I met. I have met various Thais and been able to talk to them closely, said Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse, the Kings second oldest son, from Bangkoks Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Returning to Thailand after so long away had filled the holes in my heart, he added.

This is such a great feeling, Vacharaesorn said.

Their return sparked interest among many in the kingdom and drove speculation that the sons may officially be welcomed back into the royal family, after almost three decades of estrangement.

Social media has been filled with Thais speculating on the reason for their visit, despite a strict lese majeste law which carries lengthy jail sentences for any perceived criticism of the royal family and makes any frank discussion about their role fraught with legal risk.

Vacharaesorn, 42, arrived in Thailand last week and visited a daycare center for underprivileged children and a Buddhist temple in the capital.

His brother Chakriwat Vivacharawongse, 40, the Kings third son, arrived several days later and the two visited Siriraj Hospital together and paid respects to an image of their late grandfather and to their great-grandfather, Prince Mahidol  considered the father of modern medicine in the country.

Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse visits the Foundation for Slum Child Care supported by the Royal Family, in Bangkok on August 8. - Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters

Following the hospital visit, Chakriwat  a medical doctor  posted on his official Facebook page: I am able to be a doctor today because of his inspiration. And I will continue to follow in his footsteps in delivering this inspiration to all medical students.

The surprise news conference from the two brothers as they departed the country of their birth was tinged with emotion.

Vacharaesorn did most of the talking, holding the hand of his younger brother, who remained mostly silent throughout.

During a brief mention of his father, Vacharaesorns voice noticeably trembled.

I am grateful for His Majesty the Kings kindness, as well as the nation. I am happy to be born in Thailand, he said. This time I have to leave again, I hope in the future I and my brothers and family will be able to visit Thailand again.

It is unclear whether the sons met with King Vajiralongkorn, 71, while they were in the country.

Vacharaesorn and Chakriwat are among four sons of Vajiralongkorn and his second wife, Yuvadhida Polpraserth, who he married in 1994 and later divorced.

Along with their mother and other siblings, they were estranged after the separation and do not hold formal royal titles. They have been living and working in the United States since leaving Thailand.

Their sister Princess Sirivannavari was later welcomed back to Thailand following their estrangement and is a fashion designer and equestrian.

She has frequently been seen in public with the King and Queen, and during mass anti-government protests in 2020 told CNN that Thailand is a peaceful country, saying we love the Thai people, no matter what.

The brothers trip to their homeland comes at a difficult time for the royal family after the Kings oldest child, 44-year-old Princess Bajrakitiyabha, was hospitalized in an unconscious state in December after collapsing due to a heart problem.

In January, the palace said in a statement that Bajrakitiyabha suffered a severe heart arrhythmia due to inflammation caused by a mycoplasma infection and doctors have been using a support system to keep her heart, lung and kidneys functioning.

There is no clear heir apparent to the King.

Vajiralongkorn, who was born in 1952, ascended to the throne in 2016 after the death of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who had reigned for seven decades.

The King has been married four times  to Soamsawali Kitiyakara in 1977, Yuvadhida 17 years later, Srirasmi Suwadee in 2001 and Queen Suthida, a former general and deputy commander of the Kings Royal Guard Command who he married days before his coronation in 2019.

He has seven children from his marriages  two daughters and five sons  only one of whom, 18-year-old Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, is officially recognized as a prince.

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President Joe Biden will try to bolster Asian allies against China when he welcomes the leaders of South Korea and Japan to Camp David for the countries first-ever three-way summit.

The meeting is expected to yield agreements on defense and economic issues. Specifically, according to the Wall Street Journal, the leaders will lay plans for yearly joint military exercises, a new hotline, deeper cooperation on supply chains, and a pledge to hold the summit annually.

Still, there are limits to how close Japan and South Korea can get due to their residual bad blood and mistrust, as well as restrictions in Japans constitution on new alliances, as The Economist writes. Theacrimony dates back to Japans occupation of the Korean peninsula between 1910 and 1945. When South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol visited Japan in March to meet with his counterpart in Tokyo, Fumio Kishida, it was the first such visit in more than a decade.
Retired NFL player Michael Oher, whose story inspired the Oscar-winning film The Blind Side, is alleging that the White couple that took him in did not legally adopt him as they have publicly claimed but instead made themselves his conservators.

Oher was 18 and a rising high school football star when Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy invited him to live with them in 2004, according to a petition filed in a Tennessee court Monday. The petition states that the Tuohys had told Oher they intended to legally adopt him and that shortly after he moved in, they presented him with what he thought were the equivalent of adoption papers.

Rather, the Tuohys filed for a conservatorship that allowed them to profit from his life story, Oher alleges. (CNN has reached out to representatives for the Tuohys but has not yet heard back.)

They explained to me that it pretty much means the exact same thing as adoptive parents, but that the laws were just written in a way that took my age into account, Oher wrote in his 2011 memoir I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness, to The Blind Side, and Beyond.

But according to Tennessee law, where Oher and the Tuohys lived at the time, there are key distinctions between an adult adoption and a conservatorship.

How conservatorships work

A conservatorship, sometimes referred to as a guardianship, is a legal arrangement that enables a court-appointed person to make financial, medical and/or other decisions on behalf of another adult. It is typically implemented in situations when an adult is considered unable to make decisions for themselves, whether from a serious mental illness, a disability or other debilitating condition.

Conservatorships remove certain rights and responsibilities from the adult who is considered incapacitated and confer them on the conservator. A conservator can be responsible for a paying a persons bills, controlling their finances, and managing their property and assets. They can also be charged with arranging for their medical care, deciding where they live and managing other daily affairs.

Oher alleges in the petition that the conservatorship granted to the Tuohys gave them the authority to make business deals on his behalf, despite the fact he was over 18 year of age and had no diagnosed physical or psychological disabilities.

He claims that under the arrangement, the Tuohys negotiated contracts for the film The Blind Side that resulted in the couple and their other two children receiving millions of dollars in royalties while Oher received nothing for his rights to a $330,000,000 (or more) story that would not have existed without him.

Conservatorships have come under scrutiny in recent years, particularly after Britney Spears highly publicized battle to end the 13-year-old arrangement that gave her father control over her estate and medical care. Fans had long called the pop stars conservatorship into question, kicking off the #FreeBritney movement in 2009.

In a rare public court appearance in 2021, Spears characterized the conservatorship as abusive, alleging that over the years she was forced to perform, use birth control and take medication against her will. A judge terminated the arrangement later that year.

There are approximately 1.3 million active adult guardianship or conservatorship cases in the US, according to an estimate published in a 2018 report from the National Center for State Courts. But data around these arrangements varies widely from state to state  and is nonexistent in some cases  making it difficult for researchers to understand who exactly is in a conservatorship and how they are faring under them.

How they differ from adult adoptions

The rights of adults living under conservatorships also vary depending on the situation and the states laws.

Some conservatorships last for the lifetime of the incapacitated individual, while others are temporary. For example, if a person is involved in a serious accident or enters into a coma, a conservatorship might be in place until they are able to recover.

Some arrangements give conservators the power to make all life decisions for another person, while others allow the conservatee to retain some control over aspects of their lives. Generally, though, adults in conservatorships retain the right to ask a judge to end the conservatorship. They can also raise legal concerns over their conservators actions or decisions.

Michael Oher, center, with family members after being drafted No. 23 overall by the Baltimore Ravens at the 2009 NFL Draft in New York. - Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

Adult adoptions, meanwhile, operate quite differently. A person over the age of 18 can be legally adopted by another adult, though the arrangement is usually symbolic. For instance, someone who was raised by a grandparent or a step-parent might want to honor that relationship by making that person their legal guardian.

Unlike a conservatorship, an adult adoption does not involve the adult giving up their rights, according to the Tennessee-based law firm Yates & Wheland.

Some conservatorships have been abused

Conservatorships are meant to protect particularly vulnerable individuals from exploitation and abuse, Elizabeth Adinolfi, an attorney with the law firm Phillips Nizer, told CNN in 2021. But some experts are concerned that the arrangement can be used for exactly the opposite.

One 2010 study by a federal watchdog identified hundreds of allegations of guardian abuse, neglect or exploitation over a 20-year period. Another 2018 study that examined 31 cases of financial exploitation among conservators in Minnesota found that the majority of conservators in those instances were family members  and that the victims were disproportionately women.

Many of the documented problems with conservatorships stem from under-resourced courts that arent able to vet cases as thoroughly as they should, Adinolfi said in 2021. But the system is ultimately in place to care for those who cant take care of themselves, she added.

Theres always a potential for abuse within a system, and as a practitioner and the courts, we all have to be mindful of that and look out for it, she said at the time. But the flip side of it also is theres so much abuse that goes on for people who are vulnerable and who have a certain level of incapacity that we cant leave them unprotected.

Others, including Syracuse University law professor Nina Kohn, have argued some people who are under conservatorships dont require them, or that the restrictions are more severe than they should be.

In Ohers case, he and his attorney are asserting that a conservatorship isnt necessary because he is capable of managing his own affairs.

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Donald Trump became the first former or serving U.S. president to face criminal charges when he was indicted in New York in April. Now hes facing four indictments in four states, comprising almost 100 charges. Heres where each case stands.

Date of Indictment: April 4, 2023

Court: Manhattan State Supreme Court

Prosecutor: Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat

Judge: Acting State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan

Charges: 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree

Synopsis: Trump is charged under New York State law over $130,000 in hush-money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels to buy her silence ahead of the 2016 election about an alleged 2006 sexual encounter. An NDA was signed by her, her lawyer Keith Davidson, and Trump fixer Michael Cohen. After The Wall Street Journal exposed the previously private pact, Cohen at first insisted he had paid Daniels out of his own pocket, and that Trump hadnt directed him to do soa claim he later disavowed under oath. Bragg alleges Trumps intent was key to charging him at the felony level, saying that he cooked the books to hide the payments to Daniels, as well as his own later reimbursement of Cohen. (The Trump Organization reportedly logged Trumps re-payments to Cohen as a business expense.) If Trump had properly documented the exchanges, he would have been essentially admitting to violating campaign finance law, according to Bragg, who said the payoffs illegally aided Trumps candidacy by keeping his alleged behavior secret. Trump, who has pleaded not guilty, continues to maintain he never slept with Daniels.

Expected Trial Date: March 25, 2024

Trumps Wins So Far: None.

Prosecutors Wins So Far: Trumps attempt to move the case to federal court failed, and the federal judges order can now be used against him in Braggs case. He also tried, and failed, to have Judge Merchan recused from the case.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg discusses his indictment of former President Donald Trump. Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty

Date of Indictment: June 8, 2023, plus a superseding indictment on July 27

Court: Federal Court, Southern District of Florida

Prosecutor: Special Counsel Jack Smith

Judge: U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee.

Charges: 40 counts of willful retention of national defense information, withholding or concealing documents in a federal investigation, false statements, concealing records, and conspiracy to obstruct justice

Synopsis: Trump, along with his personal valet and a Mar-a-Lago property manager, faces charges he could have easily avoided in the first place. Upon leaving office, he hoarded, then refused to return, boxes upon boxes of government documents, including classified materials and highly sensitive military plans, according to prosecutors. Government secrets were stored in unauthorized spaces at Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort, including a bathroom, which wasobviouslynot authorized by the federal government, the actual owner of the hoard. (Trump has tried to claim, wrongly, that what he brought with him from the White House was his to take.) He has since lashed out at Smith on social media as a political hit man, a Trump Hater, and an unfair savage.

Expected Trial Date: May 20, 2024

Trumps Wins So Far: Cannon has issued favorable rulings for Trump, including rejecting Smiths motion to keep certain grand jury materials under seal and striking entirely a pair of filings by prosecutors about potential conflicts of interest by Trump defense attorney Stanley Woodward. Cannon previously intervened in the case, appointing a special master to oversee Trumps specious claims of privilege regarding materials the FBI seized at Mar-a-Lago during their investigation.

Prosecutors Wins So Far: Cannons special master ruling was tossed out by an appeals court early on. Then, in March, an appeals court panel ordered Evan Corcoran, one of the many lawyers Trump has cycled through, to turn over notes and voice memos from his work with Trump. Because the government had developed evidence Trump had used Corcorans legal advice to advance a criminal scheme, the usual attorney-client privileges were nullified under the crime-fraud exception.

Boxes of documents stacked in the White and Gold Ballroom of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. Getty

Date of Indictment: Aug. 1, 2023

Court: Federal Court, District of Washington, D.C.

Prosecutor: Special Counsel Jack Smith

Judge: U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, appointed by Barack Obama

Charges: Four counts of conspiracy to defraud the U.S., conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, conspiracy against rights.

Synopsis: An indictment handed down by a D.C. grand jury detailed a frantic effort in the waning months of 2020 by Trump and a half-dozen as-yet uncharged co-conspirators to block then-President-Elect Biden from ascending to the Oval Office. The former president lied to the American public about a supposedly stolen election, while attempting to twist the U.S. legal system to his own ends, according to Smith. After losing challenge after challenge in court, Trump ultimately sought to exploit the violence unleashed by his followers during the Capitol riot as a last-ditch attempt at clinging to power, the indictment says. Trump claims he was merely expressing his First Amendment right to freedom of speech in claiming the election had been rigged, an argument Smith has called disingenuous.

Expected Trial Date: Jan. 2, 2024

Trumps Wins So Far: Chutkan delivered a partial win for Trump by denying prosecutors the broad protective order they sought in an attempt to keep the former president from publicly exposing discovery materials shared by Smiths team.

Prosecutors Wins So Far: Trump has attempted to get the trial delayed until after the 2024 election. However, the Jan. 2 datewhile not set in stonewas endorsed by 11 former Republican-appointed judges and prosecutors, including George W. Bushs attorney general, Alberto Gonzales. In April, Trumps bid to block grand jury testimony from witnesses, including former VP Mike Pence, was shot down.

Special Counsel Jack Smith Mandel Ngan/Getty

Date of Indictment: Aug. 14, 2023

Court: Fulton County Superior Court

Prosecutor: Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, elected Democrat

Judge: Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee

Charges: 12 counts, including violation of Georgias RICO Act, three counts of solicitation of violation of oath by public officer, conspiracy to impersonate a public officer, two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree, two counts of conspiracy to commit false statements, conspiracy to file false documents, filing false documents, and making false statements.

Synopsis: Trump is facing state-level charges in Georgia stemming in large part from what he continues to dub a perfect phone call, a description to which Willisas well as a grand jurytakes more than a bit of exception. Following Trumps 2020 electoral loss, he dialed up Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, and leaned on him to find 11,780 votes, thus handing him the state and another presidential term. Trump is also accused of plotting to assemble a slate of fake electors to undo Bidens rightful win; multiple witnesses have testified before the Georgia grand jury in recent months. Trump, as is his wont, has bellyached loudly about Willis being a racist, and made up, apparently out of whole cloth, a fictitious tale about Willis having had an affair with a gang member. Along with Trump, 18 others are charged in connection with the alleged scheme.

Expected Trial Date: To be determined

Trumps Wins So Far: None.

Prosecutors Wins So Far: In July, Trump lost a bid to shut down Willis investigation over supposed procedural violations. In early August, Trump was handed another defeat when he tried and failed to get grand jury evidence thrown out and Willis removed from the case.

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Willis will undoubtedly receive newfound attention after bringing what is likely the most ambitious criminal case to the feet of Trump.

After months of anticipation, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis handed down another historic round of criminal indictments against former President Donald Trump.

The top prosecutor in Georgias largest county charged Trump and 18 other defendants with racketeering and 40 other counts in their alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the Peach State.

Willis, 52, will undoubtedly receive newfound attention now that she has brought what is likely the most ambitious criminal case to the feet of Trump. So who is exactly Fani Willis?

Fani Willis, the district attorney in Fulton County, Georgia, returned indictments against former President Donald Trump and 18 others regarding the 2020 presidential election results. Here, she stands inside her office chambers in Atlanta, the county seat. (Photo by David Walter Banks)

Who is Fani Willis?

For one, Willis is a history maker, becoming the first woman to serve as district attorney in Fulton County, which is 42.5% Black and includes Atlanta, the county seat. She took office on Jan. 1, 2021, just days before the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by pro-Trump rioters. Willis, who ousted a longtime incumbent prosecutor, vowed to keep the county safe and reform its criminal justice system.

Willis received her Juris Doctorate from Emory School of Law and a bachelors degree in political science from Howard University, where she graduated cum laude in 1992, according to the Fulton County District Attorneys Office website. She is also a divorced mother of two college-aged daughters.

Willis is experienced in RICO cases

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (right) talks with a member of her team on May 2, 2022, during proceedings to seat a special purpose grand jury to look into the actions of former President Donald Trump and his supporters. This week, she indicted Trump and others accused of trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in the state. (Photo by Ben Gray/AP, File)

Willis, who has 20 years of experience as a prosecutor, led over 100 jury trials and has prosecuted hundreds of murder cases.

Most notably, Willis is well-versed in prosecuting Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) cases. One of her most high-profile RICO cases was the successful prosecution of nearly a dozen former Atlanta Public Schools educators convicted of participating in a test cheating conspiracy. Several others took plea deals in the case.

Recently, Willis took another high-profile RICO case in Fulton County against rapper Young Thug and other co-defendants accused of committing gang-related crimes, including possession of illicit firearms and drugs.

Willis has been criticized for her pursuit of RICO cases, as critics argue she overuses Georgias gang and RICO laws, which take longer to prosecute and require more resources, according to AP News. However, Willis has been resolute that she prefers the RICO statute because it allows prosecutors to paint a wider and complete picture of defendants alleged illegal acts.

Unlike others, RICO cases allow a prosecutor to try co-defendants all at once  something Willis said she plans to do in the case against Trump and his allies, including former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Mark Meadows, Trumps former White House chief of staff, among others.

Willis is not one to back down

If one thing is certain, Fani Willis is undeterred by detractors, including Trump himself, who has attacked the prosecutor as partisan and racist. Her high-profile investigation of Trump has led to death threats, causing her to receive heightened security for her safety and that of her staff.

In an email sent to Fulton County staff responding to attacks from pro-Trump supporters and political groups, Willis called on her office to ignore all the noise and keep doing your job with excellence. She added, I am not concerned.

During brief remarks Monday night after announcing her 41-count indictment of Trump and associates, Willis dismissed claims that her prosecution is politically motivated or biased.

I make decisions in this office based on the facts in the law. The law is completely nonpartisan. Thats how decisions are made in every case, she told reporters.

Willis noted that, to date, her office has indicted over 12,000 cases, including RICO cases  with the Trump case being the 11th such indictment. We follow the same process, she said. We look at the facts, we look at the law, and we bring charges about the terms of surrender.

In what is a sure sign of Willis ambitious style as a prosecutor, she made it clear that she has every intent to try Trump and his co-defendants all at once despite legal experts pointing out that doing so will be incredibly difficult with 19 defendants.

Do I intend to try the 19 defendants in this indictment together? asked Willis, repeating back a question from a reporter on Monday. She unwaveringly replied with one simple word: Yes.

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.

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The post What to know about Fani Willis, the Georgia prosecutor who criminally indicted Trump appeared first on TheGrio.
As the Maui wildfires death toll approaches 100and is expected to increaseHawaiis governor ordered an official review amid criticism that government officials didnt do enough to save lives.

Maui County officials have been criticized for failing to activate sirens to warn the population about the flames last week despite the states comprehensive emergency warning system for natural disasters. The New York Times confirmed that the island did not activate any of the 80 warning sirens.

On Friday, Hawaiis attorney general announced an investigation into the decision-making related to the Maui fires, including the choice to not sound the alarms. The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency spokesman confirmed last week that they were not activated and added that sirens alonewithout additional informationwould not have been enough information for residents to evacuate. There are roughly 1,600 people in evacuation shelters on the island, the governor said on Aug. 13. Airlines have evacuated more than 32,000 people, per NBC News.

The wildfires, which destroyed most of the historic town of Lahaina, have been the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century. County officials had previously been warned by wildlife researchers that dangerous blazes could occur.

Read More: Why the Maui Wildfire Was So Deadly

In an interview with CBS on Monday, Hawaii Governor Josh Green suggested researchers will probably take about 10 more days to search for casualties and expect to find the remains of 10 to 20 people per day until they finish. Green said about 1,300 people were still considered missing and that most of the more than 2,200 structures destroyed by fires were residential. He expressed frustration that there was not a better system to alert residents to leave. The governor said displaced locals had been moved into hotels on Monday and that 500 rooms were available for them and another 500 for workers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The federal government has also been involved in relief efforts. FEMA has said that more than 3,000 people have registered for federal assistance and that it has provided $700 to displaced residents for short-term costs such as food, water, and medical supplies. FEMA is also providing temporary housing. Almost 500 federal personnel are on the ground, according to a statement on Tuesday from the Biden Administration.

The Small Business Administration says low-interest disaster loans are available for homeowners, businesses, renters, and non-profits. The Department of Defense said on Aug. 10 it had activated 134 National Guard troops to help state and local officials with wildfire response and search and recovery efforts. The Department of Transportation has said it is evacuating tourists by coordinating with commercial airlines. The U.S. Coast Guard says it has helped saved 17 lives and assisted 40 survivors in getting to shore.

The Biden Administration issued a federal disaster declaration last week and is asking Congress for $12 billion more for the disaster relief fund. President Joe Biden does not currently have plans to visit Hawaii, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday.

Maui County officials have advised survivors to use bottled water to drink, brush teeth, make ice, and prepare food, because surrounding municipal water systems were destroyed by the fire and may have contaminated the local water supply. Residents are unable to treat the water in any way to make it safe, they said. Local officials are also are taking donations, running six emergency shelters, and providing health care services.

Read More: How to Help Those Affected by the Maui Wildfires

Firefighters are still working to contain fires. As of Monday night, the Kula fire was 65% contained, the Lahaina fire is 85% contained, the Pulehu fire is 100% contained, and the Puukolii fire has been extinguished, according to a Facebook post from Maui County officials. (Containment does not mean fully extinguished but rather that firefighters have the blaze fully surrounded by a perimeter.)

As of Monday night, power had been restored to 10,400 of the 12,400 customers who lost power in West Maui; that total does not include the roughly 2,000 destroyed homes and businesses.

Write to Sanya Mansoor at sanya.mansoor@time.com.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and wife Kim Keon Hee wave flags during a ceremony celebrating the 78th anniversary of the Korea's Japanese colonial rule (Lee Jin-man)

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday called former colonial ruler Japan a "partner" that shares his country's values and common interests as he aims to strengthen ties with Tokyo in response to North Korea's growing nuclear threats.

Relations between the North and South are at one of their lowest points in decades, with diplomacy stalled and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un calling for increased weapons development, including tactical nukes.

In response, Yoon has pulled South Korea closer to long-standing ally Washington while seeking to bury the hatchet with former colonial power Japan.

The three are set to hold a trilateral summit in the United States on Friday, during which the leaders are expected to announce plans for expanding military cooperation.

The summit "will set a new milestone in trilateral cooperation contributing to peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo Pacific region," Yoon said.

Seoul and Tokyo, key US security allies, have long been at odds over historical issues tied to Japan's brutal 1910-1945 occupation of the Korean peninsula, such as sexual slavery and forced labour.

But speaking at an event marking the anniversary of liberation from Japan's rule, Yoon said the two "are now partners who share universal values and pursue common interests".

He reiterated that Tokyo, Seoul and Washington must "share North Korea's nuclear weapons and missiles data in real-time".

"The seven rear bases provided to the United Nations Command(UNC) by the government of Japan serve as the greatest deterrent" to an invasion by the North, he added.

The three allies said in June that they aimed to launch before the end of 2023 a system allowing the sharing of real-time missile warning data.

-'Audacious plan'-

August 15 -- known in the South as Gwangbokjeol, or Liberation Day -- is the only public holiday celebrated in both North and South Korea, according to Seoul's National Institute for Unification Education.

On last year's anniversary, Yoon offered Pyongyang an "audacious" aid plan that would include food, energy and infrastructure help in return for the North abandoning its nuclear weapons programme.

Pyongyang has since ridiculed the offer, calling it the "height of absurdity" and a deal it would never accept, but Yoon on Tuesday said Seoul would "steadfastly implement" the plan and continue attempting to convince Pyongyang to return to dialogue.

North Korea's leader recently called for stepping up war preparations "in an offensive way" as well as a "drastic boost" in missile production.

Kim last month oversaw a dramatic military parade featuring new attack drones and Pyongyang's nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles, flanked by visiting Russian and Chinese officials.

Some experts said the attendance of Moscow's defense minister showed Russia's readiness to expand military cooperation with Pyongyang.

North Korean state media on Tuesday said Kim had exchanged letters with Russian President Vladimir Putin to mark the August 15 anniversary.

"This holiday is a symbol of bravery and heroism of the Red Army soldiers and the Korean patriots who fought together to liberate Korea from Japan's colonial rule," Putin told Kim in his letter, according to KCNA, adding: "I am sure that we will strengthen the bilateral cooperation in all fields."

Kim wrote to Putin: "The two countries will always emerge victorious, strongly supporting and cooperating with each other in the course of achieving their common goal and cause."

Last month, Putin hailed Pyongyang's "firm support for special military operations against Ukraine".

cdl/lb
China identifies the culprits behind cyberattack on Wuhan Earthquake Monitoring Center; a secretive US global reconnaissance system to be exposed

09:56, August 15, 2023 By Yuan Hong ( Global Times

New progress has been made on an investigation into a cyberattack incident targeting the Wuhan Earthquake Monitoring Center affiliated to the city's Emergency Management Bureau, after a joint investigation teamformed by the National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center (CVERC) and Chinese cybersecurity company 360 discovered malicious backdoor software that exhibits characteristics of US intelligence agencies, the Global Times learned on Monday. Chinese authorities will publicly disclose a highly secretive global reconnaissance system of the US government, which poses a serious security threat to China's national security and world peace.

On July 26, the Wuhan Earthquake Monitoring Center reported that some front-end station collection points of the earthquake reporting data had been implanted with backdoor programs, attracting widespread attention. The CVERC and the company 360 immediately formed a joint investigation teamto go to Wuhan for investigation and evidence collection.

Du Zhenhua, a senior engineer from the CVERC, told the Global Times that the team has found very complex backdoor malware in the victim's network, fitting the characteristics of US intelligence agencies, highly concealed, and aiming to steal earthquake monitoring-related data, with a clear military reconnaissance purpose.

Why target earthquake monitoring system?

Du explained that China is a country seriously affected by earthquake disasters, with multiple occurrences causing severe loss of life and property. "Therefore, China attaches great importance to earthquake monitoring and early warning. In order to improve the monitoring and early warning capability of geological disasters, earthquake monitoring data includes not only basic information like magnitude and epicenter but also rich geographical and geological data such as surface deformation and hydrological monitoring," Du said.

These data also hold high value as military intelligence. Hence, the cyberattack on the earthquake monitoring center by US intelligence agencies was a planned and premeditated cyber military reconnaissance action, the expert noted.

Xiao Xinguang, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and also the chief software architect of leading anti-virus company Antiy Labs, further explained to the Global Times that although the location, magnitude, and depth are publicly released information, they are based on the calculations from multiple sensors.

"The comprehensive vibration and sound wave data collected by these sensors, especially infrasound data, have significant intelligence value for judging geological terrain, analyzing weapons system tests, and nuclear tests," Xiao said.

Furthermore, this is just one of the reasons the US targets earthquake monitoring and other systems with cyberattacks. Xiao also analyzed that the current information gathering is only one type of behaviors that have been exposed.

There are still many information theft instances targeting other fields that have not yet come to the surface. By leveraging its global comprehensive reconnaissance ability, along with various means of intrusion, theft, and other comprehensive measures to obtain all kinds of telemetry data, and combining other multi-source auxiliary data, it forms the ability to analyze, judge, attribute, and locate China's economic, social operations, and even military actions.

Causing social panic

Experts believe that cyberattacks on civil infrastructure, including earthquake monitoring systems, can lead to serious consequences.

Du underlined that if the attackers maliciously damaged earthquake monitoring system, it would become ineffective in providing accurate data during an earthquake. This would impact earthquake early warnings and disaster assessment work, leading to more severe loss of life and property.

"Even more dangerous is that if the attackers tamper with the earthquake monitoring data, triggering false alarms, it could lead to social panic and disorder, resulting in casualties among innocent people," Du said.

The remote sensing and telemetry systems and data are national strategic resources that must be given priority protection, Xiao said. "These data can display the basic operation of our country's economy and society from macro to micro levels and provide comprehensive support for integrated decision-making and emergency response. They are the supporting resources for territorial safety and national security."

"US intelligence agencies not only actively collect various signal intelligence but have also long obtained other countries' comprehensive earth system science remote sensing and telemetry data as strategic intelligence through various means. This includes sharing through allied intelligence mechanisms, coercing high-tech companies to provide it, and using academic and scientific research activities," Xiao said.

He also explained that the discovery of the cyberattack on Wuhan earthquake monitoring center was not accidental, indicating that cyberattack intrusion and theft have become the lowest-cost way for the US to obtain other countries' remote sensing and telemetry data.

The US has developed a series of signal intelligence collection, analysis, and processing systems, such as the Echelon project for electromagnetic signal spying, the Main Core project for telecommunications operators, and the PRISM project's super access interface for large IT and internet manufacturers.

"After many years of continuous tracking with relevant departments, we will soon publicly disclose a global reconnaissance system of the US government, which poses serious security threats to China's national security and world peace. We must be highly vigilant and tightly guard against this," Xiao said.

Violating international law

In fact, a plethora of internal documents from the National Security Agency (NSA) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) exposed in events such as Prism, Shadow Brokers and WikiLeaks reveal that the US, as a real "hacker empire" and "spying empire," targets "indiscriminately" (including its allies) in its cyber intelligence collection activities. Civil institutions and individuals worldwide are its targets for cyberattacks, fully exposing the US' double standards and hypocrisy on human rights issues.

Du further stated that the US military intelligence agencies' use of their information technology advantage to launch cyberattacks on civilian infrastructure is a criminal act in clear violation of international law, seriously infringing on China's national security and public interest.

"In fact, for a long time, the US' cyberattacks on China's key information infrastructure have been all-encompassing, with government agencies, universities, research institutions, and large corporations all being targeted by its cyberespionage activities. The US is attempting to use these unfair means to comprehensively steal China's political, economic, military, and diplomatic sensitive information, to contain China's development and progress, and to maintain the US' world hegemony," he said.

As a veteran expert in computer virus prevention technology and emergency response, Du suggested that if China's key information infrastructure is attacked with state-backed hackers, relevant units must report the cyberattack to relevant authorities immediately; build cybersecurity capabilities; strengthen supply chain security management, increase autonomous control abilities; conduct regular cybersecurity drills to improve emergency handling and recovery abilities.

Xiao believed that although China's overall cybersecurity ecosystem is still relatively small in market size, overall, it's complete in technology categories without obvious weaknesses. "In continuous confrontation with threats, especially in identifying, analyzing, and exposing advanced persistent cyberattacks, including those from the US, many excellent Chinese cybersecurity companies have demonstrated their abilities, becoming the industry's supporting force in safeguarding national security and defending the security of the cyberspace community."

China does not need to underestimate itself in terms of cybersecurity capabilities, he noted. "We can establish more ambitious goals, become a competent force in the national governance system, create a capability advantage compared to main geopolitical competitors, and not become a significant constraint and risk vulnerability, even when facing comprehensive suppression by hegemonic states or in high-intensity security conflicts.

"We can achieve an overall risk controllable state by strengthening the construction of the public service attributes of cybersecurity , and enhancing the construction of common security capabilities, resilience mechanisms, and cybersecurity infrastructure," Xiao said.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Workers assemble corn harvesters at a workshop of Weichai Lovol Intelligent Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. in Weifang City, east China's Shandong Province, July 26, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese companies are expediting steps to go global, fueled by the rapid expansion of the tech-intensive green products and the healthcare and information technology industries, a global professional networking services provider said.

This is expected to infuse greater economic vitality into host countries and play a pivotal role in the world's economic recovery.

The positive factors contributing to this trend are still being released, as the Chinese government unveiled a guideline in mid-July to encourage private firms to increase spending on research and development, speed up digital and technological transformation, and support their business expansion in overseas markets.

In terms of sectors and industries, the proportion of overseas investment by Chinese companies has increased steadily over the past five years, especially for some new emerging industries, said Matt Tindale, head of marketing solutions for the Asia-Pacific region at Linked-In, the California-based professional networking platform.

Thanks to China's industrial upgrade and green transition of the energy industry, the total export value of the country's three major tech-intensive green products  solar batteries, lithium-ion batteries and electric vehicles  soared 61.6 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2023.Together, they contributed 1.8 percentage points to the overall export growth during the same period, data from the General Administration of Customs showed.

"This is consistent with what we have seen in our customers' business performance on the LinkedIn platform," said Tindale, adding that companies have noticed a surge in Chinese businesses venturing overseas, particularly in sectors such as technology, internet, intelligent manufacturing, new energy and healthcare.

For instance, Chinese photovoltaic companies account for nearly half of the world's top 500 photovoltaic firms, and 35 percent of them are LinkedIn China's existing customers, like Trina Solar Co, Jinko Solar Holding Co and LONGi Green Energy Technology Co.

These companies are experiencing rapid growth and becoming influential players in the global marketplace, according to LinkedIn.

"It is also driven by advanced technology and high productivity. 'Made in China' is no longer merely relying on 'low labor cost' and 'low materials cost', but has become more competitive through advanced technology and high productivity," the Australian executive said, noting that the path and approach of Chinese companies going global are undergoing profound changes.

Tindale said some new emerging sectors, including technology, solar power and intelligent manufacturing, are breaking away from the traditional globalization path.

These companies are adopting a global mindset and have the capability to enter mature markets such as Japan, Singapore, Europe and the United States early on.

According to LinkedIn's latest report, named Breaking Borders, in collaboration with global consultancy Accenture, the top two manufacturing sectors  electronics and machinery  account for 45 percent of China's total exports to the US, Canada, France, Germany and the United Kingdom. This is indicative of China's gradual push toward higher-skilled and smart manufacturing.

There are more than 950 million members on LinkedIn's platform from more than 200 countries and regions across the world.

The group found that the Asia-Pacific region has emerged as the world's fastest-growing major area, partly driven by the rapid growth of digitalization. In the context of the Chinese market, digitalization has become a significant advantage for Chinese companies in their quest for growth.

Tindale said digital platforms are important for exporters looking to enter new markets and who have a limited understanding of the buyer landscape. Therefore, the company suggests that business-to-business platforms seeking to capitalize on the opportunities presented by digital platforms should prioritize key areas such as building international brand awareness online, targeted digital advertising, conversion and customer service.

"We will continue to assist Chinese B2B businesses to elevate brand awareness, foster engagement and drive lead generation in overseas markets," he said. "Harnessing global data insights, LinkedIn is able to cater to the diverse characteristics and needs of target audiences, facilitating the creation of tailored marketing content that effectively reaches potential customers with precision."

Despite facing an adverse external environment, China saw its outbound direct investment rise 22.7 percent year-on-year to 431.61 billion yuan ($59.5 billion) in the first half, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

The growth of China's ODI will be driven by domestic companies' improved ODI structure, with investment notably flowing into sectors including manufacturing, logistics and retail, said Bai Ming, deputy director of international market research at the Beijing-based Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.
A man identified as one of the biggest spreaders of child pornography in Kentucky through one program has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday.

That was the statutory maximum for Adam Fonso Childers, 71, of Ashland. A jury convicted him one one charge each of possessing and distributing child porn.

U.S. Disrict Judge David L. Bunning also ordered Childers to pay more than $175,000 in restitution to victims of child pornography and other assessments, according to a news release from the DOJ.

Evidence showed Childers amassed hundreds of thousands of images of child pornography over decades, dating back to magazines from the 1970s, according to the news release.

He was one of 10 people who shared the most child porn over one particular peer-to-peer network he used, according to federal authorities.

Childers said he did not knowingly possess material showing child sexual abuse and gave various reasons for why it was on his computer, including blaming a virus, according to a court document.

His claims were absurd and false, the prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Lauren Melton, said in a sentencing memorandum.

Childers possessed a large volume of horrific child sexual abuse material and also shared such material with others, thus fueling an online criminal conspiracy that peddles in the misery of children, Melton wrote.

Bunning sentenced Childers Monday in federal court in Ashland.
The shallow Kakhovka reservoir after the dam was blown up by Russian terrorists

Dropping water levels across Dnipro River reservoirs  including the Kyiv Reservoir  is associated with covering shortfall in generation capacity while Ukraines nuclear power plants are in maintenance, head of Ukrhydroenergo Ihor Syrota told Ukrainian TV broadcasters on Aug. 15. Ukrhydroenergo is Ukraines state-owned hydroelectric power plant operator.

Read also: Ukraine to compensate farmers for crops lost due to Kakhovka dam destruction

Syrota was commenting on reports from locals that the Kyiv Reservoir is currently shallower than it usually is this time of year.

There is a need: [nuclear operator] Energoatom is trying to carry out a maintenance campaign on 9 reactors in a short period, said Syrota.

We have a deficit in the power grid and we are trying to cover it by our own means. We are trying to provide our citizens with electricity.

He also added that due to the summer heat, there is excessive electricity demand.

Read also: Russian attack reduces Kakhovka Reservoir to a quarter of its size

Moreover, the official noted that Ukrhydroenergo has just put in an emergency application to refrain from draining water from the Kyiv Reservoir any further, and instead accumulate it.

Read also: Optimistic forecast from Economy Ministry for 2023 GDP growth, despite Kakhovka dams destruction

Speaking about the situation after the Kakhovka HPP was blown up by Russian troops, Syrota said that the Kakhovka reservoir had a substantial potential: "We could drain up to 5 meters of water compared to only one meter in Kyiv."

Read also: Water supply tariffs to remain at current level after public criticism by Zelenskyy

He also said that the Kakhovka reservoir covered all the water needs of the agricultural and industrial sectors in the region.

The consequences of the water shortage will be seen next year, especially in spring," Syrota concluded.

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
Gaby Cervantes home allowed very little room for mistakes  she could never leave a dish in the sink, let crumbs accumulate on the countertops or neglect sweeping the living room.

Cervantes, one of four daughters, upheld traditional gender expectations of their Mexican culture. Among friends, she felt freer to explore her genderqueer identity  until the pandemic forced her to spend her sophomore and junior years of high school stuck at home.

She began to question traditional expectations and how her queer and genderqueer identities fit within her culture.

My identities dont always mesh well, said Cervantes. It feels like I have to pick and choose parts instead of embracing them entirely.

She dove into research, and started to see herself in books by trans and nonbinary authors. She also started using she/they pronouns and began to express herself through songwriting, conveying her interpretation of femininity and a sense of queer acceptance.

Last summer, Cervantes graduated from high school in Sacramento and decided to move to Long Beach for college. She also works at a queer- and POC-owned plant shop called Plantitas with her sister Melissa. These experiences provided her with the opportunity to break free from the gender expectations of her Latino household and find community.

Gaby Cervantes at Plantitas in Long Beach. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

The influence of traditional gender roles

Cervantes cultural identity is influenced by Catholicism, as her mother, a Catholic, took her to church with her mom's side of the family. Cervantes saw in her father, who is not religious, elements of machismo.

Cervantes found herself in the challenging position of picking and choosing religious values from her upbringing. This struggle was intensified by her observation of how her family used religion as a means to express hatred and discrimination towards LGBTQ+ people.

I feel guilty that I am still able to find comfort in not the religion itself, but the symbolism and idea of it, Cervantes said.

Like Cervantes' experience with religion, the gender roles she saw modeled in her family have positives and negatives.

Take machismo. In a 2014 study, researchers identified two distinct expressions: traditional machismo, which was characterized by dominant masculine traits, and caballerismo, which encompassed qualities such as hard work, family loyalty and protection. The journal Sexuality Research and Social Policy published a study in 2017 that found people who identify as both Latinx and LGBTQ+ face rejection, denial and sometimes even violence. The findings strongly supported the notion that individuals with traditional beliefs about gender roles tend to exhibit heightened anti-gay prejudice, with machismo playing a significant role in predicting negative outcomes, including explicit homophobia.

Vanessa Pezo , a Long Beach-based licensed clinical social worker and trauma specialist, said it's important to recognize the diverse impacts of gender roles on both Latino culture and our personal lives. When young people reevaluate these norms, they should take an active role in breaking them down and asking themselves, Do I see any value or agreement in these norms? Are there aspects that are harmful or negatively impacting me and my family?

Read more: These young Latino creatives are breaking gender role norms

What are some challenges when breaking away from gender roles?

Cervantes always expressed her femininity through her clothes, which led her to believe that she was cisgender. However, identifying as cisgender never felt right.

For a long time, I felt like there was more to that, and there was more that I wanted people to see in me before seeing just a girl, Cervantes said.

Cervantes said that during her adolescence, she felt held back from truly being who she was.

I just always feel like I'm the only one responsible for my own problems, and I'm the one who has to fix them, Cervantes said. This mindset hindered her from opening up to her family and friends.

If she did open up to her family and friends, Cervantes feared she might face the same rejection she had observed in the past.

Mental health professionals told The Times that Latino culture embraces collectivist family values, in which strong emphasis is placed on the importance of family unity and interconnectedness. Latino families highly value the active involvement and support of extended family members, such as grandparents, aunts and uncles. Decision-making often involves the input and consensus of the entire family, and there is a sense of collective responsibility for the well-being and success of each family member.

Pezo said that while collectivist family values in Latino households can promote a sense of belonging and mutual support, queer people who challenge traditional gender roles may feel a dissonance between their identity and their family's expectations.

Breaking away from these norms can "lead to symptoms of depression, anxiety, confusion, maybe guilt or even shame around who you are," Pezo said.

It may seem like they are not fulfilling the gender roles expected of them, thus letting their family down. This conflict can generate feelings of internal pressure and a struggle to reconcile personal authenticity with familial acceptance.

Amy Salgado , a California-based licensed clinical social worker, said that in addition to the emotional challenges, Latino queer youth encounter practical obstacles too.

Read more: Familia, lets talk about nuestra salud mental

Spanish rigidly assigns grammatical gender to everyone (for example, "el," Spanish "he" and a male-gendered "the"; and "ella" and "la," Spanish "she" and female "the")  and just about everything (for example, "oro," the male-gendered noun for "gold"; and "plata," the female "silver"). The term Latinx, which replaces the male-gendered O with a neutral X to be inclusive of a wider range of gender expressions, and those like it aren't always embraced by more traditional Latinos. That can lead people to feel restricted and excluded.

Navigating the deeply ingrained, gendered language in Latino culture becomes difficult, as it assigns rigid roles and expectations based on gender, restricting and excluding those who don't conform or seek authentic self-expression.

People have a right to identify with the language that captures who they are inherently, and how they choose to express themselves and who they are as people, said Salgado.

In Spanish, using preferred pronouns becomes crucial for affirming and respecting one's gender identity. However, these pronouns may face limited understanding or acceptance, resulting in misunderstandings and potential rejection.

The journey of Latino queer youth in breaking free from gender roles thus becomes a multifaceted struggle, encompassing both emotional and linguistic barriers.

Our language has very gendered terms, presented in a very binary sort of way, said Salgado. By misgendering, essentially what we're sharing with the individual is that we're not validating their experience or their identity.

Cervantes now identifies as genderqueer, embracing an umbrella term for gender identities that exist outside the male-female binary.

Mental health professionals told The Times that in order to bridge the gap between personal authenticity and familial acceptance, Latino families must be open-minded and educate themselves.

Gaby Cervantes, with sister Melissa Cervantes. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

How do gender roles affect identity and mental health?

As Cervantes grew up, she felt pressure to selectively embrace some aspects of her identities and suppress others.

This struggle prevented her from fully embracing her genderqueer and queer identities, as she grappled with conflicting expectations and norms. The complexity of her cultural background made it difficult for her to fully integrate and express her authentic self within these identities, leading to feelings of isolation and self-doubt.

Dr. Lisette Sanchez , a Los Angeles-based licensed psychologist, said that a psychological stress called cognitive dissonance can be common among Latino queer youth. It occurs when ones beliefs and values clash, resulting in heightened levels of anxiety and depression.

This dissonance can be intensified if young people face rejection from their families or communities due to their queer identities. As a coping mechanism, some individuals may resort to self-harm, Sanchez said.

Read more: How second- and third-generation Latinos are reclaiming the Spanish language

How can therapy help?

External events or stressors can contribute to mental health challenges. But therapy can help with anxiety and depression  or just help someone feel supported.

Therapy is a place for someone to be able to come and to feel seen, to feel heard, to be understood, to be validated, to be affirmed, said Pezo. That can then become a huge resource for this person out there dealing with different challenges that come from navigating the world with multiple identities.

Young, queer Latinos in therapy may experience confusion about their identities and what is expected of them.

Some therapists will use a tool called a social identity wheel to help people understand the complex and interconnected nature of their identities, such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status and others.

The social identity wheel typically consists of a circle divided into sections, with each section representing a different social identity category. Within each section, people are encouraged to reflect on and describe various aspects of their identity, such as the experiences, beliefs, values, privileges and challenges associated with that particular identity.

According to Pezo, a therapist can use this tool to talk about the intersections of various identities and a person's lived experiences within the world. This process can be transformative and healing, as it recognizes and validates each unique identity, fostering a sense of wholeness and empowerment.

Conversations like these with a therapist can lead Latino queer youth to want to try to broach similar topics with family.

To prepare, one tool therapists use is a role-playing exercise, where youth can learn about ways to communicate with their family members.

Additionally, therapists can help people explore the expectations their parents placed on them and assess which ones they still choose to embrace. By exploring how personal goals align with values and identifying potential conflicts, people can navigate their challenges while staying true to their beliefs, Sanchez said.

Read more: Talking about mental health can be hard within Latino families. Here's how to start

Other resources for Latino queer youth

If youre not comfortable with therapy or do not have the resources to start therapy, other mental health resources are available.

Los Angeles:





Los Angeles LGBT Center offers a wide range of programs and services, including support groups, counseling, healthcare and youth programs.

Bienestar Human Services provides comprehensive health and wellness services for the Latino LGBTQ+ community, including HIV/AIDS prevention and support, mental health counseling and youth programs.

Latino Equality Alliance promotes LGBTQ+ equality and empowerment among the Latino community in Los Angeles. They provide resources, advocacy and support for queer people and their families.

Gender Justice LA focuses on transgender and gender non-conforming communities in Los Angeles. They offer support groups, workshops and community organizing initiatives.

Los Angeles Gender Center consists of mental health providers who specialize in serving the transgender, gender non-conforming and non-binary communities, as well as their families, across California.

PFLAG Los Angeles is the local chapter of a national organization providing support, education and advocacy for LGBTQ+ people and their families. The Los Angeles chapter offers monthly meetings, resources and a safe space for queer youth and their loved ones.

National:





The Trevor Project is a national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services for LGBTQ+ youth. They offer a 24/7 helpline, online chat and other resources.

Gender Odyssey is an annual conference held in various locations that focuses on gender diversity and transgender issues. Attending the conference can provide valuable education, networking and support opportunities.

TransLatin@ Coalition is dedicated to advocating for the rights and well-being of transgender and gender non-conforming Latinx people. They provide resources, support and education.

Latinx Therapy is a network of therapists where one can use filters based on location, identity of yourself or of the therapists, and by specialty (machismo, family issues, dissociation, etc.).

National Center for Transgender Equality advocates for policy change and provides resources on transgender issues. They offer information on legal rights, healthcare and community support.

The National LGBTQ Task Force advocates for LGBTQ+ rights and equality. They provide resources, organize events and offer support for queer youth.

Read more: Why Latinos can benefit from a culturally competent therapist, and how to find one

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier has shared a video on Instagram advertising his desire for a girlfriend and muse.

Von Trier is known for directing controversial films such as Antichrist, Dogville, and The Idiots, many of which are known for their violent and sexually explicit content.

He has been married twice before: to director Ccilia Holbek, from 1987 to 1995, and to Bente Frge, who works with vulnerable youths, from 1997 to 2015. Last August, he announced that he had been diagnosed with Parkinsons disease.

In a video shared on Instagram (captioned in English), von Trier holds up a sign to the camera that reads: Lars von Trier looking for girlfriend/muse.

He says: I dont know what Ive dragged myself into this time. So before I drown myself in smug advertising, let me make a few things clear. I am 67 years old. I have Parkinsons, OCD and an at the moment controlled alcoholism. In short, with any luck I should still have a few decent movies left in me.

All this is meant as an old-school contact ad, where I, without knowing the least about social media, [am] looking for a female girlfriend/muse. And despite all the whining, I still insist that on a good day, in the right company, I can be quite a charming partner. Thank you for your infinite patience.

The director then instructs any interested parties to contact him at the email address bill.mrk.lars@gmail.com.

In 2017, musician and actor Bjork, whom von Trier directed in the 2000 musical film Dancer in the Dark, accused the filmmaker of sexual harassment.

I am inspired by the women everywhere who are speaking up online to tell about my experience with a Danish director, she wrote on Facebook at the time.

When I turned the director down repeatedly he sulked and punished me and created for his team an impressive net of illusion where I was framed as the difficult one.

Von Trier denied the accusation at the time, and later reiterated the denial in an interview, stating: You know, 90 per cent of the journalists I spoke to believe that I harassed Bjork, but thats ridiculous because I denied it, but no one wrote it.

Because a good story is to write that I harassed her. And this is not the case. I touched her, its true. I did it with all my actresses. Because she was doing a really intense job: screaming, being sickso obviously I hugged her. But if she thinks a hug is harassment, then I think I will not be able to succeed without touching my actors.

He added: I did not touch her in the wrong places, I think.
Last words revealed from matriarch of small town paper who died after dubious police raid: 'Hitler tactics'

A small town Kansas woman whose family bought their storied local newspaper in the 1990s to thwart a corporate takeover attempt died after a controversial police raid on her home and office, according to the outlet she ran.

"Stressed beyond her limits and overwhelmed by hours of shock and grief after illegal police raids on her home and the Marion County Record newspaper office Friday, 98-year-old newspaper co-owner Joan Meyer, otherwise in good health for her age, collapsed Saturday afternoon and died at her home," a missive on the Record's website declared.

Police seized phones and computers as well as other equipment, cutting off Meyer's home TV access, hampering the paper's ability to publish, and causing Meyer so much stress she died the following day, according to the paper, which is under suspicion of identity theft and unlawfully accessing a computer.

Before she died, according to Bernie Rhodes, an attorney representing the newspaper, Meyer said the raids were "Hitler tactics."

KANSAS POLICE RAID NEWSPAPER'S OFFICE, PUBLISHER'S HOME TO SEIZE RECORDS; REPORT INJURED

"The only crime we committed is being a reporter," Rhodes told Fox News Digital. "We received information from a source, and like any good reporter we went to verify that information."

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

The raids on Meyer's home and the Record's newsroom came after reporters looked into allegations that a local sweets shop owner named Kari Newell allegedly drove a car while her license was suspended for a prior DUI, according to the Record's version of events.

After receiving a tip about the potential scandal, a reporter checked a state website to see if there was a paper trail, but the Record never actually published a story on the allegations, Rhodes said.

Days before the raid, Marion police publicly thanked Newell on Facebook for hosting Police Chief Gideon Cody and other local officials at an event featuring U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner, R-Kan., at her restaurant.

During the event, Cody kicked out Meyer's son, the paper's editor and publisher Eric Meyer, and another reporter, Rhodes said.

"It seems like a remarkable coincidence," he said.

NASHVILLE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL SHOOTER HAD MYSTERIOUS HANDWRITTEN NOTES ON CLOTHES, NUMBERED ANKLET: AUTOPSY

When reached by telephone Tuesday, Eric Meyer told Fox News Digital he had no time to talk  he was busy working to publish the next issue.

"We are on deadline, and have got to get out a newspaper and are in desperate straights to do so," he said.

The letter posted to the Record's website last week called the search warrants "illegal" and compared them to the "Gestapo tactics" of Nazi Germany.

The paper did not publish a story about the scandal and said the information had been sent in by a source, not sought out by reporters.

"The source who provided it alleged that law enforcement officers knew Newell did not have a valid drivers license and ignored her violation of the law," according to the Record, which also claimed to have spiked the story due to the source's potential conflict of interest with Newell.

A call to Newell's listed number went unanswered Tuesday, and the voicemail box was full. A text message reply from the number told Fox News Digital there would be "No further comments."

Portions of the search warrant have circulated online after they were obtained by another local paper, the Kansas Reflector, but the county court has not yet released the affidavit that police used to convince a judge the sign them.

Rhodes said he had not yet been provided with a copy either.

The "entire debacle was brought forth in an attempt to smear my name, jeopardize my licensing through [state liquor authorities], harm my business, seek retaliation, and for personal leverage in an ongoing domestic court battle," Newell wrote on Facebook under a pseudonym, according to the Reflector report.

The Record has announced intentions to file a federal lawsuit against city police, alleging the warrants were unconstitutional. Rhodes said his team was still gathering information ahead of any potential litigation.

In a letter to the police department, he demanded investigators stop going through the newspaper's computer files because many of them are protected under Kansas law.

"Regardless of whether your search was exempt from the protections of the Privacy Protection Act, it plainly violated the First, Fourth, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution, as well as Sections 11, 15, and 18 of the Kansas Bill of Rights," Rhodes wrote to Cody.

Chief Cody did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. In a prior statement, Marion police said that once they are ready to release more information to the public, "the judicial system that is being questioned will be vindicated."

The Marion County Record was founded in 1874 by E.W. Hoch, whose family owned the newspaper for more than a century before Meyer and her husband bought it in 1998 to save it from takeover by a corporate chain, according to the Reflector. Bill Meyer, who died in 2006, had worked with the paper since 1948.
New developments are unfolding in the case of the Marion, Kansas, newspaper raided by police on Friday. The homes of a local city councilwoman and the papers editor and publisher were also searched.

Now, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation has taken over the case  and the governor has weighed in.

Get caught up on the latest developments with these five things to know.

KBI has taken over the investigation

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation became the lead law enforcement agency in the investigation of the Marion County Record on Monday, The Stars Jonathan Shorman reports.

KBI spokesperson Melissa Underwood told The Star that the agency will review prior steps taken and work to determine how best to proceed with the case, which involved a search warrant suggesting that the newspapers offices contained evidence of identity theft and improper use of computers.

Its unclear why the KBI, a state agency based in Topeka which provides advanced law enforcement services like forensic lab testing and special operations, has taken over this case.

Read more: KBI takes lead in Marion investigation following police raid of local newspaper

Newspapers lawyer demands police not search seized documents

In a strongly worded letter Sunday, Marion County Record attorney Bernie Rhodes demanded that authorities not review the documents and materials they seized in Fridays raid. Rhodes also represents The Star.

The computers, cell phones and other items you illegally seized contain the identity of confidential sources, as well as information provided by those confidential sources, Rhodes letter says. This information is protected by both federal and state law.

Rhodes also pointed to a shield law that protects journalists in Kansas from seizure of their materials without a hearing.

Read more: Raided Kansas papers lawyer demands police chief not review info from illegal searches

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly questions whether rights were violated

In a statement Monday night, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly expressed her support for further inquiry into Fridays raid, The Stars Katie Bernard reports. .

I want to make sure that in the state of Kansas, that we are not violating either individuals or presss constitutional right to free speech, Kelly said. We look forward to getting all of the facts out so we know what kind of issue we have.

Kelly didnt explicitly condemn the raid or share her opinion on whether she believes the papers rights were violated.

Read more: Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly says questions should be asked about raid on Marion newspaper

Police had a search warrant  but is that enough to search a newsroom?

In order to get a search warrant in Kansas, officers or others must convince a judge that they have cause to believe a crime has been (or will be) committed.

Police in Marion did that  but the Privacy Protection Act of 1980 establishes stricter guidelines for searching journalists materials than for most other documents.

Under this federal law, materials can only be seized without a court subpoena if a reporter is suspected of a crime, the documents are needed to prevent a death or serious injury or if police believe the documents will be destroyed if they are not immediately seized.

The warrant to search the Records offices indicated that police suspected identity theft and unlawful acts concerning computers had occurred.

A state shield law that protects journalists from seizures of their materials indicates that a hearing is necessary before seizing documents from a news agency.

In order to seize a journalists documents, law enforcement must prove in court that the information they want is relevant to a case, cant be obtained through other means and is of a compelling interest, meaning it could prevent a crime or harm coming to a person.

Interests that are not compelling include, but are not limited to, those of parties whose litigation lacks sufficient grounds, is abusive or is brought in bad faith, the state statute reads.

Read more: When can police raid a newspaper like the Marion County Record? Heres what the law says

The newspaper had previously investigated Marions new police chief

The Record had previously investigated Marions new police chief, Gideon Cody, at the time of the raid. Cody had recently started the job after 24 years as a captain with the KCPD.

Meyer declined to comment on the exact nature of the investigation, but characterized the charges as serious. The paper informed city officials of allegations against Cody, but had not published anything about them at the time of the raid.

Cody led the raid Friday based on a search warrant.

I have already been vetted. Theyve (the newspaper) actually did a background on me. And thats why they chose not to (publish a story), Cody said in a Sunday interview with The Star.

However, if they can muddy the water, make my credibility look bad, I totally get it. Theyre gonna try to do everything they possibly can.

Read more: Kansas newspaper raided, shut down by police had investigated chief who came from KCPD

The Stars Jonathan Shorman, Katie Bernard, Glenn E. Rice, Judy Thomas and Luke Nozicka contributed.

Do you have more questions about the police raid at a Kansas newspaper office? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
The latest round of Operation Consequences included 27 felony arrests and the seizing of 54 firearms in places like Barstow, Hesperia and Victorville.

The latest round of Operation Consequences included crime suppression activity in places like Barstow, Hesperia and Victorville.

As part of the operation, 13 search warrants were served across the High Desert. Investigators made 27 felony arrests and seized 54 firearms, 14 of which were unserialized, or ghost guns.

Authorities also found and seized nearly one pound of drugs, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department.

The targeted crime suppression occurred at the following locations:

22500 Block of Cheryle Street, Barstow

19600 Block of Rock Springs Road, Hesperia

18400 Block of Hackberry Street, Hesperia

18400 Block of Bear Valley Road, Hesperia

16200 Block of Orange Street, Hesperia

13600 Block of Cedar Street, Hesperia

13700 Block of Burning Tree Drive, Victorville

16900 Block of B Street, Victorville

15900 Block of Nisqualli Road, Victorville

14500 Block of Seventh Street, Victorville

12400 Block of Bassett Drive, Victorville

14400 Block of Seneca Road, Victorville

27300 Block of W Lugonia Avenue, Redlands

6800 Block of De Anza Avenue, Riverside

22900 Block of Chambray Drive, Moreno Valley

13300 Block of Windy Grove Drive Rancho Cucamonga

The latest round of Operation Consequences included 27 felony arrests and the seizing of 54 firearms in places like Barstow, Hesperia and Victorville.

Operation Consequence was conducted by the sheriffs department gangs/narcotics division, specialized enforcement division, and multiple patrol stations. The department receives assistance from San Bernardino County Probation, the California Highway Patrol, and Department of Homeland Security Investigations.

The latest round of Operation Consequences included 27 felony arrests and the seizing of 54 firearms in places like Barstow, Hesperia and Victorville.

Operation Consequences will focus on conducting targeted crime suppression operations and parole and probation checks throughout the High Desert and county.

There are currently 6,562 parolees at large in California and 528 parolees at large in the county, sheriffs officials said.

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Latest Operation Consequences targets crime in the High Desert
VILNIUS (Reuters) - EU member Latvia could begin exporting Ukrainian grain through its ports this autumn, with volumes possibly reaching a million metric tonnes per year, the chairman of Latvian Railways' board said in Tuesday.

"Right now, an opportunity has appeared for Ukrainian grain transportation," Rinalds Plavnieks told Latvia's public broadcaster.

The grain would need to be shipped through Poland, which uses a different rail gauge to Latvia and Ukraine, necessitating two changes, which adds to costs.

"We see that around 500,000 to a million tons a year could be transported via this transit corridor," Plavnieks added.

Moscow has withdrawn from a deal to allow Black Sea exports of grain from Ukraine, one of the world's top exporters, and has been attacking its agricultural and port infrastructure.

Last month Lithuania asked the European Commission to develop a route for Ukrainian grain through five ports in the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, according to a letter seen by Reuters. The five ports have a combined annual grain export capacity of 25 million tons, the letter said.

(Reporting by Andrius Sytas in Vilnius; editing by Jason Neely)
Ukraine could export up to 1 million tons of grain per year through Latvia's ports on the Baltic Sea, Rinalds Plavnieks, the CEO of state-owned Latvian Railways, said on Aug. 15.

Speaking to Latvia's public broadcaster, Plavnieks said he initially thought the option was "impossible on an industrial scale," but developments in logistics technology meant shipments via rail could start this autumn.

One issue is that the trains would have to travel through Poland to reach Latvian ports, requiring two reloadings of cargo, as Latvia and Ukraine use a different railway gauge to Poland, he said.

However, Plavnieks believes that "there is now an opportunity for Ukrainian grain," as reloading capabilities have developed and sped up the process.

He said that there was the potential for 500,000 tons to 1 million tons of Ukrainian grain per year to be transported through Latvia.

Plavnieks added that there has been a meeting with the Ukrainian ambassador to Latvia and that Latvian Railways employees visited Ukraine last week.

Other EU countries have also suggested ways to help Ukraine export its grain after Russia withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative on July 17, effectively terminating the deal.

The agreement, brokered in July 2022 by Turkey and the U.N., allowed Ukraine to export its agricultural products through its Black Sea ports.

Shortly after the withdrawal, Russian forces began systematically targeting Ukrainian ports and agricultural infrastructure.

Romania plans to increase the transit capacity of Ukrainian grain from 2 million metric tons to 4 million every month, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Sorin Grindeanu said on Aug. 11.

Poland asked the European Union for an investment of 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) so that Warsaw can increase its capacity for transiting Ukrainian grain, the Polish Press Agency (PAP) reported on Aug. 4.

The Ukrainian Grain Association reported in August that "favorable weather conditions and better-than-expected crop yields" have pushed up forecasts for Ukraine's harvest this year.

The association expects the country to harvest 76.8 million tons of grain and oil seed crops, like sunflower and flax, in 2023.

Read also: Risk of big disruptions high in grain markets, says Black Sea expert









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The Latvian State Security Service (SSS) has tracked down certain internet-based direct and indirect calls for people to join the Russian Wagner Private Military Company (PMC).

Source: SSS, as reported by European Pravda, citing Latvian news website Delfi

Details: The Latvian SSS provided no further comments. Representatives of the security service merely specified that no public advertising of the group had been found in Latvia so far.

The SSS also stressed that citizens and non-citizens of Latvia are prohibited from serving in another state's armed forces or military organisations posing a threat to the countrys national security.

Violation of this ban is punishable by up to four years of imprisonment.

The SSS is urging Latvian citizens to report any propaganda materials they see or other attempts to recruit Latvians into the Wagner PMC.

Background:

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Zhejiang provincial authorities have recently introduced a raft of supportive measures in a bid to boost demand from local homebuyers, which is part of the local government's efforts to optimize regulations and policies.

In Haining, under Zhejiang province's Jiaxing city, the local provident housing fund management center has recently, using credits from the public provident fund, or PPF, launched seven types of personal credit products through data sharing and credit cooperation to provide more housing loan options for white-collar workers and depositors.

"It's very convenient as all PPF applications can now be processed and handled through a WeChat mini program under the online government service platform after I input the required information," said Wang Xiaotian, who is from outside Haining and purchased an apartment in the city, obtaining the housing loan locally.

A credit limit of 545 million yuan ($75.3 million) has been granted to depositors in Haining, improving the convenience and housing purchasing enthusiasm for depositors both locally and from outside the city.

Numerous policies have been announced since the tone-setting meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on July 24. At the crucial meeting, it was decided that property policies should be adjusted and optimized promptly to make good use of targeted policies in different cities, considering the fundamental changes in the demand-supply situation in the real estate sector.

"We hope to roll out more innovative and service-oriented measures to better meet the demands of depositors," said Zhang Yong, deputy director of the Jiaxing Municipal Housing Provident Fund Management Center.

In Jinhua, central Zhejiang, the local authorities announced on Thursday that starting three days later, the maximum loan amount of the housing provident fund will be marginally increased, further enhancing support for home purchases and better meeting the rigid and improved housing needs of Jinhua's residents, promoting the healthy and stable development of the local real estate market.

Under the new policy, for first-time buyers, the loan limit for depositors has been raised from 400,000 yuan to 500,000 yuan for single individuals and from 800,000 yuan to 1 million yuan for couples. While for second-time purchases, the limit has been raised from 250,000 yuan to 300,000 yuan for single individuals and from 500,000 yuan to 600,000 yuan for couples.

Such measures should be deemed good examples of lowering residents' home purchasing costs, demonstrating that local governments at all levels have been active in carrying out and streamlining related home-buying policies in line with the central leadership's guidance, said Yan Yuejin, director of the E-house China Research and Development Institution in Shanghai.

Statistics from the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development show that last year, a total of 192,100 personal housing provident fund loans were granted in the province, totaling 101.87 billion yuan. Through the issuance of housing provident fund loans, home buyers saved a total of 17.125 billion yuan in interest payments.
Social media users mocked Rep Lauren Boebert (R-CO) for her appearance at a Rico fire department amid former president Donald Trump being charged in Georgia under a law that shares the same likeness.

The right-wing firebrand congresswoman posted images of her visit to the Rico Fire Protection District in her district.

Honored to spend time with firefighters from the Rico Fire Protection District  true heroes dedicated to keeping our community safe, she posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. Their bravery and commitment are truly remarkable. Grateful for their sacrifice and service!

But the post came as a grand jury indicted the former president and his associates under Georgias Georgias Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) law, among other charges. The RICO statute charges people who take part in actions in service of a criminal enterprise.

Mr Trump faces 13 RICO charges, which he shares with 18 other criminal defendants. Social media users were quick to mock the moment.

@realDonaldTrump could use the RICO Fire & Rescue right now. Maybe Lauren could send them in? https://t.co/PRnHoSxc4P  Jason Rollison (@jasonrollison) August 15, 2023

@realDonaldTrump could use the RICO Fire & Rescue right now. Maybe Lauren could send them in? Jason Rollinson tweeted.

Rico.



Thats funny, your owner is about to be charged with crimes of the same name.



 https://t.co/Y6NMqrkg4I  Willy is free (@MogliRocks) August 14, 2023

Rico. Thats funny, your owner is about to be charged with crimes of the same name, another person tweeted.

On the day Trump is indicted on RICO charges, Bobo tweeted this gem.



She's painfully stupid. https://t.co/rAk8WjX151  Dave Ryder  (@daveryder) August 15, 2023

On the day Trump is indicted on RICO charges, Bobo tweeted this gem, another person tweeted. She's painfully stupid.

The former president also faces 12 other charges including conspiracy to impersonate a public officer; two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery; two counts of conspiracy to make false statements under oath; two counts of conspiracy to file false documents; two counts of solicitation of a public officer; filing false documents; conspiracy to solicit false documents; and making false statements.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said each of the defendants RICO charges accused them of participation in a criminal enterprise in Fulton County, Georgia, and elsewhere, to accomplish the illegal goal of allowing Donald J. Trump to seize the presidential term of office, beginning on January 20, 2021.
The west end of the Behrens Trench of Compass Minerals is seen on Oct. 18, 2016. The trench moves brine from the west pond complex to the east pond complex of Compass Minerals. | Ravell Call, Deseret News

Utah House Majority Leader Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, said Compass Minerals operating on the north arm of the Great Salt Lake is behaving as if it is the wild wild West, and it is time the company is tamed when it comes to its operations.

Schultz opened a bill file this week to foster legislation he says will do whatever is within the state Legislatures purview to rein in the company, which recently raised the ire of Utah regulators because of a pilot project to mine lithium the state says was unauthorized.

Great Salt Lake Collaborative

This article is published through the Great Salt Lake Collaborative, a solutions journalism initiative that partners news, education and media organizations to help inform people about the plight of the Great Salt Lake  and what can be done to make a difference before it is too late. Read all of our stories at greatsaltlakenews.org.

So Compass is interpreting their agreement to show that because lithium is technically a salt, their agreements with the state cover that, Schultz said. State Forestry and Fire says, no, no, no. You still have to have a separate agreement with the state of Utah for every individual mineral that you produce. And, then also a royalty agreement has to be assigned to that and they dont have that royalty agreement.

Schultz asserted too, that collectively the mineral extraction makes hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars a year. The industry as a whole pays the state about $11 million annually in severance taxes.

A company under scrutiny

The issue of Compass Minerals operation on the eastern shore of the Great Salt Lake came up in discussion in a recent meeting of the Legislative Water Development Commission.

Statements made by Jamie Barnes, the director of the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, as well as a few lawmakers, prompted the companys chief executive officer to issue a letter to commission members disputing what was said.

Kevin Crutchfield, Compass Minerals CEO, said he was both surprised and deeply disappointed by representations made to the commission.

He added that among the 10 leases the company has with the state, it has the authority to mine salts and salt products, and the right to mine salts and other minerals dissolved or suspended in the water of the Great Salt Lake.

He also pointed to documentation from the U.S. Geological Survey about lithiums classification.

To provide examples, a 2017 United States Geological Survey report on critical mineral resources noted that lithium carbonate is commonly produced from brine when reacted with sodium carbonate. That same report states that lithium chloride and bromide are salts.

Compass is a leading global provider of salt, sulfate of potash and magnesium chloride. It is the only domestic producer of sulfate of potash.

Crutchfield also emphasized that Barnes assertion that Compass had not been forthcoming with its lithium project to the division is inaccurate, noting there was a public presentation by a company executive at the Great Salt Lake Summit hosted by Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson, R-Kaysville, in January 2022 and a meeting with leadership of the Forestry Fire and State Lands Division later that year.

But lawmakers have been concerned about receiving accurate information related to the mineral industries operating on the Great Salt Lake, if the state is getting fair value for those resources, in addition, if companies are engaged in best practices protecting the lake and the companies themselves.

HB513, which passed last year, authorizes a study probing those factors.

Barnes said there is wide disagreement between Compass and regulators, adding the state says each lease requires specificity for mineral extraction.

Water and Compass Minerals

Schultz said his bill will address a number of issues in the arena of mineral extraction on the Great Salt Lake that are within the statutory purview of the legislature.

But another big issue is the water, the rights that Compass Minerals holds and how much it can deplete.

Schultz says the amount is staggering.

One of the biggest concerns is the lithium and with their 400,000 acre-feet of water. Lithium is so valuable, do they actually increase their production to get more lithium?

Compass has water rights that Schultz said are the equivalent of one and a quarter of what Jordanelle Reservoir holds or the capacity of almost six Echo Reservoirs.

Historically, he said they use 170,000 acre-feet but did not take that much last year.

Were still trying to understand what we can do with their water rights, honestly, he said.

He said the problem is the water Compass uses is depleted, which means it is not returned to the lake. That is in contrast to areas along the northern Wasatch Front, where much of the water used finds its way back to the lake.

Schultz said it is frustrating because Utah communities and the state have been aggressively pursuing water conservation due to the drought and to help lake levels, including that of the Great Salt Lake.

And while the south arm of the Great Salt Lake has risen more than five feet, the north arm remains only six inches above the record low.

Related

Were straining at gnats while they are shoving camels down our throats, he said. There needs to be some significant change going forward. ... I think we started with realizing whats really been happening out there and that it is still the wild wild West, where virtually theres not a lot of regulation.

A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the amount of severance tax paid to the state of Utah from the mining extraction industry. The correct figure, collectively, is about $11 million.
A Hawaiian couple sued the states electric utility this weekend, alleging Hawaiian Electric contributed to devastating wildfires on Maui by failing to shut off power to power lines during a high-wind watch.

In the class-action lawsuit, filed in state court, Monica and Rede Eder allege that the utility bears partial responsibility for the fires, which have been linked to at least 99 deaths.

The plaintiffs noted that the state Wildfire Management Organization issued a wildfire mitigation plan in 2014 that particularly pointed to vulnerabilities in Lahaina, one of the areas most devastated by the 2023 fires.

Meanwhile, in 2018, the Honolulu Fire Department attributed major fires in Oahu that accompanied Hurricane Lane to power lines arcing in the hurricane winds, rather than lightning, according to the lawsuit. Two years later, Maui Countys Hazard Mitigation Plan classified the entirety of Lahaina as a high-risk area for wildfires.

In the leadup to the fires, the National Weather Service issued high wind watches and fire warnings for portions of the state, including Lahaina, that specifically mentioned the danger of downed power lines.

Despite Defendants knowledge about these Red Flag and other warnings, Defendants left their power lines energized. These power lines foreseeably ignited the fast-moving, deadly, and destructive Lahaina Fire, which destroyed homes, businesses, churches, schools, and historic cultural sites. The fire killed scores of people and ruined hundreds  if not thousands  of lives, the lawsuit states. Many people remain missing. This fire marks the most destructive  and deadliest  human-made disaster in Hawaii history.

A Hawaiian Electric substation near the origin point of the initial 3-acre fire is close to the site of an initial downed power line report in the early hours of August 8, while local news outlets have reported at least 30 downed poles, according to the lawsuit.

As has always been our policy, we dont comment on pending litigation. Our immediate focus is on supporting emergency response efforts on Maui and restoring power for our customers and communities as quickly as possible, a Hawaiian Electric spokesperson told The Hill in a statement. At this early stage, the cause of the fire has not been determined and we will work with the state and county as they conduct their review.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Oleksii Danilov, Secretary of the Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council, has said "leasing" Ukrainian Crimea to the Russians is impossible, as they will soon demand to become its owners.

Source: Danilov in an interview with an Italian newspaper La Repubblica

Details: "They were our tenants once: they will soon demand to own what they rent."

Details: During the interview, Danilov was asked whether autonomy for the demilitarised Donbas [Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts] was possible with UN guarantees and Ukrainian sovereignty. He replied that Crimea's autonomy was enough for Ukraine.

Quote: "Do you remember what was in the Budapest Memorandum? The best guarantee of territorial integrity will be when the Ukrainian authorities regain full and unconditional control of all occupied territories, including Donetsk and Luhansk."

Details: Danilov also said he was confident that Ukraine would emerge victorious in the war and that Russia would be defeated on Ukrainian soil.

Background: Oleksii Danilov, Secretary of the Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council, stresses that international partners are not pushing Ukraine to "peace talks" with the aggressor state of Russia.

Danilov stated that Russia has no actual plans to rebuild Ukraine's temporarily occupied territories and wants to turn them into a "grey zone".

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 saga of a 900-pound longhorn bull that escaped in Charlotte last Monday came to an end on Friday when it was killed by a hired hunter, police said Saturday.

The Moores Chapel Road area is near where the bull escaped when its owner tried to protect the animal by moving it from a pasture to an enclosed area, The Charlotte Observer reported.

Police latercited the owner of the bull for failing to restrain an animal and for creating a nuisance, according to a news release by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Animal Care & Control Division.

A lead Animal Care & Control officer has been assigned to investigate permits, licenses or agriculture exceptions, police said.

Though Charlotte is an urban area, it is legal to own a bull, but there are requirements to keep and maintain one on your property.

Who can own a bull in Charlotte?

In Charlotte, it is legal to own a bull, or any other livestock, with a permit, according to the city code.

The city code defines livestock as all animals of a domesticated, agricultural nature, including, but not limited to, equine animals, bovine animals, sheep, goats, llamas, and swine.

Livestock owners must abide by the following rules set by the city code:

Animals must have adequate shelter to protect them from the elements.

The shelter must be kept clean and free of animal excrement and objectionable odors.

Shelters for cows and other large livestock must be kept a minimum of 75 feet from a property line.

Large livestock must have a minimum pasture area of two acres.

Owners who slaughter livestock must do so in a humane and sanitary manner, according to the city code. It also cannot be done in the view of any public area or adjacent to any property owned by another person.

Is it legal to ride a bull in Charlotte?

Charlotte city code prohibits bull owners from riding any animal in a careless or reckless manner through any street, alley, or highway.

City law also prevents owners from driving any loose animal and knowingly allowing animals to roam free on streets, alleys, or highways.

How to apply for a livestock permit in Charlotte

Applications for livestock permits in Charlotte can be completed online at charlottenc.gov. The application fee is $40 and must be renewed annually.

Once your application is submitted, an inspector will contact you to advise the next steps, according to the city.

During the application process, any previous calls for nuisance or cruelty will be looked into and considered when making final approval decisions.
Late in the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen arranged a payment of $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels in what prosecutors say was an exchange for her pledge of confidentiality over an alleged affair (Phillip Faraone)

Former US president Donald Trump is now facing four criminal indictments, all filed since March  raising the prospect that the Republican frontrunner in the 2024 White House race could end up navigating a series of trials as he campaigns.

On Monday, he was indicted on 13 counts in the southern state of Georgia in connection with his alleged efforts to interfere with the results of the 2020 election, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.

Trump has already been indicted in federal court in connection with election interference in multiple states, and over his handling of classified documents, making him the first former US president to face federal criminal charges.

The twice-impeached Trump has also been charged in New York with making election-eve hush money payments to a porn star.

Here are the key cases involving the 77-year-old one-term president  and others that could materialize:

- Georgia election meddling -

The latest case targeting Trump was unveiled Monday in Georgia, where he stands accused of pressuring officials there to overturn Biden's 2020 election victory  incidents that were also referred to in a federal indictment.

Evidence includes a taped phone call in which he asked Georgia's then-secretary of state to "find" enough votes to reverse the result.

Fulton County's top prosecutor Fani Willis has charged Trump with 13 felony counts including violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced And Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, as well as six conspiracy counts over alleged efforts to commit forgery, impersonate a public official and submit false statements and documents.

Eighteen co-defendants also were indicted, including Trump's former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, for pressuring local legislators over the result after the election, and Trump's White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows.

- 2020 election interference -

Special Counsel Jack Smith meanwhile had already slapped Trump with four federal charges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

Trump is charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, as well as conspiracy to obstruct and obstruction of an official proceeding  the January 6, 2021, meeting of a joint session of Congress held to certify Biden's election victory.

He is also charged with conspiracy to deny Americans the right to vote and to have one's vote counted.

The indictment mentions six co-conspirators but none are identified  Trump, currently the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, is the only named defendant.

Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, as Congress met to certify the presidential election results.

Before what was ultimately a deadly attack, Trump delivered a fiery speech urging the crowd to "fight like hell."

- Classified documents -

Trump, in another indictment brought by Smith, is accused of endangering national security by holding onto top secret nuclear and defense documents after leaving the White House.

Trump kept the files  which included records from the Pentagon, CIA and National Security Agency  unsecured at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida and thwarted official efforts to retrieve them, according to the indictment.

Trump was initially charged with 31 counts of "willful retention of national defense information," each punishable by up to 10 years in prison. A count was added related to a classified document "concerning military activity in a foreign country."

He also faces charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice, making false statements and other offenses.

The federal judge in the case has set a trial date of May 20, 2024, at the height of the presidential campaign.

- Stormy hush money -

A New York grand jury indicted Trump in March over hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels.

Prosecutors say the money was paid prior to the 2016 election to silence Daniels over claims she had a tryst with Trump in 2006  a year after he married Melania Trump.

Late in the campaign, Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen arranged a payment of $130,000 to Daniels in exchange for her pledge of confidentiality.

That case, in which he faces 34 felony counts, is due to go to trial next March, in the middle of the Republican primary election season.

- Other probes -

Trump was found liable recently in a civil case for sexually abusing and defaming a former magazine columnist, E. Jean Carroll, in 1996, and ordered to pay her $5 million in damages.

In New York, the state attorney general Letitia James has filed a civil suit against Trump and three of his children, accusing them of fraud by over-valuing assets to secure loans and then under-valuing them to minimize taxes.

James is seeking $250 million in penalties as well as banning Trump and his children from serving as executives at companies in the city.

Trump has denied all wrongdoing.

cl-sst/nro
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Liberals online piled on Democrat Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut after he shared the viral blue-collar anthem "Rich Men North of Richmond."

Murphy shared the song taking the Internet by storm on Monday, calling on progressives to listen to the song decrying the state of the country under Democrat leadership.

"a. I think progressives should listen to this. In part, bc its just a good tune, (sic)" Murphy tweeted.

BLUE-COLLAR POLITICAL ANTHEM RICH MEN NORTH OF RICHMOND TAKES INTERNET BY STORM

Liberals online piled on Democrat Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut after he shared the viral working class anthem "Rich Men North of Richmond."

"b. But also [because] it shows the path of realignment," the Connecticut Democrat continued. "Anthony sings about the soullessness of work, s--- wages and the power of the elites."

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

"All problems the left has better solutions to than the right," the senator claimed.

Liberal users online did not take kindly to Murphy sharing the hit song, with several asking why the progressive senator shared the tune.

Former Bernie Sanders presidential campaign co-chair and Ohio state Senator Nina Turner tweeted the "biggest solution to this is getting big money out of politics."

"Actual progressives dont need to listen to this, our political leaders do," Turner tweeted.

"Why is Chris Murphy favorably quote tweeting ultra ding dong Benny Johnson?" user Drew Savicki wrote.

"Someones gotta start digging into financial interests here," user Michael Paulauski tweeted. "Chris Murphy is backflipping his way directly into the red-brown alliance in a manner that would make Jimmy Dore proud."

"I have a feeling someone is guiding him toward the upcoming GOP/Libertarian power vacuum," Paulauski added.

"What," another user wrote.

Murphy's tweet comes days after the debut of Virginia native Anthony Oliver's hit song "Rich Men North of Richmond" broke the Internet.

"Rich Men North of Richmond," is a twangy, soulful bluegrass song detailing the frustration of a blue-collar man fed up with the leadership in Washington.

The song torches high taxes and lawmakers for turning their attention away from the working men and women of America to "minors on an island somewhere"  an apparent reference to the offshore retreat where the late convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein hosted several influential persons.

Musician Oliver Anthony went viral this week for a performance of his original song, "Rich Men North of Richmond."

"Rich Men North of Richmond" also contrasts starving "people in the street" to "obese" Americans "milking welfare" and the epidemic of suicides in young men.

"Well God, if you're 5 foot 3 and you're 300 pounds, taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge rounds," Anthony sings. "Young men are putting themselves six feet in the ground, 'cause all this damn country does is keep on kicking them down."

Anthony's emotional song has resonated with millions of viewers, with the Tuesday video recording by RadioWV's Draven Riffe already sporting 1.2 million views on YouTube .
A Georgia grand jury indicted 2024 presidential candidate Donald Trump and several allies Monday evening on charges of conspiracy to try to steal Georgia's electoral votes from President Joe Biden after the 2020 election.

The indictment, bringing 41 charges against 19 defendants, accuses Trump and other co-conspirators of a coordinated plan to have state officials discard Biden's victory and award the state to Trump. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis first launched her investigation in February 2021. The indictment had been expected since a special grand jury recommended unspecified charges in February 2023.

Georgia indictment of Donald Trump: Here are the basics

Trump and the others named in the 98-page indictment have until noon on Friday, Aug. 25, to voluntarily surrender.

The case revolves mostly around the state's RICO statute, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, which penalizes activities of individuals engaging in organized crime.

Others indicted include former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.

Willis said she would seek a trial date "within the next six months," but scheduling is up to the appointed judge.

Much of the indictment focused on a behind-the-scenes pressure campaign directed at state election workers. Included in the indictment is the overt harassment that resulted from Trump falsely accusing Ruby Freeman, a Georgia poll worker of fraud.

Willis said Trump had opportunities to legally challenge the election's results, but chose instead to pursue a criminal scheme that was counter to Georgia's process which she called, "essential to the functioning of our Democracy."

Here's what else you should know.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, center, speaks in the Fulton County Government Center during a news conference, Monday, Aug. 14, 2023, in Atlanta. Donald Trump and several allies have been indicted in Georgia over efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state.

What does indictment mean?

An indictment is a formal document that contains allegations that someone committed a crime. It includes the charges laid out against a person and is filed before a case can move forward in court, David Weinstein, a former federal and state prosecutor, previously told USA TODAY.

Weinstein said that an indictment means a grand jury decided that theres more likely than not enough evidence  based on testimony  to move forward with charging a person. At least twelve jurors must be in agreement that a defendant allegedly committed a crime to issue an indictment.

After a person is indicted, they must go to trial where a jury will reach a unanimous decision on whether to pursue conviction.

 USA TODAY staff

The latest: Donald Trump charged in Georgia 2020 case alongside Republican allies

What was Trump's reaction to the indictment?

The Trump campaign condemned the charges as politically motivated. "Call it election interference or election manipulation," said a campaign statement.

Besides the Georgia case, Trump faces New York charges of falsifying business records to make hush payments to women who claimed to have had sex with him before the 2016 election. And Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith charged him with conspiracy to obstruct justice and retaining classified documents after leaving the White House.

What is a RICO charge?

The most notable charge against Trump is racketeering. Georgia prosecutors allege Trump orchestrated a series of crimes with a common objective in mind  remaining in power despite his loss in the 2020 election.

The Georgia case is centered on the states RICO statute, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. The law was originally intended to combat organized crime, specifically aimed at prosecuting mafia bosses. Though the mafia is largely non-existent today, RICO laws are still used to battle other forms of criminal enterprise.

RICO laws allow prosecutors to connect multiple crimes among multiple defendants for them to tell a clear story. The charges detail what prosecutors allege is a clear conspiracy to overturn Trumps loss in the state, with the former president as the mastermind behind the crime.

 Ken Tran

Fani Willis wants a Trump trial date 'within six months'

Willis told reporters she would like a trial date for the Trump case "within the next six months," emphasizing RICO defendants get prison  not probation.

"It is not a probated sentence," she said during a brief news conference in which she outlined the charges in the indictment.

The Atlanta DA also said she would like to try all 19 defendants together.

Willis said Trump and the other defendants have until Friday, Aug. 25, to surrender or face arrest; she did not comment on the details of a Trump arraignment.

 David Jackson

Harassment of election worker Ruby Freeman focus in indictment

The indictment alleges that Trump and his allies falsely accused Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman of committing election fraud and repeated these allegations to Georgia legislators and officials.

In furtherance of this scheme, members of the enterprise traveled from out of state to harass Freeman, intimidate her, and solicit her to falsely confess to election crimes that she did not commit, the indictment says.

- Sudiksha Kochi

House GOP leadership responds to the indictment

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., posted on X following the unsealed indictment Monday pointing fingers at President Joe Biden writing that the current president has weaponized government against Trump to interfere in the 2024 election.

Now a radical DA in Georgia is following Bidens lead by attacking President Trump and using it to fundraise her political career, he posted.

Among GOP leadership, Republican Conference Chair New York Rep. Elise Stefanik also took to X to defend Trump writing that he had every legal right to challenge the results of the election and that Willis displayed political bias toward Trump.

This is another rogue Far Left radical District Attorney weaponizing their office to target Joe Bidens top political opponent President Trump, she wrote.

- Rachel Looker

Read the Georgia indictment PDF

It's a big document, with large bottom lines: 98 pages with at least 41 charges and 19 defendants, including attorneys and so-called "fake electors" as well as Trump himself.

The legal case revolves mostly around the state's RICO statute, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, which penalizes activities of individuals engaging in organized crime. Trump himself faces 13 felony charges in this indictment, bringing to 91 the total charges against him across four separate indictments.

The Atlanta indictment accuses Trump and more than a dozen confederates of engaging in a criminal conspiracy to wipe out Biden's victory in Georgia and award the state to the then-president; the scheme allegedly involved improper pressure of state election officials and the use of so-called "fake electors."

 David Jackson

Rudy Giuliani, who pioneered the use of RICO, indicted on RICO charges

Before he became a personal attorney to Trump and was caught up in the investigations swirling around the former president, it was Giuliani who put a national spotlight on RICO statutes. The former U.S. attorney wielded that law to prosecute the leaders of several mob families in New York in the late 1980s.

Last year, Giuliani's attorneys acknowledged that he was a target of the Georgia probe. According to the indictment, Giuliani repeatedly made false statements about the outcome of the election as he attempted to convince state lawmakers in several states to appoint electors who would support Trump.

A former federal prosecutor as well as mayor New York City, Giuliani said of the charges: its just the next chapter in a book of lies with the purpose of framing President Donald Trump and anyone willing to take on the ruling regime.

 John Fritze and David Jackson

What are fake electors?

Within days of the election, Trumps legal advisers ginned up the strategy that one of the architects called "somewhat dicey" in Georgia. The plan called for then-Vice President Mike Pence, in his role as Senate president, to reject Electoral College votes from states that supported Biden and to flip them to Trump when Congress tallied the votes Jan. 6, 2021.

Electors met nationwide on Dec. 14, 2020, including Georgia's Republican alternates, who allegedly signed documents falsely claiming they were duly elected, according to the House committee that investigated the U.S. Capitol attack.

Witnesses told investigators an organizer of the Georgia alternates had trouble setting up a new printer to create the certificates. Participants described the meetings as keeping Trump's legal options open in case he won his legal challenges.

Its like when you have the Super Bowl, you print T-shirts, both teams as being the winner, and you keep the T-shirts for the ones that were the winner and you throw away the ones that werent, Shawn Still, who was the party's finance chairman at the time who is now a state senator, told House investigators. As far as we knew, this was an exercise in futility and that the only ballots that were counted were the ones for Biden.

Why did Trump call Raffensperger?

Trump tried to call Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger 18 times and finally reached him on Jan. 2, 2021.

"All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have, Trump said.

Trump also insisted that the ballots are corrupt and someone was shredding them. He told Raffensperger it is more illegal for you than it is for them because you know what they did and youre not reporting it.

Raffensperger told House investigators he considered Trump's comment a threat. But he said officials found no widespread election fraud. He had recertified the results Dec. 7, 2020, and the state Supreme Court rejected one election challenge Dec. 12, although others loomed.

 Bart Jansen

In this Nov. 20, 2016, file photo, then-President-elect Donald Trump, right, and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani pose for photographs as Giuliani arrives at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster clubhouse in Bedminster, N.J.

What are Trump's other cases?

Trump faces several civil and criminal cases as he campaigns for president in 2024:

Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith notified Trump hes a target in the investigation of election fraud in the 2020 election. Trumps lawyers met with Smiths team July 24 and an indictment could come any day.

New York Attorney General Letitia James has a $250 million civil trial scheduled to start Oct. 2 against Trumps namesake company on allegations of fraud for lying for a decade about the value of properties.

E. Jean Carroll won a $5 million defamation case against Trump, which he is appealing. She has another trial scheduled to begin in New York on Jan. 15  the day of Iowa Republican presidential caucuses.

New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg has a criminal trial scheduled to start March 25 on 34 charges of falsifying business records to pay hush money before the 2016 election to a woman who claimed to have had sex with him.

Smith has a federal trial tentatively scheduled to start May 20 in Florida on charges related to classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago estate a year and a half after leaving the White House. Trump faces 40 charges including conspiracy to obstruct justice, retaining national defense records and concealing the records from authorities.

 Bart Jansen and David Jackson

President Trump probably couldn't do much about a Georgia prosecution

Even if Donald Trump is elected president again, there wouldn't be much he could do about a case against him in Georgia.

It would be a state case and the federal government has no authority over state prosecutions. That is also the situation with the hush money case out of New York.

The two other cases against the former president are federal: one involving classified information and the other an attempt to overturn the 2020 election. If elected, Trump could theoretically pardon himself, or otherwise make those cases go away.

 David Jackson

Trump can still run in 2024 despite his previous charges

Though Trump has been indicted in other federal and state investigations, he can still run for president in the 2024 election.

Barbara McQuade, a criminal law expert at the University of Michigan, previously told USA TODAY that even if Trump were charged, convicted and sentenced to prison, he would still be able to run for president.

The three exclusive requirements to run for president are to be a natural-born citizen, to be at least 35 years old and to have been a resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years, according to the U.S. Constitution.

Trump told reporters in March that he wont even think about leaving the 2024 race, despite his legal troubles. Sudiksha Kochi

Trump campaign response to Georgia indictment

Trumps presidential campaign issued a statement Monday evening blasting Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis as a rabid partisan and accusing her of interfering with the 2024 presidential campaign.

The campaign predicted Willis investigation would fail along with the charges filed against Trump by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, federal charges filed by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith and a civil lawsuit against his company by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

These activities by Democrat leaders constitute a grave threat to American democracy and are direct attempts to deprive the American people of their rightful choice to cast their vote for President, the statement said. It is un-American and wrong.

 Bart Jansen

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump indictment explained: RICO charge, arrest warrant, 41-counts
Firefighters in Southwest Ohio were allocated over $200,000 in federal funds under the Department of Homeland Securitys Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG).

AFG awards are administered through the Department of Homeland Securitys Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Fire Administration. Fire and EMS departments in the Dayton area have been awarded more than $10 million since 2015.

>> Man accused of partially digging up Riverside grave arrested

The grants are intended to fund resources needed to equip and train emergency personnel, enhance efficiency, and support community resilience. The funds can be used for operations, safety, vehicle acquisition, and regional projects.

The two locations awarded, Green Township and the City of Trotwood, are in Congressman Mike Turners district.

The men and women at our fire and EMS departments work tirelessly every day to keep our communities safe. Their commitment to serving the people of Miami Valley is nothing short of heroic, and I will continue to support efforts to secure federal funding for our first responders, Turner said in a press release about the funding.

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FY22 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program Awards:

Green Township Fire & EMS Department: $128,675.23

City of Trotwood Fire & Rescue Department: $99,081.81

Total Funding Secured for Local Fire Departments: $227,757.04

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Balloons and flowers mark the scene of a fatal car crash in Long Branch

LONG BRANCH  A woman was killed in a collision with a police cruiser responding to a break-in early Monday in the city, and the state Attorney General's Office is investigating.

According to preliminary investigation, a 911 call sent Long Branch police officers to the scene of a residential break-in by an armed burglar shortly before 4 a.m. Monday.

As officers went to the home in marked police cars, one of the cars collided with a vehicle on MacArthur and Elmwood avenues that authorities said was believed to be operated by a suspect in the break-in.

A woman who was a passenger in the vehicle that the cruiser collided with suffered serious injuries, the Attorney General's Office said.

She was rushed to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune where she was pronounced dead shortly before 7:15 a.m. Monday, the office said.

The noise of the crash interrupted Steven Gaudius morning routine of making coffee.It sounded like thunder, he said.

Flowers mark the scene of a fatal car crash in Long Branch

When he and his son looked outside he saw one of the the two vehicles involved in the crash-on fire.

We came out on the porch yelling, get away from the car because we could see it was on fire. They couldnt because (the officers) were on the passenger side,  he said.

A charred tree remains after a fiery crash took the life of Long Branch woman

Gaudius said he then saw one of the responding officers pull the woman involved in the crash from the burning vehicle, right before the flames exploded and set a tree on fire. Firefighters put the fire out.

A makeshift memorial had sprung up at the crash site by Tuesday afternoon, as mourners stopped by to place flowers and balloons in remembrance.

The Attorney General's Office declined to identify the woman and gave no reason for withholding her name.

More: Three officers cleared in killing of man who fired at them while holding a baby

The officer involved in the crash joined the search for the suspect, despite the injuries from the crash.

He was out there doing his job right after that, Gaudius said. I couldnt believe it.

A fatal car collision resulted in the death of woman on MacArthur Ave in Long Branch

Gaudius said they found the suspect hiding in bushes on his property near the corner of MacArthur and Elmwood after about an hour.

The officer in the collision was taken to the medical center, treated and released, the office said. His name was not released.

The driver of the vehicle was taken into custody and brought to the medical center for treatment of injuries suffered in the crash. His name was also not released.

Scattered car parts left behind after fatal car crash in Long Branch

The law requires the Attorney General's Office to investigate deaths that occur while the person who dies was in custody or during an encounter with a law enforcement officer on duty and to present the evidence to a state grand jury.

Ken Serrano covers crime, breaking news and investigations. Reach him at 732-643-4029 or at kserrano@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Woman dies after crash with Long Branch NJ police car headed to crime
People select vegetables at a supermarket in Pingyi County, east China's Shandong Province, July 10, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Chinese government on Monday publicized a three-year action plan aiming to strengthen the nation's county-level commerce system further, in an effort to promote the integrated development of urban and rural areas and rejuvenate the nation's rural regions.

The plan includes the creation of 500 "frontrunner" counties by 2025, which will have county-level logistics distribution centers, convenience stores for rural populations, and rural commerce centers such as large and medium-sized supermarkets and farm produce markets.

The plan seeks to continue opening two-way circulation channels for industrial products dispatched to the countryside and agricultural products bound for cities, increase farming incomes and upgrade farmers' consumption trends, and help meet the rural population's life and production needs.

The plan was raised in the context of the nation's efforts to accelerate its addressing of underdeveloped commercial facilities in rural regions, improve the county-township-village logistics distribution system, guide commerce and logistics companies to transform and upgrade, and promote the high-quality development of commerce in counties.

More than 20 specific tasks in seven areas have been identified in the implementation of the action plan. They include the extension of services at top shopping malls and markets for towns and villages, the renovation of shopping centers and markets, the new construction or upgrading of logistics distribution centers, the nurturing of local farm produce e-commerce brands, and an increase in the capacity of cold chain logistics for farm produce.

The action plan was rolled out by multiple ministries, including those for commerce, economic planning, finance, natural resources, agriculture and rural affairs, culture and tourism, and postal services.

Starting this year, a list of frontrunner counties will be identified on a yearly basis following recommendations from provincial authorities, according to the plan.
An Oct. 18, 2000 photo provided by the U.S. Navy shows damage to the USS Cole after the suicide bombing attack in the harbor at Aden, Yemen six days earlier. (Lyle G. Becker/U.S. Navy via The New York Times)

GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba  In the nearly 12 years since a prisoner was charged in the bombing of the USS Cole warship, eight parents of the 17 fallen American sailors have died waiting for a trial to begin.

In the two decades since the attack, 10 more shipmates have also died.

Early in the case, relatives and survivors would travel to Guantanamo Bay to observe pretrial proceedings, filling the seats in a special section of the court. Late this June, just two members of that group were there  a sailors father and a naval officer who survived the blast.

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The bombing of the Cole never garnered the attention of Guantanamos better-known prosecution of the five men who are accused of plotting the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. That case also grinds on in its second decade.

But the Cole attack came first, on Oct. 12, 2000. And as time ticks by, it has become, for many, a forgotten case on a faraway U.S. military base where the notion of justice seems elusive as the war on terrorism recedes from memory and the conflict in Ukraine takes center stage.

I cant name another case in United States history, a criminal case, that has taken 20 years to prosecute, said Anton J. Gunn, whose brother Cherone, a seaman apprentice, was killed in the bombing at age 22.

Anton Gunn and his father, a retired Navy chief petty officer named Louge Lou Gunn, traveled together to Guantanamo Bay to observe hearings in 2012. Lou Gunn died in 2016. He was 65. Now, both the father and the son are buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

Its disappointing and demoralizing, Anton Gunn said. Im a patient man, and I just want to hear the details. Im not even presuming guilt at this point. I want to get past the procedural motions of whats admissible and whats not admissible, this delay and that delay. Lets get to the trial.

One of the two people watching the hearings in late June was Denise D. Woodfin, a retired Navy lieutenant commander with a Purple Heart from the attack. If no one represented the fallen, it would be a tragedy and a disservice not only to our Gold Star families but also the crew, she said. Gold Star families are relatives of U.S. military members who died in the line of duty.

She was in the court on Nov. 9, 2011, the day that the prisoner, Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, was formally charged, nine years after his capture. She has returned eight more times to honor the dead, especially those who died after the bombing.

For some, there is a certain comfort or solidarity in coming back to the base, where soldiers in battle dress chaperone them as distinguished visitors. The government has built a cottage for them and their memorabilia. They gather there and keep photos of the crew, memorial plaques and commemorative coins, a quilt with the ships crest and a weatherworn Cole flag that had flown above the court compound.

Al-Nashiri, 58, a citizen of Saudi Arabia, is accused of being the mastermind of the bombing.

Prosecutors portray him as a deputy to Osama bin Laden who, using aliases, rented a safe house and helped purchase explosives for the boat bomb that terrorists used in the suicide attack on the Cole. Federal agents have testified that he was identified as such in early 2000s interrogations with Yemeni witnesses who are dead or who cannot be found to testify, and that al-Nashiri later bragged about his role.

Defense lawyers dispute the reliability of the testimony as hearsay and have asked that it be excluded from his eventual trial. They also challenge confessions he made at Guantanamo Bay after he was tortured by the CIA. The judge has yet to rule.

The case against al-Nashiri is the longest-running death penalty case in the war against terrorism. Rather than being taken to the United States for trial after his arrest in Dubai in 2002, he was held for four years in the CIAs secret overseas prisons. There, psychologists used waterboarding and other forms of torture to try to get him to disclose al-Qaida secrets.

Those actions haunt the case to this day. To the families dismay, a focus of the courts attention has been whether torture has tainted the case, a thorny topic that has slowed the path to a trial.

In the interim, U.S. drone strikes have killed three other men who, according to U.S. intelligence, had key roles in the Cole attack.

Sometimes al-Nashiri sits passively in court, a distant figure who rarely looks back from his seat 50 feet from the gallery. Sometimes he listens to the proceedings from an oversized holding cell adjacent to the courtroom.

In the first years, a core group of military retirees would converge on Andrews air base in Maryland for the flight to Guantanamo Bay to witness the court that George W. Bush built after Sept. 11. They assembled in the distinguished visitors lounge on a Saturday or Sunday to fly in the first class cabin of a charter flight for a week of hearings that began on Monday.

In court, they still get special seats in the gallery behind the prosecution. A blue privacy curtain separates them from other court watchers, the journalists and the legal observers.

But now most of the seats in their section are empty.

In 2020, former Marine Gunnery Sgt. Jesse Nieto, 76, died of a heart attack without ever seeing the trial of the man who was accused of masterminding the bombing that killed his son, Petty Officer 2nd Class Marc Ian Nieto, 24. John Clodfelter, 72 who often spoke of seeing the trial on behalf of his son Petty Officer 2nd Class Kenneth Clodfelter, 21, died in 2021. That was less than three years after Kenneths mother, Gloria, 64, passed away.

There still needs to be some kind of justice, said James G. Parlier, 66, a retired Navy command master chief who was on board the Cole the day it was attacked and has lost count of how many times he has attended hearings. The courts need to see that we are watching and sitting in the gallery, not letting this go, until there is an end to the pretrial hearings.

Thomas Wibberley, 74, said he first observed the hearings at Guantanamo Bay seven years ago after a former prosecutor made a personal appeal to him and his wife, who lost their son, Seaman Craig B. Wibberley, 19, in the attack. It meant a lot to have family members in the courtroom, he recalled Brig. Gen. Mark S. Martins telling them, particularly for the lawyers and the judge.

A relative newcomer to the case, Wibberley has returned 12 times. In the process he has gone from a quiet, reserved student of the proceedings to an aggrieved father agitating for the trial to start.

He says there is plenty of blame to go around for the endless nature of pretrial proceedings  defense lawyers maneuvering, government procrastination, the pandemic that closed the war court for about 500 days.

Al-Nashiri was not even formally charged until 2011, a delay that Wibberley blames on President Barack Obama, who in 2009 put all Guantanamo cases on hold to overhaul the war court and give capital defendants greater rights. That process took more than a year.

Wibberley has watched federal agents testify in lengthy hearings on the admissibility of hearsay from their investigations in Yemen and about their 2007 interrogation of the prisoner.

It has been quite the education, Wibberley said. Along the way he has concluded that it is time to assemble a jury of military officers and hold the trial with all allowable evidence, knowing that lengthy appeals will follow any capital conviction.

Even if hes convicted, hell never be put to death, Wibberley said. All were going to get is proof of who did it.

The current case judge, Col. Lanny J. Acosta Jr., is expected to decide some key pretrial issues in the case this summer, then step down to retire.

It will be up to the next judge, the fourth on the case, to try to steer the case to trial.

c.2023 The New York Times Company
An osteopath who helps care for a 69-year-old elephant at Longleat Safari Park has led workshops in Thailand about how to care for the animals.

Keepers from the safari park in Wiltshire travelled to Thailand with renowned Cheltenham osteopath Tony Nevin.

He has been treating Asian elephant Anne for more than a decade after she was rescued from a circus.

"We've got this whole toolbox of things we can use," Mr Nevin said.

Mr Nevin uses hand massage techniques along with laser work and infra-red imagery to care for Anne, who has been at Longleat since 2011.

He visits the safari park once a month to look after her, and has taken the skills and insights gained from his time there to teach others how to look after elephants.

Mr Nevin and keepers from Longleat have spent time in Thailand

Mr Nevin, whose practise Zoo Ost Ltd is based in Cheltenham, and keepers from Longleat travelled to Chiang Rai in Thailand to led practical workshops with elephant keepers who work across Thailand.

Osteopathy practices with the rescued elephants at the workshop in Thailand saw a marked improvement in their posture and gait over the course of a week.

He said: "I've been working with Anne ever since she arrived at the park. She had a life in the circus and that involves effectively gymnastics - and just like any person that does gymnastics, particular joints can suffer.

"So as a result with Anne she's got arthritis in her hips and knees and throws more of her weight forward which then creates problems in them," he added.

He said: "As a species, Asian elephants are really struggling and I was really keen to use the skills I'd built up working with Anne and take those out to Thailand and be able to work with elephants there and teach vets and elephant handlers their the techniques that we use. "

Longleat's head of animal operations, Darren Beasley, said: "Anne is hugely intelligent and renowned for being quite the character by all who are lucky enough to spend time with her."It is a privilege to have been entrusted with her care and we're so pleased that - with Tony's help - we can share the learning and techniques honed at Longleat to provide vital support for her species across the world," he added.

Longleat has joined forces with the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) and the World Elephant Day Foundation to help secure better outcomes for elephants across the world.

"We are proud that our member safari parks such as Longleat are world-leaders in elephant care," said Dr Jo Judge, CEO of BIAZA."The dedicated work of Tony and the Longleat keepers is a brilliant example of this - sharing the knowledge and skills they have in caring for Anne, can go on to support elephants all across the world. "

Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk
ATLANTA (AP)  Donald Trump and 18 other associates were charged Monday in Georgia as part of a sweeping indictment alleging they schemed to illegally overturn his 2020 election loss and stop the peaceful transition of power.

The indictment, brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, follows an investigation that lasted more than two years and marks the fourth criminal case brought against the former president.

Those charged in Mondays indictment face a slew of charges, including racketeering, violating the oath of a public officer, forgery, false statements and other offenses. Prosecutors say they must all surrender to authorities by Aug. 25.

Heres a look at the 19 defendants charged in the indictment:

DONALD TRUMP: Then-President Donald Trump fixated on Georgia after the 2020 general election, refusing to accept his narrow loss in the state and making unfounded assertions of widespread election fraud there. He also called top state officials, including Gov. Brian Kemp, to urge them to find a way to reverse his loss in the state. In a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Trump suggested the states top elections official could help find the votes needed for him to win the state. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis opened an investigation into possible illegal attempts to influence the election shortly after a recording of that call was made public.

RUDY GIULIANI: During several legislative hearings at the Georgia Capitol in December 2020, the former New York mayor and Trump attorney promoted unsupported allegations of widespread election fraud in Georgia. Prosecutors have said Rudy Giuliani was also involved a plan to have 16 Georgia Republicans serve as fake electors, falsely swearing that Trump had won the 2020 presidential election and declaring themselves the states duly elected and qualified electors.

JOHN EASTMAN: A former dean of Chapman University law school in Southern California, John Eastman, one of Trumps lawyers, was deeply involved in some of his efforts to remain in power after the 2020 election. He wrote a memo arguing that Trump could remain in power if then-Vice President Mike Pence overturned the results of the election during a joint session of Congress where electoral votes would be counted. That plan included putting in place a slate of alternate electors in seven battleground states, including Georgia, who would falsely certify that Trump had won their states.

MARK MEADOWS: Trumps chief of staff visited Cobb County, in the Atlanta suburbs, while state investigators were conducting an audit of the signatures on absentee ballot envelopes in December 2020. Mark Meadows obtained the phone number of the chief investigator for the secretary of states office, Frances Watson, and passed it along to Trump, who called her. He also participated in the Jan. 2, 2021, phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

SIDNEY POWELL: A lawyer and staunch Trump ally, Sidney Powell was part of a group who met at the South Carolina home of conservative attorney Lin Wood in November 2020 for the purpose of exploring options to influence the results of the November 2020 elections in Georgia and elsewhere, prosecutors have said. Wood, whos licensed in Georgia, said Powell asked him to help find Georgia residents to serve as plaintiffs in lawsuits contesting the states election results. Additionally, emails and documents obtained through subpoenas in an unrelated lawsuit have shown that Powell was involved in arranging for a computer forensics team to travel to rural Coffee County, about 200 miles southeast of Atlanta, to copy data and software from elections equipment there in January 2021.

KENNETH CHESEBRO: Prosecutors have said Kenneth Chesebro, an attorney, worked with Georgia Republicans in the weeks after the November 2020 election at the direction of Trumps campaign. Chesebro worked on the coordination and execution of a plan to have 16 Georgia Republicans sign a certificate declaring falsely that Trump won and declaring themselves the states duly elected and qualified electors.

JEFFREY CLARK: A U.S. Justice Department official who championed Trumps false claims of election fraud, Jeffrey Clark presented colleagues with a draft letter pushing Georgia officials to convene a special legislative session on the election results, according to testimony before the U.S. House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Clark wanted the letter sent, but Justice Department superiors refused.

JENNA ELLIS: The lawyer appeared with Rudy Giuliani at a Dec. 3, 2020, hearing hosted by state Republican lawmakers at the Georgia Capitol during which false allegations of election fraud were made. Jenna Ellis also wrote at least two legal memos to Trump and his attorneys advising that Pence should disregard certified electoral college votes from Georgia and other purportedly contested states when Congress met to certify the election results on Jan. 6, 2021, prosecutors have said.

RAY SMITH: A Georgia-based lawyer, Ray Smith was involved in multiple lawsuits challenging the results of the 2020 election in Georgia. He also gathered witnesses to provide testimony before Georgia legislative subcommittee hearings held in December 2020 on alleged issues with the states election.

ROBERT CHEELEY: A Georgia lawyer, Robert Cheeley presented video clips to legislators of election workers at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta and alleged the workers were counting votes twice or sometimes three times. He spoke to the lawmakers after Giuliani.

MICHAEL ROMAN: A former White House aide who served as the director of Trumps election day operations, Michael Roman was involved in efforts to put forth a set of fake electors after the 2020 election.

DAVID SHAFER: The chairman of the Georgia GOP, Shafer was one of 16 state Republicans who met at the state Capitol on Dec. 14, 2020, to sign a certificate declaring falsely that Trump had won and also declaring themselves the states duly elected and qualified electors. He also joined Trump in a lawsuit challenging the certification of the 2020 election in Georgia.

SHAWN STILL: He was one of 16 Georgia Republicans who signed a certificate falsely stating that Trump had won the state and declaring themselves the states duly elected and qualified electors. Shawn Still was the finance chairman for the state GOP in 2020 and served as a Georgia delegate to the Republican National Convention that year. He was elected to the Georgia state Senate in November 2022 and represents a district in Atlantas suburbs.

STEPHEN CLIFFGARD LEE: Prosecutors say Stephen Cliffgard Lee, a pastor, worked with others to try to pressure Georgia election worker Ruby Freeman and her daughter after Trump and his allies falsely accused them of pulling fraudulent ballots from a suitcase during the vote count. Lee allegedly knocked on Freemans door, frightening her and causing her to call 911 three times, prosecutors said in a court filing last year.

HARRISON WILLIAM PRESCOTT FLOYD: Also known as Willie Lewis Floyd III, he served as director of Black Voices for Trump, and is accused of recruiting Lee to arrange a meeting with Freeman and Chicago-based publicist Trevian Kutti.

TREVIAN C. KUTTI: Prosecutors allege publicist Trevian C. Kutti claimed to have high level law enforcement connections. They say Freeman met with Kutti at a police precinct, where she brought Floyd into the conversation on a speakerphone. Prosecutors say Kutti presented herself as someone who could help Freeman but then pressured her to falsely confess to election fraud.

CATHY LATHAM: One of 16 Georgia Republicans who signed a certificate falsely stating that Trump had won the state and declaring themselves the states duly elected and qualified electors, Cathy Latham was also chair of the Coffee County Republican Party. She was at the county elections office for much of the day on Jan. 7, 2021, and welcomed a computer forensics team that arrived to copy software and data from the countys election equipment in what the secretary of states office has said was unauthorized access to the machines.

SCOTT GRAHAM HALL: An Atlanta-area bail bondsman, Scott Graham Hall was allegedly involved in commandeering voting information that was the property of Dominion Voting Systems from Coffee County, a small south Georgia jurisdiction. Also charged in the scheme were Powell, Latham and former county elections supervisor Misty Hampton.

MISTY HAMPTON: She was the elections director in Coffee County. Misty Hampton was present in the county elections office on Jan. 7, 2021, when a computer forensics team copied software and data from the countys election equipment. She also allowed two other men who had been active in efforts to question the 2020 election results to access the elections office later that month and to spend hours inside with the equipment.

___

Corrects Stephen Cliffgard Lee entry to reflect that he is accused of trying to pressure Ruby Freeman and her daughter, not Freemans mother.

___

Cooper reported from Phoenix.
When Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Central Florida State Attorney Monique Worrell last week, he portrayed her as soft on crime. Her office, he said, had avoided mandatory minimums, hesitated to charge juveniles and dropped too many cases.

The governors move reflects a law-and-order focus that is likely to sharpen as Republicans seize on voters increasing fear of crime in their communities. Polling indicates that GOP candidates are more likely to succeed with a law and order message than with conversations about wokeness.

For DeSantis, who is running for president, the focus on crime is not entirely new. The governor has for years promoted himself as a tough-on-crime leader and a friend of law enforcement. He expanded Floridas death penalty, signed an anti-riot bill after the 2020 George Floyd protests, enacted a migrant relocation program and suggested that border patrol agents should be able to use deadly force on suspected drug traffickers.

But his national brand has been shaped more by his pushback on COVID-19 restrictions, his emphasis on reshaping Floridas education system to forbid some conversations about race and sexuality and his crusade against gender ideology.

Worrell said last week that her suspension was a move to help DeSantis failing campaign, as it came in the midst of news about his decision to switch campaign managers and about continued lagging performance in the polls compared with GOP front-runner Donald Trump. He needed to get back in the media in some positive way that would be red meat for his base, she said.

When asked whether DeSantis is refocusing on criminal justice messaging, a spokesperson for the DeSantis campaign said DeSantis believes the nation is in decline, and that he can reverse it.

Top among Ron DeSantis priorities is restoring law and order to our communities, press secretary Bryan Griffin said. Under his leadership, Florida has experienced a 50-year crime low. As president, he will prioritize safety and confront the wayward leftist ideology that has allowed crime to grow unchecked in our nation.

On Tuesday, in responding to Trumps latest indictment, DeSantis said he had not fully read the indictment and pivoted to broader comments about law and order. He touted his removal of Worrell and Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren, and said that Atlanta, which is in the Georgia county where Trump was indicted, has huge problems with crime.

In the year after Trump left office and Joe Biden became president, conservatives grew increasingly fearful of crime in their communities, surveys show.

A recent New York Times/Siena College poll found that Republican voters nationally and in the early primary state of Iowa preferred a candidate with a law and order message and talk of strong borders to one centered on battling woke ideology.

From 2020 to 2021, Republican perception of local crime spiked. The number of Republicans who said crime was up in their area went from 38% to 67%, according to a Gallup poll. Democrats and independents saw an increase too, but nothing like the jump among Republicans.

The violent crime rate in the U.S. remained largely unchanged in recent years, though the murder rate did increase in 2020 in both Democratic-run cities and Republican-run cities, according to the New York Times.

When people talk about how much crime matters to them, its not really tied to the crime rate, said Jon Gould, a professor of criminology, law and society at the University of California, Irvine. Its actually tied to how comfortable they are with societal changes.

Conventional wisdom says fear of crime should translate to votes for candidates who promise punishment, said Robert Dunham, special counsel at the nonprofit law firm Phillips Black and the former executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center.

But that theory didnt hold up in the 2022 midterms, he said. Republicans poured millions of dollars into advertisements pressing the issue of crime. Yet Democrats performed far better than political pundits expected, winning several hotly contested races across the U.S.

Dunham said the DeSantis strategy of playing on fear, of taking the harshest possible approach to issues of crime works among the Republican base, but makes him less electable in a general election.

Crime was a big issue in political campaigns in the 1980s and 1990s, but became less salient after the 1990s as incidents went down, said Brian Arbour, associate professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Since 2020, he said, a bipartisan consensus around reform has broken down.

Republicans go on the offensive when it comes to crime, which gives them the ability to rely on simple rhetoric, Arbour said.

Crime is bad  its the other guys fault, he said. The rhetoric is simpler, cleaner and comes with less caveats.

Gould, the UC Irvine professor, said DeSantis brags about Floridas low crime rate but also pushes for more penalties.

If crime is low, why is more retribution needed? Gould said. From a policy perspective, whats motivating?

He said the governors push to change the death penalty is an example of that.

A frequent rationale for the death penalty is that it deters crime, though people have questioned the evidence on whether it does. Murder rates in 2020 were highest in death penalty states.

DeSantis this year pushed for a law eliminating the mandate for a unanimous jury in deciding on capital punishment. Floridas new law requires only eight out of 12 jurors to vote in favor of death for a person to be executed, making it one of two states to not require a unanimous jury. Alabama, the other state, requires at least 10 jurors to vote in favor.

When DeSantis spoke about changing the death penalty, he mostly focused on the idea of lone jurors derailing proper justice. He put it in the context of the gunman in the Parkland school shooting not receiving the death penalty after three jurors voted for a life sentence instead of death.

Experts warn that, without the safeguard of a unanimous jury, it is more likely innocent people will be executed. Florida has the highest number of death row exonerations in the U.S.

This past legislative session, DeSantis also signed a bill, which he touts on the campaign trail, challenging U.S. Supreme Court precedent by seeking to execute people who rape children under 12 years old.

He also signed a bill making it easier for prosecutors to level a capital murder charge against people who dispense drugs that result in a fatal overdose.

In the past eight months alone, DeSantis approved five executions. (In his first term, DeSantis signed two death warrants; he has signed far fewer death warrants than his predecessor, Rick Scott.)

Dunham, the former director of the Death Penalty Information Center, said that DeSantis moves to weaken death penalty rules seem to fit the profile of what a Republican primary voter may want.

It is low-hanging fruit for purposes of political pandering, Dunham said.
Fayette County Public Schools return for the 2023-24 academic year Wednesday, but there are still many open positions in the school system that need to be filled, according to the districts website.

As of Tuesday, FCPS had 129 openings posted on its online list of vacancies, but the school district wont get a full picture of its personnel needs until students show up for the first day of classes. Because of that, some of these openings may be subject to change should some schools reassess their hiring needs once school starts.

While salary information isnt typically listed on the job advertisement itself, a 2023-24 salary schedule for the district is available online. FCPS also hosts a salary estimator tool on its website.

Heres a look at a few of the open positions advertised on the Lexington school districts website.

Instructor (multiple openings)

As of Tuesday, FCPS has several open teaching positions advertised on its website. Among the openings are a math teacher for Henry Clay High School, a social studies teacher at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School and several open positions at the districts elementary schools. Other open positions include a physical education teacher at Harrison Elementary School and a traveling, districtwide orchestra instructor.

FCPS is also looking to fill several open special education teacher positions at Bryan Station High School, Glendover Elementary School, Millcreek Elementary School and the districts Success Academy, a credit recovery program for students age 16 and older.

Gearing up for the 2023-2024 school year?



Check out our #BackToSchoolBasics resource to answer some frequently asked questions. https://t.co/iqzKOzZG4n



Click on the magnifying glass buttons to view the PDF and navigate to each topic to access helpful information. #FCPSKY pic.twitter.com/5y8lhWgJ5F  Fayette County Public Schools (@FCPSKY) August 14, 2023

Dean of students, Frederick Douglass High School

Frederick Douglass High School is searching for a dean of students, a position thats like a combination of a guidance counselor and a vice principal.

Elements of the job involve shaping school policy and helping to oversee student discipline, but the dean of students chief responsibility, according to the jobs description, is to remove non-academic barriers to success. That could include determining if a student with discipline issues needs counseling or even help from a social worker in dealing with a difficult home life.

This role requires strong interpersonal skills and functions almost like an ambassador between the student and the school. If youre up to the job, the contact for this position is Lester Diaz at lester.diaz@fayette.kyschools.us.

Paraeducator (multiple openings)

As of Monday, FCPS had 34 openings for paraeducators listed on its website.

Jennifer Dyar, chief human resources officer for FCPS, said this represents the bulk of the school districts current personnel needs.

As we move into the start of school, we continue to hire exceptional team members to fill vacancies. Our main need at this time is for Paraeducators (a.k.a. teacher assistants) to work with our students with exceptional needs, Dyar wrote in an email to the Herald-Leader last week.

Dyar said the candidates will need to have 48 college credit hours and have passed the Kentucky paraeducator assessment.

According to job site Glassdoor, a paraeducators primary responsibility is to act as a support to the teacher in the classroom. That could include helping plan a lesson or differentiate instruction  tailoring instruction to different learning needs  or working with students directly in the classroom.

Typically, a paraeducator is a stepping stone to becoming a teacher while paraeducators get training and certifications. Interested applicants should apply online at the districts website.

Director of transportation

FCPS is seeking an experienced administrator who can ensure the districts transportation system is running smoothly as the director of transportation.

This is a vital position with duties that include developing and implementing an efficient transportation plan, complete with bus routes, stops and starting times for the roughly 42,000 students. The director will manage the school districts transportation personnel and look after its vehicle maintenance needs.

A typical day could include waking up early to survey the forecast and help make the call about whether to have school on inclement weather days. It could involve meeting with the media, parents, school staff and district board members to discuss transportation issues the school district is facing.

If you feel up to the task, apply online at fcps.net. The advertisement for the position will remain open until it is filled, and the contact is Julie Farris at julie.farris@fayette.kyschools.us.

Do you have a question about education in Lexington for our service journalism team? Wed like to hear from you. Fill out our Know Your Kentucky form or email ask@herald-leader.com.
Jurors took seven hours to convict Elton Charles, pictured with wife Laura Patten

Lord Patten of Barness son-in-law was involved in a shooting at an Indian restaurant in a plot to terrorise its owners, a jury has found.

Elton Charles, 51, who is married to the daughter of the former Hong Kong governor, was convicted for his part in the shooting at the PBK curry house in Greenford, west London.

The court previously heard how the prosecution suggested Charles had acted as the getaway driver, and had helped his half-brother to carry out the attack.

As the verdicts were read out at Kingston Crown Court on Tuesday following a five-week long trial, his wife Laura, 48, put her head in her hands and wept.

Jurors took seven hours to convict Charles of conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

Elton Charles

He was convicted alongside co-defendants Nicolas Grant, 46, and Lee Morgan, 42.

His half brother, Nathaniel St Aimie, previously pleaded guilty to the same charge.

During the trial, jurors were shown CCTV footage of a hooded gunman getting out of a white Volkswagen van on Sept 6 last year before walking towards the restaurant and opening fire.

Prosecutors said it was only by sheer good fortune that none of the diners were killed by the shotgun which shattered the window.

Footage showed one customer moving to protect their child from the gunshot and Judge Jonathan Davies praised them for their courage.

Charles told the court that on the day of the shooting he had received texts from his brother on a burner phone telling him he had some marijuana for him and to meet him in Greenford.

Charles claimed he had left his family home to smoke cannabis with St Aimie as his wife didnt like him smoking.

He added: My wife doesnt like me smoking cannabis and she definitely doesnt like me smoking that in the house.

After the pick-up, Charles claimed he was asked by his brother to hang about.

Hooded gunman opened fire at the Indian restaurant last year

He claimed he knew nothing about the shooting and said he was shocked to be arrested.

Charles said his West Indian single-parent mother raised him and six other siblings. After finishing school at 16, he got a job in painting and decorating.

Following his high-profile marriage in 2002 he became the building manager for the Groucho club in Soho.

Giving evidence, he said: I managed the building and we had 20 exclusive bedrooms. I worked there for six years.

He said his wife, had previously worked as a beauty journalist for Tatler but has been a Pilates instructor for some years.

Devoted friends

The couple are understood to have met in the mid-1990s and were devoted friends for years before announcing their engagement in June 2001.

Charles told the court he and his wife earned around 120,000 a year and had a 1.5 million home with a mortgage.

Lauras father, Chris Patten, was elected to Parliament in 1979 as MP for Bath before he was unseated in 1992.

Later that year he was made the 28th and final governor of Hong Kong.

His five-year tenure ended in July 1997 after the transfer of sovereignty to China.

He was made a life peer in 2005 and has been Chancellor of the University of Oxford since 2003.

The defendants were released on conditional bail and will appear in court on Sept 15 for sentencing.

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Country music star Luke Combs will be hitting the road again next summer on his North American stadium tour and will be playing two nights in Ohio.

Combs will bring his Growin Up and Gettin Old Tour to Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati for two nights on Aug. 2-3.

>> Ohio State TE to miss 2023 season after testing positive for banned substance

When I found out we were going to be able to do two shows for most all of the cities on the 2024 tour, I decided I wanted each show to have their own unique set up of openers, as well as my own unique setlist. I thought this would give people an opportunity to come to both nights if they want, but see two completely different shows, Combs said.

Special guest for the Cincinnati shows include Cody Jinks, Charles Wesley Godwin, Hailey Whitters, and The Wilder Blue on Aug. 2, and Jordan Davis, Mitchell Tenpenny, Drew Parker, and Colby Acuff on Aug. 3.

>> Frightening, life-altering; Local man recounts escaping deadly Maui wildfires

Tickets will be available for presale starting Wednesday, Aug. 23 at 4 p.m. General on-sale will follow on Friday, Aug. 25 at 10 a.m.

You can also try to win tickets during K99.1 FMs Free Ticket Friday this Friday, Aug. 18.
Maksym Kozytskyi, Head of Lviv Oblast Military Administration, has noted that in addition to Lviv, houses have been damaged in the villages of Stavchany and Sukhovolia.

Source: Kozytskyi on Telegram

Quote: "Missile debris has fallen on apartment blocks on Patona and Kakhovska streets in Lviv. There was a fire. There is destruction. People have been evacuated.

There are victims. Doctors are providing them with all the necessary medical assistance. We have not received any information about fatalities as of now."

Details: Kozytskyi also reported that small fires had been recorded in other parts of Lviv and they had been extinguished.

The ceiling collapsed due to falling missile debris in one of Lvivs hypermarkets.

Vehicles were also damaged as a result of the Russian attack.

In addition, 10 houses were damaged in Stavchany, and there are people who suffered minor injuries.

Damaged houses were also recorded in Sukhovolia.

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!
MAGA conspiracy theorist Kari Lake has reacted to Donald Trumps latest criminal indictment  by bizarrely hinting at a conspiracy theory about the death of paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Its been 3 years, almost to the day, since Jeffrey Epstein killed himself. Not a single one of his clients has been indicted for heinous crimes against children, tweeted Ms Lake, who failed to win the Arizona gubernatorial race in the November midterms.

Yet, President Trump was just indicted for the 4th time. Justice is dead in America.

Epstein  a billionaire financier who mingled with the rich and famous  was found dead in his prison cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, New York, on 10 August 2019.

At the time of his death, he was awaiting trial on a string of sex-trafficking charges.

The New York medical examiner determined that he had died by suicide.

His death has long been a source of widespread speculation and conspiracy theories.

Investigations by both the FBI and the Justice Departments Office of the Inspector General found that there was evidence of any criminality in his death.

Ms Lake is a staunch Mr Trump ally who has long pushed conspiracy theories  including his false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him.

She has also continued to falsely claim  despite being repeatedly proven wrong in multiple courts  that she lost the governors race to Democrat Katie Hobbs due to cheating.

Several other Mr Trump allies and the former president himself have also railed against the sweeping 98-page indictment which was handed down in Georgia on Monday.

Its been 3 years, almost to the day, since Jeffrey Epstein killed himself.



Not a single one of his clients has been indicted for heinous crimes against children.



Yet, President Trump was just indicted for the 4th time.



Justice is dead in America.  Kari Lake (@KariLake) August 15, 2023

The former president and 18 of his allies were hit with a total of 41 criminal counts under Georgias Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute, over their efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state.

In the sweeping indictment, returned by the state grand jury late on Monday, Mr Trump was charged with 13 criminal counts of: violating RICOs statute, conspiracy to impersonate a public officer, two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery, two counts of conspiracy to make false statements under oath, two counts of conspiracy to file false documents, two counts of solicitation of a public officer, filing false documents, conspiracy to solicit false statements, and making false statements.

As well as Mr Trump, 18 of his closest associates were also indicted, including former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani who was hit with the most charges  13, the same as Mr Trump.

The other co-defendants are: former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, Kraken lawyer Sidney Powell, attorneys John Eastman, Kenneth Cheseboro, Jenna Ellis, Ray Smith III, and Robert Cheeley, former US Department of Justice official Jeffrey Clark, former Trump campaign official Michael Roman, former state senator and the former chair of the Georgia Republican Party David Schafer, Georgia state senator Shawn Still, Lutheran pastor Stephen Lee, mixed martial artist Harrison Floyd, Kanye Wests former PR Trevian Kutti, former head of the Republican Party in Coffee County Cathleen Latham, Atlanta-area bail bondsman Scott Hall, and former election supervisor of Coffee County Misty Hampton.

According to the indictment, Trump and the other defendants charged in this indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump.

DA Willis announced the charges and arrest warrants for the defendants at a late-night press conference outside the courthouse on Monday, where she ordered each of the 19 defendants to surrender to Georgia authorities by 12pm ET on Friday 25 August.

Specifically, the participants ... took various actions in Georgia and elsewhere to block the counting of the votes of the presidential electors who were certified as the winners of Georgias 2020 general election, she said.

As you examine the indictment, you will see acts that are identified as overt acts and those that are identified as predicate acts, sometimes called acts of racketeering activity. overt acts are not necessarily crimes under Georgia law in isolation, but are alleged to be acts taken in furtherance of the conspiracy.

DA Fani Willis announces charges against Trump and 18 allies (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Many occurred in Georgia, and some occurred in other jurisdictions and are included, because the grand jury believes they were part of the illegal effort to overturn the results of Georgias 2020 presidential election.

She added: The indictment alleges that rather than abide by Georgias legal process for election challenges the defendants engaged in a criminal racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgias presidential election result.

All of the 19 defendants were charged with violating the states RICO statute  a Nixon-era federal law originally passed to prosecute organised crime groups and Mafia crime syndicates.

The indictment accuses Mr Trump and his allies of orchestrating and running a criminal enterprise in Fulton County, Georgia, and elsewhere, to accomplish the illegal goal of allowing Donald J. Trump to seize the presidential term of office, beginning on January 20, 2021.

Mr Trump railed against out of control Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis  and spelled indicted wrong  as he hit out at the indictment on Truth Social in the early hours of the morning on Tuesday.

So, the Witch Hunt continues! 19 people Indicated tonight, including the former President of the United States, me, by an out of control and very corrupt District Attorney who campaigned and raised money on, I will get Trump, he fumed.

And what about those Indictment Documents put out today, long before the Grand Jury even voted, and then quickly withdrawn? Sounds Rigged to me!

Why didnt they Indict 2.5 years ago? Because they wanted to do it right in the middle of my political campaign. Witch Hunt!

DA Willis has spent more than two years investigating efforts by Mr Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 presidential election result in the crucial swing state.

Donald Trump in the White House (AP)

The investigation came following the release of a 2 January 2021 phone call Mr Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger where he told him to find enough votes to change the outcome of the election in the state.

All I want to do is this: I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have, Mr Trump is heard saying in the leaked phone call. Because we won the state.

Mr Biden won the state by less than 12,000 votes.

The investigation then expanded from that phone call to include a scheme whereby a group of fake Republican electors planned to falsely certify the results in Mr Trumps favour instead of Mr Bidens. The plot failed and the fake electors have since reached immunity deals with DA Willis office.

Ms Willis said she would like to try the defendants altogether and within the next six months.

In total, the former president is now facing 91 charges from four separate criminal cases.

On 1 August, he was hit with a federal indictment charging him with four counts over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the events leading up to the January 6 Capitol riot, following an investigation led by special counsel Jack Smiths office.

This came after Mr Smiths office charged Mr Trump in a separate indictment over his alleged mishandling of classified documents on leaving office.

Back in April, Mr Trump was charged for the first time with New York state charges following an investigation into hush money payments made prior to the 2016 election.
Dastardly Stalinist Democrats have made it illegal to watch television, leading the country towards the greatest constitutional crisis since the 1850s or a potential civil war unless Georgias legislature overhauls state law to allow a future president to pardon Donald Trump.

At least that was conservative medias take on Trumps fourth indictment, handed down late Monday night by prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia.

The case is one of the most serious facing the former president. Georgia prosecutors accuse Trump and colleagues of a racketeering scheme intended to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. But on the right, where Trump leads in presidential primary polls despite three previous indictments, talking heads described the latest charges as a sinister plot to keep Trump from office.

Stalin would be proud of the Fulton County indictment, claimed right-wing radio host Mark Levine during a Monday night appearance on Fox News. (Not mentioned during the broadcast: emails from the January 6 committee show Levin chatting with John Eastman, a Trump attorney who was also charged in the Georgia racketeering case.)

Other commentators suggested that prosecutors were setting off a potentially catastrophic backlash against the left.

Civil war, tweeted media personality Tim Pool (who, in fairness, has authored similar posts for years).

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich also took to Fox News to warn that we are drifting towards the greatest constitutional crisis since the 1850s, Media Matters reported. Gingrich also opined that the latest criminal charges against Trump represent a desperate last ditch effort by a corrupt machine to destroy their most dangerous opponent.

Some conservative voices claimed the indictment of some of Trumps attorneys on election interference crimes foretold a crackdown on lawyers writ large.

How are all the lawyers in America feeling today? tweeted Dilbert creator-turned-wingnut Scott Adams. Safe?

Jenna Ellis, a Trump lawyer indicted in Fulton County for alleged racketeering offenses, tweeted that the Democrats and the Fulton County DA are criminalizing the practice of law. I am resolved to trust the Lord and I will simply continue to honor, praise, and serve Him.

Other Trump fans claim the indictment imperils even more Americans for innocuous activities.

Apparently illegal in America now, tweeted former One America News Network personality Liz Wheeler, listing out activities mentioned in the indictment like Telling people to watch TV, Asking for phone numbers, Renting rooms at the Capitol, Advocating for signature verification, and Tweets.

Its not just Trump theyre coming after, Wheeler wrote. Theyre coming next for our free speech if we dare dissent.

The indictment does not claim that tweeting is illegal. It claims that Trump and allies used Twitter during an extensive effort to overturn a presidential election. Nevertheless, Wheeler and other figures on the right have repeated the refrain that the indictment might criminalize watching television.

Everyone should read the Georgia indictment to discover how nonsensical it is, tweeted conservative columnist Gary Abernathy. This is actually one of the countsapparently, sending a tweet encouraging people to watch TV is a crime.

Gary Abernathys since-deleted post. Twitter

That is not true, as the indictment (or even the screenshot Abernathy posted) reveals. The indictment describes Trumps promotion of an election-denying OANN segment. Trumps hyping of the segment is not described as a crime, but as an overt act in furtherance of a conspiracy, much as renting a car is not illegal, but might be relevant to a criminal case if the rental car is used in a series of bank robberies.

Some talking heads suggested radical action to block a Trump conviction. I think this is so dangerous to the very survival of the republic that it has to be stopped, Gingrich said on Fox.

Another Monday night Fox guest, Mike Davis, pointed to the difficulty of securing a pardon in Georgia. If convicted on the states RICO statute, Trump could neither be pardoned by a president nor Georgia's governor.

Under the Georgia law, there is a statute that limits the Republican governors ability to pardon, and I think that the legislature in Georgia needs to amend that statute and give Governor Kemp the ability to pardon in this situation because this is clear election interference, Davis said.

It is clear Democrat lawfare by Democrat prosecutors where they are trying to have Democrat prosecutors, Democrat judges and Democrat juries and Democrat hellholes decide the next presidential election instead of the American people.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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People visit a match-making event of the 6th China International Import Expo (CIIE) at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) in east China's Shanghai, July 26, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

China will promote and strengthen policy support for inbound foreign investment, a Ministry of Commerce official told a press conference on Monday.



The ministry will work with relevant departments to implement the guidelines for the further optimization of the country's foreign investment environment, and to intensify efforts to attract foreign investment that were made public by China's State Council on Sunday, said Chen Chunjiang, vice minister of commerce.

The ministry will continue to deepen reform and opening-up, effectively optimize the country's business environment, and make every effort to stabilize foreign trade and investment, according to Chen.

In addition to the actions set out in the guidelines, the ministry will continue to implement the policies and measures that have been introduced since the beginning of the year, according to the ministry.

These policies and measures include those introduced in April to stabilize the scale and optimization of the structure of foreign trade, and those introduced in June to deepen reforms in certain eligible free trade zones and the Hainan Free Trade Port to align with high-standard international economic and trade rules.

The country in January issued a circular requesting that relevant departments and regional authorities provide further support for foreign investors in their establishment of research and development centers.

The ministry will take further steps to strengthen policy support in the future. It will work with relevant departments to shorten the country's negative list for foreign investment access, and continue to expand market access for foreign investment. In the meantime, it will continue to relax restrictions on foreign strategic investment in listed companies in China, according to the ministry.

Official data shows that 23,536 new foreign firms were established in China in the first half of the year, a 35.7 percent year-on-year rise.

China's firm determination to open up, its broad market opportunities, its complete industrial system and its quality business environment are leading foreign investors to step up their investment in the country, Chen said.
A Sacramento man was arrested Thursday in connection with an Elk Grove shooting that occurred four days earlier, authorities said.

The 25-year-old man allegedly drove to a house around 2:45 a.m. on Aug. 6 near Black Kite Drive and Silverberry Avenue in the Elk Grove city limits, officials said.

The gunman reportedly first knocked on the door, then retrieved a gun from the vehicle he was driving when no one answered the door. He fired eight rounds into the garage, according to an Elk Grove Police Department news release.

No one was hit or injured, police say.

Police said surveillance footage identified the alleged suspect later that day, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Officers located the suspect leaving an apartment in Woodland on Thursday, and he was arrested by detectives, according to law enforcement.

The man was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail, police said. He faces charges including shooting at an occupied dwelling and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, authorities said.

He is ineligible for bail, jail records show.
An 18-year-old man who authorities said on July 28 fired at least a dozen .223 rifle rounds into a parked car in White Settlement was arrested Monday, according to a news release from police. The case was initially linked by investigators to a reported kidnapping out of Arlington.

Lewis Calvin Parker III was arrested by Fort Worth police without incident in the 8600 block of Las Vegas Court, according to the news release from White Settlement police. Hes facing charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony, and deadly conduct/discharging a firearm, a third-degree felony.

Officers responded to the shooting call at the Executive Inn in the 8200 block of Interstate 30 service road July 28 around 11:15 p.m. to find a Chrysler 300 in the parking lot riddled with multiple bullet holes, according to the news release. The vehicle was leaking fluid and officers found a dozen .223 casings, the same caliber used in AR-15 rifles and variants, in the parking lot.

Detectives at the scene determined the shooting was likely the result of an alleged kidnapping that was reported in the 2000 block of South Cherry Lane, according to police. In that call, a woman told authorities her children were kidnapped in Arlington.

Though it was later determined that no kidnapping took place, detectives initially believed the two calls were connected because the father of the children reported as being kidnapped was staying at the motel at which the shooting happened.

Surveillance footage from the motel showed a gray four-dour Kia Forte pull into the parking lot, being driven by a woman later identified by detectives to be the mother who reported her children had been kidnapped, according to the news release.

When the car came to a stop, the surveillance footage appears to show the mother and Parker, who police have identified as her boyfriend, get out of the car and retrieve a rifle from the trunk. The video shows the two then run toward a man, who retreated into the motel.

Detectives believe Parker pointed the rifle at the man before walking over to the Chrysler 300 and firing the rifle several times into the engine compartment, according to the news release. Both Parker and the woman then ran back to their vehicle and fled the scene, police said. The license plates on the vehicle had been covered by some sort of fabric.

Police said nobody was injured in the shooting. The victim traveled to Arizona after the shooting.

According to police, law enforcement had previous contact with Parker. Because of that and the propensity for gun violence, White Settlement authorities asked for assistance from the Fort Worth Police Department in serving the felony arrest warrants for Parker.

On Monday, Parker was taken into custody without incident by the Fort Worth police direct response unit, according to the news release. He was taken to the White Settlement jail.

The brazen discharge of a rifle at least a dozen times into a parked car with occupied hotel rooms directly behind is completely unacceptable, White Settlement Police Chief Christopher Cook said in the news release.

Because the victim had returned to Arizona following the shooting, the police in Buckeye, Arizona, assisted with a photo lineup of the suspect in this case, according to the news release.

Police have not announced any charges against the woman who was driving the vehicle.
A man accused of kidnapping a woman and holding her in a cinder block dungeon in his Oregon home has pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnapping and transportation with intent to engage in sexual activity, court documents show.

Negasi Zuberi, 29, was ordered during a hearing Monday to remain in custody until his trial, which is scheduled for October 17, the documents show.

Zuberi was taken into federal custody after a woman escaped from his Klamath Falls home last month, according to a news release from the FBI field office in Portland. The woman was kidnapped from Seattle and sexually assaulted before being placed in a makeshift cell in Zuberis garage, investigators said.

Following Zuberis arrest, the FBI said it was looking for additional victims in other states.

Zuberi has lived in at least 10 states since 2016 and has been linked to violent assaults in at least four, according to the FBI. Investigators have reason to believe there could be several other victims, the agency said.

Zuberi was indicted by a federal grand jury in Oregon, court documents filed earlier this month show.

Zuberis attorney, Heather Fraley, told CNN at the time of the indictment that she had no comment.

Negasi Zuberi - Washoe County Jail

Investigators detail womans harrowing escape

On July 15, Zuberi traveled from his home in Klamath Falls to Seattle where he posed as an undercover police officer to solicit the services of a prostitute, according to the FBIs news release. The victim said Zuberi pointed a Taser at her, placed her in handcuffs and leg irons and then put her in the back seat of his car, the FBI said.

Zuberi told the victim she was under arrest, the Klamath Falls Police Department said in a news release. The victim reported Zuberi had a firearm, police patches, a taser, and other law enforcement equipment.

He then drove back to his Klamath Falls home  more than 450 miles away  stopping on the way to sexually assault her, the victim told detectives, according to the news release.

A photo of what investigators described as a cinder block cell in Zuberi's garage. - FBI Portland

At one point during the drive, the woman noticed a map application on the suspects cell phone that indicated they were 2 hours and 4 minutes away from the set destination, according to an affidavit reviewed by CNN. The woman knew at that point that Zuberi was not a police officer and that she was being kidnapped, the affidavit says.

Upon arriving at the home, he placed the woman in a makeshift cell he had constructed in his garage made of cinder blocks and a metal door that was locked from the outside and left her there, the FBI said. The bureau called the cell a dungeon.

The woman told authorities she repeatedly banged on the door until she was able to break her way out of the cell, the news release said.

The victim said she knew Zuberi would kill her if she stayed in the room, police said. The victim began punching the security screen door. The victim was able to break the welds on the screen door and pull the metal screen material down. The victim then climbed through a small opening in the door and escaped.

The woman flagged down a motorist who called 911, according to the FBI. She was taken to a nearby hospital, where detectives responded to a report of a rape victim, according to Klamath Falls police.

Police later located blood on the wooden fence the woman had climbed over during her escape, the affidavit says. It was not immediately clear how long the woman was left in the cell before she escaped.

A woman escaped the cell after being kidnapped from Seattle, investigators said. - FBI Portland

Detectives tracked down Zuberi using cell phone technology a few hours later in Reno, Nevada, where he was arrested after a standoff, police said. Zuberi was taken into custody at a Walmart parking lot, the affidavit said.

Due to the real possibility this was not Zuberis first crime of this nature the FBI was requested, police said.

Police obtained a search warrant on July 16 and located the makeshift cell and other items, including the victims purse in Zuberis garage, according to the affidavit.

Klamath Falls Mayor Carol Westfall told the local newspaper Herald and News that she and her husband own the home where Zuberi allegedly held the woman. Westfall told the paper they rented the home to Zuberi and his two children six months ago, but noted the lease did not mention a wife or any roommates.

We had service people going there, and he would invite us in, Westfall said. Commenting on Zuberis alleged acts, she said, It was incredibly brazen.

The mayor added: He came into this town, but its over for him.

Suspect targeted sex workers and roommates, FBI says

We are fortunate that this brave woman escaped and alerted authorities, Special Agent in Charge Stephanie Shark said in the news release. While she may have helped protect future victims, sadly we have now linked Zuberi to several violent assaults in at least four states and we believe there may be many more.

The FBI said it believes Zuberi targeted sex workers or roommates in California, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Alabama and Nevada between August 2016 and July 2023.

Authorities did not detail how they linked the suspect to other cases.

Zuberi  who also goes by the names Sakima, Justin Hyche and Justin Kouassi  is believed to have used various methods to gain control of his victims, including putting drugs in their drinks, posing as a police officer and soliciting the services of sex workers before violently sexually assaulting them, according to the FBI.

Some of the encounters may have been filmed to make it appear as if the assault was consensual, the FBI said. The victims are threatened with retaliation if they notify the police.

The bureau asked for the publics help as it seeks more potential victims and additional information about Zuberi.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
This undated photo provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Portland Field Office shows a makeshift cinderblock cell in Klamath Falls, Ore. allegedly used by 29-year-old, Negasi Zuberi. A federal judge has set an Oct. 17 trial date for the Oregon man accused of posing as an undercover police officer, kidnapping a woman in Seattle and locking her in the cell until she bloodied her hands breaking the door to escape. Zuberi made his initial appearance in federal court in Medford on Monday, Aug. 14 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark D. Clarke. (FBI via AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP)  A federal judge set an Oct. 17 trial date for an Oregon man accused of posing as an undercover police officer, kidnapping a woman in Seattle and locking her in a cinder block cell until she bloodied her hands breaking the door to escape.

Negasi Zuberi, 29, made his initial appearance in federal court in Medford on Monday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark D. Clarke and pleaded not guilty to charges of interstate kidnapping and transporting an individual across state lines with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.

The judge ordered Zuberi held without bail and appointed a federal public defender to represent him. A status conference was scheduled for Sept. 25 ahead of the trial before U.S. District Judge Michael McShane in Medford.

Zuberi could face up to life in prison if convicted.

Prosecutors say he solicited the woman on July 15 to engage in prostitution along Aurora Avenue in Seattle, an area known for sex work. Afterward, Zuberi told the woman he was an undercover officer, showed her a badge, pointed a stun gun at her, and placed her in handcuffs and leg irons before putting her in the back of his vehicle, the criminal complaint says.

He drove her hundreds of miles to his home in Klamath Falls, Oregon and locked her in a cinder block cell, the FBI said.

After the woman escaped, Zuberi fled the southern Oregon city. He was arrested by state police in Reno, Nevada, on July 16, the FBI said.

The FBI said it was looking for additional victims after linking him to violent sexual assaults in other states.
A man accused of posing as a doctor to sell a fake COVID-19 cure has been arrested in Utah following a three-year manhunt, federal officials reported.

Federal agents performing surveillance spotted Gordon Hunter Pedersen, 63, of Cedar Hills, Utah, in Utah County on July 5, leading to his arrest, a news release by the U.S. Attorneys Office of Utah said.

Pederson had been on the run since August 2020, when he failed to appear in court for his indictment on charges including mail fraud, wire fraud and felony introduction of misbranded drugs into interstate commerce with intent to defraud and mislead, prosecutors said.

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pederson sold a structural alkaline silver product online, which he claimed resonates, or vibrates, at a frequency that destroys the membrane of the virus, making the virus incapable of attaching to any healthy cell, or to infect you in anyway, prosecutors said.

The FDA has warned against silver-based products as not being effective treatment for any known disease or condition.

Silver has no known functions or benefits in the body when taken by mouth, and it is not an essential mineral, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Pederson sold the fake cure before COVID-19 vaccines were available, prosecutors said.

In his sales pitches, Pederson misrepresented himself as a board-certified anti-aging medical doctor with advanced degrees in immunology and naturopathic medicine, officials said.

Utah County is about 60 miles south of Salt Lake City.

Doctor gave bogus COVID vaccine waivers, including to a dog, TN medical board says
A family member of an inmate who died in custody holds a banner during a June press conference to announce three federal lawsuits filed against the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

A Cathedral City man died at the Riverside County jail in Indio early Tuesday morning, the sheriff's department reported.

Steven Crawford, 70, was found unresponsive in his cell around 12:30 a.m. at the John Benoit Detention Center, according to a press release from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, which manages the county's five jails.

First responders provided emergency medical treatment but Crawford was pronounced dead, the release says.

The sheriff's department said there were no signs of foul play associated with Crawford's death, adding that the investigation is ongoing.

Crawford's is the sixth reported death in a county jail this year. Sheriff Chad Bianco's department is reeling from a record 19 reported deaths for 2022, the most in any year for which records are publicly available, dating back to 2005. The Desert Sun reported during the surge that the department had failed to report several deaths to the California Department of Justice within the timeframe required by law. And when it did, the department reported false information. The department has not provided a public explanation for the missing or false reports.

The Department of Justice later confirmed to The Desert Sun that the department corrected the reports after the newspaper's inquiries. California Attorney General Rob Bonta subsequently announced a civil rights investigation of the sheriff's department, one of only a few investigations of law enforcement agencies in the state. The investigation, which was opened in February, centers on the in-custody deaths, both in the jails and resulting from police use of force, and other concerns the state agency expressed about potential civil rights violations of county residents.

The deaths have also spurred a wave of litigation against the county and sheriff's department, as about a half-dozen civil suits were filed, with more being planned this year. Attorneys Denisse Gastelum and Christian Contreras have filed four federal suits since the beginning of the year on behalf of relatives of the deceased. All the suits allege the deaths could have been prevented by adequate training and adherence to laws securing a person's right to safety while in government custody.

The attorney general's investigation is ongoing.

Christopher Damien covers public safety and the criminal justice system. He can be reached at christopher.damien@desertsun.com or follow him at @chris_a_damien.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Inmate dies at Riversde County jail in Indio; no foul play suspected
A Bronx man who fatally shot the father of his ex-girlfriend's child in Yonkers after she continuously rebuffed his efforts to win her back was sentenced Tuesday to the maximum 25 years to life in state prison.

"The credible testimony established that this was a premeditated, cold-blooded murder of an unarmed man," Westchester County Judge Susan Cacace told Alexis Rose, adding that he had shown no mercy to the victim, Shaun Hutchinson, so he would get none from her. "Your jealousy of Mr. Hutchinson's relationship with your former paramour turned to rage and the credible testimony established that you unloaded your own gun into the victim's head, back and side in front of and within arm's reach of multiple witnesses."

Earlier, Rose showed no emotion as he listened to victim impact statements from Hutchinson's wife and four daughters.

Alexis Rose, left, and his lawyer Anthony Mattesi, listen as Westchester County Judge Susan Cacace sentences Rose on Aug. 15, 2023, to 25 years to life in state prison for the March 5, 2021, murder of Shaun Hutchinson in Yonkers.

Danieal Hutchinson said her husband's killing devastated her and their young children and they continue to struggle without him.

"This individual made a permanent decision based on a temporary state of emotions," she said. "His decision will impact the lives of so many other individuals for the rest of their lives."

One of his older daughters, Nishala Hutchinson, said she had been looking forward to seeing him that weekend, and even got a call from him shortly before he was killed confirming they'd be getting together. She feels lucky he ended the call telling her he loved her.

"I miss my dad so much. I'm never going to be OK with what happened to him," she said. "But I know that me being up here today is making him proud and as we continue, even on the hardest days, I know he's there pushing me further."

Shaun Hutchinson, who was shot and killed March 5, 2021, by Alexis Rose in Yonkers. Hutchinson, of Easton, Pa., was helping the mother of his son, Rose's ex-girlfriend, move to a new apartment.

Rose had an order of protection barring him from contact with his ex-girlfriend, but he nevertheless repeatedly contacted her. On March 5, 2021, he drove by her house early in the morning and then again in the evening. Assistant District Attorney Janelle Armentano said Rose learned there was someone at the apartment with the woman, went to get his gun and returned.

"This defendant saw any man as an impediment and a threat to him and his ex-girlfriend being together again," she said before asking for the maximum sentence.

At about 9 p.m., he entered, confronted the woman and then fired seven shots at Hutchinson just upstairs from the basement apartment, hitting him six times as a 14-year-old and the woman's aunt stood nearby.

Hutchinson and the woman had a son together and he had come from Pennsylvania that Friday to help her move. Police searched for Rose immediately and arrested him a short time later after setting up surveillance on his BMW when Mount Vernon police spotted the car two blocks from his Bronx home.

When police later searched Rose's apartment, they found an empty box of ammunition that matched the bullets that killed Hutchinson.

Following the trial in April, the jury took less than 90 minutes to convict him of second-degree murder and other charges, rejecting his self-defense claim that he had wrestled the gun from Hutchinson and then shot him when Hutchinson wielded a knife.

Prosecutors detailed Rose's texts to the woman that went unanswered for hours on March 5 and how the shooting came shortly after one in which he told her she had disrespected him "in the worst way."

Armentano called it a "callous" murder, "motivated by this distorted view that he could somehow win over his ex-girlfriend despite the fact that she clearly told him that this relationship had ended and it was over."

Sentencing was delayed two months after Rose asked for his Legal Aid lawyers to be replaced. His new lawyer, Anthony Mattesi, asked Cacace for the minimum sentence, 15 years to life, citing the lack of a violent criminal record in Rose's past.

Rose himself did not speak and Mattesi said that was at his urging.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Bronx man who shot romantic rival in Yonkers receives maximum sentence
Man posing as doctor to sell fake COVID-19 cure arrested after manhunt

A 63-year-old man was arrested in Utah years after he was charged with crimes related to selling a fake cure for the coronavirus, officials said Monday.

According to court documents, Gordon Hunter Pedersen, 63, sold a "structural alkaline silver" product online that he allegedly said "resonates or vibrates at a frequency that destroys the membrane of the (COVID-19) virus, making the virus incapable" of infecting someone. Pedersen also claimed to be an "anti-aging medical doctor" with PhD degrees in immunology and naturopathic medicine, according to the documents.

A civil restraining order issued in 2020 stopped Pedersen's ability to sell the products, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release from that year. He was also indicted in federal court on charges of mail fraud, wire fraud and felony introduction of misbranded drugs into interstate commerce with intent to defraud and mislead, the United State's Attorney's Office District of Utah said in a news release.

Gordon Hunter Pedersen holds up his fake COVID-19 cure. / Credit: U.S. Attorney's Office District of Utah

A warrant for Pedersen's arrest was issued in August 2020, when he failed to appear in federal court for the indictment. A three-year manhunt ensued, ending this summer when Pedersen was spotted by federal agents on July 5, 2023.

He was arrested in Utah County, officials said. The news release, shared on Monday, did not say when he was arrested or how he was taken into custody.

Pedersen, of Cedar Hills, Utah, is scheduled to make his initial court appearance on Tuesday afternoon.

Others who sold fake coronavirus cures have also faced charges.

In July 2023, a Florida man and his three sons were convicted of using their online church to sell a toxic industrial bleach as a fake COVID-19 cure. The four men were found guilty of conspiring to defraud the United States and deliver misbranded drugs, according to court records, and will be sentenced in October.

In 2021, the U.S. Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to prevent and prosecute such frauds.

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Utah authorities said that a three-year manhunt has ended after they arrested a man accused of posing as a doctor on charges of selling a fake COVID-19 cure.

In a news release Monday, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Utah announced that authorities were able to spot Gordon Hunter Pedersen during surveillance last month.

According to court documents, authorities handed down an arrest warrant on Pedersen in August 2020 after he failed to appear on an indictment in federal court.

Pedersen, a native of Cedar Hills, Utah, was indicted on charges including mail fraud, wire fraud and felony introduction of misbranded drugs into interstate commerce with intent to defraud and mislead.

Court documents also state that at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Pedersen began selling a structural alkaline silver product online, claiming it resonates, or vibrates, at a frequency that destroys the membrane of the virus, making the virus incapable of attaching to any healthy cell, or to infect you in anyway.

The 63-year-old also falsely claimed on YouTube videos to be a board certified Anti-Aging Medical Doctor, in addition to falsely claiming to have Ph.D.s in in immunology and naturopathic medicine, court documents said.

Pedersen is scheduled to make his initial court appearance Tuesday.

Last month, a Florida man and his three sons were convicted of using their online church to sell a toxic industrial bleach as a fake COVID-19 cure. They were found guilty of conspiring to defraud the country and deliver misbranded drugs, according to CBS News.

Updated at 2:52 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
FILE - This booking photo provided by the Peoria, Ill., Police Department shows Tyler Massengill, who pleaded guilty Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, to malicious use of fire to damage a Planned Parenthood clinic last month, federal law enforcement said. (Peoria Police Department via AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

PEORIA, Ill. (AP)  A man who set a fire at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Illinois was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in federal prison.

Tyler Massengill has admitted using a homemade explosive to set a fire at the Peoria clinic in January, a few days after Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a law with additional legal protections for abortion procedures. No one was inside the clinic when the fire happened.

I feel for the people who have lost their jobs. Im not trying to play like I am victim at this. I was sincerely hurt, Massengill, 32, said in court, apparently a reference to his belief that a former girlfriend had an abortion a few years ago.

Prosecutors, however, said the woman told the FBI that wasn't true.

U.S. District Judge James Shadid said people who typically visit the clinic for a variety of services have had to look elsewhere because of extensive damage to the building, WMBD-TV reported.

And to add to your accomplishments, theres the striking of fear, stress and inconvenience to thousands of patients and employees from the many other Planned Parenthood facilities who wonder if they are next on the list of misguided people like you," the judge said.

Shadid went slightly above the sentencing guidelines but below the possible maximum prison term of 20 years.

Defense attorney Karl Bryning asked for a five-year prison sentence, noting Massengills history of mental health problems and alcohol abuse.

In addition to the prison sentence, the judge ordered Massengill, a Chillicothe resident, to pay $1.45 million in restitution.

The clinic plans to reopen in 2024.

Justice has been served. ... We stand in solidarity with the community in Peoria that continues to heal from this traumatic event," said Jennifer Welch, president of Planned Parenthood of Illinois.
You are here: China

China on Monday evening issued an orange alert for mountain torrents.

From 8 p.m. Monday to 8 p.m. Tuesday, mountain torrents are highly likely to occur in southern parts of Gansu and southeastern parts of Qinghai, according to the alert, which was issued by the Ministry of Water Resources and the China Meteorological Administration.

The two departments also issued a yellow alert for mountain torrents in certain areas of Sichuan, Gansu and Qinghai.

Local authorities are advised to strengthen real-time monitoring and flood warning procedures amid measures to prepare for evacuation.

China has a four-tier weather-warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
NEW YORK  Donald Trumps effort to boot the judge presiding over his Manhattan hush money case failed resoundingly, according to court papers made public Monday.

State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan rejected the former presidents motion on all grounds.

Finding that recusing himself would not be in the public interest, Merchan said he had examined his conscience and is certain in his ability to be fair and impartial.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has charged Trump with 34 felonies in the case headed to trial next March, alleging he covered up an illegal payment to porn star Stormy Daniels made by his former fixer Michael Cohen in a scheme to bury negative press ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Trump has pleaded not guilty.

Trumps May 31 motion sought to get Merchan off the case, claiming the judge's daughter stood to profit from his downfall at her job at a digital agency representing primarily Democratic candidates.

The former president also argued that small-dollar donations to Democrats totaling $35 from the judge represented an impartiality issue. He further cited Merchans handling of Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselbergs 2022 case, claiming it showed a preconceived bias.

In regards to his daughter, the judge noted that the New York State Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics on May 4 found the case did not relate to her job directly or indirectly and that there was nothing to suggest that the outcome of the case could have any effect on the judges relative, the relatives business, or any of their interests.

(Trump) has failed to demonstrate that there exists concrete, or even realistic reasons for recusal to be appropriate, much less required on these grounds, Merchan wrote. The speculative and hypothetical scenarios offered by (Trump) fall well short of the legal standard.

Regarding the donations, which Trumps lawyers argued required an on-the-record explanation, Merchan noted the ethics committee had, too, deemed them benign.

(It) is sufficient to say that these modest political contributions made more than two years ago cannot reasonably create an impression of bias or favoritism in the case before the judge, the panel wrote.

Trumps framing of Merchans role in Weisselbergs case was at odds with the lenient term the finance chief received.

Weisselberg was charged alongside the Trump family business  whose finances he oversaw for decades  in June 2021. Not long before trial, the CFO agreed to plead out in exchange for a shorter jail term. The deal required him to testify against the company, which a jury convicted on tax fraud charges in December, leading to a $1.6 million fine.

While the case played out, the companys lawyers tried vainly to get Merchan off of it, accusing him of inappropriateness during plea talks.

The repeated request in the hush money case, Merchan wrote Friday, only (serves) to weaken the plausibility of the claim.

At the CFOs sentencing, when he received a term of five months on Rikers Island that ended up being 99 days, Merchan said he felt Weisselberg deserved harsher punishment but would respect the deal offered.

Had I not made the promise, I would be imposing a sentence much greater than that, Merchan said in January, noting Weisselbergs crimes were driven entirely by greed.

Like officials in other legal challenges facing Trump, the veteran judge known for his even temper has been the target of several attacks by Trump.

The New York Daily News reported that Merchan was inundated with death threats after Trump singled him and his relatives out in televised remarks after his April arraignment.

Braggs office and Trump lawyers Susan Necheles and Joe Tacopina declined to comment.

_____
Carlos De Oliveira, on his arrival at federal court in Miami, Florida, on July 31, 2023 (JOE RAEDLE)

The property manager at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to charges in a case alleging the former president mishandled classified government documents after leaving office, US media reported.

Prosecutors accuse Trump of taking dozens of secret documents when he left the White House in January 2021 -- including plans on nuclear programs -- an act that they said endangered national security.

Also charged were two employees, property manager Carlos de Oliveira and Trump personal assistant Waltine Nauta.

De Oliveira appeared Tuesday for a brief arraignment at a federal courthouse in Fort Pierce, some 125 miles (200 kilometers) north of Miami, US media reported.

Prosecutors accuse De Oliveira of scheming with Trump and Nauta to erase images from a surveillance camera to keep the footage out of the hands of investigators.

Trump and the two employees have been charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice and tampering with evidence.

Nauta and De Oliveira also face charges of false testimony after they assured federal officers that they knew nothing about the documents kept by Trump at his Florida residence.

Trump and Nauta have already pleaded not guilty in the case, but De Oliveira was unable to do so because he did not have local counsel.

The trial is scheduled for May 2024, in the thick of the US presidential campaign.

Trump, who faces a total of 91 criminal charges across four jurisdictions, is the frontrunner seeking the Republican nomination, far ahead of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

The former president has been indicted four times since March. The Florida case is in addition to two cases over his alleged efforts overturn Joe Biden's 2020 election victory, and a fourth case in New York over hush money payments he made to a porn star.

gma/tjj/st
FORT PIERCE, Fla.  Carlos De Oliveira property manager at former President Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago estate, appeared before a federal magistrate Tuesday in Fort Pierce with his newly acquired Florida-based attorney to enter a not-guilty plea in the governments classified document case against the former president.

De Oliveira, 56, made a return appearance in front of magistrate Shaniek Mills Maynard at the Alto Lee Adams Sr. U.S. Courthouse in Fort Pierce for the arraignment because arrangements had not been completed in time for a local lawyer to represent him who is authorized to practice in the federal court systems Southern District of Florida.

At the brief arraignment, attorney Larry Donald Murrell Jr. told Maynard that De Oliveira wants a trial by jury and acknowledged that De Oliveira understands the charges against him.

We have reviewed it and gone over it together, Murrell said of the superseding indictment that was returned by a grand jury late last month and included De Oliveira as a defendant.

At the end of the hearing, the magistrate told the defendant, I wish you the best of luck.

Murrell and De Oleveira departed the courthouse on Tuesday with reporters and TV cameras in pursuit as they walked under police escort to a parking lot, where they entered Murrells car and drove away without comment. Three or four supporters stood outside the courthouse, including one with a placard reading Lock Biden Up and another waving a flag that said Trump 2024; Take America Back.

Last Thursday, lawyers for Trump, who waived his court appearance, entered a not guilty plea on his behalf to a superseding indictment returned by a grand jury in late July. Co-defendant Waltine Nauta also pleaded not guilty.

Among the first tasks facing Murrell, a veteran criminal defense lawyer based in West Palm Beach, is to obtain a security clearance from the Justice Departments Litigation Security Group so hell have the authority to consult with De Oliveira on the classified documents in the case. Murrell is expected to work at the trial alongside John Irving of Washington, D.C., who has been the only lawyer representing De Oliveria thus far. An order issued last week by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon gave Murrell and other newly arrived defense lawyers until Aug. 23 to acquire a clearance.

Arraignments complete

The De Oliveira plea is the last to be entered by the cases three defendants.

He became a co-defendant when special counsel Jack Smith expanded the documents case against Trump through the superseding indictment. It alleges the former president and his two employees attempted to delete security footage at Mar-a-Lago that a grand jury had sought while investigating Trumps alleged mishandling of classified records.

Trump, 77, pleaded not guilty in Miami to the charges in the original 37-count indictment in June. Nauta, 40, pleaded not guilty to the initial charges against him in July.

Judge Cannon has set a trial date for May 20, 2024.

Unrelated indictments

The case being tried in South Florida is one of four criminal cases to be brought against the former president, and the second this month to allege that he tried to subvert the results of the 2020 election

On Monday, a sweeping indictment handed up in Georgia accused Trump and 18 allies of scheming to illegally overturn his 2020 election loss in the state.

Two weeks earlier, Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith charged Trump in a Washington, D.C., indictment in a vast conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election.

The fourth criminal case, and the first to be filed, came in March when he was indicted on state charges related to payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to allegedly bury allegations of extramarital sexual encounters.

Prosecution redux: No document talks at Mar-a-Lago

Prosecutors, meanwhile, filed another round of papers with the judge late Monday in the Mar-A-Lago documents case that again rejects Trumps bid to discuss classified documents with his lawyers at the Mar-a-Lago estate.

The filing is part of a government attempt to install a protective order under the Classified Information Procedures act that would govern how sensitive papers in question would be handled at trial.

The government insisted as it has previously that discussions of classified information between Trump and his attorneys take place in a sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF).

On the other hand, prosecutors reiterated in their Monday filing, Trump seeks special treatment that no other criminal defendant would receive and that is unsupported by law or precedent.

In a filing last Wednesday, noted prosecutor Jay Bratt, Trumps lawyers asked the court to insert language in the protective order to approve reestablishment of a secure facility at an unidentified location where Trump was permitted to review classified information during his presidency.

In making this request for the creation of a secure location for his personal use, Trump continues to seek special treatment that no other criminal defendant would receive, Bratt said. In essence, he is asking to be the only defendant ever in a case involving classified information (at least to the Governments knowledge) who would be able to discuss classified information in a private residence.

And of course, The Mar-a-Lago Club is even less suited than most residences to host a secure location, because it is a social club, Bratt added. In addition to Trumps residence and office, The Mar-a-Lago Club contains more than 25 guest rooms, two ballrooms, a spa, a gift store, exercise facilities, office space, and an outdoor pool and patio.

As of January 2021, The Mar-a-Lago Club had hundreds of members and was staffed by more than 150 full-time, part-time, and temporary employees, the prosecutor added.

The Mar-a-Lago Club hosted more than 50 social events, including weddings, movie premieres, and fundraisers that together drew tens of thousands of guests, the filing says. Trump also provides no specifics in either his response or the attached declaration about what steps (including cost or time) would be required to create a secure space at his proposed location.

There are other ways for the defense lawyers to discuss classified documents with their client, Bratt noted.

One of them: a court security officer may authorize the defense to discuss classified information at an in camera hearing, for example.

Or, Trump and the lawyers could discuss the papers at secured facilities in the Southern District of Florida that are approved by the security officer.

In the same filing, the government lawyers also reiterated their position that Nauta should have limited access to classified materials. They want the judge to rule that only his lawyers can have wide access to the documents. If Nauta is to see any of the materials, prosecutors said, access should be provided on a case-by-case basis.

Judge Cannon, who rejected the governments original protective order, has yet to rule on its latest request.

_____
United States Marines learn their own unique combatives in the process of becoming Marines, but the atomic wedgie is a move many of us pick up in our youth. It turns out that this, the most fearsome and humiliating of all wedgies, can be just as deadly as any other martial arts move.

On Dec. 21, 2013, Marine Corps veteran Brad Lee Davis learned this disturbing fact the hard way, or at least, his stepfather did. During a fight with 58-year-old Denver Lee St. Clair, Davis picked the older man up by his underwear, and then pulled the undergarments elastic band all the way up over St. Clairs head.

Unfortunately, the move killed St. Clair, which would lead to both a first-degree murder charge for Davis, and a study by the National Institutes of Healths (NIH) first-ever study on wedgies  to figure out how the hell thats even possible.

Davis told police hed never intended to kill his stepfather. The McLoud, Oklahoma, man was just trying to embarrass him, and an atomic wedgie is just what the doctor ordered when you want to punish and humiliate - if the doctor is Dr. Kevorkian.

Authorities at the time said the two men were spending the night in Denver Lee St. Clairs trailer while Davis mother was recovering from hip surgery at the local hospital. The two men intended to go visit her early the next morning, but they stayed up late talking. Eventually, St. Clair began insulting Davis mother.

The Marine Corps veteran told his stepfather that he was a bully, and things turned physical, according to reports. Davis said his stepfather got up and tried to punch him, but the trained Marine easily overcame his stepfathers attack, leaving the older man on the floor. Thats when Davis decided to add insult to injury.

While St. Clair was still on the ground, Davis pulled up the old mans underwear, a traditional wedgie. He then went the extra mile, pulling the elastic band of the underwear up over the mans head. He then took a photo of the incident. Somehow, however, the band made its way around St. Clairs neck, cutting off his air supply and effectively strangling him.

When police arrived at the scene, St. Clair was dead and Davis was taken into custody. The prosecution believed that things were more than they seemed, believing some of St. Clairs wounds before the wedgie would have killed him anyway. They charged Davis with first-degree murder, and the media labeled him the Atomic Wedgie Killer.

Prosecutors went on to allege that Davis doctored the crime scene before investigators arrived, making it look like the wedgie killed St. Clair, and the two had come to blows during a family argument. Davis wanted to plead not guilty because he was acting in self-defense, but the evidence against him was strong.

In the end, Davis pled guilt for a lesser charge, first-degree manslaughter, which carried a four-year prison sentence, but the judge presiding over his sentence believed hed acted with much more malice than four years would warrant, and threw the book at him. In 2015, Davis was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

After the case was settled, the National Institutes of Health conducted an entire literature review around all the worlds previous studies of wedgie-related trauma.
A 52-year-old Marion County man has been indicted for impersonating a federal officer US Attorney Sarah Janet Swartzberg said.

>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<

Read: 1 dead, 3 hurt in rollover crash on Pleasant Hill Road in Osceola County, troopers say

According to court documents, on July 31, 2023, Derry Wayne Lambert of Belleview was arrested after a deputy from the Marion County Sheriffs Office stopped Lambert while driving his truck.

Authorities said Lamberts vehicle had no agency insignia, but was equipped with red and blue flashing lights, a Public Address (PA) system, and an audible siren.

Lambert was also in possession of a firearm while committing a felony officials said.

Read: Thousands of Hispanic business owners to head to Orlando next month

Lambert, who was wearing a hat with the phrase Police U. S Marshal, explained to the deputy that he was with the United States Marshals Service and was investigating gang activity in Marion Oaks investigators said.

According to the news release, Lambert also presented a false United States Marshals Service badge.

A record check showed that Lambert was not a federal law enforcement officer law enforcement said.

Read:

This case was investigated by the Marion County Sheriffs Office and the United States Marshals Service. It will be prosecuted by U.S. Attorneys office.

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It wasn't long ago that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greenes political future looked shaky.

The Georgia Republican-MAGA firebrand suffered a very public ousting from the hard-right conservative Freedom Caucus, had a well-documented blow-up with Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), and publicly lost the support of a party official in her home state of Georgia. Former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon went so far as to call for a primary challenge against her over her alliance with Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

But over the past several weeks, Greene no longer looks endangered. No substantive primary challenge has materialized. And the backlash to her ties to McCarthy (R-Calif.) hasn't led to any clear vulnerabilities in her deep red district.

The real story about MTG in the 14th District of Georgia is shes stronger today than shes ever been, Paulding County GOP Chair Jim Tully told POLITICO. I dont think people in the district have a second thought about a Freedom Caucus vote.

Greenes ability to insulate her right flank may be a testament to just how irrefutable her brand of conservatism has become. But it also underscores how the partys base and its establishment have become intermingled.

Greene is close with both McCarthy and Trump. She remains one of the most bombastic members of her chamber but also recently launched a joint fundraising committee with the National Republican Congressional Committee. The MTG Victory Fund, Inc., is set up to jointly send donations to Greenes main campaign account, her leadership PAC and the NRCC.



The NRCC has joint-fundraising committees with most of its GOP members, but the new collaboration with Greene makes her a bigger part of the partys House campaign efforts and will allow her to share her prolific fundraising abilities.

As a first-time candidate, Greene collected $2.6 million in donations in 2020 and then exploded her coffers to more than $12 million as a first-year member. Without committee assignments during that first term, much of her time and travel was occupied by political rallies with former President Donald Trump and on her own nationwide America First tour with Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.). While still questioning the 2020 election results, Greene boosted her national profile at these rallies, local fundraisers and events.

She also created a fundraising website to fund an effort to sue then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over Covid protection protocols, called SpeakerMaskhole.com. And, in Washington, she introduced articles of impeachment against President Joe Biden (something shes done again this session), which she promoted in her fundraising appeals.

Greenes campaign is one of the few operations not to see a dramatic drop in small-dollar donors so far this year, defined as those giving $200 or less.

Greene brought in more than $850,000 in small-dollar donations in the second quarter of 2023  a relatively small decline from the $966,000 she raised in the same quarter in 2021, according to financial disclosures to the Federal Election Commission. The NRCC has not been able to keep up its small-dollar fundraising program , and across political campaigns and committees, theres been a serious decline this year.

A spokesperson for Greene declined to comment.

The negative attention Greene attracts typically comes from liberals. But this Congress, criticism from the right of her own party started around the debt ceiling fight. Bannon called for everyone who voted for the debt ceiling bill to face a primary challenge on his video podcast.

Several public spats erupted between Greene and Freedom Caucus communications chair Boebert. At this point, Brian Pritchard, the first vice chair of the Georgia GOP, weighed in on his radio show.

It's not because you voted to increase the debt ceiling," Pritchard said of Greene. "But it's how you're handling things. Now, she has the money, plenty of money. [But] she will have challengers in the next upcoming election, Pritchard did not respond to an interview request.



But Greenes standing as a conservative in her district is solid. Tully, who is chair of a deeply Republican county in Georgias 14th Congressional District, said he doesnt think theres an appetite for anyone else to represent the district. He added in jest that there could be someone out there further to the right than Greene, but he doesnt know who they are.

And Cobb County GOP Chair Salleigh Grubbs also told POLITICO that she hasnt heard anything negative about Greene being ousted from the Freedom Caucus.

There are some people who are not thrilled with Kevin McCarthy, but there are some people that appreciate the fact that she has a seat at the table, said Grubbs said. She can influence change for the better with Speaker McCarthy.

Greene is showing the limits of the conservative movements power in opposition to her own brand and her power to shape the Republican Party.

The county chairs, strategists and elected officials interviewed for this article all said Greene could easily beat any opponent who might enter the race. Last year, she emerged from a six-way primary with about 70 percent of the vote. In the general election, she dominated a well-funded Democratic rival in Marcus Flowers, winning 66 percent of the vote.

And after months of criticism on Capitol Hill, Freedom Caucus colleagues called themselves fans when asked what Greenes rupture meant for the group and the campaign trail.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a former chair of the Freedom Caucus, said, I supported having Marjorie stay.

Florida's Gaetz told POLITICO, Im Team MTG.
Former Donald Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows is looking to move the case brought against him in a sweeping Georgia RICO indictment to federal court, according to a Tuesday filing.

Meadows, Trump, and 17 others were indicted on Monday by a Fulton County, Georgia grand jury on charges related to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Meadows was charged with violations of the Georgia RICO Act, and solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer.

In the filing, Meadows attorneys argue that since the conduct giving rise to the charges in the indictment all occurred during his tenure and as part of his service as Chief of Staff, to the president, the charges should be remanded to federal court.

The filing further alleges that Meadows actions do not constitute a criminal offense and that his roles in contacting state officials on the Presidents behalf, visiting a state government building, and setting up a phone call for the President, were simply a standard part of his job.

Georgia prosecutors allege that Meadows involvement makes him a part of a criminal enterprise and that he, along with his co-defendants, knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump.

Meadows case has been assigned to District Judge Steve Jones and, according to the filing, the former chief of staff intends to file a motion to dismiss the indictment, as soon as he can.

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What is striking about the indictments handed up in Atlanta on Monday night arent the details  much of them already known  but the number of people charged: former President Donald Trump and 18 others who conspired to upend a fair election.

Its a legal reckoning not simply for Trump, but for those who fell in league with him out of greed, ambition, vanity or some perverse attraction to his awfulness. Prominent among the indicted is the former White House chief of staff who was supposed to steer Trump away from disaster  North Carolinas own Mark Meadows.

The former congressman from the 11th District relished being a right-wing rebel as a House member. He pandered to then-president Trump and defended him reflexively no matter how outrageous or illegal Trumps actions.

Meadows behavior showed sufficient servility to appeal to Trumps preference for people he can manipulate. In March of 2020, Trump named Meadows his fourth and final chief of staff.

Meadows recounted his White House days in a fable presented as a memoir, The Chiefs Chief. A more accurate title would have been The Chiefs Chief Enabler. Here, for example, is how he described Trumps incendiary Jan. 6, 2021, speech preceding many of his supporters attacking the U.S. Capitol in an effort to overturn Trumps defeat in the 2020 election.

Meadows wrote, [Trump] wanted to make sure that all those people he had met over his four years  the ones who had shown up to every rally, listened to his speeches, and written him letters about their frustrations with the establishment  would have one more chance to come together, make their voices heard, and encourage each other.

According to Meadows, Trump wasnt inciting his followers. He was just presiding over a last MAGA hug before goodbye. Except Meadows knew Trump was trying to disrupt the process that would require him to abide in the peaceful transfer of power.

In December 2020, Meadows set up the call in which Trump asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find enough votes to make him the winner in Georgia. Meadows is also accused of trying delay Congress from certifying Joe Bidens election and trying to interfere with a vote audit in Cobb County, Ga.

On Jan. 6, 2021, Meadows apparently did nothing as Trumps political backers and his Fox News supporters deluged him with text messages urging him to get Trump to call off the Capitol rioters.

Instead of representing North Carolina in Congress, Meadows auditioned to be White House chief of staff. He got what he wanted. Now, charged with two crimes related to his efforts to appease Trump, hes on his way to getting what he deserves.

Meadows, who now lives in South Carolina, joins the many who ignored the painful lesson others have learned: Those who join Trump put their reputations  and their freedom  at risk.

Among those who stormed the Capitol, 1,033 were arrested and 277 have been sentenced to time behind bars.

The chiefs of staff before Meadows were all humiliated and sullied by their unmanageable boss.

Many former Trump appointees and supporters are now his critics and eager to wash away their connection to him.

And yet, Trump rolls on, gathering strength among his core supporters with each indictment. In all likelihood, he will be the Republican nominee for president in 2024.

In North Carolina, Trumps acolytes dominate the state Republican Party. Ted Budd rose to the U.S. Senate on the strength of Trumps endorsement. Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who out trumps Trump on inflammatory statements, is the GOPs leading candidate for governor. And U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop, who voted to reject the legal results of the 2020 presidential election, is the GOP front-runner to become the states attorney general.

Mark Meadows offers North Carolina Republicans a cautionary tale of tying ones reputation and fate to Trump, but the partys base is ignoring the message.

So be it. Trump is heading to trial and his party is going with him.

Associate opinion editor Ned Barnett can be reached at 919-404-7583, or nbarnett@ newsobserver.com
Then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows looks on in the Oval Office in April 2020. Evan Vucci/AP

Mark Meadows has been indicted for helping to pressure Georgia to declare Trump the winner.

Trump's final chief of staff had avoided serious legal repercussions until Monday.

This now means Meadows may soon join Nixon hatchet man HR "Bob" Haldeman in infamy.

Mark Meadows, a Freedom Caucus conservative who rose to become Donald Trump's final chief of staff, will face a criminal indictment in Georgia alongside former president.

Fulton County District Attorney Fanni Willis unveiled her sprawling indictment late Monday evening, ending Meadows' run thus far of successfully ducking some of the legal serious legal liability that others in Trump's orbit have faced stemming from their actions that took place during the waning weeks of his presidency.

It means Meadows may soon join HR Haldeman, Nixon's self-dubbed "son of a bitch," in infamy among those who held one of the most powerful posts in the federal government, Chief of Staff. Haldeman, of course, faced prison time over his role in trying to cover up the Watergate break-in.

According to the indictment, Meadows, like each one of his fellow co-defendants, is facing a violation of Georgia's RICO law. He is also facing an additional count related to his participation in Trump's January 2, 2021 call with George Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger during which Trump pressured Raffensperger to "find" enough votes so he could win.

Meadows' other conduct is mentioned throughout the indictment. In particular, Willis zeroed in on Meadows' efforts to reach state lawmakers in Pennsylvania. Willis later told reporters that the grand jury believed conduct outside of her jurisdiction helped furthered the conspiracy she alleged.

Meadows was not one of the unindicted co-conspirators in special counsel Jack Smith's indictment related to conduct after the election, leading to speculation that the former chief of staff could be assisting the federal investigation.

The Justice Department previously decided not to pursue contempt charges against Meadows after he stopped cooperating with the House January 6 committee. Meadows initially turned over thousands of text messages that became key exhibits in the committee's public hearings. Cassidy Hutchinson, one of Meadows' former top aides, was a key witness for the panel. She described a virtually nonchalant chief of staff as rioters ransacked the US Capitol.

A spokesperson for Meadows did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Maslows hierarchy of needs is the kind of see it everywhere, cant remember where you learned it concept that pops up every so often in conversations about psychology, social issues and self-improvement.

Once you understand the hierarchy and its applications you will notice its influence everywhere, including business management theories and educational models.

What is Maslows hierarchy of needs?

The hierarchy was originally conceived by American psychologist Abraham Maslow in 1943. Maslow had a humanistic approach to psychology, and his work put focus on the whole person instead of individual psychological symptoms. His hierarchy of needs describes several levels of the the human experience, with examples of how each need can be fulfilled. The corresponding theory poses each level must be sufficiently met before someone is prepared to tackle the next level.

Human needs arrange themselves in hierarchies of pre-potency, Maslow wrote in the 1943 paper A Theory of Human Needs, which first described the model. That is to say, the appearance of one need usually rests on the prior satisfaction of another, more pre-potent need. Man is a perpetually wanting animal. Also no need or drive can be treated as if it were isolated or discrete; every drive is related to the state of satisfaction or dissatisfaction of other drives.

Level 1: Physiological needs

According to Maslow, the most essential human needs are the ones that keep us alive, like food, water, shelter and air. Without this basic level of survival, a person cant be expected to do much in the way of higher thinking or achievement.

A person who is lacking food, safety, love, and esteem would most probably hunger for food more strongly than for anything else, Maslow explained in his paper. Everything else, he posited, has to come after.

Level 2: Safety needs

With basic needs fulfilled, the next level of needs moves to safety. These are things like financial security, freedom from fear, stable health and anything that can lend our day-to-day lives a level of predictability and security.

Maslow argued that its this level of safety-seeking that leads humans to prize systems that bring order to their existence, perhaps in the form of law or religion. Some challenges to this level, he suggested, could be wild animals, extremes of temperature, criminals, assault and murder, (and) tyranny.

Level 3: Needs of belonging

Once basic survival and a modicum of security are established, human needs change a little bit. The third level of the hierarchy includes concepts like friendship, community, love, shared experiences and anything that gives humans a sense of belonging among themselves.

In this model, Maslow assumed, with the fulfillment of one level, humans will generally develop a longing to fulfill the next.

Now the person will feel keenly, as never before, the absence of friends, or a sweetheart, or a wife, or children, Maslow wrote. He will hunger for affectionate relations with people in general, namely, for a place in his group, and he will strive with great intensity to achieve this goal. He will want to attain such a place more than anything else in the world and may even forget that once, when he was hungry, he sneered at love.

Level 4: Esteem needs

The top of Maslows Hierarchy  the ultimate condition of human opportunity  has to do with self-actualization. But first, humans must fulfill needs of esteem. Esteem, in this sense, refers to a persons sense of self and their sense of self in relation to others. This level includes things like dignity, personal achievement and maybe even a sense of prestige in a certain area.

Satisfaction of the self-esteem need leads to feelings of self-confidence, worth, strength, capability and adequacy of being useful and necessary in the world, Maslow wrote.

Level 5: Self-actualization needs

Finally, once a person has all they need to survive, function, and understand their position in the world and their community, they can enter the final portion of the hierarchy. Self-actualization can mean many things, but many of the examples center around a desire to explore, create or expand ones skills. Concepts like beauty, aesthetics and discovery translate into real-world examples like art, learning a new language, refining ones talents and becoming the best one can be.

A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately happy, Maslow wrote. What a man can be, he must be. This need we may call self-actualization. (Despite the pronouns, one assumes the process of self-actualization is also applicable to humans who are not men.)

Appearance and variations

The hierarchy of needs is traditionally represented as a pyramid. Over time, other thinkers have tweaked and re-visualized Maslows hierarchy in different ways; expounding on or splitting the levels, or proposing models where needs are differently ordered. The general idea remains the same, however: Humans have different sets of needs that rely upon each other, and one must have basic needs fulfilled before they can reach their potential.

Examples of Maslows hierarchy of needs

Aside from its psychological application, countless disciplines have found Maslows model to be a useful teaching tool. Some education professionals refer to the hierarchy when assessing educational or behavioral challenges among students by trying to identify where their needs arent being met.

Similarly, the hierarchy is used in some business leadership theories as a guide to support employees and build a healthy organization.

Race and social justice advocates have used this hierarchy as a model to explain how basic inequalities significantly hinder underserved peoples upward mobility.

Experiencing food insecurity, having inadequate housing, or being overworked does not inherently make us unable to experience moments of genuine happiness, contentment, and ease, the YWCA, a womens rights organization, states in an article about race, poverty and well-being.

However experiences such as food insecurity, inadequate housing, or being overworked disadvantage us in our quest to live well. They present barriers that must be overcome, challenges that must be faced, and equate us with worry for the possibility of our most basic needs not being met, jeopardizing our first desire, to live.

Some people in this sphere reframe Maslows hierarchy to be one of rights or inequities to better illustrate where and how things like discrimination lead to the denial of these needs.

Why the hierarchy of needs is important

While many people find Maslows hierarchy of needs useful, Its important to remember the model is just one way of thinking about human psychology, and wasnt posed as, and isnt considered, a scientific absolute. Common challenges to Maslows model argue that it is too arbitrary, or that humans needs exist more as a cascading spectrum.

Still, many experts consider the concept to be a useful way of approaching personal wellbeing and larger questions about potential.

It really takes into account both our deepest deficiencies and challenges, as well as our highest strengths, psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman told mindbodygreen.

Maslow saw his hierarchy as falling within a theory of motivation, Charlie Huntingon wrote for the Berkeley Well-Being Institute. By looking at the ways your own behaviors follow  and deviate from  the hierarchy, you may gain insight into what motivates you.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged the whole society to vigorously promote and act as role models in practicing the concept that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the instructions as the country marks its first National Ecology Day on Aug. 15.

Ecological conservation is of vital importance for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation, Xi said, calling it a major political issue that concerns the mission and purpose of the CPC as well as a major social issue that bears upon public wellbeing.

On the new journey of building a modern socialist country in all respects, efforts should be made to maintain strategic resolve in advancing ecological progress and promote high-quality development in sync with high-standard protection, Xi said.

With a focus on carbon peak and carbon neutrality, the country should facilitate the gradual transition from dual control over the amount and intensity of energy consumption to dual control over the amount and intensity of carbon emissions, Xi noted.

Efforts should be made to promote the transition towards green and low-carbon production methods and lifestyles, and accelerate the advancement of modernization featuring harmony between humanity and nature to build a Beautiful China in all respects, Xi said.

He called for concrete and constant efforts across the society to make greater contributions to jointly build a clean and beautiful world.
Massachusetts health officials warn of data breach affecting more than 134,000 people

Massachusetts health officials are warning residents of a global security incident affecting the personal information of more than 134,000 people, state officials said Tuesday.

UMass Chan Medical School on Monday began notifying more than 134,000 individuals currently or previously enrolled in certain state programs that their personal information was involved in a recent third-party data security incident, Executive Office of Health and Human Services officials said in a statement.

This incident was part of a worldwide data security incident involving a file-transfer software program called MOVEit, which has impacted state and federal government agencies, financial services firms, pension funds, and many other types of companies and not-for-profit organizations, officials said.

Thomas Koenig, senior media strategist for Goldin Solutions, said in an email to Boston 25 on Tuesday that MOVEit disclosed the vulnerability on May 31, and deployed a patch the same day.

No UMass Chan or state systems were compromised in the incident, officials said. Impacted individuals have been sent notice by mail and will be contacted by phone, text, and e-mail where possible.

Any individual who receives a notice is encouraged to take steps to protect their information, including monitoring their financial account statements and enrolling in free credit monitoring and identity theft protection offered to individuals who had certain sensitive information involved, officials said.

Officials are also asking people who may have been impacted by the breach to to remain vigilant by reviewing their financial account statements.

If you see charges or activity that you did not authorize, contact your financial institution immediately, officials said in their statement. Take steps to protect your accounts by contacting your bank, credit union, or financial institution immediately by using the number on the back of your bank card or by visiting in person to notify them of your involvement in this security incident.

UMass Chan provides services to the Executive Office of Health and Human Services including for MassHealth, the State Supplement Program, Family Resource Centers, the Executive Office of Elder Affairs and Aging Services Access Points. Impacted individuals are a subset of current or recent participants in these programs.

UMass Chan first learned about the MOVEit vulnerability on June 1, 2023 and immediately fixed the vulnerability, contacted law enforcement, launched an investigation and worked to identify the individuals whose information was involved. UMass Chan identified the files that may have been subject to unauthorized acquisition as a result of the MOVEit security flaw, officials said. On July 27, 2023, UMass Chan determined that some of these files contained information pertaining to individuals who received services from EOHHS.

While the information involved in the data security incident varied by person, it included names and one or more of the following:

 Dates of birth,

 Mailing addresses,

 Protected health information, i.e., diagnosis/treatment information, prescription information, provider names, dates of service, claims information, health insurance member ID numbers, and other health insurance related information,

 Social Security numbers,

 Financial account information

State Supplement Program participants (including recipients, other members of the household and authorized representatives), MassHealth Premium Assistance members, MassHealth Community Case Management participants, and Executive Office of Elder Affairs and Aging Services Access Points home care program consumers were primarily impacted. If you do not participate in one of those programs, it is unlikely your data was exposed.

Beginning on Tuesday, individuals whose information was involved will receive letters from the state and UMass Chan, officials said. The letter explains what data was impacted for each individual, the actions taken in response to the MOVEit incident and detailed steps that individuals can take to protect their information.

UMass Chan is offering free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services to individuals whose Social Security numbers or financial information were involved in this incident.

For more information, visit mass.gov/MOVEitIncident or umassmed.edu. Individuals who receive notification that their data is involved and have further questions may call 855-862-7769, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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State elections officials' review of Sabina Matos' nomination signatures found no reason to remove her from the 1st Congressional District special election ballot.

The Rhode Island Board of Elections will subpoena everyone who gathered nomination signatures for Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos' congressional campaign, but will only do something after the September primary for the 1st Congressional District special election.

That means Matos, one of the campaign frontrunners, will be on the ballot and should not have to face any more public hearings on the signature fiasco in the final month of race.

After looking through more than 1,200 signatures on her nomination papers last week, workers "detected no obvious patterns of fraud," or evidence her campaign did not collect at least 500 valid voter signatures to qualify for the Sept. 5 primary ballot, Board of Elections Executive Director Robert Rapoza said Tuesday.

A Board spokesman said Rapoza meant no patterns of fraud besides the roughly dozen or so cases of falsified signatures that have already been identified by local canvassing authorities and referred to Attorney General Peter Neronha's office for investigation.

Multiple elections board members said there does appear to be evidence of some fraud, but not enough to suggest Matos did not have enough signatures to qualify, nor to stop the election from going forward with early voting beginning Wednesday.

Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos speaks at the Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence news conference Tuesday.

Investigation will continue after the primary

After a lengthy debate, the Board ultimately voted 4-2 to subpoena all of the people who collected signatures for Matos so they could testify under oath  after the Sept. 5 primary  about how signatures were gathered and whether they witnessed the signing.

Board members Louis DeSimone Jr. and Randall Jackvony wanted to subpoena witnesses before the election, but the other board members were concerned that doing so while voting was underway  and during the criminal investigation  could be counterproductive. There was some disagreement and uncertainty about whether testimony should wait until after the November general election, but the vote was to wait until at least September.

"Continuing on this parallel path to the attorney general will lead to some chaos in the election," Board Vice Chairman David Sholes said. "Early voting begins Wednesday. Mail ballots have been sent out."

The State Police and attorney general's office have been investigating whether there was criminal fraud in Matos' signature collection.

Matos campaign attorney Michael Goldberg warned that holding public investigatory meetings while voting is taking place could affect the outcome of the vote.

"If the board does this while early voting is underway, it will affect the election," he said.

And if signature gatherers use their 5th Amendment rights to not testify because of the ongoing criminal investigation, "what will the board have learned?" Goldberg asked.

The subpoenas will continue the Board's inquiry into Matos' signatures that began when local boards of canvassers  starting in Jamestown  found nomination signatures that appeared to be falsified, including three that belonged to dead people.

In each election cycle, candidates have a certain number of signatures thrown out for various reasons, but the number of Matos signatures rejected and the suspicious nature of at least a dozen signatures drew red flags.

The Board of Elections review involved elections workers comparing all Matos nomination signatures, including those previously accepted and rejected, with the voter registrations to make sure they corresponded to a signature in the file.

More on signatures: Elections officials found dubious signatures on Matos' nomination papers. Did the system work?

Matos blamed the large number of rejected nomination signatures submitted by her campaign on a worker who collected signatures.

The subpoenas of campaign signature gatherers gets at a question that can't be answered just by looking at the papers: whether witnesses actually watched the person sign the nomination paper as required by law.

Review finds Matos has 726 valid nomination signatures

Even with a large number of signatures thrown out, Matos had 726 valid nomination signatures, the Board of Elections review found. The state board disqualified 559 Matos signatures, four more than local canvassers had rejected.

The Board of Elections has affirmed what my campaign has said all along and what the Secretary of State previously found: despite being the victim of a vendor who lied to my campaign, we submitted more than enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot," Matos said in a statement about the review. "It is unfortunate that the guys who are running against me have used this as an opportunity to attempt to smear my reputation and call into question our democratic process."

Matt Rauschenbach, campaign manager for Gabe Amo, fired back.

Rhode Islanders need a leader in Congress who is focused on important issues like gun violence prevention, protecting Social Security and Medicare, and defending our reproductive freedoms, not one that is mired in messy criminal investigations," Rauschenbach wrote.

Senate Special Election

In other business Tuesday, the Board of Elections rejected challenges from state Senate 1st District candidate Michelle Rivera to nomination signatures submitted by Democratic primary rivals Nathan Biah and Mario Mancebo.

After comparing signatures with the voter files, the Board rejected one of Biah's signatures, but that left him with 102 valid signatures, two more than needed to qualify for the ballot.

It was even closer for Mancebo, who had exactly 100 valid signatures to start the day and was going to be left off the ballot when the Board agreed with Rivera's challenge to one of them.

But in an unusual twist, Board staff had been independently reviewing all of the Mancebo and Biah signatures and found one that Providence canvassers had rejected that they felt was legitimate.

The Board voted unanimously to qualify that lone signature and put Mancebo back on the ballot.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Matos stays on Special Election primary ballot after signature review
At least 99 people died in a wildfire that ripped through parts of Maui last week, making it the deadliest wildfire in modern United States history.

The Maui Police Department said 99 deaths have been confirmed as of Monday night, but only three bodies have been identified. Maui County Officials said they will release the names of the dead once families are notified.

Around 25 percent of the area has been searched as authorities and cadaver dogs look for more causalities on the island.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D) said Monday rescue crews could discover 10 to 20 people a day until rescue efforts are complete.

In the historic Lahaina town on Maui, the wildfire burnt through an estimated 2,170 acres and damaged or destroyed at least 2,207 structures, Maui County officials said Monday. Green told CBS Mornings co-anchor Tony Dokoupil that the residents of the centuries-old town have either perished or escaped. That fire is 85 percent contained, while a fire in upcountry Maui is 65 percent contained as crews battle hot spots in hard-to-reach locations, officials said.

The wildfire forced thousands of residents to evacuate, with many unable to return home. Even in areas where the fire has retreated, authorities are warning of toxic byproducts from the flames, The Associated Press reported. The Red Cross said 575 evacuees were staying in five shelters as of Monday, including the War Memorial Gymnasium in Wailuku.

The Maui Police Department suspended a program Monday that permitted Lahaina residents and others to visit the impacted areas in West Maui with police permits, citing an overwhelming demand for non-essential individuals and non-Maui residents.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said it received more than 3,000 valid registrations for federal assistance and has more than 300 employees and more than 140 search and rescue team members deployed to assist in rescue efforts. The agency is also giving $700 to displaced residents to help cover food, water, first aid, and medical supplies costs.

The PDC and FEMA estimated around $5.52 billion in damages, according to the agencies damage assessment map. Last week, President Biden asked Congress for a $40 billion package, which includes $12 billion to replenish U.S. federal disaster funds at home.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Just half a mile away from the fire line that marks the edge of the devastation in Lahaina, an unofficial aid operation has sprung up to provide much-needed food to people in need.

The death toll from the fire on the Hawaiian island of Maui now stands at 99, making it the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century.

Nearly the entire town of Lahaina was destroyed, but remarkably, some areas are still standing.

Those who escaped the blaze are coming to donate supplies. Those who lost everything are coming to pick them up.

"It's devastating," says Alex Freeman, one of the volunteers keeping this grass-roots operation going.

"You can't even fathom that right on the other side of that wall are corpses. It's literally right there.

"We can't even wrap our heads around what's going on."

Federal emergency workers are said to be on the ground, but they have not been seen here.

At the same time, recovery crews combing through charred homes and vehicles are likely to find 10 to 20 more victims per day, the governor has warned.

Josh Green told CBS News it could take up to 10 days to learn the full death toll.

The number of missing now stands at around 1,300, he said.

Alex is standing in the grounds of his father-in-law Leo's house, adamant that he will not leave the area. Not far away is a sign saying "Looters will be shot".

He is there to dish out emergency supplies, but also to protect the property from intruders.

Other houses on the street are full of people surviving on community donations - no power or water.

Two houses burned in the neighbourhood. The rest are still there, now packed with people relying on community members for food and water.

The children a few doors down from Alex's house were here as the town burned, their parents unable to get back from work. It was an excruciating 48 hours before Lorly Bumagat learned if her five-year-old son had survived.

"I don't know - I'm still I cannot imagine. We're alive. That's all the matters now," she said as her son and his cousins played nearby. One little girl complained about the lack of internet access.

There are many children in this mostly Filipino neighbourhood. Lots of families stayed and watched Lahaina burn - they had nowhere to go.

In the driveway of one house, three very old ladies, one on a cot, were fanning themselves.

One said she had finally got her blood pressure medicine, so she would be OK.
Davilynn Severson, left, and Hano Ganer search for their belongings in the ashes of their family's house in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Patrick T. Fallon / AFP/Getty Images)

With 106 people confirmed dead and about 1,300 still unaccounted for, Maui braced for more heartbreaking losses as officials continued to search for fire victims.

Tons of equipment and supplies arrived in Hawaii on Tuesday to facilitate efforts to process and identify victims, including a portable morgue unit deployed when a disaster spurs more fatalities than can be handled locally.

Maui authorities on Tuesday will begin releasing the names of some of the people who died in the Lahaina fire a week after the ferocious blaze incinerated the historic town in what has become the nation's deadliest wildfire in a century.

Officials said Tuesday the death toll had climbed to 106 and was expected to rise. About 30% of the burn area has been searched. More than 90 workers with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and 20 cadaver dogs were leading the search through the ash and rubble, authorities said.

About 1,300 people are still unaccounted for, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said Monday. Crews are likely to find the remains of 10 to 20 people each day until search efforts cease, the governor said, which he estimated could take 10 days. The governor told "CBS Evening News" on Monday night that the remains of the first 80 victims were found in their cars or the surrounding water.

Four of the victims have been identified, the county of Maui said Tuesday. At least three were ID'd using fingerprints. Officials have urged families looking for loved ones to submit DNA swabs to assist with the identification process.

Along with the portable morgue, 22 tons of supplies and equipment needed for victim identification and processing of remains arrived, including lab and X-ray equipment, said Jonathan Greene, an official with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response.

Read more: Mapping how the Maui fires destroyed Lahaina

The Lahaina fire was 85% contained Monday night, officials said. Maui County Fire Chief Bradford Ventura said helicopters would fly along the fire's perimeter, which had mostly cooled, Tuesday morning looking for hot spots.

More than 2,700 structures were destroyed  the majority of them Lahaina residences. Damage was estimated at $5.6 billion. Moody's analytics estimates the economic loss at $7 billion, with most of that property damage, and up to $1 billion reflecting lost output.

Green warned residents to beware of real estate developers swooping in to scoop up property from the ruined neighborhoods and exploit local homeowners with lowball deals and cash offers. He said he had asked Hawaii's attorney general to look into creating a temporary moratorium on buying or selling property damaged in the fires.

Read more: How a perfect storm of climate and weather led to catastrophic Maui fire

About 2,000 people remained without power Monday night on West Maui, according to Shelee Kimura, CEO of Hawaiian Electric, which provides service to 95% of the state. The company is facing scrutiny for its failure to preemptively shut off power as dangerous winds stirred up by Hurricane Dora blasted the island.

The practice, called a public safety power shutoff, is common in many states, including California. Utilities may temporarily turn off power to specific areas to reduce the risk of fires caused by electric infrastructure.

When asked why Hawaiian Electric did not shut off power, Kimura said: "It's still in the early days; we're still looking at all the information."

She said the power shut-off programs are "controversial" even in states where they are used, and the practice is "not universally accepted."

Read more: 'There are bodies everywhere': In devastation of Maui fire, California's past horrors lurk

The company already is facing two class-action lawsuits from Maui residents alleging it did not cut off power early enough after severe weather notices were issued.

Hawaiian Electric spokesperson Darren Pai declined to comment on the lawsuits. "Our immediate focus is on supporting emergency response efforts on Maui and restoring power for our customers and communities as quickly as possible," Pai wrote in an email to The Times.

Authorities have not determined the cause of the fire but have said hurricane-force winds fanned the flames, pushing them to travel one mile per minute. Green ordered the state's attorney general to investigate the fire and how prepared the state was to handle the disaster.

About 3,200 people had signed up for FEMA disaster assistance by late Monday afternoon, said Jeremy Greenberg, the agency's director of operations for response and recovery. Some who were displaced by the fire are staying in hotels paid for by the government, Greenberg said. Airbnb and other rental groups also are providing housing.

The support comes as tensions over recovery efforts grow, with many in West Maui criticizing what they call a slow government response. Access to Lahaina has been restricted since Green initially announced last week that residents could return to certain areas during designated hours. But constraints have expanded, frustrating residents who say they are desperate to assess the damage to their homes and gather any belongings that were not destroyed.

Lahaina and Upper Kula, a rural area where a fire broke out last week, remain under a water advisory. Survivors who stayed behind have criticized the government's distribution of critical supplies. Many say they are relying on local groups and volunteers to fill the gaps.

The Maui Police Department suspended a placard program that allowed access to those with proof of residency, hotel workers and first responders hours after launching it Sunday, citing a flood of "nonessential individuals" and nonresidents in the areas that had been opened.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
KAHULUI, Hawaii  Tammy Kaililaau's home of 20 years burned to the ground. People she knows burned in the fire, too.

Less than a week later, she said, she got a Facebook message from someone in real estate. Residents have been warning one another on social media that developers may try to buy their land, so Kaililaau ignored it.

"Why are they doing that? You know, people burned in the fire," she said Monday.

"It's hard. It's rough, really rough."

Many Maui residents are mourning the loss of their homes and pledging to stay put after the deadliest wildfires in the U.S. in more than a century destroyed neighborhoods across the island. They said they are worried that if insurance payouts and government assistance don't come fast enough, survivors may lose hope and sell to people who will drastically change their beloved but rapidly gentrifying community. In the days since the fires struck, developers have reached out about acquiring the land islanders and their families have lived on for years, if not generations.

Tammy Kaililaau, left, Joncy Kaililaau, center and Ohi Kaililaau stopped at a placard distribution site outside Lahaina, Maui on Monday, August 14, 2023. The family was stuck in Lahaina for two days after the wildfire destroyed their home and now they cannot re-enter to search for belongings because of official roadblocks.

Will some property sales in Hawaii be banned after fires?

John Dimuro, who has lived on the island for more than 40 years and works for Marriott in West Maui, said locals don't want big companies or wealthy people buying up land and developing it.

"The government should just say 'No, you're not allowed to develop,'" he said. "Say no, just flat-out no."

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said he has reached out to the state's attorney general to explore the possibility of imposing a moratorium on sales of damaged or destroyed properties. Green said the fires destroyed more than 2,200 structures, 86% of which are residential.

Moreover, I would caution people that its going to be a very long time before any growth or housing will be built," he said. "You will be pretty poorly informed if you try to steal land from our people and then build here."

The governor's words don't seem to have deterred developers, locals say.

Mark Stefl, 67, said he, too, has been approached by developers, and the offer felt like being kicked while he was down. On Monday, Stefl had just tried and failed to get a document from the county that would let him pass the roadblocks and return to Lahaina, the centuries-old former capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii. The town of about 13,000 people was largely destroyed by flames last week.

"I don't know what the hell's going on. Our government is so inept right now," he said. "I'm so pissed off."

Lahaina resident Mark Stefl, 67, expresses frustration about not receiving a placard to enter West Maui. Stefl, who lost his home in the wildfire, has not returned to Lahaina since the blaze due to roadblocks.

He and his wife have lost their jobs, and he worries that he'll still have to make mortgage payments on the destroyed property and that he won't get federal assistance because he has insurance. Still, he said, he has to rebuild. In the 24 years he has lived in the area, he has had two other homes burn, including once during a hurricane. Each time he has rebuilt.

"I'm not going to sell it. I'm going to stay here," he said. "I love it here, as messed up as it is."

How much does it cost to live in Maui?

Even before the blazes wiped out hundreds of homes in Maui, Hawaii was going through an affordable housing crisis fueled by international demand from people buying second and third homes to vacation in or use for short-term rentals, said Sterling Higa, executive director of Housing Hawaiis Future, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending the workforce housing shortage in the state.

Higa said it's incredibly expensive and difficult to develop new housing in Hawaii, which drives up the prices beyond the budgets of local families, many of whom work low-paying service jobs in the hospitality or tourism industry.

The median price of a Maui home has soared to roughly $1.2 million, and the median condo price is $850,000. The area, where about 65% of residents are people of color, has a median annual household income of about $88,000, according to U.S. census figures.

Some residents who have insurance will be able to receive compensation. But Higa said many of the homes in Lahaina were old and not up to code, which made them "difficult to impossible to insure."

Higa said some residents will be eligible for assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, "but that process is not perfect, and it's possible that some people may fall through the cracks."

FEMA is set up outside of War Memorial Gymnasium, a makeshift shelter for displaced residents, in Wailuku, Hawaii, on Aug. 14.

"The real danger is all of this compensation to rebuild, if it comes at a later time, doesn't necessarily cover the interim cost of rent," he said. "And Maui already was an island where rents were sky-high, so for families who are waiting to rebuild, they have a tough time ahead."

Kaililaau, 65, who lost her home of 20 years, was stuck in Lahaina for two days without food after the fires swept through. Now she can't get back and has been living in a three-bedroom house with 10 other people, including her daughter and granddaughter. She said they've been able to get some supplies and are grateful for the influx of donations, "but the point is, we're homeless. We have no place to go."

'This is not for sale'

Higa said government, grassroots and nonprofit organizations must come together to ensure displaced families can find affordable housing and aren't intimidated by the process of accessing government aid. He said he hopes there is enough assistance and housing that people won't feel the pressure to sell.

"Many of us are concerned that in the immediate wake of a disaster, people are not always in the right state of mind to make such a consequential decision," he said.

Jonah Lion walks through the supply hub at an abandoned restaurant in Maalaea Harbor. A former firefighter, Lion has used his knowledge to assist in aid efforts for those affected by the wildfire in Lahaina.

Jonah Lion, 45, said that if residents do sell their property, a "whole different type of rebuilding" would likely happen on prime beachfront properties. Lion, who operates an ecocultural tourism company, said that in the five years he has lived in Maui, he has witnessed the tension tourism can cause between visitors and locals.

Lion, who is now volunteering at a supply depot run out of an abandoned restaurant near Maalaea Harbor, said developers have been offering people money to move for years. Ultimately, he believes, those in multigenerational homes will have the strength to stay.

"It doesn't matter how much money you offer," he said. "No. We're not selling. This is not for sale."

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Maui land for sale? Locals fear they will be bought out after fires
Charred remains of a burned neighbourhood is seen in the aftermath of a wildfire, in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii, on August 14, 2023. YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images

Hawaii residents say tourists are still vacationing in Maui following the wildfires.

A video of tourists snorkeling went viral. Another resident said visitors are clogging up roads.

The death toll from the wildfires nears 100 with thousands still missing.

While locals in Maui, Hawaii, struggle to reckon with record-setting wildfires that burned homes, livelihoods, and entire neighborhoods to the ground, some say recovery is being made more painful by tourists visiting the island on vacation.

Last week, residents of Lahaina, a historic town once home to about 12,000 people, were forced to jump into the ocean to escape wildfires fueled by winds from Hurricane Dora sweeping across Maui. The flames leveled most of the town and killed nearly 100 people, officials said, according to CNN. Thousands are still reported as missing.

Though travelers have been warned by local officials  and even Hawaiian actor Jason Momoa  to cancel non-essential travel plans to Maui, footage being shared across social media appears to show tourists holidaying on the island.

TikToker @kayafromhawaii re-shared footage of travelers in Hawaii on her account over the weekend. In the clip, which has received over 263,000 views, she said: "Just imagine, almost 100 people dead and counting. Thousands of locals and Hawaiians lost absolutely everything and 1,000 more still missing. Legal authorities not letting the locals and Hawaiians come back through with supplies and things people need because it's dangerous. But then, you see this."

The video shows an Instagram reel shared by another user of what appears to be tourists snorkeling around a tour boat on August 11.

Maui Snorkeling, a tour company, later issued an apology on its website after the video began circulating on social media. While it has not been confirmed if Maui Snorkeling owns the boat in the clip and the company did not respond to a request for comment, it apologized for running a tour, which it said took place "no closer than 11 miles away" from Lahaina on the morning of August 11. It also said the expedition was hosted to raise funds for the Maui Food Bank.

"We do not want to add to the suffering of those who have already lost so much. Therefore, we will suspend operations for the time being," the statement shared by Maui Snorkeling added.

The TikTok user @kayafromhawaii also said later in the video that tourists were using roads that people bringing supplies needed access to, echoing sentiments shared by Maui local Courtney Keakahulilani on the Hawaii News Report Instagram page.

"It was disgusting to see tourists trying to come into Lahaina, trying to get into our convoy to bypass traffic," Keakahulilani said in the video, which has over 22,000 likes, shared on Sunday. "You're going to let tourists come into Lahaina and enjoy our beaches when you still have bodies floating in the water?"

"Tourists," she added. "What in your mind and in your heart that makes you guys think this is OK? This is such a fucking slap in the face to everyone who is directly affected by this tragedy." Keakahulilani could not be reached for further comment by Insider.

Keakahulilani's criticism was also directed at local authorities who she says are allowing tourists to come into Lahaina despite the impact it may have to provide aid to communities impacted by the wildfires.

Travel guidance issued by Josh Green, the Governor of Hawaii, in a proclamation regarding the wildfires "strongly discouraged" non-essential travel and said "hotels and other accommodations" are needed for displaced residents and emergency workers. It added that a disaster emergency relief period will continue throughout August.

Nevertheless, Keakahulilani said some travelers are still visiting Maui.

"Everyone is hurt, they're grieving, there's high emotions going right now, you guys are letting in tourists before you're even letting in enough resources to help the community," she said. "You've got some pissed-off people in Lahaina right now, who just feel like they've been let down."

Read the original article on Insider
CHICAGO  Mayor Brandon Johnson on Monday introduced Chicago police Chief Larry Snelling as his pick for the Police Departments next superintendent, Johnsons first major public safety decision that will set the tone on how his administration will tackle crime for the next four years.

Snelling, 54, was one of three finalists put to Johnson last month by the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, a new city body created in 2021. In a news conference at City Hall, the mayor emphasized Snellings experience and deep Chicago roots.

Chief Larry Snelling is a proven leader who knows and holds dear the soul of Chicago, Johnson said. He commands the highest respect of his brothers and sisters in the department, and Im fully confident in his ability to unify and strengthen these critical public servants.

The other finalists were Angel Novalez, CPDs chief of constitutional policing and reform, and Shon Barnes, chief of police in Madison, Wisconsin.

Snelling began his remarks Monday by introducing himself as an Englewood native who fully supports the mayors belief in tackling the root causes of violence. Johnson during his mayoral campaign stressed the importance of tapping a lifelong Chicagoan for the job following the mixed tenure of David Brown, former Mayor Lori Lightfoots embattled police superintendent who hailed from Dallas.

Addressing reporters, Snelling said the job of public safety should not solely fall on law enforcement but rather be shared between police and the community.

The Police Department and our community members are not two separate institutions, because they cant be. We have to work together by listening and learning from each other, Snelling said. I share the mayors vision of public safety being supported by the full force of government to address root causes of violence to keep our beautiful city safe. And I want to be clear about my belief in the mayors vision in the full force of government. We cannot do this alone as a Police Department.

At the same time, Snelling sought to underline the importance of building officer morale, which frayed further during the pandemic and recent waves of crime and civil unrest.

For our officers who risk their lives every day to protect our residents, I know what you sacrifice on a daily basis, Snelling said. I know the sacrifices that your family makes when you go out to the street to keep this city safe.

Snelling credited the other finalists as well as interim Superintendent Fred Waller, but he also nodded to ongoing issues facing the department, including the hundreds of migrants who are staying at Chicago police stations as they await shelter. Concerns have ranged from unhygienic conditions for those families to allegations of sexual misconduct between officers and migrants, the latter of which remains unsubstantiated amid an ongoing investigation.

I dont have a timeline on that right now, Snelling said about when the asylum-seekers will be moved out of the lobbies. But I can guarantee you that as long as those migrants are in our stations, theyre going to be treated with respect and dignity, like any human being should be.

If approved as superintendent, Snellings top three priorities would be, in order: officer wellness and training, curbing violence and improving community relations.

We really have to touch on violence, Snelling said. One of the things that I will tell you is that what I believe that weve forgotten everywhere are the victims of crime, the trauma that those victims deal with. We cannot forget about the victims.

Before he faces a final City Council vote, Snelling will take part in a series of community forums where citizens will be able to ask questions about his policing and crime-fighting strategies. Those meetings have yet to be scheduled.

Upon his presumed confirmation, one of the most daunting challenges Snelling will face is lagging compliance with the Police Departments federal consent decree, a series of sweeping reforms mandated after the video of Laquan McDonalds murder was released.

Since the decree was entered in 2019, CPD has struggled to make sustained progress. Earlier this year, an independent monitor said the department was in full compliance with just 5% of the decrees provisions.

Snelling suggested his approach on chipping away at that tall task will focus on the quality of the training above all else.

My focus is to make sure these officers get the best possible training that they can have so that they can police constitutionally, Snelling said Monday. We cant just simply believe that the consent decree, without true enforcement of it, is going to change the department. In order to change this department and produce the best possible officers that we can put out there, our training has to be robust, and it has to work for our officers.

The most concrete change Snelling floated during his announcement Monday was reforming the departments promotional procedures. City records show that Snelling twice received promotions through the CPDs merit system, which was aimed at bolstering gender and racial diversity among the ranks of Chicago police supervisors but has faced near-constant criticism for rewarding political loyalty.

Asked Monday if the merit system would remain in place under his leadership, Snelling said it would but there will be a more stringent process.

To be totally honest, I would like to see the entire promotional process changed to take merit into account for promotion, and not just a test, Snelling said. This will give everybody a great opportunity of being promoted. We have to make sure that when we make promotions, we have the right people in the right places. Of course were looking for diversity, but to insist that a merit promotion is just about diversity is problematic.

Snelling would take over after the tumultuous era of Brown, Lightfoots hand-picked superintendent who struggled mightily with department morale amid spiking crime and officer suicides. Johnson too came under fire over public safety during the mayoral race due to his critiques of law enforcement following the 2020 Minneapolis police murder of George Floyd, but toward the end of his campaign Johnson had walked back some of his most strident rhetoric.

On Monday, Snelling said he would prioritize the rank-and-files emotional well-being while condemning the things that are said to these officers now, the disrespect, thats huge.

We have to evaluate and reevaluate our officers mental health, Snelling said. We have to be cognizant of what were doing to these officers when were canceling days off. We have to give them notice if that happens, because obviously there are going to be times when it happens.

Regarding the dynamic between police and neighborhood anti-violence groups, Snelling said he planned to speak with leaders of those groups to maximize their reach. The use of such street outreach programs to combat shootings by employing at-risk youth to mediate violence and seek social services has grown in popularity among urban governments, including in Chicago, but some within law enforcement are skeptical on their efficacy.

Ive seen outreach (workers) and some violence interrupters do some great work, Snelling said. However, every program that we have, there are going to be flaws. There are flaws everywhere. It doesnt matter what job you work. Can it be improved upon? Absolutely.

Snelling joined CPD in 1992 and has spent much of his career as an instructor in the CPD training academy. Records from the citys Department of Human Resources show was promoted to sergeant and lieutenant via the departments much-maligned merit system. He also served as commander of the Englewood District, as well as deputy chief of Area 2 before he was promoted to chief of the bureau of counterterrorism in October 2022.

Given his experience as an instructor, Snelling is widely considered to be the CPDs foremost expert on use-of-force scenarios. Hes been called to testify as an expert witness in more than two dozen court cases  criminal, civil and administrative  in recent years, including several cases that stemmed from the Laquan McDonald shooting video.

Johnsons decision to hire Snelling comes about a year before Chicago is to play host to the Democratic National Convention, a large-scale event in which the Police Department is expected to play a significant role. At an unrelated news conference in Springfield on Monday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker noted that Snelling has been in every single security meeting about the DNC alongside Illinois State Police and other law enforcement. Pritzker said Snellings involvement in those meetings is probably because of his existing role at CPD, an apparent nod to Snellings post as chief of the departments counterterrorism bureau.

I mean, the security is significant for the Democratic National Convention and Larry Snelling is very well-versed in it, Pritzker said during a bill-signing event at the Illinois Department of Agriculture headquarters, flanked by Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and others. And so I think hell be a tremendous benefit and bonus for security at the DNC (now) that hes actually going to be in charge of CPD.

_____

(Chicago Tribunes Jeremy Gorner contributed from Springfield.)

_____
A political candidate convicted in connection to a prostitution ring 30 years ago says he wants a second chance.

Walter James Hart Jr. was convicted in 1992 by a jury of transporting a minor for the purposes of prostitution, according to a document filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals. He was sentenced to just over four years in prison. Later that year, Hart was named in two-counts of a 26-count indictment which alleged that he and three others recruited and at times kidnapped young women for the purpose of prostitution, according to the same document. He pleaded guilty to one of those charges and, on Aug. 19, 1993, was sentenced to more than seven years in prison and three years of supervised release.

Hart, who was convicted in Detroit, Michigan, reported his convictions to the Gaston County Board of Elections when he filed to run for Gastonia's mayor, and in an interview, he was transparent about his history.

He said he was part of a multi-million dollar prostitution ring in Michigan for two years while in his early 20s, something that he started after he began going to strip clubs and met another man who was a "pimp." He also said that some of the allegations against him were false, and that although he became a pimp himself, he did not personally kidnap women. He said he did not know that the minor involved was under the age of 18, and that he met her at a "topless bar."

"You're talking about a young man that grew up in Detroit, Michigan, a very hard city to grow up in. Most people don't make it out alive. Most people ended up doing life in prison and stuff like that," he said. "I did have a spiritual background... I believed in God, and I backslid by being around the wrong folks... I regret all of it."

He said that he was motivated by greed, and that he was not the leader of the ring.

"I was in my 20s going to topless bars, like some men still do now, and I'm not justifying it. You know, it was wrong. I regret that it happened," he said.

Hart, now 55, said he is a different man than when he was young.

"The fact of the matter is, I believe in helping folks and, you know, people change. People don't stay the same. Mentally, I can't even remember some of the things that happened 30 years ago," he said.

Still, he said that he has struggled to overcome the stigma of his convictions, as many judge him on the 30-year-old crimes, not his accomplishments since his release from prison.

"I've been the president of a nonprofit for 22 years. You know, a public figure in that aspect, all over the news," he said.

A Republican, Hart has been a municipal candidate twice before, in 2005 and 2009, when he tried to get elected to the city council in Detroit. Hart moved from Detroit to Gastonia in 2020, and he now lives on family property in southeastern Gastonia.

Hart is the founder of Canine Companions LTD, a nonprofit that trains service dogs for veterans who have PTSD, as well as children who have autism. He operates the nonprofit primarily in California and Arizona.

He said that he has trained dogs since he was in college, and he continued the business after spending almost seven years in federal prison. He decided to run for mayor after speaking to the current mayor about trying to get help with his nonprofit. The conversation, he said, didn't lead to anything, and he became frustrated.

As mayor, he said he wants to create a program for people like him, who have been involved in the criminal justice system. He said he already has been working to teach people on probation to train dogs as part of his nonprofit. He has also spoken publicly about his personal history.

"One thing about me, you're gonna get transparency all the way. All the way. Somebody that's been through what I've been through, you're gonna get it real," he said.

"I feel that we need to help folks that have been in trouble. We need a second chance. We need the public to give us a second chance," he added. "I'm an example of that: you can make a change, and you can change your life and you can be a different person."

According to the N.C. State Board of Elections, a candidates prior felony conviction does not preclude holding elective office if the candidates rights of citizenship have been restored, unless they are running for sheriff.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Mayoral candidate convicted in prostitution ring: 'I regret it all'
The Massachusetts Bay Transit Authoritys chief safety officer is resigning from his post, effective at the end of the month, the Ts top official said.

Ron Ester, who joined the embattled agency three years ago after a successful career at the Chicago Transit Authority, is slated to step down from his role on Aug. 30, according to MBTA General Manager & CEO Phil Eng.

I am grateful for Rons service to the MBTA. He has made a real difference in the safety of our system, and he will be missed, Eng said in a letter to employees.

Ester spearheaded the Ts COVID response efforts and recovery during his tenure in Boston. He also tasked with implementing new policies and practices after federal transit officials last year ordered the T to take immediate action to fix issues involving operating control center staffing, general safety operating procedures, delayed critical maintenance, and lapses in staff safety certifications.

Rod Brooks, the Ts senior advisor for capital, operations, and safety will take over for Ester on an interim basis while a search for a full-time replacement is conducted.

MBTA bumping pay, benefits in workforce push

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Speaker:

Mr. Huang Runqiu, minister of ecology and environment

Chairperson:

Ms. Xing Huina, deputy director general of the Press Bureau of the State Council Information Office (SCIO) and spokesperson of the SCIO

Date:

July 27, 2023

Xing Huina:

Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to this press conference held by the State Council Information Office (SCIO). This is the 21st briefing in the series "Embarking on the New Journey - A Government Perspective." Today, we have invited Mr. Huang Runqiu, minister of ecology and environment, to brief you on strengthening eco-environment protection for a Beautiful China, and to take your questions.

Now, I'll give the floor to Mr. Huang Runqiu for an introduction.

Huang Runqiu:

Thank you, Ms. Xing. Friends from the media, ladies and gentlemen, good morning. I'm very glad to meet you here. On behalf of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE), I like to begin every press conference by expressing gratitude to friends from the media and today is no exception. You have supported ecological conservation and eco-environment protection over the years. Thank you for your hard work. This morning, I'll brief you on strengthening eco-environment protection for a Beautiful China.

Protecting the eco-environment will benefit generations to come. On July 17 and 18, after five years, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) held the National Conference on Ecological and Environmental Protection again in Beijing. General Secretary Xi Jinping attended the conference and delivered an important speech, demonstrating that the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has always paid high attention to eco-environment protection and ecological conservation. This conference is of great importance. It took place in the first year when we fully implemented the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress and at a critical time as China embarked on a new journey to build itself into a modern socialist country. It can be said that it is a new important milestone in the field of ecological conservation.

The conference has explored new ways of developing Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, provided well-conceived answers to a series of important theoretical and practical questions on ecological conservation on the new journey of the new era, and systematically outlined major tasks and strategic measures for comprehensively building a Beautiful China. It has again declared to the world China's firm determination to pursue a model of sound development featuring improved production, higher living standards and healthy ecosystems.

General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech at the conference represents a new interpretation and development of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, and serves as a program of action and sound guideline as the Party comprehensively advances the building of a Beautiful China on the new journey of the new era. The main contents of the speech can be summarized as four major transformations, five major relationships, six major tasks and one major requirement.

The four major transformations fully sum up the remarkable ecological conservation achievements secured in the new era. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, significant transformations from remediation of major areas to systematic governance, from passively responding to ecological issues to taking proactive actions to address them, from a participant to a leader in global environmental governance, and from practical-exploration-based conservation to the one with theoretical guidance have been secured in ecological conservation. The achievements are impressive and have become a significant symbol of the historic achievements and changes the Party and the country have made in pursuit of its cause. These accomplishments have been made under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization and in turn, have enriched and improved the Thought, which has fully reflected the decisive significance of establishing Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the CPC Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and establishing the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

The five major relationships signify that the Party's understanding of the laws regarding ecological conservation has been further deepened and improved. A new stage and new situation call for the fulfilment of new tasks. In order to continue to advance ecological conservation, we must properly handle the relationships between high-quality development and high-level protection, between tackling key challenges and coordinated governance, between natural rehabilitation and artificial restoration, between external pressure and internal motivating power, and between the dual carbon reduction goals and our independent decisions. The five major relationships are both summaries of practical experience and theoretical generalizations, containing rich values and methodologies and full of profound philosophical thinking, as well as providing a powerful ideological tool for promoting the country's modernization featuring harmony between humanity and nature through the building of a Beautiful China.

The six major tasks are comprehensive strategic deployments to conserve the ecology and build a Beautiful China. The next five years are critical to building a Beautiful China. We will go deep in a bid to prevent and control pollution, accelerate the green and low-carbon transformation of our development mode, make efforts to improve the diversity, stability and sustainability of the ecosystem, actively and steadily promote carbon emissions peaking and carbon neutrality, hold the security bottom line of building a Beautiful China, and improve the support system for building a Beautiful China. These six major tasks are significant strategic arrangements made to implement the major strategic deployments of the 20th CPC National Congress and aim to achieve the building of a Beautiful China by 2035 and related goals in the next five years.

The one major requirement is to uphold and strengthen the Party's overall leadership in the field of ecological conservation. The previous practices have shown that the Party's leadership is the fundamental guarantee for making greater progress in eco-environment protection and ecological conservation. Facing the new situations, issues and challenges regarding the ecological conservation on the new journey, we must continue to enhance the Party's overall leadership and firmly shoulder the political responsibility in this regard.

Friends from the media, as the country's economic and social progress has entered a phase of ever-accelerating green and low-carbon high-quality development, ecological conservation is still under multiple pressures and has a lot of difficulties to overcome. The eco-environment departments will take studying, publicizing and implementing the important speech of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the guiding principles of the conference as a major political task. We will further gain a deep understanding of the decisive significance of establishing Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the CPC Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and establishing the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. We will also uphold Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the CPC Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and uphold the Central Committee's authority and its centralized, unified leadership, firmly implement Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, and open a new chapter in eco-environment protection on the new journey to build China into a great country and to achieve national rejuvenation.

That's all for my introduction. Thank you.

Xing Huina:

Thank you, Mr. Huang. The floor is now open to questions. Please identify the media organization you represent before asking questions.
 Read the full article on Motorious

Pristine Mercedes-Benz 300S to make a grand appearance at the esteemed Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

A meticulously restored 1953 Mercedes-Benz 300S, the handiwork of McPherson College's auto restoration students, is gearing up for a spotlight at the prestigious car show in Monterey, California.

This restoration masterpiece is notably the first from McPherson College to gain entry into the revered Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance event, set to dazzle car enthusiasts on August 20. The eager students set off for the Golden State this past Friday, brimming with anticipation.

The college's announcement emphasized the historical significance of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Standing as the United States' most time-honored Concours, it's globally recognized as a premier assembly of rare and vintage vehicles.

"Every year, an array of sought-after collector cars vie for the Best of Show title, the pinnacle accolade in the realm of automobiles," McPherson College shared. "The diligent Concours Selection Committee meticulously evaluates each contender over weeks, ultimately extending invitations to the world's most distinguished classic automobiles."

The event is sure to provide McPherson's budding restorers with invaluable experience and exposure in the world of classic car restoration.

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Rami al-Farra, a member of the al-Farra family from the Gaza Strip, has been killed while fighting for Russia in the war against Ukraine, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty said in an investigation published on Aug. 15.

Radio Liberty said this is the first known case of the death of a Palestinian in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

After his family reported his death on Aug. 5, Palestinian media outlets said al-Farra had been killed in Russia. However, Radio Liberty found evidence on social media that the man had been actively fighting in Ukraine.

Radio Liberty was told by al-Farra's father that his son, who held Russian citizenship, was not mobilized to fight in Ukraine, but signed a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry.

The man, also known as Roman Elfarra, was born in Russia in 1994 to a Russian mother and a Palestinian father.

He lived in Russia for much of his life after his family fled Gaza following the Hamas takeover in 2007.





Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Latvia's State Security Service found direct and indirect invitations to join the Russian mercenary group Wagner on the internet, media outlet Delfi reported on Aug. 15.

The statement follows reports of Wagner propaganda materials being distributed in Polish cities. According to Latvian law enforcement, cited by Delfi, no outdoor advertising of the mercenary group has been found in Latvia so far.

Latvian citizens and residents are prohibited from serving in the army or a paramilitary organization of a foreign state that threatens the country's national security, Delfi wrote. Offenders may face up to four years in prison.

The Latvian State Security Service urged residents to report any Wagner propaganda materials or recruitment attempts, according to Delfi.

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Last week, posters calling for joining Russia's Wagner Group appeared in various locations of Krakow, as reported by local media.

Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said on Aug. 14 that the Internal Security Agency and police had identified two Russian citizens who were distributing Wagner propaganda materials in Krakow and Warsaw. Both were charged with espionage and arrested, according to Kaminski.

Thousands of Wagner troops and heavy equipment have recently poured into Belarus from Russia after the group's mutiny against the Kremlin.

Ukraine's National Resistance Center reported on July 27 that the group continued to recruit fighters while based in Belarus, under the condition that the new recruits are ready to participate in hostilities in neighboring Poland and Lithuania.

Poland pledged to deploy additional 2,000 soldiers to support the Border Guard stationed at the Belarusian border on Aug. 9.

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Stian Jenssen, the NATO secretary general's chief of staff, has proposed that Ukraine cede part of its territory to Russia in exchange for NATO membership in order to end the war, the Norwegian newspaper VG reported on Aug. 15.

"I think that a solution could be for Ukraine to give up territory, and get NATO membership in return," Jenssen said during a debate in the Norwegian city of Arendal, adding that it is only one of the possible solutions.

However, "it must be up to Ukraine to decide when and on what terms they want to negotiate," he said.

According to Jenssen, the discussion on Ukraine's status after the war is already underway, and other countries are already raising the question of Kyiv ceding territory to Russia.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to Ukraine's presidential chief of staff, wrote on Twitter that the idea of Ukraine ceding territory in exchange for accession to NATO is "ridiculous."

Exchanging territory for membership would mean "choosing the defeat of democracy, encouraging a global criminal, preserving the Russian regime, destroying international law, and passing the war on to other generations," Podolyak said.

Anything other than a "crushing defeat" for Putin will result in "Russia's appetite for more," he said.

While Ukraine did not receive an invitation to join NATO at the Vilnius summit in July, the Group of Seven (G7) has officially agreed on long-term security commitments for Ukraine.

In his nightly address on July 12, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that for the first time since Ukraine's independence, the country had created a foundation to pave its way to NATO with concrete security guarantees "that are confirmed by the top seven democracies in the world."

Read also: Doug Klain: How to open NATOs door for Ukraine

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Former President Trump was indicted in Georgia late Monday night on 13 charges ranging from making false statements and impersonating a public officer to conspiracy and racketeering  a charge generally reserved for organized crime.

But the former president is far from the only person tied to the 2020 plot to keep him in power to face serious charges.

Eighteen Trump lawyers, advisers and affiliates are charged alongside the leading GOP 2024 hopeful in the most wide-ranging indictment hes yet to face. Each of them face the racketeering charge, linking the multitude of alleged crimes together.

The shared charge alleges the defendants participated in a criminal enterprise in Fulton County, Georgia  and elsewhere  to accomplish the illegal goal of keeping Trump in office, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) said Monday.

Heres what to know about the other 18 people charged with Trump in the Georgia probe.

High-ranking Trump officials

Mark Meadows

Chief of Staff Mark Meadows listens as President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House on Sept. 11, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and the other 18 indicted individuals face racketeering charges under Georgias Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, a charge usually reserved for organized crime.

Last year, Meadows was ordered by a judge to to speak before the Georgia special grand jury. Ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, he joked about false claims of voter fraud via votes cast by dead people, according to the Washington Post.

But after Jan. 6, the former chief of staff went largely off the grid, particularly amid damning testimony of his actions that day, causing some to speculate he has played a role in special counsel Jack Smiths federal investigation into Trumps actions after losing the 2020 election.

Meadows also faces a charge of solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer.

Trump attorneys

John Eastman

Attorney John Eastman, the architect of a legal strategy aimed at keeping former President Donald Trump in power, talks to reporters after a hearing in Los Angeles, Tuesday, June 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Trump lawyer John Eastman engineered the legal strategy Trump and his allies allegedly used to try to overturn the 2020 election results.

The strategy relied on slates of fake electors in battleground states  including Georgia  to swing the elections outcome in Trumps favor, and on then-Vice President Mike Pence to toss out the real electors.

Eastman faces nine charges stemming from that plot. They range from conspiring to commit false statements and writings, and forgery, to state RICO charges.

In California State Bar court filings, Eastman indicated that he expects to be federally charged in connection with those efforts. Hes also been identified as a possible co-conspirator in the federal Jan. 6 case.

Kenneth Chesebro

Lawyer Kenneth Chesebro, a key coordinator of the fake electors plan, faces seven charges in connection with efforts to keep Trump in power.

He became involved with the Trump campaign first through its legal efforts in Wisconsin, another state where fake electors met. He drafted several memos devising a strategy for the plot, including ideas for how the fake electors could mimic the real ones.

He has also been identified as a possible co-conspirator in Trumps federal Jan. 6 case.

Rudy Giuliani

Rudy Giuliani speaks with reporters as he departs the federal courthouse, May 19, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

Rudy Giuliani, Trumps personal attorney and longtime ally, played a key role in Trumps post-election efforts and, like Trump, faces 13 charges.

The former New York City mayor faces six charges in connection with a scheme to submit the false slate of pro-Trump electors and the racketeering charge.

More Trump Georgia indictment coverage

The indictment takes aim at three Georgia state Legislature committee hearings at which Giuliani and other Trump allies appeared and promoted false claims of mass electoral fraud.

For each hearing, Giuliani is charged with a count of soliciting lawmakers to violate their oaths of office by encouraging them to help send a slate of Trump electors, and a count of making false statements.

Giuliani has also been identified as a possible target of Smiths federal Jan. 6 probe.

Jenna Ellis

Jenna Ellis, a member of then-President Donald Trumps legal team, speaks during a news conference at the Republican National Committee headquarters, Nov. 19, 2020, in Washington. A judge in Colorado on Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2022, ordered Ellis to travel to Georgia to testify before a special grand jury thats looking into whether Trump and others illegally tried to influence the 2020 election in Georgia. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Jenna Ellis, a Trump-aligned attorney, faces two charges.

Beyond the racketeering charge, she is also charged with soliciting a public officer to violate their oath in connection with her attendance at a Dec. 3 Georgia Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing, the first of the three.

Ray Smith

Ray Smith was a member of Trumps legal team in Georgia who appeared at all three of the hearings.

He played an extensive role, both speaking to lawmakers himself and questioning some of the Trump teams witnesses. In connection with the hearings, Smith faces three counts of soliciting a public officer to violate their oath and two counts of making false statements.

He also faces six counts in regard to the scheme to submit a false slate of electors, including counts of forgery, two false statement charges and multiple conspiracy counts.

Jeffrey Clark

Jeffrey Clark, then-Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division, speaks during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, on Sept. 14, 2020. Authorities in June also searched the Virginia home of Jeffrey Clark, who was known at the Justice Department to champion former President Donald Trumps false claims of election fraud. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, Pool, File)

Jeffrey Clark, though not a lawyer for the Trump campaign, was tapped by Trump to fulfill a vital role  planning to appoint the Justice Department (DOJ) attorney as attorney general for the DOJ, so he could launch an investigation into his baseless claims of election fraud.

Clark was fixated on sending a letter to Georgia authorities asking them to hold off on certifying their election results while the department investigated.

Like the others, Clark is charged under RICO, but he also faces an additional charge for criminal attempt to commit false statements and writings.

The indictment includes text of the correspondence, pointing to the line that the DOJ had identified significant concerns that may have impacted the outcome of the election in multiple states, including the State of Georgia, as the basis for the charge.

Robert Cheeley

Robert Cheeley, an attorney, faces 10 charges in connection with the alleged plot, including the sole perjury charge on the indictment.

A proponent of Trumps false election fraud claims, Cheeley is accused of knowingly, willfully and unlawfully making at least one false statement to the Fulton County special purpose grand jury in connection with the fake electors scheme and his communications with Eastman.

Cheeleys other charges are tied to the fake electors plot.

Trump staffers and allies

Michael Roman

Michael Roman served as director of Election Day operations for Trumps 2020 reelection campaign, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The senior Trump campaign staffer faces seven charges in connection with the fake elector scheme, for which he allegedly helped coordinate logistics.

Stephen Lee

Stephen Lee is charged with influencing witnesses by allegedly traveling to the home of Georgia election worker Ruby Freeman on Dec. 14 and Dec. 15 and trying to influence her testimony.

Lee is also accused of soliciting the help of Harrison Floyd in his efforts after becoming concerned that Freeman was afraid to talk to Lee because he is a white man.

Harrison Floyd

A leader of Black Voices for Trump, Harrison Floyd allegedly tried to convince Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman to make false statements about election operations on Election Day 2020, under the guise of offering her help.

He is charged with racketeering, influencing witnesses and conspiring to solicit false statements and writings.

Trevian Kutti

Trevian Kutti, a former publicist for rapper Ye, previously known as Kanye West, is charged in connection with pressuring Freeman to make false statements about her role in helping administer the election.

Her involvement prompted charges for influencing witnesses as well as conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements and writings.

Fake electors

Sixteen pro-Trump individuals met in the state capitol Dec. 14 and signed documents purporting to be Georgias presidential electors, despite Joe Bidens victory. Three of the individuals were charged. Some were previously known to have accepted immunity deals.

Shawn Still

Shawn Still was a Georgia Republican Party official who signed the Electoral College documents.

Still had served as the state partys finance chairman and is now a sitting state senator. He is charged with seven counts, including impersonating a public officer, forgery, false statements and attempting to file false documents.

David Shafer

David Shafer, chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, arrives before Vice President Mike Pence speaks during a Save the Majority rally, Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020 in Augusta, Ga. A judge says Shafer cant share lawyers with 10 other fake electors in matters related to a special grand jury probing possible illegal meddling in the 2020 election. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)

David Shafer, who served as the chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, was another individual who signed the documents.

He faces the same charges as Still, and an additional count of making false statements.

Beyond his alleged involvement in the electors scheme, Shafer is accused of lying to Fulton County prosecutors during a April 25, 2022, interview by saying he didnt call the other fake electors to notify them of the state capitol meeting and indicating that a court reporter was not present at the meeting.

Coffee County breach

The indictment in part focuses on a Jan. 7, 2021, breach at an elections office in Coffee County, a rural area south of Atlanta. Footage that surfaced in September 2022 showed a forensics team working for Sidney Powell, an attorney allied with Trump, gaining access to the office that day and copying data from voting machines.

Sidney Powell

Beyond RICO charges, Sidney Powell is one of the handful of Trump associates to be charged with violating Georgia election law statutes, conspiracy to commit election fraud.

Much of that stems from Powells involvement in accessing voting equipment in Coffee County. Forensics experts copied the data from the county, using it to create a website that could be accessed by those looking for election issues.

That likewise sparked charges for conspiracy to commit computer theft, conspiracy to commit computer trespass, and conspiracy to commit computer invasion of privacy.

Powell is also charged with conspiracy to defraud the state, detailing it as theft of data as voter data is property which was under the control of Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

Cathy Latham

Cathy Latham, a retired teacher, served as the chairwoman of the Coffee County Republican Party and was spotted on surveillance footage welcoming employees of technology solutions firm SullivanStrickler  which was allegedly paid by Powell  into the countys elections office on the day of the breach.

Latham was also one of the 16 pro-Trump individuals who signed documents purporting to be Georgias presidential electors.

Misty Hampton

Misty Hampton, Coffee Countys election supervisor, posted a viral video claiming Dominion Voting System machines could be manipulated, according to the Washington Post.

According to CNN, she allegedly helped facilitate an early January 2021 voting system breach in Coffee County by sending a written invitation to some of Trumps attorneys. In addition to a racketeering charge, she faces six charges connected to that effort.

Scott Hall

Scott Hall, who owns a bail bond business, was reportedly another one of the individuals Latham welcomed into the election office on Jan. 7. He faces six charges linked to that effort, plus the racketeering charge.

Updated at 7:14 a.m. ET

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
In early June, a group of Iowa pastors gathered at the First Church of the Open Bible to pray over a visitor. The man had just arrived in Des Moines, and he was going through a difficult time  financial strife, legal trouble, opposition from former friends. Pastor Josh Bingaman put his hand on the mans shoulder and blessed him to submit to the hand of God, to seek wisdom and humility.

The man was former President Donald Trump. After the prayer, Trump thanked Pastor Bingaman for the blessing, then took his place at the front of the room while pastors grilled him on abortion policy and how pro-Bible a potential second Trump term would be.

Such closed-door visits  where evangelical leaders meet and pray with leading Republican presidential candidates  have been a fixture in Iowa politics for years. But a new group of pastors is quietly sizing up 2024 hopefuls and serving as self-proclaimed vetters for any candidate who wants to win Iowas first-in-the-nation caucuses.

Faith Wins, a nonprofit organization based in South Carolina, has assembled a group of five Iowa pastors who are already months into meeting with and vetting presidential candidates.

Since February, theyve privately hosted most of the top Republican hopefuls: Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C. Some of the pastors have met with other candidates on their own, including North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and businessman Ryan Binkley. Many of those candidates  including DeSantis, Scott and Ramaswamy  have already met with the pastors several times.

We have a right to know what governs them, if theyre going to govern us, said Pastor Bill Tvedt of Jubilee Family Church in Oskaloosa, Iowa.

Since 1972, election schedules have placed Iowa as the first state in the country to vote in Republican primary contents, making it an early  and essential  battleground for candidates to win. Over the past 50 years, no one has ever finished worse than third in Iowa and gone on to win the GOP nomination. And in order to win Iowa, candidates must win the evangelical vote  in 2016, evangelicals made up 64% of Republican voters who showed up on caucus day.

Former President Donald Trump, center, greets a group of pastors during a stop at the First Church of the Open Bible, Thursday, June 1, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa. | Charlie Neibergall, Associated Press

Which makes the role of evangelical pastors  who churchgoers often look to as moral guides  even more important. Several pastors involved with Faith Wins emphasized they will never tell their congregants who to vote for, but they reserve the right to say which candidates they believe will govern with a biblical worldview and which will not.

They view Iowas position as first-in-the-nation as both an opportunity and a sacred obligation  one that Iowans are particularly suited for.

Iowans are pretty responsible people, because theyre rural people, Pastor Tvedt said. All your cattle die if you dont get up and feed them at 3 a.m. So they know what responsibility is.

The founder of Faith Wins, Chad Connelly, is the former chair of the South Carolina Republican Party and the first-ever National Director of Faith Engagement for the Republican National Committee. The organization has assembled pastors in several other states beyond Iowa, including South Carolina, New Hampshire and Ohio.

In closed-door meetings with candidates, Faith Wins pastors may ask any number of faith-related questions: What does your daily walk in the Lord look like? Do you read the Bible each morning? Who is your faith counselor? From there, they delve into domestic and foreign policy questions, often circling back to social issues like abortion or gay marriage.

The candidates are given the opportunity to ask questions, too.

Pastor Terry Amann, of Church of the Way in Des Moines, views the meetings as a safe space for candidates to learn how to talk to evangelicals. In a lot of ways, (the private setting) helps them prepare, Pastor Amann said. When they stumble, its like, you might want to go back and retool that.

The pastors also offer candidates a 24/7 personal ministry, where the politicians may call pastors at any time and get advice or a prayer over the phone. If a candidate were to win the election, that relationship could continue into the White House, should the candidate desire, Pastor Amann said.

In addition to Amann and Tvedt, the pastors involved in Iowa are Bingaman (First Church of the Open Bible); Michael Demastus (Fort Des Moines Church of Christ) and Steve Rowland (Rising Sun Church of Christ).

Some meetings are small, with only the five core pastors in attendance, alongside the candidate and campaign staff. Other meetings are open to other invitees, like the June 1 meeting with Trump, where over 40 pastors and their wives attended. The goal is to get candidates in front of the pastors, Pastor Amann said. Then (the pastors) go back to their church, get people involved, call upon biblical values.

I can go see a presidential candidate any day of the week, Pastor Tvedt said. And because Im a preacher, and Im aligned with Faith Wins, I can go have a personal audience with them. ... The rest of the world doesnt get anything like that.

In this Jan, 1, 2012, file photo, former Republican Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and her husband Marcus are blessed by Pastor Bill Tvedt, right, and his wife Julie, left, during a campaign stop at Jubilee Family Church in Oskaloosa, Iowa. | Charlie Riedel, Associated Press

Their efforts are not without backlash. In 2011, when Pastor Tvedt hosted presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann at his church, the Freedom From Religion Foundation filed a complaint to the IRS, claiming Pastor Tvedt inappropriately used his position as pastor to intervene in a political campaign. Clergy have long faced criticism in Iowa for involvement in the political sphere, even among fellow pastors.

My question to them is, At Easter time, do you preach and teach about the fact that Jesus was executed by the Roman soldiers? That was the government, Pastor Amann said. It doesnt say in the Constitution, separation of church and state.

There is no such thing as a political, nonspiritual issue, Pastor Tvedt said. Every issue is spiritual.

Such a position was apparent on Sunday morning at Pastor Tvedts Jubilee Family Church in Oskaloosa. A day before, Republican candidates flooded the Iowa State Fair to raise money and win votes. Speaking to his congregation, Pastor Tvedt preached about tithing, reading from Malachi 3 and encouraging them to bring the whole tithe into the storehouse as a display of loyalty to God.

Its like politics, Pastor Tvedt said: Like all the candidates, they want donors, not just people to vote, he preached. You put your money where your heart is.

Pastor Tvedt worked on Pat Robertsons 1988 presidential campaign and started preaching around the same time. He sees both as moral efforts, noting that there are 2,000 verses in the Bible that deal with governance.

But Faith Wins nonprofit status relies on the pastors not explicitly endorsing candidates, and both Pastor Tvedt and Pastor Amann are adamant they never tells their congregants how to vote.

Im not going to give them a fish  Im going to give them a fishing pole, Pastor Tvedt said.

Both pastors argue that this years crop of Republicans poses good options for those using the biblical worldview litmus test  its just a great set of candidates to choose from, Pastor Amann said. For them, that includes Trump, who faces mounting legal strife, including alleged sexual assault.

I liked the way he governed because it did more for the Christian than probably any other president, Pastor Tvedt said.

Were not electing a pastor, Pastor Amann said. Were electing a political leader.
DES MOINES, IOWA  Gov. Kim Reynolds is expected to resume her conversations with the Republican presidential candidates on Tuesday as she sits down with Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson for "fair side chats" at the Iowa State Fair.

Reaching out to Iowans at the state fair in the crucial early voting state in the presidential nominating calendar has long been a must-stop for White House hopefuls of both major political parties, but this year the GOP candidates have another avenue to connect with voters as they are interviewed by the popular Republican governor who was convincingly reelected to a second term last November.

"I can hopefully draw a large crowd and maybe get more people in front of each one of the candidates, so they can hear their message and their vision and answer questions that are on Iowans' minds. Theyre very knowledgeable about the issues. Theyre certainly not afraid to ask tough questions," Reynolds said of Hawkeye State voters as she spoke with Fox News Digital at the state fair this past weekend.

DESANTIS TAKES AIM AT TRUMP FOR NOT SITTING DOWN WITH REYNOLDS

Former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is interviewed by Gov. Kim Reynolds at the Iowa State Fair on Aug. 12, 2023, in Des Moines.

The Republican presidential candidates cant say enough nice things about Reynolds.

"The way she has balanced budgets, cut taxes, expanded educational choices, stood for the right to life, has really been an inspiration to people all across this state and all across the nation," former Vice President Mike Pence told Fox News Digital.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who teamed up with the Iowa governor on Saturday for a "fair side chat," called Reynolds "hands down" the best governor in the nation.

TRUMP OVERSHADOWS DESANTIS, HALEY, OTHERS DURING COMPETING STOPS AT IOWA STATE FAIR

And another Republican presidential contender, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, also praised Reynolds, telling Fox News Digital that "Kim is terrific. Shes doing a fantastic job."

All of the GOP White House hopefuls who are visiting the fair are sitting down with Reynolds and joining her to tour the fairgrounds and flip pork chops  all except former President Donald Trump.

Trump, the commanding front-runner for the GOP 2024 nomination as he makes his third straight presidential run, kept his distance from the governor as he briefly toured through the fairgrounds on Saturday. The former president earlier this summer, potentially irked that Reynolds was hosting other candidates as they stopped in Iowa, criticized the governor for staying neutral in the race for the GOP presidential nomination race.

"I opened up the Governor position for Kim Reynolds, & when she fell behind, I ENDORSED her, did big Rallies, & she won. Now, she wants to remain NEUTRAL. I dont invite her to events! DeSanctus down 45 points!" the former president wrote on social media last month.

In 2017, Trump nominated longtime Republican Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad as U.S. ambassador to China. Reynolds  who was lieutenant governor at the time  succeeded Branstad as governor. The then-president endorsed Reynolds ahead of her narrow election in 2018 to a full term in office. Reynolds was easily reelected by 19 points last year.

PENCE SAYS TRUMP MISSED OPPORTUNITY AT IOWA STATE FAIR

Reynolds' pledge to stay neutral in the presidential nomination race is in line with previous Iowa governors. Iowa's all-Republican congressional delegation is also staying neutral as the large field of 2024 presidential contenders descends on their state.

The governor joined Trump in March in Davenport as the former president made his first stop in Iowa as a 2024 candidate. Reynolds did not join Trump when he returned to the state in early June and again this month.

Trump on Saturday, when asked why he wasnt joining Reynolds, reiterated that "I have a very nice relationship with her. I got her elected. I endorsed her. I came and did a rally when she was very far behind."

The former presidents rivals for the nomination blasted him for snubbing Reynolds.

"I think Donald Trumps attacks on Kim Reynolds are totally out of bounds. I couldnt disagree with it any more. And shes done nothing but do a great job. Shes never done anything to him," DeSantis told Fox News Digital on Saturday.

And a super PAC supporting DeSantis was running ads in Iowa that spotlighted Trumps criticism of Reynolds.

WHO'S STILL FIGHTING TO QUALIFY FOR FIRST GOP PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE

"I welcome the opportunity to sit down with her to answer her questions at that gathering here at the Iowa State Fair, and frankly, I think anybody who skips that is missing out," Pence told Fox News Digital.

And Haley said that "its [a] shame hes not doing it" when asked about Trump.

Pointing to the criticism from Trump, Reynolds told Fox News Digital that "hes going to do what hes going to do, and Im just not focused on that. Im focused on  as Ive said to his team and to every single presidential candidate: I want you to come to Iowa. I want you to come often."

Former Vice President Mike Pence is interviewed by Gov. Kim Reynolds at her "fair side chats" at the Iowa State Fair on Aug. 11, 2023, in Des Moines.

Reynolds said that by staying neutral in the Republican White House race, she brings "some value to the process."

But she didnt close the door to potentially making an endorsement ahead of the states Jan. 15 presidential caucuses.

"I may change my mind down the road," she said in her interview. But Reynolds added that "right now its really important that I get them here, get them in front of Iowans and get them an opportunity to talk about their vision, why them and get them to answer tough questions."

Aside from the controversy, Reynolds  who says shes been attending the state fair since she was a child  is offering the presidential candidates tips on fair cuisine.

"I always tell them theres a lot of options  try as many as you can," Reynolds said. "Most of them are flipping pork, so Im pretty confident most of them will try pork on a stick."
Marybeth Gasman refused to let white peers dissuade her from researching historically Black colleges and universities. This is a history that everyone needs to know, she insists.

Marybeth Gasman, one of the nations foremost experts on historically Black colleges and universities, took her college advisers advice to heart.

If you feel strongly and passionately about something, you should do it, she remembered.

Shes taken do it to a new level.

Gasman serves as the Samuel DeWitt Proctor endowed chair in education and distinguished professor at Rutgers University, where shes involved in leadership, equity and justice initiatives.

Marybeth Gasman has become one of the countrys leading experts on HBCUs. (Photo: Daryl Moran)

Shes written 35 books, and her latest, HBCU: The Power of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, will be published in November. Shes authored more than 300 articles (research papers, opinion pieces, book chapters for others), and 450 opinion essays and has visited 103 of the countrys HBCUs.

Shes a white woman who some of her peers once dissuaded from studying HBCUs and now champions their causes in opinion pieces for major publications such as Forbes. Her works include Why Its Important to Support Black Talent, The Power of HBCU Choirs, and Why we need to pay attention to Black adult learners.

More profoundly, shes making these contributions at a time some educators seek to diminish and devalue Black history by banning books and revising and devaluing history.

Dr. Vann Newkirk, Wilberforce Universitys president, praised Gasman before her Aug. 11 visit to the school. As a foremost thought leader on HBCUs, we look forward to Dr. Glasman sharing her expertise and perspectives on the transformation of the nations first private HBCU, he said in a press release.

TheGrio spoke to Gasman about her journey from the Michigan Upper Peninsula, where she grew up, to an HBCU expert. She discussed how some white people, subtly, tried to dissuade her from pursuing her passion, the importance of HBCUs, and how an uplifting story resonates with her today.

The conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity.

What did you learn about Black history growing up?

You learned a couple of things. You learned about slavery, Dr. Martin Luther King, and you might have learned about Harriet Tubman. Other than that, I didnt have much exposure as a small child.

When did you decide to devote your studies to HBCUs?

In grad school, I read The Education of Blacks in the South by James Anderson. It not only talks about the things done to African Americans but also about how African Americans have agency and were leaders from the beginning.

When I read that book, I thought to myself, this is a history that everyone needs to know. White people, every other racial and ethnic group should know that history. So I decided I was going to pursue history and focus on historically Black colleges. I never knew what a historically Black college was until 1994.

Did anyone discourage you from studying HBCUs?

I did have a few white people tell me not to do it. They told me nobody would ever take me seriously. Thats not a good area. But my African American mentors told me the opposite. They said, Its incredibly important for everyone to understand and take in African American history, and you can provide one perspective.

What was the first HBCU you visited?

The Fisk University campus in Nashville, Tennessee. (Courtesy of Fisk University)

Fisk University in Nashville, for my dissertation. The people were so kind, and I always think about that, especially when you look at the news and see how African Americans are treated in our country. Ive never had an experience at a Black college that wasnt positive.

In your travels, youve heard several uplifting stories. Which one resonates with you?

Its a story about Willa Player, who was president of Bennett College for Women in North Carolina. When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was going to be a speaker on her campus, she was threatened by people in the local area. She turned to those people and said, This is a liberal arts campus, and hes here to talk about liberal arts ideas infused with democracy, and were not turning him away. She was really feisty, went to jail with her students when they were being activists. She helped them and supported them. And I love that story because shes the first African American woman (with an earned Ph.D.) to lead a Black college. Thats a powerful story.

Whats an essential fact about HBCUs that people miss?

I wish that people, regardless of race, knew just how much of an impact Black colleges have had on building the Black middle class and pushing social and socio-economic mobility. We have considerable empirical evidence showing that HBCUs outperform majority institutions in moving people up the economic ladder. Thats something not enough people know.

Do some people doubt the long-term viability of HBCUs?

About every 10 years, some article comes out about how Black colleges are dying off, are not going to survive, and need to merge. Around COVID, I got an email that said, Can you comment on are we going to lose Black colleges? And my response was, You cant understand Black people and Black history if you think were going to lose Black colleges merely because of a pandemic. Yes, some have struggled, and they need more resources. But these are some of the most resilient institutions youll ever find.

You regularly visit HBCUs and recently took a trip to Wilberforce University in Ohio. Why was that special?

Wilberforce is so important, historically, because it had Black leadership from the beginning. Thats profound because Black colleges, with a few exceptions, didnt have Black leadership until well into the 1940s. Black colleges were being led by white folks, who were put in place by either philanthropists, the federal government, or a variety of entities. For me, Wilberforce has always been incredibly important for that reason.

What advice do you give when visiting HBCUs?

I always tell HBCU presidents that its important to look at the national issues, and then insert yourself in that conversation and show that your HBCU should be engaged in that conversation.

Clarification, Wednesday, Aug.16, 2023, 12:30 p.m.ET: During its initial interview, theGrio was unaware of formal complaints filed in 2017 against Gasman during her tenure at the University of Pennsylvania for allegedly fomenting what a publication described as an overly sexualized, sometimes racially insensitive and bullying culture. Consequently, theGrio did not ask Gasman about the accusations former assistants levied. After publication, theGrio asked Gasman about the complaints. Here is her response: These allegations were not substantiated, and I was strongly supported by both Penn and Rutgers.I stand by my integrity.

TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today!

The post Meet Marybeth Gasman: HBCU expert. Historian. And white appeared first on TheGrio.
ST. PETERSBURG  Jill Horstmann had squirrels in her bra. And they wouldnt stay still.

One squirmed and wriggled so much that she had to pull it out. Its bushy brown tail peeked through her fingers as she cradled it. The squirrel was restless, hungry, thirsty  and probably confused. But only one of those could be addressed while sitting in a booth at local kava bar Mad Hatters.

Horstmann dunked a straw in a shot glass full of water, plugged one end and guided it to the squirrels mouth.

At first, it seemed surprised, maybe even scared. Then it relaxed in her grip and wrapped a tiny hand around the straw to catch more droplets. For the first time that afternoon, it stopped moving.

It was nothing Horstmann hadnt done before. The 49-year-old has been nursing squirrels for years at her home in St. Petersburg.

Her backyard is the headquarters for Squirrelly AF, a wildlife rescue and nonprofit. But if you walked in expecting to see just squirrels, you would be shocked. Ducks run around honking relentlessly, and large cages with possums, raccoons and chickens sit along the fence. Food bowls and toys lie everywhere on the mulch-covered ground  all evidence of animals past and present.

Horstmann started the rescue in late 2017, just after Hurricane Irma hit Florida. People from the community had heard about her successfully rescuing a few squirrels years prior and brought her ones theyd found who needed help.

After an initial group of eight, Horstmann thought shed be done, but the squirrels kept coming.

Social media, namely a Facebook page with over 13,000 followers, boosted her rescue efforts. On any given day, you might catch the self-described squirrel guru in merchandise shes created for the rescue, or driving around in a car with #SQUIRRELYAF on the bumper.

Horstmann is not the first or the only person in the area to help feed and house orphaned or injured animals. Theres Wright Ranch Rescue in Mount Dora near Orlando and Owls Nest Sanctuary for Wildlife in Tampa, to name a few. But being a squirrel-specialized rescuer is kind of rare, she said. It was only in the past year that Squirrelly AF started accepting other animals.

Dont ask exactly how many animals are there in total, because that number changes all the time. On Aug. 3, it was in the 50s. A week later, it reached the 60s.

Chalk it up to it being baby squirrel season, Horstmann said.

She doesnt take newborns  called pinkies because they have no fur on their flesh-colored bodies  but she will take squirrels that are a few weeks old. When they arrive, theyre placed in an incubator and fed on a three- to four-hour cycle. After some time, they are weaned off squirrel formula (yes, thats a thing!), given solid food and placed in cages.

Then, when theyre about ready for release, its off to the pre-release cages. These are slightly bigger than the previous ones, and during this stage, theyre no longer held or petted. A coddled squirrel wont survive on the outside, Horstmann said.

Most are released close to her house, so they pop by every day to say hello and grab a snack for the road. They all look alike, so its hard to remember whos who after theyve left her property, but she always knows if theyre her kids. Really, its all in how they act toward her. If theyre not skittish, chances are high that she once cradled them.

Rescuing isnt easy. Horstmann said theres constant loss.

You can raise an animal for months, years and then it just passes, she said.

With no one to share grief with, she shoulders it on her own.

Squirrels who have died are buried in her backyard. Some are marked with headstones and fruit trees  these are ones she had for a long time, like Fig, Bonsai and Bamboo.

The ashes of Juice, a squirrel who died last December, are stored in a necklace and two bracelets she never takes off. Juice had his back two legs amputated, so he was nearly always with Horstmann. The bond between them was stronger than shed ever shared with an animal. Christmas, she said, will never be the same.

There are times when the rescues work borders on being too much. When shes sick and cant clean cages. Or shes so tired from only sleeping between 3 and 8 a.m. that she forgets to eat. Thats when she feels the weight of taking care of the animals, managing a nonprofit and fielding rescue requests or questions the most.

I dont even have the time to care anymore. Ill be lucky if I get a shower in every couple days. Its a lot. I never know what day it is, Horstmann said.

She swears theres a reward, though: seeing happy and healthy animals grow over time. Plus, theres the fulfillment that comes from releasing them and being a resource for the community.

People know who she is. They drop avocados and mangoes at her doorstep. They donate blankets, sheets and comforters. They give her Starbucks gift cards and send her big boxes of Cajun nuts  her favorite snack  to enjoy during the day.

And when squirrels need her, people know how to find her.

At Mad Hatters, Joe Coleman and Rachel Grabner showed up with Amazon boxes in hand.

Hello, you got a squirrel? Horstmann shouted from the booth.

She popped up before they gave an answer. When they found two baby squirrels without a mom in their backyard, a simple squirrel rescue near me search led them to Squirrelly AF.

Soon, requests for shot glasses and straws were fired to a bartender. Other patrons couldnt help but steal a few glances at the babies.

Horstmann placed gentle kisses on the squirrels heads.

You raise a squirrel once and it just changes your whole world, she said.
Ms Willis was raised mostly in Washington by her father, whom she said was a former Black Panther turned criminal defence lawyer - Brynn Anderson/AP

Donald Trump came to Fani Willis attention the very first day she entered the Fulton County district attorneys office.

As the newly elected prosecutor walked into work that morning, Mr Trumps now infamous phone call - where he pressured officials to find him more votes - was being broadcast on cable news.

My very first day in this office, she later recalled, [and] its all over the TV.

Ms Willis, an elected Democrat, has said she hoped to avoid being drawn into one of the most unprecedented cases in history.

But mere weeks later, she had publicly announced she was probing possible illegal attempts to influence the 2020 election results.

Ms Willis, 52, deployed one of her favourite tools to indict Mr Trump - a controversial law designed to take down mob bosses.

By her own admission, Ms Willis is a fan of Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (Rico) laws.

She has made a name for herself bringing Rico charges against everyone from school teachers to a Grammy-winning rapper.

A seemingly fearless prosecutor, she was elected after pledging to restore integrity to the office - ousting her former mentor, and a six-term incumbent, in the process.

Rico laws originated in the 1970s as a powerful tool to take down organised crime bosses, from mafia chiefs to street gangs and even pharmaceutical executives.

Georgias state racketeering laws are more expansive than most, and Ms Willis has been innovative in her use of them.

She won 11 convictions - and national media attention - when she used the mobster statute in relation to the school cheating scandal.

Ms Willis has also pursued racketeering, drug and other charges against the Grammy-winning rapper Young Thug and more than two dozen others.

But critics say she overuses Rico laws, unnecessarily complicating cases that could otherwise be tried in less time with fewer resources.

Devin Franklin, a lawyer who spent 12 years in the Fulton County public defenders office, said using racketeering laws has a tendency to sensationalise the cases.

Ms Willis has used Rico laws to charge Mr Trump and his 18 co-defendants of conspiring to conduct a criminal enterprise.

The charges include racketeering, violating the oath of a public officer, forgery, false statements and more.

Mr Trump has denied all wrongdoing, describing his call to Georgias secretary of state Brad Raffensperger as a perfect phone call.

He has branded Ms Willis, who is black, a racist and a rabid partisan.

Ms Willis, however, describes herself as an equal-opportunity prosecutor who has targeted defendants regardless of race or class.

It doesnt matter if youre rich, poor, black, white, Democrat or Republican. If you violated the law, youre going to be charged, she told CNN.

The charges Donald Trump faces in Georgia

Shes really a tough-on-crime liberal, which is kind of a rare bird these days, said Anthony Michael Kreis, a Georgia State University law professor.

She is described by both colleagues and adversaries in court as a skilled litigator with a preachers gift for oratory and a talent for charming juries.

Ms Willis spent most of her career as an assistant district attorney in Fulton County, which includes most of Atlanta and is Georgias most populous county.

She left for a time but returned after winning a bitter Democratic primary fight to oust her former boss and mentor Paul Howard, Georgias first black district attorney.

Given her upbringing, Ms Willis may always have been destined to be a lawyer.

She was raised mostly in Washington by her father, whom she said was a former Black Panther turned criminal defence lawyer. He routinely took her to court as a child

She graduated from Washingtons Howard University and found her way to Georgia, attending Emory Universitys Law School. She chose to stay on in Atlanta to practice law.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer.
For the first time, a member of one of the most influential clans in the Gaza Strip  Rami al-Farra  has died in the war against Ukraine.

Source: Radio Svoboda (Liberty)

Details: On 11 August, the website of the al-Farra clan, one of the most influential in the Gaza Strip, published news of the death of the "young man" Rami Haisam Musa al-Farra.

Radio Liberty journalists found out from Rami's father, Haisam, that he actually died in the war while fighting for Russia against Ukraine. He had not been mobilised but ended up there on his own initiative, having signed a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defence.

 -    .   

Rami al-Farra at war in Ukraine

PHOTO PROVIDED TO RADIO LIBERTY

This is the first known case of the death of a citizen of the partially recognised state of Palestine in the war in Ukraine, Radio Liberty reports. Sources in the Lebanese special services have previously reported on the recruitment of Palestinians to fight against Ukraine.

At the same time, according to unofficial data, up to 16 Israeli citizens fighting for the Ukrainian Armed Forces have died in Ukraine between the beginning of the Russian invasion and April 2023.

According to Radio Liberty, Rami al-Farra was born in Russia in October 1994. In 2000, his mother, a Russian citizen, sent him to live in Gaza, where his father was working at the time. Rami lived there until 2007, and after Hamas came to power in the Gaza Strip, the family evacuated to Russia.

Haisam says that Russian diplomats helped them leave. Rama had both Russian citizenship and a Palestinian passport.

Quote: "It appears from open sources that in 2011, four years after his return from Gaza, Rami enrolled as a fee-paying student at the Maykop branch of Bauman State Technical University at the local state technological university, where he studied customs affairs.

Photos from his university days are posted on his friends accounts. On Rami's Instagram there are also pictures taken during his military service  according to his father, al-Farra was drafted into the army in 2018 and learned to be a sniper...

The last photos he sent to his father were from Ukraine: Haisam al-Farra says that his son was engaged in guarding troops who were demining territories somewhere near Bakhmut or in the Donetsk Republic [the so-called Donetsk Peoples Republic  ed.], and that he died on 5 August, rescuing his wounded friends.

 -    .   

Rami al-Farra at war in Ukraine

PHOTO PROVIDED TO RADIO SVOBODA

The body of the deceased, Haisam says, has already been brought to Kurganinsk, where he will be buried with military honours in the near future. According to his father, he was also informed that his son had been awarded an order  he could not specify which one."

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 Mexican restaurant founded by a North Carolina native on the West Coast is coming to Charlottes South End.

The Matador expects to open this fall at 1215 South Blvd., with more than 3,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor seating at the site of one of Charlottes oldest fire stations, according to a press release.

ALSO READ: Charlotte Beer Garden in South End wins national acclaim

The restaurant is known for its agave spirit selection, boasting more than 150 different tequilas, mezcals and other authentic spirits. Its scratch-made kitchen dishes up burritos, enchiladas, tacos, nachos and more.

Keep reading here.

VIDEO: Enjoy a taste of Mexico at this east Charlotte spot
A man accused of intentionally striking a veteran Miami detective with an SUV as she was interrupting a carjacking faces a slew of charges as the officer remains in the hospital with serious injuries, police announced Tuesday.

Andrewin Wardell, 49, was charged with attempted premeditated murder of a police officer, armed robbery/carjacking, battery of a police officer, resisting an officer with violence, fleeing and eluding police, two counts of leaving the scene of a crash with serious bodily injuries, burglary of an unoccupied vehicle, and four counts of leaving the scene of an accident with property damage.

Miami police say Wardell, who lives in Minnesota, purposely pinned Detective Marvalyn Lee Chin against a parked vehicle Monday afternoon on an Overtown street before attacking a second officer as he tried to flee.

Miami Detective Marvalyn Lee Chin (second left to right) received an Officer of the Month Award in January 2019.

Lee Chin, who has been in the force for about 19 years, underwent surgery Monday night. On Tuesday, the economic crimes unit investigator was recuperating at the Jackson Memorial Hospital from serious injuries to her arms and legs.

READ MORE: Its a tragedy: Miami detective seriously hurt after getting hit by car, police say

We stand united in supporting our officer and her family, and we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure the safety and well-being of our residents along with thanking the residents that helped our injured officer, Miami Police Chief Manny Morales said Tuesday in a statement.

Miami Police Chief Manuel A. Morales answers questions from reporters outside the Jackson Memorial Hospital on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023.

The entire ordeal was caught on tape, according to Miami police.

Police say Wardell, just before 4 p.m. on Monday, stole a maroon Nissan Murano before ramming the SUV into Lee Chin in the area of Northwest Second Avenue and 12th Street. The owner of the Nissan was inside his home when someone told him that a man was trying to steal his SUV.

He tried to start the car to scare off the thief who was hiding under the Nissan, a police report says. He then grabbed the man by the hair and shirt and pushed him to the ground. The man, however, struck him in the face and took off in the Nissan.

A Miami detective was seriously injured when a driver purposely struck her with a vehicle in the afternoon of Monday, Aug. 14, 2023, according to the Miami Police Department.

Moments later, the SUV crashed into a silver Chrysler on Northwest Second Avenue, according to police. A man was inside the car and decided to run after the Nissan  under the impression that he was a victim of a hit-and-run.

Lee Chin, in a full police uniform, arrived at the scene after the crash and walked toward the Nissan Thats when, police say, Wardell rammed the stolen Nissan into her.

Miami police quickly arrested Wardell, who they say swung his fists at an officer. He was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he remained Tuesday afternoon, Officer Kiara Delva, a spokeswoman with the Miami Police Department, told the Miami Herald. Police didnt immediately say why he was hospitalized.

Our officers face dangerous situations every day, risking their lives to protect our community, Morales said. We are immensely proud of their unwavering dedication and commitment to public safety.
A former aide to Miami, Florida, Mayor Francis Suarez who pleaded guilty in May to receiving child pornography was sentenced to six years in federal prison on Monday.

FOX 7 in Miami reported that 51-year-old Rene Pedrosa was also sentenced to 15 years of post-release supervision.

According to an incident report in February 2020, then 48-year-old Pedrosa, who was the top aide to Suarez, was accused of sending a picture of his genitals to a teenager before requesting a photo back on Jan. 19, 2020.

TOP AIDE TO MIAMI MAYOR SENT SEXUALLY EXPLICIT PICTURE TO MINOR: POLICE REPORT

Rene Pedrosa was a former top aide to for mayor of Miami.

Police were called within two minutes of the victim receiving the picture, according to the police report.

Pedrosa and the male teenager reportedly met on social media in November 2019 for a web design position for the mayors office.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Court documents show that Pedrosa admitted to kissing and sexually touching the 16-year-old on Nov. 25, 2019, at city hall after the teens mother dropped him off for a follow-up on the web design position, the station reported.

FLORIDA WOMAN DOUSED HERSELF IN DIET MOUNTAIN DEW TO ERASE DNA AFTER KILLING ROOMMATE, 79: COPS

Inside a courtroom with gavel in view.

Communication between Pedrosa and the victim continued via a web-based messaging app, on which he received sexually explicit images of the minor.

On Monday, Pedrosa apologized to the victims family for what he had done, as well as to the court.

Suarez said after Pedrosas arrest in 2020 that the people of Miami deserve the highest standards from the citys employees.

"I will always work to ensure that my administration delivers accountability and takes action to uphold those standards," the mayor said.
A wire report about fighting in the West Bank shows up in news editors' feeds around the world. A Jordanian outlet wants to print itand makes sure to replace every mention of the Israel Defense Forces with the occupation army. Across the Jordan River, The Times of Israel is also making edits, appending the word terrorist to any mention of Palestinian guerrillas. Side-by-side in a Google News search result, the articles make for a striking contrast, a kind of uncanny mirror-world.

People from around the world count on a small group of American and European agencies for their news. Wire services like the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse gather breaking news and sell the stories to news outlets for a small fee. While overall media budgets are shrinking, the internet has allowed local newspapers to get wire reports more quickly and easily than ever before.

The wire services have some advantages over local press, even when covering local stories. They tend to have better resources, and their international presence helps them avoid different countries' censorship laws. Since these agencies are based in the West, their coverage is written for Western readers. But many of their audiences today are in other parts of the world; foreign editors spend a lot of time and effort adapting wire reports to local perspectives.

Several months ago, I received a grant from the Fulbright Program, an educational exchange funded by Congress, to research how the Jordanian press interacts with international media. I was free to conduct my research and write about the results as I wish, as long as I made it clear that my words do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. government, or any partner organizations.

For my research, I volunteered at several Jordanian news outlets. Jordan News is the English-language edition of Al Ghad, a privately owned newspaper. Roya TV is a privately-owned station that broadcasts in Arabic and publishes online content in English. Radio Al-Balad is a nonprofit Arabic-language station that has received funding from European governments.

At all three outlets, I helped translate local content into English, and observed as editors adapted foreign stories for local audiences.

Jordanians pay close attention to English-languageespecially Americanmedia. The kingdom receives large amounts of U.S. aid and even hosts U.S. military bases. Some Jordanians received an American education, and many more are fans of American pop culture. A large Jordanian-American diaspora regularly travels between the two countries.

But there are important differences between Jordanian and American views, especially when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While American politics has a strong pro-Israel streak, about half the population of Jordan has Palestinian roots, the descendants of refugees who were expelled by or fled from Israeli forces during the 1948 and 1967 wars.

Even straight news reporting can reflect sharp disagreements, since the very names of places are political. Israel and Palestine do not have defined borders.

The whole land was a British colony, known as the Mandate of Palestine, before a civil war broke out in 1947 and 1948. Jewish nationalists declared the state of Israel, and the rest of the old Mandate fell under Jordanian and Egyptian control. Israel captured the remaining Palestinian territoriesthe West Bank and Gazain 1967. During peace talks in the '90s, part of those territories were placed under an autonomous Palestinian Authority, which declared itself "the state of Palestine" and won a United Nations observer seat in 2012.

Neither Israel nor Western governments recognize the state of Palestine as an independent nation. Many Western newsrooms follow their governments' policies. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and the German state-owned broadcaster Deutsche Welle all ban their reporters from using the word Palestine to refer to a country.

The Associated Press allows its reporters to refer to the state of Palestine when talking about the United Nations, or similar international forums like the Olympics. In other cases, Associated Press guidelines say to use Palestinian territories for the West Bank and Gaza, "since [Palestine] is not a fully independent, unified state."

Some Jordanian journalists see things quite differently.

Roya TV always uses the term Palestine in its Arabic- or English-language content. Israel is referred to as either the Israeli Occupation or Tel Aviv. It sometimes makes for awkward reading. "Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu" becomes "Israeli Occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu," in Roya's parlance.

"Roya's in-house style reflects its commitment to presenting news stories through a Palestinian lens and the aggression the Palestinian people face every day from the Israeli Occupation," says English news editor Dana Sharayri.

Sharayri believes that it's important to highlight "the historical context and the continued struggle for Palestinian rights," whether in the territories set aside for the Palestinian Authority, or the territories that became Israel in 1948.

Jordan News hews more closely to the style preferred by the Associated Press. The West Bank and Gaza are occupied Palestinian territories. The Old City of Jerusalem and its eastern suburbs, which Israel captured in 1967, are occupied East Jerusalem. According to Editor in Chief Osama Al-Sharif, referring to the territories that way is a matter of "international law and U.N. resolutions."

In May 2022, Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot dead in an Israeli raid in the West Bank. Her employer, Al Jazeera, accused the Israeli army of assassinating Abu Akleh, but many international news services were reluctant to point out a perpetrator at first.

Jordan News ran Al Jazeera's claim as a headline: "Israel kills journalist Shireen Abu Akleh 'in cold blood.'" Al-Sharif said that looking at all the sources and his "40 years of experience" led him to run that headline.

After first implying that Palestinian guerrillas were to blame, Israel later admitted that one of its soldiers shot Abu Akleh, and claimed the killing was an accident.

Most strikingly, Jordan News never refers to the Israeli military by its official name, the Israel Defense Forces. Instead, they are the Israeli occupation forces. "We are calling it for what it is," says Al-Sharif.

Less than 100 miles away, Israeli editors are busy taking out references to occupation. The Times of Israel, an English-language newspaper, removes the word occupied from foreign newswires about Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, a territory Israel conquered from Syria in 1967.

Unlike the West Bank and Gaza, the Israeli government has formally annexed East Jerusalem and the Golan. Referring to those places as occupied will "get you labeled with a certain bias" by Israeli audiences, says Deputy Editor Joshua Davidovich.

"We're not in the business of endorsing or not endorsing annexations," Davidovich says. "It's just an expression of our Israeli point of view."

Other Israeli newspapers do not even use the term Palestinian Territories or West Bank. The Israeli government officially calls it Judea and Samaria, the name of the West Bank in Jewish scripture, as do most Israeli media outlets in Hebrew and some in English.

Perhaps the most dramatic disagreement comes when talking about the Palestinian guerrillas who fight Israel. Over the past few decades, these groups have targeted both the Israeli army and civilians, including with indiscriminate shootings and bombings. The Israeli government calls them terrorists, and the U.S. government has also listed many Palestinian rebel groups as terrorist organizations.

The Associated Press discourages using the term terrorism in general, because it "is often used loosely by governments and leaders to condemn any rival political group or act of resistance." Hamas, the Palestinian rebel group that controls Gaza, is simply a "political party, which has an armed wing." Jordan News follows the same rules.

The Times of Israel, however, has a policy of explicitly calling Hamas and other Palestinian rebels terrorists. Davidovich claims "the word has a use in delineating the difference between a non-regular combatant targeting other combatants, as we would describe a militant, and someone who deliberately targets civilians."

Roya, on the other hand, avoids using the terms terrorist or militant, instead referring to the Palestinian resistance. Sharayri argues that the guerrillas are "defending their homeland" and "resisting the inhumane acts perpetrated by the Israeli Occupation Forces."

Given all the ways that wire reports clash with local sensibilities, it's reasonable to ask why local newspapers don't just cover the stories with their own reporters. Al-Sharif and Davidovich are unanimous on that point: The wire services tend to be fast, trustworthy, well-sourced, and good at explaining context to unfamiliar audiences.

"A lot of times when you're in the thick of it, you lose sight of the overall pictureand what the rest of the world thinks is going on," Davidovich says. "Strange as it is to say, [the wire services] might have access to places we might not," he added. For example, he says Netanyahu "does not like talking to the Israeli press," but is more talkative with foreign media.

Then there's the censorship issue. Israeli journalists have to get a military censor's approval to write about certain national security topics. Jordanian authorities often use gag orders, "cybersecurity" laws, and the threat of defamation lawsuits to reign in the local press. Both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas have arrested and tortured journalists for criticizing them.

Wire services have a simple workaround for censorship. If a journalist in Gaza or Tel Aviv gets a sensitive scoop, their organization will publish it under the name of staff in New York or London.

That isn't to say that wire journalism is risk-free. Hamas held several wire reporters at gunpoint in 2017, and Israel blew up the Associated Press offices in Gaza in 2021, claiming that Hamas fighters were stationed in the building.

In turn, news published abroad allows the local media to indirectly report on sensitive topics. For example, Israeli newspapers will almost always add the disclaimer "according to foreign reports" when alluding to Israel's nuclear weapons program. When Jordan carried out secret air raids against drug traffickers in Syria earlier this year, Jordanian media reported it as a claim by the British wire service Reuters.

Wire services and local news both have their problems. Bringing them together may be the best solutionespecially in a world where censors and border guards want to squelch the flow of information.

"We use all media sources including Times of Israel, [right-wing Israeli newspaper] Jerusalem Post, and [left-wing Israeli newspaper] Haaretz," Al-Sharif says. "We look at all and decide how best we can present objective and balanced news."

The post How Middle East Outlets Reframe the News To Fit Their Narrative appeared first on Reason.com.
Fort Smith, Canada is seen during wildfires on August 13, 2023 in a handout photo (Handout)

Jordan Evoy's escape from wildfires raging in Canada's far north was the "scariest moment" of his life as flare-ups closed roads, forcing him to backtrack to catch a military flight as part of the Northwest Territories' largest ever evacuation.

Hundreds of people were airlifted to safety from remote villages overnight into Tuesday, after Yellowknife, the largest city in the region, declared an emergency.

For many in smaller communities, it was the second time in recent months that residents were forced to leave their homes.

With several roads to the south closed after being engulfed by flames, a ride aboard military aircrafts -- deployed along with 120 soldiers to beat back the blazes -- was the only means of escape.

On Tuesday evening Northwest Territories authorities declared a state of emergency, citing a rapidly changing situation and shifting needs on the ground.

"We find ourselves in a crisis situation and our government is using every tool available to assist," said Shane Thompson, territorial environment minister.

Evoy, a resident of Fort Smith, told AFP he had tried to drive south to Alberta province, but had to turn back and heed officials' pleas to immediately go to the airport, warning that the "safest way out is on a plane."

"The highway was engulfed in flames and smoked out," the 28-year-old said, describing his panicked bolt to safety over land as "the scariest moment of my life."

"The forest fire crossed the highway, I couldn't see anything in front of me," he said.

"Flames were jumping over my truck" and he said he worried its tires would melt in the heat. "The asphalt was on fire."

All along the route there were many abandoned and charred vehicles.

"There was no cell service, so I had no way of knowing where I was," said Evoy.

Eventually he made his way back to Hay River and caught a military flight to Fort McMurray, Alberta.

"My heart breaks for the people of the Northwest Territories, who are dealing with devastating wildfires," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Several towns and Indigenous communities were under evacuation orders -- displacing 15 percent of the territory's population or about 6,000 people -- while firefighters in some areas were forced to pull back as strong winds stoked the flames.

- Region 'especially challenging' -

The tiny hamlet of Enterprise at the junction of two major highways has been almost completely destroyed.

Images shared on social media and on Canadian television showed an orange smokey haze over the region, large swaths of blackened forests, and melted headlights and peeled paint from the heat on those cars and trucks that made it through to safety before roads became completely undrivable.

The Northwest Territories fire department said Yellowknife, with a population of 20,000, was not facing an imminent threat despite fast-moving fires coming within 20 kilometers (12 miles) of the regional capital.

Wildfire official Mike Westwick told a news conference that fighting fires in the near Arctic is "especially challenging" due to the vast size of the region and its sparse population, with few access roads.

"It's difficult to get crews and equipment in," he explained.

This season, megafires have spread across Canada with remarkable intensity, forcing 168,000 to flee their homes and scorching 13.5 million hectares (33.4 million acres) -- almost twice the area of the last record of 7.3 million hectares, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.

Four people have died so far in this year's wildfires.

As of Tuesday, there were nearly 1,100 fires still burning, including more than 230 in the Northwest Territories.

In westernmost British Columbia province, meanwhile, a heatwave has sent temperatures soaring to over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), hampering efforts to bring wildfires under control.

Temperatures, however, are not expected to top a record set in June 2021, when the mercury in Lytton hit 49.6C before the village was destroyed days later by a fire that killed two residents.

gen/amc/bfm/md
A firefighter sets a back fire as the York fire burns in Mojave National Preserve on July 30. The fire burned over 90,000 acres, turning Joshua trees and yucca to ash. (David Swanson / AFP via Getty Images)

Californians watched in dismay this month as the York fire seared through Mojave National Preserve, igniting a delicate desert landscape that may never fully recover.

The fire chewed through stands of beloved Joshua trees, torching their tops and potentially incinerating their roots. Park officials fear that millions may have been burned in the fire, though the precise number of those killed will be hard to discern from the piles of ash that remain.

But researchers say Joshua trees are just the latest species to suffer unprecedented losses amid a climate that is growing warmer and drier.

From towering sequoias to ancient bristlecone pines, millions of California trees are succumbing to worsening wildfires, severe drought, extreme heat, disease and other stressors that have been intensified by global warming. The losses, they say, will only accelerate.

"We've long known that the trends to anticipate in the 21st century are extended droughts and more active fire regimes, and these types of disturbances are having profound effects on forests statewide," said Ryan Tompkins, forest and natural resources advisor at the University of California Cooperative Extension.

About one-third of the state is covered by forested ecosystems, and they have always experienced some form of drought, fire and tree death, he said. "But the problem is we're seeing tree mortality rates that are far beyond those endemic levels. There's no doubt that climate is exacerbating what we're seeing."

Read more: California's famed Joshua trees are burning up fast. They might be impossible to replace

Indeed, an estimated 36.3 million dead trees were counted across California in 2022  a notable increase from the 9.5 million dead trees counted the year before, according to a report from the U.S. Forest Service.

The dramatic die-offs were largely attributed to drought, disease and insects such as bark beetles, which prey on weakened trees. Douglas firs showed the biggest mortality rate increase, 1,650%, followed by white and red firs.

At Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in Inyo County, U.S. Forest Service pathologist Martin McKenzie, left, evaluates ailing trees with ecologist Michele Slaton, right, and Forest Service spokeswoman Mary Matlick in June 2022. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Pine trees are also growing more vulnerable to traditional threats.

Since 2013, drought and bark beetles have killed thousands of bristlecone pines  considered the oldest trees on Earth  at Telescope Peak in Death Valley National Park. Some of the trees that died were as old as 1,612 years, according to one recent study.

Though the bristlecone is "revered for its extreme longevity and has been considered an icon of stability during periods of change," warming temperatures and extreme dryness are stressing the trees and leading to death, the study said. What's more, the beetles that kill them are flourishing amid the changing conditions at the high elevations where the trees typically grow.

Read more: A historic banyan tree burned in Maui's wildfires still stands, but can it survive?

Ponderosa pines are also suffering from bark beetles and heat-related stress, said Avery Hill, a postdoctoral researcher at the California Academy of Sciences. He noted that for every 1.8 degrees of additional global warming, up to 40% more trees could die from beetle infestations.

"The climate has been changing, but it's the rate that matters," Hill said. "And why it's the rate that matters is because the rate at which individual organisms and species and ecosystems can respond to climate change seems to be a lot slower than the actual rate of climate change today."

Hill recently co-authored a study that found about 20% of all conifer trees in California's Sierra Nevada are no longer compatible with their surrounding climate, a term he dubbed "zombie forests." These trees are losing their ability to reproduce and probably will not be able to replace themselves in the future, he said.

"Every species has a set of environmental conditions that it's best adapted to and can reproduce in and thrive in, and these components are biological but also related to climate," Hill said. "Climate is one of those environmental variables that, like a house of cards, a lot of other things are built upon."

Read more: Nearly a third of southern Sierra forests killed by drought and wildfire in last decade

His study came on the heels of another one published last November, which found that nearly a third of southern Sierra forests were killed by wildfires, drought and pestilence over the last decade.

Such dizzying losses were only amplified by the York fire, which produced harrowing images of Joshua trees alight as it burned through the Mojave.

The incinerated stump of a Joshua tree continues to burn on July 30 after the York fire ravaged Mojave National Preserve. (Ty O'Neil / Associated Press)

"The reality is that Joshua trees are already in a state of decline because of global warming and increasing frequency of drought," ecologist James Cornett told The Times as the fire raged. "And then on top of that, you throw on a fire like the York fire, and these trees are not likely to recover in our lifetime."

The potential loss of Joshua trees is becoming an all-too-familiar refrain for Californians. Between 1985 and 2021, tree cover in California declined by 6.7% due largely to drought and fire, while Southern California saw the greatest loss of tree cover, research has found.

"California's climate is warming and drying fast enough that it's sort of lifting the lid off of where fire can go," said Jon Wang, an associate professor at the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Utah, who led the study.

That includes forests that are home to California's towering, ancient sequoia trees, which are also under siege as increasingly large, fast and frequent wildfires defeat their time-tested defenses.

Though the trees evolved with fire  and in fact depend on it for reproduction  Wang and other experts said they are not well equipped for the frequency and intensity of today's raging blazes.

Many Californians will remember the KNP Complex fire of 2021, which tore through Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and produced an indelible image of the giant General Sherman tree wrapped in aluminum foil to protect it from the flames.

A firefighter carries a chain saw as the Windy fire burns in Sequoia National Forest in September 2021. (Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images)

The fire, along with another blaze known as the Windy fire, scorched 27 giant sequoia groves and killed as many as 2,380 trees, according to the National Park Service.

The loss compounded that of the Castle fire, which burned in Sequoia National Park a year earlier and killed an estimated 10% of the world's giant sequoia population, stunning even experts as flames incinerated the trees' armored bark.

Read more: California drought, bark beetles killing the oldest trees on Earth. Can they be saved?

But climate change isn't the only driver of tree death in California, said Tompkins, of the UC Cooperative Extension. The density of forests is also making them more prone to burn, as decades of forest management policies allowed for a buildup of vegetation that can act as fuel for fires.

Drought, too, is a recurring cycle in the state, and significant mortality events have historically occurred on a somewhat periodic basis, including during the drought of 2012 to 2016.

But "what's concerning is the intensity and scale of mortality is growing," Tompkins said. He noted that the increasing loss of trees can have cascading impacts, including the loss of of wildlife habitats for protected species.

Read more: It survived 'Stumptown.' Now an ancient redwood may finally be protected for good

Tree mortality may also affect the state's carbon reduction goals since trees help store and capture carbon, he said. The state's water supply is also connected to its forests, and the loss of tree cover could alter stream flows, affect water quality and have other negative implications.

Not all hope is lost, however.

Some forests are transitioning to areas more suitable for their growth, including cooler places at higher elevations where their seeds have a better chance of survival, Hill said.

Additionally, some forest managers are helping steer the state's forests toward a new ecology that can handle a hotter world, Wang said. That could include "nudging" adaptation through human intervention or allowing landscape changes to play out  such as a conifer forest that transitions to chaparral or shrubland after a fire.

"It might not be the same forest that our parents or grandparents knew," Wang said. "But it could still look like something that is valuable to us."

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
During the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, a staggering number of students went "missing." Kindergarten enrollment rates dropped, and students already enrolled in classes failed to log in for online learning.

From March to October 2020, the education nonprofit Bellwether estimated, as many as 3 million students nationwide went missing from classrooms. Another estimate from FutureEd, an education think tank, found a sevenfold increase in the number of students missing at least half a school year during the pandemic.

Once in-person school resumed, many students didn't return to the classroom, nor did they register for homeschooling. No one knows exactly how to get them back.

According to the Associated Press (A.P.), California alone is missing more than 150,000 students, while New York is down nearly 60,000. In all, around 230,000 students in 21 states and Washington, D.C., are missing, which suggests that many more students are absent from classrooms nationwide. When the A.P. and Stanford University researchers analyzed data from pre-pandemic years, they found that almost no students were missing.

The government is now designing new interventions to try to keep these students from going uneducated. In 2021, Connecticut unveiled a program that sent trained visitors to the homes of more than 8,000 students. "Reaching out to family seems to be really important, because it's probably not just a student's own decision to be missing school or leaving school," says Jing Liu, an education researcher at the University of Maryland. Connecticut's program de-emphasizes the role of truancy courts to punish absent students and their guardians, a feature that should appeal to civil liberties advocates.

"It's the home visitors' job to build trust, [help parents] understand the importance of school, and [let them] know they don't need to worry and their kids are safe in school," a Connecticut State Department of Education official told Education Week in January. Nine months after their first visit, students in grades 612 served by the program had a 16-point increase in their attendance rates compared to chronically absent students who weren't visited.

"The key to keeping kids in school is noticing as soon as possible when they're starting to miss too much, so someone can go out and talk to them and re-engage them, and find out what would help them to come back," says Hedy Chang, executive director of the nonprofit Attendance Works. "If you let it go for months or years, you can't find them then."

The post Millions of Students Went 'Missing' From Classrooms During the Pandemic. Many Haven't Returned. appeared first on Reason.com.
The Swedish government has proposed a new military aid package for Ukraine worth 3.4 billion Swedish Krona ($314 million), Defense Minister Pal Jonson said on Aug. 15, cited by national broadcaster SVT.

The package reportedly includes ammunition and spare parts for Stridsfordon 90 combat vehicles and Archer artillery systems, as well as trucks and demining equipment.

Jonson hopes that the Riksdag, the highest decision-making assembly in Sweden, will approve the package this week, according to SVT.

"The counteroffensive is now in an active phase. We need to prepare for the fact that this war will be protracted and to have a long-term perspective so that we can support the weapons and systems we have sent," Jonson said, as cited by the media outlet.

Read also: Ukraines counteroffensive lurches forward: Key moment looms as more forces committed

The Swedish government also proposed to sell the country's air-to-air AMRAAM missiles to the U.S., which would then donate them to Ukraine.

"It is incredibly important for the Ukrainians that the Russians do not gain air supremacy as well as to have strong air defense," added Jonson.

Jonson also noted that the Swedish army's capabilities would deteriorate in the short term if the aid package is provided, but this should be remedied as soon as possible.

This is Sweden's 13th defense assistance package since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022. Stockholm has provided Kyiv with $1.6 billion in military aid so far, according to SVT.

Read also: Endless Russian assaults near Kreminna test Ukraines defenses

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
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The Ministry of National Defense spokesman Wu Qian. [Photo/mod.gov.cn]

China and Thailand will hold a joint anti-terror military training in Thailand from mid-August to early September, a Chinese defense spokesperson announced on Monday.

Wu Qian, spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, said the training, to be conducted by the armies of the two militaries, will strengthen anti-terrorism cooperation and contribute to regional peace and stability.
The 330 kV power line that supplies the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant was shut down due to damage that occurred on the territory of Belarus, Ukraine's Energy Ministry said on Aug. 15.

Over the past day, the main power lines of Ukraine's state-owned energy operator Ukrenergo have been shut down three times, the ministry said.

In Lviv Oblast, almost 290,000 residents were left without electricity for a short time due to a blackout of a 330 kV line. The reasons for the incident are being clarified, the ministry said.

As a result of Russian missile strikes against Lviv overnight, three 0.4 kV power lines were also damaged, disconnecting around 100 residents, the report added.

An overhead power line in Kyiv Oblast was also shut down due to a fallen tree, and a 220 kV substation in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast was turned off because of equipment damage, the ministry reported.

The Chornobyl power station was a site of a major nuclear disaster in 1986. The radiation leakage caused by the accident led to the creation of a restricted area known as the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. The plant is currently undergoing decommissioning.

The station was briefly occupied by Russian forces in the spring of 2022 during Russia's push toward Kyiv. Belarus claimed that during the Russian occupation, the Belarusian energy system was supplying electricity to the Chornobyl station.

Read also: Belarus Weekly: Sanctions, new passports, as Belarusians mark third anniversary of stolen election

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
A 17-year-old girl missing for two months may have someone keeping her in hiding, Indiana authorities say.

Valerie Tindall has been missing since June 7 after leaving her home in her green 2000 Honda Accord, according to the Rush County Sheriffs Office, who said eight days later she is believed to be in extreme danger.

The sheriffs office said in an Aug. 9 update that Valerie remains missing.

We believe it is possible that Valerie has been receiving aid from individual(s) whose goal is to keep her hidden, according to the sheriff. The RCSO is asking that everyone remain vigilant and keep on the lookout for anyone matching Valeries description.

Valerie is described as 5 feet, 6 inches, 162 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes. She may be wearing glasses, and it is possible she has changed her appearance.

The U.S. Marshals Service has recently been investigating Valeries disappearance, family members say.

We love her so much it hurts, Valeries mother, Shena Sandefur, told Whitewater Publications in July. We cry ourselves to sleep and wake up in tears. It is the worst pain you could ever feel. Not knowing why she left like that if she met up with someone and the worst happened.

Sandefur said she realized after three days that her daughter may have run away or something terrible had happened, Whitewater Publications reported.

Valerie turns 18 in August, said her aunt, Precious Miniard.

For the life of me, I cannot figure out how a 17 year old girl can just go missing. With no trace, Miniard said in a Facebook post. I hope & pray that she for some reason ran away. But even then, youd think there would be SOME KIND of clues as to help us find her. I just dont understand.

Anyone with information about Valeries whereabouts is asked to contact the Rush County Sheriffs Office at 765-932-2931.

Rush County is about 50 miles southeast of Indianapolis.

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An air and ground search for a missing Georgia man turned up dry as the search for him enters its fourth week.

Douglas Cordell Barnes, 36, was last seen July 19 leaving his home in White County, Georgia, according to a news release from the Hart County Sheriffs Office. On July 21, his gold F-150 truck was found stuck in the mud at a four-way intersection in Hart County, Georgia.

But Barnes wasnt reported missing until nine days after he was last seen, so when deputies first ran the plates on his abandoned truck, no flag was raised. On July 28, his family reported him missing to the White County Sheriffs Office, according to the news release.

When a Hart County deputy checked the abandoned vehicles registration again on July 31, he learned its owner was missing, investigators said.

Hart County Sheriffs deputies have searched multiple areas, gone door to door, and followed up on many leads in an attempt to locate Mr. Barnes, the sheriffs office wrote.

His truck was found about 50 miles southeast of White County near Lake Hartwell.

The weekend of Aug. 12, several county and state agencies, along with family members and locals, conducted a ground and air search to find Barnes, deputies said.

Texas EquuSearch, a nonprofit search and recovery program, helped with the weekend search as well.

I want to thank everybody and the law enforcement for doing everything they can to find my son, Barnes mother posted on Facebook. I pray for you all and I pray that if anybody does know anything, that they report it please I want my son please.

Barnes sister also thanked everyone who came out for the search and supported the family.

We will not give up on my brother and I know he will be found alive. This community and Lavonia has been wonderful, she wrote on Facebook.

Investigators are asking that the public share any information they may have.

Hart County is about 110 miles northeast of Atlanta.

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Missouri man linked to death and kidnapping of 2 Black women called for chain gangs, racist policing on Facebook

The Missouri man prosecutors have linked to the death of a Black woman found in a barrel and charged with the rape and kidnapping of another Black woman called for the return of severe punishment for criminals, including chain gangs, and said he supported racist, oppressive policing of Black people.

The comments by Timothy Haslett, who is white, were posted on Facebook in 2014 and 2020 and confirmed by NBC News.

Haslett advocated for harsh prison punishment nine years ago in the comment thread of a Facebook post calling for the executions of rapists and murderers. Other comments were posted in a Facebook group for Excelsior Springs, the city of 10,500 just north of Kansas City where Haslett lived.

Haslett, 40, was banned from the group in 2020 for making threatening comments, including after another user called him racist, according to one of the group's administrators, Micky McKown.

A local news outlet, The Kansas City Defender, previously reported Hasletts comments about policing.

The home where neighbors raised the alarm in Excelsior Springs, Mo. (Sarah Plake / KSHB)

Haslett was indicted in February on nine charges, including rape, sodomy and kidnapping. He has pleaded not guilty in the case, in which authorities said he held a 22-year-old woman captive for weeks in his basement before she escaped in October.

The woman had a metal collar around her neck and duct tape on her mouth, authorities have said in law enforcement documents. The body of a second woman whom authorities described as a "potential witness" in the kidnapping was found in a barrel in the Missouri River.

Haslett hasnt been charged in the death of the woman, Jaynie Crosdale. Her remains were identified last month.

A spokesman for the Clay County Prosecuting Attorneys Office, Alexander Higginbotham, declined to comment on Haslett's social media posts, citing the integrity of the ongoing case.

Citing state Supreme Court and Missouri Bar rules, Higginbotham has declined to say whether race is believed to have played a role in the crimes.

In the 2014 Facebook comment, Haslett wrote that criminals arent scared of rehabilitation. Nobody does hard time anymore. Take the luxuries out of prison. Institute statutory sentences for crimes. Eliminate parole and good time awards. If you go to prison it should be 24 hours in a concrete box with no ac, no heat, no Internet, no gym, and no school.

Haslett added: You work the chain gang in 100 degree heat in full coveralls and shackles. You do your full time. Make prison a PUNISHMENT. Make the cost of committing crime so severe that criminals decide it is not worth it. We cant rehabilitate these people.

Chain gangs, which were introduced in the U.S. in the 19th century and abolished around the time of World War II, were largely reserved for Black people and are widely considered a racist and brutal form of incarceration, said a spokesperson for Vera Institute for Justice, a nonprofit research group that advocates for criminal justice reform.

The person who posted the initial Facebook comment calling for executions didnt respond to a request for comment Monday.

In another exchange, on Oct. 8, 2020, Haslett responded to a comment posted in the Excelsior Spring Facebook group with a racist rant about Black people and comments expressing support for racist, oppressive policing.

The deleted rant was provided to NBC News by Joseph Allen, who was tagged in the comment.

McKown, the group administrator, didnt recall the Oct. 8 post but said that around the time of the 2020 election, Haslett, Allen and another user were regularly getting in arguments that resulted in name calling and over-the-line stuff. We were constantly having to delete content. But I wouldnt say he stood out more than anyone else.

Allen was also banned for "inciting conflict," McKown said.

Allen, 34, didnt recall what prompted Haslett's rant, though he said hed likely used colorful language to call out what he viewed as racism on the site.

When Haslett responded, Allen said, he captured a screenshot of the exchange.

I was like, Ive got to let people know this guy is an awful racist, Allen recalled. People probably wouldnt want to trust their kids around him.

Hasletts lawyer didnt respond to a request for comment. A message left at the phone number listed under Haslett's mother's name wasnt returned.

Allen said he sent the screenshot to a local racial justice group and contacted a contractor identified on Hasletts Facebook profile as his employer. The company didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

In another exchange on the Excelsior Springs group about Michelle Obama and school lunches, a user called out Haslett for his "racism."

He responded: "Why is the only person bringing race into this the same one calling everyone a racist?"

Another user chimed in, using an expletive to describe Haslett as racist.

"OK," Haslett responded. "Let's pretend that your right? Just what" are "you going to do about it?" he said, using an expletive.

A third user asked whether the comment was a threat.

"If I threatened you, you wouldn't have to ask if I did," he said, adding that the commenter was virtue-signaling and "changing the world one typo at a time."

McKown pointed to the exchange as one of the reasons Haslett was kicked out of the group.

Two years later, when authorities announced that Haslett had been arrested, Allen sent the screenshot and another comment Haslett posted about Breonna Taylor, the Black woman shot and killed by police in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2020, to The Kansas City Defender. Allen said he believed Haslett was likely to hurt someone, given his comments in the Facebook group.

But, he added, I didnt think it would be like this."

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday unanimously upheld a state law requiring school attendance, after two parents were sentenced to jail following numerous absences by their children.

In a 6-0 decision, the court ruled the law is not unconstitutionally vague, as the parents argued. The court also found enough evidence existed to support finding that the parents knowingly failed to make their children attend school on a regular basis. Judge George Draper didnt participate in the case.

Missouri law requires parents and guardians of children in enrolled public schools to ensure their children attend on a regular basis, but doesnt define the term.

Caitlyn Williams and Tamarae LaRue, both single parents, had children enrolled in Lebanon public schools who both missed 15 days of school, according to prosecutors. They were charged with class C misdemeanors and a judge found both guilty after a bench trial.

Williams was sentenced to seven days in jail and LaRue was sentenced to 15 days in jail, with the sentence suspended.

When measured by common understanding and practices, no Missouri parent would conclude attendance on a regular basis means anything less than having their child go to school on those days the school is in session, Judge Robin Ransom wrote for the court.

Ransom wrote that the law of course contains exceptions to the mandatory attendance requirements, but that those exceptions werent present in the record in the case. The parents didnt remove their children from the schools rolls or demonstrate that their children were mentally or physically incapacitated.

This nonattendance was not excused by any circumstance provided for in the statute, Ransom wrote. Given the notice provided to each parent and that each parent was in control of their young child, evidence existed to support the inference that each parent knowingly failed to cause their child to attend school on a regular basis.

A public defender representing the parents declined to comment in response to the ruling.
Combination of photos shows former US president Donald Trump (left) and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (right) (AFP via Getty Images)

Donald Trump has now been hit with his fourth criminal indictment  leaving him facing a combined 91 charges across two state and two federal cases and the prospect of the remainder of his life behind bars.

On 14 August, a grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, returned an indictment charging the former president and 18 of his staunchest allies over their efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state.

Defendant Donald John Trump lost the United States presidential election held on November 3, 2020, the indictment reads.

One of the states he lost was Georgia. Trump and the other Defendants charged in this Indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump.

That conspiracy contained a common plan and purpose to commit two or more acts of racketeering activity in Fulton County, Georgia, elsewhere in the State of Georgia, and in other states.

In the sweeping indictment, Mr Trump was charged with 13 criminal counts: violating RICOs statute, conspiracy to impersonate a public officer, two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery, two counts of conspiracy to make false statements under oath, two counts of conspiracy to file false documents, two counts of solicitation of a public officer, filing false documents, conspiracy to solicit false statements, and making false statements.

Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani was also hit with 13 charges, while the other alleged accomplices  including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, Kraken lawyer Sidney Powell and Kanye Wests former publicist Trevian Kutti  face fewer charges.

Heres some of the key takeaways from the sweeping 98-page indictment:

Trump and allies charged under mob boss law

Charged under Georgias Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute, the 19 defendants are accused of running a criminal enterprise with the goal of ensuring that Mr Trump remained in power at all costs.

The RICO statute is a Richard Nixon-era racketeering law originally passed to prosecute organised crime groups and mafia crime syndicates.

In brief, it allows prosecutors to bring different charges against multiple individuals who are all engaging in criminal activity for the purpose of a criminal end goal.

All 19 of the defendants were charged with violating Georgias RICO statute.

The indictment accuses Mr Trump and his allies of orchestrating and running a criminal enterprise in Fulton County, Georgia, and elsewhere, to accomplish the illegal goal of allowing Donald J. Trump to seize the presidential term of office, beginning on January 20, 2021.

Fani Willis announces charges against the criminal enterprise (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

This criminal organization constituted an enterprise as thatterm is deined in O.C.G.A.  l6-14-3(3), thatis, a group of individuals associated in fact. The Defendants and other members and associates ofthe enterprise had connections and relationships with one another and with the enterprise, it reads.

The criminal organisations members and associates engaged in various related criminal activities including, but not limited to, false statements and writings, impersonating apublic oficer, forgery, iling false documents, iniuencing witnesses, computer theft, computer trespass, computer invasion of privacy, conspiracy to defraud the state, acts involving theft, and perjury.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has previously used the RICO statute to bring sweeping charges last year against a gang which engaged in a high-profile string of robberies.

The use of the RICO statute is somewhat ironic for one of the defendants, Mr Giuliani, given he made his name as a former US attorney who prosecuted organised crime groups using that very same act.

In the bio on his freedom fund page  which seeks donations  he boasts that he pioneered the use of the RICO statute to take massive businesses away from not only the Mafia but other organized crime and illegal drug groups, crooked Wall Street con men, corrupt politicians from Congresspeople to many city, state and federal officials.

30 mystery co-conspirators

While Mr Trump and 18 of his close allies have all been hit with charges for their involvement in the criminal enterprise, the indictment also mentions another 30 mystery co-conspirators.

These alleged co-conspirators are not named in the indictment but are simply referred to as co-conspirators Individual l through Individual 30.

These individuals have not been charged with any crime, but are alleged to be part of the criminal organisation which engaged in criminal activities to keep Mr Trump in office.

Donald Trump with Rudy Giuliani in 2020 (AFP via Getty Images)

Defendants Donald John Trump, Rudolph William Louis Giuliani, John Charles Eastman, Mark Randall Meadows, Kenneth John Chesebro, Jeffrey Bossert Clark, Jenna Lynn Ellis, Ray Stallings Smith III, Robert David Cheeley, Michael A. Roman, David James Shafer, Shawn Micah Tresher Still, Stephen Cliffgard Lee, Harrison William Prescott Floyd, Trevian C. Kutti, Sidney Katherine Powell, Cathleen Alston Latham, Scott Graham Hall, Misty Hampton, unindicted co-conspirators Individual l through Individual 30, and others known and unknown to the Grand Jury, constituted a criminal organization whose members and associates engaged in various related criminal activities including, but not limited to, false statements and writings, impersonating a public oficer, forgery, iling false documents, iniuencing witnesses, computer theft, computer trespass, computer invasion of privacy, conspiracy to defraud the state, acts involving theft, and perjury, the indictment reads.

The identities of some of the alleged co-conspirators are easier to work out than others.

For example, the indictment refers to a 15 November 2020 phone call made by Mr Giuliani to unindicted co-conspirator Individual 2 in which he left a roughly 83-second-long voicemail message making statements concerning fraud in the November 3, 2020, election in Fulton County, Georgia.

It has previously been reported that Mr Giuliani tried to leave a voicemail message that day for Senator Tommy Tuberville  but accidentally called the wrong number.

While the identities of many of the alleged unindicted co-conspirators remain unclear, the other mystery is why these 30 individuals have not been charged with the other 19 members of the alleged criminal enterprise  and whether they could be hit with charges down the line.

Bizarre link to Kanye West

The indictment reveals a bizarre link between the alleged criminal enterprise and Kanye West as one of Mr Trumps 18 co-defendants used to be a member of the rappers inner circle.

Trevian Kutti, 51, used to work as Wests publicist.

In the sweeping indictment, unsealed on 14 August, prosecutors allege that Mr Kutti was recruited by co-defendant Harrison Floyd and travelled from Chicago, Illinois, to Atlanta, Georgia, to try to make contact with Ruby Freeman.

Ms Freeman was a Fulton County election worker who was falsely accused of election fraud by Mr Trumps allies  and faced a slew of harassment because of it.

Mr Kutti traveled to Ms Freemans home in Cobb County, Georgia, on 4 January 2021  two days before the Capitol riot and the certification of the electoral votes  but failed to contact her, the indictment alleges.

The indictment in Georgia against former President Donald Trump (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

He then allegedly called Ms Freeman and told her she was in danger but that he could help her.

Prosecutors allege that Mr Kutti tried to pressure Ms Freeman into admitting false claims of fraud  warning her she would face arrest if not. This was part of one of the key aspects of the criminal enterprise which focused on pressuring election workers and officials to aid in efforts to overturn the election.

Trumps tweets come back to haunt him

The evidence laid out in the indictment includes public comments, phone calls, White House meetings and, of course, the speeches Mr Trump and some of his allies gave to his supporters moments before a mob stormed the US Capitol.

But theres another thing that has particularly come back to haunt Mr Trump: his tweets.

Dozens of his tweets are cited as part of the 41 criminal counts in the indictment.

Among the most notable were Mr Trumps tweets on the morning of 6 January 2021.

If Vice President @Mike_Pence comes through for us, we will Win the Presidency. Many States want to decertify the mistake they made in certifying incorrect & even fraudulent numbers in a process NOT approved by their State Legislatures (which it must be). Mike can send itback! he wrote.

In another tweet, he wrote: States want to correct their votes, which they now know were based on irregularities and fraud, plus corrupt process never received legislative approval. All Mike Pence has to do is send them back to the States, AND WE WIN. Do it Mike, this is a time for extreme courage!

The indictment says that both of these tweets were an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy.

Mr Trump was banned from Twitter following the January 6 Capitol riot  prompting him to launch his own Truth Social platform where he continues to unleash his unchecked rants. His Twitter account was reinstated in November by the platforms new boss Elon Musk.

Voting equipment breach revealed

The indictment lays out details of a little-known plot to breach the voting systems in Coffee County, Georgia  unlawfully accessing private voter data as part of an attempt to try to prove election fraud.

Kraken lawyer Sidney Powell was a key player in this plot which continued long after the Capitol riot and President Joe Bidens inauguration  with prosecutors outlining alleged racketeering activity through January, February and April 2021.

Donald Trump speaks to supporters from The Ellipse near the White House in Washington, DC on 6 January 2021 (AFP via Getty Images)

According to the indictment, unindicted co- conspirators unlawfully accessed certain data copied from Dominion Voting Systems equipment at the Coffee County Board ofElections & Registration Oiice in Coffee County, Georgia, by downloading said data from a server maintained by Sullivan Strickler LLC.

Co-defendant Misty Hampton also allowed unindicted co-conspirators to access non-public areas of the Coffee County elections office and access the Dominion Voting Systems equipment, the indictment alleges.

Trump ally admitted they couldnt legally overturn election before Jan 6

In a meeting two days before the January 6 Capitol riot, one of the key players in the alleged criminal enterprise admitted that they could not legally overturn the election, according to the indictment.

On 4 January 2021, Mr Trump and attorney and co-defendant John Eastman met with then-vice president Mike Pence, Mr Pences chief of staff Marc Short and Mr Pences counsel Greg Jacob in the White House Oval Ofice.

During the meeting, prosecutors allege that Mr Trump and Mr Eastman pushed Mr Pence to either reject electoral votes from certain states or delay the joint session of Congress on 6 January  when the electoral college votes would be certified for President Joe Biden.

This was part of a key part of the plot to keep Mr Trump in power, which focused heavily on pressuring Mr Pence and falsely claiming to the American people that he had the power to stop Mr Biden from taking office.

Yet, despite these public claims, the indictment alleges that Mr Eastman knew this was not the case and admitted this in the meeting attended by Mr Trump.

During the meeting, John Charles Eastman admitted both options violatedthe Electoral Count Act. This was an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy, the indictment alleges.
President Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster on August 14 - JIM WATSON

Donald Trumps many critics have long accused him of operating like a mob boss.

Now prosecutors in Georgia are using a law designed to convict gangsters like John Gotti and El Chapo against the former president.

Prosecutors brought racketeering and several other charges against Mr Trump, 77, late on Monday night.

Rudy Giuliani, the former prosecutor and New York mayor has also been indicted on racketeering offences. He denies the charges.

It is a remarkable twist for Mr Giuliani, who was known as a pioneer of RICO laws, which he wielded to take down New Yorks notorious gangsters.

Just last month, his spokesman hailed the former New York mayors effective use of the mobster statute in [taking] down the Mafia and cleaning up New York City.

Find me the votes

The case began with Mr Trumps now infamous phone call to Georgias top election official, asking him to find more than 11,000 votes to win the state.

It was Jan 2, 2021, Mr Trumps final weeks in office, when he called Brad Raffensperger, to pressure him to help reverse Joe Bidens victory in the state.

So look, all I want to do is this, Mr Trump told him, I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have.

A recording of the phone call was published by US media the very next day.

It just so happened that the following day, Jan 3, was Fani Willis first day in her job as the district attorney for Fulton County, Georgia.

My very first day in this office, she later recalled, its all over the TV.

Ms Willis, an elected Democrat, said she found herself hoping that Mr Raffensperger might have been in another county when the call occurred.

She soon found the incident fell under her jurisdiction. Im stuck with it, she told the New York Times.

White House pressure campaign

And so began Ms Willis 2.5 year investigation into Mr Trumps potentially illegal attempts to influence the results of the 2020 election.

The case assembled by Ms Willis paints a vivid portrait of the extraordinary lengths Mr Trump and his allies went to in their crusade.

They involved not just the president, but senior White House officials, Republican operatives, Trump-allied lawyers and even a low-level official within the US Justice Department.

In addition to his infamous phone call, Mr Trump spent weeks spreading unsubstantiated claims of widespread election fraud in an aggressive pressure campaign to sway public opinion.

The effort in Georgia began two days after the November 3, 2020 presidential election.

The then-presidents eldest son, Donald Jr, travelled to the Georgia Republican Partys headquarters in Atlanta to deliver a message to Republicans officials in person: back my father, or else.

Americans need to know this is not a banana republic, the younger Mr Trump shouted, as he repeated claims that Georgia and other critical states had been overrun by election malfeasance.

Someones gonna get killed

As Joe Biden inched closer to victory in the 2020 election, Mr Trump intensified his rhetoric.

He branded Mr Raffensperger an enemy of the people and amplified his claims of election rigging.

It led Gabriel Sterling, an aide to Mr Raffensperger, to stage a press conference detailing the wave of threatening messages volleyed at Georgias election offices.

Someones gonna get killed, Mr Raffensperger said, visibly shaken.

Mr Trumps allies also falsely claimed rank-and-file election workers were guilty of throwing away ballots, and circulated a selectively-edited video to amplify the claims.

In one of the more bizarre twists, a publicist for Kanye West, confronted one of the election workers at her home and accused her of fraud.

The ensuing death threats against the election workers forced one into hiding.

Fake electors

There was also a broader alleged scheme to subvert the election result.

Mr Trumps allies hatched a possible plan to use fake electors to override the popular vote and falsely certify that he had won Georgia and other states.

Two lawyers, Mr Giuliani and John Eastman, were heavily involved in the scheme.

In an appearance before Georgias lawmakers, Mr Giuliani claimed there was ample evidence the election was a sham and that the Republican-controlled legislature had the power to appoint pro-Trump electors.

The culmination of that plan was the deadly riots at the US Capitol as Congress gathered to formally certify the results.

On Monday night Mr Giuliani, 79, called the charges against him an affront to American Democracy.

The real criminals here are the people who have brought this case forward both directly and indirectly, he said.

Mob boss law used to charge Trump

In bringing a criminal suit against Mr Trump, Ms Willis has deployed one of her favourite prosecutorial tools: RICO laws.

Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations (Rico) laws have famously been used to take down the Mafia and other mob bosses.

But Georgias sprawling racketeering law is broader in scope than most. It makes it a crime to participate in, acquire or maintain control of an enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity or to conspire to do so.

Ms Willis has used Rico with great success in a number of high-profile prosecutions, including against gang members, high school teachers and a Grammy-winning rapper.

A Rico indictment enables prosecutors to provide a complete picture of all the alleged illegal activity, which can include detailed information that might not relate to specific crimes but is relevant to the broader alleged scheme.

Rico charges also carry a heavy potential sentence that can be added on top of the penalty for the underlying acts.

In Georgia, a Rico conviction carries a potential jail term of five to 20 years; a fine of $25,000 or three times the amount of money gained from the criminal activity, whichever is greater; or both a prison sentence and a fine.

Im a fan of Rico, Ms Willis said last year.

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The concept of Artificial Intelligence is an ever-changing field that will continue to reinvent almost every aspect of our lives, including education. AI is an intelligence demonstrated by machines that can learn, adapt and reason. In the near future, we can expect to see an even greater shift in the use of AI and technology in the workplace, cybersecurity, search engines and, of course, the classroom.

Though using AI can be a risk, it can also be an extremely efficient tool to enhance the learning process.

It is crucial for students and teachers to understand both the limitations and the potential of AI on school campuses. The Modesto City School District, however, has decided to hold off on making guidelines regarding AI.

Opinion

Mike Rich, an associate superintendent at Modesto City Schools, said the district awaits guidance from the California Department of Education as to the local use of AI in the education system in a thoughtful, effective way.

The CDE and the California School Board Association will guide school districts, such as us, to a model policy to adjust how students will justify their learning as AI becomes increasingly more entrenched in education, Rich said.

One of the more recent iterations of AI are chatbots such as ChatGPT. These are online programs that utilize AI to interpret customer questions and formulate detailed responses instantly. These tools are extremely powerful as they have the ability to gather information, answer questions and summarize documents all with minimal effort from the user.

Though these chatbots can be helpful and efficient, they can also be dangerous. Using them can pose undesirable outcomes such as responses skewed with bias. For instance, if a student is assigned an essay they dont want to write, they might choose to have a chatbot complete it on their behalf. Students should be directed to think critically and extract information on their own rather than rely on bots, which can have severe consequences for plagiarism.

TurnItIn.com, a software that can detect similarities between over 91 billion webpages and previously submitted student work, is a common service teachers use. More recently, TurnItIn has developed an AI detection capability, which can detect machine text. TurnItIn claims its technology is 98% accurate, however flaws in the technology were apparent when put to the test by The Washington Post.

Already, we are seeing that the vastness of AI is an impediment to students learning. Simply put, students dont understand AI. They have not yet been taught that AI does not generate unique answers when given the same prompt by different people, and that AI can confidently generate incorrect answers.

There have been cases where students have made the decision to entirely plagiarize their essay from a chatbot and gotten caught. This single act tarnished their previously pristine academic record, affecting their transcript and future education.

Though there are disadvantages, AI can be used as a significant tool in education and has the capacity to be used to their advantage. Students and educators alike must be guided on how to navigate the new and nuanced territory of AI.

Students, teachers and parents can benefit from using AI to make learning more efficient and accessible to all. Students can use chatbots to create mock exams and practice questions, analyze their performance on a particular subject, interact with information from their textbook, create flashcards and deliver feedback. Chatbots can assist teachers in creating classroom content and lesson plans; expedite the grading process; analyze class progress and performance; and reduce workload through being a virtual assistant.

Most importantly, AI tutoring systems can help bridge the gap between schools that receive more funding and the Modesto City School District, narrowing the disparities in educational resources and opportunities.

Sabrina Toor is a 15-year-old sophomore from Modesto High School.
SPANISH LAKE, Mo.  Joshua Jones Jr. is taking it all in after a recent midnight miracle on the Missouri River.

Inspired by a contest, and with support from his father, Joshua made a once-in-a-lifetime catch around midnight Wednesday, reeling in a 108-pound catfish from the river near the St. Louis suburb of Spanish Lake, KTVI reports.

Joshua had actually dozed off when the catch happened, exhausted after a long night of fishing.

I was sleeping when the fish got on, so it kind of woke me up, said Joshua. And then I felt the pull and drag, which really woke me up.

Suspects wanted after shooting Independence gas station clerk

It took about 20 minutes of fighting the line, but Joshua was able to reel in a monster-sized catfish and get it on the boat.

It was pretty exciting at first when I was fighting the fish, said Joshua.

He developed his passion and fishing skills through a bond with his father, Joshua Jones Sr. The two have spent countless hours out on the water.

I had him on the bank before he could walk, trying to catch bluegills, said Joshua Sr.

A love for angling is something Joshua Sr. learned from his father, driving his inspiration to teach his own two sons.

I couldnt wait to have a boy to take out with me and fish and be my best friend out on the river, said Joshua Sr.

A best friend, also ready to battle the bite. Take your time. Take your time. Take your time, said Joshua Sr. recalled telling his son as they worked to tire the massive fish.

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Joshua Jr. recalled several instances where he had to grab the catfish with his own hand, guiding it in the right direction. After grueling minutes of toggling with the fishing rod, the small boats crew conquered the catfish.

Its a monster! Its a monster! both said in a video they recorded of the encounter.

What did young Joshua do with his big catch? He took a photo with it, then released it in hopes of entering it into a contest.

He was determined and always told me, Im going to catch the record. I want to catch a 100-pound fish, and he caught it, said Joshua Sr.

Missouri recalls more than 60K marijuana products

We come out here to fish, but we also come out here to hunt for those big fish, said Joshua Sr.

They were hoping for a $500 reward in a Mad Katz fishing contest. Joshua Jr. and his father thought theyd be making history and getting a few extra bucks for their bait. Unfortunately, they were disqualified due to a rule violation  judges were unable to visually see the bottom of the net while the pair completed the weigh in.

A lot of guys search for a fish like that for a long time, said Joshua Sr.

The whole Jones family has caught countless catfish out on the Missouri waters, but they havent seen anything of this size before. Joshua Sr. realizes that no matter how big the catch, fishing is more about the connections.

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To get out here and experience such a thing, to throw a fishing rod, big fish, small fish  a lot of times, it doesnt matter. Just love the experience itself, he said.

According to CatfishEdge.com, the largest catfish ever caught in the Missouri River weighed 130 pounds. Greg Bernal caught the catfish in 2010, a one-time world record.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
Montana Republicans responded to Mondays ruling in a landmark climate case with statements painting the judge as an environmental activist and dismissing the 16 youth plaintiffs  their own constituents  as pawns and members of a climate cult.

It was a rather stunning reaction given that the case centered on a unique provision in Montanas Constitution guaranteeing citizens the right to a clean and healthful environment. The plaintiffs, ages 5 to 22, argued during a seven-day trial in June that state agencies had violated this constitutional right by approving fossil fuel projects without considering climate impacts.

District Court Judge Kathy Seeley ultimately agreed. In her 103-page ruling, Seeley wrote that the plaintiffs have proven that as children and youth, they are disproportionately harmed by fossil fuel pollution and climate impacts, and that their injuries will grow increasingly severe and irreversible without science-based actions to address climate change.

One might expect Republicans to be outraged that the states government was found to have violated their constituents constitutional protections. Instead, they attacked both the young plaintiffs and the judge, and defended Montanas polluting industries.

Activist judges, even here in MT, are helping far-Left environmentalists push their green hallucination down the throats of Americans, Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), who has received more than $1.2 million in oil and gas industry donations over his career, wrote on social media. Shutting down energy projects that support an all-of-the-above energy portfolio is setting America on a dangerous path. We must reverse course.

Activist judges, even here in MT, are helping far-Left environmentalists push their green hallucination down the throats of Americans.



Shutting down energy projects that support an all-of-the-above energy portfolio is setting America on a dangerous path. We must reverse course. https://t.co/dGDatml9sD  Steve Daines (@SteveDaines) August 14, 2023

Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) called the plaintiffs pawns.

This is not a school project. Its a courtroom, he wrote. Judge Seeley did a huge disservice to the courts and to these youths by allowing them to be used as pawns in the Lefts poorly thought-out plan to ruin our power grid and compromise our national security in the name of their Green New Fantasy.

Emily Flower, a spokesperson for Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen (R), slammed the ruling as absurd and called the trial a taxpayer-funded publicity stunt.

Montanans cant be blamed for changing the climate, Flower said in a statement. Their same legal theory has been thrown out of federal court and courts in more than a dozen states. It should have been here as well, but they found an ideological judge who bent over backward to allow the case to move forward and earn herself a spot in their next documentary.

Tim Sheehy, a Montana businessman who was recruited by Republicans to take on Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) in 2024, extended his streak of toeing the party line.

The latest example of a liberal activist judge trying to legislate radical Green New Deal disastrous policies from the bench, Sheehy wrote on social media. We must fight back and take a strong stand against the climate cult and their job-killing agenda.

The latest example of a liberal activist judge trying to legislate radical Green New Deal disastrous policies from the bench.



We must fight back and take a strong stand against the climate cult and their job-killing agenda.https://t.co/wYnAqGWcI0  Tim Sheehy (@SheehyforMT) August 14, 2023

Sheehy is the founder of Bridger Aerospace, a Bozeman-based aerial firefighting business. Prior to launching his Senate bid, Sheehys company notably scrubbed language about fighting on the front lines of climate change from its website, as ABC News reported last month.

The Republican response to Mondays ruling is the latest example of the party burying its head in the sand about the mounting impacts of climate change  extreme heat, wildfire, flooding and mass coral bleaching, to name a few  while working to increase production of planet-warming fossil fuels.

During the June trial, several youth plaintiffs testified about the many ways that fossil fuel-driven climate change has affected their lives and health, both physical and mental.

Todays ruling in Montana is a game-changer that marks a turning point in this generations efforts to save the planet from the devastating effects of human-caused climate chaos, said Julia Olson, chief legal counsel and executive director of Our Childrens Trust, one of the legal organizations that represented plaintiffs in the case. This is a huge win for Montana, for youth, for democracy and for our climate.

The Montana attorney generals office has promised to appeal the ruling.

Related...
 Flash

The Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, China. [Photo/Xinhua]

China firmly opposes all forms of official interaction between the Taiwan authorities and countries having diplomatic ties with China, foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Monday.

Wang made the remarks when asked to comment on the visit last week to Taiwan by three lawmakers from the Baltic States, one each from Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia.

Wang stressed that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory.

"We urge relevant parties to abide by the one-China principle, refrain from sending wrong signals to the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces and take concrete actions to safeguard the sound and steady development of bilateral relations," Wang said.
Youth plaintiffs in the climate change lawsuit, Held vs. Montana, arrive at the Lewis and Clark County Courthouse, on June 20, 2023, in Helena, Mont., for the final day of the trial. A Montana judge ruled in favor of young environmental activists, stating that fossil fuel development must consider climate change when considering fossil fuel projects. | Thom Bridge/Independent Record via Associated Press

In a historic win for climate activists, a Montana judge ruled in favor of 16 young plaintiffs, stating that the state was violating their constitutional rights by failing to consider climate change when approving fossil fuel projects.

District Court Judge Kathy Seeley ruled Monday that by allowing fossil fuel development, state agencies were violating a clause in the state constitution that guarantees the right to a clean and healthful environment.

The lawsuit  Held v. Montana  was the United States first constitutional climate trial, CNN reported.

How will the ruling affect future climate trials?

The ruling is a historic one because it represents the first time a U.S. court has ruled against the government for violating a constitutional right based on climate change, Harvard Law School Professor Richard Lazarus told The Associated Press.

To be sure, it is a state court not a federal court and the ruling is based on a state constitution and not the U.S. Constitution, but it is still clearly a major, pathbreaking win for climate plaintiffs, said Lazarus.

Julia Olson, the founder of Our Childrens Trust, the legal nonprofit that represented the plaintiffs, called the ruling a game-changer in the fight against climate change.

This is a huge win for Montana, for youth, for democracy, and for our climate. More rulings like this will certainly come, Olson said in a press release.

The ruling could set a legal precedent for similar cases at the state level.

Our Childrens Trust currently has climate cases in four other states: Florida, Hawaii, Utah and Virginia.

Related

Will the ruling stand?

The Montana attorney generals office stated Monday that it would appeal the ruling, sending the case to the Montana Supreme Court.

This ruling is absurd, but not surprising from a judge who let the plaintiffs attorneys put on a weeklong taxpayer-funded publicity stunt that was supposed to be a trial, Emily Flower, spokesperson for the attorney general, said per AP. Montanans cant be blamed for changing the climate.

If the ruling stands, Montana, which gets one-third of its energy from fossil fuels, according to The New York Times, must consider the impact on the climate when approving fossil fuel projects in the state.
Montgomery County Common Pleas Court was been awarded a grant to help make their courtrooms safer.

The court was awarded $47, 585 by the Supreme Court of Ohio, according to a media release.

>> Local firefighters awarded over $200,000 in federal funding

The grant money will be used to replace the X-ray machine used by the probation services department at the Reibold Building on West 4th Street.

The machine screens around 700 people a day and is more than a decade old, the court said.

The Supreme Court is awarding a total of $2.9 million to 42 local courts for technology systems or upgrades.




A Missouri resident has been arrested and charged with arson in a March fire that displaced residents at an apartment complex in Overland Park, according to court records.

Chrissy I. Carter, 28, of Lowry City, Missouri, was arrested August 8 and charged with three counts of arson with risk of bodily harm, a felony, according to Johnson County Sheriffs Office arrest and booking records. Carter is being held on $100,000 bond.

An Overland Park police officer responded around 2:49 a.m. on March 19 to the Sheridan Ridge Townhomes, 8403 Carter St., where a 911 caller reported someone screaming, according to an affidavit filed in Johnson County District Court. A 911 call taker could hear the person yelling Come on! and What the f*** is wrong with you?

The responding officer heard Carter yelling for help and saw heavy, black smoke billowing out of the home. Carter was on the sidewalk in front of the residence, according to the affidavit.

Police evacuated residents and contacted fire crews who responded around 3 a.m.





When asked how the fire started, Carter told police she started cooking hot dogs on the stove but fell asleep on the sofa. The fire had already started when she woke up. Her boyfriend tried to put it out, but it was too late, according to the affidavit.

Police and detectives said Carter later gave conflicting accounts of how the fire started.

All residents had evacuated the building safely, but residents from eight units of the two-story complex were displaced, Jason Rhodes, a spokesman for the Overland Park Fire Department, said in March.

Crews had the fire under control within two hours.

No injuries were reported and a local chapter of the Red Cross helped displaced residents.

The Stars Matti Gellman contributed to this report.
Metropolitan Pavel of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) in Ukraine, who was charged with inciting religious enmity and justifying Russias armed aggression, has suffered an acute myocardial infarction, his lawyer Mykyta Chekman wrote on Telegram on Aug. 15.

Read also: OCU Metropolitan Epiphanius announces plan to screen priests who switch from Moscow Patriarchate

According to official information from a health care facility, Metropolitan Pavel has been diagnosed with an acute myocardial infarction, the lawyer said.

The metropolitan was hospitalized and underwent surgery on Aug. 14, Chekman said.

On April 1, Ukraines SBU security service charged Pavel (Peter Lebed) with incitement of religious enmity and justification and denial of Russias armed aggression against Ukraine.

Later that day, Kyivs Shevchenkivskyi District Court placed Pavel under a 60-day house arrest, which included the requirement to wear an electronic tracking bracelet. The metropolitan has referred to the case as political.

Read also: High-ranking ROC priest in Ukraine sentenced to five years imprisonment

Pavel was charged amidst the refusal of the ROC to vacate the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery, despite the state terminating the lease agreement for the property.

Read also: Wake up and finally stop serving evil  OCUs Metropolitan Epiphanius to worshippers of Russian Orthodox Church

On July 13, the SBU charged Pavel over comments he made in an interview in which he allegedly denied Ukraines status as a sovereign state, and referred to Russias war against Ukraine as a civil war.

Previously confined to house arrest, Metropolitan Pavel in Ukraine was then ordered to jail until Aug. 14, with bail set at UAH 33 million ($900,000).

The metropolitan was subsequently released on Aug. 7 after his bail was posted by parishioners, his lawyer said.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Fox News legal analyst Andy McCarthy warned that former President Donald Trump's indictment by a Fulton County, Ga., grand jury is "his most perilous" case yet. McCarthy in a New York Post op-ed ahead of the indictment compared the Georgia case with Trump's prosecution by special counsel Jack Smith and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, arguing that the New York hush-money case "harmed no one" and although there is "significant overlap" between the D.C. indictment and the one in Georgia, "Smith's problem is that the federal penal statutes he has invoked  relating to fraud, obstruction, and civil rights  do not clearly and narrowly target the kind of conduct in which Trump engaged."

"Willis, by contrast, is probing serious misconduct  the duplicitous and heavy-handed schemes by which Trump tried to remain in power despite losing the election," McCarthy wrote, predicting that Willis would have "smoother sailing" than Smith because state laws are "specifically designed to deal with election-interference conduct of the kind Trump engaged in." Though the Fulton case isn't as "cut-and-dried" as the Mar-a-Lago documents case, he wrote, "Willis' case may well be more straightforward  less legally problematic  than Smith's election interference case, and it will surely be more compelling than Bragg's nakedly partisan business records indictment."

"What should most concern Trump is that the Georgia case could be the most enduring of all the criminal indictments," he added. "If Trump or another Republican were to win the 2024 election, the new president could issue a pardon or otherwise have their Justice Department drop Smith's federal indictments against Trump... It remains to be seen whether Wills can convince a jury of Atlantans to convict Trump. But even a newly elected President Trump could not make the Georgia prosecution go away."
A 23-year-old man was killed in a motorcycle wreck Monday afternoon around the same time that Raleigh police were investigating a shooting a mile away, but the two incidents arent related, police said.

Raleigh police said Zahmir Williams was heading westbound at 3:08 p.m. on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard on his 2006 Honda motorcycle when he ran off the roadway onto the sidewalk. He was ejected from his motorcycle near the intersection of South Bloodworth Street. He died of his injuries at the hospital.

Police said he was operating his motorcycle over the 35 mph speed limit when the road curved to the left.

At 2:56 p.m., about a mile east, police were investigating a shooting in the 1600 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. A woman was seriously injured after being shot and was taken to the hospital. Her condition was unavailable Monday night.

Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard is a busy thoroughfare south of downtown Raleigh.

Police did not provide details about a suspect but said the suspect and the woman who was shot know each other. Police called it an isolated incident.

They are seeking information on the shooting and ask anyone to call Crimestoppers at 919-996-1193 or by going to p3tips.com/89.
Expanding the Hillsborough County Commission could come with a price.

The cost of expediting a voter referendum could run as high as $2.5 million for a special election. Adding two seats to the seven-member commission also would be accompanied by $1 million annually in additional salary and benefits, plus a one-time expense of $200,000 to add office space.

The price estimates are contained in a report to be presented to commissioners Wednesday. Staff members compiled the information at the request of Commissioner Michael Owen, who has said voters should consider expanding the commission to nine single-member districts.

For the past 40 years, the county has been steered by a voter-approved charter that established a board of seven commissioners. Four are elected to represent separate geographical areas and three hold at-large seats elected by voters countywide.

Owen, who took office in November 2022, has said the current make-up is becoming unworkable because the countys population has grown to 1.5 million people. Owen did not respond immediately to texts and voicemail messages seeking comment for this story.

Critics see Owens proposal as a power grab by a Republican majority trying to gerrymander its way to long-term political control of the commission.

A special election, costing $2.5 million for in-person voting or $1.5 million for mail-only ballots, likely is needed to meet the timeline advocated by Owen. He said previously he wanted the referendum presented to voters early enough so redistricting, if approved, could occur in time for the November 2024 general election.

But the March 19, 2024, presidential primary election, the date targeted by Owen, leaves little time to redraw district lines. Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimers office said it needs final redistricting data by April 8, 2024, to ensure sufficient time to update voter registration and mapping prior to the start of local candidates circulating petitions to qualify for the 2024 ballot.

The timeline leaves just one week for the county to redraw district maps and forward the information to the supervisor of elections since the deadline to certify the primary election and referendum results is March 31.

A special election, the cost of which would be borne by the county, could be scheduled for mid-January to build in additional time.

The commission would need to approve the ordinance creating the referendum and schedule the January election by mid-September.

The expense of a special election could pose a tricky political question for a commission majority, some of whom have been critical of past spending decisions. Commissioner Josh Wostal, for instance, has targeted county appropriations to nonprofit charities as an extravagance he wants to rein in.

I wouldnt support a special election, Wostal said Monday. I wouldnt support the (supervisor of elections) running a special, costly election for it. I would only support it at a normal, regularly scheduled election that they will be advertising for and setting up shop for.

The newly released cost estimates raised eyebrows considering a 2015 public debate over the same issue  that never reached voters  put extra salary and benefit costs at $700,000 and didnt involve a call for a special election.

Way too much money to go to a special election and cost of single-member districts. That money should go to affordable housing, Ione Townsend, chairperson of the Hillsborough Democratic Executive Committee, said in a text message.

Were creating a commission that is more expensive, Commissioner Pat Kemp said in an interview after Owen first pitched the idea in June. I keep hearing about the cost of government. Its more expenses. Wed have to have more aides, more staff time  all for less democracy at more cost.
A former South Carolina attorney was sentenced to 46 months in prison on Tuesday after admitting to helping his best friend Alex Murdaugh steal millions from the family of the scions late housekeeper.

Cory Fleming, 54, pleaded guilty in May to federal conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in the scheme to defraud Gloria Satterfields family from a wrongful death lawsuit settlement. Prosecutors said that Fleming helped Murdaugh, his former law school roommate, divert upwards of $4.3 million in insurance money meant for Satterfields sons after her 2018 death.

Eric Bland, who represents the Satterfield family, told The Daily Beast that Flemings Tuesday sentencing was contentious and that things got tense with District Judge Richard Gergel.

Gergel was mad that I was going through all of Cory Flemings misdeeds that led up to this point, Bland explained via text message, adding that he believed Flemings sentence was very strong.

After the hearing, Fleming was reportedly taken into custody by U.S. Marshals. In addition to the sentence, he was ordered to pay $102,000 in restitution and a $20,000 fine. He will also serve three years of probation when he gets out.

Fleming is the second Murdaugh associate to be hit with jail time for aiding the disgraced lawyer in a financial crime. Earlier this month, former banker Russell Laffitte was sentenced to seven years in federal prison for aiding Murdaugh in his decades-long fraud to steal millions from his clients and law firm.

The Untold Story of the Bomb Threat That Derailed Alex Murdaughs Murder Trial

Murdaugh, who is already serving two life sentences for fatally shooting his wife and son in June 2021, also faces more than 100 federal and state charges for a variety of schemes, including a financial scheme a judge once called one of the greatest scandals in modern South Carolina history.

But unlike Laffitte, Fleming was not expected to receive a stiff prison sentence. Fleming agreed to plead guilty before he was formally charged and accepted responsibility in the Satterfield scheme.

Prosecutors said that, after Satterfield died after a fall at Murdaughs home, Murdaugh hatched a plan to financially gain from her death. He allegedly urged Satterfields two sons to hire Fleming to file a claim against him to collect his homeowners insurance policy. Then, Murdaugh allegedly pushed his insurers to settle for a multi-million-dollar figure.

But Satterfields sons never saw a dime. During Murdaughs February murder trial, Tony Satterfield told the court that his family only learned about the payout after the 2021 double homicide. (Murdaugh has since agreed to pay the Satterfields $4.3 million and issued an apology for the scheme.)

Fleming has since admitted that he knew Murdaugh was going to steal from the wrongful death settlement, but believed his friend was merely going to skim about $100,000 in attorneys fees. Prosecutors also conceded that they do not believe Fleming knew the extent of Murdaughs scheme, though they do accuse him of filing fake paperwork to speed up the settlement approval and overstating his expenses.

Tuesdays sentencing is not the end of the legal road for Fleming, who still faces 23 state charges and is scheduled to go to trial in September. The South Carolina Attorney Generals Office has maintained its plans to continue with Flemings case, which includes 18 charges related to the Satterfield settlement, even though he will avoid state prison.

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Despite a torrent of letters from friends and family saying what a fine father, husband and man ex-lawyer Cory Fleming is, U.S. Judge Richard Gergel on Tuesday sentenced him to nearly four years in federal prison for his role in a $4.3 million theft of insurance proceeds resulting from the 2018 slip-and-fall death of Alex Murdaughs family housekeeper.

Fleming was sentenced to 46 months in prison and ordered to pay $102,000 in restitution and a $20,000 fine. Fleming was immediately taken into custody by U.S. marshals.

Gergel called Flemings actions egregious, and said the sentence was intended to send a message to the public.

Fleming, 54, of Beaufort, had pleaded guilty in June to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years. Guidelines in his case said he should serve at least 46 months  nearly four years  in prison.

The $4.3 million of liability insurance was supposed to go to the two sons of longtime Murdaugh housekeeper Gloria Satterfield, but Murdaugh  helped by Fleming  hatched a scheme whereby nearly all of that money was diverted to him and Fleming. Murdaugh wound up with most of it.

Fleming and his former law firm received $676,255.59 from the theft, with the rest of the $4.3 million going to Murdaugh, according to evidence in the case. That money has since been disgorged and given to the Satterfield sons, Tony Satterfield and Brian Harriott.

Tuesdays sentence closed another chapter in the sordid, shocking saga of convicted murderer Murdaugh, a once-prominent lawyer whose alleged white collar thefts of millions of dollars from law partners, clients, friends and others attracted national publicity as they were slowly exposed by law enforcement, lawyers and journalists over the last two years.

Flemings sentence also marked yet another South Carolina lawyer being sent to prison after getting caught in a high profile white collar crime. The list includes Richard Breibart of Lexington, who stole from clients; former 5th Circuit Solicitor Dan Johnson, who stole from public funds; and former Rep. Jim Harrison, R-Richland, who accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments while in the Legislature. .

The list also includes Murdaugh, the fourth-generation scion of a Lowcountry legal dynasty who stands accused by state and federal officials of stealing millions. Although Murdaugh admitted, during his sworn testimony in a trial earlier this year, to stealing millions, he has yet to stand trial or formally plead guilty to any of the white collar charges against him. Murdaugh was convicted in March of murdering his wife, Maggie, and son Paul; he is now serving two consecutive life sentences in state prison.

Gloria Satterfield died of injuries received during a fall, reportedly caused by Murdaughs dogs, on the front steps of the Murdaugh family house, a two-story abode on the 1,770-acre family estate north of the town Hampton in southeastern South Carolina.

Fleming, who practiced law in Beaufort, was one of Murdaughs closest friends. The two met in the early 1990s at the University of South Carolina School of Law in Columbia and stayed friends after their 1994 graduation. Fleming gave up his law license in June, sparing him the indignity of being disbarred.

The embezzlement of $4.3 million of Satterfields estate was first revealed in early fall 2021 in a lawsuit brought by attorneys Eric Bland and Ronnie Richter, who represented Satterfields sons. The lawsuit alleged Murdaugh, Fleming and others had schemed to steal insurance proceeds from her death.

Fleming had no knowledge of Murdaughs numerous other criminal schemes to defraud others, prosecutors have said.

Attorney Debbie Barbier, who represents Fleming, portrayed him in her sentencing memo as being fooled by Murdaugh. Like many people, Mr. Fleming was under the impression that Mr. Murdaugh was a successful attorney from a wealthy and influential family who was happily married and a loving father.

Fleming also faces charges in the Satterfield case from the state grand jury. In March 2022, Fleming was indicted on 30 counts including charges for money laundering, computer crime and breach of trust with fraudulent intent. In April of this year, he was also charged with various frauds stemming from a case involving former Murdaugh client Hakeem Pinckney.

Fleming is scheduled to go on trial Sept. 11 in Beaufort on the state charges.

Earlier in August, another longtime Murdaugh friend  former Palmetto State Bank CEO Russell Laffitte  was sentenced by Gergel to seven years in federal prison for Laffittes role in helping Murdaugh steal millions from Murdaughs former clients by manipulating their money in accounts over which Laffitte exercised stewardship.

A jury in Charleston had convicted Laffitte last November of six counts of bank and wire fraud after a trial that ran three weeks. Laffitte has filed notice he will appeal the verdict and the sentence. Like Murdaugh, Laffitte was the son of a prominent, well-to-do Lowcountry family.

Of all the more than 50 letters written to Gyergel on Flemings behalf, and filed on the public docket, one of the most poignant was a three-page letter from Flemings wife, Eve.

I ask that you please extend mercy and grace to my husband your honor, wrote Eve Fleming, a Beaufort lawyer who works as a public defender.

I have told Cory, and have repeated to others, that I will not define him by his worst moments. I can dislike and disapprove of some things hes done, but I can still respect him for everything else. And there are so many good things.

This story will be updated.
A rendezvous with vibrant blooms in Asia's leading flower market

Xinhua) 09:56, August 15, 2023

KUNMING, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- While many Chinese cities are currently experiencing scorching heat, the essence of spring lingers in the Dounan Flower Market in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province.

An array of blossoms, including lotuses, roses and sunflowers, grace the scene here, ready to embark on a journey across the nation, adorning shopping malls, conference halls, wedding venues and the cozy corners of people's homes.

About 30 years ago, the Dounan Flower Market was just a street with roadside stalls selling flowers, but today it has become Asia's largest fresh-cut flower trading market. Its floral beauty reaches more than 40 countries and regions, with the export value hitting 520 million yuan (about 71.7 million U.S. dollars) in 2021, ranking first nationwide. Yunnan's fresh-cut flower growing area totaled 21,700 hectares in that year.

"This is a market for all people, where everyone can buy their favorite flowers at the lowest price," said Shi Jinlong, a seller hailing from the northwestern Shaanxi Province.

The Dounan market springs to life around 5 a.m. every day. Upon entering the bustling market, Shi starts his day by looking through the array of flowers brought by wholesalers and jotting down price details as he goes.

The wholesale trading session normally ends by 9 a.m. By then, retailers like Shi arrange their flowers at their stalls, waiting for buyers. A portion of Shi's flowers had been procured from wholesalers earlier, while the remaining were homegrown.

"When the business is good, around 600 bouquets could be sold in a day," Shi told Xinhua, adding that he has also involved his relatives in the flower industry.

"My sister sells flowers in the market during the day, my younger brother sells flowers through livestreaming on social media platforms like Douyin at night, and a few months back, my eldest brother traveled to Xinjiang to open a flower store. He imports all his flowers from Dounan. Each of us runs our own business and provides mutual assistance when needed," Shi said.

In addition to the Dounan flower market, people have the option to purchase flowers at the Kunming International Flora Auction Trading Center (KIFA), which stands as one of China's oldest and largest flower auction and trading hubs.

The reverberating sounds of trailer wheels started echoing across KIFA from 10 a.m., as meticulously bundled blooms were carefully stacked atop one another. These freshly harvested flowers, picked at the break of dawn, swiftly made their way to the trading center's warehouses for prompt distribution.

Retailer Zhang Lan has been a senior customer of KIFA for more than a decade. According to her, those participating in flower auctions must possess keen eyesight and swift reaction. "A second delay, and the transaction price changes."

The trading hall has 12 bells and a massive screen displaying pertinent details such as the flower's name, grade, maturity, defects and supply source during the auction.

During the Spring Festival holiday this year, 11.6 million flowers were sold here. According to Zhu Qi who is in charge of planning at the KIFA, the average daily volume of flower transactions reached 5 million last year.

"Before the flowers were auctioned, KIFA completed the process of pruning, packing, quality inspection, and information registration," Zhu said, adding that it usually takes less than 12 hours for the newly picked flowers to be put on shelves.

Packaging and logistics companies have branches in Dounan and they can ensure quick delivery of the consignments, said Zhang Lan who was waiting for her flowers to be delivered.

As the auction center closed at 8 p.m., the wholesale night market in the Dounan Flower Market came to life. E-commerce entrepreneurs flocked to the bustling scene, leveraging the power of the internet to attract customers through social media and online platforms like WeChat and Taobao.

Shi Jinlong and his wife tried livestreaming on Douyin in April and May last year. They were very happy to see their channel gain popularity but it was also quite exhausting. "We also had to pack until 2 a.m.," he said. After half a month, they gave up.

Nevertheless, staying busy is a good thing for many flower sellers.

Lately, Zhang Lan has been keeping quite busy with orders for the upcoming Qixi Festival, or Chinese Valentine's Day, which falls on Aug. 22 this year.

"I receive orders in the morning, go to auctions in the afternoon, and arrange deliveries at night or even during the early morning hours," she said, adding that this demanding schedule is expected to continue for over a week, but she hopes for it to last longer.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
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Delivery of S-400 air defense systems and relevant equipment to India will be conducted as scheduled, Russia's Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation chief said on Monday.

"The production of the S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile systems is on schedule. The delivery of the equipment for the S-400 Triumph system is expected to be completed within the agreed time frame," Dmitry Shugaev, chief of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, said at the Army-2023 international military-technical forum.

The seven-day forum opened Monday in the Moscow Region's town of Kubinka.
Russia is preparing to stage a provocation at its Kursk Nuclear Power Plant involving the evacuation of some of the local population, Ukraine's National Resistance Center reported on Aug. 15.

According to the report, authorities in Kursk Oblast are currently preparing for evacuation "in the event of an accident at the nuclear power plant" and subsequent radioactive contamination. The National Resistance Center managed to obtain a register listing people who are to be evacuated.

In total, 21,000-57,000 people living in Kursk and its surroundings are to be sent away, the Center reported. As the organization noted, the population of Kursk Oblast is more than 1 million, meaning that the evacuation should concern around 2-5% of the total number of its residents.

The evacuees will be transported to four settlements in the northern part of the oblast, namely to Zheleznogorsk, Bolshoye Soldatskoye, Shchigry, and Gorshechnoye, according to the report.

The National Resistance Center said that the provocation is part of Russia's strategy to divert attention from its occupation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in Ukraine.

Russian forces occupied the Ukrainian power station, which is the largest nuclear plant in Europe, in March 2022. In late June, Ukrainian officials issued a warning that Russia may be preparing a terrorist attack at the occupied plant through radiation leakage.

On July 6, Ukraine's military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said that the danger of a terror attack at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is "quietly going down."

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
The goal is investing in organizations that are trusted in Hartfords Latino community, and ensuring resources are going to those who need them most.

To accomplish this, the multi-state Latino nonprofit organization, Hispanic Federation, is seeking applications for the $900,000 in grants it will distribute to local, community-based organizations that work to strengthen Latino communities and families in the Hartford.

Hispanic Federation CEO and President Frankie Miranda said that empowering Latino and all communities of color that have historically been marginalized requires sustained investment and culturally linguistically competent outreach.

Thats where initiatives such as the Community Reinvestment Pilot Program come into play. By investing in local organizations who are trusted messengers in our community, were making sure that resources are making it into the hands of community members who need them most, he said.

Under the program, eligible organizations must must lead programs/services that focus on education, recreation and arts, addressing homelessness, family stability, reentry programs that support formerly incarcerated individuals and their families, among others.

Hispanic Federations New England Regional Director Yanidsi Velez said she is excited about their partnership with Connecticuts Social Equity Council and kick-starting the Community Reinvestment Pilot Program.

This visionary initiative will empower communities that have historically been marginalized, Velez said.

Moreover, this pilot program is a testament to our commitment to bolstering the efforts of local nonprofit organizations that are supporting formerly incarcerated individuals, young residents, seniors, and families across Connecticut, she said. With these grants, we aim to foster transformative programs that create positive change and provide invaluable opportunities to those in need.

To be eligible, organizations must have 501(c)(3) IRS nonprofit tax-exempt status, or be under the fiscal sponsorship of a nonprofit with tax exempt status; must have been operating in the city of Hartford for at least three years as an incorporated nonprofit zip codes: 06103, 06105, 06106, 06112, 06114, 06120 and 06160; be currently registered with the state Department of Consumer Protection Charities Unit, and have an operating budget of at least $150,000, according to the program.

Eligible organizations may be able to receive up to $100,000 in funding to support their work. The grants are part of the Connecticut Social Equity Council and its Community Reinvestment Pilot Program, which awarded the Hispanic Foundation $1 million to support local groups serving in Hartford, which is designated by the state as a disproportionately impacted area, according to the program.

The deadline for submitting completes applications is 5 p.m, August 25, 2023. Following a review, the awardees will be announced by Oct. 1, according to the program.

Miranda also said that he is grateful to the Connecticut Social Equity Council for launching the much-needed program and encourages all eligible organizations to apply for the grant.

Velez said it is important that this particular grant allows them to support programs that provide critical resources for many community members.

It allows us the opportunity to support services needed to prepare residents for reentry, (while) expanding enrichment programs serving youth, families, communities across the state. So this actually provides a very transformative opportunity for organizations that provide direct services and create positive change and opportunities to those in need, she said.

She said she hopes the grants will support the institutions in the city that specifically provide programming and services to both Latinos and other communities of color, who are in need of support, including families, and individuals who have been incarcerated.

The aim is to provide opportunities to these organizations that are very active in working with youth (in) education, recreation, art, enrichment programs, even workforce preparationfinancial literacy or physical/mental health, wellness, mentoring, just to mention a few of the program areas that we are looking to support through this grant, she said.
SANTA FE, N.M.  A museum in New Mexico to honor the Navajo Code Talkers is about $40 million shy of becoming a reality, according to organizers.

The state put $6.4 million in capital outlay funds toward the project this year, but the museums organizers face a significant financial climb before doors can open, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported Tuesday.

Our capacity is severely limited, said Regan Hawthorne, CEO of the Navajo Code Talkers Museum. Were still fledgling. Were still gaining momentum in finding our identity.

Hawthornes late father, Roy Hawthorne, was a Marine who served as a Code Talker on South Pacific islands from 1942 to 1945.

The complex, unbreakable code was developed by an original group of 29 Navajo Marines in 1942. They used it in combat communications in Pacific campaigns during World War II and helped U.S. forces gain ground and victories.

Only three of the original Navajo Code Talkers are still alive.

The Chevron Mining Co. donated more than 200 acres in McKinley County in 2009 for a Code Talkers museum, but the project has not gained much momentum since then.

Regan Hawthorne said the museums leaders have to finalize a deal with the Navajo Nation on the land for the museum.

To avoid a problem with the states anti-donation clause, he said, museum leaders are working on a deal to give or sell the land to the tribe.

Regan Hawthorne added that finding funding has been challenging, in part because of confusion over the land and museum organizers lack of an office where they can meet people and solicit financial support.

The tribe celebrates the Code Talkers every Aug. 14 and have done so since 1982, when President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the date as National Navajo Code Talkers Day.

On Monday, the 25th Navajo Nation Council paid tribute to the Code Talkers again at an event held at the Navajo Veterans Memorial Park in Window Rock, Arizona.
Since she could read, Marcia Herman-Giddens has wanted to know her familys history.

Its an interest thats only grown as shes gotten older, and one she wanted to share with her children and grandchildren. So, she started a personal genealogy project to document her familys history and her experiences growing up during the Civil Rights Movement.

As part of her research, the 81-year-old Herman-Giddens, who lives in Pittsboro, would occasionally Google her ancestors names.

One night, Christmas 2017, she decided to look up the name of her third great-granduncle: Robert McAlpin Jr.

Included in the results was a Washington Post article from 2002. It wasnt even about her ancestor, and only had one line referring to him.

... down the river lay the plantation of Robert McAlpin, alleged to be the prototype for the villainous Simon Legree in Uncle Toms Cabin, the article stated.

She had known from an early age that she had enslavers in her family, but that didnt suppress the gut-wrenching feeling she felt after reading that one line.

It gave me cold chills, Herman-Giddens said. He is my third great-granduncle. I just sat there stunned, thinking could this be true?

That really got me going, she said. [I thought] Ive got to start writing about my whole story. The enslavement part. The civil rights part. The genealogy part. It all weaves together.

This realization was the first of many that led Herman-Giddens to publish a book: Unloose My Heart: A Personal Reckoning with the Twisted Roots of My Southern Family Tree. It tells the story of her familys history as slave owners, her difficult relationship with a mother who was proud of that history, and how Herman-Giddens navigated through it all.

Herman-Giddens story also includes her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement of the early 1960s in Birmingham, Alabama.

Somewhere along the rumpled course of my teen and young adult years I met activists, white and Black, who protested the evils in Birmingham, and I joined their journey, Herman-Giddens recounts in her book. That took me places I could never have imagined. Some were dangerous.

Life in Birmingham

Herman-Giddens family moved to Alabama when she was 5 years old. It was 1947, during the Jim Crow era, when segregation and violence against Black people were rampant.

This was also the start of a nickname that would define the area for the next two decades: Bombingham.

Here Im a little kid growing up where Black peoples homes and businesses are being bombed from the time I was school-aged and never knew it, she said. I never knew it, not even through high school.

It wasnt until she was a young adult that she learned how violent Birmingham was. By that time, she had joined a Unitarian church and become involved in the movement.

In March of 1965, Herman-Giddens and 71 others marched for Black citizens voting rights. It was called the Concerned White Citizens of Alabama March, and it stretched about 10 blocks, from the church to the courthouse.

As they were walking, white people in opposition lined the streets, heckling, shouting and spitting on them. Herman-Giddens, who was pregnant with her third child, was terrified.

At some point, I got spit on. Ive never forgotten the feeling of this warm spittle hitting my cheek and dripping down. she said.  I didnt look. I didnt react. I just kept marching.

The day after, 600 people marched for voting rights in Selma, Alabama. The protesters were violently beaten by local police officers with clubs and bullwhips and sprayed with tear gas. The day would later become known as Bloody Sunday.

In 1966, Herman-Giddens moved from Alabama to North Carolina, where shes been living ever since. Shes now 81 years old.

Since being in North Carolina, shes earned degrees in medicine and public health, and worked as a pediatrician for decades. Today, shes an adjunct professor at UNCs Gillings School of Global Public Health and volunteers as a tick-borne infectious disease consultant.

I was not a big civil rights hero, I was just a minor figure, she said. But now at my age, most of my friends are gone. Most of the people that went through these experiences with me are gone. [I knew] I needed to tell my story.

For almost fourscore years, I have allowed my personal ghosts to remain unexamined, reads the preface of Herman-Giddens book. What else happened in Birmingham? Which of my ancestors were enslavers? How many? How did this affect my life?

Her familys past and present

Herman-Giddens keeps her genealogy records in a dark-green book with golden letters that read Ancestral Tablets. Inside are slightly tanned pages filled with boxes that resemble a family tree.

The writing inside the book goes back decades: names scribbled in black India ink by her aunt, others penciled in by Herman-Giddens mother.

But the names go back centuries.

They include Robert McAlpin Jr., the ancestor that sparked Herman-Giddens journey. Her search to find out if he was the man described in that article led her to a husband-and-wife team, Robert and Laurie Gentry, in Natchitoches, Louisiana.

Robert Gentry had been researching McAlpin since the 1960s, writing papers about his possible connection to Simon Legree. The Gentrys helped Herman-Giddens trace descendants down the McAlpin line.

After looking through censuses, wills and deeds, Herman-Giddens found her ancestors had slaves across the South, including some in North Carolina.

I went into it knowing that some of these lines were slaveholders, because theres notes there about them, she said. But it never occurred to me they all were. And they virtually all were.

That makes me named after a line of slaveholders, she said.

What Herman-Giddens also didnt expect to find is that she has a long line of cousins who are descendants of both people who were enslaved and enslavers.

I got my DNA done and pretty soon after discovered I had African-American cousins, she said. I reached out to some, and weve become very close. Thats just been wonderful and very healing.

One of her cousins is a woman named PJ MacAlpine. The two were connected through MacAlpines son, Christopher, during the beginning of Herman-Giddens book-writing journey.

In the past six years, the two have deepened the understanding of their connected history, introduced one another to their families and, recently, gone on trips together to promote the book.

Its been wonderful, MacAlpine said. Weve enhanced each others lives and we consider each other not just related genetically, but family.  Im proud to know her. Im proud to know this cousin that was active in civil rights from way back when.

Marcia Herman-Giddens (left) and her cousin PJ MacAlpine (right). The two found each other through MacAlpines son, Christopher, during the beginning of Herman-Giddens book writing journey. Photo courtesy of Marcia Herman-Giddens.

Two books of history

On the porch of her home in Pittsboro, Herman-Giddens sits beside two books.

To the left, is her green and brown genealogy book passed down through generations. To the right, is her light blue memoir also filled with a replica of her family tree, but along with a story detailing the twisted roots behind these names.

Her research isnt over yet. In a couple of months, she plans to head to Nassau, Bahamas, to explore another ancestor. And perhaps record a new piece of her history.

I believe that as a society, we cannot have dialogue, we cannot move forward, if we do not know the full truth, Herman-Giddens said in her book. Not knowing is insisting on staying in a state of purposeful ignorance that only hurts us.
It was a young North Carolina man who died on I-10 Monday near Pass Christian after crashing into a tractor trailer, Harrison County Coroner Brian Switzer told the Sun Herald Tuesday morning.

Jalen Baker, 24, was driving home to Fayetteville, North Carolina when the crash occurred in the eastbound lanes of I-10, near mile marker 23.

Switzer said Baker was driving his pickup truck east on I-10, about a mile west of the construction area for the exit 24 interchange rebuild, where Buc-ees and other businesses will be built.

A vehicle in front of the 18-wheeler stopped suddenly, Switzer said. The truck driver managed to almost avoid a collision but struck the rear of the vehicle, causing very minor damage.

Baker was following and couldnt stop in time. He hit the rear of the semi and died at the scene from blunt force trauma, Switzer said. Speed was a factor in the crash, the coroner said.

There is more to the tragedy.

The coroner couldnt release Bakers name until his family was notified. His wife is active duty military stationed in Korea, Switzer said, and the Red Cross assisted in contacting her.

The woman was just in Louisiana, he said, when her father died in July.

She just left the 26th to go back, he said.

Her husband was in Louisiana finalizing her fathers affairs and was driving home with some of his father-in-laws belongings for his wife, who now must deal with her husbands death.
Mark Meadows, former President Donald Trumps last chief of staff, defended himself in court documents Tuesday against criminal charges filed in Georgia on Monday night accusing him of helping an attempt to overturn the 2020 election.

Meadows, a Republican who once served as North Carolinas 11th Congressional District congressman, faces two charges of racketeering and solicitation of violation of oath of a public officer, according to the indictment.

Nothing Mr. Meadows is alleged in the indictment to have done is criminal per se: arranging Oval Office meetings, contacting state officials on the Presidents behalf, visiting a state government building, and setting up a phone call for the President, his attorneys wrote in court documents. One would expect a Chief of Staff to the President of the United States to do these sorts of things.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis accuses Meadows of working with the former president to direct Trump adviser John McEntee to create a plan to disrupt and delay the Jan. 6, 2021, joint session of Congress proceedings to certify President Joe Bidens election.

That detail had not been previously reported, though much of the 98-page indictment included known information.

Meadows is mentioned 12 times. Hes accused of spreading election conspiracy theories to Michigan legislators, setting up meetings with Pennsylvania legislators for the same purposes, traveling to Cobb County, Georgia, to attempt to access a signature-match audit of their election results and setting up two phone calls with Georgia officials to pressure them into overturning the election.

The events giving rise to the indictment occurred during Mr. Meadowss tenure as White House Chief of Staff and are directly related to that role, his attorneys argue.

Meadows lawyers petitioned the court to move the case to federal court, arguing that a federal official is protected from criminal prosecution in state court relating to his official duties. They also petitioned for the court to immediately dismiss his indictments.

The Georgia case became Trumps fourth indictment, totaling 91 charges. Attorney Sidney Powell, a lawyer who grew up in the Triangle and graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill, also faces charges in the Georgia case. Shes accused of directing a company and individuals to access voting machines in Georgia and obtain and steal voter data. Powell is also considered a co-conspirator in a case out of Washington, D.C., connected to the events surrounding the Jan. 6 insurrection, but she has not been charged.

Meadows had escaped any criminal charges in Trumps other cases, despite his close interaction with the president. Many saw that as a sign that Meadows might have been collaborating with prosecutors, prior to Mondays charges.

Meadows is being represented by attorneys at McGuireWoods.
President Donald Trumps former chief of staff Mark Meadows  a former North Carolina congressman  was charged Monday for his connection to Trumps alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Trumps fourth indictment, unsealed Monday night in Georgia, also includes charges against Sidney Powell, a former Trump lawyer who grew up in Raleigh and graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill. They are two of 19 people charged, including the former president and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

This is the first time Meadows has been charged in connection to his work with Trump. The Republican who once represented the 11th Congressional District faces two charges: racketeering and solicitation of violation of oath of a public officer, according to the indictment.

He is accused of working with Trump to direct Trump adviser John McEntee to disrupt and delay the Jan. 6, 2021, joint session of Congress proceedings to certify President Joe Bidens election.

Powell faces seven charges: racketeering, two counts of conspiracy to commit election fraud, conspiracy to commit computer theft, conspiracy to commit computer trespass, conspiracy to defraud the state and conspiracy to commit computer invasion of privacy.

Powell is an alleged co-conspirator in Trumps last indictment involving the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Powell and the other co-conspirators were not mentioned by name and have not been charged.

The defendants have until noon Friday, Aug. 25, to voluntarily turn themselves in.

Phone call seeking votes

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis warned in recent weeks that an indictment might come before Aug. 18.

Willis launched an immediate investigation into Trump and his co-defendants following the release of a recorded phone call between the former president and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger that Meadows helped facilitate. The call also featured North Carolina attorney Cleta Mitchell, who has not been charged.

The Washington Post first obtained a recording of the phone call where Trump begged Raffensperger to find additional votes in order for him to win Georgia.

I only need 11,000 votes, Trump shouted at Raffensperger during the call. Fellas, I only need 11,000 votes. Give me a break.

Portions of the call were played when Raffensperger testified before the U.S. Houses January 6 committee.

Mark Meadows charged

The 98-page indictment provides a timeline of events since Trump lost the 2020 election that led to the charges.

Meadows is believed to have been a key player in the events surrounding Jan. 6, 2021, and Trumps plan to overturn the 2020 election results. But until Monday night, he had escaped any charges, leading many to believe that he had turned on his former boss.

Meadows name was included on the charging list, and his name is mentioned 12 times.

 On Nov. 20, 2020, Trump and Meadows met in the White House with leadership from the Michigan legislature to spread election conspiracy theories, the indictment accuses. Trumps lawyer, Giuliani, was on the phone.

The next day, Meadows texted Rep. Scott Perry, a Republican from Pennsylvania, asking for phone numbers for his state lawmakers so Trump could speak to them, according to the indictment.

 Trump and Meadows met with Pennsylvania legislators at the White House on Nov. 25, 2020, after an earlier meeting that day in Pennsylvania spreading election fraud conspiracy theories, the indictment states. At the White House meeting, which Meadows attended, officials asked Pennsylvania lawmakers to hold a special session of their legislature, according to the indictment.

Those conversations would continue without Meadows asking for Pennsylvania to send a second set of electors from the state.

 In December, Meadows is accused in the indictment of meeting with McEntee to prepare a plan to disrupt and delay Congress from certifying Bidens election. The plan called for Vice President Mike Pence to count the electoral votes for only some of the states and send the other half back, the indictment charges.

 On Dec. 22, 2020, Meadows traveled to Cobb County, Georgia, where he attempted to enter the Civic Center to observe the signature match audit that law enforcement officers performed. The indictment says it took Georgia Deputy Secretary of State Jordan Fuchs, Secretary of State Chief Investigator Frances Watson and Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Bahan Rich to prevent him from entering the room where the audit was taking place.

 The next day, Meadows arranged a phone call between Trump and Watson, the indictment says. Trump is accused of claiming that he won the election in Georgia by thousands of votes and that Watson would be praised when the right answer comes out.

 On Jan. 2, 2021, Trump and Meadows are accused of asking Raffensperger to violate his oath by altering the election returns for Georgia.

Sidney Powell charges

Powell, who currently lives in Texas, is mentioned 21 times in the indictment.

On Sunday, CNN first reported that Atlanta prosecutors had emails and text messages that tied Powell to a breach in Coffee County, Georgias election machines.

Here are dates where Powell is cited in the indictment:

 On Nov. 19, 2020, Powell, Giuliani and attorney Jenna Ellis, who is also charged, held a news conference at the Republican National Committee headquarters and discussed election fraud conspiracy theories regarding Bidens election.

 On Dec. 6, Powell is accused in the indictment of entering into a written agreement for SullivanStrickler LLC to perform forensic collections and analysis on Dominion Voting Systems and breach the companys machines.

 On Dec. 18, Trump, Giuliani and Powell are accused in the indictment of meeting about strategies and theories to influence the outcome of the election, including seizing voting machines. Powell was put in charge of investigating voter fraud in Georgia and other states during that meeting.

 On Dec. 21, Powell emailed the chief operations officer of SullivanStrickler LLC and told him that she and three other people, who arent named, should receive copies of all data the company obtained from Dominion Voting Systems in Michigan.

 On Jan. 7, 2021, the day after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, Powell is accused of interfering with the election by tampering with electronic ballot markers and tabulating machines in Coffee County. Shes also accused of using a computer in Coffee County to take data, information and software and attempting to remove voter and Dominion Voting Systems data.

 On April 22, 2021, the indictment states Powell asked SullivanStrickler LLCs COO to send data copied from Coffee Countys election machines to an unnamed individual  an attorney known to be associated with Powell and the Trump campaign.

 On May 7, 2022, Powell is accused of lying under oath to the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection of the U.S. Capitol.

Much of the indictment includes information previously reported, but some of the investigation revealed new details about Trumps alleged attempts to retain his office that hadnt been known before.

This indictment is Trumps fourth since March. He is also accused of falsifying business documents, keeping classified documents that belonged to the federal government, obstructing Congress from certifying Bidens election.
House Republicans advanced a slightly diluted version of a sweeping elections bill, still aiming to make significant changes to absentee voting and poll observers but removing certain controversial provisions that were included in the original.

The original bill, Senate Bill 747, contained a series of what supporters described as election integrity measures, including setting an Election Day deadline for receiving absentee ballots, making voters using same-day registration cast provisional ballots and prohibiting private money in election administration.

Democrats argue that these measures would make it more difficult to vote and easier to throw out legitimate ballots.

The bill has sat in limbo for several months since passing the Senate in June. Now, the House has unveiled its own version of the legislation, which passed the House Elections Committee on Tuesday.

The new bill keeps most of the bones, but softens certain sections and removes others that critics had called impractical. For same-day registrants, those registering to vote during the early voting period, the Houses bill does not require them to cast provisional ballots, which are normally used for those whose eligibility as voters are questioned. But it does require that they use a retrievable ballot, meaning that their vote may be thrown out if the county board of elections cannot verify their address.

Two of the most significant provisions in the original bill are left largely unchanged.

Just like in the old version, the deadline to receive absentee ballots would be set at 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. Currently, absentee ballots can be accepted up to three days past Election Day.

Also, election boards at the state and local level would be prohibited from accepting any private monetary donations to help conduct elections.

Whats in and out of the elections bill?

Senate leader Phil Berger said he was aware that members of each chamber had discussed changes to the legislation.

Its our expectation and hope that the House  whatever they move forward on  is something that our folks are aware of so that we dont end up with with a hiccup there, he said. But weve had hiccups before.

The bill also expands the ability of partisan poll observers to observe election procedures, though not as extensively as an earlier bill, House Bill 772. The earlier bill would have given observers broad access to voting enclosures, even allowing them some opportunities to take photos and video. The new bill takes out some of these permissions, but still clarifies that observers may hear conversations between election officials and voters, move around the voting space and see setup and tear down procedures.

Sections that Democrats had called impractical in the original bill are absent from the new version.

The Houses version removes a provision that would have required two-factor authentication for absentee ballots without laying out a specific process to achieve this.

The new version also softens a requirement to verify signatures on absentee ballots. The original bill would have required all absentee ballots to go through a signature matching process in the 2024 general election following a pilot program in the primaries. The new version institutes only the pilot program  which cannot throw any ballots out for failing a signature match  and leaves open the possibility for signature matching in the general election depending on the results of the pilot.

Democrats in Tuesdays committee hearing offered many amendments to the bill, attempting to reinstate the mail-in grace period, pare down observer access and pursue a variety of other changes. None were accepted by the committee.

House Democratic Leader Robert Reives and Senate Democratic Leader Dan Blue released a joint statement denouncing the bill on Tuesday.

This legislation is yet another example of Republican leadership making it harder for North Carolinians to vote, the statement said. It opens the door for voter intimidation at polling places, completely undermines same-day registration during early voting and makes it easier to toss out valid ballots. These changes do not improve the integrity of our elections  if anything, they erode the trust of voters.

Republicans argue that the changes increase trust in elections without impeding the right to vote.

Making Election Day the official deadline removes confusion and skepticism from the minds of voters, Republican Sen. Paul Newton, the bills sponsor, said in a press release when the bill was first introduced. It will make for a quicker declaration of winners, it aligns us with 30 other states, and it helps North Carolina move past each election cycle with confidence, instead of doubt.

The House has not moved on a separate major elections bill from the Senate. In June, Senate Republicans passed a bill, Senate Bill 749, to drastically restructure state and local election boards, making them evenly bipartisan and appointed by the legislature rather than the governor.

Berger told reporters there were still concerns to be addressed in SB 749, specifically concerning the structure of local election boards.

Well see where we end up, he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem, Israel, Sunday, July 30, 2023. (Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP)

JERUSALEM (AP)  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to reassure the Israeli public and army Tuesday of his full support for the military following recent rhetorical attacks on senior security officials by his far-right political allies and divisive son.

Thousands of military pilots and soldiers have vowed not to turn up for reserve duty in protest of Netanyahu's contentious plan to overhaul the country's judiciary, sparking a backlash from the Israeli leader's coalition allies and other ultranationalists.

The prime minister and defense minister reject any attack on senior security establishment officials and fully back the commanders and soldiers of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), who are working day and night for the security of Israel, Netanyahu's office said.

Growing opposition within the Israeli military to government plans to weaken the Supreme Court poses perhaps the most serious threat to the legislation, which has already spurred unrelenting street demonstrations and fury from former Israeli officials and top business leaders.

Since its founding, the relatively tiny Israeli army has relied on reservists to maintain its operational readiness in a historically hostile region.

Netanyahu's allies have pushed back against the military's warnings and criticism of the proposed judicial changes. David Amsalem, a minister in Netanyahu's government and a member of his right-wing Likud party, attacked chief of staff Gen. Herzi Halevi and air force chief Tomer Bar on Tuesday over the reservist protests.

Halevi and other army officials have warned that turmoil in the military could affect Israels preparedness.

In a scathing rant, Amsalem blamed Halevi and Bar for the anti-government protests roiling their ranks and asked they be punished for undermining Israel's security. In any normal army, you treat rebels like rebels should be treated, Amsalem told Israels Army Radio.

Amsalem also berated prominent judicial figures and former military officials backing the protest movement, demanding that they rot in prison until the end of their lives.

Meanwhile Netanyahu's son Yair, long a strident voice on radio and social media, called chief of staff Halevi the most failing and destructive chief of staff in the history of the IDF and the State of Israel." The post he shared was originally written by a far-right activist on X, formerly known as Twitter, and was later deleted.

In their joint statement, Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said they give full backing to the military's chief of staff and other officers to ensure the security of the state its citizens.

Netanyahu and his allies say the changes limit the authority of unelected judges and give elected officials more powers over decision-making. Critics say the move would endanger Israels democratic ideals and upend the countrys system of checks and balances by concentrating too much power in the hands of politicians.

The deepening social divisions over the plan have plunged Israel into its gravest domestic crisis.
FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: Members of the 'Brothers in Arms' reservist protest group demonstrate, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's nationalist coalition government presses on with its judicial overhaul, in Kiryat Ono

By Maayan Lubell

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet sparred on Tuesday over the military's handling of reservists protesting against his coalition's judicial overhaul plan, as concerns mounted for Israel's war-readiness.

Protest leaders say thousands of reservists have stopped reporting for duty. Among them are hundreds of air force pilots and navigators whose absence from weekly refresher flights means that by next month, they may no longer qualify for combat.

"There is a mutiny within the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) and any military deals with insurgents as insurgents should be dealt with," Dudi Amsalem, a minister in the Justice Ministry, told Army Radio.

"In 15, 20, 30 years, this'll be studied in history books, which will note who the chief of staff was and who the air force chief was," Amsalem said.

Similar criticisms have been made by some other lawmakers in Netanyahu's hard-right coalition, whose January-launched drive to change the justice system has sparked unprecedented protests and drawn concern from Western allies.

Amsalem's remarks drew swift rebuke from Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and later from Netanyahu.

"If you cannot contain yourselves, then attack me, the defence minister, I am in charge of the chief of staff and air force commander," he posted on social media platform X.

He published photos of himself with Air Force Commander Tomer Bar at Ramon air base and a video in which he told pilots that they had his full backing.

Netanyahu later published a joint statement with Gallant, in which he said the two were in lockstep in their support for Israel's military commanders, attacks on whom they both utterly reject.

The premier in March said he was firing Gallant after he came out against the judicial drive but eventually kept him in office.

The seeping of the judicial furore into the armed forces, which Israelis have long viewed as an apolitical melting pot, has exacerbated Israel's worst political crises in years.

The military has so far acknowledged a "limited" impact from the reservists' protest, citing the loss of some veteran instructors from the air force's flight school.

As Israel faces potential flare-ups with Iran, Lebanon and the Palestinians, Netanyahu on Sunday convened the top brass for consultations after which he somewhat cooled his censure of the protesting reservists.

(Editing by Bernadette Baum and Nick Macfie)
 Flash

China has made serious representations and made clear its solemn position against Japanese politicians' negative moves related to the Yasukuni Shrine, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a press briefing in response to media reports that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sent a ritual offering to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine on Tuesday, while one of Kishida's cabinet members, economic security minister Sanae Takaichi, paid a visit to the shrine.

Today marks the 78th anniversary of Japan's acceptance of the Potsdam Proclamation and its unconditional surrender, Wang said, pointing out that the Chinese people, together with the people of the world, defeated the Japanese militarist aggressors and fascism.

It was a great victory of justice over evil, of light over darkness, and of progress over reaction, which will forever be enshrined in the history of the Chinese nation and the history of the human pursuit of justice, Wang said.

Noting that the Yasukuni Shrine is a spiritual tool and symbol of the Japanese militarists' war of aggression, and honors Class-A war criminals of World War II, Wang pointed out that the Japanese politicians' negative moves once again reflect Japan's wrong attitude toward historical issues.

"China has lodged solemn representations with Japan and made clear its solemn position," Wang said.

Facing up to and deeply reflecting on history is an essential prerequisite for Japan to restore and develop normal relations with its Asian neighbors after World War II, Wang said, adding that China urges Japan to draw lessons from history, adhere to the road of peaceful development, and make a clean break with militarism through concrete actions to avoid further losing the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community.
Henrietta Hale, resident of Story County Medical Center's Senior Care, relaxes in front of the building in Nevada. The former site of Story County Medical Center will be converted to 60 apartments, including the senior care center after it moves to its new location behind the current facility.

In an effort to offer additional workforce housing, roughly $1.8 million in state tax credits will aid the construction of 86 new residences for three Ames area projects, the Iowa Economic Development Authority announced Friday, which includes renovations to an old hospital.

The projects in Nevada, Boone and Madrid will receive workforce housing tax credits from the IEDA.

A shortage of workforce housing is one of the challenges facing many Iowa communities, especially as they try to grow their business districts.

Housing is a critical part of efforts to strengthen the quality of life statewide, Debi Durham, director of IEDA and the Iowa Finance Authority, said in a news release. The awards announced today will help more communities thrive and more families move where opportunities await them.

Each local project will produce market-rate housing that does not require specific income levels to qualify, Brenda Dryer, senior vice president of the Ames Economic Development Commission, told the Ames Tribune.

This program is unique in regards to the fact that it is about adding housing units into our communities to build up available housing across Iowa, she said. Its really geared to support workforce growth across Iowa.

The AEDC has partnered with Nevada, Boone and Madrid and housing developers to apply for the workforce housing tax credits, Dan Culhane, president and CEO of the organization, said in a news release.

Three applications were submitted and all three were funded at the requested level, Dryer said.

The former site of Story County Medical Center in Nevada will be converted to 60 apartments, including the senior care center after it moves to its new location behind the current facility.

Former Story County hospital will be home to 60 apartments

Nevada's transformation of the former Story County Hospital will receive $1 million  the maximum tax credit provided  resulting in 60 apartment units.

The project involves the north campus of the former Story County Medical Center, which is currently vacant except for the Senior Care Center located in the multi-story portion.

A new senior care facility is being built behind Nevada's current Story County Medical Center, vacating the old campus by the end of the year, Dryer said.

I think this project is going to get a lot of excitement and its also really going to help that area of the community, said Jordan Cook, Nevadas city administrator.

Local developer Nevada Flats, LLC will handle project construction.

If everything goes as planned, they will start the rehabilitation of the old clinic facility late this year, Dryer said.

When Nevada's conversion is complete, all three buildings on the campus  the former hospital, clinic and senior care  will be repurposed and transformed for long-term living.

Obtaining the tax credits is one of the initial project steps, Dryer said. The hospital, Story County and the developer still need to agree on the property transfer while brownfield tax credits be sought to cover asbestos removal.

The former site of Story County Medical Center in Nevada will be converted to 60 apartments, including the senior care center after it moves to its new location behind the current facility.

Boone site was formerly declared a nuisance

In Boone, a project for eight twin rental homes on the community's westside will receive $303,000 in tax credits.

The Boone City Council years ago had designated the block of Eighth Street and Ringold Street as a nuisance. The property was sold and the new owners worked to tear down the home and other structures, which the city has divided into four lots.

The housing project will include four twin homes on the now vacated lot, which is already equipped with infrastructure such as water and sewer.

Those four twin homes will equate to eight units of housing, and theyll be a little bigger in size, Dryer said.

The twin homes will feature three or four bedrooms and double garages.

Having a rental that can really be targeted for somebody that has a growing family or somebody who works from home and needs to commit a bedroom to an office  that makes us very excited about this project, Dryer said.

Consruction is expected to begin soon, with Empire Realty, LLC. handling development.

This State of Iowa funding is critical to move our Ringold Estates project forward. We wish to extend our gratitude to the City of Boone, Boone County Economic Growth Corporation, and the team at the Ames Economic Development Commission for providing us the support we needed at all phases of project planning to submit a successful application, Josh and Heidi Walters, owners of Empire Realty, said in a news release.

The former site of Story County Medical Center in Nevada will be converted to 60 apartments, including the senior care center after it moves to its new location behind the current facility.

Gateway Cottages in Madrid continues to grow

In Madrid, Kading Gateway Cottages' existing housing development is set to expand thanks to $585,000 in workforce housing tax credits.

Madrids been blessed with a lot of growth, so the Kadings worked with the city and the state and will be adding 18 units on top of what they already have in the community, Dryer said.

She said they expect the additional units will begin construction soon.

The Kadings have a waiting list for their neighborhood in Madrid, so theyre really excited to get this project started, Dryer said.

In total, the IEDA and Gov. Kim Reynolds revealed $38 million in workforce housing tax credits for projects across the state. The monies will support 59 housing projects expected to create more than 2,000 residential units.

When Iowans have the opportunity to live where they work, our people, communities and businesses thrive, Reynolds said in a news release. Building a strong continuum of housing across the state supports our workforce, attracts new residents, and grows our economy.

Ronna Faaborg is a reporter for the Ames Tribune. Reach her at rlawless@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Apartments planned for old Story County Hospital boosted by $1 million tax credit
Nikki Haley, a former South Carolina governor who is running for the 2024 presidency, said on Tuesday the world is "less safe" than it was two years ago before the U.S. military withdrew from Afghanistan, effectively handing over control of the country to the Taliban.

She also suggested President Biden should be personally held accountable for the withdrawal as 13 Americans  11 Marines, one Army soldier and one Navy personnel  were killed during an attack on the Kabul airport in August 2021.

"Two years after the fall of Kabul and Joe Bidens botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, the world is less safe, our enemies are emboldened, and our allies are questioning Americas commitments," a statement from her presidential campaign said.

"Two years ago, the world watched in horror as Joe Biden withdrew from Afghanistan in a way that betrayed our allies and emboldened our enemies," added Haley, also a former United Nations ambassador. "Disaster followed. Thirteen American service members were killed, China grew increasingly aggressive toward Taiwan, Russia invaded Ukraine, and terrorists took over Afghanistan with the help of American equipment and supplies."

TALIBAN MARKS 2-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF RETURN TO POWER IN AFGHANISTAN, HAILS 'GREAT VICTORY'

Nikki Haley speaks at Ashley's BBQ Bash hosted by Congresswoman Ashley Hinson on Aug. 6, 2023 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Seven of the 14 GOP candidates seeking the party's nomination for president were scheduled to speak at the event.

She added: "To date, no one has taken responsibility for the botched withdrawal. No one has been fired, and no one replaced. The families of the 13 murdered service members cant even get basic answers about what happened. In a Haley administration, there will be no mistaking where we stand. Our allies will know we have their backs, and our enemies will fear American strength."

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

In August 2021, Biden oversaw the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, ending nearly a 20-year military presence in the country. The U.S. exit from Afghanistan prompted the Taliban to declare a total victory in the decades-long conflict.

Haley, who has become more vocal in her criticism of Biden as she seeks to be the Republican nominee to face him next November, previously slammed his administration for giving more than $2.35 billion in taxpayer dollars to Afghanistan as the funds likely ended up in the hands of the Taliban.

Taliban supporters parade through the streets of Kabul on Aug. 15, 2023, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Two years ago, the Taliban completed their return to power in after the fall of the Western-backed government.

"Nearly two years after Joe Bidens disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, he continues to add insult to injury by throwing taxpayer dollars at the Taliban-controlled country," Haley said in a statement last week. "This is a terrorist regime that killed our troops and tortures its own people. When Im president, we wont send one penny to terrorists and countries that hate America."

Last year, on the first anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, Haley warned "America's Newsroom" that President Biden was projecting a "weak" America on the world stage.

"The second that blunder happened in Afghanistan, it was the green light for every enemy we had. Then you saw Russia move into Ukraine. Then you saw China starting to threaten Taiwan," she said in 2022.

JOE BIDEN COULD LOSE THE PRESIDENCY BECAUSE OF AFGHANISTAN: MARC THIESSEN

She added: "That was the day America became weak. That was the day the world became less safe. And it was all because of the decisions the Biden administration made."

While former President Donald Trump remains a clear front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination, many of his supporters have expressed that they would be willing to back a different candidate.

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley qualified for the first primary debate alongside Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Tim Scott, Vivek Ramaswamy and Gov. Doug Burgum.

A New York Times/Siena College poll published earlier this month found that 54% of Republican respondents are supporting Trump in his third presidential bid. However, 46% are still considering voting for a different candidate in 2024.

In addition to Trump and Haley, the crowded GOP primary field includes former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

As of Monday, the only candidates who have qualified for the first primary debate are Haley, DeSantis, Scott, Ramaswamy and Burgum.

Fox News' Cameron Cawthorne contributed to this report.
Oleksii Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, maintains that international partners are not persuading Ukraine to conduct "peace talks" with the aggressor state of Russia.

Source: Danilov in an interview with the Italian newspaper la Repubblica

Details: When a journalist said that partners were trying to persuade the Ukrainian authorities to negotiate an end to the war and asked what scenario they were proposing (for example, the Korean scenario - a country divided in two), Danilov replied in the negative.

Quote: "Reports of this alleged pressure are not confirmed by anything. They only exist on the internet. I dont know, perhaps this is the work of the Russian troll army, but our partners have not set any demands to negotiate. Ukraine will solve this problem independently, and there can be no negotiations with Putin. Russia must be destroyed like a modern-day Carthage. You can't leave the enemy behind."

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!
Deadly wildfires in the US state of Hawaii have sparked conspiracy theories that the blazes were set intentionally to steal residents' land and create a "smart island." These claims are baseless; while officials are still investigating, the National Weather Service (NWS) and independent experts say dry, windy weather fueled the flames.

"Hawaii fires were set to land grab," says text over a video published August 12, 2023 on Facebook.

In the clip, a TikTok creator known as Tajana Truthseeker -- whom AFP previously fact-checked -- claims the blazes were intentionally set to "try and get people into 15-minute cities."

"Hawaii is very small, it has a small amount of land available -- especially for millionaires and billionaires that have houses in these areas that want to keep building," she says in the video. "So, the easiest way instead of offering people money for their homes is to just burn the entire place down and pretty much just burn people out of their area."

Similar claims have circulated elsewhere on Facebook and Instagram. In an August 11 video that spread widely on the latter platform, Matt Roeske says footage of the damage in Hawaii "sure doesn't look like a fire" but rather "like something almost exploded."

He goes on to say that media reports fail to note that in January "they had in Maui a smart city conference to turn Maui into an entire smart island -- changing everything to electric, renewables, solar panels and pushing everybody into electric vehicles. 15-minute smart cities."

Screenshot from Facebook taken August 14, 2023

Screenshot from Instagram taken August 14, 2023

Lahaina, a historic tourist town of about 12,000 people on Maui's west coast, was decimated by a raging fire in early August, leaving at least 99 dead and thousands homeless -- the deadliest US wildfire in a century. Officials say the figure is likely to rise as recovery crews with cadaver dogs work their way through hundreds of homes and burned-out vehicles.

The natural disaster inspired a cascade of conspiracy theories online, with social media users falsely claiming directed energy weapons were to blame. In fact, the NWS has said dry conditions and strong winds from nearby Hurricane Dora fueled the flames.

While authorities have not pinpointed what exactly set Maui ablaze, there is no evidence the fires were set intentionally to redesign the island to be more walkable or climate friendly.

"In the US, 90 percent of the fires are human-caused -- but intentionally as arson and everything, it's not that many," said Albert Simeoni, professor and head of the Department of Fire Protection Engineering at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).

"People always come with that because it's an especially unthinkable disaster ... and they want somebody to blame."

No 'smart island' connection

In his video, Roeske cites several unrelated events as evidence that the fires are linked to an effort to redesign Maui using smart technology and clean energy.

As part of this, he claims Maui has imminent plans to create "15-minute smart cities" -- conflating two separate urban design philosophies that have previously been the subject of misinformation.

The first concept, 15-minute cities, aims to provide citizens with all their essentials within a short walk from their residences. Smart cities, on the other hand, "use information and communication technologies (ICT) to improve the ways they operate," according to National Grid, an energy company operating in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Roeske, founder of the alternative health company Cultivate Elevate, which sells products billed as "superfoods," points to a call for papers (archived here) for the January 2023 Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS). The gathering convenes scholars from more than 60 countries and is "the longest-standing working scientific conference on information technology management in the world," according to the National Security Agency, which sponsored the event.

One of the conference mini-tracks (archived here) was titled "Smart and Connected Cities and Communities." However, while HICSS was hosted in Maui, none of the academic papers written for that cohort were about the island, instead focusing on places such as Costa Rica, Singapore and major global cities.

"Our conference isn't 'a smart city conference to turn Maui into an entire smart island,'" said Thayanan Phuaphanthong, HICSS program coordinator, in a statement emailed August 15.

Roeske also cites in his video JUMPSmartMaui, a community project (archived here) that between 2011 and 2016 helped set up electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and renewable energy infrastructure on the island.

The initiative, funded by Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, attracted 530 volunteers and concluded in February 2017. The EV charging program was retired in 2020 (archived here).

Finally, Roeske points to the September 2023 Hawaii Digital Government Summit (archived here), which he claims is aimed at "utilizing AI to govern the island."

One panel will address how governments can leverage artificial intelligence, but the description says nothing of creating smart cities. The conference will be held in Honolulu, which is located on the island of Oahu -- not Maui.

AFP reached out to Maui County for comment, but responses were not forthcoming.

What started the fires?

Officials are still investigating the cause of the Hawaii wildfires, but several experts told AFP that conditions were ripe for disaster.

John Bravender, an NWS warning coordination meteorologist based in Honolulu, said that "in addition to emergency manager briefings," the agency issued a fire weather watch and a red flag warning ahead of the blazes.

"The wildfires occurred during a period of very strong winds and low relative humidity," he said in an August 14 email. "Combined with dry vegetation due to increasing drought, all the ingredients were in place for extreme fire danger."

Other independent experts also pointed to the weather as a contributing factor.

"A lot of grass which was there is old cane sugar fields with non-native grass. And this grass in the summer gets cured and gets very dry," said Simeoni of WPI.

"So basically, you had all the conditions -- the fuel, the heat, the wind and the ignition sources -- to create a catastrophe."

Map of Maui showing burnt areas from August 4-11, 2023, as well as urban areas Julia Han JANICKI Valentina BRESCHI Clara MORINEAU AFP

Arnaud Trouve, chair of the University of Maryland's Department of Fire Protection Engineering, previously told AFP the Hawaii blazes should not be pinned on "extraordinary sources" when lightning and other natural phenomena, as well as human activities, are more often to blame. Simeoni said there have been "multiple accounts of seeing energized power lines on the ground."

A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Hawaiian Electric, the state's biggest power firm, claiming the company "inexcusably kept their power lines energized during forecasted high fire danger conditions."

"By failing to shut off the power during these dangerous fire conditions, defendants caused loss of life, serious injuries, destruction of hundreds of homes and businesses, displacement of thousands of people and damage to many of Hawaii's historic and cultural sites," the lawsuit says (archived here).

Hawaiian Electric CEO Shelee Kimura said during an August 14 news conference (archived here) that the company does not shut off power during fire conditions -- as is sometimes done in California -- in part because electricity is needed for water pumps. The firm's stock plunged over concerns about potential liability from the wildfires.

AFP has debunked misinformation about past wildfires here.
While the North Carolina General Assembly has yet to pass its annual budget, the latest House version includes provisions that could impact veterans and military families.

Meanwhile, other bills have appeared to stall in committee meetings.

The state legislature usually passes the budget by July 1.

Heres a look at what could affect the local military-connected community and what may hold off until another session.

Proposed budget

According to House version of the budget, Sandhills State Veterans Cemetery in Spring Lake could receive $300,000 to be used to contract with businesses to improve the appearance of the cemetery and for services that include grounds maintenance, equipment maintenance and headstone marker operations. The House version passed in April and is still being hashed out as its being reconciled with the Senate.

Meanwhile, House Bill 178 proposed all four of the states veteran cemeteries be staffed with employees to maintain the cemeteries in a manner that honors the states veterans and their families, and correct issues tied to delays in installing headstones or damaged headstones, along with grounds maintenance. The bill passed three revisions and was referred to the Senate Committee on Rules and Operations on May 4.

The proposed budget for the North Carolina General Assembly recommends allocating some funds for the maintenance of Sandhills State Veterans Cemetery in Spring Lake.

Homeless veterans

The North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs could stand to receive more than $13.2 million, while $10 million is being proposed for the department to administer a grant program to address homelessness and housing instability in the states veteran population.

The department would be required to consult with the N.C. Govenors Working Group, which includes veterans, service members and their families, to establish eligibility of applicants for the grants.

The proposed budget states that grants would be awarded to existing community-based programs with a proven track record of providing direct services to veterans to help reduce homelessness and housing instability." Priority would be given to organizations that help veterans move into stable or permanent housing and provide education, workforce training, substance abuse treatment or mental health treatment.

The proposed budget also recommends $3 million be directed to the nonprofit Purple Hearts Home Inc. to provide personalized housing solutions for service-connected disabled and aging veterans and their families across the state and $1.5 million to be a direct grant to the nonprofit Military Missions "to provide support to veterans who need construction project assistance due to disabilities or substandard living conditions and to homeless veterans.

Attempts for veteran property tax credits

As in prior years, there are several proposed bill to provide property tax credits to veterans that have not moved past committees.

 House Bill 37 proposed expanding the disabled veteran property tax homestead by excluding taxing primary residences and reimbursing local governments for that revenue loss. The bill has been stuck in committees since February.

 House Bill 489 and Senate Bill 149 proposed excluding the first $45,000 of appraised value of a disabled veterans home from being taxed. The bill has been stuck in committee since March.

 House Bill 594 passed committees in April and May before being referred May 3 to the Senate Committee on Rules and Operations.

The bill proposed allowing disabled veterans to prequalify for a disabled veteran property tax homestead exclusion.

Bills stuck in committees

Other military-related bills that have been stuck in committees include:

 A bill that would have deducted the first $6,000 enlisted service members receive in basic pay from North Carolinas income tax.

 A bill that would have given caregiver tax credit to families of veterans.

 A bill that would have directed the Department of Health and Human Services to consult with the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to study health issues affecting women who serve in the military.

Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3528.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: What military related bills may or may not pass the N.C. legislature
North Korea says Travis King wants refuge from mistreatment, racism in US

By Soo-hyang Choi and Josh Smith

SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korea has concluded that U.S. soldier Travis King wants refuge there or elsewhere because of "inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination" in the U.S. and the military, state media said on Wednesday.

It was the North's first public acknowledgement of the army private's crossing from South Korea on July 18 while on a civilian tour of the Joint Security Area (JSA) on the heavily fortified border between the neighbours.

U.S. officials have said they believe King crossed the border intentionally, and have declined so far to classify him as a prisoner of war.

North Korean investigators have also concluded that King crossed deliberately and illegally, with the intent to stay in the North or in a third country, state news agency KCNA said.

"During the investigation, Travis King confessed that he had decided to come over to the DPRK as he harbored ill feeling against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. Army," KCNA said, using the North's official name. "He also expressed his willingness to seek refugee in the DPRK or a third country, saying that he was disillusioned at the unequal American society."

King was "kept under control by soldiers of the Korean People's Army" after his crossing and the investigation was still active, the agency added.

In August, King's uncle, Myron Gates, told ABC News that his nephew, who is Black, was experiencing racism during his military deployment, and that after he spent time in a South Korean jail, he did not sound like himself.

The KCNA report comes as North Korean officials cite racism and other social problems in America to push back against U.S. criticism, including a United Nations Security Council meeting to discuss human rights in North Korea on Thursday.

UNCERTAIN FUTURE

U.S. officials have said the North had not provided substantive responses to requests for information on King.

The Pentagon said it could not verify King's comments as reported by KCNA, and remains focused on his safe return. It did not address whether it had heard more details from North Korea.

King's mother is concerned about his safety and appealed to North Korea to treat him humanely, a spokesperson for his family said.

"Ms. Gates is aware of todays 'report' from KCNA," the spokesperson, Jonathan Franks said in a statement, referring to King's mother. "DPRK authorities are responsible for Travis King's well-being, and she continues to appeal to them to treat him humanely"

It added that King's mother had been in touch with the Army and appreciated a statement by the U.S. Department of Defense that it remained focused on bringing him home.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A spokesman for the United Nations Command (UNC), which oversees the border village where King crossed, said he did not have anything to add to previous statements.

"Mentioning King's willingness to seek refuge in North Korea or a third country shows that it's still unclear where he wants to go," said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.

Tae Yong-ho, a former North Korean diplomat and now a South Korean lawmaker, said state media's description of King as an "illegal intruder" rather than voluntary defector, as well as its mention of a third country, could suggest that North Korea might not be willing to hold him for long.

"It raises the possibility for North Korea to send him to a third country, where U.S. officials can pick up and bring him home if he wishes," he said in a statement.

How to classify the 23-year-old has been an open question for the U.S. military.

Although he is an active-duty soldier and the United States and Korea technically remain at war, factors including King's decision to cross into North Korea of his own free will, in civilian attire, appear to have disqualified him from POW status, U.S. officials have said.

King, who joined the U.S. Army in January 2021, faced two allegations of assault in South Korea, and eventually pleaded guilty to one instance of assault and destroying public property for damaging a police car during a profanity-laced tirade against Koreans, according to court documents. He was due to face more disciplinary measures when he arrived back in the United States.

King had finished serving military detention and had been transported by the U.S. military to the airport to return to his home unit in the United States. Instead, he left the airport and joined a tour of the border area, where he ran across despite attempts by South Korean and U.S. guards to stop him.

(Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi and Josh Smith; Additional reporting by Hyonhee Shin, Ju-min Park in Seoul and Idrees Ali in Washington; Writing by Josh Smith; Editing by Gerry Doyle and Clarence Fernandez)
A portrait of American soldier Travis King is displayed as his grandfather, Carl Gates, talks about his grandson on July 19, 2023, in Kenosha, Wis. North Korea asserted Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2023, that Gates, a U.S. soldier who bolted into the North across the heavily armed Korean border last month, did so after being disillusioned with the inequality of American society and racial discrimination in its Army. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  North Korea on Wednesday offered its first official confirmation that it had detained a U.S. soldier who bolted into its country last month, releasing a statement through its state media attributing statements to the Army private that criticized the United States. One expert called the announcement 100% North Korean propaganda.

There was no immediate verification that Pvt. Travis King actually made any of the comments about his home country. King, who had served in South Korea and sprinted into North Korea while on a civilian tour of a border village on July 18, became the first American confirmed to be detained in the North in nearly five years.

The official Korean Central News Agency, citing an investigation, said King told them he decided to enter North Korea because he harbored ill feelings against inhuman mistreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. Army. The report said King also expressed his willingness to seek refuge in North Korea or a third country, saying he was disillusioned at the unequal American society.

KCNA is the official voice of leader Kim Jong Uns government, and its content is carefully calibrated to reflect North Koreas official line that the United States is an evil adversary.

The report said North Koreas investigation into Kings illegal entry would continue. Verifying the authenticity of the comments attributed to King in North Koreas state media is impossible.

WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN NEXT

The United States, South Korea and others have accused North Korea of using foreign detainees in the past to wrest diplomatic concessions. Some foreign detainees have said after their releases that their declarations of guilt while in North Korean custody were made under coercion.

A U.S. Defense Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said the U.S. had no way to verify North Koreas claims about King. The official said the Pentagon was working through all available channels to bring King back to the U.S.

This is 100% North Korean propaganda in its element. King, as an American citizen held in North Korea, has no sway in how (North Korea) chooses to cast its narrative, said Soo Kim, an expert with Virginia-based consultancy LMI and a former CIA analyst.

As for Kings release, his fate rests in North Koreas hands. Perhaps the regime will try to bargain Kings life in exchange for financial concessions from the U.S. More than likely, negotiations wont be easy, and terms will be dictated by Pyongyang, she said.

The soldiers family said his mother, Claudine Gates, is appealing to North Korea to treat her son humanely.

Shes a mom worried about her son and would be grateful for a phone call from him, family spokesman Jonathan Franks said in the statement. Lastly, she has been in touch with the Army this evening and appreciates a (Defense Department) statement that it remains focused on bringing Travis home.

Tae Yongho, who was a minister at the North Korean Embassy in London before his defection in 2016, speculated North Korea might release King eventually because it didnt immediately express its intention to accept King as a refugee in the North and spoke about a third country resettlement. Tae, now a lawmaker in South Korea, also cited North Koreas description of King as an illegal entrant, rather than someone who voluntarily entered the North.

Tae earlier said North Korea would be reluctant to hold a low-ranked soldier like King for long because he wouldn't provide it with high-profile U.S. intelligence and would require high costs and resources to manage his life.

Some analysts have said North Korea might try to tie Kings release to the U.S. cutting back its military activities with South Korea, amid heightened animosities between the wartime foes.

THE BIGGER DIPLOMATIC PICTURE

North Korea has conducted more than 100 weapons tests since the beginning of last year, many of them in the name of issuing warnings over the expansion of U.S.-South Korean military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal. Next Monday, the allies are to begin major annual drills.

The leaders of the United States, South Korea and Japan are also expected to announce plans for expanded military cooperation on ballistic missile defense in the face of North Koreas evolving nuclear threats when they meet for a trilateral summit at Camp David on Friday, according to U.S. officials.

On Tuesday, North Korea slammed U.S.-led plans for an open U.N. Security Council meeting on its human rights record as despicable and only aimed at achieving Washingtons geopolitical ambitions.

North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son Gyong said the council must first deal with the American human rights issue, calling the United States a depraved empire of evils. In a statement carried by state media, Kim accused the U.S. of fostering racial discrimination, gun-related crimes, child maltreatment and forced labor.

King, 23, was among about 28,000 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea as deterrence against potential aggression from North Korea. At the time he joined the civilian tour and crossed the border, he was supposed to be heading to Fort Bliss, Texas, following his release from prison in South Korea on an assault conviction.

U.S. officials say he has been declared AWOL, which can be punished by confinement in the brig, forfeiture of pay or dishonorable discharge with the severity based on their time away and whether they were apprehended or returned on their own.

The United States and North Korea, which fought during the 1950-53 Korean War, are still technically at war since that conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. They have no diplomatic ties and Sweden has provided consular services for Americans in past cases, though Swedish diplomats reportedly have not returned to North Korea since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

___

Associated Press writers Lolita C. Baldor and Eric Tucker in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.
By Hyonhee Shin

SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korea leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanged letters on Tuesday pledging to develop their ties into what Kim called a "long-standing strategic relationship," Pyongyang's state media KCNA said.

The letters mark the 78th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule, which is also celebrated as a national holiday in South Korea.

In his letter to Putin, Kim said the two countries' friendship was forged in World War II with victory over Japan and is now "fully demonstrating their invincibility and might in the struggle to smash the imperialists' arbitrary practices and hegemony," KCNA said.

"I am firmly convinced that the friendship and solidarity ... will be further developed into a long-standing strategic relationship in conformity with the demand of the new era," Kim was quoted as saying in the letter.

"The two countries will always emerge victorious, strongly supporting and cooperating with each other in the course of achieving their common goal and cause."

The United States has accused North Korea of providing weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine, including artillery shells, shoulder-fired rockets and missiles. Pyongyang and Moscow have denied any arms transactions.

Last month, Russia's defence minister stood shoulder to shoulder with Kim as they reviewed North Korea's newest nuclear-capable missiles and attack drones at a military parade in Pyongyang.

Washington remains "deeply concerned" about North Korea aiding Russia's war effort in Ukraine and believes Moscow is seeking to increase its cooperation with Pyongyang, State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Tuesday.

"Any kind of security cooperation or arms deal between North Korea and Russia would certainly violate a series of UN Security Council resolutions," Patel said at a regular press briefing.

Putin, in his message to Kim, also pledged to bolster bilateral ties.

"I am sure that we will strengthen the bilateral cooperation in all fields for the two peoples' well-being and the firm stability and security of the Korean peninsula and the whole of Northeast Asia," Putin said, according to KCNA.

The leaders of South Korea, the United States and Japan are set to discuss security cooperation over North Korea, Ukraine and other issues at a trilateral summit on Aug. 18 at Camp David.

In a separate KCNA dispatch, Pyongyang's vice foreign minister, Kim Son Gyong, criticised the United States for calling a U.N. Security Council meeting on North Korea's human rights situation.

The meeting, set for Thursday and requested by the United States, Albania and Japan, would be the first formal public gathering of the 15-member council on the issue since 2017, but China opposed it, saying it would only "intensify confrontation and antagonism."

Kim, the vice minister, said the planned meeting "openly exposed the ugly hostile face of the U.S. filled with a sense of confrontation," while highlighting the reality of the council which has "fallen into dysfunction under the U.S.'s forced authority and abuse of power."

(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Simon Lewis in WashingtonEditing by Shri Navaratnam, Susan Fenton and Josie Kao)
North Macedonia has become the latest signatory to the G7 declaration on extending security guarantees for Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Twitter post on Aug. 15.

Zelenskyy thanked North Macedonia for joining the G7 declaration, stating that 15 countries have signed on in total so far.

Read also: North Macedonia supports special tribunal against Russia

"I thank Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski for his personal efforts in strengthening the partnership between our countries," the Ukrainian leader added.

Read also: Netherlands to sign up to G7 declaration on security guarantees for Ukraine

During the NATO summit in Vilnius on July 12, the leaders of G7 countries announced that they had agreed upon a declaration of security guarantees for Ukraine. The document represents a framework for signing a series of bilateral agreements that would aim to ensure Ukraines military is strong enough to deter any future Russian aggression.

By Aug. 11, Kyiv has initiated talks on signing these bilateral security guarantee treaties with the United States and the UK.

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
Norwegian defense contractor Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace has signed a contract to manufacture Cortex Typhon anti-drone systems, which will be then donated to Ukraine, security-focused media outlet Defense Industry Europe reported on Aug. 14.

The total value of the contract is approximately $70 million, according to the report.

Read also: Norwegian army chief skeptical that Ukraines military can triumph over Russia

Developed recently, Cortex Typhon is a machine gun turret equipped with an observation system. It can be mounted on Dingo armored vehicles, which Norway will also supply to Ukraine.

"This contract will provide a significant capability boost for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and will support their ability to protect their people and defend their country against aerial threats," said Eirik Lie, President of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.

Read also: Norway to provide Ukraine with 7 billion 5-year military aid program

On July 11, Norway quadrupled its budget for military aid to Ukraine to NOK 10 billion ($950 million).

Read also: Russia seeing growing concerns over upcoming Ukrainian counter-offensive, says Norwegian political analyst

On May 18, Norway's Defense Minister, Bjrn Arild Gram, announced that in collaboration with the UK, Norway will supply Ukraine with up to eight rocket artillery systems and three ARTHUR counter-battery and artillery reconnaissance radars.

On May 31, during the meeting between Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Stre and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Oslo, it was announced that Norway will develop a five-year military aid program for Ukraine worth a total of EUR 7 billion ($7.63 billion).

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Documents uncovered in a civil rights lawsuit show Florida prison officials and medical staff allowed an incarcerated man's prostate cancer to spread untreated until he was left paralyzed, terminally ill, and afflicted with infected bed sores that rotted to the bone.

When he wrote desperate pleas for help, one official concluded, "This is not an emergency."

In a federal civil rights lawsuit filed last year, former Florida inmate Elmer Williams alleges that corrections officers and nursing staff denied and delayed medical treatment for months after he filed a grievance against them. The complaint argues these delays were not just bureaucratic incompetence but retaliation "intended and designed to prevent [Williams] from receiving a timely diagnosis." The lawsuit alleges violations of the Eighth Amendment and the Americans with Disabilities Act; it names several Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) officials and medical staff employed by Centurion, a private health care provider that contracts with the FDC.

Williams, 56, spoke to Reason from the hospital bed where he has spent most of his time since the FDC granted him medical release last October, and where he will in all likelihood spend his final days.

"Slowly, slowly, slowly, they just let me fall apart," he says.

Many of Williams' claims are corroborated by medical records that reveal staff were aware of his extremely high indicators for prostate cancer, aware of a long-overdue "urgent" referral to a urologist, and aware of his rapidly deteriorating condition. Photos accompanying Williams' suit show deep bed sores on his buttocks and anklesevidence of atrocious neglect. He has yet to recover from those wounds nearly a year after his release from prison.

The case of Elmer Williams is only an extreme example of medical neglect that is common, not just in Florida prisons but in lockups across the country. The Constitution guarantees incarcerated people the right to basic medical care and hygiene, but indifference, staff shortages, cost-cutting, and the high bar to prove an Eighth Amendment violation have turned its ban on cruel and unusual punishment into a broken promise. Reason has previously reported on how federal prison officials let a man with treatable cancer waste away while lying to a judge about his treatment; how a woman died in federal prison after suffering in pain for eight months while waiting for a routine CT scan; and how prisoners in Arizona died excruciatingly painful deaths while unqualified, overworked nursing staff did nothing.

"The Constitution requires Florida prisons to provide adequate medical care to its prisoners and prohibits them from deliberately delaying treatment for serious medical needs," James Slater, one of Williams' attorneys, says. "Upon arriving at Suwannee Correctional Institution, Elmer Williams presented serious documented medical needs which rapidly worsened. Instead of providing him the treatment the prison knew he needed, prison officials and medical staff forced him to go months without the appropriate treatment resulting in his condition predictably becoming terminal."

Centurion did not respond to a request for comment. An FDC spokesperson declined to comment on Williams' case, citing the department's policy of not commenting on pending litigation.

Williams was serving a 40-year state prison sentence for burglary when he was transferred to Suwannee Correctional Institution in November of 2021.

He had previously been treated for prostate cancer, which was in remission. However, medical intake records obtained by Williams' lawyers show that a month prior to his transfer to Suwannee he had an urgent referral to a urologist. The level of prostate-specific antigens (PSA) in his bloodan indicator of potential prostate cancerhad recently spiked.

Around the same time he transferred to Suwannee, Williams also started losing his balance and falling. He began complaining of severe back pain and numbness in his legs. On November 18, 2021, he fell out of his bunk and tried to declare a medical emergency. However, Williams claims that both a correctional officer and a nurse refused to provide him with a wheelchair.

Several days later, Williams was thrown in a disciplinary confinement cell for failing to show up for a job assignment, which he couldn't do without a wheelchair. The lawsuit alleges this was retaliation for Williams' writing a grievance against the nurse and correctional officer.

"It was only many months later that Plaintiff was assigned his own wheelchair, despite the obvious and apparent need for one demonstrated over the next several months as Plaintiff became completely paralyzed from the chest down," the lawsuit says.

In the meantime, he was left alone for 30 days in a confinement cell, where he says he had to drag himself across the floor to get food or use the toilet while correctional officers mocked him.

"I'm stink [sic] more than ever now because my cell floor is pissy from me peeing on it all day when I don't have the strength to make it to the toilet," Williams wrote on December 2, 2021, in a sworn affidavit. "Haven't been given a shower in nine days because I've gone paralyzed from the delayed medical treatment."

That same day, Williams filed a grievance, complaining, "Now my life and health is in jeopardy because I'm being denied a wheelchair when I can't walk, so I can't get my bloodwork done to determine where my PSA level is at and what's wrong with me."

Williams was released from confinement later that month, and his health continued to decline. Medical records show that Williams saw the prison doctor again on December 20, 2021, complaining that he could not walk or even stand. Despite that, the doctor wrote in her notes, "I do not recommend a wheelchair at this time." The doctor also noted that she would "continue monitoring prostate issues," although she was neither a urologist nor an oncologist.

Williams was admitted to the prison infirmary on January 7, 2022, with swelling of both his legs, irregular pulse, decreased mobility, and infected pressure ulcers, also known as bed sores, on his heels. From the infirmary, he began firing off a series of grievances regarding his treatment and his rapidly deteriorating health.

On January 12, 2022, an FDC staffer handling one of Williams' grievances emailed Rebecca Yates, an FDC government operations consultant, and described Williams' litany of symptoms:

(Williams v. Dixon)

"Inmate states his legs, knees, feet and ankles are swollen to the point of exploding. He states his stomach is bloated and every time he moves he has a muscle spasm in his back and his body locks up and he can't breathe or his breathing is labored," the staffer wrote. "He states his nerves are damaged and there is little to no oxygen going to his legs. He states he has become completely paralyzed from his stomach to his toes and that area is extremely swollen. He states he needs emergency care."

"Is this an emergency?" the staffer asked Yates.

"This is not an emergency," Yates replied roughly two hours later.

It may not have been an emergency for the FDC, but Williams felt his life slipping away with every minute of delay.

"Every day this cancer is living inside my body without treatment is another day my organs are deteriorating," Williams pleaded in a January appeal directly to the head of the FDC after one of his grievances was denied, "and who knows at what rate??"

His grievances were all rejected.

In February 2022, despite his festering wounds and encroaching paralysis, Williams was discharged from the prison infirmary and back into the general population. His lawsuit claims he was still not assigned a permanent wheelchair. Williams says he had to pay other inmates to take him to the shower, help him get his diapers on or off, and take him to breakfast.

If no one was available or willing, he went without. When he did make it to the shower, he said he had to sit on the unsanitary floor.

"I just felt humiliated, degraded," Williams recalled in a deposition for his lawsuit. "Psychologically, I wanted toI wanted to really like, you know, like hurt myself because that's really a low, that's a low in prison to be exposing in front of 70 some guys walking by you while you just there wiping your butt. And they wouldn't give me no diapers or nothing. I was soiling my clothes and my pants."

Sitting on the shower floor was even worse for Williams because he had developed large, infected bed sores on his buttocks during his stay in the infirmary. As his lawsuit describes it, the sores flourished into "deep necrotizing wounds on his buttocks that went all the way to his pelvis bone."

Williams said he didn't even realize the extent of the wounds until later. "One day I just so happened to take a mirror and look back there, and I panicked," he said in the deposition. "I screamed. I screamed. The guards came. I'm like, 'What the hell is this? What happened?' And nobody could tell me what happened."

This is far from the first time the FDC has faced accusations of refusing to accommodate the most basic needs of inmates with disabilities. In 2017, the FDC settled a lawsuit by the advocacy group Disability Rights Florida by agreeing to provide accommodations, including wheelchairs, to incarcerated people with disabilities. In 2021, it settled another lawsuit by Disability Rights Florida accusing it of breaching the previous settlement. Williams' lawyers are currently representing another disabled Suwannee inmate who claims staff refuse to give him enough adult diapers.

The FDC and Centurion argue in motions to dismiss Williams' suit that medical logs actually show that he was given continual, attentive care, including antibiotics, dressings for his wounds, andeventuallyan appointment with a urologist.

Williams saw a urologist in March 2022, roughly five months after his "urgent" referral. His PSA level had risen from 5.2, when he first arrived at Suwannee, to 43. The baseline PSA level for potentially active prostate cancer is 4.

In June 2022, Williams saw an oncologist, but by that time, all doctors could offer him was palliative care. The cancer had spread to his hips, spinal cord, and lymph nodes. The lawsuit claims Williams was not informed of his terminal condition until he was transferred to a state prison hospital in August.

Williams would have died behind bars, but the Florida Justice Institute (FJI), a criminal justice advocacy group, came across his case and decided he would be a good candidate for compassionate releasea Florida policy that allows some terminally ill inmates the mercy of dying at home.

"We had been looking into this issue as a way to highlight not only Florida's aging prison population, but we also represent a lot of people both in larger cases and smaller cases with disabilities," Dante Trevisani, executive director of FJI, says.

Williams had previously filed a petition for medical release, which was rejected. FJI refiled the petition on Williams' behalf. He was released from FDC custody in October of last year.

At a real hospital, doctors gave Williams six months to live. He has outlived his prognosis, but he struggles to cope with the diminished quality of life he's been left with. Since arriving at the hospital, he's spent all but 15 minutes lying in the same bed, in the same room.

"I'm hanging in there, but it's very, very hard. Getting used to living this type of life is very difficult mentally," Williams says. "From the pain all the time, and because I only get a visit maybe two times, three times a week, so I'm left here on my back, just suffering, day by day."

The post 'This Is Not an Emergency' appeared first on Reason.com.
The number of Russian attacks in eastern Ukraine has decreased slightly after a powerful strike by Ukrainian forces on Russians on the Kupiansk and Lyman fronts, Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar has said.

Source: Maliar on air during the national joint 24/7 newscast on the morning of 15 August

Quote from Deputy Minister: "Over the past week and even yesterday, on the first day of this week, we have recorded a quantitative decrease in attacks and the number of attacks in the east. But this does not mean that the enemy is "backing off", that the enemy has abandoned its plans. It's just that our troops attacked the enemy very powerfully when they became more active on the Kupiansk and Lyman fronts. Indeed, our soldiers have stopped them very effectively there, killing a lot of enemy fighters and destroying a lot of equipment."

Details: She says that now, the Russians are regrouping, restoring forces lost in the battles  and accordingly, the number of attacks has decreased.

Maliar added that Russians "will continue to advance where they have been advancing, the fighting will continue, and this should be well understood."

She says that on the Bakhmut front, Ukrainian soldiers "are gradually but confidently moving forward on the southern flank  with battles and obstacles, because there are mines, and air and artillery attacks, it's very difficult, but they are moving forward."

Maliar added that the situation in the south is complicated "as it is elsewhere at the front." Now there are battles for Urozhaine, and work on the Melitopol and Berdiansk fronts continues.

"But it is not easy everywhere. The situation at the front sometimes changes hourly. And when we simply say "fighting continues", "attacks have decreased", or "attacks have increased", behind those words there are very dynamic events on the front line.

Do not rush to underestimate the enemy. Battles and prolonged fighting exhaust all sides. But this does not mean that anyone has abandoned their plans. Our plans are to liberate our territories, while the Russians' aim is to further conquer Ukraine's territories," Maliar summed up.

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Former President Obama on Tuesday highlighted several organizations providing relief to Maui residents in the wake of last weeks deadly wildfires as he urged people to donate to recovery efforts on the island.

If youre looking for more ways to support folks in Lahaina and on Maui, I hope youll consider donating to these local organizations that are providing direct support on the ground, Obama said in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

His post linked to the Obama Foundation website, which pointed to several Maui-based organizations and funds, including The Maui Strong Fund from Hawaii Community Foundation, Maui Rapid Response, Maui Humane Society and New Life Kahuku Inc. It also featured national efforts, such as the American Red Cross and Wildfire Fund.

Obama, who grew up in Honolulu, said in a video message on Monday he and former first lady Michelle Obama are absolutely heartbroken by the devastating images coming out of his home state.

At least 99 people died in the Maui wildfires last week, making it the deadliest U.S. fire in more than a century. Fueled by strong wind gusts from an offshore hurricane, the blazes tore across the island and decimated the historic town of Lahaina.

As someone who grew up in Hawaii, someone who has taken my family to enjoy the incredible beauty of that island and the hospitality of the people of Lahaina, we now find ourselves mourning the lives that are lost, the former president said. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families that have lost so much.

However, Obama urged people to go beyond thoughts and prayers in Mondays message.

The thing about it is though, thoughts and prayers in a moment like this are not enough. We have to step up. And we have to help those families, and we have to help Lahaina rebuild, he said.

If all of us  the Ohana  pull together and do as much as we can to give back to an island and a town and people who have given us so much, Im absolutely confident that Lahaina and Maui and those families are going to be able to rebuild, Obama added.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Former President Barack Obama, who grew up in Hawaii, is urging people to do everything they can to support efforts to rebuild Maui and Lahaina, which are being ravaged by wildfires.

In an Instagram video posted on Monday, Obama said he and former first lady Michelle Obama are heartbroken by the tragic wildfires that caused devastation in Maui, especially the historic city of Lahaina.

Last week, Lahaina, which was once the capital of Hawaii, bore the brut wildfires, which became the deadliest in U.S. history. At least 99 people have died as of Monday and more than 1,000 people are still unaccounted for. Some people jumped into the water to escape the blaze as it tore through the town.

"As someone who grew up in Hawaii, as someone who has taken my family to enjoy the incredible beauty of that island and the hospitality of the people of Lahaina, we now find ourselves mourning the lives that are lost and our thoughts and prayers go out to the families that have lost so much," said Obama. "The thing about it is though, thoughts and prayers in a moment like this are not enough."

"We have to step up and we have to help those families and we have to help Lahaina rebuild," he said, adding that the Hawaii Red Cross and Malama Maui are mobilizing to help support the people in need.

Here's how to help victims of the Maui wildfires

The Red Cross partnered with local TV and radio stations in Hawaii to hold a telethon called Malama Maui on Aug. 14 to raise money for Hawaii Red Cross as it supports those affected by the fires. Malama is a Hawaiian word that means "to care for."

The Red Cross is continuing to accept donations for this cause online.

The former president urged people to do everything they can to support the Malama Maui effort. "If all of us, the Ohana [family], pull together, and do as much as we can to give back to an island and a town and people who have given us so much, I'm absolutely confident that Lahaina and Maui and those families are going to be able to rebuild."

Barack Obama escorts Laura Kong during the graduation ceremony at Punahou School in May 1979 in Honolulu, Hawaii. / Credit: / Getty Images

Obama was born in Hawaii on Aug. 4, 1961. His parents met there when his father, Barack Sr., and mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, were both students. He also lived in Indonesia for part of his childhood, but returned to Honolulu before fifth grade to live with his grandparents.

He attended Punahou School, a prep school in Honolulu, on a scholarship. He left Hawaii for college, and after building his career from community organizer to lawyer to senator and ultimately president, he continued to return to Hawaii every year with his family for the winter holidays.

In 2008, he became the first U.S. president born in Hawaii. His grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, died at age 86 on Nov. 3, 2008  the day before he was elected president. He returned to Hawaii in December that year to scatter her ashes on the shoreline.

The Obama Hawaiian Africana Museum, which honors the former president's birthplace and African American history in Hawaii, also urged people to donate to the Hawaii Community Foundation's Maui Strong fund, which is raising money for communities affected by the fires.

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The Oconee County Sheriffs Office reported the following incidents:

TWO ARRESTED: on Aug. 8, Deputy Doug Mattocks was dispatched to a shopping center on Epps Bridge Parkway, where a 34-year-old Gainesville man was begging people for money. The man left in the direction of Lowes and when the deputy located the man, he was placed under arrest for trespassing as he had previously been banned from the location. The mans girlfriend was in an encampment in the nearby woods and deputies located her in a tent. The 37-year-old woman was wanted on a warrant from Hall County, but she identified herself using her twin sisters name. Deputies learned she had used that false identification three other times during encounters with law enforcement. She was also taken to jail.

SHOPLIFTER CAUGHT: On Aug. 5, Cpl. Kenji Dorsey was dispatched to Walmart, where loss prevention had detained a 40-year-old Jesup man because he switched the price tags on two shirts and did not scan some razors. The man pleaded that he simply forgot to scan the razors. The man called his husband and the deputy could hear them talk over speaker phone. The husband became upset telling the man that he had warned him several times to stop doing that same exact thing.

HIT AND RUN: On Aug. 6, Deputy Devan Blair and three other deputies responded to a hit and run on Highway 316, where a car was rammed in the rear by a red Chevrolet Silverado. The pickup kept going west on the highway. Deputy Joshua Warren stopped the truck in Barrow County and noticed heavy frontend damage and deployed air bags. The 20-year-old Winder man explained he was scared to stop at the wreck. He opened his door and a shot glass fell out and shattered. The man smelled of alcohol, but said he only drank one Corona beer. Then he admitted to drinking more, however, he said he was not intoxicated. After he was informed he wasnt old enough to drink, the man told the officer to go ahead and take him to jail. The deputy complied.

Murder-suicide: Sheriff: Father, son die in apparent murder/suicide in Oconee County

Oconee Blotter: Cops looking for a dozen IHOP eaters who fled without paying bills

ILA MAN: On Aug. 8, Deputy Baer Schiffer was dispatched to Walmart, where a loss prevention officer had detained a 31-year-old Ila man, who tried to leave with $283 in merchandise. The man had placed the merchandise inside a tote bag, then paid for the bag but not the items inside. His female companion said she didnt know he didnt pay for the items and a video shows she was not near the checkout when he committed the theft.

BARRED FROM WALMART: On Aug. 10 Deputy Lex Ogan was dispatched to Walmart, where store security watched a man cutting open boxes and concealing watches. Security would not approach the man because he had a knife, but Ogan confronted him at an electric mobility cart he had driving in the store. The 40-year-old Morgan County man denied that he was stealing and denied cutting open any boxes. The deputy observed the store surveillance footage and confirmed what he was told about the man's behavior. The deputy removed several watches from the man along with a bottle of aspirin which actually contained 16 pills of Xanax. The man had also been barred from entering any Walmarts as a condition of his probation from a previous case. He was taken to jail.

EMPLOYEE ARRESTED: On Aug. 11, Deputy Annessa Glenn was dispatched to Kohl's where one of the employees was caught making a fraudulent return on a mixer, then using the cash from a credit card he purchased clothing. The 20-year-old Athens man, who refused to make a statement, was charged with theft by deception.

JOB ON LINE: On Aug. 11, Deputy Steven Heckler and Deputy Dustin Mines were monitoring traffic on Georgia Highway 316 when Mines' laser picked up a Chevrolet pickup traveling at 85 mph in the 55 mph zone. A traffic stop was made and the deputies could smell alcohol inside the cab. The 22-year-old woman in a company work truck had blood shot eyes and was unsteady on her feet. She confessed to drinking one beer, then changed it to two. During a sobriety test, she almost fell. She refused to take a breath test explaining, "I can't risk my job." She later took a test and it read 0.17. She was charged with DUI.

PHONE USE: On Aug. 13, Deputy Annessa Glenn was working traffic on Highway 316, when she observed a female driver using her cell phone. She made a stop and asked the 34-year-old if she was aware of the state's hands-free law. The woman said she didn't and she provided a Tennessee license that the deputy discovered was suspended. The woman was given a warning on the phone infraction and her vehicle was towed.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Oconee Blotter: Cops arrest shoplifting, panhandling suspects
Aug. 14 (UPI) -- A 19-year-old Ohio woman on Monday was found guilty of murdering her boyfriend and another man last year when she drove a car they were riding in into the wall of a building at 100 mph.

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Nancy Margaret Russo delivered the verdict against Mackenzie Shirilla following a four-day bench trial in Cleveland last week.

Prosecutors had charged Shirilla, of Strongville, Ohio, with intentionally causing the crash at an industrial park on July 31, 2022, when she was 17 years old, resulting in the deaths of passengers Dominic Russo, 20, and Davion Flanagan, 19.

The court is scheduled to hand down a sentence on Monday.

Shirilla broke down in tears as Russo read out her verdict finding her guilty of murder, felonious assault and aggravated vehicular homicide.

In so doing, the judge rejected defense arguments that Shirilla didn't intentionally kill Russo and Flanagan but merely lost control of the Toyota Camry while driving recklessly as many teenagers do.

During the trial, however, prosecutors pointed to security camera video of the incident showing the car accelerating "in a controlled manner" up to 100 mph "with intent" before careening off the road and crashing into a warehouse building, WKYC-TV reported.

The state also presented expert testimony finding that the car's gas pedal was pushed to its full acceleration capacity with no attempt to brake and presented evidence that Shirilla's relationship with boyfriend Russo was at times "hostile."

Shirilla maintained she did not have any recollection of the moments before the crash, after which she was pried out of the vehicle by emergency responders.
You see the speed limit signs posted all over Kansas and Missouri highways. If youre a cautious driver, you might try to always stay under that limit.

But what if the cars in front of you are moving too slow and you need to accelerate past them? Or if all the cars around you are going faster and you have to exceed the speed limit just to keep up?

Is it legal to go faster than the speed limit to keep up with the flow of traffic? And can you be cited for going too slow?

Heres what a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper, a traffic lawyer and Kansas and Missouri laws say.

Should drivers keep up with the speed of traffic?

You should be cautious of your surroundings  rush hour, rain or other weather events  but you should always follow the speed limit, according to Missouri State Highway Patrol spokesperson Corporal Justin Ewing.

Ewing said driving faster than the posted speed limits on signs is a violation, even if its just 1 mph over. That means if you get caught going 56 mph in a 55 mph zone, an officer can pull you over and cite an infraction. The penalties get more severe for drivers exceeding the speed limit by 6 mph or more.

Drivers can also receive infractions if theyre going too slow. Missouri has minimum speed limits on its highways, and Ewing said you could be cited for impeding traffic if an officer pulls you over for your speed.

Kansas state statute K.S.A. 8-1561 says:

No person shall drive a motor vehicle at such a slow speed as to impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic except when reduced speed is necessary for safe operation or in compliance with law.

Aimee Gromowsky, an attorney in Kansas City who focuses on traffic, said shes never represented anyone whos received a ticket for going too slow, but someone could get written up for careless and imprudent driving.

WHAT ARE THE SPEED LIMITS IN KANSAS AND MISSOURI?

The Kansas Highway Patrol has posted these maximum speed limits:

75 mph on rural segments of freeway with a 40 mph minimum

75 mph on the Kansas Turnpike, unless otherwise posted, with a 40 mph minimum

70 mph on some improved highways in rural areas

65 mph on improved two-lane highways

55 mph on two-lane paved highways, unless otherwise posted

30 mph in residential areas, unless otherwise posted

Kansas law requires drivers to follow other vehicles at a reasonable and prudent distance, considering the speed of the vehicles and the condition of the roadway.

Missouri speed limits are similar:

70 mph maximum on Interstates, like I-70, I-35 I-435 and some rural state numbered routes with four lanes.

65 mph maximum on U.S. Highways, like US-50

60 mph maximum on state-numbered routes, like MO-291

55 mph on state-lettered routes.

These speed limits can be lower in urban areas with higher traffic, according to Missouri Highway Patrol.

Ewing said counties can set speed limits for their county roads and can set general speed limits for roads when signs are not posted.

Its always best to drive a speed slow enough to manage the conditions of the roadway, Ewing said.
FILE - In this 1921 image provided by the Library of Congress, smoke billows over Tulsa, Okla. The state of Oklahoma says it is unwilling to participate in settlement discussions with survivors who are seeking reparations for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and that a Tulsa County judge properly dismissed the case in July 2023. The Oklahoma attorney general's litigation division filed its response Monday, Aug. 14, 2023, with the Oklahoma Supreme Court. (Alvin C. Krupnick Co./Library of Congress via AP, File)

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)  The Oklahoma Supreme Court will consider a reparations case from survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre after a lower court judge dismissed it last month, giving hope to advocates for racial justice that government may make amends in one of the worst single acts of violence against Black people in U.S. history.

Tulsa County District Judge Caroline Wall dismissed the case on July 9. Survivors appealed and the state's high court agreed last week to consider whether that decision was proper and if the case should be returned to her court for further consideration.

In response to the appeal, the state told the court Monday that it won't consider a settlement with the survivors. The survivors want the state's high court to return the case to district court to determine exactly what occurred and what it would take to fix or abate what they allege is a continuing nuisance created by the massacre.

Just three survivors of the attack are known to still be living, all more than 100 years old. Lessie Benningfield Randle, Viola Fletcher and Hughes Van Ellis have sued for reparations from the city, state and others for the white mob's destruction of the once-thriving Black district known as Greenwood. Several other original plaintiffs who are descendants of survivors were dismissed from the case by the trial court judge last year.

The survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre are heroes, and Oklahoma has had 102 years to do right by them, their attorney, Damario Solomon-Simmons, said in a statement to The Associated Press. "The states efforts to gaslight the living survivors, whitewash history, and move the goal posts for everyone seeking justice in Oklahoma puts all of us in danger, and that is why we need the Oklahoma Supreme Court to apply the rule of law.

The lawsuit was brought under Oklahoma's public nuisance law, saying actions of the white mob that killed hundreds of Black residents and destroyed what had been the nations most prosperous Black business district continue to affect the city's Black community. It alleges Tulsas long history of racial division and tension stemmed from the massacre.

But the state says that argument was properly dismissed by Judge Wall. The judge properly determined that the plaintiffs failed to outline a clearly identifiable claim for relief, Assistant Attorney General Kevin McClure wrote in the state's response to the appeal.

"All their allegations are premised on conflicting historical facts from over 100 years ago, wherein they have failed to properly allege how the Oklahoma Military Department created (or continues to be responsible for) an ongoing public nuisance, McClure wrote.

McClure claims the state's National Guard was activated only to quell the disturbance and left Tulsa after the mission was accomplished. The survivors' lawsuit alleges National Guard members participated in the massacre, systematically rounding up African Americans and going so far as to kill those who would not leave their homes.

Solomon-Simmons said the state's response denies the need for restorative justice for Black victims.

"We have people that suffered the harm that are still living, and we had the perpetrators, the city, the state, the county chamber, they are still here also, he said. Yes, the bombings have stopped. The shooting has stopped. The burning has stopped. But the buildings that were destroyed, they were never rebuilt.

The attorney general's office represents only the Oklahoma Military Department. Tulsa officials have declined to discuss the appeal, citing the ongoing litigation. A Tulsa Chamber of Commerce attorney previously said that the massacre was horrible, but the nuisance it caused was not ongoing.

In 2019, Oklahomas attorney general used the public nuisance law to force drugmaker Johnson & Johnson to pay the state $465 million in damages for the opioid crisis. The Oklahoma Supreme Court overturned that decision two years later.

___

Alexander reported from Washington, D.C.

___

The Associated Press coverage of race and voting receives support from the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation. See more about APs democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
KANSAS CITY, Mo.  An Olathe, Kansas man is sentenced for crimes stemming from a police chase that ended on a runway at Kansas Citys Downtown Airport.

Efren Torres-Rodriguez, 35, who led police officers on a high-speed chase down a runway at the downtown airport was sentenced in federal court Tuesday to 6 years and 6 months for disrupting airport operations as well as illegally possessing a firearm.

61-year-old man, teen killed in head-on crash in Lafayette County

Back in March, Torres-Rodriguez pleaded guilty to damaging and disrupting an international airport and to being a felon and an unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm.

Kansas City Police responded to the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport on Feb. 1, 2022, to check out a report of a suspicious car.

Court documents show officers found Torres-Rodriguez passed out in the drivers seat of the running car.

Officers ordered Torres-Rodriguez to get out of the car. Instead, he drove away.

Police followed Torres-Rodriguez as he crashed through a gate to the airfield. Court documents show he drove down the airport runway at speeds up to 100 mph during the chase.

His car became inoperable when he tried to drive through a grassy area.

Teen takes plea deal in deadly 2022 Shawnee shooting

After arresting Torres-Rodriguez, officers searched him and his car. Officers found a clear plastic bag in his pants pocket that contained methamphetamine. They also found a gun, ammunition, and drug paraphernalia in his car.

Torres-Rodriguez also admitted to using methamphetamine every other day and to smoking marijuana daily since he was 15 years old.

Torres-Rodriguez is a convicted felon and is not allowed to have any guns or ammunition in his possession.

The police chase caused the airport to close for 40 minutes. Planes were not allowed to take off or land, according to court documents.

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Torres-Rodriguez also destroyed the gate and damaged the airports fence that is designed to keep trespassers and animals away from runways.

At sentencing, evidence was presented that Torres-Rodriguez caused over $23,000 in damage to the airport. The insurance covering the vehicle driven by Torres-Rodriguez paid for all damages to the airport prior to sentencing.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
TORKHAM, PakistanIt is a hot and chaotic morning near the Durand Line of Afghanistans border with Pakistan, where thousands of travelers attempt to cross in and out of Taliban-controlled territory every day.

After a few grueling hours waiting in line, an Afghan family of five had just managed to cross the border into Pakistan, breathing a sigh of relief as they tried to flag down a taxi to Islamabad. The father, however, keeps looking back toward his homeland as his eyes swelled up with tears.

Forty-five years of war, I couldn't avoid it nor the crisis a war brings, Humayon Khan, a 60-year-old former government employee, told The Daily Beast. Today, it is without war but also without a soul. Living with the Taliban is impossible, they have no respect for human and or Afghan values, he added after getting into the cab.

Humayon Khan had seen it all: the Soviet invasion, the civil war, the American-led NATO occupationbut to him, life under the Taliban is the worst-case scenario.

The Taliban leader, [Hibatullah Akhundzada] makes laws without any consideration of even the other Taliban members. He has a very narrow minded head, Humayon said.

His wife, Hosna Sherzad, used to be a teacher. In the last two years, I prayed that common sense would prevail so that they allow girls and women to work, but having that hope hurts so I gave up, the 55-year-old told The Daily Beast. I wouldn't even wish it my worst enemy: to leave their beloved homeland the way we are.

Kabul Falls, Afghanistan Burns

The couples three daughters described their life in Afghanistan after the Taliban took control as hell for women.

I stopped going to school and I used to lock myself in my room till noon when the school was over, the youngest daughter told The Daily Beast, speaking about her life under the Talibans regime through tears. The Taliban do not know how to govern, they are barbarians who only rule by fear.

Not everyone leaving Afghanistan in recent months is doing so to escape the iron fist of the Taliban. Droves of young Afghan nationals have been flooding into neighboring Pakistan with the purpose of joining the militant group Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, as reported by The New York Times this week. The trend has raised concerns of a potential spike in terrorist activity in the region.

1252658204 Afghan refugees stand in line to return home at a border crossing point of Torkham between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Nangarhar province. Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images

Homecoming

And although thousands are fleeing from Afghanistan, thousands more are flooding backregardless of the restrictions on womens education, economic turmoil, and collapse of institutions in the two years after the Talibans takeover.

That includes Asadullah Hazrat, an employee in Afghanistans Ministry of Education, who was returning from a month-long visit to Pakistan with his wife.

I am happy and satisfied in Kabul under the IEA [Taliban] flag, the security is good, there were problems before and still now, but at least the occupation is over. Yes the girls do not go to school, but more important than that is that the war is over, the brutal American occupation is over, he told The Daily Beast.

Hazrat added: [Americans) were the aggressors, they wanted to westernize the most conservative country in the world, they were dropping their new bombs and using their new weapons as if we are rats that needed to be experimented on. It was good that they were defeated, they carpet bombed our nation mercilessly. Had they not invaded then Afghanistan would not have been so intellectually behind.

Another Afghan crossing into Kabul is 50-year-old Sayad Jalal. Hes carrying Pakistani mangoes in a wooden box with one hand, and his six year old daughter in the other. After spending a week outside of the country, he said: I cannot wait to feel the cold breeze of Kabul.

I have been a shopkeeper in Kabul for over 23 years, I will be honest, I feel much more secure under the Taliban regime than the U.S-backed government, he said.

When asked about his childrens education, he said that the boys are still studying but the girls are not, and I pulled them out of school in sixth grade before the Taliban regime came. Jalal said he didnt agree with the ban on girls from going to school: Why did they close the schools for girls? I am not running away from my homeland, but their strictness is unnecessary. They should soften some of their policies.

Americas Catastrophic Afghanistan Exit Has Many Fathers

Afghan people arriving from Pakistan at the zero-point Torkham border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Wakil Kohsar/Getty Images

Esmat Qani, a prominent Afghan writer and political expert, told The Daily Beast he now thinks of his country as an isolated island.

It has been two years, no formal recognition Restricted trade, sanctions, tense relationships with neighbors, shut down schools, he said. The youth are running away, the leadership is camera shy. This is no real system, not one can define it properly.

When confronted with the flurry of problems Afghan citizens like Qani have raised, the Taliban deputy minister of foreign affairs Muhammad Abbas Stanikzai told The Daily Beast that Afghans should not despair.

Afghanistan is improving day by day, the issue of women's education is important and will be solved by priorities The economy is not bad, America was advertising that Afghan people will die of hunger, thank God no one has died of hunger in the last two years.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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We started out being skeptical, but cautiously optimistic. Then, the bad news just kept rolling in.

Claims of a room temperature and ambient pressure superconductor have torn the scientific community apart. But as more evidence gathers, the existence of a miraculous lead-based metal that can perfectly conduct electricity at room temperature is seriously starting to fall apart.

The latest nail in the coffin is a failed replication test conducted by researchers at Charles University in the Czech Republic.

"The possibilities within the claims of Lee, Kim et al. would be a game-changer for society if they would turn out to be true, so we of course wanted to be part of the history in case of a real breakthrough," materials scientist Ross Colman, who participated in the test, told Physics World.

But as far as Colman's team could tell, the test didn't end up with a superconductor. The material, dubbed LK-99 in a pair of of un-peer-reviewed papers by South Korean researchers, simply refuses to reliably behave like one.

That's despite controversial claims of Chinese researchers calculating that LK-99's electronic structures could hint at hallmark qualities of superconductors. Videos circulating online also purported to show a small sample of the material at least partially levitating, which is one, but not the only, telltale sign of a superconductor.

The excitement led to countless home lab replication attempts, with varying degrees of success, triggering a frenzy on social media.

Yet far more evidence points towards the material being a plain old conventional semiconductor.

"A lot of the stuff early on was rushed and statements from all sides were unchecked," Andrei Bernevig, a condensed-matter theorist at Princeton University, told Physics World. "The social media, memes, etc., have been completely detrimental to progress in this field in my view... I hope we never do science like this again."

A big reason for the mass confusion is the "messy" recipe for LK-99, according to Colman.

"Whilst the synthesis recipe is presented very simply, there are a number of inaccuracies or missing information," he told the publication.

So what the hell is the material anyways, if it isn't a superconductor? A lot of evidence points towards it being ferromagnetic, much like iron, and diamagnetic, which means it can readily be magnetized within a magnetic field.

Another wrinkle in the story could be impurities present in the samples the original South Korean researchers used that may have resulted in greatly skewed results.

"If theres a simple alternative explanation for the results, theres no reason to consider the extraordinary claim of room-temperature superconductivity anymore," Michael Fuhrer, a condensed-matter physicist at Monash University, Australia, told Physics World.

"The experimental papers showing ferromagnetism were pretty convincing, and the new theories are also more carefully done," Richard Greene, a superconductor researcher at the University of Maryland, told Scientific American.

"It is still a bit too early to put the nail in the coffin," he added. "But we are getting close. The coffin is there, the nails are ready, and a hammer is ready, too."

More on superconductors: That Room-Temperature Superconductor Seems to Be Falling Apart
An Afghan refugee woman takes part in a rally to mark International Womens Day, in Islamabad, Pakistan, on March 8, 2023. The day officially recognized by the United Nations in 1977, is celebrated around the world on March 8. | Anjum Naveed, Associated Press

Its been two years since Kabul fell and the Taliban took over the government of Afghanistan. Its been two years of suffering for Afghan women and girls.

As the Taliban celebrates today as a national holiday, women are effectively erased from every aspect of public life.

Where are Afghan women banned?

We are going to allow women to study and work within our framework. Women are going to be very active in our society, the Taliban announced in their first press conference two years ago today.

But then, in March 2022, the Taliban suddenly banned girls from schools above the sixth grade. In May 2022, women were ordered to be completely covered head to toe, with only their eyes showing. By November, women were banned from parks and gyms. On Dec. 21, they were banned from attending universities and on Dec. 24, they were banned from working with national governmental and nongovernmental organizations, a move that put millions of people at risk. In July of this year, the Taliban shut down beauty salons. As reported by The New York Times, these women-only spaces were forbidden under Shariah law and caused economic hardship for grooms families during wedding celebrations.

Related

Afghanistan under the Taliban remains the most repressive country in the world regarding womens rights, said Roza Isakovna Otunbayeva, special representative of the Unite Nations secretary-general and head of the mission to Afghanistan in March.

The Afghan supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, has praised the changes imposed since the takeover, claiming life improved for Afghan women after foreign troops left, reports The Associated Press.

The gap between promises and practices

More than 30 human rights experts denounce the idea of a reformed Taliban, writing in a statement on Aug. 14 that the gap between promises and practices by Afghanistans de facto authorities has widened. The policies they have imposed have resulted in a continuous, systematic and shocking rescinding of a multitude of human rights, including the rights to education, work, and freedoms of expression, assembly and association. There have been consistent credible reports of summary executions and acts tantamount to enforced disappearances, widespread arbitrary detention, torture, and ill treatment, as well as arbitrary displacement.

Related

The collective practices of total domination of women and girls is so egregious, the experts continue, that they constitute gender persecution, a crime against humanity, and has necessitated a discussion about the codification of gender apartheid.

Additionally, human rights violations continue in the form of torture, stoning, flogging and burying women alive by knocking over walls on top of them. Women are more likely to be sentenced to death by stoning, due to deeply entrenched discrimination and stereotypes against them, including deep-rooted stereotypes held by the exclusively male judiciary.

What are living conditions like now?

Increasing hunger, natural disasters, unemployment, a banking and liquidity crisis, rights-violating restrictions on women and girls, and the lack of a functioning economy mean Afghans are facing a multitude of simultaneous crises, says Samira Sayed Rahman, International Rescue Committee Afghanistan director of advocacy.

Afghanistan is struggling through its third consecutive year of drought, the collapse in family incomes and a dramatic decrease in international money. Nearly 80% of the previous, Western-backed governments budget came from the international community, says the AP. That money  now virtually dried up  had been used to finance hospitals, schools, factories and even government ministries.

The International Rescue Committee reports that the entire population has been pushed into poverty, with 91% of the average Afghan households money spent on food. Restrictions on womens ability to work have produced an economic loss of up to $1 billion, about 5% of Afghanistans GDP.

Holly Richardson is the editor of Utah Policy.
Editors Note: W. James Antle III is the politics editor of the Washington Examiner and author of Devouring Freedom: Can Government Ever Be Stopped?

Ahead of the charges filed against him Monday night in Georgia, former President Donald Trump quipped that he was one indictment away from victory. The question is whether Republican primary voters want to make the same bet: that a nominee facing four separate indictments can win the general election.

W. James Antle III - Courtesy W. James Antle III

Trump has only gained strength in the Republican primaries since the historic first indictment for alleged business fraud for hush money payments to an adult film actress. Trump was at 46.4% on March 1, a little over a month before his first indictment, among GOP primary voters in FiveThirtyEights polling average. He was polling at just under 53% on the eve of his fourth. His primary opponents, meanwhile, are all below 20%, with most in the single digits.

Trump has denied wrongdoing in all the cases, saying the witch hunt continues in response to the Georgia state court indictment on alleged interference in the 2020 election results. The other state court indictment concerns the business fraud allegations in New York. He also faces two federal cases, one concerning his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House, and the other about his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and the events leading up to the January 6 Capitol riot.

Trump has so far managed to turn these indictments, which generally lead candidates to at least rethink their campaigns, into a referendum on the justice systems treatment of Republicans versus Democrats and the idea that Democratic prosecutors, including the Justice Department under the current administration, are out to get him.

This framing has forced his closest rivals for the Republican nomination to more or less defend him, while his popularity with the base has made directly challenging him a nonstarter for all but a handful of low-polling candidates.

But Trump and his supporters shouldnt take climbing poll numbers as a sign of invincibility, no matter how much conventional wisdom presents these prosecutions as a boost for the former president. Nominating a candidate with so many pending criminal charges would be inherently risky. This is true purely as a practical matter, regardless of what Republicans or anyone else think of the merits of the legal cases against him.

For starters, Trumps many legal defenses will be expensive. Trumps political action committee has already spent tens of millions on legal bills. Money that could be spent trying to defeat President Joe Biden will be diverted toward legal costs, putting a strain on campaign coffers.

The indictments have, until now, been helping his fundraising, but if the money cannot be spent on the campaign and instead must be paid to lawyers, the political benefit of this is limited.

The multiple cases will also threaten Trumps availability to campaign. He will need to appear in court, with one proposed trial date coming two weeks before the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 14. He will also need to participate in his legal defense at times when he would otherwise be preparing for debates or out on the campaign trail. One trial alone could put a damper on his ability to wage an effective national campaign. But four?

The indictments may also force the campaign to address topics that are less favorable for Republicans, such as the nature of the hush money payments to a porn star and the legitimacy of the 2020 election.

Trump will certainly take the opportunity to talk about a two-tiered system of justice that penalizes conservatives, and the weaponized Biden Justice Department they claim is selectively prosecuting the presidents political opponents. But its not clear that the broader electorate will be as receptive to these arguments as Republican primary voters.

According to a new ABC News/Ipsos poll, most Americans take the charges against Trump seriously and are more likely to view them as warranted than rankand-file Republicans. Some of the indictments earn majority support in polls. This hasnt had a big impact on Trumps general election polling yet, but it is much earlier in that race than in the GOP nomination contest.

Republicans themselves would prefer the 2024 general election to be a referendum on Bidens unpopular presidency. Nominating Trump under any set of circumstances complicates that. With criminal charges, it will make it almost impossible to make that the focal point.

While most of Trumps primary opponents feel constrained from arguing that the indictments show Trump is unfit for office, the Democrats dont. Biden may hesitate to talk about them because he wont want to lend unwitting support to Trumps contention that the criminal cases are political, but the incumbent presidents surrogates will likely have no such compunctions.

And thats just while the cases are being litigated.

If convicted, the indictments could also affect Trumps availability to govern  something that would likely weigh on voters. To avoid any convictions, he needs to pitch the legal equivalent of a shutout in multiple jurisdictions.

Paradoxically, the state cases could be an even bigger problem in this area than either of special counsel Jack Smiths. If convicted of a state crime, Trump wouldnt possess even the theoretical ability to pardon himself after the election. If state prosecutions are still ongoing, Trump couldnt shut them down by retaking power federally.

Though Georgia is run by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, the state is one of only a handful in which the governor doesnt have unilateral pardon power. Thats assuming Kemp would want to pardon Trump in the first place, since the two have feuded  including over the very 2020 election issues at play in the Fulton County case.

A pardon from New Yorks Democratic governor also looks like a longshot, though many view the hush money case as the weakest of those being brought against Trump.

Admittedly, if anyone could run effectively for president while under multiple indictments, it is Trump. He has not only built a healthy lead in the Republican primaries under conditions that would end most campaigns but is surprisingly competitive in the general election, polling better than he did in 2020 and most of 2016.

Yet, that doesnt necessarily mean that its prudent for Republicans to attempt this experiment in what otherwise looks like a winnable presidential election. Unless the reality of the political danger these indictments pose soon sets in, Republicans could be sleepwalking toward disaster in 2024.

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Editors Note: Sigrid Fry-Revere is a medical ethicist with a focus on patients rights. She wrote the initial draft of the 1990 Patient Self-Determination Act and started the first non-profit to exclusively represent living organ donors, the American Living Organ Donor Fund. She also served as the ethicist on the Organ and Tissue Advisory Committee of the Washington Regional Transplant Community from 2008 to 2018. The views expressed here are her own. Read more opinion on CNN.

The national Organ Procurement and Transplant Network (OPTN) has long drawn criticism for its handling of the organ donation and transplant process in the US. Over 100,000 people nationwide are currently waiting for an organ transplant and some 6,000 die per year while waiting, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration. The system has always been managed by the nonprofit United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). But in July, the US House and the US Senate passed legislation to open up the national OPTN to other organizations through a competitive contract process. The bill is now on President Joe Bidens desk to be signed.

Sigrid Fry-Revere - Sigrid Fry-Revere

The changes that could come with this legislation, however, will likely not be the saving grace that many are hoping for. Instead, passing this law is like Congress rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic.

Of course, we should increase the efficiency of the deceased organ donation system, but it would be a mistake to assume that breaking up the UNOS monopoly will do much to solve the organ shortage.

The truth is, sometimes market solutions provide answers only if you allow resourceful people to look outside the box for those solutions. The problem we need to solve is the shortage of organs from living donors, not the better management of organs from deceased donors. The bill focuses attention on a solution that will make only the smallest dent in the supply of organs and will not solve it. There are better ways to save more lives.

Less than half a percent (0.3%) of people in the US die under conditions that make it possible to use their organs for transplants. Organs must be preserved immediately to be viable for transplant, so almost all transplantable organs are retrieved from people on life support in hospitals.

A more effective answer to solving the organ shortage is better preventative care or artificial organs  biotechnology that can replace a human organ that is no longer functioning  but until we develop the biotech needed, the next best solution is living organ donation.

Over 95% of people on the organ waiting list can be helped by increasing the number of living organ donors, according to the American Kidney Fund. Although the 3% of patients waiting for heart transplants can only be helped through deceased donation, those waiting for kidneys (more than 85%), livers (10%), lungs (1%) and even segments of intestines (less than 0.2%) can all be helped with living organ donors.

Other countries have done a much better job of encouraging living organ donations. In Iran, for instance, donors receive incentives in the form of cash, goods and services. While the Dutch system doesnt offer cash or goods as an incentive, the US should look to that system as an example because it covers expenses and health care related to the procedures necessary for living donation and any complications.

In the US, insurance practices regarding organ donation have changed over time. Currently, the organ recipients and the organ donors insurance (assuming they have insurance) argue about who should cover what, often leaving the donor with huge unpaid bills, particularly if the donor has complications.

The most important advantage the Dutch system has over the US system is that it does more to reduce the financial and health risks associated with donation.

The Dutch have a universal healthcare system but living organ donors get even better benefits than other citizens; normally, when someone takes sick time away from work because of a health condition, they get at least 70% of their normal wages. In contrast, organ donors who need to take sick time related to their surgery receive 100% of their wages. Donors also get coverage for potential complications.

In the Netherlands, financial support during recovery and coverage of complications is not limited by what all Dutch citizens get under their medical system. There is also a fund to cover specifically organ donation-related costs, such as travel for donors and their families to the transplant center, housing and food at the transplant center, babysitting during surgery and recovery and other incidentals. These benefits, on top of more overall health care coverage than provided in the US, give financial and health security to all donors regardless of their socioeconomic class or health outcomes.

Providing a Dutch-style security for donors was my mission when I started the American Living Organ Donor Fund (ALODF) in 2014. It was, as far as I know, the first nonprofit in the US to represent donors and their needs exclusively. All other related nonprofits I knew of at the time concentrated on finding organs for those who needed transplants, and helping donors was secondary to their mission. The ALODFs focus on the donor was important; it is hard to fairly represent both the interests of people needing organs and those considering donation. An organization focused on saving the lives of organ recipients may (even if unintentionally) downplay the risks organ donors face.

Donors came to the ALODF with questions about both health and financial risks. Arguably, they were a self-selected sample, but most were worried about how their bills would get paid while they were recovering from surgery and how their healthcare needs would be met if they had complications, particularly if those complications didnt manifest for years. The Netherlands had much better answers to these questions than I could provide US donors. The Dutch system provides a safety net, while donors in the US largely lack one.

During the time I was CEO and president, the ALODF did what it could to provide money to cover donors household bills and focused on trying to get donors more healthcare coverage for all medical expenses indefinitely. The all medical expenses coverage is critical because potential donors with fewer financial resources cant afford to wait for reimbursement that only comes if and when a connection between their ailment and their donation can be proven.

The current US kidney donation system puts donors on Medicare if they donate to a patient on Medicare (which is true of almost all dialysis patients), but that coverage only lasts if the kidney recipient stays on Medicare. Usually, if the transplant is successful, the organ recipient will go back to work and choose to be covered by their employers insurance, not Medicare. Coverage ends, as well, if the transplant fails, or the transplant recipient dies.

The US problem of healthcare insecurity for donors could be solved by putting them on Medicare permanently, regardless of whether their organ recipients is on, or stays on, Medicare  and whether or not they are a kidney donor or another type of living organ donor.

Until we make more substantial changes to our living organ donation system, we shouldnt expect our long waiting list of patients in need of organs to get much shorter.

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Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson, right, sits next to attorneys John Drummond Barnett, left, and Paul Meyer during a hearing at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles on Aug. 15, 2023. (Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press)

One week after admitting in a text message that he shot his wife after he "lost it," Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson pleaded not guilty to murder charges in a downtown L.A. courtroom.

Ferguson, 72, was charged with murder last week. Prosecutors allege he pulled a gun from his ankle holster and shot his 65-year-old wife, Sheryl, inside the couple's Anaheim Hills home. He spent one night in jail and has remained free on $1 million bail since, records show.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Ricardo Ocampo allowed Ferguson to remain free during a Tuesday morning hearing, but ordered him to surrender his passport and barred him from traveling anywhere outside Los Angeles, Orange or Riverside counties. The veteran judge must also refrain from consuming alcohol or possessing firearms, submit to electronic monitoring and stay away from bars, Ocampo said.

Ferguson, wearing a black suit with white hair swept slightly toward his eyes, did not speak to reporters outside the courtroom. His attorneys, John Barnett and Paul Meyer, described the killing as an "accidental shooting and not a crime."

Read more: 'I just shot my wife. I wont be in tomorrow': O.C. judge charged with murder

Judge Ferguson protected and served the citizens of Orange County for 40 years. Hes confident that when a jury from Orange County hears these facts they will agree with us that this was an unintentional discharge of a firearm, there was no intent to kill, no malice," Barnett said.

Asked how his client would be spared from a manslaughter charge if the shooting was in fact accidental, Barnett insisted Ferguson was innocent of that crime too.

On the night of the Aug. 3 shooting, Ferguson and his wife got into an argument over dinner at a restaurant, where he threatened her by making a hand gesture indicative of pointing a gun at her, prosecutors allege.

The argument continued when the couple returned home, where Sheryl Ferguson said, Why dont you point a real gun at me? or something similar, prosecutors allege.

The judge removed a .40-caliber Glock handgun from his ankle holster and shot Sheryl once in the chest, prosecutors said.

Ferguson and his 22-year-old son called 911 before the judge reached out to his law clerk and bailiff via text message.

I just lost it. I just shot my wife. I wont be in tomorrow. I will be in custody. Im so sorry, he wrote, according to court filings.

After Ferguson's arrest, Anaheim police confiscated 47 firearms and more than 26,000 rounds of ammunition from his home. Detectives were unable to find a .22-caliber rifle that is registered in his name, according to the district attorneys office. In court, the judge's attorneys insisted that he does not own such a weapon.

Laurie Levenson, a former federal prosecutor, said the facts of the case as publicly known clearly justify a murder charge.

Theyll say he was in the heat of passion  but it is very much what we could call a second-degree murder," she said. "In California, the standard is callous disregard for human life. Even if youre drunk, you can have enough intent to meet the requirements of second-degree murder.

Levenson said the facts of the case will probably inhibit Ferguson's ability to argue he was too impaired to realize the danger he'd put his wife in. Ferguson's blood-alcohol content was measured at 0.06% after the shooting, below the legal limit for intoxication, court records show.

"The standard is malice, and here malice would be that he at least realized the risk that he was going to seriously injure or kill her," she said. "The less drunk he is, the easier it is to argue that he realized that risk.

The case has been moved out of Orange County's court system because Ferguson had been a judge there since 2015. But despite the fact that Ferguson was a longtime prosecutor before taking the bench, the Orange County district attorney's office is still prosecuting the case because the California attorney general's office declared there was no conflict of interest.

Sheryl Ferguson was laid to rest in a Hollywood Hills cemetery Monday, according to her younger brother, Larry Rosen, who said his sister was "a wonderful person, very caring, very selfless."

Rosen declined to discuss the specifics of the case or answer questions about the Fergusons' relationship, other than to say, "Theres going to be some stuff that will potentially come up. But he described the shooting as an "absolute tragedy."

"The family is absolutely in shock and shes going to be missed dearly," he said. "Shes very well loved by very many people.

Times staff writer Christopher Goffard contributed to this report.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Police tape surrounds the home where the officer-involved shooting of 24-year-old Ricky Wayne Franks occurred on July 5.

After reviewing the results of an Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations report, Washington County District Attorney Will Drake found the officer-involved deadly shooting in July was justified, according to a statement released by the city.

"The internal investigation has also concluded, finding the officer involved in the shooting acted within the scope of the law and Bartlesville Police Department policy," the statement read. "Due to these findings, the officer has been removed from paid leave and reinstated to full duty."

On July 5, officers were called to the area around Nowata Road and Madison Boulevard at 1:21 a.m. to investigate reports of an armed suicidal man in a residence. Upon arrival, officers learned that a female subject also was in the residence with the suspect.

"Negotiations began with the suspect, however, at approximately 4:09 a.m., events transpired that resulted in a Bartlesville police officer firing shots that led to the death of the suspect," Elkins said.

After the shooting, the OSBI and BPD launched independent investigations into the early-morning police shooting death of 24-year-old Ricky Wayne Franks. Franks died from his wounds at the scene, according to OSBI.

The OSBI began invsigating the scene of the officer-involved shooting on July 5.

This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: OSBI, Washington County DA rule deadly July police shooting justified
Several guns, drugs and thousands in cash were seized after a search warrant at a Paulding County home.

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Early this month, Haralson-Paulding Drug Task Force conducted a search warrant at a home on Alana Court and a home on Collins Run Lane, both in Dallas, Georgia.

Deputies seized one kilogram of methamphetamine, more than 200 grams of heroin and fentanyl, several ounces of cocaine and more than $100,000 in case, 15 guns including pistols and rifles, and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

Officials said two of the guns were stolen out of Paulding County.

TRENDING STORIES:

Authorities arrested Aaron Ryan Jones, 41, and Sherod Montraze Birdsong, 38, both of Paulding County.

Jones is charged with trafficking cocaine, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, trafficking fentanyl, and trafficking heroin.

Birdsong is charged with two counts of trafficking cocaine, trafficking fentanyl, trafficking heroin, trafficking methamphetamine, distribution and sale of cocaine, and possession of cocaine

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The pair are behind bars at the Paulding County Jail with no bond.

Paulding County investigators said there may be additional charges for both Birdsong and Jones. There may also be more individuals arrested in the case.

Anyone who may have any information about this case, or any case involving illegal drug use and/or sales, contact the Haralson-Paulding Drug Task Force at 770- 646-9175.

IN OTHER NEWS:
The Armed Forces of Ukraine shoot down Russian Ka-52 attack helicopters

A further 540 Russian soldiers were eliminated in Ukraine over the past 24 hours, Ukraine's General Staff reported in its morning update on Aug. 15.

The report also stated that a Russian attack helicopter was destroyed, without specifying the type.

Read also: Russia attacks Ukraine overnight, killing two in Zaporizhzhya and hitting Odesas historic city center

Total Russian losses in personnel and equipment in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022 are now as follows:

Personnel: 254,920 (+540) confirmed casualties

Tanks: 4,313 (+7) units

Combat armored vehicles: 8,370 (+16) units

Artillery systems: 5,128 (+29) units

Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 714 (+0) units

Anti-Aircraft Missile Systems: 482 (+3) units

Aircraft: 315 (+0) units

Helicopters: 314 (+1) units

Operational-Tactical UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles): 4,242 (+29) units

Cruise missiles: 1,387 (+8) units

Ships/boats: 18 (+0) units

Military vehicles and tankers: 7,584 (+22) units

Specialized equipment: 7669(+3) units.

Since the beginning of June, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have undertaken a counteroffensive in the southern and eastern regions of Ukraine, progressively liberating occupied territories and securing positions on recaptured frontiers.

Read also: Former Aidar Battalion company commander discusses raids on occupied territory and counter-offensive in the south

Ukraines successes are a preview of a much larger offensive yet to come, said Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov.

A new phase of Ukraines counteroffensive in the south began in late July, reported multiple Western media outlets.

Read also: Fozzy supermarket reacts to destruction of its Odesa store after Russian missile attack

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 Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. Antoine Antoniol/Getty Images

Two Americans were reportedly found sleeping in the Eiffel Tower Monday morning.

The pair "appear to have got stuck because of how drunk they were," Paris prosecutors told AFP.

They reportedly purchased tickets for 10:40 p.m. Sunday, then snuck into an area closed to visitors.

Paris prosecutors told AFP that two American tourists were found sleeping inside the Eiffel Tower on Monday morning.

Before the Eiffel Tower opened to the public at 9 a.m., the men were discovered inside a part of the Parisian monument that's normally closed to the public, Eiffel Tower operator Societe d'Exploitation de la tour Eiffel (SETE) said. Paris prosecutors told AFP that the pair "appear to have got stuck because of how drunk they were."

The pair had reportedly purchased tickets to enter the Eiffel Tower at 10:40 p.m. on Sunday, but instead of exiting afterward, authorities say the duo hopped a security barrier into a typically prohibited area between the tower's second and third floors where they spent the night.

Security guards woke the men early Monday morning and firefighters were sent to remove them from the tower, according to AFP. SETE told the outlet that it ultimately determined that the men "did not pose any apparent threat," but that it would file a criminal complaint. Neither Paris prosecutors nor SETE responded to Insider's request for further comment, made outside of regular working hours.

Both tourists were brought to a police station for questioning, AFP reported, and their discovery delayed the Eiffel Tower's opening by about an hour. Their overnight stay came just days after the Eiffel Tower had to be evacuated for several hours on Saturday due to a bomb threat.

The tourists' overstep is just the latest example of people misbehaving while abroad. This summer, on two separate occasions, two tourists were seen defacing the Colosseum in Rome. Another visitor to the city was recently filmed climbing the Trevi Fountain to fill up her water bottle.

Read the original article on Insider
Severe weather  including heavy rain  in parts of western Miami-Dade may see flash floods, according to the National Weather Service in Miami.

The NWS issued a flash flood warning through 6 p.m. Tuesday for areas such as The Hammocks, Country Walk and the Redland.

Flash Flood Warning including Miami-Dade County, FL until 6:00 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/f6iPBvLgI4  NWS Miami (@NWSMiami) August 15, 2023

Its a combination of a tropical wave interacting with a sea breeze front, said Cindy Preszler, a meteorologist with Miami Herald news partner CBS News Miami.

About three to five inches of rain have fallen throughout Tuesday, according to the NWS. An additional one to two inches are possible in the affected areas.

READ MORE: Brace for another scorching week in South Florida. How bad? What the forecast says

On top of the downpours, South Florida has also experienced record heat this summer. Heat advisories have been issued every day since Aug. 6, with it feeling as hot as 105 degrees outside.
Even as a criminal indictment loomed in Georgia, Donald Trump campaigned at the Iowa State Fair (Stefani Reynolds)

Each time Donald Trump is indicted -- and that has now happened four times since March, with the latest election interference charges in Georgia -- he raises serious campaign cash and gets a bump in opinion polls.

Instead of damaging the former president's image, his legal troubles for now offer him valuable political capital in a country where winning the White House costs billions of dollars.

On Sunday, even before charges were formalized in Georgia against the 77-year-old Republican, he fired out an email to his supporters, inviting them to fight back... by reaching for their wallets.

"The Biden Department of Justice is trying to JAIL ME FOR LIFE," he said, before asking his fellow "patriots" to give from $24 to $1,000 to his bid to be the Republican Party's candidate in 2024.

"Our Republic is hanging by a thread, and America needs you right now."

- $4 million in 24 hours -

Since he was first charged with criminal wrongdoing in New York, the feisty onetime reality television star has inundated his backers with text messages and emails of a similar ilk, always peppered with inflammatory language.

Criminal charges against him? All "witch hunts." Democratic President Joe Biden? A "crooked" leader of a "tin-pot dictatorship" whose government is conspiring to "eliminate their leading opponent."

So far, the strategy is working: the Republican's campaign team announced they had raised more than $4 million in 24 hours after his first indictment in March in New York, over hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels.

Team Trump also boasted about raising nearly $7 million after he was charged in federal court in Florida in June over his handling of top secret classified documents -- the first time a sitting or former commander-in-chief has ever faced federal charges.

In a sign of the influence that the real estate tycoon still wields over his conservative base, thousands of Americans heeded the call to donate.

One of them is Jim Wood, a retiree first encountered by AFP in Washington on January 6, 2021, the day of the deadly assault on the US Capitol by Trump's supporters.

Since the Republican billionaire's first indictment, Wood has donated nearly $400 dollars to his campaign, according to publicly available campaign finance data.

The 60-something from New Hampshire says he is convinced that Trump is the victim of political persecution.

"Even if he's in jail, I'll still send him money," he told AFP.

- Double-edged sword -

Trump's campaign war chest and the engagement of his supporters are even more spectacular given that his fundraising efforts before his legal woes intensified were not as successful.

With each new investigation, the Republican has benefitted from what analysts have called an "indictment bump."

A similar boost has been seen in the polls -- since the New York charges were laid, the former president has gained nine percentage points in the race for the Republican nomination, according to polling data aggregator RealClearPolitics.

"Any time they file an indictment, we go way up in the polls," Trump said earlier this month.

"We need one more indictment to close out this election."

Even if Trump and his entourage are happy to brag about their fundraising successes on the back of his mounting legal problems, these cases are a double-edged sword.

The candidate has had no choice but to dip into the campaign coffers to pay millions of dollars in legal fees linked to the indictments -- money that could have otherwise been used for television ads, rallies or campaign swings nationwide.

"His legal expenses are through the roof. Trump has already spent a large percentage of his contributions on legal expenses," Larry Sabato, a political scientist at the University of Virginia, told AFP.

"And those expenses will only go up for months and months, maybe years, to come."

cjc/sst/st
The U.S. military is strengthening response efforts in Hawaii as the state battles wildfires and their aftermath on Maui, with the Pentagon planning to move supplies and emergency responders more quickly around the island.

Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said Tuesday that U.S. Army Pacific is overseeing six new mission assignments designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist Hawaiians.

Those missions include moving cargo, personnel and equipment around the island with aircraft and other vehicles, creating a defense coordinating office and setting up new staging areas on Maui for more coordinated responses.

Singh said more than 250 Hawaiian National Guard members have now been mobilized to fight the wildfires, along with 140 U.S. Coast Guard responders and dozens of personnel from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The [U.S. military] will continue to work closely with state officials, FEMA and other supporting agencies to support the people of Hawaii in response to this incredibly terrible disaster, Singh told reporters at a briefing.

Wildfires in Upcountry Maui were 65 percent contained as of Monday night, according to the Maui County government. The Lahaina fire, named for the town it has decimated, was about 85 percent contained, while two other fires have now been extinguished.

President Biden first authorized the U.S. military to respond to the Hawaii blazes last week, deploying the Coast Guard and Navy to assist state responders.

Biden on Tuesday also announced he would visit Hawaii with first lady Jill Biden as soon as we can, noting the fires on Maui have already taken the lives of 99 people.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Hawaii, the president said. But not just our prayers, every asset, every asset they need will be there for them. And well be there in Maui as long as it takes.

There are more than 500 federal emergency personnel helping Hawaii. Singh said Tuesday the military specifically was focused on search-and-rescue operations and getting needed supplies to communities.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
For at least the third time in two days, a shooting was reported in Columbia.

A teenage victim was taken to an area hospital after he was found outside an apartment complex Monday night, according to the Columbia Police Department.

At about 9 p.m., officers responded to a shooting at the Colony Apartments, police said. Thats by the intersection of West Beltline Boulevard and Farrow Road, not far from the intersection of Harden Street and Colonial Drive.

Officers were responding to a ShotSpotter alert, police said. ShotSpotter is a technology that uses acoustic monitors to detect a sound like gunfire. The system sends the gunfires location to Columbia police within 45 seconds.

The 19-year-old had been shot in the upper body and was in stable condition, according to police. Further information on his condition was not available.

No other injuries were reported.

There was no word on a shooter, or shooters, or anyone else involved. Information about a motive for the shooting was not available.

No arrests have been reported by police, who said they are continuing to investigate the shooting and have looked at surveillance footage from the area.

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.

Two unrelated shootings were reported Sunday.

At about 4 a.m., deputies responded to a report of a shooting in the 300 block of Rice Meadow Way, according to the Richland County Sheriffs Department. No injuries were reported.

Three males were hurt in another shooting on Sunday night in downtown Columbia at about 10:30 p.m. in the 1200 block of Washington Street, according to police. Their injuries were called non-life threatening by police.

Like Mondays shooting, no arrests have been reported in Sundays incidents.

There have been multiple shootings, including some fatal, at the Colony Apartments.

A woman was killed in a shooting at the apartment complex in December 2022, police said.

In June 2022, a man was arrested after shooting two people following an argument at the apartment complex, police said.

Multiple law enforcement agencies sent officers to the apartment complex in January 2022 in a search for a man wanted on multiple charges, including a gun-related crime.

On Nov. 1, 2021, a 24-year-old man was shot in the upper body at the apartment complex and had money stolen from his pockets.

Months earlier, in May 2021, one man was killed and another was hurt in a shooting at the Colony Apartments, police said.

On March 3, 2021, a woman was charged after her 3-year-old son shot himself in the head while in one of the apartments at the complex, according to police.

In 2019, a man killed a woman at the apartment complex before turning the gun on himself, police said.

As part of the issues involving the apartment complex, in December 2022 the district manager of the Colony Apartments was served with 83 criminal citations by the city of Columbia for code violations found at the property after it was evacuated. But in July 2023 the charges against the manager were dropped, though the owner of the apartments, still faces dozens of citations for code violations.
A Matthews mans car was damaged after someone shot into it while he was in traffic.

James Dressler, a native of Massachusetts, told Channel 9s Erika Jackson he went straight to police after a person shot into his car after he honked at them.

It happened at the intersection of Conference Drive and Idlewild Road, near East Independence Boulevard.

He wasnt moving, so I honked my horn to let him know that the light was green, Dressler said. And he started staring at me in his windshield.

The driver then started to chase Dressler.

I just heard the pop. It was a very distinct pop. Kind of like a crackle, almost, Dressler said. He chased me about a mile, mile and a half down the highway. I was going between lanes and I eventually lost him.

ALSO READ: 1 killed in road rage shooting by Boone Bojangles, police chief says

Once Dressler pulled over and found a bullet hole near his trunk and a dent near his passenger front door. He believes they came from gunshots. No arrests have been made.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police have been investigating four similar cases of aggravated assault since Friday. Victims told officers they were in their cars when a shooter fired toward them. Victims told officers their car was stolen, but they were able to get it back.

Dressler says that he is thankful that he is able to share his story.

Im glad my car kind of took the hit because it was a busy highway. It couldve went anywhere, Dressler said.

No one reported getting hurt in any of the recent shootings. It is not clear if any recent cases could be connected. Channel 9 is working to learn more and provide updates as they come in.

(WATCH BELOW: Driver runs off road, crashing into east Charlotte building)
MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines seeks to bolster its ability to address threats while underlining the need to strengthen ties with allies while pursuing an independent foreign policy, under a six-year national security policy published on Tuesday.

The 48-page National Security Policy document, which President Ferdinand Marcos Jr recently approved, highlighted "sharpening strategic competition between the United States and China" and "heightened rivalries among the major powers" as contributing to a "more tense geopolitical landscape".

"Major concern is also seen in the Cross-Straits relations that has the potential to be the flashpoint in the region," the government said in the document, published by the National Security Council, referring to the Taiwan Strait.

"The Philippines is concerned about its economic stability, a potential influx of refugees, and the welfare of overseas populations."

Beijing, which claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own, has been staging military exercises in the waters off the island to press its claim of sovereignty. The United States and allies such as Japan criticise such pressure on Taiwan.

"Any military conflict in the Taiwan Strait would inevitably affect the Philippines given the geographic proximity of Taiwan to the Philippine archipelago and the presence of over 150,000 Filipinos in Taiwan," the government said in the document.

The Philippines' northernmost islands are 190 km (118 miles) away from Taiwan.

The plan also covered government food and energy security priorities and noted that the South China Sea "remains a primary national interest".

"The divergences of claims ... claimants' methods of asserting their positions, continue to pose strategic challenges" that endanger territorial integrity and people's rights, said the Philippines, which is in dispute with China over parts of the sea.

To achieve energy security, the government said it would explore development of offshore reserves, including in the South China Sea, to help reduce dependence on imports.

Ties with China have grown tense under Marcos, as the Philippines pivots back to traditional ally the United States.

The Philippines would strengthen a Mutual Defense Treaty with the U.S., along with other existing mechanisms with regional partners, to "achieve a credible defence capability", it said.

(Reporting by Karen Lema; editing by Robert Birsel)
Niko Enciso, 33, was arrested Monday on suspicion of shooting his older brother following an argument in their apartment near 12th Street and Maryland Avenue, court documents state.

According to documents, at around 4:30 a.m., Enciso's brother was asleep in their apartment when Enciso woke him up to tell him to go sleep in his own room. The two began arguing with each other, going from the living room to the kitchen, where the altercation turned physical.

According to court documents, Enciso told police that during the fight, he was hit four times with a metal cooking pan, injuring his head.

Following the blows, Enciso said he grabbed some of his belongings, including a 12-gauge shotgun from behind a couch, and went to leave the apartment.

Prior to exiting, Enciso turned around a few feet from the back door and saw his brother moving toward him holding a "metal gas stove burner."

According to court documents, Enciso believed his brother was about to throw it at him, so he fired his shotgun, striking his brother in the stomach.

Documents stated that Enciso was taken into custody without incident at the scene, while his brother was transported to the hospital in critical condition and is now currently intubated.

Enciso was booked into jail on a $100,000 bond and is facing charges of two counts of aggravated assault, one count of discharging a firearm within city limits and one count of second-degree murder.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix man arrested after shooting older brother with shotgun
In case youve lost track: former President Donald Trump now faces 91 criminal charges across four separate cases.

How many will it take for Republican voters to say enough is enough?

A Georgia grand jury has indicted Trump and 18 of his friends and allies on state charges related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 election result. The 41-count indictment includes 13 charges against Trump himself. Some charges include violating Georgias racketeering laws and accusing Trump of knowingly conspiring with others.

These charges and the ones before them are grave and should be taken seriously both in the legal system and among voters, especially dedicated Republicans. Its hard to even imagine most presidents doing anything to merit this level of criminal accusations and remaining popular at all, let alone a current frontrunner for the 2024 GOP nomination.

While its possible that President Joe Biden has weaponized federal law enforcement against Trump, as his allies allege, theres no way every charge is fabricated or exaggerated. There is truth in many. Georgias secretary of state and governor are both Republicans who have no reason to participate in a flimsy or false case against Trump.

Gov. Brian Kemp rebuked Trump on X (formerly known as Twitter) after the former president posted a rant about fraud that supposedly occurred in his state.

The 2020 election in Georgia was not stolen. For nearly three years now, anyone with evidence of fraud has failed to come forward  under oath  and prove anything in a court of law, he wrote. Our elections in Georgia are secure, accessible, and fair and will continue to be as long as I am governor. The future of our country is at stake in 2024 and that must be our focus.

Unlike Kemp, many Republicans remain loyal to Trump in staggering numbers. Its concerning to see an electorate watch four criminal cases roll in and spend so little time worrying about what Trump has done or whether hes fit to hold office (or even run for office) again. The MAGA fanbases reaction seems to be: Look what theyre doing to Trump!

The U.S. government is not beyond conspiracy or wrongdoing or secrecy, but at this point, multiple government officials and institutions have levied charges against Trump. Even if a handful were found to be the result of deliberately targeting Trump, that would not discount the rest. The case against Trump is strong; why are his voters loyalties to him stronger still?

The MAGA fanbase likes to e-mail with reminders of Trumps track record: What about the Supreme Court? A robust economy? Smooth foreign relations?

Do Trump voters believe, with all these criminal charges, that Trump will skip back into office and focus on the job at hand? Theres a cloud of doom hanging over Trump now, following him like the personal dust cloud that used to follow Pigpen around in the Peanuts comics  except its not remotely clever. Its sad.

The person who used to claim he could make America great again is constantly making it worse  and the voters still standing by him arent helping.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (53-66) were defeated 7-2 by the New York Mets (54-65) on Monday night at Citi Field in the opening contest of a three-game series.

The struggle for Quinn Priester (2-2) continued as the rookie right-hander allowed six runs in 5.0 innings pitched on a career-high 102 pitches.

Now, the Pirates will look to bounce back after Mondays uninspiring performance and try to even the series in Queens.

Read the full story from our partners at Sports Now Group Pittsburgh here.

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Pittsburgh Public Schools is holding its annual back-to-school supply giveaway on Monday, Aug. 21.

Organizers said theyll be providing families with items such as stuffed book bags, food, hand sanitizers, books and more. Families who register can visit Acrisure Stadium for hair and nail care, hygiene kits, stuffed book bags, food and more.

The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

There are three ways to participate:

Drive through Gold Lot 1A to pick up supplies

In-person at Acrisure Stadium (available to pre-registered students to receive free haircuts, hairstyles and/or manicures)

Book bag drop-offs at 15 bus stops across the city. Book bags will be available at each bus stop beginning at noon.

Visit www.pghschools.org/btsevent to register. PPS said space is limited.

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It began at 4:00 in the morning on March 28, 1979, at Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania. The nuclear reactor was operating at nearly full power when a secondary cooling circuit malfunctioned and affected the temperature of the primary coolant. This sharp rise in temperature made the reactor shut down automatically. In the second it took to deactivate the reactor's system, a relief valve failed to close. The nuclear core suffered severe damage, but operators couldn't diagnose or deal with the unexpected shutdown of the reactor in the heat of the moment.

Sociologist Charles Perrow later analyzed why the Three Mile Island accident had happened, hoping to anticipate other disasters to come. The result was his seminal book Normal Accidents. His goal, he said, was to "propose a framework for characterizing complex technological systems such as air traffic, marine traffic, chemical plants, dams, and especially nuclear power plants according to their riskiness."

One factor was complexity: The more components and interactions in a system, the more challenging it is when something goes wrong. With scale comes complexity, whether we are thinking of the technology or the organization that supports it. Imagine you run a start-up where everyone sits in the same loft space. From where you sit, you can easily see what they are all doing. In a large organization, that visibility is lost. The moment a leader can't see the inner workings of the system itselfin this case, staff activitiescomplexity rises.

Perrow associated this type of complexity with tech failures. At Three Mile Island, operators couldn't just walk up to its core and measure the temperature manually or peek inside to discover there was not enough coolant. Similarly, executives in a large company can't monitor every employee all the time without incurring resentment. They have to rely on indirect indicators, such as performance evaluations and sales results. Large companies also rely on complex information technologies and complex supply chains.

Another factor, wrote Perrow, was a system's coupling: the level of interdependence among its components. When systems are both complex and tightly coupled, they are more likely to produce negative unexpected consequences and get out of control.

Perrow did not include artificial intelligence (A.I.) or even software among the technologies whose interactions he charted. But using the criteria that he laid out relative to technological risk, A.I. systems fit in Perrow's framework next to nuclear power plants, space missions, and DNA sequencing. If some element isn't working according to plan, there can be unanticipated cascading effects that affect a system in wholly unexpected ways.

Tight and Loose Coupling

Tightly coupled systems have architecturestechnological and socialthat promote interdependence among their components and often isolation from outside connection. This makes them efficient and self-protective but less robust.

Loosely coupled systems, by contrast, have more open and diverse architectures. Changes in one module, section, or component hardly affect the other components. Each operates somewhat independently of the others. A loosely coupled architecture is easy to maintain and scale. It is also robust, in that problems don't propagate easily to other parts of the system.

Executives who run large organizations tend to favor a tightly coupled system. It is what they know. They grew up in their industries seeing a small number of people making decisions that affect millions of people. But tightly coupled systems can be harder to control. Think of a floor covered with dominoes that are lined up. When you tip one over, it will then, in sequence, knock down the entire array of dominoesa simple example of a tightly coupled system. Now try to stop it once the domino effect is in motion. It's much harder than you would think.

A large company is also generally a tightly coupled system, especially compared to small businesses and local mom-and-pop retailers. If you have a complaint about a corner store's product, you can take it back and they'll take it in stride, handling it in a different way for each customer. They have control over their actions. If they work in a large company, or as a franchise, they are tightly coupled to the company's branding and scaled-up proceduresand to one another. Those who want to operate differently from the standard procedures must buck the tightly coupled network.

During the pandemic, we realized just how tightly coupled and interconnected our supply chains arehow one container ship stuck in the Suez Canal can delay global shipments for months. Many organizations have been looking to create more robust redundancies, effectively loosening the coupling in their supply chains by finding alternate vendors and investing in local sources.

The Formula for Disaster

Organizational sociologist Diane Vaughan is an expert on the ways systems can repeatedly engender catastrophe. She started studying the issue after the Challenger disaster of 1986, when the space shuttle exploded shortly after launch. The "technical cause," she later wrote, was "a failure of the rubber O-rings to seal the shuttle's solid rocket booster joints. But the NASA organization also failed."

NASA had been launching space shuttles with damaged O-rings since 1981. Pressured by the launch schedule, the agency leaders had ignored engineers' warnings right up to the day of the launch. In fact, within the established rules, the agency had labeled the O-ring damage an "acceptable risk."

Vaughan spent the next five years researching and writing The Challenger Launch Decision, an in-depth book about the organizational problems leading to the technological disaster. Like Perrow, she concluded that this type of organization would repeatedly produce catastrophic mistakes. After the book came out, she later noted, "I heard from engineers and people in many different kinds of organizations who recognized the analogies between what happened at NASA and the situations at their organizations. 'NASA is us,' some wrote."

Another crash, this time of the space shuttle Columbia, occurred on February 1, 2003. Another seven astronauts died. A technical review found a piece of foam had broken off and struck a wing. Once again, engineers had warned the agency and the warnings had been ignored. Once again, Vaughan became closely involved in investigating the causes, ultimately joining the government's Columbia Accident Investigation Board. She testified to the board that she had found the same organizational causes for both accidents.

In her writing on the disasters, Vaughan cites Perrow, noting that NASA's tightly coupled, complex nature made it systematically prone to occasional major errors. The key decision makers had fallen prey to a "normalization of deviance," in which dangerous complacency gradually became the ordinary way of doing things. "We can never totally resolve the problem of complexity, but we have to be sensitive to our organizations and how they work," she wrote. "While many of us work in complex organizations, we don't realize how much the organizations that we inhabit completely inhabit us. This is as true for those powerful actors at the top of the organization responsible for creating culture as it is for the people in the tiers below them who carry out their directives and do the everyday work."

In these disasters, she testified to the board, "the technological failure was a result of NASA's organizational failure."

Tightly Coupled A.I.

Software designer Alan Chan argues that some innate aspects of artificial intelligence tend to make everything it touches more complex and more tightly coupled. Even when a project is supposed to be "responsible A.I.," working with an automated algorithm can override the best intentions of the software engineers."

Although designers may try as much as possible to include all the relevant features, they may only come to know the relevance of some features after an accident informs them to that effect," says Chan. "Moreover, while a human observer is limited by the ways in which their senses interact with measurement instruments, an A.I. subsystem is limited not only by the same conditions as the human observer but also by the fact that human observers select the features for consideration. The measurement instruments may themselves be faulty, which was a crucial factor in the Three Mile Island accident."

In Perrow's parlance, "normal accidents" can be expected to increase over time in such systems. This is particularly true when not just an A.I. system itself but the organizational ecosystem around it are both complex and tightly coupled.

In the tech arena, the process of optimization itself exacerbates tight coupling. It creates strong dependencies and, therefore, ripple effects. Imagine an A.I. system tasked with allocating production resources in a supply chain. The system might have maximizing output as its only goal. This single focus would influence the whole system to couple itself more tightly.

The algorithm would resolve any tradeoffs between flexibility and optimization in favor of optimization. For instance, it would not keep reserve stocks because that would drag on inventory. The system is coded to align with the company's strategy in doing this, but in such a tightly coupled way that the system would falter under stress, as many supply chains did at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. At various times in recent history, this dynamic led to shortages in things like protective equipment, semiconductor chips, diapers, and infant formula.

Another case of a tightly coupled A.I. system is Zillow's failed use of an automated decision-making algorithm to purchase homes. As an online real estate marketplace, Zillow was originally designed to help sellers and buyers make more informed decisions. In 2018, it opened a new division with a business model based on buying and flipping homes, using a machine learning algorithm called Zillow Offers. As home prices quickly rose during the COVID-19 pandemic, Zillow's iBuying algorithms used data such as the home's age, condition, and zip code to predict which homes would grow in value. But the system failed to take into account the radical uncertainty caused by the virus and completely underestimated rapid changes in the housing market. Moreover, there was a backlash against Zillow when a real estate agent, Sean Gotcher, created a viral video decrying the company's perceived manipulation of the housing market. By November 2021, the firm sold only 17,000 homes out of the 27,000 it had purchased.

Decoupling Zillow's home-buying business from its online marketplace may have saved the company or at least part of its reputation. Ultimately, Zillow shut down its home-buying division, cut 25 percent of the company's work forceabout 2,000 employeesand wrote off a loss of $304 million in housing inventory.

To John Sviokla, who holds a Harvard doctorate in management information systems, tight coupling is directly related to the opaque nature of algorithmic systems: the closed-box effect. "If I can't look inside the system and see the weights given to different factors," he says, "then it is de facto tightly coupled. From a semantic standpoint, I can't communicate with it. I can only manage it by trying to figure out how it works, based on the behaviors it produces. I am not given access to the assumptions going in, or how it works. I either have to reject it or use itthose are my only two choices."

Chan argues that the greatest risk lies in A.I. systems that are both tightly coupled and complex within organizations that are tightly coupled and complex. Accidents are especially likely to occur when the organizational conditions are right. Since exact conditions cannot be predicted or prevented in detail and the organizational structure prevents them from being resilient, algorithmic, autonomous, and automated systems represent a continual challenge. Even when systems are working well, it is impossible to make them absolutely fail-safe from a "normal accident."

If you want to make the system safer and less harmful, you have to loosen it up.

Loosening a System

Pixar Animation Studios, the creators of the films Toy Story and Finding Nemo, has a well-known ritual that takes advantage of the studio's loosely coupled nature. Whenever a film under development hits a rough spot, the director can convene the company's "brain trust" for an in-depth critique. After the session, the director and his team decide what to do with the advice. It takes a thick skin to have a work under review, but the result is immense, tangible improvement."

There are no mandatory notes, and the brain trust has no authority," Pixar cofounder Ed Catmull explained in Harvard Business Review. "This dynamic is crucial. It liberates the trust members, so they can give their unvarnished expert opinions, and it liberates the director to seek help and fully consider the advice."

It took Pixar a while to understand why this system helped so much. "When we tried to export the brain trust model to our technical area, we found at first that it didn't work," Catmull wrote. "As soon as we said, 'This is purely peers giving feedback to each other,' the dynamic changed, and the effectiveness of the review sessions dramatically improved."

Note that Pixar's organizational design is deliberately loose. The brain trust's reactions are treated not as demands but as creative opportunities. These opportunities allow for simplicity on the other side of complexity.

Charles Perrow devoted much of Normal Accidents to a study of complex sociotechnical operations that had not ended in crisis or catastrophe. One option, he found, was to make decision making simple by focusing on just one or two activities: You centralize decision making around this relatively simple set of goals so that there is clear direction for channeling all the complexities involved. Another option was to put in place some basic organizational designs. A risk audit and oversight group may seem like yet another boring bureaucratic function, but if it is led by someone who understands loose coupling, it will be staffed by a diverse group of people who make sense of complex issues together.

And there is another alternative: to loosen the system. To bring decision making to the lowest possible level in the hierarchy, and to make sure every part of the organization can operate autonomously. To encourage people to communicate freely, so that no one small group is seen as the single source of knowledge about a key issue. To move decision making as close as possible to the point of action, and to bring people together regularly to learn from each other and avoid competing with other silos.

A.I. chatbots can tighten couplings in complex systems, intensifying the communications within them and automating the ways companies control behavior. That could lead to more disasters and missteps. But they could also loosen complex systems by providing alternative links and making it easier to seek out alternative views. Success often depends on finding someone with an outside sensibility who respects the inside priorities. Generative A.I. systems may make it easier to find those people and introduce them to one another.

There is much to learn about the interrelationship between machine behavior, human behavior, and the behavior of larger sociotechnical systems such as corporations and governments. In the end, it doesn't matter whether we think our A.I. systems are intelligent. What matters most is what they do and how they grow, and how we grow along with them.

The post Be Like Pixar, Not NASA appeared first on Reason.com.
Placer County sheriffs deputies on Tuesday were on the lookout for a robbery suspect who escaped authorities on foot during a chase Monday evening near Interstate 80 in Rocklin.

The chase began shortly before 6:30 p.m. Monday on the westbound lanes of I-80 near Sierra College Boulevard. A sheriffs deputy tried to make a traffic stop, but the vehicle did not pull over and led the deputy in a pursuit, the Placer County Sheriffs Office said Tuesday in a social media post.

The vehicle stopped in the parking lot of the nearby Studio Movie Grill on Commons Drive in Rocklin. Sheriffs officials said one suspect ran from the vehicle. A 30-year-old man, who also was in the vehicle, was arrested at the scene.

Deputies, along with a K-9 unit, set up a perimeter and began searching for the suspect with help from the Sacramento County Sheriffs Office and the Rocklin Police Department, sheriffs officials said.

Rocklin police said the wanted suspect  wearing a white, long-sleeve shirt with black pants and white socks  ran from the vehicle toward the nearby Tesla vehicle dealership on Granite Drive.

Sheriffs officials said investigators identified the missing suspect and learned both suspects in the vehicle pursuit were involved in a robbery earlier Monday evening in Grass Valley. The Sheriffs Office has not released the name of the missing suspect.

Authorities, with help from a sheriffs helicopter, combed through the surrounding area including nearby businesses for several hours but did not find the missing suspect. Sheriffs officials said the search was called off, but deputies assigned to the area continued to patrol and search for the suspect.

Deputies on Tuesday remained on the lookout for the missing suspect as Grass Valley police continues their investigation of the robbery, according to the Sheriffs Office.
The 23-year-old government plane will be retired early after technical problems

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has cancelled a trip to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji after her government plane was forced to make a second emergency landing in two days.

She was left stranded in Abu Dhabi after the 23-year-old Airbus A340-300 had repeated wing flap problems.

"This is beyond annoying," the minister wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Germany may enjoy a reputation for efficiency, but its government planes are notoriously unreliable.

In 2018 the same Airbus plane had a technical fault which forced the then Chancellor Angela Merkel to miss the opening of a G20 summit in Argentina.

Earlier that year, Olaf Scholz - Germany's finance minister at the time and now chancellor - was stranded in Indonesia after rodents chewed through cables on that plane.

Ms Baerbock was en route to the Indo-Pacific on Sunday when the wing flaps on her plane malfunctioned, forcing the pilots to make an emergency landing in the United Arab Emirates.

After repairs and a successful test flight, the aircraft took off again on Tuesday - only for the same problem to arise.

Annalena Baerbock admitted it was impossible to continue her trip

In the end, the minister was forced to cancel her planned week-long trip. Her team could not be booked onto commercial flights within the time schedule.

"We have tried everything: unfortunately it is logistically impossible to continue my Indo-Pacific journey without the defective plane," Ms Baerbock wrote on X.

The plane had to dump fuel in order to land back in Abu Dhabi safely.

Owing to the mishap, Germany's Luftwaffe Air Force announced that it would retire the plane early. The government's other A340-300 will also be replaced.

"We will take the two #A340 out of service as soon as possible, ie in the coming weeks," it said in a post on X.

Instead, top government officials will soon be using recently bought A350 planes.

"With the A350s, the Air Force has robust and modern aircraft at its disposal for long-haul operations," the Luftwaffe said.

In May Mexico also finally resolved a government plane problem: for more than four years it had failed to sell a luxury presidential jet, but in the end the Tajik government bought it.
Poland is holding its largest military parade in decades on Tuesday, in a flex of defensive muscle that comes as tensions rise on the border between the NATO nation and key Russian ally Belarus.

Polands Defense Ministry said the celebration of Polish Army Day on Tuesday would be marked by a showcase that includes 200 units of Polish and foreign military equipment, 92 aircraft and 2,000 service members.

The parade includes some of the latest technology Poland has in its arsenal, including US-made M1A1 Abrams tanks, South Korean K2 tanks and K9 self-propelled howitzers, HIMARS rocket launchers, Krab self-propelled howitzers, as well as US-made Patriot missile batteries systems, which are part of the Polish WISA air defense system.

Poland has emerged as one of Europes leading military powers in recent years after pouring billions into new equipment following Russias decision to annex the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014. Warsaws diplomatic clout has also grown in the wake of the instrumental role it has played in supporting Ukraine since Moscows full-scale invasion.

Last week, Poland announced the deployment of thousands of additional troops to its eastern border as concern mounts over the presence of Russian Wagner mercenary forces in Belarus.

Poland shares borders not just with Ukraine and Belarus, but also with Russias semi-exclave of Kaliningrad. By staging a massive showcase of power on Tuesday, Warsaw is sending a message Russia and Belarus are bound to understand, experts said.

US-made Abrams tanks are displayed during a massive military parade to celebrate the Polish Army Day in Warsaw. - Czarek Sokolowski/AP

Polish President Andrzej Duda arrives for the military parade in Warsaw on Armed Forces Day on August 15. - Kacper Pempel/Reuters

Its sort of a Soviet thing to do. Russia does theirs on May 8, Belarusians have them, as does North Korea, Iran. Its kind of reflecting back their language. The adversary states see these [parades] as a show of force, so Poland is going to meet it with a show of force, Edward Arnold, a research fellow at the British security think tank RUSI, told CNN.

At the same time, Poland is just two months away from major elections and Arnold said that aside from showing its capabilities to Russia and its allies, the Polish government is also seeking to reassure its own people that it is committed to security.

The governing right-wing Law and Justice party is hoping to secure a third consecutive term in power, which would be unprecedented in post-Communist Poland. But it has so far struggled to take a decisive lead over the opposition Civic Platform grouping.

Security issues are really important, alongside the economy and living standards, which is not surprising since a war is taking place on Polands border, Aleks Szczerbiak, a professor and the head of the politics department at the University of Sussex in England, told CNN. Demonstrating their competence on security is absolutely critical to the governments reelection, he said, adding that the issue cuts across the political spectrum.

Nobody is going to say that military security is not an important issue and that we shouldnt be strengthening the military. [The opposition] will say the government is putting on this parade as a kind of an election stunt, but they wont say, you know, boosting the Polish military is unimportant.



Polands role within NATO has changed dramatically in the past decade, according to Jamie Shea, a former NATO official, a professor of strategy and security at the University of Exeter, in England, and a fellow at Chatham House.

If you look at NATO 10 years ago, before Putin annexed Crimea and [launched the invasion of] Ukraine, NATOs primary focus was mostly Middle East, Afghanistan and those kinds of missions in which Poland participated, but only to a small extent, he told CNN. But since 2014, with NATO swinging back to focus on Central and Eastern Europe . the importance of Poland in the alliance has gone up massively.

Arnold said the power shift among NATOs European members is noticeable. The leadership used to be the UK, Germany, France, and then together with the US, the Quad, was the group that sort of decided things and that became NATO policy, he said.

With the UK out of the European Union and Germany still hesitant to take on a leadership role on Ukraine, Poland has sensed its opportunity.

[Theyve] got very good relationships with the Baltics, are very vocal on defense and security issues and Russia has always been a major threat  so if youre thinking about this from a Washington point of view, then Warsaw looks like a good bet, Arnold added.

The linchpin of the Wests support for Ukraine

Poland has dramatically increased the amount it spends on defense in recent years, from less than 2% of its GDP in 2014 to 4% this year, according to official NATO statistics. That makes it the biggest spender in terms of GDP share, above the US. Crucially, more than 50% of Polands investment is into new equipment and research and development.

If they stay on track with all of these different procurement plans, they are going to be the EUs and NATOs European military superpower, Shea said. By one calculation, if they purchase all of the tanks from the US, the Abrams tanks, and the tanks theyve ordered from South Korea, plus modernizing what they have at the moment, theyre going to have more tanks than France, Germany, Italy and the UK combined, he said.

Poland has emerged as a key ally for Ukraine, which makes it vulnerable. Most Western military equipment and other supplies gets to Ukraine through Poland and the country is hosting 1.6 million Ukrainian refugees, according to the United Nations.

The whole linchpin of the Western efforts to support Ukraine and keep it in the fight crucially depends on Poland, Shea said. Much of the training of Ukrainian soldiers is taking place in Poland and the Poles have also been setting up a number of repair shops, where the Leopard tanks can be fixed and sent back, and a lot of Ukrainian soldiers who are wounded are treated in Polish hospitals, he explained.

At the same time, the government is ready to prioritize its voters. Law and Justice has shown that it is willing to upset Ukrainians big time where it feels that the alternative would be to alienate Polish farmers, Shea said, pointing to Warsaws decision to ban imports of grain and other food products from Ukraine following a surge in cheap goods. Warsaw is now trying to extend the ban.

And while Polands clashes with the European Union over issues including the rule of law and migration have not gone away, Warsaw is making it clear to its allies they need its military powers.

The current governments relationship with the EU is pretty fractious, particularly on justice and home affairs issues and other issues as well. But [Poland] wants to try and minimize those viewpoints and sort of emphasize to the EU that [they] make a really big contribution to security and they dont want to jeopardize that in any way, Arnold said.

US Air Force F-35 jets and Polish Air Force F-16 jet participate in the military parade. - Kacper Pempel/Reuters

Members of military band arrive for the Armed Forces Day parade. - Kacper Pempel/Reuters

Belarus tensions

Recent events in Belarus have shown that the risks Poland is facing are not purely hypothetical.

In November, two people were killed in eastern Poland, about four miles (6.4 kilometers) west of the Ukrainian border, by a Ukrainian missile defending against incoming Russian fire. Ukrainian and Polish officials described the incident as an accident and blamed Russian aggression for their deaths.

Russia used Belarus as a staging ground when it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. More recently, thousands of Wagner mercenary fighters were reportedly sent there last month as part of a deal to end the groups armed insurrection against the Kremlin.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko asked the group to help train his countrys military, and earlier this month the two forces held joint training exercises near the Polish border. It was during these drills that Warsaw accused two Belarusian helicopters of violating the Polish airspace.

In reaction to the incident, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak told public radio that 10,000 soldiers will be sent to the border  4,000 would directly support the border guard and the remaining 6,000 would be in reserve.

Belarus has weaponized the border in the past. In 2021, Lukashenko was accused of manufacturing a crisis there by flying migrants from the Middle East to Minsk and then sending them to the EU border in retaliation for Europes sanctions on his regime.

CNNs Antonia Mortensen, Martin Goillandeau, Catherine Nicholls, Isa Soares, Anna Gorzkowska and Jessie Gretener contributed reporting.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Hey, everyone! Drew here. Happy Tuesday! Go get a frozen treat today to help beat the heat.

Were down to the final two in CharlotteFive Readers Choice poll to determine the best tacos in all of the Queen City.

Head on over and vote for your favorite of the two.

This round of voting will close at noon tomorrow

Heres your news.

Police alerted neighbors for their safety and called in the Cabarrus County sheriffs bomb squad to investigate the device, city spokeswoman Annette Privette Keller said.

If you live up in Kannapolis, your day may have started off with a bang... literally.

A police officer stopped a truck for having a fake Virginia registration and found the driver had a potentially deadly pipe bomb inside early this morning, city officials say. Bomb squad was called in and it was safely detonated.

Joe Marusak has the latest on the situation.

Rodgers Construction crew takes a bite out of the Main Library location in Uptown Charlotte on Tuesday, August 15, 2023. The Library has been slated for demolition for years as the branch makes way for a new, state of the art facility. The builders expect to have the old building demolished by the end of the year and they are planning on completing the new library by 2026.

The next step in bringing a new Main Library to Charlotte began this morning: demolition.

There werent any wrecking balls or implosions, but local officials gathered uptown today to commemorate the occasion.

Mary Ramsey details when you can expect the new library to be ready.

Authorities are searching for a man accused of money laundering and fraud to the tune of $30 million.

Court records show he promised to use the money to send Bibles to China and scammed religious groups, including Amish and Mennonite communities in both North Carolina and Ohio.

Kallie Cox with more on the story.

Hundreds of people flocked to the brand new beach on Lake Norman in Ramsey Creek Park.

School starts in less than two weeks!

I remember this time of year being the worst as a kid. I hated all the back-to-school commercials and school supplies shopping. However, sneaking in that one last trip before summer break ended was always special.

Chyna Blackmon runs through a list of trips you can take before school starts back up.

5. Some more stories to read

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Drew Nantais is a Senior Growth & Engagement Producer for the Charlotte Observer.
The Jacksonville Sheriffs Office is investigating a reported person shot in the Arlington Hills area at 7500 International Village Dr.

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JSO: 5-year-old girl dies due to unknown cause in Woodland Acres neighborhood

Tragedy struck the Woodland Acres neighborhood as a 5-year-old girl reportedly passed away following what the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office called a medical episode Monday afternoon.

The Jacksonville Sheriffs Office (JSO) reported that officers were called to the scene at approximately 3:45 p.m. in response to a medical emergency.

According to the preliminary information provided by JSO, the young girl had been playing outside with other children when she suddenly experienced a medical episode. The exact duration of her time outside before the incident remains unclear. An alert adult promptly contacted emergency services upon noticing the childs distress.

Upon arrival at the scene, officers found the 5-year-old in medical distress. Immediate medical attention was administered, and she was swiftly transported to a nearby hospital. Tragically, despite the efforts of medical personnel, the young girl was pronounced deceased at the hospital.

Authorities have identified the parents of the child and are currently interviewing them. The parents are reported to be cooperating with the police during this difficult time.

While the cause of death is currently unknown and no visible signs of injuries were reported, JSO has ruled out foul play in this tragic incident.

JSO detectives, including those from the Homicide Unit, Crime Scene Unit, and the Medical Examiners Office, have launched a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the young girls untimely death

Other children who were present at the scene are reportedly unharmed. However, JSO has not yet confirmed whether the incident occurred at the childs residence or elsewhere in the neighborhood.

This is an ongoing investigation and will be updated when details arrive.

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Eric Meyer, the editor and publisher of the Marion County Record, answers questions about a raid by local police and sheriffs deputies on his newspapers newsroom and his home, Sunday, Aug. 13, 2023, in Marion, Kan.. The officers seized computers and cellphones and took photos of Meyers personal financial records. | John Hanna, Associated Press

In a town of less than 2,000 people, the entire five-officer police force plus two sheriffs deputies descended on the newspaper office of the Marion County Record on Friday and took everything, including cellphones, computers, hard drives, utility records and more.

Officers also went to the home of Eric Meyer, owner and publisher of the paper, photographed personal bank records and investments, then carted off another computer and an Alexa smart speaker belonging to the co-owner and founder of the paper, Erics 98-year-old mother Joan Meyer.

A newspaperwoman for the past 70 years, Joan Meyer told the editorial boards of the Kansas City Star and the Wichita Eagle on Friday night, These are Hitler tactics and something has to be done. On Saturday, stressed beyond her limits and overwhelmed by hours of shock and grief, Joan Meyer collapsed and died.

What led to the raid?

According to The Washington Post, it appears that the raid is the result of a rather public dispute between a local restaurant owner, Kari Newell, seeking to obtain a liquor license for her restaurant, and her estranged husband. The newspaper got an unsolicited tip that Newell had a conviction for drunk driving in 2008, which would make her ineligible for a license to sell alcohol.

Newell accused the paper of invading her privacy after it obtained copies of her driving record, writes the Associated Press. The Record did not publish a story based on the tip they received. However, the paper did cover a city council meeting where Newell admitted, on the record, that she had been given a DUI citation in 2008. Local Magistrate Judge Laura Viar issued a search warrant citing possible identity theft and illegal use of a computer, authorizing police to seize files relating to Newell.

Marion Chief of Police Gideon Cody defended the raid in an email to The Associated Press. An NBC affiliate said that Cody did not respond to questions about whether police filed a probable cause affidavit for the search warrant, nor did he answer questions about how police believe Newell was victimized.

However, according to reports by The Washington Post and other news outlets, there may be more than just Newell at play here. Codys background was being investigated by the Marion County Record. He served in the Kansas City police department for 24 years before joining the Marion police department in April. Eric Meyer said in an interview published Saturday on The Handbasket, a newsletter by journalist Marisa Kabas, that he had received tips that Cody left the Kansas City force to avoid repercussions for alleged sexual misconduct charges. The paper did not run a story about Cody, but details about the investigation  including the identities of those who made the allegations against Cody  were in a computer seized by police.

The last printed issue of the Marion County Record sits in a display in its office, Sunday, Aug. 13, 2023, in Marion, Kan. Editor and Publisher Eric Meyer says the newspaper will publish its regular weekly issue on Aug. 16, 2023, despite a raid by local law enforcement officers and the seizure of computers and cell phones. | John Hanna, Associated Press

News organizations respond

The raid, writes the Kansas City Star and the Wichita Eagle joint editorial boards, is an intolerable overreach by police and something no government agency in America has any right to do.

Press freedom watchdogs call the raid a blatant violation of the U.S. Constitutions protection for a free press reports The Associated Press.

Emily Bradbury, executive director of the Kansas Press Association, said the police raid is unprecedented in Kansas.

An attack on a newspaper office through an illegal search is not just an infringement on the rights of journalists but an assault on the very foundation of democracy and the publics right to know, Bradbury reports to the Kansas Reflector. This cannot be allowed to stand.

Sharon Brett, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, called it quite an alarming abuse of authority. The Associated Press also reports she said that It seems like one of the most aggressive police raids of a news organization or entity in quite some time.

Seth Stern, director of advocacy for Freedom of the Press Foundation, said in a statement to the AP that the raid appeared to have violated federal law, the First Amendment, and basic human decency.

The anti-press rhetoric thats become so pervasive in this country has become more than just talk and is creating a dangerous environment for journalists trying to do their jobs, Stern said.

On Sunday, 34 news media and press freedom organizations sent a letter to Cody: Newsroom searches and seizures are among the most intrusive actions law enforcement can take with respect to the free press, and the most potentially suppressive of free speech by the press and the public.

The search warrant directed at the Marion County Record was significantly overbroad, improperly intrusive, and possibly in violation of federal law, they write. Again, and crucially, we urge you to immediately return any seized equipment and records to the newspaper; purge any such records retained by your department; and initiate a full, independent, and transparent review into your departments actions.

The Society of Professional Journalists is offering help for legal fees, up to $20,000. By all accounts, the raid was an egregious attack on freedom of the press, the First Amendment and all the liberties we hold dear as journalists in this great country, SPJ National President Claire Regan said during an emergency board meeting on Sunday.

Holly Richardson is the editor of Utah Policy
Police in Matthews are investigating after a young man was found dead Monday in a public utility right-of-way area.

According to the Matthews Police Department, the person was described as a Hispanic or Black male, in his mid-to-late teens, approximately 57 to 58, and approximately 150160 lbs.

He was found along Bathgate Lane.

ALSO READ: CMPD conducting death investigation in west Charlotte

The teen hasnt been identified publicly. Police originally asked for help identifying the teen on Monday; an update on Tuesday said the teens family had been found.

There is no evidence to suggest foul play, according to police.

If you have any information, you are asked to contact the Matthews Police Department at 704-847-5555.

(WATCH BELOW: Stripped him of dignity: Son claims nursing home neglected, abused dad before death)
The owner of an online business has been arrested after Arlington police seized more than $650,000 of counterfeit merchandise, one of the largest seizures in department history, from the companys warehouse, officials said Tuesday.

Oumar Dia, 35, was arrested in Dallas County over the weekend on the charge of trademark counterfeiting, according to an Arlington Police Department news release. Dia is the owner of Creo Piece, an online company that sells embroidered patches and heat transfer products.

Police received a tip July 10 from the owner of a company that protects intellectual property that Creo Piece was selling merchandise with counterfeit trademarks, according to Dias arrest warrant affidavit. Undercover detectives purchased four patches from Dia, which experts verified were counterfeit, police said.

The Department of Homeland Security told police that U.S. Customs and Border Protection had seized three separate shipments intended for Dia that contained items that violated intellectual property law, according to the affidavit.

On Aug. 2, authorities executed a search warrant for the Creo Piece warehouse, located in the 500 block of Prairie Street. Officers from the Arlington Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations seized an embroidery machine, a heat transfer printing machine and a total of 101,118 items of counterfeit merchandise, valued at $653,222 on the Creo Piece website, the release said.

Some of the merchandise featured the trademarks for Gucci, Chanel and Louis Vuitton, among others, according to the affidavit.

Dia was booked into the Dallas County Jail over the weekend but has since bonded out, according to the release.
A troubling trend of violence in Bostons downtown district persists as three juveniles were arrested Monday night, accused of attacking an unsuspecting victim near Foot Locker.

Two 14-year-old males and a 15-year-old male were charged with assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon (shod foot) and affray.

Officers responding to the area of 375 Washington Street around 8:17 p.m. for a report of an assault in progress found a victim being treated by paramedics for multiple bruises and lacerations, according to Boston Police. The victim was treated at the scene and declined further medical attention.

Witnesses allegedly told police the victim was randomly attacked by a group of juveniles.

Downtown Crossing Macys worker slashed on hand, two juveniles arrested

After gathering descriptions of the teenaged suspects, authorities say they spotted one of them riding nearby on a blue bike. Officers attempted to stop the teen, who allegedly dismounted the bike and pushed it at officers.

After a brief foot pursuit, the teen was placed into custody while other officers arrested two more juveniles allegedly involved in the attack.

All three teens will be arraigned in Boston Juvenile Court.

No further information was immediately available.

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Polish President Andrzej Duda commemorated the soldiers of the 1917-1921 Ukrainian People's Republic, who died fighting against the Bolsheviks, at the Orthodox cemetery in Warsaw, Duda's office reported on Aug. 14.

"At the Orthodox cemetery in Wola, President Andrzej Duda laid a wreath at the memorial to the Soldiers of the Ukrainian People's Republic," the presidential office announced on Twitter.

The Ukrainian People's Republic was established in the wake of the Russian Empire's collapse in 1917. In 1920, the republic's leadership allied with the new Polish state against the Red Army, with Ukrainian soldiers taking part in the battle of Warsaw that landed a decisive blow to the Bolshevik troops.

However, the young Ukrainian state did not manage to preserve its independence and Ukraine was divided between Poland and the Soviet Union in 1921.

On July 9, Duda and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky commemorated the victims of the 1943 Volyn (Volhynia) Massacre during their surprise visit to Lutsk, a regional capital in northwestern Ukraine.

Read also: Zelensky, Duda commemorate victims of Volyn Massacre in Lutsk

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Another political leader was slain in Ecuador on Monday just days after a presidential candidate was assassinated in the countrys capital of Quito.

Pedro Briones was shot and killed, as was confirmed by Luisa Gonzalez, the front-runner in Sundays special presidential election and member of the Revolucion Ciudadana party. Briones was a local leader of Gonzalezs party and was fatally shot in the northern province of Esmeraldas.

Ecuador is experiencing its bloodiest era, Gonzalez wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. A heartfelt hug to the family of colleague Pedro Briones, fallen by the hands of violence.

There were no immediate details of Brioness killing.

Brioness death comes less than a week after presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was shot and killed in broad daylight at the end of a political rally on Aug. 9. Villavicencio was a member of the Build Ecuador Movement and one of eight presidential candidates in a special election slated for Sunday.

These deaths follow a pattern of violence surging across the country as the mayor of Manta, Agustin Intriago, was fatally shot on July 26. The State Department has had a Level 2 travel advisory in place for the country since June, saying that visitors should exercise increased caution in Ecuador due to civil unrest, crime and kidnapping.

After Villavicencios assassination last week, the U.S. Embassy in Quito issued a security alert warning people to avoid demonstrations and crowds and to be aware of their surroundings. The embassy also noted that Ecuador President Guillermo Lasso declared a two-month state of emergency after the assassination.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Gissella Cecibel Molina doesnt know if she will lose her right eye, which was injured last week when her colleague and friend, presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, was assassinated in front of her as they left a political rally in Ecuadors capital, Quito.

I was leaving the place with Fernando and, because people were pushing and shoving [to get close to him], I got separated about one to two meters, Molina, who is running for re-election in the National Assembly, told CNN.

As he (Villavicencio) approached the car, there was a man with a flag around his neck that said Fernando Villavicencio for President. The man ran around the car to the other side, pulled out a gun and started shooting, she said.

The last thing Molina remembered before passing out was Villavicencio shaking as bullets hit him in the head, she said. I then felt like something hit me in the face and fell to the floor. When I regained consciousness, I could still hear gunshots and there were many people injured around me, she added.

The brutal murder of Villavicencio, an outspoken anti-corruption candidate and former investigative journalist, has shaken the country ahead of this Sundays crucial presidential and legislative elections. It has also brought international attention to the powerful criminal organizations driving the violence that has plagued Ecuador.

The suspected shooter died in police custody, officials said, while six Colombian nationals were arrested in connection with the killing. The suspects are members of organized criminal groups, said Ecuadors Interior Minister Juan Zapata, citing preliminary evidence.

Tackling crime has been high on the political agenda in the runup to this year's snap poll, even more so since Fernando Villavicencio's assasination. - Karen Toro/Reuters

Several other politicians have been assassinated this year. On Monday, a left-wing local party official, Pedro Briones, was shot dead in Esmeraldas province, officials said. Last month, Agustin Intriago, the mayor of Ecuadors sixth largest city Manta, was shot dead alongside a young athlete he was talking with on the street, and in May, candidate-elect Walker Vera was murdered just before he was going to take office in the city of Muisne, Esmeraldas province.

The root of this political violence is the fact that Ecuador is a transit point in the cocaine route from South America to the United States and Europe, Jan Topic, one of several candidates running for president, told CNN. Porous borders, he said, make it easy for transnational drug cartels to operate in the country.

Cartel violence

The dire situation is a stark change from a decade ago, when Ecuador was known as a relatively safe country in the region. According to figures by the Ecuadorian National Police, the murder rate in 2016 was 5.8 homicides per 100,000 people. By last year, it had spiked to 25.6, a similar level to that of Colombia and Mexico, countries with a long history of drug cartel violence.

Now, foreign syndicates like Mexican cartels, Brazilian urban gangs, and even Albanian mafia cells are working with local Ecuadorian criminal groups to fuel the ongoing conflict, say analysts. A report published in March by the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime said traffickers from the Balkans and members of Italian crime groups have set up in Ecuador to establish supply lines to European markets.

Ecuadorian presidential candidate Jan Topic, accompanied by his wife Pity Guzman, ahead of Sunday's presidential debate. - Rodrigo Buendia/AFP/Getty Images

Drug money has helped fuel corruption in the country, said the presidential candidate Topic. All of that cocaine and all of that heroine that comes into the country helps to finance the corruption of politicians, cops, soldiers, judges and district attorneys, he said.

By the very fact that were not controlling our borders, were getting an influx of money that is literally corrupting the country, Topic added.

Tackling crime has been high on the political agenda in the runup to this years snap poll, even more so since Villavicencios assassination. Political candidates have scrambled in the past week to reemphasize their approach to the problem.

Topic, a businessman who has had a stint fighting with the French Foreign Legion, has been described as the Ecuadorian [Nayib] Bukele  in reference to the Salvadorean president known for his iron first strategy against criminal gangs.

Topic told CNN that while he admires Bukele, he would be more careful when it comes to respecting human rights. I admire their [Bukele and other advocates of mano dura] crystal clear understanding of the root cause of the problem and determination. Thats something we dont currently have in Ecuador. What we have is a fearful leadership that doesnt make decisions because theyre afraid of the mafias and public opinion, Topic said.

Andrea Gonzalez Nader  who was Villavicencios running mate  told CNN that the fight against criminal gangs and corruption was Villavicencios main objective when he was alive. Those aims have not changed, she told CNN from a secret location in Ecuador, which police asked CNN not to reveal for her protection.

The 36-year-old environmentalist stressed that she wants to change Ecuador for the better. I want this country to be a place of peace, a productive country I believe Ecuador is a paradise and they have turned it into hell, she said, referring to criminal groups and corrupt politicians.

A soldier stands guard next to employees of the National Electoral Council during a drill ahead of Sunday's presidential elections in Quito on August 13, 2023. - Martin Bernetti/AFP/Getty Images

During a televised presidential debate on Sunday, election frontrunner Luisa Gonzalez said she would strengthen Ecuadors security forces and intelligence systems.

Gonzalez, who is from the Citizen Revolution Movement party, the political coalition of former leftist President Rafael Correa, also discussed restarting a joint intelligence task force with Colombia. Ive already had conversations with European ambassadors from the European Union with the Colombian President [Gustavo Petro] and we will restore security for all of you, Ecuadorian families, she said.

Molina, who is a veterinarian, now risks becoming partially blind from last weeks attack, but she remains defiant. We are not going to be subdued by mafiosos, corrupt politicians who want to be elected to the assembly, the Latin Kings, the [Mexican] Zetas [cartel], the Albanians that are now operating in the country, extortionists, kidnappers and all those terrorizing the population, she said.

Despite her injury, she still plans to run in the August 20 elections, insisting that she wants to ensure justice is served.

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Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., is seen at the U.S. Capitol, July 14, 2022, in Washington. Gallego says hell challenge independent U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona in 2024. | Tom Williams, Associated Press

Next years U.S. Senate race in Arizona is expected to be among the most highly contested, but voters are still waiting to hear which candidates are in or out.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., and former Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake havent announced whether they will run, but both were mentioned at a town hall meeting in Gilbert, Arizona, last week with Democratic Senate candidate Ruben Gallego, a congressman representing Arizonas 3rd district.

Kari Lakes got Trump, the other candidates got New York, Gallego said, pointing out Lakes ties to former President Donald Trump and insinuating Sinema is too close to lobbyists and special interests. We outraised them. We have more than 100,000 donations for an average I think around 30-ish bucks.

Gallego leads in a potential three-way matchup against Sinema and Lake, according to a poll released earlier this month from Noble Predictive Insights, or NPI, a Phoenix-based market research firm formerly called OH Predictive Insights.

The poll found Gallego with a 34% plurality ahead of Sinema at 26% and Lake at 25% with 18% undecided.

Sinemas decision to leave the Democratic Party last year to become an independent opened the possibility of a three-way way race in a state thats closely divided between Democrats, Republicans and independents. Unaffiliated voters now outnumber registered Republicans in Arizona for the first time since 2016, but the NPI poll showed independent voters are split ahead of next years vote.

Rep. Gallegos strength in head-to-head matchups shows his appeal across various demographic groups, making him a formidable candidate in this race, NPI founder and chief of research Mike Noble said in a statement. However, Sen. Sinemas entry could create a more complex electoral landscape, given her ability to draw support from independents.

Gallego also leads in other hypothetical three-way matchups against Sinema and Republicans 2022 U.S. Senate nominee Blake Masters or Pinal Countys Republican Sheriff Mark Lamb, who announced his U.S. Senate campaign in April.

Gallego criticized Sinema at the town hall last week, saying she was more worried about hedge fund mangers and lobbyists than everyday Arizonans, and he alluded to her when he mentioned sitting senators who dont want to focus on the issues of this ZIP code or the ZIP code where I live in South Phoenix. Theyd rather focus on zip code in New York City or San Francisco Bay area.

Or Kari Lake, Gallego added, who wants to focus on the ZIP code on Mars, because I dont know whats going on there.

Lake, a former TV news anchor in Phoenix, hasnt conceded her loss in last years gubernatorial race to Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs. Axios reported shes planning to announce a run for U.S. Senate in October.

Gallego accused Lake of having no plan for the states growing water needs and criticized her for using the U.S.-Mexico border to look like its a war zone.

At the end of the day, my major opponent is going to be Kari Lake, he said. She has no vision.

Lake, who grew up in Iowa, was there Friday for the Iowa State Fair, where she milked a cow, served beer and signed Trump campaign hats that read President Donald Trump, back to back Iowa Champ, according to Daily Mail.

Related

When President Joe Biden visited Arizona last week, Gallego greeted him at the airport, while Sinema was on hand for the ceremony designating Arizonas newest national monument. Biden has Sinema to thank for her help negotiating passage of some his biggest bipartisan wins in the Senate, but to endorse her for reelection would leave his partys candidate high and dry.

Biden handed Sinema the pen he used to sign the designation at the national monument ceremony, but during his remarks, he didnt offer any words of support that might be used in future campaign ads other than to mention her by name, while other elected officials got shoutouts, like Hobbs, who Biden said was doing a heck of a job.
The owner of an outdoor pool construction company is accused of stealing $1.5 million from customers in six Florida counties, state law enforcement officials said.

On Aug. 15, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement announced 35 felony charges against James Staten, the owner of Olympus Pools in Tampa, in a news conference posted to its Facebook page.

Staten is charged with one count of aggravated white collar crime, one count of organized scheme to defraud, 20 counts of grand theft, eight counts of misapplication of construction funds and five counts of contractor fraud, special agent Mark Brutnell said in the conference.

McClatchy News reached out to Richard Escobar, Statens attorney, for a comment and did not receive an immediate response.

Brutnell said multiple law enforcement agencies were contacted in 2021 by residents in Hillsborough, Pasco, Sarasota, Polk, Manatee and Pinellas counties saying they had paid for pool constructions that were never completed.

Through the complaints, agents identified 140 customers who Brutnell said were victims of Staten.

Of those, 31 customers shared a standard pattern from Olympus Pools, and their cases were used to file charges, according to Brutnell.

Brutnell said that over the course of about 18 months, Staten and the company defrauded those customers out of $1.5 million that was then used for personal expenses.

Olympus Pools was in serious financial trouble in 2020, Brutnell said in the news conference. Staten knew that, but he continued to perpetrate his fraud.

Pools never completed

Brutnell said the homeowners would meet with a sales representative from Olympus Pools, which typically required a 10% down payment to start the project.

If the unsuspecting customer was willing to pay in full, they would get a discount rate and were assured of a much quicker timeline of completion, Brutnell said.

The customers were promised an average completion time of about six months, officials said. Brutnell said many of the pools were never completed.

After months of no communication from Olympus Pools, the company would reach out to the customer and ask for more money for different aspects of the construction project, Brutnell said.

For instance, We need $10,000 to start excavation, Brutnell said.

After the company had received the money, workers said they were hiring subcontractors to finish up the work, but those workers never came, according to Brutnell.

The customers repeatedly reached out to Staten, and some hired attorneys, but Brutnell said Staten remained silent, and the projects sat idle.

Lavish lifestyle

Brutnell said an investigation into Statens finances showed he moved money out of the companys business accounts into his personal account to live a very lavish lifestyle.

This lifestyle included vacations, jewelry, vehicles, home improvements, expensive dinners and high end designer purchases, Brutnell said.

The spending sometimes totaled $50,000 to $70,000 in a single month, he said in the news conference.

Staten took his employees and their family members on all-expenses-paid trips to Key West, Jamaica, New Orleans and Las Vegas, Brutnell said.

He also spent $53,000 on Super Bowl tickets when the event was hosted in Tampa in 2021, Brutnell said.

Some customers reached out to Shannon Behnken, an investigative reporter with WFLA, in 2021.

Behnken found the company had received a $264,800 Paycheck Protection Program loan in April 2020 and was reporting high sales despite customers across the greater Tampa area dealing with giant holes in their backyards, WFLA reported.

Dozens of homeowners told the outlet about their similar experiences, but their construction projects were never finished, according to WFLA.

Never operate in Florida again

Questions remained for years, and then on July 6, Attorney General Ashley Moody announced Olympus Pools was being shut down through the Consumer Protection Division, according to a news release.

We are in the thick of summer when many Floridians want to enjoy their pools with friends and family, including many Florida consumers who fell victim to this owners greed and were left with holes in their backyard, Moody said in the release.

Staten was ordered to pay restitution to the customers, but he was unable to come up with the money and filed for personal bankruptcy, according to the release.

My Consumer Protection Division shut down this company and secured a lifetime ban for this owner to ensure he will not operate any pool business in Florida, ever again, Moody said.

Statens attorney told WFLA he believes Staten did not intentionally steal money from customers.

We just got on this case last week and there is a lot of work to do, Escobar told the outlet. But what the public needs to understand is that sometimes, businesses go belly up and just because a business goes bankrupt and people lose money, that does not make it a crime.

Staten turned himself in to the Pasco County Jail on Aug. 14, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office.

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With nerves frayed over a potential Georgia indictment of Donald Trump, Reuters reported Monday that a court document listed charges against him. But the document quickly disappeared from a county website and the Fulton County district attorneys office said no indictment has yet been returned.

The snafu occurred as Trump awaits a potential fourth indictment over his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia, as part of a nationwide effort to remain in the White House. Trump has pleaded not guilty to federal charges alleging the broader conspiracy and called the prosecution politically motivated.

Reuters reporter Jonathan S. Landay announced on the X social media platform the news agency found a document on Fulton Countys website detailing potential charges against Trump.

But the document quickly disappeared from the site. Fulton County District Attorney's office denied to Reuters any indictment had been returned.

Trump's lawyers criticized how the document was apparently given a case number and a judge before a grand jury had finished its deliberations.

"The Fulton County District Attorney's Office has once again shown that they have no respect for the integrity of the grand jury process. This was not a simple administrative mistake," Trump lawyers Drew Findling and Jennifer Little. "This is emblematic of the pervasive and glaring constitutional violations which have plagued this case from its very inception."

A Fulton County Sheriff officer stands near barricades setup in front of the Fulton County Courthouse on Aug.7, 2023 in Atlanta. The heightened security is in place as Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is expected to make an announcement soon about a possible grand jury indictment in her investigation into former President Donald Trump and his Republican allies alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 election in the state.

Tamar Hallerman, a reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, said on X she was standing in the courthouse at the time and that prosecutors told her no indictment had been returned.

Trump supporters posted the document on social media in order condemn it.

"Reports say the Grand Jury has not voted and is still hearing from witnesses," said Taylor Budowich, the head ofTrump political action committee, said on the X. "The DA's office has denied that any charges have been filed. Yet, this document appeared on the Superior Court docket. The Grand Jury is just a formality for these Banana Republic proceedings."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Potential Georgia charges against Donald Trump posted briefly on web
A 31-year-old mother expecting her second child was killed in a crash involving a 16-year-old driver fleeing from officers, according to Michigan police and news reports.

The teen, who has not been identified, reached speeds of 90 mph as he was being chased by officers for 36 seconds Saturday, Aug. 12, in Sterling Heights, police told WXYZ. The chase ended when the boy ran a red light, striking a GMC Terrain carrying a family of three, police told the Macomb Daily.

Faith Gumma, three months pregnant with her second child, died after being taken to a hospital, the Macomb Daily said. Her husband and 2-year-old son were reportedly injured.

She was a light, she was pure, she was genuine, she was happy, family friend Randa Bakoss told WXYZ. She lifted everyone, she was more excited for people than they were excited for themselves.

Gummas 2-year-old son is expected to survive after suffering fractured ribs and lacerated organs, a GoFundMe says. Norman Gumma, Faiths husband, remained in critical condition as of Monday.

Police said the teen driver was taken into custody and is awaiting charges, according to WDIV. Officers were attempting to pull him over when they believed he may have been under the influence and driving without insurance, the station reported.

Its unclear what charges he will be facing.

Our hearts and prayers go out to the family, this is horribly tragic, Sterling Heights Police Lt. Mario Bastianelli told WJBK. This is a police officers worst nightmare. In the midst of trying to do your job and catch bad people doing bad things this resulted from it.

Sterling Heights is about 25 miles north of Detroit.

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Overdose prevention ambassador and community trainer Chris Marx of Foundation for Recovery in Las Vegas holds an overdose rescue kit with the opioid overdose reversal medication, naloxone. Credit - Sean O'Donnell/ Foundation for Recovery

Ive been living in recovery from opioid use disorder for eight and a half years, and this might be a weird thing to say about addiction, but I feel luckylike I dodged a bullet. I was addicted to opioids in Florida throughout the early 2000s, during the heyday of pill mills that flooded the streets with powerful pharmaceuticals like OxyContin. I say Im lucky because this was just before the drug supply turned into a toxic sludge of potent fentanyl analogues, mysterious tranquilizers, and deadly counterfeit pills. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if I were using today. The chances of my survival in these dire conditions would be slim to none.

Theres a saying that dead people cant recover, and I know its true. In 2022, an average of 300 Americans died from an overdose every single day. Thats an average of 109,680 human souls. Were losing far too many people to drugs because America has yet to fully commit to a culture, policy, and strategy focused on overdose prevention.

One of the hardest parts about being an activist is getting people to care about problems that appear distant and far away. Its all too human to perceive danger as striking someone else, somewhere else. We saw this play out with the COVID-19 pandemic. But weve long seen this play out with the overdose crisis in America. In 2017, the federal government declared overdoses a public health emergency, and ever since, the death rate has steadily ticked up and up. This was in large part due to the three waves of the opioid epidemic and the greed of the Sackler family that peddled OxyContin.

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However, calling this an opioid epidemic is to mislabel and misunderstand the actual root of the problem we face: Overdose deaths are preventable; we just havent had the tools to efficiently do ituntil now. Many users die alone in their homes, apartments, cars, in gas station bathrooms, or on the street. Families and entire communities have been shattered by loss. In a fog of pain, grief, and anger, were also losing the plot. The focus of drug policy right now should be on preventing as many fatal overdoses as possible. Instead, America is once again trapped in a disastrous drug war that focuses on punishment and retribution over the goal of saving lives.

Read More: What 3 Grieving Dads Want You to Know About America's Fentanyl Crisis

The very word fentanyl evokes scary visions of chemical warfare and weapons of mass destruction. The fury of living through so much loss has elevated a reactionary tendency to harshly criminalize drug use and reinforce lengthy mandatory minimum sentences. Politicians like Donald Trump, for instance, want to execute drug sellers. During his 2024 presidential campaign announcement, Trump said, Were going to be asking everyone who sells drugs, gets caught selling drugs, to receive the death penalty for their heinous acts. Members of congress and dozens of states are moving toward with enacting harsher drug penalties, despite decades of evidence that severe punishments do little to deter drug use or drug dealing. The rhetoric has gotten so hot that lawmakers have introduced proposals to authorize military force against drug traffickers in Mexico, turning a metaphorical drug war into a literal war of bombing and invasion. Fear, anger, and political expediency are causing us to repeat failed strategies of the past.

But now is not the time to reach for easy answers and give into dark impulses. Instead, we must double down on overdose prevention using a public health and harm reduction framework to equip people who use drugs with practical tools and spaces that destigmatize the life-saving information they need for their journeys to find safety and community.

As someone who has lost well over three dozen people I loved and cared about to overdose deaths, I know how valuable these tools can be. Most of my friends died alone. Many of them were scorned because they returned to drug use. They werent offered compassion when they sought healthcare support. Some of them died after being released from jail on a simple possession charge. All of them would have benefitted from the wide availability of harm reduction services such as syringe exchange programs, free naloxone, drug checking equipment that screens for fentanyl analogues, and safer use spaceswithout shame, and without judgement. Consistent data from Harvards Recovery Research Institute has shown that harm reduction works and is rooted in evidence.

If we dont correct our current course, well be stuck in this vicious cycle that leaves millions of people sick, alone, and at risk of fatally overdosing.

On March 29, the FDA approved the first-ever over-the-counter (OTC) naloxone product. In July, they approved a second OTC naloxone product. While this is welcome news and a substantial leap forward, the pricing of these products (averaging between $35-$65 per unit) is still out of reach for everyday Americans who need quick access to the lifesaving overdose reversal medication.

Read More: A Promising Way to Help Drug Users Is Severely Lacking Around the World, Report Says

Naloxone should be free. It must be available and accessible everywhereand for everyone, without any barriers. Most life-saving medical devices are uncontroversial and ubiquitous. Its time we think about naloxone and overdose reversal the same way we think about EpiPens, defibrillators, vaccines, and testing. Nobody thinks the mere presence of an EpiPen encourages people severely allergic to peanuts to kick back and crush a bag of pistachios for fun. Unlike peanut allergies, addiction remains highly stigmatized. Some are under the false impression that naloxone encourages more risky drug use because they view addiction through a moral lens, not a healthcare challenge. This distorted logic, along with Big Pharma profiteering, hinders broad access to naloxone.

While changing policy and regulations is no small thing, changing cultural outlooks is something else entirely. The social scientist and historian Nancy Campbell called naloxone a technology of solidarity. For naloxone to work, someone has to be there to administer it to the person who is overdosing. With the recent expansion of naloxone access, its on all of us to step up and be ready to save a life. Instead of punishing and scorning those who are struggling, we must do the harder thing and actually show people that they are not alone.

Overdose prevention strategies also require tailored approaches to their culture and geography. Cities and urban centers where substance use is more concentrated can benefit from overdose prevention centers. More than 100 of these centers operate around the world in more than 60 cities. But America only has two that operate legally. The first sanctioned centers on U.S. soil opened in New York in 2021, and theyve already rescued 1,000 people from fatal overdoses. Just two centers barely meet the demand. A New York City Health Department study found that opening four centers in the city would save up to 130 lives per year while saving $7 million in health care costs. Its time for other major cities to follow New Yorks lead.

Rural areas need a different kind of help covering vast distances. Traveling across the country, Ive witnessed innovative grassroots overdose prevention solutions in rural towns that operate mobile harm reduction programs. A key tenet of harm reduction is meeting people where theyre at. In this case, that means literally. Big vans equipped with naloxone, clean syringes, HIV testing, drug checking, and perhaps most crucially, warm and kind people, are driving around throughout the week to deliver life-saving health care to people who have no other way to access it. Sadly, these programs are operating on shoestring budgets in extremely hostile political climates. Policymakers and communities must stand up and defend these frontline workers who are sacrificing their freedom for doing what they know is right.

You mightve heard that harm reduction has failed. You mightve heard that cities like San Francisco and Portland have gone all in on radical harm reduction strategies and implemented pie-in-the-sky policies like drug decriminalization, and all they have to show for it is death, despair, and abysmal outcomes. The truth is that no American city, not even the supposedly liberal strongholds like San Francisco, have fully committed to a focused strategy of overdose prevention and recovery support. Cutting social and housing services, refusing to reduce skyrocketing rents, all the while ramping up militarized policing is not radical harm reduction. In fact, these half-measures are actively contributing to crisis levels of overdose fatalities.

While politicians and sensational media outlets play up apocalyptic disaster porn, they never mention the success of states like Rhode Island. Rhode Island decided to double-down on overdose prevention and though its taken some time, its finally starting to pay off. Fentanyl and its potent analogues hit the small state early and hard. For several years, overdose deaths ticked up and up. But something changed. The number of fatal overdoses did not increase from 2021 to 2022. Then, there was a 13% drop in overdose deaths in the second half of 2022. How did they pull it off?

Rhode Island committed fully and firmly to effective overdose prevention strategies. Despite media backlash, they held strong when the going got tougheven when they werent sure if it would work. The state implemented mobile outreach programs that distributed harm reduction supplies, increased the availability of naloxone, expanded access to medication assisted treatment for opioid use disorder in jails and prisons, supported six community centers that offer peer-based recovery support services, and created a new evidence-based drug prevention curriculum for schools. Moving forward, Rhode Island will be opening overdose prevention centers like those in New York, which will ensure their fatal overdose trend reversal continues far into the future.

American drug policy is at an inflection point. For the first time in my life, overdose prevention is gaining acceptance as our culture of tough love and zero tolerance is slowly losing credibility. The basic problem we face today is that too many people are dying in isolation, alone in the shadows. The best thing we can do right now is show up for each other, offer compassion to those who are struggling, and stop politicizing something that isnt politicalsaving as many lives as possible, with every tool we have at our disposal.

Contact us at letters@time.com.


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Prince Harrys relationship with his royal familyand especially his brother, Prince Williamis still in tatters, but Williams wife, Kate Middleton, has been trying to keep relations between the brothers alive, offering her support to Harry during late-night phone calls.

The Princess of Wales, who reportedly still remains on good terms with Harry, has been attempting to maintain communication with him and offer support during his recent difficult times, with the hopes that he and the Prince of Wales will patch things up in the long run.

Kate has been in touch with Harry to tell him to keep his chin up and not worry too much about these temporary setbacks, a source said, first reported in Closer. The source also claims the calls mean an awful lot to Harry as he copes with the continued estrangement from the British royal family, as well as a series of personal setbacks and court appearances.

She feels very sorry for him right now, the source said. Seeing him go through all these setbacks is very difficult to witness, and it tugs at her heartstringsespecially as his court trial is taking place so close to their home.

The source continued: She doesnt want to meddle with Harrys life but she wants him to know that there are a lot of people, herself included, who care about him and are rooting for him to be happy.

William has been furious with his brother over a series of perceived attacks against the royal family since Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, quit as active royals in 2020. That includes Harrys 2023 memoir Spare.

Among the books bombshells was Harrys claim that William knocked him to the floor during a fight about Markle, leaving Harry with scrapes and bruises. Harry claimed William described Meghan as difficult, rude, and abrasive.

William was absolutely horrified by Harrys claims in the book, according to Us Weekly, which quoted a royal source as saying William doesnt even recognize his own brother anymore.

Kate didnt entirely escape criticism in Spare, as Harry wrote that the princess made Markle cry just days before her wedding. Nevertheless, Harry called Kate the sister I never had in the memoir.

Getty Images

The last time Harry was with the royal family was during his fathers coronation in May, but he didnt interact with his brother and sister-in-law, nor with King Charles or Queen Camilla. Harry and Meghan werent invited to an upcoming royal family gathering at Balmoral to mark a year since the death of Harrys grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.

During a January interview, Harry expressed hope at being able to find peace with William some day, adding: My brother and I love each other. I love him deeply. There has been a lot of pain between the two of us, especially the last six years.

Despite Kates continued contact with Harry, William has expressed that he isnt prepared for a reconciliation with Harry just yet, according to Closer. Its obviously an extremely sensitive and delicate situation between many of the other senior royals and especially William, who has made it very clear that he is not yet ready to sit down with Harry for peace talks or any type of open dialogue for that matter, the source told Closer.

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The pro-life activist whose home was raided by the FBI is now running for Congress.

Mark Houck, who was acquitted of charges related to the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act earlier this year, announced recently that he is aiming to unseat GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., co-leader of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus.

Fitzpatrick's campaign shrugged off the challenge in a statement to Fox News Digital, however. "Congressman Fitzpatrick is proud of his record of pragmatic, bipartisan leadership in the House for the people of Bucks and Montgomery counties. For the past three election cycles, he has defeated extreme opponents on both sides of the aisle and 2024 will be no different," campaign spokeswoman Nancy McCarty said.

Houck filed a Federal Election Commission document setting up his fundraising vehicle last week. His campaign website states, "I have seen first-hand what an out of control government can do to its citizens. I will fight to protect all people and their rights under God [and] our Constitution."

U.S. CONGRESSWOMAN DEMANDS LATE-TERM ABORTIONIST HAVE HIS MEDICAL LICENSE REVOKED: 'IGNORED FOR A YEAR'

Armed FBI agents showed up to Houcks home, where he lives with his children, to arrest him in September 2022. It came after he was accused of pushing a 72-year-old Planned Parenthood escort outside a clinic in Philadelphia the year before.

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The incident skyrocketed Houcks public profile. He was later invited to President Bidens State of the Union address earlier this year by House Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., Fitzpatricks colleague in Pennsylvanias House delegation.

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Fitzpatrick, a former FBI agent and U.S. attorney, has been in the House since 2017. He first represented Pennsylvanias 8th Congressional District before a redrawn map put him in the nearby 1st District for his next three races.

The prominent House Republican has also raised nearly $1.8 million so far this year, according to campaign finance data. Fundraising information was not immediately available for Houck.

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick in the Capitol Visitor Center on June 5, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Houcks campaign website is lacking key details as well. One section purportedly for endorsements said they are "forthcoming." Meanwhile, the disclaimer usually seen at the bottom of a campaign website that indicates it is "paid for" by an entity related to the candidate appears to be missing.

During a radio interview with 1210 WPHT earlier this month, Houck said Fitzpatricks family were "good people" but the congressman "hasnt been representing my views or many others in this district."

LAWYER FOR PRO-LIFE ACTIVIST ARRESTED BY FBI BLASTS OUTRAGEOUS ABUSE OF POWER FROM DOJ: PURE INTIMIDATION

"We're not here to disparage Brian for his service to our great country, you know, but I think it's time for Brian to move on to other things in his life. And we need to get fresh ideas, fresh perspective on the Hill, and I'm happy to do that," he said.

Houck would likely face an uphill battle to achieve victory in Fitzpatricks purple Pennsylvania district, which Biden won in the 2020 presidential race. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the district as a dead-even split between going blue and staying red.

Houck's strong views on abortion might be a liability for him in the moderate Pennsylvania district in the post-Roe era.

For now, it appears Houcks platform will stick by his hardline conservative views. He said in his radio interview that he does not support rape or incest exceptions for abortion bans, claiming the procedure would hurt an unborn baby who did not commit the crimes.

Abortion has thus far proved a potent political cudgel for Democrats ever since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

"When it comes to rape, incest and life of the mother, you know, my faith informs me on some of that. But let me say rape and incest, look, the child does not commit the crime," Houck said. "The child doesnt deserve the death penalty, and the reality of it is, we are further victimizing the mother. And, so, once we start recognizing that, well realize that rape and incest is not a good excuse to terminate a human being."
Five San Luis Obispo County high school students will take part in a hands-on program that focuses on animal rescue and care this fall.

Leaders for Ethics, Animals and the Planet (LEAP) announced a nationwide expansion in a news release on July 31.

The program empowers high school students to become compassionate catalysts for change by addressing leadership in ethics, animals and the planet, according to the website.

LEAP was founded in 2022 and launched at six Northern California animal sanctuaries. Now, the program is expanding to include 25 animal sanctuaries spanning across the country after an anonymous donor pledged $150,000 in matching funds at the end of last year, according to the release.

Danielle Hanosh, co-founder of LEAP, said she is thrilled to be given the opportunity to transform the LEAP program from a local, grassroots endeavor to a nationwide opportunity for all students.

Tito the Boer goat is happy munching feed in a covered barn at Lillys Animal Rescue.

LEAP program partners with South County animal sanctuary group

LEAP most recently partnered with Lillys Animal Sanctuary in Arroyo Grande, which will host five students from the San Luis Coastal Unified School District and the Lucia Mar Unified School District for a nine-month program this year.

The program also partnered with eight other California-based animal sanctuaries, including Jameson Humane in Napa Valley and Rancho Compasion & Blackberry Creek in Nicasio, both of which participated in last years program.

LEAP provides an alternative to other youth agricultural education programs such as 4-H and FFA Erika Satkoski, the owner and operator of Lillys Animal Sanctuary said.

Satkoski taught for eight years at Pioneer Valley High School in Santa Maria, and currently substitute teaches for the Lucia Mar Unified School District in southern San Luis Obispo County.

Romeo, a large male turkey seen eating feed with several chickens, was saved from the dinner table by Lillys Animal Sanctuary in Arroyo Grande. The organization is partnering with Leaders for Ethics, Animals and the Planet to host local students interested in animal welfare.

Lillys Animal Sanctuary started in 2016 after Satkoski received an ewe sheep Lilly who was surrendered by an FFA student who decided she wanted to withdraw her animal from a Santa Barbara County auction.

Animals that are entered into FFA or 4-H programs are often sent to auction and are later killed, Satkoski said.

As a teacher, Satkoski said she met many students who wanted to see different outcomes for the animals they raised.

LEAP is an option for students that would rather take care of an animal and see them live and be happy, she said. We see animals as individuals, so we want to teach students to be compassionate to all living beings.

Lillys Animal Sanctuary sponsors SLO County high school students

Lillys Animal Sanctuary now operates as an education-based nonprofit and cares for over 16 large animals, such as goats, pigs and sheep, and around 25 birds  all of which are rescue animals. Many of the animals have been surrendered from animal agriculture farms or FFA and 4-H programs, Satkoski said.

Many people have never met a turkey, or even a duck, pigs, goat or sheep, Satkoski said. So we have them all here for people to interact with them and see how wonderful they are.

She and her husband live on the sanctuary and take care of the animals along with Noah Leventhal, lead animal wellness caregiver, in what they refer to as the 24-hour cycle of care.

As long as animals are here theres always cleaning, feeding and repairing to be done, Satkoski said.

The duck pen holds several rescued ducks and turkeys at Lillys Animal Sanctuary in Arroyo Grande. The organization is partnering with Leaders for Ethics, Animals and the Planet to host local students interested in animal welfare.

This fall, five students who are selected through an application process will meet at Lillys Animal Sanctuary once a month to interact with the animals and learn about their care, behaviors and welfare, Satkoski said.

During the program, LEAPers will be trained in entrepreneurial skills, leadership and public speaking to effectively advocate for animals, the news release said.

I see them as leaders, Satkoski said of the future program participants. Theyre changing the status quo and thats what leaders do.

At the end of the nine-month program, students are able to complete a year-end project and compete with other participants across the country for scholarship money, Satkoski said.

The program has gotten a very positive response from high school students since its start, Satkoski said.

The circle of compassion is just rippling out, she said.

Beau, a male Suffolk sheep, is one of several livestock animals at Lillys Animal Rescue in Arroyo Grande. The organization is partnering with Leaders for Ethics, Animals and the Planet to host local students interested in animal welfare.

How to ge t involved with the LEAP program

Applications for the 2023-24 LEAP program at Lillys Animal Sanctuary are currently open to high school students in the San Luis Coastal Unified School District and the Lucia Mar Unified School District.

Applications close Aug. 31. To apply, visit: leapforanimals.org/find-a-sanctuary/apply-now.

For more information visit: leapforanimals.org, email leap@leapforanimals.org or call 530-774-3027.

Several pigs, goats and sheep are housed in clean and spacious pens at Lillys Animal Rescue in Arroyo Grande. The organization is partnering with Leaders for Ethics, Animals and the Planet to host local students interested in animal welfare.
CHICAGO  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.

Mapes March 31, 2021, testimony started out with Assistant U.S. Attorney Amareet Bhachu warning Mapes that he needed to tell the truth or his immunity deal would not prevent him from being prosecuted.

You understand you are under oath and you are obligated to tell the truth, Bhachu said. If you tell the truth, youre in good shape. If you lie, theres a possibility of perjury charges being filed against him. Yes sir, Mapes confirmed.

Mapes, 68, of Springfield, is charged with perjury and attempted obstruction of justice, accused in an indictment of lying in his answers to seven questions during the more then two-hour testimony.

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. Mapes has pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors accused Mapes of lying about his knowledge of the political activities of Madigan and McClain, both before and after Madigan ousted Mapes in June 2018 in a #MeToo scandal.

It is unusual for prosecutors to play a recording of a grand jury testimony during a trial, but the development allowed jurors to hear Mapes speaking carefully in the first half of the audio that was played up until the lunch break.

Mapes confirmed for Bhachu at the outset of the questioning that his original date to testify was postponed for several weeks so he could prepare for his testimony with his attorney.

After having Mapes describe his typical duties, Bhachu began asking specifically about his relationship with Madigan and what he knew about Madigans closest friends.

Mapes he ticked off Madigans law partner, Vincent Getzendanner, insurance and real estate businessman Terry OBrien, and Roger Kiley, a Madigan college friend who served as a top aide to Mayor Richard M. Daley.

Mapes also mentioned longtime House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, a Chicago Democrat, but Bhachu seemed unimpressed with that example, asking, Who else?

Another one might be Mike McClain, Mapes offered hesitantly. At the time, McClain was under indictment for bribery conspiracy in the ComEd Four scheme.

(McClain) was one of my frie- sorry strike that, Mapes said, stopping short of calling McClain a friend. He was a member of the legislature before I startedAnd then he was also a member of the leadership before he lost his election.

But Mapes, at least in the portion of the recording played so far, did little to underscore the tight political relationship of Madigan and McClain, who served with the speaker when they were both rank and file lawmakers in the 1970s and early 1980s and then worked with him closely on government and political issues even while serving as a lobbyist.

Mapes said McClain would stop by the speakers office, sometimes when he was representing a lobbying client and sometimes to say hi.

Prior testimony in the trial indicated McClain, despite his longtime role as a lobbyist, often camped out in a conference room between the offices of Madigan and Mapes in the speakers Capitol suite.

Mapes even played down Madigans longtime admiration of Mayor Richard J. Daley, someone Madigan often spoke about with reverence.

I think he had a respect for him, Mapes said. I dont know about esteem.

Mapes said he remembered Madigan saying Mayor Richard J. Daley was a good politician but testified that Madigan didnt say why he thought that.

Earlier Tuesday, prosecutors sought to support their argument that Mapes fudged in the March 2021 grand jury if he had been aware of any tasks or assignments that Madigan gave McClain in 2017 or 2018 as well as related questions.

Prosecutors played a secretly recorded call from May 30, 2018, where Mapes and McClain talked about the proposed sale of a parcel of land in Chinatown to a developer that had become a focus of the investigation into Madigan.

McClain told Mapes on the call that the land sale was an assignment, as you probably know, a reference to the speaker that prosecutors say shows Mapes was well aware that Madigan was doling out tasks to McClain.

Im trying to get some, uh, legal property transferred...And uh its in (state Rep. Theresa) Mahs district, and the guy thats putting a brick on it right now in the senate is, uh, Marty Sandoval, McClain told Mapes on the call.

Its not a good thing to do, Mapes responded about Sandoval, an on-again, off-again Madigan ally who at the time was the powerful head of the Senate Transportation Committee.

Mapes also warned McClain that Mah had an in-your-face style that included body language he found abrasive.

You see the intensity in a really negative way, Mapes said.

After some small talk about meeting for dinner, the two began speaking about how good then-top ComEd lobbyist John Hooker looked for his age, especially given Hookers recent knee-replacement surgery.

Well you know, (Hooker), everybody was complimenting him, McClain told Mapes. Its like hes repelling down from heaven to save the day you know?

ALso Tuesday, prosecutors called Mika Baugher, Madigans former secretary who worked closely with Mapes on the speakers busy schedule.

Also Tuesday, lobbyist Will Cousineau is expected to make his second appearance on the witness stand in federal court. Cousineau worked closely with Mapes for years as a top political guru on former Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigans staff and stayed within a small circle of advisers while Madigan remained in power.

Cousineaus testimony is highly anticipated because he already showed that he can be a valuable witness for the government in the ComEd Four case earlier this year, which ended with the convictions all defendants on bribery-related counts, including Madigan confidant Michael McClain, a longtime ComEd lobbyist.

Cousineau testified in the ComEd Four trial about Madigans behind-the-scenes efforts that helped ComEd pass legislation favorable to the giant utilitys bottom line.

Now prosecutors are seeking to have Cousineau testify about a 2014 email among Madigans inner circle that discusses a report by the legislative inspector general about Madigans moves to help political allies with government positions at Metra, the suburban commuter train service.

Mapes allegedly forwarded the memo to Cousineau and others and called for a high-level meeting.

Mapes, McClain and Cousineau all participated in the meeting, according to prosecutors, who want to use the episode as an example of how Mapes was well aware of McClains intricate role in Madigans government and political operations.

Mapes was one of a string of Madigan aides caught up in #MeToo issues in 2018, prompting fear among Madigan supporters that it could cost him the speakership. He was eventually forced out as the ComEd scandal began to engulf him. Madigan, the longest serving leader of any legislative chamber in American history, lost his speakership in January 2021 and soon resigned the House seat he had held for more than 50 years.

In 2014, a secret report put together by the legislatures watchdog in the wake of a Metra scandal explained in detail how Madigan navigated the intersection of public business and ward-style patronage through his Southwest Side office and Illinois Capitol suite.

The unflattering analysis by then-Inspector General Thomas Homer was based on interviews with Madigans political allies, government officials and the speaker himself.

The confidential report, disclosed by the Tribune, contained an account of Metras chairwoman entering Madigans Capitol office to talk about state issues and leaving with a yellow Post-it note bearing names of two workers the speaker wanted to see promoted.

In another meeting, Metra lobbyist Tom Cullen, who testified earlier in the Mapes trial, was spotted leaving the speakers office with two resumes. Yet another time, Madigan simply called the cellphone of one of his better precinct captains to tell him about a state job.

The report, which was never officially released, gave a rare glimpse into Madigans thoughts on getting people government jobs and raises. In an interview with Homer, Madigan was quoted as speaking highly of both the work-related credentials and the political experience of one 13th Ward operative the speaker backed for a raise.

You can understand that there are many people that are involved with me and campaigns and community service, Madigan said, according to the report. Among these many people, some are better than others. (He) happens to be one of those who is better than others.

The report is the product of an investigation Madigan himself requested as a scandal unfolded surrounding the ouster of then-Metra CEO Alex Clifford and the severance package he took with him that was worth up to $871,000.

The legislative inspector general was tasked with looking into whether Madigans actions in the high-profile scandal created pressure that contributed to Cliffords departure  a notion Madigan denied through an attorney, according to the report.

Cousineau and Cullen have turned up in other controversial moments. They were among five utility lobbyists who sent checks to Kevin Quinn, a longtime Madigan aide ousted from his government and political team in 2018 over a headline-grabbing sexual harassment scandal. McClain orchestrated the payments to be made through contracts he and the other lobbyists set up for Quinn.

At the time, a Madigan spokeswoman sought to portray the speaker as not a part of the group. But court records, citing a phone call between Madigan and McClain, alleged Madigan knew it was happeningundermining his attempt to separate himself from the effort to give Quinn a soft financial landing.

On Monday, a former FBI agent who headed the blockbuster corruption probe against Madigan likened his style as one more fitting to the head of an organized crime family than a legitimate political operation.

Mr. Madigan ran his organization, as close as I can compare it to, almost the head of a mafia family, former Special Agent Brendan OLeary testified, noting that Madigan rarely used the phone, texts or emails to communicate orders.

The ability for us to hear about what happened generally came down to the people on the inside being honest, and that is what we relied on, OLeary said.

On Tuesday, Mapes attorney Andrew Porter sought to strike from the record OLearys mafia remark, saying it was unfair and highly prejudicial to Mapes.

After he uttered the words, they are in the jurys mind, Porter said of the agents testimony. ...

Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane MacArthur countered that it was too late to bring the issue up given OLearys testimony was the day before, that the comment was a passing reference and that striking the comment retroactively would be prejudicial to the governments case.

Were not going to be calling Speaker Madigan the don, MacArthur said.

The judge agreed with MacArthur, saying he did not want to upset the apple cart by addressing OLearys testimony a day later.

____
Have you ever wanted to talk to a journalist and ask a few questions of your own or chat about whats happening in Wichita?

Now you have the chance.

The Wichita Journalism Collaborative, which includes 11 organizations that partner on news and information gathering, is hosting a weekly pop-up newsroom of sorts called News Connect.

From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. each Thursday, the Collaborative invites members of the public to the Rolland Eakins TEC-Novation Room on the main floor of the Advanced Learning Library at 711 W. Second St. to meet with representatives of the partners.

Partners include The Wichita Eagle, The Active Age, The Community Voice, KMUW, KSN-TV, Planeta Venus, The Sunflower, The Wichita Beacon, the Wichita Public Library, the Elliott School of Communication at Wichita State University and The Journal, which is published by the Kansas Leadership Center.

Though youre always welcome to call or e-mail journalists, the idea of News Connect is to have face-to-face interactions with the people who provide the community its news.

This is your opportunity to see how journalists work, ask them why they approach news coverage the way they do and learn how they get their information.

Or you may want to ask questions about why theyve made certain news decisions or how the news business has changed and how it continues to evolve.

Most Thursdays, the forum is meant to be whatever you want it to be.

Some days, there will be scheduled programs on particular subjects, such as this weeks on Wichitas housing challenges, or election issues.

To find out whats going on any particular day, follow the Collaborative on its Facebook page.

Whatever the topic, we hope to see you there.
The purple light beaming from some Elk Grove street lamps is the result of faulty LED chips, city officials say.

About 50 of Elk Groves nearly 15,000 street lamps have the defect, said Elk Grove deputy public works director Sean Gallagher on Monday, and are limited to the citys cobra head-style streetlights. About 3,000 of the citys LED lights are of the cobra head variety, Gallagher said.

The lamps odd glow has caused a stir on local social media, but Gallagher says crews are getting a handle on the issue after a nighttime, city-wide sweep last week to find the faulty lamps. Elk Groves street lights, all 14,649 of them, are light-emitting diodes.

The night sweep was completed end of last week and we are working with our contractor to address all issues discovered, Gallagher said Monday via email. The lights have a five-year warranty, Gallagher said.

Elk Grove made the call to convert to LED in early 2014, installing an initial 9,800 of the lamps. Elk Grove officials at the time cited energy, maintenance and cost savings. LED lamps are longer lasting and less light polluting than traditional sodium vapor lamps.

Elk Grove was among the wave of U.S. cities and jurisdictions in the last decade that hired American Electric Lighting and parent Atlanta-based Acuity Brands to retrofit its roadway LED lamps. The lighting giant behind many U.S. cities LED conversion projects reported nearly $1 billion in sales in its 2023 fiscal third quarter, the company announced in June.

The lamps eerie cast is nothing new. Cities across the U.S. and Canada have reported the purple and blue hues, including in Vancouver; Green Bay, Wisconsin, where the streetlights turned Minnesota Vikings purple; and Raleigh, North Carolina.

So, whats causing the lights colors to change? A problem with the laminate that cloaks the fixture, officials at Duke Energy, the utility that supplies power to Raleigh and the region of North Carolina known as the Research Triangle, told Business Insider in 2022 and the Raleigh News & Observer this year.

With the protective coating, LED street lamps are bright white. When that coating degrades, the Duke officials said, the light takes on a purplish cast.

The same Business Insider article says heat damage was likely to blame, citing studies examining the effect of heat on LEDs.

That checks out in a Sacramento region punished by a string of 100-degrees days this summer and once again under a heat advisory issued this week by the National Weather Service.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Malis interim president, Assimi Goita Tuesday had a telephone conversation over events unfolding in Niger  a development that is likely to raise concerns among Western leaders about Russias increasing influence in the West African region.

At the initiative of the Malian side, Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with President of the Transitional Period of the Republic of Mali Assimi Goita, the Kremlin said in a statement on Tuesday.

The pair discussed a number of topics but particular attention was given to the situation in the Sahara-Sahel region, according to the statement.

Putin emphasized that an exclusively peaceful political and diplomatic means, was important in resolving the ongoing situation, the statement said.

The Kremlin said the conversation was in continuation of the Russian-Malian high-level talks held at the Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg last month.

Putins call for a peaceful resolution comes days after West African leaders ordered the activation and the deployment of a regional standby force to restore constitutional order in Niger following President Mohamed Bazoums removal in a coup detat by the presidential guard in late July.

Putin also mentioned the situation in the Sahara-Sahel region while speaking in a pre-recorded message at Tuesdays Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS).

The countries of the Sahara-Sahel region, such as the Central African Republic and Mali, were under direct attack from numerous terrorist groups after the US and its allies unleashed aggression against Libya, which led to the collapse of the Libyan state, Putin stated.

Malis interim president Goita also reiterated Putins call for a peaceful resolution in Niger.

He (Putin) stressed the importance of a peaceful resolution of the situation for a more stable Sahel, Goita said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Mali has continued to urge the UN and African Union to prevent any military intervention against Niger.

Mali hosted a large delegation of officials from the Niger junta in early August, signaling a potential partnership between the Niger junta and Wagner mercenary group.

Wagner fighters are active in Mali, invited by the leadership of Mali to quell an Islamic insurgency brewing near the borders of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.

Wagner founder and financier Yevgeny Prigozhin was spotted at the Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg last month, meeting with African dignitaries on the sidelines, according to accounts associated with the mercenary group.

CNNs Larry Madowo and Vasco Cotovio contributed to this report.

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Rachel Zegler has sparked controversy over past comments she made about Disneys Snow White.

The 22-year-old American actress will play the titular princess in the forthcoming live-action remake of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

During interviews last year, Zegler repeatedly expressed her distaste for the original storyline.

The original cartoon came out in 1937, and very evidently so. Theres a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird! Weird! So we didnt do that this time, Zegler told ExtraTV in October 2022.

We have a different approach to what Im sure a lot of people will assume is a love story just because we cast a guy in the movie. All of Andrews scenes could get cut, who knows? Its Hollywood, baby, she added of her Prince Charming co-star Andrew Burnap.

In another interview, she said: We absolutely wrote a Snow White that... shes not going to be saved by the prince, and shes not going to be dreaming about true love; shes going to be dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be and that her late father told her that she could be if she was fearless, fair, brave and true.

Her comments have recently resurfaced on social media as some commentators accuse her of pseudo feminism.

In a TikTok video with more than 10 million views, a user who goes by the handle @CosyWithAngie said: It is not anti-feminist to want to fall in love, to want to get married, to want to stay at home, to be soft, to want to be a homemaker. None of these things makes you less valuable as a person or a woman.

Criticising Disney princesses is not feminist. Not every woman is a leader. Not every woman wants to be a leader. Not every woman wants or craves power and thats ok, she continued.

Thinking that a woman is any less valuable because she falls in love or because she accepts help from somebody instead of girl-bossing her way through her problems is not feminist.

Zeglers representatives did not immediately respond to The Independents request for comment.

Another video with nearly 600,000 likes, posted by user @nuttybutter96 asked: If you hate the original this much, why would you want to make the remake? Pls make it make sense.

Zegler has not directly responded to the debate; however, posting on X (formerly Twitter) on 11 August, she wrote: I hope the world becomes kinder.

In a separate tweet, she added: I love you very much. forever and ever. remember to be kind. treat each other with patience and empathy. remember that you are loved unconditionally, no matter your mistakes, no matter your misunderstandings. you deserve it. you deserve love. you deserve to live without fear. x

i love you very much. forever and ever. remember to be kind. treat each other with patience and empathy. remember that you are loved unconditionally, no matter your mistakes, no matter your misunderstandings. you deserve it. you deserve love. you deserve to live without fear. x  rachel zegler (she/her/hers) (@rachelzegler) August 12, 2023

Disneys Snow White remake has also drawn the ire of right-wing commentators due to Zeglers casting.

Her name is Snow White. Now you may consider that racist, but thats also the name of the actual fairytale, conservative pundit Ben Shapiro said on his eponymous radio show.

Quoting a descriptor from the original 1937 movie, he read: Skin as white as snow. Thats literally in her name, thats why she has her name.

He described Zegler, who is of Colombian and American descent as a very talented person, before continuing: Snow White is maybe the only racially specific white princess because its in the name. Its very strange to me that if you cast Alexander Hamilton as a Black person, thats totally fine, but if you cast Martin Luther King as a white person, that is totally unacceptable.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks in the Fulton County Government Center during a news conference, Monday, Aug. 14, 2023, in Atlanta. Donald Trump and several allies have been indicted in Georgia over efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

ATLANTA  For more than 50 years, prosecutors have relied on a powerful tool to take down people as varied as mafia capos, street gangs such as the Crips and the Bloods, and pharmaceutical executives accused of fueling the opioid crisis.

Now a prosecutor in Georgia is using the states version of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, better known as RICO, to go after former President Donald Trump, who along with 18 of his allies was indicted Monday on charges of participating in a wide-ranging conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia.

One power of RICO is that it often allows a prosecutor to tell a sweeping story  not only laying out a set of criminal acts, but identifying a group of people working toward a common goal, as part of an enterprise, to engage in patterns of illegal activities.

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Fani Willis, the district attorney in Fulton County, Georgia, is using a RICO indictment to tie together elements of a broad conspiracy that she describes as stretching far outside of her Atlanta-area jurisdiction into a number of other swing states, a legal move made possible by the racketeering statute. Her investigation also reached into rural parts of Georgia  notably Coffee County, where Trump allies got access to voting machines in January 2021 in search of evidence that the election had been rigged.

Signaling its breadth, the indictment brought Monday night laid out a number of ways the defendants obstructed the election: by lying to the Georgia Legislature and state officials, recruiting fake pro-Trump electors, harassing election workers, soliciting Justice Department officials, soliciting Vice President Mike Pence, breaching voting machines and engaging in a cover-up.

RICO is a tool that allows a prosecutors office or law enforcement to tell the whole story, Willis said at a news conference last year.

Her challenge will be to convince jurors that the disparate group of 19 conspirators charged in the indictment  including a former president and a local bail bondsman, a White House chief of staff and a former publicist for Ye, who changed his name from Kanye West  were all working together in a sprawling but organized criminal effort to keep Trump in power.

State and federal prosecutors have found that they can use RICO laws to effectively make such arguments, and Willis has done it before. So has Rudy Giuliani, one of the defendants, who made his name trying racketeering cases against mafia families decades ago as a federal prosecutor in New York.

Clark D. Cunningham, a law professor at Georgia State University, said the indictment shows the incredible power brought to bear against Trump by using Georgias racketeering law, noting that in addition to the 19 people charged, it encompassed as many as 30 unindicted co-conspirators  over 160 separate acts in all.

But RICO laws have their detractors. Some critics say that the laws have granted too much power to prosecutors, allowing them to indict dubious members of organizations that are in some cases barely organized.

Because RICO is so expansive, and so open, as a tool, it allows people to be caught in its dragnet that are nothing like the people who were originally intended when the laws were first developed more than 50 years ago, said Martin Sabelli, a past president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

Another potential pitfall for a big RICO case is that it may become too complex for jurors to follow. As Michael J. Moore, the former U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, put it Monday night: When you fish with too big a net, you risk getting tangled up yourself.

Some of the defendants were already accusing Willis of overreaching. A spokesperson for Jeffrey Clark, a former Justice Department official who was charged in the case, said Willis was exceeding her powers by inserting herself into the operations of the federal government to go after Jeff.

Trumps legal team said, We look forward to a detailed review of this indictment which is undoubtedly just as flawed and unconstitutional as this entire process has been.

Trump and his allies have argued that their efforts to challenge his 2020 election loss in Georgia were well within the bounds of the law. Indeed, Trump has been laying the groundwork for his defense for months, arguing repeatedly that there was nothing illegal about his now-famous call to Brad Raffensperger, Georgias secretary of state, on Jan. 2, 2021.

In that call, Trump told Raffensperger he hoped to find the 11,780 votes he needed to win Georgia.

But the RICO indictment forces Trump to push back against a broader allegation  that he was part of a multipronged criminal scheme that involved not only calls to state officials, but the convening of bogus pro-Trump electors, the harassment of Fulton County elections workers, and false statements made by Trump allies, including Giuliani, before state legislative bodies.

In Georgia, RICO is a felony charge that carries stiff penalties: a potential prison term of five to 20 years, a fine or both.

Racketeering statutes are an outgrowth of New York Citys long history of combating corruption and organized crime. The word racketeer itself is derived from the racket at boisterous Tammany Hall fundraising dinners where it was an expectation, among crooked politicians, that anyone who hoped to get a piece of city business would buy tickets.

Under Giulianis leadership in the 1980s, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York used RICO to prosecute powerful mobsters such as Anthony Fat Tony Salerno of the Genovese crime family, and Anthony Tony Ducks Corallo of the Lucchese family. But Giuliani also used the federal statute to prosecute white-collar business cases.

Willis may rival Giuliani in her deep well of experience with RICO charges. She made her name as an assistant district attorney by bringing a sprawling RICO case against educators in the Atlanta public school system in 2013 in the wake of a cheating scandal, and has used Georgias version of the law repeatedly since then.

In the 2013 case, a group of Atlanta educators were accused of inflating standardized test scores and giving a false sense of academic progress. At the time, there was concern that the state was applying a law known for targeting the mob to a group of modestly paid public schoolteachers, most of whom were Black.

I think its overkill, Atlanta lawyer Bruce Morris told the Los Angeles Times. RICO was originally designed for organized crime.

Willis has said defending the integrity of the education system  and childrens right to an education  was paramount. The trial ended with 11 defendants being found guilty of racketeering, with some convicted of other crimes.

After being elected Fulton Countys top prosecutor in 2020, she has continued to be aggressive in using RICO to prosecute other cases, particularly in her fight against street gangs. The best known is the ongoing RICO conspiracy case against the group Young Slime Life, headed by Atlanta rapper Jeffery Williams, who performs as Young Thug.

The indictment charges that members of the group, known as YSL, committed the crime of conspiracy to violate the RICO act, and that certain members are responsible for crimes such as murder, aggravated assault and armed robbery. Defense attorneys maintain that the group is merely a musical collective.

In an analysis of the case for the pop culture website Complex, Andre Gee, a music and culture writer, blasted Willis for wielding RICO as an overly broad dragnet.

Its an ugly, precedent-setting maneuver in the war on rap that can only happen because the law allows her to be creatively predatory with their definition of a corrupt organization, Gee wrote.

Some experts have argued that applying RICO charges in a criminal case allows prosecutors to use the laws often stiff penalties to pressure defendants marginally connected to criminal groups to take plea bargains. In the YSL case, Willis office obtained pleas from a number of defendants, securing admissions along the way that the group was indeed a criminal street gang.

The Young Thug case, taking place in the same courthouse that may eventually host Trump, has shown how unwieldy a large racketeering case with multiple defendants can be: Jury selection, which began in January, has yet to be completed, and has been rife with hiccups and scandals.

Noting that Willis is hoping for a trial within the next six months, Christopher Timmons, an Atlanta trial lawyer and former prosecutor experienced in RICO cases, said the timetable seemed to be ambitious.

Six months to start a RICO trial is lightning fast, Timmons said in an email early Tuesday. They usually take a year to put together. That suggests the DAs office walked into the grand jury room knowing what their case will look like at trial.

Even though RICO laws now go far beyond mob-busting, their origins in fighting the New York mafia can still work against defendants in the court of public opinion.

But a good defense lawyer can sometimes use the laws association with the mob to their clients advantage. That was the case in 2013, when one of Trumps current lawyers in Georgia, Drew Findling, was defending a sheriff in the suburbs of Atlanta who had been accused of corruption and was facing state RICO charges.

In his closing argument at trial, Findling, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, ridiculed state prosecutors for not reaching out to federal authorities if they truly believed they were dealing with a criminal on a par with the nations most infamous gangsters.

His client was acquitted.

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Sharon Kelsey had come to the Marion County Record on Monday afternoon to place resurrection lilies next to a red newspaper box outside the weekly paper in the small central-Kansas town.

Kelsey, a subscriber whose paper gets passed between her sons, was very upset about a Friday police search of the Records newsroom, which was quickly criticized as the story spread across the U.S.

Police also searched the home of the papers co-owners, Eric Meyer and his 98-year-old mother, Joan Meyer. She died the next day.

I feel like things in this country arent going right, said Kelsey, a longtime Marion resident who considers the papers staff friends.

Others in the town of fewer than 2,000 people have different opinions about the paper and its self-described aggressive coverage.

About a block away on Monday, lifelong resident Jared Smith, 39, applauded the police raid as he closed down his wifes spa on Main Street  a decision he tied to the Records negative coverage of her business.

It blows my mind how negative our paper is to our community, Smith said as he stood in front of the shuttered Dawns Day Spa, where a homemade Support Marion PD sign was displayed on the window.

Settled among the prairie of Kansas rolling hills, the city that calls itself the town between two lakes has become a focal point of a national controversy over First Amendment rights and what many see as frightening law enforcement overreach.

Police Chief Gideon Cody, appointed in May to lead the towns force after 24 years with Kansas City police, has defended sending his five officers to seize journalists cellphones, computers and materials. Officers appeared to be looking for evidence about how the paper obtained information that a local restaurateur, who applied for a liquor license, lost her drivers license over a DUI in 2008.

The family-owned newspaper, which prides itself on being a watchdog in the community about an hour north of Wichita, said it did nothing wrong. Comparing the raid to tactics carried out by the secret police in Nazi Germany, editor Eric Meyer said there is ill will between the towns top cop and the paper, which previously looked into tips about Codys background but did not publish a story about them.

In a town where rumors spread within 15 minutes, though only a fraction are true, as one former city official put it, residents are waiting to see what comes of the police investigation.

Chris Hernandez, a financial adviser who works around the corner from the newsroom, said community members who love their town just want whats right, though they dont know for sure yet why the raid took place.

Standing next to him Monday within eyesight of the police department, Gene Winkler, who has lived in town since 1962, also hoped investigators get it right, whether thats good or bad for the Record.

Winkler, 81, who once served on the City Council, has had his differences with the Record, like others in town. He said the papers negative coverage can be a sore spot with residents and businesses.

That could be because the Record  which is led by Meyer, who worked for 16 years at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and whose staff includes a former Wichita Eagle reporter  covers a small community that has had its share of controversy even before the raid.

Last year, for example, the towns two top cops and a city clerk, who was married to the then-police chief, all resigned, apparently over the lack of discipline against a city administrator accused of misconduct.

The administrator allegedly showed a provocative photograph of the owner of Dawns Day Spa  who had worked as a model  to the city treasurer, Meyer said. The official was also accused of using a racial slur, among other things.

Another issue involving the spa was also covered in the Record. The owner was embroiled in a dispute with officials over its sign, which was in violation of city code because it stuck out of its building. Meyer said he did not know how that coverage would drive her out of business.

As detailed in the Record, the city administrator was ultimately fired in December after less than six months on the job. The paper dutifully reminded taxpayers what the search for his job had cost them: at least $7,500.

If found to be without formal cause, his firing could end up costing the city considerably more than $50,000 in salary and benefits, Meyer added in the story, apparently considering a possibility that council members had not thought to discuss.

Meyers story noted that at one point at the end of the meeting where the administrator was fired, he remained the only member of the public there.

Residents left flowers outside the Marion County Record in central Kansas in remembrance of co-owner Joan Meyer, who died a day after police raided the newsroom and Meyers home.

Resident Darvin Markley said the Record is simply reporting on the towns issues. Meyer taught journalism at the University of Illinois for 25 years, he noted, and said the editor knows what hes doing.

The problem is, with the public saying that (Meyer is negative), is that they are trying to cover up their own mistakes, Markley told reporters outside the Records office Monday. This newspaper is very good at investigative reporting. Thats what he does.

Questions remain

As readers brought flowers to the newsroom Monday, Meyer was back in the office, mad that he couldnt get more information about the outrageously stupid raid that was captured on the offices inside surveillance cameras.

A copy of the search warrant lists identity theft and unlawful acts concerning computers as the crimes the police chief told Magistrate Judge Laura Viar he had probable cause to believe had been committed.

The warrant allowed officers and sheriffs deputies to take correspondence pertaining to business owner Kari Newell, the local restaurateur, along with digital information or items that would establish the use of computers and networks to participate in the identity theft of Newell.

Chief Cody told The Associated Press that the affidavits for the warrants, which would provide the probable cause for the searches, would be available once charges are filed.

But on Monday evening, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation took over the case and said it would review all prior steps taken during the probe. Cody did not respond to a request for comment about the shift Monday night.

City officials have largely remained silent about the raid that the papers attorney said violated state and federal laws.

Front pages hang on a wall at the Marion County Record, where police served a search warrant Friday.

Mayor David Mayfield said the situation will be handled by lawyers, while Vice Mayor Ruth Herbel  whose cellphone and laptop were also seized Friday at her home  called the newsroom raid an invasion.

The citys three other council members have not responded to requests for comment.

Before the raid, many of Mayfields posts on Facebook were about the Record and what he described as inaccurate coverage.

After reading the Marion county record today again I need to set the record straight, the mayor wrote in January on his official page, where he also previously called one of the papers stories fake news.

Subscriptions surge

Meyer is a wealth of knowledge about local elected officials. His newspaper has kept residents up to date on their agendas and conflicts, including earlier this year when Mayfield led an unsuccessful effort to recall Herbel, in part, over an alleged Kansas Open Meetings Act violation because she wrote Thanks in an accidental reply all email.

As the newspaper considers a lawsuit, Meyer described holding elected officials accountable as not only important for the town but as good for business. The papers circulation and advertisements were up.

Since the raid, the paper has seen a significant spike in online subscribers  more than 1,000 since Friday  which was evident as its phones rang nearly nonstop Monday.

The Marion County Record is displayed in a newspaper box outside the papers offices in Marion, Kansas, on Monday.

Still, the raid has already scared at least one person from sharing information with the Record.

That tipster called Meyer the other day and told him he should see a post on Facebook, but said he did not want to send it to Meyer out of fear that his computer would be confiscated by local law enforcement.

This town has a history that if you speak up against the people in power, they will get you somehow, Meyer said. Which is kind of what has happened to us.

The Stars Jonathan Shorman contributed to this report.
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy reacted Monday to news that former President Trump was indicted by a grand jury in Fulton County, Ga., calling it a politicized persecution.

These are politicized persecutions through prosecution, Ramaswamy told Leland Vittert during a NewsNation town hall.

It would be a lot easier for me if Donald Trump were not in this primary, but that is not how I want to win this election, he said.

Ramaswamys comments came just as the Georgia grand jury returned 10 indictments from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Williss investigation into alleged efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 presidential elections in Georgia.

This is the fourth legal case in four months in which the former president has been indicted. Ramaswamy and much of the GOP presidential primary field have said Trump is the victim of a Justice Department biased against him. Earlier this month, Ramaswamy announced he was suing the Justice Department and filing a new Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) records request for more details about the recent indictments of Trump in the Jan. 6 investigation into the former president.

While Trump remains firmly in first place in the primary, Ramaswamy has seen an uptick in the polls and increased interest among donors and the media. The Real Clear Politics polling average shows Trump in first place at 54.5 percent support, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is in second place at 14.8 percent. Ramaswamy is in third place at 6.3 percent.

NewsNation and The Hill are both owned by Nexstar Media Group.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said he believes President Biden loves his son, Hunter Biden, when asked Monday to say something nice about the Democratic president.

I think he loves his son and Im not saying that lightly, Ramaswamy said during a NewsNation town hall. I think hes a father who loves his son, and that small element of a deeply flawed man, I can still respect that.

However, Ramaswamy went on to call Biden, 80, a puppet who is a victim of elder abuse.

I think he is barely capable in making decisions as a human being at his age, he said. It is elder abuse what they are really putting him through.

Ramaswamys comments come as the White House is under considerable pressure amid the ongoing legal issues surrounding the younger Biden. On Friday, Attorney General Merrick Garland named David Weiss as special counsel to look into the tax crimes investigation into Hunter Biden.

Republicans, including those running for president, have accused the Justice Department of having a bias toward Hunter Biden. Meanwhile, House Republicans are in the process of investigating Hunter Bidens business dealings while his father was vice president, and over allegations that he used his fathers influence.

I think reasonable people would say that this guy, who is under-qualified even to hold a job at a local fast food chain, is somehow earning millions of dollars sitting on the board of a Ukrainian energy company with no expertise in the energy sector and using and trading on his fathers name to enrich his family, Ramaswamy said.

I do support a vigorous investigation into Hunter Bidens dealings. We cannot have a government where foreign adversaries are buying and effectively paying for policies from our U.S. presidents as puppets.

NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said at a NewsNation town hall Monday that former President Trump could be one of his advisers if Ramaswamy wins the 2024 election.

I think Trump was an excellent president, Ramaswamy told NewsNations Leland Vittert at the forum in Chicago.

I think his defeat of Hillary Clinton in 2016 was an important political event that stopped the leftward march through our government and our institutions, he continued. And so I expect to take him as an adviser as well as, Im actually taking to the next level our America first agenda, shutting down that administrative state.

There were some forces that stopped him that I expect will not stop me, he said. But I will be proud to still learn from the foundation that he laid and even understand what he would have done differently.

Ramaswamy also said that he would consider other members of the Republican presidential primary field for Cabinet positions.

You dont hear me bashing other candidates because Im going to need each of them to play their role when it comes to reviving this nation, he said. And so yes, I do think that this presidential campaign will put some of them to the test. I think a certain number of them will be eligible for Cabinet positions in my administration.

Trump is the dominant front-runner in the Republican presidential primary, with the Real Clear Politics average showing him at 54.5 percent support. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is in second place at 14.8 percent, while Ramaswamy is in third place at 6.3 percent.

NewsNation and The Hill are both owned by Nexstar Media Group.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said he would defend Taiwan from a potential invasion from China until the U.S. gains independence on manufacturing semiconductors, something he says will happen by 2028 if he's elected president.

Appearing on "The Hugh Hewitt Show," Ramaswamy was asked how he'd go about rebuilding the weakened U.S. Navy, to which he responded by highlighting the country's need of semiconductors.

"The top U.S. interest today where our naval capacity's shortages actually leave us vulnerable is indeed in the case of Taiwan," Ramaswamy said Monday.

"We are dependent on a tiny island nation off the southeast coast of China for our entire modern way of life in the United States of America. I think many Americans need to internalize that fact. We would not live a modern lifestyle if it were not for the global semiconductor supply chain, specifically leading-edge advanced semiconductors that come from Taiwan. That's a great vulnerability for us, especially as we enter a period where I believe that China is likely to make a move to annex Taiwan in the next decade. I think that's a real threat that we face. And our naval shortcoming or naval capacity shortcoming is one of the big vulnerabilities that makes that more likely to happen."

VIVEK RAMASWAMY BREAKS WITH GOP ON DECRIMINALIZATION OF HARD DRUGS: IM IN THAT DIRECTION'

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy vowed to defend Taiwan from China until the U.S. gains "semiconductor independence," something he insisted will happen by the end of his first term.

Radio host Hugh Hewitt pressed Ramaswamy on whether he'd "fire the first shot" against China if they were aiming to invade Taiwan. The GOP hopeful responded by suggesting it depends on whether the U.S. has already gained "semiconductor independence" from Taiwan.

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"So, one of my objectives is by the end of my first term, I believe I will lead us towards semiconductor independence. During that time, I'm going to be very clear, move from strategic ambiguity in Taiwan to strategic clarity, where I am crystal clear with China that you do not make a move on that island because I refuse to put China in a position to hold an economic gun to our head," Ramaswamy said. "We'll take destroyers from the group we have in Japan, take one per month, move it through that Taiwan Strait. ... This is something that actually will send a strong signal to China they will not take the risk of making that move, especially if they know that the U.S. is only biding our time until we have semiconductor independence. That's where strategic clarity actually helps us."

VIVEK RAMASWAMY CAMPAIGNS IN IOWA, SUGGESTS US MILITARY COULD BE USED TO ANNIHILATE MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS

Ramaswamy also pointed to India as being a military ally in the region to defend Taiwan, even floating the idea of "putting a gun in every Taiwanese household" and "training them how to use it."

"That's what I'm going to do, Hugh, to make sure that we don't put ourselves in that position," Ramaswamy told the host. "China will have no reason to aggress towards Taiwan between now and the end of my first term in 2028 if we show we're serious about it, but by being strategically clear that that commitment changes after we've achieved semiconductor independence. Now put yourself in [Chinese President] Xi Jinping's shoes. He has no interest in taking that risk."

He continued, "And the truth of the matter is, there are two reasons why China wants to annex Taiwan. One is to squat on the semiconductor supply chain, so they can exert leverage over the United States of America. That's not happening on my watch. I take a firm position on that. But the second reason why is that they have unfinished nationalistic business dating back to their civil war in 1949. And if that's the sole basis for Xi Jinping going after Taiwan, after we have semiconductor independence, then you know what, I am not going to send our sons and daughters to die over that conflict. And that's consistent with my position on Ukraine as well."

RAMASWAMY FIRST GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE TO QUALIFY FOR DEBATE WITH PLEDGE TO SUPPORT EVENTUAL PARTY NOMINEE

GOP hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy is set to unveil his full foreign policy vision in a speech at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library this week.

When asked if China should "draw the conclusion" based on his stance that he's willing to "sink Chinese ships" upon an invasion of Taiwan prior to 2028, Ramaswamy said, "We are going to go to full lengths to make sure that you do not mess with Taiwan," reiterating military might in the region but adding "that commitment is only as far as 2028, by which point I will have led the United States of America to achieve semiconductor independence. And we will not take the risk of war that risks American lives."

"What's clear to me is that you are saying, I will go to war, including attacking the Chinese mainland, if you attack before semiconductor independence, and afterwards, you can have Taiwan. So, if you just wait until 2029, you may have Taiwan. Is that clear?'" Hewitt said. "I mean, that's what you're saying: 'I'll go to war until 2028.'"

"Hugh, I want to be the next president, so I expect to be the president inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2025. So, I'm wearing that hat when I'm choosing my words very carefully right now," Ramaswamy responded. "And I'm being very clear. Xi Jinping should not mess with Taiwan until we have achieved semiconductor independence, until the end of my first term, when I will lead us there. And after that, our commitments to Taiwan and our commitments to be willing to go to military conflict will change after that because that's rationally in our self-interest. That is honest. That is true. And that is credible."
Randall Park has expressed his frustration with the consequence of Barbies success, as Mattel plots an entire universe of franchise films based on its games and childrens toys.

The film, based on the world-famous Mattel doll, has become one of the most bankable films of the year, sailing past the $1bn mark at the international box office after just two weeks.

Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling head up the cast, playing Barbie and Ken respectively, and the film has seen director and co-writer Greta Gerwig earn the highest-grossing release for a female director ever in the US.

However, as is the norm when any movie proves a success, Hollywood studios are now eyeing up a way of capitalising on its popularity.

While Warner Bros Pictures is yet to officially announce a follow-up to Barbie, Mattel already has a long line of projects in the works based on their toys. This includes a live-action Polly Pocket film from Lena Dunham, and a Hot Wheels movie produced by JJ Abrams.

Park, star of sitcom Fresh Off the Boat, has now complained that Hollywood is taking the wrong lessons from Barbies success.

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, he remarked: For example, Barbie is this massive blockbuster, and the idea is: Make more movies about toys! No. Make more movies by and about women!

Parks other credits include the Netflix romcom Always Be My Maybe and Marvel titles Ant-Man and the Wasp, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantamania and WandaVision.

Barbie has become such a big hit that Robbie, who also produced the film, is reportedly set to earn roughly $50m (39.4m) in salary and box office bonuses.

Barbie (Warner Bros Pictures)

Welsh comedian and actor Rob Brydon spoke about his brief cameo in the film, revealing why peoples response to his role slightly stings in a new interview.

Robbie previously said that casting Brydon in Barbie was an enormous priority for me. It turns out the Australian star was a huge Gavin & Stacey fan and, years ago, Brydon sent her a video message in character as Uncle Bryn for her birthday at the request of her friend.
Along the coast of Tunisia sit the ruins of a once-great city whose power rivaled Rome: ancient Carthage. Today, the citys sacred sacrificial site collects dust. Millennia ago, it collected gold, devotion and adoration from worshippers.

Carthage was founded about 2,900 years ago by the Phoenicians, according to Britannica. It grew into a bustling trade hub and sea port with legendary wealth.

Like other Phoenician cities, Carthage had a tophet, a sacred precinct  where sacrifices and burials were made, especially of young children, according to the World History Encyclopedia. The tophet in Carthage had a shrine area for the sacrificial offerings and a cemetery area where the deceased were then buried.

Archaeologists excavating the tophet uncovered a collection of offerings, Tunisias Ministry of Cultural Affairs said in an Aug. 11 news release. They found five gold coins from 2,300 years ago, tombstones and several urns with the remains of animals, infants and premature babies.

The rare gold coins are about an inch in size and have a design showing the face of Tanit, an ancient goddess of fertility and motherhood, the Tunisian outlet Shems FM reported. Photos show a few of the still-shiny golden treasures.

Some of the gold coins found at the sacred site.

The coins were left as offerings to the tophets main deities, the god Hammon and the goddess Tanit, by wealthy worshippers, RT reported.

Photos show some of the urns and tombstones found at the ancient sacrificial site.

Several urns found at the sacred site.

The tophet in Carthage is a massive sacrificial site and cemetery, Lonely Planet reported. Since it was rediscovered in 1921, archaeologists have uncovered more than 20,000 urns with the remains of children, mostly newborn, but also children up to age four, buried at the site.

Although once contested, experts have found overwhelming evidence that  Carthaginian parents ritually sacrificed young children as an offering to the gods, Oxford University said in a 2014 news release.

A tombstone found at the sacred site.

Perhaps it was out of profound religious piety, or a sense that the good the sacrifice could bring the family or community as a whole outweighed the life of the child, Josephine Quinn, the co-author of a study on the topic, told Oxford University.

We have to remember the high level of mortality among children  it would have been sensible for parents not to get too attached to a child that might well not make its first birthday, Quinn said. We should not imagine that ancient people thought like us and were horrified by the same things.

Phoenician Carthage was conquered by the ancient Romans who rebuilt a Roman city on the ruins of their rival, according to Britannica. Modern-day Carthage is a suburb of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia.

Google Translate was used to translate the news release from Tunisias Ministry of Cultural Affairs and articles from RT and Shems FM.

Beachgoer spots odd object in sand in Italy. It may have carried wine 2,000 years ago

Ancient Roman baths  with changing room and iron window grates  unearthed in Spain

8-year-old playing in school sandbox stumbles on 1,800-year-old treasure in Germany
Portage County Sheriff's Office units searched Puf City Vape and Smoke Shop in Downtown Ravenna Monday. The shop's owner is now facing a drug trafficking charge.

The owner of a Ravenna vape shop was arrested Monday stemming from allegations that he was dealing in illegal narcotics, including to juveniles, following a search of the business.

Mohsen H. Saleh, 23, owner of Puf City Vape and Smoke Shop, was charged with second-degree felony aggravated trafficking in drugs in Portage County Municipal Court in Ravenna, according to court records. He was scheduled for arraignment Tuesday afternoon.

In a media release, the Portage County Sheriff's Office said sheriff's units executed a search warrant at the shop at 245 W. Main St. following a two-week investigation. The investigation began when the sheriff's office received a tip that illegal narcotics were hidden behind the counter and in a back room and that sales were being made to minors, according to the release.

Items allegedly containing illegal narcotics were found in a drawer during a search at Puf City Vape and Smoke Shop in downtown Ravenna Monday. The items are to be sent to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation for testing.

The sheriff's office said it encountered customers inside the store, several of whom were allegedly minors.

Investigators found suspected THC products including gummies, vape cartridges, edibles and THC wax. Suspected psilocybin mushroom products including chocolate bars, drinks and gummies were also found, the sheriff reported.

The sheriff's office says the alleged drug products are being sent to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation for testing.

While speaking to the store's owner, who is not identified in the release but is identified as Saleh in a complaint the sheriff's office filed in court, investigators learned that he had recently moved from New York and had opened the store about a month ago.

This sign could be seen in the window at Puf City Vape and Smoke Shop after Portage County Sheriff's Office units searched the shop Monday and found suspected illegal narcotics. The shop's owner has been charged with drug trafficking.

Saleh was booked into Portage County Jail at 7 p.m. Monday, according to a jail booking report. The report provides a New York address for Saleh, but court records give the store's address.

More: Police and SWAT search suspected 'drug house' next to Ravenna elementary school

Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@recordpub.com.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Portage sheriff searches Ravenna vape shop, files charge
A Georgia grand jury voted to indict former President Donald Trump and 18 of his allies, including one of his attorneys Ray Smith.

Ray Smith appeared before a state Senate subcommittee investigating allegations of massive voter fraud just week after the Nov. 2020 election.

Hed been hired by then-President Donald Trump to be his local attorney of record.

My name is Ray Smith. I am honored to be lead counsel in Georgia for Donald J. Trump, the President of the United States, he said, introducing himself to the committee.

[READ: Former President Donald Trump among 19 indicted in Georgia election interference case]

During that hearing, Smith testified that more than 130,000 illegal votes had been cast during the 2020 presidential election -- something disproven time and time again by multiple state and federal investigation.

But Smith testified to it, nonetheless.

2,506 felons voted illegally in Georgia, Smith said. 10,315 or more individuals to vote who were deceased by the time of the election.15,700 to vote in Georgia who filed a national change of address form with the Postal Service prior to Nov. 3, 2020.

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The Georgia Secretary of States Office investigated every one of these claims and found none of them to be true.

As trumps Georgia attorney, Smith showed up again days later at the so-called false electors meeting observing as those electors cast their ballots for Trump even as the legal electors were upstairs casting their ballots for Joe Biden.

During the senate subcommittee hearing, he repeated the false belief that the legislature had the legal authority to toss out the popular vote and replace it with their own -- something legal experts, including the governors own general counsel, insisted just was not true.

That is why the election must be vacated and cannot be allowed to stand, and that is why the Georgia legislature must exercise and fulfill its duties under the U.S. constitution, the Georgia constitution and Georgia law, Smith said.

The Jan. 6 Committee said this was all part of a larger failed conspiracy to get legislatures in key states like Georgia to send an alternate slate of electors to Washington.

The Georgia legislature must appoint the presidential electors to meet on Dec. 14, 2020. That is your duty to the people of Georgia, to the United States. You must determine the presidential electors, Smith testified.

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On Friday, police in the small town of Marion, Kansas, raided a local newspapers office.

They confiscated computers, cell phones and other documents from Marion County Record staff, sparking outcry from press freedom advocates around the country.

Police say their permission to carry out the seizures was spelled out in a search warrant signed by a judge. You can read the warrant below.

Need to get caught up on the story? Check out our latest coverage here.

Marion County Record Search Warrant by The Kansas City Star on Scribd

The alleged crimes

A few details stand out in this two-page document, which was signed by Magistrate Judge Laura Viar around 9 a.m. on Friday. The first is the two crimes listed on the warrant: identity theft and unlawful acts concerning computers.

Identity theft is broadly defined in Kansas law as obtaining, possessing or using personal identifying information about someone with the intent to defraud them or misrepresent them in order to bring them economic or bodily harm.

Magistrate Judge Laura Viar signed a search warrant that authorized Marion police to raid the Marion County Records newsroom and the home of the editor.

Kari Newell, a local restaurant owner, had recently claimed at a city council meeting that the Marion County Record used illegal methods to learn of her past DUI conviction. The newspaper never published information about the DUI.

Under Kansas law, unlawful acts concerning computers are defined mostly as cybercrimes like hacking. However, one provision mentions using a computer to defraud or to obtain money, property, services or any other thing of value by means of false or fraudulent pretense or representation.

We dont know exactly what evidence led Judge Viar to believe that either of these crimes were committed in the Marion County Record newsroom. But the warrant also mentions Newell by name  several times.

Kari Newell

Kari Newell, a Marion restaurant owner, is at the center of Fridays search warrant authorizing the police raid. Three of the 15 items the warrant authorizes police to seize mention her by name.

List items 4 and 12 refer generally to documents, records and correspondences related to Newell.

List item 13 is more specific, describing evidence that internet access was used in the office to participate in the identity theft of Kari Newell.

Newells disdain for the local newspaper was evident before the raid occurred. She reportedly had the newspapers editor and a reporter removed from her restaurant by police during an event with a local Congressman earlier this month.

At an August 7 city council meeting just days before the raid, Newell accused the newspaper of illegally obtaining information about her past DUI conviction. And in a statement made afterwards, she described the paper as having a reputation of contortion.

The Marion County Record is displayed in a newspaper box outside the papers offices in Marion, Kansas on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023.

Other notable details

Several list items on the warrant refer to devices used to access the Kansas Department of Revenue records website. This is a public website through which anyone can make requests for publicly available records under the Kansas Open Records Act.

Another line item specifies which devices police were allowed to seize. The warrant instructs them to conduct a preview search of all the digital devices on the premises, and not to seize ones which have not been involved in the identity theft.

We dont know exactly how police were supposed to determine which devices were potentially used in identity theft, but we do know that at least one reporters personal cell phone was taken away.

The Stars Jonathan Shorman contributed to this report.

Do you have more questions about why police raided a local newspaper in a small Kansas town? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
A grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia brought a 41-count indictment Monday night against Donald Trump and 18 others over the former presidents efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the state.

The indictment, the result of more than two years of work by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Williams, is 97 pages long and names 19 defendants, including Trump and some of the former presidents key aides and attorneys.

They are charged on multiple criminal counts, including violations of the states racketeering laws, a felony charge that could result in a minimum of five years in prison for the convicted.

READ MORE: Trumps fourth indictment, in Georgia, could present the biggest threat to his freedom

The indictment illustrates a detailed picture of Trump and his co-defendants working as an organized unit  a requirement for a charge under the racketeering statute, known as RICO  to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia through various means, including the recruitment of a group of loyalists who would challenge official representatives to the Electoral College.
Wichita Public Schools kicks off a new academic year Tuesday, so while youre checking to make sure your students have all their supplies, its also a good time to check and see if they are up to date with all required vaccinations.

There are seven vaccinations required in Kansas kindergarten through 12th-grade schools, while an additional two are recommended.

Proof of vaccination has to be shown upon school enrollment, or guardians can provide documentation that shows scheduled immunizations, if the child has yet to get all required ones. There are two exemptions allowed for immunizations, medical and religious.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed 16 cases of measles in the U.S. in 2023, as of two months ago, most linked to international travel. Measles can be fatal for children, with a reported 1 to 3 of every 1,000 cases in children resulting in death, according to the CDC.

The measles vaccine, which is one of the vaccines required in Kansas schools, is extremely effective in preventing measles. Two doses are 97% effective, the CDC reports, while a single dose is around 93% effective.

If youre unsure if your child is up to date, heres a full list of vaccinations required in Kansas for the 2023-24 school year.

Vaccinations required in Kansas schools

These vaccinations are required at the following grade levels in Kansas schools, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (DTaP/Tdap): Five doses are required, a dose is required to enter seventh grade.





Hepatitis A (Hep A): Two doses are required. The state health department says the doses should be administered at 12 months with a minimum of six months in between the first and second doses.

Hepatitis B (Hep B): Three doses are required. KDHE says doses should be administered at birth, 1 to 2 months and one at 6 to 8 months.

Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR): Two doses are required, one administered at 12 to 15 months and another prior to kindergarten entry.

Meningococcal-serogroup A,C,W,Y (MenACWY): Two doses required, administered right before seventh and 11th grade. Only one dose is required for those ages 16 to 18 if they havent received the vaccination yet.

Poliomyelitis (IPV/tOPV): Four doses are required. State guidance says the doses should be administered at 2 months, 4 months, 6 to 18 months and right before kindergarten entry.

Varicella (Chickenpox): Two doses are required. The state says doses should be administered at 12 to 15 months and right before kindergarten entry.

Additionally, the state health agency recommends students to receive the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and the annual influenza shot. There is no state requirement for students to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

If your child is a student of Wichita Public Schools, the district has additional immunization information available on its website.

Where to get vaccinated in Wichita

Individuals can take their child receive vaccinations from the Sedgwick County Health Department.

Your child can get vaccinated at the countys clinic located at 2716 W. Central. Most insurance is accepted, the county said in a Facebook post Monday. Those who are uninsured can also receive vaccinations, paying fees on a sliding scale.

The county is also a part of the Vaccines for Children program that provides no-cost vaccinations to those younger than 18 who cannot afford them.

An administration fee of $20.26 per vaccine may be charged. According to the countys preventative health associate director, Bev Bruce, the department charges that fee to the insurance if the patient is insured.

When the child does not have insurance, that fee is decided on a sliding scale based on income. The fees go as low as $2, but children will not be turned away if they are unable to pay.
Peoria Unified School District governing board member Rebecca Hill, who in recent months received opposition for quoting Bible verses during meetings, has resigned.

In her resignation, which she submitted to Maricopa County Superintendent Steve Watson on Monday afternoon, she wrote that she is grateful for the opportunity I had from our electorate to serve this community and wish the district well in the future.

Hill is moving out of state to be closer to family, according to a statement from district spokesperson Danielle Airey. The Peoria Unified School District is grateful for Hills service to the district and wishes her the best as she begins this next chapter, Airey wrote.

Following an application process, Maricopa County School Superintendent Steve Watson will appoint someone to serve the remainder of Hill's term until Dec. 31, 2024.

Hill joined the governing board in January 2021. According to her biography on the districts website, she has been a home school parent and teacher for the past six years and a resident of Peoria for the past 20 years.

In recent months, she received opposition for quoting Bible verses during board meetings.

Hill also pushed for a policy restricting transgender students' access to bathrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender identity. Though the board voted 3-2 against drafting such a policy in April, Hill continued to push for it during meetings, including at the most recent governing board meeting on Aug. 10. At the end of the meeting when the vote took place, she told families in the district to use education vouchers toward private and online schools or home school their children, saying she no longer endorsed the district.

In July, she and board member Heather Rooks voted against a free computer science training program for three of the districts schools from Microsoft due to a statement on the programs website that expressed a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. The board's president was absent and the program was rejected with a 2-2 vote.

At the board's Aug. 10 meeting, in response to an individual during public comment suggesting Hill, along with Rooks, is a "bigot" and a "fascist" because of the Microsoft program vote, Hill said: "I am so surprised how disrespectful people are to the board."

"It's shameful and it's embarrassing for the community to treat the board this way," she said.

Also at the Aug. 10 meeting, Hill voted against a request from two staff members to attend the National Association for College Admission Counseling conference to learn the latest college admission counseling trends, which ultimately passed with a 3-2 vote. The conference included sessions on racial and economic diversity and equity, Rooks said at the meeting before also voting against it. "I just think it's inappropriate," Hill said. "I don't think it's worth our tax dollars to send teachers to teach them ... inclusivity and diversity tactics."

Hill's last board meeting will be on Aug. 24.

The Peoria Education Association, the union representing educators in the district, released a statement celebrating Hills resignation on Tuesday afternoon.

Todays announcement is very good news for the educators, students and families of Peoria, the statement read. From the very start, Hill showed complete disregard for her responsibilities and her oath of office as an elected school board member.

More than 400 Peoria educators signed a letter in May calling for Hills resignation, according to the statement.

Hill did not respond to a request for comment regarding the statement.

According to Arizona law, within 30 days of notification of a vacancy, the school district may submit up to three names to the county school superintendent, though the superintendent is not obligated to select from the district's choices. Once Watson receives those names, he will also receive a full list of candidates and schedule interviews to fill the position.

The district will share details on the timeline of its application process as soon as possible, according to Airey. Applicants must be registered to vote in Arizona and have lived in the district for a year.

A recent vacancy on the Mesa Public Schools governing board yielded 49 applicants. Mesa Public Schools' new board member was selected 10 weeks after the resignation of the former board member.

The Peoria Unified School District, which serves approximately 36,000 students in the northwest Valley, is also searching for a permanent superintendent following the resignation of former superintendent Jason Reynolds in May.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Peoria Unified School District board member Rebecca Hill resigns
Red, White & Royal Blue is currently Prime Videos number one film, which feels very correct.

When a film is successful and captures the zeitgeist, that typically means theres a good chance that the powers that be in Hollywood are keen to repeat that success with a sequel. Naturally, fans are wondering if thats true for the immediately beloved rom-com.

For those unfamiliar, Red, White & Royal Blue is based on the novel by Casey McQuiston and follows the rivalry turned grudging respect turned passionate and forbidden romance of the U.S. Presidents son Alex (Taylor Zakhar Perez) and the British Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine). The movie earned critical praise (and some criticism) and an instant fan base for its leads chemistry and the sheer queer joy of watching them fall in love.

While the film leaves the couple in a good place, fans would love to see the next chapter in this romance  as would director Matthew Lopez, who told Gay Times that hes already pitched an idea for a follow-up.

Heres what Ill say: if people like the movie, if its successful and people want more, who am I to deny them? he told the publication, adding that this shouldnt be taken as a guarantee that well see a sequel. Not confirmed! Thats not confirmation. Look, any movie that ever simply gets made is a miracle. Its greedy for a filmmaker two weeks before his movie comes out to start talking about a sequel.

People loved the book so much they wanted the movie, right? I should be so lucky that people love the movie so much that they want another one, he added.

The sequel talk reportedly began on set even before the film was finished. Everyone in the hair and makeup department shared their ideas for a second film with everything from Red, White & Royal Wedding to Red, White & Royal Baby being suggested, Lopez said. I was like, Can we just get through today first, please?

The director also opened up about how careful he was in the casting for his two leads, but once they began interacting he knew instantly he had made the right choice. Nick was Henry and Taylor was Alex, but were they going to be great together as Henry and Alex? We put them on a Zoom together and to my great relief, the chemistry was there. We knew we had a movie five minutes in because their chemistry was undeniable, he recalled.

Undeniable indeed. For what its worth, wed like to officially pitch Red, White & Royal Blue: A Royal Honeymoon for, um, reasons.

Red, White & Royal Blue is now streaming on Prime Video. Watch the trailer below.

www.youtube.com

Red, White, & Royal Blue - Official Trailer | Prime Video

Based on the New York Times bestseller, Red, White & Royal Blue centers around Alex, the presidents son, and Britains Prince Henry whose long-running feud ...
FILE - Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry (26) controls a puck during the second period of Game 2 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup finals series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Wednesday, June 30, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. The Detroit Red Wings acquired defenseman Jeff Petry from the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023, a trade that gives them another veteran player late in a busy offseason of additions.(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

When Jeff Petry was part of the blockbuster Erik Karlsson trade earlier this month, it was for purely financial reasons. He was sent back to the Canadiens, for whom he played several seasons before a welcomed move out of Montreal last summer.

At the time, general manager Kent Hughes gave Petry and family his word he'd find another destination for the veteran defenseman. He did so Tuesday, trading Petry to his hometown Detroit Red Wings for 24-year-old defenseman Gustav Lindstrom and a conditional 2025 fourth-round pick.

Petry, 35, is a native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, whose father Dan pitched 13 years in the majors and helped the Detroit Tigers win the 1984 World Series. He has four young boys of his own now, and Hughes was conscious of trying to get something done before the new schoolyear started.

I promised them that we would work expeditiously to get him moved and that we wouldnt drag this out trying to maximize every last piece of value in the trade, Hughes said on a video call with reporters. It probably took a little longer than we anticipated. But I spoke with Jeff again, and he was thankful.

Acquiring Petry is the latest move in a busy offseason of additions for the Red Wings. And it came at a bargain price, getting Petry at less than half his salary: just over $2.3 million for each of the next two seasons.

Montreal retained 50% of Petrys remaining salary. The Pittsburgh Penguins are taking care of just over $1.5 million after sending Petry to the Canadiens in the NHL's biggest deal of the summer that landed them Karlsson, a three-time Norris Trophy winner.

But Petry did not figure into the rebuilding Canadiens' plans this time around.

He joins a remade blue line for Detroit, which also added Justin Holl and Shayne Gostisbehere in free agency. Eager to get the Red Wings back in contention and end a seven-year playoff drought, general manager Steve Yzerman also traded for scoring winger Alex DeBrincat and signed forwards Daniel Sprong and J.T. Compher, among other changes.

Lindstrom had eight points and averaged just over 14 minutes of ice time in 36 games with Detroit last season. The condition of the 2025 draft pick is the later of Detroit's or Boston's  one of the selections the Red Wings got from Boston for Tyler Bertuzzi at the trade deadline.

Our pro (scouts like him), Hughes said of Lindstrom. They feel like he's a really smart, puck-moving defenseman (who) still has a lot of room to grow in his game.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL
Religious leaders and politicians in northern Nigeria have opened back-door channels in a frantic attempt to stave off military intervention in coup-stricken Niger.

The crisis has sparked fears for ancient cultural, social and commercial links that bind southern Niger with seven border states in northern Nigeria -- Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, Jigawa, Borno and Yobe.

Many people in the north are shocked by the threat from West Africa's regional bloc ECOWAS, which is chaired by Nigeria, to intervene militarily to restore Niger's elected president, Mohamed Bazoum.

"What we had in the last one thousand years has been lost in a matter of few weeks," Sule Lamido, Nigeria's former foreign minister and ex-governor of Jigawa state, said in an article published on Sunday.

Bazoum, 63, was detained on July 26 by members of the presidential guard, in Niger's fifth coup since independence from France in 1960.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) gave Niger's military rulers a one-week ultimatum on July 30 to restore Bazoum or face the potential use of force, but the deadline expired without action.

The drumbeat of possible intervention sounded again on Thursday, when ECOWAS approved deployment of a "standby force to restore constitutional order" in Niger.

But visits by representatives from northern Nigeria have also helped swing the pendulum back towards diplomacy.

Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the influential former emir of Kano and Nigeria's former central bank governor, travelled to Niger on the eve of the ECOWAS summit for talks with the regime.

His visit was followed at the weekend by that of a delegation of religious clerics.

- Pressure on Tinubu -

As West Africa's biggest economic and military power, Nigeria wields extensive clout.

President Bola Tinubu, who came to power in May after disputed elections, has taken a hard line on stemming a cascade of coups that have now swept through four ECOWAS countries in three years.

But concern in northern Nigeria of a potentially catastrophic intervention is heaping pressure on him to exercise restraint.

Hundreds of residents in the Rijiyar Lemo neighbourhood of Kano took to the streets last week after Friday prayers in protest against any military operation.

Raising the flags of both Nigeria and Niger, the protesters chanted anti-French slogans and dragged a mock French flag along the dusty road, accusing Niger's former colonial power of prodding Nigeria to go to war with its neighbour.

On August 5, all 58 Nigerian senators across party lines from the north denounced planned military intervention in Niger, warning of dire consequences for seven border states.

On August 9, a group of northern academics, retired senior military officers and politicians wrote to Tinubu, cautioning him of the risks of intervention in an already deeply unstable region.

Nigeria's many security challenges -- from jihadist insurgency and farmer-herder conflict to banditry and kidnapping -- would be inflamed by the flow of arms and spread of violent extremism and banditry, they warned.

- Trade ties -

Nigeria's closure of its land border with Niger is already costing northern states around 13 billion naira ($13.5 million) every week, according to Arewa Economic Forum (AEF), a northern economic think-tank.

In 2022 the volume of formal trade between Nigeria and Niger stood at $234 million while informal trade, which is mostly in perishable commodities, was $683 million, according to Ibrahim Shehu Dandakata, head of the AEF.

"Nigeriens depend on Nigeria for most of the essential commodities they consume. Nigerian businesses also rely on transit points for importation from Niger Republic," Dandakata said at a conference in Nigeria's capital Abuja on Sunday.

More than 2,000 containers laden with goods belonging to Nigerian traders are stuck at the border

"Our customers from Niger, Benin, up to Central Africa, have stopped coming to buy our goods due to the closure of the border and this is affecting us," said Shamsu Bala, a textile trader at the Kantin Kwari textile market in Kano.

"We want this issue to be resolved amicably. War will only make the situation worse for everyone."

abu/ri/gil
A South Carolina man has been charged with the murder of a North Carolina resident who deputies say went missing two years ago.

The Rutherford County Sheriffs office asked the public in March 2023 for help locating Phillip Cullen Burr. A family member said Burr, of Ellenboro, North Carolina, had not been seen since November 2021.

McClatchy News reached out to Rutherford County officials for more details but did not immediately hear back.

As the investigation got underway, authorities said, the missing person case became a homicide investigation. They identified 30-year-old Jacob Dewayne Hall, of Clover, South Carolina, as a suspect, according to the news release.

York County jail records show Hall was booked at the South Carolina detention center April 20, 2022 on unrelated charges and is currently being held there.

Clover, South Carolina is about 50 miles southeast of Ellenboro, North Carolina.

In May 2023, investigators with the York County Sheriffs Office, the York County Coroners Office, Foothills Search and Rescue, and the University of South Carolina Anthropology Department executed a warrant on a property in South Carolina, according to the news release.

There, they say they found Burrs remains.

A grand jury in Rutherford indicted Hall with first degree murder on Aug. 10, according to the release.

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Brad Raffensperger, Georgia's top elections official, moved into the media spotlight in January 2021 when he refused pressure from then-President Donald Trump to reverse Joe Biden's victory in the state. The Republican secretary of state is back in headlines, after a Georgia grand jury indicted Trump and several allies on 41 charges for allegedly trying to steal the 2020 election.

Raffensperger: My family voted for Trump. He threw us under the bus anyway.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger resisted pressure from Donald Trump, telling the president his claims of election fraud were false.

Raffensperger rejects Trump's request over the phone

Days before the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot, Raffensperger spent an hour on the phone with Trump. The then-president called the states top election official imploring him to find enough votes to overturn the recent election results.

And theres nothing wrong with saying, you know, um, that youve recalculated, Trump said in the recorded call.

Raffensperger stood by the Georgia election results, which had been counted and confirmed three times prior to Trump's call. By just about 0.25% of the vote, President Joe Biden defeated Trump in Georgia, becoming the first Democratic presidential candidate in almost 30 years to capture the state.

Did Trump break the law? President's call to Georgia's Raffensperger spurs demand for criminal investigation

More: Liz Cheney says Trump Georgia call is 'deeply troubling,' urges listening to full hourlong audiotape

'The numbers don't lie': Raffensperger denies voter fraud claims

Raffensperger publicly condemned the violence of Jan. 6, along with the increased threats to election officials ahead of last Novembers election. He again refuted claims of a stolen election in his book, Integrity Counts, published in November 2021.

Raffensperger testified before the Georgia grand jury June of last year. That same month, he also appeared before the House subcommittee investigating the riot.

No, the numbers are the numbers, Raffensperger said during the hearing, in response to voter fraud allegations. The numbers dont lie.

From left, Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Gabe Sterling, chief operating officer of Georgia's secretary of state office, are sworn in before testifying to the Jan. 6 committee hearings on June 21, 2022.

Raffensperger elected for a second term as secretary

Since winning reelection in 2022, Raffensperger has continued the election reform efforts he began in his first four-year term. A top priority for Raffensperger is secure and accessible elections, according to his website. His implemented changes include photo ID requirements for all forms of voting.

Critics  including his most recent opponent, Democrat Bee Nguyen  say his measures are just another form of voter suppression.

What were looking at here is a secretary of state who talks out of both sides of his mouth, Nguyen said of Raffensperger last summer, referring to policies that she said still endorse false claims of election fraud.

Election reform: He defied Trump in 2020, but voting rights groups slam policies of Georgia's Raffensperger

Georgia primary: Raffensperger backs early primary for state in 2028, not in 2024 as Biden proposes

State election received unprecedented attention in the midterms

A role that historically received little attention from voters, secretaries of state rose to prominence after 2020. Among them, Raffensperger became among the most famous for his interactions with Trump.

Secretary of state races became a Big Lie battleground in last years midterms. Voters in at least 13 states, including Minnesota and Arizona, saw on their ballot a candidate who endorsed claims of a stolen election. None of those candidates won their race.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger speaks at a press conference at the Georgia State Capitol on November 11, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Who is Brad Raffensperger?

Raffensperger was first elected secretary of state in 2018. He spent three years before that in the Georgia House of Representatives after serving two as a city councilmember in one of Atlantas suburbs.

A licensed engineer and businessman, Raffensperger also founded the construction company Tendon System and consulting firm Trillium Structures.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brad Raffensperger is the Georgia secretary of state who defied Trump
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna took to social media Monday to contrast President Bidens "no comment" on the severe wildfires in Hawaii, where at least 99 people are dead, and the White Houses newly announced $200 million military aid package for Ukraine.

In a video posted to X, Luna said it was "unfortunate" that Biden was continuing to "prioritize sending aid to foreign countries when Hawaii just experienced its most devastating wildfire to date."

"Families are devastated and have lost everything they own, and death tolls continue to rise," she also said. In the video, the lawmaker added, "Hawaii and the people of Hawaii are far more important than places like Ukraine."

She also said, "When you have a president that has advocated for over $100 billion going to a foreign country that really we have no place investing in while actively ignoring what is happening in Hawaii and really helping Hawaii, I think that tells you exactly what you need to know about this president."

TRUMP BLASTS BIDEN'S 'NO COMMENT' RESPONSE TO HAWAII WILDFIRES: 'ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE AND UNACCEPTABLE'

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., criticized President Bidens "no comment" on the deadly wildfires in Hawaii.

Biden, who spent the weekend at a beach in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, was asked over the weekend by reporters about the rising Hawaiian death toll, which reached 99 as of Tuesday with hundreds more missing.

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Bloomberg White House correspondent Justin Sink reported Sunday that Biden had nothing to say in response.

"After a couple hours on the Rehoboth beach, @potus was asked about the rising death toll in Hawaii No comment, he said before heading home," Sink reported on X.

Video footage of the exchange released later appeared to corroborate Sinks account.

President Biden waves at reporters as he walks to Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on Aug. 11, 2023 in Washington, D.C. Biden spent the weekend in Rehoboth, Delaware.

"Well said Anna!" Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., wrote on X, sharing the lawmakers video.

Fox News Digital contacted Rep. Luna's congressional office and the White House for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

HAWAII DEMOCRAT SAYS BIDEN'S NO COMMENT ON WILDFIRES SHOCKING: I WOULD EXPECT MORE

Bidens initial "no comment" response sparked a wave of backlash from both sides of the proverbial aisle, including former Hawaii state Rep. Mark Kaniela Ing, a Democrat who now serves as national director of the Green New Deal Network.

"I campaigned for you. Now, when I lose dozens of my friends, family, and neighbors. This?" Kaniela Ing wrote in a now-deleted post.

Kaniela Ing told Fox News Digital in a phone interview Monday that Bidens "shocking" remark was out of character.

"When things like this happen, it's really the time to  if you do the kind of work I do, when the wave crests, youve got to paddle hardest," he said. "When tragedies like this occur, it's shocking to see people just conducting business as usual. On the one hand, you don't want everyone to be in a perpetual somber mood, but on the other hand, how can you just carry on like that?"

"Whether or not it was as dismissive as originally reported, it is quite disappointing," he added, adding, "I would expect more."

Former President Trump also criticized his successor.

"I would like to express my sympathy and warmest regards to the people of Hawaii, and specifically all of those who have been so gravely and irreparably hurt by the tragedy of the wildfires in Maui, something the likes of which have seldom been seen anywhere at anytime," Trump said Monday in a video on TRUTH Social.

"When asked about it today while getting into a car, perhaps coming home from the beach where he has been spending a great deal of time, crooked Joe Biden, the most incompetent president in the history of our country, with a laugh and a smile said he had no comment on the death and the tragedy," Trump continued. "To say no comment is oftentimes fine, but to be smiling when you say it, especially against such a tragedy as this, is absolutely horrible and unacceptable."

"It is a disgraceful thing that Joe Biden refuses to help or comment on the tragedy in Maui, just as he refused to comment on the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio for a very, very long time," he added.

The White House, responding to the backlash, has said Biden spoke with Hawaii Gov. Josh Green over the phone and approved the state's emergency declaration, which frees up federal assistance.

The White House released a statement saying, "President Biden has mobilized and led a whole-of-government response to the wildfires in Hawaii from the beginning, working closely on it and receiving detailed briefings every day since."

WHITE HOUSE SAYS BIDEN PRAYING FOR HAWAII FAMILIES AFTER GIVING NO COMMENT BEFORE

"Yesterday he received two updates from FEMA Administrator Criswell while she was on the ground," the statement continued. "As Governor Green stressed yesterday, within six hours of receiving Hawaiis request, President Biden signed a Major Disaster Declaration and ordered all available federal resources in the state to help with the response. Governor Green described this as having provided "amazing support for recovery." Senator Hirono also thanked President Biden for the immediate support federal agencies have delivered for the residents of Hawaii, as has Senator Schatz."

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, left, and FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell take questions on the Maui wildfires during the White House press briefing on Monday, August 14, 2023.

Earlier this week, the State Department announced the latest military aid package for Ukraine, valued at $200 million. It includes missiles for the High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System and the Patriot air defense system, munitions for howitzers and tanks, Javelin rockets, mine-clearing equipment and munitions.

The aid comes shortly after Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Colin H. Kahl announced an $800 million aid package for Ukraine last month in order to meet the "urgency of the moment" as Ukrainians continue their counteroffensive.

"Today we are announcing the next package of security assistance to aid Ukraine as it defends its territory and protects its people. This package, which is valued at $200 million and is being executed from previously authorized Presidential Drawdown Authority, includes air defense munitions, artillery rounds, anti-armor capabilities, and additional mine-clearing equipment," Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Monday.

Blinken also said, "The United States and our allies and partners will stand united with Ukraine, for as long as it takes."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the U.S. on X for the additional aid and added, "Another step toward our joint victory!"

Ukraine has already received more than $43 billion in military equipment and ammunition from the U.S. since Russia invaded last year. The American contribution exceeds $77 billion if financial assistance and humanitarian aid is counted, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economys database.

Fox News Houston Keene, Jessica Chasmar and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
New body camera footage shows Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) being forcibly pinned to the ground and cursing at state troopers last month after allegedly resisting their requests to back away from an emergency medical situation.

The new videos released Monday, paired with a sheriffs report of the incident released late last week, provide a more complete understanding of the events that took place July 29 at a rodeo outside Amarillo, Texas. The footage includes 31 minutes from a troopers body camera and about 14 minutes from a dashboard camera. They were released in response to a records request from The Texas Tribune, which published the videos.

Law enforcement officials, according to the report and to their accounts of the incidents in the videos, asked Jackson repeatedly to back away from a teenage girl who was experiencing a seizure, to make room for the EMS who were just arriving. But Jackson, who served as the White House physician under Presidents Obama and Trump  refused and grew increasingly combative with officials before being tackled to the ground by two law enforcement officials.

While footage depicting this incident is muted, a trooper can be seen gesturing to Jackson to move back, as Jackson grows increasingly irate and confrontational with the officials. The camera pans away from Jackson for a few moments before returning, showing Jackson resisting officials who pin him to the ground and handcuff him. He is standing again about 50 seconds later.

Jackson refuted that he was given sufficient warning, both in subsequent statements of the event and in arguments captured on video. The Texas Tribune also cites two witnesses who claim that Jackson was not given sufficient warning, but other witnesses heard in the footage supported claims that he was warned by multiple people.

Jacksons office has also said that he was not drinking at the event, but accounts in the sheriffs report indicate otherwise.

In a later exchange heard on the video footage with an official identified in the report as Trooper Young, Jackson challenges Youngs claim that he warned him to move back.

No you did not! You came and you flew in, and you were a fing full-on dick! Jackson said to Young, according to video footage.

When Young insisted that multiple people asked him to get back, Jackson responded, You better recalculate, motherfer.

A similar exchange transpired several minutes later, when Jackson appeared to be significantly more animated than before. They argued about the condition of the teenager, who had a seizure and about the proper response. Young said she was anemic, while Jackson hypothesized that she could have been hyperglycemic and said repeatedly that he was an emergency room (ER) doctor.

OK, Im glad youre an ER doctor, but youre not EMS and youre not emergency services at the moment. Do you understand what Im saying? Young asked.

Those guys work for me, Jackson said, speaking over Young. Im an ER doctor. I, fing, like, went to four years of medical school and four years of residency.

Im trying to tell you. When somebody tells you to get back, you get back, Young said.

Jackson responded threatening to call the governor, saying, Im going to call the governor tomorrow, and Im going to fing talk to him about this st, because this is fing ridiculous.

In statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, Jackson said Monday night that while he apologizes for his language, he does not apologize for trying to help the person experiencing a medical emergency.

Im glad the video is out. It shows the incompetence of the authorities and their complete disregard for the young girl in distress. We have the best Sheriffs in the country here in the panhandle and north Texas. Unfortunately, the Sheriff in Carson County is not among them, Jackson wrote Monday night.

I will apologize for my language, but I will not apologize for getting upset & speaking my mind considering the circumstances. If I had to do it again, I would still step up & act in a life-threatening situation. I will ALWAYS help someone in need. I WILL NOT apologize for that, he added.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Nevada GOP says that it will hold its 2024 Republican presidential caucus on Feb. 8 of next year.

But Republicans in the crucial early voting state a may be able to cast ballots twice in the race for their party's presidential nomination.

The Nevada Republican Party's announcement on Monday of the date of their "First in the West" caucus means that the state will likely vote third in the GOP's presidential nominating calendar.

2024 SHOWDOWN: TRUMP, DESANTIS, HOLD DUELING EVENTS AT IOWA STATE FAIR

The Nevada GOP says that it will hold its 2024 Republican presidential caucus on Feb. 8 of next year.

The Iowa Republican Party earlier this summer announced that their caucuses are scheduled for Jan. 15. And the convention wisdom is that New Hampshire will hold its presidential primary eight days later, on Jan. 23.

South Carolina in recent cycles has held the third contest in the GOP calendar, but the Palmetto State's Republican Party announced in June that their 2024 presidential primary will be held on Feb. 24 of next year.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

THESE GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES HAVE QUALIFIED TO MAKE THE DEBATE STAGE AT THE FOX NEWS SHOWDOWN

The Nevada GOP's Feb. 8 caucus will be held just two days after the state conducts a presidential primary election. Nevada's Democratic controlled legislature passed a bill last year  which was signed into law by then-Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak  that changed the state's presidential contest from a caucus to a primary and set the date for Feb. 6, 2024.

The Nevada GOP unsuccessfully challenged the new state primary in court. But the judge, in ruling against the state Republicans, said that the Nevada GOP does not have to bind its presidential delegates to the results of the primary  and could still hold a caucus.

That means there may end up being two back-to-back Republican presidential nomination contests in Nevada  but only one would count towards the GOP nomination.

The Republican National Committee has set an Oct. 1 deadline for states to inform the committee of their plans for electing, selecting, allocating, and binding delegates.

The most recent Nevada GOP presidential caucus was conducted in 2016. No caucus was held in 2020, as the state Republican Party decided to allocate all of its delegates to then-President Donald Trump.
A Trump-critical Republican nonprofit launched a campaign Tuesday calling on GOP lawmakers to maintain support for Ukraine amid growing resistance to additional aid packages from key factions of the party.

Republicans for Ukraine, launched Tuesday by the nonprofit Defending Democracy Together, is a $2 million campaign with first-person testimonials from GOP voters urging politicians and lawmakers to support Ukraine.

The ads will run on cable, network TV and YouTube through the end of the year.

Defending Democracy Together describes itself as an advocacy organization created by lifelong conservatives and Republicans. The group has spoken out against former President Trump and in support of voting rights, and its led by Bill Kristol and Sarah Longwell.

The campaign plans to focus on the Republican debate in Wisconsin on Aug. 23  running ads on 10 billboards in Milwaukee and on Fox News during the debate.

Too many of the partys leaders seem to think theres no penalty to be paid for standing against Ukrainian democracy and Americas role in supporting the fight for freedom, Gunner Ramer, the national spokesperson for the campaign, said in a press release.

Were here to remind them that there are a lot of Republicans across the country who stand with Ukraine, Ramer added.

The push comes amid growing concern over waning support for Ukraine in the Republican party  both in Congress and on the 2024 campaign trail.

House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) expressed his concern last month after 70 House Republicans voted for an amendment to a defense policy bill that would have prohibited future assistance to Ukraine. A separate amendment that proposed cutting $300 million of funding for Ukraine got the support of 89 House Republicans.

The Biden administration unveiled Monday a $200 million security assistance package for Ukraine. The administration last Thursday also outlined a supplement funding request for Ukraine, which includes $24 billion in assistance for the country, but its fate remains unclear as many GOP members have indicated they would resist the effort.

As the 2024 presidential race heats up, Republican candidates have found themselves at odds with each other on the issue of Ukraine, with some candidates saying President Biden is not doing enough to aid Ukraines cause and others saying the war in Ukraine wouldnt be a top foreign policy priority for us.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Republicans rallied to Donald Trumps defense after the former president was indicted on 13 criminal charges in Georgia over his attempt to overturn his defeat there by Joe Biden in the 2020 election.

Related: The new Trump charges are shocking. But his White House odds wont change | Lloyd Green

Kevin McCarthy, the speaker of the US House, said: Justice should be blind, but Biden has weaponized government against his leading political opponent to interfere in the 2024 election.

Trump faces 91 criminal charges in all, also regarding hush-money payments to an adult film star, retention of classified information and federal election subversion.

Regardless, he dominates Republican primary polling, leading his closest challengers nationally and in early voting states by about 40 points.

Referring to Fani Willis of Fulton county, McCarthy continued: Now a radical [district attorney] in Georgia is following Bidens lead by attacking President Trump and using it to fundraise her political career. Americans see through this desperate sham.

Trump has long used his legal predicament as a fundraising engine, both for his campaign and as a way to pay his increasingly mountainous legal bills.

On Monday night, after charges were filed in Georgia, an email soliciting donations bemoaned a FOURTH ACT of Election Interference on behalf of the Democrats in an attempt to keep the White House under Crooked Joes control and JAIL his single greatest opponent of the 2024 election.

Republicans in Congress remained firmly on Trumps side.

New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik, a member of House leadership, insisted Trump had every legal right to challenge the results of the election he conclusively lost.

She added: This blatant election interference by the far left will not work, President Trump will defeat these bogus charges and win back the White House in 2024.

In the Senate, Ted Cruz of Texas, in 2016 Trumps closest rival for the Republican presidential nomination, said he was pissed. Cruz also called the Georgia indictment disgraceful and repeated McCarthys weaponization complaint  a party talking point.

Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a Trump ally who briefly deserted him over the January 6 attack on Congress but swiftly came back onside, told Fox News: The American people can decide whether they want [Trump] to be president or not.

This should be decided at the ballot box and not in a bunch of liberal jurisdictions trying to put the man in jail. Theyre weaponizing the law in this country. Theyre trying to take Donald Trump down.

Among Republicans aiming to take Trump down  the other candidates in the presidential primary field  many were slower to respond.

On Tuesday, Ron DeSantis, the second-placed candidate in most polls, told reporters the Georgia indictment was an example of this criminalization of politics. I dont think that this is something thats good for the country.

DeSantis also accused Willis of using an inordinate amount of resources on the Trump case while failing to tackle crime.

Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor now challenging DeSantis for second place in New Hampshire, also questioned Williss motives.

The indictment was unnecessary, Christie, himself a former prosecutor, told Fox News, adding that indicting Trump was probably an ego decision.

Christie said he last spoke to Trump in December 2020, amid Trumps schemes to overturn the election. Christie said he told the man he endorsed four years before: Theres nothing left. You need to concede the election.

Trump, he said, responded: I will never, ever, ever admit it.

On social media, the biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who has polled surprisingly strongly, said: Id volunteer to write the amicus brief to the court myself: prosecutors should not be deciding US presidential elections, and if theyre so overzealous that they commit constitutional violations, then the cases should be thrown out and they should be held accountable.

Ramaswamy also echoed the Trump campaign in seizing on a mistake in which a version of the indictment was posted on a court website on Monday afternoon and then swiftly deleted, all while grand jury testimony continued.

Since the four prosecutions against Trump are using novel and untested legal theories, Ramaswamy said, its fair game for him to do the same in defence: immediately file a motion to dismiss for a constitutional due process violation for publicly issuing an indictment before the grand jury had actually signed one.

Related: Poll puts Christie second to Trump in New Hampshire as DeSantis fades

He should make a strong argument on these grounds and it would send a powerful message to the ever-expansive prosecutorial police state.

The former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson, who like Christie has set himself against Trump, said: Over a year ago, I said that Donald Trumps actions disqualified him from ever serving as president again. Those words are more true today than ever before.

Another anti-Trump candidate, the former congressman Will Hurd, like Hutchinson a vanishingly small presence in polling, called the Georgia indictment another example of how the former presidents baggage will hand Joe Biden re-election if Trump is the nominee.

Bemoaning further evidence that Trump knew he lost the 2020 election and was ready to do anything it took to cling to power, Hurd said the former president would use this latest indictment as another opportunity to manipulate Americans into paying his legal bills.
Floods and landslides kill at least 16 people in northern India

Xinhua) 09:59, August 15, 2023

NEW DELHI, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Heavy monsoon rains have triggered floods and landslides in India's Himalayan region, killing at least 16 people and trapping many others, officials said Monday.

A cloudburst in the mountainous Himachal Pradesh state's Solan district on Sunday night killed seven people, and nine more bodies were found under mud and debris after two landslides in Shimla, the state's capital, said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

State authorities were assisting impacted families and rescuers were working to clear the debris and help those still trapped, he added.

Houses in Solan were washed away and roads flooded by the incessant rains, police officials told the Press Trust of India. In Shimla, the landslides occurred near a Hindu temple, and authorities said the death toll could rise as they work to pull out those who are still trapped.

Disasters caused by landslides and floods are common in India's Himalayan north during the June-September monsoon season.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
A protected coral reef off the Florida Keys has been devastated by warming ocean temperatures, with one site witnessing 100% coral mortality, as CBS News reports.

The Sombrero Reef restoration has been worked on for more than 10 years in an effort to maintain healthy corals, but an increase in water temperature has led to a major coral die-off.

What happened?

The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary has sounded a warning after a coral restoration nursery saw a significant loss of marine life.

What we found was unimaginable  100% coral mortality, Phanor Montoya-Maya, restoration program manager at Coral Restoration Foundation, said in a statement. We have also lost almost all the corals in the Looe Key Nursery in the Lower Keys.

Ocean temperatures in the Florida Keys have been higher than usual. According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, the average coastal water temperature at Vaca Key in the Florida Keys was 89.1 degrees Fahrenheit in July. Ocean temperatures in the area reached as high as 93 degrees Fahrenheit in July 2023, CBS News noted.

While other restoration zones in the sanctuary have not been affected as drastically, the events in Sombrero Reef provide a stark reminder of how essential it is to continue efforts to cool the Earths climate.

Why is the coral reef so important?

Floridas Coral Reef system is vital to the area. According to CBS News, its support for the states food and tourism industries injects $6.3 billion annually into the local economy.

This system runs 350 miles along Floridas coast. It not only makes a massive impact on the local community monetarily, but it also acts as a natural barrier from hurricanes, mitigating the impact felt on land and at sea from the storms.

What can be done to protect the corals?

Montoya-Maya discussed the efforts to protect the corals from rising temperatures, noting waters in the Upper Keys are much cooler and not as disastrous for coral life.

We are now rescuing as many corals as we can from our nurseries and relocating key genotypes to land-based holding systems, safeguarding our broodstock  potentially, the last lifeline left many of these corals, Montoya-Maya told CBS News.

CEO of the Coral Restoration Foundation R. Scott Winters, meanwhile, called for globally concerted efforts to combat climate change.

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This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

Physicists like me don't fully understand what makes up about 83% of the matter of the universe  something we call "dark matter." But with a tank full of xenon buried nearly a mile under South Dakota, we might one day be able to measure what dark matter really is.

In the typical model, dark matter accounts for most of the gravitational attraction in the universe, providing the glue that allows structures like galaxies, including our own Milky Way, to form. As the solar system orbits around the center of the Milky Way, Earth moves through a dark matter halo, which makes up most of the matter in our galaxy.

a galaxy surrounded by a halo of gas

I'm a physicist interested in understanding the nature of dark matter. One popular guess is that dark matter is a new type of particle, the Weakly Interacting Massive Particle, or WIMP. "WIMP" captures the particles essence quite nicely  it has mass, meaning it interacts gravitationally, but it otherwise interacts very weakly  or rarely  with normal matter. WIMPs in the Milky Way theoretically fly through us on Earth all the time, but because they interact weakly, they just dont hit anything.

Searching for WIMPs

Over the past 30 years, scientists have developed an experimental program to try to detect the rare interactions between WIMPs and regular atoms. On Earth, however, we are constantly surrounded by low, nondangerous levels of radioactivity coming from trace elements  mainly uranium and thorium  in the environment, as well as cosmic rays from space. The goal in hunting for dark matter is to build as sensitive a detector as possible, so it can see the dark matter, and to put it in as quiet a place as possible, so the dark matter signal can be seen over the background radioactivity.

With results published in July 2023, the LUX-ZEPLIN, or LZ, collaboration has done just that, building the largest dark matter detector to date and operating it 4,850 feet (1,478 meters) underground in the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota.

At the center of LZ rests 10 metric tons (10,000 kilograms) of liquid xenon. When particles pass through the detector, they may collide with xenon atoms, leading to a flash of light and the release of electrons.

A diagram showing a particle fly through a detector and create a signal in a collission.

In LZ, two massive electrical grids apply an electric field across the volume of liquid, which pushes these released electrons to the liquid's surface. When they breach the surface, they are pulled into the space above the liquid, which is filled with xenon gas, and accelerated by another electric field to create a second flash of light.

Two large arrays of light sensors collect these two flashes of light, and together they allow researchers to reconstruct the position, energy and type of interaction that took place.

Reducing radioactivity

All materials on Earth, including those used in WIMP detector construction, emit some radiation that could potentially mask dark matter interactions. Scientists therefore build dark matter detectors using the most "radiopure" materials  that is, free of radioactive contaminants  they can find, both inside and outside the detector.

For example, by working with metal foundries, LZ was able to use the cleanest titanium on Earth to build the central cylinder  or cryostat  that holds the liquid xenon. Using this special titanium reduces the radioactivity in LZ, creating a clear space to see any dark matter interactions. Furthermore, liquid xenon is so dense that it actually acts as a radiation shield, and it is easy to purify the xenon of radioactive contaminants that might sneak in.

Technicians in white protective suits work on a delicate science instrument

In LZ, the central xenon detector lives inside two other detectors, called the xenon skin and the outer detector. These supporting layers catch radioactivity on the way in or out of the central xenon chamber. Because dark matter interactions are so rare, a dark matter particle will only ever interact one time in the entire apparatus. Thus, if we observe an event with multiple interactions in the xenon or the outer detector, we can assume its not being caused by a WIMP.

The hunt continues

In the result just published, using 60 days of data, LZ recorded about five events per day in the detector. That's about a trillion fewer events than a typical particle detector on the surface would record in a day. By looking at the characteristics of these events, researchers can safely say that no interaction so far has been caused by dark matter. The result is, alas, not a discovery of new physics  but we can set limits on exactly how weakly dark matter must interact, as it remains unseen by LZ.

These limits help to tell physicists what dark matter is not  and LZ does that better than any experiment in the world. Meanwhile, there's hope for what comes next in the search for dark matter. LZ is collecting more data now, and we expect to take more than 15 times more data over the next few years. A WIMP interaction may already be in that data set, just waiting to be revealed in the next round of analysis.

This article was first published by The Conversation.
A study earlier this year asserted China has a stunning lead in essential technologies. And it wasnt the first time this claim has been made.

But are these claims based in reality? When assessing the global impact and reach of American companies like Amazon, Apple, OpenAI, Boeing, Moderna, Microsoft and Google, its not immediately clear the United States is lagging in technological innovation.

But the challenge is understanding exactly how to measure a technology competition or strategic competition. Typically, competitions involve scores, winners and losers. But how does one keep score in technology competition? Is it the number of patents, academic publications, leading educational institutions, or multibillion-dollar companies? Or is the appropriate scoring system a more complex mixture of these, and other, factors?

The competition between the U.S. and China is a multi-dimensional contest involving technological, economic, military, and political elements. To accurately assess the U.S.s standing in this competition, we need to shift our focus from measures (raw numerical data) to metrics, which offer meaningful interpretations of these numbers. This pivot illuminates the contrasts between a free-market economy and a state-driven one.

To determine whos winning a technology competition, its tempting to rely on conventional markers of scientific progress, such as scientific citations or patents, because they are objective and quantifiable. But doing so risks ignoring other factors with major implications for the outcome of a U.S.-China technology competition.

These metrics require more sophisticated measurement, interpretation, and analysis, which capture variation in quality, context, implementation and impact. If the U.S. focuses merely on trying to surpass China on individual measures of technological progress it will likely achieve empty victories yet fail to advance its national security interests.

Take, for example, attempts to measure U.S. and Chinese progress in the field of artificial intelligence. Chinas has a large number of AI scientific articles and patents, suggesting Beijings global leadership in this area.

However, the U.S maintains a strong foothold in advanced AI developments, with organizations like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Alphabet leading in large language model creation and diffusion. These organizations are part of a broader innovation ecosystem that allows new technologies to thrive and be widely adopted throughout the global economy. U.S. tech unicorns  start-ups valued over a billion dollars  and the venture capital firms that back them signal both financial success and significant technological advancement.

In this thriving open market, a product of the U.S.s commitment to an open society and the free exchange of ideas, metrics like commercial success, technology adoption and real-world impact become more telling than raw measures. These metrics, in the context of the strategic competition with China, underline the U.S.s penchant for turning research into impactful, scalable innovations.

Focusing on metrics instead of measures will allow DoD officials to correctly view the development of emerging technology as a means to achieving specific policy or military ends. For example, as the DoD invests to develop technology within its 14 Critical Technology Areas, metrics should be developed to track progress toward filling specific operational demands.

Shifting the focus to metrics will also offer a more accurate picture of U.S.-China technological competition and capture critical U.S. strengths. While China boasts a population over four times that of the U.S. and a rapidly growing economy, by focusing on metrics, the U.S. can leverage its advantages. Features inherent to the U.S innovation system  robust IP protection, the prospect of high returns to innovation and strong government-university-industry linkages  stimulate creativity, encourage innovation, and foster entrepreneurship.

Furthermore, the U.S. strives, though imperfectly, to offer opportunities to everyone who desires them, eschewing artificial barriers and quotas and avoiding intellectual conformity. This commitment fuels a dynamic, diverse workforce that is a wellspring of ingenuity and innovation.

Focusing on these distinctively American characteristics would move the perspective from a strictly measure-based competition, where quantity can overshadow quality, to a nuanced, metrics-based view that links means to ends. This shift would allow the U.S. to leverage its strengths, uphold its core values, and lay the groundwork for navigating and succeeding in this strategic competition.

Jon Schmid is a political scientist at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corp.
RICHMOND, Ind.  A Richmond man has been accused of repeatedly sexually abusing a child under the age of 10.

Ronnie G. Black, 55, was charged Friday in Wayne Superior Court 2 with two counts of child molesting, both Level 1 felonies carrying up to 40 years in prison.

Arrested on Aug. 10, Black remained in the Wayne County jail on Tuesday under a $50,000 bond.

According to Richmond police, Black's accuser told staff members at her elementary school that she remained in discomfort after being sexually assaulted by him.

A teacher's assistant was moved to tears when the child described the attacks, an officer reported, prompting the girl to try to reassure the school employee, hugging her and telling her that it was "OK."

More: Sex offender charged with failing to register in Wayne County, living near school

During a later interview with an official with the Indiana Department of Child Services, the girl recounted what she said were several acts of sexual abuse committed by Black.

Interviewed by police on the day of his arrest, Black at first denied the child's allegations, but then admitted he had sex with the juvenile at least twice in recent weeks.

However, the Richmond man maintained the elementary school student had forced him to participate in sex acts.

Court records reflect no prior convictions for Black.

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: Richmond man charged with molesting elementary school student
Former President Donald Trump and a network of his allies are accused of operating a criminal enterprise to overturn the 2020 election in a sweeping 41-count indictment brought by a Georgia grand jury.

The indictment late Monday led by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis  the fourth to target Trump spanning federal and state courts  takes aim not just at the president but 18 co-defendants.

Trump decried the charges as "another witch hunt" on his social media platform Truth Social.

But the case poses an especially serious threat because, unlike Trump's two federal indictments, a conviction in Georgia state court could not be subject to a future presidential pardon.

Here are seven takeaways from Trump's latest charges.

Trump accused of operating 'criminal organization' under RICO

The key distinction of the Georgia indictment is that Willis charged Trump under the state's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, a law that is historically used to take down drug operations and gangs.

It allows a prosecutor to combine multiple suspected crimes into one charge: racketeering.

RICO: Trump charged in Georgia under law designed to nab Mafia bosses. What it means for case.

Georgia prosecutors argue Trump and his allies constituted a "criminal organization" whose members engaged in a wide range of criminal activity  including providing false statements and writings, impersonating a public officer, forgery and computer theft  with the goal of overturning the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia and other states won by Joe Biden.

President Donald Trump walks with Chief of Staff Mark Meadows after returning to the White House from an event at the WWII memorial in Washington, DC, on May 8, 2020. Donald Trump was indicted August 14, 2023 on charges of racketeering and a string of election crimes after a sprawling two-year probe into his efforts to overturn his 2020 defeat to Joe Biden in the US state of Georgia, according to a court filing.

Federal prosecutors have used RICO to take down Mob bosses and, more recently, wealthy parents who paid a ringleader to fake their children's credentials in the "Varsity Blues" college admissions scandal.

But Georgia's RICO statute is much broader. State prosecutors can cite alleged crimes in other states  and the enterprise doesn't have to be successful to bring charges. The only bar to bring RICO charges is an enterprise that commits "two or more" criminal acts to carry out the conspiracy.

Willis has a reputation for turning to RICO, including in a gang-related case this year against Young Thug, an Atlanta rapper. The latest target: a former president and his associates.

Giuliani, Meadows among 18 co-defendants

Because Willis is using a RICO framework  with Trump at the center of the operation  the district attorney has also charged Trump allies accused of participating in the enterprise to help the president overturn the election.

Including the names of other big players involved in the alleged conspiracy marks a major difference from the other cases Trump faces. In federal conspiracy charges brought by special counsel Jack Smith in the Justice Department's Jan. 6 case, co-conspirators remain unidentified.

Among the 18 allies facing charges in the Georgia indictment are Rudy Giuliani, who was Trumps personal attorney, and Mark Meadows, who was White House chief of staff during the 2020 election. In the Smith indictment, Giuliani is identified only as "Co-Conspirator 1."

he indictment named a number of co-defendants including Trump's former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who pressured local legislators over the result after the election, and Trump's White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows.

The Fulton County district attorneys office says Meadows acknowledged that he attended a meeting with Trump and others on Dec. 21, 2020, to talk about claims of voter fraud in Georgia. The next day, prosecutors say, Meadows traveled to Cobb County, Georgia, to observe an election audit but was rebuffed by local election officials who said he was not allowed inside.

Giuliani, a pioneer of using RICO laws as a former federal prosecutor, is being accused of peddling false statements about the Georgia election outcome, which is illegal under state law.

Fake electors and false statements to Georgia Legislature

Among the charges, the enterprise is accused of falsifying documents to recruit individuals to meet on Dec. 14, 2020, to cast false Electoral College votes declaring Trump the winner of Georgia, which Biden won by 11,779 votes.

The "fake electors" scheme, which Trump allies carried out in other battleground states won by Biden, is also at the center of the special counsel case against the former president.

Georgia prosecutors argue the plan was to present competing slates of Trump electors to Vice President Mike Pence to "disrupt and delay" the counting of electoral votes during the Jan. 6, 2021, joint session of Congress.

Willis also cited three hearings before the Georgia Legislature in December 2020 in which Giuliani and other Trump associates are accused of making false statements about voter fraud to lawmakers to persuade them to reject lawful electoral votes.

Trumps phone call to Georgia's secretary of state

The Georgia indictment has a sprawling 161 incidents that prosecutors say demonstrate Trumps attempt to steal the Georgia vote.

Few will be as scrutinized as the former presidents infamous telephone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in January 2020 in which he pressured the election chief to find the 11,780 votes needed for him to win the state.

Trump implied Raffensperger could face legal trouble if he didn't comply, and the former president threatened political blowback.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in his state capitol office in August, shortly before indictments over the states 2020 elections.

The phone call, a recording of which was leaked and played across the country, was "enough to raise eyebrows and even cause grave concern that it was already necessary to at least preliminarily look at other facts, Willis told USA TODAY in an interview in February 2022.

The crux of that evidence will come down to a legal joust over whether Trump was acting in his official capacity as president. Trump attorney John Lauro, for instance, said in an interview Aug. 7 that the phone call "wasn't a threat" and that his client was entitled to petition the state.

"It was an aspirational ask," Lauro said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Harassment of Georgia election worker Ruby Freeman

Another crime cited in the RICO charge is the harassment of Ruby Freeman, a Georgia election worker who became a top target of Trump supporters as the former president challenged the vote.

The indictment accuses several of the defendants including Trump of falsely accusing Freeman of committing election crimes to advance their claims of voter fraud.

"In furtherance of this scheme, members of the enterprise traveled from out of state to harass Freeman, intimidate her, and solicit her to falsely confess to election crimes that she did not commit," the complaint reads.

Freeman and her daughter, fellow election worker Shaye Moss, gave emotional testimony last year to the House special committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot about death threats they have received. "There is nowhere I feel safe," Freeman said. "Nowhere."

Last month, Giuliani conceded he made false statements against Freeman in a filing from his attorneys in a lawsuit brought by Freeman. But he did not concede that his falsehoods caused her any harm.

How is Kanye Wests ex-publicist involved?

It wouldnt be a Trump case without some celebrity connection.

Among the people listed in the RICO case is Trevian C. Kutti, who at one time was a publicist for R&B artist R. Kelly and later hip-hop artist Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, who was publicly cozy with Trump at one point.

Kutti, who is based in Chicago, is accused of trying to intimidate Freeman.

The Georgia indictment says Kutti went to Freemans home demanding she admit to election fraud. It claims Kutti intended to mislead Freeman by saying she needed protection and by purporting to offer her help, with intent to inuence her testimony.

Stolen computer from Dominion Voting

In a separate count of the indictment, Trump attorney Sidney Powell and other associates are accused of unlawful possession of ballots and computer theft for using a computer in Coffee County with the intention of taking data from the machine.

The computer was the property of Dominion Voting Systems, a voting software company that Trump falsely accused of rigging voting machines for Biden.

The indictment also cites computer invasion of privacy, computer trespassing and conspiracy to defraud the state as other offenses related to the stolen computer.

Fox News in April agreed to pay $787.5 million to settle a lawsuit from Dominion for broadcasting falsehoods about the company's voting machines after the election.

Former Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani, left, listens to Sidney Powell, during a news conference at the Republican National Committee headquarters, Thursday Nov. 19, 2020, in Washington.

Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump's Georgia indictment: 7 key takeaways
Former President Donald Trump arrives to speak at the Moms for Liberty meeting in Philadelphia, June 30, 2023. Trump faces criminal charges in Georgia alleging he broke an anti-organized crime law known as RICO. | Matt Rourke, Associated Press

Former President Donald Trump faces criminal charges in Georgia over allegations he broke an anti-organized crime law known as RICO.

In 1970, Congress passed the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act to fight organized crime, most notably the mafia. States, including Georgia, also passed their own versions of RICO.

It allows a lot of different things to be pulled together into a single very serious criminal charge, Clark Cunningham, a law professor at Georgia State University, told The Washington Post.

The federal law requires at least two underlying crimes and participation in a criminal enterprise over a long period of time.

The Georgia law, however, defines racketeering more broadly than the federal law does. It takes less to prove a pattern of unlawful conduct under the state statute than the federal one. Georgias RICO law does not require criminal enterprises to be long running and lists nearly 50 underlying crimes that qualify as racketeering, compared with 35 under its federal counterpart, Reuters reported.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks in the Fulton County Government Center during a news conference, Monday, Aug. 14, 2023, in Atlanta. Donald Trump and several allies have been indicted in Georgia over efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state. | John Bazemore, Associated Press

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis charged Trump and 18 others with 41 counts, including racketeering charges, in connection with efforts to overturn that states 2020 election results under the Georgia law. It allowed prosecutors to combine several alleged crimes  conspiracy to defraud the state, false statements and writings, impersonating a public officer, forgery, computer theft and others, in this case.

According to the indictment, Trump and the others, including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and lawyers Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman, refused to accept that Trump lost, and knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump.

A person convicted under the Georgia law faces five to 20 years in prison.

Related

When people hear the word racketeering, they think of The Godfather, Willis told The New York Times. But the concept of racketeering has been extended to include any kind of organization that engages in a pattern of prohibited criminal activity to accomplish its goals, Cunningham said.

Federally, RICO has been used against mob bosses who werent the ones directly committing the crimes but rather the orchestrators of a broader scheme. Prosecutors have also used the law to go after gang leaders and human traffickers.

Willis prosecuted more than two dozen Atlanta teachers for allegedly scheming to cheat on standardized test scores in 2014 under the law, Reuters reported. Attorneys for the teachers said Willis overreached by deeming Atlantas public school system a criminal enterprise, but the convictions held up on appeal.

RICO is a tool that allows a prosecutors office and law enforcement to tell the whole story. We use it as a tool so they can have all the information they need to make a wise decision, Willis said, per NPR. The reason that I am a fan of RICO is I think jurors are very, very intelligent.

Related
A road-rage dispute escalated into a deadly shooting in a popular North Carolina tourist destination, officials said.

Justin Wayne Newberry, 38, was found lying on a highway after he was shot. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead a week after his daughter was born, according to the Boone Police Department and an online obituary.

Now, days after the shooting, officers in the mountain town are conducting interviews, reviewing evidence and preparing to check with the district attorney about possible charges, police wrote in an Aug. 14 news release.

We are saddened that this terrible situation has happened in Boone, Police Chief Andy Le Beau wrote. We extend our condolences to the family and friends of Justin Newberry. This is a very serious investigation, and we are working with our prosecutors office to get them the information they need.

Officers were called to the shooting scene at about 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 11. The shooting was reported near a Bojangles fast-food restaurant on Blowing Rock Road, also known as U.S. highways 221 and 321.

Police said the shooting stemmed from an isolated road-rage incident but didnt share specifics with McClatchy News in a phone interview or their news release.

Newberry, a Boone resident, was shot once and taken to Watauga Medical Center. He is remembered as a dad who recently welcomed a daughter into the world.

He was so proud of his brand-new baby girl, who turned one week old on the day he passed, a post on the Hampton Funeral & Cremation Service website said.

Meanwhile, police said the person accused of shooting Newberry was cooperating with law enforcement investigators.

Boone  a popular mountain town  is home to Appalachian State University and roughly 85 miles west of Winston-Salem.

11-year-old shot in fit of road rage, NC cops say. Driver charged with attempted murder

4-year-old dies in targeted shooting at red light, TN cops say. Broken to my core

Road rage attack leaves man seriously hurt after hes run off Outer Banks road, cops say
Roane State Community College is growing! The college has long been known for offering two-year degrees that lead to a quick entry into the workforce, but things are getting bigger and brighter for RSCC.

RSCC and Tennessee College of Applied Technology broke ground on a 130,000-square-foot health sciences center on Aug. 1.

The $75 million facility will be at 9575 Sherrill Boulevard in Knoxville. The current Knox County Center for Health Sciences on Hayfield Road will be closed.

RSCC plans programs in the new center to include nursing, EMS, polysomnography and respiratory therapy, with sights set on offering new programs such as cardiovascular technology, healthcare administration and public health.

This is a rendering of Roane State Community Colleges new 130,000-square-foot facility, Knox Regional Health Sciences Education Center. It is set to open in fall 2025.

Several of TCATs health science programs will be offered at the facility, including dental assisting, phlebotomy and surgical technology.

The state contributed $67.5 million. RSCC needs $7.5 million more from private gifts to complete the project and offer scholarships to those having trouble meeting expenses above Tennessee Promise and Tennessee Reconnect, such as equipment, scrubs and exam fees.

Parkwest Medical Center gave the largest single gift in Roane State history, donating a 10-acre parcel of land to house the new facility in what will be known as Covenant Health Campus.

The whole reason for expanding our programs and partnering with TCAT is to fulfill the critical needs of our healthcare partners in the workforce, said RSCC President Chris Whaley. Were excited to double the size of our nursing program and increase our EMT/Paramedic programs by a third.

Weve been wanting to bring on new programs that we havent had space for, but now we do through the generosity and partnership of a whole lot of folks from the governor and the General Assembly to the generous donation of land through Covenant Health, Whaley said.

$100,000 for Roane State nuclear program

Thats not all the big news coming from RSCC. Aug. 2 brought a $100,000 gift to the college from UT-Battelle to launch a nuclear technology program.

Jeff Smith (left), interim president and CEO of UT-Battelle and interim director of ORNL, gave RSCC President Chris Whaley a check for $100,000 to start a Nuclear Technology program at RSCC.

The funds will purchase instruments, sources and tools for the colleges Nuclear Measurements Lab, which is set to open in fall 2024.

Oak Ridge is undergoing a nuclear renaissance and will shortly be in need of technicians with one-year and two-year programs under their belt, said Whaley.

Students will then be well qualified for a number of jobs in the nuclear field, from medical isotopes fissile material handling, waste handling and disposition.

We are very thankful to UT-Battelle for their generous donation, Whaley said. Its not just for Roane State but Oak Ridge, Knoxville and the surrounding counties as well. We want to make sure nuclear companies coming to our area can find the technicians they need to bring their companies here and be successful.

Info: https://www.roanestate.edu

A drawing of Roane State Community Colleges new facility, Knox Regional Health Sciences Education Center, which will have state-of-the-art equipment and a comfortable lounge for students to gather. The building is set for completion in fall 2025.

Roane State Community College administrators are joined by Tennessee College of Applied Technology leaders and others to break ground on the new Knox Regional Health Sciences Education Center at 9575 Sherrill Boulevard on Aug. 1, 2023.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Roane State expands into health sciences and nuclear technology
Rockford reaches $2M settlement for Colman Yards cleanup

Rockford City Council on Monday approved a $2 million settlement with Schneider Electric Inc. for environmental cleanup at the former Barber-Colman campus.

Rockford has approved an estimated $170.3 million redevelopment agreement with Milwaukee-based J. Jeffers & Co. to carve a neighborhood out of the blighted former factory buildings. The settlement funds are part of an incentive package City Council approved to help Jeffers pay for environmental cleanup of the property.

Rockford Legal Director Nick Meyer said that Schneider Electric became involved because of a predecessor company's past operations on the site. He said Schneider Electric agreed to the settlement while denying responsibility for any contamination. A settlement was reached to avoid future litigation, Meyer said.

It's Rockford Day

There are a dozen events, more than 60 local deals and the Rockford Day Kindness Project going on across Rockford on Aug. 15 in celebration of Rockford Day, also know as 815 Day. Read about it here.

New 17th Circuit Court Judge to be sworn in

Rockford attorney Erik Karl Jacobs will start a new job on Aug. 15 as the newest member of the Illinois 17th Circuit Court judicial bench.

Jacobs, who has more than 30 years of experience as a private practice lawyer, received the appointment Aug. 8. He is filling the vacancy created by the July 5 retirement of Judge Joe McGraw. The seat will be up for election in 2024.

Illinois Supreme Court Justice Lisa Holder White will administer the oath of office to Jacobs at 4 p.m. Aug. 15 in courtroom A of the Winnebago County Justice Center.

Traffic signal removal

Starting Aug. 15, watch out for the traffic signal change at the intersection of Jefferson Street and Rockton Avenue. The city is turning off and covering up the traffic lights there and replacing them with stop signs as part of a study to determine if the signals should be replaced with a two-way stop sign for Rockton.

The city will put up signs on Rockton warning motorists that cross traffic does not stop. The stop signs will be up at least 60 days for evaluation. All users of Jefferson and Rockton and the intersection are asked to use caution.

Feedback should be directed to City Traffic Engineer Jeremy Carter, jeremy.carter@rockfordil.gov.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Rockford Daybook: $2M settlement, New judge named, Rockford Day
Romania plans to double its transit capacity for Ukrainian grain, increasing it from two to four million tons per month, Romanias Transport and Infrastructure Minister, Sorin Grindeanu, following talks with delegates from the U.S., E.U., Ukraine, and Moldova on Aug. 11.

We have agreed that the export of Ukrainian grain needs to be expedited in the context of attacks on the Ukrainian ports of Reni and Izmail in recent weeks, Grindeanu said.

We have underscored the indispensable role of Romanian land, rail, and maritime transportation routes in ensuring an uninterrupted flow of exports and imports with Ukraine.

Read also: Berdyansk port director who helped steal Ukrainian grain receives prison sentence

The Sulina Channel along the Danube River is seen as the sole viable waterway for facilitating these shipments. Consequently, optimizing its capacity is a paramount consideration, the minister said.

Read also: Croatia opens its Adriatic Sea ports for Ukrainian grain exports  Kyiv

This exceptionally productive meeting paves the way for us to enhance the transit capacity for grain transportation from Ukraine through Romania. Our aim is to achieve a target of nearly four million tons per month, a significant increase from the current two million tons, Grindeanu said.

In an earlier statement, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis voiced his strong objection to Russias attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure along the Danube River, describing Russias actions as absolutely unacceptable.

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
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is asking Disney to drop its lawsuit against him after he took away the companys ability to self-govern an area of its Walt Disney World amusement parks in Orlando.

Weve basically moved on, DeSantis said in an interview with CNBC on Monday. Theyre suing the state of Florida. Theyre going to lose that lawsuit.

The legal battle began last year after Disney publicly opposed a Florida state law that bans classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in what critics have called a Dont Say Gay policy.

Following Disneys public admonition of the new law, DeSantis stripped the company of a 25,000-acre district it had self-governed since the 1960s. After gaining control, diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the district were stripped away by DeSantis appointees.

Disney filed a lawsuit against DeSantis and the state of Florida in April, accusing the governor of a targeted campaign of government retaliation after Disney publicly opposed the anti-LGBTQ+ law.

While DeSantis told CNBC that Disney would lose the lawsuit, he also encouraged Disney CEO Bob Iger to simply drop it.

So what I would say is, drop the lawsuit, DeSantis said.

DeSantis, who is running for president but has routinely garnered dismal poll numbers, has been mocked by Democrats and Republicans for his feud with Disney.

In April, current Republican front-runner and former President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social account that DeSantis got outplayed, outsmarted, and embarrassed by Mickey Mouse and Disney.

DeSantis told CNBC he wants to move forward from the lawsuit.

So all we want to do is treat everybody the same, and lets move forward, he said. Im totally fine with that. But Im not fine with giving extraordinary privileges, you know, to one special company at the exclusion of everybody else.

Related...
The royal family celebrated the Princess Royals 73rd birthday today (Tuesday 15 August) with a sentimental throwback photograph showing her as an infant with her eldest brother, King Charles III.

To mark the occasion, Buckingham Palace also released a previously unseen behind-the-scenes photograph of Princess Anne and the King at his coronation in May.

The royal familys official social media account shared the two images in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, with the caption: Wishing Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal a very Happy Birthday today!

One of the images is a black-and-white film photo of Anne as a small baby in a pram, dressed in a bonnet and a little dress. Beside her is Charles, who leans over from his pram to hold Annes hand and look at her, as she smiles.

The second image shows the siblings at the Charles and Queen Camillas coronation, which took place on 6 May.

Anne is pictured in her Royal Navy ceremonial uniform, which represents her role in that division of the army. She took on an important role at the ceremony as Charless Gold-Stick-in-Waiting and wore the dark green Thistle Mantle and the Thistle Collar, as well as other regalia in the proceedings.

Next to her again is Charles, wearing the ermine-caped Robe of Estate and St Edwards Crown on his head. The siblings are looking at one another and smiling in the photo.

Royal fans praised the photos and sent their own well wishes to Anne.

One person wrote: Aw these pictures are so lovely! She is such a supportive sister. Happy birthday to Her Royal Highness! I hope she will have a great day and a wonderful new year.

 Wishing Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal a very Happy Birthday today!



 At Buckingham Palace on Coronation Day 2023. Chris Jackson / Getty Images.



 At Clarence House in July 1951. Royal Collection Trust His Majesty King Charles III 2023. pic.twitter.com/3psTdEFWtj  The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) August 15, 2023

Another said: My favourite royal. She is a rockstar! Tirelessly serves her country in the background.

Last year, Anne was found to be the hardest-working senior member of the royal family after she attended a total of 214 engagements, according to a tally by Reboot SEO Company, using the Court Circular.

She beat out Charles, who came in second with 181 royal engagements over the past year. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh ranked in third and fourth place respectively with 143 and 138 royal engagements.

Anne is also a firm favourite among royal fans, with an ongoing YouGov poll naming her the third most liked royal, behind only the late Queen Elizabeth II and the Prince of Wales. She places higher on the list than the King, the Queen and the Princess of Wales.

Photo dated 15/09/50 of Princess Elizabeth with her two children, Princess Anne and Prince Charles (PA)

In an interview with Canadas CBC News ahead of her brothers coronation earlier this year, Anne cast doubt on the idea of a slimmed-down monarchy, which Charles is said to favour.

She defended the role of the monarchy in the modern world and said: Its perfectly true that there is a moment when you need to have that discussion. But I would just underline that the monarchy provides, with the constitution, a degree of long-term stability that is actually quite hard to come by in any other way.

Asked about the suggestion of a slimmed-down monarchy, she replied: Well, I think the slimmed down was said in a day when there were a few more people around. It doesnt sound like a good idea from where Im standing, I would say. Im not quite sure what else we can do.

Anne is currently married to vice admiral Timothy Laurence, a retired Royal Navy officer and former equerry to the late Queen. Prior to that, she was married to Mark Phillips, with whom she shares Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips.
Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia is back in the lineup after missing one game with left upper body discomfort.

Garcia exited Fridays game against the St. Louis Cardinals after getting two hits and extending his hitting streak to 15 games. That 15-game streak tied Garcia with David DeJesus (twice) and Mike Moustakas for the longest hitting streak by a rookie in Royals history.

Royals manager says the injury would seem to be in the rear-view mirror.

He says he feels great, Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. When we left here on Saturday, he said he would be ready. Yesterday, we checked with him and he said he felt good. Today, he felt good. We are hoping that was a blip and its behind us.

Garcia is hitting .286 with four home runs, 38 RBIs and 18 steals this season. He has acclimated well to the leadoff spot and has played strong defense at third base.

The Royals also made a couple of roster moves:

KC reinstated outfielder Drew Waters from the Bereavement List. Waters missed the last three games. In a corresponding move, the Royals optioned outfielder Edward Olivares to Triple-A Omaha.

Olivares appeared in 85 games this season. He posted a .246 average with six home runs and 20 RBIs.

We have a really good idea of what Oli is, Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said. He has done some good things for us over the last couple of years. We are trying to create some opportunities for other guys that we are trying to learn more about at the Major League level.

Sometimes you just have to make tough decisions like that. That wasnt an easy one.

Royals add outfielder from Texas Rangers

The Royals continue to build organizational depth. On Monday, the Royals claimed outfielder Bubba Thompson off waivers from the Texas Rangers.

Thompson, 25, was a first-round pick in the 2017 MLB Draft. He posted a .170 batting average in 37 games this season.

The Royals are intrigued with his offensive potential. Thompson recorded two home runs, 17 RBIs and 16 steals in 32 minor-league games this season.

Hes a player that weve always liked, Picollo said. We see him a lot, and weve seen him since he signed.  I think everybody knows how much we value defense in center field. Just to add depth like that is really good. We continue to look for right-handed power somewhere along the way and Bubba fits that as well.

Picollo added there is not a specific timeline call up Thompson. He was optioned to Triple-A Omaha after joining the organization.

Injury Notes: Brad Keller, Jake Brentz to start rehab assignments

The Royals have a couple of pitchers on the mend. Royals starter Brad Keller is slated to begin a rehab stint in the Arizona Complex League (ACL). He has a right shoulder impingement injury and last pitched in the majors on May 15.

This will be Kellers second rehab stint. He completed a previous rehab assignment on July 27. Keller owns a 4.36 ERA in 43 1/3 innings of work for the Royals this season.

Brentz is slated to begin a rehab assignment on Wednesday. He will join Keller in the ACL. Brentzs last pitching appearance came on April 29, 2022. He has been sidelined after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
A sweeping racketeering case unsealed in Georgia on Monday against former President Donald Trump and his associates details some of the extreme harassment and intimidation that a former poll worker says she experienced after refusing to illegally change the 2020 election result in Trumps favor.

Former Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman has said that she was living in fear after being falsely dubbed a professional vote scammer and known political operative who stuffed the ballot boxes with hundreds of thousands of fake votes.

Members of the enterprise traveled from out of state to harass Freeman, intimidate her, and solicit her to falsely confess to election crimes that she did not commit, states the 41-count indictment filed against Trump and 18 others.

What We Know About Ruby Freeman

Freeman volunteered with her daughter, Shaye Moss, to serve as a Fulton County election worker on Election Day at State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta. She and Moss are both named as victims in the indictment.

Wandrea

Wandrea "Shaye" Moss, a former Georgia election worker, is comforted by her mother Ruby Freeman, right, during a House select committee investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Former Trump attorney Rudolph Giuliani  who faces charges including solicitations of violations of public oaths, conspiracy and false statements  falsely alleged that video surveillance taken inside the arena captured election workers ordering Republicans to leave the room while suitcases of illegal ballots were secretly added to the mix of legal votes, the indictment says.

Giuliani identified Freeman and Moss by name, accusing them of passing around USB ports as if they are vials of heroin or cocaine. These USB ports, he alleged without proof or explanation, were used to infiltrate the crooked Dominion voting machines, as the incident states.

Federal and state investigators reviewed the footage and determined that Giulianis allegations were false. The suitcases that Giuliani described were boxes of legal ballots that had been in the room the entire day. The item that the mother and daughter had been filmed passing between them was candy, Moss testified.

Giuliani admitted in a court filing last month that he made false statements against Freeman and Moss.

Freeman Was Repeatedly Contacted By Trumps Associates

Prosecutors say Stephen Cliffgard Lee, a pastor, rallied people to pressure Freeman into changing her testimony about what happened at the State Farm Arena. He personally visited her home on Dec. 15, 2020, telling her that he could help her, according to the indictment.

Freeman called 911 on Lee three times, prosecutors said in a court filing last year.

Ruby Freeman and her daughter Shaye Moss attend an event at the White House on the second anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Ruby Freeman and her daughter Shaye Moss attend an event at the White House on the second anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Freeman was also visited at her home by Trevian Kutti, a onetime publicist for the hip-hop artist Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, who was a supporter of Trump. Kutti identified herself as a crisis manager and told Freeman that she was in danger and said she was there to help, according to the indictment. Freeman again called 911.

Theyre saying that I need help, Freeman told a police dispatcher during Kuttis visit, according to a police report obtained by Reuters. That its just a matter of time that they are going to come out for me and my family.

Kutti told Freeman that she had 48 hours before people arrived at her home, according to a responding police officers report of the incident.

Freeman agreed to speak with Kutti at a police precinct, where Kutti again told Freeman that she needed protection and that she would help her.

President Joe Biden awards the Presidential Citizens Medal, the nation's second-highest civilian honor, to Ruby Freeman.

President Joe Biden awards the Presidential Citizens Medal, the nation's second-highest civilian honor, to Ruby Freeman.

Kutti was in truth trying to influence Freemans testimony regarding the election, the indictment states.

I cannot say what specifically will take place, Kutti told her, according to police body camera footage of their exchange that was reviewed by Reuters. I just know that it will disrupt your freedom, she continued, and the freedom of one or more of your family members.

After asking the nearby officer for privacy, Freeman said Kutti connected her with a man on speakerphone who tried to get Freeman to implicate herself in committing voter fraud on Election Day. In exchange, Kutti said she would provide Freeman with legal assistance. If she didnt go along with the plan, Kutti told her that shed go to jail.

Trevian Kutti, former publicist for Kanye West, was indicted today for her role in pressuring Fullton County election worker Ruby Freeman, as shown here in this video.pic.twitter.com/SMGUHKmxaU  Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) August 15, 2023

Freeman said she ended their meeting and left. The next day, she said an FBI agent called and urged her to leave her home because it wasnt safe. The day after this, seemingly fulfilling Kuttis warning, a mob of angry Trump supporters surrounded Freemans home, according to a defamation lawsuit that Freeman and her daughter filed in December 2021 against a right-wing news organization.

Freeman Testified She Had To Move And Felt Victimized By Trump

I stayed away from my home for approximately two months, Freeman later said in a taped interview played before the House Jan. 6 Committee. It was horrible. I felt homeless, I felt, you know, I cant believe this person has caused so much damage to me and my family.

Freeman, who spoke more than a year after the election, said that she continues to live in fear, not wanting to give her name to strangers and feeling trepidation when someone calls out to her in public.

There is nowhere I feel safe. Nowhere. Do you know how it feels to have the president of the United States targeting you? The president of the United States is supposed to represent every American, not to target anyone. But he targeted me, Lady Ruby, a small business owner, a mother, a proud American citizen who [stood] up to help Fulton County run an election in the middle of a pandemic, she said.

Freeman And Moss Were Honored For Courage, Selflessness

In January, Freeman and her daughter were awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Joe Biden. The medal, presented on the second anniversary of the 2021 assault on the Capitol, is the nations second-highest civilian honor.

The mother and daughter were recognized for courage and selflessness for doing their jobs as election workers despite threats to them and their family.

She bore witness to the trauma and tragedy of that experience and today, we the people, honor Lady Ruby Freeman as part of our nations voting rights history, the White House said in the award presentation.

Related...
Rudy Giuliani, a key figure in former President Donald Trumps effort to remain in power after the 2020 election, was indicted in Georgia on Monday for his role in what prosecutors called a sweeping conspiracy to overturn the states results and subvert the will of the people.

Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, leveled 13 charges against Giuliani as part of the states yearslong investigation into election tampering. He is charged with a violation of Georgias RICO Act (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations), soliciting the violation of oath by a public official, false statements and conspiracies to commit forgery and file false documents, among other charges.

Trump was also indicted Monday on 13 charges linked to the alleged conspiracy.

The indictment names a total of 19 defendants, including many of the attorneys who worked on Trumps plot to remain in office. The document names John Eastman, Jeffrey Clark, Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro, among many others.

All have been charged with violations of Georgias RICO Act, which has traditionally been used to charge organized crime structures. It can be used broadly in cases where multiple defendants are working together to further a criminal enterprise, like attempting to overturn an election.

The indictment came after a grand jury in Atlanta heard hours of testimony. The judge in the case kept the courtroom open past normal business hours for additional testimony, the culmination of more than 2 years of investigation.

Giuliani was a key figure in multiple efforts to change the results in Georgia, spreading unfounded conspiracies about voter fraud and claiming voting machines were corrupted in favor of Democrats. All of those lies have been disproved, and he still faces lawsuits alleging defamation over his comments about voting machines.

His attorneys have maintained he did nothing improper, sentiments he repeated earlier this week.

I shouldnt be [worried], Giuliani said Monday on NBC. I didnt do anything wrong.

At the center of the case are the phone calls Trump made to election officials in Georgia in the days after Joe Biden won the state, including when he asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find 11,780 votes so he could surpass Bidens margin of victory and instead be determined the winner.

The indictment is Trumps fourth this year. The former president faces state charges in New York linked to hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 election, federal charges over his handling of classified documents after he left the White House and further federal charges over his effort to stay in power after he lost the 2020 race.

Trump has rejected all charges against him, railing against the prosecutors, judges and witnesses in the cases.

CORRECTION: A prior version of this story inaccurately referred to the Georgia charges as federal.

Related...
The former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani during a talk radio show at the WABC studios in New York in September 2021. Robert Bumsted/AP

Rudy Giuliani made his career using RICO to go after the mob when he was a US Attorney.

Now, he's been indicted on RICO charges himself by the Fulton County DA's office.

Giuliani was charged in connection to his efforts to help Trump overturn Georgia's 2020 election results.

A former US attorney who made his name using RICO to prosecute organized crime was just indicted on RICO charges.

That's Rudy Giuliani, who spearheaded the Manhattan US attorney's office in the 1980s before going on to serve as the mayor of New York City.

Late Monday, a Georgia grand jury voted to indict Giuliani on a number of criminal charges, including violating the state's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization statute.

It's a remarkable twist for the former mayor, who pioneered the use of RICO laws to go after the mob in New York  an accomplishment he touts to this day.

"Giuliani is objectively one of the most effective prosecutors in American history who took down the Mafia, cleaned up New York City and comforted the nation following 9/11," his spokesperson, Ted Goodman, told reporters as recently as last month.

Now, Giuliani is accused of breaking the same racketeering laws that he aggressively employed against the mafia.

The former mayor was one of 19 defendants  including former President Donald Trump  who were indicted by Fulton County DA Fani Willis' office in connection to Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. All the defendants were charged with violating Georgia's RICO statute.

Trump, Giuliani, their codefendants, 30 unindicted coconspirators, and "others known and unknown" to the grand jury "constituted a criminal organization whose members and associates engaged in various related criminal activities including, but not limited to, false statements and writings, impersonating a public officer, forgery, filing false documents, influencing witnesses, computer theft, computer trespass, computer invasion of privacy, conspiracy to defraud the state, acts involving theft, and perjury," the indictment said.

Giuliani, specifically, was charged with solicitation of violation of oath by public officer, false statements and writings, conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer, conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree, conspiracy to commit false statements and writings, and conspiracy to commit filing false documents.

Giuliani's indictment was not entirely unexpected; prosecutors working for Willis informed him that he was a target of their wide-ranging inquiry earlier this month, and Willis also has a long history of using RICO in a slew of previous cases.

Others who were charged on Monday include former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, former DOJ official Jeffrey Clark, the GOP lawyers Sidney Powell, John Eastman, and Kenneth Chesebro, and more.

Insider has reached out to Giuliani's spokesperson for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
In just the last few weeks, China has begun to build what appears to be a new airstrip on one of the islands it controls in the highly contested South China Sea. The size of the airstrip, as it currently stands, means its hard to know exactly what purpose its intended to serve. However, construction of this kind at this particular location, Triton Island  the closest in the disputed Paracels archipelago to Vietnam  is significant in itself.

A full view of Triton Island, dated August 10, 2023, with the airstrip clearly visible. PHOTO  2023 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION

A full view of Triton Island, on March 30, 2023. PHOTO  2023 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION

The sudden development on the Chinese-controlled Triton Island is revealed in satellite imagery. Clearly, work is still at an early stage, but its startling just how rapid the progress has been so far. Construction of this airstrip only began a few weeks ago at the most. The War Zone examined imagery from Planet Labs from mid-July showing no such activity.

The newly appeared airstrip at Triton Island, as of August 10, 2023. PHOTO  2023 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION

Another view of infrastructure on Triton Island, including an existing helipad, on March 30, 2023. Here there is no sign of the airstrip that has since appeared. PHOTO  2023 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION

As well as the airstrip, satellite imagery reveals a huge new work area, including a cement plant. This has all sprung up within the last month. Previously, this Chinese outpost was home to an observation station with two radomes and some big Chinese flags, but not much more. The island was previously served by a small harbor and a helipad.

Infrastructure on the island as of August 10, 2023. The construction works adjacent to the harbor are all entirely new, apparently in support of the airstrip construction. PHOTO  2023 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION

Infrastructure on the island as of March 30, 2023. PHOTO  2023 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION

The new airstrip appears to measure just over 2,000 feet in length, which is notably short. At only around 45 feet wide at present, it is also narrow. It could be used for hosting short takeoff and landing (STOL) fixed-wing types, such as turboprops and light aircraft. This could drastically improve logistics on the most western of the inhabited Paracels. The strip could also accommodate helicopters.

Perhaps its most likely use would be to deploy drones up to medium altitude, medium/long endurance types. Its possible that it could be expanded further, but the physical limitations of the island mean that it cannot be made over about 3,100 feet without extending the island's footprint, although China is definitely capable of doing just that.

There is, of course, still a possibility that this just ends up being some sort of roadway, but that seems quite unlikely at this time.

Regardless of whatever the long-term plans for this new addition might be, bearing in mind the location of Triton Island, this significant further development of the infrastructure there is of great strategic significance.

A group of around 30 islands and more than 100 reefs, banks, and other maritime features, the Paracel Islands chain has been the scene of major Chinese military developments in recent years. Chinas expansion of the size and scope of facilities in the Paracels is meanwhile part of a much larger effort to build up its capabilities and overarching presence across the South China Sea.

Google Earth/CIA Worldbook

Today, the South China Sea region is dotted with fortress-like and largely man-made outposts that have been established on different shoals and reefs, most of which were previously uninhabitable. This is in line with Beijings claims over almost the entire body of water as its sovereign national territory, something that the vast majority of the international community disputes. This has also, predictably, led to tensions with countries in the immediate region.

As it stands, the Paracels  which are known to China as the Xisha Islands  are effectively controlled by Beijing, but are also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan.

A map of the Paracel Islands. CIA

Establishing a new airstrip on one of the islands of the Paracels  especially the closest to Vietnam  is also straight out of the Peoples Liberation Armys playbook. Perhaps the best-known previous example is Woody Island  known to China as Yongxing Island  which serves as a forward operating base for PLA aircraft, including deployments by long-range bombers, as you can read about here.

https://twitter.com/RupprechtDeino/status/1293423729486307329?s=20

The airstrip on Triton Island is far smaller than that on Woody Island, which is situated some 100 miles to the northwest. The runway on Woody Island is almost 9,000 feet long and has played host to repeated large-scale PLA maneuvers by naval and air force assets.

Another view of Triton Island, as of August 10, 2023. PHOTO  2023 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION

There have also been high-profile missile tests around the Paracels. This includes the PLAs first known demonstration of an actual long-range anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) capability there in August 2020.

While the airstrip at Triton Island is clearly only in its very early stages, the scale of the construction work suggests that there will likely be more to come in terms of militarization of what could well become a key outpost. As well as much-expanded aviation capabilities, the addition of air and coastal defense systems and other assets could well follow, as has been observed on other Chinese island outposts in the South China Sea.

In particular setting up surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missile systems here, together with supporting surveillance assets, would allow China to field another layer of capable anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) capability very close to Vietnam. Being just 150 miles from the Vietnamese mainland, the PLA would not only be able to persistently monitor Vietnamese military activities, including by its long-range Su-30 Flanker fighters, but also fortify and extend its A2/AD bubble out from Triton Island and into Vietnamese territory.

https://twitter.com/AnnQuann/status/1682258589015244800?s=20

Even just drone operations from this locale could be beneficial, allowing for lower-to-mid-tier unmanned systems to cover the activities in the area, especially between Triton Island and the Vietnam coastline to the west and south.

The location of the Paracels puts them right in the middle of the northern South China Sea, where there are massive Chinese military facilities that house its nuclear submarine forces  including its fleet of Type 094 nuclear ballistic missile submarines, or boomers, which represents the country's second-strike deterrent  and large parts of its surface fleet, that includes an aircraft carrier group, on Hainan Island. China's carrier fleets are growing and the country's People's Liberation Army Navy has been increasingly sending its current carrier strike groups on longer-range deployments, including the South China Sea.

The massive Yulin naval installation that sits and the southern tip of Hainan Island, roughly 150 miles to the northwest of the Paracels. (Google Earth)

The area at the northern end of the South China Sea is a known naval and submarine choke point that provides access south and eventually east into the Indian Ocean and directly west out into the Pacific. It is of extreme interest to China, with its nuclear ballistic submarines needing it to access the open ocean, and its adversaries alike.

With Triton Island being the closest in the Paracels chain to Vietnam, there may well also be a reaction from Hanoi. Although China is Vietnams biggest trading partner, and the two countries' militaries have had close relations over the years, their territorial disputes in the South China Sea are serious and the two sides have come to blows in the past. It was a clash in 1974 between China and South Vietnam that led to the Paracels coming under de facto control of the government in Beijing. North and South Vietnam formally reunified in 1976.

Much more recently, there have been multiple incidents where Chinese vessels rammed into Vietnamese fishing boats, sinking them. There have also been accusations of the Chinese effectively kidnapping Vietnamese fishermen in the Paracels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7p41KKWleI

Chinese naval vessels, as well as ones from various ostensibly civilian government organizations, are routinely used to enforce Beijing's expansive and largely unrecognized claims across the South China Sea. The government in China also employs what is commonly referred to as a maritime militia made up of fishing vessels that are also used to harass and intimidate foreign ships in disputed waters.

In recent years, Vietnam has been working to grow its own competing maritime militia to challenge Chinese encroachment in places like the Paracels. The Vietnamese government has also been fortifying islands it controls in the South China Sea in the face of Chinese aggression, including arming them with long-range guided rocket artillery.

The newly growing Chinese military footprint in the region is certain to lead to alarm among other nations, too.

For now, there is little we can say with confidence other than that Beijing is, once again, redeveloping one of the islands it controls in the South China Sea, and that we will watch with interest to see the next developments that come to Triton Island.

Thank you to detresfa_ for assisting in this report.

Contact the author: thomas@thedrive.com
The Aug. 15 Russian missile strike on Ukraine was made with missiles produced in 2024, each containing around 30 foreign-made microchips, head of the Presidents Office, Andriy Yermak, said in a Telegram post.

Read also: West withholds F-16s from Ukraine out of fear that Russia will obtain secret components  Czech President Pavel

According to Yermak, the attack involved Kh-101 missiles manufactured in April 2024.

He added that Kyiv continues to work with international partners to tighten the enforcement of existing Western sanctions on trade with Russia, which primarily aim to deprive Moscow of access to modern technological components. Still, he noted that there needs to be an increase in sanctions to prevent Russia from acquiring critical components and manufacturing missiles.

Newsweek magazine had previously reported that Russia aggressively imports critical components from the West for arms production, evading sanctions. A considerable amount of the materials passes through China, with over 60% of imported components originating from U.S. companies.

According to Ukrainian data, 1,057 foreign-made components were discovered in 58 different units of significant Russian military equipment.

Read also: Ukraine, Italy may jointly produce components for air defense systems, says PM Shmyhal

German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung also reported that Russia obtains Western components that are used in missiles for bombarding Ukrainian cities. The recovered remnants of Russian missiles had components from the United States, Japan, and Germany.

Read also: Russia attempts to retrieve exported tank and missile components from India and Myanmar

The Executive Director of the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission, Olena Tregub, reported during a meeting of the U.S. Congress Helsinki Commission that the United States and Switzerland are the foremost producers of components for Russian weaponry used in the war against Ukraine.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Russian forces launched 22 attacks at seven communities in Sumy Oblast on Aug. 14, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported via Telegram.

The attacks caused 156 explosions over the course of the day. The Russian military hit the border region with artillery shelling, mortar shelling, mines, and grenade launchers. The administration also recorded a drone attack, a missile, and a rocket launched from a helicopter.

The attacks struck the border towns of Khotyn, Bilopillia, Shalyhyne, Seredyna-Buda, Krasnopillia, Esman, and Velyka Pysarivka.

According to the administration's preliminary report, there were no casualties or damage to civilian infrastructure.

Following Sumy Oblast's partial liberation from Russian occupation in April 2022, Russia has subjected the communities along Ukraine's northeastern border to daily shelling.

Read also: This Week in Ukraine Ep. 20  Tragedy of civilian life in Donbas

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Russia's missile attack on western Ukraine's city of Lutsk left two people injured, according to the local governor. A missile hit an industrial plant in the city, Volyn Oblast Governor Yurii Pohuliaiko reported on his official Telegram channel in the morning of Aug. 15.

Following the missile attack that targeted western Ukraine's oblasts, Lviv Mayor Andrii Sadovyi said "a few rockets were downed" but several residential buildings were hit in the attack. He didn't provide further details but posted a photo of what looked like a five-story building with its top floors on fire. An evacuation is underway, according to Sadovyi.

Meanwhile, 945 kilometers to the east, a Russian missile hit a factory in Dnipro. Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Governor Serhii Lysak reported that at least one person was injured in the attack.

Ukraine's Air Force warned early on Aug. 15 about a threat of missile attack. The air raid alert was activated nationwide at around 4 a.m. local time.

Read also: Air defense at work in western Ukraines Khmelnytskyi Oblast

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If Russia proceeds to sign an arms supply deal with North Korea, it would be in breach of several binding UN Security Council resolutions, U.S. State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Aug. 15, as reported by The Guardian.

"Any kind of security cooperation or arms deal between North Korea and Russia would certainly violate a series of UN security council resolutions," said Patel.

Read also: European Union cannot offer Ukraine security guarantees  Brussels

The official noted that Russia has relied on several rouge states to sustain its war against Ukraine. According to Washington, Russia now seeks to further broaden military cooperation with the DPRK.

Read also: Far more intense than expected  Ukrainian marines speak about U.K. training

In January, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that North Korea had transferred missiles and ammunition to the Wagner PMC for the war against Ukraine. The White House stated that Moscow is offering Pyongyang food in exchange for ammunition.

Kim Jong Un referred to Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine as a "sacred struggle," expressing a desire to build a strong state union with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

Read also: US to supply 155mm shells to Ukraine via Bulgaria, South Korea, possibly Japan - FT

On July 26, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu arrived in Pyongyang, where he met with his counterpart Kan Sun Nam and Kim Jong Un. According to analysts, Shoigu's visit increases the likelihood of more military aid to and from North Korea, especially given Russia's diplomatic isolation by the West.

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US military analysts have noted that the Russian Ministry of Defence is unable to fully control some Russian private military companies (PMCs).

Source: Institute for the Study of War (ISW)

Details: Analysts have suggested that Russia's Ministry of Defence may not be able to fully control some Russian PMCs that are linked to or receive funds from Russian officials and businessmen.

The Russian media outlet Dossier reported on 14 August that Arkady Rotenberg, a long-time associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Russian state-owned VTB Bank have provided more than 300 million roubles (US$3.04 million) to the Convoy PMC since the end of 2022.

This outlet also reported that Russian energy companies Promresurs and Ugol Trading also gave 109.5 million roubles (US$1.11 million) to Convoy PMC, although neither company's profits match the amount of donations.

In addition, Sergey Aksyonov, the so-called head of Russian-occupied Crimea, politically supports Convoy PMC, which began official recruitment "to work in Ukraine" in November 2022, and its employees signed contracts either directly with Convoy PMC or with the Russian 150th Motorised Rifle Division (8th Combined Arms Army, Southern Military District).

At the same time, Convoy is not subordinate to the 150th Motorised Rifle Division and has its own area of responsibility in Ukraine and command structure.

Convoy PMC is supposedly based in occupied Perevalne, Crimea, and is currently operating on the Kherson front after initially defending Russian logistics lines on the Melitopol-Dzhankoi road.

As of the summer of 2023, Convoy PMC reportedly had 400 members, each receiving a salary of 200-300,000 roubles (US$2,030-3,045) per month.

The ongoing private financial and political support of Convoy PMC and its continued activities in Ukraine, separate from the command structure of the Russian Defence Ministry, indicate that the Russian Defence Ministry is unable to fully integrate irregular formations into the regular Russian armed forces, despite its declared intention to do so.

Konstantin Pikalov, the founder of Convoy PMC, was previously associated with the Wagner Group and is reportedly affiliated with the Main Directorate of the Russian General Staff (GRU).

He is also supposedly a co-founder of the St Petersburg-based Cossack Society Convoy and has been trying to break into the military services sector since 2014, but had little success until he joined the Wagner Group in the Central African Republic in 2018.

After 2018, there are reportedly no records of Pikalov's interaction with structures linked to Prigozhin, and in 2019, Convoy PMC continued to work on international security. It is noted that Pikalov had little military experience before his involvement in the Wagner Group and that he is the opposite of Prigozhin: "tame and safe for the authorities".

To quote the ISW's Key Takeaways on 14 August:

Ukrainian forces conducted counteroffensive operations on at least two sectors of the front on 14 August and reportedly advanced in the Donetsk-Zaporizhzhia Oblast border area.

Crimean occupation authorities are attempting to impose new federal penalties on individuals who publish content revealing the locations and operations of Russian military assets in occupied Crimea, likely in response to Ukraines ongoing interdiction campaign.

Russian forces conducted a series of missile and drone strikes targeting Odesa Oblast on the night of 13-14 August.

The Russian Ministry of Defence likely remains unable to fully take control of some Russian private military companies which are affiliated with or receive sponsorship from Russian officials and businessmen.

US officials announced a new US$200 million security assistance package for Ukraine on 14 August.

Ukrainian forces conducted offensive operations near Kupiansk, along the Svatove-Kreminna line, near Bakhmut, in the Donetsk-Zaporizhzhia Oblast border area, and in western Zaporizhzhia Oblast and advanced near Bakhmut.

Russian forces conducted offensive operations near Kupiansk, along the Svatove-Kreminna line, near Bakhmut, along the Avdiivka-Donetsk City line, in the Donetsk-Zaporizhzhia Oblast border area, and in western Zaporizhzhia Oblast and advanced near Kupiansk.

The Russian National Guard (Rosgvardia) continues to form new regiments and appoint prominent Russian ultranationalists to command its units, possibly in an effort to incentivize recruitment.

Russian authorities are removing local officials in occupied territories of Ukraine likely in order to fill openings with preferred candidates in the upcoming regional elections.

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Russian soldiers undergo a military training in Rostov, Russia, on December 6, 2022. Stringer/AFP via Getty Images

An ex-convict Russian soldier said officers in Putin's army refused to collect the dead bodies of fallen troops.

The soldier told The New York Times that it let the Russian military dodge paying their families compensation.

Russia has often downplayed the number of its casualties during its invasion of Ukraine.

An ex-convict gave horrific insight into serving in the Russian army, saying his officers refused to collect the dead bodies of soldiers from the battlefield so that the Russian military wouldn't have to pay their families, according to The New York Times.

In an interview, the soldier who served in one of the Russian Ministry of Defense's convict units  who was identified as "Aleksandr"  told the Times he was ordered not to collect the bodies of his fellow troops.

He told the Times that officers could register the men as "missing in action," meaning their families couldn't collect compensation for them being killed in battle.

"There were bodies everywhere," Aleksandr said to the Times. "No one was interested in collecting them."

Russia has often downplayed its undeniably large losses in Ukraine.

While officials have only admitted to losing 6,000 soldiers since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Western intel earlier this year suggested the number was closer to 60,000.

And last week, researchers with the BBC said they've identified more than 30,000 dead Russian soldiers by name, including 1,300 in the last two weeks alone.

Ukraine also has not released estimates of how many of their troops have died, although a leaked US military assessment earlier this year estimated the number was around 17,000.

Russia's reliance on convict units grew as its conscripted soldiers were decimated in Ukraine.

While mercenaries with the Wagner Group were originally pulling incarcerated soldiers, the Russian Ministry of Defense took over the recruitment process in February, signing up thousands of inmates and promising them salaries and freedom at the end of their contracts.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Russian saboteurs tried to penetrate into Ukraine on the border with Chernihiv Oblast; the invaders were targeted by Ukrainian artillery and retreated with losses.

Source: Lieutenant General Serhii Naiev, the commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, on Telegram

Quote: "Another hostile attempt to cross the state border of Ukraine by the Russian Federation has been stopped in the northern operational zone, within the boundaries of the Novhorod-Siverskyi hromada. [A hromada is an administrative unit designating a city, town or village and its adjacent territories - ed.]

A sentry at the observation post noticed two armed groups of militants approaching the control strip from different directions. A shooting battle ensued.

Artillery damage to the enemys sabotage forces was inflicted immediately following the decision of the senior commander."

Details: Naiev says an anti-sabotage reserve with aerial surveillance units was immediately deployed to the state border.

Early reports indicate that the sabotage and reconnaissance groups consisted of five and seven militants, respectively.

Having suffered losses in injured and killed soldiers, Russian forces retreated in the opposite direction.

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Explosions and fires were reported on Aug. 14 at an oil field in western Siberia and at a gas station in Russia's Republic of Dagestan, Russian state media reported.

An explosion occurred at the Talinskoye oil field in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug in western Siberia, killing at least two people and injuring five others, the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti said.

According to local officials, the explosion was reported at around 10:20 p.m. local time, causing a fire at an area of 100 square meters.

RIA Novosti reported that emergency services had arrived on site to put out the fire. All the injured have been hospitalized and are in serious condition, the news agency added, citing local health officials.

Another explosion was reported on the same day at a gas station in Makhachkala, Dagestan, head of the regional government Sergey Melikov said.

According to the Russian state news agency TASS, at least five people died and ten more were injured as a result. The explosion caused a fire covering 500 square meters, TASS said.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.

Since the start of Russia's all-out war against Ukraine, there have been multiple reports of fires breaking out across Russia. On Aug. 9, a fire erupted in a military facility in Georgiyevsk, Stavropol Krai.

A day later, another fire broke out at a gasoline production unit of the Mozyr oil refinery in southeastern Belarus, the country's emergency ministry reported.

Read also: From Moscow to Novorossiysk: The list of attacks on Russian soil

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Three members of a suspected Russian spy ring who were arrested by counter-terror police lived in a flat one mile from an RAF base used by ministers and the Royal family, The Telegraph can reveal.

Bulgarian nationals Orlin Roussev, 45, Bizer Dzhambazov, 41, and his 31-year-old girlfriend, Katrin Ivanova, were detained during a series of intelligence-led raids across London and Norfolk.

For around a decade, all three had links to a flat in west London, a short distance from the RAF Northolt military base. Members of the Royal family regularly use the base to fly abroad, and it is also used frequently by ministers and foreign heads of state.

The arrests are understood to have followed a long running counter-espionage investigation conducted by Scotland Yard.

All three Bulgarian nationals were initially arrested on suspicion of committing offences under the Official Secrets Act, but were charged with possession of false identity documents after a cache of fake passports was allegedly discovered by detectives.

Katrin Ivanova dancing at a Bulgarian restaurant in Palmers Green, north London

The investigation into allegations of spying remains ongoing, and two other people who were arrested at the same time have been bailed by police.

One neighbour on the Northolt street described how Mr Dzhambazov claimed that he worked for Interpol and that he tried to erect a huge satellite dish on the side of the property.

Mr Roussev, a tech entrepreneur, specialises in signals intelligence, which involves the interception of communications or electronic signals. He also worked as an adviser for the Bulgarian energy ministry and has business links with Russia.

He was detained at a guest house in the Norfolk seaside resort of Great Yarmouth. The guesthouse is believed to be owned by a Bulgarian businesswoman.

Mr Dzhambazov and Ms Ivanova were detained at their flat in Harrow, where neighbours described them as quiet and unremarkable. He is believed to work as a driver for hospitals, while she describes herself as a laboratory assistant for a medical business based in central London.

Scotland Yard officers are said to have found forged press cards and clothing for the Discovery and National Geographic channels, suggesting the three may have posed as journalists in surveillance operations, The Times reported.

A spokesman for The Doctors Laboratory UK confirmed that she had worked for the company in the past.

Around a decade ago, shortly after moving to the UK, the couple rented a flat in Northolt, close to the A40 to the west of London. Mr Roussev is also listed as having lived at the property.

A former neighbour described how Mr Dzhambazov had told him he worked for Interpol, the international police organisation, and had erected a camera outside the property shortly after moving in.

The former neighbour told The Telegraph: I remember one encounter distinctly, when I was following him into the block of flats and we got talking and he told me that he worked for Interpol. He seemed confident and sincere in what he was saying. I had no reason to doubt him.

He was a confident man, not afraid to be seen. He drove a black BMW. His partner drove a silver scooter. She was very good-looking.

The neighbour also recalled an unusual incident with a satellite dish, explaining: I do remember that they had theirs pointed in a different direction to all the other ones.

At one stage he had a friend around and they tried to mount a massive one on the wall. But it would have blocked out the light into my flat, and so we had words about that and it didnt happen.

The flat in Northolt is just a mile from RAF Northolt - Jamie Lorriman for The Telegraph

Neighbours at another property where the couple lived before their arrest, said they had lots of visitors. One explained: We saw people coming in and out frequently. I thought perhaps they were running an Airbnb, which is something people around here do.

Marin Raykov, Bulgarias ambassador to London, said he had not been made aware of the arrests, but confirmed that there were official records in Sofia of Ms Ivanova working as a member of the countrys electoral commission.

According to Mr Raykov, Ms Ivanova sat on the electoral commission for the 2021 snap parliamentary election, nominated by an unnamed Bulgarian political party.

As well as fake passports, police also allegedly seized identity cards from Bulgaria, France, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece and the Czech Republic.

The three defendants were first arrested in February and, after being charged in relation to the false documentation, were remanded in custody. They are yet to enter pleas to the charges and are due to stand trial at the Old Bailey in January.

In 2018, two Russian spies used the nerve agent Novichok in an attempt to assassinate the former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury. Dawn Sturgess, a local woman, died as a result.

The UK expelled 23 suspected Russian spies from the country following the incident.

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Russian strikes against Kherson and Donetsk oblasts on Aug. 15 killed two residents and injured six more, local officials reported.

At around 8:30 a.m. local time, Russian forces launched an airstrike against the village of Pivnichne near Toretsk in Donetsk Oblast. A 52-year-old man and a 78-year-old woman were injured in an attack by FAB-250 aerial bombs, the Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office said.

Several hours later, Russia shelled the village of Yampil and the town of Siversk, killing two men aged 45 and 70, the prosecutors reported. Three women were also reportedly injured in the artillery strike.

Also on Aug. 15, Russian strikes targeted the village of Novodmytrivka in Kherson Oblast, injuring a 71-year-old civilian, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported. The man has been hospitalized and is in moderate condition, the official added.

Around twelve explosions were reported in the village, leaving ten residential buildings damaged, according to the report.

Read also: Russia hits Dnipro, Lviv, Lutsk during night attack

Donetsk Oblast was targeted also on Aug. 14. According to the Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office, Russian forces launched S-300 missiles against the city of Kramatorsk, hitting a food warehouse and starting a fire.

Two people have been found under the rubble and one of them has been confirmed dead, the prosecutors said. The strike also injured a 38-year-old woman, according to the report.

Russian forces launched a massive missile strike against Ukraine overnight, targeting the cities of Lviv, Dnipro, Lutsk, and other places.

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Russian forces have forced all men at state-owned enterprises to undergo a medical examination and register for military service in occupied Starobilsk.

Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, information as of 06:00 on 15 August

Quote: "The enemy continues to carry out covert mobilisation in the temporarily occupied territories to replenish large-scale losses in manpower.

In particular, the occupying pseudo-authorities have obliged all men at state-owned enterprises to undergo a medical examination and register for military service in the city of Starobilsk, Luhansk Oblast."

Details: Russian forces launched a missile-air strike on the territory of Ukraine, using eight Kalibr missiles and 15 Shahed-136/131 Iranian attack drones in Odesa Oblast over the course of the past 24 hours.

All Kalibr missiles and UAVs were destroyed due to successful combat operations by Ukrainian air defence personnel and assets.

The Russians launched 14 missile and 72 air strikes, and deployed multiple-launch rocket systems to attack the positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements 63 times. Unfortunately, the Russian terrorist attacks have resulted in civilian fatalities and injuries. Residential buildings, a shopping centre, student accommodation, kindergartens, schools and other civil infrastructure have been destroyed and damaged.

More than 15 combat clashes occurred during the past 24 hours.

On the Sivershchyna and Slobozhanshchyna fronts, Russian forces carried out airstrikes in the area of Pavlivka and Stepne (Sumy Oblast). More than 25 settlements came under Russian mortar and artillery fire.

On the Kupiansk front, the Russians launched airstrikes in the areas of Ivanivka, Zahryzove, (Kharkiv Oblast), and Stelmakhivka (Luhansk Oblast). Russian artillery and mortar attacks hit more than 15 settlements.

On the Lyman front, Russian forces carried out airstrikes in the areas of Bilohorivka (Luhansk Oblast) and Spirne (Donetsk Oblast). More than 25 settlements were hit by Russian artillery fire.

On the Bakhmut front, the Russians carried out airstrikes in the areas of Vasiukivka and Klishchiivka (Donetsk Oblast). More than 25 settlements were affected by Russian artillery shelling.

On the Avdiivka front, Russian forces carried out an air strike near Avdiivka. The settlements of Keramik, Avdiivka, Sieverne, Pervomaiske, Nevelske (Donetsk Oblast) were hit by artillery fire.

On the Marinka front, the Ukrainian defence forces continue to hold back the Russian troops offensive near Marinka and Krasnohorivka (Donetsk Oblast). The Russians launched an airstrike near Krasnohorivka and Novomykhailivka (Donetsk Oblast). More than 10 settlements were hit by artillery fire.

On the Shakhtarsk front, Russian forces carried out airstrikes near Velyka Novosilka, Blahodatne, Makarivka, and Urozhaine (Donetsk Oblast). More than 10 settlements were hit by artillery fire.

On the Zaporizhzhia front, the Russians carried out an airstrike near Novodanylivka (Zaporizhzhia Oblast). More than 20 settlements were damaged by Russian artillery shelling.

On the Kherson front, the Russians launched an airstrike near Olhivka (Kherson Oblast). More than 20 settlements were hit by Russian artillery fire.

The Defence Forces of Ukraine continue to conduct an offensive operation on the Melitopol and Berdiansk fronts, consolidating their positions on ground previously gained and carrying out counter-battery operations.

The Moscow regime continues the illegal integration of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine into its social and political space, the General Staff reports. In particular, the Russian occupation administration has organised the educational system based on the Russian curriculum, opening a school in Bekhtery (Kherson Oblast), where children from the settlements of Obloi, Tendrivske, Zburivka and Novochornomoria are obliged to study. The Russians are threatening parents with civil liability for absenteeism in order to force them to send their children to study at schools following the Russian curriculum.

The Air Force of the Defence Forces of Ukraine struck a command post, launched seven strikes on the areas where personnel, weapons and military equipment were concentrated, and three strikes on Russian anti-aircraft missile systems over the course of the past 24 hours.

Ukrainian defenders also destroyed a Russian Ka-52 attack helicopter.

Ukraines Rocket Forces and Artillery struck two clusters of Russian personnel, weapons and military equipment, three artillery pieces at their firing positions and one electronic warfare station.

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On 15 August, Russian occupiers dropped bombs and fired from artillery on Donetsk Oblast, killing two and wounding five civilians.

Source: Donetsk Oblast Prosecutors Office

Details: On 15 August, Russian troops attacked settlements in Kramatorsk and Bakhmut districts.

At around 08:30, the occupiers attacked the village of Pivnichne (part of the town of Toretsk) using FAB-250 air-launched bombs. They injured two local residents  a 52-year-old man who was in the yard of his home and his 78-year-old neighbour.

A few hours later, the Russians supposedly attacked a district of private households in the town of Siversk and the village of Yampil with artillery.

Two men aged 45 and 70 were killed by shells near their homes. In addition, three women were injured.

Shell pieces damaged houses, fences, a medical facility, a garage and an outbuilding.

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Russian occupiers launched a missile attack on Cherkasy Oblast on the morning of 15 August, causing destruction but no casualties, and part of the city of Smila has been left without water.

Source: Ihor Taburets, Head of Cherkasy Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram

Quote from Taburets: "The enemy launched missile attacks on our Cherkasy Oblast in the morning. In particular, a missile hit premises belonging to a private business in Smila. Another hit a medical facility. Fortunately, there were no casualties."

Details: Taburets added that the Russians had damaged the water and heat supply networks, so currently part of Smila is without water.

Law enforcement and utility services are working at the scene.

Background:

The Russians launched a large-scale missile attack on Ukraine on the night of 14-15 August. Russian missiles hit an industrial facility in Lutsk (three people were killed), residential buildings in Lviv, and a business in Dnipro (a fire broke out, and two people were injured).

In addition, the air defence system responded in Khmelnytskyi Oblast.

The Russian invaders attacked Ukraine with 28 air- and sea-based missiles at around 04:00 on 15 August 2023, and Ukrainian defenders destroyed 16 Kh-101/Kh-555 and Kalibr cruise missiles.

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Russia's first lunar lander since 1976 has beamed back its first images from space.

The Luna-25 mission lifted off on Aug. 10 atop a Soyuz-2.1b rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's far eastern Amur Region, marking the first domestically produced probe sent to the moon in modern Russian history. The last moon mission from what is now Russia, Luna-24, took off in 1976 and returned about 6.2 ounces (170 grams) of lunar samples. The launch of Luna-25 faced multiple delays due in part to Russia's war on Ukraine, which has had wide-ranging effects on international spaceflight cooperation.

Luna-25's first images were taken on Sunday (Aug. 13) and published Monday (Aug. 14) by the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IKI RAS). The black-and-white photo collection shows the Russian flag and mission patch on the spacecraft's structure alongside images of Earth and the moon shining bright against the blackness of space.

"These images show the elements of the device's design against the background of the Earth, from which we have already departed forever, and against the background of the moon, to which we will soon arrive," Russian state space agency Roscosmos wrote in a statement published on Telegram on Aug. 14 (translation by Google).

Related: Russia launches Luna-25 moon lander, its 1st lunar probe in 47 years

The images were taken at a distance of about 192,625 miles (310,000 km) from Earth, according to IKI RAS. The moon, by comparison, is around 238,855 miles (384,400 km) away from Earth, on average.

two tiny white dots representing Earth and the moon can be seen against the blackness of space

While there was some initial speculation published on social media about the state of Luna-25 in the days following its launch, the images appear to dispel these worries and prove the lander is healthy and on its way to its lunar destination.

"All systems of the spacecraft are operating normally, communication with the station is stable, and the energy balance is positive," IKI RAS wrote in a statement accompanying the images (translation by Google).

If all goes according to plan, Luna-25 will reach the moon on Tuesday (Aug. 15) before orbiting Earth's glowing white satellite for five to seven days. From there, the probe will attempt a landing near one of three craters surrounding the lunar south pole. The probe was designed to operate for at least one year.

Once on the lunar surface, assuming its landing goes well, Luna-25 will analyze lunar soil, search for water ice and conduct experiments about the moon's thin atmosphere. The lander carries eight different instruments including a laser mass spectrometer and a device that can zap lunar soil samples then examine the resulting fumes to analyze chemical composition.

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 NASA's Artemis program: Everything you need to know

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Luna-25 adds to a growing list of international moon missions aimed at either studying or landing near the lunar south pole region.

India's Chandrayaan-3 rover entered lunar orbit on Aug. 7 and is expected to touch down near the moon's south pole on Aug. 23. South Korea launched the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) in August 2022 carrying the NASA-operated ShadowCam designed to help hunt for water ice near the moon's south pole.

And NASA's Artemis Program aims to place humans near the moon's south pole no earlier than 2025 as part of the Artemis 3 mission.
By Guy Faulconbridge

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's defence minister told officials on Tuesday that Ukraine's ability to fight had been "almost exhausted" and said the war had exposed vulnerabilities in Western weapons systems that Moscow would soon share.

The war has sown devastation across swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine, killed or injured hundreds of thousands and triggered the biggest rupture in Russia's ties with the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

Ukraine and the West have accused Russia of war crimes and cast Moscow's invasion as an imperial-style land grab. The Kremlin casts the conflict as an existential battle with a hostile West which it says wants to tear Russia apart.

Speaking to a security conference in Moscow attended by China's defence minister, Li Shangfu, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, 68, said the conflict had been a serious test for Russia.

"In the special military operation, the Russian army has debunked many myths about the superiority of Western military standards," Shoigu said in a rare public speech, according to a text supplied by his ministry.

"The preliminary results of combat operations show that Ukraine's military resources are almost exhausted," said Shoigu, one of President Vladimir Putin's most powerful allies. He did not give detailed evidence to back up either statement.

Reuters was refused accreditation to attend the security conference by the defence ministry. No reason was given.

The West casts the war as Moscow's biggest strategic blunder since the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and Western leaders say they want to defeat Russia on the battlefields of Ukraine. A Ukrainian counteroffensive has so far failed to yield major territorial success.

Russia says it will achieve all its aims in Ukraine, which it casts as a puppet of the West. It has repeatedly indicated it is prepared to fight a long war and has put swathes of its $2 trillion economy on a war footing.

Shoigu said he would share details about the weaknesses of Western weapons and that none were invulnerable.

"We have data on  the destruction of German tanks, American armoured vehicles, British missiles and other weapons systems," he said. "We are ready to share our assessments ... with our partners."

Shoigu accused Ukraine of repeatedly using civilian infrastructure to hide soldiers and heavy military equipment and that Kyiv had shelled civilian settlements in Russian-controlled eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine, he said, had used the Black Sea grain deal as a cover for building up stores of weapons and munitions in Odesa and other ports. Ukraine has repeatedly denied using civilian infrastructure for military purposes and denies any targeting of civilians.

In remarks aimed at China, Shoigu said the West was intentionally stoking the situation around Taiwan, comparing the situation to the Ukraine war.

"Under these conditions, bilateral relations between Russia and China have surpassed the level of strategic ties in all respects, becoming more than just allied," Shoigu said.

(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Conor Humphries)
A Sacramento attorney has been disbarred and is no longer eligible to practice law in California after committing multiple acts of professional misconduct while representing her clients, State Bar officials said.

Janice Dianne Dudensing, who was admitted to the bar in December 2011, was disbarred on April 9, the State Bar of California announced Monday in a news release. Dudensing was among 18 attorneys across California who were disbarred in the second quarter of the year.

In one court case, Dudensing represented the parent of a Laguna Creek High School student who was allegedly punched by his teacher. State Bar officials said Dudensing served late discovery responses, failed to appear in court and did not inform her clients of her failure to do so, costing her clients the ability to seek legal recourse.

In the high school students case, Dudensing failed to appear in court and then lied to the court saying she had asked another attorney to appear in her place, according to the State Bar.

State Bar officials said Dudensing conducted other acts of misconduct with other clients, including misappropriating nearly $53,000 of client funds; making misrepresentations to a client, lienholder and the court; failing to perform with competency; violating court orders by repeatedly failing to appear that resulted in sanction orders, commingling personal funds in her client trust account; and knowingly employing a disbarred attorney whom she allowed to handle client funds and negotiate liens in violation of ethical rules.
A Sacramento County jury has convicted a man for sexually abusing three girls, earning the trust of their families before preying on the children, prosecutors said.

Timothy Michael Bingaman, 36, was found guilty of 10 counts of committing forcible lewd acts on a child and six counts of committing lewd acts upon a child, the Sacramento County District Attorneys Office announced in a news release.

Sacramento Superior Court records show the jury in Bingamans case reached the guilty verdict on Thursday. Bingaman was being held Monday at the Sacramento County Jail without bail.

In 2016, Bingaman met a then-9-year-old girl and her family in El Dorado County. Prosecutors said the childs mother allowed Bingaman to take her daughter along with his family to Sacramento County.

While staying with friends in Sacramento, Bingaman sexually abused the girl on two occasions, according to the District Attorneys Office.

Bingaman also repeatedly sexually abused the 11-year-old daughter of the friend he was staying with in Sacramento, and he continued to abuse her for more than three years, prosecutors said.

Bingaman manipulated and threatened the 11-year-old, telling her he would kill her father and grandmother if she told anyone about the sex abuse, prosecutors said. Bingaman became infatuated with the girl and wrote her a love note that became a pivotal piece of evidence against him in his trial, according to the District Attorneys Office.

Prosecutors said Bingaman earned the trust of a third girls family, taking their 9-year-old daughter on vacations with other children. One of those other children was the 11-year-old girl. In 2017, Bingaman took both girls to a hotel room South Lake Tahoe hotel room, where he sexually abused the 9-year-old in the middle of the night, prosecutors said.

The 11-year-old found the courage in 2020 to report the sexual abuse, which started the investigation into Bingaman. Prosecutors said the first 9-year-old that Bingaman victimized kept the abuse secret until she was interviewed by detectives in 2020.

The girl abused in the South Lake Tahoe hotel room reported the abuse in 2022, after she learned her grandmother was supporting Bingaman while he was in custody, according to the District Attorneys Office.

Bingaman is scheduled to return to court for his sentencing hearing on Oct. 20. Prosecutors said Bingaman faces a maximum sentence of 118 years in prison.
Sam Bankman-Fried. ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images

Prosecutors say Sam Bankman-Fried donated $100 million to politicians using FTX funds.

New evidence from an FTX executive indicates that was intended to gain favorable influence.

Messages from Ryan Salame quoted in a court filing say SBF wanted "to weed out anti-crypto" politicians.

New evidence that prosecutors want to use against Sam Bankman-Fried details how one high-ranking FTX executive knew that his boss' political donations were designed to gain favorable influence in Washington D.C.

The FTX founder donated nearly $40 million to Democrats and political action committees during last year's midterm elections. Although prosecutors have put that number as high as $100 million because they say Bankman-Fried funneled millions more through FTX executives.

Prosecutors say the donations were funded by money taken from FTX customers.

The donation scheme was previously brought to light when Bankman-Fried was charged with conspiracy to defraud the US and campaign finance violations. Those charges have now been dropped due to disagreements over his extradition from The Bahamas, but prosecutors want to use the evidence for charges related to fraud and money laundering.

Bankman-Fried is ranked as the Democrats' number-three donor behind George Soros and Mike Bloomberg, per OpenSecrets. He also previously said he was the Republicans' third-biggest donor but this isn't generally known because all his donations "were dark," he said, meaning he used loopholes to avoid disclosing his identity.

In a Monday court filing reviewed by Insider, the government detailed several pieces of evidence it hopes to present for the FTX founder's trial, scheduled for October 2.

Bankman-Fried faces seven charges including wire fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He has pleaded not guilty, and was kept on house arrest under $250 million bail until he was remanded to a prison notorious for its poor conditions last Friday.

Prosecutors' evidence includes messages from Ryan Salame, the former co-CEO of FTX's Bahamian affiliate company, who prosecutors say is "a co-conspirator in the defendant's illegal campaign finance scheme." Salame hasn't been charged with any crime.

Salame donated $23 million to Republican candidates and conservative PACs, according to OpenSecrets. He is "unavailable" to testify under oath because his attorney said he would invoke the Fifth Amendment if subpoenaed, prosecutors wrote.

Prosecutors say he told a trusted family member that Bankman-Fried wanted to donate to both sides of the aisle but was wary of the effects of appearing too partisan.

And Salame's messages to a family member say the donations were intended "to weed out anti-crypto dems for pro-crypto dems, and anti-crypto repubs for pro-crypto repubs," per the filing.

In other words, to find politicians who would be favorable towards FTX when it came to crypto regulation.

Salame's message added it was likely Bankman-Fried would "route money through me to weed out that republican side," according to the filing.

Bankman-Fried's spokesperson did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Ex-crypto executive Sam Bankman-Fried secretly funneled more than $100 million stolen from his customers into the U.S. political system to bend crypto legislation to his will, federal prosecutors said Monday in a revised indictment.

The embattled former billionaire  in custody at Brooklyns Metropolitan Detention Center since a judge revoked his $250 million bond Friday for alleged witness tampering  was accused anew of campaign finance corruption in a superseding indictment in his Manhattan case.

Prosecutors dropped a campaign contribution charge against Bankman-Fried to respect an extradition treaty with The Bahamas, where his company FTX was based. The Caribbean government had not agreed to it when it handed Bankman-Fried off to the feds following his stateside indictment in December.

Weaving the scheme into the original money laundering and wire fraud charges that the Bahamas signed off on, the feds said Bankman-Fried donated generously outside legal limits through straw donors to politicians in both parties ahead of the 2022 midterms.

(The) fact that the defendant engaged not in lawful giving on behalf of FTX but instead used straw donors to hide the true source of funds and deceptively increase his influence on policy making demonstrates the strength of his desire to purchase political clout  a desire so great that he stole customer funds to satisfy it, prosecutors wrote in pretrial filings.

The 31-year-old from Palo Alto, Calif., has pleaded not guilty to a series of interconnected fraud schemes that allegedly saw him siphon over a billion dollars from his global cryptocurrency exchange, partly to pay off his hedge fund Alameda Researchs debts. He could face over a century in prison if convicted.

Prosecutors on Monday asked U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan to bar Bankman-Fried from arguing at his October trial that FTX customers were negligent, gullible, or insufficiently vigilant. And they said he shouldnt be able to convince the jury that he intended to repay his alleged victims.

Prosecutors plan to query three of SBFs convicted former lieutenants  FTX co-founder Gary Wang, head of engineering Nishad Singh, and Alameda CEO Caroline Ellison  on the witness stand. In addition, they expect to call multiple former employees of Alameda and FTX, several of the defendants customer, lender, and investor victims, and an expert witness whose financial analysis will show the nature and extent of the fraud.

Bankman-Fried spokesman Mark Botnick declined to comment.

Nick Biase, chief spokesman for U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, declined to comment.

_____
Santa Fe man Daniel Lane Walls is arraigned before Maury County General Sessions Judge Bobby Sands at the Maury County Courthouse on August 14, 2023 in Columbia, Tenn.

The native Santa Fe man accused of posting flyers at three predominantly Black churches in Columbia containing racially charged rhetoric was arraigned, pleading not guilty, in Maury County General Sessions Court on Monday.

Daniel Lane Walls, 38, sat quietly in the courtroom, waiting to present his plea before Maury County General Sessions Judge Bobby Sands. While seated in the courtroom pew dressed in a blue short-sleeved plaid shirt, he accepted paperwork distributed by the court officer to retain the county public defender.

The next hearing is set for Sept. 27 at 8:30 a.m. in Maury County Court.

More: Columbia faith leaders, community band together following hate flyer left at Black churches

Walls was arrested in Spring Hill at his former workplace on July 13 and charged with four counts of Civil Rights Intimidation under Tennessee Code Annotated TCA 39-17-309, in addition to the charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and vandalism.

Bond was previously set at $43,000, which was posted.

After the flyers, also distributed to area businesses, were found on the marquees of three Black churches in Columbia, a crowd of community, church and elected leaders gathered three days later on July 12 at Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church for a community prayer service.

Leaders denounced the flyers, calling them offensive and filled with "hate."

With his shoulders shrugged, Walls answered on Monday, a few additional questions by Sands, including that he lost his job in Spring Hill, as well as two other jobs after that, and currently remains unemployed due to his inability to pass "background checks" because of the felony charges.

"It showed up on my background check, and I haven't even been convicted yet," Walls said.

More: Columbia police charge adult male, youth for 'hate' flyers distributed at 3 black churches

The flyer states that "The Old Glory Knights of the Ku Klux Klan" had "paid a visit" to the recipients of the flyer, telling them to "beware," along with text many call hate rhetoric, disparaging racial and interracial groups.

Walls discussed the charges with media following the arraignment, confirming that he heads the Old Glory Knights, as stated on the group's website.

He also claimed the group "doesn't go out looking for trouble" and its "intent" is "not to hurt anyone" but recruit.

Community rallies behind targeted churches

Clergy from the targeted churches attended the July community service at Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist, including ministers from Bethel Chapel AME Church and Faith United Missionary Baptist Church.

Maury County Mayor Sheila Butt and Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder, attended the community service along with clergy, community members, city council members and state officials.

Columbia Police Chief Jeremy Alsup addressed the crowd, at the time vowing to find the perpetrator, while also disavowing the incendiary language.

"Hate rhetoric, or anything of this nature, these flyers, they have no business in this community or any community," Alsup said. "Your Columbia Police Department will do their best to make sure anything like this ... to keep it from ever coming back."

Rev. Tanya Mason of Bethel Chapel AME Church located on South Glade Street denounced the act as a representation of "evil and darkness."

"... on Sunday July 9, my congregation was met with a flyer that echoed the terroristic message of the past and ever present space of evil and darkness," Mason said.

"I say to those today who think that our future is in their hands that they must not know the resilience of the people and African American Methodist Episcopal Church."

Pastor Kenny Anderson ended the July service with prayer and a final statement.

"Hate will never win," he said.

Kerri Bartlett is editor of The Daily Herald.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: Santa Fe man charged in posting racial flyer pleads not guilty
By Daniela Desantis and Lucinda Elliott

ASUNCION (Reuters) - Paraguay's new president Santiago Pena takes office on Tuesday, a clean-cut economist for the conservative Colorado party who will need to juggle ties with Taiwan, pressure from farmers, rising crime and a U.S. probe into his political mentor.

Pena, 44, scored a strong win in April elections against a center-left opposition challenger, and helped the Colorado Party, the dominant political force for the last three-quarters of a century, secure a majority in both chambers of Congress.

But the political high-achiever must now maneuver a difficult path ahead.

His party's diplomatic support for Taiwan has hurt local farmers' grains exports to China, which claims sovereignty over the self-governed island. Taiwan Vice President William Lai is in Paraguay for Pena's inauguration.

Relations with the United States will also be in focus after the U.S. government accused Pena's political backer, former President Horacio Cartes, of corruption.

"I'm aware I have no margin for error and we can't build something simply saying they gave me carte blanche," Pena said in an exclusive interview with Reuters last week ahead of the handover. "We are constantly going to be scrutinized in every decision."

Pena in the interview said he would push for a greater police presence in the streets to head off rising concerns about security, look to tame prices to avoid a cost-of-living crisis, ensure access to healthcare, and encourage private enterprise.

"We have a debt we owe to the people," he said.

Pena also wants to create 500,000 new jobs in five years to boost the South American country's farm-driven economy, dominated by soybeans and beef.

IN THE SHADOW OF CARTES

Those who know Pena described him to Reuters as "decent" and with "good ideas." Others cite a contemporary mindset and steady hand. Critics say he is a member of the out-of-touch elite who lacks political experience and is just a puppet for Cartes.

Pena, who married his childhood sweetheart and became a father for the first time at 17, studied economics in Asuncion and later public policy at Columbia University in the United States.

He worked as an economist at Paraguay's central bank and then with the IMF in Washington, before returning to Asuncion to join the central bank board. He became finance minister in 2015.

"He matured very quickly, being a young father... He became an adult very quickly," a former colleague told Reuters. "Santi has a lot of life experience and is a natural negotiator."

In 2016 his political career took off when Cartes hand-picked Pena as his intended successor. At first there were doubts from within the Colorado party, but five years later at the next election he got the nod - and won.

"Santi," as he is often known, has pledged business-friendly policies focused on job creation, low taxes and attracting foreign investment. He has withstood pressure from farmers to stick with Paraguay's decades-long diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, one businessman with investments in Paraguay who knows Pena personally said the new president was not one to shake things up unnecessarily, but would push steady change.

"He is not a politician who wants a revolution, he wants evolution," the businessman said.

(Reporting by Daniela Desantis and Lucinda Elliott, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
Sara Sharif's body was found alone at a house in Woking

An international manhunt for three people continues following the murder of 10-year-old Sara Sharif.

The girl's body was found alone in the early hours of last Thursday morning at her home in Woking, Surrey.

Surrey Police said the three people it was trying to locate - who were known to Sara - left the UK the previous day.

Sara's mother Olga Sharif said her life "will never be the same again" as she spoke of her loss in an interview with The Sun.

Formal identification has yet to take place, and investigators are still at the property where Sara's body was found in Hammond Road.

Detectives are working with international authorities to find those they want to speak to in connection with her death. They have released no information about the three people publicly.

No arrests have been made and a post-mortem examination will take place on Tuesday.

Ms Sharif described her daughter as an "amazing girl", and told The Sun she was "too young".

"There is nothing I can do that can bring her back to life, so I have to only remember the good times with her now," she added.

Flowers were laid at the scene shortly after Sara's body was discovered

The local imam said the community had been shocked by her death.

Hafiz Hashmi, Imam of the Shah Jahan Mosque, said he had not been able to sleep in recent days.

He told BBC Radio Surrey: "We are immensely shocked and saddened. Can't believe something like this can happen to such an innocent child.

"We don't know the circumstances around the death so we pray for the girl's soul to be at peace. We pray that we are able to find the truth surrounding her death so that loved ones can lay the girl to rest.

"People are shocked."

In a statement, the mosque said it was "deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic death of Sara whose innocent life was taken last week".

The statement added: "Our thoughts, prayers and condolences are with her and her loved ones during this difficult and testing time."

Surrey Police said the three people it was trying to locate left the UK on 9 August

A local church, St Mary the Virgin, in Horsell, has been open since last Friday for members of the community to attend for "prayer, reflection or comfort", while floral tributes have been left outside the house.

Last week, there was a heavy police presence at the semi-detached property on Hammond Road and neighbours told reporters a Pakistani family with six "very young" children had moved into the house in April.

Speaking after the discovery of Sara's body, a neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, said she "appeared to help look after her younger brothers and sisters, and especially the baby".

They "seemed a happy family who cared for all their children", they said.

Sara's body was found at the empty house at about 02:50 BST on 10 August.

Anna Bradshaw, an extradition law specialist at the London firm Peters and Peters, said any future legal proceedings involving foreign courts were likely to be protracted.

"That's an opportunity for the person to contest their extradition" she said.

"Some countries do not extradite their own nationals. Most countries will insist on the prima facie case to be met, and almost all countries will have some variation of a human rights test."

Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk.
A South Carolina man is going to prison for his role in a health care scheme that targeted veterans and active members of the military among others, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Travis Anthony Mason, a 52-year-old Aiken resident, was sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison after pleading guilty to health care fraud, where nearly $2 million was illegally taken from the federal government, the U.S. Attorneys Office said in a news release.

Masons criminal acts jeopardized the health and well-being of unsuspecting victims, many of whom have served or continue to serve our country in the military, Steve Jensen, special agent in charge of the Columbia Field Office of the FBI, said in the release. Along with the FBI, the case was also investigated by the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General  Defense Criminal Investigative Service.

Through his company, M3 Medical LLC, Mason was involved in the marketing and sale of prescription compounded medications, which included various pain creams, according to the release.

Mason and his co-conspirators targeted individuals with federally funded health insurance plans, including TRICARE, that provided benefits for the compounded prescriptions, the U.S. Attorneys Office said. TRICARE is the health care program for uniformed service members, retirees, and their families thats managed by the Department of Defense.

Aware that the compounded medication would yield a high reimbursement, Mason and his co-conspirators would get prescriptions for them  many of which were medically unnecessary  from a physician, and would then direct the prescriptions to be filled by specific compounding pharmacies, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

For every compounded prescription that was filled, Mason was paid a percentage of the reimbursement amount, according to the release. Over two years, Mason and his co-conspirators caused $1,966,194 in loss to TRICARE, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

Information about how much money was lost from any other health care programs that might have been targeted in the scheme was not available.

Travis Mason thought TRICARE and other federal healthcare programs were easy targets for fraud; he was sorely mistaken, said Christopher Dillard, special agent in charge of the Department of Defense investigation. Nationwide fraud schemes like this degrade our healthcare system. They also put the public and the military at risk.

Masons 31-month sentence in federal prison will be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision, the U.S. Attorneys Office said. There is no parole in the federal system.

Mason also was ordered to pay $1,966,194 in restitution, according to the release.

Fraud of healthcare programs steals resources from people who need care and, in this case, from men and women who have bravely served our nation, U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs said. We stand ready to prosecute those who steal from government programs to enrich themselves.

About compounded medications

Compounded medications are specialty medications mixed by a pharmacist to meet the specific medical needs of an individual patient. Although compounded drugs are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, they are properly prescribed when a physician determines that an FDA-approved medication does not meet the health needs of a particular patient because, for example, the patient is allergic to a dye or other ingredient or requires the medication in a different form.

SOURCE: U.S. Attorneys Office
A Midlands man was arrested for a scheme where he used his employers credit card to buy gas for other people in exchange for cash that he kept, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

Benjie Lamont Anderson, a 48-year-old Lee County resident, was charged with breach of trust with fraudulent intent on Aug. 10, SLED said in a news release.

On two occasions in 2022, the Bishopville man used WEX fuel credit cards issued by his employer, Envirovac, to purchase diesel fuel for unknown individuals in return for cash, according to an arrest warrant. Both incidents occurred at Fastrack gas station/convenience stores in Darlington, an arrest warrant showed.

SLED said Anderson bought $1,212.63 worth of gas and kept the money he got in exchange for his personal use. Information about what Anderson did with the money was not available.

Anderson was charged after being interviewed by SLED, and information was supplied by witnesses and surveillance recordings, according to the arrest warrant.

He was booked at the Darlington County Detention Center, and Anderson was released on Aug. 11 after posting a $2,500 surety bond, court records show. Anderson is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 14, according to judicial records.

If convicted on the misdemeanor breach of trust charge, Anderson faces a maximum punishment of 30 days in jail and a $1,000 fine, according to South Carolina law.

The case will be prosecuted by the 4th Circuit Solicitors Office.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said he doesnt see how a racketeering law would apply to former President Donald Trump in light of Trumps latest indictment, this time in Georgia.

In the new indictment, Georgia state prosecutors used a law typically cited when going after organized crime and accused Trump of being part of a criminal enterprise to hold onto the presidency.

A Georgia grand jury Monday indicted Trump and 18 other people for alleged efforts to overturn the states 2020 presidential election results.

McMaster, a longtime Trump supporter who is backing Trumps 2024 White House bid, said Tuesday he had not read the latest indictment but doesnt see how a racketeering charge would work in a case against Trump.

Those types of law are designed to go after a group of people conspiring and working together as an enterprise over a period of time to violate various laws. Usually its used for the mafia and used sometimes gangs, McMaster, a former federal and state prosecutor and former S.C. attorney aeneral, said. I dont see how that applies to this at all. I think these all of these indictments, Ive read a couple of them, I have not read this one. I just dont see any substance to it.

Part of the case against Trump in Georgia is a recorded phone call with the states Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, where Trump said, All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have, because we won the state.

McMaster said that statement needs to be considered within its context of a close election.

I think you have to look at statements like that in the context of whats going on on election night or shortly thereafter, McMaster said. People are trying to see if there are outstanding ballots, if there were ballots that werent counted. Ive heard things like that many times over the years when you have close elections.

Trump attorneys John Eastman, Rudy Giuliani and Sydney Powell, former chief of staff Mark Meadows and Trump administration Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark were among those also indicted Monday.

Former Vice President Mike Pence has called attorneys working for Trump to overturn the election, a gaggle of crackpot lawyers.

McMaster said it is difficult to get the same advice when a person has several lawyers, especially in a highly charged situation.

Well, lawyers advice differs, McMaster said. I dont know those lawyers. Ive known Mr. Giuliani for a number of years. Typically, lawyers are like doctors  you go talk to one, and you want to go get a second opinion. He might have three or four lawyers all saying something, and you have to decide, as a client, what do you think is is the right advice.

Trump also has been indicted in New York for alleged payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, along with two federal indictments related to classified documents kept at his Mar-a-Lago estate and efforts to change the 2020 election results. He has pleaded not guilty in those cases.

McMaster has been long supporter of Trump. In 2016, the then-lieutenant governor was the first statewide official in the country to endorse Trump. Trump later appointed then-Gov. Nikki Haley to be ambassador the United Nations, allowing McMaster to ascend to the South Carolina governors office.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday threw his support behind passing a short-term bill to fund the government until December as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle concede that more time is needed to pass spending bills for fiscal 2024.

Schumer told reporters on a conference call that he discussed the possibility with Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) shortly before the August break. McCarthy acknowledged the likelihood of a continuing resolution (CR) during a separate conference call with House Republicans Monday night.

Lawmakers must fund the government by the end of September to avoid a government shutdown.

I thought it was a good thing that he recognized that we need a CR in September. Im supportive of that, Schumer said, lauding the Senates appropriations process that has thus far gone off in a bipartisan fashion.

A CR until early December provides time for consideration of these bipartisan bills, Schumer continued. We urge our House colleagues to emulate the Senate. The only way were going to avoid a government shutdown is by bipartisan support in both houses. You cannot keep the government open if you just want to do it with one party.  We hope that House Republicans will realize that any funding resolution has to be bipartisan or they will risk shutting down the government.

The Democratic leader added that a stopgap bill lasting until December makes a good deal of sense.

That will give us some time, hopefully, to get something done, Schumer added.

McCarthy told members on his Monday call that he does not want the short-term spending bill to run up against the holidays, meaning that lawmakers would likely be working on passing appropriations bills upon returning from Thanksgiving.

However, there are landmines that negotiators must avoid. Chief among them is House conservatives who are balking at voting for a continuing resolution at fiscal 2023 levels.

Ukraine and the U.S. southern border are also set to become issues for some Republicans. The administrations request for $40 billion in supplemental funding included $24 billion for Ukraine.

A group of 15 House Republicans from Texas are also vowing to vote against any bill that funds the Department of Homeland Security unless changes to U.S. border and migration policy are included.

Republicans can only lose four votes in order to advance legislation on their own.

Schumer also said he supports the Biden administrations request for $13 billion in disaster relief for Hawaii after wildfires devastated parts of Maui, including historic town of Lahaina. The death toll on the island reached 99 as of Tuesday morning. The New York Democrat noted that he has talked in recent days with Hawaii Sens. Brian Schatz (D) and Mazie Hirono (D) about the situation on the ground.

I committed to them to have the Senate do everything we could to help Hawaii, he said before delving into the administrations disaster request. I am fully supportive of that and will do everything I can to get it passed in the Senate.  Americans cant fail to answer the call when our fellow Americans are suffering from disaster.

The timing of when Schumer will move on the Hawaii supplemental remains unclear. He declined to say whether it would be attached to the continuing resolution by the end of the month

Im not going to get into the details as we negotiate, but we want to get a supplemental done, Schumer said. We want to get a supplemental done as quickly as possible.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
At least 58 people have been killed and more are feared missing in flooding and landslides in India (-)

Rescuers searched Tuesday for people feared missing in floods and landslides that have killed at least 65 in India, including 11 who died in the collapse of a popular temple.

Days of torrential downpours have washed away vehicles, demolished buildings and destroyed bridges in the Himalayas.

Flooding and landslides are common and cause widespread devastation during India's treacherous monsoon season, but experts say climate change is increasing their frequency and severity.

At least 52 people have been killed in Himachal Pradesh since Sunday, with thousands more stranded after disruptions to roads, power lines and communication networks.

"The suffering of those affected cannot be relieved with money, but the government will provide all possible help to them in this hour of distress," state chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said in a statement on Tuesday.

Sukhu said earlier that up to 20 others were feared trapped under rubble after landslides, and appealed to residents to stay indoors and avoid going near rivers.

Images from hard-hit areas in Himachal Pradesh showed bodies being pulled from piles of dark earth that had crushed buildings and smashed roofs.

At least 11 people died when a landslide triggered the collapse of a popular temple for the Hindu deity Shiva in state capital Shimla.

"The rescue work is ongoing and we fear that at least 10 more people are still trapped under the rubble," district disaster management committee chair Aditya Negi told AFP.

Elsewhere in the state, railway lines were seen dangling in midair after the ground beneath them was washed away.

Sukhu said the disaster was the worst to hit Himachal Pradesh in the past 50 years, adding that state authorities had scaled down Tuesday's annual celebrations of Independence Day, marking the end of British colonial rule, to concentrate on rescue efforts.

More than 300 tourists had been rescued from the floods, he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking from the Red Fort in New Delhi for his annual Independence Day address, said that recent natural disasters had caused "unimaginable troubles" for families across the country.

"I express my sympathies towards all of them and I assure them that state and central governments will work together," he told the crowd.

- Yoga retreat -

At least 13 more people have also been killed since Friday in neighbouring Uttarakhand state, officials said Tuesday.

Rescue teams there raced to remove debris after people were feared buried when heavy rainfall triggered landslides.

Five people were buried when a landslide hit a resort near the popular yoga retreat of Rishikesh on the banks of the river Ganges.

Nearly 350 roads around Uttarakhand had been closed to traffic, according to state disaster bulletins.

Several riverside towns and villages in both states were at risk of flash floods from the heavy rain forecast.

The monsoon brings South Asia around 80 percent of its annual rainfall and is vital for both agriculture and the livelihoods of millions. But it also brings destruction every year in the form of landslides and floods.

Days of relentless monsoon rains killed at least 90 people last month, while the capital New Delhi saw the Yamuna River -- which snakes past the megacity -- record its highest levels since 1978.

Forecasters expect heavy rains to continue across the Indian Himalayas until at least Friday.

bur-gle/smw
Soldiers have been deployed in the run-up to the election on Sunday

A local party leader has been killed in Ecuador, the second politician to be assassinated in the space of a week.

Pedro Briones was shot dead by gunmen on a motorcycle at his home in northern Esmeraldas province.

His killing comes just five days after presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was gunned down in the capital, Quito.

Ecuador's murder rate has surged as local gangs have forged alliances with international crime cartels.

The killings of politicians have rocked the country ahead of snap presidential elections on 20 August.

Mr Briones was a leader of the left-wing Citizen Revolution Party in Esmeraldas. Fellow members of the party expressed their condolences to his family.

The party's presidential candidate, Luisa Gonzalez, said that Ecuador was going through "its bloodiest period".

Former president Rafael Correa, who founded the Citizen Revolution Party, wrote: "They murdered another of our colleagues in Esmeraldas. Enough is enough!"

Police have not yet officially commented on the murder but local media reported that the two gunmen had fled on a motorbike after shooting dead Mr Briones in San Mateo, south of the city of Esmeraldas.

It is not yet clear what the possible motive may have been.

Esmeraldas province, on the border with Colombia, has been one of the worst hit by the wave of violence which has spread across the country.

Its porous border with Colombia and its location on the Pacific coast makes the province attractive to drug smugglers who traffic cocaine from Colombia through Ecuador to the US and Europe.

But the violence has not been contained to Esmeraldas. Last month, the mayor of the port city of Manta in Manabi province was shot dead as he was inspecting a public works project.

The highest-profile victim so far has been Fernando Villavicencio, an outspoken journalist who had uncovered corruption scandals and denounced links between organised crime and government officials.

Six men have been arrested in connection with his assassination, all of them Colombian citizens.

FBI agents arrived in the country from the US on Sunday and have joined forces with Ecuadorean police to investigate Fernando Villavicencio's murder.
Senior National Guard officers arrested for embezzling nearly $380,000 in combat bonuses

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), in collaboration with the State Bureau of Investigations, has exposed an illicit scheme involving the embezzlement of combat bonuses by senior National Guard officers, the agency announced on Aug. 15.

The allegedly crooked commanders amassed an approximate total of 14 million hryvnias ($380,000) from February to August 2022.

They are accused of improperly granting a monthly bonus of $2,700 (100,000 hryvnias) to themselves and their subordinates. This bonus was supposed to be provided to service personnel involved in combat operations against the Russian invaders.

Read also: Southern Operational Command suspends official suspected of corruption

The individuals reportedly involved in the criminal scheme never entered conflict zones nor carried out any tasks at the front.

The SBU has not named those involved, instead noting that the figures include the division commander, the commander of the 3rd battalion, the head of the personnel accounting department, the deputy commander of the 1st battalion, and a company commander of a National Guard division.

Read also: Zelenskyy orders overhaul of Ukraine's regional military recruitment leadership

The suspects have been charged with neglect of military service, which carries a maximum penalty of eight years in prison.

Previously, the SBU reported that it had dismantled a similar corruption scheme at a training center for National Guard units in Kyiv Oblast.

Officials at the center were unjustifiably awarding themselves and their subordinates the same monthly bonus for combat operations.

The individuals involved were also charged with neglect of military service.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
The chairman of the board of recently nationalized Sense Bank, Dmytro Kuzmin, has resigned by mutual agreement for personal reasons, the bank said in a message on its website on Aug. 14.

Deputy chairman Olena Zubchenko has become acting chairman, in order to ensure the bank continues to operate smoothly, in collaboration with its supervisory board. Sense Bank stated that the supervisory board will shortly begin the process of selecting and appointing a new permanent chairman of the board.

Read also: Ukraines parliament takes step towards nationalization of Russian-owned Sense Bank

Meanwhile, the bank noted that it continues to operate normally and provide financial services to its clients.

On July 20, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) decided to withdraw the systemically important Sense Bank from the market and appealed to the Cabinet of Ministers to consider nationalizing the bank. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later asked the cabinet to support the central bank's decision on Sense Bank.

Read also: NBU finally cuts key policy rate

On July 22, the government bought 100% of Sense Bank's (formerly Alfa Bank Ukraine) shares for UAH 1 from Russian oligarch Mikhail Fridman who was under sanctions. Dmytro Kuzmin, the former head of Universal Bank's board, was subsequently appointed as the new chair.

Read also: Fridman company threatens to sue Ukraine over JSC Sense Bank nationalization

On July 24, the Finance Ministry formed a new board for the nationalized Sense Bank. The new board members included Olena Zubchenko, Oleksiy Shklyaruk, Inna Tyutyun, and Andriy Sokolov. Zubchenko previously headed the ministerial Financial Policy Department



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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
A former Tarrant Appraisal District employee told the TAD board that the agencys website issues undermined homeowners ability to protest their property tax appraisals this year.

Patricia Nolan, who left the agency in July after nearly nine years, addressed the board at its Aug. 11 meeting in a closed session because it was a personnel issue. She shared her concerns and what she said in the meeting with the Star-Telegram.

After the meeting, chief appraiser Jeff Law said he could not discuss the details of Nolans address to the board. But he said her concerns centered on issues that came up in mid-April, which have been fixed. She disagrees.

TADs website  which is essential to taxpayers interface with the agency  still does not function, she said.

The site went down last fall and relaunched in April hours before the agencys busiest season. Taxpayers quickly learned it didnt have the same functionality as the old website.

TAD.org failed to load for many visitors. Those who were able to access the site couldnt use the automated market review tool until weeks into the 30-day period taxpayers are given to protest their appraisals. Access to this tool is required by law.

We internally did not know what it could and couldnt do, Nolan said about the website.

After public outrage, including a letter from Keller Mayor Armin Mizani calling website failures inexcusable, Law extended the protest deadline by 15 days to May 30.

At the time, information from the agency came in the form of emailed statements. Nolans experience as an employee in TADs Appraisal Review Board department provides a glimpse into what was going on behind the scenes.

My goal is to make sure that the property owners of Tarrant County are served well and are given every opportunity to get their due process of law, she told the Star-Telegram.

These people pay our salaries

Nolan said her daughter noticed she was quieter than usual after work this past spring.

When asked why, Nolan told her daughter, Ive just been beat up for eight hours.

Due to the website issues, thousands of frustrated taxpayers were calling TAD. Nolan said she fielded about 100 calls a day.

Shed been at TAD for more than eight years, so she wasnt new to the pressure of springtime at the appraisal district.

It was unbelievable, she said.

First, taxpayers login information from previous years did not work, but they were never told they needed to create a new account, Nolan said. So they called TAD.

Nolan said she and her colleagues werent told about this change. They learned by asking around. That didnt alleviate the callers frustration.

The thing about it is, these people pay our salaries, she said.

In addition, some of the PINs on peoples notices did not work. Those people were directed to the webmaster. It took up to 10 days to receive a new PIN.

Another sign of internal communication issues at the agency is the disagreement as to why the website went down in the first place.

Law said the website was taken down in the fall for planned changes to beef up security. He did not tell the board ahead of time.

Nolan said it was common knowledge among her colleagues that the website had been hacked. Law denies this. An employee who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution corroborated Nolans account.

The Travis County Appraisal District website was hacked on Sept. 11, 2022. The Dallas County Appraisal District website was hacked on Nov. 8, 2022.

ARB hearings

The process of scheduling and preparing for Appraisal Review Board hearings was also impacted by the websites failures, Nolan said.

TAD requires that taxpayers upload their protest evidence at least five days before their hearings.

But this year, some property owners were unable to upload their evidence documents to the TAD portal. As a result, not everyone made the deadline; some tried to reschedule.

It was just a series of screwups, Nolan said. I mean, there was no planning to try to get these people the information that they needed.

The most common complaint Nolan heard about the website was: I cant do what I need to do to file a protest. They were right, she said.

Despite technical obstacles, more than 28% of residential accounts filed protests. Thats up from about 22% in 2022 and 16% in 2021, according to TAD.

But the numbers dont capture the full picture, said Nolan.

Time after time, people would say, Youre trying to circumvent me from having my hearing, which is true. All the things that they didnt do would circumvent a person from having their due process, she said.

Vote of confidence

Nolan said shes seen an appraisal district run well. Her ex-husband is Ken Nolan, the chief appraiser at Dallas County Appraisal District.

He ran Dallas like a business, she said.

In a closed door executive session at Fridays board meeting, Nolan said she shared her concerns about the website changes as well as her experience of workplace culture at TAD.

She opened her discussion with a point she believes is very important: Im not a disgruntled employee.

When the board returned to open session, the five board members voted 3-2 on a vote of confidence regarding Laws leadership, as stipulated by the letter of repair issued to Law in April.

The letter gave him 90 days to address 11 items of concern, including the development of a plan to repair the agencys reputation and ensuring that the agencys computer systems and website comply with statutory requirements.

Tony Pompa, JR Martinez and Jungus Jordan voted yes. Rich DeOtte and Vince Puente voted no.

This really boils down to issues that came up that continually have been coming up where the chief appraiser has taken positions that were against certain taxpayers, DeOtte said.
A Richland man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for exploiting poor children to make child pornography videos, while he was already a registered sex offender.

Allen Richard Smith, 66, likely will end his life in prison, one of his attorneys wrote in court documents.

Judge Mary Dimke ruled in Yakima Federal Court on Monday that after completing his prison sentence Smith will be under lifetime probation. He will pay no restitution to victims because one of his attorneys said he is indigent.

She noted during the sentencing that Smith has shown that with even a cell phone in his hand, he poses a danger to children across the world, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Washington.

Smith directed real-time recording of sexual abuse of destitute boys in the Phillippines who were as young as 8.

Smiths criminal history dates to a conviction in 1996 of molesting two boys ages 10 and 11.

He served no prison time and instead the case was resolved with treatment and a promise not to harm another child, federal prosecutors said in a court document.

Eastern Washington U.S. District Court cases are heard at the federal courthouse in Yakima, Wash.

He had been put on notice then about the harm sex offenses have on children, according to court documents.

That seemingly did not impact him at all as he moved on to other child victims who desperately needed money, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Gregoire in a court document.

Directed child porn remotely

In one recording that police obtained, Smith can be heard calling the Philippines, telling the person shooting a video what he wanted to see and also what they should tell the young boys to do.

He talked to some of the boys through an interpreter.

In another instance, Smith communicated through Facebook with a child in Guatemala, according to court documents.

The boy repeatedly said he needed money, but Smith told the boy he was not going to send money unless the child sent images.

The child eventually agreed and Smith sent money, which was collected by the boys mother.

After the video was seized in the United States, the boy was found and removed from his home.

In October 2017 Smith traveled to the Philippines, where the majority of his victims live, but authorities denied him entry to the country because he was a registered sex offender in the United State.

He also encouraged the boy from Guatemala to come to Washington state.

Defendant was reaching out to increasingly more children and was distributing the images he encouraged them  sometimes encouraged by payment  to make, Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Gregoire wrote in a court document.

Defendants abuse of children was not a discrete act or a momentary lapse in judgment, she said. This had gone on for years.

He stopped only when police investigated Facebook posts uploaded in 2019 and 2020.

Facebook reported porn images

Law enforcement learned about Mr. Smith based solely on images that Facebook reported, but the thorough investigation revealed his conduct was even more severe than downloading images from the Internet, said U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref.

Officers seized a computer at his Richland house with a folder named Allens filesand a subfolder Smith named FB & Twitter Friends from Around the World  Collection of Pics& Vids.

In that file, Smith specifically identified his victims with detailed lists of the boys names, ages, and locations.

Law enforcement officers were able to locate and interview several of Smiths victims, although many could not be identified with certainty, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

One of the children said he now is afraid to go outside and has trouble sleeping, according to investigators.

Another said Smiths crimes harmed his relationship with his family and friends. He said his wish is that Smith never be in the position to commit a crime against another child.

Mr. Smiths conduct demonstrates a shocking and callous objectification of vulnerable victims, Waldref said.

Smith worked for WA, ID

A former attorney for Smith said Smith had been sexually abused by a neighbor when he was a child in Walla Walla and spent time in foster homes before leaving home at 16.

He obtained a masters degree after studying human resource management and worked for Washington state, Idaho and Amazon. Between 1996 and the current case he had no other felony convictions.

His sentencing had been delayed, both because a new attorney was assigned to Smith and also because of his health issues.

His current attorney, Ricardo Hernandez of Sunnyside says Smith received inadequate medical care while being detained at SeaTac Federal Detention Center.

He uses a wheelchair and has mental health issues, Hernandez said. A cognitive assessment found difficulty with memory, attention, language and orientation.

Project Safe Childhood

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Led by the U.S. Attorneys Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Southeast Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Richland Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Gregoire and David Herzog, both assistant U.S. attorneys for the Eastern District of Washington.

Cases like this demonstrate how child exploitation cases defy traditional jurisdictions, said Richland Police Chief Brigit Clary. We know these offenders leverage technology to feed their destructive lifestyle, but we are committed to ... pursue these offenders, even across international borders.
The Shasta County Board of Supervisors meeting was closed down and the hearing chambers were cleared as members of the audience argued.

Chaos reigned yet again at a Shasta County Board of Supervisors meeting.

Tuesday morning's meeting was interrupted a little more than an hour after it started when Chair Patrick Jones ordered security to clear everyone out of the chambers when numerous people in the audience began shouting at a speaker and then started yelling back and forth among themselves.

Before Jones told security to clear the chamber, he had ordered audience member Nathan Pinkney, who had yelled out to the speaker from his seat, to be quiet. Pinkney kept talking. Jones told him to leave before ordering security to remove him. But Pinkney refused to move from his seat and many people in the audience began yelling back and forth.Then Jones ordered security to clear the chamber, at about 10:20 a.m.

By 11 a.m., board members had left the chamber and the lights were off. Outside the chamber, Shasta County CEO David Rickert said the board meeting would resume, but he didn't know when. "We will have a meeting today," Rickert said.

The chamber reopened around 12:45 p.m. and the meeting continued.

It was the second time in less than three months that Jones has asked security to remove Pinkney from a board meeting.

On May 30, Pinkney was escorted from the chamber by a security guard after Jones got upset with him for speaking out from his seat in the audience.

During a presentation on the potential to build tiny homes in Shasta County, Pinkney, who is Black, got angry when a white man, Alex Bielecki, used the N-word while stating his opposition to tiny homes. Bielecki was not chastised and was allowed to address the board later in the meeting.

A week later, Jones apologized to Pinkney for the racist slur that was used.

The Shasta County District Attorneys Office is reviewing the racial slur used by Bielecki after the sheriffs office refiled a report on the incident. The charge under review is disturbing the peace by offensive language, the DA's office has said.

While standing outside the locked chamber on Tuesday, Pinkney told the Record Searchlight that Jones is unfairly singling him out.

"It's clear that Patrick Jones is targeting me directly because of whatever I do, my politics, the fact I get under their skin, who knows?" Pinkney said Tuesday.

Later, Pinkney and Lisa Jensen, his friend and an attorney who used to work for the Shasta County Public Defender's Office, could be seen talking to law enforcement inside the county administration building.

Pinkney said he was told by law enforcement that if he tried to return to the chamber after it was reopened, he would risk being arrested for trespassing. So he first said he would not return.

But Pinkney, accompanied by Jensen, did return to the chamber after it was reopened, in order to hear Shasta County Sheriff Michael Johnson give a presentation to supervisors on strategies for reopening a floor of the jail that has been closed for more than a year due to insufficient staffing.

Pinkney was allowed to stay and no further disruptions took place. Jensen said Pinkney had gotten a text message from the security company saying it was OK to return.

Tuesday's meeting erupted during the public comment period, when a speaker started scolding supervisors for not doing enough to tackle the issues like homelessness and the jail. The speaker criticized the many people who come to the podium during public comment and start talking national politics, and he took exception with those who are working to recall Supervisor Kevin Crye, saying Crye was just elected in November so he deserves a chance.

The meeting quickly devolved into chaos as Pinkney and the speaker started yelling at each other. Before long, many other spectators in the chamber were also yelling out.

More: The Buzz: New Redding bar aims to follow Club 501's footsteps; Chili's still coming here?

The man who got into it with Pinkney declined to give his name or comment to a Record Searchlight reporter.

Defenders of Pinkney said Jones often tells those speaking to address supervisors and not to interact with the anyone seated in the audience. They felt Jones didn't do enough to stop the speaker from engaging with Pinkney and those in the audience.

Others said what Jones did Tuesday was justified because Pinkney was disruptive.

"He (Jones) did give me a warning but those warnings are not lawful and it wasn't lawful for him to try to move me from the building either. He also didn't give those warnings to all of the other people yelling out," Pinkney said.

Chris Chaidez of Securitas, the security company that works supervisors meetings, declined to comment.

David Benda covers business, development and anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly "Buzz on the Street" column. Hes part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, cover breaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 1-530-338-8323. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Shasta supervisors meeting shut down after shouting breaks out
Shaw University has reopened its campus mosque to worshippers after closing it during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Muslim community and Shaw University have reached an agreement to allow worshipers into the King Khalid Mosque again while negotiations over the long-term status of the property continue, the Council on American-Islamic Relations stated in a news release. The fight is not over yet, but the community is back in the masjid.

Area Muslims being able to attend the mosque was a sticking point as Shaw University sought to rezone its historic campus in downtown Raleigh. Several Muslim speakers attended the city meetings and held protests on the Shaw campus.

The Raleigh City Council voted in June to rezone the campus to allow for taller and denser buildings. Many area Muslims had called on city leaders to deny or postpone a vote until concerns over re-opening the mosque were resolved.

City leaders and the city attorney repeatedly said the mosque fell outside the scope of the rezoning request.

The mosque on the campus was built in 1983 with a $1 million donation from King Khalid of Saudi Arabia, and community members said the donation agreement required the mosque to remain open to the public.

Shaw University did not respond to an email from The News & Observer about the mosque. Nigel Edwards, the attorney representing the mosque, also did not respond to an email about the mosque reopening.

Shaw showed good faith, said Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin after Tuesdays City Council work session. And Im really pleased to hear that and see that there was a positive outcome for the community.

Shaw University closed its mosque in 2020. Its Muslim congregation wants it back open.

Muslim congregation mobilizes to reopen Shaw Universitys mosque after the pandemic
Among the 19 people charged in a sweeping RICO indictment in Georgia following a special investigation into potential 2020 election interference in the state are Trevian Kutti, the former publicist for R. Kelly and Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, and former leader of the Black Voices of Trump group Willie Lewis Floyd III.

A grand jury returned a nearly 100-page indictment on Monday, alleging that former president Donald Trump and several of his associates and supporters made concerted efforts to altogether overturn his defeat in the state in 2020, hence the racketeering charges.

Trevian Kutti (left) and Willie Lewis Floyd III, also known as Harrison Floyd (right) (Photos: Twitter)

State prosecutors detailed numerous actions that Trump and his allies carried out to reverse his loss, including attempts to intimidate election workers, promote false election fraud claims, goad state lawmakers into establishing a fake slate of electoral college electors that favored Trump, and one bold attempt to access voting machines in Coffee County to steal data.

Related: You Get an Indictment! You Get an Indictment! : The Top Reactions to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis Filing RICO Charges Against Donald Trump and 18 of His Allies

The indictment alleges that rather than abide by Georgias legal process for election challenges, the defendants engaged in a criminal racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgias presidential election result, Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis said following the indictments release.

Every one of the 19 people named as defendants were charged with violating the Georgia RICO Act, including Kutti and Floyd, who is also known as Harrison Floyd.

Both were also charged with conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements and writings and influencing witnesses. They went to some lengths to intimidate election worker Ruby Freeman and pressure her into falsely admitting that she stole votes and committed election fraud.

According to the indictment, Floyd allegedly recruited another indicted individual named Stephen Lee to arrange a meeting with Freeman.

On the day of the meeting, Freeman met Kutti at a police precinct, and Kutti told Freeman that she could arrange special protections for Freeman to safeguard her from an armed squad of federal agents who would approach her and her family.

Kutti then touted her association with high-profile people and called Floyd, whom she described as a Black progressive crisis manager, very high level, with authoritative powers to get you protection that you need.

Kutti and Floyd then allegedly tried to entice Freeman into revealing some incriminating but bogus information under threat of imprisonment.

A court filing from last year also notes an incident in which Lee went to Freemans home and allegedly knocked on her door, which frightened her and prompted her to call the police three times.

Video below shows the meeting between Kutti and Freeman:

The indictment states that Kutti, Floyd, and Lee unlawfully conspired to solicit, request and importune Ruby Freeman to engage in conduct constituting the felony offense of false statements and writings by knowingly and willfully making false statement and representation concerning events at State Farm Arena in the November 3, 2020 presidential election in Georgia.

Both Kutti and Floyd, along with the other 17 people charged, including Trump, have until Aug. 25 to voluntarily surrender themselves to Georgia authorities. Willis plans to try all 19 defendants together simultaneously.

Other defendants of note include former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and a Trump administration-era Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark. Several lawyers who sided with Trump during the election are named in the indictment as well. Other offenses mentioned in the indictment are violating the oath of a public officer, forgery and false statements.

This is the fourth indictment against Trump this year. He has been previously charged in connection to hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels, mishandling classified documents and a federal election interference indictment that details his alleged incitement of the deadly U.S. Capitol insurrection.
Conventional wisdom has long assumed that Donald Trump probably wouldnt show up to the first Republican primary debate, and, moreover, that he probably shouldnt.

After all, Trump is currently leading by 40 percentage points in national polls. His lead in Iowa is narrower but still dominant. Why would a former president with such a commanding lead deign to elevate his adversaries to rival status?

If Trump shows up next week, he would face not just his nearest competitor, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and his former vice president, Mike Pence, but also ex-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a skilled brawler who has the potential to draw blood. Theres another reason Trump might think twice about debating: By skipping the first debate, Trump could set up DeSantis as everyones de facto target.

The Right Needs to Ask: Why Do These Racists Keep Getting Hired by Us?

Imagine Trump getting to sit on the sidelines and gleefully watch the also-rans turn DeSantis into minced meat. Its not a crazy theory. Christie clearly is not above throwing some elbows at DeSantis, and Vivek Ramaswamy, who is currently in third place, has been critical of DeSantis.

What is more, there is precedent for this scenario.

Trump skipped a 2016 primary debate hosted by Fox News that resulted in a Des Moines Herald headline declaring, ROUGH NIGHT FOR [TED] CRUZ.

Cruz, who is in second place, he got really pummeled last night, Trump boasted after skipping the debate. (For those paying attention, DeSantis 2024 campaign is already being compared to Cruzs failed 2016 bid, which, I realize, is a rather dubious distinction.)

Wouldnt it be brilliant for Trump to, once again, make himself scarce and let the rest of the field do his dirty work?

Except, wheres the fun in that?

Theres a reason Trump ended up returning to the debate stage in 2016: Trump craves attention and fetishizes projecting strengthtwo reasons that his threats to skip this debate may give way to his instincts for combat.

Trump is more likely to follow emotions than defer to some logical strategy (from so-called smart people) of laying low. Though capricious, Trumps process often (and almost magically) redounds to his benefit. And I can envision that happening again.

Donald Trump Is the Quentin Tarantino of GOP Politics

Let me explain.

Trump would enter the debate on the heels of what looks likely to be a fourth indictment coming out of Georgia.

And unlike the indictment leveled by New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg (which helped Trump by causing Republicans to circle the wagons around him), the Mar-a-Lago case and the likely Georgia casewhich both seem to be legally stronghave the potential to hurt Trump.

Now, for a normal politician, one indictment would be enough cause to go into hiding (and avoid interrogation by a debate moderator and attacks by ambitious fellow pols).

Why I Co-Signed the Freedom Conservatism Manifesto

But remember, Trump is not a normal politician. And just as there is precedent for Trump to skip a primary debate, there is also precedent for him to exploit a political debate in an effort to move past a damaging scandal by saying outrageous things and steamrolling his opponents.

Case in point, Trump turned out to be incredibly lucky that a presidential debate occurred on October 9, 2016just two days after the Access Hollywood story broke.

Now, its likely that whoever leaked the Access Hollywood video thought they were delivering the coup de grace by virtue of their impeccable timing, but it had the exact opposite effect.

The debate ironically helped draw attention away from the scandal, which had previously dominated the news cycles.

No normal person could have pulled this off. But instead of being ashamed or contrite, Trump went on offense against Hillary Clinton.

As I said at the time, Trump won that debate by virtue of merely surviving it. A fast-approaching debate turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to Trump, and the timing of the first 2023 primary debate might be similarly helpful.

Heres Why Congress Wont Ban Members from Stock Trading

Put it this way: the more likely it looks that Trump will be indicted for attempting to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia, the more likely it is that he attends next weeks debate.

Lets say he gets indicted, and the evidence they provide is more damning than we thought. Can you imagine the resulting circus? Trump thrives on chaos. He gets out in front of it. That would almost guarantee that he would show up to the debate. Its the exact opposite choice that youd expect from a normal politician.

Its impossible to predict Donald Trumps actions. Trust me, I know. But if I were a betting man, Id bet that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is about to guarantee that he doesnt just show up for an arraignment in Atlantabut that he also shows up in Milwaukee on August 23.

To paraphrase the comedian Ron White, Trump has the right to remain silentbut he doesnt have the ability.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Scott Campbell and Ian Rutter were on the water off the coast of Holland when they noticed something peculiar diving through the waves.

It was extremely rare white harbor porpoise, according to a July 28 Facebook post from ORCA, a nonprofit organization that says its dedicated to the protection of whales, dolphins and porpoises and their habitats worldwide. Only 35 sightings of the unusual creatures have ever been reported.

Campbell and Rutter, who are marine workers, quickly pulled out their phones to film the snow-white creature as it zoomed through the North Sea, ORCA said in an Instagram post.

Harbor porpoises are shy and elusive, but they are seen regularly in the North Sea between the Netherlands and northeast England, ORCA experts said. Campbell and Rutters sighting was so unusual because the porpoise was white, indicating that it likely has leucism.

Leucism is a condition caused by a defect in pigment cell differentiation that typically manifests in reduced melanin production, according to ORCA. Evidence indicates that cetaceans  marine mammals  with leucism can survive well, often better than expected.

The last recorded sighting of a white harbor porpoise was in the U.K. in 2016, the post said. Nearly half of the other 35 reported cases have been in the northeast Atlantic.

Social media users shared their excitement about the sighting.

What a rare sighting, one person commented. Well done for filming it. Amazing.

Fantastic, another person wrote on Facebook.

Kayaker catches glimpse at sea creatures rare behavior, video shows. Craziest thing

Majestic 55-foot sea creature and her baby seen in very rare Australia sighting

Legendary deep-diving sea creature  known for eating squids  spotted in California
When Maira Gutierrez was diagnosed with Chagas disease in 1997, neither she nor her primary care physician had even heard of the malady. She discovered her illness only by chance, after participating in a Red Cross blood drive organized by her employer, Universal Studios. (Universal Studios is owned by Comcast, the same parent company as NBC News.)

The Red Cross tests donated blood for a range of diseases, including Chagas, which is caused by a parasite and can develop silently for decades before causing symptoms. The test detected Chagas in her body, and an MRI years later, in 2013, confirmed it had reached her heart.

They showed me the image with the trace of the parasite to my heart. It was really scary, said Gutierrez, originally from El Salvador. Now 50, she remains healthy but undergoes a battery of tests annually to monitor for heart damage.

Maira Gutierrez discovered she had Chagas disease when she donated blood to the Red Cross in 1997. She struggled to find a doctor who knew something about the condition. (Courtesy Carmen Echeverria)

Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite that causes Chagas, is transmitted through an insect called the triatomine bug, known as the kissing bug, because it usually bites close to the lips. The bugs defecate on the skin, and the feces, which can contain the parasite, can enter a persons body through the nose, mouth, or breaks in the skin.

Chagas disease affects people primarily in rural Latin America, where the insect thrives in thatched roofs and mud walls. It is not transmitted from person to person, except for a mother passing it to a newborn, or through blood transfusions or organ transplants.

But its increasingly present in the United States, where it often goes unrecognized: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates more than 300,000 people living in the country have Chagas, though lack of awareness and testing means only 1% of cases have been identified.

Ruby Harrison, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Georgia, puts triatomine bugs infected with Trypanosoma cruzi parasites to sleep with gas. (Paula Andalo / KFF Health News)

Doctors, researchers, and patient advocates say the U.S. could be doing far more to combat Chagas, which causes serious heart disease in an estimated 30% of infected people and can also lead to crippling digestive problems such as enlargement of the esophagus and colon. They are pushing for increased access to testing and treatment and are optimistic about a new drug thats set for human trials next year. A bill in Congress to up funding for rare diseases, which supporters hope will be debated in the fall, could help too.

Still, in the U.S., there is a tremendous lack of awareness about this disease, said Dr. Rachel Marcus, a cardiologist and the medical director of the Latin American Society of Chagas, who runs a Chagas testing clinic in northern Virginia. We were taught that it is something we dont see in the United States.

A large proportion of those with Chagas are from Latin America, and many are undocumented. Marcus notes that many of those most at risk from Chagas use community health centers that could be testing sites but have limited resources and tend to focus on more common conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

Rachel Marcus, a cardiologist and the medical director of the Latin American Society of Chagas, runs a Chagas testing clinic in northern Virginia. We were taught that it is something we dont see in the United States, she says. (Paula Andalo / KFF Health News)

Chagas initially produces flu-like symptoms but can then go unnoticed for decades while it reproduces in the body. Drug treatments can sometimes eradicate the parasite, especially in its first stages, but the window for early detection is short: It does not stay in the bloodstream for long, instead migrating to tissues and organs where it is harder to detect.

Often by the time a patient sees a doctor, that person has already developed serious complications, including heart rhythm abnormalities or a dilated heart that doesnt pump blood well. Patients may eventually need pacemakers or heart transplants.

It is a disease resulting from systemic failures in the health care system, said writer Daisy Hernandez, author of The Kissing Bug: A True Story of a Family, an Insect, and a Nations Neglect of a Deadly Disease. In her book, Hernandez tells the story of her aunt Dora, who was diagnosed with Chagas in the U.S. Before, in her country, Colombia, she had an exploratory surgery because of a swollen stomach and the doctors told her that she had the intestines of 10 people due to the amount of inflammation. No one suspected it could have been caused by the Chagas parasite.

Author Daisy Hernandez experienced Chagas disease in her family. The real barrier for Chagas care is the inaction, she says. (Courtesy Dhanraj Emanuel)

Hernandez said interviews with over 70 doctors and patients convinced her that the real barrier to Chagas care is inaction.

While a person living in Virginia who is originally from Bolivia [where Chagas is endemic] knows that if diagnosed with Chagas, they should start saving up for a pacemaker, Hernandez said, here, the government does nothing and doesnt even know what the disease is.

Between 6 and 7 million people worldwide live with the parasite. In the U.S., two long-standing drugs have had FDA approval: benznidazole and nifurtimox, which can beat back the parasite but dont always eradicate it. The medications can have serious side effects, and are most effective if given early: Babies born with Chagas have a 90% cure rate if treated within their first year of life.

To combat the disease, doctors familiar with Chagas recommend testing pregnant women from at-risk communities and urge earlier treatments. They also advocate screening all transplant organs. In 2018, a Connecticut man died after receiving a heart infected with the Chagas parasite, prompting a lawsuit and calls for mandatory organ screening. The organization that governs transplant policies in the U.S. recently voted to require such testing.

Few facilities in the country screen for Chagas. Advocates say with greater awareness, many health care providers could conduct initial screenings and, if positive, send results to the CDC for confirmation.

However, building awareness has been an uphill battle. The Center of Excellence for Chagas Disease, the only center in the U.S. dedicated to Chagas diagnosis and treatment, recently suspended operations after its longtime director, Dr. Sheba Meymandi, retired.

Ronald Drew Etheridge, an assistant professor at the University of Georgia, studies the molecular tools used by the Trypanosoma cruzi parasite to make itself at home in various target environments. He is holding the kissing bugs favorite food: blood. (Paula Andalo / KFF Health News)

A pioneer in the diagnosis and treatment of Chagas, Meymandi said she is still working as a volunteer at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, where the center was based, to ensure her patients receive care. The political leadership has stopped supporting the center, and we no longer actively conduct tests, Meymandi said. Now, she refers Chagas patients to the cardiology clinic.

A spokesperson for the countys Department of Public Health wrote in a statement that the center is not technically closed, and that treatment of Chagas patients with heart conditions had been taken over by the cardiology department at the UCLA hospital. But at least for now it is not offering general screening for Chagas infection. California has the most Chagas cases of any state.

Another hope for beating Chagas lies in new drugs. Rick Tarleton, the head of the Tarleton Research Group in the University of Georgias Department of Cellular Biology, said his group had collaborated with Anacor Pharmaceuticals to identify and optimize compounds that could kill the T. cruzi parasites. They had found one.

It could completely eradicate the infection in mice and in nonhuman primates, Tarleton said.

The team tested the compound on 19 macaques at a research center in Texas that had acquired the parasite naturally. The infection was defeated, the monkeys had no significant side effects, and they are still clinically healthy after more than five years.

Tarletons team also observed that some of the parasites can become dormant, making them resistant to drug treatment. As a result, Tarleton said, its critical not only to develop more effective drugs, but to optimize timing of treatments.

Rick Tarleton, right, leads a team of researchers at the University of Georgia that has developed a promising new drug for the treatment of Chagas disease, with researcher Angel Padilla. (Paula Andalo / KFF Health News)

Tarleton and his team hope to launch a clinical trial of the compound next year.

There is also some hope on the political front. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) reintroduced the Study, Treat, Observe, and Prevent (STOP) Neglected Diseases of Poverty Act in February to address the growing health problem posed by maladies like Chagas spreading in low-income communities. The list also includes dengue fever, leprosy, and chikungunya.

Whenever we go into low-income communities and look for these illnesses, we usually find them, said Dr. Peter Hotez, who worked with Bookers office on the legislation and is the dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. Tragically, too often our nation ignores or neglects these communities, and we fail to look.

Meanwhile, Maira Gutierrez, the patient who was lucky to have a diagnosis and a consistent treatment, has some advice for them: Donate blood; at the very least, youll know if you have the parasite, and itll cost you nothing.

This article was produced by KFF Health News, formerly known as Kaiser Health News (KHN), a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF  the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism. KFF Health News is the publisher of California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.

Follow NBC HEALTH on Twitter & Facebook.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
(Bloomberg) -- Singapore presidential hopeful George Goh plans to introduce an annual report card on the presidents performance if hes elected, in a push to create a more open and inclusive office.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The local businessman and former non-resident ambassador to Morocco formally launched his campaign platform on Monday. In a statement, Goh said the proposed annual report card would contain all his activities and decisions made in the year. This includes signing off on bills, speeches made and funds raised.

Looking up government notices in the e-gazette is the only way to know if the president is doing his custodial work, unless the reserves are drawn upon, said Goh. Alternatively, the president can present a report at the end of the six-year term.

This opacity leaves the public unaware of the custodial duties of the president, as what gets publicized are his ceremonial and community role, said Goh.

If elected, Goh also intends to use his philanthropic experience, business network and the status of the office to raise S$1 billion ($737 million) for welfare organizations and small charities that are less recognized.

The 63-year-old had submitted his election eligibility forms on Aug. 4, formally launching his bid for the largely ceremonial role, the Straits Times reported. Singapore plans to hold the elections on Sept. 1 if more than one candidate is running for the post.

Read More: Singapore Sets Campaigning Guidelines as Presidential Race Nears

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Six former Metropolitan Police officers have been charged following an investigation into alleged racist and misogynistic messages exchanged on WhatsApp.

Peter Booth, 66, Robert Lewis, 62, Anthony Elsom, 67, Alan Hall, 65, Michael Chadwell, 62 and 65-year-old Trevor Lewton will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court next month accused of sending grossly offensive racist messages, an offence under the Communications Act.

The charges were brought following an investigation by the Met Polices Directorate of Professional Standards after messages were uncovered by BBC Newsnight, some relating to the Governments Rwanda policy, the flooding in Pakistan and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, in October last year.

Scotland Yard said it made an arrest within hours of receiving the allegations from the BBC and found messages were shared in a closed WhatsApp group over a four-year period.

The men retired from the force between 2001 and 2015 but had all spent time in the Diplomatic Protection Group, now known as the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command.

Working to rebuild trust of public

Commander James Harman, who leads the Mets Anti-Corruption and Abuse Command, said: As soon as we were made aware of these allegations, we acted to launch an investigation. I am pleased that, following the determined work of officers, we have been able to secure these charges.

We are working relentlessly to rebuild the trust of the public which has understandably been dented by a number of high profile incidents and investigations in recent years which have involved officers or former officers.

The honest majority of Met officers are fully behind this work. They are tired of being let down by a minority in policing, and they are aware of the damage poor behaviour can do to our relationship with the communities we serve.

I recognise announcements about the outcome of our investigations may have the potential to cause further public concern, but I hope it demonstrates our absolute commitment to investigate any corrupt and abusive behaviour from the Met.

I hope the public will recognise that we are determined to take the necessary measures to investigate any wrongdoing wherever we find it.

The men are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on Sept 7.

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Former President Donald Trump was indicted on a fourth set of charges. Maui wildfire survivors say they have already been approached by developers. And the wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round  but not if there's no bus driver. Why is there a shortage?

Hey! Laura Davis here. Ready for Tuesdays news? Its ready for you.

 But first: Close your eyes, take a deep breath, unclench your jaw and roll your shoulders. Its National Relaxation Day! Are you chillin? Here are some of our favorite ways to reduce stress.

The Short List is a snappy USA TODAY news roundup. Subscribe to the newsletter here.

Trump faces sweeping charges in Georgia indictment

One person who probably won't be relaxing much today is our former president. Late Monday night, a Georgia grand jury handed down an indictment accusing Trump and a slate of allies of trying to steal President Joe Biden's win in that state during the 2020 election. The indictment is made up of 41 charges against 19 defendants, from Trump to his former attorney Rudy Giuliani and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.  Live coverage + what you need to know.

Young Thug. A group of cheating public school teachers. Now Trump. Why the Georgia prosecutor has been using a law meant for Mafia bosses.

From Mark Meadows to Trevian Kutti: The 18 co-defendants named in Trump's indictment.

President Donald Trump and his Chief of Staff Mark Meadows at the White House on May 8, 2020. Meadows was named as a co-defendant in the Georgia indictment against Trump.

A closer look:

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis launched her investigation of Trump in February 2021. Willis said Trump had opportunities to legally challenge the election's results but chose instead to pursue a criminal scheme.

The legal case revolves mostly around the state's RICO statute, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, which penalizes the activities of individuals engaging in organized crime.

Trump and his campaign criticized the charges, calling them politically motivated as the former president seeks another term.

What everyone's talking about

The Short List is free, but several stories we link to are subscriber-only. Consider supporting our journalism and become a USA TODAY digital subscriber today.

Maui 'is not for sale'

It's only been a week since the devastating fire in Maui, but real estate developers are already on the prowl. Many Maui residents are mourning the loss of their homes and adamantly pledging to stay put after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. But they said they are worried if insurance payouts and government assistance don't come fast enough, survivors may sell to people who will drastically change their community. In the days since the fires began, developers have reached out about acquiring the land they and their families have lived on for years if not generations. Will some property sales be banned? Here's what we know.

 Tuesday's updates: With 25% of the search area covered, officials said at least 99 people were confirmed dead and hundreds are still missing, including children. Follow our live coverage.

In scorched Lahaina, the search for the dead is a grim mission.

No stranger to tragedy, Maui police chief led response to 2017 Vegas massacre.

A woman digs through the rubble of a home destroyed by a wildfire on Friday, in Lahaina, Hawaii.

School bus driver shortage reaches crisis levels

It's that time of year: Kids are headed back to school. But first, they have to get there. What if there's nobody to drive the bus? Much of the country is dealing with a severe shortage of school bus drivers. Routes have been consolidated; pick-up and drop-off times have been pushed earlier and later. Bus driver positions have long been hard to fill, largely because of the jobs expectations and low pay. Since the pandemic, the problem has reached crisis levels. In Chicago, most routes are suspended for the upcoming school year, and across Virginia, districts are desperately trying to find emergency drivers.  A look at the problem.

A break from the news

Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. She loves new Twitter pals and emails from readers: laura@usatoday.com. This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump indictment, Maui wildfires, bus driver shortage: Tuesday's news
A North Carolina man won big with a Maryland Lottery ticket but needed some help from his son to figure out the win was real, officials said.

The 78-year-old Charlotte-area resident was driving to New York to visit family when he stopped in North East to get gas, according to an Aug. 15 news release from the Maryland Lottery. He didnt realize hed leave the rest area with a $50,000 prize.

The retired marina worker bought a Powerball ticket and checked his phone, quickly realizing hed won, lottery officials said.

I was quiet. I wanted to keep it to myself, he told officials.

He called his son to confirm the win and read the numbers to him, officials said.

The mans son started to get worried because his dad wasnt reading the correct numbers back, the release said.

The lucky winner bought a five-line Quick Pick ticket and two lines had the same Powerball number, officials said. The man had read the wrong line and eventually realized his mistake.

It was real and I was a winner. I am glad I found the right line, he said in the release.

The winners only immediate plan for the money is to invest it, officials said.

North East is about 50 miles northeast of Baltimore.

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 wins $2M Powerball prize in North Carolina. Where was the ticket sold?

Womans lunchtime routine leads to big Maryland lottery win. Didnt know what to do

Dad asks son to confirm his big Missouri lottery win. Tell me Im not hallucinating
Roosevelt Stewart, a Republican candidate for South Bend Common Council, has been charged with a Level 6 Felony for allegedly punching and choking his daughter.

SOUTH BEND  A Republican candidate for South Bend Common Council has been charged with a felony for allegedly punching and choking his 15-year-old daughter Monday, according to court documents.

The girl told police that Roosevelt Stewart, 46, bloodied her nose and strangled her after she refused to give him the keys to his car because she believed he was too drunk to drive, a probable cause affidavit filed Tuesday states.

Stewart is the only Republican candidate vying for the Common Council's 2nd District seat in the Nov. 7 municipal elections.

South Bend Police Department officers responded to the 1200 block of North Huey Street on Monday to find Stewart's 15-year-old daughter with a swollen upper lip and blood dripping from her nose, the affidavit states.

Stewart's daughter told police that she and his 5-year-old niece had accompanied him to the liquor store around midnight, according to the affidavit. From there they drove to several of his friends' houses. His daughter took the wheel on the last trip because she believed Stewart was too drunk to drive.

When they reached their home on Huey Street, Stewart began demanding the keys, the affidavit states. His daughter said she was keeping them and going inside.

Stewart is accused of then straddling her, punching her and wrapping both hands around her throat until she felt dizzy. She escaped and called for help. Police took her to the hospital for treatment.

Stewart is being held without bail in the St. Joseph County Jail. He's charged with two counts of domestic battery, one a Level 6 Felony and the other a misdemeanor. In Indiana, domestic battery becomes a felony if committed in the presence of a child younger than 16.

An initial bail hearing in Stewart's case is scheduled for Wednesday at 1 p.m.

The probable cause affidavit filed in support of the charges states "the defendant has significant criminal history under another name." Court documents do not list what that other name is.

St. Joseph County Republican Party Chairman Tyler Gillean, who endorsed Stewart's candidacy this February, released a statement Tuesday afternoon saying the party strongly condemns domestic violence. He did not answer whether the party will strip its support from Stewart.

Stewart's opponent in the 2nd District is Democrat Ophelia Gooden-Rodgers, who won the Democratic primary bid this May. She's vying to replace 2nd District councilor Henry Davis Jr., who gave up his seat to run for mayor.

Email South Bend Tribune city reporter Jordan Smith at JTsmith@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jordantsmith09

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: South Bend Common Council candidate allegedly punches, chokes daughter
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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday called for greater defense and security cooperation with the U.S. ahead of a key summit later this week with President Biden and Japans prime minister.

In a nationally televised address, Yoon told South Koreans that the threat from North Koreas communist totalitarian state is a reality and was persisting against their vision for peace and liberal democracy.

We must never succumb to the forces of communist totalitarianism, Yoon said in the speech marking the 78th Liberation Day, which commemorates the day South Korea broke free from Japanese colonial rule in 1945.

We must not be deceived by those who follow and serve them, he added. At this critical juncture, having faith is of utmost importance. We must stand united in the spirit of solidarity, with an enduring conviction that freedom and democracy will always prevail.

Yoon also underscored his commitment to working with allies across the globe to promote peace and security, including with the U.S. and Japan, now a key ally in the Indo-Pacific region.

The South Korean leader said it was important the allies had agreed to better share their data on missile launches from adversaries and said the country would also work to enhance ties in Europe.

Security of the Korean Peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region is deeply linked to the security in the Atlantic and Europe, he said. Accordingly, strengthening cooperation with NATO is also of great importance.

The speech sends a strong message from South Koreas leader ahead of the highly anticipated trilateral summit with Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at Camp David, Md., on Friday.

Leaders at the summit are expected to discuss rising tensions with North Korea and China in the Indo-Pacific. They will also announce a plan to expand military cooperation on ballistic missile defense and technology development, according to The Associated Press.

North Korea has rapidly expanded its nuclear arsenal and missile tests, creating more uncertainty in the Koreas. Seoul and Washington have begun conducting more military drills on the Korean Peninsula, to the anger of Pyongyang.

Chinas military buildup in the Indo-Pacific and threats against Taiwan are also of deep concern for the U.S. and its allies in the region.

Asked to comment on the upcoming trilateral summit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Tuesday said China opposes relevant countries assembling exclusionary groupings, and practices that intensify antagonism and undermine the strategic security of other countries.

China hopes that relevant countries will act in line with the trend of the times and contribute to regional peace, stability and prosperity, Wang said in a press briefing.

Yoon on Tuesday said the summit will set a new milestone in trilateral cooperation contributing to peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific region.

Since I took office, my administration has vigorously sought cooperation on security and cutting-edge technology with countries that share universal values of freedom, human rights and the rule of law, Yoon said. The [South Korea]-U.S. alliance, forged from universal values, is an alliance of peace and prosperity. Korea and Japan are now partners who share universal values and pursue common interests.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
An animal rights protestor beside a dog in South Korea. Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images

In April this year, South Korea's first lady Kim Keon pledged to try to stop dog meat from being eaten in South Korea.

Her statement was met with backlash from the dog meat industry.

Dog meat has been a traditional food source for centuries in South Korea, but it has been falling for years.

South Korea's dog meat trade appears to be on its last legs.

After being a traditional food source for hundreds of years, its place in South Korean cuisine has become contested over the last few decades.

In 2016, the industry was responsible for supplying about 2 million dogs for meat from about 17,000 dog farms. By 2023, the number of dogs for meat had fallen to around 700,000 to 1 million and the number of farms had fallen to about 3,000 to 4,000.

For centuries, South Koreans have eaten dog meat.

A chef cooks dog meat at a restaurant in South Korea. Chung Sun-Jun/Getty Images

It's thought to regulate body temperature so it was often eaten on hot days. One common stew was called "Mong-Mong Tang," which translates to "woof-woof stew."

Sources: Time, New York Times, Guardian, Guardian

Dog meat isnt only eaten in South Korea. Its consumed in Vietnam, Indonesia, China, North Korea, and across Africa.

A person grills dog meat in Cambodia in 2013. Igor Bilic/Getty Images

According to an animal rights group, in 2017, approximately 30 million dogs were killed in Asia annually for their meat.

Sources: Time, BBC, New York Times, Guardian

South Korea's dog meat trade has come under increasing scrutiny over the last decade.

Dogs look out from a cage at a dog farm during a rescue event in South Korea. Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images

This is partly due to its reputation as a wealthy country, as well as the fact it has a proper dog farming industry.

Sources: Conversation, Time, BBC

Another reason is some of the brutal techniques involved.

South Korean animal rights activists display likenesses of dead dogs during a protest against the dog meat trade in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea. Jung Yeon-je/AFP/Getty Images

In 2018, Marc Ching, an activist with the Animal Hope and Wellness Foundation, told USA Today the issue was really about how the dogs were being killed.

"In Korea, they usually put a noose around the dog's neck and take them out back, hang them, and beat them," Ching said. "Another method is they just smash their head open."

"Sometimes they do electrocution," he said. "They shock them and burn them or de-fur them. With electrocution many times they are still alive. It is terrible."

Sources: Conversation, Guardian, USA Today

The other reason is years of vocal protesting from animal rights groups.

Activists from animal rights groups hold dead puppies retrieved from a dog meat farm during a protest in Seoul, South Korea. Ed Jones//AFP via Getty Images

Protesting has had an impact elsewhere, too. Last month in Indonesia, authorities announced it would ban dogs and cats from being slaughtered at a meat market on the island of Sulawesi after years of opposition by activists and celebrities.

Sources: Time, AP

South Korea's dog meat industry has been on a downward trend for years. In 2016, it supplied about 2 million dogs for meat from about 17,000 dog farms.

Two dogs awaiting slaughter in South Korea. Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images

The farms supplied a variety of dogs including golden retrievers, Labradors, chihuahuas, Huskies, and Rottweilers.

Sources: New York Times, Al Jazeera

By 2023, the number of dogs supplied to restaurants had fallen to around 700,000 to 1 million and the number of farms had fallen to about 3,000 to 4,000.

An activist holds a poster protesting the dog meat trade during a rally in South Korea. Chris Jung/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Sources: New York Times, Al Jazeera, New York Times, Al Jazeera

In 2018, South Korea faced increased international scrutiny when it hosted the Winter Olympics.

A woman poses with her dogs next to Olympic Rings in South Korea. Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/Picture Alliance/Getty Images

The government knew it was coming and offered restaurants cash incentives  2 million won, or around $1,850  to stop serving dog meat and remove any mention of it from their signs.

But it wasn't taken up by many restaurants, and even the few that did accept the offer lost so much business they went back to selling dog meat dishes.

Source: NBC News

The dog meat trade took another hit in June 2018 when a South Korean court ruled that killing dogs to eat them was illegal, although actually eating dog meat remained legal.

Dogs wait in cages at a dog slaughterhouse in South Korea. Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images

In response, Cho Hwan-ro, a dog farm association representative, said, "Cows, pigs, chickens, and ducks are all raised to be consumed. Why not dogs?"

One theory for this resistance is known as "carnism." Social psychologist Melanie Joy told Euro News defined "carnism" as a process of categorizing animals as either companions or farm animals.

When an animal is categorized as a farm animal, it's more palatable for it to be killed and eaten, whereas the killing of companion animals is more difficult to accept. Joy said it was a global phenomenon but specifically applied to specific animals in specific countries.

"We treat different animals very differently simply because we've been conditioned to do so," she said.

Sources: National Geographic, Euro News

Korean dog meat farmers have argued that the dogs they breed are different from dogs kept as pets. But this distinction has narrowed in South Korea over the last three decades.

A woman walks a dog in the South Korean village of Bukchon Hanok. Andia/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

Joo Young Ha, a professor at the Academy of Korean Studies, told NBC News that in the late 1980s, people didn't keep dogs as pets in South Korea. They were primarily a source of meat.

He said it was only in the 1990s that South Korea began to follow Western trends like having dogs as pets. By 2019, almost 5 million South Korean homes had a pet.

Sources: BBC, CNN, NBC News

Suh Eun-kook, a psychology professor at Yonsei University, told CNN that human's have a different relationship with dogs because the animals provide "unconditional satisfaction."

A woman holds a dog over her shoulder at the beach in Gangneung, South Korea. Henrik Schmidt/Picture Alliance/Getty Images

"People judge people but dogs don't judge people," he told CNN.

He added: "This unconditional love from dogs seems to have contributed to a growing popularity of keeping dogs as pets."

Sources: BBC, CNN

In 2021, the government established a task force to review the dog meat industry and consider a ban after a poll showed 84% of the Korean population no longer ate dog meat.

A caged dog looks out during a rescue event following the closure of the farm in Namyangju on the outskirts of Seoul, South Korea. Yung Yeon-Ye/AFP/Getty Images

That same poll showed that only 59% of South Koreans actively wanted to ban dog meat.

So far, after meeting more than 20 times, no ban has been imposed.

Sources: Euro News, Time, BBC

In April, South Korea's first lady Kim Keon-Hee declared she "will try to put an end to dog meat consumption before the tenure of this government ends."

South Korea's first lady Kim Keon Hee exits her motorcade in Washington. Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

"I think that is my duty," she said. In response, dog farmers rallied and made formal complaints against her.

But a South Korean politician named Han Jeoung-ae told Time she applauded Kim's declaration and had put forward a proposed law to end the trade. Her bill would compensate farmers who willingly shut down their farms.

Sources: South China Morning Post, Al Jazeera, Time

Yoon Chu-wol, a dog meat restaurant owner in Seoul, told Time the days of a booming dog trade were already over.

A South Korean dog farmer eats dog meat during an animal protest rally in Seoul, South Korea. Yoon Chu-wol is not pictured. Jung Yeon-je/AFP/Getty Images

"I only earn one-third of the money I used to make," Yoon said. "Young people don't come here. Only ailing old people come for lunch."

Source: Time

It's still unclear if the dog meat industry will be banned.

A chef cooks dog meat soup at a restaurant in Seoul, South Korea. Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images

An association of dog farmers has asked for the chance to keep it going until its main clients  mostly among the elderly  die and the industry naturally disappears, estimating that would happen in about 20 years' time.

Source: Time

But that request has not been agreed to and a number of animal rights groups have said they oppose a slow wind-down of the industry.

South Korean animal rights activists protest against the dog meat trade in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea. Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images

Source: Time

Read the original article on Insider
Just over three weeks after Spain's inconclusive snap election, parliament reconvenes on Thursday under a cloud of political uncertainty which could end in a fresh poll later this year.

The 350 lawmakers elected on July 23 will gather in Madrid for a new parliamentary session to choose a new speaker, although the man who would be kingmaker will be in Brussels, where he has been living in exile since the botched Catalan independence bid of 2017.

In an astonishing twist of fate, it is Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont, who is wanted by the Spanish judicial authorities over his role in the 2017 crisis, who now holds the keys to the fate of Spain's next government.

On Thursday, lawmakers will renew the leadership of the parliament -- the Congress of Deputies -- voting in a new speaker to head the parliamentary bureau, along with four deputies and four secretaries.

It has generated huge interest because it is widely seen as a prelude to the all-important investiture vote for a new prime minister which should take place in early September.

As neither the left nor the right have enough seats to form a working majority, the future of Spain's next government lies in the hands of Puigdemont's hardline separatist party, JxCat -- whose votes will be closely watched on Thursday.

- Dead heat -

Although Alberto Nunez Feijoo's right-wing Popular Party (PP) won July's election with 137 seats, it fell far short of the 176 needed to govern, even with the support of the far-right Vox (33 seats).

With support from a small one-seat regional party, Feijoo could count on 171 ayes in an investiture vote.

Outgoing Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, whose Socialists won 121 seats, has the support of his radical left-wing partner Sumar (31 seats).

He also has the backing of three Basque and Catalan independence parties, plus another small one-seat regional party, also giving him 171 votes.

Ahead of Thursday's vote in which both sides are vying for the role of parliamentary speaker -- the third-highest office in Spain after the king and the prime minister -- both the Socialists and the PP are fighting to win over a single deputy from a small Canary Islands party.

Whether voting for the speaker or in an investiture vote, the successful candidate needs an absolute majority in the first round but only a simple majority in the second.

But the arithmetic is clear -- it will be the votes of Puigdemont's seven JxCat deputies that will decide who wins.

There is no chance that JxCat, which advocates a confrontational approach to the Spanish state, will support the PP.

But the Socialists are hoping it will agree, albeit halfheartedly, to keep the outgoing left-wing government in power.

However a show of tacit support through an abstention would not be enough. To stay in power, the Socialists will need the separatists' actual votes.

- 'Bids getting higher' -

Ahead of Thursday's vote, "constant negotiations are being held, which must be discrete," outgoing Economy Minister Nadia Calvino told public television on Monday.

"I'm confident an agreement will be reached so the progressive majority that emerged from the election will be represented in parliament," she said.

Putting together the parliamentary bureau is "the first step towards bringing back Pedro Sanchez as head of the government as soon as possible", she added.

But the Catalan separatists have set the bar very high, laying out two demands for their support -- an amnesty for anyone pursued by the Spanish justice system over the botched independence bid and a referendum on self-determination.

"We have no interest in negotiating over the investiture of a Spanish prime minister but we are interested in negotiating the resolution of the conflict Spain has with Catalonia," said Laura Borras, one of JxCat's top leaders.

On Monday, Puigdemont broke his post-election silence with a message on social media pointing to the growing tension ahead of Thursday's vote.

"As decisive dates like August 17 loom, there is growing nervousness and the bids get higher," he said, urging his supporters to show "patience, perseverance and perspective".

chz/hmw/gil
Adding volcanic rock dust to cropland could help the world reach a key carbon removal goal, a new study finds.

Rain absorbs carbon dioxide from the air as it falls, and it reacts with rocks on the ground to lock away that carbon. To speed this process, scientists have proposed spreading crushed volcanic rock on farmland. The new study is among the first to model the effect of this strategy, called enhanced rock weathering, at scale.

A simulation of more than 900 croplands spanning an area nearly the size of Australia suggests that enhanced rock weathering could scrub some 64 billion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by the end of this century.

The world currently produces around 37 billion tons of carbon dioxide yearly. To keep warming to 1.5 degrees C, the stated goal of the Paris Agreement, countries must not only slash emissions, but also remove at least 100 billion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Spreading rock dust across all of worlds croplands for the rest of this century, the study suggests, would draw down 215 billion tons of carbon dioxide. The findings were published in the journal Earths Future.

Theres tremendous potential here, study coauthor Noah Planavsky, a geochemist at Yale University, said in a statement. Enhanced rock weathering may even work better as the climate warms because weathering happens faster in hot and humid conditions. Rock dust could also help revive depleted farms and improve yields. And the low cost of crushed volcanic rock would potentially make this strategy attractive for farmers.

ALSO ON YALE E360

How Adding Rock Dust to Soil Could Help Get Carbon into the Ground
Lawrence County Judge-Executive Phillip Carter, who sharply criticized spending at his local library last year during testimony at the state legislature, calling it wasteful, is now feeling heat about spending a little closer to home.

The state auditors office last week issued a report faulting the Lawrence County Fiscal Court for violating the county ethics codes spending and nepotism rules.

For Fiscal Year 2022, the state auditor cited Lawrence County for hiring Carters brother, Donald, as road foreman and paying him $62,108 in salary; for paying $156,987 to a vendor, Amber Lea Contractors, for whom his son-in-law was an officer; and for paying Phillip Carter himself $1,500 for a motor on a pontoon boat at a county park.

The Lawrence County Fiscal Court violated the county ethics code by engaging in multiple transactions with parties who are related to the county judge/executive, which is a violation of the countys adopted ethics code, the state auditors office wrote.

We recommend the fiscal court adhere to the requirements outlined in the county ethics code by refraining from hiring or engaging vendors who are related parties, it wrote.

These transactions also violated federal grant requirements because a portion of the funds the county paid to Carters brother and his son-in-laws firm came from federal money, it wrote.

The fiscal court should refrain from using vendors and employees that could potentially create conflicts of interest when using federal funds, it wrote.

The state auditor referred the matter to the Lawrence County Ethics Commission  which is appointed by the fiscal court  for further review.

During the 2022 General Assembly, Carter was one of the county courthouse leaders championing Senate Bill 167, which tightened their political control over public library boards.

Carter told legislators that the Lawrence County Public Library in Louisa charges residents too much in property taxes and wasted millions of dollars on what he described as a frivolous renovation. (The library responded by saying the project was a 5,000-square-foot addition that is now an open, light-filled childrens section.)

It was a disaster, Carter testified to a Senate committee. We just need some oversight.

Carter declined to be interviewed for this story.

In the countys formal response to the audit, Carter said the county hired his brother as road foreman because he was the only person who met the requirements for the position and would accept the job.

As for the contract to his son-in-laws firm, Carter said, his son-in-law was not listed as an officer of the entity on the day the county accepted the bids. And the judge-executive generally only votes on the fiscal court to break ties or to show unity on certain items, not on every routine business matter, he added.

All future hiring and/or vendor purchases that require ethics commission approval will be submitted to the ethics commission in advance and will be in compliance with all state and federal statutes and guidelines, Carter wrote.
Arizona experiences some of the highest temperatures in the U.S., according to Current Results  and no thanks to rising temperatures worldwide, it will only get hotter.

Five years ago, Arizona resident Stephanie Pullman died from the heat after her electricity was cut off. Now, rules are being put into place to ensure that never happens again, AP News reported.

What happened?

Pullman was a 72-year-old resident of a retirement community in Phoenix. In September 2018, the city faced outdoor temperatures as high as 107 degrees. Thats more than high enough to cause heat stress, bringing with it the risk of heat stroke, as well as worsening any existing health conditions.

According to AP News, Pullman had been behind in her utility payments by $176 but had made a $125 payment the day before, leaving a debt of only $51, which she clearly intended to pay.

However, her electric company, Arizona Public Service, cut off her power the very next day, AP News reported.

Pullman was found dead in her home, AP News said. According to the county medical examiner, her cause of death was listed as environmental heat exposure, which worsened her existing cardiovascular disease.

In 2019, Pullmans family reached a settlement with APS that prevented them from discussing the case, AP News reported. However, others have not forgotten Pullmans unjust end.

How is Pullmans story making a difference?

Just like Pullman, many Arizona residents are facing rising temperatures. At the same time, dirty energy from air-polluting sources like coal and oil is getting more expensive all the time, making it harder for residents to pay.

According to AP News, the 2018 incident paved the way for new regulations that protect Arizonans caught between a rising thermometer and an unpaid electric bill during the U.S. recent historic heat waves. In 2019, Arizonas regulating body for utilities, the Arizona Corporation Commission, placed a temporary ban on power shut-offs during the summer. In 2022, that ban became permanent.

What else is being done to prevent heat deaths?

Unfortunately, some providers are not overseen by the state commission, AP News revealed. Salt River Project, Arizonas second-largest provider, is one, since its a not-for-profit power and irrigation district.

While SRP said it pauses shut-offs on days with extreme heat advisories, Stacey Champion, an advocate for new regulations, told AP News that people have died on hot days when those advisories were not in place. For that reason, shes pushing for tighter regulations.

Stephanie Pullman was the face of the fight that helped put the disconnect rules in place for the big, regulated utilities in Arizona, Champion told AP News. But we need more.

Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more, waste less, and help yourself while helping the planet.
The Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine announced on Aug. 15 that it had seized Hr 7.6 billion ($208 million) worth of assets from Ukrainian oligarch Dmytro Firtash as three more managers of companies under his Regional Gas Company have been charged with stealing gas from the state.

According to the report, charges were pressed against the chairman of the board of AT Kryvorizhgas for causing damages of $5.5 million, the chairman of the board of AT Volyngas over $3.5 million, and the chairman of the board of AT Chernihivgas over $6 million.

The Bureau received evidence of the three suspects stealing gas from the state transmission system in a scheme orchestrated by Firtash, the de facto head of the Regional Gas Company that runs the three named companies.

To compensate for the damages, the state confiscated the property of the three suspects worth $6.7 million and Firtash's assets worth $206 million.

So far, 15 people, including the Regional Gas Company's owner, have been charged in relation to the case, and heads of six regional gas companies are already in custody. Based on the investigation, the scheme caused the loss of state funds of more than $114 million in 2021.

Firtash, formerly a close associate of pro-Russian ex-President Viktor Yanukovych, accumulated much of his wealth by buying Russian gas and selling it in his home country.

U.S. prosecutors charged Firtash with racketeering and bribery in 2014 and he was briefly arrested in Austria before posting bail. The Ukrainian tycoon has so far avoided extradition from Austria's capital, where he resides.

Read also: Media: Belarus gave wanted Ukrainian oligarch diplomatic post to block extradition to US

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
VIRGINIA BEACH  A vacant lot near Naval Air Station Oceana that is owned by a state senator could soon become a temporary laydown area for Dominion Energys $10 billion wind farm project off the coast.

London Bridge Development LLC, owned by Sen. Bill DeSteph, is seeking a conditional use permit from the city for a bulk storage yard on London Bridge Road, between Potters Road and Virginia Beach Boulevard.

The Virginia Beach Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the application Wednesday. The City Council will vote on it soon.

The 18-acre site was previously home to London Bridge Commerce Center and contained several commercial buildings.

In 2011, the city bought the commerce center for $6 million, more than twice as much as the city assessment, to protect the airbase from commercial development. The money came from state funds provided to Virginia Beach, according to the city. The buildings on the site were later torn down.

In May, the Development Authority sold it to London Bridge Development LLC for $1.8 million, which included a $50,000 discount for site cleanup.

The land, which is now zoned industrial, would be used as an equipment storage area for materials related to the wind turbine project including manholes, cable reels, PVC conduit, vibratory caissons (steel piles) and transmission poles, according to the permit application. Also, vehicles including forklifts and crane trucks would be stored on the property.

Dominion Energy currently has two offshore wind turbines, which are capable of powering about 3,000 homes. The company plans to install 176 more, about 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach, by the end of 2026.

Last December, when DeSteph was in the process of purchasing the land, his company was contacted by a realtor who was shopping around for a large space that Dominion could use to store material, the Republican senator said.

The electric service company is a prolific political donor to politicians across Virginia and has contributed more than $100,000 to DeStephs campaigns over the last decade, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

DeSteph also owns more than $250,000 of stock in Dominion Energy, according to VPAP, and he has voted on legislation that affects electric and other utilities. He said he owns several businesses which pay fees for electric service exceeding $1 million a year to Dominion Energy.

Given his many ties to the company, DeSteph sought guidance from the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council in January. The General Assembly created the ethics council, in part, to provide advice as to whether a legislators private interest will affect their official duties.

He inquired whether he could legally accept an offer from Dominion Energy to lease the land his business owns.

Because the lease with Dominion is not going through the states legislative process, DeSteph does not have a conflict, according to the ethics council, which cited the states Conflict of Interest Act.

Provided this business opportunity with Dominion is not being offered in an attempt to influence you in your official duties as a Senator, there is nothing in the Act that would prohibit you from leasing the property to Dominion, wrote the ethics councils executive director, G. Stewart Petoe, in a letter to DeSteph dated Jan. 24.

DeSteph and Dominion both declined to disclose the amount of the lease.

One of the conditions of the application is that the laydown yard can exist for up to five years.

The city recently approved plans for construction of an office/warehouse complex on the site. DeSteph said he plans to eventually build an office/warehouse complex on the site.

Over the last several months, DeStephs company worked with the Virginia Beach Police Department to remove trash and illegal camps where people experiencing homelessness gathered on the property. DeSteph hired some of those individuals to help with the cleanup.

On the site Monday morning, DeSteph pointed out areas where crews found makeshift shelters in the woods near the interstate.

A man who had been living there is now a full-time employee of DeStephs company, helping to cleanup other sites, he said.

Im very proud of what weve done from a redevelopment standpoint but probably proudest of the fact that we were able to save one person and get him back engaged in life, said DeSteph.

Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com
Its the full-throated rallying cry for the Ron DeSantis presidential campaign: Make America Florida.

What a concept: DeSantis has been so effective at governing the third-largest state that as president, he would replicate that success on a grand scale.

But there are problems. Number one, its grammatically awkward (one verb, two nouns). Number two, it sounds like a cheap imitation of Make America Great Again.

Number three, it would be disastrous.

So in other words, copy everything DeSantis has done here to the other 49 states, so the whole country could experience the same misery weve been living with here for four-and-a-half years.

Authoritarianism. Bullying.

Trump  without the charisma.

Shaming and marginalizing minorities. Declaring war on drag queens.

Unprecedented secrecy. Contempt for Floridas once-vaunted sunshine and public records laws.

Appointing political cronies to run our colleges and universities.

Hiring anti-vaxxers to shape public health policy. Banning mask mandates.

Suspending elected officials from office who have broken no laws. Turning a blind eye to political scandals like the ghost candidate schemes that produced actual criminal charges in state Senate races.

Violating the Constitution. Signing laws to suppress the vote.

Gerrymandering congressional districts for partisan advantage at the expense of Black voters.

Fostering censorship in our schools. Rationalizing slavery. Declaring war on Disney because it dared to question him.

Staying silent while Neo-Nazis proudly wave flags with his name on them in Orlando and Tampa.

Choosing judges based on whether or not they belong to the Federalist Society.

Blocking cities and counties from enacting their own green environmental policies with more wind and solar energy.

Misusing taxpayers money to chase down undocumented immigrants in Texas and flying them to Marthas Vineyard.

Sending Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents on politically motivated immigration missions, tarnishing FDLEs prestigious reputation in the process.

Opposing an increase in Floridas minimum wage that voters approved. Signing a law to permanently weaken or abolish public employee unions.

Make America Florida. People here know what that means.

It means stifling dissent; encouraging more people to carry concealed weapons; eviscerating a womans right to an abortion; creating his own police force; having armed police officers round up suspected illegal voters at gunpoint; criminalizing health care for transgender children and adults; and attacking local government home rule.

Sure, lets make America Florida, a state that ranks at or near the bottom in housing affordability, teacher salaries, access to health care and unemployment benefits. A state where millions of people are weighed down with some of the highest car insurance and homeowners insurance rates in the country. And where expanding Medicaid is out of the question.

Is that the kind of America everyone wants?

This list of DeSantis misdeeds only begins to scratch the surface. But there are success stories that he has not emphasized enough that, in a different time, might resonate with Republican voters in Iowa, New Hampshire and elsewhere.

The problem is, its not the divisive culture-war stuff the MAGA base wants to hear.

Under DeSantis, unemployment remains low, the state is fiscally sound and he has lowered taxes  albeit more for billionaires than for the middle class.

He got the bridge to Sanibel Island rebuilt quickly after Hurricane Ian last year. That rebuilt bridge might have been a nifty metaphor for a DeSantis candidacy. But building bridges just doesnt have the in-your-face combativeness of Never Back Down.

To have a sitting governor run for president  especially one who implausibly won his second term by 19 points  ought to be a source of pride, even if you dont agree with him.

When Jeb Bush ran for president in 2016, people across Florida went to Iowa and New Hampshire to campaign for him. It didnt do any good, but the point is, they were proud to be seen with him.

Whos flocking up there now to campaign with the distinctly unappealing DeSantis?

Nobody.

As we watch the slow-motion self-destruction of the DeSantis presidential campaign, we can take solace in the fact that hell likely never have the opportunity to make America Florida.

His widely anticipated flop as a candidate for the White House will be a repudiation of the way Florida has been run since 2019.

That may be good news for the rest of the country, but not for Floridians. For when he finally folds his tent, hell be back.

____

ABOUT THE WRITER

Steve Bousquet is Opinion Editor of the Sun Sentinel and a columnist in Tallahassee and Fort Lauderdale.

___
A suspect accused of stabbing a fellow homeless man to death after lending the victim cardboard to sleep on in a park in Manhattans Chinatown was upset the victim was crowding in on his space, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Feng Huang Yu confessed after he was arrested Sunday for knifing a sleeping Chang Qing Huang in the neck in Columbus Park on Bayard St., according to authorities.

The accused killer regularly sleeps in the parks pavilion, Assistant District Attorney Mathew Fontanez said during the suspects arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court.

Shortly before 3:30 a.m. Sunday, the 48-year-old victim asked Huang Yu, 49, to lend him some cardboard he could use to sleep on inside the pavilion, said Fontanez. Violent thunderstorms were rolling through the city around that time.

Loud enough for a witness to hear, Huang Yu said that he didnt like new people sleeping there but nonetheless gave the victim two pieces of cardboard, the prosecutor said.

Qing Huang lay down on the cardboard and fell asleep with his back to Huang Yu, who then stabbed the victim in the neck from behind, a witness told investigators, according to the criminal complaint against the suspect.

As the suspect got away, the bleeding victim flagged down two cops outside Manhattan Criminal Court..

Qing Huang told police what happened and described his attacker, who was nabbed a few blocks away.

The victim eyeballed the suspect for cops after Huang Yu was nabbed and confirmed he was the killer, Fontanez said. The murder weapon was found in the suspects pocket, he added.

Qing Huang was then rushed by medics to Bellevue Hospital, where he died about 30 minutes later, according to prosecutors.

In 2009, Huang Yu was convicted of felony assault for an unprovoked attack on an elderly man at a homeless shelter, Fontanez said.

Records show he was sentenced to two years in prison and conditionally released on parole in January 2010. In 2018, he was convicted of attempted sexual abuse, sentenced to four years and conditionally released in December 2021. Fontanez said he was a parole absconder at the time of his arrest Sunday.

Huang Yu was ordered held without bail after his arraignment.

His lawyer, Michael Rooney of the Legal Aid Society, said Huang Yu is entitled the presumption of innocence and we caution the public from drawing any immediate conclusions.
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -Sweden plans a new military support package to Ukraine worth 3.4 billion crowns ($313.5 million), consisting mainly of ammunition and spare parts to previously delivered weapon systems, Defence Minister Pal Jonson said on Tuesday.

"We have to prepare ourselves for the fact this could be a long-lasting war and we also have a long-term perspective so that we can support those platforms that we are sending to Ukraine in a lasting manner," Jonson told a news conference.

The new military aid package will be Sweden's 13th to Ukraine since the start of the war, taking the total value of the Nordic country's such aid

to roughly 20 billion crowns.

($1 = 10.8449 Swedish crowns)

(Reporting by Simon Johnson and Johan Ahlander, writing by Anna Ringstrom, editing by Louise Rasmussen)
The Swedish ball bearing maker SKF has confirmed that its factory in Lutsk was damaged in the missile strike on Aug. 15 and that the three people killed were its workers.

According to Reuters, SKF's spokesperson Carl Bjernstam said the company was assessing the damage to the factory but that the primary focus was on the safety of its employees.

The company, which is a major global manufacturer of bearings and seals, employs 1,100 people in Ukraine. The majority of its Ukrainian workforce is employed by the Lutsk factory, Reuters added, citing SKF's latest earnings report.

Lutsk and Lviv oblasts were two western regions hit in a mass missile attack in the early morning of Aug. 15. Lutsk is located approximately 85 kilometers east of the border with Poland.

An industrial enterprise in Ukraines eastern city of Dnipro was also hit in the attack, causing a fire covering over 800 square meters, the regional governor Serhii Lysak reported on Aug. 15.

As of 3 p.m. local time, the attack killed three people and wounded 27, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Aug. 15.

Civilian facilities in eight Ukrainian regions were damaged, including residential buildings, educational institutions, and a hospital, said Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

Read also: Yermak: Russian missiles used for Aug. 15 attack have 30 foreign components





Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
TAIPEI (Reuters) - The leading candidate to be Taiwan's new president, Vice President William Lai, said in an interview on Tuesday that he has no plans to change the island's formal name, but reiterated that Taiwan is "not subordinate" to China.

Beijing dislikes Lai for previous comments saying he is a "practical worker for Taiwan independence" - a red line for China, which views the democratically governed island as part of its territory.

Lai has repeatedly said that he is not seeking to change the status quo and that he is simply stating a fact: that Taiwan is already an independent country called the Republic of China, its formal name, and that only Taiwan's people can decide their future.

"We must abide by the truth  which is what I mean by pragmatism  which is Taiwan is already a sovereign, independent country called the Republic of China. It is not part of the People's Republic of China," he said in an interview with the Bloomberg news agency. "The ROC and PRC are not subordinate to one another. It is not necessary to declare independence. The ROC (Taiwan) is not subordinate to the PRC."

The defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong's communists, who established the People's Republic of China.

"The current name, according to our constitution, is the Republic of China," Lai said, according to a transcript published by his campaign team.

"And in respect to unifying Taiwanese society, President Tsai has used the term Republic of China (Taiwan) to describe our country. I will continue to do so in the future," he added. "There are no plans to change the name of our country."

Taiwan holds a presidential election in January. President Tsai Ing-wen cannot run again after serving two terms in office.

Tsai has repeatedly offered talks with China, which Beijing has rebuffed, and Lai said the door to dialogue is always open as long as there is "parity and dignity".

"We don't want to be enemies, we can be friends. And we would love to see China enjoy democracy and freedom  just like us," he said. "However, until China renounces the use of force against Taiwan, we must strengthen our military capacity."

Lai is in Paraguay for the inauguration of that country's new president. Paraguay is one of only 13 nations to maintain formal ties with Taipei.

He transited through New York on his way there, drawing anger from China, which said he was both a separatist and "trouble maker", and is due back in Taipei on Friday after stopping over in San Francisco.

(This story has been refiled to fix typographical errors in paragraphs 2 and 8)

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard. Editing by Gerry Doyle and Jon Boyle)
Taliban members rejoice on the second anniversary of the fall of Kabul on a street near the US embassy in Kabul

Afghan Taliban celebrate return to power two years on amid erosion of women's rights Taliban members rejoice on the second anniversary of the fall of Kabul on a street near the US embassy in Kabul

By Mohammad Yunus Yawar and Charlotte Greenfield

KABUL (Reuters) -Afghanistan's Taliban marked the second anniversary of their return to power on Tuesday, celebrating their takeover of Kabul and the establishment of what they said was security throughout the country under an Islamic system.

After a lightning offensive as U.S.-led foreign forces were withdrawing after 20 years of inconclusive war, the Taliban entered the capital on Aug. 15, 2021, as the Afghan security forces, set up with years of Western support, disintegrated and U.S.-backed President Ashraf Ghani fled.

"On the second anniversary of the conquest of Kabul, we would like to congratulate the mujahid (holy warrior) nation of Afghanistan and ask them to thank Almighty Allah for this great victory," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.

Afghanistan is enjoying peace not seen in decades but the U.N. says there have been dozens of attacks on civilians, some claimed by Islamic State rivals of the Taliban.

For many women, who enjoyed extensive rights and freedoms during the two decades of rule by Western-backed governments, their plight has become dire since the return of the Taliban.

"It's been two years since the Taliban took over in Afghanistan. Two years that upturned the lives of Afghan women and girls, their rights and futures," Amina Mohammed, deputy secretary-general of the U.N., said in a statement.

Security was tight in the capital on Tuesday, which was declared a holiday. Taliban fighters, supporters and some Kabul residents gathered on streets and vehicles drove slowly in informal parades carrying soldiers and children waving black and white flags.

"Today I've come here to see the commemoration of the second anniversary of the Taliban. It was the day that the enemy of Afghanistan was expelled from our country, that's why I came here to celebrate," said resident Sayed Hashmatullah Sadat.

Several departments, including the education ministry, also held gatherings to celebrate.

"Now that overall security is ensured in the country, the entire territory of the country is managed under a single leadership, an Islamic system is in place and everything is explained from the angle of sharia," Mujahid, the spokesman, said.

In a Kabul tailoring workshop, 27-year old Maryam, who set up the business after losing a job first in an international project, then as a teacher, said she dreaded the anniversary.

"The day ... reminds me of two years ago and I have the same feeling I had two years ago, which was a really terrible feeling," she said.

OBSTACLE TO RECOGNITION

Girls over the age of 12 have been mostly excluded from classes since the Taliban returned to power. For many Western governments, the ban is a major obstacle to any hope of formal recognition of the Taliban administration.

The Taliban, who say they respect rights in line with their interpretation of Islamic law, have also stopped most Afghan female staff from working at aid agencies, closed beauty salons, barred women from parks and curtailed travel for women in the absence of a male guardian.

Journalism, which also blossomed in the two decades of rule by Western-backed governments, has been significantly suppressed.

The detention of media workers and civil society activists, including prominent education advocate Matiullah Wesa, has raised the alarm of human rights groups.

The Taliban have not commented in detail on those issues but say their law enforcement and intelligence agencies investigate activities they consider suspicious to seek explanations.

On the positive side, the corruption that exploded as Western money poured in for years after the Taliban were ousted in 2001, has been reduced, according to the U.N. special representative.

There are also signs that a Taliban ban on narcotics cultivation has dramatically reduced poppy production in what has for years been the world's biggest source of opium.

The Taliban will be hoping the progress will help bring foreign recognition and the lifting of sanctions, and the release of about $7 billion in central bank assets frozen in the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank of New York in 2021, half of which was later transferred to a Swiss trust.

A fall-off in development aid has seen job opportunities shrink and the U.N. estimates more than two-thirds of the population need humanitarian aid to survive.

(Reporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar in Kabul and Charlotte Greenfield in Islamabad; Additional reporting by Reuters TV editing, Robert Birsel and Nick Macfie)
Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has rejected proposals to discuss Ukraine's membership of the North Atlantic Alliance in exchange for territorial concessions to Russia.

Source: The Ministrys position was expressed by its spokesman, Oleh Nikolenko, reports European Pravda

Details: The Foreign Ministry spokesman said that any talk of Ukraine joining NATO in exchange for giving up part of Ukrainian territories was "absolutely unacceptable".

Quote: "We have always assumed that the Alliance, like Ukraine, does not trade territories. The conscious or unconscious participation of NATO officials in shaping the narrative regarding the possibility of Ukraine's giving up its territories plays into the hands of Russia," he said.

"Instead, it is in the interests of Euro-Atlantic security to discuss ways to accelerate Ukraine's victory and full NATO membership," Nikolenko added.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman noted that Ukraine is committed to further "fruitful cooperation with the NATO Secretariat to achieve these goals".

Stian Jenssen, Director of the Private Office of the NATO Secretary General, had suggested that Ukraine could potentially join the Alliance in exchange for territory. However, he emphasised that such a decision should be made by Kyiv alone.

The issue of Ukraine's membership of the Alliance was on the agenda at NATOs Vilnius Summit in July this year. In particular, the NATO Summit agreed to remove the requirement for a Membership Action Plan for Ukraine's path to the Alliance. At the same time, the allies indicated that they would invite Ukraine to join NATO "when conditions are met".

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!






Tan France shared his three tips for dressing well on a European vacation. Trainline

Tan France shared his three tips for dressing well on a European vacation.

The "Queer Eye" star recommends sticking to cotton and linens to beat the scorching European heat.

France also suggests building a travel capsule wardrobe by only packing neutral colors.

Tan France has become famous for his impeccable fashion sense. So who better to trust when it comes to packing for a European vacation?

The "Queer Eye" star recently spoke with Insider about his new style guide with Trainline, and he was happy to spill his top three tips for dressing well in Europe.

Temperatures have been scorching in the top European tourist destinations, and France said it's essential to pack the right fabric for your summer vacation.

"Anything that feels cumbersome is going to feel horrible when you're in a place that doesn't typically have air conditioning, and most places in Europe don't," France said. "Yeah, your hotel will or might. Yes, certain shopping centers will or might. But most places don't, especially people's homes."

Cotton and linens will keep you cool in the European heat. Mathieu Young/Getty Images

France recommends sticking to only cotton and linens when you're planning your Europe wardrobe.

"Really consider the fabrics you're putting on. It doesn't matter what the style is, just make sure the fabrics are breathable," France said. "Yes, you might have a gorgeous silk dress, but silk does not do well in humidity or heat, and you're going to sweat profusely."

"And just understand that you're probably going to have to change a couple of times a day, so taking linens and cottons means you can wash it in your hotel sink and dry it relatively quickly," he added.

France's second tip is building a travel capsule wardrobe by sticking to basics in neutral colors.

Stick to neutral colors when packing, especially if you're only taking a carry-on. Westend61/Getty Images

"If you try and pack a bunch of very unique bold outfits, you'll have room for maybe three and you'll have to do multiple repeats," he said. "Also, remember that your vacation doesn't have to be a Vogue shoot for Instagram. You can wear the same thing over and over again but style them differently and use your accessories to make them look a little different."

And if you want to avoid looking like a tourist, leave the beret and socks with sandals at home.

"A beret is real cute  wear it in America," France said. "Anything that you have seen in a cartoon and you're like, 'Oh my God, Parisians wear this'  that's a cartoon, that's not real life."

France said he always sticks to just a carry-on when he's traveling around Europe because, at the end of the day, it's about the sights  not the style.

"Actually enjoy the vacation," he said. "Don't have a red carpet or runway look for every Instagram post."

Read the original article on Insider
Target reminds its customers to Expect More. Pay Less. But one Iowa shopper recently spotted something that defied expectations.

While at a Target on Aug. 12 in Sioux City, a shopper noticed a large, exotic snake coiled up inside a shopping cart, a local animal control official told McClatchy News.

A local resident posted photos of the snake in a Facebook group called What in the Sioux City is that!?, writing My daughter encountered this little guy at Target today!

The reptile was about 6 feet long, according to KCAU.

The reptile was rescued and is doing just fine, an animal control official said.

Upon discovering the scaly creature, the shopper called animal control, and it was soon removed from the store without incident.

Its a Columbian red tailed boa, the official said. It didnt get harmed or anything. Its under the light getting warm and its doing just fine here.

The snakes, native to parts of Latin America, can grow up to 9 feet, according to the Racine Zoo. They prey on birds, rodents, monkeys and iguanas.

Its not clear how this one got inside the shopping cart, the official said.

Somebody was saying that they thought theyd seen it in the parking lot, the official said. So I dont know if it wandered over from one of the houses around there or if it got dumped.

The snake, which is illegal to own in Sioux City, will be sent to a rescue shelter, the official said.

A Target spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News on Aug. 14.

Sioux City is located on the Missouri River and borders South Dakota and Nebraska.

Search dog went missing in Arizona, but she found a creative way to beat the heat

Vehicle hits and drags officer directing traffic on first day of school, district says

Kidnapped woman was locked in a backyard dog cage and pistol-whipped, Florida cops say
Three months after beating federal corruption charges in court, Andrew Gillum is appealing to supporters once again for donations to his legal defense fund.

In fundraising emails that went out late last week on behalf of the Bring Justice Home Legal Defense Fund, the former Tallahassee mayor expressed profound gratitude for the unwavering support he saw through what he called the arduous process of clearing my name.

The trauma, shame and pain Ive experienced after seven years of being targeted by the very government that I have believed in, fought for and humbly served has shredded the once blind faith in the core institutions that are meant to ensure justice for all, Gillum wrote, adding, I am aware now more than ever of how easily powerful, unchecked institutions can wreak havoc on peoples lives and upend societys faith in the endurance of the American way.

Gillum, who narrowly lost the 2018 governors race to Ron DeSantis, was one of the FBIs targets during its undercover Capital Currency investigation that began in 2015. After a protracted investigation, a federal grand jury indicted him and a close adviser, Sharon Lettman-Hicks, last year on charges they illegally funneled campaign donations to themselves.

But federal prosecutors could not convince a 12-person jury that either committed a crime. The jury acquitted Gillum on a charge that he lied to the FBI and deadlocked on a series of other counts, with lopsided jury votes in favor of acquittal prompting federal prosecutors to drop the case.

The jurors, who sat in the elevated jury box and listened to testimony for hours over the last 10 days, are deliberating in the Andrew Gillum and Sharon Lettman-Hicks trial.

Gillum, once a rising Democratic star, has maintained a low public profile since his courtroom victory, with the fundraising email serving as the latest sign of activity from his camp. He served on the City Commission for 15 years, the last four as mayor, and scored an improbable win in 2018 as the Democratic nominee for governor before narrowly falling to Ron DeSantis.

In March, more than a month before his trial began in Tallahassee, civil rights lawyer and Gillum friend Ben Crump began raising money for the legal defense fund. Gillum was represented at trial by Miami lawyers David Markus and Margot Moss.

Previously, Gillum used donations to his Florida Forward political committee to help cover his legal tab. The committee paid more than $400,000 in bills to the Markus/Moss firm before shutting down in January.

The Bring Justice Home email includes a link to the defense funds payment page that says, Any amount will make a huge difference. The site notes that donations are not tax-deductible.

Former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum leaves the federal courthouse after a jury found him not guilty on making false statements while deadlocking on all other charges against him on Thursday, May 4, 2023.

In his email, Gillum railed against what he called the unaccountable power of those entrusted with upholding justice, which he said left scars that mar the very fabric of our democracy. He called for true reform of the justice system regardless of who benefits, adding that true reform cannot wear a partisan uniform.

Neither Gillum or Crump responded to text requests for comment.

Your support will help to address the legal fees associated with my trial, Gillum said in the message, and set us up to broaden our work and mission to impact the lives of others.

Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or 850-222-1697.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Andrew Gillum rips justice system as he raises money for legal defense
Tarrant County has decided not to audit its TechShare.Courts software program, the online document system that some leaders say is flawed.

Commissioners voted 4-1 Tuesday to reject a proposed $150,000 audit, with commissioner Alisa Simmons voting in opposition.

The program took 12 years to get off the ground. Tarrant County has TechShare software across its courts system to manage documents, but the courts component of the software has has had problems since development began.

Taxpayers have spent more than $28 million on developing the courts software program alone, according to documents from a July 18 work session about the countys involvement in the program.

Travis County and Dallas County originally signed on with Tarrant to develop software each county could sell, but Travis left in 2016 after spending $3.3 million and Dallas backed out after spending $35 million.

Commissioners concerns about the program differ. Some commissioners worry the county will not be able to make money off the software as originally intended because there has been no marketing to promote it.

Meanwhile, Simmons is hard pressed to think the program works. Among commissioners, she has asked the most questions about the countys continued involvement in the program.

The court decided at its July work session to keep being involved in the program, but not spend any more money on developing software.

Commissioner Gary Fickes, who is TechShares representative on the court, said Tuesday that the program works but not perfectly. District Clerk Tom Wilder said the program had 170 open tickets and that there was nothing to hide.

Simmons argued the program should have been perfect after how long the county took to launch it May 1 after months of delays.

County judge Tim OHare told the court Tuesday he wasnt comfortable putting money toward an audit that would tell the county what it already knows  the courts program is flawed and has issues.

OHare said he wished the program was making progress faster, and said that if the commissioners didnt come up with a plan for TechShare moving forward before the new fiscal year it would be first on the priority list once the budget is passed.

Commissioner Manny Ramirez questioned what an outside audit would tell the county, and he said it was too early into the softwares launch to look into an audit.

Im sorry, its not working and we know it, Simmons said.

Commissioner Roy Brooks wanted Simmons to say something that would allow him to support her, but said he hadnt heard it. Throwing the program out and starting over didnt make sense to Brooks, and neither did Simmons suggestion to switch to Tyler Technologys program that Dallas County is having issues with too.

Simmons has told members of the court before that staff have come to her with concerns about TechShare.Courts. Those who have voiced concerns have not made those grievances public because they fear for their jobs, Simmons said.
An Arizona man was arrested after being accused of kidnapping a 14-year-old girl and holding her against her will in an apartment, Utah officials told news outlets.

At 10 p.m. on Aug. 10, the Davis County girl told her mother about her plans to spend the night at a friends house, according to KSL.

At 1:40 a.m., the teen sent her mom a SOS message from her phone telling her she needed help, the outlet reported.

After the teen woke up in the Park City apartment and sent her mom the urgent message, her mother told her to turn on her GPS and sent the location to Summit County deputies, according to FOX 13.

The girl told dispatchers that she was being held against her will, the outlet reported. Deputies spoke with Mark Devine, 32, at the apartment and he told them there was no one else there.

After checking the apartment, deputies found the girl who was allegedly shoved in a closet, according to the affidavit obtained by KUTV.

The teen told officials Devine picked her up and they went to McDonalds to grab food, the outlet reported. She said she didnt remember much after getting food but the next thing she did remember was waking up in an apartment, the outlet reported.

Devine told deputies he was renting the residence via a friend and Airbnb, according to FOX 13.

Devine was booked into the Summit County Jail on Aug. 11 on a felony kidnapping charge, KUTV reported.

Park City is about 30 miles southeast of Salt Lake City.

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The assailant in a road rage incident who fatally shot a teenage passenger early Tuesday morning on Interstate 10 near Tolleson is on the loose, according to authorities.

Brittany E. Gutierrez-Bugarin, 18, of Phoenix, has been identified as the victim, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

Around 12:45 a.m., the Tolleson Police Department asked for help from state troopers on the shooting on 1-10 in the area of 83rd Avenue, according to DPS. A road rage incident between two vehicles westbound on the freeway led to Gutierrez-Bugarin being shot, DPS said. She was taken to Abrazo West Campus hospital in critical condition and died of her injuries, the agency said.

The other vehicle did not remain in the area, according to DPS, which said the investigation into the incident is ongoing.

There is no description on the fleeing vehicle or the suspected shooter, according to DPS spokesman Bart Graves.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to call 1-877-4AZ-TIPS or submit a tip online at azdps.gov/tips by referencing incident I23047127.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Teen shot dead in I-10 road rage incident near Tolleson; suspect flees
Telford and Wrekin Council has now helped all refugees in the borough into permanent accommodation

Permanent accommodation has been provided to 325 Afghan refugees, a council said.

Telford and Wrekin Council said all bridging hotels will close on Friday after the refugees were given permanent accommodation.

The Home Office has given until the end of August for refugees to leave bridging hotels.

Cllr Kelly Middleton said the authority had worked hard to offer the accommodation.

Last month, council leader and chair of the Local Government Association (LGA), Shaun Davies, said there was a risk of Afghan families becoming homeless and ending up in temporary accommodation due to a housing shortage.

Hotels were not meant to be long-term accommodation for Afghans who fled the Taliban in 2021 and they should not be in them "for months or years on end", a government spokesperson said.

In Shropshire, the council said despite the county not having any bridging hotels, they received "allocated capital grant funding from government to acquire up to 13 dwellings by the end of March 2024".

"We hope this funding will help these families to settle in Shropshire, while creating more homes for future needs, and enable these people fleeing conflicts to continue integrating into their communities through work and everyday life here in Shropshire," Dean Carroll, cabinet member for housing, added.

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk
Self-Driving Wars

Talk about poor timing.

As CBS reported this weekend, the self-driving carmaker Cruise caused a major traffic jam on Friday in San Francisco when ten of its controversial robotaxis simply shut down after losing their wireless signals.

Which, of course, would never be a great look. But considering that a large number of San Franciscans are still very much pissed about the fact that California regulators just granted autonomous vehicle firms permission to expand their services throughout the city, this weekend was a particularly inopportune moment for Cruise's cars to go "immobolus" on the city.

https://twitter.com/Cruise/status/1690423649134854145

Bandwidth Battles

Videos of the traffic-stopping event showed Cruise cars paralyzed on San Francisco streets, blinkers on, while lines of human-driven vehicles sat in stand-still traffic behind them.

"Self-driving operations had a complete meltdown earlier in North Beach," reads the caption of a Friday night Twitter-formerly-X post from a user who took several videos of the Cruise-induced slow-down, adding a "wow, WTF!" for good measure.

Later, in response to the post, Cruise blamed the slow-down on a large music festival that was taking place in the area, arguing that the festival vacuumed up all of the city's bandwidth.

"A large festival posed wireless bandwidth constraints causing delayed connectivity to our vehicles," Cruise wrote in its response. "We are actively investigating and working on solutions to prevent this from happening again. We apologize to those who were impacted."

All fine and good, but if you're about to deploy your driverless cars in a city that already doesn't really trust you, you'd probably do better to double-check your wireless connection before Janelle Monae and Kendrick Lamar take up too much precious city bandwidth at Outside Lands. Worse, the entire idea of a car that only works when connected to the internet is just bizarre. What about if there's a natural disaster? A service outage? A need to use the vehicle in a rural area?

And as one concerned San Franciscan pointed out to CBS, traffic slow-downs aren't just annoying. They can also be dangerous.

"If there's an emergency, the emergency vehicle cannot come down through," Jeffrey Bilbrey, a resident of San Francisco's North Beach area, told the news outlet. "They can't roll through those cars."

"We don't need them here," he added. "We did fine before they came here."

Look: missteps happen. But if Cruise and other autonomous carmakers are looking to build trust with residents of the locales they're servicing? This is a hell of a place to start.

More on self-driving cars: People in San Francisco Are Already Having Sex in Self-Driving Taxis
Tesla has quietly launched new Model S and Model X vehicles that are slightly more affordable than their base and Plaid counterparts. The automaker has listed these new offerings as "Standard Range" variants, which are scheduled for delivery in the US sometime in September to October this year. A Model S Standard Range will set buyers back $78,490, while the standard Model X is listed for $88,490. Both prices don't include any savings buyers might get after EV tax credits applicable for their location.

Both prices are also $10,000 less than the base Model S and Model X vehicles. The new EVs, however, have shorter ranges than the other versions in their line: In the case of Model S, the new option has a range of 320 miles, while the base variant can last for over 80 miles longer with its 405-mile range. It also takes 3.7 seconds for new EV to accelerate from zero to 60 mph, whereas it takes 3.1 seconds for the base version to achieve the same speed. Meanwhile, the new Model X has a range of 269 miles, which is definitely shorter than the base variant's 348 miles. It takes the new Model X 4.4 seconds to reach 60mph, longer than the 3.8 seconds it takes the base version.

A white car against a white background with pricing information for Tesla Model S.

As Electrek noted when it noticed the presence of Standard Range vehicles on Tesla's website, it's not clear if the automaker is making battery packs especially for these releases or if it's merely software-locking packs for its EVs with longer ranges. If it's the latter, then Tesla might give customers the opportunity to unlock longer ranges in the future if they're willing to pay for it. The new Standard Range EVs are available for the aforementioned prices in Pearl White with an all-black interior, along with standard wheels and steering wheel. Buyers will have to pay extra for other colors, customizations, and, of course, for Tesla's Enhanced Autopilot ($6,000) and Full Self-Driving Capability ($15,000) features.

Tesla is giving current customers the option to transfer Full Self-Driving to a newly purchased vehicle for free at the moment. That said, they can only take advantage of this one-time amnesty if they take delivery of a new EV between July 20th and September 30th, 2023. Seeing as the new Standard Range vehicles could be delivered after September, buyers should be aware that they might have to pay for FSD again even if they already have it in their current Tesla EV.
The relationship between American tech giants and the Chinese government has never been an easy one. We reported previously how Apple finds itself in a predicament as it strives to conquer the colossal smartphone market in China, the world's largest. The tech giant has to balance appeasing both Beijing and Western politicians, which tend to disagree on data regulation and censorship.

Now as Tesla becomes a major electric vehicle player in China, it finds itself in a similar dilemma. A recent, wide-ranging update to Beijing's anti-espionage legislation is also prompting foreign firms to take a closer look at the risks of operating in the country that has turned national security into a top priority.

Foreign automakers have been in China for decades, but internet-connected vehicles have given rise to a slew of new data-compliance requirements that did not affect traditional carmakers. Tesla has already encountered data security backlashes in the country.

Over the past weekend, local media reported that an airport in a Southern city with a population of 1 million had banned Tesla vehicles from parking due to "confidentiality concerns," though drop-offs and pick-ups are still allowed. An airport worker told the press that "many places have a similar rule."

The policy is supposedly a response to Tesla's "sentry mode." The feature, which uses a car's external cameras to detect suspicious activity when the vehicle is left unattended, is designed to guard against break-ins and thefts. And despite similar features in other local EV makers, Tesla's foreign identity clearly results in more trust issues.

In response to the media attention, Tesla stated in a Weibo post that data generated from Sentry Mode is "only stored offline on the USB device inside the car," and, unlike some other brands, "neither the owner nor Tesla" can remotely view the vehicle's surroundings online.

According to Tesla China's website, Sentry Mode needs to be activated manually in the car's system setting and the camera will only begin recording when a threat is detected, provided that a USB flash drive is also in place. Users "must review and comply with local laws, regulations, and any applicable rules regarding the use of cameras and assume full responsibility," the website notes.

This isn't the first time that Tesla cars have been known to be excluded from public venues. In May 2021, Reuters reported that some government compounds in China had barred Tesla vehicles from entering.

In its Weibo post, Tesla also reminds the public that it had long set up a data localization center in accordance with China's automobile data protection measures introduced in 2021. The guideline, which aims to "protect drivers' privacy and safeguard national security," requires "vital data" to be stored within China if it "involves such things as China's military, government, traffic, and logistics information, as well as electric vehicles' charging networks." Visual information about an airport's surroundings seems to easily fall into one of these categories.

Apple is among the few remaining American tech giants that maintain a significant presence in China. Like Tesla, it faces data privacy issues in the country, but its challenge is amplified by its colossal app store that requires close and timely oversight to ensure app developers adhere to China's intricate internet regulations.

Tesla will soon face a new issue around data isolation once it switches Full Self-Driving on for Chinese users. Speculation has been around for months that the advanced driving feature will be available in China in 2023. The situation presents a dilemma similar to that faced by TikTok in the U.S.: How can a company effectively carry out AI training with foreign user data if it is prohibited from exporting that data to its home country on the one hand, while it's probably reluctant to entrust its foreign staff with its proprietary algorithms to conduct on-the-ground training on the other?

There might be a solution, according to this Twitter user:

One way: Final training doesnt take as long as dev training (less than 1%). Once they have developed the architecture and methods in US they could replicate in PRC on PRC data to train shipping product. There are other ways too.  jimmah (@jamesdouma) August 9, 2023

We shall see the technical viability of such a solution or other methods when FSD finally arrives in China. Privacy challenges aside, it will also take Tesla "at least 12 months" to localize FSD for Chinas complex road conditions, said the former AI head of Tesla's Chinese rival, Xpeng. FSD has a long way to go in the world's largest EV market.
Tara Jones, who lives half a mile from the Blackhorn Environmental oil and gas waste facility near Orange Grove, says she spent almost a year learning the states regulatory rules and investigating the commercial dumping operation. Credit: Jason Buch/Public Health Watch

Less than a year after an oilfield waste disposal site opened near Tara Jones home in 2019, she and her family noticed a foul odor.

They lived a half-mile away, amid the mesquite trees and pastures west of Corpus Christi. But the sour smell from the Blackhorn Environmental Services site was potent.

Jones would later learn her neighbors had been complaining for months about Blackhorns waste pits near the town of Orange Grove, population 1,300. Neighbors later said they sneezed, coughed, got itchy eyes and, on the worst days, felt nauseated.

When the stench reached her house, it became a regular nuisance for Jones, her husband Calvert and their two children  to the degree that she started keeping a written log. She complained to the Railroad Commission of Texas, which regulates the oil, gas and pipeline industries. After one especially bad night, when the odor gave her a headache and made her sick to her stomach, she intensified her efforts. She began filing public records requests with the Railroad Commission and poring over thousands of pages of documents.

The cause of the odor was never determined. But Jones says she discovered she and her neighbors had to agitate and do their own investigations to convince regulators to act.

In 2021, Blackhorn was found to have violated its permit by receiving industrial waste for which it wasnt authorized at the Orange Grove site; the company was sued over the issue by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, or TCEQ. Blackhorn appealed the permit violation, kept operating and wasnt fined by the Railroad Commission.

They [the Railroad Commission] are an entity in existence for the industry and the industry alone, in my opinion, Jones said.

Jones and her neighbors arent the only Texans frustrated with the Railroad Commission, complaining that its policing of waste disposal is weak and doesnt protect public health. The agency, led by three elected commissioners, has been criticized for years by advocacy groups and some lawmakers who accuse the commission of being too cozy with the industries it regulates.

In the small East Texas town of Paxton, for example, residents raised tens of thousands of dollars to fight a proposed oilfield disposal facility, worried it would pollute their drinking water. The Railroad Commission staff last year recommended denying the permit, but commissioners allowed the company to submit a new proposal.

Deep-pocketed businesses can keep pushing permits until protesters run out of resources to fight them, said Virginia Palacios, executive director of Commission Shift, a nonprofit that advocates for the agencys reform.

Amid the criticism, the commission is rewriting regulations for waste-disposal facilities, known as Statewide Rule 8, at the request of industry and legislators. That rulemaking can be lengthy and complex. But Rule 8 hasnt been significantly revised in decades  an era that brought major changes to the oil and gas industry, including the fracking revolution. To adapt, the Railroad Commission has adopted operating procedures that arent part of the formal rules.

Critics say those procedures are too lenient, allowing for lax oversight. Preliminary drafts of the rule obtained by Commission Shift through public records requests show the Railroad Commission is essentially taking their current operating procedure and just codifying it, Palacios said. She added, We definitely dont see any of the public protections in this rule that we would want to see.

Critics are also raising red flags because the process is being led by a commissioner, Jim Wright, who has ownership interests in disposal companies.

Aaron Krejci, a spokesperson for Wright, said it would be premature to discuss drafts of the proposed regulations and provided a statement from the commissioner. The statement said Statewide Rule 8 is badly in need of an update, and modernizing it was one of the catalysts for Wrights candidacy three years ago.

Wright said it is time to update and strengthen this rule to better reflect the technological advancements and modern practices of the 21st century.

Wright ran for office to serve the citizens of our state  not for personal gain, Krejci said, adding that his bosss experience in the industry is an asset to the state of Texas.

He has seen how the actions of a few can tarnish the reputation of an entire industry and give a competitive advantage over those who follow the rules and requirements, Krejci said.

Railroad Commissions role

The Railroad Commission is the states oldest regulatory agency, created in 1891. It hasnt had anything to do with railroads in nearly two decades, instead serving as the primary regulator of the states oil and gas industry, a top economic driver. It also oversees pipelines and coal and uranium mining.

Headquartered in a high-rise near the State Capitol in Austin, the commission has nearly 1,000 employees and 11 additional offices across the state. Its three commissioners, all Republicans, are elected to six-year terms. A small army of permitting staffers, inspectors, hearing examiners and administrative law judges reviews records and recommends whether to grant a permit or propose a fine, but the commissioners make the final decisions.

Its stated mission, authorized by the legislature, requires a delicate balancing act: The commission is charged with promoting economic development through permitted exploration of oil, natural gas and other resources, yet is also responsible for protecting the environment and public health.

A contentious part of its regulatory landscape is the disposal of oilfield waste, created by drilling operations and related industries. The Railroad Commission issues permits to commercial dumping operations, waste pits and drying pads where oil and gas producers pay to dispose of potentially dangerous drilling byproducts. These include fracking water, sand and storage tanks.

Federal and Railroad Commission regulators do not categorize oil and gas waste as hazardous  something environmentalists and public health advocates have criticized. Producers in Texas have argued that chemicals used in oil and gas production are proprietary, and theyre not required to disclose them. Yet as oil and gas production has increased, so has the need for disposal sites, putting them in closer proximity to Texas growing population.

Critics, including landowners, say not only are the elected commissioners too deferential to industries about permits or compliance, they and staff members often take at face value companies representations. Proving a company violated its permit is often left up to residents and community leaders, such as in Orange Grove  a potentially costly and time-consuming exercise.

Companies applying for permits to operate waste facilities conduct their own soil testing and give the Railroad Commission information about the location of wetlands, water wells and aquifers. Commission staff generally accept those as fact, leaving nearby landowners to point out any problems, said Melissa Troutman, a climate and energy advocate who in 2021 co-authored a report about oil and gas waste in Texas.

Depending on whos looking at it at the agency, they might find a problem, or they might rubber-stamp it, Troutman said. Agencies are required to issue permits pretty quickly.

R.J. DeSilva, the Railroad Commissions communication director, said the agency has added a compliance team to address any issues that occur after facilities are permitted and pursue enforcement if needed.

Commission staff take all measures to help ensure community and environmental safety, DeSilva wrote in an email.

Laura Capper, a Houston-based energy consultant who has advised waste disposal companies seeking permits from the Railroad Commission, disputed that the agency rubber-stamps permit applications. She said while the commission rarely does on-site inspections for permits, staff members carefully review information from the companies and check it against public records. Commercial disposal facilities receive greater scrutiny than private sites, where operators dispose of their own waste, and must put up large bonds, which can top $1 million, to cover potential remediation costs, Capper said. She said 99% of companies adhere to regulations, although among regulators there's kind of an assumption that you're playing by the rules.

Two wells of the Paxton Water Supply Corporation, shown here in January 2023, sit about 1,000 yards away from a controversial proposed dump site. Credit: Dylan Baddour/Inside Climate News

Uproar in East Texas

The controversy over waste facilities was evident In February, when the commissions chair, Christi Craddick, was testifying before a state Senate committee about the commissions budget. State Sen. Robert Nichols, a Republican from Jacksonville in far East Texas, began asking questions about why his constituents were spending tens of thousands of their own dollars to fight an oil and gas waste facility.

Texas has less restrictive rules on waste disposal sites than Louisiana, Nichols said, making disposal facilities near the state line tempting places for oil companies to dump. The proposed facility near Paxton was of particular concern. The residents had raised $50,000 to fight the facility, Nichols said.

Your staff has rejected  this application from an administrative standpoint because its right next to an aquifer, next to the city water supply, next to wetlands, things like that, he said. But somehow or another [it] keeps being raised from the dead.

Craddick told Nichols she couldnt comment on a matter pending before the commission beyond saying companies whose permits were rejected have a right to come file new applications.

McBride Operating LLC had applied in 2019 to develop the waste facility with a drying pad, truck washout pad and landfill half a mile east of Paxton. Community opposition quickly grew intense. Neighbors hired lawyers and a geoscientist to contest the permit and try to poke holes in McBrides proposal, particularly its assertion that nearby wetlands and the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer would be safe from contamination. The fight culminated in a two-week hearing before a Railroad Commission administrative law judge in November 2021. The commissions staff recommended denying the permit.

At a public commission meeting in December 2022, however, Wright proposed giving the project developers another chance.

East Texas has certain conditions like shallow groundwater, which makes it difficult to permit a location for the permanent disposal of oil and gas waste, he said. The cost for oil and gas waste disposal in East Texas is high, and I dont want to negatively affect production in the area. However, this need for disposal capacity, dire as it may be, cannot cause the commission to relax its rules and regulations for protection of freshwater.

He made a motion to send the permit application back to the commissions hearings division, giving McBride a chance to fix its permit application.

I myself have constructed safe landfills in similar conditions that handled not just oil and gas waste, but rather industrial hazardous waste, Wright said. In other words, it can be done.

All three commissioners approved the motion. The Railroad Commission held a three-day hearing this spring and hasnt made a recommendation.

John Hicks, a lawyer for McBride Operating, blamed the drawn-out process in part on the neighbors protesting the site, using the term NIMBY, an acronym for not in my backyard. He said an inexperienced Railroad Commission staffer wrote the 2021 recommendation to deny the permit, which Hicks called flawed. He applauded Wrights decision to send the application back for another hearing.

McBride has also had its time and resources burdened in order to disprove the protestants' arguments, Hicks wrote in an email. McBride is also a landowner and is merely seeking to exercise its property rights within the law.

Linda Wheeler, who lives near Paxton, spent two weeks in Austin at her own expense to protest McBrides permit application at the 2021 hearing. But she couldnt leave Paxton to attend the hearing this year because her elderly mother needed care.

I can't tell you how many times they've given [McBride Operating] a chance to fix this, she said. I think they're wanting us to give up.

From left, Texas Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick, agency Chair Wayne Christian and Commissioner Jim Wright listen during a hearing in the William B. Travis Building in Austin. Credit: Dimitri Staszewski for The Texas Tribune

Critics perceptions of conflicts

Wright, a South Texas rancher who was elected to the commission in 2020, probably knows the waste disposal business better than other commissioners and most commission staff.

He says his first job at age 19 was at a hazardous waste facility. In the four decades since  hes 61  he has gone from employee to owner. According to his public financial disclosures, Wright has ownership in three waste-hauling companies regulated by the Railroad Commission; hes president of one and director of another.

Yet Wright came onto the commission as somewhat of an outsider. He defeated an industry-backed incumbent in the Republican primary. He has taken positions that suggested he would serve independently of influence from the oil, gas and waste disposal industries. Among the stances were suggesting on the campaign trail that disposal site permits are too quickly granted and promising to recuse himself on matters involving campaign donors.

But environmental advocates question whether Wright can be an impartial regulator. He once paid fines for environmental violations by a company he had owned. Hes softened his promise on potential conflicts of interest, now saying hell recuse himself only on matters involving contributors who gave directly before a commission vote. Blackhorn executives and McBride Operating are among the dozens of companies, lobbyists, lawyers and executives with ties to the energy industry that have donated to Wrights campaign.

Wright isnt the only commissioner who critics say has conflicts.

Craddick is the scion of a political family that made a fortune in the oil and gas industry and has accepted contributions from people involved in the oil and gas industry, campaign disclosure records show. That includes more than $20,000 from McBride Operating and its owner. Commissioner Wayne Christian, a former legislator, has also received campaign donations from oil and gas interests, including a $100,000 contribution in 2020 from a company whose disposal site hed voted to approve against the commission staffs recommendation. Both Craddick and Christian have received donations from Blackhorn executives. A Paxton landowner opposed to the McBride facility gave several hundred dollars to Christian and Wright.

Asked about a report on commissioners financial ties to industries, Craddick issued a statement in 2021 saying Texas Ethics Commission laws ensure transparency and I take these laws seriously. Christian said during his 2022 race that campaigns are expensive to run but he has never allowed a political contribution to influence his decisions.

Critics of the commission say theyre skeptical Wright can lead a recrafting of Rule 8 regulations to benefit the public good.

When it comes to the waste industry, he has a personal financial interest in it, Palacios said. Its hard to say if he has strong enough environmental values or strong enough concern for public health that it will outweigh his business interests.

Krejci, Wrights spokesperson, said the commissioner owns less than 10% of one of the Railroad Commission-regulated companies listed on his financial disclosures and is not involved in its day-to-day operations. The other two companies also conduct operations regulated by the TCEQ and the federal government, Krejci said.

As a candidate for office and now as commissioner, I base my decisions on what I believe is best for the state and our citizens, Wright said in a statement.

The Rule 8 regulations last underwent an overhaul in 1984 and saw minor changes in the 1990s. When Railroad Commission staff last tried to rewrite the rule 20 years ago  commissioners didnt adopt the changes  they held workshops in five cities and sought public comments. That hasnt happened this time. Commission Shift has accused Wright of soliciting input only from industry representatives.

Krejci said he expects a draft to be posted on the Railroad Commissions website by late summer or early fall. An informal public comment period will occur before the proposed rules are submitted to the commissioners. After that, the proposed rule will be published in the Texas Register for a formal comment period before the commissioners vote on whether to adopt it. While an industry task force has provided input, Krejci said the final product will be the work of Railroad Commission staff and the commissioners. He accused Commission Shift of trying to attach false motives to the commissioners stated goals to provide needed updates to Statewide Rule 8.

Commissioner Wright anticipates the proposed rule will strengthen protections and provide greater clarity for all parties, Krejci said.

A recent draft of the new rules has some changes Commission Shift supports, like requiring more wells to monitor groundwater near waste facilities.

But what were not seeing are stronger standards for protecting the public or the environment, Palacios, the watchdogs executive director, said.

For example, a recent draft of the proposed rule would codify the Commissions laissez-faire policy toward fining permit violators, Palacios said.

Louisiana, in contrast, makes it easier to protest permit applications and limits the number of times a company can amend its application, she said.

Among the changes Palacios would like to see in the new rule: increasing public outreach, strengthening enforcement provisions, more rigorous testing of oilfield waste and requiring a more intensive review of permit applications.

Residents challenge disposal site

In Orange Grove, the odor from Blackhorns disposal site caused neighbors to file dozens of complaints with the state in 2019, the year the facility opened.

In late 2019 and early 2020, investigators from the Railroad Commission and the TCEQ paid regular visits to the facility and nearby properties, records from both agencies show. Jones said inspectors told her that air quality was within the TCEQs jurisdiction, not the commissions. In April 2020, the TCEQ issued a notice of violation to Blackhorn for unpleasant petroleum odors that interfered with normal use and enjoyment of animal life, vegetation, or property, according to a TCEQ environmental investigators summary. But the TCEQ didnt penalize the company.

In 2020, 11 neighbors, excluding the Jones family, sued Blackhorn in a Jim Wells County district court alleging it had failed to notify the Railroad Commission of nearby drinking water wells. The lawsuit also complained of odors that made it unbearable to be outside and seep into the house, causing headaches, runny noses and itchy throats, according to affidavits filed in the lawsuit. Even the complainants dogs had runny noses.

In August 2020, a TCEQ investigator responding to complaints immediately felt nauseous [from the odor] and had to leave the area promptly, according to court filings.

Tara Jones began keeping detailed odor logs in late 2019 at the TCEQs request. The following August, she documented 14 hours of rank odors on one day, 18 and a half hours on another.

One night in December 2020 the Jones family again came home to a foul odor. Tara Jones said she rushed her daughters inside, but the stink had permeated the house. She and her family had a metallic taste in their mouths, and she and her husband got headaches, Jones said.

My headache was so strong, I felt like I was going to throw up, she said.

Jones decided that keeping odor logs and relying on the diligence of regulators was not enough. She familiarized herself with Blackhorns permit and state rules, then began filing requests with the Railroad Commission and the TCEQ for records of waste delivered to the Blackhorn facility, and the tests performed on that waste.

At that point I was like, If theyre not going to do it, Im going to do it, she said.

In April 2021, commissioners voted to renew Blackhorns permit, with Wright noting they would keep monitoring the situation.

Built on a former caliche mine, the Blackhorn Environmental Services oil and gas waste disposal facility includes pits to separate solid and liquid material and other pits where waste is dried before its dumped in disposal cells. Credit: Source: Google Earth

That same day, Tara Jones emailed a lengthy summary of her findings to the Railroad Commission. She alleged that Blackhorn received waste from unlicensed haulers. Jones also asked why waste, identified as backwash and contaminated bottoms in the companys reports to the commission, was being shipped to Blackhorn by a facility owned by Valicor Environmental Services in nearby Robstown. And whether that waste was being tested for toxics, as required.

The following month, the Railroad Commission told Blackhorn it had violated its permit by taking waste from three companies, which Jones had flagged, that werent approved oil and gas waste haulers. It also asked for more information about tests conducted on the Valicor waste. In early June, the Railroad Commission notified Blackhorn it had also violated its permit by accepting waste from Valicor, and the permit would be suspended, commission records show. DeSilva, the commissions communication director, said the investigation of Blackhorn was prompted by a March 2021 inspection of Valicors facility.

Since January 2020, the Orange Grove facility had accepted 644 loads of unpermitted waste from Valicor that hadnt been properly tested for toxics, the Railroad Commission said. The TCEQ later said it tracked 3.8 million gallons and 871 cubic yards of waste from Valicor to the Blackhorn facility.

Blackhorn appealed, denying it had violated its permit. The company was allowed to keep operating pending the commissions decision on the permit suspension.

In a statement to Public Health Watch, Patricia Canales Bell, Blackhorns attorney, wrote that the Valicor material is non-hazardous and chemically and physically similar to traditional oil and gas waste materials that are managed and processed daily at the Blackhorn facility.

TCEQ is investigating Valicors role in unauthorized waste sent to the Blackhorn facility, according to agency records. Valicor declined to comment.

Four days after commission staff issued the June violation notice, the commissioners voted to deny the Jones familys appeal of their decision to renew the permit. Wright said Blackhorn would have to provide more information to prove it was in compliance.

The people of Texas have my word that we will continue to closely monitor this situation, he said.

In November 2021, the Railroad Commission gave Blackhorn a clean bill of health, ending the permit suspension without issuing a fine. The company had stopped accepting unpermitted waste and taken steps to prevent future violations, commission staff said.

The RRCs priority was ensuring the facility was brought into compliance with its permit and that there were no continuing issues, DeSilva, the commission spokesperson, wrote in an email.

Canales Bell, Blackhorns lawyer, wrote in an email to Public Health Watch that the company followed Railroad Commission environmental protection rules. Blackhorn had the waste tested, and the results show that the Valicor material presents no greater concern or threat to human health or the environment when compared to traditional oil and gas waste generated at the well site, Canales Bell wrote.

The Railroad Commission has confirmed that all operations of the Blackhorn facility are in full compliance with every aspect of the issued permit under Statewide Rule 8, she added.

In early 2022, a judge in Jim Wells County dismissed most of the claims in the lawsuit filed by Blackhorns neighbors. A few months later, both sides reached a settlement on the remaining piece of the lawsuit. Neither would share details of the agreement.

Jones and other neighbors were disappointed with the Railroads Commissions decisions. They still didnt know what had been making them sick, and Jones said she thought Blackhorn deserved stiffer penalties.

Theres no incentive to do better, she said. You dont even get a slap on the wrist.

Months after an oil and gas waste disposal facility opened near the home of Tara Jones and her family near Orange Grove, they started noticing a foul odor that would sometimes make them ill. Jones says it took more than a year of agitating before state regulators took action. Credit: Jason Buch/Public Health Watch

Palacios, of Commission Shift, said a draft of the proposed Rule 8 would allow commission staff to more easily monitor the specific waste that is dropped at disposal sites by letting companies submit their manifests electronically. But electronic reporting wouldnt be required. If it were and the commission checked the reports, oversight would be more rigorous than the system in place, which relies on private citizens like Jones to review typed or handwritten manifests and reports, Palacios said.

Jones had to learn how the system functions, then she had to comb through the records line by line when the computer could do this in a split second, Palacios said.

State goes to court

As the Railroad Commission took steps to end the case against Blackhorn, the TCEQ pressed ahead with its investigation.

During a June 2021 inspection, TCEQ asked for records about Blackhorns facility, according to court filings. Blackhorn initially promised to provide the records electronically, but then told inspectors they would have to return to the Orange Grove facility to view them, according to court filings and agency records.

In April 2022, the Texas attorney general sued Blackhorn on behalf of the TCEQ, asking a judge to impose civil penalties for Blackhorns accepting waste from Valicor, which the TCEQ regulated, and refusing to provide the records. Blackhorn has argued in court that the TCEQ doesnt have jurisdiction over the company.

Canales Bell, Blackhorns attorney, said the TCEQs request for records was voluminous and overly burdensome.

The agency never responded to Blackhorns invitation to inspect records at the Orange Grove facility, she said.

Instead, it included this groundless records allegation in its original petition and seeks damages against Blackhorn, Canales Bell said.

That case is pending. Last year, the Railroad Commission gave Blackhorn permission to receive waste from a Superfund site, but that plan was derailed after the TCEQ intervened.

Tara Jones said that when her neighbors rallied to oppose Blackhorns operating permit nearly a decade ago, her family stayed out of it. Her husband works in the oil and gas industry, and they didnt want to bite the hand that feeds them. When other neighbors sued the company over the odors and water wells issue, the Joneses didnt join. But she spent enormous amounts of time trying to figure out what was making her family sick a testament to how miserable they were, she said.

When she heard about the attorney generals lawsuit, she started crying.

It was just so much work, and I wasnt getting any traction from the Railroad Commission, she said. It was almost relief that, hey, somebody really is listening, and hopefully we can get it resolved.

A few months ago, the odor from the waste disposal site returned, although its milder than before, Jones said. She has started keeping an odor log again.

Jason Buch is a freelance journalist based in Texas.

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.

Correction, Aug. 16, 2023 at 10:09 a.m. : A previous version of this story included the incorrect year that Tara Jones and her family again suffered health effects from a foul odor at their home. It was December 2020, not December 2021.
AUSTIN  The international commission that oversees the Rio Grande has determined that nearly all of the buoys installed in the river at Gov. Greg Abbott's order are floating on the Mexican side of the international boundary.

The finding by the International Boundary and Water Commission, which is responsible for border and water treaties between the United States and Mexico, was filed Tuesday by the U.S. Justice Department with the federal court that is overseeing the lawsuit against Abbott and the state of Texas.

A man takes phone footage of buoys used in the Rio Grande to stop unauthorized border crossings on Thursday, July 20, 2023, in Eagle Pass, Texas.

"Comparing the survey results against the International Boundary Line (IBL) between the United States and Mexico, the survey as concurred in by (U.S. and Mexican) Commissioners reflects that the buoy chain crosses the IBL, and that a majority of the floating barrier ... is located within the territory of Mexico," the filing in the federal court's Western District of Texas states.

According to the court document, IBWC representatives from both nations late last month conducted a topographic survey of the section of the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass where the 1,000-foot chain of buoys have been floating since mid-July.

The survey found that only 108 feet of the chain was in American waters.

The court filing did not ask Senior Judge David Alan Ezra to take any immediate action but said the Justice Department "will address the relevance of these facts" in a later filing.

Abbott's office did respond to a call for comment. But lawyers for him and the state have asked Ezra to reject the Justice Department's request that the buoys be removed from the river while the court case plays itself out. Ezra has set a Aug. 22 hearing in Austin on the federal government's request.

More: Texas buoy barriers: Who governs the Rio Grande?

A spokesman for the boundary commission declined to comment on the survey's findings.

"Given that this is in pending litigation and the Department of Justice has filed the suit, we'll let the documents speak for themselves," said IBWC spokesman Frank Fisher.

The government of Mexico filed a complaint in June after Abbott had announced his intention to place the floating barriers in the international river as part of the state of Texas' effort to stem the flow of unlawful migration.

More: Feds ask court to order removal of floating barrier from Rio Grande as lawsuit proceeds

Early this month, after a body was discovered stuck to the floating devices, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador condemned the decision to install the barriers.

Abbott shouldnt act like that," Lopez Obrador said at a Aug. 3 news conference, referring to the Texas governor. "Its inhumane.

It remains unclear whether the buoys played a role in the person's death, but Texas authorities have said the drowning likely occurred upstream and that the river's current carried the body to the barriers.

The federal lawsuit, filed July 24, asserts that Texas had overstepped its authority by installing the devices without seeking approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as required by the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899. Lawyers for Abbott and the state have argued that Texas has a sovereign right to repel what in court filing and public statements they have called an "invasion" by undocumented immigrants and drug smugglers.

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Abbott's buoys were placed mostly in Mexican territory, agency says
FILE - A fire burns at a Shell chemical facility in Deer Park, Friday, May 5, 2023, east of Houston. Texas is suing Shell and is seeking more than $1 million, alleging a fire at the oil giant's Houston-area petrochemical plant damaged the environment. The lawsuit, filed Aug. 7, 2023 in Travis County by the Texas attorney general's office, alleges air and water contamination and violations of state laws at the plant, including those of the Clean Air Act, the Solid Waste Disposal Act and the Water Code.(Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via AP)

AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  Texas is suing Shell and is seeking more than $1 million, alleging a fire at the oil giant's Houston-area petrochemical plant damaged the environment.

The May 5 fire at the plant in the suburb of Deer Park resulted in nine workers being treated at and released from a hospital.

The lawsuit, filed Aug. 7 in Travis County by the Texas attorney general's office, alleges air and water contamination and violations of state laws at the plant, including those of the Clean Air Act, the Solid Waste Disposal Act and the Water Code.

A Shell spokesperson said the company is aware of the lawsuit but does not comment on pending litigation.

The Deer Park chemicals facility remains in a recovery phase as we continue to investigate the cause of the fire and rebuild the damaged portion of the plant, spokesperson Natalie Gunnell said.

The lawsuit contends that heavy black smoke contaminated the environment and that millions of gallons of water used to cool the areas and extinguish the flames were later discharged unlawfully into a lake, a stormwater pond and a wastewater treatment facility, making its way into the Houston Ship Channel.

This is a lawsuit to enforce Texas laws enacted to safeguard the states air resources, human health and the environment against pollution and to protect the quality of water in the state, it said.

The fire started during routine maintenance work when oils and gases ignited, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said at the time.
A Texas woman was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Monday for helping to dispose of the body of U.S. soldier Vanessa Guillen, who was killed in 2020.

Cecily Aguilar, 25, pleaded guilty last year to one count of accessory to murder and three counts of false representation or making a false statement. Aguilar was given the maximum allowable sentence.

"Our hope is that today's sentence brings a sense of relief and justice to the Guillen family, who have endured such pain throughout these past few years," U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas said. "Ms. Aguilar's actions were indefensible, and she will now face the maximum penalty for the choices she made."

According to a criminal complaint, Army Specialist Aaron Robinson, the suspect accused of killing Guillen, told Aguilar he had killed a female soldier at Ford Hood on April 22, 2020, by hitting her in the head with a hammer and that he'd brought the body to a site in Bell County, Texas.

"Subsequently, Robinson enlisted the help of Aguilar in disposing of the dead female's body," the Department of Justice said when federal charges against Aguilar were first announced. "The complaint further alleges that at a later time Aguilar recognized the deceased, whom she helped Robinson mutilate and dispose of, as Vanessa Guillen."

Prosecutors claimed Aguilar aided Robinson in "corruptly altering, destroying, mutilating and concealing evidencethat is, the body of Vanessa Guillenin order to prevent Robinson from being charged with and prosecuted for any crime." She was also accused of making "four materially false statements to federal investigators" during the investigation after Guillen's disappearance.

Robinson shot and killed himself when confronted by police in July 2020.

Guillen's family has said they believe she was sexually harassed during her time at the Texas military base. They filed a lawsuit last year seeking $35 million in damages from the U.S. government. The U.S. Army released a report in April 2021 saying officers at Fort Hood ignored Guillen's complaints of sexual harassment.

Guillen's killing and the subsequent investigation prompted other women to share their own experiences of alleged abuse at the base.

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A Texas woman who admitted she helped mutilate and conceal the body of Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.

According to the U.S. attorneys office in Western Texas, Cecily Aguilar received the maximum sentence for her role in the death of the 20-year-old Army specialist, who disappeared from the base in April 2020. Her remains were found that June in a shallow grave near the base.

Fort Hood, near Killeen, Texas, was renamed Fort Cavazos in May.

Aguilar previously pleaded guilty in November to federal charges of of accessory to murder after the fact and three counts of false statement or representation.

Aguilar, 25, was the girlfriend of Aaron Robinson, another soldier who was the main suspect in Guillens murder. Robinson fatally shot himself as police moved in to arrest him in the early hours of July 1, 2020, in Houston.

You received Justice today, Guillen's older sister Mayra Guillen wrote on social media. Rest easy sister. Today was such a hard day, I learned so many details regarding your death after the fact of its been 3 YEARS. My heart hurts.

During the sentencing hearing, witnesses said Aguilar and Robinson returned twice to the site where Guillen was buried  once to dismember her and once again to pour cement in the grave.

Guillen told family and Army officials she had been sexually harassed at the base before her disappearance.

An Army investigation posthumously confirmed her allegations, which led to 14 officials being removed from their positions, several policy reforms and other military changes.

Her family sued the Department of Defense last year for Guillens wrongful death, but no settlement has been reached and no trial date has been set.

Our hope is that todays sentence brings a sense of relief and justice to the Guillen family, who have endured such pain throughout these past few years, U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas said in a statement.

Ms. Aguilars actions were indefensible, and she will now face the maximum penalty for the choices she made. Im grateful for our law enforcement partners who worked tirelessly on this case, as their dedication was essential in bringing this defendant to justice.

_____
(Bloomberg) -- Move Forward Party, the surprise winner in Thailands May election, ruled out support to a coalition led by its former ally and prime minister candidate Srettha Thavisin, a move likely to give conservative groups a greater say in the formation of a new government.

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The decision to not back the alliance led by Pheu Thai, a party linked to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was unanimous and taken by Move Forward lawmakers at a meeting on Tuesday, the partys Secretary-General Chaithawat Tulathon told reporters.

The denial of support for Srettha risks pushing Pheu Thai toward conservative adversaries and pro-royalist senators, who thwarted Move Forwards previous efforts to form a government under Pita Limjaroenrat. The former property tycoon is set to be nominated by the new bloc that includes some conservative parties and erstwhile members of the Pita-led coalition, which was disbanded after Pheu Thai parted ways.

The current efforts to form a government arent in line with the results of the election, Chaithawat told reporters. We dont want to be a part of this.

Move Forward, which won 151 seats in the 500-member House of Representatives, was the frontrunner to form the government in the weeks after the May 14 election and now risks being relegated to the opposition. Pita was blocked largely due to his partys unwillingness to back down from a pledge to amend royal insult laws and other platforms that may hurt pro-military business elites.

The political gridlock has hurt investor sentiments with Thailands benchmark stock index extending a slump to nearly 9% this year with analysts at Bank of America Corp. expecting further losses. Political parties are now under pressure to end the stalemate and tackle issues such as a fragile economic recovery, high household debt and rising cost of living.

Pheu Thais coalition is backed by 238 lawmakers in the lower house, with conservative-leaning Bhumjaithai Party of cannabis champion Anutin Charnvirakul as its biggest ally. To become prime minister, Srettha will need the support of the majority of 750 lawmakers in a joint vote of the National Assembly, which combines the elected lower house and the Senate thats stacked with allies of the pro-military royalist establishment.

Military Parties

With Move Forward ruling out its support, Pheu Thais options are narrowing and it may have to turn to military-backed parties such as Palang Pracharath and United Thai Nation for support. The coalition will welcome support from these parties and consider including their representatives in the new government, Pheu Thais deputy leader Phumtham Wechayachai said.

Pheu Thai is confident of Sretthas win and the party holds no grudges against Move Forward for not supporting him, its leader Cholnan Srikaew told reporters. The party expects its government to be formed by early September.

House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha is likely to set a new date for premier vote after the nations constitutional court on Wednesday decides on a petition against a parliament decision to deny Pita a second shot at prime ministers job last month.

--With assistance from Pathom Sangwongwanich.

(Updates with comments from Pheu Thai from eighth paragraph.)

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[Source]

A single father in Thailand has tugged on several netizens heartstrings after dressing up as a woman for a Mothers Day event at his daughters school.

What happened: On Aug. 12, which is when Thailand celebrates Mothers Day, Joe Lookphonbodee, 48, attended Ban Noen Kroi Schools special event in Kamphaeng Phet province as the mother of his adopted daughter, Cream. He wore a long-haired black wig and checkered dress.

Lookphonbodee teaches physical education and health education at his daughters school, according to Mothership. His students lovingly call him Teacher Joe or Mr. Pratya.

"When the school organizes Mother's Day activities, I don't want my child to have an inferiority complex," he told Bangkok Biz News, as per Mothership. "Personally, I'm not ashamed because I love my child."

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Going viral: On Saturday, Lookphonbodee posted a video on TikTok with footage of him and Cream taken during the event.

In the video, which has already garnered over 378,000 views and 35,000 likes, Cream can be seen smiling, hugging her father and paying her respects to him.

More from NextShark: 'Love is Blind' cast member called out for allegedly faking tears in unedited interview

"This year's Mother's Day, I want to say I love my father, Cream said, as per Mothership. Thank you father for raising me and making me happy. This life doesn't feel like it lacks anything.

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(Bloomberg) -- Two estranged sons of King Maha Vajiralongkorn flew back to the US after making their first visit in nearly three decades to Thailand, where the royal line of succession remains unclear.

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Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse, 42, and his brother Chakriwat, 40, have lived in the US as commoners after the divorce of their parents in 1996. Their trip captivated Thailand and sent social media abuzz, particularly after the elder brother shared pictures of himself riding the iconic three-wheeled tuk-tuk and eating Pad Thai in Bangkok.

This week flew by so fast, Vacharaesorn told reporters at Bangkoks Suvarnabhumi Airport before their departure early Tuesday. There are many things that we wanted to do and see in Thailand to fill our hearts, but there just wasnt enough time.

Now I have to leave again, but I do hope that my brothers and my family can visit Thailand once more in the not too distant future, the older of the two brothers said. While were gone, we urge you to help preserve Thailand as a country of fairness and equality and unity.

The brothers, who described their visits as a dream come true, didnt appear to have an audience with their father during the trip, and neither did the royal palace formally acknowledge their presence. Vacharaesorn visited a foundation for underprivileged children and wrote a birthday message to his grandmother, Queen Sirikit, according to his Facebook posts.

The visit by the brothers came at a delicate time for the Thai royal family, after the kings eldest daughter and potential heir to the throne collapsed at the end of last year due to a heart condition. The current state of Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendira Debyavati, 44, has not been made known by the palace since early January.

King Vajiralongkorn, 71, hasnt formally appointed an heir since his ascension to the throne in 2016. That has raised questions about royal succession, a sensitive topic in a nation with strict laws prohibiting insults and criticism against the king and his closest family members. The Thai constitution stipulates that the king shall be enthroned in a position of revered worship and shall not be violated.

Vacharaesorns homecoming provides a solution to the succession gridlock, said Pavin Chachavalpongpun, an associate professor at Kyoto Universitys Center for Southeast Asian Studies. This was apparently a stage-managed return, pre-planned with an invitation, and all greenlit. Otherwise, this much media coverage would have been impossible.

Vacharaesorn and Chakriwat are two of the five children of King Vajiralongkorn and his second ex-wife Sujarinee Vivacharawongse, a former Thai actress. The king, then-the crown prince, stripped Sujarinee and their sons of royal ranks after their divorce. Of his children with Sujarinee, only Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya remains in the royal family and lives in Thailand.

Apart from Bajrakitiyabha and Sirivannavari, the king has one other royal child  the 18-year-old Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti. The king has no children with Queen Suthida, 45, whom he married in 2019.

Vacharaesorn and Chakriwat have been active on social media, writing messages to the Thai people and posting pictures of engagements with Thai communities overseas.

Vacharaesorn was last known to work as an attorney at a law firm in New York and has a Thai Heritage Scholarship Fund that awards grants to young Thais growing up in the US to learn about their roots. Chakriwat is a medical doctor who has made more than 100 videos on his YouTube channel focusing on medical issues and diseases.

Weve done nothing wrong all our lives and always heeded our father, Chakriwat said in a Facebook post a few days before his unannounced visit, which followed his elder brothers arrival on Aug. 6. This time, we wanted to prostrate ourselves before His Majesty with love to show our loyalty, he wrote. We dont want to meddle in the institution.

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Thailand goes to second vote for a new prime minister

Thai election winners reject plea to back ally's 'distorted' PM bid Thailand goes to second vote for a new prime minister

By Chayut Setboonsarng and Panarat Thepgumpanat

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's election-winning Move Forward Party declined on Tuesday to back former alliance partner Pheu Thai's bid to form the next government, calling it a distortion of the election outcome and against the will of the public.

The progressive Move Forward was the surprise winner of the May 14 election, closely followed by Pheu Thai, after the two trounced conservative parties in a resounding rejection of nine years of government led or backed by the military.

An alliance between them collapsed after a bicameral parliament over which the royalist military commands significant influence rejected Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat's prime ministerial bid twice last month.

Thailand has been under a caretaker government for five months and Move Forward's refusal to back Pheu Thai could prolong months of political uncertainty exacerbated by the parliamentary deadlock.

"The formation of government now is not reflective of the people's voice ... and distorts the will of the people in the elections," Move Forward secretary general Chaithawat Tulathon told a news conference.

Political veteran Pheu Thai has been accused by critics of outmanoeuvring Move Forward to ensure it leads the government.

Pheu Thai insists it only withdrew its support when it was clear that Move Forward could not win the backing of the legislature, where it encountered resistance to its liberal, anti-establishment agenda.

Despite Pheu Thai's bitter history with the military, it has been lobbying hard for the support of parties and senators allied with generals involved in 2006 and 2014 coups against its governments.

"We do not want to have any part in the formation of government under these conditions," Move Forward's Chaithawat said.

Pheu Thai will nominate for prime minister Srettha Thavisin, a former real estate mogul with no political experience up until the election. To succeed, Srettha needs support from more than half of the joint lower and upper houses, an outcome far from certain.

Pheu Thai leader Cholnan Srikaew said he expected a prime ministerial vote between Aug. 18 and Aug. 22 and he was confident Srettha could still prevail without Move Forward's support.

"We respect Move Forward's decision and we are able to work with all parties," he said.

(Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Editing by Martin Petty)
FORT PIERCE, Fla.  Carlos De Oliveira, the property manager at Mar-a-Lago and third defendant in the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump in Florida, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday.

This was De Oliveiras third court appearance for an arraignment and plea, after delays when he initially failed to secure a local attorney, as rules require in the Southern District of Florida.

The local attorney, criminal defense lawyer Larry Donald Murrell Jr., made the plea on his clients behalf. The proceedings took place in the Alto Lee Adams, Sr. U.S. Courthouse in Fort Pierce, Fla.

De Oliveira stood with Murrell at the lectern when federal Magistrate Judge Shaniek Mills Maynard stepped into the courtroom and said, Good morning. He appeared somber and wore dark glasses while in court and the proceedings took roughly three minutes. He will be tried before a jury.

Three police officers escorted Murrell and De Oliveira out of the courthouse after the arraignment was over. Neither man acknowledged or spoke to shouted questions from reporters.

De Oliveiras appearance came as Trump faces his fourth indictment, this time in Georgia on 41 felony counts. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on Monday night charged Trump and 18 of his allies with racketeering charges, alleging he attempted to corrupt the 2020 election by subverting President Joe Bidens victory in Georgia.



The Department of Justice accused De Oliveira, 56, of trying to delete security footage investigators sought when they were seeking evidence regarding Trumps alleged hoarding of classified material.

His charges include conspiracy to obstruct justice, lying to the FBI and destroying evidence. Miami federal prosecutor Michael Thakur appeared in court on behalf of the federal government.

Murrell, who is from West Palm Beach, will defend De Oliveira alongside D.C.-based attorney John Iving.

Mills Maynard declared De Oliveira all squared away in terms of permanent counsel and ordered the federal government to disclose discovery in the case, including any conflicting evidence or questionable witnesses. I wish you the best of luck, she told the defendant as she ended the arraignment.

De Oliveira, a Portuguese immigrant, worked at Mar-a-Lago for more than a decade after starting out as a maintenance worker and then becoming a valet, according to numerous news reports and the indictment. He was promoted to the role of property manager in January 2022.



DOJ alleges in its indictment that De Oliveira told an IT employee that the boss wanted security video footage deleted after investigators subpoenaed it.

Federal Judge Aileen Cannon will preside over the classified documents trial, which is scheduled to take place in Fort Pierce and tentatively set to begin in May 20, 2024  a time when the Republican presidential nominee is likely to be decided.



Polling shows that the numerous cases against Trump have not hurt him in the polls but have instead strengthened his frontrunner status in the race.

Cannon, a Trump appointee, ordered Murrell to get a security clearance by August 23 so he can consult with De Oliveira about the classified documents in question.

On July 31, De Oliveira first appeared in a Miami federal courthouse. He heard the charges against him and received pre-trial orders, including turning over his expired passport and agreeing to a signature bond.

De Oliveiras second court appearance in the classified documents case was Aug. 10, when Trumps lawyers entered a plea of not guilty on the former presidents behalf following a superseding indictment in the classified. Trump himself did not appear in court at that time, and wasnt required to.

He initially appeared in a Miami federal courthouse in June to plead not guilty. Trump faces 32 counts of willfully retaining national defense information under the Espionage Act and another eight counts connected to alleged obstruction of justice.

Walt Nauta, Trumps personal aide, appeared alongside the former president in Miami in June as a co-defendant in the case. But like De Oliveira, he had to wait another two rounds until he entered a plea with a local attorney.

Federal prosecutors allege that Nauta helped pack Trumps boxes of documents before he left the White House and repeatedly moved them around Mar-a-Lago at the ex-presidents request.
Those desperate to break the deadlock in Ukraine are hoping China will turn on Russia. They shouldn't hold their breath.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands during an official welcome ceremony at The Grand Kremlin Palace, in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, March 21, 2023. Alexey Maishev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo/Associated Press

China's attendance at Saudi peace talks kicked up talk of a growing rift between Xi and Putin.

But China is still benefiting from its relationship with Russia and is unlikely to pull support.

One expert said it was "naive American diplomacy" to think something fundamental between China and Russia had changed.

China has served as a crucial ally to Russia, so it makes sense that those hoping for an end to the war in Ukraine are looking for indications that the "no limits" friendship between the two countries is increasingly on thin ice.

But the idea that China would turn on Russia anytime soon may be little more than wishful thinking.

"US and NATO officials are desperate for something to break the deadlock in the Russia-Ukraine war, and that is driving them to see hope and progress where it doesn't exist," Robert English, a professor at the University of Southern California who studies Russia, the Soviet Union, and Eastern Europe, told Insider. "That's why they hold on to illusions about China, forgetting some hard truths.'"

The truth is that China benefits from the war in Ukraine, cooperates with Russia on defense matters, and provides Moscow with aid even has Western leaders have warned against it. With Russia facing sanctions from the West, China has been able to scoop up discounted oil and gas from Russia, all the while watching the US pour resources into the war  perks that China is unlikely to give up.

Still, reports have suggested that a rift was growing between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin as the war drags on. Talk of a rift was kicked up last week after China sent a delegation to Saudi Arabia to participate in peace talks that included Ukraine but not Russia, which trashed the summit as "doomed to fail."

But it was not the first time China's diplomacy sparked speculation that its stance on the Ukraine war, in which they have claimed to be neutral, was changing  only for Beijing's support to Moscow to continue unabated.

English noted several occasions in which Chinese diplomacy led Western leaders to hope China could be persuaded to abandon Russia, including when Xi spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in April and when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited China in June. But neither of those events translated into China pulling away from Russia.

"It is clever Chinese diplomacy to keep meeting and talking, and it is naive American diplomacy to think that this means something fundamental has changed," English said.

He added threats from the West are also unlikely to turn China against Russia, as Xi knows that Europe is more dependent on trade with China than the other way around.

Simon Miles, an assistant professor at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy and a historian of the Soviet Union and US-Soviet relations, told Insider that China attending the Saudi peace talks was still "bad news" for Putin, who has further isolated Russia. But he agreed China was still benefitting from having Russia as an ally.

"At the end of the day, Xi is still well served by having a close relationship with Russia to balance against Western pressure," Miles said.

As if to support the point, one week after the Saudi peace talks China's defense minister was headed to Russia to show Beijing's support.

"The two countries will continue to advance the China-Russia comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in the new era," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters, apparently doubling down on the "no limits" friendship, according to the Associated Press.

"To put it bluntly, this war is overall good for China and helps its geopolitical interests," English said. "The West needs to stop looking at Chinese behavior through Western eyes, and start understanding it from a Chinese perspective."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Thousands of Hispanic business owners will make their way to Orlando next month for the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce national conference.

Commerce leaders said the attendees in September will spend thousands of dollars while theyre here, which will help boost the Central Florida economy.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said recent travel advisories telling people not to come to Florida hurt those who work in the tourism industry, who he says are majority Hispanic or Black.

If you dont come here, if you dont bring the conference here, we missed the opportunity to help those individuals take care of their families, Demings said.

Read: Central Florida county offers Citizens Police Academy for Spanish speakers

Edwin Lurduy, the owner of Mecados Bakery and Cafe, which has locations all over Orlando, hes seen firsthand how supportive the community is.

With such a high percentage of Latinos and Hispanic people living here and moving here continuously, I think its been an advantage for us to be in Central Florida, he said.

Read: 3 groups sue Florida over voter registration crackdown

His Colombian-inspired bakery started as one small shop and has grown to six locations and a distribution center. Lurduy said he doesnt know if that wouldve been possible elsewhere.

Im able to share part of our culture with everyone that lives in Orlando and Central Florida, not just the Hispanic population but everyone, he said.

Read: Puerto Rico group helps local Hispanic community get connected to medical resources

The U.S. Hispanic Chamber reports that more than 650,000 Latino-owned businesses in the state generate more than a million jobs.

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.
This is an excerpt from our true crime newsletter, Suspicious Circumstances, which sends the biggest unsolved mysteries, white collar scandals, and captivating cases straight to your inbox every week.Sign up here.

As Bryan Kohbergers murder trial approaches for the stabbings of four University of Idaho students, a legal sideshow is taking place: a history professors defamation lawsuit against a TikTok psychic who claims (without any basis beyond her spiritual investigation) that the professor perpetrated the mass killings.

Ashley Guillard, a Texas tarot card reader, said in a series of TikToks that University of Idaho history professor Rebecca Scofield was having an affair with one of the four victims and orchestrated their killings to cover it up. Again, theres no evidence of this  even a judge has called it an outrageous claim  but its resulted in months of legal proceedings in federal court and a wild attempt by Guillard to countersue the professor.

Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves and Maddie Mogen.

Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves and Maddie Mogen.

Guillard began leveling her accusations about 10 days after Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Kernodles boyfriend, 20-year-old Ethan Chapin, were killed in their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, in the early morning hours of Nov. 13. Despite the preposterousness of Guillards claims, they gained traction  or at least attention: Her TikToks were viewed millions of times.

The killings coincided with the height of a new era of internet sleuthing. People were hungry for true crime content, and TikTokers were happy to feed their appetite. One of the most popular types of TikToks, makeup tutorials, fused with true crime, with people dissecting and theorizing cases while disconcertingly dotting their faces with different shades of makeup from a contouring palette.

As weeks went by with no suspect publicly named, the frenzy of theories only increased. Police were forced to dispel a number of rumors spread by TikTokers and other social media platforms who doxed innocent people, harassed local business owners and made villains out of the victims roommates and boyfriends, sorority and fraternity members, and even a guy hanging around a food truck where Goncalves and Mogen picked up pasta shortly before their deaths.

While most amateur crimesolvers followed clues, Guillard relied on her psychic intuition. As U.S. Magistrate Judge Raymond Edward Patricco Jr. pointed out when rejecting her recent counterclaims against Scofield, her spiritual research based on Tarot readings led her to the University of Idaho History Department, which Scofield chaired, and spiritually inquired into each person listed on its webpage. Guillard said she zeroed in on Scofield using her intuitive abilities, spiritual acuity and investigative skills. In TikTok after TikTok, Guillard insisted that Scofield had been romantically involved with Goncalves and enlisted Goncalves ex-boyfriend to kill her and her friends. (Again, theres no evidence Scofield and Goncalves even knew each other.)

Scofields attorneys sent Guillard two cease-and-desist letters, on Nov. 29 and Dec. 8, 2022, demanding that she stop posting and remove all defamatory TikToks and apologize to Scofield. Guillard refused  and, as Scofields defamation suit notes, posted more than 20 new TikToks between Dec. 18 and 19, continuing to paint Scofield as the mastermind behind the killings.

The defamation suit, filed Dec. 21, 2022, claims that Guillard used the communitys pain for her online self-promotion  which could be said for many TikTokers, whether deliberately or simply insensitive to the effects their wild speculation and rumormongering would have on innocent people, the victims loved ones and the investigation itself.

Guillard continued making the claim even after Kohberger was arrested on Dec. 30, saying he was just a pawn in Scofields alleged scheme. Kohberger has pleaded not guilty to the killings, and though many questions remain about the case, a grand jury found enough probable cause to indict him in May.

Flowers and other items are displayed at a growing memorial in front of a campus entrance sign for the University of Idaho on Nov. 16, 2022, in Moscow, Idaho.

Flowers and other items are displayed at a growing memorial in front of a campus entrance sign for the University of Idaho on Nov. 16, 2022, in Moscow, Idaho.

Scofield, who has taught at the University of Idaho since 2016, was in Portland, Oregon, with her husband visiting friends the weekend of the murders. She asserts in her lawsuit that neither the victims nor Goncalves ex-boyfriend attended any classes she taught, and she doesnt recall meeting any of them. Guillard, who lives in Texas, has never been to Moscow.

In the defamation lawsuit, Scofields attorneys said that Guillards TikTok account  which has since been taken down  had more than 100,000 followers and that some of her TikToks claiming Scofield was responsible for the killings had 2.5 million likes. As a result, the lawsuit alleges Scofields name was linked to murder in a basic internet search, tarnishing her reputation, making her the subject of online ridicule and threats from Guillards online commenters and causing her to fear for her and her familys safety.

Guillards statements have caused Scofield significant emotional distress, the defamation lawsuit claims. She fears for her life and for the lives of her family members. She has incurred costs, including costs to install a security system and security cameras at her residence. She fears that Guillards false statements may motivate someone to cause harm to her or her family members.

As the case continues, Scofield is also facing legal bills, and a friend organized a GoFundMe to help defray the costs. But Guillard said in a July 21 court hearing that shes the one taking a financial hit because the suit and its publicity deprived her of the ability to exercise her spiritual practice, while Scofield is gaining money from crowdfunding efforts and grew in popularity and support.

She said she lost sleep  it didnt hurt her at all, Guillard told the judge. She did those things  meaning the killings  thats why she lost sleep.

Guillard continued to lean in: Rebecca Scofield, what I said about her is true.

In her counterclaim, Guillard (who has represented herself in the proceedings) said she planned to subpoena Meta for all messages on Scofields Facebook and Instagram accounts from June 1, 2021, to the present, as well as Scofields Facebook friends list (and anyone she has unfriended), and communications between Scofield and any University of Idaho students, including (but not limited to) the victims and Goncalves ex-boyfriend beginning in June 2021. She also wanted to see any communications that mention Guillards name, social media handles and the word TikTok.

Its an astounding request that the judge criticized as a fishing expedition and a ready, fire, aim approach that is not permitted under federal law as he ruled to dismiss the counterclaim.

In short, Patricco said, the pleading requirement does not provide a key to unlock the doors of discovery for a plaintiff armed with nothing more than conclusions; again, a complaint must be plausible on its face.

Bryan Kohberger listens during a motion hearing regarding a gag order in Latah County District Court on June 9 in Moscow, Idaho. Kohberger is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022.

Bryan Kohberger listens during a motion hearing regarding a gag order in Latah County District Court on June 9 in Moscow, Idaho. Kohberger is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022.

In Guillards counterclaims and comments in the hearing, she portrayed herself as the victim, saying Scofield incited an online riot against her, threatened her livelihood as a spiritual adviser and discriminated against her religion. In response, Wendy Olson, Scofields attorney, said, She can have those beliefs and practice that as a religion, but what she cant do is use them to defame someone. If a religion believes in animal sacrifice, she said, you cant go sacrifice your neighbors dog.

Patricco noted that Guillards attempts to equate her spirituality with a protected religious class is immaterial in this claim. Scofields lawsuit, he said, cannot be read as an attack on [Guillards] spirituality, but on [her] false claim that [Scofield] murdered four people.

This is a motion where facts do not exist at all, Olson told the judge.

Patricco seemed to agree. Based solely on her claimed ability to psychically divine the truth, Defendant makes extraordinary allegations about how Plaintiff orchestrated the murder of four people to cover up a secret, romantic relationship with one of the victims, he said in dismissing Guillards countersuits. These claims are not only conclusory and unverifiable, but arguably so outrageous as to be clearly baseless and, thus, implausible.

If Scofields defamation suit goes to trial, it would begin no earlier than January 2024. Kohbergers criminal trial is set for Oct. 2.

Related...
Tim Mapes was just minutes into his grand jury testimony in Chicagos federal courthouse two years ago when a prosecutor warned that even though Mapes had been granted immunity, he could still be prosecuted for lying.

You understand you are under oath and you are obligated to tell the truth, Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu said near the beginning of the March 31, 2021, inquiry. So if you tell the truth, youre in good shape, if you lie theres a prosecution for perjury potentially in your future. Do you understand that?

Yes sir, Mapes replied.

On Tuesday, the future was now, as federal prosecutors began playing the audio of Mapes grand jury testimony in his own perjury trial, where he stands accused of lying to protect his longtime boss, the once-powerful Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan.

The playing of Mapes testimony offers a rare public glimpse into normally secret grand jury proceedings, lifting the veil on a key manner in which large-scale criminal investigations proceed and detailing some of the cat-and-mouse that goes on between prosecutors and witnesses and their attorneys.

Later Tuesday, prosecutors offered new insight into another politically explosive chapter in Illinois, using undercover recordings and emails to portray the behind-the-scenes response to a sexual harassment scandal that had engulfed Madigans operation in 2018 and threatened his decadeslong run as speaker.

If we want to protect and save MJM (Madigan) we cannot play punchy bags above the belt, Michael McClain, the speakers longtime confidant, wrote in one email to Madigans inner circle of advisers. It is time to be offensive. ... We have to play hardball and quit doing this nicey-nicey stuff on the calls.

Mapes, 68, of Springfield, is charged with perjury and attempted obstruction of justice, accused in an indictment of lying in his answers to seven questions during the more than two-hour testimony.

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.

Prosecutors accused Mapes of lying about his knowledge of the political activities of Madigan and McClain, both before and after Madigan ousted Mapes in June 2018 amid the burgeoning #MeToo scandal.

Those allegedly misleading statements had little effect, as Madigan and McClain were both indicted on racketeering charges last year alleging Madigan was at the top of a criminal enterprise aimed at enriching him and his cronies and maintaining his nearly unfettered political power.

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.

Federal grand juries are the mechanism used by prosecutors to bring an indictment against a defendant. The grand jury  which consists of 23 members of the public who convene over a period of months or even years  operates in secret, issuing subpoenas for records through federal prosecutors and hearing testimony from witnesses before deciding if probable cause exists to believe a crime was committed.

Grand jury proceedings typically come out in court only in snippets of transcripts to buttress other testimony or impeach a witness on the stand.

Given that Mapes was a key member of Madigans inner circle who for years served as the speakers borderline-tyrannical gatekeeper, what he had to say in his grand jury testimony is of keen interest to many Illinois power brokers.

Mapes appearance took place as the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse was still operating under strict COVID-19 protocols, including wearing masks.

Good morning sir Im all the way over here, Bhachu said at the outset of the hearing. Due to COVID we are still social distancing, which is why Im so far away.

Mapes confirmed for Bhachu at the outset of the questioning that his original date to testify was postponed for several weeks so he could prepare for his testimony with his attorney.

After having Mapes describe his typical duties, Bhachu began asking specifically about his relationship with Madigan and what he knew about Madigans closest friends.

Mapes ticked off Madigans law partner, Vincent Getzendanner, insurance and real estate businessman Terry OBrien, and Roger Kiley, a Madigan college friend who served as a top aide to Mayor Richard M. Daley.

Mapes also mentioned longtime House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, a Chicago Democrat, but Bhachu seemed unimpressed with that example, asking, Who else?

Another one might be Mike McClain, Mapes offered hesitantly. At the time, McClain was under indictment for bribery conspiracy in the ComEd Four scheme.

(McClain) was one of my fr sorry strike that, Mapes said, apparently stopping short of calling McClain a friend. He was a member of the legislature before I started.  And then he was also a member of the leadership before he lost his election.

But Mapes, at least in the portion of the recording played so far, did little to underscore the tight political relationship of Madigan and McClain, who served with the speaker when they were both rank-and-file lawmakers in the 1970s and early 1980s and then worked with him closely on government and political issues even while serving as a lobbyist.

Mapes said McClain would stop by the speakers office, sometimes when he was representing a lobbying client and sometimes to say hi.

Prior testimony in the trial indicated McClain, despite his longtime role as a lobbyist, often camped out in a conference room between the offices of Madigan and Mapes in the speakers Capitol suite.

Mapes even played down Madigans longtime admiration of Mayor Richard J. Daley, someone Madigan often spoke about with reverence.

I think he had a respect for him, Mapes said. I dont know about esteem.

Mapes said he remembered Madigan saying Richard J. Daley was a good politician but testified that Madigan didnt say why he thought that.

Later, Bhachu turned his questioning to what Mapes knew about specific figures in the ComEd aspect of the probe, including ex-ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, lobbyist John Hooker, and consultant Jay Doherty, who were all convicted in the ComEd Four case.

Mapes said he was familiar with Pramaggiore since she was often in Springfield advocating for legislation or other things the utility wanted.

Did you ever meet her? Bhachu asked.

Oh yes, Mapes said.

You say, Oh yes. How many times? Bhachu shot back.

After thinking about it for some time, Mapes said, I may have met her 10 times.

Bhachu also asked about Mapes potential employment with ComEd after his resignation in 2018. Mapes said he met with Pramaggiore about possibly doing some lobbying work for ComEd in another state. I think I got a call from her office but I couldnt tell you who it was, he said.

Mapes says he didnt know who identified him as a candidate for a job with ComEd, which prompted Bhachu to ask, somewhat rhetorically, whether someone had just approached him out of the blue.

I received calls from a number of people after I resigned that they thought they might like to do some work with me, Mapes said.

Bhachu also seemed keenly interested in Hooker and his involvement in a lawsuit over redistricting legislation that would have taken power away from the speakers office when it came to redrawing legislative district boundaries every 10 years.

Mapes confirmed he was aware that both Hooker and another former ComEd executive, Frank Clark, were involved in fighting the lawsuit, as was Michael Kasper, one of Madigans top attorneys.

Mapes said he knew little about the litigation  despite being the executive director of the state Democratic Party for years  but that he thought Madigan would have had an interest in the outcome.

His view would have been that the legislature has the constitutional authority to do that, and that was the preferred method, Mapes testified.

Prosecutors are expected to play the rest of Mapes grand jury testimony over the next several days.

Earlier Tuesday, prosecutors sought to support their argument that Mapes fudged in the March 2021 grand jury if he had been aware of any tasks or assignments that Madigan gave McClain in 2017 or 2018 as well as related questions.

Prosecutors played a secretly recorded call from May 30, 2018, where Mapes and McClain talked about the proposed sale of a parcel of land in Chinatown to a developer that had become a focus of the investigation into Madigan.

McClain told Mapes on the call that the land sale was an assignment, as you probably know, a reference to the speaker that prosecutors say shows Mapes was well aware that Madigan was doling out tasks to McClain.

Im trying to get some, uh, legal property transferred. ... And uh its in (state Rep. Theresa) Mahs district, and the guy thats putting a brick on it right now in the senate is, uh, Marty Sandoval, McClain told Mapes on the call.

Its not a good thing to do, Mapes responded about Sandoval, an on-again, off-again Madigan ally who at the time was the powerful head of the Senate Transportation Committee.

Mapes also warned McClain that Mah had an in-your-face style that included body language he found abrasive.

You see the intensity in a really negative way, Mapes said.

After some small talk about meeting for dinner, the two began speaking about how good Hooker, who at the time was ComEds top in-house lobbyist, looked for his age, especially given Hookers recent knee-replacement surgery.

Well you know, (Hooker), everybody was complimenting him, McClain told Mapes. Its like hes rappelling down from heaven to save the day you know?

Prosecutors also played three calls where McClain and Mapes talk about McClain meeting with state Rep. Bob Rita, a Blue Island Democrat who was heading up the massive gambling legislation at Madigans behest.

Immediately after the jury heard those recorded calls, prosecutors played a snippet of Mapes grand jury testimony where hes asked about contact between McClain and Rita.

I dont recall any at all. Any dialogue, Mapes said.

Also Tuesday, lobbyist Will Cousineau made his second appearance on the witness stand in federal court. Cousineau worked closely with Mapes for years as a top political guru on Madigans staff and stayed within a small circle of advisers while Madigan remained in power.

Cousineaus testimony took a brief emotional turn when Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane MacArthur asked if Mapes had recently touched base to wish him happy birthday and again for his anniversary, and if hed gotten the dates right.

Cousineaus voice broke and grew quiet.

He did, replied Cousineau, who worked closely with Mapes.

Cousineaus halting response, as Mapes looked on from the defense table, tapping his pen with a finger, prompted MacArthur to ask Cousineau if he needed a moment to gather himself.

Later, MacArthur pressed Cousineau to give an insiders look at how Madigans tight circle panicked over fears that he could be toppled from his speakership over a February 2018 sexual harassment scandal involving one of the speakers top lieutenants, Kevin Quinn.

Madigan ousted Quinn, the brother of Madigans hand-picked 13th Ward Ald. Marty Quinn, after former campaign aide Alaina Hampton called out Kevin Quinn over a relentless string of emails despite her requests that he stop.

The Hampton allegations set off a cascade of #MeToo moments that ended Madigans association with several misbehaving associates, culminating in the speakers ouster of Mapes over his own scandal in June 2018.

Prosecutors are highlighting the sordid episodes because they are attempting to show that Mapes  before he was jettisoned by Madigan, observed firsthand that McClain worked closely with the speaker on highly sensitive matters.

Under MacArthurs questioning, Cousineau acknowledged the Hampton allegations represented a significant concern for the speakers inner circle.

It was, yes, Cousineau said.

A great concern? she asked.

Yes, Cousineau said.

Cousineau said Madigan supporters feared he would lose his position as speaker.

Cousineau outlined a number of strategy discussions with Madigans most trusted allies, including himself, Mapes and McClain, about the growing scandal.

McClains sword-rattling email on the topic came Feb. 21, 2018, just days after Hamptons allegations, with a subject line that said: I will now do what I have done for 45+ years. Old School but the Truth.

The email called for taking off the gloves to protect Madigan and attempting to place stories with reporters that would counter the #MeToo narrative that was engulfing Madigan.

We have to change the focus. We have to acknowledge that reporters are over worked, under payed and want stories brought to them, McClain wrote.

Cousineau testified they ultimately did not use any of McClains ideas.

Prosecutors also played a recording in which Madigan expressed concern with his inner circle about the independence of a panel of three female elected officials he had appointed to come up with ideas for improving the treatment of women in political environments, including former Rep. Susana Mendoza, the Chicago Democrat who is now state comptroller.

Madigan sounded miffed on the May 1, 2018, call that the panel was looking at communicating with him only through writing and posed the question to his advisers, What do we do with this panel? What do we do with it? Do we do anything with it? Uh, do we just let it go and go and go?

Madigan eventually made it clear he was looking ahead toward trying to preserve his position after the 2018 elections, asking, What do I have to do or what should I do from now until the speakers election?

Cousineaus testimony will resume Wednesday, followed by former state Rep. Lou Lang, who was forced to resign by Madigan following separate #MeToo accusations, which he denied.

Before Cousineau took the stand, prosecutors called Mika Baugher, Madigans former secretary who worked closely with Mapes on the speakers busy schedule.

Baugher says Mapes had great attention to detail and could be overbearing as a boss. I would say he was a very controlling management style. He micromanaged a lot of things.

On June 6, 2018, Mapes resigned. Baugher says he came to my desk and gave me his keys, his badge and his resignation later and he left.

Asked if his resignation was expected or unexpected, Baughers eyebrows shot up.

Unexpected, she said. I mean ... yeah.

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com

rlong@chicagotribune.com
International community must take action to oppose the 'new Cold War'

10:52, August 15, 2023 By Global Times editorial ( Global Times

Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

If recent developments in the three major areas of politics and diplomacy, international trade and economics, and military in the US are looked at together, there will be a chilling discovery. This week, the leaders of the US, Japan, and South Korea will hold a meeting at Camp David, a retreat of US presidents. This kind of summit is the first in the history of these three countries, and its target against China is no longer concealed. According to reports from Japanese media, Japan and the US will also agree this week to jointly develop an interceptor missile "to counter hypersonic warheads being developed by China, Russia and North Korea." As for the executive order on introducing investment restrictions on China recently signed by US President Joe Biden, its negative impacts are spreading and fermenting.

The actions and policy measures of the US mentioned above are all marked by a strong "new Cold War" color and exhibit a trend of continuity and escalating intensity. Can they be characterized as "new Cold War" thinking or actions? This can be discerned through the following four criteria. First, is it confrontational zero-sum competition or cooperative mutual benefit? Second, does it involve ideological delineation or equal exchange, mutual learning, and peaceful coexistence among different civilizations? Third, does it create cliques and alliances for confrontation or does it promote openness, inclusivity, and the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind? Fourth, does it resort to containment and suppression against perceived competitors, or does it engage in benign competition within the scope of international rules and principles? Upon comparison, the answer becomes self-evident.

Just as the drumbeats of the "new Cold War" are becoming more frequent and the smell of gunpowder more suffocating, prominent figures in the White House, including President Biden, have been emphasizing on various occasions that the US "does not seek a "new Cold War"," that "the US must reject neo-containment," and that "Washington should learn from the lessons of the Cold War and the old Cold War construct of blocs is not coherent." This has created a strange scene where there is not just a departure but even a contradiction between the actions and statements of the US, as well as between US self-assessment and the real impressions of the outside world about it. This issue goes beyond American hypocrisy or lack of self-awareness; it harbors a significant underlying risk.

There are at least two possibilities. The first one is that the US knows it is engaged in a "new Cold War" and is well aware that people all around the world, including Americans, strongly oppose and are deeply concerned about a "new Cold War." In other words, the US realizes that this is a highly risky undertaking and therefore would never admit to it. Instead, it might label its actions with a new term to deceive the world.

The second scenario is that the US has actually initiated a "new Cold War," but it does not really think that it is engaging in a "new Cold War." This will have more serious consequences than the first scenario, because the US not only refuses to make a reflection and change its course, but also will gain a stronger "moral drive" from self-hypnosis. In order to wake the US up from its pretended or genuine sleep, the international community needs to strengthen its resistance and criticism against the US' initiation of a "new Cold War" and take actions.

Regardless of what the US diplomatic strategists say or think, their actions speak louder. When faced with international challenges, especially when dealing with countries that have similar power with the US but different political and cultural backgrounds from the US, they habitually and unconsciously refer to the Cold War experience. They sometimes even directly resort to Cold War tactics, without taking off the "Cold War glasses" to view the world and era that have already undergone tremendous changes, even though they may also know that this is wrong and dangerous.

An article in the American magazine Foreign Affairs points out that Cold War history has become a straitjacket constraining how Americans perceive the world, including making Americans struggle to understand gray areas between friend and foe, making negotiations with rivals appear to carry impossibly high stakes and making it hard for Americans to imagine a less-militarized foreign policy.

The deeper the misunderstandings of history and reality, the stronger the limitations and misguidance of Cold War thinking on American foreign policy decision-makers. Binary thinking makes it impossible to understand the complexity and richness of a multipolar world, and severely lacks imagination for the future. The diplomatic strategies and approaches formulated based on this have distorted international politics.

More specifically, Washington has misunderstood history, misjudged the times, and misunderstood the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people. The destructive power of "new Cold War" is world-class, and the fate of all humanity stands at a crossroads. American political elites may believe that the US was the winner of the Cold War, which is controversial, but it is certain that the US cannot be the winner of the "new Cold War" and must bear historical responsibility for today's choices.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
BEIJING, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- China has made serious demarches to Japan over its certain politician's visit to Taiwan and his irresponsible remarks, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a press briefing when asked to comment that according to a Japanese lawmaker who accompanied Taro Aso, Vice President of the Liberal Democratic Party and former Prime Minister of Japan, on his visit to Taiwan, Aso had discussed his remark in Taiwan about "a readiness to fight" and "deterrence" with the Japanese government beforehand, and the remark is in line with Japan's official view.

Taiwan is part of China, Wang said, pointing out that the Taiwan question is purely China's internal affair that brooks no foreign interference.

Wang pointed out that the Cairo Declaration issued by China, the U.S. and the UK in 1943 made it clear that Taiwan and all the other territories Japan stole from China shall be restored to China. Article 8 of the Potsdam Proclamation in 1945 reaffirms this. The Instrument of Surrender signed by Japan in 1945 says explicitly that Japan accepts the Potsdam Proclamation. The China-Japan Joint Statement signed in 1972 when the two sides normalized diplomatic relations states that the Japanese government fully understands and respects the position of the Chinese government that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory and declares the commitment to Article 8 of the Potsdam Proclamation.

Wang said in 1978, the two countries concluded the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between China and Japan, which affirms the principles set out in the joint statement in legal form. The third and fourth political documents concluded in 1998 and 2008 respectively both reiterate Japan's commitment to the position on the Taiwan question stipulated in the joint statement. Japan has more than once made serious commitments to China on the Taiwan question, including not supporting "two Chinas," "one China, one Taiwan" or "Taiwan independence," and only maintaining people-to-people and region-to-region exchanges with Taiwan, Wang added.

"Those are the historical context of the issue, and the principles and position that Japan must abide by," said Wang.

"I wish to stress that the Taiwan question bears on China's core interests, the political foundation of China-Japan relations, and basic trust and principles between the two countries," Wang said, urging Japan to adhere to the one-China principle and the spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan, and take concrete action to honor its political commitment and related statements.

"China is ready to take all measures necessary to firmly safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity," Wang said. 
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) urged former President Trump and his supporters not to interfere with the legal process as it plays out in Georgia following Monday nights indictment.

As a nation built on the rule of law, we urge Mr. Trump, his supporters, and his critics to allow the legal process to proceed without outside interference, the top Democrats in Congress wrote in a joint statement issued late Monday.

Their request comes after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) announced the fourth indictment against Trump since April. The 19 co-defendants face charges related to a conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.

Trump faces 13 new charges, including violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, making false statements and soliciting a public officer to violate an oath.

The fourth indictment of Donald Trump, just like the three which came before it, portrays a repeated pattern of criminal activity by the former president, the Democratic leaders wrote. This latest indictment details how Mr. Trump led a months-long plot pushing the Big Lie to steal an election, undermine our democracy, and overturn the will of the people of Georgia.

The actions taken by the Fulton County District Attorney, along with other state and federal prosecutors, reaffirms the shared belief that in America no one, not even the president, is above the law, they added.

Meet the 18 people charged with Trump in Georgia indictment

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Trevi Fountain is one of Romes most famous landmarks (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A woman has been filmed climbing into Romes iconic Trevi Fountain to fill up her water bottle.

The footage, recorded last month, shows the tourist is seen climbing across the rocks and using one of the fountains spouts to fill her bottle, before a security guard blows a whistle and is seen marching towards her.

The two have a brief discussion before the guard leads the woman away. It appears that the woman is trying to explain her actions, it is not known exactly what was said during the brief exchange.

A woman stunned onlookers as she walked across the Trevi Fountain and used one of Romes most iconic tourist attractions to fill up her water bottle. pic.twitter.com/3rWlx03AvA  Storyful (@Storyful) August 14, 2023

Lex Jones was among those who filmed the incident, and said that there were signs all over saying thats not allowed, and that the woman didnt seem to understand what shed done wrong, according to Insider.

It remains unclear what happened to the tourist after the incident, and whether she was arrested or fined. The Independent has contacted the countrys state police for further information.

The incident follows a recent spate of similar occurrances in Italy, with people disrespecting some of the countrys most famous monuments. Last month, a person was filmed swimming and diving into the famous 18th-century fountain, and Corriere della Sera reported that tourists were applauding.

After the incident, Alessandro Onorato, Romes councillor for Major Events, Sport, Tourism and Fashion, urged authorities to limit access to the fountain, calling the incident pure barbarism and a mockery of the historical and cultural heritage of our city.

Police fines and multiple appeals to common sense are no longer enough. This is not the tourism we deserve and need, he added.

Elsewhere in the city, in July a man was filmed carving a name into the walls of the Colosseum, and Italian police later identified him as a fitness instructor from Bristol. The man in question later made a written apology to the citys mayor.

And last week, Tourists who destroyed an Italian sculpture in Lombardy valued at 200,000 have been denounced as imbeciles by the countrys deputy prime minister, with a local politician demanding reparations for their actions.
Multiple tourists became trapped on a treacherous island off the North Carolina coast in August, forcing the National Park Service to coordinate highly risky rescues, park rangers say.

Visiting the ominously named Shark Island could get you killed, Cape Lookout National Seashore warned in an Aug. 14 news release.

Recently, the gap in between Shark Island and Cape Lookout has begun to connect with a narrow bar of sand during the lowest of low tides, officials said.

In the last two weeks, we have had two separate incidents of visitors crossing to Shark Island at low tide and becoming trapped as the tide rises behind them. These situations have resulted in first responders from multiple agencies being dispatched to conduct complex rescues.

No injuries have been reported among the tourists.

Being stuck isnt the only danger, park officials say. Rising tides cause the island to shrink, and the ocean around it churns where the northbound Gulf Stream and southbound Labrador Current collide.

The waters south of Cape Lookout can be incredibly dangerous, officials said. Getting caught by a rising tide while traveling on foot through this narrow band of sand could quickly sweep someone off their feet and out to sea.

Shark Island is one of those mysterious spits of land off the North Carolina coast that are known to rise from the ocean over a period months, only to vanish again during storms.

Among the best known examples is Shelly Island, which surfaced on satellite in 2016 and eventually grew to 20 acres and a mile in length. The island vanished after a series of storms in 2018, McClatchy News reports.

Can you own a sunken island? Virginia man vows he still owns vanished NC island.

Tourists uncover massive tooth of prehistoric shark at Cape Lookout, NC park says

Grandmother in wild horse herd gives birth again on Outer Banks, and things get weird
A voluntary recall has been issued by Japanese car company Toyota impacting certain 2022 and 2023 Tundra and Tundra-hybrid trucks. The recall is the largest one for the company this year, impacting 168,000 vehicles in the United States.

According to the release, these cars have a plastic fuel tube that could then rub against a brake line, which in turn could develop a fuel leak. Toyota says that the leak could cause a fire in the car.

The company also says that dealers will replace the fuel tube for free, and install an improved part as well as additional clamps. Currently, Toyota is preparing the parts to address the recall.

In the meantime, temporary, protective materials and a clamp on the tube will be installed at Toyota dealers at no cost. Owners of affected vehicles will be notified by the car maker by early October.

Owners can also check if their car is affected by the recall by visiting toyota.com/recall and entering their vehicle identification number or license plate information.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Toyota announces voluntary recall impacting more than 150,000 trucks
A long-awaited path connecting an Idaho mountain town and one of the Sawtooths most popular locations has finally been completed, U.S. Forest Service officials announced Tuesday.

The Stanley to Redfish Trail, a 4.5-mile gravel path, is now open to hikers, bikers and horseback riders. E-bikes, which the Forest Service categorizes as motorized vehicles, are not permitted.

The trail begins at Pioneer Park in Stanley and ends at Redfish Lake. Visitors can also access it from the Stanley Ranger Station located on Idaho 75 about halfway between the endpoints.

The project was first approved in 2015, when then-President Barack Obama signed a bill to create the Boulder-White Clouds Wilderness. Construction began on the trail in 2019 and was expected to be finished quickly  Sen. Mike Simpson, who sponsored the bill to create the trail told the Idaho Statesman that year he hoped to ride the trail the following summer.

The trail was delayed by construction issues and a legal challenge to the route. Dave Boren, co-founder of Boise-based Clearwater Analytics, bought a property near Stanley that contained an easement for the future trail. He sued the Forest Service, alleging the agency had no right to construct the trail and that the pathway would harm the environment and his enjoyment of his property.

A judge ruled against Boren in March 2022.

Several public officials, including Simpson and Stanley Mayor Steve Botti, lauded the completion of the trail. Kirk Flannigan, area ranger for the Sawtooth National Recreation Area where the trail is located, said in the news release that collaboration made the path possible.

Over the years we had several instances where I thought we may not be able to complete the trail, and not once did our partners walk away from this important project, Flannigan said.
An L-39 combat trainer aircraft crashed in Russia's Adyghe Republic [ a federal subject of the Russian Federation, located in Russia's Krasnodar Krai] on the evening of 14 August, killing Colonel Vadim Gurov, Commander of the Maykop training air base.

Source: Kremlin-aligned news agencies TASS and RBC, citing the Russian Defence Ministry; Russian Telegram-based news outlets

Quote from the Russian MoD: "An L-39 trainer aircraft belonging to the training aviation regiment crashed in Krasnodar Krai on 14 August 2023, during a scheduled training flight on approach to landing. The aircraft crashed within the airfield. There was no damage or casualties on the ground."

Details: "One of the crew members" was reportedly killed. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Meanwhile, the Baza Telegram channel reported that Vadim Gurov, Commanding Officer of the Maykop training air base, was killed in the accident.

The sources said the aircraft missed the runway, hit the ground and then collided with a short-range navigation tower. Colonel Gurov, who was on board, met his death on the spot.

Mikhail Lipatkin, a senior flight instructor at Akhtubinsk [a city in Russias Astrakhan Oblast] main flight test centre, was also on board. He was taken to a healthcare facility with injuries.

For reference: The L-39 Albatross is a Czechoslovak-made combat trainer aircraft developed in the late 1960s. It was adopted as the primary trainer aircraft of the Warsaw Pact signatory states in 1972. A total of 2,868 L-39s were built.

The L-39 is currently the primary training aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces, as reported by RBC.

Background: Earlier, a training aircraft reportedly crashed at an airfield in Russia's Krasnodar Krai on the evening of 14 August, killing one of the crew members.

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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that real combat experience should become a priority during the training of Ukrainian conscripts.

Source: Zelenskyys evening address on social media

Details: The president says he is visiting the military in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast on Tuesday. The fact that the training of soldiers is one of the key tasks was discussed during the meeting with the command.

Quote: "When there is such communication  brigade by brigade  and everyone has real combat experience, then it is possible to assess the situation much more deeply, to see how the specific experience of one brigade can be applied by other units and scaled to all our defence forces...

Real combat experience, modern challenges and trends on the battlefield, fire [exercises] and manoeuvre[s], the skills that our soldiers have and which must be extended to all brigades and made a priority in training centres, especially during the training of the mobilised."

Background: It was reported that Zelenskyy met with the military in Zaporizhzhia on Tuesday. The latest events on the Orikhiv front (Zaporizhzhia Oblast) was discussed.

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Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks to reporters during her trip to China. Pedro Pardo/AFP/Getty Images

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen inadvertently consumed magic mushrooms during a visit to China.

Yellen says she didn't trip on the shrooms, and properly cooking them kills the psychedelic properties.

The dish sold out at the chain's other locations after Yellen ate there.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen almost took her trip to China a little too literally.

Yellen said she was unaware that the "delicious mushroom dish" she ordered at a popular Chinese restaurant contained mushrooms that could be hallucinogenic.

"I was not aware that these mushrooms had hallucinogenic properties," Yellen told CNN's Erin Burnett. "I learned that later."

The Treasury Secretary said she read that if the mushrooms were cooked that they do not cause hallucinations, so it does seem unlikely that the Biden Cabinet official was trying to intentionally microdose.

CNN previously reported that following Yellen's visit the mushroom dish was selling out at Yi Zuo Yi Wang other locations across China. Yi Zuo Yi Wang means In and Out in English, but the Chinese chain bears no connections to the California burger giant. Instead of animal style fries, Yi Zuo Yi Wang specializes in Yunnan food, according to CNN it is a popular cuisine in southwestern China.

Yellen visited Yi Zuo Yi Wang as part of a group dinner during a visit that sought to rebuild relations between the world's two largest economies. Washington and Beijing have increasingly been at loggerheads as both major US parties turn against China. It didn't help matters that Beijing was behind the February spy balloon incident either.

"No one visit will solve our challenges overnight," Yellen told reporters at the end of her trip. "But I expect that this trip will help build a resilient and productive channel of communication."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Janet Yellen said she thoroughly enjoyed her July trip to China  and a local meal that included magic mushrooms.

The U.S. treasury secretarys Beijing visit to improve U.S.-China relations included a stop at a restaurant chain called Yi Zuo Yi Wang (In and Out), which serves a dish featuring mushrooms noted for psychedelic effects.

So I went with this large group of people and the person who had arranged our dinner did the ordering, Yellen told CNNs Erin Burnett on OutFront Monday. There was this delicious mushroom dish. I was not aware that these mushrooms had hallucinogenic properties.

I learned that later, she continued.

Yellens mushroom meal was first reported by a food blogger who spotted Yellens group at the eatery. It was later confirmed by the restaurant, which posted on Chinas social media platform Weibo that it was an extremely magical day  and that Yellen loved mushrooms very much.

I read that if the mushrooms are cooked properly, which Im sure they were at this very good restaurant, that they have no impact, Yellen told Burnett. But all of us enjoyed the mushrooms, the restaurant, and none of us felt any ill effects from having eaten them.

The mushroom species known regionally as jian shou qing (see hand blue) have properties that are not well understood.

Lanmaoa mushrooms are considered poisonous as they can be hallucinogenic, Peter Mortimer, a professor at Kunming Institute of Botany, told CNN. He said a friend mistakenly ate them once and hallucinated for three days.

Properly prepared, the mushrooms have no negative effects, according to CNN.

Yellen recently said that the U.S. and China can and need to find a way to live together.

Yellen recently said that the U.S. and China can and need to find a way to live together.

The mushrooms have become a delicacy in Chinas Yunnan province, which decreed in 2022 that they should remain legal to sell and serve.

Yellens Beijing dinner reportedly trended on social media, with millions of views.

She cheekily smiled as Burnett observed that she set off a frenzy and that these wild mushroom dishes are selling out at the restaurants branches across China.

Related...
Former President Donald Trump and 18 other people have been indicted by a Georgia grand jury on Monday on charges related to alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election. One of the 18 alleged co-conspirators is Trevian Kutti, a publicist who often posts pro-Trump sentiments on social media and once worked with Kanye West.

Kutti posted about the indictment after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis announced it late Monday. On Instagram, Kutti shared a screenshot of a TMZ article announcing Kutti, West's former publicist, was indicted. She also posted a pro-Trump meme, which is common on her social media pages.

Kutti and the other co-defendants are accused of trying to influence an election worker's testimony in the election fraud case.

Trevian Kutti is seen wearing a Balmain top and white shirt dress on Dec. 2, 2021, in Miami, Florida. / Credit: / Getty Images

According to the indictment, Kutti was recruited by Harrison Floyd, the leader of Black Voices for Trump and a co-defendant in the indictment, to travel from Chicago to Atlanta, where she was tasked with contacting Ruby Freeman, an election worker. Kutti allegedly lied to Freeman's neighbor, saying she was a "crisis manager," there to help Freeman.

Trump falsely accused Freeman of being a "professional vote scammer" and "political operative," according to the indictment. He also made the unsubstantiated claim that Freeman and her daughter wrongfully awarded Joe Biden 18,000 votes while they were working at the polls in Atlanta's State Farm Arena on Election Day.

While Kutti said she was contacting Freeman to offer the election worker protection, Kutti allegedly contacted her in order to influence her testimony about the 2020 presidential election.

During her meeting with Freeman, Kutti allegedly asked her to confess to voter fraud, the false allegation that Trump pushed after losing the presidency to Joe Biden.

Kutti allegedly told Freeman people would come to her home in 48 hours if she didn't confess to the voter fraud claims, according to Reuters. She also allegedly said Freeman would go to jail over it.

After Freeman's accusations about Kutti became public in 2021, Pierre Rougier, a spokesperson for Kanye West, said in a statement to Reuters that Kutti was not associated with the rapper or any of his enterprises at the time of the alleged incident with Freeman. CBS News has reached out to Rougier for further comment.

According to the indictment, alleged co-conspirators Harrison Floyd and Stephen Lee also contacted Freeman several times on Jan. 3, 2021  the day before Kutti allegedly traveled to Freeman to harass her. The three co-defendants also allegedly contacted each other several times that day. Floyd also allegedly spoke to Freeman by phone while Kutti was with her.

Kutti, Floyd and Lee now face a charge of conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements and writings for allegedly trying to convince Freeman to testify in Trump's favor and falsely admit to election fraud.

CBS News has reached out to Kutti about the charges and is awaiting response.

In December 2021, Kutti posted about her alleged interaction with Freeman several times on Instagram, saying the reports were false and that media outlets were using her past work with West to negatively associate her with Trump. West was famously a Trump supporter who also tried to run for president in 2020.

She claimed on Instagram that she visited Freeman to hear her concerns about the case. She said she met Freeman at a police station, and that an officer's body camera caught their meeting. It is unclear if these statements are accurate.

Political violence risk reignited as Trump faces indictments

Jan. 6 committee lead investigator examines Trump's Georgia indictment

Trump required to surrender in Georgia by noon on August 25
This photo taken on Aug. 15, 2023 shows a waterlogged restaurant in Ussuriysk, Russia. Typhoon Khanun triggered severe floods in Primorsky Krai of Russia's Far East, prompting 21 municipalities to declare a state of emergency, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said on Sunday.

The typhoon brought heavy rainfall to Primorsky Krai from Aug. 9 to 11.

Ussuriysk, a major city in Primorsky Krai, suffered the most destructive flooding in the last ten years. (Photo by Guo Feizhou/Xinhua)

VLADIVOSTOK, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Governor Oleg Kozhemyako on Tuesday declared a regional state of emergency in the Primorsky Territory located in the Russian Far East, due to the extensive damage caused by severe flooding.

"A regional emergency regime is being introduced in Primorye. The damage from the disaster is such that the resources of the municipalities cannot cope with it. The regional emergency regime will allow to increase the measures of support for the population affected by the flooding," the governor said in a video message on his social channel.

The flooding, triggered by heavy rains brought by Typhoon Khanun and a polar front, wreaked havoc in Primorye. Several municipalities of this region have declared a state of emergency in the past few days.

According to the regional center of the Ministry of Civil Defense and Emergency Situations, the number of submerged houses has risen to 4,620 by Monday morning. Additionally, 32 settlements are left isolated, and 58 road segments are disrupted. Over 2,500 individuals have been evacuated due to the dire situation.

Kozhemyako emphasized that the regional state of emergency empowers authorities to manage the crisis effectively on-site as well as to request federal assistance as needed. 

A staff member of a restaurant cleans a furniture soaked by flood water in Ussuriysk, Russia, Aug. 15, 2023. Typhoon Khanun triggered severe floods in Primorsky Krai of Russia's Far East, prompting 21 municipalities to declare a state of emergency, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said on Sunday.

The typhoon brought heavy rainfall to Primorsky Krai from Aug. 9 to 11.

Ussuriysk, a major city in Primorsky Krai, suffered the most destructive flooding in the last ten years. (Photo by Guo Feizhou/Xinhua)

Rescuers work at a flood-hit area in Ussuriysk, Russia, Aug. 15, 2023. Typhoon Khanun triggered severe floods in Primorsky Krai of Russia's Far East, prompting 21 municipalities to declare a state of emergency, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said on Sunday.

The typhoon brought heavy rainfall to Primorsky Krai from Aug. 9 to 11.

Ussuriysk, a major city in Primorsky Krai, suffered the most destructive flooding in the last ten years. (Photo by Guo Feizhou/Xinhua)

A man wades in flood water in Ussuriysk, Russia, Aug. 15, 2023. Typhoon Khanun triggered severe floods in Primorsky Krai of Russia's Far East, prompting 21 municipalities to declare a state of emergency, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said on Sunday.

The typhoon brought heavy rainfall to Primorsky Krai from Aug. 9 to 11.

Ussuriysk, a major city in Primorsky Krai, suffered the most destructive flooding in the last ten years. (Photo by Guo Feizhou/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Aug. 15, 2023 shows a flood-hit area in Ussuriysk, Russia. Typhoon Khanun triggered severe floods in Primorsky Krai of Russia's Far East, prompting 21 municipalities to declare a state of emergency, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said on Sunday.

The typhoon brought heavy rainfall to Primorsky Krai from Aug. 9 to 11.

Ussuriysk, a major city in Primorsky Krai, suffered the most destructive flooding in the last ten years. (Photo by Guo Feizhou/Xinhua)

A staff member of a supermarket cleans goods soaked by flood water in Ussuriysk, Russia, Aug. 15, 2023. Typhoon Khanun triggered severe floods in Primorsky Krai of Russia's Far East, prompting 21 municipalities to declare a state of emergency, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said on Sunday.

The typhoon brought heavy rainfall to Primorsky Krai from Aug. 9 to 11.

Ussuriysk, a major city in Primorsky Krai, suffered the most destructive flooding in the last ten years. (Photo by Guo Feizhou/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Aug. 15, 2023 shows a bike soaked in flood water in Ussuriysk, Russia. Typhoon Khanun triggered severe floods in Primorsky Krai of Russia's Far East, prompting 21 municipalities to declare a state of emergency, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said on Sunday.

The typhoon brought heavy rainfall to Primorsky Krai from Aug. 9 to 11.

Ussuriysk, a major city in Primorsky Krai, suffered the most destructive flooding in the last ten years. (Photo by Guo Feizhou/Xinhua)

A man wades in flood water in Ussuriysk, Russia, Aug. 15, 2023. Typhoon Khanun triggered severe floods in Primorsky Krai of Russia's Far East, prompting 21 municipalities to declare a state of emergency, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said on Sunday.

The typhoon brought heavy rainfall to Primorsky Krai from Aug. 9 to 11.

Ussuriysk, a major city in Primorsky Krai, suffered the most destructive flooding in the last ten years. (Photo by Guo Feizhou/Xinhua)

People clean their belongings soaked by flood water in Ussuriysk, Russia, Aug. 15, 2023. Typhoon Khanun triggered severe floods in Primorsky Krai of Russia's Far East, prompting 21 municipalities to declare a state of emergency, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said on Sunday.

The typhoon brought heavy rainfall to Primorsky Krai from Aug. 9 to 11.

Ussuriysk, a major city in Primorsky Krai, suffered the most destructive flooding in the last ten years. (Photo by Guo Feizhou/Xinhua)

A rescuer helps a woman to go out of her home in Ussuriysk, Russia, Aug. 15, 2023. Typhoon Khanun triggered severe floods in Primorsky Krai of Russia's Far East, prompting 21 municipalities to declare a state of emergency, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said on Sunday.

The typhoon brought heavy rainfall to Primorsky Krai from Aug. 9 to 11.

Ussuriysk, a major city in Primorsky Krai, suffered the most destructive flooding in the last ten years. (Photo by Guo Feizhou/Xinhua)

Rescuers help people move in the flood water in Ussuriysk, Russia, Aug. 15, 2023. Typhoon Khanun triggered severe floods in Primorsky Krai of Russia's Far East, prompting 21 municipalities to declare a state of emergency, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said on Sunday.

The typhoon brought heavy rainfall to Primorsky Krai from Aug. 9 to 11.

Ussuriysk, a major city in Primorsky Krai, suffered the most destructive flooding in the last ten years. (Photo by Guo Feizhou/Xinhua)
A tribunal ruled on Monday that a Cobb County teacher should be allowed to keep her job after she read a book about gender norms to her gifted fifth-grade class.

The tribunal also believes the teacher was in violation of two of the three charges against her, willful neglect and any other good and sufficient Cause. The tribunal does not believe she was in violation of insubordination.

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Some parents were upset after Due West Elementary teacher Katie Rinderle read the book My Shadow is Purple, to her students. A book Rinderle says she bought at the schools book fair. Rinderle has been on leave, since reading the book to her class, in March.

The Cobb County School District says Rinderle violated school policy and Georgias Divisive Concepts law. The superintendent recommended Rinderles termination. However, a three-member tribunal met last week and ruled on Monday that Rinderle should not be fired.

I appreciate the tribunals consideration of my case and decision not to terminate me. However, I disagree that Ive violated any policy and that finding remains unjust and punitive. The district has never provided adequate guidance on how I am supposed to know what is and what is not allowed in the classroom based on these vague policies. Prioritizing behaviors and attitudes rooted in bigotry and discrimination does not benefit students and undermines the quality of education and the duty of educators, said Rinderle.

A tribunal ruled in Rinderles favor after hearing arguments over a span of two days. Channel 2 Action News reported last week about the tense moments behind the doors of the tribunal hearing.

The district says Rinderle violated school policy and Georgias divisive concepts law, when she read the book to her gifted students.

This is not part of her curriculum this is not what we teach in 5th grade, Due West Principal Cissi Kale said.

This was a book that I purchased with my funds at the schools book fair, Rinderle said.

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Rinderles attorney called out the district, alleging a lack of transparency, particularly with the number of students the district says it interviewed.

Theres no way for us to know that theres four additional students. Its just simply impossible that the district has insisted on giving us these redacted records.

After the tribunals recommendation, its now up to the Cobb County School Board to adopt, reject or modify the decision. The next board meeting is scheduled for Thursday.

Newell received the following statement from the school district on Tuesday.

The District appreciates the work of the Tribunal Members and the Hearing Officer. The Board will review the Tribunals recommendation and looks forward to returning our entire focus on educating all of our talented students.

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A Central Florida man set out to trap child predators in order to report them to authorities. However, an allegedly noble mission landed him in trouble when he used child porn to bait them, police said.

Tyler McCann-Carter, 24, was charged with eight counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of distribution of child exploitation material. As of Tuesday, he was still in jail, records show.

Earlier this year, Gainesville police were tipped off that a person was using Kik, a messenger app, to distribute child porn, Gainesville police said.

After a search warrant was served on Feb. 3, Detective Montague found McCann-Carter was the one sending out child sexual abuse material.

During an interview, detectives said McCann-Carter told them he wasnt attracted to children and would have deleted the videos.

He said he was trying to bait somebody out so he could later report them. Detectives said he knew that he was using real child porn of pre-pubescents in order to bait the predators.

He was arrested on Monday and formally charged.

The Gainesville Police Department wants parents to be aware that children are being solicited and exploited through social networking and messaging apps, police said. Please be vigilant and aware of any social networking platforms your children may access.
Latest Trump indictment alleges "racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgia's presidential election result." The last of the expected criminal indictments against former President Donald Trump has dropped. This one, which comes out of Fulton County, Georgia, relates to Trump's attempts to influence Georgia officials to invalidate the results of the 2020 presidential election, as well as Trump and his allies' wider scheme to publicize and prove voter fraud claims and to assemble a spate of alternate Electoral College electors who would cast votes for Trump rather than Joe Biden.

Trump and his associates are charged with 41 criminal counts overall, including conspiracy to commit election fraud, conspiracy to defraud the state, and violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.

Thirteen of these counts are applied to Trump, who is charged with a RICO violation, three counts of solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer, two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery, two counts of conspiracy to commit false statements and writings, two counts of making false statements and writings, conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer, conspiracy to commit filing false documents, and filing false documents.

Eighteen peopleincluding Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, and Sidney Powellwere indicted along with Trump yesterday. Giuliani, who was serving as Trump's personal lawyer during the time period in question, faces 13 charges, including violation of Georgia's RICO Act, three counts of solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer, and three counts of false statements and writings. Powellwho filed a number of lawsuits challenging the 2020 election resultsfaces seven charges, and Meadows, Trump's chief of staff in 2020, faces two.

"The indictment alleges that rather than abide by Georgia's legal process for election challenges, the defendants engaged in a criminal racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgia's presidential election result," said Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis at a press conference Monday night. Willis said she intends to try Trump and his 18 co-defendants as a group and will ask for a trial date within six months

Willis' case covers some of the same territory as the recent federal indictment against Trump but includes more Georgia-specific allegations of election meddling.

The indictment covers Trump's January 2, 2021, call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which he urged Raffensperger to "find" the votes needed to deliver Trump a victory. It also includes claims related to lesser-known schemes, including an allegation that Trump associates stole data from voting machines in Coffee County, Georgia, in an attempt to find evidence of voter fraud.

"Trump and the other Defendants charged in this Indictment refused to accept that Trump lost [the 2020 election] and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump," alleges the indictment. "That conspiracy contained a common plan and purpose to commit two or more acts of racketeering activity in Fulton County, Georgia, elsewhere in the State of Georgia, and in other states." Elements of this alleged racketeering activitycommitted by Trump and/or his lawyers, staff, and associatesinclude:

 making false statements about election fraud to a Georgia General Assembly hearing in order to "persuade Georgia legislators to reject lawful electoral votes" and soliciting lawmakers "instead to unlawfully appoint their own presidential electors for the purpose of casting electoral votes for Donald Trump";

 making false statements to the governor, the secretary of state, and the state speaker of the House of Representatives and encouraging them "to violate their oaths" to the Georgia and U.S. constitutions "by unlawfully changing the outcome" of the election in Trump's favor;

 recruiting people "to convene and cast false Electoral College votes" and distributing false documents for this purpose;

 falsely accusing Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman of election crimes;

 soliciting U.S. Department of Justice officials "to make false statements to [Fulton County's] government officials";

 soliciting Vice President Mike Pence to reject Electoral College votes from Fulton County, Georgia;

 conspiring "to unlawfully access secure voting equipment and voter data  including ballot images, voting equipment software, and personal voter information";

 filing false documents, making false statements, and committing perjury "in furtherance of and to cover up the conspiracy."

Trump and the other defendants are accused of 161 overt acts in furtherance of their "criminal enterprise." Here's a small sampling:

Act 24: "On or about the 3rd day of December 2020, RUDOLPH WILLIAM LOUIS

GIULIANI committed the felony offense of FALSE STATEMENTS AND WRITINGS, in violation of O.C.G.A.  16-10-20, in Fulton County, Georgia, by knowingly, willfully, and unlawfully making at least one of the following false statements and representations to members of the Georgia Senate present at a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee meeting: 1. That at least 96,600 mail-in ballots were counted in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia, despite there being no record of those ballots having been returned to a county elections office; 2. That Dominion Voting Systems equipment used in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Antrim County, Michigan, mistakenly recorded 6,000 votes for Joseph R. Biden when the votes were actually cast for Donald John Trump."

Act 26: "On or about the 3rd day of December 2020, DONALD JOHN TRUMP caused to be tweeted from the Twitter account @RealDonaldTrump, Wow! Blockbuster testimony taking place right now in Georgia. Ballot stuffing by Dems when Republicans were forced to leave the large counting room. Plenty more coming, but this alone leads to an easy win of the State!"

Act 33: "On or about the 6th day of December 2020, SIDNEY KATHERINE POWELL entered into a written engagement agreement with Sullivan Strickler LLC, a forensic data firm located in Fulton County, Georgia, for the performance of computer forensic collections and analytics on Dominion Voting Systems equipment in Michigan and elsewhere. The unlawful breach of election equipment in Coffee County, Georgia, was subsequently performed under this agreement."

Act 78: "On or about the 14th day of December 2020, RAY STALLINGS SMITH III and DAVID JAMES SHAFER encouraged certain individuals present at the December 14, 2020, meeting of Trump presidential elector nominees in Fulton County, Georgia, to sign the document titled CERTIFICATE OF THE VOTES OF THE 2020 ELECTORS FROM GEORGIA."

Act 100: "On or about the 30th day of December 2020, DONALD JOHN TRUMP caused to be tweeted from the Twitter account @RealDonaldTrump, Hearings from Atlanta on the Georgia Election overturn now being broadcast. Check it out. @OANN @newsmax and many more. @BrianKempGA should resign from office. He is an obstructionist who refuses to admit that we won Georgia, BIG! Also won the other Swing States."

Among the 18 Trump co-defendants are several lawyers involved in helping Trump try to stay in power after the 2020 election. This includes John Eastman, whoalong with Giulianiurged Georgia state senators to disregard the 2020 election results and appoint pro-Trump electors, and Kenneth Chesebro, who helped Guliani and Eastman push the fake-elector scheme in six states including Georgia.

A handful of Georgia Republican officials and operatives face charges. David Shafer, former chairman of the Republican Party of Georgia, faces eight counts related to his organizing and chairing of the Trump elector meeting in December 2020. Shafer "also served as an elector and stated during the meeting that the electors were meeting and voting purely to preserve their legal remedy in the event a election challenge prevailed in court," notes The Washington Post. Shawn Still, who is now a Georgia state senator and formerly served as finance chairman for the Republican Party of Georgia, was also charged for his role in facilitating the fake elector meeting.

Former Coffee County elections supervisor Misty Hampton (also known as Misty Martin) is charged with making and disseminating a video that purported to show how voting machines could be warped. "Surveillance footage shows that Hampton was at the elections office on Jan. 7, 2021, when computer forensics contractors working with [Scott] Hall and pro-Trump lawyers copied the county's election software," notes the Post.

An activist recorded Hallwho also faces charges"saying in a telephone call that he had arranged for a plane to ferry people to Coffee County and accompanied them as they 'went in there and imaged every hard drive of every piece of equipment' and scanned ballots," the Post reports. "Hall claimed on the call that they obtained necessary permissions from authorities."

Illinois pastor Stephen Cliffgard Lee was charged with attempting to influence witnesses, after "traveling to the home of Ruby Freeman, a Fulton County, Georgia, election worker, and speaking to her neighbor," states the indictment. Lee's intent was "to knowingly engage in misleading conduct toward Ruby Freeman, by purporting to offer her help, and with intent to influence her testimony in an official proceeding" concerning the election, it alleges.

The indictment links together a lot of related and relatively unrelated conduct from a bunch of disparate people, some acting directly in concert with Trump and his legal team and some much further removed. This is the troubling thing about RICO charges, which are popular among state and federal prosecutors.

RICO lets prosecutors lump together a bunch of people under one prosecution by defining their individual efforts as, together, constituting a racketeering enterprise. Under this umbrella, defendants can face more severe penalties than they otherwise would for individual acts, and conduct that may not be strictly illegal on its own can be defined as evidence of criminal activity.

"Intended as a weapon against organized crime, RICO has instead been turned against labor unions, abortion protesters, and investment firms," Reason pointed out in a March 1990 piece about federal RICO statutes. The vague contours of the federal RICO statute and its state analogs allow it to be used against all sorts of legal businesses or loosely-related groups of people while making defenses against RICO charges difficult.

Ironically, one of the people now indicted in Georgia on RICO chargesRudy Giuliani"made RICO famous in the 1980s," as His RICOing of alleged white-collar criminals completely confounded the purpose, text, and history of the statute. But his cases made headlines."

FREE MINDS

The beauty of microschools. Christian Science Monitor takes a deep dive into this educational trend:

Ask a dozen microschool leaders to describe their schools, and you'll likely receive a dozen slightly different responses: Montessori-inspired, nature-focused, project-based, faith-oriented, child-led, or some combination of other attributes. They may exist independently, as part of a provider network, or in partnership with another entity such as an employer or a faith organization. Their schedules vary, too. Some follow a typical academic calendar, while others operate year-round, and some allow students to attend part time. In other words, there is no one-size-fits-all definition for microschools. But, in general, they're intentionally small learning environments. They often serve fewer than 30 students total and operate as learning centers to support home-schooled students or as accredited or unaccredited private schools. Their exact designations differ based on state laws. "What I love about microschools is that [they're] kind of providing this middle ground between public school or home schooling," says Dalena Wallace, founder and president of Wichita Innovative Schools and Educators, a support network for alternative education models.

More here.

FREE MARKETS

A link tax won't save the newspaper industry, warns Cato Institute Research Fellow Paul Matzko in a new policy analysis:

In hopes of reviving the floundering newspaper industry, Congress is looking to an Australianinspired system of mandatory bargaining that would force Big Tech to crosssubsidize Big Ink. However, the early returns from Australia's "link tax" regimeas well as the history of Congress's last attempt to protect newspapers from competition in 1970show that the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA) could have serious negative consequences for both newspapers and consumers. The JCPA would neither promote industry competition nor preserve legacy newspapers. It would propel further industry consolidation and reward rent seeking from tech corporations and hedge funds. Furthermore, it would create a novel "quasiproperty right" in information that could tear apart the internet, destroy much of the value of the online news ecosystem, and deprive consumers of access to news and information. Rather than creating perverse incentives, policymakers would better serve the public interest by looking to emergent forms of new news media as a substitute for legacy modes of journalism.

More here.

QUICK HITS

 Maui wildfires have claimed at least 99 lives as of Monday.

 Firefighters in the Maui County neighborhood of Lahaina found fire hydrants there had run dry. "The collapse of the town's water system  is yet another disastrous factor in a confluence that ended up producing what is now the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than 100 years," reports The New York Times. "The lack of water forced firefighters into an extraordinary rush to save lives by risking their own."

 Reason Senior Editor Stephanie Slade reviews Sohrab Ahmari's Tyranny, Inc.

 The Biden administration is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to take up NetChoice's challenges to Florida and Texas social media laws.

The post Trump and 18 Others Charged With Election-Related Crimes in Georgia appeared first on Reason.com.
By Andy Sullivan, Jacqueline Thomsen and Joseph Ax

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Former U.S. President Donald Trump was hit with a fourth set of criminal charges when a Georgia grand jury issued a sweeping indictment accusing him of trying to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

The charges, brought late on Monday by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, add to the legal woes facing Trump, the front-runner in the race for the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential election.

The sprawling 98-page indictment listed 19 defendants and 41 criminal counts in all. All of the defendants were charged with racketeering, which is used to target members of organized crime groups and carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

Mark Meadows, Trump's former White House chief of staff, and lawyers Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman were among those charged.

"Rather than abide by Georgia's legal process for election challenges, the defendants engaged in a criminal, racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgia's presidential election result," Willis said at a press conference.

Trump and the other defendants have until noon EDT (1600 GMT) on Friday, Aug. 25, to surrender voluntarily, rather than face arrest, Willis said. She said she intends to try all 19 defendants together.

"This one-sided grand jury presentation relied on witnesses who harbor their own personal and political interests," Trump lawyers Drew Findling, Jennifer Little and Marissa Goldberg said in a statement.

"We look forward to a detailed review of this indictment, which is undoubtedly just as flawed and unconstitutional as this entire process has been," Trump lawyers added.

The 13 felony charges against Trump matched those listed on a document that was briefly posted on the court website earlier in the day and reported by Reuters before it disappeared.

Lawyers for those named either declined to comment or did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call, Trump urged Georgia's top election official, Brad Raffensperger, to "find" enough votes to reverse his narrow loss in the state. Raffensperger declined to do so.

Trump's supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol four days later in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent lawmakers from certifying Biden's victory.

The indictment cites a number of crimes that Trump or his associates allegedly committed from before the Nov. 3, 2020, election until September 2022, including falsely testifying to lawmakers that election fraud had occurred and urging state officials to alter the results.

It says the defendants tried to subvert the U.S. electoral process by submitting false slates of electors, people who make up the Electoral College that elects the president and vice president.

BREACHING VOTING MACHINES, HARASSING ELECTION WORKERS

It alleges that defendants breached voting equipment in a rural Georgia county, including personal voter information and images of ballots.

Prosecutors also said the defendants harassed an election worker who became the focus of conspiracy theories.

The indictment reaches across state lines, saying that Giuliani, Meadows and others called officials in Arizona, Pennsylvania and elsewhere to urge them to change the outcome in those states.

The indictment mentions 30 other co-conspirators, though they were not named or charged.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing. In a statement before the indictment was released, his campaign accused Willis, an elected Democrat, of being a "rabid partisan" who was trying to undermine his reelection bid.

"It is a dangerous effort by the ruling class to suppress the choice of the people," the statement said.

Trump has already pleaded not guilty in three criminal cases.

He faces a New York state trial in March 2024 involving a hush money payment to a porn star, and a federal trial beginning in May in Florida for allegedly mishandling federal classified documents. In both cases Trump pleaded not guilty.

A third indictment, in Washington federal court, accuses him of illegally seeking to overturn his 2020 election defeat. Trump denies wrongdoing in this case as well, and a trial date has yet to be set.

Georgia, once reliably Republican, has emerged as one of a handful of politically competitive states that can determine the outcome of presidential elections.

Trump persists in falsely claiming he won the November 2020 election although dozens of court cases and state probes have found no evidence to support his claim.

NOT HURTING HIS CAMPAIGN

Strategists said that while the indictments could bolster Republican support for Trump, they may hurt him in the November 2024 general election, when he will have to win over more independent-minded voters.

In a July Reuters/Ipsos poll, 37% of independents said the criminal cases made them less likely to vote for him.

Willis's investigation drew on testimony from Trump advisers including Giuliani, who urged state lawmakers in December 2020 not to certify the election, and Republican state officials like Raffensperger and Governor Brian Kemp, who refused to echo Trump's false election claims.

While many Republican officials have echoed Trump's false election claims, Kemp and Raffensperger have refused to do so.

Raffensperger has said there was no factual basis for Trump's objections, while Kemp certified the election results despite pressure from within his party.

Trump has been mired in legal trouble since leaving office.

Apart from the criminal cases, a New York jury in May found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming the writer E. Jean Carroll and awarded her $5 million in a civil case. A second defamation lawsuit scheduled for January seeks $10 million in damages. Trump denies wrongdoing.

Trump is due to face trial in October in a civil case in New York that accuses him and his family business of fraud to obtain better terms from lenders and insurers.

Trump's company was fined $1.6 million after being convicted of tax fraud in a New York court in December.

(Additional reporting by Sarah N. Lynch, Rami Ayyub, Jack Queen, Tim Ahmann, Andrew Goudsward, Kanishka Singh, Nilutpal Timsina; writing by Andy Sullivan; editing by Scott Malone and Howard Goller)
(Bloomberg) -- Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis ventured where US Justice Department Special Counsel John Jack Smith chose not to go: She not only charged Donald Trump but also 18 of his allies over efforts to overturn results of the 2020 election.

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Trumps former lawyer Rudy Giuliani, his White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and ex-Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Clark were among the former presidents aides and associates indicted in Georgia on Monday.

Former New York City Mayor Giuliani, 79, was charged with racketeering and conspiracy, a stunning fall for the former federal prosecutor.

Meadows, 64, a leading conservative voice in Congress before joining the White House, is charged with racketeering and soliciting a public official to violate their oath. A mysterious figure lately, hes been relatively quiet while both federal and state prosecutors investigated efforts to overturn Joe Bidens presidential election in swing states. Some Trump loyalists have speculated that Meadows is cooperating with law enforcement, but theres been no confirmation of that so far.

The other key defendants in Georgia include a slew of conservative attorneys who advised Trumps campaign and helped his efforts to overturn election results, such as John Eastman, Kenneth Chesebro, and Sidney Powell. David Shafer, the former chair of the Georgia Republican party, was also indicted.

Attorneys for Meadows and Clark did not respond to requests for comment. Powell didnt respond to emails. Chesebros attorney said his clients actions related to his work as a Trump campaign attorney. An attorney for Shafer said he was innocent of the charges. One of Eastmans lawyers described his actions as political, but not criminal.

This is an affront to American Democracy and does permanent, irrevocable harm to our justice system, Giuliani said in a statement after the indictment. The real criminals here are the people who have brought this case forward both directly and indirectly.

Heres a rundown of key Trump allies indicted:

Rudy Giuliani

Like Trump, Giuliani faces charges brought under Georgias version of the federal Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Giuliani successfully used the federal law to lock up mob bosses when he served as a hard-charging US Attorney for the Southern District of New York in the 1980s, while also taking on Wall Street scammers and corrupt politicians.

Giulianis leadership after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against New York while he was mayor drew international praise, including recognition as Man of the Year by Time Magazine. He unsuccessfully sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2008.

But his reputation suffered when he joined Trumps legal team and became a zealous advocate for discredited conspiracy theories about the election loss in 2020. His law license was suspended in New York State and in the District of Columbia, where hes facing disbarment proceedings.

During a Dec. 3, 2020, hearing at the Georgia statehouse, Giuliani told lawmakers there is more than ample evidence to conclude that this election was a sham. Giuliani also falsely accused Fulton County election workers of rigging the election results; he recently conceded defamation claims in a civil suit brought by the election workers.

He said the alleged corruption warranted rejecting the Electoral College representatives selected by the states voters, and instead backed an alternative slate of Trump supporters.

In fact, probes by the FBI, Justice Department and Georgia Bureau of Investigation rejected the claims, as did a televised congressional inquiry of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.

Mark Meadows

Meadows fall is also stunning. Former chairman of the House Freedom Caucus when he represented a North Carolina district, Meadows played a key role in driving former GOP House Speaker John Boehner to retire from Congress in 2015.

Meadows remained a top ally of Trump at the Capitol. In March 2020, Trump named Meadows his White House chief of staff, replacing Mick Mulvaney, and he became the former presidents right-hand man.

Meadows arranged and participated in the infamous Jan. 2, 2021, call in which Trump asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find 11,780 votes, and also suggested that Raffensperger could be criminally prosecuted if he didnt help overturn the 2020 election.

Meadows can be heard in recording of the call expressing hope they can find some kind of agreement and find a path forward thats less litigious. Meadows also asked for state election data.

Before that call, Meadows visited the Cobb County Civic Center to observe the audit of absentee ballot signatures. But he was prevented from entering the room where the audit was being conducted. He met with Raffenspergers lead elections investigator, Frances Watson. The next day, Trump called Watson, saying Meadows had told him to do so. Trump urged Watson to find dishonesty to help overturn the states election results.

Meadows also was involved in forwarding suggestions to Justice Department officials about fraudulent election activity in Georgia claimed by Giuliani and others tied to Trump.

John Eastman

Eastman, a conservative attorney, became a close adviser to Trump in the weeks following the election. He drafted two memos laying out options for Pence to declare Trump the victor or delay Congress certifying the 2020 results, citing the existence of so-called alternate slates of pro-Trump electors in battleground states that Biden won.

Eastman was indicted on charges including urging a public official to violate their oath, conspiracy to impersonate a public officer, forgery and filing false documents.

Former White House lawyers later told the Jan. 6 committee that they strongly pushed back on Eastmans theories  completely crazy, in the words of one official. The legal underpinnings of his memos were widely panned by experts across the political spectrum once they became public. A retired federal appeals judge testified that adoption of his theories would have triggered a constitutional crisis.

When Congress met on Jan. 6, 2021, Pence rebuffed pressure from Trump to interfere in any of the ways that Eastman had proposed.

A federal judge in California previously found that Eastman and Trump more likely than not had illegally conspired to obstruct Congress. The Jan. 6 committee referred both men to the Justice Department for possible criminal charges. In January, state bar regulators in California filed a complaint seeking to strip Eastman of his law license, accusing him of violating attorney practice rules. Eastman has denied wrongdoing. His attorney said he was engaging in lawful political speech and legal advice.

Lawyers everywhere should be sleepless over this latest stunt to criminalize their advocacy, Eastmans attorney, Harvey Silverglate, said in a statement after the indictment.

Jeffrey Clark

Clark, who oversaw environmental and natural resources matters at the Justice Department under Trump, had proposed sending a letter to lawmakers in Georgia and other states encouraging them to delay certification of election results.

He also recommended announcing the Justice Department was investigating allegations of voter fraud, despite the lack of evidence supporting that claim. Both proposals were rejected by Justice Department senior leadership.

He was indicted on one count each of racketeering and making false statements.

Trump had considered installing Clark as acting attorney general, according to testimony provided to the congressional committee. Top department officials threatened to resign en masse if Trump went through with that plan, and it never happened.

Sidney Powell

Former Trump campaign attorney Powell was an architect of the vast conspiracy theory that a voting-machine company rigged the 2020 presidential election.

Powell was charged with conspiracy to commit election fraud and conspiracy to commit computer theft among other crimes.

Powell for a time worked closely with Trump, Giuliani and others at the White House to craft a plan to block the transition of power to Biden, including by seizing voting machines for a partisan investigation.

Powell didnt appear when she was subpoenaed by Willis. She also played a key role in making arrangements for a forensic data firm to access election equipment in several states, including copying sensitive voter information from a server in Coffee County, Georgia, prosecutors allege.

Powell once served as an Assistant US Attorney in the Western District of Texas.

Kenneth Chesebro

Chesebro, a lawyer in the Trump 2020 campaign orbit, was involved in drawing up fake presidential elector slates in Georgia and elsewhere. In addition to racketeering, he was indicted for conspiracies to commit fraud and forgery.

He authored a series of strategy memos seen as among the earliest promotions of the false legal theory that Pence could, by virtue of those fake slates, declare Electoral College results from multiple states in dispute.

Chesebro allegedly worked directly with top Georgia Republicans, including then-party Chair Shafer, to have that states 16 alternate electors meet at the State Capitol on Dec. 14, 2020, and cast Electoral College votes in favor of Trump. He is described as having provided templated documents for use during that meeting.

His attorney, Scott Grubman, said in a statement Tuesday that Chesebro was asked by the Trump campaign to provide advice on issues related to constitutional and election law. Each of the alleged overt acts that are attributed to Mr. Chesebro relate to his work as an attorney, he said, adding that his client never went to Georgia on behalf of the campaign or was privy to private communications of others in the indictment.

David Shafer

Shafer was charged with conspiracy to impersonate a public officer and first-degree forgery. In November, a state court judge ruled that his role in the fake electors strategy was so central that he could not be represented by the same attorneys representing 10 other alternate electors.

Shafer, who was a longtime state senator and former Senate president pro tempore before becoming the state GOP head, was one the most prominent voices endorsing Trumps stolen election claims.

On Dec. 14, 2021, he assembled the alternate electors in a meeting room a floor below where actual electors were casting votes. He later said the slate was needed to preserve the viability of Trumps lawsuit against the state. Georgias alternate list was not marked as provisional when presented to the National Archives and Congress.

Shafer announced in February that he would not seek a third term as chairman of the state GOP. Law firms representing Shafer, Gillen & Lake and Pierson Law, said in a statement that his conduct regarding the election was lawful, appropriate and specifically authorized under law.

--With assistance from Erik Larson, David Voreacos and Sabrina Willmer.

(Corrects number of charges against Trump in Toaster chart.)

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Trump to be arraigned in Georgia courthouse where cameras are allowed

Former President Donald Trump and 18 allies have until Aug. 25 to surrender at a Georgia court after being indicted on a total 41 counts by a grand jury in Fulton County. The formal arraignment, expected in September, will be the fourth for Trump, the only president who has ever been criminally charged. The Georgia arraignment, however, is expected to be slightly different than the others, because cameras are allowed in the state's courtrooms.

Georgia arraignment

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis announced late on Monday night that arrest warrants for 19 defendants have been issued, and they all have until noon on Aug. 25 to turn themselves in for processing. Alleged co-conspirators named in the indictment include Trump's former lawyer Rudy Giuliani and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.

For the previous three indictments, Trump and any co-defendants were given about four or five days to turn themselves in. For this one, they have about 11 days to surrender.

Prosecutors have proposed that formal arraignments will take place the week of Sept. 5. In the other cases, Trump was arraigned the same day he turned himself in.

In past arraignments, no cameras were allowed inside the courtrooms. The first arraignment was in New York, where audio-visual coverage of court proceedings is not allowed in any court.

The next two arraignments were held at federal courts in Miami and Washington, D.C., where electronic media coverage is expressly prohibited. A federal judge, however, may decide in some cases to allow cameras.

Georgia law states that photographs and televising of the courtroom is allowed, as long as it does not disrupt the proceedings.

So, the big difference in this arraignment: "Cameras in the courtroom," CBS News senior White House and political correspondent Ed O'Keefe said Tuesday on "CBS Mornings". "Now we're going to see him in a courtroom, show up to be arraigned, potentially. Not only him, but the 18 others that have been indicted in this case. And that has a huge effect on the public perception of all of this."

It is unclear on which date Trump will show up to be arraigned, but O'Keefe said he could strategically surrender on Aug. 23, the day of the first Republican presidential debate. "Where would you rather be that day, in Milwaukee with everybody else or in that Atlanta courtroom? He knows that this has completely sucked oxygen away from everyone else that's running. So now he can potentially use this to his advantage even more," O'Keefe said.

Trump has not yet said whether he will participate in the debate, but he has refused to sign a pledge that is required to participate.

Trump and the 18 other defendants face charges of election fraud, racketeering and more related to alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Willis said the defendants "engaged in a criminal racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgia's presidential election result subsequent to the indictment."

The charges allege violations of Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, also known as RICO, which allows a group of people to be charged for organized criminal acts.

It is unclear when any of the other defendants will surrender.

Washington, D.C. arraignment

On Tuesday, Aug. 1, Trump was indicted by a federal grand jury after special counsel Jack Smith brought evidence to the grand jury about the former president's alleged involvement during what Smith called the "unprecedented assault" on democracy on Jan. 6, 2021.

The former president faces four felony charges: 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 indictment alleged six other people were involved in the conspiracy.

On Aug. 3, Trump was arraigned at the Elijah Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington, D.C., and pleaded not guilty.

Proceedings lasted about 30 minutesNo cameras were allowed inside the courtroom  such is the case for all federal courtsTrump entered through a concealed entranceNo mugshot was takenIn the absence of cameras, a sketch was drawn of Trump inside the courtroom

Sketch showing former President Donald Trump being arraigned in a Washington, D.C. federal court, Aug. 3, 2023. / Credit: Sketch by William J. Hennessy, Jr.

The six alleged co-conspirators were not named in the indictment, but at least five of them are lawyers, according to the document.

Miami arraignment

On June 9, the Justice Department made public its indictment of Trump and his aide Walt Nauta. The indictment detailed charges both faced relating to the handling of sensitive government records after the former president left the White House.

This was the first time in history a former president time was charged by the Justice Department.

On June 13, Trump appeared for his arraignment at a federal court in Miami and pleaded not guilty to all 37 felony counts he faced.

Proceedings lasted 45 minutes No cameras were allowed inside the courtroom  such is the case for all federal courtsTrump entered the courtroom through a concealed entranceNo mug shot was takenIn the absence of cameras, a sketch was drawn of Trump inside the courtroom

A sketch drawn during Trump's arraignment at a federal court in Miami on June 13. / Credit: Bill Hennessy

Nauta didn't appear for his arraignment until July 6, and his attorney entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf.

On July 27, three additional charges were brought against Trump and two more were brought against Nauta. Charges against Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira were also introduced. They have all pleaded not guilty to those charges as well.

New York arraignment

On March 30, Trump was indicted by a grand jury in New York after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg brought evidence to the grand jury about Trump's alleged involvement in covering up so-called hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels. This marked the first time a former president was charged with a crime.

The indictment wasn't unsealed until Trump's arraignment on Tuesday, April 4, at a court in lower Manhattan. Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.

The proceedings lasted about an hour

Trump entered the building through a concealed entranceElectronic media coverage was not allowed in the courtroom, but one photo was takenNo mugshot was taken

Former President Donald Trump sits at the defense table in court on April 4, 2023 in New York City, as he was arraigned on criminal charges for allegedly falsifying business records. / Credit: Seth Wenig / Getty Images

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Former President Trump is asking for a hold on a lawsuit related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol due to his federal charges.

The partner of Brian Sicknick, a Capitol Police officer who died after responding to the Jan. 6 insurrection, sued the former president and two rioters charged with assaulting Sicknick earlier this year. Sandra Garza alleged that Trump and the two rioters, Julian Khater and George Tanios, are directly and vicariously liable for Sicknicks death.

Now, Trumps lawyers are asking the court to hold off on Garzas lawsuit because it overlaps substantially with the federal indictment brought against him earlier this month related to his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election. He was charged in four counts in the federal case, which alleges that Trump was the director of a conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and also engaged in a campaign to block the certification of votes Jan. 6.

Forcing President Trump to defend this case while simultaneously defending a criminal prosecution based on related conduct would undoubtedly compromise either his right to defend himself in this case, his criminal defense, or both, his lawyers wrote in a court filing Monday.

Accordingly, President Trump respectfully requests that this Court stay this case, at least insofar as it relates to President Trump until final resolution of his criminal proceedings.

Trumps lawyers filed this motion to stay before he was indicted for the fourth time this year  this time in Georgia on 13 counts in connection with efforts to overturn the states 2020 election results.

Sicknick suffered two strokes and died of natural causes the day after he worked to defend the Capitol in 2021. The lawsuit seeks $30 million in damages from Trump and the two rioters and alleges wrongful death.

As a direct result of the attack by Defendants Khater and Tanios and others  which Defendant Trump instigated  Officer Sicknick suffered physical injuries, the lawsuit states. The following day, on January 7, 2021, Officer Sicknick tragically died.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
As an Atlanta grand jury met Monday to hear evidence about Donald Trumps alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia, law-enforcement officials and police imposed a dramatic set of security measures. Armed officers patrolled the orange barricades around the courthouse. Police walked the perimeter with bomb-sniffing dogs. And security officials kept a wary eye on the flood of intimidating messages and violent threats targeting Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

In posts on Truth Social, Trump blasted Willis as phoney [sic], attacked her record, and said she wants desperately to indict me on ridiculous grounds. The previous week, Trump had attacked Willis at a campaign rally in New Hampshire, referring to the 52-year-old Black prosecutor as a young racist in Atlanta and claiming, without evidence, that she had engaged in an affair with the head of a gang. Shes got a lot of problems, Trump told the crowd. A few days later, he released a 60-second ad blasting Willis and other prosecutors as the fraud squad.

Trump has repeatedly been warned by federal officials to refrain from rhetoric that could "incite violence or civil unrest. Yet as he faces a fourth criminal indictment within a matter of months, he is only stepping up his attacks on prosecutors and judges. And within minutes of his attacks, his acolytes respond.

A brief review of pro-Trump forums, right-wing messaging groups, and social-media platforms immediately turned up dozens of potentially violent threats directed at Willis and her family. Some encouraged others to find Willis home address and post personal information about her family if she doesnt back down.

Read More: The United States of Political Violence.

Sources familiar with Atlanta law-enforcement preparations told local media that Willis has been assigned additional protection near her office and her residence. (Fulton County District Attorney's Office spokeswoman Pallavi Bailey declined to comment to TIME on changes to Willis security.) Willis has previously said that she received violent threats from Trump supporters due to the probe. Earlier this month, she emailed county leaders warning them to stay alert, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and shared one of the racist threats she had received. I am sending to you in case you are unclear on what I and my staff have come accustomed to over the last 2 years, she wrote.

The heightened security around Willis is becoming a familiar story. Prosecutors and judges across the country have faced threats emanating from Trump or his followers. In Washington, security has reportedly been tightened around U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing the case involving Trump's alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election. "There is no way I can get a fair trial with the judge 'assigned' to the ridiculous freedom of speech/fair elections case," Trump posted. NBC News reported that Chutkan was observed under the protection of the U.S. Marshals Service. A spokesman for the Marshals Service said it does not discuss specific security measures. Ensuring that judges can rule independently and free from harm or intimidation is paramount to the rule of law, Drew Wade said in a statement to TIME.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is pressing a civil suit against Trump, has also reported receiving death threats. I have more law enforcement around me these days, she said on a podcast in June. Individuals have threatened my life. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who filed felony charges against Trump in a case related to hush-money payments made to an adult-film actress, has received threats as well, including some considered to directly threaten serious harm. In March, Bragg was threatened with assassination in a letter containing a white powder that was later found to be non-hazardous.

While it's not unusual for prosecutors or judges to receive the occasional threat, Trumps broadsides raise the prospect that one of his fervent followers will take violent action, says Rachel Kleinfeld, who studies polarization and political violence at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

These threats look more like those in gang cases or organized criminal cases, Kleinfeld says. In organized criminal conspiracy, the person at the top rarely is a trigger-pullerIt seems to me that what's going on here is [Trump] calling on a much larger network that perpetrates violence, and our justice system isn't very well equipped to handle it.

Read More: Analysts Warn Violent Rhetoric After FBI Mar-a-Lago Search Is a Preview of What's to Come.

Willis, who's been investigating the Georgia election interference case since 2021, has alerted law enforcement to security concerns before. Last year, Trump denounced Willis and other prosecutors as radical, vicious [and] racist and called on supporters to hold the biggest protests weve ever had," prompting Willis to ask the FBI for additional security.

Since then, Trump has become even more reckless in his language, according to political-violence analysts. He has posted personally identifiable information about officials, including a photo of a judges daughter; warned of "potential death and destruction" if he is charged; and vowed "IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I'M COMING AFTER YOU."

Trumps lawyers say he is a political candidate exercising his First Amendment rights. But there is precedent for his supporters taking troubling action in response. In June, he posted what he claimed was former President Barack Obamas home address on Truth Social. A 37-year-old man reposted it, with the message We got these losers surrounded! See you in hell. That same day, Taylor Taranto, who was also involved in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, was arrested in a van containing firearms, near Obama's home in Washington. In a YouTube live stream, Taranto told viewers that he was trying to get a good angle on a shot, according to prosecutors.

A few weeks later, on Aug. 9, a Utah man named Craig Deleeuw Robertson was fatally shot by FBI agents as they attempted to arrest him after he repeatedly threatened to kill Bragg and President Joe Biden. The FBI had been tipped off by someone at Truth Social, Trumps own social media site, after Robertson, 75, posted a threat to kill Bragg, senior law enforcement officials told NBC News.

For many civil servants, the flood of online threats has become a disturbing fixture of the job, affecting everyone from court workers to local election officials. Threats against federal judges have spiked 400% in the past six years, to more than 3,700 in 2022, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. There was a jump in violent threats against the FBI and Justice officials after agents searched the former Presidents residence at Mar-a-Lago last summer. Soon after, a man wearing body armor and carrying an AR-15 rifle allegedly tried to break into an FBI office in Cincinnati after posting online that he wanted to kill FBI agents. He was killed in a standoff with police.

At the time, former national security officials told TIME that violent rhetoric online was increasingly crossing over into the real world. There's enough precedent now of having those threats become real that they have to take them seriously, which takes a huge amount of federal resources, says Kleinfeld. This is the tip of an iceberg. We're going to need as a democracy to spend more to protect the rest of our servants if we refuse to take down the temperature.

Write to Vera Bergengruen at vera.bergengruen@time.com.
Former President Trump blasted President Bidens response to the Maui wildfires as disgraceful in a video message posted Monday evening.

When asked about it today, as he was getting into a car, perhaps coming home from the beach, where he has been spending a great deal of time, crooked Joe Biden, the most incompetent president in the history of our country, with a laugh and a smile said he had no comment on the death and the tragedy, Trump said in a video message.

To say no comment is oftentimes fine, but to be smiling when you say it, especially again such a tragedy as this, is absolutely horrible and unacceptable, he continued. It is a disgraceful thing that Joe Biden refuses to help or comment on the tragedy in Maui, just as he refused to help or comment on the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio for a very, very long time.

The White House faced criticism Monday over Biden being on vacation and offering a no comment this weekend during the devastating fires in Maui  which have caused nearly 100 deaths so far. The White House pushed back on the criticism Monday, with press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre pointing to Bidens interactions with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as evidence of him responding to the wildfires.

The [FEMA] administrator has been there for two whole days, two whole days on the ground by the presidents request to make sure that the government has what they have, the local government has what they have, the people of Maui have what they have, she said. When you talk about a dozen agencies on the ground, helping and assisting  hundreds of FEMA personnel. Thats what  thats what matters.

Biden also signed a disaster declaration for Hawaii last week and ordered the military to assist with the wildfire response.

Trump also said the response to the wildfires was going very poorly and that the government was unprepared for the disaster.

The sad thing is, it should never have happened, he said. Our government was not prepared. And very importantly, the aftermath is going very poorly with the governor of the island wanting to do nothing but blame it on global warming, and other things that just happen to pop into his head.

The Maui wildfires were fueled by high winds caused by Hurricane Dora. The high winds combined with dry conditions allowed the fire to spread rapidly on the western side of the island. Experts have said climate change has played a role in wildfires, including the latest in Maui.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
As Donald Trump braces for yet another criminal indictment, this time in Fulton County, Georgia, even more detail has emerged about efforts by his team and allies to access sensitive voting machine software to prop up the former presidents lies about election fraud.

Fulton County prosecutors have emails and text messages showing Trumps team was involved in the effort to breach voting machines in Coffee County, Georgia, CNN reported Sunday

But thats only the tip of the iceberg: In at least three states, Trumps allies breached voting machines in an effort to pursue conspiracy theories about voter fraud, and the same players have a habit of popping up in different states.

In Colorado, a former Mesa County clerk faces felony charges for allegedly allowing an unauthorized person to gain access to secure areas inside the clerks office. Digital images of the countys election systems were posted online by a major figure in the QAnon conspiracy world shortly after.

In Michigan, three people, including a former Republican nominee for state attorney general, face felony charges over accusations they conspired to illegally access voting machines.

Digital images from voting machines in those states and others have repeatedly been shared online and at in-person events dedicated to proving Trumps election lies.

Heres what we know.

Georgia

The Jan. 7, 2021, breach of Coffee Countys voting systems has multiple ties to other efforts around the country to provide fodder for Trumps false claims of a stolen election.

CNN reported Sunday on messages from an attorney working for Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell  private attorneys who are both unnamed co-conspirators in the recent federal indictment against Trump for attempting to overturn the election  inviting several others to examine voting equipment in Coffee County.

And we know that Republican activists did access that equipment: On Jan. 7, surveillance video showed employees of the computer forensics firm SullivanStrickler, which was working under Powells direction, accessing the countys election software. Digital images of the software were subsequently uploaded online and viewed by a number of Republican political operatives and activists.

SullivanStrickler was also engaged to do similar work in Antrim County, Michigan, and in Nevada, according to records obtained by The Washington Post. (The firm has said it had no reason to believe the attorneys for whom it had worked would ask it to do something improper.)

In one notable crossover, Jim Penrose, a former National Security Agency official who had been at a planning session soon after the November 2020 election, reportedly asked SullivanStrickler to send the bill for the Coffee County, Georgia, work to Stefanie Lambert, an attorney who now faces four felony charges related to a similar scheme in Michigan.

The state replaced some of Coffee Countys voting equipment. Election security experts urged Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith to investigate. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation launched a probe into the matter, but as The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in April, so far, everyone involved in the scheme has escaped accountability. A spokesperson for the GBI told HuffPost that the agency doesnt have any new updates to report. A spokesperson for Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said separately that this investigation has not been absorbed into the Fulton County matter.

Michigan

In Michigan, three people face felony charges for allegedly conspiring to improperly access voting equipment: Lambert, former state attorney general nominee Matthew DePerno (R) and former state Rep. Daire Rendon (R). Lambert and DePernohave denied wrongdoing; an attorney for Rendon did not respond to HuffPosts request for comment.

A year ago, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessels office requested that a special counsel investigate DePerno, Lambert and Rendon for orchestrating what Nessels office called a coordinated plan to gain access to voting tabulators from various counties in the state. According to that petition, DePerno was present while others broke into the tabulators and performed tests on the equipment.

Lambert also has ties to Dar Leaf, the sheriff in Barry County, Michigan. Leaf sent a sheriffs deputy and private investigator recommended by Lambert from township to township around his county to grill clerks about the 2020 election, leading several clerks to speak out publicly about the visits. Leaf was among those named in the petition from Nessells office on the alleged scheme to access voting machines, but he and others mentioned in the document werent ultimately charged.

In a related case in April, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court found the Republican-majority government in its states Fulton County in contempt as part of an ongoing saga over a Michigan forensics firms improper access to the countys voting machines. The court criticized Lambert, who represented the county for a time, for not disclosing disciplinary proceedings against her in Michigan that were related to litigation to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.

Though only three people ultimately faced charges, Nessels office indicated many more were potentially involved, including Doug Logan, the CEO of Cyber Ninjas, the firm that Arizona Republicans contracted to lead a sham audit of the 2020 election results in the Phoenix area. (Logan also visited the office in Coffee County, Georgia, surveillance footage showed, as did Jeffrey Lenberg, another person who the Michigan attorney generals office said performed tests on the voting machines in that state.)

A Jan. 7, 2021, image from Coffee County, Georgia, security video appears to show Cathy Latham (center, in turquoise cardigan) introducing members of a computer forensic team to local election officials. Latham was the county Republican Party chair at the time. The computer forensics team was at the county elections office in Douglas to make copies of voting equipment in an effort that documents show was arranged by attorney Sidney Powell and others allied with Donald Trump.

A Jan. 7, 2021, image from Coffee County, Georgia, security video appears to show Cathy Latham (center, in turquoise cardigan) introducing members of a computer forensic team to local election officials. Latham was the county Republican Party chair at the time. The computer forensics team was at the county elections office in Douglas to make copies of voting equipment in an effort that documents show was arranged by attorney Sidney Powell and others allied with Donald Trump.

DePerno also worked on a local voters lawsuit alleging fraud in Antrim County, Michigan, after a clerks quickly resolved error showed the wrong results in the county. As part of that suit, a judge allowed DePerno to make a copy of the countys voting software. As in Georgia, SullivanStrickler flew in for the job, again under Powells authorization.

Though the judge warned against sharing the data publicly, the Antrim County images were shared at a 2021 Cyber Symposium hosted by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. Some attendees immediately realized the severity of the situation: I said, I havent seen the Antrim image because I didnt sign a protective court order to obtain a copy of the image, but I bet they have stolen court evidence here, Harri Hursti, a cybersecurity expert who attended the symposium, reflected later that year.

Similar data from Nevada, which, according to The Washington Post, was the scene of another SullivanStrickler arrangement, was also shared at the symposium. But it wasnt very impressive, as it was apparently recorded from a public Wi-Fi system and didnt contain any sensitive data, a Clark County spokesperson said. Also in 2021, a breach of a Lake County, Ohio, government office prompted state and federal investigations after data obtained from the office of the president of the countys board of commissioners was shared at Lindells event.

Colorado

As in Michigan, a former public official is charged in Colorado with allowing improper access to a countys voting machines.

Tina Peters was accused in an indictment of being part of a deceptive scheme which was designed to influence public servants, breach security protocols, exceed permissible access to voting equipment, and set in motion the eventual distribution of confidential information to unauthorized people. Peters has portrayed herself as a martyr, frequently appearing on far-right podcasts to echo Trumps claims of widespread corruption among voting machine manufacturers and election officials.

Two others have pleadedguilty and agreed to cooperate in the case against Peters. As part of the scheme, Peters allegedly directed staff to turn off surveillance videos facing the voting equipment. She also allegedly instructed staff to make a fake government employee ID for an unauthorized person  reportedly the former pro surfer-turned-election conspiracy theorist Conan Hayes  and then allowed that person to be present during a required in-person software update, which granted the person access to the software.

Law enforcement became aware of the scheme after a major QAnon conspiracy theory figure, Ron Watkins, posted information from the voting systems online. This all led to a dramatic moment during Lindells Cyber Symposium when Peters announced that investigators had acted upon a search warrant and raided her office. At the same symposium, digital images of Mesa Countys voting system were shared with attendees.

Last year, FBI agents seized Lindells cellphone as he waited in line at a Hardees drive-thru; Lindell subsequently said hed received a subpoena as part of a federal grand jurys investigation of the Colorado breach. Lindell sued the Department of Justice over the phone seizure.

Peters pleaded not guilty to election tampering and has successfully sought to delay trial multiple times, though she was convicted of a separate misdemeanor related to her recording a court proceeding.

Peters and others, including former Trump attorney Giuliani, are set to speak at a Lindell-hosted event this week.

Related...
Students practice Baduanjin Qigong during a traditional Chinese medicine lecture at the University of Namibia in Windhoek, Namibia, on Aug. 14, 2023. The Chinese medical team in Namibia on Monday delivered a lecture on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to students from the University of Namibia, enabling them to have a better understanding of the TCM techniques. (Xinhua/Chen Cheng)

WINDHOEK, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese medical team in Namibia on Monday delivered a lecture on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to students from the University of Namibia, enabling them to have a better understanding of the TCM techniques.

During the lecture at the university's Confucius Institute, the Chinese doctors delved into the intricate details of TCM, in a move meant to enlighten and educate students more on the benefits as an alternative to other modern forms of treatments.

The Chinese team explained the uses of techniques like acupuncture and how and why it is administered, and how other techniques are combined to be more effective, like incorporating moxibustion with acupuncture as a natural means of treatment for various ailments.

The doctors also zoomed in on the benefits of TCM, saying it is considered to be milder and does not have strong side effects as some other medicine does.

During the lecture, the students had the opportunity to experience some of the techniques which included acupuncture, massages, moxibustion, and cupping.

Kaputuaza Mbuende, a sophomore, told Xinhua that the whole experience was fascinating. "This was my first experience to have acupuncture and I learned a lot from the history of the techniques," he said.

According to Mbuende, a couple of months ago he broke his forearm and since then it has been difficult to move some of his fingers due to the nerve damage caused by his injury.

"To be honest, after my (TCM) experience, I felt it easier to wiggle some of my fingers. It does work," he said, adding that he is going to embark on an extensive program to use TCM for his healing journey.

Monica-Clare Nyango, a student at the institute, said she was hesitant at first to try acupuncture as well as cupping as this was her first time experiencing the techniques.

"I feel relaxed, really at ease and I did enjoy all the procedures," she said after receiving some of the techniques. "I will recommend this form of therapy for pain relief and treatment of other forms of ailments."

China to date has sent a total of 15 medical teams to Namibia since its first mission in 1996. The medical teams have been committed to ensuring the health of the Namibian people while also maintaining the friendship between the two countries. 

Students practice Baduanjin Qigong during a traditional Chinese medicine lecture at the University of Namibia in Windhoek, Namibia, on Aug. 14, 2023. The Chinese medical team in Namibia on Monday delivered a lecture on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to students from the University of Namibia, enabling them to have a better understanding of the TCM techniques. (Xinhua/Chen Cheng)

A student receives the moxibustion therapy during a traditional Chinese medicine lecture at the University of Namibia in Windhoek, Namibia, on Aug. 14, 2023. The Chinese medical team in Namibia on Monday delivered a lecture on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to students from the University of Namibia, enabling them to have a better understanding of the TCM techniques. (Xinhua/Chen Cheng)

A student receives the moxibustion therapy during a traditional Chinese medicine lecture at the University of Namibia in Windhoek, Namibia, on Aug. 14, 2023. The Chinese medical team in Namibia on Monday delivered a lecture on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to students from the University of Namibia, enabling them to have a better understanding of the TCM techniques. (Xinhua/Chen Cheng)
The Trump campaign on Monday blasted Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and other prosecutors investigating former President Trump as charges in Georgia over efforts to overturn the states 2020 election results appeared imminent.

In a statement that was not attributed to an individual spokesperson, the Trump campaign derided Willis as a rabid partisan who is campaigning and fundraising on a platform of prosecuting President Trump through these bogus indictments.

Ripping a page from Crooked Joe Bidens playbook, Willis has strategically stalled her investigation to try and maximally interfere with the 2024 presidential race and damage the dominant Trump campaign. All of these corrupt Democrat attempts will fail, the campaign said in a statement.

The campaign recycled a common claim  that prosecutors could have brought charges against Trump shortly after he left office two-and-a-half years ago  even though Willis and others have spent months investigating the former president and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

The former president and his allies have accused Willis and others of engaging in election interference intended to thwart his 2024 White House campaign, where he is leading in Republican primary polls by a wide margin.

These activities by Democrat leaders constitute a grave threat to American democracy and are direct attempts to deprive the American people of their rightful choice to cast their vote for President, the campaign statement said. Call it election interference or election manipulationit is a dangerous effort by the ruling class to suppress the choice of the people. It is un-American and wrong.

The campaign vowed Trump will never give up and suggested Trump has a right to free speech in claiming the 2020 election was rigged.

The statement was issued shortly after a grand jury returned an indictment in the investigation into efforts to subvert Georgias 2020 election results, where President Biden defeated Trump by roughly 11,000 votes.

The specifics of the indictment were not immediately clear, though they were expected to be unsealed late Monday.

Willis has been investigating Trumps pressure campaign against elected officials, as well as a scheme to set up alternate electors who would back Trump despite multiple recounts certifying Bidens victory in the state.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
WASHINGTON  A Grammy-winning rapper. A group of cheating public school teachers. And now, Donald Trump.

In charging the former president with election fraud late Monday, Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis relied in part on the state's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act  a provision that, at the federal level, was created to target organized crime and that could significantly shape how the case against Trump unfolds. Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, has had success in the past using Georgia's version of that law to target crimes that most Americans wouldn't associate with the Mafia.

RICO statutes let prosecutors seek higher sentences. In Georgia, those crimes carry a minimum five-year prison sentence and up to 20 years. They also require prosecutors to show a pattern of criminal activity  involving several people  rather than an isolated crime. That could allow Willis to lay out a broad case against Trump's inner circle and those who tried to keep him in power.

The 41-count indictment handed up by a grand jury Monday charged Trump and 18 of his allies with crimes related to their effort to overturn the election results by leaning on officials in Georgia to "find" enough votes for him to win the state. Among those facing charges under RICO are Trump, Rudy Giuliani and former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.

Live updates: Donald Trump indicted on 2020 election fraud charges in Georgia

The indictment lists 161 acts that prosecutors said Trump and his allies took to further the conspiracy. It marked the fourth time the former president has been criminally charged. But it's the first time Trump is facing charges under a RICO statute. The Trump campaign on Monday condemned the charges as politically motivated.

Praise, pushback for 'innovative' use of RICO

It's not the first time Willis has brought RICO charges under the Georgia version of that statute. Willis gained national attention for bringing RICO charges against dozens of teachers in the Atlanta public school district in 2013 for inflating students' scores. Several defendants struck plea agreements in that case. Eleven of 12 remaining educators who Willis brought to trial were convicted in 2015 and several served jail time.

"For someone experienced with RICO, this was an absolutely logical application of the statute," said Morgan Cloud, an Emory University law professor and expert on the state's law. "But for people unfamiliar, it seems like, 'What? You're calling teachers and administrators in schools racketeers?' That made no sense to lots of people."

Willis, Cloud said, has "been successful with that in the past in a very complicated, surprising, innovative application of the statute, to government employee activities."

Former US President Donald Trump is seen at the 16th hole during Round 3 at the LIV Golf-Bedminster 2023 at the Trump National in Bedminster, New Jersey on August 13, 2023.

She'll have to do so again, experts noted, to make the charges against Trump and his associates stick.

In another case, Willis last year secured RICO charges against rapper Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Lamar Williams. Williams has been accused of co-founding a street gang called Young Slime Life connected to several murders and shootings, according to prosecutors. That case has been pending for months. Last year Willis also filed RICO charges against members of a gang that prosecutors say have been responsible for high-profile burglaries in Atlanta.

Those cases have generated controversy because of Willis' use of rap lyrics as evidence. Willis has waved away that criticism.

"I think if you decide to admit your crimes over a beat, Im going to use it," she told reporters last year.

Devin Franklin, an attorney for the Southern Center for Human Rights who spent 12 years in the Fulton County public defenders office before leaving last year, told The Associated Press that using RICO has a tendency to "sensationalize the cases." Willis has said she likes to bring the cases, telling reporters last year that RICO is "a tool that allows a prosecutor's office and law enforcement to tell the whole story."

What are RICO charges? 'Very tough statute.'

President Richard Nixon signed the federal RICO provisions into law in 1970, part of an effort to give authorities the power to go after the heads of Mafia families who managed to insulate themselves from prosecution.

Before he became a personal attorney to Trump and was caught up in the investigations swirling around the former president, it was Giuliani who put a national spotlight on RICO statutes. The former U.S. attorney wielded that law to prosecute the leaders of several mob families in New York in the late 1980s.

Last year, Giuliani's attorneys acknowledged that he was a target of the Georgia probe. According to the indictment, Giuliani repeatedly made false statements about the outcome of the election as he attempted to persuade state lawmakers in several states to appoint electors who would support Trump.

Georgia's RICO law, adopted in 1980 and one of more than 30 similar state laws, gives prosecutors even more latitude than the federal statute, experts said. It allows prosecutors, for instance, to include federal crimes and offenses that took place in other states, so long as they can prove two crimes occurred in their jurisdiction.

J. Tom Morgan, a criminology professor at Western Carolina University and a former district attorney in DeKalb County, said RICO simply requires two crimes to have been committed by conspirators  known as predicate acts.

Former New York City Mayor and former personal lawyer for former President Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, leaves the U.S. District Court on May 19, 2023 in Washington, DC. Two election workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss of Fulton County, Georgia, sued Giuliani for defamation.

"When you boil it down, its a very tough statute," Morgan said. "You bring everything in, including the kitchen sink, in the indictment. In this case, you have many people working together to overthrow the election."

What the RICO indictments mean for Trump

Willis' election inquiry covered Trump's call on Jan. 2, 2021, to state Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, asking him to "find" enough votes for Trump to win the state. Trump has described the call as "perfect." Another major aspect of the indictment dealt with the Trump campaign recruiting an alternate slate of presidential electors, in an attempt to switch Georgia's results from President Joe Biden to Trump.

The 98-page indictment lays out a series of factual allegations, noting several meetings Trump had with state officials after the election, including one in the Oval Office in early December with the speaker of the Pennsylvania House in which the two discussed holding a special session of that state's Legislature. It also notes the Jan. 2 phone call to Raffensperger.

In broad terms, the indictment accuses Trump and his aides of making false statements to state lawmakers in an effort to get them to appoint different presidential electors and soliciting Justice Department officials to make false statements to officials in Georgia.

For Trump, because of the potential for higher sentences, Willis' reliance on RICO raises the stakes. It also may take longer to resolve than the federal charges being shepherded by special counsel Jack Smith.

"She's really almost the opposite of Jack Smith. Jack Smith, I think is he's trying to keep it simple. And he wants a quick trial and a quick conviction," speculated Clark Cunningham, a law professor at Georgia State University. "Willis is probably prepared to have this case go past the general election."

If Trump wins that election, he said, "we may look at a situation where, here in Atlanta, we are conducting the criminal trial of a sitting president."

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, to look into the actions of former President Donald Trump and his supporters who tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The hearing took place in Atlanta.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why a Georgia prosecutor charged Trump under laws meant for mobsters
Former President Trump and 18 allies face 41 criminal counts related to interference in the 2020 presidential election after being indicted by a Fulton County, Ga., grand jury Monday.

On Tuesday, Trump and others answered the charges in the indictment.

The former president vowed that next week he will release a report that shows fraud in the Georgia election. Trump-alligned attorney Jenna Ellis responded to her indictment by attacking prosecutors. And attorneys for David Shafer, who served as chairman of the Georgia Republican Party in 2020 and is charged alongside Trump, claimed he is totally innocent on Tuesday.

The indictment comes just over a week before Trump may  or may not  join other Republican presidential candidates on the debate stage in Milwaukee.

Follow along all day for updates as the nearly 100-page indictment is digested and dissected.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Former President Donald Trump has been indicted five times, facing a total of 91 criminal charges in four cases. Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Pool/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Former President Donald Trump now faces a shocking total of 91 criminal counts against him.

The nearly 100 felony counts stem from five indictments in four criminal cases handed down this year.

Trump is the first and only former president to be charged criminally.

Donald Trump is now facing 91 criminal charges across five indictments  a whopping total for the first ex-president to face criminal prosecution.

The massive number of charges stems from four criminal indictments filed against Trump this year by both state and federal authorities.

Hush-money settlement to Stormy Daniels

The first criminal case against trump is a state case connected to a $130,000 hush-money payment to the adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

Trump was indicted in March for his alleged role in the payment and is expected to go to trial in March 2024.

The charges are:

Classified documents

In a June indictment, federal prosecutors alleged Trump took classified documents with him from the White House to Mar-a-Lago, then tried to foil the government's efforts to get them back. He was charged with 37 felonies in that case over the alleged "willful retention of national defense information."

Later that month, a superseding indictment in the case dropped, adding three additional counts against the former President, bringing the total in the classified documents case to 40. That case goes to trial in May 2024.

The charges are:

32 counts of willful retention of national defense information for alleged violations of the Espionage Act.

1 count of conspiracy to obstruct justice.

1 count of withholding a document or record

1 count of corruptly concealing a document or record

1 count of concealing a document in a federal investigation

1 count of scheme to conceal

1 count of false statements and representations

1 count of altering, destroying, mutilating, or concealing an object

1 count of altering, destroying, mutilating, or concealing a document, record, or other object

January 6 Capitol insurrection

Trump was hit with four charges in connection with his involvement in the January 6 Capitol riot and his attempt to overturn the 2020 election in August. The indictment also mentioned six co-conspirators who weren't indicted.

The trial date for the case hasn't been set.

The charges are:

One count of conspiracy to defraud the United States.

One count of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding.

One count of obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding.

One count of conspiracy against rights.

Georgia false electors

On Monday, Trump was indicted in Georgia in connection with his attempts to overturn the 2020 election in the state.

Trump faces 13 felony charges in the RICO case  a type of criminal case usually used against organized crime  and 18 other Trump allies were also charged.

The charges include:

One count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act.

Three counts of solicitation of violation of oath by public officer.

Two counts of conspiracy to commit false statements and writings.

Two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree.

Two counts of false statements and writings.

One count of conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer.

One count of conspiracy to commit filing false documents.

One count of filing false documents.

That comes to a grand total of 91 felony counts against the former president, who is running for the GOP nomination to take back the White House in 2024.

He could face years of both federal and state prison time if he is convicted on one  or many  of these 91 counts., but he'd still be able to run for office and even be president if he were convicted.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Former President Donald Trump is getting blasted from both sides of the aisle for palling around with conservative provocateur Laura Loomer at his golf club over the weekend.

Loomer posted a video and a handful of photos of herself and Trump, the Republican presidential front-runner, at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, during the LIV golf tournament.

"Today was the best day of my life," Loomer posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Sunday. "I got to spend the entire day with the greatest President our country has ever had: DONALD J TRUMP!"

"President Trump invited me to sit with him inside his private box at #Bedminster to watch the #LivGolf tournament," she wrote.

BLACKS FOR TRUMP LEADER WHO WANTS TO DESTROY DESANTIS WAS EARLY FOLLOWER OF DEADLY BLACK SUPREMACIST CULT

In a video that has racked up over a million views, Trump told Loomer he liked how opinionated she was.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

"It's great to have you, and you've been really very special," Trump said. "You work hard, and you are a very opinionated lady. I have to tell you that, and in my opinion, I like that. And I appreciate all of your support, and everybody appreciates your support. Thank you."

"Thank you so much for inviting me to sit with you today," Loomer responded. "You're the best. I love you."

Loomer wrote that Trump thanked her for her frequent criticism of GOP challenger Gov. Ron DeSantis.

"I had a regular ticket for the #LivGolf tournament today, and he saw me when he was getting into his golf cart," she posted. "He got out of his golf cart and told me to come to his box, and he walked over to me to take a picture with me, telling me how thankful he was for all of my work exposing @RonDeSantisDeSanctus."

Loomer told Fox News Digital during a phone interview Monday that the president immediately recognized her at his club Sunday.

"Yeah, he recognized me," she said. "He knows who I am."

"He recognized me, and then he told his staffer that was standing right next to the golf cart to make sure that I had an all-access pass and that I was escorted to his private suite," she said.

Loomer said she does not work for the Trump campaign, but she wants to, and she was briefly hired earlier this year.

Loomer said she met with Trump in March and had been hired by the campaign. That fell through, however, following backlash from some top aides and Trump ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who called Loomer "mentally unstable and a documented liar."

The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment Monday.

Asked if she was being tapped as Trumps future press secretary, Loomer wrote Monday, "Cant comment on that! But we talked about a lot of different topics & he was very gracious. And the important thing is he knows I am 100% on board to help him & he recognizes the impact my investigative journalism is having."

Loomer told Fox News Digital that she would consider it "an honor to work for President Trump someday. But I said that I can't comment on it because, you know, I'm not going to reveal all of my private conversations with President Trump."

Its not clear if Trump spent more time with Loomer than with Iowa voters over the weekend, but the former president spent only 85 minutes at the Iowa State Fair on Saturday, according to NBC News, while his GOP competitors sat down for interviews with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds.

Trump has made several trips to the state on the campaign trail, however, including last month when he attended the Iowa GOPs Lincoln Dinner.

Loomer told Fox News Digital that any criticism about Trump spending more time with her than Iowans is just a "sleazy tactic" to attack the former president.

"He flew the entire Florida delegation to Iowa, OK?" Loomer argued. "And he campaigned with them, and he was the most popular attraction in Iowa."

Loomer said that if she could she would want to be Trump's press secretary because he "needs somebody who knows how to deal with the fake news media and somebody who actually never backs down, and that's me."

Loomer has repeatedly made headlines for attention-grabbing stunts such as handcuffing herself to the Twitter headquarters in New York after being banned from the platform in 2018 for her comments about Muslims.

Loomer, who calls herself a "Feisty Jewess" in her X bio, repeatedly defended Holocaust denier and antisemite Nick Fuentes earlier this year, saying they have "become great friends over these last 5 years" and that they have "formed a bond over being Deplatformed and having our civil rights violated by the FBI & Big Tech."

Trump faced backlash last year after hosting a dinner with Fuentes and rapper Kanye West at Mar-a-Lago.

In 2017, Loomer was banned by Uber and Lyft for tweeting about not being able to find a "non-Islamic" driver and declaring herself a "#ProudIslamophobe." She described herself as "pro-white nationalism" during a podcast the same year.

Loomer, who is Jewish, told Fox News Digital on Monday that she does not dislike Muslim people and that she is "not a White supremacist."

"Because I'm Jewish, right? How can I be a White supremacist like what the media's calling me today?" she said.

Former President Donald Trump greets supporters as he arrives at the Iowa State Fair, on Aug. 12, 2023 in Des Moines.

Loomer has also been banned from Facebook, Instagram, PayPal and Uber Eats for her past controversial statements.

In 2017, she wrote, "Good. Here's to 2,000 more," after 2,000 migrants reportedly died trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea.

In 2019, Loomer was banned from the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) for reportedly harassing reporters. She told Fox News Digital that she was banned after "asking CNN why they were working with Twitter" to get Trump supporters banned from social media.

Laura Loomer shouts at Jack Dorsey, chairman of Twitter, as he speaks during the Bitcoin convention in Miami, Florida, on June 4, 2021.

Also in 2019, Loomer made a video attacking Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and declared, "Muslims should not even be allowed to seek positions of political office in this country."

In 2018, Loomer was accused of characterizing the school shootings in Parkland, Florida, and Santa Fe, Texas, as hoaxes, which she denies.

In May of this year, Loomer was widely criticized for accusing the DeSantis campaign of exaggerating Florida first lady Casey DeSantis battle with cancer.

"They are welcome to release the medical records though to show that they arent exaggerating," Loomer wrote. "Especially since they want to use her as a campaign surrogate and cancer as a way to appeal to voters."

Loomer ran for Florida's 11th Congressional District seat in 2022 but lost in the Republican primary. She also lost in 2020, after she earned the Republican nomination for Floridas 21st Congressional District, to incumbent Rep. Lois Frankel, a Democrat, by a wide margin.

Michael Avenatti and Laura Loomer attend Politicon at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Oct. 20, 2018.

Loomer made headlines in May after she elevated the anti-DeSantis "Blacks for Trump" founder, Maurice Symonette, who is a devoted follower of the late cult leader Hulon Mitchell Jr.

"Im here to destroy DeSantis, because hes a bastard from Hell," Symonette said in a video posted by Loomer. "What I'm going to do is make sure that you don't win, and that everybody knows that you're a RINO Republican racist."

Symonette made his comments alongside several other men wearing "Blacks for Trump" shirts that also advertised Symonettes nonprofit organization, BOSS Group Ministries, which follows the teachings of Hulon Mitchell Jr., founder of the murderous "Nation of Yahweh" cult, a sect of the Black Hebrew Israelites movement that disbanded after Mitchell landed behind bars.

Maurice Symonette, or Michael the Black Man, shouts during a protest outside the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami on June 26, 2019, ahead of the first Democratic presidential primary debates for the 2020 elections.

In 2019, Symonette, who publicly goes by Michael the Black Man, told local media that Mitchell had been instructing his devotees to support Trump as far back as 1984.

"Yahweh Ben Yahweh told us in 1984 that Trump was Cyrus," Symonette told Local 10 News, referring to the ancient Persian king. "He said one day he is going to run for president."
Of the four criminal indictments now facing Donald Trump, the state case filed in deep blue Fulton County, Georgia, could present the biggest threat to his freedom.

The charges over his attempts to overturn the states 2020 election present a distinct set of challenges for the former president. Not only will he be tried in a county where three out of every four voters supported his opponent, but should a jury convict him, he will lack the tools currently at his disposal in other cases that could spare him from the most dire legal outcomes.

There may be no greater threat to Trumps liberty than a Fulton County jury willing to convict him, said Anthony Michael Kreis, a law professor at Georgia State University.

Unlike the federal indictments brought this summer by special counsel Jack Smith, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has charged Trump with crimes at the state level  where Trumps long political shadow has less influence.

Willis charged Trump and 18 associates on Monday under Georgias racketeering statute, alleging they worked as a criminal enterprise to overturn the states election results.

Georgias governor will have no authority to pardon Trump if a jury convicts him. Instead, an independent Board of Pardons and Paroles may consider granting relief to individuals convicted in the state  only after they serve a minimum of five years of their prison sentence.

The state prosecution is also shielded from presidential pardon power, or from a friendly Justice Department should a newly-elected president decide to withdraw prosecution.

And Trumps ability to move or appeal the case into the federal court system will be limited, with the Supreme Court empowered to take up state cases only when constitutional matters are at play.

The stakes are high: The charges facing Trump, under Georgias racketeering statute, have a mandatory minimum prison sentence of five to 20 years if convicted, although some or all of that sentence can be served in probation at the discretion of the judge.

Trump has said he is not guilty of the charges in all four indictments.

READ MORE: Trumps first two indictments could mean prison. His third could change the presidency

There are limitations that exist in a state or local prosecution that constrain his potential long-game options, in ways that the federal indictments do not preclude, said Morgan Cloud, a law professor at Emory University. Mr. Trump doesnt have the tools available to stop this from moving forward, even up through sentencing.

Feb 3, 2022; Atlanta, GA, United States; Fani Willis, District Attorney for Fulton County. Credit: Dustin Chambers-USA TODAY

UNIQUE THREAT

These are not the only state charges facing the former president. The first criminal indictment that faced Trump earlier this year, in New York, is also shielded from the federal system.

But legal experts across the political spectrum have questioned the strength of that case, which charges Trump with falsifying business records in an attempt to cover up an extramarital affair in the heat of the 2016 presidential election. Even if Manhattan prosecutors were to secure a conviction, Trump would not be expected to serve prison time.

There are outstanding questions about the strength of the New York case, because many legal observers question the novelty of the legal argument used, Kreis said. Between the two state cases, that puts Fulton County in a particularly important position.

Trumps attorneys may try to move the Georgia case to federal court, citing a federal law that allows a case to be moved from the state to federal level when it involves a public office holder performing their official duties. But legal experts consider that a longshot effort. If the case were ever to make it to a federal courtroom, it would likely be the Supreme Court, after state appeals were exhausted  and even that would not be guaranteed, experts said.

Generally speaking, the Supreme Court has jurisdiction to review cases from a states highest court that present federal questions, said Robert Litt, a former federal prosecutor and top attorney at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. So if Trump were to say, for example, that his conduct was protected by the First Amendment, he could appeal that through the Georgia state system and then petition for certiorari, referring to review by a higher court.

But the Supreme Courts role would be limited, Kreis said, to review only federal constitutional challenges that would arise from an adverse decision against Trump in the state courts.

Trumps aides did not respond to requests for comment on the former presidents legal strategy.

NO LEGAL PRECEDENT

Time, however, could work in Trumps favor.

With only 15 months remaining before the 2024 presidential election, polls show Trump is the frontrunner to win the Republican nomination, and a victory in the general election would raise unique and unprecedented questions over the fate of the Georgia case.

Were that to happen, he would have a good argument that he cannot go to trial until after his term expires based on longstanding guidance from the office of legal counsel at the Justice Department, said Barbara McQuade, who served as the United States attorney for the eastern district of Michigan from 2010 until 2017 when Trump requested a slew of resignations from U.S. attorneys.

If he were to be convicted and sentenced, and then win the presidency, McQuade added, then God help us all.

Willis took over two years to investigate whether Trumps efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia amounted to a criminal conspiracy, and in that period allowed three other cases to be brought against Trump before hers  meaning that she will have to coordinate, and in some cases defer, on scheduling of court dates and trial proceedings alongside three other jurisdictions.

When a defendant is being tried at both the state and federal level, it is common for local prosecutors to defer to their federal counterparts on trial scheduling. Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg, who is leading the prosecution of Trump in the business records case, has said he would do so, but Willis has not commented yet on the matter.

Smith has charged Trump at the federal level with attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election and, in a separate case, also indicted the former president over his alleged retention and concealment of highly classified documents. The special counsel has pursued speedy trials in both cases, requesting they begin in the first half of 2024.

McQuade said the Georgia charges can be more potent than the federal indictments, noting the states racketeering law carries a five-year mandatory minimum sentence. None of the federal charges have a mandatory minimum, she said.

Being incarcerated in a Georgia prison would invariably impede a presidents ability to perform his official duties. If thats the argument, its irrefutable, Cloud said.

But even that defense may not be enough for the president to evade a prison sentence, if convicted.

There simply is no case law or precedent to determine what would come next.

If Mr. Trump were to be elected president again, Cloud added, I dont think anyone can predict how this ultimately would be resolved. Its hard to imagine.
Former President Donald Trump responded with fury early Tuesday morning after he was indicted in Georgia over his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state.

Trump took to his Truth Social account to blast Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis after he was charged with more than a dozen felonies, ranging from filing false documents to racketeering. Also named were 18 others as defendants in the indictment, including attorney Rudy Giuliani, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and lawyer Sidney Powell.

So, the Witch Hunt continues! 19 people Indicated tonight, including the former President of the United States, me, by an out of control and very corrupt District Attorney who campaigned and raised money on, I will get Trump, the former president wrote.

A post from Trump later Monday morning said he would present his own report next week that would lead to complete EXONERATION.

A Large, Complex, Detailed but Irrefutable REPORT on the Presidential Election Fraud which took place in Georgia is almost complete & will be presented by me ... on Monday of next week in Bedminster, New Jersey, the post said. Based on the results of this CONCLUSIVE Report, all charges should be dropped against me & others. ... They never went after those that Rigged the Election. They only went after those that fought to find the RIGGERS!

The DAs investigation began shortly after Trumps Jan. 2, 2021, phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, after he lost the state to Joe Biden in the 2020 election. Trump pressed the election official to find 11,780 votes, falsely claiming he won the state.

We have won this election in Georgia, Trump claimed during the recorded call. And theres nothing wrong with saying that, Brad. You know, I mean, having the correct  the people of Georgia are angry. ... And theres nothing wrong with saying that, you know, that youve recalculated.

Raffensperger pushed back on the presidents lies and upheld the states certification of Biden as the winner.

The indictment goes far beyond that call, however, laying out a 161-act criminal conspiracy across 98 pages. Prosecutors charged all the defendants under Georgias RICO Act, which is used in cases where multiple people have allegedly worked together to further a criminal enterprise.

Willis said late Monday that arrest warrants had been issued for all 19 people named in the document and gave them until Aug. 25 at noon to surrender. She added that her office will seek a speedy trial that would begin sometime in the next six months.

Willis had sought to prepare the city of Atlanta for any protests surrounding the latest indictment last week, warning law enforcement to prepare for heightened security before the announcement. The Fulton County sheriff erected barriers in front of the main courthouse and limited access to the surrounding streets.

The indictment is Trumps fourth this year.

He faces charges in New York linked to hush money payments to the porn star Stormy Daniels at the end of the 2016 presidential campaign. And the former president has been charged in two separate investigations conducted by special counsel Jack Smith: One in Florida over his handling of classified documents after he left the White House and another in Washington, D.C., over his plot to remain in power in 2020 after he lost to Biden.

Trump has vehemently denied any and all charges leveled against him, instead painting the investigations as a Democrat-fueled witch hunt. The former president has blasted Smith as deranged and attacked the judges assigned to his cases.

Regardless, the latest indictment will force Trump to defend himself in multiple cases, in multiple states, all while running for the Republican presidential nomination for 2024.

Related...
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie launches his bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination in Manchester, N.H., on June 6. (Sophie Park/Reuters)

Top-tier Republican presidential candidates were largely silent Tuesday in the hours after a Georgia prosecutor announced a criminal indictment of former President Donald Trump, the fourth set of criminal charges brought against him since March.

But as Tuesday wore on, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., both criticized the Georgia indictment.

DeSantis said in a virtual press conference that Georgia prosecutors were trying to "shoehorn this contest over the 2020 election into a RICO statute, which was really designed to be able to go after organized crime, not necessarily to go after political activity. And so I think it's an example of this criminalization of politics."

Read more from Yahoo News: A look at the 19 people charged in the Georgia indictment connected to Trump election scheme, via the Associated Press

Scott was asked about the indictment at the Iowa State Fair on Tuesday and repeated what he has said before, that he believes "the legal system" is "being weaponized against political opponents."

Former Vice President Mike Pence and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley both remained silent on the matter. Representatives of their campaigns told Yahoo News that they did not anticipate statements to be issued anytime soon.

Responses from this group of candidates to the previous three indictments have been mixed. Pence has been the most aggressively critical of Trump, while the other three have at times acknowledged the seriousness of special counsel Jack Smiths indictments while also claiming that there is a partisan unfairness to the justice system.

Former Vice President Mike Pence with wife Karen at a campaign stop at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines on Aug. 11. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

Chris Christie knocks Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis

Several lower-tier candidates were the first to comment charges in Georgia.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has been a fierce critic of Trump, was dismissive of the Fulton County indictment announced Monday night.

I think it was unnecessary, Christie, a former federal prosecutor, said on Fox News. He argued that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should have stood aside after the special counsels office brought charges in two cases, one on Trumps handling of classified documents and another on Trumps attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

Shes been investigating this thing for two, two and a half years. Jack Smith comes in within the last year. He swoops in. He charges quickly. She says, Whoa, wait a second. Ive been looking at this, Christie theorized. Im sure what this indicates is that theres not cooperation between her office and the special counsels office.

Fulton County, Ga., District Attorney Fani Willis speaks to the media in Atlanta on Monday night. (Elijah Nouvelage/Reuters)

Im sure he wanted her to defer. She chose not to, Christie said. This is probably an ego decision where she said, Well, hell, I put all this time and effort into this investigation and I want something out of it.

Will Hurd, Vivek Ramaswamy weigh in

Other long-shot Republican hopefuls gave more predictable responses. Former Texas Rep. Will Hurd said that the latest indictment is another example of how the former presidents baggage will hand Joe Biden reelection if Trump is the Republican nominee.

Meanwhile, hedge fund and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy called the charges politicized persecutions through prosecution.

Read more from Yahoo News: Who is Fani Willis?
A grand jury in Fulton County, Ga., has indicted Donald Trump and several of his associates on charges involving attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in the state, which Joe Biden won.

The indictment, released Monday night in Atlanta, charges 19 people with a total of 41 felony counts of criminal behavior. Those indicted include Trump; his former chief of staff, Mark Meadows; a former Justice Department official, Jeffrey Clark; lawyers Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Kenneth Chesebro, Jenna Ellis, Sidney Powell, Ray Smith; and several others. The document mentions 30 unindicted co-conspirators, who are not named.

Trump and the other Defendants charged in this Indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump, the indictment states.

Each is charged with violating Georgias Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. The charges against Trump and others also include a variety of conspiracy charges, solicitation of false statements by public officials, harassment of an election worker, filing false documents, and more. The indictment charges Trump with 13 counts of criminal conduct, bringing the total counts against him to 91.

Some of the charges relate to Trump famously asking Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find the votes Trump needed to win Georgia and asserting that there was widespread voter fraud in the state, such as dead people voting. Count 28 charges Trump and Meadows with solicitation of false statements by a public officer in the phone call in which Trump asked Raffensperger to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have.

Trump and Meadows unlawfully solicited, requested, and importuned Raffensperger to engage in conduct constituting the felony offense of Violation of Oath by Public Officer ... by unlawfully altering, unlawfully adjusting, and otherwise unlawfully influencing the certified returns for presidential electors for the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia, according to the indictment.

The indictment further notes, Members of the enterprise, including several of the Defendants, falsely accused Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman of committing election crimes. They repeated these accusations to state legislators and other Georgia officials, traveled from out of state to harass Freeman, intimidate her, and solicit her to falsely confess to election crimes that she did not commit, it says.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who led the investigation, spoke briefly to reporters after the indictment was released. The indictment alleges that rather than by abide by Georgias legal process for election challenges, the defendants engaged in a criminal racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgias presidential election results, she said. She pointed out that these are charges, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The defendants have until August 25 to turn themselves in. Willis said she plans to schedule a trial within six months and plans to try all defendants together. They can petition to be tried individually, but courts tend to frown on that, because it requires more resources to hold separate trials, NBC News reports.
On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: Trump indicted on 2020 election fraud charges in Georgia

Former President Donald Trump has been indicted in Georgia. Plus, USA TODAY Deputy Managing Editor for Visuals Sandy Hooper and USA TODAY Breaking News Reporter N'dea Yancey-Bragg have the latest on the Lahaina fire, student loan debt forgiveness begins for 800,000 borrowers after a lawsuit was dismissed, in a first-of-its-kind Montana climate trial, a judge rules for youth activists. (Listen to our Sunday episode on the issue here), and USA TODAY Pentagon Correspondent Tom Vanden Brook breaks down the latest aid to Ukraine.

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 Tuesday, the 15th of August 2023. Today, Trump indicted again. Plus how Maui plans to rebuild, and another round of aid is heading to Ukraine.



A Georgia grand jury late yesterday indicted 2024 presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump, along with several allies, on conspiracy charges of trying to steal Georgia's electoral votes from President Joe Biden after the 2020 election. The indictment accuses Trump and others of a coordinated plan to have state officials spike Biden's victory and hand the state to Trump. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis launched her investigation of Trump in February of 2021.

Fani Willis:

Every individual charged in the indictment is charged with one count of violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act through participation in a criminal enterprise in Fulton County, Georgia and elsewhere, to accomplish the illegal goal of allowing Donald J. Trump to seize the presidential term of office beginning on January 20th, '21.

Taylor Wilson:

And this indictment has been expected since a special grand jury recommended charges in February of this year. Others indicted here include former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. Much of the indictment centers on a behind the scenes pressure campaign on state election workers, along with the harassment that came from Trump falsely accusing poll worker Ruby Freeman of fraud. Trump and others named in the indictment have until next Friday, August 25th to voluntarily surrender. District Attorney Fani Willis has said she'll seek a trial in the next six weeks. Though that decision is up to the appointed judge.



At least 99 people are now dead in the historic Lahaina fire on Maui. And Hawaii Governor Josh Green said that number could double or even triple. For more on what the scene is like on the island, I spoke with USA TODAY Deputy Managing Editor for Visuals Sandy Hooper, and USA TODAY Breaking News Reporter N'dea Yancey-Bragg. They joined me from Maui. Thanks for being here.

Sandy Hooper:

Thanks for having us.

N'dea Yancey-Bragg:

Hi.

Taylor Wilson:

You're there on Maui. What's the scene like after these devastating fires?

Sandy Hooper:

Here where we're at, not in West Maui where the community is, you can't really tell a whole lot's going on. You can really only tell when you get to the highway where the entrance starts to get into Lahaina. Supplies are running low on this side of town at the Home Depot, and there's just lines of cars of people trying to bring aid into West Maui to where the fires have devastated the communities.

Taylor Wilson:

For folks not from Hawaii, can you help us understand the importance of Lahaina, this community that's been largely destroyed?

N'dea Yancey-Bragg:

Yeah, I mean it's a centuries-old location. There's churches that are over 200 years old that have burned down. It used to be the capital of Hawaii. Leaders of Hawaii were buried at some of the churches that I was talking about. It's just a really important place culturally and people have been saying that not only is it hard losing their homes and their businesses and their loved ones, but losing that cultural impact, it's been a hard loss psychologically.

Taylor Wilson:

And I know FEMA has hundreds of people on the ground in Hawaii. What do recovery efforts look like in the coming weeks and months and are there enough resources to help?

N'dea Yancey-Bragg:

I think what everybody is stressing to us here is that a lot of the recovery efforts are community generated. People are taking in donations and bringing in supplies. A lot of the people that are operating donation centers in Lahaina are just regular people. We talked to one woman who she created a fitness app and she organizes trail runs, but now she's responsible for distributing aid from an airport where she's been at every day. Definitely we think more resources are coming in, but a lot of it is community driven.

Sandy Hooper:

There are volunteers with aid in their trucks that are able to get through the road blockage. Either they have authorized access or they have a Lahaina ID and they're driving up and down a lot of the neighborhoods in like Lahaianluna, which is a neighborhood just north of the majorly impacted area that has some houses that have been burned down. They're without power, they're without clean running water and people are just coming by with trucks of goods and distributing them. And that's not government, that's organizations. Those are individual volunteers from Maui or from other parts of Hawaii. I think a big sentiment from what a lot of people in those communities are saying is, where is the official help? Even the woman at the hub at the airport has said she has not seen anyone from the government come and bring goods. It's all been donations from private individuals and civilians.

Taylor Wilson:

Folks you're speaking with, some of whom have lost loved ones, others have lost everything they owned, did they plan on staying and rebuilding? Are they leaving Maui? What are they saying about what's next for them?

Sandy Hooper:

Yeah, I think everyone wants to stay. The people that we've talked to are really adamant about staying and it's two things: they either built their homes and have lived here for decades or they are multi-generational homes that are native Hawaiian. They don't want to lose that culture, that importance to developers or to tourism. This is a very important community and they're really amplifying the message to not sell and to stay and rebuild.

I spent a day in two homes yesterday with two separate women. One of them, Paula Ventura, is a woman who lives literally on the front line of where the fire came up. It came up all the way to her lawn and her neighbors helped save her home. She was outside sweeping leaves off her front porch. And you just look outside of her house where there used to be a beautiful neighborhood and it's nothing but charred homes and charred cars. And she says it's really difficult to get up and look at that every day, but she's staying despite the toxic air, despite lack of electricity, despite not having clean water, except bottled water. She's going to stay and she wants to rebuild.

Taylor Wilson:

All right, N'dea Yancey-Bragg and Sandy Hooper joining us from Maui. Thanks for your reporting and insight here. Really appreciate it.

N'dea Yancey-Bragg:

Thank you.

Sandy Hooper:

Thank you.



Taylor Wilson:

A federal judge yesterday dismissed a lawsuit from two conservative groups looking to block student loan forgiveness for more than 800,000 borrowers. The U.S. Education Department said last month that after adjusting how it calculates student loan payments in a move to correct past errors, some 804,000 people would have the balance of their loans erased over the next few months. The suit came from the Cato Institute and Mackinac Center and argued that the federal government lacks the authority to forgive the debt. But a George W. Bush appointed judge dismissed the group's case and rejected a request that the forgiveness be temporarily blocked.



A Montana judge yesterday sided with young environmental activists who said state agencies were violating their constitutional right to a clean and healthy environment by allowing fossil fuel development without considering its effect on the climate. District Court Judge Kathy Seeley found that the policy the state uses in evaluating requests for fossil fuel permits, which does not allow agencies to evaluate the effects of greenhouse gas emissions, is unconstitutional. The ruling was part of a first of its kind trial in the U.S. and adds to a small number of legal decisions around the world that have established a government duty to protect citizens from climate change. You can hear more with a special Sunday episode on this topic. We have a link in today's show notes.



The Pentagon has unveiled a new aid package for Ukraine. I spoke with USA TODAY Pentagon Correspondent Tom Vanden Brook about what's in this latest round and what's next for U.S. support. Thanks for making the time, Tom.

Tom Vanden Brook:

Taylor, good to be here.

Taylor Wilson:

What does this include and how much money are we talking about?

Tom Vanden Brook:

Taylor, this isn't one of the bigger packages that they've had, but it's still substantial. I mean, it's $200 million. That's a lot of money. And it focuses on ammunition for Patriot antimissile and aircraft batteries; HIMARS, long distance, long range, very accurate rocket-assisted artillery shells, and mine-clearing equipment. So that's also something that's in high demand right now because the Ukrainians and their counteroffensive are trying to make their way through these minefields that the Russians have set up.

Taylor Wilson:

You were on last week, Tom, explaining how Ukraine's counteroffensive has kind of stalled. How might this aid help them get going again?

Tom Vanden Brook:

One of the other major parts of this is going to be, well, the mine-clearing equipment, but also demolition equipment that they're going to be able to use to get past some of these barriers. So they've got these minefields and beyond the minefields, they have anti-tank barriers, so they're going to need equipment and explosives to blow those things up so that once they do get through the minefields and they breach those defenses, they can get through and hopefully make a breakthrough.

Taylor Wilson:

And we've heard a lot of language from leaders, be it President Joe Biden or Secretary of State Antony Blinken, about sending aid for as long as it takes. Tom, what does that actually mean in practice if this conflict, say, stretches on for years to come?

Tom Vanden Brook:

Well, it's a good question, Taylor. I mean, since Russia's invasion in February 2022, the United States has sent more than $43 billion worth of military aid. There's going to be a vote coming up in not too long about how to fund the next year's worth of this, the fiscal year-end September 30th, and Congress is going to have to sign off on a new package of aid for Ukraine. Will there be the appetite to spend another $40 billion in this? That's an open question. The president can say that we're in it as long as he wants to, but he needs Congress to support that, too.

Taylor Wilson:

All right. Tom Vanden Brook covers the Pentagon for USA TODAY. Thanks, Tom.

Tom Vanden Brook:

Thanks, Taylor.

Taylor Wilson:

Thanks for listening to 5 Things. If you like the show, please subscribe and leave us 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: Trump indicted in GA, latest on Maui wildfire: 5 Things podcast
BANGKOK, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's durian exports to China through the China-Laos Railway expanded 365 percent in the first five months of this year thanks to shorter transit time and advantages under the free trade agreements, Thai media reported on Tuesday.

The train route brings opportunities for Thai products to enter the Chinese market as it greatly reduces the transit time to less than 15 hours from two days by road, Auramon Supthaweethum, director-general of the Department of Trade Negotiations (DTN) under Thailand's Ministry of Commerce, was quoted by Thairath Online as saying.

Thailand's fruit exports to China have increased considerably since the China-Laos Railway began operation in December 2021, Auramon said, noting that shipments through the Southeast Asian country's Northeast dry port of Nong Khai bordering Laos were recorded at 1.96 billion baht (55 million U.S. dollars) in 2022, jumping from 90.41 million baht (2.55 million dollars) in the previous year.

She also noted that Thai fruits and other shipments can take advantage of privileges under the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-China Free Trade Area and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

Thailand's exports to China via the China-Laos Railway were valued at 2.84 billion baht (80.22 million dollars) during the January-May period, 72 percent of which were fresh durian shipments, according to the DTN. 
Donald Trump was indicted on criminal charges on Monday for attempting to overturn Georgias 2020 presidential election. The indictment is the fourth facing the former president as he mounts another campaign for the White House.

Fani Willis, the district attorney in Fulton County, Georgia, where much of Atlanta is located, secured the indictment from a grand jury. Trump was charged alongside 18 other defendants  including former attorneys Rudolph Giuliani, John Eastman, Kenneth Chesebro, Sidney Powell and Jenna Ellis, as well as his former White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows  with engaging in a criminal conspiracy to illegally overturn the states presidential election results.

Willis charged the group under the states racketeering statute, a felony that could result in a minimum of five years in prison for the convicted.

The indictment illustrates a detailed picture of Trump and his co-defendants working as an organized unit  a requirement for a charge under the racketeering law, known as RICO  to overturn the election results in Georgia through various means, including the recruitment of a group of loyalists who would challenge official representatives to the Electoral College.

All 19 defendants worked through participation in a criminal enterprise in Fulton County, Georgia, and elsewhere, to accomplish the illegal goal of allowing Donald J. Trump to seize the presidential term of office beginning on January 20, 2021, Willis said in a press conference late on Monday evening.

Specifically, the participants in association took various actions in Georgia and elsewhere to block the counting of votes of presidential electors, she said.

Willis said the defendants have until Aug. 25 to surrender themselves for arraignment, and that she hopes to try the case within six months. Everyone charged in this bill of indictment is presumed innocent, she added.

The 97-page indictment opens noting that Trump lost the United States presidential election held on November 3, 2020. One of the states he lost was Georgia.

READ MORE: Trumps fourth indictment, in Georgia, could present the biggest threat to his freedom

Trump and the other Defendants charged in this Indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump, the indictment continues. That conspiracy contained a common plan and purpose to commit two or more acts of racketeering activity in Fulton County, Georgia, elsewhere in the State of Georgia, and in other states.

In the months following the November 2020 vote, Trump attempted to pressure local officials in battleground states to overturn their official vote counts.

In a call with Georgias secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, on Jan. 2, 2021, Trump attempted to convince him to change the states election results by finding enough votes to declare him the victor, an act that also led Willis to charge Trump with the felony offenses of soliciting a violation of oath by a public officer and making false statements and writings.

What I want to do is this, Trump said. I just want to find, uh, 11,780 votes.

Trump, Giuliani, Eastman and Chesebro are also charged with conspiring to impersonate a public officer over the fake electors scheme.

Powell and other Trump associates are also charged with computer theft, computer trespassing, computer invasion of privacy, conspiracy to defraud the state of Georgia, and interfering with primaries and elections for willfully and unlawfully tampering with electronic ballot markers and tabulating machines in Coffee County, Georgia, the indictment reads, detailing their efforts to allegedly breach the states voting machines.

In total, the indictment includes 41 charges against the alleged criminal enterprise.

A statement from the Trump campaign posted after the indictment was unsealed attacked the district attorneys record and called the charges bogus. Trump did not immediately issue a statement in his name on Monday night.

Earlier this month, Trump was indicted on federal charges over his campaign to overturn the 2020 election results, including in Georgia. That case, brought by special counsel Jack Smith, alleges Trump conspired to obstruct an official proceeding, defraud the United States and disenfranchise voters.

Trump is also charged in New York State with allegedly falsifying business records to cover up an extramarital affair ahead of the 2016 presidential election, and in Florida on federal charges over his alleged retention and concealment of highly classified documents.

Trump, 77, is currently the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
A grand jury in Georgia voted to indict Donald Trump on Monday, along with more than a dozen of his allies, for trying to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state, marking the fourth criminal case leveled against the former President this year and the second related to his efforts to stay in power.

Fani Willis, the Fulton County District Attorney, charged Trump with 13 counts, including violating state racketeering laws and soliciting a public official to violate his oath of office, conspiring to commit forgery in the first degree, conspiring to file false documents, and making false statements.

"Trump and the other Defendants charged in this indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump," the indictment reads.

The sweeping charges in Georgia are almost certain to add to Trumps already packed court schedule and increase his legal bills as he aims to win the GOP presidential nomination and reclaim the White House.

Special Counsel Jack Smith indicted Trump earlier this month on four federal charges, including knowingly spreading lies about election malfeasance, defrauding the U.S. government by orchestrating a scheme to present fake electors to the Electoral College, and engaging in a conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, which culminated with his supporters violently storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Smith is separately prosecuting Trump for mishandling classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, in a case set to go to trial in May. At the same time, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is set to take Trump to trial in March on 34 counts of falsifying business records.

Several of Trumps rivals for the GOP presidential nomination have said they would pardon him if elected. Trump has also routinely claimed that a president can pardon himself. But the latest charges out of Georgia present a unique danger to Trumps future freedom. Notably, no president could grant Trump clemency in the Georgia and New York cases, as presidential pardon power only applies to federal charges. In Georgia, only an independent state board enjoys pardon authority.

The Fulton Country indictment is focused on five main areas of legal impropriety, including the deliberate dissemination of election fraud falsehoods by Trump allies to manipulate the Georgia legislature; Trumps efforts to intimidate state officials, including Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, to overturn Bidens victory; the breach of voting data in Georgias rural Coffee County; the targeted abuse and harassment of state election workers; and the orchestrated attempt to send alternate electors slates to Congress to undermine the will of the voters.

Willis didnt stop with Trump. A number of his closest associates were also charged under Georgias anti-racketeering law for conspiring to nullify the election, including Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor who was Trumps personal attorney at the time; former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows; attorneys John Eastman and Kenneth Cheseboro, both of whom devised a scheme to send alternate Trump electors to the Electoral College; and other lawyers in Trumps orbit who pushed wild or legally dubious theories for how to reverse the election outcome, such as Sidney Powell and Jenna Ellis. A handful of Georgia-based Trump attorneys and advisers were also included in the indictment.

All in all, the historic indictment brought a grand total of 41 charges against 19 people. They collectively face a gamut of different charges but are all being prosecuted under the Georgia Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, what are known in legal parlance as RICO Statues, which have typically been used to prosecute members of the mob.

In a statement Monday night, Trumps campaign dismissed the new indictments as a partisan attempt to kneecap his 2024 campaign. Ripping a page from Crooked Joe Bidens playbook, Willis has strategically stalled her investigation to try and maximally interfere with the 2024 presidential race and damage the dominant Trump campaign, it said. All of these corrupt Democrat attempts will fail."

The campaigns comments were less vituperative than Trumps own attacks on Willis, who he has called a racist and Phoney Fani and has baselessly accused of having an affair with a gang member she once prosecuted, a claim that Willis has denied and has since been debunked.

Trump has strenuously fought to stop Williss case in its tracks. In July, he filed and lost a petition to the Georgia State Supreme Court to bar Willis from prosecuting him. The request, if granted, would have also forced the investigative special grand jury that met last year to toss out the final report.

The Georgia case will test just how far someone with outsized political power can influence the election process. Trump is being prosecuted under more than a dozen charges to use his weight as president to illegally change the vote tallies and send fake electors to Washington to alter the election result.

The Willis investigation into Trump dates back to early 2021, shortly after The Washington Post reported on a Jan. 2, 2021 phone call in which Trump asked Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a fellow Republican, to "find" 11,780 votesone more than the number he lost by in the decisive swing state. Raffensperger refused. At that point, Georgia officials had already counted the votes three times, won multiple lawsuits over the outcome, and debunked extravagant fraud claims from Trump's team. At each turn, Bidens victory was confirmed irrefutably. Trump has said he did nothing wrong, calling the phone was perfect

But while many legal analysts have characterized the leaked conversation as something of a smoking gun, Willis has presented a much broader case, as her investigators have examined an extensive and multi-faceted effort by Trump to exert political muscle and disseminate brazen lies to remain in office despite the will of the voters.

Trumps allies, including Rudy Giuliani, harassed election workers and propagated patently false claims of a rigged election. On Dec. 14, 2020, the same day Bidens electors were confirmed, a group of 16 fake electors met separately at the state capitol building to sign a false certificate stating that Trump had won the election.

A separate grand jury investigated the matter last year, and concluded that some witnesses may have lied under oath, recommending indictments in the case, according to its own report, portions of which a Georgia judge released earlier this year. The grand jury in that probe also unanimously found that no widespread fraud took place in the Georgia 2020 presidential election that could result in overturning the election.

Williss prosecution against Trump may not only increase his criminal vulnerability liability. It could also provide a road map for other jurisdictions to pursue election interference charges. Special Counsel Smiths indictment alleges that Trump tried to influence the outcome in Georgia as well as six other states. It certainly raises the question of whether or not there are going to be investigations in those states and potentially, if there are, if those investigations will lead to further indictments, says Richard Serafini, a former federal prosecutor.

The more cases Trump faces, the harder it will be for him to maneuver his way out of the justice systems grip. Some of his most famous tacticsfrom lying to intimidating potential foesare more likely to yield far more severe consequences in a court of law than in the political arena. And with the Georgia charges, unlike the federal cases, he cant hope to win the 2024 election and grant himself a pardon or appoint an attorney general who will squash the matter altogether. Its why it may be the indictment that scares him the most.

Contact us at letters@time.com.
Former President Trump was indicted out of the years-long criminal investigation led by state prosecutors in Georgia into his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state.

Former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, attorneys Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, Kenneth Chesebro, Jeff Clark, John Eastman, and others, were also charged out of the years-long investigation.

The charges include violating the Georgia RICO Actthe Racketeer Influenced And Corrupt Organizations Act; Solicitation of Violation of Oath by a Public Officer; Conspiracy to Commit Impersonating a Public Officer; Conspiracy to Commit Forgery in the First Degree; Conspiracy to Commit False Statements and Writings; Conspiracy to Commit Filing False Documents; Conspiracy to Commit Forgery in the First Degree; Filing False Documents; and Solicitation of Violation of Oath by a Public Officer.

Georgia Fulton County Districrt Attorney Fani Willis gave Trump and the 18 other defendants until Aug. 25 to surrender. Willis, Monday night during a press conference, said she would like a trial to take place within six months.

BEDMINSTER, NEW JERSEY - AUGUST 13: Former President Donald Trump looks on at the first tee prior to the start of day three of the LIV Golf Invitational - Bedminster at Trump National Golf Club on August 13, 2023 in Bedminster, New Jersey.

"Defendant Donald John Trump lost the United States presidential election held on November 3, 2020. One of the states he lost was Georgia," the indictment states. "Trump and the other Defendants charged in this Indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump. That conspiracy contained a common plan and purpose to commit two or more acts of racketeering activity in Fulton County, Georgia, elsewhere in the State of Georgia, and in other states."

The 97-page indictment contains 41 felony counts against Trump and the 18 defendants and alleges they "unlawfully conspired and endeavored to conduct and participate in a criminal enterprise in Fulton County, Georgia, and elsewhere."

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The indictment states that the defendants and unindicted coconspirators "constituted a criminal organization whose members and associates engaged in various related criminal activities including, but not limited to, false statements and writings, impersonating a public officer, forgery, filing false documents, influencing witnesses, computer theft, computer trespass, computer invasion of privacy, conspiracy to defraud the state, acts involving theft, and perjury."

The indictment states that defendants appeared at hearings in Fulton County, Georgia before members of the Georgia General Assembly in December 2020 and "made false statements concerning fraud in the November 3, 2020 presidential election."

"The purpose of these false statements was to persuade Georgia legislators to reject lawful electoral votes cast by the duly elected and qualified presidential electors from Georgia," the indictment states. "Members of the enterprise corruptly solicited Georgia legislators instead to unlawfully appoint their own presidential electors for the purpose of casting electoral votes for Donald Trump."

The indictment states that the "enterprise" made false statements in November 2020 in Arizona, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.

The indictment also alleges that the defendants "corruptly solicited Georgia officials, including the Secretary of State and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to violate their oaths to the Georgia Constitution and to the United States Constitution by unlawfully changing the outcome of the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia in favor of Donald Trump.

The indictment alleged that Trump and the other defendants "corruptly solicited high-ranking United States Department of Justice officials to make false statements to government officials in Fulton County, Georgia, including the Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate."

The indictment also said Trump and the others "corruptly solicited" then-Vice President Mike Pence.

"In one instance, Donald Trump stated to the Acting United States Attorney General, just say the election was corrupt, and leave the rest to me and the Republican congressmen," the indictment states.

The defendants are also charged with allegedly stealing data "including ballot images, voting equipment software, and personal voter information." The indictment alleges that the stolen data were then "distributed to other members of the enterprise, including members in other states."

As for the racketeering charges, the indictment says that on Nov. 4, 2020, Trump made a nationally televised speech "falsely declaring victory in the 2020 presidential election."

"Approximately four days earlier, on or about October 31, 2020, Donald John Trump discussed a draft speech with unindicted co-conspirator Individual 1, whose identity is known to the Grand Jury, that falsely declared victory and falsely claimed voter fraud."

"The speech was an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy."

Next, it says that on Nov. 15, 2020, Giuliani placed a telephone call to another unindicted co-conspirator and "left an approximately 83-second-long voicemail message for unindicted co-conspirator Individual 2 making statements concerning fraud" in the election in Fulton County, Georgia.

"This telephone call was an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy."

The indictment says that on Nov. 19, 2020, Giuliani, Ellis, Powell and unindicted co-conspirators "appeared at a press conference at the Republican National Committee Headquarters on behalf of" Trump and his campaign and "made false statements concerning fraud" in the 2020 election.

The indictment lists other "overt acts" that furthered the alleged conspiracy by Trump and defendants.

This is the fourth time Trump has been indicted. Trump is the first former president in U.S. history to be indicted on criminal charges.

Following the 2020 presidential election, Trump reportedly insisted during a phone call with Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger that he had won the state of Georgia. Trump urged him to "find" enough votes to reverse the state's results.

TRUMP SAYS HE IS DOJ JAN. 6 GRAND JURY INVESTIGATION TARGET

Donald Trump is the first former president to be indicted on criminal charges.

Trump also reportedly said: "All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state."

Georgia certified election results showing that Trumps Democratic opponent Joe Biden won the states Nov. 3 election by 11,779 votes.

TRUMP PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO CHARGES STEMMING FROM SPECIAL COUNSEL'S JAN. 6 PROBE

In the weeks following the election, Trump refused to concede to then-President-elect Joe Biden, and his campaign launched a number of legal challenges. Trump also allegedly urged states with Republican governors and legislatures to overturn Bidens victories.

A special grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, this year released portions of a report detailing findings from the investigation. That report indicated a majority of the grand jury believes one or more witnesses may have committed perjury in their testimony and recommends that prosecutors pursue indictments against them, if the district attorney finds the evidence compelling.

TRUMP PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO 37 FEDERAL FELONY CHARGES IN CLASSIFIED RECORDS CASE

ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 11: Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger speaks at a press conference at the Georgia State Capitol on November 11, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. At the press conference Raffensperger announced an audit of the Secretary of State race.

At the time of the report's release, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said it had "nothing to do" with Trump and maintained that the former president "did absolutely nothing wrong."

The special grand jury spent about seven months hearing testimony from witnesses, including high-profile Trump allies, such as attorney Rudy Giuliani and Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and high-ranking Georgia officials, including Raffensperger and Gov. Brian Kemp.

GEORGIA SECRETARY OF STATE TO INTERVIEW WITH SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH AS PART OF JAN. 6 PROBE

Trump has already been indicted on other charges this year, and is the first former President of the United States in history to face criminal charges.

Trump was indicted out of Special Counsel Jack Smiths investigation into the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021 earlier this month. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges-- 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.

Smith also charged Trump in June in his investigation into his alleged improper retention of classified records from his presidency. Trump pleaded not guilty to 37 counts. Those charges included willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and false statements.

DAVENPORT, IOWA - MARCH 13: Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Adler Theatre on March 13, 2023 in Davenport, Iowa. Trump's visit follows those by potential challengers for the GOP presidential nomination, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who hosted events in the state last week.

Last month, Trump was charged with an additional three counts as part of a superseding indictment out of that probe.

And in April, Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts in New York stemming from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs investigation. Trump is accused of falsifying business records related to hush-money payments made during the 2016 campaign.
(Bloomberg) -- Donald Trump and some of his top administration officials and associates were indicted in Atlanta over efforts to overturn the results of his 2020 election defeat in Georgia, the fourth criminal case against the former president as he campaigns for the White House.

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The indictment, approved by a grand jury on Monday, charges Trump and 18 other defendants, including former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, and former senior Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, with racketeering and other crimes. The indictment sets the stage for another dramatic arraignment and, presumably, another plea of not guilty by the former president.

Trump, 77, was charged with racketeering, which was the central count in the indictment, and included 161 specific acts in furtherance of that conspiracy. That charge carries a minimum of five years and up to 20 years in prison, but Trump would be expected to face far less time than the top end penalty.

In a press conference late Monday night, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis asked that all defendants surrender by Aug. 25. She said she intends to try all 19 defendants together, and to ask a judge to hold a trial within the next 6 months.

Trump and the other Defendants charged in this Indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump, the indictment says.

Unlike the other cases, its likely that Trumps trial in Atlanta would be televised under rules adopted in 2018 by the Supreme Court of Georgia, which seek to promote increased public access to the courts and openness of judicial proceedings. Criminal trials, including earlier proceedings in the Trump investigation, have been routinely televised.

Joined Criminal Enterprise

Besides racketeering, the former president was also charged with false statements and writings, conspiracy to commit forgery, solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer, and filing false documents, among other crimes. Trumps lawyers called the indictment flawed and unconstitutional.

The 41-count indictment assigns an array of alleged crimes across all 19 defendants, ranging from making false statements, soliciting public officials to violate their oaths, forgery, influencing witnesses, computer theft, and perjury.

Willis said they joined a criminal enterprise that pursued the illegal goal of helping Trump seize an election he lost in Georgia to President Joe Biden.

The defendants engaged in a criminal racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgias election results, Willis said.

The other defendants included a slew of conservative attorneys who advised Trumps campaign and aided his efforts to overturn the results in Georgia and other states, such as John Eastman, Kenneth Chesebro, Jenna Ellis, and Sidney Powell. The indictment also featured David Shafer, the former chair of the Georgia Republican party.

Lawyers for those defendants, along with Meadows and Clark, didnt immediately return requests for comment.

Giuliani said in a statement that the real criminals here are the people who have brought this case forward both directly and indirectly.

Fictitious Document

Earlier in the day, confusion reigned briefly after Reuters reported that prosecutors had filed their long-awaited legal action against Trump, citing a two-page court document that had been posted on the courts website and then quickly taken down. The story was debunked by Georgia court officials, who called the document circulated in news outlets and social media fictitious.

Trumps lawyers called the developments a major fumble by the DAs office that undermined the credibility of the indictment.

The events that have unfolded today have been shocking and absurd, starting with the leak of a presumed and premature indictment before the witnesses had testified or the grand jurors had deliberated and ending with the District Attorney being unable to offer any explanation, Trump lawyers said.

Crowded Schedule

The charges by Willis cover some events detailed in the Aug. 1 indictment by US Special Counsel John Jack Smith, who accused Trump of conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Trump was previously charged by Smith with mishandling classified documents, and by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg over hush-money payments to a porn star. He pleaded not guilty in all three of those cases.

This fourth indictment will compound the demands on Trumps schedule as he campaigns amid trials already scheduled for next year in the hush-money and classified documents cases. Trump is awaiting a trial date in the election interference case by Smith, who accuses him of conspiring to defraud the US by seeking to halt Bidens certification as president, ultimately leading to an assault on the US Capitol by a mob of Trumps supporters on Jan. 6, 2021.

Willis, a Democrat elected in 2020, secured the indictment as Trump holds a commanding lead in polls over his Republican rivals seeking the GOP presidential nomination next year. Trump has attacked President Joe Bidens Justice Department, as well as Willis and Bragg, claiming theyre prosecuting him to weaken his candidacy. Those attacks have scored with GOP voters and boosted his campaign fundraising.

Willis used the states Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, commonly referred to as RICO, to charge Trump, Giuliani and the rest of his co-defendants. RICO charges are typically associated with street gangs and mobsters, but Willis was the lead prosecutor at a trial that used the law to win racketeering convictions against 11 Atlanta public school educators.

Willis didnt limit the scope of the allegations to her home district of Fulton County, alleging that the criminal enterprise she was prosecuting spanned the other battleground states  Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin  and Washington, DC.

Find 11,780 Votes

Willis began investigating Trump soon after news surfaced about his phone call on Jan. 2, 2021, to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger demanding he find 11,780 votes  or one more than Bidens margin of victory out of 4.9 million ballots cast in Georgia. On the Raffensperger call, Trump bullied, pleaded and voiced discredited conspiracy theories.

Theres no way I lost Georgia, Trump told the Republican secretary of state. Theres no way. We won by hundreds of thousands of votes.

Raffensperger pushed back, saying: Well, Mr. President, the challenge that you have is, the data you have is wrong.

The Willis investigation was wide-ranging, examining two months of pressure applied to Georgia election officials. Beyond the Raffensperger call, Trump also phoned Governor Brian Kemp, Attorney General Chris Carr and Georgias then-House Speaker David Ralston, who died in November. Raffenspergers chief investigator Frances Watson also got a call from Trump, who urged her to look for fraud.

Willis has examined 16 Republicans who supported Trump and signed a false certificate saying they were duly elected and qualified presidential electors. They met at the State Capitol on Dec. 14, 2020, as Democrats convened to cast their electoral college votes for Biden. At least eight Republican electors got immunity from Willis.

--With assistance from Natalie Choy and Sabrina Willmer.

(Corrects number of charges against Trump in graphic midway throuugh the story.)

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Former US president Donald Trump called Georgia election officials, asking them to 'find' votes, according to a transcript of the call (Logan Cyrus)

Donald Trump was indicted Monday on charges of racketeering and a string of election crimes after a sprawling, two-year probe into his efforts to overturn his 2020 defeat to Joe Biden in the US state of Georgia.

The case  relying on laws typically used to bring down mobsters  is the fourth targeting the 77-year-old Republican this year and could lead to a watershed moment, the first televised trial of a former president in US history.

Prosecutors in Atlanta charged Trump with 13 felony counts  compounding the legal threats he is facing in multiple jurisdictions as a firestorm of investigations imperils his bid for a second White House term.

Eighteen co-defendants were indicted in the probe, including Trump's former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who pressured local legislators over the result after the election, and Trump's White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows.

With Trump already due to go on trial in New York, south Florida and Washington, the latest charges herald the unprecedented scenario of the 2024 presidential election being litigated as much from the courtroom as the ballot box.

"Rather than abide by Georgia's legal process for election challenges, the defendants engaged in a criminal racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgia's presidential election result," Fulton County prosecutor Fani Willis told reporters.

Willis said Trump and his co-defendants had until noon on August 25 to "voluntarily surrender" to authorities, adding that she would like to go to trial within six months.

"So, the Witch Hunt continues!" Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

"Sounds Rigged to me! Why didn't they Indict 2.5 years ago? Because they wanted to do it right in the middle of my political campaign. Witch Hunt!"

His lawyers' statement took issue with the "leak of a presumed and premature indictment before the witnesses had testified or the grand jurors had deliberated", in what they say has been a "flawed and unconstitutional" process.

In response to similar allegations by the Trump campaign, Willis said: "I make decisions in this office based on the facts and the law. The law is completely nonpartisan."

The twice-impeached Trump was charged with violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, as well as six conspiracy counts over alleged efforts to commit forgery, impersonate a public official and submit false statements and documents.

He is also accused of lying in statements and filing fake documents, as well as soliciting public officials to break their oaths.

- Most serious threat -

Georgia, which Biden won by fewer than 12,000 votes, presents perhaps the most serious threat to Trump's liberty as he leads the field comfortably for his party's nomination to bid for reelection.

Even if he is returned to the Oval Office, he would have none of the powers that presidents arguably enjoy in the federal system to pardon themselves or have prosecutors drop cases.

The harsh penalties associated with RICO cases can be an incentive for co-defendants to seek cooperation deals, and the statutes are usually used to target organized crime.

Thirty unindicted co-conspirators were mentioned in the indictment.

Under federal law, anyone who can be connected to a criminal "enterprise" through which offenses were committed can be convicted under RICO. The broader Georgia law doesn't even require the existence of the enterprise.

Atlanta-area authorities launched the probe after Trump called Georgia officials weeks before he was due to leave the White House, pressuring them to "find" the 11,780 votes that would reverse Biden's victory in the Peach State.

Meadows, who is accused of trying to get a public official to violate his oath, was on the call.

- Secret report -

Willis empaneled a special grand jury that heard from around 75 witnesses before recommending a raft of felony counts in a secret report in February.

She alleges that Trump's team worked with local Republicans on a scheme to replace legitimate slates of "electors"  the officials who certify a state's results and send them to the US Congress  with fake pro-Trump stand-ins.

The indictment lists a litany of telephone calls made by Trump, Giuliani and others to various state officials for the purpose of unlawfully appointing fake electors to swing the Electoral College in Trump's favor.

Giuliani faces 13 felony counts, including over accusations of harassment of two Fulton County poll workers.

Other Trump allies were charged over the accessing of sensitive data from an election office in a rural county south of Atlanta one day after the 2021 Capitol riot.

Trump is already facing dozens of felony charges after being federally indicted over the alleged plot to subvert the election, and further prosecutions over his alleged mishandling of classified documents and keeping allegedly fraudulent business records.

Authorities in Atlanta installed security barricades outside the downtown courthouse in anticipation of a potential influx of Trump supporters and counter-protesters in the latest case.

Lawmakers investigating Trump's efforts to cling to power heard evidence in a series of congressional hearings last summer that would challenge his potential defense that he genuinely believed he had been cheated of the election.

ft/sst/leg/cwl
Another jurisdiction, another Trump indictment. Following in the footsteps of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and federal special counsel Jack Smith, the DA of Fulton County, Ga., Fani Willis, has brought a series of potentially grave charges against the former president and his associates.

Fulton County, Ga., District Attorney Fani Willis at a news conference Monday night. (John Bazemore/AP)

The long-anticipated indictment that Willis filed on Monday night charges Trump with a massive criminal enterprise centered on Georgias vote tallies in the 2020 presidential election.

Below, the key points of the Fulton County indictment.

Read more on Yahoo News: A look at the 19 people charged in the Georgia indictment connected to Trump election scheme, via Associated Press

A Mafia statute

The Georgia indictment against former President Donald Trump and 18 associates. (Jon Elswick/AP)

Many of the charges are based on Georgias version of a racketeering statute known as RICO, an acronym for Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, which was implemented to dismantle the Mafia and other organized-crime cartels.

Willis argues that, in essence, Trumps efforts to pressure Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find 11,780 votes were just that, a Mafia-style shakedown, (barely) disguised as a procedural maneuver.

Others charged include Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman, both of whom served as Trumps attorneys at the time, and then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.

The enterprise constituted an ongoing organization whose members and associates functioned as a continuing unit for a common purpose of achieving the objectives of the enterprise, the indictment alleges.

Read more on Yahoo News: Georgia court's apparent error in early publishing of charges gives Trump opening to attack case, via Associated Press

A national effort

Rudy Giuliani at a news conference on legal challenges to vote counting in Pennsylvania, Nov. 7, 2020. (John Minchillo/AP)

In the days after the election, which Joe Biden won by about 7 million votes, Trumps associates and attorneys worked furiously to persuade Republican state legislators not to certify the results in their respective jurisdictions.

Although the Fulton County indictment focuses on Georgia, Willis describes what she alleges was a conspiracy of national scope.

Members of the enterprise also made false statements to state legislators during hearings and meetings in Arizona, Michigan, and Pennsylvania in November and December 2020, the indictment says, to persuade legislators in those states to unlawfully appoint their own presidential electors.

In perhaps the most prolific of those efforts, Trump invited two Michigan lawmakers to the White House, hoping to pressure them into handing him that states Electoral College votes, but they refused to comply.

Read more on Yahoo News: Indictment lays out Mark Meadows's role in conspiracy to overturn 2020 election

Harassing election workers

Wandrea "Shaye" Moss, a former Georgia election worker, is comforted by her mother, Ruby Freeman, at a hearing of the House Jan. 6 committee, June 21, 2022. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

In the summer of 2022, the mother-daughter duo of Ruby Freeman and Wandrea "Shaye" Moss, who were election workers in Georgia during the 2020 election, told the House Jan. 6 committee of the harassment they received after becoming the targets of a pro-Trump conspiracy theory.

I've lost my reputation. I've lost my sense of security, Freeman told the committee, in testimony that vividly reminded the American public that lies about the 2020 election had real-life costs.

Williss indictment alleges that Trumps associates traveled from out of state to harass Freeman, intimidate her, and solicit her to falsely confess to election crimes that she did not commit.

Read more on Yahoo News: Georgia poll workers targeted by Trump are cleared of false election fraud claims, via NBC News

Tweets and more tweets

Trump speaks at Mar-a-Lago on April 4 after being arraigned that day in New York City. (Evan Vucci)/AP

The internet is forever, as the saying goes, and though Trump is no longer on his once beloved platform of Twitter, his tweets live on. Willis cites a number of them as evidence that he plainly and publicly sought to press his case to millions of followers.

People in Georgia got caught cold bringing in massive numbers of ballots and putting them in 'voting' machines, one of the Trump messages included in the indictment reads in part. The allegation is untrue, but for many of the former presidents supporters, his pronouncements supersede facts.

Willis had used a similar strategy when indicting rapper Young Thug and his associates on drug and other charges, citing rap lyrics as evidence of real-world wrongdoing.

Read more on Yahoo News: Georgia prosecutors are using 12 tweets of Trump's as part of its RICO charge against Trump and associates, via Business Insider

A furious reaction

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy at a news conference on July 27. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Republicans in Washington reacted swiftly, and angrily, at what they saw as the latest attempt to derail Trumps bid for the White House. He is now the leading candidate to attain the Republican presidential nomination.

"Justice should be blind, but Biden has weaponized government against his leading political opponent to interfere in the 2024 election, said House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, in one of several messages of support from prominent Republicans and conservative media personalities blasted out on Tuesday morning by a political committee supporting Trumps presidential run. Now a radical DA in Georgia is following Bidens lead by attacking President Trump and using it to fundraise her political career. Americans see through this desperate sham."

Previous indictments from Bragg and Smith have done little to shake Trumps support among the MAGA faithful; in fact, they have only solidified it. The newest indictments appear to be having a similar effect, at least thus far.

Read more on Yahoo News: Two Months in Georgia: How Trump Tried to Overturn the Vote, via New York Times
As former President Donald Trump faces an indictment for attempting to interfere in Georgias 2020 election, Missouris top election official dodged how he would have handled the situation in Missouri.

When asked specifically by The Star on Tuesday whether Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft would have resisted Trumps attempts to overturn an election result in Missouri as Georgia officials did in their state, Ashcrofts campaign side-stepped the question.

As Secretary of State, Jay has prioritized election integrity, and demonstrated a commitment to running credible elections. As a result, Missouri now ranks third in the nation for election integrity and is a model for other states, spokesperson Jason Cabel Roe said in an email, citing a report from the Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based conservative think tank.

Jay has demonstrated a willingness to listen to all Missourians and will always take a fact-based approach to investigating election irregularities.

Ashcroft, a Republican, is running for governor in 2024.

Mondays indictment against the former president offers an interesting case study for Ashcroft, who is in charge of running Missouris elections. Ashcroft holds the same office as Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican who Trump allegedly attempted to pressure to overturn the election results in Georgia.

The statement from Ashcrofts team illustrates how the Republican is walking a fine line between not supporting the former presidents actions while also refusing to criticize Trump, who is now facing his fourth indictment as he mounts another campaign for the White House.

Spokespeople for Missouri Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, a Republican who is running for governor against Ashcroft, did not respond to questions asking whether Kehoe would have resisted Trumps demands.

In contrast to Ashcroft and Kehoe, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, strongly applauded the way Georgia officials handled Trumps pressure campaign that followed the election.

I do think they handled it appropriately, they were doing their job, Kelly said. So yeah, if something like this were to happen in Kansas I would hope that our election officials would do likewise.

In a separate statement from Ashcrofts official office, spokesperson JoDonn Chaney touted Missouris safe and accurate elections.

Secretary Ashcroft took an oath to follow the constitution, which he takes very seriously, Chaney said. He abides by Missouri statute and will continue to do so in all circumstances.

However, Ashcroft has taken steps that critics argue have elevated debunked claims of election fraud.

In January, The Star revealed that Ashcroft met with right-wing conspiracy theorist and MyPillow founder Mike Lindell in Jefferson City. Lindell played a major role in promoting baseless lies about the 2020 election and has continued to elevate claims in the years that have followed.

In the months following the November 2020 vote, Trump attempted to push officials in Georgia, including Raffensperger, to overturn their official vote counts. The Republican resisted the former president.

In a 2021 telephone conversation, Trump pushed Raffensperger to overturn the states election results by finding enough votes to declare him the victor. This act led Fani Willis, the district attorney in Fulton County, Georgia, to charge Trump with felony charges for soliciting a violation of oath by a public officer and making false statements and writings.

What I want to do is this, Trump said in the phone call. I just want to find, uh, 11,780 votes.

Ashcrofts stance on the indictment is on par with his decisions as secretary of state. Following Trumps debunked theories after the 2020 presidential election, Ashcroft said he was confident that Missouris elections were secure. But, at the same time, the Republican has taken an approach that some say supports unproven claims about the elections in which he runs.

In April, The Guardian reported that Ashcroft was among 10 state election officials who attended a secret February conference held by three groups that spread election denial lies and advocate for stricter voting laws.

Kehoes unwillingness to weigh in on the indictment comes as Georgias former lieutenant governor was a witness against the former president in the Georgia election case.

Trump on Monday went on his social media site Truth Social and said Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, a Republican who served from 2019 to January 2023, should not testify.

Republicans should never let honesty be mistaken for weakness, Duncan posted Saturday on the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, confirming that he had been called to testify. Current Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, also a Republican, is listed as one of nearly three dozen unindicted co-conspirators in the indictment against Trump.

After Mondays indictment, Missouri Republicans, who typically have been quick to defend the former president and have painted his previous charges as politically-motivated, were largely silent.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, one of the few officials to weigh in on social media, attempted to paint the indictment as a First Amendment violation, using the charges to promote the states lawsuit alleging that the White House violated the First Amendment by working with social media companies to suppress conservative speech.

Leftists seriously just indicted President Trump for tweeting and Mark Meadows for texting. This is precisely why Missouri is taking Joe Biden to task over his censorship regime, Bailey posted, referring to Trumps former chief of staff who was also indicted. If the First Amendment goes, it all goes.

Missouri Republican Sens. Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt, both ardent Trump supporters, did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday and neither posted about the indictment on social media.

However, just hours before the indictment, Schmitt posted photographs on social media at the Iowa State Fair with Trump supporters and Matthew Whitaker, who was acting U.S. attorney general under Trump.

In Iowa. For Trump. For America, Schmitt posted.

The Stars Katie Bernard contributed to this report.
President Biden awards the Presidential Citizens Medal, the nations second-highest civilian honor, to Ruby Freeman in January as her daughter, Wandrea Shaye Moss, looks on. (Patrick Semansky/AP)

The harassment of Georgia election worker Ruby Freeman was included in the racketeering charge against former President Donald Trump and his alleged co-conspirators by Fulton County grand jurors.

The first of the 41 charges laid out in the indictment falls under the states RICO law and notes that some of the 19 members of the alleged criminal enterprise falsely accused Freeman of committing election crimes, allegations they repeated to Georgia officials in an attempt to persuade them that the election results were tainted and should be overturned.

The indictment adds that in furtherance of the scheme, members of the enterprise traveled from out of state to harass Freeman, intimidate her, and solicit her to falsely confess to election crimes that she did not commit. Further details include some of the Trump allies traveling to Freemans residence, talking to her neighbors and calling her home.

The indictment also notes false testimony from former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who accused Freeman and others of passing around USB drives at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, which was used as a polling place. The accusations stem from a video of Freeman and Wandrea Shaye Moss, Freemans daughter, who also was a poll worker, that circulated on conservative social media in the wake of the 2020 election.

Trump mentioned the pair during his Jan. 2, 2021, call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, the conversation in which Trump requested that the Republican official find enough votes to flip the results of the state from a Joe Biden victory to Trump.

The then president referred to Freeman as a professional vote scammer and hustler. He targeted her again this January on his Truth Social platform, writing, What will the Great State of Georgia do with the Ruby Freeman MESS?

Do you know how it feels to have the president of the United States target you?

Moss and Freeman at a hearing in June 2022 before the House panel investigating the Capitol riot. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

Freeman and Moss testified last year to the House committee investigating the events of Jan. 6, 2021, and the efforts to overturn the election. Freeman said the FBI had advised her to stay away from her home.

It was horrible, she said. I felt homeless. I cant believe this person [Trump] has caused this much damage to me and my family, to have to leave my home.

There is nowhere I feel safe, nowhere, she continued. Do you know how it feels to have the president of the United States target you? The president of the United States is supposed to represent every American  not to target one. But he targeted me  Lady Ruby, a small-business owner, a mother, a proud American citizen who stood up to help Fulton County run an election in the middle of the pandemic.

In an emotional testimony, Moss said she was the recipient of death threats and racist attacks in the weeks after the election, telling me that Ill be in jail with my mother and saying things like Be glad its 2020 and not 1920. She said the alleged flash drive obsessed over by right-wing conspiracy theorists was ginger mints.

I dont want anyone knowing my name, Moss said. I dont wanna go anywhere with my mom cause she might yell my name out over the grocery aisle or something. I dont go to the grocery store at all. I havent been anywhere.

I second-guess everything that I do, she continued. Its affected my life in a major way, in every way, all because of lies for me doing my job, same thing Ive been doing forever.

False and unsubstantiated

Freeman during an interview with the House Jan. 6 committee. (House Select Committee via AP)

Following the intense harassment, its been a summer of good legal news for Freeman and Moss. Last month, Georgia officials formally cleared them of any wrongdoing after completing a lengthy investigation into the allegations brought by Trump and his team. The report found that the claims against the mother and daughter were false and unsubstantiated.

We are glad the state election board finally put this issue to rest, Raffensperger said in a statement. False claims and knowingly false allegations made against these election workers have done tremendous harm. Election workers deserve our praise for being on the front lines.

In July, as part of a lawsuit brought against him by Freeman and Moss, Giuliani conceded in federal court that he had made false statements about the pair, in addition to saying his comments were defamatory. A Giuliani legal adviser attempted to walk back the former New York mayors concession in a statement to the Guardian. Both Trump and Giuliani face 13 charges in total and have until Aug. 25 at noon to turn themselves in at the Fulton County Courthouse.

Earlier this year, Biden awarded both Freeman and Moss the Presidential Citizens Medal.

History will remember your names, remember your courage and remember your bravery, Biden said at a White House ceremony with the mother and daughter in attendance.
A grand jury in Georgia indicted Donald Trump late Monday night, accusing the former president and a slate of allies of trying to steal President Joe Bidens win in the state during the 2020 presidential election.

The indictment is made up of 41 charges against 19 defendants, from Trump to his former attorney Rudy Giuliani and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.

Trump and his presidential campaign criticized the charges, calling them politically motivated as the former president seeks his second term in office.

Heres a recap of what you need to know about Trumps indictment in Georgia  his fourth set of criminal charges.

What's the case against Donald Trump and his Republican allies?

The legal case centers on Georgia's RICO statute, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. That kind of measure typically targets people engaged in organized crime.

Georgia: Trump charged under law designed to nab Mafia bosses. What it means for case.

Takeaways from Trump Georgia indictment: RICO charges, false statements and Kanyes publicist

Republican candidates take low-key approach to Donald Trump's latest indictment

So far, most of Trump's Republican opponents have had a muted reaction to the Atlanta indictment.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has often criticized prosecutors more than Trump, did so again in a conference call with New England reporters: "I think it's an example of this criminalization of politics. I don't think this is something that's good for the country."

Even Chris Christie, normally Trump's fiercest critic on legal issues, said the Georgia indictment is too much like the federal election case filed earlier this month by Special Counsel Jack Smith.

"Most of the time what youd see here would be a state court deferring to a federal prosecution, especially if that federal indictment had already been issued," Christie told Fox News. "So, I think this was unnecessary, as to Donald Trump."

Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, who has been more congenial to Trump, said "the four prosecutions against Trump are using novel and untested legal theories," including the Georgia case.

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., during an appearance at the Iowa State Fair, also defended Trump by saying "we've seen the legal system being weaponized against political opponents."

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who has also been critical of Trump, said after the Atlanta indictment: "Over a year ago, I said that Donald Trump's actions disqualified him from ever serving as President again. Those words are more true today than ever before."

 David Jackson

The 2020 election was not stolen: Brian Kemp knocks Donald Trump on false claims

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp again criticized Trump for promoting false claims about voter fraud in the 2020 election, saying in a social media post Tuesday that "the 2020 election in Georgia was not stolen."

"For nearly three years now, anyone with evidence of fraud has failed to come forward - under oath - and prove anything in a court of law," Kemp shared on X, the social media site previously known as Twitter. "Our elections in Georgia are secure, accessible, and fair and will continue to be as long as I am governor."

With regard to the next election, in which Trump is again a candidate, Kemp said: "The future of our country is at stake in 2024 and that must be our focus."

Trump has frequently attacked Kemp for his many refutations of fraud, and even backed a Republican primary challenger to the governor in 2022. Kemp easily won reelection .

 David Jackson

Brad Raffensperger: The famous election official at the center of the indictment

Remember Brad Raffensperger? The Georgia Secretary of State first made headlines for refusing to "find" enough votes to overturn Biden's victory in 2020.

In a recorded phone call that lasted over an hour, Trump pressured the Peach State's top election official to reverse election results, telling Raffensperger, "theres nothing wrong with saying, you know, um, that youve recalculated."

Raffensperger's job is an elected position voters tend to pay little mind. But secretaries of state rose to prominence in the wake of the 2020 election, Raffensperger among the most famous. He has continued to deny claims of voter fraud, including before the House subcommittee on the Capitol riot of Jan. 6, 2021.

The most basic principles of a strong democracy are accountability and respect for the Constitution and rule of law. You either have it, or you dont," he said in a statement following Trump's indictment.

Savannah Kuchar

What does RICO mean? What does racketeering mean?

The most notable charge against Trump is racketeering. Georgia prosecutors alleged Trump orchestrated a series of crimes with a common objective in mind  remaining in power despite his loss in the 2020 election.

The Georgia case is centered on the states RICO statute, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. The law was originally intended to combat organized crime, specifically aimed at prosecuting mafia bosses. Though the mafia is largely non-existent today, RICO laws are still used to battle other forms of criminal enterprise.

RICO laws allow prosecutors to connect multiple crimes among multiple defendants for them to tell a clear story. The charges in Georgia detail what prosecutors allege is a clear conspiracy to overturn Trumps loss in the state, with the former president as the mastermind behind the crime.

 Ken Tran

What's happens after an indictment? Fani Willis and Donald Trump plan next steps

The parties involved in the latest indictment of Donald Trump spent Tuesday plotting their next moves.

For one thing, they have to work out schedules for arraignments of Trump and his 18 co-defendants, who will presumably plead not guilty to the charges.

At her late night news conference, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said the indicted individuals have until Friday, Aug, 25, to surrender or face arrest warrants. Fulton County officials said Trump would be treated like any other defendant, and that includes fingerprints and a mug shot.

There's also the distinct possibility that the arraignment will be televised.

In the meantime, Trump said he will hold a news conference on Monday to discuss the charges against him.

 David Jackson

Can Brian Kemp pardon Donald Trump?

If Trump is convicted and sentenced to prison in Georgia, he won't be able to rely on Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp for an automatic pardon.

Instead, under the Georgia state constitution, the pardon power resides with a state board of pardons and paroles, although its members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate. Even so: The rules call for pardon candidates to have completed their sentences, have no pending charges, and wait five years.

In light of these challenges, some Republican legislators in Georgia have called for changing the law to grant Kemp the authority to pardon Trump.

In a statement, Kemp's office confirmed that "the Georgia Constitution does not give the governor pardon power. It is vested in the board of pardons and paroles."

 David Jackson

Willis wants a Trump trial date 'within six months'

Willis told reporters she would like a trial date for the Trump case "within the next six months," emphasizing RICO defendants get prison  not probation.

"It is not a probated sentence," she said during a brief news conference in which she outlined the charges in the indictment.

The Atlanta DA also said she would like to try all 19 defendants together.

The indictment outlines a "criminal conspiracy" to overturn the results of the 2020 election, she said. But Willis added that the defendants are innocent until proven guilty.

 USA TODAY Staff

The Georgia indictment list: Donald Trump's 18 co-defendants

Aides, attorneys, and campaign officials: these are the kinds of people who were indicted along with Trump in the Georgia election case.

The list:

Rudy Giuliani , a Trump lawyer - and former New York City mayor - who was actively involved in the Georgia election protest;

Mark Meadows , former White House chief of staff who helped organize many of the protests in Georgia and elsewhere;

John Eastman , a lawyer who developed legal theories on how Trump could spike some of Biden's electoral votes;

Kenneth Chesebro , an active pro-Trump lawyer;

Jeffrey Clark , a top Justice Department official;

Jenna Ellis , a Trump campaign lawyer;

Robert Cheeley, a lawyer who promoted evidence-free claims of fraud;

Mike Roman , a Trump campaign official;

David Shafer, Georgia Republican Party chairman and one of the so-called "fake electors;"

Shawn Still , another fake Trump elector;

Stephen Lee , a pastor involved in alleged intimidation of election workers;

Harrison Floyd , leader of Black Voices for Trump;

Trevian Kutti, a publicist involved in alleged intimidation of election workers;

Sidney Powell, a Trump campaign lawyer who pushed conspiracy theories about the balloting;

Cathy Latham , a fake Trump elector tied to attempts to breach voting systems in Coffee County;

Scott Hall, accused of involvement in Coffee County election system breach;

Misty Hampton , Coffee County elections supervisor;

Ray Smith, a Trump campaign attorney.

 David Jackson

Hillary Clinton: 'I don't feel any satisfaction' after Trump indictment

As the political world waited Monday night for Georgia officials to unseal the Trump indictments, MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show" featured a most intriguing guest: Hillary Clinton.

The Democratic presidential nominee who lost the 2016 election to Trump said she took no joy in her rival's legal troubles.

I don't feel any satisfaction," Clinton said. "I feel great, profound sadness that we have a former president who has been indicted for so many charges that went right to the heart of whether or not our democracy would survive."

She added: "This is a terrible moment for our country to have a former president accused of these terribly important crimes.

 David Jackson

Rudy Giuliani, who pioneered the use of RICO, indicted on RICO charges

President Richard Nixon signed the federal RICO provisions into law in 1970, part of an effort to give authorities the power to go after the heads of Mafia families who managed to insulate themselves from prosecution.

Before he became a personal attorney to Trump and was caught up in the investigations swirling around the former president, it was Giuliani who put a national spotlight on RICO statutes. The former U.S. attorney wielded that law to prosecute the leaders of several mob families in New York in the late 1980s.

Last year, Giuliani's attorneys acknowledged that he was a target of the Georgia probe. According to the indictment, Giuliani repeatedly made false statements about the outcome of the election as he attempted to convince state lawmakers in several states to appoint electors who would support Trump.

Giuliani condemned the charges this week as an affront to democracy that harms the justice system.

A former federal prosecutor as well as mayor New York City, Giuliani said: its just the next chapter in a book of lies with the purpose of framing President Donald Trump and anyone willing to take on the ruling regime.

 John Fritze and David Jackson

Trump reaction to Georgia indictment

In a statement, Trump's legal team denounced the "shocking and absurd" events, including an accelerated timeline for witness testimony and the accidental release of a "presumed and premature indictment before the witnesses had testified or the grand jurors had deliberated."

The legal team  attorneys Drew Findling, Jennifer Little and Marissa Goldberg  also said the "one-sided grand jury presentation relied on witnesses who harbor their own personal and political interests" against Trump.

 David Jackson

Trump was indicted, not convicted: What's the difference?

The indictment against Trump kicked off another criminal legal process for the former president, where at the end of it, he could be convicted.

An indictment is merely a formal document that alleges a person committed a crime. Trump is granted the presumption of innocence as the legal process moves forward.

A conviction is when a jury finds the defendant guilty. In Trumps case, if there is a trial in the Georgia case, then a jury would vote at its conclusion on whether Trump is guilty of the crimes the indictment accuses him of.

 Ken Tran

What are Trump's other cases?

Trump faces several civil and criminal cases as he campaigns for president in 2024:

Trump was accused of trying to steal the 2020 presidential election by federal officials earlier this month.

New York Attorney General Letitia James has a $250 million civil trial scheduled to start Oct. 2 against Trumps namesake company on allegations of fraud for lying for a decade about the value of properties.

E. Jean Carroll won a $5 million defamation case against Trump, which he is appealing. She has another trial scheduled to begin in New York on Jan. 15  the day of Iowa Republican presidential caucuses.

New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg has a criminal trial scheduled to start March 25 on 34 charges of falsifying business records to pay hush money before the 2016 election to a woman who claimed to have had sex with him.

Special counsel Jack Smith has a federal trial tentatively scheduled to start May 20 in Florida on charges related to classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago estate a year and a half after leaving the White House. Trump faces 40 charges including conspiracy to obstruct justice, retaining national defense records and concealing the records from authorities.

 David Jackson and Bart Jansen

What is an indictment?

An indictment is a formal document that contains allegations that someone committed a crime. It includes the charges laid out against a person and is filed before a case can move forward in court, David Weinstein, a former federal and state prosecutor, previously told USA TODAY.

Weinstein said that an indictment means a grand jury decided that theres more likely than not enough evidence  based on testimony  to move forward with charging a person. At least twelve jurors must be in agreement that a defendant allegedly committed a crime to issue an indictment.

After a person is indicted, they must go to trial where a jury will reach an unanimous decision on whether to pursue conviction.

Can Trump still run for president if hes indicted?

Yes, Trump can continue his 2024 presidential campaign, even after being indicted again.

"Legally speaking, there is nothing to bar a former president from being indicted for a state crime, running for office  even convicted," said Jessica Levinson, founding director of Loyola Law School's Public Service Institute, previously told USA TODAY. "It really just becomes an issue of, practically, how could you run the country behind bars, if ever came to something like that?"

The Constitution only lays out three requirements to serve as president. You must be:

A natural-born citizen

At least 35 years old

A resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years.

 USA TODAY staff

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump indicted in Georgia case with Republican allies: recap
WASHINGTON  Another grand jury, another indictment. For the fourth time in as many months, former President Donald Trump was charged Monday with serious crimes and what was once unprecedented has now become surreally routine.

The novelty of a former leader of the United States being called a felon has somehow worn off. Not that the sweeping 98-page indictment handed up in Georgia accusing him of corruptly trying to reverse the states 2020 election results was any less momentous. But a country of short attention spans has now seen this three times before and grown oddly accustomed to the spectacle.

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Multiple prosecutors have now cumulatively laid out an alleged presidential crime spree of epic proportions, complete with tangled intrigues, mysterious co-conspirators and intersecting subplots. The Georgia indictment went further than previous ones by charging 18 others with joining a criminal enterprise with the former president, including associates like Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, Jeffrey Clark and John Eastman.

Yet most Americans made up their minds about Trump long before prosecutors like Fani Willis or Jack Smith weighed in, polls have shown. He is, depending on the perspective, a serial lawbreaker finally being brought to justice or a victim of persecution by partisans intent on keeping him out of office. The Georgia indictment, powerful as it is in its language, has been priced into the market, as the Wall Street types would put it.

The accumulated indictments are kind of a white noise for voters, said Sarah Longwell, a Republican political consultant who has organized opposition to Trump and conducts weekly focus groups with voters. They cant tell the difference between Georgia and Jack Smith because it all blurs together in one long news cycle of Trumps-in-trouble.

This speaks volumes about how much Trump has transformed America in the eight years since he first ran for the White House. The nation once recoiled at presidential candidates caught driving under the influence or swiping lines in a speech without credit. Now one of the two major parties has not ruled out a front-runner charged with conspiring to subvert democracy, endangering national security, obstructing justice and falsifying records of hush money to a pornographic film star.

Trump has moved the lines so far that supporters  including most of his Republican opponents for next years presidential nomination  show no signs of turning against him no matter how many indictments are issued, a testament to how much he has forced his party to embrace his martyrdom narrative. The notion that a rap sheet with multiple felonies would not be automatically disqualifying would have stunned the 44 presidents who came before him, including the Republicans.

Its just another norm hes smashed, said Jennifer Palmieri, a longtime Democratic strategist who worked for Hillary Clintons campaign against Trump in 2016. The indictments have failed to upset the fundamental dynamic that keeps Trump strong  his supporters rock-solid belief that he is on their side.

He benefits too from the been-there, done-that quality of a fourth time in the dock. When Trump was arraigned in April on the New York hush money charges, the first indictment of a former president in history, 8.2 million people tuned into Fox, MSNBC and CNN to watch. But when he entered a plea in Florida in June in the classified documents case, the audience fell to 5.5 million. Interest ticked up for this months arraignment in Washington on charges of corruptly trying to overturn the election, with 5.9 million tuning in.

Still, even if the surprise value has faded, the outrage surely has not for a sizable part of the country, which sees this as a much-deserved comeuppance. And while the indictments have bolstered rather than eroded Trumps support among Republicans, no one can predict for sure what might happen if and when he goes on trial after trial after trial.

A relentless drumbeat of evidence and witnesses against him could in theory persuade some backers to abandon him, if for no other reason than it might make him less likely to win a general election rematch against President Joe Biden next year.

Of course, that is just what some analysts predicted might happen if Trump were actually indicted. If not the first time, then surely the second time. If not the second time, then maybe the third time. Predictions stopped by the fourth.

It could still play out the opposite way. While the general facts are not contested, some of the cases are built on legal arguments that may end up not persuading a jury. If Trump is acquitted, he will trumpet the verdict as an I-told-you-so vindication.

I do think a conviction on a serious felony charge may change the views of at least the maybe-Republican cohort in the GOP about his electability, said Whit Ayres, a veteran Republican pollster. On the other hand, an acquittal in the first case virtually assures his renomination.

Case No. 23SC188947 brought by Willis, the Fulton County, Georgia, district attorney, raises grave matters. Among other things, the former president was charged with violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, a law historically associated with mafia prosecutions, as well as solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer and conspiracy to commit false statements and writings.

It is still historic and meaningful but theres diminishing marginal utility in the politics, particularly when its the same scheme on which Jack Smith indicted him, said Brendan Buck, an adviser to past Republican House speakers. For voters, at this point youve decided whether being indicted is problematic or if you believe this is all being done to undermine his campaign.

Geoff Garin, a Democratic pollster, agreed that the Georgia indictment largely replays the same political dynamics as the federal indictment. But he added that what makes the Georgia case slightly different is that it focuses the narrative more closely on Republican officials who stood up to Trump because they knew what he was asking was wrong.

Trump has systematically treated his criminal cases as if they were just another plot twist in his ongoing political reality show.

After a day of blitzing out fundraising appeals anticipating the Georgia indictment, Trumps campaign issued a late-night statement once it was issued assailing the Biden-Smith goon squads and the rabid partisan Willis while calling the various prosecutions un-American and wrong.

Speaking to supporters in Alabama a couple of days after his last arraignment, he claimed he was looking forward to the next one. We need one more indictment to close out this election, he boasted.

That is bravado  the sort of bring-it-on bluster that electrifies a Trump rally. As much as his strategists spin that more indictments are actually better for him, no one truly wants to face multiple prosecutions, or at least no one ought to. Each case is a threat to Trumps liberty and legacy. Even if he manages an escape from one legal net, there are that many more that could ensnare him.

At this point, Trump is about to become a professional defendant. He has already been found liable for sexual abuse by a jury that ordered $5 million in damages in a civil trial this year, and his family-run business has been convicted of 17 counts of tax fraud and other financial crimes in a separate criminal trial.

Trump has five more trials scheduled between now and May  the hush money case, the classified documents case, a New York state civil fraud trial and two federal civil trials. A sixth trial will be scheduled in Smiths election conspiracy case and now a seventh on the Georgia counts. Altogether, that would mean nine trials for Trump since leaving the White House, not counting the Senate impeachment trial just after his term expired.

But these four criminal trials matter the most. The table has now been set, the issues laid out by four grand juries in four locations. All told, they have charged him with 91 felonies, any one of which could send him to prison for years.

And so the country must brace itself for what will surely be described as the Trial of the Century. Which will be followed by the next Trial of the Century. And then the next. And then the next.

c.2023 The New York Times Company
SINGAPORE, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Singapore and Chile signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on carbon markets and carbon pricing on Monday, according to Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry.

The MOU was signed by Beh Swan Gin, Permanent Secretary (Development) of Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry, and Alex Wetzig, Secretary General of Foreign Policy of Chile's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during the latter's visit to Singapore.

Under the MOU, both countries will collaborate on carbon credits and related carbon market initiatives, including the identification of mutually beneficial projects and the exchange of best practices on carbon services and trading ecosystem development.

The two countries will also explore potential collaboration opportunities in carbon markets with third countries.

"Singapore and Chile share warm and longstanding bilateral ties, and are committed to working together to advance climate action and ambitions. We hope that through this agreement, both our countries will see an increase in climate investments, create jobs in the green economy, and enable technology collaboration," said Beh. 
Vivek Ramaswamy did not wait for the late night breaking news on former President Trump's fourth indictment to weigh in.

Hours before prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia, indicted Trump on 13 counts related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in the crucial southeastern battleground state, the multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur, best-selling author and culture wars crusader took to social media to blast the charges.

Ahead of an indictment that accused the former president of "knowingly and willfully join[ing] a conspiracy" with a large group including some of his former top aides "to change the outcome of the election," Ramaswamy argued that the charges against the commanding front-runner in the 2024 GOP nomination race were "another disastrous Trump indictment."

FIRST ON FOX: TRUMP REACTS TO HIS FOURTH CRIMINAL INDICTMENT

Ramaswamy, who has vocally blasted the previous indictments against Trump, claimed that "it's downright pathetic that Fulton County publicly posted the indictment on its website even before the grand jury had finished convening. Since the four prosecutions against Trump are using novel & untested legal theories, its fair game for him to do the same in defense: immediately file a motion to dismiss for a constitutional due process violation for publicly issuing an indictment before the grand jury had actually signed one. He should make a strong argument on these grounds & it would send a powerful message to the ever-expansive prosecutorial police state."

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON TRUMP'S CRIMINAL INDICTMENT IN GEORGIA

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Ramaswamy  noting once again that he is running against Trump for the GOP presidential nomination  offered legal assistance to his rival.

"As someone whos running for President against Trump, Id volunteer to write the amicus brief to the court myself: prosecutors should not be deciding U.S. presidential elections, and if theyre so overzealous that they commit constitutional violations, then the cases should be thrown out & they should be held accountable," Ramasawamy argued.

WHAT'S IN THE TRUMP INDICTMENT IN GEORGIA

It was a very different reaction from another Trump rival for the Republican presidential nomination - former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

The former federal prosecutor, who later served in congress and in then-President George W. Bush's administration, reiterated his calls for Trump to drop out of the race.

"Over a year ago, I said that Donald Trumps actions disqualified him from ever serving as President again. Those words are more true today than ever before," Hutchinson, a vocal Trump critic, wrote on social media soon after word of the indictment broke.

Former CIA spy and former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, another long-shot for the GOP presidential nomination, joined Hutchinson Tuesday morning in criticizing Trump.

"Another day, another indictment, and another example of how the former president's baggage will hand Joe Biden reelection if Trump is the Republican nominee. This is further evidence that Trump knew he lost the 2020 election and was ready to do anything it took to cling to power. He will use this latest indictment as another opportunity to manipulate Americans into paying his legal bills," Hurd, another vocal GOP critic of Trump, argued in a statement.

GRAND JURY RETURNS INDICTMENTS IN TRUMP-GEORGIA CASE: LIVE UPDATES

Side-by-side photo split of former governor of New Jersey Christ Christie and former president Donald Trump.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie weighed in Tuesday morning on "Fox & Friends" and said he was "uncomfortable" with the Fulton County district attorney retreading election interference charges special counsel Jack Smith covered in his federal indictment of Trump.

"I think this was unnecessary as to Donald Trump," said Christie, a former U.S. attorney. "Now, remember, as to the other defendants Jack Smith chose not to charge them. So I would have less of a problem with this if she decided, okay, I'm not going to charge Donald Trump here because he's been charged essentially this conduct by Jack Smith. But Giuliani and Meadows and others have not been charged at the federal level. That would be a more defensible indictment.

Christie suggested Willis was motivated by her "ego," however he acknowledged that Trump does have some exposure in this matter.

"Donald Trump had three counts of the vote here in Georgia. He had the original count. He had a machine recount, and then he had a hand recount. All those things were given at his request  the last two in particular. He also was able to contest these things in court in Georgia and did not win. All that stuff, I'd say, is absolutely legal and within his right to do," he said.

"Where this starts to be problematic for him is the electors and the pressure that was being put on folks after all these counts happened. And that's where I think his exposure is in the federal case. And that's where his exposure would be here."
Former President Donald Trump is facing dozens of criminal charges and will go on trial several times in the next 18 months.

His legal problems are mounting as he campaigns to become president again in the 2024 election.

Here's a guide to what is going on.

What just happened to Trump?

On Monday night, a prosecutor in the US state of Georgia laid out a number of charges levelled at the Republican former president.

He is accused of engaging in a conspiracy to steal votes cast in 2020 for Democrat Joe Biden, and effectively overturn his narrow defeat in the state.

There are 13 charges against Mr Trump laid out in a document which is called an indictment. It's his fourth indictment this year.

What does it mean to be indicted?

An indictment is when a person is formally charged with a crime and they must then appear in court to enter a plea.

Mr Trump has appeared in court three times already to face other charges and denied them all.

He must do so again in Atlanta, Georgia, before Friday 25 August.

What is the difference between being indicted v charged?

The difference comes down to who filed the charges.

An indictment means a grand jury - set up by a prosecutor to determine whether there is enough evidence to pursue a prosecution - has found probable cause that someone committed a crime. A charge comes when a prosecutor accuses someone of a criminal offence.

What do Trump's other indictments accuse him of?

The first indictment in March accused Mr Trump of false accounting to cover up a payment he made to an adult film star, Stormy Daniels.

That $130,000 was to buy her silence about an alleged affair - a relationship he has always denied. He will go on trial in New York.

Then he was charged in Florida with illegally hoarding classified files at his estate there, Mar-a-Lago, and refusing to hand them back when asked.

His third indictment was unveiled two weeks ago in Washington DC.

Like the most recent charges in Georgia, that one accused him of trying to cling to power by interfering with the 2020 election results.

It also accuses him of repeatedly airing the false claim he had won that election.

The prosecutor said these "lies" had "fuelled" his supporters to attack the US Capitol in January 2021, violence which made headlines around the world.

What's the difference between state and federal charges?

Two of the four indictments - in New York and Georgia - are brought by prosecutors at state level.

The other two, in Florida and Washington, involve federal charges brought by the US government.

This difference has implications for the way the trials will be conducted.

For instance, the trial in Georgia could be televised but the others ban cameras in court.

If Mr Trump does become president, he would have the power to influence the federal cases, even possibly getting them dropped.

Can Trump still run for president?

Yes, there's nothing in the US constitution to prevent Mr Trump from continuing his election campaign even though he has been charged with multiple crimes.

But there are practical considerations.

Trials can last for weeks and he will be required to sit in court throughout, not to mention paying for a legal team.

All this would be a major drain on his time, energy and election cash at a time when he would prefer to be holding rallies and meeting voters.

His support remains undiminished, however. He has strengthened his hold on the Republican race and remains the frontrunner to face Joe Biden again next year.

Could Trump be jailed?

Many of these charges are more likely to mean a fine rather than a prison sentence if convicted. But some are serious and could theoretically result in time behind bars.

Even if Mr Trump was imprisoned, he could still continue his run for president and win an election.

In 1920, Socialist Party candidate Eugene Debs got a million votes while in prison.

What has Trump said in his defence?

He has repeatedly denounced the prosecutions as politically motivated, deliberately aimed at derailing his presidential ambitions.

The latest charges in Georgia were "shocking and absurd", his lawyers said, relying on witnesses with political interests.

Timeline of Trump trials v election dates
The two most recent indictments filed against Donald J. Trump are mirror images in many ways. Jack Smiths federal document filed in Washington was spare almost to the point of being an inky line drawing, whereas Fani Willis Georgia filing is rich and detailed and pointillist. Smith targeted one defendant only, whereas Willis went after 19 defendants on 41 counts. Smith mentions a handful of co-conspirators; Willis notes 30 unindicted co-conspirators. As Norm Eisen and Amy Lee Copeland point out, Smiths case will likely be blacked out for television and audio audiences, whereas Willis suit will most likely become must-see TV for weeks on end. Jennifer Rubin argues that the D.C. trial will happen quickly, while the Georgia case may face months of wrangling, flipping, bargaining with conspirators, and lengthy pretrial shenanigans. Claire Potter points out that Willis can seize Trumps assets under Georgias RICO law. And Rick Hasen observes that Fani Willis has centered race and racialized vote suppression in a fashion that is far more explicit than the federal analogue.

Jack Smith as a literary character is tight-lipped and spare; Willis has been more voluble and open. And although Trump has been unsparing in his vitriol directed at both prosecutors, he has been at his racist, misogynistic worst with respect to Willis. That Smith did as little as was necessary to secure a clean conviction while Willis scooped up every text, threat, and goon from Pennsylvania to Arizona to Coffee County, Georgia, means that there will be a minimalist trial and a maximalist triala high-speed black-and-white missile and a slower, full-color IMAX version. Both renditions will pull in the same direction, and each will ensure that the 2024 election season plays out between Trumpian jaunts to and from the defendants table.

Theres one other notable contrast between the two stories that will be unspooled regarding the very similar events that took place after Donald Trump learned hed lost the election and decided he would win it through organized crime. Smith chose to tell the story of an abstraction, crimes against democracy and the peaceful transfer of power. Willis is telling a concrete and detailed story of crimes against voters and election workers; Black voters in particular, female Black election workers in specific. In effect, Trump is on trial in D.C. for trying to break democracy and, in Fulton County, Georgia, for trying to set aside Black votes. The two stories are deeply connected, but they are also two very distinct acts of violence against elections. Smith reminds us what the country nearly lost, and Willis recalls what Black voters have almost never won.

Finallyand again, this is both atmospheric and also very importantFani Willis has not just formally named Trump as a mobbed-up crime boss, but also placed him squarely behind the wheel of a national criminal clown car. For Trump, stripped away from the sober officials who once lent him intellectual heft and political credibility, his final public act may well be honking sadly on the oversize horn, surrounded by the likes of Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, and Jeff Clark. The only thing more piteous than the mental picture of a diminished Donald Trump in the dock standing trial for lies, forgeries, and bullying is Donald Trump doing so in the presence of a whole host of peopletragically, with law degreeswho are living case studies in moral and intellectual mediocrity. His co-defendants are living proof that the personnel equivalent of spray tan that briefly tried to burnish him into looking like a principled and sober commander in chief after 2016John Bolton, John Kelly, Bill Barr, among othershad well and truly departed the scene by the time of the 2020 election assault.

To quote Hemingway, this legal process has played out slowly and then quickly. Still, its vitally important that what weve seen in the six-car pileup of litigation against Trump is happening at state and federal levels, in civil and criminal courthouses, and in televised and non-televised courtrooms, and that we will find ourselves spending the time between now and the 2024 election pretty much daily monitoring everything from Trumps attempts to evade election finance regulations, defamation law, and the rules against being a magpie with national security documents, in addition to these two major trials around undermining free and fair elections. This matters because, in chief, this is what the rule of law looks like: trials, witnesses, testimony, evidence, judges, juries, and possibly convictions. It matters because, for all the big sillies who once said that impeachment and elections were not the appropriate forums in which to decide matters of justice, the buck stops now, at justice. And with all due respect to Lindsey Graham, it is not a good look when you narrowly evade being named as part of a criminal conspiracy that included making mobbed-up threats to election workers.

Donald Trump will no doubt add the newest Georgia indictment to his vast trophy case of whinings, grievances, and sacred sufferings. For some subset of his enthusiasts, it will serve as proof that he is the best, smartest, most long-suffering messianic figure in human history. But every time Trump tells an audience that he is facing these criminal sanctions for them, his listeners must wonder whether falsifying documents and lying to elected officials and threatening women in their kitchens is in fact a necessary component of their own civilian lives. Fani Willis adds her evidence against Trump to the heaving pile of stuff none of us ever actually does because only Tony Soprano does them. That lesson may never sink in for some die-hards, but it can indeed begin to look both petty and grimy. This case is important if not essential because, like its predecessors, it peels off yet another layer of spray tan to reveal the truth below.
A lawyer for former President Trump chided a Fox News host Tuesday as Trump faces his fourth indictment, with the latest coming this week from a grand jury in Georgia in connection with efforts to overturn the states 2020 election results.

Ive heard from a lot of legal analysts, and they say what is different about this case than the federal case is Georgia has laws that are specifically tailored to election interference and things like that, Fox host Steve Doocy told Trump attorney Alina Habba during a Fox & Friends segment.

Doocy cited an op-ed from Fox contributor and former federal prosecutor Andy McCarthy that argued the indictment in Georgia is the most perilous case for Trump.

Does President Trump know that this is a perilous threat? Doocy asked Habba.

We do not agree that it is a perilous threat, because we actually have inside information, the Trump lawyer responded.

What inside information? Doocy pressed her.

Well, the inside information, Steve, and  you know, you used to love Trump, I got to tell you  I mean, this is something Im not going to breach, right? I have confidentiality and I have ethics, and Im going to continue, she said.

Trump and 18 of his allies  including his former lawyers, advisers and affiliates  were charged Monday in connection with alleged efforts to overturn Georgias election results in 2020.

The former president, who is the leading candidate for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, has denied any wrongdoing and has argued the state and federal charges he faces are political in nature.

Trump has repeatedly attacked Fox in recent months over what he says is coverage not favorable enough of him.

The network is hosting the first GOP primary debate next week, which Trump has not committed to attending, citing his large lead in most national polls and what he has described as a hostile relationship with the network.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Hours after a two-page docket listing criminal charges against Donald Trump was posted onthen quickly vanished fromthe Fulton County courts website, the court clerk called it fictitious in a statement that seemed to raise more questions than it answered.

The ambiguity, however, seemed to provide the perfect opportunity for Trumps legal team to cast doubt on the proceedingswith two of his lawyers almost immediately releasing a statement claiming that the document proved that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has no respect for the integrity of the grand jury process.

This was not a simple administrative mistake, Trumps lawyers, Drew Findling and Jennifer Little, continued. A proposed indictment should only be in the hands of the District Attorneys Office, yet somehow made its way to the clerks office and was assigned a case number and a judge before the grand jury even deliberated.

Trump attorneys are out with a statement about the Fulton County case info that ended up online. "This was not a simple administrative mistake. A proposed indictment should only be in the hands of the DA's Office, yet it somehow made its way to the clerk's office..." pic.twitter.com/o7pF9ZrEzi  Brendan Keefe - Atlanta News First (@BrendanKeefe) August 14, 2023

Trumps allies in Congress then quickly parroted the line.

They published the indictment before the grand jury voted. How is this not due process violation? tweeted Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH).

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) said that the entire system has been weaponized, while calling for Fulton County DA Fani Willis to be relieved of her position over the situation.

In a statement, the Fulton County Court Clerk Che Alexander didnt elaborate on how or why the document had appeared on the courts websiteadding to a similar pronouncement from a spokesperson for the DAs office who told Reuters that its report was inaccurate but refused to elaborate further.

The document, which listed more than a dozen charges, including racketeering and conspiracy, bore an official case number, was dated Aug. 14, and listed the case status as open.

The mysterious filing and the flurry of speculation that followed came as a grand jury deciding whether to hand down an indictment began hearing evidence in the case.

this document was posted online by the fulton county georgia DAs office and then quickly taken down. defendant: donald trump pic.twitter.com/rv1jrbXp77  jack queen (@jackqueen_) August 14, 2023

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Former President Donald Trump and a slew of alleged co-conspirators were indicted late Monday night on racketeering charges, marking a new chapter in Fulton Country District Attorney Fani Willis' election conspiracy investigation.

Trump, who is facing potential legal repercussions for firing off at a number of perceived political adversaries on his social media platform, took to Truth Social on Monday night and early Tuesday morning to bemoan his latest felony charges.

The ex-president's campaign first released a lengthy statement condemning Willis by likening her to three other key legal figures who have pursued indictments against him, probes which Trump referred to as "corrupt Democrat attempts" that will "fail": Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, special counsel Jack Smith, and New York Attorney General Letitia James. The statement also accused Willis of intentionally delaying her investigation in order to "maximally interfere" with Trump's 2024 campaign efforts.

"Like Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, Deranged Jack Smith, and New York AG Letitia James, Fulton County GA's radical democrat District Attorney Fani Willis is a rabid partisan who is campaigning and fundraising on a platform of prosecuting President Trump through these bogus indictments. Ripping a page from Crooked Joe's playbook, Willis has strategically stalled her investigation to try and maximally interfere with the 2024 presidential race and damage the dominant Trump campaign. All of these corrupt Democrat attempts will fail," the statement said.

"These activities by Democrat leaders constitute a great threat to American democracy and are direct attempts to deprive the American people of their rightful choice to cast their vote for president," the statement continued. "They are taking away President Trump's First Amendment right to free speech, and the right to challenge a rigged and stolen election that the Democrats do all the time. The ones who should be prosecuted are the ones who created the corruption."

Statement from the Trump campaign earlier tonight: The legal double-standard set against President Trump must end pic.twitter.com/KtvltUsF3f  Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) August 15, 2023

Several hours later, after repeatedly doubling down on election falsehoods, Trump responded to the news of his latest indictment, calling it evidence of an ongoing "Witch Hunt."

"So, the Witch Hunt continues!," Trump wrote. "19 people Indicated [sic] tonight, including the former President of the United States, me, by an out of control and very corrupt District Attorney who campaigned and raised money on, 'I will get Trump.' And what about those Indictment Documents put out today, long before the Grand Jury even voted, and then quickly withdrawn? Sounds Rigged to me! Why didn't they Indict 2.5 years ago? Because they wanted to do it right in the middle of my political campaign. Witch Hunt!"

A seething Trump, scared and angry because co-conspirators turned on him, rage tweeted overnight, misspelling indicted as "Indicated." pic.twitter.com/ouL76nqYgb  Jonathan Sher (@SherOnHealth) August 15, 2023

Included in the 161 violations of Georgia's RICO Act  legislation used to target gangs, mafia, and organized groups more broadly  by Trump and his associates were 12 tweets from the former president's personal Twitter account, @realDonaldTrump. Though Trump may have not composed each post himself, Willis's indictment observes that all of the 12 tweets were "caused to be tweeted" by Trump, as Insider notes.

Each tweet is from December 2020 or early January 2021, in the days leading up to and on the day of the deadly attacks on the Capitol. In the posts, Trump pitched baseless claims of "ballot stuffing by Dems," "corrupt" voting processes, and alleged that "People in Georgia got caught cold bringing in massive numbers of ballots and putting them in 'voting' machines."

The 14 times tweets come up in The State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump https://t.co/nCEVxabfKL pic.twitter.com/25MvJzYfFb  Matt Laslo (@MattLaslo) August 15, 2023

Following the release of the Georgia indictment, some right-wingers falsely claimed that Trump was being charged for tweeting. Conservative host Charlie Kirk shared a section of the indictment citing a Trump tweet promoting a hearing discussing his baseless election fraud claims on the right-wing network OAN.

"This is not a criminal case," Kirk tweeted on Monday night. "It is a bid to nullify the United States Constitution."

This is an actual line from the Georgia indictment.



This is not a criminal case. It is a bid to nullify the United States Constitution. pic.twitter.com/D7ZGSC4KMH  Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) August 15, 2023

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On Tuesday morning, Politico legal affairs reporter Kyle Cheney clarified potential confusion about what Trump is actually being charged for, addressing false allegations made by "Folks pretending 'overt acts' like tweets are standalone allegations of crime."

"Overt acts are not standalone allegations of crime and are often perfectly legal activities but can be part of an illegal conspiracy when combined with other evidence," Cheney wrote.

Folks pretending overt acts like tweets are standalone allegations of crime:



Overt acts are not standalone allegations of crime and are often perfectly legal activities but can be part of an illegal conspiracy when combined with other evidence.  Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) August 15, 2023

Former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance echoed Cheney's explanation.

"RICO predicate acts are crimes off of a list specified by statute," Vance wrote. "Overt acts to further the goals of the conspiracy can be acts that would be perfectly legal-making a phone call-if they weren't in service of a criminal purpose."

This is an important point Willis made last night. RICO predicate acts are crimes off of a list specified by statute. Overt acts to further the goals of the conspiracy can be acts that would be perfectly legal-making a phone call-if they weren't in service of a criminal purpose. https://t.co/QihJObd4oI  Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) August 15, 2023

Read more

about the Fulton County case
Former President Trump is showing few signs of faltering in his bid for the GOP nomination even as his legal challenges mount.

The former president was hit with his fourth indictment late Monday night after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis charged Trump in connection with his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.

That followed three other indictments leveled against Trump in the past several months, two of which are at the federal level.

While some Republican operatives say Trumps legal challenges are a concern, many argue the controversies wont moving the needle when it comes to the former presidents standing in the race.

I would say the number of indictments nor does the content of the indictment have any impact on Trumps polling numbers, said Arizona-based GOP strategist and Trump campaign alum Brian Seitchik.

The only issue that could shake Trump voters away is a piercing of his Teflon armor, he continued. If he loses in either Iowa or New Hampshire, I suspect the national numbers would change rapidly.

Tracking Trumps tangled web of legal troubles

Trump was indicted earlier this year in three separate probes: one concerning an alleged hush money payment to an adult film actress; once concerning his alleged mishandling of classified documents; and one concerned with the aftermath of the 2020 election, including the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

The fourth and latest indictment was the result of a probe overseen by Willis, who began her investigation in 2021 following revelations of a call in which Trump suggested to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger that he help overturn his loss to President Biden.

The former president spent much of Monday railing against the Fulton County probe on his Truth Social platform.

I just hope Republicans, and the people of our now failing Nation, see what is happening to our Democracy and Freedom, Trump wrote. A sitting President has INDICTED, in many different forms and locals, his political opponent, who is substantially leading him in the Polls. NOTHING LIKE THIS HAS EVER HAPPENED BEFORE. OUR COUNTRY CAN NEVER LET THIS STAND!

A New York Times/Siena College poll released late last month found only 17 percent of likely GOP primary voters believe Trump committed serious federal crimes, while 71 percent said he did not.

Saul Anuzis, a Republican strategist and former Michigan GOP chairman, suggested the latest indictment would do little to move the needle when it came to Republican primary voters.

I think that those who want to move on have already been moving on, right? Anuzis said. I mean, this may be a confirmation. This may be another excuse.

Most of these voters have already decided or are inclined to have already moved on, he added. The hardcore Trump voters are not being moved by these, at least not at this time, or at least I havent seen it at this time based on the initial indictments.

But he also argued that whatever their feelings about Trump, Republicans generally view the indictments as politicized.

I just think people are looking at it on the Republican side as being way too politicized, that these prosecutions are basically a witch hunt, whether they agree or disagree with President Trump, Anuzis said.

Still, some recent polling suggests the former president could see an erosion in support among Republicans. An NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist National Poll released in late July found that 41 percent of Republicans said Trump had done nothing wrong  a drop from 50 percent from a similar poll taken in June.

There are also signs that at least a segment of former Trump voters are frustrated by what is often described as the drama surrounding the ex-president.

Hes got so much baggage, Terri OBrien, who voted for Trump in 2020, told The Hill over the weekend during the Iowa State Fair, where the former president and other 2024 candidates made appearances. And you know with all the legalities of his situation Im like, I dont think he can get elected if he were to run against  Biden.

Joe Budd, of Palm Beach County, Fla., said he was an early supporter of Trump and was a motorcade driver for the former president. But Budd said while visiting the fair that he was backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis this cycle.

The dramas too much; I just dont think he can win a general election, Budd said.

The Hill Elections 2024 coverage

Other Republicans believe that while the indictments might not make a dent against Trump now, they could have an impact in the months ahead.

I dont think theres going to be much movement off of that indictment, said GOP strategist Keith Naughton, referring to the potential Georgia charges. I think that as the months go on, youre probably going to see some erosion of Trumps support. Its really hard to say how much.

For now, though, some Republican voters choosing their next candidate are brushing off the swirling controversies, including Kelly Millard of Ankeny, Iowa, whos deciding between Trump and DeSantis.

I think its just noise, its not really changing my thoughts right now, Millard said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Former President Donald Trump has now been indicted for a fourth time, the most recent a 41-count indictment in Fulton County, Georgia, tied to his attempts to (in the words of the indictments introduction) knowingly and willfully [join] a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the 2020 electiona free and fair election that he lost.

The twice-impeached former president deserves due process, of course. He must have fair trials in each of the jurisdictions in which he is under indictment. But if he is convicted of any crime that would send an ordinary citizen to jail, he must serve time. That is true whether it is part of the mandatory minimum associated with the Georgia RICO statute, or the sentences that may be handed down in any of the other cases in which he is a defendant.

What to Know About Donald Trumps Four Indictments

Just as hundreds of insurrectionists who answered his call to attack the Capitol are serving time, so should he be. Just as anyone else who stole national security documents from the federal government and then obstructed justice time and time again to hang on to them would be incarcerated for years, so should he be. Just as Michael Cohen or Reality Winner went to jail, so should former President Donald Trump. It is not enough for him to be found guilty and then to sit poolside at Mar-a-Lago wearing an ankle bracelet.

Last week, there was an essay in The New York Times by respected conservative legal scholar Jack Goldsmith, a professor at Harvard Law School, entitled, The Prosecution of Trump May Have Terrible Consequences.

It warns that the costs to the legal and political system will be large should Trump be convicted before or after the election. It offers a variety of arguments in support of its thesiswhich is, in my view, dead wrong.

Goldsmith suggests that even if the Department of Justice is not driven by political motivations prosecution would be unseemly. He speaks of the perceived unfairness of the DoJs Russia investigation and of the departments treatment of Mr. Bidens son Hunter.

Fox News Turns to Paul Manafort to Defend New Trump Georgia Charges

Never mind that there is absolutely no hint that partisanship has entered into the DoJs treatment of Trump during the Biden years. Indeed, quite the contrary, if anything, the Merrick Garland-led Justice Department has bent over backwards to avoid any hint of biasincluding, notably, appointing an independent special counsel to oversee the Mar-a-Lago, Jan. 6, election fraud cases and, more recently, the Hunter Biden case.

Never mind that the Russia investigation conducted by Robert Mueller not only found substantial evidence of Russian assistance to Trumps reelection effort and serial instances of obstruction of justice, but that those findings were unfairly minimized and effectively dismissed for political reasons by the Trump administrations Attorney General Bill Barr.

Not only did Goldsmith not fairly address these issues, he goes further and says the facts dont really matter. What matters to him is that the DoJ will be viewed post-prosecution as an irretrievably politicized institution by a large chunk of the country.

That a recent poll shows a majority of Americans believe Trump should have been charged with a crime in the Jan. 6 case goes unmentioned by Goldsmith. (An even larger majority approved of the New York indictment of Trump, according to an April poll.) That it would therefore be a minority who would be the ones politicizing the fair administration of justice does not appear to concern him.

He then goes on to say that the prosecution could damage the rule of law in the U.S., not because it is wrong or because it is actually political but because the unprincipled hyper-partisans might in the future use it as an excuse to drive ever more aggressive tit-for-tat investigations of future presidents. He argues also that trials like the special counsels Jan. 6 and election fraud case might contribute to the criminalization of politicsaccepting the Trump defenses argument that the former president was merely being political, not criminal.

Goldsmith also sidesteps Trumps prosecution in New York by dismissing it as dubious and characterizes the federal cases as being led by Mr. Trumps political opponent.

Trump Indicted in GeorgiaWith Giuliani, Meadows, and 16 Others

Interestingly, when raising the issue of Watergate, he suggests it is relevant because our experience since deluded us into thinking independent council of various stripes could vindicate the rule of law and bring national closure in response to abuses by senior officials. This is not only a dubious assertion, it is missing the far more relevant aspect of the aftermath of Watergate which is Gerald Fords disastrous decision to pardon Richard Nixon for his crimes.

That decision led directly to the presumption of many that presidents are above the law. It no doubt was factored into Trumps perception of his own impunity should he run afoul of the law. One can only imagine how differently Trump might have behaved had Nixon actually been forced, as he should have been, to go on trial and do hard time if convicted.

Throughout our history, courts have been presented with circumstances when unpopular decisions might have alienated a segment of the populace. It runs against every foundational principle of justice to suggest that the size or volume of the mobs protests should take precedence over evidence, due process, and ultimately justice. In a case like this, fearing an organized political backlash to Trumps facing his just desserts is the type of politicization about which we should be most concerned.

Rather than being concerned about the impact on our system of letting justice be done, we must concern ourselves with the consequences of the miscarriage of justice that would result if Donald Trump could walk away from conviction for serious crimes with a slap on the wrist or no real meaningful punishment at all.

We already know that because Trump is a rich man (and because he has many supporters willing to help foot his massive legal bills) that he will use an army of lawyers and every legal tactic in the book to delay his trials, to disrupt them, to impede them and to appeal them. Surely, on some level he feels he can (as he has throughout his life) avoid responsibility for his actions simply by retreating behind a wall of lawyers and dubious legal tactics.

The Right Needs to Ask: Why Do These Racists Keep Getting Hired by Us?

Perhaps his plan involves delaying justice until he can take office again and, at least on the federal cases, pardon himself. Perhaps he thinks he can just draw these cases out until he dies or is too infirm to sentence.

But what then? What message does that send?

How will it be taken in conjunction with the Nixon pardon and the erroneous Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel memo that suggests a sitting president cannot be charged with a crime?

Should we end up there, we will have essentially struck through the words Equal Justice Under Law that are carved into the pediment of the Supreme Court and confirmed what many believe based on the other imbalances of power and fairness within our system: That presidents are above the law. We will have also created a new defense, that anyone running for office can no longer be prosecuted because by definition the case will be political. We will also have created a defense for anyone ever convicted of any of the myriad crimes for which Trump might ultimately be convicted.

AG Garland on Doomed Quest Over Hunter Biden Special Counsel

Further, the arguments currently being fielded by Trumps defenders create other perilshould they be acknowledged by credible legal scholars as reasonable in the way Goldsmith has bought into some of the most specious of Trumps defenses.

Can a Republican no longer be tried in a jurisdiction that has elected Democrats in the past? Must we assume that no attorney general or judge can ever be fair should they be involved in a case in which the defendant is from a different political party? Can defendants with large crowds of noisy supporters expect their cases to be dropped?

No. None of these are risks we can or should run.

Each of the many cases against Trump must be conducted on the merits. The evidence must be weighed. Appeals must be heard where the law requires it. And then, should Trump be found guilty of crimes that carry a jail sentence, it is essential to our future as a democracy, it is crucial to the rule of law in America, that he then serve the sentences his crimes warrant.

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Carlos De Oliveira, the property manager for former U.S. President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, issued a not-guilty plea on Tuesday for charges stemming from special counsel Jack Smith's probe into the mishandling of classified documents. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI

Aug. 15 (UPI) -- Former President Donald Trump's property manager at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Carlos De Oliveira, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges that he mishandled government documents.

Local Florida defense lawyer Larry Donald Murrell Jr., issued the plea on De Oliveira's behalf before Magistrate Judge Shaniek Mills Maynard.

Two earlier arraignment proceedings for De Olievera had been delayed as he had failed to secure a Florida attorney as required by the district.

The judge on Tuesday said he was "all squared away in terms of permanent counsel" as he will be represented by Murrell and his Washington-based attorney John Iving.

She also called on government prosecutors to disclose discovery in the case.

According to an indictment, Carlos De Oliveira told the resort's director of information technology that "the boss," an alleged reference to Donald Trump, wanted servers holding the security footage deleted. File Photo via U.S. Department of Justice/UPI

De Oliveira faces four charges, alongside Trump himself and assistant Walt Nauta, for mishandling government documents. De Oliveira allegedly tried to delete security footage at Mar-a-Lago that investigators wanted.

He appeared alongside Nauta in court last week as Nauta entered his not guilty plea. Trump had pleaded not guilty to the charges in June.

According to an indictment, De Oliveira told the resort's director of information technology that "the boss," an alleged reference to Trump, wanted servers holding the security footage deleted.

In August 2022, more than 100 secret papers were seized from Trump's resort in Palm Beach, Fla., after numerous boxes of documents were taken from the White House during Trump's final days in office.

Federal prosecutors allege Nauta helped Trump hide boxes containing classified information from investigators who wanted them returned to Washington after Trump disregarded a May 2022 subpoena.

De Oliveira was referenced, but not named, in the original indictment as one of the "others" who loaded boxes of the documents onto a plane that flew Trump and his family north for the summer.

Trump, as with the growing litany of federal criminal charges, continues to deny any wrongdoing in the case, saying he had the power as president to "automatically" declassify top secret papers.

Trump's legal woes mounted late Monday after Georgia prosecutors filed charges against him and more than a dozen other defendants for conspiring to "unlawfully change the outcome" of the 2020 election.
A law enacted to target organized crime and pioneered by Rudy Giuliani could bring down both a former president and a rapper in Georgia.

Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants are facing racketeering charges stemming from their alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election result in Georgia. A grand jury vote resulted in a 41-count indictment in Atlanta after an investigation by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

The indictment alleges that rather than abide by Georgias legal process for election challenges, the defendants engaged in a criminal racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgias presidential election result, Willis said at a press conference announcing the charges Monday evening.

Former President Donald Trump at the Iowa State Fair on Saturday. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, laws are used by prosecutors to target larger criminal organizations and their leaders, who may not have been directly involved in some of the offenses.

This is not the first major RICO case filed by Willis since taking office in 2021. In May 2022, she brought charges against 26 individuals including the Grammy Award-winning rap artist Jeffery Williams, also known as Young Thug, for allegedly leading a violent street gang known as Young Slime Life (YSL). Williams, like Trump, maintains he is innocent.

Giuliani and the origins of RICO cases

Rudolph Giuliani, U.S. attorney for New York's Southern District, holds a press conference on June 22, 1987, after 16 of 17 defendants in the "Pizza Connection" case were found guilty. (Yvonne Hemsey/Getty Images)

A federal RICO law was first enacted in 1970 with the intent to target the Mafia, but a number of states have their own legislation, including Georgia, which in 1980 passed a state law considered to be more expansive than the federal version.

Georgia is a little bit of a different animal, Chris Timmons, a former Georgia prosecutor, told Yahoo News. The Georgia statute is based on the federal statute, but it is much broader, covering a much wider range of crimes, but also has some differences in terms of what it applies to.

Giuliani is among the co-conspirators who were indicted by the grand jury. The former Trump lawyer, who faces 13 charges in total, was himself a trailblazing figure in the use of RICO.

During his time as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York in the mid-1980s, Giuliani used the federal law to target the Mafia, indicting the heads of the Five Families and earning guilty verdicts after a lengthy trial at which reading the verdict took 20 minutes owing to the number of charges brought. In 2007, the FBI revealed that the mob leaders had considered a hit on the prosecutor.

Giuliani leaned on his reputation for being tough on crime when he ran for New York City mayor, including helping to incite a riot of cops against the incumbent he was challenging. In another parallel with the Georgia investigation, in the lead-up to the 1993 election he went on to win, Giulianis campaign, expressing concerns over voter fraud, insisted that additional police be placed at polling stations.

In a story published Wednesday, a veteran New York mob attorney told The Messenger his clients were "f***ing thrilled" about Giuliani being charged. Civil rights attorney Ron Kuby told the outlet, "It is just delightful to watch the guy who expanded RICO prosecutions well beyond their original intent, and did so grasping for the biggest headlines, to watch him be indicted by the very law that he championed."

The Young Thug case

Young Thug performs at the Lollapalooza Music Festival in Chicago in 2021. (Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

Charges were filed last May, and jury selection is now underway in the Young Slime Life RICO trial, where Williams is accused of conspiring to violate the state's RICO act and participating in criminal street gang activity. Twenty-eight people were charged in the 56-count indictment, with Willis alleging that they had decided to become involved in a criminal street gang and really do havoc in our community.

The 88-page indictment refers to several lyrics from more than a dozen of Williamss songs, including some that are eight years old. Some experts say the use of creative expression against artists leads to an unfair trial.

The initial indictment contained very few factual allegations about activity that Mr. Williams was accused of doing, Jack Lerner, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine, told Yahoo News in January, when jury selection began. The vast majority of factual allegations about him involved his social media postings and lyrics.

Page Pate, an Atlanta criminal defense attorney, said in an interview with Vice News that Willis is unafraid of high-profile cases, adding, Shes more comfortable using the RICO statute than almost any other prosecutor in Georgia.

In his clients defense, Williams's attorney Brian Steel told media outlets that Williams "has committed no violation of law, whatsoever. We will fight this case ethically, legally and zealously. Mr. Williams will be cleared.

Why prosecutors are invoking RICO against Trump

Timmons says RICO charges were not the only option for Willis. She just could have charged it as a general conspiracy-type case. But I think everybody knew that a RICO indictment was coming here, because Willis was part of the prosecution team that prosecuted the Atlanta Public Schools case, he said, citing the 2009 case against the Atlanta school system for cheating on state-administered tests.

Trumps attorneys described the announcement of charges as shocking and absurd, adding that they "look forward to a detailed review of this indictment, which is undoubtedly just as flawed and unconstitutional as this entire process has been.

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp defended his states elections on Tuesday, rebutting a Truth Social post from Trump and writing, The 2020 election in Georgia was not stolen. For nearly three years now, anyone with evidence of fraud has failed to come forward  under oath  and prove anything in a court of law.

Willis said the former president and his co-defendants have until Friday, Aug. 25, to turn themselves in and that she plans to request a trial date within the next six months. Even before accounting for Trumps crowded legal calendar, Timmons said the time frame is likely to prove problematic.

Six months is an incredibly ambitious timetable for any RICO case, he said. Let alone a RICO case that has national implications.
DOHA, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Qatar has played a major role in achieving the prisoner swap deal between Iran and the United States, Qatar's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

"Qatar, as a reliable international mediator, has played a major and effective role in achieving consensus between the two sides," Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari, the ministry's spokesperson, said in a statement.

Al Ansari said that the "promising result" was preceded by intensive and shuttle visits by Qatari officials to Washington and Tehran as well as direct and indirect meetings with the two sides.

He said that the Qatari role was not isolated from other international efforts, as it was "synchronized with" the efforts of Oman and the European mediator.

The spokesperson said he hoped that the deal would pave the way for a return to the Iranian nuclear talks, which he believes is of great importance to Qatar and the region in general.

Iran and the United States recently reached a deal on freeing several detained citizens from each other. 
Former President Donald Trump at a rally in Georgia. Megan Varner/Getty Images

Georgia is a rare state that gives pardon power to an independent board instead of the governor.

The board also doesn't have the power to grant preemptive pardons, which is bad news for Trump.

He'll need to serve five years before he even can ask for one.

Trump can't pardon himself out of this one.

If the former president is convicted in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis's new criminal case against him, he'll have to serve five years before he can be pardoned.

Willis's case, brought in Georgia, accuses Trump and 18 of his associates of forming an illegal enterprise to keep him in power, breaking numerous laws along the way. Trump was personally charged on 13 different counts. The top charge for racketeering, or RICO, carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

Unlike in his two federal criminal cases, Trump can't expect a Republican president to pardon him before or after he goes to trial. Nor can he rely on a Republican governor in Georgia to pardon him and get rid of the criminal charges.

Georgia is one of five states that doesn't grant pardon power to the governor. Instead, the state's constitution gives pardon power to the state's five-member Board of Paroles and Pardons.

"If there were to be a sympathetic Republican elected president, Trump, on a federal conviction or the federal charges, could be given a pardon immediately," Ronald Carlson, a professor at the University of Georgia School of Law, told Insider. "That is not possible in Georgia."

The board's members are appointed by Georgia's governor for seven-year terms and confirmed by the state senate. They're also given statutory independence in the state constitution. While the Georgia constitution allows legislators in some cases to impose stricter sentences than the board might want, there's no other mechanism to impose pardons.

"It's set up in a statute here that's pretty insulated from political pressure," Carlson said. "And that's the way it should be."

All of the current board members have been appointed by Republicans  Georgia hasn't elected a Democrat to the governorship since the 1990s. Trump and the 18 other defendants in the indictment are likely to try to delay a trial, but there's no legal way someone can swoop in and protect them from the charges.

Even if every board member was sympathetic to Trump, they don't have the power to grant preemptive pardons, legal experts say. According to a Brookings Institution analysis, there isn't any case history in Georgia that supports pardons before a conviction.

"No case squarely holds that the Board of Paroles and Pardons can grant preemptive pardons, because the language in the Georgia Constitution is unequivocal: The Board may only grant pardons 'after conviction,'" the Brookings report authors wrote.

The Georgia pardon application guidelines say the board will only consider applications from people who have completed a "full sentence obligation," paid all fines, and "has been free of supervision (custodial or non-custodial) and/or criminal involvement for at least five consecutive years thereafter as well as five consecutive years immediately prior to applying."

In Carlson's interpretation, this means Trump needs to serve at least five years before he has a chance with the board.

"Here's the kicker: President Trump could only apply for a pardon if he were to be convicted only after he served five years in a Georgia penitentiary," he said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Trump like a toddler who needs consequences for speaking about cases: former White House press secretary

Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in an interview Monday that former President Trump should be treated like a toddler who needs to face consequences for speaking about his legal cases.

During an appearance on CNNs Erin Burnett OutFront, host Erin Burnett mentioned Trumps recent name-calling toward those who publicly testify against him in court.

Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan (R), independent journalist George Chidi, former state Rep. Bee Nguyen (D) and former state Sen. Jen Jordan (D) all testified in proceedings Monday.

Yeah, hes hes certainly doing what he always does and you know, its unfortunate because I think until there are actual consequences, hes going to continue doing this, Grisham told Burnett. Its like a toddler; youve gotta give them consequences to show you know, that people mean it.

Were gonna give you 24 hours in jail or whatever the  whatever the punishment would be, but hes got to have consequences before you know  again, as Ive said so many times somebody gets hurt or heaven forbid a witness does feel intimidated and, you know, that takes some of these cases off the rails, Grisham added.

Grishams remarks come as Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis presented her case against Trump and his allies for their attempts to overturn Georgias 2020 election results to a grand jury this week.

The grand jury will decide, through a vote, on whether to bring charges against Trump and several others in the case.

Trump, who is currently the front-runner in the 2024 GOP presidential race, is facing a slew of legal battles and federal investigations against him.

He was recently indicted by a Washington, D.C., grand jury on four charges stemming from his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which he lost to President Biden.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA - JULY 29: Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a political rally while campaigning for the GOP nomination in the 2024 election at Erie Insurance Arena on July 29, 2023 in Erie, Pennsylvania. Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

Trump was indicted again Monday in connection to his efforts to overturn Georgia's election results.

Fulton County DA Fani Willis charged the former president with 13 crimes including racketeering.

18 other defendants were charged in addition to Trump. Here's what we know.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis indicted former President Donald Trump and 18 other co-defendants with charges including racketeering, conspiracy, and making false statements in her wide-ranging investigation into efforts to overturn Georgia's election results in the 2020 election.

All told Willis' indictment alleges that Trump and several of his campaign advisors and political operatives orchestrated a plan to pressure Georgia election officials to "find" votes to reverse Joe Biden's win, and schemed to send fake electors to Congress on January 6, 2021, to falsely install him as president.

In February, the foreperson for the Fulton County grand jury, who heard months worth of witness testimony told CNN, that the amount of recommended indictments was "not a short list."

More than 75 witnesses were called before the grand jury throughout the probe, per CNN. Ultimately, the grand jury decided to charge the following people in addition to Trump:

2 Republican activists who signed fake Elector Certificates: Georgia Republican Party Chairman David Shafer and former Coffee County GOP chair Cathleen Latham

Former Trump attorneys Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Kenneth Cheseboro, Jeffrey Clark, Jenna Ellis, and Ray Smith III

Former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows

Former Trump staffer Michael Roman

Georgia attorney Robert Cheeley

Former GOP finance chairman Shawn Still

Police chaplain Stephen Lee

Harrison Floyd, a leader with the organization Black Voices for Trump

Trevian Kutti, a Chicago publicist for Kanye West

Dallas attorney Sidney Powell

Scott Hall, a Georgia bail bondsman and Fulton County Republican poll watcher

Misty Hampton, Coffee County elections supervisor

Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in the case and in a statement on Monday night said in part: "A left-wing prosecutor  with such extreme anti-Trump bias that EVEN CNN questioned her legitimacy  has INDICTED me despite having committed NO CRIME."

In a statement, a spokesperson for Center for Renewing America, said in part: "Jeff Clark was simply doing his job in 2020 and he doesn't deserve to be subjected to this naked political lawfare, especially not by a publicity hound like Willis."

Willis also elected to prosecute Trump and his allies with racketeering charges  a charge initially created to prosecute the mafia  which holds the harshest prison sentence among the laundry list of charges.

Correction: August 14, 2023  An earlier version of this story misspelled Sidney Powell's name. It is Sidney Powell not Sydney Powell.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Running for president of the US is an arduous task even in the best of times.

Seeking the White House while facing multiple indictments and the prospect of multiple civil and criminal trials is an almost unimaginable task. That, however, is the reality that Donald Trump currently confronts.

A presidential campaign involves near nonstop campaigning and fundraising through a long season of state primaries that determine the party nomination followed by a general election campaign under the intense scrutiny of the national media.

There are debates, set-piece policy speeches and the multi-day nominating convention - with its balloon drops, confetti and spectacle, but also its potential for unscripted political drama if things go sideways.

While the first presidential nomination contest, in Iowa, isn't until January, the Republican presidential race has already begun in earnest. The party is about to begin holding monthly debates for qualifying candidates. The first takes place next week in Wisconsin.

Mr Trump has yet to confirm whether he will attend the debate, but either way the schedule provides an early display of how his legal concerns could factor into his political calculations. The former president will probably have to prepare for an appearance in an Atlanta courthouse by the end of next week, where he will be formally arraigned on charges of interfering in the Georgia 2020 election, while his opponents prepare to take the debate stage.

While much of Mr Trump's legal - and political - drama will take place in 2024, there's already one trial scheduled for later this year. On 2 October, New York state's civil fraud lawsuit against Mr Trump and his business empire is scheduled to go to trial. Mr Trump is not required to appear in court, but it still could be a distraction - and it comes just five days after the second scheduled Republican primary debate.

When the calendar flips to 2024, things start to really heat up. The Iowa caucuses - the first Republican presidential selection contest - are scheduled for 15 January, the same day a defamation trial against Mr Trump begins. It is the second case brought by writer E Jean Carroll, who has already won a $5m judgement from the former president for denying he sexually assaulted her.

Mr Trump's New York hush-money case is scheduled for trial in March and the federal case involving mishandling classified documents is set for May. That will be after many of the key Republican primaries have taken place. But preparation for those cases, including pre-trial hearings and depositions, will begin well beforehand.

Then there are the two criminal indictmentsthat have yet to be scheduled. Special Counsel Jack Smith has said he wants his 2020 election-interference case to go to trial in early January and that it could last four to six weeks. Mr Trump's lawyers will certainly contest that, given that the trial could stretch past three of the key early presidential contests. The decision is ultimately up to the judge overseeing the case, however.

Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis has said she wants her sprawling racketeering case against Mr Trump and 18 co-defendants to reach trial within six months, but that timeline is also ambitious.

All the presiding judges in these cases will take into consideration Mr Trump's legal concerns, as well as the campaign timeline, and attempt to work out a schedule that best accommodates all the competing interests.

Timeline of Trump court dates

In the second half of 2024, those interests include a Republican national convention that is slated for mid-July and the traditional series of presidential debates that take place in early autumn.

At some point the possibility of a trial in the shadow of November's presidential election - or even after it - becomes a real possibility.

The trials - and any pre-trial hearings, depositions and other various legal proceedings - will take up weeks if not months of Mr Trump's time. He will have to schedule his campaigning, including his beloved mass public rallies, around them. He could have judges issuing orders to limit what he can publicly say - and sanctioning him if he does not comply.

Then there's the massive financial drain that supporting multiple teams of lawyers to contest the criminal charges against Mr Trump and his associates presents. A Trump-affiliated political committee has already spent more than $40m on legal fees just in the first half of 2023, with the first criminal trial still months away.

Those numbers will only go up - and they will continue to limit the amount of money the former president can direct to the nuts and bolts of his campaign, such as grass-roots organising, television and online advertisements, and staff and infrastructure investments.

It is a daunting burden for any candidate - even one who has shown Mr Trump's remarkable political durability.
WORLD IS LAUGHING  Former President Trump gives first reaction to Georgia indictment, vows to fix it by winning 2024 election. Continue reading 

ON THE CLOCK  Fulton County district attorney gives Trump deadline to surrender to law enforcement. Continue reading 

NOT AN EXPERT  Questions swirl over mysterious leaked indictment  but DA has no answers. Continue reading 

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JESSE WATTERS  Area of focus in Hawaii fires needs to be communication, Tulsi Gabbard says. See video 

SEAN HANNITY  Attorney for former President Trump speaks on grand jury handing up sealed indictments in Georgia case. See video 

TRACE GALLAGHER  This DA just lied to the world: Kash Patel. See video 

BOOTED FROM THE BOARD  Conservative ousted from Washington state school board after facing recall for defying mask mandate. Continue reading 

NEW HEALTH CRISIS  Excessive social media use shares many of the same effects as substance abuse, experts discover. Continue reading 

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POWER BEHIND THRONE  Kate Middleton makes key decisions to protect royals, expert says. Continue reading 

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Whats it looking like in your neighborhood? Continue reading

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By Tom Hals

WILMINGTON, Delaware (Reuters) - The criminal case against former U.S. President Donald Trump for attempting to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia will be handled by the newest judge on the court, a former prosecutor who once worked in the same office as Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

Fulton County Superior Court records show Judge Scott McAfee will oversee the case against Trump, which alleges the Republican was part of a scheme to overturn his loss in the state to Democrat Joe Biden. Judges are randomly assigned to cases.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing and accused Willis, an elected Democrat, of being politically motivated.

McAfee was appointed to the court in February by the state's Republican Governor Brian Kemp, according to the court's website. McAfee is seeking election next year to retain his position as judge.

On his campaign website, McAfee pledges to clear the backlog of cases, hold violent offenders accountable and provide alternatives for non-violent offenders. "True justice isn't about locking people up and throwing away the key," his website said.

"He's fair, intelligent," said Brian Steel, a criminal defense lawyer in Georgia who said he knows McAfee professionally. Steel is not involved in the Trump case.

Trump, frontrunner for the Republican 2024 presidential nomination, was indicted on Monday as one of 19 defendants charged with racketeering and other crimes.

McAfee will set the schedule for the trial and will likely have to sort through numerous unsettled legal questions raised by prosecuting a case that covers acts that occurred while Trump was president. The judge may be asked by Trump's legal team to move the case out of Fulton County, where Biden won easily in 2020, or to federal court.

McAfee joined the court after a serving since 2021 as inspector general, investigating the executive branch of Georgia's government for allegations of fraud and waste. His office uncovered a scheme to defraud the state of $1.3 million by creating fake educational records and obtained a conviction of a former state worker who faked pregnancies, according to the inspector general's website.

Prior to serving as inspector general, McAfee worked as an assistant U.S. attorney and as an assistant district attorney, overlapping with Willis, although it unknown if they worked together.

He specialized in major drug trafficking organizations in the U.S. attorney's office and handled hundreds of felony cases, including armed robbery and murder, while working for the district attorney, according to the governor's statement announcing McAfee's appointment to the bench.

McAfee earned his undergraduate degree from Emory University where he majored in music and received a scholarship to play cello in the university symphony. He graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law and passed the state bar in 2013, according to the Georgia Bar Association website.

(Reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Alistair Bell)
The Georgia indictment that was unveiled last night charges former President Donald Trump and 18 other defendants with participating in an "enterprise" that engaged in a pattern of "racketeering activity" aimed at an illegal result: keeping Trump in office after he was defeated by Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. By relying on Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, Reason's Elizabeth Nolan Brown notes, Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis was able to connect "a lot of related and relatively unrelated conduct"including 161 listed actionsby "a bunch of disparate people, some acting directly in concert with Trump and his legal team and some much further removed."

Georgia's RICO law, as interpreted by state courts, is even broader than the famously flexible federal version, covering many more "predicate offenses," defining "enterprise" very loosely, and prescribing a weaker test for establishing a pattern of racketeering activity. The indictment nevertheless hinges on debatable interpretations of specific conduct that Willis portrays as part of a criminal conspiracy but the defendants will characterize as legitimate efforts to rectify what they perceived as systematic election fraud. As with the federal indictment of Trump that was unsealed earlier this month, which covers much of the same territory, the choice between those dueling descriptions will depend largely on how a jury views each defendant's knowledge and intent.

In addition to the RICO charges, each defendant is charged with at least one independently illegal act. Trump himself is charged with 12 of those underlying offenses.

Count 28, for example, alleges that Trump solicited a felony during the notorious January 2, 2021, telephone conversation in which he urged Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" the 12,000 or so votes that would be necessary to reverse Biden's victory in that state. The felony that Trump wanted Raffensperger to commit, according to the indictment, was "violation of oath" by a "public officer," and intentional solicitation of that crime is also a felony.

That is a plausible interpretation of Trump's conversation with Raffensperger, during which he floated one debunked election-fraud claim after another and seemed impervious to Raffensperger's refutations. Trump also suggested that Raffensperger could be criminally liable if he failed to do what Trump asked.

Trump, of course, argues that, far from encouraging Raffensperger to violate his oath, he was asking him to do his job by addressing supposedly credible fraud allegations. The question is not just whether those allegations were in fact credible (they were not, as Raffensperger pointed out repeatedly) but also whether Trump truly believed they were. When you read the transcript of that conversation, it is hard to tell.

Similarly, Count 27 charges that Trump knowingly filed a false document, also a felony, when he submitted a December 31, 2020, complaint as part of his lawsuit challenging the election results in Georgia. Among other things, that document falsely claimed that Georgia had counted votes from "as many as 2,506 felons with an uncompleted sentence," "at least 66,247 underage" people, "at least 2,423" unregistered voters, "at least 1,043" people with P.O. boxes listed as their addresses, and "as many as 10,315 or more" dead people.

Did Trump know those claims were inaccurate when he endorsed them? There is some evidence that he did. During litigation over access to Trump lawyer John Eastman's emails by the House select committee that investigated the 2021 Capitol riot, a federal judge noted that Eastman, in a December 30, 2020, email, "relayed 'concerns' from President Trump's team 'about including specific numbers in the paragraph dealing with felons, deceased, moved, etc.'"

The next day, Eastman elaborated on those concerns: "Although the President signed a verification for [a state court filing] back on Dec. 1, he has since been made aware that some of the allegations (and evidence proffered by the experts) has been inaccurate. For him to sign a new verification with that knowledge (and incorporation by reference) would not be accurate."

Trump apparently was unfazed. "President Trump and his attorneys ultimately filed the complaint with the same inaccurate numbers without rectifying, clarifying, or otherwise changing them," U.S. District Judge David O. Carter wrote. "President Trump, moreover, signed a verification swearing under oath that the incorporated, inaccurate numbers 'are true and correct' or 'believed to be true and correct' to the best of his knowledge and belief."

In other words, Carter said, "the emails show that President Trump knew that the specific numbers of voter fraud were wrong but continued to tout those numbers, both in court and to the public." Carter concluded that the messages therefore were "sufficiently related to and in furtherance of a conspiracy to defraud the United States," making them available to the House committee under the "crime-fraud exception" to attorney-client privilege and the work product doctrine.

The "more likely than not" standard that Carter applied in that case, however, is much less demanding than the proof beyond a reasonable doubt required for a criminal conviction. Eastman (who is one of Trump's co-defendants) said Trump had been "made aware" that the claims about ballots cast by dead people, felons, and unregistered voters were "inaccurate." But even if someone told him the numbers were wrong, and even if Trump was paying attention, it would have been perfectly in character for him to continue believing them.

The federal indictment is filled with examples of information that Trump ignored or rejected because it conflicted with his stolen-election narrative. That stubborn resistance can be interpreted either as evidence of his dishonesty or as evidence of his longstanding tendency to embrace self-flattering delusions and never let them go.

During his conversation with Raffensperger, which happened two days after the complaint cited in the indictment was filed, Trump again claimed that many "dead people voted" in Georgia. "I think the number is close to 5,000 people," he said. That estimate was less than half as big as the number cited in his own lawsuit, which gives you a sense of how little attention he paid to such details. "The actual number [was] two," Raffensperger said. "So that's wrong."

At a certain point, as George Mason law professor Ilya Somin suggests, willful blindness to reality is hard to distinguish from deliberate deceit, and this example vividly illustrates that point. But in assessing Trump's state of mind when he made unsubstantiated claims like these, a jury will have to decide whether there is reasonable doubt as to whether he knew they were false.

Counts 3 and 24, which allege that Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani knowingly made false statements when he testified before the Georgia Senate Judiciary Committee in December 2020, raise similar questions. During a December 3 hearing, the indictment notes, Giuliani asserted that at least 96,600 mail-in ballots were counted in Georgia's election "despite there being no record of those ballots having been returned to a county elections office." He also claimed that a Dominion Voting Systems machine in Michigan had "mistakenly recorded 6,000 votes for Joseph R. Biden when the votes were actually cast for Donald Trump." On December 30, Giuliani testified that "2,560 felons voted illegally," that "10,315 dead people voted," and that "Fulton County election workers fraudulently counted certain ballots as many as five times at State Farm Arena."

Giuliani recently admitted, in response to a defamation lawsuit by two of those election workers, that his claims about them "were false." But it is still possible that he accepted the story at the time. Giuliani certainly acted as if he sincerely believed what he was saying, which is why he seemed more like a deranged crackpot than a calculating con man. Maybe it was all pretense, but I think that may give Giuliani too much credit.

Several of the counts in the indictment, alleging offenses such as forgery, false statements, and solicitation of a felony, are related to the "alternate" electors scheme that Trump's lawyers and allies executed in Georgia and other battleground states. Under that plan, Republican nominees for the Electoral College met on December 16, voted, and presented themselves as "duly elected and qualified," contrary to the certified outcome.

There is a colorable argument, based on the precedent set by the 1960 dispute over Hawaii's electoral votes, that signing those certificates was a legitimate way to preserve the Trump campaign's options in light of its pending state lawsuit. The idea, as presented by Trump's lawyers, was that the "contingent" electors would be counted only in the (extremely unlikely) event that the lawsuit was successful.

That is how former Georgia Republican Party Chairman David Shafer, who oversaw the meeting of Trump electors, explained it at the time. Shafer, one of Trump's 18 co-defendants, insists he was not aware of any plans to go further by pressuring Vice President Mike Pence to recognize the "alternate" slate instead of Biden's when he oversaw the congressional tally of electoral votes on January 6, 2021. While Shafer may or may not be telling the truth, the question of whether the would-be electors accepted the rationale offered by Trump's legal team certainly seems relevant in assessing their intent.

Trump's lawsuit, which was filed on December 4, may have been little more than an excuse to recruit the "alternate" electors and thereby create the impression that there was reason to doubt whether Biden had actually won. Like many of the charges against Trump and his allies, that conclusion depends on the premise that they cynically pursued claims they knew had no basis in fact. But judging from the evidence we have seen so far, it seems plausible that at least some of the defendants, possibly including Trump himself, were true believers in his lost cause.

The post Trump's Georgia Indictment Raises Familiar Questions of Knowledge and Intent appeared first on Reason.com.
A Georgia grand jury indicted Donald Trump over his attempts to overturn 2020 election results.

Trump, then the president, asked Georgia's secretary of state to "find" votes ensuring he'd win.

Read the charges below.

A Georgia grand jury indicted former President Donald Trump over his attempts to overturn his loss in the state to Joe Biden during the 2020 presidential election.

The charges, sought by Fulton County's district attorney, Fani Willis, include violating Georgia's RICO statute, solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer, conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer, conspiracy to commit forgery, conspiracy to commit false statements and writings, conspiracy to commit filing false documents, filing false documents, and making false statements and writings.

A number of other Trump allies were also charged in connection to efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia, including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former DOJ official Jeffrey Clark, GOP attorneys Sidney Powell, Kenneth Chesebro, John Eastman, and others.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has railed against Willis.

Prosecutors have spent years investigating the circumstances surrounding Trump's infamous call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in January 2021, where the then-president asked Raffensperger to "find" 11,780 votes to flip the state in his favor.

Trump has continued to falsely insist that the 2020 presidential election was illegitimate and that he was the true victor.

Willis sought testimony during her investigation from high-profile people involved in Georgia's election process and close to Trump. She fought court battles to have Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, testify before an earlier grand jury, as well as Trump's former chief of staff Mark Meadows, his attorney Rudy Giuliani, and others.

Read the full indictment below:

Read the original article on Business Insider
The News

Former U.S. President Donald Trump is now facing his fourth criminal indictment, as prosecutors in Georgia accused him of participating in a criminal scheme to overturn his loss to Joe Biden in 2020.

The most serious of the 39 charges against Trump is the violation of Georgias RICO Act, a racketeering law that was enacted in 1980 to go after mobs and gangs.

Weve compiled expert analysis about the racketeering charge and what it means for the case against Trump.

Insights

A RICO charge allows prosecutors to sweep up anyone who participated in a criminal enterprise by committing at least two underlying crimes  even if they were out of state and beyond jurisdiction, said Danny Porter, the former district attorney in nearby Gwinnett County. One disadvantage: They are really complex, given that the cases involve multiple defendants with different lawyers. So everything moves slowly, Porter told Semafor.

The Georgia RICO statute is more open-ended than the federal statute it was modeled after, and is meant to help prosecutors convict leaders of criminal organizations to the crimes their underlings may have directly committed. District Attorney Fani Willis has been very creative and effective at using the RICO statute compared to any prosecutor anywhere, Emory University law professor Morgan Cloud told The Wall Street Journal. This is Willis 11th RICO indictment.

In one of the most famous criminal cases in Atlanta history, Willis used RICO to prosecute a group of public school teachers and administrators accused of scheming to inflate their students test scores. You dont, under RICO, have to have a formal, sit-down dinner meeting where you eat spaghetti. But what you do have to do is all be doing the same thing for the same purpose, Willis said during the trial. Shes also faced criticism that she used RICO charges too aggressively, The New Yorker reported.

Fulton County prosecutors have records connecting Trumps legal team to the breach of the voting system in rural Coffee County, Ga. in January 2021, CNN reported. This is damning stuff and the kind of evidence built for Georgia RICO, Georgia State University law professor Anthony Michael Kreis tweeted. This shows a pattern of unlawful activity all over the state.
The fact that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is now trying to back away from his fight with the Walt Disney Company should confirm at least one thing about the whole ugly mess.

It was never a principled fight against special privileges granted to a private company. It was a political stunt meant to raise DeSantis' profile on the national stage.

That mission having been accomplishedand with the prospects of a legal battle against Disney loomingDeSantis told CNBC on Monday that he has "moved on" from the issue. He also encouraged Disney to "drop the lawsuit" that it filed in April against his administration.

In that lawsuit, Disney claimed that DeSantis led a "targeted campaign of government retaliation" after the company's then-CEO, Bob Chapek, had spoken out against DeSantis' decision to sign a bill limiting the discussion of gender and sexuality in grade school classrooms. (The ban was later expanded to include nearly all public school classrooms in the state.) DeSantis responded to that criticism by launching a crusade against Disney's special self-governing district, the Reedy Creek Improvement District, culminating in the passage of a state law that gave the governor the authority to appoint a new board to run the zone.

DeSantis and his allies have framed that maneuver as a strike against corporate special interests, but Disney's lawsuit makes a compelling case that the governor specifically targeted Disney to punish the company for Chapek's comments. The complaint draws from numerous public statements and from remarks made within DeSantis' recently published book to argue that DeSantis sought to punish Disney for constitutionally protected speech.

It makes a lot of sense for DeSantis to try to walk away from this fight, in no small part because getting his butt kicked in federal court over a fairly fundamental constitutional issue wouldn't be a good look for a guy who is hoping to become president. Even if he doesn't lose, the lawsuit will be an ongoing source of bad news for DeSantis and will give reporters the opportunity to ask questions he'd rather not have to deal withlike the newly uncovered ethical issues surrounding one of the people DeSantis appointed to the Reedy Creek board. Ending the fight would also save taxpayers from having to foot the legal bills for DeSantis' defense, which is nice.

Still, getting out of this mess is probably not as simple as asking Disney to drop the lawsuit and move on. Does DeSantis intend to ask the state Legislature to undo the governor's control over the Reedy Creek board? If not, then why should Disney back down?

Short of that, it would be useful for reporters to ask DeSantis whether he would take similar actions against other businesses whose executives criticize his policies. Disney obviously has the power to fight back, but others might not be able to do so. Is DeSantis willing to admit he was wrong to retaliate against Disney? The answer would be instructive for voters weighing his candidacy for higher office.

Ultimately, though, DeSantis' attempt to "move on" from the fight with Disney reveals how unserious the whole thing was. If this were a principled stand against corporatism, as DeSantis has claimed, it would be worth seeing the fight through to the finish. That was never the case, however, and it looks like DeSantis simply wants to end this political stunt before it blows up in his face.

The post By Trying To 'Move On,' DeSantis Admits His Fight With Disney Was a Political Stunt All Along appeared first on Reason.com.
An Afghan employee works at the construction site of a China-funded housing complex in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 13, 2023. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

KABUL, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Accompanying Chinese colleagues at the construction site of a China-funded housing complex in western Kabul City of Afghanistan, Noor Aziz is now a versatile person, interpreting at the construction site, communicating with local authorities and solving material supply problems for the construction team.

The 38-year-old officially joined the Afghanistan project team of the China 19th Metallurgical Group Corporation Limited (MCC 19) in 2017, when the company was building the comprehensive teaching building and auditorium of Kabul University. Before that, he was a laborer earning wages per diem.

Aziz had to learn the Chinese language from scratch. He said he would learn Chinese by himself after daily work and ask Chinese staff for guidance when they have time.

"Fortunately, I learned some Chinese language, and the company officials wanted me to work with them as a translator," Aziz said.

As a significant state-owned Chinese company, MCC 19 has been engaged in Afghanistan's nation-rebuilding over the past few years.

Describing Chinese colleagues as friends, Aziz told Xinhua that the friendly environment encouraged him to work there, adding that he believes all Afghan employees and workers are happy with MCC 19 managers and staff.

"We treat everyone equally and consider them our friends and brothers," said Cao Bingsen, a procurement manager of MCC 19's Afghanistan project team.

He said that when the Afghan employees encountered difficulties, the management team would visit their homes, ask about their situations, and try to provide them with any possible support.

"MCC 19 has been assisting Afghanistan for more than 10 years, and 20 local employees are accompanying us to make progress together," Cao said, noting that the project team recruits 100 to 200 local laborers at the construction sites, which also helps with the local employment.

"My economic condition was not very good before joining the company," Aziz told Xinhua, saying now he is paid a good salary. "The company is very reliable, and its work is professional and experienced," Aziz said, adding that their company would always use high-quality building materials transported from China and have a high standard in construction. 

Afghan employees work at the construction site of a China-funded housing complex in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 13, 2023. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

An Afghan employee works at the construction site of a China-funded housing complex in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 13, 2023. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)
National Weather Service officials warned of hazardous swimming conditions Tuesday due to high waves and dangerous currents at beaches along Lake Michigan in Illinois and Indiana.

Waves between 6 to 9 feet are expected along with dangerous currents making conditions life-threatening especially for inexperienced swimmers, officials said.

Officials cautioned people to stay out of the water and not venture out onto piers or any shoreline structures.

Early Tuesday, an 18-year-old man was reported missing at Winnetka Beach after going into the water about 2 a.m., officials said. The Winnetka Fire Department and Coast Guard were searching for the teen, but suspended the search Tuesday afternoon until Wednesday morning due to conditions of Lake Michigan, said Josie Clark, communications manager of Winnetka Village.

Weather officials also said Tuesday fog would be an issue in portions of north-central and northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana.

Afternoon conditions at Chicagos airports were mostly cloudy at 72 degrees.
Two men were stabbed outside a London gay bar Sunday night in what police are investigating as a homophobic attack.

The victims, one in his 20s and the other in his 30s, were treated at a local hospital and have since been released, according to a statement by Londons Metropolitan Police released Monday. Police did not name the victims nor disclose their sexual orientations.

Authorities are still trying to locate the suspect, who ran away after the incident, police added.

We are acutely aware of the shock this attack will cause members of the LGBT+ community and I want to reassure people that an urgent investigation is ongoing to locate the person responsible, Detective Inspector Gary Castle said in the statement.

The incident occurred outside The Two Brewers, a South London gay bar that has been open for over 40 years, according to the bars website. In a statement on their Instagram account, the bar said it was assisting the police as they carry out their investigation regarding the unprovoked attack that took place at our venue.

The bar Two Brewers in London. (Google Maps)

In a series of tweets shared Monday, London Mayor Sadiq Khan called the attack a horrific hate crime and said his thoughts are with the victims and with the LGBTQ+ community.

For those who stoke up hate and vilify LGBTQ+ people for your own agenda, youre part of the problem too. Your culture war has real-life consequences, the mayor wrote in his thread on X, formerly Twitter. Let me be clear: I will never quieten down my allyship. Ill never stop fighting for the safety, rights and dignity of the LGBTQ+ community. I am committed to stamping out hate crime in our city.

The London stabbing comes amid a surge in reported hate crimes against LGBTQ Britons in recent years. From 2017 to 2022, hate crimes based on sexual orientation rose in England and Wales by 41%, according to data released by the British government last year. Hate crimes against transgender Britons rose by 56% during the same time period, the data showed.

The British LGBTQ advocacy group Stonewall  the largest LGBTQ advocacy group in the U.K.  condemned the stabbing and called on the British government to address the rise in hate crimes.

It is unacceptable for LGBTQ+ people to live in fear, the group wrote on X.

We are appalled to hear that two men have been stabbed in an apparent homophobic attack outside a LGBTQ+ venue in Clapham.



It is unacceptable for LGBTQ+ people to live in fear. We call on the UK Govt to set out its plan to deal with rising hate crime.https://t.co/lZ69A20c8N  Stonewall (@stonewalluk) August 14, 2023

Despite these alarming statistics and a string of violent, and in some unfortunate cases deadly, attacks, the UK Government has sat idle and there has been no hate crime strategy in place in England for over three years, the group added.

Leading British LGBTQ activist Peter Thatchell also rebuked the Sunday night stabbing.

This is why we still need Pride & why the battle for LGBT+ rights is not over, Thatchell tweeted Monday. LGBTs everywhere are vulnerable to potential violent attack.

This is why we still need Pride & why the battle for LGBT+ rights is not over



LGBTs everywhere are vulnerable to potential violent attack



Two injured in homophobic stabbing outside London gay nightclub The Two Brewershttps://t.co/CcW9o9SKNZ  Peter Tatchell (@PeterTatchell) August 14, 2023

The attack took place just weeks after the fatal stabbing of a 28-year-old gay man in New York City that made headlines in the United States.

OShae Sibley, a professional dancer and choreographer, was stabbed to death July 29 after dancing to music by Beyonce at a Brooklyn gas station. A 17-year-old male has been arrested in connection with Sibleys death and charged with murder as a hate crime.

Sibleys death sparked national outrage among LGBTQ advocates in the U.S. and prompted several celebrities, including Beyonce, Whoopi Goldberg and Ellen DeGeneres, to speak out about the crime.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
A court in Kyiv has sentenced two more citizens of Ukraine  soldiers of the so-called "Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics" who fought against the Armed Forces of Ukraine  to 15 years in prison.

Source: Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office

Details: The Solomianskyi District Court of Kyiv found the men guilty of committing the crimes charged and sentenced them to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property.

They are accused of high treason under martial law and participation in unlawful armed groups (Article 111.2, Article 260.2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

Quote: "The prosecutor in court proved that one of the accused, a 38-year-old resident of Luhansk Oblast, while in the temporarily occupied territory of Luhansk Oblast, in the city of Alchevsk, voluntarily signed a contract in March 2022 for military service in the illegal armed groups of the so-called Luhansk People's Republic.

The man was appointed to the position of assistant grenadier of the 204th Regiment of the 4th Company of the 3rd Platoon of the People's Militia of the Donetsk People's Republic, which was created, subordinated, managed and financed by the Russian Federation."

Details: Another defendant, as reported by the Kyiv Prosecutor's Office, voluntarily signed a contract for military service in the "Donetsk People's Republic" and was appointed to the post of rifleman of the 1st branch of the 2nd Platoon of the 2nd company of the rifle battalion of the People's Militia of the Donetsk People's Republic in February 2022.

Quote: "Acting as part of various units in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, the accused set up firing positions for armed resistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and protected the occupied territories of Ukraine."

Background:

In June 2023, the Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office submitted charges to court against six men who, after Russia's full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, defected to Russia and participated in illegal armed groups of the so-called Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republic.

The Prosecutor's Office reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine stopped their criminal activities in Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts.

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The Office of the State Attorney will prosecute two of the three juveniles charged in the spree of antisemitic vandalisms throughout the city of Pensacola.

Chief Assistant State Attorney Bridgette Jensen told the News Journal Tuesday that 17-year-old Waylon Fowler and 16-year-old Nicholas Ferry will be charged as adults along with 18-year-old Kessler Ferry for their alleged involvement in spray-painting antisemitic symbols on religious buildings and throwing bricks through their windows throughout the city.

Jensen said the 15-year-old arrested will remain in juvenile court.

So far, Fowler is the only one of the juveniles who appears to have a case number in adult criminal court; he now has seven cases pending. His charges are:

Five counts of criminal mischief over $1,000, each a third-degree felony

Trespassing on a construction site, a third-degree felony

Two counts of throwing missile into dwelling, vehicle, building or aircraft, a second-degree felony

Criminal mischief under $1,000, first-degree misdemeanor

Criminal mischief on church, synagogue, mosque or religious article, a third-degree felony

Teens arrested: Four Pensacola teens arrested in antisemitic vandalism case. Heres everything we know:

Jewish center hit: Pensacola Jewish temple hit with bricks in fourth antisemitic incident in 2 weeks

Kessler Ferry was immediately placed in adult court since he is 18 years old and was charged with criminal mischief over $1,000 and criminal mischief on a church, synagogue, mosque or religious article.

According to Kessler Ferry's arrest report, the other suspects involved all allege he was the driver during the graffiti tagging and brick-throwing incidents including to the Al Islam Dawah Center where they are accused of spray painting the Star of David on the front door.

"Waylon Fowler explained that he grabbed the yellow spray paint from the back seat area of Kessler's white vehicle," the arrest report stated. "Waylon Fowler advised Kessler waited in the vehicle while him and (the 15-year-old boy) committed the criminal mischief."

Fowler also said he tried to throw a cinder block at the building, but it broke before he could throw it.

Rabbi Mendel Danow speaks during the Light Up Pensacola! - Combating Hate with Light and Kindness gathering at the Chabad Jewish Center in Pensacola on Friday, July 21, 2023. The event is in response to a brick covered in antisemitic and white supremacist language being throw through a window of the building earlier in the week.

A deputy was performing surveillance one night and began tailing Ferry's vehicle after seeing two people get out of the car with black hoodies over their heads. The deputy lost sight of the vehicle but around 4:30 a.m. the deputy saw Ferry's vehicle stop on Crown Cove and two of the four suspects got out of the vehicle. The deputy then drove by and saw Ferry driving the vehicle.

What is a hate crime?

The state of Florida has a statute called "evidencing prejudice while committing offense; reclassification." Under that statute, anyone committing a felony or misdemeanor crime that evidences prejudice based on a person's race, color, ancestry, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, homeless status or advanced age could face enhanced penalties.

The statute allows for a convicted defendant's charge to increase by one degree forward for sentencing purposes. For example, a person convicted of a second-degree misdemeanor would face the penalty of a first-degree misdemeanor if enhanced by the "hate crime" statute.

This statute also says that it is "an essential element of this section that the record reflect that the defendant perceived, knew, or had reasonable grounds to know or perceive that the victim was within the class delineated in this section."

First attack: Swastika-covered brick hurled through window of Pensacola's Chabad Jewish Center

What are some other religious-motivated hate crimes in Florida?

Hate crimes in Pensacola and Escambia County as a whole seem to be rare, as the Office of the State Attorney says they haven't had any hate crime cases in recent memory.

However, there have been various hate crimes around Florida in recent years, especially religious-motivated crimes.

In 2021, 24-year-old Florida man Steven Shields was charged with setting fire to the Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Ocala, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

His indictment alleges his actions were due to the church's religious character and he was charged under the Church Arson Prevention Act. His federal case is still pending.

In 2022, 25-year-old Kaleb Cole, who is a leader of neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division, was convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison of one count of interfering with a federally protected activity because of religion, three counts of mailing threatening communications and one count of conspiring with other Atomwaffen members to commit addition offenses against the United States.

According to Assistant Director Timothy Langan of the FBI's Counterterrorism Division, Cole "sought to intimidate journalists and advocates working to expose antisemitism."

In 2018, 26-year-old Miami man Dustin Hughes was sentenced to four years in prison and three years of supervised release for obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs by threatening to detonate a bomb at Ul Muttaqeen Mosque of Pembroke Pines.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola teens tried as adults in antisemitic graffiti cases
When Zahra thinks back to her life before the summer of 2021, it seems like another reality.

As a student in Afghanistan, she had lots of friends.

We were happy together, she recalled. We were studying, sometimes we were gathering together  we were riding bikes.

Zahra, 20, doesnt ride bikes anymore. Or go to school, or walk outside without covering her face, or see friends who have fled the country. All she can do, she says, is sit at home and worry about a future that has unraveled before her eyes.

When I stand in front of the mirror, when I look at myself, I just see a different Zahra from two years ago, she said. I feel sad for my past.

Tuesday marks the two-year anniversary of Kabul falling to the Taliban, which seized control of Afghanistan amid the United States chaotic, controversial withdrawal from the country after nearly 20 years of fighting.

The Taliban, which is not recognized by most countries around the world, has declared Tuesday a national holiday. The day is full of honor and pride for Afghans, Taliban deputy spokesperson Bilal Karimi told CNN.

Afghanistan was freed from occupation, Afghans were able to regain their country, freedom, government and will. The only way to solve the problem is understanding and dialogue, pressure and force are not logical, he added.

Zahra, a 20-year-old woman in Kabul, Afghanistan. - CNN

But celebrating is the last thing many Afghan women like Zahra  who CNN is identifying by her first name only for safety reasons  want to do, as life under Taliban rule becomes increasingly repressive and brutal.

And, activists warn, things may only get worse as the world looks away, fatigued with Afghanistans decades-long wars and too preoccupied with their own domestic issues. All the while, dwindling foreign aid means millions of Afghans are battling drought, hunger, and illness in a crisis that United Nations human rights experts said this week is growing worse.

There is no such thing as womens freedom anymore, said Mahbouba Seraj, an Afghan womens rights activist and 2023 Nobel Peace Prize nominee.

The women in Afghanistan are being slowly erased from society, from life, from everything  their opinions, their voices, what they think, where they are.

Erased from public sphere

When the Taliban, a radical Islamist group that had previously ruled Afghanistan in the 1990s, took power in 2021, it initially presented itself as a more moderate version of its former self, even promising that women would be allowed to continue their education up to university.

But it has since cracked down instead, closing secondary schools for girls; banning women from attending university and working at NGOs, including the United Nations; restricting their travel without a male chaperone; and banning them from public spaces such as parks and gyms.

Women can no longer work in most sectors  and were dealt yet another blow last month when the Taliban closed all beauty salons across the country. The industry had employed roughly 60,000 women, many of them the sole breadwinners for their household, spelling more trouble for families already struggling to get by.

For young women like Zahra, the abrupt upending of daily life feels particularly devastating as they come of age and develop dreams for their future. She enjoys art, and had wanted to be a designer or to start her own business  none of which feels possible in Afghanistan anymore.

Zahra spends her time reading books and painting at home in Kabul, Afghanistan. - CNN

Im 20 years old, and it is time for me to study, to get educated, she said. But Im not allowed. Im just in my house. Im just worrying about my future, my sisters, and Im worrying about the future of all women of Afghanistan.

Unable to go outside much, she tries to occupy her time at home by painting, reading books, and taking whatever online classes are available. But it feels stifling, like being in prison, she says.

I cannot concentrate because I see the situation, my sister is sitting at home, all the girls are sitting in their house. They cannot do anything.

It also has taken a severe mental health toll, with widespread reports of depression and suicide, especially among teenage girls whove been prevented from pursuing an education, according to a UN report last month, compiled after a week-long visit to Afghanistan.

Almost 8% of people surveyed knew a girl or woman who had attempted suicide, the report said. Restrictions and economic hardship have also resulted in a rise in domestic violence and the forced marriage of girls, it said.

The Taliban has repeatedly claimed that women are allowed to work in certain sectors as long as it follows Islamic values.

Zabiullah Mujahid, another Taliban spokesperson, acknowledged there was still a problem regarding the girls education, claiming the group wanted to pave the ground for Islamic rules and regulations and establish a safe environment for their education.

He also claimed women are actively working in health, education, police departments, passport offices, airports and so on.

But nonprofit organizations and experts say that is far from the truth, and the gaping hole is particularly evident in the health care sector.

Under the Talibans rules, women can only receive health care from other women  but the ban on womens higher education means all female medical students havent been able to finish their studies and graduate, creating a shortage of much-needed female doctors, midwives and nurses.

(The Taliban) seem perfectly comfortable with the idea that women and girls are almost certainly already dying because of a lack of health care professionals, because of their policies, warned Heather Barr, association director of the womens rights division at Human Rights Watch.

Screaming for the worlds attention

The international community has widely condemned the Talibans treatment of girls and women, with the UNs human rights body urging the group this week to introduce reforms and respect womens freedoms.

But these messages have done little to force change, and global attention has largely faded  leaving many Afghans feeling angry and abandoned by the world.

The young people of Afghanistan are screaming their lungs out, trying to bring the worlds attention to themselves and to the situation of the war, of the woman in Afghanistan, said Seraj, the womens rights activist.

Zahra said she wondered why other countries seemed content to look away. They are comfortable  their children, their daughters, their sisters are going to school, she said. But  there are girls and women in this corner of the world, they are just ignored by the world, and they cannot do anything.

Mahbouba Seraj, an Afghan women's rights activist and 2023 Nobel Peace Prize nominee. - CNN

After the Taliban takeover, the US and its allies froze about $7 billion of the countrys foreign reserves and cut off international funding. The move crippled an economy already heavily dependent on aid, with millions of Afghans out of work, government employees going without pay, and the price of food and medicine skyrocketing.

Last year, the US set up an economic assistance fund of $3.5 billion with the frozen assets  but officials said they wont release the money imminently to an institution in Afghanistan, instead going through an outside body, independent of the Taliban and the countrys central bank.

Humanitarian aid has dried up even more in recent months after the Talibans ban on women working at NGOs. Numerous organizations, including the UN, had to suspend critical programs or operations in the country.

All the while, activists fear the Taliban may be gradually normalized on the world stage  even if it isnt widely recognized as a legitimate government and does not control Afghanistans UN seat.

Theyre posing in photographs with smiling diplomats, theyre getting on private jets to fly off to important high-level meetings where people roll out red carpets for them, said Barr. Theyre being permitted to take control of embassies in a growing number of countries. So I think from their perspective, its going pretty well.

The dire situation means more than 1.6 million Afghans have fled the country since 2021, according to the UN. Even those refugees face a future of uncertainty, many still waiting to be admitted to the US and other Western nations, while some have been waiting so long they were forcibly deported back to Afghanistan and had to go into hiding.

The only reason why Im in Afghanistan and Im staying here is to be next to my sisters and try to help them, said Seraj, the womens rights activists. I have not lost all hope. But with every step of the way and with every decision, Im seeing it becoming more and more difficult.

And for young Afghans hoping to preserve whats left of their future, fleeing seems the only option left.

Of course, everybody loves to be in your own country, because this is our hometown. But I think there is no choice to stay here, said Zahra. I have to decide about my future. So the best way is leaving the country.

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Evacuation warnings have been issued to more than 237,000 people across 11 prefectures in Japan as Typhoon Lan hit the west of the country on Tuesday, according to Japans Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

The typhoon made landfall near Shionomisaki in Japans Wakayama prefecture around 5 a.m. local time Tuesday morning with winds nearing 160 kilometers per hour (100 mph), equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane.

At least 26 people have been injured in five prefectures across western Japan, according to Japans public broadcaster NHK, citing police and fire officials.

In two towns in Tottori and Okayama prefectures, rainfall over a few hours on Tuesday exceeded the average for the entire month of August. Tottori city recorded 483 millimeters (19 inches) of rainfall and Kagamino town in Okayama recorded 461.5 millimeters (18 inches), according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

A swollen river as Typhoon Lan makes landfall in Shingu City, Wakayama Prefecture on Tuesday. - Takumi Harada/The Yomiuri Shimbun/AP

People buffeted by rain in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture on Tuesday. - Koji Ito/The Yomiuri Shimbun/AP

The powerful storm has caused power outages to tens of thousands of homes, NHK added.

All commercial flights out of Kansai, Chubu and Nagoya airports are currently suspended for the day, with more than 950 canceled nationwide, a spokesperson from Japans Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Tourism told CNN.

The spokesperson said that all Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airlines (ANA) flights have been suspended.

Typhoon Lan follows Typhoon Khanun, which lashed southwestern Japan with wind and rain earlier this month.

Like many other Asian countries, Japan has been grappling with deadly extreme weather this summer. In July, heavy rainfall in the southwest of the country led to flooding and mudslides which left at least six people dead. The same month, Japan experienced intense heat waves, with temperatures above 39 degrees Celsius (102 Fahrenheit) in some places.

Scientists are clear that human-caused global warming will increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen leader, is trying to prove his loyalty to Russian President Vladimir Putin by actively promoting the activities of his units in the war against Ukraine.

Source: the UK MoD Intelligence review dated 15 August on Twitter, as European Pravda reports

Details: The intelligence service recalled that on 10 August, Kadyrov praised the efforts of the Vostok battalion, formed of Chechens, in a heavy battle in the Orikhiv area in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Officially, Vostok is subordinated to the 42nd Motorised Rifle Division of the Southern Military District, which is active in the area of the village of Robotyne in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

The Chechen troops make up a relatively small but noticeable component of Russian forces in Ukraine, the ministry said.

Quote: "Kadyrov likely heavily promotes his units roles partially to burnish his credentials as a Putin loyalist."

Background:

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Two Royal Air Force Typhoon jets were scrambled from a base in northeast Scotland (PHIL NOBLE)

UK jets were scrambled Monday morning to respond to two Russian bombers flying north of the Shetland Islands in Scotland, Britain's defence ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said the jets monitored two Russian Tu-142 long-range maritime patrol bombers as they transited near the Shetland Islands in the North Sea "within NATO's northern air policing area".

The Royal Air Force Typhoon jets were dispatched from RAF Lossiemouth, a military airfield in Moray, northeastern Scotland.

They were joined by a Voyager tanker which remained airborne for the duration of the mission to offer air-to-air refuelling if needed.

"RAF crews at Lossiemouth maintain a constant watch over UK airspace and are always ready to take action at a moment's notice to keep our country safe," Armed Forces Minister James Heappey said in the statement.

"Pilots launched in their Typhoon jets to intercept two Russian long-range bombers this morning, monitoring them as they passed north of the Shetland Islands, ready to counter any potential threat to UK territory," he added.

The Typhoons have since returned to their base, according to the ministry.

Incidents involving Russian and Western aircraft have multiplied over the recent months against the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

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NATO added that Ukraine should decide when and on what terms it wants to negotiate.

Ukraine could conceivably become a NATO member in exchange for ceding parts of its sovereign territory to Russia, NATO Chief-of-Staff Stian Jenssen said on Aug. 15, as reported by Norwegian outlet Verdens Gang.

Read also: Czech Minister of European Integration optimistic about Ukraines EU membership prospects

"I think that a solution could be for Ukraine to give up territory, and get NATO membership in return," said Jenssen.

He emphasized, however, that Ukraine alone should decide when and under what conditions it wants to negotiate. He noted significant changes regarding Ukraine's potential future NATO membership. According to him, allies are interested in preventing a repeat of the current war.

"Russia is facing tremendous military difficulties, and it seems unrealistic that they can capture new territories," he added, suggesting that Ukraine might be able to reclaim more of its territory from Russian occupation.

"I'm not saying it should happen this way. But it could be a possible solution."

Read also: Some NATO states strongly resisted membership for Ukraine before summit - ex US amabassador

The comments provoked a rebuke from the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, calling this kind of territory for membership compromises unacceptable.

We have always presumed that neither the alliance, nor Ukraine would trade territories, said ministerial spokesman Oleg Nikolenko.

Read also: Polands Foreign Ministry formerly protests violation of airspace by Belarus, NATO also reacts

The conscious or unconscious participation of NATO officials in forming the narrative about the possibility of Ukraine renouncing its territories plays into Russia's hands. In the interest of Euro-Atlantic security, we should discuss ways of accelerating Ukraines victory and attaining its full membership in NATO.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Ukrainian forces are shifting reserves near Kupyansk, Kharkiv Oblast, to prevent further advance of Russian troops in the area, Ukraines Operational Command East spokesman Serhiy Cherevaty told Ukrainian TV broadcasters on Aug. 15.

According to him, clear and direct orders have been given to the Ukrainian forces to establish a layered defense around Kupyansk.

Read also: Russia continues attack on Kupyansk, city council building bombed

"We have strengthened our fire positions, provided certain methodological recommendations [to commanders on the ground], and shifted reserves, thus preventing the enemy's movement," said Cherevaty.

Read also: Russia attempts breakthrough on Kupyansk front, defense holds strong, says Syrskyi

On Aug. 10, Cherevaty reported that Russian occupiers are using "meat grinder" assaults against the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the Kupyansk front.

Read also: Mandatory evacuation of kids announced in Kupyansk area, says Kharkiv governor

On the same day, National Guard representative Ruslan Muzychuk stated that the Kupyansk direction remains the epicenter of military action, where the enemy continues to accumulate considerable forces.

Due to the intense fighting, mandatory evacuation of civilians has been ordered in the Kupyansk region.

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Ukraine's fight may drag on until next year, some officials say.

Given the slow pace of Ukraines ongoing counteroffensive, some Western military strategists and policymakers are beginning consider a spring offensive in 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The shift reflects a deepening appreciation that, barring a major breakthrough, Ukraines fight to eject Russias invasion forces is likely to take a long time, the Journal reported.

Ukraine has been making incremental gains, especially in towns along the Mokri Yaly River in Donetsk Oblast.

"In the direction of Urozhayne, further south and southeast of Staromayorske of the Donetsk region, [Ukrainian troops] were successful, they are taking hold of the achieved boundaries," Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on her Telegram channel Monday.

The Ukraine Defense Ministry said its forces have made progress in the advance toward Urozhayne in Donetsk Oblast. (Google Earth image)

That advance is less than a mile from Staromayorsk, which was liberated about nearly three weeks ago.

The advances have come at a tremendous cost in personnel and equipment and any hopes from the White House that Ukraine will soon regain the territory Russia still holds in the Donbas, Zaporizhzhia and all of Crimea may be waning.

I do think theres a realization in the administration that Ukraines not going to be regaining all its territory any time soon, Ivo Daalder, President Barack Obamas former ambassador to NATO, told the publication.

Kyivs goal now is for its current offensive to culminate with sufficient gains to show Ukrainian citizens and backers in Washington, Berlin and elsewhere that their support hasnt been misplacedand should continue, the Journal reported. U.S. and other Western officials have hoped that a significant Ukrainian breakthrough could bruise Russian forces enough to bring President Vladimir Putin to a negotiating table as soon as this winter for serious talks about some kind of settlement. Chances of that happening now appear slim, diplomats say.

Ukrainian soldiers fire with D-30 artillery at Russian positions in the direction of Klishchiivka as the Russia-Ukraine war continues in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on August 13, 2023. (Photo by Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The Biden administration continues to insist that it will back Ukraine for the long haul.

"We will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes," Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon's top spokesman, told reporters Aug. 10.

However, with the U.S. presidential election slated for November, 2024, there are increasing concerns about just how long support for Ukraine will last. Donald Trump, who has suggested he plans to curtail aid to Ukraine, is the Republican front-runner.

Still, many in the GOP still back aid for Ukraine, the Journal noted.

"In votes last month on defense appropriations, five amendments proposed by House Republicans close to Trump that would have cut aid to Ukraine were defeated by wide margins after more than 130 Republicans voted alongside all Democrats in rejecting them."

I think that bodes extremely well for support, said Daalder, the former NATO ambassador.

What this support looks like come next spring remains to be seen. We will continue to closely watch this situation and provide updates when warranted.

Before we head into the latest news from Ukraine, The War Zone readers can catch up on our previous rolling coverage of the war here.

The Latest

Fighting appears to still be going on in
Key developments on Aug. 15:

Russian mass missile attack kills 3, injures 27

Russian missiles fired at Ukraine have 30 foreign-made components, says Yermak

Russian forces attempt cross-border raid in Chernihiv Oblast

Zelensky visits troops southeast

Military reports Russian forces decrease frequency of attacks in east



Russia launched another mass missile attack on Ukraine overnight on Aug. 15, killing three people, injuring 27, and damaging civilian facilities in eight Ukrainian regions, according to the authorities.

The attack damaged civilian facilities in eight Ukrainian regions, including residential buildings, educational institutions, and a hospital, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.

Western Ukrainian cities were the main target of the attack, as two cruise missiles struck an industrial site in Lutsk, 85 kilometers east of the border with Poland, killing three people, according to Volyn Oblast Governor Yurii Pohuliaiko.

Later that day, the Swedish ball bearing maker SKF confirmed its factory in Lutsk was damaged in the missile strike. All three killed people were its workers.

Some 150 kilometers southeast, in Lviv, a missile hit the backyard of a kindergarten, damaging around 100 buildings, including a medical college and industrial facilities, according to the regional governor Maksym Kozytskyi.

The authorities said that 15 people were injured in the Russian attacks on the region.

Kozytskyi later said that over 120 residential buildings and houses were damaged in Lviv Oblast.

In the town of Smila in central Cherkasy Oblast, Russian missiles struck an enterprise and a medical facility, according to Governor Ihor Taburets.

Russian forces fired 28 air and sea-based cruise missiles, including 20 Kh-101/Kh-555 missiles, four Kh-22, and four Kalibr missiles, the Air Force reported on Aug. 15.

Air Defense downed 16 Kh-101/Kh-555 and Kalibr missiles, according to the report.

Russian troops also launched eight repurposed air-defense S-300/S-400 missiles against Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts in the east and south, according to the air force.

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In the city of Dnipro, Russia struck an industrial enterprise, causing a fire covering over 800 square meters, the regional governor Serhii Lysak reported.

Air defense was also working in Kyiv, Khmelnytskyi, and Ivano-Frankivsk oblasts, according to the regional governors.

The air raid alert was activated nationwide at around 4 a.m. local time.

The Kh-101 cruise missiles Russian forces used against Ukraine on Aug. 15 contain about 30 foreign-made components, Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak reported following the attack.

He also said the missiles were manufactured by Russia in April this year.

Its not the first foreign electronics found in Russian missiles and loitering munitions used to attack Ukraine. Russia is evading sanctions on importing dual-use electronics and goods, but importing them through Moscow-affiliated entities in third countries.

Read also: Kyivs frustration boils as flow of Western chips for Russian missiles continues uninterrupted

Russian forces reportedly attempt cross-border raid in north

The Joint Forces Commander Serhii Naiev reported on Aug. 15 that two armed Russian sabotage groups numbering a total of 12 soldiers were prevented from attempting a cross-border raid in northern Chernihiv Oblast.

Ukrainian troops immediately shelled the Russian saboteurs, forcing them to retreat. The Russians suffered losses in wounded and killed. Naiev hasnt specified the numbers.

Chernihiv Oblast is located on Ukraines northern border with Russia and Belarus. It was partially occupied during the initial phase of the Russian full-scale invasion in late February 2022. The region was liberated in early April 2022 after the Russian forces failed during the Battle of Kyiv.

Since then, Russian forces have regularly shelled the region from across the border.

Read also: Howard, Jensen: How Russias military bloggers shape the course of Putins war

Zelensky visits troops conducting counteroffensive southeast

President Volodymyr Zelensky visited troops of combat units deployed in the Melitopol direction in Zaporizhzhia Oblast on Aug. 15, according to the presidential office.

"Our warriors are able to provide true freedom for Ukraine. Thank you for your steadfastness and every meter of advance," Zelensky said.

Zelensky also met with Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, the commander of the Tavria operational group, as well the 3rd and 15th operational brigades, the 46th Separate Airmobile Brigade, and the 47th, 65th, 116th, 117th, and the 118th separate mechanized brigades, as well as frontline surgical unit, according to the report.

The visit on the southern front line followed the trip to units deployed in eastern Donetsk Oblast the day before.

Zelensky said that he listened to the reports on the operational situation in both areas the brigades operate.

Meanwhile, Russian attacks along the eastern front line have decreased as Russia seeks to regroup and reinforce its forces suffered combat losses, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar told national television on Aug. 15.

She also said that it doesnt indicate Russia gave up on its plans, she added.

The decrease is also related to the Ukrainian attacks on when the Russian troops became more active in the Kupiansk and Lyman axis," said Maliar.

On Aug. 10, local authorities launched a mandatory civilian evacuation from the Kupiansk district in Kharkiv Oblast, where Russian forces are reportedly trying to recapture the territories lost during the Ukrainian counteroffensive last September.

The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Aug. 15 more gains in the area of Urozhaine in the Bakhmut area, Donetsk Oblast, as the Ukrainian counteroffensive is underway.

Ukraine's military added that it keeps holding back Russian offensive operations in the Lyman, Bakhmut, and Kupiansk directions.

The Bakhmut area is one of the three directions where Ukrainian forces conduct its summer counteroffensive, launched in early June.

Over the past week, Ukrainian forces have liberated three square kilometers near Bakhmut, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar reported on Aug. 14.

Read also: Ukrainian troops regularly cross Dnipro River, probing Russian defenses in Kherson Oblast

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A Russian tank seized inside of the woodland is examined by Ukrainian soldiers in Irpin, Ukraine in April 2022. Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Ukrainian mechanics are working on the front lines to fix and convert captured vehicles rapidly.

One mechanic told The New York Times that Russian vehicles had been vital in the counteroffensive.

"Without the Russian captured vehicles, we would not manage to keep going," he told the Times.

Ukraine's counteroffensive would fall apart without all the Russian vehicles it has captured, a frontline mechanic told The New York Times in a report published Tuesday.

The mechanic  who uses the call sign "Hammer"  told The Times that troops fighting on the front lines of southern Ukraine had been making use of captured weapons and armor out of necessity to survive.

"Without the Russian captured vehicles, we would not manage to keep going," he told The Times.

Hammer is the head of weapons and maintenance for the 35th Marine Brigade. He said the brigade captured more than 20 Russian vehicles in the past six weeks of Ukraine's counteroffensive.

Among the items recovered were Russia's prized T-72 tanks and eight multi-purpose fighting vehicles, which the brigade had never had before, Hammer said.

"A few days and the vehicle is back on the battlefield," he said. "In this way, they become indestructible."

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than 17 months ago, Kyiv has recovered more than 800 artillery systems and 300 tanks and put them back to use on the battlefield, Deutsche Welle reported last week.

"Russia is competing with Western countries to supply weapons to Ukraine," Col. Oleksandr Saruba, who works for a Ukrainian military center that receives and analyzes captured weaponry, told the outlet.

However, the military analyst Michael Kofman said in March that despite the constant work of Ukrainian repair shops, some captured vehicles were designed only for Russian forces, which meant Ukraine might get limited use out of them.

Ukrainians "don't have the parts that keep a lot of these running," Kofman said at a Carnegie Endowment event at the time.

"So, on paper, you may capture a lot of vehicles, but you don't have the engines, you don't have the transmissions, you don't have the parts to keep them going," he added.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Local farmer touches wheat grains inside a storage of his farm that was damaged last year by Russian military strike in the village of Velykomykhailivka

Ukraine's frontline farmers face Russian rockets and rock-bottom prices Local farmer touches wheat grains inside a storage of his farm that was damaged last year by Russian military strike in the village of Velykomykhailivka

By Vladyslav Smilianets

VELYKOMYKHAILIVKA, Ukraine (Reuters) - Less than 30 km (19 miles) from Ukraine's southeastern front line, rural farmers whose businesses have survived Russian rockets now fear another hammer blow to their livelihoods: rock-bottom prices for their harvest.

Mykola, a 63-year-old farmer in Dnipropetrovsk region, told Reuters on Tuesday he had to keep his crops in a missile-damaged storage site because he could not afford to spend money fixing it in case it was wrecked again by another rocket.

And yet, he is not rushing to sell.

"The price (for crops) is not acceptable for the farmers. We will store them and see what is going to happen. To restore the storage one has to have funds. With the current price for our grain it is not realistic to restore it."

The price which Ukrainian farmers receive from traders for their produce plunged to painful lows in July, when Moscow abandoned a UN-brokered deal that allowed agricultural exports from Ukraine to be safely shipped via the Black Sea.

With that route now closed, farmers all over Ukraine, one of the world's largest growers of wheat and sunflowers, face a losing battle to get their produce out through land and river, routes that can only take a fraction of normal export volumes.

The farmers of Velykomykhailivka must juggle their worries about collapsing prices and export difficulties with the prospect of more Russian missiles crashing into their farms.

"It took more than 20 years to build this. It was destroyed in one day," 60-year-old Valeriy Krut said mournfully of his business, where a missile attack last year destroyed 200 tons of grain and 14 vehicles.

"This is the question: throw it all away or to maybe try to hold on? We won't have any profit this year with such storages and crop prices."

(Reporting by Vladyslav Smilianets; Writing by Max Hunder; Editing by Tom Balmforth and Conor Humphries)
Oleksii Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, has called the statement of one of NATO's top officials, who spoke about the possibility of Ukraine's membership in the Alliance in exchange for giving up the territories occupied by Russia, "a strange throw-in".

Source: Radio Liberty, citing Danilov on air of the 24/7 newscast

Quote: "No country since the Second World War has undergone such tests. Of course, you can give [us a piece of] advice; today, another activist made a statement about our lands. Quite weird, in my opinion. We must do our part, drive the enemy out of our territory. (I mean) the statement of one of NATO's clerks, who said that we should consider the issue of ceding our territories in exchange for membership in NATO. Such a strange throw-in. It is absolutely unclear why this was done."

Background:

Earlier, several media spread a statement by Stian Jenssen, Director of the Private Office of NATOs Secretary General, who admitted that Ukraine could become a member of NATO in case of territorial concessions in favour of the Russian Federation. Jenssen said that discussions about the future status of Ukraine in the context of the Alliance after the war are already ongoing; among other things, they include options with Kyiv's renunciation of part of the territory.

At the NATO summit in July, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Ukraine would receive an invitation to join the Alliance when "all allies agree and conditions are met." He clarified that the conditions include two dimensions, the modernisation of Ukraine's defence institutions and the ongoing war in the country.

Later, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated at a press conference that Ukraine would never trade any status for territory. Zelenskyy said this position was "clearly known by the partners" of Ukraine.

Last September, Ukraine applied to join NATO under the fast-trackprocedure.

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Russia is spreading disinformation that destroyed residential buildings and fires that occur after its airstrikes are caused by Ukrainian air defenses, Russia-Ukraine war veteran Major Oleksiy Hetman (ret.) told Radio NV on Aug. 15.

Describing the narrative as a Russian psyop (psychological operation), he explained how anti-aircraft systems work and why missile fragments cannot cause damage.

It was already in our media, he said.

Some people speculated that these could be fragments of our (own) anti-aircraft missiles. This is not true. If these are fragments, they are of enemy missiles.

Read also: Russia targets kindergartens, medical facilities, and sports centers in latest mass missile attack

Anti-aircraft missile complexes are built in such a way that an anti-aircraft missile cannot affect civilians, and in general, it cannot cause damage on the ground, Hetman stressed.

If, for example, it did not hit an enemy missile, or an airplane, or a helicopter, it has a self-destruction system, the officer said.

For example, the S-300 complex, which we often employ, how does it work? The radar station detects the target (an enemy missile), accompanies it, and transmits the command to the launcher. The missile is activated then. It is directed in different ways  either by a radar signal from the radar locator or on its own  by a small radar station in the rocket. Then it flies to intercept the enemy target.

Read also: Three killed in devasting Russian missile attack on Lutsk

When attacking enemy targets with anti-aircraft missiles, two or even three missiles are usually launched to increase the probability of impact as one missile may miss the target. That is why two or three missiles are launched for a guaranteed hit, Hetman emphasized.

If an anti-aircraft missile misses the target (this happens because the enemy missile can maneuver or have some protection), its self-destruction system is activated, he said.

What does this mean? This means that the missile immediately turns vertically and flies up to the maximum height it can reach, as long as it has enough fuel. Its usually more than 10 (kilometers), and up to 20 kilometers in the S-300 system. At an altitude of about 20 kilometers, this missile self-destructs with a powerful explosion that blows it into small pieces.

Read also: Lviv reels after another Russian missile attack  photos

Theoretically, the fragments can shatter a window, but they definitely cant cause large-scale destruction.

This is how the anti-aircraft missile complex is built, this is how it works. It is impossible to modify it, Hetman pointed out.

When the Russians say thats from air defense, that an anti-aircraft missile fell, its complete nonsense. It doesnt work like that. People who know a little about it understand how anti-aircraft missiles work, how they are built, and they will say this cannot happen. This is a Russian psyop, this is Russian propaganda to sow distrust in our air defense forces.

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As of the morning of 15 August, Russia's losses in the war of aggression against Ukraine have reached 254,920 soldiers, 314 helicopters, 5,128 artillery systems and 4,313 tanks.

Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook

Details: The total combat losses of the Russian forces from 24 February 2022 to 15 August 2023 are estimated to be as follows [figures in parentheses represent the latest losses  ed.]:

approximately 254,920 (+540) military personnel

4,313 (+7) tanks

8,370 (+16) armoured combat vehicles

5,128 (+29) artillery systems

714 (+0) multiple-launch rocket systems

482 (+3) air defence systems

315 (+0) fixed-wing aircraft

314 (+1) helicopters

4,242 (+29) tactical UAVs

1,387 (+8) cruise missiles

18 (+0) ships/boats

7,584 (+22) vehicles and tankers

769 (+3) special vehicles and other equipment

The information is being confirmed.

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Andrii Kovalov, the spokesman for the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has reported that Ukrainian defenders have gained success in the area of Urozhaine and are consolidating their positions on the ground.

Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; Kovalov at a briefing; Military Media Center

Quote: "[Ukrainian forces] have had success in the area of Urozhaine and are consolidating their positions on previously gained ground."

Details: Kovalov says that Ukrainian troops are advancing in the area of Urozhaine on the southern front, inflicting artillery damage on identified Russian targets, and carrying out counter-battery countermeasures.

Russian forces carried out unsuccessful offensive actions in the areas of Marinka and Krasnohorivka. The Russians are putting up strong resistance, moving units and troops, and applying reserves.

Defence Forces are continuing their offensive, in particular on the Melitopol and Berdiansk fronts.

At the same time, Ukrainian troops continue to hold back the Russian offensive on the Kupiansk and Lyman fronts.

Kovalov reported that heavy fighting continues. In total, 15 combat clashes occurred during the day.

The Defence Forces are conducting offensive operations south of the city of Bakhmut on the Bakhmut front.

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 Armed Forces are making gains near the village of Urozhayne, Donetsk Oblast, and are advancing south of the war-torn town of Bakhmut, said General Staff spokesperson, Andriy Kovalyov, on Aug. 15.

Read also: Ukraines southern advance slowed by enemy mining, fortified high positions

Ukraines Armed Forces have achieved success near Urozhayne and are gaining a foothold there, Kovalyov said.

Urozhayne is a village located in Volnovakha district of Donetsk Oblast. Several days ago, Russian 'military correspondents' declared that the Russian army had retreated from the village. This was also recorded on the DeepState map.

DeepState

Ukrainian troops have made significant progress in the counteroffensive operation near Urozhayne, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said on Aug. 14.

They are also advancing in the Melitopol and Berdyansk areas while holding back the Russian invaders in the Kupyansk and Lyman areas, she said.

Heavy fighting continues in the last two areas, with 15 clashes taking place over the past 24 hours. Kovalyov said.

Read also: Ukrainian military makes strategic gains in southeast, Bakhmut, says spokesman

DeepState

The Ukrainian military has liberated over 192 square kilometers in southern Ukraine and 40 square kilometers in the eastern Bakhmut area since the beginning of the counteroffensive.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 14)  Some parents have sided with Makati in the Makati-Taguig border issue, saying the jurisdiction of public schools should be under the city instead of Taguig, citing the school benefits that their children receive.

Parents worry that their children may not receive the same benefits such as free school uniforms, school supplies, bags, and socks, from the local government of Taguig.

"Malungkot kami kasi alam namin 'yung benefits dito since before pa. Tingin lang namin na hindi niya (Taguig) kaya i-provide 'yung napo-provide ni Makati," parent Annaliza Bermejo told CNN Philippines.

[Translation: We're sad because we know the benefits here and we don't think Tagiug will be able to match what Makati is providing.]

"Actually, hindi po [pabor] sa akin kasi syempre sayang din 'yung mga benefits ng Makati," said another parent, Ana Ria Diopenes. "Kung ano po 'yung nae-enjoy ng mga bata na benefits na makukuha sa Makati, 'yun pa rin sana."

[Translation: It's not favorable to me because we know the benefits we get from Makati. I hope the kids will still enjoy the benefits they are getting from Makati.]

The Supreme Court earlier ruled that the jurisdiction over some barangays of Makati, including 14 public schools, will be transferred to Taguig.

The Makati City government, however, claimed that the city owns the properties and put up tarpaulins in the schools with the message, "This property is owned by Makati City."

School teachers have mixed views on the school jurisdiction dispute.

"Confusing po kasi 'di po namin alam kung saan po talaga kami, Taguig or Makati?" West Rembo Elementary School teacher Melanie Tumaneng said.

[Translation: It's confusing because we don't know if we are under Taguig or Makati.]

While the school's principal said that preparations for the class opening on August 29 are going smoothly, she hoped that the conflict between Taguig and Makati will be resolved.

"Kung patuloy na magkakaroon ng dispute ang two local governments, ang maiipit dito ay ang mga learners namin, ang mga parents, and also the teachers kasi kung sa ano, magkakaroon sila ng isipin sa kung sino na nga ba ang magte-take over," West Rembo Elementary School principal Alma Cayabyab-Adona said.

[Translation: Learners, parents, and teachers will suffer if the dispute continues because they will wonder who will really take over.]

Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano noted that some residents may be uncomfortable with the transition, but she promised to work hard to deliver the best to her constituents.

"Sisikapin ng aming konseho, ng aming mga leaders, para kung ano man 'yung mga nakasanayan nila na marahil ay wala pa du'n sa ino-offer namin ay sa lalong madaling panahon ay maabot namin at ma-implement natin sa ating mga constituents," the mayor said.

[Translation: The council and our leaders will exert all effort to make sure that they get the benefits they're used to, even if these are not yet being offered now.]

Meanwhile, the city government of Makati bared that the local government of Taguig refused to accept the former's offer of free school supplies to the 14 schools.

Alang-alang sa kapakanan ng mga kabataan at mga mamamayan ng sampung apektadong barangay, hayaan nyo na kaming magbigay ng libreng gamit at supplies ng mga estudyante. Sila po sana ang unahin natin, Makati City Administrator Claro Certeza said in a statement.

[Translation: For the sake of the youth and residents of the ten affected barangays, allow us to give them free goods and supplies for students. Let us put them first.]

The Taguig City government has yet to respond on this matter.
A man in Odesa, Ukraine in this July 2022 image used for illustration purposes only. David Goldman/AP Photo

Ukraine is facing increasing difficulties with military recruitment, with some avoiding the draft.

One man paid $5,000 for a spine diagnosis, allowing him to leave the country, The Guardian reported.

It comes amid a crackdown aimed at corrupt officials who Zelenskyy says are aiding draft dodgers.

A Ukrainian citizen eligible for the draft slipped out of the country after paying $5,000 for a medical diagnosis exempting him from serving in the military, according to a new report that highlights the country's increasing recruitment difficulties.

The man, identified only as a 39-year-old from Odesa in the south of Ukraine, told The Guardian that in April he paid a fixer to arrange for a nearby hospital to diagnose him as having a severe spinal injury.

"Everyone knows where to find them," the man told the newspaper.

"They sent me to a hospital to do a spinal MRI," he continued. "The hospital gave me a medical report claiming I had a major spinal defect, and with that I could get papers allowing me to leave the country."

"I had the feeling that, at every stage of the way, people knew what was happening and were getting a cut," he added.

Two weeks later, the man had left and is now living elsewhere in Europe, the paper reported.

The report comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy heads up an anti-corruption purge in his country, firing all regional military committee heads and accusing them of taking bribes and helping eligible citizens to flee the country.

"This system should be run by people who know exactly what war is and why cynicism and bribery during war is high treason," he said, per the BBC's translation.

Ukraine amended its conscription laws in January 2023 in an effort to close recruitment loopholes, as the Kyiv Post reported. At present, most physically fit men aged 18-60 are eligible, with some exemptions for disability and critical jobs, per the outlet.

But a year and a half into Russia's grueling invasion, the ongoing crackdown illustrates a pressing recruitment problem for Ukraine.

Some young men have spent thousands of dollars to flee the country, or hide from authorities to avoid being drafted, The Wall Street Journal reported in March.

Thousands of people who volunteered to fight at the outset of the invasion in February 2022 have been injured and killed, leaving a much more reluctant body of potential fighters in Ukraine, the report said.

Russia also faces marked public resistance to conscription measures.

President Vladimir Putin's deeply unpopular partial mobilization announced in September last year highlighted one of his few domestic political weaknesses among a population that increasingly prefers to think of the war as far away from their lives.

Nonetheless, Russia's population is more than triple Ukraine's, and Putin has turned to increasing the age of military eligibility, in what one expert told Insider is a means of bringing more people to the battlefield without another mass mobilization.

More broadly, corruption in Ukraine has long been considered one of the country's most endemic problems.

The DC-based nonprofit Freedom House ranked Ukraine as a "transitional or hybrid regime" in a 2023 profile, adding that corruption has continued into wartime and is rising as an urgent issue in public opinion surveys.

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FILE PHOTO: A company sign is displayed outside an ITV studio in London

(Reuters) - ITV on Tuesday said it had agreed to invest in pain relief brand Flarin Holdings Ltd, making it the British broadcaster's first consumer healthcare investment.

The company has agreed to subscribe for 2 million pounds ($2.55 million) worth of shares in Flarin, with an option to subscribe for two more tranches of 1.5 million pounds each.

In return, Flarin would get advertising space across ITV's channels and ITVX.

($1 = 0.7854 pounds)

(Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)
For the seventh year in a row, UMass Amherst leads the nation for the best food on campus, according to The Princeton Review, which ranks the top 25 universities and colleges in 50 different categories for 2024.

The school said with the largest collegiate dining program in the country, UMass Dining emphasizes locally sourced foods while delivering healthy, sustainable, delicious, diverse, and authentic culinary experiences to help build community through food.

Rankings of the top 25 schools in 50 categories are posted online and will be included in the companys 2024 edition of The Best Colleges. The rankings are based on surveys of 165,000 students at the schools in the guide.

Im extremely proud of our dedicated, talented, and hardworking team whose commitment to excellence has been instrumental in our continued success, said Ken Toong, executive director of Auxiliary Enterprises. Their dedication and enthusiasm inspire us to continuously raise the bar and deliver exceptional dining experiences, one meal at a time.

Info: Best Campus Food List

Heres the Top 10 for Best Campus Food:

University of Massachusetts-Amherst

Cornell University

Bowdoin College

Pitzer College

Washington University in St. Louis

Vanderbilt University

University of Dayton

Virginia Tech

Kansas State University

St. Olaf College

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United Nations  After two years of attempted talks with the Taliban aimed at lifting its bans on secondary and university education and work for women in Afghanistan, the U.N. is proposing a plan to pressure Afghanistan and incentivize the Taliban to reverse course.

Over 2.5 million girls and young women are denied secondary education, a number that will increase to 3 million in a few months.

Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the U.N.'s envoy for global education, announced a five-point plan on Tuesday that includes bringing the issue to the attention of the International Criminal Court.

Brown said that he has submitted a legal opinion to ICC prosecutor Karim Khan asking him to open an investigation into the denial of education to girls. Brown also asked the court to consider the Taliban's repression of women's rights to education and employment as a crime against humanity.

Deena Rahimi, a twelfth-grade student, reads a book at her residence in Kabul on March 21, 2023. Afghanistan's schools reopened in March, but hundreds of thousands of girls remain barred from attending class. / Credit: AHMAD SAHEL ARMAN/AFP via Getty Images

"The denial of education to Afghan girls and the restrictions on employment of Afghan women is gender discrimination, which should count as a crime against humanity and should be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court," Brown said.

The ICC's investigation into Russian President Vladimir Putin's alleged war crimes has set a precedent for cases to be brought before the court on behalf of children, Brown argued.

"The international community must show that education can get through to the people of Afghanistan in spite of the Afghan government's bans, and thus, we will sponsor and fund internet learning," Brown said, adding, "We will support underground schools, as well as support education for girls who are forced to leave Afghanistan and need our help to go to school."

The five-point plan includes the mobilization of Education Cannot Wait, a U.N. emergency education fund, which on Tuesday launched a campaign called "Afghan Girls' Voices," in collaboration with Somaya Faruqi, former captain of the Afghan Girls' Robotic Team.

Male students arrive at Balkh University after the universities were reopened in Mazar-i-Sharif on March 6, 2023. / Credit: ATIF ARYAN/AFP via Getty Images

The plan also asks for visits by delegations from Muslim-majority countries to Kandahar, and to offer the Taliban-led government funding to finance girls' return to school, which would match funding provided between 2011 and 2021 as long as girls' rights would be upheld and the education would not be indoctrination.

"We have to think about the safety of girls," Brown said, adding that there is a split among Taliban leadership about lifting the bans and that the U.N. has detected "some possibility of progress."



"But until we can persuade not just the government itself, but the clerics, that something must change, we will still have this terrible situation where this is the worst example of the abuse of human rights against girls and women around the world."

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The first debate hasn't even taken place, but the qualifying period for the second has already begun. The two frontrunners, former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, have both earned spots on stage.

But the biggest question is if that debate will be the first or second time they face off.

So far, Trump has been noncommittal about his appearance in Milwaukee later this month, creating uncertainty over the role of the debates in the current GOP primary. And he's already leading the field by a wide margin.

Four other candidates also met the requirements for the second debate laid out by the Republican National Committee, according to POLITICOs tracking: businessperson Vivek Ramaswamy, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.



Six candidates all made the stage after each hit at least 3 percent in a national survey from Morning Consult released on Tuesday morning. Trump led the field at 57 percent with DeSantis in a distant second at 16 percent. All six of those candidates had also cleared at least 3 percent in last weeks Morning Consult survey release.

The second debate will be broadcast by Fox Business from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute in Simi Valley, Calif. on Sept. 27.

The September debate has a higher bar than the first. Candidates need to hit 3 percent in a number of polls that meet the RNCs methodological standards, and have at least 50,000 donors, with 200 unique donors in 20 different states or territories. The first debate markers were 1 percent in the polls and 40,000 donors  but each of the six who qualified on Tuesday have publicly said they previously hit the second debate donor threshold.

Candidates must also pledge to promise to support the eventual nominee  but Trump said last week that he won't sign it.

And it could be something that has been a hang-up for Christie and Former Vice President Mike Pence, who have both said Trump is unfit to serve as president again. Trump himself has not taken loyalty pledges particularly seriously, signing something similar in 2016 before repeatedly refusing to say in public he would back anyone but himself as the Republican nominee.

The pledge reads, 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 nominee in order to save our country and beat Joe Biden, according to a copy of the pledge released by Haley.

Candidates have until 48 hours before the first debate to confirm their attendance, meaning the will he, wont he drama around Trump could continue.

Other candidates who qualified for the first  Pence and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum  may have a steeper climb for the second.

Pence seems like a lock, according to POLITICOs analysis. He has already hit the polling threshold, having cleared 3 percent in Morning Consults two surveys, and is within striking distance of the donors.

I think I'm actually going to qualify for the second debate before we get to the first one, Pence said on NBC News Meet the Press this weekend.

Burgum has already hit the new donor mark after his campaign gave away $20 gift cards in exchange for dollar donations. However, he will face a steeper climb to hit that new polling threshold.

The Republican National Committee did not respond to repeated questions on Monday on if a pair of recently released polls met their rules for qualifying polls: A national survey from Kaplan Strategies, a less widely-regarded firm, and a South Carolina survey from National Public Affairs, which is founded by alumni of Trumps 2020 campaign.

The RNCs debate rules have broad methodological requirements that could, seemingly, rule out pollsters with less-well-known track records. Their rules also explicitly say qualifying polls may not be conducted by a polling company affiliated with a candidate or candidate committee. Neither of these two polls, however, have a material effect on any one candidate making the stage or not.

Few other candidates are likely to make the cut. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has hit the 1 percent polling threshold for the first debate, but has estimated he is about halfway to the 40,000 donor mark.

And self-described quality guru Perry Johnson and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez have both indicated they met the donor requirement for the first debate but have struggled with the polling threshold. A super PAC supporting Suarez has claimed he has met the requirements for the first debate, but their claims do not match POLITICOs analysis.

If candidates don't make it to the first debate, it seems unlikely they'll make it to the rest.
Attorneys for the family of Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old Black man who died after being beaten by Memphis police officers, said Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn "C.J." Davis, over the 14 months after the creation of the since-disbanded SCORPION Unit, would "maintain, tolerate and deliberately ignore unconstitutional policies and customs." The condemnation came in response to the City of Memphis' motion to dismiss a $550 million lawsuit pending against them.

In the response, filed Monday, attorneys said it would not be proper to dismiss the case, citing four prongs that allege Davis and the city "explicitly instructed SCORPION to violate the constitutional rights of Memphis citizens," that Davis allowed a culture of constitutional violations to persist in the department, and that Davis "failed to provide any training or supervision" to SCORPION Unit officers.

The motion to dismiss requested the city, Davis and former MPD Lt. Dewayne Smith be removed from the case, requesting instead that the lawsuit only involve the five "rogue officers" that have been criminally charged with Nichols' death.

"This case arises from a tragic encounter between plaintiffs son, Tyre Nichols, and five rogue police officers that resulted in Nichols death," the motion to dismiss states. "Nichols life was cut short by the actions of these rogue officers, and the city in no way condones, ratifies or approves of those actions."

Attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci announce they are filing what they call a landmark $550 million lawsuit for the death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of the Memphis Police Department.RowVaughn Wells, mother, and Rodney Wells, stepfather, stand next to Mr. Romanucci. The press conference was held outside of the Shelby County Circuit Court in downtown Memphis on April 19, 2023.

The city also argued that attorneys for RowVaughn Wells, Nichols' mother, did not point to official policies that authorized the officers that beat Nichols to act unconstitutionally, saying such a policy does not exist in the department.

"Instead, plaintiff badly asserts that Chief Davis encouraged and authorized the SCORPION Unit to 'disregard and violate the Constitutional and Fourth Amendment rights of Memphis citizens'" the motion read. "Plaintiff did not point to a specific policy or facts which would show that the city encouraged or authorized any police officer to behave in such a manner  let alone the manner described in the complaint. Plaintiff implausibly alleges that the City, through its Chief of Police, maintained an official policy of authorizing officers to attack, assault, and use excessive force against a compliant individual, but Plaintiff fails to identify the specific policy that required its officers to act with impunity and in total disregard of established constitutional law."

In response to this aspect of the motion to dismiss, attorneys for the Wells family said policies did not have to be explicitly written and could have been verbal commands from Davis. In their filing, they said these orders included her overstepping "her constitutional limits by giving unconstitutional directives to her officers."

The response listed seven alleged policies, though it is unclear where some of them were obtained from. The policies listed allege that Davis was:

"Instructing SCORPION to focus on an all-out strategy of seizing citizens and their property through traffic stops in derogation of the Fourth Amendment."

"Instructing SCORPION to take property from Memphis citizens without a valid constitutional basis 'even if [the case] gets dropped in court.'"

"Instructing SCORPION to deprive citizens of their property without due process, without legal basis and in disregard of their constitutional rights."

"Instructing SCORPION to disregard and violate the constitutional rights of Memphis citizens through unlawful and baseless searches and seizures and the use of excessive force."

"Instructing SCORPION to employ ambushing, aggressive harassing and searching Memphis citizens in public."

"Instructing SCORPION to omit written reports if they engaged in searches without finding drugs or weapons to maintain a stronger 'hit rate' on stops."

"Instructing SCORPION officers to engage in unconstitutional traffic stops and employ aggressive police tactics to achieve quotas."

Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn CJ Davis speaks during the Greenlaw Community Center community meeting in Memphis, Tenn., on Tuesday, May 23, 2023. MPD hosted the meeting to discuss the future of the center with residents of the Greenlaw area.

According to the response, Wells' attorneys said Davis gave these orders "in hopes that an unconstitutional blitzkrieg would instill enough fear and lead to enough arrests to reduce crime."

The city, in its motion to dismiss, said that it was unaware of complaints and that some came prior to Davis' tenure as police chief.

In arguing against the citys point that it was unaware of complaints from Memphis citizens about MPD officers and SCORPION officers tactics, the filing lists seven examples  each included in the initial complaint  of SCORPION officers allegedly using excessive force. That, the filing said, was compounded by the demeanor of the officers that beat Nichols, and that of the additional officers that arrived after Nichols was handcuffed.

"The repeated blows over a period of several minutes, the taunting, the taking of pictures and the lack of any remorse as over a dozen more of defendants employees arrived at the scene demonstrated the lengths to which this feeling of impunity extend," the response said. "These officers knew their conduct would be tolerated because it had been tolerated numerous times before without any discipline or sanction."

More: One man died in Memphis police custody Friday after a pursuit in Midtown

The filing also pointed at an early December 2022 Memphis City Council Public Safety Committee meeting where activists described the longstanding, continuing violent traffic stops by Memphis police officers resulting in frequent injury and even several deaths going back to 2013 as Davis and the city being notified of these incidents.

"Put simply: Chief Davis and the city were aware and did nothing to address the SCORPION Units tactics and practices and turned a blind eye," attorneys for the Wells family wrote. "They were deliberately indifferent. As a result, just one month after the hearing, days after multiple other incidents, and having done nothing to curtail the SCORPION Units sting, they beat Tyre Nichols to death."

An additional motion requested that any mention of the Atlanta Police Department's RED DOG Unit be stricken from the complaint. In that request, the city said "the material [in the complaint] contains allegations that are 'immaterial, impertinent or scandalous'" and should be stricken as a result. The city also claimed the mention of the Atlanta unit was "prejudicial."

"Plaintiffs inclusion of the allegations related to the RED DOG Unit are nothing more than an attempt to bolster the threadbare claims of Monell liability against the city defendants," the city's request read. "Instead of supporting her Monell claims with relevant, pertinent and current facts pertaining to MPD, plaintiff attempts to stretch back in time almost fifteen years to raise allegations about the unit in another citys police department to support her claims."

In response to that request, Wells' attorneys argued that its inclusion is "at the heart" of its argument that both the City of Memphis and Davis were aware of what could happen with saturation policing.

"References to the RED DOG Unit are material, pertinent and relevant as they have significant bearing on the alleged liability in this case by providing critical context and background for Chief Davis' role and knowledge in ultimately forming the SCORPION Unit within the Memphis Police Department," Wells' attorneys wrote in a separate filing. "They show that the violations of Tyre's Fourth Amendment rights were a foreseeable result of this type of policing."

The Department of Justice announced last month it would be conducting a pattern or practice investigation into MPD. The investigation will primarily look at the last five years to determine if MPD officers routinely use excessive force, violate people's fourth amendment rights and discriminate in its policing.

Although saying the investigation was not brought on by one specific instance, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division said the DOJ had received reports about possible violations, such as using force punitively and after someone was already detained.

Related news: Officers in Tyre Nichols civil suit ask for halt in case, say it could be 'prejudicial' to criminal case

Other information indicates the Memphis Police Department may be using an approach to street enforcement that can result in violations of federal law, including racially discriminatory stops of Black people for minor violations," Clarke said. "Such encounters can be harmful and can also violate the law. Our review indicates that even in a majority Black city, MPDs traffic enforcement may focus disproportionately on the Black community.

Nichols was pulled over for what was initially said to be reckless driving, though MPD later said there was no evidence to say he was violating the law. He was aggressively pulled from his car and onto the ground, where he appeared to get pepper sprayed by officers, before running from officers.

He was eventually caught, taken to the ground and beaten. Officers punched, kicked, pepper sprayed and hit Nichols with a baton before handcuffing him and leaving him by an unmarked police car. He died three days later in the hospital.

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: Attorneys for Tyre Nichols' family argue against civil case dismissal
All eight species of pangolin are threatened, with three listed as critically endangered

The leaders of a global wildlife trafficking gang have been convicted after a four-year investigation and a trial in Nigeria.

They pleaded guilty last month to smuggling the scales of endangered African pangolins.

These "top-of-the-pyramid" traffickers were responsible for half the illegal trade in pangolin scales.

This is the story of how they were outwitted by fake buyers and sting operations - conducted by a small European charity.

Cafe sting

A young Vietnamese woman is on a dangerous undercover mission.

She is sitting at a table in a cafe somewhere in Vietnam. Across from her is one of the country's main wildlife traffickers.

Van - not her real name - works undercover against wildlife traffickers

Van - not her real name - is posing as a buyer for a Chinese crime boss in a trade illegal in many parts of the world, the trafficking of pangolins which are eaten in Africa, while their scales are used in traditional medicine in Asia.

Outside, a surveillance team watches in case her cover is blown.

"I was nervous for about 20 seconds but then, after that, I thought 'I can do this'," she says.

Van's contact is trying to sell her scales from what the World Wildlife Fund says is the world's most trafficked mammal, the pangolin.

Researchers estimate that in the decade from 2010, almost a million pangolins were killed to supply trafficking networks.

All eight species - four African and four Asian - are listed as threatened, with three considered critically endangered.

Van works for the Wildlife Justice Commission, a charity set up in 2015 to disrupt criminal networks making money from wildlife trafficking.

Its lead investigator is Steve Carmody, a hard-nosed former Australian police officer who used to tackle drug gangs.

'Living the Dream'

"My passion is to catch crooks," he says, at the charity's secret base in the Netherlands.

In 2018, Carmody noticed huge seizures of trafficked animal parts hidden in shipping containers en route from West Africa to Asia.

He started gathering intelligence on the Asian buyers, in an investigation called Operation Hydra.

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, it offered him a rare and unexpected opportunity.

Big-time wildlife traffickers usually stay hidden, he explains: "You may see their wives flaunting their wealth, but the main traffickers we investigate are not on social media."

But Covid meant there were fewer shipments and, in desperation, traffickers turned to Facebook to find buyers.

On Carmody's desk lie nearly a dozen untraceable phones he uses to contact the targets of his investigations, pretending to be a buyer

"We started using multiple undercovers to talk with these guys," Carmody says. One was Van, whom he describes as "the perfect person to take that investigation forward".

She is softly spoken with a steely determination. Being a woman in this business is unusual, but Van says it was an advantage as traffickers were more likely to drop their guard: "They are not as suspicious as when a man approaches them."

Over months she gained the trust of Morybinet Berete, who is from Guinea in West Africa but was based in Nigeria, the hub for the illicit trade in pangolin scales.

Berete was "living the dream", says Carmody, "driving a nice car, there was a nice house". The team gave him the codename Genie for their surveillance logs, because someone liked the Disney film Aladdin.

Despite the difficulties of mounting operations during the pandemic, Carmody says the job was made easier because operators like Berete tend to be business people who have drifted into crime: "They don't have the skillsets you would see with a normal street-level drug supplier."

Van went undercover online, gaining the trust of Berete on WhatsApp. In one video call he can be seen walking into the yard of a compound. He points the phone's camera at a large pile of a dozen or so sacks. One of them is opened at the top. It's full of pangolin scales he wants to sell to Van.

There are more sacks across the yard, each stuffed with thousands of scales stripped from the carcasses of pangolins.

'Animals mean nothing to them'

While undercover, Van had to conceal her true feelings, but two years later she remains shocked.

"A hundred thousand pangolins need to get killed for that," she says, "I was so sad inside because I love animals. Wildlife is my passion."

What was Morybinet Berete's view of the beautiful, secretive creatures whose scales he and his gang were trafficking?

"He's just doing business. The animals mean nothing to them," says Van.

But the WhatsApp video proved to be Berete's big mistake. Investigators used details from it to locate his address.

"It's like Pablo Escobar telling you where he lives in Colombia, and showing the cocaine in his basement," says Carmody.

Corruption is a major driver of wildlife crime. Carmody describes the hardest part of any global investigation as finding a "small group of dedicated law enforcement officers that can't be bought. And once you find them, it's like finding gold".

In Nigeria, that means the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

In July 2021, he tipped off NCS officials, who raided Berete's compound in Nigeria and seized 7,000 kilos of pangolin scales, with smaller amounts of claws and elephant tusks. They arrested three men, although Morybinet Berete was not at home.

But searching the suspects' phones led to another big breakthrough - the identities of the Asian buyers.

Big Mac and Fries

That shifted the focus of the investigation from Nigeria back to Vietnam, where a surveillance operation was mounted in March last year to follow the buyers.

The traffickers were given their own codenames. Second-in-command was Benz, thanks to the Mercedes he drove.

Ringleader Phan Chi was Big Mac because someone in the surveillance team was hungry when they named him.

Carmody laughs and says: "More embarrassingly, another co-accused is Fries."

Pretending to be working for a Chinese buyer, Van built their trust, helping to figure out how the trafficking ring worked.

Big Mac bought trafficked scales from Berete who was now on the run in West Africa. The scales were smuggled out of Nigeria -mainly on boats - and sold on to clients in China. There, they were passed off as Asian pangolin scales, which can be legally used in traditional medicine. Shipments were often paid in cryptocurrency tied to the US dollar.

Another undercover investigator coaxed the gang into incriminating themselves. In a WhatsApp video call he asks what they want to buy. "In Nigeria only pangolin," Big Mac responds.

Benz said he needed 20 tonnes of scales shipped to Vietnam, complaining that police had seized stock the previous summer. With the evidence mounting, the investigators were closing in.

Last May, the Vietnamese traffickers returned to Africa to buy more wildlife products. From Mozambique, Benz sent video of rhino horn he had earlier hidden in suitcases to smuggle aboard a flight.

Days later the gang arrived in Lagos, Nigeria, with Big Mac boasting in a video that he can "send a container from here".

What he didn't realise is that surveillance teams had been following him since his arrival in the country. The Nigeria Customs Service pounced.

Big Mac was seized in his hotel room with two phones, providing a treasure trove of evidence.

"This is a guy who did ledgers for each shipment: profit, loss, who he paid, what purpose, where it went," says Carmody.

"It's like you're reading an accountant's version of a criminal transaction. This evidence is overwhelming, linking these guys to multiple shipments of rhino horn, ivory and pangolin. Big Mac is a big deal. He's huge."

'Top of the pyramid'

Phan Chi (Big Mac), Phan Quan (Benz) and Duong Thang (Fries) were charged with smuggling and trading in pangolin scales and elephant ivory.

Faced with little chance of acquittal, they admitted their guilt on the eve of a trial earlier this month. Morybinet Berete's brother Mory also pleaded guilty. Other trials will follow.

The four men were sentenced to six years each, avoiding more time behind bars by agreeing to pay fines as part of a plea bargain.

For Steve Carmody, the convictions are ground-breaking. He says until now the focus in Africa has been on big sentences for wildlife poachers. Targeting the key players has been rare: "I can't underestimate the value of this trial. These guys are the top of the pyramid."

What about Morybinet Berete, aka Genie, on the run since July 2021 and facing a court order for his arrest?

"I like fishing," says Carmody. He points to the phones on his desk: "I often throw out a few lines from different phones just to see who bites. Genie keeps biting."

Soon Carmody, Van and the team hope to reel him in.

Additional reporting by Alex Dackevych
The Institute for Citizens & Scholars announced Tuesday that 13 universities will join a free speech campaign this upcoming school year in an effort to uphold critical inquiry and civil discourse on their campuses.

The campaign, called the Campus Call for Free Expression, was joined by a variety of public and private schools, including Ivy League Cornell University and Benedict College, a historically Black college.

The participating universities will each implement the initiative differently as they choose the best ways to uphold the mission.

James Madison University is working with the Bipartisan Policy Center to give free expression training to all new students, while Duke University is giving a summer seminar to faculty on how best to promote civic discussion, and law students will be offered the chance to work with clients who are dealing with free expression cases.

It is critical to our mission as a university to think deeply about freedom of expression and the challenges that result from assaults on it, which today come from both ends of the political spectrum, Cornell University President Martha Pollack said. Learning from difference, learning to engage with difference and learning to communicate across difference are key parts of a Cornell education. Free expression and academic freedom are the bedrock not just of the university, but of democracy.

The Institute for Citizens & Scholars said it is welcoming to differing viewpoints and wants to ensure college students become empowered citizens.

The campaign is seeking only to uphold and advance free expression principles that foster intellectually vibrant students who can challenge existing beliefs and assumptions, gain empathy for those with differing values and views, reach informed decisions based on reasoned analysis, and contribute meaningfully to their communities, according to the organization.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Dell Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas at Austin on July 7. UT-Austin will expand its medical facilities by partnering with MD Anderson Cancer Center to create a new $2.5 billion cancer treatment hub. Credit: Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune

The University of Texas at Austin and one of the most well-known cancer treatment centers in the world are partnering to build a new $2.5 billion medical hub geared toward serving Central Texas.

The University of Texas System Board of Regents Chair Kevin Eltife announced Monday plans to create the new facility in partnership with the MD Anderson Cancer Center, the nations No. 1 cancer hospital. MD Anderson is part of the university system and has several locations in the Houston area.

The establishment of the University of Texas at Austin Medical Center, with UT MD Anderson Cancer Center adjacent to a new university hospital and access to all of UT-Austins education and research assets, will undoubtedly result in transformative cancer care, provide students at the flagship campus with unmatched experiences, and benefit patients throughout the state and nation for all time, Eltife said.

Gov. Greg Abbott, who joined Eltife in making the announcement, called the project a transformative move for the state.

People from Indiana travel to Houston to get the best cancer care in the world. Similarly, people across Texas travel to Houston to access the best cancer care in our state and country. But rather than having Texans travel to Houston, we will now be bringing the worlds best cancer care to them right here in Central Texas, Abbott said.

The facility will have two medical towers, one for the cancer center and the other for the new university hospital. It will be located at the current downtown location of UT-Austins Frank Erwin Center, formerly a multipurpose facility.

The cancer center will have 150 inpatient beds for treatment, 230 outpatient exam rooms and will include many of the same features as the MD Anderson hospital in Houston, including bone marrow transplantation and multiteam surgery.

UT MD Anderson President Peter Pisters said the cancer center will no longer be known as a Houston institution, but a Texas one.

One institution and now two cities, he said.

Pisters said MD Anderson in Houston has already served many patients from Central Texas throughout the years, including 5,000 Austin residents as of 2020.

MD Anderson has multiple locations outside the Houston metro area and radiation treatment centers in League City, Sugar Land and Conroe. It established the UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center in 2016.

UT-Austin Dell Medical School Dean Claudia F. Lucchinetti, said the new university hospital will focus on specialized care.

We will work alongside our partners to deliver the complex life-saving care that central Texans need right here at home, she said.

Besides creating new jobs and a new source of revenue in Austin, the proposed medical center is expected to develop new medical technology.

We wont be simply building a traditional academic medical center or one that exists on the island, UT-Austin President Jay Hartzell said at a press conference held Monday. We have an opportunity that is unique in Texas and only possible in a few places in the world to build an academic medical center that is linked to a top research university and driven by innovations in technology, digital health, data science, artificial intelligence, robotics, material science and more.

Texas has a history of supporting cancer research with voters approving in 2019 giving millions in grants to Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, a state organization that has become an international leader in the field in less than a decade since its creation.

Disclosure: Dell, MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas at Austin and University of Texas System have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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.
ANNAPOLIS, Md.  Standing under a battle flag emblazoned with the words "Don't Give Up the Ship," Adm. Mike Gilday, the Navy's outgoing uniformed leader, turned to Adm. Lisa Franchetti on Monday morning and said that he "will be proud to call her my CNO."

The moment should have been a joyous and historic one. Franchetti was nominated by President Joe Biden on July 21 to take over for Gilday as the chief of naval operations, or CNO. She was set to become the first female officer to lead the Navy and to join the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

However, she did not take over the job Monday because of a political move that has unnerved military leaders so much that every speaker at the relinquishment ceremony addressed it in some way -- most quite directly. The move in question is a hold on Senate confirmations of admiral and general promotions by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala.

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As a result, at the end of the ceremony, held inside a marbled hall at the Naval Academy dedicated to fallen graduates of the institution that has produced Navy officers like Gilday for more than 100 years, Franchetti -- who is currently the vice chief of naval operations -- took over the Navy in only an acting capacity.

The Navy now joins the Army and the Marine Corps in being without a Senate-confirmed leader. The upcoming chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is also affected. While the immediate impacts of the ongoing retirements seem minor and ceremonial -- empty picture frames in the halls of the Pentagon and use of words like relinquishment rather than change of command -- military leaders say the lack of confirmed military leaders will be dire.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called Tuberville's move "unprecedented," before adding that "it is unnecessary and it is unsafe."

"This sweeping hold is undermining America's military readiness," he added, using some of the harshest language on the topic to date.

The hold that Tuberville has placed over all top promotions and appointments does actually not prevent the Senate from confirming nominees, but it does mean that the chamber would need to hold roll call votes on each nominee individually -- something that would take months under the Senate's infamously slow pace.

Usually, the Senate confirms military nominees in batches with voice votes.

Tuberville began the hold in February to protest the Pentagon's new travel and leave policy for reproductive health care.

Pentagon officials have said the policy -- which allows service members to take time off and receive travel funds to get a variety of reproductive procedures, including abortions -- is about ensuring everyone has access to equal health care.

"Service members don't have the right to choose which state they get deployed to or stationed in, and so this policy is intended to ensure that there's equitable treatment of all service members," Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters Aug. 1.

The march toward what Austin called a "painful milestone" of Gilday's retirement and the record number of vacancies began June 23, when Marine Corps leader Gen. David Berger retired, replaced with an acting commandant.

Then came the Army, when Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville retired in early August.

The Navy's top civilian official, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro, said Tuberville's hold "puts the very lives  of servicemen and women  at risk by not allowing our most experienced warfighters to lead."

"Our troops deserve better," Austin said, before adding that "our military families deserve better, our allies and partners deserve better, and our national security deserves better."

Tuberville's spokesman, Steven Stafford, pushed back in a statement sent out shortly after the Navy's ceremony on Monday concluded, noting eight instances between 1992 and 2023 when other lawmakers used or threatened to use a promotion hold to influence the Pentagon.

The reasons ranged from protesting base closures to dealing with the fallout of the Navy's massive sexual assault scandal commonly known as "Tailhook." Some were also far smaller in scope than what Tuberville has done. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., had a hold over the location of U.S. Space Command's headquarters that threatened only six civilian nominees, for example.

However, Stafford did acknowledge that what makes Tuberville's move "unprecedented  is the length of time that it has gone on."

The timing of Franchetti's nomination by the White House -- a week before the Senate started its August recess -- would have also made it hard to confirm her in time for Gilday's retirement even without the hold.

As a result of the hold, near the end of the ceremony, Franchetti didn't read a set of orders that instructed her to lead the Navy. Instead, she read a designation letter.

"As provided in Title 10 of US Code 8035, when there is a vacancy in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, the vice chief of naval operations shall perform the duties of the CNO until its successor is appointed," Franchetti told the crowd.

-- Konstantin Toropin can be reached at konstantin.toropin@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @ktoropin.

Related: 650 Military Promotions Threatened as Senator Shows No Signs of Relenting
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 15)  Motorists traversing the Manila-Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX) will pay more starting Aug. 21 as the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) approved its rate adjustments.

In a statement, Cavitex Infrastructure Corporation (CIC) said the toll hike  which are allowed every three years  range from 2 to 25.

CIC, together with the Philippine Reclamation Authority, said the company filed its petition for approval of periodic toll rate adjustments for R-1 Expressway (Seaside to Zapote) and R-1 Expressway Extension, Segment 4 (Zapote to Kawit) before the TRB in 2017.

Beginning Aug. 21, the following toll rates would take effect:

R1 (Seaside to Zapote)

- Class 1 vehicles (regular cars and SUVs) From 33 to 35

- Class 2 vehicles (buses and small trucks) From 67 to 70

- Class 3 vehicles (large trucks) From 100 to 104

R1 Extension, Segment 4 (Zapote to Kawit)

- Class 1 vehicles (regular cars and SUVs) From 64 to 73

- Class 2 vehicles (buses and small trucks) From 129 to 146

- Class 3 vehicles (large trucks) From 194 to 219

In a separate statement, the TRB said this was decided after "an exhaustive review and compliance by CIC and PRA on the procedures and requirements set."

To soften the impact on public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers and operators, CIC said it would reactivate its Abante Card program, allowing them to pay for the old toll rates for a few months.

"We recognize the impact of the toll increase on Class 1 and Class 2 PUV drivers. That's why we're reactivating our Abante Card program to provide some relief during this transition. With the Abante Card, PUV drivers will have the opportunity to adjust and enjoy the old toll rates for a period of about three months. We believe this program will help alleviate the financial burden on our valued PUV drivers and provide them with a smoother transition during this time," said Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) President and CEO Rogelio Singson.

CIC is a subsidiary of the Pangilinan-led MPTC.
Popular artificial intelligence applications like ChatGPT or DALL-E are growing more popular with the masses, and the Department of Defense is taking note. To get ahead of potential uses and risks of such tools, on August 10, the DoD announced the creation of a new task force analyze and possibly integrate generative artificial intelligence into current operations.

AI is an imprecise term, and the technologies that can make headlines about AI often do so as much for their flaws as for their potential utility. The Pentagon task force is an acknowledgement of the potential such tools hold, while giving the military some breathing room to understand what, exactly, it might find useful or threatening about such tools.

While Pentagon research into AI certainly carries implications about what that will ultimately mean for weapons, the heart of the matter is really about using it to process, understand, and draw certain predictions from its collection of data. Sometimes this data is flashy, like video footage recorded by drones of suspected insurgent meetings, or of hostile troop movements. However, a lot of the data collected by the military is exceptionally mundane, like maintenance logs for helicopters and trucks.

Generative AI could, perhaps, be trained on datasets exclusive to the military, outputting results that suggest answers the military might be searching for. But the process might not be so simple. The AI tools of today are prone to errors, and such generative AI could also create misleading information that might get fed into downstream analyses, leading to confusion. The possibility and risk of AI error is likely one reason the military is taking a cautious approach to studying generative AI, rather than a full-throated embrace of the technology from the outset.

The study of generative AI will take place by the newly organized Task Force Lima, which will be led by the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office. CDAO was itself created in February 2022, out of an amalgamation of several other Pentagon offices into one designed to help the military better use data and AI.

"The DoD has an imperative to responsibly pursue the adoption of generative AI models while identifying proper protective measures and mitigating national security risks that may result from issues such as poorly managed training data," said Craig Martell, the DoD Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer. "We must also consider the extent to which our adversaries will employ this technology and seek to disrupt our own use of AI-based solutions."

One such malicious possibility of generative AI is using it for misinformation. While some models of image generation leave somewhat obvious tells for modified photos, like people with an unusual number of extra fingers and teeth, many images are passable and even convincing at first glance. In March, an AI-generated image of Pope Francis in a Balenciaga Coat proved compelling to many people, even as its AI origin became known and reproducible. With a public figure like the Pope, it is easy to verify whether or not he was photographed wearing a hypebeast puffy jacket. When it comes to military matters, pictures captured by the military can be slow to declassify, and the veracity of a well-done fake could be hard to disprove.

[Related: Why an AI image of Pope Francis in a fly jacket stirred up the internet]

Malicious use of AI-generated images and data is eye-catchinga nefarious act enabled using modern technology. Of at least as much consequence could be routine error. Dennis Kovtun, a summer fellow at open source analysis house Bellingcat, tested Googles Bard AI and Microsofts Bing AI as chatbots that can give information about uploaded images. Kovtun attempted to see if AI could replicate the process by which an image is geolocated (where the composite total of details allow a human to pinpoint the photograph's origin).

We found that while Bing mimics the strategies that open-source researchers use to geolocate images, it cannot successfully geolocate images on its own, writes Kovtun. Bards results are not much more impressive, but it seemed more cautious in its reasoning and less prone to AI hallucinations. Both required extensive prompting from the user before they could arrive at any halfway satisfactory geolocation.

These AI hallucinations are when the AI incorporates incorrect information from its training data into the result. Introducing new and incorrect information can undermine any promised labor-saving utility of such a tool.

The future of defense is not just about adopting cutting-edge technologies, but doing so with foresight, responsibility, and a deep understanding of the broader implications for our nation, said Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks in the announcement of the creation of Task Force Lima.

The US military, as an organization, is especially wary of technological surprise, or the notion that a rival nation could develop a new and powerful tool without the US being prepared for it. While Hick emphasized the caution needed in developing generative AI for military use, Task Force Lima mission commander Xavier Lugo described the work as about implementation while managing risk.

The Services and Combatant Commands are actively seeking to leverage the benefits and manage the risks of generative AI capabilities and [Language Learning Models] across multiple mission areas, including intelligence, operational planning, programmatic and business processes, said Lugo. By prioritizing efforts, reducing duplication, and providing enabling AI scaffolding, Task Force Lima will be able to shape the effective and responsible implementation of [Language Learning Models] throughout the DoD.
Travis King defected to North Korea to escape "mistreatment and racial discrimination in the US Army", state media said Wednesday, Pyongyang's first official confirmation they were holding the American soldier.

A private second class with a chequered disciplinary record, King was due to fly back to America in July but instead slipped out of South Korea's main airport, joined a tourist trip to the DMZ and ran across the border into the North.

The United States has previously said that King crossed the border at the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarised Zone separating the North and the South "willfully and without authorisation".

Following a North Korean investigation, King "admitted that he illegally intruded", Pyongyang's Korean Central News Agency reported.

"Travis King confessed that he had decided to come over to the DPRK as he harboured ill feeling against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the US Army," KCNA said, referring to the North by its official name.

King "came to be kept under control by soldiers of the Korean People's Army" after he crossed the border, KCNA said.

"He also expressed his willingness to seek refugee in the DPRK or a third country, saying that he was disillusioned at the unequal American society," KCNA said, adding that a government investigation was still ongoing.

The United Nations Command, which oversees the armistice that ended fighting in the Korean War, confirmed last month it had begun a conversation with the North over King.

But US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at the time that while contact had been made with the North Koreans, Washington still had no idea where King was or in what condition.

KCNA did not provide any details about King's health or location, or about what they planned to do with him.

- Propaganda opportunity -

North Korea's first official comment on King was pure propaganda, said Soo Kim, policy practice area lead at LMI Consulting and a former CIA analyst.

"King's crossing into North Korea provided the Kim regime an opportunity in several ways, the first of which is, of course, the potential for negotiations with the US over King's release," she told AFP, adding that Pyongyang were "tough negotiators", so it would not be easy for Washington to secure his release.

Pyongyang has a long history of detaining Americans and using them as bargaining chips in bilateral negotiations.

"It's also an opportunity for the regime propaganda to do its thing -- to spin the situation in such a way as to criticise the US and express Pyongyang's deep-rooted hostility towards Washington," she added.

Just before they issued their comments on King, KCNA put out a statement criticising discussion of Pyongyang's rights record at the United Nations, describing America as "the anti-people empire of evils, totally depraved due to all sorts of social evils".

"Not content with conniving at and fostering racial discrimination, gun-related crimes, child maltreatment and forced labour rampant in its society, the US has imposed unethical human rights standards on other countries and fomented internal unrest and confusion," the statement reads.

Vladimir Tikhonov, professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, told AFP that because King "is Black, I would imagine that he possesses certain propaganda value for North Koreans".

"The white racism and mistreatment of Blacks is a point North Korean propaganda traditionally emphasises, all the time since the Korean War, so King may be used to amplify this message," he said.

King crossing the border comes as relations between the two Koreas are at one of their lowest points ever, with diplomacy stalled and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un calling for increased weapons development, including of tactical nuclear warheads.

Seoul, Tokyo and Washington are set to hold a trilateral summit at the US presidential retreat in Maryland on Friday, during which the leaders are expected to announce plans for expanding military cooperation against Pyongyang's nuclear threats.

With their limited disclosure on King, North Korea is clearly "hoping or preparing for the issue to be raised in the trilateral meeting", said Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.

"North Korea is emphasising that they hold the key to solving the problem," he told AFP, adding that the use of the term "illegal intrusion" was likely a bargaining tactic.

It "implies the possibility of deportation and can be used for negotiations between the North and the US".

cdl/ceb/smw
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A trilateral summit this week between the leaders of the United States, South Korea and Japan should not be seen as "provocative" by China, State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Tuesday.

"There is no reason to view this summit as provocative or any kind of step or effort to incite tensions," Patel said at regular press briefing when he was asked about China's view of the summit. "What this is about is deepening our partnership and collaboration on a number of areas that we believe are in the mutual shared interest of our three countries."

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Simon Lewis)
Funding provided to eligible schools will support various initiatives, such as curriculum design, materials development, and student recruitment and retention.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to invest over $33 million to assist capacity-building initiatives at 19 historically Black institutions and universities.

The funding from the USDAs National Institute of Food and Agriculture will support 82 research, extension, and educational initiatives at the HBCUs established as 1890 land-grant institutions, according to The Times and Democrat.

The nations 1890 land-grant universities are uniquely positioned to advance fundamental sciences as well as translational research and development in support of agriculture, said NIFA Director Dr. Manjit K. Misra, and this funding will increase their capacity to continue their invaluable work.

Florida A&M University is among 19 HBCUs that will receive funding from the the U.S. Department of Agriculture to assist capacity-building initiatives.

Universities that will receive funding through the program include Alabama A&M University, South Carolina State, Alcorn State University, Central State University, Delaware State University, Florida A&M University, Fort Valley State University, and Kentucky State University.

Funding provided to eligible schools will support various initiatives, such as curriculum design, materials development, faculty development, student recruitment and retention, and support for developing extension programs.

Langston University, Lincoln University of Missouri, North Carolina A&T State University, Prairie View A&M University, Southern University and A&M College, Tennessee State University, Tuskegee University, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Virginia State University, and West Virginia State University will also receive funds.

Agriculture Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small said the work the colleges will undertake due to the investment will have an impact beyond the confines of their laboratories and classrooms. She noted that by making this commitment, the Biden-Harris administration is assisting in delivering practical, workable solutions to strengthen our food system while inspiring the next generation of scholars and scientists who will aid in addressing future agricultural difficulties.

USDA looks forward to the impact these visionary projects will have in improving the supply of affordable, safe, nutritious and accessible food and agricultural products, added Misra, while fostering economic development and rural prosperity in America.

The significant investment comes as Black farmers accuse the USDA and the Biden-Harris administration of failing to support them despite their promises.

John Boyd Jr., founder and president of the National Black Farmers Association, previously told theGrios Eboni K. Williams that white people always find a way to avoid providing the resources promised to Black people in this country, specifically Black farmers.

He noted they were promised a 120% debt reduction for qualifying Black farmers and other farmers of color, which entails a 100% tax cut, a 20% tax payment  but Congress reversed it on Bidens direction.

We need him to use the stroke of the pen to help get around the issues that are facing Americas Black farmers, said Boyd at the time. And, you know, why wasnt it the same outrage when this administration went back on his word to do that? Were always overlooked  And we were the nations first Black occupation here in the country for Black people.

TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today!

The post USDA says it is investing in the growth of 19 HBCUs appeared first on TheGrio.
A three-year chase for a Utah man accused of posing as a medical doctor to sell hoax cures for a variety of diseases, including COVID-19, has come to an end.

Gordon Hunter Pedersen sold a "structural alkaline silver" product online as a preventative cure for COVID-19 early in the pandemic, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah said in a statement. He also claimed in YouTube videos to be a board-certified Anti-Aging Medical Doctor with a Ph.D. in immunology and naturopathic medicine, according to the release, while donning a white lab coat and stethoscope in his online presence.

An arrest warrant for Pedersen, 63, was issued in August 2020 after he failed to appear in federal court on an indictment. He was caught earlier this month by federal agents "during surveillance," officials said.

The indictment charges Pedersen with mail fraud, wire fraud, and felony introduction of misbranded drugs into interstate commerce with intent to defraud and mislead.

Pedersen's schemes started around 2014, according to the indictment. He sold silver products as a treatment for arthritis, diabetes, influenza, pneumonia, and, more recently, COVID-19, the indictment added. He was caught in April 2020, when the hoax treatments were shipped to a Food and Drug Administration undercover agent using an alias.

The products were sold through his company, GP Silver LLC, and My Doctor Suggests LLC, of which he owned 25%.

In a podcast interview in March 2020, Pedersen claimed his product destroyed bacteria, viruses, and yeast all at once, adding that "there is no drug that man has made that can do the same," according to the indictment.

Pedersen is scheduled for his initial appearance at a detention hearing Tuesday.

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Scammers exploited COVID-19 pandemic in variety of fraud schemes

During a pandemic that would go on to take more than one million lives across the nation, fraudsters took to a variety of schemes to profit off the disease, including federal COVID-19 relief fund scams, hoax vaccines, sham test sites, and more.

In 2020, the Justice Department directed all 94 U.S. attorneys to appoint a coordinator for virus-fraud cases in their districts, as federal law enforcement agencies received tens of thousands of fraud complaints related to the pandemic. By Jan. 2021, more than 100 cases had already been prosecuted.

Last month, a church founder and his three sons stood trial at a Miami federal court for selling a bleach mixture as a medical cure. The family was accused of selling more than $1 million of a toxic "Miracle Mineral Solution," or MMS, which they claimed could cure almost any ailment, including COVID-19, Alzheimers, and malaria, according to the criminal complaint.

OPERATION QUACK HACK: Florida family on trial for conspiracy: 'Con men' sold bleach cure for COVID, feds say

How to protect yourself from fraudsters

The Federal Trade Commission recommends the following to protect yourself from hoax medical claims around COVID-19:

Always talk with your doctor or healthcare professional before trying any product claiming to treat, prevent or cure coronavirus.

Go to verified sources for medical treatment updates like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or FDA.

Suspected fraud can be reported to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Utah man accused of selling COVID cure arrested after years on the run
Craig Deeleuw Robertson, 75, is pictured in an undated social media post. Robertson was shot and killed early Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023, by FBI agents trying to serve a warrant at his Provo home. | Facebook

In 2018, Provo police responded to a home after reports that a man had pointed a handgun at two Google Fiber workers, yelling at them to get off his property.

When the officer arrived, Craig Robertson answered the door holding an AR-15.

That triggered a bit of a stand off, the Provo officer writes in a report, obtained by the Deseret News through an open records request. But he was never charged.

Instead, the officer writes no actual crime had occurred and Robertson was exercising his 2nd Amendment rights, albeit a little recklessly.

Roughly five years later on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 75-year-old Robertson was shot dead at that same home in Provo by FBI agents who were attempting to arrest him related to months of violent threats toward President Joe Biden and other top Democrats that Robertson had posted on social media. Biden was scheduled to land in Utah hours later.

In a statement, the FBI says Robertson was pointing a .357 revolver at agents as they entered his home at about 6:15 a.m. The bureaus inspection division is investigating the shooting.

Related

The 2018 incident began at about 12:23 p.m. on Aug. 20 after police received a call claiming Robertson had pointed a small handgun with a flashlight at Google Fiber employees who were accessing a public utility pole in his backyard, according to the police report.

When the officer responded, the Google employees said they had tried ringing Robertsons doorbell, but he didnt respond, the report reads.

So the two workers went into the backyard and began getting ready to work when (Robertson) came out the back door and began yelling at them while holding a handgun, reads a supplemental report from Provo police.

According to the employees, while Robertson was yelling at them he was waving his gun around causing the muzzle to point in their direction.

Law enforcement agents confer at the home of Craig Deeleuw Robertson, who was shot and killed by FBI agents, in Provo on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. Robertson allegedly posted threatening comments about President Joe Biden hours before the president was scheduled to visit Utah. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News

After speaking to the workers, the officer tried to make contact with Robertson, and knocked on his door.

Robertson yelled something at me through the door but I was unable to hear him due to the glass and metal storm door. I moved forward and took the handle so I could open it to speak with (Robertson). He stepped farther back into the room and shouted at me not to enter the home. It was at this point that I observed (Robertson) had an AR-15 rifle slung on his shoulder and he was holding the weapon with one hand, the officer writes in the supplemental report.

The officer instructed Robertson to put the weapon down, and he refused, the report states. He continued to speak with Robertson through the door until he calmed down and stated that he would put the rifle away, according to the report.

Robertson told the officer he was angry that the workers had left his gate open, and was worried his dog would get out, the report reads.

While I was speaking with (Robertson) while he had his rifle I observed that he was holding it in a ready position against his body with his finger on the trigger guard which led me to believe he had trained with firearms and was aware of where his muzzle was and how to control the weapon while moving, the officer writes.

Robertson also told the officer he did not point the handgun at the workers  instead, he claimed he was holding it against his body, muzzle down in a ready position and did not wave it around or threaten the males with it, according to the police report.

The officer spoke to a Provo police sergeant, who agreed that Robertson was being reckless, but not violating the law. A Utah County attorney agreed Robertson may not have exercised good judgment but was acting within his Constitutional Rights.

The FBI began investigating Robertson in March after they were tipped off by former President Donald Trumps Truth Social about a post where he threatened to kill New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

Robertsons Truth Social account was disabled in March, but he continued to make threatening and inflammatory posts on his Facebook page up until the week Biden came to Utah. He asked whether Utah would become famous as the place a sniper took out Biden the Marxist and urged residents to fire their guns into the air when Air Force One arrives.

Related

Robertson also threatened other high-profile Democrats  he posted about patriotic dreams of standing over the body of California Gov. Gavin Newsom with a wound above his brow and my S&W M&P 9mm still smoking. Other posts threatened U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, Vice President Kamala Harris and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

He also alluded to a previous interaction with FBI agents who attempted to speak with him in his front yard in March. After that, Robertson posted messages directed toward FBI agents, who he said he knew were monitoring his social media, and saying he would be armed if they returned.

A federal complaint was filed the day before Robertson was charged with making interstate threats, making threats against federal law enforcement and making threats against the president.

In the aftermath of the shooting, many neighbors were surprised to learn of Robertsons social media posts. They described him as a teddy bear in church, who had a passion for woodworking and guns. He was political, they said, but they never heard him say anything violent.

Robertson also had mobility issues. He walked with a cane and neighbors described him as overweight.

The raid drew intense criticism among far-right circles, with some calling it an assassination or execution.

He could have been arrested easily and without violence. He was obese and barely able to walk unassisted. This hit on him was executed to make Americans afraid, wrote far-right commentator Mike Cernovich on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

But former law enforcement officers and legal experts told the Deseret News the FBI was justified given the mans access to guns and the violent specificity of his threats, which went well beyond the bounds of free speech protections. The armed 2018 interaction with Provo police and the FBIs statement that he pointed a gun at officers likely bolster that claim.

Still, his family contends Robertson would never act on the violent statements.

He has never, and would never, commit any act of violence against another human being over a political or philosophical disagreement, the family said in a statement.

There was very little he could do but exercise his First Amendment right to free speech and voice his protest in what has become the public square of our age  the internet and social media, the family wrote.
A parent of one of the children killed during a mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, has called out Governor Greg Abbott after he posted a message welcoming students back to school.

Mr Abbott made the post on Twitter on Sunday, recalling "fond memories" he had of his daughter during back-to-school season, according to HuffPost.

Good luck to our Texas students and teachers heading back to school, Mr Abbott wrote. No doubt you will make us, and your parents, proud this year.

For some Texan parents  like Brett Cross, whose son Uziyah was one of the 19 students killed in the mass shooting  the celebration that students are returning to classrooms was a bitter reminder of his loss.

He responded to Mr Abbott, arguing that the governor did nothing to address the shooting.

You know what back to school season brings us, Mr Cross wrote. Memories that our children died a gruesome horrific death and you did absolutely nothing except tell us that it could have been worse. No special session. No holding YOUR police force accountable. Lying through your teeth. [Youre] an embarrassment.

You know what back to school season brings us? Memories that our children died a gruesome horrific death and you did absolutely nothing except tell us that it could have been worse.



No special session.

No holding YOUR police force accountable.

Lying through your teeth.



Your https://t.co/XmI3TgVOha  Brett Cross (@BCross052422) August 15, 2023

Mr Cross is referring to a statement Mr Abbott made the day after the shooting, during which he said that "as horrible as what has happened, it could have worse."

The reason it was not worse is because law enforcement officials did what they do: They showed amazing courage by running toward gun fire for the singular purpose of trying to save lives," he said.

The Uvalde police were met with fury by the public and the parents of the children who were killed when it was revealed that they waited more than 70 minutes to confront the shooter. The director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, Steve McCraw, called the Uvalde police response an "abject failure."

Mr Cross's wife also posted about the upcoming school year, saying she hopes her other children will "survive" the year.

Today should be your first day of 6th grade, Ms Cross wrote on Twitter, in memory of her son. After dropping off your brother and sister I sit at home terrifiedwaiting. I will never enjoy the first day of school again. Instead I will wait and hope they survive the year.
The Vanderbilt University Medical Center is under scrutiny in a federal civil rights investigation over the alleged unauthorized release of transgender patients medical records to the Tennessee attorney general, the Nashville-based hospital system told CNN in a statement.

We have been contacted by and are working with the Office of Civil Rights, John Howser, chief communications officer for the medical center, told CNN about the investigation by the US Department of Health and Human Services. We have no further comment since this is an ongoing investigation.

CNN has reached out to the US Department of Health and Human Services and the Tennessee Attorney Generals office for comment.

Last month, the Vanderbilt University Medical Center was sued by two people who claim they were among more than 100 current and former patients whose records were turned over to the Tennessee attorney general earlier this year, according to a lawsuit filed in the Davidson County Chancery Court.

The plaintiffs allege that Vanderbilt turned over non-anonymized medical records to the state without the patients knowledge, and that the states request for information was part of an effort negatively targeting the transgender community, according to the complaint.

In a statement to CNN in response to the lawsuit, Howser said, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) received valid requests from the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General as part of its investigation which sought information about transgender care at VUMC. The Tennessee Attorney General has legal authority in an investigation to require that VUMC provide complete copies of patient medical records that are relevant to that investigation, and VUMC was obligated to do so. VUMC complies with all health care privacy and security requirements established under both Federal and Tennessee law, including but not limited to HIPAA.

Tricia Herzfeld, an attorney for the plaintiffs, told CNN her clients felt encouraged knowing that federal authorities are looking into the incident.

The more we learn about the breadth of the deeply personal information that VUMC disclosed, the more horrified we are, Herzfeld said in a statement.

The plaintiffs filed their suit under a pseudonym, and CNN has not been able to reach out to them directly.

CNN has reached out to the Tennessee Attorney Generals office for comment about the lawsuit.

In October of last year, the hospital suspended gender-affirming surgeries for minors, CNN previously reported. At the time, the Vanderbilt University Medical Centers chief health officer, Dr. C. Wright Pinson, said the suspension was due to an ongoing review of new guidance on treating transgender patients, and noted the review may take several months.

When asked today about the status of that review, Howser said, Since July 1, 2023, in Tennessee, through a new law, all gender-affirming care for individuals under age 18 is now illegal.

The move came amid pressure from Tennessees Republican leaders, who sent a letter to the hospital requesting that Vanderbilt Medical halt all gender transitioning surgeries on minors.

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A Virginia mother remains in critical condition after she was shot in a shopping center parking lot while her child was in the car.

Front Royal resident Montez Damone-Faggins, 29, was charged with malicious wounding and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony over the incident.

Fairfax County Police Department officials also arrested Woodbridge resident Kayla Thornton, 28, who had outstanding warrants from another jurisdiction. She was also in the car at the time.

On Sunday afternoon, officers responded to a shooting report in a parking lot in the 7700 block of Richmond Highway in Hybla Valley. Police believe that Damone-Faggins shot the victim in the upper body while they were inside the car. The woman's baby was not physically hurt.

STOLEN VIRGINIA AMBULANCE USED TO RAM INTO MULTIPLE CARS LEADING POLICE ON CHAOTIC CHASE INTO WASHINGTON, DC

Front Royal resident Montez Damone-Faggins, 29, was charged with malicious wounding and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

"The victims infant child was also in the car at the time of the shooting and was unharmed and reunited with another family member," Fairfax County Police Department said in a statement.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Damone-Faggins, Thornton and the victim all knew each other. The suspects stayed on the scene while the officers investigated and found the firearm in the vehicle.

VIRGINIA PRISON REFUSES TO RELEASE COMPLAINT RECORDS FOLLOWING 2022 DEATH OF AN INMATE

Kayla Thornton was arrested on outstanding warrants after the shooting incident.

Both suspects were booked into jail after the incident. Damone-Faggins was held on no bond, while Thornton was held on a secured bond.

Authorities urge anyone with information about the incident to call them at 703-246-7800, option 2. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS.

Fairfax County Police Department is actively investigating the case. No additional details are known at this time.
KANSAS CITY, Kan.  The Unified Government of Wyandotte County is hosting a playground building event this week.

More than 200 volunteers signed up to help with the prep work and installation for the kid designed playground at Parkwood Park.

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Theyll move a lot of mulch and saw a lot of wood for the first two days.

On Thursday, theyll have a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate at 2:30 p.m. The time is subject to change based on project completion.

Volunteers working on new playground at Parkwood Park in Kansas City, Kansas. (FOX4 Photo)

Volunteers working on new playground at Parkwood Park in Kansas City, Kansas. (FOX4 Photo)

Volunteers working on new playground at Parkwood Park in Kansas City, Kansas. (FOX4 Photo)

Volunteers working on new playground at Parkwood Park in Kansas City, Kansas. (FOX4 Photo)

Volunteers working on new playground at Parkwood Park in Kansas City, Kansas. (FOX4 Photo)

Volunteers working on new playground at Parkwood Park in Kansas City, Kansas. (FOX4 Photo)

Volunteers working on new playground at Parkwood Park in Kansas City, Kansas. (FOX4 Photo)

Organizers say its fun to be part of a project that brings the community together.

Its really a fun, community driven project, said Parks and Recreation Manager Shaya Locket. The playground is designed by kids in the community. A couple months ago, we had a community day where kids came out and told us what they wanted in their playground. Youll see that in the actual design of the playground.

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The new playground will be finished and ready for neighborhood kids on Thursday.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
Scholars gather in Beijing to promote Tibetan studies

Xinhua) 11:02, August 15, 2023

BEIJING, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- More than 300 scholars on Tibetology from China and overseas gathered in Beijing on Monday for the opening of a key international seminar promoting Tibetan studies.

The seminar, the seventh of its kind since 1991, will be held until Wednesday, according to the China Tibetology Research Center (CTRC), an organizer of the event.

As one of the largest international academic events in Tibetan studies, the seminar is an important platform for academics in Tibetology at home and abroad to showcase the latest research findings and deepen exchanges and cooperation, according to CTRC.

During the event, scholars will discuss various topics such as education, Tibetan Buddhism, social transformation and change, and architecture and living conditions on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

"At present, Tibet enjoys economic development, social stability, ethnic unity and religious harmony," said Lin Rui, deputy head of China Association for Preservation and Development of Tibetan Culture, during the opening ceremony. "The Tibetan people, together with the people of all ethnic groups in China, are moving forward with determination on the new journey towards Chinese modernization."

The preservation and inheritance of Tibetan culture have been secured like never before, Lin said, citing the extensive use of Tibetan language and characters, as well as the protection and utilization of cultural relics and historical sites.

"In the new era, Tibetan culture exudes new charm, shows new characteristics and heralds great prospects," Lin said.

Chen Zongrong, deputy director-general of CTRC, pointed out that great progress has been made in Tibetan studies in China since the last edition of the seminar in 2016.

At present, there are more than 100 Tibetology institutions engaged in research, education and publishing, and more than 5,000 professionals engaged in Tibetan studies.

Chinese scholars on Tibetology have been expanding the depth and scope of their studies by drawing on research findings of other disciplines, as well as exploring new materials, issues and research paradigms, Chen added.

He also underlined the increasing usage of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence and digitalization, in Tibetan studies.

"This is not only refreshing but also of high academic value. It greatly enriches the Tibetan studies and expands the depth of research," Chen said.

Scholars attending the seminar have expressed a willingness to deepen exchanges and cooperation on Tibetan studies with their colleagues from across the world.

Birgit Kellner, director of the Institute for the Cultural and Intellectual History of Asia (IKGA) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, noted that Sanskrit manuscripts preserved in Tibet have great historical and cultural value.

In recent years, CTRC has signed a cooperation agreement with IKGA to jointly carry out the research on Tibetan Sanskrit manuscripts and achieved a series of remarkable results.

Kellner expressed the hope to maintain close exchanges with Chinese researchers and further promote international academic cooperation in Sanskrit manuscripts research.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 15)  Taguig City still needs to secure a Writ of Execution from the court before it can have control over 10 barangays from Makati City, according to the administrator of the Supreme Court (SC).

On Tuesday, Makati City Administrator Claro Certeza released to the media a copy of a document that showed a clarification on the transfer of jurisdiction.

The document dated Aug. 14, signed by Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 64 Executive Judge Gina M. Bibat-Palamos, quoted the response from the Office of the Court of Administrator.

As an initial assessment, the decision of the Supreme Court's Third Division should be the subject of a Writ of Execution before the trial court of origin. When the said writ has been implemented by the Department of Interior and Local Government, then that is the reckoning period for the transfer of jurisdiction of cases emanating from the Fort Bonifacio Military Reservation, consisting of Parcels 3 and 4, Psu-2031, from Makati City to the City of Taguig," SC Administrator Raul Villanueva wrote in his reply to Executive Judge Bibat-Palamos dated August July 25, 2023.

Villanueva also said that "all cases currently filed and pending before the first and second level courts in Makati City should continue to be tried, heard, and decided by the said courts."

Certeza again lambasted the Taguig government for allegedly failing to adhere to the rule of law as they launched the annual Brigada Eskwela at Makati Science High School and visited Fort Bonifacio Elementary School and Fort Bonifacio High Schoolall of which are located in the disputed land.

Their unlawful entry in our public schools without securing the necessary legal processes clearly demonstrates a lack of respect for established procedures and the principle of jurisdiction," he added.

He also urged Taguig to adhere to the rule of law to avoid confusion among parents and students and unnecessary tension in barangays affected by the SC decision.

READ: Some parents favor Makati in border issue due to school benefits

READ: Taguig denies 'forcible' takeover of EMBO schools from Makati

Certeza warned that Makati City may slap criminal and administrative charges against Taguig for its unlawful attempt to take possession of properties owned by Makati.

Meanwhile, on the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairperson George Garcia said the poll body can easily transfer Makatis database to Taguig.

However, the Comelec would still need to coordinate with other government agencies to ensure the smooth flow of elections in the cities.

Naghihintay lang tayo ng latest update sa Supreme Court. Ang Comelec ay magbibigay ng kanyang final plan of action by next week. Garcia said.

[Translation: Were just waiting for the latest update from the Supreme Court. The Comelec will issue its final plan of action by next week.]
Niger's military-appointed prime minister made an unannounced visit to neighbouring Chad on Tuesday as West African states set talks for mulling possible military intervention to reverse his country's coup and the United States and Russia urged a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, a civilian appointed by the military rulers who ousted Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26, arrived in Chad for a "working visit," the Chadian government said on Facebook.

In a statement issued after meeting Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, Zeine said he had brought a message of "good neighbourliness and good fraternity" from the head of Niger's regime.

"We are in a process of transition, we discussed the ins and outs and reiterated our availability to remain open and talk with all parties, but insist on our country's independence," he said.

Deby, a key player in the unstable Sahel, had flown to the Nigerien capital Niamey four days after the coup.

Photos later showed him pictured next to the detained Bazoum and, separately, with one of the regime's leaders, General Salifou Mody.

- Diplomacy call -

Zeine's unannounced visit came hours after sources in the region said military chiefs from the regional bloc ECOWAS would meet in Ghana on Thursday and Friday to discuss possible intervention in Niger.

The meeting -- originally scheduled for last Saturday but then postponed -- flows from an ECOWAS summit last week which approved deployment of a "standby force to restore constitutional order" in Niger.

Analysts say military intervention would be operationally risky and politically hazardous, given divisions within ECOWAS ranks and fears of worsening the Sahel's chronic instability.

But the option of force also came with the bloc's insistence that it preferred a diplomatic outcome -- a scenario that Washington strongly backed on Tuesday.

"I believe that there continues to be space for diplomacy in achieving that result," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters.

"The pressure that's been exerted by many countries including through ECOWAS on the military leaders responsible for disrupting the constitutional order in Niger is mounting.

"I think they have to take that into account, as well as the fact that their actions have isolated them from the region and the world."

Russian President Vladimir Putin called for a "peaceful political and diplomatic" resolution to the crisis in a phone call with Mali's junta leader, Assimi Goita, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

- Shock wave -

President Mohamed Bazoum's election in 2021 was a landmark in Niger's history, ushering in the country's first peaceful transfer of power since independence from France in 1960.

His ousting unleashed a shock wave around West Africa, where Mali and Burkina Faso -- likewise battered by a jihadist insurgency -- have also suffered military takeovers.

ECOWAS -- the Economic Community of West African States -- applied a tough roster of trade and financial sanctions, while France, Germany and the United States suspended their aid programmes.

The regional bloc gave the new regime a one-week ultimatum on July 30 to restore Bazoum or face the potential use of force, but the deadline expired without action.

Niger's military regime has sent mixed signals since the crisis erupted.

At the weekend, the coup leaders said they were open to a diplomatic push after their chief, General Abdourahamane Tiani, met with Nigerian religious mediators.

Those talks came after the ECOWAS military meeting in Ghana was postponed for "technical reasons".

But on Sunday night, Niger's rulers declared they had gathered sufficient evidence to prosecute Bazoum for "high treason and undermining internal and external security".

The legal threat was angrily condemned by ECOWAS, which lashed it as a contradiction of the regime's "reported willingness" to explore peaceful means. Washington said it was "incredibly dismayed".

The row overshadowed talks under African Union (AU) auspices that began on Monday in Addis Ababa, bringing together representatives from the regime and ECOWAS.

- Poor and unstable -

A landlocked nation in the heart of the arid Sahel, Niger is one of the world's poorest and most turbulent countries.

Bazoum, 63, survived two attempted coups before being ousted, in the fifth putsch in the country's history.

His ousting deals a huge blow to French and US strategy in the Sahel.

France refocused its anti-jihadist operations on Niger after withdrawing from Mali and Burkina Faso last year following a bust-up with their juntas.

International concern is mounting for the state of Bazoum, his wife and son, who have been held at the president's official residence since the coup.

burx-pid-cma/pvh/ri
The News

Belarus is emerging as a critical new front in the war in Europe.

Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia have all rushed thousands of troops to their borders over the past few weeks in response to Belarusian military exercises in the west of the country. Officials from NATO countries tell Semafor they are also closely monitoring the influx of Wagner mercenary forces into Belarus, following their failed June uprising in Russia, and their training of Belarusian security services. And theyre concerned about Minsks growing ties with Russian ally Iran.

NATO and the Baltic states are particularly worried about the security of the Suwalki Gap  a land corridor on Polands borders with Lithuania that divides Belarus from the Russian territory of Kaliningrad. The territory has been the subject of NATOs focus for decades, but the war in Ukraine and Wagners growing presence in Belarus has raised the stakes. Any Russian or Russian-backed incursion could divide the three Baltic states from the rest of NATO.

NATO and Middle East governments are also tracking Belaruss growing military partnership with Iran amid evidence the two countries are preparing to build a drone-production facility on Belarusian soil. Belaruss defense minister met his Iranian counterpart in Tehran late last month and signed a cooperation agreement aimed at strengthening each others defenses. Ukrainian and Israeli intelligence believe this includes the development of a drone factory, which could drastically increase Russias ability to hit Ukraine with loitering munitions.

There was contact between Iran and Belarus and a cooperation agreement on drones was signed, but the Belarusians deny it for now, a senior Israeli official briefed on the Belarus intelligence told Semafor. This is a very concerning development that demonstrates Irans determination to undermine European security.

Jays view

Belarus has played a central role in aiding Russia since Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine last February. This has included allowing the Russian military to launch offensive operations from Belarusian soil and store arms, possibly including tactical nuclear weapons. But Minsks partnering with the Wagner Group and Tehran is significantly escalating the threat to Ukraine and NATO.

NATO officials estimate that 6,500 Wagner forces have moved to Belarus from Russia since June, with more potentially coming. Minsk says the Wagner mercenaries are helping to train security forces. But Polish and Ukrainian officials say some have also been deployed to Belaruss borders, and theyre concerned that Wagner forces could begin staging sabotage operations against Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia. All three countries are providing significant military support to Ukraine.

The adversary may focus their activities on complicating the supply of military material and technical assistance to Ukraine from partner countries, Lieutenant General Serhiy Nayev, commander of the Joint Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, told Ukrainian radio on Monday.

The building of an Iranian drone production facility in Belarus would also significantly enhance Russias ability to hit Ukraine. Russia has been deploying Iranian-made kamikaze drones since last fall. Many of the drones, according to U.S. and NATO officials, were ferried from Iran to Russian forces over the Caspian Sea. And Russia has started building an Iranian drone production facility in the autonomous region of Tartarstan.

But a site in Belarus would allow the Kremlin to launch kamikaze drones from another front, and drastically increase its supply. Belarusian opposition groups have reported seeing Iranian engineers visiting the city of Gomel, which is near the Ukrainian border, alongside Russian intelligence officers in recent weeks.

And Belarus is receiving support from China as well. Beijing announced on Monday that Defense Minister Li Shangfu will visit Minsk this month to strengthen Belarusian-Chinese ties.

Room for Disagreement

Belarus described its military drills near the Suwalki Gap last week as designed to build on experiences learned from the special military operation  the term Putin has used to describe his war in Ukraine. Belarus defense ministry said the training included the use of drones as well as the close interaction of tank and motorized rifle units with units of other branches of the armed forces. Minsk has denied Polish charges that Belarusian aircraft violated Polish airspace as part of these drills.

Belarus and Iran both heralded their defense cooperation during last months visit by Defense Minister General Viktor Khrenin to Tehran, though they didnt specifically mention the construction of a drone making facility. Khrenin emphasized the potential for direct and indirect collaboration between the defense ministries of both nations, according to Iranian state media.

Notable

The Suwalki Gap is described as the most dangerous place on earth and the likely first place of battle in any war between Russia and NATO.

Iran is seeking to expand its drone exports beyond the Middle East and Europe to include countries like Bolivia.
FILE PHOTO: Pigeons are seen resting on signage for Walgreens, owned by the Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc., in Manhattan, New York City

By Jonathan Stempel

(Reuters) -A federal appeals court on Tuesday revived a lawsuit in which the United States and Virginia accused Walgreens Boots Alliance of defrauding Virginia's Medicaid program by falsely representing that some patients were eligible for expensive hepatitis C drugs.

In a 3-0 decision, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, cleared the way for the nation's largest pharmacy chain to face claims it violated the federal False Claims Act and Virginia state law.

The case arose from alleged misconduct by a clinical pharmacy manager at a Walgreens in Kingsport, Tennessee.

She was accused of falsifying patient records, including lab results, between January 2015 and June 2016 to obtain prior authorization from Virginia Medicaid for reimbursement for the drugs Sovaldi, Harvoni and Daklinza.

Revenue from the Kingsport store grew by 321% during that time, court records showed.

Walgreens began an investigation, but did not repay money it received for 12 Virginia Medicaid patients, even after the manager pleaded guilty to a similar scheme in Tennessee.

In December 2021, a trial judge dismissed the lawsuit, saying Walgreens' misrepresentations were immaterial because Virginia's prior authorization requirements violated federal law.

But in Tuesday's decision, Circuit Judge Albert Diaz said Walgreens' alleged misrepresentations were material under the False Claims Act because they "did, in fact, influence the decisionmakers" at Virginia Medicaid.

He also said Walgreens could not escape liability by attacking Virginia's eligibility requirements as illegal.

"Allowing Walgreens to avoid liability by challenging Virginia's eligibility criteria only after getting caught would hinder the act's purpose of holding fraudsters accountable," Diaz wrote.

Walgreens declined to comment.

The U.S. Department of Justice also declined to comment, while the office of Virginia Attorney general Jason Miyares did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The case is U.S. et al v Walgreen Co, 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 22-1491.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Jonathan Oatis)
With gunfire in schools at an all-time high, though still rare,back-to-school season begins this year with many parents more concerned than ever about school safety.

While many schools and states have turned to physical safety measures such as extra police presence and metal detectors, others rely on social-emotional learning to improve school climate.

You have these two genres  the zero-tolerance policies and making each school look like a little prison on one side. Ironically, you have  at the same time  the opposite vision of making schools a more loving and caring and supportive place, said Ron Avi Astor, a professor of social work and education at the University of California, Los Angeles.

He noted that schools are increasingly leaning on both methods simultaneously to address school safety  a route he said might not work.

Are both of these views compatible? Can (students) feel like they belong  if their school is doing both? We dont know for sure, Astor said. These are really, in some ways, scary times in our country, because its not a simple list that parents should think about. They have to balance all these issues.

Experts, educators and advocates offered USA TODAY some of the questions parents should consider when assessing the safety of their childrens schools.

What is social-emotional learning?

School climate, which refers to students feelings of acceptance, appreciation and value in their school, is the most important factor for maintaining safety, said Aaron Kupchick, professor of sociology and criminal justice at the University of Delaware.

To maintain a positive school climate, experts stress the importance of teaching social emotional learning (SEL)  which prioritizes the development of social and emotional skills in students, including self-awareness, empathy and resilience. Over the past few years, SEL has been linked to critical race theory, and conservatives have said the practice as a form of woke indoctrination.

SEL at school is crucial for student safety and success, said Heather Reynolds, a professor of teacher education at State University New York, Empire State University.

It impacts not only safety, but academics. It improves mental health and students feel safer. Theyre more engaged, more likely to come to school and have a positive perception of school.

Moms for Liberty: No to mental health care in schools, but it's Florida law

What creates a safe, supportive learning environment?

Experts said restorative justice  a philosophy that emphasizes a community-oriented approach to address wrongdoings, needs and responsibilities of the classroom  is also crucial to a safe school environment.

The practice  which has long been used by some indigenous communities  is an alternative theory of justice that focuses on mediation and agreement rather than punishment. Rather than relying on punitive measures like suspensions or detention, restorative justice  which has been criticized by some conservatives  centers on rebuilding relationships after harm has been done.

These are really, in some ways, scary times in our country, because its not a simple list that parents should think about. Ron Avi Astor, a professor of social work and education at the University of California, Los Angeles

But Reynolds and Astor expressed concern about the way restorative justice programs have been implemented at schools, noting they are often inconsistent across schools, grade levels and even classrooms.

Someones doing trauma-informed work in fourth grade. Someones doing restorative justice practices in eighth grade. Someones doing mental support or community circles in a 12th grade advisory period  but all of these things are not connected, Reynolds said. We think thats great, but what about the connections? Because once the kid leaves that classroom, they may never be exposed to that again.

Astor encourages schools to pick one program that fits the needs of the schools environment.

Parents really need to be aware of what is being done to create a positive school climate. Whats being done to support nonpunitive disciplinary practices? Whats being done so that my kid has the skills to exist in the world? Reynolds said.

What funding is available in your district or state?

Over the past year, federal and state initiatives have allocated millions of dollars districts can use to enhance school safety.

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act was signed into law by President Joe Biden last year and allocated $15 billion in funding for schools to expand mental health and early intervention programs as well as improve physical safety and train school personnel. Grant applications are expected to open in March 2024. In addition, schools in Utah can apply for state grants to improve the safety measures on their campus. Ohio's most recent round of K-12 School Safety Grants sets aside more than $200 million for school safety.

Can new federal money help? US kids face mental health crisis amid school psychologist shortage.

Does your campus have a school police officer?

Police officers at schools, or school resource officers (SROs), are sworn law enforcement officers who work either part time or full time on campus and have a direct relationship with local law enforcement.

States such as Tennessee have allocated millions to hire more SROs, and cities such as Norman, Oklahoma, have pledged to have an SRO in every school by the end of the upcoming academic year.

St. Lucie County, Florida, Sheriff's Office K-9 Deputy Jeff Ward plays with Rosco, a golden retriever narcotic and firearm detecting K9 joining the school resource officer unit. u0022They are very, very sociable but they perform a very important function for us,u0022 Sheriff Ken Mascara said about the two K9 dogs joining the Sheriff's Office school resource team.

Kupchick said there is mixed evidence on the efficacy of police presence at schools, though a majority of evidence suggests that they do not make schools safer.

We see that the presence of officers can, in unintended and subtle ways, affect the schools social climate, Kupchick said.

Increased police presence in schools can lead to higher suspension rates and greater number of law enforcement referrals and arrests.

School environment and policing dont always go well together, Kupchick said. Sometimes, when we put police officers in schools, the school becomes less a site where were hyperfocused on student emotional and academic wellbeing and more a site of law enforcement.

Who can carry guns on your campus?

Scott DiMauro, president of the Ohio Education Association, said his union's biggest concern is the presence of guns on campus. In Ohio, the state allows teachers to carry guns on school grounds, and a new law last year cut required training time from 700 hours to 24.

We think thats the wrong direction. Teachers already have a full-time job. They are focused on the learning and success of their students, DiMauro said.

About 30 states have passed similar legislation allowing teachers to carry guns, according to data collected by the Giffords Law Center. Sixteen states prohibit the practice.

Who is suspended at your school?

Exclusionary discipline  when students are removed from the classroom as a form of punishment through suspensions and expulsions  has been used as a tool to maintain school safety and create a positive learning environment for other students.

But experts warn that pushing students out of their own classrooms is ineffective and disproportionately affects students of color and students with disabilities.

Tina Pool tells the Rutherford County Board of Education in Tennessee at a meeting last year that she would like to see principals reduce the out-of-school suspensions to keep students in the classrooms.

Although schools reliance on out-of-school suspensions has decreased since its peak in the 2010s, racial disparities among who get suspended persist. Black students make up 15% of public school enrollment but accounted for 38% of total suspensions in 2018, according to the federal Civil Rights Data Collection.

What about bullying and violence prevention?

Rates of bullying, fights and drug use in schools have significantly decreased over the past 20 years, Astor said, and a stronger connection to community resources, the hiring of more social workers and prioritization of student empowerment have driven the decline.

A study Astor co-wrote analyzing California schools over an 18-year period found that student victimization and weapon use has substantially decreased.

Oftentimes, they see on the news a shooting that happened within a school. Its very salient and very awful," said Justin Heinze, associate professor at the University of Michigan and co-director of the National Center for School Safety. "But, what I try to remind parents is that severe violence within schools is actually pretty rare.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Worried about school safety? Here are the questions parents should ask
Watch in full: Afghan pilot who fought alongside British troops speaks out as he fights deportation

An Afghan pilot threatened with deportation to Rwanda has called on Rishi Sunak to keep the promise the government made to its Afghan allies who fought alongside British troops.

The Independents Holly Bancroft explains the events that have left an Afghan pilot hero in limbo after his arrival to Britain by a small boat.

The air force lieutenant, who served alongside coalition troops, urged the prime minister to intervene in his case after finding no safe route to Britain from Afghanistan, where he had been in hiding from the ruling Taliban forces.

The Independent has been campaigning for the UK government to try to resolve the pilots case, allowing him and his family to live in Britain.

Sign our petition to add your support.

Watch the full interview on Independent TV, across mobile and connected TV.
A view of the damage in Lahaina, Maui. PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP/Getty Images

The island of Maui has been devastated by wildfires that began on Tuesday, August 8.

The Maui Bird Conservation Center was among structures that have been threatened by flames.

Staffers took matters into their own hands and brought out fire extinguishers to protect the birds.

On August 8, when wildfires first started to spread on Maui, one structure threatened by the flames was the Maui Bird Conservation Center in Makawao.

The isolation of Hawaii means there are multiple species of birds that aren't found anywhere else on Earth, according to the the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project's website.

So, when fire started making its way towards the center on August 8, it could've meant disaster for these endangered birds and their delicate ecosystem. But, as The Washington Post reported, not all hope was lost.

Jennifer Pribble, a wildlife care supervisor who lives at the center, told the Post that she saw the smoke heading her way early on August 8 and sprang into action  and her heroism was caught on camera.

Security footage from the center shared by Hawaii's Department of Land and Natural Resources shows two people running towards the center then dragging a hose towards the flames.

MBCC fire - security cam footage from undefined on Vimeo.

Pribble said she and her neighbor knew that the grass was extremely dry, and if the fire reached it, they'd only have minutes to save the birds. Quickly, they brought out their own fire extinguishers and began spraying, Pribble said. They also used a hose before firefighters arrived, as the footage shows.

"In that moment, our instincts kicked in and we knew what we had to do," Pribble told The Washington Post. "The goal was to keep the fire from spreading toward the aviaries."

Pribble also shared her story with The New York Times. "We just went out and kept it under control the best that we could, just so it didn't cross back over the road, until the state firefighters could arrive," she said.

Fighting the fire. Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources/San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

Losing the center, which is run by the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, would be an immeasurable loss for the island and for bird conservation. The center is home to some of the last 'alala, or Hawaiian crows, among other endangered birds, such as the 'akikiki, a small honeycreeper.

"Alala are extinct in the wild, and only about five 'akikiki are known to remain there," Emily Senninger, a spokeswoman for the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, told The New York Times.

According to Senninger's statement to The Washington Post, all the birds are safe.

Now, with the fire contained, the main concern is moving any birds away from trees that have fallen. The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has not yet responded to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Insider
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks before former President Donald Trump at an America First Policy Institute agenda summit at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, on July 26, 2022. | Andrew Harnik, Associated Press

Fox News  Trump: Personification of a national movement

Monday night, while speaking with former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, Sean Hannity discussed the ongoing indictments against former President Donald Trump.

I think we are drifting towards the greatest constitutional crisis since the 1850s and the rise of succession and the Civil War, Gingrich said.

I dont mean that as hyperbole, he added.

Trump has been indicted a total of four times in 2023.

State prosecutors in Georgia released the newest charges toward the former president and 18 other defendants on Monday.

Charges include violating the Georgia RICO Act  the Racketeer Influenced And Corrupt Organizations Act; Solicitation of Violation of Oath by a Public Officer; Conspiracy to Commit Impersonating a Public Officer; Conspiracy to Commit Forgery in the First Degree; Conspiracy to Commit False Statements and Writings; Conspiracy to Commit Filing False Documents; Conspiracy to Commit Forgery in the First Degree; Filing False Documents; and Solicitation of Violation of Oath by a Public Officer, as previously reported by the Deseret News.

Hannity asked how it would be possible for Trump to continue his run for president as the country heads into the busy political season, especially when special counsel Jack Smith requested a federal judge to begin the Washington, D.C., trial against Trump on Jan. 2.

What his enemies don't understand is that Donald Trumps not a candidate. He is the personification of a national movement. ... I think if they get Donald Trump locked into a room, they're going to find five, ten, fifteen million Americans willing to campaign as Trump surrogates, Gingrich said.

Related

CNN  California crime: Everyones a target

On Anderson Cooper 360, Cooper spoke to CNN reporter Kyung Lah, who interviewed a number of Oakland, California, residents who are in constant fear of being the next victim of crime.

Oakland resident Kristin Cook, who has lived in Oakland her entire life, became emotional when explaining to Lah, I cant take it anymore. I got to the point I was too scared to leave my house.

Cook added, The fact that I am being pushed out because I emotionally cant take it anymore is horrible.

According to CNN, homicides in Oakland are down compared to last year. However, other crimes rates have increased:

Robbery is up 22%.

Burglary is up 41%.

Rape is up 12%.

At community meetings in Oakland, residents have directed their frustration toward failed leadership, Lah said.

Darren White, who is a member of the NAACP branch in Oakland, recently released an open letter to the city blaming Failed leadership, the defund the police movement and anti-police rhetoric for creating a heyday for Oakland criminals, per CNN.

When asked if Oakland needs more cops on the street, White replied, Yes, we do need more. Every community needs police.

MSNBC  Hilary Clinton: We have a splintered information ecosystem

Monday night on The Rachel Maddow Show, Maddow interviewed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Maddow led into her questions with the statement that President Joe Biden has had the lowest unemployment since World War II, the lowest poverty and the lowest number of uninsured Americans in history during his presidency.

And yet, she said, his approval ratings arent strong, and his prospects for reelection are middling at best. She then asked Clinton what she thinks is the disconnect.

Clinton said it is because most Americans arent aware of what Bidens done because they dont get their news from sources like MSNBC, rather, they get bits of information from social media.

Americans don't have the kind of information that would give them confidence in knowing what their government is doing, Clinton said.

Clinton added that Biden is at a disadvantage because he is not a performer in a political theater sense compared to his political opponent Donald Trump, but is a producer in a political results sense, making the case that Trump is more exciting news for Americans to consume.
BOSTON - A Natick couple harassed and terrorized by former eBay employees and contractors in 2019 will finally have their day in court.

U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris has scheduled Ina and David Steiner's federal civil suit for March 3, 2025.

The Steiners, in July of 2021, filed a 12-count civil suit in the U.S. District Court in Boston against Bay, Inc., Progressive F.O.R.C.E. Concepts LLC, former eBay CEO Devin Weing, former eBay Vice President Steve Wymer and several others involved in eBays security department, including James Baugh, David Harville, Brian Gilbert, Stephanie Popp, Stephanie Stockwell, Veronica Zea and Philip Cooke, as well as a John and Jane Doe.

Ina and David Steiner, accompanied by their attorney Rosemary Scapicchio, background, accuse eBay of a terror campaign.

The Steiners, in their lawsuit, said they run an e-commerce website called EcommerceBytes, which they said wrote what eBay considered negative articles about the online auction site, angering executives.

The executives, Weing and Wymer, angry at the Steiners, gave Baugh instructions to stop them from writing about eBay.

Here's what happened in criminal court: Natick couple harassed by eBay execs

Baugh was the head of the securities for eBay and several of his direct and indirect reports - Gilbert, Harville, Popp, Stockwell, Zea and Cooke - then began harassing the Natick couple, according to the lawsuit.

The harassment began with online bullying on Twitter but progressed to the eBay employees mailing live spiders and roaches to the Steiners, as well as a pig fetus, a bloody pig mask, and a book about dealing with the death of a spouse, according to the lawsuit.

They also mailed embarrassing items to neighbors, claiming it was items for the Steiners, as well as posting ads for late-night sex meetups at the Steiner's home in Natick.

How to watch the Steiner's story: Natick couple was terrorized by U.S. tech giant. They spoke out on '60 Minutes'

Natick Police, after a lengthy investigation and the assistance of federal authorities, arrested and charged Baugh, Harville, Gilbert, Popp, Stockwell, Zea and Cooke for their roles in the harassment. All later pleaded guilty to various charges and received separate sentences.

Along with the trial date, Saris set several other dates for the case. Both sides must file a statement with a proposed pretrial agenda by Sept. 14 and there will be a summary judgment hearing on Dec. 5, 2024. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Jan. 16, 2025.

Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow Norman Miller on Twitter @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Natick couple suing Ebay, ex-employees for harassment get trial date
The White House asked the Supreme Court to overturn a lower courts decision to uphold a controversial Texas social media law.

Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar wrote a brief Monday saying conflicting decisions from circuit courts over similar laws in Texas and Florida warrant a Supreme Court review.

The two laws passed by the GOP-led states aim to prohibit social media companies from banning users based on political views. Those laws would limit companies from being able to moderate content and users, even if they violate the websites terms and conditions.

Prelogar said the court should reverse the 5th Circuit courts decision to uphold the Texas law, arguing that the companies have First Amendment protections to carry out content moderation as they choose.

The platforms content-moderation activities are protected by the First Amendment, and the content-moderation and individualized-explanation requirements impermissibly burden those protected activities, she wrote.

Unlike the 5th Circuit, the 11th Circuit ruled to block Floridas similar law from taking effect.

The conflicting opinions set the cases up to be heard by the Supreme Court. Two tech industry groups, the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) and NetChoice, are leading cases against the laws and have asked the Supreme Court to hear them.

CCIA President Matt Schruers said in a statement the group is glad to see the Solicitor General confirm the importance of the First Amendment issues raised by these state laws.

This is exactly the sort of case we would expect the Supreme Court to take up, because it involves a key Constitutional issue and split appellate court decisions, Schruers added.

NetChoice director of litigation Chris Marchese said in a statement the brief underscores that both laws are unconstitutional and that the Court should review our cases.

Prelogar stopped short of backing the entirety of the tech industrys group request, though. She wrote that the court should not consider challenges to provisions of the law that would require tech companies to disclose details of their content moderation rules.

The 11th Circuit court let those provisions of Floridas law stand, as well, and Prelogar wrote that the general-disclosure provisions have not been the focus of this litigation.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
US President Joe Biden. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The White House blasted Republicans' proposed deficit-reducing cuts in a fiery memo.

They said the GOP wants to slash earned benefits and hand out tax cuts for the wealthy.

In contrast, Biden has previously proposed bringing down deficits with a tax on millionaires.

Republicans may be clinging to their gas stoves, but the White House is turning up the heat ahead of what's sure to be a fiery budget season.

In a memo, White House deputy press secretary and senior communications adviser Andrew Bates blasted Republicans' plans for cutting the deficit  a priority among the right as they try to claw back government spending and slash programs in negotiations over funding the federal government by the end of September.

For instance, the Republican Study Committee released a report on spending priorities and reforms that would, among other measures, adjust the Social Security retirement age. Specifically, it proposed making "modest changes" to the benefit formula for those who are not near retirement, along with adjustments to the retirement age for "future retirees to account for increases in life expectancy," per the report.

"We will not now or ever support cutting or delaying retirement benefits for any senior in or near retirement," it said.

It's one of the GOP proposals floating around to cut spending on a range of Democratic priorities. Last month, Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee released a series of bills to fund federal agencies through 2024, and they included funding well below what Biden requested in his own budget.

For example, the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Bill would provide $147 billion for programs within those agencies, which is $60 billion below the 2023 enacted level and $73 billion below Biden's budget request.

Bates wrote that Republicans want to slash earned benefit programs and give tax breaks to corporations and the wealthy. Deficit reduction, and how to do it, are likely to be a battleground when Congress reconvenes and attempts to head-off a potential shutdown over a lack of government funding.

"Again, congressional Republicans claim to be champing at the bit to have a debate about deficits. In other words, they want to shine even more of a spotlight on their devotion to wealthy special interests above all else," Bates wrote. "On their plans to eviscerate Medicare and Social Security benefits while spending trillions on tax handouts to the rich and big corporations, and force seniors to pay even higher drug costs so Big Pharma can fill more swimming pools with caviar and diamonds. We'll book them on TV ourselves if it's helpful!"

Bates pointed to Biden's proposals to slash deficits by nearly $3 trillion, which included levying a minimum tax on billionaires and hiking corporate taxes. Republicans immediately slammed that March plan as unserious and a "roadmap to fiscal ruin."

Monday marked the 88th anniversary of the Social Security program, and many Democratic lawmakers took to X, formerly Twitter, to call on Congress to preserve the program and ensure Americans relying on the benefits will continue to receive them.

"Today is the 88th anniversary of Social Security! This program is a lifeline for millions of seniors, providing a baseline of support that's earned over a lifetime," California Sen. Alex Padilla said. "While the GOP tries to cut its funding, Democrats are committed to protecting Social Security for all Americans."

While Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy vowed to leave Social Security and Medicare cuts off the table in the bill to raise the debt ceiling, he told Fox News in June after the bill was signed into law that it "isn't the end," and more cuts will be necessary.

"The majority driver of the budget is mandatory spending," he said. "It's Medicare, Social Security, interest on the debt."

McCarthy said he would be looking at forming a commission to reduce the nation's debt, and while he has not said Social Security and Medicare will be the target of cuts, his remarks suggest it's something he's considering. Sen. Ron Wyden, top lawmaker on the Senate Finance Committee, told AP News that the idea of a commission is "a prescription for trouble. They're looking at a glide path to reduce benefits."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 15)  President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday said he wants the Filipino youth to be equipped with the proper tools to combat disinformation and misinformation in the digital world.

The president made the statement as he witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) and its partner agencies  the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission in Higher Education (CHED), and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)  to launch the government's campaign against fake news: "Media and Information Literacy (MIL)."

Marcos first mentioned the project in an event last June, where he said "fake news should have no place in modern society."

In his speech on Monday, the president described the digital world as both limitless and borderless that the public must navigate properly.

Marcos said truth is the first casualty of disinformation and misinformation. He also underscored the importance of verification of sources.

"The first step that we can do for our people is to say know your source. Tingnan niyo kung saan galing. Kung ano 'yung kuwento na 'yan. Baka nag-inuman lang 'yang mga 'yan tapos kung ano-ano ang naisip, sinulat sa Internet. Naniwala naman tayo," he said.

[Translation: The first step that we can do for our people is to say know your source. Check where it came from. What is that story? Maybe those people were just drinking and then wrote whatever they thought on the Internet. Yet we believe what they said.]

Roles of govt agencies

PCO Secretary Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil said the agency will act as lead implementer of the MIL project.

DepEd's role, meanwhile, includes crafting educator's and learner's MIL manual and incorporate it in the country's basic educational curriculum.

CHED, on the other hand, will perform similar functions in addition to other tasks to promote coordination and collaboration of concerned parties with state universities and colleges.

The DSWD will also incorporate the project in its social protection programs and provide support and assistance to the conduct of training related to the project in targeted communities.

The DILG  with local government units (LGUs)  will have on-the-ground activities in carrying out the anti-disinformation project.

Private partners

The PCO said the campaign also secured private partnerships from social media companies like Google, Meta, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter).

TikTok said PCOs project resonates with its efforts to enhance Filipinos' digital literacy, as it welcomed the collaboration to foster more informed and empowered netizens.

Global Government Affairs, Asia and the Pacific of X Monrawee Ampolpittayanant, meanwhile, reaffirmed the company's commitment in providing a safe, inclusive, entertaining, and informative experience for its users while maintaining free speech.

She added that X will continue to expand their "Community Notes" features that combat misinformation and disinformation on their platforms.

Google also vowed to continue to deepen its digital responsibility efforts, which include removing harmful and misleading content across its platforms.

Similarly, Meta said it will continue to collaborate with the government, civil society organizations, experts, and our community to help empower Filipinos with the necessary skills, resources, and information to help identify and combat misinformation.
President Joe Biden on Tuesday said he will travel to Maui soon to visit the devastation left behind by wildfires that ravaged the Hawaiian island last week, leaving scores dead and untold damage.

In his first comments on the disaster since late last week, Biden said he wanted to ensure a possible presidential visit wouldnt impede recovery efforts.

My wife Jill and I are going to travel to Hawaii as soon as we can, thats what Ive been talking to governor about, he said. I dont want to get in the way  Ive been to too many disaster areas, but I want to go and make sure we got everything they need. I want to be sure we dont disrupt the ongoing recovery efforts.

The remarks were Bidens first public comments about the unfolding disaster in Hawaii since last Thursday, when he similarly began a prescheduled speech addressing the devastation. The period of silence had not gone unnoticed by Bidens critics, including former President Donald Trump and other Republicans.

Bidens aides have pointed to the presidents frequent phone calls with FEMA leadership, Hawaiis congressional delegation and its governor as evidence of his sustained engagement. So far, Democrats have publicly supported Bidens response. The president has been in regular contact with Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, who has publicly praised the administrations response and the presidents full support. Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii also thanked Biden for his speed approving a federal disaster declaration during an appearance of CNNs State of the Union as she described her experience witnessing the wildfires devastation.

That included a photo Biden tweeted from aboard Air Force One speaking by phone with FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and Green, maps and binders spread out before him on his desk.

During his remarks, Biden pledged that the state would have every asset, every asset they need for ongoing recovery and rebuild efforts.

The president mourned the loss of life and generations of native Hawaiian history turned into ruin while reiterating a robust federal response, even as some on Maui have voiced frustration at the slow pace of aid.

You always hear this phrase, and Ive been to so many disasters in my career, its almost hollow, but our prayers, our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Hawaii  but not just our prayers, every asset, every asset they need will be there for them. And well be there in Maui as long as it takes, as long as it takes, and I mean that sincerely, Biden said.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell speaks via video during a news briefing with White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre at the White House on August 14, 2023 in Washington, DC. - Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Weve been working with the state to make sure survivors whove lost their homes have a place to call home until we can rebuild, Biden said inside a wind turbine plant.

I immediately approved the governors request for expedited major disaster declaration. Thats a fancy word of saying whatever you need, youre gonna get, he added.

Biden sought to empathize with families who have lost loved ones as the death toll rises.

Think about this: All that area theyve got to plow up, they cant do it now because they dont know how many bodies are there, he said. They dont know whats left. Imagine being a mom or dad. Imagine being a husband or wife, a mother, father.

In an appearance on CNN This Morning on Wednesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre suggested it will take some time for Bidens visit, as the president wants to ensure that he wont disrupt the recovery process.

Also on Tuesday, the White House explained in detail the steps the administration is taking to support recovery efforts in Maui Tuesday morning.

There are more than 500 federal personnel on the ground.

The US Coast Guard and US Navy are supporting search and rescue. The US Army is helping with fire suppression and FEMA is involved in fire containment, as well as food, water and shelter distribution.

The Small Business Administration is making disaster loans available to impacted businesses, homeowners, renters and nonprofits.

The US Department of Agriculture has approved child nutrition and SNAP benefits.

The Department of Health and Human Services has approved a public health emergency and is assisting with disaster mortuary operational response.

The US Army Corps of Engineers is helping with roads, electric services and hazardous waste removal alongside the Environmental Protection Agency.

The Department of Defense is helping move supplies across the state.

Former President Barack Obama asked for contributions for wildfire victims in Maui, according to a video released Monday. Obama has a home in Hawaii and has previously visited impacted areas.

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A group of volunteers who sailed from Maalaea Bay, Maui, form an assembly line on Kaanapali Beach on Saturday Aug. 12, 2023, to unload donations from a boat. Maui residents have come together to donate water, food and other essential supplies to people on the western side of the island after a deadly fire destroyed hundreds of homes and left scores of people homeless. | Rick Bowmer, Associated Press

In the aftermath of the Maui wildfires, one of the deadliest wildfires in U.S. history, the White House is sending aid to those affected by the devastation.

At the White House press briefing Monday, Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Deanne Criswell said she and her staff have been in Hawaii since 2 a.m. on Saturday morning to get a true understanding of what the impact is here on the ground, she said.

When Criswell was asked if the government has provided adequate funding for the response, she said said they have, but added, we will need additional funding to ensure that all of our other recovery projects can continue and not get delayed until the next fiscal year.

The actual size of the death toll is not yet known, as the search continues for additional bodies, per CNN.

On Sunday, when asked by Bloombergs White House correspondent Justin Sink about the rising death toll in Maui, President Joe Biden replied no comment, which led to questions about whether the president was adequately engaged in the unfolding disaster.

Sink tweeted the following on X: After a couple hours on the Rehoboth beach, @potus was asked about the rising death toll in Hawaii No comment, he said before heading home.

After a couple hours on the Rehoboth beach, @potus was asked about the rising death toll in Hawaii



No comment, he said before heading home pic.twitter.com/Y0UmXirju9  Justin Sink (@justinsink) August 13, 2023

Following the incident, Biden was criticized by many on social media for his response.

The Washington Examiners Byron York said on social media, It seems like the president should have something to say about that.

It seems like the president should have something to say about that. https://t.co/3Em5U3XLLH  Byron York (@ByronYork) August 14, 2023

The White House released a post Monday morning on X, formerly known as Twitter, that said, Hawaii Wildfire Update: The Biden-Harris Administration is closely monitoring the situation on the ground and coordinating with FEMA, state, local, and federal partners to support the continuing life-saving operations.

Hawaii Wildfire Update:



The Biden-Harris Administration is closely monitoring the situation on the ground and coordinating with FEMA, state, local, and federal partners to support the continuing life-saving operations.  The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 14, 2023

While in Utah last week, Biden approved a disaster declaration for Hawaii, which he mentioned during a speech to veterans and supporters, saying his administration would offer whatever assistance is needed.

Not just our prayers, he said. Every asset we have will be available to them. Its not over yet.

Related

During the White House press briefing Monday one reporter asked if it was possible for the president to visit the island without distracting from the rescue efforts and if a visit was on his schedule.

Criswell replied, Not at this point. Again, we just want to make sure that we are working to help this community identify everybody thats missing and we need to stay focused on that right now.
The father alleged the school district had engaged in a campaign of open racial discrimination in some programming since 2020, making it difficult for his son and other students to learn.

A federal court judge in New Jersey has dismissed a lawsuit from a parent who claimed his son was subjected to discrimination because he was white, ruling that it lacked standing.

In a lawsuit filed last year, a Mountain Lakes father identified as B.L. claimed the Morris County school district engaged in a campaign of open racial discrimination in some programming since June 6, 2020, making it difficult for his son and other students to learn, according to Patch.

Michael J. Fetherman, superintendent of the Mountain Lakes School District, expressed his satisfaction with the federal courts decision to dismiss the lawsuit and his excitement about returning to what we do best  the education of our children.

A federal court judge in New Jersey has dismissed a lawsuit from a white parent who claimed his son was racially discriminated against after George Floyds death. (Photo: Adobe Stock)

Former Mountain Lakes High School Principal Frank Sanchez allegedly distributed a brochure to parents and a film to students after George Floyds death. The pamphlet analyzed institutional racism worldwide and promoted political activism supporting anti-racist philosophy.

The programming includes, without limitation, shibboleths such as white children are receiving coded and sometimes direct messages that all the time about their racial superiority, the lawsuit states, Patch reported, and that MLSD needs to teach about white peoples roles in perpetuating racism.

The unidentified parent claimed the school district forced a racial political ideology on its students, breaching their constitutional right to be free from racial or race-based discrimination.

The lawsuit also accused Sanchez, the former principal, of inciting pupils to participate in Black Lives Matter demonstrations by referring to them as a call to arms.

In response, B.L. demanded that the Morris County district stop sponsoring initiatives suggesting racism, systemic injustice or white privilege.

The lawsuit also contended that the district shouldnt be allowed to apply for or receive federal funding until the claimed racially discriminatory practices stop.

After filing the suit, the father said he and the other plaintiffs, who had been recognized on social media and in the neighborhood, had come under attack.

Judge Jessica S. Allen initially dismissed the case in February, citing the requirement that they submit an amended complaint exposing their identities. B.L. did not comply, instead submitting the current appeal and motion to stay.

Judge John Michael Vazquez threw out the case on Aug. 8, asserting that B.L. lacked standing because his son was an adult now and could file his own lawsuit. He added the son could only resolve issues by launching a new case under his real name.

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The post White parents racial discrimination lawsuit over schools anti-racism initiatives post-George Floyd dismissed appeared first on TheGrio.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis at a news conference in Atlanta on Monday. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

I did not choose this. I did not choose for Donald Trump to be on my plate, Fulton County, Ga., District Attorney Fani Willis told Yahoo News last year. But his blatant efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election left her with no choice but to pursue a criminal case against him, she argued.

That effort culminated on Monday night with an indictment against Trump and 18 others on 41 racketeering charges related to the presidential election they allegedly tried to subvert.

Trump and the other Defendants charged in this Indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, the indictment charges, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump.

The woman behind the indictment could be Trumps biggest nemesis yet. Willis has taken on teachers, rappers and ordinary criminals. Now she seeks to convict a former occupant of the White House.

Read more on Yahoo News: Trump Has Blatantly Unlawful Tantrum About Georgia Grand Jury Witness, via Daily Beast

An education in civil rights

Willis, then Fulton County deputy district attorney, at a trial in 2016. (John Bazemore/AP)

Willis was raised by her father, a member of the Black Panthers who later became a celebrated attorney. Since I was a very little bitty girl, you get dragged to the polls, she told Yahoo News.

She went to Howard, the prestigious, historically Black university in Washington, D.C., then to Emory in Atlanta for law school. Afterward, she became a prosecutor in the Fulton County district attorneys office.

Her boss there was Paul Howard Jr., the man she would unseat more than two decades later.

Read more on Yahoo News: How Trump Camp And Allies Allegedly Pursued Nationwide Effort To Breach Voting Machines

The cheating scandal

Willis at a 2013 hearing for Atlanta educators who were accused of a cheating conspiracy. (David Tulis/AP)

In 2009, an investigation by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution revealed extraordinary gains or drops in standardized test scores in several city schools. These were not isolated cases, it quickly became clear, but rather a massive, coordinated scheme orchestrated by the citys top educators.

A state investigation followed, revealing that an astonishing 178 educators were involved in the district-wide cheating scheme, which was enabled by a culture of fear and a conspiracy of silence.

Ultimately, only 12 educators, including the by-then-former Superintendent Beverly Hall, went on trial, which began in 2014. Willis tried the case. In its coverage of the proceedings, the New York Times described Willis as making a lengthy opening statement, peppered with both slangy Southernisms and pointed indignation.

She would win convictions for 11 of the 12 defendants.

Read more on Yahoo News: America's biggest teacher and principal cheating scandal unfolds in Atlanta, via the Christian Science Monitor

Taking on Young Thug

Willis with members of her team during proceedings to seat a special grand jury to investigate Trump. (Ben Gray/AP)

The cheating case showed that Willis was unafraid to take on powerful, entrenched interests. She got a chance to do so again in 2022, when she indicted 28 members of Young Stoner Life, the rap label run by prominent Atlanta artist Young Thug.

Willis, however, saw YSL as little more than a criminal enterprise, one she said was associated with the national Bloods gang. The indictment presented by her office charged that music was secondary to YSLs operations, which allegedly included obtaining money, weapons and other property through acts of racketeering activity, including robbery, theft and the unlawful sale and distribution of drugs.

Her office has cited rap lyrics as evidence, brushing off suggestions that doing so criminalizes the creative act. Courtroom proceedings against Young Thug and his associates are ongoing.

Read more on Yahoo News: Rapper Young Thug to go to trial in gang, racketeering case, via Associated Press

The biggest case of all

Willis at a news conference on Monday. (John Bazemore/AP)

Willis took office one day after Trump made his infamous call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in a desperate  and possibly illegal  attempt to find enough votes to overturn his defeat at Joe Bidens hands the previous November.

My very first day in this office  in that conference room, its all over the TV, she later told the Times.

She intends to use the same racketeering laws that she charged the cheating teachers and Young Thug with violating to prosecute the case against Trump. The statutes, known as RICO, tend to be used against organized crime enterprises.

As legal scholar Clark Cunningham of Georgia State explained to ABC News, framing the case as a conspiracy acknowledges its inherent complexity: "What a RICO prosecution does is it takes a lot of different pieces, odd shapes, different colors that may not seem to have any relationship with each other. If the prosecution is successful, the jury says, 'Oh my God, I see the picture. ... I see a vast conspiracy here.'"

Trump is also facing several other state and federal indictments. As with those cases, he has complained that he is the target of selective prosecution intended to keep him out of the White House, as he is now the frontrunner for the 2024 presidential nomination.

At a rally last week, he baselessly accused Willis of having an affair with a gang member.

Read more on Yahoo News: How Fani Willis oversaw what might be the most sprawling legal case against Donald Trump
The case against former President Donald Trump here in Georgia is going to look different than the others he is facing.

The scope of it is much bigger with 19 defendants and 41 charges. And the access is different.

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From the first appearances to the trial, the public will likely to be able to see everything that goes on in a courtroom here with their own eyes.

It will give people unprecedented access into the courtroom in a trial like this, said former DeKalb County District Attorney Robert James told Channel 2s Justin Gray.

The other big difference, James said, is RICO, charging Trump and 18 others as being part of a criminal organization.

Theres nothing unusual about this indictment, you know, if youre talking to a Georgia prosecutor, James said.

TRENDING STORIES

Its something that in federal courts or even other states is associated with the mob -- organized crime.

But Georgias RICO law is a regular legal tool of prosecutors. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has used the statue in cases like the YSL gang trial.

This is the 11th RICO indictment. We followed the same process. We look at the facts. We look at the law and we bring charges, Willis said.

James said where the federal and New York charges are more narrow, this Georgia case is meant to tell the full story of the alleged crimes.

When youre setting out individual acts in an indictment, it doesnt really give you the ability to tell the story. Youre just saying, you know, Donald Trump did X, Donald Trump did Y, Donald Trump did Z. But when you have a RICO indictment, you have Donald Trump, 18 other individuals, and youre telling the full story, right? James said.

While prosecuting the case as RICO allows Willis to more easily tell the full story of this alleged criminal conspiracy, former prosecutors also say it could make getting a conviction more complicated than in the other criminal cases.

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At the start of the week, Donald Trump faced 78 felony counts across three criminal prosecutions. Then, near midnight on Monday in Fulton County, Ga., District Attorney Fani Willis added a fourth case with 13 more.

In some ways, the new charges resemble the old. Like special counsel Jack Smith, Willis has accused Trump of orchestrating a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 presidential election. And like Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Willis has accused Trump of falsifying documents, albeit very different types of documents and for very different reasons.

Beyond the similarities, though, the Georgia case stands apart. In terms of the sheer scope of wrongdoing it alleges, the 98-page indictment sweeps far more broadly than any of the previous indictments against Trump. And for the first time, a panoply of high-ranking aides, attorneys and allies have been named as co-defendants alongside Trump.

Trump and the other Defendants charged in this Indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump, the document says. That conspiracy contained a common plan and purpose to commit two or more acts of racketeering activity in Fulton County, Georgia, elsewhere in the State of Georgia, and in other states.



While the indictment lists a total of 41 felony counts, the 13 counts that apply to Trump fall into the following categories:



Those charges cover a range of alleged wrongdoing, including Trumps efforts to pressure Georgia officials to undo the election results, his scheme to assemble false electors claiming to represent the state in the Electoral College, his submission of documents that contained lies about ballot fraud and his attempts to enlist the Justice Department to aid his pressure campaign.

Some of the charges entail automatic prison time under the Georgia criminal code. For instance, if convicted of conspiring to solicit a public official to violate the oath of office, Trump would face a minimum one-year mandatory prison sentence. (Willis alleges Trump committed that crime by pressuring the speaker of the Georgia House to call a special session to appoint fake electors.) The crime of first-degree forgery similarly carries a mandatory prison sentence of at least one year.

The prospect of mandatory prison time is a first among Trumps criminal cases. In his other cases, some charges  like allegedly falsifying business records in his New York hush money case  are unlikely to result in any prison time for a first-time offender. Other, more serious charges  like Trumps alleged violations of the Espionage Act and his alleged obstruction of justice in his federal case involving classified documents  typically result in significant prison sentences, but federal judges have discretion.



The gravest charge in the Georgia case is racketeering under the states RICO Act. In fact, thats the only count in the indictment that is denoted on the courts docket as a serious felony. (The other counts are all known simply as felonies.) Georgia law uses the serious designation to classify certain crimes that carry heavier penalties, in the same way that other states use A or B felony designations, according to Anthony Michael Kreis, an assistant professor of law at Georgia State University.

Although prison time is not automatic for a conviction under the states RICO Act (a judge can decide to dole out only a fine), if the judge does decide to impose a prison sentence, it must be at least five years.



John Acevedo, a law professor at Emory University, said he found the racketeering charge notable because it is so notoriously difficult to prove. The RICO count requires Willis to prove not only a conspiracy but also an ongoing enterprise, Acevedo said.

The indictment says that Trump and his co-defendants constituted a criminal organization whose members and associates engaged in various related criminal activities including, but not limited to, false statements and writings, impersonating a public ofcer, forgery, ling false documents, inuencing witnesses, computer theft, computer trespass, computer invasion of privacy, conspiracy to defraud the state, acts involving theft, and perjury.

It adds that, The enterprise constituted an ongoing organization whose members and associates functioned as a continuing unit for a common purpose of achieving the objectives of the enterprise.

Acevedo speculated that Willis willingness to bring such a charge likely has to do with an effort to pressure some of Trumps 18 co-defendants to flip on him, because the heavier penalties the charge carries impose a significant threat.

I think it does reveal a bit of her strategy, he said.
Activists take part in a hunger strike outside the Indonesian parliament building in Jakarta on Aug. 14, 2023. Credit - Adek BerryAFP/Getty Images

Some 50 domestic workers took to the front of Indonesias parliamentary compound in Jakarta on Monday, sitting under a tent with plates before them. But it wasnt a feast: the plates instead were piled with sponges, cleaning rags, and baby bottlesemblematic of the breadth of household service work done without legal protections for decades.

Southeast Asias largest economy has long relied on more than 4 million workersof which an estimated 3 in 4 are women, while some 2% are aged between 10-17for household service work, enabling middle- to upper-income families to focus on more lucrative endeavors. Despite this, these domestic workers dont receive the normal benefits that other laborers in Indonesia do, putting them at risk for systemic discrimination and violence. Activists report more than 3,200 complaints of violence against domestic workers since 2015, including horrific stories of women being forced to eat animal waste and chained to dog cages.

Demand for legislation to create stronger safeguards began as early as 2004, but Indonesias parliament has stalled on enacting reform. Fed up of waiting, around 360 domestic workers across six major citiesJakarta, Medan, Tangerang, Semarang, Yogyakarta, and Makassarvowed to take turns in a hunger strike, fasting from sunrise to sunset starting Aug. 14, whether in public or in their homes, until the much-awaited bill moves forward in parliament.

Whether or not this latest strike will bear fruit remains to be seen. The state must be there to regulate the domestic workers situation, Lita Anggraini of the National Advocacy Network for Domestic Workers, who was among those going on strike, tells TIME. The law is fundamental and very urgent.

How can the bill help?

In a 2006 review of Indonesias policies, the International Labor Organization said that the Indonesian governments interpretation of its key labor lawLaw No. 13 of 2003 on Manpowerfalls short of explicitly recognizing domestic workers as a formal labor sector. Because of this, they are not provided the protections afforded to enterprise employees, including minimum wage, social security, and access to mechanisms for resolving labor disputes.

While other national laws like the elimination of domestic violence and child protection have addressed some issues in part, the proposed Domestic Workers Protection Bill (PPRT), say advocates, would provide all-encompassing measures that will formally recognize domestic workers as laborers. Among other benefits like written contracts stipulating the scope of work, rest days, and salary, the bill penalizes those who are convicted of violence against their domestic workers with up to eight years in prison, according to Channel News Asia. It also sets a minimum age requirement of 18 for domestic work.

Whats delaying the law?

In January, President Joko Widodo said he ordered cabinet ministers to coordinate with lawmakers to fasttrack the bills passage. They are vulnerable to losing their rights as workers, he appealed. By March, the PPRT was made a priority legislation again.

Its not the first time the PPRT has been considered a legislative priority, only for it to be forgotten. In July 2020, lawmakers appeared to endorse the bill in a plenary session, but House leadership declined to approve the endorsement, citing administrative reasons.

Muhamad Isnur, a human rights lawyer from the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation, says lawmakers are not rushing to pass the bill because they could not reap benefits from it. A lot of laws are giving benefits for oligarchs, for the rich people, for the highest of ranks, Muhamad tells TIME. But when we talk about laws for peoples rights, its slow. And it needs big pressure from the people.

Lita, of the National Advocacy Network for Domestic Workers, is worried that domestic workers may be placed on the sidelines again, as lawmakers pivot their attention to the general elections in 2024. They forget the domestic workers, they forget the law, she tells TIME. Without the domestic workers in the house, they cannot do, they cannot work.

How common are hunger strikes in Indonesia?

Many demonstrators have resorted to hunger strikes to capture the governments attention. In 2013, two children staged a hunger strike in Bali after failing to get the local government on board with a plastics ban campaign. Shortly after the strike began, Balis governor yielded. Some refugees in the country, in protest of tight border policies, also refused to eat for days in 2021. And last December, five of 16 hunger strikers protesting against a mining company in West Sumbawa some 700 miles away from the capital were rushed to the hospital after they collapsed.

Asked whether the domestic workers think the latest hunger strike will work, Lita said, Well always try what we can do and never give up.

Contact us at letters@time.com.
The News

Thanks to Donald Trumps latest criminal case, Americans are about to get a crash course on Georgias RICO law.

The former president and his 18 co-defendants now face charges under the states longstanding anti-racketeering statute, along with a host of other potential felonies, over their efforts to overturn the 2020 election, thanks to the sweeping indictment a Fulton County grand jury handed down late Monday night.

First enacted in 1980 in order to help crack down on gangs and organized crime, Georgias RICO statute could pose a special danger for Trump. Legal experts say that charges under it are in some ways easier to prove than an ordinary conspiracy case, and could help prosecutors flip his associates. Convictions also carry a prison sentence of between five and 20 years. Since its a state crime, Trump would be ineligible for a federal pardon. The governor couldnt pardon him either, since Georgia only gives that power to a five-member board.

He could be looking at some serious prison time, Danny Porter, the former district attorney in nearby Gwinnett County, told Semafor.

The Danger for Trump

A RICO charge allows prosecutors to sweep up anyone who participated in a criminal enterprise by committing at least two underlying crimes. Georgias is particularly wide reaching: It covers a broader array of conduct than the federal statute it was modeled on, and can include actions taken out of state.

Unlike conspiracy charges, prosecutors bringing a RICO case dont have to show that the defendants explicitly agreed to commit each crime together  a feature that makes it easier to convict crime bosses for actions taken by their underlings.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis  who has made creative racketeering cases one of her trademarks in office  made this point memorably during one of the most famous criminal cases in Atlanta history, when she used RICO to prosecute a group of public school teachers and administrators accused of scheming to inflate their students test scores. You dont, under RICO, have to have a formal, sit-down dinner meeting where you eat spaghetti. But what you do have to do is all be doing the same thing for the same purpose, Willis said during the trial.

In the Trump indictment, Willis is painting this picture of people winking and nodding and working toward this end goal of overthrowing the election, but without some kind of expressed agreement, Georgia State University law professor Anthony Michael Kreis told The Conversation. The Georgia RICO law allows her to rope in a lot of people who allegedly were involved with this kind of approach.

The more co-conspirators who face legal peril, the more chances prosecutors have to find ones willing to testify.

The Danger for Prosecutors

Racketeering cases are also a deeply complex undertaking for prosecutors. The hardest thing about trying them is breaking them down into digestible parts for a jury to understand, Porter told Semafor. They can be slow moving.

If you examine a witness, every defense attorney has the right to cross-examine that witness, so you could have a situation where you have a prosecutor call a witness, they ask their questions, and then 12 defense attorneys get to cross examine them, Porter said. In the Trump case, there are 19 defendants  and during her press conference following the indictment, Willis insisted she intended to try them together.

To get a sense of how complex this case will likely become, look no further than another RICO case currently playing out in Fultons court. In May 2022, Willis used the statute to indict 28 people accused of being part of the Young Slime Life gang, including rappers Young Thug and Gunna. Over six months after the trial started, more than 2,000 potential jurors have been summoned to court, but a jury still hasnt been selected, in part because of how long the trial is set to last.

Notable

The Monday indictment out of Fulton County is the fourth against Trump in a matter of months. The New York Times writes that the scenario has become surreally routine.

Trumps 18 co-defendants in the sprawling case include lawyers Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, Sidney Powell, and John Eastman, former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, former Trump Justice Department official Jeffrey Clarke, and a former Kanye West publicist. Politico has the complete rundown.
Before World War II, submarines didnt play a pivotal role in American warfare. Granted, for most of the countrys military history, submarines didnt exist, but they played a crucial part for other belligerent nations during World War I, a part that didnt go unnoticed by the U.S. Navy. So when World War II came around, the Navy was ready to embrace this new tactic  and they did, with a lot of success.

American submarines destroyed 55% of Japans merchant marine shipping, and some 686 Japanese warships. In the Pacific Theater, submarines did the heavy sinking for the Navy, and were responsible for more than half of Japanese maritime losses. Although just 2% of the U.S. Navy, they sank 30% of the Japanese fleet.

To make those astonishing numbers, however, the U.S. Navy needed to build those subs at the beginning of the war. Starting in 1940, the Navy built more than 200 submarines in three classes, the Gato-class, Balao-class and Tench-class. Just as importantly, they needed names for these submarines.

While naming a sub may not sound like an important task to us non-seafaring folk, its a pretty big deal to sailors. Whereas every other aspect of shipbuilding is done with scientific exactitude, naming a ship comes down to beliefs, traditions, and superstitions  and it needs to be done before the ship is christened and put in the water. A ships name can have a huge impact on morale and success in its mission.

Periscope photo of Japanese merchant ship sinking.

With a mission as big as crippling the naval activities of the Japanese Empire, you can start to see why naming these hundreds of submarines suddenly becomes important. The U.S. Navy actually has regulations on how ships are named today, but in 1900, when subs were first introduced to the Navy, there werent any.

The first naming convention for submarines was that they should be named after fish and land creatures that sting. Between 1931 and 1947, that reg was changed to fish and denizens of the deep." This was fine at first, because there are plenty of fish in the sea. As more and more submarines came to be built, however, the Navy began running out of fish names.

After running out of fish names, they started using the generic names of fish. Then they started using their Spanish names. Then they began using Polynesian names. All that was left were the Latin names ichthyologists have long used to name creatures, but the problem with that is, they are not easy or quick to say, difficult to pronounce, and even worse for the sailors who want to actually receive mail: hard to spell.

The Navy reached out to the Smithsonian Institution, which was then called the United States National Museum, for help. They needed more and better fish names and background information on those fish  they didnt want to use a name that was similar to another, or that could be easily made fun of.

The Smithsonians Institute of Fishes began providing commanders with information and pictures of the fish after which their submarine was named. Submarine commanders would then hang the Smithsonians letter, along with a provided picture of the fish aboard ship. Not only did this help the Navy name submarines, it gave sailors a morale boost to know more about the names and background of their boats fish.
Iraqi riot police try to disperse supporters of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr gathering for a protest outside the Swedish embassy in Baghdad on July 20. Protesters set fire to Sweden's embassy in the Iraqi capital early on July 20 ahead of a planned burning of a Koran in Sweden. Credit - Ahmad Al-RubayeAFP/Getty Images

Sweden is expected to raise its terror threat level following a spate of Quran-burning incidents in recent months that has sparked anger in Muslim-majority countries, Dagens Nyheter reported on Thursday.

The terror threat level will rise from three to four on a five-point scale, which implies a "high" threat.

The decision comes just days after two men at the heart of a months-long debate over Quran burning set the Islamic holy book aflame on Monday outside Stockholm's Royal Palace.

Salwan Momika, 37, and Salwan Najem, 48, burned a copy of the Quran as counter-protesters called for them to extinguish their hate. Sweden and its Nordic peer Denmark have been grappling with how to address what some see as an act of protected free speech and others a symbol of religious hatred and xenophobia.

Quran-burning incidents in Sweden and Denmark may be a tiny phenomenon, but they have made leaders in northern Europe anxious. We are currently in the most serious security situation since the Second World War, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said last month, following a conversation with his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen, regarding the issue.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spent months holding up Swedens NATO membership bid in part over the matter, before agreeing last month to lift his country's veto.

More From TIME

There have also been protests against Quran-burning in various Muslim-majority countries. Last month, protesters in Iraq stormed the Swedish embassy, expelling the ambassador and torching the compound after Momika burned the Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm. The Iraqi prime minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, even expelled Swedens ambassador and suspended the work permit of Swedish telecom company Ericsson over the incident.

The key challenge for the Danish and Swedish governments is currently really to navigate the dilemma between minimizing the risk for terrorist attacks and repairing their diplomatic relationships with the Muslim world, while at the same time being exposed to massive domestic criticism and accusations of giving in to pressure from foreign powers, Dino Krause, a researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS), tells TIME.

As the issue continues to boil over, heres what to know.

Who has burned copies of the Quran?

The recent controversy around Quran-burning emerged after Rasmus Paludan, a Danish-Swedish far-right extremist, destroyed a copy outside Turkeys embassy in Stockholm in January, and then Turkeys embassy in Copenhagen later that month.

Salwan Momika protests outside a mosque in Stockholm on June 28, 2023, during the Eid al-Adha holiday. Momika, 37, who fled from Iraq to Sweden several years ago, was granted permission by the Swedish police to burn the Muslim holy book during the demonstration. Jonathan NackstrandAFP/Getty Images

Others soon followed in Paludans footsteps, including Momika, an Iraqi refugee who was previously linked to extremist Christian militias while living in Iraq. Since June, Momika has on several occasions obtained permits for Quran-burning protests and carried them out in Stockholm.

In July, two members of the ultranationalist group Danske Patrioter, or Danish Patriots, live-streamed their own Quran-burning in front of the Iraqi embassy in Copenhagen. Earlier this month, members of the group also burned copies of the Quran and chanted anti-Islam slogans outside the embassies of Turkey, Algeria, Pakistan, Iran, and Indonesia.

What are Sweden and Denmark's laws around Quran-burning?

Denmark and Sweden have laws that prohibit hate speech, but many argue that there is a line between attacking a faith and attacking observers of that faith. We have laws against inciting racial hatred, but according to the currently dominant interpretation, it seems that they do not apply to symbolic attacks against religions," says Mattias Wahlstrom, a professor of sociology at Sweden's University of Gothenburg.

Both countries have abolished their centuries-old blasphemy laws in recent years. In 2017, Denmark abolished the blasphemy provision in the Danish Penal Code after a vote in parliament. Even before it was abolished, this law had already been used extremely restrictively and, for instance, did not prevent even more controversial forms of religious criticism, such as the caricatures of the prophet Muhammad that were printed in Denmarks biggest newspaper Jyllands Posten in 2005, says DIIS's Krause.

But Krause adds that some speech remains prohibited in Denmark, including burning other countries' flags, openly supporting terrorism, or insulting the monarch. The Danish government has suggested it would be open to reforming the laws around Quran-burning.

Sweden abolished its blasphemy laws in the 1970s and freedom of expression has been strongly protected in the Swedish constitution, Wahlstrom says. Any public protest enjoys protection from the constitution, even in situations where there is no prior demonstration permit.

Swedens government has said it has no legal recourse to prevent further Quran-burnings. But officials say they will consider reforms to Swedens Public Order Act that would enable police to stop Quran burnings if there is a clear threat posed to national security.

Is Islamaphobia on the rise?

The number of people who are burning copies of the Quran remains small. But the sharing of videos and livestream footage of such incidents has given them outsized attention. Mohammad Fazlhashemi, a professor of Islamic theology and philosophy at Swedens Uppsala University, tells TIME that these videos can appear to legitimize the views of a tiny minority.

It is taken as proof that the reason for this is the widespread Islamophobia in Sweden, Fazlhashemi says. For them, it does not seem to matter that Sweden's Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom condemns the Quran burnings and describes them as an expression of Islamophobia. Fazlhashemi adds that while the government does not endorse these attitudes, various political leaders have expressed contempt for the religion.

Still, polls suggest that many Swedes are opposed to the Quran-burnings. According to a survey carried out by Kantar Public in July, a majority of Swedes support a ban on the burning of any religious text.

Why are Nordic leaders concerned?

Both Danish and Swedish authorities have been warned by their intelligence services about heightened risks for terrorist attacks both within their countries and against state-associated targets abroad, says DIIS's Krause.

By appearing lenient on Quran burnings, Sweden and Denmark risk alienating Muslim-majority countries. Yet experts also tell TIME that the leaders of some Muslim countries have used outrage over the issue to further their own interests.

"In the case of Sweden, the role played by President Erdogan was certainly crucial in amplifying the issue, because he used Quran burnings that occurred in January 2023 in Sweden to leverage his negotiating position over Swedens admission into NATO, says Krause. In exchange for lifting his veto over Swedens membership, Erdogan secured concessions including lifting bans on some arms sales to Turkey.

Fazlhashemi also cites the case of Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who he says has used the issue of Quran burning to boost his support ahead of elections this year. Hundreds of followers of Sadr were behind the storming of the Swedish embassy in Baghdad.

Fazlhashemi adds that the Quran burnings are an opportunity for these political leaders to "deflect" from domestic problems. "The same political leaders who take chest tones against the Quran burnings in Sweden and Denmark are silent against China's oppression of its Muslim population, he says.

Write to Armani Syed at armani.syed@time.com.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 14)  The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) could fetch at least P60 billion once put on the auction block, barely a third of the price tag estimated by the Finance department, the head of the state-run gaming agency said on Monday.

The Department of Finance (DOF) earlier put PAGCORs selling price within the P200 billion to P250 billion range, but PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco told a House committee hearing that the estimate factored in real estate properties initially thought to be PAGCORs.

Ang original estimate ng DOF was something like P200 to P250 billion. Hindi po mangyayari yun dahil walang property na kasama na ibinebenta ang PAGCOR. So were looking at about P60 to 80 billion, Tengco said.

[Translation: The DOF's original estimate was something like P200 to P250 billion. That will not happen because PAGCOR is not selling any property.]

He pointed out that PAGCOR has just been leasing properties that house its casino operations. The gaming-regulator-cum-operator has a few remaining idle assets, including the Nayong Pilipino complex, Tengco said.

The government had been wanting to divest PAGCOR so that it will only be a regulator. Tengco told lawmakers that governments elsewhere do not have gaming agencies that operate casinos themselves, something that investors frown upon and view as a conflict of interest.

Albay representative Joey Salceda responded to Tengcos estimate, Pag-aagawan kayo niyan [You will be fought over]. Tengco said it is the agencys minimum peg and the amount is expected to go up during the bidding process.

Based on Salcedas estimate, PAGCOR could be valued between P120 billion and P128 billion.

The planned rehabilitation of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) that would decongest the countrys main gateway could raise PAGCORs valuation, Tengco maintained.

But Cagayan de Oro Representative Rufus Rodriguez said the privatization of PAGCOR will result in lost income for the government.

Tengco said PAGCOR's annual income could hit the P100-billion mark by 2025. In the first half of this year, it already made P36 billion and could end 2023 with P72 billion in net income, he said.

Rodriguez said he will soon file a resolution opposing the privatization of PAGCOR.

READ: PAGCOR set to privatize 45 casinos by 2025
Everyone knows Texas was an independent republic after winning its independence from Mexico, but between 1836 and its annexation by the United States in 1845, it saw very little peace. Despite signing Texas independence away via treaty after its humiliating defeat at San Jacinto, Mexico always considered it a rebellious province of Mexico.

It wasnt alone, either. There were a number of Mexican provinces that were done being Mexican. Texas bordered the breakaway Republic of the Rio Grande and the Yucatan broke from Mexico to form its own republic twice.

In 1843, the Republic of Texas and the Second Republic of the Yucatan were again fighting Mexico to maintain their independence. In response to the Yucatans second uprising, Mexico sent its most advanced warships, some of the most advanced in the world, to blockade the Yucatan port of Campeche.

The two republics saw their independence as mutually supportive, so they joined forces to break the Mexican blockade. Texas Navy was commanded by Edwin W. Moore, who began sailing with the U.S. Navy at 15. He raised a unit of sailors and headed out to Texas with a force of three ships.

The same year Texas won independence, gunmaker Samuel Colt patented the first practical revolving-cylinder handgun. By 1837, he was manufacturing the guns in Paterson, New Jersey, but his company was running into money problems. Hed made 1,000 of this first practical repeating weapon, but a product is no good unless theres a customer.

Colt 1851 Navy Revolver.

Americas economy had just been devastated by the Panic of 1837, the U.S. military wasnt buying, and Colt was taking losses. His reckless spending didnt help matters any. Then the Republic of Texas stepped in to save the day. It ordered 180 of his .36-caliber holster models for the Republic of Texas Navy in 1839, saving the company at a critical moment.

Fast-forward to April 1843: Commodore Moore was leading the Texas Navy to rendezvous with the Yucatans gunboats and began clearing the Gulf of Mexico of Mexican shipping and naval vessels. On April 30, a small Mexican naval force encountered the Texan-Yucan force and fought it to a draw. The Texans withdrew to rearm, and it was a good thing they did.

Their next encounter with Mexican ships included Mexicos two best ships, the iron-armored Guadalupe and a paddle frigate, Montezuma, which could fire explosive shells. Both were commanded by British officers. For three hours, the two sides fought broadside to broadside. The Texan-Yucatan forces were damaged, but the Mexican fleet took even more damage  and more importantly, a lot more casualties.

This encounter was also a tactical draw, but the Mexican flotilla was forced to leave the scene, lifting the blockage of Campeche. The battle was the only known engagement where a wooden-hulled ship defeated an iron hull. The victory also allowed Yucatan to force Mexico in giving it full autonomy.

Years later, Samuel Colt would memorialize the battle and the Texas Navy on his 1851 and 1861 Colt Navy Revolvers and the Colt 1860 Army Revolver, as a thank you to the Republic of Texas Navy for their purchase at a dire time for his company.
FILE - Polish servicemen attend a press conference of Poland's Minister of Defense, Mariusz Blaszczak, in Jarylowka, Poland, Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023. Poland is deploying thousands of troops to its border with pro-Russian Belarus, calling it a deterrent move as tensions between the neighbors ratchet up. Officials in Belarus have been making hostile comments about Poland, a European Union and NATO member. (AP Photo/Michal Dyjuk, file)

WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Poland is deploying thousands of troops to its border with Belarus, calling it a deterrent move as tensions between the two neighbors ratchet up. Those tensions between Poland  a NATO and European Union country  and Belarus, which is Russias ally in its war on Ukraine, have been building up in recent months on the border. Here is why:

ORIGINS OF THE TENSIONS

Poland has been backing the Belarusian opposition ever since the 2020 presidential elections, where pro-Russian Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko won a sixth term in a vote that Poland and the wider Western community saw as rigged.

In 2021, Belarus began organizing and pushing thousands of migrants from the Middle East and Africa across the border into Poland. The move is seen by Poland and the EU as planned with the Kremlin and intended to cause instability in Europe. Poland's right-wing government, hostile to the idea of accepting migrants, built a $400,000 wall that substantially reduced the inflow.

After Russia's Feb. 24, 2022, invasion of Ukraine, Poland condemned the attack and has been supporting Kyiv with military equipment, political backing, and humanitarian aid, including hosting more than 1.2 million refugees. Belarus is on Russia's side in the conflict, and Poland is participating in international economic sanctions on both countries.

RECENT ACTIONS BY BELARUS AND RUSSIA

Belarusian state officials and pro-government activists have formed a group called the Patriotic Force Command, which Minsk uses as a political tool. In a recent address to the Polish nation the group alleged that Polish politicians are igniting the fire of war with their actions and rhetoric and are being driven by the frenzy of chauvinism.

Meanwhile, officials in Moscow have repeatedly voiced groundless allegations that Poland intends on annexing western regions of Ukraine. Moscow also says it has moved some of its short-range nuclear weapons into Belarus, close to the NATO eastern frontier.

Poland is also concerned over the presence in Belarus of thousands of Russian Wagner mercenaries who were recently said to have taken part in training near the border. Two Russian men were arrested last week in Poland accused of having spread the Wagner group's ideology. More than half of Poles questioned recently by the IBRIS survey center said they considered the Russian mercenaries in Belarus as a threat.

Two Belarusian military helicopters flew at low altitude over the Polish village of Bialowieza, near the border, for a few minutes last week before returning to Belarus, an action that Poland said was a provocation.

WHY IS THE REGION SO STRATEGICALLY IMPORTANT?

Beside being NATOs and the EUs frontier, Polands eastern border includes a strategic spot, the so-called Suwalki Gap  96 kilometers (60 miles) of border with Lithuania that links the three Baltic states, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, to the rest of the NATO alliance and the EU. The narrow gap also separates Belarus from Kaliningrad, a heavily militarized Russian exclave that has no land connection to Russia.

Military analysts in the West have long viewed the Suwalki Gap as a potential flashpoint in any confrontation between Russia and NATO. They worry that Russia might try to seize the gap and cut off the three Baltic states.

The area is heavily protected by Polish and U.S. troops on the Polish side and Canadian and German troops on the Lithuanian side.

POLAND IS BEEFING UP THE BORDER

Poland's government says it will not be intimidated and is building up its defense and deterrence potential and moving troops and modern equipment east, to beef up the border with Belarus and with Kaliningrad.

There is no doubt that the Belarus regime is cooperating with the Kremlin and that this action is aimed against Poland in order to destabilize our country, Poland's defense minister, Mariusz Blaszczak, said last week.

Poland increased its spending on defense to more than 2.5% of GDP last year and the amount is to rise again this year. It spent more than $16 billion on weapons, including Abrams tanks, Patriot missile systems, jet fighters, tanks and howitzers. Some of them will replace Soviet and Russian-made equipment offered to Ukraine.

POLAND'S ELECTION ADDS TO THE MILITARY DEFENSE DRIVE

Poland is to hold crucial parliamentary elections Oct. 15. The populist Law and Justice party, which has been in power since 2015, is intent on winning an unprecedented third term.

The party is tapping into the public's security concerns and stressing its efforts to beef up defense, seeking to rally voters around its policies and discredit the opposition and its main leader, former prime minister Donald Tusk.

___

Karmanau reported from Berlin
Former President Trump is facing his fourth criminal indictment this year after he and 18 others were charged in Georgia, and should he eventually be convicted, the case could logistically be the most difficult one to get expunged.

Trump on Monday was charged with 13 counts, including an alleged violation of the Georgia Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, a charge usually reserved for organized crime organizations. He has also been charged with solicitation of violation of an oath by a public officer, filing false documents, making false statements and writings and several conspiracy counts.

The former president and current front-runner for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination has repeatedly denounced all the charges he has faced  in Georgia, New York and in federal courts  as politically motivated to hurt him in the election. Many in the Republican Party have echoed his claims.

A few of Trumps rivals for the GOP nomination have even floated issuing a pardon for him if elected, with conservative entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy most directly pledging to promptly pardon Trump. There is also the untested legal theory that Trump could possibly pardon himself if he returns to the Oval Office.

5 takeaways from Trumps Georgia indictment

But the charges Trump is now facing in Georgia could potentially be his most legally perilous, as the state has a much more difficult process for a pardon to be issued than in the other jurisdictions where he is facing charges.

Article II of the U.S. Constitution grants the president the sole power of issuing pardons for offenses against the United States, but that power is only for federal charges, not state ones. A president could unilaterally pardon Trump for the federal charges stemming from both the classified documents case in Florida and from the Washington, D.C.-based probe into efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, but they would have no authority over the New York and Georgia cases.

The governor of New York can issue pardons for state crimes, which could clear Trump in the case over 2016 hush-money payments made to porn actress Stormy Daniels that led to charges of falsifying business records. Experts say those charges are the least likely of the four cases to result in prison time for the former president.

But the governor in Georgia has no such pardon power.

Instead, the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles is responsible for overseeing all requests for clemency. The governor is responsible for appointing the boards five members with state Senate approval, but they otherwise have no influence over the boards decision-making. Members serve seven-year terms that are staggered.

Meet the 18 people charged with Trump in Georgia indictment

And Trump wouldnt even be eligible to apply for a Georgia pardon until at least five years after completing any sentence, including parole and probation.

An individual also cannot be considered for a pardon if they have any pending charges, so he could not receive a preemptive one.

Trump could serve extensive time if convicted of the Georgia charges. The count of soliciting a public officer to violate their oath could carry a sentence of up to three years, while the count of filing false documents could carry up to 10 years.

The Georgia state government could take action to try to provide power to the governor to grant pardons, but a constitutional amendment would likely be needed, since the boards authority is declared in the state constitution.

Mike Davis, the president of the Article III Project, a conservative advocacy group that works to get judges confirmed to the judiciary, said on Fox News on Monday that the Georgia Legislature should move to amend the rules to give Gov. Brian Kemp (R) and future governors the pardon power.

Kemp refused to go along with Trumps false claims of voter fraud costing him the election in 2020 and has occasionally been critical of the former president in the years since then.

He tweeted Tuesday to refute Trumps unfounded claim that the 2020 election was stolen in the state, emphasizing that no one has been able to prove any evidence of widespread fraud under oath.

Our elections in Georgia are secure, accessible, and fair and will continue to be as long as I am governor. The future of our country is at stake in 2024 and that must be our focus, he said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Each time Donald Trump is indicted in a new criminal case, his support grows.

After he was indicted in the New York hush money case, he registered a huge spike in small dollar donors across the country who believed he had been wrongfully investigated.

The same happened in Florida after his indictment for improperly storing classified documents, exasperating critics who wonder if there is any legal action that can take the former president down.

In Georgia, they may have found that case.

The first obstacle for Mr Trump is that the trial will take place at a state level. Both the classified documents and Capitol riots cases have been brought by Jack Smith, the special counsel, at a federal level.

That means that if Mr Trump is convicted and then re-elected president, he could pardon himself or ask an ally in the Department of Justice to do so.

Mr Trump was indicted for the fourth time late on Monday night - Butch Dill/AP

Historically, pardons have been used by presidents to correct historic wrongs or promote American unity, as when Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson pardoned thousands of former Confederate officers after the American Civil War.

But the presidents authority to pardon is limited by the Constitution to federal convictions, and Mr Trump would have no jurisdiction over his own conviction in Fulton County, Georgia, where the trial is set to take place.

Although in most states the authority to pardon lies with the elected governor, the decision in Georgia can only be taken by a board of state officials, which only allows convicts to apply for a pardon or restoration of their civil and political rights at least two years after they have served their sentence, and only in exceptional cases.

The Georgia case is also unusual because the public will be given an unprecedented ringside seat as Mr Trump is examined, cross-examined and  possibly  convicted.

If the trial is televised, as it would usually be, it will be the first time that a former president has appeared in a criminal court on television.

The charges Donald Trump faces in Georgia

Pat Labat, the Fulton County Sheriff, has also said he will not deviate from his normal practices when processing the case, which means Mr Trump will have his mugshot and fingerprints taken like any other suspect.

So far, Mr Trump has demonstrated that his clashes with the law do not weaken his standing in the eyes of his supporters.

Despite his three earlier indictments, he is polling better than ever among Republican voters and warnings not to use inflammatory language from the judge overseeing his case in Washington have only spurred him on.

But a televised trial in which Mr Trump  who is not generally celebrated for his debating skills  faces experienced state attorneys could expose the weakness in his claims that he has been persecuted by a politically motivated investigation.

The Georgia case is unusual among the four indictments Mr Trump faces because there are 18 other defendants accused of racketeering in a criminal conspiracy to return him to power.

Although many of those indicted are some of his closest allies  including Rudy Giuliani and Mark Meadows  some are more junior staff members.

That represents a risk to Mr Trump because Fani Willis, the Fulton County District Attorney, is likely to try and flip them to become witnesses for the prosecution.

Fulton County Sheriff Patrick "Pat" Labat, third from left, walks outside the Fulton County Courthouse - AP

Defendants who are disillusioned with the former president may choose to testify against him in return for a lower sentence or dropped charges.

Mr Trump is also facing a prosecution against him that is partly based on tapes of conversations he had with state officials, many of whom consider him an enemy and are willing to take the stand in an attempt to bring him down.

Flipping is relatively common in racketeering cases and Ms Willis has a history of bringing prosecutions against crime bosses by using their underlings as witnesses.

Her use of RICO laws also means she has brought a broad case against the 19 defendants, indicting them all with a breach of that law, plus other offences.

Ms Willis has previously been criticised for overusing the law, which her critics say makes prosecutions expensive and time consuming because it connects every defendant in a wide story of criminal conspiracy.

But such an approach may play out well in a high-profile televised trial, in which the views of the public at home are as important as the jury.

Security officials in Fulton County have already said they are expecting significant opposition to Mr Trumps trial outside the courthouse, where fans held a rally in his support after the election in 2020.

Unlike in some other areas he is facing legal action, Georgia is a hotbed of Trump support and large demonstrations of solidarity with their candidate are expected.

Georgias indictment will be the test of the accepted wisdom that any charges against Trump only add to his support.

What doesnt kill him makes him stronger, they say. But what happens in Fulton County might just destroy him.

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A Fulton County, Ga., grand jury indicted former President Donald Trump and 18 of his allies late Monday night on criminal charges for their attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state.

Trump and the other co-defendants have all been charged with violating the states Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, Act, in addition to an array of other counts.

If Trump and his allies are found guilty of RICO charges, each of them could face a minimum of five years in prison, with a maximum of 20 years.

Unlike the two federal indictments brought against Trump by the Justice Department, the criminal charges filed by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis are part of a state prosecution, which is not subject to the authority of the federal government. The same applies to the hush money case brought against Trump earlier this year in New York.

Trump would not be able to pardon himself in the state cases if hes reelected to the White House in 2024.

While New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, has the power to pardon the charges in the Manhattan case, she is unlikely to do so. And in Georgia, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp doesnt have the power to pardon. Trump would have to turn to the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles, and even then, if hes found guilty on RICO charges, he could apply for a pardon only five years after his sentence was completed.

For these reasons, Clark Cunningham, a law professor at Georgia State University, told Yahoo News, Trump is in big, big trouble if he's convicted in Georgia.

Cunningham spoke to Yahoo News about how the Georgia indictment stacks up against the other criminal indictments the former president is currently facing. Some responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Why does the Georgia case seem more consequential than Trumps other three indictments?

Cunningham: The most obvious reason that it could be the most consequential is that, unlike the two federal cases, this case would survive even if a Republican is elected president.

Whereas if a Republican is elected president, even if it's not Trump, I think the chances are very great that the Republican president would direct the Department of Justice to terminate both federal cases and probably would pardon Trump if there had been a conviction at that point.

The Georgia case, on the other hand, would continue to go forward even if Trump became president again. The Georgia governor couldn't pardon him if he was convicted in Georgia. So the long-term consequences are certainly more significant.

What is the significance of how the RICO statute is being used in the Georgia case?

It was designed for going after organized crime, and part of the power of RICO is that it gets people lower down the chain of command to cooperate and testify against the people higher up in the chain of command.

RICO carries a minimum five-year sentence. So if you're talking about these co-defendants, and they're looking at five years in jail, they have a real incentive to cooperate.

What happens if Trump gets reelected in 2024 in the middle of the Georgia trial?

If the Georgia case is still going forward and he becomes president, I think we would have a constitutional crisis, because I think he would do whatever he could to use the power of the presidency to prevent the trial from happening.

If the trial did go forward and he was convicted, it's hard to imagine that a sitting president would be arrested by the Atlanta police and put in the Fulton County Jail.

But the way the system ought to work is, if hes convicted in Georgia, the House of Representatives would put forth articles of impeachment based on that conviction. The Senate would approve those articles of impeachment, and Trump would be removed from office through the constitutional process of impeachment. But, of course, what the Republican Party would do is certainly a question in that regard. Recent history suggests that House and Senate Republicans would block a process like that.

Cover illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Getty Images
A haze settles over Salem Wednesday as parts of the Willamette Valley remain under heat and smoke advisories.

This story was updated at 11:40 a.m. Wednesday to add information about smoke respite shelters in Eugene

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has issued an air quality advisory for Lane, Deschutes and Klamath counties due to wildfire smoke.

Intermittent smoke from the Lookout and Bedrock fires also could bring poor air quality at times to Salem and the Willamette Valley as well as parts of Jackson, Josephine, eastern Douglas and southeastern Linn counties, DEQ officials said Tuesday.

The warning comes a day after DEQ issued a similar advisory for elevated levels of ozone in Salem, Eugene-Springfield, the Portland-Vancouver metro area and the Medford area.

High temperatures and low winds can increase ozone pollution, or smog, by combining with pollution from cars, gas-powered engines and chemicals in paint and aerosols.

Milo William busks Tuesday amid poor air quality and high temperatures near the Ferry Street Bridge in Eugene.

Limit outdoor activity

The ozone advisory is in effect through Wednesday night, while DEQ expects smoky conditions through at least Thursday night.

Oregon ranks air quality as good, moderate, unhealthy for sensitive groups, unhealthy, very unhealthy or hazardous.

Sensitive groups include children, people over 65, pregnant people and people with heart disease or respiratory conditions. Health officials recommend those groups limit outdoor activities when pollution levels are high.

Additionally, DEQ is urging residents to limit activities that increase ozone pollution. Recommendations include:

Limit driving by using public transit, carpooling or other alternative transportation.

Avoid unnecessary engine idling.

Refuel vehicles during cooler evening hours.

Postpone mowing the lawn or using leaf blowers.

Postpone painting and aerosol spray projects.

Where to find the latest information

Smoke was visible in some parts of Salem Tuesday afternoon.

DEQ officials decided not to issue a smoke advisory for Marion County or the Portland area because smoky conditions in those areas are expected to be intermittent and not severe, DEQ spokesman Greg Svelund said.

Current air quality conditions and advisories can be found on DEQs Air Quality Index at ordeq.org/oregonair or by downloading the free OregonAIR app on a smartphone.

However, both the website and app were only intermittently accessible on Tuesday because of heavy traffic, Greg Svelund said.

It seems like when we need it the most this tends to happen. Its something weve struggled with for a couple of years, Svelund said.

Smoky air hangs over the Willamette River near the DeFazio Bridge Tuesday.

DEQ officials suggest checking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys air quality map at airnow.gov.

At 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, that map showed Eugene had the worst air quality in the nation.

Air quality information also is available from the Purple Air community air monitoring system at map.purpleair.com.

Smoke respite shelters in Eugene

The Lane County Heat and Smoke Respite Center will be open from noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Lane Events Center, 796 W 13th Ave., Eugene, in Meeting Room 1.

St. Vincent DePaul and the Egan Center will have an overnight smoke respite shelter from 7 p.m. Wednesday until 7 a.m. Thursday at the Trinity Methodist Church, 440 Maxwell Road in Eugene.

Egan staff will provide van shuttle service to Trinity Methodist from First Christian Church at 1166 Oak Street in Eugene from 6:30-10:30 p.m. Tuesday and also drive people back to downtown Eugene from the shelter site each morning, Lane County said in a release.

Lane Transit District will provide free rides during operating hours to anyone going to either First Christian for the shuttle or directly to Trinity. Riders need to state one of those places as their final destination and that they are traveling to stay at the smoke respite shelter.

Tracy Loew covers the environment at the Statesman Journal. Send comments, questions and tips to tloew@statesmanjournal.com, 503-399-6779. Follow her on Twitter at @Tracy_Loew

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon wildfire smoke, smog combine to create poor air quality
Much of the world's attention amid Maui's wildfires has been focused on Lahaina, which bore the brunt of the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. But the raging blaze that hit the historic town was among several that have wreaked havoc across Maui.

In the Upcountry town of Kula, located just 25 miles east of the Lahaina disaster, firefighters are still battling smaller blazes that have ravaged approximately 700 acres and claimed 19 homes, leaving residents grappling with loss.

"We're still on edge," said Kula resident Aaron McVeigh. "We do not feel like we're out of the woods yet. Like not at all."

McVeigh, Jack Swink and their roommates said they saved not just their home amid the fire, but also their whole block on Tuesday by building a network of hands and hoses among neighbors as fast winds casting smoke and flames moved closer.

For McVeigh, wildfires are all too familiar. The California native said his grandmother lost everything during the Camp Fire that hit Northern California's Butte County in 2018. The wildfires in Maui trigger painful memories for him as she did not rebuild in the California town of Paradise in the aftermath, a fate he fears for his community in Lahaina.

"I fear what they're going to do with that land over there on the west side," he said. "They could turn it into Disneyland if they wanted to."

Maui county officials said late Monday that the Upcountry/Kula fire was 65% contained, with hot spots in hard-to-reach places making it difficult to fully contain the blaze.

Maui residents say government failed them with wildfire response

Maui animal shelter working to reunite pets with owners

4 Australian surfers found alive after boat capsized off Indonesia
Brazilian winemaker Ronaldo Triacca shows his vineyard in Paranoa, Brazil's emerging wine country just outside Brasilia (EVARISTO SA)

The tropical savannah around Brazil's ultra-modernist capital is not exactly known as wine country, but French enologist Jean-Michel Barcelo gushes as he plucks a ruby-red grape and pops it in his mouth.

"This terroir has real potential," says the 52-year-old wine consultant, who is in the high plateau of central Brazil making his annual visit to Villa Triacca, a vineyard located a 50-minute drive from the sweeping white buildings of the seat of power in Brasilia.

With its predominantly tropical climate, Brazil is far less known for wine than fellow South American producers Argentina and Chile -- never mind France.

But a new production technique developed by Brazilian researchers in the 2000s has helped winemakers in the Brasilia region hack the local climate to harvest in the winter, producing better-quality grapes -- and wines that are starting to make a splash.

"The technique they're using here is different from what you see anywhere else in the world," says Barcelo, a silver-haired Frenchman who takes his wine very seriously.

He lavishes praise on the freshness and complexity of Brazilian highlands wines, and the "exceptional" conditions at Villa Triacca: an altitude of 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) above sea level, a dry climate and a difference of up to 15 degrees Celsius between daytime and nighttime temperatures in winter -- perfect for ripening grapes.

Visitors on a wine tasting at the vineyard are also impressed.

"I was surprised by the quality," says Luciano Weber, a 45-year-old Brasilia resident.

"I had no idea they were making something so good here."

- Unusual technique -

But it was not an obvious choice to grow grapes in central-western Brazil, the heart of the country's powerful soybean, corn and beef industries.

The key is a technique called "double pruning," in which producers prune their vines twice a year, once in winter and once in summer.

That enables them to push their grape-picking season back from autumn, the usual time -- when the region's heavy rains would threaten the harvest -- to July and August, the heart of winter in the southern hemisphere.

The technique also involves using a synthetic hormone that regulates the vines' growth and keep them dormant so the grapes will be ready at the right time.

Producers say the hormone leaves no trace in the final product.

But some wine lovers are dubious.

"We don't know what the effects are. I've never seen a study on it," says Suzana Barelli, resident wine expert at newspaper Estado de Sao Paulo.

Still, she is impressed by the region's wines, praising their "very high quality."

- Dream come true -

The Brasilia region, known as the Federal District (DF), has just 10 vineyards, all opened in recent years.

But the industry is growing.

Farmland devoted to wine production leapt from 45 hectares (111 acres) in 2018 to 88 (217) last year.

Ronaldo Triacca, owner of the namesake vineyard, launched it six years ago.

"I had always dreamed of making wine, but I thought I could only make table wine -- until I learned about inverted pruning," says the 57-year-old farmer, sitting amid his prized vines, his denim shirt rolled up at the sleeves.

"That's when I realized it was possible to make high-quality wine."

He started planting grapes -- Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc -- on six hectares of land, alongside his existing corn and soy fields.

Now, he sells 15,000 bottles a year, and is part of a collective of regional producers called Vinicola Brasilia.

For now, most of their production is sold to specialty stores and restaurants in the capital.

But they are starting to get noticed.

"A lot of people still think if a wine isn't Argentine, Portuguese or French, it's no good," says Felipe Camargo of regional agricultural agency Emater.

"We're going to change that fast."

msi/jhb/jh/dw
Cecily Aguilar, the woman charged in connection with the 2020 killing of Army Spc. Vanessa Guillen, has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison.

Aguilar pleaded guilty last year to one count of accessory after the fact, and three counts of making a false statement. Aguilars boyfriend at the time, Spc. Aaron Robinson, is accused of killing and dismembering Guillen, and then recruiting Aguilar to assist in disposing her body near Fort Cavazos, Texas, formerly known as Fort Hood.

Robinson died by suicide as authorities closed in on him in 2020, making Aguilar the only person charged in connection to Guillens death.

Our hope is that todays sentence brings a sense of relief and justice to the Guillen family, who have endured such pain throughout these past few years, US Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas said in a news release Monday. Ms. Aguilars actions were indefensible, and she will now face the maximum penalty for the choices she made.

In a news conference after Aguilars sentencing, Mayra Guillen, Vanessas sister, said it was a very hard day for my family.

Theres relief today, as Cecily will finally be held accountable for her actions, she said. Im happy to say that we can, in a sense, close this chapter and keep moving forward.

A news release from federal prosecutors in Texas last year said from April 22, 2020, to July 1, 2020, Aguilar assisted Robinson in corruptly altering, destroying, mutilating and concealing evidencethat is, the body of Vanessa Guillenin order to prevent Robinson from being charged with and prosecuted for any crime.

The release went on to say Aguilar altered and destroyed information from Robinsons Google account and made four materially false statements to federal investigators.

She received the maximum sentence for her role in the crimes  30 years, prosecutors said.

Guillen, who was a 20-year-old private first class at the time of her death, went missing in April 2020. Her family, investigators and civilian volunteers searched the area surrounding Fort Cavazos for weeks before discovering her body in a shallow grave on June 30.

It was later revealed that Robinson had killed Guillen in an armory room by bludgeoning her with a hammer. According to court documents, Robinson then put Guillens body in a box and drove her to the Leon River, roughly 20 miles from base.

He then picked up Aguilar from her work and the two drove back, allegedly dismembering Guillen and attempting to burn her body before burying her in three separate holes, according to court records.

Mayra Guillen said during Mondays press conference that Aguilar faced her family and asked for forgiveness, which really took me by surprise.

It just doesnt make any sense to me as to why she took so long to speak up and you cant tell me her demeanor is going to change from one morning to the next, and its just hard to find that apology sincere, she said.

Guillens story resulted in a wave of new policies for the Army and military as a whole. In the wake of her disappearance, women flooded social media with their own stories of sexual assault and harassment in the military, using the hashtag #IAmVanessaGuillen.

In 2021, President Joe Biden signed into law provisions from the I Am Vanessa Guillen Act, which mandated that prosecution decisions about sexual assault and harassment would be moved outside of a soldiers chain of command  a significant change for the military. The act also criminalized sexual harassment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

In her statement to the court on Monday, and shared with CNN, Natalie Khawam, the attorney representing Guillens family, said Aguilars sentence needs to set the example for anyone that will ever contemplate mutilating, destroying, and/or concealing a body.

Your honor, Vanessa Guillen served this country, Khawam said. Its imperative that you set the appropriate precedent today so heinous acts like this will never occur on our turf again.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
A Texas woman was sentenced Monday to 30 years in prison for helping dispose of the body of Army Spc. Vanessa Guillen, whose disappearance and killing in 2020 led to greater public scrutiny of the military and its handling of sexual abuse.

Cecily Aguilar is the only suspect arrested in the death of Guillen, who was killed at Fort Cavazos, formerly known as Fort Hood, near Killeen in Central Texas. Aguilar was 24 years old when she pleaded guilty in November at a federal court in Waco to one count of accessory to murder after the fact and three counts of making a false statement.

The sentence came after hours of testimony from attorneys, experts and Guillens family.

It was the maximum punishment Aguilar could receive, said Jaime Esparza, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas.

More: Suspect's girlfriend pleads guilty to playing role in Vanessa Guillen slaying

Aguilar aided boyfriend Army Spc. Aaron Robinson, 20, of Calumet City, Illinois, in dismembering and disposing of Guillens body in a rural, wooded area near the post, according to federal and state authorities. Robinson died by suicide on July 1, 2020, the day Guillens remains were found.

Our hope is that todays sentence brings a sense of relief and justice to the Guillen family, who have endured such pain throughout these past few years, Esparza said.

What happened to Vanessa Guillen?

In April 2020, Guillen was a Houston-area native serving at Fort Hood, one of the nation's largest military training grounds.

At the time, Fort Hood touted its decadeslong reputation of preparing troops for combat in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Guillens sister, Mayra, was the first to report her missing after text messages to the soldier went unanswered. She did not yet know that Guillen had been killed that day.

Guillens family protested outside Fort Hood over the next several weeks as they called for congressional intervention into what they believed was a complete failure by the post's leadership to find Guillen.

Two weeks after Guillens body was finally found, Aguilar pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges. Later, a judge dismissed her legal teams attempt to throw out her confession because she said she had not been read her Miranda rights at the time her statement was taken.

Then-U.S. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said during a visit to the Texas post that it had one of the highest rates of murder, sexual assault and harassment in the Army, later adding that the patterns of violence were a direct result of leadership failures.

Lupe Guillen, the then 16-year-old sister of Spc. Vanessa Guillen, cries during a protest demanding Army leaders do more to find the soldier who, at the time, was still missing.

After Guillens death, her family claimed that she was harassed and assaulted at the Texas post. Though Army officials initially denied that Guillen was sexually harassed, the Army confirmed more than a year after her death that a superior of Guillens at the post had sexually harassed and retaliated against her.

The family's claims ignited a movement on social media of former and active service members who shared their experiences with sexual assault and harassment at military bases throughout the country using the hashtag #IAmVanessaGuillen.

More: Sparked by Fort Hood soldier's slaying, Army to cluster resources for sexual misconduct victims

The movement caught the attention of state and federal lawmakers. New legislation honoring Guillen removed some authority from commanders and gave survivors more options to report abuse and harassment. Army officials disciplined 21 commissioned and noncommissioned officers in connection with Guillens death.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Woman sentenced to 30 years in prison for role in Vanessa Guillens murder
(CNN)  An Atlanta-based grand jury has indicted Donald Trump and 18 others on state charges stemming from their efforts to overturn the former US presidents 2020 electoral defeat.

The historic 41-count indictment unsealed Monday is the fourth criminal case that Trump is facing.

All 19 co-defendants must surrender by August 25 at noon, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis told reporters Monday after the indictment was released.

Trump and others joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election, according to the indictment, which said they unlawfully conspired and endeavored to conduct and participate in a criminal enterprise after Trump lost the election in Georgia.

The charges, brought in a sweeping investigation led by Willis, cover some of the most egregious efforts by the former presidents allies to meddle in the 2020 presidential election. Unlike the election subversion charges brought by special counsel Jack Smith, Willis case will be insulated from any Trump meddling if he is reelected in 2024; he will not be able to pardon himself or his allies of any state law convictions, nor will he be able to dismiss the Fulton County prosecutors bringing the charges.

Many of the efforts that Trump and his allies spearheaded in Georgia resembled plots in other battleground states US President Joe Biden won, but the Georgia-focused effort featured some of the most audacious gambits by the former president and his supporters.

Trump and the other Defendants charged in this Indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump, the indictment states. That conspiracy contained a common plan and purpose to commit two or more acts of racketeering activity in Fulton County, Georgia, elsewhere in the State of Georgia, and in other states.

The indictment also included an additional 30 unindicted co-conspirators in addition to the charged defendants.

Willis, a Democrat, will undoubtedly face intense criticism from Trump and his allies, who have frequently sought to discredit officials investigating him by casting them as rogue political actors. Trump had already unsuccessfully sought to disqualify her, citing public comments she has made about the case.

Before the indictment was unsealed Monday, the Trump campaign accused Willis of election interference amid the 2024 GOP presidential nomination campaign

The timing of this latest coordinated strike by a biased prosecutor in an overwhelmingly Democrat jurisdiction not only betrays the trust of the American people, but also exposes true motivation driving their fabricated accusations, the statement said in part.

The charges

The grand jury approved charges against Trump for a violation of Georgias RICO law  or Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization  which accuses Trump of being part of a broad conspiracy to attempt to overturn the election result.

The charges in the sweeping indictment include: False statements to and solicitation of state legislatures; false statements to and solicitation of high-ranking state officials; the creation and distribution of false electoral college documents; the harassment of election workers; the solicitation of Justice Department officials; the solicitation of then-Vice President Mike Pence; the unlawful breach of election equipment; and acts of obstruction.

Defendant Donald John Trump lost the United States presidential election held on November 3, 2020, the indictment states. One of the states he lost was Georgia. Trump and the other Defendants charged in this Indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump. That conspiracy contained a common plan and purpose to commit two or more acts of racketeering activity in Fulton County, Georgia, elsewhere in the State of Georgia, and in other states.

A long-running investigation

Willis investigation started in early 2021, soon after a January call became public in which Trump pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a fellow Republican, to find the votes necessary for Trump to win the state in the presidential election.

Republican control of the state legislature and executive branch made it a particularly ripe target for Trumps pressure campaigns. His attorneys appeared before Georgia lawmakers on three occasions to push bogus claims of election fraud and the state was targeted with lawsuits making unfounded allegations of voter irregularities.

As part of his effort to overturn the election results, Trump also unsuccessfully pressured Gov. Brian Kemp, who is also a Republican, to abuse his powers. Both Kemp and Raffensperger rebuffed those efforts.

When the efforts failed, Trump urged Georgia state lawmakers to convene a special session to overturn Bidens victory. Trump allies, including his attorney Rudy Giuliani, presented bogus claims of voter fraud to the state House and Senate. The Trump campaign, along with outside lawyers who supported their cause, filed meritless lawsuits that unsuccessfully tried to nullify Bidens victory. And Trump tried to weaponize the Justice Department to help him intervene in the Georgia election, including by attempting to get agency officials to claim the election was corrupt.

The special purpose grand jury empaneled in Fulton County for the investigation wrapped up its work earlier this year. That panel is separate from the one that approved the charges on Monday.

The grand jury on Monday met for roughly 10 hours before handing up the 98-page indictment.

Beyond Trump, Meadows is highest-ranking White House official charged

Beyond the former president, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows is the highest-ranking White House official to be charged in the Georgia indictment, beyond the former president.

Meadows was notably absent among Trumps six co-conspirators in the special counsels January 6-related indictment.

Meadows was ordered by a South Carolina judge to testify before the Georgia special grand jury, but a juror said earlier this year that he declined to answer questions invoking his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination. Meadows did testify to the special counsel grand jury in Washington.

The former Trump chief of staff, like all 19 defendants, is charged in the Fulton County indictment with a violation of Georgias RICO law. Meadows is also charged with solicitation of the violation of oath of office by a public officer over Trumps phone call with Raffensperger.

The indictment also describes Meadows attempt to enter into a space in Cobb County, Georgia, where 2020 election signatures were being audited, and a text message Meadows sent to the Georgia secretary of states chief investigator that stated, Is there a way to speed up Fulton county signature verification in order to have results before Jan 6 if the trump campaign assist financially.

This story is breaking and will be updated.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Donald Trump indicted in Georgia 2020 election subversion probe"
AUSTIN, Texas  A Texas woman was sentenced Monday to 30 years in prison for helping dispose of the body of a U.S. soldier, whose 2020 killing sparked a movement of women speaking out about sexual abuse in the military and led to changes in how they can report it.

Cecily Aguilar is the only suspect arrested in the death of Vanessa Guillen, who was killed at Fort Cavazos, formerly known as Fort Hood, near Killeen, Texas. Aguilar was 24 years old when she pleaded guilty in November at a federal court in Waco, Texas, to one count of accessory to murder after the fact and three counts of making a false statement, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Female Army enlistments down after Vanessa Guillens death, data shows

Aguilar aided boyfriend Army Spc. Aaron Robinson, 20, of Calumet City, Illinois, in dismembering and disposing of Guillens body in a rural, wooded area in Killeen, according to federal and state authorities. Robinson died by suicide on July 1, 2020, the day Guillens remains were found.

Guillen was declared missing in April 2020, when her family said they did not hear from her for an unusual amount of time after she was called in for a shift in the military bases armory room.

According to a criminal complaint, Aguilar said she and Robinson  who authorities accuse of bludgeoning Guillen to death at the base  disposed of her body by mutilating it and hiding the remains in nearby woods.

Two weeks after Guillens body was found, Aguilar pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges. Later, a judge dismissed her legal teams attempt to throw out her confession because she said she had not been read her Miranda rights at the time her statement was taken.

Guillens family has said they believe she was sexually harassed during her time at the Texas military base. While Army officials have said they do not believe Robinson harassed Guillen, they admitted in a report a year later that Guillen was harassed by another soldier at the base.

Following Guillens death, her familys claims that she was harassed and assaulted at the Texas base ignited a movement on social media of former and active service members who shared their experiences at military bases throughout the country using the hashtag #IAmVanessaGuillen.

Then-U.S. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said during a visit to the Texas base that it had one of the highest rates of murder, sexual assault and harassment in the Army, later adding that the patterns of violence were a direct result of leadership failures. "

State and federal lawmakers passed legislation in 2021 honoring Guillen that removed some authority from commanders and gave survivors more options to report abuse and harassment. Army officials disciplined 21 commissioned and non-commissioned officers in connection with Guillens death.
A woman was shot to death Monday morning in the South Oak Park neighborhood, and Sacramento police said they have arrested a man they believe is responsible for the homicide.

The shooting was reported shortly before 9:30 a.m. in the 3800 block of 23rd Avenue, just west of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and a few blocks east of Highway 99.

Officers arrived at the scene and found the woman who suffered at least one gunshot wound, the Sacramento Police Department announced in a news release.

Medics from the Sacramento Fire Department arrived shortly after the officers and began performing life-saving measures. The medics took the wounded woman to a hospital where she later died.

The victim was identified Tuesday by the Sacramento County Coroners Office as 41-year-old Felicia Wilcots, of Sacramento.

Officers at the scene detained a man suspected in the shooting. Homicide detectives and crime scene investigators arrived and took over the investigation, collecting evidence at the scene, canvassing the area and questioning witnesses.

Vincent Anthony Saenz, 39, was arrested on suspicion of homicide in the womans shooting death after being detained Monday, the Police Department announced Tuesday.

Saenz was booked Monday night at the Sacramento County Main Jail, where he was being held Tuesday without bail. His arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon in Sacramento Superior Court.
A relationship expert said the viral outrage speaks more to our fierce attachment to habits. Flashpop/Getty Images

"We do not have a regular side of the bed that we sleep on," a home renovation TikTok couple told viewers.

"What kind of serial killer behavior is this," one commenter joked, as many others reacted aghast.

But a relationship expert gave it the green light and said it "makes their life a lot more flexible."

Last week, the TikToker Angelina Murphy strayed from her typical home renovation content. And instead shared information that got her followers  and the platform at large  up in arms.

Murphy, 29, who has an account with 688,000 followers that she shares with her 33-year-old husband, Skyler Johnson, wanted to see if fans could relate to their sleeping habits. "We do not have a regular side of the bed that we sleep on," she announced over the weekend. "It's never discussed; we just randomly pick a side when we go to sleep."

The video has drawn 1 million viewers as commenters reeled in disbelief and comical outrage, with some calling the couple "monsters." But Pepper Schwartz, a relationship expert and sociology professor, told Insider this week that the practice "sounds great," and that the intense reaction speaks more to our attachments to routine than anything peculiar with the couple's lifestyle.

Murphy told Insider she was compelled to take the temperature on TikTok after broaching the issue with a shocked friend. "We knew it was unusual," she said, "but we didn't realize it was this unusual."

Commenters did not hold back.

"What kind of serial killer behavior is this," one viewer wrote. "Even when I was single with my own bed I had my own side." Another added: "That is absolute anarchy."

Others had more practical concerns. "What about your nightstands? Like you just Willy nilly have your stuff everywhere?" one wrote.

"So you don't each have a specific pillow you like??!?" another asked.

In a follow-up video they posted one day later, Murphy and Johnson  who have been together for nearly 11 years and tied the knot in April  addressed the thousands of critical comments they received.

She explained that their nightstands were "basically glorified junk drawers" with interchangeable phone chargers on both sides and that their nighttime routine items were located in a shared bathroom vanity.

"We think it's funny," Murphy told Insider of the responses. "Lots of people calling us serial killers, there's bodies buried in our backyard. People literally unfollowed us." (While Murphy noticed a dip of roughly 500 followers, she said she wasn't exactly sure of the reason.)

'They're freed from a kind of possessiveness about order that most of us have,' a relationship expert said

Murphy told Insider that they have slept this way their whole relationship, and there's no rhyme or reason to when they switch  though they've never stayed on the same side for longer than a week. Even in the wake of the viral storm, they don't have any plans to change.

And at least one relationship expert thinks this behavior is a green flag. Pepper Schwartz, a sociology professor at the University of Washington, told Insider the sleeping arrangement could be ideal. "I think that they're freed from a kind of possessiveness about order that most of us have, and it makes their life a lot more flexible," she said.

Schwartz explained that humans are "creatures of habit," and the idea that someone doesn't have a habit is "somewhere between a curiosity and terrifying to people."

She added that there are often "assignments in relationships"  or loose routines around driving, or cooking and cleaning, or taking out the dog, for example. She also said that humans are a "pretty territorial kind of species" in terms of physical spaces around the home.

"The fact that these people have never decided that, 'OK, this is a way we order our lives together,' makes people nervous because it kind of questions the whole way everybody creates a couple life," Schwartz said.

According to Schwartz, the real story here is not that the couple is dysfunctional in any way, but that it illuminates our fierce ties to routine. "I think it's truly disturbing to people that somebody's living without a habit," she said.

Read the original article on Insider
A woman was taken to the hospital after being shot during a suspected domestic dispute in Richmond Monday.

Around 6:45 p.m. Richmond officers were called to the 1400 block of Hunt Street to reports of a shooting, according to a media release.

Police believe the shooting happened 20 minutes before the call came in.

Melinda Sue Johnson, 30, was taken to Reid Health with a gunshot wound to the left side of her upper torso, the release states.

>> Investigation launched after mans body found at Eastwood Lake

Her injuries are suspected to be non-life-threatening.

Witnesses told police that a dark van carrying several people and a subject on a moped left the area prior to officers arrival.

No arrests have been made at this time.

We will continue following this story and update as new information becomes available.




The Kh-101 cruise missiles that Russia used in the morning attack on Ukraine contain about 30 foreign-made chips, Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak said on Aug. 15.

The missiles were manufactured by Russia in April this year, he added.

Further information is being collected, and "the sanctions need to be strengthened so that Russia cannot obtain critical components and manufacture missiles," Yermak said.

Russian forces launched a total of 28 air and sea-based cruise missiles of various types on Aug. 15, according to the Air Force.

This number included 20 Kh-101/Kh-555 missiles, as well as four Kh-22, and four Kalibr missiles at Ukraine, the Air Force reported, adding that air defenses shot down 16 Kh-101/Kh-555 and Kalibr missiles.

The attack killed three people and wounded 27 as of 3 p.m. local time, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.

Civilian facilities in eight Ukrainian regions were damaged, including residential buildings, educational institutions, and a hospital, said Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

In June, the Ukrainian news site LIGA.net reported that up to 81% of foreign components found in Russian missiles originate in the U.S. The publication cited a document from the Yermak-McFaul Expert Group on Russian Sanctions.

The issue also extends to the combat drones Russia uses against civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. A Russian drone shot down over Mykolaiv was made with parts from Western countries, Yermak said on July 18.

Yermak posted on Telegram an image of the Iranian-made Shahed drone's engine with the words "Made in Ireland" clearly visible on the carburetor.

Read also: Kyivs frustration boils as flow of Western chips for Russian missiles continues uninterrupted

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
A New York-based venture capital firm CEO plead guilty to a wire fraud conspiracy that defrauded more than 50 investors, including two from Georgia, for nearly $6 million, according to a DOJ release.

George Iakovou, 30, pleaded guilty to one count conspiracy to commit wire fraud on August 8 before U.S. District Judge Clay Land, according to the release.

George Iakovou defrauded more than 50 people from around the country of millions of dollars, using these stolen funds to buy luxury items and travel in private jets, said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary in a statement.

Iakovou, CEO of Vika Ventures LLC, advertised that Vika had access to buy pre-IPO (intial Public offering) in private companies such as Palantir, SpaceX, Airbnb, and Stripe, according to the DOJ.

The DOJ says Iakovou then claimed that once the private companies went public and the six-month lockout period ended, Vika would distribute the purchased shares to investors.

Iakovou neither had access to pre-IPO shares nor did he own the shares prior to soliciting investors, according to the DOJ.

The DOJ says that victim-investors paid Vika $5,958,505 for the purchase of the pre-IPO shares, but never received their promised shares.

Iakovou used the money provided by investors to charter private jets, artwork, luxury clothing and other purchases, the DOJ says.

Some of the purchases Iakovou made include a 2021 Corvette Stingray for $135,528 and a $231,799 for a Patek Philippe timepiece, according to the release.

The DOJ says Iakovou faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine if convicted.

His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 19, according to the release.
FILE - Youth plaintiffs in the climate change lawsuit, Held vs. Montana, arrive at the Lewis and Clark County Courthouse, on June 20, 2023, in Helena, Mont., for the final day of the trial. A Montana judge on Monday, Aug. 14, sided with young environmental activists who said state agencies were violating their constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment by permitting fossil fuel development without considering its effect on the climate. (Thom Bridge/Independent Record via AP, File)

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP)  Young environmental activists prevailed in a closely watched Montana lawsuit that said state officials weren't doing enough to protect them from climate change.

Legal observers called it a landmark victory for the 16 plaintiffs: It marks the first time a court in the U.S. has declared that a government has a constitutional duty to protect people from climate change.

Here's what to know about Monday's potentially groundbreaking ruling that followed a first-of-its-kind trial earlier this summer:

WHAT DID THE RULING SAY?

State District Judge District Judge Kathy Seeley said officials violated Montana's highly protective constitution by refusing to consider the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions when they've approved coal mines, oil drilling and new power plants.

Attorneys for Montana argued the state's emissions were too small to make much difference in climate change.

Seeley rejected the argument, saying essentially that every ton of greenhouse gas counts toward global warming and each ton makes the plaintiff's lives worse as wildfires in Montana get worse and streams dry up from drought.

The judge also said the state can do something about it  deny permits for fossil fuel projects if their approval would result in "unconstitutional levels of GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions.

Montana has some of the world's largest coal reserves.

Montanas land contains a significant quantity of fossil fuels yet to be extracted, Seeley wrote. The State and its agents could consider GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions and climate impacts and reject projects that would lead to unreasonable degradation of Montanas environment.

SO WHAT DO THE YOUNG ACTIVISTS GET OUT OF THEIR VICTORY?

Seeleys opinion was carefully crafted to avoid wading too deeply into policy matters that are considered the function of other branches of government and not the courts.

It doesnt try to set up the court to set climate policy for Montana, which is something that a lot of courts have balked at  the idea that on their own they can figure out how much climate mitigation should be done, said David Dana, a professor at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law specializing in environmental law.

The ruling applies only in Montana  one of few states with a constitution to explicitly protect environmental rights. The states Republican attorney general already has promised an appeal.

If it stands, Montana officials no longer will be able legally to ignore the huge contributions to global warming made by fossil fuels. Whether they do anything about those emissions is another question.

The federal government, for example, has for more than a decade analyzed greenhouse gas emissions from major oil, gas and coal projects  oftentimes under court order. Yet Democratic and Republican administrations alike have continued to approve drilling and mining projects.

That seems likely to happen in Montana especially for the immediate future. Republicans hold a supermajority in the Legislature and have been strong advocates for more drilling and mining.

Notwithstanding that political reality, one of the young plaintiffs, Clare Vlases, 20, of Bozeman, said she believed Seeley's decision will serve as a check on the other branches of government that are promoting fossil fuels.

I know my Montana lawmakers respect the constitution and they respect our governmental processes," Vlases said. "With that respect comes the responsibility to listen to this decision.

WHAT ARE THE BROADER LEGAL IMPLICATIONS?

Never before has a U.S. court weighed in to say that a constitutional right to a healthy environment includes climate as part of the environmental life-support system.

That makes the ruling a landmark in climate litigation, said Sandra Zellmer, a professor of natural resources and environmental law at the University of Montana Blewett School of Law.

It could have even greater impact if it is upheld by the Montana Supreme Court, bolstering its impact as a legal precedent that could be cited in cases across the U.S. and even nationally, Zellmer said.

Pennsylvania, New York and Massachusetts have constitutions with environmental protections similar to Montana's.

WHAT OTHER CASES LIKE THIS ARE OUT THERE?

There have been few comparable court decisions on climate change internationally, including a 2019 ruling from the Netherlands top cour t in favor of activists who for years sought legal orders to force the Dutch government into cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

In the U.S., the environmental law firm that brought the Montana case  Oregon-based Our Children's Trust  has filed climate change lawsuits in every state, with most of those unsuccessful. Its victory in Montana came a decade after the state's Supreme Court denied an earlier climate change case from the firm.

Two lawsuits from Our Children's Trust are inching toward trial.

In Hawaii, a state judge set a trial next summer in a lawsuit that says the state is violating plaintiffs rights by operating a transportation system that produces large amounts of greenhouse gasses.

And in Oregon, a federal judge ruled in June that climate activists can proceed to trial years after they first filed a lawsuit that seeks to hold the nations leadership accountable for its role in climate change. A date has not yet been set. A previous trial in the case was scuttled by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts days before it was to begin in 2018.
Content creator Leslie Olvera recently explored why she felt guilty breaking away from the traditional values of her family and expectations of how to be una hija buena.

She devoted an episode of her podcast,  Your Latina Hermana , to the topic of traditional female gender roles  and one specifically tied to Latino culture: marianismo.

Through the mic of her home office in New Jersey, Olvera said that by her familys standards, una hija buena is being the caretaker for her siblings and helping run the household by cooking and cleaning.

Read more: How L.A.s young, queer Latinos are redefining gender roles

If she satisfied those duties, she was taught, it meant she was ready to fulfill the ultimate role that comes with being a woman.

I would be told, Ya estas lista para casarte,' she said.

On the West Coast, clothing and lifestyle designer Brian Saucedo reminded his dad, Lino, about a recent phone conversation. Brian Saucedo was curating a fashion photo shoot for his company Ghetto Rodeo , an homage to growing up in L.A., earlier this year. And he told his father that he wanted to dress him in a skirt for the project.

Linos response was typical, No. What are my friends going to say?

During a recent interview in the Ghetto Rodeo showroom in El Sereno, the two reflected on the video, which made the rounds on TikTok and Instagram, documenting the photo shoot.

Lino and his friends, who normally talk and play dominoes in the park, were dressed in wide-leg pants and boots, paired with Ghetto Rodeo graphic T-shirts that read, Ghetto Boys Cry Too.

Brian Saucedo told his dad that the goal of the project was to get the men out of their fashion comfort zones  clothes they feel define them as manly.

No naciste macho, he tells his dad, and it launches them into a conversation about machismo, a male gender role that broadly assumes Latinos are dominant, aggressive, honorable, reserved and chauvinist.

Saucedo and Olvera are cisgender creatives who are contributing to a larger conversation that young Mexican Americans and other Latin Americans across the U.S. and beyond are having about letting go of or subverting monolithic gender role norms.

Questioning gender role origins

Machismo and its implications have been written and talked about extensively in research papers, articles and books. Marianismo, though, has finally moved from a mainly academic discussion to social media, podcasts and other mainstream creative platforms.

As the term is being talked about along with personal experiences across TikTok and Instagram, Angelica Tello said, there may be some aspects of internalizing that can take place.

Tello, an associate professor of counseling at the University of Houston-Clear Lake, criticizes the term, saying its an outsiders perspective of Latina experiences."

The term was coined 1973 by Evelyn Stevens, a white academic and political scientist, who was describing gender roles in Latin America. Stevens' research has led marianismo to be described by scholars as if it were rooted in Latin American culture, Tello said.

But in the mental health field, especially psychology, Tello argues, this ends up pathologizing Latinx culture and doesnt shed light on how society as a whole, not just in Latin American countries, fosters patriarchy.

To avoid that, she said, when mental health professionals, content creators or anyone else talk about mental health, they should also be discussing societal factors that affect our lives and mental health.

She gave the example of parents in a mixed status (documentation status or multigenerational) Latinx household who are overprotective of their family members due to experiences of racism, classism or genderism in the United States.

Im not saying that a parents controlling behavior is OK, but it can help put into context what is occurring before quickly pathologizing a Latina as being co-dependent because of the relationship she has with her parents, she said.

Tello added: The mental health field perpetuates the idea that Latinas may struggle with their mental health due to marianismo, and this has undertones of saying that Latinx culture embodies marianismo and therefore Latinas have mental health issues due to their culture.

Read more: Familia, lets talk about nuestra salud mental

So why are we seeing this discussion online now? Information is more accessible, and more Latinos are entering the mental health field, said Lisette Sanchez, a Long Beach-based licensed psychologist.

Words and definitions change all the time, Sanchez said, "and we have the opportunity to reclaim terms all the time."

If [marianismo] gives someone purpose, and they find joy in whatever the traditional definition of marianismo is, and its not a sense of obligation to them, then who am I to judge? she said.

Cynthia Perez, a Long Beach-based licensed clinical therapist, noted that positive qualities come with marianismo  women building community or safe spaces and being resourceful.

Is it the gender roles or the socially constructed roles that were placed upon Latinos, erasing the individuality of the Latin American experience, that hinders someone?

Its a question youll ask yourself when youre questioning whether or not this categorization serves a purpose in your life.

The effects of gender roles

It wasnt until Perez became a mother that she realized how marianismo had disrupted the connection she wanted with her children.

She remembers struggling with feelings of restlessness, disassociation, inadequacy and stress.

Perez found that she, like her mother, didn't know how to stop busying herself to rest or be present with her children.

She also didn't want to criticize her children the way she was criticized.

For example, Perezs mother once told her: "Don't get a master's degree. Men won't want to date you because you'll have more than them."

That may have been a cultural and gender norm for her mother, Perez said. But not one she wanted to carry on.

When we make women feel they need to be perfect and graceful and beautiful and domestic all the time, at all hours, we are setting unattainable standards, she said.

The harm extends beyond the home and into the workforce.

In observing conversations on marianismo, Tello said, Latinas often talk about struggling to balance family and community expectations with what they want to pursue in their professional lives.

Latinas are part of a collectivist culture (helping family and community), but the individualistic lifestyle that is the United States' professional workforce is a source of friction.

Its further intensified by having to navigate a career that a Latina's family might not understand  making her feel isolated and overwhelmed, she said.

Read more: How Latinos are bonding over first-generation trauma

How people are breaking gender role cycles

Healing from traditional gender norm expectations for Olvera includes sharing her experiences through content creation and the "Your Latina Hermana" podcast.

Through those creative channels, Olvera also shared one specific healing practice: becoming more conscious of her thought process.

"I used to believe that my worth was solely based on performance or what I could offer to my family and others," she said.

"However, I now remind myself that my value is not solely based on my performance nor what I can provide."

You can seek assistance from an individual or group therapy session or practice letting go of norms that don't serve you on your own.

The work that comes with leaving behind the gender norms is asking yourself, Who are we learning these roles from? Sanchez said. What are we accepting and rejecting from these traditional practices?

One exercise Sanchez recommends is understanding your values. It's helpful to get an understanding of what you value; realize it might differ from the values you were raised on.

Sanchez suggested a card sorting exercise. She pointed to a printable version from the Good Project, a research initiative by the Harvard Graduate School of Education, that has 30 cards with various titles, including recognition from one's field, independence, curiosity. You can also make your own. Once you have the cards, sort them by relevance to you under the categories of least important to more important.

Once you complete the exercise, Sanchez said, take time to journal and reflect.

Ask yourself:





Did you enjoy it?

How long did it take you?

Was it difficult to make a decision? If so, what made it hard?

"When we are clear on our values, that can also help us understand why we may be experiencing conflict or feeling indecisive," Sanchez said.



This exercise can help you understand which values might be in conflict with a gender norm and provide clarity about where your discomfort is coming from.

"Once you have that information, you can begin to shift your behavior to be more aligned with your values and feel more confident that you are making the best choice for you," she said.

Read more: How second- and third-generation Latinos are reclaiming the Spanish language

Perez hosts in-person and virtual workshops where she talks about inner knowing, a feeling of obligation or guilt we feel to show up a certain way and how it really limits us from expanding.

Most participants are quiet at first, she said, because they arent aware of that term or the extent of influence these gender roles have on their identities.

Another exercise Perez recommends is visualization. When you feel you are people-pleasing or the moment you realize you're falling into a social norm, Perez suggests going out in nature. And if you don't have access to nature, step outside of the environment you're in. Then close your eyes. Visualize yourself in a safe space and give yourself compassion. Question why you're feeling negatively and give yourself some kind words.

"What your brain thinks, it believes. And that is the power of visualization," Perez said.

"So if you imagine a peaceful conversation and allow yourself to let go, your brain tells your body it's safe to let it go. And you'll feel a little bit lighter and hopefully more present."

Another tried-and-true method is to talk things over with sympathetic friends  maybe after you've all read this article.

Back in the Ghetto Rodeo showroom, Lino Saucedo tells son Brian Saucedo that after the photo shoot, he now believes the younger generation isn't as focused on what categories a man and woman should fall into  down to how each gender should dress.

On his left hand, Brian Saucedo has a tattoo that says. "Be you." That's what he tries to live by and what he hopes others realize they can do.

To spread that message, Brian Saucedo said, he's having conversations or starting projects with his dad and with the community Ghetto Rodeo is fostering.

Olvera is proud to be the cycle-breaker in her family while navigating new territory in all aspects of her life and dealing with the potential lack of understanding from others.

"I'm changing the trajectory of how future generations can communicate, express themselves and build healthier relationships," Olvera said.





This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The family of a 21-year-old whose spine was crushed during a police encounter with authorities in Duncanville, Texas, is demanding justice.

On the morning of Aug. 11, a woman called officers after spotting Keandre Green urinating in an alleyway. Green had been jogging that Monday morning and reportedly had stopped in an alleyway to relieve himself. Officers say when they approached Green, he fled.

Keandre Green is being escorted to Charlton Methodist Hospital. (Photo: @_ja_moore/Twitter)



Duncanville Police claim that officers on the scene did a computer search for Green before pursuing him and discovered that Green had a warrant for his arrest for a domestic violence charge.

Green fled immediately on foot, according to police, with officers chasing him. Once authorities captured and pinned down Green, he reportedly continued to resist arrest, despite warnings from police that things could turn physical.

According to a police department press release, an  officer delivered two straight punches to Mr. Greens face a tactic to end a potentially violent encounter. When they could finally cuff him, Green began complaining of back pain, prompting one of the officers to call for an ambulance.



Green has been hospitalized at Charlton Methodist Hospital, where he and his loved ones hope for a full recovery. However, authorities say Green has been charged with attempted evasion and the initial crime he is suspected of having committed.



Hes a young man whose quality of life may be forever changed because of an encounter with professionals who were appointed to protect and serve, said Dionna Austin, Greens cousin, at an Aug. 15 press conference outside Methodist Dallas Medical Center.



During the press conference, Greens attorney, Justin A. Moore, demanded to see the body camera footage of the incident. He told reporters on the scene that Green is paralyzed but can potentially avoid a life of being paralyzed from the waist down through surgery.



According to the family, despite the claims of Green still being charged, he is not under any guard of police officers, nor is he handcuffed to the bed, which is standard operating procedure for patients under arrest while hospitalized.

Duncanville Police have said they may release body camera footage at a later date.

It is our hope that police will put training and provisions in place so that things like this dont continue to happen, Austin said.
[Source]

A YouTuber has earned the right to use a premium suite on a Singapore Airlines flight by first flying with Lion Air, the worlds most dangerous airline.

The worst: On Monday, Ben Morris posted a video on YouTube titled I Flew the World's Best First Class Flight (Singapore Suites).

Before flying with the best of the best, Morris explains at the beginning of his video that he needs to start at the bottom. He then searches for the worlds most dangerous airline on Google and books a flight with Lion Air, the largest airline of Indonesia, from Jakarta to Bali, Indonesia.

Morris shares his observations throughout his flight, noting the planes welcoming staff, crusty seats and bog standard toilet.

More from NextShark: Indonesian monkeys use stones as sex toys, researchers find

The YouTuber appears to be pleasantly surprised by the experience and shares that he is happy he survived the most dangerous airline in the world.

The best: After featuring his Lion Air flight, Morris focuses on his Singapore Airlines first-class suite. He explains in his video that passengers who get the worlds best first-class ticket experience staying in a hotel suite in the sky.

A ticket which gets you a separate private entry to the airport, access to your own exclusive lounge and then, of course, an entire bedroom on a flight.

More from NextShark: Thai father warms netizens' hearts by dressing as woman for child's Mother's Day school event

Morris flew from Singapore to Delhi, India, and featured several highlights of his trip, from fancy meals and a whole bed to a large bathroom with tons of amenities.

This has been the best flight of my life, the content creator says before ending his video.

More from NextShark: Frightened Malaysian woman films TikTok video to capture the faces of the men following her

Enjoy this content? Read more from NextShark!

Anthony Bourdain calling out Singapores treatment of domestic workers goes viral
New Delhi, India (CNN)  Heavy rains and landslides killed more than 40 people in the Northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh on Monday, according to Indias state-broadcaster DD.

Among the death toll are at least nine people who died when flooding caused a temple in the state capital Shimla, a popular tourist area, to collapse. The incident happened at around 8 a.m. local time, the states chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu told Indian news agency ANI during a visit to the temple site on Monday.

The bodies of those who died have been retrieved and the local administration is diligently working to clear the debris, Sukhu posted on X (previously known as Twitter) on Monday.

Five people have been rescued but around 20 to 25 people remain trapped, with rescue efforts under way, he added.

At least 41 people in total have died across Himachal Pradesh on Monday. Indias home affairs minister Amit Shah posted on social media that the loss of life was extremely distressing.

[National Disaster Response Force] teams are engaged in relief and rescue operations along with the local administration. I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families, he added.

Sukhu posted on X on Monday, saying we have directed the authorities to ensure all possible assistance and support to the affected families during this trying period.

I appeal to people to stay indoors, to not venture near rivers and landslide-prone areas, he said.

Traffic police officials have also urged the public to avoid traveling due to the ongoing heavy rain, with the Indian Meteorological Department issuing a red alert for the state.

Videos and images shared on social media show destroyed roads and fallen trees, while and water gushing down mountains sends huge rocks flying.

Himachal Pradesh, has been one of the worst-affected states in this monsoon season. In July, more than 30 people in the state were killed after flash floods and landslides.

Some scientists say the human-caused climate crisis is making Indias monsoon season more chaotic and erratic.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Zaporizhzhia on 15 August. He met with the command of the 65th Mechanised Brigade.

Source: Zelenskyy on Facebook

Quote: "Zaporizhzhia. I met with the command of the 65th Separate Mechanised Brigade, which performs combat tasks as part of the Tavria operational and strategic grouping of troops on the Orikhiv front."

Details: The president added that participants in the meeting discussed the course of hostilities in the areas of the front that belong to the brigade's area of responsibility, problematic issues, and needs.

Quote: "Ukraine is proud of its soldiers who are doing everything they can to kick the invaders out of our land. Thank you for your service!"

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 authorities will seek Western sanctions for the owner and designer of ZALA AERO Alexander Zakharov, as well as pressure on companies that sell electronic components for the Lancet and Orlan drones to the Russians.

Source: Andrii Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, on Telegram

Quote: "We were at the front with the president. Soldiers reported on the problems created by Russian UAVs, in particular, the Lancet attack and the Orlan reconnaissance drones for our forces. This is a threat that we have no right to ignore. I took notes.

Together with the increase in Ukrainian assault capabilities, we must do the maximum to limit the Russian ones."

Details: Just like other ZALA AERO company products, Lancet is a kind of munitions that the Russians use at the front against Ukrainian armoured vehicles, air defence systems and radars.

Orlan is a reconnaissance drone that detects positions and corrects fire, Yermak explained.

The head of the Presidents Office added that Ukrainian experts have long been investigating these UAVs and making conclusions that Ukraine shares with its partners.

Ukraine's intelligence does research on Russian methods of circumventing sanctions  this information is also transferred to partners as soon as possible.

Quote: "Sanctions have already been imposed on the owner and designer of ZALA AERO, Aleksandr Zakharov. Currently, these are Ukrainian [sanctions], but we are working to ensure that it falls under the sanctions of our partners.

In addition, Ukrainian, European, American and Australian restrictions were imposed on LLC CST, the main legal entity of ZALA AERO.

There will be other Ukrainian sanctions.

A Lancet UAV contains at least 19 foreign electronic components, in particular, Western ones. There are also many such components in an Orlan UAV.

Together with partner states, we are already working and will strengthen work on component manufacturers, as well as companies that supply them, bypassing sanctions restrictions".

Details: The head of the Presidents Office also said that the McFaul-Yermak group will soon present "a document with specific sanctions proposals to prevent the flow of microelectronics, machine tools and other equipment necessary for the production of UAVs, as well as chemicals and other materials."

"In addition, we are also working towards limiting Russian electronic warfare systems and radars, the production of which depends on foreign components. This is important for the offensive," Yermak added.

He said all recent key sanctions packages from partners took into account the proposals of the McFaul-Yermak group regarding restrictions on Russian weapons; in particular, they relate to UAVs.

"We know that the best sanction is bavovna, but we work in all directions," Yermak added [Russian propaganda, initially refusing to use the word vzryv (explosion), used khlopok (a bang) instead. However, khlopok also means cotton, and this has since become a meme - ed.].

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!
Los Angeles' controversial zero cash bail policy is to blame for the recent surge in smash and grab robberies across the city, according to the union representing LAPD officers.

"The elimination of cash bail for these types of offenses is really an invitation to these kind of folks who are inclined to break the law and inclined to do it so brazenly, to push them over to say, 'hey, if I was to get caught, I'm going to be right back out again,'" Los Angeles Police Protective League spokesperson Tom Saggau told Fox News Digital.

Zero cash bail, also known as no-cash bail or zero-dollar bail, refers to individuals who are arrested and charged with a crime then released from custody without having to pay any bail money upfront.

The policy was first rolled out in LA during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to decrease jail crowding. It was terminated in July 2022, but a judge reinstated the policy in May after a class action lawsuit was filed by recent arrestees who couldn't afford to pay bail and had to remain in custody for a few extra days.

CALIFORNIA NORDSTROM RANSACKED IN HUGE 'FLASH MOB' SMASH-AND-GRAB, $60K TO $100K IN GOODS TAKEN: POLICE

A large group of 30-50 people were caught on video ransacking a Nordstrom at Topanga Mall in Los Angeles, California on Aug. 12, 2023.

The consequence of the policy has led to more smash and grab robberies across the city, law enforcement officials say, and suspects become repeat offenders when incidents are charged as misdemeanors. This was evident in the recent 'flash mob' robbery at a Topanga mall's Nordstrom over the weekend, Saggau said.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

It marked the second organized retail theft of an LA establishment within just one week.

"What we're seeing in Los Angeles is that very high-end items [are stolen] because there is just a huge resale market for them," he said. "It's really difficult for a short-staffed police department to track all those types of things down."

"Those folks need to be held accountable in a way that they've got to forfeit their freedoms, and that's what they choose to do when they break the law or the manner in which they do," he added.

LAPD Chief Michel Moore, who has been struggling to recruit more officers as the department shrunk to less than 9,000 officers this year, also criticized the policy earlier this month during a hearing.

"I do believe that bail acts as a general deterrence," Moore testified alongside LA Sheriff Robert Luna, Courthouse News Service first reported. "It creates consequences. You face a risk of being incarcerated as a punishment."

SAN FRANCISCO PROFESSOR COMPLAINS ABOUT 'PSYCHOLOGICAL COST' OF STORES LOCKING ITEMS TO PREVENT THEFT

Luna, who was elected last year and replaced Alex Villanueva, said when people are released immediately due to zero cash bail, it "negatively impacts the credibility of our justice system."

Since zero bail was reinstated by the court, Luna said the county department arrested 1,573 people, 226 of whom were released and rearrested for committing other crimes once released.

"Thats concerning," Luna said. "Theres individuals here that have been released on zero bail then turned around and committed murder, in the last several weeks."

LAPD officers are still searching for the 20 to 30 suspects who ransacked between $60,000 and $100,000 worth of merchandise from Nordstrom on Saturday. If suspects are caught, however, it's unclear how hard of a sentence progressive District Attorney George Gascon will hand out.

"He's comfortable with a stern talking to a warm hug and milk and cookies before some of these crooks go to bed," Saggau said of Gascon. "It's the worst type of appeasement, and it's unfortunate, but I know that the folks that are working to try and capture these criminals."

CALIFORNIA VIOLENT CRIME TRIPLED AS SUSPECTS WALKED FREE WITHOUT BAIL: REFORM STUDY

Steve Cooley, LA's former DA from 2000 to 2012, agreed with Saggau. He said Gascon usually brings sentences down to "the least common denominator," but he could bring a harsher sentencing for the Nordstrom ransacking given its high profile.

"They should have enhanced and greatly-increased bail for these suspects," Cooley told Fox News Digital. "They should be doing search warrants for the homes of the suspects to find the stolen property that probably came from other smash and grab mob robberies."

These kind of "flash mob robberies," Cooley added, are a new phenomenon. He also blames zero cash bail for their rise to popularity in the Golden State.

"They did not exist when I was district attorney," he said.

Gascon's office provided a statement to Fox News Digital:

"The brazen organized retail thefts that have been reported in Glendale and Topanga are unacceptable, outrageous and harm our entire community. My office is in contact with the Los Angeles and Glendale police departments, and have offered the support of our Organized Crime Division and Bureau of Investigation. We will continue to work collaboratively with our law enforcement partners to hold the individuals involved with these crimes accountable."

Organized retail theft has caused more than $100 billion in product losses across the U.S., according to a 2022 National Retail Security Survey.
A bill that failed in this years Virginia General Assembly and aims to ensure parental notification by public schools in cases where a student identifies as a gender other than his or her biological sex still has support among Republicans galvanized to retake the state Senate in the Nov. 7 election.

Philip Hamilton, a Charlottesville resident and Republican nominee for the Senate District 11 seat, spoke on House Bill 2432, known as Sages Law, during an Aug. 7 event in Amherst County. He vowed to support the bill, which gained approval from the House of Delegates but failed to move out of the Senate Education and Health Committee, should he defeat Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, in the upcoming election.

Hamilton said he sees culture wars going on in the state and nation and believes Christians and conservatives need to take a stand against the wokeness thats going on, referencing a term made popular by Republicans in speaking against issues backed by Democrats.

There are real-life consequences to whats occurring, Hamilton said. Parents are being placed in the dark. Its very real.

With all 140 Virginia General Assembly seats up for grabs Nov. 7, Hamilton said Republican leadership is crucial for parental rights. He described himself as an underdog against Deeds, who served in the House of Delegates 1992 to 2001 and has served as a state senator for the past 22 years.

Deeds moved from Bath County to Charlottesville in 2021 to run for the seat after the Supreme Court reconfigured legislative districts.

The district encompasses the Democratic strongholds of Charlottesville and Albemarle County, plus Nelson and Amherst counties and part of Louisa County following recent redistricting. Deeds emerged from a highly competitive Democratic primary on June 20 against Sally Hudson with 51% of the vote, according to the Virginia Department of Elections.

Hamilton said he is in favor of exploring 20-year term limits for state lawmakers and feels Deeds has been in office too long.

He said if Republicans can flip the Senate, which narrowly leans Democrat, in addition to holding on to the House, they can further strengthen parental rights by passing Sages Law and ensuring parents are informed in matters involving their childs gender identity.

There is no way that a child should have one name or one gender ideology in school and then have another at home with their parents, Hamilton said. Parents should never be left in the dark  period. It should be against the law.

Sages Law explained

The bill bears the first name of a minor who, according to her adoptive mother Michele Blair, of Appomattox, survived a case of sex trafficking after running away from home because of bullying at school. On the childs first day in ninth grade at Appomattox County High School, the teenager decided to identify as a gender apart from the one assigned at birth and told a counselor of that decision, Blair said.

Blair said she was not told of that conversation and through interaction with school staff, her adopted child learned of a phone app that led to a stranger abducting the minor to Maryland and placing the teen in a sex traffic ring.

Blair said her child was rescued from that ordeal and much psychological trauma was done, which is why she is fighting for legislation to make sure nothing similar happens to another family by requiring school staff to disclose such discussions to parents.

What happened to my [child] could easily have been avoided if the school simply had been honest with me, Blair said.

In a statement, Appomattox County Public Schools Superintendent Annette Bennett said the division does not now and has never had any policy or practice of withholding information about a childs gender identity from parents or guardians.

The claim that this particular individual was unaware of her childs gender identity expression at school, and that school staff did not communicate with her regarding that, is simply not correct, the divisions statement reads. The ability of Appomattox County Public School[s] to respond to allegations pertaining to any particular child is limited due to privacy laws. However, Appomattox County Public Schools has appropriate policies and procedures in place to prevent bullying.

The divisions staff upon any report of bullying immediately investigates and takes appropriate action as needed based on the results of the investigation, the statement continues.

ACPS allocates significant resources, including staff training, to ensure we provide caring and supportive trauma-informed care for all students. We take our responsibility for every students care very seriously and seek to maximize their emotional and educational well-being.

The bills language sought to require each public school principal or designee to inform at least one parent of a student age younger than 18 experiencing gender incongruence and further states the term abused or neglected child should not be referring to a child being raised in a manner consistent with the childs biological sex.

Blair said she believes school staffs actions in her childs case defies common sense and the child was gone 344 days before being located by the FBI in Maryland. The minor, now 16, is working through a lifetime sentence of post-traumatic stress disorder and has conveyed issues with mental health took the teen down a dark road where many people take advantage of the childs vulnerable state, according to Blair.

Its nothing short of a miracle, Blair said of the child surviving the plight. ... Im grateful because God is in the details.

Concerns on forced outing

At the Feb. 16 meeting of the Senate Education and Health Committee, which was streamed online, Ghazala F. Hashmi, the 10th District representative, said the proposed legislation received considerable feedback during a public hearing. The American Civil Liberties Union; Equality Virginia, a nonprofit that advocates for LGBTQ Virginians; and a parent of a transgender student, among others, spoke in opposition to the bill, according to Hashmi.

The concern is this would be a forced outing of a child and sometimes there are not homes or stable families in which a child who is part of the LGBTQ community or is transgender would have an opportunity to speak with an adult, Hashmi said during the Feb. 16 meeting.

The committee heard testimony that a large number of children with housing insecurity or are homeless are from the transgender and LGBTQ community largely because of rejection from their families or faith communities, Hashmi said.

This bill was deemed harmful by many who spoke because it takes away the opportunity for vulnerable children to receive counseling as they might necessarily need to do within a school environment. I move that we pass by indefinitely, Hashmi said.

Democratic J. Chapman Petersen, who represents District 34, said at the meeting he strongly believes in parental involvement and agrees parents should be kept up to speed on issues affecting their child. He said his concern is the proposed legislation almost resembles a mandatory reporting bill that is done in cases of a crime against a child and his hesitation with Sages Law is it could put conversations between children and schools staff they feel is confidential on blast, noting if a matter involves a surgical procedure parents would be informed for consent.

I feel like this bill, rather than solving the issue, would exacerbate the issue and the issue is parents and talking to their children, children talking to their parents, and children having the confidence to maybe speak with a teacher and not have to worry about getting put on blast, Petersen said.

Senators Mark Peake and Steve Newman, Republicans who also serve on the committee, voted Feb. 16 against the bills defeat.

Not going to forget

Blair said at the Aug. 7 event in Amherst she believes teachers or counselors being able to suggest life-changing medication that has permanent consequences to children is wrong.

Theyre kids. They cant even balance a checkbook, let alone their mental health, Blair said. They change their mind every time the wind blows. Its a part of life. This is why schools have no business of discussing gender with our children.

Parents, not school staff, should be the ones guiding students through such issues, Blair said.

I am not here to tell you how to raise your kids  Im here to tell you we should not be placing adult decisions on children, especially not behind a parents back, Blair said. These kids are trying to grow up in a world where sex traffickers are lurking on every cellphone just waiting to trick your child into their sick game. We need schools to communicate with parents.

Schools need to respect parental rights, Blair said, adding her child slipped right through the cracks because of a schools decision to keep me in the dark.

We must be the voice of reason for our children, Blair said. We must save our children before its too late. Society may win a few battles but they will not win the war because parents have only begun to fight.

Dawn Pool, who is running for the District 3 seat on the Amherst County School Board in the Nov. 7 election, attended the Aug. 7 meeting and said she fully supports Sages Law.

I believe that God does not make mistakes with our gender, Pool said.

Pool, who is endorsed by the Amherst County Republican Committee, said she also supports Gov. Glenn Youngkins model policies for parental rights and knowing more about whats happening in schools.

I dont think that teachers or counselors or anyone has a right to tell someone that they should think about changing their gender, Pool said. That is absolutely just beyond agitating for me. It should just not happen. That is a conversation that should be happening within the home and parents should have the right to treat their kids in a way that allows them to be able to guide that decision with their faith and their religion.

Jimmy Ayers, who is among four candidates seeking to become the next sheriff of Amherst County, also spoke during the Aug. 7 event. A former sheriff of 20 years in Amherst, he said he has come across children in many tragic situations in his career in law enforcement and doesnt know how he would have reacted if faced with the same situation as Blair.

I support you 100% because I think its our right as parents to know what our kids are doing, how they are feeling, to work with them and also have the discussions with the school personnel, Ayers said. Im appalled that weve reached this point that were even having to have this discussion, but obviously we are, and I stand firm in support[ing] our children being as they are created, and their parents do the best they can to raise them.

Hamilton said conservative activists must tell stories such as to what happened to Blairs child.

Were not going to forget about what happened and we will continue to fight for Sage in the 2024 General Assembly session, he said.
RICHMOND  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, an Amherst County native and former sheriffs candidate in the county, 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.
Communication has crossed boundaries and languages in today's technology driven society.

The AI voice over generator, a sophisticated technology capable of translating written text into realistic speech in a variety of languages, is a driving force in this worldwide change. The astonishing capacity of these technologies to produce voice overs in 24 different languages, and often more, is propelling them to the forefront of digital communication. We go deep into the field of AI-driven text to voice below, giving practical tips for anybody interested in realizing its enormous potential.

Why Do Multilingual Skills Matter?

Language inclusion is critical for companies, schools, and content providers that want to reach a global audience. An AI voice over generator that handles various languages allows for a broader reach while also ensuring that no audience section feels alienated. Multilingual technologies, such as those that transform English transcripts into Mandarin audio or Spanish text into French voice, help to break down communication obstacles.

Practical User Advice:

Emphasize Quality Over Quantity: While having a tool that can translate text in several languages seems great, it is critical to emphasize output quality. Choose platforms that are well-known for their precision and realistic voice reproduction.

Adjust the Tone, pace, and Accent: A decent AI voice over generator enables users to adjust the tone, pace, and accent of the created speech. This adaptability guarantees that the discourse is genuine and connects with the intended listener.

Keep Up to Date: Because these technologies are based on AI, they are always improving. Regular software upgrades might bring new languages to the table or enhance current ones. To benefit from the most recent advances, keep your software up to date at all times.

Using Nuanced Speech to Bridge Cultural Gaps

Understanding a language entails understanding the nuances, intonations, and cultural nuances as well as the words themselves. Advanced AI voice over generators not only translate text to speech but also guarantee that the speech is emotionally appropriate. For example, the way a joke is presented in Japanese may vary from how it is shown in German. As a result, always use a tool that considers these subtleties in order to make the speech seem as genuine and culturally appropriate as feasible.

Potential Multilingual Text to Speech Applications:

E-Learning Platforms: Educators may build courses in one language and then utilize an AI voice over generator to translate them into numerous languages, guaranteeing that learners all over the globe can benefit.

Podcasts in different Languages: Podcast makers may reach a worldwide audience by giving their material in different languages without having to re-record episodes.

Global Business Presentations: Companies with a global presence may simply tailor their presentations to a variety of language audiences.

Scalability and pricing

Costs, like with any technology, might be an issue. With the rise of cloud-based solutions, however, many AI voice over producers now provide scalable price structures. There is undoubtedly a price option to meet your needs, whether you are an individual wishing to convert a few pages or an organization with mass requirements.

Data Privacy Is Important

Given that these technologies may be used to convert sensitive or private information, it is critical to address data privacy. Choose platforms that emphasize user data security to ensure that the material you convert stays private.

Extending the Multilingual Communication Landscape

As companies and organizations strive for a worldwide presence, the demand for multilingual communication has never been greater. Then there are AI voice over generators. These technologies provide companies, schools, and content producers an advantage by enabling them to cater to a varied audience.

Courses in numerous Languages: Educators and e-learning platforms may now offer their courses in numerous languages. Python programming may be learned in Mandarin by one student in Beijing and Portuguese by another in So Paulo. Learning results are improved by catering to their linguistic comfort. The student may concentrate on grasping the material rather than dealing with linguistic intricacies.

Digital Marketing: By employing the AI voice over generator to translate and vocalize their promotional material, brands can easily roll out worldwide campaigns. This not only saves time, but it also guarantees that the brand message is consistent across several languages.

IVR (Interactive Voice Response) Systems: Companies may customize their customer service lines by using AI-generated voices in several languages. This provides a more personalized client experience, which may dramatically increase user happiness and loyalty.

Podcasters, YouTube makers, and digital storytellers may utilize these technologies to make their material accessible in several languages, extending their fan base and worldwide reach.

Language and Cultural Nuances

While these AI voice over generators' skills are astounding, users should be conscious of the subtleties and complexity of various languages and cultures. Even if a technology is capable of converting text to voice in 24 languages, the user must verify that the material is culturally appropriate and respectful. Certain idioms or phrases in English, for example, may not have a direct counterpart in another language or may be misconstrued.

AI engineers are tackling these issues by training their models on culturally varied datasets in order to capture the nuances of each language. However, it is also the users' responsibility to examine and, if required, change the created information to guarantee its relevancy and appropriateness.

Best Practices for Using AI Voice Over Generators

Here are some practical advice for individuals who want to fully use the possibilities of AI voice over generators:

Always Review the Output: Before completing, always listen to the created voice over. Check that your pronunciation, intonation, and emotion are appropriate for the context of your topic.

Customize Settings: Most programs enable users to change the pace, pitch, and other characteristics of their voice. Experiment with these options to get the desired result.

Keep up to date: The disciplines of AI and machine learning are rapidly growing. Use the most recent version of the program or application, since developers are always refining and improving their algorithms.

Request input: If your material is intended for a particular linguistic group, get input from native speakers. They may reveal insights that non-natives may miss.

In conclusion

In the digital age, the AI voice over generator is changing the way we interact. Its capacity to convert text into lifelike voice in different languages bridges barriers, fosters inclusion, and makes global communication easier than ever. Remember to consider quality, cultural subtlety, and data protection as you investigate the numerous products in the text to speech domain. By doing so, you get access to more than simply a tool; you also gain access to worldwide dialogues.
Salient features of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modis 77th Independence Day address on giant strides India has taken in Electronics and IT Sector

New Delhi, Tue, 15 Aug 2023 NI Wire

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addressed the Nation from the Ramparts of Red Fort in New Delhi on the auspicious occasion of 77th Independence Day. Along with other remarkable achievements the proud Nation achieved in this wonderful journey, he also talked about how the technological landscape has been completely changed in the last one decade. He even emphasised the importance of a digitally empowered India.

In his address, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi highlighted that the policies of the government are providing support to the youth of the country and their strength has helped India become the third largest startup ecosystem in the world Shri Narendra Modi emphasizes digital innovation in India and highlighted the remarkable transformation in India's digital landscape. He also highlights the success of Digital India in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi noted that during his recent visit to Bali for the G20 Summit, world leaders quizzed him about the intricacies of the Digital India success story. He was quoted as saying by a news agency, "Last year at G20 Summit in Bali everyone, including the developed nations, wanted to know of the success of digital public infrastructure. And I said that whatever India has done it is not limited to Mumbai, Delhi, and Kolkata but in tier-2 and tier-3 cities youth are also making a lot of impact in various fields...there is a courage of conviction in the smallest cities of India...and villages as well," Shri Narendra Modi highlighted that the India is moving ahead with multiple capabilities toward modernisation. From renewable energy to hydrogen energy, India is moving forward. While our capability in space is rising, we are swiftly finding success in deep-sea missions, he added that from increased internet penetration across villages to quantum computers, India is moving ahead. The Prime Minister acknowledged the critical role that technology plays in shaping the future. From space to deep sea missions, Vande Bharat trains, electric buses, metro trains, villages getting internet, and semiconductor manufacturing -- we are working in every sector. India is moving towards its aims. This government inaugurates the projects for which it lays the foundation. We aim big and far.

Progress so far:

The Digital India programme was launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on July 01, 2015 with an aim to transform India into a knowledge-based economy and a digitally empowered society by ensuring digital services, digital access, digital inclusion, digital empowerment and bridging the digital divide. The programme is coordinated by MeitY with the Ministries and Departments in the Central and State Governments partnering it in their respective domain areas. The Ministry of Electronics and IT through the Digital India Programme has given a special focus on supporting start-up industries in the country; for attracting investment in semiconductors and strengthening the semiconductor ecosystem in the country, Quantum computing, Digital Public Infrastructure, etc.

Initiatives and measures to promote technology led startup-innovation ecosystem in the country: Technological Incubation and Development of Entrepreneurs (TIDE 2.0) is handholding and nurturing more than 2000 technology startups as well as augmenting capacities of selected 51 technology incubation centres to spur innovation and create economic wealth. Under the scheme, 920+ startups have been onboarded across 51 Incubation Centres.

SAMRIDH Scheme to support existing and upcoming accelerators to select and accelerate potential product-based start-ups to scale. So far, 22 accelerators across 14 states and 12 cities have been supported under the SAMRIDH Scheme.

A total of 42 Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in diverse areas of national interest have been initiated for driving self-sufficiency and creating capabilities to capture new and emerging technology areas.

In addition, a nodal entity to interconnect tech startup infrastructure pan India a MeitY Start-up Hub' (MSH) has been set up under MeitY as an Independent Business Division (IBD) with a consolidation of over 3365 startups, 482 incubators, 424 mentors which has successfully conducted 143 challenges in different technology areas encouraging development of innovative products / services to address current and pressing challenges.

Recently, Government has approved an umbrella program Gen-Next Support for Innovative Startups (GENESIS) with a budget of 490 Cr for 5 years to discover, support, grow and make successful startups in Tier-II and Tier-III cities.

BPO Promotion Scheme

Under the Schemes viz. North East BPO Promotion Scheme (NEBPS) and India BPO Promotion Scheme (IBPS), 246 units have setup BPO/ITES operations distributed around 100 small cities/towns covering 27 States/UTs of the country providing direct employment to over 52,000 persons. No new application is being invited. However, committed liability under funded projects and any new approval, based on already received proposals, will be supported in these Tie2/3 cities.

Semiconductor

Modified Programme for Development of Semiconductors and Display Manufacturing Ecosystem in India:

In order to widen and deepen electronics manufacturing and ensure development of a robust and sustainable Semiconductor and Display Ecosystem in the country, Government approved the Modified Programme for Development of Semiconductors and Display Manufacturing Ecosystem in India with an outlay of Rs. 76,000 crores. The programme aims to provide attractive incentive support to companies that are engaged in silicon semiconductor Fabs, Display Fabs, Compound Semiconductors/silicon photonics/sensors, semiconductor packaging and semiconductor design.

The Government of India has approved the proposal of Micron Technology Inc. on 14.06.2023 for setting up a semiconductor unit in India with capital investment of Rs. 22,516 crore (2.75 billion dollars). This manufacturing facility of Micron will manufacture DRAMs, Flash memories and Solid-State Devices.

Applied Materials Inc. has announced a planned investment of $400 Mn. to establish Collaborative Engineering Centre in Bangalore. During the initial 5 yrs. the center would support $2Bn+ of spending and create ~500 advanced engineering jobs.

Under Chips to Start-up (C2S) Programme, 103 organizations have been selected for chip design & fabrication support via ChipIN Centre as well as financial support for next 5 years for designing semiconductor chips for various applications. This will result in generation of 85,000 manpower at B.Tech, MTech and PhD level specialized in VLSI/ Chip design area.

New curriculums have been launched at UG, Diploma level as a step towards creation of Talent pool in Semiconductor domain. These courses at Diploma and UG level will drastically reduce the time gap to make students industry ready.

India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) has signed an MoU with Purdue University, to enable collaboration for development of skilled workforce (through curation of specific courses/ academic programs), specialized R&D programs, collaboration for funding/ grants support.

Lam Research, USA, Semiconductor Equipment Manufacture has announced to train 60,000 workforce in the next 10 yrs. through its Semiverse Solution virtual platform in collaboration with Indian academic institutions, aiming to expedite India's semiconductor education and workforce development goals.

As a step towards international research collaboration, MeitY and National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. has initiated the joint research program with joint projects in different applied research areas such as semiconductors, next generation communication, cyber security, sustainability and green technologies and intelligent transportation systems.

Quantum computers represent the future of computing for the next generation. Operating on the principles of quantum mechanics, quantum computers revolutionize computing capabilities and offer unprecedented computational power. Government focuses on the research and development of Quantum Computer and Quantum Cryptography. Government launched quantum simulator (QSim) for the developing skills in Quantum programming of researchers/students/professional. A Centre of Excellence in Quantum Technologies with the sophisticated infrastructure has also been setup to provide impetus on the research in this niche technology area.

R&D projects in the areas of 5G and 6G

MeitY had taken the initiative in 2015 to conduct R&D in 5G and Building Next Gen Solution for Indian Market with a research grant of Rs 33 crore for a period of 03 years at premier academic and R&D institutes of national importance (various IITs and IISc) leading to many firsts in India in the field of communications

MeitY has initiated a project Next Generation Wireless Research and Standardization on 5G and Beyond in July 2021 with an outlay of Rs 95.81 crore for a period of 03 years with the objective to conduct collaborative research in the broadband wireless communication areas leading to standardization of 5G and beyond technologies by utilizing the expertise available in the country from premier academic institutions and organizations like CEWiT (Centre of Excellence in Wireless Technology, a not for profit autonomous research society of IIT Madras set up by MeitY), IISc Bangalore, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur and IIT Madras.

MeitY has initiated another project Indian Open Source Software Platform for an end-to-end 5G Networks (IOS-5GN) to create a complete Open-Source 5G software platform (IOS-5GN) in August 2023 with an outlay of Rs19.99 crore for a period of 02 years. The project is being implemented by IISc Bangalore, IIT Delhi, CDAC Trivandrum.

The 6G End-to-End Communication System in November 2022 with an outlay of Rs19.99 crore over a period of 3 years: The project is being implemented by IIT Hyderabad. The emphasis is on 6G IP creation in the form of Patents and Proof of Concepts (PoC)

The 6G: Sub-THz Wireless communication with Intelligent Reflecting Surfaces (IRS) in November 2022 with an outlay of Rs 29.97 crore over a period of 03 years: The project is being implemented by IIT Madras and SAMEER Kolkata. The focus of this project to develop and demonstrate a fully functional 6G high speed communication link incorporating various subsystems at 140 GHz.

Other Major Initiatives of MeitY

More than 135 crore Aadhaar Cards have empowered residents, especially the poor and vulnerable, to seamlessly avail the benefits of government services. DBT (Direct benefit transfer) through Aadhaar has enabled the Government in providing financial benefits directly to the citizens bank account by removing fictitious beneficiaries.

Cards have empowered residents, especially the poor and vulnerable, to seamlessly avail the benefits of government services. (Direct benefit transfer) through Aadhaar has enabled the Government in providing financial benefits directly to the citizens bank account by removing fictitious beneficiaries. Pradhan Mantri Gramin Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) the Worlds largest Digital Literacy Programme has trained more than 6.1 crore citizens in rural areas and has empowered the citizens by making them digitally literate.

the Worlds largest Digital Literacy Programme has trained more than 6.1 crore citizens in rural areas and has empowered the citizens by making them digitally literate. DigiLocker is enabling people to store, share and verify their documents and certificates through cloud thus eliminating the use of physical documents. Around 18.38 crore users are using the App and 622 crore documents are available.

is enabling people to store, share and verify their documents and certificates through cloud thus eliminating the use of physical documents. Around 18.38 crore users are using the App and 622 crore documents are available. Unified Mobile Application for New Age Governance (UMANG), a single mobile App, has brought government services to the finger tips of the citizens of India. More than 5.48 crore users are using the App and availing around 1,718 services of Central and the State Governments available on the App.

a single mobile App, has brought government services to the finger tips of the citizens of India. More than 5.48 crore users are using the App and availing around 1,718 services of Central and the State Governments available on the App. eHospital, a one-stop solution for connecting patients, hospitals and doctors , facilitates Aadhaar based online registration and appointment for patients without standing in long queues. More than, 1,000 hospitals across India have been enabled with the eHospital facility.

a one-stop solution for connecting patients, hospitals and doctors , facilitates Aadhaar based online registration and appointment for patients without standing in long queues. More than, 1,000 hospitals across India have been enabled with the eHospital facility. Jeevan Pramaan has eliminated the requirement of physical presence of the pensioner at the government office to avail the service. More than 7.18 crore Digital life Certificates have been generated.

has eliminated the requirement of physical presence of the pensioner at the government office to avail the service. More than 7.18 crore Digital life Certificates have been generated. National Scholarship portal (NSP) has become one-stop solution for various services starting from student application, application receipt, processing, sanction and disbursal of various scholarships to Students. More than 100 Scholarship schemes of Central/State Government are available on NSP Portal.

has become one-stop solution for various services starting from student application, application receipt, processing, sanction and disbursal of various scholarships to Students. More than 100 Scholarship schemes of Central/State Government are available on NSP Portal. MyScheme , a service discovery platform, enabling citizens to easily discover eligible schemes based on their demography. So far, 972 schemes of the Central and State/UT Governments have been hosted.

, a service discovery platform, enabling citizens to easily discover eligible schemes based on their demography. So far, 972 schemes of the Central and State/UT Governments have been hosted. Meri Pehchaan, a National Single Sign-On (NSSO) platform, has been launched to get rid of using multiple credentials for multiple applications or services. Through the platform, now, one can access multiple online applications or services through single set of credential only. Currently, around 3700 services of various Ministries/States are integrated with NSSO.

has been launched to get rid of using multiple credentials for multiple applications or services. Through the platform, now, one can access multiple online applications or services through single set of credential only. Currently, around 3700 services of various Ministries/States are integrated with NSSO. It is our endeavour that economic and social development is supported by multilingual Internet. Government is now providing facility of Internet in local languages also. India is the only country globally that has got the (.) Bharat domain in all the 22 official languages .

. To further mitigate the language barrier , Bhashini, an AI enabled national language translation platform has been launched by ensuring the access to internet for citizens who do not know English. As on date, 1000+ pre-trained AI models for language translation in 10 Indian languages have been made available on the Bhashini platform

platform has been launched by ensuring the access to internet for citizens who do not know English. As on date, 1000+ pre-trained AI models for language translation in 10 Indian languages have been made available on the Bhashini platform The success of the Public Digital platforms like Aadhaar, UPI, Digilocker, UMANG, Jeevan Praman, etc has been phenomenal. These platforms not only facilitated Ease of Living but also empowered the lives of common citizen. These initiatives have truly actualized the spirits of Maximum Governance and Minimum Government principle. India is now poised to internationalise the Indias most significant contribution to the Digital world. In this regard, India Stack Global has been initiated to showcase the India Stack and its building blocks globally. At present, 12 key projects/platforms namely Aadhaar, UPI, Co-Win, API Setu, DigiLocker, AarogyaSetu, GeM, UMANG, Diksha, E-Sanjeevani, E-Hospital, and E-Office are made available at the portal of India Stack Global available in all UN languages. Government endeavors to augment India Stack Global with more digital public goods and offer these solutions globally.

like Aadhaar, UPI, Digilocker, UMANG, Jeevan Praman, etc has been phenomenal. These platforms not only facilitated Ease of Living but also empowered the lives of common citizen. These initiatives have truly actualized the spirits of Maximum Governance and Minimum Government principle. India is now poised to internationalise the Indias most significant contribution to the Digital world. In this regard, has been initiated to showcase the India Stack and its building blocks globally. At present, 12 key projects/platforms namely Aadhaar, UPI, Co-Win, API Setu, DigiLocker, AarogyaSetu, GeM, UMANG, Diksha, E-Sanjeevani, E-Hospital, and E-Office are made available at the portal of India Stack Global available in all UN languages. Government endeavors to augment India Stack Global with more digital public goods and offer these solutions globally. India has witnessed an unprecedented growth in electronics manufacturing sector. New Policies and Schemes, such as, Production Linked Incentives (PLI) for Large Scale Electronics Manufacturing and IT Hardware, Scheme for Promotion of Manufacturing of Electronic Components & Semiconductors (SPECS), Modified Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMC 2.0) etc has created a conducive environment for domestic electronics ecosystem to flourish by providing fiscal incentives to industry. As a result of government initiatives and industrys efforts, the domestic production of electronic goods increased substantially from Rs 3,88,306 crore (USD 60 billion) in 2017-18 to Rs 8,25,000 crore (USD 102 billion) in 2022-23 growing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 16.2%.

To support Aatmanirbhar Bharat, the ecosystem for Supercomputers is being created under National Super Computing Mission . The indigenous components, such as, Rudra Server Board, Trinetra Network card, Software stack, AUM HPC processor have been developed . Till date ,18 Super Computers have been deployed across the country with a total computing capacity of 24 Peta Flops.

. The indigenous components, such as, . Till date across the country with a total computing capacity of 24 Peta Flops. Due to highly disruptive nature of Technology, it is essential to continuously upgrade through skilling and re-skilling. FutureSkills PRIME programme is providing a platform for IT professionals to upgrade their skills in emerging technologies like AI, Big Data, AR/VR, Blockchain etc.

Source: PIB
Federal High Court, Lagos State. By Dennis Erezi Nigeria has extradited two men to the United States to face charges after being indicted for international sexual extortion. United States Department of Justice in a statement said the two Nigerians  Samuel Ogoshi, who is a 22-year-old, and Samson Ogoshi, a 20-year-old, were arrested and charged on request of the US in Lagos State, Nigeria. U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten said Samson and Samuel were indicted for sexually extorting numerous young men and teenage boys in the Western District of Michigan and across the United States. Samuel Ogoshi was also charged with causing the death of 17-year-old Jordan DeMay, of Marquette, Michigan, who was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in March 2022. Sextortion is a horrible crime, said Totten. To those who commit these crimes: we will pursue you around the world. And to those who are victims: please know we stand ready to help you. Totten said it is pleasing to see how swiftly their extradition was achieved and commended the FBI and the Nigerian law enforcement partners for their unyielding work to secure justice in this international sexual exploitation investigation. Department of Justice said Samson and Samuel will make an initial appearance on Monday afternoon at the federal courthouse in Grand Rapids at a time to be determined by the court. Nigerian authorities arrested Samuel and Samson Ogoshi in Nigeria in January 2023, at the request of the United States. Nigerian prosecutors managed the extradition proceedings, on behalf of the United States. On July 20, the Honorable Justice B.F.M. Nyako ordered both Ogoshis to be turned over to the United States to face the charges in the indictment. On August 3, B.E. Jedy Agba, the Solicitor-General of the Nigerian Federation, signed the final surrender order, authorizing the United States to bring the Ogoshis to West Michigan. In May 2023, Samuel Ogoshi and Samson Ogoshi were charged in a four-count indictment: Count 1 charges Samuel Ogoshi with Sexual Exploitation and Attempted Sexual Exploitation of a Minor Resulting in Death in association with the death of Jordan DeMay. The charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison and a statutory mandatory minimum of 30 years in prison. Count 2 charges both men with Conspiracy to Sexually Exploit Minors by causing the minors to produce child pornographic images that the defendants then used to blackmail the minors.The charge carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison. Count 3 charges both men with Conspiracy to Distribute Child Pornography for sending the child pornography images to the minors, as well as their families and friends. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison. Count 4 charges both men with Conspiracy to Commit Stalking Through the Internet for engaging in this sextortion scheme as it relates to both minors and young adults. The charge has a maximum penalty of five years in prison. All charges have provisions for fines, restitution, and supervised release after their release from prison. Devin J. Kowalski, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan said financial sextortion is a global crisis that impacts teens in the United States and around the world. As this case demonstrates, the FBI is committed to working closely with our domestic and international law enforcement partners to prevent young men and women from becoming victims of this tragic crime. GUARDIAN

NEWS SECTIONS
As a girl born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, I've been making a true effort to immerse myself in all things Iowa from the moment I was named the Nonpareil's managing editor.

I was neck deep in work last summer, so I knew this year was my chance to make my first trip to the revered Iowa State Fair. I'm certain it won't be my last.

Assistant editor Scott Stewart joined me at the fair on Friday, serving as photographer and videographer for our trip as well as a sort of tour guide for my visit to Des Moines. (I've only ever driven through before!)

We met early in the morning, wanting to get to the capital city with time to enjoy the fair before baking in the summer heat, parked at the Iowa Capitol and took the DART bus to the fairgrounds.

Stepping off the shuttle and making my way onto the fairgrounds with anticipation, I was grateful for the printed map gifted to me at admissions. I'm a planner, so had already downloaded a map on my phone, but it was much easier to read the larger, paper map in my hand.

Still, as we navigated the massive festival, I felt overwhelmed by all the happenings and was often unsure of where I was going. I do wish there were some signs lining the concourses to direct you to the larger stages and buildings, or maybe just as a check for those worried they aren't going the right way.

Our first stop was JR's SouthPork Ranch for Gov. Reynolds "Fair Side Chats." We missed North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum's interview, but were able to catch former Vice President Mike Pence's chat.

Along with sharing laughs that her husband, Kevin, has been mistaken for Pence, Reynolds asked him a number of questions.

Pence said he admired Reynolds' "bold leadership" and praised the state government's recent efforts in schools.

"Can you believe we had to put into code that parents will be the primary decision-makers in their children's education?" Reynolds asked.

"We have got to make it clear that parents don't co-parent with government," Pence said.

He later recommended a lemonade shake-up as a must try fair food, and I'm honestly still kicking myself for not seeking one out.

It was my first time at the Iowa State Fair  at any state fair, actually  and I was there for the ambiance as well as the food, both its novelty and notoriety.

I am fascinated by the Iowa State Fair's famed "food on a stick."

Sure, there are corn dogs, but there are waffles on a stick, salad on a stick, peanut butter and jelly on a stick, and cheesecake on a stick, to name a select few.

I'd like to one day sample more stick fare, but I settled for a pork chop on a stick and was not disappointed. There was a split second when I really wanted to switch my order to the bacon on a stick, but the pork chop was clearly the better photo op.

We tried our darndest to sample a variety of other fair fare.

First, we tried the dill pickle curds, which offered a nice flavor but tasted as if they'd been fried in pickle brine, rather than having pickles inside them as I'd expected, and made sure to get a cup of Barksdale's State Fair Cookies, which were delightfully still a bit warm. The cup was more than enough for two people to share.

The highlight of an increasingly hot summer afternoon was the peppermint bar, featuring Bauder's peppermint ice cream topped by hot fudge and an Oreo crust. It tasted like Christmas, as assistant editor Scott Stewart pointed out, and, not only was it delicious, but each bite provided relief from the sun's direct heat.

I am captivated by Iowa's political landscape and the immense weight Iowa bears when it comes to national politics.

It felt good to see families enjoying music, food and fun, while state and national politicians made themselves accessible to everyday Iowans.

As we made a food tour lap, we happened upon Miami Mayor Francis Suarez speaking to a small crowd during the Des Moines Register's political soapbox. Highlighting his connection to the Hispanic vote, Suarez was passionate, business-minded and ready to connect with Americans.

Attending on Friday, we missed Trump and DeSantis's highly anticipated Saturday visits to the fair, but I still felt I walked away with a better understanding of just how important Iowa is when it comes to national politics. It was cool to see the national news there covering events as well.

Admittedly, I wished I had seen more southwest Iowa entries winning in some of the 4-H competitions. I'm not sure if it's because our kids are a bit farther away or what, but I know there are local youth doing impressive things that deserve state-level recognition.

I'd be remiss not to mention the butter cow, an exhibit I sought out, without which my fair trip would have been incomplete.

When we arrived back at Scott's car, beat from the direct heat, we took a few moments to step inside the Iowa State Capitol. Seeing that building in person was also a first for me, so we stopped in for a brief look around and I was amazed by its subtle and fitting grandiosity.

It wasn't over the top, but it was beautiful  and the library was something I could only dream up after watching a "Harry Potter" movie.

Reflecting over the weekend, what amazed me most was the inclusive and all-encompassing vibes that permeated the fair.

There were political opinions being traded while down the way, children took pride in their hard work as they showed their best livestock. A woman rode a horse down the street and nearby, people clapped and danced as Bandaloni performed John Denver's "Thank God I'm a Country Boy." Others smiled as they looked out over the heart of their home state from the top of a Ferris wheel.

Drawing on a breadth of interests and offerings, the Iowa State Fair was able to define what it means to be an Iowan and inspire Iowans to come together and celebrate what makes Iowa so special.

To witness and feel part of that  even just for an afternoon  was something special.
Weather Alert

...EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON MONDAY TO 10 PM CDT WEDNESDAY... * WHAT...Dangerously hot conditions with heat index values up to 112 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. &&
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN)  Two estranged sons of Thailands King Maha Vajiralongkorn said Monday they hoped to return to the country soon after an unexpected visit that has fueled speculation among many in the kingdom.

The brothers surprise trip was their first back to their homeland in 27 years though the Royal Palace has not released any official information or public comment on their visit.

The week has passed quickly. There are many things I want to do and fulfill but there is little time. Since I have returned to Thailand this time, I have received warmth from everyone I met. I have met various Thais and been able to talk to them closely, said Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse, the Kings second oldest son, from Bangkoks Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Returning to Thailand after so long away had filled the holes in my heart, he added.

This is such a great feeling, Vacharaesorn said.

Their return sparked interest among many in the kingdom and drove speculation that the sons may officially be welcomed back into the royal family, after almost three decades of estrangement.

Social media has been filled with Thais speculating on the reason for their visit, despite a strict lese majeste law which carries lengthy jail sentences for any perceived criticism of the royal family and makes any frank discussion about their role fraught with legal risk.

Vacharaesorn, 42, arrived in Thailand last week and visited a daycare center for underprivileged children and a Buddhist temple in the capital.

His brother Chakriwat Vivacharawongse, 40, the Kings third son, arrived several days later and the two visited Siriraj Hospital together and paid respects to an image of their late grandfather and to their great-grandfather, Prince Mahidol  considered the father of modern medicine in the country.

Following the hospital visit, Chakriwat  a medical doctor  posted on his official Facebook page: I am able to be a doctor today because of his inspiration. And I will continue to follow in his footsteps in delivering this inspiration to all medical students.

The surprise news conference from the two brothers as they departed the country of their birth was tinged with emotion.

Vacharaesorn did most of the talking, holding the hand of his younger brother, who remained mostly silent throughout.

During a brief mention of his father, Vacharaesorns voice noticeably trembled.

I am grateful for His Majesty the Kings kindness, as well as the nation. I am happy to be born in Thailand, he said. This time I have to leave again, I hope in the future I and my brothers and family will be able to visit Thailand again.

It is unclear whether the sons met with King Vajiralongkorn, 71, while they were in the country.

Vacharaesorn and Chakriwat are among four sons of Vajiralongkorn and his second wife, Yuvadhida Polpraserth, who he married in 1994 and later divorced.

Along with their mother and other siblings, they were estranged after the separation and do not hold formal royal titles. They have been living and working in the United States since leaving Thailand.

Their sister Princess Sirivannavari was later welcomed back to Thailand following their estrangement and is a fashion designer and equestrian.

She has frequently been seen in public with the King and Queen, and during mass anti-government protests in 2020 told CNN that Thailand is a peaceful country, saying we love the Thai people, no matter what.

The brothers trip to their homeland comes at a difficult time for the royal family after the Kings oldest child, 44-year-old Princess Bajrakitiyabha, was hospitalized in an unconscious state in December after collapsing due to a heart problem.

In January, the palace said in a statement that Bajrakitiyabha suffered a severe heart arrhythmia due to inflammation caused by a mycoplasma infection and doctors have been using a support system to keep her heart, lung and kidneys functioning.

There is no clear heir apparent to the King.

Vajiralongkorn, who was born in 1952, ascended to the throne in 2016 after the death of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who had reigned for seven decades.

The King has been married four times  to Soamsawali Kitiyakara in 1977, Yuvadhida 17 years later, Srirasmi Suwadee in 2001 and Queen Suthida, a former general and deputy commander of the Kings Royal Guard Command who he married days before his coronation in 2019.

He has seven children from his marriages  two daughters and five sons  only one of whom, 18-year-old Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, is officially recognized as a prince.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Kings estranged sons say they hope to return soon after surprise Thailand visit fuels speculation"
The African venture-capital (VC) market witnessed a 40% drop in funding from the previous year in the first six months of 2023, reflecting cautious investor sentiment and sparking concerns for startups future.

In the first half of 2023, a mere 263 VC deals were executed, collectively accounting for $2.1 billion, which represents a 40% decline in deal volume and total funding compared to $3.5 billion during the same period last year, according to a report released by the African Private Capital Association (APCA). The abrupt drop in VC funding underscores a challenging period for African startups. This decline has sent shockwaves through the continents startup ecosystem, raising concerns about the future of entrepreneurship and innovation in the region.

The report, titled Shifting Ventures: Africas VC Landscape, unveils the magnitude of this funding crisis and its implications for the entrepreneurial landscape. The APCA report suggests that global investors are displaying a newfound caution when it comes to funding African startups, with fewer high-ticket investments materializing. Only five large-scale deals were concluded, accumulating just over $1 billion. This sharp drop from the previous years nine deals, which garnered $1.3 billion, signals a shift in investment sentiment. The APCA report lists a number of factors that led to this decline in venture capital investment in Africa, namely lack of funding; lack of infrastructure, and regulatory hurdles.
Talks between a delegation of senior Nigerian Islamic scholars and the Nigers coup leaders in Niamey have been constructive and the latter are open to diplomacy to resolve a standoff with West Africas regional bloc, ECOWAS, the Nigerian religious leaders said on Sunday (13 August).

In a sign the ECOWAS bloc is still pushing for a peaceful resolution, its chairman and Nigerian President Bola Tinubu approved Saturdays (12 August) mission to Niamey, which had vowed to promote dialogue. Nigers putschists had for the first time showed willingness to negotiate with ECOWAS, according to Nigerian mediators who met junta leader General Abdourahmane Tchiani. Their visit came as the ECOWAS explores its options to restore civilian rule in Niger, including potential military intervention, following the 16 July ouster of President Mohamed Bazoum  the seventh coup in West and Central Africa in three years. ECOWAS has ordered the deployment of a standby military force in response to Julys military coup in Niger.

Any military intervention by the bloc could further strain regional ties as juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea have voiced support for Nigers new military rulers. Until the coup, Niger was hailed as one of the last democratic partners of the United States and European nations in the Sahel region. The country has now become a hot ground for US, French, German and Italian troops stationed in Niger, as the putschists have already terminated military agreements with France. There are mounting concerns Russias clout could increase in Niger if the junta in the West African country follows Mali and Burkina Faso, which ejected the troops of former colonial power France after coups in those countries.
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali  or MINUSMA  said in a statement on

Sunday (13 August) that it has sped up its withdrawal from the city of Ber in the north of the country due to the degradation of security, which had made its departure urgent.

During the operation, three of UN soldiers were wounded when they came under fire amid a surge in fighting, the MINUSMA force added a few hours later. MINUSMA also urged all concerned parties to refrain from any actions that could further complicate the operation.

Malis junta demanded in June that the UN peacekeepers withdraw from the West African country after a decade-long deployment. The UN mission, which had about 11,600 troops and 1,500 police officers stationed in Mali, was created to quell Tuareg-led separatist and Islamist insurgencies in northern the north of the country through the signing of the 2015 Algiers Accord.

MINUSMAs impending pullout has reportedly exacerbated tensions between Malis military government and the rebel Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA). In recent days, the Tuareg-led northern rebel alliance, accused Malian forces and Russian Wagner Group troops of violating a ceasefire by attacking its forces near Ber. As the fighting continued on Sunday between the rebels and Malis troops, the countrys military junta did not address the CMAs accusations, but said six of its soldiers stationed in the town were killed by armed terrorist groups. CMA seeks independence from the Malian state and controls most areas of the north.
In July 2023, the International Press Institutes (IPI) global networks monitoring of press freedom violations in sub-Saharan Africa recorded 80 incidents in 17 countries, which reflects just how much media across Africa are being obstructed by newsroom raids and arrests, attacks on reporters covering elections and legal challenges to their work.

According to the latest IPI Africa Press Freedom Monitoring Report, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) recorded the highest number of incidents, followed by Kenya, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, which recorded 8 incidents each, and Gabon, with five incidents. The incidents of press freedom violations include physical attacks, arrests, detentions of journalists, and censorship, the IPI report says. Physical, verbal or online attacks on journalists and media workers represent the most frequent type of violations recorded. In most cases, the perpetrators of these violations are state actors, with the police/state security emerging as the top violators of press freedom. A number of incidents included the forced deletion of journalists camera and telephone content.

While most incidents take place in countries with poor records for media freedom, analysts are also seeing cases in vibrant democracies like Botswana and South Africa. Although the number of journalists imprisoned or killed in connection to journalism is not as high as may be the case elsewhere on the continent, there are other press freedom violations in southern Africa that are deeply concerning, said Angela Quintal, Africa program director at the Committee to Protect Journalists (CP).

In Botswana, intelligence agents in late July reportedly confiscated devices and arrested an editor, Ryder Gabathuse, and reporter Innocent Selatlhwa, at the offices of Mmegi, a leading newspaper. In neighboring South Africa, a number of incidents have raised concern, including lawsuits filed against news outlets and problems concerning media accreditation.
Several Moroccan regions witnessed a heat wave topping 50C as in the coastal city of Agadir, weather monitoring authorities said.

The heat wave was felt across the country with the highest impact in central and southern Morocco where towns traditionally known for mild summer weather such as Essaouira recorded 48C.

Agadir broke the countrys record at 50.4C, which is 0.33C higher than the 2019 record.

The heat wave triggers fears of climate experts who have been warning of a dire impact for Morocco which already suffers from water stress.

Other experts also warn of climate migration within the country as heat wave cycles become longer and recurrent.
African airlines have achieved a 34.7% surge in passenger traffic over the past year, displaying remarkable resilience against the odds, yet their global share still remains modest at 2.1%.

African airlines have even outpaced their counterparts in Europe, the Middle East, and across the globe in terms of total passenger traffic for the month of June 2023, according to recent data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). This impressive growth has secured the African airlines the second-highest position in terms of percentage gains in 2023, with Asia-Pacific carriers taking the lead with a striking 128.1% year-to-year surge in traffic in June 2023. With 34.7% increase in traffic, the African airlines surpassed European carriers that demonstrated 14% increase in traffic, followed by Middle Eastern airlines with 29.2% rise in traffic.

But this surge, although impressive, underscores the continued challenges faced by African airlines, as their global passenger market share remains modest at just above 2%. The IATAs study lists the main challenges facing the regional carriers, most notably in the supply chain, including aircraft delivery delays and spare part shortages, which hinder airlines from fully capitalizing on the rising demand. The resilience of the African aviation industry becomes even more evident when juxtaposed against a unique setback: despite the overall rise in international load factors, Africa experienced a dip of 5.1% in June. Europe, on the other hand, continued to dominate the global passenger share with an unyielding 30.8%, closely followed by North America with a 28.8% share.
The United States have expressed great concern and the West African regional bloc ECOWAS condemned on Monday (14 August) Nigers military rulers threats to prosecute detained President Mohamed Bazoum, warning the move would exacerbate tensions.

We are incredibly dismayed by reports that President Bazoums unjust detention has gone even a step further, State Department spokesman told reporters. The threat by Nigers National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) to prosecute Bazoum is completely unwarranted and unjustified and candidly, it will not contribute to a peaceful resolution of this crisis. ECOWAS has said it was shocked to learn of attempts by Nigers junta to bring charges of high treason against Bazoum, describing the move as a form of provocation. Also the United Nations finds the attempt by the putschists to bring charges of high treason against democratically-elected president is very worrying, a UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Monday.

By contrast, some Niamey residents have reportedly welcomed the ruling juntas plans to prosecute their former president. The possible trial of Bazoum is a hot topic in the capital city, with some residents backing the plan. Coup leader General Abdourahmane Tchiani said in his first televised address the West African country needed to change course to secure its preservation and he and others had decided to intervene to overcome security, economic and social challenges. Meanwhile, the US has commended the Nigerian President Tinubus efforts leading ECOWAS and backed maintaining pressure on Nigers military leaders, including through sanctions and the deployment of a standby military force to reverse the 26 July coup.
Tunisias President Kais Saied has fired Bechir Kthiri, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of cereals Authority amid rising prices that he imputed, few days ago, to monopoly.

The presidential office Monday August 14 indicated that Kthiri has been replaced by Salwa Benhadid Zouari.

The office added that the President ordered the ministry of Justice to take legal actions against speculators.

The appointment of the new CEO came one day after Saied slammed mafias and cartels for monopolizing basic goods and products that have caused a surge of prices.

During a visit to the commune of El Battane in the Manouba governorate on Sunday August 13, the Tunisian leader blamed cartels and mafias for concealing foods, goods, and medicines to cause shortage and increase in prices. Bread is available, but tons of flour and semolina are hidden away. The same goes for coffee, sugar, and medicines, he said. These shortages are caused by cartels intending to wreak havoc, he added.
(CNN)  At least 10 people died and 37 more were injured in an explosion in the Dominican Republic on Monday, according to the office of President Luis Abinader.

A further 11 people are missing following the blast, which occurred in the town of San Cristobal in the south of the country, the presidents office said in a statement Tuesday.

More than two dozen rescue units responded to the explosion, and the injured were taken to various hospitals. The cause of the explosion has not been established, added the statement.

In remarks from the National Palace on Monday, President Luis Abinader expressed his concern for the situation and said he is closely following events, state broadcaster RTVDs Central 4 Noticias reported.

This story will be updated.
The National Council for the Safeguarding of the Country, the junta in power in Niger, recalled Monday August 14 the countrys Ambassador to Cote dIvoire in reaction to the Ivorian leaders push for military intervention to restore deposed leader Mohamed Bazoum.

The decision followed recent remarks by Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara that indicated his eagerness to send troops to Niger for military intervention, Col. Amadou Abdramane, the spokesman of the junta said on National Television.

Cote dIvoire is part of few countries in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) rooting for a military intervention suggested by the bloc on August 10, aiming at forcing the junta that deposed Bazoum on July 26 to restore power.

President Ouattara last week briefing media in Abidjan, after the Summit that he had instructed the Chief of Staff of the Ivorian army to start mobilizing his troops for their participation in this ECOWAS operation, and that Ivory Coast is ready to provide a battalion of 850 to 1,100 troops.

The ECOWAS apart from the threat of military intervention has slapped economic sanctions on Niger as part of pressure but transitional Prime Minister appointed by the junta, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, argues that the poor African country can overcome them.
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A group of 94 members of the French parliament sent a letter to President Macron urging him to make a stand in support of Moroccos sovereignty over the Sahara territory as part of effort to restore an African-French foreign policy in demise.

The letter, published on Le Figaro inter alia, noted the erosion of French influence in Africa due to inconsistencies in Macrons foreign policy in a continent where Russians, Chinese and Americans have outperformed the French.

After recalling the fiasco of France in a number of its former colonies where the army overthrew democratically elected presidents, the MPs recalled the lack of action by President Macron and his ill-fated bet on Algeria, where the armys doctrine is based on anti-French sentiment.

In Morocco, French procrastination on the Sahara (at a time Spain and Germany recognized Moroccos sovereignty over the Sahara) and the balance seeking policy by the Quai DOrsay with Algeria, have pushed the Royal Palace to seek defense and economic partners elsewhere, noted the letter.

We do not understand the development of French policy in Africa whether at the military level or at the development and cultural and linguistic levels, said the letter.

Niger, on which Paris depends for uranium supplies, was the latest Sahel state to turn its back to France after a military coup, following the example of neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso.
King Mohammed VI was represented at the inauguration of Paraguays new president, Santiago Pena.

The Sovereign was represented at the inauguration ceremony by Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Santiago Pena was sworn in as Paraguays new president in an inauguration ceremony that took place in Asuncion on Tuesday.

The 44-year-old economist and former finance minister was the candidate of the conservative Colorado Party, which has governed Paraguay almost uninterruptedly for 76 years.

The inauguration ceremony was held in the presence of many of the regions heads of state, including President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil and Argentinas Alberto Fernandez.

President of Uruguay Luis Lacalle Po, President of Chile Gabriel Boric and King Felipe VI of Spain attended the ceremony together with delegations representing some 90 countries.

King Mohammed VI had sent a message of congratulations to Santiago Pena, following his election as President of Paraguay.

In this message, the Sovereign expressed his firm determination to work with President Pena to strengthen the strong bonds of friendship that unite the two countries and to develop bilateral cooperation in various fields in the interests of the two friendly peoples and the consolidation of South-South cooperation.
This past week started with Julie and I attending parades in Brady, Stapleton and Mullen. We then spent this Saturday in Maxwell, participating in their annual parade.

Eating some of the three delicious pies from Maxwells pie auction was the perfect end to the week. We now have our sights set on the Hershey Fall Festival.

We also attended the annual Governors Ag and Economic Development Summit in Kearney. The event began with the annual Nebraska Diplomats awards banquet.

I was honored to join other area leaders in accepting the Community of the Year Award on behalf of the City of North Platte.

In recent years, the North Platte area has quietly ignited amazing growth that will have a profound effect on this area for decades to come.

I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the outstanding work of Gary Person, who used his long history of economic development to play a key role in orchestrating the growth we see today.

Although these major developments are in the North Platte/Hershey area, the economic impact and population growth will have a large reach.

Our greatest challenge over the next few years will be finding housing for all the new workers needed to meet the new job creation. There may never be a greater opportunity to grow all the communities in District 42 than right now.

Going forward, we need to use all the tools in our toolbox to lower the cost of new housing and improve the existing housing stock. I look forward to working with all our area leaders to maximize economic development opportunities.

This week, Gov. Jim Pillen will be in North Platte to visit with local education leaders and attend a rally for those who support the Opportunity Scholarship Act.

Gov. Pillen spent his entire campaign making it clear how much he cared about helping every child in this state reach their fullest potential. To that end, he included in his budget more than $300 million in annual funding increases for public schools and a $1 billion fund to help ensure that these increases will remain in place.

He also pushed for the Legislature to adopt the LB 753, the Opportunity Scholarship Act.

As disappointing as it is to see that there is an effort to repeal this act, I have confidence that the voters will see through all the misinformation out there and uphold the Legislatures decision on this issue.

In the end, this bill is about reducing barriers that prevent low-income families from choosing their childs school. I have said before and will say again, the bill is not a slam on public schools or teachers; it is about opportunities for every child to attend the school that best fits their learning style.

Just as option enrollment allows parents to transfer their students from one public school to another, low-income parents can now add private and parochial schools to their options.

During my travels this past week, I had the opportunity to join the area public school superintendents at a workshop in Sutherland. I appreciated the invitation to meet with them and to understand better the daily challenges they and their teaching staff face every day.

As many of you know, I was a vocational agriculture instructor after graduating from the University of Nebraska many years ago. Although teaching had its challenges then, I cannot imagine teaching today.

The changes in society over the years have brought teaching challenges in the public school systems today to a new level.

Teachers have always been there to help support each and every one of their students. But the drug issues that have infested our nation are here in western Nebraska as well.

As a result, teachers and school administrators have more and more interactions with law enforcement and mental health providers. These challenges go largely unnoticed by the general public but are real issues that teachers deal with every day in their classrooms.

As your District 42 senator, I am committed to working with the governor and school administrators to find ways to remove the barriers to education that can result in better educational outcomes.
Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer; Photos Getty Images/2022 Getty Images

The summer of Donald Trump indictments is officially drawing to a close with Mondays indictment of the former president by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in Georgia. We are likely in store for the same kind of wall-to-wall coverage of the initial proceedings in Georgia that we already saw when Trump was charged in Manhattan, Florida, and Washington, D.C., but after that, we will move decisively to the next phase of this saga, as all of these cases actually proceed through litigation and compete with one another for time on the calendar and space in the public consciousness.

The latest indictment charges Trump with an alleged scheme to overturn his 2020 loss in the state. Prosecutors charged him along with 18 other defendants, including, among others, Trumps former chief of staff Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Jenna Ellis, Sidney Powell, and Jeffrey Clark. I say alleged, which remains true, but of course we all heard or read about Trumps infamous call to Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger in early January 2021 pressuring him to change the results in favor of Trump for any reason he could come up with  an episode that is at issue both in this case and in the federal election-subversion case brought by special counsel Jack Smith.

All 19 defendants were charged with violating Georgias Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and an assortment of related state offenses, including charges concerning false statements to state government officials and bodies, as well as false submissions to government officials, most notably Trump and his allies proposed alternate slate of electors for the state. The indictment contains 41 total counts across all of the defendants, including 13 counts against Trump.

The broad factual outlines of the case will not come as a surprise to people who have followed the Justice Departments case and, perhaps more so, last years hearings before the January 6 committee in the House. Like Smith, Willis has effectively charged Trump with trying to steal the 2020 election, and though she has focused on the effort in Georgia, she has included allegations concerning other states, such as Arizona and Michigan. On a more granular level, Willis also included charges connected to the efforts to vilify, harass, and intimidate state election worker Ruby Freeman, who memorably testified to the January 6 committee along with her daughter about their ordeal.

Williss case introduces another variable  and another jurisdiction  in Trumps ongoing effort to stay out of prison, but here too, as in Smiths cases, a good deal of what is to come is likely to turn on the outcome of next years election.

When Williss investigation first began in 2021, the unstated premise for many boosters of the effort was that it might be the only vehicle to hold Trump criminally accountable in some form. That is because, at the time, it was far from clear that the Justice Department intended to pursue Trump. Now that a federal criminal case is pending, the rationale for a state case against Trump is not nearly as potent, except in a fairly limited scenario.

We can and should expect to see the Justice Departments prosecution take priority as a legal matter  including as to trial scheduling  particularly if Joe Biden wins reelection. If Trump manages to get reelected, he will presumably dismantle the federal cases somehow, but he will also have credible arguments to put the state proceeding on hold while he is in office so that he can carry out his duties as president.

If, however, Trump loses the GOP primary and another Republican manages to defeat Biden, an even more complicated scenario could unfold. Another Republican president could pardon Trump in the federal cases, but he or she would not be able to pardon Trump for the alleged state offenses at issue in Williss case. In that situation, however improbable it may seem given Trumps continued dominance in the GOP primary, Williss prosecution would pose a truly unique legal threat to Trump.

In the meantime, there are some features of Williss prosecution that are worth keeping an eye on. In the very short term, Trump may try to move the case to federal court on the theory that the case implicates his constitutional duties and prerogatives as president during the time period in question, from roughly Election Day to the end of his term. Doing so would transfer the case to a federal district in the state with a larger and more politically diverse jury pool, and it would also put the case on a quicker and more straightforward path to review or intervention by the Supreme Court.

Williss indictment, however, offers an effective preemptive rebuttal to this gambit. The nearly 100-page indictment paints a picture  once again  of a man whose one and only interest was staying in power. There was nothing high-minded about it, and the effort had nothing to do with Trump using his presidential powers, much less serving the nation.

Williss decision to charge an assortment of other people, including some of the people who are unnamed and unindicted co-conspirators in Smiths case  Giuliani, Eastman, and Clark, for instance  is also noteworthy. As in any case involving a complex alleged criminal scheme, the addition of defendants creates pressure and incentives for those people to cooperate against the biggest target, which in this case is clearly Trump. It is very early going, but it will be interesting to see if any of these people respond accordingly.

Moreover, while Trump may have something approximating a get-out-of-jail-free card if he is reelected, the other defendants do not. Smith may very well end up charging some of these people himself  most notably the unindicted co-conspirators in his case  but even if Trump returns to power and scuttles the federal case, the other defendants will presumably be left to carry the bag in Georgia for Trump.

As for the mechanics and timeline for Williss case, I highly recommend a story this morning from The Wall Street Journal that offers an efficient, fair, and clear-eyed assessment of some of the challenges ahead. As the Journal correctly notes, the large number of defendants creates more opportunities for delay at pretty much every stage of the proceeding: The more defendants you have, the more lawyers you have, and that in turn means more arguments, more disputes, and more time for the court to resolve them. Jury selection could also drag on for months, the reporters note, due to the political nature of the case and the anticipated length of a potential trial. If you want a sense of what this might mean, look no further than the ongoing, slow-moving RICO case brought by Williss office that ensnared the rapper Young Thug.

Despite Williss stated interest in a speedy trial, the case is not exactly built for speed. In that way, it represents something of an inversion of Smiths approach, or at least an interesting complement to it. Whereas Smith has aimed directly and for the moment exclusively at Trump in order to try to bring the federal case to trial as quickly as possible, Willis has opted to sweep up all of her defendants at once as part of a seemingly comprehensive prosecutorial effort to resolve everything in one proceeding. Smith used his indictment to offer a broad and narratively tight overview of Trumps alleged effort to remain in power, while Williss indictment is far more granular, complete with allegations that cover even the most minute machinations  a phone call here, a text message there  as part of the alleged scheme.

It is also a useful reminder that, for all of the ridiculous and seemingly high-minded talk among Trump defenders about how his effort to remain in power was merely an exercise in free speech, it was in fact much cruder and more grotesque than that. There was plenty of action. (Just ask Ruby Freeman about how she had to go into hiding as a result of the harassment that is described in the indictment.) The alleged scheme on the part of Trump and his allies may seem ham-handed and slightly bungling in hindsight, but dumb criminals are dangerous too, and this effort went straight to the heart of our countrys democratic project.
Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer; Photos Getty Images/B) 2016 Bloomberg Finance LP

A Georgia grand jury has charged Donald Trump and 18 other people with engaging in a criminal conspiracy to overturn Joe Bidens 2020 victory in the state. The 41-count indictment, which was released late Monday night, says the former president and his associates knowingly and willfully joined a plot that involved a common plan and purpose to commit two or more acts of racketeering activity in Fulton County, Georgia, elsewhere in the State of Georgia, and in other states.

All members of the group  which includes former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, Trumps personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, and advisers John Eastman, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, and Kenneth Chesebro  were charged with racketeering. Each of the 19 defendants were hit with various other charges. Trump is facing 13 counts, which brings the grand total of charges filed against him in four separate indictments since April to 91.

The 98-page Georgia indictment lays out 161 acts that Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, and her team say the defendants took to further their criminal conspiracy. This includes numerous lies to elected legislators and state officials, the creation of fake slates of Trump electors, intimidating election workers, and breaching voting machines.

Trump and several other defendants have publicly denied the charges. Willis has given them until August 25 to surrender. Here are some of the wildest allegations from the indictment.

Trump planned to cry voter fraud even before the election. Trump drafted his Election Night speech claiming he was the victim of voter fraud well before the majority of Americans cast their votes: On or about the 4th day of November 2020, DONALD JOHN TRUMP made a nationally televised speech falsely declaring victory in the 2020 presidential election. Approximately four days earlier, on or about October 31, 2020, DONALD JOHN TRUMP discussed a draft speech with unindicted coconspirator Individual l, whose identity is known to the Grand Jury, that falsely declared victory and falsely claimed voter fraud. The speech was an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy.

Trump and Meadows created a memo on how to disrupt Congress on January 6, 2021. The effort to block the certification of Bidens win looked haphazard from the outside, but the indictment says Trump and his chief of staff Mark Meadows requested a written memo plotting their strategy for disrupting the certification of Bidens win: On or between the 1st day of December 2020 and the 31st day of December 2020, DONALD JOHN TRUMP and MARK RANDALL MEADOWS met with John McEntee and requested that McEntee prepare a memorandum outlining a strategy for disrupting and delaying the joint session of Congress on January 6, 2021, the day prescribed by law for counting votes cast by the duly elected and qualified presidential electors from Georgia and the other states. The strategy included having Vice President Michael R. Mike Pence count only half of the electoral votes from certain states and then return the remaining electoral votes to state legislatures. The request was an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy.

Meadows allegedly tried to interfere with an audit of Georgia ballots. We knew Meadows traveled to Cobb County to observe an audit of votes in late December 2020, but the indictment says he also tried to enter the room, and later texted the official leading the audit, Is there a way to speed up Fulton county signature verication in order to have results before Jan. 6 if the Trump campaign assist nancially. On or about the 22nd day of December 2020, MARK RANDALL MEADOWS traveled to the Cobb County Civic Center in Cobb County, Georgia, and attempted to observe the signature match audit being performed there by law enforcement officers from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Ofiice of the Georgia Secretary of State, despite the fact that the audit process was not open to the public. While present at the center, MARK RANDALL MEADOWS spoke to Georgia Deputy Secretary of State Jordan Fuchs, Office of the Georgia Secretary of State Chief Investigator Frances Watson, Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Bahan Rich, and others, who prevented MARK RANDALL MEADOWS from entering into the space where the audit was being conducted. This was an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy.

Giuliani is accused of lying to the Georgia Senate about mail ballots and faulty voting machines. The indictment cites the former mob-busting U.S. Attorneys lies to members of the Georgia Senate as evidence of racketeering activity: On or about the 3rd day of December 2020, RUDOLPH WILLIAM LOUIS GIULIANI committed the felony offense of FALSE STATEMENTS AND WRITINGS, in violation of O.C.G.A.  16-10-20, in-Fulton County, Georgia, by knowingly, willfully, and unlawfully making at least one of the following false statements and representations to members of the Georgia Senate present at a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee meeting: (1) That at least 96,600 mail in ballots were counted in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia, despite there being no record of those ballots having been returned to a county elections office; (2) That Dominion Voting Systems equipment used in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Antrim County, Michigan, mistakenly recorded 6,000 votes for Joseph R. Biden when the votes were actually cast for Donald John Trump; said statements being within the jurisdiction of the Office of the Georgia Secretary of State and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, departments and agencies of state government, and county and city law enforcement agencies. This was an act of racketeering activity under O.C.G.A.  16- 14-3 (5)(A)(xxii) and an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy.

Giuliani also allegedly lied to members of the Georgia House of Representatives. Giuliani is accused of spewing even more election lies when speaking to members of the Georgia House of Representatives: On or about the 10th day of December 2020, RUDOLPH WILLIAM LOUIS GIULIANI committed the felony offense of FALSE STATEMENTS AND WRITINGS, in violation of O.C.G.A.  16-10-20, in Fulton County, Georgia, by knowingly, willfully, and unlawfully making at least one of the following false statements and representations to members of the Georgia House 0f Representatives present at a House Governmental Affairs Committee meeting: (1) That it is quite clear from the State Farm Arena Video from November 3, 2020, that Fulton County election workers were stealing votes and that Georgia officials were covering up a crime in plain sight; (2) That at State Farm Arena on November 3, 2020, Democratic officials got rid of all of the reporters, all the observers, anyone that couldnt be trusted, used the excuse of a watermain break, cleared out the voting area and then went about their dirty, crooked business; (3) That between 12,000 and 24,000 ballots were illegally counted by Fulton County election workers at State Farm Arena on November 3, 2020; (4) That in Michigan, there were 700,000 more ballots counted than were sent out to voters in the November 3, 2020, presidential election, which was accounted for by quadruple counting ballots; (5) That Ruby Freeman, Shaye Moss, and an unidentified man were quite obviously surreptitiously passing around USB ports as if theyre vials of heroin or cocaine at State Farm Arena to be used to infiltrate the crooked Dominion voting machines; (6) That 96,600 mail-in ballots were counted in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia, despite there being no record of those ballots having been returned to a county elections office; said statements being Within the jurisdiction of the Office of the Georgia Secretary of State and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, departments and agencies of state government, and county and city law enforcement agencies. This was an act of racketeering activity under O.C.G.A.  16- 14-3 (5)(A)(xxii) and an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy.

The Trump team illegally accessed voting machine data. The indictment accuses Trump adviser Sidney Powell and several other defendants of conspiring to unlwafully access secure voting equiptment and voter data in Fulton County and elsewhere. In Georgia, members of the enterprise stole data, including ballot images, voting equipment software, and personal voter information. The stolen data was then distributed to other members of the enterprise, including members in other states.

The indictment says that on December 6, 2020, Powell made an agreement with a forensic data firm lated in Georgia to perform computer forensic collection and analytics on Dominion Voting Systems equipment. This led to the illegal breach of election equipment in Coffee County, Georgia. Powell and several Coffee County officials are accused of tampering with electronic ballot markers and tabulating machines, unlawful possession of ballots, and other computer-related charges as part of this effort.

In spring 2022, Powell told the House Select Committee on January 6 that she wasnt involved:

On or about the 7th day of May 2022, SIDNEY KATHERINE POWELL made at least one of the following false statements and representations in a sworn deposition with the United States House of Representatives Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol:

That she didnt have any role in really setting up efforts to access voting machines in Coffee County, Georgia, or Antrim County, Michigan;

That she was aware there was an effort by some people to get access to voting  machines in Georgia but that she did not know what happened with that and did not remember whether that was Rudy or other folks.

This was an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy.

Trumps tweets are cited as evidence of a conspiracy. We may all be numb to Trump lying on social media, but the document lists his various false tweets as part of his plot: On or about the 3rd day 0f December 2020, DONALD JOHN TRUMP caused to be tweeted from the Twitter account @RealDonaldTrump, Wow! Blockbuster testimony taking place right now in Georgia. Ballot stuffing by Dems when Republicans were forced to leave the large counting room. Plenty more coming, but this alone leads to an easy win of the State! This was an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy.

Trump and Eastman filed false legal documents. The indictment accuses Trump and Eastman of filing a complaint that included various voter fraud allegations in a Georgia election lawsuit, though earlier that day Eastman sent an email to Trump attorneys admitting his knowledge that at least some of the allegations in the verified complaint were not accurate. On or about the 31st day of December 2020, DONALD JOHN TRUNIP and JOHN CHARLES EASTMAN committed the felony offense of FILING FALSE DOCUMENTS, in violation of O.C.G.A.  16-10-20.1(b)(1), in Fulton County, Georgia, by knowingly filing a document titled VERIFIED COMPLAINT FOR EMERGENCY INJUNCTIVE AND DECLARATORY RELIEF in the matter of Trump V. Kemp, Case 1:20cv05310-MHC, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, a court of the United States having reason to know that said document contained at least one of the following materially false statements: l. That as many as 2,506 felons with an uncompleted sentence voted illegally in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia; 2. That at least 66,247 underage people voted illegally in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia; 3. That at least 2,423 individuals voted illegally in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia who were not listed in the States records as having been registered to vote; 4. That at least 1,043 individuals voted illegally in the November 3, 2020, presidential election who had illegally registered to vote using a postal office box as their habitation; 5. That as many as 10,315 or more dead people voted in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia; 6. That [d]eliberate misinformation was used to instruct Republican poll watchers and members of the press to leave the premises for the night at approximately 10:00 p.m. on November 3, 2020 at State Farm Arena in Fulton County, Georgia;

Trump tried to drag RNC chair Ronna McDaniel into the conspiracy. It appears she did not take the bait, as the RNC chair is not among the defendants: On or about the 8th day of December 2020, DONALD JOHN TRUMP and JOHN CHARLES EASTMAN placed a telephone call to Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel to request her assistance gathering certain individuals to meet and cast electoral votes for DONALD JOHN TRUMP on December 14, 2020, in certain states despite the fact that DONALD JOHN TRUMP lost the November 3, 2020, presidential election in those states. This was an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy.

Trump campaign associates harassed election worker Ruby Freeman. The indictment alleges that Trevian Kutti, Harrison Floyd, and Stephen Cliffgard Lee coordinated to intimidate Freeman, who had been falsely accused by the Trump campaign of counting fake mail-in ballots. Kutti is a publicist who claims she has worked with Kanye West and is a member of the Young Black Leadership Council under President Donald Trump. Floyd was executive director of Black Voices for Trump. Lee is an Illinois-based former police officer, according to Reuters. The indictment says that in December 2020, Lee showed up to Freemans home and spoke with her neighbor in an effort to influence her to falsely confess to engaging in election fraud. When that didnt work Lee solicited help from Floyd, then Kutti traveled to Georgia and met with Freeman, claiming she was she was a crisis manager who wanted to help the election worker, as she was in unspecified danger: On or about the 4th day of January 2021, TREVIAN C. KUTTI traveled to a Cobb County Police Department precinct in Cobb County, Georgia, and met with and spoke to Ruby Freeman for approximately one hour. HARRISON WILLIAM PRESCOTT FLOYD joined the meeting by telephone. TREVIAN C. KUTTI and HARRISON WILLIAM PRESCOTT FLOYD stated to Freeman that she needed protection and purported to offer her help. This was an overt act in fithherance of the conspiracy.

The Trump team allegedly forged election certification documents. Apparently you cant just type up a document claiming youre the real certified Georgia electors: On or about the 14th day of December 2020, DAVID JAMES SHAFER, SHAWN MICAH TRESHER STILL, CATHLEEN ALSTON LATHAM, and unindicted co-conspirators Individual 2, Individual 8, Individual 9, Individual 10, Individual ll, Individual 12, Individual l3, Individual l4, Individual 15, Individual 16, Individual l7, Individual l8, and Individual 19, whose identities are known to the Grand Jury, committed the felony offense of FORGERY IN THE FIRST DEGREE, in violation of O.C.G.A.  16-9-1(b), in Fulton County, Georgia, by, with the intent to defraud, knowingly making a document titled CERTIFICATE OF THE VOTES OF THE 2020 ELECTORS FROM GEORGIA, a writing other than a check, in such manner that the writing as made purports to have been made by authority of the duly elected and qualified presidential electors from the State of Georgia, who did not give such authority, and uttered and delivered said document to the Archivist of the United States. This was an act of racketeering activity under O.C.G.A.  16 14-3(5)(A)(xvi) and an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy.

Trump was quoted urging DOJ officials to just say the election was corrupt. One of the few direct quotes from Trump in the Georgia document is request to the two top Justice Department officials to back up his bogus fraud claims. Weve heard this story before, but now its in yet another indictment: On or about the 27th day of December 2020, DONALD JOHN TRUMP solicited Acting United States Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen and Acting United States Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue to make a false statement by stating, Just say that the election was corrupt, and leave the rest to me and the Republican congressmen. This was an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy. The indictment also includes Jeffrey Clarks alleged attempt to get Rosen and Donoghue to sign a false document claiming the DOJ had identified significant concerns that may have impacted the outcome of the election in multiple States, including the State of Georgia.

Trump lied in perfect call to Raffensperger. While Trump has repeatedly insisted that the appalling phone January 2, 2021 call in which he asked Georgia secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find 11,780 votes was flawless, the indictment lists 13 ways it constituted racketeering: On or about the 2nd day of January 2021, DONALD JOHN TRUMP committed the felony offense of FALSE STATEMENTS AND WRITINGS, in violation of O.C.G.A.  16-10-20, in Fulton County, Georgia, by knowingly, willfully, and unlawfully making at least one of the following false statements and representations to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Georgia Deputy Secretary of State Jordan Fuchs, and Georgia Secretary of State General Counsel Ryan Germany: (l ) That anywhere from 250,000 to 300,000 ballots were dropped mysteriously into the rolls in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia; (2) That thousands of people attempted to vote in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia and were told they could not because a ballot had already been cast in their name; (3) That 4,502 people voted in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia who were not on the voter registration list; (4) That 904 people voted in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia who were registered at an address that was a post office box; (5) That Ruby Freeman was a. professional vote scammer and a known political operative; (6) That Ruby Freeman, her daughter, and others were responsible for fraudulently awarding at least 18,000 ballots to Joseph R. Biden at State Farm Arena in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia; (7) That close to 5,000 dead people voted in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia; (8) That 139% of people voted in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Detroit; (9) That 200,000 more votes were recorded than the number of people who voted in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Pennsylvania; (10) That thousands of dead people voted in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Michigan; ( l l) That Ruby Freeman stuffed the ballot boxes; (12) That hundreds of thousands of ballots had been dumped into Fulton County and another county adjacent to Fulton County in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia; (13) That he won the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia by 400,000 votes; said statements being within the jurisdiction of the Ofiice of the Georgia Secretary of State and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, departments and agencies of state government. This was an act of racketeering activity under O.C.G.A.  16-14-3 (5)(A)(xxii) and an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy.

Trump and Eastman told Pence they were violating the law. During an Oval Office meeting on January 4, 2021, Trump and Eastman argued to Vice President Mike Pence that he should either delay the January 6 joint session of Congress or reject electoral votes from certain states. The indictment alleges: During the meeting, JOHN CHARLES EASTMAN admitted both options violated the Electoral Count Act. This was an overt act in furtherance ofthe conspiracy. As weve learned from previous reporting, Eastman subscribes to the eccentric view that the Electoral Count Act is unconstitutional, as the 12th Amendment says the VP can do whatever he wants when certifying elections. But thats not a call for the presidents adviser to make unilaterally. After the proceedings on January 6 were delayed due to the Capitol riot, Eastman sent an email to Pences counsel arguing that the Electoral Count Act had already been violated, so they might as well keep going: On or about the 6th day of January 2021, JOHN CHARLES EASTMAN sent an e- mail to Counsel to the Vice President Greg Jacob that stated:

The Senate and House have both violated the Electoral Count Act this evening they debated the Arizona objections for more than 2 hours. Violation of 3 USC 17. And the VP allowed further debate or statements by leadership after the question had been voted upon. Violation of 3 USC 17. And they had that debate upon motion approved by the VP, in violation of the requirement in 3 USC 15 that after the vote in the separate houses, they shall immediately again meet.

So now that the precedent has been set that the Electoral Count Act is not quite so sacrosanct as was previously claimed, I implore you to consider one more relatively minor violation and adjourn for 10 days to allow the legislatures to finish their investigations, as well as to allow a full forensic audit of the massive amount of illegal activity that has occurred here. If none of that moves the needle, at least a good portion of the 75 million people who supported President Trump will have seen a process that allowed the illegality to be aired. This post has been updated throughout.
The human remains that were found Sunday morning on hunting land in Salem belong to a 28-year-old missing Columbus woman, according to a news release shared on Monday afternoon.

Myshonique Shontrell Maddoxs remains were found weeks after she went missing on July 22. At the time, she was last seen at 3 a.m. Saturday wearing a rainbow onesie in the 1100 block of 22nd Street. Her remains have been transported to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for a post-mortem exam.

Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said that while foul play had not been out ruled, no weapon was found at the scene.

Sheriffs deputies were called to a property off of Lee Road 170 around 10:30 a.m. Sunday to investigate a report of human remains found in the woods. Multiple people were in the area when they stumbled across the human in a wooded area southeast of Lee Road 126.

Maddoxs remains were found in the advanced decomposition stage. It has been there for a period of weeks rather than months, the sheriff said.

Multiple agencies continue to investigate the incident including the LCSO, Columbus Police Department and the Russell County Sheriffs Office.

Anyone who has information about this case they would like to report should call the Lee County Sheriffs Office at 334-749-5651 or Central Alabama Crime Stoppers at 334-215-STOP (7867). You can remain anonymous.
Analyzing the Impact of Musculoskeletal Disorders in the Construction Industry

Musculoskeletal disorders might be severe, but employers in the construction industry can put precautions in place to minimize their impact on workers.

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are common work-related ailments that are associated with a disorder or injury affecting the body's musculoskeletal system. They disrupt muscle movement, tendons, nerves, blood vessels and ligaments. If the condition is not treated early, it can root itself into severe health issues, potentially leading to immobility.

Surveys and Findings

In 1997, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a review of a study based on a detailed survey. It concluded that the poor work conditions that led to causing MSDs included regular lifting of heavy objects, overhead work, daily exposure to whole-body vibration, neck-work in chronic flexion position or repetitive performing of labor-intensive work. MSDs do not include injuries or body reactions caused by slips, trips, falls or any similar work-related incident. Some common musculoskeletal disorders include:

ligament sprain

muscle/tendon strain

carpal tunnel syndrome

tendonitis

epicondylitis

rotator cuff tendonitis

penalties and costs

Lost hours, absenteeism, compensation of workers and disruption in the workflow are some of the downsides that employers have to witness due to poor work practices.

The manufacturing and construction industries together accounted for more than half of all MSD cases reported in 2001. Moreover, there are over 70 million cases reported in physician's offices in the U.S. per year. About a decade ago, the worker's compensation for musculoskeletal disorders was between $45 billion and $54 billion annually. To prevent diseases, accidents and fatalities, all construction workers must acknowledge the necessity of getting OSHA 30 Construction training. You can start your OSHA safety training through Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) service, which will convert the payment into four manageable installments.

According to Liberty Mutual, cases related to overexertion injuries caused by pulling, holding, pushing, lifting, throwing and carrying objectswhich are common in the construction industry cost employers around $13.4 billion every year. In addition, as per the evaluation of OSHA, about 340 million occupational injuries occur throughout the United States annually. Therefore, its crucial to develop a sense of understanding about the potential workplace hazards that can cause severe accidents and difficulties in the progress of various job operations in the construction industry to avoid workplace injuries occurring in the workplace.
OSHA Cites Ohio Foundry for Safety Violations Following Explosion

The incident caused the death of one employee and injured 15 others.

OSHA has determined Bedford, Ohio-based foundry I. Schumann & Co.which recycles material into metal alloys, ingots and pelletsfailed to keep workers safe.

In a release dated August 14, the agency announced it had identified six serious violations and proposed $62,500 in penalties to I. Schumann & Co. The investigation followed a steam explosion that resulted in the death of a maintenance supervisor and injuries to 15 other employees. The foundry remains closed as a result of the incident.

OSHA inspectors determined the explosion was caused by a water leak. During an inspection, water leaked onto the molten metal interior of a furnace designed to smelt solid metals, creating a steam explosion. But if I. Schumann & Co. had applied lockout/tag out proceduresas required by lawthe incident would have never happened, OSHA reports.

This terrible tragedy could have been avoided if the employer followed well-known machine safety standards that are meant to prevent this type of explosion, OSHA Area Director Howard Eberts in Cleveland said in a statement. Sadly, a worker lost his life, and 15 others were hurt in an incident that was entirely preventable. Its exactly why employers need to follow required safety procedures and train their employees.

I. Schumann & Co. now has 15 business days to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA or contest OSHAs findings.
The fate of the massive nuclear power plant in the crosshairs of Europe's largest war in decades has made for worrisome headlines since Russia launched its large-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly 18 months ago. As fighting intensifies not far from the plant, fears of a disaster have not abated.

On August 10, the main power line delivering electricity to the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant was disconnected twice, forcing it to rely on its last remaining off-site power line.

The main line was reconnected by evening. In the meantime, though, Ukraine's energy minister raised the prospect of a meltdown.

Is Russia's invasion of Ukraine about to cause a nuclear catastrophe?

Steven Nesbit, a nuclear power industry veteran who was president of the American Nuclear Society in 2021-22, told RFE/RL that the Zaporizhzhya plant has been in a precarious position since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. But the failure of the off-site power line did not make his assessment of the situation any more dire than it had been.

"I don't see anything really new right now that should have people extremely concerned relative to the already undesirable situation," he said, adding that the plant's offsite power sources have been interrupted before due to the war.

"I would not be surprised if it happens again, but simply losing one of the off-site power sources for a period of time is not a reason for undue concern," said Nesbit, who now runs his own nuclear consulting company.

Enerhoatom, Ukraine's state-owned nuclear power generating company, was the first to raise the alarm on August 10, saying that the plant was "on the verge of another blackout" after the main high-voltage line was disconnected, forcing operators to use the 330-kilovolt backup line.

In a statement the same day, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said that the main 750-kilovolt line had disconnected twice since the early morning and remained disconnected as of the evening. The plant had to "rely on its only remaining off-site power line, the 330 kV backup line, to supply the electricity that is required, for example, to perform safety functions such as pumping cooling water for the plant."

Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said the plant was "one step away from a blackout -- that is, the complete loss of external power," and that this could lead to a "major catastrophe."

The plant would resort to diesel generators if all external power was lost, but if the generators were damaged by a Russian attack, he said, "the cooling of the plant would stop and the irreversible process of heating and melting of nuclear fuel" would begin.

"I think that's a little alarmist," Nesbit said in a phone interview on August 11.

The same day, Enerhoatom said on Telegram that the main power line had been reconnected the previous evening after being knocked out by Russian fire.



The diesel generators are well protected and have enough fuel to provide power to keep the cooling system going for an extended period of time while external sources are being restored, Nesbit said.

"The six units can share power among them. It's a flexible and safe system," he said.

The Zaporizhzhya plant has lost all external power at least twice in the past year.

Last November, the diesel generators kicked in when the plant lost its connection to both the main and reserve off-site power lines, in what IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi called "an extremely concerning development that again demonstrates the plant's fragile and vulnerable situation."

At the time, Enerhoatom said there was enough fuel to run the emergency generators for about 15 days.

Russia seized the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, which supplied about a fifth of Ukraine's power needs, shortly after the launch of its full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.

The plant and the surrounding area are controlled by Russia, but it is being run by its Ukrainian engineers. In September 2022, Ukraine shut the station down to minimize risk of a catastrophe.

Five of the six reactors are in what is known as cold shutdown mode while one unit is being maintained at an elevated temperature -- hot shutdown mode -- to provide auxiliary steam and heating, the American Nuclear Society, which is monitoring information about the plant, said in July.

Breach In Ukraine

As a result, the level of heat production has been low and on-site equipment can provide enough of the water needed for cooling, the society, an international organization of engineers and scientists, said in a statement.

It called the threat of a large-scale release of radioactive material "speculative" but said that assessment does "not constitute an 'all clear' for safety risks at the plant site."

Nesbit said it is of crucial importance that the reactors at the Zaporizhzhya plant have not been generating power for months, allowing the heating level associated with the reactor fuel to fall. The shutdown cuts by many orders of magnitude the amount of radioactivity that could potentially be released in the event of a major incident involving the reactors.

Still, tension is high.

The plant is located in the Zaporizhzhya region in southeastern Ukraine, where fighting is intense amid a counteroffensive that Kyiv launched in early June, seeking to push Russian forces back from territory they have taken and eventually expel them from the country altogether.

Zaporizhzhya is one of four regions of Ukraine that Moscow claimed last year had become part of Russia but does not hold in their entirety. The plant stands on the south bank of a wide stretch of the Dnieper River that was largely drained by the breach of the Kakhovka dam downstream, while Ukraine controls the north bank.

Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of planning to sabotage the plant, warning of the possibility of a nuclear disaster that could threaten millions of people and poison the environment.

Ukraine recently claimed that Russia mined the roofs of the Zaporizhzhya reactors. Last week, the IAEA said its experts found no mines on the two reactors it was allowed to inspect. IAEA has yet to receive Russian permission to visit the other reactors.

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It did find antipersonnel mines on the "periphery" of the plant's grounds, but such weapons are small and designed to pierce the human body, not one-meter-thick, steel-reinforced, concrete walls. Even a few mines on the roof would not be enough to cause a radioactive release, experts say.

Since it launched the full-scale invasion, Russia has repeatedly accused Ukraine of plotting set off a dirty bomb or cause a release of radioactivity and then blame it on Moscow. Russia asserted last week that Ukraine tried to attack the Zaporizhzhya plant with a drone.

Kyiv dismissed the claim as nonsense, and experts say it makes no sense for Ukraine to threaten a catastrophe on its own land.

Construction of the Zaporizhzhya plant began in 1980 as tensions between the Soviet Union and the West ratcheted up and concerns that the Cold War could turn hot increased.

The Zaporizhzhya plant "is designed to withstand a lot of challenges, both internal and external," Nesbit said. "Nuclear power plants were not designed to necessarily be impervious to wartime, but the characteristics that they do have -- the thick containment buildings around the reactor vessels -- do offer substantial protection in the event of hostilities."

He said, for example, that the hazard posed by a single, unmanned flying vehicle  a drone -- is pretty low.

Nesbit also said that he does not believe either side is motivated to cause damage to the plant but that war is unpredictable.

"The concern that we all have is that because it's wartime, you can't always control what's going to happen," he said.

By RFE/RL

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When left-wing Colombian President Gustavo Petro came into power at the beginning of the year, he pledged that he would bring an end to new oil and gas exploration. But as the months go by, some believe he should rethink this approach, putting Colombias economy ahead of the green transition. Petro announced in January that he would not be approving any new oil and gas exploration projects and aimed to move Colombia away from its reliance on fossil fuels in favour of clean energy. Irene Velez, the minister for mines, stated at the World Economic Forum, We have decided not to award new oil and gas exploration contracts, and while that has been very controversial, its a clear sign of our commitment in the fight against climate change This decision is absolutely urgent and needs immediate action. This had long been part of Petros campaign but not everyone in Congress agrees with this approach.

Colombia continues to rely heavily on oil and gas production for its revenue, a vital contribution to the national economy. At present, the country has a shortage of proven oil and natural gas reserves. In addition, the industry was hit hard during the Covid pandemic, due to pauses in operations and delays in new projects. Production fell from around 884,876 bpd in March 2019 to 771,732 bpd in March 2023. And many of Colombias potential areas of exploration are unlikely to be developed due to Petros plans to end awarding new exploration contracts and ban hydraulic fracturing, which is deterring new investors. Some international energy companies are even exiting Colombia.

A statement from the Ministry of Mines and Energy suggested that Colombias oil reserves only expanded by 1.7 percent year-over-year to just 2.074 billion barrels of oil with a commercial life of 7.5 years at the current rate of production. Meanwhile, its proven natural gas reserves, which decreased by 11 percent compared to a year ago, to 2.82 trillion cubic feet, are only enough to support production for 7.2 years. Unless new development is approved, this could turn Colombia into an oil-dependent country, something that seemed near impossible just a few years ago.

Owing to Petros plans to curb oil exploration, the Colombian Petroleum Association (ACP) forecasts that private investment in exploration will decrease by around a third compared to last year, to achieve between $650 million to $700 million. This will likely lead Colombia to rely more heavily on its existing, dwindling reserves. If it becomes dependent on foreign oil to meet its demand, it would be vulnerable to weaker oil pricesand declining production.

At present, the government is attempting to revive some of its existing oil and gas projects in a bid to keep developing the industry without having to approve new exploration licenses. It hopes to help energy companies revive at least 21 suspended oil and gas contracts through a $38 million initiative, according to the National Hydrocarbons Agency (ANH). While Petro plans to stop new exploration, he has urged energy companies to develop already-awarded blocks. However, the oil industry continues to demand new licensing rounds to develop areas of significant potential in Colombia.

The ANH recently identified concessions across the country owned by several companies, including Geopark, Gran Tierra Energy, SierraCol Energy, majority state-owned Ecopetrol and Emerald, that could be beneficiaries of its multi-million Territorial Hydrocarbons Strategy. The agency stated, We've been working on implementing an agreement focused on providing alternatives, to make exploratory activities facing delays in their execution viable.

Energy companies must conduct community consultations before new projects can get off the ground, but previous governments have not helped in this process. However, the regulator plans to help firms coordinate with communities through entities such as the interior minister, guaranteeing the development of social dialogue spaces and effective community participation.

There is some cause for optimism as Ecopetrol recently announced a new oil and gas discovery in the Putumayo province. The firm drilled the Alqamari-2 well to a depth of 9,287 feet, achieving a daily flow of 1,800 barrels of oil. In addition, it saw a gas production of up to 825,000 cubic feet per day. This is good news for Ecopetrol, which experienced a decrease in its second-quarter revenue of 61 percent, largely owing to lower oil prices this year. The companies believe the potential resources could be rapidly converted into reserves, boosting Colombias hydrocarbons.

While there is still potential to develop Colombias licensed hydrocarbon regions, many are doubtful that this will be enough to allow the country to maintain its energy independence. President Petro decided to ban new oil and gas licenses in favour of a green transition, however, energy experts believe this may eventually make Colombia reliant on imports of the fossil fuels, as production decreases dramatically over the next decade. To ensure the countrys energy security it seems that Petro must either allow new licensing to go ahead or rapidly develop the countrys renewable energy sector to fill the anticipated demand gap within the next decade.

By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com

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The U.S. shale patch, which accounts for most of the non-OPEC+ oil supply growth, is set to deliver stronger-than-anticipated production gains this year.

Several significant producers raised their production guidance after announcing strong or record output in the second quarter, while the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) raised its 2023 production forecast in its latest monthly report. The International Energy Agency (IEA) also expects strong output gains from the United States to lead a record global supply this year.

In the past few weeks, some major U.S. producers reported record output in the Permian, while others raised their outlooks for year-on-year gains.

Chevron reported a record-high Permian Basin production, which increased by 11% in the second quarter of 2023 compared to the year-ago period.

"Strong execution resulted in record Permian Basin production this quarter," chairman and chief executive officer Mike Wirth said.

Chevron's worldwide net oil-equivalent production rose by 2% from the year-ago quarter, primarily due to record Permian production of 772,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd).

Chevron plans to further increase its investments in the United States with the announced agreement to acquire PDC Energy, Inc.

The other U.S. supermajor, ExxonMobil, achieved record quarterly production in the Permian and Guyana in Q2.

"Production is up 20% year-over-year in Guyana and the Permian," said chairman and CEO Darren Woods.

ConocoPhillips, for its part, also delivered record production in the second quarter, driven by the Lower 48 output.

"We achieved record production and increased our full-year production guidance for the second consecutive quarter," said Ryan Lance, chairman and chief executive officer.

Full-year production is now expected to be 1.80-1.81 million boepd, compared to the prior guidance of 1.78-1.80 million boepd.

Pioneer Natural Resources saw its Q2 oil production near the top end of the guidance range.

"Continued strong well productivity and highly efficient operations underpin our ability to increase full-year production guidance, while lowering full-year capital guidance through a purposeful reduction in activity," Rich Dealy, President and Chief Operating Officer, said.

Total production for 2023 is now expected to range from 697,000 boepd to 717,000 boepd, an increase of 22,000 boepd at the midpoint when compared to original 2023 guidance.

Occidental's second-quarter production of 1.218 million boepd exceeded the mid-point of guidance by 42,000 boepd, and the company raised full-year production guidance to 1.21 million boepd.

"Our team's technical achievements have positioned us for a strong second half of 2023, giving us confidence to raise full-year oil and gas production guidance," President and CEO Vicki Hollub said.

Pipeline operator Enterprise Products Partners is getting upbeat messages from producers about activity, Tony Chovanec, VP Fundamentals and Supply Appraisal, said on the midstream operator's Q2 earnings call.

"Watch what the producers are saying on -- during the second quarter. No one has a bad story. Everybody is very, very upbeat," Chovanec told analysts.

The EIA is also upbeat on U.S. crude oil production and raised last week its forecasts in the latest Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) for August.

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As a result of higher expected well-level productivity and higher crude oil prices, the EIA now expects U.S. crude oil production will average 12.8 million bpd in 2023 and 13.1 million bpd in 2024, both annual records. The forecasts were raised by 200,000 bpd for 2023 and by 300,000 bpd for 2024 compared to the projections in July.

As in previous years, the United States is leading non-OPEC+ production growth.

The IEA said in its Oil Market Report last week that global oil output is projected to expand by 1.5 million bpd to a record 101.5 million bpd in 2023, with the U.S. driving non-OPEC+ gains of 1.9 million bpd.

In July 2023, OPEC+ production of 50.7 million bpd was down by more than 2 million bpd from the start of the year. Over the same period, producers outside the group ramped up output by 1.6 million bpd to 50.2 million bpd, the agency said.

The U.S., Brazil, and Guyana lead the expansion, with exports from the trio rising by roughly 15% year over year to more than 9 million bpd in July, boosting the availability of light sweet grades in the Atlantic Basin. The U.S. will account for nearly 80% of global 2023 supply growth, or 1.2 million bpd of the 1.5 million bpd total, the IEA noted.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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I have a lot more to cover on the recently released Statistical Review of World Energy. But today I need to make a digression, albeit one with a tie-in to the Review.

Presidential hopeful Mike Pence has just released a new campaign ad on energy policy. You can view the ad here, and you can read all about Pences energy plans here. The ad is so misleading, it must be addressed.

Pence has been widely ridiculed for a couple of obvious issues in the video. He doesnt select a grade. He doesnt pay for the gas. You can hear the sound of the pump beeping as he pretends to pump, but he doesnt actually squeeze the handle at all. Those arent the substantive issues, though.

The video starts out with Pence asking, Remember $2.00 a gallon gas? And then Joe Biden became President of the United Sates and launched his war on energy. Since that time, gasoline prices are up 60%.

Lets take this first. If hes speaking strictly of gas at $2.00 a gallon, the only time that happened during his term as Vice President was when the Covid-19 pandemic briefly crashed the economy in the first half of 2020. (Gasoline pricing data can be found here).

When all the stay-at-home orders were implemented in 2020, the demand for gasoline crashed, oil prices briefly went negative, and gasoline prices fell to around $2.00 a gallon for two months. Afterward, they began rising sharply, and by the time Trump and Pence left office the following January, the price had escalated back to nearly $2.50 a gallon. Related: Oil, Gas Drilling Still Stalling As Prices Climb



If Pence is talking loosely in the $2.00 a gallon range, the average gasoline price during the four years while Pence was Vice President was $2.57 a gallon. Prices did indeed rise sharply after Biden took office, but it wasnt due to any war on energy. More on this is discussed below.

The price of gasoline surged as the world started recovering from the Covid pandemic, commencing in mid-2020. This occurred because a substantial amount of oil production had been shut down in 2020 due to crashing oil prices, but then the demand began to rebound faster than supply could respond.

This scenario wasnt exclusive to the U.S.; every country around the world experienced a significant spike in gasoline prices. Furthermore, when Russia invaded Ukraine, prices spiked once again. Once more, this repercussion was observed in every nation globally.

None of that is meant to imply that the Biden Administration has passed policies friendly to the oil and gas industry. For the most part, the administration has been fairly hostile. However, thats not why gasoline prices shot higher.

However, this isnt the worst of Pences ad. While we could engage in a debate about the reasons for the rise in gasoline prices, some might argue that it was due to Bidens energy policies. Nonetheless, it would be quite peculiar to believe that Bidens energy policies could lead to an increase in gasoline prices worldwide.

In fact, in 2021 a friend from Uganda told me that gasoline prices had risen by 50% there. I asked him who the people blame. Our President. So, its probably common in every country to blame political leaders for high gasoline prices, but that doesnt necessarily mean they are the actual cause.

In the video clip, Pence went on to say that he has just launched a new energy plan that will not only put the U.S. back on the path to energy independence, but by 2040 we will reclaim Americas role as the leading producer of energy in the world.

This is where he goes completely off the rails. If I could ask Pence any question, I would ask How are you defining energy independence?

I have covered this before. See my previous article for a deeper dive into this topic.

If energy independence is defined to be We dont import any energy, then we havent been energy independent in at least 70 years. We havent even been close, because we import a lot of oil that gets refined and then reexported as finished products.

But if Pence defines the phrase to mean We produce more energy than we consume, then we were more energy independent in 2022 than we been in at least 70 years.

Second, his claim about reclaiming Americas role as the leading energy producer is highly misleading and requires a great deal of context.

Presently, the U.S. is the leading producer of oil in the world. According to the 2023 Statistical Review, in 2022 the U.S. produced 17.8 million barrels oil per day (bpd). This includes the category of lease condensate and natural gas liquids (NGLs), and I will do a deeper dive on this in the next article.

The second and third leading oil producers were Saudi Arabia (12.1 million bpd) and Russia (11.2 million bpd). China produced only 4.1 million bpd. You will see below why I am including China.

The U.S. is also the worlds leading natural gas producer. In 2022, the U.S. produced an average of 94.7 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d). Russia was second at 59.8 bcf/d, Iran was third at 25.1 bcf/d, and China was fourth at 21.5 bcf/d.

The U.S. is the worlds leading producer of nuclear power. We produced about 30% of the worlds nuclear power in 2022, which was about twice Chinas production.

The one area where China has a substantial lead is in coal production. Last year China produced 4.56 billion metric tons of coal. The U.S. produced 539 million metric tons.

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If you convert everything into the same energy units, China does have the overall lead, but only because of their massive coal production. The U.S., however, leads in the far more important categories of oil and natural gas production. We produce more than quadruple Chinas oil and natural gas production.

Pences plan is almost exclusively focused on oil and natural gas production. Coal is barely mentioned in the plan, but massive coal production is the only reason China is ahead in overall energy production.

This is certainly not what Pence implies, which is why the ad, and his energy policy plan are so misleading. Pence implies that the U.S. is falling behind on oil and gas production, when we lead the world by far in both categories. You certainly wouldnt think that from Pences ad.

The U.S. set a new oil production record in 2022 (again, including condensate and NGLs). But if you omit the NGLs, the U.S. was still the top producer, and still nearly set a new record in 2022 (and is on a path to set a new record this year). For natural gas, the U.S. set new records in 2021 and 2022, after Covid caused a small decline in 2020.

Heres the bottom line. On the one hand, the Biden Administrations energy policies havent been friendly to the oil and gas industry. Nevertheless, the industry continues to set new production records. Further, the industry itself made more money in two years under President Biden than it did in four years under Vice President Pence.

So, its hard to make a case that Bidens energy policies have created havoc in the industry. Sure, the oil and gas industry would like friendlier policies. But Pence doesnt give an accurate picture of the current status of the U.S. oil and gas industry.

By Robert Rapier

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In the 20 years that Data Gabelia has worked at the Hotel Anaklia, he's seen the fortunes of the Black Sea resort town of 1,500 people rise and fall.



In the 2000s, he saw money pour into Anaklia as then-President Mikheil Saakashvili sought to turn it into a top vacation destination as part of a development push.



After Saakashvili lost power in 2012, the new government abandoned the bold plans for Anaklia, leaving behind a string of half-built structures and abandoned beachside hotels and restaurants.



Since then, the town has toyed with transforming itself into a site for Black Sea partygoers by hosting music festivals and summer raves. But they have all since relocated -- leaving the western Georgian town behind.



In the time that Ive been here, the trend is that things seem to be moving backwards, not forwards, Gabelia told RFE/RL.

But now Anaklia may be donning a new identity, this time as an unlikely site for geopolitical intrigue that could place Georgia at the epicenter of a global competition for trade routes and infrastructure.



This is because the government has revived an ambitious and controversial plan to build a deep-sea port at Anaklia amid amplified interest in international trade following Moscows full-scale invasion of Ukraine, where Western sanctions on Russia -- the pathway for the majority of transcontinental trade -- have left freight companies and governments eyeing new routes.

If successful, it could revolutionize Georgias role as a key transit point between Europe and Asia and loosen the countrys status as a bottleneck for global trade.



The megaprojects future is also caught up in political controversy at home and geopolitical jostling abroad over who will build it. This could have far-reaching fallout for Tbilisi as it seeks candidate status with the European Union and has been worrying Brussels by building closer ties with Russia in recent years while also increasingly turning to Chinese companies to build its large-scale infrastructure.



With the bidding process opened, Anaklia could become an important bellwether to determine if Georgia continues down a path of further integration with the European Union and the West or pivots toward closer ties with Russia and China.



We are in an abnormal moment of geopolitical risk around the Black Sea [because of] Russias invasion, Romana Vlahutin, a visiting fellow at the German Marshall Fund and former EU special envoy for connectivity, told RFE/RL. Its hard to plan for something when things are this volatile, but we know that what we dont do, others will.



The leading alternative to avoid transit through Russia is through the so-called Middle Corridor, which connects China and the countries of Central Asia to Europe through Georgia and Azerbaijan.

The route has also received enhanced interest from Brussels, which is looking to fund strategic infrastructure that cuts Russia out of its trade networks and would compete with Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the global development project worth hundreds of billions of dollars that Beijing has used to build infrastructure and grow its influence.



If [Brussels] is serious about making the Middle Corridor happen, then you cant really do it without Anaklia, Vlahutin told RFE/RL.



Scandal And Struggle Over Anaklia



Georgias strategic location on the eastern edge of the Black Sea has made it particularly crucial for the Middle Corridor to take off and has pushed connectivity to the top of the countrys foreign policy agenda.



But the country has a dearth of high-quality infrastructure that has so far held back its transit potential, with long lines of trucks at its borders and ports at Batumi and Poti operating near capacity as trade along the route has steadily increased since 2022.



This has led to organizations like the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the World Bank warning that without a deep-sea port in Georgia -- which would allow larger ships to transport increased volumes at a more efficient rate -- neither the country nor the Middle Corridor will be competitive as a global trade route.



Against this backdrop, the Georgian government began talking about reviving the project in 2022. Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, who returned to office in 2021 for his second stint as head of government, said that building the port in Anaklia is his governments main and ambitious priority and opened a call for bidders on a new iteration of the project earlier this year, saying the government would retain a 51 percent stake.

The move caught some observers by surprise given that a previous attempt by a consortium between Georgias TBC Bank and U.S.-based Conti International to build a deep-sea port in Anaklia was canceled by the government in 2020 after being mired in controversy for years.



The consortium was founded in 2017 by a banker-turned-opposition politician Mamuka Khazaradze, who set up the Lelo for Georgia in 2019. Shortly after that, money laundering charges were brought against him and his partner, Badri Japaridze, who co-founded TBC -- Georgia's biggest bank -- with Khazaradze.



Following the charges, the American investor pulled out and the project ground to a halt until the government canceled the $2.5 billion port contract. In 2022, a court found Khazaradze and Japaridze guilty of fraud, but they were both released without prison time.



Khazaradze has claimed the authorities were trying to sabotage the project and that the real issue behind the dispute is his personal conflict with Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire former prime minister who leads the Georgian Dream party that has been in power since 2012.

Speculation also spread in Georgian media that Russia had pressured Tbilisi to end the venture as Moscow would not welcome a port backed by a U.S. company on the Black Sea or one that would compete with its own port further north in Novorossiisk.



Khazaradze declined RFE/RLs interview request but is currently taking the government to an arbitration court in London over what he maintains were politically motivated charges to derail the port. Hes been an outspoken critic of the projects revival and believes it is unlikely to attract sufficient investment given the legal roadblocks his case could bring against it and the governments desire to hold a 51 percent stake in the port.



Who Will Build Anaklias Port?



Despite this unfolding controversy, the bidding process for the Anaklia project is under way.



The deadline for proposals passed in June and they are currently being reviewed, David Javakhadze, the director of the LEPL Anaklia Deep Sea Port Development Agency within Georgias Economy and Sustainable Development Ministry, told RFE/RL.

Several international companies have expressed their interest toward the project, including a consortium consisting of several companies, Javakhadze said in e-mailed comments that did not say which companies submitted bids.



Once selected, the deep-sea port would take years to be completed and likely cost billions of dollars. In the meantime, attention is focused on which companies -- and their country of origin -- will be selected.



Chinese firms are particularly emerging as potential bidders. Chinese companies had previously approached Khazaradzes consortium about building the port and interest in Georgia has only grown since the disruption to reliable trade routes due to the war in Ukraine. During an interview in late 2022, Zhou Qian, Chinas ambassador to Tbilisi, said Anaklia was important for the success of the Middle Corridor and that the embassy would encourage Chinese firms to place bids.



Tbilisis interest in China appears to be growing, too, with Garibashvili upgrading Georgias ties with Beijing to a strategic partnership during a July trip to Chengdu -- a development that has only added to speculation that a Chinese-led bid could be chosen to build the port.

Doing so could come with fallout for Tbilisis relations with Brussels, especially as it awaits the EUs decision in December on its bid for membership-candidate status.



Tbilisis relationship with Brussels and Washington has become strained in recent years amid increased anti-Western rhetoric, concerns over the rule of law, the governments neutral stance toward the Ukraine war, deepening relations with Russia, and democratic backsliding by the ruling Georgian Dream party.



In February, the government tried to pass a controversial foreign agents bill that copied a similar law infamously introduced in Russia in 2012 that branded media, NGOs, individuals, and other civil society organizations that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from foreign sources as agents of foreign influence. The government backed down and withdrew the bill in March following sustained street protests and international condemnation, with Brussels saying that it was incompatible with EU values.

Similar concerns were raised in May about warming ties with Moscow when the Kremlin unexpectedly abolished visas for Georgian nationals and lifted a flight ban unilaterally imposed in 2019 after a wave of anti-Kremlin protests in Georgia.



In response, the government resumed direct flights with Russia despite relations being rocky since Moscow invaded Georgia in 2008, with Tbilisi losing control of two Russian-backed separatist regions. EU spokesman Peter Stano told reporters following the move that it raised concerns about Georgias EU path.



Asuncion Sanchez Ruiz, deputy head of mission of the EU delegation to Georgia, says a similar litmus test will come in choosing the winning bid for the Anaklia deep-sea port. The project has been selected within Global Gateway, Brussels infrastructure financing answer to Chinas BRI, and she says that the EU has a strong preference to see European firms involved in the port.



Georgia has applied to the EU and whoever the final investor is, we need to make sure that its in line with the [EU-Georgia] Association Agreement, Sanchez Ruiz told RFE/RL during an interview in Tbilisi, referring to the 2016 deal that grants Georgia access to some sectors of the European Single Market as well as visa-free travel to the bloc.



If what is chosen is not in-line with the EU -- a club that Georgia wants to join -- then that should help tell us about the direction this government is heading towards, she said.



Big Hopes And Shattered Dreams



Amid the palm trees that dot Anaklia and the boardwalk that was meant to showcase it as a seaside destination, the marks of the aborted attempt to build Georgias first deep-sea port can still be seen in the town.



Maya Svanidze, a 60-year-old resident of Anaklia who operates a guest house for summer tourists, remembers the optimism that took the town as promises of new jobs and development were attached to the ambitious project.

Like many residents on Anaklias southwestern edge, she was offered a government payout to sell her home to make room for the operational grounds of the port. Svanidze accepted the money, which she said was enough to relocate and buy a new house just a few minutes away. She moved there with her family in 2018.



As ground was broken, mountains of earth and sand were moved and piled up within the new sprawling, fenced-off construction site. Then it all stopped -- but the sand stayed.

The sand has since become a major nuisance for locals, with regular gusts of wind from the sea spreading it into houses, drains, and cars for those who live nearby. Svanidze and others have raised the issue with officials, but the piles of sand have remained.



I would be happy to see this port get built and this sand and dust finally be gone, Svanidze told RFE/RL. But things have been promised before and they dont always come about. So, Ill believe it when I see it.

Meanwhile, the Anaklia project is also facing competition from Poti, the countrys largest port that currently serves as the main hub for Georgias international trade.



APM Terminals, the Netherlands-based operator of the port in Poti, announced plans to double its capacity and allow for bigger ships to enter.

It is currently in the final stages of talks with the government on the expansion, which could upgrade Potis capacity and help unclog the current shipping bottleneck, though its narrow entrance could still limit the amount of ships compared to the plans for Anaklia.

APM Terminals did not respond to RFE/RLs request for comment.

Roman Gotsiridze, an opposition lawmaker with the United National Movement, says it's unclear if Georgia would need both projects, even with the uptick in trade across the Middle Corridor.

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Thats why, he says, his focus of the last several months has been in trying to get answers from the government over the Anaklia project and to push for a formal investigation for more details on the plans to be revealed.



But those efforts have not yielded much. He says the government has been reluctant to answer the oppositions questions about the port and in some cases has turned to loopholes to avoid appearing in parliament or simply not turned up for the constitutionally mandated question period.



In the meantime, he says he will be watching the tender process closely to see what kind of bids get put forward.



My concern is that a bid from a Western country wont be chosen and instead it will be from a country that can reach some sort of agreement with Russia, Gotsiridze told RFE/RL.

China, a [Persian] Gulf country, or a combination of them together are all possibilities.

By Reid Standish via RFE/RL

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APA Corp, which has made several oil discoveries offshore Suriname, is in discussions about the possibility to install an LNG platform offshore Suriname and neighboring Guyana, APA Vice President Gary Clark said at an energy conference this week.

APA seeks to re-inject the natural gas, the byproduct of oil offshore Suriname, under the surface in the medium term, and could look to export it as LNG in the long term, Clark said at the conference in Denver, as carried by Bloomberg.

APA Corp. partners with French supermajor TotalEnergies in Suriname, with a 50:50 split of the stakes in the Block 58 exploration project. So far, the two have drilled two appraisal wells and another two are scheduled for drilling in the block that the two companies are exploring.

While drilling offshore Suriname holds the potential for some major new discoveries nothing is guaranteed. Last year APA ended drilling at another part of Block 58, which it explores with TotalEnergies because it had failed to find any commercial oil.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the Guyana-Suriname Basin could hold up to 32.6 billion barrels of undiscovered oil resources, underscoring the tremendous hydrocarbon potential that the countries share. It is estimated that Surinames offshore oil discoveries held recoverable oil resources of nearly 2 billion barrels as of the end of 2021.

APA Corp. and TotalEnergies have so far announced five discoveries in the block, prompting predictions that the South American nation could soon start commercial production of crude and reach a daily output rate of 650,000 barrels by 2030.

Neighboring Guyana, for its part, has become a hotspot for exploration and development in recent years after Exxon and Hess found more than 11 billion barrels of oil equivalent offshore the South American country.

Currently, Guyana produces around 360,000 bpd of crude, all from Exxon-operated wells, and could hit 1 million bpd production by 2027.

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By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Libya saw overnight its worst clashes in the capital Tripoli so far this year, sparking concerns about battles spilling over to the OPEC members oil-producing and exporting infrastructure.

The most powerful and heavily armed factions in Tripoli fought in several districts of the Libyan capital on Monday evening and Tuesday morning local time, with casualties reported.

Following months of almost no incidents and clashes in Tripoli, one of the factions, the Special Deterrence Force, seized the commander Mahmoud Hamza from the 444 Brigade faction, a source in the brigade told Reuters.

Libya has been in a state of near civil war since the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, and factions have been fighting between the east and west of the country, often resulting in port blockades or blockades at oilfields, which have reduced oil production and exports.

Due to the unrest, Libya is exempted from the OPEC+ deal and is not obliged to reduce oil production when the alliance decides to intervene in the market with output cuts.

Just last month, Libyan oil output was lower than in June, after Sharara, Libyas largest oilfield, was shut down for a few days as a result of protests from the Zawi tribe over the kidnapping of Faraj Bumatari, a former finance minister.

Since the end of August 2022, Libya had been pumping close to or even above 1.2 million bpd, the level last seen before the port blockades that began in the spring of 2022 crippled Libyan oil output in the spring and most of the summer of 2022.

Tensions resurfaced last month, when the leader of the Libyan National Army, General Khalifa Haftar, threatened to use force unless the countrys political leaders agreed on a way to distribute oil revenues fairly. Haftars threat followed a similar threat issued by the eastern government in late June.

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By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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The oil and gas-rich province of Alberta will never comply with a plan by the federal government of Canada to achieve net-zero emissions from the electricity grid by 2035, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said.

Last week, Canadas federal government proposed clean electricity regulations which were developed under three principles: maximize greenhouse gas reductions to achieve net-zero emissions from the electricity grid by 2035; maintain electricity affordability for Canadians and businesses; and maintain grid reliability to support a strong economy and meet Canadas growing energy needs.

What were talking about is not a fossil fuel-free grid by 2035. Its a net zero grid by 2035, Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, said, as carried by Bloomberg.

In response to the federal governments plan, Albertas Premier Smith told a news conference,

Any plan that makes electricity more expensive and less reliable is a bad plan. And the clean electricity regulations are an exceptionally bad, poorly thought out plan.

We will never allow these regulations to be implemented here, full stop, Smith added.

If it comes down to it, we are going to do our own thing. We have to.

This doesnt mean that Alberta is closing the door to dialogue and cooperation with the federal government, the premier said. Based on conversations with generators, net-zero emissions grid can be done by 2050, but not by 2035, she added.

When she was elected to lead UCP last autumn, Smith pledged to work for a prosperous oil-rich province without asking the federal government for permission to produce and export energy. Her campaign has focused on an Alberta First slogan and against the overreach of the federal government.

Alberta, Canada's oil-rich province, has been looking to boost the production of oil and gas. At the same time, Canada's federal government has adopted in recent years legislation aiming to reduce emissions and make Canada a net-zero economy by 2050.

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By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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Suncor Energy has become the latest oil major to report a substantial decline in profits from last years record performance.

The Canadian heavyweight booked earnings of C$1.88 billion for April to June this year, or about $1.4 billion, which was down from C$4 billion, or $2.97 billion, for the second quarter of 2022.

The company also reported it had returned more than $1 billion to shareholders during the reporting period, in the form of share buybacks and dividends.

Suncor also booked higher production for the quarter, with total oil sands output at 814,300 barrels daily, up from 760,700 bpd a year earlier.

The trend is visible across the industry. As oil prices fell from their 2022 peaks, the industrys profits fell with them. Production, however, has been higher for many in oil and gas, as demand remains robust.

Our In Situ assets and upgraders delivered strong performance once again and helped reduce the impacts of planned maintenance at our integrated operations in the Fort McMurray region," Suncors chief executive, Rich Kruger, said.

"During the second quarter, we generated $2.7 billion of adjusted funds from operations and delivered $1.4 billion to shareholders, and we're making good progress on our goal of clarifying, simplifying and focusing the organization to drive improved performance and maximize value for our shareholders."

Shareholders remain a top priority for the North American oil patch despite lower profits. As part of that maximization of value for shareholders, Suncor booked a restructuring charge in its second-quarter report, related to planned layoffs.

Despite lower oil prices, compared to last years, Alberta, Canadas oil heartland, expects to book another budget surplus this fiscal year.

According to the provinces Finance Ministry, Albertas total revenues this fiscal year will top C$70 billion, or over $51 billion. However, this will be a decline of close to $4 billion on revenues projected for the previous fiscal year because of lower oil prices and the looming global recession. However, revenue will rise over the next two fiscal years.

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By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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The United States exported record-high volumes of natural gas via pipelines to Mexico in June 2023, beating the previous record from June 2021, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Tuesday.

Americas pipeline gas exports to Mexico averaged a record high of 6.8 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) for June 2023, per data from Wood Mackenzie cited by the EIA. This was 0.1 Bcf/d higher than the previous record set in June 2021, due to increased demand in Mexicos power sector.

On nine days in June 2023, U.S. natural gas exports to Mexico exceeded the 7.0 Bcf/d mark, as Americas pipeline gas exports to its southern neighbor usually peak in the summer because of higher demand for air conditioning when summer temperatures rise.

In the first half of 2023, U.S. natural gas pipeline exports to Mexico averaged 5.9 Bcf/d, close to the record-high six-month average of 6.0 Bcf/d in the first half of 2021. Following a decline last year, U.S. natural gas pipeline exports to Mexico have returned to the highs of 2021, the EIA noted.

Last year, Mexico ramped up its domestic natural gas production by 14%, but so far in 2023, the country hasnt boosted domestic output while its gas demand continued to increase.

So, to make up the difference, Mexicos natural gas pipeline imports from the United States rose by 3%, or by 0.2 Bcf/d, the EIA said.

U.S. gas exports to Mexico have grown over the past three years as several new cross-border pipelines have entered into operation, including the Wahalajara system from the Waha hub in West Texas to Guadalajara, the expanded Mier-Monterrey pipeline, and the TulaVilla de Reyes pipeline.

The TuxpanTula pipeline (0.9 Bcf/d) is expected to begin full service in 2025, while this year, the Cuxtal Phase II pipelinethe second segment of the Energia Mayakan pipelineis expected to enter service.

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The U.S. also saw deliveries of natural gas via pipelines to liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities hit a record high in the first half of 2023.

By Tom Kool for Oilprice.com

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Its fun to play spot the Omaha stuff in films by director Alexander Payne, who grew up in the city and now lives here most of the time.

Sometimes its as obvious as locations such as downtown Dundee, La Casa Pizzaria, Creighton Prep and Papillion-La Vista High School. And sometimes its names and other tidbits that are more sly, pointed and playful.

The Holdovers, Paynes new film due out in October, is a case in point. The trailer has gotten a lot of buzz around town for its nods to Paynes Omaha friends and some more obscure references.

The movie is a comedy-drama set at a New England prep school in 1970, starring Paul Giamatti and DaVine Joy Randolph. In describing Giamattis role as a bitter, beleaguered and extremely disliked teacher, the trailer flashes shots of student test papers with dismal grades.

One appears to be the work of Omaha City Councilman Brinker Harding, with a violent red D at the bottom.

Yes, Ive seen the trailer,  Harding said when a reporter asked. Hes excited about the film and his role in promoting it, but disappointed with the grade.

I guess I wish I would have done better, Harding joked.

Payne says he includes Omaha references in all of his movies.

Its nice to give shoutouts and recognition to people I know, he said in a recent interview at a downtown Omaha coffee shop. Its just a joke, and its fun to do.

The director, who has won two Academy Awards for screenwriting, met Harding at Brownell Talbot school and they have kept in touch ever since. He had a special reason to include Harding in The Holdovers: Part of it was filmed at Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts, one of Hardings alma maters.

Another test paper in the trailer was from Harry Hal Koch, another Payne friend whose great-great-grandfather, Sen. Gilbert Hitchcock, founded The World-Herald. Omahas zoo is named after Kochs great-grandfather Henry Doorly. The grade on that paper was an F+.

Payne, who also a home in Los Angeles, said he still sees these old friends.

Still another Omaha tie in the films trailer is a student known only as Mr. Kountze, referring to the pioneer family that founded First National Bank of Omaha. Kountze Memorial Lutheran Church at 26th and Farnam Streets is also named after those early Omahans.

Payne had nothing to do with another Omaha link in the film. One of the main characters, a student, is named Angus Tully, calling to mind an old mens clothing store downtown. The films writer, David Hemingson, came up with the name himself.

Its a complete coincidence, the director said.

The film tells the story of a group of prep school students who have nowhere to go during the holidays. Giamattis character is the unlucky faculty member who has to stay behind. Soon, the group is culled to one student, the teacher and the schools cook, and the film becomes about three unlikely people who form a relationship when theyre thrown together.

Payne said he found the actor who plays Tully, Dominic Sessa, by calling drama departments at the five schools at which he filmed. Footage from the schools was cobbled together to create the fictional institution. Sessa is an actual senior at Deerfield Academy.

He said his current project is home repair at his downtown Omaha condo.

Youve gotta take care of all that stuff between movies, he said.

The Holdovers will premiere in Los Angeles and will be released to select theaters across the country Oct. 27. Its first Omaha showing will be Nov. 11 at an event with Payne at Film Streams. The director is a former board member at the nonprofit theater.

Harding will be sure to see it while its here.

Ive always enjoyed his films, and this one looks like its really gonna be a great movie, he said.

Payne will travel to several cities for festivals featuring the film, including St. Louis and Toronto. Hell also attend a screening in Boston for cast and crew.

Then hell concentrate on a project that will require research about 19th-century Nebraska.

Ive just begun writing a western, he said. Ive wanted to do that for years.

Comedy or drama? Some of both.

Of course it will have humor in it, because its me, Payne said.

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of August 2023
A Douglas County District Court judge cited on suspicion of driving under the influence last month has pleaded not guilty to an updated charge of reckless driving.

Tressa Alioth, who was appointed to her judgeship in 2021, faces a misdemeanor charge of reckless driving after she was pulled over in a Bennington neighborhood last month. Deputies at the scene cited Alioth on suspicion of DUI and transporting a child while intoxicated, but those charges were never filed by prosecutors.

Alioth was pulled over in Bennington shortly before 2:30 a.m. on July 2, according to a citation from the Douglas County Sheriffs Office. Court documents show that she was about two blocks away from her home at the time of the stop.

A sheriffs deputy cited Alioth for first-offense DUI, refusal to submit to pretest, transporting a child while intoxicated and driving left of center. According to the citation, Alioths blood alcohol content was .088%, just above Nebraskas limit of .08%.

City prosecutors weighed charges against Alioth for more than a month before charging the 49-year-old judge with misdemeanor reckless driving last Friday. The charge carries a penalty of up to three months in jail and a $500 fine.

Reckless driving is defined in state law as operating a motor vehicle in such a manner as to indicate an indifferent or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property.

On Sunday, Alioth entered a written plea of not guilty to the reckless driving charge. She remains on the bench in Douglas County.
MONTGOMERY, Ala.  As bystanders trained their smartphone cameras on the riverfront dock while several white boaters pummeled a Black riverboat co-captain, they couldn't have known the footage would elicit a national conversation about racial solidarity.

Yet, more than a week after multiple videos showing the now-infamous brawl and valiant defense of the outnumbered co-captain were shared widely on social media, it's clear the event truly tapped into the psyche of Black America and created a broader cultural moment.

Andrea Boyles, a sociology professor at Tulane University, said a long history of anti-Black racism and attacks and current events likely magnified the attack's impact and response.

"Especially at a time like now where we see an increase in anti-Black racism through legislation and otherwise, whether we're thinking about history, the banning of Black history and curriculum and all sorts of things across the state of Florida" and elsewhere, Boyles said. "So this is why it is on the forefront of people's minds. And folks are very much tuned in, Black people in particular."

Many see the Aug. 5 ordeal on the riverfront dock in Montgomery, Alabama's capital city steeped in civil rights history, as a long-awaited answer to countless calls for help that went unanswered for past Black victims of violence and mob attacks.

"We witnessed a white mob doing this to him," said Michelle Browder, an artist and social justice entrepreneur in Montgomery, describing the attack by boaters on the Black riverboat co-captain.

"I call it a mob because that is what it was, it was a mob mentality," she added. "It then became a moment because you saw Black people coming together."

After being inundated with images and stories of lethal violence against Black people, including motorists in traffic stops, church parishioners and grocery shoppers, the video from Montgomery struck a chord because it didn't end in the worst of outcomes for Black Americans.

"For Montgomery to have this moment, we needed to see a win. We needed to see our community coming together and we needed to see justice," Browder said.

Videos of the brawl showed the participants largely divided along racial lines. Several white men punched or shoved the Black riverboat co-captain after he took a separate vessel to shore and tried to move their pontoon boat. The white boaters' private vessel was docked in a spot designated for the city-owned Harriott II riverboat, on which more than 200 passengers were waiting to disembark.

The videos then showed mostly Black people rushing to the co-captain's defense, including a Black teenage riverboat crew member who swam to the dock. The videos also showed the ensuing brawl that included a Black man hitting a white person with a folding chair.

As of Friday, Alabama police had charged four white people with misdemeanor assault. The folding chair-wielding man turned himself in Friday and was charged with disorderly conduct.

Jim Kittrell, the captain of Harriott II, told The Daily Beast that he thought race might have been a factor in the initial attack on his co-captain, but the resulting melee was not a "Black and white thing."

"This was our crew upset about these idiots," Kittrell also told WACV radio station.

He later explained that several members of his crew, seen confronting the pontoon boat party after the riverboat docked, "felt they had to retaliate, which was unfortunate."

"I wish we could have stopped it from happening but, when you see something like that, it was difficult. It was difficult for me to sit there in the wheelhouse watching him being attacked," Kittrell told the station.

Kittrell told The Associated Press by phone that the city had asked him not to talk about the brawl.

Major Saba Coleman of the Montgomery Police Department said last week that hate crime charges were ruled out after the department consulted with the local FBI. But several observers noted the presence of a hate motivation, or lack thereof, on the part of the pontoon boat party was not why the event resonated so strongly.

"All these individuals having smartphones and cameras have democratized media and information. In the past, it was a very narrow scope on what news was being reported and from what perspectives," NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson said.

The technology, Johnson added, "opened up an opportunity for America as a whole to understand the impact of racism, the impact of violence and the opportunity to create a narrative that's more consistent with keeping African Americans and other communities safe."

The riverfront brawl spawned a multitude of memes, jokes, parodies, reenactments and even T-shirts.

Many observers on social media were quick to point out the significance of the city and location where the brawl took place. Montgomery was the first capital of the Confederacy, and the riverfront is an area where enslaved people were once unloaded to be sold at auction. The area is a few blocks from the spot where Rosa Parks was arrested for disobeying bus segregation laws.

"This is the home of the bus boycott; this is the home of intense, racialized segregation and various forms of resistance today," said Timothy Welbeck, director of the Center for Anti-Racism at Temple University in Philadelphia. "Even if there wasn't an explicit mention of race, many people saw a white man assaulting a Black man as a proxy for some of the racist behavior that they've seen before. It brought about a sense of solidarity and unified fate, too, in this particular moment."

Then theres the lingering trauma of seeing past Black victims of violence and mob attacks suffer without help or intervention. Here was the rare event in which bystanders not only chronicled the moment but were able to intervene and help someone they saw being victimized.
PROVO, Utah (AP)  An armed Utah man accused of making violent threats against President Joe Biden was shot and killed by FBI agents hours before the president landed in the state Wednesday, 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 6:15 a.m., the FBI said in a statement.

Robertson was armed at the time of the shooting, according to two law enforcement sources who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss details of an ongoing investigation.

Robertson posted online Monday that he had heard Biden was coming to Utah and he was planning to dig out a camouflage suit and begin cleaning the dust off the M24 sniper rifle," a post that came after months of graphic online threats against several public figures, according to court documents. Robertson referred to himself as a MAGA Trumper, a reference to former President Donald Trumps Make America Great Again slogan, and also posted threats against top law enforcement officials overseeing court cases against Trump.

Neighbors described Robertson as a frail, elderly man  his online profile put his age as 74  who walked with the aid of a hand-carved stick. Though he regularly carried guns, they said he didn't seem a threat.

Theres no way that he was driving from here to Salt Lake City, setting up a rifle and taking a shot at the president  100% no way, said neighbor Andrew Maunder outside the church across from Robertsons street.

The attack comes as Republicans, who have traditionally touted themselves as the party of law and order, have escalated their attacks on law enforcement and especially the FBI. Trump has relentlessly attacked the agency, even though it is led by someone he appointed, Christopher Wray. Wray himself has warned of the dangers of recent rhetoric. Some officials have become increasingly alarmed as the former president has escalated his attacks on the FBI, Attorney General Merrick Garland and the local and federal prosecutors who have filed three separate criminal cases against him in recent months.

Biden flew to Utah Wednesday ahead of a visit to a Veterans Affairs hospital in Salt Lake City Thursday to talk about the PACT Act, which expanded veterans benefits. He also planned to hold a reelection fundraiser. A White House official who requested anonymity to discuss the matter said Biden was briefed after the raid.

Robertson's 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 was charged under seal Tuesday with three felony counts, including making threats against the president and against FBI agents investigating him, court documents show.

Robertson also referenced a presidential assassination and also posted threats against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and New York Attorney General Letitia James, authorities said.

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 and family members of Robertson could not be immediately reached for comment through publicly available phone numbers.

The FBI investigation began with a tip about the Bragg threat from Trump's own social media platform Truth Social in March, after Robertson posted about waiting in the courthouse parking garage with a suppressed weapon and wanting to put a nice hole in his forehead. His account has since been suspended from the platform.

No further details were immediately released about the shooting, which is under review by the FBI.

At the Provo house where the confrontation apparently took place and which is connected with Robertson through public records, law enforcement could be seen Wednesday going in and out and removing items.

A broken window could be seen next to the door and the blinds inside were askew.

The road leading to the house was blocked by police. It is just up the street from a meeting house of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with the Wasatch Mountains rising in the background. Neighbors said authorities showed up around Robertson's house early Wednesday and they heard a boom and possible gunshots.

Travis Lee Clark, whos known Robertson for years from working at their church ward together, described Robertson as frail of health, a masterful woodworker and an established icon in their community. Robertson propped himself on a wood walking stick hed carved himself, said Clark, who was surprised he was considered a serious threat.

He was a boomer, and he was very political and sometimes made off-color jokes ... but nothing that indicated it was a threat, said Clark, who added that he hadnt seen Robertsons Facebook posts until after his death.

Clark said Robertson had a collection of perhaps 20 guns, though he noted that that wasnt unusual for the area.

Paul Searing, a businessman who lived in Provo before relocating to nearby Orem, said he had followed Robertson online for years and even warned him when he believed the other man was crossing a line in his posts.

"He believed in his right to bear arms. He believed in his right to say what he feels. When it came down to it, he knew the Lord wouldnt have approved of killing innocent people, Searing said. Things got out of hand because he just was really frustrated.

According to court documents, two FBI agents came to Robertson's house after the initial warning about him from Truth Social in March. They found Robertson wearing a Trump cap and what one described in a search warrant affidavit as an AR-15 style rifle lapel pin.

According to the affidavit, he told them his initial threat was just a dream and demanded they only return with a warrant. In a Facebook post days later cited in the affidavit, he said, To my friends in the Federal Bureau of Idiots: I know you're reading this and you have no idea how close your agents came to violent eradication.

In another undated social media post cited in the document, Robertson wrote: Hey FBI, you still monitoring my social media? Checking so I can have a loaded gun handy in case you drop by again. A post from July 21 unearthed by SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors online extremism, reads, If I really told you what Id like to do to Joe Biden Facebook would censor me and the FBI would pay me another visit.

Rita Katz, SITEs co-founder, said the social media posts attributed to Robertson show the challenges for law enforcement officials who must decide when speech rises to the level of an actual threat.

Because you have the freedom of speech, it can be very difficult to tell what is allowed and what is not allowed, she said.

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."

State court records showed Robertson pleaded no contest to a disorderly conduct charge in 1998 but no details about the allegations were immediately available.

Biden, meanwhile, is in the middle of a trip to the Western United States, and flew to Salt Lake City after spending Wednesday in New Mexico, where he spoke at a factory that will produce wind towers.

__

Whitehurst reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Colleen Long and David Klepper in Washington, Nicholas Riccardi, Colleen Slevin and Jesse Bedayn in Denver and Chris Megerian in Belen, New Mexico, and researcher Jennifer Farrar in New York contributed to this report.
SALT LAKE CITY  The Utah man accused of making violent threats against President Joe Biden before a trip to Salt Lake City last week pointed a handgun at FBI agents attempting to arrest him, the agency said on Monday.

Craig Robertson, a 75-year-old Air Force veteran, was killed during a raid on his home in Provo last Wednesday, hours before Biden arrived. FBI agents went to his home early in the morning to arrest him for three felonies, including making threats against the president and agents who had been investigating him for months, according to court records unsealed after the raid.

Robertson resisted arrest and as agents attempted to take him into custody, he pointed a .357 revolver at them, FBI spokesperson Sandra Barker said in a statement Monday.

Two law enforcement sources  who spoke last week on the condition of anonymity to discuss details of an ongoing investigation  said Robertson was armed at the time of the shooting. Monday's statement provides additional details about Robertson's weapon and that he pointed it at officers. The FBI did not respond to questions about whether Robertson shot at agents or if agents were wearing body cameras while attempting to arrest Robertson.

Two of Robertsons children did not immediately respond to social media or telephone messages seeking comment on the statement. But last week, they rebuffed the idea that he could have hurt anyone.

For months, Robertson had been making threats against high-profile Democrats, including key players in the legal proceedings against former President Donald Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris and Biden. The threats grew more specific in the lead-up to the president's visit, with Robertson threatening on social media to wear a camouflage ghillie suit and dust off the M24 sniper rifle to welcome the president.

Those threats followed months of Robertson posting photographs on social media of various firearms, which he called eradication tools, along with threats against public officials. The posts painted a markedly different picture of Robertson than how some neighbors described him, as a caring, religious man.

Several neighbors said Robertson  a homebound, overweight man who used a cane to walk  wasnt shy about his right-wing political beliefs. But they questioned whether he posed a credible enough threat to the president to justify the raid.

They said FBI agents arrived early in the morning to attempt an arrest of Robertson. Several who knew Robertson said his home and the two sheds behind it contained large caches of firearms, which he modified as a post-retirement hobby.

Katie Monson, Robertsons next-door neighbor, said last week that she saw agents attempt to breach his front door with a battering ram before driving a tactical vehicle onto his lawn, close enough to pierce his front window.

She subsequently heard an exchange of shots before tactical officers dragged Robertson onto the sidewalk to wait for emergency medical personnel. FBI investigators spent the rest of the day clearing the home and photographing evidence.

The FBI also said on Monday that its inspection division would continue to review the shooting.
Authorities executed search warrants at dispensaries across Nebraska last week, including in Sarpy County, over allegations that some products contain a percentage of THC well over the legal amount.

The warrants are part of a multiagency investigation spearheaded by the Nebraska Attorney Generals Office that has led to at least eight search warrants at dispensaries in Bellevue, Gretna, Papillion and Lincoln.

Sarpy County authorities executed search warrants on three dispensaries  two Cannabis Factory locations in Gretna and Bellevue, and one 50 Shades of Green location in Papillion  on Aug. 8, Sarpy County Sheriff Jeff Davis said.

According to a press release from Davis, the Sarpy County investigation began several months ago when investigators received reports that products at the three stores contained an illegal amount of THC. Narcotics officers reportedly purchased various products from the stores to have them tested at a lab.

Some products from the three dispensaries tested well above the legal limit of Delta-9 THC, Davis said, with many products testing above 5% and some reaching up to 15%. The legal limit of Delta-9 THC, the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis, is 0.3%.

Multiple product lines and records from the businesses were seized during the execution of the search warrant, according to the press release.

An attorney for 50 Shades of Green said one of its Omaha locations was also the subject of a search warrant. Similar searches took place last week at five Lincoln dispensaries, according to reporting from the Lincoln Journal Star.

Marijuana remains illegal in Nebraska, though hemp, which comes from the same plant, is legal. The 2018 federal farm bill legalized and regulated production of hemp, placing a 0.3% limit on the content of Delta-9 THC. But no limits were placed on other derivatives of the hemp plant like Delta-8, Delta-10, CBD and THC-A, among many others.

That loophole created a booming market for marijuana-adjacent products across the state. There are at least 20 dispensaries in Omaha and the surrounding suburbs, and many smoke shops and gas stations sell Delta-8 and other hemp-derived products.

Search warrants in Douglas and Sarpy Counties remain sealed due to the ongoing investigation, according to officials from both counties. The Douglas County Sheriffs Office confirmed that it is involved in the multi-agency investigation. The Omaha Police Department referred questions about the search warrants served in Omaha to the Attorney Generals Office.

Douglas County Sheriff Aaron Hanson expressed concern about consumers buying products with a higher THC content than advertised. Hanson said he has already heard from one woman whose elderly mother went to a dispensary for a topical pain relief product but was sold an edible that left her confused.

Davis said his main concern is consumer safety and protection, as customers need to know the products could give them a high or have an impact on their judgment.

Lyle Wheeler and Tiffany Thompson, attorneys for 50 Shades of Green, said in a statement that their client is cooperating with the investigation and has been in contact with law enforcement.

In an effort to maintain compliance with the recent search warrant and in an effort to promote good faith with law enforcement, 50 Shades voluntarily submitted a sample of each of its products for testing to an independent [International Organization for Standardization] and [Drug Enforcement Administration] certified lab, the statement reads. To date, there have been no indications of any violations under the re-testing.

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of August 2023
LINCOLN  Gov. Jim Pillen appointed Steve Corsi as the new CEO of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, replacing Dannette Smith.

Smith resigned earlier this month after four years in the role to take a job with a national firm. Corsis first day is Sept. 11, and he will make a similar salary to Smith at $257,000 per year, according to a state press release.

Corsis most recent role is acting CEO of the Central Wyoming Counseling Center. He previously led the Missouri Department of Social Services, Wyoming Department of Family Services, High Country Behavioral Health in Wyoming, and the Cornerstone Behavioral Health Group in California.

In 2019, Corsi became head of Volunteers of America Western Washington, where he grew the organizations revenue from $17.2 million to $115 million over the course of roughly four years.

Steve brings a wealth of experience and leadership to DHHS, having served as director and CEO over a number of social service organizations  In addition to his operational expertise, Steve has a strong servant focus when it comes to providing program services to those who need them, Pillen said in the press release.

Corsi will inherit several heavy responsibilities from Smith as the new leader of the states largest agency. While many praised Smiths work in the role, her legacy was also marked by multiple controversies, including the departments response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the rollout of Nebraskas Medicaid expansion program.

Pillen still has two other vacancies to fill in DHHS  a director of the children and family services division and a director of behavioral health. Pillen did not retain either of his predecessor Gov. Pete Ricketts appointees for the roles, so Smith served as interim director of children and family services until her resignation.

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of August 2023
BLOOMINGTON  Although Harrison Ford's iconic character Indiana Jones has a fear of snakes, a newly discovered species has been dedicated to the actor by an Illinois Wesleyan University biologist.

Biology professor Edgar Lehr and a team of Peruvian biologists including Juan C. Cusi, Maura Fernandez and Ricardo Vera discovered the new snake species during an expedition to Peru in May 2022.

The snake was officially named Harrison Ford's Slender Snake or Tachymenoides harrisonfordi, and joins an ant and spider that also bear Ford's name, according to an announcement from IWU.

The black-bellied reptile with copper eyes was found sunbathing in a swamp in the Otishi National Park, which is more than 10,000 feet above sea level.

The snake was a big surprise as we did not expect to find a snake in a high elevational swamp, said Lehr, IWUs Robert Harrington Endowed Professor of Biology. He noted it is rare for new species of snakes to be discovered, with the closest related snake named in 1896.

Every new species is exciting, and its important to name it because only the organisms that are known can be protected," Lehr said in the news release. "We hope that the publication of the new snake species will create awareness of the importance of biodiversity research and the importance of protecting nature."

During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ford joked about the snake's name while advocating for the protection of wildlife.

These scientists keep naming critters after me, but its always the ones that terrify children. I dont understand. I spend my free time cross-stitching. I sing lullabies to my basil plants, so they wont fear the night, Ford said. In all seriousness, this discovery is humbling. Its a reminder that theres still so much to learn about our wild world  and that humans are one small part of an impossibly vast biosphere. On this planet, all fates are intertwined, and right now, one million species are teetering on the edge of oblivion. We have an existential mandate to mend our broken relationship with nature and protect the places that sustain life.

The name was announced Aug. 15 in a publication of the journal Salamandra and follows the release of "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" in June.

I was surely influenced by the commercial of the new Indiana Jones movie and the fear of snakes of Indiana Jones," Lehr said. "Knowing that Mr. Harrison Ford is an active conservationist who actually likes snakes, his voice for nature and his service as vice chair of Conservation International led to the idea of dedicating this species to him."

Ford has served on the board of Conservation International for more than 10 years and has donated 389 acres of his property in Jackson, Wyoming, for a conservation easement to the Jackson Hole Land Trust.

Lehr been researching in Peru since 1997 and has contributed to the discovery of more than 100 species of reptiles and amphibians, according to IWU. Only three of those discoveries have been snakes.

Photos: Heartland Head Start graduation ceremony at Illinois Wesleyan University
BLOOMINGTON  The purchase of an armored rescue vehicle that the Bloomington Police Department can deploy to potentially lethal situations was approved by the City Council on Monday.

The city will pay $249,229 to Lenco Industries, a Massachusetts-based company that designs and manufactures armored vehicles for military and law enforcement use.

Bloomington Police Chief Jamal Simington said there have been 39 incidents in Bloomington in the last five years in which a vehicle like this could have been used. As an example, Simington pointed to the arrest of a suspect who drove from Rockford to Bloomington after fatally shooting a McHenry County deputy in 2019.

The four-wheel drive vehicle has half-inch-thick armor panels from the front to the rear, according to specifications from Lenco.

The base price of the vehicle is a little over $200,000.

The options, which totaled close to $49,000, included a hydraulic ram upgrade, a roof-mounted remote-control spotlight and a backup camera system with a monitor.

Some aldermen voiced concerns that acquiring a vehicle that looks like a tank may fuel a perception of militarization within the police department.

Simington said that not only is the vehicle not armed but also the police department relies on operating procedures that reflect 21st century policing models as opposed to military approaches.

"Given that we are an agency that is accredited, there are standards that are in place so we have to have these robust management rights (and) standard operating procedures in order to make sure we employ the best practices that are out there in this profession to get it right," Simington said.

Former Alderwoman De Urban said during public comment the vehicle is just another tool the police can use and shouldn't be seen as militaristic.

"I don't want you to think of this as knocking down the door, trampling over people's rights or any kind of thing like that," Urban said. "This is a piece of equipment that we need in case of an emergency."

However, Alderman Tom Crumpler said the police-related matters his constituents are concerned about are adding lights in parks to discourage criminal activity at night and putting signs on busy curves. Therefore, he requested additional time to gauge support for the expense.

"I'm not saying these are directly tied to the safety of law enforcement but I think those are the things the people, that I represent and feel obligated to, care about," Crumpler said.

The purchase was approved 6-2 with Crumpler and Alderwoman Jenna Kearns voting no. Alderman John Danenberger was absent.

Bryce Janssen, spokesman for the Bloomington Police Department, said there is an estimated 12-month delivery time for the vehicle.

Simington said police in Peoria, Champaign-Urbana, Springfield and Pontiac use similar vehicles.

Other business

The City Council also approved a liquor license application from the Vault on Washington LLC related to the acquisition of the 110 W. Washington St site.

During a public hearing before the Bloomington Liquor Commission last month, attorney Robert Lens stated that the applicants signed an agreement to purchase the building where Chasers is located.

Once the real estate transfer is closed, Chasers' liquor license would be surrendered and the new license, if approved, would go into effect.

Jennifer Adame, a co-owner of the Vault on Washington LLC, had said during the liquor commission meeting that she intended to renovate the building but would run the bar in the basement to help finance the work. Business hours for the bar would be 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.

The current annual license fee for a TAS liquor license, which is a tavern license that allows for the sale of all types of alcohol and Sunday sales, is $3,300.
A former Head of the History and Political Section of the University of Ghana, Dr Ebenezer Ayesu says consideration to rename the University of Ghana is laudable and if possible, must take an immediate effect.



Speaking on NEAT FMs morning show, 'Ghana Montie', the historian said, There's nothing wrong with the University of Ghana being named after J.B. Danquah as suggested by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.



The President has been in the news with his thoughts that the countrys premier university, the University of Ghana, must be renamed after one of the founders of Ghana, J. B. Danquah.



The first gentleman whiles addressing a gathering during the 75th Anniversary Thanksgiving Service of the University of Ghana detailed some of the events that led up to the influences that both J. B. Danquah and some other founding members of the country had on the decision to build the countrys first public university.



President Akufo-Addo described JB Danquahs role in the establishment of the University of Ghana as an inestimable work, after suggesting the school should be named after him as a reward.



Many want the schools name unchanged but Dr Ebenezer Ayesu says he supports the presidents decision.

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana









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Consultations on Ghanas much-anticipated energy transition and investment plan has taken place in Accra, as diverse stakeholders from government, the private sector, youth and civil-society organizations offered feedback on the plan ahead of its launch.



This energy transition and investment plan is expected to serve as the governments main roadmap for achieving universal energy access and net-zero carbon emissions, as expressed under the countrys current Energy Transition Framework and Nationally Determined Contributions while fostering economic growth and protecting jobs.



President Akufo-Addo and Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All, and Co-Chair of UN-Energy, engaged in discussions to discuss the plans findings and recommendations, ensuring it is backed by the highest levels of government.



Ogunbiyi also participated in an inter-ministerial committee meeting, where she briefed ministers on how the plan is designed to support the work of various ministries, including environment, transportation, industry, and others.



She said feedback from all consultations is guiding the plans finalization, with its launch expected to happen this fall.



It was a pleasure to meet with President Akufo-Addo, government ministers, local community groups and youth this week and hear first-hand how committed they are to a just and equitable energy transition., she said.



Madam Ogunbiyi said the countrys commitment has translated to an ambitious energy transition and investment plan that builds a case for changes across its entire energy system.



These changes present a tremendous opportunity for partners and investors from around the world to contribute to climate action and sustainable development in Ghana, said Madam Ogunbiyi.



President Akufo-Addo reiterated the countrys commitment to a clean, equitable energy transition that harnesses the full potential of renewable sources and energy efficiency.



However, ambition alone will not transform our energy systems, which is why we embarked on creating an energy transition and investment plan that details what is needed to reach our goals.



I look forward to working with international partners to realize the many opportunities presented in this plan, he said.

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com









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The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey, has announced that political party paraphernalia are no longer allowed during festivities.



According to him, the decision was taken in conjunction with the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) to ban political party paraphernalia during festivities.



The authorities of the Greater Accra Region believe that this decision will help to provide a peaceful and conducive atmosphere during various festivities and avoid chaos stemming from political misunderstandings.



In a meeting held on Monday, August 14, 2023, to deliberate on plans for the Greater Accra Region, it was agreed that no traditional council or political party within the region should hoist any party paraphernalia.



Today, we also collectively agreed to place a total ban on the use of party paraphernalia during a festive period in the Greater Accra region. And that will be from Ada all the way to Bortianor, Henry Quartey said, according to myjoyonline.com.



During the meeting, it was also agreed that there will be restrictions on the movements of tricycles in some designated areas in the assemblies.



The selected areas include; the Central Business District of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Krowor, La-Nkwantanag, Madina, Tema Metropolitan Assembly, and La Dadekotopon, all in the Greater Accra Regional enclave.



The Greater Accra Regional minister noted that a statement will be issued to inform the general public about the decision very soon.



Ghanas leading digital news platform, GhanaWeb, in conjunction with the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, is embarking on an aggressive campaign which is geared towards ensuring that parliament passes comprehensive legislation to guide organ harvesting, organ donation, and organ transplantation in the country.















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The President and Founder of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has described the President Nana Addo Akufo-Addo-led government as the most expensive and wasteful in the history of Ghana.



His comment comes on the back of the Daily Graphic report which indicated that 22 district assemblies spent GH2.4 million to collect GH1.3 million in revenue.



Franklin Cudjoe stated that the findings by the Daily Graphic come as no surprise to him because of the current government's mismanagement of the economy



In a Facebook post on Tuesday, August 15, 2023, the president of IMANI Africa bemoaned the poor state of the Ghanaian economy, in relation to the findings by the Daily Graphic newspaper.



Daily Graphic reports, 22 District Assemblies spend GH2.4m to collect GH1.3m revenue. No surprises here-we have the biggest, most expensive, and wasteful govt in Ghanas history, which has left us in debt and in death, he wrote on his Facebook page.



View the facebook post below





Source: ghanaweb.com









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The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, has fumed at the outrageous charges that citizens have to pay to get their passports in the country.



The minister expressed her anger at the situation when she dismissed overstaying officers and agency representatives at various passport offices in the Greater Accra Region.



Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey expressed her shock at how passport processes that should cost at most, GH150 for expedited options, have now shot up to as high as GH3000.



"Reports that officers, and there are nine or so agencies represented in any passport application centre these people are involved in illegal activities, and when I say illegal activities, we know just two days ago the report in Daily Guide that the issue of goro people involved in our passport acquisition process has become rife. It is wrong.



"How can GH100 Ghana for standard service of passport acquisition and GH150 for expedited service be bumped up to 2,000 and 3,000? I hear they dont even charge GH2,000 now; they are charging 3000 and it is wrong.



But I can say and we all will agree that a goro person is outside the passport office and they need somebody inside to work with, they cannot do it on their own, people are paying 2,000, 3,000 to acquire a passport, why should this be so? she said.



Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey had made an unannounced visit to the passport office in Accra on Monday, August 14, 2023, when she made the comments.















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The Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkornoo, has urged staff of the Judicial Service to see themselves as Ambassadors of the Service and the concept of justice itself.



She said the Judicial Service is a Public Service and members must therefore be honest, fair and transparent in their dealings with the citizens who seek justice.



Justice Torkornoo, was speaking at a Community Sensitization Programme, held alongside the inauguration of some Courts in five Communities.



It was an interactive session with members of the beneficiary communities including Baatsonaa, Kwabenya and Ada in the Greater Accra Region, and New Abirem and Akwatia, in the Eastern Region.



At Baatsona, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, explained the work of the Judiciary and how court users can help keep Staff on their toes



The message was similar at Kwabenya, where the Chief Justice answered questions on justice delivery.



At New Abirem in the Eastern Region, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, said, it is her goal, to rid the Judicial Service of acts by staff which put the integrity and work of the Service into disrepute.



At Akwatia, the Chief Justice encouraged staff of the judicial service to make the Courts friendly to litigants.



The Chief Justices Community Sensitization program, is on the theme Improving Justice Delivery through Community Engagement.



The initiative is to educate the public on the existence of the Public Complaints Unit among other interventions by the Service, to make justice delivery transparent.













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Mr. Alfred Aryee, a partner at Makers and Partners which is a chartered accountancy firm, has urged the University of Ghana (UG) to consider introducing forensic investigation programmes in its curriculum.



Mr. Aryee said this will enable students to acquire the requisite skills needed to address fraud-related issues in Ghana.



Forensic investigation is the gathering and analysis of all physical evidence related to a crime to reach a conclusion about a suspect.



Mr. Aryee made the remarks in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the sidelines of a thanksgiving service organized by the University to mark its 75th anniversary celebration.



As part of the event which was supported by Makers and Partners, the management and staff of UG offered Muslim prayers at the Legon Central Mosque.



Mr. Aryee, an alumnus of UG, said as part of the Universitys effort in achieving higher heights, the introduction of forensic investigation programmes will produce the human resource that will enhance forensic investigation agencies in the country.



He reiterated that forensic investigation provides scientific and foundational information for investigators and courts, thus plays a key role in the criminal justice system.



He revealed that the frontliners of Makers and Partners were certified fraud examiners and offer services such as forensic audits, forensic investigation training, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME) business solution, corporate advisory services and tax advisory services.



Mr. Aryee also underscored the need for internship programmes which must be aligned to the students field of study and be made compulsory.



He said this would enable students to have practical experience which would help them build their interests and capacities in the corporate field.



The programmes should be graded as part of their results, and Makers and Partners are open for such internship programmes, he added.



On her part, Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, Vice Chancellor of UG, expressed gratitude to God as the University celebrates 75 years of academic excellence and of training high quality human resources for Ghana and the world.



She told the GNA that, under her tenure UG, the University has embarked on a number of technology- driven initiatives namely "Classroom Modernisation", "One Student One Laptop" and "Hot-spot Comfort Zones" geared towards enhancing teaching and learning.



Generally, we seek to give our students an excellent experience while they are here on campus; so that we are able to give them the required skills for the 21st century and prepare them for the fourth industrial revolution, Prof Amfo stated.







Source: Ghana News Agency









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The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, made a surprise visit to the Passport Office in Accra yesterday after a damning report by DGN Online exposing corrupt activities within the passport acquisition process.



The Minister, visibly furious, immediately ordered the transfer of staff members who have overstayed in their positions for more than a year across various locations in Ghana.



The Ministers actions are aimed at bringing sanity to the system and putting an end to the artificial shortage of passport booklets that has been plaguing the country for some time now.



The report by DGN Online also highlighted the return of a notorious group known as goro boys within the passport office, causing unnecessary delays and demanding excessive amounts of money from applicants.



The corruption is not limited to the Passport Office, as the Birth and Death Registry was also mentioned in the report. Applicants revealed that normal birth certificate applications are deliberately delayed unless an additional amount of GHC500 is paid.



Innocent individuals are being exploited, exacerbating the frustrations faced by those in need of passport services.



The Foreign Ministry has been urged to take immediate action and launch a thorough investigation into these corrupt practices.



It is crucial to identify the root causes and eliminate this unethical cabal from the passport office.



The Minister stressed the importance of the passport office in facilitating travel and emphasized that no citizen should be held hostage by individuals seeking personal gains.



Transparency and accountability within the acquisition process are vital to the well-being of Ghanaians.

The Foreign Ministry must leave no stone unturned in eradicating corruption and ensuring a fair and efficient passport application system.



Addressing the staff at the passport headquarters, the Minister expressed her frustration with the situation.

She stated, This cannot continue. There are outsiders, known as goro boys, who are colluding with some of our staff members to manipulate the system and exploit innocent individuals. This must stop.



The Minister also urged her colleagues to take responsibility, stating, The blame is often placed on politicians, but it is some civil servants who engage in these corrupt practices. We are implementing digitalization efforts and providing an online system, but even that is being manipulated. An ongoing investigation has already revealed the involvement of certain individuals.



To tackle the issue head-on, the Minister announced immediate transfer orders for staff members who have served over a year in their current positions, effective from Monday. This measure aims to bring much-needed sanity to the system and weed out those engaged in corrupt activities.



The Minister emphasized the need for public servants to provide ethical and efficient services to the public.

She called for unity in fighting corruption and assured Ghanaians that the government is committed to restoring integrity to the passport acquisition process.



As investigations continue, it is hoped that the Ministers actions will lead to significant improvements in the efficiency and transparency of the passport office, ensuring that Ghanaians can easily acquire the necessary travel documents without falling victim to corruption.

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com









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The Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council (GARCC) has reinforced its ban on the operation of tricycles, popularly known as Pragyia and Aboboyaa, on some principal streets in Accra.



The affected areas include the central business districts (CBDs) of the Accra and Tema Metropolitan Assemblies as well as the Krowor, Korle Klottey, La Dade Kotopon and the La Nkwantanang Madina CBDs.



The rest are the Ayawaso East, Ayawaso West, Ayawaso Central, Ayawaso North, Ledzokuku, Okaikwei North and Adentan Municipal Assemblies.



The ban is in line with regulation 128 (1-4) of the Road Traffic Regulations 2012 which states that: The licensing authority shall not register a motorcycle to carry a fare-paying passenger.



The ban was announced by the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey, during the GARCC general meeting held last Tuesday.



The GARCC, the highest decision-making body of the region, released a press statement yesterday to reaffirm the decision.



Unregulated activities



The move comes after grave concerns about the unregulated activities and operation of the tricycles which has often resulted in heavy traffic congestion, chaotic scenes and indiscriminate parking and flouting of traffic regulations, among others.



The council, therefore, deems it very imperative and urgent to regulate the movement of these pragyias and aboboyaas and create a conducive environment for businesses to thrive and for the comfort of travellers, the minister said.



We urge all citizens in the Greater Accra Region to support this campaign in our collective efforts to make Greater Accra work, he added.



Initial ban



The ban on aboboyaa on Accra highways was first announced by the Regional Minister in November 2021 to curb the spate of gross indiscipline on major roads in the region.



In line with the exercise, all motorised tricycles were to keep way from all major highways and principal streets and restrict their operations to community riding.



The major concern for the exercise was to curb unregulated activities and operation of aboboyaa on the Tema Motorway.



The date was later moved to February 1, 2022 to make room for more engagement, education and sensitisation to ensure the successful implementation of the directive.



However, following the ban, its regulation has been seemingly unfeasible as the motorists continue to ply major roads in the region.



Minister explains



The minister explained that although tricycle operators continued to ply the major roads after the ban, the indiscipline had reduced.



He said this time around, he had tasked the various assemblies to ensure a quick passage of a bye-law to restrict the operations of pragyia in their areas.



Mr Quartey said that would get the law to deal with offenders.



For the ban on aboboyaa, he said, it had already been passed as part of the Operation Clean your Frontage and gazetted.

Source: graphic.com.gh









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US-based Ghanaian lawyer and scholar, Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare, has said that the naming of public universities in Ghana after people is not the best.



According to him, public universities should be named according to the major subjects, they offer, or their geographical location and not the names of prominent people.



In a post shared on Facebook, on Monday, August 14, 2023, the academic added that facilities in public universities in the country can rather be named after people.



He cited the example of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) being named by its location; the University of Development Studies (UDS) being named by its subject and the Balme Library, a facility in the University of Ghana, being named after the first Principal of university, David Mowbray Balme.



Public universities should be named by geography (e.g., UCC) or by subject (e.g., UDS). Facilities can be named after individuals (e.g., Balme), he wrote.



Kwaku Azar's remarks come after President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo suggested that the University of Ghana might one day be named after one of the Big Six Joseph Boakye Danquah (JB Danquah).



In his address at an event to mark the 75th Anniversary of the University of Ghana, President Akufo-Addo highlighted how JB Danquah's commitment to ensuring Ghana had its own university led to the founding of the University of Ghana.



He noted that his visionary work extended to challenging the British recommendation for a single university in West Africa, which was intended for Nigeria. Instead, he rallied Ghanaians to support the establishment of their own university.



President Akufo-Addo further remarked that the legacy of Joseph Boakye Danquah might even warrant consideration for naming the University of Ghana after him, given the historical significance of his contributions.



He mentioned, "Indeed, in many other jurisdictions where there is less heat in their politics and more attachment to the fact of historical record, it would not have been out of place to have this university named after him. Who knows, one day it may well happen."



View the posts below:



Source: ghanaweb.com









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The National Labour Commission (NLC) has determined that the Ministry of Education has reasonable grounds to withhold the August pay of striking members of the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG).



The NLC has also stated that the appointments of CETAG members could be terminated if continuing validation by the ministry finds them absent from work.



Ofosu Asamoah, the Commissions Executive Secretary, stated that government employees who go on an illegal strike will not be paid for the duration of the strike.



It is a provision in the law that indeed if you are on strike, which is unlawful or illegal, you will not be paid for that period and that the leaders are held accountable. It is not only in Ghana, it is all over the world.



Even in the UK when you engage on a strike which is not sanctioned, the organisers of the strike or the union will bear the salaries of the members except that in Ghana in most cases, people embark on strike and the government still pays them.



But the law has not been amended and it is still in the law. So in this case, the Commission has very little say, it only has to determine whether the strike is within the law or not.



Responding, President of CETAG, Prince Obeng Himah told journalists that they are unfazed by the threat.



Looking at what we have gone through, I think the members of CETAG are prepared to die on the cross of conviction that we have been sidelined and cheated for far too long. People have sacrificed to make the colleges what they are. People are retiring.



If you look at people who could have gone to the universities to teach, others are doing their PhDs and they are doing the teaching just because of the love they have and you see their salaries, it is nothing to write home about. When we looked at all these things, we embarked on strike and the strike is legal because we went through processes. We have even heard worse things that all tutors are going to be sacked.



It is only in Ghana that when somebody owes you and you go to the person for your money, he tells you he is going to arrest you.



It is extremely important that we use this strike to make a loud statement that the National Labour Commission exists to give orders that are supposed to be complied by both government and employees and that is just what we want the National Labour Commission to do because the issue goes on and off.



It has been around since 2021 till date, he added.





Source: rainbow radio









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State Council to oversee probe into middle school roof collapse in NE China

Xinhua) 11:05, August 15, 2023

BEIJING, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Work Safety Committee of China's State Council will supervise the investigation into a deadly gymnasium roof collapse at a middle school in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, the Ministry of Emergency Management said on Monday.

The incident occurred on July 23 in the city of Qiqihar, killing 11 people.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
The Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has scolded his Minority counterpart for chastising the Bank of Ghana (BoG) for not informing Parliament before participating in the Domestic Debt Exchange (DDE).



The BoG participated in the debt restructuring exercise to share some of the burden the DDE places on government debt holders, along with banks, other financial institutions, pension funds and individuals.



The Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, has since hit the roof, accusing the handlers of the central bank of mismanagement, amid calls for the governor and his deputies to resign from office.



We call for the resignation of the governor of the central bank and his deputies within 21 days, he said, and added, 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 the Majority Leader said his counterpart was only engaging in politics, insisting that no law requires the central to report its daily operations to Parliament.



Speaking on Accra-based Oman FM, Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said the role of the central bank in the national economy is known to his Minority counterpart, who is a former Deputy Minister of Finance.



According to him, the economy would have collapsed if the BoG had not intervened by bailing out the government with its international reserves.



We should not treat everything with politics; we shouldnt make everything about NPP and NDC, Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who is also the NPP MP for Suame, said.



He continued, Ato Forson should have known better because he has previously served as Deputy Minister of Finance and is familiar with the operations of the Bank of Ghana. As a result, politicising BoG matters is bad for the country.



There is no law that mandates the BoG to report its daily activities to Parliament. The law only mandates the BoG to report foreign exchange receipts to Parliament, and the BoG has always complied with this provision. The BoG does not report directly to Parliament, he stressed.



The constitution says that if you pass any law that is inconsistent with the constitution, that law is null and void. Its either the Minority are over exaggerating issues or have not had time to examine the facts of the matter, he intimated.



Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has absolved the BoG from accusation of mismanagement as a result of the loss of GH60 billion.



The Bretton Woods institution believes accusation of mismanagement on the part of the central bank is far-fetched, and corroborated the BoGs explanation of how the negative equity came about.



It noted that the BoG participated in the Domestic Debt Exchange (DDE) to share some of the burden the DDE places on government debt holders, along with banks, other financial institutions, pension funds and individuals.

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com









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Dennis Miracles has replied the Minority in Parliament for threatening to picket the Bank of Ghana if the Governor, Dr. Ernest Addison and his deputies don't resign from office within 21 days.



The Minoirty has accused the Governors of mismanaging the bank resulting in the bank losing GH60 billion last year.



They also blamed the government for rendering the bank insolvent.



"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 quoted during their "Moment of Truth" engagement with the media.



They added 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" and blamed the incumbent government stating "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.



"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," the Minority warned.



Responding to the Minority's position during Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo', Dennis Miracles sarcastically urged them to go ahead with their decision against the Bank of Ghana.



"I think they should occupy. I think we should allow them to occupy. I think we shouldn't allow the NDC to use the parochial political interest to dictate how good men will run the country. Good men should run a country in the interest of the people," he told host Kwami Sefa Kayi.



Watch video below





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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"The Vice President doesn't sleep," Dennis Miracles has touted Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia's personality and character in relation to hard work and competence.



Dennis Miracles, who is the Spokesperson for the Bawumia campaign team, speaking on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' show Monday morning noted that the Vice President's hard work is unmatched and comparing his ambition to become the flagbearer of the ruling New Patriotic Party(NPP), he believed Dr. Bawumia will emerge victor in the party's upcoming elections.



Dennis Miracles revealed that the Veep has toured over 150 constituencies across the nation sending his campaign message to the party delegates.



"The Vice President doesn't sleep. Are you aware that for 40 days non-stop, he has been campaigning? . . . No candidate has worked harder than Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia . . . In 40 days, he has met 154 constituencies," he said.



He believed the "fear delegates" mantra won't work in the case of Dr. Bawumia, emphaizing "for us, it is more of trusting the delegates".



The New Patriotic Party will on August 26 hold a Special Delegates Conference to elect five out of ten candidates vying for the position of flagbearer and, in November, conduct its main congress to elect a Presidential candidate into the 2024 elections.



The aspirants include the Vice President, former Trade Minister, Alan Kyerematen, Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong, former Attorney General, Joe Ghartey, former Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko, former Agriculture Minister, Dr. Owusu Afriyie-Akoto, former NPP General Secretary, Kwabena Agyei Agyepong among others.



Watch video below





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Dennis Miracles, Director of Local Government Services at the Office of the President, says categorically that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia will win the upcoming presidential elections of the New Patriotic Party by 90 percent.



Dennis Miracles was well convinced the party delegates will give the Vice President a resounding victory, stressing Dr. Bawumia is working harder than all the candidates contending the flagbearer position.



"The Vice President doesn't sleep. Are you aware that for 40 days non-stop, he has been campaigning?...No candidate has worked harder than Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia...In 40 days, he has met 154 constituencies," he disclosed to host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" show.



Miracles doubles as the Spokesperson for Dr. Bawumia's campaign and, with no shred of doubt, believed the presidential crown will be handed over to the Vice President.



He asserted; "With all the work Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has done and with all the support that the party people and their belief in his principles and message, I doubt if Dr. Bawumia will do less than 80 percent. I think he should do between 80 to 90%."



The NPP will in August conduct a Special Delegates Congress to reduce the number of candidates from ten to five and the five will compete in their main election scheduled in November this year to elect a flagbearer.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Nana Akomea, Chief Executive Officer of Intercity State Transport Corporation, has cleared an incident that occurred involving some members of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia campaign team which includes him and Deputy Minister for Railway Development, Kwaku Asante-Boateng, when the Vice President toured the Asante Akim South constituency.



As part of his campaign measures, Vice President Bawumia has been touring the constituencies across the nation to send his message to the delegates in hope of winning their votes during the upcoming New Patriotic Party presidential elections.



The New Patriotic Party (NPP) will hold a Special Delegates Congress on August 26 this year to reduce the number of presidential aspirants from ten to five and conduct their main congress in November to elect their flagbearer for the 2024 elections.



The Deputy Minister, Kwaku Asante-Boateng, who doubles as the Member of Parliament for Asante Akim South, accused Nana Akomea, NPP stalwart Anthony Karbo and a host of others of disrespecting him when Dr. Bawumia visited the constituency.



The Minister, who supports one of Dr. Bawumia's contenders, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, in a statement has however refuted some media publications that his switch to Alan's camp although earlier declaring his support for Bawumia is because the Vice President disrespected him during his tour at Asante Akim South in the Ashanti Region.



Statement



"My attention has been drawn to several newspaper and social media publications regarding my declaration in support of Hon. Alan Kwadwo Kyeremanten in the upcoming presidential primaries of the New Patriotic Party (NPP].



Inasmuch as I admit making that declaration on Monday 7th August 2023, I wish to point out that some of the publications in the print and electronic media are false and malicious, and do not reflect the exact statement I made, and its import thereof.



Some of these publications suggest that the declaration was as a result of the fact that, the Vice President, His Excellency Dr. Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia, disrespected me. I wish to put on record that I never said the Vice President disrespected me. Rather, I bemoaned the continuous disrespect shown to me by some members of his team.



I wish to state categorically that I have a very good relationship with His Excellency the Vice President, Dr. Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia, and that His Excellency has on no occasion, shown any sign of disrespect to me, both in government and as a member of the NPP, throughout the period of my association with him, spanning from 2007 to date", Hon. Kwaku Asante-Boateng set the record straight.



It Wasn't Intentional



Nana Akomea, responding to the Minister's accusation, clarified what actually happened during the tour.



He noted that when he and the other members of Bawumia campaign team together with the Vice President arrived at the constituency and were alighting from their bus, they were met by a mammoth crowd that made it impossible for them to greet nor receive greetings from every person on the ground.





He also stated he honestly didn't see the Deputy Minister expecting a greeting from him and that he didn't intend to disrespect the Minister or any person at the event.



"I don't know him. Can you imagine that if I knew him that he is the MP and he will extend his hand and I will refuse to shake him? I don't know him. I have no issue with him; I haven't seen him before . . . We are not fighting; it's campaign. We are all party members. When he said that, I issued a statement that it wasn't intentional," he told Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" show.

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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" " You may be surprised to learn what sending out an SOS really means  and what it doesn't mean. Aquir/Shutterstock

Even children at play know that when you're in a life-threatening emergency  maybe you need to be rescued from an island filled with human-eating crabs that's also surrounded by lava  the way you let the world know you're in trouble is to wave your arms and signal distress by repeatedly shouting three simple letters: SOS.

You can write them on the beach, send them via Morse code or, if you have a pen, write them on your hand and flash them at passersby. We all know that sending out an SOS signal is the best chance you've got at being rescued.

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So, what does SOS mean? An SOS message must mean something important, right?

Nope. The letters SOS stand for nothing. Not "Save Our Ship," not "Save Our Souls"  it wasn't even originally designed to stand for letters of the English alphabet. Yet, it's the standard distress signal most people know.
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:

Buccal epithelial cells. Credit: Jiabei Zhu, Boston University

Researchers have developed a new algorithm for recovering the 3D refractive index distribution of biological samples that exhibit multiple types of light scattering. The algorithm helps optimize a new imaging approach called intensity diffraction tomography (IDT).

Jiabei Zhu from Boston University will present this research at the Optica Imaging Congress. The hybrid meeting will take place 1417 August 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts.

"3D quantitative phase imaging (QPI) has superior features for various applications in the field of biomedical imaging. As a label-free technique, QPI can image transparent living organisms and cells without exogenous contrast agents and dyes which induce phototoxic effects damaging the sample," explains Zhu.

"Compared with traditional phase-contrast and differential interference contrast microscopy, QPI not only provides high-contrast morphological information but gives quantitative phase information as well. Specifically, 3D QPI can provide high-resolution 3D refractive index (RI) distribution inside the samples. This valuable information can facilitate the research on hematology, neurology, and immunology, helping the diagnosis of disease and infection."

Although 3D imaging techniques can be used to study thick biological samples, achieving both high-speed acquisition and high resolution is challenging. IDT approaches are label-free phase tomography techniques that help overcome this limitation. They can be performed using a programmable LED array that is easily added to a standard microscope.

Zhu's research team recently developed two IDT methods known as annular IDT (aIDT) and multiplexed IDT (mIDT) that boost the image acquisition speed enough to visualize dynamic biological samples. Annular IDT (aIDT) uses an LED ring that matches the objective's numerical aperture, and multiplexed IDT (mIDT) uses multiple LEDs to illuminate the sample simultaneously.

When the researchers discovered that existing IDT reconstruction algorithms did not work well with their new approaches due to the use of high-NA objectives, they decided to develop a new algorithm. It uses a multiple scattering model based on the split-step non-paraxial (SSNP) method, which was recently developed to overcome similar limitations in optical diffraction tomography.

The researchers showed that applying the new IDT reconstruction algorithm to buccal epithelial cells using aIDT allowed easy discrimination of cells at different depths, reconstruction of the cell boundaries and membrane, and visualization of native bacteria around the cells.

They also applied it to a thick multi-scattering live C. elegans embryo using mIDT. The resulting reconstructed images showed details of how the worms were folded, and the single-depth cross-section showed the morphological details of the cells' outline, the buccal cavity and the tail of the worm.

Overall, the experiments showed that by extending the SSNP method to IDT, the researchers were able to achieve high-quality images with a large field of view.

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:

In this photo provided by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, department environmental scientist Matt Lucero nets a Sacramento Perch at the Bridgeport Reservoir in Mono County, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. Some of the fish are headed to Lindo Lake in San Diego County to support a newly created population of native species and to provide a future urban fishing opportunity. The electrofishing boat emits an electrical current into the water, temporarily stunning fish to the surface where they can be netted and collected. Credit: Travis VanZant/California Department of Fish and Wildlife via AP

California's only native sunfish, the Sacramento perch, survived catastrophic floods in the 1860s and was so abundant that it was a regular staple in San Francisco's markets before invasive species decimated its population.

Today it is relegated to mostly isolated lakes, reservoirs and ponds with few predators. But as the planet heats up and threatens many cold-water game fish species like trout, the Sacramento perch may be on the cusp of a comeback, thanks in part to its ability to tolerate warm water and extreme conditions.

State officials recently introduced Sacramento perch to Southern California in an attempt to widen its range, strengthen its gene pool, create a breeding stock and generate interest among more anglers. Biologists with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife released the first batch of 37 mostly juvenile Sacramento perch on Thursday evening in San Diego County's only natural lake, Lindo Lake in Lakeside, a suburb east of the city of San Diego.

"It's a native game fish that we can promote as a viable fishery in the future where we may not be able to have trout in certain areas because of climate change and warming waters," environmental scientist Matt Lucero with the department said after releasing the fish in batches.

California Fish and Wildlife biologist Matt Lucero releases some of the 30 Sacramento Perch juveniles in Lindo Lake County Park in the Lakeside suburb of San Diego, Friday, Aug. 11, 2023. Lucero brought the fish from Bridgeport reservoir, a picturesque body of water surrounded by snow-capped mountains that has become a bottleneck for the fish's genes because the isolated population cannot migrate. Credit: AP Photo/Julie Watson

The multiyear experiment reflects the changes facing sportfishing as rivers, streams, lakes and ponds warm. Climate change is the biggest threat to the survival of trout in America's interior West, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. It estimates up to 50% of trout habitat in the Rocky Mountain region is at risk of disappearing by the end of the century.

Sacramento perch will never replace trout, state biologists said. Instead, the focus is on preserving a native species, and as an added benefit, the fish could allow anglers another option as temperatures rise, limiting seasons for cold-water species in some places.

Max Fish, the department's senior environmental scientist overseeing the efforts, said the hope is it can be introduced to fishing spots in more urban areas.

"We're in an exploratory phase to evaluate how well the fish will do, and how communities react to those fisheries," he said.

In this photo provided by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Sacramento Perch are collected from the Bridgeport Reservoir into a viewing tank aboard a California Department of Fish and Wildlife electrofishing boat in Mono County, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. Sacramento Perch are mainly unknown, relegated to little more than a dozen isolated lakes, reservoirs and ponds with few predators in the Sierras and Rocky Mountains. But as the planet heats up and threatens many cold-water game fish species like trout, the Sacramento Perch may be on the cusp of a comeback, thanks partly to its ability to tolerate extreme conditions. Credit: Travis VanZant/California Department of Fish and Wildlife via AP

Tiffany Turner of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, which advocates for conservation to help anglers and hunters, said California is smart to act now to expand the habitat of climate-resilient fish, though she expects some resistance initially in a sport that is steeped in traditions.

"Anglers are going to have to adapt if we want to keep doing what we love," she said.

Biologists say the iridescent green and purple fish, whose markings and long spiny dorsal fins hint at its legacy dating back 15 million years, stands out for its ability to thrive in everything from cold mountain lakes to warm stagnant, brackish water.

Sacramento perch's resiliency allowed it to survive the catastrophic floods that wiped out much of Central California more than 160 years ago.

But its numbers plummeted by the early 20th century with the introduction of non-native species, including other more aggressive sunfish from the midwestern United States, which pushed the Sacramento perch out of its native habitat in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

In this photo provided by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, a Sacramento Perch is collected from the Bridgeport Reservoir into a viewing tank aboard a California Department of Fish and Wildlife electrofishing boat in Mono County, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. It is largely unknown, relegated to little more than a dozen isolated lakes, reservoirs, and ponds with few predators in the Sierras and Rocky Mountains. But as the planet heats up and threatens many cold-water game fish species like trout, the Sacramento Perch may be on the cusp of a comeback, thanks partly to its ability to tolerate extreme conditions. Credit: Travis VanZant/California Department of Fish and Wildlife via AP

It's unknown if any still exist in its native habitat. Most of the population is concentrated in more than two dozen high-altitude lakes in Northern California, and a handful of western states.

Scientists hope that by introducing it to Southern California it will help strengthen the gene pool and build data for the captive breeding of Sacramento perch. Some hope the native fish can someday flourish as a food source much like tilapia, a highly adaptable warm-water species that is illegal to produce in California due to its potential to invade native ecosystems.

Peter Moyle, a Sacramento perch expert at the University of California, Davis, applauds the state for bringing it to Southern California. "It's one of the best tasting freshwater fish I know of," he said, adding that it's also fun to fish since it puts up a fight.

In this photo provided by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, department environmental scientist Matt Lucero holds a small Sacramento Perch at the Bridgeport Reservoir in Mono County, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. The Sacramento Perch juveniles from Bridgeport reservoir, a picturesque body of water surrounded by snow-capped mountains, has become a bottleneck for the fish's genes because their isolated population cannot migrate. Credit: Travis VanZant/California Department of Fish and Wildlife via AP

Lucero said the project will take at least three years, and it'll be awhile before fishing even opens at Lindo Lake. There are still many challenges to overcome.

Last summer biologists released Sacramento perch larval in Lindo Lake after it was drained, dredged and restored to its natural state and outfitted with fish habitat structures. But someone since then dumped in a bucket of largemouth bass, which eat native sunfish eggs, Lucero said.

Biologists still don't know how many have survived. They hope the introduction of juveniles will give the population a fighting chance of establishing itself. The juveniles are believed to be a year old and are expected to be able to spawn in another year, and lay as many as 10,000 eggs, Lucero said.

San Diego County officials have posted "No fishing" signs around Lindo Lake. Rangers also patrol regularly during daylight hours but it is a public park surrounded by apartment buildings, stores and modest ranch style homes.

In this photo provided by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Sacramento Perch are collected from the Bridgeport Reservoir into a viewing tank aboard a department electrofishing boat in Mono County, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. State officials recently introduced the Sacramento Perch to Southern California to widen its range, strengthen its gene pool, create a breeding stock and generate interest among anglers as a viable warm-water tolerant game fish option. Credit: Travis VanZant/California Department of Fish and Wildlife via AP

Officials say the best assurance is educating people about how special the Sacramento perch is.

Lucero brought the Sacramento perch from Bridgeport reservoir, nestled in the jagged snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains. Biologists identified it as a gene bottleneck for the species.

Lucero, with other state biologists, stunned the perch with an electrical current so they would float to the surface belly up to be able to scoop them up. They eventually loaded 37 young fish into a bin in the bed of a pickup truck, and Lucero drove them eight hours to the lake in San Diego County.

After arriving with the fish, Lucero spent an hour acclimating them to their new home, which is 6,000 feet (1,828 meters) lower in elevation. He slowly poured into their bin Lindo Lake water, which was at 83 degrees Fahrenheit (28.3 Celsius), while swapping out the water from Bridgeport, which was at 68 degrees Fahrenheit, (20 degrees Celsius).

A California Fish and Wildlife biologist helps unload 30 Sacramento Perch juveniles from the bed of a pickup truck into bins to introduce the fish to Southern California by releasing them in Lindo Lake County Park in the Lakeside suburb of San Diego, Friday, Aug. 11, 2023. The hope is that the fish can offer anglers another option as trout species come under threat from a warmer planet. Credit: AP Photo/Julie Watson

California Fish and Wildlife biologists unload 30 Sacramento Perch juveniles from the bed of a pickup truck into bins before introducing the fish in Lindo Lake County Park in the Lakeside suburb of San Diego, Friday, Aug. 11, 2023. The hope is it can offer anglers another option as trout species come under threat from a warmer planet. Credit: AP Photo/Julie Watson

California Fish and Wildlife biologists unload 30 Sacramento Perch juveniles from the bed of a pickup truck into bins to introduce the Sacramento Perch to Southern California by releasing the fish in Lindo Lake County Park in the Lakeside suburb of San Diego, Friday, Aug. 11, 2023. After arriving with the fish, environmental scientist Matt Lucero spent an hour acclimating the fish to their new home by pouring in the lake water at 83 degrees slowly into the bin in the bed of the truck, one gallon at a time, while swapping out the 69 degree water they arrived in from Bridgeport Reservoir. Credit: AP Photo/Julie Watson

California Fish and Wildlife biologists release 30 Sacramento Perch juveniles as they introduce the fish in Lindo Lake County Park in the Lakeside suburb of San Diego, Friday, Aug. 11, 2023. The hope is it can offer anglers another option as trout species come under threat from a warmer planet. Credit: AP Photo/Julie Watson

In this photo provided by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, a Sacramento Perch is collected from the Bridgeport Reservoir by department biologists in Mono County, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. The Sacramento Perch, California's only native sunfish, was once so abundant it was a regular staple in San Francisco's markets, and its bones have been commonly found among Native American ruins in the state. Biologists say the iridescent green and purple fish, whose markings and long spiny dorsal fins hint at its legacy dating back 15 million years, stands out for its ability to withstand extreme conditions. Those traits allowed it to survive the catastrophic floods that wiped out much of Central and Northern California 160 years earlier. Credit: Travis VanZant/California Department of Fish and Wildlife via AP

The fish huddled together in a corner of the bin. Then they slowly spread out and swam around as the hour passed, which Lucero saw as a sign that they were ready to be released.

He eyed the lake. He said he did not want to release them too close to the dock where some of the bass might be waiting. But he said too far out in the center there were cormorants. A heron also watched nearby.

Lucero put on his waders and went in up to his waist.

Fellow environmental scientist Austin Sturkie, who is also with the department, stood on the dock and scooped out batch after batch of the fish as the sun began to dip and handed the net to Lucero in the water.

The fish wiggled out and swam away.

"Boys stay together," Lucero joked.

As Lucero worked, a man on a skateboard zipped by and yelled "Yay! More bass."

"No, it's Sacramento perch," Lucero shot back, smiling. "They're better!"

 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Credit: Australian National Maritime Museum

The Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM) and non-profit Silentworld Foundation have continued ongoing archaeological investigation of the wreck of South Australian, with recent research from a combined team of experts published in the journal Historical Archaeology.

The South Australian is South Australia's oldest known European shipwreck. The English barque, wrecked in in 1837 in Encounter Bay near modern-day Victor Harbor, has drawn keen interest since its discovery in 2018. The wreck site project team includes members of the ANMM, Silentworld Foundation, South Australian Maritime Museum, South Australia's Department for Environment and Water, Flinders University, and MaP fund.

Originally a postal packet called Marquess of Salisbury, which delivered mail between England and far-flung outposts of the British Empire from 1820, the vessel later operated as a British naval packet, named HMP Swallow, before being procured by the South Australian Company, which re-named the ship South Australian.

The ship was designed to carry a huge amount of sail on a relatively small hull for maximum speed. While it transported approximately 80 immigrants to the new colony, its primary function was as a "cutting-in" vessel, or flensing platform, where blubber was removed from harpooned whales as part of the shore-based whaling industry at Encounter Bay.

While loaded with whale oil and readying for departure to Hobart, South Australian was caught in a south easterly gale and wrecked on 8 December 1837. There were no fatalities, and the ship ultimately broke up and was forgotten until the 1990s, when it was the subject of two unsuccessful shipwreck surveys conducted by the South Australian government.

Data collected during these expeditions and archival information helped the research team to establish a new search area that led to South Australian's discovery in April 2018. Remnants of the ship exposed above the seabed included timber framing and hull planking, copper keel bolts, and fragments of glass and pottery.

COVID-19 travel restrictions interrupted further visits to South Australian for two years, but in 2022 maritime archaeologists from the ANMM and an archaeological conservator from the Silentworld Foundation, accompanied by volunteers, returned to continue work at the site.

Photogrammetric 3D recording was carried out in conjunction with site mapping. The team also conducted a comprehensive conservation assessment to determine the wreck site's level of preservation and suggest strategies for its continued protection.

Ongoing work at the site has included comprehensive documentation of exposed hull components and targeted recovery of at-risk diagnostic artifacts. A small selection of objects was also mapped in place and recovered. The items include a gun flint, decorated ceramic fragments, ship's fasteners, glass bottles and a whetstone used to sharpen tools. All are currently undergoing conservation.

Dr. James Hunter, ANMM's Curator of Naval Heritage and Archaeology, and an Associate Lecturer of Archaeology at Flinders University, concluded in the article recently published in Historical Archaeology:

"South Australian's historical and archaeological significance cannot be overstated. As South Australia's oldest recorded European shipwreck, and one of its earliest immigration vessels, it has the potential to enhance our understanding of the state's initial colonization and occupationincluding the establishment of extractive mercantile activities, such as shore-based whaling and interactions between European colonists and Aboriginal people.

"Similarly, the site's distinction as one of only two (former) 19th-century British sailing-packet shipwrecks to undergo archaeological scrutiny brings an international dimension to its significance. While a sizable percentage of South Australian's surviving fabric remains buried, recent seabed changes are uncovering the site at an alarming rate. This has reinforced the need for additional investigation and inquiry and underscores the urgency with which site stabilization efforts should be adopted and enacted."

While weather and water visibility impeded efforts to complete the 3D photogrammetric survey of South Australian in late 2022, imagery from this and prior surveys has since been used to generate a digital 3D model of most of the site. This in turn will form the basis of a virtual reality experience currently under development at Germany's University of Applied Sciences, Kaiserslautern. South Australian is also the subject of a graphic novel based on research and archival sources, including the original logbook, which will bring its story to vivid life for new audiences.

The team's work continues, and they aim to conduct further archaeological investigation of South Australian and finish the photogrammetric survey during the latter half of 2023.

More information: James W. Hunter et al, Unearthing South Australia's Oldest Known Shipwreck: The Bark South Australian (1837), Historical Archaeology (2023). DOI: 10.1007/s41636-023-00403-5

Provided by Australian National Maritime Museum
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The oldest known footprint of our species, lightly ringed with chalk. It appears long and narrow because the trackmaker dragged their heel. Credit: Charles Helm

Footprints on a sandy surface don't usually last long: they're washed away by water, wiped out by wind or covered over by new tracks. At certain sites in southern Africa, though, some traces of animals have lasted for many thousands or even millions of yearsfleeting moments preserved in sand that turned to rock.

They tell scientists about the creatures that lived in ancient times, how they behaved and what their environment was like. Studying fossil footprints also adds to what the body fossil record reveals.

In these articles from our archive, scientists share some of their exciting fossil footprint finds.

Zebra crossing, with a difference

Charles Helm studies the fossilised tracks, trails, burrows and excavations made by animals. He's discovered how, tens of thousands of years ago, a huge horse species roamed along South Africa's Cape south coast.

These findings also revealed that these Giant Cape Zebras must have been a fairly regular sight on the landscape. An insight that body fossil records don't provide.

Oldest human footprints

Armed with specialist skills and world-class technology, Charles Helm also teamed up with geographer Andrew Carr to investigate tracks along South Africa's coast. That's how they identified something truly remarkable: a footprint left by one of our human ancestors 153,000 years ago. So far, it's the oldest footprint in the world attributed to our species, Homo sapiens .

They explained how the finding also confirms that the Cape south coast was an area in which early modern humans survived, evolved and thrived, before spreading out of Africa to other continents.

Dinosaur behavior insights

Today, dinosaur fossils can be found in many parts of the world. South Africa and Lesotho's main Karoo Basin, for example, contains many dinosaur fossils and dinosaur markings, like footprints.

Miengah Abrahams explains that fossil footprints are a treasure chest of information. They can reveal what organism made the tracks, offer clues to their behavior and even provide evidence about the conditions in which they lived. She outlines what's been learnt from dinosaur tracks in the Karoo Basin.

An unexpected discovery

In this article, Miengah Abrahams tells the story of how she unexpectedly came across some new dinosaur footprints in Lesotho. For a geologist studying dinosaur tracksites this wasn't a massive surprise, but it was the first time a dinosaur from the ornithischian groupa four-footed, plant-eating, "bird-hipped" communityhad been documented in the Roma Valley, an area rich in fossil footprints.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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The fire broke out on Monday afternoon and swept through 500 hectares.

A wildfire in France that triggered the evacuation of more than 3,000 people from holiday campsites near the Spanish border has been contained but remains dangerous, regional authorities said on Tuesday.

About 450 firefighters backed up by surveillance aircraft were still battling the flames south of the city of Perpignan, they said.

"The fire has been contained," senior regional official Rodrigue Furcy told local radio, but the worst affected area was "under close surveillance and firefighters were still battling the blaze".

With the exception of "350 to 400" people, the holidaymakers had been able to return to their campsites on Tuesday, Furcy said.

The fire broke out on Monday afternoon and swept through 500 hectares near the villages of Saint-Andre, Sorede and the seaside resort of Argeles.

The flames had spread rapidly due to "extremely hot weather, drought and strong winds".

Seventeen firefighters had sustained light injuries and one was admitted to hospital after a fall "but the good news is that there have been no fatalities", Furcy continued.

Thirty houses had been damaged, along with a warehouse and a campsite.

Several roads were closed and the train service from Perpignan to the Spanish border was suspended for several hours.

Bordering on Spain, the Pyrenees-Orientales region has been affected worse than any other French region by a devastating drought.

 2023 AFP
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Credit: CC0 Public Domain

New Cleveland Clinic research shows how mosquito-transmitted viruseslike Zika, West Nile, Yellow Fever and dengue viruseshijack host cells to promote their own replication and infection. Published in Cell Host and Microbe, a recent study from the laboratory of Michaela Gack, Ph.D., Scientific Director of Cleveland Clinic's Florida Research & Innovation Center, opens the door to developing new therapeutics for flaviviruses, a class of viruses for which either no or very limited treatments currently exist.

"Our findings bring us one step closer to understanding and treating currently untreatable mosquito-transmitted pathogens, which are an ever-increasing threat to global human populations," says Dr. Gack. "Our commitment to studying viral pathogens and host enzymes in novel ways may ultimately help us develop new, effective treatments to prevent future threats to human health."

Dr. Gack is a noted expert and core member of the Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Global Center for Pathogen & Human Health Research, which was founded with the goal of preventing and protecting against public health outbreaks before they start.

A hostile takeover by the virus

Viruses cannot survive on their own. While they contain their own genetic material, they don't carry all the genes or factors they need to live and reproduce. That's why viruses infect hoststhey hijack mammalian cells to turn them into virus-making factories.

To take control of the infected host cell, Zika virus, for example, hijacks several proteins inside the cell for its efficient replication. Humans have many enzymes that "tag" proteins with other molecules allowing them to function properly. Since Zika virus is missing certain molecules necessary for its reproduction, it has evolved to utilize a human enzyme called KAT5 (an acetyltransferase) which helps the virus to amplify its RNA genome in viral replication complexes.

Treating the untreatable

The discovery of KAT5's critical role in flavivirus replication is the key first step in beginning to design inhibitory molecules to stop viral replication and treat infection.

"Viruses mutate so much that drugging them directly might lose effectivity over timethis is what is known as antiviral drug resistance. Human proteins don't change rapidly," explains the study's second author Cindy Chiang, Ph.D. "Targeting the host's KAT5 protein should be much more effective in the long term to treat these viruses."

The study's findings suggest that creating drugs targeting the human KAT5 enzyme might help target not only Zika, but also several other mosquito-transmitted flaviviruses.
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1. Eigenvalue spectra (left panels) and cross-spectra (middle and right panels) of the backwards eigenfunctions S,0 () for the noisy SNIC system (Eqs.[11] in the main text). a: Parameters m = 1.216, n = 1.014, D1 = D2 = 0.0119 (deterministic model would be in the oscillatory limit-cycle regime) leading to the eigenvalues (see also left panel) 1 = 0.048 + 0.697i, 2 = 0.182 + 1.42i, 3 = 0.383 + 2.17i and the covariances hQ1Q2i = 0.106 + 0.11i, hQ1Q3i = 0.022  0.03i. Cross-spectrum between the first and the second slowest decaying eigenfunctions (middle panel) and between the first and the third slowest decaying eigenfunctions (right panel). b: Parameters m = 0.99, n = 1, D1 = D2 = 0.01125 (excitable regime with noise-induced oscillations) resulting in eigenvalues (see also left panel) 1 = 0.168 + 0.241i, 2 = 0.423 + 0.638i, 3 = 0.728 + 1.109i and co-variances hQ1Q2i = 0.416 + 0.35i, hQ1Q3i = 0.07  0.23i. Cross-spectrum between the first and the second slowest decaying eigenfunctions (middle panel) and the cross-spectrum between the first and the third slowest decaying eigenfunctions (right panel). In all middle and right panels, stochastic simulation results in red (blue) correspond to the real (imaginary) part of S,0 (); theory is indicated by black lines. Credit: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2023). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2303222120

Life's random rhythms surround usfrom the hypnotic, synchronized blinking of firefliesto the back-and-forth motion of a child's swing to slight variations in the otherwise steady lub-dub of the human heart.

But truly understanding those rhythmscalled stochastic, or random, oscillationshas eluded scientists. While researchers and clinicians have some success in parsing brain waves and heartbeats, they've been unable to compare or catalog an untold number of variations and sources.

Gaining such insight into the underlying source of oscillations "could lead to advances in neural science, cardiac science and any number of different fields," said Peter Thomas, a professor of applied mathematics at Case Western Reserve University.

Thomas is part of an international team that says it has developed a novel, universal framework for comparing and contrasting oscillationsregardless of their different underlying mechanismswhich could become a critical step toward someday fully understanding them.

Their findings were recently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"We turned the problem of comparing oscillators into a linear algebra problem," Thomas said. "What we have done is vastly more precise than what was available before. It's a major conceptual advance."

The researchers say others can now compare, better understandand even manipulateoscillators previously considered to have completely different properties.

"If your heart cells aren't synchronized, you die of atrial fibrillation," Thomas said. "But if your brain cells synchronize too much, you have Parkinson's disease, or epilepsy, depending on which part of the brain the synchronization occurs in. By using our new framework, that heart or brain scientist may be able to better understand what the oscillations could mean and how the heart or brain is working or changing over time."

Swaying skyscrapers and brain waves

Thomas said the researcherswho included collaborators from universities in France, Germany and Spainfound a new way to use complex numbers to describe the timing of oscillators and how "noisy," or imprecisely timed, they are.

Most oscillations are irregular to some extent, Thomas said. For example, a heart rhythm is not 100% regular. A natural variation of 5-10% in the heartbeat is considered healthy.

Thomas said the problem with comparing oscillators can be illustrated by considering two markedly different examples: brain rhythms and swaying skyscrapers.

"In San Francisco, modern skyscrapers sway in the wind, buffeted by randomly shifting air currentsthey're pushed slightly out of their vertical posture, but the mechanical properties of the structure pull them back," he said. "This combination of flexibility and resilience helps high-rise buildings survive shaking during earthquakes. You wouldn't think this process could be compared with brain waves, but our new formalism lets you compare them."

How their findings might help either disciplinemechanical engineering and neurosciencemay be unknown right now, Thomas said, comparing the conceptual advance to when Galileo discovered Jupiter's orbiting moons.

"What Galileo realized was a new point of view, and while our discovery is not as far-reaching as Galileo's, it is similarly a change in perspective," he said. "What we report in our paper is an entirely new point of view on stochastic oscillators."
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During stormy weather, sea spray can carry microplastics into the air. The photo was taken during a trip of the research vessel Heincke off the Norwegian coast in June 2021. Credit: Alvise Vianello

Microplastic particles are present in the marine atmosphere even in remote parts of the world. These tiny particles come from land sources but are also re-emitted into the atmosphere from the sea, a study by a team of German and Norwegian researchers led by Dr. Barbara Scholz-Bottcher of the University of Oldenburg has shown.

The scientists analyzed air samples taken from various sites along the Norwegian coast all the way up to the Arctic region. The results have now been published in the scientific journal Nature Communications.

"With our study, we present data on the mass load of different types of plastic in the marine atmosphere for the first time," said Isabel Gomann, a doctoral candidate at the University of Oldenburg's Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM) and first author of the paper.

The research team collected the samples during an expedition with the Research Vessel Heincke in 2021. The northernmost destination was Bear Island, the most southerly island of the Svalbard archipelago which lies halfway between the mainland and the archipelago's largest island, Spitsbergen. The team used two different devices to collect air samples. The devices actively pumped in air and were mounted on the bow of the research vessel at a height of twelve meters.

Different types of plastics identified

The scientists analyzed the air samples using pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. With this method they were able to identify and quantify the different types of plastics in the atmosphere through thermal degradation and selective analysis. They then performed model calculations and reconstructed the sources and distribution paths of the particles, each of which is just a few thousandths of a millimeter in size.

The analysis revealed the omnipresence of polyester particles. Polyethylene terephthalate particles, which presumably entered the atmosphere in the form of textile fibers, were detected in all samples. Other plastic types were also present, including polypropylene polycarbonate and polystyrene. Tire wear particles, the tiny debris abraded from tires during driving and especially braking, were identified as another major source of microplastics.

The researchers measured concentrations of up to 37.5 nanograms (one nanogram = one-billionth of a gram) of microplastics per cubic meter of air. "These pollutants are ubiquitous. We find them even in remote polar regions," Gomann stressed.

Until now, little was known about microplastics pollution levels including tire wear particles in the marine atmosphere. "There are only a handful of studies on the concentration of these pollutants in the air," said team leader Scholz-Bottcher.

"Our model calculations indicate that the microplastics in the marine atmosphere come from direct sources on the land as well as from the sea," she added. The team posits that plastic particles floating near the sea surface enter the atmosphere via sea spray and bursting air bubbles produced during stormy weather, for example.

Ships are also a source of microplastics

Microplastics find their way into seawater via rivers, but also through the atmosphereparticles are washed out of the atmosphere by rain, for example. Another potential source is ship traffic: in an earlier study, a team led by Scholz-Bottcher demonstrated that in the open North Sea, the paint and coatings used on ships is the main source of microplastics. In the current study, chemicals such as polyurethanes and epoxy resins typically used in paints and coatings for ships were also found in the air samples.

More information: Isabel Gomann et al, Occurrence and backtracking of microplastic mass loads including tire wear particles in northern Atlantic air, Nature Communications (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39340-5 Journal information: Nature Communications

Provided by Carl von Ossietzky Universitat Oldenburg
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Engineers and technicians install Europa Clippers high-gain antenna in the main clean room at JPL. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA's Europa Clipper is designed to seek out conditions suitable for life on an ice-covered moon of Jupiter. On Aug. 14, the spacecraft received a piece of hardware central to that quest: the massive dish-shaped high-gain antenna.

Stretching 10 feet (3 meters) across the spacecraft's body, the high-gain antenna is the largest and most prominent of a suite of antennas on Europa Clipper. The spacecraft will need it as it investigates the ice-cloaked moon that it's named after, Europa, some 444 million miles (715 million kilometers) from Earth. A major mission goal is to learn more about the moon's subsurface ocean, which might harbor a habitable environment.

Once the spacecraft reaches Jupiter, the antenna's radio beam will be narrowly directed toward Earth. Creating that narrow, concentrated beam is what high-gain antennas are all about. The name refers to the antenna's ability to focus power, allowing the spacecraft to transmit high-powered signals back to NASA's Deep Space Network on Earth. That will mean a torrent of science data at a high rate of transmission.

The precision-engineered dish was attached to the spacecraft in carefully choreographed stages over the course of several hours in a Spacecraft Assembly Facility bay at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

"The antenna has successfully completed all of its stand-alone testing," said Matthew Bray a few days before the antenna was installed. "As the spacecraft completes its final testing, radio signals will be looped back through the antenna via a special cap, verifying that the telecom signal paths are functional."

Based at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, Bray is the designer and lead engineer for the high-gain antenna, on which he began working in 2014. It's been quite a journey for Bray, and for the antenna.

Just over the past year, he's seen the antenna crisscross the country in the lead-up to the installation. Its ability to beam data precisely was tested twice in 2022 at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Between those two visits, the antenna made a stop at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, for vibration and thermal vacuum testing to see if it could handle the shaking of launch and the extreme temperatures of outer space.

Then it was on to JPL in October 2022 for installation on the spacecraft in preparation for shipment next year to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The long journey to Jupiter begins with a launch from Kennedy Space Center in October 2024. Watch as Europa Clipper team members lift and install the spacecrafts large, dish-shaped high-gain antenna in the main clean room at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Europa in their sights

"The high-gain antenna is a critical piece in the buildup of Europa Clipper," said Jordan Evans, the Clipper project manager at JPL. "It represents a very visible piece of hardware that provides the capability that the spacecraft needs to send the science data back from Europa. Not only does it look like a spacecraft now that it has the big antenna, but it's ready for its upcoming critical tests as we progress towards launch."

The spacecraft will train nine science instruments on Europa, all producing large amounts of rich data: high-resolution color and stereo images to study its geology and surface; thermal images in infrared light to find warmer areas where water could be near the surface; reflected infrared light to map ices, salts, and organics; and ultraviolet light readings to help determine the makeup of atmospheric gases and surface materials.

Clipper will bounce ice-penetrating radar off the subsurface ocean to determine its depth, as well as the thickness of the ice crust above it. A magnetometer will measure the moon's magnetic field to confirm the deep ocean's existence and the thickness of the ice.

The high-gain antenna will stream most of that data back to Earth over the course of 33 to 52 minutes. The strength of the signal and the amount of data it can send at one time will be far greater than that of NASA's Galileo probe, which ended its eight-year Jupiter mission in 2003.

On site at JPL for the antenna installation was Simmie Berman, the radio frequency module manager at APL. Like Bray, she began her work on the antenna in 2014. The radio frequency module includes the spacecraft's entire telecommunications subsystem and a total of seven antennas, the high-gain among them. Her job during installation was to ensure the antenna was properly mounted to the spacecraft and that the components were correctly oriented and well integrated.

While the engineers at both APL and JPL have practiced the installation many times, virtually and with real-world mock-ups, Aug. 14 was the first time the high-gain antenna was attached to the spacecraft.

"I've never worked on anything of this magnitude, in terms of physical size and also in terms of just general interest," she said. "Little kids know where Jupiter is. They know what Europa looks like. It's supercool to get to work on something that has the potential for such a big impact, in terms of knowledge, for humanity."

After completing this major milestone, Europa Clipper still has a few more steps and a few more tests ahead as it is prepared for its trip to the outer solar system.

Provided by NASA
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Increased cooperation between Norwegian industry and universities on quantum physics sensors is a winwin situation for society. Such sensors can provide new opportunities in areas as diverse as mineral extraction and agriculture.

There has been a lot of talk about the potential of quantum computers. Fewer people are aware that there are much more well-developed practical applications of quantum physics that are of direct relevance to Norwegian companies and industry.

Quantum physics effects can be used to create ultra-sensitive sensors to measure things like magnetic fields and changes to the structure, movement and gravitational fields of the Earth. There are clear applications for precision readings of these magnitudes in Norwegian industry, such as in the surveying of land and the seabed for the extraction of minerals and other resources.

Even though quantum computers have the potential to radically advance information technology in the future, the time is now ripe for putting what quantum physics can offer in high-precision readings to work.

Highly sensitive measuring devices

Studies conducted into quantum sensors aim to develop highly sensitive measuring devices using basic principles from quantum mechanics.

Traditional sensors are limited by the sensitivity of the detection methods, but the new techniques could potentially far exceed such limitations.

These measuring devices fully use the wavy nature of matter to measure physical magnitudes such as magnetic and electric fields, temperature, pressure and even gravitational waves.

One example of such a sensor is the atomic clock, which uses the vibrational frequency of atoms to measure time with extreme precision. Other examples of quantum sensors include magnetometers that can detect small magnetic fields.

Many fields of application for quantum sensors

Quantum sensors could revolutionize fields such as navigation and medical imaging.

The same can be said for areas as down-to-earth as mineral exploration and agriculture. In mineral exploration, quantum sensors can be used to detect minerals that are hard to find using traditional exploration methods.

This could allow us to explore for mineral deposits at completely different depths to those we can access today.

It would allow farmers to obtain detailed information about soil fertility, crop health and water use. This information can then be used to optimize crops and reduce waste.

By providing detailed information about soil and mineral properties, this new type of sensor can help reduce the environmental impact from these industries and make them more sustainable, contributing to the green transition.

Quantum sensors central to global community

These are important issues the global community needs to consider in order to sustainably feed an ever-growing population.

There is no doubt that basic research in this field will be essential. Quantum sensors are only one of many examples for which basic research in natural sciences will be crucial in creating important technological breakthroughs.

Norway has world-class professionals

Norway, one of the world's richest nations per capita, has researchers that excel among world leaders in their fields of research and we need to contribute here.

In Norway, major industry players such as Equinor and Yara have the financial strength it will take to support the free basic research that is required. The Research Council of Norway also needs to obtain the necessary funding to finance free basic research to a sufficient extent.

Investment in basic research needed

Basic research in physics is essential to the discovery of new technologiesjust look at what happened during the 19th and 20th centuries.

Experiments on electromagnetic waves in the late 1800s laid the foundations for communicating across long distances using radio waves.

Ideas that emerged in the early 1900s on stimulated emission in atoms resulted in laser technology.

Experimental readings of electrical resistance in magnets in the late 1980s, without any intention for practical use, revolutionized magnetic storage technology ten years later. This is the basis of the enormous storage clouds from Google, Apple, Microsoft and Facebook.

Meticulous basic research on the transmission of electromagnetic signals through ultra-pure fiber-optic cables laid the foundation for the world's most important piece of infrastructure, the internet.

There are also many other examples we could mention. A lot of the essential technology we use today has its origins in basic research conducted many decades ago.
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Location of asteroid belt and a photograph of Ryugu taken in 2018 (scale bar equals 200m). Credit: Oba et al. 2023/JAXA.

Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency sent the Hayabusa2 spacecraft to 162173 Ryugu in 2019, an asteroid in orbit near Earth that is comprised of rocky fragments originating from a larger parent body. Multiple rovers brought samples from the asteroid's surface back down to Earth for scientists to study.

The samples are indicative of chemically primitive meteorites, similar to Ivuna-type chondrites, and contain particular chemical compounds that suggest the presence of water. In particular, alterations of the asteroid's surface by water on the parent body, at estimated temperatures up to 150C, produced secondary minerals (including phyllosilicates, carbonates, sulfides and oxides) and the researchers aimed to understand the timescale and conditions over which these changes occurred.

Charting the asteroid's formation, collaborative studies by 89 scientists from global universities and research institutes, published in Nature Geoscience, focuses on two particular compounds: calcium carbonate (calcite) and calciummagnesium carbonate (dolomite). The carbon source for these carbonates is postulated to be carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane and/or organic matter that may have formed in the solar nebula, the gaseous cloud from which the solar system is said to have originated.

The samples were inspected using specialist microscopes for petrology (the study of rocks), whereby crystals of both calcite (<10 micrometres in size) and dolomite (10s of micrometres) were identified, with the latter dominating by comparison.

Ryugu asteroid sample under a microscope showing its component crystals, with small calcite grains highlighted in blue and dolomite in purple against a background of other crystals. Credit: Fujiya et al. 2023.

Measurements of carbon and oxygen isotopes (two or more forms of the same element with different atomic masses) help to reveal the temperature and oxygen conditions of the environment when the mineral was deposited. These values were variable and much greater than those for calcite on Earth, with 18O/16O ratios being 24-46 (parts per thousand) higher and 13C/12C 65-108 higher.

Conversely, dolomite measurements were much more restricted being 31-36 for 18O/16O and 67-75 for 13C/12C. Consequently, the research team conclude that calcite formed on the asteroid first over a wide range of temperatures and oxygen conditions, before dolomite crystallized in a much more restricted environment, with stable high carbon dioxide levels and temperature estimates of 37  10C. These findings are unique to the Ryugu and Ivunu asteroids, not being identified in other hydrous meteorites thus far.

The larger variation in oxygen isotope ratios in calcite crystals is suggested to partially result from formation temperatures ranging widely from 0-150C, but not solely this as otherwise the carbon isotopes would be expected to show a positive correlation, which they do not. Instead, the researchers indicate that the 18O/16O of water and 13C/12C of carbonate ions varied through time and space.

As a result, they hypothesize that 18O/16O ratios were higher during early solar system formation, prior to aqueous alteration of the asteroid, and this has subsequently decreased through time as more of the crystals were formed via water-rock interactions. The isotopic difference between calcite and dolomite crystals is therefore resolved by the former crystallizing from less 'evolved' fluids prior to the latter, where calcium was also more easily leached from the rock than magnesium.

Four scenarios are considered to explain the variability in 13C/12C: 1) Rayleigh-type isotopic fractionation whereby 12C-rich compounds are preferentially released (such as methane), 2) fractional crystallization where the formation of early carbonates changes the composition of the remaining reservoir from which subsequent carbonates can crystallize, 3) mixing of multiple carbon reservoirs with different 13C/12C ratios, and 4) varying oxygen and hydrogen caused changes in the isotopes forming carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and methane, from which carbon is obtained for the crystals.

Of these scenarios, Rayleigh-type isotopic fractionation is discounted as it would cause higher 13C/12C ratios in dolomite forming from 'more evolved' fluids, when the opposite is observed in the samples. Similarly, fractional crystallization is ruled out, as is mixing of carbon reservoirs, as the mixing times for the Ryugu asteroid would be too short.

Therefore, it is the latter scenario of varying oxygen that is suggested as the main driver of changes in 13C/12C ratios. This resulted from the oxidation of iron in the rock by water and is measured based upon the production of hydrogen released from the water. The hypothesis matches observations of increasing iron in the meteorite with progressive alteration.

Overall, the 13C-rich environment is noted to be rare in the solar system beyond carbonates in meteorites and the research team suggest the parent body of the Ryugu meteorite formed within a cold fringe of the solar nebula.

More information: Wataru Fujiya et al, Carbonate record of temporal change in oxygen fugacity and gaseous species in asteroid Ryugu, Nature Geoscience (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41561-023-01226-y Journal information: Nature Geoscience

 2023 Science X Network
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Credit: Kaz Hing/WWF

For the first time, a new study reveals that many hawksbill turtles satellite-tagged in Papua New Guinea's (PNG) Conflict Islands swam more than 1,000 km to reach the Great Barrier Reef to forage, a journey taking more than a month.

But hawksbills satellite-tagged in northeast Queensland's Milman Island stayed in Australian waters, mostly swimming north to forage in Torres Strait and around to western Cape York, according to a separate Queensland-focused study. Both papers on the critically endangered species were recently published in Frontiers in Marine Science.

The research showed the importance of safeguarding hawksbill migratory routes and foraging habitats in northeast Australia, said lead author of both papers, Christine Madden Hof, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Sunshine Coast and leader of WWF's Global Marine Turtle Conservation program.

"That's why conservationists applauded the Queensland and Australian governments' recent commitment to phase out commercial gill nets in the Great Barrier Reef," she said.

"Significant numbers of hawksbills either nest and permanently live in Queensland or travel long distances to forage here. So improved protection in north east Australia and the reefs surrounding Cape York is critical to saving this species," she said.

"It is critical not just for the severely declining Milman Island population, but for hawksbill populations across the entire western Pacific.

"Following on from the Great Barrier Reef gill net phase out, we're keen to work with the Queensland government to implement net-free areas and support greater Indigenous or marine protected areas in western Cape York.

"It's clear from the satellite tracking hawksbills are heading there, and our modeling shows it can be a dangerous place for a turtle."

Queensland study assesses migration patterns and threats

The Queensland study assessed the mortality risk to hawksbills. In western Cape York, where there is currently little to no protection, in large areas that risk was rated high to very high.

Threats include fishing nets and ghost gear, direct harvest, and increasing sand temperatures due to climate change.

Simon Miller, a co-author of the Queensland research and Great Barrier Reef fisheries expert at the Australian Marine Conservation Society said the findings demonstrated why gill nets had to be removed from the Great Barrier Reef and why new net-free areas were urgently needed in the western Cape.

"There is also a clear need for greater independent scrutiny of commercial fishing in hawksbill home ranges to give us an accurate picture of what is being caught," Miller said.

Milman Island is the main nesting beach for what used to be a globally significant population of genetically distinct hawksbills known as the northeast Queensland stock.

A recent assessment, co-authored by Madden Hof, revealed an alarming 58% decline over the last 28 years. It also predicts this population may be functionally extinct by 2032 if the current trajectory continues. Scientists fear a similar decline could also be occurring across the larger southwestern Pacic population.

Scientists fear a similar decline could also be occurring across the larger southwestern Pacic population.

PNG study on migration patterns and genetics

Genetic sampling of female hawksbills nesting in the Conict Islands' group and about 1,000 km further north in Kavieng revealed they are signicantly different from one another and all other known Asia-Pacic stocks.

With the addition of these two, nine genetically distinct populations have now been identified in the Asia-Pacic region, but researchers believe there are many more. They say each will need to be managed separately to ensure population recovery.

Co-author Hayley Versace, manager at Conflict Islands Conservation Initiative said the Islands were one of the most important sites in PNG for hawksbills, shared across vast migratory routes, with Australia and other Pacific nations.

"We need to continue to support local communities to collectively manage this resource for future generations to come," she said.

PNG has no legislation to protect hawksbills. But given the plight of the species that could change.

Vagi Rei, Manager Marine Division from the Conservation and Environment Protection Agency of Papua New Guinea, said sea turtle harvesting for shell, meat and eggs continued in PNG and the Torres Strait in Australia under the Torres Strait Treaty, with no legislative or regulated quota limits.

"This study has highlighted the need for greater national protection for hawksbills but given the migratory and foraging connectivity to eastern Cape York, stronger regional co-management and cooperation between the PNG and Australian Government is required," he said.

More information: Christine A. Madden Hof et al, From rookeries to foraging grounds: understanding regional connectivity and genetic diversity in hawksbill turtles, Frontiers in Marine Science (2023). DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2023.1201009 Christine A. Madden Hof et al, Delineating spatial use combined with threat assessment to aid critical recovery of northeast Australia's endangered hawksbill turtle, one of western Pacific's last strongholds, Frontiers in Marine Science (2023). DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2023.1200986 Journal information: Frontiers in Marine Science

Provided by WWF
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Making publicly-funded research immediately available for free would mean we all have access to information that could help us understand the world around us. Credit: Shutterstock

Canada's federal research granting agencies recently announced a review of the Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications, with the goal of requiring immediate open and free access to all academic publications generated through Tri-Agency supported research by 2025.

To meet this requirement, the Canadian government should empower academic authors through the adoption of secondary publishing rights. These rights would ensure that authors can immediately "republish publicly funded research after its first publication in an open access repository or elsewhere," even in cases where this is forbidden by publishers.

Tweaking the Copyright Act to include such rights would give academic authors the ability to make taxpayer-funded journal articles available to the public through open access upon publication.

Enabling Canada's research to be openly accessible without barriers will contribute to the public good, helping to foster innovation and discovery.

Open access policy review

Research locked behind paywalls is an impediment to science, innovation and cultural progress. In the past, most research papers would only be accessible to individuals who pay to access research papers or who work or study at universities willing to pay for access. This model is changing, and many publications are now openly available to the public. However, authors are increasingly required to pay publishers in order to be published open access.

The current Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications does require that authors make copies of funded journal articles freely available online, but allows for a 12-month embargo period where publishers get exclusive rights to the content and can keep it locked behind a paywall. That can mean significant delays in free access to vital research.

The policy review is overdue in Canada. In the European Union and the United States, governments have committed to immediate open access for publicly funded research.

Canada can learn from the experiences of these other jurisdictions, and create a framework that ensures equitable open access to publicly funded Canadian research.

Article processing charges

In addition to allowing embargo periods, Canada's current open access policy has fallen short of delivering in key areas and needs to adapt to changes in academic publishing.

For example, the Tri-Agency suffers from low rates of compliance with their open access policy when compared to other jurisdictions. OpenReports data shows publications funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada as having only 52% compliance with the policy in 2023 so far.

It is unclear why authors do not comply with the policy. It might be that they misunderstand their obligations or that they simply cannot afford the high article processing charges (APCs) that they might need to pay to publish in their journal of choice. The result is that much publicly funded research remains unavailable to the public.

APCs are fees academic authors pay to be published in open access journals. Authors can be charged fees of $1,000 up to $13,000. Journals increasingly rely on APCs, making the cost of open access publishing prohibitively expensive for many authors.

Estimates indicate Canadian academic authors spent at least US$27.6 million on processing charges from 2015 to 2018, despite the preponderance of free-to-publish open access journals.

Authors don't always have funds to cover these fees, and offloading them to university libraries through open access funds or transformative agreements is not sustainable and leads to inequitable publishing opportunities between large and small institutions.

In addition, scholars from the Global South have drawn attention to the inequitable nature of APC-based-publishing, while other models of funding open access journals are being extinguished.

Secondary publishing rights

There are clear paths forward that enable more open access. While academic journal publishing is extremely profitable for publishing companies, the authors, editors and reviewers that form the backbone of the system are rarely compensated for their labour and face challenges negotiating fair publication agreements.

The Canadian Federation of Library Associations has recently proposed one partial solution: to provide secondary publishing rights to academic authors in Canada. The proposal is also endorsed by the Canadian Association of Research Libraries.

Secondary publishing rights have already been implemented in multiple European countries, with perhaps the most notable example being the Taverne Amendment in the Netherlands, which has seen the rate of open access top 80 percent.

European countries' implementations of these rights currently include embargo periods. However, the Association of European Research Libraries has released draft language for secondary rights without an embargo period that would allow for "lawful self-archiving on open, public, non-for-profit repositories."

If Canada were to adopt a similar law in conjunction with revising the Tri-Agency policy, we could become a worldwide leader in open access scholarly publications.

Ultimately, more immediate open access at lower costs would mean we all have better access to information that could help us better understand the world around us, whether it is medical information, engineering innovations or new explorations of culture and history.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A schooner set sail Tuesday from the south coast of England to train and inspire a new generation of naturalists by retracing the voyage taken by a young Charles Darwin nearly 200 years ago that led to his theory of evolution.

The Dutch ship Oosterschelde was cheered as it left Plymouth on a two-year mission to work with future scientists who will study species discovered by Darwin and develop projects to save them.

The boat will serve as a floating laboratory on the sea and in port, where some 200 young naturalists and conservationists from around the world will meet along the way to take part in the project called Darwin200.

"This is about hope, it's about future and it's about changing the world," said leader Stewart McPherson.

McPherson said a group of mostly 18- to 25-year-olds "won't let animals or plants fall off the cliff of extinction."

Darwin set sail aboard the HMS Beagle in 1831 on a five-year voyage that passed around South America and went to Australia and New Zealand.

The ship will make its first landing in the Canary Islands and then cross the Atlantic to Brazil. It will sail down South America's east coast and up its west coast and out to the Galapagos Islands where Darwin made some of his most important discoveries.

Sarah Darwin, a botanist, said she supports the mission for using her great-great-grandfather's voyage to highlight environmental change. She said Charles Darwin's greatest legacy was recognizing the place of humans in nature.

"I always think it is very much worth reminding ourselves on a daily basis that humans and the rest of the living world share a common origin," she said. "Darwin was saying that 160 years ago, that we were related with all other nature. We're not above it, we are part of nature."

The boat will go to Australia and New Zealand before returning to South America and then crossing the Atlantic again to South Africa before returning to England.

 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Halved Savoy cabbage heads showing the different leaf layers and their color change, as well as the central stem on which the leaves are developing. Credit: Katalin Solymosi

A surprising twist has been found in a study by researchers at Eotvos Lorand University (ELTE), published in the journal Frontiers in Plant Science. Their research has revealed that the mechanism of iron uptake by plastids in the absence of light is similar to the process facilitated by photosynthesis. Their discovery could have implications for our food and health knowledge and its applications, as our plant foods and their plastids represent an important source of iron for humans.

Iron is one of the most important mineral nutrients for living organisms. It is therefore essential in both humans and plants for enzymes involved in crucial life processes such as cellular respiration or photosynthesis. Iron incorporation into these enzymes is thus essential for the metabolism.

Photosynthesisthe metabolic process that uses sunlight energy to produce organic matter from carbon dioxide and water in plantstherefore requires iron. Since photosynthesis takes place inside chloroplasts, within the plant cell iron must be transported into these organelles. At the Department of Plant Physiology and Molecular Plant Biology of the Eotvos Lorand University, Dr. Adam Solti and his research team have been investigating the molecular processes that enable iron uptake of chloroplasts for many years.

"Because of the importance of photosynthesis, we know a lot about photosynthetically active plastids and have been studying their iron uptake for a long time. Iron uptake by chloroplasts requires light. However,

it has been a long-standing question whether iron uptake in plant tissues that are not exposed to sunlight is the same as in chloroplasts"

explains the basic idea of the research Mate Sagi-Kazar, Ph.D. student. All that was needed was a suitable research object from which large quantities of plastids of different developmental stages could be isolated for the investigation. The test object was practically lying on the (kitchen) table.

Electron microscopic image of a peculiar, non-photosynthetic plastidthe so-called etioplastpresent in the innermost Savoy cabbage leaf layers. Scale bar indicates: 1 micrometer. Red asterisk: special inner membrane system of the etioplast, the so-called prolamellar body. Credit: Image reproduced from the actual paper (Sagi-Kazar et al. 2023, doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1227811). Frontiers in Plant Science (2023). DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1227811

We all know Savoy cabbage well. The Savoy cabbage heads are huge, modified buds, from the stalk of which arise a number of leaves of different color and of different developmental stages.

In a half-cut Savoy cabbage head, you can see that the outer leaves, exposed to the light, are green, but as we move inwards, the leaves gradually fade, and the innermost, smallest and youngest leaves are white-yellowish. This phenomenon is related to the fact that in the absence of light, angiosperm plants cannot produce chlorophyll, the green pigment, and without it they cannot photosynthesize.

"The inner leaves of cabbage heads are practically shaded by the outer green leaves, blocking them from light, so that a light deficit gradually develops moving inwards inside the heads. Instead of the accumulation of green chlorophylls in the inner leaf layers, we can only see the yellowish color of the carotenoids present, and special types of photosynthetically inactive plastids, the so-called etioplasts, develop in them, as described earlier in the case of white cabbage," explains Dr. Katalin Solymosi, one of the participants in the research, while talking about the advantages of the plant used for the experiments.

This multi-institutional and multi-researcher study has therefore investigated the iron uptake mechanisms of the plastids of leaves that are photosynthetically inactive, and has compared them with those that are. The physiological processes observed for the first time showed that the uptake of iron by the plastids follows exactlyalthough to a lesser extentthe same principle as that characterizing chloroplasts.

"During the past fifteen years, the uptake of iron by chloroplasts was thought to be exclusively linked to photosynthesis and, to a lesser extent, to the direct chemical reduction of iron by sunlight. The results of our studies have brought about a surprising change in what we previously knew about the vital nutrient homeostasis of organelles," summarized Dr. Adam Solti, the leader of the research.

All these basic research-type scientific studies are of particular interest to the food industry and health care, as our plant-based foods and their plastids represent an important source of iron for humans. Therefore, it is important to understand which factors play an important role in the uptake and accumulation of iron in plastids and how it may be improved or regulated.

More information: Mate Sagi-Kazar et al, Iron uptake of etioplasts is independent from photosynthesis but applies the reduction-based strategy, Frontiers in Plant Science (2023). DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1227811 Journal information: Frontiers in Plant Science
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Simplified view of the summary diagram of the master link table. Credit: Nature Biotechnology (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41587-023-01890-w

When it comes to translational medicine, Robert Gourdie is among the 2% of "super-producers," National Institutes of Health-funded scientists at U.S. biomedical institutions who hold 10 or more issued patents.

Super-producers were responsible for half of all patents issued according to research published Aug. 11 in Nature Biotechnology. The objective of the research was to create a tool to better quantify bridges and barriers to clinical translation of biomedical discoveries.

The research marks a novel area of inquiry for Gourdie, a professor and cell biologist at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and director of the institute's Center for Vascular and Heart Research. He also holds an appointment in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics in the College of Engineering.

Gourdie was approached by Rocco DiSanto, then a student at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, with an idea.

"I was trying to figure out how a good idea makes it from A to B," DiSanto said. "How does it go from the graduate research environment into something that a working physician can put to use in the community?"

The inventor's own success with patents, licensing, and commercialization made him the ideal mentor for DiSanto, who earned a master's degree in biomedical engineering before starting medical school. He has since graduated and is in residency at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine.

"We shared a similar mindset, that science should leave the walls of the research center and have a broad impact in the world. In the American system, starting a company is one way to achieve broad impact," DiSanto said.

Gourdie received Virginia Tech's first NIH R35 Outstanding Investigator Award, is a fellow of American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and in 2023 was named a senior member of the National Academy of Inventors.

Co-authors include Mark Van Dyke, professor and associate dean of research at the University of Arizona College of Engineering, and Michael J. Barker, an undergraduate student at Florida State University. Barker worked in Gourdie's lab and Van Dyke previously was a faculty member in Virginia Tech's department of biomedical engineering and mechanics.

What they did

Using a decade's worth of data from the NIH and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the team created a database that linked utility patents and both grant and non-grant awards at institutions that receive NIH funding.

Their approach to linking patents and funding included up-to-the-minute programming that enabled cross-checking and validating NIH and patent data. They scrutinized the "Government Interest" section of patents that legally mandates, and thus in theory incentivizes, inclusion of federal support, such as NIH grants. They then created a simple metric, the Translational Ratio, by dividing the total of that funding, including the sponsoring institution's overhead, by the number of issued patents.

The lower the number, the lower the cost per patent.

The ratio facilitates comparisons between institutions and investigators to better analyze characteristics that signal success in moving discoveries from bench to bedside, which could be useful in stimulating future health innovation.

What they found

Researchers examined data from 2009 to 2019 from U.S. institutions with more than $40 million in NIH funding and at least 15 utility patents.

The 201 Institutions that met the criteria were divided in three equal groups based on funding: low, moderate, and high. Researchers found that the cost per patent was lower at institutions with lower fundingan average of $9.2 million, compared with $15.8 million in the moderate- and $16 million in the high-funding groups.



Overhead costs of the sponsoring institution did not affect patent efficiency. Researchers obtained facilities and administrative rates for 134 institutions in the study and split them into low- and high-costs groups; rates ranged from 42.6% to a high of 89.5%. The lower group's average overhead rate of 51.2% translated to a per-patent cost of $15.4 million, while the higher group's average rate of 61.4% translated to $15.7 million per patent.



The presence of a well-funded engineering unit correlated with stronger patent production. The 114 institutions with colleges or schools of engineering or applied science were split in two based on engineering-department funding. The per-patent costs averaged $15.5 million among those with average funding of $84 million and $11.9 million per patent in the group with average funding of $575 million. Authors suggest this could be related to interdisciplinary collaboration paired with engineering's enhanced focused on translating science into practice.



"Super-producers" are responsible for the majority of NIH-associated patents. Investigators with 10 or more patents represented 2% of the study group, but half of all patents issued. Roughly one in five investigators were issued NIH-related patents related to their awards, evidence that relatively few investigators actively engage in patent production.

Roughly one in five investigators were issued NIH-related patents related to their awards, evidence that relatively few investigators actively engage in patent production.

Clusters of super-producers at individual institutions were associated with greater patent efficiency.The study's authors suggest that institutions see an outsize lift in patent efficiency from well-resourced senior scientists whose research is more developed. Not only did those scientists likely benefit from early-stage support from the NIH, the authors suggest, but they are better positioned to take risks in an academic promotion system that values publications above patents.

How this helps

NIH-funded biomedical research serves as a vital source of funding to better understand the underlying mechanisms of disease, and it provides support for clinical trials to assess the safety and efficacy of potential treatments. The funding also plays a critical role in education and training, enabling scientists to pursue careers in academia, government, and industry.

Motivated in part by the pandemic, Congress pledged to transform biomedical and health research by establishing the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) in 2022 and authorizing $1 billion to invest in high-potential discoveries through October 2024. They signaled ongoing commitment to that effort by budgeting another $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2023, and the administration has asked for $2.5 billion for fiscal year 2024.

While not exclusively focused on translational medicine, developing new treatments remains a strategic objective for the NIH. The translational ratio is a tool that can help assess the impact of NIH-funded research on drug innovation and treatment development.

"Foundational research findings, such as those funded by many NIH-supported studies, have a way of providing useful technologies that are not always presently obvious in the moment," Gourdie said. "The strategic support of basic research is rare, fragile, and deserving of great and jealous protection. We hope that our database will assist institutions, such as the NIH and ARPA-H, more effectively achieve their goals of enhancing health, lengthening life, and reducing illness and disability."

More information: Rocco M. DiSanto et al, Comparing efficiency of patent production between US institutions using a hybrid NIHUSPTO dataset, Nature Biotechnology (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41587-023-01890-w Journal information: Nature Biotechnology
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Flights were canceled and bullet train service suspended as Tropical storm Lan soaked Japan's main island.

More than 180,000 residents in a western Japanese city were urged to seek shelter on Tuesday as a tropical storm hit, swelling rivers and triggering landslide warnings.

Downgraded from a typhoon, Lan roared in from the Pacific at around 5 am (2000 GMT Monday), soaking and buffeting the commercial hubs of Osaka and Kobe with strong winds as it rumbled northwards.

Tottori city, which faces the Sea of Japan, issued its top-level evacuation warning to around 182,000 residents late in the afternoon, as the weather agency warned of "unprecedented" heavy rain in the region.

"Lives are in danger. The residents are in a situation where immediate personal security needs to be ensured," Satoshi Sugimoto from the Japan Meteorological Agency told reporters.

Sugimoto urged people in the region to seek shelter on higher ground due to the risk of flooding.

Electricity was mostly restored but 9,200 households were still without power by Tuesday evening, according to a local utility.

Part of a pedestrian bridge was swept away in Kyoto and flying debris stopped local commuter trains.

Express bullet trains were suspended as planned along with hundreds of flights, including 240 Japan Airline services and 313 of rival ANA, particularly those serving Osaka.

Around 650 people were forced to stay overnight at Kansai airport, located on an artificial island in Osaka Bay, after rail and road access was cut off by the storm, Kyodo News reported.

The weather system was forecast to spend all of Tuesday sweeping over the region, before moving out to the Sea of Japan and up the coast past Vladivostok and the Russian Far East.

 2023 AFP
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"A lot of these laws generally don't do what people are worried they're going to do," says Eitan Hersh. Credit: Shutterstock

Does requiring an ID to vote help Republicans win? What about allowing people with prior criminal convictions to cast ballotsdoes that favor Democrats? For years, Democrats and Republicans in the United States have argued over such voting laws, which many believe will aid one party at the polls. But a new study makes the case that such laws have little effect on the outcome of partisan elections.

"A lot of these laws generally don't do what people are worried they're going to do," says Eitan Hersh, professor of political science and co-author of the new paper "How Election Rules Affect Who Wins." Hersh conducted the study with Justin Grimmer, professor of political science at Stanford and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution.

"A clear implication of our analysis is to lower the temperature on election administration policies," Hersh and Grimmer write in the paper, which has been quoted in the New York Times by political analyst Thomas Edsall. "Lawmakers should not pass laws thinking they will help their partisan side. It won't work and it's a waste of time. And the media should not portray every change in an election law as a red-alert scenario that will determine future elections."

That said, with state and national elections sometimes close to a tie, "there are incentives to change laws in the moment and help your side," Hersh says. Legal changes that have been proposed include allowing legislatures to overturn elections and letting election boards refuse to certify election results.

Those are the kind of post-election policies "that should concern us, because you can laser target your changes to where it's going to have a big outcome," says Hersh. "No one should want partisan actors to be able to manipulate elections" after votes have been cast.

Who's being affected?

After the 2013 U.S. Supreme Court case Shelby County v. Holder, which overturned a section of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, Republican-dominated legislatures in southern U.S. states passed a number of laws requiring photo IDs to vote. The laws also sought to purge some voters from registration records. Democrats have said these laws disenfranchise many voters who would likely support Democratic candidates.

"In one of the states I worked in, state IDs like a concealed carry handgun license ID would be eligible under the voter ID law, but a student ID would not be," says Hersh, who has testified in voter ID legal cases. Since students tend to favor Democratic candidates, while gun owners tend to vote more for Republicans, "people read intent into that kind of thing."

But the result of voter ID laws was not what either side anticipated. "In terms of the effect of these laws, what you seeand we have really clear data on this nowis that very few people don't have an ID," says Hersh. "You can't have a job legally without an ID. You can't drive legally. Most people have IDs, and those who don't have IDs tend to be people who had very low participation in elections even when they were eligible. A voter ID law just doesn't affect very many people."

One quick way to increase voter turnout

There is one way to change elections that would affect turnout: get rid of off-cycle elections, state elections that are timed not to coincide with national elections in November in even numbered years.

For example, Massachusetts has municipalities vote off cycle, at different times than Congressional elections. To change that would be "a huge intervention," says Eitan Hersh. "When a state has its local elections on cycle, there is a massive increase in turnout from, say, 20% to 50%, and there is a particular increase among minorities and younger people."

Historically, he says, Democrats more than Republicans defend the off-cycle rules, because "a big beneficiary of off-cycle low turnout elections are teachers' unions and municipal unions, which are able to dominate those local elections [by mobilizing union members to vote] when there is very low turnout."

There is some movement nationally, supported by members of both parties, to move to on-cycle elections, which also save municipalities money by reducing the number of elections, Hersh says. Some major cities in California recently changed their voting to be in synch with national voting.

While the law affects few people, he notes that there's "pretty good evidence that it disproportionately affects African Americans."

That's because "any law that disproportionately burdens people who have low education or low income levels will tend to burden African Americans out of proportion to their numbers. But overall it may help the Democratic Party, which is the preferred party of most African Americans. That's because we're at a point right now in American politics where most low-education, low-income voters support Republicans."

Arguments have also been made that the effects of the voter ID laws promulgated by Republican-led legislatures have been balanced because of extra voter-turnout efforts by Democrats. But Hersh is skeptical. "We think it's very clear that that cannot be the explanation for why these laws don't have partisan effects," he says.

For example, he says, in states where the electoral races are not competitiveand therefore get-out-the-vote efforts are not madethe voter ID laws' effects are no different than in states that are competitive, where those efforts are concentrated. Plus, it's very hard to get people out to vote.

"If you make 100 door-to-door canvas stops, out of those you might get four voters," Hersh says. "Now, campaigns still invest in that because they want those four voters, but it's very hard to do that. You're down to a really small number of people that could possibly be mobilized on account of reaction to the law."

Five million potential voters

Then there are laws that deny the right to vote for people who have been convicted of crimesaround 5 million people across nearly all states. In this case, it is more often Democratic-led legislatures that seek to overturn these laws and allow people with felony convictions to vote.

But as with other partisan voting laws, the hoped-for outcomethat the formerly disenfranchised would lean Democraticis on shaky ground, Hersh says. "A lot of them would not vote if they were eligible, and in states where they are eligible, they're quite balanced in their partisanship."

In every state with disenfranchisement based on involvement with the justice system, Black people are blocked from voting at higher rates than other people, but in terms of total numbers nationally, people with former felony convictions "are two-thirds white, non-college educated men, who are a very Republican voting group. So you don't have the outcomes that people might expect," Hersh says.

"I personally think that once someone's served their time, they should be able to vote," he says. "On a moral level, I think that's the right decision. Now, is that going to help Democrats or Republicans? In some states, as we show, it's going to help Democrats a little bit, and in some states, it's going to help Republicans."

The vote's in the mail

Since 2020, some Republicans have argued that laws allowing voting by mail or same-day voter registration help Democrats, but according to Hersh, there's no evidence for that, either.

"Before Trump, mail voting had basically no partisan valance," he says. "It was passed into law by both parties. It might increase turnout by a percentage point or two, but in a balanced way. I think that is still true."

He says that now more Democrats than Republicans are choosing to vote by mail because Republicans have been told by their party leaders that they shouldn't vote by mail. "But this doesn't seem to affect participation or outcomes. It doesn't disproportionately help one party or another. Republicans might vote more in person and less by mail, but they are not showing up at lower rates."

Some Republican-led states have passed laws limiting voting by mail, "but the evidence is that these anti-mail vote laws don't actually affect participation beyond a percentage point or two, and not in the way that affects partisanship," Hersh says. "Republicans are incorrect if they say that mail voting helps Democrats, and Democrats are incorrect if they think without mail voting we don't have democracy."

More information: How Election Rules Affect Who Wins. www.eitanhersh.com/uploads/7/9  fectslaws_062923.pdf
By Prince J Musa in Kenema

The District Emergency Operation Center in Kenema has reactivated byelaws it instituted during the fight against Ebola, in preparedness for the ongoing global Coronavirus pandemic.

The decision was taken on Tuesday at a stakeholders meeting bringing together District Council and health authorities, as well as security officials.

District Medical Officer, Dr Donald Grant, said during the meeting that the measures were important to protect the district and the country at large from the virus.

This consultative engagement is to determine how best as a district we can agree on the byelaws that were set up to fight Ebola and to strengthen it as part of the structures in the fight against coronavirus, Grant stated.

We know Kenema for its resilience during the Ebola era, which helped greatly to combat the virus. And we want to activate those old measures as preparedness to protect our district, he added.

Kenema shares border with neighboring Liberia which has recorded two cases as of Thursday. Dr Grant said it was important to increase vigilance in chiefdoms along the border communities.

Nomo, Gaura and Tunkia chiefdoms are all situated close to the Liberian border with the Eastern region of Sierra Leone.

Sierra Leone has not recorded any case of the Coronavirus yet.

The district authorities also agreed to provide enhanced infection prevention control measures, including water and soap at the entrance of every public facility, stressing on the need for everyone to comply with hand washing requirement.

Mohamed Amadu Sesay, Chairman of the Kenema District Council, spoke about the need to tighten security to prevent illegal crossing from Liberia.

As a district we have agreed that all porous crossing points with Liberia should be closed immediately. Together with the military commanders, more personnel should be deployed at those crossing points so that nobody should enter Sierra Leone illegally without been screened and travel ban should be instituted from Liberia and Guinea to Sierra Leone, he said.

We have to ensure that section chiefs and police ensure that nobody keeps strangers, that was one way we succeeded to overcome the Ebola virus in 2014, he added.

The Minister of State East, Andrew Ansu Fatorma, called on Paramount Chiefs to assume their leadership role by ensuring that Coronavirus doesnt come in to their chiefdoms.

He said: We want all paramount chiefs in Kenema District to go back to their chiefdoms to take leadership roles against the coronavirus, Fatorma said, while giving a strong warning to herbalists to refrain from taking advantage of the situation to exploit the people and thereby encouraging practices that let the people off their guard.

All traditional healers are warned not to treat anyone sick secretly, but to contact the health workers. And any traditional healer or herbalist caught treating the sick will be dealt with seriously, he said.

Among several other measures, military officers will stop people and check for identification to determine their citizenship. Unnecessary travel between districts will also be discouraged, officials said.

Copyright  2020 Politico Online
STILLWATER  A 20-year-old man is dead after crashing his motorcycle in the town of Stillwater.

Tyler Desnoyers, 20, was traveling east on County Route 70 when he lost his control of his 2007 Yahama motorcycle and struck a vehicle traveling west. Debris from the motorcycle subsequently struck and caused damage to a second westbound vehicle, according to a news release from the Saratoga County Sheriffs Office.

Desnoyers was pronounced dead at the scene. The operators of the two damaged vehicles were uninjured. The preliminary investigation indicates that speed and limited sight distance were factors in the crash, police said.

The drivers of both westbound vehicles are cooperating with the investigation, which is being handled by the Sheriffs Office Accident Reconstruction Unit.

The Stillwater Police Department, New York State Police, Arvin Hart Fire Department and Malta-Stillwater EMS assisted at the scene.
UFOs have made it into the mainstream discussion through two methods: First, they are no longer UFOs as in Unidentified Flying Objects, but UAPs, or Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, which open the definition to such things as swamp gases, ball lightning and other scientifically-explainable but not other-worldly occurrences. Second, those that are not mere tricks of light and shadow, show up on radar, which means they are solid, and therefore might run into something like an F-16 fighter jet or a commercial airliner.

It is that potentiality that has the United States Congress and the military suddenly admitting that yes, UAPs have been seen, and yes the military and the intelligence community have been studying them.

This has been reported in many media outlets, but was reiterated in a documentary mini-series "UFOs Investigating the Unknown." It is or has been streaming on various services including Nat Geo, Hulu and Disney+.

The series features Democratic New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., along with a host of other DC politicos.

Although she did not mention the documentary in a recent speech in Glens Falls, the senator hit on many of the same themes when discussing the UAPs.

Maybe the UAPs are not interstellar rocket ships piloted by little green men but high-tech drones developed by China, Russia or Iran to spy on the United States.

A member of the Senates Armed Services Committee and of the Select Committee on Intelligence, she has been on the record saying that the government, especially the Pentagon, has not said enough about what is out there, what the government knows, and how much danger it poses to the country.

See the video for her remarks from Aug. 6 in Glens Falls.
BUENA  Explosive materials associated with commercial-grade fireworks caused a home to explode almost two weeks ago, killing four people, including two children.

The materials were found inside a vehicle and other structures at the site of the home that exploded Aug. 3. The blast and ensuing three-alarm fire killed two men, ages 52 and 73, and two children, ages 2 and 3.

The explosion also injured two girls, ages 1 and 16.

The 1-year-old remained in critical but stable condition Tuesday at a Philadelphia hospital, Franklin Township police Chief Matthew DeCesari said Tuesday. The teenagers condition has improved, and she was considered well enough to be released from the hospital either Tuesday or Wednesday, DeCesari said.

Franklin Township police, who patrol the borough, are investigating the fatal explosion and fire with the Atlantic County Prosecutors Office. The FBI and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also were on scene the day of the blast.

The incident has been considered a criminal investigation.

The explosion likely happened in the first floors rear, left corner, police said Tuesday in a news release.

Because of significant fire damage, the homes collapse and excavation of the property, the Atlantic City Police Departments bomb squad was unable to distinguish the exact materials that caused the blast, police said.

Crowd rallies around family in fatal Buena house blast About 100 people gathered Tuesday evening to remember four people, including two children, killed in a Buena house explosion last week.

Large quantities of explosive materials, including potassium nitrate, magnesium strontium carbonate and ammonium nitrate, were recovered from the property, police said. Those materials, some of which reached double-digit weights when recovered from the property, are consistent with fireworks production.

DeCesari said Tuesday authorities are continuing to investigate whether fireworks were being made at the home at the time of the explosion. What caused the materials to burst also remains under investigation, DeCesari said.

Because of the discovery, gas utilities have been ruled out as a cause, DeCesari said.

Neighbors heard and felt a powerful explosion about 10:30 a.m. Aug. 3. Afterward, those nearby saw the home in the 300 block of North West Boulevard collapse and become engulfed by raging flames reaching as high as the tree line on the property.

Crowds assembled around the property after the blast, watching as firefighters from across South Jersey worked to douse the blaze.

Less than a week after, a crowd of about 100 people gathered for a vigil outside the home to remember those killed. The children, identified by family as Lyanni and Leovanni, were the centerpiece of the candlelight ceremony.

The bodies were gradually removed from the site as authorities combed through the rubble. 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.

Autopsies have been completed by the Atlantic County Medical Examiners Office, police said.

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.

Both children have been identified, but their names are being withheld because they are minors, police said.

The two men have not been identified, and additional medical records are needed, police said.

The homes listed owner is George O. Apella, of Frisco, Texas, according to Atlantic County tax records. Police do not believe Apella was one of the men killed, DeCesari said.

Attempts to reach Apella for comment Tuesday were unsuccessful.

GALLERY: Buena remembers those lost in house explosion
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Authorities violated a defendant's constitutional rights by not waiting long enough to enter an Atlantic City residence while serving a knock-and-announce search warrant two years ago, state appellate court judges ruled last week.

Judges Allison Accurso, Francis Vernoia and Arnold Natali Jr. ruled that evidence collected from the home during an investigation into Tyshon M. Nieves should have been suppressed because police performing the warrant did not wait a reasonable time after announcing their presence to enter, according to a ruling published last Wednesday.

Nieves, 31, is serving a five-year sentence in South Woods State Prison in Bridgeton for weapons charges pertaining to the case, according to state Department of Corrections records. He is expected to be released in July 2026.

Nieves' legal team filed a motion to suppress evidence collected from a property on North New Hampshire Avenue, arguing law enforcement didn't wait a reasonable amount of time before forcing themselves into the residence, the appellate ruling states.

"We reverse the court's order denying defendant's suppression motion and remand to the trial court to allow defendant to take such actions as he may deem appropriate concerning his plea to the charge for which he was convicted," the judges wrote in their opinion.

The case was handled by State Police, who did not immediately return a request for comment on Tuesday.

Nieves was charged after he sold suspected heroin to an undercover officer four times within 500 feet of the Atlantic City Boardwalk, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

Superior Court Judge John Rauh approved a "knock-and-announce" search warrant that was executed May 21, 2021. During the search, a handgun reported stolen by South Carolina police was found, and Nieves claimed ownership of the weapon, the affidavit states.

Guns, drug trafficking lead to guilty plea, sentencing Two men pleaded guilty and one man was sentenced in connection with a multi-agency investiga

Nieves was previously convicted of distributing a controlled dangerous substance, barring him from possessing firearms, the affidavit states.

Nieves was initially charged with various drug offenses on top of the weapons offenses. In exchange for a plea, Nieves agreed to serve his five-year prison term while his remaining drug charges would be dismissed, the appellate court ruling states.

Before pleading guilty to the charges, Nieves' legal team filed its suppression motion, which was denied by the trial courts. The team appealed that ruling, which was decided last week.

Nieves was arrested following the search warrant's execution and seizure of heroin and the gun. Nieves, whose criminal complaint lists his address as in Galloway Township, occasionally stayed at the two-story duplex with his girlfriend, her child, two other juveniles and a woman, the appellate court ruling states.

People inside the home were awoken by police at the door about 5 a.m. the day of the warrant's execution, according to the appellate ruling, citing testimony from Lavida Jones, identified as the property's renter.

Jones testified she heard a "bang, then heard the officers "announce," and "by the time she jumped up and got to the door," the door was "already off the hinges," the appellate ruling states. She testified "it wasn't even five minutes" before police entered the home.

Nieves was charged in 2013 with partaking in illegal gun and drug trafficking in the Pleasantville and Egg Harbor City areas.

In 2018, he pleaded guilty to possession of 70 bags of fentanyl. A four-year prison sentence was recommended, but as a part of the plea deal, Nieves was released from custody with an application to Drug Treatment Court.
ATLANTIC CITY  A convicted sex offender tried luring a 12-year-old girl into a backyard late Sunday afternoon, police said.

Kasheen Marshall, 48, of Newark, was charged with luring, enticing a child, criminal trespass and failure to register as a sex offender, police said Tuesday in a news release. Marshall is a Tier 2 sex offender in New Jersey, according to the state Megan's Law registry.

The girl's parents called police at 5:33 p.m. Sunday, telling them Marshall tried luring their daughter into a backyard in the first block of North Sovereign Avenue.

Marshall reportedly was riding a bicycle when he approached the girl, who was sitting outside at the time, police said. He parked his bicycle and entered a property's backyard, trying to stay inconspicuous while using hand signals and whistles to lure the girl.

He fled on his bicycle when the girl's parents came outside their home, police said.

Using a description and surveillance footage, Marshall was found riding his bicycle at California and Pacific avenues and arrested. He was found to be a convicted sex offender who had failed to appropriately register as ordered by the courts, police said.

Marshall was brought to the Atlantic County jail after his arrest.

Marshall was found guilty of criminal sexual contact in September 2009, according to the Megan's Law registry. He touched himself inappropriately in front of a minor, the registry states.
A South Dakota man was indicted Tuesday in the June 16 murder of Atlantic City resident Terrance Dismuke in Egg Harbor City, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said.

Dominique Woodall, 27, of Sioux Falls, is charged with murder, possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a handgun.

Egg Harbor City police responded to the shooting in the 200 block of St. Louis Avenue, outside the Beacon Hall event facility, about 4:50 p.m. June 16. Dismuke, 30, was shot and transported first by family and then by an ambulance to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, City Campus, where he died.

Dismuke's family interviewed by detectives said they heard a gunshot at a family gathering at Beacon Hall, watching outside as Dismuke ran from a blue Dodge Challenger driven by Woodall, an affidavit of probable cause states.

An occupant in the vehicle told detectives he saw Woodall with a gun on his lap around the time of the shooting, the affidavit states. Dismuke was standing on the car's passenger side when Woodall allegedly fired the gun, driving away after the vehicle's remaining occupants exited.

Woodall was arrested in Pleasantville on June 20. He is being held in the Atlantic County jail, the Prosecutor's Office said in a news release.
Multiple officials in Cape May and Atlantic counties and shore communities beyond welcomed recent comments from two prominent Democrats raising questions about offshore wind projects.

In a letter released Tuesday, officials urged Senate President Nick Scutari and state Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin to go further.

Last week, the two legislative leaders expressed concerns about the Board of Public Utilities approach on offshore wind projects, a process South Jersey officials have described as overly rushed. Scutari and Coughlin appeared to echo concerns raised in shore towns about the potential damage to the multibillion-dollar summer tourism industry.

There are still many unanswered questions about the economic impact these projects will have on ratepayers as well as potential impacts to one of our states largest economic drivers, tourism at the shore, read the statement from Scutari and Coughlin. The BPU should be able to share these impacts with the communities affected and the Legislature before moving forward with these new offshore projects.

No one from Scutari or Coughlins legislative offices responded to a request for comment Tuesday.

You have identified the very serious and challenging issues that many of us have been raising for some time now. It is refreshing to see the leadership you have taken on the potential negative impacts of the build-as-fast-as-possible approach that the state of New Jersey is currently taking on offshore wind, reads the letter, signed by Len Desiderio, director of the Cape May County Board of Commissioners; Dennis Levinson, the Atlantic County executive; and 31 mayors.

Gov. Phil Murphy and President Joe Biden, both Democrats, have strongly supported the development of offshore wind power as key to reducing carbon emissions connected to global climate change.

Murphy has a goal to generate 11,000 megawatts of electricity via wind power by 2040, and to generate all of New Jerseys power via green energy by 2050. In July, Murphy signed a bill giving a tax break to rsted, the Danish power company developing Ocean Wind 1 off the coast of South Jersey.

Calif., US should boost clean energy future based on offshore wind, by Michelle Solomon and Taylor Mcnair Offshore wind could be the economic engine and energy solution California needs, but only if our state policymakers lead the way  and were running out of time to get it right. Last year California set its first offshore wind goal  25 gigawatts by 2045, enough to power 25 million homes. That announcement was soon followed by the first federal Pacific offshore wind lease, and port investment ...

That is the furthest along of several projects in the works for the New Jersey coast, with plans to start construction next year. When completed, the wind turbines are expected to be visible from beaches in Cape May and Atlantic counties.

A spokesperson for rsted said the power company did not have a comment.

Officials in multiple shore towns have sought to slow the projects. The comments from Scutari and Coughlin were the highest-profile Democratic concerns in an issue that breaks down primarily, but not entirely, along party lines.

John Froonjian, executive director of the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University, said Tuesday the comments from the Democratic leaders seem surprising given Murphys support of wind energy.

Surprising, that is, but for the November election in which every seat in New Jersey is up for a vote.

I think this shows the campaign spearheaded mostly by Republicans has been effective at stirring opposition and concern about wind turbines off New Jersey beaches, Froonjian said. The Democratic majority in Trenton may want to insulate themselves politically on the issue with an election less than three months away.

He noted that the legislative leaders did not come out in opposition to wind power projects off the coast, but instead questioned their potential impact on tourism and the economy.

The lawmakers likely do not want to appear tone deaf to the pockets of opposition loudly voicing objections, he said. It remains to be seen whether legislators concerns are serious enough to threaten the massive projects or whether the BPUs answers  and pushback from environmentalists  are enough to overcome them.

Cape May County seeks dismissal of offshore wind lawsuit Cape May County is moving to have portions of a lawsuit dismissed over its withholding of easement and road permits pertaining to the construction of an offshore wind farm.

In a letter copied to area media, local officials said the full impact of the wind projects cannot be known, given the size of the turbines and the scope of the proposals.

What is happening now is that the waters off the coast of New Jersey are being utilized to advance a massive experiment with little understanding or concern for the many, potentially catastrophic, impacts the installation of these industrial power generating facilities will have, the letter reads.

Cape May County officials were heavily represented among the names.

Also signing were Mayor Jay Gillian of Ocean City, Mayor Patrick Rosenello of North Wildwood, Mayor Judy Davies-Dunhour of Stone Harbor, Mayor Don Cabrera of Wildwood Crest, Mayor Bill Pikolycky of Woodbine, Mayor Tim Donohue of Middle Township, Mayor Zeth Matalucci of Dennis Township, Mayor John McCorriston of Avalon, Mayor Frank Sippel of Lower Township, Mayor Vince Sera of Brigantine, Mayor Darren Matik of Linwood, Mayor Michael Collins of Margate, Mayor Lance Landgraf of Ventnor and several others.

Much of the discussions of wind power over the past year has centered on the potential impact on marine mammals. While federal experts have said there was no evidence of harm to whales or other mammals, many wind power critics saw a string of beached whales over the winter as confirmation of their concerns.

The letter focused on economics.

While there are myriad serious concerns, as you noted, one of New Jerseys largest economic drivers is tourism, the letter reads. The Ocean Wind One/Two and Atlantic Shores offshore wind projects seek to place hundreds of thousand foot tall towers and turbines off the beaches of Atlantic and Cape May Counties. Atlantic County generates over $7.7 billion in tourism-related revenue annually with the state realizing over $800 million in tax revenue. Cape May County generates over $7.4 billion in Tourism-related revenue annually with the state realizing over $600 million in tax revenue.

The potential economic impact could be widespread, and that impact has not been properly studied, the letter continues.

4 new offshore wind power projects proposed for New Jersey Shore; 2 would be far out to sea Four new wind farms are being proposed off the New Jersey coast. At least two of them would be more than twice as far out to sea as other projects that have drawn the ire of residents who dont want to see windmills on the horizon. Essen, Germany-based RWE and New York-based National Grid applied Friday to New Jersey regulators for a wind farm 37 miles off Long Beach Island. Chicago-based Invenergy and New York energyRE propose a project 40 miles off Long Beach Island, calling it Leading Light Wind. And the developers of the Atlantic Shores project are proposing a second project between Atlantic City and Barnegat Light. New Jersey officials said a fourth application had been received but did not release any information.

It must be determined before these projects are built in the manner proposed if the price to our economy is too high. Finding that out after the projects are built will be too late, it reads.

On Monday, New Jerseys Republican leadership asked Democrats to reconvene in Trenton to impose a moratorium on offshore wind development.

Senate Republican Leader Anthony M. Bucco and Assembly Republican Leader John DiMaio cited concerns from shore communities.

We hope you will follow through on your promise to address these concerns and immediately reconvene the Legislature so we can reach a bipartisan solution to these critical issues facing our residents, they wrote to the Democratic leaders.
MIDDLE TOWNSHIP  Finding safe, affordable housing for those without shelter is too big a problem for the township, Mayor Tim Donohue said at the most recent meeting of the Township Committee.

He has said it before. Donohue said he has asked for state and county help in addressing the issue.

I think Middle Township carries the load for the whole county on this issue, Donohue said. Frankly, I dont think its fair.

That includes enforcement costs and now a potential for litigation connected to township efforts to keep people from living in tents. A new ordinance bans the use of temporary structures such as tents as residences.

In response to questions from a member of the public at the Aug. 7 meeting, Donohue said to characterize the ordinance as a step toward rounding up the homeless was inaccurate. Property owners could face a warning and later a summons for allowing tents on land where there is no permanent structure, he said.

We passed the ordinance because we needed a tool in our toolbox that allows us to clean up unsafe and unsanitary structures and dangers to the community, he said.

Cape May County has seen a steady increase in the number of unhoused people, with a significant amount of the attention focused on encampments in the woods near the Rio Grande section of the township.

That is a retail hub for the county and is also the site of many social services, both public services operated by Cape May County and from not-for-profit organizations.

Homeless count finds increase throughout New Jersey Results from a survey taken earlier this year found Cape May County had one of the highest percentage increases in homeless population in the state compared to last year.

Last Monday, the results of an annual count of people experiencing homelessness in New Jersey were released, showing an increase in homelessness in Cape May County and throughout the state. Based on a count conducted Jan. 24 by Monarch Housing Associates, the organization reported a 17% increase in homelessness across New Jersey.

In Cape May County, the reports showed a 66% increase from 2022 to 2023 for the point-in-time count, with 198 people experiencing homelessness that day. Of those, four people had no shelter, with 194 shown as sheltered, which includes people in emergency shelters and transitional housing.

The report broke down the number of people without housing by municipality. The report showed 32 people from Lower Township, 10 from Middle Township, one from Cape May and two from Upper Township.

The report states 23 of the people are chronically homeless.

At the Middle Township meeting, where the number of unhoused people in Rio Grande has been a central topic of discussion through the summer, resident Ed Dillio asked for an update.

Is there any action being taken to get them housing, or to remove them, or anything like that? he asked. My concern is that Middle Township is such a nice place to live. I dont want this to become a gathering place for the homeless.

Donohue said it has been a major problem for years, one exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. There may be multiple reasons someone is without a permanent home, he said.

Some are chronically homeless. Some have used all their benefits. Some have been basically kicked out of the system for noncompliance. Some of them just dont want to be bothered, Donohue said.

Status quo in Rio Grande tent community At least for now, nothing appears to have changed in the tent community in the woods in the Rio Grande section of Middle Township.

At previous meetings, advocates for the unhoused population in Rio Grande have accused the township of not doing enough to address the issue, or of being heartless in its approach, even as some Rio Grande residents have said the problem has gotten far out of hand and demanded action.

At the most recent meeting, Donohue said compassion has to be part of the township approach, but the concerns of homeowners and the business community also must be weighed.

He has described it as a thorny and difficult problem beyond the capacity of a single municipality.

We talk about it every day, he said. People think we dont care.

There was no immediate response last Monday from Gov. Phil Murphys office or from Cape May County government to a request for comment. Both the county and the state administer programs aimed at helping people find housing or at least emergency shelter.

A committee working to improve the quality of life in Rio Grande heard from county officials and non-governmental organizations on those efforts, Committee member Jim Norris said at the recent meeting.

The township formed the Rio Grande Community Partnership last year to develop plans to improve the section of the township, including quality-of-life concerns such as panhandling in the retail area.

At a recent meeting, the advisory committee heard from Donna Groome, head of the county Department of Human Services, on the programs available in the county. The group also heard from representatives of The Branches, Cape Hope and Volunteers of America on efforts in Rio Grande.

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.

Now, there is a direct line of communication with those organizations, Norris said. He was one of the organizers of the advisory committee.

The Township Committee unanimously approved its temporary structures ordinance in June, with multiple speakers both for and against the ordinance at the public hearing before the final vote.

In at least one instance, the township warned a property owner of a potential citation for tolerating a number of tents on property in the woods near Rio Grande. In July, the people in those tents were told they had days to vacate, but four are now represented by a lawyer and homeless advocate.

Jeffrey Wild, an attorney at the Lowenstein Sandler law firm and a trustee of the New Jersey Coalition to End Homelessness, said he wants to work with the township to resolve the matter for everyone, but since he began representing the individuals, township officials have repeatedly cited the potential for litigation connected with the issue.

Township attorney Matt Rooney advised committee members against discussing any potential enforcement actions connected with the issue at a public meeting.
ATLANTIC CITY  Gov. Phil Murphy signed the bipartisan $100 million Boardwalk Preservation Fund Act into law Tuesday at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall and said applications for the money are now open.

The Jersey Shore is where memories are made, and we need to make sure our families can keep creating those memories of summers down the shore for generations to come, Murphy said in a signing celebration inside the hall.

Many Boardwalks, like Atlantic Citys and Wildwoods, are in need of tens of millions of dollars of renovation and repair  especially to their structural supports  according to local officials.

Tourists Patrick Belfon and Hazel Forde, of Brooklyn, New York, were walking the Boardwalk here Tuesday.

Some boards need repair, they have nails popping up, but in general its nice, Belfon said.

The $100 million, from the states share of the federal American Rescue Plan, is designed to create stronger, more resilient boardwalks, Murphy said.

Families have spent summers on the Atlantic City Boardwalk for more than 150 years, Murphy said, adding it is the worlds oldest and longest.

To our shore communities, we will not let you fall behind. Frankly we cant afford to let you fall behind, Murphy said. Because the wooden main streets of Atlantic City, along with every shore community, will lead us to New Jerseys economic and cultural future. And today we are investing in that future ... in a big way.

A decision on which towns and counties will be awarded the funds will be made within a few months of the application deadline, which is Oct. 31, according to the governors office.

Under federal deadlines for ARP funds, decisions must be made on how they will be used by the end of 2024 and the funds must be spent by the end of 2026, the governors office said.

The funds are being administered by the Department of Community Affairs, now headed by acting Commissioner Kimberly Holmes after the recent death of Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver.

Mayor Marty Small Sr. joked that Murphy in his heart of hearts wants to give Atlantic City the most money.

But, he added, I know this will be a competitive process.

Murphy said decisions on who gets what amount of money will be decided, in part, on how prepared towns are to take on the work and contribute matching funds toward it.

There is a handful of communities, as they go so goes New Jersey, and Atlantic City is prominently on that hand, Murphy said.

The bill passed June 30 alongside the state budget, he said.

New boardwalks will be stronger and more resilient in the face of ... the climate crisis, Murphy said, built to weather the superstorms of tomorrow.

At the signing were sponsors and co-sponsors of the legislation, including state Sen. Michael Testa, R-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic; state Sen. Vince Polistina, R-Atlantic; state Sen. William Moen, D-Camden, Gloucester; and Majority Leader and Assemblyman Louis Greenwald, D-Burlington, Camden.

Last August, Murphy came to town to announce $16.8 million in new state funding for the city, left over from last years state budget.

Of that, $2 million went toward purchasing new lumber for fixing the Boardwalks surface, and $1 million to expand the Boardwalk from Caspian Avenue to Gardners Basin.

Oliver, who died Aug. 1, was in everyones thoughts as the legislation became law.

We are all sad that the lieutenant governor cant be here to join us, Polistina said. This is really a part of her legacy, trying to get reinvestment into the city of Atlantic City. We miss her. We thank her for everything she did on behalf of the people of this state.

Murphy said after the signing that he has until Sept. 15 under state law to appoint a new lieutenant governor, and he has made no decisions yet.

GALLERY: Gov. Murphy signs boardwalk repair bill
TUCKERTON  People lined up at the door of the Union Market and Gallery on a Tuesday night, eager to enjoy a free, chef-prepared meal with their family and friends.

I think its a way to express love for one another. Its providing a hot meal that someone might not have had otherwise, said Sierra Giasullo, a volunteer at the Giving Kitchen dinner at the Union Market.

The Giving Kitchen is a free dinner open to the community held once a month at the market in partnership with Terrace Tavern and Delaware Avenue Oyster House. It aims to provide meals for anyone experiencing food insecurity, or limited or uncertain access to sufficient food.

More than 11% of Ocean County residents fall below the poverty line, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. More than 8% of residents experience food insecurity, according to Feeding America.

During the height of the pandemic, we realized it was hard for our neighbors to access food due to shortages and price increases, said Danielle Corso, co-owner of the Union Market. The business then launched the Union Market Pantry, which provided essential goods to customers at wholesale cost and set up funds for families who couldnt afford groceries, Corso said.

Corso said the Giving Kitchen is meant to be a respite for those suffering from food or financial insecurity or simply physical or mental exhaustion.

Theres no judgement here. We dont intend to measure hardship. We might all be in the same storm, but our boats are vastly different and we all need to be lifted up occasionally, Corso said.

Restaurants in the area donate meals and create specialty menus for each dinner. Volunteers help cook, assemble and distribute meals.

Jersey Shore Boat Racing roars back into Somers Point Jersey Shore Boat Racing brought one of its races to John F. Kennedy Park in Somers Point on Sunday. The park waterfront teemed with spectators and racers of all ages, ready to celebrate a sport they said united generations and was unique to the Jersey Shore.

The Giving Kitchen served a total of 185 meals at Tuesdays dinner and typically serves at least 150. Guests can dine in or place takeout orders from 5 to 7 p.m., or until the meals are sold out.

The project started in November with meals donated by Driscoll Foods and with support from Offshore Coffee Co. and Eastbound Microgreens.

Since then, meals have been donated by several local restaurants, including Wallys in Surf City, Fusaros Pizza in Manahawkin, Black Eyed Susans in Harvey Cedars, Coronatos Kitchen in Brick Township, Delaware Avenue Oyster House in Beach Haven, Sourbro Baked Goods and the Tide Table Group.

Last months dinner was donated by the Tide Table Group, a restaurant collective including six on Long Beach Island and in Manahawkin.

Diners had the choice of short rib with mushroom risotto, a fried chicken sandwich with potato salad, or sausage and peppers with pasta salad, all prepared by Kyle Baddorf, head chef at Parkers Garage in Beach Haven, and volunteers.

Giasullo, an employee at Bird and Bettys, got emotional talking about her involvement with the program.

I grew up here, and its amazing to see a place thats so inclusive, Giasullo said.

Giasullo has been volunteering at the Giving Kitchen since the first dinner in November and said its amazing to see how much the program has grown over the past eight months.

What if the road from Tuckerton to Atlantic City was built? If a 1927 law was sought to completion, Seven Bridges Road, now just in Little Egg Harbor, would be true to its namesake. The other two bridges would connect the town to Little Beach and Little Beach to Brigantine. That would have provided a shortcut from North and Central Jersey to Atlantic City and the South Jersey beaches, rewriting the shore's history forever.

The energy was high as volunteers handed over meals to excited, grateful customers. Conversation filled the room while families talked across their tables and some spoke to guests at other tables who they just met waiting in line.

We dont get to eat out much, so its a treat, said Renee Ross, of Manahawkin. Ross was enjoying the fried chicken sandwich with her family. The people who work here are so nice, and they really do this for the community.

Its nice meeting other people in the community, said Mary Cannon, who was dining with Ross.

Cannon and Ross said the sense of community at the dinner makes it a great experience all around.

The volunteers worked hard to get through the growing line of people, quickly packing takeout meals into paper bags and serving meals to diners in the restaurant.

Its nice to provide one night they dont have to worry about cooking, said Michelle Marcella Morales, who has been volunteering every month at the Giving Kitchen. (Union Market co-owners Corso and Erin Buterick) get people who offer to do this, which is really a testament to who they are as humans.

Morales, who is the owner of a small business called Raw Opal Jewelry, met Corso and Buterick through the Makers Festival, an outdoor arts festival in Manahawkin that they founded and organized for several years.

I really appreciated how invested they are in the area, Morales said.

Atlantic City Skate Zone to remain open, Small says ATLANTIC CITY  The Atlantic City Skate Zone will remain open as an ice rink until the city 

Morales said people are usually very thankful and gracious when she interacts with them at the monthly dinner.

Its important to assist people who have difficulty feeding their families. And we have a community filled with families, Morales said.

Amanda Bevacqua, of Tuckerton, was picking up takeout meals for herself and her three children, Shane, 18; Hailey, 15; and Mia, 7. She said she has been coming for meals each month since the Giving Kitchen started.

Its really helpful. And its great to see local places giving back, Bevacqua said.

Corso said that during the January service, a guest told her through tears that they felt guilty for taking a free meal when there are others in greater need.

I shared that I have been there, that its still difficult at times, and that there is no shame in leaning in to others for a little support when things get hard. Thats the essence of community, Corso said.

GALLERY: The Giving Kitchen at Union Market in Tuckerton
VINELAND  The Boston Market on South Main Road is one of 27 belonging to the restaurant chain to be issued stop-work orders for alleged worker rights violations by New Jersey regulators.

The state Department of Labor and Workforce Development issued the orders Monday after finding multiple violations, including more than $600,000 in back wages owed to 314 employees, the state agency said in a news release.

With restaurants across the country, Boston Market needs to set a better example for fair treatment of its workers, Joseph Petrecca, assistant commissioner of the department's Division of Wage and Hour and Contract Compliance, said in a statement Tuesday.

Boston Market has downsized in the immediate area over the past 20 years. It once had locations in Absecon and Somers Point, both of which have since been occupied by other fast-food franchises.

Initial findings were sent to parent company Boston Chicken of NJ, LLC d/b/a Boston Market, which is headquartered in Golden, Colorado, and addressed to CEO Jignesh Pandya, of Newtown, Pennsylvania, the Department of Labor said. Officials also contacted a registered agent of the company at Princeton South Corporate Center in Ewing, Mercer County.

Officials' investigation began after a complaint by a worker in Hamilton, Mercer County, was received in November. Since then, nearly three dozen complaints have been sent to state labor officials.

Initial citations ranged from unpaid work and tardy paychecks to failure to meet minimum wage and earned sick leave requirements, the department said.

Officials found $607,471 in back wages owed to 314 workers, as well as about $1.2 million in liquidated damages. Boston Chicken of NJ has also been assessed an administrative fee of $182,241 and $549,500 in administrative penalties, totaling about $2.5 million.

The restaurants can be assessed about $5,000 in penalties per day for violating the orders, which can be removed once issues are resolved, officials said.
Another day, another risk for severe weather. A cold front will slice through the area Tuesday afternoon, bringing the potential for damaging winds and possibly a tornado. After the front clears, so will our sky, setting up a beautiful day for the Atlantic City Airshow.

The risk for storms will be between 5 and 11 p.m. Tuesday. Within this time, up to two hours of rain will fall.

I believe most of southeastern New Jersey has the same threat level, though those in Ocean County should make out with less rain and storms than the rest of the region.

Damaging winds are my biggest concern. That would be followed by a tornado and then flooding rains.

Given the threat window goes into part of the night, when many will be going to bed, it is critical to your safety to have a way to receive weather alerts that will wake you up in case a weather warning goes out. You can do that through us by signing up at PressofAC.com. Also, since its night, its harder to actually see the severe weather coming.

2 tornadoes confirmed from Thursday's storm; NJ now in 2nd place for most in a year The two funnel clouds spotted Thursday in South Jersey are now confirmed tornadoes, bringing New Jersey to second place for most tornadoes in a year.

Typical for New Jersey, severe weather is not a guarantee, its just a possibility. We rarely have the atmospheric lift, spin, moisture and temperature clash strong enough to virtually guarantee it.

What's the difference between a weather advisory, watch and warning? The National Weather Service has three main tools at their disposal to alert you of weather 

Alas, we will hope for the possibility of just a few well-behaved, non-severe thunderstorms.

Otherwise, most of your outdoor work or activities will be fine until at least 5 p.m. Well start out the day with a clearing sky. Temperatures will be in the low to mid-70s around sunrise.

A soupy southwest wind will blow. That will pump in the heat and humidity. High temperatures for Galloway Township and inland areas will be around 90 degrees, feeling like the mid-90s for the afternoon.

For the shore, a cooling sea breeze should kick in late morning, capping highs around 85 degrees. Both of these are slightly above average.

After the evening storms move away, high pressure will fill in. Winds will come out of the west, the clouds will go away and itll be a seasonable night. Overnight lows will be in the upper 60s to around 70 degrees everywhere.

Wednesday will then bring a glorious day, just in time for the Atlantic City Airshow. The only thunder youll hear is the roar of the jets flying over the beaches.

Atlantic City Airshow guide: Where to watch and more The Atlantic City Airshow will fill the skies above Atlantic County on Aug. 16.

Winds will come out of the west-northwest. That will drop the humidity and keep the sunshine around.

Highs will be in the mid- to upper 80s, even at the beaches. The exception will be Ocean County, where a sea breeze should form and hold the coast to around 80 degrees for a high. Either way, Itll be super pleasant on a day when weather is critical to one of the biggest events the shore has.

Wednesday night will then be comfortable. Expect 70s for your evening under a mainly clear sky.

As we kick off Thursday morning, expect mid- to upper 60s for a.m. lows.

Finally, our Across the Sky podcast talks about these record warm ocean waters weve had. Our podcast team talked with climate scientist Zeke Hausfather about the short-term and long-term reasons why that is, and what seals have to do with it. Find it at PressofAC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
In the Region

Cost of Russian Work Permits Could Quadruple

Russia is preparing to increase the cost of a work permit for migrant laborers from 1,200 rubles (about $12) to 4,800 rubles (about $48). The move would affect millions of Central Asian migrant laborers who work in Russia.



The party A Just Russia drafted legislation for the price increase. The budget and tax committee of the Russian State Duma, the lower house of parliament, started reviewing the proposal in early August.

While it might be natural to regard this proposal as a means of boosting state revenue, comments about the need for the increase indicate there are other motives.

An explanatory note from the Duma committee on the proposed increase says the measure is a response to recent concern of citizens of the Russian Federation about the number of labor migrants working in Russia, as well as their problems adapting to Russian society.

When speaking about the proposal to quadruple the cost of the work permit, A Just Russia party head Sergei Mironov said in July, Already for several years, migrants, who are not highly qualified specialists, are earning not less than citizens of Russia.

Mironov also said [I]t is obvious that regular money transfers of foreign citizens to other countries contribute to the weakening of the economic potential of our country.

It is unclear when the increase in the cost of the work permit might be imposed.

Why Its Important: Russian officials acknowledged long ago that the labor force in Russia is insufficient, and the country needs to take in foreign workers.

Despite Mironovs claim that Central Asian migrant laborers earn as much as Russian citizens, there is overwhelming evidence that most Central Asian workers perform manual labor and are poorly paid.

Employers, especially at construction sites, often disappear without paying migrant laborers who carried out work.



Central Asian migrant laborers do send the equivalent of billions of dollars home every year, but as mentioned, Russia needs workers.

The explanatory note and Mironovs remarks sound more like racism than an attempt to find a new source for state revenue.

Kyrgyzstan Stops Water to Area in South Kazakhstan

Kazakhstans Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources said on August 11 that water has stopped flowing into the Talas River that is key to agriculture in Kazakhstans southern Zhambyl Province.

The Talas River flows from Kyrgyzstan into Kazakhstan. Kazakh officials were already in talks with Kyrgyz authorities about releasing some water from Kyrgyzstans Kirov reservoir into the river.

The Kazakh ministry said 4,000 hectares of onions and beet roots could be lost unless more water is released.

Kyrgyzstan is also facing water shortages this year, especially in its northern Talas and Chuy provinces.

Kyrgyzstans Agriculture Ministry responded on August 13 that representatives of the two countries met in July. The Kyrgyz side explained Kyrgyzstan was itself short of water.

Kyrgyzstans Agriculture Ministry said as of today, the water from the sources of the Talas Valley remains very low. The Ministry also stated the water level now at the Kirov reservoir is 80 percent lower than at this time last year.

Kazakhstan is reportedly still requesting more water be released from Kyrgyz reservoirs, though it appears Kyrgyzstan simply does not have the water to give.

Why Its Important: Kazakh Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Galidulla Azidullin visited Zhambyl Province. He summed up what is really a problem for all of Central Asia.

Every year, the shortage of water resources is becoming more and more noticeable, Azidullin said. He added Kazakhstan is trying to reduce, to the extent possible, growing crops that require great amounts of water.

Climate change is already affecting Central Asia. The region has suffered drought the last three summers. This is obviously harder on downstream countries Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan.

However, as Kyrgyz officials have said, Kyrgyzstan is also dealing with reduced amounts of water. Farmers in the country are also complaining about lack of water for their crops.

Kyrgyzstan has water it could redirect towards its farmers but that would mean reducing or cutting off water to downstream countries.

The Latest Majlis Podcast

This weeks Majlis podcast looks at Central Asian governments use of transnational repression.

Several Tajik citizens have been extradited back to Tajikistan from European countries this year. Turkmen authorities are keeping closer tabs on the activities of Turkmen citizens in Turkey.

This weeks guests are:

Leila Nazgul Seitbek, a lawyer living in exile in Europe and the Chair of the NGO Freedom For Eurasia; and

Steve Swerdlow, a rights lawyer, and Associate Professor at the University of Southern California.



What I'm Following

Tajikistan Looks for EU Preferential Trade Partner Status

Tajikistan is seeking to conclude a Generalized Scheme of Preferences+ (GPS+) agreement with the European Union.

GPS+ status provides partial or full removal of import duties on goods coming into the EU market for vulnerable low and lower-middle income countries. Tajikistan made the request for GPS+ status in 2019.

However, Tajikistan must first implement 27 international conventions related to human rights, labor rights, protection of the environment and good governance.

The website roof-top.info that reports on events in Tajikistans eastern Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast posted a report on rights violations that should disqualify Tajikistan from receiving GPS+ status.

Turkmenistan Resumes Gas Exports to Iran

The CEO of National Iranian Gas Company Majid Chegeni said his country has resumed imports of Turkmen natural gas.

Turkmenistan cut off shipments of natural gas to Iran at the start of 2017, saying Iran owed $2 billion for gas supplies received a decade earlier. The two countries sued each other over the debt, but it was settled earlier this year.

Turkmenistan once exported eight billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas to Iran. Two pipelines with a combined capacity of 16 bcm connect the two countries.

Fact of the Week

Kazakhstans Bureau of National Statistics said as of July 1, the population of the country was 19,899,377.

Thanks for Reading

Thanks for reading Central Asia in Focus! I appreciate you sharing it with other readers who may be interested.



Feel free to contact me on Twitter or by responding to this email, especially if you have any questions, comments, or just want to connect about topics concerning Central Asia. See you next week for more on whats happening in Central Asia.

Until next time,

Bruce
Fair Oaks Foods is not ready to bring home the bacon just yet. The company has broken its silence on the progress of a $132 million facility, originally expected to open next year.

Fair Oaks officials late Monday said they are continuing to work on the "opportunity to build a facility in Davenport."

"We have taken a pause due to higher projected costs, resulting from the pandemic. We are diligently working through these challenges and will share updates as we have them."

As of Monday, there was no work done on the site. Construction costs have risen 82.5% since 2020 according to Construction Dive. For 2023, the price increase of steel was 22%, wood 16% and concrete 15%.

The news comes after months of silence from the bacon company, which announced its arrival to the Quad-Cities last summer. Fair Oaks is based in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, where it has active listings for jobs.

Located at 2951 Enterprise Way, the building is expected to be 150,000 square feet and sit on 31.5 acres within the Eastern Iowa Industrial Center.

Last year, Fair Oaks COO Joe Freda told a reporter that Davenport beat out 176 other location options. He also said the goal was to have all employees hired and ready to work by the end of 2023 with a goal of opening the facility in early 2024. As of last week, Freda is no longer with the company.

According to previous reporting, two site visits were conducted in 2021, and the project came to fruition in about a year. With the green light given, a $180 million economic impact was expected for the area. It was expected to employ 247 people with an average wage of $23.95.

Cities with the biggest increase in multi-family home construction Cities With the Biggest Increase in Multi-Family Home Construction Multi family home construction slowed during COVID before rebounding last year Multi family housing is most common in the Northeast Pennsylvania and New Mexico reported the largest increase in multi family home construction since COVID Small and midsize cities with the biggest increase in multi family home construction 15. Oakland, CA 14. Arlington, TX 13. Miami, FL 12. Fort Worth, TX 11. Wichita, KS 10. Portland, OR 9. Seattle, WA 8. Denver, CO 7. Raleigh, NC 6. Milwaukee, WI 5. Anaheim, CA 4. Aurora, CO 3. Dallas, TX 2. Philadelphia, PA 1. Louisville, KY
BUCKINGHAM  One person is dead following a house explosion in rural Tama County.

Authorities were called to a blast at 1117 W Ave., Buckingham, around 10:15 a.m. Monday.

One resident said he heard the blast from six to seven miles away. He said it sounded like a big long boom, and then there was white smoke, followed by black smoke.

Where crews arrived at the scene, they found the house was destroyed and several vehicles were overturned and damaged.

Officials around a body near the residence. The body is being taken to the State Medical Examiners Office in Ankeny for examination and positive identification, according to the Tama County Sheriffs Office.

The Tama County Sheriffs Office was assisted by the Iowa State Patrol and the Iowa State Fire Marshals Office. The Dysart Fire Department, the Traer Fire Department, and the La Porte City Fire Department responded.

Photos: House explosion, Buckingham, Iowa Aug. 24, 2023 081423jr-buckingham-explosion-2 081423jr-buckingham-explosion-1 081423jr-buckingham-explosion-3 081423jr-buckingham-explosion-4 081423jr-buckingham-explosion-5
DES MOINES  Two Republican presidential candidates trailing Donald Trump in the polls  one who is trailing even farther behind than the other  said Tuesday they believe Trumps support is not yet etched in stone, and that another candidate can still be successful in the Iowa GOP caucuses.

Trump holds commanding leads in polling on the Republican presidential primary campaign, both in Iowa and nationally. He is nearly 40 percentage points ahead of the field in Real Clear Politics rolling average of national polls, and was 24 points clear of the field in a recent poll from the New York Times and Siena College that surveyed Iowa Republicans.

Despite those numbers, South Carolina U.S. Sen. Tim Scott was defiant Tuesday when a reporter asked whether he believes Trumps advantage is insurmountable.

No, of course not. Thats why Im campaigning here, Scott said during a brief huddle with reporters after he appeared with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. Because I believe that my optimistic, positive message is being rooted in Iowa.  The good news is we have enough time to make this not into a two-horse race, and at the end of the day we look forward to being the nominee.

Scott polled at 9% in that New York Times/Siena College poll, which was good for third  but well behind Trump (44 %) and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (20%).

Even farther down that poll of Iowa Republicans was former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who clocked in at less than half a percent. Hutchinson also was at the Iowa State Fair on Tuesday, and he, too, said he believes Trumps support here can be whittled. Hutchinson said he believes many Trump supporters are just expressing support for him now as a default while they consider other candidates.

First of all, the overwhelming numbers (of Iowans who) are saying, Were looking at an alternative. We think that Trump did a good job for four years, but hes not going to be able to lead us to victory. Thats a big part of their decision making process, Hutchinson told reporters after his own appearance with Reynolds. I think Trumps numbers are a default position until (voters) decide on a good alternative. And right now, theyre not deciding until after the debate, until farther in. 

You dont jump from one candidate to another until you decide where youre jumping. Thats where (voters) havent decided.

In that New York Times/Siena College poll, nearly half the respondents who said they are supporting Trump said they also are considering other candidates.

Candidates on latest Trump indictments

On the latest indictment of Trump  involving his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia  Hutchinson was much more critical than Scott.

Hutchinson said the charges brought against Trump are serious and address fundamental issues of our democracy.

So he ought to be held accountable, Hutchinson said of Trump. Ive said that hes morally accountable. The question now is whether hes criminally accountable.

Scott, on the other hand, dismissed the latest charges against Trump, which follow previous indictments involving Trumps role in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House and an alleged hush money payment to a former porn star.

Im just going to continue to say it as I see it, which is that we see the legal system being weaponized against political opponents, Scott said, even though the latest charges were brought by a county-level district attorneys office in Georgia and not a federal prosecutor. That is un-American and unacceptable. At the end of the day, we need a better system than that.

Qualifying for the debate

Scott has qualified for the Aug. 23 Republican primary debate, but Hutchinson has so far failed to reach the 40,000 required donors to be on the stage. Candidates have until Monday to qualify.

I expect to be there, looking forward to that, Hutchinson said. And were actually planning and preparing for it. Beyond that, theres not a question. We intend to be there.

Trump has not confirmed if he will attend the debate, and he frequently has suggested he will skip it.

Ryan Binkley also joins Reynolds

Ryan Binkley, a Texas pastor and long-shot candidate, also spoke with Reynolds at the State Fair, bringing a message that ties his Christian background with a pitch to deliver bipartisan economic reform.

As president, I will no longer vilify every Democrat on Friday and then ask them to work with me on Tuesday, he said. I will try and lead the way in a bipartisan way because theres some problems we have, Republicans cant solve on our own.

Those issues include the budget, securing the border and improving the health care system, Binkley said.

He said Trump did a lot of good things but he put some of the blame of the high national debt on his shoulders. With a large unfunded tax cut and COVID-19 relief spending, Trumps presidency saw the national debt increase by $7.8 trillion.

A look at the 19 people charged in the Georgia indictment connected to Trump's election scheme Intro Donald Trump Rudy Giuliani John Eastman Mark Meadows Sidney Powell Jeffrey Clark Jenna Ellis David Shafer Cathy Latham Kenneth Chesebro Prosecutors have said Kenneth Chesebro, an attorney, worked with Georgia Republicans in the weeks after the November 2020 election at the direction of Trump's campaign. Chesebro worked on the coordination and execution of a plan to have 16 Georgia Republicans sign a certificate declaring falsely that Trump won and declaring themselves the state's "duly elected and qualified" electors. Ray Smith A Georgia-based lawyer, Ray Smith was involved in multiple lawsuits challenging the results of the 2020 election in Georgia. He also gathered witnesses to provide testimony before Georgia legislative subcommittee hearings held in December 2020 on alleged issues with the state's election. Robert Cheeley A Georgia lawyer, Robert Cheeley presented video clips to legislators of election workers at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta and alleged the workers were counting votes twice or sometimes three times. He spoke to the lawmakers after Giuliani. Michael Roman A former White House aide who served as the director of Trump's election day operations, Michael Roman was involved in efforts to put forth a set of fake electors after the 2020 election. Shawn Still He was one of 16 Georgia Republicans who signed a certificate falsely stating that Trump had won the state and declaring themselves the state's "duly elected and qualified" electors. Shawn Still was the finance chairman for the state GOP in 2020 and served as a Georgia delegate to the Republican National Convention that year. He was elected to the Georgia state Senate in November 2022 and represents a district in Atlanta's suburbs. Stephen Cliffgard Lee Prosecutors say Stephen Cliffgard Lee, a pastor, worked with others to try to pressure Georgia election worker Ruby Freeman and her mother after Trump and his allies falsely accused them of pulling fraudulent ballots from a suitcase during the vote count. Lee allegedly knocked on Freeman's door, frightening her and causing her to call 911 three times, prosecutors said in a court filing last year. Harrison William Prescott Floyd Also known as Willie Lewis Floyd III, he served as director of Black Voices for Trump, and is accused of recruiting Lee to arrange a meeting with Freeman and Chicago-based publicist Trevian Kutti. Trevian C. Kutti Prosecutors allege publicist Trevian C. Kutti claimed to have high level law enforcement connections. They say Freeman met with Kutti at a police precinct, where she brought Floyd into the conversation on a speakerphone. Prosecutors say Kutti presented herself as someone who could help Freeman but then pressured her to falsely confess to election fraud. Scott Graham Hall An Atlanta-area bail bondsman, Scott Graham Hall was allegedly involved in commandeering voting information that was the property of Dominion Voting Systems from Coffee County, a small south Georgia jurisdiction. Also charged in the scheme were Powell, Latham and former county elections supervisor Misty Hampton. Misty Hampton She was the elections director in Coffee County. Misty Hampton was present in the county elections office on Jan. 7, 2021, when a computer forensics team copied software and data from the county's election equipment. She also allowed two other men who had been active in efforts to question the 2020 election results to access the elections office later that month and to spend hours inside with the equipment. Donald Trump indicted for the 4th time Read the Trump indictment in Georgia Your browser does not support the iframe HTML tag. Try viewing this in a modern browser like Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Internet Explorer 9 or later.
The sense of community between bikers also exists between aviation enthusiasts, according to Ron Orndorff, which is why several aviators gathered at the Sturgis Airport during the 83rd Sturgis Motorcycle Rally this year.

"There is a freedom on a bike that is unlike anything else," he said. "That is probably the most the most unique thread that ties helicopters and motorcycles together. It's that feeling of freedom."

Orndorff, the northeast regional sales manager for Bell Helicopters, said their experience flying out of the Buffalo Chip last year was so positive they wanted to invite other aircraft manufacturers to experience the rally alongside them. The group would've flown out of the Chip again this year, but heavy rains at the beginning of the week made it impossible to land on the over-saturated ground. Instead, they set up at the Sturgis Airport, just a mile-and-a-half from the Chip, bringing with them two helicopters  the Bell 407 and the Bell 429.

Other manufacturers joined them for the Black Hills Helicopter Rally, including aircraft and crews from Robinson and Airbus.

"It's kind of a brotherhood, just like bikers, you know?" Orndorff said. "The way I look at it is, if you see a motorcycle coming at you when you're going down the road, almost nobody is squinting to see like I'm not going to wave at that guy [because] he's not on a Harley." Like, you just see another biker, you [put] two fingers down and everybody keeps going  and it should be that way with helicopter guys."

In the spirit of friendship, Orndorff organized outings for the aviation crews each evening  sometimes visiting the Loud American or going to a concert at the Buffalo Chip.

When they were not out enjoying the rally, Orndorff and the others were taking potential buyers on test flights and educating them about Bell aircraft. Bell Helicopters has been around for decades, originally starting in New York before moving headquarters to Texas. They build military and commercial aircraft and have operations worldwide. What makes them special, he said, is their support. But owning your own won't come cheap  Orndorff said they run from $2 million to $12 million a piece.

After a wet start, they stayed busy  at times flying back-to-back with little break  giving perspective buyers a look at their potential investment. Orndorff said they plan to return in 2024 with an even bigger and better event and are looking to possibly partner with a nonprofit during their rally.
When Shawnee Red Bear-Keith, Oglala Lakota, was looking for options after high school, she settled on going into the Marine Corps.

At 17, only six days after graduating, Red Bear-Keith left for basic training. Now, she serves as the Oglala Sioux Tribe Veterans Officer, working to provide community members with a bridge to help.

To celebrate the contributions of Native veterans, Red Bear-Keith helps to organize the annual Veteran Warriors Ride along with Redrum, an Indigenous motorcycle group.

A lot of veterans are motorcyclists, Red Bear-Keith said. Including her.

The summer of 2020 during the pandemic, I needed to take up a hobby that would allow me to be myself, she said. I taught myself how to ride on the back roads of Pine Ridge.

A year later, Red Bear-Keith helped to organize the first ride, which takes place the second weekend of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, around National Code Talkers Day, and aims at providing resources to veterans and raising awareness for veterans experiencing homelessness.

Now in its third year, the Veteran Warriors Ride drew hundreds of riders on Friday.

Red Bear-Keith said the ride is quickly becoming one of the most popular rides during Sturgis. While the ride is geared towards Native veterans, anyone can join regardless of whether they served in the military.

Its a pretty awesome thing to see non-veterans come together to support veterans, Red Bear-Keith said. Its moving and inspirational.

A legacy of service

Out of all demographics, Native Americans are believed to be among the highest-serving group in the U.S. military, according to the United Service Organizations. Native women in particular serve at a much higher rate than women of any other demographic, with 20% of all Native veterans being women as opposed to 15% of other groups.

Red Bear-Keith said joining the military felt natural, since both her grandfathers had served in the Vietnam War and protecting the people is a traditional value. Another major factor, Red Bear-Keith said, is that joining provides Native people a way out of unemployment.

A lot of them have no other options, she said.

After serving, many veterans lack resources and face a greater risk of experiencing homelessness than the general population, according to a study by the National Center of Homelessness Among Veterans.

About 4% of those experiencing homelessness in Rapid City were identified as veterans per the 2022 point-in-time count. Red Bear-Keith is hoping to get a more accurate count of how many veterans are experiencing homelessness in the area and work to build a database.

Building partnerships

One of the community members in attendance for the rally Friday was Eddie Pina, 88, who is Mexican-American with Nahua (Aztec) ancestry. Pina served in the 17th Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion, near the end of the Korean War and served two tours in Vietnam.

While Pina doesnt ride motorcycles, he made sure to make it to the meal after the ride to shake the hands of every rider and thank them for their service.

Pina said he is deeply appreciative of Redrums service to provide veterans with resources and acknowledge their service, especially toward Native veterans. Pinas wife and children are Hunkpapa Lakota from Standing Rock.

Red Bear-Keith said she would like to see other organizations partner with the group to provide more resources for veterans who attend. As the OST Veteran Services Officer, Red Bear-Keith acts as a bridge to unite community members with resources and encourages all veterans in need of help to reach out to her.

We hope to continue building a community that is welcoming, family-oriented and encourages comradery among our veterans, she said.
The Hamilton Downtown Association is currently accepting the first round of applications for the historic downtown district Facade Improvement Program. Applications for this round will be accepted through Aug. 18.

The Hamilton Downtown Association and City of Hamilton were recently awarded a $50,000 Montana Main Street Grant from the states Department of Commerce to start a Facade Improvement Program in Hamiltons historic downtown district.

Hamiltons Facade Improvement Program is a partnership between HDA, the City of Hamilton, and the Downtown Hamilton Business Improvement District. The program will offer 1:1 matching grants of up to $7,500 to landowners and businesses to help offset costs related to facade improvements. The program aims to improve and maintain Hamiltons historic character and visual appeal, according to a statement released by the Hamilton Downtown Association.

The Facade Improvement Program is intended to encourage the restoration and rehabilitation of eligible downtown properties. Improved building appearances enhance the overall attractiveness of the district for new businesses and visitors, and for people who live, work and shop in the area, the statement read.

The HDA manages the program and plans to continue funding the program beyond the initial funds award by the state with community support through donations to the Hamilton Downtown Foundation.

We are looking forward to adding a program that will have such a positive impact on our small business community and historic downtown, said Robin Pruitt, HDA executive director. We have such a unique asset in our downtown district, and already such a strong and thriving small business community to build on. We are grateful for this opportunity to broaden the scope in which the Hamilton Downtown Association can assist our business members to continue to build our economic vitality. Not only do building improvements increase the sense of pride in our business community but also increase property values, improve the marketability of space within the buildings and draw business and residents to the area. We feel like this will be the catalyst for tremendous economic growth for our community.

The call for applications will occur twice annually, in July and January, following the current round of funding. A volunteer committee who will review completed applications and determine if further review by other public agencies is needed. The committee may also impose special terms or conditions of financial assistance. Recommended applications will be forwarded to the HDA Board of Directors for final approval.

Building owners with properties located in Hamiltons Historic Downtown Area are eligible to apply for Facade Improvement funding. Building tenants may also apply for funding with approval of the building owner. The Historic Downtown Area is defined in the City of Hamiltons Building and Site Design Guidelines and can be found online at visithamiltonmt.org.

Eligible improvements include rehabilitation or compatible reconstruction of storefronts, masonry repair and repainting, mural installation, preservation of historic painted ghost signs, or paint removal, repair and replacement of architectural details or materials, or of critical facade structural elements.

Removal of non-historic elements from facades such as metal siding and non-historical false facades also qualifies for funding, as does the removal and replacement of highly tinted windows and openings. Removal of historic windows is not recommended.

The grant also includes funding for awning or canopy repair, removal, or replacement, store and restaurant signage (new signs or rehabilitation of historic signs), or removal of signage such as abandoned and non-contextual signs, improvement to outdoor plazas or patios that serve as a public entrance to a commercial use, or any other improvement that is not an ineligible activity and is approved by the Facade Improvement Grant Committee.

We are excited for the City of Hamilton to partner with HDA to initiate a local Facade Improvement Program, said Mark Rud, assistant planner for the City of Hamilton. These grants can make a tremendous difference in the feasibility of historic district reinvestment, and research from similar programs around the state has shown tremendous benefits for commercial districts that we believe we can replicate and exceed here in the Bitterroot Valley. We look forward to seeing HDA continue this program beyond Montana Main Streets generous initial funding, and to the continued revitalization of Hamiltons historic downtown.

For more information on the Hamilton Facade Improvement Program or to apply for funding, please go online to visithamiltonmt.org.
Nearly 100 years before Rosa Parks, there was a remarkable woman named Elizabeth Jennings who emerged as a steadfast advocate for civil rights and a beacon of resilience against racial injustice. The pivotal legal battle she waged against racial segregation on public transportation in New York City forever etched her name in the annals of history as a trailblazer for equality.

Born in 1827 to a free African American family, Elizabeth Jennings grew up in a society where racial discrimination was deeply entrenched. However, she was raised with a strong sense of self-worth and a belief in the inherent equality of all individuals. These values would lay the foundation for her remarkable journey as a civil rights pioneer.

The turning point in Elizabeth's life came on a fateful summer day in 1854. On her way to church, she boarded a Third Avenue Railway streetcar in Manhattan, holding a valid ticket. What should have been a simple journey turned into a life-altering moment when the conductor, enforcing the racially discriminatory policies of the time, demanded that Elizabeth vacate her seat. Unwilling to succumb to the indignity of segregation, she refused. The conductor's subsequent efforts to forcibly remove her from the streetcar were met with her unyielding resistance.

Determined to seek justice, Elizabeth Jennings, with the support of her father and the legal representation of future 21st president Chester A. Arthur, embarked on a legal battle that would resonate far beyond the confines of that streetcar. The case, Jennings v. Third Avenue Railroad Company, marked an early challenge against racial segregation in public spaces. Elizabeth's argument rested on the fundamental principles of equality and the notion that no person should be denied access to public services based on their race.

Her testimony not only recounted her personal ordeal but also laid bare the systemic injustice that was perpetuated through segregation. Her case became a rallying point for those who recognized the urgent need to dismantle the racial barriers that had divided society.

In an epoch-defining moment, the court ruled in favor of Elizabeth Jennings, affirming her right to ride the streetcar and denouncing the company's discriminatory practices. Unfortunately, the ruling was only a partial victory, as it pertained only to the Third Avenue Railroad Co. It would take another seven years before all street cars in New York City were desegregated.

Elizabeth's triumphant legal battle set the stage for broader efforts to challenge racial segregation across the nation. Her courage and determination paved the way for activists and leaders who would come to the forefront of the civil rights movement decades later. Her legacy resonated through the halls of history, influencing generations of individuals who sought equality and justice.

Beyond her legal victory, Elizabeth's story remains a testament to the power of individual actions in catalyzing social change. Her refusal to acquiesce to injustice inspired countless others to question the status quo and work towards a more equitable society. Her legacy is a testament to the fact that ordinary individuals can spark extraordinary change through their resolve and unwavering commitment to justice.

In recognition of Elizabeth Jennings Graham's indelible impact, a historical marker was unveiled at the site of her historic defiance, commemorating her role in challenging racial segregation. Her story continues to inspire and educate, reminding us that progress is often built upon the courage of those who dare to challenge the prevailing norms.
Ravalli County Credit Union has received a $560,000 grant for expanding its services to underserved individuals in Ravalli County from the Community Development Financial Institution Fund of the U.S. Treasury.

President and CEO Darci Parsons said the RCCU was certified with the Community Development Financial Institution in 2019 and this is the first grant request it has submitted.

We are so excited to receive this funding, Parsons said. The $560,000 is for over the next three years and it is to help women of lesser means who might not be creditworthy with capital loans.

She said RCCU created an Empowering Ravalli Women (ERW) initiative with the goal of supporting rural women and children in Ravalli County who may be in domestic violence shelters/safe houses or hard-working female heads of household. The initiative creates short-term and long-term impacts for female heads of households and mothers by extending access to financial inclusion products and services as a first step to building long-term sustainability, primarily by expanding lending for credit-challenged or low-income individuals.

Parsons said the grant will have a positive impact on the community.

With this award, well be able to assist even more of our financially struggling community members, especially female heads of household and those seeking to break free from unsafe situations, Parsons said. Were proud to provide accounts and affordable loans to those who have otherwise had to resort to predatory lenders, pawn shops and check cashers.

RCCU was founded in 1957, is open to all residents of Ravalli County and has a mission statement of, creating beneficial, life-long financial relationships for its members and community.

Parsons said the RCCU has been a strong supporter of SAFE and has increased its community support of other nonprofit organizations within Ravalli County.

According to the press release provided by Parsons, The U.S. Treasury Departments Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Fund was established in 1994 to boost lending and community development through certified lenders, allowing them to expand their reach into economically underserved communities to generate growth and opportunity. CDFI Certification is awarded to financial institutions that have demonstrated a primary mission of serving low-income individuals and a proven history of providing financial services/products in communities that historically have lacked access to traditional banking services.

Parsons said the RCCU has $76 million in assets, over 5,700 members and branches in Hamilton and Florence. It also has a Low-Income Designation from the National Credit Union Administration, an independent agency of the U.S. government.
In 1993, St. Marys nurse Bonnie Price participated in a week-long training on caring for people who had been sexually assaulted.

Hours after completing the training, Bon Secours emergency room staff members asked Price if she could help a young woman who had just been sexually assaulted and was in need of treatment. It wasnt the first call, and it certainly wasnt the last, she said.

Recognizing the underlying need for specialized care for victims of violence, Price and two of her ER colleagues launched the hospitals Forensic Nursing program. That was 30 years ago. Since then, the program has expanded into a staff of 20 trained nurses and seven victim services advocates/social workers who provide comprehensive support for these victims. The nurses are available 24 hours a day.

Just this year  thanks to generous support from community donors  the team was able to add two community health workers to assist individuals victimized by gun violence.

I dont think anyone knew back then how many people were actually victims of violence, whether it was sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, human trafficking, strangulation, elder abuse or some form of community violence, like gun violence, said Price, who is now Bon Secours administrative director of community health advocacy. Abuse was not something people talked about or shared with others. And because of that, much of it probably went unreported back then. While community awareness levels are higher today, many are still not aware of the services available to them or where to go for help.

Today, the Bon Secours Violence Response team  renamed to encompass the expanded advocacy services and the addition of community health workers  serves as a critical resource for adults and children of all ages who are impacted by violence, not only in Richmond, but in more than 40 locations across the commonwealth.

The wraparound care administered by the Violence Response Team provides support to victims from bedside through their transition home or to safety. In addition to medical treatment, Price and her team specialize in evidence collection, expert witness testimony, emotional and advocacy support, hospital accompaniment and coordination of follow-up phone calls and referrals for community resources.

The teams forensic nurses work closely with attorneys, police officers, first responders and other health care providers. Price recommends that individuals wanting to become forensic nurses have a minimum of two years of experience in the nursing field before they undergo the specialized training. Candidates also spend extensive time shadowing team members as they work with the patients. Price said the program is one of the busiest in the country, receiving an average of 3,400 calls for service annually.

These are individuals who are at high risk in terms of experiencing repeated acts of violence by their abuser, Price said. We not only provide specialized medical attention at the hospital for these patients, but we also work to ensure they know what is available to them in the community and help make the connections with the services they need. Our ultimate goal is to reduce the risk that they will be victims of violence again.

The Bon Secours Violence Response Team can be reached 24/7 through the Bon Secours hospitals or free-standing ER departments, or by calling 804.281.8574 during normal business hours. Please click here for more information.
Mindy Scheier was working in fashion before her son, Oliver, was born with muscular dystrophy. As he grew and she watched him struggle to get dressed, her eyes were opened to her industry's limitations for people with disabilities.

At 8, Oliver wanted to ditch his daily sweatpants for jeans, favored by his peers. His mom couldn't find any to accommodate his leg braces and difficulty working zippers and buttons, so she began making adaptations herself. The difference to Oliver was immense.

Now, Scheier dedicates herself to raising awareness about the need for designers and retailers to embrace adaptive clothing through her Runway of Dreams Foundation and Gamut Management talent and consulting agency.

Scheier has brought on board some of the largest U.S. brands and retailers. While adaptive clothes, shoes and other gear have made strides in the past few years, there are more than 60 million adults and more than 3 million children living with disabilities in the U.S. alone, and more in the industry need to get involved, she said.

"What we learned was brands were so afraid to get into the space for fear of doing it wrong, saying something wrong, not knowing where to start," she said. "We work with brands to guide them through the process."

Oliver, now 18, is pleased with the progress, but he said melding fashion with functionality for his age group has lagged behind offerings for younger kids and adults.

"It's all about opportunity and the chance for people like me and people my age to express themselves through fashion like any able-bodied person," he said. "It says a lot about who I am on the inside, and adaptive clothing allows me to do that."

It's also about including people with disabilities in the design process, taking care to offer such things as hidden openings for medical ports, tubing and bags, or less bulk in the front and a higher rise in the back of pants for wheelchair users. Dressing without help is made easier with things such as pull-on loops at the sides of skirts and pants, and wider necks on pullover shirts.

Shoes must be wide and sturdy enough on the inside to accommodate braces or prosthetics. Zippers or other fasteners make them easier to put on for people without full use of their hands.

Adidas was among the giants to work with Scheier. The company consulted Oliver and others with a wide range of disabilities on an adaptive backpack that has a flat bottom, wider loops on zippers, and straps that can easily attach to wheelchairs and scooters.

From Tommy Hilfiger to Target, brands and niche online sellers such as No Limbits and Billy Footwear are serving people with disabilities. JC Penney, Walmart, Kohl's, Amazon, Uggs and Zappos also offer adaptive fare. Walmart is among the newest entrants and is working to get prices down and including more styles for older kids.

"Tweens are, in my opinion, an underserved customer holistically today," said Walmart senior director of product development Brandy Lackey.

The adaptations required are as diverse as the people in need, including those with sensory processing issues who require softer fabrics, no tags and no-itch flat seams.

Niche sellers are also seeing the need. A company called French Toast, for example, sells a crisp white Oxford shirt with magnets hidden behind a line of buttons for young people required to wear school uniforms.

Billy Footwear was co-founded by Billy Price, a wheelchair user who broke his back at age 18 and had trouble putting on shoes by himself. His company offers a slew of trendy footwear with a zipper that goes down one side and around the toe, opening the entire top.

"Our goal was to be able to come out into the market with an easy shoe that could work for anybody," he said.

Open Style Lab, a nonprofit committed to making style accessible for everyone, is also engaged. It offers a program bringing together occupational therapists, people with disabilities, engineers and designers to co-create functional and stylish clothing and accessories, said Yasmin Keats, the executive director.

"We want to educate the next generation of designers on how to do inclusive design better," she said.

Erica Cole, 27, lost a leg in a 2018 car crash when she was 22. She found that offerings for pants to accommodate her prosthetic fell far short of fashion, "So I started altering clothes for myself."

She turned her solution into No Limbits. It offers hipster jeans and other pants with side zippers, less bulk at the front and stretchy waist bands for wheelchair and prosthetics users. She included front thigh pockets for easy access while seated.

Older kids, she agreed, remain underserved. No Limbits hopes to rectify that in future drops.

JC Penney entered the adaptive market in 2021 and "wanted to make sure that we were doing this with respect and with purpose," said Chris Phillips, a senior vice president and general merchandise manager.

Adaptations for caregivers of totally dependent people pose unique challenges.

Kimberly Peterson in Knoxville, Tennessee, does everything for her 14-year-old daughter, Tilly, who was born with a rare genetic condition, Joubert syndrome. The teen is nonverbal, in a wheelchair and severely developmentally delayed. Peterson applauds the progress that has been made in adaptive wear.
As Jim Ahmed tells it, he is the best clock repairman of all time.

If you Google worlds best clock repair, my name comes first, says Ahmed, almost 70 years old, originally from Karachi, Pakistan.

He may be a split-second off. A recent Google search of his name, which took 0.60 seconds, does have him on top, but his name is included on a Yelp list among the top keepers of timepieces in Richmond. Googles algorithm is notoriously finicky  impacted by time, geolocation and the ostensibly random rules of the search engine  but that day in this city, at least, he was ranked the best of the best.

Ahmed is the founder, owner and sole employee of The Clockworks, a tiny clock and watch repair shop at 5613 Patterson Ave. near Willow Lawn.

The shop is, quite literally, standing room only; aside from a small opening at the entryway, most of the limited space is occupied by antique clocks, rows of tools, bins of spare parts, and stacks of receipts and invoices. The room vibrates with the ceaseless ticking of dozens of timepieces, punctuated every 15 minutes by the chiming of the Westminster clocks that line the walls.

To an outside observer, the clutter is perhaps overwhelming. But despite the apparent chaos, Ahmed says he knows exactly what and where everything is. All of it, he says, belongs to customers who have left the instruments with him for much-needed attention.

Clockmaking and repair is a profession that discovered Ahmed rather more than he discovered it. His original plan was to be a dentist. But he struggled with biology and chemistry and realized that he was not enjoying his career track.

In my family, (everyone) is in mechanical professions. My father was an engineer with an airline, Ahmed said. And, like his family members, Ahmed has always been really mechanically inclined, able to fix music boxes, binoculars, barometers and car key fobs.

He ditched dentistry and turned instead to the practice of crafting and tending timepieces.

In 1975, Ahmed moved from Pakistan to Toronto to study watchmaking at George Brown College. After graduating, he worked for eight years as a quality control inspector for Bulova, a competitor of Rolex based in New York.

But Canadian winters proved to be too much for Ahmed. Canada is very, very cold, he said with a laugh. After braving the snow and bitter chill for nearly a decade, he moved to the United States in 1984, settling in Richmond. Four years later, in 1988, he started The Clockworks.

His success was nearly instant. Ahmed largely credits this to the quality of his work and the immense value of word-of-mouth marketing. He does not have a website (though you can find him on YouTube), he does not do any promotion, and he never seeks out clients for his cash-only business.

Instead, he says, customers find him and, once they do, they stay with him.

Whoever comes to me once ... will always come to me again, Ahmed remarked.

Customers arrive from everywhere: from cities across Virginia, neighboring states like the Carolinas and West Virginia, and even sometimes from Europe. They have included former Gov. Jim Gilmore, members of the U.S. Court of Appeals in Richmond, folks from the CSX Corp., prominent government officials from around the state and everyone in between.

In the span of a single hour on Wednesday morning, one customer came into The Clockworks because Ahmed had done work on her grandfather clock three decades earlier and it needed additional servicing; another came in for a project because, the customer said, every watch and jewelry store (in the area) sent us here.

Those sorts of patrons are not uncommon, according to Ahmed.

On more than one occasion, he has received a timepiece for repair and instantly recognized his own work from 30 or more years earlier. On other occasions, he has been the one to salvage a clock that no one else seemed able to save from the ravages of time.

Once, Ahmed recounted, a customer came in with an inherited clock that had stopped at 5:25  the exact minute of the death of its previous owner. Experts across the country  California, Georgia and Virginia  had been unable to restore it to proper working order; after each and every repair, the clock would stop again at 5:25.

Ahmed knew the problem without even opening up the clock. When he removed its face and found broken teeth in a small gear within the delicate apparatus inside, his suspicions were confirmed. He brought the clock back to life, and it ticks on to this day.

You have to understand (clocks), Ahmed said. The job is not just a matter of guesswork, of haphazardly ripping things apart with pliers, he explained. The rehabilitation of timepieces requires a comprehensive grasp of their function and a profound respect for their nature.

The jobs, each unique as their subjects, take him anywhere from five minutes to six months. They range from simple battery replacements and instrument oiling to removing and reconstructing the complex internal mechanisms of centuries-old devices.

This Richmond Times-Dispatch reporter went to The Clockworks with a watch of his own, recently purchased and in dire need of resizing. Before the visit, I had tried to accomplish the task myself with a thumbtack and a hammer. For this, I received a gentle, good-natured and well-deserved tsk tsk.

Ahmed fluidly removed the pins and links of the watch with ease. As a small Atmos clock  powered by temperature and atmospheric pressure changes and worth upward of $6,000  sounded behind him, he talked through the process of resizing a watch so that its face was centered properly and it fit the wearers wrist in just the right way.

Sherral Crawley, owner of No Limit Towing, arrested Thursday Richmond police on Friday announced they had arrested Sherral Crawley, 42, of Chesterfield County, in connection with the ongoing investigation of No Limit Towing and Recovery.

His own watch  a Rolex gifted to him by his father  is fitted meticulously. He wears it daily, but he is never the one to service it. Timepiece maintenance is like medicine, he remarked.

People will tell you, I learned (watchmaking) from my father ... or I learned from my grandfather, but it doesnt mean anything. If somebody says, I know a lot about medicine and, if you have any issues with your health, you let me know and I will tell you what to take, is he a doctor? No, he is not.

And just as surgeons never perform complex operations on themselves, Ahmed cannot bring himself to crack open his own treasured possessions.

He has tried his capable hand at tailoring, plumbing and electrical work. He liked each just fine. But it is the tedious, mentally rigorous and captivating world of clockmaking and repair that took hold of him and refused to let go.

So much so that, despite feeling he ought to retire soon, Ahmed is not quite sure when he will, if ever. He says he is in the shop every day and has not taken a vacation in over 25 years.

There is one way to do this work: the right way, he said. If I do something, I do it right. For 35 years, this has kept his customers from across the country and the world coming back, time and time again.

From the Archives: Beginnings of Busch Gardens
The remaining eight defendants charged with second-degree murder in the death of Irvo Otieno appear to be headed towards separate trials, a reversal of the cases original strategy to try all of them together.

Jonathan Bourlier, the Dinwiddie County commonwealths attorney, on Tuesday withdrew a motion to join the defendants cases. That motion had been made by former Commonwealth Attorney Ann Cabell Baskervill, who left the office on June 20.

Otieno, 28, died while shackled and handcuffed by seven Henrico County sheriff's deputies and three Central State Hospital employees, who restrained him on the ground at the Dinwiddie County psychiatric facility for 12 minutes. A medical examiner ruled the March 6 death a homicide by asphyxiation, and a grand jury indicted all 10 defendants. The case garnered national attention as a video recording of the incident became public.

The family of Otieno said he had struggled with mental health problems and was mistreated while in custody. Lawyers for the defendants have said at court hearings that he was combative and they had been trying to restrain him.

On Tuesday, Judge Joseph Teefey continued several of the cases to Sept. 19, when a trial date for the defendants will be finalized.

Since court proceedings began after the second-degree murder charges were filed, lawyers for the defendants  the Henrico County sheriff's deputies and the Central State Hospital employees  have argued that there were varying degrees of culpability in Otienos death and that for all of them to be tried together was unfair.

Attorneys Rhonda Quagliana and Emily Munn successfully argued that point, and Teefey denied an initial motion for a single trial. Shortly later, Baskervill dropped charges against their clients, Darian Blackwell and Sadarius Williams, both employees of the maximum security prison who encountered Otieno for the first time minutes before he died.

Questions remain about who will prosecute case

The remaining defendants are Kaiyell Sanders, Dwayne Bramble, Randy Boyer, Jermaine Branch, Tabitha Levere, Wavie Jones, Bradley Disse and Brandon Rogers. Jones is the only remaining hospital employee among them.

A lawyer for Branch, Cary Bowen, said he was satisfied with the outcome on Tuesday.

Im happier that its being tried separately, yes, said Bowen, who added that there is a lot of mess in this.

What remained unclear is who will prosecute the case.

Bourlier is acting as the prosecutor for the county until a formal election of the next Commonwealths Attorney in November.

Bourlier, a trial attorney with a law degree from Liberty University, was chosen by Dinwiddie judges to fill Baskervills seat in the interim. Hes running against Prince George County Attorney Amanda Mann. Campaign signs for both marked the street outside the Dinwiddie Courthouse.

Bowen suggested that the continuation will serve the prosecution. Itll give him time to figure it out, said Bowen, referring to Bourlier.

Next court hearing is this month

Separately, lawyers for the family of Otieno have expressed frustration with the Dinwiddie trial proceedings.

National civil rights lawyer Ben Crump and Richmond civil rights lawyer Mark Krudys released a statement requesting that the Department of Justice take up the case, citing Bourliers inexperience and the complexity of the case.

In our opinion, the newly appointed CA and his similarly new, small staff  with an ample caseload apart from the indictment of Mr. Otienos killers  are not adequately prepared to prosecute the eight defendants, all of whom have separate, experienced counsel, Crump and Krudys wrote.

Teefey also granted permission for two of the defendants, Dwayne Bramble and Jermaine Branch, to travel out of state to visit ailing relatives and family members.

Four defendants will next appear Aug. 23, where their cases are also likely to be continued until Sept. 19.
The city of Richmond and the Richmond Police Department are more than a month late in complying with the terms of a legal settlement agreed upon with protesters and independent journalists from summer 2020.

The suit, begun in 2022, sought damages under a claim of First Amendment retaliation and excessive force related to those who were at police brutality protests following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police three years ago.

A group of seven plaintiffs were tear-gassed, pepper-sprayed, detained without cause, threatened and physically assaulted by one or more officers, agents or employees of the Richmond Police Department, the complaint states.

The suit said there were a number of tense encounters with Richmond police officers, including one where a group of eight officers attempted to arrest a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia for trespassing. The lawyer, plaintiff Charles Schmidt, said he was pulled from his car and zip-tied for observing a group of officers in the parking lot of Whole Foods on Broad Street.

A judge apologized to Schmidt upon dismissing his case.

In another incident, VCU journalist Andrew Ringle was pepper-sprayed in the face despite clearly identifying himself as press and wearing a state-issued press badge, the suit alleged.

In March, city lawyers agreed to terms that include a $140,000 legal fee payout, plus the stipulation that the police department would make a First Amendment policy that it would use to train officers on how they should treat members of the media.

That stipulation had a 90-day deadline. It is now 48 days since that deadline passed.

Richmond police spokesperson Tracy Walker said the department has provided two status updates to Plaintiffs Counsel in compliance with the terms of the settlement agreement.

During this time, the department has been working to draft the First Amendment policy, including but not limited to attending a conference to understand the most current legal developments on the subject matter, assembling model policies, and beginning to draft the policy itself, Walker said.

The plaintiffs lawyer, Terry Frank, filed a motion last week requesting a status conference in order to enforce the settlement terms.

Frank said officials had repeatedly told her the policy would be coming, asking four times in June and July for updates.

In emails to the plaintiffs, Frank said lawyers for the city were waiting on the Richmond Police Department.

Counsel for the department has made it costly to access their internal policies. Department lawyer Sharon Carr recently quoted one of the plaintiffs, Alice Minium, a fee of $7,800 for a copy of the departments general orders.

General orders outline standards of conduct for a police agency. Each police department has their own, and some departments post theirs online free of charge.

Part of the protesters settlement requires Carr to review those general orders to determine which, if any, can be made public. However, the language is not binding. Currently, the police departments general orders are not publicly available.

Walker said the department is working diligently to redact the appropriate tactical information so that officer safety is not jeopardized.

It is our intention to make the departments general orders available online as soon as possible, she said.

The settlement is being overseen by U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark R. Colombell.

Several law enforcement agencies have faced legal challenges for how authorities handled racial injustice and Black Lives Matter demonstrations after the murder of Floyd.

Denver officials agreed to pay $1.6 million to settle a lawsuit filed by seven people injured during protests. This summer, New York City agreed to pay more than $13 million to about 1,300 people who were detained or subject to force by police in 2020.

PHOTOS: George Floyd Hologram Memorial Project launched in Richmond
A Richmond firefighter and mother of three was killed in a shooting in Hopewell late Thursday.

Lt. Ashley Nicole Berry, 33, of Chesterfield County served with the fire department since 2011 and was recently assigned to the fire marshals office, according to the Richmond Fire Department, which on Friday morning posted on Facebook a photo and message mourning her loss.

Lt. Berry was a valued member of our Fire Department family and the community, the post read. She leaves behind three children, please keep Lt. Berrys family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. She will be missed but never forgotten.

Hopewell police said they responded at 11:39 p.m. Thursday to the 1000 block of Sunnyside Avenue for a report that someone had been shot. Police and emergency medical personnel arrived to find a woman with serious gunshot-related injuries.

Medical treatment was rendered at the scene, and Berry was transported to John Randolph Medical Center and then to VCU Medical Center for further treatment. She was later pronounced dead by attending medical staff.

Police said a silver or gold SUV was seen leaving the area at a high rate of speed after the shooting.

Police are requesting that anyone who may have witnessed the shooting, or were traveling in or around the area at the time, or have any information on the incident to contact Detective Mark Polumbo of the Hopewell Criminal Investigations Unit at (804) 541-2284.

People who wish to remain anonymous may contact the Hopewell Prince George Crimesolvers hotline at (804) 541-2202 or provide their tip using the P3 Tips mobile app.
A member of the Goochland County School Board is suing her board colleagues in their personal capacities alleging defamation and civil conspiracy.

Angela Allen, the boards vice chairwoman, said she was defamed by her colleagues, who publicly censured her after she made what she termed a neutral post on Facebook about the school divisions transgender student policies.

The post and the following censure earlier this year came as the rights of transgender K-12 students are greatly contested.

The trajectory of policies on transgender students is unclear, given the introduction of new model policies by the administration of Gov. Glenn Youngkin that emphasize parents rights and roll back many protections that the administration of Gov. Ralph Northam afforded transgender students in its model policies.

Virginia trans students, parents speak out against new Youngkin K-12 policies For hundreds of transgender kids across Virginia, an alternate universe where some school administrators dont affirm transgender kids could become a reality.

Allens attorneys filed the lawsuit in Goochland County Circuit Court on Monday. She is represented by the Richmond-based Founding Freedoms Law Center, a law firm launched in 2020 by the Family Foundation, a conservative advocacy group.

The lawsuit details Allens troubles, which started after she made a Facebook post on Jan. 26 that said: As a Goochland School Board member, effectively representing your interests is my duty. This week I learned that [Goochland County Public Schools] students are allowed to use restrooms different from their biological sex. Is this our communitys expectation?

The post was completely neutral, the lawsuit says.

After Allens Facebook post spread online, large numbers of community members began to attend the countys School Board meetings to express their dismay and disapproval of the practice [the Goochland County School Board] has taken regarding student bathroom use, the lawsuit reads.

At a May School Board meeting, the four other board members censured Allen, which is essentially a public statement of disapproval. According to the lawsuit, it was the first censure in Goochland School Board history.

The censure resolution stated that Allens social media post was in violation of the boards code of ethics, federal law and the U.S. Constitution. It also said Allen is accountable for disrupting the integrity of the Board, encouraging violation of the law and blemishing the reputation of the board.

Goochland School Board Chair Sandra Barefoot-Reid did not respond to requests for comment on Monday.

The complaint filed Monday claims that the censure was defamatory and included false statements of fact about the character and reputation of Ms. Allen.

The lawsuit also includes a count of common law civil conspiracy, based on the allegation that the four other board members conspired to defame Allen.

The defendants made knowingly false statements against Ms. Allen to disparage her reputation all because she exposed a policy they apparently wanted to remain hidden from their constituents, Allens attorney Josh Hetzler said in a statement. These board members must be held accountable for wrongfully attacking Ms. Allen and for harming her reputation.

Allen is asking for $500,000 in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages from her board colleagues.

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A lease dispute between Good Shepherd Episcopal School in Forest Hill and the church that has housed it for over 50 years has left school board members and students families shocked and confused as they scramble to come up with alternative plans for a new home.

Ellie Boyd, 37, of Richmond  a former student and ex-board chair at Good Shepherd Episcopal School, and the mother of two students currently enrolled there  said that on June 21, the school received a notification of lease termination from the Church of the Good Shepherd, in which the school has operated since its founding.

The notification came despite the fact that the school was one year into a newly negotiated five-year lease with the church. Boyd said the church provided no explicit reasoning for ending the lease agreement.

It was totally out of the blue, she said.

Richard Hickman, a spokesperson for the church, wrote in a statement that the decision was made in accord with the terms of the usage agreement, ... which stipulates that either party can withdraw from the agreement for any reason with a years notice. Hickman did not identify specific language in the lease to that effect.

According to leaders at the school at 4207 Forest Hill Ave.  which has an enrollment of 141 students, according to its website  the church has cited the diverging missions of the two parties as the primary explanation for the decision, but has declined to elaborate on the divergence further.

The church also noted a lack of inclusion of the churchs rector in the regular operations of the school, said school leaders, who added that such inclusion was not stipulated in the lease.

The churchs emailed notice of termination, provided by Boyd to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, invokes a section of the lease that entitles the church to formally request a termination of the Agreement with one years advance written notice.

But other sections of the lease, which was obtained by The Times-Dispatch, specify only that the church reserves the right to terminate the contract in the event of rental default or substantial damage to the property caused by the school.

In the absence of either condition, it is not clear whether such a request is binding or legally enforceable. The school board has responded by asking for an additional year to prepare for the move, which would come in 2025 if the church agreed, said Interim Head of School Lori Jobe.

Our focus is entirely on the 150 students and families that will be impacted by this decision, Jobe wrote in a statement.

Announcement is a thunderclap for the board

Boyd, who was an active board member during the lease negotiations that extended the schools tenancy into 2027, is adamant that the school has always made its rental payments on time and in full.

And, she estimates, contrary to damaging the premises, the school has made between $200,000 and $500,000 in capital investments in the (building) in the past three decades, which she said have included the installation of a new roof, library renovations, upgrades to the bathrooms and teachers lounge, exterior painting and the construction of a new playground.

Hickman, the churchs spokesperson, confirmed that the school had made certain improvements to its space in accordance with the usage agreement, and wrote that the church also has made substantial improvements to the Schools space, which he said included work on the roof and HVAC system.

Boyd emphasized that the school has been a boon to the Forest Hill area. Resident(s) ... love having this school in the neighborhood, she said, noting that students at the school regularly clean up the area and have planted trees in Forest Hill Park.

Martha Merritt, who is serving her first term on the board of the school, called the churchs announcement a thunderclap for the board. While she acknowledged that the church submitted the notice within the required one-year period, she said one year is insufficient time to relocate a school with about 150 students.

This is a successful school that deserves to be preserved, she said.

Richmond City Council Vice President Kristen Nye  who represents the 4th District in which the church is located  said she is disappointed by the decision.

She said the school has benefited the district and the city by offering another option to students and their families, creating a unique and special environment for children that really thrive in ... small-classroom, small-school settings.

Nye sent a letter to the church in which she offered to help navigate a path forward. She encouraged Richmond residents to reach out to the church and urge its leaders to reconsider.

Boyd said Good Shepherd Episcopal School was started 52 years ago by the Church of the Good Shepherd (then called the Good Shepherd Episcopal Church), which originally ran the institution.

Not long after, the school and the church became two separate entities, and the school started following the Virginia Association of Independent Schools as its accrediting body, according to Boyd. On the recommendation of the VAIS, the school amended its bylaws to forbid church employees from serving on the school board to avoid conflicts of interest.

'Heartbroken': Veteran Chesterfield fire captain dies in crash near West Point A longtime Chesterfield firefighter died in a crash while driving to work Friday morning.

Despite the split, she said the school and the church maintained a close relationship for many years; the school has held chapel in the church sanctuary, has had choir classes with the churchs choir director and has invited the previous church rector to officiate graduation ceremonies.

The VAIS did not respond to requests for comment.

Hickman: Ideological differences not the cause

Boyd and others wonder if the alleged divergence between the school and the church are a result of recent leadership changes within the church, and whether possible ideological differences between school and church leadership teams are a contributing factor, she said.

A current parishioner at the Church of the Good Shepherd who asked not to be named said the historical relationship between the school and the church has been a rocky road, with intermittent tension between the parties throughout the years.

The parishioner said that, while the churchs former rector, Ross Wright, got along famously with the school board, cooperation has not always been the status quo. Certain members of the churchs congregation and leadership have been inclined to replace the school with one that is more fundamental and traditional and less progressive, according to the parishioner.

They have had a tough time talking to each other, the parishioner stated.

Hickman denied that ideological differences were a cause of the churchs separation from the school, but declined to elaborate when asked what was behind the churchs decision.

The Church provided the School leadership with its reasons for the decision, wrote Hickman, adding, we dont feel it is appropriate or beneficial to the School to air those reasons publicly.

Recognize this? 1950s photos from The Times-Dispatch archives Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Robinson and Newcombe Richmond in the 50s (236).jpg Richmond in the 50s (235).jpg Richmond in the 50s (233).jpg Richmond in the 50s (234).jpg Richmond in the 50s (231).jpg Richmond in the 50s (232).jpg Richmond in the 50s (229).jpg Richmond in the 50s (230).jpg 1954 Branch House 1956 Richmond Virginians Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in 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The Richmond City School Board voted Monday night to authorize a third-party investigation of the circumstances leading up to the June 6 shooting death of an 18-year-old graduating student and his father outside of the Altria Theater after the Huguenot High School graduation.

The school division conducted its own investigation, which it released to board members but not to the public due to student privacy laws, but many board members found it inadequate.

We cannot nor can the superintendent police ourselves when such tragedies such as this [have] occurred. This is not a simple testing irregularity, said board member Shonda Harris-Mohammed, who represents the 6th District. Asking for a third-party investigation does not question what we do, it questions how we do it within the realm of our organizations operations.

The motion that the board approved authorizes Superintendent Jason Kamras to present for review and for approval by the board two options of companies that could complete the third-party investigation by Oct. 1. The findings should be presented at the second school board meeting in October.

The investigation should include: graduation day operations from setup to break down, including processes and procedures for entrance of all students and guests; any findings that include written statements for Richmond Public Schools staff and Huguenot High School staff involved with graduation preparations on June 6; and a breakdown on homebound instruction processes and procedures.

The motion was approved on a 5-2 vote, with 1st District representative Liz Doerr and 7th District representative Cheryl Burke dissenting. 9th District representative Nicole Jones, who typically votes with Doerr and Burke, abstained. 8th District representative Dawn Page, who is also part of the four-person bloc that generally supports the administration, was absent from Monday nights meeting.

Doerr said that she was satisfied with the school districts investigation, and she wants to wait for the Richmond Police Department to complete its criminal investigation.

Other board members pointed out that the police departments criminal investigation into the shooting is not the same as looking at the school divisions safety operations.

At the end of the day, we have a duty to ensure that were keeping students and families and the community safe, and we need to ensure that there is no negligence on the part of the district, said board member Kenya Gibson, who represents the 3rd District. And I dont see a way of doing that without an investigation of this nature. Ultimately, I have concerns and they stem from the fact that it took so long to get the questions answered that we had to begin with.

Board member Mariah White, who represents the 2nd District, introduced an amendment to suspend Kamras from his duties if the investigation is not completed. The amendment did not prevail.

This is crucial. I want transparency to all parents, teachers  If were going to be transparent as a board, these things need to happen. We make the tough decisions, White said. Every time we ask for something I do not receive it.

Shawn Jackson, the 18-year-old Huguenot High School student who was shot and killed June 6, had been on homebound instruction and had not been attending classes in person.

The School Board Monday night also voted to approve a 15-part safety plan created in response to the post-graduation shooting. The plan includes additional mental health personnel and additional safety equipment, like metal detector wands, X-ray scanners and radio equipment. It also includes updated safety protocols, expanded therapeutic options for elementary students and more training for the care and safety associates, who act as unarmed security guards in schools.
The slow pace of negotiations for a revised state budget is becoming a concern on both sides of a political stalemate that has left Virginia without an updated spending plan for only the second time in 50 years.

House Appropriations Chairman Barry Knight, R-Virginia Beach, promised to respond by Wednesday to a proposal that the Senate delivered late last week, but he wants House and Senate negotiators to come to the table in person to reach a compromise before a scheduled meeting with Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Aug. 23 on revenues available for the next two-year budget that a newly elected General Assembly will consider next year.

The budget adopted a year ago remains in place, but most new spending that Youngkin and the General Assembly proposed remains frozen because of the impasse.

Im ready to go, Knight said Monday.

Senate budget leaders delivered a proposal to the House on Thursday, three weeks after receiving one from Knight. The counteroffer proposes a combination of one-time tax rebates and ongoing cuts, including an increase in deductions on business income, but no change to individual income tax brackets or the age limit on exemption of military retirement income from state taxation, according to Sen. Emmett Hanger, R-Augusta, one of nine budget negotiators (three of them Republicans) for the Senate.

It also includes a smaller increase in the standard deduction for income tax filers than Youngkin and House Republicans sought and a proposed one-time tax rebate that Hanger said is in the same ballpark as the one Knight proposed on July 20  $175 for individual taxpayers and $350 for couples filing jointly.

The moderate Shenandoah Valley Republican, who will retire next year because of political redistricting, says he shares Democratic concerns about the future cost of the $1 billion package of ongoing tax cuts Youngkin is seeking, but he also agrees with Knight that budget negotiators need to sit down together and push for resolution of a dispute that has stranded billions of dollars in proposed spending for crucial government services.

There hasnt been the urgency that needs to be there, said Hanger, who faulted both House and Senate budget leaders for their handling of negotiations.

Knight: Very close on the big issues

The Senate negotiators met on Aug. 7 to fashion a counteroffer that includes 19 pages of detailed proposals on spending as well as a slimmed-down package of mostly one-time tax cuts. but Knight did not receive it until three days later.

Were very, very close on the big issues, Knight said.

He is more concerned about differences between the Senate and House on new spending.

Were not working off the same sheet of music, Knight said.

Senate Finance Co-Chairs Janet Howell and George Barker, both Fairfax County Democrats, could not be reached for comment on Monday, but a spokesperson for Youngkin  who will have a chance to propose amendments to any budget agreement  said a deal is long overdue.

The governor agrees with all Virginians that its past time for the conferees to come together and deliver a budget agreement, said Macaulay Porter, the governors press secretary. We need to reach a resolution for the Commonwealth, Virginians deserve a budget.

Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, said he, too, is frustrated by the slow pace of negotiations, which he blamed in part on an unprecedented turnover in Senate leadership, especially on the Finance & Appropriations Committee that helps shape the budget. Neither Senate budget leader will return next year, Howell because of retirement and Barker because of a Democratic primary defeat in June that also delayed budget negotiations.

There are too many things at risk, said Deeds, who survived a Democratic party challenge for reelection this year. There are too many people who are not going to be involved next year, and they dont have the urgency.

Saslaw: Ultimately, we will get it figured out

Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw, D-Fairfax, who also will retire next year after 48 years in the legislature, said part of the problem is simply logistical, with key legislators off on pre-paid summer vacations or attending conferences, such as the National Conference of State Legislatures, meeting this week in Indianapolis.

If we settle this thing in the first week or two of September, that would probably work, said Saslaw, who noted that a budget is already in place. Ultimately, we will get it figured out. Its not the end of Western civilization.

But the lack of a revised budget has already had an effect. Leaders on both sides of the assembly acknowledged they dropped the ball in passing legislation to ensure a sales tax holiday before students return to school, which Knight promises to remedy in the budget. Without state funding for a reinsurance program to cover the costs of the most expensive patients, insurance companies are poised to raise rates for everyone.

We have to get the budget done, Deeds said. Theres just too much at risk.

Getting a deal will not be any easier with elections looming for all 140 seats and political control of the assembly, warned Bob Holsworth, a veteran political scientist in Richmond.

The challenge is that every day that goes by, it becomes closer to the election and that becomes more of an influence on what theyre doing, he said.

Youre going to have some concerns from constituent groups about the fact that the state just left billions of dollars a year on the table that could go to their services, Holsworth said. When the political system doesnt work, youre never sure how the blame is going to be apportioned.

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Virginias statue of teenage civil rights heroine Barbara Johns is a step closer to the Statuary Hall Collection after a congressional panel approved sculptor Steven Weitzmans preliminary model.

The Joint Committee on the Librarys approval of the maquette means Weitzman, a Maryland sculptor, can continue his work on a full-size model of the Johns statue for the National Statuary Hall collection.

The full-scale model will enable the sculptor to incorporate further detailed refinements to Johns facial expression, her hair and her clothing. Weitzman has been working closely with members of Johns family, said Julie Langan, director of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.

Johns, who died in 1991, was 16 years old in April 1951 when she led a student walkout at Moton High School in Farmville to protest the segregated schools substandard facilities. Civil rights lawyers Oliver Hill Sr. and Spottswood Robinson took up the case, and it became part of Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled race-based school segregation unconstitutional in 1954.

Next the sculptor will submit a full-scale model of the statue to the state commission that chose him to create the statue. Once the state panel approves the full-scale model, it will go to the Architect of the U.S. Capitol and back to the congressional panel for approval.

Once all of the authorities have signed off on the statue, the sculptor will produce it in bronze, leading to a final round of the same three-part approval process and plans for its installation. State officials expect to unveil the statue at the U.S. Capitol sometime late in 2024.

Langan said the full cost of the project  including installation  appears to be coming in right at the legislatures appropriation of $500,000.

Commissioning a statue for placement in the U.S. Capitol is a monumental undertaking, Langan said in a statement.

We knew from the outset that this would be a lengthy process, as it should be for something so enduring and impactful. All involved are pleased with our progress and that we are a bit ahead of schedule, Langan said.

The Johns statue will replace Virginias statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that the state removed from the U.S. Capitol in December 2020. Each state gets two statues in the collection. Virginias other statue depicts George Washington.

The miniature version of the statue depicts Johns at 16, holding a book aloft in her right hand while her left hand touches a podium. The pose is meant to symbolize Johns actions to rally fellow students and to highlight the importance of education.

One side of the statues base features a quote from the Book of Isaiah: and a little child shall lead them. Another side of the base quotes Johns challenge to her fellow students on April 23, 1951: Are we just going to accept these conditions, or are we going to do something about it?

The front of the statues base features Johns name, the years she was born and died and the words Prince Edward County, Virginia.

Johns went on to graduate from Drexel University, married William Powell, raised a family and worked as a librarian in Philadelphia, where she died in 1991.

Virginia moved to replace the Lee statue at the U.S. Capitol in 2020, a year of reckoning about racial injustice following the murder of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis. The Lee and Washington statues had represented Virginia in the U.S. Capitol since 1909.

In December 2020, the state panel, The Commission For Historical Statues In The United States Capitol, recommended to the state legislature that the statue honor Johns.

The five finalists to be depicted on the statue were all storied Virginians who were people of color: Johns; Hill; John Mercer Langston, Virginias first African American member of Congress; Pocahontas; and Maggie Walker, the first African American woman in the U.S. to charter a bank.

Robert Johns, one of Barbara Johns brothers, told a state panel in March 2021 that the family has few images of her as a teenager because someone burned the familys home in Prince Edward County to the ground after the Supreme Courts decision in Brown v. Board of Education. Family members say they appreciate other tributes to Barbara Johns, but that they have not always looked like her when the artist depicted a sitting model.

In January, on the day the state panel announced him as the sculptor, Weitzman stressed that he would work in tandem with the Johns family.

The Johns family wont merely have final approval on what it will look like, Weitzman told Robert Johns. If you will allow me, you will be making sure that she will look exactly like what you remember.

PHOTOS: Lee statue arrives in Richmond after being removed from U.S. Capitol
In what is being described as a "freak and unpredictable accident," a horse died and a rider fractured her skull at a polo match Sunday afternoon at King Family Vineyards in Crozet.

The horse, Fortuna, died after experiencing an aortic aneurysm.

She [the horse] collapsed just as she got onto the field, Ali King, a trainer at the Roseland Polo Club at King Family Vineyards, told The Daily Progress on Monday. It is so unlucky there was a rider on her when this happened.

The player, a guest from a visiting Jamaican team, experienced a minor skull fracture, according to King. The player was released from the hospital Monday morning and is predicted to make a full recovery.

The rider had been playing for a number of years, King said. This is a freak and unpredictable incident.

Every year, Roseland Polo professional players face off against a team from Jamaica on the pitch at King Family Vineyards. Hundreds of spectators attend weekly polo matches in the summer, and this one was no different.

According to King, Fortuna had just come onto the field when she collapsed. The teenage horse was said to be healthy aside from a preexisting condition.

Fortuna was in good health as far as we know. It is so unfortunate, King said. She had a preexisting condition where her aorta would swell to a larger-than-normal size. A teenage horse is plenty young enough to be doing what she was doing. Plenty of horses play into their 20s.

When a horses aorta ruptures, blood fills and compresses the horses heart, which oftentimes ends in sudden death.

"It was not something that could have been avoided or predicted," Roseland Polo said in a statement. "Unfortunately, this condition typically has no warning signs until the aorta ruptures, as was the case this past Sunday."

The chukker periods on Sunday were reduced from 7 1/2 minutes to six minutes each because of the heat. Temperatures reached nearly 100 degrees at their peak during the day.

But heat was not a factor in the incident, said King.

Even though there were high temperatures and humidity, there was still a good breeze and we reduced the playing times to keep the riders and animals safe, King said.

The incident, which took place during the final chukker of the first match of the day, did not stop play for the rest of the day.

About 98% of the crowd that had come to the matches stayed, King said. We all held a moment of silence, and then felt we needed to play.

King emphasized that animal wellbeing is a top priority of Roseland Polo.

Weve been around for 20 years, and we have many pros who put animal welfare at the forefront of what they and we do. Animal health comes first, King said. There is no way we could have predicted that would occur. It is unlucky there was a rider on the horse.
In rural Virginia, there exists a silent struggle over land, energy and local politics that is escalating into what may now be a crescendo. Like our neighboring states, the commonwealth is experiencing a substantial increase in solar energy development spurred on by technological advancements, competitive costs and a hunger for clean electrons to power our homes and businesses. Gov. Glenn Youngkins Energy Plan calls for more energy to be produced in Virginia as a way to keep costs low as demand skyrockets.

County governments are at the forefront of this market pressure given their crucial role in setting local zoning laws and granting local permits to landowners and developers who want to build solar energy projects. These energy investments are presenting big decisions to local county leaders  decisions unlike those that supervisors tended to make even five years ago.

Last year, supervisors in Charlotte County, home to just 11,500 residents, approved nearly $1 billion in solar energy investments with vocal support from the public. Although Charlotte may be the exception rather than the rule, these dollars  plus the millions in annual local tax revenue, of which constituents will be the beneficiaries  will remake the local economy as these solar projects are installed and operated for years to come. Rarely does a county have the opportunity to grow tax revenue 10 or 20 times over on a given parcel of land. Nearby counties such as Halifax and Pittsylvania have smartly advanced their local budgets and economies with solar projects that, when well-sited, are low-impact land uses that can be hidden from view.

Not every county enjoys the circumstances to allow for large-scale clean energy development, but every locality should allow for landowners to profit, clean energy to be produced and residents to prosper with solar proposals.

However, last month, a troubling number of counties took the step to ban or harshly limit solar energy development. Mecklenburg and Henry counties instituted county acreage caps on solar. Lunenburg and Clarke counties issued decisions to prevent applications for solar projects indefinitely. Nottoway County, after years of inaction and petty politics, adopted a policy to prevent solar energy development in excess of what the county consumes. This means that Nottoway will never export clean energy to attract business development, but will instead rely on its neighbors for electricity. All of this occurred in the span of two weeks in July.

These counties join others, such as Caroline, Page and Southampton counties, that have previously banned or prohibitively restricted landowners and developers from proposing clean energy investments, largely rooted in fearmongering and disinformation. This trend must not continue. Something has to give.

We must tread carefully and learn from other states' experiences. Some states have sidestepped local decision-making power for clean energy development, instead making energy permitting a state power and responsibility. At Energy Right, we believe that small government with maximum local control is always the best-case scenario. We also believe in landowners rights to profit from their land and that Virginia business owners should have every opportunity to prosper from new energy investments.

Solar energy investments are good for rural Virginia, but these investments are increasingly outlawed. For Virginias economy to grow, we need more energy to power it, and this notion is the backbone of Gov. Youngkins Energy Plan. We must move closer to energy independence as a commonwealth.

At minimum, clean energy proposals deserve thoughtful consideration by locals. Moratoriums and restrictions that regulate projects to death hurt all Virginians and drive up the cost of energy for our families and businesses. These misguided restrictions must not stand. Rather, we must work together with communities, thoughtful developers, leaders and local businesses to unleash the full potential of clean energy projects. Will we go the way of Illinois, Maryland or Ohio and move to preempt local authority? Or will Virginia be more like Texas, Florida and Georgia, states that have us beat in putting solar energy on the grid with a healthy respect for local authority? The choice is ours, but it requires us all to work together.

Close 06-26-1949 (cutline): Migratory workers on the Eastern Shore sack potatoes after they are turned up by a mechanical differ. Fast workers fill 125 hundred-pound bags in six hours. 10-07-1954 (cutline): Virginia farm woman. 05-29-1952: Area farmer uses motorized conveyor to move hay into barn. 02-15-1951 (cutline): Henrico poultryman experiments with infra-red brooder lights. L.C. Meador adjusts bulb that gives both heat and light. 02-08-1954 (cutline): More labor saved--Mercer's feeding lot for shoats (pigs) is strategically arranged so he can run truck along fence and shovel off corn to any point inside. 02-08-1954 (cutline): More labor saved--Mercer lets his Durocs hog down corn, then turns the Herefords in to clean up fodder and help take care of themselves. 08-24-1953 (cutline): Farmers John Miller and Amos Huffman, joined by Rover, look down on a pleasant scene that family ties have held together as a farm in Page County. 08-24-1953 (cutline): The "nonswag" gate framing Rover is another joint project of Page County partnership farming venture. 08-24-1953 (cutline): John Miller shows off the her sire of beef cattle that now make up the main business of a Page County partnership farming venture. 05-29-1950 (cutline): G.P. Rodgers, in the saddle, and son break out their seeder for a 'dry run.' Wheel-lifting lever, extending over box, is operated by the driver's foot. 11-25-1949 (cutline): Harvest of Soybeans--J.B. Alvis, Henrico County Farmer, of Route 5, pilots his tractor as we combines a portion of his 70 acres of soybeans. The machine cuts and threshes the soybeans, and, with the help of the boy behind Alvis, bags them. The stalks are thrown back on the ground by a special spreader attachment, and later are plowed under to furnish organic matter for the soil. Alvis keeps enough breans for next year's seed, sets aside a few bags to grind and mix with livestock feed, and sells the rest. Last year Virginia farmers produced 1,749,000 bushels of soybeans, which grossed them $4,110,000. 07-17-1952 (cutline): Hanover County's Burnette family grows acres of truck crops--Giant fields of tomatoes, cantaloupes and watermelons are being grown virtually at Richmond's back door by the Burnette family, in Hanover County. Horse, Old Doddin pulls sled used for loading tomatoes. 06-26-1949 (cutline): Migratory workers on the Eastern Shore sack potatoes after they are turned up by a mechanical differ. Fast workers fill 125 hundred-pound bags in six hours. From the Archives: Farms and farmers A look back at farms and farmers in and around Richmond. 06-26-1949 (cutline): Migratory workers on the Eastern Shore sack potatoes after they are turned up by a mechanical differ. Fast workers fill 125 hundred-pound bags in six hours. 10-07-1954 (cutline): Virginia farm woman. 05-29-1952: Area farmer uses motorized conveyor to move hay into barn. 02-15-1951 (cutline): Henrico poultryman experiments with infra-red brooder lights. L.C. Meador adjusts bulb that gives both heat and light. 02-08-1954 (cutline): More labor saved--Mercer's feeding lot for shoats (pigs) is strategically arranged so he can run truck along fence and shovel off corn to any point inside. 02-08-1954 (cutline): More labor saved--Mercer lets his Durocs hog down corn, then turns the Herefords in to clean up fodder and help take care of themselves. 08-24-1953 (cutline): Farmers John Miller and Amos Huffman, joined by Rover, look down on a pleasant scene that family ties have held together as a farm in Page County. 08-24-1953 (cutline): The "nonswag" gate framing Rover is another joint project of Page County partnership farming venture. 08-24-1953 (cutline): John Miller shows off the her sire of beef cattle that now make up the main business of a Page County partnership farming venture. 05-29-1950 (cutline): G.P. Rodgers, in the saddle, and son break out their seeder for a 'dry run.' Wheel-lifting lever, extending over box, is operated by the driver's foot. 11-25-1949 (cutline): Harvest of Soybeans--J.B. Alvis, Henrico County Farmer, of Route 5, pilots his tractor as we combines a portion of his 70 acres of soybeans. The machine cuts and threshes the soybeans, and, with the help of the boy behind Alvis, bags them. The stalks are thrown back on the ground by a special spreader attachment, and later are plowed under to furnish organic matter for the soil. Alvis keeps enough breans for next year's seed, sets aside a few bags to grind and mix with livestock feed, and sells the rest. Last year Virginia farmers produced 1,749,000 bushels of soybeans, which grossed them $4,110,000. 07-17-1952 (cutline): Hanover County's Burnette family grows acres of truck crops--Giant fields of tomatoes, cantaloupes and watermelons are being grown virtually at Richmond's back door by the Burnette family, in Hanover County. Horse, Old Doddin pulls sled used for loading tomatoes. 06-26-1949 (cutline): Migratory workers on the Eastern Shore sack potatoes after they are turned up by a mechanical differ. Fast workers fill 125 hundred-pound bags in six hours.
Virginia's statue of teenage civil rights heroine Barbara Johns is a step closer to the Statuary Hall Collection after a congressional panel approved sculptor Steven Weitzman's preliminary model.

The Joint Committee on the Library's approval of the maquette means Weitzman, a Maryland sculptor, can continue his work on a full-size model of the Johns statue for the National Statuary Hall collection.

The full-scale model will enable the sculptor to incorporate further detailed refinements to Johns' facial expression, her hair and her clothing. Weitzman has been working closely with members of Johns' family, said Julie Langan, director of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.

Johns, who died in 1991, was 16 years old in April 1951 when she led a student walkout at Moton High School in Farmville to protest the segregated school's substandard facilities. Civil rights lawyers Oliver Hill Sr. and Spottswood Robinson took up the case, and it became part of Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled race-based school segregation unconstitutional in 1954.

Next the sculptor will submit a full-scale model of the statue to the state commission that chose him to create the statue. Once the state panel approves the full-scale model, it will go to the Architect of the U.S. Capitol and back to the congressional panel for approval.

Once all of the authorities have signed off on the statue, the sculptor will produce it in bronze, leading to a final round of the same threepart approval process and plans for its installation. State officials expect to unveil the statue at the U.S. Capitol sometime late in 2024.

Langan said the full cost of the project  including installation  appears to be coming in right at the legislature's appropriation of $500,000.

"Commissioning a statue for placement in the U.S. Capitol is a monumental undertaking," Langan said in a statement.

"We knew from the outset that this would be a lengthy process, as it should be for something so enduring and impactful. All involved are pleased with our progress and that we are a bit ahead of schedule," Langan said.

The Johns statue will replace Virginia's statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that the state removed from the U.S. Capitol in December 2020. Each state gets two statues in the collection. Virginia's other statue depicts George Washington.

The miniature version of the statue depicts Johns at 16, holding a book aloft in her right hand while her left hand touches a podium. The pose is meant to symbolize Johns' actions to rally fellow students and to highlight the importance of education.

One side of the statue's base features a quote from the Book of Isaiah: "and a little child shall lead them." Another side of the base quotes Johns' challenge to her fellow students on April 23, 1951: "Are we just going to accept these conditions, or are we going to do something about it?"

The front of the statue's base features Johns' name, the years she was born and died and the words Prince Edward County, Virginia.

Johns went on to graduate from Drexel University, married William Powell, raised a family and worked as a librarian in Philadelphia, where she died in 1991.

Virginia moved to replace the Lee statue at the U.S. Capitol in 2020, a year of reckoning about racial injustice following the murder of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis. The Lee and Washington statues had represented Virginia in the U.S. Capitol since 1909.

In December 2020, the state panel, The Commission For Historical Statues In The United States Capitol, recommended to the state legislature that the statue honor Johns.

The five finalists to be depicted on the statue were all storied Virginians who were people of color: Johns; Hill; John Mercer Langston, Virginia's first African American member of Congress; Pocahontas; and Maggie Walker, the first African American woman in the U.S. to charter a bank.

Robert Johns, one of Barbara Johns' brothers, told a state panel in March 2021 that the family has few images of her as a teenager because someone burned the family's home in Prince Edward County to the ground after the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education. Family members say they appreciate other tributes to Barbara Johns, but that they have not always looked like her when the artist depicted a sitting model.

In January, on the day the state panel announced him as the sculptor, Weitzman stressed that he would work in tandem with the Johns family.

"The Johns family won't merely have final approval on what it will look like," Weitzman told Robert Johns. "If you will allow me, you will be making sure that she will look exactly like what you remember."
Mexican national returned to California to face homicide charge

Mexico City, Mexico  A Mexican national wanted in Glen County California for murder has been extradited. On Monday, Antonio L was transferred to the Mexico City International Airport where he was left in the hands of U.S. federal agents.

According to the Attorney General of the Republic (FGR) of Mexico, Antonio L was extradited to the U.S. to face homicide charges after allegedly shooting a woman to death.

The FGR did not provide a timeline as to when the California murder took place, nor did they say when Antonio L was captured. They have only reported that after the murder, he was located and detained in Cotija, Michoacan.
Navy performs medical evacuation of Isla Mujeres resident from island

Isla Mujeres, Q.R.  An elderly woman was transferred off the island of Isla Mujeres to the mainland for emergency medical care. Late Sunday night, Mexican Navy personnel rushed the 73-year-old island resident to the mainland as a medical evacuation.

The Secretary of the Navy made the evacuation after civilian personnel arrived at the emergency area of the Isla Mujeres Naval Hospital bringing with them a 73-year-old female of Mexican nationality who was unconscious and presented a probable cerebrovascular event (stroke), they reported.

Medical attention was provided to revive her. Due to the seriousness of her conditon, Navy personnel deployed a vessel from the Naval Search, Rescue and Maritime Surveillance Station (ENSAR) of Isla Mujeres to carry out the medical evacuation.

The unidentified woman was transferred to Puerto Juarez where an ambulance was waiting for a hospital transfer to Cancun.
Puerto Morelos collects 410 tons of sargassum in July

Puerto Morelos, Q.R.  Puerto Morelos continues their sargassum battle by teaming up with federal authorities for its removal. The municipality is working closely with the Federal Maritime Terrestrial Zone (Zofemat), the Secretary of the Navy (Semar) and the Secretary of Ecology and Environment (SEMA), respectively, to forcefully stop the arrival of sargassum.

Sema head, Gerardo Rosas Garcia, said machinery has been brought in to remove the seaweed that has landed on municipal beaches. He reported that the latest cleanup is part of Zofemats permanent monitoring and daily beach cleaning.

The municipal official indicated that they will attend to the sweeping and collection of sargassum from south to north from The Fives Hotel to Desire Riviera Maya, and from north to south from Bahia Petempich to Crococun.

The municipality is also working with the Puerto Morelos National Reef Park, belonging to the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (Conanp), and the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), for the access and exit of the machinery.

Sargassum vessel Natans collects seaweed off the coast of Puerto Morelos.

Photo: H. Ayuntamiento de Puerto Morelos August 13, 2023.

This year, the arrival of the marine plant has been atypical since it made its appearance since January and at the beginning of the summer it gave us some respite. However, we remain in permanent monitoring and attending to areas where it is making its arrival since the heating of the sea water generates a greater detachment of sargassum according to specialists, he explained.

Gerardo Rosas said that during the first half of the year, 6,220 tons were lifted off the coast of the municipality. January had a landing of 456 tons, February 396, March reached 1,777, April 1,644, May 1,560 and June had a considerable decrease with only 387.

He also commented that in July, the sargassum registered volumes of between 9 and 20 tons per day, which were collected by the beach cleaning staff from both Zofemat and the Municipal Public Services workers.

The seaweed is deposited at a designated site along Routes de los Cenotes.

Photo: H. Ayuntamiento de Puerto Morelos August 13, 2023.

The final accumulated was 410 tons during that month.

He said the approximately 2 kilometers of municipal anti-sargassum barrier is containing a large amount of the sargassum and preventing it from reaching the beaches.

Work with Semars oceanic sargassum collection vessel Natans, and two smaller vessels, are being used to tackle at-sea sargassum with 18 elements. The collected sargassum is being transferred to kilometer 1.5 of Ruta de los Cenotes where the sargassum deposit area is located.
A Roanoke grand jury indicted a man last week on a murder charge for a reported fatal assault that occurred in a downtown apartment foyer last month.

According to court documents, Brian Christopher Salazar, of Roanoke, was arrested Aug. 8 and charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of 65-year-old Paul Henry Wortham, known to his friends as Jay Wright.

Police affidavits read that early July 4, officers found Wortham in the foyer of his apartment building in the 300 block of First Street Southwest. He was bleeding from the back of his head and was taken to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital by EMS personnel.

Officers talked to witnesses and discovered that Wortham and another man had gotten into an argument and the other man punched Wortham, who fell and hit his head, according to the affidavits. The offender left the scene but later returned and talked to detectives, according to the affidavits.

According to court documents, Wortham was taken off life support at the hospital at 6 p.m. July 13, a day before his 66th birthday. The regional medical examiners office has confirmed that his death was caused by complications of blunt injuries to the head.

Salazars next court date is set for Sept. 5, according to Virginias online court case information system.

One of Worthams close friends, Cary Leeth, said that while hes glad a suspect has been arrested, he was mildly surprised to hear that Salazar has been charged with second-degree murder, not manslaughter.

But I obviously dont know what information the authorities have collected, Leeth said Tuesday. Whatever the outcome of the trial, it will not bring this beloved man back. Friends of Jay just want some measure of closure to this tragic death.
This article originally appeared in RVA #40 back in March 2023.

The Camel, just after their three oclock opening time on an unreasonably beautiful weekday in February, is a far cry from 10 oclock on a Saturday night. Inside, it is quiet and simple, the veritable calm before the storm. A few workaholics nurse light beers, typing away on their laptops, while Katy Perry pumps through the lightly used sound system near the bar, and I sit silently to observe the employees I have often seen puttering around for years. In the interest of an all-inclusive understanding, I sit back and allow myself an honest view into how this staple of Richmond culture operates in its downtime.

Tyler, the bartender, serves me a drink and chats with the other customers about the big game happening that weekend. Matt Hanson, one of the employees/owners of The Camel, comes out to hand out the WiFi password to a curious customer. The band for that night, Sutso from Charleston, South Carolina, begins loading in through the side door, and I have a moment to speak amiably with a few members. This is The Camel in its purest form: a down-to-earth venue for local and growing bands that gets them on a stage and close to the people; no barriers between owners, employees, artists, and the public. The Camel, in its current form, seems an immovable object, a stationary institution that is and always was  but of course, that isnt true. What is now The Camel has gone through many changes over the course of its run as Richmonds premier independent music venue, and the story, I would soon come to find out, starts with an incredible man Id never heard of in the year 1995.

The organization that eventually became The Camel originally emerged with the name Fusion Cafe and Gathering Place (FCGP) under the watchful eye of local activist Alan Schintzius. Schintzius had been in Richmond for decades and carved out a niche for himself as a towering countercultural figure. To name just a few of his accomplishments: when Virginia Commonwealth University wanted to expand their Engineering school in 1995, they threatened to tear down the historic Jacob House, a 19th-century Richmond structure built by early abolitionist George Winston and his emancipated apprentices. Schintzius stood in front of a bulldozer in protest. Schintzius was also an organizer in Occupy Richmond, a branch of the global Occupy Wall Street protests, and in 2016, he even ran for mayor, going up against prominent Richmond politicians like Jack Berry, Jon Baliles, and Levary Stonery. Pointed in his direction, I got some time to sit down to chat with Schintzius about his intriguing history and how he poured his heart and soul into one of the most important music venues in the city of Richmond.

Schintzius entered into a long-term lease at 1621 W Broad St in 1995. The building was a former plumbing shop and offices filled with office cubbies and needed serious renovations that would take Schintzius the better part of a decade to finish. The upstairs was being used as a residential space that would, for the early days, be occupied by Schintzius and those transitioning in life who often would barter service to the building in lieu of rent.

Schintzius referred to the original coalescence as, not so much something that was founded, as much as an organizing concept that began in 1995 with the onsite residents working on the eclectic vision. Dreamed up as a community space for gathering to discuss art, politics, and philosophy, live music was not the main focus of the FCGP in the early years. With the gathering room being quite small, there wasnt much room for performance. That, however, didnt stop the FCGP from being a hotbed of local artists of all kinds, featuring events like the Floating Folk Festival. Later, the space would play host to fire performers, circus arts, and myriad other cultural oddities that offered an escape from what Schintzius described as the dungeon-like environment of the late 90s Richmond that continued into the early 2000s. As the millennium approached, Schintzius offered up the building to have an all-day celebration in the gutted space going through renovations. Numerous bands came in and did video shoots, and the FCGP celebrated the millennium by providing a space for young artists to showcase themselves in an environment indicative of Richmonds grunginess  a shockingly poignant representation of what was to come.

At a certain point, it becomes impossible to discuss the history of The Camel without also mentioning the development of WRIR, Richmonds independent, all-volunteer, nonprofit community public radio station. Radio Free Richmond: Back in 2000, the FCC recognized Low Power FM (LPFM) as a new classification of radio stations operating under 100 watts of power, which is the threshold required for commercial stations. Seen as an answer to corporate consolidation in the radio industry, LPFM was championed by activists and progressives who wanted independent broadcasting stations that did not have to answer to large companies. To a countercultural figure like Schintzius, this was all too much to resist.

Throughout the early 2000s, Schintzius gave use of the basement of The Camel to DJs who would broadcast over the internet to advocate for an LPFM in Richmond. In 2004, as the legislation was developing, Schintzius vacated the upper floors of the FCGP to make room for the stations offices as construction permits had cleared, and recruited Jim Bland of Plan 9 Records as a donor and community organizer and Fulbright Scholar Linda Voreland as co-chairs to organize. The three of them put together a committee of 90 local community members to perform various tasks in order to get WRIR developed, and later that year, the station was officially established, and 97.3 WRIR began broadcasting on January 1st, 2005. Schintzius, originally President of the board of WRIR, stepped back after six months to pursue what he called his, real passion, the gathering place of arts and culture downstairs. Schintzius blind devotion to a project that, it appears, he never intended to be a major part of, speaks to the kind of person that he is: someone who will support whoever in whatever as long as they have passion.

Schintzius had a grander vision but was unsure entirely of what that was, and to complicate things, personal distractions had begun to envelop his life. In the last few years, Schintzius had married a woman named Juliana Szijarto, who then partnered with him on the venture and became the organizations business manager. It was during their honeymoon to Turkey where Schintzius was inspired by old-world culture, particularly the lore surrounding the Silk Road and the sharing of arts and culture that happened across multiple continents and civilizations. At the center of the Silk Road mythos was the most prominent use of transportation along the route: camels. Coincidentally enough, Schintzius had cardboard cutouts of a camel sitting in the FGCP before he went on honeymoon, gifted from the Firehouse Theatre. Bringing this inspiration back with him, he decided to rename the business The Camel, and in March of 2007, the venue held its first official show with a young No BS! Brass and Rattlemouth filling the bill. The concerts were a much different sight back then, as No BS! Brass had been booked for a regular monthly engagement, a rare occurrence nowadays, and during those early performances, the local All Saints Theatre Company would put on puppet shows to go along with the band in a bout of mixed-media splendor.

The Camel 1621 W Broad St, Richmond, VA

Cut to today, and The Camel has changed from its foundations as the FCGP. That 3 oclock happy hour is sleepy and far from discussion-orientated. By 5 oclock, half the building closes off so that whatever band is playing that night, or often also that afternoon, can load in, soundcheck, and get ready to entertain a room that holds up to 160 people according to the fire marshal. A geometrically perfect venue, The Camel is split into two distinct sections: the showroom with a stage right hugging the front door, and a bar with the interconnection between the two rooms lying at the foot of the stage.

The Camels basement, which used to play host to those DJs advocating for an LPFM in Richmond, now operates as a keg storage and green room for the artists as they wait to go on stage; a place to store the major products. While the upstairs has turned into a finely polished space, the downstairs has retained the grunginess of the original FCGP. The walls are scuffed with the inerasable bumps of thousands of bands piling their equipment through the cramped space, while every other surface from the staircase to the piping hanging from the ceiling is plastered with stickers advertising everything from long-forgotten bands to local craft brewery companies. With no stage door or backstage whatsoever, The Camel forces bands to walk from the basement and straight down the standing room in order to mount the stage, lending to an atmosphere lacking in pretension and breaking down musician mysticism.

At night, patrons pile through the door in fashionably late style as the opener starts the night off. Peter, the regular doorman, is right inside at the host stand, taking tickets and stamping hands. Bump over to the bar, and youll likely find Taylor or another longtime bartender, Kirty, struggling to hear over the noise but never missing the mark on orders. Turn around, and theres the band, barely 15 feet from the bar. Its easy enough to stay and watch from the side, but the room is easy enough to slip in and out of for a better view, and there isnt a bad one in the place. Patrons finding their ears in need of a break can step outside, as, unlike larger venues, The Camel allows reentry from their patio space open to the air in case you need to breathe in the beautiful Virginia air on a clear night. The front door, plastered with stickers, draws the eye upward to The Camels recognizable sign, sticking out into Broad Street, letting the public know where they are, and making them hear whats going on inside.

The execution may have changed; the vision may have drifted, but Schintzius baby continues to be a hotbed of independent artists and cultural development that just so happens to focus more on music these days. While other venues can be prohibitively expensive, or put up a wall between artist and public, The Camel does none of those things. Rarely costing more than $15 for a night often packed with up to four bands, and showcasing artists of every kind, it is the place to go for music junkies who cant get enough, or those new on the scene who want to get an introduction to what music in Richmond is all about.

Give The Camel a follow HERE

Main photo by Jody Adams
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Email Thomas Elias at tdelias@aol.com. His book, "The Burzynski Breakthrough, The Most Promising Cancer Treatment and the Governments Campaign to Squelch It" is now available in a soft cover fourth edition. For more Elias columns, visit www.californiafocus.net
The classification scheme described above, while helpful, seems to imply that a nebula is constant and unchanging, existing in one state forever. This is not the case. The various bright and dark nebulae actually represent different stages in stellar evolution. Let's examine this evolutionary process to understand how nebulae act as a cradle of star formation.

Dark Nebulae: Seeds Are Planted

We already know that nebulae are low-density clouds. We also know, intuitively, that stars are very dense objects. If a nebula is to act as a birthplace to stars, then its building-block materials -- dust particles and hydrogen and helium gas -- must be pulled together and compressed into a relatively small "ball" of matter. As it turns out, this condensation process occurs in various regions throughout dark nebulae (reflection nebulae, as well, which are really nothing more than dark nebulae that reflect the light of nearby stars).

Gravity is the force that drives condensation. As a ball of dust and gas contracts under its own gravity, it begins to shrink and its core begins collapsing faster and faster. This causes the core to heat up and to rotate. At this stage, the condensed material is called a protostar. One nebula may have many protostars, each of which is destined to be an individual stellar system.

Some protostars have less mass than our sun. They're so small that they can't initiate the thermonuclear reactions so typical of stars. Even still, these objects may glow dimly because the force of gravity causes them to continue shrinking, which releases energy in the process. Astronomers label these objects brown dwarves as a way to describe their small size and relatively insignificant power output.

Other protostars are bigger, many times more massive than our own sun. These large protostars continue to contract, but instead of producing heat through contraction alone, they begin to convert hydrogen into helium in a process known as thermonuclear fusion. At this point, the protostar phase is over and a true star begins to form. Around it's a whirling cloud of residual dust and gas -- the very material that can build, over billions of years, a system of planets and moons.

Emission Nebulae: A Star Is Born

When a protostar becomes a self-radiating object, fueled by its own thermonuclear reactions, it becomes a true star. If it's massive enough, a star can ionize the nebular material, producing an area of fluorescence around it. The dark nebula, now glowing, becomes an emission nebula.

A single emission nebula can be filled with numerous newborn stars. A good example is the Cone Nebula, in Monoceros the Unicorn, an area of active star formation. The Cone Nebula is part of an enormous cloud of hydrogen gas that cradles many brand-new stars, which vary drastically in brightness because many are still cloaked in cloud and dust. The brightest star associated with the Cone Nebula is S Monocerotos.





Courtesy

Courtesy NASA and STScI

Nebulae may also mark the site of a star's demise. On the next page, we'll look at how that can happen.
" " Without these three -- (L to R) Isaac Newton, Johannes Kepler and Galileo on the Astronomers Monument at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles -- where would science be? Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Sir Isaac Newton is considered one of history's great polymaths, having contributed to the fields of mathematics, physics, astronomy, theology, chemistry and biblical history. In some ways, he was a stereotypical genius -- deeply absorbed in his work, sometimes forgetting to eat or teach his classes, disheveled in appearance, hardly sleeping. But Newton was also highly competitive, temperamental and sometimes ruthless. And despite the popular image of him as rationalism personified, Newton was also highly religious and deeply immersed in the studies of myth and alchemy.

Born in 1643, Newton came from a family of moderately successful farmers, although his father, also named Isaac, was illiterate and died before the younger Isaac was born. Consequently, the future scientist had a difficult childhood. Unappreciated by his stepfather, Newton was forced to live with his grandmother until his stepfather died, when he was reunited with his mother.

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Newton never married and had few close friends in a relatively long life. (He died at age 84.) He suffered from his intense devotion to his studies, experiencing more than one nervous breakdown. It took him several years to recover from his first breakdown in 1675, which was followed by the subsequent shock of his mother's death. However, he did inherit a sizable estate from her, allowing him financial independence.

The legendary scientist held many notable positions in his lifetime, among them:

1667 -- Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge

1669 -- Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge (a position now held by Stephen Hawking)

1689 -- Member of Parliament representing Cambridge

1699 -- Master of the Mint

1701 to 1702 -- Member of Parliament for the second time

1703 -- President of the Royal Society of London, the United Kingdom's national academy of science

1705 -- Knighted

His professional life, though, was not without challenges, and he had many critics and competitors throughout his career. Yet despite the controversy he sometimes engendered, by the time he died, Newton was a celebrated scientist and thinker throughout Europe. He died a wealthy man and had a lavish funeral ceremony at Westminster Abbey, where he's buried.

In this article, we'll explore all sides of Isaac Newton -- from his search for the fabled philosophers' stone to his groundbreaking work on calculus and gravitation. We'll look at why he set out to ruin the reputation of one of his peers and how his work changed the very nature of scientific inquiry.
" " Research scientist William A. Mitchell created these iconic products of the Boomer generation. Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images/Keith Homan/Sarah Tee/Shutterstock

Cool Whip. Quick-set Jell-O. Tang. Pop Rocks.

These are the ready-made foods that shaped  and were influenced by  generations of Americans coming of age in the 1960s and 1970s, and they were all invented by William A. Mitchell, a research chemist whose 35-year career coincided with America's midcentury fascination with convenience foods.

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"Bill was the inventor at General Foods, said Marv Rudoph in a recorded interview. The two worked together for six years at the company. "He knew what amplified flavors, what colors to use to make something more attractive. If you had a problem, he was the guy to go to.

"Management tried to promote Bill many times, but he said, 'No, just keep me in my lab. It's what I want to do,'" he added.

Mitchell was awarded more than 70 patents for foods he invented while working at General Foods Corp. from 1941 to 1976, but his success was not a given. He was almost killed in an explosion before he ever had a chance to concoct some of the world's favorite junk foods.
Since Vietnam, the America's all-volunteer military has been engaged in a number of conflicts, from the invasion of Grenada in 1983, to the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Today, 1.4 million people are on active duty and another 850,000 are in the reserves. They are deployed around the world, including facing down North Korea and fighting terrorists in Syria, Iraq and other conflict zones.

From all accounts, the all-volunteer force has worked out well. For one thing, less than 0.5 percent of the population serves in the U.S. armed forces as opposed to 12 percent in World War II. It has also saved taxpayers money. The Pentagon's budget accounts for 20 percent of the government's budget, down from 45 percent during height of Vietnam. Moreover, everybody in the armed services wants to be there. No one is forced to serve.

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The result, Gropman and others say, is a quality army with no rival on the world stage. A 2015 report by Credit Suisse, a multi-national financial firm, bears that out. The company's research institute ranked the United States military as the best in the world, despite the reduction in size and budget. Researchers ranked each nation on six variables, including the number of active personal, aircraft, tanks, attack helicopters, aircraft carriers and submarines. The U.S. far outdistanced the conscripted armies of Russia, Israel, South Korea, Egypt, among others.

" " Soldiers of the 200th Military Police Command conduct physical fitness training at Fort Meade, Maryland, in July 2017. U.S. Army/Sgt. Audrey Hayes

Moreover, while an army of conscripts tend to fall on the edge of the socio-economic spectrum, America's all-volunteer force now reflects a broad spectrum of society. Volunteers with different cultural and economic backgrounds stay in the military longer, allowing for more complex training and creating consistency and cohesion for units. The armed services also have high standards for intelligence, health and behavior, which an army of draftees lacks.

But there are problems. Under the standards set by the military, only 20 percent of Americans are qualified to serve, which makes recruiting hard. During times of conflict there might not be enough soldiers to fight. We saw this during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, when the military had to dip into its reserve and National Guard units to do the bulk of the fighting. Many units did multiple tours.

That's one reason of why some still believe the U.S. would be better off without a volunteer army. Joseph Epstein, a former draftee who served in the Army from 1958 to 1960 told The Atlantic that "a reinstated draft, or compulsory military service, would redistribute the burden of the responsibility for fighting wars, and engage the nation in military conflicts in a more immediate and democratic way. A truly American military, inclusive of all social classes, might cause politicians and voters to be more selective in choosing which battles are worth fighting and at what expense."

Now That's Interesting A 2007 Gallup Poll found that 80 percent of Americans did not think Congress should reinstitute the draft. A 2013 Rasmussen Reports poll yielded the same results. At that time, only 29 percent of all American voters thought the draft should be reinstated.
Fundamental forces are irreducible, meaning they can't be broken down into other, more basic forces. These are the core phenomena behind every other known type of physical interaction. For example, friction, tension and elasticity are all derived from electromagnetism.

And what's that, you ask? Electromagnetism is a force that affects all positively and negatively charged particles. Those with opposite charges attract while the ones carrying "like" charges repel each other. Not only does this principle keep magnets on your fridge, but it's also the reason why solid objects are able to retain their shapes.

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Compared to electromagnetism, gravity is rather weak. Surprisingly enough, it's actually the weakest of the four fundamentals  including the so-called "weak force." (We'll get to that one in a bit.) For now, let's turn to the appropriately-named strong force. This is what holds atomic nucleuses together, even in spite of their charged protons, which are constantly trying to escape.

Last, but not least, there's the weak force (aka: the "weak interaction"). By transforming particles, it facilitates radiometric dating, a process scientists use to determine the ages of fossils and artifacts. Oh, and did you know the weak force powers the sun? Kind of a big deal that.
" " The humble cockroach was used in an experiment where a human controlled a nanobot implanted in its body simply by using thought. SuperStock/Getty Images

If you're a fan of vintage Sci-Fi movies, you may have seen the 1966 thriller Fantastic Voyage, in which a submarine and its crew shrink down to microscopic size, so they can be injected into the bloodstream of a scientist to fix a blood clot in his brain. A half-century later, that premise still seems a bit far-fetched, because we've yet to develop a process for miniaturizing objects, let alone people.

But we probably won't need to shrink ourselves, since scientists have developed nanobotstiny microscopic robots fashioned from DNAthat someday may be able to roam around inside our bodies to perform medical procedures from the inside.

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Humanity took a step forward into that future recently, when Israeli scientists revealed that they've developed a new type of brain-machine interface, which for the first time has allowed a human operator to control a nanobot implanted inside the body of a living creature (in this case a cockroach), simply by using his thoughts.

In an article in the scientific Journal PLOS ONE, they describe the experiments, which involved developing and training a computer algorithm to recognize the brainwave patterns generated by a person performing mental arithmetic. The person wore a device called an EEG cap to transmit brainwaves to the computer software. The EEG cap was connected to an electromagnetic coil, and cockroaches were injected with nanorobots and placed inside the coil.

By thinking about math, the human operator could cause a simple gate inside the nanorobots to open and release a fluorescent-tinted drug inside the cockroaches.

But it's people, not insects, who stand to benefit from drug-transmitting nanobots. The scientists envision that the technology will be used someday to treat mental disorders such as schizophrenia, depression, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism. Instead of giving someone a pill to swallow, psychiatrists could inject them with nanobots that were trained to respond to abnormalities in the person's own brainwave activity.

A tiny wearable device (still in development) would detect EEG activity. So, for instance, the bots would administer a dose of Ritalin if the device determined someone with ADHD was losing concentration. Sachar Arnon, one of the study's co-authors, explained to New Scientist that the technology "could track brain states that underlie ADHD or schizophrenia...It could be modified to suit your needs."

Now, Thats Interesting In a 2015 Huffington Post essay, inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil predicted that nanobots someday would be used to enhance human intelligence.
In one design of the new superconducting device, the diode consists of a ferromagnetic strip (pink) atop a superconducting thin film (grey). The team also identified the key factors behind the resulting current that travels in only one direction with no resistance. Credit: of A. Varambally, Y-S. Hou, and H. Chi.

MIT scientists and their colleagues have created a simple superconducting device that could transfer current through electronic devices much more efficiently than is possible today. As a result, the new diode, a kind of switch, could dramatically cut the amount of energy used in high-power computing systems, a major problem that is estimated to become much worse. Even though it is in the early stages of development, the diode is more than twice as efficient as similar ones reported by others. It could even be integral to emerging quantum computing technologies.

The work, which is reported in the July 13 online issue of Physical Review Letters, is also the subject of a news story in Physics Magazine.

"This paper showcases that the superconducting diode is an entirely solved problem from an engineering perspective," says Philip Moll, director of the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter in Germany. Moll was not involved in the work. "The beauty of [this] work is that [Moodera and colleagues] obtained record efficiencies without even trying [and] their structures are far from optimized yet."

"Our engineering of a superconducting diode effect that is robust and can operate over a wide temperature range in simple systems can potentially open the door for novel technologies," says Jagadeesh Moodera, leader of the current work and a senior research scientist in MIT's Department of Physics. Moodera is also affiliated with the Materials Research Laboratory, the Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory, and the Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC).

The nanoscopic rectangular diodeabout 1,000 times thinner than the diameter of a human hairis easily scalable. Millions could be produced on a single silicon wafer.

Toward a superconducting switch

Diodes, devices that allow current to travel easily in one direction but not in the reverse, are ubiquitous in computing systems. Modern semiconductor computer chips contain billions of diode-like devices known as transistors. However, these devices can get very hot due to electrical resistance, requiring vast amounts of energy to cool the high-power systems in the data centers behind myriad modern technologies, including cloud computing. According to a 2018 news feature in Nature, these systems could use nearly 20 percent of the world's power in 10 years.

As a result, work toward creating diodes made of superconductors has been a hot topic in condensed matter physics. That's because superconductors transmit current with no resistance at all below a certain low temperature (the critical temperature), and are therefore much more efficient than their semiconducting cousins, which have noticeable energy loss in the form of heat.

Until now, however, other approaches to the problem have involved much more complicated physics. "The effect we found is due [in part] to a ubiquitous property of superconductors that can be realized in a very simple, straightforward manner. It just stares you in the face," says Moodera.

Says Moll of the Max Planck Institute, "The work is an important counterpoint to the current fashion to associate superconducting diodes [with] exotic physics, such as finite-momentum pairing states. While in reality, a superconducting diode is a common and widespread phenomenon present in classical materials, as a result of certain broken symmetries."

A somewhat serendipitous discovery

In 2020 Moodera and colleagues observed evidence of an exotic particle pair known as Majorana fermions. These particle pairs could lead to a new family of topological qubits, the building blocks of quantum computers. While pondering approaches to creating superconducting diodes, the team realized that the material platform they developed for the Majorana work might also be applied to the diode problem.

They were right. Using that general platform, they developed different iterations of superconducting diodes, each more efficient than the last. The first, for example, consisted of a nanoscopically thin layer of vanadium, a superconductor, which was patterned into a structure common to electronics (the Hall bar). When they applied a tiny magnetic field comparable to the Earth's magnetic field, they saw the diode effecta giant polarity dependence for current flow.

They then created another diode, this time layering a superconductor with a ferromagnet (a ferromagnetic insulator in their case), a material that produces its own tiny magnetic field. After applying a tiny magnetic field to magnetize the ferromagnet so that it produces its own field, they found an even bigger diode effect that was stable even after the original magnetic field was turned off.

Ubiquitous properties

The team went on to figure out what was happening.

In addition to transmitting current with no resistance, superconductors also have other, less well-known but just as ubiquitous properties. For example, they don't like magnetic fields getting inside. When exposed to a tiny magnetic field, superconductors produce an internal supercurrent that induces its own magnetic flux that cancels the external field, thereby maintaining their superconducting state. This phenomenon, known as the Meissner screening effect, can be thought of as akin to our bodies' immune system releasing antibodies to fight the infection of bacteria and other pathogens. This works, however, only up to some limit. Similarly, superconductors cannot entirely keep out large magnetic fields.

The diodes the team created make use of this universal Meissner screening effect. The tiny magnetic field they appliedeither directly, or through the adjacent ferromagnetic layeractivates the material's screening current mechanism for expelling the external magnetic field and maintaining superconductivity.

The team also found that another key factor in optimizing these superconductor diodes is tiny differences between the two sides, or edges, of the diode devices. These differences "create some sort of asymmetry in the way the magnetic field enters the superconductor," Moodera says.

By engineering their own form of edges on diodes to optimize these differencesfor example, one edge with sawtooth features, while the other edge not intentionally alteredthe team found that they could increase the efficiency from 20 percent to more than 50 percent. This discovery opens the door for devices whose edges could be "tuned" for even higher efficiencies, Moodera says.

In sum, the team discovered that the edge asymmetries within superconducting diodes, the ubiquitous Meissner screening effect found in all superconductors, and a third property of superconductors known as vortex pinning all came together to produce the diode effect.

"It is fascinating to see how inconspicuous yet ubiquitous factors can create a significant effect in observing the diode effect," says Yasen Hou, first author of the paper and a postdoc at the Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory and the PSFC. "What's more exciting is that [this work] provides a straightforward approach with huge potential to further improve the efficiency."

Christoph Strunk is a professor at the University of Regensburg in Germany. Says Strunk, who was not involved in the research, "the present work demonstrates that the supercurrent in simple superconducting strips can become nonreciprocal. Moreover, when combined with a ferromagnetic insulator, the diode effect can even be maintained in the absence of an external magnetic field. The rectification direction can be programmed by the remnant magnetization of the magnetic layer, which may have high potential for future applications. The work is important and appealing both from the basic research and from the applications point of view."

Teenage contributors

Moodera noted that the two researchers who created the engineered edges did so while still in high school during a summer at Moodera's lab. They are Ourania Glezakou-Elbert of Richland, Washington, who will be going to Princeton University this fall, and Amith Varambally of Vestavia Hills, Alabama, who will be entering Caltech.

Says Varambally, "I didn't know what to expect when I set foot in Boston last summer, and certainly never expected to [be] a co-author in a Physical Review Letters paper.

"Every day was exciting, whether I was reading dozens of papers to better understand the diode phenomena, or operating machinery to fabricate new diodes for study, or engaging in conversations with Ourania, Dr. Hou, and Dr. Moodera about our research.

"I am profoundly grateful to Dr. Moodera and Dr. Hou for providing me with the opportunity to work on such a fascinating project, and to Ourania for being a great research partner and friend."

In addition to Moodera and Hou, corresponding authors of the paper are professors Patrick A. Lee of the MIT Department of Physics and Akashdeep Kamra of Autonomous University of Madrid. Other authors from MIT are Liang Fu and Margarita Davydova of the Department of Physics, and Hang Chi, Alessandro Lodesani, and Yingying Wu, all of the Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory and the Plasma Science and Fusion Center. Chi is also affiliated with the U.S. Army CCDC Research Laboratory.

Authors also include Fabrizio Nichele, Markus F. Ritter, and Daniel Z. Haxwell of IBM Research Europe; Stefan Ilicof Materials Physics Center (CFM-MPC); and F. Sebastian Bergeret of CFM-MPC and Donostia International Physics Center.

More information:

Yasen Hou et al, Ubiquitous Superconducting Diode Effect in Superconductor Thin Films, Physical Review Letters (2023). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.027001

Provided by Massachusetts Institute of Technology

This story is republished courtesy of MIT News (web.mit.edu/newsoffice/), a popular site that covers news about MIT research, innovation and teaching.
GREENVILLE, S.C.  As strong economic development successes and population growth power South Carolinas energy needs, Duke Energys goal is to ensure energy reliability for its customers.

To that end, Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress have filed their Integrated Resource Plan with the Public Service Commission of South Carolina.

Over the next 15 years, electric use by Duke Energy customers in the Carolinas is projected to surge by around 35,000 gigawatt-hours  more than the annual electric generation of Delaware, Maine and New Hampshire combined, said Mike Callahan, Duke Energys South Carolina state president. Were preparing for this extraordinary growth in energy demand by prioritizing grid reliability, energy affordability and the deployment of a diverse range of energy options that support the sustainability goals of our South Carolina customers.

The plan includes three energy portfolios presented to the Public Service Commission that provide a range of generation options, reflecting the companies all of the above approach to powering the energy needs of a growing region. The plan recommends Portfolio 3 as the most prudent path forward to comply with South Carolina and other applicable law, as it provides for a reliable, affordable and smart clean energy transition that supports the Palmetto States economic prosperity. In the plan, the company also recommends a near-term action plan based on this most reasonable and prudent plan for South Carolina.

This disciplined plan presents a path to build upon the tremendous economic development activity in our state that will contribute to the long-term vibrancy and prosperity of South Carolina, while leveraging tax incentives and credits and operational efficiencies to help keep costs for the states energy future lower than they would otherwise be, Callahan said.

Benefits

The recommended portfolio accounts for dramatic recent growth in the Carolinas and the accelerating transition to electric transportation by residential and nonresidential customers alike. At the same time, this pathway helps reliably exit coal by 2035, protecting customers from increasing risks and costs as the coal industry declines.

It also makes the most of the companies existing system resources by extending the lives of Duke Energys nuclear plants and extending the license of the Bad Creek pumped hydro storage facility in Oconee County  while doubling the peak hourly capacity of that carbon-free marvel in the mountain. Expanding operations at Bad Creek also provides significant economic benefits of $7.3 billion to South Carolina, as the state benefits from construction and general infrastructure activity by 2033.

Portfolio 3 takes an all of the above approach with a diverse and reliable set of solutions, including new hydrogen-capable natural gas resources, energy storage, small modular nuclear reactors complemented by fuel-free renewable energy, and shrinks the challenges of growth and the transition from coal toward a lower carbon future by expanding the companies industry-leading energy efficiency (EE) and demand response options.

Stakeholder input

Earlier this year, Duke Energy continued engagement with stakeholders to discuss the development of these resource plans, which represent an evolution from prior plans filed with the Public Service Commission and shared with stakeholders. The information gathered throughout the stakeholder process was an important step to informing these plans.

Over the course of four months, the companies held five engagement meetings on technical, complex issues involving resource planning. More than 100 individuals, representing a diverse group of attendees that included customers, environmental advocates, community leaders and other industry representatives, attended these virtual sessions.

We appreciate the significant input we received from everyone that helped inform these plans, Callahan said. Preparing for a successful energy future for South Carolina will take coordination and cooperation among many varied interests, and we look forward to continuing this dialogue on issues that are critically important to our states continued economic prosperity.

The presentation materials and Q&A from these engagement sessions as well as additional documents and links related to the IRP process can be viewed on the IRP website.

Next steps

Todays filing in South Carolina begins a public regulatory process at the Public Service Commission that involves the evaluation of thousands of pages of testimony and data from the company, other parties to the proceeding and customers. A hearing will be scheduled where this information is thoroughly evaluated and ultimately the commission will order a path forward, likely in mid-2024.

The resource plan will also be submitted to the North Carolina Utilities Commission in the coming days, where a similar but separate regulatory process will take place. These plans are checked and adjusted every two to three years with updates filed in both states.
COLUMBIA  State Sen. John Scott, a longtime South Carolina lawmaker who served for more than three decades, died Sunday after a stint in the hospital, according to Democrats across the state. He was 69.

Scott had been at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, since Friday, when he was hospitalized for an undisclosed medical issue, according to Senate officials.

In a statement released by Senate President Thomas Alexander, Scotts family said he passed away peaceably while surrounded by family and close friends.

Scott, a Columbia Democrat, operated a realty company and had been in the Legislature for more than 30 years, serving most recently on the Senates judiciary, medical affairs and penology committees. First elected to the state House in 1990, he won election to the Senate in 2008 and would have been up for reelection next year. He ran unopposed in the 2020 general election.

Marguerite Willis, who selected Scott as her running mate when she unsuccessfully sought the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 2018, told The Associated Press on Sunday that she was with Scotts family in Charleston when he died, and that she and Scott reflected recently on their campaign.

John and I were just talking about this a month ago, Willis said. We were proud of that, and what it said about harmony and diversity and the importance of having both sexes and two races together. It broadened our vision and our experience, and thus our impact.

Willis, who said she hadnt known Scott until they became running mates, said their political affiliation quickly evolved in a close friendship.

He was a superb supporter of women and womens issues, she said. It was sort of an arranged marriage in a weird way: people put us together, and over the last five years, we became brother and sister. He was my friend and my family.

A special election will be held to fill Scotts seat. According to statute, after the Senates presiding officer calls for the election, filing opens on the third Friday after the vacancy, with the election to be held roughly three months later. Gov. Henry McMaster said in statement that Scott will be deeply missed, and the governors office said he would order flags lowered across the state once funeral arrangements were announced.

Scotts impact reverberated Sunday throughout South Carolinas Democratic circles. Christale Spain, elected earlier this year as chair of South Carolinas Democratic Party and one of Scotts constituents, remembered him as someone who used his voice in the General Assembly to fight not only for his district but for all South Carolinians and his lifes work on issues of education, healthcare and economic development will have a lasting impact on our state.

Senate Democratic Leader Brad Hutto remembered Scotts tireless work ethic, his willingness to bridge divides, and his unyielding commitment to the principles of justice and equality.

A giant tree has fallen, former Democratic state Sen. Marlon Kimpson, who served alongside Scott before leaving the chamber earlier this year, said Sunday.

State Sen. Gerald Malloy, D-Darlington, remembered Scott as a numbers man who was always a solid voice particularly on financial and numerical matters in the Legislature, but was even stronger in his faith, serving as a church deacon and often called on to pray at various events.

Johns OK, Malloy told AP on Sunday. Looking back on what he did and his service, the only thing you can really say is that all is well with his soul, and job well done.

Scott became Malloys Senate seat mate after the 2015 death of state Sen. Clementa Pinckney, who was gunned down along with eight parishioners in his downtown Charleston church.

It will be a sad day to see that black drape on that seat, yet again, an emotional Malloy said of the funereal cloth used to mark the seats of lawmakers who die during their terms in office. Its a reminder as to our humanity, and how precious life is.

___

Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP.
 "Exploring the Impact of Remorse on Recommendations for Sentencing Diversion for Defendants With Psychiatric Diagnoses" | Main | Major Cities Chiefs Association reporting all categories of violent crimes down in first half of 2023 

August 15, 2023

Noting Georgia's limits on pardon powers in wake of latest state indictment for former Prez Trump and associates

Thanks to indictment fatigue, I have not yet had much interest in trying to figure out the full sentencing exposure of former Prez Donald Trump or his many co-defendants (AP details here) in the wake of last night's nearly 100-page indictment from Fulton County. But a quick scan of press coverage has led me to already see lots of talk about Georgia's distinctive pardon laws:

From Insider, "Trump would have to serve 5 years in prison before he can be pardoned in Georgia criminal case, expert says"

From MSNBC, "Why Trump cant kill Georgia charges like federal ones"

From Newser, "A Georgia Worry for Trump: Pardon-Proof Charges"

These pieces and others are understandably focused on the apparent inability under Georgia law for former Prez Trump to secure a pardon. But I think it also notable and important that Georgia law also limits the pardon possibilities for Prez Trump's Georgia co-defendants. As in most traditional cases, all the defendants in this new Georgia case will have to deal with the reality that only prosecutors have clear and direct authority to dole out criminal justices breaks.

August 15, 2023 at 09:38 AM | Permalink

Comments

This indictment is so lawless . . . .

If I were any of the defendants, I'd just not show up.

Posted by: federalist | Aug 15, 2023 10:08:40 AM

It appears that the Fulton County Attorney will want to cut plea deals with some of the 18 other defendants named in last night's indictment, presumably without them having to serve the 5-year mandatory minimum sentence for racketeering under Georgia law. This leads me to wonder what other charges the District Attorney might offer cooperating witnesses in plea bargains, to get their testimony against Donald Trump. Presumably these would be charges that could lead to a sentence of probation of much less time than the 5-year minimum for racketeering. The other issue I am concerned about is what kind of deal that the District Attorney might offer Mark Meadows, who is named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Federal D.C. indictment against Trump. Many observers believe that Meadows has cut a deal with Special Counsel Jack Smith to provide critical damaging information and testimony against Trump, in exchange for not being indicted in the Federal case. Can Jack Smith get the Fulton County Attorney to cut Meadows a similar deal, or will she nevertheless wat a guilty plea to a felony, even if the sentence is probated? And do any of the attorney-defendants in the Georgia case stand much of a chance of keeping their law licenses after the legal dust settles? Even if the Fulton County Attorney offers the attorney-defendants plea deals with probation (no prison time), nevertheless, the loss of one's law license is alone a serious punishment. One must wonder how such intellectually accomplished attorneys (including Harvard Law School grads who have clerked for Justices on the U. S. Supreme Court and served as Federal prosecutors and senior DOJ Officials) could have gotten themselves into so much legal trouble. Sometimes in the practice of law, attorneys can get blinded to their legal exposure by identifying too much with their charismatic clients and their client's causes, that they cross legal lines and get indicted. Some attorneys don't grasp the scope of charges of conspiracy and aiding and abetting one's legal client's crimes. In some representations, there comes a point where the attorney should withdraw from representation to protect himself from possible indictment, and to avoid furthering his client's criminal misconduct. Trump has gotten many of his former attorneys into a great deal of trouble, in part because he doesn't follow their advice and he lies to and deceives his defense counsel. Trump is definitely a dangerous client to try to represent.

Posted by: Jim Gormley | Aug 15, 2023 10:19:08 AM

federalist, the hole Mr. Trump is in just keeps getting deeper. The Georgia indictment confirms that he has been and remains a pernicious and malignant force in American politics, right up there with Benedict Arnold, Aaron Burr, and Jefferson Davis. You should reconsider your increasingly futile and pathetic efforts to defend him.

Posted by: anon12 | Aug 15, 2023 10:24:55 AM

Jim Gormley, your remarks about Trump's attorneys are perceptive and insightful. As far as I'm concerned (and I've been practicing law for more than 30 years), each of them is a disgrace to the legal profession and should be disbarred.

Posted by: anon12 | Aug 15, 2023 10:27:23 AM

In the past, there has been talk that Florida Governor Ron Desantis would refuse to permit Florida to extradite Trump to another state, but that doesn't seem to be a realistic idea now. Being a fugitive from Georgia, with a warrant out for his arrest, would probably violate the terms of Trump's pre-trial release in the Federal cases (including in Florida) and in New York. Trump's pre-trial release could be revoked if he fails to appear for arraignment in Atlanta in August 25th, and then the various criminal jurisdictions could fight over which of them gets to actually incarcerate Trump as a pre-trial detainee. I am betting on the Federal Judge in D.C. and the U. S. Marshals; but the D.C. jail is a notoriously horrible place.

Posted by: Jim Gormley | Aug 15, 2023 10:28:48 AM

I particularly feel for Trump's former attorney, Evan Corcoran, to whom a Federal Judge found that the crime-fraud exception to the attorney-client privilege applied. He had to turn over to Federal prosecutors his hand-written notes of client meetings and then he had to testify before the Grand Jury that indicted Trump in Florida. Corcoran has an Ivy League education and previously served for more than 10 years as a Federal prosecutor himself. He is also the son of a former Congressman from Illinois. Corcoran had a pristine reputation, but got into trouble because his client lied to him and used him, to try to keep classified documents that he said he didn't possess. IT IS EXTRAORDINARILY RARE FOR A JUDGE TO FIND THAT THE CRIME-FRAUD EXCEPTION to the attorney-client privilege applies to an attorney's representation of a client, yet it is likely to come up concerning every attorney named in the Fulton Superior Court indictment of Trump and about 6 attorneys, including the former U. S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York (and Mayor of New York City). The crime-fraud exception will be a huge issue in the Georgia case.

Posted by: Jim Gormley | Aug 15, 2023 10:51:00 AM

I have to admire the strategic beauty of the Georgia indictment.

Typically, in a RICO case, the first line of defense is that I am not a member of that organization. E.g., That Gambino crime family really seems like a horrible group of people, but I only know them from showing up at my bar and never had anything to do with their business. But with the corrupt organization here being the presidential campaign, that defense is pretty much out the window.

The second line of defense is that while you are a member of the organization, you had no role in the "corrupt" part of the organization. E.g., Yes, I work at Gambino's pizzeria but I am just a cook. I had no idea that the managers were creating fake invoices to cover up money laundering. But, I have trouble seeing President Trump presenting a defense that he had no control over his campaign.

That leaves the hardest possible line of defense in a RICO case, challenging each and every one of the overt acts and predicate offenses. The prosecution does not have to prove every overt act and predicate offense. They just need to prove some of them. That reverses the usual situation in a criminal trial when the prosecution is having to play whack-a-mole with potential defenses. Here, the defense will have to prepare for each of the alleged overt acts and the prosecution can decide to just pursue whatever 20 or 30 are strongest. By alleging over 150 overt acts, the Fulton County DA has made life really hard for defense counsel.

Additionally, these charges reflect the incompetence of the lawyers in the Trump campaign. While disputes about presidential electors are rare, when they have arisen and it was necessary for the "contingent" electors to meet (to preserve the claims), the attorneys handling those legal cases were very careful to draft the certificate of votes to make clear that the electors were only asserting that they were a slate of elector candidates who would become the electors if the cases succeeded. That language created an easy defense to forgery and impersonation charges. Here, despite having lost every legal challenge to date, the certificates drafted for the electors in Georgia boldly (and falsely asserted) that they were the certified electors. While a judge will have to decide the legal validity of the claim that such conduct is enough to qualify as forgery and impersonation, these charges could have been easily avoided.

Posted by: tmm | Aug 15, 2023 11:00:42 AM

"federalist, the hole Mr. Trump is in just keeps getting deeper. The Georgia indictment confirms that he has been and remains a pernicious and malignant force in American politics, right up there with Benedict Arnold, Aaron Burr, and Jefferson Davis. You should reconsider your increasingly futile and pathetic efforts to defend him."

Perhaps, but being a bad guy ain't a crime. This is a BS case, and everyone knows it. You get to ask elected officials to do things.

tmm, it's called fighting fire with fire.

Posted by: federalist | Aug 15, 2023 11:22:11 AM

federalist, you say "This is a BS case, and everyone knows it." A very Trumpian response." Just who exactly is "everyone"?

Posted by: anon | Aug 15, 2023 1:31:41 PM

anon, my bad, anyone with a brain and intellectual honesty

Posted by: federalist | Aug 15, 2023 1:40:39 PM

"A BS case" because the Republican is the defendant.

"You get to ask elected officials to do things." You don't get to ask (much less coerce) them to violate their sworn oaths. "Look, everyone knows it would be better for the country if a Republican stayed in power, so do whatever you have to to make that happen." Lovely country we live in.



Posted by: Really? | Aug 15, 2023 5:41:50 PM

Anon12

pernicious and malignant force

True, but not illegal.

Id like someone to point out a single count in the indictment that is an illegal act.

Posted by: TarlsQtr | Aug 15, 2023 8:21:40 PM

Jim Gormley --

"It appears that the Fulton County Attorney will want to cut plea deals with some of the 18 other defendants named in last night's indictment, presumably without them having to serve the 5-year mandatory minimum sentence for racketeering under Georgia law. This leads me to wonder what other charges the District Attorney might offer cooperating witnesses in plea bargains, to get their testimony against Donald Trump."

Isn't that exactly the practice defense lawyers have routinely and acidly condemned as the prosecution's "buying" or "coercing" testimony? But all of a sudden the tune changes when it's a defendant they detest.

Goodness gracious, it's enough to give hypocrisy a bad name.

Posted by: Bill Otis | Aug 15, 2023 11:29:51 PM

anon --

You write this (emphasis added): "federalist, you say 'This is a BS case, and everyone knows it.' A very Trumpian response." JUST WHO EXACTLY IS 'EVERYONE'?"

The inquiry about "who exactly is everyone" is made by someone who refuses to give his own name.

You can't make this up.

Posted by: Bill Otis | Aug 15, 2023 11:35:02 PM

Tarls, glad that you agree that Trump is "a pernicious and malignant force" in American politics.

Mr. Otis, do you agree with me and Tarls on this point at least?



Posted by: anon12 | Aug 16, 2023 12:47:25 PM

anon12 --

At least Trump puts his name to what he writes. You might try it too. Doesn't hurt a bit.

Until then, my views about Trump's fitness for office are spelled out in numerous posts on my Substack, "Ringside at the Reckoning."

Posted by: Bill Otis | Aug 16, 2023 1:35:11 PM

Tarls, you agree that Trump is a pernicious and malignant force, but you can't see a criminal act in the indictment. What about Count 5?

"COUNT 5 of41

And the Grand Jurors aforesaid do charge and accuse DONALD JOHN TRUMP with the offense of SOLICITATION OF VIOLATION OF OATH BYPUBLIC OFFICER, O.C.G.A.  16-4-7 & 16-10-1, for the said accused, in the County o Fulton and State of Georgia, on or about the 7th day 0f December2020, unlawfully solicited, requested, and importuned Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives David Ralston, a public ofcer, to engage in conduct constituting the felony offense of Violation of Oath by Public Officer, O.C.G.A.  16-10-1, by calling for a special session of the Georgia General Assembly for the purpose of unlawfully appointing presidential electors from the State of Georgia, in willful and intentional Violation of the terms of the oath of said person as prescribed by law, with intent that said person engage in said conduct, contrary to the laws of said State, the good order, peace and dignity thereof"



Posted by: Anon12 | Aug 17, 2023 12:04:05 AM

Tarls, to add to what Anon12 points out, what about Count 11. It charges Trump and others with conspiring to commit forgery. That's certainly a crime. Whether the government can prove it to a jury BYD is a different question, but the charge is no doubt a crime.



COUNT 11 0f 41

"The Grand Jurors  do charge and accuse DONALD JOHN TRUMP, RUDOLPHWILLIAM LOUIS GIULIANI, JOHN CHARLES EASTMAN, KENNETH JOHN CHESEBRO, RAY STALLINGS SMITH III, ROBERTDAVID CHEELEY, and MICHAEL A. ROMAN with the offense of CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT FORGERY IN THE FIRST DEGREE, O.C.G.A.  16-4-8 & 16-91(b), for the said accused, individually and as persons concerned in the commission of a crime, and together with indicted and unindicted co-conspirators, in the County of Fulton and State of Georgia. unlawfully conspired, with the intent to defraud, to knowingly make a document entitled "CERTIFICATE OF THE VOTES OF THE 2020 ELECTORS FROM GEORGIA," a writing other than a check, in such manner that the writing as made purports to have been made by authority of the duly elected and qualied presidential electors from the State of Georgia, who did not give such authority, and to utter and deliver said document o the Archivist of the United States; And the Defendants named in Count 10, acting as co-conspirators, as described above and incorporated by reference made said document in Fulton County, Georgia, and uttered and delivered said document to the Archivist of the United States in Fulton County, Georgia, which were overt acts to effect the object of the conspiracy, contrary to the laws of said State, the good order, peace and dignity thereof."



Posted by: Emily | Aug 17, 2023 12:19:29 AM

Tarls, Count 17 also charges Trump and others with CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT FORGERY IN THE FIRST DEGREE, O.C.G.A.  16-4-8 & 16-9-1(b) Sounds like a crime to me.

Posted by: Anon12 | Aug 17, 2023 12:24:43 AM

Wow, Anon 12 and Emily are actually making me read the Georgia indictment!! Tarls, I understand your concerns, but they do point out several crimes that Trump is charged with. And I myself just noticed COUNT 28, which I'm sure is the famous "Just find me 11,0000..." one we've heard a million times.

Count 28 charges Trump and Meadows with the crime of soliciting a violation of oath in violation of Oregon Code  16-4-7 & 16-10-1, when they unlawfully solicited, requested, and importuned Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a public ofcer, to engage in conduct constituting the felony offense of Violation of Oath by Public Officer by unlawfully altering, unlawfully adjusting, and otherwise unlawfully inuencing the certied returns for presidential electors for the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Georgia."

Of course Trump has defenses to these charges, but they are indeed charges. In the final analysis, we'll see what a jury of 12 has to say.

Posted by: Dave from Texas | Aug 17, 2023 12:34:39 AM

Dave, you get to ask public officials to do things. Can't bribe them, but you get to ask.

Posted by: federalist | Aug 17, 2023 9:02:38 AM

anon12, are you serious? Forgery just doesn't cover putting together a slate of electors to be certified when everyone knows the relevant facts.

Let's say Trump had made this argument: "Guys, in states where the election rules were changed not by the Legislature but by collusive suits, those results are invalid, and thus we need to toss the 'rat electors and substitute mine." Is it forgery to submit a slate to the SOS? Come on guys.

Posted by: federalist | Aug 18, 2023 12:42:24 PM

https://nypost.com/2023/08/18/white-house-wont-say-if-biden-familys-china-biz-is-security-issue/

Doug, for your edification regarding the relative morality of Trump v. the 'rats.

Posted by: federalist | Aug 18, 2023 4:35:27 PM

federalist, I'm not saying there are no defenses; of course there are. The question was whether the indictment alleged crimes; it certainly does.

Posted by: anon12 | Aug 18, 2023 8:04:16 PM

You get to ask people to do things that they legally can do. If you ask them to commit a crime, then your conduct is not protected by the First Amendment. Supreme Court just reaffirmed that this term.

I am sure that the former president's lawyers will claim that he was simply asking the Georgia Secretary of State to double check the math. But the ask was done after the Secretary of State's role in certifying the election was complete and it certainly can be interpreted as asking for the Secretary of State to falsify the results.

Posted by: tmm | Aug 19, 2023 6:56:52 PM

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A member of security staff gives a thumbs up to refugees arriving from Afghanistan at Heathrow airport in August 2021 (Getty)

Days after the Taliban retook Kabul in August 2021, Abdullah, his heavily-pregnant wife, Zahra, and their two young children went into hiding, locking the door of their house and rationing out the supplies they had left inside.

The couple were well-known targets to the Taliban: they had both worked in prominent positions within the office of the now-former president Ashraf Ghani and had been involved in peace-building charity work. Though the UK government had launched Operation Pitting and the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap), the Ghulam family, who had not worked with or alongside the British government, were ineligible for evacuation through either scheme.

We did not know what will happen to us. We were hoping peace would come to Afghanistan, but now I know this was a dream; it is not a reality any more, Abdullah tells The Independent.

When the Taliban began raiding homes nearby, looting, kidnapping and killing those they deemed infidels, the couple knew they could not wait for assistance: they needed to leave immediately. They can kill, they can put us in a prison, they can harm us, they can do anything they like to us, Abdullah says.

Fleeing over the border to Iran, through Turkey and on to Greece before barrelling northwest, the family was among the first to arrive in northern France following the Taliban takeover. In December 2021, the Ghulam family  by then with two children aged under five, one with a rare form of multiple sclerosis, and a newborn baby  boarded a boat near Dunkirk bound for the UK.

We did not know what will happen to us. We were hoping peace would come to Afghanistan, but now I know this was a dream; it is not a reality any more, Abdullah says.

At the time of their crossing, Afghans were among the top two nationalities, alongside Albanians, who crossed by small boat, with 1,437 Afghans arrivals in 2021, rising sharply to 8,633 arrivals in 2022.

Story continues

By the end of last year, more than 9,000 Afghans were still languishing in hotels across the UK. Among them were the Ghulams, who remained in hotel accommodation in the northwest of England for over a year.

We really suffered there, Zahra says. My children stopped eating for three months and everybody lost weight. We asked the doctor but nobody help us. The food in the hotel lacked nutrition, Zahra says,  typically rice, pizza or pasta  resulting in Zahras breastmilk drying up.

One day, Zahra asked the hotel manager for help arranging transport to the hospital for their child who has a disability requiring regular treatment. A staff member began shouting at her and told her to leave the hotel. When Abdullah heard, he was furious. I was in shock. I asked for CCTV footage because I wanted evidence of the disrespectful behaviour, he says. After this, my wife and children stay in the room for one month without wanting to leave. They did not feel safe any more.

The incident at the hotel saw a deterioration in Abdullahs mental health, resulting in panic attacks, disorientation and insomnia, for which he is now receiving medication. Just a few months before, I was managing hundreds of people and here I was, with the hotel manager behaving like this to my family and in front of other migrant people. It brought me great shame. We had a high standard of living in Afghanistan; now it is very low. This is not what we thought from life in the UK.

Despite claiming asylum over 18 months ago, Abdullah and Zahra, who is once again pregnant, are still waiting for an answer from the Home Office. We provide the documents, everything, and the case is so straightforward but still they dont give us an answer, Zahra says. This is having a negative impact on our unborn baby  at one time, her heart signals werent picked up, we were so scared.

Earlier this year the Ghulam family was moved to dispersal accommodation in an ex-mining village, in the north of England, 50 minutes by bus to the nearest city centre. Finding halal meat has been difficult, and Zahra remains isolated in the house most of the day with her children while Abdullah, desperate to work, has struggled to secure a job.

I cannot find work  this has a big impact on me. When I apply for work, they accept me, but then when they heard I am an asylum seeker, they step back. This makes it harder.

Last month, Cabinet Office minister Johnny Mercer confirmed that Afghans housed in hotels had been served eviction notices, telling parliament the government expects Afghan families to help themselves by finding their own accommodation. Campaigners and opposition frontbenchers warned that the mass evictions could result in hundreds of Afghans left without anywhere to go and destitute this summer, with a fifth of those who have already been turfed out already presenting as homeless to councils, according to the Local Government Association.

Afghan refugees evicted from hotel accommodation are now presenting to councils as homeless, the Local Government Association said (Dominic Lipinski/PA) (PA Archive)

Shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock said: Yet more poor planning from the Home Office has left Afghans on a cliff edge, causing enormous stress to vulnerable families while putting huge pressure on local authorities who are now having to scrabble around to find private accommodation at short notice. Its not good enough and this chaotic Conservative government should be ashamed.

Mr Kinnock described the governments record on resettlement as an unforgivable failure. The latest Home Office figures show that, while 12,694 individuals have been granted leave to remain under Arap and a second Afghan scheme, the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme, only 14 of these grants were for ACRS Pathway 3, which includes former Afghan interpreters and security guards.

A Home Office spokesperson said: We remain committed to providing protection to vulnerable and at-risk people fleeing Afghanistan and so far we have brought around 24,500 people impacted by the situation back to the UK. More broadly, between 2015 and 2022, we have offered a place to almost half a million people seeking safety through our safe and legal humanitarian routes. Those in need of protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach, which is often close to the region or in a neighbouring country.

Abdullah and Zahra are now looking to the future, hopeful they can settle, and waiting desperately for news from the Home Office. Living in uncertainty is very stressful, very painful, Abdullah says. We want only to live here in peace, to have an answer for our future.
Migrant workers in essential services wearing safety vests cross a street at Orchard Road, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Singapore, May 27, 2020. REUTERS/Edgar Su

(Bloomberg)  Singapores declining birth rate and its aging population require a sustained yet well calibrated influx of migrant workers, according to Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

If we are not able to bring in immigrants to top up the population then we are in structural decline, and eventually the population will decline, the workforce will decline and Singapore will decline, Wong said at the Reinventing Destiny conference in Singapore on Monday.

At the same time, Wong said Singapore is controlling the number of immigrants who will be allowed to work and that the number isnt limitless nor excessive. At the end of the day, the numbers are constrained by how much we are able to integrate the new arrivals and how the migrants embrace our values and way of life.

As a small, open economy, Singapore relies on foreign workers to help meet its labor needs. Yet immigration rules have tightened in recent years as the government needs to strike a balance between protecting local jobs as well as ensuring that it has enough resources to meet the demands of an increasing migrant population amid slowing economic growth.

We will not have the ability to integrate all of them into our society, he said. A small proportion will come in as permanent residents and its gated, its regulated. And we want to make sure that those who come in as permanent residents and eventually citizens are the ones who have the best chance to integrate into our society.

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
The wildfires that have devastated Hawaii in the past week now officially constitute the worst natural disaster of its type that America has seen in a century, its death toll now at 96, surpassing the number of people killed in Californias notorious Camp Fire of summer 2018.

Tens of thousands of residents and tourists had to flee the Big Island and Maui after the blazes that erupted on Tuesday 8 August, fanned by high-speed winds from Hurricane Dora, laid waste to the historic town of Lahaina and many other locations, in some cases forcing people to retreat into the ocean to escape the flames.

Hawaiis governor Josh Green has estimated that the island chain will require billions of dollars of investment to recover from the disaster, with the US Civil Air Patrol and the Maui Fire Department reporting that hundreds of residences and businesses have been damaged or destroyed.

Mr Green has thanked President Joe Biden and the Federal Emergency Management Agency for its support so far but it is clear the recovery effort will have to be considerable to restore the tropical paradise to its former glory and ensure it is better safeguarded against calamity in future.

Right now, the emphasis of the response remains on putting out the fires and ensuring the safety of the public, a goal complicated by stories of lootings and armed robberies taking place amid the breakdown of law and order.

However, once the crisis is contained and a degree of normality restored, Hawaiian officials could face tough questions about the extent of the islands preparedness for the situation that unfolded.

Specifically, the public will expect answers on why its alert system failed, why expert warnings were ignored and whether domestic electricity providers played any role in the disaster.

Silent alarms

Maui is understood to have 80 outdoor sirens in place to warn locals of imminent tsunamis or other natural disasters  which are tested monthly, according to the BBC  but not one of them sounded as the brush fires broke out, officials have since confirmed.

Story continues

Residents of Lahaina were initially concerned when they woke up without power on Tuesday morning but were reassured when Maui County reported at around 9.55am that wildfires raging nearby had been 100 per cent contained, only for the blazes to be whipped up by the winds again that afternoon without further warning.

Some locals subsequently told the media they had received phone alerts but it is possible the earlier blackout played a role in limiting the dissemination of messages further afield. In many cases, it was only the smoke alarms in private buildings that notified them of the need to evacuate, leading to a panicked exodus that might perhaps have been avoided.

Mr Green announced on Friday that the states attorney general, Anne Lopez, would be launching an investigation into Mauis emergency response policies to try to determine what went wrong.

He has largely preferred to avoid blaming human error, however, saying in a statement issued on Sunday: That fire travelled one mile every minute, resulting in this tragedy. A fire hurricane, something new to us in this age of global warming, was the ultimate reason that so many people perished.

Destroyed homes and cars in Lahaina, Hawaii (AP)

Announcing her inquiry, Ms Lopez said: My department is committed to understanding the decisions that were made before and during the wildfires and to sharing with the public the results of this review.

As we continue to support all aspects of the ongoing relief effort, now is the time to begin this process of understanding.

Hawaii Democratic senator Mazie Hirono, addressing the matter during an appearance on CNNs Jake Tapper Sunday over the weekend, said: I am not going to make any excuses for this tragedy.

But the attorney general has launched a review of what happened with those sirens and some of the other actions that were taken.

Expert warnings ignored

Historically, Hawaii has rarely been afflicted with wildfires and, when they have occurred, they were most commonly ignited by volcanic eruptions or lightning strikes.

But University of Hawaii professor Clay Trauernicht, for one, had been warning of the growing dangers posed by brush fires since at least 2014, noting that the area of the state burned annually has quadrupled in recent decades.

Professor Trauernicht attributed the increase to the invasion of non-native dry vegetation, which has been allowed to colonise former agricultural lands and deforested spaces, turning them into grassland savannas that serve as ideal kindling, particularly in periods of drought.

He has called the present crisis the inevitable outcome of benign neglect.

His warnings were previously validated when Hawaii suffered deadly wildfires fanned by Hurricane Lane in August 2018 and again in 2019.

Linemen repairing damaged elecricity wires in Lahaina (AP)

In the aftermath of those developments, a Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HIEMA) risk assessment report from 2021 duly noted that: Fires occurring as a result of and concurrent with another major threat or disaster, such as a hurricane, are particularly challenging.

That same year, a Maui County report on wildfire prevention recommended an aggressive plan to replace the dangerous grass while also condemning the extent of funding available as inadequate and finding that the absence of any advice on what can and should be done in its fire departments strategic plan amounted to a significant oversight.

Despite all that, there remains no specific advice for how the public should respond to wildfires on the HIEMA website, although it does concede their growing frequency.

The agencys latest report from 2022, meanwhile, rates the risk posed by fires compared to other forms of natural disaster as low.

Among those making the official counter-argument against accusations of negligence so far has been Hawaii lieutenant-governor Sylvia Luke, who observed: When we are preparing for the hurricane, we expect rain, sometimes we expect floods. We never anticipated that in this state that a hurricane, which did not make an impact on our islands, would cause this type of wildfires.

Downed power lines to blame?

Another local institution facing criticism over the disaster is Hawaiian Electric  which supplies 95 per cent of the states electricity  which is the subject of a class-action lawsuit brought by three law firms alleging that downed power lines played a role in the inferno on Maui.

The complaint, obtained by Spectrum News, claims that the utility inexcusably kept their power lines energised during forecasted high fire danger conditions.

It argues that the National Weather Service warned on Friday 4 August that Hawaii could experience indirect impacts from Hurricane Dora, including strong and gusty trade winds and dry weather and high fire danger, issuing a red flag warning that Hawaii Electric, it is alleged, neglected to react to.

A Hawaiian Electric spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit in a statement, saying that the company does not discuss pending litigation as a policy.

Our immediate focus is on supporting emergency response efforts on Maui and restoring power for our customers and communities as quickly as possible, they said.

At this early stage, the cause of the fire has not been determined and we will work with the state and county as they conduct their review.
DES MOINES  Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird has appointed a former top lawyer at the Texas attorney generals office, who has led several lawsuits against the Biden administration, to be her new chief deputy.

Bird named Leif Olson as the new chief deputy attorney general. He will replace outgoing Chief Deputy Attorney General Sam Langholz, who last week was appointed as a judge on the Iowa Court of Appeals by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds.

We are so glad to welcome Leif Olson to this new role on our team, Bird, a Republican, said in a press release Monday. Leif has proven leadership skills, a dedication to public service and track record of success. I know he will be a valuable addition to our office. As chief deputy, Leif will play a critical role in our work to support victims, hold the Biden Administration accountable and protect the rights of all Iowans.

Olson currently leads the Iowa attorney general offices Farm Division, a post he was hired to very recently, Bird's spokesperson Alyssa Brouillet said. When Langholz left the office, Olson was promoted to the chief deputy position.

Olson's resignation letter from the Texas office lists Aug. 1 as his final day, but Brouillet did not immediately provide the date he began working in Bird's office.

At the Texas attorney generals office, Olson was chief of the Special Litigation Division.

Attorney General Bird has been a strong advocate for working with law enforcement and upholding the rule of law, said Olson. I was honored to be asked to join her team, and Im grateful for the opportunity to serve in an office that fights such important battles with so much enthusiasm. Im excited to get to work for the people of Iowa.

The chief deputy attorney general is responsible for overseeing the work of the offices several divisions, reviewing major cases and advising the attorney general.

Olson is coming from the office of suspended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has been embroiled in a series of corruption allegations and criminal investigations. Paxton was impeached by the Texas House of Representatives in May for alleged misconduct, and is suspended from office while he awaits trial in the Senate. Angela Colmenero was named acting attorney general in July.

Olson has led several lawsuits against President Joe Bidens administration in his role with the office, including challenges to the presidents immigration policies, ESG investing and a federal appropriations bill. Bird has made suing the Biden administration a key priority of her office. She recently sued the EPA over its delay in implementing rules to allow the sale of E-15 year-round.

When the rights of everyday citizens were endangered, Leif led with brilliant expertise and relentless, innovative problem-solving, Texas First Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster said in a press release on Monday.

Before joining the Texas office, Olson was a senior policy advisor in the U.S. Department of Labor under President Donald Trump. He clerked for a U.S. district judge and was in private practice for 15 years, Bird's office said.

Olson briefly resigned, then was reinstated, from his Labor Division post in 2019 after a satirical Facebook post was misinterpreted as anti-Semitic in a Bloomberg Law article. The site later retracted the article.
Welcome to your personal oasis in a secluded Morningside neighborhood. If you`re looking for a spacious home with all of the amenities, look no further. Through the front door, in the foyer, you`ll notice the tall ceilings, and new luxury vinyl plank flooring that flows throughout the main level (and feel the cool air from the new HVAC~ installed in March 2023). Hosting dinners will be a breeze, with a nicely updated kitchen featuring cherry oak cabinets and solid surface countertops, with plenty of options to gather~ whether it be in the formal dining room, at the breakfast bar, or in dining area off the kitchen. A split bedroom layout is sure to please, with two bedrooms and a full bath on one side of the house, and the master suite you`ve dreamed of on the other side of the home. The spacious master features a spa~like bathroom, with a jacuzzi tub, walk~in tile shower with dual shower heads, double vanity, and separate toilet area, along with a 7`x11` walk~in closet. When you`re done with your dinner party, you can head down to the finished basement and gather in the huge family room, featuring a wet bar. Down the hall, you`ll find the another spacious bedroom, and a 3/4 bathroom, along with a 15x21 storage room. The laundry/craft room is in the basement as well~ with tons of cabinet/storage space. While the inside of this home is sure to please~ the real treat is the secluded backyard. Enjoy your time in the heated pool (liner and heater new in 2022), on the huge multi~level deck, or playing in the fully fenced~in yard...

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HINTON, Iowa  Three juveniles were arrested Monday in Plymouth County after leading police on a pursuit.

The Plymouth County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that two 14-year-old boys and a 15-year-old boy were charged with of possession of stolen property in excess of $10,000, a class C felony, as well as possession of marijuana with intent to deliver and failure to affix a drug tax stamp, both class D felonies, and interference with official acts, a simple misdemeanor. The driver was also charged with eluding with speeds 25 miles per hour over the posted limit.

According to the statement, on Monday, the Buena Vista County Sheriff's Office requested the assistance of the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office in searching for a stolen vehicle.

At approximately 11:58 a.m., a Plymouth County deputy located the vehicle in question on C60, just east of Hinton. The deputy and the Hinton Police Chief attempted to make a traffic stop on this vehicle in the city limits of Hinton. The vehicle initially stopped but then fled the scene, according to the statement.

A pursuit ensued ultimately ending when the vehicle entered a cul-de-sac in Hinton. At that time all three occupants fled the vehicle on foot. After a short foot chase, two of the three subjects were taken into custody. The third subject was located and taken into custody about 30 minutes later, according to the statement.

All three subjects were initially taken to the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office for processing and then to the YES Center in Cherokee.

The Plymouth County Sheriff's Office was assisted by the Hinton Police Department, Plymouth County Conservation, the Iowa State Patrol and Iowa DNR law enforcement.
MITCHELLVILLE, Iowa  A Sioux City woman serving a 10-year prison sentence for shooting her son died Saturday at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women in Mitchellville.

The Iowa Department of Corrections said in a news release that Georgia Grau, 60, died of an unexpected medical emergency. Foul play was not suspected, and an autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death.

Grau pleaded guilty in Woodbury County District Court to willful injury and reckless use of a firearm for the June 5, 2020, shooting of her son in the abdomen and upper arm inside their Morningside home. Attempted murder and other charges were dismissed. She was sentenced to prison in January 2021.
SIOUX CITY  Sioux City School Board Member Bernie Scolaro will not run for a school board term of her own in November.

Scolaro, who served as a school counselor at West High for 21 years and retired in May 2021, was selected in August 2022 to fill a seat vacated by Juli Albert. Albert resigned for personal reasons.

Scolaro announced she will not run for a full term during the regular school board meeting Monday.

Although Im looking to have more flexibility in the future to travel and spend more time with my 94-year-old father in New York, please know that I still hope to continue contributing to this community and being a voice for those who need one, she said.

Scolaro applied for the temporary position in August 2022 and was selected by the board to fulfil Albert's remaining term.

It has been an honor to serve the students, faculty and staff, the administration and the community since my appointment a year ago, Scolaro said. Im proud of the work that we as a board have done collectively under President Greenwells leadership.

Sioux City Community School District Board of Education Bernie Scolaro Bernie Scolaro, Sioux City Board of Education director, speaks during the Sioux City Community School District's board meeting Monday, Nov. 14, 2022.

She said she applied for the open seat because of her passion for serving students and teachers.

A few areas of concern she outlined when interviewing for the position included the teacher shortage, the state-level "attack" on public education, mental health, safety, diversity and continuing to address the concerns of students, parents and teachers.

School Board President Dan Greenwell said Scolaro asked wonderful questions when she became a board member and said it was a privilege and pleasure to work with her.

At this point, five of the seven school board seats will be up for election this year, including the seats held by Board President Dan Greenwell, Taylor Goodvin, Monique Scarlett, Scolaro and the seat vacated by Perla Alarcon-Flory, which was filled by Philip Hamman last month. Scarlett has also announced she won't run for re-election.

Scolaro said those interested in running for school board should attend school board meetings and need to know the local issues, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the district.

Be willing to challenge yourself, the district, the rest of the board, when making decisions for the good of the students, staff and the community, she said.

The ballot will have two term-length options for candidates; no one can run for both. Candidates can either run for one of the four available, four-year terms, or the one available, two-year term, which is the remainder of Alarcon-Flory's term.

Petitions to have your name placed on the ballot are due by Sept. 21. The election will take place on Nov. 2.
SIOUX CITY  Sioux City father Chad Krastel claims individuals within the Sioux City School District administration retaliated against and took part in reporting him to the FBI for domestic terrorism after he spoke out against the board.

Chad Krastel 2 Sioux City father Chad Krastel in front of the Sioux City Community School District Educational Service Center on Tuesday, Aug. 15.

The conversation resulted in conflict between school board members Monique Scarlett and Dan Greenwell, which halted the school board meeting on Monday for a short time.

Krastel read a letter during the public comment session at Mondays regular school board meeting outlining the situation. He said former Sioux City Superintendent Paul Gausman, former board member Perla Alarcon-Flory and Scarlett colluded to report him to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, along with Sioux City Police Chief Rex Mueller and Mayor Bob Scott.

For simply standing up for [my] daughters, and because I had the audacity to speak out against the mask mandates, he said during the meeting on Monday.

Individuals named by Krastel have stated they have no involvement with reporting him to the FBI.

Krastel has been outspoken at school board meetings in recent years after reporting his 4-year-old daughter was assaulted by a 6-year-old girl at the Beyond the Bell program at Leeds Elementary School in 2020. Krastel frequently criticized the districts handling of the incident and spoke at multiple school board meetings about it, as well as on other issues.

On Monday, Krastel spoke to the board about what he called retaliation and harassment that he has received since. Krastel said he never threatened any school board member, teacher or employee.

Because I had to address things at the school board level, a target was placed on my family, he said. Enduring the unjust expulsion of my daughters service animals, then leaving my disabled daughter at the top of stairs during morning rush, the constant harassment of my family, the harassment by the polices school resource officers, the mistreatment by school administration, the list goes on and on.

Chad Krastel 3 Sioux City father Chad Krastel in front of the Sioux City Community School District Educational Service Center on Tuesday, Aug. 15.

He said he asked the City of Sioux City for help as well as the Sioux City Police Department, but said they joined the fight against us.

They began sending police officers to school board meetings to intimidate me, Krastel said.

Mueller said the department does not allow nor endorse police officers attending meetings to intimidate people. He said sometimes there are requests for officers to attend public meetings, such as city council or previously contentious meetings regarding mask mandates.

"We would never deploy police officers in an effort to intimidate any attendees at public meetings, that's simply not how we do business," he said.

Mueller said at no point did the Sioux City Police Department report Krastel to the FBI.

"At no point has the Sioux City Police Department ever reported Mr. Krastel to the FBI as a suspect in any crime nor have we ever attempted to label him as a domestic terrorist," he said.

Scott told the Journal he has never spoken to the FBI and had no idea of the situation.

"I had nothing to do with that," he said.

Krastel said in November 2020 he was contacted by an FBI special agent; this, he said, was the result of the public officials reporting him to the FBIs domestic terrorism unit.

By the end, it was clear I was no threat, and it was more likely that there was public corruption afoot, he said.

Krastel said this situation felt heinous to him, especially as an Army veteran. He said he received a Good Conduct Service medal after three years in the Army, meaning he never got in trouble in his career.

I earned my Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal; I know what a real terrorist is. I love my country. I love my countrymen. I would never, and will never, condone or participate in domestic terrorism, he said.

Scarlett asked Krastel if he felt his communications with board members "came across very threatening." Krastel said no.

Chad Krastel 5 Sioux City father Chad Krastel in front of the Sioux City Community School District Educational Service Center on Tuesday, Aug. 15.

Greenwell, Scarlett spar

School Board President Dan Greenwell said Krastel approached him two months ago, asking if the board reported him to the FBI. At the time, Greenwell said, the board had not discussed it and therefore did not know it had occurred.

He was targeted and categorized as a domestic terrorist by former board leadership and the former administration, Greenwell said. I too have been targeted with false allegations and smear campaigns, which all have been proven false and without merit.

Scarlett repeatedly interrupted him, stating he was out of order and asked Mayor Pro Tem Dan Moore, who is also the school board's legal counsel, to intervene.

Tonight Mr. Krastel identified a horrible event that reinforces the retribution mantra that many folks have experienced and speak about, Greenwell said.

Greenwell said he had four specific examples that detail this claim, including reporting Krastel to the FBI and a claim that one or more board members had leaked the contents of a closed session to Gausman.

Greenwell did not get a chance to outline the two other examples, as he was interrupted by Scarlett, who said her name was mentioned and that the statement was out of order.

No, you are out of order, madam, Greenwell responded before the two began speaking over each other. Board Member Jan George asked the board to recess.

The board unanimously voted to pause the meeting and went into the closed session room, where yelling could be heard from outside. Board members Taylor Goodvin, Phillip Hamman, Bernie Scolaro and Bob Michaelson did not enter the closed session room and, as such, the conversation did not violate open meeting laws.

The board reconvened after roughly seven minutes. Greenwell did not conclude his comments. George apologized to the public for the situation.

Speaking for myself and several of the board members, this is not us, he said.

Targeting citizens is not us, either, Greenwell responded.

This was not the first public clash between Scarlett and Greenwell. In May 2022, Scarlett and Alarcon-Flory express concern regarding the process for picking an interim Sioux City public schools superintendent, saying it was not transparent or accountable.

At the time, Greenwell disagreed, stating it was an intentional effort to be divisive or gain some type of attention without merit or substance. Scarlett took issue with the tone of Greenwells remarks at the public meeting, which resulted in a verbal spar between the two.

Chad Krastel 1 Sioux City father Chad Krastel in front of the Sioux City Community School District Educational Service Center on Tuesday, Aug. 15.

Government agencies worried about threats

In September 2021, The National School Boards Association released a statement outlining threats school officials have faced, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter, which the association has since recalled, asked for help from the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Secret Service and its National Threat Assessment Center.

As these acts of malice, violence, and threats against public school officials have increased, the classification of these heinous actions could be the equivalent to a form of domestic terrorism and hate crimes, according to the letter.

In October 2021, the U.S. Justice Department announced a series of efforts to address threats of violence against school board members, teachers and employees of public schools, citing an increase in harassment and threats against the groups. People were encouraged to report threats of violence to school officials to the FBIs National Threat Operations Center.

The Department takes these incidents seriously and is committed to using its authority and resources to discourage these threats, identify when they occur, and prosecute them when appropriate, said U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in a memo.

In February of this year, the House Judiciary Committee claimed the FBI misused counterterrorism resources to target parents at school board meetings. The committee claimed the White House worked with the National School Boards Associations to use federal law enforcement against parents.

Krastel said the FBI agent who spoke to him testified to the U.S. Congress about investigating parents who spoke out at school board meetings.

Greenwell said the district regrets what happened to Krastel and said it is unfortunate that a parent was turned in to the FBI due to utilizing their right to speak.
SIOUX CITY  Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott said the company that owns Memorial Park Cemetery has heard citizens' concerns and is working to address them.

"I'm not going to promise our citizens it's something that's going to change completely overnight," said Scott who, along with City Manager Bob Padmore, recently met with a representative from Everstory Partners in Sioux City.

During the council's meeting on May 22, Scott said the condition of the cemetery is the "single largest complaint" he has received over the past three months.

Numerous citizens have lodged complaints with city officials about the deteriorating condition of the cemetery on Sioux City's east side. They have also called The Journal and signed a petition entitled "Save Memorial Park Cemetery" on change.org. The petition, which was created on May 23, cites potholed roads, neglected lawns, deactivated water spigots, as well as rotting signage, trees and the Tower of Legends landmark, as ongoing problems at the cemetery. The petition had garnered more than 2,500 signatures as of Monday evening.

"It's not an excuse, but part of their problem is most of their cemeteries are Indiana and east. If you look at their map, they don't have anybody they can draw on," Scott said of Everstory Partners during the council comments portion of Monday's City Council meeting. The Bensalem, Pennsylvania-headquartered company serves more than 50,000 families in the United States and Puerto Rico annually through its 389 cemetery, funeral and cremation locations.

Scott said he felt the company representative understood citizens' concerns and promised that Everstory Partners would work on weed control and other issues at the cemetery.

"They are patching some of the holes out there. Some of them already washed out. They're going to continue to work on that," Scott said. "I drove by today, because I happened to be out there. They were doing some maintenance out there."

Memorial Park was founded in 1936. A corporation headed by F.K. Lytle and J.M. Gunnell purchased 40-acres on Old Highway 141 for the cemetery, according to a story published in The Journal on Sept. 28, 1947.

StoneMor Inc., which rebranded as Everstory Partners in April, acquired the cemetery from Service Corporation International in 2007.
SIOUX CITY  A regulatory roadblock stalled Pedal Party Pub for months, but, now, Sioux City's only party bike is once again rolling down the street.

On a recent Friday night, 13 riders sat on bicycle seats running the length of both sides of the mobile bar, which was illuminated by green fluorescent lighting under the roof. They placed their drinks in cupholders, buckled their seat belts and put their feet on the pedals.

"Are we ready?" co-owner Scott Bieler, yelled from the bike's driver's seat in the middle of the bar. Kevin Lake, Bieler's business partner, was beside him serving as the host for the night.

The group let out a thunderous cheer as the bike left an alley beside Blue Ribbon Tap and turned onto Pearl Street.

Lake and Bieler decided to bring a party bike to the city, after hearing about similar bikes in Omaha, Sioux Falls and Lincoln.

"He brought it up one day and I was like, 'I don't know,'" Bieler recalled of Lake. "And, then, I happened to see one in Omaha. I just saw the people on it having a great time."

Pedal Party Pub Scott Bieler drives Pedal Party Pub. Fellow co-owner Kevin Lake is behind him, as they ride down Fourth Street.

The perfect place

Bieler and Lake thought downtown Sioux City would be the "perfect place" for such a unique attraction, with a variety of "great establishments" and relatively flat streets in the Fourth Street Historic District. Party bikes are powered by passengers who pedal. Pedal Party Pub's employees act as drivers and hosts during two-hour bookings. Riders, who must be 21, bring their own beer and wine coolers on board.

Bieler and Lake purchased their party bike in Raleigh, North Carolina. The bike can move with just eight people pedaling, according to Bieler. It has a vehicle identification number and is equipped with an electric motor, which helps the bike get moving after being stopped at a traffic signal. The motor also assists when the bike travels uphill.

"I think our downtown is second to none. We picked a great place, except for the trouble we've had with the city," Bieler said. "We're very confused why this struggle had to be there, to this day. There was no sense in it. There's no reason why this permit should have been so hard to get."

Pedal Party Pub Scott Bieler drives Pedal Party Pub. Fellow co-owner Kevin Lake is behind him, as they ride down Fourth Street.

Certificate conundrum

Last year, Pedal Party Pub was ticketed by Sioux City police for not having a vehicle for hire company certificate.

Taxicabs, limousines, modified transport vehicles, and trolley or party buses are required to have a vehicle for hire certificate in order to legally operate in the city.

According an Iowa Department of Transportation intrastate manual, a for-hire motor carrier is a person or business that provides transportation of persons or property in exchange for any form of compensation or payment.

The IDOT mandates that for-hire motor carriers of passengers with a seating capacity of 15 passengers or less, including the driver, carry at least a $1.5 million insurance policy.

"This permit has been in place in Sioux City since 2016," Bieler said. "So no party bus company, no limousine company, nobody, with the exception of the cab companies, has ever been forced to get this permit until we came along and were trying to get it."

According to Woodbury County District Court filings, Bieler and Lake were cited for operating without a vehicle for hire company certificate at 8 p.m. on Oct. 15, 2022 at Fourth and Pearl streets. The matter was dismissed by the court at the city's cost on Nov. 15, 2022.

"We found out last year, say, on a Monday, we got an email saying we had to have a permit. We did a ride on that Saturday, and we were ticketed for not having our permit. So, we weren't even given time to get the permit," Bieler said.

Pedal Party Pub Pedal Party Pub, Sioux City's only party bike, takes a spin down Fourth Street.

During a June 12, 2023, City Council meeting, Bieler and Lake told council members the bike was covered under a $1 million insurance policy and alcohol was not being consumed on it when it was operating in Sioux City in 2022. But they wished to allow their customers to bring limited alcoholic beverages on board in the future.

Deputy City Clerk Heidi Farrens said Wednesday that Ya Heard LLC, Action Taxi and Limo Inc., Pedal Party Pub LLC, Siouxland Taxi, and Taxi Express LLC are the only entities that currently hold vehicle for hire company certificates in the city.

Farrens confirmed that Ya Heard LLC, a company that offers event party bus tours, was first issued a vehicle for hire company certificate on Nov. 18, 2022, which was after Sioux City police cited Pedal Party Pub for violating city code.

'A little skittish'

The city couldn't proceed with issuing Pedal Party Pub a certificate until it provided proof of the necessary insurance to the city, according to City Attorney Nicole DuBois.

But Pedal Party Pub couldn't find an insurer willing to write a policy for a party bike for exactly $1.5 million. In fact, Bieler said insurance companies "don't offer 0.5 anything."

"Insurance companies were having a hard time saying yes to a $2 million policy for a party bike that goes seven miles per hour down a city street," said Bieler, who noted that Pedal Party Pub is all about safety. In addition to seatbelts, Bieler said riders are offered helmets. There is a handrail for them hold onto, the number of drinks they can consume on the bike is limited and they are required to leave their alcohol on the bike when it stops at a restaurant or bar.

Bieler again went before the council on June 19 in hopes that council members could alter laws or issue some type of waiver to allow Pedal Party Pub to operate in the city with alcohol on board. Siouxland Chamber of Commerce President Chris McGowan even spoke on Pedal Party Pub's behalf.

McGowan told the council that the private sector's chief complaint is "how difficult the bureaucracy is."

"We need to do better. We need to try harder," McGowan said during the June 19 council meeting. "If this applies to this business, then it needs to apply equally to every single other similarly situated business, and you know it does not. To me, that is targeting."

At that meeting, DuBois said the council could consider doing away with the vehicle for hire chapter of Sioux City Code, which would result in the city not regulating taxis or buses any longer. However, she said that wouldn't affect the insurance requirement under state code.

Pedal Party Pub Pedal Party Pub hit some snags in the approval process before it was allowed to proceed in Sioux City.

Pedal Party Pub Scott Bieler is the driver and co-owner of Pedal Party Pub, Sioux City's only party bike. Fellow co-owner Kevin Lake is behind him, serving as

Ultimately, the council didn't pursue the possibility of making changes to the code, and Bieler and Lake ended up securing a $2 million insurance policy in order to get the vehicle for hire company certificate.

"Now, we're being forced to pay for an extra $500,000 in coverage," said Bieler, who said Pedal Party Pub received its certificate from the city on July 18.

DuBois said in an email to The Journal that once Pedal Party Pub obtained a $2 million insurance policy, which is in excess of the minimum $1.5 million policy required by the state, the city could proceed with issuing the permit.

"The city approval was issued the same day that the city finally received proof of the insurance," she said.

Bieler said he and Lake are "happy" to finally have the certificate, but he said the struggle to obtain it has been "very tough" on their business. They had to sell their trailer to pay the bills. Until they can purchase another trailer, Bieler said they can't take the party bike, which is stored on Doxx Warehouse Bar's property, outside of the city.

"When we couldn't get the permit, we had booked rides and we had to cancel them and return their money," he said. "A lot of people are kind of gun-shy as to going ahead and paying that amount of money for a ride and, then, they're afraid something will happen where the city will all of a sudden say, 'You can't do it again.' I think they're a little skittish."
SIOUX CITY  The Sioux City Council appointed city representatives to fill vacancies on the wastewater treatment plant reconstruction and design advisory committee on Monday.

Mayor Pro Tem Dan Moore and Councilwoman Julie Schoenherr will be the two council members on the committee, after the council approved a motion to delete Mayor Bob Scott as a committee member.

The other individuals the council appointed to the 25-person committee are Tom Pingel, the city's utility director in charge of the plant; Vicki Baker, wastewater plant manager; Sioux City Manager Bob Padmore; Sioux City Finance Director Teresa Fitch; Will Martin, project manager; North Sioux City Administrator Eric Christensen; Sergeant Bluff City Administrator Aaron Lincoln; and South Sioux City Administrator Lance Hedquist.

"I want to thank all who have agreed to serve on this committee and encourage major industries to consider or, in some cases, please reconsider serving as well," Moore read from a statement before the vote.

In May, the council approved the creation of the committee as a formal mechanism to address concerns by users during the design stages of the plant's reconstruction. The committee's overall mission is to ensure the reconstruction addresses the needs of the community now and in the future.

"The wastewater treatment plant reconstruction and design advisory committee was established to provide citizens, businesses and industries a voice as the design of the wastewater treatment plant progresses. The role of this committee is to provide valuable insights into the needs of the various types of users to ensure that the reconstruction is designed to meet the needs of all users now and in the future and in the most economical manner," Moore read from the statement.

During the council's May 1 meeting, Siouxland Chamber of Commerce President Chris McGowan warned council members were jeopardizing their relationship with the business community if they didn't "tap the brakes" on a projected $470 million rebuild of the city's aging wastewater treatment plant. At that time, McGowan handed council members a proposal to form a workgroup or committee.

A week later, on May 8, the council voted unanimously in favor of a resolution to form such a committee. The committee was initially slated to have 15 members, but that number has since grown to 25.

Sioux City wastewater treatment plant (copy) (copy) The Sioux City wastewater treatment plant is shown in this 2022 file photo. Rebuilding the aging plant in phases is expected to cost $470 million.

The council, at its Aug. 7 meeting, approved a nearly $38 million consulting services agreement with Hazen and Sawyer P.C. for the wastewater treatment plant facility plan improvements project. The Minneapolis environmental engineering firm, will provide design, site survey and geotechnical investigation, construction administration and observation, as well as post construction services for the project in an amount not to exceed $37,822,334.

"We haven't had a meeting yet to discuss any of this. The business community is concerned that we're getting our cart in front of our horse," McGowan told the council before the vote. "We've been asking for this dialogue since March or April, and we'd like to see that commence before we commit to spending $37 million on the scope."

On Monday, Moore noted in the statement he read that the committee was never intended to review the contract for the design engineer. He said this was outlined various times, including in the passage of the resolution which established the committee.

"During last week's meeting, there was discussion of the scope of the engineering contract. The engineering scope is not the same as the scope of the work in which the city needs input from all users as contemplated in the formation of the committee. The contract scope outlines the timeframe and work tasks that will be performed in designing the reconstruction. The scope that the committee will provide input and expertise on is in the actual design itself," Moore read from the statement.

The wastewater treatment plant facility plan improvements are intended to be implemented across two phases, with a potential third future growth-driven phase.

The plant, 3100 S. Lewis Blvd., poses significant safety issues for city staff and has a history of compliance issues with the state. In January of 2022, the Iowa DNR filed suit against the city over alleged repeated environmental violations at the plant, which dated back to March 2012. The city faces fines adding up to millions of dollars.
SIOUX CITY -- With construction of a new fiber optic internet service underway in Sioux City, a city staff member said there will be "conflicts" underground.

A reader contacted The Journal with concerns about her sprinkler system potentially being damaged as Indiana-based Metronet works on its buildout in the city.

"We've had several, but Metronet has been quite responsive in getting them fixed," Kevin Livezey, a project manager for the city, said of damage complaints involving irrigation systems.

Livezey, who used to install sprinkler systems, said "there's going to be conflicts." He said Metronet is placing its fiber optic cables 18 inches in the ground, while irrigation pipes are only buried 6 to 8 inches deep.

Anne Westra, the city's communications and public engagement specialist, said any issues residents encounter with Metronet should be reported directly to the company by calling 877-386-3876.

If a problem is not properly addressed, Westra said residents may contact the Sioux City Engineering Department at 712-279-6324.

Residents can find more information by visiting the city's website: sioux-city.org/i-want-to/report/metronet-issue.

Last summer, Metronet began construction of its ultra-high-speed fiber optic network. Metronet's fully funded $20 million investment in Sioux City will provide residents and businesses with access to the company's future-proof fiber optic internet. Once the two-year construction process is completed, Sioux City will join the country's internet elite as a Certified Gigabit City.
SIOUX CITY  Tom Gill took the reins as the Sioux City Police Department's community policing sergeant in October 2022.

Gill has been with the department since 2000. He has worked on every patrol shift, as a school resource officer at East High School and in the Alcohol Safety Action Program (ASAP) Unit. In 2016, he was promoted to the rank of sergeant. Since then, he has supervised the ASAP and K-9 units, as well as the Watch 3 Swing and East Side teams.

Currently, Gill's duties include assigning each member of the department to a Community Team Policing District.

"Over the course of their career, officers will switch assignments so many times I will have to put them in a different community policing district. Each team has bi-annual team meetings that the team sergeants will set up, and all the notes from the meetings will get sent to me so I can complete the annual team policing report," said Gill, who also serves as the department's public information officer. "Most of the media releases are done by me. I will also get calls from local media outlets to do on air interviews or give information about incidents that happened in Sioux City where police were involved."

The Journal asked Gill questions about about community team policing and its impact on Sioux City.

2023 National Night Out (copy) Ireland Ychokwan throws darts at the Mayflower Congregational Unity Church of Christ booth during National Night Out at Cook Park in Sioux City.

What is community team policing?

Community team policing is a strategy in law enforcement that emphasizes collaboration among police officers and community members to help prevent crime and promote public safety. Community team policing is a proactive approach to law enforcement where police officers work in partnership with citizens to identify potential problems within the community and work together to try and prevent these problems from becoming more series issues. The Sioux City Police Department uses a team policing model where every officer is assigned to a community policing team based on the area of the city where they normally patrol. The City of Sioux City is divided into nine distinct geographic patrol areas referred to as districts. Each district is staffed by a team comprised of the officers that serve each district throughout the course of a day, and a Sergeant that oversees each district. The team sergeant is responsible for coordinating team activities, setting goals, and assigning tasks.

What are some examples of community team policing?

When the Sioux City Police Department hosts events like our annual town hall meeting, National Night Out, Family Fun Night, or our annual Open House at the police station, community members are able to meet the officers who patrol their neighborhoods throughout the day. Citizens are able to get to know the officers and talk to them about concerns they may have or about things that are working effectively by having the police patrol their neighborhoods. Our Bike Patrol Unit is another example of community policing. Officers patrolling the walking trails and neighborhoods on bikes rather than in squad cars makes it easier for interaction with citizens, especially children who are more likely to approach an officer on a bicycle. The Sioux City Police Department also collaborates with other organizations such as Unity in the Community, Neighborhood Network and Downtown Partners to help promote a safer community. Special Olympics is another organization where the Sioux City Police Department works with to help raise money for the athletes to travel and compete in their events. We partner with Texas Roadhouse for the annual Tip-A-Cop event and with Culvers for their annual Butter Burger and Badges event where all the donations (tips) go directly to Special Olympics.

Police diversity (copy) Sgt. Tom Gill has been with the Sioux City Police Department since 2000. He currently serves as the department's community policing sergeant.

What are the benefits of community team policing?

When people work closely with their neighborhood officers, many crimes can be prevented or solved quickly. Community team policing also helps with keeping neighborhoods looking clean. When people feel a sense of pride in their neighborhood, they will continue to keep their home and property clean. People will also feel more comfortable reporting possible crimes they my have witnessed such as domestic abuse, child abuse, drug dealing, or theft. When police officers can help educate community members on how not to be a victim of crime, everyone is better off.

How long has the department been doing community team policing?

The Sioux City Police Department has been involved in community policing dating back to the 1970s when we started our school resource officer program in all the Sioux City public schools. The SRO was put in the schools to get to know the students and faculty and work with them to promote a safer school environment.

In the early 1990s, the SCPD began the Community Action Support Team (CAST). This unit was dedicated to the concept of providing service through a community policing based philosophy. Nine police officers and one sergeant were assigned to the CAST Unit, and their job was to establish relationships within the districts or neighborhoods they were assigned to in order to help reduce crime. Each officer had a take home squad car and a bicycle that they would use to patrol their assigned district when the weather permitted. This approach to community policing was quite effective but was revamped in the early 2000s to a department-wide approach. The SCPD felt that it would be more effective to have each member of the department responsible for community policing. This is when the team policing model started and has evolved over the years. Now each member of the SCPD plays a role in community policing.

As an officer, what do you like about community team policing?

Officers enjoy interacting with the community and getting to know the people who reside in the neighborhoods they patrol. Officers like when kids approach them and ask for a "cop card" or a badge sticker. It makes the officers' job easier when they can get citizens to work with them to help solve crimes. Officers like when people feel comfortable with them and can approach them and talk about neighborhood issues. When time permits, most officers also enjoy getting out of their squad cars and playing games like basketball or football with the kids on the playgrounds.
Hong Kong: 3 senior police to take up new posts

Police today announced that three senior appointments, involving two deputy commissioners and one senior assistant commissioner, will take effect tomorrow.



Deputy Commissioner of Police (Management) Chow Yat-ming will assume the post of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) to replace Yuen Yuk-kin upon the start of his pre-retirement leave.



Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Chan Joon-sun has been appointed as Deputy Commissioner of Police to take up the post of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Management).



Assistant Commissioner of Police (Public Relations) Chan Tung will be promoted to the rank of Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police to take up the post of Director of Operations.



Mr Chan Joon-sun joined the force in 1997. His policing experience covers frontline command, criminal intelligence, professional training and policy formulation.



He was promoted to Chief Superintendent in 2016 and Assistant Commissioner in 2019. In April 2022, he became Senior Assistant Commissioner, taking up the post of Director of Operations.



Mr Chan Tung joined the force in 1996 as an inspector. He has abundant experience in both security and criminal intelligence amassed from extensive episodes of duties in frontline regions and various Police Headquarter Formations.



He was seconded to the Security Bureau from 2014 to 2016 and then promoted to Chief Superintendent in 2018. In 2020, he was further advanced to the rank of Assistant Commissioner and took charge of the Security Wing. Moreover, he assumed command of the Public Relations Wing in 2022.

This story has been published on: 2023-08-15. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Xi makes instructions on China's first National Ecology Day

Xinhua) 13:04, August 15, 2023

HANGZHOU, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged the whole society to vigorously promote and act as role models in practicing the concept that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the instructions as the country marks its first National Ecology Day on Aug. 15.

Ecological conservation is of vital importance for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation, Xi said, calling it a major political issue that concerns the mission and purpose of the CPC as well as a major social issue that bears upon public wellbeing.

On the new journey of building a modern socialist country in all respects, efforts should be made to maintain strategic resolve in advancing ecological progress and promote high-quality development in sync with high-standard protection, Xi said.

With a focus on carbon peak and carbon neutrality, the country should facilitate the gradual transition from dual control over the amount and intensity of energy consumption to dual control over the amount and intensity of carbon emissions, Xi noted.

Efforts should be made to promote the transition towards green and low-carbon production methods and lifestyles, and accelerate the advancement of modernization featuring harmony between humanity and nature to build a Beautiful China in all respects, Xi said.

He called for concrete and constant efforts across the society to make greater contributions to jointly build a clean and beautiful world.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
"I was both surprised and disappointed. Surprised in that we had been assured by officials in Washington that the USS Sioux City was secure through fiscal 2024, which is over a year from now. I was disappointed because our community demonstrated an unprecedented level of support, and all involved with this ship deserved a better fate."

Siouxland Chamber of Commerce President Chris McGowan on the decommissioning of the USS Sioux City

I know we need new leadership in the White House, but I also believe we need new leadership in the Republican Party. I believe we need leadership that will stay grounded on the timeless conservative principles that have always made this country great.

Former Vice President Mike Pence at the Iowa State Fair

Election 2024 Iowa State Fair Republican presidential candidate former Vice President Mike Pence speaks at The Des Moines Register Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair, Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Is a special counsel set up to interfere with going to a trial right away, or is there some other reason for doing it? And since this administration has exemplified so much political bias in the FBI and the Department of Justice, I think theres a reason to raise questions.

Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley at the Iowa State Fair, speaking about the appointment of a special counsel in the ongoing investigation into Hunter Biden

Grassley Sen. Chuck Grassley visits with Julie and Randy Hulseberg of Cedar Rapids during the Ashley Hinson BBQ Bash at Hawkeye Downs in Cedar Rapids, 

"Ultimately, again, it's a property-rights issue."

Woodbury County Supervisor Keith Radig on his support for allowing conditional use of utility-scale solar arrays on agricultural preservation land

Supervisors solar debate The Woodbury County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday evening heard from concerned citizens on a proposal that would pave the way for conditiona

I felt like South Sioux was a perfect match in that way for me with my background and strengths. I jumped at the opportunity when I heard about it. I felt a calling to do more for an entire community.

South Sioux City schools Superintendent Rony Ortega, beginning his first academic year with the district

South Sioux City Community Schools Superintendent Dr. Rony Ortega Dr. Rony Ortega, Superintendent of the South Sioux City Community Schools, is shown at the district's high school. Ortega was named to the pos
WASHINGTON  The Pentagon is developing plans to restructure the National Guard in Washington, D.C., in a move to address problems highlighted by the chaotic response to the Jan. 6 riot and safety breaches during the 2020 protests over the murder of George Floyd.

The changes under discussion would transfer the District of Columbia's aviation units, which came under sharp criticism during the protests when a helicopter flew dangerously low over a crowd. In exchange, the district would get more military police, which is often the city's most significant need, as it grapples with crowd control and large public events.

Several current and former officials familiar with the talks spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. They said no final decisions have been made.

A key sticking point is who would be in control of the D.C. Guard  a politically divisive question that gets to the heart of what has been an ongoing, turbulent issue. Across the country, governors control their National Guard units and can make decisions on deploying them to local disasters and other needs. But D.C. is not a state, so the president is in charge but gives that authority to the defense secretary, who generally delegates it to the Army secretary.

According to officials, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is weighing two options: maintaining the current system or handing control to U.S. Northern Command, which is in charge of homeland defense.

Senior officials have argued in favor of Northern Command, which would take control out of the hands of political appointees in Washington who may be at odds with the D.C. government, and giving it to nonpartisan military commanders who already oversee homeland defense. Others, however, believe the decision-making should remain at the Pentagon, mirroring the civilian control that governors have on their troops.

The overall goal, officials said, is not to decrease the size of the district's Guard, but reform it and ensure it has the units, equipment and training to do the missions it routinely faces. The proposal to shift the aviation forces is largely an Army decision. It would move the D.C. Air Guard wing and its aircraft to the Maryland Guard, and the Army aviation unit, with its helicopters, to Virginia's Guard.

An Army official added that a review of the D.C. Guard examined its ability to provide rapid response, mission command and coordination with other forces when needed over the past four years. The review, which led to the recommendations, involved the District Guard and Army leaders.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser's office did not respond to a request for comment last week on the proposed changes.

But Bowser and other local officials have long claimed that the mayor's office should have sole authority to deploy the local guard, arguing that the D.C. mayor has the responsibilities of any governor without the extra authorities or tools.

When faced with a potential security event, the mayor of D.C. has to go to the Pentagon  usually the Army secretary  to request National Guard assistance. That was true during the violent protests in the city over the killing of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in 2020, and later as an angry mob stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in an effort to overturn the election of Joe Biden as president.

As the Jan. 6 riot was unfolding, city leaders were making frantic calls to Army leaders, asking them to send Guard troops to the Capitol where police and security were being overrun. City leaders complained heatedly about delays in the response as the Pentagon considered Bowser's National Guard request. City police ended up reinforcing the Capitol Police.

Army leaders, in response, said the district was demanding help but not providing the details and information necessary to determine what forces were needed and how they would be used.

Army officials were concerned about taking the Guard troops who were arrayed around the city doing traffic duty and sending them into a riot, because they were not prepared and didn't have appropriate gear. And they criticized the city for repeatedly insisting it would not need security help when asked by federal authorities in the days leading up to Jan. 6.

The swirling confusion spurred congressional hearings and accusations that political considerations influenced the Trump administration's response to the unrest in the Democratic-majority city. Defense officials rejected those charges, and blamed the city.

Within the Pentagon, however, there are broader concerns that D.C. is too quick to seek National Guard troops to augment law enforcement shortfalls in the city that should be handled by police. In recent days, a city council member suggested the D.C. Guard might be needed to help battle spiking local crime.

The restructuring is an effort to smooth out the process and avoid communications problems if another crisis erupts.

An Army investigation in April 2021 sharply criticized the D.C. Guard, saying troops lacked clear guidance and didn't fully understand how to use helicopters appropriately during the civil unrest in June 2020.
LAHAINA, Hawaii  The smoke was starting to blot out the sun. Winds were howling, and heat bore down as flames licked the trees on the horizon. The power had been out all day, so Mike Cicchino thought he'd drive to the hardware store for a generator. He turned off his street, and in an instant, his Lahaina neighborhood seemed to spiral into a war zone.

"When I turned that corner, I see pandemonium," he said. "I see people running and grabbing their babies and screaming and jumping in their cars."

It was around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday when Cicchino and his neighbors began a desperate fight for their lives. They had just moments to make decisions that would determine whether they lived or died in a race against the flames  a harrowing, narrow window of time in one of the most horrifying and lethal natural disasters the country has seen in years.

There were no sirens, no one with bullhorns, no one to tell anyone what to do: They were on their own, with their families and neighbors, to choose whether to stay or to run, and where to run to  through smoke so thick it blinded them, flames closing in from every direction, cars exploding, toppled power lines and uprooted trees, fire whipping through the wind and raining down.

Authorities have confirmed that nearly 100 people died  already making it the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century  and they expect that number to rise.

Just 10 minutes before Cicchino made that turn away from his street, Maui fire officials had issued an ominous warning. The Lahaina brush fire had sparked that morning, but authorities reported it was contained. Now, officials said, erratic wind, challenging terrain and flying embers made it hard to predict the fire's path and speed. It could be a mile away, Fire Assistant Chief Jeff Giesea said, "but in a minute or two, it can be at your house."

Cicchino did a U-turn, ran into his house and told his wife they needed to leave: "We need to go! We need to get out of here now!"

They ran to the car with five dogs and called police, and a dispatcher said to follow the traffic. Access to the main highway  the only road leading in and out of Lahaina  was cut off by barricades set up by authorities. The roadblocks forced Cicchino and the line of cars onto Front Street.

A few blocks away, Kehau Kaauwai said the wind was so intense it tore the roof from her neighbor's home. It felt like tornado after tornado was slicing down her street.

"It roared," she said. "It sounded like an airplane landing on our street."

Within moments, she said, the smoke that had been blocks away suddenly engulfed them. It darkened from gray to black, day seemed to turn to night.

Kaauwai couldn't even see buildings anymore. Something was exploding; it sounded like fireworks. She ran inside. She couldn't think  she just grabbed her dog and some clothes, never imagining she would not see her house or anything in it ever again.

Around 4 p.m., she got into her car. Traffic crawled, people were dragging uprooted trees out of the road with their bare hands. Debris whipped in the wind and banged on the car. Danger seemed to come from every direction.

Kaauwai would have driven to Front Street, but a stranger walking by told her to go the other way. She wishes now she could thank him, because he might have saved her life.

On gridlocked Front Street, people were panicking, crying, screaming, honking.

Bill Wyland grabbed his computer, passport and Social Security card and stuffed them into a backpack. He got on his Harley Davidson and drove on the sidewalk.

"I could feel the heat burning in my back. I could pretty much feel the hair is burning off the back of my neck," said Wyland, who owns an art gallery on the street.

At one point, he passed a man on a bicycle madly pedaling for his life. Some were abandoning cars and fleeing on foot. The smoke was so thick, so toxic, some said they vomited.

"It's something you'd see in a 'Twilight Zone' horror movie or something," Wyland said.

The street was so jammed, he thinks if he'd taken his car instead, he would have died or been forced into the ocean. The people sitting in their cars saw black smoke ahead.

"We're all driving into a death trap," Mike Cicchino thought. He told his wife: "We need to jump out of this car, abandon the car, and we need to run for our lives."

They got the dogs out. But it was impossible to know which way to run.

"Behind us, straight ahead, beside us, everywhere was on fire," Cicchino said. It had been less than 15 minutes since he left his house, and he thought it was the end. He called his mother, his brother, his daughter to tell them he loved them.

The black smoke was so thick they could see only the white dogs, not the three dark ones, and they lost them.

Propane tanks from a catering van exploded.

"It was like a war," Cicchino said. They could tell how close the fire was coming based how far away the cars sounded when they erupted.

"The cars sounded like bombs going off," Donnie Roxx said. "It was dark, it was 4 o'clock in the afternoon, and it looked like midnight."

A seawall separates the town from the ocean, and Roxx realized he and his neighbors were confronting a horrific decision: stay on burning land or go to the water. The sea was churning and treacherous even for strong swimmers, as the wind kicked up the waves.

"Do you want to get burned or take your chances and drown?" he asked himself. He jumped over the wall.

So did dozens of others, including Mike Cicchino and his wife.

Others came to realize they needed to flee  but not because officials told them. Some heard from friends and neighbors, others just had a feeling.

"There was no warning. There was absolutely none," said Lynn Robinson. "Nobody came around. We didn't see a fire truck or anybody."

She left her apartment near Front Street around 4:30. About a mile away, Lana Vierra's boyfriend stopped by her home and said he'd seen the fire raging toward them.

"He told me straight, 'People are going to die in this town; you gotta get out,'" she recalled. So she did.

Anne Landon was chatting with others in her senior apartment complex. She said she felt a sudden blast of hot air that must have been more than 100 degrees. She ran to her unit and grabbed her purse and her 15-pound dog, La Vida.

"It's time to get out! Let's get out!" she shouted to neighbors as she rushed to her car.

She'd already packed a rolling duffle bag in her car, just in case. She didn't know where to go. She stopped and asked an officer, who didn't know what to tell her, except to wish to her luck.

Debris was flying through the air. She ran into people she barely knew but recognized. They told her to come with them to their home. They got stuck in a dead stop in the traffic, so they abandoned the car. She put the dog on top of her rolling suitcase and dragged it down Front Street, to the beach.

Downtown's historic wooden buildings were burning. The splintering lumber broke apart and flew through the wind, still flaming.

"The sky was black, and the wind was blowing, and the embers were going over us. We didn't know if we'd have to jump in the water," she said. "I was terrified, absolutely horrified  so, so scared."

But a path through the smoke cleared for just a moment, and police came shouting for them to go north. They ran.

Many others remained trapped on the beach.

Mike Cicchino and his wife took off their shirts, dunked them in water and tried to cover their faces. Cicchino ran up and down the seawall, shouting his lost dogs' names. He saw dead bodies slumped next to the wall. "Help me," people screamed. Elderly and disabled people couldn't make it over the wall on their own. Some were badly burned, and Cicchino lifted as many as he could. He ran until he vomited from the smoke, his eyes nearly swollen shut.

For the next five or six hours, they moved back and forth between sea and shore. They crouched behind the wall, trying to get as low as they could. When flames fell from the sky, they dunked themselves into the water. Their surviving dogs' fur was singed.

It was so surreal, Cicchino thought he must be dreaming.

"My mind kept going back to: This has got to be just a nightmare. This cannot be real. This cannot actually be happening," he said. "But then you realize you're burning. I'm feeling pain, and I don't feel pain in nightmares."

The U.S. Coast Guard's first notification about the fires was when the search and rescue command center in Honolulu received reports of people in the water near Lahaina at 5:45 p.m., said Capt. Aja Kirksy, commander of Coast Guard Sector Honolulu.

The boats were hard to see because of the smoke, but Cicchino and others used cellphones to flash lights at the vessels, guiding them in to rescue some, mostly children. Fire trucks eventually came and drove them out, through the flames.

Those who survived are haunted by what they endured.

Cicchino jolts awake at night from dreams of dead people, dead dogs. Two of his dogs remain missing. He agonizes over the decisions he made: Could he have saved more people? Could he have saved the dogs?

Anne Landon was practically catatonic. She imagines her neighbors who didn't make it out and wonders if she might have been able to help them. She was covered in ash but couldn't bring herself to shower.

Her dog wouldn't eat for two days.

Photos: A week after Maui wildfire, islanders survey aftermath and look ahead to recovery
The Nebraska Supreme Court has publicly reprimanded a Hastings judge for pulling strings to help his friend and parish priest out of a ticket he'd gotten for driving away from a gas station without paying.

County Court Judge Michael P. Burns got no additional punishment for his misconduct, Chief Justice Mike Heavican, who chairs the Commission on Judicial Qualifications, wrote in the reprimand, which came out with Friday's opinions.

Heavican said Burns, who had no history of prior discipline, "expressed embarrassment and remorse and has acknowledged the consequences, albeit unintended, of this misconduct."

The judge also immediately reported his own conduct and fully cooperated with the Judicial Qualifications Commission investigation that followed.

According to the order, on March 16, during a noon break, Burns got a message from a county clerk magistrate who had noticed a misdemeanor charge being filed against someone the clerk recognized as Burns' friend and parish priest, who isn't named in the reprimand.

Although a judge hadn't yet been assigned and Burns had a clear conflict due to his friendship with the priest, he told the clerk to hold off processing the charge so he could look into it.

Burns called the County Attorney who had filed the charge, feeling certain that his friend wouldn't have intentionally driven away from a convenience store without paying and there must be some mistake.

"He asked if further investigation might be warranted before proceeding, and provided the defendant's phone number to pass along to law enforcement," Heavican said.

He also contacted his friend, notifying him of the charge and encouraging him to follow up with law enforcement to resolve it.

Burns reported his conduct the same day.

The commission found Burns' actions "improper," and said he should have told the clerk magistrate he had a conflict of interest. And he shouldn't have gone to the prosecutor.

"Although Judge Burns reasoned he was helping his parish priest avoid the public embarrassment of an unjust minor criminal charge, he was only able to do so by virtue of his judicial position, using knowledge and contacts afforded to him as a judge," Heavican said in the reprimand, which is intended to address the specific conduct as well as instruct other judges should they find themselves in similar circumstances.

Burns has been a judge since 2011.
DES MOINES  Two Republican presidential candidates looking up at Donald Trump in the polls  one who has to look even farther than the other  said Tuesday they believe Trumps support is not yet etched in stone, and that another candidate can still be successful in the Iowa GOP caucuses.

Trump holds commanding leads in polling on the Republican presidential primary campaign, both in Iowa and nationally. He is nearly 40 percentage points ahead of the field in Real Clear Politics rolling average of national polls, and was 24 points clear of the field in a recent poll from the New York Times and Siena College that surveyed Iowa Republicans.

Despite those numbers, South Carolina U.S. Sen. Tim Scott was defiant Tuesday when a reporter asked whether he believes Trumps advantage is insurmountable.

No, of course not. Thats why Im campaigning here, Scott said during a brief huddle with reporters after he appeared with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. Because I believe that my optimistic, positive message is being rooted in Iowa.  The good news is we have enough time to make this not into a two-horse race, and at the end of the day we look forward to being the nominee.

Scott polled at 9 percent in that New York Times/Siena College poll, which was good for third  well behind Trump (44 percent) and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (20).

Election 2024 Iowa State Fair Republican presidential candidate Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., eats pork after working the grill at the Iowa Pork Producers tent at the Iowa State 

Even farther down that poll of Iowa Republicans was former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who clocked in at less than half a percent. Hutchinson also was at the Iowa State Fair on Tuesday, and he, too, said he believes Trumps support here can be whittled. Hutchinson said he believes many Trump supporters are just expressing support for him now as a default while they consider other candidates.

First of all, the overwhelming numbers (of Iowans who) are saying, Were looking at an alternative. We think that Trump did a good job for four years, but hes not going to be able to lead us to victory. Thats a big part of their decision making process, Hutchinson told reporters after his own appearance with Reynolds. I think Trumps numbers are a default position until (voters) decide on a good alternative. And right now, theyre not deciding until after the debate, until farther in. 

You dont jump from one candidate to another until you decide where youre jumping. Thats where (voters) havent decided.

In that New York Times/Siena College poll, nearly half the respondents who said they are supporting Trump said they also are considering other candidates.

Candidates on latest Trump indictments

On the latest indictment of Trump  involving his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia  Hutchinson was much more critical than Scott.

Hutchinson said the charges brought against Trump are serious and address fundamental issues of our democracy.

So he ought to be held accountable, Hutchinson said of Trump. Ive said that hes morally accountable. The question now is whether hes criminally accountable.

Election 2024 Iowa State Fair Republican presidential candidate former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson greets fairgoers during a visit to the Iowa State Fair, Tuesday, Aug. 15

Scott, on the other hand, dismissed the latest charges against Trump, which follow previous indictments involving Trumps role in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House and an alleged hush money payment to a former porn star.

Im just going to continue to say it as I see it, which is that we see the legal system being weaponized against political opponents, Scott said, even though the latest charges were brought by a county-level district attorneys office in Georgia and not a federal prosecutor. That is un-American and unacceptable. At the end of the day, we need a better system than that.

Qualifying for the debate

Scott has qualified for the Aug. 23 Republican primary debate, but Hutchinson has so far failed to reach the 40,000 required donors to be on the stage. Candidates have until Monday to qualify.

I expect to be there, looking forward to that, Hutchinson said. And were actually planning and preparing for it. Beyond that, theres not a question. We intend to be there.

Trump has not confirmed if he will attend the debate, and he frequently has suggested he will skip it.

Ryan Binkley also joins Reynolds

Ryan Binkley, a Texas pastor and long-shot candidate, also spoke with Reynolds at the State Fair, bringing a message that ties his Christian background with a pitch to deliver bipartisan economic reform.

As president, I will no longer vilify every Democrat on Friday and then ask them to work with me on Tuesday, he said. I will try and lead the way in a bipartisan way because theres some problems we have, Republicans cant solve on our own.

Those issues include the budget, securing the border and improving the health care system, Binkley said.

He said Trump did a lot of good things but he put some of the blame of the high national debt on his shoulders. With a large unfunded tax cut and COVID-19 relief spending, Trumps presidency saw the national debt increase by $7.8 trillion.
Johnson County officials may follow Polk Countys lead in providing funding for emergency contraception and crisis services for victims of sexual assault and rape after the Iowa Attorney Generals Office halted  at least for now  covering those expenses.

The Polk County Board of Supervisors last week voted unanimously to direct Polk County Crisis and Advocacy Services to pay for the services previously funded by the state office.

Johnson County Attorney Rachel Zimmerman Smith is looking into the feasibility and potential hang-ups should the county follow suit, after two county supervisors inquired about the Polk County initiative.

Once we hear back from her and once theres enough will on the board, and I think there will be, well have a discussion about that, Johnson County Supervisor Rod Sullivan said. While no formal proposal has been made, Sullivan said it is his intention to vote to provide the funding.

I think this is just horrific, Sullivan said of victims of rape potentially being denied timely access to contraception to prevent unintended pregnancy and abortion care resulting from a crime. Cost, he said, should never be a barrier for rape victims seeking medical care.

I think its unconscionable the attorney general has stopped providing payment for the medications, Sullivan said. What should be happening is the attorney general should be continuing to support these victims.

Linn County officials have not said if theyre also considering funding.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird paused the funding as part of an audit of the victim services administered through her office. Bird announced the audit upon taking office in January.

However, it was until early April that sexual assault response teams and other victim advocacy organizations first learned of the policy change after the Iowa Attorney General's Office confirmed it to the media, according to interviews and emails obtained by The Gazette under a public records request.

As a part of her top-down, bottom-up audit of victim assistance, Attorney General Bird is carefully evaluating whether this is an appropriate use of public funds, Birds office said in a statement issued April 5. Until that review is complete, payment of these pending claims will be delayed.

Sexual assault nurse examiners, hospitals and victim advocates say they have not received word on the timeline of the ongoing review. A spokeswoman for Bird told The Gazette late last month that a decision is expected soon.

Bird said during an appearance last month on Iowa Press on Iowa PBS that policy decisions made as a result of that audit, including whether to stop state funding for emergency contraception and abortions for rape victims, will be permanent and will no require legislative action.

We are working on that audit and what the outcome of that will be. But youre right, we did pause payments to entities like Planned Parenthood and others that were being reimbursed for abortions and for Plan B, Bird said. However, those services still remain available under Iowa law to victims. Its just whether public funds will pay for them.

Are patients getting billed?

Sexual assault nurse examiners who spoke to The Gazette say hospitals and pharmacies are continuing to dispense medications to victims who request them, and continue to submit invoices to the Attorney Generals Office seeking reimbursement. Patients are not being billed at this point.

As of April, 67 reimbursement claims for emergency contraception for sexual assault survivors totaling about $2,600 had yet to be reimbursed since Bird took office in January. The office also put on hold one claim for an abortion from a rape victim, which cost about $730, according to records from the Attorney Generals Office obtained by Iowa Public Radio.

The Attorney Generals Office did not respond to multiple request for an updated figure as of Friday. The office has also not disclosed how much it previously spent on emergency contraceptives and abortions.

In one claim submitted by the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics to the Attorney General's Office in late March obtained by The Gazette, the cost for the emergency contraceptive pill Ulipristal  sold under the brand name Ella  is $77.50.

At retail pharmacies, the typical cost for one dose of Plan B, a type of morning-after pill commonly be used after unprotected sex, is $50.

For now, the UI is temporarily holding claims while it awaits the outcome of the attorney generals review.

"University of Iowa Health Care is committed to supporting the health care needs of sexual assault victims," according to a statement from the Iowa City-based health system. "We are currently preparing for any potential operational changes that may be necessary in the event the Iowa Attorney Generals Office stops payment of emergency contraception for sexual assault victims."

Though the payments are not explicitly required by law, it has been the states longtime policy to cover the cost of emergency contraception from the victim compensation fund. In rare cases, the fund also has paid for abortions for rape victims, Sandi Tibbetts Murphy, director of the victim assistance division under previous attorney general, Democrat Tom Miller, previously said.

Bird, a Republican, defeated Miller in the 2022 November election.

Why has the AG paused payments?

The scope of the audit by the Attorney Generals Office remains unclear. Bird has not publicly said why she has opted to pause reimbursement for those services, and her office has not identified particular concerns.

Bird has been a vocal opponent to abortion, and represented Gov. Kim Reynolds in her failed effort to get the Iowa Supreme Court to lift a lower courts block on abortion restrictions passed in 2018. Iowa Republican lawmakers subsequently passed and Reynolds signed into law a new abortion ban thats been temporary halted pending the outcome of a legal challenge.

The Iowa Attorney General also joined other Republican-led states in a brief supporting a Texas judge's ruling that put a hold on government approval of mifepristone, a commonly used abortion pill.

Iowa law requires the state to pay for many of the expenses facing assault survivors who seek medical help, including the cost of forensic examinations to collect evidence and treatment for sexually transmitted infections. That is funded through the state's victim compensation fund, which comes from fines, fees and penalties paid by criminals. No taxpayer dollars go into the fund.

The decision to pause payments has caused anxiety and confusion for Iowa sexual assault nurses, response teams, victim advocates, hospitals and pharmacies, according to interviews and emails obtained by The Gazette.

Sexual assault nurse examiners, along with other victim advocates, continue to emphasize that emergency contraceptives are not abortion pills. The medication delays or prevents ovulation, preventing a pregnancy from occurring, and does not prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the womb, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Its unclear how many other states cover abortions as part of their victim compensation program.

The Iowa Attorney General's Office Crime Victim Assistance Division asked that question of Dan Eddy, executive director of the National Association of Crime Victim Compensation Boards, according to emails obtained by The Gazette. Eddy replied that it often depends on state law.

"The basic rule is this: If it's legal in the state to pay for abortion for rape and incest victims, then the program should be paying for it, and we assume it is, he wrote. And if it's not legal, or no longer legal, either for an abortion to be paid for, then the abortion can't be paid for.

Regardless, the morning-after pill should not be affected, since it's "not an abortion drug, Eddy wrote.

There are many states that pay for Plan B; these are mostly the ones that pay for forensic exams as a separate procedure, since that is when it generally comes up, he wrote. Plan B is not an abortion drug. It is emergency contraception.  So it shouldn't caused any concerns  it's perfectly legal, and perfectly ordinary for a comp program to pay for it.

Escalating anxiety

Shannon Knudsen has seen women and girls at their most vulnerable, including a terrified 12-year-old patient who sat on an exam table after being raped and asked whether she could become pregnant.

Knudsen is the coordinator for sexual assault nurse examiners for Polk and Story counties. She stressed the importance of giving patients choices and autonomy over their health and body at a time when they feel powerless.

Knudsen and Jacinda Bunch, a sexual assault nurse examiner for the Johnson County sexual assault response team, said they worry about the possible looming implications for victims in Iowa should the state permanently stop payments once the audit is completed.

Free, confidential emergency contraception is critical, the forensic nurses said  not only for those who cannot afford the medication and health services, but for victims assaulted by a partner or family members who could be endangered if they have a record they sought care after an assault.

A bill to their insurance can be a safety risk if theyre on a parents insurance, or in an abusive relationship and on their partners insurance, and dont want them to know, said Katy Rasmussen, coordinator for the Johnson County Sexual Assault Response Team.

Rasmussen, too, noted, Its not a significant charge.

She said from April to June, eight patients seen by Johnson County sexual assault nurse examiners were prescribed emergency contraception.

Last year, the Johnson County Sexual Assault Response Team saw 90 patients. Of those, 39 were prescribed emergency contraception. For the fiscal year that ended in June, the team saw 101 patients. Of those, 46 were prescribed morning-after pills.

During the fiscal year that ended in June, the Mid-Iowa Sexual Assault Response Team responded to 270 sexual assaults to conduct a forensic medical examination. Of those, 105 survivors requested medication to prevent a pregnancy, said Eric Kool, director of Polk County Community, Family and Youth Services, which oversees the county's sexual assault response team.

Both Kool and Bunch, the Johnson County nurse, said the Attorney Generals decision has created unnecessary confusion and anxiety among patients. Patients are often traumatized by their attack, and dont know if theres a possibility they could get pregnant. Getting free, confidential access to medications and other health care they need to heal is essential, she said.

Patients should not have to worry about making decisions about a baby and raising a child that obviously wasnt planned and was the result of violence, Bunch said. By supporting emergency contraception, youre lowering the potential need for an abortion later from an unwanted pregnancy resulting from violence.

The morning-after pills are effective at preventing pregnancy if taken within three to five days of unprotected sex.

And that uncertainty escalates anxiety and fear survivors are already experiencing, Kool said. It was creating some anxiety in what was already one of the worst moments of their life.

Knudsen and Rasmussen said they wish that emergency contraception could be under consideration separately from abortion. They worry that conflating the two could imply they serve the same purpose.

Regardless of the outcome of the Attorney Generals review, the pair said they and other sexual assault nurse examiners will continue to provide the same level of care to all victims of sexual assault. And said they are committed to finding creative ways to continue to care for patients and provide emergency contraception free of charge going forward.

Kool said Polk County's Mid-Iowa Sexual Assault Response Team is looking at raising money through foundations and private donations to cover expenses.

Rasmussen, of the Johnson County Sexual Assault Response Team, said until we have a final answer from the Attorney Generals Office she doesnt want to waste time making alternate plans in case the office reinstates payments.

The Supreme Court fight over an abortion pill: What's next? Intro What is mifepristone? How did the case get started? How did the case get to the Supreme Court? What could happen next? A closer look
Former President Donald Trump, along with 18 other defendants, was indicted in Fulton County, Georgia, on Monday night, on a host of charges related to efforts to overturn the states 2020 presidential election results.

It is Trumps fourth indictment (with one superseding indictment thrown in for good measure). But its the first for many others in his orbit.

This 98-page indictment, unlike the federal, 2020 election-related charges on which Trump was indicted two weeks ago, did not let many of Trumps co-conspirators off without charges of their own (although there do, still, remain 30 unnamed, unindicted co-conspirators in this indictment too). Among the other well-known figures indicted: lawyers Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Jeffrey Clark (a former Department of Justice official), Kenneth Chesebro, Jenna Ellis, and Sidney Powell. Trumps former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows was also indicted. In a press conference late Monday evening, District Attorney Fani Willis said that all of the defendants had until noon on Friday, Aug. 25, to voluntarily surrender to Fulton County authorities.

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All 19 defendants, each of whose full names Willis seemed to savor enunciating, were hit with the very first count: violation of the Georgia RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act. Willis said that she intended to try all 19 defendants together and hoped to take the case to trial within the next six months.

The indictment lists 41 total felony counts; Trump himself was charged with 13 felony counts. In addition to the communal racketeering charge, the charges include solicitation of violation of oath by public officer, conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer, conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree, conspiracy to commit false statements and writings, and conspiracy to commit filing false documents.

Related From Slate The Risk for Trump of Not Showing Up to the Debates Read More

A recount of the first, all-inclusive racketeering count takes up the majority of the pages in the indictment, spanning events from Oct. 31, 2020, three days before the election, to Sept. 15, 2022.

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Defendant Donald John Trump lost the United States presidential election held on November 3, 2020, the indictment reads, introducing the racketeering count. One of the states he lost was Georgia. Trump and the other Defendants charged in this Indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump. That conspiracy contained a common plan and purpose to commit two or more acts of racketeering activity in Fulton County, Georgia, elsewhere in the State of Georgia, and in other states.

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Its account of the conspiracy spans 161 acts across that period of time laying out the case.

Additional charges against Trump focus on his efforts to pressure Republican state legislators to reject the results of the 2020 election in the state and declare him the winner, charges around a campaign to have certified false electors on his behalf, and a January 2021 call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which Trump solicited the Republican to find the exact number of votes Trump needed to overturn his deficit in the state. Charges against Trump-aligned attorney Powell included election fraud, computer theft, and computer trespass for alleged efforts to swipe voting machine data from Coffee County, Georgia. Other crimes charged included efforts to intimidate Ruby Freeman, an election worker falsely accused of fraud by Giuliani, into giving false testimony about the election.

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The Trump campaign released its statement before the indictment was even unsealed. Much like a recent campaign ad run in advance of the presumed indictment, it accused Willis of being a rabid partisan who is campaigning and fundraising on a platform of prosecuting President Trump in the same league of other prosecutors who have indicted Trump. The campaign accuses Willis of timing the indictment to hurt his presidential campaignTrump has been leading the polling to win the Republican presidential nomination by significant margins for months. The 2024 Iowa Republican caucuses are scheduled on Jan. 15, 2024, exactly five months from Tuesday.

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These activities by Democrat leaders constitute a grave threat to American democracy and are direct attempts to deprive the American people of their rightful choice to cast their vote for President, the campaign said. Call it election interference or election manipulationit is a dangerous effort by the ruling class to suppress the choice of the people. It is un-American and wrong.

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The campaign also released a long email of background against Willis, accusing her again of fundraising on her bogus indictments of President Trump. Six minutes prior to that email, the Trump campaign sent out an email fundraising on its indictments.

The 19 defendants charges come from a list of 41 total offenses. In Georgia, the RICO charge has a mandatory minimum sentence of five years. Presidents cannot pardon state convictions, which means that even if Trump, or another Republican, were to win the presidency, they could do little to scupper this prosecution. In Georgia, even the governors power to issue commutations and pardons is severely limited compared to other states. Trump has for years attacked Georgias Republican Gov. Brian Kemp for certifying the 2020 election and refusing to go along with Trumps efforts to subvert that election. In 2022 Trump pushed to have Kemp ousted in the Republican primary. Kemp won that election by more than 50 points before winning reelection in the general.
If the recent federal indictment of Donald Trump on charges related to his attempt to subvert the 2020 presidential election was a streamlined surgical strike aimed at ensuring a clean case and a speedy trial of the former president before the 2024 election, Monday nights Georgia indictment is the equivalent of a blitz. With 19 defendants and 41 charges, the heart of the indictment is a sprawling state racketeering charge that places Trump at the center of a vast conspiracy to lie to state officials, pressure election officials to change vote totals, turn in phony slates of fake electors to Congress, influence witness testimony, and gain access to voting machinery and software, all in an effort to turn Trump from an Electoral College loser into a second-term president. And although the action in the state complaint occurred primarily in Georgia, the indictment alleges that part of the conspiracy, which included the actions of his chief of staff and lawyers, spanned much of the continent, from Arizona to Pennsylvania, Wisconsin to Washington. The case will be messy and difficult to manage, especially given Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis stated intention to try all 19 defendants together.

But the biggest difference between the federal case and the state case isnt the number of defendants or counts in the indictment. Its about the central role that race is likely to play not in the federal case but in the state case, from the race of the prosecutor, to the focus on Black election worker Ruby Freeman, to the essential nature of the race-baiting bogus voter-fraud charges in Georgia that formed Trumps basis for falsely claiming that he was the rightful winner.

Related From Slate How the Start of Trumps Georgia Trial Might Look Read More

First, expect Trump to attack Willis in especially harsh terms. Its not as though Trump has treated Jack Smith, the special counsel in charge of the federal probe, kindly. He has called Smith deranged and a lowlife prosecutor.

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But Trump has a record of being especially hostile toward Black women, from journalists, to Vice President Kamala Harris, to New York Attorney General Letitia James, whom Trump for no reason branded a racist after she brought tax charges against the Trump Organization. He recently said that Tanya Chutkan, the Jamaican-born U.S. district court judge hearing the federal election interference case, is highly partisan and VERY UNFAIR & BIASED. Indeed, even before the indictment was unsealed on Monday, Trumps campaign was attacking Willis in personal terms, calling her a radical Democrat and rabid partisan.

Willis is especially a threat to Trump because he holds no power over her. Even if he becomes president again in 2024, he cannot stop her prosecution or attempt to pardon himself of state crimes. The best he could try to do is delay his prosecution until he is no longer president. In Georgia, the governor has no power to pardon either, so it is not as though Trump could appeal to someone over Willis head to get relief. And the RICO statute, which formed the basis for the indictments primary charge, carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years.

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Willis indictment is full of legalese, but it essentially tells the story of Trump and his allies attempt to subvert the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. It includes the elements one would expect, from the pressure on Vice President Mike Pence not to count electoral votes, to the infamous phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find 11,780 votes, thereby flipping Georgias Electoral College votes from Biden to Trump, to the fake electors schemes in Georgia and around the country.

But the indictment also goes out of its way to tell the story of another Black woman, Ruby Freeman, and her daughter, fellow election worker Shaye Moss. Freeman became a central figure in Trump and his allies false claims about the Georgia election being stolen from him. The indictment describes some of Trumps lies, including that Freeman was a professional vote scammer, that she stuffed ballot boxes, and that she fraudulently awarded at least 18,000 votes to Joe Biden during ballot counting at the State Farm Arena. The mother and daughter were eventually cleared of the false claims, and Trumps lawyer Rudy Giuliani has essentially conceded in a civil defamation suit that the claims against the pair were false and made with knowledge of the falsity.

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The complaint also alleges that Trevian Kutti, a former publicist for Trump supporter Kanye West, tried to mislead Freeman into giving false testimony about what took place at the arena. Freeman and Moss were at the center of a lie pinning the supposed theft of the 2020 election on two Black women, and they have faced threats and harassment ever since.

In important ways, the Georgia complaint is about getting justice for Freeman and Moss. But more broadly, the complaint vindicates the interest of all Black voters in Georgia and across the country. When Trump made his voter fraud claims in 2016 and 2020, he constantly focused his accusations on Democratic cities with large Black populations. On Nov. 27, 2020, for example, Trump tweeted: Biden can only enter the White House as President if he can prove that his ridiculous 80,000,000 votes were not fraudulently or illegally obtained. When you see what happened in Detroit, Atlanta, Philadelphia & Milwaukee, massive voter fraud, hes got a big unsolvable problem! The message was clear: Minority voters were stealing the votes of Trumps white rural supporters. These racist tropes were also a major theme of Giulianis public-facing efforts to overturn the election.

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Race is not absent from the federal complaint, mind you. The Department of Justice charged Trump under the postCivil War Ku Klux Klan Act for depriving voters of their right to vote. But race will be front and center in Georgia.

Willis constant presence in the public eye over the next year will be an important reminder that although Trump may have been unique in his complex racketeering conspiracy to subvert the election, this is hardly the first time Black voters have been targeted for disenfranchisement in Georgia and across the United States. Part of Willis job will be to make it that much more difficult to do so the next time around.
If former President Trump or any of the other 18 defendants indicted in Fulton County, Georgia, on Monday are convicted, they have a serious problem: Even with a fully Republican-controlled state government, the prospect for pardons appears nearly impossible.

In Trumps two federal cases, there is always the chance that a Republicansay, Donald Trumpcould win the presidency in 2024 and pardon Donald Trump. That is not the case for the two indictments at the state level. But the first of those, the one brought in New York, is considered the flimsiest of the pending cases against Trump, so it may not reach the point of requiring a pardon.

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In Georgia, however, there is no clear escape hatch.

Georgias governor, Brian Kemp, does not have the authority to hand out pardons. Under the Georgia Constitution, a five-person State Board of Pardons and Paroles is vested with the power of executive clemency, including the powers to grant reprieves, pardons, and paroles; to commute penalties; to remove disabilities imposed by law; and to remit any part of a sentence for any offense against the state after conviction.

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Even if that board were stacked with appointees who were clones of Donald Trump, the board has a very strict interpretation of what a pardon is. To qualify for a pardon, an applicant must have already completed his or her sentence five years prior to applying. They must have lived a law-abiding life during those five years, not have any pending charges, and have paid all fines in full. A pardon, in the Georgia state governments parlance, is an order of official forgiveness and is granted to those individuals who have maintained a good reputation in their community following the completion of their sentence, according to the pardon boards website. It does not expunge, remove or erase the crime from your record. It may serve as a means for a petitioner to advance in employment or education. In other words, its a piece of paper that would do little else besides get Trump a job as a line cook at 97 years old.

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On Monday night, Mike Davisa former Republican Senate Judiciary Committee aide who now runs the conservative Article III Projectsuggested that the Republicans running Georgia should change the current pardon system.

Related From Slate The Biggest Difference Between the Georgia Indictment and the Jan. 6 Indictment Read More

Under the Georgia law, there is a statute that limits the Republican governors ability to pardon, Davis said on Fox News, and I think that the legislature in Georgia needs to amend that statute and give Governor Kemp the ability to pardon in this situation because this is clear election interference.

The issue, however, is not statute: Its the state constitution. And changing that is a process.

Amending the state constitution to change clemency powers would require a 2/3 vote of both the State House and Senate and ratification by a majority of voters in the states next general election, Kaleb McMichen, a spokesman for Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns, explained to me in an email. As you may be aware, neither political party holds a supermajority of either the State House or Senate making the odds of a controversial amendment meeting the threshold required by the Constitution highly improbable.

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There have been no discussions of any such legislative action to put pardons under the governors direct control, McMichen wrote.

In other words: If Trump and/or his co-defendants are convicted of the many felony counts with which they were charged on Mondaymany of which come with jail timethere is no apparent way out. Perhaps Trump could conjure some sort of conspiracy, with more than a dozen co-conspirators, to apply some kind of illegal reading to the Georgia state constitution. Its not like hes gotten in any trouble for something like that before.
On Monday, the Fulton County, Georgia, grand jury indicted former President Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants, charging them collectively with racketeering and 40 other counts.

At a future trial, once a jury is sworn, District Attorney Fani Willis or one of her assistants will deliver an opening statement. As two former federal prosecutors, we offer this draft opening statement as an example of what Willis opening case against Trump might look like.

Members of the jury,

You probably know some of what happened after the 2020 election, but it took a grand jury for us to learn the full story the evidence in this case will tell you. Its a case about one man trying to keep presidential power by ending democracy and the army of confederates he employed to help him do it.

Its about a self-interested commander in chief, Donald John Trump, trying to stay in office by overturning the will of the majority. Were here because the former president placed a special emphasis on our state.

In America, voting by majority rule is what protects our rights and freedoms. Where individuals conspire to bury our democratic system, as we will show happened here, accountability to the law must follow.

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You have undertaken a sacred and not-always-pleasant duty to ensure such accountability. But without a jury of a defendants peers performing this profound obligation, our liberty is but a wisp in the wind. Thank you for your service.

You are going to hear evidence from a lot of witnesses about multiple unlawful schemes. Heres how we are going to make it simple for you.

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There is one overarching framework. The first count of this 41-count indictment alleges a violation of our states RICO Act. That abbreviation stands for Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations.

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Dont let that title confuse you. Not everyone who commits crimes in violation of this law is a Mafia gangster. The Georgia Legislature recognized that people who are up to no good can abuse our citizens security and the public order just as gravely while wearing a business suit.

You can be a racketeer without being a mobster.

If, as the evidence will establish, the defendants decided to try to overturn the election through a series of frauds, threats, and other crimes, then they violated the RICO law. Georgia criminal law does not exempt powerful politicians and operatives from the same rules that apply to everyone else. No one is above the law.

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Heres what RICO means, in a nutshell.

Its unlawful for anyone to acquire or maintain an interest in an enterprise through a pattern of racketeering. A pattern of racketeering means two crimes on a list of 40 offenses that the Legislature has set out.

We call these crimes RICOs predicate acts.

In this case, the predicate acts that the grand jury alleged include:

false statements and writings, forgery, computer trespass, perjury, and influencing witnesses.

We will show that the defendants committed at least two of these crimes as part of a criminal enterprise. It consisted, as we shall prove, of the 19 co-defendants running multiple unlawful schemes to overturn the election, like the plot to present fake Electoral College votes from our state to Congress on that tragic day of Jan. 6.

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RICO allows us to tell you virtually the entire crime story through the indictments first count. The same evidence, of course, will prove the other charges.

Related From Slate Texas Republicans Cite Noahs Ark in Lawsuit Over States Right to Wage War With Mexico Read More

They include other counts charging conspiracy. A conspiracy is an agreement among the defendants requiring at least one overt act taken to achieve the unlawful objectivehere, overturning your election.

The criminal enterprise charged in the RICO count came close to succeeding. It almost ended our constitutional republic.

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The evidence will prove that in 2020s closely contested election, Georgians cast over 11,000 more votes for President Joe Biden than for then-President Trump.

In a country and a state that prizes democracy, a one-vote majority, an 11,000-vote majority, or a million-vote majority produces the winner.

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And a rule-of-law society functions safely only if the candidate who loses accepts the will of the majority. The evidence will show that Trump did not.

Weve all read about countries where generals who are unhappy with the results of an election take the law into their own hands and try to throw out results they dont like.

You will hear that, in this case, the defendants conspired to do the same thing, not with tanks and guns, but with lies and threats.

Lets move to what happened here in Fulton County. You will hear from Georgias secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger. His testimony connects defendant Trump personally to his corrupt organizations illicit RICO scheme.

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The then president tried to pressure and threaten Raffensperger to change the certified results of the election. In a Jan. 2, 2021, recorded phone call, you will hear defendant Trump tell Raffensperger: I just want to find 11,780 votes. That was one more than he needed to reverse Bidens Georgia win.

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Promulgating dangerous disinformation was also part of the corrupt enterprise. You will hear how the defendants repeatedly broadcast multiple false narratives aimed at convincing citizens to buy into Trumps big lie that the election was stolen in order to pressure elected officials to yield.

Georgias never did.

The evidence will prove that, in pursuing their scheme, the defendants went so far as to falsely proclaim that honest officials and citizens had betrayed their public responsibilities.

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Those false charges, deliberately amplified via the defendants extraordinary access to the public media, irresponsibly endangered lives, exposing individuals and their families to threats of death.

For example, you will hear how, over and over, the defendants falsely accused Georgians such as Fulton County poll workers Ruby Freeman and her daughter Shaye Moss of exchanging real ballots for fabricated ones. You will hear these women testify that lies about their good names and threats of violence by Trump followers were these two poll workers unwelcome reward from this criminal organization.

They will tell you that they had undertaken, with complete integrity, the front-line Election Day tasks that we need citizens to perform. They were helping officials sort completed ballots so they could be properly counted.

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Let me specify some of the predicate acts through which the defendants operated their RICO organization, the Trump campaign.

Remember I spoke of defendants making false statements and writings and of forgery? The evidence will show that these predicate crimes were part of the defendants organized scheme to create fake electors in Georgia and elsewhere. That plot was part of their attempt to overturn the election.

Had Trump won the state vote, Republicans would have been Trumps official electors when the Electoral College votes were counted on Jan. 6. But when Trump lost, his campaign solicited individual Republicans to create fraudulent slates of electors. They were meant to provide a pretext for Vice President Mike Pence to reject or delay Congresss Jan. 6 certification of President Bidens victory.

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To try to achieve that goal, the fake electors signed phony certificates falsely attesting to their official status. Those were false written statements and therefore forgeries under the law.

They were therefore predicate acts alleged within the RICO charge. In other counts in the indictment, those false writings and forgeries are also charged as substantive offenses and overt acts in support of separate conspiracies.

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Let me preview evidence about another set of predicate RICO acts, the solicitation of criminal computer trespass. You will hear testimony that the certain defendants affiliated with the Trump campaign solicited individuals in Coffee County to take unlawful possession of voting machines and the computer software within them. The evidence will show that they did, and then illegally distributed the information to individuals across state lines.

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We will prove that they were endeavoring to show, through disinformation if necessary, that the machines switched votes from Trump to Biden.

Of course, as the evidence will show, nothing was further from the truth. And while little came of the unlawful trespass, it was dangerous. Importantly, it was a predicate RICO crime, whether or not it succeeded in attaining its unlawful objective.

At the close of the trial, the court will explain the provisions of Georgia criminal law that you are to apply to the evidence. The witnesses and the documents will leave you without any reasonable doubt that these defendants violated the laws of this state in a multifaceted RICO violation and conspiracy.

You have undertaken a grave responsibility, among the most important that any citizen can perform. You will ensure that the law governs fairly and honestly. It must apply evenly to the rich and powerful, just as it does to individuals without means or influence.

No one is above the law.
Vivek Ramaswamy does not seem like a particularly serious politician. He sort of has things he is running on (upping the voting age, for example), but mostly, he is running on a platform of pardoning Trump. This incredibly meager lesson seems to be resonating with Republican voterswhich should tell us something about the grip the former president still has on the party, Alexander Sammon writes. Oh, and it should be a warning sign for Ron DeSantis. Which, speaking of 

Poor Pudding Fingers

Speaking of candidates going up against Donald Trump, it is not going very well for the formerly assumed favorite, Ron DeSantis. Ben Mathis-Lilley called up a few political operatives to get their advice on what theyd do in Meatball Rons shoes. Most of them had scathing words for the Florida governor, his campaign, his viability as an opponent, and perhaps most cruelly, his overall charisma levels.

Age-old questions

You can read our great advice columns every day here at Slate, but this week, were doing something a little different. In Help! Wanted, our spectacular advice columnists are tackling your oldest, most common questions, and even switching roles to get some new perspective.

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Some special editions:

 Learn how to craft a perfect advice letter yourself.

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 Listen to the newest episode of Dear Prudence, where Prudie aka Jenee Desmond-Harris is joined by Slow Burn host (and husband!) Joel Anderson to answer letters. Its ad-free on Amazon Music.

 Andstart poking around our advice week swaps, with Care and Feeding columnist Allison Price taking over Pay Dirt. How many friends do parents get to invite to their kids weddings, anyway?

Worst client ever

Sam Bankman-Fried was an extremely poor financial executive and steward of his customers money, Alex Kirshner writes. He has been equally ineffective so far as a criminal defendant. Kirshner explains why the previously just under house arrest criminal defendant is headed to jail early.

Watch Don hunt

After seeing that Don Jr. had started publishing a magazine, Rebecca Onion had to ask. What does it mean when the magazine declares that hunting has gone too woke? She ordered six copies to find out.

Big on Bravo

Former J.Crew president and creative director Jenna Lyons has joined the cast of Real Housewives of New York. Her presence is already shaking things updare we say theres a little bit of taste sprinkled about now?

Today, Slate is  * WEAVING MIRTHFUL TALES OF ELVES, DWARVES, AND MEN

Much like one of the most exciting Dungeons & Dragons Grand Masters does when he plays.

Thanks so much for reading, and well see you tomorrow.
When Judge Tanya Chutkan admonished former President Donald Trump last week in open court to avoid making inflammatory statements that might threaten the integrity of the judicial process during the period of his Jan. 6 prosecution and trial, he afforded her all the respect and courtesy he typically gives judges. On Monday morning he lashed out at Chutkan and her husband, accusing the judge of being highly partisan and very biased and unfair. The object of this round of attacks comes in the form of a now-familiar demand for her recusal over comments she once made from the bench in a previous Jan. 6 case. Chutkan is presiding over the federal criminal case against the former president for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and Trump clearly isnt happy about the assignment: From the start, he has insisted that she step away from the case, a position his own lawyer has not taken. Early on, he provided no substantive justification for these demands; he has now seized upon Chutkans allusion to Trump in an earlier case as a reason for recusal, citing her pointed observation from the bench that he remains free to this day despite the events of Jan. 6.

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Recall that demanding that biased judges and prosecutors be removed from cases is an old, old play for Donald Trump, frequently fraught with racism, xenophobia, and sexism. Almost as soon as Chutkan drew his case, Trump sought her recusal based on claims that she was outrageously and impermissibly punitive in her sentencing of other Jan. 6 defendants. (Chutkan has been one of the harshest sentencers in these cases, but part of that might be because many Jan. 6 defendants have gotten off relatively lightly.) All of that aside, is there any legal merit to this new contention: that there is some evidence of bias in a statement the judge made during the October 2022 sentencing of Christine Priolawho breached the Capitol on Jan. 6to 15 months in jail? Lets look at the statement in question.

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In a lengthy monologue at sentencing, Chutkan decried the attempted insurrection as nothing less than an attempt to violently overthrow the governmentthe legally, lawfully, peacefully elected governmentby individuals who were mad that their guy lost. She further observed:

I see the videotapes. I see the footage of the flags and the signs that people were carrying and the hats that they were wearing, and the garb.  And the people who mobbed that Capitol were there in fealty, in loyalty to one mannot to the Constitution, of which most of the people who come before me seem woefully ignorant; not to the ideals of this county and not to the principles of democracy. Its blind loyalty to one person, who, by the way, remains free to this day.

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Based on the plain meaning of Chutkans comments, even if the former president persuades his lawyers to seek Chutkans disqualification, he will fail. It is extraordinarily difficult to compel a trial court judge to recuse herself, and appeals courtsincluding the Supreme Courtare intensely skeptical of efforts at crying bias. The problem for Trump is twofold. First, Chutkans comment shows not actual proof of bias, but rather a perfectly defensible viewpoint thats shared widely among her colleagues on the bench. Second, even if it did evince bias, it does not begin to rise to the level necessary to trigger recusal under federal law. The same standards that make it immensely difficult to force Judge Aileen Cannon off the Mar-a-Lago case (despite her actual showing of obvious bias in Trump litigation) make it virtually impossible to force Chutkan off the Jan. 6 case.

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Unlike the Supreme Court, federal trial court judges like Chutkan and Cannon are bound by an enforceable judicial code of conduct. That code requires a judge to disqualify herself in a proceeding in which the judges impartiality might reasonably be questioned, including a case in which she has personal bias or prejudice concerning a party. This language sounds broad, but the Supreme Court has held that it almost never applies to a judges statements during a criminal proceeding. As a rule, judicial remarks during the course of a trial that are critical or disapproving of, or even hostile to, counsel, the parties, or their cases ordinarily do not support a bias or partiality challenge. Pursuant to the case law, these remarks merit recusal only when they are so extreme as to display clear inability to render fair judgment, displaying a deep-seated favoritism or antagonism that would make fair judgment impossible. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which hears appeals of Chutkans rulings, has interpreted this standard as an exceedingly high barone that cannot be cleared when a judge merely volunteered their harshly critical opinions about a defendants alleged criminal conduct.

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Chutkans comments at Priolas sentencing fall far short of the standard set by SCOTUS. They are not extreme at all, but rather an accurate assessment of the situation. Dont forget that biased observers, including Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and former Vice President Mike Pence (all Republicans), have all similarly described the events of Jan. 6 as an attempt to unlawfully and violently set aside the results of an election and, at various times, blamed Trump himself. Recall also the context in which the judges in the D.C. courthouse have been operating over the past several years: Chutkan and her colleagues on the federal district court in D.C. have been inundated with more than 1,000 cases against low-level Jan. 6 rioters. And yet the president for whom the rioters fought still hadnt face a similar prosecutorial reckoning at the time Chutkan made her comments. When prosecutors charge a sprawling criminal conspiracy, they typically try to also get the big fish. So, Chutkan was expressing the same frustration many observers have been voicing for years now: Why was her courtroom filled with mere minnows? The judge kept incarcerating people whod played minor roles in the insurrection; at that October hearing, Chutkan even acknowledged that Priolas actions did not materially contribute to the mob. Chutkan was obviously frustrated that the leaders of the plot werent facing the same sorts of consequences that Priola and hundreds of others were.

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Her colleagues have expressed this view as well. While sentencing a different rioter, Judge Amit Mehta noted the irony that he was deciding whether to impose a 30-day jail sentence when those who created the conditions that led to  the events of Jan. 6 had not been held to account for their actions and their word. And Judge Amy Berman Jackson thundered, It is not patriotism, it is not standing up for America to stand up for one manwho knows full well that he lostinstead of the Constitution he was trying to subvert.

It is no mere coincidence that Trumps demands that Chutkan recuse herself and that the case be transferred to West Virginia, where he can presumably get an unbiased jury, are all happening the same week that Juan Manuel Merchan, the New York judge overseeing Trumps criminal Manhattan hush money case, issued a six-page order indicating that he would not step aside in that litigation, despite the fact that his daughter has done some political consulting work for Democrats and that he himself made small donations to Democrats in the 2020 election, including a $15 contribution to Joe Biden. Bolstered by the opinion of the state Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics deeming him fit to continue sitting on the case, Merchan cited precedent from a New York appellate court indicating that a judge faced with such a request must carefully balance the public interest in preserving public confidence in the judiciary against the possibility that those questioning his impartiality might be seeking to avoid the adverse consequences of their presiding over their case.

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In no small part, Trumps repeated insistence that every judge in every case against him must recuse themself for whatever fanciful reason his fever dreams may produce manages the neat trick of ensuring that two competing interests flagged by Merchan land on the same side of the ledger: By refusing to be bullied off every lawsuit Trump faces, jurists both uphold public confidence in the judiciary and punish serial attempts to avoid adverse consequences. There is, in fact, no judicial interest to be served when a litigant insists that every judge he encounters is biased, especially judges of color, Obama appointees, or those who fail to express undistilled enthusiasm for violent insurrection in open court.

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Judges, like journalists, prosecutors, and public officials, are entitled to have opinions, particularly on matters of law. Judges, like aspiring presidential candidates, are allowed to express those opinions in hearings and in action. We often call that doing their jobs. There is an immense amount of space, under Supreme Court precedent, the relevant federal circuit court opinions, and the judicial code of conduct, to allow for comments about minnows and big fish in a criminal conspiracy at a sentencing hearing. More than 1,000 federal defendants have been charged with Jan. 6 offenses, and hundreds have been sentenced. Some of these crimes have been horrifically violent and dangerous, and they have been disposed of by a set of judges sitting quite literally at the scene of the crime in the District of Columbia. That many of these judges have expressed horror and even anger at the assault on democracy is probative less of their bias in these matters than of their inability to normalize, rationalize, or trivialize them. The defendant may be angry that judges who oversee these cases, as part of doing their jobs, are not inclined to forgive and forget the events charged. The rest of us should be profoundly grateful that they keep our collective memory from blithely moving on from them as well.
Leprosy is back in the news, believe it or not, and once again the disease is being exploited for political gain. Sensational headlines. Misinformation. Demonized victims. Its been going on for centuries.

In the late 1800s, Louisianas top health official falsely blamed the unprincipled, vicious and leprous hordes of Asia for spreading the disease. Labor leader Denis Kearney also paraded a Chinese man suffering from leprosy through the streets of San Francisco to scare white workers about the alleged threat from abroad. More recently, conservative pundits warned, without evidence, that immigrants in a caravan headed for the U.S. southern border carried the disease, another reason to build the wall.

Now, an obscure medical study has brought a new wave of sensational and misleading headlines and news reports. They warn that central Florida has been identified as a leprosy hot spot, that there has been a surge of cases in the Sunshine State, and that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a travel advisory to avoid the region.

Like so much said about leprosy, none of this is true. The reporta research letter published in the CDCs Emerging Infectious Diseases journalnotes an uptick in cases in central Florida. Most were in Brevard County, which reported 20 cases in 2020, up from 12 the year before, although the number in the county dropped to 5 in 2021. Thats hardly a surgeand its not even a sustained uptick. In fact, leprosy, also known as Hansens disease, is extremely rare in the United States. The number of cases nationwide has hovered around 200 for decades.

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The CDC never advised travelers to avoid going to Florida. The only travel advisory was guidance from the reports authors that physicians take into consideration whether their patients had come from central Florida, because Hansens disease might be endemic to the region. Such information can inform efforts to track and reduce the spread of the disease, about which we know little other than that it does not spread easily.

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Still, none of this seems to matter when it comes to leprosy, a disease for which fearmongering has always been the most prevalent symptom. Interest in the recent report is clearly linked to the presidential candidacy of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who promises to make his hands-off approach to COVID a national health care model. MSNBCs Rachel Maddow opined on her Monday night show Aug. 7 that one problem with that promise is that now, theyve got leprosy. Not a metaphor. Actual leprosy! She added, alongside screenshots of the latest headlines, that Ron DeSantis will then take that model to the whole country. Gulp.

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Gulp, indeed. The truth is that leprosydespite its reputationis not a serious threat to public health. Its easily cured today and only mildly contagious (we dont entirely know how its contracted, though it usually involves sustained contact with an infected individual or exposure to an infected armadillo). In fact, 95 percent of humans are immune to the disease. While DeSantis can be blamed for many things, leprosy is not one of them. The bacteria grow so slowly that the incubation period can be several years. Any patient diagnosed today was likely infected well before Floridas governor came on the scene.

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The bacteria that cause leprosy can attack a victims nerves and cause numbness, skin growths, and muscle weakness. If left untreated, it can lead to permanent disabilities, including blindness. Fortunately, Hansens disease can be treated today with readily available antibiotics, which make victims no longer contagious within days.

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What leprosy patients suffer from most now is stigma, which has proven far more damaging and untreatable than the disease itself. Throughout history, those with leprosy have been isolated and scorned because people wrongly believed it was highly contagious and, in some cases, a punishment from God. For much of the 20th century, the U.S. government sent leprosy patients to a remote hospital in Carville, Louisiana, where they were confined against their will, often for decades. These Americans lost their freedom, families, homes, and identities, and even the right to vote. There was no medical reason for the quarantine; the government was simply responding to the publics unfounded fear and ignorance.

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Those days are over, thank goodness, but people diagnosed with Hansens disease still worry about how society will respond. Many, like my husbands grandfather, who died at Carville, contemplate suicide. Others who suspect they have leprosy avoid seeking medical care, which only exacerbates their problems.

This also means that cases will go unreported, limiting the collection of valuable informationthe whole point of the CDC report that kicked off the fear-laden news cycle. Although few cases of leprosy can be found in Florida, 200,000 new ones are diagnosed each year around the world. These people need help, not headlines that perpetuate the stigma and pain and misguided fears that should have been eradicated decades ago.
Are you one of those people who had your holiday shopping done in September? Good for you, but most Americans are more like me: still scrambling for those final few gifts. In 2016, last-minute holiday shoppers pushed spending to new heights, and theres no reason to think it wont happen again this year. How can your retail store take advantage of those potentially profitable procrastinators?

Tips for Attracting Last-Minute Holiday Shoppers

Power Up

As the finish line draws near, youre undoubtedly exhausted, but making a final push can make all the difference in your sales. Many retailers free shipping deadlines for Christmas delivery is December 18. Even paying for delivery wont be enough to get gifts there in time if shoppers wait much later in that week of December 18 to 23. Plan for a marketing push during this time to take advantage of your edge over ecommerce websites.

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Nurture Your Online Reviews

When shoppers do a local search for nearby retailers, they pay a lot of attention to the star ratings that pop up with search results. Its more important than ever at this time of year for your reviews to be positive and plentiful, so keep an eye on what people are saying about you and nip any problems in the bud.

Promote Popular Products You Sell

Whether its Hatchimals or Star Wars paraphernalia, there are always those hot, hard-to-find gifts that shoppers pursue up until the bitter end. Last year, Google reports, searches for where to buy peaked on Christmas Eve. All in all, mobile where to buy searches increased by more than 85 percent in the past two years, according to the search engine. When frantic shoppers scour the town for the perfect stocking-stuffer, you can win their business by promoting your hottest products in your online ads and on your website. You may want to use both brand names and product descriptions depending on which keywords work best.

Timing is Everything

If your store is open on Christmas Eve or other unusual hours, let shoppers know about it. Put your special holiday hours in your local search directory listings  you may need to update these daily to keep them up-to-date at this time of year. You can also tout your special holiday hours in your online ads and on social media. (The Google data shows that mobile searches for retailers peak on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.)

Dont Forget About Voice Search

Sales of home voice assistants soared over Thanksgiving weekend. More and more Americans are searching for things online by saying, Hey, Siri, or calling out to Alexa or Google Home. While someone using traditional search will type in keywords like cashmere sweater, someone using voice search will use more natural-language queries and full sentences, such as, Where can I buy a cashmere sweater under $100? Youll need to take this into account when incorporating keywords into your ads and website text.

Do a Virtual Store Tour

Google says the time spent watching store tour YouTube videos has soared more than tenfold in the past two years. Make your store look appealing  and show off all the great last-minute gifts youve got in stock  with a store tour video. You dont have to put a lot of time and effort into it. For example, you can use Facebook Live to quickly create a series of short videos where you highlight gifts for different types of people or gifts at different price points.

Think Mobile First

Last year, 76 percent of consumers used their mobile devices for holiday shopping. After all the work youve done to get your business to show up in search results, make sure that when shoppers actually go to your website to look up your information, they can view it on their smartphones and tablets. Sending out some last-minute emails to capture stragglers? Those emails had better be mobile-friendly, too.

Tactical Approaches for Retail Triumph

Seize the Procrastinator Potential: In a world where holiday planning starts early for some, theres a vast segment of shoppers who thrive on last-minute excitement. Channel this energy to your advantage by tailoring your retail strategies to cater to those who are still seeking perfect gifts in the eleventh hour.

In a world where holiday planning starts early for some, theres a vast segment of shoppers who thrive on last-minute excitement. Channel this energy to your advantage by tailoring your retail strategies to cater to those who are still seeking perfect gifts in the eleventh hour. Craft Urgency Through Limited-Time Offers: Create a sense of urgency by implementing limited-time offers that target the lingering procrastinators. Flash sales, exclusive discounts, or bundled deals that are time-sensitive can prompt swift action, driving customers to your store in the final stretch of the holiday season.

Create a sense of urgency by implementing limited-time offers that target the lingering procrastinators. Flash sales, exclusive discounts, or bundled deals that are time-sensitive can prompt swift action, driving customers to your store in the final stretch of the holiday season. Leverage Location-Based Advertising: Utilize geotargeted advertising to reach local shoppers who are on the lookout for last-minute gifts. As they search for nearby stores, ensure that your stores information, including holiday hours, reviews, and promotions, is readily available and prominently displayed in local search results.

Utilize geotargeted advertising to reach local shoppers who are on the lookout for last-minute gifts. As they search for nearby stores, ensure that your stores information, including holiday hours, reviews, and promotions, is readily available and prominently displayed in local search results. Embrace Social Proof Through User-Generated Content: Rally the power of user-generated content by encouraging customers to share their last-minute shopping experiences on social media. Create a dedicated hashtag that customers can use when sharing their finds and experiences. Repost their content on your own social platforms to foster a sense of community and inspire other procrastinators.

Rally the power of user-generated content by encouraging customers to share their last-minute shopping experiences on social media. Create a dedicated hashtag that customers can use when sharing their finds and experiences. Repost their content on your own social platforms to foster a sense of community and inspire other procrastinators. Offer Curated Last-Minute Gift Guides: Help overwhelmed shoppers by curating gift guides tailored to different preferences and budgets. These guides can provide quick solutions for the undecided, making their last-minute shopping spree more efficient and enjoyable.

Help overwhelmed shoppers by curating gift guides tailored to different preferences and budgets. These guides can provide quick solutions for the undecided, making their last-minute shopping spree more efficient and enjoyable. Implement Seamless Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store (BOPIS): Bridge the gap between online convenience and in-store immediacy by offering a streamlined Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store (BOPIS) service. Highlight this option in your marketing campaigns, emphasizing that customers can still secure their desired gifts without worrying about shipping delays.

Bridge the gap between online convenience and in-store immediacy by offering a streamlined Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store (BOPIS) service. Highlight this option in your marketing campaigns, emphasizing that customers can still secure their desired gifts without worrying about shipping delays. Dazzle with Express Gift Wrapping Services: Ease the stress of last-minute shoppers by offering express gift wrapping services. Present your store as a one-stop destination where customers can not only find the perfect gifts but also have them beautifully wrapped, ready for gifting.

Ease the stress of last-minute shoppers by offering express gift wrapping services. Present your store as a one-stop destination where customers can not only find the perfect gifts but also have them beautifully wrapped, ready for gifting. Engage Through Interactive Store Displays: Create interactive in-store displays that showcase your most sought-after items and prompt engagement. Interactive elements like touchscreens, augmented reality (AR) features, or QR codes that link to product information can captivate shoppers and guide them toward making swift decisions.

Create interactive in-store displays that showcase your most sought-after items and prompt engagement. Interactive elements like touchscreens, augmented reality (AR) features, or QR codes that link to product information can captivate shoppers and guide them toward making swift decisions. Partner with Local Influencers for Real-Time Recommendations: Collaborate with local influencers who resonate with your target audience. Leverage their reach to provide real-time recommendations, showcasing your store as the ultimate destination for last-minute shoppers seeking unique and thoughtful gifts.

Collaborate with local influencers who resonate with your target audience. Leverage their reach to provide real-time recommendations, showcasing your store as the ultimate destination for last-minute shoppers seeking unique and thoughtful gifts. Fine-Tune Your Mobile Experience: Since mobile usage is prevalent during holiday shopping, ensure your website and emails are fully optimized for mobile devices. Simplify the purchase process, streamline navigation, and make sure all essential information is easily accessible on smaller screens.

Approach Description Seize the Procrastinator Potential Tailor retail strategies to cater to last-minute shoppers who thrive on excitement. Capitalize on their energy and provide solutions for those seeking perfect gifts in the eleventh hour. Craft Urgency Through Limited-Time Offers Create a sense of urgency with time-sensitive offers like flash sales, exclusive discounts, or bundled deals. Prompt swift action from procrastinators, driving them to your store during the final stretch of the holiday season. Leverage Location-Based Advertising Utilize geotargeted ads to reach local shoppers searching for last-minute gifts. Ensure your store's information, including holiday hours, reviews, and promotions, is prominently displayed in local search results. Embrace Social Proof Through User-Generated Content Encourage customers to share their last-minute shopping experiences on social media. Foster community with a dedicated hashtag and repost user content to inspire other procrastinators. Offer Curated Last-Minute Gift Guides Assist overwhelmed shoppers by curating gift guides tailored to various preferences and budgets. Provide quick solutions for undecided customers, enhancing the efficiency and enjoyment of their last-minute shopping spree.

By strategically aligning your retail approach with the preferences and behaviors of last-minute holiday shoppers, you can tap into a valuable market segment and curate an unforgettable shopping experience that encourages both their loyalty and return visits.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the significance of last-minute holiday shopping?

In 2016, last-minute holiday shoppers contributed to record-breaking spending. This trend is expected to continue. To tap into this potential, retailers can employ strategies that cater to procrastinators seeking the perfect gifts.

How can retailers maximize their efforts as the holiday season nears its end?

As the holiday finish line approaches, retailers can initiate a final push to boost sales. With many free shipping deadlines around December 18, a marketing effort during the week leading up to December 18 to 23 can capitalize on the advantage over e-commerce sites.

Why are online reviews particularly crucial during this time of year?

During local searches for nearby retailers, shoppers closely consider star ratings. Positive and plentiful reviews hold increased importance during this season. Retailers should actively monitor feedback to maintain a positive online reputation.

How can retailers promote sought-after products effectively?

Promoting popular and hard-to-find gifts, such as Hatchimals or Star Wars merchandise, can attract last-minute shoppers. Google reports that searches for where to buy peak on Christmas Eve. Retailers can showcase these items in online ads and on their website to capture this demand.

Why is it important to communicate holiday hours effectively?

If your store operates during unconventional hours, its essential to inform shoppers, especially during the holiday season. Update local search directory listings and leverage online ads and social media to broadcast special holiday hours.

How can voice search influence retail strategies?

With the rise of home voice assistants, incorporating natural-language queries into keywords is crucial. As more people use voice search for online queries, adapting ad copy and website text to match conversational phrasing is necessary.

Why should retailers consider offering virtual store tours?

The popularity of store tour YouTube videos has surged. Retailers can create appealing store tour videos showcasing last-minute gifts. Quick and effortless videos can effectively highlight products and entice shoppers.

What role does mobile optimization play in last-minute holiday shopping?

Given that a significant percentage of consumers use mobile devices for holiday shopping, retailers must ensure their websites and emails are mobile-friendly. A seamless mobile experience enhances the chance of capturing last-minute shoppers attention.

How can retailers tailor their strategies for last-minute shoppers?

Retailers can seize the potential of procrastinators by crafting urgency through limited-time offers, leveraging location-based advertising, and embracing social proof. Curated gift guides, Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store (BOPIS) services, and engaging interactive displays are additional strategies to consider.

Why is collaborating with local influencers beneficial for retailers?

Local influencers resonate with target audiences and can provide real-time recommendations. Partnering with them showcases your store as the ultimate destination for last-minute shoppers seeking unique and thoughtful gifts.

How can retailers optimize their mobile experience for last-minute shoppers?

With the dominance of mobile usage during holiday shopping, retailers should ensure their websites and emails are optimized for smaller screens. Simplified navigation and easy access to essential information enhance the overall mobile shopping experience.

By embracing these strategies tailored to last-minute shoppers behaviors, retailers can create a compelling shopping experience that fosters loyalty and encourages return visits.
Theres been a significant change for small business owners looking to benefit from the Small Business Administrations (SBA) disadvantaged business program.

Following a recent federal court ruling, the Small Business Administration (SBA) has halted adding new entrants to its disadvantaged business program. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee decided last month that the SBA couldnt automatically categorize a small business as disadvantaged based on the race or ethnicity of its owner when applying for the agencys 8(a) business development program.

The 8(a) program traditionally benefits businesses by earmarking certain federal contracts for them. A primary goal of the Biden administration is to allocate a more significant fraction of government contracting dollars to these disadvantaged entities. However, this court ruling may place a temporary roadblock in that endeavor.

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Before the courts decision, the SBA operated under the presumption that if a small business owner identified as part of a racial or ethnic minority, their business automatically qualified as socially disadvantaged, making it eligible for the 8(a) program. Robert Tompkins, a significant figure in national government contract practice, elucidated that the court found this generalization too vast. Tompkins explained that now, each business owner will need to provide specific evidence of facing social disadvantages.

The genesis of this landmark ruling was a lawsuit initiated by Ultima Services Corporation, a woman-led small business. Ultima alleged racial discrimination when the Agriculture Department moved its preceding contract into the 8(a) program. The shift meant that, without 8(a) certification, Ultima could no longer compete for that contract.

The courts decision might have a ripple effect, potentially broadening the horizon for the 8(a) program. Antonio Franco, a law firm managing partner, suggested that the change would now compel all applicants, irrespective of their racial or ethnic group, to provide tangible evidence supporting their claim of social disadvantage.

Given the new mandates, small business owners may experience a deceleration in the SBAs process of inducting new members into the 8(a) program. However, Thompkins reminded businesses that the SBA already possesses mechanisms for owners to establish their social disadvantages. Although this isnt novel, this additional step will be a first-time experience for many.

Existing businesses under the 8(a) program, which requires recertification every nine years, are now advised to compile evidence supporting their disadvantaged status. With these changes in play, Tompkins anticipates a potential drop in participants within the 8(a) scheme.

This court decision could also pose challenges to the Biden administrations aspirations. President Biden set a goal in June 2021 to allocate 15% of all federal contracting expenses to small, disadvantaged businesses by 2025, a hike from the current target of 10%. Tompkins expressed reservations about meeting this target given the new requirements.

While the exact trajectory of the SBAs revamped application process remains uncertain, one thing is clear: the landscape for disadvantaged business owners seeking federal contracts is changing. The upcoming court hearing later this month is expected to provide more clarity on the matter.

For small business owners, this news underscores the importance of staying updated with federal guidelines and understanding the nuances that can affect their potential to secure federal contracts.

For the latest, follow us on Google News.
One-third of small business owners work at least three of the six major holidays in the US. This was the finding of a survey by the direct funding platform Kabbage.

Kabbages new survey reveals several work/life balance issues related to the sacrifices small business owners are willing to make. The research involved surveying 400 small business owners, with 67 percent stating they expect to increase revenues by the end of the year. More than half of the small business owners interviewed said they anticipate an increase in revenue of 10 percent or higher.

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The survey found that 60 percent of small business owners only take one full vacation a year, while 23 percent take less than two holidays off annually. Furthermore, when on holiday, 75 percent of small business owners continue working.

Small Business Owners Are Not Taking Holidays

In a press release about the survey, Kabbage Chief Revenue Officer Victoria Treyger spoke of the diligence and hard work small business owners put into their businesses, so much so that theyre willing to relinquish holidays and work during major vacations.

Small businesses are the heartbeat of our economy, and they deserve an enormous amount of gratitude. These are the individuals who take service calls at midnight on Christmas Eve, work long hours and forgo what many Americans take for granted. They define hustle and motivation and go to great lengths to support themselves, their families and their communities, Treyger commented.

As well as being willing to sacrifice vacations and spend time carrying out business during major holiday seasons, the survey found that almost half of small business owners use personal savings to pay for different elements of their business. The tendency to rely on personal funds for business budgets and requirements is particularly prevalent among younger business owners, with 75 percent of 25-34-year-olds admitting to using their own savings.

The findings of the study confirm that when it comes to running their own businesses, small business owners are driven by diligence, hard work and commitment.

Work-Life Balance Challenges for Small Business Owners

The dedication and commitment of small business owners are evident in their willingness to make sacrifices for their businesses. According to a survey conducted by Kabbage, a direct funding platform, work-life balance remains a challenge for many small business owners. The survey, involving 400 small business owners, sheds light on the extent to which entrepreneurs are prepared to forgo holidays and prioritize their businesses.

Working Through Holidays

The survey reveals that a significant portion of small business owners dedicate substantial time to their businesses during holidays. One-third of surveyed small business owners work on at least three out of the six major holidays in the US. This speaks to their dedication to maintaining their businesses operations, even during times typically reserved for relaxation and celebration.

Vacationing and Revenue Expectations

While small business owners are hard at work, they also express optimism about their businesses financial performance. Approximately 67 percent of surveyed entrepreneurs anticipate an increase in revenues by the end of the year. More than half of these owners expect revenue growth of 10 percent or higher. This positive outlook underscores the entrepreneurial spirit and determination that drive small business owners to push their businesses forward.

Personal Sacrifices and Financial Strains

The survey highlights several personal sacrifices made by small business owners. A significant number of them are willing to forgo vacations and holidays to ensure their businesses success. Around 60 percent of respondents take only one full vacation per year, and 23 percent take less than two holidays annually. Moreover, during holidays, a staggering 75 percent of small business owners continue working.

The financial aspect of running a small business also comes to the fore. Nearly half of the surveyed small business owners rely on personal savings to fund various aspects of their businesses. This reliance on personal funds for business needs is particularly prevalent among younger entrepreneurs aged 25 to 34, with 75 percent admitting to using their own savings.

Defining Hustle and Commitment

Victoria Treyger, Chief Revenue Officer of Kabbage, acknowledges the sacrifices made by small business owners. She emphasizes their dedication, motivation, and the lengths they go to support their businesses, families, and communities. These entrepreneurs define the spirit of hustle and commitment, working diligently to make their ventures successful.

Aspect Findings and Insights Dedication and Sacrifices Small business owners exhibit remarkable dedication by forgoing holidays and working during major vacation seasons. Work-Life Balance Challenges Work-life balance remains a challenge for many small business owners, as they prioritize their businesses. Working Through Holidays One-third of surveyed small business owners work during at least three out of the six major holidays in the US. Vacationing and Revenue Expectations Despite hard work, 67% expect increased revenues by year-end, reflecting entrepreneurial spirit and determination. Personal Sacrifices and Financial Strains A significant portion foregoes vacations, with 60% taking one full vacation per year. 75% work even during holidays. Financial Aspects of Business Nearly half rely on personal savings to fund business needs, especially among those aged 25 to 34. Entrepreneurial Spirit Defined Small business owners embody hustle and commitment, working diligently to make their ventures successful.

In summary, the survey underscores the remarkable dedication of small business owners, their willingness to sacrifice personal time for the sake of their businesses, and their persistent drive to achieve growth and success.

Frequently Asked Questions What percentage of small business owners work during major holidays? One-third of small business owners work at least three of the six major holidays in the US, according to a survey conducted by Kabbage, a direct funding platform. What work/life balance issues do small business owners face? Kabbages survey reveals various work/life balance challenges that small business owners experience. Many are willing to sacrifice holidays and personal time to prioritize their businesses. How many small business owners anticipate revenue growth? Out of the 400 small business owners surveyed by Kabbage, 67 percent expect to increase their revenues by the end of the year. More than half of them foresee revenue growth of 10 percent or higher. How often do small business owners take vacations? The survey found that 60 percent of small business owners take only one full vacation per year, and 23 percent take less than two holidays off annually. A significant number of them continue working even while on vacation. What is the role of personal savings in small businesses? Nearly half of the surveyed small business owners use personal savings to fund various aspects of their businesses. This reliance on personal funds is particularly common among younger business owners, with 75 percent of those aged 25 to 34 admitting to using their own savings. How do small business owners view their dedication and commitment? Victoria Treyger, Chief Revenue Officer of Kabbage, emphasizes the remarkable dedication and motivation displayed by small business owners. Despite the challenges they face, these entrepreneurs define hustle and commitment in their pursuit of success. How does Kabbage define the role of small businesses in the economy? Kabbage considers small businesses to be the heartbeat of the economy. They work tirelessly, even sacrificing holidays, to support themselves, their families, and their communities. What portion of small business owners work during major holidays? One-third of surveyed small business owners dedicate substantial time to their businesses during holidays, with at least three out of six major holidays being workdays for them. How do small business owners view their businesses financial prospects? Despite the challenges, approximately 67 percent of surveyed entrepreneurs are optimistic about their businesses financial performance, expecting an increase in revenues by the end of the year. What characterizes the approach of small business owners to their ventures? The survey highlights the remarkable diligence, hard work, and commitment of small business owners. Their dedication often leads them to forgo holidays and work even during major vacation seasons. What is the impact of personal sacrifices on small business owners work-life balance? The survey underscores the personal sacrifices made by small business owners, including limited vacation time and the use of personal savings to support their businesses. How does the survey define the entrepreneurial spirit of small business owners? The survey results showcase the unwavering determination and drive of small business owners to achieve growth and success, even if it means sacrificing personal time and relying on personal funds for their businesses. What key takeaways can be drawn from the survey? The survey highlights the resilience, dedication, and commitment of small business owners. Their willingness to make sacrifices and overcome challenges underscores their integral role in the economy. What motivates small business owners to continue working during holidays? The survey suggests that small business owners commitment to their businesses is fueled by their dedication to providing exceptional service, even during holidays, to support their customers and communities. How does the survey reflect the essence of entrepreneurship? Kabbages survey underscores the essence of entrepreneurship, where individuals are driven by a combination of hustle, commitment, and determination to make their businesses successful, often at the expense of personal time and comfort. What can we learn from small business owners reliance on personal savings? The survey highlights the financial challenges faced by small business owners, particularly among younger entrepreneurs, and sheds light on their resourcefulness and willingness to invest personal funds into their businesses. Conclusion The world of small business ownership is characterized by a unique blend of dedication, commitment, and sacrifices that entrepreneurs make to achieve their goals. The findings from Kabbages survey shed light on the remarkable resilience and spirit of these small business owners who often find themselves juggling their personal lives and their ventures. One striking revelation is that one-third of small business owners work during at least three of the six major holidays in the US. This dedication to their businesses during times traditionally reserved for relaxation and celebration reflects their unwavering commitment to maintaining their operations and supporting their customers, even at personal cost. The survey also underscores the optimism and determination of small business owners regarding their businesses financial growth. With 67 percent expecting revenue increases by year-end, and more than half anticipating growth rates of 10 percent or higher, its evident that their entrepreneurial spirit remains strong. However, the data also paints a picture of the sacrifices that small business owners are willing to make. A significant portion of these entrepreneurs take only one full vacation a year, and a staggering 75 percent continue working even while on holiday. The tendency to rely on personal savings to fund business needs further showcases the dedication and resourcefulness inherent in small business ownership. Victoria Treyger, Chief Revenue Officer of Kabbage, aptly describes these entrepreneurs as the heartbeat of the economy. Their willingness to work long hours, answer service calls at midnight on holidays, and forgo personal time demonstrates their unwavering hustle and motivation. Through their diligence, they not only support themselves but also contribute to their families and communities. In summary, the survey reaffirms the idea that small business owners are driven by a unique blend of diligence, hard work, and commitment. They are willing to make personal sacrifices to ensure their businesses thrive. These entrepreneurs redefine the essence of entrepreneurship, where the pursuit of success often requires perseverance through challenges and a resolute dedication to creating something meaningful.
The fall of communism spelled the end of a certain vocabulary, but not knowing that can earn you strange looks.

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During my first weeks in Bratislava, the family I lived with dug out an old Slovak textbook for me from their closet. It was long and bulky, with soft orange covers, and contained not a smidgen of English. Words were presented next to pictures, and phrases were accompanied by sketches.

One sketch depicted a man in a shirt and tie with a briefcase greeting a colleague. The caption read, "cest praci", which I took to be a greeting akin to "good day" or "good morning". That afternoon I practised the new phrase with strangers - with peculiar results.

Clerks at the post office and supermarket looked askance at me, as if trying to decide whether I was being cheeky. A policeman shot me an expression that seemed to be asking if I wanted to lose my teeth. Hip-looking teenagers chuckled knowingly, crediting me, it seemed, with a witty inside joke.

I dug the dictionary out of my bag. Cest means honour and praci is the genitive form of praca (work). That evening it was explained to me that the textbook had been written before the 1989 anti-communist revolution, and that cest praci, 'honour work', was a communist greeting abandoned after 1989.

That was my introduction to a fascinating cultural fact: the 1989 revolution marked an upheaval in Czechoslovakia that was lexical as well as political. Overnight, words associated with communist institutions and ideas took on new meanings, or were jettisoned altogether, left to surface in books and in conversations much as other landmark moments in history do.

Before the revolution, strangers had addressed one another as sudruh or sudruzka (comrade) - all the way up to sudruh Husak, the president of Czechoslovakia. But within a year, everyone but die-hard communists were back to pan, pani and slecna (Mr, Mrs and Miss); even the kids were now saying pani ucitelka (Miss Teacher) instead of sudruzka ucitelka.

Nowadays, outside the offices of the Komunisticka strana Slovenska (Communist Party of Slovakia) cest praci and sudruh are usually used ironically. I have a friend who says cest praci when he clinks glasses as a joke. And sudruh is a popular way of mocking politicians with communist pasts. Cest praci, sudruh prezident.

Other words have gone the way of the Zvaz Sovietskych Socialistickych Republik (USSR). There is no longer much talk of triedni nepriatelia (class enemies) or Prvomajovy sprievod (May first parade), although with a growing distrust in the USA's world interactions, Americky imperializmus (American imperialism) has made a comeback. Nor do tuzex (special government stores where 'luxury' consumer goods could be obtained) sell jeans, electronics and toys in exchange for bony (a special currency issued for use at the stores). Vekslaci - black market bony-changers - still exist, but today hound tourists for dollars and euro.

Although Slovakia's western-looking politicians portray EU accession as if the organisation were a promised land, stastne zajtrajsky (happy tomorrows) has fallen out of favour as a buzz phrase. Nor are economic reforms always packaged in five-year plans (patrocnica). However, officials still claim that produkcia neustale stupa (production is constantly rising) in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

Other jargon from the communist era have become so deeply embedded in the history of Slovakia and in the lives of Slovaks that they remain in currency. Prazska jar (the Prague Spring), a period of reform ended by the invasion of Warsaw Pact troops on August 20, 1968, will not soon be forgotten. Neither will normalizacia (normalisation), the strict adherence to communist principles that followed. And with tensions between Russia and the USA rising, we may see the return of the phrase studena vojna (cold war).

Of course, it wasn't all bad. Slovaks fondly remember their times as pionieri, a scout-like corps run by the Communist Party, where members were issued uniforms and a code of ethics, and were packed off to summer camps (tabory). Teenagers spent holidays travelling through the country picking fruit in work gangs (brigady).

Disbanded in 1989, the Statna bezpecnost, or StB (esh-tay-bay), was the secret police of the communist regime. Its members, known to Slovaks as StBaci, were known for impeccable manners, diabolic tactics and frightening attention to detail. The term has been given new life since Slovaks gained the freedom to travel - I heard StBaci jeeringly applied to those who check visa applications at Western embassies when Slovaks needed more visas. Talk about post-studena vojna irony.

Now that the studena vojna is theoretically over, however, the east and west should take the time to repair a few incongruencies in terminology. The west has always referred to the former regimes east of the iron curtain as communist. But in Slovak, these countries were never komunisticke, but socialisticke (socialist). Communism, for Slovaks, was marked by conditions - no want, ubiquitous state ownership, no cash money, and ultimate fairness in the distribution of wealth - that were never put into practice in this country.

Slovak Matters is a column devoted to helping foreigners understand the beautiful but difficult Slovak language. This article was originally published September 1, 2001. We have updated the piece to give it new life.


A local startup uses cigarette butts in the production of asphalt. Today, Slovakia boasts of the worlds first road made of such asphalt.

DNA test developer DNA ERA is one five Slovak companies ranked in the latest Companies to Watch category for younger firms with high growth rates, as composed by Deloitte in Slovakia. (Source: Courtesy of DNA ERA)

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While Slovakia has placed poorly in previous international rankings for innovation capacity, it is still home to a range of innovators developing groundbreaking solutions and startups addressing global challenges. Some of them are attracting international attention.

It may not be too long, in fact, before Slovakia becomes home to a unicorn  a private startup with a valuation of over one billion US dollars.

Slovakia boasts several notable innovations in various fields, such as e-mobility, waste management and social innovations Iva Kleinova, director of the strategies department at the governments Research and Innovation Authority (VAIA), told The Slovak Spectator.

At the Slovak branch of global consultancy firm Deloitte, managers regularly meet with technology companies as part of a programme that recognises and profiles fast-growing technology companies in the region.

We at Deloitte believe there is a period ahead of us that will bring a significant number of noteworthy innovations, Milan Sustek, senior manager at the department of tax consultancy at Deloitte in Slovakia, said, adding that a Slovak unicorn might in future be far from a fairytale.

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Waste and health

One innovation startup mentioned by Artur Bobovnicky, director of the innovation section of the Slovak Innovation and Energy Agency (SIEA), part of the Economy Ministry, is EcoButt which uses cigarette butts in the production of asphalt.
Slovakia destroyed the Soviet ballistic missiles stored in its territory in 2000. One such missile is on display in eastern Slovakia.

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The Soviet Union deployed nuclear weapons even to the territories of its satellites, and during the Cold War they probably reached Czechoslovakia as well.

Petr Suchy, an expert on the role of nuclear weapons in international relations from Masaryk University in Brno, explains how Czechoslovak nuclear weapons could have been used, how the Soviet Union also kept the deployment of ballistic missiles to the country a secret from the US, and why Slovakia still possessed them for a long time afterwards.

"Czechoslovakia clearly had carriers that we call dual-use. This means that they could carry conventional weapons, explosives, but nuclear weapons as well; whether they were rockets, airplanes, or some types of cannons that could launch nuclear missiles," he says.

In the interview, he also describes how the intercontinental ballistic missile that former Slovak President Rudolf Schuster received for his 70th birthday from former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma worked in the past.

Were there ever nuclear weapons in Czechoslovakia?

Very likely yes, from about the second half of the 1960s until the end of the Cold War. However, there is still some speculation about how many. The Soviet Union was very reserved and distrustful of even its most loyal vassals. Therefore, it preferred to store large numbers of nuclear warheads on its own territory, with the provision that in the event of escalation of tensions, they would be moved to bases in western satellites. In addition, carriers capable of carrying the warheads were deployed in Czechoslovakia.

What types of nuclear weapons were in Czechoslovakia?

The ballistic missiles and other missiles deployed had different ranges. According to Soviet classification, Czechoslovakia had tactical missiles with a range of up to 50 kilometres, operational-tactical missiles with a range of 50 to 300 kilometres, operational with a range of 300 to 500 kilometres, and operational-strategic with a range of 500 to 1000 kilometres. An example of tactical ones would be the Frog-3 rocket (Soviet name 2K6 Luna - Ed. note). These missiles, along with many others, were deployed in Cuba in 1962 and played a very dangerous role in the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The most important carrier in Czechoslovakia was deployed just 40 years ago at the end of 1983. This was the SS-12 ballistic missile (Soviet designation TR-1 Temp-S) with a range of 800 to 900 kilometres. Soviet and Czechoslovak propaganda justified the deployment by the fact that the United States began deploying ballistic missiles to West Germany and other European NATO states. Despite the fact that the Soviet Union constantly declared that the United States had nuclear superiority, it later had to destroy up to a thousand more such missiles than the US.

What exactly is the difference between a nuclear weapon, carrier and warhead?

A carrier is the means that will bring a nuclear weapon to its destination. A nuclear warhead is a nuclear device that can be placed on a selected type of carrier and can be integrated with it. When we talk about a nuclear weapon, this represents a carrier integrated with a nuclear warhead, for example, an intercontinental ballistic missile. It's a carrier and one or more nuclear warheads fixed on top. Czechoslovakia clearly had carriers that we call dual-use. This means that they could carry conventional weapons, explosives, but also nuclear weapons. Whether they were rockets, airplanes, or some types of cannons that could launch nuclear missiles.

How did the Soviet Union decide that they wanted to place nuclear weapons in Czechoslovakia?

The Soviet Union perceived the territories of its Western satellites as a suitable buffer zone to minimise damage, population and infrastructure losses in a possible confrontation with the West. For that reason, it sent its own troops to some satellites and in addition to conventional forces, placed nuclear forces there as well, in an attempt to have these assets closer to the site of a supposed conflict, which would be along the line of the Iron Curtain.
The cognitive ramping-up effect of coffee is not a new phenomenon. Hell, its not even new to the investigatory eye of the scientific community. You dont really need at this point for any new research paper to tell you that coffee has a way of increasing brain functioning, it is at this point a known commodity, but still, maybe its sometimes nice to hear it anyway?

And if you are so inclined toward such words of affirmation, then good news! A new study has scanned peoples brains and found that drinking coffee can boost your brain power.

The new paper, published recently in Natures journal Scientific Reports, finds that not only coffee but music as well has such properties. For the study, researchers from New York University and the University of Houston used a new brain-monitoring technology known as Mindwatch, which has been in development for the past six years by NYU Tandons Biomedical Engineering Associate Professor and study co-author Rose Faghih. As reported by Neuroscience News, the Mindwatch is an algorithm that analyzes a persons brain activity from data collected via any wearable device that can monitor electrodermal activity (EDA) and reflects changes in electrical conductance triggered by emotional stress, linked to sweat responses.

As part of the test, participants would wear skin-monitoring wristbands and brain-monitoring headbands while being put through what is known as an n-back test. In this cognitive test, participants are given a sequence of sounds or images and then asked to state where a current stimulus is the same as the one presented a given number back in the sequence. For a 3-back test, it would be three places ago in the sequence; for a 5-back test, it would be five, etc. Participants were given the n-back test as a baseline, before drinking coffee or listening to music or smelling perfume, a third thing that they also tested.

Using the Mindwatch, the researchers found that coffee and music measurably altered subjects brain arousal. In particular, coffee and music were found to promote an increase in beta band brain wave activity, a state associated with peak cognitive performance. Perfumes effects were said to be modest in this regard.

Coffees effect was said to be slightly less than that of music, but both saw the largest gains in a 3-back version of the test versus the 1-back. This indicates to the researchers that these stimuli have the greatest effect when the cognitive load is higher.

So there you have it, more proof of something you already know: coffee makes your brain work better. Drink up, jam out, and tune in.

Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230815/biden-restrictions-on-chinese-ai-investments-likely-to-backfire--have-little-impact-on-china-1112597756.html

Biden Restrictions on Chinese AI Investments Likely to Backfire & Have Little Impact on China

Biden Restrictions on Chinese AI Investments Likely to Backfire & Have Little Impact on China

The United States is shooting itself in the foot and self-destructively damaging its own high tech economic growth by banning investments by American companies in Chinese artificial intelligence capabilities, experts told Sputnik.

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Last week, US President Joe Biden signed an executive order restricting US companies from investing in Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and technologies - including semiconductors and quantum computing. The Biden administration said the move is intended to prevent such technologies from enhancing Chinese military, intelligence and surveillance capabilities. In the executive order, Biden said his administration was concerned certain US investments may accelerate the development of products China could use against the United States. Retired US Army Colonel and international consultant Earl Rasmussen, former vice president of the Eurasia Center, described the new policy as "accelerated economic suicide." Due to the previous Biden chip ban, US companies are expected to lose up to $80 billion, Rasmussen added. "There is much discussion of decoupling from China for the US and Europe. This will likely have a much more adverse impact on the US and Europe than China," Rasmussen said. Independent Institute Center for Peace and Liberty Director Ivan Eland believes that while they may impede Chinese capabilities somewhat, such limits will also curb the free flow of information and could slow US innovation. Not to mention, China is likely to retaliate, he added. "China is likely to respond, which compounds the US self-induced wound. For example, bans on rare earth minerals," Eland told Sputnik. "They may also respond by making other economic and investment/trade deals where they can, once again hurting US companies."Retired Brown University Assistant Professor of Economics Barry Friedman warned that US companies will not get the benefit of learning from Chinese production operations and developing cost-effective components for sale or use at home and third countries. Little Impact on ChinaRasmussen said the executive order is more a move to limit Chinese growth than it is regarding US national security, but it is likely to have minimal effect. A report from the US-based Center for Security and Emerging Technology points out that Chinese investors remain the dominant investors in Chinese AI companies. Moreover, despite all these restrictions, China remains the global manufacturing engine, he added, further predicting that China will continue its partnership with the global south to assist in nurturing economic development and expanding their share of the global market. Friedman said there are ways China can circumvent the restrictions. "There could be ways to purchase advanced technology built into industrial products and traded in shadowy 'wholesale' markets. Example, the reports of Haas precision-machining tools and various semiconductors purchased through hidden transactions on the international market despite sanctions on direct sales to Russia," Friedman said.Political commentator Alex Krainer, founder of Krainer Analytics, said the move is a shortsighted sign of desperation. Alan Tonelson, a long-time national security analyst who blogs at RealityChek, doubts the new measures will have much of an impact on Chinas military capabilities. "Unfortunately, the new US curbs are still too narrowly drawn to slow China's military-related technology development significantly over time," he said. Tonelson also said China has too much to lose to respond aggressively. In principle, Beijing retains formidable retaliatory capabilities in areas like rare earths and other critical minerals, but the US has leverage too given China is struggling to generate adequate growth and employment, Tonelson added. Former London merchant banker, US financial analyst and columnist Martin Hutchinson, said the new policy will not produce any significant results. Chinas most effective retaliation to Biden's move would be to cut off rare earth supplies, but that could backfire, Hutchinson argued, saying there are other unexploited sources for these materials outside of China.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230808/cruel-realities-await-us-partners-in-anti-china-semiconductor-trade-wars-1112447346.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230815/chilling-story-for-press-freedom-raid-on-small-town-newspaper-sparks-first-amendment-concerns-1112600263.html

'Chilling Story for Press Freedom': Raid on Small Town Newspaper Sparks First Amendment Concerns

'Chilling Story for Press Freedom': Raid on Small Town Newspaper Sparks First Amendment Concerns

A police raid of a small town newspaper has raised First Amendment concerns.

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A Kansas town with a population of just a few thousand residents has found itself in the middle of a battleground over the First Amendment after local law enforcement raided the office of the town's paper, The Marion County Record.Eric Meyer, the owner of the newspaper, revealed that the towns police department raided his home, the papers office and the home of the towns vice mayor. His 98-year-old mother and co-owner of the paper, Joan Meyer, lived in the same house and died the day after the raid. Eric Meyer says she died from shock and grief that resulted from the police search.The Friday raid saw police seized computers, cell phones, and reporting materials among other objects from Meyers house and the papers office.Incidentally, the raid unfolded as the paper was investigating the towns police chief, Gideon Cody, over claims they received about alleged sexual misconduct allegations from his previous job at the Kansas City Police Department.The computers seized by the police department included information about that investigation and the sources that made those claims about Cody.The search appears to stem from a claims by Kari Newell, of restaurant Kari's Kitchen, who alleged the newspaper stole her identity to obtain information about her.Newells issues with the paper appear to be longstanding. On August 1, her restaurant hosted an event for Congressman Jake Laturner, an event Meyer says he and his staff attempted to cover but were asked to leave by Cody.Meyers says a source contacted a reporter for the paper the next day, alleging Newell had a previous DUI conviction and was driving without a license. It was then that Meyers says the paper launched its investigation into the allegation using public websites before eventually deciding against publishing a story on what they found. Instead, he says he passed on the information to Cody because Newell was applying for a liquor license and state law prohibits liquor licenses for individuals with felony DUI convictions and also requires the holder to have a state drivers license.Meyer then says Vice Mayor Ruth Herbel asked the paper to send the same information to her because the city council was set to vote on Newells liquor license application, which the council approved with a 4-1 vote.During that meeting, Newell admitted to having a DUI conviction and accused the paper of obtaining that information illegally. In a statement given to US media, she said she believes the paper got the information by stealing a piece of mail sent to her by the Kansas Department of Revenue.The straw that broke the camel's back came when the outlet opted to publish an article about Newell's accusations and the subsequent council meeting. Two days later, Marion County Court Magistrate Judge Laura Viar signed a search warrant alleging the paper committed identity theft and unlawful acts concerning computers.Chris Garaffa, a privacy consultant and the cohost of CovertAction Magazines Bulletin podcast, told Sputniks Political Misfits on Monday that the case is a chilling story for press freedom in the US.In a statement posted on social media, Cody asserted his department was acting within the law and remained unbiased.Cody has implied in his post that the raid of the Records offices fell under one of those exceptions.But the Reporters of Committee for Freedom of the Press has disputed that claim, condemning the raid and explaining to Cody in a letter that proceedings did not meet the criteria laid out in the act.In Newells statement, she claims the Record has a LONG standing reputation of contortion, and that the community by large is FED up.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230815/china-warns-against-intensifying-antagonism-ahead-of-summit-between-us-japan-s-korea-1112614404.html

China Warns Against 'Intensifying Antagonism' Ahead of Summit Between US, Japan, S Korea

China Warns Against 'Intensifying Antagonism' Ahead of Summit Between US, Japan, S Korea

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday, commenting on the upcoming summit between the leaders of South Korea, the United States and Japan, that Beijing is opposed to certain countries uniting in exclusionary groups and "intensifying antagonism."

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The spokesman expressed hope that certain states would increase their efforts to contribute to "regional peace, stability and prosperity." "China opposes relevant countries assembling exclusionary groupings, and practices that intensify antagonism and undermine the strategic security of other countries," Wang stated. US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol are scheduled to hold their trilateral meeting at the Camp David presidential retreat near Washington on August 18. The summit will be the first meeting held by the three leaders independently, not on the sidelines of an international forum. The previous meeting of the US, Japanese and South Korean leaders took place at the G7 summit in the Japanese city of Hiroshima in May.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230815/donald-trump-indicted-for-fourth-time-in-georgia-election-interference-case-1112598454.html

Trump Indicted for Fourth Time in Georgia Election Interference Case

Trump Indicted for Fourth Time in Georgia Election Interference Case

Former US President Donald Trump was indicted for a fourth time late Monday, this time for his and his allies alleged actions to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in the state of Georgia.

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Former US President Donald Trump was indicted for a fourth time late Monday, this time for his and his allies' alleged actions to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in the state of Georgia.The grand jury indictment in Georgia stretched far into the night on Monday, with the indictment only becoming public just before 11 p.m. The 98-page indictment list charges a total of 19 individuals including Trump, and fellow associates Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Mark Meadows, Jeffrey Clark, among other figures. Over 40 charges are listed in the filing, which also notes there are 30 co-conspirators who have yet to be officially indicted.Trump was specifically hit with 13 charges, including: Violation of the Georgia RICO Act, solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer, conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer and conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree, among others.Shortly after the indictment was released, Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis told reporters that the defendants must surrender voluntarily no later than 12 p.m. local time on August 25.Willis did state that she will seek to try the case within six months' time, and that she wanted to try all defendants together, a task that insiders have already noted may pose several difficulties.Ahead of the indictment's release, the Trump campaign issued a statement condemning the latest filings, noting Willis "strategically stalled her investigation to try and maximally interfere with the 2024 presidential race and damage the dominant Trump campaign."Prosecutors have been investigating the alleged election interference scheme for two and half years. The investigation, led by Willis, focused on five actions allegedly taken by Trump and his allies, including phone calls that Trump made to state officials in which he told one to "find" the votes he needed to win the state.Prosecutors also investigated a scheme to upend the vote by sending fake electors to certify the vote and a data breach at an election office in Coffee County.Earlier Monday, US media reported that a document outlining charges against Trump from the Fulton County District Attorney's Office was momentarily made public before being taken down.At the time, the Fulton County Clerk's office acknowledged the mishap and stated the document was fictitious. The release said that no documents had been filed in the case, and reiterated that files that do not have an official case number, filing date, and the name of the clerk of courts are not considered official fillings and should not be treated as such.Trump has also been indicted on federal charges related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents and in a New York state case over money he paid to an adult film actress to keep her from speaking about an affair she alleged to have with Trump years before the start of the 2016 US election cycle. In that case, investigators claim the payments were illegally classified as legal expenses.The cases in Georgia and New York are particularly significant because the US president does not have authority over state courts. While legal experts have debated if a president could pardon themselves in a federal case, there is no doubt they cannot in cases handled by state courts. If Trump returns to the White House in 2024, he will not be able to pardon himself in those cases.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230814/georgia-election-official-cautions-on-potential-impacts-of-trumps-indictments-1112571468.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230815/garland-appoints-special-counsel-in-hunter-biden-case-1112598891.html

Garland Appoints Special Counsel in Hunter Biden Case

Garland Appoints Special Counsel in Hunter Biden Case

On this episode of Fault Lines, host Jammarl Thomas and Melik Abdul discussed a number of topics from around the globe, including the new appointed council in the Hunter Biden case.

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2023-08-16T11:22+0000

fault lines

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sam bankman-fried

ukraine

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hunter biden

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Garland Appoints Special Counsel in Hunter Biden Case On this episode of Fault Lines, host Jammarl Thomas and Melik Abdul discussed a number of topics from around the globe, including the new appointed council in the Hunter Biden case.

Mark Sleboda - International Relations and Military AnalystRobert Patillo - Lawyer and Political CommentatorTed Rall - Cartoonist and Host of The Final CountdownDavid Tawil - Co-Founder of Pro-Chain CapitalIn the first hour, the Fault Lines team discusses the so-called "Ukrainian counteroffensive". Military analyst Mark Sleboda gives expert insight about the ongoing battles in the Donbass.In the second hour, Fault Lines' show discusses the newly appointed Special Counsel to the Hunter Biden case. Ted Rall and Robert Patillo join the team to discuss the Special Counsel's appointment and what this means for the Hunter Biden saga.In the third hour, the Fault Lines hosts discuss the FTX founder and CEO Sam Bankman-Fried and his list of crimes. Cryptocurrency and Blockchain expert David Tawil speaks to the team about the SBF case and the long list of charges he is facing in court.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.Catch us at at 105.5FM, 104.7FM, 102.9FM, 1390AM, 1140AM

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230815/georgia-district-attorney-seeks-hour-of-fame-with-fourth-trump-indictment-1112617093.html

Georgia District Attorney Seeks 'Hour of Fame' With Fourth Trump Indictment

Georgia District Attorney Seeks 'Hour of Fame' With Fourth Trump Indictment

Donald Trump is now facing four criminal indictments relating to his conduct as president. Ted Harvey said the prosecutions were aimed at keeping Democrat President Joe Biden in power for four more years.

2023-08-15T17:48+0000

2023-08-15T17:48+0000

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The fourth indictment against former US president Donald Trump has no legal basis, says a US pundit.Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis announced charges against Trump and 18 others on Monday, including his lawyer and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani.They include catch-all "RICO" or racketeering charges which criminalise association with others allegedly engaged in a "criminal enterprise." Political commentator Ted Harvey said Willis was just "another district attorney trying to get her hour of fame."The former president is accused of trying to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election  before it was certified  by asking state election officials to scrutinise ballots in certain counties.The pundit said Trump was justified to make such requests under the circumstances."You have to remember that Georgia... Trump only lost Georgia by 10,000 votes, and that is a razor thin margin in a state the size of Georgia, and there certainly was a great deal of problems with the Georgia election," Harvey said. "There was a lot of skulduggery going on, and could it have been 10,000 votes? I think there definitely could have been 10,000 votes, and I think that anybody who says otherwise is not actually looking at the facts on the ground."The commentator argued that Trump's actions as described in the indictment did not constitute a crime.The former state legislator said Trump faced hostile kangaroo courts both in Atlanta and the national capital."It's very similar to the January 6 indictment," which would be "heard in front of a jury in Washington, DC, where 95 percent of the jurors probably voted for Biden. And I think in Atlanta, they're pretty close to that number as well," Harvey said. "You're going to have a situation where Trump will not be getting a fair trial and he's going to be fighting for his legal life in both of those situations."He linked the trials to Trump's bid for a second term of office in the White House, saying the Republican frontrunner's enemies were seeking "a conviction before the November election in a biased jury with a biased judge and a biased district attorney."For more in-depth analysis of the top news stories, tune in to our Sputnik News show The Final Countdown.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230815/trump-calls-new-indictment-rigged-deliberately-filed-during-political-campaign-1112615849.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230815/how-russias-position-on-cluster-munitions-in-conflict-differs-from-us-1112621137.html

How Russia's Position on Cluster Munitions in Conflict Differs From US

How Russia's Position on Cluster Munitions in Conflict Differs From US

If Russia decides to use cluster munitions in response to the US arming Ukraine with them, it will most likely be careful and calculated, since the Russians have to live with their neighbors afterward.

2023-08-15T17:57+0000

2023-08-15T17:57+0000

2023-08-16T07:00+0000

analysis

igor korotchenko

earl rasmussen

sergei shoigu

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cluster munitions

ukraine

russia

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Speaking at an international security conference in Moscow on Tuesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu warned that the Russian military might soon be forced to reconsider the decision to refrain from using cluster munitions in Ukraine, due to Washingtons decision to arm Kiev with such weapons.A certain percentage of the tiny bomblets contained in each cluster bomb or artillery shell dont immediately explode upon striking the munitions target, and can be found later by animals or humans, with children being especially vulnerable since the bomblets can look like toys.Igor Korotchenko, a military analyst and editor-in-chief of National Defense magazine, told Sputnik on Tuesday that Moscow had showed restraint in deploying the highly effective antipersonnel weapons in the special operation in Ukraine due to its responsible attitude to the use of such weapons, which is different from Washingtons.Korotchenko emphasized that the enemy himself determines what he is fighting with and that we cannot be holier than the Pope during this conflict.If the United States supplies such types of weapons, if Ukraine uses them, if there are no restrictions on the use of such weapons by the enemy - in my opinion, we cannot endlessly be in a situation of non-use of similar types of weapons, the analyst said.Korotchenko said that if cluster munitions are to be used by Russian forces, their deployment would be determined by military expediency and only against military targets who are themselves using such weapons.We are not at war with the peaceful population of Ukraine. We do not strike civilian targets. We are destroying either the military infrastructure or the infrastructure that Ukraine relies on to realize its military potential, offensive potential. But if we use any types of weapons, it is only against the enemy, an armed enemy who opposes us on the battlefield, he explained.Earl Rasmussen, an international consultant and a retired lieutenant colonel with over 20 years in the US Army, told Sputnik that Russias considerations in when or whether to use cluster munitions would include balancing the needs of the tactical situation with a caution for humanitarian concerns.Russia has sufficient ammunition to not have to rely on cluster munitions, he said, noting that if cluster munitions are used, then the Russians will have to actually move through that area or to deal with the area afterwards. Either when they're moving forward to obtain more area within Ukraine or for defensive positions or the people living in that area. You're going to have a large part of the area contaminated, I would like to say, with the cluster munitions. And that becomes very dangerous for civilians as well, especially children. I would be very cautious using them.Rasmussen noted that despite not being a member of the Convention on Cluster Munitions - which is also true of the US, China and several other countries - Russia still carefully considers the huge humanitarian issue of deciding to use them.I think we all know that there's a huge humanitarian issue related to cluster munitions and that regardless of whether it's a low percentage or a high percentage, a certain percentage of [the bomblets] are just duds - they do not go off at the time and they're embedded basically within the ground for years. We [the Americans] used them in Vietnam, we used them in - probably - Iraq and Afghanistan. And we're still dealing with people dying from those unexploded munitions.Usually you're going to use cluster munitions when you're confronting massive troop movements, so using normal artillery doesn't really make sense. They're more from dispersing formations and a large counterattack or a large defensive position or offensive position that you're trying to break up and inflict massive casualties. There's been no reason from a strategic or tactical point of view for Russia to use them so far. Maybe Bakhmut [Artemovsk], that could have been a potential area. And we'll have to see what the tactical situation looks like on the ground. I do not think they will.He added that if Russia did decide to use cluster munitions, however justified it might be, Moscow would have to consider the perspectives of its partners outside of Europe with a firmer stance against the weapons and how it could maintain a moral high ground while doing so.The retired US Army colonel noted that Washington has never shown such scruples when it comes to deciding what kinds of weapons to use when bombing countries far from home. In contrast, Russia has to live with Ukraine after the conflict is over and see the bombed areas rebuilt, so it has not been so cavalier.Western countries, the US specifically, would be going to completely carpet bomb and destroy infrastructure - power, bridges, just flatten cities. Look what we've done to Belgrade, look what we did in Afghanistan, look what we did in Iraq, to Baghdad. I mean, we just went in and just focused, you know, two-three months of bombing - and then we moved in. You basically have destroyed the country before you are even in.He noted the situation in Ukraine, where Russia had clearly hoped the West would quickly come to their senses about the seriousness of Moscows security red lines after the special operation was launched in February 2022, was complicated and not ideal."But Russia has got a more strategic long term perspective, and especially in this case, having to deal with the people as well and help rebuild, especially the four regions that they have, and maybe two or three more regions. Whereas the West really has never gone in to rebuild afterwards, and even if they've pulled out, like in Afghanistan, they've confiscated the reserves of the government. I think the reasoning behind this is completely different.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230815/western-weapons-captured-in-ukraine-displayed-at-army-2023-military-expo-in-russia-1112613701.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230814/john-bolton-claims-failure-of-kievs-counteroffensive-caused-by-wests-indecisiveness-1112579409.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230808/niger-crisis-sparks-fears-in-france-that-paris-being-squeezed-out-of-africa-by-russia-china-us-1112457076.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230815/hunter-biden-attorney-asks-to-withdraw-from-case-due-to-potential-role-as-witness-1112618593.html

Hunter Biden Attorney Asks to Withdraw From Case Due to Potential Role as Witness

Hunter Biden Attorney Asks to Withdraw From Case Due to Potential Role as Witness

One of Hunter Bidens attorneys is requesting withdrawing from defending the presidents son on tax and firearms charges due to a potential need to appear as a witness in forthcoming legal proceedings, according to a motion filed in the US District Court for the District of Delaware on Tuesday.

2023-08-15T15:02+0000

2023-08-15T15:02+0000

2023-08-15T15:02+0000

americas

hunter biden

delaware

us house of representatives

us

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Delaware state policies restrict lawyers from acting as an advocate at a trial in which the lawyer is likely to be a necessary witness, the filing said. Hunter Biden will continue to receive legal representation from other firms, the filing added. Biden faces tax evasion and firearms charges, which were set to be resolved by a plea deal and pre-trial diversion agreement. However, the arrangement collapsed and the parties have since reached an impasse in attempting to reach a new deal. Last week, US Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the appointment of David Weiss as a special counsel tasked with investigating the Hunter Biden case. The case comes amid investigations by US House of Representatives lawmakers into alleged criminal activity by Joe and Hunter Biden, including bribery and foreign influence peddling.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230814/ex-fbi-agent-tells-congress-bidens-team-was-tipped-off-on-hunter-biden-interview-1112590558.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230815/imperial-revanchism-military-parade-helps-warsaw-hide-failure-of-economic-reforms---analyst-1112623677.html

'Imperial Revanchism': Military Parade Helps Poland Hide Failure of Economic Reforms - Analyst

'Imperial Revanchism': Military Parade Helps Poland Hide Failure of Economic Reforms - Analyst

The Polish government has apparently pulled out all the stops while holding a massive military parade in Warsaw on August 15 to mark the countrys Army Day. 15.08.2023, Sputnik International

2023-08-15T19:02+0000

2023-08-15T19:02+0000

2023-08-16T05:59+0000

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Several hundred Polish servicemen and dozens of domestic and US-made armored vehicles and weapon systems  including Abrams main battle tanks, HIMARS multiple rocket launch systems and South Korean K9 self-propelled howitzers  were involved in what a seems to have become the largest military parade Poland held in decades.This event took place as Poland continues to help prolong the Ukrainian conflict by supplying arms to the regime in Kiev and masses its troops on its neighbors borders.Commenting on this development, Dr. Marco Marsili, a researcher at Ca Foscari University of Venice and associate fellow at the Center for Strategic Research, suggested that this parade is a flame of imperial revanchism, a callback to the times when the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was one of the great powers in Europe.According to Marsili, Polands eagerness to deepen its military cooperation with the United States, rather than to pursue the idea of strategic autonomy for Europe proposed by France, is largely based on Warsaws desire to get access to US weaponry.The technologically advanced US weapons, Marsili explained, can only be exported and made available to friendly countries under the US Congress authorization upon request from the White House.Marsili also warned that Poland, which has been investing heavily in its armed forces in recent years, has not forgotten about the mass murder of Polish civilians by Ukrainian ultranationalists in Eastern Galicia and Volhynia during World War II.The Poles are mindful of this recent and painful slaughter; they will not forget it easily, and they will try to make the Ukrainians accountable, some way. Nationalism never sleeps forever; at some point of history, it wakes up and calls for revenge, he mused.Last week, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu suggested that Poland, which currently seeks to build the most powerful army in Europe, may attempt a military occupation of western Ukraine.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230810/nato-prepares-to-risk-polish-troops-on-foolhardy-foray-into-ukraine-1112513647.html

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The West Made Unprecedented Attempts to Disrupt 9th International Military-technical Forum Army-2023, But Failed - Shoigu

"Preliminary results of hostilities show that Ukraine's military resource is almost exhausted," the minister emphasized.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video  Sputnik

Additionally, the minister said that foreign advisers use Ukrainian soldiers to practice various options for conducting military operations, using Western weapons.

"We are aware of the unprecedented attempts by the West to disrupt the forum held under the auspices of the Russian Defense Ministry. Your participation in it is a clear confirmation of the failure of these destructive efforts," Shoigu highlighted.

Russia is ready to share assessments of weaknesses of Western technology with its partners, Shoigu stated.

"I would like to stress once again that there is nothing unique or indestructible for Russian weapons on the battlefield today. In many cases, even Soviet-made equipment is superior in its combat characteristics to Western models. We have objective monitoring data on the destruction of German tanks, US armored vehicles, UK missiles and other weapon systems. We are ready to share our assessments of the weaknesses of Western equipment with our partners," the minister pointed out.

He added that some of the seized weapons are on display at the Patriot Congress and Exhibition Center.

Shelling by Ukrainian troops from heavy weapons of Zaporozhye nuclear power plant can provoke nuclear catastrophe, the minister warned.

"An alarming situation is developing around the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant. Kiev exposes it to regular shelling from heavy weapons. The actions of the armed forces of Ukraine can provoke a nuclear catastrophe," Shoigu stressed.

The UN not responding to information about violations of international humanitarian norms by Ukraine during hostilities, the minister mentioned.

Moreover, Kiev used Black Sea Grain Initiative as a cover-up for its weapons and ammunition depots to protect from Russian missile strikes, the official stressed.

"The Kiev regime has shown particular cynicism in the implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. By using it as a cover from Russian missile strikes, Kiev has amassed weapons and ammunition in Odessa and other Black Sea ports, which were routinely delivered to the front line," Shoigu noted.

He added that Ukraine has ramped up production of unmanned aerial vehicles and drone boats, which are being used to attack infrastructure in Crimea, near grain storage facilities.

While the US declares Russia and China strategic adversaries, relations between Russia and China have exceeded the level of strategic partnership , the minister noted, adding that real steps of the Pentagon indicate the desire to secure an advantage in the military confrontation.

"In these conditions, bilateral relations between Russia and China have surpassed the level of strategic ties in all respects, becoming more than allied," Shoigu stated.

The experience of Russia-US cooperation shows that military contacts have practical meaning only when there is a political will to cooperate, the minister added.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230815/ntsb-says-weekend-airshow-crash-result-of-engine-loss-of-power-issues-1112597585.html

NTSB Says Weekend Airshow Crash Result of Engine Loss-of-Power Issues

NTSB Says Weekend Airshow Crash Result of Engine Loss-of-Power Issues

A crash at a Michigan airshow on Sunday was caused by a loss-of-power issue with the plane's engine, an investigator for the NTSB said.

2023-08-15T00:41+0000

2023-08-15T00:41+0000

2023-08-15T00:40+0000

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The airshow crash that resulted in two pilots ejecting midair and the plane crashing into the parking lot of an apartment complex in Michigan over the weekend was caused by a loss-of-power issue with the engine, a senior National Transportation Safety Board air safety investigator revealed.On Sunday, a Russian MiG-23UB fighter jet was performing at the 25th Thunder Over Michigan airshow in Ypsilanti, a town between Detroit and Ann Arbor, when during its second of three passes a puff of smoke erupted from the plane as the pilot and co-pilot ejected. Both pilots landed in Belleville Lake, where they were later rescued. The pilot reportedly suffered major but non-life-threatening injuries while the co-pilot sustained minor injuries. It is not known at this time if they have been released from the hospital.John Brannen, a senior air safety NTSB investigator, said the cause of the crash remains unclear but that the plane experienced engine loss-of-power issues before the plane crashed.A team of investigators were still at the crash site on Monday documenting the aftermath and working with a recovery crew. A preliminary report is expected in around 10 days, but Brannen said a full investigation may take up to two years.After the pilots ejected, the plane crashed into a field and traveled more than 500 feet on the ground, eventually coming to rest in the parking lot of a nearby apartment complex, colliding with unoccupied vehicles.Some residents of the building were evacuated but the building never caught fire. The US Environmental Protection Agency is also reportedly on the scene to investigate any potential contamination from the jets fuel.Brannen said the planes country of origin and military background may slow the investigation. Residents of the apartment complex described the crash and aftermath to US media. We were watching TV and we heard a big 'boom,' and then we're like, 'What the heck is that? Emilio Cancel, who lives in an apartment near the crash, said. "I looked outside, and all of [a] sudden, I see something 'boom,' blew up right here," he said. "The biggest fireball I've ever seen.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221020/video-f-35-fighter-jet-crashes-at-utahs-hill-air-force-base-pilot-hospitalized-1102435934.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230815/putin-congratulates-n-s-korean-leaders-on-koreas-national-liberation-day-1112601686.html

Putin Congratulates Kim, Yoon on National Liberation Day of Korea

Putin Congratulates Kim, Yoon on National Liberation Day of Korea

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday sent congratulatory telegrams on the occasion of Korea's National Liberation Day to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, expressing hope for deepening bilateral cooperation, and to South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol.

2023-08-15T06:40+0000

2023-08-15T06:40+0000

2023-08-15T08:29+0000

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"Kim Jong Un, president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, received a message of greeting from Vladimir Putin, president of the Russian Federation, on August 15. In the message, the Russian president extended his heartfelt congratulations to the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un on the occasion of the day of Korea's liberation," the telegram to the North Korean leader was quoted as saying by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The Russian president expressed hope that bilateral cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang will be strengthened in all areas "for the two peoples' well-being and the firm stability and security of the Korean peninsula and the whole of Northeast Asia," the telegram read. At the same time, Putin congratulated Yoon Suk-yeol on the occasion of Korea's liberation day, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov sent a congratulatory message to his South Korean counterpart, Park Jin, the Russian Embassy in Seoul told Sputnik. North and South Korea celebrate National Liberation Day annually on August 15 to commemorate the liberation of the Korean Peninsula from Japanese rule in 1945.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230814/kim-jong-un-checks-work-of-military-factories-in-north-korea-1112576988.html

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russian president vladimir putin on tuesday sent congratulatory telegrams on the occasion of korea's national liberation day to north korean leader kim jong un, expressing hope for deepening bilateral cooperation, and to south korean president yoon suk-yeol.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230815/russia-firm-supporter-of-multipolar-world-key-takeaways-of-moscow-security-conference-1112606397.html

Russia Firm Supporter of Multipolar World: Key Takeaways of Moscow Security Conference

Russia Firm Supporter of Multipolar World: Key Takeaways of Moscow Security Conference

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu earlier touted the conference as a much-needed venue to publicly discuss the most pressing global and regional security issues.

2023-08-15T12:30+0000

2023-08-15T12:30+0000

2023-08-20T09:06+0000

russia

russia

china

belarus

security

conference

special operation

vladimir putin

sergei shoigu

sergey lavrov

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The XI Moscow Conference on International Security opened in the town of Kubinka outside Moscow on Tuesday, with an array of senior Russian and foreign officials delivering online speeches at the event, titled Realities of global security in a multipolar world.They included President Vladimir Putin, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov of Russia, as well as Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu.Russian President Putin: Global Community Should Create 'Contours of the Future'In his video address to participants, President Putin stressed the importance of conducting global security-related discussions in the context of the formation of a multipolar world.He stressed that Russia remains a firm supporter of a multipolar world order based on the priority of the norms and principles of international law, as well as the sovereignty and equality of states, constructive cooperation and trust."The Russian head of state recalled that nowadays, both long-standing and new conflicts are being inflated in different regions of the world. The goal of those who fuel these conflicts is to mercilessly capitalize on the natural resources of the countries involved in the standoffs, Putin added.Separately, the Russian president recalled that NATO countries continue to build up and modernize their offensive capabilities as the US is seeking to reformat the system of interstate interaction that has developed in the Asia-Pacific region for the sake of Washingtons interests.He accused NATO members of trying to transfer military confrontation to outer and information space, and using military and non-military means of pressure. Whats more, all this is happening against the backdrop of the destruction of the arms control system, Putin underscored.Russian Defense Minister Shoigu: Ukraine's Military Resource 'Almost Exhausted'Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, for his part, focused on issues related to Russias ongoing special military operation in Ukraine, which put an end to the Wests domination in military sphere. According to him, Western countries can no longer impose their will on other nations.The Russian defense minister stressed that "Preliminary results of hostilities indicate that Ukraine's military resource is almost exhausted."He made it clear that Russia is ready to share assessments of ineffectiveness of Western technology with its partners, referring to Ukraines military equipment that it earlier received from the US and its allies.He added that some of Ukraines Western-supplied weapons that have been seized by Russian forces are currently on display at the Patriot Park in Kubinka.Shoigu also dwelt on the alarming situation around the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, saying that Kiev exposes it to regular shelling from heavy weapons. According to the Russian defense minister, the actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces can provoke a nuclear catastrophe.He also said that as far as the special operation is concerned, Russia has so far refrained from using cluster munitions, but that Moscow may reconsider its decision.Speaking of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, he said that Kiev used it as a cover-up for its weapons and ammunition depots to protect them from Russian missile strikes."The Kiev regime has shown particular cynicism in the implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. By using it as a cover from Russian missile strikes, Kiev has amassed weapons and ammunition in Odessa and other Black Sea ports, which were routinely delivered to the front line," the Russian defense minister said.He separately touched upon relations between Russia and China, which Shoigu said exceeded the level of strategic partnership in all respects, becoming more than allied ones.Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu: Beijing Ready to Bolster Security Work Within SCOThe Russian defense minister was echoed by Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu, who told the Moscow conference that military relations between Beijing and Moscow are not directed against third countries.Li also signaled his countrys readiness to step up security work within the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and bolster defense cooperation with Iran and Belarus.Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov: West Tries to Destroy Security Architecture in Asia-PacificRussian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in turn, berated Washington, NATO and the EU for providing Ukraine with weapons, which he said might spark a direct military conflict between nuclear powers.He accused Western countries of trying to scrap the security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region and create military blocs there for promoting NATO infrastructure.Lavrov also said that Russia is concerned over the US apparent drive to derail the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, one of the cornerstone elements of the global security architecture."In particular, we observe that such risks are being created as a result of the US clear attempts to withdraw from the procedure of this treaty the Anglo-Saxon nuclear project within the framework of the new military bloc AUKUS," the Russian foreign minister said.Belarusian President Lukashenko: International Situation 'Severely Tense' In his written address to participants of the Moscow conference, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, for his part, warned that the global political situation remains severely tense due to the aggravation of "practically all known challenges and threats."Against this background, [] Minsk along with its partners and within the framework of the Union State of Belarus and Russia, makes every effort to strengthen cooperation in the fight against transnational challenges and threats of various nature ", Lukashenko stressed.Russian Foreign Intel Service Chief: America Cracks Down on Any Alternative StanceIn his speech at the conference, Sergey Naryshkin, chief of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, in particular, spoke of the Wests biased approach to freedom of expression, referring to Americans and Europeans cracking down on the spread of any alternative viewpoints that undermine their dominant narrative.Not only the news agencies RT and Sputnik, which have a large audience, but even small media resources that oppose the deceitful Western officialdom are being shut down and sanctioned. In a number of the most rabid Russophobic countries, liability over viewing illegal content has already been introduced, he emphasized.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230815/russian-armed-forces-hit-key-ukrainian-military-industrial-facilities-1112616638.html

Russian Armed Forces Hit Key Ukrainian Military-Industrial Facilities

Russian Armed Forces Hit Key Ukrainian Military-Industrial Facilities

The Russian military has launched a missile attack on key factories of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex, the Defense Ministry stated in a report on the special operation.

2023-08-15T15:45+0000

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"Tonight the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation carried out a precision strike using long-range air- and sea-based precision weapons on important military facilities of the Kiev regime. The goal of the strike has been achieved. All designated structures were hit," the statement read.The Russian army reportedly managed to inflict significant damage on the enemy's military-industrial complex.Over the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been attempting to attack in several areas of the frontline.Russian forces repelled three attacks of the assault units of the 82nd Airborne Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Army's Strategic Reserve near Rabotino, Zaporozhye region. According to Russia's Defense Ministry, Kiev lost: over 200 servicemen, five tanks, six infantry fighting vehicles, two armored combat vehicles, two vehicles and two Msta-B howitzers.Near Novoselovskoye in the Lugansk People's Republic, as well as Olshana and Sinkovka in Kharkov region, Russian forces managed to fend off six attacks of Ukrainian attack aircraft.The Kiev troops made an unsuccessful attemt to attack in the area of Belogorovka, Razdolovka, Krasnogorovka and Nevelskoye in the Donetsk People's Republic. The Yug group of troops warded off 11 enemy attacks. The UAF experienced losses of up to 230 soldiers, two infantry fighting vehicles, two pickup trucks and six vehicles, US-made M109 Paladin and Akatsiya self-propelled artillery units, as well as a D-20 howitzer.The Vostok group of forces hit the enemy troops concentration near the settlement of Priyutnoye in the Zaporozhye region. Over the day, Kiev lost up to 200 soldiers and several units of equipment.In this part of the front, the Russian military repelled three attacks by the Ukrainian soldiers near Novoyegorovka and Kuzmino in the LPR, and in the Vesyoloye area in the DPR. The Ukrainian side lost up to 80 military personnel, three armored combat vehicles, two pickup trucks and a D-30 howitzer. In addition, over the past 24 hours, air defenses intercepted four long-range SCALP-EG cruise missiles, two Uragan multiple launch rockets and shot down 25 Ukrainian drones.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230717/russian-forces-destroy-enemy-infantry-trying-to-attack-in-zaporozhye-direction-1111929724.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230811/kupyansk-clashes-ukraine-forces-face-encirclement-amid-russian-advance-1112542228.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230809/russian-forces-foil-six-attempted-attacks-by-ukraine-in-svatovo-krasny-liman-directions-1112474076.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230815/russian-urals-oil-average-price-amounts-to-7033-per-barrel-july-15-august-14-1112614870.html

Russian Urals Oil Average Price Amounts to $70.33 Per Barrel July 15-August 14

Russian Urals Oil Average Price Amounts to $70.33 Per Barrel July 15-August 14

The average price of Russian oil brand Urals amounted to $70.33 per barrel over the period of July 15 - Audust 14, while the Brent benchmark was trading at $84.23 per barrel, bringing the Russian oil's discount to $13.9 per barrel, the Russian Finance Ministry said on Tuesday.

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"The average price of Urals oil from July 15 to August 14, 2023, was $70.33 per barrel, or $513.4 per tonne. North Sea Dated oil price for this period amounted to $84.23," the ministry wrote on Telegram. Additionally, Russia is increasing duty on oil exports by $4.5 to $21.4 from September 1, the ministry noted.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230713/why-russias-urals-oil-price-is-rising-despite-g7-cap-and-decline-in-demand-1111861060.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230815/russias-arms-exporter-says-african-states-interested-in-russian-drones-firearms-1112607207.html

Russia's Arms Exporter Says African States Interested in Russian Drones, Firearms

Russia's Arms Exporter Says African States Interested in Russian Drones, Firearms

African states are mainly interested in purchasing Russian-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), electronic warfare systems and firearms, the director general of Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport, Alexander Mikheev, told Sputnik on Tuesday.

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"African delegations [at Russia-Africa Forum in late July] have expressed interest in firearms, Russian-made UAVs, means of electronic warfare and personal protection, in non-lethal weaponry, systems for detecting illegal substances and the Safe City system. They were also interested in means of information security and other civilian production," Mikheev said on the sidelines of the Army-2023 international military-technical forum. He added that Rosoboronexport was holding talks with African partners on the possible delivery of samples of Russian weapons, which could be delivered to the countries of the region after the requirements of the Russian armed forces were satisfied. "We are expecting to boost our industrial partnership to establish a joint contract manufacturing of Russian products on the territory of customers [African states]," the Rosoboronexport chief noted, adding that cooperation with African countries in the space sector will also be facilitated. The Army-2023 forum is taking place from August 14-20 in the Moscow Region's town of Kubinka. Sputnik is the official media partner of the event.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230815/typhoon-lan-hits-western-japan-sparks-flight-cancellations--power-outages-1112599947.html

Typhoon Lan Hits Western Japan, Sparks Flight Cancellations & Power Outages

Typhoon Lan Hits Western Japan, Sparks Flight Cancellations & Power Outages

The effects of the typhoon have also affected daily life and commerce, with power outages affecting nearly 90,000 households in central and western Japan.

2023-08-15T04:03+0000

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Typhoon Lan, a slow-moving and powerful storm, made landfall in western Japan early Tuesday, causing widespread disruption and prompting authorities to issue flood and landslide warnings. As it approached from the Pacific Ocean, the typhoon struck the southern tip of Wakayama prefecture, approximately 400 kilometers southwest of Tokyo.Typhoon Lan's sustained winds reached 150 kph (93 mph) as it moved northwest across Honshu, the main island of Japan, at a speed of around 15 kph (9 mph). The Japan Meteorological Agency forecasts the typhoon will reach the Sea of Japan by early Wednesday and continue its northward trajectory along the sea.The impact of the typhoon has been substantial, with nearly 800 flights cancelled and tens of thousands of households losing power. Rivers are on the brink of overflowing, and numerous homes and stores have experienced water damage.The effects of the typhoon have also affected daily life and commerce, with power outages affecting nearly 90,000 households in central and western Japan. In response, some 210 7-Eleven convenience stores were temporarily closed to ensure the safety of customers and employees. The dangerous weather conditions have prompted road closures and the suspension of dozens of train lines in the affected region.Over the next 24 hours, the central Tokai region, which includes the home of Toyota Motor, is expected to receive a staggering 350 mm (13.8 inches) of rainfall  almost three times the average rainfall for the month of August. Many factories in the area close during the Obon holiday season, when urban residents return to their ancestral homes.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230815/ukrainian-police-stage-attack-on-kiev-pechersk-lavra---ukraine-orthodox-church-1112601825.html

Zelensky Regime's Police Raid Kiev-Pechersk Lavra - Ukrainian Orthodox Church

Zelensky Regime's Police Raid Kiev-Pechersk Lavra - Ukrainian Orthodox Church

According to reports issued earlier, the locks were cut from a hotel building belonging to the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, and that the police, armed with sub-machine guns, went inside.

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Police officers have cordoned off three buildings that are part of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, and are storming the premises, the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) said on Tuesday.According to the UOC, police officers have already cut the locks and broke into the [Lavras] 57th building.The reported developments come after Gennady Askaldovich, the Russian Foreign Ministrys special representative for Cooperation to Promote Respect for the Right to Freedom of Religion, slammed the eviction of the monks from the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, branding the move as more lawlessness and despotism by the Zelensky regime.On Thursday, a Kiev court upheld a claim against the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra to remove all obstacles to the use of property. The monks can now be evicted, sources familiar with the court decision told Sputnik. Ukrainian media reported, in turn, that a commission from the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture and Information Policy had sealed off four buildings that are part of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.Nikita Chekman, a Kiev-Pechersk Lavra attorney and UOC archpriest, castigated the courts decision as "one of the most shameful in Ukrainian history."Kiev's Clampdown on Ukrainian Orthodox ChurchOver the past 12 months, the Zelensky regime has orchestrated a full-blown crackdown against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Asserting its connection with Russia, local authorities in various regions of Ukraine have prohibited the churchs activities, and a bill seeking a nationwide ban on the UOC was submitted to the Ukrainian parliament. Kiev also slapped sanctions on some of the churchs clerics. The Security Service of Ukraine, in turn, began to lodge criminal cases against the churchs clergy, and also launched a "counterintelligence" crusade against UOC bishops and priests, as well as against its churches and monasteries in search of evidence of "anti-Ukrainian activities."

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230726/zelensky-regime-fomenting-hatred-against-ukrainian-orthodox-church---russia-1112153665.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230815/us-finland-negotiating-defense-agreement-that-would-see-deployment-of-american-troops--1112597144.html

US, Finland Negotiating Defense Agreement That Would See Deployment of American Troops

US, Finland Negotiating Defense Agreement That Would See Deployment of American Troops

Washington and Helsinki are working on a new deal to govern the military relationship between the two nations that would see "expended deployments of American soldiers and Finland hosting war games."

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US, Finland Negotiating Defense Agreement That Would See Deployment of American Troops Washington and Helsinki are working on a new deal to govern the military relationship between the two nations that would see "expended deployments of American soldiers and Finland hosting war games."

The US and Finland are working on a new deal to govern the military relationship between the two nations. Finland recently became the thirty-first member of NATO, doubling the alliance's border with Russia. Mark Sleboda, Moscow-based international relations security analyst, joins us to discuss this new level of escalation between Russia and NATO and why this is happening. He also explains what this will mean for the border and how Russia will likely respond.An Atlanta-area prosecutor investigating whether former president Donald Trump and his associates broke the law when they sought to overturn Trump's 2020 election loss in Georgia is expected to begin presenting the case before a grand jury early this week. John Burris, civil rights attorney, gives his assessment, saying that an effort was made to disqualify the Black vote in Fulton County by the Trump campaign, and he is concerned that if the indictment is too large and too broad, the jurors may become confused.The deposed president of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, may face treason charges, the military leadership that unseated him last month announced. This move marks a new escalation in tensions with Niger's neighboring countries considering military action against the military takeover leaders. Dr. Gerald Horne, Professor of History at the University of Houston, TX, author, historian, and researcher, posits that both the US and France, which are encouraging an intervention by Nigeria, and the economic community of African states that it leads may have overreached and why.Dr. Shantella Sherman, historian, joins us to talk about recent reports of tens and thousands of ethnic minority body parts including over 250 brains collected by The Smithsonian's Natural History Museum over a hundred years ago, mostly without the consent of the families, to "demonstrate the superiority of white brains." Dr. Sherman discusses the practice, how it was able to happen, and the reach that this practice had throughout many institutions.Pakistan has formally told Iran it cannot withstand US pressure and has requested Iran suspend its contractual obligation on the completion of the multi-billion dollar Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project, citing external factors beyond Islamabad's control. James Carey, Host of "The Lefts is Dead" podcast, joins us to discuss the US's role in exerting a pressure campaign again on Iran and tells us the reasons behind the US's involvement.Orinoco Tribune reports that last week Venezuelan authorities announced that Portuguese courts have ruled in favor of Venezuela and ordered Novo Banco to return $1.5 billion illegally seized from accounts belonging to the Venezuelan government after the failed 2019 US-led regime change operation that attempted to oust President Nicolas Maduro. Dan Kovalik, writer, author, and lawyer, shares his insight on the ruling, whether Venezuela will get its money, and what this might mean for other countries holding Venezuelan assets. Dan also discusses the Julian Assange case and Ambassador Caroline Kennedy being quoted in a recent article that the US is open to a Julian Assange plea deal.An article in Consortium News reports that France and the US have been blindsided by popular support for Niger's coup, as the trend towards multipolarity emboldens Africans to confront neo-colonial exploitation. Jon Jeter, journalist, and author, joins us to discuss the article, saying we are seeing a seismic shift in the geopolitical order, that there doesn't appear to be an option for the West to reclaim their power in Niger, and what this means moving forward.Caleb Maupin, journalist and political analyst, joins us to discuss the military takeover in Niger, saying that while it's good that Africa is asserting its independence, what would be best for the world right now would be de-escalation on all sides. Caleb posits that a big war would not be good since the region has been the site of many deaths over the past 100 years due to its possession of oil-rich land.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.Catch us at at 105.5FM, 104.7FM, 102.9FM, 1390AM, 1140AM

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230815/us-plans-to-create-alliance-network-in-asia-pacific-region-to-deter-russia-china---russian-intel-1112615037.html

US Plans to Create Alliance Network in Asia-Pacific to Deter Russia, China - Russian Intel

US Plans to Create Alliance Network in Asia-Pacific to Deter Russia, China - Russian Intel

The United States is planning to establish a network of Washington-controlled alliances in the Asia-Pacific region and reshape the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' (ASEAN) security systems to deter Russia and China, Igor Kostyukov, the head of the Russian General Staff's Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), said on Tuesday.

2023-08-15T13:48+0000

2023-08-15T13:48+0000

2023-08-15T13:48+0000

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The Russian intelligence chief also said that Washington put pressure on the Asia-Pacific states, including Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, over the Ukraine conflict by forcing them to support the Western stance on the matter and threatening with sanctions."Over concerns related to the strengthening of strategic Russia-China ties, Washington has started to conduct a policy to integrate and deter Moscow and Beijing in the Asia-Pacific region. To counteract the Russian-Chinese tandem, the US administration is planning to reshape the ASEAN-centric security system into a network of military-political alliances controlled by the White House," Kostyukov stated during the 11th Moscow Conference on International Security. The United States is also involving South Korea in its nuclear planning, the official emphasized, adding that Seoul hosted the first meeting of the US-Korean group on nuclear issues in July.Furthermore, the US strategic bomber aviation forces have stepped up their activities near the borders of Russia and China, the official highlighted.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230604/china-warns-nato-like-alliances-in-asia-may-plunge-region-into-whirlpool-of-conflicts-1110897321.html

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Why Merging AUKUS and NATO Would Pose Serious Danger to Asia Pacific

Why Merging AUKUS and NATO Would Pose Serious Danger to Asia Pacific

Russian President Vladimir Putin does not rule out NATO's integration with AUKUS, a tripartite military alliance of the US, the UK and Australia. What would the potential "merger" mean for the Asia-Pacific region?

2023-08-15T14:59+0000

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2023-08-15T14:59+0000

military

vladimir putin

joe biden

australia

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pentagon

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quadrilateral security dialogue (quad)

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The US is seeking to reformat the system of interstate relations in the Asia Pacific region by forming new Washington-controlled military-political associations, noted Russian President Putin while addressing the 11th Moscow Conference on International Security on Tuesday.In recent years, the US administration has been beefing up its military presence in the region, forming new blocs and trying to make them interoperable, as per Professor Joe Siracusa, political scientist and dean of Global Futures, Curtin University."The secretary of defense, Lloyd Austin, runs around the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Australia, talking about deepening strategic commitments, about doubling down in terms of policies, doctrines and American bases," Siracusa told Sputnik. "That is trying to put these countries assets for the use of the United States, that's really how it's done. It's done through the Department of Defense.""I think it also plays on the fears. Keep in mind, there are currently 193 nations in the world. And these are all nation states [...] and it's very hard to get people to do what you want them to do. Great powers have a way of pushing themselves around. I think it's done through soft diplomacy, too. You've gotta let people think that your goals are their goals and that your objectives are their objectives and that what you do is in their best interest. I mean, that's kind of how it's done, that kind of thing," the professor continued.US Weaving a Web of Military Alliances in Asia PacificThe AUKUS format was announced on September 15, 2021. Over the past two years the US, the UK and Australia have come up with a major nuclear-powered submarine deal and started to explore new military technologies, including drone swarms.New Zealand  Australia's closest neighbor  is reportedly considering joining the bloc. Most recently the Pacific nation refurbished its military doctrine, naming China  its major trade partner  as a rising challenge to "existing international rules and norms." Wellington has kicked off modernization of its armed forces calling for enhancing interoperability with its allies and partners.Even though Japan does not participate in the AUKUS format, it has struck a defense pact with Australia, one of the participants of the tripartite format. The treaty came into effect earlier this month. What's more, Japan is part of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or the Quad, which was formed between Australia, India, Japan and the United States. Japan also launched a bold military modernization program late last year within the framework of the new security strategy. Tokyo's latest 2023 Defense White Paper, approved by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his government, warns about an advent of nothing short of "a new crisis era" and names Russia, China and North Korea as Japan's major challenges.Speaking to Sputnik earlier this week, Igor Istomin, lead research fellow at the Center for Advanced American Studies (MGIMO), highlighted that numerous pacts and blocs formed by Washington and its allies "are all intertwined with each other, and all pursue this goal of deterrence."Is AUKUS' Merger With NATO Possible?Siracusa agreed that AUKUS' "integration" with NATO is a plausible scenario."The integration they're talking about like, for example, war games," the expert said. "Australia just had war games off the north coast of Australia. Thirteen nations, including Germany from NATO and Japan were there and some of them were there for the first time. That's one way to integrate things - is to develop, to foster war games and pay for these things and to encourage prepositioning of men and materiel in other countries. I mean, this is one of the ways it's done. It's done in sort of an informal way and out of the view of the public eye, as a matter of fact. All of this happens at the military level. Some of it happens at the political level through soft diplomacy and the like. But I think it's a defense and diplomacy, soft diplomacy type approach to these countries."In fact, Washington is not concealing the fact that the allied blocs and pacts are meant to act in concert in the Asia Pacific region.On April 18, Admiral John C. Aquilino, United States Navy Commander at the US Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM), delivered testimony before the US House Armed Services Committee, outlining the Pentagon's vision of Washington's "Indo-Pacific strategy."Aquilino told US lawmakers that USINDOPACOM was closing ranks with AUKUS, the Quad diplomatic partnership, the Five Eyes Anglophone intelligence organization, and other blocs in order to "execute security cooperation activities, training, and exercises to strengthen those relationships, build partner capacity, and enhance interoperability." The commander also pointed out that the Pentagon was building "clusters" in the Asia Pacific together with the US allies, where "forward-based and rotational joint forces armed with lethal capabilities" would be located. He called for enhanced deterrence against China, Russia and North Korea and claimed that "a multipolar system" benefits "authoritarian regimes" in the first place.What Will US Allies Gain From Possible War in Asia Pacific?Washington's rationale behind the military buildup in the Asia Pacific is clear, per Siracusa: the American foreign policy establishment wants to return the United States to the position it had in 1991, when the US became the leader of a unipolar world after the USSR collapsed."That was a bit of an illusion, and it only lasted a very short time," the professor said. "But the neocons and the neoliberals who ran American foreign policy in 1991, I think they have been trying to recapture that for the past 30 years. That's what they've been doing around the world. Biden and the foreign policy establishment, those people who ran the show in the 1990s, this is why I think they still go after Russia, because this is unfinished business. They didn't cripple Russia enough after the end of the Soviet Union. They didn't cripple China enough after China decided to join the World Health Organization and the World Trade Organization and that kind of thing. I think it's the United States' way of trying, imagining it's getting back to a position that it thought it had then, but it really never did. I never believe for a minute that the United States was in control of the world."While Washington's desire of reviving its imperial posture is clear, it's not that clear how US allies in the Asia Pacific would benefit from the unfolding military buildup. Even though increased defense spending is promising new jobs and investments, a whole set of other sectors, including social policies, are likely to be sidelined. In addition, US-allied Pacific players risk disrupting ties and trade partnerships with China. Furthermore, if a potential conflict erupts in the region it could lead to destruction, economic losses and civilian casualties."If Australians wind up, for example, on an American nuclear submarine, that is, they're going to be trained on these things," Siracusa hypothesized. "And there are American nuclear powered and nuclear submarines in the South China Sea. And there is a confrontation between a Chinese ship and the American ship, and Australians are killed immediately. Then Australians will be dragged into a war they don't want, they can't afford, and so they'll be dragged in automatically. You've got to be very careful about how you spend your national treasure and blood. And Australia might be involved in circumstances over which it has no control and which does not serve Australia's national interests."International experts note that one of these potential conflicts could occur in the Taiwan Strait given that the Biden administration is increasingly militarizing the eponymous island. And it seems that US allies feel worried about the probability.In July, the Wall Street Journal broke that the Japanese government is ready to give permission to the US to use bases in Japan in the case of conflict over Taiwan, but Tokyo's own participation is unlikely. Japan is not the only US ally unwilling to fight with China over Taiwan, as per the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft's July report. The Australian government in particular signaled that it gave no promises to Washington about military participation in a potential clash over Taiwan. The Philippines does not want to get dragged into the conflict, either. South Korea and Thailand also lack any appetite for joining the US potential combat operation in the Taiwan Strait, let alone act as US proxies, per the think tank.Meanwhile, the US is continuing to raise the stakes in the Asia Pacific, presenting its allies with a hard choice of whether to follow in Washington's footsteps at the expense of their own national interests or to embrace an independent foreign policy approach.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230607/why-aukus-nuclear-sub-deal-will-stir-up-pacific-into-ocean-of-storms-1110982350.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230802/north-korea-accuses-japan-of-reverting-to-militarism-1112341232.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230813/does-new-japan-australia-defense-pact-bring-asia-pacific-closer-to-war-1112563049.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230319/absolutely-not-australia-denies-quid-pro-quo-with-us-over-taiwan-in-return-for-nuclear-subs-1108559496.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230804/whats-behind-bidens-shift-to-arm-taiwan-1112390826.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230722/japan-doesnt-want-to-fight-for-taiwan-and-neither-do-other-us-allies-1112066099.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230815/why-us-drones-prove-useless-in-ukraine-1112615946.html

Why US Drones Prove Useless in Ukraine

Why US Drones Prove Useless in Ukraine

Much lauded US drones don't look handy for Ukraine military tasks which require affordable, manageable and expendable unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

2023-08-15T15:03+0000

2023-08-15T15:03+0000

2023-08-15T15:03+0000

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china

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After China banned exports of long-range remotely-piloted aircraft to Ukraine, US military experts found that American arm-makers have nothing to offer the Ukrainian military to fill the gap. On one hand, US defense-tech firms produce drones with a price tag starting from $16,000, well above China's DJI Mavic UAVs that cost around $2,000 or even less.What's more, according to the US mainstream press, some US defense contractors who have spent months testing their drones in Ukraine have now decided to leave their drones in storage. The crux of the matter is that despite "outstanding performance characteristics" their highly-sophisticated equipment couldn't perform appropriately in Ukraine's tough battlefield conditions.American arms manufacturers have long been focused on qualitative superiority of their systems while their Russian and Chinese peers concentrated on functionality and quantity, as per David T. Pyne, an EMP Task Force scholar and former US Department of Defense officer.According to Pyne, Russia appears to have a much more cost-effective military budget than the US has "because its procurement, manufacturing and personnel costs are lower."How Could Russia Counter US Drones?Russia's electronic warfare (EW) systems, air defenses and aircraft reportedly pose yet another challenge to NATO-grade unmanned vehicles.If Russian jammers fail to disable Ukrainian drones, the nation has some other cards up its sleeve, according to the military expert.Last but not least, Russian warplanes have also demonstrated capabilities of intercepting large combat and reconnaissance UAVs. The drone was flying with its transponders turned off in the direction of the Russian border. After the UAV violated the boundaries of the area of the temporary regime for the use of airspace, established for the purpose of conducting a special military operation, the Russian Su-27 fighter jets rushed to the area to intercept the intruder. The Reaper was brought down without the use of airborne weapons or coming into contact with the Russian aircraft.The US Air Force's footage from the Reaper's encounter with the Su-27s appeared to show the Russian planes approaching the drone and engaging in a fuel dump maneuver, which apparently caused the US drone's engine to stall.Earlier this month, a Russian Su-30 fighter jet was scrambled to intercept a US MQ-9A Reaper drone as it approached Russian waters in the Black Sea. Having spotted the Russian jet, the Reaper fled the area and did not violate the country's airspace, as per the Russian Ministry of Defense.Ukraine's Botched Counteroffensive a Wake-Up CallIt raises the question whether ramped-up drone supplies to the Ukrainian military could anyhow change the balance of power on the ground. Even the US mainstream press, which used to laud Ukraine's military prowess and resourcefulness, has now changed the tone to a gloomy one.The military expert expects that the Ukraine conflict will end quicker than Biden administration officials project."In my assessment, Ukraine will likely be forced to accept an armistice agreement along the line of control that exists at the time of a cease-fire no later than March of next year, particularly given the fact that US public support for any additional financial, military or even humanitarian support for Ukraine has decreased to only 45% pressuring the US Congress to reduce any future assistance to the bare minimum," Pyne concluded.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230529/what-are-anti-drone-systems-and-how-do-they-work-1110774045.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230731/could-russian-electronic-warfare-systems-mute-ukrainian-starlink-1112306615.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230317/dont-fear-the-reaper-how-can-heavy-drones-be-detected-identified-and-brought-down-1108508647.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230804/ukraines-attrition-rate-suggests-counteroffensive-is-over-1112393002.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230809/ukraine-defeat-ominous-to-team-biden-admitted-by-us-press-1112488800.html

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Day two of the World Trotting Conference in Berlin, Germany on Tuesday, Aug. 15 focused on various issues related to horse welfare.

Elke Hartmann, Associate Professor at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, spoke on "Harness Racing through the lens of science."

Hartmann cited concerns related to mouth lesions in Standardbred horses, noting numerous studies that pointed to differing concerns. Potential areas to look at include rein tension, tight nose bands, poor dental care as well as bit thickness and equipment issues.

Specifically, in recent studies on rein tension, she said, "Pressure motivates and the removal of pressure trains" and "we can inadvertently train undesired behaviour."

In two separate studies, Hartmann and researchers measured rein tension and compared it to the perceived rein tension of drivers, also correlating speed and heart rate. The goal is to learn more about how rein tension can affect mouth lesions and other aspects of training and driving horses.

Jessica Stark, Director of Communications and Public Affairs for World Horse Welfare, spoke about the Equine Ethics and Wellbeing Commission and the "Social License to Operate."

"Social license is an unwritten 'social contract' with the public/society and an industry/organization," said Stark. "With equestrian sport, we have a very unique situation. We are more vulnerable to negative public opinion -- because it involves the use of an animal.

"The perception of poor practice in one discipline will affect those in another discipline," said Stark. "There is a lot more research now about the welfare and well-being of horses. We really would love to see the horse sport industry funding even more research.

"Establishing trust is a key element of social license to operate," she said.

In a survey of 14 countries around the world, the two primary concerns of horse sport from the public were related to horse welfare (34 per cent of respondents) and horse safety (32 per cent of respondents).

"One third of people believe welfare standards are already high, 52 per cent believe the standards need improving and 15 per cent believe they will never be adequate and it is impossible to provide adequate protection."

In a parallel survey of equestrian stakeholders and participants, only 16 per cent of respondents believed welfare standards are high vs. 78 per cent that believe standards need improving and eight per cent who believe the standards will never be adequate.

After the morning break, Jean-Marie Denoix, the Director of Cirale-Norma Direndie, spoke about the health and welfare issues surrounding Barefoot Racing. Using diagnostic testing, Ultrasonography, radiography and MRI, they researched the impact of barefoot racing vs. racing with shoes.

Horses that were unshod showed significantly more signs of sensitivity and pain versus horses that were shod. Barefoot horses also take more strides during a race than shod horses. In addition, the forelimbs show decreased symmetry than shod horses leading to a long term worsening of conformation effects.

Following the presentation, a discussion took place on whether or not barefoot racing should be limited and/or regulated in jurisdictions around the world. In Germany, two-year-olds and three-year-olds are not permitted to race barefoot.

The final panel of the day focused on the Situation in North America. John Campbell spoke about horse welfare in the United States, whipping rules and regulations, drug testing, federal regulations in the United States and caring for horses from birth to death.

"Society has changed and there is no room for one-handed whipping in harness racing today," said Campbell, who also spoke extensively about the social license as "something we should all be concerned about."

Campbell said that the World Trotting Conference in 2017 in Prince Edward Island was a significant catalyst towards the change in the industry in the United States related to whipping as the reaction to the 2017 Hambletonian from delegates around the world was significant.

Racetrack and horse owner Jeff Gural spoke about drugs in racing and the concerns he has: "We have a real problem. The situation is not good in America and it is likely to get worse." Gural encourages harness racing in the U.S. to be a part of HISA, the Horse Racing Safety and Integrity Authority.

Joe Faraldo, President of the Standardbred horseperson's group in New York, and Chairman of the United States Trotting Association, also spoke: "Performance enhancing drugs, there is a difficulty testing for them. The only solution to this problem is not increased testing... The only way to finish this problem is with boots on the ground.

"HISA is problematic because rules in Thoroughbred racing don't necessarily apply to us," said Faraldo. "When you keep talking negatively about this sport, you are going to kill it."
Caroline County native Gordon Wayne last week completed his second hundred-plus-mile walk to raise money for and awareness of the countrys homeless population.

Wayne walked 569 miles on foot from Caroline to Athens, Georgia, home of the University of Georgia, where he will start law school next week. He left home on July 11 and arrived on July 31, walking a total of 1.2 million steps and an average of 27 miles per day.

Wayne experienced homelessness himself following graduation from Caroline High School. He lived out of his car while he attended Germanna Community College, completed his associates degree and then received a full scholarship to Boston College.

In 2020, his walk from Caroline to Boston raised more than $100,000 for the National Alliance to End Homelessness. This year, he was accepted on a full scholarship to the University of Georgias law school and decided to again travel there on foot to raise awareness of the cause.

He walked overnight to avoid as much of the summertime heat as possible and documented his journey daily on the Alliances YouTube page. His campaign has so far raised just over $12,000.

Wayne said the most difficult day of the recent journey was a 38-mile stretch from Keysville to South Boston, Virginia. He hadnt eaten enough before setting out and didnt wrap up his feet properly, leaving him with a painful blister that popped halfway through the day.

I was limping. I had a lot of negative thoughts running though my mind that day, Wayne said. If it had been just me on that day, theres no doubt in my mind I would have quit. But I could could feel people believing in me and encouraging me to be the best version of myself, which is all I could ever dream of being.

At other times, the kindness of strangers  such as the man in Danville, Virginia, who drove past and then returned to bring him snacks and Gatorade and the couple in a South Carolina gas station who each gave him $50  inspired him to keep going.

Wayne said he is excited to begin his law school classes, which he hopes will give him the background to work on policy to effectively end homelessness.

He hopes that hes been able to encourage others to see the homeless population around them with love.

I know that I will never end homelessness by myself. Its going to take all of us to unite and come together to love our homeless family, Wayne said.

Readers can contribute to Waynes fundraiser for the Alliance to End Homelessness at gofundme.com/f/UPLIFT-beautiful-souls-escaping-homelessness.
On Aug. 22, Jodi Semonell will start her day early, beginning an across the state run at the Wyoming border in Henry at 5 a.m. Semonell plans to travel 63 miles all the way to Bridgeport on her first day. From there, she plans to average between 50 and 60 miles a day as she travels across the state, running for a cause: raising awareness of carbon monoxide poisonings.

Semonell is running in the name of her son, Cole Oban, 19, and his friend Thomas Coleman, 18, who tragically died of carbon monoxide poisoning in August 2022. Colemans father, David, also died in the tragedy, the result of a car being left running in the garage of the home.

I came up with this idea to run across the state of Nebraska to raise awareness of carbon monoxide poisoning because you just dont think about it, Semonell said.

Semonell said hopes to raise awareness about carbon monoxide poisoning and the importance of reliable and operational carbon monoxide monitors for homes and RVs.

She is also working with friends and family in Omaha to raise money to build a skatepark in Cole and Thomas name a few blocks from the Colemans house where the boys died. Both boys and their friends were avid skateboarders and they hope to build one as a memorial to their friends.

They both loved to skate, she said of the boys. They enjoyed teaching others how to skate and getting more kids involved.

While the overall goal for fundraising is $50,000, there are other fundraising events planned in Omaha. Semonell hopes to raise $20,000 through her run.

She also invites others in the towns she is going to pass through to join her on her run, for however long they decide to. Her route through the area will take her down Highway 26 through both Mitchell and Scottsbluff.

There is a change.org petition as well as a GoFundMe supporting their efforts and they have already raised just over $6,000 towards their goal. The petition can be found at www.change.org/p/coleman-oban-skatepark and the GoFundMe can be found at tinyurl.com/Obanfundraiser.

I really liked the idea of (running) because I can reach so many people, not just people in Omaha that are familiar with the story, Semonell said. Were hoping that I can share my story and then just increase awareness with what happened.
LINCOLN  Nebraskas congressional delegation appears poised to deliver hundreds of millions of dollars to the state now that four of the five members have embraced the often-criticized practice of earmarking.

Led by U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, the all-Republican delegation is on track to get more federal money for the 2024 fiscal year than the state has seen in a dozen years or more.

Fischer has lined up more than $120 million for Nebraska in her debut year on the influential Senate Appropriations Committee, which also marked the first time she has sought earmarks. The states three representatives combined for more than $82 million in House appropriations bills.

Her role has been critical in boosting the states success at getting what the Senate officially calls congressionally directed spending and the House calls community project funding.

Among her largest earmarks are $25 million for the University of Nebraska-Lincolns long-planned federal agricultural research center, $21.2 million for planning, design and construction of various buildings at Offutt Air Force Base and $12.8 million to build more four-lane miles of the Heartland Expressway in Scotts Bluff and Morrill Counties.

A recent CQ Roll Call analysis found that Nebraska achieved the fifth-largest increase in dollars per capita this year, both on the House and the Senate sides.

On the House side, the state ranked fourth-highest for earmarks per capita, up from 37th last year. The analysis attributed much of the change to the GOP taking over the majority in the House, which boosted earmarking success for Republicans generally.

On the Senate side, Nebraska ranked 16th per capita, after being one of 12 states shut out of Senate earmarks last year. Neither Nebraska senator requested earmarks during 2021 and 2022.

It remains to be seen how much will wind up in the final spending bills, but earmarks from both houses typically carry through the reconciliation process after duplicates are removed.

Heath Mello, president and CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, celebrated the results so far.

The Greater Omaha Chamber has long held the position that when members of Congress advocate for federal funding for city and regional priorities, we gladly partner with them to organize support for this crucial work, he said, adding that Fischers spot on the Appropriations Committee offers enormous opportunities.

Her strong leadership and skilled advocacy for congressional-directed spending gives more influence to Midwestern states like Nebraska and will have a transformational impact on Omaha and communities across our state, Mello said.

But Doug Kagan, with Nebraska Taxpayers for Freedom, took a dim view of the designated spending.

Generally, our taxpayer group is against earmarks. Period. he said. Even if they are coming to Nebraska. Its taxpayer money.

Paul Landow, a longtime Democratic political operative from Omaha, said the value of earmarking often depends on who is doing the judging. Nebraskas last congressional representative to use earmarking extensively was former Sen. Ben Nelson, a Democrat whose two terms in the Senate ended in 2013.

Sen. Nelson faced partisan criticism for using congressional earmarks to bring money back to Nebraska, but now that the program has been reinstated, Sen. Fischer seeks earmarks without denunciation, Landow said.

If the earmarks are used to pay for worthy and needed projects, there is no harm because they would be funded sooner or later anyway, he said. But if the project is not essential, the earmark is a waste of taxpayer dollars.

Fischer said she began requesting earmarks this year because of her Appropriations Committee position and because she has gained confidence that new guardrails will curb past abuses. Congress banned earmarks in 2011. They were reinstated with new restrictions in 2021.

Being a member of the committee is definitely a benefit, she said. Nebraskas at the table. Ive fought to ensure that funding comes back home to Nebraska and contributes to important work.

Former Sen. Ben Sasse opposed the practice and was one of 15 GOP senators who signed a 2021 letter vowing they would not participate in an inherently wasteful spending practice that is prone to serious abuse. In a statement at the time, he criticized the swamp politics of earmarks that feed the nations addiction to debt.

His successor, Sen. Pete Ricketts, has taken a similar position. Ricketts was appointed to the Senate in January after Sasse resigned to become president of the University of Florida system.

Washington spending is out of control. I wont be seeking earmarks until I feel government spending is under control, he said, pointing to his record of holding state spending increases to an average of 2.8% while he was governor.

In the past, congressional earmarking sometimes led to more than just extra government spending. Multiple lawmakers served prison sentences for bribery and kickbacks before earmarking was banned.

The practice was reinstated after many argued that the ban merely gave the power of the purse to party leaders and the executive branch and offered lawmakers less incentive to work across party lines.

New rules seek to prevent the past problems. Those include requirements to post requests on each members website before a vote and to identify the entity that would receive the money. For-profit entities cannot get earmarks and members have to certify that they and their families have no financial interest in projects.

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An ambitious drug runner became involved in an international and sophisticated syndicate after facing financial pressure and out of an obligation to provide for his family.

Maximiliano Javier Luna, originally from Argentina, previously admitted a raft of drugs charges. Luna was arrested alongside six other men and one woman as part of Operation Mystic in 2020, an eight-month police operation after which police seized $5 million worth of drugs.

The kingpin of the syndicate was Xavier Valent, also known as Harry Whitehead, was extradited from Italy to New Zealand and earlier this year was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Luna appeared at the High Court at Auckland on Tuesday after he previously admitted importing MDMA, possessing cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA, ephedrine and LSD for supply and supplying methamphetamine, MDMA and ephedrine.

Justice Graham Lang sentenced him to nine years and 11 months imprisonment. Luna will have to spend at least four years behind bars before being eligible for parole.

Firearms were seized by police during Operation Mystic. Luna was not charged with firearms offences. Photo: NZ Police/Supplied.

Lunas lawyer, Matthew Goodwin, told the court this case was a tragedy.

There has been a real fall from grace for someone who is a family man and a church-going man.

Luna came to New Zealand for a new beginning and faced financial pressure with one of his businesses before he became involved in the drug enterprise, Goodwin said.

The court heard Lunas grandfather died in 2019 and there was a downward spiral in terms of his mental health with an expectation placed on him to provide.

However, prosecutor Ben Kirkpatrick pointed out Luna began working for the syndicate in 2018.

Justice Lang said the offending was driven out the need for money not because of his background and upbringing.

Luna was supported at the sentencing by family, church ministers and friends which Justice Lang said he was lucky to have.

It was in September 2018 Luna became involved in the syndicate through another member.

He initially agreed to receive imported drug packages to his home.

By November 2019, Luna was the primary runner for one of the storemen and was receiving between $2000 and $5000 in cash for his role.

Luna was given a red Audi to use for his drug runs. He disputes that.

Court documents said he would receive lists and then work delivering drugs around Auckland from 8am to 6pm on weekdays, unless there was a special occasion.

One of Lunas orders included a kilogram of meth in a tea package and MDMA in a Keri juice bottle.

One of the storemans other workers had previously sent a picture to him of the MDMA in the juice bottle, cash and other drugs.

Justice Graham Lang sentenced Maximiliano Javier Luna on Tuesday. Photo: David White/Stuff.

Perfect. You are perfecting the art of disguise very well, the storeman said in a message.

Lunas role never progressed from runner, but he had an appreciation of how the syndicate worked and demonstrated ambition to progress into another, more significant role within the syndicate, Justice Lang said.

Luna also asked multiple times about being paid more.

Another of Lunas roles was to deliver significant amounts of cash to an unethical money remittance business. That money would be laundered and sent overseas to Valent in order to pay for the drugs.

The court heard Luna moved to New Zealand when he was 12 as his parents were concerned about economic uncertainty and the high crime rate in Argentina.

Luna received discounts off his sentence for the guilty plea, remorse and rehabilitated prospects and time spent on bail.

- Catrin Owen/Stuff.
Among the few personal items Richard DaSilva brought home with him from prison is a handkerchief on which hes written the names of family members and friends who have died in the 17 years hes been incarcerated.

Since 2020, when the Virginia General Assembly approved a law increasing the number of credits inmates serving time for certain felonies can earn for good behavior  a law DaSilva understood would apply to him  that list grew to include two grandparents, an aunt and his best friends parents.

Last month, the Virginia Supreme Court determined the state Department of Corrections had been misinterpreting the law and keeping eligible inmates behind bars beyond their new good time release dates.

DaSilva was one of the inmates affected by this decision. On Friday, July 14  seven days after the Supreme Court decision but about a year after he was first told hed be going home  two lieutenants drove him from Greensville Correctional Center to Spotsylvania.

The next day, he woke up at 5:30 a.m.  not for count, but to drink coffee in his mothers kitchen.

Its nice to wake up and share a coffee with my mom, he said.

I tap-danced for them all the way

When the law, HB 5148, passed, DaSilva, now 40, was in Greensville Correctional Center serving a 20-year sentence on a charge of attempted capital murder. He was 23 at the time of the offense, which occurred in 2006.

The new law allows inmates serving time for certain felony offenses to earn up to 15 days off their sentences for every 30 days of good behavior and participation in assigned programs.

Previously, eligible incarcerated individuals could earn a maximum of 4.5 days for every 30 served.

HB 5148 was enacted in November of 2020 with a delayed effective date of July 1, 2022, to give Virginia Department of Corrections staff time to calculate new release dates for eligible inmates.

VDOC had a 60-day window to release prisoners whose new release dates came before July 1, 2022.

DaSilva said he was told by prison officials in March 2022 that he was eligible for the program and that he would be released that year.

He had been earning good time for 10 years. Prior to HB 5148, he had a calculated release date of Nov. 4, 2024.

He had a job at the Greensville commissary and completed numerous education programs while in VDOC facilities, including a custodial maintenance course and the behavioral programs Thinking for a Change and Preventing Relapse by Educating for Parole Success.

I tap-danced for them all the way, DaSilva said.

When HB 5148 passed, he made a note of the date. He also packed his bag.

I told myself, One day Im going to grab this and leave, he said. Ive been living out a trash bag for years.

His mom, Tammy DaSilva, spoke with Richards counselor at Greensville in May, July and August of last year, and each time she said she was assured Richard was eligible for the expanded earned sentence credit.

In July 2022, the District 21 Probation and Parole office contacted her to verify that DaSilva had a home plan in place.

She told them, yes, she had fixed up the basement of her Spotsylvania home for Richard to live in and purchased a red truck for him to drive to his job at the familys construction company.

She postponed a scheduled surgery so that shed be able to help her son reenter society.

In prison, Richard DaSilva fixated on the half-full tube of toothpaste he was currently using, which he stored in a plastic coffee mug on which hed marked off every year hed been incarcerated.

I told myself, This is the last tube of toothpaste Ill use in here, he said.

But as the months of 2022 ticked by, his calculated release date stayed unchanged  Nov. 4, 2024.

The toothpaste in the tube ran out.

That was extremely traumatic, he said.

Conflicting opinions

Richard DaSilva is among an unknown number of prisoners whose early release was delayed due to what the state Supreme Court determined last month was an unlawful interpretation of HB 5148.

After the bill was passed, the VDOC sought an opinion from then-Attorney General Mark Herring. Herring provided an opinion in December 2021 that found the law permits inmates convicted of attempted murder, like DaSilva, to earn the expanded sentence credits.

But when Attorney General Jason Miyares took office in January 2022, the VDOC sought a second opinion from him. In his April 2022 opinion, Miyares interpreted the law as excluding someone convicted of an attempted or inchoate crime from eligibility in the program.

In October, the ACLU of Virginia sued the VDOC over this interpretation, specifically on behalf of Steven Prease, a military veteran who was convicted in 2013 of two counts of attempted aggravated murder.

Prease, initially sentenced to 14 years in prison, was scheduled for early release last year, but after Miyares issued his opinion, the VDOC determined that he was not eligible and pushed his release back to 2024.

The Supreme Court of Virginia heard Preases case and issued a ruling on July 6, in which it agreed with Herring and ordered the VDOC to release Prease.

(Virginia Code section) 53.1-202.3(A) enumerates a number of specific offenses that are also ineligible for expanded earned sentence credits. Notably, attempted aggravated murder is not one of those enumerated offenses. Thus, it would appear that there is no basis in the governing statutes for denying Prease expanded earned sentence credits on his attempted aggravated murder convictions, justice Cleo Powell wrote in his opinion.

A week after the decision, on Thursday, July 13, DaSilvas counselor asked to see him in her office after he finished work at the commissary.

She kind of sits back in her chair smiling, DaSilva recalled. She asks me if my home plan is still the same.

DaSilva told her it was  it had been the same for a year  and he went back to his pod. Hed trained himself not to get his hopes up.

The next day, Friday, July 14, he called his mom to tell her about the conversation.

She goes, Youve been slated for immediate release, DaSilva said. I said, Whats immediate? Then I told her I was going to work and hung up. Everyone I talked to was so hopeful, but I didnt believe it.

After work that day, DaSilva went back to his cell to get ready for afternoon count. There, he was met by the Greensville reentry coordinator with paperwork for him to sign.

He still didnt believe he was actually being released and told the staff member so.

She said, This paperwork has a date on it. I snatched it from her, he said. Im looking at the date, but Im not really seeing it. The date is everything. Ive never seen a date before.

The date was July 14, 2023  that day.

Everyone deserves a second chance

At home in Spotsylvania a few weeks after his release, DaSilva is still getting used to lots of things, like air conditioning  Greensville was always clammy, he said  and people making direct eye contact with him.

If someone in prison makes eye contact with you, somethings about to happen, he said.

His family knows that if hes in a social situation and he says the word keys, it means hes getting overwhelmed and needs to leave right away.

Hes met with his probation officer and is working on getting an ID so he can get his drivers license.

In the closet of DaSilvas room are a shelf of Boston Red Sox hats that he collected in his early 20s, before he went to prison; the denim shirt and jeans he was wearing when he came home from prison; and stacks of folders that contain the six books he wrote while in prison.

One of them, Life in the Blues, is about how to survive behind bars.

VDOC wont estimate how many incarcerated individuals were affected by its misapplication of HB 5148.

The department is currently analyzing the impact the (Prease) ruling will have on VADOC operations and sentences for additional affected inmates. There will be no further comment at this time, department spokesman Kyle Gibson wrote in an email to The Free LanceStar.

Geri Greenspan, an attorney with the ACLU of Virginia, said it is the organizations opinion that VDOC is on notice now of the Supreme Courts decision and has to apply that immediately.

Otherwise, they are violating peoples rights by continuing to incarcerate them, she said.

The ACLUs argument in the Prease case, she said, was that VDOC (chose) to interpret the law in accordance with their policy preferences and not in accordance with what the General Assembly actually passed.

The Virginia Supreme Court has long been clear that you have to apply the law as it is written ... whether you like it or not, Greenspan said.

She added that in passing HB 5148, the General Assembly made a commitment to recognizing that people deserve second chances.

Thats a value that the ACLU of Virginia believes in  everybody deserves a second chance and when you have folks who have done their time and made changes and are no longer, if they were ever, a threat to public safety, there is no need to continue to keep them locked up, she said.
The aid products were produced by several countries including the UAE, India, China, and Indonesia, according to Syria TV.

Residents in the Amrit area of Tartous countryside have stumbled upon caches of expired UN aid buried at multiple locations in the vicinity. This unfortunate situation has arisen due to prolonged storage within Syrian regime warehouses, accompanied by the regimes refusal to distribute the aid to its citizens.

Syrian journalist Kenan Waqaf revealed that, by chance, a group of children playing in the Amrit area discovered hundreds of tons of buried aid. Evidently, these supplies were discarded through burial by the Syrian regime after reaching their expiration date. This expiration was evident from the production and expiry dates.

The range of aid items found includes a variety of foodstuffs like rice, lentils, tea, chickpeas, infant formula, biscuits, dates, and natural juices. Additionally, medical supplies such as medicines, gloves, and masks were also present in these caches.

According to labelling on the bags and containers, the aid was dispatched to the Syrian regime through the port of Lattakia. The aid products were produced by several countries including the UAE, India, China, and Indonesia.

Waqaf reported that residents are continually discovering more sites where expired aid has been buried, indicating a systemic issue.

The Syrian regimes pilferage of UN humanitarian aid to finance its military forces persists, exacerbating the dire conditions faced by millions of families. Despite the passage of over 6 months since the earthquake, aid deliveries continue to pour into areas under Syrian regime control. However, there are accusations that the regime is intercepting aid and manipulating its distribution.

In mid-February, the UK issued a warning against dispatching international aid to areas under Syrian regime control, citing the risk of it falling into the wrong hands. Republican Senator Bob Menendez, the chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, emphasized that the Syrian regime has consistently demonstrated itself to be neither a trustworthy distributor nor an honest mediator for delivering aid to its people.

Experts knowledgeable about the Syrian conflict and aid workers have previously raised concerns about President Bashar al-Assads corrupt track record, which might result in a recurrence of mismanagement. This could leave over 20 million Syrians without essential assistance to endure this new calamity.

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.
Shoukry emphasized that the Arab Ministerial Liaison Committee on Syria remains dedicated to fulfilling its mandate, according to Athr Press.

Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mekdad convened with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry, on Tuesday, in Cairo. This gathering followed Shoukrys prior discussions with the foreign ministers of Jordan and Iraq, orchestrated within the framework of their tripartite cooperation mechanism. This mechanism operates at the foreign minister level and functions as an instrument to foster collaboration between these three nations. The meeting took place on the fringes of Cairos hosting of the Arab Liaison Committee on Syria.

During their dialogue, Shoukry emphasized that the Arab Ministerial Liaison Committee on Syria remains dedicated to fulfilling its mandate. This entails aiding in the resolution of the enduring Syrian crisis and extending a supportive hand to the fraternal Syrian populace in surmounting their challenges. Furthermore, preserving Syrias unity and territorial integrity remains a paramount goal. These insights were reported by Egypts news agency, Middle East.

The Syrian-Egyptian discussions encompassed facets pertinent to the Arab Liaison Committees meeting. This alignment with the League of Arab States and its member nations underscores their collective pursuit of cohesive Arab action and solidarity. Their intent is to find a comprehensive resolution to the Syrian crisis, encompassing political, economic, and humanitarian dimensions.

It is worth noting that Minister Mekdad offered an update on the multifaceted Syrian situation. This included the Syrian governments endeavors to address various aspects of the crisis, spanning refugee repatriation, counterterrorism measures, collaboration with neighboring Arab countries on security matters, early recovery initiatives, and reasserting Syrian sovereignty within its borders.

Preceding the Syrian-Egyptian exchange, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry convened with his Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Safadi, and Iraqi counterpart, Fouad Hussein. Following this meeting, Ambassador Ahmed Abou Zeid, spokesperson for the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expounded in a press statement. He highlighted the significance of the tripartite mechanism, convened on the sidelines of the Arab Liaison Committee on Syria in Cairo. This mechanism stands as a pivotal platform for joint efforts to fortify economic cooperation across a multitude of domains. Moreover, it serves as a platform for consultation and coordination on regional and international matters of mutual concern, all in the interest of upholding Arab unity and regional stability.

Abou Zeid elaborated, underscoring that this assembly facilitated the tracking of cooperation and strategic integration initiatives among the three countries. He disclosed that the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq reached a consensus to convene another session during the United Nations General Assemblys high-level meetings in New York in September. This meeting aims to precisely define the implementation status of joint cooperative undertakings, providing the requisite support and resources for effective execution on the ground.

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.
Observational records have tallied no less than 234 deaths and 231 injuries spanning the period between October 2015 and April 2023, according to Shaam Network.

Local sources within the Eastern governorate have reported the unfortunate demise of a young man. He was fatally shot by the Turkish gendarmerie while attempting to cross the border into Turkish territory through smuggling routes. This incident comes at a juncture when the occurrences of civilian fatalities along the border have shown a decline over the past months, following an escalation during the month of March.

According to these sources, the deceased individual was identified as Alloush Bassam al-Ali al-Hussein al-Madad. He lost his life as a result of being targeted by the Turkish Gendarmerie while endeavouring to enter Turkish territory within the Ras al-Ain area. He hailed from the town of al-Shuhail, situated to the east of Deir-ez-Zor.

Human Rights Watch, in previous instances, has levelled accusations against the Turkish authorities for instances of torture and fatalities involving Syrians at the border. The organization has also raised concerns about the excessive use of force against asylum seekers and migrants striving to cross into Turkey. A firm demand has been made for holding those border guards accountable who are implicated in these egregious violations of human rights, thereby putting an end to the prevailing impunity.

In a report issued by the organization in April, it was verified that a group of eight Syrians faced brutal beatings and torture at the hands of Turkish border guards while attempting an illegal entry into Turkey on March 11. Tragically, a man and a boy lost their lives while under Turkish custody, leaving others with severe injuries.

Observational records have tallied no less than 234 deaths and 231 injuries spanning the period between October 2015 and April 2023. The majority of these incidents occurred during attempts to cross the border, including the unfortunate loss of 20 childrens lives and the injury of 15 others.

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.
Confrontation occurred between the commander of the National Defense and Muslat of the Jabour tribe, according to Enab Baladi.

Akram Mahshoush, an advisor to the Jabour tribal council in Hassakeh, has disclosed that the Syrian regime has taken action against Abdul Qadir Hamo, the commander of the National Defense. Hamo has been dismissed from his position and relocated to the capital, Damascus, for trial. This decision comes in the wake of an incident in which Hamo and a contingent under his command confronted Abdul Aziz al-Muslat, the sheikh of the Jabour tribe, within Hassakeh City.

As reported by Enab Baladis correspondent in Hassakeh, on August 13th, a confrontation occurred between the commander of the National Defense and his accompanying group against Muslat of the Jabour tribe. The incident unfolded in the security square of Hassakeh, stemming from a disagreement over a traffic-related issue. The Baz Network subsequently shared a video purportedly capturing a gathering of notable figures from various Arab tribal and clan backgrounds in a war tent. The purpose of the gathering was to pledge support and declare readiness to stand by the Jabour tribe against the actions of the National Defense.

Issues that have been brewing for some time

Mudar al-Asaad, the general coordinator of the Supreme Council of Arab Tribes and a sheikh of the Jabour tribe, conveyed to Enab Baladi that the residents of Hassakeh governorate, including the Jabour tribe, have encountered significant challenges associated with Abdul Qadir Hamo, the commander of the National Defense. He emphasized that Hamos problematic presence in the region extends beyond the recent altercation.

Asaad pointed out that Hamo enjoys direct support from Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah in Hassakeh. Despite repeated infractions, Hamo has managed to remain in the area thanks to his local origins, according to Asaad. The sheikh further elaborated that Hamos track record in the region includes various violations, such as kidnappings, involvement in drug trafficking, and imposing tributes. When the local populace raised objections to his actions, the military governor of the security square in Hassakeh responded that Hamos tribal ties prevent his intervention in addressing such matters.

It is worth noting that Hamo originates from the Sharabiyin clan in Hassakeh. However, Asaad revealed that his own clan, the Sharabiyin, has distanced itself from Hamo on multiple occasions due to his transgressions against the local residents while demanding retribution.

According to Sheikh Asaad, the assault by Abdul Qadir Hamo, the commander of the National Defense, on Sheikh Muslat of the Jabour tribe, has triggered a sequence of events. This includes the assembly of over a thousand fighters from the same tribe within the security square in Hassakeh, where the National Defense is stationed. Their collective presence in the area served as a demand for Hamos trial, indicating a potential escalation if this request is not heeded.

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.
In Moscow, the Defense Minister conveyed Syria's profound gratitude towards Russia, according to al-Baath.

Defense Minister Maj. Gen. Ali Mahmoud Abbas asserted on August 15, 2023, that numerous nations have borne the brunt of the colonial Western powers malevolence, with the United States and its allies deliberately fomenting conflicts and aiding terrorist entities to dismantle nations like Iraq, Libya, Lebanon, and Syria. These countries have languished under this aggression and terrorism for over a dozen years.

Speaking at the 11th Moscow International Conference, Maj. Gen. Abbas underscored the worlds current trajectory of escalating disputes and conflicts across various regions. He emphasized the pressing need for concerted and effective cooperation to achieve the heightened security conditions both he and his constituents aspire to.

This consequential gathering exemplifies Russias and President Vladimir Putins resolute commitment to fortifying global security and stability. Maj. Gen. Abbas highlighted this stance as paramount in a time when regional disputes and conflicts are on the rise worldwide.

He underscored the pivotal role of the region in establishing international stability, affirming that the geopolitical significance of any given region profoundly shapes the interrelationships, structure, and objectives of the nations within it.

After our armed forces, aided by our allies, triumphed in repelling aggression and significantly eradicating terrorism, certain nations have waged an economic war and imposed a suffocating siege upon the Syrian population, Abbas added.

The minister detailed that the Western coalition led by the United States has forcibly occupied vital territories within Syria, exploiting the nations resources and bolstering both terrorism and separatist factions in alignment with the coalitions colonial ambitions.

Abbas clarified that the Turkish occupation of Syrian regions and its reprehensible actions within those occupied territories constitute a blatant violation of international norms and a stark assault on a sovereign and independent state.

Furthermore, he elucidated that the most substantial threat to regional security and stability arises from the Israeli occupation entity, which, in partnership with the United States, is pivotal in the regions tumultuous state.

Maj. Gen. Abbas conveyed Syrias profound gratitude towards Russia and all influential nations worldwide for their tireless efforts against global threats and hazards, particularly in countering the hostile policies of the United States and its attempts to monopolize international decisions.

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.
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

Amazon.com Inc. is cracking down on U.S. workers who have ignored its return-to-office guidelines, in the latest example of companies attempting to reduce the amount of time employees work remotely.

Some U.S. employees at Amazon received an email this week stating that they are not meeting the company's expectation of spending at least three days a week in the office, according to a copy of the message seen by Bloomberg. The Financial Times reported on the email previously.

Amazon is not the only employer clamping down on those shirking offices in favor of remote work. International Business Machines Corp.'s Arvind Krishna said in May promotions will be harder to come by for those who aren't in the office.

On Monday, Zoom Video Communications Inc, whose video-conferencing software facilitated the switch to remote work during the Covid-19 pandemic, said employees who live near an office must be on-site two days a week. Companies from Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. to BlackRock Inc. have also increased the amount of time employees must come into work.

Despite the end of pandemic-era lockdowns, many employees are reluctant to come back to the office full time. Office attendance has stabilized at 30% below pre-pandemic norms, according to a McKinsey Global Institute report last month.

A spokesperson for Amazon declined to comment.

2023 Bloomberg L.P. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Amazon is so eager to get its first test satellites for its Project Kuiper internet constellation up into space that it has decided to switch rides again.

The two satellites are now scheduled to lift off on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket as early as Sept. 26 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41 in Florida, according to officials with both ULA and Amazon.

The prototype satellites had been looking for a ride to space on ULA's new Vulcan Centaur rocket, which had been aiming for a launch this past May, but the rocket faced delays that won't see it fly until at least late 2023.

The switch to an Atlas V from Vulcan is actually the second time the satellites switched rockets, as originally Amazon looked to send them up before the end of 2022 on startup rocket company ABL Space Systems' RS 1 rocket from Alaska. But that company's rockets also have seen delays.

"Our prototype mission will help us test how the different pieces of our satellite network work together, adding real-world data from space to results from our extensive lab testing, fieldwork, and simulation," Amazon wrote about its plans to launch with ULA. "We'll use findings from the mission to help finalize design, deployment, and operational plans for our commercial satellite system, which will provide reliable, affordable broadband to customers around the world."

The Atlas V ride was one Amazon had already purchased. It's one of nine Atlas V rockets on hold for Amazon's massive 3,236 satellite constellation that aims to compete with the likes of SpaceX's Starlink system.

Amazon in 2022 announced it had struck a deal for up to 83 launches over a five-year span to get its hardware into space with launch providers ULA on its Vulcan Centaur, Jeff Bezos-owned Blue Origin with its in-development New Glenn rocket and Arianespace's delayed Ariane 6 rocket. None of those three have launched yet, with Vulcan Centaur the likely closest to realization.

Both Vulcan and New Glenn rockets will launch from Florida's Space Coast while Arianespace launches from French Guinea in South America.

To support the Space Coast launches, Amazon is building out a $120 million, 100,000-square-foot satellite processing facility at the Kennedy Space Center's former Shuttle Landing Facility. In early 2025, all the Space Coast launches of Project Kuiper satellites will make a pit stop here where they will be fueled up and integrated with the ULA or Blue Origin rocket fairings before heading to their respective launch pads.

Amazon is facing a deadline of July 2026 to get at least half of its constellation into orbit to maintain its license with the Federal Communications Commission.

It's gearing up so that ULA with its remaining eight Atlas rockets and many of the first available of 37 contracted Vulcan launches will be used to try and hit that 1,600-satellite target midway point. With the massive launch order, ULA is also investing in more rocket prep facilities in Cape Canaveral to be able to support about two launches per month by 2025.

Atlas rockets, which can carry about 21,500 pounds to low-Earth orbit, can only bring up a couple dozen of the satellites, said Steve Metayer, Amazon's vice president of Kuiper production operations during a media event in July at the processing facility construction site.

The majority of those are targeting launch in 2024, he said.

Those won't come until Amazon is happy with the results of the prototype satellites so it can then push full throttle on production at its facility in Kent, Washington, manufacturing up to four satellites a day, he said.

Metayer said the real dent into the 3,226 satellite total will come once the heavy lift Vulcan, New Glenn and Ariane 6 come online. The Vulcan Centaur's capacity, for instance, is nearly three times that of Atlas V for low-Earth orbit.

Amazon's plans are to send up three launches a month when all of the rockets are available, Metayer said.

"We feel we've got a really good commitment to get our constellation built," he said.

2023 Orlando Sentinel. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
(Photo : Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)

A Montana judge ruled in favor of youth activists who argued that the state harmed them and the environment with the promotion of the use of fossil fuels.

A Montana judge has ruled in favor of young activists who argued that a state act harmed them and the environment by promoting the use of fossil fuels.

The decision marks the first ruling across the United States as the judge on Monday agreed with the youths who argued that the state violated their right to a "clean and healthful environment."

Montana Judge Rules in Favor of Youth Climate Activists

In the ruling, the court determined that a provision found in the Montana Environmental Policy Act has harmed the state's environment and the young plaintiffs by preventing the state from considering the effects on the climate of various energy projects in the region. The court also said that the provision is accordingly unconstitutional.

In a statement, Julia Olson, the executive director of Our Children's Trust, which was the one that brought the case to the court, said that the ruling was a major win for Montana, for youth, for democracy, and for the climate, as per the Washington Post.

The ruling marks a major victory for the plaintiffs in the case and is considered one of the strongest decisions relating to climate change to have ever been issued by a court in the nation. It could also result in a boost to the environmental movement within the United States. Experts say it may also bring a wave of new cases that seek to advance action on climate change.

The court's ruling, which also invalidates a provision that is blocking climate considerations, marks a rare victory for climate activists who have long been looking to courts to make an effort to push back against government policies and industrial activities that are destroying the planet.

In this particular case, the situation involved 16 young Montana residents, who range in age from five to 22 years, being the ones who brought the United States' first Constitutional and first youth-led climate lawsuit to go to trial.

The court's decision also comes amid a summer of record heat and deadly wildfires, which many believe are the result of conditions brought by climate change. According to the New York Times, it represents a victory in the fight against government support for oil, gas, and coal and the burning of these, which have contributed to the planet getting warmer.

Read Also: Hawaii Wildfire's Death Toll is Expected to Rise

Fighting Against Climate Change

In a statement, Olson added that fires raging in the West were fueled by fossil fuel pollution. She called the recent ruling a game-changer that marks a turning point in the current generation's continued fight to save the planet from the destructive effects of human-caused climate chaos.

The court's ruling means that the state, a major coal and gas-producing region, must now consider climate change whenever there is a decision on whether or not to approve or renew fossil fuel projects.

On the other hand, Emily Flower, a spokeswoman for Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, said that the recent ruling is "absurd." She argued that it was not surprising that it was made by a judge who let the plaintiffs' attorneys put on a weeklong taxpayer-funded publicity stunt when it was supposed to be a trial.

She argued that Montanans could not be blamed for changing the climate, arguing that the plaintiff's legal theory has been thrown out of federal court and courts in more than a dozen other states, said the Associated Press.

Related Article: Biden's Climate Law Debated by Republicans, Democrats

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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

American Airlines and Google were able to cut contrails made by jets by more than half during a small trial, a move that could significantly reduce the global-warming footprint of the travel industry, but with a slight increase to fuel use.

As the airline industry pushes and waits for more sustainable fuels and alternative power engines, many major carriers have shifted focus to the emerging field of studying contrails, once considered an innocent byproduct of water vapor at high altitudes. But those whispy clouds are actually a significant environmental detriment because they hold heat in the atmosphere that would otherwise escape.

Some studies say contrails may contribute more to global warming than vehicle emissions or carbon dioxide, but scientists and airlines are just beginning to tackle the emerging field of radiative heating.

"Avoiding contrails might be one of the best ways to limit aviation's climate impact, and now we have a clear demonstration that it's possible to do so," said Marc Shapiro, Breakthrough Energy's director of contrail studies. "This study is a great example of what happens when creative, ambitious organizations work together to better understand and solve a tough problem, and we're grateful for American's and Google's partnership."

The initial trial tested 70 flights, modifying flight paths to try to avoid conditions with altitudes, weather and humidity where they thought contrails were most likely to form. They were able to cut down on contrail coverage by about 54%, based on Google's satellite imagery. But those flights had to use about 2% more fuel to gain the results.

Last fall, a group of carriers including American and Dallas-based Southwest Airlines teamed up with the Rocky Mountain Institute and Google Research to address the contrail issue. United, Alaska and Virgin Atlantic are also part of the study. That same month Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines partnered with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to study contrails.

"One of the main reasons that we had success is that we had a small group of pilots who were really excited about trying this," said American Airlines vice president of sustainability Jill Blickstein. "And then we recruited a couple of additional pilots who didn't really know what we were talking about, but when they did it, they found that it was very interesting."

To select the flights that they would monitor, Google and Breakthrough Energy used artificial intelligence software to study weather, satellite imagery and flight path data. They then slightly modified flight plans during the 70 flights, which happened over six months. All were during the day and roughly half used the contrail avoiding software to adjust altitude, while half did not.

Fuel burn increases even though the distance covered does not, Blickstein said. Planes fly the most efficiently at maximum altitudes where the air is thinnest. But that's also where contrails form the easiest. In this test, pilots only lowered altitude to avoid contrails, similar to the way they adjust to avoid turbulence, she said.

"The reason American wanted to be involved in this research and our partners came to us is because they don't have the expertise and the aircraft that we have."

The worst contrails happen at night when the earth is naturally cooling without sunlight but man-made clouds at that critical altitude can block heat from escaping. Some theorize that contrails during the day may actually block light that bounces off the Earth and turns into heat.

But modifying flight paths isn't so easy in the complicated world of planning routes. Airlines have to factor in adverse weather, turbulence and speed.

Even a 2% increase in fuel costs is massive for an airline that spent $13.8 billion on jet fuel in 2022. Google thinks an airline like American would only need to burn about 0.3% more fuel to cut down on contrails because only certain flights are likely to create the vapor trails.

"This is a really rare opportunity for us to do something that is going to benefit our entire industry," Blickstein said. "We're all going to have to be in the race. I think this won't be competitive. I think this will be an industry effort."

2023 The Dallas Morning News.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Insulator strings with natural contamination. Credit: Dmitry Titov/ Skoltech

Associate Professor of the Practice Dmitry Titov and Research Engineer Klim Volkhov from the Energy Center published laboratory results of assessing the possibility of a frequent reason for power outages in Russiaflashovers of high-voltage insulators in overhead power lines.

The flashovers of insulator strings result from surface contamination and reduced flashover characteristics of insulators. Apart from failures, they also lead to high costs on emergency repair works. The research is part of the project aimed to develop a technology for risk-oriented management of insulation.

Owned by the Yuzhnouralsky Insulators and Fittings Plant, a leading manufacturer of high-voltage insulators, the novel technology is now in pilot operation in power lines of the Rosseti Moscow power company. The article came out in the proceedings of the 2023 International Conference on Industrial Engineering, Applications and Manufacturing published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

According to the authors, it is difficult to determine the state of insulators and level of their contamination, while insulators are replaced either after the expiry of operation or based on subjective assessments of power company employees. The new devicea hardware and software platform with sensors and data processing toolshelps make the assessment process more objective and reduce insulator maintenance costs.

At the first stage, researchers developed a mathematical tool, which assessed the state of the insulation, and then proceeded to sensors. The study involved experiments of two typesat the laboratories and power grid facilities. "Laboratories provide high-voltage equipment, which allows imitating power line operation processes," says Volkhov.

"We used portable oscilloscopes to model different states of insulators and identify their characteristics while they are contaminated, moistened or when their number or types are changed. The second type of experiment is field measurements. We collected data about leakage currents in insulators at the real plant grid facilities in the Dagestan Republic, Volgograd and Tula regions, and in Moscow. Then, we put them in a dataset and processed it."

Based on the oscillogram analysis, the authors presented 20 most significant for the model development parameters and among them chose those that best reflect the state of insulators. The development and application of sensors that can measure these parameters may prevent accidents in power lines.

"We conducted several stages of field testing and improved our hardware and software platform, which does not seek to control one specific insulator with the sensor, but aims to assess the state of the whole insulation in the power grid region, which adds value to it. Last November, we were among the winners of 'Energoproriyv (Energy Breakthrough)', a competition for the best smart energy solutions. The project became part of the R&D program in the Rosseti Moscow power company. We expect that in the future the company will be able to use the technology without any restrictions," concludes Titov and adds that there are not any other versions of the product in the world with such a successful commercialization experience.

More information: Klim Volkhov et al, Diagnostics of Overhead Line Insulator State based on Leakage Current Regression Analysis, 2023 International Conference on Industrial Engineering, Applications and Manufacturing (ICIEAM) (2023). DOI: 10.1109/ICIEAM57311.2023.10139219
(Photo : FREDERICK FLORIN / AFP) (FREDERICK FLORIN/AFP via Getty Images)

The Polish government is seeking a referendum to know voters' stance on the migrant crisis and what they think of letting "thousands of illegal immigrants" take shelter in the nation.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki is seeking to hold a referendum on irregular migration to ask voters within the nation about their stance on the "thousands of illegal immigrants."

The official wants to ask the country's people if they support accepting irregular immigrants as part of a European Union relocation plan. The prime minister announced his plan for a vote on Oct. 15 in a video published on social media over the weekend. The vote will be held alongside Poland's parliamentary elections.

Poland Seeks Referendum Regarding Illegal Immigrants

Morawiecky asked, "Do you support the admission of thousands of illegal immigrants from the Middle East and Africa under the forced relocation mechanism imposed by the European bureaucracy?"

In the video announcement, a Black man could be seen licking a huge knife in anticipation of committing a crime. Additionally, party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski later asked if the people wanted chaos to happen in Poland and stop the citizens from being the masters of their own country, as per Aljazeera.

The video announcement suggests that the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party will use migration in its election campaign. This has been a tactic that allowed it to take power back in 2015.

In June, EU interior ministers endorsed a plan to share out responsibility for refugees and migrants who were arriving in Europe without documentation. It has been considered the root of one of the bloc's longest-running political crises.

Even at the peak of Europe's refugee crisis, Poland has neither been a country of entrance nor a destination country for migrants seeking shelter. But in 2021, the nation suddenly became a front-line state in the migrant crisis after people started trying to enter Europe from Belarus by crossing through Polish territory.

Read Also: New Zealand 'Fully Reopens' Borders and Removes All COVID-19 Restrictions

Addressing the Migrant Crisis in the Region

The question about migrants entering the nation is one of the four that the right-wing party wants to ask in the referendum. On social media, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said that the question would ask citizens if they support removing the barrier on the border of the Polish Republic with the Republic of Belarus, according to Yahoo News.

The Polish government built the wall last year and substantially reduced the number of incoming Middle East and African migrants across the border. Officials from Poland and the European Union see the migrants coming into the region as an attempt by Belarus to generate turmoil in the countries.

Additionally, the Polish government reinforced military troops along that particular border due to Belarus' alleged hostility. The other questions that officials will ask in the referendum would focus on accepting migrants within an EU program, refusing the privatization of state-owned enterprises, and agreeing to raise the retirement age.

The situation comes as Poland currently hosts more than a million Ukrainian refugees, primarily White and Caucasian. But some officials view Muslims and other people who come from different cultures to be a threat to the country's cultural identity and security, said CBS News.

Related Article: Niger's Overthrown President Mohamed Bazoum to Be Charged With High Treason

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Another piece to the national hypersonic infrastructure puzzle is coming to Aggieland.

Texas A&M University is set to build a $30 million-dollar hypersonic wind tunnel at the RELLIS campus in Bryan. A&Ms Board of Regents are set to approve the Systems Fiscal Year 2024-28 Capital Plan at this weeks meetings in College Station, which will include the proposed hypersonic wind tunnel project under the A&M Engineering Experiment Station. Funds for the hypersonic wind tunnel came from the state and were announced in June.

Well be able to bring in different ideas of researchers and industry and government folks to come in and test out their ideas, said Nathan Tichenor, director of hypersonic facilities at A&Ms Bush Combat Development Complex. We can learn more about the physics involved in hypersonic in various environments. We can do this at a large scale since these are large facilities, so we can have big parts in there that we can be looking at. And then the plan is, and the anticipation is we can use that understanding to develop better models. We can use that understanding to drive toward real systems faster at a lower cost.

Hypersonic speed is five times the speed of sound or faster, often referred to as Mach 5 or greater. U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, who represents Bryan-College Station and Brazos County in District 10 and is the chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, explained that U.S. officials have increased investments in hypersonic technology because of international competition. McCaul mentioned how China has developed a hypersonic weapon and had a successful test last year.

That can carry a nuclear payload and the fact is we cant stop it. It goes five times the speed of sound, it zig-zags and we dont have the defense capability to stop it, McCaul said. So what A&M is doing is vitally important to our national security in the area of hypersonic.

A&M is the leader of the University Consortium for Applied Hypersonics (UCAH), a network of 110 universities and 171 industry partners that work with government, industry, national laboratories, federally funded research centers, and existing university affiliated research centers. The consortium provides innovative research and workforce to advance the nations hypersonic flight systems.

Federal and state funding has shown an emphasis to speed up technology development, to learn faster, and move quicker because of the global environment, Tichenor said.

For the United States, its important to maintain capabilities that are comparable with other countries, Tichenor said. So thats where you see an increased emphasis recently over the last couple of years about hypersonics being more publicly talked about in the news and other places, and with that comes increased funding from the government.

A&M Chancellor John Sharp mentioned in a wide-ranging interview this June that when the Department of Defense picked A&M to lead the UCAH in October 2020, the announcement included A&M would build a 1-kilometer long Ballistic, Aero-optics, and Materials Range (BAM) at the Bush Combat Development Complex.

Were already leading all the hypersonic research for all the universities, Sharp said. When they have meetings, they all come here.

While it will be at least a couple of years before the hypersonic wind tunnel opens, Tichenor said the $54.6 million-dollar BAM Range is expected to open in May 2024. Tichenor explained these separate facilities are expected to work in concert with one another to answer critical hypersonic questions. The BAM Range is also expected to be the largest and most fully instrumented facility of its kind in the nation.

What were doing here is for national security to help all of us live safer, more confident lives at home, Tichenor said, so the mission is very important for things around hypersonic for what A&M and the state of Texas has stepped up to deliver.
A man was arrested Monday in Centerville for assaulting an elderly man at Woodys Smokehouse, according to a press release from the Leon County Sheriffs Office.

At 12:04 p.m. Monday, officers said police responded to a report that shots had been fired inside the smokehouse.

According to the sheriffs office, Kevin Anderson had entered the business and aggressively approached multiple customers before heading to the restroom where police said he knocked an elderly man unconscious and continued to assault him.

Officers said a licensed-to-carry holder then attempted to intervene and stop the assault before he too was assaulted by Anderson.

After being pushed to the ground by Anderson, police said the licensed-to-carry holder fired two rounds hitting Anderson once in the right arm. Anderson then fled the scene and was later located in a car on the shoulder of IH-45, according to the sheriffs office.

Police said Anderson was transported by helicopter to St. Joseph emergency room in Bryan and later taken to Hermann Memorial Hospital in Houston to be treated.

Another victim was taken to St. Joseph Hospital where he was treated for his injuries, officers said.

None of the parties involved were citizens of Leon County according to the sheriffs office and the case is currently under investigation with assistance from the Texas Rangers.
In this presidential election cycle, major Texans are shut out of the 2024 sweepstakes. Thats rare in American politics. Theres usually a Texan in the mix for the White House. And even when a Lone Star candidate doesnt make it all the way, they provide drama or comic relief.

Think Rick Perry on the 2011 debate stage, when he couldnt remember the third federal agency he would abolish if elected president. There was also Beto ORourke in 2019, when he enthusiastically answered hell, yes to a question about confiscating assault-style weapons.

This cycle is one of the most unique in American history. Donald Trump is way ahead of the GOP presidential field, leading second-place challenger Ron DeSantis by more than 30 percentage points and the rest of the pack by at least 40 points.

There are at least two Texans running for the White House, but former U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, a Texas A&M graduate from San Antonio, is less than a blip in the polls. Few people have heard of Richardson business executive Ryan Binkley, who is also a candidate. Neither candidate has qualified to participate in the Aug. 23 GOP presidential debate, the first of the primary season.

What happened to all the Texans?

The GOP presidential race could have featured Sen. Ted Cruz and Gov. Greg Abbott. They are not expected to mount campaigns for the White House.

Its too late, conservative radio talk show host Mark Davis said. People like Greg Abbott and Ted Cruz look at the field thats being dominated by Trump and realize that theres no viable lane.

Cruz, perhaps, was the best positioned Texan to run for president. He was the last candidate standing against Trump in the 2016 presidential primary.

After initially refusing to endorse Trump, he became one of his most loyal allies, despite the bitter history of acrimony and insults.

The two-term senator is focusing on reelection, where hes expected to face light competition in the March GOP primary. He knows that challenging Trump in the primary is right now a losing battle. If Trump is somehow diminished, Cruzs calculus could change, but time is running out and hell likely be involved in a riveting Texas Senate race.

In 2018, Cruz beat ORourke by 2.6 percentage points. This time, hell face the winner of the Democratic primary that features Rep. Colin Allred of Dallas and state Sen. Roland Gutierrez of San Antonio. This contest is expected to be Texas marquee matchup.

Abbott is another powerhouse Texas politico who could have made waves in a presidential contest.

The governors campaign team had said he would consider a run for president after this years legislative session ended. But that session gave way to two special sessions. And theres another one expected this fall that will focus on school voucher-like programs in Texas.

In his third term, Abbott has become a national figure, mostly because of his move to bus migrants to cities outside of Texas, including Washington, D.C., Chicago, New York and Philadelphia. But hes never gained traction in the GOP presidential field, finishing well off the pace in most GOP straw polls and surveys.

The governor will most likely seek a record fourth term in 2026.

Though running for the White House is nearly out of the question, Cruz and Abbott could be candidates for vice president.

Texas is not a battleground state, so a Texas running mate would not have the benefit of helping flip a state red. But Cruz and Abbott would help form a solid conservative ticket, no matter the nominee.

Right now, it looks like that decision would be made by Trump, and who knows what hell want to round out the GOP ticket.
Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL  Get Free Report) CAO Michael Gunnar Knell sold 1,471 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $216.54, for a total value of $318,530.34. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,940 shares in the company, valued at $2,152,407.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Charles River Laboratories International Stock Up 1.1 %

NYSE:CRL traded up $2.44 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $216.90. 340,301 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 533,814. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.12 billion, a PE ratio of 22.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.33. Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $181.22 and a 12-month high of $262.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.49. The business has a 50-day moving average of $207.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $209.48.

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Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:CRL  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 9th. The medical research company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.63 by $0.06. Charles River Laboratories International had a return on equity of 18.99% and a net margin of 11.58%. The business had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.05 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.77 earnings per share. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. will post 10.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Charles River Laboratories International

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State of Wyoming lifted its stake in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 33.8% during the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 412 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $87,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the period. Roberts Glore & Co. Inc. IL lifted its position in Charles River Laboratories International by 32.2% during the 2nd quarter. Roberts Glore & Co. Inc. IL now owns 4,918 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $1,034,000 after acquiring an additional 1,198 shares during the period. Morningstar Investment Services LLC grew its stake in Charles River Laboratories International by 594.2% during the 2nd quarter. Morningstar Investment Services LLC now owns 50,368 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $10,492,000 after purchasing an additional 43,112 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in shares of Charles River Laboratories International by 190.5% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,312 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $696,000 after purchasing an additional 2,172 shares during the period. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Charles River Laboratories International in the second quarter worth about $782,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.55% of the companys stock.

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Charles River Laboratories International from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Charles River Laboratories International from $290.00 to $280.00 in a report on Friday, May 12th. Credit Suisse Group dropped their target price on shares of Charles River Laboratories International from $260.00 to $255.00 in a report on Friday, May 12th. Finally, TheStreet lowered shares of Charles River Laboratories International from a b- rating to a c rating in a report on Thursday, May 11th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $247.80.

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Charles River Laboratories International Company Profile

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Charles River Laboratories International, Inc, a non-clinical contract research organization, provides drug discovery, non-clinical development, and safety testing services in the United States, Europe, Canada, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Research Models and Services (RMS), Discovery and Safety Assessment (DSA), and Manufacturing Solutions (Manufacturing).

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Donnelley Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:DFIN  Get Free Report) Director Jeffrey Jacobowitz sold 26,380 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.24, for a total value of $1,272,571.20. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 3,353,523 shares in the company, valued at $161,773,949.52. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Donnelley Financial Solutions Stock Down 2.3 %

Shares of NYSE DFIN traded down $1.09 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $46.89. 254,329 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 189,864. The company has a market cap of $1.38 billion, a PE ratio of 17.11 and a beta of 1.63. Donnelley Financial Solutions, Inc. has a one year low of $33.17 and a one year high of $50.38. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $46.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $44.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 1.42.

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Donnelley Financial Solutions (NYSE:DFIN  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 2nd. The company reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.92 by $0.32. The firm had revenue of $242.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $229.25 million. Donnelley Financial Solutions had a return on equity of 24.41% and a net margin of 10.49%. The companys quarterly revenue was down 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.42 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Donnelley Financial Solutions, Inc. will post 2.39 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in DFIN. State of Wyoming boosted its position in shares of Donnelley Financial Solutions by 24.3% during the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 2,580 shares of the companys stock valued at $117,000 after buying an additional 505 shares during the last quarter. Tudor Investment Corp Et Al lifted its position in shares of Donnelley Financial Solutions by 9.9% during the second quarter. Tudor Investment Corp Et Al now owns 52,516 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,391,000 after purchasing an additional 4,714 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in shares of Donnelley Financial Solutions by 498.8% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,994 shares of the companys stock valued at $227,000 after purchasing an additional 4,160 shares in the last quarter. State of Wisconsin Investment Board bought a new position in shares of Donnelley Financial Solutions during the second quarter valued at about $217,000. Finally, Pinebridge Investments L.P. bought a new position in shares of Donnelley Financial Solutions during the second quarter valued at about $30,000. 93.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. DA Davidson raised their price objective on shares of Donnelley Financial Solutions from $42.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, July 13th. Needham & Company LLC increased their target price on shares of Donnelley Financial Solutions from $55.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, August 3rd.

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Donnelley Financial Solutions Company Profile

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Donnelley Financial Solutions, Inc operates as a risk and compliance solutions company worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Capital Markets Software Solutions (CM-SS), Capital Markets Compliance and Communications Management (CM-CCM), Investment Companies Software Solutions (IC-SS), and Investment Companies Compliance and Communications Management (IC-CCM).

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LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB  Get Free Report) major shareholder Ai Investments Holdings Llc sold 483 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.61, for a total transaction of $48,111.63. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 765,996 shares in the company, valued at $76,300,861.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Large shareholders that own 10% or more of a companys shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

LyondellBasell Industries Price Performance

Shares of LYB traded up $0.12 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $99.28. The stock had a trading volume of 1,469,747 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,013,324. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.19 billion, a PE ratio of 15.43, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.22. LyondellBasell Industries has a 12 month low of $71.46 and a 12 month high of $101.30. The companys 50-day moving average is $92.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $92.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.81.

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LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 4th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.44 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.30 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $10.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.79 billion. LyondellBasell Industries had a return on equity of 21.31% and a net margin of 4.92%. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 30.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $5.19 EPS. Research analysts expect that LyondellBasell Industries will post 8.16 EPS for the current year.

LyondellBasell Industries Increases Dividend

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LyondellBasell Industries

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 30th were given a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 26th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.04%. This is an increase from LyondellBasell Industriess previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. LyondellBasell Industriess dividend payout ratio is currently 77.64%.

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Sowell Financial Services LLC lifted its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 11.6% during the second quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 11,843 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock worth $1,088,000 after acquiring an additional 1,234 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 81.3% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 7,823 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock worth $718,000 after acquiring an additional 3,509 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 4.8% during the second quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 3,099 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock worth $285,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 0.4% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,753,716 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock worth $1,079,344,000 after buying an additional 50,100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC raised its position in shares of LyondellBasell Industries by 40.6% in the second quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 65,400 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock worth $6,006,000 after buying an additional 18,886 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.58% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LYB has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on LyondellBasell Industries from $113.00 to $108.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 29th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research note on Monday, August 7th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $121.00 to $116.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 9th. 888 restated a maintains rating on shares of LyondellBasell Industries in a research note on Thursday, June 29th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of LyondellBasell Industries from $96.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $98.88.

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LyondellBasell Industries Company Profile

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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.

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iShares China Large-Cap ETF (NYSEARCA:FXI  Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Monday. Traders bought 163,671 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 34% compared to the typical daily volume of 121,918 call options.

iShares China Large-Cap ETF Stock Performance

Shares of NYSEARCA:FXI traded down $0.25 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $27.67. 31,442,173 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 32,589,197. iShares China Large-Cap ETF has a twelve month low of $20.87 and a twelve month high of $33.38. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $28.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $28.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.27 and a beta of 0.44.

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Hedge Funds Weigh In On iShares China Large-Cap ETF

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of FXI. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of iShares China Large-Cap ETF by 5.7% during the 2nd quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,214 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $228,000 after buying an additional 443 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in iShares China Large-Cap ETF by 8.0% in the first quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 6,177 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $170,000 after purchasing an additional 459 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its stake in iShares China Large-Cap ETF by 11.1% in the first quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 6,298 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $201,000 after purchasing an additional 627 shares in the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of iShares China Large-Cap ETF by 1.0% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 64,929 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $1,766,000 after purchasing an additional 636 shares during the period. Finally, KLK Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of iShares China Large-Cap ETF by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. KLK Capital Management LLC now owns 79,290 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $2,341,000 after purchasing an additional 761 shares in the last quarter.

About iShares China Large-Cap ETF

iShares China Large-Cap ETF (the Fund) is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the FTSE China 25 Index (the Underlying Index). The Funds portfolio of sectors include Financials, Telecommunication, Oil & gas, Technology and Consumer goods.

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Koninklijke Philips (NYSE:PHG  Get Free Report) was the target of a significant drop in short interest during the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,590,000 shares, a drop of 29.6% from the July 15th total of 2,260,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 926,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.7 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Societe Generale upgraded shares of Koninklijke Philips from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 25th. TheStreet upgraded shares of Koninklijke Philips from a d+ rating to a c- rating in a research report on Monday, July 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Koninklijke Philips in a research report on Wednesday, July 12th. They set a buy rating for the company. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Koninklijke Philips from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, July 27th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Koninklijke Philips to 19.00 ($20.65) in a report on Friday, July 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $17.06.

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View Our Latest Analysis on Koninklijke Philips

Koninklijke Philips Stock Up 3.8 %

PHG traded up $0.76 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $21.03. 847,330 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,486,500. Koninklijke Philips has a 12-month low of $11.75 and a 12-month high of $23.30. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $20.97 and a 200 day moving average of $19.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 0.69.

Koninklijke Philips (NYSE:PHG  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Sunday, July 23rd. The technology company reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.23 by $0.08. Koninklijke Philips had a negative net margin of 10.84% and a positive return on equity of 7.95%. The company had revenue of $4.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.30 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.15 EPS. Analysts expect that Koninklijke Philips will post 1.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PHG. Perpetual Ltd acquired a new position in Koninklijke Philips during the 1st quarter worth approximately $46,993,000. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI grew its holdings in Koninklijke Philips by 26.7% during the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI now owns 8,687,852 shares of the technology companys stock worth $130,231,000 after acquiring an additional 1,832,561 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. grew its holdings in Koninklijke Philips by 59.6% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 4,430,980 shares of the technology companys stock worth $135,277,000 after acquiring an additional 1,655,150 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in shares of Koninklijke Philips by 3,812.0% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,636,961 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $24,538,000 after buying an additional 1,595,116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mondrian Investment Partners LTD boosted its holdings in shares of Koninklijke Philips by 306.4% in the 4th quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD now owns 1,944,063 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $29,142,000 after buying an additional 1,465,665 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 6.58% of the companys stock.

About Koninklijke Philips

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Koninklijke Philips N.V. operates as a health technology company in North America, the Greater China, and internationally. It operates through Diagnosis & Treatment Businesses, Connected Care Businesses, and Personal Health Businesses segments. The company provides diagnostic imaging solutions, includes magnetic resonance imaging, X-ray systems, and computed tomography (CT) systems and software comprising detector-based spectral CT solutions, as well as molecular and hybrid imaging solutions for nuclear medicine; echography solutions focused on diagnosis, treatment planning and guidance for cardiology, general imaging, obstetrics/gynecology, and point-of-care applications; integrated interventional systems, and interventional diagnostic and therapeutic devices to treat coronary artery and peripheral vascular disease; proprietary software to enable diagnostics and intervention; and enterprise diagnostic informatics products and services.

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National Bank of Canada (OTCMKTS:NTIOF  Get Free Report) saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 4,288,700 shares, a decline of 32.7% from the July 15th total of 6,372,700 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1,864.7 days.

National Bank of Canada Trading Down 0.4 %

OTCMKTS NTIOF traded down $0.33 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $76.61. 726 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,895. The stock has a market cap of $25.89 billion, a PE ratio of 11.02 and a beta of 1.08. National Bank of Canada has a one year low of $59.42 and a one year high of $81.60. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $75.00 and a 200-day moving average of $73.96.

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National Bank of Canada (OTCMKTS:NTIOF  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 31st. The financial services provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $1.83 billion for the quarter. National Bank of Canada had a return on equity of 17.54% and a net margin of 17.58%.

National Bank of Canada Increases Dividend

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 26th were paid a $0.7496 dividend. This is an increase from National Bank of Canadas previous dividend of $0.71. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 23rd. This represents a dividend yield of 3.99%. National Bank of Canadas dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.12%.

Separately, National Bank Financial boosted their target price on National Bank of Canada from C$102.00 to C$105.00 in a research note on Monday, July 24th.

View Our Latest Analysis on National Bank of Canada

National Bank of Canada Company Profile

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National Bank of Canada provides various financial products and services to retail, commercial, corporate, and institutional clients in Canada and internationally. It operates through four segments: Personal and Commercial, Wealth Management, Financial Markets, and U.S. Specialty Finance and International.

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The police arrested a Malaysia Airlines passenger after allegedly disrupting a flight from Australia to Kuala Lumpur.

The "emergency incident" forced the plane to make a U-turn mid-flight at the Sydney International Airport on Monday, August 14.

Malaysia Airlines Passenger Arrested After Flight Forced to Return to Sydney

A Malaysia Airlines flight from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur was forced to make a nail-biting U-turn mid-air after a passenger's alleged "emergency incident" on board. As per CNN Travel, flight MH122 was thrown into chaos as a man reportedly threatened fellow passengers and cabin crew, prompting the aircraft's sudden change of course.

The airline's carefully choreographed flight plan was abruptly interrupted, creating a gripping saga that left everyone on board on edge. The situation escalated to such an extent that it prompted an urgent response from authorities, resulting in the passenger's subsequent arrest upon landing in Sydney.

The authorities arrested a 45-year-old Malaysian Airlines passenger after the alleged "emergency incident." Officials only gave a few details about the passenger's alleged outburst, forcing the flight to return.

According to Nine News Australia, the Federal Police says the passenger claimed he brought explosives to the flight, threatening passengers and crew that he would "blow the plane up." The police say they charged the Canderra resident with one count of making a false statement that threatened to damage a division three aircraft. He is also a single-count of a passenger not complying with cabin crew's safety instructions.

Read Also: Miss Universe Drops Indonesia Pageant Over Sexual Harassment Allegations Over Sexual Harassment Allegations

Plane Lands Back Safely in Sydney

While the flight got disrupted and the peace of the journey shattered, the timely response from the airline and the authorities helped ensure a swift resolution to this mid-air crisis.

The MH122 left Syndey International Airport at 1:40 pm local time on Monday. Malaysia Airlines says the flight carries roughly 200 passengers, including 123 crew. After making a U-turn due to the "emergency incident," the plane returned safely to the runway at around 3:47 pm.

Despite the passenger's alleged claim, the in-flight crew confirmed that the passenger's backpack contained no explosives. It is worth noting that the incident caused significant disruption to flights at Sydney Airport. Dozens of domestic flights were canceled or delayed.

Fox News Online reports that the incident disturbed other passengers in the Sydney Airport as 32 domestic flights ended up being canceled. Not to mention that other flights grappled with delays of up to 90 minutes. However, the international flights in Syndey were left untouched by the false alarm.

The man's identity has not been released. He is scheduled to appear in court later this week.

Related Article: FAA: Unruly Airline Passengers on the Rise; FBI Receives 22 More Cases

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Nine Energy Service, Inc. (NYSE:NINE  Get Free Report) insider David Crombie sold 40,657 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.60, for a total transaction of $187,022.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 209,075 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $961,745. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Nine Energy Service Stock Down 5.2 %

NINE stock traded down $0.24 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $4.39. The companys stock had a trading volume of 703,346 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,153,986. The stock has a market cap of $155.19 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.02 and a beta of 3.41. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $4.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $5.76. Nine Energy Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $2.30 and a 1 year high of $17.10.

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Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nine Energy Service

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State of Wyoming lifted its stake in Nine Energy Service by 45.6% in the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 12,109 shares of the companys stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 3,790 shares during the last quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Nine Energy Service in the second quarter valued at $50,000. Gendell Jeffrey L raised its stake in shares of Nine Energy Service by 46.4% in the second quarter. Gendell Jeffrey L now owns 2,688,270 shares of the companys stock valued at $10,296,000 after buying an additional 851,966 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. lifted its position in shares of Nine Energy Service by 12.6% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 416,981 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,597,000 after buying an additional 46,576 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Nine Energy Service by 104.2% during the 2nd quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 36,059 shares of the companys stock worth $138,000 after acquiring an additional 18,403 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 55.14% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, TheStreet upgraded shares of Nine Energy Service from a d rating to a c- rating in a report on Friday, August 4th.

Get Our Latest Research Report on Nine Energy Service

Nine Energy Service Company Profile

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Nine Energy Service, Inc operates as an onshore completion services provider that targets unconventional oil and gas resource development in North American basins and internationally. It offers cementing services, which consist of blending high-grade cement and water with various solid and liquid additives to create a cement slurry that is pumped between the casing and the wellbore of the well.

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PermRock Royalty Trust (NYSE:PRT  Get Free Report) major shareholder Boaz Energy Ii, Llc sold 3,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $6.23, for a total value of $21,805.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 5,118,034 shares of the companys stock, valued at $31,885,351.82. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Large shareholders that own 10% or more of a companys stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Boaz Energy Ii, Llc also recently made the following trade(s):

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On Friday, August 11th, Boaz Energy Ii, Llc sold 2,500 shares of PermRock Royalty Trust stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.13, for a total value of $15,325.00.

On Wednesday, August 9th, Boaz Energy Ii, Llc sold 1,800 shares of PermRock Royalty Trust stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.13, for a total value of $11,034.00.

On Monday, August 7th, Boaz Energy Ii, Llc sold 1,800 shares of PermRock Royalty Trust stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.27, for a total value of $11,286.00.

On Friday, August 4th, Boaz Energy Ii, Llc sold 1,500 shares of PermRock Royalty Trust stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.22, for a total value of $9,330.00.

On Wednesday, August 2nd, Boaz Energy Ii, Llc sold 2,500 shares of PermRock Royalty Trust stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.10, for a total value of $15,250.00.

On Monday, July 31st, Boaz Energy Ii, Llc sold 2,300 shares of PermRock Royalty Trust stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.31, for a total value of $14,513.00.

On Friday, July 28th, Boaz Energy Ii, Llc sold 4,500 shares of PermRock Royalty Trust stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.36, for a total value of $28,620.00.

On Wednesday, July 26th, Boaz Energy Ii, Llc sold 3,700 shares of PermRock Royalty Trust stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.45, for a total value of $23,865.00.

On Monday, July 24th, Boaz Energy Ii, Llc sold 2,200 shares of PermRock Royalty Trust stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.06, for a total value of $13,332.00.

On Friday, July 21st, Boaz Energy Ii, Llc sold 3,000 shares of PermRock Royalty Trust stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.06, for a total value of $18,180.00.

PermRock Royalty Trust Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE PRT traded down $0.01 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $6.18. 69,274 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 55,897. The companys 50 day moving average price is $5.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $6.16. PermRock Royalty Trust has a 12 month low of $4.10 and a 12 month high of $9.35.

PermRock Royalty Trust Cuts Dividend

PermRock Royalty Trust ( NYSE:PRT Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 15th. The company reported $0.18 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $2.38 million for the quarter. PermRock Royalty Trust had a return on equity of 17.51% and a net margin of 110.55%.

The business also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 31st will be given a dividend of $0.0397 per share. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 28th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PermRock Royalty Trust

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of PRT. Susquehanna International Group LLP bought a new position in PermRock Royalty Trust in the 1st quarter valued at $131,000. Morgan Stanley grew its position in PermRock Royalty Trust by 25.3% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 16,043 shares of the companys stock valued at $124,000 after acquiring an additional 3,239 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in PermRock Royalty Trust in the 3rd quarter valued at $93,000. Finally, UBS Group AG bought a new position in PermRock Royalty Trust in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Institutional investors own 44.66% of the companys stock.

PermRock Royalty Trust Company Profile

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PermRock Royalty Trust owns 80% net profits interest in the oil and natural gas production properties acquired by Boaz Energy II, LLC in Permian Basin, Texas. Its underlying properties comprising 22,997 net acres, which include 2,434 net acres on the Central Basin Platform of the Permian Basin in Hockley and Terry counties, Texas; 1,667 net acres on the Central Basin Platform of the Permian Basin in Terry and Cochran counties, Texas; 14,727 net acres on the Eastern Shelf of the Permian Basin in Glasscock, Schleicher, Stonewall, and Coke counties, Texas; and 4,169 net acres on the Central Basin Platform of the Permian Basin in Ward, Crane, Terry, and Ector counties, Texas.

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Tennant (NYSE:TNC  Get Free Report) insider Richard H. Zay sold 5,559 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.79, for a total transaction of $476,906.61. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 11,095 shares in the company, valued at $951,840.05. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Tennant Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of TNC stock traded down $1.22 on Monday, reaching $83.73. The company had a trading volume of 74,832 shares, compared to its average volume of 82,052. The company has a current ratio of 2.29, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The stock has a market cap of $1.56 billion, a PE ratio of 16.50 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a 50-day moving average of $80.61 and a 200-day moving average of $74.09. Tennant has a 12 month low of $56.04 and a 12 month high of $87.53.

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Tennant (NYSE:TNC  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.16 by $0.70. The company had revenue of $321.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $291.67 million. Tennant had a return on equity of 22.49% and a net margin of 8.04%. Tennants revenue was up 14.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.92 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Tennant will post 5.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Tennant Dividend Announcement

Analysts Set New Price Targets

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.265 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 30th. This represents a $1.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.27%. Tennants payout ratio is 20.87%.

Separately, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Tennant in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a strong-buy rating on the stock.

Read Our Latest Report on TNC

Institutional Trading of Tennant

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. 1832 Asset Management L.P. grew its stake in shares of Tennant by 69.2% during the 2nd quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 379 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Tennant during the 1st quarter worth approximately $41,000. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. grew its stake in shares of Tennant by 181.6% during the 4th quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 780 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 503 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Tennant in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Tennant in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $65,000. 92.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Tennant

(Get Free Report)

Tennant Company, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and markets floor cleaning equipment in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company offers a suite of products, including floor maintenance and cleaning equipment, detergent-free and other sustainable cleaning technologies, aftermarket parts and consumables, equipment maintenance and repair services, and asset management solutions.

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Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL  Get Free Report) Director Maritza Gomez Montiel acquired 1,000 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $103.70 per share, for a total transaction of $103,700.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 13,592 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,409,490.40. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Performance

Royal Caribbean Cruises stock traded up $0.93 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $103.75. 1,693,682 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,686,099. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.28, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a current ratio of 0.20. The stock has a market cap of $26.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -323.97 and a beta of 2.47. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 12-month low of $36.92 and a 12-month high of $112.95. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $100.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $80.29.

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Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.24. The firm had revenue of $3.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.41 billion. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a positive return on equity of 6.76% and a negative net margin of 0.47%. The businesss revenue was up 61.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($2.08) earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 6.22 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $100.00 to $103.00 in a research note on Monday, June 12th. Truist Financial raised their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $72.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 18th. VNET Group reaffirmed a maintains rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Monday, June 12th. Tigress Financial raised their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $80.00 to $102.00 in a report on Friday, May 26th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $65.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Friday, May 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Royal Caribbean Cruises presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $107.08.

Get Our Latest Research Report on Royal Caribbean Cruises

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 17,127 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,777,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 2nd quarter worth $693,000. Huntington National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 5.2% in the second quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 2,177 shares of the companys stock valued at $226,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 1.7% during the second quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 6,756 shares of the companys stock worth $701,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the period. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance raised its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 1.7% during the second quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 7,092 shares of the companys stock worth $736,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.08% of the companys stock.

About Royal Caribbean Cruises

(Get Free Report)

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. operates as a cruise company worldwide. The company operates cruises under the Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises brands, which comprise a range of itineraries. As of February 13, 2023, it operated 64 ships. The company was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Miami, Florida.

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CRH plc (NYSE:CRH  Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 8,260,000 shares, an increase of 41.7% from the July 15th total of 5,830,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,290,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.4 days.

Institutional Trading of CRH

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in CRH by 670.0% during the 1st quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 539 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 469 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in shares of CRH by 68.5% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 487 shares of the construction companys stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the period. Heritage Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of CRH by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Heritage Wealth Management LLC now owns 700 shares of the construction companys stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 350 shares during the period. KB Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CRH during the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of CRH by 53.6% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,029 shares of the construction companys stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 359 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 6.03% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Redburn Partners assumed coverage on shares of CRH in a report on Thursday, June 15th. They set a buy rating and a $6.50 target price on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of CRH from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report on Monday, July 31st.

CRH Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE:CRH traded up $0.07 on Monday, reaching $58.18. 1,517,365 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 960,808. The companys 50 day moving average is $55.51 and its 200-day moving average is $51.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.67. CRH has a 1-year low of $31.22 and a 1-year high of $60.72.

About CRH

(Get Free Report)

CRH plc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and distributes building materials in Ireland and internationally. It operates through three segments: Americas Materials, Europe Materials, and Building Products. The company manufactures and supplies cement, lime, aggregates, precast, ready mixed concrete, and asphalt products; concrete masonry and hardscape products comprising pavers, kerbs, retaining walls, and related patio products; It also offers precast concrete and polymer-based products, such as underground vaults, drainage pipes and structures, utility enclosures, and modular precast structures to the water, energy, communication, transportation, and building structures markets; and construction accessories, such as engineered anchoring, fixing, and connection solutions, as well as lifting systems, formwork accessories, and other accessories used in construction applications.

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Arbiter Partners Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of MGIC Investment Co. (NYSE:MTG  Free Report) by 149.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 167,000 shares of the insurance providers stock after purchasing an additional 100,000 shares during the quarter. MGIC Investment accounts for 2.1% of Arbiter Partners Capital Management LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Arbiter Partners Capital Management LLC owned about 0.06% of MGIC Investment worth $2,241,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in MGIC Investment during the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Belpointe Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in MGIC Investment during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Lakewood Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of MGIC Investment during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of MGIC Investment by 253.8% during the 1st quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,043 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 2,183 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in shares of MGIC Investment by 39.2% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 3,786 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 1,067 shares in the last quarter. 95.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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MGIC Investment Stock Down 1.4 %

NYSE:MTG traded down $0.25 on Tuesday, hitting $17.72. 504,627 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,549,038. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $16.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $14.82. 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 Co. has a 52 week low of $12.13 and a 52 week high of $18.25. The company has a market cap of $5.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.31.

MGIC Investment Increases Dividend

MGIC Investment ( NYSE:MTG Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 2nd. The insurance provider reported $0.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.13. MGIC Investment had a net margin of 67.83% and a return on equity of 17.26%. The firm had revenue of $290.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $292.51 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.81 EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was down .8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that MGIC Investment Co. will post 2.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently declared 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 is a boost from MGIC Investments previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. This represents a $0.46 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.60%. MGIC Investments payout ratio is 17.42%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on MTG. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of MGIC Investment in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating for the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of MGIC Investment from $17.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a report on Friday, August 4th. Finally, Compass Point boosted their price objective on shares of MGIC Investment from $18.00 to $20.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $17.00.

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MGIC Investment Company Profile

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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.

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Avista Co. (NYSE:AVA  Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,360,000 shares, a growth of 6.8% from the July 15th total of 2,210,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 783,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.0 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on AVA. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Avista from $38.00 to $36.00 in a research note on Wednesday, August 9th. StockNews.com raised shares of Avista from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Thursday, August 3rd. Finally, Guggenheim cut their price objective on shares of Avista from $35.00 to $33.00 in a report on Friday, July 7th.

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Avista Trading Down 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE:AVA opened at $35.46 on Tuesday. Avista has a 12-month low of $35.22 and a 12-month high of $45.28. The company has a market capitalization of $2.71 billion, a PE ratio of 18.37, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.49. The business has a 50 day moving average of $38.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $41.02. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08.

Avista (NYSE:AVA  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 2nd. The utilities provider reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.08. Avista had a return on equity of 6.18% and a net margin of 8.38%. The business had revenue of $379.94 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $398.20 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.16 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Avista will post 2.32 EPS for the current year.

Avista Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 17th. Avistas dividend payout ratio is presently 95.34%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP James M. Kensok sold 800 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.63, for a total value of $32,504.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 16,079 shares of the companys stock, valued at $653,289.77. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, VP James M. Kensok sold 800 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.63, for a total value of $32,504.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 16,079 shares in the company, valued at $653,289.77. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP David J. Meyer sold 1,050 shares of Avista stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.90, for a total transaction of $38,745.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 5,727 shares in the company, valued at approximately $211,326.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 50,856 shares of company stock worth $2,101,588. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Avista

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. State of Wisconsin Investment Board lifted its stake in Avista by 9.3% during the 2nd quarter. State of Wisconsin Investment Board now owns 24,251 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $952,000 after acquiring an additional 2,058 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Avista by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 12,115,169 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $475,763,000 after acquiring an additional 66,634 shares in the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC lifted its stake in Avista by 118.9% during the 2nd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 10,516 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $413,000 after acquiring an additional 5,712 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Avista by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 447,089 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $17,557,000 after acquiring an additional 1,118 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westwood Holdings Group Inc. lifted its stake in Avista by 8.6% during the 2nd quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 1,520,246 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $59,700,000 after acquiring an additional 120,971 shares in the last quarter. 89.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Avista

(Get Free Report)

Avista Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an electric and natural gas utility company. It operates in two segments, Avista Utilities and AEL&P. The Avista Utilities segment provides electric distribution and transmission, and natural gas distribution services in parts of eastern Washington and northern Idaho; and natural gas distribution services in parts of northeastern and southwestern Oregon, as well as generates electricity in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and Montana.

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Boliden AB (publ) (OTCMKTS:BDNNY  Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,500 shares, a growth of 25.0% from the July 15th total of 1,200 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 19,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.1 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on BDNNY shares. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Boliden AB (publ) from a market perform rating to an outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 4th. Barclays upgraded shares of Boliden AB (publ) from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, July 10th. Berenberg Bank downgraded Boliden AB (publ) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, May 19th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Boliden AB (publ) from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 21st. Finally, DNB Markets cut shares of Boliden AB (publ) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $368.75.

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Boliden AB (publ) Stock Down 1.6 %

BDNNY opened at $53.52 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $59.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $70.35. Boliden AB has a 1-year low of $52.89 and a 1-year high of $92.60.

Boliden AB (publ) (OTCMKTS:BDNNY  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 20th. The company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $1.75 billion during the quarter.

Boliden AB (publ) Company Profile

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Boliden AB (publ) engages in the exploring, extracting, and processing of base metals and precious metals in Sweden, other Nordic region, Germany, the United Kingdom, the rest of Europe, North America, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Business Area Mines and Business Area Smelters.

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Cannindah Resources Limited (ASX:CAE  Get Free Report) insider Thomas(Tom) Pickett acquired 390,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 3rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of A$0.16 ($0.10) per share, with a total value of A$62,790.00 ($40,772.73).

Cannindah Resources Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2,087.47.

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About Cannindah Resources

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Cannindah Resources Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration, evaluation, and development of various mineral projects in Australia. The company primarily explores for copper and gold deposits. Its flagship project is the Mount Cannindah project located in Queensland. The company was formerly known as Planet Metals Limited and changed its name to Cannindah Resources Limited in December 2014.

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Capstone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI  Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 8,994 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $316,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. purchased a new position in shares of British American Tobacco during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Almanack Investment Partners LLC. acquired a new stake in British American Tobacco in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Motco grew its holdings in British American Tobacco by 1,025.4% in the 4th quarter. Motco now owns 754 shares of the companys stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 687 shares during the period. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of British American Tobacco during the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Ahrens Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of British American Tobacco during the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. 7.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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British American Tobacco Stock Performance

BTI stock opened at $32.34 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $33.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $34.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.58. British American Tobacco p.l.c. has a 12-month low of $31.64 and a 12-month high of $42.36.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of British American Tobacco in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They set a buy rating on the stock.

View Our Latest Stock Report on British American Tobacco

About British American Tobacco

(Free Report)

British American Tobacco p.l.c. engages in the provision of tobacco and nicotine products to consumers worldwide. It offers vapour, tobacco heating, and modern oral nicotine products; combustible cigarettes; and traditional oral products, such as snus and moist snuff. The company offers its products under the Vuse, glo, Velo, Grizzly, Kodiak, Dunhill, Kent, Lucky Strike, Pall Mall, Rothmans, Camel, Natural American Spirit, Newport, Vogue, Viceroy, Kool, Peter Stuyvesant, Craven A, State Express 555 and Shuang Xi brands.

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(Photo : Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)

Ex-NFL star Michael Oher claims that the adoption that inspired the blockbuster film 'The Blind Side,' starring Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, and Quinton Aaron, is "a lie."



Two Nigerian men have been extradited to the United States on charges of orchestrating an international sextortion ring that regrettably led to the suicide of a Michigan teen.

Samuel Ogoshi, 22, and Samson Ogoshi, 20, both of Lagos, Nigeria, are facing charges for their alleged participation in a scheme that used hacked social media accounts to lure victims into explicit conversations and then extorted them with the threat of releasing compromising images and videos, Fox News reported.

Nigerian Men Extradited to US Over Online Sextortion

Another suspect, Ezekial Ejehem Robert, 19, is anticipated to follow suit in extradition. The modus operandi of the alleged sextortion operation was elaborate. The suspects would purchase compromised social media accounts, adopting the personas of young women to entice teenagers and young adult men into engaging in explicit conversations accompanied by compromising visual content.

The crux of the scheme lay in the subsequent threats of exposing these materials unless the victims paid ransoms. Among their victims was 17-year-old Jordan DeMay, who received a chilling message from a username "dani.robertts," stating, "All you've to do is cooperate with me and I won't expose you."

The tragic consequences of this ruthless manipulation were stark as Jordan succumbed to the emotional strain, leading to his suicide. Samuel Ogoshi, accused of sending these messages to DeMay, now faces the charge of causing his death.

If convicted, this charge carries a mandatory sentence of 30 years to life in federal prison. The surge in sextortion cases, driven by the proliferation of artificial intelligence, is a growing concern.

The criminal indictment in May 2023 against the Ogoshi brothers and Robert outlined their alleged crimes, showcasing a disturbing trend that has witnessed a 322% increase in sextortion cases between February 2022 and February 2023, with further spikes reported since April.

Although sextortion isn't new, the pandemic has exacerbated the situation, with the FBI noting a staggering 463% surge in reported cases from 2021 to 2022. The availability of open-source AI tools has emboldened predators, making it easier for them to exploit victims. The indictment was submitted in federal court in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Samuel and Samson Ogoshi are currently present.

They are facing charges of conspiring to sexually exploit minors and distribute child pornography. Samuel carries additional charges related to sexual exploitation resulting in death. While the extradition of the third suspect, Robert, is still pending, the impact of the crimes is already palpable.

Jordan DeMay's father, John DeMay, expressed the devastating loss his family experienced due to these heinous acts, emphasizing the ruthless nature of the crime that took his son's life in the most insidious way possible, according to Mirror.

Read Also: Montana Youths Earn Victory After Judge Rules in Favor of Activists in Landmark Climate Decision

Alarming Rise of Sextortion Cases

Sextortion, according to the FBI, involves coercing victims into providing sexually explicit images, followed by threats to share these materials publicly or with the victim's loved ones. Although financially motivated, the consequences are profoundly personal and deeply traumatic for the victims. Predators, often operating from different countries, use explicit images to manipulate and extort money from their victims or their families.

The age group most targeted by these predators falls between 10 and 17 years old, with males being the predominant victims. While girls are also targeted, the data reflects a higher number of victimized boys. The FBI has labeled financial sextortion as a global crisis, underscoring the urgency of international collaboration in combating this distressing trend.

Devin J. Kowalski, the acting special agent in charge of the FBI in Michigan, conveyed the Bureau's commitment to preventing young men and women from falling victim to this harrowing crime.

The extradition of the accused Nigerian men underscores the importance of addressing this issue at a global level. It highlighting the pressing need for awareness, education, and legislation to protect vulnerable individuals from the reach of these ruthless predators, as per Daily News.

Related Article: Joe Biden's Administration Urges Colleges To Promote Diversity Despite Supreme Court Striking Down Affirmative Action

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Shares of Davide Campari-Milano (OTCMKTS:DVDCF  Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of Hold from the eight brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $11.75.

A number of research analysts have commented on DVDCF shares. Citigroup downgraded Davide Campari-Milano from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, July 12th. Credit Suisse Group lifted their price target on shares of Davide Campari-Milano to 13.00 ($14.13) in a report on Wednesday, July 5th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Davide Campari-Milano to 13.00 ($14.13) in a report on Tuesday, April 18th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Davide Campari-Milano to 13.80 ($15.00) in a research report on Friday, July 7th.

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Davide Campari-Milano Stock Up 0.4 %

About Davide Campari-Milano

DVDCF opened at $13.35 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 2.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Davide Campari-Milano has a 12-month low of $8.55 and a 12-month high of $14.45. The firms fifty day moving average price is $13.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $12.65.

(Get Free Report

Davide Campari-Milano N.V., together with its subsidiaries, markets and distributes alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages in the Americas, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific. It offers a range of spirits categories, including aperitif, vodka, liqueurs, bitters, whisky, tequila, rum, gin, and cognac, as well as champagne and non-alcoholic aperitif under various brands, such as Aperol, Campari, SKYY, Wild Turkey, Grand Marnier, Appleton Estate, Wray & Nephew Overproof, and other brands.

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Deliveroo (OTCMKTS:DROOF  Free Report) had its target price boosted by Morgan Stanley from GBX 135 ($1.71) to GBX 140 ($1.78) in a report released on Friday morning, FlyOnTheWall reports.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. BNP Paribas downgraded Deliveroo from a neutral rating to an underperform rating in a research report on Friday, July 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Deliveroo in a research report on Thursday, June 22nd. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Credit Suisse Group raised their price objective on Deliveroo from GBX 144 ($1.83) to GBX 159 ($2.02) in a research note on Wednesday, April 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Deliveroo from GBX 88 ($1.12) to GBX 104 ($1.32) in a research note on Friday, July 7th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Deliveroo from GBX 105 ($1.33) to GBX 110 ($1.40) in a research note on Friday, April 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $137.75.

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Deliveroo Stock Performance

Deliveroo Company Profile

Shares of OTCMKTS:DROOF opened at $1.56 on Friday. Deliveroo has a 52-week low of $0.84 and a 52-week high of $1.60. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $1.42 and a 200 day moving average of $1.26.

(Get Free Report)

Deliveroo plc operates an online food delivery platform. It connects local consumers, riders and restaurants, and grocery partners. The company operates in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Italy, Belgium, Hong Kong, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar. Deliveroo plc was founded in 2013 and is based in London, the United Kingdom.

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Obermeyer Wood Investment Counsel Lllp grew its holdings in FedEx Co. (NYSE:FDX  Free Report) by 3.7% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,427 shares of the shipping service providers stock after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the quarter. Obermeyer Wood Investment Counsel Lllps holdings in FedEx were worth $326,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in FDX. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of FedEx during the first quarter worth about $26,000. GW&K Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of FedEx in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Horan Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of FedEx by 85.7% in the first quarter. Horan Securities Inc. now owns 130 shares of the shipping service providers stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its position in shares of FedEx by 1,957.1% during the first quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 144 shares of the shipping service providers stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Core Alternative Capital raised its stake in FedEx by 105.6% in the 1st quarter. Core Alternative Capital now owns 146 shares of the shipping service providers stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.39% of the companys stock.

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FedEx Stock Up 0.5 %

FedEx stock opened at $267.03 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $250.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $229.39. The company has a market capitalization of $67.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.23, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.37. FedEx Co. has a fifty-two week low of $141.92 and a fifty-two week high of $270.95.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FedEx ( NYSE:FDX Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 20th. The shipping service provider reported $4.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $4.85 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $21.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $22.55 billion. FedEx had a return on equity of 15.32% and a net margin of 4.41%. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $6.87 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that FedEx Co. will post 17.3 earnings per share for the current year.

FDX has been the topic of several recent research reports. Credit Suisse Group lowered their target price on shares of FedEx from $273.00 to $265.00 in a research note on Wednesday, June 21st. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of FedEx from $260.00 to $272.00 in a research note on Wednesday, June 21st. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on FedEx from $282.00 to $275.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 21st. Raymond James reduced their price target on shares of FedEx from $285.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Friday, June 16th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on FedEx from $261.00 to $284.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 21st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $246.14.

Read Our Latest Report on FDX

Insider Buying and Selling

In other FedEx news, VP Jennifer L. Johnson sold 10,801 shares of FedEx stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.61, for a total value of $2,577,226.61. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,196 shares in the company, valued at $762,597.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, EVP Michael C. Lenz sold 5,745 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.88, for a total transaction of $1,504,500.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,478 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,886,538.64. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Jennifer L. Johnson sold 10,801 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.61, for a total transaction of $2,577,226.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,196 shares in the company, valued at $762,597.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 35,816 shares of company stock worth $8,822,147 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 8.73% of the companys stock.

FedEx Company Profile

(Free Report)

FedEx Corporation provides transportation, e-commerce, and business services in the United States and internationally. It operates through FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, FedEx Freight, and FedEx Services segments. The FedEx Express segment offers express transportation, small-package ground delivery, and freight transportation services; and time-critical transportation services.

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Shares of First Quantum Minerals Ltd. (TSE:FM  Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of Hold from the nine analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have assigned a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is C$34.39.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of First Quantum Minerals from C$29.00 to C$28.00 in a research report on Friday, July 14th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of First Quantum Minerals from C$32.00 to C$42.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 18th. National Bankshares raised shares of First Quantum Minerals from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating and increased their target price for the stock from C$38.00 to C$39.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 27th. CIBC increased their target price on shares of First Quantum Minerals from C$29.00 to C$34.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 26th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of First Quantum Minerals from C$40.00 to C$39.00 in a research note on Monday, July 10th.

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View Our Latest Report on FM

First Quantum Minerals Price Performance

First Quantum Minerals Cuts Dividend

Shares of TSE FM opened at C$35.75 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of C$33.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of C$31.47. The stock has a market capitalization of C$24.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -1.28 and a beta of 2.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 65.56. First Quantum Minerals has a 52 week low of C$20.11 and a 52 week high of C$39.13.

The business also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 25th. First Quantum Mineralss dividend payout ratio is presently 28.00%.

About First Quantum Minerals

(Get Free Report

First Quantum Minerals Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration, development, and production of mineral properties. It primarily explores for copper, nickel, pyrite, silver, gold, and zinc ores, as well as produces acid. The company has operating mines located in Zambia, Panama, Finland, Turkey, Spain, Australia, and Mauritania, as well as a development project in Zambia.

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Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:H  Free Report) had its price target hoisted by Sanford C. Bernstein from $136.00 to $147.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday, MarketBeat reports. Sanford C. Bernstein currently has an outperform rating on the stock.

H has been the topic of several other reports. Citigroup reissued a neutral rating and set a $122.00 target price on shares of Hyatt Hotels in a research note on Friday, June 30th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Hyatt Hotels in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating on the stock. 22nd Century Group reaffirmed a reiterates rating on shares of Hyatt Hotels in a research report on Friday, June 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Hyatt Hotels from $113.00 to $127.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Friday, July 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Hyatt Hotels from $113.00 to $121.00 in a report on Friday, May 5th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $124.60.

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Check Out Our Latest Analysis on H

Hyatt Hotels Stock Down 0.1 %

H opened at $117.15 on Monday. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $116.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $113.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. Hyatt Hotels has a 12 month low of $77.70 and a 12 month high of $127.80. The company has a market cap of $12.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.57, a P/E/G ratio of 21.44 and a beta of 1.37.

Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:H  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 3rd. The company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.83 by ($0.01). Hyatt Hotels had a net margin of 6.88% and a return on equity of 13.30%. The company had revenue of $1.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.65 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.46 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Hyatt Hotels will post 2.53 EPS for the current year.

Hyatt Hotels Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 8th. Investors of record on Friday, August 25th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 24th. Hyatt Hotelss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.63%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hyatt Hotels

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. First Manhattan CO. LLC. purchased a new stake in Hyatt Hotels during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Hyatt Hotels during the first quarter valued at $26,000. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Hyatt Hotels by 80.4% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 276 shares of the companys stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd purchased a new position in Hyatt Hotels in the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Money Concepts Capital Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Hyatt Hotels by 335.2% during the 4th quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 383 shares of the companys stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 295 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 46.57% of the companys stock.

Hyatt Hotels Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Hyatt Hotels Corporation operates as a hospitality company in the United States and internationally. It operates through Owned and Leased Hotels, Americas Management and Franchising, ASPAC Management and Franchising, EAME/SW Asia Management and Franchising, and Apple Leisure Group segments. The company manages, franchises, licenses, owns, and leases portfolio of properties, consisting of full-service hotels and resorts, select service hotels, resorts, and other properties, including timeshare, fractional, residential, vacation, and condominium units.

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Kadant Inc. (NYSE:KAI  Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 516,600 shares, a growth of 25.3% from the July 15th total of 412,300 shares. Approximately 4.5% of the companys shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 52,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 9.9 days.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Fredrik H. Westerhout sold 480 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.00, for a total transaction of $103,200.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,387 shares of the companys stock, valued at $298,205. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.40% of the companys stock.

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Institutional Trading of Kadant

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of KAI. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Kadant by 0.6% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 58,089 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $11,281,000 after buying an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kadant by 55.3% in the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 6,200 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $1,204,000 after acquiring an additional 2,209 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A. boosted its stake in shares of Kadant by 11.3% in the first quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 1,719 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $333,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in shares of Kadant by 4.6% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 51,084 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $9,920,000 after acquiring an additional 2,247 shares during the period. Finally, Aviva PLC bought a new position in shares of Kadant in the first quarter worth about $1,483,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.07% of the companys stock.

Kadant Trading Up 2.3 %

Shares of NYSE:KAI opened at $218.38 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $2.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.94 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 1.22. Kadant has a 1 year low of $154.19 and a 1 year high of $229.90. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $215.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $205.73.

Kadant (NYSE:KAI  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $2.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.42. The firm had revenue of $245.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $231.14 million. Kadant had a return on equity of 16.98% and a net margin of 11.96%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.24 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Kadant will post 9.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Kadant Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 13th were given a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 12th. Kadants dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on KAI shares. Barrington Research restated an outperform rating and set a $243.00 price target on shares of Kadant in a research report on Friday, July 28th. StockNews.com began coverage on Kadant in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Seaport Res Ptn reissued a neutral rating on shares of Kadant in a report on Monday, May 8th. Finally, William Blair reissued an outperform rating on shares of Kadant in a report on Friday, July 7th.

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About Kadant

(Get Free Report)

Kadant Inc supplies technologies and engineered systems worldwide. It operates through three segments: Flow Control, Industrial Processing, and Material Handling. The Flow Control segment develops, manufactures, and markets fluid-handling systems and equipment, such as rotary joints, syphons, turbulator bars, expansion joints, and engineered steam and condensate systems; and doctoring, cleaning, and filtration systems and related consumables, consisting of doctor systems and holders, doctor blades, shower and fabric-conditioning systems, formation systems, and water-filtration systems.

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Keeley Teton Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated (NYSE:RGA  Free Report) by 0.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,777 shares of the insurance providers stock after selling 174 shares during the period. Keeley Teton Advisors LLCs holdings in Reinsurance Group of America were worth $2,758,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Reinsurance Group of America during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Reinsurance Group of America in the first quarter worth about $36,000. AllSquare Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Reinsurance Group of America during the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in Reinsurance Group of America by 33.9% during the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 300 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in Reinsurance Group of America by 47.8% in the 1st quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 368 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the period. 93.60% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Reinsurance Group of America Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of Reinsurance Group of America stock opened at $140.08 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $141.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $141.52. Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated has a 52-week low of $120.29 and a 52-week high of $153.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.27 billion, a PE ratio of 10.02 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.14 and a current ratio of 0.14.

Reinsurance Group of America Increases Dividend

Reinsurance Group of America ( NYSE:RGA Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 4th. The insurance provider reported $4.40 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $4.12 by $0.28. Reinsurance Group of America had a net margin of 5.61% and a return on equity of 20.35%. The firm had revenue of $4.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.30 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $5.78 earnings per share. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated will post 17.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 15th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 14th. This is a positive change from Reinsurance Group of Americas previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.43%. Reinsurance Group of Americas payout ratio is currently 22.89%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on RGA shares. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Reinsurance Group of America from a buy rating to a hold rating and decreased their target price for the company from $170.00 to $160.00 in a report on Friday, June 23rd. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Reinsurance Group of America from $170.00 to $162.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 9th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Reinsurance Group of America in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating for the company. 58.com reaffirmed a maintains rating on shares of Reinsurance Group of America in a research report on Wednesday, May 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Reinsurance Group of America from $170.00 to $164.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 20th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $162.45.

Get Our Latest Analysis on Reinsurance Group of America

Insider Transactions at Reinsurance Group of America

In related news, EVP William L. Hutton sold 1,952 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.03, for a total transaction of $292,858.56. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,970 shares in the company, valued at $2,095,919.10. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.55% of the companys stock.

Reinsurance Group of America Profile

(Free Report)

Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated engages in reinsurance business. The company offers individual and group life and health insurance products, such as term life, credit life, universal life, whole life, group life and health, joint and last survivor insurance, critical illness, disability, and longevity products; asset-intensive and financial reinsurance products; and other capital motivated solutions.

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Obermeyer Wood Investment Counsel Lllp trimmed its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Free Report) by 6.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 814 shares of the companys stock after selling 56 shares during the quarter. Obermeyer Wood Investment Counsel Lllps holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $280,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. grew its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 82,966 shares of the companys stock valued at $28,449,000 after purchasing an additional 3,768 shares during the last quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. grew its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 28.1% during the 4th quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 3,093 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,132,000 after purchasing an additional 679 shares during the last quarter. Cannell & Co. grew its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Cannell & Co. now owns 2,000 shares of the companys stock valued at $732,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Patten & Patten Inc. TN grew its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 44.2% during the 1st quarter. Patten & Patten Inc. TN now owns 17,177 shares of the companys stock valued at $5,899,000 after purchasing an additional 5,266 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd bought a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the 1st quarter worth about $859,000. 87.25% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on LLY shares. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an overweight rating and issued a $550.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Wednesday, August 9th. Credit Suisse Group upped their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $490.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 9th. 22nd Century Group reissued a maintains rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Tuesday, June 27th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $360.00 to $525.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 26th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $565.00 to $633.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Eli Lilly and Company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $517.00.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

Shares of LLY opened at $537.99 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The stock has a market cap of $510.71 billion, a PE ratio of 74.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.35. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $460.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $400.61. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1-year low of $296.32 and a 1-year high of $542.30.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 8th. The company reported $2.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $8.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $7.58 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 22.01% and a return on equity of 65.00%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 28.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.25 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 9.85 EPS for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 14th. Eli Lilly and Companys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.87%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Eli Lilly and Company news, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 3,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $528.13, for a total transaction of $1,584,390.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 100,696,849 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,181,026,862.37. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Patrik Jonsson sold 6,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 36,941 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,864,681.86. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 3,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $528.13, for a total transaction of $1,584,390.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 100,696,849 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $53,181,026,862.37. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 754,417 shares of company stock worth $357,553,862 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the companys stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Profile

(Free Report)

Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. It offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; and Jardiance, Trajenta, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes.

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StockNews.com lowered shares of Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY  Free Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report released on Friday morning.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Occidental Petroleum from $61.00 to $62.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 13th. Raymond James reduced their price target on Occidental Petroleum from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a strong-buy rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 24th. Stephens cut their price objective on Occidental Petroleum from $72.00 to $69.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 18th. Susquehanna cut their price objective on Occidental Petroleum from $75.00 to $72.00 and set a positive rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 21st. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on Occidental Petroleum in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. They issued a neutral rating and a $68.00 price objective for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $69.56.

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Read Our Latest Analysis on OXY

Occidental Petroleum Stock Performance

NYSE OXY opened at $65.11 on Friday. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $60.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $60.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.05, a P/E/G ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.73. Occidental Petroleum has a 1-year low of $55.51 and a 1-year high of $77.13.

Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 2nd. The oil and gas producer reported $0.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.70 by ($0.02). Occidental Petroleum had a net margin of 21.36% and a return on equity of 31.59%. The company had revenue of $6.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.92 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.16 EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 37.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Occidental Petroleum will post 3.78 EPS for the current year.

Occidental Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 7th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.11%. Occidental Petroleums dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.22%.

Insider Transactions at Occidental Petroleum

In related news, major shareholder Berkshire Hathaway Inc purchased 956,750 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 25th. The stock was bought at an average price of $58.75 per share, for a total transaction of $56,209,062.50. Following the purchase, the insider now owns 218,286,883 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,824,354,376.25. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In the last quarter, insiders purchased 4,673,593 shares of company stock worth $271,964,864. 0.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Occidental Petroleum

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in OXY. Steward Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Occidental Petroleum in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC raised its holdings in Occidental Petroleum by 5,000.0% in the 1st quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 510 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC acquired a new position in Occidental Petroleum in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC acquired a new position in Occidental Petroleum in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Occidental Petroleum in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 78.31% of the companys stock.

About Occidental Petroleum

(Get 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.

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Osirium Technologies PLC (LON:OSI  Get Free Report)s share price was up 10.3% on Monday . The stock traded as high as GBX 1.69 ($0.02) and last traded at GBX 1.60 ($0.02). Approximately 1,039,755 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 7% from the average daily volume of 974,056 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 1.45 ($0.02).

Osirium Technologies Trading Up 10.3 %

The firm has a market capitalization of 1.96 million, a PE ratio of -32.00 and a beta of -0.06. The firms fifty day moving average is GBX 1.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is GBX 1.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1,173.52, a current ratio of 0.59 and a quick ratio of 0.54.

About Osirium Technologies

(Get Free Report)

Osirium Technologies PLC develops and sells cyber security software products in the United Kingdom. The company's products include Privileged Access Security, a solution that controls and protects access to customers' shared applications, services, and devices; and Privileged Access Management, a solution to minimize the risk of security breaches by controlling, securing, and auditing the vital assets in privileged accounts.

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China opposes countries with diplomatic ties having official interaction with Taiwan

Xinhua) 13:20, August 15, 2023

BEIJING, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- China firmly opposes all forms of official interaction between the Taiwan authorities and countries having diplomatic ties with China, foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Monday.

Wang made the remarks when asked to comment on the visit last week to Taiwan by three lawmakers from the Baltic States, one each from Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia.

Wang stressed that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory.

"We urge relevant parties to abide by the one-China principle, refrain from sending wrong signals to the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces and take concrete actions to safeguard the sound and steady development of bilateral relations," Wang said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
(Photo : Photo by ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinese Defense Minister General Li Shangfu launched a visit to Russia and Belarus as Beijing and Moscow enhanced their military relations despite Western criticism.



Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu embarks on a six-day visit to Russia and Belarus, highlighting the increased alignment of foreign policies between these three nations.

This strategic move comes at a crucial juncture, as the West seeks to isolate Russia following its controversial invasion of Ukraine, as per ABC News.

Chinese Defense Minister Strengthens Ties with Russia and Belarus

Li's trip not only aims to extend a hand of support to these nations but also symbolizes a concerted effort to challenge the Western-led liberal-democratic world order. Li's itinerary includes delivering a pivotal address at the Moscow Conference on International Security and engaging in meetings with defense leaders from Russia and other countries.

The conference, attended by representatives from approximately 100 nations and eight international organizations, focuses on security considerations within the framework of a multipolar world order. It aims to restore constructive international cooperation in response to what the Russian Foreign Ministry describes as aggressive claims by Euro-Atlantic elites for world domination.

The alliance between China and Russia gains further momentum through Li's presence at the conference. The two nations share the goal of undermining the traditional Western-dominated order, despite the potential economic and reputational costs.

This strategic alignment has been manifest in various diplomatic initiatives and joint statements, such as the declaration of a no-limits friendship between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

China's support extends beyond Russia to its close ally, Belarus, which played a role in facilitating the invasion. Li's itinerary includes meetings with key Belarussian state and military leaders, as well as visits to military installations.

This visit serves to solidify ties with Belarus and reaffirm China's commitment to its strategic partnerships. China's official stance on the Ukraine conflict is one of neutrality, although it has consistently accused the United States and its allies of provoking Russia.

Beijing has maintained robust economic, diplomatic, and trade relations with Moscow, reflecting a shared objective of counterbalancing Western influence. China has also exhibited steadfast support for Russia in international forums, notably opposing US condemnation of the Ukraine invasion, Al Jazeera Via MSN reported.

Read Also: Nordstrom Robbery: Mob-Style Stealing at California Store Caught on Cam

China-Russia Ties

However, China maintains a policy of not providing military assistance to either side in the conflict. The timing and intent of Li's visit underscore the evolving dynamics of global power politics.

China and Russia's pursuit of strategic cooperation challenges the traditional order and introduces the concept of a multipolar world, in which Western dominance is challenged by emerging alliances and partnerships.

This shift has far-reaching implications for global governance, trade, and security. As the West grapples with internal divisions and questions of leadership, China and Russia's collaboration could shape the course of international relations for years to come.

Their concerted efforts to challenge the established norms and mechanisms signal the emergence of an alternative narrative in global affairs. The alignment of China and Russia's foreign policies challenges the Western-dominated narrative and introduces a multipolar perspective that seeks to rebalance the global power structure.

As the conference unfolds and discussions around security and international cooperation take center stage, the impact of these strategic collaborations on the global stage will undoubtedly continue to unfold in the years ahead, according to VOA News.

Related Article: Kim Jong Un Orders North Korea Mass Missile Production Ahead of US-South Korea Joint Military Drills

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Shares of Shell plc (LON:SHEL  Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of Buy from the nine brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is GBX 2,958.45 ($37.53).

Several brokerages have commented on SHEL. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Shell from GBX 2,907 ($36.88) to GBX 3,268 ($41.46) and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Monday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Shell from GBX 2,950 ($37.42) to GBX 2,750 ($34.89) in a research note on Wednesday, July 19th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Shell from GBX 2,800 ($35.52) to GBX 2,700 ($34.25) in a research note on Friday, July 28th. HSBC raised their price objective on shares of Shell from GBX 2,570 ($32.60) to GBX 2,670 ($33.87) in a research note on Wednesday, August 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a buy rating and set a GBX 3,000 ($38.06) price objective on shares of Shell in a research note on Wednesday, May 17th.

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Shell Stock Performance

Shell Increases Dividend

Shares of LON SHEL opened at GBX 2,383 ($30.23) on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 43.92. The firms 50-day moving average price is GBX 2,344.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is GBX 2,388.80. Shell has a 52-week low of GBX 2,149.45 ($27.27) and a 52-week high of GBX 2,613.50 ($33.15). The stock has a market capitalization of 159.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 501.78, a P/E/G ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 0.67.

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 1.07%. This is an increase from Shells previous dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 10th. Shells payout ratio is 2,180.29%.

Shell Company Profile

(Get Free Report

Shell plc operates as an energy and petrochemical company Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa, the United States, and Rest of the Americas. The company operates through Integrated Gas, Upstream, Marketing, Chemicals and Products, and Renewables and Energy Solutions segments. It explores for and extracts crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids; markets and transports oil and gas; produces gas-to-liquids fuels and other products; and operates upstream and midstream infrastructure necessary to deliver gas to market.

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Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX  Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest during the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,230,000 shares, a growth of 6.6% from the July 15th total of 3,030,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 893,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.6 days. Approximately 2.9% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 8.7% during the 1st quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 6,921 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $947,000 after acquiring an additional 556 shares in the last quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 97.5% during the 1st quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,878 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $1,078,000 after acquiring an additional 3,889 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS raised its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 15,923 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $2,179,000 after acquiring an additional 525 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 21.9% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 191,048 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $26,165,000 after acquiring an additional 34,364 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aviva PLC raised its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 22.1% during the 1st quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 68,068 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $9,316,000 after acquiring an additional 12,298 shares in the last quarter. 87.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Quest Diagnostics Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE DGX opened at $135.16 on Tuesday. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $138.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $138.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Quest Diagnostics has a 52 week low of $120.40 and a 52 week high of $158.34. The company has a market capitalization of $15.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.67 and a beta of 0.95.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

Quest Diagnostics ( NYSE:DGX Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 26th. The medical research company reported $2.30 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.23 by $0.07. Quest Diagnostics had a return on equity of 16.32% and a net margin of 8.37%. The company had revenue of $2.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.25 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.36 EPS. The firms revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Quest Diagnostics will post 8.7 earnings per share for the current year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, October 6th will be issued a $0.71 dividend. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.10%. Quest Diagnosticss dividend payout ratio is presently 41.34%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on DGX shares. Bank of America cut Quest Diagnostics from a buy rating to a neutral rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $166.00 to $148.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley reissued an equal weight rating and issued a $145.00 target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Thursday, August 3rd. StockNews.com started coverage on Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Finally, Piper Sandler started coverage on Quest Diagnostics in a research report on Thursday, June 29th. They issued a neutral rating on the stock. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $149.90.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on DGX

Quest Diagnostics Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated provides diagnostic testing, information, and services in the United States and internationally. The company develops and delivers diagnostic information services, such as routine testing, non-routine and advanced clinical testing, anatomic pathology testing, and other diagnostic information services.

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Wilmar International Limited (OTCMKTS:WLMIY  Get Free Report) saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 17,500 shares, a decline of 19.7% from the July 15th total of 21,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 5,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.1 days.

Wilmar International Stock Down 1.8 %

WLMIY opened at $27.38 on Tuesday. Wilmar International has a 12 month low of $24.13 and a 12 month high of $32.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The company has a 50 day moving average of $28.66 and a 200 day moving average of $29.57.

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Wilmar International Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.3945 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 22nd.

Wilmar International Company Profile

Wilmar International Limited operates as an agribusiness company in Singapore, South East Asia, the People's Republic of China, India, Europe, Australia/New Zealand, Africa, and internationally. The company operates through four segments: Food Products, Feed and Industrial Products, Plantation and Sugar Milling, and Others.

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Skeena Resources Limited (TSE:SKE  Get Free Report) traded down 3.5% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as C$6.31 and last traded at C$6.39. 85,383 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 44% from the average session volume of 152,914 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$6.62.

Skeena Resources Price Performance

The firms 50-day moving average is C$6.55 and its 200-day moving average is C$7.46. The company has a market cap of C$563.34 million, a PE ratio of -5.61 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 1.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77.

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Skeena Resources (TSE:SKE  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 11th. The company reported C($0.22) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of C($0.12) by C($0.10). On average, equities analysts anticipate that Skeena Resources Limited will post -0.4862973 EPS for the current year.

Skeena Resources Company Profile

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.

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Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR  Get Free Report) saw a large decrease in short interest during the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 293,700 shares, a decrease of 21.6% from the July 15th total of 374,800 shares. Approximately 1.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 101,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.9 days.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Christopher John Killoy sold 10,105 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.02, for a total transaction of $535,767.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 50,827 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,694,847.54. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.30% of the companys stock.

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Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at $55,000. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $568,000. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 5,102 shares of the companys stock valued at $258,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares in the last quarter. Juncture Wealth Strategies LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 47.1% during the 1st quarter. Juncture Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 6,900 shares of the companys stock valued at $396,000 after purchasing an additional 2,210 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $251,000. Institutional investors own 64.94% of the companys stock.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE:RGR opened at $53.94 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $955.82 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.16 and a beta of 0.51. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $49.50 and a 1 year high of $63.21. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $53.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $54.97.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 2nd. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.11. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. had a return on equity of 19.81% and a net margin of 11.69%. The company had revenue of $142.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $137.91 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.17 EPS. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 15th will be given a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.67%. This is an increase from Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 14th. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.s payout ratio is currently 33.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating for the company.

Read Our Latest Research Report on RGR

About Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.

(Get Free Report)

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and sells firearms under the Ruger name and trademark in the United States. It operates through two segments, Firearms and Castings. The company provides single-shot, autoloading, bolt-action, and sporting rifles; rimfire and centerfire autoloading pistols; single-action and double-action revolvers; and firearms accessories and replacement parts, as well as manufactures lever-action rifles under the Marlin name and trademark.

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Summit Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF (BATS:VLUE  Free Report) by 17,500.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,920,831 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 6,881,510 shares during the quarter. iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF accounts for about 1.8% of Summit Wealth Group LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Summit Wealth Group LLC owned about 9.12% of iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF worth $75,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF during the first quarter worth about $25,000. North Star Investment Management Corp. acquired a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF during the first quarter worth about $32,000. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $55,000.

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iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF Stock Performance

iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF stock traded up $0.17 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $95.42. The stock had a trading volume of 187,595 shares. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $94.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $93.00. iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF has a 1-year low of $71.21 and a 1-year high of $89.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.51 and a beta of 1.04.

iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF Profile

The iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF (VLUE) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI USA Enhanced Value index. The fund tracks an index of large- and mid-cap US equities. Stocks are selected and weighted using fundamental metrics (earnings, revenue, book value and cash earnings), aiming for exposure to undervalued stocks in each sector.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding VLUE? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF (BATS:VLUE  Free Report).

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Thomson Reuters Co. (NYSE:TRI  Get Free Report) (TSE:TRI) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, August 2nd, Zacks reports. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 17th will be given a dividend of 0.49 per share by the business services provider on Friday, September 15th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 16th. This is a positive change from Thomson Reuterss previous quarterly dividend of $0.36.

Thomson Reuters has raised its dividend by an average of 7.3% annually over the last three years. Thomson Reuters has a dividend payout ratio of 54.3% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Thomson Reuters to earn $3.66 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.03 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 55.5%.

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Thomson Reuters Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of TRI opened at $133.06 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.42 billion, a PE ratio of 28.62, a P/E/G ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 0.57. The companys fifty day moving average is $131.22 and its 200 day moving average is $127.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 0.90. Thomson Reuters has a fifty-two week low of $97.59 and a fifty-two week high of $138.85.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Thomson Reuters ( NYSE:TRI Get Free Report ) (TSE:TRI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 2nd. The business services provider reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.66 billion. Thomson Reuters had a net margin of 32.12% and a return on equity of 11.91%. Sell-side analysts expect that Thomson Reuters will post 3.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays raised their price target on Thomson Reuters from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Thursday, August 3rd. Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of Thomson Reuters from $138.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research report on Thursday, August 3rd. 51job reaffirmed a downgrade rating on shares of Thomson Reuters in a report on Wednesday, May 3rd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Thomson Reuters from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Thursday, August 3rd. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Thomson Reuters from an underperform rating to a neutral rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $100.00 to $115.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given 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 a consensus price target of $148.62.

Check Out Our Latest Report on TRI

Institutional Trading of Thomson Reuters

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. American Trust purchased a new position in shares of Thomson Reuters during the 4th quarter worth $251,000. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its stake in Thomson Reuters by 21.5% in the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,395 shares of the business services providers stock worth $250,000 after buying an additional 424 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV acquired a new position in shares of Thomson Reuters during the 1st quarter valued at about $232,000. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Thomson Reuters during the 1st quarter worth about $215,000. Finally, Pathstone Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Thomson Reuters in the third quarter worth approximately $212,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 17.04% of the companys stock.

Thomson Reuters Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Thomson Reuters Corporation engages in the provision of business information services in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It operates in five segments: Legal Professionals, Corporates, Tax & Accounting Professionals, Reuters News, and Global Print. The Legal Professionals segment offers research and workflow products focusing on legal research and integrated legal workflow solutions that combine content, tools, and analytics to law firms and governments.

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StockNews.com cut shares of Viad (NYSE:VVI  Free Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note published on Saturday.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on VVI. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Viad from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, August 10th. Craig Hallum assumed coverage on Viad in a research note on Wednesday, June 28th. They set a buy rating and a $40.00 price target on the stock.

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Viad Stock Performance

VVI opened at $28.39 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $592.78 million, a PE ratio of 118.29, a P/E/G ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 1.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.60. Viad has a 1 year low of $17.09 and a 1 year high of $44.25. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $26.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.16.

Viad (NYSE:VVI  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 3rd. The business services provider reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.04. Viad had a return on equity of 2.70% and a net margin of 1.68%. The firm had revenue of $320.31 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $302.28 million. Sell-side analysts forecast that Viad will post 0.42 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Viad

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. State of Wyoming increased its holdings in Viad by 68.8% in the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 15,861 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $426,000 after purchasing an additional 6,467 shares during the last quarter. Aristotle Capital Boston LLC increased its holdings in Viad by 2.5% in the second quarter. Aristotle Capital Boston LLC now owns 708,996 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $19,058,000 after purchasing an additional 17,229 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Viad by 195.1% in the second quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 176,657 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $4,749,000 after purchasing an additional 116,800 shares during the last quarter. Prelude Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Viad by 11.2% in the second quarter. Prelude Capital Management LLC now owns 117,864 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $3,168,000 after purchasing an additional 11,858 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Credit Suisse AG increased its holdings in Viad by 34.2% in the second quarter. Credit Suisse AG now owns 23,116 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $621,000 after purchasing an additional 5,894 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.95% of the companys stock.

Viad Company Profile

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Viad Corp operates as an experiential leisure travel, and live events and marketing services company in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Netherlands, and Iceland. It operates through Pursuit, Spiro, and GES Exhibitions segments. The Pursuit segment offers vertically integrated attractions and hospitality in destinations with a collection of attractions, lodges, and sightseeing tours.

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Wade G W & Inc. decreased its position in shares of iShares Russell 2000 ETF (NYSEARCA:IWM  Free Report) by 1.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 16,534 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 172 shares during the quarter. Wade G W & Inc.s holdings in iShares Russell 2000 ETF were worth $2,950,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. grew its stake in shares of iShares Russell 2000 ETF by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 4,917 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $877,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the period. Miller Investment Management LP bought a new position in shares of iShares Russell 2000 ETF during the 4th quarter worth $16,055,000. Capital Analysts LLC grew its stake in shares of iShares Russell 2000 ETF by 88.7% during the 4th quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 402 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares during the period. Financial Insights Inc. grew its stake in shares of iShares Russell 2000 ETF by 10.6% during the 1st quarter. Financial Insights Inc. now owns 2,229 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $398,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares during the period. Finally, USAdvisors Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in iShares Russell 2000 ETF by 35.1% during the 4th quarter. USAdvisors Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,935 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $2,430,000 after purchasing an additional 3,621 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.87% of the companys stock.

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iShares Russell 2000 ETF Price Performance

Shares of IWM opened at $190.68 on Tuesday. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $189.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $183.55. iShares Russell 2000 ETF has a 52-week low of $162.50 and a 52-week high of $201.99.

iShares Russell 2000 ETF Profile

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.

Further Reading

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).

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Wake Forest Bancshares, Inc. (OTCMKTS:WAKE  Get Free Report)s share price rose 0.5% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $32.70 and last traded at $32.65. Approximately 299 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 71% from the average daily volume of 1,022 shares. The stock had previously closed at $32.50.

Wake Forest Bancshares Price Performance

The stocks fifty day moving average is $27.48 and its 200-day moving average is $21.17.

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Wake Forest Bancshares (OTCMKTS:WAKE  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 18th. The company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter.

Wake Forest Bancshares Increases Dividend

Wake Forest Bancshares Company Profile

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 7th were paid a dividend of $0.11 per share. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.35%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 6th. This is a positive change from Wake Forest Bancsharess previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. Wake Forest Bancsharess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.38%.

(Get Free Report)

Wake Forest Bancshares, Inc, (OTC: WAKE) parent company of Wake Forest Federal Savings and Loan Association. Based in Wake Forest, North Carolina since 1922, the Company conducts business as Wake Forest Federal from its office in Wake Forest, (Wake County), North Carolina. Wake Forest Bancshares, Inc operates as a subsidiary of Wake Forest Bancorp, M.H.C.

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(Photo : Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

A Texas woman sentenced to 30 years in jail for helping dismember and disposing of US Army soldier Vanessa Guillen in 2020.



A significant chapter in the tragic saga of Vanessa Guillen, a soldier stationed at Fort Hood, now known as Fort Cavazos, has reached its conclusion with the sentencing of Cecily Aguilar.

Aguilar, a woman from Texas, was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Monday for her role in trying to cover up the death of Specialist Vanessa Guillen, whose murder in 2020 drew attention to sexual assault in the military and resulted in significant changes to federal law, according to The New York Times.

Texas Woman Sentenced in Vanessa Guillen Case

Cecily Aguilar stood as the sole person charged in connection with the death of Vanessa Guillen. Aguilar had previously pleaded guilty in November to one count of accessory to murder after the fact and three counts of making false statements at a federal court in Waco, Texas.

Her sentencing hearing, held on Monday, marked the culmination of a case that had garnered nationwide attention. Vanessa Guillen, a 20-year-old Specialist, disappeared on April 22, 2020, at Fort Hood, the third-largest US Army base.

Before her disappearance, she confided in friends about instances of sexual harassment she had experienced, although she had not lodged any formal complaints. In a tragic turn of events, her dismembered and burned remains were discovered on June 30, 2020. Vanessa Guillen's family alleged that she had been sexually accosted prior to her death, sparking outrage and activism.

This revelation led to calls for systemic reforms in how the military addresses reports of sexual harassment and assault. In response to the mounting concerns, the Army undertook an investigation that resulted in disciplinary actions against more than a dozen officials at Fort Hood.

Additionally, a federal law named after Vanessa Guillen came into effect on January 1, 2022, stipulating that sexual harassment complaints involving service members must be directed to an independent investigator, as per CBS News.

Read Also: Horrifying Explosion in Pennslyvania Destroys Several Houses, Leaves 5 Dead

Military Sexual Assault Cases

Furthermore, decisions to prosecute sexual harassment and assault cases would no longer rest with service member commanders, aiming to provide protection against potential retaliation. Army Specialist Aaron Robinson, the primary suspect in the murder of Vanessa Guillen, confided in Cecily Aguilar about the crime, according to the criminal complaint.

Aguilar was accused of aiding Robinson in tampering with evidence, specifically, the disposal of Vanessa Guillen's body, to evade prosecution. She also faced charges for providing false information to federal investigators during the inquiry into Guillen's disappearance.

The grim story took another tragic turn when Robinson took his own life during a confrontation with the police in July 2020. Vanessa Guillen's family, convinced that she had been sexually harassed during her time at the Texas military base, initiated a lawsuit seeking $35 million in damages from the US government.

A subsequent report from the US Army validated their concerns, confirming that Guillen had indeed been subjected to harassment by another soldier. Her tragic killing and the subsequent investigation sparked a wave of voices as other women shared their accounts of abuse at military bases using the hashtag #IAmVanessaGuillen on social media.

The movement shed light on the pervasive issue of harassment and assault within the armed forces. In response to the incident and the ensuing outcry, state and federal lawmakers introduced legislation in 2021 that aimed to honor Vanessa Guillen's memory.

The legislation aimed to empower survivors with enhanced reporting options and reduced authority for commanders. It also held 21 commissioned and non-commissioned officers accountable for their roles in the events leading up to Guillen's death.

As Cecily Aguilar's sentencing marks a milestone in this tragic tale, it also serves as a reminder of the need for continued efforts to reform and address the systemic issues surrounding sexual harassment and assault within the military.

Vanessa Guillen's legacy endures as a catalyst for change, prompting a long-overdue reckoning within the armed forces, HuffPost reported.

Related Article: Missing Katherine Schneider: Unidentified Human Remains Discovered During Search of Saratoga Teen Who Vanished for Over a Month

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Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC  Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $25.00 to $27.00 in a report issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an equal weight rating on the financial services providers stock. Wells Fargo & Companys price target would suggest a potential upside of 2.82% from the stocks previous close.

LNC has been the topic of several other reports. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Lincoln National from $31.00 to $26.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 11th. Barclays raised their price objective on Lincoln National from $17.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a report on Monday, August 7th. Raymond James assumed coverage on Lincoln National in a report on Wednesday, July 26th. They issued a market perform rating on the stock. Piper Sandler increased their target price on Lincoln National from $21.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Friday, July 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Lincoln National from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Thursday, August 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lincoln National has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $30.54.

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Lincoln National Stock Down 1.4 %

Lincoln National stock opened at $26.26 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.51 and a beta of 1.81. Lincoln National has a fifty-two week low of $18.50 and a fifty-two week high of $54.59. The stocks fifty day moving average is $25.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $25.39.

Lincoln National (NYSE:LNC  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 2nd. The financial services provider reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.10. Lincoln National had a negative return on equity of 22.54% and a negative net margin of 18.67%. The firm had revenue of $4.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.65 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.23 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Lincoln National will post 7.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 11.6% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 17,600 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,151,000 after purchasing an additional 1,835 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 4.2% in the 1st quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 6,980 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $456,000 after purchasing an additional 284 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund lifted its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 2,066.8% in the 1st quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 17,768 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,161,000 after purchasing an additional 16,948 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 24.7% in the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 46,808 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $3,059,000 after purchasing an additional 9,279 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Lincoln National by 107.8% in the 1st quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 10,455 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $683,000 after purchasing an additional 5,423 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.46% of the companys stock.

About Lincoln National

(Get Free Report)

Lincoln National Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates multiple insurance and retirement businesses in the United States. It operates through four segments: Life Insurance, Annuities, Group Protection, and Retirement Plan Services. The company's Life Insurance segment provides life insurance products, including term insurance, such as single and survivorship versions of universal life insurance; variable universal life insurance; indexed universal life insurance products; and critical illness and long-term care riders.

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Account holders of over numerous financial institutions in Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Peru are being targeted by an Android banking malware called Gigabud RAT.

"One of Gigabud RAT's unique features is that it doesn't execute any malicious actions until the user is authorized into the malicious application by a fraudster, [...] which makes it harder to detect," Group-IB researchers Pavel Naumov and Artem Grischenko said.

"Instead of using HTML overlay attacks, Gigabud RAT gathers sensitive information primarily through screen recording."

Gigabud RAT was first documented by Cyble in January 2023 after it was spotted impersonating bank and government apps to siphon sensitive data. It's known to be active in the wild since at least July 2022.

The Singapore-based company said it also identified a second variant of the malware minus the RAT capabilities. Dubbed Gigabud.Loan, it comes under the guise of a loan application that's capable of exfiltrating user-input data.

"The targets were individuals lured into filling out a bank card application form to obtain a low-interest loan," the researchers said. "The victims are convinced to provide personal information during the application process."

Both malware versions are spread via phishing websites, the links to which are delivered to victims via SMS or instant messages on social media networks. Gigabud.Loan is also distributed directly in the form of APK files sent through messages on WhatsApp.

Targets who are approached on social media are often coerced into visiting the sites under the pretext of completing a tax audit and claiming a refund.

While Android devices have the "Install from Unknown Sources" setting disabled by default as a security measure to prevent the installation of apps from untrusted sources, the operating system allows other apps on installed on the device, such as web browsers, email clients, file managers, and messaging apps, to request the "REQUEST_INSTALL_PACKAGES" permission.

Should a user grant permission to such apps, it allows the threat actors to install rogue APK files while bypassing the "Install from Unknown Sources" option.

Gigabud functions a lot like other Android banking trojans by requesting for accessibility services permissions to perform screen capturing and logging keystrokes. It's also equipped to replace bank card numbers in clipboards and perform automated fund transfers through remote access.

On the other hand, Gigabud.Loan functions as a tool to collect personal information such as full name, identity number, national identity document photo, digital signature, education, income info, bank card information, and phone number under the guise of submitting a loan request to the bank.

The findings follow the discovery of 43 rogue apps on the Google Play Store that load ads while the device's screen is turned off. The apps, with cumulative downloads of 2.5 million, have since been taken down or updated by the developers to remove the ad fraud component.

McAfee said the adware, once installed, seeks users' permissions to exclude the apps when saving battery and allow it to draw over other apps, effectively opening the door to further malevolent attacks, such as loading ads in the background and displaying phishing pages.

The ad fraud library used by the apps also employs delay tactics to evade detection and can be remotely modified by the operators using the Firebase messaging service, lending it an additional layer of complexity.

The disclosure comes as the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is warning of an increase in scammers pretending to be recovery and tracing companies that can help victims of cryptocurrency investment scams regain lost assets.

"Recovery scheme fraudsters charge an up-front fee and either cease communication with the victim after receiving an initial deposit or produce an incomplete or inaccurate tracing report and request additional fees to recover funds," the FBI said.

On top of that, the agency has cautioned that cybercriminals are embedding nefarious code in mobile beta-testing apps masquerading as legitimate cryptocurrency investment apps to defraud potential victims by facilitating the theft of personally identifiable information (PII) and financial account data.

"The apps may appear legitimate by using names, images, or descriptions similar to popular apps," the agency explained. "Cyber criminals often use phishing or romance scams to establish communications with the victim, then direct the victim to download a mobile beta-testing app housed within a mobile beta-testing app environment, promising incentives such as large financial payouts."

In these schemes, threat actors contact potential victims on dating and social networking apps and build trust with the ultimate aim to entice them into downloading pre-release versions of the apps.

"The victims enter legitimate account details into the app, sending money they believe will be invested in cryptocurrency, but instead the victim funds are sent to the cyber criminals," the FBI said.

It's worth noting that the abuse of Apple's TestFlight beta testing framework to conduct pig butchering scams was highlighted by cybersecurity firm Sophos last year.

Recent waves of the campaign, also called CryptoRom, have weaponized Apple's enterprise and developer ad-hoc app distribution schemes to deliver bogus crypto apps in a bid to slip past restrictions that prevent users from downloading iOS apps outside of the App Store.

In other instances, a seemingly innocuous app is trojanized after it is approved and published to the Apple and Google app storefronts by altering the remote code to point to an attacker-controlled server to introduce malicious behavior.
The Nebraska State Fair moves pretty fast, but you never have to miss anything, thanks to the new State Fair app.

Whatever Your Flavor, the app is the easiest way to find the most up-to-date information about it.

Each year, the team strives to provide easy-to-access and updated information to fairgoers, said Jaime Parr, Nebraska State Fair executive director. The mobile app increases convenience to visitors, including those who are planning to attend and those who are already on the grounds.

Wonder whos performing in the Nebraska Lottery Concert Series? Check the app. Trying to find your favorite food vendor? The app can locate it. Need a map to get around the fairgrounds? The app has that, too.

Purchase tickets through the app, and theyre delivered to your phone instantly. Schedule your entire day at the fair just by clicking so you never miss anything you want to see.

The app is updated in real time, so youll always know the latest on any changes. The State Fair app helps you:

Find information about events

Buy tickets

Create your fair schedule

Find FAQs

Get directions to the fair

See the fairgrounds map

View social media feeds

Read the latest State Fair news

Contact the fair

Whatever you need to know, whatever your question, the app has the answer. The State Fair app is available now on Google Play and the App Store. Simply search for Nebraska State Fair.
Prior to reopening the doors to its newly renovated Emergency Department, CHI Health St. Francis is hosting a preview event for the community.

The public is invited to an open house from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 19. During this rare opportunity to explore a hospital ED, tours showcasing the new space will be provided by staff.

Visitors are asked to enter through St. Francis main entrance, parking lot A, on the south side of the hospital. Greeters will be directing foot traffic.

St. Francis is always here when our community needs us most, said Ed Hannon, president, CHI Health St. Francis. We are proud of the legacy weve built of providing expert and trusted emergency medicine to the region. Now our ER looks like what youd expect from one of the states first designated Pediatric Ready Hospitals and the regions only Trauma Center and Primary Stroke Center. Were excited to show it off.

Construction of the $13 million, 27,000 square foot project began May 18, 2022.

Returning to the north side of the hospital, the enlarged entry point for the newly renovated ED will remain open 24/7 and features a protective canopy. An enhanced waiting area with increased privacy and natural light leads visitors to the new 26-bed emergency room built larger to accommodate advanced technology, additional infection prevention features and added security.

The newly renovated ED also features: private consultation rooms; two quick triage exam rooms; 19 private treatment rooms; a designated resuscitation room; two behavioral health treatment rooms; five isolation treatment rooms with negative pressure capabilities; a large trauma bay that can support several critical patients; a centralized nurses station with increased visibility to treatment rooms; and advanced communication technology to assist with specialized care.

Our staff and providers helped design the new space, Hannon said. They thought of everything, from increasing the number of isolation rooms in the wake of the pandemic to adding the canopy to protect patients and visitors from Nebraska weather.

Built in 1970, the emergency department temporarily relocated to the east side of the hospital during the planned 15-month construction. Utilizing space vacated when the hospitals new surgery department opened, the temporary ED functioned as a fully-operational 24/7 trauma center.

While our staff and equipment is leading-edge, our current ER was built for healthcare delivery in the 70s. Our new space prioritizes patient privacy and security, its larger to accommodate todays growing technology, and has additional pandemic isolation features, Hannon said. The new department is designed with patients comfort and convenience at the forefront with added efficiency for our providers and staff. It allows us to continue providing the highest quality care found anywhere.
Starbucks employees at a northwest Lincoln location are the first store to successfully unionize in the city of Lincoln, according to a Facebook post by Nebraska State AFL-CIO.

The store at 5040 N. 26th St. joins more than 300 Starbucks locations nationwide in successfully unionizing. The Lincoln location was the first in the city to attempt to unionize, and the first in the city and in Nebraska to succeed.

The workers had previously sent a letter to Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan detailing their reasons for unionizing, which included inconsistent scheduling, being short-staffed and working with faulty and defective equipment.

These circumstances do not set partners up for success to thrive in our careers, and efficiently give guests the connections, service and products they deserve, the letter said.

We want Starbucks to recognize the value we bring to the company as the faces customers connect with every day by joining us at the bargaining table, it said.

So far, more than 330 Starbucks stores in 38 states and the District of Columbia have successfully unionized, although that represents only about 3% of the companys total workforce.

In June, a Starbucks spokesperson said in an email that company officials, welcome the opportunity for partners at our Lincoln store to vote in a neutral, secret ballot election conducted by the NLRB  which allows all partners to make their own informed decision regarding union representation.

The company, however, has been accused of labor law violations, including firing labor organizers and closing unionized stores.

The spokesperson also said that Starbucks believes a direct relationship with its employees is the right path forward for our company, and pointed out that it offers what it believes are industry-best pay and benefits, including a minimum wage of $15 an hour and an average wage of $17.50.
Dutch climate-centric fund manager enters Vietnam hydrogen fray

By Minh Van Tue, August 15, 2023 | 2:47 pm GTM+7

Climate Fund Managers (CFM) of the Netherlands has entered into strategic cooperation with Vietnams The Green Solutions (TGS) to promote hydrogen industry in the country.

We feel at home in Vietnam, where we are seeking to bring green investment, Nathan Schmidt, head of CFMs Asia operations, said at a Tuesday ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City before signing an MoU with Winnie Huynh, founder and CEO of TGS.

HCMC-headquartered TGS began constructing this March the first Vietnamese hydrogen plant in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh with an estimated investment of VND8 trillion ($341 million).

The company expects to begin operations at the 21-hectare factory after two years, initially producing 24,000 tons of green hydrogen and 195,000 tons of oxygen a year, and providing direct jobs for 300-500 local residents.

Tra Vinh is also home to two CFM-invested operational wind farms with a combined capacity of 132 MW, Singapore-based Schmidt noted, adding that his firm has so far invested $330 million in Vietnam.

Vietnam is one of our key global investment destinations. The country is seeking to reach its carbon neutrality target by 2050; were supporting this ambition. Entering into cooperation with TGS today is our first step in promoting Vietnams green hydrogen sector, he said.

Neither TGS nor Hague-based CFM, owned by Dutch development bank FMO and South African insurer Sanlam Ltd., explained their partnership in detail.

The CEO of TGS merely said that CFM was a good partner to have in the clean energy transition towards Vietnams 2050 net-zero target.

At the event, TGS played a video clip showing that the construction of its 21-hectare hydrogen plant in Tra Vinh was proceeding as scheduled.

The Green Solutions (TGS) COO Ha Thanh Phong (3rd right) explains the companys green hydrogen ecosystem to visitors at its Ho Chi Minh City headquarters, July 22, 2023. Photo courtesy of the firm.

The Netherlands is currently Vietnams second-largest trading partner in Europe and the largest EU investor in the country.

At a business meeting with Dutch companies in The Hague on June 26, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha had spoken about Vietnams orientation towards developing wind power projects and producing green hydrogen and green ammonia under the national Power Development Plan 8 (PDP VIII).

The Deputy PM also provided information on renewable energy development and other business areas so that Dutch firms could make new business decisions in Vietnam.

In May, TGS signed a purchase agreement with Hydrexia Malaysia under which the latter would supply hydrogen refuelling stations through 2023 and beyond. It would also be responsible for designing, deploying and maintaining the stations for TGS.

The two firms will jointly explore other hydrogen business opportunities in the Vietnamese market.

Hydrexia Malaysia is an international arm of Hydrexia, an Australian company specializing in solid-state hydrogen storage equipment.
Taiwan firm HuaLi builds $42 mln factory in central Vietnam

By Tri Duc Tue, August 15, 2023 | 4:33 pm GTM+7

Taiwans HuaLi Group kicked off the construction of a $42 million footwear factory in Thanh Hoa province on Monday.

The 12.2-hectare factory, named Alivia, is set to enter operation in the first quarter of 2024, employing 8,000 people and producing six million products a year. The project aims to serve export markets, HuaLi chairman Chang Tsung Yuan said at the construction ceremony.

HuaLi Group has become an integral part of Thanh Hoa provinces economy with investment of nearly $1 billion over a decade, said Do Trong Hung, chief of Thanh Hoa province's Party Committee, at a meeting with Chang Tsung Yuan on the sidelines of the event.

Alivia is HuaLi Groups latest project in Thanh Hoa, in addition to its 16 operating factories in the province, raising the groups employment to 120,000 people, the provincial leader added.

Hung also urged the firm, with a global capacity of 220 million products a year, to speed up the progress of investing in more plants in the province's Hau Loc and Trieu Son districts, while local authorities strive to accompany the firm's development.

HuaLi Group kicks off the construction of a factory in Thanh Hoa province, central Vietnam on August 14, 2023. Photo courtesy of Thanh Hoa's news portal.

Footwear is a major export product of Vietnam. In the first seven months of this year, the country recorded an export revenue of $194.73 billion, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO). Footwear, with a figure of $11.67 billion, was the fifth highest-export sector.

Vietnams index of industrial production (IIP) decreased 0.7% year-on-year in Jan-July due to prolonged economic headwinds and weak demand worldwide, the GSO reported. Thanh Hoa outperformed the countrys average as its IIP grew 7.74%, driven by the mining sector going up 15.35%, manufacturing-processing up 5.94%, and others.
Wood pellet exports down but Japan buys more

By Lan Do Tue, August 15, 2023 | 8:56 am GTM+7

Japan imported more than 1.16 million tons of pellets from Vietnam for more than $195 million in the first six months, up 5.7% in volume and 28.9% in value year-on-year, respectively.

The increase in exports to Japan took place amidst a general decline in the first half of 2023, according to the Vietnam Timber and Forest Product Association (VIFOREST).

Vietnam's H1 exports of more than 2 million tons with a value of over $325 million was respectively down 12.3% in volume and 8.2% in value over the same time in 2022.

However, the proportion of pellets in the entire export turnover of the wood industry increased from 4.2% in H1/2022 to 5.3% this year, the association said.

South Korea and Japan are two biggest buyers of Vietnam's wood pellets. While the South Korean market bought less this year, the increased purchases by Japan reflected the fact that it is developing many thermal power plants using wood pellets. It also means that Japans demand for the pellets will continue to increase in the coming time, the VIFOREST noted.

It said wood pellet purchases from Vietnam in the first six months of this year accounted for 23.5% of the Japans total import turnover of wood and wood products from the Southeast Asian country, compared to 18% in the same period last year.

South Korea and Japan are two biggest buyers of Vietnam's wood pellets. Photo courtesy of Naturally Wood.

Trends foreseen

VIFOREST has identified five trends in the wood pellets market for the foreseeable future

Firstly, the global wood pellet market will be worth roughly $31 billion by 2030. In Japan, the market for wood pellets is expected to grow roughly three times by the same year.

Secondly, a few US businesses have switched their exports from the EU to Japan because certain Japanese businesses offered favourable rates for fixed-price, lengthy contracts.

Thirdly, the expansion phase of entering long-term contracts for the Japanese market, which began in 2021, is likely to continue. In the first half of 2023, total pellet shipments to Japan from all markets climbed by 50% compared to the same period in 2012.

Fourthly, given the Vietnamese government's commitment to reducing GHG emissions and enterprises' voluntary move to wood pellets from high-emission raw materials, the demand for wood pellets for domestic consumption will also rise in the future.

Fifthly, Erex, a Japanese renewable energy corporation, will start using wood chips alongside coal as fuel at its 110 MW Na Duong plant using 6,000 tons of pellets in the northern province of Lang Son. This will take its biomass utilization rate from the current 5% to 20% in August-September. Erex will also construct a wood pellets factory in the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai that is scheduled to open for business in January 2025.

Last month, Idemitsu Green Energy Vietnam, a business invested by Japans Idemitsu Kosan, inaugurated a wood pellet factory in the south-central province of Binh Dinh. The factory in Hoai Nhon town has an annual capacity of 120,000 tons of green energy pellets that will be exported to Japan. The factory is expected to be Idemitsu Kosan's first step towards building a supply chain of three million tons of green energy pellets for the Pacific region a year.
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A severe bacteria outbreak pushed all migrants off the Bibby Stockholm barge after four days.



Britain's government is facing criticism over its response to an outbreak of Legionnaire's disease among asylum-seekers residing on a barge moored off the south coast of England.

The government's efforts to control migration and reduce the cost of housing asylum-seekers have come under scrutiny once again as questions arise about the timeliness of evacuating individuals once traces of the Legionella bacteria were discovered in the ship's water system, as per VOA.

Criticism Over Government's Handling of Asylum-Seeker

Local health officials revealed that the barge operator was informed about the presence of the bacteria on a Monday, a day before asylum-seekers were moved onto the vessel.

However, Health Secretary Steve Barclay asserted that government ministers were not made aware of the situation until Thursday, after which they took swift action. The Home Office, responsible for migration oversight, relocated all 39 men living on the ship to alternative accommodations on Friday.

This incident comes amidst an intensified focus on immigration after a surge of migrants crossed the English Channel in small boats, with at least six people losing their lives in a boat sinking off the coast of France.

Over the span of August 10-12, more than 1,600 individuals arrived in England on 30 boats, prompting concerns about the government's ability to manage migration.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, aiming to bolster voter support for his Conservative Party, has made stopping the influx of migrants a key priority. His strategy includes relocating asylum-seekers from hotels to barges and disused military bases in an attempt to reduce the appeal of seeking shelter in the UK.

Additionally, he has proposed deporting those who enter the country illegally to Rwanda, although this plan has encountered legal challenges. The issue of the Legionnaire's disease outbreak raises broader questions about the government's accountability and responsiveness.

Dorset council's environmental health officers conducted tests for the bacteria in late July, and on August 7, as the first asylum-seekers were brought aboard the barge, contractors of the Home Office were informed about the significant presence of Legionella.

The council maintains that a Home Office official was informed of the outbreak on August 8, while the government denies confirmation or denial of this claim, according to The Guardian.

Read Also: Hawaii Gov. Josh Green Acknowledges Global Warming Caused Conditions for Wildfire as Death Toll Nears 100

Legionella Outbreak in UK

Critics argue that the government should have adhered to established safety practices, citing the Health and Safety Executive code of practice for buildings from 2013, which mandates checking for Legionella in facilities.

It is considered a basic precaution for building controllers and employers to conduct regular checks on showers and air conditioning systems, especially if they have been unused for a period. Failure to comply with this code of practice can lead to legal consequences.

As public health concerns mount, the government is under pressure to address these issues transparently and take appropriate actions to prevent similar occurrences in the future. The leaked document suggesting plans to house up to 1,000 people on the barge raises questions about the adequacy of risk assessments and planning.

Amidst the uncertainty of when asylum-seekers will return to the barge and the government's refusal to provide a timeline, there is a growing demand for accountability and clarity. It remains to be seen how this incident will impact the ongoing discourse on immigration, migrant welfare, and the government's overall handling of these matters.

The government's handling of the Legionnaire's disease outbreak among asylum-seekers has ignited criticism and renewed discussions about its migration policies and overall responsibility.

As investigations continue and the public demands transparency, it is crucial for the government to address these concerns to ensure the safety and well-being of vulnerable individuals seeking refuge in the UK, INews reported.

Related Article: Wagner Leader Prigozhin to Be Killed by Vladimir Putin or Lead Second Coup, Expert Predicts

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
It was just a banner year, Bob Davenport said while shaking his head in a sort of disbelief.

The owner of RE/MAX Realty Central in Carbondale has the awards to prove his unbelievable year was, in fact, reality  plaques, statuettes and more honoring him as one of the regions  and nations  top real estate agents.

The most recent recognition is his inclusion in the 2023 edition of The Thousand, an annual, national real estate awards program sponsored by REAL Trends, signifying Davenports place in the top one-tenth of more than 1.5 million realtors in the nation. He earned spot No. 212 in the nation for sides,  real estate speak for sales closings  with 115 sides during the year.

He was the 15th-ranked realtor in Illinois in terms of closings.

Davenport also has earned honors from REMAX and the local real estate agents association, making for an impressive trophy display. He has been recognized both for number of closings as well as in total annual production of $33.5 million, although he confessed that about one-third of the total came from the sale of a Carbondale apartment complex. During the past 12 months he also has been featured in two magazines: St. Louis Metro Producers and Top Agent.

Davenport started in real estate 22 years ago when he was nearing retirement from the Illinois Department of Corrections. Now, slightly more than two decades later, his career is an example of success breeding more success. He explained that most of his listings come through referrals from satisfied customers.

Customer service is everything, he said. You have to be able and willing to go out and do what others wont.

He shared examples of helping sellers liquidate furnishings and assisting in finding contractors and cleaners to prepare properties for listing.

I try to be there every step of the way and treat them like family, he added. I try to go above and beyond and representing clients in the best way.

Davenport said his skills as a hostage negotiator with IDOC come into play.

Its knowing how to negotiate and read people, knowing what the needs are and doing what they can and cant do. Its the secret to getting a buyer and seller to agree and both be happy, he said.

He said he will continue to work with buyers and sellers and continue to stress customer service, adding recognition is not his primary goal. Still, he is amazed at the last year.

A once-in-a-lifetime experience, he said.
SPRINGFIELD  Illinois 4-H Youth Leadership Team President Naomi Dolan "can say confidently" that she "missed at least a month of school" her senior year for various events through the organization.

But she was still keeping up with her schoolwork, not to mention picking up valuable leadership skills and knowledge through her participation.

"I stayed up very late to work on my assignments because that's something that 4-H and FFA tells the youth is that, 'hey, you are doing a responsibility. You need to be a part of this,'" said Dolan, of the Vermilion County village of Catlin. "And so you still need to do your school, but then still (be) following up on your FFA and your 4-H duties."

As of Monday afternoon, students participating in work-based learning events through organizations like 4-H and FFA will no longer be punished with unexcused absences.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed legislation allowing students to count such events towards school attendance. The measure was approved without opposition by state lawmakers during the spring legislative session.

The governor, who was flanked by 4-H and FFA members as he signed the bill at the Illinois State Fairgrounds Monday afternoon, called it "a major win not just for our students, but the future of our agricultural industry."

"These learning opportunities cultivate professional development and responsibility in our youth," Pritzker said. "Our FFA and 4-H members are living proof of that fact. And their hands-on experiences ought to count towards their education."

FFA, which stands for Future Farmers of America, is an intracurricular student organization for those interested in agriculture and leadership. 4-H is an organization in which kids and teens complete hands-on projects in areas like health, science, agriculture and civic engagement.

Participation in FFA has exploded in the past year from 23,000 to more than 41,000. The bump can largely be attributed to legislation signed by Pritzker in 2022 that pays organization dues for all students enrolled in an agriculture class.

State Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, the chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee and the bill's chief sponsor, said that many 4-H and FFA events centered around state and county fairs increasingly conflict with the start of school.

While in the FFA barnyard at the fair on Sunday, Turner said she encountered two 4-H members from Whiteside County who were facing that dilemma.

"Illinois' agriculture industry is the backbone of our state," Turner said. "Illinois is home to some of the most fertile farmland in the world. And without our farmers, we wouldn't have food on the table or any of the thousands of byproducts derived from that farming. And we need our youth to continue to invest in Illinois' agriculture opportunities."

Under the new law, a student's parent or legal guardian will be responsible for obtaining assignments missed while the student was participating in an eligible program.

States that grow the most vegetables States that grow the most vegetables Kansas (unranked) Nevada (unranked) #48. Wyoming #47. South Dakota #46. Alaska #45. Rhode Island #44. West Virginia #43. Vermont #42. New Hampshire #41. Oklahoma #40. Iowa #39. Utah #38. Hawaii #37. Louisiana #36. Missouri #35. Kentucky #34. Connecticut #33. Arkansas #32. Delaware #31. Montana #30. Maryland #29. Alabama #28. Nebraska #27. Illinois #26. New Mexico #25. Tennessee #24. Massachusetts #23. Virginia #22. Indiana #21. Mississippi #20. South Carolina #19. Ohio #18. Minnesota #17. Maine #16. North Dakota #15. Pennsylvania #14. Oregon #13. New Jersey #12. Wisconsin #11. Michigan #10. New York #9. Colorado #8. Washington #7. Texas #6. Georgia #5. North Carolina #4. Arizona #3. Idaho #2. Florida #1. California
Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College ended the 2022-2023 fiscal year in the black, according to preliminary financial reports.

This is a work in progress, though I think the numbers are getting closer, Vice President for Business Affairs Kim Huff told Area Commissioners during a meeting last week.

Auditors will be finishing up the financial statements by Sept. 30, Huff said. The colleges fiscal year ended June 30.

The college ended the 2022-2023 fiscal year with revenues of $20,568,899 and expenses of $19,699,413 in its overall unrestricted general fund budget.

In the colleges operating budget, it had total expenses of $2.8 million and received about $1.5 million total from both Orangeburg and Calhoun counties. The account balance shortfall remaining is $1,276,036. The operating budget consists of salaries, utilities, fringe benefits and office janitorial line items, to name a few of the expenses.

We have to fund that through our tuition, Huff said. Somehow we have to cover that. That is part of the tuition revenue where it goes to cover that shortfall. That is why I would love to see more from Orangeburg, if at all possible.

In its restricted accounts, which include grants, the college had a balanced amount of $17,440,000.

Everything we spend in these areas we get reimbursed from the federal government, state and other organizations, Huff said. That is why it nets to zero at June 30th.

Huff said one thing to look out for in the current fiscal year is the college will no longer receive any U.S. Department of Education Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund money. The federal money was awarded to all colleges throughout the country during the coronavirus pandemic.

The college received about $2.7 million in HEERF money for the past fiscal year.

In other matters, OCtech President Dr. Walt Tobin noted the college is going through its Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges affirmation process and has applied to be considered for a differentiated review.

Tobin said the differentiated review would reduce the colleges reaffirmation process so SACSCOC would look at about 40 standards instead of the traditional 100 standards.

We are really excited about that, Tobin said.

The college expects to hear whether its been accepted by Nov. 13.

The differentiated review process would include offsite and on-site reviews.

All institutions accredited by SACSCOC are required to undergo a review for reaffirmation of accreditation every ten years.

Colleges might be eligible for differentiated review if they, among other things, have been accredited by SACSCOC for at least ten years, not been placed on sanction within the last five years and not experienced monitoring for institutional finances in the last five years.

Academic Affairs

Vice President of Academic Affairs Williette Berry said the colleges summer camps for grades 6-8 and 9-12 saw 63 participants, of which 75 percent were minority and 43 percent female. The students took tours of the campus and met with the Early College team.

During the camps, students learned about all stages of the advanced manufacturing process, including product design, robotics for assembly, transportation, distribution and logistics. Students were also introduced to technologies including computer programming.

According to a survey, 80 percent of the participants were interested in receiving more information about the colleges Early College program and 66 percent were interested in pursuing a career in science, technology, engineering or math.

Most of the students came from the OCtech service area from public, private and homeschool backgrounds. A church group also attended with 19 students.

Berry also noted the colleges Early Childhood program has been reaccredited by the National Association for Education of Young Children through March 2028.

Student Services

OCtech Vice President of Student Services Dr. Sandra Davis said the college is working to ensure first-year and new students have a good experience that demonstrates the colleges commitment to success.

As part of this first year experience, students received a student handbook and student planner during orientation. Workshops will be held throughout the fall semester and activities are being held the first week of school.

Later in August, new students will have a chance to meet the colleges deans and advisors.

You want students to feel that it is a welcoming environment, Davis said. We want them to engage in activities that are outside of the classroom. All of this is done in support of creating an experience with our students that promotes their success and makes them feel welcome here on our campus.

In other business:

Commissioners were informed the colleges new full-time Dean of Nursing is Dr. Mellisa Black.

Black earned her doctorate of nursing practice with a concentration as a nurse executive from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Black is certified as a critical-care nurse as well as a nurse executive.

Black has been a registered nurse for 31 years, working primarily in critical care and nursing leadership. Before coming to OCtech, Black was nursing director at the former Regional Medical Center.

Tobin recognized the 10-year commission chairmanship of John Shuler with the presentation of a gavel. Shuler has served on the commission since 2007.

Tobin introduced college Human Resource Director Marie Howell and dean of marketing and development Faith McCurry to commissioners.

Commission Chairman Landy Weathers expressed his appreciation to his fellow Commissioners for electing him as the chair of the body last month. The August meeting was Weathers first as chairman.

Upcoming events at the college include the Cafe Foundation Breakfast for employees on Friday, Sept. 15, and the annual college fundraiser  An Evening of Fine Wines and Food on Tuesday, Oct. 10.

Commissioners entered into closed session to discuss a personnel matter.

The next commission meeting will be held Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 4:30 p.m.
In his state of the university address, Dr. Ronnie Hopkins, Voorhees University president, predicted a great 2023-24 academic year.

Speaking to faculty and staff during the annual Fall Institute recently, Hopkins painted the picture of a bright and prosperous future for the year, assuring them that through individual productivity the university will advance to the next level of excellence in exponential proportions. With the university having recently been approved to offer the Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, Hopkins said the university is now poised to provide greater community service and meet the needs of the citizens of Bamberg County and beyond.

He said that the achievements of Voorhees have garnered national attention. It is one thing for us to internally evaluate our level of success and boast, but it is taken to another level when you get the attention of external organizations, he said. Hopkins was referring to the US News and World Report, a recognized leader in college, graduate school, hospital, mutual fund, and car rankings, which ranked the South Carolina HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) the number one best college in the south, the number two HBCU in South Carolina and number 26 nationwide.

The United Negro College Fund, a national advocacy organization for private HBCUs, also recognized the level of excellence achieved at the university. During the UNCF Unite Conference held in Atlanta in July, the Denmark institution was awarded the Institutional Excellence Award in recognition of its commitment to outstanding achievements. Hopkins credits the support of the Board of Trustees and the dedicated employees who are inspired by an amazing student body for the phenomenal success the university is experiencing.
Family Health Centers Inc. has helped make life in rural South Carolina better by offering affordable and accessible care, state Sen. Vernon Stephens said.

The federally qualified health center provides valuable, holistic health services, he said.

With that premise and with that vision to make life in rural South Carolina better, it has happened. The verdict is in. You guys are one of the best. Not enough can be said about that, Stephens said.

Stephens, D-Bowman, was the featured speaker during an Aug. 8 stakeholders breakfast which Family Health Centers Inc. held at its Training Center on Presidential Drive in Orangeburg.

Stephens called FHC the glue that held our communities together as it relates to health care.

FHCs service area includes seven satellite sites. Adult medicine, pediatrics and OB/GYN are among the services provided.

Stephens said the COVID-19 pandemic revealed the health disparities which are still prevalent in communities, particularly in rural South Carolina.

He commended FHC for continuing to improve its services.

A large portion of our citizens are either uninsured or underinsured.  There truly exists a funding gap that has almost decimated the rural health care services throughout this district and the state of South Carolina.

Three of the most prevalent diseases, renal disease, hypertension and diabetes, run rampant in my district. We must start early in the life of our citizens to promote a healthy lifestyle, he said.

Stephens continued, We must start to look after those agencies that are providing services to all of our citizens that are convenient, affordable and accessible. The funding of health care in our state continues to be a much-debated issue in our General Assembly; however, the time has come to lessen debate and craft an affordable health care system that will ensure that the population is truly cared for.

Stephens, a member of the Lower Savannah Council of Governments board of directors, said the LSCOG seeks to eliminate transportation barriers that many individuals face in accessing affordable health care.

In order to ensure adequate health care, we must look at agencies like Family Health Centers and others to assure our citizens that health care is there for them in their respective communities, he said.

Stephens noted FHC has seven satellite sites which cover a wide swath of territory.

Each one of those satellites may be serving folks who are different socioeconomically, but the bottom line is they all need health care that is accessible and affordable and convenient. You do that, and you do that with such a passion, dedication and commitment. ... You provide so many different services, I was overwhelmed, Stephens said.

You do a fantastic job.  The love that you have for the whole man is evident. Keep on doing what youre doing, he said.

FHC Chief Executive Officer Leon Brunson Sr. highlighted the FHCs receipt of a two-year, $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to improve maternal health care. He announced during the ceremony that five providers will be hired, including two obstetricians and three midwives.

We are going to cover every inch of the area that we serve, making sure we have quality health care available for females in our service area, he said.

Other achievements included FHCs launch of a dental program designed to provide access to dental care for school-aged children.

Fifty percent of the children in our service area have never gone to the dentist. This is 2023. Thats amazing. ... We have to make sure every child has an opportunity to receive dental care, Brunson said.

We will continued to progress and develop. As long as we have patients that knock at the door and say, We need help, regardless of their ability to pay, we will welcome you in and serve you with dignity and respect, the CEO said.

Rep. Russell Ott, D-St. Matthews, and Sen. Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg, were among the state legislators at the breakfast.

Hutto said it is important to have high-quality health care available to all citizens.

Family Health Centers has been a part of our community for 50 years now. It is part of the health care delivery system that our citizens have become accustomed to. They have proven time and time again that they are available, he said.

Hutto continued, We certainly celebrate them as they continue to grow. Theyre going out in the community. Theyre not just here in Orangeburg. They have branches in the rural communities because transportation is an issue for a lot of our citizens. Its important that we continue to support them in their mission to serve all the people of our area.

Lathran J. Woodard, chief operating officer of the state Primary Health Care Association, was among the state and local officials on hand for the Aug. 8 event.

During the breakfast, Woodard read a proclamation from Gov. Henry McMaster, who proclaimed Aug. 6-12 S.C. Health Center Week. Woodard also read a similar proclamation from the National Association of Community Health Centers.

We deliver that care with compassion and dignity. It shouldnt matter and it doesnt matter to us your socioeconomic status. Everyone is treated with dignity, everyone gets quality care that is affordable. Thats what makes health centers unique and different, and thats what we are going to stand on, Woodard said.

National Health Center Week 2023 was observed Aug. 6-12, marking the 58th year of the community health center movement. The theme for 2023 was The Roadmap to a Stronger America.

Americas health centers serve more than 32 million people across the nation, providing care to the medically vulnerable and underserved.
(Photo : Photo credit should read DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images)

Local officials in Dagestan reported a massive petrol station explosion that killed 30 and injured over 100.



Russia has been rocked by two tragic incidents, leaving citizens and officials grappling with loss and destruction.

A massive explosion at a gas station in the southern republic of Dagestan has claimed the lives of 30 people, while another explosion in western Siberia added to the death toll, according to ABC News.

Explosion at a Gas Station in Russia

Simultaneously, Ukraine's western region of Lviv faced missile attacks that resulted in injuries and damage to civilian buildings. The explosion in Dagestan, which occurred on the outskirts of the capital city Makhachkala, has sent shockwaves across the region.

A fire that originated at a car repair shop swiftly spread to a nearby gas station, culminating in a powerful blast. The aftermath of the explosion saw a fierce fire engulf an area spanning 600 square meters.

The tragedy claimed the lives of 30 individuals and left 105 others injured. Heartbreakingly, among the deceased were three children. As the nation mourns the loss, Russian authorities have launched a criminal investigation to uncover the causes of this disaster.

Families of the victims are set to receive monetary compensation, with one million rubles (approximately $10,000) being allocated to each bereaved family and 200,000-400,000 rubles (approximately $2,000-$4,000) to those injured. Dagestan's regional government declared August 15 a day of mourning, uniting the nation in grief.

The city of Makhachkala, with a population of over 600,000, is the capital of Dagestan, a Russian republic located near Chechnya and sharing borders with Georgia and Azerbaijan. Another explosion in western Siberia's Khanty-Mansiysk region added to the nation's sorrow.

While miles away from the frontline, this blast took two lives and injured five others in an oil mine. The incident occurred in the evening, contributing to the collective sense of tragedy unfolding across the country, according to Daily Mail.

Read Also: MiG-23 Crashes During Michigan Air Show; Pilots Manage to Eject Before Crash

Intensifying Russia-Ukraine Tensions

Amidst these tragic events, Russia has continued its aggressive actions towards Ukraine. Lviv, a city on Ukraine's western border with Poland, was targeted by Russian missile attacks.

The city, though far from the frontline, has regularly experienced such attacks, often aimed at disrupting supply routes for Western weapons. The missiles damaged multiple buildings in Lviv, including residential structures and a local kindergarten.

Falling debris from missile interceptions inflicted further destruction, highlighting the indiscriminate impact of such attacks on civilian areas. This wave of attacks follows Moscow's decision to terminate an agreement that facilitated the export of Ukraine's grain to regions in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

The consequences of this decision have added to the strain between the two nations, exacerbating an already tense situation. As Russia grapples with internal tragedy and external conflict, the nation's citizens are left questioning the safety measures in place and the long-term impact of these events.

The incidents underscore the need for thorough investigations, transparency, and responsible actions by authorities to ensure the safety and well-being of the population. The aftermath of these devastating events will undoubtedly shape Russia's discourse on public safety, national security, and its relationship with neighboring nations, US News reported

Related Article: Montana Youths Earn Victory After Judge Rules in Favor of Activists in Landmark Climate Decision

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Some Russians living in Hungary have decided to protest the war and Putins regime, despite the possible consequences. From Telex.

Why does everyone in your country vote for [Prime Minister Viktor] Orban? Well, not everyone there [in Russia] is crazy about Putin either  thats what I tell Hungarians who are surprised that as a Russian, Im against the war and I think we should support Ukraine, because Russia cant be allowed to win. Elmira had been working for an international telecom company for many years when Vladimir Putin launched the Russian military campaign against Ukraine on 24 February last year. She lived in Moscow with her family and was not involved in politics.

The Last Soviet Generation

Elmira was 12 when the Soviet Union broke up in 1991. She had Kyrgyz, Kazakh, Georgian, Armenian, and Ukrainian friends, and even in post-Soviet Russia she felt a sense of community with all those with whom she was connected through the Soviet past and the Russian language. Her father is from Azerbaijan and her mother is Russian, but they only spoke Russian at home. She wasnt politically engaged before. She worked in the Moscow office of a global corporation for a long time, and lived the life of the most fortunate members of the Russian middle class, enjoying the economic boom of the 2000s, from which the capital benefited most.

I didnt believe there would be a war. Although our Ukrainian colleagues said it would happen, all of us at the office just smiled at their conviction. Like many others, Elmira didnt think that war was imminent even when Putin recognized the breakaway states of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent countries on 22 February, following a bizarre national security meeting that was said to be live but was in fact broadcast after the fact. At that point though, she did begin to worry: I posted on Facebook that Id get down on my knees and pray that there would be no war.

Today, she would be prosecuted for such a post. Calling the extraordinary military operation a war or even rejecting it is more than enough to land someone in jail.

In hindsight, it is understandable why Elmira was confident that there would be no war  or, more precisely, no open war extending to the whole of Ukraine. After all, the war actually started in 2014, with covert Russian support for the separatists in eastern Ukraine and the open seizure of Crimea  but eventually that, too, came to a halt and got stuck in a phase which was neither peace nor open war. Following some heavy clashes here and there, this more or less became the case on the line bordering the separatists in eastern Ukraine as well.

Elmira  photo via Istvan Huszti/Telex

On 24 February, however, Russia attacked all of Ukraine. I barely had the emotional strength to work. I didnt eat, I was nauseous, I needed to take sleeping pills, I switched to working from home. We didnt really celebrate my sons birthdays either  we just gave them their presents. I wanted to leave immediately, at least to visit my relatives in Azerbaijan, but the companys business was progressing more slowly, so I stayed.

Finally, in the summer, the company told me that they would either dismiss me with severance pay or help me relocate and we could continue working from abroad.

Her family spent a few months in Istanbul and then came to Hungary, and they have been working here ever since. Elmiras 10-year-old children are attending the Serbian national minoritys school  its easier for them because of the linguistic similarities with Russian. Her husband is also working and they received some help with housing. Im not complaining, many refugees from Ukraine who come after their homes have been destroyed, dont get so much help, she says.

Elmira didnt participate in protests at home  although once she did go out to Red Square in a blue-and-yellow outfit reminiscent of Ukraines national colors, but saw no consequences. Her husband did take part in a demonstration, and it was only by luck that he wasnt arrested. An acquaintance of hers was fined 50,000 rubles  a thousand euros at the time  for carrying a sign in their backpack that had No to war written on it. Of course, nowadays you dont even need to do that much. Some people went out with a world map  which was actually a play on words, as in Russian the word for world and peace is the same word mir. Later it was enough to stand holding a blank sheet, and after a while, one didnt even have to protest  for legal action to be taken against parents, it was enough for their child to submit a drawing condemning the war in school.

In spite of all this, at first I still longed to go home, even if I disagreed with what was happening there. But now I can cope with homesickness more easily, I think of Ukraine and my heart overflows with pain, Elmira says.

If We Dont Go Back, Who Will?

Alexei left Russia last summer, also with the help of his employers company, which was leaving the country. He could easily do so at the time, given that the partial mobilization, which would have included him as well, only came into force at the end of September 2022. The programming expert didnt believe there would be a war either, but he also wouldnt have believed that Ukraine could resist if there was one.

I was in Lviv and Kyiv in January 2022, and there was a lot of talk about war. Many people were saying that they didnt want war, but they were ready to fight if they were attacked, he says.

Alexei was also shocked on 24 February. I didnt eat, I hardly slept, I couldnt even talk to my Ukrainian friends for a week. If he raised his voice against the war among his acquaintances, he was told he was biased because he was half-Ukrainian. Alexei discovered his Ukrainian roots in his teens and even learned Ukrainian afterward.

My mother didnt condone the war either, but she thought Putin had no choice. So we prefer not to talk about it. Alexei has pro-war relatives with whom he no longer has a relationship. They used to think differently about, say, Stalin, but that was more of an annoyance. It didnt seem as big of an issue as it has been since the war broke out.

Alexei  photo via Istvan Huszti/Telex

His wife and son are still in Moscow, but they think about the war the same way he does. There is no technical barrier to them staying in touch. The use of Facebook, and therefore Messenger, is limited, but they can talk on Viber and Signal without interference.

In the longer term, he is definitely thinking of returning, even if he is afraid of the regime. If we dont go back, who will? he asks.

I Was Naive

Polina, 39, had long been looking for a way out of a politically, more and more stifling Russia, and the war provided the final push. She had spent some time abroad before, having completed university in Slovakia and the Czech Republic before returning to Russia in 2018. Instead of moving back to her hometown of Orenburg, near Kazakhstan, she moved to Omsk, where she worked for the Ministry of Culture.

I was naive. I thought that my European experience would help me change the mentality at home. It took me a year and a half to realize that it was hopeless, and that you can only get ahead if you have the right connections. Those who are working hard will always be left as workhorses, she says.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she quit the civil service, went to St. Petersburg, and took up language teaching. Her knowledge of languages was sufficient: in addition to English, Czech, and Slovak, she had the Finno-Ugric Mordvin through her father, Tatar on her mothers side  and of course, Russian. Its funny that my maternal grandmother used to hold it against me that she thought I felt more Russian than Tatar, and now she resents me for having left Russia.

My mother and sister are also against the war, but my father belongs to the group that thinks its not that simple, we certainly dont see the whole picture  but the powers that be do. My paternal grandmother says Im a traitor because its the Europe I hold dear that brought the war on us, which is of course a bad thing, but the world has left Putin no choice. My grandmother is Orthodox, but if she could choose a religion, it would be Putinism.

If it had been possible, Polina would have left Russia with her husband at the time of the pandemic, but that was impossible. At the end of 2021, she was offered a job as a professor of Russian at a university in Turin, but before they could finish all the paperwork, the war broke out and teaching Russian was temporarily suspended by the University of Turin.

Polina  photo via Istvan Huszti/Telex

Polina didnt follow the traditional Soviet opposition scenario, meaning that she didnt only talk politics in the kitchen, but took an active part in protests. She and her husband demonstrated several times for the imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and they also took to the streets on 24 February last year, when there were still demonstrations condemning the invasion of Ukraine. These didnt disappear because everyone in Russia is rooting for the Russians, which is what Hungarian pro-government commentator Andras Bencsik said of himself  and by the Russians he really meant the Kremlin  but because the police cracked down on the rallies quickly. Those who participated have faced detention and heavy fines.

Polina, for example, got her first fine of 50,000 rubles (about 490 euros) for a No war sign, and then got a second one for participating in another peaceful protest. When they saw that this didnt deter me, the third time they fined me 400,000, which is the maximum fine a person can receive. A private individual can only be fined less than that, but they were able to do this because I was an entrepreneur.

In August 2022, Polina and her programmer husband both secured jobs at global companies, both with offers to work in Hungary. That was a stroke of luck in itself, but any job offer would have been, because Polinas experience was that with a Russian passport this was becoming increasingly difficult. But right before they could leave, the Russian president ordered mobilization, and the borders were quickly closed to the men who could be called up. Polina and her husband were quick  they drove through Orenburg to Kazakhstan and crossed the border without any problems. With her husband safe from the draft, Polina went back to Russia once more to take care of some final errands.

The second time around, it took her six days to get to Kazakhstan after waiting in a 30-kilometer queue of those fleeing by car.

At the border, the Russians were selling a liter of water to those waiting in line for the equivalent of 1,300 forints (3.40 euros). On the other side, the Kazakhs were helping with free accommodation  it was like a whole other planet, Polina recalls. She soon got the visa she needed to work in Hungary.

After Kazakhstan, between 21 September and the beginning of February, my husband spent time in Turkey, Serbia, and Montenegro, because he didnt need a visa to those places. Only then did he get a Schengen visa, but he had to wait until the end of April this year to receive the one that allows him to work, Polina says, indicating that Russians who oppose the war and want to leave Russia for political reasons are also facing difficulties.

The half-million ruble fine imposed on Polina for protesting remains in force. It was only an administrative error that allowed her to leave the country.

Its a relief for my mother that we live here. We dont have to fear the police, or that someone will pick on my husband just because he has a beard, as was always the case at home. Whatever happens, we wont be returning to Russia, Polina said.

We Are the Exception Among Our Relatives

Mikhail has been in Hungary since November. He comes from Rostov-on-Don, the city that the Wagner group occupied during Yevgeny Prigozhins day-long rebellion. It was frightening to watch the news and see those mercenaries take over the places where I spent all my life. But he got to watch that from a distance  following 15 months filled with much trepidation.

Mikhail  photo via Istvan Huszti/Telex

In February 2022, my fiance and I knew right away that we wanted to leave, which is why we moved up our wedding. As a programmer, he received a job in Hungary from his company, which was preparing to leave Russia, but he also had to wait for his visa for quite long. So much so that, when the mobilization began last September, he was still waiting for his Schengen visa at the consulate in Kazan, 1,200 kilometers from his home.

He ended up buying a plane ticket to Armenia instead, to avoid being conscripted. The ticket for the 45-minute flight from Sochi to Yerevan cost 150,000 rubles, even though it used to be less than 30,000 before. The plane had to wait for three hours in Sochi. It was the longest three hours of my life, he recalls. From there, the company that offered him a job in Hungary helped both him and his wife, also a programmer, get to Budapest, where they now rent an apartment. They have no plans to go home.

Among our extended family, my wife and I are the exception with our views on Putin. All our relatives are hooked on television  they support everything thats going on. My father even went to Donetsk in 2018. (This is the Russian-controlled separatist state established after 2014, known as the Donetsk Peoples Republic, which Russia recognized as an independent state before the attack last February and annexed in the autumn.)

We are traitors in the eyes of our family. I can only talk to my sister; she is a moderate pacifist. As far as the others are concerned, if I do talk to them, we dont talk politics. I can no longer talk to friends there either. Regardless of Putin, I already know that I have no desire to return.

We Knew That Russia Would Eventually Become a Prison

The woman who introduces herself only as Maria isnt going back either. True, she left in 2009, but even then she had no illusions about the Putin regime. She grew up in a small village 400 kilometers from Moscow. I saw the world outside Moscow: the dying villages, the factories that were being stripped down, the free looting done by those in power who kept having themselves reelected.

There was a time before that when she still had hopes for a change of power. She even trusted former President Dmitry Medvedev, who formally replaced Putin, as the kind of liberal face of the Kremlin. In the end, however, he only kept the seat warm for Putin for four years  not least by presiding over the conflict with Georgia, which ended with him recognizing the breakaway states of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, much in the same way it later happened in eastern Ukraine  but at a time of prosperity and good macroeconomic indicators, few in the capital found this troubling.

Still, you could tell that within a few years, the country would become a prison. Then came the judicial reform, which allowed a commission influenced by the head of state to appoint judges. By 2010, I knew I wouldnt be going back. She has stuck to her decision and hasnt been home since 2011.

Maria  photo via Istvan Huszti/Telex

Of course, even living in Hungary, she felt the effects of the outbreak of the war against Ukraine. I think the war actually started in 2014. I have been ashamed of my passport and my citizenship since then.

That the war was entering a new stage was made certain two days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, when, at a national security meeting, Putin had members of the Russian leadership vote to recognize the separatist states of Donetsk and Lugansk. She considered the meeting  at which Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and, above all, the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service (FIS), Sergey Naryshkin, did not enthusiastically support the recognition of the separatist states  a preparation for war.

I felt guilty about my country, my background, my government, which I didnt even elect, Maria says. She has tried to ease this feeling of guilt by helping Ukrainians for years. Her employers Ukrainian office relocated the Kyiv staff to Lviv, from where Maria helped organize their onward travel to Poland.

Since I couldnt protest, I worked on this for 20 hours at a time. We collected humanitarian aid for refugees, both inside and outside the company. I find it unbelievable that such a war is possible right here, next to us in the 21st century, and that people are forced to flee from the tanks of the country of which I am a citizen.

The crippling shock of war wasnt alleviated by relatives back home. When it comes to politics, both my mother and grandmother approached the situation by saying that we dont know anything about this, and besides, theres nothing we could do. I know that I cant change this mentality. The last time we spoke about politics was in 2010. Since then, we greet each other on birthdays, but thats about it.

Even as a Tourist, One Could See That Things Werent Going Well

Deniss situation is unique: he was seven years old when he and his parents settled in Hungary in 1996. Although he grew up here, he himself is still exclusively a Russian citizen. He finished his schooling here, but also spent summers in Moscow visiting his grandparents.

I was a tourist  I enjoyed it. My relatives always said everything was great, and I didnt really follow Russian day-to-day life. It was around 2010-11 that I realized that everything wasnt so great, Denis, 22 at the time, says, remembering the disputed parliamentary elections and the protests against the elections that secured Putins return to the presidency.

There were demonstrations in both Moscow and St. Petersburg in the tens of thousands, where even some of Putins former trusted men spoke up. That included Alexey Kudrin, who was finance minister for 11 years (he was sidelined for a time but later reengaged with Putin as an adviser and was even appointed chairman of the Court of Audits for a few months last year). But the protests had no repercussions at home or abroad. The outside world noted Putins victory in 2012, and the demonstrations died down. Later, the police started cracking down harder on those who persisted with protesting.

Denis  photo via Istvan Huszti/Telex

Denis didnt take part in the protests, but he said he didnt agree with the annexation of Crimea or the armed support for separatists in eastern Ukraine. He did not, however, expect the invasion of Ukraine last February. He never believed the Kremlins later argument that if Russia had not acted, Ukraine would have attacked.

Even when the news was about the repositioning of forces, I kept hoping that there would be no war. Then I woke up on 24 February and saw the news and was, well, how shall I put it, very much surprised.

Later that day he took part in the first demonstration on Budapests Andrassy Avenue in front of the Russian Embassy. I had a difficult conversation with my father on the phone  he was in Moscow at the time. He said that if we were going to protest, we should have gone to the Ukrainian Embassy, too; after all, there are two parties to the war. I told him that it was Russia that attacked Ukraine, and he said that things werent so simple. This is a recurring phrase quoted by many who believe that Moscow should not be blamed for the outbreak of the war.

Denis didnt subscribe to this view. Instead, I asked my Ukrainian friends how I could help. I volunteered, I collected aid, I went out to meet the Ukrainians arriving at the railway station. He then took part in several demonstrations, joining Ukrainians protesting against the Russian aggression.

Im Not Going Home as Long as Putins Alive

Arseniy has been living in Hungary since 2016. There were personal reasons for this, but his departure was also motivated by the fact that Russias institutions were being dismantled, and he felt it was better to detach himself from that. I was interested in politics as early as high school, but at the time I was chaotically bouncing between left and right. From 2011, however, he took part in the previously mentioned demonstrations, protesting first against the parliamentary elections and then against the presidential election that brought Putin another victory  after which Putin was given a six-year term instead of the previous four, thanks to a constitutional amendment proposed by the servile interim President Medvedev.

Everyone was demonstrating, he says, recalling that hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets and thousands were arrested by the police, pointing out that there still were opposition parties within the system  those who were tolerated by the authorities and were allowed to stand for election and gain representation in parliament  and they were also protesting.

The regime became tougher after that, with the annexation of Crimea and Russian support for separatists in eastern Ukraine following in 2014, but Arseniy still didnt think that Russia would launch a real war against Ukraine in February 2022. Instead, he expected more spectacular Russian power-playing in Crimea and more visible support for the republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, which Moscow had just recognized.

Arseniy  photo via Istvan Huszti/Telex

On the day the war began, he was being discharged from a Budapest hospital. When I heard the news, I thought I was still under the influence of the drugs I had been given at the hospital.

He hasnt yet decided whether he will ever go home. But he doesnt think he would dare do so in Putins lifetime. The president who has run the country for essentially 24 years is now 71.

Every Time My Mom Reads Some Shit, Im Back to Square One

These seven stories reveal very different fates. Each of those we spoke with came to Hungary at a different time and age  and they came from various parts of Russia  but they are all linked by the trauma of war, personal guilt, and having to live with fractured family relationships, mostly with their parents.

Its hard with my mother  she has also bought into the whole not everything is so straightforward line, Arseniy says. There are times when I manage to convince her of something, but then we dont talk for a while, she reads some shit on the internet again (the source is not so much TV). And then Im back to square one.

Cheap trolls are pushing the bullshit, and in big quantities. Paid anti-Ukrainian ads are everywhere, saying that Zelenskiy is a drug addict, a Nazi, whatever. These are the things people are being bombarded with. You dont have to be ideologically committed for it to impact you. My mother isnt either, but eventually, this amount of propaganda, and the feeling that these are bigger processes than us, that none of it is up to us anyways, that we dont know all the details  these things win out, and you ultimately give in.

Arseniy said that as a member of the Russian nation, he definitely has a responsibility of his own. Yes, I do feel a collective responsibility, and this goes hand in hand with a sense of belonging to my nation, which is an important force, a heritage. Thats why I volunteered, and collected packages for refugees. Many of my Russian-speaking friends were active in the same way.

It was precisely this responsibility as a member of the Russian nation, and the sense of personal guilt generated by this, that led him and others not only to join the demonstrations organized by Ukrainians, but to also act separately, as Russian citizens who dont support the war.

There was a Facebook group, Ark (Kovcheg), where Russian expats discussed practical matters. It was Polina who suggested that they could show solidarity by demonstrating. The majority of the Facebook group responded by saying that this was not the platform for that, so it wasnt organized there, but the suggestion brought together those who agreed with the idea.

Thats how Vogyunk was born on Facebook  the self-ironic, made up Hungarian word, which is a bit of a spoof on the Russian accent (when speaking Hungarian), and an acronym for Vissza Oroszorszag, Gyozelmet Ukrajnanak, Nemet a Kegyetlensegre (Go Back Russia, Victory for Ukraine, No to Atrocity).

These were the things for which they demonstrated in Budapests Szabadsag Square on 9 May, wearing Putin and Hitler masks. This is the day which in Russia marks the end of World War II, the defeat of Nazism, the significance of which is beyond dispute.

It is another matter that Putin has appropriated this holiday too, says Arseniy. We wanted to take it back a bit by laying a wreath at the Soviet memorial, which had been surrounded by a cordon (allegedly set up at the request of the Russian Embassy), with the permission of the police officers who were guarding the site.

The wreath bore an inscription in English: 1939-1945  Millions died fighting Hitler so that this could never happen again. 2022-????  Putin launches a full-scale war against Ukraine. Is it happening again? The cordon was taken down by the authorities shortly afterwards, and so was the wreath.

We found the wreath and put it back after the protest. However, it provoked conflicting emotions among some of those present. For example, some people called the police on us because they considered our wreath to be a provocation and an act of fascism, says Arseniy.

Others refused to believe that the anti-Putin protesters were really from Russia and not Ukraine. There were Russians who live here who said we were provocative fascists. Some are influenced by TV. And it would fit into their worldview more easily that as Russians we are not protesting against Putin, he says.

The Kremlin Respects Those Who Arent Afraid of It

There was a time when I was ashamed to speak Russian. But I wont let Putin take my language too  he already stole my country. Yes, we feel remorse, but we also want to show the locals that we need to help Ukraine. Peace will come when Ukraine wins. And for that we need arms shipments and sanctions, Maria says.

Hungarys foreign policy, which is out of step with both the EU and NATO, is an eyesore for all of them  Arseniy says its a mistake to say Putin is too strong, lets not provoke him, for example by sending arms shipments. This is a misunderstanding of the Russian way of thinking about power. Russian authorities see this caution as cowardice, and once they sense it, they will [engage in] blackmail. They only take seriously those whom they see are not afraid. The regime of violence only respects strength. That is why Ukraine must be fearlessly supported.

Protesting is important, and we risk a lot by doing it, even though we live here now, Elmira said. We have relatives back home, and if we were to go home, this activity could have consequences. But we need the world to see that even among Russians, not everyone is fond of Putin.



Gergely Nyilas is a reporter at Telex, where this article was originally published. Translated by Andrea Horvath Kavai. Telex is now Hungarys largest community-funded news source, supported almost exclusively by readers. Donations can be made via Telexs site. Republished by permission. For news from and about Hungary, subscribe to the Telex English newsletter.
A Wyoming man was arrested last week for allegedly assaulting U.S. Capitol Police officers with a flagpole over two years ago, making him the second person in the state to face federal charges for his suspected involvement in the Jan. 6 riots.

Douglas Harrington was arrested Wednesday in Oakdale, California, the arrest warrant in his case states. Federal charges were filed against him in July, but his case was sealed until he was taken into custody.

Following the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, an unknown subject was identified in open-source videos wearing a cowboy hat, goggles, a gas mask and a backpack, the statement of facts said.

The subject held a flagpole with a metal ball at the end and used the flagpole to hit law enforcement officers on Capitol grounds, the statement said.

In response to FBI alerts, a confidential source came forward, who identified the person as Harrington, of Bedford, Wyoming, the statement said. The person was not personally familiar with him and identified him solely through research.

The subject in the videos and photos, known as BOLO 470-AFO had several apparent commonalities in clothing, physical features or items with Harrington, the statement said.

I observed in the photograph that the individual had a mole or other similar mark close to his nose, the statement said. Upon reviewing a drivers license photograph of HARRINGTON, I observed a similar mark on HARRINGTONS face.

Harrington allegedly can be seen moving the flagpole to strike or attempt to strike law enforcement multiple times, the statement said.

Another confidential witness, who had a personal relationship with Harrington, allegedly said he had already spoken with him about being at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Following a search warrant of Harringtons personal data, there were several messages that seemed to be related to the 2020 Presidential election, the Million MAGA March protest held in Washington, D.C. in December 2020 and the events of January 6, 2021, the statement said.

There were a handful of messages discussing former President Trump, God and the fake stealing of our votes, the statement said.

I could tell the whole world is in on this to get rid of Trump because the one world government the devil and Satans angels and China does not want Trump around any longer because hes toppling over the globalist and the plan of Satan... one text reads.

He had also allegedly been encouraging an associate to join the Proud Boys, which has been deemed a designated hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, their website states.

On the day of the riot, he is suspected of texting an intimate partner about his participation in the riot, the statement said.

Harrington is facing six federal charges  obstructing law enforcement, forcibly assaulting a federal officer, entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, engaging in violence in a restricted building and corruptly obstructing an official proceeding, the complaint states.

If found guilty on all charges, Harringtons maximum sentence could be upwards of 70 years. There is a potential enhanced penalty when a dangerous instrument is used and bodily injury is suffered, but it is unknown whether federal prosecutors will pursue it in his case.

Last year, Andrew Galloway, of Cody, was the first person in the state who pleaded guilty to a federal charge in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. He was jailed for 30 days.

Your news on your smartphone Your story lives in Wyoming, and our new mobile app is designed to make sure you dont miss breaking news, the latest scores, the weather forecast and more. From easy navigation with the swipe of a finger to personalized content based on your preferences to customized text sizes, the Star-Tribune app is built for you and your life. Dont have the app? Download it today from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
The Casper Police Department is the first and only law enforcement agency in Wyoming to achieve the gold standard accreditation for best practices.

It doesnt mean you hang it on the wall and forget about it; you constantly work at it, Chief Keith McPheeters told the Star Tribune. They look under the rugs to make sure nothing was swept under them.

The credential was earned through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., which is commonly called CALEA.

Casper police tried to earn it twice prior to their successful completion this year, McPheeters said. Its not an easy task, as about nine other Wyoming law enforcement agencies have attempted to get it. Some state agencies have been recognized but never fully accredited.

Only about 5% of U.S. law enforcement agencies earn CALEA accreditation, according to their website.

In July, McPheeters testified in front of a select panel of 21 commissioners at the CALEA National Conference in Oklahoma City for the final review process, which resulted in a unanimous vote to grant the department accreditation.

The process of CALEA accreditation begins with a rigorous self-assessment, involving a review of department policies against internationally accepted standards for best practices, a department announcement states.

Then, outside, independent assessors with significant public safety experience assessed the Casper Police Department, the statement said.

Public feedback is also received, so the department can consider what are the needs of our community, McPheeters said.

Several Casper police officers were interviewed to assess the agencys effectiveness and overall service delivery capacities, the statement said.

The entire process led to almost a year of policy review, which resulted in about half a dozen recommendations for changes of policy, McPheeters said. And this doesnt mean the department will stop trying to improve.

Casper police were required to show hundreds of proofs from body camera footage to dash camera footage to examining proper handcuffing, McPheeters said. There will be annual inspections, and there will be continued changes made as needed.

It means navigating not only our written policies and procedures, but also the spirit of those policies, the statement said.

This accreditation is a testament to the caliber of police professionals working for the Casper Police Department and their dedication to continuous improvement in police services, the announcement states.

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.
A 25-year-old Wyoming woman was killed and three people were injured in a two-vehicle crash Monday afternoon near Douglas, the Wyoming Highway Patrol reported.

Brooke Howard died after two pickup trucks carrying livestock trailers collided on Interstate 25, the statement said.

The crash happened at 3:39 p.m. near milepost 131 in Converse County.

A Chevrolet pickup truck attached to a bumper-pull livestock trailer was stopped and parked in the right emergency lane, the statement said.

At the same time, a Dodge pickup towing a gooseneck livestock trailer was headed north, the statement said. When it passed the Chevrolet, it struck the rear driver-side corner of its trailer.

The Dodge continued driving through the Chevrolet's trailer, the statement said.

"[It] struck the Chevy pickup on its driver's side in a sideswipe manner before coming to an uncontrolled stop off the right side of the roadway," the statement read.

Howard was improperly wearing her seatbelt at the time and suffered fatal injuries, the statement said. Three other unidentified people were injured, but the extent of those injuries was not released.

Driver inattention and fatigue are being considered as possible causes. The weather was clear in the area, and the road conditions were dry.

Howard was the 89th person to die on Wyomings roads in 2023. At the same time last year, there were 76 in 2022, 71 in 2021 and 75 in 2020.

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Authorities have stopped their ground search for a missing 28-year-old Washakie County woman after she disappeared over three weeks ago.

Breanna Mitchell was last contacted July 22. Her vehicle got stuck along rugged terrain near Nowater Trail by the Worland Municipal Airport, and there have been little to no signs of her whereabouts since.

The Washakie County Sheriffs Office is no longer searching the area for Mitchell but will continue the investigation, Sheriff Austin T. Brookwell announced in a statement this week.

We will continue the efforts here at the office, going through all the tips, cell phone data, search warrants, and all other leads we may receive, Brookwell said.

There is no evidence of any foul play, Brookwell said.

Remember, we have to work on evidence, not on rumors, Brookwell said.

Officials are still looking at Mitchells call logs and text messages, and they are interviewing individuals who contacted her or the ones she had contacted, Brookwell said.

Her Facebook and Snapchat accounts were requested through search warrants, but authorities are still waiting for that information because large companies can take quite some time to hand this information over.

Members of the public are warned not to click any tragic video posted online that appears to be about Mitchells disappearance, Brookwell said.

[T]hey are spam, Brookwell said. We try to delete the comments or hide them but sometimes we get overwhelmed by them.

On Friday, a total of 45 search and rescue personnel, including one helicopter, assisted in the final search of the area where Mitchells vehicle was found, Brookwell said. They searched the area until it was dark.

Unfortunately, nothing of importance was discovered, Brookwell said.

At this time, it is estimated that officials searched well over 20 square miles of land in the area, Brookwell said. Authorities are waiting on map data for the exact distance.

It was truly impressive to make a phone call and have this amount of support show up, Brookwell said. Wyoming is truly lucky to have these individuals volunteering their time to assist with lost and missing persons.

This is expected to be the final public update unless something important occurs, Brookwell said.

After Mitchell was reported missing, officials found no known direction of travel from her broken down vehicle, authorites said. They located footprints that led about 1,000 yards short of Nowater Road, but then there were no more.

A boot and a shirt were located nearby, and a bloodhound crew was sent out. Authorities never confirmed if those clothing items belonged to Mitchell.

The approximate area where Mitchells cellphone last had signal was searched by a cadaver K9 and handler that specializes in locating deceased humans.

This K-9 gave clues there may have been a deceased person in a pond, which was located directly in the middle of the area the FBI helped search.

But a diver from Cody searched the pond and found nothing. Authorities subsequently drained the pond and did not find anyone.

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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.
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.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research vessel is on a five-month mission aboard an old Navy ship that has been modified and is now manned by NOAA Corps personnel and civilians.

The ship, which has a 48-person crew, is equipped with instruments and technology that allow it to look deep into the ocean and collect data that is immediately shared with academics on land, as reported by The Associated Press.

It is hoped that later studies will be guided by these data statistics, which can then be ingested by plankton and other small organisms. These microplastics can then move up the food chain, eventually reaching humans. Microplastics have been found in the bodies of fish, shellfish, and even humans.

Researchers on board the ship are mapping and gathering samples from regions in the Aleutian Trench and Gulf of Alaska using a range of sonars and two remotely controlled vehicles, Deep Discoverer and Serios.

Researchers can record and promptly share their findings thanks to high-resolution cameras that can function at depths of up to 6,000 meters (19,685 feet). The public can watch dives live-streamed from the ship.

How much of the ocean floor can be mapped depends on a variety of parameters, including depth, speed, and sonar capacity. The Okeanos Explorer can map up to 50,000 square kilometers (31,069 square miles) in two to four weeks.

Understanding Secluded Oceanic Regions

The crew intends to explore some of the region's cold seep communities during these dives, which are locations where gases from the sea floor rise through fractures and where plants don't rely on sunlight to produce food.

(Photo: by CHRISTOPHER WILKINS/AFP via Getty Images) The oil tanker Arco Sag River sits to be loaded in the Alaska Oil Pipeline oil terminal on March 28, 1989. - The Arco Sag River was the first tanker allowed into the port of Valdez on March 28 through Prince William Sound after the wreck of the Exxon Valdez on March 24.

The data, according to the ship's operations chief Kasey Cantwell, will contribute to improving understanding of these secluded oceanic regions, particularly the marine species and habitats present there.

That might help with fisheries management choices. Additionally, data could be used to enhance nautical charts and find dangers.

Read also: China-Russia Military Vessels Found Operating Near Alaska, Triggers 'Forceful' Response From US

A Mission Priority

One of the least charted regions in the United States is the deep ocean off Alaska's Aleutian Islands, in part because of its isolation.

According to the expedition's website, just 34 percent of the sea bottom around Alaska, which contains one of the country's greatest coastal ecosystems, has been covered by modern mapping standards, and only a small portion of that has been observed.

According to Emily Crum, a communications specialist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, closing these gaps is a mission priority and will assist in achieving a goal of mapping all of the United States' deep seas by 2030 and its near-shore waters by 2040.

In the first two months of the voyage, scientists discovered methane leaks and discovered a Brisingid sea star, which had never been observed in the Aleutians before, at a depth of 2,803 meters (9,200 ft). Additionally, at least two putative new species have been found.

Researchers on board the ship discovered a jellyfish drifting in the deep earlier this year while on an expedition off the coast of Washington state. Shortly after, an ecstatic scientist called to inform them that the jellyfish was acting in ways that had never been observed before.

Related article: Warm-Blooded Fish Outsmarted Other Deep Sea Critters To Become A Quick And Lethal Hunter

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Did you know?

The name Tucson originates from the local Tohono Oodham word S-cuk Son (pronounced Skuk-shone), meaning spring at the base of the black mountain. The mountain they were referring to was what we know today as Tumamoc Hill.

The arriving Spanish established the Presidio San Agustin del Tucson fort on August 20, 1775, using a spelling of this word that they had heard from the locals. This fort established what would become Tucson's modern-day downtown. Later, with the arrival of more settlers, the name Tucson was used and has stuck ever since.
A Tucson man who shot and killed another man in a Circle K parking lot in 2021 because he was angry was sentenced Monday to life in prison.

Lazaro Enrique Villa was sentenced to natural life in prison by Pima County Superior Court Judge James Marner after he was found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Jaime Tadeo-Avila, 50.

Villa was also sentenced to 21 years for the drive-by shooting and 15 years for aggravated assault. Both sentences will run concurrent with one another.

Marner called the shooting utterly senseless. Villa had no reaction when Marner issued his sentence.

Villas trial started May 23 and lasted three days, with the jury reaching a verdict hours after closing arguments, court records show.

During Mondays sentencing, Tadeo-Avilas son, who was in the car with him at the time of the shooting, addressed the court, saying he was traumatized by the incident.

He said he was in shock when the shooting happened and remembers screaming for help. After the shooting, he said he could barely eat or drink.

The son said he is still scared to this day and that he flinches every time he hears a loud sound, and he cant sit in the passenger seat of a car without thinking about the shooting.

Prosecutor Ryan Gant told the judge no sentence could bring Tadeo-Avilas family justice and asked that Marner sentence Villa to life in prison.

Mark Resnick, the defense attorney, said Villa made a very bad decision when he was young and struggling with mental health issues.

On June 11, 2021, Tadeo-Avila and his then 15-year-old son were driving through a Circle K parking lot near West Valencia Road and South Midvale Park Road when they pulled up next to Villas vehicle, which was backing out of a parking spot.

The two vehicles pulled close to each other and nearly caused a collision, an interim complaint filed in Pima County Justice Court said.

Villa pulled out a handgun, opened the door and fired numerous shots at Tadeo-Avila and his son, striking the father repeatedly, the complaint said.

To avoid being shot, the son jumped into the backseat, but he was hit by shrapnel. The father and son then crawled out of the windows of the car and stumbled up to the doors of the Circle K.

Tadeo-Avila was later pronounced dead at the scene. His son was taken to a hospital where he was treated for his injuries.

Villa, who fled after the shooting, ended up calling 911 and telling them about the incident. During an interview, he told detectives he got angry when the other vehicle pulled up right next to him, stating he has anger management issues and loses control of himself, the complaint said.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Arizona bought two buildings on 1.07 acres at 2552 N. Alvernon Way to create a more accessible, inviting, and functional space for youth and their mentors.

The $2.1 million purchase was made after the nonprofit sold its downtown office at 160 E. Alameda St. The new space will have a 5,700-square-foot mentoring activity center for youth (Littles) and adult mentors (Bigs) to meet.

With this new space, were not just building a physical facility, were building a bold path to a big future for our community, said Marie Logan, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Arizona.

The new location will also have areas for cooking, crafting, playing games and homework.

The organization has launched a $3.9M capital campaign to fund the new project, including the purchase and renovation of the property, as well as funding for expanding programming once operating in the new space. Over $2M has been committed so far, including proceeds from the sale of the downtown property and donations from the Connie Hillman Foundation, Bert W. Martin Foundation, the Super Bowl Legacy Foundation, and every one of the current BBBS board members.

Visit www.soazbigs.org/big-future for more information.

Isaac Figueroa, with Larsen Baker, represented both the buyer and Dean Cotlow, with Cotlow Co., represented the seller, Alvernon Investors Group I LLC et al.

Other local commercial transactions include:

Wildcat Smoke Shop Inc. bought 9,363 square feet of retail space at 1028, 1034, 1040 and 1046 E. Broadway and 18, 70 and 110 S. Fremont Ave. from Belman Brothers LLC for $1.2 million. Rob Tomlinson, with Picor, represented the seller and Mark Hays, with Tierra Antigua Realty, represented the buyer.

S & Y Properties LLC bought the 23-space Su Casa Mobile Home property at 238. W. Delano St. from Lumber Cats LLC for $775,000. Allan Mendelsberg and Joey Martinez, with Picor, represented both parties.

SB Ventures I LLC bought the 29-space Snug Harbor Mobile Home Park, 6329 and 6347 S. Fontana Ave. and 6343 & 6350 S. Consolidated St., from Fast River LLC & Square West LLC for $695,000. Allan Mendelsberg and Joey Martinez, with Picor, represented both parties.

Working for Wags LLC, dba River Dogs, leased 3,600 square feet at 3805 E River Road to open a canine social club, indoor dog park and doggy daycare and boarding. The landlord, Larsen Baker, was represented by its broker Isaac Figueroa.
The following are select pieces, mentioning Arizona, of the indictment handed up Monday in Georgia against Donald Trump and his allies and attorneys detailing specific actions that prosecutors say were part of a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election. All of the individuals named other than Trump are attorneys. The formatting, including capitalizations, is verbatim from the indictment.

On or about the 22nd day of November 2020, DONALD JOHN TRUMP and RUDOLPH WILLIAM LOUIS GIULIANI placed a telephone call to Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives Russell Rusty Bowers. During the telephone call, RUDOLPH WILLIAM LOUIS GIULIANI made false statements concerning fraud in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Arizona and solicited, requested, and importuned Bowers to unlawfully appoint presidential electors from Arizona. Bowers declined and later testified to the United States House of Representatives Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol that he told DONALD JOHN TRUMP, I would not break my oath.

On or about the 30th day of November 2020, RUDOLPH WILLIAM LOUIS GIULIANI and JENNA LYNN ELLIS appeared, spoke, and presented witnesses at a meeting of Arizona legislators in Phoenix, Arizona. Unindicted co-conspirators Individual 5 and Individual 6, whose identities are known to the Grand Jury, were also present. During the meeting, RUDOLPH WILLIAM LOUIS GIULIANI made false statements concerning fraud in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Arizona and solicited, requested, and importuned the Arizona legislators present at the meeting to unlawfully appoint presidential electors from Arizona. During the meeting, JENNA LYNN ELLIS solicited, requested, and importuned the Arizona legislators present at the meeting to unlawfully appoint presidential electors from Arizona. DONALD JOHN TRUMP joined the meeting by telephone and made false statements concerning fraud in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Arizona.

On or about the 1st day of December 2020, RUDOLPH WILLIAM LOUIS GIULIANI and JENNA LYNN ELLIS met with Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives Rusty Bowers, President of the Arizona Senate Karen Fann, and other Arizona legislators in Phoenix, Arizona. Unindicted co-conspirator Individual 5, whose identity is known to the Grand Jury, was also present. During the meeting, RUDOLPH WILLIAM LOUIS GIULIANI made false statements concerning fraud in the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Arizona and solicited, requested, and importuned the legislators present to call a special session of the Arizona State Legislature.

On or about the 10th day of December 2020, KENNETH JOHN CHESEBRO sent an email with attached documents to Arizona Republican Party Executive Director Greg Safsten and others. The documents were to be used by Trump presidential elector nominees in Arizona for the purpose of casting electoral votes for DONALD JOHN TRUMP on December 14, 2020, despite the fact that DONALD JOHN TRUMP lost the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Arizona.

On or about the 11th day of December 2020, KENNETH JOHN CHESEBRO sent an email with attached documents to Greg Safsten and others. The documents were to be used by Trump presidential elector nominees in Arizona for the purpose of casting electoral votes for DONALD JOHN TRUMP on December 14, 2020, despite the fact that DONALD JOHN TRUMP lost the November 3, 2020, presidential election in Arizona.

On or about the 25th day of December 2020, DONALD JOHN TRUMP placed a telephone call to Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives Rusty Bowers for the purpose of soliciting, requesting, and importuning Bowers to unlawfully appoint presidential electors from Arizona. During the call, Bowers stated to Trump, I voted for you. I worked for you. I campaigned for you. I just wont do anything illegal for you.
The monsoon season brings disastrous floods to the northern Indian regions of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, where heavy rains and landslides have killed over 60 people, CNN reported.

Heavy Rains and Fatalities

In Himachal Pradesh, where most have died, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu told the Indian news agency ANI on Tuesday, August 15, that at least 55 people had died since the weekend. He also warned that the number of fatalities may climb while rescue and recovery efforts are still ongoing.

At least nine people lost their lives on Monday, August 14, when a temple in Shimla collapsed due to floods, as reported by India Today. Sukhu told ANI that the incident occurred at approximately 8:00 AM local time on Monday morning when he visited the shrine.

Sukhu said on X (formerly known as Twitter) that the corpses of the deceased have been recovered and that the local government has been working hard to clear the debris.

Only five people have been pulled out so far, but there are still around 20 to 25 individuals trapped as of Monday.

Sukhu added on X, "We have directed the authorities to ensure all possible assistance and support to the affected families during this trying period. I appeal to people to stay indoors, to not venture near rivers and landslide-prone areas."

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand's Disaster Management Secretary Ranjit Sinha told CNN that torrential downpours had killed five people in the state. Sudesh Drall, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Commander in Uttarakhand, also said ten NDRF teams had been sent around the state to aid with rescue efforts.

See Also: China Mudslide Death Toll Rises to 21 as 1,000 Rescue Workers Scramble to Find Other Missing People

Relief and Rescue Operations

As the Indian Meteorological Department has issued a red warning for the state owing to the continuing heavy rain, traffic police authorities have also recommended that people refrain from traveling.

Videos and photos uploaded on social media show washed-out highways and damaged trees, as well as huge rocks being hurled by the force of water rushing down slopes.

An online message by India's home affairs minister Amit Shah described the deaths as "extremely distressing." Reportedly, teams from the NDRF are actively engaged in relief and rescue operations alongside local administration. "I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families," Shah added.

One of the worst-affected states in India during the monsoon season is Himachal Pradesh, located in the country's north. Death toll from flash floods and landslides in the state rose to above 30 in the month of July.

According to a statement released by Sukhu's office on Monday, the number of cloudburst incidents, or very violent and catastrophic downpours, in the state during monsoon season was the strongest it has been in half a century.

See Also: China Floods: Car Terrifyingly Plunges Into Crater as Bridge Collapsed After Record Rains

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Maria Benitez, who is undocumented, grew up with hopes of one day getting coverage under DACA, the 2012 program that protects migrants from deportation if they were brought here as children.

She says she qualifies. She applied. And then the government shut the door on her and thousands of others as part of the ongoing court challenges to the program.

That has left Benitez, 19, an Arizona State University student, feeling frustrated and worried, in addition to having to cope with added challenges to everyday life that being undocumented brings.

You have to do things and sometimes youre going to get nothing out of it. You have to work extra hard just to level up with everyone else, she said. Its kind of just like waiting for a little miracle to help you get what you want.

Benitez is not alone.

There are more than 1.1 million undocumented individuals in the U.S. eligible for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals protection  44,000 in the state of Arizona, the Migration Policy Institute estimates. But fewer than half that number actually have DACA protection, according to the latest data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Benitez is one of an estimated 22,000 DACA-eligible residents without coverage in Arizona, a state where undocumented individuals cannot get a professional license, among other disadvantages. Benitez said that has led her to repeatedly change her college major.

I know that regardless of the education I get its going to be really hard to get a job in this, so it took a lot of time for me to finally convince myself, she said.

Despite that harsh reality, DACA advocates like Jose Patino, vice president of education and external affairs of Aliento, say they encourage students like Maria to get an education if its financially possible.

It is a challenge and it is a personal one. And I understand when people who have very strong grades decide not to go to college because of it, said Patino, a DACA recipient himself. But I also tell them you are really just investing in yourself. The number one thing to do is always invest in your education.

While the Department of Homeland Security stopped processing first-time DACA applications in October 2022, those who have coverage are still able to apply for renewal. But the overall number of people in the program is steadily shrinking.

According to USCIS, there were 589,660 DACA recipients on Sept. 30, 2022. That number fell to 580,310 on Dec. 30 and fell again to 578,680 on March 31, the most recent date for which numbers are available.

For Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson, theres an obvious solution.

We need a law, it needs to be codified, and until that happens this back and forth, uncertainty, no certainty, is going to continue and thats very very sad, Grijalva said recently.

Benitez says not having DACA has left her feeling like she cant ever fully stretch her legs, living in constant worry of family separation. But while she is unsure of what her future will hold, she remains hopeful that one day that fear will be no more.
The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:

Winston Churchill warned, Never, never, never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on that strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter. One would think our most recent adventures in Afghanistan and Iraq would give us pause before entering another conflict with no foreseeable end. Yet, U.S. Reps. Dan Crenshaw and Mike Waltz put forward an authorization for the use of force against nine Mexican cartels. Mexican President Lopez Obrador made it clear that his government will not sanction the proposed U.S. military action in Mexico. Crenshaw has provided mixed statements about cooperation with Mexico, while other legislators have loudly boasted that the United States should act with or without Mexican concurrence. Whatever the rhetoric, the draft resolution mirrors the blank check given to the presidency following 9/11 and contains no requirements for Mexican cooperation.

Proponents of military action in Mexico argue, without merit, that attacking the cartels will reduce drug use by Americans. Ive worked on counterdrug and counterinsurgency issues in multiple countries in the Western Hemisphere, including Mexico, where I focused on military activities on the U.S-Mexican border. Ive seen firsthand that there are good reasons to dismantle these criminal groups, especially to reduce raging violence in Mexico.

But there is no evidence that suggests a mix of drone strikes, high-value target raids, and military counterinsurgency-style operations will reduce drug overdoses. There is a long list of killed or captured Mexican drug lords. Joaquin El Chapo Guzman is in a supermax prison, and the ultra-violent Zetas were largely dismantled by Mexican security forces, but this did little to stem drug abuse by Americans. This reality creates a dangerous loop where military operations grow in scope and are fed by increased resources in an attempt to achieve an unattainable goal. The promise of a victory over fentanyl through military force is alluring but false.

Unfortunately, taking on the drug problem in the United States requires us to face daunting interrelated challenges related to U.S. drug laws, local law enforcement strategies, mental health issues, harm reduction measures, and access to health care.

Tucsonans and Arizonans have the most to lose if irresponsible bluster somehow transforms into real action. Any U.S. unilateral military engagement would generate a strong nationalist response from Mexico. Our border region could become more militarized than it already is  separating families and restricting legal cross-border travel. Mexico is Arizonas largest trading partner, with nearly $9 billion in exports last year. Much of this trade is formed by integrated supply chains that are vulnerable to disruption in the case of a diplomatic crisis. The economic consequences for Arizona, its companies, and its citizens could be devastating.

U.S. military and law enforcement activity in Mexico must be conducted in partnership with the Mexican government. For many years the United States and Mexico embraced the concept of shared responsibility. This has now been replaced by a return to an adversarial relationship pervaded by accusations and threats.

Juan Ciscomani, representing Arizonas 6th Congressional District, should know better. He emigrated from Mexico and served as the Senior Advisor and Vice-Chair of the Arizona-Mexico Commission. On the commission, he worked closely with Mexican officials on the border and in Mexico City. Ciscomani recently joined the Congressional Task Force to Combat Mexican Cartels led by Crenshaw.

Ideally, he will educate his colleagues about the economic importance of our trade with Mexico and the vibrant cross-border community Arizonans share with their Sonoran neighbors. Perhaps, he will moderate damaging simplistic calls for military action and advise his colleagues to embrace comprehensive solutions. Hopefully, he can avoid his status as a Mexican-American and Tucsonan from being exploited to add legitimacy to reckless calls for military action in Mexico.
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette. August 9, 2023.

Editorial: Hoarding Medicaid funds as Hoosiers are booted off states plan not a long-term solution

An Indiana agency not spending $526 million allocated from the states General Fund sounds good, right?

The Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning is returning that amount to the General Fund. However, the offices adjustment  which helped prop up the states reserves of $2.9 billion  coincides with 142,000 Hoosiers being knocked off the low-income insurance plan for individuals and families between April and June.

For Indiana, 86% of disenrollments are for procedural reasons such as faulty paperwork or miscommunication between enrollees and the state rather than economic ineligibility, reported the Kaiser Family Foundation. Thats 11 points higher than the national average.

In light of Republican concern that Medicaid growth is out of control, putting that money in the Medicaid Reserve Fund would have been a better way to establish long-term, robust support for the program, Indianapolis-based Sen. Fady Qaddoura said in a statement to the media.

At a time when tens of thousands of Hoosiers, including children, are being kicked off Medicaid, we cant do too much to provide a cushion of support for Medicaid.

The federal government and states jointly finance Medicaid, and the cost makes up 18% of the states $44 billion budget. As reported in the Indiana Capital Chronicle, Qaddoura urged his fellow lawmakers to save the funds rather than leave them sitting in the General Fund.

The reason for the unspent funds goes back to 2021 and the uncertainty we all felt during the pandemic.

In 2020, Congress enacted the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which required that Medicaid keep people continuously enrolled through the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency in exchange for enhanced federal funding.

In 2021, Indiana lawmakers assumed the public health emergency would end before the states two-year budget cycle closed. It didnt.

In a state with 6.8 million people, Indianas Medicaid ranks swelled from 1.4 million in January 2020 to just over 2 million Hoosiers by the beginning of this year. The unwinding of these enhancements  including continuous enrollment for families  began April 1, 2023, as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act signed by President Joe Biden last Dec. 29.

The foundation reports that white, non-Hispanics and those between 19 and 64 were the demographics most hit in April and May. Kaiser also noted that children comprise 34% of Hoosier residents bounced from Medicaid, as Indiana is one of seven states reporting age breakouts.

Republicans have not commented on Qaddouras suggestion or his claims that maintaining surplus reserves at this level is imprudent.

Prudent reserves are typically between 10% and 15%, and the administration has chosen to pile up over 13% in FY 2024 and 2025, he said recently. The difference between 13% and a more reasonable combined balance of 11.5%, like in past budgets, is hundreds of millions of dollars.

Hundreds of millions of dollars, he said, could have been used to decrease infant and maternal mortality rates, increase funding for traditional public schools, or adequately fund behavioral and public health services. Or provide a cushion of support for Medicaid.

With 1.4 million on the rolls before the pandemic, Medicaid recipients comprised 20% of the Hoosier population  no small percentage of people in need. Its a group unified by circumstance, and their unmet needs will continue to affect our health systems and state expenses.

Having abundant reserves is a sign of the states general economic health. And crowing about what weve got in the bank makes attention-grabbing headlines and great campaign copy. But who or what is the supermajority saving this money for if not to help all Hoosiers, including those most vulnerable?

Anderson Herald Bulletin. August 14, 2023.

Editorial: Officers life cut short, but his story continues

Remember Noah was the overarching request made by family, friends and coworkers at the funeral of Elwood Police Officer Noah Jacob Shahnavaz last August.

The recent dedication of a section of Ind. 37 where the young officer was shot and killed will honor the request for generations to come.

Officer Shahnavaz was shot and killed during what was believed to be a routine traffic stop.

He was a 24-year-old Army veteran and had been with Elwood police for 11 months when his life was cut short July 31, 2022.

A suspect was arrested and charged shortly thereafter and is awaiting trial. We hope that the perpetrator being brought to justice will bring some comfort to Shahnavazs loved ones, but as anyone who has lost someone close will surely tell you, nothing will heal the pain of that loss.

Though Noah cannot be brought back, his story continues.

When future generations ask about him, those of us who were here may tell the story of the 77-mile procession that ended at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis after passing through several towns where folks lined the streets to pay their respects. The funeral drew family, friends and law enforcement officials from across the nation and even Canada.

The words of those who knew Shahnavaz well and even those who knew him only in passing tell the story of a police officer who was loved by his family and well-liked and respected in the community he served.

This is the kind of officer whose story needs to be told, and the sign marking the Noah Jacob Shahnavaz Memorial Mile ensures that it does.

Remember Noah.

END
LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP)  The smoke was starting to blot out the sun. Winds were howling, and heat bore down as flames licked the trees on the horizon. The power had been out all day, so Mike Cicchino thought hed drive to the hardware store for a generator. He turned off his street, and in an instant, his Lahaina neighborhood seemed to spiral into a war zone.

When I turned that corner, I see pandemonium, he said. I see people running and grabbing their babies and screaming and jumping in their cars.

It was around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday when Cicchino and his neighbors began a desperate fight for their lives. They had just moments to make decisions that would determine whether they lived or died in a race against the flames  a harrowing, narrow window of time in one of the most horrifying and lethal natural disasters the country has seen in years.

There were no sirens, no one with bullhorns, no one to tell anyone what to do: They were on their own, with their families and neighbors, to choose whether to stay or to run, and where to run to  through smoke so thick it blinded them, flames closing in from every direction, cars exploding, toppled power lines and uprooted trees, fire whipping through the wind and raining down.

Authorities have confirmed that nearly 100 people died  already making it the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century  and they expect that number to rise.

Just 10 minutes before Cicchino made that turn away from his street, Maui fire officials had issued an ominous warning. The Lahaina brush fire had sparked that morning, but authorities reported it was contained. Now, officials said, erratic wind, challenging terrain and flying embers made it hard to predict the fires path and speed. It could be a mile away, Fire Assistant Chief Jeff Giesea said, but in a minute or two, it can be at your house.

Cicchino did a U-turn, ran into his house and told his wife they needed to leave: We need to go! We need to get out of here now!

They ran to the car with five dogs and called police, and a dispatcher said to follow the traffic. Access to the main highway  the only road leading in and out of Lahaina  was cut off by barricades set up by authorities. The roadblocks forced Cicchino and the line of cars onto Front Street.

A few blocks away, Kehau Kaauwai said the wind was so intense it tore the roof from her neighbors home. It felt like tornado after tornado was slicing down her street.

It roared, she said. It sounded like an airplane landing on our street.

Within moments, she said, the smoke that had been blocks away suddenly engulfed them. It darkened from gray to black, day seemed to turn to night.

Kaauwai couldnt even see buildings anymore. Something was exploding; it sounded like fireworks. She ran inside. She couldnt think  she just grabbed her dog and some clothes, never imagining she would not see her house or anything in it ever again.

Around 4 p.m., she got into her car. Traffic crawled, people were dragging uprooted trees out of the road with their bare hands. Debris whipped in the wind and banged on the car. Danger seemed to come from every direction.

Kaauwai would have driven to Front Street, but a stranger walking by told her to go the other way. She wishes now she could thank him, because he might have saved her life.

On gridlocked Front Street, people were panicking, crying, screaming, honking.

Bill Wyland grabbed his computer, passport and Social Security card and stuffed them into a backpack. He got on his Harley Davidson and drove on the sidewalk.

I could feel the heat burning in my back. I could pretty much feel the hair is burning off the back of my neck, said Wyland, who owns an art gallery on the street.

At one point, he passed a man on a bicycle madly pedaling for his life. Some were abandoning cars and fleeing on foot. The smoke was so thick, so toxic, some said they vomited.

Its something youd see in a Twilight Zone horror movie or something, Wyland said.

The street was so jammed, he thinks if hed taken his car instead, he would have died or been forced into the ocean. The people sitting in their cars saw black smoke ahead.

Were all driving into a death trap, Mike Cicchino thought. He told his wife: We need to jump out of this car, abandon the car, and we need to run for our lives.

They got the dogs out. But it was impossible to know which way to run.

Behind us, straight ahead, beside us, everywhere was on fire, Cicchino said. It had been less than 15 minutes since he left his house, and he thought it was the end. He called his mother, his brother, his daughter to tell them he loved them.

The black smoke was so thick they could see only the white dogs, not the three dark ones, and they lost them.

Propane tanks from a catering van exploded.

It was like a war, Cicchino said. They could tell how close the fire was coming based how far away the cars sounded when they erupted.

The cars sounded like bombs going off, Donnie Roxx said. It was dark, it was 4 oclock in the afternoon, and it looked like midnight.

A seawall separates the town from the ocean, and Roxx realized he and his neighbors were confronting a horrific decision: stay on burning land or go to the water. The sea was churning and treacherous even for strong swimmers, as the wind kicked up the waves.

Do you want to get burned or take your chances and drown? he asked himself. He jumped over the wall.

So did dozens of others, including Mike Cicchino and his wife.

Others came to realize they needed to flee  but not because officials told them. Some heard from friends and neighbors, others just had a feeling.

There was no warning. There was absolutely none, said Lynn Robinson. Nobody came around. We didnt see a fire truck or anybody.

She left her apartment near Front Street around 4:30. About a mile away, Lana Vierras boyfriend stopped by her home and said hed seen the fire raging toward them.

He told me straight, People are going to die in this town; you gotta get out, she recalled. So she did.

Anne Landon was chatting with others in her senior apartment complex. She said she felt a sudden blast of hot air that must have been more than 100 degrees. She ran to her unit and grabbed her purse and her 15-pound dog, La Vida.

Its time to get out! Lets get out! she shouted to neighbors as she rushed to her car.

Shed already packed a rolling duffle bag in her car, just in case. She didnt know where to go. She stopped and asked an officer, who didnt know what to tell her, except to wish to her luck.

Debris was flying through the air. She ran into people she barely knew but recognized. They told her to come with them to their home. They got stuck in a dead stop in the traffic, so they abandoned the car. She put the dog on top of her rolling suitcase and dragged it down Front Street, to the beach.

Downtowns historic wooden buildings were burning. The splintering lumber broke apart and flew through the wind, still flaming.

The sky was black, and the wind was blowing, and the embers were going over us. We didnt know if wed have to jump in the water, she said. I was terrified, absolutely horrified  so, so scared.

But a path through the smoke cleared for just a moment, and police came shouting for them to go north. They ran.

Many others remained trapped on the beach.

Mike Cicchino and his wife took off their shirts, dunked them in water and tried to cover their faces. Cicchino ran up and down the seawall, shouting his lost dogs names. He saw dead bodies slumped next to the wall. Help me, people screamed. Elderly and disabled people couldnt make it over the wall on their own. Some were badly burned, and Cicchino lifted as many as he could. He ran until he vomited from the smoke, his eyes nearly swollen shut.

For the next five or six hours, they moved back and forth between sea and shore. They crouched behind the wall, trying to get as low as they could. When flames fell from the sky, they dunked themselves into the water. Their surviving dogs fur was singed.

It was so surreal, Cicchino thought he must be dreaming.

My mind kept going back to: This has got to be just a nightmare. This cannot be real. This cannot actually be happening, he said. But then you realize youre burning. Im feeling pain, and I dont feel pain in nightmares.

The U.S. Coast Guards first notification about the fires was when the search and rescue command center in Honolulu received reports of people in the water near Lahaina at 5:45 p.m., said Capt. Aja Kirksy, commander of Coast Guard Sector Honolulu.

The boats were hard to see because of the smoke, but Cicchino and others used cellphones to flash lights at the vessels, guiding them in to rescue some, mostly children. Fire trucks eventually came and drove them out, through the flames.

Those who survived are haunted by what they endured.

Cicchino jolts awake at night from dreams of dead people, dead dogs. Two of his dogs remain missing. He agonizes over the decisions he made: Could he have saved more people? Could he have saved the dogs?

Anne Landon was practically catatonic. She imagines her neighbors who didnt make it out and wonders if she might have been able to help them. She was covered in ash but couldnt bring herself to shower.

Her dog wouldnt eat for two days.

____

Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about APs climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

AP national writers Galofaro and Sedensky reported from Louisville, Kentucky, and New York. Reporters Audrey McAvoy, Andrew Selsky, Haven Daley and Jennifer Sinco Kelleher also contributed.
NEW YORK (AP)  A former high-ranking FBI counterintelligence official pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to violate sanctions on Russia by going to work, after he retired, for an oligarch he once investigated.

Appearing before a federal judge in New York City, Charles McGonigal, 55, said he was deeply remorseful for work he did in 2021 for the billionaire industrialist Oleg Deripaska.

McGonigal told the judge he accepted over $17,000 to help Deripaska collect derogatory information about another Russian oligarch who was a business competitor. Deripaska has been under U.S. sanctions since 2018 for reasons related to Russia's occupation of Crimea.

McGonigal was also trying to help Deripaska get off the sanctions list, Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Dell said, and was in negotiations along with co-conspirators to receive a fee of $650,000 to $3 million to hunt for electronic files revealing hidden assets of $500 million belonging to the oligarch's business rival.

McGonigal pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiring to launder money and violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. He could face up to five years in prison. Judge Jennifer H. Rearden scheduled his sentencing for Dec. 14.

McGonigal, who lives in New York, is separately charged in federal court in Washington, D.C. with concealing at least $225,000 in cash he allegedly received from a former Albanian intelligence official while working for the FBI.

McGonigal was special agent in charge of the FBIs counterintelligence division in New York from 2016 to 2018. He supervised investigations of Russian oligarchs, including Deripaska.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia later affirmed the sanctions against Deripaska, finding there was evidence he had acted as an agent of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

McGonigal, who became choked up at one point as he described his crime, said Deripaska funneled the $17,500 payment he received through a bank in Cypress and a corporation in New Jersey before it was transferred into his bank account.

This, as you can imagine, has been a painful process not only for me, but for my friends, family and loved ones, McGonigal said. I take full responsibility as my actions were never intended to hurt the United States, the FBI and my family and friends.

In a release, Matthew G. Olsen, assistant attorney general of the Justice Departments National Security Division, said, McGonigal, by his own admission, betrayed his oath and actively concealed his illicit work at the bidding of a sanctioned Russian oligarch.

"Todays plea shows the Department of Justices resolve to pursue and dismantle the illegal networks that Russian oligarchs use to try to escape the reach of our sanctions and evade our laws, he added.
A 110-year-old downtown building that once faced demolition before it underwent significant renovations will be sold.

The Palace Building at the corner of Fourth and Main streets is being purchased for $9.2 million.

We want to be good stewards of Tulsa and of downtown and to do our part to continue the revitalization of downtown, said Steven Watts, owner and cofounder of Rose Rock Development Partners, which is purchasing the building.

The sale by BH Media Group, former parent company of the Tulsa World, to Rose Rock is expected to close Wednesday. Watts said the transaction would not have been possible without Rose Rocks lender, Mabrey Bank.

Built in 1913 by Russian immigrant Simon Jankowsky, the Palace Building has been home to a number of companies since Palace Clothiers closed in 1960.

The first five floors of the building were erected by Jankowsky, who had operated Palace Clothiers in Tulsa since 1904. Early tenants of the buildings upper floors included oilmen Josh Cosden, Harry Sinclair and C.J. Wrightsman. The addition of four floors in 1917 helped secure the refining headquarters of the Texas Co., now known as Texaco.

Palace Clothiers closed in 1960, and the building passed through several hands until it was bought by World Publishing Co. in 1997.

The newspaper several years ago had planned to level the building  because of reported structural damage in the basement  and construct a paper-storage facility in its place.

But BH Media after taking ownership decided instead to spend $15 million on renovations and the building opened its doors in 2017 to apartment tenants.

We have been working with them (Rose Rock) for a number of months to get this done, said John Peters, a broker with Adwon Properties Inc., who facilitated the transaction.

We had interest from all over the world. It was good that we could keep it in the family, so to speak, he said of Watts being a local buyer.

The nine-story Palace Building contains 34 one-bedroom, 18 studio and eight two-bedroom units, including 18 apartments that are discounted for dwellers who meet certain income, debt and occupancy qualifications.

Each floor features color-themed doors and corridor beams. A community room with a kitchen and televisions are on the second floor. In the basement are mens and womens restrooms, bike racks and storage units for tenant rental.

In addition to the Palace building, the transaction also includes the Podium, an adjacent gray square structure that the Tulsa World uses as a paper storage facility, Watts said.

Watts said he planned to continue to lease the Podium building to the Tulsa World for its current use.

Two other retail tenants in the ground floor of the Palace Building  a Burger King and Taco Bueno restaurants  also currently have leases, although neither is currently operating at the location.

Well have to get together and talk with them about what their plans are, Watts said.

Other planned changes for the Palace Building include a gym area in the basement and improvements to the roof of the building.

He said the roof upgrades could include adding turf, shaded structures, live plants and fire pits.

Additional upgrades are planned for the apartment units, he said, including new lighting and window treatments.

Watts said he believed the deal was beneficial for both BH Media and his company.

They (BH) dont really own any apartment units and I think it was just better for them in dealing with some of their properties, he said.

Rose Rock now owns several downtown properties including the Reunion and Adams buildings, and Vandever Lofts.

Watts said his company now is believed to have the largest number of apartment units in the Deco District of downtown, roughly bordered by Cheyenne and Detroit avenues, Seventh Street to the south, and railroad tracks to the north.

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Update (Wednesday): Ron Durbin was arrested after an incident in which he had attempted to surrender at the Tulsa County Courthouse, turning around after the group with him was told they could not follow.

The incident was livestreamed on his law firm's Facebook page and showed deputies physically restraining Durbin as he lay face-down on the concrete.

"After review of the video and all pertinent reports regarding this incident, the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office believes our deputies acted appropriately and within state law and our own policies and procedures," TCSO spokeswoman Casey Roebuck said in a statement later Wednesday afternoon. She said Durbin was cleared in a medical check to be booked into jail.

Durbin posted $1,000 bond on the assault and battery charge and was released from jail around 2:40 p.m. Wednesday.

The story below published in Wednesday's Tulsa World:

The lawyer who has set himself up as Oklahomas premier cannabis attorney could be facing disbarment after multiple complaints taken under investigation by the state bar.

A complaint against Ronald E. Durbin II filed Friday with the Oklahoma Supreme Court details several allegations of professional misconduct dating back to 2017. Disciplinary options, per statute, range from private or public censure to suspension of license to full disbarment.

The complaint against Durbin alleges a pattern of professional misconduct in using his status as a licensed attorney to apply pressure when not getting his way: Cross me, and youll pay  in court.

Grievances noted in the complaint include incidents involving Durbin at City Hall reported in the Tulsa World. Officials allege Durbin was making inappropriately broad records requests without providing any documentation of the request.

While livestreaming on Facebook, Durbin tells a city finance official he will sue her for violating the Open Records Act, a misdemeanor, claiming the city would not defend her in court. According to the OBA complaint, after a city official intervened due to Durbins aggressive behavior, he finally left the building as he threatened to sue everyone.

That incident came about a week after a similar Durbin livestream from the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. He was trying to immediately access open records related to an alleged criminal conspiracy involving attorneys working with cannabis licensees. OBNDD spokesman Mark Woodward alleged Durbin threatened him with a lawsuit that he would bill at $450 per hour for an Open Records Act violation.

In another livestream on March 31, 2023, Durbin refused to sign in when visiting City Hall in connection to an open records request involving City Councilor Grant Miller, a clerk at Durbins firm.

After accusing a security officer of being a Nazi for requiring him to present identification, Durbin threatens he would seek the arrest of any guard who put hands on his person. The officer can be seen on the livestream using his arm to block Durbin, who was denied access to the administrative offices, which Durbin characterized as being touched aggressively.

On Tuesday, a warrant was issued for Durbins arrest on a misdemeanor charge filed in Tulsa County District Court alleging that officer was struck in the March 31 disturbance. According to a probable cause affidavit, video evidence was submitted that shows Durbins right fist making contact with the officers chest.

Through his client Freeman Culver, president of the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce, Durbin had already filed suit against the officer in that incident  along with the city, Mayor G.T. Bynum, other city officials, multiple guards and the security firm. At issue in that civil case is whether the public, presumably Culver, was blocked from accessing open records per statute.

In a written response to the OBA, Durbin said the Greenwood Chamber is extremely happy with my services, and frankly, if they knew about this, they would probably respond negatively to the OBA for attacking an attorney trying to stand up for a minority community that is use (sic) to government deprivation of rights.

Durbin added in his statement that he believes state actors are retaliating against him for his attempt to sue OBA for negligence related to the cannabis conspiracy case.

I cannot wait to fight it out, publicly. The OBA is corrupt, and it serves the attorneys and citizens of this state terribly, Durbin said in a Facebook post.

One of the attorneys who filed a grievance represents Metrc, the inventory firm contracting with Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority. He stated he had never filed a bar complaint in his 27-year career but felt Durbins actions are undermining public confidence in Oklahomas judicial system.

Tulsa County District Judge Sharon Holmes and her bailiff are among those who filed a grievance against Durbin after an incident outside her courtroom on Nov. 22, 2022. Durbin was being interviewed outside Holmes courtroom in his capacity as attorney for a City Council candidate in an election challenge.

After a bailiff confronted Durbin and the reporters about moving to the approved area for media use at the courthouse, according to the complaint, he raised his voice to a degree that three judges physically left their nearby courtrooms to investigate the disturbance.

While on a livestream for his law firms Facebook page, Durbin hurled insults and other harassing statements at Holmes that he has repeated in livestreams as recent as late Monday evening.

In addition to Holmes and two Tulsa court bailiffs, those who filed grievances against Durbin include the general counsel for Oklahoma Bar Association, a former personal injury client, a Tulsa dispensary owner, his ex-wifes brother, a Tulsa city official, a consultant for cannabis legislation, and two private-practice attorneys.

A professional responsibility tribunal hearing is set at the Oklahoma Bar Center in Oklahoma City from Sept. 6-8.

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Update: The city has changed the hours of operation for its temporary mulch site for green waste from the June windstorm. The story has been changed to reflect the new hours of operation.

The citys initial collection of residential green waste from the June 17 windstorm is expected to be completed next week, a city official said Monday.

Terry Ball, director of Public Works, said more than 600,000 cubic yards of debris have been picked up since the storm hit.

The entire city, by varying degrees, but every part of the city, had some touch as far as the wind storm, Ball said. And, of course, the central part was hit the worst. But for a total citywide cleanup effort, I think it has gone fairly well.

The straight winds that pierced through the Tulsa area overnight June 17 knocked over trees and power lines across town and left hundreds of thousands of people without power, some for as long as a week.

Ball said city contractors will make another pass through town once the initial collection is completed next week.

What we have noted is that if people have green waste debris both in the right of way but then it is in their yard, too, then we have made notes and we are going to go back on a final pass, Ball said.

Ball acknowledged that it is possible that some residents green waste was not collected. He encouraged those who have not had their green waste collected by the end of next week to contact the city by calling 311, online at www.tulsa311.com, or by using the Tulsa 311 app.

Ball said it is important to remember that the city will not pick up green waste from the storm if it is mixed with other materials.

All along we have put in there that you cannot put other waste in your pile, Ball said. We have seen some roofing, we have seen some fence pieces. And none of that is allowed. We will not pick it up if that debris is mixed in with the trees.

The city began its storm-related residential green-waste collection program on July 14. Using a zone system, city contractors began in the hardest hit parts of the city and worked their way to the least-affected areas.

Ball said the citys initial contract for collection services was for more than $3 million, a figure he expects will be higher by the time the job is done.

Typically, Ball said, the federal government reimburses 75% of eligible expenses for a natural disaster like the wind storm. In addition, the state will provide a 12.5% reimbursement, leaving the city responsible for the remaining cost.

The city has been dumping the residential green waste it collects at three sites, Ball said: the citys green-waste facility, which is currently closed to the public; city-owned property near 71st Street and the Arkansas River; and at Latimer Street and 89th East Avenue, the temporary mulch site the city set up for residents after the windstorm.

For no cost, green waste can be disposed of at the site daily from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Tulsa residents, as well as Broken Arrow, Bixby, Jenks and Tulsa County residents, can use the site when they show their drivers license or official state ID or a recent utility bill.

A detailed map showing when collections will start in each part of town can be found at cityoftulsa.org/greenwaste. The website also provides other information about the curbside-collection process, including how and where to stack the green waste.

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OKLAHOMA CITY  Gov. Kevin Stitt on Tuesday said he believes the State Board of Education will not overreact when considering accreditation for Tulsa Public Schools.

The district has been a lightning rod for criticism from State Superintendent Ryan Walters over academic performance and financial management.

The State Board of Education is expected to consider the districts accreditation Aug. 24, a week after classes resume for TPS students. Walters has said all options are on the table, including nonaccreditation. Walters office on Tuesday said it would have another week focused on Tulsa and reissued a video criticizing the districts performance.

Stitt said he believes the state board will give the district all the resources and chances necessary to get TPS on the right trajectory.

Everybody knows in Tulsa they are going to be OK, and everything is going to be OK, Stitt said in a phone interview with the Tulsa World. We want to continue to challenge the status quo.

I dont know what takeover is, what they are talking about. I believe in local control. I think the local board needs to address that.

Non-accreditation would halt all state recognition of and taxpayer funding for the district that serves about 34,000 students.

State accreditation officers have recommended two deficiencies for the upcoming year.

Stitt appoints the members of the State Board of Education but said he has not talked to anyone on the board about Tulsa Public Schools accreditation. Walters, who was elected statewide, serves as the boards chairman.

I have talked to a couple of business leaders in Tulsa about this, Stitt said, adding he hasnt heard the issue is negatively affecting economic development.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Stitt was a loud critic of TPS Superintendent Deborah Gist for keeping schools closed.

Walters has suggested Gist, who has been superintendent of the district since 2015, needs to be replaced.

These low academic scores are not new. It has been terrible on Tulsa for years, Walters recently told the Tulsa World. You have a superintendent, you know, just  Ill put it this way: Shes a bus driver. Shes driving the bus. The bus has veered into a ditch and is now crashed into a tree. You know, at that point, I think you get a new bus driver.

Stitt said determining Gists fate as superintendent is not his job. It is a local control decision, he said.

I definitely think Tulsa needs to improve and get on a better trajectory, Stitt said.

Walters served as Stitts Education Secretary before being replaced. The action came after Oklahomas attorney general advised the head of the state Senate that Walters could not serve simultaneously in his statewide elected position and as the governors education secretary.
A total of 25 Indian travel enterprises conveyed their interest in promoting wedding tourism, scenic destinations, and budget-friendly travel options during the Vietnam-India tourism collaboration event held on Monday.

The event was part of the Namaste Vietnam Festival 2023, hosted by the Indian Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City from August 12 to 15.

Over 50 travel and tourism enterprises from both Vietnam and India joined the program.

Speaking at the event, Madan Moha Sethi, the Consul General of India in Ho Chi Minh City, emphasized that tourism acts as a conduit linking the peoples of both nations.

The mutual understanding and respect for each others cultures and traditions will inevitably yield economic implications, the consul general said.

He affirmed that given the evolving geopolitical landscape, Vietnam and India view one another as long-term partners.

Therefore, India is glad to welcome Vietnamese travel firms for the purpose of tourism promotion.

A promising prospect

During Mondays exchange event, which centered on the business networking activity between the two nations, delegates from 25 Vietnamese travel enterprises had the chance to engage in conversations with 25 Indian tourism companies, establishing the groundwork for long-term collaborative partnerships.

Shakti Singh Kavia, a co-founder of Travel Recipes, mentioned his visit to Vietnam with the aim of exploring avenues to develop wedding-related tourism, a trend that has gained traction in India over the past decade.

With Indians increasingly seeking destination weddings in foreign countries, Vietnam presents itself as a potential choice for such occasions, according to Kavia.

As per Kavias evaluations, Vietnam holds a competitive pricing edge.

He asserted that the expenses for a wedding tour in Vietnam could potentially be lower than those incurred for a similar event in India.

In addition, Vietnams appeal lies in its numerous picturesque locations.

Madan Moha Sethi, the Consul General of India in Ho Chi Minh City, speaks at the Vietnam-India tourism collaboration event held in Ho Chi Minh City, August 14, 2023. Photo: Ngoc Duc / Tuoi Tre

Sunil Gupta, from Super Travel Company, regarded the concept of merging tourism with weddings as a promising prospect for Vietnam.

Gupta pointed out that Indians spend substantially on weddings, which hold utmost significance in Indian culture.

When celebrations are hosted at distant locations, numerous family members, relatives, and friends accompany the couple.

Groups of up to 400 individuals often travel together exclusively for the wedding.

Crowd effect

Elaborating on the notable surge in Indian tourists visiting Vietnam in recent times, Sanjay Kaushik, director of Rajputana Tour & Travels Company, said in India, there is a crowd effect where people tend to follow each others choices.

There was a period when people were enamored with visiting Singapore, then Thailand, followed by Malaysia.

Starting from 2022, there has been a rising trend in people opting for Vietnam.

Kaushik also recommended that Vietnam should enhance its tourism promotion efforts in India, particularly through organizing roadshows in major cities.

He highlighted that destinations like Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Australia have successfully drawn significant tourist attention using this approach.

Sanjeev Tulsian, chairman of India Holiday Options, held Vietnam in high regard based on his own personal experience.

Prior to his visit to Vietnam, he had a perception of it being a developing nation.

However, now that he was in Vietnam, he could liken the country to Singapore.

The positive experience has motivated him to better persuade his travel customers to opt for Vietnam.

Since the start of 2023, Tulsians company has brought over 100 Indian tourists to Vietnam, averaging around four to five trips per month.

Vietnam welcomed 5.6 million foreign tourists, including 141,000 Indian arrivals, in the first half of this year, according to the national radio station Voice of Vietnam (VOV).

Apart from receiving Indian visitors, the influx of tourists from Vietnam to India is also on the rise. According to Ha Pham, from Saco Travel Company, the Indian tourism market is gaining significant popularity this year. Beyond pilgrimage purposes, Vietnamese tourists are now drawn to India due to its distinctive culture and picturesque locations. Travel agencies have initiated tours encompassing the Golden Triangle route and the Kashmir region. Ha anticipated that in the upcoming period until the end of this year and throughout 2024, Vietnamese tourists will continue to show considerable interest in traveling to India.

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The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) released a regulatory framework Tuesday (August 15) intended to stabilize single-currency stablecoins, which would apply to non-bank issuers of stablecoins pegged to the Singaporean dollar or any G10 currencies where their circulation exceeds SG$5 million ($3.69 million).

All coins by issuers approved by Singapore's central bank would be labeled as MAS-regulated stablecoins. However, the MAS has to hold legislative consultations before its parliament could pass amendments bringing the framework into force, Reuters reported.

Meanwhile, the US is also seeking to regulate stablecoins in its jurisdiction, with the US House Financial Services committee advancing a bill to establish a federal regulatory framework last month.

MAS: Stablecoin Issuers Required to Provide Information to Regulator

In the procedure, issuers of MAS-regulated stablecoins must fulfill requirements related to value stability, capital, and redemption at par where issuers must return the par value of single-currency stablecoin to holders within five business days from a redemption request, and disclosure to users on audit results.

Issuers also have to maintain a portfolio of reserve assets "with very low risk," which must be at least 100% of the outstanding single-currency stablecoins that are in circulation. The assets should also maintain a minimum base capital higher than SG$1 million or half of annual operating expenses.

"When well-regulated to preserve such value stability, stablecoins can serve as a trusted medium of exchange to support innovation, including the 'on-chain' purchase and sale of digital assets," the MAS said in a statement.

Read Also: PayPal USD: What to Know About the App's New Stablecoin

MAS's Decision Commended by Top Stablecoin Players

The stablecoin market is valued at $125 billion, with two tokens - Tether's USDT

and Circle's USDC - dominating roughly 90% of the market cap value.

However, stablecoins are broadly unregulated globally, as per CNBC.

Stablecoins have typically been the backbone of cryptocurrency trading as they allowed traders to move in and out of different digital coins without converting back to fiat currency, and the tokens could be used for multiple purposes, including remittances.

However, there have been criticisms of stablecoin issuers about the transparency of the reserves they hold, partially caused by the collapse of a so-called algorithmic stablecoin named UST.

With the new rules, Singapore aims to bring more clarity to the industry.

Circle's Asia-Pacific vice president of strategy and policy Yam Ki Chan told CNBC the firm commended the MAS's new rules, saying it was among a set of forward-looking regulators globally in establishing a clear and transparent regulatory framework for stablecoins and digital assets.

"We commend the [MAS] for introducing a robust stablecoin framework that balances innovation and customer protection," he added.

Related Article: China's Financial Giant Has Delayed Payments, Causing Concern Among Investors, Regulators

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Yuri Stoyanov, chairman of Russias Stilsoft Group, recently proposed a collaboration between Vietnamese enterprises and his firm in the field of earth observation satellites, the Vietnam News Agency reported on Monday.

Stilsoft, a company based in Stavropol capital of Stavropol Krai, southern Russia, specializes in crafting solutions, producing, and installing security systems for facility and border safeguarding.

Additionally, the company engages in the creation and launch of earth observation satellites.

Stoyanov informed the Vietnam News Agency that the company stands at the forefront in the volume of orders and partnerships, not only within Russia but also globally.

He noted substantial interest in his companys products not only from Vietnam but also across Southeast Asia.

These products are sought after for bolstering national border and maritime security, combatting cross-border smuggling and illegal fishing, managing environmental pollution, averting fires, and overseeing floods and landslides.

The business leader proposed a collaboration between Vietnamese enterprises and his company in earth observation satellites.

He highlighted that Stilsoft can share satellite technology, transfer satellite control expertise, and offer training for Vietnamese experts, enabling them to independently manage satellites.

Alternatively, Vietnam can use satellite image services from his firm.

Discussing the strategy of manufacturing components for Stilsoft devices in Vietnam, Stoyanov shared that the company has engaged in talks with certain Vietnamese counterparts.

This endeavor could potentially enhance Vietnams technological capabilities.

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What you need to know today in Vietnam:

Society

-- The administration in Da Nang City, central Vietnam on Monday opened an intelligent operation center, which will help accelerate the citys digital transformation and smart city development.

-- Lao rescuers on Monday found the body of a Vietnamese driver who had gone missing following a landslide that stranded 70 people, including 45 Vietnamese, in Laos earlier this month. The other stranded people were earlier rescued.

-- The Vietnamese government on Monday issued a resolution to grant e-visas to citizens from all countries and territories and another resolution to extend the visa-free stay to 45 from 15 days for citizens of 13 countries.

-- A hole measuring 60-70 centimeters in diameter and some one meter in depth was found on Vo Van Ngan Street in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City following a heavy rain on Monday afternoon.

-- The authorities of Bac Yen District, Son La Province, northern Vietnam have mobilized 350 people to search for a 53-year-old woman and her 10-year-old son who went missing after being swept away by raging floods while passing through a stream on Sunday.

-- A woman in northern Hai Phong City has written to competent agencies asking for help as the authorities of An Duong District wrongly dismantled her house while they have neither made a decision to take back the land on which the house was built nor compensated her.

Business

-- The Airports Corporation of Vietnam on Monday signed a contract with a consortium of six Vietnamese enterprises which has won a VND9-trillion (US$378.8 million) package to construct and install equipment at the T3 passenger terminal of Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City. The consortium will start work on the project this month.

World News

-- A fire at a gas station in the southern Russian region of Dagestan killed 12 people including two children, Reuters quoted Russian officials as saying early on Tuesday.

-- The two sons of Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn ended their first visit to Thailand in 27 years on Monday, without any comment on their surprise arrival from the palace, according to Reuters.

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Some 200 police officers in Hanoi besieged and arrested a man who kidnapped a seven-year-old boy on Tuesday morning after 10 hours of tracking him down, returning the boy home unharmed.

The kidnapper was identified as Nguyen Duc Trung, a 31-year-old resident of Vinh Phuc Province, northern Vietnam.

The Hanoi Department of Public Security said on Tuesday that D.T.H., who lives in the Viet Hung urban area in Long Bien District, contacted police in Viet Hung Ward at 7:40 pm on Monday to report her kidnapped child.

The boy was grabbed by a masked man and taken to a car when he was riding on Monday evening.

H. also said that the kidnapper demanded a ransom of VND15 billion (US$627,885).

Some 200 police officers and vehicles were mobilized to hunt for the suspect, based on information provided by Trung about some venues for handing over the ransom.

However, he constantly changed the sites to receive the money.

Besides, he drove a car with fake plate numbers, making it hard for police officers to trace him.

At the Dong Van industrial park in Ha Nam Province, some 60 kilometers from Hanoi, Trung asked the boys mother to walk to the site to hand over the money. After checking the amount of the ransom, he freed the boy and drove away.

He was detained at 5:00 am on Tuesday.

When he was besieged, he shot at police officers, injuring Major Nguyen Anh Tuan.

Trung confessed that he got into debt, so he decided to kidnap the boy to get the ransom.

At 7:00 pm on Monday, Trung was driving around the Viet Hung urban area, when he found H.s son riding a bike. Therefore, he abducted him.

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More than 20 hectares of paddy fields and cropland were damaged as they were submerged in sewage sludge from a copper ore processing plant in Lao Cai Province, northern Vietnam, local authorities said on Monday.

Earlier, a dam failure occurred at the Ta Phoi copper ore processing plant, located in the provincial city of Lao Cai on August 8.

This resulted in water and sewage sludge from the processing copper ore flooding the surrounding residential areas, waterways, and croplands.

By 3:00 pm on Sunday, Ta Phoi Copper JSC, which manages the plant, was working with local authorities to work out the total damage from the incident, which affected 24 local households.

As a result, they discovered that the incident damaged roughly 23 hectares of paddy fields and croplands, plus some 50 wells in Cam Duong Commune under Binh Minh Ward and Pom Han Ward.

The company worked with the citys administration to determine the number of affected households in need of resettlement.

Authorities are working with 20 households in Ta Phoi Commune, whose water supply, crops, aquatic farms, and paddy fields were impacted by the dam breach.

On August 9, the administration of Ta Phoi Commune said that five hectares of paddy fields and aquatic farms in the commune were completely submerged under sludge measuring 40-80 cm thick.

To cope with the aftermath of the breakage, Ta Phoi Copper Company first provided financial support of VND235 million (US$9,845) for 47 affected households, with each receiving VND5 million ($209.46).

The provincial Peoples Committee earlier also asked the citys administration, the Ta Phoi Commune administration, and relevant agencies to continue to deal with the consequences of the dam breach.

The provincial administration told the departments in charge of environmental, trade, investment, transport, construction, and agricultural affairs to review procedures linked to a project building the copper ore extraction plant and adopt measures to remove obstacles facing the project.

The company was told to work closely with the local competent forces to determine the root cause of the incident and take measures to help stabilize the daily lives of the affected households.

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Twenty-nine members of the U.S.-led Pacific Partnership 2023 (PP23) are constructing a campus for Hoa Dinh Tay Elementary School in Phu Hoa District under the south-central province of Phu Yen.

The construction is part of a series of the PP23's activities this year.

The partnership is an annual multinational mission for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness led by the U.S. government and is the largest of its kind in the Indo-Pacific region.

This years mission features nearly 1,500 personnel from the United States and partner nations such as Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, and the UK, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

Colonel Claudine Calouri of the U.S. Navy, commander of the PP23, said that the construction of a new line of classrooms for the school was set to begin from July to August 18.

The building will cover some 107 square meters, featuring three rooms, and a school yard.

The soldiers of the U.S. Navy who are participating in the PP23 arrived in Phu Yen Province for this activity prior to July to ensure the progress of the work.

Besides, the group is set to repair Le Quy Don, Tran Phu and Hoa Hoi elementary schools in Phu Hoa District.

Over the past few days, we have seen residents hospitality and friendliness. Teachers often visit the construction site to greet and support us, Colonel Calouri said.

For the next time, we will implement more meaningful programs, she added.

Members of the U.S.-led Pacific Partnership 2023 (PP23) are constructing classrooms at Hoa Dinh Tay Elementary School in Phu Yen Province. Photo: Minh Chien / Tuoi Tre

Corporal Baccaro Loremie Grace is working at the construction site of a building at an elementary school in Phu Yen Province. Photo: Minh Chien / Tuoi Tre

I am very glad to participate in such a meaningful activity for education as the field is put first in all nations, said Corporal Baccaro Loremie Grace.

Good educational environment will help students study better, she underlined.

Susan Burns, U.S. Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, expects students at the school to be eager to go to school due to new classrooms.

The building will demonstrate the close partnership between Vietnam and the United States, she added.

Nguyen Xuan Nghi, deputy head of the education and training division in Phu Hoa District, said that the three underway classrooms will be put into operation in the upcoming academic year.

On behalf of the district administration, I would like to thank the PP23 for its contribution to education in the province, Nghi said.

The PP23 mission will complete the construction of three classrooms on August 18, 2023. Photo: Minh Chien / Tuoi Tre

PP23 members use surveying equipment. Photo: Minh Chien / Tuoi Tre

Despite hot weather, PP23 members work hard. Photo: Minh Chien / Tuoi Tre

Two PP23 members work at the construction site of a school in Phu Yen Province. Photo: Minh Chien / Tuoi Tre

Representatives of Hoa Dinh Tay Elementary School and PP23 members pose for a photo. Photo: Minh Chien / Tuoi Tre

PP23 members also repair the restroom at Hoa Hoi Elementary School. Photo: Minh Chien / Tuoi Tre

A soldier of the U.S. Navy smiles and poses for a photo. Photo: Minh Chien / Tuoi Tre

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A woman in Hai Phong City, northern Vietnam has written to government agencies asking for help as the authorities of An Duong District wrongly dismantled her house, and they have neither made a decision to take back the land on which it was built nor compensated her.

Pham Thi Thu Trang, 36, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Monday that she cried for help as her house was damaged and she did not know where her assets were.

At about 5:00 pm on Thursday last week, she was informed that two excavators and 10 people were dismantling her familys house in An Dong Commune, An Duong District, Hai Phong City, Trang recalled.

She and her family members rushed to the scene and saw the house was badly damaged but did not find many of their assets, including a safe with VND30 million (US$1,255) and many papers inside, a television, a fridge, and some furniture.

The scene is chaotic. Photo: T.Binh / Tuoi Tre

When I reached the scene, I saw representatives of the investment and construction project management board of An Duong District and leaders of An Dong Commune, so I asked them why they pulled down my house, but no one could give an answer," Trang said.

They later said that the dismantling unit wrongly damaged [my house].

Representatives of local authorities reach the scene to learn about the incident for further investigation. Photo: T.Binh / Tuoi Tre

A leader of the Peoples Committee of An Duong District told Tuoi Tre that part of Trangs land is inside the boundary of an intersection project of Ton Duc Thang and Mang Nuoc Streets and National Highway 5.

However, she has yet to agree on the compensation plan and the district has yet to make a decision to reclaim the land either.

Earlier, a unit under the administration of An Duong District hired a private company to dismantle a building which used to be a store owned by electronic appliance chain Dien May Xanh on the land lots of many households, including Trangs.

The wrongly dismantled house was built on two adjacent land lots which electronic appliance chain Dien May Xanh used to lease for a store. Photo: T.Binh / Tuoi Tre

The official admitted that while dismantling works on the land lots of four other families who had received compensation, they unfortunately damaged Trangs house.

Representatives of the An Duong District Peoples Procuracy and police also inspected the scene and seized the excavators used to ravage Trangs house after receiving news of the incident.

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ABC received more complaints for ABC Online than its television and radio programmes ABC Ombudsman Fiona Cameron has reported.

In her first report Cameron found a total of 11,440 complaints from January  June 2023 via online complaint forms, but an average of 23,767 complaints per year over the last three years.

The vast majority of these are general complaints about matters of personal taste or preference or the ABC more broadly. 15% of these or some 3600 per year refer to specific ABC content which concerns the ABCs Editorial Standards. These complaints are categorised as content complaints and are the focus of the Ombudsmans Office.

The largest number of TV content complaints pertain to:

7:30: 137 complaints including 51 that an interview with Russias Ambassador to Australia displayed anti-Russian bias and 20 that an interview with the Victorian opposition leader to find a Melbourne woman for her role in the Let Women Speak event.= (the woman had not actually been named in the segment). No breach of editorial standards was identified in either item.

Landline. 86 complaints alleging industry buyers in coverage of the live export trade. Landline broadcast a series of three stories on this topic where arguments for and against the live sheep exports trade were covered. A comprehensive response was provided to complainants directly from the content team.

7pm News. 76 complaints, the vast majority about accuracy impartiality or inappropriate content.

The Coronation of King Charles III. 66 content complaints were handled by the Ombudsmans Office. In total the ABC received 1996 written complaints about this matter with the vast majority questioning the ABCs judgement for scheduling a panel discussion rather than commenting directly on the proceedings against the backdrop of guests entering the Abbey.

Insiders. 48 complaints, the majority regarding comments made by an ABC journalist describing the beliefs and motivations of some people who protest on Australia Day. This matter was handled directly by ABC News who published a statement on the Corrections and Clarifications page stating that the journalist was describing the beliefs of some protesters and their motivations, not the ABCs.

There were two significant investigations pertaining to TV programmes:

The Ombudsmans Report on an investigation of a complainant by the Sydney morning Herald and The Age about a Media Watch segment war with China.

The Ombudsmans Report on an investigation of complaints in relation to ABC coverage of the Coronation of King Charles III.

Speaking with Virginia Trioli this morning on ABC Radio, Cameron was also asked if there were complaints about bias in regard to the current Voice referendum.

She acknowledged around 100 complaints of which 92% were claiming bias by ABC presenters, but other than some inaccuracies around a 1967 referendum did not find evidence of bias.

Bias is in the eyes of beholder, for sure. If people arent feeling like their perspective is being talked about, theyll feel its biased, she said.

8% of content complaints were Upheld while another 15% were Resolved.
Denise Scott is more than aware there are high expectations of the reboot of classic sitcom Mother & Son.

I walk down the street, and I have strangers shake their head at me and go, Big shoes to fill, Denise! Big shoes! she tells TV Tonight.

I loved playing Maggie  fully aware of Ruth. I can barely dare to say I loved playing Maggie, because all I can hear is people going Well, you know, Ruth Cracknell. which I well and truly realise.

Cracknell of course played Maggie Beare opposite Garry McDonald for 6 seasons in the acclaimed ABC sitcom by writer Geoffrey Atherden from 1984 to 1994.

It is now reimagined, with Atherdens blessing, by writer / performer Matt Okine who plays the new Arthur in the ambitious reboot.

It was quite overwhelming, actually

As if that pressure wasnt enough, Scotts world was turned upside down when she was given a breast cancer diagnosis just before filming began. Last week she revealed the news in a media interview which led to an outpouring of love and support.

I definitely felt it. It was quite overwhelming, actually, she admits.

Im feeling good. About to start radiation and more chemo.

Theres good hours and bad hours in a day. The health care I get has been brilliant. It just takes up a lot of time with chemotherapy, and then all the related tests. But I have a good prognosis. Its all relative. You only have to check out the person in the chemo chair next to you to know, youre in a much better place.

Scott chose to proceed with production of the ABC comedy despite her diagnosis and impending treatment. For such a principal role, its hard to fathom the strength it demanded of her personally and professionally.

In hindsight, I really cant fathom it either. Its interesting, because when I said I would do that, of course, I had the blissful naivete of never having done chemotherapy, even though I was warned about the fatigue, the aches, the nausea, not to mention the likelihood youre going to shit your pants. Literally.

The naivete helped me launch into it

So the naivete helped me launch into it and then I thought Well, you just have to get on and get it done. Truly, the crew and cast and production team were really supportive. It felt like a very caring group of people to be around.

Because I was dealing with physical pain and fatigue, I had to really go to a part of my brain and call on my mental insurance, which I dont think Ive really done much of in the past. I felt like I skated into the world of Maggie and Arthur, where everything was fine. When the cameras were rolling, I actually really loved it.

Scott is hoping this version of Mother & Son will appeal to new viewers as well as those who loved the original.

Its more, I suppose, a question for Matt, she suggests. Its such a different version on so many levels, that hopefully it will appeal to both.

Theres quite a bit of serious business in it. It seemed to me quite a lot of pathos and I really liked that about the show.

A key change is in the heritage and backstory of the family, with Maggie Boye having married an African man several decades earlier and working a family restaurant, Leos Feel Good African in western Sydney.

Shes a funkster! That makes sense because that is representative of a lot of women my age, because they were young adults in the 70s, you know, protesting, sleeping around, a bit of a share house situation, smoking joints, Scott remarks.

The fact that Maggie married a chap from Ghana, because thats Matts real story, with an Aussie mum and a black dad from Ghana. I found that aspect of the show really interesting and very comfortable.

There is an episode where a Ghanaian relative arrives to stay. So theres quite a bit about Ghana in that episode, but thats probably the only time its really spoken about or referred to in any great shape or form.

My mum had dementia and she ended up in a locked dementia unit

The cast also includes Angela Nica Sullen, Andrea Demetriades, Catherine Van-Davies, Virginia Gay, Jean Kittson, Tiriel Mora, Jenna Owen, Veronica Milsom, Andrew McFarlane, Krew Boylan, Justin Amankwah and Zara Tate.

Central to the premise of the series is Maggie living with dementia, for which Scott has had personal experience.

My mum had dementia and she ended up in a locked dementia unit. The first manager that we had was an incredible woman who really taught me a lot about how to care for a person with dementia, she reflects.

That whole thing of engaging with great enthusiasm and interest in the same conversation you have just had is absolutely the most caring thing to do. And to not ask questions that theyre not going to be able to answer. Never ask a question like So what did you do today? because often especially when its really progressed, how do they know what they did today?

It has to be addressed in a way that the original didnt

Creator Atherden, a consultant on the new series, held strong views around how the dementia would be treated in the new version for modern audiences.

In an updated version, where people talk about this stuff so much more, it has to be addressed in a way that the original didnt. But its still a very fine balancing act. The magic of the original I think, the brilliance of it, is that (Maggies dementia) never really did progress. You just go along with that as an audience. Because it cant progress because then you get to a point where its not funny, Scott observes,

I suppose Maggies more episodic (in her dementia), rather than it progressing or anything. Shes just a bit out of it at times.

Mother & Son screens 8:30pm Wednesday August 23 on ABC.
More than a thousand people are still missing after flames ripped across Maui last week, bringing the verified death toll to 99 on Monday, August 14, according to local authorities.

Earlier, Hawaii's governor, Josh Green, said that the number of fatalities is likely to climb since rescuers may find another ten to twenty people every day.

According to CBS News, Mayor of Maui County Richard Bissen reported that 90 Federal Emergency Management Agency workers and 20 cadaver dogs were involved in the hunt. As of Monday night, just three individuals had been recognized, and authorities indicated they would only disclose names after notifying relatives.

Chief John Pelletier of the Maui County Police Department said on Monday that a quarter of the area had been searched. He emphasized that everyone not participating in the search and recovery operation should remain away from the scene.

Wildfires and Damage

Lahaina, a historic village on West Maui, was devastated by a fire that started last Tuesday, August 8, and quickly spread. Fires swept over the island at rates of up to 80 miles per hour, catching residents off guard since the island's emergency sirens never went off and other warning devices went offline.

Earlier, Green pointed out that the sirens are often used to warn of oncoming storms or tsunamis, and that without mobile phones, internet, and TV access, the sirens would not have been particularly useful.

Videos uploaded to social media sites showed individuals fleeing the wildfire by dashing into the water since the roads were so congested with vehicles. Initially, all victims were discovered in water or in automobiles.

According to Green, almost 2,200 buildings were destroyed, with over 86% being homes. Green said that 1,400 Airbnb apartments and 402 hotel rooms were made available to house those who had to evacuate their homes due to the flames. Additionally, 160 locals have opened their houses to those in need.

See Also: Toxic Particles from Maui Wildfire Pose Long-Term Health Hazards, Experts Warn

Concerns Over Land Grabs

Many locals have not had a chance to look at the damage, but they are worried about predatory property grabs anyhow. According to a statement released by the governor's office on Monday, "A top concern was that residents are being approached about selling fire-damaged home sites, by people posing as real estate agents who may have ill intent."

Green said that he and the attorney general were looking into the feasibility of placing a temporary sales ban on all damaged and destroyed properties. The governor issued a warning to potential purchasers, saying that they would be making a poor decision.

At a press conference on Monday, Maui County Fire Chief Bradford Ventura said that 85% of the Lahaina fire had been controlled and that 2,170 acres had been destroyed.

Officials also reported that they had confined 65% of the Upcountry Kula fire. An estimated 678 acres had been consumed by the blaze, and other hot spots were still blazing in gulches and other inaccessible areas.

See Also: Hawaii Gov. Josh Green Acknowledges Global Warming Caused Conditions for Wildfire as Death Toll Nears 100

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Cypriot marine police rescue 60 migrants on board a fishing vessel that got into difficulty off the island's southeast coast (-)

Cypriot authorities rescued 60 migrants in an overnight operation after their boat got into difficulty 15 nautical miles off the Mediterranean island's southeast coast, officials said Tuesday.

The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) said the rescue operation was completed successfully on Tuesday, with 54 men, three women and three children brought safely to shore.

They are expected to be transferred to a migrant reception centre on the outskirts of the capital Nicosia.

Two marine police patrol boats, two speed boats, a helicopter and a volunteer rescue vessel were involved in the rescue operation off Cape Greco, near the resort town of Ayia Napa, the JRCC said in a statement.

"Around 8:00 pm (1700 GMT) on Monday, August 14, the Centre received information about a boat with migrants in danger, which was sailing 15 nautical miles east of Cape Greco," the statement said.

There were no details of the nationality of the migrants or from where the boat set sail. Police would only confirm the rescue took place.

Authorities say there has been a rise in the number of migrants arriving by boat this year, with a 60 percent increase recorded in the first five months compared to the same period of last year.

According to the Aliens and Immigration Unit, most irregular migrants arriving by sea board boats in the Syrian port of Tartus which are usually detected off Cape Greco.

European Union member Cyprus argues it is a "frontline country" on the Mediterranean migrant route, with asylum-seekers making up five percent of the 915,000 people living in government-controlled areas of the island -- the highest proportion in the bloc.

Asylum applications between May and July were down 53 percent on last year, falling to 4,976 claims, while the government has ramped up migrant returns.

Returns of failed asylum seekers have exceeded 4,370 so far this year, sharply up on the 2,353 recorded for 2022, Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou said last month.

cc/kir
The blue crab risks putting Italian clam and mussel farmers out of business (Piero CRUCIATTI)

In the shallow waters of the Scardovari lagoon, fishermen catch clams for Italy's beloved spaghetti alle vongole, alongside mussels and oysters. But an invader risks putting them out of business.

The blue crab, native to the North American Atlantic coast, has been present across the Mediterranean for years but in recent months has become a serious problem on Italy's northeastern coast.

"The blue crabs are eating everything. This stretch of lagoon is becoming a desert," said Gianluca Travaglia, a 52-year-old farmer of mussels and clams.

He is the third generation of his family to have a boat on the "Sacca degli Scardovari", an economically important part of the delta where the Po River reaches the Adriatic Sea.

"Every day we fish more of them... I don't know what to do," Travaglia told AFP as he guided his motorboat across the water.

His fellow farmers had the same issue, he added.

"They can't even lower their nets anymore because the crabs swim into the nets and break them."

- 'Critical situation' -

Italy's government allocated 2.9 million euros ($3.2 million) last week to address what Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida called a "critical situation".

The money will provide "economic incentives" for those catching and disposing of the crabs, which he said lack natural predators in Italian waters.

Business lobby Coldiretti has described the phenomenon as a crab "invasion", driven by warming waters and climate change.

Across the Italian seabed, the crabs are "exterminating clams, mussels, eggs, other fish and molluscs, putting at risk the survival of 3,000 businesses in the Po Delta", Coldiretti said.

From their American origins, the "callinectes sapidus" has spread around the world, likely transported via ballast water from ships.

They have thrived in the Mediterranean Sea, which is warming due to climate change.

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For years, fishermen from Albania to France and Spain have grappled with the spread of the blue crab, which is disrupting the natural balance of native populations.

Excellent swimmers and weighing up to one kilogram (2.2 pounds), they eat almost everything, while their sharp, blue-tinted claws are particularly adept at prying open clam shells.

- Crab spaghetti -

In Eraclea, outside Venice, restaurateur Luca Faraon is among a number of cooks seeking to explore how to use this new, tasty resource.

"With the blue crab, you can prepare many foods," said the 58-year-old, as diners tucked into crab spaghetti the chef prepared using garlic, cherry tomatoes and parsley.

"We are still thinking about how to use it as a dessert!" Faraon added.

The crab -- whose Latin name is said to mean "savoury beautiful swimmer" -- is a prized catch in the Chesapeake Bay on the United States' East Coast, where it is known as the Maryland blue crab.

After a meeting with the industry last week, Italian minister Lollobrigida said the problem might be an opportunity, citing potential markets in the United States and China.

"Blue crabs are a great resource," he said, emphasising their high levels of vitamin B12.

- 'Devouring clams' -

Yet Emanuele Rossetti, a biologist with the Polesine fishing consortium, one of Europe's largest shellfish farming associations, is pessimistic.

Clams were the core business of members of his group, and the molluscs cannot exist alongside large numbers of blue crabs, he said.

Although the crabs have been in the lagoon for about 15 years, there has been an "exponential" increase in recent months, Rossetti said.

He warned that the rate at which they were feasting on clams posed an immediate threat.

"I am sure that after December the fishermen of our consortium will no longer have any products to sell."

str-ar/ams/imm
SYDNEY, August 15, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sims Limited (ASX: SGM), a global leader in sustainability and an enabler of the circular economy, today announced the appointment of Kathy Hirschfeld AM as an Independent Non-Executive Director with effect from 1 September 2023. Ms. Hirschfelds appointment, which follows the retirement of Heather Ridout on 31 March 2023, will be confirmed by shareholders at the 2023 annual general meeting that is scheduled for 1 November 2023.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230814955383/en/

Kathy Hirschfeld AM, Sims Limited BOD Appointee (Photo: Business Wire)

Ms. Hirschfeld is a chemical engineer with 20 years of experience with BP in oil refining, logistics and exploration in Australia, the United Kingdom and Turkey. She also served as a logistics officer in the Australian Army Reserve.

"Im delighted to welcome Kathy to our Board as an Independent Director as she brings many years of invaluable director and executive experience," said Geoff Brunsdon, the Sims Limited Chairman and Independent Non-Executive Director of Sims Limiteds Board of Directors. "Kathy is highly regarded for her engineering, operational risk management, safety and corporate governance experience. Her experience leading complex projects in many of the same locations as our operations will benefit our business and our shareholders. Kathys appointment is aligned with Sims Limiteds purpose and strategy, and her experience will complement the Boards existing mix of skills and experience. I welcome Kathy to the Board and look forward to working with her."

This appointment follows the recent appointments of Philip Bainbridge on 1 September 2022 and Vicky Binns on 8 October 2021, a testimony to Sims Limiteds commitment to Board renewal.

Ms. Hirschfeld has extensive experience on ASX, NYSE, private company and government boards. She is currently the Chairperson of Powerlink Queensland, an independent non-executive director of Central Petroleum, and a board member of Spark Infrastructure RE Limited, its subsidiaries and related entities  which includes the boards of SA Power Networks and Victoria Power Networks (Powercor and CityPower). Ms. Hirschfeld previously served as a Board Member and the President of UN Women National Committee Australia and non-executive director of Energy Queensland, ToxFree Solutions, InterOil Corporation, Broadspectrum, Snowy Hydro and Queensland Urban Utilities. Additionally, she was a member of the Senate of the University of Queensland for 10 years.

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Ms. Hirschfeld is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Academy of Engineering and Technology. In 2019, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to engineering, women, and business.

About Sims Limited

Founded in 1917, Sims Limited is a global leader in sustainability and an enabler of the circular economy that employs 4,400 employees who operate from more than 200 facilities across 15 countries. The companys ordinary shares are listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: SGM), and its American Depositary Shares are quoted on the Over-the-Counter market in the United States (USOTC: SMSMY). The companys purpose, create a world without waste to preserve our planet, is what drives them to constantly innovate and offer new solutions in the circular economy for consumers, businesses, governments, and communities around the world. For more information, visit www.simsltd.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230814955383/en/

Contacts

Real Hamilton-Romeo

real.hamiltonromeo@simsmm.com
A group of Sligo Inclusive pride members, holding an Irish flag, a progress Pride flag and two trans Pride flags in front of the Sligo GPO. Cat Bonner Photography

On Monday, August 7, Sligo Inclusive Pride held a protest rally outside the local General Post Office (GPO), mainly bringing attention to issues the trans community is facing.

Event organiser and spokesperson, Harper Rooney, spoke in particular about trans healthcare. She highlighted that Ireland has recently been ranked as the worst country in the EU for providing healthcare to trans, intersex and gender non-conforming patients.

She also referenced Irelands National Gender Service, which has only one clinic with a growing waiting list, sometimes of about ten years, for a first appointment.

I have been treated with more respect by elderly gentlemen walking up and down the streets of Sligo town than I will be by the doctors at this healthcare centre, Harper stated, criticising the current medical approach to gender dysphoria.

At the protest, she also advocated for an informed consent model of healthcare that would Provide GPs with the resources they need to allow patients to self-declare and provide direct treatment at local clinics, adding that it would improve the lives of trans people, not only in Sligo but all across Ireland.

The (current) model expects to cure you of your dysphoria, to figure out what problems there are, to fix you, but that isnt how gender identity works. People have to find their own journey out and doctors should be there to empathise and understand and help the trans patient figure that out together, the organiser of the event stated.

Pippa Black of the Sligo Disabled Persons Organisation (DPO) picked up on this, saying that part of their activism is public education about transitioning from the medical model of disability, which focuses on a persons impairments, to the social model of disability, which aims to remove social barriers to full inclusion, whether they are physical, such as steps, or notional, such as stereotypes.

Making the connection to trans issues, Pippa said: Both communities need to move beyond the limits of the medical model and towards social inclusion and acceptance, which is a vitally important aspect of healthcare.

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Saoirse Black, who was speaking as a non-binary, disabled person and DPO member, further put a focus on the intersectional discrimination faced by neurodivergent people, who are often turned away on account of their autism or ADHD diagnosis when seeking gender-affirming treatments.

Siog Bancroft, speaking from her experience as a homeless single mother, stated that 53% of all homeless families in Ireland are lone-parent families. After three and a half years on the social housing waiting list, she questioned how a homeless mother, a survivor of domestic abuse with PTSD, autism and hypermobility like herself, is not a high enough priority for social accommodation in Sligo.

Sligo Inclusive Pride is a new, intersectional organisation with a civil rights focus, and it plans to hold its first AGM before the end of this year. New members are welcome and interested parties can email the organisation at sligoinclpride@gmail.com

The post Sligo LGBTQ+ community gathers in protest of trans healthcare issues in Ireland appeared first on GCN.
The Bachelorette's Men Tell All reunion episode offers a special kind of agony, rose lovers. We wait weeks for the "villains" and other annoying contestants to get sent packing, only to watch them get another two-hour spotlight on the MTA.

Let's recap!

The Bachelorette

ABC Back row: Adrian, Peter, John Front row: Tanner, Xavier, Brayden

PART 1: Brayden vs. [Insert Name Here]

After Jesse Palmer welcomes us to the Tealight Candle Thunderdome and introduces the men (nice ascot, James!), he jumps into the main question of the night: Why does Brayden suck so, so hard?

Sean goes first. "I think you were pretty manipulative in the way you were shaping the situation to Charity," he tells Brayden. "And then you started using her, like, 'Well, it's because she's never off, she's the Bachelorette, and I can never see the true side of her,' as an excuse not to get there."

Michael the yacht captain jumps in to blast Brayden for returning and taking up more of Charity's time after sending himself home. Brayden, wearing a long, black-on-black sparkly jacket over a black shirt (and of course his signature dangly earrings), says he came back because "I didn't get to say everything I wanted to." John the adorable data scientist is like, "But why'd you have to do it during my one-on-one time?" (I'm paraphrasing.)

Brayden's response is stupid, and not just because of his use of a term that's offensive to the Romani people. "Bro, you were making out with her," he says. "I waited for you to wipe the makeup off your face before I even let my presence be known." The conversation turns to Brayden's petulant reaction to the record-breaking kiss date, which allows Palmer to work this joke in:

Bachelorette GIF

ABC It truly never gets old.

"We all know what we signed up for," notes Adrian. Next, a debate ensues about whether or not Brayden called Charity "classless" over the record-breaking kiss date. Brayden insists he never said it. "Do we have the tape or not?" someone asks. Adrian is all, "Nobody else heard it?" I went back and watched the episode, rose lovers, and the man does not, in fact say "classless." Brayden does, however, say the date was "disrespectful" and "kinda f---ed" and  even worse in my opinion  he flat-out questioned Charity's character to her face. ("I had a lot of doubt about your character to some degree.")

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The final verdict on "classless":

Bachelorette grab

ABC LOL

Tanner, who found Brayden very irritating on the "survival" date in Washington, criticizes him for being so "negative" about how hard being on the show was. "You were constantly complaining about your experience," he says. "I'm like, 'Dude, I would kill to have the experience you've had so far.'" Tanner also doesn't apologize for saying that Brayden was able to "talk himself out of" any sticky situation he was in.

PART 2: #FP explained

Remember this guy?

Bachelorette grab

ABC Hello, his name is Peter

Of course, you don't. His name is Peter, and he was sent home on night one. Apparently after filming, the 33-year-old airline pilot found out that some of his fellow contestants posted their Bachelorette headshots and hashtagged them #FP. "What it meant was 'f--- Peter,'" he says. "I went to bed that night kind of confused and ultimately pretty upset To have people put this online for the world to see really affected me." Here's an example:

Bachelorette grab

ABC Sean's "#FP" post

Sean wasn't the only one. Xavier, who has plenty to apologize for already, apologizes for this and takes a dig at Brayden, who was the one who told Peter what #FP stood for. Aaron S., the poster boy for toxic masculinity, informs Peter that they all used the #FP hashtag "because you are a bitch. That's what you are." Caleb B., the pro wrestler, adds that Peter got on everyone's bad side because he "said f--- you" to anyone who tried to speak to him on night one.

John the adorable data scientist recounts a moment from the first night when Peter positioned himself carefully in front of the camera and then asked, "So who do you think is here for the wrong reasons?" Aaron S. claims Peter was also the first one on the post-production cast Zoom call to ask about endorsement deals, something Peter does not deny.

PART 3: Brayden and his hair in the Hot Seat

Bachelorette grab

ABC Jesse Palmer and Brayden

Gah, more Brayden? You know it, rose lovers. Sure, we've already spent what feels like an eternity rehashing many of the ways Brayden sucked this season, but producers have two hours to fill  so our torture isn't over yet.

"What bothered me watching it all back is to see that [Charity] was feeling all those things for me," admits Brayden. "Once I realized I couldn't give her what she wanted, I realized I shouldn't be there anymore."

Mercifully, this Hot Seat segment is short. It ends with Brayden handing Jesse a pair of clip-on earrings, which the host is happy to try on.

Bachelorette grab

ABC Jesse Palmer is comfortable with his masculinity

Looking good, sir. Now for the worst-kept secret in Bachelor Nation: Brayden is going to Paradise, because of course he is. We're treated to (subjected to?) a brief clip of Brayden flirting and smooching with Kat from Zach's season on one of the day beds. "He has, like, depth," she says. "He's like a Golden Retriever, and I love it." How dare you slander Golden Retrievers like that, Kat!

PART 4: [Boooo!] Xavier in the Hot Seat [Boooo!]

Indeed, the crowd makes their displeasure with Xavier known when he takes his seat next to Palmer. During the highlight reel, the crowd cheers as Charity sends Xavier packing in Fiji. Hell to the no is right, ma'am!

So, what does Xavier have to say for himself? Not a lot. "It's kind of tough to watch back," he says. "That conversation just did not happen like I planned it to happen, and I just stuck my foot in my mouth, and I made a mistake." A mistake, bro? Try several.

Xavier says he was in love with Charity, and since leaving the show, it's been "difficult" to move on. "I think about our time together literally every day," he says. "I had to get a therapist because I felt like there was some work that I had to do on myself in order to be ready for somebody that is my forever person." Better late than never, buddy.

PART 5: Charity takes the stage

And of course, she looks ah-ma-zing.

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ABC Charity is red-hot

After a few pleasantries, Palmer asks Charity what, if anything, she has to say to Brayden. "It was an honor and pleasure meeting you," begins the Bachelorette politely. "I will be honest; I did not like how you talked about our relationship to a lot of the guys. That was really hard for me to watch back I gave you a lot more grace than I think I should have given you, if I'm being honest." Brayden concedes that some aspects of his behavior "could have been better" and he apologizes for hurting her.

When it's Sean's turn to discuss his "emotional" goodbye, he invites himself onto the stage and sits down next to Charity. And Palmer is not about to let it slide.

Bachelorette GIF

ABC Palmer calls Sean out for breaking protocol

Yep. Mediocre-white-male entitlement is a hell of a drug. Once on the couch, Sean thanks Charity for being awesome. "You showed us nothing but grace and class the entire time," he says. "You made all of us better men." Okay, that's enough, buddy. "Go back to your seat!" barks Palmer. "You have to be invited up here! He broke the Bachelor Hot Seat code!"

Tanner also thanks Charity, saying that getting to know her "was one of the best experiences of my life," while John the adorable data scientist admits that he was caught off guard when Charity sent him home. The Bachelorette says it wasn't anything that he did. "You're awesome, and I've told you that," she adds.

Enough niceties! It's time for Xavier to take his punishment!

"Once thing I want to say is I denounce cheating," Xavier begins. "I don't think you should ever cheat." With that out of the way, Xavier wants Charity to know that in fact he had "no doubt" about her in his heart when they were in Fiji, but his head got in the way. "I can be that faithful person  it just didn't come out in the right way."

The Bachelorette responds with her chief complaint  that Xavier waited so long to tell her about his past  which would have saved her "a lot of pain." Plus, "You were saying, 'I don't want to cheat on you,'" she says. "Instead of saying 'I don't want to cheat,' [say] 'I won't'!" The women in the audience burst into applause. As for Xavier's last minute "I love you"? Charity has thoughts. "You had all day. We had a whole date that we spent together," she reminds him. "And then we get to this dinner, and that's the timing that you decide to just throw out 'I love you.' Saying 'I love you' is not going to turn around the situation."

Amen! Xavier does his best to explain himself  he knew he was going home, he just wanted Charity to know how he really felt, he was insecure because he wasn't sure how she was feeling, etc.  but obviously nothing he can say is going to redeem his choices during this "journey."

Knowing that, Xavier essentially keeps apologizing, and he tells Charity that he thinks about their disastrous Fiji dinner every day. He's even cried about it. "I wish that my answers reflected the man that I want to be in the future," he continues. "It wasn't that I was trying to get there to just have sex with you. That was not my goal. My goal was to hear more and deepen that connection that we had." The Bachelorette listens politely, and then graciously accepts Xavier's hand-knitted rose.

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ABC Xavier's handmade peace offering

Charity wishes him the best, and they close the segment with a hug.

PART 6: Bloopers, deleted scenes, and Captain Tom

Truth be told, I could have done without the manscaping segment from the dodgeball date. (Please never say the words "full kitten" in my presence, I beg you.) The bloopers, meanwhile, delivered as per usual.

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ABC Tanner gets catcalled

I also loved Charity mainlining the Listerine Strips before her record-breaking kiss. (Those things are powerful!) And hooray for Captain Tom, who ABC flew to LA so he could sit in the audience and repeatedly refer to the Bachelorette as "Chastity." The swamp boat captain says that had he been the one to decide which guy deserved the rose on that date, he would have given it to Sean.

Bachelorette grab

ABC We will accept this rose, Captain Tom

Too cute.

PART 7: OG filler

We've reached the point in the program when past contestants and leads arrive to share their words of wisdom. Please welcome Trista Sutter, Desiree Siegfried, and DeAnna Pappas.

Bachelorette grab

ABC Charity, Trista, Desiree, and DeAnna

Hi, ladies! Bye, ladies! (And happy almost-20th anniversary, Trista and Ryan!)

PART 8: The Golden Bachelor in the (Icy) Hot Seat

I cannot, this man is just too lovable.

Bachelorette grab

ABC Your Golden Bachelor, everybody!

Rose lovers, if you were not bawling after Gerry's intro package, please check your pulse. While I can't say too much about it yet, I have spent some time with Gerry, and I can confirm that he is as sweet and charming and earnest as he seems.

Palmer asks Gerry, who was married to his high school sweetheart for 43 years, if he has any advice for maintaining a long union. "Jesse, if there's one thing only that I would tell you or anyone else, it's look at your spouse every day and tell them you love them," says Gerry. "Because the day comes too soon for one of you, that you can't do that. And I would give anything to be able to do that one more time."

Where are the tissues, dang it? I'm crying again. As for what he's looking for as the Golden Bachelor, Gerry says he's hoping to find "a new person that will make me whole again." He's not looking to replace his late wife, Toni, he just wants a partner for the rest of his life. Godspeed, Gerry!

PART 9: A finale supertease

Tears, kisses, tears, declarations of love, tears, real talk from Charity's mom: "You're going to have to come down to one person." Tears, hugs, kisses, more real talk from Charity's mom: "Deep down inside you, I believe you know. But you've got to make that decision." Tears, tears, tears. Aaaand scene!

Holy cow, there's only one week left, rose lovers! And from the preview, it looks like Aaron might still be in the mix for Charity's final rose. Did this Men Tell All change your opinion about Brayden, Xavier, Sean, or any of the guys this season? Are you excited to see Brayden in Paradise? And will you be watching The Golden Bachelor? Let me know your thoughts on Twitter @KristenGBaldwin.

The Bachelorette airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

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Related content:
Sheffield Wednesday boss Xisco Munoz Picture: Steve Ellis

Djiedi Gassama has joined the S6 side on a permanent deal from French giants Paris St Germain, in doing so becoming the tenth signing of a busy summer.

The Mauritania-born French youth international was of interest to Borussia Dortmund among others in seasons gone by and was a star of PSGs recent European exploits at youth level. He spent last season out on loan at Belgian top tier outfit K.A.S. Eupen.

Gassamas signing is one that has excited Wednesday boss Xisco, who made clear the youngster will add important attributes to the side.

The Spaniard has made no secret of his desire to add pace and power to his squad, but expressed the need for patience.

Hes a young guy and a good talent, he told the clubs in-house media team. We need to understand that he is 19-years-old, we will try to help him show the capacity he has.

The rhythm of him is very high, he has speed and a good finish, this is one of the things we need and what we want in our team.

He will add value to our club in the future. At some moments we will give him love, and other moments we will try to push him to try and get better.

Im very happy for him to arrive and Im sure he will give good results in our team.
Most Americans believe that inhaling marijuana smoke is safer compared to cigarettes. This detail was revealed by a new study conducted by health experts at the University of California.

Is Marijuana Smoke Safer Than Cigarettes?

According to CBS News' latest report, the new UC study was led by Dr. Beth Cohen, a professor of medicine at the university.

Dr. Cohen, who is also the USCF's program in residency investigation methods and epidemiology co-director, explained why marijuana smoke is not safer than tobacco.

"When you burn something, whether it is tobacco or cannabis, it creates toxic compounds, carcinogens, and particulate matter that are harmful to health," she said.

The study's lead author added that the issue with inhaling marijuana smoke is the combustion, saying that thinking cannabis is safer because it is naturally burning is just wrong.

Carol Boyd, the founding director of the UC's Center for Study Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking, and Health, said that cannabis smoke contains plenty of toxins and tar that can negatively affect the lungs.

"All smoke is an irritant to the respiratory tract and at a time in human history when humans breathe polluted air, NO added smoke is good," he said.

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Most Americans Think So

The new study, which was published in the JAMA Network Open Journal, asked 5,000 Americans who are mostly 50 years old.

The survey was conducted in 2017, 2020, and 2021. Based on its findings, around 44% of Americans think that cannabis smoke is safer than tobacco.

This is definitely higher compared to the 25.5% who believe that cigarette smoke is safer to inhale.

Since inhaling marijuana smoke is as dangerous as smoking cigarettes, Everyday Health said that the scientific community needs to do a better job of educating people about the risks of smoking cannabis.

Remember, smoking marijuana also damages the lungs. Cannabis has been linked to chronic bronchitis. Aside from this, health experts at the American Lung Association also warned that marijuana smoke can damage the immune system as well.

You can click this link to learn more about the dangers of inhaling marijuana smoke.

Related Article: 'Musk Drug' Medical Alert: Boardmasters Festival Organizers Warn Partygoers Not To Take 'Tesla Tablets'

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Across the world, tourists continue to let themselves and their home countries down with mindless acts of vandalism and disrespect.

No matter how sacred or significant to a nation's culture, treasured landmarks across the world are constantly at risk from disrespectful tourists.

Far from being satisfied with a simple photo, some people have scrawled their names or other messages onto irreplaceable monuments and historic structures.

Others appear incapable of reading signs, such as a woman recently filmed climbing into Rome's Trevi Fountain to fill up her water bottle  appearing confused when security guards confronted her.

It wasn't immediately clear if the woman was arrested or fined, but the video has prompted plenty of outrage online since it was shared earlier this week.

Watch: Tourist wades through historic Trevi Fountain to fill up her water bottle

Here, Yahoo News UK takes a look at other cases of historic landmarks being vandalised and disrespected by rude or absent-minded tourists.

The Colosseum, Italy

One of Rome's most well-known landmarks, the Colosseum, has been defaced plenty of times over the years.

Last month, a 17-year-old Swiss girl was filmed carving the letter 'N' into the ancient amphitheatre and found herself at the centre of a police investigation.

Tour guide David Battaglino, who filmed the teenager, said the girl's parents tried to defend her by saying: "She's just a little girl, she wasn't doing anything wrong", La Repubblica reported.

The teen and her parents were taken to a police station in Rome's Piazza Venezia, but it is not clear what happened to the family afterwards.

Read more: Should parents be fined if their children are convicted of anti-social behaviour?

British tourist Ivan Dimitrov, 27, claims he didn't know how old the Colosseum was. (YouTube)

That incident came just weeks after a 27-year-old British tourist from Bristol was caught on camera defacing the same landmark.

Ivan Dimitrov was caught using a key to carve 'Ivan + Hayley 23'  his and his girlfriend's names  into the wall of the nearly 2,000-year-old amphitheatre.

He later wrote a "heartfelt and honest" apology "to the Italians and to the whole world" in a letter, claiming he wasn't aware of how old the structure was.

Story continues

If convicted for the offence, Dimitrov could face a fine of up to 15,000 (12,500) as well as a prison sentence of two-to-five years, the BBC reported.

Watch: British tourist who carved names into Colosseum issues apology to people of Italy

Luxor Temple, Egypt

A Chinese teenager named Ding Jinhao provoked anger in both Egypt and his own country after he vandalised the 3,500-year-old Luxor Temple in 2013.

Clearly not content with taking a picture, he scrawled 'Ding Jinhao visited here' in Chinese across one of the sandstone carvings.

Another tourist from China spotted him and took a picture of the incident, posting it to Chinese social networking site Weibo with the comment: "My saddest moment in Egypt. Ashamed and unable to show my face."

Read more: Rapper Ice Cube weighs in on Harry and Meghan stepping back from Royal Family

Chinese characters were left on the right-hand side of this carving, reading 'Ding Jinhao paid a visit here'. (Reuters)

He was eventually revealed to be a middle school student in Nanjing in east China's Jiangsu Province. His school's website was hacked and visitors had to click a box saying "Ding has visited this place" before being able to visit, Beijing News reported.

Ding's parents issued an apology via an interview with a newspaper in Nanjing. His mother told local newspaper Modern Express: "We want to apologise to the Egyptian people and to people who have paid attention to this case across China."

Temple of Kukulcan, Mexico

It isn't only graffiti at historic sites that gets people's backs up.

Many of these landmarks are very old, and authorities want to do all they can to keep them preserved  often by banning tourists from walking or climbing on them.

Abigail Villalobos, a 29-year-old Mexican, clearly didn't get that message when she was filmed last year climbing the steps of the ancient Temple of Kukulcan and dancing.

Read more: Hawaii wildfires: Aerial images show devastation in Maui as death toll reaches 99

Honestly, she needs to be worried about more than just people booing her.  https://t.co/D6IPCQa3D3  Bag Ah Sugar Ten!  (@tenilleclarke1) November 22, 2022

In a TikTok video that went viral, she appeared to pose for pictures as angry people down below shouted jail, jail, jail and lock her up" in response to her disrespecting one of the seven wonders of the world.

She was arrested by police, and after spending half an hour in custody, paid a fine of 5,000 pesos (about 230).

The Great Wall, China

Three tourists were caught scrawling their names on the Great Wall of China in 2021 and were subsequently fined by authorities.

The two men and one woman were found to have defaced the Badaling zone  the most popular part of the wall for tourists, MailOnline reported.

It isn't known exactly how much they were fined, but the penalty for carving or scrawling on a historic building in the People's Republic is less than 200 yuan (about 22).

Those causing more serious damage can be detained for up to 10 days and fined 500 yuan (about 54).

Read more: Are there any big cats in the UK countryside?

Three tourists were caught and fined for leaving their mark on this ancient landmark. (Alamy)

Chiang Mai Old City Wall Gates, Thailand

A 23-year-old British tourist faced the prospect of 10 years in a Thai prison after spray-painting 'Scouser Lee B' on an 800-year-old wall.

Lee Furlong, 23, was arrested alongside Canadian Brittney Schneider, at a guest house in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand in 2018.

He was caught on CCTV using black spray-paint to leave his mark close to Tha Phae gate, on the walls surrounding the old city, with police tracking him down to his hostel.

The backpacker, originally from Liverpool, was mocked online for misspelling 'scouse' or 'scouser' as 'scousse'. Eventually he was spared jail after his parents agreed to pay a fine of 2,400, The Mirror reported.

Watch: British tourist 'Scouser Lee' confronted by Thai police for vandalising 800-year-old wall

Moai figure, Easter Island

In 2008, a 26-year-old tourist from Finland snapped off an earlobe from an ancient Moai statue on Easter Island, a Chilean territory in the South Pacific.

Marko Kulju's actions resulted in the lobe broken into several pieces, prompting outrage among locals. The island's mayor even went as far as suggesting: "If an ear is cut off, then an ear gets cut."

Read more: How much did Bibby Stockholm cost?

Marko Kulju's vandalism of a Moai stone sculptures sparked outrage across Easter Island. (Alamy)

Maoi are monolithic human-like sculptures, carved by the Rapa Nui people between the years 1250 and 1500  meaning they are in no way replaceable.

Kulju issued an apology for his vandalism and was reportedly kept under house arrest at his hotel for 13 days, The Independent reported.

According to the BBC, he was fined 8,500 and told to stay away from the island for three years.
Boonsong Wannas (Image: Boonsong Wannas)

A brothel keeper who made 167,000 from her life of crime only has 822.09 to hand over to prosecutors to in a proceeds of crime action.

Boonsong Wannas,63, was ordered to hand over the sum during a hearing at the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday.

She was taken to the court by Crown lawyers who wanted to seize Wannass ill gotten gains.

She was one of four criminals jailed for a total of 31 years last year for human trafficking offences committed in Glasgow. The mum of two communicated with the woman in her homeland and offered her work as a masseuse and prostitute.

She arranged a visa and made travel arrangements for the human trafficking victim and took her two flats in the city where she arranged for men to have sex with her for money.

The victim was in debt to moneylenders in her homeland but was told by Wannas that she owed her pounds 5,000 for air fare and the visa arrangements.

On Monday, prosecutor Dan Byrne told judge Lord Clark that both the Crown and Wannass lawyers had agreed that she made 167,000 from her criminal activities.

However, only 822.09 could only be recovered from her at this point in time.

Lord Clark then ordered Wannas to hand the sum over.

At earlier proceedings, judge Douglas Brown said at the High Court in Glasgow: "You were advertising for her clients, organising their attendance and arranging the sexual activity and the price.

"She felt she had no choice but to do as instructed as otherwise she would be unable to pay the pounds 5000 which you said she owed you and her outstanding debts in Thailand," said the sentencing judge.

Wannas admitted a human trafficking offence of recruiting, transporting and harbouring the woman between November 2019 and February 2020.

She also pleaded guilty to a further charge of keeping or managing a brothel at flats in the city's Cathcart Road, Linden Street, Anniesland and Charlotte Street, Calton between October 2019 and February 2020.

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But following her sentencing her lawyers took a legal challenge to the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh claiming that the punishment imposed on her was excessive.

Her counsel Fred Mackintosh KC told the appeal judges: "In this case the victim came to Scotland in the full knowledge that the purpose of her visit was to carry out prostitution. There was no deception and no compulsion to come. She did not lie to get her here".

He said there was no suggestion of violence from Wannas or threats of violence.

But Lord Pentland, who heard the appeal with Lord Matthews, said the victim was "vulnerable to exploitation" as she required to pay off substantial debts to moneylenders in Thailand.

He said that an agreement that Wannas should take half the woman's earnings was "clearly unfair" and the victim was effectively trapped.

Lord Pentland said, in refusing the appeal, that exploitation of fellow human beings in the way carried out by Wannas was "degrading and deplorable

Prosecutors can return to court if they find any more of Wannass assets and ask for an order to confiscate them.
Morning View (Photo: gina)

That dissident republican terrorists have been able to access highly sensitive data on all PSNI staff is an almost unbelievable scandal.

There now needs to be a major investigation of how the police in Northern Ireland handle top secret information, led by London.

It is so serious that the UK government should do something that it should have done a while ago  take control of the governing of Northern Ireland.

It is outrageous that civil servants have been in charge, leading to haphazard decisions in a range of aspects of the province, including financial cuts in some areas and not others. It is utterly wrong to ask neutral public officials to make such contentious decisions.

But this security vacuum is another sphere in which Northern Ireland cannot be rudderless. In any even London should have long been taking a close eye on what is happening in NI, including the use of 'human rights' to neuter present policing and trash the reputations of the highly professional, vital policing of the past.

Think of the SDLP photo shoots of politicians outside MI5 headquarters in Co Down some years ago, protesting against 'spooks'. The UK government has a duty to ignore such nonsense and protect the lives of its citizens. The intelligence services have been essential on keeping tabs on dissident republicans who were plotting to murder people long before this data breach. Yet now, amongst other divulged information, the identities of officers who work with MI5 have been divulged.

In the NHS if you act so negligently that lives are ruined you face criminal sanction. Why not in the PSNI?

Our police service has a huge focus on issues like supposed 'hate crimes' that in fact often seem to be examples of people behaving very rudely. Yet it has not got secure ways of protecting top secret information.
AFP

Residents of western Canada scrambled to evacuate Saturday as raging wildfires encroached on two metropolitan areas -- separate blazes that have sent tens of thousands fleeing over the course of just days.The devastating fires in British Columbia and the Northwest Territories are just the latest in a summer of dramatic wildfires across the country that have left millions of acres scorched.According to estimates, 19,000 people were evacuated from Yellowknife, the Northwest Territories capital, over 48 hours, its environment minister Shane Thompson said late Friday.The city, home to some 20,000, was largely a ghost town following the largest ever evacuation from the region. Winds have been fanning the wildfires towards Yellowknife, but Saturday there was some relief after overnight rain brought a sharp dip in temperatures, government weather forecasts showed.More than 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) south in British Columbia, fire also bore down on Kelowna, a city of 150,000 people in the Okanagan Valley.Blazes have already destroyed several properties in West Kelowna, separated by Okanagan Lake from its larger, eponymous neighbor.Among them is the Lake Okanagan Resort, according to local media, which is known for having hosted high-profile politicians such as British prime minister Margaret Thatcher.Exceedingly thick smoke meanwhile made it difficult for many in the area to breathe.Overall, the number of people under evacuation order in British Columbia was 15,000, Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma said.- 'Sad and depressed' -The blazes have caused "terrible loss," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters after meeting evacuees from Yellowknife as they arrived in Edmonton, Alberta, with no idea when they may return home.Of the 19,000 who fled Yellowknife, "over 15,000 traveled out by road and 3,800 have been airlifted, with approximately 1,000 essential staff remaining in the city and surrounding area," environmental minister Thompson posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.Those crews were remaining to erect defenses from the flames, while water bombers have been seen flying low over the city, with the Canadian military also helping out.Tony Whitford, a former commissioner for the Northwestern Territories and a longtime resident of Yellowknife, arrived in the city of Calgary on one of the first flights out and gave the evacuation high marks."My compliments to them all," Whitford, who is 82 and wheelchair-bound, said of the organizers. "It's so complex -- 20,000 people -- it's incredible. It went smoothly."Several towns and Indigenous communities were evacuated earlier. The exodus from Yellowknife means half the population of the near-Arctic territory has been displaced.Martha Kanatsiak, who has lived in Yellowknife for 28 years, arrived late Friday in Calgary."I'm okay, but I feel sad and depressed and worried. I never saw something like this," the 59-year-old Inuit retiree told AFP.Some 40 flights carrying around 3,500 passengers from Yellowknife have arrived in Calgary, said officials in the city, which has made nearly 500 hotel rooms available.Meanwhile across the border in the United States, several thousand people were forced to flee wildfires in Washington state, with at least one death reported, local media said. Some 185 structures have burned in and around the eastern Washington town of Medical Lake, with high temperatures and fierce winds complicating firefighters' work, according to the Spokesman-Review of Spokane. Canada is experiencing a record-setting wildfire season, with official estimates of over 14.0 million hectares (34.6 million acres) already burned -- almost twice the area of the last record of 7.3 million hectares. Four people have died so far.In addition, the fires have emitted an unprecedented amount of carbon dioxide.Scientists say human-caused global warming is exacerbating natural hazards, making them both more frequent and more deadly.bfm/bbk/bfm
HA NOI  As e-invoices generated from cash registers (ECR) make tax collection more efficient and manageable, tax authorities are working to make e-invoicing a common practice among vendors.

Nguyen Thi Lan Anh, Director of the Tax Administration Department on Small and Medium Enterprises and Business Households, Individuals, said ECR would serve the taxman well by creating a fairer and more transparent tax environment for taxpayers.

One convenience is that ECR can be generated at any time thanks to the round-the-clock connection between cash registers and tax databases. The freedom from time constraints gives vendors more elbow room to correct errors that might arise in their invoices.

Between late 2022 and July 17, 2023, more than 27,400 companies and individuals were registering as ECR issuers, with around 13.9 million e-invoices being issued. At the end of Q2/2023, 54 cities and provinces met their targets on ECR coverage whereas nine failed to hit the mark.

Le Xuan Truong, Head of the Faculty of Taxation and Customs, Academy of Finance, said ECR would improve the transparency in transactions and allow buyers to hold vendors accountable for the quality of goods and services that they provide.

Thai Minh Giao, Deputy Director of the Tax Department of HCM City, said his department had set a target of 6,674 taxpayers registering as ECR issuers in 2023. By July 17, around 3,500 had got in on the act.

The deputy director underlined several obstacles for the department to achieve its target. The first obstacle involves the absence of a regulation that makes ECR mandatory for vendors.

The second obstacle centres around transition costs. Many vendors were unwilling to take the plunge because ECR entails costs associated with software installation and upgrades.

Director Anh said her department would take some measures to bring ECR to popularity in the short term.

One measure involves a change from presumptive taxation to income-based taxation for businesses that serve consumers directly, especially those in the restaurant industry. This change would work because income-based taxation is a conducive environment for ECR.

For businesses that do not serve consumers directly, the department would examine their tax status and take action on a case-by-case basis.

The department would use communication tools to keep taxpayers well aware of ECR. "The lucky invoice" programmes could also be launched to promote the use of ECR in daily transactions.  VNS
HA NOI  As the start of the academic year 2023-24 is approaching, the school stationery market becomes increasingly exciting.

This year, consumers are favouring items produced by Vietnamese enterprises as those have improved in both quality and design. To match customer demand before the new school year, book and retail stores have made sure their shelves are stocked.

Currently, made-in-Viet Nam school stationery products are prevalent in the market, accounting for 70-80 per cent of the market share.

According to Vietnam News Agency correspondents, domestically-made school stationery products for the new school year are diverse in designs and quality. Products from domestic stationery makers such as Hong Ha, Kim Long and Vinh Tien have improved designs and quality, affirming the prestige.

The prices of school stationeries at popular stores on several streets in Ha Noi such as Ly Thuong Kiet in Hoan Kiem District, Bach Khoa in Hai Ba Trung District, or Nguyen Van Cu in Gia Lam District have not showed significant changes compared to previous years.

For example, the price of notebooks and test papers of brands such as Campus, Hong Ha and Hai Tien ranges from VN9,000-VN25,000 per each; pencils, ballpoint pens of brands like Thien Long and Hong Ha... priced from VN3,000 to VN10,000 VND per piece.

Nguyen Thi Lan, who has two children - one in 7th grade and one in 11th grade - in Hoang Mai District, said that the school stationery market this year was abundant, and prices of these goods had not increased compared to last year.

Notably, the stationery items were mainly Vietnamese products with diversified designs and cheaper prices than imported ones, so she also prioritised buying Vietnamese goods. In addition to textbooks, she planned also to buy new things from domestic makers for her children such as clothes, shoes and school bags.

Lan is not alone.

Tran Thuy Nga who lives in Hai Ba Trung Distrcit's Bach Mai street said this year she still bought made-in-Viet Nam school stationery for her two children thanks to their diversified models and reasonable prices. Nga added that even she loved using the products.

o Thu Hong, a saleswoman at a bookstore on Ly Thuong Kiet Street in Hoan Kiem District, said that her store received a quite high number of customers in recent days, Especially in the weekend, the number of customers increased between 30 and 40 per cent compared to same days in the previous month.

Attractive promotion

To attract more customers, supermarkets and retail stores are offering many promotions.

Fahasa store system offers discounts on school stationery up to 60 per cent. For example, prices of pens and crayons are slashed by 10-30 per cent, backpacks and briefcases by 50 per cent, and textbooks and notebooks by 5-10 per cent. Not only at stores and bookstores but supermarkets and retail systems also offer many promotions with school stationary items.

Meanwhile, Win Mart supermarket system cut off 20 per cent price for colouring notebooks and uniform pants. Prices of bags and backpacks for students are reduced from 25 per cent to 33 per cent. At the same time, all school shoes enjoyed a 10 per cent price off.

Not only at stores, but the demand for school stationary items on social networking platforms such as Facebook and TikTok or e-commerce platforms such as Lazada and Shopee has also been increasing.  VNS
Vlad the Impaler of Wallachia was known for his blood-lust and ruthlessness toward both his enemies and subjects alike. But scientists have recently discovered the popular characterization of the medieval warlord as a bloodthirsty man has transformed into a literal one.

A team of chemical scientists from the University of Catania, SpringStyle Tech Design, Romania National Archives, and the Polytechnic University of Milan has found evidence suggesting Vlad, also known as Vlad Draculea, may have suffered from a host of ailments, including haemolacria, or a condition where a person literally cries tears mixed with blood.

In a study published in the journal Analytical Chemistry on August 8, scientists from Italy and Romania conducted a chemical analysis of three letters written by Vlad during his three separate reigns as Voivode (Count) of Wallachia from 1448 to 1476.

Read Also: Romanian Care Homes Probed Over Allegations of Elderly Abuse

A Legacy of Blood

Historians estimated more than 80,000 people died under his rule by being impaled by a sharp object, which inspired Irish author Bram Stoker to write his 1897 novel "Dracula."

Researchers have used a technique called mass spectrometry, which meant the careful application of the polymer ethylene-vinyl acetate to the letters, and removing it afterward. Once removed, the polymer picked up proteins and smaller molecules called peptides that were left over from when the count handled the papers centuries ago.

During the process, scientists discovered the residue contained 500 peptides, of which 100 were of human origin, presumably from Vlad himself rather than other people who might have handled the letters through the years.

The documents harbored peptides that were tied to ciliopathies, a group of genetic disorders affecting hairlike organelles in cells known as cilia. They also found evidence he might have had an infection of the respiratory tract.

However, the biggest find the team achieved was from a letter he penned in 1475 that carried three peptides found in proteins of the retina and tears. Based on the features of these peptides, they concluded he likely suffered from hemolacria, a condition in which blood is present in tears, Live Science reported.

While researchers are not sure what exactly caused Vlad to have the condition, they reckoned it could have been linked to an eye injury or bacterial conjunctivitis, an infection of the eye's mucous membrane.

"To our reckoning, this is the first time such research has been carried out and has helped to bring to the limelight the health status of Vlad Dracula the Impaler," the researchers wrote in the study.

Research team leader Vincenzo Cunsolo added that Vlad might have suffered from shedding bloody tears during the last years of his life.

Related Article: Scientists Turn Fly Products Into Plastic, Breaks Down Naturally

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HCM CITY  Despite its growth in hospitality options, the infrastructure required to support environmentally and economically sustainable growth on Phu Quoc Island off Kien Giang Province remains inadequate, according to Savills Hotels.

Since late 2012, improved accessibility and the expansion of flight routes to the island have boosted tourism and hotel development.

According to Savills Hotels statistics, the island has 25,000 accommodation units, most of which are small, locally operated properties. However, 15 per cent of the inventory includes upscale and luxury hotels and resorts.

Compared to regional competitors, Phu Quocs accommodation stock is only equal to 27 per cent of the stock in Phuket and 31 per cent of that in Bali.

Burgeoning tourism has fuelled hospitality real estate growth in Phu Quoc. In the past, many developers rushed to enter without careful planning and execution, with replication of products that disregard market trends, the island's heritage or product identity, said Mauro Gasparotti, director of Savills Hotels.

Despite high-quality developments, the lack of central attractions in Phu Quoc reduces its appeal and there are no sound tourism anchors, Mauro said.

The oversupply of certain products like shophouses is also a concern. The island is facing the challenge of numerous unoccupied commercial spaces with low traffic, which can negatively impact its vibrancy and create a sense of neglect, he said.

Domestic visitors accounted for over 85 per cent of the islands visitors before the pandemic. This strong base of local clientele supported a sound recovery in 2022, and tourist arrivals equalled the 2019 base of 5.1 million.

Phu Quoc has a competitive edge compared to other key tourism destinations in Viet Nam because of its international visa policies. Travellers from all countries can enter the island without a visa, provided that the island is their sole destination.

Ngan Pham, consultancy manager at Savills Hotels, said, While the policy provides a competitive advantage for attracting international travellers to the island, limited international routes and flights are barriers to fully leveraging its potential.

Connectivity is a vital factor in the development of an international destination, and Phu Quoc faces significant obstacles in this matter.

Phuket and Bali are well-established destinations and enjoy excellent international connectivity with frequent and direct flights from major cities such as Singapore, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.

Phu Quoc has fewer direct flight routes and less frequent flights. Phuket offers 150 per cent more daily flights, while Bali has 430 per cent more daily flights compared to Phu Quoc.

Phuket and Bali have stronger links with local transport hubs, boasting significantly more flights to Bangkok and Jakarta. Phuket has 330 flights per week to Bangkok, and Bali has 400 flights per week to Jakarta. Phu Quoc has approximately 160 flights to HCM City and 90 flights to Ha Noi.

It is worth noting that there are currently no flights from Singapore, which serves as an important transportation hub in Asia. This puts Phu Quoc at a disadvantage when compared to destinations like Phuket and Bali, Ngan said.

Addressing the challenges of connectivity and infrastructure will be essential for Phu Quocs successful transformation into a world-class international destination, according to Mauro. In addition, to affirm its position on the international tourism map, Phu Quocs tourism industry must promote itself by utilising communication activities and marketing channels properly and efficiently.  VNS
HA NOI  SHB successfully issued more than 552 million shares for dividend payment in 2022, thus increasing its charter capital to nearly VN36.1 trillion (US$1.51 billion), according to State Securities Commission of Viet Nam.

The increase made the bank hold Top 4 position among private joint stock commercial banks in Viet Nam in terms of charter capital.

Earlier, SHB closed the list of shareholders to pay dividends in shares at the rate of 18 per cent. During its operation, SHB has been one of the banks with the highest and most regular dividend payout ratio in the market.

A representative of SHB said that the increase in charter capital was an important milestone for their development plan. It was approved at the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, helping the bank strengthen its financial capacity and promote digitalisation to realise the goal of becoming the No 1 bank in terms of efficiency, applying leading modern technologies and being the most favourite digital bank by 2027.

SHB will continue to devote resources to long-term investment in people, technology systems and data, focusing on sustainable development under four strategic pillars, while ensuring sustainable business growth and bringing convenience and safety to customers and benefits to shareholders, he added.

In 2023, the bank set a pre-tax profit target of over VN10.6 trillion, posting 9.76 per cent year-on-year increase while total assets will grow by 10.09 per cent. By the end of the second quarter of 2023, SHB's business indicators achieved good growth. Its pre-tax profit reached over VN6 trillion, increasing 5.13 per cent over the same period last year. After the first six months of the year, SHB completed 58 per cent of the set profit target.

The banks total assets reached VN585 trillion, up 6.21 per cent compared to the beginning of the year while equity reached VN66 trillion. SHBs deposits achieved good growth with an increase of 13.7 per cent compared to the beginning of the year, reaching VN462 trillion and credit balance reached VN418 trillion.

SHBs safety, liquidity, and risk management indicators were all better than those of the State Bank of Viet Nam and international standards. Since the beginning of the year, SHB has started to apply Basel III standards in liquidity risk management, with a compliance assessment by an international consulting firm. The results would be announced in the third quarter of 2023.  VNS
HCM CITY  Technology company HP Inc reported a reduction in its carbon emissions by 18 per cent since 2019, which takes it closer to its goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2040.

It is one of many goals in its 2022 Sustainable Impact Report 2022 that the company released recently.

The report also details its progress towards comprehensive and bold environmental and social impact agendas through climate change actions, worker empowerment, construction of schools for underprivileged children, and the advancement of gender equality.

They include a reduction in single-use plastic packaging by 55 per cent since 2018.

It accelerated digital equity for more than 21 million people on the path to 150 million by 2030.

Nguyen Minh uc, general director of HP Vietnam and SEA Emerging Countries, said: For more than 80 years HP has prided itself on being a high-performing, purpose-driven company that, through the technology we create and the values we uphold, contributes to a better future.

Today, our sustainable impact vision is deeply embedded into the way we operate as an organisation, innovate our products and services, and invest in our people to help them reach their full potential.

In line with this commitment, the company has implemented several initiatives to reduce its environmental impacts and contribute to a low-carbon economy.

It has successfully introduced more than 20 new packaging innovation projects that reduced the environmental impact, like reducing single-use plastic packaging by 55 to 99 grams/unit in 2022.

In 2022 HP implemented 77 operational changes and 15 energy conservation projects that are expected to reduce annual energy consumption by 9,416 mWh.

Through a partnership with local NGO Song Foundation, HP Vietnam has contributed to reforestation efforts by donating 2,237 saplings in Soc Trang and Ninh Thuan provinces through the Green Happiness and Forest Symphony programme.

This initiative not only helps sequester carbon but also supports the preservation of valuable eco-systems.  VNS
HA NOI  Effective logistics cooperation with the UAE will play a significant role in promoting Viet Nam's trade exchange with the Middle East and other regions around the world, Director of the Ministry of Industry and Trades Asian-African Market Department Tran Quang Huy said at a workshop in Ha Noi on Monday.

The workshop on exploring the potential for such collaboration between the two countries was co-organised by the ministry and the World Logistics Passport (WLP)  a global initiative led by Dubai  amidst the sides celebration of their 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

At the event, UAE Ambassador to Viet Nam Bader Abdulla Al Matrooshi highlighted that the UAE is Viet Nam's largest export market in the Middle East, while Viet Nam ranks among the top 10 largest import partners of the UAE globally. Between 2018 and 2022, their bilateral trade was kept at US$5 billion annually, accounting for about 25 per cent of the total import-export turnover between Viet Nam and the Middle East.

Manager of the WLP Global Hubs and Partners Abdulla Alsuwaidi assessed that Viet Nam, strategically positioned as a transit and production centre in Southeast Asia, will be an important Hub within the WLP network. The WLP has added the nation to its list of logistics and trade hubs in the region, referred to as Hubs.

The workshop saw the signing of cooperation agreements between the WLP and nine Vietnamese business partners.

Huy expressed his hope that through collaboration activities with the WLP, Vietnamese firms and organisations will gain significant benefits in cargo transport and logistics and expand operations, serving better competitiveness of Vietnam's import-export goods and services.

The WLP is a global, private sector-led, initiative designed to smooth the flow of global trade, unlock market access through the creation of new trade routes and provide economic efficiencies to members. To date, 29 countries have registered to participate in the network.  VNS
HA NOI  Manulife Vietnam has been recognised as one of the best companies to work for in Asia at the esteemed HR Asia Awards. This remarkable achievement marks the fifth consecutive year that Manulife Vietnam has been bestowed with this prestigious recognition.

With this years theme being 'Honouring Diversity, Equity and Inclusion', the HR Asia Awards garnered participation from 49,508 employees across 642 companies in Viet Nam for the survey. Out of these, only 122 companies have won this prestigious title.

Manulife Vietnam stands among the 10 exceptional companies to be awarded the gold Harmonia trophy acknowledging its consistent inclusion in the Best Companies to Work for in Asia roster for a noteworthy five-year span.

With nearly 60 per cent of its senior leadership team comprising women, Manulife Vietnam remains firmly committed to promoting Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) in the workplace. The company is dedicated to challenging gender stereotypes and fostering abundant avenues for women to fully harness their potential.

Additionally, Manulife Vietnam constantly introduces new initiatives designed to cultivate an optimal work environment and nurture the comprehensive growth of its workforce. This encompasses a spectrum of health and wellness benefits, flexible work arrangements, and skill enhancement programs hosted on reputable platforms such as Pursuit and LinkedIn Learning.

"At Manulife Vietnam, we firmly believe that sustainable success is founded on the values we uphold and the positive impact we create for our customers, employees and the communities we serve. Therefore, we constantly invest in the holistic development of our staff and strive to foster an environment where every individual feels accepted, valued and included," said Ton That Anh Vu, Chief Human Resource Officer of Manulife Vietnam.

"This award is a great inspiration for us to continue building happy, engaged, professional human resources, enabling us to deliver exceptional values and assist our customers in confidently pursuing a better life every day," he said.

As the first licensed foreign-owned life insurance company in the market, and a proud member of a Canadian financial group, Manulife Vietnam holds a prominent position as a leading employer in the insurance industry.

With more than 1,000 employees, a professional agency force, strong distribution partnerships, and a network of 80 offices across the country, Manulife Vietnam diligently serves more than 1.5 million customers nationwide.  VNS
HA NOI Within a year, VPBanks value is almost 1.5 times as high as the previous year, valued at nearly US$1.3 billion and ranking 173rd in the worlds 500 most valuable banking brands.

In the event announcing the 100 most valuable brands in Viet Nam 2023 on Tuesday, Brand Finance, the world's leading brand valuation consultancy, addressed VPBank as one of the four organisations with the highest growth in brand value. VPBanks brand, according to Brand Finance, is valued at $1.3 billion. Accordingly, within the last seven years, the banks brand value has increased 23 times since it was first valued by the consultancy at $56 million.

Thanks to the swift growth in brand value, VPBank now jumps to 173rd rank among 500 global banks with the most valuable brand, improving 32 ranks in comparison to 2022. It is also the fourth consecutive year that VPBanks rank in this report is improved.

In addition, the banks Brand Rating was also rated AA+. The Brand Strength Index of the bank, according to Brand Finance, was scored at 77.61. With this score, VPBank is considered to be one of the two fastest-growing banking brands in Viet Nam.

Brand value is improved due to the strong growth in brand strength. This impressive growth is the result of remarkable communication, brand identity repositioning and realigning activities from the mid-half of 2022, as well as financial projections, said Alex Haigh, Managing Director in Asia Pacific area on the fast growth of VPBanks brand value.

In line with Haigh, its the synergy of the Vietnamese markets potential and the banks recent M&A deals, along with the completed acquisitions of OPES Insurance and VPBank Securities that promotes the banks brand and enables it to serve all customers in the market.

This is the due acknowledgement of all the banks effort in developing a comprehensive, diverse segment strategy focusing mainly on retail banking and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), combining with a unique business model to bring prosperity values to customers and Vietnamese towards its ultimate goal: Prospering Viet Nam, said Pham Thi Nhung, VPBanks Deputy CEO.

Last year, credibility and brand strength lent themselves for VPBank to mobilise successfully more than $1 billion from global financial institutions, diversifying the funding for medium- and long-term loans and ensuring liquidity ratios. Compared to the end of 2021, customer deposits also improved by nearly 30 per cent. The consolidated capital adequacy rate (CAR) under Basel II reached nearly 15 per cent, among the best in the market. The banks profit before tax increased by 48 per cent year over year in 2022 and exceeded $1 billion.

In the first half of 2023, despite troublesome macro-economy posing challenges to the business, VPBank went on to attract approximately 4 million new customers, raising the total customer base in its ecosystem to 28 million, equivalent to one third of Viet Nams population. This year, Moodys also retains the banks credit rating of Ba3. As a result, the growth in brand power, inner strength and business prospect fortified SMBCs confidence (Japanese bank) to acquire 15 per cent of stakes from VPBank and become the banks strategic investor.

On the occasion of its 30th anniversary last week, VPBanks leadership officially announced the target to put VPBank in the top 100 biggest banks in Asia by 2026. At the same time, the bank also announced its five new core values: Integrity, Aspiration, Discipline, Innovation, Efficiency and Effectiveness in a forward-looking move to achieve its goals. VNS
HA NOI  The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) on Tuesday announced the Vietnam International Innovation Exhibition 2023 (VIIE 2023) and inauguration of the National Innovation Centre's (NIC)s new operational headquarters at Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park, scheduled for October 2023.

MPIs Deputy Minister Tran Duy ong emphasised that the inauguration marked a significant stride for NIC in the realm of innovation infrastructure. This achievement was the culmination of over two years of construction and resilience throughout challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event anticipates the presence of the Prime Minister, central and local agency leaders, representatives from embassies and international organisations, along with major domestic and foreign enterprises.

Operating under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the NIC nurtures innovation and start-up ecosystems, enhancing growth through technology and novel business models.

The National Innovation Centre at Hoa Lac stands as Viet Nam's largest innovation hub. It employs special mechanisms to attract global technology giants, renowned incubators and intellectual luminaries from both domestic and international spheres. The 20,000sq.m campus boasts advanced infrastructure, facilitating innovation-driven activities, seminars, and exchanges between domestic and foreign enterprises, researchers, and experts, fostering research, development and technology transfer.

Coinciding with this, the Vietnam International Innovation Exhibition 2023 (VIIE 2023) will be held at NIC Hoa Lac from October 28 to November 1. This event is set to welcome 300 domestic and foreign enterprises, and 40,000 attendees, including delegates from agencies, technology corporations, enterprises, research institutions, universities and innovation support entities.

Over five days, the expo will showcase cutting-edge products and technologies in eight pivotal NIC sectors: Smart Factory, Smart City, Digital Media, Environmental Technology, Cybersecurity, Semiconductor Industry, Hydrogen and Healthtech. In tandem, ancillary activities are planned, including international seminars on the semiconductor and hydrogen industries, a game industry symposium, the Vietnam Venture Summit (VVS), a STEAM Festival and the Better Choice Award.

Multi-stakeholder cooperation

NIC Hoa Lac has forged collaborative ties with numerous domestic foreign corporations, including industry giants like Samsung, Meta, Visa, VC Corp, ADT and Vietnam National University.

Kim Yong Sub, Deputy General Director of Samsung Vietnam, has pledged a sustained investment in Viet Nam, standing as a steadfast partner to the National Innovation Centre. Samsung's experts have showcased successful collaborations between the company and the Korean Government, shedding light on C-Lab - an exemplary start-up support initiative from Samsung.

"I personally think that if it is possible to apply and refer to this programme, NIC will definitely become the 'cradle' of innovation, the leading agency in training and fostering top-tier startups in Viet Nam, Kim said.

Samsung is also planning to establish a dedicated Lab within the NIC Hoa Lac campus for the Samsung Innovation Campus programme. Launched in partnership with educational institutions across the nation in 2019, the Samsung Innovation Campus programme is tailored to offer technological development courses for young minds, encompassing domains such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Big Data.

Deputy Minister Tran Duy ong stated that NIC Hoa Lac will provide optimal incentives encompassing taxes, administrative procedures, patents, visas, work permits, and initial setup costs for businesses intending to establish offices, research centres, and lab spaces, with the aim of further cement Viet Nam's status as an innovation hotspot.

Viet Nam's fledgling startup ecosystem is in its initial phases of growth, and ong highlighted the necessity for stronger collaboration between universities and businesses to effectively transform research outcomes into technological products.  VNS
Indian Ambassador Sandeep Arya wrote to Viet Nam News on India's Independence Day (August 15)

Today is the culmination of year-long celebrations of 77 years of Indias independence, called Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, the festival of freedom. It has been an enormous journey from multifarious challenges facing the newly independent nation in 1947 to todays India. It is a celebration of our progress reflected in our emergence as the fifth largest economy today; technological advances in domains such as information & communications, space, nuclear energy, defence; industrial progress in various sectors; infrastructure-building & socio-economic development of our population that has become the largest in the world at 1.43 billion; 34 million Indian diaspora across the globe excelling in all fields of human endeavour; and our global standing.

Indias achievements thus far conjoin transformational changes and promising trends in terms of economic growth, national developmental strides, unique digital public infrastructure and effective e-governance, and contribution to global processes. Last month, the IMF upgraded India economic growth for 2023 to 6.1% (increase of 0.2% over IMFs April 2023 estimate) amid moderate global growth, and UNDPs Multidimensional Poverty Index reported a remarkable reduction of 415 million people exiting poverty in India in the 15 years through 2021. Indias IT exports exceed US$200 billion, we launched this year the 6G telecom vision as well as the 6G research & development test-bed, and next week we expect Indian spacecraft to land on the moons South Polar region in its third indigenous lunar mission launched from earth a month ago.

This year, India is steering pressing global issues with a sense of purpose as the G20 President amid a complex international environment. Indias outreach to the Voice of the Global South through a Summit in January 2023 showed our consultative and inclusive approach in chairing the G20. We are glad that the President of Viet Nam participated in the leaders session of this Summit hosted by the Indian Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi.

In 2022-23, we celebrated 50 years of diplomatic relations between India and Viet Nam but the steady friendship and solidarity between India and Viet Nam under the exceptional leadership of President Ho Chi Minh goes back decades before the formalisation of our diplomatic ties in 1972. Over the last seven decades, the two countries navigated their national journeys of growth and development while the international equations evolved constantly, but the India-Viet Nam friendship strengthened continuously irrespective of these changes and it was denominated in 2016 as a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The sound path of progress of India and Viet Nam marked by the strength of their national character, people-level affinity and aspirations, and convergences of our international perspectives and interests convince me of a brighter, stronger future of the friendship and cooperation between us.

Our multifaceted cooperation is guided by the India-Viet Nam joint vision of 2020 for peace, prosperity and people. 2023 has seen meetings between the two Prime Ministers as well as the two Foreign Ministers, bilateral visits of the Ministers of National Defence, Public Security, Agriculture and Rural Development, Justice, President of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, several heads of provinces, deputy Ministers and senior officials. Politico-strategic trust supports active defence exchanges, military-to-military talks, exercises, training, equipment transfer and a range of technical exchanges between us. We work together in the United Nations, ASEAN-centric structures and various international forums to foster multilateralism, international law and a rules-based order, and an outlook for peace, security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.

As two rapidly growing nations, economic and business cooperation is the focus of active efforts to lift further the bilateral trade of US$15 billion in 2022 and cumulative Indian investments of about $2 billion. Hundreds of Indian enterprises in Viet Nam are generating economic value in sectors such as consumer goods, automobile sub-systems, sugar & coffee, IT services, mineral processing, hydrocarbons, garments, engineering goods and services such as aviation, banking, food, tourism. New opportunities in energy, infrastructure, electronics & digital technologies and arrangements for facilitating trade, bilateral digital payment transactions, and direct shipping are being discussed. The ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement of 2009 is being reviewed to expand preferential trade measures between us. Growing Civil Aviation is providing a bridge to direct travel and tourism through over 50 flights per week and further expansion is being planned.

Civilisational and cultural ties and people-level warmth and appreciation are a special feature of the India-Viet Nam friendship. The common heritage of Shakyamuni Buddha provides a spiritual underpinning for both of us, and last year, the Archeological Survey of India completed restoration of three temple groups dating back 13 centuries at My Son sanctuary in central Viet Nam. International Day of Yoga this year saw over 35 public practice sessions across Viet Nam with tens of thousands of participants. Ten projects per year in Viet Nam serve communities in various provinces. Cultural troupes, education and training exchanges, and active contacts between our academic institutions enrich our people-level connections.

As we celebrate the festival of freedom in India today, we also work closely with Viet Nam for more dynamic progress in our comprehensive strategic partnership across all domains.  VNS
Shawn Steil, Canadian Ambassador to Viet Nam, speaks to Viet Nam News about Canadas development assistance for Vietnamese social impact businesses.

Why has Canada supported social impact businesses (SIBs) through the project Leveraging Viet Nams Social Impact Business Ecosystem in Response to COVID-19 (ISEE-COVID)?

Supporting social impact businesses in Viet Nam is a great priority and a great opportunity for Canada. We support this programme because it really enables and empowers farmers, ordinary people, women and ethnic minorities to find business opportunities - a great work that we are doing for our communities.

SIBs have triple bottom line: profit, planet and people. We enable companies to support all three.

The companies supported are all grassroots organisations that people in our communities are seeing their needs and opportunities. Sometimes what they lack is business sense or finance to start their businesses. Providing a little bit of Special Equipment Amount funding, capacity building to understand business environment helps these great grassroots organisations get off the ground to support their development in Viet Nam and sell products around the world.

This year Viet Nam and Canada have celebrated 50 years of establishing diplomatic ties. We have seen lots of Canadas development support for Vietnamese private business sector including SIBs to address social challenges. Could you elaborate on that support?

We are very proud that we not only have 50 years of diplomatic relations with Viet Nam but over 30 years of development assistance through cooperation.

Our assistance and cooperation with Viet Nam in development has transitioned with Viet Nams development and moved with priorities of the country.

We are proud being part of Viet Nams development journey from a relative poverty to now a middle-income country.

As a middle-income country, the needs for further development in Viet Nam has changed so our development assistance has changed as well to focus on mobilising, capitalising, private sector, small and medium-sized enterprises to contribute to that development, to ensure that benefits reach the most vulnerable groups.

Viet Nam is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, 8 per cent GDP growth last year, leading the world. But with that rapid growth comes challenges: Environmental challenges, increasing industrialisation, but also inequality challenges.

Canadas development assistance really helps in shortening gaps in Viet Nam to ensure that the poorest and most vulnerable women, ethnic minorities can participate fully in that rapidly economic growth.

And we can also support medication of environmental consequences.

The partnership that we have with UNDP and Ministry of Planning and Investment (ISEE-COVID) is a perfect example.

Support for environment and growth of SIBs in Viet Nam is our way of supporting growth that works for everyone, extending opportunities for economic development and business opportunities in remote areas and in communities, but also in producing value-added goods and services that benefit society themselves or have an environmental impact.

How do you assess 30 SIBs that have received grants under Leveraging Viet Nams Social Impact Business Ecosystem in Response to COVID-19 (ISEE-COVID) project this year and what do you expect their contributions to society will be?

SIBs dedicated efforts play a vital role in addressing social and environmental gaps, making a positive difference in Viet Nam.

The SIB sector has demonstrated remarkable resilience, generating employment opportunities for vulnerable and marginalised communities, fostering the development of eco-friendly products, adding value to authentic goods, and enhancing resilience against climate change, among numerous other endeavours that have gained global recognition.

Each of these efforts serves as an inspiration! We trust that SIBs would become successful agents of change, not just for themselves but for their communities and country. VNS
HA NOI  Viet Nam's Military Engineering Unit Rotation 1, the first such unit to be deployed overseas, has successfully accomplished its peacekeeping tasks at the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) and came back to a homecoming ceremony held at Noi Bai International Airport in Ha Noi on Tuesday morning.

Colonel Pham Manh Thang, Director of the Viet Nam Department of Peacekeeping Operations under the Ministry of National Defence, lauded efforts by the unit during their stay in Abyei.

All of its 184 members have been honoured with the For the UN peacekeeping cause medal of the UN and commended by the UNISFA Force Commander and the Mayor of Abyei for their dedication and contributions to the local lives over the past more than one year.

Thang stressed that they had left good impressions on international friends and Abyei residents in particular, and helped promote the image of Uncle Ho's soldiers as well as the blue berets of Viet Nam to the world.

Colonel Mac uc Trong, head of the unit, reported that within 15 months in Abyei, the force built and upgraded nearly 70 kilometres of roads, opened 15 new patrol routes with a total length of 303 kilometres, built an airfield in Diffa, and engaged in humanitarian activities there, including dispensing medicines and carrying out free medical examinations for local residents, helping out with post-flood recovery efforts, etc.

Meanwhile, Military Engineering Unit Rotation 2 arrived at the UN peacekeeping mission on August 12, the Peoples Army Newspaper reported.

The unit brought along about 300 tonnes of supplies, including equipment, machinery, and food to serve the performance of duties and daily needs for one year of work.

The 203-member unit was established in November 2022 under a decision of the Ministry of National Defence.  VNS
China's defense minister to attend meeting in Russia, visit Belarus

Xinhua) 13:27, August 15, 2023

BEIJING, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu will attend a security meeting in Russia and pay a visit to Belarus from Aug. 14 to Aug. 19, a spokesperson said Monday.

In Russia, Li will deliver a speech at the 11th Moscow Conference on International Security and meet with defense leaders from Russia and other countries, said Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense.

During his visit to Belarus, Li will hold meetings and discussions with Belarusian government and military leaders and visit military units, Wu said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
The top medical authority in China delivered a public statement on Tuesday, August 15, promising to combat corruption in the country's healthcare system. It is revealed that anti-graft investigators had already been working in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries for over a year, as reported by the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

Healthcare Anti-Corruption Push

In the announcement, the six areas that would be scrutinized were outlined, and it was made clear that only a select few would be investigated for their roles in the industry's widespread misbehavior.

The campaign will inquire into the use of health insurance program funds as well as rent-seeking by administrators and managers in the medical and pharmaceutical sectors, bribery in the sales of drugs and medical equipment, and the ethical behavior of medical staff.

An unnamed representative for the National Health Commission (NHC) told the official Xinhua News Agency that the campaign aims to "carry out systemic rectification that covers all conspicuous problems of corruption in every area and field in the medical and pharmaceutical sectors so we can establish a host of enduring mechanisms to ensure the long-lasting results of our work."

A combined video conference with nine other agencies, including the National Audit Office and Ministry of Public Security, resulted in the NHC's release announcing the effort to take on corruption in the medical sector, which began around three weeks ago.

Also Read: China Middle School's 'Flirtatious' Sexual Harassment Advice Sparks Outrage

Tainted With Corruption

There is a serious danger to the social fabric of the nation due to the pervasive corruption that has developed in the health insurance fund, which provides coverage for around 97% of the population.

This December 2022, SCMP said that five medical staff members, including a hospital head, were sentenced to up to 11 years in prison for embezzling more than 12 million yuan ($1.67 million) from the fund in Xiangtan, a city in the central province of Hunan.

After three years of zero-Covid regulations and a slow post-pandemic economic recovery, the fund is in a dire state. According to statistics released by the NHC in March, over 110 billion yuan ($15 billion) has been dispersed to healthcare institutions throughout China since 2020.

Protests erupted in the Chinese city of Wuhan in February as a result of reductions to residents' medical benefits. However, city officials later clarified that the reductions were part of a nationwide effort to transfer money from people's individual medical insurance accounts into a community pool to better reimburse their outpatient medical expenses.

The public health fund was already in jeopardy before the pandemic hit due to a number of factors, including an aging population with rising healthcare expenditures and a decreasing labor force.

Medical professionals are "dedicated to safeguarding people's health," as the NHC statement put it, but the industry's corruption, high prices, and lack of resources have led to widespread public dissatisfaction.

Also Read: China Eases Pandemic-Era Travel Restrictions, Allowing More Countries Resume Group Tours

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
HA NOI  President Vo Van Thuong on Tuesday suggested Viet Nam and Bangladesh step up all-level delegation exchanges, thus strengthening their comprehensive cooperation.

At a Ha Noi reception for outgoing Ambassador of Bangladesh Samina Naz, the leader highlighted the traditional relationship between the two countries, saying Bangladesh was among the very few South Asian nations that established diplomatic ties with Viet Nam 50 years ago.

Viet Nam and Bangladesh share many similarities in economic development as both have paid attention to foreign investment attraction based on their abundant workforce, he said, suggesting them cooperate and exchange experience in this field.

Thuong shared Nazs view that the Viet Nam-Bangladesh relationship is developing fruitfully, with two-way trade jumping four-fold over the past decade and the two countries striving to raise the value to US$2 billion in the coming years.

Apart from trade, the two countries should boost collaboration in other spheres, while maintaining their mutual support at regional and global multilateral forums, he continued.

Viet Nam supports the enhancement of the relations between Bangladesh and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to which Viet Nam is a member, the leader emphasised.

Thuong commended contributions by the ambassador to the bilateral friendship and cooperation during her six-year tenure in Viet Nam, and expressed his belief that Naz, in any position, will contribute more to the relationship.

The President asked the diplomat to convey his regards to President of Bangladesh Mohammed Shahabuddin.

For her part, Naz also conveyed greetings and regards from President Shahabuddin to his Vietnamese counterpart.

The ambassador congratulated Viet Nam on its achievements across spheres, and its advanced position in the international arena, stressing Bangladesh always hopes to learn from Viet Nam's experience.

Naz said she believes that the bilateral relationship will grow further in the time ahead, especially in tourism, including spiritual tourism.

The diplomat also noted her belief that under the leadership of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) headed by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, the country will reap more achievements in the future, and her wish to work as goodwill ambassador of Viet Nam in the time ahead.  VNS
HA NOI  Ha Noi has recorded an acute increase in dengue fever cases in the past month, said the municipal Centre for Diseases Control (CDC).

The Ha Noi CDC predicts that the dengue fever situation will be complicated in the near future because the epidemic is appearing earlier than in previous years.

The General Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health said that this year, Ha Noi had 3,180 dengue fever patients, an increase of 5.7 times compared with the same period last year.

The E Hospital receives about 20 cases of dengue fever per day.

At the National Children's Hospital, many children are re-infected.

A typical case is V.H., 8 years old. He had dengue fever four years ago. He has now been readmitted to the hospital with a high fever, unresponsiveness to antipyretic drugs, body aches, vomiting and headache.

H. had facial hemorrhagic fever spots, decreased platelets and increased liver enzymes.

He was diagnosed with a severe condition.

Nguyen Van Lam, head of the Centre for Tropical Diseases under the National Children's Hospital, told the Tuoi tre (Youth) newspaper that H. must be treated for 10 days before his condition stabilised.

Doctor ao Van Cao, from the E Hospital, said that when people had a sudden high fever, they needed to go to a medical facility.

Dengue fever can change from mild to severe, so patients must be examined and have an appropriate treatment plan.

Every year, dengue fever usually breaks out between October and December in Ha Noi. However, this year, the number of cases has increased earlier than normal.

Nguyen Van Dung, head of the Entomology Department under the National Institute of Malaria, Parasitology and Entomology, said that Ha Noi could be the country's hotspot for dengue fever due to its high population density and rapid transmission rate.

Cases might continue to increase, especially in hot and rainy weather, which provides good conditions for the development of mosquitoes, he said.

Many families buy their own insecticides to prevent dengue fever. But Dung advised people not to buy chemicals for spraying themselves. When they need to kill mosquitoes, they should contact local preventive health facilities.

They should not buy and self-use chemicals of unknown origin to avoid adverse health effects and cause mosquito resistance.

Slight increase

A report from the HCM City Department of Health showed that from the beginning of this year, HCM City has had more than 10,000 cases of dengue fever.

Every day about 40-50 people are hospitalised in the city.

The HCM City CDC said the number of dengue fever cases in the latest week increased by 18.8 per cent compared to four weeks ago.

Districts with a high number of cases include District 1, 8, and Binh Chanh.

A typical case is N.C.D., 2 years old, in Binh Thuan Province.

He suffered from dengue shock, respiratory failure and severe liver damage.

He was transferred to the HCM City Children's Hospital after four days of intensive treatment at the local hospital. Now he is in a stable condition.

Nguyen Minh Tuan, head of the Dengue - Hematology Ward at HCM City Children's Hospital No 1, said that the department was treating about 25 children with dengue fever, of which severe cases account for about 10 per cent.

More funds

The Ministry of Health (MoH) said that from the beginning of this year, the country has had 57,295 cases of dengue fever, of which 13 died.

The number of cases and deaths is forecast to increase.

The MoH asked provincial and municipal health departments to strengthen epidemic prevention and control measures.

They should report to local people's committees to arrange and supplement funds for dengue fever prevention.  VNS
HA NOI  The Vietnamese Government has decided to issue e-visas to all foreign arrivals at 52 ports of entry into Viet Nam starting from August 15, according to the latest Resolution No. 127/NQ-CP.

Prior to this decision, the country has only been issuing 30-day single-entry e-visas to citizens from 80 countries.

The new e-visa, issued by the Viet Nam Immigration Department (under the Ministry of Public Security) to foreign arrivals through the electronic payment system, would be valid for multiple entries within 90 days.

The entry points include the 13 airports, such as Noi Bai International Airport in the capital city Ha Noi, Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCM City, Cam Ranh Airport (Khanh Hoa Province), a Nang Airport (a Nang City), Cat Bi Airport (Hai Phong City), Can Tho Airport (Can Tho City), Phu Quoc Airport (Kien Giang Province), Phu Bai Airport (Thua Thien-Hue Province), Van on Airport (Quang Ninh Province), Tho Xuan Airport (Thanh Hoa Province), ong Hoi Airport (Quang Binh Province), Phu Cat Airport (Binh inh), Lien Khuong Airport (Lam ong Province).

16 land entrances include international border gates of Tay Trang (ien Bien Province), Mong Cai (Quang Ninh), Huu Nghi (Lang Son Province), Lao Cai (Lao Cai Province), Na Meo (Thanh Hoa), Nam Can (Nghe An Province), Cau Treo (Ha Tinh Province), La Lay and Lao Bao (Quang Tri Province), Bo Y (Kon Tum Province), Moc Bai and Xa Mat (Tay Ninh Province), Tinh Bien (An Giang Province), Vinh Xuong International Land and Waterway Border Gate (An Giang), and Ha Tien (Kien Giang).

13 seaports include Hon Gai and Cam Pha ports (Quang Ninh), Hai Phong (Hai Phong), Nghi Son (Thanh Hoa), Vung Ang (Ha Tinh), Chan May (Thua Thien-Hue), a Nang (a Nang), Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa), Quy Nhon (Binh inh Province), Dung Quat (Quang Ngai), Vung Tau (Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province), Ho Chi Minh City Seaport (HCM City), and Duong ong (Kien Giang).

The Government assigned the Prime Minister to direct relevant agencies to take necessary measures to ensure national sovereignty, social security, order and safety during the implementation of the Resolution.

Also, the Government has issued Resolution No. 128/NQ-CP amending Resolution No. 32/NQ-CP dated March 15, 2022, regarding visa exemption for citizens of certain countries.

Accordingly, citizens from Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the UK, Russia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Belarus could stay in Viet Nam for 45 days instead of 15 days since their entry, regardless of passport type or purpose of entry if they meet entry requirements in line with Viet Nam law.

The Resolution takes effect from August 15.  VNS
MAKHACHKALA  Twelve people were killed and 66 were injured in an explosion in Makhachkala on Monday night.

According to the authorities, the explosion occurred opposite a filling station.

The number of people hospitalised after an explosion at the filling station in Makhachkala has reached 66, with ten of them in serious condition, deputy head of the Russian Health Ministry Viktor Fisenko told reporters.

"Now 66 injured people are in medical institutions in Makhachkala, ten of them are in critical condition," Fisenko said.

According to him, 28 ambulance crews are working at the site.

At the moment, according to the Emergencies Ministry, the open burning has been extinguished. TASS has gathered the main facts about the incident.

Circumstances of incident

On Monday evening, an explosion took place at a filling station on the outskirts of Makhachkala. A huge fire broke out. According to the latest data, the area of the fire reached 600 square metres. The open fire was extinguished.

As Dagestan Head Sergey Melikov told reporters, the explosion occurred opposite the filling station, its causes and nature are being determined.

Two out of eight fuel tanks exploded. More than 70 people and 20 pieces of equipment are involved in extinguishing the fire.

Police and city officials are moving people away from the scene. There is a risk of a second explosion.

Gas supply was limited in the Makhachkala district where the explosion took place.

Casualties and fatalities

According to official data, 12 people were killed, including two children, and 66 people were injured, including 13 children as a result of the incident.

According to the Russian Health Ministry, hospitals in Makhachkala have everything necessary to treat the injured.

According to the regional prosecutors office, an inspection has been organised in connection with the fire at the filling station.

Senior Dagestani officials have arrived at the scene.

The first deputy head of the Russian Health Ministry Viktor Fisenko arrived in Dagestan.

The families of the victims will receive all necessary assistance, Melikov told TASS.

The Russian Emergencies Ministry said that the victims would be flown to Moscow on a special ministry flight with doctors if necessary.  TASS
Southeast Asia's longest volcanic cave system and several stunning natural vistas make Dak Nong a recent tourist destination.

Dak Nong, whose capital is Gia Nghia City, is situated at the western entrance to the Central Highlands, about 250 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City. The lifestyle is neither frantic nor boisterous but rather idyllic, with various cultural traits from roughly 40 different ethnic groups. The landscape of Ta Dung Lake, which has been compared to "Ha Long Bay of the Central Highlands" or the Truc Lam Dao Nguyen Zen Monastery, also draws tourists to this location.

Ms. Cam Huong, a travel enthusiast who also works for the Dak Nong province's Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, and a group of Ho Chi Minh City visitors suggested we have 48 hours to explore Dak Nong.

Day 1

Morning

Various regional dishes are served for breakfast in Gia Nghia City, including eel porridge from Nghe, Quang Tam Ky noodles, and vermicelli with perch. Other meals include Hue beef noodle soup Dung Huyen, Pho Lam Huong, and noodle soup.

These breakfast establishments feature parking and are situated on prominent streets, including Ton Duc Thang, Pham Van Dong, Chu Van An, and Hung Vuong, in the city's heart. Each dish costs between 30,000 and 50,000 Vietnamese dong.

After breakfast, depart to Krong No (about 90 km from Gia Nghia city) to explore caves C3 or C4 in the volcanic cave system of Dak Nong Geopark. This basalt cave system, created by a lava eruption, has reportedly established a record for its size, length, and uniqueness in Southeast Asia, according to Ms. Bach Van, who works at Dak Nong Geopark. This cave system was discovered by scientists in 2014.

In the cave, there is almost no phone signal. You can go for the day or camp overnight. Bach Van remarked, "However, it is not recommended for campers to stay because it is quite dangerous," and that to discover the stunning scenery with the stalactite system in C3 and C4 caverns and assure the safety of the visitors, you need to follow a guided tour.

After spending about 2 hours exploring the cave, you can travel 4 km to the D'rap Sap tourist area for lunch before taking part in thrilling activities like rowing on the Serepok River, crossing the rapids, or simply relaxing and taking in the scenery of the mountains and forests. Finally, you can travel to the Nuoc Trong stream to participate in activities like water biking, canoeing, basket boating, swimming with buoys, or playing swing bridge before returning to the city.

Evening

Return to Gia Nghia, and visit the hero statue of N'Trang Long, the leader of the anti-French movement. The statue is nearly 20 m high and was built on Dak Nur Hill, about 2 km from the city center. The monument is made of blue stone; the main statue is 13 m high, and the relief is 5.5 m high and 27 m wide.

This is where many locals and tourists check in when coming to Dak Nong. The monument's campus is spacious and airy, but it is only suitable if you come after 5 pm due to the lack of shade.

Have dinner with typical dishes of Dak Nong such as grilled rice with grilled meat, bitter gourd cooked with dried fish, rattan sprouts and especially black H'Mong chicken, which is processed, steamed, steamed, or grilled. Some addresses in Gia Nghia City you can refer to are Ngo Gia Trang, Phuong Van Farm, Huong Lieu Restaurant, Dien Trang Hoa Mai, and Lodge Restaurant.

Overnight, in Gia Nghia, there is a Robin hotel with room rates ranging from 790,000 VND to 2.9 million VND per night; Ngoc Thuong hotel, prices from 300,000 VND to 500,000 VND a night and many other hotels located in Hung Vuong route. Suppose you want to save on accommodation costs. In that case, you can sleep in the community, enjoy the peaceful space at Farm and Homestay Ngo Gia, priced at about 150,000 VND or experience sleeping in tents and bungalows on farms in Gia Nghia city.

Day 2

Morning

To find clouds, get up early and climb a hill in the Hmong village of Dak Tan, in the Dak Nia commune, about 15 kilometers from Gia Nghia city. You will have to walk about 700m of trails to get there. As far as the eye can see, a peaceful village is covered by white clouds drifting over the hillsides.

According to local people, to hunt for clouds, you should be here between 6 am and 7:30 am, so you must time your departure from the city to be on time because the road could be better.

Before heading to Ta Dung Lake, dubbed the "Ha Long Bay of the Central Highlands," after cloud-spotting, you can drink coffee and have breakfast there with specialties including chicken porridge, pigeon porridge, rib noodle soup, and beef noodle soup.

Ta Dung Lake is stunning due to its crystal-clear blue water and constant waves that produce bands of bright and dark color. A big mountain range surrounds the lake. In the heart of Ta Dung Lake, there are more than 40 large and small islands with many unique shapes. This artificial lake was formed in 2012, and in 2015, tourism in the surrounding area began to develop, becoming an ideal destination in Dak Nong.

Also read: Ta Dung tourism  Discover the great beauty in Dak Nong 2021

At noon, you can visit Son Ma's Com Nieu restaurant, with various dishes from North to South, such as rice pot, seafood hot pot, shrimp, crab, fish, and snail.

Afternoon

Visit the Truc Lam Dao Nguyen Zen Monastery in the Nam Nung nature reserve, concealed by a pine forest. Dak Nong's Zen Monastery is a well-known spiritual tourist site. The main hall, the Sangha, the exhibition hall, the guest house, and various auxiliary works and details are all easily distinguishable when you enter the monastery.

The main hall, built mainly of wood, has 4 large pillars, each with a 60-70 cm diameter and a height of about 13 m, calculated from the floor. On the altar are bronze statues of Buddha. The Zen Monastery is a resting place if you wish to get back in touch with nature because of its serene environment.

After leaving the Zen Monastery, you head back into the city and up to the 6th floor of Nam A Bank, where a Doi Dep coffee shop offers beverages while providing a bird's-eye view over Gia Nghia City.

Evening

Rice is available at Tan Tan Restaurant, a homey dining establishment in the Central Highlands that welcomes visitors interested in trying regional cuisine. The menu is diverse from vegetarian, savory, hot pot, grilled, or soup.

You can also choose restaurants specializing in selling chicken rice, such as Hiep Hoan and Loc Phat, with three main types: boiled chicken rice, fried chicken with fish sauce and shredded chicken. In addition, you can also experience some snacks such as Be Map grilled spring rolls, spring rolls, and pancakes, with prices from a few tens of thousands.

Read more: Dak Glong travel experience is extremely HOT on the check-in map of Dak Nong

The Homestay in Dak Nong decor is beautiful at once, will not forget
Being one of the most important aspects of the August Mid-Autumn Festival, delicate mooncake boxes are often used as gifts to show gratitude and love to friends and relatives.

This year's high-quality mooncake market is predicted to witness fierce competition, following the launch of a series of unique mooncake products in gift boxes with a variety of flavours and ingredients.

On the first days of this Mid-Autumn Festival, professional pastry chefs at high-class hotels such as JW Marriott Hanoi, Sheraton Hanoi, Sheraton Saigon & Towers, Le Meridien Saigon, Renaissance Riverside Saigon, and Sheraton Can Tho have created their own unique designs to offer attractive mooncake menus with classic and contemporary flavours, packaged in uniquely designed gift boxes to bring special stories and emotions to customers

JW Marriott Hanoi Hotel is introducing a new set of classic and premium mooncake boxes, inspired by the image of a Ngan Hanh leaf, symbolising peace, prosperity, and vitality. This design is envisaged as a perfect moon season gift with a rounded shape, inspired by the image of the full moon of August and symbolising the gathering of a family reunion.

JW Marriott Hanoi Hotel introduces a new set of classic and premium mooncake boxes

Prices start from $62.40 plus per box, and with their blend of traditional and modern flavours, these cakes are wooing the most demanding customers.

Taking inspiration from the famous Hang Trong folk painting, Ly Ngu Vong Nguyet (Carp Looking at the Moon), the 2023 mooncake Collection from Sheraton Hanoi Hotel depicts the image of a pair of carp jumping and chasing the moon on the lake surface.

For this year's full moon season, the hotel's artisans are bringing six unique flavours of cakes including green tea, lotus seed and dried apricot, and walnut and salted egg.

Meanwhile, Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers is launching its Autumn Dream collection, including three luxury boxes featuring authentic mooncakes handcrafted by artisanal chefs.

Each cake box includes two savoury and two sweet cakes. Customers can choose from eight different tastes, from traditional to creative cakes, prepared by the experienced chefs at Li Bai restaurant. The price for this unique cake box is over $50.

Inspired by the simple beauty of Vietnamese traditional culture, through every grain of rice, rice plant, and stork's wing, Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon has created three different mooncake gift boxes with the concept of honouring the nation's cultural heritage.

Each mooncake box will include four types of sweet and salty cakes, with others composed of honey-roasted meat, pumpkin jam, sausage, and other delicious and nutritious nuts.

Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon has created three varieties of mooncake gift boxes

Le Meridien Saigon Hotel has launched The Magic Moon 2023  an exquisite gift collection to accompany the journey to discover the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The three boxes of cakes are named Thanh Nguyet, Minh Nguyet, and Hy Nguyet, and they represent the varying shades of the magical moon, offering a journey of discovery into the tradition of the moon combined with a modern twist on the culinary quintessence of Le Meridien Saigon.

Sheraton Can Tho Hotel has brought its first mooncake collection, Thu Nguyet 2023, which is inspired by the design of the Nguyet Hanh, Nguyet Lan, and Nguyet Lien flowers to send best wishes for wealth, peace, and prosperity.

The collection was created by the famous culinary artist Nguyen Thi Phuong Anh of PA Foods kitchen, with six types of cake fillings including lotus seeds, green tea, roasted meat, chicken with lemon leaves and sausage, traditional Azuki red beans, and XO scallops.

Full-moon festival in full swing Despite the social distancing measures currently active nationwide, many hotels in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are still trying their best to promote their festive collections of mooncakes and preserve one of the countrys most cherished traditions.

Time to reunite with the mooncakes of renaissance Hotel Saigon The Mid-Autumn Festival is the day when the Moon is at its brightest and fullest size. Family members unite around a sumptuous feast including mooncakes. While the Mid-Autumn Festival has transformed over the years, giving mooncakes to loved ones has remained the same and stands for a bountiful year and harmonious family union.

Moonglow persimmon at Park Hyatt Saigon Amidst the romantic appeal of autumnal hues, the soulful beauty of branches laden with persimmons resembles moonlit lanterns, depicting good fortune and prosperity. Soft as egg yolk, smooth as velvet, divinely sweet and fragrant like honey, a sonata of autumn flavours is utterly enveloped in this precious gift from nature.
After more than a year since the administration of 600,000 doses of ASF vaccines on pigs in over 40 provinces and cities nationwide  under the supervision of the Department of Animal Health  showed high efficacy of 95 per cent, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has approved their use on a larger scale.

The two products involved are the NAVET-ASFVAC vaccine, made by Navetco Central Veterinary Medicine JSC, and the AVAC ASF LIVE vaccine, produced by AVAC Vietnam JSC.

Nguyen Van Long, director of the Department of Animal Health said, These two ASF vaccine producers are working with local authorities to deploy vaccination campaigns for pig herds. A number of businesses, including C.P. Vietnam, have registered to use the ASF vaccines on their pigs.

In April and May, an expert delegation from the US Department of Agriculture implemented an independent assessment based on the results of research, production, testing, marketing authorisation, and supervision of vaccine administration in Vietnam. The assessment confirmed that the nation's research and production results for the ASF vaccines are similar to those seen on the US side, Long continued.

The evaluation and control of the quality of the vaccines  sterility, safety, and effectiveness  in Vietnam is in line with international standards, and the results are submitted to the World Organization for Animal Health for approval, he added.

The authorities and vaccine producers are preparing for the export of these products to many countries after receiving the positive feedback. In the short term, these two producers will export 2 million doses to the Philippines and Indonesia between August and October this year.

In response to orders from other countries, Vietnam has provided support and sent experts to collaborate in the organisation of vaccination campaigns.

Having seen all the vaccinated pigs develop an antibody immune response with the NAVET-ASFVAC vaccine, the Dominican Republic appreciated the support from MARD and other specialised units and enterprises from Vietnam. It hopes to continue receiving assistance and then purchase the vaccines for use in the country.

A vaccine produced by Dabaco Group has fallen behind schedule, although in early 2022, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien told VIR that the testing was complete.

The final step is to finalise the procedures for releasing the products, which were expected to be marketed in late March or early in the second quarter of 2022.

Nguyen Van Tue, deputy general director of Dabaco, informed VIR that there is still a lot of work to carry out, and that the group will unveil detailed information once the product is made official.

ASF vaccine on track for unveiling The government is placing its faith in a commercial vaccine to African swine fever being available perhaps as soon as the end of the second quarter this year, but issues of cost and safety will linger for some time yet.

Vietnam closer to ASF vaccine launch Vietnam is hoping to launch a commercial vaccine for African swine fever in the next few months, which would make it the first country to succeed in manufacturing a vaccine for the disease, but issues of cost and safety will remain a question for husbandry companies.

Worlds first vaccine developed for ASF Vietnam has successfully developed a vaccine to administer to pigs to fight African swine fever, with the aim of becoming the first country in the world to commercially produce and export it.

New ASF vaccine nears export status The major success in producing the worlds first vaccine to fight against African swine fever is expected to usher in an opportunity for Vietnam to export the product overseas.
What are the key levers for a sustainable energy transition?

Efforts to combat climate change are gaining momentum worldwide, and the use of technology plays a crucial role in this endeavour. Across various countries, there are ambitious projects focusing on large-scale decarbonisation to transform economies and energy systems. In my view, there are four main levers that can drive these efforts.

Matthias Rebellius, member of the Managing Board Siemens AG, and CEO of Siemens Smart Infrastructure

The first lever centres around fuel switching, which entails decarbonising our power supply by significantly increasing the adoption of solar and wind energy. Projections suggest that globally, renewable energy sources must expand by a factor of 30 by 2050 to achieve the desired impact.

The second lever is electrification, where we need to prioritise the conversion of energy consumption across different sectors to electricity-based alternatives. Presently, the global electrification rate stands at approximately 22 per cent, but to make a substantial impact, it must surpass 50 per cent by 2050.

Energy efficiency forms the third lever. To make significant strides in mitigating climate change, we must focus on reducing energy consumption by addressing demand and adopting more efficient energy usage practices. This approach has the potential to lead to nearly a 50 per cent reduction in energy consumption.

The fourth lever is speed, which is a crucial aspect of digital transformation. In todays rapidly evolving business landscape, organisations need to adapt quickly to remain competitive and relevant. Digital transformation entails leveraging technology to fundamentally alter how businesses operate, deliver value to customers, and innovate products and services.

Customers often inquire about achieving digital transformation more easily, rapidly, and at scale. The answer lies in open, digital platforms like Siemens Xcelerator. It is a robust digital business platform designed to accelerate digital transformation. It comprises a curated portfolio, a partner ecosystem, and a marketplace to expedite value creation across industry, buildings, grids, and mobility sectors.

By leveraging Siemens Xcelerator, organisations can streamline their digital transformation journey and achieve impactful results in the fight against climate change.

As a technology company, how can Siemens help?

We can help a great deal. Siemens has been a pioneer in sustainability efforts for over 175 years, and our comprehensive portfolio is dedicated to assisting customers in achieving their sustainability targets. We offer tailored solutions for a wide range of sectors, including factories, buildings, power grids, transportation, and healthcare.

By leveraging our technologies, customers can transform their industries, making a positive impact on economies and societies. One of our key strengths is combining the real and digital worlds to empower our customers to do more with less energy. We enable them to achieve net-zero operations in buildings and digitalise public transportation, among other advancements.

Our commitment to sustainability is reflected in the significant impact our products have on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In fiscal 2022 alone, the solutions we provided will help prevent around 150 million tonnes of GHG emissions during their operational lifetimes at our customers facilities. To put this into perspective, this is nearly equivalent to half of Vietnams total emissions.

What are successful best practices that Vietnam can learn and adopt from other countries?

I believe Vietnam can and will go its own way. Vietnam has proven to be a remarkable success story, with a rapid economic ascent over the past three decades. As Siemens has been present in Vietnam for 30 years, we have witnessed the countrys transformation from one of the poorest to an emerging middle economic power in Asia.

This incredible progress can be attributed to several factors, including a young, well-educated, and highly motivated population, a clear roadmap, and national ambition. With its high growth rates, Vietnam presents an attractive market for investment, but investors are increasingly focused on making ongoing operations as energy-efficient and sustainable as possible.

Vietnam is forecast to have one of the fastest growing pharmaceutical industries in the region. Here, Vietnam can learn from successful international projects and adapt and scale them accordingly.

Just one example from our work in Europe: Siemens is helping Pfizer in creating one of the most modern and sustainable high-containment manufacturing facilities in Freiburg, Germany. The new plant is 40 per cent more energy-efficient with technology and services from Siemens.

All machines and processes are intelligently networked using ICT, which enables Pfizer to produce more flexibly, faster, and with less resource consumption. Moreover, Building Services monitor and control a special containment concept, bringing together multiple disciplines including power distribution, ventilation, air conditioning, and heating. This demonstrates that Vietnam can draw inspiration from such international projects and further enhance its already booming pharmaceutical industry.

With Siemens knowledge combining the real and the digital worlds, we can support the country on its path to having one of the top pharmaceutical industries in the world, as well as making a positive impact on society and the environment.

Energy transition will not come without challenges To avoid catastrophic climate change and establish a trajectory that is compatible with the Paris Agreement, transformative changes to energy systems are urgently needed.

Fair energy transition awaits financing With public financing insufficient, Vietnam requires more affordable capital than commercial loans for a fair energy transition.

Vietnam's 15 renewable energy transition projects generate 154 million kWh In a significant stride towards renewable energy adoption, 15 transitional renewable energy projects have contributed approximately 154 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity.
At the end of June, 12 cement producers released their second quarter financial statements, with only two units posting profit growth.

Vicem Ha Tien Cement JSC  a large member of the state-owned cement conglomerate Vietnam Cement Industry Corporation (Vicem)  witnessed a 16 per cent drop in its consolidated revenue on-year, falling to $84.3 million, and around $2.5 million in consolidated post-tax profit, down nearly 57 per cent on-year.

Although such outcomes marked an improvement compared to the record losses seen in Q1 of this year, the company still shed $1.13 million in H1. This sharply contrasts with the more than $7 million profit that was counted one year ago.

Similarly, Bim Son Cement JSC saw $210,970 in losses in Q2 of this year  its fourth consecutive loss-making quarter.

Its second quarter consolidated financial statement also records a 21 per cent drop in the companys revenue, which stood at $37.67 million.

Q4 is often a key season for cement consumption, yet with the current situation, many firms expect the falling demand to continue for the rest of this year.

In H1, Bim Son Cement posted $73.4 million in revenue, down 25 per cent, and counted nearly $2.2 million losses. 12 months earlier, it generated nearly $5.5 million in profit.

Vicem But Son, another major unit under Vicem, experienced similar woes. In H1 of this year, the company raked in $56.65 million in net revenue, showing a 12 per cent drop, and incurred $1.35 million in losses. This comes off the back of the nearly $2 million it made a year ago.

The company has attributed its bleak business results to the fact that the first half of this year was a very tough time for the sector, with gloomy market prospects and rising production costs.

While not having to endure the losses of the aforementioned firms, Vicem Hoang Mai JSC saw its revenue in Q2 of this year tumble by nearly a half. It posted $98,500 in post-tax profit, compared to $464,100 in the same period last year.

In H1, the company posted $26,200 in profit, far lower than last year's figure of $489,450.

Ngo Duc Luu, Vicem Hoang Mais deputy general director, believes that the cement market is facing a serious oversupply, with the designed capacity of approximately 130 million tonnes far outstripping the mere 65 million tonnes of domestic demand.

The remainder is set for export, with 65 per cent of the volume earmarked for the Chinese market.

However, since 2022, China has reduced its imports from Vietnam, forcing firms to seek other markets such as countries in South America and Bangladesh. However, this export volume is comparatively insignificant, leading to rising inventories at cement plants.

This has caused a remarkable decline in prices, with the rising input costs further compounding the issue.

Q4 is often a key season for cement consumption, yet with the current situation, many firms expect the falling demand to continue for the rest of this year, causing further difficulties.

Most cement producers are pessimistic about their 2023 business results, seeing little hope of achieving their set targets.

Training on GHG emissions for private cement companies 50 cement manufacturers joined a 2-day training course on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory and mitigation from December 14 to 15.

Action required to halt cement supply-demand slip Cement leaders are calling for a tightening of approvals for new projects in Vietnam due to the current supply-demand imbalance in the sector.

All options on the table as livestock firms take on losses Livestock businesses in Vietnam are struggling with record low profits after a drop in both prices and demand.
FDI attraction, consumption, tourism silver linings of Vietnams H2 economic growth, Illustrative photo (Photo: vneconomy.vn)

Hanoi - Foreign direct investment (FDI) attraction, consumption, and tourism are considered silver linings in Vietnams economic growth in the coming months of this year, insiders said.

According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, by July 20, the total newly registered capital, adjusted and contributed by foreign investors had neared 16.24 billion USD, up 4.5 per cent over the same period in 2022.

Meanwhile, capital implemented by foreign-invested projects reached about 11.58 billion USD, increasing by 0.8 per cent from the same period last year.

Director of the ministrys Foreign Investment Agency (FIA) Do Nhat Hoang said that after falling for six months, Vietnams FDI attraction increased in July thanks to the Governments timely and flexible solutions to support businesses.

In July only, total registered capital was over 2.8 billion USD, increasing by 8.9 per cent, 41.9 per cent, and 85.7 per cent compared to that of June 2023, May 2023, and July 2022, respectively.

Hoang said that new investment capital and new projects increased sharply over the first months of this year.

Small- and middle-sized foreign investors continued to get interested and confident in Vietnams investment climate, he said.

Meanwhile, Vietnams tourism posted a strong recovery in July, attracting over 1 million foreign visitors, an increase of 6.5 per cent over the previous month.

In the first seven months of this year, Vietnam welcomed more than 6.6 million foreign visitors. The figure was 6.9 times higher than that of the same period last year.

Vu Tuan Anh, chairman of JCI Vietnam, said that the figures show Vietnams visible recovery in tourism.

Tourism also helped stimulate the growth of the transport and commerce sectors.

In the first seven months, the transport sector served over 2.6 billion passengers, marking a year-on-year increase of 15.8 per cent. Meanwhile, over 1.3 billion tonnes of goods were transported during the period, a year-on-year rise of 15.3 per cent.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, in the first seven months, total retail sales of consumer goods and services increased by 10.4 per cent over the same period last year.

Economic expert Ngo Tri Long said that domestic consumption, public investment, and exports will continue to be key drivers for Vietnams economic growth in the coming months.

Dong Nais FDI attraction booming, nearly triple in Q1 Foreign direct investment in the southern province of Dong Nai surpassed 500 million USD in the first quarter this year, nearly tripling that in the same period last year, according to the management board of the provincial industrial parks.

Hanoi tops country in FDI attraction in first four months Hanoi led Vietnam in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first four months of this year, securing more than 1.7 billion USD in capital during the period, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.
Russian President Vladimir Putin talked about the worsening Niger coup. During his call with Mali's interim president, Assimi Goita, the Russian leader said that a peaceful resolution is needed.

Vladimir Putin Talks About Niger Coup

According to CNN Edition's latest report, Putin and Goita had a telephone conversation on Tuesday, Aug. 15.

During their conversation, they discussed the events happening in Niger. Some analysts said that the latest discussion shows Russia's influence in the West African region.

They explained that this development will likely raise concerns among Western leaders.

"At the initiative of the Malian side, Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with President of the Transitional Period of the Republic of Mali Assimi Goita," said the Kremlin.

The discussions between Goita and Putin focused on the Sahara-Sahel region. The Russian president said that to resolve the ongoing issues in the region, exclusively peaceful political and diplomatic means are needed.

Putin also mentioned the aggression launched by the U.S. and its allies against Libya. He said that ever since Libya collapsed, the Sahara-Sahel region started suffering from terrorist attacks.

Vladimir's call for a peaceful resolution came after West African leaders ordered the deployment and activation of a regional standby force.

They did this to help restore the constitutional order in Niger after President Mohamed Bazoum was arrested by coup leaders.

Read Also: Russian Nuclear Submarines Receive Hypersonic Zircon Missiles as Putin Boosts Nuclear Forces

Russia's Growing Influence in Niger

Ever since Bazoum was ousted, many Niger residents suddenly appear in Russian colors. BBC reported that thousands of people in the capital of Niamey recently waved Russian flags.

They also attacked the French Embassy in Niger. Experts said that this movement is spreading across the country since the coup started.

A Niger businessman said that is pro-Russia because he's against France, saying that France has been negatively affecting the country ever since he was a kid.

"They've exploited all the riches of my country such as uranium, petrol, and gold," said the Niger resident.

He added that the poorest Niger residents are still unable to have proper meals (three meals a day) because of France's influence in the country.

But, it is unclear if the coup leaders are connected with Russia or if they ousted the Niger president because of its support for France.

If you want to learn more about why Niger residents are supporting Russia's influence in the country, you can click this link.

Related Article: Niger's Overthrown President Mohamed Bazoum to Be Charged With High Treason, Junta Says

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Various developers have set up plans to build industrial parks before the end of the decade, photo Le Toan

According to Thanh Pham, associate director, Research and Consulting at CBRE, there has not been clear evidence of rental differences at industrial projects certified as green in Vietnam, but tenants have started to give preference to projects developed sustainably and focusing on renewable energy.

As of the beginning of July, many industrial real estate projects had registered for LEED certification, a set of international standards for building energy-saving and environmental-friendly buildings.

These included the Core5 system in Haiphong, Logos in Bac Ninh, a ready-built warehouse (RBW) at Phu Tan Industrial Park (IP) in Binh Duong province, and another at Xuyen A IP in Long An province, which also borders Ho Chi Minh City.

Meanwhile, Frasers Property Vietnam announced in July that its Eco Logistics Centre was the first LEED-certified RBW in Vietnam awarded the status by the US Green Building Council (USGBC).

The certification recognises the Binh Duong province-situated development for its sustainability credentials under the LEED v4 Building Design and Construction: Warehouses and Distribution Centres rating system.

Edwin Tan, deputy CEO at Frasers Property Vietnam, said that achieving the first LEED-certified RBW in Vietnam not only validates the companys asset strategy but contributes to the countrys advancements in sustainability.

We are committed to embedding sustainability across the lifecycle of our assets, with efforts entailing green building certification and retrofitting existing buildings to higher standards. These are important aspects in our value-creation for our partners, tenants and customers, said Tan.

Optimising performance

Developed by USGBC, LEED is the worlds most widely used green building rating system and provides a framework for healthy, efficient, and cost-saving green buildings. The Eco Logistics Centres design and construction phases were carried out in accordance with the rating system.

These comprise the implementation of practical, measurable strategies and solutions in its industrial warehouse estates including designs that optimise energy performance expecting saving of up to 25 per cent from similar properties; energy- and water-efficient equipment; advanced commissioning; and sustainable materials selection and construction.

Owned by Chuong Duong Beverages JSC and managed by Frasers Property Vietnam, the Eco Logistics Centre sits on more than 7.5 hectares providing warehousing space to sustainability-minded tenants.

The certification marks Frasers Property Vietnams first step in progressively certifying all its owned and managed industrial facilities across the country. The company is targeting LEED certification for a total of over 1 million sq.m of international-grade industrial facilities across more than 180 ha of industrial land in both north and south Vietnam.

According to Jeerasage Puranasamriddhi, chief supply officer at Pandora Thailand, most of the retailers are requesting their buildings and factories reach the qualification of LEED, therefore buildings and IP owners must adapt the green and environmental protection criteria into their projects, so then they can draw in qualified tenants.

Pandoras very first project in Vietnam is based in Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) 3 in the southern province of Binh Duong. It is certified with LEED Gold qualification and it uses 100 per cent of recycled energy, Puranasamriddhi said.

The Pandora factory in Binh Duong will create more than 6,000 jobs and provide an annual capacity of 60 million products to the market. Pandoras products are now exported to more than 100 countries, with more than 6,800 outlets.

In the same province, Lego Group is also in the process of building its first carbon-neutral factory, worth over $1 billion in investment.

Decarbonisation answers

As part of the green and sustainable development trend, earlier this year, Singapores Sembcorp Industries and Vietnamese industrial developer Becamex announced plans to establish five new VSIPs with an approximate investment of $1 billion.

The new projects will feature decarbonisation solutions such as rooftop solar systems, solar farms where feasible, and green-certified buildings. These parks are envisioned as smart and sustainable with a low carbon footprint. Real-time tracking devices will remotely monitor and manage energy, water and waste use, as well as traffic and security, to allow for enhanced visibility over operations, Sembcorp said.

Grasping the trend of green transformation in the industrial arena, in March, the Management Board of Export Processing and Industrial Zones in Ho Chi Minh City unveiled a plan to develop such zones between now and 2030.

Accordingly, the first five  Tan Thuan, Tan Binh, Cat Lai, Hiep Phuoc and Binh Chieu  will be piloted for conversion towards green criteria in 2023 and 2024. The remainder will be converted in 2025-2030.

According to a survey completed by the Ministry of Construction early this year, the majority of green projects are industrial projects, while 55 per cent of green buildings in Vietnam are from the industrial sector.

This survey also released data on LEED-certified projects showed that 56 per cent of certified projects are factories or offices located in IPs and 4 per cent in warehouses. Meanwhile, 26 per cent of LOTUS-certified projects are in the industrial sector.

There will be increasing demand from foreign investors for green initiatives and sustainable development of future industrial real estate projects in Vietnam. The commitment of multinationals to sustainability is also forcing landlords to develop sustainable projects to be able to capture these high-profile tenants, said Trang Le, head of Research and Consulting at JLL Vietnam.

Source: JLL Vietnam

Vietnam Industrial Property Forum 2023 The third annual Vietnam Industrial Property Forum, organised by VIR under the auspice of the Ministry of Planning and Investment, will be held at Mai House Saigon Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday, August 24. Themed Grasping opportunities from new capital inflows, the forum will focus on assessing new capital potential into Vietnam, the development of specialised real estate products, and analysing bottlenecks in policy, infrastructure, and land shortages, which may affect market growth prospects. In addition, it will cover concerns raised by domestic and foreign investors, such as the impact of the upcoming global minimum tax, Vietnams policy adjustments related to foreign direct investment to compensate for tax incentive limitations, and challenges raised in meeting environmental, social, and governance standards.

Interest persists in industrial property Vietnams industrial property market is witnessing interest from global manufacturers, demonstrating its potential to become a production hub in electronics, technology, and high-value industries.

The benefits of industrial property with built-in seaports in DEEP C Many coastal localities in Vietnam are contemplating luring investment into establishing industrial zones connected with seaports. However, apart from a suitable location, constructing a new terminal can require up to five years.

Supply shortages remain in industrial property frame New supply in the industrial real estate market will slow in the second half due to the influence of legal procedures as well as a decrease in demand from the manufacturing industries.
The State Securities Commission of Vietnam (SSC), together with the IFC, has launched a manual on GHG emissions inventory and reporting.

The manual was developed with technical support from the IFC, the Swiss Federal Economic Commission, and the UK National Standards Agency in Vietnam in an attempt to support businesses and make it easier for them to document their GHG emissions.

This document comprises three parts, with the first providing general background information and related definitions.

The second section clarifies Vietnams regulations and standards, as well as the international equivalents that are in force related to GHG inventory and reporting.

The third part, and also the most critical, introduces the GHG inventory and reporting process. It outlines the key steps and required procedures.

There are brief introductions that define the scope and boundaries for the organisations, identifying the base year and sources of GHGs. Furthermore, it provides guides to identify measures that can be applied to reduce or eliminate emissions, and solutions to verify and assess the results.

SSC vice chairman Pham Hong Son said that the book is helpful for businesses when implementing legal regulations on information disclosure and sustainable development.

Son stated, The promotion of green and sustainable finance is a long-term priority for the SSC. The commission has called for active participation among the business community and investors to create a sustainable foundation for green growth and development.

The handbook will also help businesses to determine and manage risks, while simultaneously identifying new business opportunities, he said.

In 2022, the government publicised Decision No.01/2022/QD-TTG, clarifying a list of sectors and establishments that must create a GHG inventory.

Accompanying Decision 01 is a list of 1,900 enterprises that are required to declare their GHG emissions, divided into energy, transportation, construction, industrial processes, agriculture, forestry and land use, and waste.

Cloud efficiency transforms financial reporting for businesses in Vietnam On June 23, 2023, FPT Smart Cloud hosted a highly anticipated seminar at the Pullman Saigon Centre Hotel in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. The event focused on "Leveraging technology in implementing consolidated financial reporting."

Energy sector CO2 emissions hit record in 2022: study Global energy sector carbon dioxide emissions hit a record peak last year counter to Paris commitments, a key study warned Monday, and highlighted the "worst ever" impacts of climate change.

Vietnam's tough journey to reduce urban emissions In addition to adequate energy supply, the demand for smart energy in urban areas is viewed as a qualitative change in energy mobility in Vietnam. VIRs Angela Nguyen talked with Mikael Jakobsson, executive director of the Asia Pacific Urban Energy Association on the issue.
MPI intervenes in Long Thanh International Airport bidding dispute, illustration photo

The Bidding Management Department under the MPI has received two successive proposals from the Hoa Lu consortium concerning package number 5.10  which involves the construction of and equipment installation for the passenger terminal of part three of the Long Thanh International Airport construction project.

The direction follows the instructions of Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, according to Baodautu, stipulating that resolutions and processes regarding contractor selection issues are detailed under articles 91 and 92 of the Bidding Law.

Previously, baodautu.vn reported that the Government Office has issued an official letter to the ACV, the Commission for the Management of State Capital at Enterprises, the Ministry of Transport, and the Ministry of Planning and Investment about the petition by the Hoa Lu consortium regarding its eligibility to participate in the bidding for the 5.10 Package.

In response to the petition, on August 6, DPM Ha tasked those same bodies with its review and resolution in accordance with the legal regulations.

According to the same law, the ACV has been advised to review the content proposed by the Hoa Lu consortium and address it accordingly to avoid any delays in the project timeline.

The Bidding Law dictates that the project owner, in this case the ACV, is obligated to respond to the Hoa Lu consortium within seven working days. If the consortium disagrees with ACV's decision, they are entitled to send a recommendation to the appropriate authority within the following five working days.

The ACV's public announcement of the chosen contractor for package 5.10 would allow Hoa Lu, if they feel their interests have been compromised, to further appeal to the project owner or initiate legal proceedings.

Are Hoa Lu and the ACV at loggerheads?

The Hoa Lu consortium was established by seven domestic contractors and one from Thailand, and consists of Unicons, Thanh An, Delta, Central, An Phong, Hoa Binh, and Power Line Engineering, with Coteccons leading the group.

In their written proposal to multiple governmental bodies and high-ranking officials, the consortium asserts that Vietur consortium  the only entity chosen by the ACV to pass the technical round for package 5.10  has violated bidding regulations and lacks the technical ability to meet the package's requirements.

Consequently, Hoa Lu consortium is urging for a review of the ACV's announcement 3146 dated August 1 regarding Vietur consortium's technical compliance.

The Hoa Lu consortium, along with the Vietur and China Harbour Engineering Company consortiums, had cleared the preliminary selection for package 5.10, indicating their initial technical compliance.

However, the ACV, in recent correspondences, has insisted they are assessing bidding profiles correctly and fairly. Based on the documentation submitted by the participating contractors on June 12, the ACV claims to have evaluated the technical proposals against the set criteria and standards in the bidding profile, while ensuring fairness for all bidders.
Pham Thi Nhung, deputy CEO of VPBank (in the middle) at the ceremony honouring the Top 100 Most Valuable Brands in Vietnam 2023

In an event announcing the 100 most valuable brands in Vietnam on August 15, Brand Finance, the world's leading brand valuation consultancy, addressed VPBank as one of the four organisations with the highest growth in brand value.

VPBank is valued at $1.3 billion. Accordingly, within the last seven years, the banks brand value has increased 23 times since it was first evaluated by a consultancy at $56 million.

Thanks to the swift growth in brand value, VPBank has jumped to 173rd among 500 global banks with the most valuable brand, improving 32 ranks in comparison to 2022. It is also the fourth consecutive year that VPBanks rank has improved.

Besides this, the banks Brand Rating was also rated AA+. The Brand Strength Index of the bank, according to Brand Finance, was scored at 77.61. With this score, VPBank is considered to be one of the two fastest-growing banking brands in Vietnam.

Brand value has been improved due to the strong growth in brand strength. This impressive growth is the result of remarkable communication, brand identity repositioning and realigning activities from the mid-half of 2022, as well as financial projections said Alex Haigh, managing director in Asia Pacific area on the fast growth of VPBanks brand value.

Its the synergy of the Vietnamese markets potential and the banks recent merger and acquisition deals, along with the completed acquisitions of OPES Insurance and VPBank Securities that has promoted the banks brand and enables it for all customers in the market.

This is the due acknowledgement of all the banks effort in developing a comprehensive, diverse segment strategy focusing mainly on retail banking and SMEs, combining a unique business model to bring prosperity to customers and Vietnamese towards its ultimate goal: prospering Vietnam, said Pham Thi Nhung, VPBank's deputy CEO.

Last year, this credibility and brand strength allowed VPBank to mobilise successfully more than $1 billion from global financial institutions, diversifying the funding for medium- and long-term loans and ensuring liquidity ratios.

Compared to the end of 2021, customer deposits also improved by nearly 30 per cent. The consolidated capital adequacy rate (CAR) under Basel II reached nearly 15 per cent, among the best in the market. The banks profit before tax increased by 48 per cent year over year in 2022 and exceeded $1 billion.

In the first half of 2023, despite troublesome macroeconomic challenges, VPBank went on to attract approximately 4 million new customers, raising the total customer base in its ecosystem to 28 million, equivalent to one-third of Vietnams population.

This year, Moodys also retains the banks credit rating of Ba3. As a result, the growth in brand power, inner strength and business prospect fortified SMBCs confidence (Japanese bank) to acquire 15 per cent of stakes from VPBank and become the banks strategic investor.

On the occasion of its 30th anniversary last week, VPBanks leadership officially announced the target to put VPBank in the top 100 biggest banks in Asia by 2026. At the same time, the bank also announced its five new core values: "Integrity, Aspiration, Discipline, Innovation, Efficiency & Effectiveness" in a forward-looking move to achieve its goals.

VPBank has received a 10 per cent deposit from SMBC At an investor-update meeting on May 18, Luu Thi Thao, deputy general director of VPBank, revealed that the bank has received a 10 per cent deposit from Japanese partner SMBC, as part of the $1.5 billion private placement agreement signed between the two banks.

VPBank launches Enterprise Data and Analytics Division As part of its ongoing measures to strengthen the use of data analytics and AI in driving value, VPBank held a ceremony at its headquarters on June 5 to launch its new Enterprise Data and Analytics (EDA) Division.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  A national political movement that could offer an independent presidential ticket in 2024 as an alternative to major-party nominees said Monday it has now won ballot access in 10 states, after North Carolina election officials formally granted official status to a No Labels affiliate.

The State Board of Elections voted 4-1 on Sunday to recognize the No Labels Party as an official North Carolina party following a successful petition effort. It joins four other recognized parties with which voters can now choose to be registered and field candidates.

The new North Carolina party is linked to a national No Labels effort that lists a wide array of mostly centrist political leaders backing it. They include ex-North Carolina GOP Gov. Pat McCrory, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and former Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, a former Democrat who became an independent.

No Labels is poised to offer an independent ticket for president and vice president if Democrats and Republicans select unreasonably divisive presidential nominees. North Carolina, usually considered a battleground state, has 16 electoral votes at stake.

The other states are Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota and Utah.

Reaching 10 states is "a historic victory for Americans who have said loud and clear they want more choices at the ballot box. The spirit of democracy is winning in America today, civil rights leader Benjamin Chavis, a North Carolina native and national co-chair of No Labels, said in a news release Monday.

There is no named ticket yet for No Labels. Group leaders have said it would stand down if theres no clear path to victory next year. But some Democrats are worried that wont happen, leading unintentionally to the election of Republican Donald Trump. National left-leaning groups have been working to derail the groups presidential ambitions.

North Carolina law says that to be recognized, a party must collect signatures from registered voters equal to 0.25% of the total number of people who voted in the last election for governor in 2020, or just under 13,900 signatures. State election officials agreed that No Labels provided over 14,800 signatures and met a requirement that at least 200 signatures each come from three congressional districts.

The other official North Carolina parties are the Democratic, Republican, Green and Libertarian parties. Voters also can register as unaffiliated, which represents the largest bloc in the state.

Board Chair Alan Hirsch and member Jeff Carmon, both Democrats, joined Republicans Four Eggers and Kevin Lewis in voting for the official recognition. Democratic member Siobhan ODuffy Millen voted no.

The official recognition followed questions seeking more information on No Labels, particularly its affiliation with the national movement and whether it truly met the definition of a party.

The board also was interested in whether the party's signature collectors properly informed signers of the general purpose and intent of the party, as state law requires.

No Labels presented affidavits from collectors stating that they were instructed to share in part it was a party to bring all the parties together to get things done in Washington through a unity ticket and that the petition allows a third party to run candidates in the presidential election.

But Millen said the evidence wasn't strong enough and questioned whether the No Labels Party of North Carolina met the party definition.

She pointed to media reports quoting national No Labels leaders saying they wouldn't field candidates up and down ballots and that operations would end after the November 2024 elections.

It seems to me that North Carolina law does not adequately address this novel situation when the goal of such a group is to secure a spot in one election instead of becoming an ongoing party, Millen said.

While the national No Labels group is organized under a section of federal tax law in which it now doesnt have to disclose its donors, the state affiliate would have to follow state campaign finance disclosure rules, as the other recognized parties must do.

Eggers, who made the motion to recognize the No Labels Party, said he shared some of Millen's concerns. But he said there appeared to be no dispute that the party met the numerical signature threshold and the standard to meet general purpose and intent requirement was quite low.
DENVER (AP)  When officers responded to a domestic violence call Aug. 5, Brandon Cole reached into a vehicle and then soon after rushed toward one of them, police said. Thinking he was holding a knife, the officer fired twice, killing him.

As it turned out, the object in his hand was a black marker.

This is a tremendous tragedy, Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said during a news conference Monday as police released graphic body-camera video of the shooting, which is still being investigated.

A neighbor had called 911 to report potential domestic violence involving Cole, 36, his wife and his teenage son. The caller reported that the woman may have been pushed out of her wheelchair and that Cole was going after his son, Cmdr. Matt Clark said.

The footage shows a woman sitting on the street next to a wheelchair. Dont, dont pull your gun out on my husband, please, she says.

Cole seems agitated as he says let's go to an officer who calls to him using his first name. That officer tries to hit Cole with a stun gun, but only one probe makes contact.

Cole moves quickly around a parked car toward the other officer, raising his hands to chest level, but what he is holding isn't clear in the video. She fires her handgun at him, and he collapses on the sidewalk.

A woman and a young child seen behind Cole in the video were not injured. They were not involved in the call to police.

You can see in the video that when she finally deploys her duty weapon, the person is so close to her that the view of the young child and other person are not even clear to her, Thomas said. Certainly that was a consideration, but it was just there was not much time to act before she was overrun by that individual.

The results of the investigation will be given to the Denver District Attorney's Office, which will decide if the officer should face any criminal charges. After that, police will do an investigation to determine if department policies were followed.

Based on how Cole is acting in the video, including seeming to conceal one of his hands behind his back, two experts in police use of force said the officer seemed to act reasonably in response to someone she believed to have a knife and intended to hurt her.

I would have taken that shot, said Ed Obayashi, a use-of-force consultant to law enforcement agencies and a deputy sheriff and legal adviser in Plumas County, California.

Seth Stoughton, a professor at the University of Carolina School of Law and a former police officer, also thought it was reasonable for the officer to believe Cole had a knife. However, he said officials needed to look at the positioning of the bystanders and whether they were put in danger by the shots she fired.

Sometimes the appropriate thing to do is get injured or even killed to prevent an injury or death of an innocent bystander, he said.

The name of the officer who shot Cole has not been released. She has been with the department since 2019 and has not been involved in any other shootings.

Ebony Cole, the man's wife, has not spoken with investigators, and police have not been able to determine if any domestic violence had occured, Clark and Thomas said.

That man was a good man. He didnt deserve to be killed, Ebony Cole said when reached Tuesday. They didnt have to kill him.

She declined to say more.
TIMBERLAKE, N.C. (AP)  A North Carolina father has been charged after fatally shooting a driver who hit and killed his teenage son along a road Monday, a sheriff said.

The 17-year-old boy died as the family of three walked home after running out of gas around 6:30 a.m., Person County Sheriff Jason Wilborn told news outlets. The driver of the truck stopped and called 911 shortly after the crash, which happened near Timberlake.

The teen's father, Chad Woods, then pulled out a gun and shot the driver, who was identified as Jeffery McKay, the sheriff's office said. After the shooting, Woods took the driver's vehicle and drove home, officials said. News outlets report McKay was driving a North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections vehicle.

Woods was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and larceny of a motor vehicle, the sheriff's office said. Woods is set to appear in court on Aug. 21. It wasnt immediately clear whether he has an attorney, courthouse officials said.

This is kind of a first. Ive been to people struck by cars and Ive been to shootings, but I havent ever had this happen at the same time. Sad situation all around, for all the families, Sgt. Kevin Morris, with the sheriff's office, told WTVD-TV.
Blame the heat, the Saudis, COVID, Biden, Trump, whomever. The fact remains gas prices have skyrocketed in recent weeks, reaching a $3.36 local average to pump a gallon of regular unleaded on Tuesday.

They need $80 a barrel to sustain their budget, said GasBuddy petroleum analyst Patrick DeHaan by phone. The Saudis have been tipping off the market they were going to cut oil production, and they have.

Less oil means less gasoline, and higher prices at the pump.

Motorists in Waco were paying just under $3.09 per gallon on average for regular unleaded one month ago. On Tuesday, they were shelling out $3.36 per gallon, on average, according to GasBuddy. The burden could have been higher, as that price reflected a dip of about 2 cents from last week.

So what has changed to create a price increase hovering between 25 cents and 30 cents a gallon? DeHaan said the record heat contributes to the misery index in more ways than one might think. Oil refineries do not function as well in extreme heat, so the process that yields gasoline runs less efficiently, if it runs at all. Refiners may choose to cut production to reduce the strain.

The heat youve had to deal with down there, it has impacted refineries in Texas and Louisiana, said DeHaan, who is based in Chicago.

Andrew Gross, spokesman for AAA, was quoted in an Aug. 4 article at forbes.com saying that refineries ideal operation temperature is at most 95 degrees Fahrenheit, and some cities across the southern United States and California  where many of the nations refineries are located  saw temperatures surpass 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

That same story said the World Meteorological Organization deemed July the hottest month on record, and that data showed Earth recorded its warmest day twice in one week. It said the six largest oil refineries in the U.S. are located in either Texas or Louisiana, places that have grappled with extreme heat over the summer. It said Baton Rouge, home to the nations fifth largest refinery, saw temperatures reaching 104 degrees on Aug. 1.

In a report dated Aug. 8, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said it expects sustained global demand for petroleum products and Saudi Arabias extended voluntary production cuts will contribute to oil prices rising through the year. The EIA said the Brent crude oil price hovered around $75 per barrel in early July, and surpassed $86 per barrel on Aug. 4. It predicted the Brent crude oil price would approach $90 per barrel in late 2023.

Nationally, motorists on Tuesday were paying $3.85 per gallon for regular unleaded, and 11 states reported norms above $4 per gallon, according to AAA. DeHaan said he would not rule out a national average eclipsing $4, if a major hurricane forms or Saudis continue to throttle oil production.

Karr Ingham, an Amarillo-based economist who produces the monthly Greater Waco Economic Index, said he expects fuel demand to remain high.

I think most crude oil watchers, myself included, are pretty bullish on crude oil prices between now and the end of the year, Ingham said. Were not going to see much consumer price relief. Prices will stay where they are, or continue to grow higher. Well see what happens after that.

There has been some Chinese economic weakness, but even with this occurring, were setting global demand records, said Ingham. It might be accurate to say prices would be even higher if not for China.

Nobody favors higher fuel prices, said Ingham, but he places greater priority on what he calls availability in abundance.

The market experiences ups and downs, and people recognize the ups when they see them, and typically dont care for them, but it is the market at work, said Ingham. In some respects we can blame our own government, which has been content to keep a lid on domestic oil and gas production.

In fall 2019, said Ingham, domestic oil production reached 13 million barrels daily before beginning to fall in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Weve been trying to claw our way back, production fluctuating between 12.4 and 12.5 million barrels per day, about half-a-million barrels a day short of what we were producing, Ingham said. Texas finally got back to daily production levels before COVID, but most other states have not.

Gas prices spiked in spring and early summer 2022 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with local prices peaking at $4.64 on June 13, 2022, according to Gas Buddy. Those prices settled out by September, with local prices dipping below $3.

Though the local average for regular unleaded reached $3.36 on Tuesday, consumers could find cheaper gasoline in spots around Waco.

The Walmart on Sun Valley Boulevard and the Chevron on New Dallas Highway were posting $3.25 a gallon, according to GasBuddy. The 7-Eleven on Sun Valley Boulevard, the Flying J on New Road and the Pilot travel center on I-35 in Robinson reported prices of $3.27 to $3.28 a gallon.

GasBuddy reports that Waco motorists on Aug. 15, 2020, were paying $1.87, on average, for a gallon of regular unleaded. On the same day in 2008, the average for regular unleaded stood at $3.58, GasBuddy reported.

GasBuddy maintains records back to 2008 in this category.
A federal judge in Waco sentenced a Killeen woman Monday to a 30-year prison term for her role in trying to cover up the death of Vanessa Guillen, exceeding sentencing guidelines.

After a sentencing hearing that lasted all day, U.S. District Judge Alan Albright sentenced Cecily Ann Aguilar, 25, to 15 years for accessory to murder and 5 years for each of three counts of lying to police, saying she would receive credit for her time served in pre-trail lockup and that the sentences would run back to back.

If its not what your client did in this case, then what else would give an upward variance? Albright asked Aguilars defense attorney, Horatio Aldredge, during closing arguments.

Aguilar pleaded guilty to the charges in November after earlier attempts to have her confession in the case thrown out.

Aguilar assisted Army Specialist Aaron Robinson in corruptly altering, destroying, mutilating and concealing evidence  that is, the body of Vanessa Guillen  in order to prevent Robinson from being charged with and prosecuted for any crime, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Texas.

Guillen, an Army specialist, died April 22, 2020, when Robinson hit her in the head with hammer in an arms room on Fort Cavazos, known at the time as Fort Hood. Her body was not discovered until 70 days later when a contractor tripped over what he thought was a rock and discovered her remains in a shallow grave near the base, according to testimony Monday.

Prosecutor Mark Frazier showed body camera video from Aguilars walk of the hill where Guillens remains were uncovered in which she could be heard talking about burning the body, then dismembering, defleshing, and breaking the bones. Evidence was also introduced that Robinson desecrated Guillens corpse before he and Aguilar dismembered it.

Frazier also played audio tapes of interviews in which investigators verbally cornered Aguilar three times and she attempted to stick to a story that she and Robinson took a drive to look at the stars the night after Guillen disappeared. The investigator tells Aguilar on the tape that he found remains and then she admits to her role.

A series of Facebook messages Frazier introduced showed Aguilar found someone to sell her and Robinson two 70-pound bags of mortar mix in which Guillens bones were mixed before being left in holes.

Robinson died by suicide July 1, 2020, as the investigation closed in around him. A federal criminal complaint made public the next day showed Robinson had been charged in Guillens death.

Guillens mother, Gloria Guillen, and her sisters Mayra Guillen, Guadalupe Guillen and Yolanda Guillen read victim impact statements during the governments closing in which they described the impact of Aguilars lies in prolonging the search and their grief over not having Vanessas body to bury at her funeral.

Before her sentencing Aguilar read a statement to Guillens family members present in court in which she said she is sorry for her role in destroying Guillens remains and ashamed of the person I was then.

Our hope is that todays sentence brings a sense of relief and justice to the Guillen family, who have endured such pain throughout these past few years, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas Jaime Esparza said in the statement. Ms. Aguilars actions were indefensible, and she will now face the maximum penalty for the choices she made.
As Ohio goes, so goes the nation.

That old chestnut has proven true in modern American elections more times than not. Since 1964, Ohio has chosen the winning president in every contest, whether Democrat or Republican  that is, except one. In 2020, Ohio voted for Donald Trump over Joe Biden, by eight points.

A new ballot issue, voted on last week, could be a bellwether of things to come in 2024  or, it could be a blip. But you best believe the Republican candidates running for president will be paying attention. Or, rather, they should be.

On Tuesday night, Ohio voters shot down a GOP proposal, known as Issue 1, which would have raised the minimum threshold of votes needed to amend the state constitution from a simple majority up to 60%.

This was both surprising and significant  it means that a proposed constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights is much more likely to pass in November, something Republicans were trying to thwart.

The amendment would essentially prohibit Ohio from intervening in a womans abortion, contraception and fertility decisions, thus enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution.

Ohios resounding rejection of the GOP effort to make it easier to ban abortion echoes another states surprising rebel yell just last year. In August of 2022, Kansas voted against a constitutional amendment that would have declared abortion was not a right in that state, and would have given Kansas the power to prosecute people involved in abortions. The amendment was defeated by a whopping 18-point margin.

These two examples are perhaps anecdotal but no less significant. Ohio and Kansas are red states  Kansas voted for Trump 15 points over Biden in 2020, and Ohio voted for Trump twice, in 2016 and 2020.

But in Ohio, where the anti-abortion referendum failed, the loss is especially acute.

A USA Today and Suffolk University poll in July found that 58% of Ohio voters supported keeping abortion rights in the state constitution. Thats in a state that is more Christian than the rest of the country, whiter than the rest of the country, older than the rest of the country and less educated than the rest of the country.

This should be a wake-up call for Republicans, who are aiming to strip away abortion access all over the country, even where that is an unpopular thing to do.

Earlier this year in Florida, flailing 2024 presidential candidate Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a bill that banned abortions after six weeks, despite a majority of Florida voters opposing abortion bans. Its earned DeSantis the ire of fellow Republicans, including South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace, who called it a non-starter.

In Texas, after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a trigger law effectively banned all abortions except in the case of saving the life of the mother. Despite Texas being a reliably conservative state, 60% of voters there support access to abortion in all or most cases.

While most Americans still oppose abortion in the later months of pregnancy, support for legal abortion in the first three months shot to a record 69% in the wake of the Dobbs ruling.

The polls are clear, and have been since the inception of polling on abortion attitudes in America. Voters support legal abortion with some restrictions, and that hasnt changed since 1975.

But has anybody told that to Republicans?

Do they notice or care that their anti-abortion measures are unpopular and failing all over the country, even in red states?

Do candidates running for office, including the presidency, have a memory of the not-too-distant past in 2022, where abortion proved to be a massive turnout driver in the midterms, and an issue that persuaded those coveted swing voters to pour out to the polls?

Apparently not.

Former Ambassador Nikki Haley has said shed support as strict a bill as Congress could pass.

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson says hed sign a federal 15-week abortion ban.

Former Vice President Mike Pence has said he favors a federal abortion ban with no exceptions.

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott says he would sign the most conservative pro-life legislation you can bring to my desk.

If these are meant to be dog whistles to conservative voters, theyre having the opposite effect  alerting Democrats to the very real probability that a Republican president would limit abortion access even more than state legislatures already have.

Its a risky strategy considering where the country is on abortion. And that is firmly with Democrats.

Ohio Republicans just learned that the hard way. When will the rest of the GOP?
It is not the news any padawan or stormtrooper wants to hear.

A void in the Force was felt in Singapore after Lucasfilm announced Tuesday (August 15) it would be closing down its Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) studios in the city-state after nearly 20 years. According to parent company Disney, the closure was due to economic factors affecting the industry.

The closure would affect the fate of over 300 jobs in Singapore and the employees on site were notified they only had until the end of the year, Mediacorp's regional broadcaster CNA reported.

"Over the next several months, ILM will be consolidating its global footprint and winding down its Singapore studio due to economic factors affecting the industry," Disney said in a statement.

ILM was also trying to accommodate affected staff, including opportunities to relocate to its other campuses across the globe, namely Vancouver, London, Sydney, and Mumbai.

"ILM will be working with the local business community in Singapore to offer a job fair with companies identified as having a need for talent with similar skill sets," the firm added.

Almost Two Decades of the Force

Lucasfilm's Studios opened in 2006 and was founded as Lucasfilm Animation Singapore two years prior. Its first project was the animated TV series "Star Wars: The Clone Wars"

In 2013, Lucasfilm moved into the state-of-the-art Sandcrawler building, named after the classic Star Wars transport that inspired its design. The building houses a 100-seat theater and production facilities catering to the company's global production needs. The building also housed Disney's Southeast Asia offices prior to being sold to the Blackstone Group in January 2021.

Read Also: Disney+ Becomes Latest Streaming Service To Crack Down on Password Sharing Amid Alleged Financial Losses

Dark Side of Actors', Writers' Strike

An ILM employee told Mediacorp that work on the Singapore studios was badly affected by the Dark Side of the Force, namely, the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strike in Hollywood calling for higher pay and limits to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the media production industry, aside from Disney's overall implosion of its operations across the board.

The firm that brought Mickey Mouse to the world announced earlier this year a massive restructuring under recently reinstated CEO Bob Iger, cutting 7,000 jobs or about 3.6% of the company's global workforce as an effort to save $5.6 billion in costs and make Disney's streaming business profitable, as per the South China Morning Post.

A New Hope for Lucasfilm Workers

In a joint statement, Singapore's Economic Development Board (EDB) and Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) said Lucasfilm and the island nation's government are helping affected employees to find roles in other companies, especially those whose technical and creative skillsets are still in high demand within the broader media industry, as well as other industries that are going digital.

"Our Singaporean talent have worked alongside and learned from experienced producers, enabling them to develop their skills and play on the world stage," the agencies added. "We are proud that Singaporeans have worked on Hollywood blockbusters such as 'Jurassic World: Dominion' and Marvel's 'The Eternals'."

Related Article: Disney Scaling Down on Marvel, Star Wars Production: Here's Why

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Approximately 45% of the country's drinking tap water contains PFAS, a group of potentially hazardous "forever chemicals." The substances have been associated with numerous significant health issues, including certain types of cancer.

In the grand scheme of things, life presents the challenge of striking a healthy balance between the temporary and the enduring components of a given circumstance or relationship. There are some things that we want so intensely that we wish we could have them for the rest of our lives. Other items are on our wish lists to be eliminated, such as the mistakes that former societies made for advancement or pure financial gain. Sadly, it is often easier to integrate these mistakes into our lives than to eliminate them from our lives. When it comes to posing a threat to your health, toxic chemicals are the most powerful and perilous of all potential aggressors. Even though they are usually concealed in our environment, their predatory presence strikes terror into the hearts of anybody who ventures too close to the territory they control. These dangerous chemicals, purposely manufactured by man, can wreak havoc not just on our ecosystem but also on our health for decades to come.

PFAS substances, numbering over 12,000, have been diligently cataloged by the Environmental Protection Agency's comprehensive inventory. Their origins can be traced back to the 1940s when they first found their way into many products serving diverse purposes. In the industry of industrial innovation, one name stands tall - 3M. This pioneering company, known for its groundbreaking contributions to its bottom line, can claim the development of the first per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) among its many achievements . During the transformative decade of the 1950s that 3M forged a momentous commercial collaboration with none other than DuPont, a partnership that would shape the course of history.

The collaboration entailed the provision of PFAS, a crucial component, for the purpose of crafting nonstick cookware. In the domain of chemical compounds, there exists a group known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These substances possess an extraordinary ability to withstand high temperatures, rendering them highly heat resistant. Moreover, they possess a unique quality of repelling grease, oil, and water. Such exceptional properties have garnered significant attention and interest in the scientific community. Throughout the years, manufacturers have diligently incorporated, or at times, even formerly incorporated, a diverse array of these substances into an extensive assortment of products. These encompass an expansive spectrum, ranging from firefighting foam and construction materials to nonstick cookware, cosmetics, clothing, and food containers.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are made up of carbon and fluorine atoms that are linked together. Because of their resistance to degradation in both the environment and the human body, these synthetic compounds have been dubbed "forever chemicals."

A link has been established in recent decades between certain PFAS and a variety of health issues. These include, among other things, a potentially increased susceptibility to certain cancers, autoimmune diseases, thyroid disorders, liver ailments, complications during fetal development, reduced vaccine efficacy, and elevated cholesterol levels. Even trace amounts of certain types of PFAS can potentially cause long-term health problems.

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According to a comprehensive study conducted in 2020 by the watchdog nonprofit organization Environmental Working Group, it has been determined that a combination of PFAS compounds in tap water affects a staggering number of people, exceeding 200 million people, accounting for approximately two-thirds of the American population. These compounds were discovered to exceed the recommended concentration threshold of one part per trillion (ppt). This equates to about one minuscule droplet of PFAS dispersed across the equivalent of 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

In August 2023, a group of researchers from the United States Geological Survey released a groundbreaking publication. Their examination of the composition of tap water in the United States revealed a startling discovery. According to their estimates, one or more variants of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contaminate at least 45% of the nation's tap water supply.

The scope of their research includes municipal tap water and water obtained from private wells and rural drinking water systems. It is critical to recognize that the EPA's proposed rules do not apply to private wells.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) can persist within the human body for extended periods. Certain substances possess a half-life, which refers to the duration required for the body to reduce its concentration by approximately fifty percent. In the case at hand, this half-life spans about eight years. The primary means of eliminating these substances from the human body is excretion, predominantly via the urinary system.

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A group aims to reduce these chemicals' long-term harm.

A coalition of four different businesses is working hard to find a solution to the problem of persistent chemicals, which are more often referred to as PFAS. The group's ultimate goal is to lessen these chemicals' negative impact over the long term.

The developers use a combination of high pressure and extreme heat to successfully neutralize the compounds present in wastewater, reducing the risk of damage to human health that the toxins may cause.

Suppose this recent technological development proves to be reliable. In that case, it has the potential to serve as a pivotal solution in mitigating the infiltration of these substances, which are already believed to exist in the bloodstream of 97% of the population of the United States, thereby protecting our existence from the continued permeation of these substances.

The astounding effort is now on show in Wyoming, Michigan, where Heritage-Crystal Clean uses a highly inventive technique to efficiently eradicate the harmful elements that have earned the label of being "forever" persistent owing to their extraordinarily slow degradation process. The pollutants in question are known as "forever persistent" because of their exceptionally slow disintegration process.

Michigan Live has produced extensive documentation of the operating operations that are taking place at the waste treatment plant owned and operated by Crystal Clean. Allonnia, EPOC Enviro, and Revive Environmental, the company that developed the aptly named PFAS Annihilator, are working together on this initiative as a collaborative effort.

The first thing that has to be done is to collect the liquid waste from the landfill, which will then be followed by the separation of the chemicals that are resistant to degradation. The highly concentrated hazardous wastewater is then carried to Revive's Annihilator, a cutting-edge device that has been cleverly engineered to fit into two normal shipping containers. This occurs after the wastewater has been collected.

Crystal Clean's plant in Michigan is equipped to handle a daily volume of processing equal to 500 gallons. Before being disposed of in the Annihilator, the chemical waste goes through a specific foam treatment process, effectively concentrating any PFAS that may be present in the trash. According to a post that Michigan Live published, the treatment price may vary from 15 cents to 40 cents per gallon.

The group effort, which will use the combined experience of all participating businesses, is being advertised under the slogan "4never."

The process is referred to in its more technical form as "Supercritical Water Oxidation." The material that can be found on the website of Revive suggests that a transforming process for wastewater may be achieved via the use of heat and pressure. Because of this process, a state is produced that is distinguishable from both liquid and gas in that it has characteristics of both. This specific mechanism makes breaking the strong chemical bonds responsible for persistent compounds' cohesiveness easier. These bonds are responsible for the cohesion of persistent chemicals.

A report from Michigan Live states that the temperature may soar to a stunning 700 degrees and that the pressure can reach an extreme 3,200 pounds per square inch. The generation of harmless water is the result of the procedure described above. This water may be treated in municipal wastewater treatment facilities without risk and is then discharged back into the natural environment. In most cases, eliminating PFAS takes around one minute to complete.

This represents a huge milestone," remarked Revive President David Trueba in an interview with Michigan Live, referring to an innovative initiative promoted as "the initial closed-loop PFAS cleanup system." In the interview, Trueba discussed Revive's groundbreaking work.

The use of heat and pressure as a way to efficiently purify water has been used for many decades as a means of doing so. This purification method has even been extended to remove potentially harmful compounds such as radiation and nerve agents. Completing this initiative, which has been going on for quite some time, will take around five years.

According to Trueba, for the process to be successful, it must need an electrical energy input to work properly. On the other hand, he explained to Michigan Live that some of the energy generated from chemical reactions while the procedure is being carried out may be efficiently recycled.

The creators of the invention said that they were ready for more obliteration. At this very moment, Crystal Clean is in the process of onboarding eleven brand-new facilities. Revive is now working on dramatically expanding its manufacturing capabilities to increase its annual production output to as many as 25 units by the end of this year.

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PFAS "forever chemicals" found in 45% of U.S. tap water, study says
The Iowa Utilities Board rejected a request to meet this week to discuss a schedule that will dictate the remainder of Navigator CO2 Ventures carbon dioxide pipeline permit process, according to board documents.

Navigator is the second company to propose a sprawling pipeline system to transport captured carbon dioxide away from ethanol plants and other facilities. It suggested a schedule last month that includes a start date for its final evidentiary hearing in June 2024.

The company seeks a decision on its hazardous liquid pipeline permit request in October 2024.

The board will not adopt the tentative proposed schedule filed by Navigator, the IUB said in a recent order denying the companys request to meet this week.

It was unclear in the order whether the board merely objected to a meeting this week or if it disagreed with the broader schedule.

The IUB set a scheduling conference for the companys permit request in early October. That would follow a self-imposed deadline by the company to complete its list of land parcels that might be subject to eminent domain.

State rules require that list to be complete before the IUB sets the final evidentiary hearing, and its incomplete status led pipeline opponents and others to object to Navigators scheduling proposal. They said Navigator has failed to submit any portions of its eminent domain list despite earlier indications it would do so starting several months ago.

Navigator, in its response to those objections, said it wants to solidify a schedule to avoid claims that its permit process is being rushed, which has dogged the permit application of Summit Carbon Solutions.

Summit was the first to propose a carbon dioxide pipeline in the state and is set to start its final hearing in less than two weeks.

The evidentiary hearings might go for weeks or months and feature a case-by-case consideration of eminent domain requests.

The companies have sought voluntary land easements from landowners to construct their pipelines, but they can use eminent domain to force easements with the approval of the IUB.

Some state lawmakers have alleged that Summits permit process has been fast-tracked after a change in leadership of the board. The former chairperson of the board had made clear that Summits evidentiary hearing would start in October, but Gov. Kim Reynolds appointed a new chairperson of the three-member board, which then decided the hearing would start two months earlier.

Summit is fighting a recent judges opinion that the company should reveal to certain stakeholders its agreements with ethanol plants to verify its claims that its project promotes the public convenience and necessity, a requirement for permit approval.

The IUB had set a Aug. 11 deadline to submit arguments about that opinion, and its unclear when it will decide whether to adopt the judges proposed order. Summits hearing starts Aug. 22 in Fort Dodge.

Landowners who oppose Summits project paid a pilot to fly a banner over the Iowa State Fair on Friday that says Stop Rastetters land grab and No CO2 pipelines, according to the Bold Alliance, an environmental group. The banner references Bruce Rastetter, the co-founder of Summit Carbon Solutions.
CEDAR FALLS  Cedar Falls Community Schools administration reported Monday its staffing is in a good place from a numbers perspective heading into the new school year.

The first day of school is Aug. 23.

A bulk of the Board of Education meeting was focused on the upcoming 2023-24 school year, leading board member Nate Gruber to ask about staffing following an Aug. 9 paraeducator job fair.

We had a really good turnout for our para fair last week and filled many, many positions because of that, said Superintendent Andy Pattee. Weve not always had great luck with some of those fairs, and this one was really exceptional with a lot of interest, but also we just had really high quality candidates who attended and we were able to hire.

The district is fully staffed when it comes to teachers, the superintendent said.

Paraeducator vacancies still exist but many previously open staff positions have been filled. He emphasized that most of the openings are in food service. As few as one opening exists within the districts maintenance and custodial ranks, another highlight of his report.

Overall, were in really good shape, Pattee said.

During the meeting, the board adopted more legislative priorities than in years past. The annual list gives direction to the boards delegate to the Iowa Association of School Boards as well the organization and general assembly as a whole.

They are mental health, teacher recruitment, supplemental state aid and public school innovation. The fifth is local accountability and decision making, with a focus on Senate File 496 at Grubers request. The bill passed this year by the Legislature requires schools on Jan. 1 to remove all books depicting sex acts.

I would like to see us err on the side of keeping books in the classrooms and available for use by students and educators, and just err on the side of  for a lack of a better way of putting it  the First Amendment and academic freedom, said Gruber.

The district is awaiting answers to its questions about the new law from its own counsel, Ahlers & Cooney, and hopes to receive more guidance from state agencies like IASB, said Pattee. He admitted, though, that none was coming from the Department of Education.

After the board meeting, he said the administration is not even at the step of thinking about a committee or coming up with a process for making what could be significant changes to school libraries.
WATERLOO  The City Council took an initial step Monday to repeal a controversial ordinance meant to protect LGBTQ+ youths.

The first of three readings to get rid of a conversion therapy ban put in place in May was approved 4-3 at a special session. Councilmembers Jonathan Grieder, Nia Wilder and Belinda-Creighton Smith dissented.

A motion to suspend the rules and repeal the ordinance immediately was voted down. That means the issue will come before the council at least one more time. It is expected to be on the agenda Monday.

First discussed at a work session in February, Grieder proposed the ordinance to ban conversion therapy  the practice of attempting to convert someone who doesnt identify as a heterosexual to be heterosexual.

In March, councilmembers passed the ordinance for the first time, but when the second hearing came around they suspended discussions until May. The intent was to wait until the Legislature ended its session, where bills related to LGBTQ+ youths were pending.

In May, the ordinance was voted down on the second hearing and an amended version introduced.

In the original version, the city attorneys office would have mailed a letter to any medical or mental health professional allegedly practicing conversion therapy asking them to cease and desist.

City Attorney Martin Petersen said he had concerns with the ordinance about preemption  when a higher level of government limits the power of a lower jurisdiction to regulate an issue.

The version ultimately approved allowed residents to make a complaint either to the city attorney or the human rights commission that a licensed medical professional is practicing conversion therapy. The issue would then be looked into with the city reporting a potential ethical violation to medical licensing bodies if needed.

Grieder said the ban was meant to protect people from being attacked for who they are and noted that happened during meetings as the council was working to pass the ban.

The vigor that people argue  proves that these protections are needed, he said. (The) LGBTQIA+ community needs all of their allies to stand beside them  for their basic rights.

Creighton-Smith, who voted against repealing the ordinance, related it to passing civil rights laws. She said even though those laws were put into place, peoples behaviors didnt change.

People will still continue to do the hurtful, hateful, mean-spirited things theyve grown up (with)  and been socialized to do, she said. I wish we could legislate behavior changes  heart changes, but unfortunately we cant.

Councilmember Dave Boesen, who opposed the ban from the start, said he has received a lot of heat for his vote and been accused of being against the LGBTQ+ community. In previous meetings, Boesen said he voted against it because he feared potential legal repercussions.

We still have to vote within the confines of the law, he said, and thats where we stand today.

Why the city wants to repeal the ordinance is unclear. During the session, no mention was made about how the decision was made. City Clerk Kelley Felchle did not comment on questions when asked about the reasoning.

A few residents who spoke during public comment mentioned that on July 25, the council held a closed session to discuss litigation, according to that agenda.

The next day, The Courier filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking the details of the closed session and any communication that led up to it. The request also asked if the litigation was related to the conversion therapy ban.

The city denied the request, citing a subsection of Iowa Code that information on the matter cannot be released until after the governmental body has taken final action on the subject matter.

Most residents who spoke Monday were glad the ordinance may be repealed due to their personal beliefs, but were upset with how the city got to this point.

I am disheartened that despite all the warning that this council had against the motion of the ordinance  by the city attorney who gave it and residents who admonished this ordinance not to happen, James Ellison said. I am utterly disappointed in how this council and the city government has used our taxpayer funds and our taxpayer time.

I think the City Council wasted the time and resources of the city and its citizens, and in the process divided citizens in the city, Michael Bayer said.

Ellison also criticized the citys process for holding the special session behind closed doors.

I find it interesting that this last week a closed-door session was given by this council and then just the next day, in the dark of the night, you guys came up with this (open session), he said. I dont think its a coincidence. I think theres a lawsuit against the city.

The announcement of the special session was made around 4 p.m. Friday. Iowa Code states that notice of a public meeting should be given at least 24 hours prior to that meeting.

Other residents commented that the special session was held at 4:30 p.m., when normal sessions begin at 5:30 p.m. Mayor Quentin Hart explained special sessions have been held at many times during the day and are scheduled to fit within everyones schedules.

Residents also were upset notice of the meeting was not published by the city in The Courier or broadcasted on television through the citys TV channel.

Felchle stated the only time meetings have to be published in the paper is if they are public hearings, and special sessions are usually not televised.

One resident mentioned the conversion therapy ban is not listed in Waterloos code.

Felchle said in the city code on the citys website, the ban is under pending codification. She said although it states it is pending, the ban is still enforceable and is still the law.

Inside Florida's 'underground lab' for far-right education policies Inside Florida's 'underground lab' for far-right education policies Education culture wars become the engine of Republican politics Every board meeting brings a new battle Heightened emotions in the classroom Students lose the opportunity for college credit 'It scares me to think that we're going backwards 50 years or more'
GREENE  Tom Johnson left a widowed mother to serve in Vietnam in 1969.

When he returned after two years in combat 8,500 miles from home, his reception was a cold shoulder from a staff of eight flight attendants on a half empty plane home. He was the only passenger wearing a uniform.

During those two years of wartime service, Johnson endured grueling training by brutally demanding drill instructors, followed by time in Vietnam working 12-hour shifts in an artillery fire direction center, drawing up fire missions on two minutes notice.

The duty shifts were interspersed by 12 hours on guard, armed with an M16 automatic rifle and watching for infiltrating enemy, snatching bits of sleep whenever possible. Supply truck runs frequently turned into ambushes. Id ride in the back with a machine gun, an M16, for protection, he said.

When soldiers picked up word of an imminent attack, they laid down covering fire around a 500-foot perimeter from their positions, like someone might water a lawn.

Couldnt talk about

After he got home, younger family members asked him, Did you kill anyone?

I said no, he said. I couldnt tell them the truth.

When he wouldnt talk about it, family members encouraged him to write about it.

He did. It took him several years, but the experience was cathartic. Now, he wants people to learn and remember what he and his comrades endured.

He put his words and images into a book bluntly titled Sometimes You Have to Say, To Hell With It! 

He distributes it himself. Its been popular enough that he has had to get additional copies printed. Hes also provided an oral history and artifacts to the Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum in Waterloo.

He was a little sheepish about the books title at first, but when he showed it to a now-deceased local pastor  Msgr. Walter Brunkan of St. Marys Catholic Church in Greene and the former longtime principal of Waterloo Columbus High School  Brunkan said, Ive heard worse.

In truth, Johnson had seen worse in Vietnam. A lot worse.

He got his draft notice shortly after graduating from Greene High School in 1967, but received an 18-month deferment while attending technical college in Minneapolis. Then he received another draft notice.

I talked to my mom and I said, If they want me that bad, Im going,  he said.

His father had gotten out of farming and had just taken a job in real estate when he died of a heart attack at age 51. I was worried about my mother. She went along with it. I said I should do it. It wasnt easy for anybody.

He received training at Fort Polk, Louisiana, in steamy August. That was hell, mainly because of weather. That was an infantry fort. They trained us to go to Vietnam, he said. All of those drill sergeants were Vietnam veterans or Korea veterans or World War II veterans. They all knew we were just farm boys or guys from the city. We didnt know anything about killing people. And we were going up against people who had been fighting for decades. They knew we had to be tough because once we got there, it was deadly. Most of the guys killed, were killed in first two or three weeks they were there.

From Fort Polk, he went to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, for artillery training. After 10 days at home on leave, he was shipped off to Vietnam.

In tests, hed shown aptitude for various kinds of duty, including officer training, Army Ranger school and special forces. But several of them would have required an additional, third year of service.

Being brutalized by drill sergeants  and that was their job  it was extremely tough and extremely hard, and I wanted to get out. I didnt want another year, he said. He settled on artillery, training on the 105 mm howitzer.

Johnson served in Battery A of the 7th Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment of the U.S. Armys 1st Field Force.

I got to Vietnam on Christmas Day of 69, and the first sergeant says to me, Youre going to a fire direction center. I didnt know what it meant.

It involved plotting coordinates for fire missions and coordinating fire.

It was a little safer. I wasnt on a (gun) battery, he said. We had four guns. The gun crews took care of the guns. We would determine which gun would fire and figure out the coordinates for that. I had no clue how to do any of that. But most of the people in fire direction centers were four-year college degree people or higher; they were smart people. They knew they had someone they had to get trained, so they worked on me very hard.

We always had a double check; two guys would figure out the same fire mission, Johnson said. We had two minutes or less. Once we got a call, we had two minutes to get a round in the air. We had to be fast, and we had to be accurate. A lot of times we were firing with (friendly) troops on the ground. When youre dropping high explosive (shells), you want to be right, If not, he said, theyre gonna die.

I-35 in the jungle

Initially based at a landing zone in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam, they moved south to positions in the Mekong Delta in support of South Korean allied troops. Then they were moved back north, to Landing Zone Blackhawk, or LZ Blackhawk, situated close to what was known as The Triangle, where the borders of South Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos met. It was near the Ho Chi Minh Trail, a main supply route for the opposing North Vietnamese Army.

It was like an Interstate 35, but you couldnt see it. It was hidden in the jungle, he said.

He spent the bulk of his 15 months in Vietnam there. The last few months, we would take two of the guns and go up to the Triangle. We would sit about 1,000 meters off the border  we were not allowed to go in  and wed fire on that Ho Chi Minh Trail for three or four days. We could shoot 18 miles but we had to be careful. We would have a company of tanks and a company of South Vietnamese soldiers with us for protection. Wed stay there for three or four days, and hurry up and get out of there before we got caught.

They were subject to attack from ground forces. At LZ Blackhawk, we had concertina wire all the way around us. There were several layers of that. And mixed with them were trip flares, mines, various traps and machine guns in guard towers, he said.

In the event they were overrun, a sergeant was assigned to drop an incendiary grenade down a gun and destroy it rather than have it be captured intact.

Enemy troops  which included men, women and children  would try to get through the wire, Johnson said, and he and his comrades would be subject to mortar and rocket attacks.

They were near an air and Army base at Pleiku and received air support from fighter jets, attack helicopters and fixed-wing, propeller-driven AC-47 gunships  converted World War II C-47 transport planes known as Puff the Magic Dragon.

If forces were aware an enemy attack might be imminent, adjacent artillery batteries would shell the area around Johnsons LZ, and we would do the same for them.

Constant shooting

Asked if enemy ground troops ever made it through to Johnson and his comrades, he said, They tried. They didnt make it.

But Vietnamese civilians in camp, cleaning or doing other chores for the soldiers, may or may not have been hostile and scouting the installation. The individual soldiers always had M16 assault rifles at the ready, even in the fire direction center as they plotted fire missions.

We had two crews in the fire direction center, he said. We worked 12-hour days, seven days a week, night shift or day shift. If you were off duty and we had incoming mortar rounds, it was the duty of the off-duty people to protect the people who wore working. You would station yourself at the entrance, front and the back (of the fire direction center), maybe sit on the roof, to protect the people inside. A friend of mine from Chicago, he and I manned an 82 mm mortar. And if we had incoming rounds (at night) wed run out to that mortar and shoot illumination rounds to reveal the enemys position so Johnson and his buddies could return fire.

As far as sleep was concerned, you sleep standing up, you sleep when you could. You may go days, he said.

LZ Blackhawk was so disruptive of enemy traffic on the Ho Chi Minh Trail, Johnson said, that the unit picked up radio traffic and intelligence that the North Vietnamese had targeted them for attack during the Vietnamese Tet holiday of 1971.

They were so upset at us, he said. We took it as a real threat. We were on red alert for three days. Nobody slept. You had all your gear, you had your M16s. If you were off duty, you guarded the building. And we were constantly firing. We had Quad 50s (machine gun batteries), several .50- caliber machine guns; we had guard towers.

Those guys were constantly shooting, Johnson said of his comrades. We had a 500 meter free-fire zone on three sides. The other side was a (friendly) Montagnard village. For three days, we did nothing but shoot. We didnt know if we hit anything, but if there were dead bodies out there, that was too bad.

The idea was to put down enough fire to ward the enemy away; no one complained about whether it was a waste of ammunition. We took it serious. Everybody else took it serious, he said.

Montagnards were peaceful people; most of them were farmers. Very primitive. They were good people. South Vietnamese, you never knew. Some were hostile Viet Cong guerrillas or North Vietnamese.

Some of them were kids, he added. You could be 10 or 12 years old and be full-blown soldier. The enemy was also hard to fight because of the deep network of underground tunnels they could take refuge in.

We had two girls we knew were on the base at certain periods of time. We found them in the wire one night, dead, trying to get through. They were North Vietnamese troops. They had uniforms on, so I would say they were (NVA) regulars.

When he rode shotgun with an M16 on the back of a truck on supply runs, there was direct contact with the enemy in ambushes.

I had one time I was laying on a bunch of boxes in a deuce and a half (truck) with an M16 across my chest. A VC opened fire. It rattled right underneath me; sprayed, He thought I was standing up. Well I wasnt. I was laying down, on the boxes and above the enemys field of fire. Otherwise, he would have got me. I got him. He shot the heck out of the truck. But I was a better shot.

He left LZ Blackhawk in March 1971, near the end of his hitch. He volunteered to go on another mission close to the trail near the end of his time. but his commanding officer said no. I only had two weeks in country left. He said, Youve done your time,  Johnson said.

A miserable trip

Within a couple of days of leaving LZ Blackhawk, he was on a flight to Guam and then to Fort Lewis, Washington, where he was mustered out.

I had enough money for a plane ticket to go to Minneapolis, he said. It should have been a joyful trip but it was miserable. The plane was half full and there were six to eight stewardesses on that plane. They wouldnt talk to me. They didnt offer pop or lunch or booze, anything. They wouldnt talk to me at all.

He was in for a shock to his system when he got to Minneapolis. It was great to be home, but damn, it was cold! he said  especially coming out of tropical weather in Vietnam. Youre used to 110 degrees. The hottest it got was 126. Vietnam was hot, dirty, humid. Just flat-out ugly. The highlands were better because of the vegetation.

And then everything would be saturated or flooded during monsoon season. If it rained too hard, we couldnt fire our guns lest the shells, which detonated on impact, exploded upon exiting the muzzle.

When he returned to Greene, he discovered nearly half the boys in his graduating class had been to Vietnam, and more from other classes. Guys that had been to Vietnam and come back, plus my classmates, the townspeople, were warm and welcoming. You didnt have the problems the bigger communities had with indifference or hostility to returning veterans.

He also found some friends didnt come back. Many died later or suffered from service-related illnesses. Agent Orange, heart disease, strokes  all service related, he said.

Of those who didnt come back, he said, We all took a chance being there. its just the luck of the draw. Theres no rhyme or reason. If you were infantry or artillery, your chances of getting shot were greater, but theres no guarantee if you were running a typewriter you would get it  like when they invaded Saigon during the 68 Tet (offensive), he said. There was no place that was really safe.

And with the number of troops rotating in and out, one guarded against getting too close to anyone, particularly new troops because they might not make it.

After returning home, Johnson eventually made a career at Sukup Manufacturing in Sheffield where he worked for more than 30 years.

Reflecting back on his service, he said, For decades, you didnt talk much about it. Once in while, youd get together with one of your ex-buddies, drink some whiskey and start telling some stories. Other than that, you never talked about it.

Was it (the war) right or wrong? You didnt have a choice, he said. You had to defend yourself, defend your country, what you thought was right. Until all of a sudden, they pulled everybody out and you feel sorry for the people you left behind, as far as the South Vietnamese soldiers. Like the interpreter we had; what happened to him? We won battles. We did not win a war.

Johnson has three sons and a daughter. They said, We know you dont like to talk about it. Why dont you write about it? while he is still healthy enough to do so. Thats why I wrote it (the book)  for the kids to know.

He also has worked with staff of U.S. Sen. Charles Grassleys office to get medals due him. He was injured when an enemy mortar round went off near him, jarring him into dropping a shell he was carrying on his foot and injuring his back. He has never received a Purple Heart.

Hes currently struggling with a heart condition stemming from exposure to the toxic defoliant Agent Orange during his service.

Its a consolation now, he said, that theres more acceptance and appreciation for veterans in general and Vietnam veterans specifically.

Ive had a lot of people in the last 10 years that have come up to me and thanked me for my service, Johnson said. One lady said, I suppose you get tired of hearing it, but thank you for your service. I said I never get tired of it.

Whenever somebody tells me that, a little bit of that darkness, a little bit of that hate, comes out, and dissipates, he said, like infection from a wound. Its a little refresher. Its been a long time coming, but its a nice relief.
Our government, institutions, history, national pride, and even the motivations for our founding are constantly debated. No wonder our Constitution is a target for change.

Who are these culprits so hungry for change? Democrats bemoan significant GOP support for changing the way we govern. In reality, that accusing finger should point in both directions. Change our government efforts occupy many in the ambitious corners of both parties.

One serious effort has its roots in the original progressive movement. A century old effort was famously led by President Woodrow Wilson, serving as 28th president from 1913 through 1921. He and his followers generally considered the Constitution ready for the trash heap and wanted not just changes but a total reboot.

One decades-old complaint from Democrats has to do with the electoral process  a building block of our representative republic form of democracy. A Democratic-led effort is aimed at eliminating the effect of the Electoral College without going to all the work of amending the Constitution. The Constitutions allocation of electors brings with it the possibility that the popular vote may differ from the official result based on the vote by electors.

This movement, the National Popular Vote Interstate Comact, seeks to guarantee that the winner of the presidential popular vote automatically wins the presidency, without regard for the results of the vote by electors. In order to join the compact, states must enact legislation whereby they pledge all their electors to the national popular vote winner.

In order to accomplish this, a majority of the 538 total electors would have to be pledged via the compact. Thus far, 15 states plus the District of Columbia have legislatively approved the agreement. A total of 196 of the necessary electoral votes are now pledged, accounting for 72% of the required 270. Its a slow process, but when using the constitutional process, any amendment approved by Congress or a convention of states would then require ratification of three-fourths, or 38, of the states. The NPVIC project is easier.

Democrats are attempting to exploit a perceived loophole in our governance rules. Others, mostly Republicans, believe the intended result would violate the Constitution.

Many Republicans also have their sights set on governance change. The Federalist Papers acknowledged that over time we would learn from our experience and should work to make necessary revisions. Several conservative groups are promoting a convention of the states, as provided for in the Constitution, to consider amendments to our existing document. This wouldnt be a Constitutional Convention in which a total rewrite would be the goal.

The Constitution provides that two-thirds of state legislatures, or 34, can call a convention for proposing amendments. For those amendments approved by the convention, a three-quarters supermajority of states must ratify an amendment for it to become law. Currently 19 states have approved an application for a convention, still well short of the 34-state requirement. Given the political affiliation of Americas state legislatures, many believe the requirement will eventually be met.

Theres not common agreement on preferred constitutional amendments. Mark Levins book,  The Liberty Amendments, offers examples of amendments that could be proposed. These include: congressional term limits; term limits for the Supreme Court; voting controls such as evidence of citizenship; and selecting senators by vote of state legislatures  the method required by the Constitution before Amendment 17. Other suggestions include updating the General Welfare Clause and the Commerce Clause. There are many more possibilities, some very scary for Democrats to consider.

We have two culprits working on changes in our Constitution, two competing movements trying to improve our governance structure. One is faithful to the amendment process set up by our Founders. The other is trying to make an end run around the Constitution.

Our Constitutions inherent value remains intact. If change cant be accomplished using the cautious official process for doing so, it raises serious questions whether the contemplated revision is deserving of the required time and effort.
But I knew that anyway. I used the M16 in my past and I hated it

Shoigu very diplomatically expressed the truth

Foreign arms supplied to Kiev have proven to be far from perfect amid the fighting in Ukraine, Sergey Shoigu said In real conditions, our weapons show their reliability and effectiveness, the minister said. At the same time, the widely advertised Western equipment turned out to be far from flawless in reality, he added. Shoigu suggested that guests of the forum could see this for themselves by checking out the collection of captured Western weapons on display at the expo.

Shoigu is not trying to fluff Russian weaponry, but he is simply telling the truth and the truth is much more powerful. That is why you should always tell truth

All I can personally say, It is about time that Russia starts to talk about the western weapons being slaughtered in Ukraine!

I have been waiting for this to start appearing. You know China, Iran, North Korea have lots of western weapons now to reverse engineer and make better and to make easier to destroy. What a hole the USA has dug. It is easy to see that Russia knows the weak spots of all the western equipment that is being sent

WtR
Russian Defence Ministry report on the progress of the special military operation (14 August 2023)

Last night, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation launched a group strike with long-range sea-based precision weapons against the production and storage sites of unmanned boats used by the AFU for terrorist attacks.

The goal of the attack has been reached. All the assigned targets have been neutralised.

In Kupyansk direction, as a result of strikes by Army Aviation and artillery, as well as courageous actions by units of the Zapad Group of Forces, six enemy attacks and counterattacks have been successfully repelled close to Novosyolovskoye (Lugansk Peoples Republic), Pershotravnyovoye, Sinkovka and Mankovka tracts (Kharkov region).

The enemy losses were up to 65 servicemen, three armoured fighting vehicles, two pickup trucks, one German-manufactured Panzerhaubitze-2000 self-propelled artillery system, two Polish-manufactured Krab self-propelled artillery systems, one Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer, as well as Msta-B and D-30 howitzers.

In Donetsk direction, as a result of active and well-coordinated actions by the units of the Yug Group of Forces, with the support of Ground-Attack and Army aviation, six AFU attacks have been successfully repelled near Belogorovka (Lugansk Peoples Republic), Vodyanoye, Krasnogorovka and Nevelskoye (Donetsk Peoples Republic).

The enemy losses were up to 150 Ukrainian servicemen, two tanks, three armoured fighting vehicles, five motor vehicles, as well as UK-manufactured FH-70 and Msta-B howitzers.

One ammunition depot of the AFU 53rd Mechanised Brigade has been destroyed near Avdeevka (Donetsk Peoples Republic).

In Krasny Liman direction, as a result of active actions by units of the Tsentr Group of Forces, Army Aviation and artillery, two enemy attacks have been successfully repelled near Chervonaya Dibrova (Lugansk Peoples Republic).

The enemy losses were up to 90 servicemen, three armoured fighting vehicles, and two pickup trucks.

In South Donetsk direction, as a result of actions by units the Vostok Group of Forces, Operational-Tactical Aviation, artillery, and heavy flamethrower systems, enemy units have been hit close to Staromayorskoye and Urozhaynoye (Donetsk Peoples Republic.)

The enemy losses were up to 240 Ukrainian servicemen, three armoured fighting vehicles, three motor vehicles, two U.S.-manufactured M777 artillery systems, and one French-manufactured CAESAR self-propelled artillery system.

In Zaporozhye direction, units of the Russian grouping of troops, supported by artillery, repelled two enemy attacks close to Rabotino (Zaporozhye region) and also foiled the actions of one Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group.

The enemy losses were up to 50 Ukrainian servicemen, one tank, two infantry fighting vehicles, three motor vehicles, one U.S.-manufactured M777 artillery system, one French-manufactured CAESAR self-propelled artillery system, and one Polish-manufactured Krab self-propelled artillery system.

In Kherson direction, the enemy losses were up to 30 Ukrainian servicemen, three motor vehicles, and one Spanish-manufactured Alacran self-propelled mortar.

Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have neutralised manpower and military hardware in 152 areas.

In addition, one S-300 surface-to-air missile system battery has been hit near Zelyonyi Gai (Nikolayev region).

Air defence facilities have shot down 2 projectiles launched by HIMARS MLRS.

In addition, 28 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles have been shot down close to Verkhnekamenka (Lugansk Peoples Republic), Donetsk, Gorlovka, Yegorovka, Komsomolsky, Volodino (Donetsk Peoples Republic), Tavolzhanka (Kharkov region), Peremozhnoye, Pologi, Kopani and Ocherevatoye (Zaporozhye region).

In total, 458 airplanes, 246 helicopters, 5,736 unmanned aerial vehicles, 430 air defence missile systems, 11,291 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,144 fighting vehicles equipped with MLRS, 5,877 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 12,225 special military motor vehicles have been destroyed during the special military operation.

WtR
Another political leader was killed on Monday, August 14, as unprecedented violence rocked Ecuador. This tragic incident increases the total number of political-related killings in the country in the previous weeks, including a presidential contender.

Another Prominent Political Figure Assassinated

Pedro Briones, a local official of Revolucion Ciudadana, was shot and killed in the northern province of Esmeraldas. NBC News reported that this was verified by Luisa Gonzalez, the frontrunner in the special presidential election on Sunday, August 13.

Both Briones and Gonzalez are members of the party, which is of former President Rafael Correa.

"Ecuador is experiencing its bloodiest era. A heartfelt hug to the family of colleague Pedro Briones, fallen by the hands of violence," Gonzalez posted on X (previously Twitter).

Briones, a political leader in a rural area of San Mateo de Esmeraldas, was murdered less than a week after the assassination in public of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, who was known for taking a hard line against crime and corruption.

On August 9, local officials reported that a gang of gunmen murdered Villavicencio. Despite having police and bodyguards with him, he was slain at the conclusion of a political gathering in the capital city of Quito. Two days later, officials have confirmed that the six suspects arrested in Villavicencio's murder are all Colombian nationals.

Briones and Villavicencio's murders followed the shooting death of the mayor of Manta, Ecuador's third biggest city, on July 26. In May, 38-year-old Agustin Intriago was sworn in for a second term as mayor.

See Also: Ecuador Presidential Candidate Fernando Villavicencio Killed Amid Campaign Rally

Ecuador Plagued by Violent Street Gangs

Over the last three years, thousands of people have been murdered in Ecuador as the nation has become a major drug trafficking center and local gangs. The election on Sunday has been surrounded by issues of crime and violence.

Gonzalez told the AP News that she had increased the size of her security detail in the wake of Villavicencio's murder. Despite the widespread crime, she said she still would not wear a bulletproof vest on the grounds that she is a Christian lady. "I have faith in God; he is the one who takes care of us."

Gonzalez attacked President Guillermo Lasso's administration for failing to maintain order in prisons, which she said had become the playgrounds and workplaces of members of organized crime.

If elected, she has promised to crack down on crime by reforming the police, tightening security at the border, and bolstering the police department's weaponry.

Since 2021, there have been at least 400 prisoner deaths due to riots.

See Also: 6 Colombians Nabbed in Murder of Ecuador Presidential Candidate Fernando Villavicencio

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Bob Uecker saying, I must be in the front row! is from a classic Miller Lite television commercial decades back. Tastes great, less filling. That was the slogan for Miller Beer back then and it permeates to this day, as Bob Uecker, now nearly 90 years old, continues to call Brewers games at the ballpark in Milwaukee.

Some of Mike Thompsons fondest memories of beer are from those old commercials, and now the brewer from Merrimac is hoping maybe one day Uecker himself will stop by his Sauk City brewery and proclaim, tastes great! before leaving an empty bottle on the bar.

Or an MT Bottle, as the brewery is called, which is not only a play on words but Thompsons initials.

Thompson had been homebrewing for years before starting up his own operation at 207 Water St., Suite E, in Sauk City.

The community has been very welcoming and supportive of us, he said.

Thompson currently has eight beers on tap with a rotating seasonal list. Some of his offerings include Gordy Irish Wanda, Devils Door Way Bourbon Barrel Stout, and Gus Belgian Blonde.

One day, he said, he hopes to start canning his beers. Currently, he offers growlers to go.

Thompson, 41, was born, raised and currently lives in Merrimac and worked at PPD, part of Thermo Fisher Scientific, in Middleton for 13 years before opening the brewery.

He has been homebrewing for 15 years. He was a stay-at-home dad looking for a hobby. His brother, Pete, wanted to try making beer and so he came over to Thompsons house with the equipment to make beer.

I fell in love with it at the very start and havent looked back since, Thompson said.

MT Bottle Brewing is just a stones throw from the much larger Vintage Brewing Companys operation, also on Water St. Thompson said hes excited about being a part of the community.

I think a brewery is a good resource for the community, Thompson said. I hope this is a spot where people can feel like they can come and hang out.

PHOTOS: Dick Leinenkugels last tour Mash mixer Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co office Leinenkugel property Dick Leinenkugel in shipping department 150 years of brews Leinenkugel clock Leinenkugels 1967 Matthias Leinenkugel Brewery workers The Schindler Saloon 1906 Leinenkugels Bottling House 1906 Bill, John, Dick and Jake Leinenkugel Leinenkugels Last tour Leinie Lodge Dicks last tour Leinenkugels warehouse
JUNEAU  Visitors to the second floor of the Dodge County Courthouse on Monday likely encountered some life-size silhouettes in honor of Marsys Law, the state constitutional amendment that expanded the rights of criminal victims.

The idea behind it is to raise awareness to the victims rights that are available to citizens in Wisconsin, said Nela Kalpic, the state director for Marsys Law for Wisconsin.

Representatives from Protect, Advocate, Validate and Educate, or PAVE, and the Dodge County District Attorneys Office helped bring the program to the courthouse for the day.

Marsys Law is an amendment to the Wisconsin Constitution intended to expand protections for crime victims. It was passed by voters in 2021. The display of red-painted silhouettes each represent one of the rights guaranteed by the constitutional amendment, among them: The right to privacy, the right to notice, the right to confer with the prosecution, the right to be present for all court proceedings and the right to make a statement to the court at disposition.

The silhouettes also include QR codes to help connect people to useful websites to gain information about victims rights.

The imagery of the silhouette serves as a profound reminder that victims and survivors of crime often remain hidden in our society, Kalpic said. We hope this exhibit will move victims rights and service out of the shadows for all to see.

The constitutional amendment, which was approved by about 75% of Wisconsin voters, was challenged by a group of defense attorneys and others who claimed the ballot question didnt sufficiently describe the potential negative repercussions for people accused of crimes. The Wisconsin Supreme Court determined the question was properly worded.

The Dodge County District Attorneys office is honored to be part of the silhouette program to promote awareness of the constitutional rights given to victims under Marsys Law, Dodge County District Attorney Andrea Will said. We believe that it is important that victims have a voice in the criminal justice system, so they can feel empowered.

The District Attorneys Office strives to create an atmosphere of compassion and transparency with victims of crime.

Kalpic said that the display has been traveling around the state for the last two years.

A visual representation of the child abuses placed on PAVEs lawn pinwheels1.jpg pinwheels2.jpg pinwheels3.jpg pinwheels4.jpg pinwheels5.jpg pinwheels6.jpg pinwheels7.jpg pinwheels8.jpg
He was one of 16 Georgia Republicans who signed a certificate falsely stating that Trump had won the state and declaring themselves the state's "duly elected and qualified" electors. Shawn Still was the finance chairman for the state GOP in 2020 and served as a Georgia delegate to the Republican National Convention that year. He was elected to the Georgia state Senate in November 2022 and represents a district in Atlanta's suburbs.
Once again, the actions taken by the 10 Wisconsin GOP electors who signed paperwork falsely asserting Trump won the state in late 2020 have been cited in an indictment against former President Donald Trump.

The latest indictment, filed late Monday in Georgia, alleges Trump and 18 allies broke multiple laws including the states unusual anti-racketeering, or RICO, law when they knowingly and willfully joined conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump. Trump has characterized the latest investigation as politically motivated as he seeks to reclaim the White House in the 2024 presidential election.

Georgias indictment is the fourth that the former president is facing.

The federal indictment filed against Trump earlier this month as part of a Justice Department probe into the former presidents actions heavily cites the 10 Republicans who signed paperwork purporting that Trump had won Wisconsin. But mentions of Wisconsin are less frequent in the Georgia indictment.

According to the Georgia court filing, Trump campaign adviser Kenneth Chesebro sent an email on Dec. 10, 2020, to Brian Schimming, who is now chair of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, with proposed language for documents to be signed by Trump electors. Schimming was not elected chair of the state party until late 2022.

Two days later, on Dec. 12, 2020, Chesebro met with Schimming to discuss the plan to sign elector documents. Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani joined the meeting by phone and stated that the media should not be notified of the Dec. 14, 2020, meeting, when the documents were signed, according to the indictment.

These were overt acts in furtherance of the conspiracy, the indictment continues.

In a press call with reporters Tuesday, Schimming did not respond to requests for comment on the latest indictment but said later in a statement the GOP electors met in accordance with state statutory guidelines, on the advice of attorneys, and with precedent, to preserve all legal options still pending before the courts.

Had the courts ruled differently, the alternate electors would have been needed, Schimming continued.

Wisconsin Republicans did not publicly notice the meeting, but then-chair of the Republican Party of Wisconsin Andrew Hitt said in a statement later that day the meeting was held to preserve our role in the electoral process with the final outcome still pending in the courts.

The meeting was held hours after the Trump campaign lost another bid in the state Supreme Court to throw out votes from Milwaukee and Madison.

In addition to the indictments filed by federal prosecutors and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, whose office brought the Georgia case, Michigan last month filed criminal charges against the states fake electors.

No signal

In Wisconsin, Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul has remained tight-lipped on whether charges are forthcoming or whether an investigation exists at all.

That leaves a civil lawsuit filed last year on behalf of a handful of Democrats, including two official presidential electors, against the 10 Republicans, as well as Chesebro and Troupis. Plaintiffs in the case include lawfully elected Wisconsin electors Khary Penebaker and Mary Arnold.

Dane County Circuit Court Judge Frank Remington last week denied the defendants motion to dismiss claims alleging that the 10 Wisconsin Republicans and two attorneys who advised them broke multiple laws, including impersonating a public official, public nuisance and engaging in conspiracy.

Mark Jefferson, executive director of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, said last week hes confident attempts to penalize people who were tricked will fall short.

We were not informed of any use of the alternate electors contrary to preserving the legal strategy and would not have approved any other use, Jefferson said.

Tricked actors

The federal indictment against Trump states that some fraudulent electors, including those in Wisconsin, were tricked into participating based on the understanding that their votes would only be used if Trump succeeded in lawsuits challenging the election outcome.

Federal prosecutors also state that Trump and his co-conspirators ultimately used the certificates of these fraudulent electors to deceitfully target the government function, and did so contrary to how fraudulent electors were told they would be used.

That effort culminated with a plot to pass then-Vice President Mike Pence slates of fake electors as Pence was set to confirm the presidential election results on Jan. 6, 2021.

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnsons chief of staff told Pences aide on Jan. 6, 2021, that the senator needed to pass the vice president documents falsely stating Trump won Wisconsin, text messages released last summer by the House Jan. 6 committee revealed. The texts came as the vice president was set to confirm Biden as the winner of the 2020 election. Pences staff rejected them.

The Dane County case is expected to come to trial in September 2024, weeks before the presidential election.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Lorenzo Santos, Racine County emergency manager and chair of the Young Democrats of Wisconsin, plans to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil for Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District next fall.

Santos, a Racine resident and graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, said in a statement he is running "because weve seen fundamental civil and human rights systematically taken away these past few years."

"Im not going to stand by and let that continue to happen," Santos said.

Santos is the first Democratic candidate to formally launch a challenge against Steil, who defeated challenger Ann Roe by more than nine percentage points in last year's November election.

Santos, who plans to officially launch his campaign Saturday at Littleport Brewing Company in Racine, said his campaign will focus on issues ranging from abortion and voting rights to jobs, education, gun control and climate change.

"I believe in a womans right to choose, that in the richest country on Earth, anyone that wants health care should have it, that voters should choose their elected officials, not the other way around, that we should pay workers a fair wage, provide our children with a quality education and keep them safe while theyre getting one," Santos said.

Steil, of Janesville, was first elected to Congress in 2018. While the southeast Wisconsin district  which covers Racine and Kenosha counties, as well as portions of Rock, Milwaukee and Walworth counties  has traditionally leaned Republican in past elections, Democrats have eyed the district as a potential pickup next year.

Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District saw its margin fall from a 10-point Republican lean to a 2-point GOP advantage under new maps adopted last year.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in April named Steil's district, as well as the 3rd Congressional District held by Prairie du Chien Republican Derrick Van Orden, as Democratic targets next fall.

The University of Virginia Center for Politics' Sabato's Crystal Ball listed both the 1st and 3rd congressional districts as "likely Republican" in June.

Steil announced last month he had raised more than $900,000 in the second quarter of 2023. The Janesville Republican had more than $2.85 million on hand by the end of June.

Steil's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
Weather Alert

...Widespread rains and cooler temperatures with an increased risk of flooding for parts of western NV and the eastern Sierra through Monday... * Remnant tropical moisture from Hilary is producing periods of heavy rainfall across the Sierra and western Nevada. The greatest threat for flooding is across the Basin & Range and the eastern Sierra. For travelers overnight, the heaviest rainfall is forecast to occur before sunrise, so road damage, closures or flooding will be difficult or impossible to see. 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 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.

.Tropical Storm Hilary will continue to weaken and rapidly move into Southern California and Central Nevada today. Deep tropical moisture out ahead of Hilary will result in steady light to moderate rainfall across western Nevada and portions of eastern California. The heaviest rainfall and associated flash flooding threat will be from Sunday evening through the early Monday morning hours. ...FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT 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...Through late Monday night. * IMPACTS...Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas. Storm drains and ditches may become clogged with debris. Never drive through a flooded roadway. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - 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. &&
Amazon, Meta, and Netflix are all competing to get AI talents as the artificial intelligence race intensifies. Now, they are offering six-figure salaries to attract AI experts who can join their teams.

Amazon, Meta, and Netflix Compete to Get AI Talents

According to Business Insider's latest report, tech companies, especially Amazon, Netflix, and Meta, are increasing their AI job postings.

Most of these job offers have six-figure salaries, which can really attract candidates who have the qualifications.

"This is pure market economics," said Paul J. Groce, a partner at executive recruitment firm Leathwaite. "We do not magically have thousands of additional AI developers, product managers, and everything else," he added.

Recently, Netflix made huge headlines after offering $900,000 for an AI-focused product manager position. This role was offered as actors and writers protested.

Meanwhile, Amazon offered a senior manager position in applied science and generative AI; with a yearly salary of $340,000.

Aside from the tech giant companies mentioned above, the Dating app Hinge also joined the AI talent race.

Previously, Hinge offered a VP of artificial intelligence. The individual qualified for the position can have an annual salary of $398,000.

Here are other companies that offer AI jobs with six-digit salaries:

Walmart: Conversational AI platform senior manager ($168,000 to $252,000 yearly)

Capital One: Generative AI engineer ($325,700 yearly)

Read Also: US-Based Amazon Employees Receive Return-to-Office Warning; Staff Now Forced to Offices?

Applicants Now Include AI Skills in Resumes

Since more and more companies demand AI talents, it is important to ensure that employers are able to adapt to the rising artificial intelligence industry.

Axios reported that employees are now including AI skills in their resumes.

Experts said that tens of millions of workers are trying to have the AI qualifications that employers are looking for.

As of press time, Singapore is considered to be the country with the highest overall AI skills rate in the world. Canada, India, Ireland, and Finland followed Singapore when it comes to AI skills growth among employees.

The United States is slightly above average since it has nine times as many employees reporting AI skills this 2023.

All these details are just one thing. If you are an employee, it would be best for you to acquire AI skills that can attract employers.

If you want to learn more details about the rising AI talent demands across the globe, you can click here.

Related Article: Netflix Posts AI Job Paying $900,000 Amid Actors' Union Strike Over Digital Threat

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.


Barton Gold Commences Trading on OTCQB & Frankfurt Exchanges

Adelaide, Aug 15, 2023 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Barton Gold Holdings Limited ( ASX:BGD ) ( BGD3:FRA ) ( BGDFF:OTCMKTS ) is pleased to confirm that its fully paid ordinary shares can now be traded via the OTCQB market and the Frankfurt stock exchange. Trading is expected to commence today (being Monday, 14 August 2023 in the US).



OTCQB Market



Barton has established a secondary trading listing on the US OTCQB market with the ticker code BGDFF, with JWTT Inc as its OTCQB Sponsor. The compliance requirements for an OTCQB listing are similar to the requirements for the ASX, with Company disclosures uploaded to the OTC market following ASX release.



Several online brokers such as Interactive Brokers, Ameritrade, Fidelity, Charles Schwab and E-Trade offer OTCQB trades. Interested investors should inquire of their brokers whether OTCQB shares are available.



Frankfurt Stock Exchange



Barton has also gained another secondary listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange with the ticker code BGD3. Compliance requirements for a Frankfurt cross-listing are minimal for an ASX-listed company.



Cross-Listing Benefits



Cross-listing to the OTCQB and Frankfurt exchanges offers several advantages for US-based and European investors, including:



1. Quotes, trades and settlements in US Dollars (USD) and Euro (EUR);



2. Trading during normal market hours in North America and Western Europe; and



3. BGDFF and BGD3 are the same class the Company's shares traded on the ASX ( ASX:BGD ).



The Company's primary listing remains on the ASX, and an investors' ability to trade in the Company's shares on the ASX will not be impacted as a result of the OTCQB or Frankfurt exchange secondary listings.



No new shares have been issued to facilitate the quotation. All trades executed on the OTCQB or Frankfurt exchanges will then be settled by the relevant market makers through the ASX during ASX market hours.



Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC)



The Company has also applied for full service eligibility from the DTCC to allow real time electronic clearing and settlement of BGDFF. DTCC is a subsidiary of the Depository Trust Company providing expedited institutional trade settlement of US securities transactions with lower counterparty risk. A successful DTCC registration would enable BGDFF shares to be held and settled by a wide range of full service US brokers.





About Barton Gold Holdings Limited





Barton Gold Holdings Limited (ASX:BGD) (FRA:BGD3) (OTCQB:BGDFF) is an ASX listed Australian gold exploration company with a total attributable ~1.1Moz Au JORC (2012) Mineral Resources endowment (28.74Mt @ 1.2 g/t Au), a pipeline of advanced exploration projects and brownfield mines, and 100% ownership of the only regional gold mill in the central Gawler Craton of South Australia.


ASX In-principle Application

Sydney, Aug 15, 2023 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Veratin Limited ( NSX:VTN ) is pleased to announce it has submitted an in-principle application for advice on the Company's suitability for admission to the official list of the ASX.



Subject to shareholder approval, the Company plans to withdraw its listing on the NSX with the intention of listing on the official list of the ASX. It is Veratin's position that it will satisfy the admission and quotation requirements set out in Chapters 1 and 2 of the ASX Listing Rules.



The Board considers that the Company being listing on the ASX will better align with the Company's objectives and is in the best interest of the Company's shareholders for the following reasons:



(a) better ability for the Company to increase its Shareholder base by enhancing marketability and liquidity of the Company's securities;



(b) greater access to a deeper pool of equity capital markets and fundraising prospects to support the Company's growth objectives;



(c) strengthening the Company's public recognition, commercial standing and investor profile;



(d) a larger profile and broader exposure for the Company to potential investors as well as capital to enhance its growth prospects; and



(e) help generate a substantial increase in the Company's funding resource, enabling it to advance its expansion objectives.



Executive Chairman of Veratin Limited, Dr Ramiz Boulos, says "I am thrilled about the next phase of growth for Veratin. I believe with our investment in research and development of innovative products, we will emerge as a key player in the markets we operate in in the foreseeable future".



To view the timetable, please visit:

https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/4JU5326V





About Veratin Limited





Veratin Limited (NSX:VTN) is involved in the research and development of products derived from waste wool, including the development and sales of its initial product, Verigrow(R), a wool-based liquid fertiliser for domestic and commercial use. The Company is also involved in the development of additional products and opportunities derived from its registered intellectual property.
From the Western Front of the Great War to the fields of Ukraine, tanks have been a force worthy of fear and admiration.

While its design and firepower have changed in more than a century of its existence, its role of exposing gaps on the battlefield and projecting military might on parades has never changed.

Over the course of the decades, the world's military forces have built their war machines that would do just that, such as the US M1A1 Abrams, the British Challenger, the German Leopard, and the Israeli Merkava.

However, not all tanks built over the course of history were good as some tanks were less equal than others.

With the advancement of technology and the introduction of computer-based design, many tanks fell over the wayside for their inferiority when it comes to firepower, engine performance, armor, and the quality of training their crews have.

With that said, here are 10 of the worst tanks ever built, in no particular order, according to Slash Gear automotive contributor Justin Owen.

T-35 (Soviet Union)

The T-35 was a Soviet multi-turreted heavy tank developed during the lull between the two World Wars. When the Soviet Union developed the T-18 from the World War I-era Renault FT, itself a revolutionary tank design, they decided to get themselves a heavier and more capable tank to defeat enemy armor in the battlefield.

When the T-35 went out of the assembly line, it over-promised but under-delivered.

Weighing in at 54 tons, powered by a 580-horsepower (hp) aero engine, and armed with a large 76mm gun turret and four 45mm guns on smaller turrets, the tank was intimidating but slow, and it needed a crew of 12 to mand and load all of the guns, plus the driver and commander. The tank was also too distinct for its adversaries, making them easy targets for nimbler armored vehicles. However, most of the T-35s were lost not by enemy action but by mechanical failures.

Despite this, the Soviets realized they could achieve more with a tank that has a single reliable gun and a more reliable and fast engine like the T-34, which saw the end of World War II and even saw action in the early years of the Cold War.

Disston Tractor Tank (US)

The 6-ton Tractor Tank was an affordable light tank solution for the United States created by William D. Disston, whose name was eventually christened into the design, at the behest of the now-well-known Caterpillar Tractor Company.

The Disston was supposed to be an armored vehicle based on the chassis of a Caterpillar tractor, but the armor was only paper-thin compared to other light tanks of the time. It was built to be crewed by three men and it had a 37mm gun in a turret and a .30 caliber machine gun in the hull. Additional gun ports were also cut out in the armor.

A 4-cylinder diesel, 47hp engine powered the Disston, producing a speed of a mere 6.5 miles per hour (10.5 kilometers per hour). The dismal engine performance was not suitable for a light tank of a rising power, and even if it was sold to foreign countries as stop-gaps, only Afghanistan purchased the Disston, and five of them were still in operation as of the Fall of Kabul.

Tancik vzor 33 P-1 (Czechoslovakia)

Created in 1933 as an offshoot of the British Carden-Loyd, the Tancik vzor 33 tankette was supposed to be an upgraded version when it comes to its speed and agility.

While the tank passed the driving test, the armor failed to protect the crew inside, the conditions to fire while moving became impossible, and the unreliable engine was not isolated from the crew, something that would have deadly consequences during the Second World War.

Their only share of glory was during an armed uprising before the Nazi invasion of the Sudetenland, and only because their opponents were insurgents rather than professional soldiers.

Arjun Mk I (India)

Previously, India has been buying weapons and armor from multiple sources, and during the Cold War, they bought equipment from both the United States and its NATO allies, as well as the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact, especially tanks.

While they acquired weapons from abroad, the Indians also looked forward to the day they could build their own equipment, and it all started in 1974 as an initiative.

Ten years later, the first prototype was built, but the time it took from prototype to serial production was unreasonable by any measure. Due to very delays, the Arjun tank was only produced in 2009, and the Indian Army was only forced to order 124 units to keep its domestic tank industry afloat.

To make matters worse, the Arjun faced countless defects and disadvantages in terms of how they could adapt to the Indian climate and terrain.

T-80 (Soviet Union/Russia/Ukraine)

The T-80 was a development of the powerful but few T-64 model, and was the last design of the Soviet era. The tank differed from the T-64 as it was powered by a gas turbine engine rather than a diesel variant.

Theoretically, the T-80 developed from the T-64's composite armor and the T-72's mechanical autoloader.

But unlike its lighter cousin, the T-72, the T-80's performance was much more obscure, due to the tank's fuel consumption and its dismal performance during the Chechen War.

Nevertheless, the T-80 is still used by both Russian and Ukrainian forces in the contested areas of Ukraine as of this article.

Read Also: Ground Drones May Revolutionize Military Technology in Ukraine

Panzer 68 (Switzerland)

While Switzerland maintains its characteristic neutrality in the first place, it was also developing its own war machine.

The first attempt to develop a tank was bogged down by delays by the time of its first successfully-made tank, the Panzer 68, was produced in 1971.

The Swiss tank was relatively small and light for a main battle tank, and it was inferior compared to its contemporaries.

The gun was smaller compared to other armor vehicles and its armor was made of rolled steel, which could be vulnerable to most other anti-tank weapons.

Design flaws, such as the radio system, a faulty gearbox that does not allow the tank to shift to reverse before coming to a full stop, and the tendency for the main gun to fire when the heater was turned on as it shared circuits with the main gun.

While upgrades and recalibrations were developed with the Panzer 68/88, it remained an inferior tank,

M551 Sheridan (US)

Alongside the T-80, the M551 Sheridan was one of the most experienced tanks on this list, serving from Vietnam to Desert Storm.

Weighing in at 15 tons, the Sheridan was built to be airdropped alongside paratroopers, able to cross rivers, and capable of packing a massive punch despite its light tank role with its 152mm missile/gun system in the turret and .50 caliber and 7.62mm guns in the hull.

The downside to this is that the projectiles fired from its main gun tube would jolt the Sheridan off the ground and may cause injuries to the crew inside. The armor was also made out of aluminum, making it prone to fires caused either by the residue of its own projectiles or enemy shells hitting the tank.

A38 Valiant (UK)

Britain's A38 heavy tank was supposed to be a formidable force on the battlefields of World War II, but it was never fielded and never mass-produced, making it the worst tank designed during the war.

Some even call the Valiant the worst tank of all time.

Despite the outcome of the war not yet certain, designers knew the tank would not be put into production, but continued to develop it anyway, especially its promising use of a double wishbone suspension similar to those used in passenger cars.

While the Valiant's armor offered good protection, its speed and handling was the reason why the tank never left the testing stand.

Despite the Valiant being a flawed tank, engineers learned very important lessons in creating future tank designs.

Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus (Germany)

The Nazis were known for their reign of terror and brutality, but they were also known for their scientific research and development prowess in creating war machines that work,

The only exception was the Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus, which was hurriedly built by Ferdinand Porsche at the direct request of Adolf Hitler himself.

The Maus was a super-heavy tank weighing at a whopping 188 tons, and stands 11.9 feet tall, 12 feet wide, and 33 feet long (3.6 meters tall x 3.7 meters wide x 10.1 meters long). It is armed with a 128mm gun capable of firing up to 2.2 miles (3.5 kilometers) and destroying essentially any armored equipment held by the Allies at the time.

Because of its size, the Maus could only move up to about 8 miles per hour (12.9 km per hour) and could not be carried by train. Eventually, the Soviets captured both prototypes of the vehicle, the only ones made by the Nazis out of the 150 ordered, and are currently on display in Russia.

Sabalan (Iran)

Prior to the Islamic Revolution, Iran was a valued ally of the US, and as such, they received a lot of military hardware. With the deposition of the last Shah, the new regime was forced to develop its own equipment from the arsenal the royalists and the US left.

One of them was the Sabalan, a tank the Iranians developed in 2014. In reality, it was merely a 21st-century upgrade of the 20th-century M47 Patton, and a poor upgrade at that. Aside from an indigenous fire control and communication system, as well as additional side skirts and a new gun turret, the rest were ironically American and obsolete.

With Iran being completely shut off from the world since 1979 due to strict sanctions, no spare parts for the tanks, or for any military equipment for that matter, could be legally ordered even if they were still in production.

Related Article: US Army Awards Contract to American Rheinmetall-Led Team to Replace Bradley IFV

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
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The former Disney darling, who released her latest album, 'Endless Summer Vacation' on March 10, can be seen posing in a latex cone bra and hot pants in posters that pop up in Los Angeles and France.

Aug 15, 2023

AceShowbiz - Miley Cyrus' new music might be on the way. Fans believe that the former Disney darling will release a new single soon after noticing new posters that feature different lyrics from her past hits.

The black-and-white posters, which popped up in Los Angeles, France and Belgium, showed Miley posing in a latex cone bra and hot pants. The posters also included different lyrics like "I hopped off the plane at LAX" from her song "Party in the USA," and "I came in like a wrecking ball," from "Wrecking Ball."

There's a new line though, which is presumably from the forthcoming single. It reads, "I say I used to be young." According to the popular Twitter account Pop Base, the new track is titled "Used to Be Young".

Miley dropped her latest album, "Endless Summer Vacation" on March 10. Later that month, it was unveiled that the "Hannah Montana" alum is to release a second volume of the record in the next few months.

It's thought the album will feature more autobiographical tracks and a remix of Miley's No. 1 smash "Flowers", according to The Sun. A source told the newspaper, "Miley wrote so many amazing songs for the album and it quickly became clear just a standard record would be a waste. Initially the plan was to call the album 'Endless Summer Vacation Volume 1' but then it was decided a surprise drop would be better."

While Miley has kept herself busy by making new music, she declared in May that she has ruled out touring. In an interview for British Vogue's cover story, she said, "Like singing for hundreds of thousands of people isn't really the thing that I love. There's no connection. There's no safety... It's also not natural. It's so isolating because if you're in front of 100,000 people then you are alone."

"It's been a minute. After the last [headline arena] show I did [in 2014], I kind of looked at it as more of a question. And I can't," she continued. "Not only 'can't,' because can't is your capability, but my desire. Do I want to live my life for anyone else's pleasure or fulfillment other than my own?"

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The 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' actor would rather focus on his current project instead of dwelling on the chatters surrounding the new 007 agent following Daniel Craig's exit.

Aug 15, 2023

AceShowbiz - Aaron Taylor-Johnson says he is not focusing on rumours he could be the next James Bond. The "Kick-Ass" actor, 33, joins a list of stars being tipped to step into Daniel Craig's shoes after he quit the 007 movie franchise following 2021's "No Time to Die", but he said he would lose his "f****** mind" if he didn't simply pay attention to the job he currently has.

"I have to go by the beat of my own drum. It's my own path, what feels intuitive to me," Aaron, who is next set to play the title role in Marvel's "Kraven the Hunter" film, told Esquire magazine.

"I've never made a decision based on other people's perspectives, or their judgments, or their expectations. You lose your f****** mind if you do that. Your sense of worth and soul is gone. You need to understand what is integral to you and what feels right, and you've got to stay on track with what's present in front of you. Kraven is what's in front of me."

Aaron added when asked what he thought taking on the Bond role, "I just focus on the things I can have in my hands right now. What's in front of me right now."

"Oppenheimer" director Christopher Nolan, 52, recently sparked speculation some of his favourite actors could be the next 007 after he told the "Happy Sad Confused podcast it would be an "amazing privilege" to direct a James Bond film - but only if he could choose the star who is playing Bond.

Some of the filmmaker's favourite stars - including "Oppenheimer" lead man Cillian Murphy, 47, and "The Dark Knight Rises" star Tom Hardy, 45, have been named as bookies' top picks to step into the 007 part - along with the latest Batman star Robert Pattinson, 37, who featured in Christopher's mind-bending time travel film "Tenet".

Christopher was approached to make the next 007 film following the release of "Skyfall", but the follow-up "Spectre" ended up being directed by 57-year-old "American Beauty" filmmaker Sam Mendes.

Two years after the 2015 film, Christopher revealed he could "maybe one day" get involved in the franchise.

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The reality TV star is among the crowds at the rapper's show in L.A. where she's seen recreating her 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians' quote which is sampled on his single.

Aug 15, 2023

AceShowbiz - Kim Kardashian had a full-circle moment at Drake's concert. The reality TV star was spotted among the crowds at the rapper's show in Los Angeles on Sunday, August 13 where she was seen recreating her "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" quote which was sampled on the hip-hop star's single "Search & Rescue".

The SKIMS founder opted to wear a slate-blue dress and silver accessories for the concert. In a video circulating online, the mom of four could be seen excitedly reciting her quote to Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny who also attended the show.

"I didn't come this far, just to come this far and not be happy," the 42-year-old yelled. "Remember that!"

The line was taken from a conversation between Kim and her mom Kris Jenner from a 2021 episode of the E! series. At the time, Kim was discussing her divorce from Kanye West. "Remember that," Kim, who shares daughters North and Chicago as well as sons Saint and Psalm with the controversial rapper, told her mother. "I saw it on the internet."

Kim's appearance at Drizzy's concert came after he threw shade at an audience member for wearing Yeezy shoes to his show in Milwaukee. "My man I like the fitted hat with the blue tee, yeah, I feel you dog, you look good," he said. "Even though you got those Yeezys on, you still look good."

Drake was also accused of reigniting his feud with Ye by releasing "Search & Rescue" in April. His dad Dennis Graham, however, shut down the speculation as he wrote on Instagram, "It's just a song. Why try and create a Kanye and Drake beef again?"

The song, on the other hand, wasn't the only connection between Kim and Drake. In season 3 of "The Kardashians", Kim claimed that her ex-husband Ye "started a rumor that I was hooking up with Drake, that I was having an affair our whole marriage." The SKKN founder added, "He accused me of that publicly. So, the person that's supposed to protect me the most publicly would accuse me of having an affair throughout our whole marriage."

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The 'Savage' raptress gets emotional when taking the stage at Outside Lands Music Festival in San Francisco as she appears to slam those who didn't believe her regarding the 2020 shooting case.

Aug 15, 2023

AceShowbiz - Megan Thee Stallion had a message for her haters when she returned onstage following Tory Lanez sentencing. The Texas raptress got fired up as she took the stage at the 2023 Outside Lands Music Festival held at San Francisco's Golden Gate Park on Sunday, August 13.

"I just wanna say - f**k all my haters! None of that s**t you was doing or saying broke me," the 28-year-old said to the crowd, seemingly addressing those who accused her of lying regarding the 2020 shooting case. She also thanked her fans for their loyal support in recent years.

Megan rocked a magenta pink bodysuit embroidered with pearls, with floral adornments across her chest during the performance. She had her red locks down and parted in the middle with loose waves as she delivered her set, joined by some backing dancers.

The "Sweetest Pie" raptress was one of prominent artists to take the stage at the festival. Other performers included the Foo Fighters, Kendrick Lamar, Lana Del Rey, Janelle Monae and The 1975.

On Tuesday, August 8, Tory was sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting Megan in the July 15, 2020 incident. In a statement a prosecutor read before the sentencing, the Grammy Award winner said, "Since I was viciously shot by the defendant, 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."

Breaking his silence on the sentencing, Tory wrote in a statement uploaded on Instagram, "I have never let a hard time intimidate me. I will never never let no jail time eliminate me. Regardless of how they try to spin my words, I have always maintained my innocence and I always will."

Insisting that he had nothing to apologize for, the Canadian rap star added, "In no way shape or form was I apologizing for the charges I'm being wrongfully convicted of. I remain on the stance that I refuse to apologize for something that I did not do." He went on declaring, "This is nothing but another moment where my back is against the wall and I refuse to stop fighting till I come out victorious."

Tory, who will spend 9 years in prison after being credited with time served, is being held in what's called the administrative segregation unit, which is for inmates who cannot be safely housed with the rest of the folks behind bars, according to TMZ. He is only allowed out of his cell for 2 hours a day and for those 120 minutes, he's by himself. He can get some fresh air during recreation time only for 3 hours each week during his stay at Los Angeles County Jail.

Tory currently waits to get shipped out of county jail for prison. He's expected to be transferred to an intake center, where he'll learn where he'll spend the rest of his sentence, in September.

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A few weeks ago, the couple and their kids shared on social media that they were kicked out of an airport in Boston after camping out at the airport following a flight delay.

Aug 15, 2023

AceShowbiz - Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard have reacted to backlash they faced after they revealed that they tried to sleep at an airport in Boston. Weeks following their travel debacle, the couple hit back at claims that they lied about all nearby hotels being booked.

"Everyone knew before us [that their flights were canceled] because they kept kicking ours," Dax explained on his "Armchair Expert" podcast on Monday, August 14. "So by the time we acknowledge[d], 'No, this flight isn't going out tonight,' everyone's already grabbed the hotel rooms."

The 48-year-old actor went on to say that he was "confused" about "what makes someone mad about the story." His wife Kristen, meanwhile, thought it was because people lacked "emotional and intellectual capacity" as well as an "outrage addiction."

"[People] want to be angry about something. It was anything. It was like, 'You're not being kicked out,' 'Of course there were hotels,' 'I can't believe you spent $600 on pillows,' " the "Frozen (2013)" actress opined.

Dax added that only a "political schism" could have led to such a "hostile and angry" response to his and Kristen's post regarding the drama with daughters Lincoln and Delta. "We have to somehow just represent liberals," he said. "And no matter what we would do, it would be proof that we're crazy or stupid or whatever. It felt like there's something political. I don't know why you'd be so mad, unless we just symbolize liberals."

Kristen, however, opted to ignore the "s**tty comments" online. "Ultimately, it's not about us, it's about the person making the comment," "The Good Place" alum divulged. "I don't really think about it."

Last month, the couple revealed on Instagram that they and their kids were left "stranded" after getting "kicked out" of the Logan International Airport in Boston for camping out at the airport following a flight delay. Documenting the whole ordeal on Instagram Stories, Kristen shared that they had been stuck for nine hours and "made quite a home" at the gate. In one video, she was also seen brushing her teeth in the terminal.

Dax, meanwhile, took to his own page to share a video of Kristen preparing the "bedroom" which featured $600 worth of blankets, pillows as well as a single toothbrush. "Could have been a really nice hotel, but they're all taken. It's $600 a night to stay at Boston International Airport," the actor said in the clip. He also noted that there were "ZERO vacancies in the greater Boston area."

They were eventually soon kicked out of the airport when the terminal closed at 1 A.M. Thankfully, Kristen and Dax eventually found a place to sleep with the help of "friends of friends."

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The 'Beverly Hills, 90210' alum looks happy as she's photographed having drinks during lunch and chatting with friends in Nerano after revealing her stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis.

Aug 15, 2023

AceShowbiz - Shannen Doherty is living life to the fullest despite her health issue. The actress looked happy as she was enjoying a vacation in Italy with friends amid her battle with breast cancer that has spread to her brain.

In photos circulating online, the "Charmed" alum seemed to be in good spirits as she was seen having drinks during lunch with friends in Nerano on Monday, August 14. She was also photographed having a laugh with a male companion.

The 52-year-old beauty was seen enjoying a boat ride in another snap, while she was reportedly also spotted dancing during the trip. The actress wore a black tank top with orange pants while she shielded her eyes with dark shades. She also sported a round hat to cover her head from direct sunlight.

Shannen was first diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2015. After undergoing treatment, she announced in April 2017 that her cancer was in remission. Sadly, in February 2020, she revealed her cancer had returned and she's now stage four.

In June of this year, she said that the cancer had spread to her brain and is terminal. At the time, she shared a video of herself preparing for radiation therapy after getting the heartbreaking update in January.

"January 12, the first round of radiation took place. My fear is obvious. I am extremely claustrophobic, and there was a lot going on in my life," she shared. She added, "I am fortunate as I have great doctors like Dr Amin Mirahdi and the amazing techs at Cedar Sinai. But that fear. The turmoil.. the timing of it all. This is what cancer can look like."

She also revealed that she underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from her head on January 16. "I had a tumor in my head they wanted to remove and also biopsy. I am clearly trying to be brave but I am petrified. The fear was overwhelming to me," she posted in June.

The Brenda Walsh on "Beverly Hills, 90210" went on admitting, "Scared of all possible bad outcomes, worried about leaving my mom and how that would impact her. Worried that I would come out of surgery not me anymore. This is what cancer can look like."

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Fans show concern for the 'Tunnel Vision' hitmaker as he appears to be briefly falling asleep while filming himself, just a little over a week after he was seen being taken to an emergency room at a Florida hospital.

Aug 15, 2023

AceShowbiz - Kodak Black continues to cause worry among his fans following his latest bizarre livestream. The rapper has been urged to go to rehab to deal with his supposed drug issue after he fell asleep during Instagram Live.

The 26-year-old recently filmed himself on livestream during which he appeared to be sitting in a parked car. He was seen holding what looks like a cup or a can and lifting it to his face before his eyes slowly shut and his head fell down. After a few seconds, he appeared to be startled and awakened by voice in the background and that's when the clip ended.

In the comments, his followers showed concern as they suspected that he was high on drug. "Kodak leanin," one person speculated. Another wrote during the livestream, "Pray for kodack [sic]," while a third person added, "U good."

After the video was reposted on The Neighborhood Talk's Instagram page, many others encouraged Kodak to seek help for his issue. "Yeah that H ain't no joke. Can somebody in his camp check him into rehab please," one person reacted to the clip.

Echoing the sentiment, someone wrote, "He's [sic] needs to just go to rehab, he looks so much better when he's sober." Another weighed in, "Y'all know yak and a lot of other artists do these drugs. He just ended up being too high on live. pray for em but spam his comments with 'REHAB YAK WE [a heart emoji] U'."

Another blasted those around Kodak who don't genuinely care about his condition. "Nobody around him give a fck about him being an addict. God forbid he OD's then all of a sudden every celebrity will be writing a paragraph about loving him. Yall suck and he needs rehab & therapist," the said person noted.

"Only black folks think prayer is enough for everything, this brother needs rehab," another one remarked. Someone else claimed, "He is not ok...smh ain't no way he got people who really genuinely love him around."

Just a little over a week before, Kodak also got his fans worried after he was seen being wheeled into what appears to be an emergency room of Broward Health Hospital in Florida. In the clip, which was shared by a TikTok user on August 3, the "Super Gremlin" spitter could be seen on a stretcher covering his eyes with one arm. He also lifted up one of his legs while being pushed through the entrance past nearly a dozen people.

Neither Kodak nor his team ever addressed the video, but a few days later, he resurfaced online in a video that saw him on a vacation to Italy. He looked happy and healthy while learning to make pizza during the getaway.

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Mark Zuckerberg has had enough of Elon Musk's delaying tactics.

The Meta CEO recently announced that the Musk v. Zuck cage match is off and that people should move on from it due to Musk's evasiveness for a final fight date.

Despite Zuckerberg's calls to move on, however, Musk has yet to give up on fighting Zuckerberg; he is goading Zuckerberg to fight him.

The End of The Road

Zuckerberg seems to have no more patience for Musk's antics. According to a report from Gizmodo, the Meta CEO posted on Threads that he is calling off the Musk v. Zuck fight due to the former's evasiveness and lack of progress in planning it.

He mentioned in his post that Musk is not serious about fighting him and that it's time to move on due to his lack of agency about setting the fight's date. He also pointed out that Musk not only failed to confirm a fight date but also revealed he needed surgery once Zuck said he was ready to fight.

However, there is some hope for the fight to go on. Zuckerberg said that if Musk does get serious about a real date and official event, he would know how to reach him and talk about it. In the meantime, Zuckerberg aims to focus on competing with "people who take [MMA] seriously."

Read More: HoYoverse Launches Web Event for Genshin Impact's Lyney

Despite Zuckerberg's announcement, though, Musk has yet to give up on the idea and has been goading him to fight. The owner of X.com, formerly known as Twitter, called Zuckerberg a "chicken" after Zuckerberg called off the fight.

Musk doubled down on his goading with him saying that Zuckerberg can't eat at Chic-fil-A because it would be considered Cannibalism. For those unaware, Chick-fil-A is a popular American fast-food chain known for its chicken sandwiches.

Musk also revealed his conversation with Zuckerberg, with him asking if they could have a practice fight in the Meta CEO's place as he has not been practicing much. However, Zuckerberg refused, saying that Musk should train on his own if he wants to have a real MMA fight.

Zuckerberg also said he doesn't want to keep hyping something that will never happen. As such, Musk must decide on a final fight date soon or move on from the idea.

Will The Fight Even Happen?

With Zuckerberg calling off the Musk v. Zuck fight (for now,) it is highly unlikely that the bout between the two big tech CEOs will happen anytime soon if it will at all. Musk is quite an impulsive guy, and as such, he could be propelled by shame to set a final fight date between him and Zuckerberg in the future.

It is unknown if the fight will still happen in Italy, as Musk previously claimed. However, what is clear is that the fight's proceeds will definitely go to charities for veterans once it goes through.

Related Article: Zuck v. Musk Fight Details Not Official Unless Zuck Says So
Cover Images/KOI SOJER TV

In a Facebook post, the officials for County of Maui comment on reports that the legendary TV personality and her camera crew were turned away when visiting emergency shelters for wildfire survivors.

Aug 15, 2023

AceShowbiz - County of Maui has broken silence on reports that Oprah Winfrey and her camera crew were turned away when visiting shelters for wildfire survivors. In a Facebook post on Sunday, August 13, the officials revealed the legendary TV host "was able to visit" the evacuation center.

"To clarify, Oprah was able to visit our shelter and we thank her for instructing media journalists and camera crews to remain outside," the statement read. "We welcome Oprah to continue to uplift our community's spirit and give her aloha to victims of the tragic disaster."

The statement continued, "Her visit inside of the shelter today was truly heartwarming and we appreciate her understanding of our policy of having no camera crews or reporters accompanying dignitaries and celebrities in our emergency shelters. Mahalo."

In the comments section of the post, social media users applauded Maui officials' decision to go against media cameras. "We are going through a crisis, Maui doesn't need to encourage publicity stunts," said one person.

"Good for you! Just because she lives there doesn't give her the right to put cameras on others' heartbreak & tragedy. My gosh!" said another person. One other commenter noted that many people were helping survivors and "not looking for recognition."

The clarification arrived after it was reported that the former host of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and a CBS camera crew were denied entry on Sunday because the media are not allowed to enter the shelter. Internet users were quick to criticize Oprah with one accusing her of being "really gross" and trying to stage a "photo op."

The media mogul, who owns some 1,000 acres on Maui and reportedly lives on the island part-time, was previously seen filming at the War Memorial Complex in Wailuku. She reportedly asked residents what they needed the most before she distributed "basic necessities," including towels, water and personal hygiene products to evacuees.

"It's a little overwhelming, you know," Oprah revealed to the BBC in a video shared late last week. "But I'm really so pleased to have so many people, you know, supporting, and people are just bringing what they can and doing what they can."

In a separate interview, Oprah told Hawaii News Now outside the shelter, "I brought personal hygiene products and the other day it was towels and sheets and pillows and the day before that it was water." The star, who allegedly has visited the emergency shelter three times already, added, "In a week or two, all the cameras will be gone and the rest of the world is going to move on with their lives and we're all still going to be here trying to figure out what is the best way to rebuild. I will be here for the long haul, doing what I can."

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Fans suspect that there's bad blood between the 'In My Feelings' hitmaker and the podcast host following his appearance on her 'The Really Good Podcast', which clip has since been taken down.

Aug 16, 2023

AceShowbiz - Is there bad blood between Drake and Bobbi Althoff. The Canadian rapper and the podcast host have sparked rumors that they might be feuding though he recently appeared on her "The Really Good Podcast".

News of the alleged feud began to swirl online after video of the viral interview was removed from her YouTube page. Moreover, the two have been uncovered to have unfollowed each other on Instagram.

Following the suspicious moves, many wondered if the two had developed bad blood, considering their good relationship before. "I sense some beef," one fan wrote via X, formerly known as Twitter. Another user joked, "I love how people unfollowing each other is like the definition of beefing now."

While neither Drake nor Bobbi has addressed the matter, Media Take Out claimed that the issue stemmed from jealousy. Bobbi's husband is reportedly not happy with her flirty interaction with the OVO Sound founder in the video.

In the clip, Bobbi, who has a unique interview style, interviewed Drake while the two were in bed together. Things got awkward after Bobbi asked if she's Drake's type. After taking some time to think about it, the "God's Plan" emcee replied, "I'd do it."

Bobbi was stunned by Drizzy's cringe response, noting that it's not the answer she would have expected from her question. "Thank you," she said, before admitting, "I'm not an 'it'." She continued to wonder, "I asked, 'Am I your type?' and you said, 'I'd do it.' "

Just days before Bobbi removed the video, she posted a video of herself at Drake's "It's All a Blur Tour" stop in Los Angeles on Saturday, August 12. "Really in my element here @ this guys concert," she captioned the TikTok clip of herself looking deadpan at the concert while two friends sang and danced next to her.

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The Hollywood Vampires musician insists the Fab Four would have regrouped if one of their members hadn't been murdered because 'they were best friends' despite occasional friction.

Aug 15, 2023

AceShowbiz - Alice Cooper thinks The Beatles would have reunited if John Lennon hadn't been murdered. The "Poison" hitmaker had Sir Paul McCartney, 81, and Lennon in his infamous Hollywood Vampires drinking club - which shares a name with his supergroup with Johnny Depp, Aerosmith's Joe Perry, and more - and he believes the pals would have reformed the "Yesterday" group if the "Woman" hitmaker hadn't been assassinated outside his apartment in New York City on December 8, 1980, a decade after the legendary band split acrimoniously.

"Absolutely. Here's the thing about them. When they were after each other's throats, when it came to the breakup and all that stuff, if anybody in the Vampires back in those days - that was our drinking club - if anybody said anything bad about Paul, John would take a swing at you, because that was his best friend," Alice told Ohio's QFM96 when asked if he thinks they would have reunited.

"If anybody said anything about John to Paul, Paul would walk out of the room. He'd just walk out. Because you are not allowed to talk about their best friends. They were best friends no matter what was going on in the whole thing."

Alice, 75, suggested Lennon wanted to make their music "more political" and that McCartney wasn't keen. He added, "One went one way, and one went the other. I think John wanted to be more political. Paul was not into that that much."

In 2021, McCartney admitted he hates the misconception that he broke up The Beatles. The "Let It Be" hitmaker shared how he "only recently" got over claims he split up the group - which also featured Sir Ringo Starr, 83, and the late George Harrison.

During a talk with poet Paul Muldoon - with whom he has collaborated on "The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present" book - at the Royal Festival Hall in London, he was asked what the biggest misconception was about being Paul McCartney. He replied, "That I had broken The Beatles up  so I lived with that because once a headline is out there it sticks. That was a big one that I've only finally just got over."

The former Wings star also revealed his regret that he never told Lennon he loved him and said it was "miraculous" that The Beatles had found each other. He said, "The four of us miraculously found each other. We grew up together. It's like walking up a staircase and we've always been side by side on that staircase. I'm like a fan."

"I just remember how great it was to work with him and how great he was. Because you are not just messing around, you are not singing with Joe Bloggs you are singing with John Lennon. It's very true. You say that I loved him and as 17-year-old Liverpool kids you could never say that. It just wasn't done. So I never really said, 'John, love you mate.' I never got around to it so now it's great to know how much I love this man."

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The 'Barbie' actress has been offered a huge sum to sell photos of her feet following the massive success of her Mattel movie which features a famous scene of her feet.

Aug 16, 2023

AceShowbiz - Margot Robbie has been sent a 250,000 offer to sell photos of her feet. The 33-year-old actress has been presented with the eye-watering sum of money to share photos of her feet by Liz, a popular creator on Fun With Feet, a platform where people can buy and sell their feet pictures.

"Dear Margot, My name is Liz and I make thousands selling feet pics on Fun With Feet I also look a lot like you. Barbie is all women, but we really are Barbie - Stereotypical Barbie, anyway," Liz wrote in a letter to the "Barbie" star.

"I would love to collaborate with you on some Barbie-inspired content that'll earn us both millions. Plus, Fun with Feet are offering to pay you 250K as a starting bonus. If I'm right, we'll be able to capitalise on our likeness - and the world's obsession with all-things Barbie - to no end, all thanks to our feet!"

"Fun With feet is the best feet seller platform online and as a lot of my customers already come to me because I look like margot (and Barbie) 2.0, I know our partnership would be hugely popular. Stereotypical Barbie's feet are an insane earner, trust me."

"Another huge perk to online foot content is that you can continue to passively earn money from it. As we know, humans only have one ending, ideas live forever. If you would be at all interested in working with me, contact the Fun with Feet team and we can twin on some blockbuster foot content! We were made for this! Much love, Liz x (sic)."

Liz has also extended the offer to Ryan Gosling, who stars alongside Margot in the "Barbie" movie. In a letter to the Hollywood star, Liz wrote, "If you would be interested in co-creating some amazing Ken and Barbie-themed foot content and earning millions from our collab, I'd love to set up a foot-fetish-friendly Kenland - a utopia for my customers - and get going."

"If you would be at all interested in working with me, contact the Fun with Feet team and we can twin on some blockbuster foot content! (sic)"

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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 sightseein

SOTC Travels campaign is being extensively promoted across digital & social platforms, primarily YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.

Mr. 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.
Gov. Kay Ivey visited two Wilcox County elementary schools Monday that have been part of a new statewide effort to transform low-performing schools and surrounding communities.

ABC Elementary School and J.E. Hobbs Elementary School both have seen increases in reading scores over the past year. They are two of 15 schools selected by Iveys Turnaround Schools Initiative last year, and have received additional funding and targeted support.

We put all the resources we could into getting our students reading on grade level, said ABC Elementary Principal Cherylrettia Bennett, who became principal this year following her success as the schools reading specialist last year.

Read more Ed Lab: See how your Alabama school district performs on math, reading, science.

During her visits, Ivey read How Did That Get in my Lunchbox to kindergarten, first and second grade classes at each school.

I grew up here in Wilcox County so I know what its like down here in these deep, dark woods, she said at ABC Elementary.

In September, when the initiative was announced, State Superintendent Eric Mackey said the communities where the schools are located are dealing with high levels of poverty and overwhelming needs.

It bleeds over into school with academic underperformance year after year, Mackey said.

A total of $15 million was allocated to the 15 schools. Every selected school has a majority-Black student body and more than six in 10 students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals, an indicator of poverty. The percentage of third-graders reading on grade level ranged from 38% to 65% on spring 2022 tests. Statewide, 78% of third-graders were reading on grade level.

This is a strategic approach to turning [the schools] around so its not just one size fits all funding, but instead targets exactly what each school needs, Gina Maiola, Iveys spokeswoman, said about the Turnaround Schools Initiative. The governor really wants to get in these schools and encourage them along the way.

Ivey handed out books to each classroom she visited to emphasize the importance of learning to read at an early age.

You learn to read then you read to learn, she said to second graders at ABC Elementary. Strong skills make a strong state.

ABC Elementary School saw a nearly 20-percentage-point jump in its third grade reading scores, from 41% reading on grade level during the 2021-22 school year to 60% in 2022-23.

J.E. Hobbss scores also jumped from 41% of third graders on grade level in 2021-22 to 54% in 2022-23.

Bennett said she hopes funding from the Turnaround Initiative, which will provide wraparound services to her students and the wider Alberta community, will help the school see continued improvement.

Its going to be a challenge but we are ready for it, said Bennett.

Ivey will also tour schools in Houston and Montgomery counties selected for the turnaround program on Tuesday and Wednesday.

A full list of the 15 selected schools can be found here.
Roy Wood Jr. knows his Birmingham restaurants. Why wouldnt he? The star standup comic grew up in Alabama and shouts out his hometown on national television whenever he gets the chance.

When author and frequent Around the Horn panelist David Dennis Jr. asked on Twitter, straight-up, which Birmingham restaurant has the best soul food to offer, Wood stepped up with two picks readers will no doubt support.

Downtown, Yo Mamas and also Nikkis West. About 10 mins from downtown, Wood tweeted.

Downtown, Yo Mamas and also Nikkis West. About 10 mins from downtown. https://t.co/2FQtnN1Gvl  Roy Wood Jr aka Snack Turner (@roywoodjr) August 4, 2023

Wood did not play with this response. He is absolutely correct. First, Nikis West Steak & Seafood Restaurant, which opened in 1957, is every bit the institution you either know or have heard it is. AL.coms Mary Colurso calls it the undeniable king of meat-and-three restaurants in Birmingham.

MORE: Conan OBrien exalts Roy Wood Jr.: Youre always funny

Regulars flock to the place for a daily lunch fix, and plenty of folks who move away say Nikis is a must when they return to the city for visits, she wrote. Nikis extensive menu features several main dishes, from hamburger steak to Greek chicken to liver and onions to fried pork chops. There are more than 20 sides, including yams, fried okra, field peas, broccoli rice and cheese, pinto beans, creamed potatoes and turnip greens.

Everything at Nikis hits the spot, so diners can mix and match at will. Heres a pro tip for newcomers: Be ready with your order as you approach the line at the steam table, or youre likely to get fussed at by the employees on duty. Staffers at Nikis are welcoming, but they like to keep things moving.

Wood didnt specify which dish to order, but he previously told AL.com hes a fan of the country fried steak, meatloaf, fried chicken, fried okra, greens, mac and cheese. Nikis West is so good, they can curse you out, Wood says, laughing. At minimum, Ill get the food to go.

His general approach to the meat-and-three format? Im a dude who loves food, Wood said in 2017. Whatever Im in the mood for, thats what Im going to eat. You say I cant have a potato and rice? Watch me. Part of the beauty of Nikis West is that youre not going to be judged for your food choices. You could tell them to put gravy on carrot cake, and the only question would be, White or brown?

READ: Roy Wood Jr., dude who loves food, on 6 must-have dishes in Birmingham

Birminghams best meat-and-three: Our top 5

As for Yo Mamas, Woods second pick in the tweet, Colurso included it on her picks for the best fried chicken in Birmingham -- and for good reason, she wrote. Yo Mamas serves food with heart and soul, specializing in home-style dishes with Southern flavors. You can bet theyve got fried chicken on the menu, and the scrumptious wings here have earned praise from ordinary folks, restaurant critics and celebrity chefs alike.

Founded in 2015 by Denise Peterson and her daughter, Crystal Peterson, Yo Mamas quickly became a mainstay on the Magic City restaurant scene. The downtown eatery received even more attention with a featured spot on Netflixs Fresh, Fried and Crispy in 2021. Yo Mamas plans to move to a new location at 2098 Fourth Ave. North, thanks to a $1.3 million investment from the City of Birmingham.

She said the Chicken & Waffle is a mouthwatering treat featuring Belgian waffles, six fried chicken wings, a dollop of syrup and fruit toppings.

So yes, Roy Wood Jr., we agree with your picks -- and were not alone.

The 44-year-old Birmingham-raised comics star has risen the last several years through his hilarious work as a correspondent on The Daily Show (which he guest hosted in April), several standup specials and a growing number of acting roles in film and television. He also recently served as entertainer at the White House Correspondents Dinner, which drew national raves, and appeared on Conan OBriens popular podcast Conan OBrien Needs a Friend.

More on Birminghams best food:

Birminghams best breakfast: Our top 5

Birminghams best hot dogs: Our Top 5

Birminghams best burgers: Our Top 5

Birminghams best pizza: Our top 5

Birminghams best barbecue: Our Top 5
Birmingham-Southern College President Daniel Coleman got emotional on Tuesday as he talked about the college reopening this month.

We almost didnt make it, he said.

The moments priceless, to be honest, Coleman said. This college has been on that side of Birmingham since 1898.

The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday approved an intent to commit one-time funding to help the financially struggling Birmingham-Southern College stay open and viable as it prepares to resume classes this month after a threat of shutdown.

The resolution of intent did not mention a specific funding pledge from the city.

Weve been talking in the range of $2.5 to $5 million for about a year, Coleman said after the meeting. Obviously, we prefer closer to $5 million.

The resolution said funding from the city remains contingent on the college first securing funding through the states newly established Distressed Institutions of Higher Education Revolving Loan Program. The state passed legislation, signed by Gov. Kay Ivey on June 16, that will allow the college to take up to a $30 million loan to help it stay open.

The college has requested $30 million in assistance from the state, $5 million from Birmingham and $5 million from Jefferson County.

This is part of an overall package that includes funding from the state, and we hope, well approach Jefferson County and start working with them as well, Coleman said. This package will stabilize the college for the next three years as we continue our campaign to raise private funds so we have an endowment and make sure we never come back again to ask for help. Were about $45 million into our campaign and were looking to get to about $200 million.

Coleman said college athletes have been moving on campus this week and freshmen will be moving into dormitories starting Friday in time for the first day of classes on Aug. 23 as the college begins its fall semester.

Our students will be coming in on Friday; Ill be helping them move in the freshman dorms, Coleman said. Our students are real excited to come back.

Birmingham City Council member J.T. Moore said details need to be worked out guaranteeing that the city gets many returns on its investment.

We want to make sure that were investing in a school that is going to invest back into our students and into our city, Moore said. We dont want to have any more vacancies in our city, in terms of blighted areas, so thats a major concern for us. But we also want to make sure that Birmingham-Southern is a good faith partner to our city schools as well.

Coleman agreed with that goal. We want to make sure that whatever investment the city makes is a great investment, he said.

Birmingham City Council President Wardine Alexander voted against the resolution to commit funding to Birmingham-Southern College, suggesting that the money would be taken from funds used to fight blight and invest in blighted neighborhoods, and that public schools such as Lawson State Community College deserve the citys support more than a private college. Lets help Lawson State when they need help, she said.

Coleman said 2023 fall enrollment will be in the range of about 750 to 775 students. With increased financial stability, hes hoping the college will get back to an enrollment of about 1,200 to 1,500 students in the future.

BSC has been running deficits every year and draining its endowment. It has gone from a $48 million endowment in 2012 to between $20 million and $25 million in endowment now. The colleges debt has been reduced from $68 million in 2012 to about $27 million now.

Birmingham-Southern College formed from a 1918 merger of Southern University, dating to 1856, and Birmingham College, dating to 1898, both founded by the Methodist Church.

Council member Hunter Williams said keeping Birmingham-Southern College open means $70 million in annual economic impact, with 300 to 400 employees and an average of 1,000 students. Thats a big impact on the city of Birmingham, and really the entire metro area, Williams said. One thing Birmingham absolutely needs is a way we can keep young talent in our city.

Williams said the city needs to take into account not just the economic impact Birmingham-Southern College has, but the void it would create, or economic loss if that facility and institution is not there, he said.

The resolution that the council voted up today really solidifies its intent to invest in Birmingham-Southern, Williams said after the meeting. This is a very strong message that the City of Birmingham is intent on supporting Birmingham-Southern.

Birmingham-Southern College formed from a 1918 merger of Southern University, dating to 1856, and Birmingham College, dating to 1898, both founded by the Methodist Church.

See also: Birmingham-Southern College president tells United Methodists: Its been a tough year

Birmingham-Southern College touts its value in economic impact statement

Birmingham-Southern bill signed, college to stay open
A Calhoun County correctional officer is facing criminal charges after authorities say he stole Pokemon cards from Walmart over the weekend.

The reported theft happened about 7 p.m. Saturday at the Oxford Walmart.

Calhoun County Sheriff Matthew Wade said Officer Josh Hardy had just completed his shift at the jail and was still in uniform.

It is with great embarrassment that we have to report this incident, Wade said Monday, and Hardy has been terminated from the Calhoun County Sheriffs Office.

Walmarts loss prevention employees observed Hardy opening multiple packs of Pokemon cards, and he was placing the individual cards in his pockets, the sheriff said.

Hardy began to leave the store without paying for the items, and he was confronted by the stores loss prevention officers.

When confronted, Hardy fled from the store on foot.

Oxford police responded and found Hardy at a local restaurant with the stolen Pokemon cards in his possession. He was arrested for theft and placed in the Oxford City Jail.

He has tarnished our agency and the image of all law enforcement, Wade said. As sheriff, I promised to be transparent and hold my staff accountable to a standard higher than average citizens.
Netflix just publicly rolled out its first test of cloud streaming games in Canada and the UK.

Read Also: Netflix Announces Series of 'One Piece' Events, Screenings Globally

Netflix Streams Games on TV, Computers

In a blog post, Netflix VP for games Mike Verdu shared the exciting news. Verdu confirmed that the company is now testing the waters on its new feature through a small number of members in Canada and the UK, but on select TVs for now.

"Our goal has always been to have a game for everyone, and we are working hard to meet members where they are with an accessible, smooth, and ubiquitous service," Verdu wrote.

In addition, Netflix will also be allowing games on PC and Macs by logging in Netflix.com. Streaming games on the computer would have to wait a few weeks for it to be released on supported browsers. As of its release, Oxenfree and Molehew's Mining Adventure are the first game titles to be released.

How to Play Netflix Games on TV, Computers

Previously, Netflix released an app that will serve as a game controller when playing games on TV. On the other hand, subscribers who wish to play games on their PCs and Macs can play using their keyboard and mouse.

Netflix explained that through this limited beta, the company will be able to test their game streaming technology and controller and improve it overtime before releasing it worldwide.

Netflix games will be supported on selected televisions such as Amazon Fire TV Streaming Media Players, Chromecast with Google TV, LG, NVIDIA Shield TV, Samsung Smart TVs, and Walmart ONN. The company also assured that more devices will be added soon.

Read Article: Netflix Drops Game Controller App for iPhone
A species of predatory hornet that feeds on honeybees and other insects has been found on U.S. soil in the wild for the first time in Georgia, officials with the state Department of Agriculture (GDA) and the University of Georgia announced Tuesday.

The extent of its proliferation in Georgia and beyond is not yet known, but officials and scientists warned that its arrival could pose a major threat to bees and, in turn, some of the states most valuable crops, which rely on pollinators for successful harvests.

If established, this invasive species could threaten the native pollinators in our state and negatively impact our agricultural industry as a whole, Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper said Tuesday.

Vespa velutina, also known as the yellow-legged hornet, is native to tropical regions of Southeast Asia, but has already spread to multiple regions in Europe, parts of the Middle East and other parts of Asia where it is not native. The hornet had long been identified by entomologists as having a high potential to invade the U.S. as well.

Two of the hornets were found by a beekeeper in Savannah earlier this month, who spotted the distinctive-looking insect on his property. The beekeeper notified the GDA, which enlisted UGA experts to help investigate. Scientists at UGA identified it as a yellow-legged hornet and on August 9, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed their assessment.

A colony has not been discovered yet, but the hornets nests typically house roughly 6,000 of the insects.

Harper thanked the beekeeper who reported the hornet and its partners at UGA and the USDA for helping to identify the insect. Harper said his agency and the USDA would be setting out traps to try to eradicate it from Georgia.

The winged pest is a close relative of the Northern giant hornet, another invasive species in the U.S., sometimes referred to as the murder hornet for its ability to ruthlessly dispatch honeybees. Several murder hornets were discovered in Washington state in 2019, leading to fears that the insects could decimate local honeybee populations. Fortunately, sightings have subsided and a citizen survey last year did not uncover any of the insects.

The yellow-legged hornet is smaller than its Northern cousin, but has a similarly voracious appetite for eating honeybees and other pollinators. The hornets can decimate an entire bee colony in a matter of hours.

Dr. Keith Delaplane, a honeybee expert in the University of Georgias Department of Entomology, said the hornet is similar in size to other species commonly found in Georgia, but can be distinguished from lookalikes by the bright yellow tips on the ends of its legs. Delaplane added that the insect is perhaps best identified by the aggressive aerial attacks it is known to wage on honeybees, which have earned it the nickname the bee hawk.

The most important thing for beekeepers to do at this point is to be vigilant and look out for predatory behavior at their hive entrances, Delaplane said.

The news of the hornets arrival in Georgia is unwelcome news for the states powerhouse agriculture industry. Honeybees in the state and around the globe are already in decline due to climate change, pesticide use, habitat loss and other human activity.

Pollinator-dependent crops, like blueberries and watermelons, are worth nearly $430 million annually in Georgia alone, Delaplane said. Georgia also consistently ranks among the top 20 states for honey production and in the top two or three for packaged bees used for beekeeping operations, UGA experts said.

Harper asked for the publics help in documenting the insect.

The GDA website has posted a form for citizens to report potential sightings and the agency said Georgians with additional questions or concerns can email the department at yellow.legged.hornet@agr.georgia.gov.

A note of disclosure

This coverage is supported by a partnership with 1Earth Fund, the Kendeda Fund and Journalism Funding Partners. You can learn more and support our climate reporting by donating at ajc.com/donate/climate/

2023 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Visit at ajc.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
A company that has been twice denied a license by the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission has asked a judge to block the commission from issuing licenses, alleging violations of the state Open Meetings Act.

Alabama Always LLC filed the motion Tuesday afternoon in Montgomery County Circuit Court.

Alabama Always has built a facility for growing and processing medical marijuana in west Montgomery. But the company was not among the 24 awarded licenses by the AMCC on August 10.

Ninety companies applied for licenses to participate in the states new industry, authorized by legislation passed in 2021. Alabama Always applied for an integrated license to cultivate, process, and dispense medical marijuana.

In its request for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction, Alabama Always alleges the AMCC violated the Open Meetings Act by deliberating on its application decisions during an executive session, or closed portion of the August 10 meeting. The commissioners nominated their choices for licenses during their closed portion of the meeting, commission officials said.

The closed portion of the meeting lasted more than three hours. After the meeting reopened, the commission voted on the nominees and awarded licenses.

The Open Meetings Act allows public boards to close their meetings for certain purposes.

But nowhere in those enumerated purposes appears anything remotely related to taking anonymous votes, ballots, or even nominations, lawyers for Alabama Always said in their motion.

By holding all discussion and deliberation in executive sessions, the Commission has denied, and has publicly stated its intention to continue to deny, Alabama Always and others their rights to observe the deliberations for this licensing process, attorneys for Alabama Always wrote in their request for a preliminary injunction.

Brittany Peters, director of communications for the AMCC, said the commission was aware of the court filing but that she was unable to comment on it.

The motion filed Tuesday by Alabama Always is the latest move in a lawsuit the company filed against the AMCC in June. That was after the AMCC awarded 21 licenses on June 12, then put those licenses on hold because it had discovered errors in how applicants were scored for the purposes of ranking. Those licenses were never issued. Six other companies that were denied licenses joined the lawsuit. One company that was awarded a license joined the case as a defendant.

The purpose of the August 10 meeting was to award licenses for a second time. The AMCC said the scoring errors had been corrected and verified. Nineteen of the 21 companies that were awarded licenses on June 12 were again awarded licenses. Five additional companies were awarded licenses.

Under the AMCCs timeline, companies awarded licenses on August 10 have 14 days to pay their license fee. Companies that were denied a license had 14 days to request an investigative hearing before the Commission to seek reconsideration.

AMCC Chairman Rex Vaughn said after the August 10 meeting that medical cannabis products could possibly be available for patients by the end of the year.

Products can include gummies, tablets, capsules, tinctures, patches, oils, and other forms allowed by the legislation.

Patients who receive a medical cannabis card from a doctor will be able to buy the products at licensed dispensaries.

The products can be used to treat a wide range of conditions, including chronic pain, weight loss and nausea from cancer, depression, panic disorder, epilepsy, muscle spasms caused by disease or spinal cord injuries, PTSD, and others.

Alabama is one of 38 states that have approved medical marijuana, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
A 35-year-old man was killed when authorities said he crashed his motorcycle while fleeing from law enforcement officers.

The wreck happened just before 7:30 p.m. Monday on U.S. 31 in Butler County, according to Alabama State Troopers.

Senior Trooper Kendra McKinney identified the fatality victim as Joseph Raphael Novelli. He lived in Evergreen.

McKinney did not say why Novelli was being pursued. She said he was driving a Kawasaki motorcycle that left the road, hit two mailboxes, and then struck a parked Conecuh County Sheriffs Office patrol vehicle.

The investigation is ongoing.
The North Carolina father of a teen boy is accused of shooting and killing the driver of a pickup truck early Monday morning, moments after the boy was struck and killed by the truck while walking along a road with his family, reports say.

Chad Woods, 41, is charge with second-degree murder in the shooting of Jeffrey McKay, 39, of Youngsville, N.C., a maintenance worker for the North Carolina Department of Corrections, the Person County Sheriffs Office tells NBC News.

WNCT Channel 9 reports that Woods, his son and another family member were walking along a rural road at about 6:30 a.m. after their vehicle ran out of gas.

McKay pulled over and called 911 after striking the teen with his truck, authorities tell ABC 11. Moments later, Woods pulled out a gun and shot McKay, reports say.

Woods and the other family member, leaving the teens body behind, got into McKays truck and drove it back to Woods home, which was less than a mile away, NBC News reports. Woods is accused of throwing the firearm used in the shooting into a pond.

Authorities tracked Woods to his home after identifying his sons body, NBC News reports. He also has been charged with larceny of a vehicle.

WNCT reports divers have been searching the pond for the weapon but it has not been located.

This is kind of a first, Person County Sgt. Kevin Morris tells ABC11. Ive been to people struck by cars and Ive been to shootings, but I havent ever had this happen at the same time. Sad situation all around, for all the families.
The commanding general of U.S. Space Command, who reportedly convinced President Biden to leave the new commands headquarters in Colorado rather than move it to Alabama, bought a $1.5M house and property near the base several months before the headquarters decision.

The Associated Press reported July 31 that, U.S. officials told (the AP) that Biden was convinced by the commander of Space Command, Gen. James Dickinson, who argued that moving his headquarters now would jeopardize military readiness.

Dickinsons view, however, was in contrast to Air Force leadership, who studied the issue at length and determined that relocating to Huntsville, Alabama, was the right move, the AP reported.

Colorado records released by Alabama U.S. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala) today show that Dickinson registered the deed for the 20-acre property April 4. The value of the two-story home, a barn, and land now co-owned by the general and his wife is $1.5 million.

Army records also showed that Dickinson is a native of Estes, Colorado and has two college degrees from Colorado schools: a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from Colorado State University and a masters degree in engineering from the Colorado School of Mines.

General Dickinson is a Colorado native. He graduated from Colorado State and the Colorado School of Mines. And now weve uncovered that he bought a 20-acre farm and 4,000 square foot dream house in  you guessed it  Colorado, Britt said today. This $1.5 million property is just miles down the road from the interim Space Command headquarters in Colorado Springs  and he purchased it just a couple of months before recommending that Colorado be awarded the permanent headquarters.

People across our state and nation deserve answers as to why General Dickinson and this administration ignored the Air Forces objective recommendations, which were reaffirmed by multiple independent reviews, in favor of his retirement destination, Britt said. This new revelation raises more questions into the legitimacy of an already dubious decision by President Biden. It undoubtedly remains in the best interest of our national security to move Space Command HQ to Huntsville, and Alabamas congressional delegation is going to continue fighting to right this wrong.

AL.com had not received a response from U.S. Space Command prior to publication of this story.

Colorado officials argued to the president that, regardless of the base selection process required by the Pentagon, the startup Colorado headquarters was ready now to help protect America from hostile missiles. An Alabama base would take years and millions of dollars to build, they said, and that would limit the ability to defend against attacks.

Alabamas congressional delegation suspects federal spending authorized to upgrade an existing Colorado building to accommodate the command startup went far beyond that. Colorado leaders added features that were touted later as proof Colorado Springs was fully ready to take command, Alabama lawmakers suspect.

And North Alabama Congressman Dale Strong (R-Huntsville) said Colorado asked for $52 million for a multi-story building in the latest federal budget request.
Donald Trump and 18 other associates were charged Monday in Georgia as part of a sweeping indictment alleging they schemed to illegally overturn his 2020 election loss and stop the peaceful transition of power.

The indictment, brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, follows an investigation that lasted more than two years and marks the fourth criminal case brought against the former president.

Those charged in Mondays indictment face a slew of charges, including racketeering, violating the oath of a public officer, forgery, false statements and other offenses. Prosecutors say they must all surrender to authorities by Aug. 25.

Among those is publicist Trevian C. Kutti who prosecutors allege claimed to have high level law enforcement connections.

Prosecutors say Georgia election worker Ruby Freeman met with Kutti at a police precinct, where she brought Willie Lewis Floyd III, who served as director of Black Voices for Trump, into the conversation on a speakerphone.

Prosecutors say Kutti presented herself as someone who could help Freeman but then pressured her to falsely confess to election fraud.

Kutti is well known in other circles as Kanye Wests onetime publicist, Deadline reported. She also represented R. Kelly at one time.

Kutti visited Freeman saying she was sent by a high-profile individual, whom she didnt identify, to give Freeman an urgent message: confess to Trumps voter-fraud allegations, or people would come to her home in 48 hours, and shed go to jail, Reuters reported in 2021.

West, long associated with Trump, told Reuters that Kutti was not associated with him when she met Freeman.
The president of the Alabama Public Service Commission has come out swinging against a proposal to build new dams and reservoirs on north Alabamas Chandler Mountain.

Alabama PSC President Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh issued a press release Tuesday morning calling the proposal an energy fantasy, and vowing to stop the project.

This pump storage technology that Alabama Power is exploring is just another unworkable solution being endorsed by out-of-state liberals trying to hijack our energy policy, Cavanaugh said in the news release.

Alabama needs a full portfolio of energy production options, but I will never let the climate socialists import their energy fantasies from California.

The project was conceived and proposed by Alabama Power Company, which is in the process of applying for a federal license to build seven dams to create two reservoirs around Chandler Mountain in St. Clair and Etowah counties northeast of Birmingham.

Alabama Power has said that the project could help accommodate renewable solar energy by providing power at night when solar panels dont produce. The company has said that while it has applied for the license for the project, it has not made a final decision on whether to move forward with the project if approved.

It is important to remember that no decisions have been made; we are in the preliminary stages of exploring the opportunity at Chandler Mountain, Alabama Power said in an emailed statement in July.

Local environmental groups like Coosa Riverkeeper and the Alabama Rivers Alliance have organized opposition to the project, citing the potential local environmental harms due to construction and impacts to residents living near the towns of Steele and Gallant.

The project has generated a firestorm of local opposition, largely local residents who face the prospect of losing their land through eminent domain, or of seeing their serene mountain landscapes turned into a large power-generating facility.

READ MORE: Chandler Mountain Project: What we know so far about the plan that could displace a town

Whos going to buy my house now? Alabama Power reservoir plan draws ire

This will destroy our town Residents fight Alabama Power on dams, reservoirs

One reservoir would be located on top of the mountain, and one in the valley below, and Alabama Power would pump water from the lower lake to the upper one during off-peak hours. Then, when demand was high, the company would release the water to the lower lake to generate electricity on hot summer afternoons and cold winter mornings. However, it would take more energy to pump the water uphill than would be generated when the water flowed back down.

22 1 / 22 Residents fight Chandler Mountain Project proposal

This is clearly an inefficient method for producing the type of energy required to power a 21st century economy, Cavanaugh said. That is why I am opposing the project and I will not grant permission for it to proceed.

Alabama Power should seek other options to meet Alabamas energy needs.

Alabama Power has filed preliminary application documents with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to construct the project. FERC is currently accepting public comments on the proposal after extending the original public comment deadline to Aug. 26 due to high public interest.

Alabama Power did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Cavanaughs statements.

If FERC were to approve the project, its unclear what role the PSC would have in regulating the project. The PSC is in hearings Tuesday morning and Cavanaughs office did not immediately respond to questions asking about the PSCs role in the process.

In the news release, Cavanaugh said the project would take too long to come online and would be too expensive.

Alabama families and Alabama industries and businesses demand innovative solutions to fuel our future, Cavanaugh said. By the time this cost-prohibitive project could come online, our evolving technologies will make it antiquated.

I will continue to fight every aspect of the Green New Deal policy, and I will advocate for energy policy which reflects Alabamas values and our vast potential, Cavanaugh said.
John Carroll, the former dean of Samford Universitys Cumberland School of Law for more than a decade, has died, the universitys president, Beck A. Taylor, announced Monday.

The Samford family mourns the passing of Judge John Carroll, Dean of Cumberland School of Law from 2001-2014, Taylor tweeted Monday afternoon. Judge Carroll was a beloved colleague and friend. Prayers extend to Susan and the entire family.

The Samford family mourns the passing of Judge John Carroll, Dean of Cumberland School of Law from 2001-2014. Judge Carroll was a beloved colleague and friend. Prayers extend to Susan and the entire family. pic.twitter.com/hifDV1nskD  Beck A. Taylor (@BeckTaylor) August 14, 2023

Carroll graduated from Cumberland in 1974 and returned to the law schools campus at Samford in 2001 to become dean.

Under his tenure, the law school returned to an earlier focus on trial advocacy. U.S. News and World Report ranked Cumberlands trial advocacy program fourth nationally in 2012, up from fifth in 2011.

In between his stops at Cumberland, Carroll was legal director of the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery from 1974 to 1984.

Carroll was also professor at Mercer University School of Law in Macon, Georgia and was in private practice from 1985 to 1986.

For 14 years, Carroll was a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the Montgomery-based Middle District of Alabama, from 1986 to 2001.

Carroll reflected on the unusual length of his tenure as Cumberlands dean when he announced he was stepping down from his post to return to full-time teaching at the law school.

The average tenure of a law school dean is less than five years, he said, adding that only 17 law school deans out of nearly 200 in the country served longer than he had at the time of his announcement.

He taught mediation, evidence, trial practice, ethics and online courses in e-discovery and evidence at Cumberland.
Kimberly Robinson became the CEO and executive director of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in 2021 after a 31-year career with NASA.

Robinson served as NASAs utilization manager for advanced exploration systems and was previously the payload mission manager for Artemis I, the first integrate flight test of NASAs Orion spacecraft, the Space Launch System rocket and the Exploration Ground Systems at Kennedy Space Center before taking the leadership role at the Space & Rocket Center.

I was a lot of things at NASA, an engineer, a project manager, a crew trainer, Robinson told the Lede. I taught at UAH and at Oakwood University. Ive done a little bit of everything.

Robinson completed her doctorate and masters degrees in engineering management and systems engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and her Bachelor of Engineering in mechanical engineering from Vanderbilt University.

She recently participated in a question-and-answer session with the Lede.
NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York, reported that July 2023 was the hottest month on record ever since 1880.

Read Also: NASA Satellites Will Be Used to Monitor the Condition of the Amazon Rainforest

Earth Keeps Warming Says NASA

NASA's record showed that the global temperature for July 2023 was 0.43 degrees Fahrenheit (F) or 0.24 degrees Celsius (C) warmer than any previous July. Moreover, it was 2.1 F or 1.18 C warmer than the average temperature of July from 1951 to 1980.

"In every corner of the country, Americans are right now experiencing firsthand the effects of the climate crisis, underscoring the urgency of President Biden's historic climate agenda," stated by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. NASA's data also showed that the five hottest July were recorded in the past five years.

Parts of North and South America, North Africa, and the Antarctic Peninsula logged an above average temperature increase. These regions have been on extreme heat due to the temperature increase of around 7.2 F (4 C). Communities have been suffering heat-related illnesses and deaths due to the continuous warming of the Earth.

NASA Warns on Climate Change Impacts

NASA have been warning every one about the impending effects of global warming. With the planet warming every year, the ecosystem of the Earth will be damaged on unimaginable level. On the other hand, greenhouse gas emissions remain as the top contributor for warming the planet.

"The science is clear. We must act now to protect our communities and planet; it's the only one we have," Nelson emphasized.

With the sea surface temperature increasing due to El Nino, NASA also announced that the biggest impact of it will be largely felt by February until April 2024.

Related Article: NASA's Juno Delivers Sharper Images of Io










English News China, Thailand see prospering cooperation on green technology innovation

Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 14 Aout 2023



The Green Technology Expo 2023 will be held in Bangkok this November. Themed "Towards the Transition to Newer, Cleaner, Sustained Evergreen Technology," it will exhibit the latest green tech innovations around the world.

By Yang Yi, People's Daily The Green Technology Bank Bangkok Center, located in an innovation and entrepreneurship cluster near Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, was recently inaugurated. The vibrant, energetic cluster exactly reflects the thriving China-Thailand cooperation on green technology innovation in recent years.



As the Green Technology Bank's first overseas branch, and cooperating with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Innovation Cooperation Center (Bangkok), the Thailand-based Green Technology Bank Bangkok Center strives to serve the entire ASEAN. It builds a bridge of international cooperation to better transfer and translate advanced and applicable green technologies.



"Many Chinese companies new to Thailand are unfamiliar with local laws and unclear on registration processes. We provide professional services to quickly get them up to speed," said Jiang Biao, director of the CAS Innovation Cooperation Center (Bangkok).



According to him, the Green Technology Bank Bangkok Center has been on a tight schedule these days, with many Chinese sci-tech firms coming for cooperation, hoping to implement advanced technologies in Thailand.



In recent years, China-Thailand cooperation on green technology innovation has made continuous progress, and many advanced technologies have already benefited the Thai people.



In March 2020, to combat COVID-19, Thailand's Siam Cement Group urgently procured a batch of high-end Chinese medical imaging equipment through the CAS Innovation Cooperation Center (Bangkok) and donated them to the Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University. This greatly enhanced the efficiency of the hospital's clinical diagnosis.



This April, a delegation from the Ramathibodi Hospital visited Shanghai institutions that had previously extended a helping hand, including United Imaging Healthcare.



The first domestically produced proton therapy system left a deep impression on the Thai side. "This year we will accelerate the application of proton therapy at the Ramathibodi Hospital to further reduce equipment and medical costs for local hospitals, and provide patients with cost-effective medical services," said Jiang.



In November 2022, a deal for building Thailand's first 5G-enabled smart autonomous driving mining project was signed in Bangkok. According to the deal, five Chinese and Thai companies will leverage 5G, artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, cloud computing, new energy batteries and more to make a mine of Siam Cement Group in Saraburi Province greener, smarter, more efficient, and safer.



"This is the first overseas smart green mining project built by Chinese companies. It will form a complete closed-loop unmanned solution for the mining industrial chain from construction to production," Jiang explained. This will effectively lower safety risks, enhance productivity, and reduce energy consumption, he added.



Thailand is the world's largest natural rubber producer and exporter, but it has long relied on traditional manual tapping. Tappers always have to get up at 4:00 or 5:00 AM every day to work, which is arduous but inefficient.



"To improve productivity, we are promoting unmanned automated tapping machines and building solar panel canopies to utilize clean energy and reduce electricity costs," said Jiang.



The Green Technology Expo 2023 will be held in Bangkok this November. Themed "Towards the Transition to Newer, Cleaner, Sustained Evergreen Technology," it will exhibit the latest green tech innovations around the world.



As a main organizer, the CAS Innovation Cooperation Center (Bangkok) is actively preparing for the expo.



"In recent years Thailand has strongly supported new energy vehicle development. Some Chinese automakers have confirmed their participation in the expo. Companies from ASEAN countries like Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia, and Malaysia have also expressed interest," said Gao Kun, deputy director of the center.



Recently, the expo's second press conference was held in Shanghai, helping Chinese firms reach the Thai market and promoting in-depth China-Thailand exchange on green and low-carbon development as well as energy-conserving technologies.



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English News Propaganda won't eliminate harms of Japan's nuke wastewater discharge plan

Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 14 Aout 2023



Dumping nuclear-contaminated water into the oceans is a reckless gamble that endangers humanity. Japan should face international concerns, fulfill its moral responsibilities and obligations under international law, and find an appropriate solution for the contaminated water.

By Zhong Sheng, People's Daily The legitimacy, legality and safety of Japan's plan to dump nuclear-contaminated water into the sea have been constantly questioned globally. Protests in Japan and its neighboring countries are emerging one after another, and opposing voices from the rest of the international community have never ceased.



The Japanese side should have seriously responded to international concerns and made every effort to deal with the nuclear-contaminated water in a science-based, safe and transparent manner.



However, it is only whitewashing the issue and attempting to create the false impression that discharging nuclear-contaminated water into the sea is safe and harmless through aggressively launching public relations campaigns domestically and abroad.



This only exposes its disregard for the global marine environment and public health, and the country's selfishness.



Japan's push for the discharge plan has been accompanied by meticulous public relations maneuvers from the very beginning.



Japan's Reconstruction Agency, established in 2012 to advance reconstruction in disaster-hit areas, allocates special public relations budgets every year to convince people that the impacts from the Fukushima nuclear accident have been eliminated.



On April 13, 2021, the same day when the Japanese government unilaterally decided to discharge nuclear-contaminated water into the sea, the Reconstruction Agency published propaganda posters and videos on its website, attempting to gain favor by packaging radioactive elements that cannot be removed from the nuclear contaminated water as mascots.



This move drew severe dissatisfaction domestically and internationally. Fukushima residents angrily pointed out that this propaganda was completely disconnected from the stark reality facing Fukushima. As a result, the Reconstruction Agency eventually had to withdraw the related merchandise.



Over the past two years, instead of learning lessons, Japan has continued its propaganda campaigns to convince the public of the so-called safety of the nuclear-contaminated water. Many Japanese newspapers, TV stations and other media outlets have advertised for the so-called safety of the contaminated water, drowning out public concerns and opposition.



The Japanese government frequently refers to the water treated by the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) but still containing high levels of radioactive nuclides as "processed water," in an attempt to downplay its hazardous nature and potential risks.



The Japanese government has also set up an 80-billion-yen ($556.22 million) fund to "compensate" fishing businesses in areas affected by the discharge, trying to pacify opposition with so-called "compensation fees." This is further evidence of Japan's attempts to cover up the dangers of dumping the contaminated water into the ocean.



Japan has also stepped up public relations efforts targeting specific countries, international organizations and groups, attempting to gain endorsement for its discharge plan.



At a G7 climate, energy and environment ministerial meeting held this April, Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry Koichi Hagiuda claimed that steady progress on decommissioning Fukushima, including discharging the contaminated water, would be welcomed.



Steffi Lemke, Germany's Minister for the environment, nature conservation, nuclear safety and consumer protection immediately rebutted that Germany could not welcome the release of the treated water.



Japan has also attempted to find excuses to justify the discharge plan on occasions like the NATO Summit, the ASEAN-plus ministerials, the Eastern Caribbean Ministerial Meeting on Fisheries and Sustainable Use of Living Marine Resources and so on.



Whether domestically or internationally, Japan's efforts have been used in the wrong place. Concerned parties strongly oppose Japan's plan to discharge the contaminated water into the ocean, and demand that Japan halt the plan, engage in sincere communication with all stakeholders including neighboring countries, responsibly dispose of the water, and accept strict international supervision.



But so far, Japan has only stubbornly pushed forward with the ocean discharge plan without thoroughly examining other options or seriously addressing international concerns, which disappoints the global community with its selfishness.



Japan's public relations maneuvers cannot eliminate domestic and international concerns about dumping the nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean.



Japanese fishermen have repeatedly voiced their opposition recently. South Korean opposition parties have also sent letters expressing concerns and objections of the South Korean public. Protests have been staged in front of Japanese embassies and consulates in the Philippines, New York, Sydney and elsewhere, demanding Japan to halt the discharge plan.



People did so because they know the plan, once implemented, would impose unpredictable nuclear contamination risks on the international community.



Dumping nuclear-contaminated water into the oceans is a reckless gamble that endangers humanity. Japan should face international concerns, fulfill its moral responsibilities and obligations under international law, and find an appropriate solution for the contaminated water.



The country must not unilaterally initiate the ocean discharge before addressing the international community's concerns over the legitimacy of the discharge plan, the reliability of data, the efficacy of the treatment system and the uncertainty of environmental impact.



(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People's Daily to express its views on foreign policy and international affairs.)



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Ever since the end of June, Americans in the media have been chattering about the implications of the Supreme Court ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. This case, in which several Asian-American students sued the university for racial discrimination, ended with the court ruling for the plaintiffs and banning race-based preferences in college admissions.

Already people have had time to argue every question under the sun  is what happened good or bad? More important than most people think, or less important? How aggressively will lower courts enforce it? And so forth.

Yet the result itself was unsurprising; most people expected that the five solid originalists on the Court would rule that the U.S. Constitution and the Civil Rights Act do in fact forbid discrimination on the basis of race. (The Court's final split was 6-3; Chief Justice Roberts joined the conservatives in the majority, leaving only Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson to dissent).

The decision is unlikely to be overturned in the future, or even to generate the sort of electoral backlash among Democrats that Dobbs v. Jackson did last year, since race-based preferences are just too unpopular.

First off, consider the fact that the proponents of race-based admissions feel the need to use euphemisms like "affirmative action." Generally speaking, political factions that rally around a euphemism are doing so because they don't actually feel good about the thing they're defending. Just think of how Southerners before the Civil War often talked about the sanctity of their "domestic institutions" without naming the "institution" they were defending, or the way that pro-abortion people today talk about "a woman's right to choose" without saying what it is that the woman should be able to choose to do.

But of all these content-free labels, "affirmative action" takes the cake. What is being "affirmed"? What "action" is being taken? If you didn't already know the answer, a hundred guesses would not suffice.

And race-baiting liberals need to talk around what they're doing, because (according to a recent Washington Post poll) 63 percent of Americans oppose race-based preferences, and even among black people (the most likely race to support them), the fraction opposed is 47 percent.

Just about the only people who support race-based admissions are (1) the one half or so of U.S. blacks who have bought in to victimhood culture and (2) ivory-tower liberals like the famous law professor Laurence Tribe, who, a few days after the decision, gushingly tweeted that "Justice Jackson's dissents will someday be the law."

Let's take a moment to unpack that sentiment. If Jackson's faction is ever in control of the Court again, it will be at least 20 or 30 years in the future. When this happens, affirmative action is going to come up again only if black people still need to be held to lower standards in order to get into top universities at the same rate as other races. Not only does Tribe unthinkingly assume that this will happen, he seems to be looking forward to it  indeed, to him, it is the most natural thing in the world that blacks will always and only be victims, always a downtrodden class in need of special treatment from people like himself.

What a miserable worldview to hold! What a useless ally for black people who actually want to make the most of their potential and compete in academic and professional life by the same standards as other Americans!

On the other side of things, with about as opposite a view from Tribe's as a man can have, is Justice Clarence Thomas. As a black man who grew up poor, in the rural South, when segregation was still going strong, one would think liberals would have a lot of respect for Thomas's opinions on racial issues. But they don't, because his opinions are basically that he wants to live in a society where race doesn't matter all that much.

Thomas, in his concurring opinion, denounced the idea that "the legacy of slavery and the nature of inherited wealth ... locks blacks into a seemingly perpetual inferior caste."

Such a view is irrational[.] ... [I]t is an insult to individual achievement and cancerous to young minds seeking to push through barriers, rather than consign themselves to permanent victimhood. If an applicant has less financial means (because of generational inheritance or otherwise), then surely a university may take that into account. If an applicant has medical struggles or a family member with medical concerns, a university may consider that too. What it cannot do is use the applicant's skin color as a heuristic, assuming that because the applicant checks the box for "black" he therefore conforms to the university's monolithic and reductionist view of an abstract, average black person. Accordingly, Justice Jackson's race-infused world view falls flat at each step. Individuals are the sum of their unique experiences, challenges, and accomplishments. What matters is not the barriers they face, but how they choose to confront them. And their race is not to blame for everything  good or bad  that happens in their lives. A contrary, myopic world view based on individuals' skin color to the total exclusion of their personal choices is nothing short of racial determinism.

This, it's worth remembering, is coming from a man who knows what he's talking about. Clarence Thomas was born in 1948 in Pin Point, Georgia  a tiny black community on the seashore, where most people speak Gullah rather than English. After his father left him, he ended up being raised by his maternal grandfather, Myers Anderson, on whose farm he often worked from sunrise to sunset.

The habits of hard work and discipline that Thomas picked up in his farming days eventually got him to Yale Law School, where he struggled at first. Through long, dedicated hours in the libraries, he managed to keep up with his class and eventually graduate with his J.D. Yet after he graduated, he had trouble finding work, and as classmate after classmate hailed off to a prestigious job, Clarence Thomas felt as though he was searching in vain.

By then it was the 1970s, and race-based preferences were in full swing. Thomas suspected that, because he had been on the receiving end of some or another affirmative action program, people were assuming he hadn't worked as hard for his degree as white people had for theirs. He wondered whether, if he had graduated from a less prestigious school than Yale  but in a more meritocratic world, where nobody's diploma was tainted by flexible standards  he might have had an easier time finding a job.

In his memoir, Thomas wrote, "Once, I peeled a fifteen-cent sticker off a package of cigars and stuck it on the frame of my law degree to remind myself of the mistake I'd made by going to Yale. I never did change my mind about its value."

Fortunately, this wasn't the end for Clarence Thomas. In 1974, he was hired as an assistant attorney general in Missouri, and after seventeen years working in various legal jobs, he was appointed by George H.W. Bush to the U.S. Supreme Court. In all this time, the views he formed as a young man about hard work, legal equality, and the injustice of affirmative action remained unchanged.

In Thomas's view (and in the view of the other conservative justices), race-based preferences are bad on many levels. To begin with, they're bad for the immediate victims (Asians, in this case, who were suing because they claimed that white people were getting an unfair preference over them  a fact that made it into somewhere like one percent of all media discussions of the matter).

They're also bad for the supposed beneficiaries, who will spend their early years being told over and over again by respectable society that they're not capable of the same things other races are capable of  a message that (as any serious psychologist knows) will produce lazy and unmotivated youth. And finally, they're bad for the most hardworking members of the victim class  people like Clarence Thomas himself  whose degrees will always be undervalued by a market that suspects they didn't have to work as hard for them.

(I recall once having a conservation with a friend who argued that affirmative action on a large scale is probably bad but that it could potentially be a good thing if the racial preferences were "slight" and applied in a careful way by well-trained experts. My response was something like: "So you think it would be a good idea to make black people's college degrees worth slightly less than white people's?" That shut him up pretty good.)

Liberals will respond to all of this by talking about slavery and Jim Crow, and how the harms done by those things are still with us today, and how they're the main reason why black people are worse off than white people in so many ways  income, educational attainment, incarceration, domestic violence, and so forth.

To a large degree, the liberals are right. Slavery was awful. And it's a clear historical fact that freeing people from slavery doesn't immediately make them equal, in every way, to the other free members of society.

It's worth noting that pretty much all ancient and early modern historians took it for granted that recently enslaved populations still had a "slavish" character that made them different from peoples with long traditions of liberty and self-government, such as the ancient Athenians or Romans, or latter-day Anglo-Americans. (One can even argue that this idea shows up in the Hebrew Bible, when the Children of Israel, after being freed from slavery in Egypt, showed themselves to be undisciplined, fickle, and whiney, and it's only after forty years of wilderness wandering that a new generation arises that is fit to inherit the Promised Land.)

In the United States, many early black civil rights leaders, such as Booker T. Washington, had much the same perspective. They knew that black people had lived for two centuries in a state of slavery, where families were constantly being broken up, where hard work counted for little or nothing, where hardly anyone knew the value of education, and where (apart from the few slaves who escaped north) the only real outlets for ambition and cleverness were to find ways to slack off creatively, or to steal from the master's kitchen. And they knew that the social problems that this environment created were not going away overnight.

This is why Washington, the founder of the Tuskegee Institute, was cautious about demanding immediate political equality for blacks in the South and preferred to focus his efforts on things like universal literacy, small business ownership, and creating a black professional class with the same capabilities as its white counterpart. Washington's black opponents, people like WEB Du Bois, loved to call him a sellout, but in the end, his strategy paid off. By the mid-20th century, a critical mass of whites were convinced that black Americans were their intellectual and social equals, and were willing to join forces to do away with the remaining legal barriers to black progress.

People like Booker T. Washington, Thomas Sowell, and Clarence Thomas have long recognized that this is the only real way forward for black Americans. That is, they must admit that life isn't fair and that they've inherited social problems that aren't of their own making. But also, the only way they're going to get out is through hard work, taking responsibility for their own fate, and holding themselves to the same standards to which everyone else is held.

The anger of Clarence Thomas is born of a realization that, for nearly sixty years, the political left has been doing its level best to reverse all of this progress. Whether through affirmative action, leniency toward black criminals, or think pieces about how it's racist for a boss to expect his employees to show up on time, they are always looking for ways to insist that, because blacks have been treated badly in the past, they should be held to lower standards in the present.

The end result of all this is simply to create a culture of victimhood and to create generation after generation of black men who feel no sense of self-ownership and no drive to escape the circumstances that, unfair as they are, can be escaped only by people who see themselves as the authors of their own fate.

Democrats offer black Americans their pity, but they do not offer solutions. Telling an impressionable young person that, because his ancestors were slaves, he shouldn't have to do as well on his schoolwork as other people, or show up to work on time, or refrain from shoplifting, is what you do when you don't really care whether that person makes anything out of his life.

What America did to its black population early on in its history was a brutal injustice. At the same time, blacks living today are never going to overcome the baleful effects of slavery if the law doesn't hold them to the same standards as everyone else  and if they don't hold themselves to those standards.

Victimhood culture is bad. Life isn't fair, but feeling sorry for yourself never makes it fairer. And equal protection means equation protection.

Clarence Thomas gets it. When will the rest of us?

Twilight Patriot is the pen name for a young American who lives in Georgia, where he is currently working toward a graduate degree. You can read more of his writings at his Substack.

Image: U.S. Department of Agriculture via Flickr, public domain.
Decades of research into children's educational achievement repeatedly demonstrate the absolute necessity of parental engagement. Ranging from 1966 with the classic Coleman report to 2007 with a longitudinal NICHD study, parents and the family are by far the most influential elements determining educational outcomes.

In fact, the NEA itself in 2006 called for including parents and training for teachers in the process. Particularly, respectful engagement is key:

"Respectful relationships where power is shared between school staff and family members provide the glue that holds the community together and positively influences parents' involvement."

Karen Mapp, 2003

Indeed, some teachers and schools go to great lengths for parental engagement, providing online access to student grades, attendance, and behavior reports as well as resources and assignments. Regular email, voicemail, and text notifications keep parents informed while smartphone apps permit ongoing conversations.

But that is not always the case. Some teachers, unions, school boards, and government actors deliberately exclude parents, dissolving the communal "glue" essential to educating kids. Why?

In 2013, the NEA proposed ejecting "right-wingers" from school boards, while today an overtly partisan NEA supports parent-derisive politicians while declaring opposition to "antiCritical Race Theory (CRT) rhetoric." The NEA demands parents embrace one political view or be banished.

Such partisanship formed the Biden administration's now-defunct National Parents and Families Engagement Council. Lamenting that conservative groups "attacked" efforts at parental engagement, partisan educators ironically called for "depoliticization" while pushing intrinsically political CRT-inspired diversity, inclusion, and equity (DIE) and LGBT activist curricula.

Despite lack of historical or factual basis for either the 1619 Project or the Zinn Education Project, the NEA trumpeted their use in 2021. Thousands of zealot teachers declared their intent to violate laws and push these pseudo-histories. Claiming allegiance to the CRT "truth" that America is "structurally racist," they ignore evidence to the contrary.

Meanwhile, LGBT-activist educators expose students to pornography, while parents seeking opt-outs are deceived or denied. Myriad traumatic issues result including shock, damaged self-esteem, alienation, risky/violent sexual behavior and suicide. Sexually abusing children with pornography is exploited by child predators to manipulate or "groom" their victims  yet defended by partisan advocates.

Never mind respectful parental engagement; CRT and LGBT ideology is covertly pushed. Undercover investigators with Accuracy In Media (AIM) exposed several CRT-allied school systems in Indiana; Nebraska; Dallas, TX; and North Carolina claiming they "can do more good under the radar."

Meanwhile, these Indiana systems demonstrate abysmal student proficiencies in English and math (Figure). Roughly 7 in 10 students fail at the fundamentals under the guidance of subversive CRT-zealot educators  some in defiance of CRT curriculum bans.

Camouflaging "trans kids'" gender dysphoria from parents, educators from Michigan, Iowa, Ohio, and Illinois discussed tactics via the Dept. of Educationfunded Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center (MAP) for subverting laws due to their "code of ethics." Dissenting input is ignored while activists share guidance on dealing with "disgruntled" parents.

Teachers resisting the agenda are forced to prioritize political and social activism over education. "Culturally responsive teaching" (CRT2)  another mask for critical race theory  is required for teacher licensing in Illinois and pushed in New York City and Baltimore while proficiencies in fundamentals fall to ludicrous levels.

Nationwide, an "anti-racist" online education service, Newsela, boasts deployment in three quarters of U.S. schools, exposing some 10 million students to "Teaching Tolerance," CRT content from the partisan swindlers and radicalizers of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Meanwhile, CRT-embracing non-profit "think-tanks" in D.C. eagerly monitor progress of CRT2 across the nation: thousands of teachers are pushed into servicing a vast indoctrination treadmill while test scores nationwide plumb historic lows.

Products of academic monocultures, teachers are systematically radicalized by ideology. Universities in America replicate and exceed the worst features of Soviet institutions, including (i) chilling speech, (ii) ideological omnipresence, (iii) intolerance of dissenting views, and (iv) "Newspeak" thought control.

American taxpayers fund these brainwashing machines. Awards from the National Science Foundation support CRT-infused research in myriad fields, with the greatest impact on education. Based on false assumptions and demonstrably failed solutions, a pseudo-religious movement marches through our institutions with devastating effects for generations to come  fueled by your tax dollar in universities and schools.

Beyond compelling educators to explicitly deceive parents about their children's "sexual identity," legislators in "blue" states push laws to simply take the kids away. Soon, trans-activist therapists ignoring damage of permanent "gender-affirming" treatments will be empowered with discretion to seize children from LGBT-resisting parents under the guise of child protection.

Rights of parents are dismissed by advocacy journalists and activist academics, declaring them a "distraction." Education professors claim that conservative parents must be interdicted  with no sense of irony  to prevent "indoctrination" before it's too late. Lumped together with racism, "heteronormativity" is viewed analogously through the anti-racism lens of CRT zealotry. Bringing your kids up gay is the objective, and laying the groundwork for bringing the State to bear, "your" kids are not actually yours.

Justification follows for outright dismantling of families and society itself, seen as infested with heterosexual "normalcy," akin to the Ku Klux Klan. With sanctimonious fervor, activists call these efforts "liberation" while partisans force libraries and schools to comply. Ignoring stories of kids suffering under the LGBT social experiment, resistance is grotesquely portrayed as child abuse.

Compulsion, consolidation, and centralization of power are decades-old weapons for deliberately shutting parents out. The Dept. of Education facilitates and enforces radical partisan polices across the nation, triggering former secretary of education DeVos to call for shutting it down.

Parents and teachers cry out against the tidal wave of indoctrination but meet stiff resistance. Detractors seek ending or controlling alternatives such as homeschooling while activist teacher unions  whose power drives down student performance  fight charter schools that perform better and escape the radicals.

A vast DIE and LGBT indoctrination complex confronts parents and their fundamental human rights "to know, to understand, and to share in decisions that affect the education of their children."

Sanctimonious ideologues and activists view resistant parents and educators as obstacles regardless of educational outcomes. Failing to manufacture illiterate or sexually abused students by schools that ignore or perversely punish parents, partisan zealots then seek seizure of dissenting parents' children by the State.

The communal "glue" for concerned parents and teachers protecting children from these corrosive ideologies is being bludgeoned with political weapons. Parents and their allies in education must therefore engage in politics at local, state, and federal levels. Otherwise, they may face Child Protective Services knocking at their door. At stake is not just kids fulfilling their potential as independent-thinking, emotionally stable, and productive members of society  but society itself:

"Ours may become the first civilization destroyed, not by the power of our enemies, but by the ignorance of our teachers and the dangerous nonsense they are teaching our children. In an age of artificial intelligence, they are creating artificial stupidity."

Thomas Sowell

Dr. Means is a mathematical biologist and Christian apologist with numerous publications in scientific journals, perpetually striving with university mathematics students wrecked by failing secondary schools.

Image via Pxfuel.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellens attempt in Beijing to separate commerce from geopolitics, to promote private trade and investment even with nations that present threats to American security which include control of strategic industry and resources is an error at best. Secretary Yellen is not alone in pushing this notion based on classical liberal sophistries backed by the influential business lobbyists who inhabit the Washington swamp.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is a major component of the Establishment, heavily funded by corporations and liberal foundations. It has put out a paper casting as illegitimate the U.S. stand that national security issues are exempt from World Trade Organization rulings favoring free trade in all things. The first principle of the WTO is A country should not discriminate between its trading partners, and it should not discriminate between its own and foreign products, services or nationals. One wonders why any citizen would vote for a leader who proclaimed that he would not treat his constituents any differently than strangers on the other side of the planet, even if those strangers meant his constituents harm. And the term trading partner explicitly avoids making any distinction between friend and foe. Trading with the enemy is not only condoned, it is considered a violation of WTO rules not to trade with enemies.

The WTO was created in 1995 at the height of the post-Cold War euphoria when intellectuals proclaimed the end of history and a new world order of eternal peace. This notion has been around since the end of the Seven Years War in the mid-18th Century. Between then and the 21st Century, this idea has only generated disappointment time and again. It is not an idea universally embraced. One bit of realism did slip into the WTO. Article XXI Security Exemptions declares nothing prevents "any contracting party from taking any action which it considers necessary for the protection of its essential security interests." The U.S. has always held that WTO dispute panels are precluded from examining the reasons or "validity" of the invocation of Article XXI. It is the core sovereign right to determine what is in a nations security interests. It has been standard for every trade agreement to include this right, but there has been a movement, which CSIS endorses, to allow foreign parties to challenge (and this negate) this right.

For example, the 1994 Agreement on Government Procurement (a direct globalist assault on national policymaking) includes Article XXIII which states 1. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to prevent any Party from taking any action or not disclosing any information which it considers necessary for the protection of its essential security interests relating to the procurement of arms, ammunition or war materials, or to procurement indispensable for national security or for national defense purposes. Yet, section 2 takes this right away by allowing its use to be challenged as unjustifiable discrimination between countriesor a disguised restriction on international trade. A dispute panel of foreign judges would then decide if a nation had legally invoked a security measure, thus eliminating the most vital element of sovereignty as being inferior to the petty desires of merchants.

Congress rejected this attack on national security and sovereignty when considering the World Shipbuilding Agreement in 1996, a measure aimed directly to a strategic industry vital to U.S. naval supremacy and containing an assault on sovereign decisions. Article 2 stated "This Agreement excludes: military vessels and modifications made or features added to other vessels exclusively for military purposes. This exclusion is subject to the requirement that any measures or practices taken in respect of such vessels, modifications or features are not disguised actions taken in favor of commercial shipbuilding and repair inconsistent with this Agreement." Naval shipbuilding could thus be challenged by foreigners as illegitimate. President Bill Clinton signed this agreement, as he supported all these globalist notions. In this case, Congress sought to amend it. A package offered by the House Armed Service Committee passed by a bipartisan majority 278-149. Included was an amendment I drafted as a Republican staffer stating that Nothing in this Shipbuilding Agreement shall be construed to prevent the United States from taking any action which it considers necessary or from invoking its sovereign authority to define for purposes of exclusion any dispute challenge.

Though the GOP controlled the House, most of the votes for the amendments came from jobs-focused Democrats in defiance of their own President. GOP members only backed the amendments 121-109. In those days, too many Republicans thought they represented Corporate America rather than the United States. They failed to understand that the Big Business lobbyists who camped in their offices represented transnational interests with no allegiance to their nominal homeland. President Donald Trump turned this thinking around, but it is too early to tell if his nationalism will hold control of the party. The WTO rulings against national security measures which CSIS heralds were against President Trumps efforts to shield key American industries from foreign assault, particularly from China, our leading Great Power rival. The economic battle between the U.S. and China is expanding under President Biden with strong support in the GOP House which created the Select Committee on the CCP. The WTO was an idea whose time never really came and whose ideology is clearly not appropriate today.

Preserving Americas freedom to act is not enough; it must act. Our shipbuilding industry was allowed to atrophy for decades. Meanwhile, China with a weaker economy but leaders who think strategically, created the worlds largest shipbuilding industry which is outbuilding the U.S. Navy every year.

CSIS is known for its analysis of conflict. It wants an outcome in Ukraine that ensures Ukraines territorial integrity and independence and inhibits Russias ability to continue threatening its neighbors in the future. It sees China as conducting an aggressive and unprecedented campaign  [to] weaken the United States and its partners but like the Establishment in general, CSIS shies away from advocating anything decisive that would disrupt business ties. We must show a willingness to cooperate and compromise. A hopeful evolution may be the new book Beijing Rules: How China Weaponized Its Economy to Confront the World by Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian. One of her points is how Beijing has leveraged its dominant role in the global economy to coerce companies and governments around the world to align with its political preferences.

It is alarming how merchants who pride themselves as transnationalists above geopolitics have been coerced (or seduced) to become agents of China. In the business journal Barrons, Yale economist Stephen Roach claimed China Hawks in Congress are going too far in trying to block American capital from financing Chinese arms producers. This at a time when Beijing has an announced policy of military-civilian fusion of industry. Daryl Guppy is a former board member of the Australia-China Business Council now working with Chinas state media. In the South China Morning Post, he attacked his homeland for strengthening its security ties with the U.S. at the expense of China. He calls this the death knell of Australian diplomacy defining diplomacy, as most liberals do, as appeasement. In the real meaning of diplomacy, a core objective is the building of coalitions that can mobilize superior strength against common enemies. In that regard, Australia is part of the trend seeking U.S.-led collective security against Chinas aggressive behavior casting threats in all directions.

Influencers like Roach and Guppy are far more dangerous than the left-wing antiwar protests China likes to cite as a sign of weak American resolve. If Thucydides knew 2,000 years ago that War is not so much a matter of weapons, but of money, for money furnishes the material for war there is no excuse not to understand that today when crafting an integrated national and international economic strategy.

William R. Hawkins is a former economics professor who served on the professional staff of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee. He has written widely on international economics and national security issues for both professional and popular publications.

Image: Center for Strategic & Internatioanl Studies
In Maui, a disaster of epic proportions is unfolding, one week after wildfires razed its historic city of Lahaina. It's not just that there was little warning and a chaotic evacuation. Now it's the body count -- 99 people are confirmed dead now, and some 1,000 remain missing. If they're dead, and Lahaina has only 12,000 people, the math isn't pretty -- ten percent of the population may be dead, which has a whiff of Ukraine. The cadaver dogs, with rarified training to detect bodies incinerated to ash in flames, are far too few for a mass casualty event like this, so they still have 75% of the area to search. The lines of cars that tried to escape and got incinerated first weighs heavily, as does the question of why the island's expensive alarm system never went off.

It appears to be the worst natural disaster in a century and certainly Hawaii's biggest catastrophe.

Yet Joe Biden is clueless. His ham-fisted response to this disaster keeps getting worse and worse and worse.

First, he glibly announced that neither he, nor his vice president, Kamala Harris would visit the disaster area.

Then he went on vacation, putting in another beachside time-out, as if there wasn't an apocalypse going on the other side of the country.

After that, returning from his restful rendezvous, he was asked about the scope of the disaster by a reporter, which by then had claimed 93 dead.

His response? "No comment." And then he, kid you not, grinned.

No comment means no coverage, right? Always a bad idea from a public relations perspective to get too close to those failures and disasters, because voters might make associations, right?

Plus, what the hey, as the New York Post noted in its cover story today, Biden knows that Hawaii's residents will always vote Democrat, so why worry about their disaster?

Today's cover: Joe Biden is indifferent to the Maui fires because hell win Hawaii anyway https://t.co/1M3ljKh1Xi pic.twitter.com/HiPgSP7uI0  New York Post (@nypost) August 15, 2023

Hain't he got the votes? Given the failures that are mounting now, the camera shots of Biden and Harris standing with them in the rubble's not good for the old poll numbers.

Best of all, he's got the old standbys, the Washington Post and the New York Times, running interference for him, coming up with some amazingly creative spin for his benefit.

The Washington Post is claiming that only Republicans are criticizing the response, those dreadful political opportunists, pretty well asking the rest of us to ignore the cries of anger and frustration coming from very blue Hawaii.

The New York Times, meanwhile, is claiming that the problems with Biden's FEMA response are due to people misunderstanding the nature of FEMA, which is not to be the first government agency on the ground there. That's not what they were saying during the debacles surrounding Hurricane Katrina, where all blame was pinned on President Bush.

Then there was his own White House's efforts at spin control following the callous response of Biden to the disaster -- these were really gross.

According to The Hill:

The White House on Monday blew off criticism over President Biden being on vacation and offering a no comment this weekend during the catastrophic fires in Maui, the deadliest wildfires in the U.S. in more than a century. Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was questioned by CNNs Kayla Tausche on whether the American people should see the president working the phone rather than spending time on the beach during the crisis, after Biden spent the weekend in Rehoboth, Del., and returned to the White House on Monday morning. You all have gotten pool reports on who the president has connected with, Jean-Pierre said, referring to the White House press pool reports and Bidens interactions with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The [FEMA] administrator has been there for two whole days, two whole days on the ground by the presidents request to make sure that the government has what they have, the local government has what they have, the people of Maui have what they have, she added. When you talk about a dozen agencies on the ground, helping and assisting  hundreds of FEMA personnel. Thats what  thats what matters.

There also was this:

$700 per household for Americans whose homes were razed during a preventable disaster. People stood in the ocean watching their community disintegrate and their neighbors burn to death.



Seven. Hundred. Lousy. Dollars.



But $113 BILLION to Ukraine.



Good job, Big Guy. pic.twitter.com/UsWOb4GHx8  James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) August 15, 2023

Throw a little money at them. It'll make them go away.

Responsewise, it's eerily similar to his reaction to the border disaster -- failing to go to the scene, shutting down questions about it, throwing a few money pellets, and just doing all in his power to sweep the disaster under the rug to keep the cameras away and confine it as a local story.

It's also incredibly selfish, very me-first in its politicized orientation, which doesn't put the Hawaiians first.

With stories like these coming out, it doesn't seem effective even from a cynical public relations perspective:

Extremely horrifying situation in #Maui

"Today we picked up 12 bodies so total of 18"

Official count is very less but actual number of casualties is more than 500.

Please follow for more stories. #Hawaii #lahaina #LahainaFires #Mauifires #MauiStrong #MauiWildfires pic.twitter.com/AAULAOLxTN  Shadab Javed (@JShadab1) August 13, 2023

A lot more attention needs to be going to this natural disaster than thus far being seen from this crew. The federal response and Joe Biden's interest in keeping the spotlight off himself during this unprecedented events seems to be adding a layer of new suffering on the already beleaguered people of Lahaina. You can bet the Chinese are watching -- and adjusting their calculations about Biden accordingly.
Face it, Karine Jean-Pierre does have a tough job, unless you think her real job is simply to be the first black, female LGBTQWERTY press secretary, in which case she doing splendidly by remaining female (and she does have choices, we are told), Black, and so far as we know still sapphic. After all, putting a happy face on the corruption, incoherence, incompetence, and sheer stupidity of her president is a mighty challenge.

Still, she doesnt make her job look easy, the way a real pro would do it.

Lets begin our account of yesterdays battle with the English Language with a laughable lie that raises an awkward question, calling Bidens border plan effective. If the point of a border is to control who gets into the country, it cannot be called effective. But if the plan is to overrun the country with indigent, disease-bearing people of unknown origin, some of whom are military age men of Asian extraction who might comprise a terrorist force, or a shockwave assault to accompany the outbreak of war in the Taiwan Strait, then, yeah, it might be effective. But who wants to raise that possibility? (two-minute video)

Reporter: About the border, Congressman Castro said that  was calling on the White House to end all co-operation between Customs and Border Patrol and the Texas Department of Public Safety until after the Department of Justice lawsuit is completed against the state. Does the White House have any response to that?

Jean-Pierre: I dont have a response to that. I just know, as you know, the Department of Justice is dealing with the legal aspect of this. Dont have any response to  to the congressman.

Reporter: And also, if theres any comment on a three-year-old child  migrant child died while traveling on a bus chartered by. Gov. Greg Abbott that was going from Brownsville to Chicago.

Jean-Pierre: Well, this  certainly, a loss of any child is devastating and heartbreaking, so certainly our condolences goes out to the childs family. That is horrific news and horrific to do that. You know, I do have to say, Gov. Abbott has an opportunity to work with us on this, on an issue that certainly is an important one for the American people when you think about the border, when you think about dealing with a broken system. But what he continues to do is he continues to move forward in a dangerous and  and taking unlawful actions. It is undermining what were trying to do, what the president is trying to do, trying to deal with a with a broken system in a humane way, trying to do it in a way that is effective, and we have seen his border plan management be effective. It is unfortunate that he continues to do this. And it doesnt just put, sadly, young migrants at risk  or migrants at risk, but it also puts at risk the Border Patrol who are trying to do their job. He gets in the way of that every day. And so I am very sad to hear about the death of this three-year-old, certainly, and our hearts go out to his family.

Asked about the horrific fire in Maui, where bungled governmental actions led an expensive and highly touted siren warning system to fail to alert residents of Lahaina, causing an unknown but large number of people to be incinerated, and her bosss callous no comment response to a reporters question on the victims, she butchered her job three different ways.

First, she mispronounced the names of both of Hawaiis senators and misgendered (which some people regard as nearly murder) Senator Mazie Hirono, her fellow sister in the sorority of stupidity. (15-second clip)

When asked if President Biden had reached out to any of the families in Maui about whose tragedies he refused to comment, she feigned ignorance, which I take as a no. (10-second clip):

And finally, she once again demonstrated her lack of mastery of the English Language by decrying the devastating devastation. Does she even bother preparing for these press conferences? (6-second clip)

Photo credit: Grabien screengrab
There seems to be some lingering confusion on the internet as to whether President Trump as a COVID inpatient received a monoclonal antibodies treatment (Regeneron) or remdesivir. (While usage varies, I use a small r since remdesivir is the drug, VEKLURY the brand name.) In fact, he received both, as discussed by CNN along with Fox News (Trump tweets from hospital as doc confirms Remdesivir treatment: Going well, I think!) The Fox story contains this letter from the White House physician, Sean Conley:

This evening I am happy to report that the President is doing very well. He is not requiring any supplemental oxygen, but in consultation with specialists we have elected to initiate Remdesivir therapy. He has completed his first dose and is resting comfortably.

Fox News a day later: President Trump completes second dose of the Remdesivir drug; doc reports substantial progress. Here are more links on Trump taking remdesivir: NBC, USA Today, Miami Herald.

2. The fact that Trump recovered fast for an inpatient doesnt prove it was the remdesivir. It could have been some other ingredient in the cocktail he was taking, or maybe he recovered fast naturally. If anecdotes are evidence, my daughter was lying in bed for a week with COVID barely able to move, on a Thursday morning she started a cocktail which included hydroxychloroquine, zinc, and ivermectin, and by Friday evening she was almost completely recovered and ate supper with the family at the dining room table.

3. Trumps White House physician, Sean Conley, definitely was not part of the Medical Establishment Deep State (MEDS), having earlier (to much ridicule) given Trump hydroxychloroquine as a prophylactic (which doesnt bother me; even if its ineffective for this, no harm done). As argued in my previous article, I just feel he and his medical team should have resisted the pressure to give Trump remdesivir based on the evidence available at the time. I dont know who those specialists are that he consulted, but stay away from your MEDS!

4. I was disappointed not to see ivermectin listed as part of Trumps COVID cocktail.

5. Fauci definitely deserves blame, not only for pushing remdesivir through the approval process when he knew it was ineffective and dangerous, but also for not warning Trump or his doctors.

6. Also deserving of blame is (what Trump himself tweeted) the great Walter Reed Medical Center for allowing remdesivir to course through Trumps veins in its halls during its watch, risking his life for nothing. Shame on you, Walter Reed!

7. Not that he handled everything about COVID right, but I do feel sorry for Trump that the entire MEDS was against him. And the entire intelligence community. And the entire 

8. Remdesivir is still on the COVID inpatient protocol and still doing damage (and will still be there for the next coronavirus outbreak). My neighbor around the corner, whom I had known for decades, was hospitalized with COVID in March 2023, they gave him remdesivir which caused organ damage, he was discharged a month later but was never the same, he was readmitted in July, put on a ventilator, and died shortly thereafter.

9. Much of the general public (and even many doctors who by inertia continue to rely on our public health agencies and medical organizations) still does not know about the dangers of remdesivir, in great part because it is administered mostly in the inpatient setting. When I try to inform people, they tell me, Come on, the public health agencies and hospitals wouldnt go along with a treatment they know is ineffective and dangerous, and youre not a doctor so shut up.

W. A. Eliot is a pseudonym

Image: White House
UPDATE: I'm not a fan of Ben Shapiro, and Ben Shapiro is not a fan of Donald Trump, but his analysis is astute, whether one likes it or not:

Original post:

A 98-page indictment against Donald Trump just dropped in Fulton County, Georgia, an overwhelmingly Democrat redoubt in the South. Twitter has a lot of fascinating conservative insights about the indictment. The bottom line is that the indictment criminalizes what Democrats have always done, starting with Georgias own Stacey Abrams. What should be more concerning, though, is that the indictment criminalizes free speech, just as the federal indictment against Trump regarding January 6 does.

These are very dangerous times, so Ill start with a warning, which is that the Democrat establishment is hoping for a violent response:

The specific purpose of these indictments is to inspire patriots to secretly organize and take violent action against the fascism of the Democrat Party.



That is the purpose--to create an excuse to make what you believe ILLEGAL.



Any such organization undertaken through any means  Cynical Publius (@CynicalPublius) August 15, 2023

Ill have more on the conservative response at the end of this post. Pride of place should also go to Trumps and his lawyers responses to this latest attack on his candidacy (for thats what it is):

 Trump responds to the Georgia Indictment pic.twitter.com/hLVyQPSNs0  Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) August 15, 2023

Alan Dershowitz offers a very good explanation of why the indictment is almost certainly garbageand thats because its quality doesnt matter. Although it will almost certainly be overturned on appeal, the case needs to last only long enough to keep Trump from being reelected:

Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz on Trumps Georgia indictments:



First of all, nobody should take seriously that there was grand jury indictment. The fact that it was agrand jury indictment, it means nothing. It's the prosecutor who indicted. The best evidence of that is pic.twitter.com/poCewQdHRG  I Meme Therefore I Am  (@ImMeme0) August 15, 2023

That reality helps support Mark Levins take, which is that the various prosecutors are colluding, something Jullie Kelly says is supported by the facts. Again, the goal isnt to bring justice to a genuine crime. The goal, which originates in the White House, is to keep Biden from facing his most formidable challenge:

Overlap btw J6 committee report, Smith's J6 indictment and Willis' indictment is readily apparent.



Pelosi's J6 committee spent millions with promise to make all evidence public. Not only is some material missing but other records now under protective order issued by Chutkan. https://t.co/TwiZGdw7GQ  Julie Kelly  (@julie_kelly2) August 15, 2023

Kelly has more on the anything-but-coincidental nexus between the many cases against Trump and the way they feed on one another:

Just starting to read through GA indictment but a few quick observations:



 Jack Smith is preparing to indict some of the same individuals in Trumps J6 case on same bogus grounds



 Tweets have been used as incriminating evidence in multiple J6 cases including Trumps will  Julie Kelly  (@julie_kelly2) August 15, 2023

But what about the complaint itself? Well, tweet after tweet from those who read it shows that the evidence for the conspiracy is that Trump and the other defendants exercised their First Amendment rights:

LOL how the hell can Willis use this as evidence of a racketeering operation in Fulton County? pic.twitter.com/pqJQczbH97  Julie Kelly  (@julie_kelly2) August 15, 2023

Things that are apparently illegal in America:



1. Tweeting that youre watching TV

2. Reserving rooms for meetings

3. Asking someone for a phone number



What a sham. pic.twitter.com/U8jLLN37vH  Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) August 15, 2023

Apparently illegal in America now:



- Telling people to watch TV

- Asking for phone numbers

- Renting rooms at the Capitol

- Advocating for signature verification

- Tweets



Its not just Trump theyre coming after. Theyre coming next for our free speech if we dare dissent.  Liz Wheeler (@Liz_Wheeler) August 15, 2023

Please don't tweet that people should watch @RSBNetwork. Fani Willis will try to lock you up. pic.twitter.com/51NeVQBcyY  MAGA War Room (@MAGAIncWarRoom) August 15, 2023

The illegal enterprise is using your 1st Amendment rights, holding public hearings, giving a nationally televised speech (seriously), holding press conferences, sending tweets questioning Rigged Election, calling for special session



They think they Constitution is criminal pic.twitter.com/N8NikyG1Hi  Liz Harrington (@realLizUSA) August 15, 2023

its not banana republic stuff, its communist revolution level stuff https://t.co/juIDlwMjgR  Tim Pool (@Timcast) August 15, 2023

None of these new rules, of course, apply to or have ever applied to Democrats.

Here is MSNBC in 2017 reporting on Hillary voters seeking to "overturn" the results of Trump's election.



The report concedes that in America's "democracy" political candidates have the right to challenge elections with alternate slates of electors.



You can't make this stuff up. pic.twitter.com/xLor49nxLe  Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) August 15, 2023

While we can see Democrat hypocrisy, what we also see is how passive Republicans have long been about Democrat actions, both illegal and unprincipled:

Republicans did nothing about Bill Clinton flying to islands with minors



Republicans did nothing about Hillary Clinton smashing devices



Republicans did nothing about James Comey brazenly lying



Republicans did nothing about Andy McCabe plotting a silent coup against a sitting  Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) August 15, 2023

Its telling, by the way, that Tanya Chutkan, the judge in the federal case about January 6, and Fani Willis, the Fulton County prosecutor, are both black females. Given whats been told to them since 2016 about Donald Trump, they may actually believe theyre on the side of the Resistance fighting against a Nazi:

The media spent years brainwashing Democrats into believing Trump is a traitorous, racist, sexist, and now a left-leaning American Black woman is his judge.



If science were real, and scientists were not cowardly pieces of shit, they would point out the impossibility of any human https://t.co/n2vZcVcwWH  Scott Adams (@ScottAdamsSays) August 14, 2023

The ultimate goal, of course, is to ensure not only a Democrat win in 2024 but a completely pacified population, with conservatives terrified to speak or act:

As Ive said repeatedly. This isnt about 2020.



Its about 2024.



Dissent about the outcome of a presidential election is now criminalized. Lawsuits, investigations, protest, social media postsall activity weve seen for decades.



All now illegal in the USA.  Julie Kelly  (@julie_kelly2) August 15, 2023

And thats where I have one point to make that others havent already made, and that point is that much of the trouble were seeing here arises because ordinary Americans, the ones who are offended by everything thats going on, from sexualizing children to open election interference, are so darn passive. Theyll refrain from buying beer, or theyll buy a country song, but they dont do anything else. And mostly, they dont vote.

If you look at detailed maps of the 2020 election map by county, you see that America is mostly conservative, with blue pockets that revolve around urban areas. Were told that the urban areas win because theyve got most of a given states population. Thats not true: Theyve got most of a given states voting population (along with easy cheating, of course, as Arizona shows).

2020 election map by county pic.twitter.com/vIIPff7ONh  David (@dappleathome) July 7, 2022

In Oregon, Portland controls state politics. However, its population is only 619,286, while the next biggest cities (Salem and Eugene), even when added to Portland, dont bring the major urban population over 1,000,000. The states total population is 4,246,155. If there really are a lot of conservatives outside Portland, theyre not voting.

In Wisconsin, the two largest citiesMilwaukee (Democrat) has 555,640 people and Madison (Democrat) has 269,897 peopleaccount for fewer than 1,000,000 people. The total state population, though, is 5,893,718. I bet a lot of conservatives live there, but theyre not voting.

In Arizona, Phoenix and Mesa, both part of Maricopa County (Democrat), have a combined population of around 1,200,000 people. Tucson (Democrat) has 546,019 people. But the total state population is 7,151,502 people. Again, a lot of conservatives (or normal) just dont vote.

The same goes for Georgia. The Atlanta metro area is huge, with 6,162,195. Not all of the suburbs, however, are Democrat. Fulton County, where the latest attack on Trump originated, has only slightly more than 1 million people. Once you get into metro Atlantas suburbs, it starts shading red fast, so that only about 3 million of those residents are Democrats. Georgia itself has 10,711,908 people. Again, there are more conservatives in the state than people bothering to vote.

We normal Americans do not need a bloody revolution, which is what the Democrats are waiting for. What we need to do is realize that it takes more than a beer boycott and a country song to fix America. People outside of the cities must vote as if their lives depend on it because they do.

Image: Trump in the way. Public domain.
In the Democrat tradition of never letting a crisis go to waste, Oprah Winfrey demonstrated her lack of understanding of the Aloha spirit.

In Maui, she showed up at the War Memorial Stadium, an open-air structure now housing 1,000 refugees from the Lahaina fire, and passed out pillows, diapers, and other items she purchased from Costco and Walmart.

That was good.

What was not good was when she returned three days later with a CBS camera crew and wanted to tape the grief. To her surprise, she was turned away. Local camera crews were sitting outside the stadium, unable to go in, but she thought that she would be allowed in. Some of those now living in the stadium were not so impressed by her.

One unnamed woman on a social media outlet said : Virtue signaling and putting people who are traumatized and have lost everything on news to make yourself look important is really gross in my opinion. I know everyone thinks shes such a saint for bringing a few pillows. She owns thousands of acres and is a billionaire. She could be setting up temporary housing for those displaced on her lands.

Oprah owns 2,000 acres on Maui, several houses, and an airplane hangar. Her act of passing out diapers from Costco pales next to what she has at her discretion. She has said she will make a financial donation but her reputation is already tarnished  some suspect beyond repair.

Donations are pouring in from all over the world, as are volunteers. Unless you live in Hawaii, you can't understand the Aloha spirit, where every child calls every woman "Auntie" and where everyone helps everyone else. They don't count on the government.

The local government did nothing for the first day and tried to prevent people from taking food and supplies to people still in Lahaina. The residents, when stopped, instead are using hundreds of their own boats to pick up supplies dropped off on the coast of Kihei and taking them ten miles up the coast to Lahaina, where friends wade out into the water to retrieve them. Even a boat from a company that takes tourists on whale watches has joined in to transport donations.

The alarms from Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, which has forty sirens on Maui, did not warn people of the fires. They are tested on the first Monday of every month and even used to warn of impending storms. But someone was asleep at the switch. The fire devastated the entire city of Lahaina in an hour. People died in their homes, in cars trying to escape on the single roads that lead in and out of the city. People died in restaurants. The winds at 80 mph were so strong the fire entrapped everyone.

At last count ninety-nine people were dead and 1,200 missing. Some suspect the number of missing is much higher because of tourists visiting there and the large number of homeless who lived in Lahaina. Many of the dead will never be identified because the bodies were so badly burned.

The only crematorium on the island is not working because they have been waiting for a part they need. Bodies were piling up before the fire and now, those bodies that are still intact, are in Lahaina. There is still no electricity there and native islanders are growing angrier by the day as they claim White people are being put in available hotel space in Ka'anapali in larger numbers than natives. However, the largest population on the island is white, which explains how that happened.





People living in Hawaii have a legitimate cause to doubt the effectiveness of the politicians.

In 2018, someone wrongly set off the warning sirens of a ballistic missile attack. Then Gov. David Ige was informed within two minutes but was unable to shut off the false alarm for seventeen minutes because he forgot his password.

Now Gov. Josh Green demonstrated his Oprah-like lack of self-awareness as he showed up at the refugee site eating shaved ice. He also insisted that tourism continues on Maui because not all of the island was destroyed. Boats carrying snorkeling tourists can be seen near Lahaina, dodging bodies that are still floating in the water.
As convenient as AI tools are, companies behind them are still facing criticism over how they acquire the data used to train the AI models. AI giants like OpenAI have been accused of illegally scraping information off of the internet, and publications like The New York Times are taking measures to avoid that.

The New York Times' New Terms of Service

The publication is getting ahead of any issues by revising its Terms of Service and avoiding other companies from using its data to train algorithms. Now, it clearly states that any data from its archives cannot be used to train "any software program."

That includes but is not limited to, training a machine learning or artificial intelligence system. The data covered by the new policy are content produced by The New York Times such as texts, photos, video, and metadata, according to Gizmodo.

In fact, the change comes just after AI companies were reported to be proposing collaborations with certain news media outlets. The companies are doing so by offering free services and partnerships in order to have one foot in the news market.

Even Google tried approaching news companies like The Times and Washington Post, claiming that they have an AI tool called "Genesis" that can help journalists with their jobs. Some would argue that it's just a way for AI companies to legally scrape data.

Associated Press already made a deal with OpenAI where it will provide the publication access to the company's "technology and product expertise," all while it gets Associated Press' text archives, which can then be used to train AI models.

Read Also: Twitter's New Limit on Reading Tweets is Due to Data Scraping by AI Companies

Others Have Done It

The New York Times is not the only company or organization that's wary of the issue. Social media platforms are more at risk of having their data stolen. Among the platforms that have been vocal about AI companies illegally using their data for AI training are X and Reddit.

Elon Musk, owner of X which was formerly known as Twitter, has expressed that AI companies have been using X data to train their AI models, which led to him imposing a read limit for all users. Verified and unverified users have different view limits per day but serve the same purpose.

Reddit, on the other hand, has had a rougher transition to avoid such matters from happening. In order to avoid AI companies from obtaining data without their permission, the company implemented a new API policy.

Third-party developers now had to pay a fee to gain access to Reddit's API. Moderators were not to happy about the change, especially since it affected the apps they used to enhance their experience and roles in the social networking site.

Not being able to keep up with the prices, some of the third-party apps were forced to shut down, which follows the protest initiated by subreddit moderators. It has since died down, but not before Reddit's operations were inconvenienced by it.

Regulations are still being drawn up to let limitations for the use of AI, as well as the kind of data ot can use for machine learning. Given that generative AI is fairly new compared to the basic AI used in certain systems, there are still a lot of topics to deliberate.

Related: Class-Action Suit Accuses OpenAI of Stealing Data to Train AI Models
Last week, Jonah Goldberg, former National Review editor and one of the intellectual authors of the MAGA Resistance Movement, entered the friendly confines of CNN to expose how small political donors pose a mortal threat to democracy  the New York Times reported that more than 110 Iowa voters gave Trump at least $200 compared to only 17 voters who presented to the DeSantis campaign.

"Small donors in Iowa are more important," Goldberg told CNN political stenographer Dana Bash, "as an indicator of grassroots support than anything else. But I also think we're dealing with a time where there's a lot of cheering and self-congratulation about the rise of small donors a decade ago. And now small donors are actually one of the biggest problems for democracy, for the GOP. Large donors actually have a strategic view about moderation, who can win, and who can't. Small donors are really just venting their spleen with their credit card and they lock candidates into positions that can hurt them in the general election."

Goldberg also discussed a recent article he wrote for The Dispatch in which he accused Trump's grassroots support of "suffer[ing] from the delusion that they are victims of the ruling classes and that the woke left is running everything." He concluded, "For those desperate for a Republican nominee other than Trump, hoping voters will change their minds seems scary. But that's democracy for you."

Along the marble-lined vacuous and elitist coastal corridors, Goldberg struts like a paragon of conservatism. He believes that once he finds the meanest motive for an action or a person, he identifies the real one. Small donations to a political candidate he despises result from a delusional, deranged, paranoid voter. "Many a purge or show trial has got merrily under way in this manner" (Hitchens, 2006, p. 71).

He fails to understand that the structural relationship between conservative voters and the GOP is no longer fraternal, but fratricidal.

The GOP aristocracy can no longer contain the revolt of the "swinish multitude," as described by Edmund Burke. This aristocracy directs voters to ends other than the truth. Its goals are perpetuating a dysfunctional political system and total control of the individual.

Timid attacks by GOP political candidates against the effects rather than causes of a failed system are pointless. No change is possible.

"If a revolution destroys a systematic government, but the systematic patterns of thought that produced that government are left intact, then those patterns will repeat themselves in the succeeding government" (Pirsig, 1975, p. 94).

President Trump is the only political candidate willing to destroy "the factory and the rationality which produced it."

Like Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France, Goldberg is a supporter of "political" heredity, elitism, and entrenched power while seeking the destruction of those who distrust and abhor them.

He complains about the rise of a populist political movement (MAGA) like how Burke lamented the execution of Marie Antoinette.

The proposition that wealthy donors are the only ones who possess the right or power to control our posterity is contemptible. Our generation are free to act for ourselves, as did those who preceded us, without the influence of an oppressive aristocracy.

Poor Jonah: "He pities the plumage, but forgets the dying bird" (Hitchens, 2006, p. 84).

References:

Hitchens, C. (2006). Thomas Paine's Rights of Man. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press.

Pirsig, R. M. (1975). Zen And The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. New York: Bantam Books.

Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
As you may know, people in Argentina get very passionate over "futbol" and love dancing the tango whenever they get a chance. Over the weekend, voters in Argentina took a little time off from Messi and tango to shake up the political world with a candidate referred to as "Trumplike" or "right wing.'

This is the story:

Far-right populist Javier Milei rocked Argentinas political establishment Sunday by emerging as the biggest vote-getter in primary elections to choose presidential candidates for the October general election in a nation battered by economic woes. Milei, an admirer of former U.S. President Donald Trump, says Argentinas Central Bank should be abolished, thinks climate change is a lie, characterizes sex education as a ploy to destroy the family, believes the sale of human organs should be legal and wants to make it easier to own handguns. Votes were still being counted late Sunday, but analysts agreed that the upstart candidate who gained notoriety -- and a rockstar-like following -- by angrily ranting against the political caste did much better than expected and is a real contender for the presidency in this South American country.

Well, pass the red wine and let's tango the rest of the day.

What happens next? Milei is still a long shot but his ability to win so much of the country is significant. He is a populist and the closest thing to a rejection of the Peron approach that destroyed what was once a very prosperous nation. Where have you heard that before? Venezuela? Cuba?

He called for an end to the parasitic, corrupt and useless political caste that exists in this country. What a line!

I am not sure about the political caste that he is referring to but he is touching lots of Argentine nerves referring to the bureaucracy as "parasitic" and "corrupt."

My guess is that the Argentina version of the deep state, and it is big and deep, will declare war on this man. He is a long shot but his showing confirms that there is massive disenchantment with the political class and the ruthless bureaucracy weighing on hard working people.

P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.

Image: PxHere
Now that President Trump has been indicted in Georgia, a Fulton County judge could do what all judges do, which is jail his court's defendant until trial date.

Such an act would send shockwaves through the Trump Campaign, the 2024 election, and America. The Fulton County judge could decide to jail President Trump ensure that Trump doesnt leave Atlanta or Fulton County.

Heres why.

In criminal cases in Fulton County, Georgia  as well as in such cases throughout our nation, judges who officiate at the arraignment portion of a trial routinely order alleged criminals held in custody, in jail, until their case comes to trial. This occurs when the presiding judge determines that the loss of any amount of money would not be a deterrent against to the charged potential criminal taking flight from Fulton County, Georgia.

Currently, there are more than 400,000 to 500,000 people  the number varies, depending on the source  charged with crimes who are being detained pre-trial, even while they are still legally innocent. Many are jailed because they cant afford the bail. There are hundreds of thousand cases where the judge set an exceptionally high bail just to ensure they cannot flee the jurisdiction.

However, pre-trial detention also applies to those charged who are deemed a flight risk, regardless of how high  or low  bail is set. There are even no-bail situations  where prisoners are held just to make sure they dont disappear into the woodwork of our jammed-up legal system.

Now consider the following:

Former President Donald Trump is not a resident of Georgia. His primary residence is in Palm Beach Florida, at Mar-A-Lago, while his secondary residence is in Trump Tower in Manhattan. This makes Trump a flight risk, at least in the narrow definition of someone who might flee the jurisdiction of Fulton County, Georgia. This is exacerbated by the realization that the former president also owns a former jet airliner, a Boeing-manufactured 757-200, proudly named Trump Force One.

The Donald even has armed Secret Service bodyguards whose mandate is to use deadly force if necessary to protect a presidents life. Knowing this, what Fulton County or Georgia police officer would dare draw his or her gun in an attempt to stop Trump from departing Fulton County, even if this is in violation of a local judges order?

Highlighting both his immense wealth and his magic carpet sky mansions, always on call should he decide to flee the jurisdiction, this former airliner  now tricked out lavishly  has, according to Wikipedia, two Rolls-Royce RB211 turbofan engines  it is configured to seat 43 people. It has a dining room, a bathroom, shower, bedroom, guest room, and galley. Many fixtures are plated in 24k gold 

This aircraft ownership  Trump also owns a 1997 Cessna Citation X, which  when built  was the fastest business jet on earth. This personal air force gives the former president the unique power to act on his potential for being a flight risk. Trump is a self-proclaimed billionaire, with a media-reported multi-billion dollars in relatively liquid assets. Literally no amount of bail is enough to force Trump to stay in Georgia to await trial, especially if the former president thinks he might lose in this case and wind up being jailed during his presidential campaign.

The Presidents plane, a Boeing 757 Dash 200 variant, was built in 1991 as an airliner designed to carry 200 passengers comfortably over a range of 4,700 statute miles. With fewer passengers, Trump Force One might have an even greater non-stop range. This capability would, if he chose to flee, allow him to literally fly to the North Pole, or to the equator, or more practically, to Morocco, London, Paris or Oslo. There are literally hundreds of foreign cities within range of Trump Force One. Do I think hell flee to some foreign destination where money talks and big money talks very loudly? No. Does that mean a judge in Fulton County might not see this as a risk?

Yes!

This brief list defines some of the whys that Trump could become, or at least legally be seen as a flight risk in the eyes of the presiding judge.

Now, set aside the current judge and consider this. If you were the presiding judge in this Georgia case, and you knew that it was your bounden duty to ensure that the indicted criminal shows up for his day in court, what would you do about a man who, at least on paper, could appear to be a legitimately potential flight risk, what would you do? Heres what the judge is facing:

Former President Donald Trump doesnt live in Georgia

The president personally owns an airliner-like airplane, with a range in excess of 4,700 miles, making being a flight risk a real possibility

Valued at anywhere from a low of just $2.5 billion (Forbes) to a Trump-estimated wealth of $9.0 billion, the Orange Man is far too wealthy to make any measure of bond a deterrent

As a former president, he has the best armed protective-detail bodyguards in the world, ready to act to help the president of the United States go anywhere, in the U.S. or outside the U.S.

Does anybody really believe that Trump would meekly agree to being incarcerated even before he was tried and found guilty?

But you, as presiding judge in a criminal matter  a charge that defies any notion of freedom of speech  are responsible to ensure the alleged and formally charged criminal shows up for his day in court, at least six months in the future. Would you turn a blind eye to allowing this alleged criminal who has the ways and means to leave the state, and even the country, and who could then refuse to return to Georgia for his trial? Legally, you have a positive responsibility to ensure that any and every charged individual turns up for his or her day in court.

So, would you put former President Donald J. Trump in jail, awaiting trial?

The media I monitor isnt raising this issue. I dont know if the lame mainstream press is also exploring this potential issue, but in their shoes, Id be afraid to give this judge any ideas.

In Conclusion: This Fulton County/Atlanta charges could be the most fascinating  and challenging  of the four sets of charges Trump now faces. So dont be surprised if this demands that Trump appear in court, without explaining why. Then, upon arrival, the judge remands Trump into custody, to be held without bail until the trial begins. What that would do to his campaign is literally unpredictable, though I expect all of us following this campaign has his or her own opinion.

What I do feel certain about  if Trump is elected, and is sworn in, he will exercise his authority to pardon himself of federal charges, and call on the U.S. Supreme Court to immediately review the ruling, and the charges, which smack of a Constitutional violation of the guarantee of free speech.

Trump knows that if this charge holds, not even a sitting president has the power or right to pardon anybody for state or local crimes. Since Trump clearly believes all of the charges are bogus  a belief millions of his supporters share  pardoning himself is only sensible. This could lead to interesting elections in states where the president is charged, giving a leg up to governors and gubernatorial candidates who pledge to pardon Trump if elected.

About Ned Barnett: Ned became politically active around age 13, attending a rally for conservative Republican Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater. For years later, as President of the Georgia Federation of Teen-Aged Republicans, he met Nixon during his campaign, and held a fund-raiser for his local Congressman in his parents basement. Eight years later, he served as head of news media and strategy for the South Carolina Republican Party, working on the Ford campaign with the late, great Lee Atwater. He was active, behind the scenes, in the Reagan campaigns. In all, Ned has worked as state head of news media and strategy on three Presidential-level campaigns.

More recently, Ned has begun drafting a book for conservatives on how to win an election campaign. Following the fade-out of the Tea Party grass-roots movement, that had Ned becoming the Nevada  and the Clark County/Las Vegas  Director of Communications, Ned has been working with writers and with start-up businesses in realms from ghostwriting, editing and promoting books to creating an effective brand for start-up businesses or product lines for existing businesses. In his career he has published 40 successful books  and hes working on six more  along with 17 ghostwritten books.

Ned can be reached at Barnett Marketing (www.barnettmarcom.com), which he is currently rewriting, from head to toe. Contact Ned at 702-561-1167, or nedbarnett51@gmail.com.
According to recent statistics, Google Pixel is now the third-largest Android brand in North America. At the moment, in this region, Google Pixel accounts for 2.46% of Android smartphones out in the wild. This means that more and more people are gaining interest in the brand and purchasing some of its products.

Fans in this region are proud of this growth, and so is Google, the owner and manufacturer of the Pixel brand. The brand has gained these numbers from Android users that were previously into Samsung or Motorola devices. Additionally, part of this number is Apple users that have switched over to the Android side in the North American region.

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While 2.46% of all devices in North America sounds small, it is a great growth for Google Pixel. Over the past years, the brand has appealed to netizens as a phone for core Android fans and enthusiasts looking out for the best software experience. But all of that is changing and people are now benefiting from the ton of features that Google has been packing in their Pixel devices over the past few years.

Google Pixel is crushing its game in North America as it gains more users

Over the years, the Google Pixel brand has rolled out a good number of smartphones. Some of these entries only appealed to enthusiasts that wanted that pure stock Android software feel. This is because Google is the company that owns Android, therefore its only right that they offer the best software experience on their devices.

One device release after another, Google proved to the crowd that they offer the purest Android feel on a device. But users didnt just want the purest Android feel, they wanted more than that. They wanted performance, great camera technology, sleek design, a better ecosystem of devices, and so much more.

Google knew that they were up to the task and got all hands-on deck to give users what they wanted. The Pixel 4 series marked a revolution for the Pixel smartphone line-up. Moving on from the Pixel 4 series, Google kept nailing it, one device launch after another, from the 5 series to the 7 series.

With the 6 series, Google brought its own processor (Tensor) to the smartphone market. This gave the Pixel 6 series better camera technology and also helped refine the performance as well as the software experience. The Pixel 7 series hit the launch stage with a new and refreshed Tensor processor, improving upon the previous processor on the 6 series.

Googles improvements over the years have earned it a place as the fourth-largest smartphone brand in North America. Additionally, the brand is also the second-largest in Japan and the fourth-largest in Australia. With the launch of the coming Pine 8 series, Google will continue growing the Pixel brand one step at a time.
Samsung has reportedly sold more than half of its stake in Dutch chip equipment supplier ASML. The Korean firm sold over 3.5 million shares of the Dutch company for roughly KRW 3 trillion (approx. $2.24 billion). The transaction happened in the second quarter of the year.

Samsung sold ASML shares to secure funds for semiconductor investment

Samsung acquired a three% stake in ASML in September 2012. It sold almost half of its stake (1.4%) in the company in September 2016, keeping the remaining 1.6% stake. The Korean media is now reporting that the firm has further sold a 0.9% stake sometime between April and June this year, bringing its stake in ASML down to just 0.7%.

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According to a hankyung.com report, Samsung disclosed this transaction in a half-year report earlier today. The company held 6,297,787 shares of ASML at the end of March, but that dropped to 2,750,072 shares at the end of the second quarter. So it sold 3,547,715 shares or 0.9% stake in ASML. Considering ASMLs stock price trend during this period, Samsung may have made about $2.24 billion from this sale.

We sold some of our ASML shares in the second quarter of this year, a Samsung official confirmed to the publication. While they didnt share further details, industry experts believe the company is security funds for semiconductor investment. Despite an economic slowdown and declining profits, the Korean firm has no intention to scale back investments in the semiconductor business. It sees sustained investment as the right way to avoid similar downturns in the future.

ASML returned a handsome profit to its investors

Samsung wasnt the only company to buy a stake in ASML (originally standing for Advanced Semiconductor Materials Lithography) in 2012. The Dutch firm, which is the worlds only supplier of extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) machines used to manufacture advanced semiconductor chips, also invited investments from Intel (15% stake) and TSMC (five% stake) to secure funds to keep its operations running back then.

TSMC sold all of its ASML shares in January 2015, while Intel cut its stake to 4.9% in late 2017. Intel further reduced its stake in ASML to under three% in 2018. The investment eventually paid off big time. Both Samsung and Intel reportedly earned a 17X return on their investments in ASML in recent years. It has helped Samsung secure funds during a challenging economic environment. The Korean firms operating profit dropped a staggering 95% in Q2 2023, hitting a 14-year low.
The EU is forcing Apple to allow alternative App Stores on the iPhone in the next couple of years, thanks to the Digital Markets Act or DMA, legislation. And popular app store, Setapp is ready to compete.

You might know Setapp for its popular bundle of paid apps that are included for a low monthly subscription. It includes apps for iOS and Mac, for as low as $9.99 per month, and includes plenty of paid apps for that price. Making it a lot more affordable to get an email app like Newton.

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Setapp is already claiming that they have over 30 developers ready to offer their apps on its own app store. This would include popular tools like Ulysses, Taskheat, NotePlan, PDFSearch and Soulver.

Setapp is promoting a 90/10 split for this app store

One big way that Setapp could lure developers away from Apples App Store is with a more generous revenue split. Which is what they have already announced. Setapp is currently planning a 70/30 split currently on its app store, but developers can earn as much as 90%. This is because it will share 20% of its fees with whoever brings in new customers. Thats going to be a big way to get developers on-board, for Setapp. Many have already voiced complaints with Apples greedy 70/30 split for literally everything you buy on your iPhone.

The DMA has set a deadline of March 2024 for Apple and other companies to comply. But you can expect that Apple will further contest this law around the app stores. So it will likely take a bit longer. Of course, Apple hasnt been as quick to adopt this as they were to adopt USB-C, when the EU forced them to do so. However, every other product in their lineup does have USB-C except for the iPhone. Whereas, allowing other app stores on its platform would greatly eat into their revenues.
TikTok has the highest volume of harmful content per user among the major social media apps, a new study has revealed. The platform saw over 400 million content actioned (removed or covered with a warning) for being harmful or breaking community guidelines in 2022, with US users being the worst offenders. Facebook and Instagram are the next worst-hit social platforms.

According to a Uswitch.com report, TikTok took action against 412.8 million videos for policy violation last year. Thats 37,798 videos actioned per 100,000 users. The most violated policies include Minor Safety, Illegal Activities, and Adult Nudity and Sexual Activities. Harassment and Bullying, Dangerous Acts and Challenges, and Hateful Behavior are also among the TikTok policies violated frequently.

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A region-wise breakdown of violations reveals that US users post more harmful content on TikTok than any other country. 13 million TikTok videos posted from the US in 2022 were found to violate the companys community guidelines. Pakistan (12.6 million) and Indonesia (7.6 million) posted the second-highest volume of violent content on the video-sharing app last year.

Its worth noting that the US, Indonesia, and Pakistan are the three most populated countries after India and China. While TikTok is completely banned in India, the app goes by a different name in China (Douyin). Theres an ongoing debate over whether the US government should ban the platform nationwide. Montana has already banned TikTok across the state, though.

Facebook and Instagram also removed millions of harmful content

After TikTok, Facebook had the second-highest ratio of actioned content in 2022. The Meta-owned platform removed or covered over 600 million posts last year, which is 20,304 posts per 100,000 users. Adult Nudity and Sexual Activity, Violent and Graphic Content, and Child Endangerment (Sexual Exploitation) were among the most commonly violated policies.

Instagram actioned over 185.8 million posts for violating community guidelines last year (9,292 posts per 100,000 users). The most violated policies on the platform include Adult Nudity and Sexual Activity, Violent and Graphic Content, and Bullying and Harassment. Child Endangerment (Sexual Exploitation) and Child Endangerment (Nudity and Physical Abuse) policies also saw frequent violations.

Twitter and YouTube make up the top five social media platforms with the most number of harmful content removed in 2022. The volume of actioned content per 100,000 users on these two platforms is 2,954 and 777, respectively. Unfortunately, despite the social media space full of harmful content, parents havent been able to stop their children from using these platforms.

The same report states that 86 percent of 11-12-year-olds, who are below social media age restrictions, have social media accounts in the US. Kids aged as young as 8 years also use social media. Some parents rely on parental control apps to monitor their childs safety while using their mobile phones. Google Family Link, Kidslox, and FamilyTime are among the highest-rated parental control apps on the market.
Japan urged to cease interfering in China-Russia joint maritime patrols

Xinhua) 13:34, August 15, 2023

BEIJING, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese military spokesperson on Monday urged Japan to cease interfering in China-Russia joint maritime patrols that do not target any third party.

Wu Qian, spokesman for China's Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks in response to a question regarding the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force's tracking and monitoring of China-Russia joint maritime patrol vessels.

The Chinese and Russian armed forces carried out joint maritime patrols in designated waters in the western and northern Pacific Ocean following their annual cooperation agenda. These patrols do not target any third party and are irrelevant to current global or regional situations, Wu said.

During the patrols, vessels of the two militaries strictly abided by international laws and sailed in high seas throughout their voyages, he added.

The Japanese side's interfering moves are perilous and could easily lead to misjudgments and accidents, Wu added.

"We urge the Japanese side to stop meaningless interference and refrain from irresponsible words and deeds that harm the healthy China-Japan bilateral ties and undermine regional peace and stability," Wu said.

He also noted that cooperation between Chinese and Russian troops is conducted in an open and transparent manner and aims to jointly safeguard international justice and uphold peace and security.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Professor Seo Kyung-duk, left, and actress Song Hye-kyo / Courtesy of Seo Kyung-duk



By Dong Sun-hwa



Actress Song Hye-kyo has collaborated with Seo Kyung-duk, a professor at Sungshin Women's University and an active promoter of Korea, to donate 10,000 guidebooks on Korea's historic sites in Hawaii to the Center for Korean Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.



The donation was made to commemorate Korea's Liberation Day which falls on Aug. 15. Hawaii was a place where ethnic Koreans raised funds for the independence movements during Japan's colonial rule of Korea (1910-1945).



The guidebooks, available in Korean and English, provide details of different heritage sites linked to the independence activities, including Oahu Cemetery where the bodies of Korean independence fighters are buried.



"This year marks the 120th anniversary of Korean immigration to the U.S.," Seo said. "We published and donated guidebooks hoping that more people would visit Korea's historic sites in Hawaii in addition to its major tourist attractions."





Actress Song Hye-kyo and Professor Seo Kyung-duk have donated 10,000 guidebooks on Korea's historic sites in Hawaii to the Center for Korean Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa on the occasion of Liberation Day (Aug. 15). Courtesy of Seo Kyung-duk
An Afghan father living in the UK has described the disastrous day the Taliban took control of his country, forcing him to flee with his wife and five children.

Eid Mohammad Sultani, who was in Kabul on August 15 2021 when the group captured the capital, recalled the screaming amid the chaos of a day he finds it difficult to think about.

The 40-year-old also spoke of his joy at reaching England in November 2021, describing his family as having been saved.

He has since been helping other Afghans who came to the UK for safety, visiting them in so-called bridging hotels while they try to find accommodation to settle in.

In an interview with the PA news agency, Mr Sultani said: The 15th of August was a disastrous day when we were in Kabul and the Taliban suddenly took over.

Eid Mohammad Sultani was in Kabul on the day the Taliban took control (Christopher Furlong/PA)

Everybody was screaming, shops were being closed, banks were being closed, offices were empty.

It was such a hard day, it is hard to think about, especially for those who witnessed it.

Mr Sultani, who worked in automotive management services, travelled to Islamabad, Pakistan, with his family on October 10 2021 before reaching Oxford, England, the following month.

That was actually the happiest day for us, he said.

We got saved.

Mr Sultani and his family stayed in a hotel for five months, and credited the council for having taken care of us.

They provided some toys for the children, they encouraged us to do some studies and I used my time there to volunteer as a school passenger assistant, which was a big achievement for me, he said.

The role involved him taking children to and from school and the hotel.

Mr Sultani described forging his new life in the UK, which he said had to be done quickly despite the dark days he and others had lived through.

The UK was only a picture for us in the past life for years and years on the screen, but when I moved things changed, he said.

Mr Sultani said he is concerned about his family back home in Afghanistan (Yui Mok/PA)

I had to leave my home and wanted to stand on my feet  I didnt like to be on Government benefits, but it was also sad because we had been through such dark days and there was such a short time for me to get a job.

Mr Sultani was offered a house in Oxfordshire in May 2022 and now works part-time for Ocado, alongside looking after his family.

He also began volunteering with community interest company Bridge to Unity shortly after leaving the hotel and helping with a Government scheme called Find Your Own Accommodation, which tries to empower Afghans to source their own accommodation.

We have travelled to many cities and been encouraging and helping Afghans to find their own homes, Mr Sultani said.

We have been passing on the Governments message about the closure of bridging hotels and hearing the voices of immigrants.

I know my Afghans  some of them are pretending to be happy, but they want to be able to work and pay their own rent.

Mr Sultani said he is concerned about the end-of-August deadline for Afghans to leave bridging hotels, and hoped it could be extended because it can be a struggle to understand how housing works in this country.

He praised English people as actual angels for the help and support he had received, with one of his friends here  Alan Derry  helping him and his family with food and toys and guiding Mr Sultani through things including passing his driving theory test.

But Mr Sultani said he and many of his fellow Afghans still have fears for loved ones who remain in their home country, saying: I wish I could do something to bring them here.

Ive got my brothers over there, my nephews, my nieces and my brothers-in-law who I am really concerned about.

They have to keep changing locations and are constantly seeking help and we stay in touch two to three times a week, its the worst situation for them to be in.

It is not just me  every Afghan here will have family members in Afghanistan that they will want to move to the UK or another country where they can be safe.

Reflecting on the situation that faces the thousands still stuck in Afghanistan, he said that schools are shut and there is no autonomy or government.

I dont want to call what they have a government  its actually a terrorist group that has taken power, he added.

I hope that those staying in Islamabad (in Pakistan) get their visas and can move to safety as quickly as possible and I want the Government to pay attention to this immigration process.

The Home Office has previously said it is continuing to provide extensive support to all those in hotels.

A spokesperson added that this support is backed by 285 million of new funding to speed up the resettlement of Afghans into permanent accommodation, with many councils using this to provide deposits, furniture, rental top-ups and rent advances, among others.
Bank of Ireland has warned customers that money withdrawn from their accounts while its online and app services were down will still be debited from their accounts.

It comes amid reports of some users being able to withdraw money beyond what they expect to be in their account.

An Garda Siochana said it was aware of an unusual volume of activity at some ATMs across the country.

It said it was also aware of issues relating to banking services on Tuesday.

We are aware that customers using our mobile app and 365Online are currently experiencing difficulties. We are working to fix this issue as quickly as possible and apologise for any inconvenience caused. We will update here once service is restored.  Bank of Ireland (@talktoBOI) August 15, 2023

In a statement to the PA news agency, a Bank of Ireland spokesman said: We would like to remind customers that if they transfer or withdraw funds  including over their normal limits  this money will be debited from their account.

While we are conscious customers may not be able to check their balance at this time, they should not withdraw or transfer funds if they are likely to become overdrawn.

An Garda Siochana also said it would remind people of their personal responsibility in carrying out their personal banking.

A spokesman for banking technology firm Revolut told PA it was looking into claims that excess amounts of money had been transferred into customers accounts from Bank of Ireland.

Earlier, Bank of Ireland said it does not have an estimated time for when its mobile app and web service 365Online will be restored.

Upon opening the app, users are informed they are unable to connect while the website is also unavailable.

The bank has told customers that its technical team is working to rectify the difficulties as a high priority.

Customers reported having no access to their accounts for hours and being unable to transfer money for important payments.

Apologising to users, Bank of Ireland said: We are aware that customers using our mobile app and 365Online are currently experiencing difficulties.

We are working to fix this issue as quickly as possible and apologise for any inconvenience caused.

The bank also acknowledged that some customers were having difficulties withdrawing cash from ATMs.

Shortly before 10pm on Tuesday, the bank added that it did not have an ETA for the restoration of services.
An elderly couple who printed the wrong boarding passes for a Ryanair flight said they were horrified after being hit by the airlines 110 fee.

Ruth and Peter Jaffe, from Ealing, west London, had mistakenly printed their return boarding passes instead of the ones for their outbound flight to Bergerac, France.

This meant they were charged for having their tickets printed at Stansted airport, Essex on Friday.

Hey @Ryanair, my parents who are in their 70s and 80s, had accidentally downloaded the return flight boarding card instead of the outgoing ones and you charged them 110 to print them at the airport. 110 for 2 pieces of paper which took 1 minute. Shame on you  Old School House Venosc  (@old_school_alps) August 13, 2023

Ryanair said the couple failed to check in online and were correctly charged.

Mrs Jaffe, 79, told BBCs Radio 4 Today programme the airlines website is very confusing and she believed she had printed the correct tickets.

She said: We arrived at Stansted two hours before the flight and found that I had not got the outward boarding card, Id only got the return one.

I was then told that wed have to go to the Ryanair desk to get a boarding card, and there they charged me 55 per person.

(I was) horrified.

Mr Jaffe, 80, said the couple felt they didnt have much choice but to pay the fee as people were expecting us at the other end.

He added that Ryanairs strategy seems to be screw whatever you can out of the passengers.

The couples daughter posted an angry message to Ryanair on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The woman, who did not give her name, wrote that her parents were charged 110 for two pieces of paper which took one minute.

She added: Shame on you.

Ryanair said in a statement: All passengers travelling with Ryanair agree to check in online before arriving at their departure airport and all passengers are sent an email/SMS, reminding them to do so 24hrs before departure.

We regret that these passengers ignored their email reminder and failed to check in online.
The European Union has told the UK it is not willing to negotiate a returns agreement for migrants arriving via unauthorised routes, according to reports.

If correct, it would mean Britain is unlikely to be able to return refugees arriving via small boats across the Channel back to France in the near future.

Rishi Sunak has pushed for a bilateral returns agreement with Paris but French President Emmanuel Macron, a close ally of the Prime Minister, has said any deal must be at an EU level.

Mr Macron, during the UK-France Summit in March, said any returns mechanism would not be an agreement between the UK and France, but an agreement between the UK and the EU.

According to reports in The Times and the Daily Mail, a leaked memo has suggested that such a pact is not being entertained by Brussels, which is dealing with its own internal rows over migration and refugee returns reforms.

The UK Government said it remains open to working towards a UK-EU returns accord, with Brexit having taken London out of the Dublin Agreement that currently allows for member states to return refugees.

Mr Sunak wants a deal to allow the UK to return foreign nationals who have been found to be in violation of immigration law.

It could potentially allow ministers to send back asylum seekers arriving from France via small boats, with Mr Sunak having made tackling the migrant crisis one of his top priorities ahead of the next election.

The Times suggested any Brussels deal would likely come with the condition that Britain share in Europes effort to resettle hundreds of thousands of migrants entering the EU through irregular means, including migrants arriving by boat to Italy or Greece.

But, citing Cabinet Office notes, the newspaper said a senior aide to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen had rejected negotiations on fresh terms following a push by Mr Sunak during talks at the Council of Europe in Iceland in May.

French President Emmanuel Macron has insisted any returns deal must be UK-EU wide (Kin Cheung/PA)

German politician Bjoern Siebert, Ms von der Leyens head of cabinet, is said to have told Sir Tim Barrow, the UKs national security adviser and a former ambassador to the EU, that the commission is not open to a UK-EU readmissions agreement.

The commission is said to dispute the recording of events. It has been contacted for comment.

The reports come after at least six people died and dozens were rescued after a boat got into difficulty off the coast of Sangatte, northern France, on Saturday.

A UK Government spokeswoman said: We remain open to working with the EU to take forward negotiations on a UK-EU returns deal, as part of our international efforts to tackle illegal migration and to crack down on these exploitative gangs.

We are in regular conversations with our European counterparts on a range of issues relating to migration and asylum.

We agreed with members of the Calais Group of Northern European nations to work towards an EU-UK cooperation agreement on migration in a joint statement at the groups December 8 2022 meeting.
Colourful kites have been flown in the sky over London in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan on the two-year anniversary of the Taliban takeover.

One Afghan refugee now living in the UK said those involved wanted to be a voice, far from our home for all those who are now living under the oppressive regime, especially women and girls.

The gathering, at a park in the north of the capital on Tuesday, followed a similar event last August where the Good Chance theatre teamed up with Afghan artists and more than 70 partners globally for what they said was the worlds largest ever international kite festival.

This years gathering was expected to be smaller and more informal but no less important, according to Afghan refugee Amir Hussain Ibrahimi.

People taking part in an Afghan kite-flying event at a park in London (Lucy North/PA)

He told the PA news agency: For women and girls we want to be a voice, far from our home.

We just want to show that Afghanistan was colourful, Afghanistan was full of nice culture, nice people, the girls who just want to improve themselves (through education), the women who were working with men shoulder-to-shoulder to improve their country.

And a lot of things have been lost and deleted, especially hope. The people of Afghanistan lost hope.

The 24-year-old said that, as during their rule in the 1990s, the Taliban had now once again banned many activities that bring people joy, including kite-flying.

People taking part in an Afghan kite-flying event (Lucy North/PA)

One of the more important parts of our Afghan culture is these amazing multi-coloured kites and we fly them, make them, design them since we were children, he said.

This is something that makes you really proud when you fly them because it is part of a hope for Afghan people.

He said the tradition, which uses coloured tissue paper and bamboo sticks, is hundreds of years old and kite-flying is a common game in Afghanistan.

But he said even this is no longer allowed by the Taliban, adding: They have banned anything that people can enjoy.

He said: They are called the Taliban and unfortunately they have banned everything. They banned the kites, they banned music, they want to remove women from society and they are trying to delete everything that doesnt follow their rules.

Afghan refugee Amir Hussain Ibrahimi said the kites were being flown in solidarity with the people of his homeland (James Manning/PA)

He said he feels proud and happy to share our amazing culture here in the UK, but feels sad that his fellow Afghans back home have been deprived of so much in the past two years.

He added: This year is going to be the second since my homeland fell to the Taliban and I am thinking I left my country at that time in one night and everything changed.

Those taking part in this and other kite-flying events this year were encouraged to use the hashtags #rememberAfghanistan and #flywithme to keep the plight of the Afghan people forefront of the publics minds.

Mr Ibrahimi, who works as a marketing and production assistant at the Good Chance theatre in east London, has been living in a hotel in Southend-on-Sea for almost two years as he struggles to find long-term accommodation in the UK.

He has previously spoken of the challenging situation on the ground for refugees who are trying to find permanent homes but often struggle despite the Government support provided.
Lisa Snowdon has spoken about the guilt she felt when she experienced jealousy after people she knew fell pregnant as she struggled with her own fertility.

The 51-year-old model and TV presenter said the feelings became stronger after she suffered a miscarriage.

Snowdon, who has also spoken openly about terminating a pregnancy, said she has worked hard to find contentment in a life that did not involve motherhood.

Lisa Snowdon said her feelings became stronger after she suffered a miscarriage (Ian West/PA)

She told ITVs Good Morning Britain: Its such a horrible emotion to feel, to admit to  jealousy, envy, all of those things.

I felt guilty. And I felt shame for feeling like that. But, you know, unless you havent become a mum or or youve been trying to, you dont realise that feeling, that little pang of sadness (when people tell you they are pregnant).

This was a stronger emotion for me after I miscarried in my early 40s. So, when that happened, it took me a few years to really come to terms with the fact this isnt going to be for me in this lifetime.

But that didnt stop me from feeling that little pang of sadness.

Snowdon, who is engaged to former model George Smart, said she had to focus on her life beyond and away from her mission to become a mother.

She told GMB: Its just trying to dig deep and say My life hasnt worked how I imagined it. But lets reframe it, what is positive around me? What do I love in my life? Who have I got in my life that Im happy to be with, happy to be around? and its just about trying to kind of change that thought process.

Because if I was still in mourning for the child that I lost  I also terminated a child  I would never be content with what Im doing, I would just have this sadness around me all the time.

And I had to pick myself up and just be focused and look around and be grateful for what I actually do have.

Snowdon, who has written a book called Just Getting Started: Lessons In Life, Love And Menopause, also spoke about her struggles with perimenopause, when her body started transitioning into menopause, triggering a host of physical and emotional symptoms.

Lisa Snowdon said fiance George Smart has been put through his paces (Ian West/PA)

Paying tribute to her partner, she said: Hes been put through  his paces, basically.

When we got we introduced to each other, unbeknownst to both of us, I was literally starting my perimenopause.

So I would have these moods, these rages, these outbursts out of the blue.

Were having a lovely day, and then all of a sudden a red mist would just descend, and I just couldnt control it.

And it was nothing hed done, it was just the anger in my body.

And I do openly talk about all these sorts of things that do happen to us ladies, and we dont recognise ourselves.

Its really out of character for a lot of us and our hormones have done that our whole lives, whether its our monthly cycle, whether its those chocolate cravings, whether its that sadness.
A minister said he is determined to make resettlement schemes for Afghans in the UK work properly, as humanitarian groups branded them too slow and suggested people desperately fleeing the Taliban have felt forced to make dangerous Channel crossings instead.

Cabinet Office minister Johnny Mercer, who served in Afghanistan during his time in the military, acknowledged some people had been left behind after the Taliban takeover in August 2021 and still have not been brought to safety in Britain two years on.

Speaking to the PA news agency on the anniversary of Op Pitting  the largest evacuation effort Britain has been involved in since the Second World War  he said the UK should be proud of the efforts to rescue and resettle people in the wake of the chaotic withdrawal of Western forces from the country.

Cabinet Office minister Johnny Mercer acknowledged that there are still Afghans who are owed a duty by the British but who have not yet made it to the UK (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

But, in the face of criticism from charities and humanitarian organisations that resettlement schemes are not working well and that some refugees who have been brought to the UK have spent their time in hotels, he also acknowledged that things could have been done differently.

Afghans have been the most common nationality to arrive on small boats crossing the English Channel in the first half of this year, according to the latest provisional data from the Home Office.

Six people died and at least 58  many of them Afghans  were rescued after a boat got into difficulty in the Channel off the coast of France on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) have been marked by significant delays, lack of transparency, and lack of consistency according to the cross-party law reform and human rights organisation Justice.

In a report published on Tuesday, it recommended improvements to the schemes which were set up to allow Afghans to resettle in the UK, including quicker processing times, clarifying how the schemes work, and better communication with applicants.

Last month, Armed Forces minister James Heappey confirmed that while over 141,000 applications had been made to ARAP  which was launched in April 2021 for those Afghans who worked for or with the UK Government in Afghanistan  around 12,200 eligible individuals and their family members had been brought to safety in the UK under the scheme.

The ACRS, which is split into three pathways, had seen just 54 people resettled by March this year under the two options which cover vulnerable refugees referred by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and those who supported the UK and international community efforts or are particularly vulnerable, such as women and girls.

Its other pathway, focused on those who arrived in the UK under the evacuation programme, saw 9,059 people resettled up to March.

Fresh figures on the numbers resettled under the schemes are expected later this month.

Mr Mercer told PA: I accept that there are people in Afghanistan at the moment that we have a duty to who are not in the UK, who I want to see in the UK.

He said he is determined to make the resettlement schemes work properly, accepting the challenges with both those schemes, but added that they come under the Home Office and his remit is to focus on those who have already been brought to the UK and ensuring they are moved from hotels into communities.

He said he is very clear, from a personal perspective, as to what we owe these people and insisted he is determined that this Government will get it right when it comes to what we owe these people.

Asked if the Government had got it right to date, he said: Clearly, hotels are not long-term accommodation options for Afghans and their families. I mean, some of them have had a very, very difficult experience. I recognise that. Ive visited a lot of them myself.

It was never the intention (for them to stay in hotels). The reality is that weve had to deal with the situation as we found it. Theres been a longstanding challenge around housing in this country and thats collided with the reality of a very quick collapse in Afghanistan. And weve ended up where weve ended up, with Afghan families in hotels for far too long. So, look, things could always have been done differently.

The Local Government Association said earlier this month that as many as a fifth of Afghan refugees in some parts of England who have been evicted from hotel accommodation had presented to councils as homeless, therefore needing temporary accommodation.

Mr Mercer said the deadline for people to leave hotels by the end of August had been a controversial move but said it was done with compassion in mind and I think its proved its worth.

He said 440 Afghans had been matched to homes in the past week and I couldnt have generated that momentum without putting that hard deadline in there.

Meanwhile, the International Rescue Committee has branded the ACRS too slow and criticised the Governments 20,000 cap on numbers, saying it is leaving thousands of people who supported the allied efforts, or have connections to the UK, trapped in the country or neighbouring states.

The Afghanistan and Central Asian Association, which has been working with Afghan refugees, said the two schemes have resettled only a limited number of individuals in the UK.

Its founder Dr Nooralhaq Nasimi told PA: Consequently, numerous at-risk Afghans, including those who previously collaborated with British authorities in Kabul, lack a secure path to the UK. This situation has driven many to resort to dangerous Channel crossings in small boats.

The Government acknowledged there remains a way to go to bring all those eligible under ARAP to safety in the UK but said it is working to consider applications as quickly as possible.

A Home Office spokesperson said: We made one of the largest commitments of any country to support Afghanistan, and so far we have brought around 24,600 individuals to safety to the UK, including thousands under our Afghan resettlement schemes. There is no need for Afghans to risk their lives by taking dangerous and illegal journeys.

Between 2015 and 2022, we have offered a place to over half a million people seeking safety through our safe and legal humanitarian routes. Those in need of protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach, which is often close to the region or in a neighbouring country.
Aid organisations have urged the UK not to abandon Afghanistan as Western allies mark two years since the Taliban retook Kabul.

The Taliban, in a lightning offensive across the country, returned to power in Afghanistan on August 15 2021 as Western forces, including Britain and the US, hurriedly made their withdrawal after a 20-year occupation.

Operation Pitting was the largest evacuation effort Britain has been involved in since the Second World War, with more than 15,000 people taken from Afghanistan to the UK in just over 16 days in August 2021.

Bond, an umbrella body in the UK representing international development organisations, said the Afghan people had been living in a waking nightmare since the return of the fundamentalist Taliban regime.

The organisation said more than 80% of the population in the central Asian country is living below the poverty line as the economy continues to contract, jobs vanish and government services crumble.

Gideon Rabinowitz, Bonds policy and advocacy director, said: Families have been plunged into poverty, malnutrition threatens over a million children as food insecurity engulfs the country, and the dreams of millions of women and girls have been shattered as they endure tight restrictions on their freedoms.

The UK and the international community must not abandon Afghanistan. Our support cannot end because troops left.

We urge the UK Government to stay engaged via civil groups on the ground and diplomatic pragmatism while maintaining its commitments to promised UK aid funding and refugee resettlement.

Operation Pitting saw 15,000 people brought from Afghanistan to the UK in 2021 (Ben Shread/MoD/Crown Copyright/PA)

With millions of Afghans fleeing harsh Taliban rule, a cross-party group of MPs have urged Conservative ministers to tackle the slow delivery of its resettlement and assistance programmes.

Afghans have been the most common nationality to arrive on small boats crossing the English Channel in the first half of this year, according to the latest provisional data from the Home Office.

Labours Sarah Champion, chairwoman of the Commons International Development Committee, and Conservative Sir Julian Lewis, chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee, are among 10 MPs to have jointly petitioned immigration minister Robert Jenrick to improve Home Office efforts.

In a letter sent to mark the two-year anniversary, the MPs said they were concerned with both the pace and scale of the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme (ACRS), which they said pledged up to 20,000 places over five years.

But they said just 281 Afghans were brought to the UK via ACRS in the year ending March 2023.

Not only has delivery been slow, but the remaining places simply do not match up to the number of Afghans eligible for UK protection, leaving thousands of Afghans who supported the allied efforts or have connections to the UK, trapped in the country or neighbouring countries, the MPs said.

While Afghans wait, we are concerned about the risks they face.

The group of MPs, which also includes the SNPs Patrick Grady and Green MP Caroline Lucas, called for Mr Jenrick to increase ACRS places by at least 6,500 and to open a delayed family reunion mechanism to allow those left behind after the evacuation to be swiftly reunited with their family in the UK.

The former diplomat Sir Laurie Bristow, who was serving as UK ambassador to Afghanistan when Kabul fell, also told The Daily Telegraph newspaper that Britain had an obligation to help those Afghans who had supported allied efforts in their country before the Talibans return.

A Government spokeswoman said the UK had made one of the largest commitments of any country to support Afghanistan.

She said: The ACRS is one of the boldest resettlement schemes in the UKs history and is designed to support those who have assisted UK efforts in Afghanistan and stood up for UK values, as well as vulnerable people.

We have so far welcomed over 9,113 individuals under ACRS. It will provide up to 20,000 people affected by events in Afghanistan and the region with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK.

We continue to work to deliver on our commitments to the people of Afghanistan.

To mark the two-year anniversary, there is a protest scheduled on Tuesday morning in London to demonstrate against Taliban rule.

The Afghanistan and Central Asian Association has organised a peaceful protest outside Parliament, with the gathering expected to include British Afghans in the UK, activists, students and academics.

Defence committee chairman Tobias Ellwood is set to make a speech marking the two-year anniversary of the Talibans return (Gareth Fuller/PA)

Tobias Ellwood, the Tory chairman of the Defence Select Committee, is due to speak at an event in the evening organised by the same organisation.

The former defence minister is facing a no-confidence motion as committee chairman after publishing a video claiming that Afghanistan has improved since the Taliban regained power.

Last month, he apologised in the face of a backlash from members of his own committee after claiming that security in Afghanistan has vastly improved and corruption is down since the fundamentalists returned in 2021.

Mr Ellwood, following a visit to the war-torn nation, called for Britain to reopen its embassy in Kabul, following on from the European Union re-establishing a physical presence in the territory last year.

The veteran later deleted his video report from Helmand province, which was praised as positive by the Taliban, from social media and expressed regret over its recording.
Toss Bank logo / Newsis



By Anna J. Park



Toss Bank announced that its real-time artificial intelligence (AI) system has contributed to preventing financial fraud. Since launching earlier this year, the digital bank said its AI-based detection system has spotted over 600 fake IDs during the past six months, undermining attempts to open up fraudulent accounts.



The bank explained that its ID detection system can determine in real time whether an ID photo submitted by a new customer opening an account is an authentic image or not.



If the system detects that the information in a submitted ID photo does not match the customer's information or if it is a re-photographed image from a smartphone screen or a printed ID, all financial transactions, including the opening of the account, are restricted until re-verification is completed. The system's accuracy rate is reported to exceed 94 percent, the internet-only bank said.



Toss Bank began developing the AI detection system in May last year and underwent field tests in October the same year. The system was officially launched in February this year. Over the past six months, the real-time detection system has restricted financial transactions in 600 fake ID cases, and is estimated to have prevented some 12 billion won ($8.9 million) worth of potential fraud.



"As an internet-only bank, it is paramount to develop our own technology and capabilities that guarantee safe services, such as online face identity verification procedures," a Toss Bank official said. "The bank will continue to make significant investments in developing AI and data-related technologies to enhance its ability to provide customers with secure financial services."




A major PSNI data breach may undermine the ability of the police and security services to keep tabs on dissident republicans, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has said.

He said the fact that the personal information of police officers and civilian staff is in the hands of dissidents raises the threat level faced by the PSNI.

Former Stormont justice minister Naomi Long warned the data leak will have serious consequences for retention and recruitment in policing in Northern Ireland.

PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne said on Monday he believes the information on police officers and staff mistakenly released is in the hands of dissident republicans, who are opposed to the peace process.

Leader of the DUP Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said he was suspending judgment on whether Simon Byrne should resign (Liam McBurney/PA)

Mr Byrne said he thought dissidents would use the information to intimidate and target police.

His comments came after documents containing information from the breach were posted on a wall near a Sinn Fein office in Belfast.

Last week the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) revealed a document had mistakenly been shared online which included the names of about 10,000 officers and staff.

Details released included the surname and first initial of every employee, their rank or grade, where they are based and the unit they work in.

Sir Jeffrey told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: Well I certainly think that confirmation that dissident republicans have this data raises the security threat to an even higher level for serving police officers, their families and civilian staff employed by the PSNI.

Its not just the security of those officers, their families and the staff, but its also the security infrastructure itself.

This data included very sensitive information about the PSNIs work with the security service in Northern Ireland and of course its been the success of the security service and the PSNI in infiltrating dissident republicans that has minimised their ability to operate effectively in Northern Ireland.

PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne has said he believes the information is in the hands of dissident republicans (PA)

Im very concerned that not only is there a risk to the lives of those serving with the police in Northern Ireland, but this may also undermine the capacity of the police and the security service to keep tabs on the dissident republicans who of course pose the major threat in Northern Ireland.

Sir Jeffrey said he would suspend judgment for now on whether Mr Byrne should resign.

He said: I dont want to leave the PSNI leaderless at this stage.

I think it is important that the chief constable oversees at this stage of the process because that leadership is necessary to ensure stability within the PSNI.

Alliance Party leader Mrs Long has said she is extremely worried about the future of policing in Northern Ireland.

She told Today: This is going to have long-term ramifications at many levels.

It also has, I think, serious consequences in terms of retention and recruitment.

Police already face an extraordinary level of threat, as do staff members within the PSNI, and now their details are out in the public domain and it was inevitable that they would fall into the wrong hands once they had been published.

She added that the data breach is going to be a real challenge for morale in the PSNI.

Asked if she believes the chief constable should resign, she said: I tend not to jump to knee-jerk reactions when it comes to demanding peoples resignations.

Naomi Long said she is worried about the future of policing in Northern Ireland (Liam McBurney/PA)

She also said that without an executive or Assembly, the appointment of a new chief constable would be impossible and it is better to have some leadership in the force.

But weve been very clear with the chief constable that ultimately he is responsible for the organisation and for what happens within it, and I dont think anyone can be in any doubt that he is fully aware of the weight of that responsibility, she added.

Thousands of officers have expressed concern for their safety in Northern Ireland, where police are under threat from terrorists  with the current level of threat assessed as severe, meaning an attack is highly likely.

Earlier this year, dissident republicans were blamed for the attempted murder of senior PSNI detective John Caldwell.

The Police Federation of Northern Ireland, which represents rank-and-file PSNI officers, said on Monday that almost 3,000 officers had expressed an interest in the event of legal action following the major data breach.

Former Irish premier Bertie Ahern said he does not understand how the details of PSNI officers and staff were all kept in one system.

Whats happened, why its happened, I dont know, I dont get it  how 10,000 people were all in one system, particularly intelligence people  but Im sure that will all come out in the wash, he told Newstalk.
SNP depute leader Keith Brown has said he has been subjected to abuse for his views on the gender recognition reforms passed by the Scottish Parliament last year.

Speaking to BBC Radio Scotlands Good Morning Scotland programme on Tuesday, Mr Brown condemned personal abuse that has been directed at politicians throughout the debate surrounding the Gender Recognition Act.

He was asked about comments made by SNP deputy Westminster leader Mhairi Black at an Edinburgh Fringe show which compared gender critical activists to white supremacists, but Mr Brown said he had not heard them.

He told the programme: I have always tried to take a very straightforward approach and Im not involved in abusing or calling anybody names in what I understand is a controversial issue.

It was voted on by a vast majority of people in the Scottish Parliament and I stand by that vote.

I do agree there should be no place for personal abuse. I have been subjected to abuse for my own views but I dont agree its right to indulge in personal abuse. People should have the right to have their say without having to suffer that kind of personal abuse.

Mr Brown was removed from his role as justice secretary in March in First Minister Humza Yousafs Cabinet reshuffle.

He had held Government positions since 2009.

Asked if the SNP is not a happy ship, Mr Brown said there is no question the party has challenges.

Mhairi Black addressed gender critical activists during an Edinburgh Fringe talk (Jane Barlow/PA)

He added: Thats probably no different from any other party at any given time.

Mr Brown also said he would support a debate on the Bute House Agreement between the SNP and Scottish Greens at his partys upcoming conference  though he still backs the deal.

He said: If thats the case and people want to have that discussion, then if that gets on to the agenda then of course I would support that debate, but that is a process that has to be gone through.

My own personal view is that we had a very comprehensive vote in favour of that Bute House Agreement and I remain very strongly in favour of that Bute House Agreement.

SNP MSP Fergus Ewing has previously called the Greens hard left extremists, but Mr Brown said that was an absurd characterisation.

He added: The SNP wouldnt be in coalition with anyone described as extremists.
Scotlands First Minister has said the probe into the SNPs finances could be more challenging before it gets easier.

Three senior figures in the party  former leader Nicola Sturgeon, her husband and former chief executive Peter Murrell and former treasurer Colin Beattie  have been arrested in the investigation, which was sparked by complaints about how more than 600,000 of crowdfunding was spent.

All three have since been released without charge, pending further investigation.

Police searched the home shared by Nicola Sturgeon and Peter Murrell earlier this year (Robert Perry/PA)

Speaking at a live recording of the Holyrood Sources podcast in Edinburgh, Humza Yousaf said the past few months had been one of the most difficult periods in the partys history and admitted some voters had questioned if the SNP was the same as Westminster parties.

This is without doubt the most challenging months our party has faced, he said.

To be frank, we dont know what the future holds either, and it could be more challenging before it gets easier.

Mr Yousaf also told the audience the arrests of Mr Murrell  in the early days of his leadership  and Mr Beattie  on the same day he published a policy platform for his Government  had scuppered his chance to dominate the narrative in the beginning of his leadership.

Holyroods Easter break, he said, would have allowed him to take his vision to the Scottish people, but he added: We had a whole policy platform, heres visits that were going to do, were going to talk about x, y and z  second day Peter Murrell gets arrested, thats blown out the water for the next few weeks.

Weve got another opportunity  policy prospectus  this is your document, this is what youre going to deliver, it takes you up to 2026  Colin Beattie gets arrested on that day.

He added: Trying to get through has been one of those challenges.

Former minister Fergus Ewing has been a loud critic of the Scottish Government in recent months (Fraser Bremner/Scottish Daily Mail/PA)

Mr Yousaf has also had to deal with increased pressure from others in the pro-independence movement in Scotland, including from within his own party.

One of the chief critics has been former Scottish Government minister and long-time SNP member Fergus Ewing.

Mr Ewing has hit out at the Government for a number of its plans, most recently on the SNP powersharing deal with the Scottish Greens, but also on marine protection and the deposit return scheme.

Asked about his interventions, the First Minister said: Its those people that have experience that could be the most constructive, helpful, offer wise counsel and do that in a way that is helpful to the party.

You can see it when Fergus stands up and makes his points  and hes got every right to make them, of course he does  be it at First Ministers Questions or during parliamentary questions, the only people applauding are the Conservative Party.

Thats not going to help our party or help our movement.

Asked about the deal with the Scottish Greens, which a number of high-profile figures within the party have questioned in recent weeks, Mr Yousaf said he was confident the agreement would last until the 2026 election.

Mr Yousaf has also faced criticism from Alex Salmond and the Alba Party, with the former first minister pushing for an electoral alliance between the pro-independence parties at the next general election.

But the First Minister said describing Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie as a total idiot as he has done doesnt scream unity.

He added: If you were really serious about wanting the independence movement to come together, why is 90% of your partys ammunition directed towards the SNP? That doesnt make sense.

There has been no overture from the Alba Party to the SNP, the First Minister claimed, but added that he was happy for Mr Salmond to have his pet project.
Labour will assess the fairness of policies like the two-child benefit limit amid a backlash over a failure to scrap the cap, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

The Labour leader has rebuffed suggestions of a clash with Scottish party members who oppose the benefit cap, which blocks applicants from claiming universal credit or child tax credits for a third child.

Sir Keir has repeatedly said he would not commit to uncosted policy changes and instead said his party will have an anti-poverty commitment.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar held an in conversation with event with UK leader Sir Keir Starmer (Andrew Milligan/PA)

But following an in conversation event with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar at Rutherglen Town Hall in South Lanarkshire on Tuesday, Sir Keir said his party, if elected into government next year, would ensure policies operate more fairly.

He told journalists after the event: Theres nothing to say an incoming Labour government cant make sure that the policies weve got can operate more fairly.

I think youd expect that from a Labour government and youll get that from a Labour government.

My Labour government, working with @AnasSarwar, will build a Scotland where working people can believe that the future will be better for their children. Let's smash the class ceiling. pic.twitter.com/FZ1r5SvTyl  Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) August 15, 2023

He made the comments in reference to whether he would scrap the associated rape clause  which requires women to disclose their child was conceived as a result of rape to get around the benefit cap.

Sir Keir added: What were being absolutely clear about is an anti-poverty strategy driven by an incoming Labour government will focus on growing the economy and making sure we get that growth in every part of the country.

However, Labour MSPs, including former leadership candidate Monica Lennon, slated the Labour leader last month, describing his stance as the wrong position.

Sir Keir insisted there was no division within party ranks (Andrew Milligan/PA)

It sparked questions over a possible division between Scottish Labour and the UK party, which have recently been dismissed by both Sir Keir and Mr Sarwar.

Sir Keir added: What youre not going to get is this false sense of division between Anas and me on this. You can see how united we are.

Mr Sarwar also said really strong ongoing dialogue was taking place between both sides of the party.

During the discussion with Labour party members on Tuesday, Sir Keir set his partys ambition to win over working class voters by shattering the class ceiling.

Sir Keir insisted there was strong unity within the ranks (Andrew Milligan/PA)

Ahead of the upcoming by-election in Rutherglen and Hamilton West, Sir Keir said the constituency really matters to Labours aims to win the general election.

It is of course the first chance that Labour has had to show the progress that we have made over the last few years, and particularly under Anas leadership, he said.

When I think about where we where when Anas took over to now, its like night and day.

This is our chance to show that progress and expose the fact that the SNP have effectively run out of road. Thats why theyre getting personal.
Under-fire Tory MP Tobias Ellwood has again urged the Government to rethink its strategy on Afghanistan, two years on from the fall of Kabul to the Taliban.

The senior Conservative said the UK should not abandon the people of Afghanistan, as he reiterated his call for ministers to reconsider engagement with the fundamentalist regime.

The chairman of the Commons Defence Select Committee was the keynote speaker at an event in Feltham in west London organised by the Afghanistan and Central Asian Association.

His appearance at the event, two years on from the Talibans return to power in the summer of 2021, comes after his recent comments on the country sparked controversy and criticism from his fellow MPs.

Mr Ellwood alluded to the row during his speech, stressing that he was speaking in a purely personal capacity, while also claiming that many do not want to confront the toughest of questions on Afghanistan.

The evacuation and plight of the country, he said, has been conveniently forgotten amid the war in Ukraine and growing tensions with China.

We dont want to be reminded of our failures, nor the fact that we handed the nation to the very insurgents that we went in to defeat.

And as I found out after my own visit, no-one it seems right now is ready to confront the toughest of questions of whether our current strategy of shouting from afar is actually working. Or do we dare to consider leveraging greater influence through engagement.

The former defence minister is facing a no-confidence motion as committee chairman after publishing a video claiming that Afghanistan has improved since the Taliban regained power.

Last month, he apologised in the face of a backlash from members of his own committee after claiming that security in Afghanistan has vastly improved and corruption is down since the fundamentalists returned in 2021.

Mr Ellwood, following a visit to the nation, called for Britain to reopen its embassy in Kabul, following on from the European Union re-establishing a physical presence in the territory last year.

He later deleted his video report from Helmand province, which was praised as positive by the Taliban, from social media and expressed regret over its recording.

Tobias Ellwood speaking on the second anniversary of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

The Conservative MP referred repeatedly to his recent visit, as well as previous trips, to Afghanistan during his address.

This remains, lets be really clear about this, an ultra-conservative movement with the most ruthless interpretation of Sharia law in the world.

But what I learned there are differences of views between (Afghan city) Kandahar and Kabul, where the practical realities of holding the country together are grappled with.

Mr Ellwood is pushing for the UK to reopen its embassy in Kabul.

He told the event: After abandoning the country as we did, we now have the duty to develop a strategy of engagement that moves on our current position of punishing the Afghanistan population for the Talibans takeover.

An economic, humanitarian or terrorism crisis is looming. Lets make sure Afghanistan and its people are not forgotten. Its time for a new strategy.
President Biden said Tuesday that he and first lady Jill Biden are working on traveling to Hawaii "as soon as we can" to assess the damage from the state's devastating wildfires that have left at least 101 dead and destroyed the historic town of Lahaina on the island of Maui.

"The deadliest wildfire in more than a hundred years," Mr. Biden said Tuesday at an event in Milwaukee. "A whole city destroyed. Generations of native Hawaiian history turned into ruin."

Deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton said earlier Tuesday that the White House was having "active conversations" about when the Bidens could visit. More than 1,000 people still remain unaccounted for in Maui.

The president noted that he had approved Hawaii Gov. Josh Green's request for a federal disaster declaration, and that 500 federal personnel had been deployed to Hawaii. Mr. Biden said he had spoken to Green and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell.

"My wife Jill and I are going to travel to Hawaii as soon as we can. That's what I've been talking to the governor about," he said. "I don't want to get in the way, I've been to too many disaster areas, but I want to go and make sure they get everything they need. I want to be sure we don't disrupt the ongoing recovery efforts."

President Biden and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers are greeted by workers as they arrive at Ingeteam Inc. in Milwaukee on Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023. / Credit: Jacquelyn Martin / AP

Mr. Biden said he had directed Criswell to streamline the process, and FEMA had so far approved 50,000 meals, 75,000 liters of water, 500 beds, 10,000 blankets and other shelter supplies to survivors. He said FEMA had also authorized one-time payments of up to $700 per household for residents who have been displaced.

The president said he had authorized "all available federal assets" to assist local crews, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the Navy's Third Fleet and the U.S. Army.

"Every asset they need will be there for them and we will be there in Maui as long as it takes," Mr. Biden said.

Last week, he approved the federal disaster declaration, clearing the way for federal funding to be provided to people on the island affected by the fires.

In Milwaukee, he toured Ingeteam, Inc., a clean energy company, and talked about his economic plan. He was set to return to the White House later in the day.

Green said Monday that search crews could recover "10 to 20 people" a day going forward, and Maui County Police Chief John Pelletier said that 25% of the area had been searched as of Monday night.

While much of the focus has been on Lahaina, fires continue to burn in the Upcountry region of Maui. In the Upcountry town of Kula, located just 25 miles east of the Lahaina disaster, firefighters on Tuesday were battling smaller blazes that have ravaged approximately 700 acres and claimed 19 homes.

Fulton County DA Fani Willis aims to try Trump, 18 co-defendants at once

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Maui wildfires destroy sacred Indigenous sites
The Santa Clara County Sheriffs Office is searching for 17-year-old Katherine Schneider who has been missing since July 5.

The mother of a missing California teenager Katie Schneider, who was last seen on July 5, said she believes her daughter was found dead in a park over the weekend.

Officials found human remains near Castle Rock Park in Los Gatos, California on Saturday and the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office said the county medical examiner has not yet determined the identity of the person located, according to CBS News.

Nola Schneider shared in an Instagram post the "devastating news" that her 17-year-old daughter died in a car wreck.

Katherine Schneider missing: Police search for 17-year-old California girl missing for a month

"The Santa Clara County Sheriffs office informed us that Katies remains were found in the vicinity of her vehicle in a ravine near Castle Rock State Park. At this time, the circumstances surrounding the heartbreaking incident are still under investigation," Nola wrote Sunday.

USA TODAY has reached out to the Santa Clara County Sheriffs Office and medical examiner for clarification.

Jason Cantrell: Husband of New Orleans mayor LaToya Cantrell dead at 55, city announces

'She radiated authenticity'

"It is hard to put into words how much Katie will be missed. Katie was a bright light that brought emotional vibrancy to our everyday lives. She radiated authenticity, thoughtfulness, a great sense of humor, and an unyielding determination. She taught us all how to live our biggest life without reservation," Nola wrote.

Nola thanked all agencies, community members and friends who helped with the search for Katie including the Sheriff's Office, search and rescue teams, FindingKids.org, National Center for Missing and Exploited Kids, private investigators and families with home security video, among many others.

"As we mourn the loss of our fearless and cherished Katie, we kindly ask for privacy to grieve and come to terms with this profound loss," Nola wrote.

Katie was last seen leaving her Saratoga, California home in a white 2019 Honda Accord, according to a news release issued by the Santa Clara County Sheriffs Office on Wednesday. Authorities found the vehicle on Aug. 7 unoccupied on State Route 35, also referred to as Skyline Boulevard, near Castle Rock State Park. Sheriff's officials said told CBS News investigation is still active.

The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office encouraged anyone with information to contact them at (408) 808-4500 or through the department's anonymous tip line at (408) 808-4431 or PIO@shf.sccgov.org.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Katie Schneider's mother says human remains were of missing daughter
A group of migrants boards a CTA bus at Chicago's Union Station to be taken to a Salvation Army shelter after arriving from Texas on Aug. 31, 2022. Credit: Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune via REUTERS

A child traveling to Chicago as part of the states migrant busing program died, according to a Friday afternoon statement from the Texas Division of Emergency Management.

The Chicago Tribune reported that the 3-year-old child died on Thursday when the bus was entering Chicago. The Illinois Department of Public Health confirmed to the newspaper that the state agency is investigating the death.

TDEM said that after the childs health began deteriorating, the bus pulled over and an ambulance was called. The child was taken to a local hospital, where they died.

TDEMs statement did not include information about the childs age, gender or nationality. The agency said that all of the passengers in the bus were processed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the City of Brownsville, which included a temperature check and medical screening. No passengers had showed signs of fever or medical concerns, the agency said.

According to state officials, passengers were released by the federal government and willingly chose to go to Chicago after signing a consent waiver.

Each bus is stocked with food and water, which are distributed on board, and makes stops along the trip to refuel and switch drivers. Migrants are allowed to purchase any additional provisions or disembark at any of these stops, the TDEM statement read.

Since April 2022, Gov. Greg Abbott has been busing migrants to Democratic-led cities across the country, which he has said is intended to provide relief to Texas border communities. Abbotts critics have said he is using migrants as pawns to win political points. Recently, Abbott announced that over 4,600 migrants have been bused to Chicago in the past year.

The governors office referred The Texas Tribune to TDEM for questions about the child's death. The agency did not response to questions as of Monday evening.

When asked for comment about the childs death White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Monday expressed condolences to the childs family. She also criticized Abbotts actions as dangerous and unlawful.

She added that Abbott has had the opportunity to work with the Biden administration on the issue of immigration, which Jean-Pierre characterized as a broken system, but said that Abbotts actions have undermined the presidents efforts.

It is unfortunate that [Abbott] continues to do this and it doesnt just put, sadly, young migrants at risk, but it also puts at risk, the border patrol who are trying to do their job and he gets in the way of that every day, Jean-Pierre said.

In May, an 8-year-old died while in custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. An internal investigation into the childs death uncovered multiple failings by contracted personnel working at a federal border station in Harlingen, including failing to contact doctors despite the mothers pleas for help.

We can  and we will  do better to ensure this never happens again, CBP acting Commissioner Troy Miller said at the time of the investigations release.

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.
LAHAINA, Hawaii  The death toll from the devastating fires that rampaged through Maui a week ago continues to rise from the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than 100 years .

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green warned that the fatalities could double in the next 10 days. As of the latest update, 106 people have been confirmed dead, and search operations for the missing are ongoing.

"All that area they got to plow up, they can't do it now because they don't know how many bodies are in there. They don't know what's left," President Joe Biden said Tuesday. "Imagine being a mom or dad wondering where your child is. Imagine being a husband or wife, a mother or father. It's really tough stuff."

Almost 500 federal personnel have been deployed to Maui to help communities and survivors get back on their feet.

FEMA search and rescue teams are sifting through the ashes within a 5-mile area that has been burned, according to Biden, with only about 27% of the area searched for victims.

"It's painstaking work. It takes time, and it's nerve-wracking," he added. "Most of the debris can't be removed until it's done."

On Monday, workers moved body bags into refrigerated storage containers adjacent to the Maui Police Forensic Facility, where human remains are stored in the aftermath of the wildfires in Wailuku, Hawaii.

4 FAMILY MEMBERS DIE IN HAWAII WILDFIRE: ITS LIKE A GUT PUNCH

On the afternoon of August 14, two additional refrigerated containers arrived for a total of five containers as local authorities and FBI Evidence Response Team (ERT) agents were on site.

Of the three fires that burned, officials say the Kula fire in Upcountry Maui destroyed over 500 structures and charred nearly 700 acres. Officials projected Kulas rebuilding costs to be at least $434 million. As of Monday evening, the fire is 65% contained, burning an estimated 678 acres through rugged terrain.

"It's hard to digest and hard to accept," said Kula resident Amanda Hardwick. "And I think it's easier as the days go on."

AERIAL FOOTAGE SHOWS SHEER DESTRUCTION AFTER DEADLY HAWAII FIRES ACROSS MAUI

Police instructed Hardwick and her family, including three young children, to evacuate last week, and they did so safely. At the time, her parents were visiting, and her mother-in-law was staying with them.

"And I know, too, that there are so many people that have lost so much more than we did," she said. "Everything we've lost is just material. But my family made it out safe and sound and everyone's accounted for.

Ultimately, that is what matters most to Hardwick.

"So, I'm happy to have what I do have, and life is the most important thing," she adds.

HAWAII BRUSH FIRES BY THE NUMBERS: THE SCOPE OF THE CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE

Authorities are still searching for the missing in Lahaina, located on the west side of Maui. The area has seen a lot of damage, with officials having searched only about a quarter of the affected parts where an estimated 12,000 people once lived.

According to officials, the Lahaina fire is 85% contained and has scorched an estimated 2,170 acres. There are no active threats at this time.

However, identifying the deceased individuals has proven to be an arduous task, with only three out of the 99 people found identified through fingerprint analysis. Residents on the island have been encouraged to give DNA swabs to help identify loved ones.

"The scale of destruction is incredible," Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said. "So our hearts are broken even a little bit more than when we were together 48 hours ago with the extra fatalities."

Green reported over 2,200 structures in Lahaina were destroyed, with residential properties comprising almost 90% of the total.

HAWAII WILDFIRES ANOTHER BILLION-DOLLAR DISASTER, MAJOR BLOW TO STATE'S ECONOMY, EXPERTS SAY

Along with police and search and rescue teams, 254 Army National Guard, Air National Guard and Army personnel are on the ground helping out.

Meanwhile, there still needs to be an official answer to why these fires started. Hawaiian Electric is now responding to criticism and a class-action lawsuit after they didnt shut off power ahead of the windy and dry conditions.

"We will be doing our own investigation. The state will be doing an investigation. We will cooperate fully in that," said Shelee Kimura, president and CEO of Hawaiian Electric, which serves 95% of Hawaiis population on the islands of Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, Lanai and Molokai. "I think we all believe it's important to understand what happened. And I think we all believe it's important to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Drinking water in Lahaina and near the Upcountry Fire has been deemed unsafe due to the presence of contaminants.

Hawaii's governor also hopes to honor the memory of those lost in the recent fires, and the significance of Lahaina, the first capitol of the Hawaiian Kingdom.

"In discussions last night, amongst colleagues of mine, people I trust, were hopeful to create a memorial for the people of the state of Hawaii in this site," Green said Monday evening. "Well also invest state resources to preserve and protect this land for our people; not for any development, for our people locally."

The governor, along with Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen and other officials, also addressed the community with their concerns amid the recovery process.

Residents have told authorities that they have been approached by people posing as real estate agents with ill intentions to buy fire-damaged home sites, according to the governor's office.

"Ive reached out to the Attorney General to explore options to do a moratorium on any sales of properties that have been damaged or destroyed," Governor Green said. "Moreover, I would caution people that its going to be a very long time, before any growth, or housing can be built. And so, you would be pretty poorly informed if you try to steal land from our people and then build here."

Green went on to say that he is "challenged by other laws, federal and otherwise, that dont let us restrict who can buy in our state."

"But we can do it deliberately during a crisis, and thats what were doing," Green said. "So for my part, I will try to allow no one from outside our state to buy any land until we get through this crisis and decide what Lahaina should be in the future."

Maui police officers help pack truckloads of food and supplies collected by Level Up Fitness. Frustrated with the apparently slow response from local government, residents in surrounding communities are collecting donated items and arranging to deliver them to the devastated neighborhoods in Lahaina.

Former President Barack Obama posted a video on social media as he appealed for aid after seeing the images coming out of Maui.

As he expressed his sadness at the devastation caused by fires, he also called for action to rebuild communities in Hawaii, where he was born and raised.

"The thing about it is though, thoughts and prayers in a moment like this are not enough," Obama said. "We have to step up and we have to help those families and we have to help Lahaina rebuild."

Rep. Jill Tokuda, who represents Maui in Congress, joined Obama in gratitude for the first responders and citizens who have helped in the recovery efforts. She described her recent trip to Lahaina as "absolutely devastating."

"Its going to be a long fight for so many," she said. "But we are here for them."
Your next trip to a local Wendy's (WEN) may look a little different.

On Tuesday, Wendy's announced it's revamping its kitchens for restaurants with the highest customer demand. In doing so, the hamburger chain is the latest company to embark on restaurant redesigns aimed at maximizing digital sales and serving customers increasingly on the go.

And it's another sign major fast-food and fast-casual restaurants are leaning into technology as COVID-era dining trends stick around.

"We know that digital is part of the future and has been continuing to grow even before the pandemic around delivery [and] mobile," Abigail Pringle, Wendy's chief development officer, told Yahoo Finance in an exclusive first look at the new kitchen. "I think that is the way that you have to think about it from a design standpoint."

Here's a look at how quick-service chains are redesigning their restaurants for the future.

Wendy's refresh 'all about growth'

For Wendy's the end goal is growth  with digital at the core.

The new kitchen (pictured below) features a dual-sided layout that is intended to increase the speed and volume of service. The redesign allows for a nearly 50% increase in kitchen output capacity, the company said in an exclusive.

Wendy's Builds Upon Global Next Gen Restaurant Design with New Kitchen Innovation (Courtesy: Wendy's)

Wendy's first introduced its modern look, dubbed "Global Next Gen," in 2022. The upgrades, which target increased capacity for digital orders and third-party delivery, are now open in certain locations in Kansas and Oklahoma, with plans to open more than 200 of the same concept through 2024.

The design includes self-order kiosks, parking and shelves for mobile order pickup, and dedicated delivery pick-up windows and parking spaces. It will also incorporate technology geared toward handling increased digital orders and integrate elements of the new design in its 7,000-plus existing locations, Pringle said.

Digital sales currently make up about 12% of Wendy's sales mix, a number that "held relatively steady" compared to the previous quarter, Wendy's CEO Todd Penegor said on an earnings call with investors.

"This is all about growth going forward," Pringle said. "Our digital businesses [are] growing. Our drive-thru businesses [are] growing."

KFC looks off-premise

During the pandemic, restaurants adapted to offer a variety of dining options.

Today, more than 85% to 90% of consumers take meals to go, according to BTIG analyst Peter Saleh. That's compared to 70% pre-COVID.

And YUM! Brands-owned (YUM) KFC has pivoted to accommodate more mobile dining experiences.

Last summer, Yahoo Finance got an inside look at a new KFC location in Louisville, Kentucky. The chain added a double drive-thru, parking spots dedicated to mobile ordering, and online ordering pickup shelves for customers or delivery drivers from the likes of Doordash (DASH), Grubhub (TKWY.AS), and UberEats (UBER).

KFC's Next Gen Restaurant Design in Louisville, Kentucky. (Brooke DiPalma/Yahoo Finance)

At the time, KFC chief development officer Brian Cahoe told Yahoo Finance that customers should expect a design that is "forward-looking from an off-premise channel access standpoint."

McDonald's, Dutch Bros. refine dining areas

With more customers no longer lingering at tables, food chains are experimenting with shrinking their dining room footprints too.

While Wendy's said its new Next Gen design features increased seating for diners, the same isn't true for new designs from its top rival, McDonald's (MCD).

In late 2022, McDonald's introduced its first fully automated test restaurant in Forth Worth, Texas, as part of the company's growth strategy, "Accelerating the Arches."

"When you step inside the test restaurant concept, youll notice its considerably smaller than a traditional McDonalds restaurant in the U.S.," the press release stated. "Why? The features  inside and outside  are geared toward customers who are planning to dine at home or on the go."

The new McDonalds test restaurant located just outside Fort Worth, Texas (Courtesy: McDonald's)

Last quarter, McDonald's digital sales totaled $8 billion across its six biggest markets.

"There's only a very small percentage that's actually being consumed in the restaurant in the US, so the need for ... dining room seats is nominal," Saleh said. "There aren't many people who just who are going to consume in the actual restaurant, ... so why would you build restaurants with a lot of seating?"

Dutch Bros (BROS), which aims to open 4,000 shops over the next 10-15 years, is also rethinking its footprint.

"We've evolved the way that [our shop format] looks, the size that it is, the way that it could handle the capacity of customers that we have," CEO Joth Ricci told Yahoo Finance last week about the 30-year-old business. "We continue to refine the inside of our shop operationally to make sure that it's efficient as possible to manage for the future."

Chipotle, Potbelly designs drive throughput

Earlier this year, Chipotle (CMG) announced its own plans to revamp its kitchen with a new double-sided grill. It's an efficiency play that promises to slash cooking times for chicken from 12 to four minutes and for steak from four minutes to one minute.

"You don't have customers waiting, [and] you don't have to bring in the labor as early," BTIG analyst Peter Saleh said on some of the redesign's benefits.

Chipotle is announcing its new all-electric, responsible restaurant design. (Courtesy: Chipotle)

In another bid to speed up customers' orders, Potbelly CEO Bob Wright recently told Yahoo Finance it repurposed its back line, intended to serve catering orders, to fulfill digital orders instead via its Potbelly Digital Kitchen.

"That digitized the back line in Potbelly so that when we receive those digital orders, we're able to process them much more efficiently," Wright said. "It also includes ... an in-line order-taking tablet that allows us to go deeper into the line, start the customer's order sooner, and it's driving throughput in our peak volume periods."

"It's not terribly technological, but it's a powerhouse for us," he added.

Shake Shack kiosks drive 'much higher check'

Why introduce all these digital-first designs now? Digital orders tend to lead to higher checks, experts say.

These investments are "a lot of up front," Saleh told Yahoo Finance. "But there's a lot of benefits to digital. Digital checks, whether it's through a kiosk or on your phone or through a third-party app ... they're usually [a] much higher check."

Over at a fast-casual chain, Shake Shack (SHAK), kiosks lead to higher checks than traditional cashiers.

Customers using Shake Shack self service ordering kiosks, Queens, New York. (Photo by: Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

"Kiosks enhanced guest convenience while driving a higher average check and, in turn, profitability," Shake Shack CEO Randy Garutti said on the company's second quarter call with investors. He added the company plans to put kiosks in nearly all Shacks by the end of the third quarter.

Restaurants need the customers first

Furthermore, Morningstar analyst Sean Dunlop said restaurant refreshes "create a little bit of an unlock" in terms of actual sales implications.

"Restaurant refreshes and remodels, historically, have correlated with a mid to high single digit (6%-7%) increase in traffic at that store," Dunlop told Yahoo Finance. "The store is more inviting, it looks more modern, consumers might be more comfortable actually spending time there."

But not all brands have a smooth transition into the future.

Last September, Restaurant Brands International (QSR) announced a $400 million "Reclaim the Flame" plan to bring Burger King into the future.

With $32 million invested so far toward advertising and digital investments and $35 million toward remodels and relocations, restaurant technology, kitchen equipment, and building enhancements, Burger King CEO Joshua Kobza stated the "early results ... give us confidence in the trajectory of the brand."

But according to Dunlop, a turnaround in sales may require more than just building improvements.

"If the customers aren't already trying it, they are not going to see those changes," he said. "If you're Burger King, and you only got two people in the drive-thru, the improvement between filling an order in four minutes versus filling an order in three and a half doesn't doesn't really move the needle" when compared to similar improvements made by McDonald's or Chick-fil-A, which recently introduced a new restaurant concept too.

Still, as dining preferences change, restaurants have little choice but to look to the future.

"Honestly, in the restaurant world, if you don't evolve and you don't change and you don't remodel, you become stale and your brand becomes stale," Saleh said.



Brooke DiPalma is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter at @BrookeDiPalma or email her at bdipalma@yahoofinance.com.

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A sea salt farmer in Amtae Island in Shinan County, South Jeolla Province, shovels sea salt at a local sea salt farm, October 2021. Korea Times file



Exhibition promotes benefits of mineral



By Ko Dong-hwan




The agony wrought by the deadliest US wildfire in a century is only beginning in Lahaina, Hawaii, where the inferno virtually wiped the town off the map.

Fear, anger and despair are setting in for some locals, who are now imploring that repair efforts should focus on not just clearing the way for tourists, but meeting the needs of the people who call Lahaina home.

Rick Avila, 65, a longtime Lahaina resident who lost his house to the blaze said one of the biggest immediate concerns for the community is finding long-term affordable housing for those who lost their homes. He and his wife have found temporary shelter at a friends vacation rental condo, but many others now feel like they have to leave the community, he told CNN.

A lot of them are going to Kihei and Wailuku and Kahului  and then a lot of them are leaving the island completely, Avila said of his friends and neighbors in the days since the blaze, and referring to three cities on the other side of Maui.

Still, Avila emphasized that Lahaina is a strong and tight-knit community, and the people will find a way to rebuild from the ground up.

In an aerial view, homes and businesses are seen that were destroyed by a wildfire on August 11, 2023 in Lahaina, Hawaii. - Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Lahaina resident Mike Cicchino, who was among the fire survivors forced to jump into the ocean as the flames encroached the town, told CNN, We just went through a nightmare, and were about to go through another nightmare trying to, basically, not stay homeless.

Cicchino is among those joining the growing chorus of people asking tourists not to come visit, because we dont have any places for locals to stay.

Were in desperate need out here, Cicchino added. A lot of people have nowhere to go.

As Avila put it, At this point, theres no reason for tourists to come here. Restaurants and shops are either burned or shuttered as staffers deal with the crisis, he noted, and while many of the resorts and hotels are left standing, their employees are scattered and shell-shocked.

In an aerial view, homes and businesses are seen that were destroyed by a wildfire on August 11, 2023 in Lahaina, Hawaii. - Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

He urged potential visitors to respect the aina [Hawaiian land] and the people who live here.

As soon as everythings up and running, then we will welcome back visitors, because the hotel people are going to need to work, Avila added. But let us get a little bit of a handle on it first.

What was lost

Lahaina is like no other place in the world, bordered by the turquoise Pacific Ocean on one end and green mountains on the other. Once the royal capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii, it went on to become an agricultural hub and cultural melting pot that served as a conduit for the American dream for so many families  including my own.

CNN Business Writer Catherine Thorbecke (center) with her late grandparents in Lahaina, Hawaii, circa 2013. Her grandparents passed away before the 2023 fires, but the home they lived in and gardens they planted are destroyed. - Catherine Thorbecke/CNN

My mother was born and raised in Lahaina. Her family immigrated to Maui from Okinawa, Japan, as part of the influx of laborers that were brought in to work on the islands sugar cane plantations. She was in Lahaina visiting family when the fire broke out and is among the lucky ones who survived. Her family home burned to the ground, and much of the neighborhood she grew up in is now in ashes.

It will be difficult for her community to rebuild: After Lahainas historic sugar cane mill shuttered in 1999, the hospitality industry quickly took over as the main economic engine of the community. The explosion of tourism over the years, however, has strained natural resources and astronomically driven up the cost of living  dividing the haves and have-nots in ways that felt untenable even before the fires devastation.

Hawaii Governor Josh Greens office said last month that the state has the most expensive housing in country. Homeownership has become nearly impossible for many locals, as available housing supply often gets converted into short-term rental units, hotel developments or second homes for millionaire visitors. Half of all housing units in Lahaina are not owner-occupied, according to Census data. The median listed home price in Lahaina as of July was some $1.5 million.

Most locals in Maui work in jobs that serve tourists. Roughly one in five workers in Maui County are in the accommodation and food service sector, where the average salary is $52,322, according data released by the state.

Meanwhile, prices in Hawaii are more than 13% higher than the national average, marking the highest regional price parity in the country, per the Bureau of Economic Analysis measure.

People looking down to downtown Lahaina from Lahaina Bypass in Lahaina, Hawaii on August 13, 2023. - Mengshin Lin/The Washington Post/Getty Images

As a result of all these factors and more, over half of Mauis residents are struggling to make ends meet and are categorized as Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (or ALICE) or below, per a 2022 study released by the local nonprofit Aloha United Way in partnership with the Bank of Hawaii. The ALICE designation means that households earn above the federal poverty level and thus often do not qualify for public assistance, but still cannot afford basic cost of living in their county.

Relying so heavily on the tourism industry also creates fragility for Mauis economy. In April 2020, at the onset of the Covid crises in the US and height of pandemic restrictions, the unemployment rate on Maui skyrocketed to 33.4%  more than twice the national average at the time of 14.7%

Green on Monday said his office is asking for moratorium on home sales as Maui looks to rebuild. And Hawaiis Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs urged Maui homeowners affected by the fires to use caution and to report unsolicited offers to buy their properties to the agency.

Looking ahead, fears mount over direction of Lahainas future

Looking beyond just the short-term needs, there is already growing concern that developers will now try to swoop in and buy up the land where peoples homes were destroyed, possibly rebuilding Lahaina into a Las Vegas-strip style tourism base.

The fear of land grabs from outsiders trying to cash-in on the tragedy and push more local people out of Maui are very real. Community groups have begun sharing resources, calling for people to report incidents of speculators circling their property in search of a deal. Thousands of people have also signed multiple petitions calling for a temporary moratorium on foreclosures amid the tragedy.

Despite the decades of change as visitors reshaped much of Hawaii, Lahaina treasured its history and residents worked hard to preserve the cultural heritage that made it so unique. Unlike the skyscrapers and luxury retail outposts on the Waikiki strip in neighboring Oahu island, Lahainas downtown  now largely razed  remained largely low-rise and dotted with small businesses built around a beloved, 150-year-old Banyan tree.

A woman digs through rubble of a home destroyed by a wildfire on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii. - Rick Bowmer/AP

Many have characterized Lahaina, in the coverage of these fires, as a tourist mecca or tourist destination, and its certainly attracted the interest and love of many, many people, Ilihia Gionson of the Hawaii Tourism Authority told CNN. But Lahaina also has a deep history, Gionson, who is Native Hawaiian, added, pointing to its place as the historic capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

Its also important to keep first and foremost in mind what the families of the area are going through, because its really in the families and in the hearts of the kamaaina, the residents of those places, that those kinds of stories, those kinds of histories live, Gionson said.

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The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability released a transcript Monday from a former FBI agent that Republicans say validates a key claim from an IRS whistleblower about management of the tax crimes investigation into Hunter Biden, the presidents son.

But Democrats argue that the interview actually discredits GOP claims of improper political influence in the investigation.

The closed-door interview with the now-retired FBI special supervisory agent, who oversaw the investigation into Hunter Biden conducted in conjunction with the IRS, was conducted in July and has prompted sparring between the two parties in the weeks since. The agents name is redacted in the transcript.

Republican interest in the FBI agents testimony centers on how they say it substantiates a piece of testimony from one of the IRS whistleblowers who raised alarm about how the tax crimes investigation into Hunter Biden was conducted, specifically about how a planned attempt to interview Hunter Biden at his home in California Dec. 8, 2020, unfolded.

That whistleblower, IRS Supervisory Agent Gary Shapley, and the FBI agent said their plan was to show up at Hunter Bidens home for a possible interview and hail mary consent search. They planned to notify the local Secret Service office in Los Angeles at 8 a.m. the day of their planned attempt, since Hunter Biden was a Secret Service protectee.

The initial plan was to have the local field office of the Secret Service be notified the morning of to diminish opportunities for anybody else to be notified, the FBI agent said in the interview.

But the FBI agent said he was notified the evening before, Dec. 7, 2020, that FBI headquarters had contacted the Secret Service headquarters  which upset both the FBI agent and Shapley from the IRS.

I felt it was people that did not need to know about our intent, the FBI agent said. I believe that the Secret Service had to be notified for our safety, for lack of confusion, for deconfliction, which we would do in so many other cases, but I didnt understand why the initial notification.

Shapley had told the House Ways and Means Committee in May that the transition team was also notified about the plan. The FBI agent said he did not recall that until he had heard it from Shapley, but he remembered thats why I was upset that evening, that somebody beyond Secret Service was notified. The agent could not provide any other information about who in the transition team was notified.

On the day of Dec. 8, the plan changed, the agent said. He was told his information would be given to the Secret Service, but that he was to stay away from Hunter Bidens home while he awaited further contact, which he said he had never been instructed to do before.

They were never able to interview Hunter Biden.

During Democratic questioning, however, the FBI agent said he had never interviewed a Secret Service protectee as part of a criminal matter and acknowledged that FBI policy means that politically sensitive investigations require greater approvals from up the chain of command.

The agent also told the committee he couldnt say whether the change in plans was driven by political considerations, but understood that FBI headquarters and Secret Service headquarters could want to foster an ongoing good working relationship, so that one was not blindsided by the other.

The agent also indicated that it was unlikely that Hunter Biden would have agreed to speak to him even if he had been allowed to try to knock on his door.

In my experience, an attorney would be less likely to agree to succumb to an interview, the FBI agent said.

Republicans are using the interview to boost their claims of mismanagement of the investigation into Hunter Biden, which Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has said could evolve into an impeachment inquiry into President Biden.

IRS whistleblower Gary Shapleys testimony that Secret Service headquarters and the Biden transition team were tipped off is confirmed by a former FBI agent, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) said in a statement Monday alongside the transcripts release.

Tipping off the transition team and not being able to interview Hunter Biden as planned are just a couple of examples that reveal the Justice Departments misconduct in the Biden criminal investigation that occurred under U.S. Attorney Weiss watch, Comer added.

Weiss was appointed as a special counsel in the ongoing investigation of Hunter Biden last week, a move that Republicans have criticized given their disapproval with how he handled previous aspects of the case as outlined by the IRS whistleblowers.

But Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the Oversight committee, said in a statement that the transcript once again confirms that David Weiss, a Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney, hand-picked by then-Attorney General William Barr, has for years been investigating the Presidents son without any political interference from the Administration.

Raskin had for weeks called on Comer to publicly release the FBI agent transcript. Republicans said that the transcript was going through a normal review process and that they planned to eventually release it, as Comer said he wanted to do.

The Chairmans release, obviously timed to distract from news of an imminent potential fourth criminal indictment of Donald Trump, features the same selective and distorted parsing of information we have come to expect in service of the Republicans fruitless investigation into President Biden, which has failed to turn up a single shred of evidence of wrongdoing, Raskin said in his statement.

Updated at 5:12 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Photograph: Rick Bowmer/AP

Maui county has released the first names of people killed in the Hawaii wildfire that all but incinerated the historic town of Lahaina a week ago, while raising the death toll to 106. Meanwhile, local power utility Hawaii Electric Company has faced criticism for not shutting off power in an area at high risk for fire.

The county named two victims, Lahaina residents Robert Dyckman, 74, and Buddy Jantoc, 79, adding in a statement that a further three victims had been identified. Those names will be released once the county has identified their next of kin.

As officials continue to work painstakingly to identify those confirmed killed in wildfires a mobile morgue unit arrived and teams intensified the search for more dead in neighbourhoods reduced to ash.

Related: Lahaina, site of incalculable Native Hawaiian importance, reels from cultural losses

The wildfires, some of which have not yet been fully contained, are already the deadliest in the US in more than a century. Fueled through parched invasive grasses by strong winds that whipped flames across miles in mere minutes, the blaze that swept into centuries-old Lahaina last week destroyed nearly every building in the town of 13,000.

While the cause of the ignition is still under investigation, the local power utility has faced criticism for not shutting off power as strong winds buffeted a drought-stricken area under high risk for fire.

A video posted to Facebook by Shane Treu, a Maui resident, appeared to show a snapped power line dangling in a charred patch of grass, surrounded by orange flames.

I heard buzz, buzz, the 49-year-old resort worker recounted to the Associated Press. It was almost like somebody lit a firework. It just ran straight up the hill to a bigger pile of grass and then, with that high wind, that fire was blazing.

Treus video and others, captured in the early moments of what would become the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century, have emerged as key evidence pointing to fallen utility lines as the possible cause. Hawaiian Electric Co faces criticism for not shutting off the power amid high wind warnings and keeping it on even as dozens of poles began to topple.

A class-action lawsuit has already been filed seeking to hold the company responsible for the deaths. The suit cites the utilitys own documents showing it was aware that pre-emptive power shutoffs such as those used in California were an effective strategy to prevent wildfires but never adopted them.

Hawaiian Electric declined to comment on the accusations in the lawsuit or whether it has ever shut down power before due to high winds. But Shelee Kimura, the president and CEO, noted at a news conference Monday that many factors go into that decision, including the possible effect on people who rely on specialized medical equipment and firefighters who need power to pump water.

Even in places where this has been used, it is controversial, and its not universally accepted, she said.

The US Department of Health and Human Services deployed a team of coroners, pathologists and technicians along with exam tables, X-ray units and other equipment to identify victims and process remains, said Jonathan Greene, the agencys deputy assistant secretary for response.

Its going to be a very, very difficult mission, Greene said. And patience will be incredibly important because of the number of victims.

Roughly 32% of the area has been scoured by crews using cadaver dogs, according to authorities, who said they expect up to 90% of the search to be completed by the weekend. John Pelletier, the Maui police chief, renewed an appeal for families with missing relatives to provide DNA samples. So far 41 samples have been submitted, the county statement said, and 13 DNA profiles have been obtained from remains.

Governor Josh Green said earlier on Tuesday evening in an interview with CNN that only four of the dead have been identified. He asked for patience and space to do the search properly as authorities became overwhelmed with requests to visit the burn area. He told CNN in an interview that the death toll could double as search and rescue work progresses.

For those people who have walked into Lahaina because they really wanted to see, know that theyre very likely walking on iwi, he said at a news conference on Maui, using the Hawaiian word for bones.

Authorities have warned that toxic byproducts may remain even in areas where the fire has retreated, including in drinking water, after the flames spewed poisonous fumes. That has left many unable to return home.

Authorities paused a system that had allowed Lahaina residents and others to visit devastated areas with police permits. Kevin Eliason said when he was turned away, the line of cars with people waiting to get a placard had grown to at least 3 miles (5km) long.

Its a joke, Eliason said. Its just crazy. They didnt expect, probably, tens of thousands of people to show up there.

A week after a blaze tore through historic Lahaina, many who survived have started moving into hundreds of hotel rooms set aside for displaced locals while donations of food, ice, water and other essentials have poured in. Among the displaced are an estimated 3,000 animals, many of them badly injured, the Maui Humane Society told NBC news.

A long road to recovery for the vibrant and historic town of Lahaina still lays ahead and thousands of people will not be able to return home.

Related: Survivor of Lahaina blaze says sea was only sanctuary: I went through hell

The Red Cross said 575 evacuees were spread across five shelters on Monday, including the War Memorial Gymnasium in Wailuku. Green said that thousands of people will need housing for at least nine months.

More than 3,000 people have registered for federal assistance, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), and that number was expected to grow.

Were not taking anything off the table, and were going to be very creative in how we use our authorities to help build communities and help people find a place to stay for the longer term, the agency administrator, Deanne Criswell, said.

Fema has started to provide $700 to displaced residents to cover the cost of food, water, first aid and medical supplies. The money is in addition to whatever amount residents qualify for to cover the loss of homes and personal property.

The Biden administration is seeking $12bn more for the governments disaster relief fund as part of its supplemental funding request to Congress.

Green said leaders all across the board have helped by donating over 1m lbs (454,000kg) of food as well as ice, water, diapers and baby formula.

But residents, still reeling from the fire, have voiced growing concerns about the slow-moving systems that they said failed to adequately support them in the aftermath of the disaster. Volunteers, meanwhile, have flooded in to help with relief efforts and distribution centers are grappling with the over-abundance of donations spilling in.

When people are hurting, the community steps up and takes care of each other, the lieutenant governor, Sylvia Luke, said at a news conference on Monday.
Going places: passengers at Heathrows Terminal 5 (Simon Calder)

At last, league tables in which UK airports are moving up. According to just-released data from the aviation schedule analyst OAG, Heathrow and Gatwick are improving relative to the global competition (compared to figures in 2019).

The metric being used? The number of seats departing on flights in August. A more valuable measure, you could contend, would be the actual number of passengers. But that data will not be available for many weeks, and this very busy summer there is a strong correlation between capacity and numbers carried. So available seats is a valid way to compare the worlds mega-hubs.

Top of the table is the airport serving a city that ranks only 38th in the US in population terms: Atlanta. The Georgia state capital may be home to only half a million people, but such is its hub status that it leads the world with 5.42 million seats.

Moving up to second place, and catching up on Atlanta, is Dubai. Unlike the US city, it has zero domestic flights, but international connections provide it with 4.96 million seats.

Tokyo Haneda (4.68 million) takes third place, and Dallas (4.4 million) is fourth.

Next comes London Heathrow in fifth place, rising from seventh thanks to declines at Los Angeles and Chicago OHare. But watch out for Istanbul, whose new airport is a rising star. Both airports are rounded to 4.37 million  with Heathrow just 3,535 seats ahead.

Just one more flight a day would take rapidly expanding Istanbul ahead. And once Chinese aviation is back to pre-pandemic levels, the main airports in Beijing and Shanghai are likely to be formidable competitors.

Strip out domestic flights  which make up the vast majority of seats for Atlanta and a fair few for Tokyo and Istanbul  and the picture becomes very different.

Dubais 4.96 million seats make it unapproachably distant at the top of the international only league. Heathrow loses about 5 per cent of its seat count once domestics are discounted, and reports passenger numbers still down on pre-pandemic levels. But it still makes a commanding second place with 4.13 million.

Its four main European challengers  Amsterdam, Paris CDG, Istanbul and Frankfurt  are next, all bunched together around the 3.25 million mark. The French may be miffed to be overtaken by the Dutch (albeit by a tiny margin), but plans to cut flights at the Netherlands hub should see Paris reclaim the continental Europe lead.

Singapore (3.2 million) makes seventh place, just ahead of Seouls Incheon airport (3.15 million).

You probably wont be surprised to see Doha taking ninth place with 2.64 million passengers; the Qatar Airways hub is still expanding relentlessly and has risen from the 15th place it occupied in 2019.

But you may be amazed (I was) to learn which airport took 10th place: London Gatwick, up from 12th four years ago, with 2.34 million seats this month.

Go back to April 2020 and the Sussex airport had so few passengers that it closed the North Terminal completely and reduced its hours of operation to just 2pm-8pm daily. As an airport, you know youre in trouble when your main passenger route involves a commuter jet from Minsk.

Gatwick was crushed by Covid but has clambered back impressively from the abyss.

Looking at the European league table, and bringing domestic passengers back into the count, Heathrow is in its familiar first place. Whether it stays there, with Istanbul biting at its heels, depends on whether capacity can recover to 2019 levels.

The southern European trio of Madrid, Barcelona and Rome take sixth, seventh and eighth places respectively. Gatwick is ninth, up one place from 2019. Joining the top 10: Antalya in southern Turkey. I count at least 20 different Russian airports, from Volgograd to Novosibirsk, on the departure screens. International sanctions mean that no airport in Russia makes the top 10.

When Putins lousy war is over, the picture will change once again. But Russian aviation will have its work cut out to return to prominence on the world stage.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Home prices in over half of the US saw record price increases last quarter.

Median home prices rose 8.5% in the second quarter to $402,600, per NAR data.

Housing affordability has been strained for the past year due to high mortgage rates and low inventory.

Home prices saw a record increase in over half of the US housing market over the past quarter, deepening the increasingly unaffordable conditions homebuyers are facing.

The price for a median single-family home saw an increase in 53.8% of metropolitan housing markets in the US last quarter, the National Association of Realtors said in a statement on Monday. Median home prices rose 8.5% overall to $402,600 over the second quarter, though prices are down 2.4% compared to prior year.

Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, saw the largest home-price increase, with prices leaping 25.3% higher compared to the prior year. That was followed by New Bern, North Carolina with a 19.7% year-per-year price increase, and Duluth, Minnesota-Wisconsin with a 14.6% increase. Davenport Moline-Rock Island, Iowa-Illinois prices jumped 12.6%, while Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton Pennsylvania-New Jersey prices surged 11.7%.

Housing affordability has been weighed down over the past year due to high mortgage rates, with the average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage rising to 6.96% over the past week, according to Freddie Mac data.

That's raised the cost of borrowing for buyers and discouraged sellers from listing their properties for sale, worsening a supply-demand imbalance that's pushed up prices. The share of homes worth $1 million or more is nearing an all-time-high, and the median home price is now around 44% higher than prior to the pandemic, Redfin data shows.

NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun previously told Insider he expected home prices to see little change through the rest of the year as mortgage rates stick close to a 20-year-high. But stagnant prices could be good news for buyers, as household incomes rise an average 4%-5% each year.

That could give those searching for a home some time to "catch up" with the costs of housing, Yun said, though it could take years to close the affordability gap as mortgage rates remain elevated.

Other experts have said affordability is unlikely to improve until mortgage rates fall closer to 5%. The 30-year mortgage rate is expected to ease to around 6% by the end of 2023, according to estimates from NAR and Redfin.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A Georgia grand jury indicted former President Donald Trump and 18 of his allies for allegedly trying to overturn the states 2020 election results - making it the fourth criminal trial that the former president faces as he pursues the White House again in 2024.

The 98-page indictment accuses the defendants of conspiring to commit election fraud, conspiring to commit false statements and writings, perjury and violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, which penalizes activities of individuals engaging in organized crime, among other things.

Trumps co-defendants includes prominent names like Rudy Giuliani and Mark Meadows, as well as lesser-known allies who helped Trump protest the election results in Georgia and elsewhere. They have until noon on Aug. 25, to voluntarily surrender.

Here are some of the indicted allies of Trump, and what they were doing at the time of the events described in the indictment.

Trump administration officials and staffers

Who is Mark Meadows?

How many charges: 2

Mark Meadows was the White House chief of staff under the Trump administration. Meadows allegedly threatened Georgia state officials with false election fraud claims and helped arrange Trump's infamous Jan. 2, 2021, phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which the former president urged Raffensperger to find "11,780 votes" and swing the election in his favor.

Meadows was ordered to testify in the Georgia election case last year, a move that his lawyers tried to fight against by alleging that Meadows' communications with the former president were privileged.

The indictment charged Meadows with violation of Georgia's RICO Act and solicitation of violation of oath by public officer.

Who is Jeffrey Clark?

How many charges: 2

Former Justice Department lawyer Jeffrey Clark was a central player in Trump's alleged effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election. He allegedly drafted a letter urging Georgia officials to convene a special session in the state legislature relating to the 2020 election.

The indictment alleges that the letter falsely claimed that the Justice Department had "identified significant concerns that may have impacted the outcome of the election in multiple states, including the state of Georgia"  an allegation that had no proof.

Clark was accused of violating the RICO Act and criminally attempting to commit false statements and writings.

Who is Mike Roman?

2011 photo of Mike Roman, who served as chief of staff for Rep. Bobby Schilling (R-Ill).

How many charges: 7

Mike Roman served as an official on Trumps 2020 re-election campaign.

The indictment alleges that Roman instructed an unnamed co-conspirator to coordinate with Trump campaign officials to contact state legislators in Georgia and other battleground states on behalf of Trump and encourage them to unlawfully appoint presidential electors.

Roman faces seven charges in the indictment, including violation of the RICO Act and conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer.

Who is Ray Smith?

How many charges: 12

Ray Smith, a former Trump campaign attorney, faces multiple conspiracy charges, including impersonating a public officer and committing forgery in the first degree, and other charges such as the violation of the RICO Act and solicitation of violation of oath by public officer.

Trump- aligned lawyers

Who is Rudy Giuliani?

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani speaks during a news conference, Tuesday, June 7, 2022, in New York.

How many charges: 13

Rudy Giuliani is a former Trump lawyer - and former New York City mayor - who was allegedly actively involved in the Georgia election protest. He faces numerous charges on false statements and writings and conspiracy charges, including committing forgery in the first degree.

Who is John Eastman?

How many charges: 9

John Eastman is a lawyer who developed legal theories on how Trump could spike some of Biden's electoral votes. He faces charges on conspiracy to impersonate a public officer, conspiracy to commit false statements and writings and other charges.

Who is Kenneth Chesebro?

How many charges: 7

Kenneth Chesebro is an active pro-Trump lawyer who allegedly helped coordinate the plan to recruit fake electors. He faces charges of violating the RICO act, conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer, conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree and other charges.

Who is Robert Cheeley?

Attorney Robert Cheeley reads through Georgia law during a hearing on the motion to dismiss the case of the review of Fulton County elections ballots at the Henry County Courthouse in McDonough, Ga., Monday, June 21, 2021.

How many charges: 10

Robert Cheeley is a lawyer who allegedly promoted evidence-free claims of fraud.

Who is Sidney Powell?

How many charges: 7

Sidney Powell is a lawyer who served on the Trump campaign. Powell allegedly pushed conspiracy theories that Dominion Voting Systems changed votes from Trump to Biden.

Who is Jenna Ellis?

How many charges: 2

Jenna Ellis, a lawyer who served on the Trump campaign, allegedly solicited, requested, and importuned Pennsylvania legislators present at a meeting to unlawfully appoint presidential electors from the state, according to the indictment. She also allegedly made false election fraud statements.

Ellis faces two charges: violation of the RICO Act and solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer.

Other Republicans allied with Trump

Who is David Shafer?

How many charges: 8

David Shafer is a Georgia Republican Party chairman and one of the so-called "fake electors" named in the indictment.

Who is Shawn Still?

Official portrait of Georgia State Sen. Shawn Still. Still was charged Monday, Aug. 14, 2023 in an indictment alledging Donald Trump and others were part of a scheme to illegally overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.

How many charges: 7

Shawn Still was a fake Trump elector who was allegedly recruited to alter votes from Biden to Trump.

Who is Stephen Lee?

How many charges: 5

Stephen Lee, a pastor, was involved in alleged intimidation of election workers.

Who is Trevian Kutti?

How many charges: 3

Trevian Kutti was a publicist for R. Kelly and Kanye West, and was involved in the alleged intimidation of election workers.

Who is Cathy Latham?

In this Jan. 7, 2021, image taken from Coffee County, Ga., security video, Cathy Latham, right, appears to take a selfie with a member of a computer forensics team inside the local elections office. Latham was the county Republican Party chair at the time. The computer forensics team was at the county elections office in Douglas, Ga., to make copies of voting equipment in an effort that documents show was arranged by attorney Sidney Powell and others allied with then-President Donald Trump.

How many charges: 11

Cathy Latham was a fake Trump elector who is tied to alleged attempts to breach voting systems in Coffee County, Georgia.

Who is Misty Hampton?

How many charges: 7

Misty Hampton was the elections supervisor for Coffee County, Georgia. She allegedly made a viral video claiming to show that Dominion Voting System machines could be manipulated and cast suspicion around Bidens win in Georgia, as The Washington Post reported.

She also allegedly authored a "written invitation" to Trump attorneys to facilitate a breach in voting systems in the county, as CNN reported.

Hampton faces seven charges in the indictment, which include violation of the RICO Act, conspiracy to commit election fraud and conspiracy to defraud the states.

Who is Scott Hall?

How many charges: 7

Scott Hall, an Atlanta-based bail bondsman, allegedly met with a group from the data solutions firm Sullivan Strickler at the Coffee Countys election office, who copied data from the election management system server and other voting systems, the AP reported. The company said it believed its clients had the necessary permission.

Hall faces the same seven charges that Hampton faces in the indictment.

Who is Harrison Floyd?

How many charges: 3

Harrison Floyd served as the leader for the organization Black Voices for Trump.

The indictment states Floyd and other individuals unlawfully conspired to solicit, request, and importune Ruby Freeman, a Fulton County election worker, to engage in conduct that constitutes the felony offense of false statements and writings.

Floyd faces three charges: violation of the RICO Act, conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements and writings and influencing witnesses.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Georgia indictment: Trump's allies include Mark Meadows, others
NEWPORT NEWS, Va.  The mother of a 6-year-old student who police say intentionally opened fire on his first-grade teacher pleaded guilty Tuesday in a Virginia court in connection with the shooting in January.

Deja Taylor, 26, was charged with felony child neglect and could serve up to six months in state prison based on a recommendation by the Newport News Commonwealth's Attorney. A judge could decide to go beyond the guidance when he sentences her on Oct. 27.

As part of a plea deal, a separate charge  a misdemeanor count of recklessly leaving a loaded firearm so as to endanger a child  was dropped, allowing Taylor to avoid a potential six-year prison sentence.

James Ellenson, a lawyer for the family, said Taylor remains remorseful, although he believes no prison time will be the appropriate sentence.

"She feels very responsible, feels very bad," Ellenson told reporters after the hearing.

"It's just very emotional, the whole hearing," he added. "It's all just very upsetting to everybody."

The court hearing in Newport News ended one facet of the case, which drew national attention to school safety and gun violence and led to the ouster of the school's superintendent and an assistant principal.

Abigail Zwerner, the teacher in the shooting at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, was seriously wounded but survived.

Police respond to a shooting that injured a teacher at Richneck Elementary (Billy Schuerman / The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty Images file)

Court documents unsealed this month included new details in how the boy, who is identified only by his initials, obtained the 9 mm semi-automatic handgun.

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 a probable cause 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.

Ellenson 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 also 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, federal prosecutors said. Under U.S. law, 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."

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 a wounded Zwerner. The other 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 Taylor's hearing, prosecutors said that her son was reportedly combative as he was being detained, saying, "F--- you. I shot my teacher," before breaking free and punching a staffer.

He also said, "I got my mom's gun last night. My mom had that," and "I stole it because I needed to shoot my teacher," according to prosecutors.

The child's family has said that he has an "acute disability" and that he had received the "treatment he needs" under a court-ordered temporary detention at a medical facility.

He is currently under the care of Taylor's grandfather, who attended Tuesday's plea hearing.

"The child is doing fine. He's progressing," Ellenson said.

A 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.

Zwerner has filed a $40 million lawsuit alleging that 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 Public Schools said in a statement this month 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."

Kyle Stewart reported from Newport News and Erik Ortiz from New York.
WASHINGTON  Its the sort of split-screen moment that no White House relishes.

While Maui counted its dead Sunday, President Joe Biden sat on the beach in Delaware, rode his bicycle and said little about the deadliest wildfire to hit the U.S. in a century.

"We're looking at it," he said, pedaling past reporters who shouted at him as he whizzed by.

Biden had first delivered remarks last Thursday about the catastrophic fire. The next day, his son became the subject of a federal special counsel investigation. And since then Biden has said virtually nothing to the press  not about Hunter or the fires or anything else.

Four days of silence haven't gone unnoticed  not by the reporters who pressed White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Monday about why he has not spoken out more, or by Republicans, who piled on criticism that the president was failing to address the devastation, or by conservative media, who on Tuesday juxtaposed pictures of Biden at the beach with footage of the fires.

Donald Trump, in a video posted between attacks on the prosecutor who indicted him on Monday, released a two-minute video criticizing Bidens response to the fires.

It is a disgraceful thing that Joe Biden refuses to help or comment on the tragedy in Maui, he said. Trump also criticized the Democratic governor and made a dismissive reference to global warming.

The White House points to the response on the ground as proof that the Biden administration is taking the catastrophe seriously. Nearly 500 federal workers are deployed in Hawaii. FEMA has provided 50,000 meals, 75,000 liters of water, 5,000 cots and 10,000 blankets. The U.S. Coast Guard and Navy Third Fleet supported response efforts, and the Marines provided Blackhawk helicopters to fight fires.

Biden has also spoken with the states governor, Josh Green, and to Sens. Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz, Hawaii Democrats, among other officials.

Hirono, whose office did not respond to a request for comment, has defended the White House's response to the fires, writing online, "glad to see so many on the right are so concerned about whats happening in Hawaii" and asking Republicans to support more funding.

On the ground, residents said over the weekend that they were getting more help from volunteers than from the government, according to a New York Times report.

We wont be lectured by Republican officials in Washington who are doubling down on denial of the climate crisis that is devastating red and blue states, who attempted to slash the wildfire response budget, and who defended the Trump Administration cutting Puerto Rico off from hurricane relief, said Andrew Bates, a White House spokesman.

With the death toll expected to continue to climb, Biden flew to the 2024 battleground state of Wisconsin on Tuesday to mark the first anniversary of an ambitious climate change package that is central to his campaign message. He spoke for five minutes at the start of his remarks about the fires.

I dont want to get in the way. Ive been to too many disaster areas, Biden said on the considerations that go into making the trip. But I want to go and make sure we got everything they need. I want to be sure we dont disrupt the ongoing recovery efforts.

The promise comes amid pressure from critics who've seized on what they see as a potential vulnerability.

The Republican National Committee sent out an email Monday with a picture of Biden sitting in a beach chair in a sandy stretch of Delaware, while Hawaiians are left to fend for themselves.

Doug Heye, a former RNC official, called Bidens relative silence surprising and disappointing.

Biden had always been portrayed as somebody who would be a great consoler-in-chief, Heye said. And, you know, here we have the deadliest wildfire in our nations history, and hes been silent.

Having lost a wife and daughter in a car crash and a son to cancer, Biden has embraced the role of soothing those who are in pain, invoking his own experiences to comfort a grieving parent or child. He often promises that the day will come when the memory of a loved one will bring a smile to your lips before a tear to your eye  as he said in 2021 during a speech marking the grim milestone of 500,000 dead from Covid-19.

Delivering that kind of reassurance often calls for visiting the scene of the disaster. A White House spokeswoman told reporters Tuesday that officials are having an "active conversation on when a visit to Hawaii might be possible." Such a presidential trip that poses daunting logistical challenges given the distances and the ongoing efforts to contain the fires and locate more victims.

"We want to make sure that they have, you know, all of the resources and the space that they need and not disrupt operations right now, Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Deanne Criswell said at a press briefing on Monday.

Natural disasters test a presidents executive skills and political savvy. Former President George W. Bush was seen as falling short on both counts when Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans in 2005. The storm killed more than 1,300 people, many of who were Black and poor and trapped in the flood waters that rose after the storm had passed.

While far less devastating, a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio provided a stage for Trump to one-up Biden. The accident in February released toxic chemicals that caused a mass evacuation and stoked fears of wider contamination. No one was killed in that spill, but concerns linger about long-term health consequences.

Trump visited the site a few weeks after the crash, meeting with local officials and sharply criticizing the sitting president for staying away. Though Biden said he, too, planned to visit East Palestine, more than six months later, that trip has yet to materialize. Biden did direct federal resources to the region, but also received criticism from the Republicans for flying to Ukraine that same month rather than traveling to East Palestine to survey conditions.

While in power, Trump faced staunch criticism over his response to a hurricane that devastated Puerto Rico in 2017. While visiting the island, Trump tossed paper towels into the crowd at a relief center, an act seen as insensitive given the scope of the damage.

It often takes time to assess the response on the ground, and whether there were missteps. An inspector generals report later found that the Trump administration obstructed an investigation into why officials withheld about $20 billion in hurricane relief for the island.

Ultimately, youll be judged by whats happening on the ground. You can say a lot, but ultimately the mayors and the local officials and governors really dont care so much about your words, but are you acting on the long list of needs that theyre giving you, Robert Mann, who was an aide to then-Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, said in an interview.

Getting resources to Hawaii in the coming months could quickly become a partisan fight in Congress. Republicans have historically resisted providing additional spending for disasters, particularly in places that don't traditionally vote for the GOP.

Sen. Brian Schatz, a Hawaii Democrat, is already starting to make the case that more money is needed.

"We are going to need a bipartisan emergency supplemental appropriations bill that includes significant funding for Hawaii, he told NBC News. Im working with state and local officials, the Biden administration and my colleagues on the Senate Appropriations Committee to make sure Hawaii gets all the federal resources it needs."
The fires that have been burning in Maui since Tuesday could pose long-term health risks to residents due to chemical compounds contaminating the air, water and wreckage, authorities and experts have warned.

The Hawaii State Health Department cautioned Friday that ash and dust from burned buildings might carry toxic chemicals like asbestos and lead. Many destroyed buildings in Lahaina  the hardest-hit community  may have contained these chemicals because they were built before lead and asbestos were phased out of construction in the 1970s.

"Things like lead and asbestos are sort of top of the list. Those are things that are in paint, in buildings, and then do not really get destroyed with burning, so they're now in the ash and the dust," said Diana Felton, Hawaii's state toxicologist.

Felton said that there is some concern that people in Lahaina might inhale lead and asbestos particles in the air but that the bigger worry is that residents might unintentionally ingest the chemicals if they get on clothes or hands.

The fires may also have stirred up arsenic in the soil, because the chemical was used as an herbicide in parts of Hawaii  particularly sugar cane and pineapple fields  in the early 1900s, Felton said. The chemical binds tightly to the dirt, she added, so it is most likely to be found in dust and ash.

Then, on top of the usual health risks of wildfire smoke, the air in areas that burned might also contain volatile organic compounds  a term for a large group of chemicals that can increase the risk of some cancers, birth defects and cognitive impairment among people with long-term exposure. The compounds enter the air when materials like rubber, metal or plastic get incinerated, as was the case in Lahaina.

Once inhaled, such particles can enter the lungs and potentially the bloodstream.

Maui Wildfires - Lahania, HI (Matt McClain / The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Given the scale of the devastation in Maui, there are probably a fair number of people who had these exposures, said Dr. Anthony Gerber, a pulmonologist at the Office of Research Innovation at National Jewish Health in Colorado.

Meanwhile, Maui County told residents in two areas  Lahaina and Upper Kula  not to use, drink or boil their water because it, too, may contain benzene and other volatile organic compounds.

The county advised residents to avoid baths or swimming pools, take quick showers using lukewarm water, wash clothing in cold water, avoid ice from automatic ice makers and use dishwashers with air-dry settings to wash dishes.

The recommendation is set to remain until test results come back, but the county has not given a timeline for when that might be. Felton said the water tests will look for volatile organic compounds as well as a subgroup of chemicals called semivolatile organic compounds.

Allen Tom, a Kula resident, said the taps were briefly shut off because of the fire. Then, hours after water came back Thursday, his neighbor told him not to drink it.

"I look at the water faucet now and I think, 'Hmm, what carcinogen is coming out of there?' I think its something I took for granted that we had clean water before," he said.

Claudia Garcia, a Maui resident who manages roughly two dozen properties in the Upper Kula area, said she has been distributing bottled water to tenants daily since Thursday. One tenants husband has a respiratory issue, she said, so the family is avoiding their taps altogether.

Her husband is really sick, and she said, I dont even want him to touch it. She was really afraid of it, Garcia said.

Many families are wary of government-issued advice at the moment, she added: People are just afraid. They dont have trust anymore with what happened in Lahaina  with no warning, that fire coming and killing all these people.

Andrew Whelton, a professor of environmental and ecological engineering at Purdue University, said he is concerned that residents were told it is safe to take lukewarm showers, given that the water has not yet been tested. Whelton said he asked the State Health Department to reassess the guidance.

"As you increase [water] temperature, the amount of chemical that goes into the air will increase," he said.

Last week's inferno on the island of Maui is already the deadliest US wildfire in a century, with only a quarter of the ruins of the devastated town of Lahaina searched for victims so far. (Yuki Iwamura / AFP - Getty Images)

The reason for the possible water contamination, according to Maui County, is that some water systems lost water pressure because of the fire, which can allow contaminants to enter the supply.

A similar issue arose in Louisville, Colorado, after the Marshall Fire, which destroyed more than 1,000 homes in late 2021 and early 2022. After Louisville lost water pressure, Whelton said, volatile and semivolatile organic compounds were sucked in and dragged around the water system there.

The threat of chemical exposure from the debris in Lahaina will linger until recovery workers and authorities remove the ash and rubble, said Dr. Rosalind Wright, a pediatrics professor at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.

Cleaning that all up in a timely way will help. Not just the air  but its seeping into other things, the soil, the water. Every time the winds kick that up, stuff gets reintroduced, she said.

Gerber said people who are still living around Lahaina or are returning to the area should probably wear N95 masks.

If they are now noticing, several days after the exposure, that theyre still having respiratory or sinus symptoms, I would encourage them to get evaluated, he said.

Felton said efforts are underway to remove larger-scale hazardous materials, such as propane tanks, from burned areas. Then authorities will determine how to clean up the dust, ash and soil, she said.

Over the weekend, she added, the State Health Department started distributing more than 5,000 masks across Maui to residents and people in evacuation shelters. The department has also opened a clinic in Lahaina where people can receive first aid, she said, and it is working to obtain disposable protective suits for people in fire-ravaged areas to wear over their clothes.
The 360 shows you diverse perspectives on the days top stories and debates.

AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

Whats happening

Last month, a federal appeals court covering the western United States refused to hear a case seeking to knock down rules that bar cities from forcing homeless people off the streets if there arent enough shelter beds available.

In response to the decision, a group of powerful conservative judges accused the court of paralyzing local communities in their efforts to combat homelessness  particularly the large homeless encampments that have become increasingly common in recent years.

In many areas  including deep-blue cities like New York , Los Angeles and San Francisco  city leaders have ordered police to break up tent cities and imposed camping bans that make it illegal to set up shelters such as tents in public spaces. The moves have sparked a series of lawsuits seeking to limit cities ability to dismantle encampments. At the same time, cities like Phoenix and Portland, Ore ., have received court orders demanding that they break up large encampments within their jurisdictions.

Why theres debate

Part of what makes the debate over encampments so contentious is that it pits groups that generally agree on the long-term solutions to homelessness against each other. Most Democratic mayors of major cities and homeless advocacy groups share a vision that includes major investments in affordable housing and mental health treatment as a way to solve the broader problem, but there are deep divisions over what to do about the acute and immediate issue of encampments.

Many advocates believe that tent cities should be left standing because they are often the safest, most secure option a lot of people have. They argue that knocking down tent cities does nothing to address the underlying causes of homelessness while also destabilizing peoples lives and making it harder for them to access the one-on-one care they often need to get themselves off the streets.

But others argue that allowing people to keep living in encampments that are often hotbeds of crime, violence and disease only makes it more likely that theyll never escape homelessness. They point out that most cities conduct sweeps only after a l engthy and expensive effort to provide people with safer and more stable housing alternatives  including, in some cases, sanctioned encampments in areas chosen by city leaders  that can serve as a true platform toward rehabilitation.

Whats next

Critics of the appeals courts ruling say they plan to petition the U.S. Supreme Court to take up their case and are hopeful that the conservative justices will ultimately strike down existing limits on when cities can force homeless people off the streets.

Perspectives

Tent cities are frequently the best place for the homeless to set themselves on a better path

Encampments can provide people with physical and emotional security, especially as record numbers of homeless people die on Americas streets. They can also provide people with a sense of agency and stability. That stability is also helpful for the volunteers and resources who serve the unhoused, because they know where to find the people they are working with.  Livia Albeck-Ripka, New York Times

Society should not tolerate the types of living conditions that exist in most encampments

What should be clear is that conditions often associated with these encampments  rodent infestations, fetid surroundings, hazardous housing  are unacceptable. They dont help the homeless, and they should have no place in America.  Editorial, Washington Post

Raiding camps does nothing to solve homelessness

Sweeping homeless camps was never going to be a solution to the crisis on our streets.  It has always been a veneer, an attempt to act like the city is responding to its residents concerns over the homelessness crisis on their doorsteps while never actually addressing its root cause or investing in a solution.  Nuala Bishari, San Francisco Chronicle

Its unfair to ask local residents to sacrifice their public spaces to filthy, dangerous tent cities

You arent a bad person for wanting safe and clean public places. Thats something local governments are supposed to provide. That necessitates limits on their use. This is normal. Drivers are free to use the freeway but people arent allowed [to] walk down the middle of it. Public spaces require rules that will allow the public broadly to use and enjoy them.  Victor Joecks, Las Vegas Review-Journal

Encampment sweeps create chaos for people who are already living on the brink

A tent is a tent, but for many its the safest, most private space someone may have while experiencing homelessness. When encampments are removed, people lose more than their belongings or shelter, they lose stability and trust in their community.  Amy Denhart, San Diego Union-Tribune

If encampments are going to exist, city leaders should at least choose the right location

[A sanctioned camp is] a more stable landscape. It also dramatically improves the ability of social service providers to connect regularly with those in need, gain their trust and hopefully open the door to tailored social services. It is the option that can make a difference in a matter of months, not years.  Editorial, Sacramento Bee

No camps should be allowed to stand when better options are available

Many of those in encampments dont want to go to shelters because of rules against pets, drug use, and intimate relations. But there is an upper limit to the increased violence and public health dangers city residents should tolerate just because homeless people feel that the available shelters cramp their preferred lifestyles.  Editorial, Washington Examiner

If cities put enough resources into actual solutions, encampments would all disappear

This is how we end encampments. Not by raiding tents or by criminalizing people at their most vulnerable. But by working, as a community, to ensure everyone has safe, warm homes where they can live independently and with dignity.  Amy Denhart, San Diego Union Tribune

Cities break up tent cities to placate voters, not to help the homeless
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their meeting at the Far East Federal University on Russky Island in Vladivostok, Russia, April 25, 2019. EPA-Yonhap



North Korea leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanged letters on Tuesday pledging to develop their ties into what Kim called a "long-standing strategic relationship," Pyongyang's state media KCNA said.



The letters mark the 78th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule, which is also celebrated as a national holiday in South Korea.



In his letter to Putin, Kim said the two countries' friendship was forged in World War II with victory over Japan and is now "fully demonstrating their invincibility and might in the struggle to smash the imperialists' arbitrary practices and hegemony," KCNA said.



"I am firmly convinced that the friendship and solidarity ... will be further developed into a long-standing strategic relationship in conformity with the demand of the new era," Kim was quoted as saying in the letter.






Lida Khurami thought there was little remarkable about her life  until two years ago when it was ripped apart.

We did not have a special life, but it was a good life. We were happy, Khurami, a journalist, said. We had a place where we could sleep at night without fear or nightmares, next to the family.

Ever since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan on Aug. 15, 2021, most of the fighting that had engulfed the country for decades has ended, but so has the life Khurami built. She no longer can work alongside colleagues, play volleyball in the park or pick up her sisters from school.

Khurami, 24, was part of a generation that grew up after the first Taliban government fell in 2001, toppled by U.S.-backed forces after having sheltered the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. She benefitted from billions in aid from the West aimed specifically at bettering the lives of Afghanistans women and girls. But the return of the austere and hard-line militants has stripped almost everything from Khuramni  her family, career and livelihood  and now, having fled her homeland, she is struggling to find enough to eat in neighboring Iran while trying to gain asylum in Europe.

The sole breadwinner of a family of eight, Khurami was a radio and television journalist and wanted to get a masters degree in international relations. When the Taliban overthrew the U.S.-allied government of President Ashraf Ghani, like millions of women she was stripped of her rights.

The oldest of her five siblings, Khurami grew up in Samangan in northern Afghanistan with three brothers, aged 10, 13 and 16, and two sisters, a law student aged 18 and an engineering student aged 22 -- both of whom cant continue their education because of the bans imposed by the Taliban.

Everyones dreams were destroyed, she said via WhatsApp calls and messages from outside of Tehran. My sisters were talented girls. [Our] parents, despite having a hard life, always tried to make us study.

Todays Afghanistan is the most repressive country in the world for women, who arent allowed to be educated beyond the sixth grade. Work outside the home is severely restricted, and women arent allowed to appear in public without a male escort.

The regime has imposed the most comprehensive, systematic, and unparalleled assault on the rights of women and girls, the U.N. womens agency said in a statement Tuesday.

The Taliban say their restrictions are temporary, allegedly because women were not wearing the Islamic headscarf, or hijab. Nevertheless, the economy is in shambles and the regime has drawn near universal condemnation, even by its neighbors like Iran, threatening the much needed humanitarian aid.

The idea is that women are the property of men. They should be mothers and wives, but only in the sense of companions and not a partner, said Payvand Seyedali, founder and executive director of The Khadijah Project, an initiative that supports the protection of women and girls in Afghanistan.

Even before the Taliban overran Kabul two years ago this month, triggering a chaotic exodus of terrified Afghans, life was difficult for many. Despite laws that enshrined the rights of women and girls, maternal mortality was among the highest in the world, and millions married as children and did not have the opportunity to pursue an education.

Khurami's first radio program, which she started when she was 15, was aimed at other children. (Courtesy of Lida Khurami)

At the age of just 15 and full of passion to tell the stories of women, Khurami started presenting childrens radio programs in Samangan.

I wanted to be the voice of girls who have problems and cannot raise their voice, she said.

When she was about to graduate from high school in 2015, she began working for local radio and TV stations.

Khurami says she faced obstacles even before the fall of the government in Kabul, with family members pressuring her and her sisters to abandon their education and career plans and get married. Her work drew anger from some, who called her an infidel just for choosing to become a journalist -- viewed as a dangerously permissive profession that allows gender mixing, which is frowned on by many in the ultra-conservative society.

Still, she persevered, buoyed by her parents and sibling and a small but growing presence in Afghan society that sought to loosen the restrictions on the behavior of women.

Believe me, I went through a lot of bad situations, she said. I was under pressure from all sides.

Before they took Kabul in August 2021, the Taliban had worked their way across a country worn down by an ineffective and corrupt central government. They captured cities and regions eager for peace at any cost and intimidated by the fighters brutality. As they progressed, the Taliban dropped hints that they had moderated their approach toward women.

Afghanistan Taliban Women Kabul (Ebrahim Noroozi / AP)

Then Khurami came under even more pressure. She fled province to province, trying to outpace the Talibans tightening hold, until finally arriving in Kabul in September 2021, working for a few months in radio, continuing the coverage she was still so proud of.

The Taliban warned me several times to stop my activities, she said. For women like Khurami, who did not want to wear the all-encompassing hijab, threats were even more severe and would eventually include having their jobs taken away.

But I never stopped working and continued, she added.

Any hopes for progress and democracy died when the Taliban took Kabul. The group now runs the country virtually unopposed.

Eventually, the Taliban came to her own familys front door: Her father was arrested and beaten, she says.

He was warned that your daughter will be a bad example for other girls because she does not wear hijab, she said.

Concerns about her and her familys safety only escalated, and she decided she had to leave Afghanistan.

My family sold everything they had so that I could come to Iran, Khurami said, arriving in the country with a relative on March 12.

But getting out of Afghanistan was only the first battle in a grueling war.

Khurami was in a new country where opportunities are bleak and Afghans are so stigmatized, said Seyedali, of The Khadijah Project.

Khurami eventually found work as a cashier in a hospital but was let go three months later. Now she is jobless and her housing is uncertain.

Meanwhile, she is desperate to walk into a newsroom again.

I am not living here, she said. Just my nights and days are spent aimlessly, and there is no pain worse than the unknown future.
The head of Floridas ethics committee may have violated one of the commissions own rules.

Glenton Glen Gilzean, the chairperson of the Florida Commission on Ethics, was appointed in 2019 by Gov. Ron DeSantis. But Gilzean in May also took on another role, as the new administrator of the DeSantis-controlled Central Florida Tourism Oversight district  a special district formerly known as Reedy Creek that governs and manages taxes for Walt Disney World and two surrounding cities.

Gilzean, who was chosen by the DeSantis-appointed board of the special district, is making $400,000 in his new job.

State statute says members appointed to the states top ethics commission may not hold any public employment.

Its not clear if Gilzeans role constitutes public employment, but if it does, it seems that Gilzean would be in violation of the commission rules, said Jim Waldman, another member of the ethics commission. Waldman, a Democrat, was also appointed to the commission by DeSantis.

Gilzean did not return a call and a message left with his office Monday seeking comment. The potential conflict was first reported by the Florida Bulldog.

The state Constitution defines a public officer as, among other things, ... an elected special district officer in a special district with ad valorem taxing authority, or a person serving as a secretary, an executive director, or other agency head of a department of the executive branch of state government.

DeSantis office did not return an email Monday seeking comment.

Gilzean, a Republican, has been a frequent appointee by Florida governors. Along with appointing him to the ethics commission, DeSantis also appointed Gilzean to the Re-Open Florida Task Force and the Florida Census Complete Count Committee. Former Gov. Rick Scott previously appointed Gilzean to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission and the Pinellas County School Board, along with the Florida A&M board.

In 2014, when Gilzean was a Scott-appointed member of the Florida A&M University Board of Trustees, he lobbied for the nonprofit group Step Up for Students while not registered as a lobbyist.

That was in spite of the fact that months earlier, a state-issued opinion said that he would have to register. At the time, Gilzean was the Step Up for Students vice president of advocacy and outreach and was advocating for a bill that would expand the school voucher program. But state law prohibits university trustees from being registered lobbyists.

Shortly before his Senate confirmation for the board of trustees post, Gilzean sent Scott a letter withdrawing his nomination. In the letter, Gilzean said he had foreseen no conflict but said he decided to err on the side of caution and to register, which, according to statute, prevents me from serving as a trustee.

Floridas ethics commission investigates complaints about breach of the public trust by public officers and employees, issues legally binding opinions about ethics laws and implements financial disclosure laws.

In May, the commission dismissed a complaint from allies of former President Donald Trump, who argued that DeSantis violated campaign finance laws by running a shadow campaign for president. In the order dismissing the allegations, Gilzean wrote that the complaint did not give enough information to establish that the governors out-of-state travel impeded his public duties.
Former President Trump has been indicted in Georgia after an investigation by Fulton County Dist. Atty. Fani Willis into efforts to overturn the state's 2020 presidential election results. Eighteen others were also indicted, including Trump's personal lawyers Rudolph Giuliani and Sidney Powell, and former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.

Trump was charged in the sweeping 98-page indictment with racketeering and a dozen other felonies, including solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer, conspiracy to commit forgery and false statements and writings.

Willis launched the probe in February 2021 after news broke that the former president was recorded during a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call pressuring Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find him 11,780 votes, enough to win in Georgia. Trump has insisted that making the call was appropriate.

Willis, a Democrat, had reportedly long focused on charging Trump and his associates under Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, allowing her to prosecute numerous people allegedly involved in a wide-ranging criminal scheme. All 19 defendants are charged under that statute. The act is broader than the federal RICO law.

The enterprise was working to accomplish the illegal goal of allowing Donald J. Trump to seize the presidential term of office beginning on Jan. 20, 2021," Willis said at a news conference late Monday night.

"...Rather than abide by Georgia's legal process for election challenges, the defendants engaged in a criminal racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgia's presidential election result," Willis said.

Arrest warrants were issued for all the defendants, Willis said, but she is allowing them to voluntarily surrender by noon on Aug. 25. Willis said she intends to ask for a trial date scheduled within the next six months and will try all 19 defendants together.

"I don't have any desire to be first or last," Willis said as to when she hoped to try her case as Trump faces three other trials in New York, Florida and Washington, D.C. "I want to try him and be respectful for our sovereign states."

Read more:Read the Fulton County indictment of Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani and associates

The indictment lays out a sprawling effort to disrupt the 2020 election in Fulton County, elsewhere in Georgia and in other states, including false representations in the courts, false accusations made by Trump and others against a pair of poll workers, and misusing the power of the Justice Department to try to convince state lawmakers to overturn the results.

The indictment details a plan to assemble a slate of fake electors to meet in secret at the state Capitol to cast votes for Trump despite Joe Biden having won a majority of votes in the state, and to use the competing slates to throw Georgia's result into turmoil when Congress met to certify the election results on Jan. 6, 2021, as well as pressure put on former Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the election himself during that proceeding. It also outlines the successful effort to copy the Coffee County, Ga., election system on Jan. 7, 2021.

The indictment, which came after grand jurors heard roughly 10 hours of testimony Monday, contains 41 criminal counts. The other defendants are Trump's attorneys John Eastman, Jenna Ellis, Bob Cheeley, Ray Smith III and Kenneth Chesebro; former Assistant U.S. Atty. Gen. Jeffrey Clark; GOP strategist Michael Roman; former Coffee County elections supervisor Misty Hampton; former Coffee County GOP Chair Cathy Latham; Atlanta bail bondsman Scott Hall; publicist Trevian Kutti; Illinois pastor Stephen Cliffguard Lee; Harrison Floyd, the director of Black Voices for Trump; state Sen. Shawn Still; and former Georgia Republican Party Chair David Shafer.

Several of the indicted Georgia residents were charged with impersonating a public officer by holding themselves out as duly qualified electors. Cheeley was charged with lying to the special grand jury that heard evidence in the case for roughly seven months. The special grand jury recommended more than a dozen people for indictment, and its forewoman hinted in an interview with the New York Times in February that Trump was among them. Willis needed approval from a regular grand jury, which voted Monday to bring charges.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney receives documents from County Court Clerk Che Alexander in Atlanta on Monday. (Megan Varner / Getty Images)

In a statement released by his campaign, Trump accused Willis of waiting to seek charges until it would influence the 2024 presidential campaign. His campaign also released detailed criticism of Willis' record as a prosecutor and accused her of fundraising off of the investigation.

"Ripping a page from Crooked Joe Bidens playbook, Willis has strategically stalled her investigation to try and maximally interfere with the 2024 presidential race and damage the dominant Trump campaign," it said.

Willis dismissed the idea that she had a political motive for bringing the indictment. I make decisions in this office based on the facts and the law, Willis said. The law is completely nonpartisan.

Read more:Inside the MAGA world scramble to produce findings suggesting the 2020 election was stolen

Former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, one of the witnesses who testified before the grand jury Monday, called the investigation a "pivot point" in American politics.

As Republicans, we either are going to have to take our medicine and realize the election wasnt rigged, Donald Trump was the worst candidate ever, in the history of the party  and now we are going to have to pivot from there, Duncan told reporters as he left the courthouse.

Earlier in the day Trump posted on Truth Social that Duncan shouldn't testify.

On July 31 a Fulton County judge rejected an attempt by Trump's attorneys to gut the district attorneys investigation before criminal charges were announced.

A police officer and a protester argue Monday before the indictment of former President Trump in Atlanta. (Christian Monterrosa / AFP via Getty Images)

Security around the courthouse in Atlanta has increased over the last few weeks. On Tuesday, law enforcement will close security gates around the state Capitol for an undetermined period of time in anticipation of potential protests. Protesters gathered outside the statehouse after Trump lost in 2020.

Trump's indictment by a Georgia grand jury adds to a growing list of legal troubles amid his presidential campaign.

Trump was indicted Aug. 1 in Washington, D.C., following an investigation by special counsel Jack Smith into actions that Trump and his allies allegedly took to keep him in office despite losing the 2020 election. He was arraigned in that case on Aug. 3, pleading not guilty to all four felony charges.

Trump is also scheduled to go to trial in New York in March for state charges related to payments allegedly made during the 2016 presidential campaign to cover up an affair with porn actor Stormy Daniels. And he has another trial scheduled for May on 39 federal charges brought by Smith related to his retention of classified documents after he left office. He has pleaded not guilty in both cases.

Times staff writers Jenny Jarvie in Atlanta and Seema Mehta in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Get the best of the Los Angeles Times politics coverage with the Essential Politics newsletter.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
WEST BANK (Reuters) -Israeli forces killed two Palestinians, including a teenager, during a raid in the occupied West Bank that touched off clashes with gunmen, medical officials and residents said.

In a statement, the army said troops came under fire during an operation at Aqbat Jabr camp to detain suspected Palestinian militants, and fired back.

Residents also told Reuters there were armed clashes but there was no immediate corroboration that the two fatalities - aged 16 and 25, according to the Palestinian health ministry - had taken part.

The raid lasted for less than an hour, the residents added.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the killings, accusing Israel of undermining a meeting of the Palestinian, Jordanian and Egyptian leaderships on Monday to discuss prospects of reviving peace talks stalled for almost a decade.

Violence in the West Bank, among territories where the Palestinians seek to establish a state, has worsened over the past 15 months with stepped up Israeli raids, Palestinian street attacks and assaults by Jewish settlers on Palestinian villages.

Israel captured the West Bank, which Palestinians hope will form the core of a future independent state, in a 1967 war.

Israel has since settled the territory, while the Palestinians are split between a Western-backed administration and armed Hamas Islamists who reject coexistence with Israel.

(Reporting by Ali Sawafta and Nidal al-Mughrabi; Writing by Enas Alashray; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman, Miral Fahmy and Ed Osmond)
A Kansas City man is charged with murder in a mid-July shooting that left a 47-year-old dead.

Jackson County prosecutors charged Dynell R. Jones, 38, of Kansas City, with second-degree murder, unlawful weapon use, unlawful firearm possession and two counts of armed criminal action in the July 13 shooting death of Juan Zollar. Jones was being held in the Jackson County jail on a $250,000 cash bond Monday.

On the afternoon of the shooting, Kansas City police officers near Linwood Boulevard and Troost Avenue were flagged down by the driver of a black SUV. She told them a passenger in the vehicle had been shot in a parking lot in the Southmoreland neighborhood, roughly 16 blocks to the southwest.

Zollar was taken to the hospital and died there shortly after. Other 911 calls from around the same time led police to a shooting scene at an Office Depot parking lot at 42nd and Main streets.

The driver who flagged down police officers said Zollar had instructed her to pull up on a group of people in the parking lot. He got out of the car, she said, and yelled something to the effect of I got something for you.

She said he was reaching for a knife but didnt have it out, according to court documents, and briefly exited her vehicle but never approached the group. She said he was shot as he was getting back into the SUV and after he had closed the door.

Another witness interviewed by police was a construction worker assigned to the Main Street Streetcar expansion. He said he heard two gunshots coming from the area of the Office Depot before a black SUV, which had two apparent bullet holes in its windshield, sped away from the parking lot.

During a police interview July 20, Jones said he was with friends and his girlfriend in the back parking lot of the Office Depot when an SUV pulled up in a threatening manner. He allegedly admitted to shooting Zollar with a friends gun, but said he did so fearing Zollar was going to harm his girlfriend and others.

Other witnesses told police Zollar exited the SUV with something in his hand and was aggressive with the group before Jones shot him.

Detectives reviewed surveillance footage from the area, including a nearby Starbucks and a building owned by The Kansas City Art Institute. Recorded video allegedly shows Jones and others in the area at the time of the shooting.

As of Monday, online court records did not list a defense attorney for Jones. He made his initial appearance in Jackson County Circuit Court on Monday afternoon.
By Felix Onuah

(Reuters) -Niger's junta on Tuesday said that it was open to talks to resolve a regional crisis caused by last month's military coup, while Russia and the United States called for a peaceful resolution.

Western powers and democratic African governments have called for the coup leaders to reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, who they have detained since July 26, but the military leaders have refused and rejected attempts at negotiation.

West African army chiefs will meet on Thursday and Friday in Ghana to prepare for a possible military intervention, which the main regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has threatened to launch if diplomacy fails.

Any military intervention could further destabilise the impoverished Sahel, where an insurgency by groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State has displaced millions over the past decade and fuelled a hunger crisis.

"We are in a process of transition. We have explained the ins and outs, reiterated our willingness to remain open and to talk to all parties, but we have insisted on the need for the country to be independent," said Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine, who was appointed prime minister by the military last week.

He spoke after a trip to meet Chad's President Mahamat Deby, who staged his own coup in 2021. Niger's takeover is the seventh in West and Central Africa in three years.

The coup and its aftermath have sucked in international powers with strategic interests in the region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to Mali's military leader about the recent coup in neighbouring Niger on Tuesday, a call likely to cause concern among Western governments that fear growing Russian influence in West Africa's Sahel region.

Putin "stressed the importance of a peaceful resolution of the situation for a more stable Sahel," Mali's interim President Assimi Goita said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said U.S. President Joe Biden's administration was committed to a diplomatic resolution, and said Niger was a partner it did not want to lose.

Singh declined to call the takeover a coup but said it "certainly looks like an attempted coup."

Meanwhile, ECOWAS has the support of Central Africa's regional bloc ECCAS in efforts to overturn Niger's coup and restore constitutional order, Nigerian President and ECOWAS Chairman Bola Tinubu said on Tuesday.

"I understand the fear of our people on any form of military action. We are working to keep the sanctions in place and we are following them to the letter," he said in a statement.

Russian influence in West Africa has grown while the West's has waned since a string of coups began. Military leaders in Mali and Burkina Faso have kicked out troops from former colonial power France and strengthened ties with Moscow.

In Mali, the army government also brought in mercenaries from Russia's Wagner group, who have been accused of executing civilians and committing other grave human rights abuses.

Under Bazoum, Niger remained a Western ally. The U.S., France, Germany and Italy have troops stationed there under agreements with the now-deposed civilian government.

Putin has called for a return to constitutional order in Niger, while Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin welcomed the army takeover and offered his services.

Support for Russia has appeared to surge in Niger since the coup, with junta supporters waving Russian flags at rallies and calling for France to disengage.

Niger's coup leaders have revoked a raft of military agreements with France, although Paris shrugged this off by saying that it did not recognise them as legitimate authorities.

(Reporting by Felix Onuah in Abuja; Additional reporting by Mahamat Ramadane in Chad and Idrees Ali in Washington; writing by Nellie Peyton; editing by John Stonestreet, Estelle Shirbon, Alexandra Hudson and Jonathan Oatis)
By Maayan Lubell

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet sparred on Tuesday over the military's handling of reservists protesting against his coalition's judicial overhaul plan, as concerns mounted for Israel's war-readiness.

Protest leaders say thousands of reservists have stopped reporting for duty. Among them are hundreds of air force pilots and navigators whose absence from weekly refresher flights means that by next month, they may no longer qualify for combat.

"There is a mutiny within the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) and any military deals with insurgents as insurgents should be dealt with," Dudi Amsalem, a minister in the Justice Ministry, told Army Radio.

"In 15, 20, 30 years, this'll be studied in history books, which will note who the chief of staff was and who the air force chief was," Amsalem said.

Similar criticisms have been made by some other lawmakers in Netanyahu's hard-right coalition, whose January-launched drive to change the justice system has sparked unprecedented protests and drawn concern from Western allies.

Amsalem's remarks drew swift rebuke from Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and later from Netanyahu.

"If you cannot contain yourselves, then attack me, the defence minister, I am in charge of the chief of staff and air force commander," he posted on social media platform X.

He published photos of himself with Air Force Commander Tomer Bar at Ramon air base and a video in which he told pilots that they had his full backing.

Netanyahu later published a joint statement with Gallant, in which he said the two were in lockstep in their support for Israel's military commanders, attacks on whom they both utterly reject.

The premier in March said he was firing Gallant after he came out against the judicial drive but eventually kept him in office.

The seeping of the judicial furore into the armed forces, which Israelis have long viewed as an apolitical melting pot, has exacerbated Israel's worst political crises in years.

The military has so far acknowledged a "limited" impact from the reservists' protest, citing the loss of some veteran instructors from the air force's flight school.

As Israel faces potential flare-ups with Iran, Lebanon and the Palestinians, Netanyahu on Sunday convened the top brass for consultations after which he somewhat cooled his censure of the protesting reservists.

(Editing by Bernadette Baum and Nick Macfie)
A raid on the small-town Kansas newspaper and the home of its publisher has been widely derided by press freedom advocates (Google)

The entire five-member police department of a small town in Kansas raided the office of a local newspaper and the home of its publisher, seizing computers, cell phones and other reporting materials and effectively shutting down publication.

The weekly newspapers 98-year-old co-owner  apparently overwhelmed by the incident  collapsed and died the following day, according to the Marion County Record.

Publisher Eric Meyer said the Marion Police Departments raid on 11 August took everything we have.

The incident is likely to cast a chilling effect on the newspapers abilities to publish and for members of the public to speak with its reporters, he told the Kansas Reflector.

Based on the reporting so far, the police raid of the Marion County Record on Friday appears to have violated federal law, the First Amendment, and basic human decency, according to a statement from Seth Stern, director of advocacy for Freedom of the Press Foundation.

Everyone involved should be ashamed of themselves, he added.

The raid followed a series of stories about a restaurant owner who kicked reporters out of a meeting with Republican US Rep Jake LaTurner. A source had contacted the newspaper about the restaurant owners drunken driving record, and reporters sought to verify the information through government records. Mr Meyer ultimately decided against publishing anything.

But the restaurant owner, Kari Newell, falsely claimed during a city council meeting that the newspaper had illegally obtained sensitive documents about her, which prompted the newspaper to publish a story that set the record straight.

The newspaper was also actively investigating Gideon Cody, Marions chief of police, following allegations that he had retired from a previous job to avoid punishment over accusations of sexual misconduct.

A warrant for the raid  performed by the entire police department and sheriffs deputies  was signed by Marion County District Court Magistrate Judge Laura Viar.

The two-page warrant stated that officers were allowed to seize phones, software, items that contained passwords, and all correspondence and documents pertaining to Kari Newell.

Chief Cody also reportedly dislocated one reporters finger after snatching her phone from her hand during the raid.

Officers also reportedly photographed personal financial statements and seized personal items  including a smart speaker used by the papers 98-year-old co-owner Joan Meyer to ask for assistance.

These are Hitler tactics and something has to be done, Ms Meyer said.

The following day, the Marion County Record reported that she was stressed beyond her limits and overwhelmed by hours of shock and grief following the raid of the newspapers office and her home.

Joan Meyer, otherwise in good health for her age, collapsed Saturday afternoon and died at her home, the newspaper reported. She had not been able to eat after police showed up at the door of her home Friday with a search warrant in hand. Neither was she able to sleep Friday night.

A statement from the Marion Police Department ackowledged that the federal Privacy Protection Act protects journalists from most searches of newsrooms unless they themselves are suspects in the offense that is the subject of the search.

The victim asks that we do all the law allows to ensure justice is served, the statement said.

The Independent has requested additional comment from chief Cody and the department.

Emily Bradbury, executive director of the Kansas Press Association, said that the incident is unprecedented in the state.

An attack on a newspaper office through an illegal search is not just an infringement on the rights of journalists but an assault on the very foundation of democracy and the publics right to know, she said in a statement. This cannot be allowed to stand.

On 13 August, a group of more than 30 news organisations and publishers including The New York Times and the Associated Press joined a statement from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press urging the Marion Police Department to return seized material, purge records that were accessed, and initiate a full independent and transparent review of the indicident.

Newsroom searches and seizures are among the most intrusive actions law enforcement can take with respect to the free press, and the most potentially suppressive of free speech by the press and the public, the statement said.

The Radio Television Digital News Association also is demanding an explanation from police.

Free expression advocacy organisation PEN America said such egregious attempts to interfere with news reporting cannot go unchecked in a democracy, and that the seizure of the newspapers equipment almost certainly violates federal law & puts the papers ability to publish the news in jeopardy.

In The Records own reporting of the incident, Mr Meyer condemned what he called police Gestapo tactics used to crush dissent.

We will be seeking the maximum sanctions possible under law, he added.

The Record is expected to file a federal lawsuit.

The Press Freedom Tracker has recorded at least 55 incidents targeting journalists First Amendment-protected activities within the last year.

Earlier this year, officials in Oklahoma were caught on tape fantasizing about killing journalists. Two journalists in North Carolina were recently found guilty of trespassing for reporting on the evictions of homeless people during a law enforcement sweep in Asheville.

The latest incident in Kansas appears to be the latest example of American law enforcement officers treating the press in a manner previously associated with authoritarian regimes, Mr Stern said.

The anti-press rhetoric thats become so pervasive in this country has become more than just talk and is creating a dangerous environment for journalists trying to do their jobs, he added.

This story was first published on 12 August and has been updated with developments
A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency shows North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, right, speaking with the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Sergei Shoigu, left, during a meeting at the office building of the Party Central Committee in Pyongyang, July 26. EPA-Yonhap



Pyongyang on Tuesday opposed the United States' request for a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting to address human rights abuses in North Korea, calling the move "a violent infringement upon its dignity and sovereignty."



The U.S., which holds the 15-nation UNSC's rotating presidency this month, requested a formal meeting on human rights abuses in North Korea along with Japan and Albania. If held on Thursday, it will be the first such meeting since December 2017.



"The U.S.' despicable fuss over human rights issue is a violent infringement upon our dignity and sovereignty and a serious challenge. We firmly condemn and reject the move," Kim Son-gyong, Pyongyang's vice foreign minister for international organizations, said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).



Kim said Washington's call for the UNSC meeting reveals its hostility against Pyongyang, vowing to "firmly respond to any hostile acts by U.S. and protect the national sovereignty and interests of North Korean people."



It is not yet clear whether China and Russia, which have taken sides with North Korea in recent UNSC meetings over its missile tests, could demand a procedural vote to decide on the matter.



A procedural vote requires nine affirmative votes among 15 members to proceed, and a permanent member's negative vote does not invalidate the decision.



On Monday, China's U.N. mission expressed its opposition to the planned meeting on North Korean rights issues, saying it will only intensify confrontation and antagonism.



North Korea leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday exchanged letters pledging to further develop their bilateral relations on the occasion of Liberation Day, which marks Korea's liberation from the Japanese 1910-45 colonial rule, according to the KCNA. (Yonhap)


SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  South Koreas president called for deeper security cooperation with the U.S. and Japan to address North Korea's nuclear threat, saying Tuesday that his upcoming summit with the U.S. and Japanese leaders at Camp David will set a new milestone in trilateral cooperation.

It will be the first time for the leaders of the three countries to gather specifically for a trilateral summit, rather than on the sidelines of international meetings. This suggests they are serious about boosting their ties in the midst of complex regional challenges such as North Korea's advancing nuclear arsenal and Washington's strategic rivalry with Beijing.

In their summit Friday at the U.S. presidential retreat in Maryland, President Joe Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are expected to announce plans for expanded military cooperation on ballistic missile defense and technology development, according to two senior Biden administration officials.

The summit will set a new milestone in trilateral cooperation contributing to peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific region, Yoon said in a televised speech in Seoul on Tuesday.

The speech marked the 78th anniversary of Koreas liberation from Japans 35-year colonial rule in 1945. Past South Korean presidents commonly used Liberation Day speeches to ask Japan to make fresh apologies for its colonial actions. But Yoon, a conservative who has pushed to resolve historical grievances as a way to boost Seoul-Washington-Tokyo cooperation, instead explained why improved ties with Japan were needed.

Yoon said the seven rear bases provided to the U.S.-led U.N. Command by Japan serve as the greatest deterrent that keeps North Korea from invading South Korea. He said a North Korean invasion would trigger an immediate, automatic intervention by the U.N. Command and that the bases in Japan have the necessary land, sea and air capabilities.

As partners that cooperate on security and the economy, South Korea and Japan will be able to jointly contribute to peace and prosperity across the globe while collaborating and exchanging in a future-oriented manner, Yoon said.

He said the importance of Seoul-Washington-Tokyo security cooperation is growing on the Korean Peninsula and in the region.

In order to fundamentally block North Koreas nuclear and missile threats, the Republic of Korea, the United States and Japan must closely cooperate on reconnaissance assets and share North Korean nuclear weapon and missile data in real time, Yoon said.

When they met at the margins of a regional conference in Cambodia in November, Yoon, Biden and Kishida said they intended to share North Korea missile warning data to improve each countrys ability to detect and assess the threat posed by incoming missiles. In June, their defense chiefs said they recognized efforts to activate such a data-sharing mechanism before the end of the year.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters after a virtual meeting with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts ahead of the summit that the gathering is intended to mark a new era in cooperation among the three countries.

Youll see some very concrete measures that were taking to enhance our capacity to provide for our security in three countries, and also more broadly, security in the Indo-Pacific region, he said.

The Camp David summit is expected to anger North Korea, which has argued that U.S. moves to bolster military cooperation with South Korea and Japan are pushing it to reinforce its own military capability. North Korea views U.S.-led military drills on and near the Korean Peninsula as an invasion rehearsal.

China, which is intensely sensitive to what it perceives as other countries ganging up on it, denounced the summit.

China opposes relevant countries forming various cliques and their practices of exacerbating confrontation and jeopardizing other countries strategic security, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a briefing Tuesday. We hope the countries concerned will go with the trend of the times and do something conducive to regional peace, stability and prosperity."

South Korea has maintained that its push to strengthen its alliance with the U.S. and participate in U.S.-led regional initiatives wont target China, its biggest trading partner.

Worries about North Korea's nuclear program have grown since the North openly threatened to use nuclear weapons in conflicts with its rivals and conducted about 100 missile tests since the start of last year. Many of the missiles were nuclear-capable weapons that place both South Korea and Japan within striking distance and could potentially reach the U.S. mainland. South Korea and Japan together host about 80,000 U.S. troops.

In response to North Koreas missile tests, the United States and South Korea have expanded their military drills and resumed some trilateral training involving Japan.

South Korea, the U.S. and Japan have held a trilateral leaders meeting a total of 12 times since 1994, but all were on the sidelines of international conferences, according to South Koreas presidential office.

This weeks trilateral summit comes as ties between Seoul and Tokyo have eased significantly in recent months. In March, Yoon took a major step toward resolving bilateral wrangling over colonial-era Korean forced laborers, despite vehement opposition at home by some victims and his liberal rivals. Yoon has argued that Seoul and Tokyo share challenges such as the intensifying U.S.-China competition and global supply chain problems as well as North Korea's nuclear program.

___

Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.

___

See more of AP's Asia-Pacific coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific
By Yimou Lee

TAIPEI (Reuters) -Taiwan's defence ministry said on Tuesday it has not seen large-scale exercises or any other action by the Chinese military near the island after China condemned a brief U.S. visit by Taiwan Vice President William Lai.

China on Sunday denounced Lai's U.S. stopover on his way to Paraguay, saying that he was a separatist and "troublemaker through and through", and that it would take strong steps to protect its sovereignty.

Taiwanese officials have said China is likely to launch military drills this week near the island, using Lai's U.S. stopovers as a pretext to intimidate voters ahead of next year's election and make them "fear war". Lai is leading in the polls.

When asked at a press conference about Chinese military activity in response to Lai's trip, defence ministry spokesperson Sun Li-fang, said it was the responsibility of the armed forces to track any Chinese activities near Taiwan.

"The national army upholds the principle of 'not afraid of the enemy and not provoking' when facing all activities by the Chinese Communist Party," Sun said.

However, Taiwan had not seen any "relatively large-scale" drills or actions by China's military, he said.

"But this does not mean we will let down our guard or war preparedness determination."

Asked whether China would launch more war games around Taiwan in response to Lai's U.S. trip, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin reiterated that China would "take resolute measures to safeguard our sovereignty and territorial integrity". He did not elaborate.

Five Chinese warplanes had entered Taiwan's air defence identification zone in the 24 hours up to Tuesday morning, made up of one Su-30, two J-10s and two J-16Ds, Taiwan's defence ministry said in a daily report on Chinese activity.

The J-16D is an electronic warfare variant of one of China's most modern fighters.

Beijing has launched almost daily military incursions into Taiwan's air defence zone in recent years seeking to pressure Taipei to accept Chinese sovereignty.

Lai is due back in Taipei early on Friday, returning via San Francisco.

China launched its last round of war games around Taiwan in April, a day after President Tsai Ing-wen returned from a trip to California where she met U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Both Taiwan and the United States are aiming for Lai's U.S. stop-overs to be as low-key as possible, saying that such transits are routine. On Sunday, Lai told supporters in New York that Taiwan would not be afraid nor back down in the face of authoritarian threats.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Taiwan Premier Chen Chien-jen appealed for a calm response from China to Lai's U.S. visits, saying such presidential and vice presidential transits have gone on for many years.

"There is no need for China to take this opportunity to provoke for no reason," Chen said.

(Reporting By Yimou Lee; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard, and Martin Pollard in Beijing; Editing by Gerry Doyle, Robert Birsel)
By Andy Sullivan, Jacqueline Thomsen and Joseph Ax

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Donald Trump faced a new raft of felony charges on Tuesday after a Georgia grand jury used a law developed to take down organized crime gangs to charge the former U.S. president with trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat.

The charges, brought late on Monday by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis charge Trump, the front-runner in the race for the 2024 Republican nomination and 18 associates for a scheme intended to reverse his loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

The sprawling 98-page indictment listed 19 defendants and 41 criminal counts in all. All the defendants were charged with racketeering, which is used to target members of organized crime groups and carries a minimum penalty of 5 years in prison.

Mark Meadows, Trump's former White House chief of staff, and lawyers Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis and John Eastman were among those charged.

"Rather than abide by Georgia's legal process for election challenges, the defendants engaged in a criminal racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgia's presidential election result," Willis said at a press conference.

Trump and the other defendants have until noon EDT (1600 GMT) on Friday, Aug. 25, to surrender voluntarily, rather than face arrest, Willis said. She said she intends to try all 19 defendants together within six months.

Unlike the federal courts where Trump is also awaiting trial, Georgia state courts allow television cameras, meaning the public could have the unprecedented spectacle of watching a former president's trial on live TV as his campaign for a return to the White House goes into high gear.

Echoing his criticism of the many other investigations he faces, Trump called the indictment a "witch hunt" in a social media post and accused Willis of trying to sabotage his presidential comeback bid.

He said he would release a report on Monday on "Presidential Election Fraud" that would exonerate him. "They never went after those that Rigged the Election. They only went after those that fought to find the RIGGERS!" he said.

Since his defeat in 2020, Trump has repeatedly made false claims that the election was marred by widespread fraud. Those claims have been rejected by dozens of courts, state reviews and members of his own administration.

Giuliani, who rose to national prominence by using racketeering laws to take down New York mobsters in the 1980s, said prosecutors in this case were "the real criminals."

Lawyers for other defendants either declined to comment or did not respond to a request for comment.

'FIND' VOTES

The 13 felony charges against Trump matched those listed on a document that was briefly posted on the court website earlier on Monday and reported by Reuters before it disappeared.

In a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call, Trump urged Georgia's top election official, Brad Raffensperger, to "find" enough votes to reverse his narrow loss in the state. Raffensperger declined.

Trump's supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol four days later in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent lawmakers from certifying Biden's victory.

The indictment paints a picture of a broad conspiracy that started before the Nov. 3, 2020, election and lasted through September 2022, when it says one of those involved lied to a grand jury.

It says those involved in the scheme falsely testified to lawmakers that election fraud had occurred and urged state officials to alter the results.

It says the defendants tried to subvert the U.S. electoral process by submitting false slates of electors, people who make up the Electoral College that elects the president and vice president.

BREACHING VOTING MACHINES, HARASSING ELECTION WORKERS

It alleges that defendants breached voting equipment in a rural Georgia county, including personal voter information and images of ballots.

Prosecutors also said the defendants harassed an election worker who became the focus of conspiracy theories.

The indictment reaches across state lines, saying that Giuliani, Meadows and others called officials in Arizona, Pennsylvania and elsewhere to urge them to change the outcome in those states. It also encompasses the events of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

The indictment mentions 30 other co-conspirators, though they were not named or charged.

Willis has used the racketeering law to go after drug-dealing networks and educators accused of manipulating test scores.

The law does not require prosecutors to prove that Trump or other defendants personally broke the law, only that he knowingly coordinated with others who did.

THREE OTHER CRIMINAL CASES

Outside of Georgia, Trump has pleaded not guilty in three other criminal cases. He could spend much of next year in court, even as he campaigns to retake the White House.

He faces a New York state trial in March 2024 involving a hush money payment to a porn star, and a federal trial beginning in May in Florida for allegedly mishandling federal classified documents.

A third indictment, in Washington federal court, accuses him of illegally seeking to overturn his 2020 election defeat. U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith has requested a January trial, but a date has not yet been set.

Willis' proposed timeline would mean Trump would face trial in Georgia by mid-February 2024.

He also faces civil trials in October and January for fraudulent business practices and defamation.

Georgia, once reliably Republican, has emerged as one of a handful of politically competitive states that can determine the outcome of presidential elections.

Trump's polling lead over his Republican rivals has widened since the first charges were announced in April. But strategists say his legal woes may hurt him in the November 2024 general election, when he will have to win over more independent-minded voters.

In a July Reuters/Ipsos poll, 37% of independents said the criminal cases made them less likely to vote for him.

(Additional reporting by Sarah N. Lynch, Rami Ayyub, Jack Queen, Tim Ahmann, Andrew Goudsward, Kanishka Singh, Nilutpal Timsina, Rich McKay and Susan Heavey; Writing by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Scott Malone, Howard Goller and Daniel Wallis)
Attorneys for Donald Trump on Monday criticized the Georgia Fulton County District Attorneys Office over a report that a document listing criminal charges against the former president was briefly posted earlier in the day, then abruptly taken down, arguing that it reflects flaws in the investigation into Trumps attempts to overturn Georgias 2020 election results.

The Fulton County District Attorneys Office has once again shown that they have no respect for the integrity of the grand jury process, attorneys Drew Findling and Jennifer Little said in a statement issued by the Trump campaign.

This was not a simple administrative mistake, the attorneys added. A proposed indictment should only be in the hands of the District Attorneys Office, yet it somehow made its way to the clerks office and was assigned a case number and a judge before the grand jury even deliberated. This is emblematic of the pervasive and glaring constitutional violations which have plagued this case from its very inception.

The statement is the latest instance of Trump and his allies questioning the credibility of the case against the former president.

Reuters reported earlier Monday on a legal filing against Trump posted to the court docket. But the news outlet later clarified that the courts website had briefly posted a document Monday listing several criminal charges against Trump before taking the document down without explanation.

A spokesperson for the Fulton County clerk issued a statement late Monday afternoon referencing a fictitious document circulating on social media, but they offered no further explanation about the document that was posted.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) is investigating Trump and his allies over their efforts to overturn the states election results in 2020 by pressuring state officials and putting together a group of alternate electors to go against the states certified results.

A grand jury met Monday and was expected to hear evidence in the case.

Two witnesses who were expected to appear before the grand jury Tuesday were spotted Monday, a sign that the process is moving more quickly than expected and an indictment could be imminent.

Trump spent much of Monday morning lashing out at Willis on social media over the Georgia investigation.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Former President Donald Trump at the Iowa State Fair on Saturday. (Demetrius Freeman/Washington Post via Getty Images)

As Mondays criminal indictments in Georgia made clear, lawyers who become entangled with Donald Trump and his bogus claims that election fraud cost him the 2020 election can often find themselves under legal scrutiny.

Among the attorneys charged in the 41-count indictment are Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, John Eastman, Sidney Powell, Ray Smith, Kenneth Chesebro and Robert Cheeley. All of them are accused of having violated Georgias RICO Act for their part in the larger crime of overturning the fairly decided election results. Read the full indictment here.

Of course, the potential legal jeopardy faced by lawyers who either represent or advise Trump is nothing new. Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to criminal tax evasion, campaign finance violations and other crimes committed while working for Trump. He is a key witness in the New York hush money case brought against the former president by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

Boris Epshteyn. (Alex Brandon/AP)

In April, Trump attorney Boris Epshteyn testified before the grand jury that voted to indict the former president in the Jan. 6, 2021, election interference case. Trump is the sole defendant named so far in that matter, but lawyers who worked for him to overturn the election were also referenced as alleged co-conspirators in the plot. They could still face charges.

According to former Trump lawyer Timothy Parlatore  who resigned in May as a member of the legal team defending the former president in the classified documents and Jan. 6 cases  Epshteyn was a particularly difficult person to work with. Like Epshteyn, Parlatore was himself called to testify before a federal grand jury, though that case was about Trumps alleged mishandling of classified documents.

Parlatore wasnt the first Trump lawyer to abandon ship. Attorneys James Trusty and John Rowley were put in charge of the documents and Jan. 6 cases following Parlatores departure. After Trump was indicted in June by special counsel Jack Smith in the documents case, both men tendered their resignations, saying in a statement it was a logical moment for us to step aside and let others carry the cases through to completion."

Attorney Evan Corcoran exits federal court in Washington, D.C., on March 24. (Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

In March, a federal judge ruled that former Trump lawyer Evan Corcorans claims of attorney-client privilege were not sufficient to prevent him from testifying before the grand jury in the classified documents investigation. He testified before the grand jury in April and resigned from his role as one of Trumps attorneys in May.

According to Trump lawyer Christina Bobb, Corcoran asked her to sign a statement to the Justice Department attesting that the former presidents legal team had conducted a diligent search of Mar-a-Lago, turned up only a few files and promptly returned them. Bobb drafted her own line to accompany the statement that said it was true to the best of my knowledge.

When the FBI searched Trumps Florida home, however, they discovered more than 100 additional documents, some of them highly classified.

Bobb, like so many members of Trumps legal team, was also interviewed by lawyers from the Justice Department.

One America News Network "Weekly Briefing" with Christina Bobb in 2022. (Gabby Jones/Bloomberg)

Earlier this year, the New York Times profiled Trumps quest to find another Roy Cohn to represent him in legal battles. Cohn represented Trump as both a loyal political fixer and attorney in the 1970s and 1980s; the hyperaggressive attorney was himself indicted on witness tampering and perjury charges but was later acquitted.

He earned a reputation for practicing with threats, scorched-earth attacks and media manipulation, the Times noted.

Mr. Trumps continual efforts to identify and recruit the newest Roy Cohn have always been unusual and impulsive, according to interviews with a half dozen people who have represented or been involved in Mr. Trumps legal travails over the past seven years.
Two Central Florida men got into an argument that turned violent early Friday morning, and one ended up arrested.

According to the Volusia County Sheriffs Office, deputies responded to reports of a shooting outside a house in DeLeon Springs, about an hour north of Orlando. shortly after 4 a.m.

They made contact with the 38-year-old suspect. He told deputies that he and a co-worker had been drinking outside all night, then got into an argument that escalated.

The suspect said the altercation began when the other man reportedly called the female friend at the gathering, also a co-worker of theirs, a slut.

The two men began to argue, with the victim breaking windows of all the cars on the property, and then moving toward him aggressively with an ashtray, according to the police report.

Thats when the suspect admitted to retrieving his firearm, a Glock semi-automatic handgun, from his bedroom. He then came back outside and fired two shots, one at each of his friends legs, because he did not want to kill him, the police report said.

The female friend told police that all three work together at a Chilis in nearby DeLand and were chilling at the suspects home. She said that the two began to argue, with the suspect shooting the victim once in each of his legs, and then stood over him, pistol-whipping him in the head.

The victim, who was reported in stable condition in a local hospital, didnt comply with the investigation because he said he was not a snitch, said the charging affidavit.

The suspect was arrested and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. He was taken to the Volusia County Branch Jail on $25,000 bond.
By Humeyra Pamuk and Arshad Mohammed

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday he could not confirm a report that Iran slowed its pace of amassing near-weapons-grade enriched uranium but would welcome any Iranian steps to de-escalate its "growing nuclear threat."

Blinken also told reporters that Iran moving U.S. detainees into house arrest was not related to any other aspect of U.S. policy toward Iran, which he said reflected a strategy of deterrence, pressure and diplomacy.

On Thursday, sources said Iran may free five detained U.S. citizens as part of a deal to unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian funds in South Korea. Iran allowed four detained U.S. citizens to move into house arrest from prison. A fifth was already under home confinement.

The Wall Street Journal on Friday reported Iran had significantly slowed the pace at which it was accumulating near-weapons-grade enriched uranium and diluted some of its stockpile, moves that could help ease tensions with the U.S. and revive broader talks over Iran's nuclear program.

"Of course, we would welcome any steps that Iran takes to actually deescalate the growing nuclear threat that it has posed since the United States got out of the Iran nuclear deal," Blinken told a news conference, alluding to former U.S. President Donald Trump's 2018 abandonment of that agreement.

Under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and six major powers, Iran had agreed to curb its nuclear program to make it harder for it to obtain an atomic weapon - an ambition it denies - in return for relief from U.S., European Union and United Nations sanctions.

When asked if Iran's reported slowdown and the release of the detainees to house arrest was in any way linked, Blinken said they were different issues. "The agreement that we're pursuing to bring home those who are wrongfully detained in Iran is an entirely separate matter that we want to bring to a successful conclusion, and that's what I'm focused on."

WRONGFULLY DETAINED

The deal announced last week has left out Shahab Dalili, 60, a U.S. permanent resident who has been detained in Iran since 2016, even though his family have repeatedly pleaded with the Biden administration to include him in the deal or at least label him "wrongfully detained".

Dalili has started a hunger strike in the Evin prison in Iran where he has been jailed, his son said on Monday.

The State Department makes the legal determination of wrongful detainment, which effectively means the U.S. government views the charges as politically motivated and false.

Blinken emphasized that the agreement included U.S. citizens who have all been designated as wrongfully detained and said Washington would continue to examine other cases.

"For reasons of privacy, I can't talk about any individual cases. I can simply say that as a matter of policy, we're constantly reviewing whether any particular individual, whether an American citizen or a legal permanent resident, who was incarcerated in another country is wrongfully detained," he said.

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk, Simon Lewis, Arshad Mohammed and Daphne Psaledakis; Writing by Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Josie Kao)
Donald Trumps biggest detractors in the 2024 Republican presidential race offered mixed reactions Tuesday to the former presidents indictment by a Georgia grand jury.

Trump has remained defiant in the face of the new charges against him and 18 others stemming from their efforts to overturn his 2020 electoral defeat. He now faces four separate indictments at the same time that hes running for president as the front-runner for the GOP nomination.

Two rivals argued that the charges Trump faces in Fulton County are similar to the election interference charges brought by federal special counsel Jack Smith in Washington, and said the federal case should take precedence.

Heres what Trumps 2024 GOP opponents are saying about the latest indictment:

Former Vice President Mike Pence

Pence, who broke with Trump on the day of the US Capitol riot and certified the results of the 2020 election, on Wednesday said no ones above the law but that Trump is entitled to the presumption of innocence.

Despite what the former president and his allies have said, for now more than two and a half years, and continue to insist to this very hour, the Georgia election was not stolen and I had no right to overturn the election on January 6, Pence said at the National Conference of State Legislatures legislative summit.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie

Christie told Fox News that he is uncomfortable with what he views as an unnecessary indictment from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

I think that this conduct is essentially covered by the federal indictment, he said. I would have less of a problem with this if she decided, OK, Im not going to charge Donald Trump here, because he has been charged for, essentially this conduct, by Jack Smith.

However, Christie said the Fulton County prosecution of Trumps close allies, including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, was more defensible because they have not been charged at the federal level like Trump has.

Christie defended the timing of Willis indictment, saying that Trumps decision to run in 2024 was not an excuse for the justice system to stop operating.

I think all of these judges in the end will make decisions based upon the reasonable availability of all the witnesses and everyone else, he said.

Later, in an interview with CNNs Jake Tapper, Christie was asked whether Willis might have brought charges against Trump because he wouldnt be able to shut down the state case and pardon himself if he is elected president again in 2024, Christie said, I dont think thats the prosecutors job. The prosecutors job is to look at how do you administer justice in this case.

He said Republican voters should ask themselves, Is someone out on bail in four jurisdictions really our best chance to beat Joe Biden?

Are we really going to continue to act as if this is normal conduct? Its not, he said.

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson

Hutchinson, who has long called for Trump to drop out of the race because of his conduct, said the latest indictment further strengthens his belief that the former president should not be seeking the 2024 GOP nomination.

But much like Christie, he said he believes Willis may be stepping outside her jurisdiction, given the federal charges Trump faces.

Generally, state cases are deferential to the federal cases that have been brought, and I think you can make the case that Georgia should have been deferential because theres overlap there as well, but it is what it is, Hutchinson said.

Former Texas Rep. Will Hurd

Another strident Trump critic, Hurd said in a statement that Trumps latest indictment was another example of how the former presidents baggage will hand Joe Biden reelection if Trump is the Republican nominee.

This is further evidence that Trump knew he lost the 2020 election and was ready to do anything it took to cling to power, Hurd said. Its time we move beyond dealing with the former presidents baggage. The Republican Party needs a leader who isnt afraid of bullies like Trump.

Vivek Ramaswamy

The tech entrepreneur was sharply critical of the charges Trump faces in Georgia.

At a NewsNation town hall Monday night, Ramaswamy said he hadnt read the details of the indictments but painted the multiple investigations into Trump in multiple jurisdictions as an effort to negatively impact the former presidents chances of winning the 2024 election.

These are politicized persecutions through prosecution, Ramaswamy said. It would be a lot easier for me if Donald Trump were not in this primary, but that is not how I want to win this election. The way we do elections in the United States of America is that we the people  you all  get to decide who governs, not the federal police state.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis

DeSantis, Trumps top-polling primary rival who has criticized the prosecution of the former president, told New England reporters Tuesday that the Georgia indictment is an example of the criminalization of politics.

Theyre now doing an inordinate amount of resources to try to shoehorn this contest over the 2020 election into a RICO statute, which was really designed to be able to go after organized crime, not necessarily to go after political activity, the governor told WMUR at a news conference, referring to a racketeering charge brought against Trump. And so, I think its an example of this criminalization of politics. I dont think that this is something that is good for the country.

DeSantis later told reporters in New Hampshire that he thinks Trump is currently leading in the 2024 GOP primary in polls in part because of how Republican voters have responded to the indictments.

Clearly, theres been a change in some of the polling since the Alvin Bragg case was brought, DeSantis said in reference to the indictment brought by the Manhattan district attorney against Trump related to an alleged hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels. I think thats just irrefutable.

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott

Much like DeSantis, Scott, rather than criticizing Trumps actions, lambasted the prosecution of the former president.

We see the legal system being weaponized against political opponents, the senator told reporters Tuesday at the Iowa State Fair. That is un-American and unacceptable.

Scott said he hopes to restore confidence and integrity to the legal system if he were to become president.

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNNs Aaron Pellish, Kit Maher, Abby Baggini, David Wright, Eva McKend, Alison Main, Steve Contorno and Veronica Stracqualursi contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
NEW YORK (AP)  Umpire Angel Hernandez lost again in his racial discrimination lawsuit against Major League Baseball when a federal appeals court refused to reinstate his case on Tuesday.

The 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals upheld a 2021 District Court decision that granted MLB a summary judgment.

The Cuba-born Hernandez, hired as a big league umpire in 1993, sued in 2017. He alleged he was discriminated against because he had not been assigned to the World Series since 2005 and had been passed over for crew chief.

Hernandez has failed to establish a statistically significant disparity between the promotion rates of white and minority umpires, the 2nd Circuit said in an 11-page decision. MLB has provided persuasive expert evidence demonstrating that, during the years at issue, the difference in crew chief promotion rates between white and minority umpires was not statistically significant. Hernandez offers no explanation as to why MLBs statistical evidence is unreliable.

Umpire Angel Hernandez during a game at Globe Life Field in 2022

The decision was made by Circuit Judges Susan L. Carney and Steven J. Menash, who heard oral arguments on June 8. The court said the third member of the panel, Circuit Judge Rosemary S. Pooler, died last Thursday.

Hernandez claimed then-MLB executive Joe Torre, who made key decisions over umpires, held animosity toward Hernandez dating to Torres time as New York Yankees manager.

Hernandez has failed to show that the criteria Torre used in making crew chief promotion decisions caused the existing disparity between white and minority crew chiefs, the panel wrote. Hernandez has made no showing that Torre harbors a bias against racial minorities.

Nicholas R. Gregg, Hernandezs lawyer, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Hernandez could ask the full New York-based 2nd Circuit to rehear the case or for the U.S. Supreme Court to review it.

Hernandez, who turns 62 next week, served as an interim crew chief from 2011-16.

Kerwin Danley became the first Black crew chief in 2020 and Alfonso Marquez became the first Hispanic crew chief born outside the United States that same year. Richie Garcia, who was born in Florida, was the first Hispanic crew chief from 1985-89.

Hernandez has been controversial on the field at times. He had three calls at first base overturned in video reviews during Game 3 of the 2018 AL Division Series between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB umpire Angel Hernandez loses again in discrimination lawsuit
U.S. Army soldier Travis King appears in this unknown location and undated photo. Reuters-Yonhap



North Korea concluded that Travis King wants refuge there or in another country because of "inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination" in the U.S. and the military, state media said on Wednesday, Pyongyang's first public acknowledgement of King's crossing from South Korea on July 18.

.

A private in the U.S. Army, King dashed into the North while on a civilian tour of the Joint Security Area (JSA) on the heavily fortified border between the two Koreas.



U.S. officials have said they believe King crossed the border intentionally, and have declined so far to classify him as a prisoner of war.



U.S. officials have said they believe King crossed the border intentionally, and have declined so far to classify him as a prisoner of war.



North Korean investigators have also concluded that King crossed deliberately and illegally, with the intent to stay in the North or in a third country, state news agency KCNA said.



"During the investigation, Travis King confessed that he had decided to come over to the DPRK as he harbored ill feeling against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. Army," KCNA reported, using the initials of North Korea's official name. "He also expressed his willingness to seek refugee in the DPRK or a third country, saying that he was disillusioned at the unequal American society."



KCNA said King was "kept under control by soldiers of the Korean People's Army" after his crossing and the investigation is still active.



King's uncle, Myron Gates, told ABC News earlier in August that his nephew was experiencing racism during his military deployment, and after he spent time in a South Korean jail, he did not sound like himself.





This handout photo taken on July 18 and provided on July 21, courtesy of Sarah Leslie, shows U.S. soldier Travis King, fourth from left in black shirts, attending a border tour to the truce village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas. AFP-Yonhap



Uncertain future



U.S. officials have so far said that the North had not provided substantive responses to their requests for information on King.






A New Hampshire woman is suing Eataly Boston, alleging she slipped on a piece of prosciutto on the floor of the specialty grocery store and fractured her ankle, according to court documents first obtained by the New Hampshire Union Leader.

Attorneys for the woman, Alice Cohen, allege Eataly was negligent when it failed to ensure the floor was free from unnecessarily dangerous conditions and failed to adequately prevent and remove hazards in the store, according to a copy of the complaint obtained by NBC News.

Alice Cohen sustained bodily injuries, a loss of enjoyment of life, pain and suffering, and incurred necessary medical expenses for medical care and attention, the lawsuit states.

Eataly Boston did not immediately respond to a request for comment from TODAY.com.

According to court documents, Cohen was shopping in the store on Oct. 7, 2022, when she approached an area of the store where samples were being offered and slipped on a piece of prosciutto, Italian dry-cured ham that is often thinly sliced.

She sustained a left ankle sprain and a distal fibular avulsion fracture, according to court documents.

Eataly owed a duty of care to Plaintiff and the general public to maintain its premises in a condition that would not create an unreasonable risk of harm to those lawfully on the premises and to ensure that the premises was safe for use by its customers, the lawsuit states.

Cohen and her husband Ronald Cohen are suing for an amount sufficient to compensate them fully and fairly for all injuries and damages, according to the lawsuit. According to court documents, the Cohens have incurred over $7,500 in medical expenses.

The lawsuit further stated there is a reasonable likelihood the damages could exceed $50,000.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com


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YEREVAN, AUGUST 14, ARMENPRESS. The building of the Armenian Consulate-General in Odessa was damaged to some extent as a result of the August 14 events, but the staff is unharmed, Armenian foreign ministry spokesperson Ani Badalyan told ARMENPRESS.

Badalyan earlier said that no Armenian citizens were injured in Odessa on August 14.

The consulate-general continues to function normally.

Odessa came under a major air strike on August 14, and local authorities reported that nearly 300 buildings were damaged.
German Scouts pose at Beopju Temple in Boeun County, North Chungcheong Province, Sunday. Courtesy of Beopju Temple



By Ko Dong-hwan





A Buddhist monk shaves the head of a German Scout participating in a templestay program at Beopju Temple in Boeun County, North Chungcheong Province, Sunday. Courtesy of Beopju Temple
YEREVAN, AUGUST 15, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan awarded outgoing EU Ambassador Andrea Wiktorin with the Medal of Honor of the National Assembly during a farewell meeting on August 15.

Simonyan thanked the Head of the Delegation of the European Union for her great contribution to the strengthening and deepening of relations between Armenia and the EU and Armenias sustainable development.

Knowing you and seeing your caring work for the development of democratic institutions, I reiterate our commitment to democratic values and readiness to not spare any effort, Simonyan said during the meeting.

He highlighted the ambassadors direct participation in the projects that are aimed at supporting the development and strengthening of resilience of Armenias southern regions.

Wiktorin said that the EU continues to be the primary partner supporting the Armenian governments reforms agenda.

During the meeting the parties also discussed the deployment of the EU monitoring mission in Armenia and the upcoming UN Security Council meeting on the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Simonyan presented the Medal of Honor of the National Assembly to Wiktorin for significant contribution in strengthening the interparliamentary friendly ties and development of democracy, the parliaments press service said.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 15, ARMENPRESS. On August 15, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan had a telephone conversation with Catherine Colonna, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France.

Minister Mirzoyan briefed French counterpart on the details of the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from Azerbaijan's blockade of the Lachin corridor, stressing that it may turn into a real humanitarian catastrophe in front of the eyes of the international community, the foreign ministry said in a readout.

Ararat Mirzoyan presented the severe conditions, including the acute shortage of food and medicine for the 120,000 population of Nagorno-Karabakh and especially for vulnerable groups. The imperative to ensure the full and uninterrupted functioning of the ICRC, the only humanitarian organization having access to Nagorno-Karabakh, through the Lachin corridor was emphasized.

Minister Mirzoyan touched upon the request of Armenia to convene an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. He stressed that Azerbaijan does not implement multiple targeted statements and appeals by international partners and organizations and, by keeping the Lachin corridor blocked for 8 months, violates not only the statement of November 9, 2020, but also the Orders of the International Court of Justice of February 22 and July 6. Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized that the continuous deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh could jeopardize the efforts of Armenia and the international community aimed at establishing stable peace in the region. He stressed the need to use the existing mechanisms effectively and to take clear steps to lift the blockade of the Lachin corridor.
Get it fast, but get it wrong?

I did a double take at the New York Times front-page report this morning of the Metropolitan Museums acquisition of Belizaire and the Frey Children, attributed to Jacques Guillaume Lucien Amans, a French portraitist of Louisianas elite. The purchase was described by the museum as part of the Mets larger effort to reframe how it tells the story of American art:

Attributed to Jacques Guillaume Lucien Amans, Belizaire and the Frey Children, Metropolitan Museum

Through impressive detective work by Katy Morlas Shannon, a Louisiana historian who researches the lives of enslaved individuals (as described in the Times article but not in the Mets press release), and with the assistance of conservators restoration a previously overpainted portrait of an African-American, who is depicted with the family of his White enslaver, the painting became the first naturalistic portrait of a named Black subject set in a Southern landscape to enter the [Mets] American Wings collection, as proclaimed by the museum in its announcement.

But the the narrative got muddled by the Times: Ive been wanting to add such a work to the Mets collection for the past 10 years, said Betsy Kornhauser, the curator for American paintings and sculpture who handled the acquisition, and this is the extraordinary work that appeared.

Problem is: Met-Museumologists (i.e., me) know that Elizabeth Kornhauser is no longer the Mets curator for American paintings and sculpture. A recent press release that I received about her from Olana, Frederic Churchs home, studio, and designed landscape in Hudson, NY, revealed that Kornhauser was retiring from her Met position and joining the Olana Partnership as Consulting Senior Curator and Chair of The Church 200 Committee, effective Aug. 1 [emphasis added].

Seeking clarification, I sent an emailed query to the Mets press office today at 11:20 a.m. An hour later, the museums press release, with the complete story (including the curators correct ID info), hit my inbox, confirming that Kornhauser was formerly [emphasis added] the Alice Pratt Brown Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture at The Met; upon her retirement this summer, she was named Curator Emerita at the Met and Senior Curator and Chair of the Frederic Church Bicentennial Committee at The Olana Partnership. (Her current post was unmentioned in the Times piece.)

The reporter for the Times story, Alexandra Eaton, is described on the newspapers website as a senior video journalist at The New York Times, whose work focuses on new approaches to visual storytelling across breaking news, politics and culture. Given her seeming lack of deep art expertise, the Times fact-checkers should have been more careful in vetting her reporting.

I did another double take at Eatons video for the Times, exploring the story behind this acquisition, which makes a fall guy of the New Orleans Museums former director, John Bullard, with a gotcha quote (beginning at 3:01 in the video) that makes him look foolish:

There are very few museums that can exhibit everything they own. One solution is to go through and decide what might be appropriately deaccessioned and sold.

And Bullard, at 3:28:

I think, in hindsight, it was a mistake [to let go of the painting], yes. But mistakes happen.

Mistakes happen?!? That triggers flashbacks to former U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfelds infamous stuff happens remark about looting in Iraq.

Perhaps reflecting the haste with which the Times wanted to claim its exclusive (see below), the Art & Design section of the papers website does not, at this writing, include any link to the Met acquisition story.

Screenshot from NY Times website

You may now be eager to eyeball the painting itself, but youll have to be patient: The Mets press release states, The painting will go on view in Gallery 756 of the American Wing this fall [emphasis added].
These indigenously-designed and developed-in-India war machines, dubbed the future-ready combat vehicle, will replace the ageing T-72s tanks

New Delhi: The Indian Army's ambitious Make-in-India project, the Future Tank, will have three variants with first prototype expected to be ready in four to five years. The induction of first of these tanks in the Army could start from 2030.

These indigenously-designed and developed-in-India war machines, dubbed the future-ready combat vehicle, will replace the ageing T-72s tanks.

The project was accorded Approval in Principle (AIP) in April to be developed under the Make-I scheme, where up to 70 per cent of government funding is provided for prototype development.

Future Tank will be made in three phases. In the first phase the tanks will be based on the technology which is available so that Indian industry can make it. After Indian industry has gained expertise we will move to more advanced version of the tank in phase two. In Phase 3 the tanks will have futuristic technologies," said a source. Overall, the proposal is to make 1,750 Future Tanks.

"In each phase 550-600 tanks will be manufactured," the source said.

Once the prototype is ready, the Future Tanks will be easily rolled out in 1-2 years to be deployed in the battlefield," the source said. For the third phase, the prototype is expected to be developed in 10-12 years.

The Indian Army has T-72s, T-90s and Arjun tanks. The T-72s have been the mainstay of the Armoured Corps for close to 40 years and are now required to be replaced.

The Future Tank has to be in synchronisation with technological battle field advancements and needs to incorporate systems to negate enemy ISR systems (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance), counter aerial threats and enhance its own survivability and operational performance utilising technology, to ensure staying power and victory in any conflict.

The tank was designed to fight a tank and manoeuvre land mostly open terrain. Now you see the warfare they are using the aerial means. The operatonal role for Armoured Corps will be, not only to cater to the tank threat but to cater to all type of threat, especially from the aerial means. Not just to destroy enemy tank, but to destroy all kind of threats, also those beyond line of sight threats, " said sources.

There is an operational necessity for a modern tank platform enabled with niche technologies including artificial intelligence, see through armour and with the ability to operate in a network centric and electronic warfare environment to maintain continued operational readiness and combat overmatch over the adversary.
Red chairs marked for them remained empty as Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge with party leaders sings the national anthem during celebrations of the 77th Independence Day at the AICC Headquarters, in New Delhi, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023. (PTI)

New Delhi: Top Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge skipped the Independence Day celebration at the Red Fort. The red chairs marked for them remained empty as Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation.

While Kharge attacked the government, alleging that it was trying to "muzzle the voice of the country, taking to social media, Mr Gandhi said that "Bharat Mata is the voice of every Indian".

The Congress president said he couldnt make it as he was unfurling the National Flag at his residence and at the AICC headquarters and that he had an eye problem. He would not have been able to leave the event at the Red Fort till the Prime Minister left.

Taking on the Prime Minister, Mr Kharge said, "He (the PM) also keeps on criticising the Opposition and if he keeps doing so even on Independence Day, then what kind of India will he make? He (the PM) will again unfurl the flag, but at his own house."

Addressing the Congress leaders, he said: "It pains me to say that today, democracy, Constitution and autonomous institutions -- all three are in great danger."

"New tactics are being adopted to suppress the voice of the opposition. Raids by the CBI, ED, Income Tax are happening and the Election Commission is being weakened. Efforts are being made to suppress the voice of the Opposition MPs in Parliament by suspending them. Someone's mic is going off or someone's words are getting expunged. Privilege motions are being brought," the Congress chief said, adding, "Bharat Judega, INDIA Jeetega", referring to the tagline of the Opposition alliance.

Meanwhile Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "On August 15, rather than reporting to the people what his government had achieved in the past nine years, the Prime Minister gave a crass election speech filled with distortions, lies, exaggerations and vague promises. Instead of bringing the country together to celebrate our journey so far, acknowledge the pain and anguish of those suffering, and accept the challenges ahead, he made it all about himself and his image."

"To summarise, Modi's failures in the last nine years can be categorised under 'durniti' (bad policies), 'anyay' (injustice) and perhaps most importantly, 'badniyat' (ill intention). Rhetoric and bluster can no longer cover up this truth, which is now evident to the entire country," Ramesh said in a statement.

He said the Prime Minister addressed the devastation caused by the violence in Manipur, casually comparing it with incidents in other parts of the country.

As the country celebrated Independence Day, Gandhi on Tuesday said that "Bharat Mata" is the voice of every single Indian, no matter how weak or strong.

In his message on Independence Day, he talked about his 145-day Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and shared his experience on how the people during his journey touched him all along.
How long, O Lord, how long?

The Creation of Poverty and Inequality in India, that poverty is the product of a unique form of stratification that is not only Indias Achilles heel but shackles Indians with societal barriers and obstacles that eat into their capabilities. (File Image: AP)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi confused cause and effect when he recently told National Democratic Alliance legislators that poverty is Indias biggest caste. Poverty is certainly the biggest cause of inequality in a land where the Adanis and Ambanis wax richer every year and the government prefers fancy Vande Bharat expresses to ordinary passenger trains. But poverty is not the cause of Indias plight, says Parthasarathi Shome, a distinguished economist who was an adviser to Mr Modis predecessor, Dr Manmohan Singh. Shome argues in his new book, The Creation of Poverty and Inequality in India, that poverty is the product of a unique form of stratification that is not only Indias Achilles heel but shackles Indians with societal barriers and obstacles that eat into their capabilities.

The beef controversy is one feature of the conundrum of confusion that is India because Sangh Parivar stalwarts who proudly lynch defenceless youths and men on suspicion of storing or consuming beef may be barking up the wrong ecclesiastical tree. Shome cites the Rig Veda, the Taittiriya Brahmana, the Pachasaradiya Seva, the Apastambha Dharma Sutra and several other authorities for not just permitting, but positively encouraging, its consumption. True, Manus Prayashchit Mayukh sternly warns against even touching a beef-eating Buddhist but this may have been a strategic move in Hinduisms reconquest of Buddhist India. Since expedient actions often seek religious sanction, linking beef with untouchability could have both reinforced the ban and helped to create a new army of wage slaves for the dirtiest menial jobs. Dr B.R. Ambekar saw untouchability in terms of the old adage about giving a dog a bad name and hanging him -- forced by their social superiors to handle beef, carcases, leather and night soil for minuscule payment, the poorest communities had no option but to eat the dead animals they handled.

An old Calcutta Medical College joke is pertinent in this context. It claimed that when a stroke killed a man in a public lavatory, neither Dom nor Chamar, who ranked lowest in Bengals pecking order, would touch him. One was averse to corpses; the other to lavatories. Eventually, the authorities sent for a doctor who was as impervious to dead bodies as to defecation. There could be a hint there of how to tackle some of our most intractable problems, although without a Swachh Bharat Missions yield in political propaganda.

Views on caste differ. A writer-administrator like H.H. Risley of the Indian Civil Service, who organised Indias first definitive caste census in 1901, saw caste as the cement that holds together the myriad units of Indian society.

Christopher Bayly, the eminent historian, thought colonialism consolidated traditional hierarchies; a Commissioner of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes blamed reservations for creating a vested interest in backwardness.

Echoing the militant Justice Party in the old Madras, Shome blames the role of Brahmanism in shaping a society that designs social and economic exclusion and isolation. As he explains with an abundance of charts, graphs, tables and figures, caste has disabled capabilities in basic education, primary health and lifetime earning capacity, in turn affecting freedom and happiness by stratifying society.

Not that the top three castes -- the dwija, or twice-born -- complain of congenital disabilities. Their grumble is that preferential treatment has tended to favour the traditional underdog ever since the Mandal upsurge under V.P. Singh.

Shomes evidence doesnt quite deny this. Although many compensatory benefits are diverted by societys traditional leaders, the system does encourage a process called Brahminisation, thereby creating a creamy layer among the previously depressed. A village mukhiya in Bihar once lectured me that only free firearms for the forward castes would eradicate the threat of Naxalism presented by uppity Dalits. At the same time, thanks to their statutory privileges, the lower castes are up for grabs; Shome holds that the consolidation of Dalit political power [has] translated into their supporting the Hindu nationalists of the Bharatiya Janata Party whose platform seeks to unite all Hindus, including Dalits, in the fray.

There is poetic justice, therefore, in the Hindu supremacist BJP, the principal beneficiary, being caught in the cross-hairs of a peculiarly Hindu dispute: was the ninth century Raja Mihir Bhoj, whose domains straddled the Malwa region of todays Madhya Pradesh, Gujjar or Rajput? If castes are up for grabs, vote-catcher heroes (never mind if they lived more than 1,100 years ago) are even more prized. Haryanas Rajputs account for five per cent of the population and are influential in 15 out of 90 Assembly seats which will elect representatives next year. Gujjars may be similarly consequential in western Uttar Pradesh.

This recrudescence of an old dispute erupted too late for inclusion in a meticulously researched account of the dire impact of caste on economic growth and political balance. But other controversies expose both the farcical nature of many caste claims and the hypocrisy of some profoundly held religious postures like the supposed ban on beef. One concerns the Kayasthas. Asked whether they were Kshatriyas or Shudras, the Calcutta high court ruled that they were Shudras and could therefore inter-marry with Doms and Tantis. But according to the Patna high court, which now sees no objection to a caste census, they are indeed Kshatriyas.

Many will endorse Shomes conclusion that unless the entire gamut of required economic, social-economic, anthropogenic and political reform measures are considered holistically and sincerely, poverty eradication and inequality alleviation will not be achieved comprehensively and will remain shrouded in obfuscated statistics and feckless intellectual noise. In other words, effective reform demands a revolution. But a revolution is ruled out since he also admits that Indias poor do not loot. Moreover, if a highly respectable visiting senior fellow at the International Inequalities Institute of the London School of Economics, like the author, advocates only discreet legislative measures of the utmost propriety, politicians on the make are equally circumspect.

Therein lies Indias dilemma. When Egypts Gen. Mohamed Naguib demanded King Farouks abdication, the monarch replied enigmatically: You have done what I always intended to do! Egypt and the world would probably still have been waiting if they had relied on Farouks intention. The doctor in the College Street lavatory analogy comes back to mind. If the answer to Indias problems lies in the emergence of a scientifically-educated professional class that is free of religious dogma and political opportunism, Indians might well echo Shaws St. Joan and ask: How long, O Lord, how long?
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The city of Aspen is talking about building 277 employee housing units on the 11.3-acre Lumberyard development, located next to the Aspen Airport Business Center. The sooner its approved and built, the cheaper its cost, officials said Monday.
President Yoon Suk Yeol gives a speech during a ceremony marking the 78th anniversary of National Liberation Day from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, Tuesday. Newsis



President vows not to give in to 'communists disguised as democracy or human rights activists'



By Jung Min-ho



President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed to strengthen security ties with Japan, calling the country a partner which South Korea must work with to defend shared values against intensifying threats. He made the comments in a speech, Tuesday, marking the 78th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Tokyo's 1910-45 colonial rule.



He delivered the speech ahead of a trilateral summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden at Camp David, Friday (local time), which Yoon said would "set a new milestone" for their cooperation in preserving peace not just on the Korean Peninsula but in the entire Indo-Pacific region.



"South Korea and Japan are now partners who share universal values and pursue common interests," Yoon said at the National Liberation Day ceremony held at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.



"As partners cooperating in security and the economy, South Korea and Japan can contribute to peace and security across the world by collaborating and exchanging in future-oriented matters," he added.



If North Korea attacks the South, Japan can serve as an essential military base for United Nations Command (UNC) forces, who could then come to the aid of the South, Yoon said. For this reason, he added that Seoul's strong partnership with Tokyo serves as an effective deterrence against such an invasion attempt.



"The UNC is a great example of international solidarity that has played a key role in firmly safeguarding the Republic of Korea's freedom 'under one flag,'" Yoon said.









"The ROK-U.S.-Japan summit to be held at Camp David in three days will set a new milestone in trilateral cooperation, contributing to peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific region," he said.





President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee wave the national flag during a ceremony marking the 78th anniversary of National Liberation Day from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, Tuesday. AP-Yonhap



Given that South Korea's security "is very much aligned with" the security of the Asian region and beyond, it should not overlook security situations involving partner nations battling for the same values in other parts of the world, he said.



Within this context, Yoon stressed the need for cooperation with NATO in fighting North Korea or any other nation that threatens those shared values, adding that supporting Ukraine in a war against Russia would ultimately help protect "South Korea's own freedom, peace and prosperity."



"The government putting its resources and efforts in Official Development Assistance, international development projects, and in assisting Ukraine for its freedom and peace is ultimately promoting (South) Korea's freedom, peace, and security," Yoon said.



He added that those shared values that unite Seoul, Tokyo, Washington and other governments have helped South Korea become what it is today  a prosperous democratic powerhouse that many developing countries seek to emulate.



The values, however, have come under increasing threat in recent years by "communists and their sympathizers" who remain active in spreading lies and false promises, he noted.



"In a divided country, where the confrontation between liberal democracy and communist totalitarianism is a reality, the activities of those anti-state forces are likely to persist," Yoon said.



"The forces of communist totalitarianism have always disguised themselves as activists for democracy, human rights or liberalism while engaging in despicable and unethical tactics and propaganda  We must not be deceived by or give in to communists or sympathizers," he said, leaving potential future disputes open with the liberal opposition over who the "forces of communist totalitarianism" disguised as "activists for liberalism" really are.





People wave the South Korean national flag during an event celebrating National Liberation Day from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule near Seokchon Lake in southern Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
Underpinned by the same platform as the era's Jaguar S-Type, it was also the foundation stone of the XF and the Lincoln LS, among others. The Blue Oval made the last Thunderbird at its Michigan facility. It was a two-door convertible with a front-engine and rear-wheel drive layout, packing a Jag-made 3.9-liter V8 paired with Ford's five-speed automatic transmission.With 252 horses and 267 pound-feet (362 Nm) in tap, the last Ford Thunderbird certainly didn't break any speed records. Towards the end of its production run, the lump was replaced by a punchier mill with an identical displacement, which was good for 280 hp and 286 lb-ft (388 Nm). Ford pulled the plug on the Thunderbird for good in mid-2005, and they probably won't bring back the nameplate, not for North America, and certainly not with an internal combustion engine under the hood.At any given moment, one can find countless Thunderbirds for grabs on the used car market. And if you were looking for a late model year copy that looks very good inside and out, and doesn't have that many miles under its belt, then this one is worth checking out. It is a 2004 model, according to the Garage Kept Motors listing, with the odometer indicating 54,628 miles (87,915 km). It has two owners in the papers and is described as being clean.Mind you, the ad, which you can access here , doesn't say much else about it, but you are looking at a maroon exterior paint finish with a matching hard top that used to be available as an option straight from the factory. It rides on multi-spoke wheels, has a black leather interior that appears to have withstood the test of time rather well (after all, we are talking about a car that's almost 20 years old), and it looks surprisingly well.We certainly wouldn't say there weren't any issues with this model, as anyone who is in the market for it can probably keep a speech about them. Nonetheless, it is an interesting example that deserves a spot in the used car section on our website. Before wrapping it up and calling it a story, we also have to tell you the asking price, which is $19,900. That's less than a brand-new Toyota Corolla, which comes with an MSRP of $21,700 in our market for the 2023 model year. But is this Thunderbird worth it to you, or would you be interested in something else within this price range?
The Monterey Car Week 2023 is almost in full swing as the events culminate this coming weekend. But all the other introductions (Escalade IQ, Santa Fe, Land Cruiser) this Month are worthy of our attention.

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Sure, two out of three can be taken at face value  Cadillac unleashed the first-ever, all-electric Escalade IQ full-sizein Times Square when it took over New York City. Meanwhile, Hyundai went to Santa Fe, New Mexico, to feature the world premiere of the fifth-gen Santa Fe at its home away from home.On the other hand, Toyota staged the official release at home in Toyota City, Japan. It also featured localized, regional premieres in Europe, Australia, or North America  each covering its set of intrinsic values. For example, parts of the Old Continent and Australia will get to call the new SUV as Land Cruiser Prado and share the 2.8-liter turbodiesel with 201 horsepower.Meanwhile, the United States (and China) will receive the most potent installment of the 'light duty' 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser (now twinned with the Lexus GX 550 instead of the J300 Land Cruiser in this region, too) because it will share the powertrain with the N400 Tacoma in the form of the 326-hp hybrid i-Force Max 2.4-liter turbo four-pot (electrified) mill.And it seems folks are still discovering its secrets, even weeks after the initial presentation. For example, tucked in the US online portal's descriptions is the cool information that Toyota's 2024 Land Cruiser is not only powerful but also frugal. More precisely, the Japanese automaker is estimating 27 combined mpg for the model  which is definitely better than most of its competitors and on par with subcompact CUVs, for example!As for the home release in Japan, the Toyota Land Cruiser is also dubbed 250 there to avoid confusion with the J300 Land Cruiser that's also on sale in the country. But keen observers don't care about that  and instead would like to focus on the initial presentation. More precisely, at one point on the stage, there were the two guises of the 2024 Land Cruiser, along with a background shot of two additional mystery SUVs.One is small and off-road ready, given the rear door-mounted spare wheel  so we can easily speculate it's a three-door Land Cruiser or a potential revival of the FJ Cruiser nameplate. The other is larger, with five doors, but also much subtler than the rugged off-road SUV. So, cue the speculations about the potential introduction of a flagship crossover SUV!The Halo oto channel on YouTube usually provides fresh automotive info corroborated with their virtual designs. Now there is a new CGI take on the intensely-rumored fourth-generation Toyota Century SUV. Note that everything the host says should be taken with a grain of salt, as always, as nothing is official from the Japanese automaker just yet.Interestingly, although many pixel masters expect the rumored Toyota Century SUV to portray the sedan in a stately fashion that could rival Rolls-Royce's Cullinan, now the resident CGI expert switched visions from their previous unofficial depiction (included in the gallery and at the end of the video embedded below) to a fresh design that's making a stark departure from the Century sedan. Plus, it's also a fully electric model, not a hybrid or! So, do we give it our CGI hall pass or not?
Hindered by poor quality control, the Bolt is going the way of the dodo by the end of 2023 due to poor sales. Scheduled to be revived in the near future with Ultium underpinnings and Ultifi software, the Bolt has been hit with yet another safety recall. Similar to the infamous LG battery recall, this one also stems from a supplier.

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Yanfeng US Automotive Interior Systems, the company that makes the instrument panel top pad, informed General Motors of an issue on June 20. Based in Michigan, the supplier told GM that certain instrument panels were produced without passenger-side airbag perforations. The biggest automaker of the Big Three in Detroit started investigating on June 23, identifying a grand total of 403 potentially affected vehicles. Of those, 317 have been called back in the United States market.The lack of perforation on the underside of the panel cover leads to improper airbag deployment, increasing the risk of injury for the front passenger in the event of a crash. A sub-supplier allowed unperforated cover pads to be shipped to Yanfeng, which  in turn  allowed the unfinished panels to pass through quality control into the finished product. No fewer than three part numbers are listed in the document attached below, as follows: 42801933, 42801935, 42801937. Dealers have been instructed to replace the entire instrument panel assembly at no cost whatsoever to owners.Owners will be informed no later than September 25 via first-class mail. Both 2022 and 2023 model year vehicles are recalled, namely Bolt EVs produced between April 16, 2021 and June 3, 2023. The Bolt EUV uses a different panel. Extremely similar to the, the EUV is also made at the Orion Assembly Plant.Previously marketed as the Opel Ampera-e in Europe, the Bolt is based on what GM calls the BEV2 platform. The Ultium electric vehicle platform family comprises the BEV3 for unibodies and BT1 for body-on-frame applications (think GMC Hummer EV and that lot).The BEV3-based Equinox EV was intended to replace the Bolt EV, albeit indirectly, in Chevrolet 's lineup. But given the importance of competitive pricing in the switch from internal combustion to electric propulsion, General Motors ultimately acknowledged the need for a small electric vehicle. It's too early to tell how different the next generation will be from the first, but we're utmost certain that General Motors learned a valuable lesson in hubris after failing to one-up the Model 3.We're also certain that General Motors will keep the starting price below $30,000 (before destination and the federal tax credit). For reference, the most spartan configuration of the Equinox EV is coming to a showroom near you in the spring of 2024 with a starting price of around $30,000. As for the Bolt EV and Bolt EUV, make that $26,500 and $27,800 at press time.
What do you do if you're the owner of a Ferrari F40? That's right! You pamper it! You keep it in a garage, away from the elements, and occasionally take it out for a drive. Not this driver, oh, no! He crashed his pink F40 into a fence.

6 photos Photo: Garnetsi | Instagram
Fisker discreetly announced in a talk with investors that it had already signed the NACS agreement and was waiting for Tesla to do the same. Now, it's official: Fisker is the latest EV maker to leave the CCS Combo 1 behind and adopt the North American Charging Standard (NACS), Tesla's connector. The move will also grant Fisker customers access to nearly all Supercharger locations.

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Fisker's all-electric vehicles will come from the factory with the NACS inlet starting in the first quarter of 2025. But unlike Ford and GM , which got their customers a deal to begin Supercharging as soon as next year, Ocean buyers will be able to take advantage of the charging network at the same time when the new connector will be seen on its EVs.Thus, if you're an Ocean owner looking to use a Supercharger according to the deal Fisker just struck with Tesla, you will have to wait until 2025. Tesla owners, on the other hand, should prepare for a swarm of new users!However, it's worth noting that Tesla opened a good chunk of its Supercharger network to EVs made by other manufacturers earlier this year. Around 7,500 stalls are scheduled to boast the Magic Dock by the end of next year. The program started with 10% of the existing Supercharger stations in March this year.Fisker says the Tesla agreement applies to Americans and Canadians and will include around 12,000 Superchargers, which amounts to roughly 24,000 plugs.But given the current trend of dropping the CCS Combo 1 in favor of NACS , Tesla might not be that interested in continuing to add the NACS to Combo 1 adapter, dubbed as the Magic Dock. It initially did so to tap into the federal funding available forinfrastructure development. But bringing Ford, GM, and other automakers into its charging ecosystem may not warrant the investment in Magic Docks and the wait for money from Uncle Sam.Fisker currently makes the Ocean crossover SUV through a contract manufacturing deal with Magna Steyr in Austria. The upcoming PEAR and Alaska are scheduled to be produced in the US, but this depends on a deal with Foxconn. The Taiwanese company bought the now-bankrupt Lordstown's Ohio factory in 2021.The EV maker and Foxconn confirmed that the PEAR will be made in the Buckeye State in 2022, but the CEO recently said there's no conclusion on the deal to manufacture 250,000 EVs annually. That's despite the rumored progress regarding the PEAR production line.However, Fisker and Foxconn ought to finalize their deal to make the PEAR in the US because we've already been promised access to the updated EV tax credit.Finally, if everything goes right, Fisker should have three vehicles with the NACS port eligible to fast-charge at Superchargers starting Q1 of 2025  the Ocean, the PEAR, and the Alaska pickup truck
Genesis, the luxury arm of Hyundai, recalled a handful of GV60 electric crossovers in the United States. As per documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the automatic locking retractor of the front passenger seatbelt may remain locked after engagement and retraction due to an interference.

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South Korea-based Hyundai Motor Company became aware of this problem on June 27, following two warranty returns from GV60 vehicles produced for the US market. The front passenger seatbelt in said crossovers wouldn't extend afterengagement and retraction, therefore failing to comply with federal motor vehicle safety standard number 208 for occupant crash protection and number 209 for seatbelt assemblies.Hyundai blames the supplier  Samsong of Changwon City  for improperly assembling the suspect assemblies during inventory rework. In other words, Samsong failed the South Korean automaker not once but twice.An out-of-spec cam rib of the automatic locking retractor mechanism prevents the extension of the seatbelt webbing after the initial engagement. NASO, which stands for the North America Safety Decision Authority, issued a recall for 168 examples of the 2023 model year Genesis GV60. Suspect vehicles were produced in South Korea between November 5, 2022 and March 31, 2023 at the company's Ulsan plant.Both dealers and owners will be notified about this recall by October 3, with dealers instructed to replace the front passenger seatbelt assembly if anything seems off. Regarding the supplier, Samsong introduced visual inspection equipment at the beginning of August.Penned by Jung Myung-jin, the GV60 is the first Genesisbased on the Hyundai E-GMP electric vehicle platform. Internally known as the JW, the compact luxury crossover is joined at the hip with the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6. Quite a bit more expensive than both, the GV60 starts at $59,290 (excluding the destination freight charge) as opposed to $41,450 for the Ioniq 5 and $42,600 for the EV6.Very different from both of its brothers from the standpoint of exterior design, the Genesis is listed by the online configurator with extremely limited availability at the moment of writing. Not available nationwide, the GV60 comes in two all-wheel-drive specifications.Advanced means 248 miles (399 kilometers) of driving range on the combined test cycle, a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system with built-in satellite navigation, and many other standard goodies. 20-inch alloys, a power hands-free smart liftgate with automatic open, leather upholstery, aluminum trim, heated and ventilated front seats, a head-up display, and a wireless charger for your phone are only a few highlights.Curiously enough, the $68,290 Performance version isn't as potent as the Ioniq 5 N or EV6 GT. Pressing the green button on the steering wheel summon 54 more ponies for up to 10 seconds at a time for a grand total of 483 horsepower, whereas boost mode improves peak torque from 446 to 516 pound-feet (605 to 700 Nm).
Lamborghini is teasing a concept car that will be revealed in three days' time. All hints suggest that we are going to see an electric concept car.

EV

Photo: Lamborghini

SUV

Lamborghini has not had a grand tourer since the 1970s

Photo: Lamborghini

The Sant'Agata Bolognese-based carmaker has posted a photo on social media, announcing the debut of a vehicle on August 18. "Something new and truly thrilling is about to be unveiled," the Instagram post claims.The Lamborghini head honchos have been talking about the debut of an electric concept car sometime during Monterey Car Week. So we have all the hints to assume that this is it. The Italians have previously referred to the upcoming concept car as the "first prototype of our fourth series production car."The teaser photo shows the upper part of the car's profile. There is a sleek silhouette, probably with a very low drag coefficient, something that would definitely help an, as well as a high belting, suggesting we might have to deal with something with a high ride.The greenhouse is narrow, a hint that visibility is not that generous from behind the steering wheel in any direction. Still, because there is nothing else in the photo to compare it with, it is next to impossible to estimate proportions.The company's CEO, Stephan Winkleman, said back then that the upcoming model would be "much more daily suable" than the replacement of the Huracan or the new Revuelto , the carmaker's first plug-in hybrid, which is already sold out until 2025.It remains to be seen how much of the components shared within the upper portfolios in the Volkswagen Group will be shared with the upcoming electric Lambo. For instance, the Urusgot a platform donation, the MLB Eco, that also underpins cars such as the Bentley Bentayga, Porsche Cayenne, and Audi Q7.Yet considering that we are expecting an electric model, the PPE (Premium Platform Electric) modular architecture would be appropriate for the upcoming zero-emission Lamborghini.The supercar manufacturer is also planning to roll out a plug-in hybrid Urus, while the successor of the super-SUV will be an electric-only affair. But that will happen toward the end of the decade. Lamborghini will progressively come up with an entire electrified lineup.But until that happens, we are to see the new electric concept car with the Lamborghini badge up front on August 18. That is also when we will find out the specs of the concept car previewing the company's first EV.But in July 2023, Lamborghini disclosed plans of building their first EV in the shape of a 2+2 grand tourer. The last time the Italians sold a 2+2 GT was in the 1960s and 1970s, when they had the 400 GT 2+2 (1966 - 1968), Islero (1968 - 1969), Urraco (1972 - 1979), and Espada (1968 - 1978).The first, known as the 400 GT Interim, was actually the 350 GT with an enlarged V12 engine and 315 horsepower (320 PS). The Italians only built 23 such cars. Three of them got an aluminum bodywork.Then in 1966, at the Geneva Motor Show, Lamborghini unveiled what they called the 400 GT 2+2, with a steel bodywork, a different roofline, larger sidewinders, but a smaller rear window. 224 such units saw the light of day.In 1968, thecame as a replacement for the 400 GT. It was on display at the motor show in Geneva that year. The name of the model was that of a bull that killed matador Manuel Rodriguez back in 1947.The Islero was designed to be more conservative than the Espada , yet the Italians have never been conservative in terms of design. They halted production after 125 units built and sold and after the car starred in The Man Who Haunted Himself with Roger Moore in the leading role.In 1970, Lamborghini took theto the Turin Auto Show, with a name being translated into Little Bull. Designed by Marcello Gandini, who also worked for Carrozzeria Bertone, the Urraco was supposed to be an affordable daily driver.791 such cars were built, with 21 of them specifically designed for the American market. To comply with regulations in the US, the cars received larger front bumper. Emission regulations also forced the carmaker to tone down the output.The longest-lasting of the Lamborghini grand tourers was the. It came in 1968, just like the Islero, to replace the 400 GT. It featured bold looks, also created by Marcello Gandini, and its name meant 'sword.' The 'espada' is the sword matadors use to kill the bulls.Three different series were produced during the ten-year production run. 1,217 Espadas rolled off the assembly line during that time.Following a half a century hiatus, it would be about time Lamborghini brought a 2+2 grand tourer to the market. Their first electric model would be late to the zero-emission party. But  as the Italians put it  Meglio tardi che mai. That would be 'Better later than never' in English.
kW

Pricing for the 2024 Lexus LC 500 Coupe Inspiration Series starts at $116,700, including the $1,350 destination charge and the LC 500 Convertible Inspiration Series can be yours from $121,900. By comparison, the normal LC 500 Coupe has an MSRP of $99,050 stateside, and the LC 500 Convertible is available from $106,550.Since they are in the LC 500 configuration, all of them feature the same 471-horsepower (478 ps/351) 5.0-liter V8 naturally aspirated engine with a 7,300 redline. The coupe takes 4.4 seconds to cover the 0 to 60 mph (0-97 kph) sprint, and the convertible is two-tenths slower. The lump, combined with the numerous premium amenities, a nicely-tuned chassis, and drop-dead gorgeous looks, make the LC one of the finest two-door GTs on the market.But you already knew that, so let's proceed to the Inspiration Series, which will start arriving at dealers in early fall. The model features an LC-first color combo mixing Polar Surge Satin with a Deep Blue interior look on the coupe and a Blue rag top on the convertible. The exterior of both variants features a satin lacquer topcoat on the white matte look, contrasted by several black accents, including those on the grille surround, side mirrors, and other elements.The front bumper canards are said to balance lift, thus improving stability at high speeds, whereas the carbon fiber fixed rear wing, which is exclusive to the fixed-roof variant, further improves the handling. Completing the look on the outside are the 21-inch forged alloys with a matte black finish. Other highlights include the standard carbon fiber roof and the front and rear underfloor braces borrowed from the convertible and added to the coupe. The rear performance dampers and the Torsen limited-slip differential are also included.Opening the door will reveal the Deep Blue monotone cockpit with gray stitching and a host of Alcantara. Semi-aniline-trimmed seats, bespoke scuff plates with a carbon fiber look, a numbered plaque on the center console that additionally reveals the special nature of each car , and a few other things are standard. Toyota's premium auto brand also says that the Inspiration Series variants of the 2024 LC 500 get a premium audio system from Mark Levinson, a 12.3-inch infotainment system, a head-up display, and a smart access key card.Some may not be able to tell apart all versions of the Lexus LC, as the updates are usually minor, but we've got to admit that it remains one of the best-looking cars on sale, even if it is over six years old.
Redesigned for the 2024 model year, the Crosstrek and Impreza have been recalled to the tune of 35,357 vehicles. According to Subaru, insufficient clearance between the instrument panel wiring harness and steering beam bracket may damage the wire insulation.

CVT

Subaru of America was informed of this problem in May 2023. Two months later, the Japanese automaker's engineering division acknowledged the aforementioned condition. Subaru is currently aware of a single technical report in the United States market. No fewer than eight part numbers are listed in the document attached below. Notifications will be sent no later than October 3 with instructions to bring affected vehicles in for inspection.In case of damaged wire insulation, dealers will apply protective tape to the wire. The wiring harness will be replaced only if the wire core is found to be exposed. For all recalled vehicles, the deal tech will install a clamp on the steering beam bracket to prevent contact between said bracket and the wiring harness. According to Subaru, the condition was corrected in series production on June 6 with the addition of the aforementioned clamp.An estimated 29,561 units of the 2024 model year Crosstrek are called back, with production dates ranging between February 20 and June 6. The Impreza is listed with 5,796 units produced between March 24 and June 6. The Crosstrek is assembled in the US of A and Japan, whereas the Impreza is exclusively built in the Land of the Rising Sun. Speaking of which, this generation of the Impreza dropped the sedan body style in favor of the more practical yet slightly pricier hatchback body style.The Crosstrek and Impreza are both codenamed GU, which isn't exactly a surprise given how closely related these vehicles are. Based on the Subaru Global Platform, these Scoobies can be specified with either a 2.0-liter boxer engine (FB20D) or a 2.5-liter boxer (FB25D).Priced at $22,995 before taxes and extras, the Impreza is available in three flavors: Base, Sport, and RS. The five-speed manual of the 2023 model was dropped in favor of the Lineartronic, which simulates eight forward ratios in the case of the Sport and RS trim levels. At press time, the Crosstrek costs $24,995.Five trims are available to configure as of August 2023, with the most expensive and exciting of the lot being the Wilderness . The third Wilderness after the Outback and Forester starts at $31,995 with 9.3 inches of ground clearance to its name as opposed to 8.7 for lesser trims.Introduced in April 2023 at the New York International Auto Show, the off-road-oriented Wilderness can tow up to 3,500 pounds (1,588 kilograms). It comes with the 2.5-liter boxer as standard, which boasts 182 direct-injected ponies and 178 pound-feet (241 Nm) on full song. The 2.0-liter boxer, on the other hand, offers 152 horsepower and 145 pound-feet (197 Nm) of torque.
MQB

4Motion

What makes us say that? A few images of an uncamouflaged pre-production car, snapped during the promo shooting in Slovenia's capital city, Ljubljana, apparently. The vehicle was caught completely naked next to a camera car, showing its exterior design ahead of the official presentation.As we already knew from the numerous spy shots and the occasional realistic rendering, the all-new 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan has a different face that kind of sends ID vibes. It features smaller headlamps compared to the outgoing iteration , a small grille, and a less aggressive bumper. The lighting signature is more modern at the rear, and both bumpers feature chrome elements in a move that appears to tie them to the color of the roof rails.By the looks of it, this version of the next-gen Tiguan is likely in the R-Line trim level. This means a sportier look on the outside and presumably some updates in the cockpit. We've already seen the interior, which features a 15-inch infotainment screen on upper grades and a 12.9-inch display on the lesser models. It also gets digital dials, a head-up display, and a more generous trunk said to have increased by 1.2 to 22.9 cubic feet (33-648 liters). Volkswagen says they have improved the quality of materials used throughout the cockpit, and that's even more good news.Underpinned by an upgraded variant of theEvo platform, the 2024 Tiguan is expected with electrified powertrains, including plug-in hybrid units with up to 268 horsepower combined and probably standard all-wheel drive. Mild hybrids and gasoline engines will complete the offering, and it is possible that the European variant will launch with one or two diesels. The DSG automatic transmission will be the only option, as the new Tiguan won't pack a manual gearbox anymore. And, as usual, theall-wheel drive system will be limited to the more expensive models.Deliveries in Europe are believed to start in the first quarter of next year, and we might not get the next Tiguan at all. That's what the rumor mill says, anyway, as the redesigned Tayron could act as the successor to the Tiguan Allspace. The 2023 Tiguan is currently offered in the S, SE, SE R-Line Black, and SEL R-Line in the United States. The base model carries an MSRP of $26,950, which goes up to at least $37,680 for the range-topper, excluding destination and dealer fees. It's safe to assume that if we indeed get the new Tiguan over here, it will probably be a bit pricier.
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida walks away after offering a flower during a memorial service in Tokyo, Japan, Tuesday, marking the 78th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II. Reuters-Yonhap



By Jung Da-hyun



Seoul expressed regret, Tuesday, over Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sending offerings to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, a site known for glorifying Japan's wartime aggression, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.



According to Japan's Kyodo News, Kishida sent a ritual offering to the shrine in Tokyo, while some other politicians and government officials visited the place in person on the occasion of the anniversary of the country's surrender in World War II.



The site enshrines Japan's war dead, including 14 Class A war criminals from World War II. Visits and offerings by Japanese government officials often stoke tensions between Japan and neighboring countries, including Korea and China, which view such activities as a symbol of Japan's past imperialism.



"The government expresses deep disappointment and regrets that responsible leaders of the Japanese government and parliament sent offerings or paid visits to the Yasukuni Shrine that beautifies Japan's past war of aggression," the foreign ministry said in a statement.



"Our government urges responsible figures in Japan to look squarely at history and show genuine reflection and repentance on the past through action."



The controversial acts occurred on the same day when President Yoon Suk Yeol emphasized the importance of security ties with Japan during his speech marking the 78th National Liberation Day, describing the neighboring country as a partner that shares universal values and pursues common interests.



Since taking office in October 2021, Kishida has sent offerings on six occasions  but without visiting in person to avoid strong condemnation from Seoul and Beijing.



Prominent figures from Japan's political circles who visited the shrine and paid their respects include Koichi Hagiuda, the policy chief of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, Kyodo added.





Japanese government officials visit the Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo to mark the 78th anniversary of the end of World War II, Tuesday. AP-Yonhap
Volvo has always forwarded a minimalist, clean design concept. Now the Swedish brand proves that it can go extreme and debuts the XC60 Black Edition. Well, as extreme as a Volvo can be.

Photo: Volvo

AWD

kWh

The evil-looking XC60 Black Edition is available exclusively as the range-topping Black Edition only in the Ultimate top trim. The compact XC60 is now getting the dark, sinister look, which brings the Onyx Black paintwork. All exterior elements have been blacked out, badging included. The model rides on five double-spoke 21-inch alloy wheels in High Gloss Black.The cabin also underwent the Black Edition treatment. Volvo put a black headliner inside to match the Charcoal seat upholstery. Customers can choose either the Ventilated Nappa Leather or the Nappa leather, leatherette, and textile combination.The Orrefors crystal knob found its way on board the car for the extra premium feeling, as well as the meal mesh aluminum trim inlays. The driver will benefit from the presence of a 12.3-inch display with Google built in.The Black Edition package does not interfere with the engine of the car. Therefore the XC60 remains available as a B5and as a Recharge T8.The B5 AWD features a 48-volt mild-hybrid technology and is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that delivers 247 horsepower (250 PS) and 258 lb-ft (350 Nm) of torque.The Recharge T8 comes with the same 2.0-liter engine integrated into a plug-in hybrid, working alongside an electric motor for a combined output of 449 horsepower (455 PS) and 522 lb-ft (709 Nm), delivered to both axles via an eight-speed automatic. With such figures, the car can do 0-60 mph (0-97 kph) in just 4.5 seconds. A lithium-ion 18.8-battery pack provides it with a 35-mile electric range.Both versions have a top speed limited at 112 mph (180 kph), and so do all the models manufactured by the Scandinavians. It is Volvo's manner of reducing down to zero the number of serious injuries and fatalities in traffic.The Volvo XC60 Black Edition will end up in the customers' hands in 2024. The B5 version will start at $57,500. Meanwhile, the T8 plug-in hybrid kicks off at %68,950. Prices do not include destination and delivery charges. The XC60 is Volvo's best-selling model in the United States, accounting for almost one third of the brand's total sales this year. Launched back in 2017, the compact model went through a facelift in 2021. An all-electric new generation will reportedly arrive in 2024.The XC60 compact crossover is not the first model to get the Black Edition treatment. Volvo treated the S60 to the same "back to black" recipe in 2022. The sedan was available with both Onyx Black and Crystal White Metallic paintworks.
The criticism came after Madrid announced its humanitarian assistance to residents of Nagorno-Karabakh whose ethnic Armenian leader last week appealed to the international community to prevent the starvation of the region that has been in a de facto blockade imposed by Azerbaijan for months.

In a post on its X (Twitter) account Spains embassy in Russia said that the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) has decided to support a thousand people displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia.

The AECID is activating its humanitarian action Acontraelhambre (Action Against Hunger) to help 1,000 people in Armenia displaced due to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, it said in a post made in Armenian. A total of 250 families will receive financial, psychological and social assistance, it added.

Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Aykhan Hajizade said in response that Baku strongly condemns this unconstructive approach.

It is strange to see a country fighting separatism on its own territory while supporting separatism in other countries. Spains support for the illegal separatist regime established by Armenia on the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan is unacceptable. We strongly condemn this unconstructive approach, Hajizade said.

Spain did not respond to the criticism immediately.

Later on Tuesday Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry also summoned Spains charge daffaires in the country over the matter.

Amid severe shortages of basic foodstuffs, medical and fuel supplies experienced by Nagorno-Karabakhs Armenians, Armenia last Friday officially asked the United Nations Security Council to hold an emergency meeting regarding the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation Jose Manuel Albares Bueno was one of the top foreign diplomats that Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has held phone calls with over the past several days to present the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh that Yerevan blames on Azerbaijan.

As he spoke to 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.
Armenias U.N. Ambassador Mher Margarian asked for the meeting on the dire situation in Nagorno-Karabakh in a letter to the ambassador of the United States, which holds the Security Council presidency this month.

The U.S. Mission to the U.N. said Monday the emergency open meeting will take place on Wednesday afternoon, the Associated Press reported.

In his letter to Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Margarian said Azerbaijans complete blockade since June 15 of the Lachin Corridor  the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia  has created severe shortages of food, medicine and fuel.

Armenias move came after Nagorno-Karabakhs ethnic Armenian leader Arayik Harutiunian appealed to the international community for immediate action to lift the de facto blockade imposed by Azerbaijan and prevent what he called the genocide of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Baku denies blockading Nagorno-Karabakh and offers an alternative route for supplies via Agdam, an Azerbaijani-controlled town situated east of the region. Stepanakert rejects the offer, saying that the closure of the Lachin corridor is a violation of the terms of the Moscow-brokered 2020 ceasefire agreement that the Armenian side insists places the vital route solely under the control of Russian peacekeepers.

Meanwhile, Armenias Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan will be in New York to attend the emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.
In an August 14 interview Edmon Marukian, ambassador-at-large at Armenias Ministry of Foreign Affairs, did not specify where such negotiations will take place.

The latest Armenian-Azerbaijani talks on the peace treaty took place in Moscow on July 25 and were held at the level of foreign ministers.

It followed several rounds of negotiations hosted by the United States and the European Union.

Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of State, on August 7 reiterated Washingtons belief that a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan remained within reach.

He made the remark while commenting on an earlier statement by Denis Gonchar, a senior Russian Foreign Ministry official, who said that a hastily prepared, raw [Armenian-Azerbaijani] peace treaty would not bring a sustainable peace to the region, but, on the contrary, would lay the foundation for new conflicts and tragedies in the future.

Tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan escalated again in recent days amid a reportedly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh that Yerevan blames on Azerbaijan, saying that it continues to block all commercial and humanitarian supplies to the region where an estimated 120,000 ethnic Armenians live. Azerbaijan denies blockading the region.

Following an appeal from Nagorno-Karabakhs ethnic Armenian leader Arayik Harutiunian to the international community over the blockade last week Armenia asked the United Nations Security Council to hold an emergency meeting on Nagorno-Karabakh. Such a meeting has been scheduled for August 16, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan accused Armenia of conducting a military buildup along the border, a claim denied by Yerevan and refuted by a European Union mission (EUMA) that has been monitoring areas along the Armenian-Azerbaijan border since last year.

The EUMA mission today first refuted a report by Armenias Defense Ministry that its patrol has been a target of shooting, but then corrected its statement, saying that we confirm that a EUMA patrol has been present to the shooting incident in our area of responsibility. It added on X that no EUMA member was harmed.

Meanwhile, Armenias Foreign Ministry suggested on Monday that Bakus spreading false information about Armenias military buildup indicates Azerbaijans intention to aggravate the situation in the region.

Armenia said late on Monday that one of its soldiers stationed at a border position was seriously wounded by fire coming from the Azerbaijani side. Both countries have blamed each other for ceasefire violations along the restive border in recent days. Baku and Stepanakert have also traded accusations for reported shooting incidents around Nagorno-Karabakh.
The office of Nagorno-Karabakhs ombudsman said on Tuesday that a 40-year-old man from Stepanakert identified as K. Hovhannisian died as a result of chronic malnutrition, protein and energy deficiency.

The catastrophic food situation caused by the blockade and especially the two-month-long complete siege, leading to the malnutrition of people and the threat of hunger, the lack of necessary medicines and the inability of the full functioning of the healthcare system create direct and undeniable threats to the 120,000-strong population of Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh  ed.], it said.

Meanwhile, Nagorno-Karabakhs health authorities said that hemodialysis patients were being evacuated from the region to avoid death due to growing shortages of necessary medical supplies.

According to the de facto Health Ministry of Nagorno-Karabakh, 29 such patients have been transported to Armenia during the past two days, while 12 have refused to be evacuated and risk dying when suppression of their kidney function becomes life-threatening.

Kristine Avagimian, head of the hemodialysis department at Stepanakerts hospital, said that each of the patients with kidney deficiency who preferred staying in Nagorno-Karabakh had their own reason for that.

One of the patients has minor children to take care of, some are wheelchair-bound and have mobility problems. In other words, each has family and personal problems that led to such a decision, while they are well aware what it would lead to, the doctor said.

Authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh estimate that medical supplies needed for hemodialysis will run out in the region in about two weeks.

Tensions around Nagorno-Karabakh escalated again in recent days and weeks amid a deteriorating humanitarian situation in the region that Armenia blames on Azerbaijan, saying that it continues to block all commercial and humanitarian supplies to the region through the Lachin corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia.

Baku denies blockading the region and offers an alternative route of supply from within Azerbaijan via the eastern town of Agdam, which is rejected by Karabakh Armenians who fear it could be a prelude to their absorption into Azerbaijan.

Following an appeal from Nagorno-Karabakhs ethnic Armenian leader Arayik Harutiunian to the international community over the blockade last week Armenia asked the United Nations Security Council to hold an emergency meeting on the humanitarian situation in the region.

Such a meeting has been scheduled for August 16, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday.
We confirm that an EU monitoring mission patrol was present at the shooting incident in our area of responsibility, EU Mission in Armenia (EUMA) said on X, formerly known as Twitter. The post, which corrected a previous statement saying no EUMA patrol had been a target of shooting, also said no mission member had been hurt.

The statement came after Armenia said Azerbaijans military had opened fire on the observers monitoring the border between the two countries. Azerbaijan denied responsibility for the incident.

The Armenian Defense Ministry said the shooting took place as EU observers patrolled the village of Verin Shorzha, about 6 kilometers from the border. It also said there were no casualties.

Azerbaijan said the claims amounted to disinformation and that Baku had been told in advance of the patrols.

The units of the Azerbaijani Army have been informed about the visits of the mission, so the incident reported by the Armenian Defense Ministry is theoretically and practically impossible, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said.

The EU, which launched its border monitoring mission earlier this year, has taken on a broader mediation role between the two countries as they deal with disputes over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Tensions between Baku and Yerevan have escalated sharply in recent days as both sides accuse the other of cross-border gunfire and violating the ceasefire agreement. Armenia has sounded the alarm over humanitarian aid deliveries to Nagorno-Karabakh over the Lachin Corridor linking the Armenian-populated region to Armenia.

The UN Security Council is scheduled to hold an emergency meeting on August 16 on the issue of humanitarian access to Nagorno-Karabakh, which Yerevan and Stepanakert say has been denied for months by Azerbaijan after it imposed an illegal blockade on the region.

During the session in New York Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan will discuss the worsening humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of Azerbaijans blockade of the Lachin Corridor.

Azerbaijan denies blockading Nagorno-Karabakh and has offered an alternative route for supplies via the town of Agdam, which is situated east of the region and is controlled by Baku.

Russia on August 15 urged Azerbaijan to open the Lachin Corridor. The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement following a telephone call between Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Azerbaijani counterpart, Jeyhun Bayramov.

Particular emphasis was placed on the need for the practical implementation of steps previously agreed in principle, aimed at the speedy de-escalation of the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh, including the unblocking of humanitarian routes, including the Lachin Corridor, the statement said.

Russia brokered a ceasefire agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan that ended their 44-day war over Nagorno-Karabakh in November 2020. Since then it has deployed about 2,000 peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh, including along the Lachin Corridor, under the terms of the agreement. Yerevan and Stepanakert insist that Azerbaijans installing a checkpoint along the vital road is a violation of the ceasefire deal.
15 August 2023 08:30 (UTC+04:00)

Rena Murshud Read more

Earlier on Monday it was reported about the death of Charge d'Affaires of Ukraine in Armenia Oleksandr Senchenko on Sevan (Goycha) Lake. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry itself confirmed the death of a Ukrainian diplomat. According to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Senchenko has worked in the department for almost 20 years. He has been in the diplomatic service in Armenia since 2022.

There is a lot of resonance in this case. An interesting fact is that only the body of a Ukrainian diplomat was found in the Goycha Lake. However, since the incident happened at the level of diplomats, a direct question arises: how many other diplomats have been given death warrants in a "safe" place like Armenia..?

It is no secret that Armenia is a place of provocation, blackmail and illegal activities. In particular, plots, assassinations against political figures, and similar crimes have been widespread since the fall of the Soviet Union. It should be noted that in the late 90s, many political figures were killed in Armenia, such as Vazgen Sargsyan, former Prime Minister Karen Demirchyan, and former parliament speaker Yuri Bakhshyan. As for the appetite of France, Iran and other countries to open a consulate in Western Zangazur (Gafan district) today, it can be called a real risk. Because in order to open a consulate in such a place, you have to be very brave, or at least as professional as Iran in sabotage, assassination and terrorism.

Moreover, Armenia is also the cradle of conflict. The presence of a dangerous situation indicates that some forces belonging to several terrorist organisations from different countries can freely carry out their dirty activities in Armenia.

In addition to being the real cause of the conflict in the South Caucasus, Armenia is also seditious enough to destroy the countries within it.

The mysterious murder of the Ukrainian diplomat once again proved that the activity of foreign diplomats in Armenia is extremely dangerous.

The fact that the murder happened on the territory of Armenia at the moment also caused further sparking of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

In general, the name of Armenia cannot be equated with the word peace. The word Armenia is more compatible with the words terrorism, conflict, genocide and crime. Because the country is full of chaos and danger.

It should be noted that the relevant bodies of Ukraine have started investigation in connection with the search for the main crime. Regarding the mysterious crime, Ukrainian political expert also Vitaliy Yarmolenko made a comment to AZERNEWS.

"I think that Ukraine's Foreign Ministry will await the results of the investigation of the tragedy by the local Ministry of Internal Affairs. This may take some time. I hope there will be interaction between Ukrainian and Armenian representatives of the investigation bodies."

According to the expert, this incident raises many questions, but one should not draw final and hasty conclusions until the results of the investigation are made public.

"It is also necessary to take into account the role of Armenia as one of the key states in the secondary export of dual-use goods and parts to other countries, including chips needed for missile weapons," V.Yarmolenko added.

Further, the expert told us about the increased pressure from the United States on countries that help the Russian Federation to circumvent international sanctions. Thus, restrictions were imposed on 4 companies from Kyrgyzstan, which were involved in the supply of, for example, UAVs to the Russian Federation. There is no exact information, but it can be assumed that negotiations on this topic, including through the diplomatic line, could take place between Ukraine and Armenia. It should also be noted that Armenia does not recognize the occupation of part of the territory of Ukraine by Russia, and the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan announced the neutral position of Armenia in the war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine. This, however, describes the level of complexity of bilateral relations between the countries, but in no way prejudges a possible connection with the current tragedy," he emphasised.

In the end, having expressed his condolences to the family of the late diplomat Alexander Senchenko, Vitaliy Yarmolenko said that the criminals will soon come out.

"This is a big loss for Ukrainian diplomacy. I believe that very soon all the cards will be put in place."

---

Rena Murshud is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @RenaTagiyeva

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
15 August 2023 16:00 (UTC+04:00)

Qabil Ashirov Read more

United Nations Security Council to be convened tomorrow on request of Armenia due to the so-called blockade of Garabagh. Armenian mass media claims that the Armenian foreign minister Ararat Mirzoyan also will participate in the meeting.

To put it briefly, Armenia did not comply with the commitments of the November 10 Statement and did not provide Azerbaijan with a guarantee and unimpeded links with Nakhchivan. However, under the auspices of Russian peacekeepers Armenia used the Lachin-Khankendi road not only for humanitarian purposes but also to transfer military equipment and personnel for separatists in Garabagh.

At the beginning sabotage groups of separatists swept into the Azerbaijani territories and planted the landmines. Then illegal Armenian armed formations fired at an Azerbaijani border serviceman and injured him. To top it all off, it was found out that the members of ICRC were smuggling banned products. So, Azerbaijan was obliged to close the Lachin border checkpoint until the end of the investigation and offered Armenians to use the Aghdam-Khankendi road.

For some reason, the Armenian side propagandizes that it is a blockade and ostensibly Azerbaijan intends to commit ethnic cleansing. Regarding the issue, the Armenian side is required to convene the meeting of the UN Security Council, and a meeting is expected to take place tomorrow.

Speaking to AZERNEWS, Azerbaijani political scientist Alimusa Ibrahimov, noted that Armenia's appeal to the UN caused irony in Azerbaijani society and the world because same Armenia called four UN Resolutions a piece of paper and never complied with its demands. He added that it is another measure to slander Azerbaijan.

"Yerevan and other organizers knew very well that sending trucks to the Lachin Border Checkpoint, sending busses from Khankendi to Lachin and other similar events would not have any results. Then, why did they do all this? There is only one answer to this rhetorical question: to slander Azerbaijan. Supposedly, it was to form an opinion in the world community about Azerbaijan's allegedly holding Armenian minority living in Garabagh in blockade. When all this failed, the Armenians appealed to the UN and managed to put the issue on the agenda of the Security Council. Of course, it is not Armenia that draws the plan of all this, but hegemonic states like France that stand behind it. As we know, they have been pursuing a policy of hostility against Azerbaijan and Turkiye for a long time. With the support of France, Armenia required a meeting of the UN Security Council, and of course, the UN could not reject this request. However, the important thing is not to convene the meeting, but to achieve a result here. But will Armenia be able to get something from the meeting? Of course, Azerbaijan will not sit idly. Azerbaijan also has enough arguments regarding the Lachin Road. If the circumstances had been different, if Azerbaijan had really blockaded the people living there, and if what the Armenians said had been true, serious measures would have been taken against Azerbaijan long ago. I think that among the world states there are quite a lot of states that accept the arguments put forward by Azerbaijan, and one of these arguments is the use of the Aghdam-Khankendi road. If Armenians are suffering from hunger and famine has engulfed Garabagh, then why do they not accept this offer? This is not their goal, their goal is to discredit Azerbaijan," he stressed.

The pundit underlined that he does not expect the UN Security Council to take any serious action against Azerbaijan. He said that there will be negotiations on humanitarian aid, steps to be taken to avoid a humanitarian crisis, and alternative roads to be used in Garabagh. The main issue to be discussed there will be to deliver food and medicine to the Armenians living in Garabagh an alternative route.

"I don't think that the decisions will be made according to the claims of the Armenian side. An Azerbaijani delegation will also participate there and will express their opinions. As I mentioned earlier, Azerbaijan has serious reasons. First and foremost, Garabagh is an Azerbaijani territory and Azerbaijan has the right to protect its territorial integrity. I believe that the Azerbaijan will also raise the issue of cooperation with the office of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Khankend, not with the office in Yerevan, but with the office in Baku," the pundit emphasised.

Alimusa Ibrahimov believes that attention will be paid to the issue put forward by Azerbaijan in tomorrow's discussion and all nuances will be carefully considered. As for Armenia, according to the expert, this may be Armenia's last complaint before the international organization.

"After that, they will not be able to find a more authoritative body than the UN to complain about Azerbaijan and put forward their baseless claims. This is the last battle of the Armenians, and this is their last step, and the result will be zero for them," he concluded.

---

Qabil Ashirov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @g_Ashirov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
15 August 2023 13:00 (UTC+04:00)

Elnur Enveroglu Read more

The Armenian society, which is used to be cossetted and to hear always pleasant words in its favour, even if it's a lie, was shocked this time. In addition, the direction of the object, which shocked the Armenians, was from a completely different place. The issue is related to the European Commission, which poured salt onto the Armenians' wounds...

Armenia believes that all diplomatic representatives of the European Union should be at their disposal, and when they start spreading some lies, those officials whom they have bribed should say an Amen to every new idea. However, yesterday, a group of ill-minded Armenians was disturbed by the posting of high-ranking diplomat of the European Commission, Lawrence Meredith, on his official X (former Twitter) page promoting tourism in Azerbaijan. His posts caused some rumours and even Lawrence Meredith was unfairly criticized by some pro-Armenian officials.

 If you're on the lookout for a mesmerising destination at the crossroads of East and West, you will be fascinated by #Azerbaijan



Let's delve into the wonders of this enchanting country!



 1/7#SummerTravels



 Lukas Bischoff/Shutterstock pic.twitter.com/o28hwaQL5S  Lawrence Meredith  (@LMeredithEU) August 10, 2023

It is not a secret that today many legal institutions of Europe are being manipulated by the Armenian diaspora. International laws are just a piece of paper for Armenia.

Armenia knows very well that raising a ruckus by appealing to international institutions regarding the issue of Lachin is just a show. In reality, Yerevan has long accepted that it is a defeated party.

Even Armenia has not been able to accept itself as an independent state. If that were the case, it would not have interpreted its humiliated defeat in the Patriotic War in different ways.

For example, the fact that Armenia often associates its big defeat in 2020 with Turkiye is due to its helplessness. This reminds us of a confused and illogical argument of the former defence minister of the puppet state, David Tonoyan - "During the second Karabakh war, the level of the Armenian army was 4 times lower than the Azerbaijani Army. Our military aviation and air defence system was non-existent. However, if Turkiye had not defended them, we would have defeated Azerbaijan."

This illogicality is actually a stain absorbed into the way of thinking of the Armenian society. Dressing up the defeat in different modes and comforting oneself senselessly is a typical act of Armenians. If you accept that the military potential of the Azerbaijani Army is superior, the rest is a load of baloney.

As for the next Armenian provocation around Lachin, it can be called a step without thinking about the consequences. We know every step you take, we know how to predict your every manoeuvre in advance. You don't want to shout to the world, you want to arrange your military junk that you bought from India or something left from the Soviet era around Lachin. This does not make any difference for Azerbaijan. Although European international organizations serve for you, international laws are the same for us, and you yourself have acknowledged our military power. You claim that Garabagh is in "blockade", but again it is impossible to see your logic here. If what you say is true, then how logical is it for a country to blockade its own territory?

If we talk about the blockade, then let's talk about the fact that Nakhchivan has been under blockade for more than 30 years. Why did Armenia cause the territory of one country divided into two parts and prevent movement in between? If you and your patrons had the slightest sense of justice and logic, international laws would not become a toy in your hands.

If you wanted peace, you would not hinder the integration process, if you wanted development in the region, you would be aware of who is a builder and who is a destroyer, and finally, if you loved the people of Karabakh, you would agree to the humanitarian aid allocated for them passing through the Aghdam-Khankendi road. Your goal is different. Your problem is not Garabagh, it's just jealousy and grudge burning inside you.

---

Elnur Enveroglu is AzerNews deputy editor-in-chief, follow him on @ElnurMammadli1

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
15 August 2023 20:00 (UTC+04:00)

Elnur Enveroglu Read more

Sometimes there are strange moments in politics. For example, one politician dies and another one replaces him with the same prototype.

Every time Konstantin Fyodorovich Zatulin makes a statement to the press with his rhetoric, for some reason he always reminds us of Vladimir Zhirinovsky. It is true that saying a word is as important as real action, but if you don't say it on the spot, the word loses its value.

The last statement of the Russian politician to the local press regarding Garabagh and Azerbaijan-Armenia relations was considered both inappropriate and ridiculous.

Although Zatulin was able to successfully continue the tradition of the "late" Zhirnovsky with his somewhat powerful speech, he could not fully express his thoughts. It seems that Mr. Zatulin, like previous rhetoricians, has learned to speak without thinking about the beginning and the end of his words.

At the beginning of his comment, he criticized the leadership of Armenia, but later he named Turkiye in his comment. The Russian politician tried to threaten Turkiye and meant that Russia is the one and only power in the South Caucasus. However, Zatulin went to the extreme and expressed an unethical attitude towards all three states as well as the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. First of all, Zatulin should clearly understand that Garabagh is the territory of Azerbaijan, and the location of the separatist regime under the temporary control of Russian peacekeeping units, is not Stepanakert, but Khankendi (Xankendi). In addition, Mr. Zatulin should once again note that there is no mention of any capital or so-called state in Azerbaijan's Garabagh.

As a result of his political illiteracy, Zatulin also tried to put his leadership in a bad position in front of the states. Every country knows this. President Vladimir Putin has expressed his opinion on mutual respect for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan in a tripartite meeting with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

In addition, Zatulin once again demonstrated his incompetence in the field of politics by opposing Turkiye, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Russia has signed an agreement on mutual partnership with Azerbaijan, and relations between the two countries have always been at a high level. At the same time, Turkish-Russian relations continued at a high level without any questions or comments. As for Armenia, perhaps instead of criticizing Pashinyan, Zatulin should be thankful to the miserable prime minister due to his country's inability to become independent. Because if there is a country that will only listen to rhetoricians like him, it is Armenia.

As for the Russian politician's opinion on the situation in Garabagh, we offer him to pay a visit to Garabagh. If he wants to get information about real hunger and blockade, he can come directly to Khankendi and witness everything with his own eyes.

In general, from a political point of view, Konstantin Fyodorovich Zatulin tried to worsen the relations of his country with the regional states rather than expressing anything. In any case, the fact that a Duma official indulged in such political illiteracy is a disgrace to the name of the Russian state.

---

Elnur Enveroglu is AzerNews deputy editor-in-chief, follow him on @ElnurMammadli1

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
A girl points to a display showing the signatures of Korea's independence fighters in Seoul, Tuesday, as the nation celebrates the 78th anniversary of its liberation from the 1910-45 Japanese occupation. Yonhap





By Jung Min-ho







More than one out of four young Koreans who were born between 1995 and 2009 are not sufficiently aware of the meaning of National Liberation Day, with more than 10 percent saying they had no idea, a recent poll shows.







According to survey results released Monday, the day before the national holiday marking Korea's independence from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule, 15.6 percent of respondents in that age group said they were "not well aware" of its meaning, while 11.2 percent said they were "completely unaware."







Among those respondents, described as members of Generation Z by PMI, a pollster, only 21.9 percent said they were well aware of the day, including the date, year of independence and meaning, while 51.4 percent said they were somewhat aware.






15 August 2023 11:07 (UTC+04:00)

The Culture Minister Adil Karimli has met with young filmmakers to discuss the Azerbaijani cinema, which turns 125 this year.

The minister noted that the state pays attention and care to all areas of culture, including cinema, Azernews reports.

He emphasized that the creation of the Film Agency under the presidential decree shows the high concern for this area.

Adil Karimli also spoke about the work carried out since the first film forum organized by the Culture Ministry and stressed the importance of developing the creative industry.

The minister and filmmakers discussed the ideas and proposals as well as issues related to the development of the film industry.

Azerbaijani cinema has come to be an internationally recognized modern art enjoying a huge popularity and recognition at international film festivals, which frequently award the national films.

Over the past years, more than 300 films and 1,200 documentaries, as well as hundreds of cartoons were filmed.

Set up by the Culture Ministry, the State Film Agency focuses on creating all necessary conditions in the cinematography. It will also attract investments and foreign investors to the country's film industry.

---

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15 August 2023 10:22 (UTC+04:00)

On 14 August, media representatives of the Republic of Turkiye visited Garabagh and East Zangazur, Azernews reports.

The media representatives traveled for the first time to the liberated city of Aghdam.

Here they will familiarise themselves with the destruction caused by Armenia during the occupation and the extensive construction works carried out by the Azerbaijani state after the liberation of Aghdam.

---

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14 August 2023 14:47 (UTC+04:00)

The 30-year occupation of Armenia has led to the complete destruction of eight towns and hundreds of villages in Azerbaijan, Azernews reports.

Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan - Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration, wrote about this on the social network "X".

"The destructive occupation of Armenia, which lasted for 30 years, led to the complete disappearance of 8 towns and hundreds of villages of Azerbaijan. But the unprecedented and state-funded reconstruction process is leading to the revival of the liberated territories," the publication reads.

30 years long devasting occupation of Armenia caused for complete disappearance of 8 cities and hundreds of villages of Azerbaijan. But unprecedented and nationally owned and funded reconstruction process brings revival to liberated territories. pic.twitter.com/s4vzHuRCZF  Hikmet Hajiyev (@HikmetHajiyev) August 14, 2023
15 August 2023 13:22 (UTC+04:00)

The trip of journalists of the brotherly country to the territories of Azerbaijan liberated from occupation continues. The next stop of media representatives visiting East Zangazur and Garabagh economic districts was the town of Lachin, Azernews reports, citing a regional correspondent.

The journalists arrived in Lachin town after the Aghali village of Zangilan district. Here they were met by the staff of the Special Representative Office of the President in the Lachin district, which is part of the East Zangazur economic region. The media representatives were provided with detailed information about the town of Lachin. It was noted that as a result of Armenian vandalism during the occupation, all infrastructure in Lachin was destroyed and destroyed, and nature was subjected to ecological terrorism. After the liberation of Lachin, as well as in other districts, construction and reconstruction works were started here, and in a short time, the houses in Lachin were restored and handed over to the original inhabitants.

It was brought to the attention of the guests that under the "Great Return" program, the people of Lachin have returned to their land. A few days ago, the next phase of the Great Return to Lachin was realized and 23 more families have moved to the town permanently. At present, 203 families comprising 793 people are residing in Lachin town and all infrastructural facilities have been provided here for the relocated families. The media representatives then toured the territory of Lachin, where they familiarised themselves with the conditions created by the construction and reconstruction works.

Then Hamza Ciftci, a journalist for Turkish TV channel Haber Global also shared his impressions of the visit to Aghdam.

"In Aghdam we witnessed the construction of a new road. Construction works are being carried out rapidly. The construction and reconstruction works carried out in the city encouraged us," the regional correspondent said.

Speaking about Aghdam - Khankendi road, the journalist noted: "The road is culture. We have heard about some difficulties related to the use of the Aghdam-Khankendi road. Azerbaijan wants this road to be used for cargo transport for Armenian citizens in Garabagh. We hope that Azerbaijan's goodwill will be received favorably and the road will be put into use".

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
15 August 2023 15:22 (UTC+04:00)

The Western Azerbaijani community strongly condemns the position of Spain directed against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, encouraging separatism, and demands from official Madrid to stop the policy of double standards and not interfere in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan, Azernews reports,

This is stated in the statement of the Community of Western Azerbaijan.

"The community calls on Spain to support the peaceful, safe, and dignified return to their homes of Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia," the statement said.

Recall that last day the Spanish Embassy in Russia announced the provision of assistance to the Armenian separatists in Garabagh.

The Embassy of Spain, in a post on X (Twitter), stated that financial and social support will be provided to 250 families.

Moreover, in the publication, the state agency used the so-called "flag" of the Karabakh separatists.

---

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15 August 2023 12:31 (UTC+04:00)

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev expressed his condolences to President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin in connection with the explosion at a gas station in Makhachkala, which caused numerous casualties, Azernews reports.

The letter reads:

"Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich,

I was very saddened by the news of multiple casualties as a result of an explosion at a gas station in Makhachkala.

On behalf of the people of Azerbaijan and on my own behalf, I extend my deepest condolences to you, the relatives and loved ones of those who died, and wish all the injured a recovery."

---

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15 August 2023 12:40 (UTC+04:00)

Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ali Asadov has expressed condolences to the Head of the Republic of Dagestan of the Russian Federation Sergey Melikov over the heavy casualties as a result of an explosion at a gas station in Makhachkala, Azernews reports.

PM Ali Asadov extended his deep condolences to the Head of Dagestan Republic, families and loved ones of those who were killed, and wished the injured recovery.

---

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15 August 2023 16:45 (UTC+04:00)

Armenian residents of Garabagh today crossed the border in the direction of Armenia without hindrance. A total of 10 patients with accompanying people, as well as the mediation and escorting by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), passed through the Lachin border checkpoint, Azernews reports, citing Armenian media outlets.

It should be noted that Azerbaijani citizens of Armenian origin can safely cross the Lachin border checkpoint at any time of the day. All conditions have been created by the Azerbaijani side for their unimpeded crossing of the checkpoint.

This once again proves that there are no barriers on the part of Azerbaijan to crossing the checkpoint at the state border. Armenia's statements and actions regarding the border are purely provocative.

---

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15 August 2023 08:00 (UTC+04:00)

A young beach lifeguard at Latina south of Rome became an 'accidental archaeologist' when a bather came across the neck of a Roman amphora poking put of the shoreline there on Friday, Azernews reports, citing ANSA.

The lifeguard, 19, immediately retrieved the second-century BCE artifact with the utmost care, Il Messaggero reported, and handed it over to the local coast guard service.

Experts said the amphora, which was described as perfectly preserved, had been washed ashore overnight.

It will probably be housed in a museum in the southern Lazio city, founded by Benito Mussolini after he drained the Pontine Marshes in the late 1920s and early 30s.

---

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15 August 2023 10:00 (UTC+04:00)

Turkiye is following the long-term discussions regarding the Lachin road and understands Azerbaijan's legitimate concern about this issue, said the Turkish Ministry of Defense's statement, Azernews reports, citing the Ministry.

Turkiye has been closely following the long-standing debate on the Lachin road and understands Azerbaijan's legitimate concerns on this issue. Unfortunately, these concerns, which Azerbaijan has loudly voiced for a long time, have not been taken into account and as a result, Azerbaijan has taken measures that it considers appropriate within its sovereign rights.

Turkiye believes that there is no basis for criticizing Azerbaijan with regard to the Lachin route. The fact that medical passages on the Lachin road, as well as other routes suitable for the transport of large amounts of material, are now provided for, shows that the Azerbaijani side is making its best endeavors in good faith.

We expect Armenia to avoid provocative steps, to recognize the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, to support the use of "Aghdam-Khankendi" and other alternative ways to meet the needs of the Armenian population in Garabagh, and to support efforts to reintegrate the Armenian population of Azerbaijan.

Turkiye believes that in order to ensure peace and stability in the region, the territorial integrity, sovereignty and humanitarian efforts of friendly and brotherly Azerbaijan should be supported and actions that exacerbate the situation should be avoided.

---

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'Time-travel Train' draws visitors to Beijing

Ecns.cn) 13:44, August 15, 2023

Passengers take photos of a 1960s-themed subway train of Beijing Subway Line 1, Aug. 14, 2023. (Photo: China News Service/Yang Kejia)

The front compartment of the train replicates the DK2 and DK3 subway car models used in Beijing during the 1960s and 1970s.

The second and fifth compartments recreate the styles of DK11 and DKZ4 subway cars that were in service on Line 1 during the 1980s and 1990s.

The third and fourth compartments in the center of the train feature designs inspired by the 2008 Olympic support line and the intelligent trains of Line 11.

Passengers take 'Time-travel Train' of Beijing Subway Line 1, Aug. 14, 2023. (Photo: China News Service/Yang Kejia)

Passengers take 'Time-travel Train' of Beijing Subway Line 1, Aug. 14, 2023. (Photo: China News Service/Yang Kejia)

Passengers take 'Time-travel Train' of Beijing Subway Line 1, Aug. 14, 2023. (Photo: China News Service/Yang Kejia)

Passengers take 'Time-travel Train' of Beijing Subway Line 1, Aug. 14, 2023. (Photo: China News Service/Yang Kejia)

Passengers take photos of a 1960s-themed subway train of Beijing Subway Line 1, Aug. 14, 2023. (Photo: China News Service/Yang Kejia)

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Representatives of local associations that jointly hosted the Rally for the Commitment and Action for Korean Unification on the 78th Anniversary of the National Liberation Day pose at the National Assembly in Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of Korean Dream 10 Million campaign organizing committee



By Ko Dong-hwan



A new campaign for Korean unification kicked off, Tuesday, aiming to secure 10 million supporters by 2025.



The Rally for the Commitment and Action for Korean Unification on the 78th Anniversary of the Liberation of Korea was jointly hosted by nine local associations, including Action for Korea United, Korean National Police Veterans Association and the Leaders' Alliance for Korea Unification. Rep. Lee Myoung-su of the ruling People Power Party and Rep. Lee Yong-sun of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) were among the co-hosts of the event.



The goal is to gather 10 million people in Korea and overseas by 2025 supporting inter-Korean unification. The "Korean Dream 10 Million" campaign will be completed by 2025, which marks the 80th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule, which ended in 1945.



Participants of the rally pledged to work together for Korean unification regardless of differences in their ideologies and political or religious beliefs. They agreed to be vocal about those suffering from the division and arouse international support for unification.





Seo In-teck, co-chairman of Action for Korea United, explains the Korean Dream 10 Million campaign's future agenda at the National Assembly in Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of Korean Dream 10 Million campaign organizing committee
15 August 2023 11:30 (UTC+04:00)

After the protest of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry's Spokesperson, Aykhan Hajizade, on X (Twitter), the Spanish Embassy in Russia removed the provocative publication against Azerbaijan, Azernews reports.

Recall that last day the Spanish Embassy in Russia announced the provision of assistance to the Armenian separatists in Karabakh.

The Embassy of Spain, in a post on X (Twitter), stated that financial and social support will be provided to 250 families.

Moreover, in the publication, the state agency used the so-called "flag" of the Karabakh separatists.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
15 August 2023 17:48 (UTC+04:00)

Poland has purchased long-range radar detection aircraft from Sweden, Polish Armament Agency spokesman Grzegorz Polak told PAP news agency, Azernews reports, citing the Polish Ministry's press information.

"The agency has ordered Saab 340 AEW long-range radar detection aircraft based on the Armed Forces' needs in the field of electronic reconnaissance of the lower atmosphere," he said.

"Additionally, Bayraktar TB2 drones, among others, have been purchased, and a contract is also planned to be signed soon for the delivery of balloons, which will significantly increase the capabilities of the Armed Forces and expand the radar reconnaissance area," Polyak added.

He also said that "last month the construction of the Delfin electronic reconnaissance ship was laid down, which will be handed over to the Polish Navy in 2027."

"This is another ship that will be able to conduct radar reconnaissance in maritime waters. It is the most modern solution of this type, which will allow closing the maritime border," Polak emphasized.

Poland has recently taken steps to strengthen its defense capabilities by acquiring long-range radar detection aircraft from Sweden. On May 22, 2023, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Mariusz Blaszczak revealed that Poland is currently engaged in discussions with Sweden regarding the procurement of airborne early-warning aircraft.

The most likely platform being considered for purchase is the GlobalEye, developed and delivered by the Swedish company Saab. This solution combines Erieye extended-range radar and other sensors with the ultra-long-range Global 6000 aircraft from Bombardier, which adds over 11 hours of operational endurance. The aircraft's multi-role capabilities allow it to detect and track a wide range of targets, including airborne, maritime, and ground-based threats, enabling better-informed decision-making.

The GlobalEye AEW&C aircraft features a suite of modern active and passive sensors, providing long-range detection and identification of objects across multiple domains. It is equipped with Erieye Extended Range radar, which has a maximum detection range of 550 kilometers (341.7 miles) and prevents electronic clutter and jamming by enemy forces. The aircraft's Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar also allows the military to focus on specific areas or targets of interest. Additionally, GlobalEye provides real-time information to military units, increasing their situational awareness and threat detection capability.

The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration has ordered the GlobalEye AEW&C aircraft from local aerospace firm Saab. Valued at 7.3 billion Swedish Krona ($711 million), the agreement requires the company to deliver two GlobalEye aircraft by 2027. If Poland decides to acquire GlobalEye, it would join the ranks as the third operator of the aircraft. Currently, Saab is in the process of delivering GlobalEye units to Sweden and the United Arab Emirates.

By acquiring the GlobalEye from Sweden, Poland is taking an important step in strengthening its defense capabilities and increasing its situational awareness. This aircraft will enable Poland to better detect and track a wide range of targets, including airborne, maritime, and ground-based threats, and provide real-time information to military units.

---

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15 August 2023 22:10 (UTC+04:00)

Marko Arnautovic has returned to Inter from Bologna after three appearances at the San Siro in the treble winning season of 2010, Azernews reports, citing ANSA.

The strapping (1.92m, 6ft 4in) ex Stoke and West Ham striker, who has scored 34 times in 108 caps for Austria, is joining on a 10 million euro deal, sources said.

The player will get 3.7 million euros plus bonuses.

Meanwhile unsettled Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku may be set to leave the Meazza for Spurs who have just sold England captain Harry Kane to Bayern Munich for 116 million euros.

---

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15 August 2023 18:40 (UTC+04:00)

The Turkish Coast Guard on late Sunday rescued 27 irregular migrants who were illegally pushed back into Turkish territorial waters by Greek authorities, Azernews reports, citing Yeni Safak.

The Afghan migrants were rescued from a rubber boat off the Ayvacik district in the northwestern Canakkale province, according to the Coast Guard Command.

The migrants were taken to the provincial migration authorities.

Turkiye and global rights groups have repeatedly condemned Greeces illegal practice of pushing back irregular migrants, saying it violates humanitarian values and international law by endangering the lives of vulnerable migrants, including women and children.

Turkiye has been a key transit point for irregular migrants seeking to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.

---

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California judge pleads not guilty to murder in wife's death

A Southern California judge charged with killing his wife during an argument while he was drunk has pleaded not guilty
Kansas police and a small newspaper are at the center of a 1st Amendment fight after a newsroom raid

A small newspaper and a police department in Kansas are at the center of a dispute over freedom of speech after police raided the office of the local newspaper and the home of its owner and publisher
Wildfires in Maui are among the deadliest in US history. These are the other fires atop the list

Wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui have killed at least 96 people, making it the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century
Young environmental activists scored a ground-breaking legal victory when a Montana judge said state agencies were violating their constitutional right to a clean environment by allowing fossil fuel development without considering its effects on climate change
Bakersfield, CA (93308)

Today

Rain. Potential for flooding rains. High 76F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half 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.
Cho Seon, center, the perpetrator of a stabbing rampage near Sillim Station in Seoul, is surrounded by reporters in front of Gwanak Police Station before he was taken to the prosecution, July 28. Korea Times file



Forensic psychologists say there is little link between mental illness and violence



By Kang Hyun-kyung



Prosecutors indicted Cho Seon, the 33-year-old perpetrator of the July 21 stabbing rampage near Sillim Station, Seoul, on four counts  murder, attempted murder, burglary and defamation.



A 22-year-old male died from the attack, while three other victims in their 30s were severely wounded.



According to the Seoul Central Prosecutors' Office, Cho has a video game addiction and suffers from an inferiority complex.



He bore grudges against society and his pent-up frustration developed into hatred and anger when he received a subpoena from the police in July after a YouTuber sued Cho for defamation. He had posted a comment claiming that the YouTuber was gay.



In the stabbing rampage, prosecutors said Cho appeared to be emulating a video game character.



"He acted like a character in a first-person shooting game," Kim Soo-min, the chief prosecutor in charge of the case, told reporters during a briefing on Friday. "He ran around the streets looking for targets. After spotting a target, he attacked the vital spots from behind or the side. He then quickly changed his position to find another target, just like how a game character shifts to a new spot."



The briefing confirms that grudges and an inferiority complex, which developed into anger, were the direct causes of the stabbing rampage, refuting the popular belief that Cho's mental state seemed to have triggered the violent attacks. Cho was assessed to have psychopathic traits in a Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) test conducted shortly after he was arrested.



"There is little link between mental illness and mass attacks," Craig Jackson, professor of occupational health psychology at Birmingham City University in the United Kingdom, said in an email interview with The Korea Times.



"Most mass shootings are traced back to the attackers being extremely angry, disaffected and even having extreme personalities. Most research that looks into mass casualty attackers finds that extreme mental health problems (for example, psychosis) were active factors in only 15 to 25 percent of attackers at most. Although some mass casualty attackers do have low levels of mental health problems, these mental health problems are not the cause of their attacks."



Peter Langman, a forensic psychologist who has studied many mass killers in the United States, concurred with Jackson.



"The question about mental illness is frequently asked, but the term mental illness is rarely defined in this context," he told The Korea Times. "If people mean schizophrenia, then we can say that the overwhelming majority of people with schizophrenia are not violent, but that some people who become violent do have schizophrenia- usually with many other factors that contribute to their violence."



Langman said schizophrenia is simply one factor among many that can contribute to the risk of violence.





Choi Won-jong, center, the suspect of a stabbing rampage near Seohyeon Station, answers questions from reporters at a police station in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Aug. 10. Yonhap



Court order for mental illness treatment



Another deadly mass attack shocked the nation two weeks after the stabbing rampage near Sillim Station.



Choi Won-jong, a 22-year-old delivery worker, drove onto a sidewalk near Seohyeon Station in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province on Aug. 3 and stabbed shoppers in a mall next to the subway station.



One victim in her 60s was killed in that attack, while 13 others were wounded.



Choi claimed he was a victim of stalking by unspecified people for years.



"Long story short, I have been a victim of an organized stalking crime. I suffered from harassment from them even on the day when I committed the mass attack," he told reporters on Thursday when he was taken by the police to a detention center. "I concluded there were plenty of stalkers living near my place, so I decided to kill them."



The 22-year-old is known to have been diagnosed with a schizoid personality disorder in 2020, but had not received medical treatment.



The two deadly mass attacks raised the red flag on patients with mental disorders who did not receive proper medical treatment.



Calls are growing to introduce a court order for mental illness treatment to prevent such deadly attacks in the future.



An online survey by JoongAng Ilbo showed 89 percent of respondents want the government to introduce a law requiring patients with mental disorders to receive medical treatment.



In an editorial published on Aug. 9, Chosun Ilbo, one of the major newspapers in Korea, called on Korean courts of law to make sure such individuals receive treatment.



"The recent two stabbing rampages have one thing in common: the perpetrators have records of mental health problems but they didn't receive medical treatment or stopped seeing doctors for years until they committed the crime," it reads. "These tragic incidents would have been preventable if the perpetrators had received medical treatment."



The Ministry of Justice responded favorably to the calls, saying it is consulting with the Ministry of Health and Welfare regarding a court order for mental health treatment.



But it remains uncertain whether the government will end up implementing the measure or not.



Even if such a law is introduced, a court order for mental health treatment is unlikely to be helpful in preventing mass attacks, considering the fact that such disorders are not the root cause of the deadly incidents.





Flowers are laid near Seohyeon Station in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Aug. 7, to pay tribute to the victims of the Aug. 3 stabbing rampage. The deadly incident killed a 64-year-old woman and wounded 13 others. Korea Times file
Bakersfield, CA (93308)

Today

Rain ending early. Remaining cloudy. Low 69F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Localized flooding is possible..

Tonight

Rain ending early. Remaining cloudy. Low 69F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Localized flooding is possible.
https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/thermocline-bass.html

Summer

Image Lure designer Lyndall Helms keys on the thermocline to catch bass throughout the heat of summer.

The ideal summer residence for bass requires the right combination of water temperature and oxygen.

The right combination of water temperature and oxygen in large lakes and reservoirs can be found in the thermocline, the transition layer between warmer mixed water at the surface and cooler deep water below. "The thermocline is important to bass because not only do bass hold at that depth, but the shad will hold right above it too," says Lyndall Helms, a former lure designer for Bandit Lures and current lure designer for Jewel Bait Company.

The Arkansas angler targets largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass hanging around the thermocline on his home waters of Bull Shoals Lake. "The bass like certain temperatures, and they will get down to the thermocline, which on Bull Shoals is about 25 to 30 feet," he says, "That is the comfort zone of bass, and they bite pretty well there." Helms notes that the surface water temperature will be in the 80-degree range during the summer and gradually drops to 66 to 68 degrees at 25 to 30 feet deep at Bull Shoals.

The lure designer notices the thermocline starts to set up on Bull Shoals in the summer at about 8 to 10 feet deep when the surface temperature climbs to about 75 degrees. As the water temperature climbs, the thermocline descends and settles into the 25- to 30-foot range by July and mid-August. The thermocline drops to 35 to 40 feet deep by late August, eventually dissipating around October when the surface water temperature falls to around 70 degrees.

"Usually (the thermocline) starts setting up good in highland lakes like Bull Shoals and Table Rock in June," Helms says. "Once that happens, a lot of fish get on it. You'll notice you will catch a lot of bass along the bank early, but as soon as that bite is over, you wonder where the fish are. It's like they quit, or you will just catch little ones. The bass have backed out then and are hanging right over that thermocline where it is comfortable."

Your electronics will help you find the depth of the thermocline, which sometimes appears as a steady line across the graph's screen. "Usually, the thermocline (on the graph) has a hazy look to it," Helms says. "You can turn up your gain or sensitivity and pick it up better sometimes. You just have to have an open mind when looking at your graphs. If you keep seeing everything setting up at 30 feet, that is probably where the thermocline is."

Finding the proper structure with a significant presence of baitfish on it is also a key to catching thermocline bass. Helms locates the largest concentrations of thermocline bass in deep water around outside channel bends of creeks and tributaries, drop-offs, points, and tops of standing timber that extend up to the thermocline.

Image The Jewel Bait Company Live Spin falls quickly to the thermocline and can be held in the bass comfort zone for a long time.

Helms tempts the fish with a couple of baits when he finds several bass hanging around the thermocline. He usually starts with a Jewel Bait Company Live Spin, a 2.5-inch, 1-ounce lure he designed that projects well on forward-facing sonar. Helms will switch to vertical jigging a drop shot rig if the thermocline bass are finicky. "It is a matter of keeping something on that thermocline once you figure out what depth the bass are on it," Helms says.

The heavy Live Spin can be cast a long distance and falls quickly to the thermocline. The lure's custom "spiral blade" triggers strikes as it drops horizontally or vertically to the thermocline. The Live Spin's design allows anglers to keep the lure at the depth of the thermocline for as long as it takes to trigger a strike.

Helms doesn't use forward-facing sonar, so after casting the Live Spin, he counts it down, estimating that the heavy lure falls 2 feet per count. When he counts to 20, Helms knows the lure is about 40 feet. Strikes usually occur for him on the Live Spins initial fall or when he holds the lure at the thermocline and employs a series of raising and dropping the bait.

Helms will switch to a drop shot rig featuring a 5/16-ounce weight and a 3-inch Tater Baits Tater Shad or a Z-Man 3.75 StreakZ minnow imitator if these tactics fail to produce or if the bass keep short striking. Helms presents his drop shot bait to thermocline bass by letting it sit completely still, or he wiggles it just a little bit.

Helms thermocline tactics produce both numbers and quality bass throughout the summer. "I have caught as many as 60 to 70 bass many days on Bull Shoals on the Live Spin, and I will catch everything: walleyes, stripers, white bass all setting up on that thermocline," he says. Helms claims he has caught several 6-pound largemouth and 3- to 4-pound smallmouth on his thermocline presentations.

You can get additional tips like these from the authors book, 101 Bass Fishing Tips, Twenty-First Century Bassing Tactics and Techniques from All the Top Pros. Order an autographed copy by visiting https://jnoutdoors1.jnoutdoors.com.
Thompson Forbes lectures during a class at the East Carolina University College of Nursing. ECU is offering a dual nursing and business degree program that will preparing nursing leaders to take on the challenge of health care administration. (ECU photo by Rhett Butler)

In April 2023, VCU Health in Richmond announced an inaugural chief nursing officer position. The 13-hospital McLaren Health Care system in Michigan did the same June 1, as did the WVU Health System in June 2022.Closer to home, ECU Health announced in November 2022 that Trish Baise would assume the role as the system's first chief nurse executive.What these newly established positions seem to show is a recognition by major health care systems of the importance of having business-savvy nurses in leadership positions to help bridge the realities of hospital administration with the life and death demands at the bedside.A new dual program offered by the East Carolina University College of Nursing, in partnership with the ECU College of Business, aims to empower nurses with the tools to advance up the ranks in executive leadership and health system administration. Graduates of the program will receive a Master of Science in Nursing and a Masters of Business Administration (MSN-MBA).Bimbola Akintade, dean of the College of Nursing and an MBA graduate, understands the benefit of having nurses empowered to lead in health care administration.Akintade said.The programStudents in the online program will graduate with a Masters of Nursing Science in health system leadership and a Masters of Business Administration, a potent combination of qualifications that will help graduates tackle long-term challenges in health care administration. Twelve semester hours will count toward both degree programs.The first semester of the program will have students focus on business, the second semester will veer back into nursing coursework, and the remaining year and a half of students' time will be blended.Thompson Forbes, ECU assistant professor of nursing and one of the program's directors, said the goal of having students complete the two degrees in tandem is to give them knowledge and skills they can use to bridge the cultural gap between frontline nurses and hospital administration, not making nurses into accountants.Communication, Forbes said, may be one of the biggest problems facing health care systems - the legion of credentialed health care professionals in scrubs and lab coats don't often speak the same language as the administrators and analysts in suit coats and dresses.Forbes said.Linda Quick, assistant dean of ECU's Thomas D. Arthur Graduate School of Business, is new to the partnership's leadership, but her experience in business administration gives her a good sense of the balance between health care and business the program's students will need to be effective after graduation.Quick said.Quick said the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic shined a spotlight on the stresses health systems already faced in managing nursing resources. Hospitals were forced to invest heavily in travel nurses, who command significantly more money than staff nurses. This imbalance stresses the hospital's wallet and can foster mistrust between nursing staff members and the administrators of the health systems who are trying to keep the doors open.Quick said.The dual MSN-MBA program isn't the first in the nation, but the pool of schools that offer a similar paring is small. Quick thinks that having this program as an option for potential students is a win for the region.Quick said.Potential studentsBrian Floyd, president and chief operating officer of ECU Health Medical Center, the system that services much of eastern North Carolina, believes that anyone can succeed in health care system leadership, but nurses have a particular propensity to be effective leaders. They know how hospitals work from the ground up and experience how the parts of a hospital come together as a whole. Also, the trust that nurses inherently build with patients and coworkers is rooted in practical awareness of how leaders come to their decisions.Floyd said.Forbes hopes to entice potential students with an opportunity to learn how to fill the dual role of nurse leader and business administrator. Forbes and his team conducted an informal poll with potential students and of about 40 who were asked, 37 said they would be very interested in the coursework. One student was already motivated enough to work out the logistics of applying to both colleges - nursing and business - to carve out his own course of study that the dual degree program will resolve for future applicants.Forbes said.While demanding, Quick said the completely online nature of the MBA portion of the partnership should offer prospective students the flexibility needed to balance work and home life. Faculty from both colleges have a framework in place to help students manage coursework, but the flexibility in the individual programs should meet students' individual needs.Quick added.Support for health care systemsForbes said nursing will always be the largest line item on any health care system's budget because nurses are the most patient-centric, and patient-intensive, members of the workforce in hospital and most healthcare settings.Forbes said.When conversations between the health care workforce and administration on how to balance patient care with keeping the lights on don't happen, Forbes said distrust naturally festers. Advanced practice nurses with business administration education can fosterFloyd agrees with Forbes' assessment that nurses who understand business can help build consensus and confidence in an administration's business decisions.Having familiarity with frontline operations is critical in determining what is important in helping shape the strategy of organizations. At the same time, influence to lead others to adopt the strategy is enhanced when the workforce appreciates that the leader has experience in direct patient care and is empathetic to their work, Floyd said.Modern health delivery systems aren't humanitarian organizations, but rather must compete as other complex business operations do, he said. As a registered nurse, Floyd understands the importance of having nursing staff who can speak the language of business.Floyd said
The home folks in Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger's legislative district are not happy about his trying to pawn off a casno on them. First, over 500 people turned out to a public meeting in Rockingham County to oppose the casino. Then Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page (who is also a candidate for Lt. Governor) came out in opposition Now the local town councils of two towns in Berger's district, Stokesdale and Summerfield, have unanimously passed resolutions against the casino.

https://dailyhaymaker.com/bergers-home-folks-sound-off-on-raleighs-casino-shenanigans/

https://dailyhaymaker.com/even-bergers-own-sheriff-opposes-raleigh-casino-deal-favors-a-referendum/

This is just the latest Phil Berger pander to the special interests, and against the wishes of the GOP base. Repeal of bathroom privacy law HB2, and passage of the Green New Deal and Obamacare Medicaid expansion are other prime examples.

Phil Berger needs to GO, as a state seantor and especially as President Pro Tem of the state senate. Hopefully, his latest special interest pander will wake somebody up to primary him next year.
President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers an address during a Liberation Day ceremony at Ewha Womans University in Seoul on Aug. 15. Yonhap



President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday that South Korea and Japan are now partners sharing universal values and pursuing common interests, and called for strengthening trilateral security cooperation with Japan and the United States to counter threats from North Korea.



Yoon made the remarks in a Liberation Day address commemorating the end of Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, stressing the importance of the neighboring country's role in deterring aggression by the North.



The address was yet another testament to Yoon's commitment to improve relations with Tokyo that had frayed badly under the previous administration over wartime forced labor and other thorny issues stemming from colonial rule.



"Korea and Japan are now partners who share universal values and pursue common interests," Yoon said during a Liberation Day ceremony held at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. "As partners that cooperate on security and the economy, Korea and Japan will be able to jointly contribute to peace and prosperity across the globe while collaborating and exchanging in a future-oriented manner."



Yoon also cited Japan's role in deterring a North Korean invasion of the South by providing seven rear bases to the United Nations Command that oversees the Armistice Agreement that ended fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War.



Yoon also called for stronger trilateral security cooperation with Tokyo and Washington.



"The significance of ROK-U.S.-Japan trilateral security cooperation is increasingly growing on the Korean Peninsula and in the region," he said, using the acronym for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.









"In order to fundamentally block North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, the Republic of Korea, the United States and Japan must closely cooperate on reconnaissance assets and share North Korea's nuclear weapons and missiles data in real time," he said.





President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and first lady Kim Keon Hee wave the South Korean national flag during a Liberation Day ceremony at Ewha Womans University in Seoul on Aug. 15. Yonhap
William Cutler to the Henderson County Board of Elections

Jenifer Ann Montsinger to the Jackson County Board of Elections

Keisha Manson to the Martin County Board of Elections

Bruce Douglas to the Vance County Board of Elections

Julie Tiley Docteur to the Hertford County Board of Elections

Anita Bullock Branch

Deputy Director

Beaufort County Board of Elections

1308 Highland Drive, Suite 104 / PO Box 1016

Washington, NC 27889

Ph: 252.946.2321

252.946.2321 Fax: 252.974.2962

The State Board of Elections on Sunday voted to recognize the No Labels Party as an official political party in North Carolina.Recognition of No Labels means voters now have another choice of party affiliation when registering to vote or updating their registration. Voters may register with the Democratic, Green, Libertarian, No Labels, or Republican parties, or they can register as unaffiliated.The State Board found that No Labels received 14,837 valid signatures from registered N.C. voters, 932 over the required 13,865 signatures, on its petition to become a political party. The signatures were verified by the county boards of elections of the counties in which they were collected. No Labels also received at least 200 signatures from three different congressional districts, a requirement of N.C.G.S.  163-96(a)(2).The State Board meeting was held Sunday in Concord, as part of the Summer 2023 Elections Conference. This conference - required under N.C.G.S.  163-82.24 - brings together State Board staff, county election directors and staff, and hundreds of county boards of elections members for training on important election administration issues.Voters currently registered with a different political party or as unaffiliated may switch their affiliation to No Labels if they wish. For information on how to do that, see Updating Registration The State Board is updating voter registration forms to include the No Labels option. Until then, voters may register with No Labels by checking thebox and writingon the line in thesection of the voter registration application. Updates to party affiliation options available through the Division of Motor Vehicles' online registration portal will be made as soon as possible.State Board voter data will be updated to include No Labels registrants as soon as possible.Revision to Photo ID Exception Form for In-person VotingThe State Board also voted unanimously to revise the Photo ID Exception Form by removing the reason,from the form. Voters can fill out the Photo ID Exception Form when they have a permitted exception to the photo ID requirements. Exceptions permitted by law include, among other things, that something prevents a voter from showing a photo ID when they vote, such as lack of transportation, disability or illness, work schedule, family responsibilities, lack of documents to obtain a photo ID, the photo ID was lost or stolen, or the photo ID has not yet been received. Voters unable to present a photo ID may also explain their reason in anoption on the form.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 acceptable 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 voter's personal information on their ID.For more information on the photo ID requirement and a list of acceptable photo IDs, see Voter ID Also on Sunday, the State Board made the following appointments to county boards of elections:
List of all vaccines required for school attendance, from kindergarten through 12th grade.

CDC's immunization catch up schedule.

Parents unsure which vaccines their children need at any age, can find out what is needed by taking a short quiz on the CDC website.

Information about the new RSV vaccine to prevent severe disease in infants.

Additional information on vaccine-preventable diseases and immunizations for North Carolina families available at immunize.nc.gov/family.

NC Department of Health and Human Services

2001 Mail Service Center

Raleigh, NC 27699-2001

Ph : (919) 855-4840

: (919) 855-4840 news@dhhs.nc.gov

As children across North Carolina head back to school this month, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reminds families that vaccinations are an important part of back-to-school success and overall health and well-being.said Dr. Zack Moore, State Epidemiologist.Vaccine-preventable diseases, such as meningitis, measles, pertussis (whooping cough) and others are still seen across North Carolina. Keeping children up to date on vaccinations is the best way to keep them healthy and reduce severe illness and unnecessary absences from school. Children who are uninsured can still be vaccinated at low or no cost through the Vaccines for Children program, which offers free vaccines to eligible children through 19 years of age.In addition, a new tool will be available this year to help protect the youngest North Carolinians from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the leading cause of hospitalization in the first year of life. CDC is recommending a new immunization starting this fall to help protect all infants under 8 months and some older babies at increased risk of severe illness caused by RSV.Teens also face unique risks related to communicable diseases.said Dr. Susan Kansagra, Director of the NCDHHS Division of Public Health.NCDHHS encourages all parents to talk with their child's health care provider about recommended vaccinations. During that same visit, parents can talk with their physician about the importance of the COVID-19 vaccine and the flu vaccine for their children ages 6 months and older. Visit MySpot.nc.gov for more information about COVID-19 vaccines. Parents of infants should also talk to their pediatricians about new options for preventing severe RSV.Governor Roy Cooper proclaimed August as Immunization Awareness Month in North Carolina. Alongside the proclamation, NCDHHS is partnering with health care providers and stakeholders in a statewide awareness campaign to help ensure school-age children are protected from vaccine-preventable diseases. Alongside the proclamation, NCDHHS is partnering with health care providers and stakeholders in a statewide awareness campaign to help ensure school-age children are protected from vaccine-preventable diseases.More information and resources for parents and guardians is available on the CDC website:
The double standard for Democrats and Republicans in our courts and the political prosecutions of President Trump show that Rule of Law is dying in America. We have gone beyond Banana Republic territory and are now in the realm of the Stalin Show Trials.

Now, one of America's foremost Constitutional Law scholars, retired Harvard Law School Consitutional Law Professor Alan Dershowitz is pointing out that the latest political indictment of Trump, which is in Fulton County, Georgia charges him for the very same things that the Democrats did after the 2000 presidential election. No Democrats were ever indicted for that.

https://redstate.com/jeffc/2023/08/15/alan-dershowitz-fulton-county-is-indicting-trump-for-what-democrats-did-in-2000-n2162662

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2023/08/16/dershowitz-were-up-to-four-bananas-to-the-banana-republic-after-trumps-georgia-indictment/

Dershowitz is a Democrat who supported Biden in 2020 but he has been outspoken against the political attacks on our democracy through Democrat abuse of the courts to attack President Trump.

Georgia Democrats don't even have to look far for a similar Democrat situation in their own state where Stacy Abrams did the same thing when she lost her gubenatorial race. Why was Abrams never indicted?

The best description of the partisan hack prosecutors Georgia case is a big conspiarcy theory, but it is pointed out that she is really conspiring against free expression:

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/conspiracy-against-the-first-amendment

It is now also clear that Trump is facing a highly partisan Democrat judge in Georgia, as he is in New York and Washington, DC.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/08/wife-judge-overseeing-trumps-fulton-county-case-donated/

Here is the National Constitutional Law Union's take on all the Trump prosecutions:

https://nclu.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/NCLU-Strategy-Memorandum-Against-the-Trump-Indictments-Updated.pdf
Here are four dental industry updates that have taken place in Massachusetts since Aug. 10:

1. New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Dental365 acquired Theroux Dental Associates in Grafton, Mass.

2. Guardian informed about 1,500 small businesses in Massachusetts that it will not sell policies to companies with fewer than 25 employees once the state's medical loss ratio is implemented in January.

3. Massachusetts dentist Scott Cale, DDS, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for engaging in a Medicaid fraud scheme.

4. Sarasota, Fla.-based Dental Care Alliance opened a de novo practice in East Longmeadow, Mass.
Affordable Dentures & Implants, an affiliate of Morrisville, N.C.-based Affordable Care, opened a location in Fredericksburg, Va.

The owner of the practice is Mesfin Zelleke, DDS, and the managing dentist is Chad Kim, DDS, according to an Aug. 15 news release from Affordable Care.

Affordable Care supports more than 425 affiliated dental practices across 42 states. More than 8 million patients have received care from an Affordable Care affiliated practice.

Affordable Dentures & Implants also recently opened a practice location in Midlothian, Va.
Pharmaceutical S&P 500 companies  including major vaccine manufacturers like Moderna and Johnson & Johnson  have smaller CEO-to-worker pay gaps than many other healthcare companies.

A recent report compared S&P 500 companies' CEO compensation to their average worker's compensation using proxy statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The ratios were sorted by the state where the company is based and averaged.

These 20 S&P 500 healthcare companies have the smallest gaps between CEO pay and median worker compensation:

1. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals  43:1 pay ratio

2. DaVita  45:1

3. Vertex Pharmaceuticals  66:1

4. Incyte Corp.  67:1

5. Intuitive Surgical  81:1

6. Gilead Sciences  89:1

7. Bio-Rad Laboratories  95:1

8. Mettler-Toledo International  103:1

9. STERIS  113:1

10. Henry Schein  114:1

11. Insulet Corp.  118:1

12. Moderna  119:1

13. Waters Corp.  126:1

14. West Pharmaceutical Services  128:1

15. (tie) DENTSPLY SIRONA  134:1

15. (tie) Bristol-Myers Squibb  134:1

17. IDEXX Laboratories  144:1

18. Amgen  159:1

19. Hologic  161:1

20. Johnson & Johnson  164:1
Hospitals in multiple states continue to be disrupted by a ransomware attack on their parent company, Culver City, Calif.-based Prospect Medical Holdings, nearly two weeks earlier.

The health system and its hospitals still display a banner on their websites that they are "experiencing a systemwide outage." The attack started Aug. 3.

At Manchester-based Eastern Connecticut Health Network, outpatient medical imaging and outpatient blood draw services remained closed Aug. 15.

"Due to the ongoing systemwide outage, we have set up a temporary phone system so our patients can contact our offices and providers," the regional health system said on its website.

Waterbury (Conn.) Health said Aug. 15 that its computer systems were still down and it is using paper records. Its outpatient blood draw stations, with the exception of the one located at Waterbury Hospital, and outpatient imaging (besides walk-in X-ray) were closed. Its open MRI in Southbury was also unavailable.

"We have contacted and will continue to contact any affected patients," Waterbury Health wrote on its website. "We are working diligently to return to normal operations as quickly as possible."

Prospect Medical Holdings said in an Aug. 15 statement to Becker's that all its emergency departments are open and its independent physician group, Prospect Medical Systems, is "essentially back up and running as normal."

"PMH continues to work around the clock to recover critical systems and restore their integrity," the statement said. "We do not yet have a definitive timeline for how long it will be before all of our systems are restored. The forensic investigation is still underway and we are working closely with law enforcement officials."
Boston Childrens Hospital was recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for its CumulusQ project.

The hospital was one of two entities awarded a total of $2 million for the HHS under the Leading Edge in Acceleration Projects in Health Information Technology. Boston Childrens won the United States Core Data for Interoperability area, according to an Aug. 14 HHS news release.

The CumulusQ project was an initiative by the hospital to provide easy access to high-quality healthcare data.

The Western New York Clinical Information Exchange was the other organization recogniozed by the HHS.
A number of insiders at Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare have sold their shares of the company over the past 12 months, raising concerns from some investors.

Kathleen Whalen, the health system's senior vice president and chief ethics and compliance officer, recently sold $787,000 worth of shares. Many of the company's officers sold shares in April, including Erol Akdamar, president of the American Group; P. Martin Paslick, chief information officer; and Michael Cuffe, MD, chief clinical officer.

Dr. Cuffe made the largest sale of the year, totaling $3.6 million.

HCA insiders currently own 1.4 percent of the company, yet the recent sales "do not inspire confidence," the Clayton County Register reported. Stock analyst Simply Wall St. also questioned the company's strength after seeing C-suite leaders sell.

However, shares of HCA Healthcare have gained 24.4 percent in the past year  6.1 percent above the industry's growth. For the first six months of 2023, the company reported revenues of $31.45 billion and net income of $2.56 billion, an improvement from the same time period in 2022.

Becker's has reached out to HCA and will update this story if more information becomes available.
Health systems are actively shifting care outpatient in an effort to transform the traditional care delivery system and focus inpatient resources on high acuity procedures.

In June, Sg2, a Vizient company, issued a forecast projecting hospital capacity will change over the next decade, driven by higher patient acuity, staffing shortages and the push to outpatient care delivery. Outpatient surgical volumes are expected to grow 18 percent over the next decade to 109.5 million cases, according to the report, with total joint replacements and spinal fusions leading the way.

"The shift to the outpatient setting is only intensifying, and at Ochsner, outpatient care continues to be a focus of our strategy," Pete November, CEO of Ochsner Health in New Orleans, told Becker's. "First off, it's what patients want. People want to go home after a treatment or a procedure to heal with their loved ones; it's more convenient, more flexible and less costly."

Ochsner invested in a new outpatient medical complex earlier this year offering primary and wellness care, lab services, outpatient surgery and more. The system also partnered with Novant Health to scale its 65-plus clinic model and expand outpatient care for the senior population. The customized approach provides medical and social support in addition to wellness resources for the aging population.

"Shifting more care to the outpatient setting is also the right thing to do to truly make a difference in improving the health of our communities across the Gulf South," said Mr. November. "As we accelerate value-based care, outpatient care is an important part of how we partner with people on their health to keep them well, rather than treating them after they're sick or injured."

David Lubarsky, MD, CEO and vice chancellor of human health sciences at UC Davis Health in Sacramento, is also re-imagining the inpatient hospital's role within the larger system.

"We're adapting our hospital to care primarily for higher acuity patients, as we expect low acuity inpatient care will virtually disappear from hospitals, especially academic medical centers, over the next decade," Dr. Lubarsky told Becker's. "For example, inpatient care like orthopedics is moving to a purely outpatient practice, along with other previously inpatient treatments."

Ronda Lehman, president of Mercy Health Lima in Ohio, said the system's strategy has evolved in the last three years, sparked by the desire to stay out of the hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It is imperative as we look towards the future of healthcare, that we consider the 'entire' person, not just the episodic hospital care we delivered in the past," she said. "From lifestyle choices to the communities they live, play and work in  we must view healthcare as primarily outpatient with the occasional inpatient hospital need, a dramatic shift from the traditional viewpoint."

Health systems are building out their ambulatory surgery center networks and expanding partnerships with local and national ASC chains for high quality, low cost care. They're also expanding virtual networks, hospital-at-home, and telehealth capabilities for even more convenient care. Sg2 predicts virtual visits will see 28 percent growth in the next decade, hitting 1.67 billion new and established evaluation and management visits.

University Hospitals in Cleveland is increasing utilization at its existing ambulatory surgery sites while expanding offerings in the near future.

"As healthcare changes, we are adapting to consumer demand by expanding our access through introduction of new sites and care modalities, consolidating to multispecialty practices or adding facilities in key locations to assure we are meeting patients' care needs, where and how they prefer to have them met," Paul Hinchey, MD, COO of University Hospitals, told Becker's. "At UH, we're designing a system of care with many outpatient access points that embraces this new reality."
Pallets used to keep Scouts' tents off the wet ground remain stacked at the venue of the 2023 World Scout Jamboree in Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province, Aug. 8, after all participants were evacuated to various parts of the country prior to the arrival of Typhoon Khanun. Yonhap



'The party will gain nothing by demonizing the region'



By Jun Ji-hye



The ruling People Power Party (PPP) is facing criticism even from its own party members for attempting to shift the blame for mismanagement of the 25th World Scout Jamboree to the government of North Jeolla Province where the campsite was located.



The conservative governing party is playing the blame game apparently to defend the central government against a very high-profile controversy over a lack of preparation for the world's largest international youth camp.



Critics say the party's buck-passing is inappropriate and excessive, given that a special law, which was enacted in December 2018 to facilitate the successful hosting of the Jamboree event, clearly stipulates the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has the final say in relation to the planning and execution of projects for the event.



The quadrennial event kicked off on Aug. 1 in Saemangeum, a reclaimed tidal flat in North Jeolla Province, for a 12-day run, bringing together over 40,000 young Scouts and adult volunteers from more than 150 countries. But it faced severe criticism internationally for a lack of preparations and sanitary issues amid the scorching heat wave gripping the country.



The U.K. and U.S. delegations as well as the participants from Singapore decided on an early departure from the campsite, citing health risks posed to the participants. The remaining participants were later evacuated to various parts of the country due to safety concerns ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Khanun.



The leadership of the PPP already vowed to look into the careless management of finances by the North Jeolla Province government, claiming it ruined the event and wasted some of the large budget.



In particular, the party accused the local government of using the Jamboree event to push for the construction of various economic overhead facilities such as a new airport in the region, while neglecting the hosting duties for the event.



"Nearly 11 trillion won ($8.2 billion) has been invested into projects to construct a new airport, seaport and highways for the Saemangeum region under the name of boosting convenience of the Jamboree participants," Rep. Song Eon-seog from the PPP said.



The lawmaker said the local government is believed to have "made bad use" of the event as a tool to secure a bigger budget for the construction of economic infrastructure in the region, considering that the main budget allocated for the event was 117.1 billion won.



But the excessive attack against the province drew criticism even from fellow PPP members.



Former PPP Chairman Lee Jun-seok pointed out that the conservative bloc has cited the Saemangeum reclamation project as one of its achievements in North Jeolla Province, which is considered the liberals' traditional home turf.



"The party will gain nothing by demonizing the region," Lee wrote on Facebook.



He also said Busan, which is bidding to host the World Expo 2030, is following in the footsteps of the Saemangeum region, as the port city is investing trillions of won to construct a new airport and redevelop an old port area to serve as the event venue.



"Every region desperately wants to construct core infrastructure by hosting a large international event," Lee wrote.



Lee Jung-hyun, former chairman of the Saenuri Party, a predecessor of the PPP, said he would leave the party if it keeps shifting all the responsibility for the Jamboree fiasco to the North Jeolla Province government.



"Every organization involved in the hosting of the event should take responsibility. And among them, the ruling party should hold the biggest responsibility," he said.





North Jeolla Province Governor Kim Kwan-young speaks during a press conference at the provincial office, Monday. Yonhap
Twelve Philadelphia-area health systems joined forces with Independence Blue Cross to take action against racial bias in medicine.

The Regional Coalition to Eliminate Race-Based Medicine, convened by Independence Blue Cross, aims to remove race adjustments from 15 commonly-used clinical decision support tools from UTI calculation guidelines to heart failure risk scores. It also plans to collaborate on alternatives which "do not reinforce a biological understanding of race," according to a news release shared with Becker's.

"The health care system has a legacy of treating race as a biological fact, rather than a social construct," Seun Ross, DNP, executive director of health equity at Independence Blue Cross said in the release. "As a result, race has inappropriately become a component of many clinical decision tools in use today. We need to address it now so that all patients, no matter their background, have the best possible health outcomes."

The following 12 health systems will participate:

1. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

2. Doylestown (Pa.) Health

3. Grand View Health (Sellersville, Pa.)

4. Jefferson Health (Philadelphia)

5. Main Line Health (Radnor Township, Pa.)

6. Nemours Children's Health (Wilmington, Del.)

7. Penn Medicine (Philadelphia)

8. Redeemer Health (Meadowbrook, Pa.)

9. St. Christopher's Hospital for Children (Philadelphia)

10. Temple Health (Philadelphia)

11. Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic (Newtown Square, Pa.)

12. Virtua Health (Marlton, N.J.)
Mitch Cloward was selected as the new Desert Region president overseeing operations for Intermountain Health's Southern Nevada and Southwest Utah markets.

Mr. Cloward brings two decades of leadership experience within Intermountain to the role, according to an Aug. 14 news release from the Salt Lake City-based health system.

Most recently, he served as Intermountain Health's Desert South Utah market president and president of St. George (Utah) Regional Hospital.

Mr. Cloward began his new role July 24, according to the release.

Intermountain Health is a 33-hospital organization with locations in seven states.
When Catherine Codispoti takes the reins as Mercy's new chief people officer, she plans to focus inward, on the people already there.

Of course, recruitment is important in the era of clinician shortages, from nursing to respiratory therapy. But Ms. Codispoti  an experienced leader hailing from the same role at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C.  says hiring isn't the only way to develop a strong workforce.

"There's a joke amongst a lot of the CHROs," Ms. Codispoti told Becker's. "Our new sound bite is that retention is your best recruitment tool, especially in this market."

Although Ms. Codispoti doesn't start at the St. Louis-based system until December, she already has plenty of ideas that center retention as a key strategy: starting with a long, hard look at the care model.

"We're at this inflection point," Ms. Codispoti said. "The pandemic really turned things upside down for us. So I think that there is a real opportunity to think and do things differently."

For one, AI could help eliminate "transactional-type work," giving workers more time to do meaningful, fulfilling tasks. The times might call for entirely new healthcare roles, and for some employees to find novel ways to use their talents. Ms. Codispoti calls this the "career lattice"; workers can grow with the organization through internal training programs that develop a broad range of skill sets, rather than remaining in a fixed, ladder-like promotion model.

Ms. Codispoti plans to encourage flexibility outside of the workplace, too, cultivating a culture that allows people to recharge guilt-free.

"[I plan on] role-modeling as far as taking time off  really taking time off and recharging, and supporting folks in doing that  so they come back feeling refreshed. They're able to have that time with their family that helps fill their cups," Ms. Codispoti said. "I think that's really important because many organizations have those benefits, but people don't use them. That's actually something we want them to do, because it makes them more productive and joyful when they're at work."

Her focus on well-being extends to the benefits package. She's in touch with what modern workers need  especially Gen Z hires, who prioritize mental healthcare and student loan/tuition assistance.

"There's a lot of folks that come out into our [healthcare] industry with tremendous debt," Ms. Codispoti said. "So we want to do things to support them so they feel good from a financial wellness standpoint."

Ms. Codispoti originally dedicated her career to pediatrics; her twin sisters have achondroplasia, and her childhood memories of hospitals are fond. She felt safe knowing her loved ones were taken care of, so spent her adulthood working in the children's sector: first at Houston-based Texas Children's, then at Children's National.

But she's ready for the transition to adult healthcare, she said.

"The beauty of the people role is that at the end of the day, the people all need the same things, right? It's the ability to feel fulfilled at work, to make meaningful connections, to have the resources they need so when they show up, they can do their best work and make those magic moments happen," Ms. Codispoti said. "And so that's what I'm super excited about, and the ability to do that across such a large system is very meaningful and impactful."
Google Health will use its artificial intelligence tools to detect breast cancer through a new integration with medtech company iCad.

The AI technology will be used within iCad's Profound Breast Health Suite for 2D Mammography. The tool analyzes mammography images and alerts clinicians of any potential abnormalities, according to an Aug. 14 iCad news release.

The partnership builds off a November 2022 development and commercialization agreement between iCad and Google Health.

"Combining Google's AI technology with our leading-edge ProFound Breast Health Suite of AI solutions will enhance our technology and expand access to the technology to millions of women and providers worldwide," iCad CEO and President Dana Brown said in the release. "Furthermore, Google has already been exploring the use of its technology as an independent reader, with extremely promising results."
From AdventHealth suing MultiPlan for alleged price fixing, to a Louisiana hospital reaching a settlement in an overtime wage lawsuit, here are 11 hospital lawsuits and settlements Becker's has reported since Aug. 3.

1. Boise, Idaho-based St. Luke's Health System filed a new lawsuit as it seeks to get the money a court ordered Ammon Bundy to pay in a lawsuit alleging harassment and intimidation against St. Luke's and its workers.

2. Donaldsonville, La.-based Prevost Memorial Hospital reached a settlement worth up to $1.16 million in a lawsuit accusing the hospital of not paying overtime for nurses.

3. Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based AdventHealth is suing MultiPlan for an alleged ongoing conspiracy among commercial health insurers to reduce the reimbursement rates they pay to providers for out-of-network services.

4. Bridgeport, Conn.-based federally qualified health center Optimus Health agreed to pay more than $470,000 to settle improper billing allegations.

5. New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit from NYU Langone Health that alleges the health system used a similar shade of purple in its advertising campaign.

6. Milwaukee-based Froedtert Health agreed to pay a $2 million settlement after a patient-led lawsuit accused the health system of sharing patient data put into MyChart with Facebook,

7. Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital is facing a lawsuit for a May 31 data breach that affected 1.2 million patients.

8. A certified registered nurse anesthetist filed a lawsuit against Hartford (Conn.) HealthCare seeking lost wages and $15,000 in damages after a surgical machine allegedly exploded and injured him.

9. Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare is facing a fifth lawsuit from patients relating to a July data breach that compromised the information of 11 million patients

10. A New Jersey judge restricted the amount of damages Bayonne-based CarePoint Health can receive in a lawsuit over ambulance services.

11. Detroit-based Henry Ford Health is facing a lawsuit for a March 30 data breach that compromised the protected health information of 168,000 patients.
Federal agents have arrested a Utah man previously indicted for allegedly posing as a physician and selling a baseless COVID-19 cure, ending a three-year manhunt.

During surveillance in July, federal agents spotted Gordon Pedersen, 63, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah said in an Aug. 14 news release. A warrant for his arrest was first issued in August of 2020, after Mr. Pedersen failed to appear for an indictment in federal court.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Pedersen allegedly began promoting and selling an ingestible silver-based product as a cure for COVID-19 without evidence the products could treat the disease, and falsely represented himself online as an "Anti-Aging Medical Doctor" to do so. The indictment was returned by a federal grand jury in Salt Lake City in July 2020, charging Mr. Pedersen with "mail fraud, wire fraud and felony introduction of misbranded drugs into interstate commerce with intent to defraud and mislead," according to Utah authorities.

Mr. Pedersen was scheduled to make his initial court appearance Aug. 15.
A surgeon is suing Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center and the hospital's chief of surgery over alleged discrimination she faced as a female, foreign-born physician, according to Bangor Daily News.

Maria Michailidou, MD, who was born in Greece, joined the hospital as a colorectal surgeon in 2018. The lawsuit, filed Aug. 14, alleges surgery chief Brad Waddell, MD, demonstrated hostile and demeaning behavior toward Dr. Michailidou. The suit also claims the hospital encouraged leaders to instill fear in early-career physicians, especially those who were women and foreign born.

Dr. Michailidou ultimately was forced to resign after Dr. Waddell placed her on a Focused Professional Practice Evaluation to assess her ability to provide safe, high-quality care. She is seeking back pay along with compensation for her damages and lawyer fees.

"We disagree with the allegations in the complaint and will provide no further comment at this time," a Northern Light spokesperson told Bangor Daily News.
A hospital in West Burlington, Iowa, fired a nurse for an unusual amount of errors in patient records and charts, The Iowa Capital Dispatch reported Aug. 11.

The nurse, Theresa Michels, RN, worked at Great River Health's Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center from January 2022 to May 2023, according to the report.

In mid-May, a nurse manager gave Ms. Michels an "action plan" because of patient safety concerns. A few days later, she was instructed to take a heart patient's vital signs every 15 minutes. This was not done, but Ms. Michels recorded in the patient's file that this task was completed, according to state records obtained by the Dispatch.

The nurse manager discovered that Ms. Michels made more charting errors in the next few days and falsely documented duties she had not performed.

She was fired because her patients might have experienced serious injury or death, and Ms. Michels was denied unemployment benefits, according to the Dispatch.

Her nursing license was issued in 2018 and remains active.

Great River Health declined Becker's request for comment.
Walgreens will permanently close one of its pharmacy locations within a Maryland medical building after the retail pharmacy and owners of the medical center settled a lawsuit out of court in February, Herald Mail Media reported Aug. 15.

The pharmaceutical giant filed a lawsuit against Meritus Medical Center after the health system opened its own hospital pharmacy within the same campus alleging that the medical center had breached a contract agreement.

While details of the settlement were not disclosed, Walgreens separately disclosed plans earlier this summer to close multiple store locations across the U.S., but did not specify which locations it would shutter, NBC Chicago reported June 27.

It's unclear whether the closure was connected to any part of the settlement, but a spokesperson for Walgreens told Herald Mail Media that the decision was prompted by a focus "on creating the right network of stores in the right locations to best meet the needs of the communities we serve," and related to this specific location's closure that it was a "difficult decision" based on "a number of factors  including dynamics of the local market and changing buying habits of our customers."
Sayre, Pa.-based the Guthrie Clinic has created a virtual care command center, dubbed the Pulse Center, that mixes the use of technology and people to supplement its nursing staff and assist them with clinical care.

The Pulse Center hosts a team of registered nurses that virtually support the health system's five campuses.

These remote nurses monitor patients using cameras and two-way audio communication. This allows the health system to monitor changes in a patient's condition in real time and proactively intervene when necessary.

Debra Raupers, MSN, RN, enterprise chief nurse executive, told Becker's this initiative has helped support its clinicians, as new graduates didn't get to receive hands-on training during the pandemic.

"Newly licensed nurses are eating it up," she said. "Just like I can call a physician for my visits with patients, I can now call a virtual nurse to be there with me and my patient."

Ms. Raupers said the virtual nurses give staff the opportunity to always have experience available to them or other clinicians available to come in the room and help them.

"It's always giving the perspective of having another clinician available without having to go seek them," she said. "There's just so many things that you actually need a second clinician for in healthcare today, and this virtual nurse fulfills that role and does not interrupt the nurses that are giving the bedside care."

The Pulse Center has not only helped Guthrie supplement its nursing workforce, but has also provided some financial benefits to the health system.

"We were missing about 50 transfers a month," Terri Couts, RN, chief digital officer of Guthrie, told Becker's. "Now we are only losing about 19 a month, which is a big difference, and as we continue to focus on the processes around bed placement and understanding our staffing model related to staff beds, this will only continue to facilitate a decrease in loss of transfers into our system."

When it comes to the future of innovative care delivery models like this, Ms. Couts sees the Pulse Center has an investment that can improve the overall patient experience.

"I think it will actually align to better patient experience, more standardization and increase quality outcomes," she said. "We know that we can't continue to practice the way we are today. There's just not going to be enough hands even if we could afford it. And so adding technology enables us to care for patients differently and reach them where they want to be reached, whether it's at home, in a different facility, or through home health."

Ms. Raupers said these kinds of initiatives are "redesigning the future" of care.

"This allows people to get the level of care that they need virtually, that didn't exist before, which saves lives," she said.
President Yoon Suk Yeol burns incense at a memorial altar for his father, Yoon Ki-jung, at Severance Hospital in western Seoul, Tuesday. The senior Yoon, formerly a professor emeritus at Yonsei University, died at the age of 92 earlier in the day. Courtesy of presidential office



By Ko Dong-hwan



The father of President Yoon Suk Yeol, Yonsei University Professor Emeritus Yoon Ki-jung, died on Tuesday. He was 92.



The presidential office said the senior Yoon was admitted to Seoul National University Hospital recently due to illnesses related to old age. Yoon stayed by his father's side during his last moments after rushing to the hospital following a Liberation Day ceremony, according to the presidential office.



A memorial altar has been set up at Severance Hospital for a three-day memorial service through Thursday.





President Yoon Suk Yeol talks to the leadership of the ruling People Power Party at Severance Hospital in western Seoul, Tuesday, when the lawmakers made a condolence visit to the funeral for Yoon's father. Courtesy of presidential office



"The president decided to hold the funeral for family members only to avoid a vacuum in state affairs," presidential spokesperson Kim Eun-hye said. "He seeks understanding for not receiving callers or flowers, and sends his gratitude for the people who expressed their condolences."



But the family decided to accept a minimum number of callers, as the senior Yoon had long been in academia and his former colleagues and students expressed their willingness to pay tribute to him, a presidential office official said.



Ruling and opposition party lawmakers as well as government officials offered their condolences in person, including Rep. Lee Jae-myung, the chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea and Yoon's main rival during last year's presidential election, and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. Former President Lee Myung-bak also visited the funeral to console Yoon, while ex-President Moon Jae-in sent a wreath and expressed his condolences in a phone call to Yoon's chief of staff, Kim Dae-ki.





President Yoon Suk Yeol poses with his father Yoon Ki-jung, Yonsei University professor emeritus, at his office in Yongsan District, Seoul, in this July 12, 2022 photo. Courtesy of presidential office.



This is the second time an incumbent president has lost a parent, following former President Moon Jae-in, whose mother passed away in 2019.



The late Yoon was a recognized scholar in the fields of economy and statistics as well as a mentor to his son.



Born in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, he started teaching at Hanyang University in Seoul before becoming a professor in 1968 at Yonsei University's Department of Applied Statistics and Data Science. He was elected to lead the Korean Statistical Society in 1976 and the Korean Economic Association in 1992. In 2001, with his contribution to the national economy being acknowledged, he was selected as a member of the country's National Academy of Sciences.





Yonsei University Professor Emeritus Yoon Ki-jung, center, the father of President Yoon Suk Yeol, poses with his family at Gimpo Airport in Seoul in this undated photo. The boy in the front is President Yoon Suk Yeol. Screenshot from President Yoon Suk Yeol's Instagram



The late Yoon wrote many teaching materials on statistics and mathematical statistics and published various theses on data-based economics. He taught students until 1997.



The president recalled his father recommending him books about economics, including an original version of "Free to Choose" by American economist Milton Friedman. When the junior Yoon was serving as a prosecutor, he said he used to seek advice from his father, including when he had conflicts with the government over the investigation into the then-Park Geun-hye administration's corruption in 2016 and when he was about to decide whether to run for the presidency in 2021.



The late Yoon was last seen publicly with his son in April 2021, shortly after Yoon stepped down from the prosecutor general position and visited Namgajwa Community Office in Seoul for early voting in a by-election.




Clare Guinness has been confirmed as the new chief executive of Belfast Chamber.

She replaces former DUP Minister Simon Hamilton, who announced he was stepping down in June.

Ms Guinness takes on the role having over 25 years of experience including senior roles across banking, business, and infrastructure.

She said she was passionate about helping to secure investment into Belfast.

Ms Guinness added: Belfast is the economic engine of Northern Ireland and plays such an important role.

Like every city, it has it challenges, but we find ourselves in a unique and positive position in a whole manner of ways. The prospect of driving forward our inward investment proposition, supporting continued regeneration, and attracting more people to the city over the next few years is an exciting one

I am thrilled to have been appointed chief executive of the Belfast Chamber.

Belfast is a place that Im passionate about and I am keen to make sure that we can accelerate the citys economic, social, and environmental ambition and meet the needs of our members. I am looking forward to taking up my position in the coming weeks ahead of our Business Awards, building on the success of the Chamber and working with the board to deliver on our strategic priorities.

Read more Prices of essentials still coming down in some places

Set up over 100 years ago, Belfast Chamber represents around 1,000 of the citys businesses. Members are from a wide range of commercial entities, dealing with issues affecting trade and commerce in Belfast. Chamber president Gavin Annon welcomed the appointment.

He said: Belfast is a dynamic city and is changing before our eyes. We have such a fantastic value proposition which the Chamber is helping drive forward to facilitate further growth, investment, and job creation.

We still have significant potential to fulfil across a range of sectors. And to support the city to develop in a sustainable way, we will continue to focus on our key areas, making this a great place to do business, a place that is affordable to live in, and a place to visit time and again.

Our contribution from the Chamber to the overall development of Belfast is central and that requires dedicated and professional leadership. Our new chief executive will help make us the ultimate driving force in the city.

He added: Clare has an outstanding track record and has the right mix of experience and professional attributes to lead the Chamber and its membership into the future. We warmly welcome her to the Chamber and wish her every success.
Video

50 years of love: NI man and US wife who had first date on Bloody Friday back in Belfast
Daithi Mac Gabhann is celebrating after receiving confirmation that he is back on the heart transplant list.

It comes after the six-year-old boy, who was removed from the waiting list earlier this year, enjoyed a dream trip to Disneyland Paris.

Hands in the air if youve got big news, the Donate4Daithi twitter account posted on Tuesday.

Daithi has brought a little magic of hope home from Paris; with the news weve all been waiting for.

Daithi is BACK and ACTIVE on the transplant waiting list!

Read more Joy for Daithi Mac Gabhann as Belfast boy makes miracle trip to Disneyland Paris

Last month the young boy was pictured smiling after he returned to Belfast following heart surgery in England.

HANDS IN THE AIR IF YOUVE GOT BIG NEWS



Daithi has brought a little magic of hope home from Paris; with the news weve all been waiting for:



Daithi is BACK and ACTIVE on the transplant waiting list! #Hope #OrganDonation pic.twitter.com/VLIO9gnaOB  Donate4Daithi (@Donate4Daithi) August 15, 2023

He travelled to Newcastle for cardiac surgery in the hope it would allow him to get back on the waiting list.

Upon his return to the Cark Clinic at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, Daithis family declared: The Freeman is back in his own city!

The medical procedure comes a month after he was removed from the donor list due to issues that made an operation too high risk at that stage.

Daithi was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and is increasingly reliant on a wheelchair and oxygen as his long wait for a donor continues.

He has been on the heart transplant waiting list since 2018.

His story has touched people across Northern Ireland - and prompted a change in the law.

Read more Freedom of the City conferred on organ donation superhero Daithi Mac Gabhann

In 2021 the Executive approved a soft opt-out legislation drawn up by Robin Swann when he was Health Minister.

Despite being allowed to proceed, Daithis Law was delayed after the collapse of the Executive, before being cleared in Westminster.

The legislation took effect in June.

Just last week Daithi was snapped at the iconic Disneyland castle as his family announced DAITHI HAS MADE IT. describing it as a miracle.

The young campaigners grandfather had been fundraising to give his family a summer to remember following the devastating news, with over 10,000 raised for the family by kind hearted members of the public in order to make his Disneyland dream a reality.
The Wolfe Tones perform at Feile in the Falls Park, west Belfast on August 13th 2023 (Photo by Kevin Scott).

A man who pulled bodies from the rubble of the Shankill bomb wept as he described how the Belfast Feile traumatises victims every year with pro-IRA chanting.

Jim Verner recalled the horrors he witnessed on October 23 1993 as one of the first on the scene.

He also spoke of his regret at saving the life of one of the men responsible for the atrocity that claimed the lives of nine innocent people.

He told BBC Radio Ulsters The Nolan Show that Feile an Phobail and those who promote and engage in pro-IRA chanting "should see the likes of children getting carried out of bombs.

Every year I see and hear that thing that starts it off  the traumatisation of the bomb and right through to after it, Mr Verner said.

Up the 'RA chanting at Feile Wolfe Tones finale

"That festival, every year ... ones get a drop of drink in them and then start glorifying terrorism shouting Ooh Ah Up The Ra.

"I live miles away, but how must the people of that part of west Belfast, the Shankill, (which saw) six bombs, the most bombed road in the country, feel when they hear Ooh Ah Up The Ra?

"How must they feel when they hear it when they know the trouble  especially the Shankill bomb, with the nine innocent people?

Mr Verner described Tourism NIs funding of the festival as disgraceful and called on the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland to do some serious reflection.

The commission needs to have a good long look at themselves and think if Ooh Ah Up The Ra is not offensive to people who were murdered by the IRA, he said.

How would they feel if members of loyalist organisations went to places like Greysteel and shouted Ooh Ah Up The UDA or UVF?

Mr Verner ran through a cloud of dust and debris to pull the dead and injured from the rubble in the immediate aftermath of the explosion at Frizzells shop.

The scene of IRA bomb in Frizell's fish shop on October 23, 1993.

He wept as he recalled the chaotic scene and the unforgettable smell of burning flesh.

Thats stuff I will take to the grave with me, he said.

My first instinct was to save people somebody shouted there might be another bomb, but we stayed.

The first badly injured man that Mr Vernor lifted to safety turned out to be one of the perpetrators.

It was Sean Kelly, the rescuer said.

It haunts me, not his injuries - what haunts me more is that I carried the man who murdered nine innocent people.

Everyone has tried telling me over the years that I did the right thing.

Mr Verner, who was a regular customer of Frizzells but was running late on the day of the blast, said he regrets saving Mr Kellys life.

"I carried that man to safety, he said.

"That man survived, that man has held celebrations of Thomas Begley  the other bomber who blew himself up, whose bits of blood and flesh were all over the place.

Even Bobby Storeys funeral hes out in front  he puts up election posters for Sinn Fein.

"There is no remorse in that man.

Sean Kelly was convicted of nine counts of murder and sent to jail for life on each count, but he was released under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement in 2000.

The Sinn Fein activist told a republican commemoration he was "truly sorry" for the loss of life and injuries caused in the attack.

But then he lauded his accomplice Thomas Begley as a "good" and "brave" volunteer.

How brave is it to walk in and put a bomb down to murder nine innocent people?" Mr Verner asked.

What if had been 29 people, 59 people, what if it was just one person?

Theres no justification and you cant flaunt that in front of people.

Mr Verner, who wishes he had strung him up from the nearest lamppost, said that events celebrating and glorifying the IRA make it impossible to move on and heal from trauma.

Shankill bomber Sean Kelly (Peter Morrison/PA)

They talk about the future and [say] put the past behind us, he said.

How can we put the past behind us when they glorify their past in front of everyone?"

Tourism NI said it is reviewing its funding of aspects of the Feile after it was again branded a terror fest by unionist politicians.

The Charity Commission confirmed it has received a request to review its decision not to take regulatory action following a complaint about pro-IRA chanting at last years event which is under consideration.

Meanwhile Wolfe Tones frontman Brian Warfield has rejected criticism of the bands Sunday night set which included the song 'Celtic Symphony'.

He told Newstalks The Hard Shoulder there is silence when loyalist bonfires are lit every July.

"[They are] burning whole forests of wood at a time when global warming is around, that should be criticised, just as they're criticising one song out of a whole evening of two and a half hours," Mr Warfield said.

"We don't encourage chanting, it's not chanting, but the crowd sing along with every song that we sing."

Mr Warfield insisted that people have to understand that the IRA were seen by the nationalist communities as defenders of their communities when unionist violence was burning people out of streets.

When refugees were running south because they had no peace in their own country, when they were being discriminated, gerrymandered in every way - and there was great silence about that, he continued.

"It took a long time for unionists or the people to understand that it was totally wrong to discriminate against their fellow citizens".

The Wolfe Tones perform at Feile in the Falls Park, west Belfast on August 13th 2023 (Photo by Kevin Scott).

Mr Warfield said the song was not written as a defence of the IRA but is the story about the Irish in Glasgow.

"As I went through that city I'm looking at the graffiti on the wall and I see 'Up the Celts, up the Celts' and I see underneath it 'Oh, ah, up the Ra, he explained.

"If they felt the need to support the IRA in their long struggle in Ireland for any kind of civil rights... they have supported Ireland in every decade going back to 1798.

"Remember: if I go through the Shankill Road all I see is 'King Billy' and I'd see UVF, UFF and all kinds of things.

"They were murderers of the nationalist people.

"We can go back a long time and go over old ground, but you can't criticise that song.
There were 198 cases of sexual communication with a child reported to the PSNI in 2022/23.

Almost 1,000 online grooming crimes have been reported to the PSNI in the last five years - marking an increase of 141% in that period.

It comes as child protection charity the NSPCC have urged tech companies and MPs to back the Online Safety Bill at Westminster following new research into the scale of online grooming.

In a Freedom of Information request by the NSPCC, the PSNI outlined that in 2017/18 it recorded 82 sexual communication with a child offences, but that jumped to 198 in 2022/23  the highest on record.

From 2017/18, the number of offences recorded continued to rise.

In 2018/19, 127 cases were reported to the PSNI, 184 in 2019/20, 195 in 2020/21, and 197 in 2021/22.

In total, the PSNI received 983 reports of sexual communication with a child in the period 2017/18 to 2022/23.

Read more Six more potential victims identified in suspected human trafficking racket in Belfast

Across the UK, more than 5,500 offences took place against primary school children, with under-12s making up a quarter of known victims, while more than a quarter of the offences (26%) took place on Snapchat.

The NSPCC said the number of offences and victims is likely to be far higher than those known to police.

Sophia, whose name has been change to protect her identity, was 15 when she was groomed by a man posing as a boy.

The 19-year-old, who was messaging the predator on social media, said he would have got angry if she didnt reply quick enough or saying exactly what he wanted to hear.

It felt strange, how he was being, so I tried breaking off the conversation with him on Yubo, she said.

He just found me on Instagram and moved to messaging me directly there.

He had started asking for selfies of me, then asking me to take my clothes off and send photos. When he threatened me and started being angry, I was petrified. He used the images to control me.

I wasnt even allowed to use the toilet without his permission. I was afraid to tell anyone because of the photos and his threats.

He threatened to share the images of me with friends and family hed found through my social media if I stopped replying.

Read more Co Down man sentenced for sexual communication with schoolgirls

The draft Online Safety Bill, which aims at ensuring social media platforms have systems and processes in place to deal with illegal and harmful content, will mean tech companies have a legal duty of care for young users.

It will give the regulator Ofcom powers to address significant abuse taking place in private messaging and require companies to put safeguards in place to identify and disrupt abuse in end-to-end encrypted environments.

Caroline Cunningham, NSPCC Northern Irelands Acting Policy and Public Affairs Manager, said: Our childrens online safety is under increasing threat and this is profoundly worrying.

We need our Government to prioritise this issue and ensure that the 2015 commissioned Online Safety Strategy and Action Plan continues to be fit for purpose.

We also need to ensure that the Online Safety Bill progressing in Westminster is passed, to give children the protections they need to prevent abuse from happening in the first place.
The Sperrin Park bonfire was one of a number built to mark the annual Apprentice Boys Relief of Derry commemoration.

A young man suffered serious injuries after falling from a bonfire in Derry at the weekend.

The Sunday World reports the man, who is in his early 20s, fell from a bonfire at Sperrin Park in the Waterside area of the city on Friday night.

He was first taken to Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry but later transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.

A spokesperson for the hospital said they are no longer able to provide condition updates on patients.

However, it is understood he remains in a serious condition.

A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) said they received a 999 call to the Sperrin Park bonfire shortly before 11.30pm on Friday.

Two ambulances were sent to the emergency call-out.

Following assessment and initial treatment at the scene, one patient was taken to Altnagelvin Hospital by ambulance, added the NIAS spokesperson.

Local people have launched a fundraising appeal to support the mans family with the costs of travelling to the Belfast hospital.

The Sperrin Park bonfire was one of a number built to mark the annual Apprentice Boys Relief of Derry commemoration.

Thousands of people took part in the commemoration on Saturday.

The bonfires are traditionally lit in unionist areas of Derry on the night before the commemoration.

However, tragedy struck at the Sperrin Park fire when the man fell from the large structure in what local people have described as a freak accident.

Friday nights incident was the latest in which people have fallen from bonfires in Northern Ireland.

Last month, a man suffered serious injuries when he fell from an Eleventh night bonfire in Newtownards, County Down.

Footage of the moment the man fell from the huge fire was shared widely on social media.

In July 2022, a man died after falling from a bonfire he was helping to build at a site in Larne, Co Antrim.

John Steele, a father-of-two in his 30s, was from the Antiville area of the town.
Ten PSNI officers in their own words: Raw dismay as they lose confidence in leaders following data breach

Huge numbers of serving police officers have been contacting the Belfast Telegraph over last weeks vast data breach. Heres what some of them told us

PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne and Assistant Chief Constable Chris Todd. Pic: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press.

Sam McBride Tue 15 Aug 2023 at 07:00
Man removed from college over tattoo says he has been treated very unfairly

The would-be garda is devastated at not getting to follow his dream career. Pictured is his lion tattoo, which was a tribute to his son who was fighting a kidney disease during Covid (Photo: Independent.ie)

How the trainee garda would have covered his tattoo while on duty. The man got the tattoo of a lion to pay tribute to his young son who fought illness during Covid. (Photo: Independent.ie)

A trainee garda who was sent home from Templemore Garda College after he was told the tattoo on his hand did not comply with the forces dress and uniform code said he has been treated very unfairly.

The 32-year-old Munster-based father of one is now back applying for other jobs after he, along with two female garda cadets, were told their positions were being deferred pending their compliance with the uniform and dress code within An Garda Siochana.

In an interview with the Irish Independent, the former recruit who was forced to leave the Garda College after just one week said: I feel very deflated and very disappointed about the whole situation.

Explaining that he had left a long-term job as a retail store manager to realise his dream of becoming a garda, he said he was excited and motivated to enter Templemore for his training.

I knew that there would be challenges and obstacles in the garda career path but this is last thing I thought would have happened, he said.

The would-be garda is devastated at not getting to follow his dream career. Pictured is his lion tattoo, which was a tribute to his son who was fighting a kidney disease during Covid

The three trainees who were sent home were among 175 recruits who were undergoing induction.

The process of getting to Templemore took around 18 months and included multiple assessments and interviews.

He pointed out that in all these interviews the tattoo of a lion was visible on his hand but no one, including senior gardai, had ever expressed concern about it.

The man got the tattoo of a lion as a tribute to his now five-year-old son who bravely fought a rare kidney disease which required the child to undergo extensive hospital treatment during the Covid pandemic.

The would-be garda previously had a tattoo on his neck removed as he was aware of the subject of tattoos in the garda uniform and dress code. The information booklet states: Body art (tattoos) on the face, or visible above the collar, are not permitted.

All other tattoos will be covered at all times while on duty, whether in uniform or plain clothes.

It was on this basis that he believed he would be complying with the code if he were to wear a cover on his hand while on duty, hiding the image.

If I am to be accepted back into training, it seems that I have to remove the tattoo on my hand and this could take a year to do. It would mean I would have to put my life on hold during that time.

It could cost up to 2,000 and involve potentially up to 20 painful sessions. Then, after all that, there is no guarantee that it would be acceptable  it might be considered to look more unsightly after all that, he explained.

He said he was treated very well by the staff in Templemore who dealt with him very respectfully over the issue, but he believes the decision to terminate his training was made by senior garda management.

Recalling how he felt when he was told he had to leave the course and what it was like to break the news to his family and friends, he said: It was extremely difficult and embarrassing. I left a job that had I built a career for, and then to be told that I was out was very deflating and a big knock for my confidence.

I prepared myself mentally and physically to take on this new chapter and now I am back at square one.

He described the tattoo policy as very vague, not progressive and not very inclusive.

Garda Representative Association president Brendan O Connor called on garda management to review the policy.

It does seem that perhaps this policy is slightly out of step and is robbing the organisation of three people with the potential to be excellent guards, he told RTE.

In the cases of the two other cadets, one had a tattoo behind her ear while the other had a tattoo on her neck.
Taking regular Vitamin D supplements may reduce cancer deaths in the population by 15%, according to scientists.

Data gathered from the UK Biobank, an online database of medical and lifestyle records of around 500,000 Britons, indicates vitamin D deficiency is linked to an increased cancer mortality risk  particularly in relation to bowel, stomach, prostate, and lung cancers.

The researchers said their work, published in Elseviers European Journal of Cancer, adds to evidence that vitamin D may have a protective effect against cancer.

While the findings do not explain why this happens, the team said one possibility is that vitamin D supplements may induce anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and DNA damage repair mechanisms, which can thwart mutations that allows tumours to grow.

Study author Ben Schottker, an epidemiologist at the German Cancer Research Centre, said: Our findings identified a statistically significant relationship between vitamin D deficiency and increased mortality among several cancers.

These results can be explained by other studies, which found mechanisms by which vitamin D inhibits cancer growth and metastasis.

The NHS advice is that adults and children over four take a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D throughout the year.

According to the Department of Health and Social Care, around one in six adults and almost 20% of children in the UK have vitamin D levels lower than government recommendations.

Older people, the housebound and people from black and South Asian communities are more likely to have lower levels of vitamin D.

For the study, the researchers looked at data from more than 400,000 people aged 4069.

In-depth medical information was gathered through blood, urine and saliva samples.

A short interview and a questionnaire as used to assess vitamin D consumption as well as lifestyle factors such as alcohol consumption, smoking.

Follow-up data on health outcomes were gathered through NHS links as well as care data, cancer screening data, and disease-specific registers.

Over a period of nearly 13 years, close to 13,000 people died of cancer.

Results showed a majority of the study population had either vitamin D deficiency (21.1%) or insufficiency (34.4%)  used to describe low levels of vitamin D.

Of the people involved in the study, only 4.1% regularly took a vitamin D supplement and 20.3% regularly took a multivitamin.

Results showed that vitamin D supplement users had 15% lower total cancer mortality and 25% lower lung cancer mortality compared to those who did not take the supplement.

The also found researchers found that those with vitamin D deficiency had 42% increased mortality for stomach, 27% for bowel, 24% for lung, and 36% for prostate cancers.

Meanwhile those with vitamin D insufficiency were found to have 14% increased bowel cancer mortality and 19% increased lung cancer mortality.

The scientists said that the potential to reduce cancer mortality by vitamin D supplementation in populations with low levels should be further explored in new research.

Commenting on the study, Dr Jenna Macciochi, senior lecturer in immunology at the University of Sussex, said: This study adds to the growing body of evidence on vitamin D and cancer.

Vitamin D plays multiple key roles in immune health and the immune system is part of the bodys cancer defence system.

With cancer rates rising and presenting a serious public health issue, its useful to have further insight into the role of vitamin D in the prevention of cancer.

But Dr Macciochi also cautioned that the Biobank data might not be diverse and representative of the whole of the UK population.

Alex Ruani, doctoral researcher at University College London and chief science educator at The Health Sciences Academy  who was not involved in the study, said that the exact dosage taken by participants was not ascertained and the risk reduction was not the same for all cancers.

She said: This research doesnt imply that taking vitamin D3 supplements will for sure lower your risk of death from cancer.

Supplementation may help with consistent vitamin D levels, whereas production from sunlight can be variable and dependent on weather, time of the day, exposure duration, being outdoors or indoors, protective UV wear or sunblock, and many other factors.

She added: Common food sources of vitamin D3 include full-fat dairy, egg yolks, and fish.

Although toxicity is rare, there is an upper tolerable limit set in the UK, where vitamin D3 supplementation shouldnt exceed 100 micrograms a day.
Russian forces have unleashed a barrage of missiles on regions across Ukraine in the early hours of Tuesday morning, killing residents and damaging civilian infrastructure.

The attacks came just hours before top Russian military officials and their counterparts from Asia, the Middle East and Africa gathered outside Moscow for a security conference, where the fighting in Ukraine is likely to dominate the agenda.

Moscows war in Ukraine is nearing the 18-month mark.

The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia fired a total of 28 cruise missiles at the country. Sixteen of them were intercepted.

Deliberate large-scale attacks on civilians. Solely for the sake of killing and psychological pressure, presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted.

Mr Podolyak added that the barrage was an undeniable manifestation of Russias terrorist activity, legally documented by numerous destructions and victims.

Six out of seven of the Russian-launched missiles hit the western region of Lviv, wounding 19 people, including a 10-year-old child, Lviv governor Maksym Kozytskyi reported.

Forty buildings and houses were damaged in the region that borders Poland, including in the city of Lviv, and the power grid was also hit.

In the neighbouring region of Volyn, three people were killed by a Russian missile strike and three others were injured, according to Oleksii Kuleba, deputy head of Ukraines presidential office.

In the western Ivano-Frankivsk region, missile debris hit a private house. In the south-eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, two people were injured in the regions capital.

Parts of the city of Smila in the central Cherkasy region were left without access to water after the Russian strikes. The attack damaged a medical facility as well as water and heat supply networks.

In one of the villages in the front-line Zaporizhzhia region, a missile struck a stadium at a school, damaging a building as well as residential houses and a kindergarten. Russian forces also hit a grocery warehouse in Kramatorsk, a city in the front-line Donetsk region in the east, killing one person and wounding another.

In Dnipro, the Meteor sports complex was damaged after a missile strike, according to Governor Serhiy Lysak.

The complex is the training base for the Ukrainian national swimming team. The rocket exploded 20 metres from my (hotel) room, two-time European junior backstroke swimming champion Oleksandr Zheltiakov wrote on Instagram. He posted a picture of the shattered sports complex, saying my lovely pool.

The countrywide barrage came a day after Russian forces unleashed a wave of missile and drone strikes on Odesa a non-front-line region in the countrys southwest.

Church workers inspect damage inside the Odesa Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa (Jae C. Hong/AP)

The countrywide barrage came a day after Russian forces unleashed a wave of missile and drone strikes on the non-frontline region of Odesa, in the countrys south west.

The Kremlins forces have recently pummelled Odesa, hitting facilities that transport Ukraines crucial grain exports and also wrecking cherished Ukrainian historical sites.

The repeated attacks on Odesa follow Moscows decision to break off a landmark agreement that had allowed grain to flow from Ukraine to countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia and help reduce the threat of hunger.

In Russia on Tuesday, top Russian military officials and their counterparts from Belarus, China, India, Middle Eastern and African nations gathered outside Moscow for a security conference.

Addressing the conference in a pre-recorded video statement, Russian President Vladimir Putin has once again accused the West of fuelling the conflict by pumping billions of dollars into Kyiv and supplying it with equipment, weapons, ammunition, sending their military advisers and mercenaries.

Everything is being done to ignite the conflict even more, to draw other states into it, Mr Putin said.

Russias defence minister Sergei Shoigu sought to downplay the significance of the Western support for Ukraine, saying in turn that despite all that support, Kyivs forces fail to achieve results on the battlefield.


Looking back on past is vital to avoid repeating mistakes



Korea celebrated the 78th National Liberation Day Tuesday.



It was good to see President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife follow Oh Seong-gyu, a wheelchair-bound Independence Army veteran, into the ceremony. Kim Young-gwan, another former independence fighter, was also beside the first couple.



However, Yoon's speech made many people wonder why he invited the two centenarians to the event.



After giving formal praises and thanks to patriotic martyrs, he made no mention of why they had to sacrifice their youthful years, or their entire lives, and what the nation should do so it will not repeat the unfortunate past.



"Korea and Japan are partners who share universal values and pursue common interests," Yoon said. "As partners that cooperate on security and the economy, Korea and Japan will be able to jointly contribute to peace and prosperity across the globe, collaborating and exchanging in a future-oriented manner."



The president then reiterated how the free and democratic South has emerged victorious over the totalitarian and communist North in every way. He also attacked "blind followers of Pyongyang disguised as progressives and democracy and human rights activists." The conservative president targeted civic groups, labor activists and political opponents. It was a far cry from his predecessors, right or left, who reflected on the past and stressed unity.



Unlike in the past, there was no mention of national reunification, even as a fleeting remark. What would patriotic martyrs say if they saw their divided fatherland, with the two split halves accelerating their confrontation instead of seeking reconciliation? One could not help but wonder what Oh, the former independence fighter, must have thought when he heard those words. He lived in his "former enemy country" until recently after leaving Korea amid the left-right fight in the aftermath of national liberation.



True, one cannot live in the past. The future should be more important than the past. There are also times when you must sacrifice the lesser for the greater. However, burying the past and moving to the future is difficult when perpetrators and victims do not share historical viewpoints.



While Koreans celebrated their liberation, some Japanese politicians and cabinet ministers paid homage to Yasukuni Shrine, where 14 Class-A war criminals are enshrined. Side by side them are tens of thousands of Korean soldiers and laborers forced to serve Japanese colonialists and memorized there against their will. Liberation will not come for these victims until Tokyo separates them from the shrine.



Some surviving former sexual slaves and forced laborers have yet to receive the Japanese government's apologies and formal compensation. They refuse to accept comforting words and money from the Korean government. All Tokyo has to do is say sorry and pay token money. But Japan would never do so, implying much regarding their future moves.



According to a survey, about a quarter of Gen Z in Korea do not know the exact meaning of National Liberation Day. Nearly one-third of them also see no problems touring Japan on this day. Millennials are a little better. The situation may be similar among Japanese youngsters. A nation can forgive historical adversaries but must not forget it, especially when some of the former perpetrators don't reflect on the past and would even return to it. The survey shows many younger Koreans do not know historical facts or know them incorrectly. Such historical amnesia is harmful to Japanese youngsters, too.



Former President Kim Dae-jung was right when he sought reconciliation with Japan. He noted that the unhappy history was only during some 35 years of the 1,500-year history of exchanges. Likewise, the division of Korea must be less than a century in the nation's 5,000-year history.



The right path is to prevent effective subordination to former occupiers and rectify the wrong by reunifying this divided peninsula in peaceful and democratic ways.



President Yoon might have the three-nation summit with the U.S. later this week in mind when he refrained from saying what he thought was uncomfortable about Japan in his speech.



Koreans will closely watch how his one-sided moves work in the next four years.




As the fallout from the PSNI data leak continues, the Chief Constable has now confirmed the sensitive information is in the hands of dissident republicans, with implications for the safety of hundreds of officers.
Anutin Charnvirakul, leader of Bhumjaithai Party (left) and Cholnan Srikaew, leader of Pheu Thai Party Cholnan bow to each other after a news conference in Bangkok announcing their coalition to form a new government, Aug. 7, 2023.

After three months of political stasis following the May general election, Thailands parliament is expected to elect a government led by Srettha Thavisin of the Pheu Thai Party.

While establishing a new government could calm financial markets after months of uncertainty, its not going to calm political tensions in the country.

The Move Forward Party, which won the most seats in the May 14 polls (151), was unable to win Senate support for its coalition government.

Pheu Thai tried to form its own coalition that excluded the Two Uncles parties, Palang Pracharath and United Thai Nation, fronted by the 2014 coup leaders Prawit Wongsuwon and Prayuth Chan-o-cha.

With only 238 seats, Pheu Thai fell short of a majority in the lower house. Still, for a minority of senators, the jettisoning of Move Forward from the coalition and the pledge to not amend Article 112  the draconian Lese-Majeste law  was sufficient for their vote. Some were concerned about thwarting the will of the people, for fear of provoking street violence and roiling financial markets.

But the job of the Senate is not to endorse the peoples will but to protect the interests of the conservative royalist-military elites and thwart political reform. As such, they withheld support, forcing Pheu Thai to invite the Uncles parties into the coalition.

With the inclusion of Palang Pracharath (40) and United Thai Nation (36), the coalition had 314 of the 500 House votes and almost certain majority support in the upper house Senate to reach the needed 375-vote threshold to form a government.

On Tuesday, Move Forward announced it would not support the Pheu Thai candidate because, it said, the new coalition would be going against the will of the people, making a Pheu Thai coalition with the conservatives inevitable.

The coalition with Pheu Thai is the best-case scenario for the conservative royalist elites. The military-backed parties were humiliated at the polls and yet they have a seat at the table and a powerful position to thwart any public policy they deem not to be in the national interest.

Although Pheu Thai has pledged that neither Prawit or Prayuth would have a cabinet position, that is far from certain. Giddy at the opportunity to be back in government, Palang Pracharath announced that it would support the government en bloc.

Srettha Thavisin, the Pheu Thai Party prime ministerial candidate, speaks to journalists in Bangkok after polls closed on election day, May 14, 2023. [Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters]

Some senators have indicated they still will not endorse the government and are wondering why they stopped with Move Forward. They have it within their power to establish a minority government that excludes both Move Forward and their traditional nemesis Pheu Thai.

The majority of the Senate seems to understand that a minority government, while possible, would lead to mass political unrest and would be unable to pass anything in Parliament, including the budget.

No longer a progressive party

There are three big questions to consider.

First, is this a smart move for Pheu Thai?

This fulfills leaders ambitions. They believe Pheu Thai is entitled to rule.

This gives the party a clear majority government and the prime ministers office, but that short-term gain comes at its long-term political interests.

Rank-and-file members, in particular the Red Shirts, are clearly enraged that they are getting into bed with the leaders of the 2014 coup. Pheu Thai can no longer claim that it is a progressive party.

People are already making comparisons to the Democrat Party, which went from being the second largest party to near political irrelevance after getting in bed with the military in 2008. Voters have never forgiven them.

There are already concerns that some 25 Pheu Thai MPs, led by Chaturon Chaisang, could defect to the Move Forward in protest. They have denied this, but there is clearly discomfort with the inclusion of the Uncles parties.

The Pheu Thai leadership is calculating that they will deliver enough to their constituents in the meantime so that their supporters will not defect to Move Forward, the new standard bearer of political opposition to military and royalist elites.

Another way leadership would try to ameliorate dissatisfaction among the partys supporters is by negotiating a grand bargain for Thaksin Shinawatras return.

Thaksin is a fugitive, having been sentenced to 12 years in four different trials. He has lived overseas for 15 years.

He announced he would return on Aug. 10, but postponed his arrival on health grounds. It was clear that the delay in forming a government was the determining factor.

If all goes to plan now that a national unity government is being formed, Thaksin will be arrested at the airport upon his arrival and appeal for a royal pardon after 24 hours of incarceration.

Second question: What happens to Move Forward?

Move Forward has proven itself as an adroit opposition party. Members will bide their time as the standard bearer for political reform, poaching Pheu Thai voters. Members have already filed 10 bills in keeping to their legislative principles and campaign pledges.

The bigger question is whether the party will continue to exist and whether party leader Pita Limjaroenrat and other executives will survive politically.

In addition to an investigation into media company shares, Pita and Move Forward face investigations and criminal complaints in both the courts and the Election Commission. This includes charges of violating Lese-Majeste by proposing to amend Article 112 that allows the strict law against royal defamation.

Like Future Forward in 2019, Move Forward could be dissolved, though it would quickly become a new party. Pita is looking at possible jail time, but more likely a 10-year ban on political activities.

This leads to the third and final question: Will any of this bring about political unrest?

If the conservatives quickly move to disband Move Forward or arrest Pita, then the potential for demonstrations, especially in Bangkok, which the party swept, is high. But the conservative elites are likely to clip Pita and Move Forward in a more gradual fashion, eliciting less public backlash.

While much of this is a recipe for political violence, street demonstrations have so far been small and short-lived. Many of the most prominent activists are either in jail or out on bail and constrained. The new leaders are less well known and charismatic.

Conservatives used the legal tools at their disposal to thwart the will of the people. They lose one of those tools next May, when the term of the senators expires.

For now, they will use their leveraged seat in the government to shape public policy and keep the Pheu Thai government of Srettha Thavisin in check.

Zachary Abuza is a professor at the National War College in Washington and an adjunct at Georgetown University. The views expressed here are his own and do not reflect the position of the U.S. Department of Defense, the National War College, Georgetown University or BenarNews.
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin speaks to the media at the compound of the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex in Jalan Duta, Aug.15, 2023.

Updated at 8:51 a.m. EDT on 2023-08-15

A Malaysian court on Tuesday acquitted opposition leader and former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin of multiple counts of abuse of power that prosecutors had linked to a COVID-19 relief program his government administered during the pandemic.

Muhyiddin, who led the country from March 2020 to August 2021, was charged five months ago with four counts of abuse of power to solicit bribes worth 232.5 million ringgit (U.S. $50.5 million).

The Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled Tuesday the charges against him were defective and not sufficiently clear to allow Muhyiddin to prepare a defense.

In order to prevent the abuse of the court process and a miscarriage of justice, I allow the applicants request [for the four charges] to be dropped, said Judge Muhammad Jamil Hussin in his ruling. The applicant is released and acquitted.

Speaking outside the courthouse after proceedings, Muhyiddin said the dismissal proved the charges brought against him were politically motivated and an attempt to discredit him.

They are meant to oppress me, these false charges that do not disclose any offenseI have not committed any wrongdoing, he said.

His lawyer Hisyam Teh Poh Teik said it was clear that due process had been violated by the prosecution due to excessive haste.

The decision was fair and just because the charges brought against Muhyiddin were seriously defective and vague, he said.

The office of the Attorney General filed an appeal against the ruling in its entirety on Tuesday afternoon.

Muhyiddin, who is the head of the Bersatu party and chairman of the opposition bloc Perikatan Nasional, still faces three charges of money laundering 195 million ringgit (U.S. $42.3 million) related to the same COVID relief program.

The money laundering case is expected to be heard by the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court on Sept. 19, but Deputy Public Prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin said the prosecution would seek its postponement until the appeal was resolved.

Money laundering carries a maximum penalty of 15 years jail and a fine five times the value of the proceeds at the time the offense was committed, or 5 million ringgit (U.S. $1.08 million), whichever is greater.

The so-called Jana Wibawa case concerned an initiative launched by Muhyiddins administration to expedite the implementation of projects to help members of Malaysias ethnic Malay majority and stimulate the nations economy in the aftermath of the pandemic. The program aimed to strengthen the capabilities of Bumiputera/Malay contractors in the construction sector, making them more competitive and adaptable.

But, last year, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim ordered a review of the billion-ringgit worth of government projects approved by Muhyiddin, including COVID-19 aid programs. He alleged that Muhyiddin had disregarded the proper procedure which then led to a probe and charges against the former PM.

Muhyiddin was the second former Malaysian prime minister to be charged in a five-year period for corruption-related offenses. In August last year, former leader Najib Razak was sent to prison for 12 years over the 1MDB financial scandal, which brought down his government four years earlier.

This story has been updated to correct the maximum penalty for money laundering and to crop the photograph of Muhyiddin Yassin.
Nigrito natives demonstrate their rice planting techniques in the Philippines Village at the 1904 Worlds Fair in St. Louis, Missouri.

Washingtons Smithsonian Institution said Tuesday it would return to Manila the remains of Filipinos it acquired without consent from 1904-1941 for physical anthropology research, including to support racist beliefs about white peoples superiority.

Among the remains of 64 individuals from the Philippines are the brains of three or four Filipinos who died after these people were brought to be displayed at the 1904 Worlds Fair in St. Louis, Missouri, when the Southeast Asian archipelago was a U.S. colony.

After their deaths, their brains were collected to support the belief at the time that white people had larger brains.

Yes, we plan to repatriate human remains to the Philippines, Smithsonian Institution Chief Spokesperson Linda St. Thomas said in an email to BenarNews.

The [Smithsonians National Museum of Natural History] staff has had discussions with the Philippine embassy in [Washington] D.C. and met with the Philippine national museum staff to determine the path forward for repatriating the 64 individuals, she added.

The Smithsonian did not say when the repatriation of the Filipino remains would be completed.

Bagobos women demonstrate their domestic art in the Philippine Village at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. [T.W. Ingersoll]

The mostly indigenous Filipinos were brought to the United States for the St. Louis World Fair and died during the exposition there or, having chosen to remain in the U.S., in the years after, the state-run National Museum of the Philippines said in a statement Tuesday.

[T]here is no evidence of consent being given for the collection and scientific use of the remains, it said about the research carried out on the origin, evolution and diversity of humankind.

The Smithsonian affirmed that the human remains were acquired without consent and in ways that are not consistent with modern standards.

The U.S. institution, whose network of museums are an iconic Washington destination for tourists from the world over, said the remains of the Filipinos and people from other nations were acquired from many sources such as archaeological excavations, transfers from government agencies, and donations from museums, universities, hospitals, and individuals.

The Smithsonians natural history museum is voluntarily repatriating the remains of indigenous people to their homelands worldwide, it said.

In adherence with todays standards of ethical museum practice, the [national museum] accepts and supports this effort of the Smithsonian [natural history museum] to do the right thing and facilitate the return of Filipino remains home as a way of rectifying this unfortunate situation, the Philippine museum said.

An Igorot family is seen at the Philippines exhibit at the 1904 Worlds Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. [William Herman Rau]

A report in the Washington Post newspaper this week said that the collection of human remains consisted mostly of Black or indigenous people and other people of color.

The newspaper report cited records that showed the Smithsonian still holds the brains collected from people of 10 countries, including Germany, the Philippines, the Czech Republic and South Africa.

The Smithsonian said these remains were collected by Ales Hrdlicka, a curator and head of the then newly created Division of Physical Anthropology at the natural history museum, from 1904 until 1941.

The brains in particular were collected to support Hrdlickas early 20th century racist beliefs that brains of white people were larger, the institution said.

Although many of his research and collecting practices reflect those of his time period, many of the actions taken by Ales Hrdlicka are today regarded as unethical; they violate the present norms of biological anthropology at the Smithsonian and in the broader museum field.

According to the Washington Post report, Hrdlica, who was born in what is now the Czech Republic, was considered a top authority in the U.S. on race and sought by members of the government to prove that peoples race determined their intelligence.

The Post report said that Hrdlica once said Black people were the real problem before the American people.

In April, the Smithsonian formed a task force to develop a policy to address the future of human remains held within its museums collections.

The Smithsonian said it had placed temporary restrictions on research on all human remains in its museums and the acquisition of any additional remains while that policy was being developed.


By Ahn Ho-young



The Chey Institute started an ambitious new project in August 2018 soon after the Singapore Declaration between U.S. President Trump and his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong-un. It was to invite a group of foreign policy and security watchers in Korea and organize a series of debates focused on the North Korean nuclear issue. The purpose of the project was to promote study and debate on North Korea's nuclear weapons, the most important issue for Korea's national security. The project was named "Deep Dive," maybe out of the organizer's desire to promote in-depth study on the issue.



The series has been continued over more than five years, and had its 13th session in late July. The session focused on how to effectively implement the Washington Declaration adopted between Presidents Yoon Suk Yeol and Joe Biden on the occasion of Yoon's state visit to the U.S. last April.



A large number of participants agreed that the measures set out in the declaration are presently the most effective measures to strengthen U.S. extended deterrence for Korea, given the fact that Korea's own nuclear program or the redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Korea are not realistic options for the time being.



In fact, Korea and the U.S. had already formed several groups at different levels of government in order to strengthen extended deterrence. Those groups are focused on discussing most issues of policy and strategy. The Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG), formed in accordance with the Washington Declaration, distinguishes itself by offering an opportunity to have detailed consultations on military and operational issues. That's the kind of consultation we need now, given North Korea's capability and professed intentions.



Consultation on these issues will allow Korea to have enhanced access to information on U.S. nuclear assets and operational plans. It will also allow Korea to have an important voice on the deployment of U.S. strategic assets. In this connection, it was pointed out that SSBN Kentucky, an 18,000-ton Ohio-class nuclear submarine carrying 24 ballistic missiles, made a port call at Busan during the first meeting of the NCG in Seoul. The most important modus operandi for SSBNs is to avoid exposure. It's not surprising that the Kentucky's port call was the first such visit by a U.S. SSBN to a foreign port.



As for the legal nature of the Washington Declaration, it was pointed out that it is not an international treaty having the force of law, but a political declaration. For this reason, it is important not to lose the momentum in implementing the actions stipulated in the Washington Declaration, leading to the timely institutionalization of those actions. The best available time for implementation would be the coming year or so, given the domestic political timetable in the U.S. Most participants agreed that the Korean government must come up with a list of actions for implementation expeditiously.



The operational plans of the Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) are presently limited to the use of conventional weapons. North Korea has amended its law on the use of nuclear weapons, and organized military units dedicated respectively to strategic and tactical nuclear weapons. Those units have now allegedly started training on the use of nuclear weapons. Given such developments in North Korea, the CFC's operational plans must be based on conventional-nuclear integration.



Intelligence authorities in Korea and the U.S. agree that North Korea is planning various options for the use of nuclear weapons. One option of highest likelihood would be for North Korea to threaten South Korea with the use of tactical nuclear weapons to coerce the South to acquiesce with certain military or political options favored by the North. The Washington Declaration stipulates "joint planning and joint implementation" between Korea and the U.S. to deal with such eventualities. Now is the time to turn that language into detailed operational plans between Korea and the U.S.



Another issue that has been strongly emphasized by a large number of participants was the importance of Korea to strengthen its own capability. If Korea wishes to emerge as an active partner in the joint planning and implementation, it must not lose time in acquiring the "three-axis system" consisting of Kill Chain, Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) and Korean Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR) capabilities. It will significantly strengthen South Korea's own capability for deterrence through denial and punishment.



It was also emphasized that concerned officers in the Korean military must be thoroughly trained in nuclear weapons. The Washington Declaration stipulates simulation exercises between the strategic commands of Korea and the U.S., which would offer tailored opportunities to deepen Korean participants' understanding of nuclear weapons. All of these necessary actions add up to make a tall, very tall list. The governments of South Korea and the U.S. have no time to lose.





Ahn Ho-young is chair professor at Kyungnam University. He served as vice foreign minister and Korean ambassador to the United States.








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Coupang's delivery trucks are parked at the company's logistics center in Seoul, in this 2021 file photo. Yonhap



By Kim Jae-heun



Emart, the country's largest discount store chain, has been lagging behind Coupang, the largest e-commerce firm, in sales and operating profits as more and more consumers shop online, according to industry officials, Tuesday. In addition, Emart is spending a huge amount of money to operate its stores, while Coupang does not have to. That means Emart cannot surpass Coupang in terms of profitability.



The e-commerce firm surpassed Emart both in sales and operating profit in the second quarter of the year. Coupang's revenue soared 21 percent year-on-year to 7.67 trillion won ($5.84 billion). Emart's sales increased only 1.7 percent over the same period to 7.27 trillion won. Coupang posted a 194 billion won operating profit, while Emart lost 53 billion won.



Emart's underperformance is mainly attributed to the company's strategic retreat that focused on renewing old stores and expanding its e-commerce business.



The large discount store market here has been suffering from sluggish sales due to an increasing demand for online shopping. As a result, Emart began to invest heavily in renewing existing stores to offer customers more than just products by featuring sporting goods shops, performance halls and other attractions that appeal to families.



Coupang's aggressive supply chain expansion also played a key role. The e-commerce firm invested nearly 6.2 trillion won since 2014 to establish logistic centers across Korea  allowing overnight deliveries of online orders.





Shinsegae Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin visits to Emart's renewed store in Incheon, May 3. Newsis
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HAWAII WILDFIRES

This Pittsfield nurse and her family were on their way to a vacation in Hawaii. Now, they're staying to help victims of the wildfires in Maui
Ogilvy South Africa has unveiled the latest highly anticipated upgrades to its Innovation Labs, based in both the Johannesburg and Cape Town campuses.

"Our innovation labs are where creativity meets transformative technology, enabling brands to captivate, communicate and connect with audiences like never before. We're very excited with how our latest investments will extend realities, encourage prototyping, and feed data into our work, says Tristan Vogt, head of creative technology at Ogilvy.

New levels of machine learning, integrated virtual reality, augmented reality and artificial intelligence sit at the centre of the innovation labs wider cutting-edge facilities. Other technology includes interactive handsets, headsets, and screen technology  alongside proprietary UX testing facilities. All aimed to help propel brands towards unprecedented heights of success, in an ever-evolving marketplace.

The recent innovation lab relaunch event took place with an exciting showcase, allowing attendees to gain first-hand exposure of the lab, through a series of digital activations using the new technologies to design creative solutions and outcomes for the challenges presented.

One of the intentions of our updated lab is to support our new offering reality, which provides our clients with access to emerging tech and ideas to unlock customer connections through extended reality and synthetic experiences, says Melissa Carney, managing director of Ogilvys specialist digital services. Its exciting to see the increased impact we can create for our clients, by unlocking invaluable insights into consumer behaviour and preferences.

Whether it's using virtual reality to transport consumers into a brand's world, or leveraging artificial intelligence to deliver hyper-targeted messaging, Ogilvy South Africa's innovation lab helps brands to stay ahead of the curve and connect with consumers in new and meaningful ways.

"Over the years weve made large and deliberate investments into our own creative technology solutions and platforms. All of these are housed inside the innovation lab. These latest upgrades continue to demonstrate our belief that we must keep pushing and innovating ahead of the digital curve, says Pete Case, CEO and creative chairman of Ogilvy South Africa. With access to cutting-edge technologies and even closer collaborations with specialist external partners, we're better positioned than ever to deliver innovative solutions that help our clients achieve their business goals.

The innovation lab is a valuable resource for brands looking to enhance their advertising strategies and connect with consumers in new and engaging ways. By harnessing the latest in emerging technologies, Ogilvy South Africa is well-positioned to help brands stay ahead of the curve and succeed in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
Several shop owners in Cape Town were picking up the pieces at the weekend after looting during the eight-day taxi strike.

Source:  Swisherpost Swisherpost Rioters linked to the Cape Town taxi strike were caught on camera looting shops inside the Gugulethu Shopping Mall

Five people have been arrested in Gugulethu in connection with the looting and more arrests are expected, police said.

Videos have been circulating on social media of people fleeing with stolen goods such as TVs, refrigerators and other expensive items from stores.

The OK Furniture store, in Gugulethu Square, was one of the stores affected.

People apparently believed there were TVs in the boxes in the stores storage room when in fact there were bicycles inside the boxes, store manager Vuyokazi Yedwa said.

Yedwa told Daily Maverick that the furniture stores storage room was later welded shut to prevent further looting during the strike.

Were unable to calculate how much was looted from the store and storage area. We are waiting for a welding business to open the welded door, she said.

The looting was reported to Gugulethu police last Tuesday.

Read the full article Cape Town taxi strike  Looted malls and stores count the costs by Samane Jnr Marks here.

Also reporting on the looting is Swisherpost which posted images of the rioters linked to the Cape Town taxi strike who were caught on camera looting shops inside the Gugulethu Shopping Mall.

Theyve started looking OK Furniture in Gugulethu Mall #Taxistrike pic.twitter.com/S4lCkYtDua  Afiba  (@afiba_m) August 7, 2023

IOL has reported on police confirmations that two cases of theft have been opened for investigation after a food delivery truck was looted in Athlone.

News24 also reported on the impact of the taxi strike on Philippi and surrounding communities, with public facilities such as Philippi's Browns Farm library, ward councillor's office, and community hall all ransacked and vandalised. Residents have come together to clean up their library and community hall.
The Broadcast Research Council of South Africa (BRC) has commissioned a new television establishment survey (ES).

Source:  123rf 123rf The Broadcast Research Council of South Africa (BRC) has commissioned a new Television Establishment Survey (ES) as well as other research

The television universe was updated in October 2020; however, much has happened over the past three years. It remains critical that all changes in South African viewership be reflected in the universe.

With a sample of 8 000, comprising of 5,000 face-to-face and 3,000 online interviews, the results of the new television ES have already been validated and have passed scrutiny.

The dataset will be made available to the industry on 11 September, with the BRC aiming to engage with the industry at the end of September 2023 on the Tams universe update.

All media agencies will be granted six weeks for scrutiny and planning prior to the universe update taking effect.

Future proofing video measurement

The new ES data results indicate that there is definite movement within the realm of video viewing.

Because of this, new entrants into the marketplace and load shedding, the BRC is currently reviewing an SDK (software development kit) implementation, which will allow for measurement of streaming, OTT, alternative devices and Out of Home (OOH) viewing.

The SDK will be incorporated at a publisher level, resulting in a census output  all traffic across all opted-in publishers. A panel in excess 10,000 respondents will serve as the source of demographic profiling for the census data, a cookie match approach, with the weighting based on the BRCs latest Television ES. The setup will commence in Q4 2023.

Rams Amplify

Regarding Rams Amplify reach and frequency, BRCs CEO, Gary Whitaker says that the final validations are being carried out by external auditors.

The radio research technical committee will get a first look at the data before it is released to the industry. The BRC confirms that it will happen before the end of August.

Fusion

Additionally, the BRC has confirmed that they will be using the new TV ES as the base survey for the next data Fusion project.

Fusion matches respondents from different surveys and combines them into a single dataset.

The intention, in the future, is to make use of the Marketing Research Foundations (MRF), Maps (Marketing all product survey) data as the base survey. The next iteration of Fusion is expected to be available at the end of January 2024.

It makes sense to use Maps as the base survey in any fused data project as the surveys underlying processes, procedures, and protocols have recently been audited and the data it provides is stable and accurate, says Whitaker.

There is a lot happening in the background at the BRC and in partnership with various stakeholders were happy to be delivering South African broadcastings single source of truth when it comes to television and radio media currencies - crucial for media audience research.

For more information visit BRC.
This video still shows Miguel Suarez, a Mexican YouTuber living in Korea, promoting a Korean snack on KOTRA's YouTube channel. KOTRA, a state-run trade promotion agency, said Tuesday that it has been cooperating with overseas influencers to promote products of small and medium-sized companies in the global market. Courtesy of KOTRA

By Baek Byung-yeul



Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) is collaborating with overseas influencers to help promote to overseas buyers quality products made by domestic small and medium-sized companies, the state-run trade promotion agency said, Tuesday.



The agency said it is creating short form videos with overseas influencers, such as YouTube Shorts, letting them introduce excellent products of Korean SMEs.



KOTRA said it recently collaborated with Miguel Suarez, a Mexican YouTuber living in Korea who has around 240,000 subscribers, to create YouTube Shorts videos showcasing consumer goods. YouTube Shorts is a short form video available on YouTube that limits the maximum length of a video to one minute.



Suarez is well-known for introducing Korean culture to his subscribers on his YouTube channel Miguel imnida.



The short form videos have been coming out on KOTRA's YouTube channel KOTRA TV since Aug. 2. Currently the promotional videos feature snacks, hangover remedies and facial mask packs.



KOTRA said its "Amazing K-item" series is designed to showcase products of domestic SMEs to overseas buyers interested in Korea as well as appeal to the younger generations at home and abroad.



"We received applications from companies that wanted to promote their products overseas and overseas influencers from promising export countries try out the products and introduce them on the YouTube channel," KOTRA said.



The first three shorts and a vlog video have been well-received, recording over 52,000 views as of Aug. 14 with comments from users in Latin America, KOTRA said, adding it plans to collaborate with overseas influencers in the United States and Europe as well.



In addition to its YouTube channel, KOTRA also utilizes various platforms such as Instagram to promote the products of domestic companies.



It has been creating 3-minute-long videos every week introducing its overseas trade centers, providing a look at each country's promising export items and economic status.



"Young generation gets information through short form videos such as YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels, both at home and abroad," Kim Yoon-tae, vice president of KOTRA, said. "We will strive to use this trend for effective export marketing of domestic SMEs."


A partnership between Haval Motors South Africa (HMSA) and the Automobile Association (AA) Technical College aims to advance the education and training of new energy vehicle (NEV) technology. HMSA has invested in the college and provided NEV components for practical learning and will also collaborate on developing the curriculum.

As a world leader in vehicle battery technology through SVOLT, a company wholly owned by Havals parent company Great Wall Motors (GWM), and NEV with the Haval hybrid electric vehicle models and the new ORA EV brand, HMSA recognises that NEV in the local market requires not only infrastructure and government policy to grow and develop, but also skills development.

This investment serves as further evidence of our full and unwavering commitment to the country, says Yusuf Patel, head of aftersales at Haval Motors South Africa.

After 16 years in South Africa, Haval now consistently ranks among the top players in national vehicle sales and is also at the forefront of introducing NEV technology locally with our ORA brand and Haval HEV models. Electric and hybrid electric vehicles require special skills, safety, training and equipment to service and work, and this totally transforms the role and skills required by vehicle technicians," he says.

HMSA recognises this and as we are well positioned in the NEV space, we want to be the pioneers of driving skills development for New Energy Vehicles in the local industry, in particular where it is not being addressed by Government or the industry.

Besides travel and mobility services, technical and legal advice, emergency rescue services and roadside security, the Automobile Association also offers specialised apprenticeships to help motor industry players build in-house skills, and short skill courses for individuals.

Werner Wandrey, Principal of the AA Technical College, thanked Naval for its generous donation.

It could not have come at a better time. The curriculum for the technical college is currently being updated by the Department of Education and part of the new curriculum is an introduction to electric vehicles as well as hybrids," says Wandrey.

With this donation we will undoubtedly be one of the first training facilities that now supports actual modules, not only in theory but with practical tasks and exhibitions in this new technology. We can therefore train our learners way ahead of time before EVs and Hybrid Vehicles become mainstream in our market. We are very grateful for this donation.
Small-scale farmers have long faced challenges accessing agricultural insurance and, in turn, accessing financing. The 'perfect solution' still eludes us despite the vast literature on the topic.

High administration costs are a well-documented crop insurance issue, which can be partly mitigated by requiring minimum-sized policies in given areas covered.

However, minimum size requirements could negatively impact smaller and emerging farmers, who may be excluded from policies. On the other hand, relaxing such limitations will inevitably contribute towards increasing admin costs per policy and, thus, contribute towards rising premium costs.

As for overall premium costs, the South African agricultural insurance market is often considered expensive. Two factors mainly drive this perception: firstly, the belief that South Africa is a high-risk environment. Secondly, a need for premium subsidies.

To understand the widespread perception that South Africa is a uniquely high-risk climate environment, raise the subject at your next braai event with farmers, agri-financiers and input suppliers. You will very quickly be told all about the high-risk nature of the South African climate.

For this article, lets say other parts of the world also have very erratic climates. When considering the long-term national yield data, there is no question that despite the consensus about a very negative high-risk environment, there is a constant increase in national yields. Settling the matter definitively is probably a matter for a different article.

What is not subjective is the total lack of government support towards the insurance industry in terms of subsidising or reducing the premium costs to clients. This was clearly stated in the World Bank report by Mahul and Stutley in 2010.

The research indicated that "Premium subsidy programs are offered mainly under MPCI or area-yield insurance (a major exception is South Africa, which offers nonsubsidised MPCI to individual farmers)." The report goes on to specify that South Africa is the only country with unsubsidised MPCI."

The reports international case studies for developing insurance solutions for small-scale production clients are instructive and locally relevant.

A multi-institutional approach

The high-risk nature of the climate, lack of government support, and high institutional costs, amongst other factors, result in high crop insurance premiums for small- and large-scale farmers. This, in turn, contributes to low levels of participation from the sector.

Solving the problem, however, is far outside the scope of a 600-word article, and even at 6,000 or 60,000 words, the perfect solution will probably remain elusive. What is clear is that a comprehensive solution will probably never be a standalone insurance product but rather a multi-institutional approach.

On a more positive note, there is a resurgence of optimism relating to value chain finance or the more recent trend of blended finance. This solution would likely come from multi-institutional contributions. Even if an insurance company could relax minimum size requirements and absorb some of the administrative costs, the main cost of the risk premium itself would still be payable and likely still unaffordable for the small-scale farmer.

Furthermore, there would be issues of lack of long-term historical yield data and questions about ensuring that acceptable farming practices adhere to prevent policy cancellations due to bad farming practices.

These challenges would likely have to be solved by the technical services of input suppliers. High premiums could be subsidised by some of the country's many empowerment and development initiatives. Institutions like the Land Bank should be willing to finance such policies, despite the need for more traditional security.

When considering the potential contributions each player within the value chain can contribute towards small-scale farmers, a multi-institutional approach is a viable option.

Wouldnt it be exciting if, in the future, we could look back and say this article might have inspired a call to start a multi-participant discussion to design a pilot project for delivering a comprehensive project mitigating all the various challenges facing small-scale farmers, including the insurance contribution? Let's start the talk to start the growth.
The 17th Annual South African Film and Television Awards nominees have been announced.

Afda is proud to announce that Afda students, staff and alumni have received over 50 nominations in the various categories.

The Afda Johannesburg 2022 honours graduation film Shumba, directed by Nigel Wurayayi, was nominated in the Best Student Film category making it 17 years in a row for Afda student films.

In the Feature Film category, the film Wild is the Wind, written and directed by Afda alumnus Fabian Medea picked up four nominations, including Best Achievement in Directing, Best Achievement in Scriptwriting and the big one, Best Feature Film. Afda alumna Marne van der Burgh received the Best Achievement in Costume Design nomination for her work on the film Stiekyt, directed by fellow alumnus Etienne Fourie. Afda alumni editors were a cut above the rest picking up three nominations in the Best Achievement in Editing a Feature Film category: Simon Beesley for Indemnity, Richard Starkey for Silverton Siege and Alastair Orr for Wild is the Wind. Best Achievement in Cinematography went to Justus De Jager for Amandla and Zenn van Zyl for Indemnity and to round up, Afda Cape Town Live Performance lecturer Abduragmaan Adams received the nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Film for his role in Indemnity.

Afda alumnus Richard Gregory was nominated in the documentary category for Best Achievement in Directing and Best Documentary for the doccie Steinheist.

Afda alumni cinematographers made a clean sweep in the Telenovela category taking four nominations; Darren Dressels for Diepe Waters, Lekau Mamabolo for House of Zwide, Lavhelani Mudau for The Blackdoor, and Ntobeko Dlamini for The River.

Afda alumni and staff telenovela scriptwriters are also in on the act clearing the room with six nominations in the Telenovela category. Phathutshedzo Makwarela picked up three of these for Giani - Land of Blood, Legacy and The River, Mandla Ngcongwane got one for Diep City and Tristram Atkins and Afda lecturer Margaret Goldsmid were nominated for Diepe Waters.

After winning a Safta for Best Documentary Film last year, Afda alumnus Jordy Sank is also in the running, this time for his award winning short film Leemtes en Leegheid in the Best Short Film category.

The Craft and Main awards ceremonies are happening in Joziburg on 29 and 30 September, and will air live on YouTube and TV.

The Craft awards will stream on YouTube on Friday 29 September, with a rebroadcast on one of the SABC channels at an unconfirmed date. You know the SABC mos.

The Main awards will air live on S3 and Mzansi Magic at 7pm on Saturday 30 September, and both ceremonies will be themed round the tagline: Our stories flow together.

Congratulations to all the Afda students, staff and alumni on their nominations. Here is the full list:

Best Achievement in Directing  Documentary

Steinheist Practitioner: Richard Finn Gregory Best Made for TV Documentary

Steinheist Production House: Idea Candy Best Achievement in Art Direction  TV comedy

How to Ruin Christmas Season 3 Practitioners: Martha Sibanyoni Best Achievement in Editing  TV comedy

How to Ruin Christmas Season 3 Practitioners: Melanie Golden Best Achievement in Scriptwriting  TV comedy

How to Ruin Christmas Season 3 Practitioners: Rethabile Ramaphakela, Lwazi Mvusi, Thuso Sibisi



Tali's Joburg Diary Practitioners: Gilli Apter Best Achievement in Cinematography  TV comedy

Hotel Season 5 Practitioner: Dino Benedetti



Karavaan Practitioner: Sunel Haasbroek Best Achievement in Art Direction  TV drama

Blood and Water Season 3 Practitioner: Christian Joubert Best Achievement in Cinematography  TV drama

Blood Psalms Practitioner: Willem Nel



Justice Served Season 1 Practitioners: Trevor Fraser Calverley Best Achievement in Scriptwriting  TV drama

Entangled Season 1 Practitioner: Rethabile Ramaphakela Best Achievement in Editing  TV soap/telenovela

Diepe Waters Practitioner: Marthinus van Rhyn



Redemption Practitioner: Tongai Furusa Best Achievement in Original Music/Score  telenovela

The Blackdoor Season 1 Practitioner: Mandla Ngcongwane Best Achievement in Cinematography  telenovela

Diepe Waters Practitioner: Darren Dressels



House of Zwide Practitioners: Lekau Mamabolo



The Blackdoor Season 1 Practitioner: Lavhelani Mudau



The River Practitioner: Ntobeko Dlamini Best Achievement in Art Direction  TV soap/telenovela

Legacy Practitioner: Amanda Scholtz Best Achievement in Scriptwriting  telenovela

DiepCity Season 2 Practitioner: Mandla Ngcongwane



Diepe Waters Practitioner: Tristram Atkins, Margaret Goldsmid



Giyani - Land of Blood Practitioners: Phathutshedzo Makwarela



Legacy Practitioner: Phathutshedzo Makwarela



The River Practitioner: Phathutshedzo Makwarela Best Achievement in Directing  telenovela

Arendsvlei Practitioner: Darryl Fuchs Best Achievement in Scriptwriting  TV soap

SCANDAL! Practitioner, Themba Mahlangu Best Achievement in Costume Design  feature film

Stiekyt Practitioners: Marne van der burgh Best Achievement in Editing  feature film

Indemnity Practitioners: Simon Beesley



Silverton Siege Practitioners: Richard Starkey



Wild is the Wind Practitioners: Alastair Orr Best Achievement in Cinematography  feature film

Amandla Practitioners: Justus De Jager



Indemnity Practitioners: Zenn van Zyl Best Achievement in Scriptwriting  feature film

Wild is the Wind Practitioners: Fabian Medea Best Student Film

Shumba Production House: AFDA Best TV Comedy

How to Ruin Christmas Season 3 Production House: Burnt Onion Productions Best Short Film

Leemtes en Leegheid Production House: Idea Candy Best Supporting Actor in a Feature Film

Abduragmaan Adams - Indemnity Best Achievement in Directing  feature film

Wild is the Wind Practitioner: Fabian Medea Best Feature Film

Wild is the Wind




Jessica Mahlekisi is the marketing and digital coordinator in the Luxe division at L'Oreal South Africa. Born in Daveyton, a township located in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg she began her career as a model at the age of 16.

The young professional was recently selected as L'Oreal SA's One Young World delegate for 2023, which will see her travel to Belfast, UK to attend the beauty giants One Young World convention.

Jessica Mahlekisi is the marketing and digital coordinator in the Luxe division at LOreal South Africa. Source: Supplied.

How did you end up at LOreal?

After I decided to step away from the modelling industry to pursue a formal education (PR Unisa), I secured an internship with Zando, which gave me further exposure to the industry. After completing my stint with the e-fashion retailer, I responded to a CSR campaign on Twitter which subsequently led to the opportunity to attend a digital upskilling course powered by the UK-SA Tech Hub.

Upon completion of this course, I obtained further work experience with an NGO. Followed by a project manager role at a marketing, PR and digital agency called Triple Eight where I worked as a project lead for a CSR campaign for Nestle. In retrospect, my journey to LOreal started sooner than I even realised, my current role at LOreal is a culmination of the constant pursuit of self- improvement.

What does your job entail?

The marketing and digital co-ordinator within the LOreal Luxury division is a hybrid role. One aspect of my job involves supporting the commercial team and our strategic key account manager in driving the e-commerce business agenda.

The other aspect of my role consists of rolling out all the brand causes within our department. Namely, YSL Beauty - Abuse Is Not Love, Armani - Acqua for Life and Lancome - Write Your Future in South Africa. This is work that I am honoured to do, as I strongly believe in living a purpose-driven life and using my abilities for the benefit of people, the planet, and business.

What interested you in the beauty industry?

During my four years in the modelling industry, I was afforded opportunities to walk for both AFI and SA fashion week and feature in multiple fashion/beauty spreads. Working in front of the camera piqued my interest to understand the business of fashion in its entirety and explore the possibility of making an impact on such an influential industry, being allowed to work on brands such as Yves Saint Laurent Beaty, Armani Beauty and Lancome feels like a full circle moment.

What are the highlights of your career so far?

I have a few key carer highlights, namely, executing the Nestle Math Moments initiative which was created to address South Africas ranking in math-ability and improve cognitive development in children. The campaign was the winner at The Shorty Digital Awards in New York City for Best Use of WhatsApp and Best in Education.

Another key highlight was launching the Yves Saint Laurent Beauty, Abuse Is Not Love initiative in South Africa and with the help of our NGO partner, training hundreds of students about the early signs of abuse, allyship and reporting structures. Lastly, being selected to be L'Oreal SA's One Young World delegate for 2023, which will allow me to travel to Belfast, UK to attend the brand's One Young World convention.

What are the biggest challenges in your role?

I am of the strong belief that no one is coming to save us, we are the heroes we have been waiting for. Working within the brand cause/ corporate social responsibility space often means pushing against the grain and taking the road less travelled. I think the most important thing is to remember why you started. Remember your North Star.

Who are the women you look up to professionally?

I have had an array of mentors and have had the honour to experience feminine leadership throughout my career, which I do not take for granted. However, my greatest influence and inspiration for my career and ambition is my mother, Sophie Mapula

Mahlekisi, who continuously affirmed that, given the right effort and dedication, everything I desire is within reach.

What are your dreams for the future?

One of my biggest dreams for the future is to be part of LOreals global corporate social responsibility (CSR) and brand cause team, this will enable me to champion the organisations commitments to driving sustainability and social innovation at a global level.

I have always had the ambition to pursue an international career to further myself and receive exposure to key skills that I can implement to create strategic and sustainable solutions locally. I believe that accelerating this agenda will have a major

impact on peoples lives and drive the development of the continent.
Tunisia's lakes and coastal lagoons are parched and overheating, endangering a delicate ecosystem and disrupting the vast flocks of migrating birds that use the wetlands as a way station between Africa and Europe.

Tunisian environmental activist, Radhia Haddad, stands on the dried-out Ariana lagoon, in Ariana, Tunisia 11 August 2023. Reuters/Jihed Abidellaoui

Ariana lagoon just outside the capital Tunis has been left a cracked expanse of dry mud, its small islands where birds usually nest now surrounded by sand and bereft of life after months of drought and a ferocious heatwave.

Even the nearby Sijoumi lagoon, where water has always been more reliable, is half empty, its flocks of flamingos casting a pale pink smear across a patch of wetland as Tunis suburbs rise on the hill behind.

"This year you can feel there is an environmental catastrophe due to drought," said environmental activist Radhia Haddad, who has been visiting it since 2012. "It's the first time I've seen Sijoumi lagoon dry out in this way."

Jutting into the Mediterranean towards Sicily, Tunisia is on the main migration route for hundreds of bird species and its large wetlands are a haven for wading birds that journey north across the Sahara or south from the Arctic and northern Europe.

Last month, the temperature in Tunis topped 49C (120F) on one scorching day, a sign of much hotter summers that in recent years have accompanied much drier winters as climate change hits North Africa.

Sijoumi and dozens of other big lagoons and inland lakes ring the Tunisian coast behind the long golden beaches where European tourists fly for the summer.

Until a rare June rainstorm, Sijoumi had been mostly empty. The waders and other birds that nest amid the reeds, water and mud where wild boar forage by dawn risk losing their usual seasonal home.

"This year's long drought has significantly impacted many environmental systems, particularly wetlands," said Haddad, standing on cracked dry earth where birds usually lay their eggs on small islands in the lagoon. This year, there has been no nesting there at all, she said.

Hicham Azafzaf, the scientific coordinator of Tunisia's Bird Lovers Association, said he had never seen such dry wetlands in his 20 years of monitoring them.

However, while this summer has been particularly bad, it follows a longer trend that had already had a clear impact on birds.

"There are several species that no longer come to Tunisia in the winter," Azafzaf said. Some 30,000 greater white fronted geese used to winter at Ichkeul National Park west of Tunis each year, but this January only 400-600 came, he added.

Climate change is not the only danger to Tunisia's wetlands, he said. Cities and towns are growing closer to the edges of lagoons and rubble and waste are ever more often dumped in or near the water.

Yet the lagoons and other wetlands are important for human residents too, regulating local temperature during heatwaves and helping avert dangerous floods by absorbing rainfall from sudden storms.
A team of researchers from Stellenbosch University (SU) and Rham Equipment have developed the first electric taxi in South Africa, as part of a project to promote green mobility. The electric taxi is a minibus that was converted from a petrol or diesel vehicle to run on electric propulsion. The prototype is ready for testing and will undergo road safety and performance evaluations.

SU and Pham have retrofitted a taxi to become an EV. Source: Supplied

The project was funded by the South African National Energy Development Institute (Sanedi) and supported by Transport Services at SU, which donated a minibus for the conversion. Project lead, Prof Thinus Booysen of the Department of Industrial Engineering at SU, says the first retrofitted minibus is just the beginning.

More than 70% of the trips in South Africa are by minibus in the informal sector, which is why we are hoping to encourage the retrofitting of some of the 250,000 minibuses in the country with electric propulsion. These will be cheaper and much more environmentally friendly than new electric vehicles," Booysen explains.

With this venture, we want to help build the skills that will be needed to manufacture electric vehicles locally and also create awareness about how much we could save with electric taxis.

The feasibility research began in June 2022 when a project team consisting of GoMetro, MiX Telematics, HSW, ACDC Dynamics, and various entities within Stellenbosch Universitys Faculty of Engineering came together to conduct rigorous and extensive testing in and around the town of Stellenbosch. There was also a goal to put the electrification of the minibus taxi sector firmly on the national agenda through hosting an educational roadshow in all nine provinces in the course of 2023.

Kevin Reynders, CEO of Rham Equipment, says Groundbreaking innovation and local skills development are at the core of our companys ethos. Working on this project with Stellenbosch University allowed us to plough back into engineering students' development and to contribute to sustainable mobility in South Africa's dynamic vehicle landscape.

Design features

One of Booysens team members, Stephan Lacock, who is doing his masters degree in electronic engineering at SU and funded by Golden Arrow, helped designed the retrofitted minibus with partners at Rham Equipment.

Lacock says they removed the minibus internal combustion engine and its associated components such as the petrol tank, manual transmission, gas pipe, and radiator. He adds that throughout the development process, the retrofit needed to comply with national road safety regulations, particularly the strict requirement not to make any permanent changes to the minibus chassis (base frame), such as drilling or welding and specific weight requirements.

Overcoming design challenges, Rham Equipment and our research team have successfully created a reproducible kit that includes the main components of the electric powertrain or system that propels the vehicle forward. These include an electric motor, inverter, charger, electronic control unit, and a single-speed reduction gearbox. The powertrain is skilfully connected to a custom-designed battery pack that meets the specific operational needs of a minibus.

Lacock says one of the standout features of the retrofitted minibus is its advanced regeneration system which harnesses energy generated during deceleration and downhill driving, enhancing the vehicles energy efficiency and overall range.

As a result, the minibus is now equipped to travel an estimated range of approximately 120km, with a maximum speed of 120km/h. It has an electric motor power of 90kW and a battery capacity of 53.76kWh," he explains. "This ensures that it meets all load and driving requirements comparable to those of traditional internal combustion engine minibuses. Moreover, the electric powertrain brings enhanced agility and an exhilarating driving experience to the minibus.

Recharging remains the biggest challenge in the EV transition, with electric cars needing long periods of downtime to charge. Lacock believes that the team has solved this issue as well.

Thanks to the inclusion of a 20kW charger, the minibus can be efficiently charged in just over two hours, he says.

Electricity supply

Although Booysen is optimistic about the retrofitting of taxis, he is also mindful of the challenges related to powering them in a country where the national grid already operates at half its capacity.

We need to look at what the impact would be if we add an extra load of electric vehicles to the grid. Given that people who can buy electric vehicles can also afford to install fast charges, the impact of those vehicles will quickly slay a grid already on its knees, he says.

With petrol and diesel vehicles we could drive to the nearest gas station because there was adequate infrastructure, sufficient range on a tank, and the refilling was quick. With electric vehicles, the problem is the filling takes a long time, and the range and energy source are limited.

Echoing Booysens sentiment, PhD student and team member Johan Giliomee says the expected charging times that result from the way minibus taxis operate is a concern because of the additional load the simultaneous charging will put on the grid.

Research results show that electrifying all minibus taxis in South Africa could add a load of 5% of what the grid can currently deliver. As most taxis have similar operational hours, peaking before and after the workday, their charging opportunity window also aligns. This will result in a significant peak power draw that needs to be accounted for when planning for the electrification of the minibus taxi sector. In addition, the total energy required for a given operational period also requires in-depth analysis.

New thinking

Giliomee points out that minibus taxis could be supplied with electricity through the installation of solar panels and battery energy storage systems at taxi ranks. Hydrogen could also be used as an alternative electricity source or for interim energy storage.

The vast majority of taxis are stationary between the early morning and afternoon peaks, making it an ideal opportunity for charging from solar panels. This also means a single charge would only need to supply sufficient energy for half the day, significantly reducing the required battery capacity as opposed to being scaled to support a full day's operations. Further ideal charging opportunities are seen overnight when the national electricity demand is at its lowest.

Given the current severe electricity constraints, Booysen suggests we move the national discussion from electric vehicles to a system-perspective of electric mobility to include the decentralised provision of electricity.

We must think anew about how we buy a car; it must be sold as part of a mobility package, that is, the car, solar panels and a large battery as a system, rather than just an electric car that will mess up our grid and will be restricted by our grid.

Booysen says in the next phase of the project they will collaborate with Rham and Golden Arrow Bus Service to retrofit one of the companys buses.
Vodacom's first ever #SME Thrive Summit is a free event hosted at Vodacom World in Midrand to help empower small businesses with resources, knowledge, and networking. Learn from sessions, exhibitions, keynotes, master classes, and panels. Registration is free and attendees stand a chance to win towards R50,000 their business.

Vodacom continues its busy August with the SME Thrive Summit joining its other Women's Month events. Source: x.com

SMEs remain a crucial foundation of the South African economy. We recognise their vital contribution in fostering innovation, creating jobs, and spurring economic growth throughout the country. With the introduction of this summit, we are hoping to foster financial change and help SMEs grow their business, which will influence the countrys economic performance, says Buhle Vilakazi, executive head of SMEs at Vodacom South Africa.

Buhle Vilakazi, head of SMEs at Vodacom SA. Source: Supplied

Expert speakers and industry leaders will share their insights, experiences, and best practices to inspire and guide SMEs in overcoming challenges and seizing opportunities. Topics to be covered include access to finance, how to leverage digital marketing tools, tips on how businesses can protect themselves against cyber security threats, and much more.

Wed like to call on small business owners to collaborate with Vodacom to co-create the solutions required to address their business challenges. Fuelled by our dedication for small business growth, an ever-evolving portfolio of financial services and digital solutions as well as a broad local and global reach, we are confident that we are the right partners to unlock their potential, concluded Vilakazi.

Free registration

Small business owners are encouraged to register to attend in person and online. By attending, theyll be equipped with ideas, tools, and technology to help them boost their business.

Not only will they walk away with knowledge and expertise, but two lucky entrepreneurs will also stand a chance to win a full day business consultation with Vodacom South Africa CEO, Sitho Mdlalose, and other Executives coupled with a cash prize of R50,000 towards expanding their business. Other great prizes including business tech, digital marketing credits, point-of-sale devices and more.

The summit is takes place on 18 August at Vodacom World and can be attended in person or online via SME Thrive Summit.

It welcomes all SME owners, aspiring entrepreneurs as well as stakeholders invested in the success of small businesses. To secure a spot and be part of this empowering event, interested participants are encouraged to register at the website.
South Africa has emerged a clear leader on the continent, as an enabler of women's entrepreneurship. However, as President Ramaphosa pointed out last year, despite efforts from multiple segments of society, only 41% of South African women aged between 15 and 60 years are regarded as being economically active. While we should celebrate the significant strides being made towards tackling gender disparities in entrepreneurship, we should strive as a collective to address major challenges that prevent progress such as access to funding.

Rene Botha, regional investment manager at Business Partners Limited

Women entrepreneurship in South Africa: Slow but steady progress

According to the most recent Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs (MIWE), South Africa ranks as the second highest country in Africa in terms of its proportion of women-owned businesses and the formal support available for women entrepreneurs. With a score of 54.9, South Africa followed closely on the heels of Botswana, with a ranking of 56.3.

Furthermore, in every country surveyed by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Womens Entrepreneurship Report, women were less active than men in business. However, countries regarded as being upper-middle income territories have been found to be the most progressive in terms of gender parity. At 16% average total early-stage entrepreneurial activity for South African women, compared to 19% for men, a small gender gap in entrepreneurship still persists.

 my commitment is to do my part to enable female entrepreneurship in the country until the gender gap is closed

 Rene Botha, Business Partners Limited

The GEM Report also found that women in countries like South Africa are among the most innovative and high growth entrepreneurs in the world. Commenting on this is Rene Botha, regional investment manager at Business Partners Limited and SAs 2011 Most Influential Women in Business (Financial Services), who believes that womens drive to succeed as businesspeople is driven by necessity.

We know that women are playing increasingly central roles in their households as pillars of financial support. The scarcity of jobs or inadequate compensation within those jobs has presented South African women with an undeniable challenge. Many have succeeded in turning that challenge into an opportunity, which they have seized for the betterment of themselves, as well as their families and communities, she says.

Botha herself is an avid proponent for women empowerment who has risen through the ranks within Business Partners Limited from a junior investment professional in 1998 to area manager for Stellenbosch in 2008 and recently in 2023, regional investment manager. In this new position, Botha has even more influence in the provision of finance to entrepreneurs and contributing to the growth of women entrepreneurship in the country.

Lenders need to adjust their approach to women entrepreneurs and risk

South Africas entrepreneurial environment presents several unique challenges for women business owners, the most critical of which is access to finance, as Botha argues. According to the findings of economist and writer, Trudi Makhaya, one of the primary reasons for this involves women being less likely to own assets such as houses which lenders require as collateral.

This lack of collateral leads to many aspiring women entrepreneurs being denied finance due to not meeting loan eligibility requirements or simply, as many have attested, not being taken seriously enough by finance providers. For Botha, who has led the financing of many women owned businesses across sectors since 1998, the solution to this problem needs to involve lenders across the financial spectrum, making less generalised decisions and assessing the granting of business loans on a case-by-case basis.

As she adds: Lenders  both traditional and non-traditional  have a fiduciary obligation to mitigate risk. For many, the solution is applying stringent criteria to the awarding of loans and other financial arrangements. Doing so indiscriminately, however, has served to weaken South Africas drive towards better financial inclusion. As industry leaders, we need to invest the time and resources into assessing each application on its individual merits and adjusting our terms to protect our own financial viability, while giving more entrepreneurs a chance to prove themselves.

More support needed for women entering the credit market

Another factor at play is the finding by the African Development Bank Group that many women entrepreneurs in Africa are more likely to self-select out of the credit market due to perceptions of low creditworthiness. In other words, many women opt out of applying for business finance due to their prediction that their applications will be denied.

This perception can be attributed to the historical experience of women, who traditionally have found it more difficult to secure financing. It could also be attributed to cultural factors or the lack of cultural support for women entrepreneurs  an aspect that the GEM Report found to be at a deficit in South Africa in particular.

In this regard, training and education opportunities geared specifically at women will go a long way in helping women develop the confidence and self-esteem they need to pursue financing options more assertively. In addition, women need to build their business networks with intention and lean on the expertise of mentors, trusted advisers and the people who show full support for their entrepreneurial ambitions.

Women entrepreneurs are up against systemic barriers but also several cultural ones that stymie their growth on a mental and emotional level. We need to streamline our efforts as leaders in the business community and within the public sector, to implement school-level and early-age interventions that can help women to overcome the fear of failure, be bolder in their decision-making and more confident in their abilities.

"In my new position as regional investment manager at Business Partners Limited, my commitment is to do my part to enable female entrepreneurship in the country until the gender gap is closed, concludes Botha.




At the end of June, The South African successfully concluded their first Student Film Competition with a film called Stigma taking the top spot and a R10,000 cash prize.

The short film, produced by Nqobile Cele, an honours student from Afda, tells a story about the shame young women face when looking to terminate unwanted pregnancies, and the challenges they experience when trying to access reproductive healthcare services.

The competition was open to all South African film students. Entrants were asked to document the realities of some of the many social issues South Africans face today, with a total of R15,000 up for grabs for the winner and runner-up.

The finalists were judged on the relevance and impact of the social issue chosen, as well as the technical quality of the video.

All entries were assessed by an expert judging panel, which included BBC TV producer, Jonathan Crane; head of the postgraduate department at Afda, Durban, Arushani Govender, and Neo Thale, training, technical and quality manager at Blue Sky Publications Group.

The judges' decision counted for 75% of the final score, with the remaining 25% coming from public votes.

The Student Film Competition concept came to life when Blue Sky Publications, a multinational media company and publisher of The South African, was exploring video collaboration opportunities with Afda, the number one film, TV and performance school in Africa.

We really have been blown away by the overwhelmingly positive response from the industry and the quality of the submissions, says Thale. "All the entries submitted good bodies of work, making it tough to choose a winner. But Stigma was powerful because it highlighted the contemporary obstacles faced by many women in South Africa when trying to get decent reproductive health services. And from a cinematic perspective, it was shot very well, with strong imagery that drove home the documentary's overall theme," he adds.

Student film competitions are so important because they offer young filmmakers a place where they can screen their work and showcase their creative ideas to a broader audience, says Bianca de Jongh, operations and finance director at Blue Sky Publications. This competition in particular served as a platform where young South African talent could communicate how they feel about the world we live in.

South Africa has so much talent to offer. Many just need that break that will give them the practical, on-the-job-experience to kick start their careers, De Jongh adds.

Blue Sky Publications has always believed and invested in young talent.

In 2020, it launched a #gigs4students initiative, in collaboration with Facebook, which provided training, on-the-job experience and much-needed income to dozens of students affected by the hard lockdown, as well as the economic downturn caused by the pandemic. Some of the students who participated in this programme are still employed with the group today.

Given the competitions resounding success, Blue Sky Publications is already very excited to start planning its next film competition.

If you wish to get involved, please reach out to Bianca de Jongh on at moc.snoitacilbuPykSeulB@acnaiB.




Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong, right, delivers President Yoon Suk Yeol's congratulatory letter to Paraguayan President Santiago Pena Palacios at the presidential office in Asuncion, Monday (local time). Yonhap



By Kim Jae-heun



Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong, met with Paraguay's new President Santiago Pena Palacios and the head of the South American country's senate to discuss a light rail transit business project in its capital, Asuncion, the ministry said Tuesday.



Won, who is also visiting the South American nation as a special envoy of President Yoon Suk Yeol to congratulate the new Paraguayan president on his inauguration, asked for the country's cooperation in supporting Korea's bid to build the public transportation system in the capital city.



"(The Korean government) hopes that the light rail project in Asuncion will be completed within (President Pena's) term so that the people of Paraguay can use it, while the special law is enacted to help Korean companies to secure business rights to expedite the project," Won said.



The construction of light rail transit in Asuncion is a project that connects the 45-kilometers-long section of suburban Ypacarai to the capital city, with a total project cost of $600 million (802.8 billion won).



As a public-private partnership (PPP) project, the Korea Overseas Infrastructure & Urban Development Corporation, the Korea National Railway, Hyundai Engineering, Kyeryong, LS Electric and Hyundai Rotem have all formed a consortium to win the bid.



The ministry already signed a memorandum of understanding with its Paraguayan counterpart to cooperate in the light rail transit project back in Sept. 2021. In the same year, the Paraguayan government introduced a special bill to promote the project, but it was rejected by the National Assembly and is currently pending.



Pena said he will give his support for the enactment of a special law to facilitate the smooth implementation of the public transportation project.



"The light rail transit business will be a symbolic project for modernizing Paraguay's infrastructure that will also help Korean companies to advance into the Latin American market," Pena said.


It's been quite a day in Atlanta (and for scrambling Democrats) as former President Trump was indicted for the 4th time.

The events (detailed below) are summarized here in chronological order:

Before the Grand Jury's verdict, Reuters reported that a document was leaked earlier in the day on the Fulton County, Georgia court's website showing former president Trump being indicted on RICO charges (among many others).

The Georgia DA released a statement calling the document "fictitious".

Trump's team (and the entire internet) mocked this farcical comment: "This was not a simple administrative mistake."

The Grand Jury then handed down a 98-page indictment, against the former president (the jurors' names were unredacted)...

...claiming that he - and 18 of his allies - orchestrated a sweeping criminal enterprise, committing more than a dozen felonies, as he tried and failed to overturn his defeat in Georgias 2020 election.

Defendants include Rudy Giuliani, Mark Leadows, Sidney Powell, and John Eastman.

The charging documents also list 30 unindicted co-conspirators.

Trump faces 13 counts in the indictment. Here is the full list:

One count in violation of the Georgia Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act

Three counts of solicitation of violation of oath by public officer

One count of conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer

Two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree

Two counts of conspiracy to commit false statements and writings

One count of conspiracy to commit filing false documents

One count of filing a false document

Two counts of false statements and writings

All of these charges were exactly as per the leaked "fictitious" document that was found on the courthouse website hours before the Grand Jury's decision.

The Trump team issued a statement blasting the Georgia DA as a "rabid partisan", adding that "all of these corrupt Democrat attempts will fail."

Statement from the Trump Campaign Like Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, Deranged Jack Smith, and New York AG Letitia James, Fulton County, GA's radical Democrat District Attorney Fani Willis is a rabid partisan who is campaigning and fundraising on a platform of prosecuting President Trump through these bogus indictments. Ripping a page from Crooked Joe Biden's playbook, Willis has strategically stalled her investigation to try and maximally interfere with the 2024 presidential race and damage the dominant Trump campaign. All of these corrupt Democrat attempts will fail. Combined with the intentionally slow-walked investigations by the Biden-Smith goon squads and the false charges in New York, the timing of this latest coordinated strike by a biased prosecutor in an overwhelmingly Democrat jurisdiction not only betrays the trust of the American people, but also exposes true motivation driving their fabricated accusations. They could have brought this two and half years ago, yet they chose to do this for election interference reasons in the middle of President Trump's successful campaign. He is not only leading all Republicans by a lot but he is leading against Joe Biden in almost every poll. President Trump represents the greatest threat to these Democrats' political futures (and the greatest hope for America). The legal double-standard set against President Trump must end. Under the Crooked Biden Cartel, there are no rules for Democrats, while Republicans face criminal charges for exercising their First Amendment rights. These activities by Democrat leaders constitute a grave threat to American democracy and are direct attempts to deprive the American people of their rightful choice to cast their vote for President. Call it election interference or election manipulationit is a dangerous effort by the ruling class to suppress the choice of the people. It is un-American and wrong. They are taking away President Trump's First Amendment right to free speech, and the right to challenge a rigged and stolen election that the Democrats do all the time. The ones who should be prosecuted are the ones who created the corruption. President Trump will never give up and will never stop fighting for you, as we all work to Make America Great Again in 2024.

Read the full indictment below:

Liberals everywhere...

* * *

Update (2033ET): A grand jury in Atlanta handed in an indictment late Monday related to a Georgia prosecutor's investigation into former President Trump's alleged efforts to overturn the state's 2020 election results.

The details were not immediately clear, but we know what's coming.

The full indictment is expected to be released later this evening.

Emily khors is the forewoman of the Trump grand jury and shes an absolute lunatic. She must think shes the lead role in her head. pic.twitter.com/67DDzPmN83  Stephan (@itoldyaso88) February 22, 2023

Never forget - President Trump was leading Biden by 160,000+ votes on election night



Then a water pipe burst forcing GOP poll watchers out of the Atlanta counting center while Democrat criminals pulled out suitcases of ballots & ran them through the machines for hours pic.twitter.com/f3PUuEiU1f  DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) August 15, 2023

Another day, another indictment.



No amount of indictments will explain how 80%+ of bellwether counties voted for Trump yet Biden won (something that has never happened before).



No amount of indictments will explain how a presidential candidate could have such a strong lead and pic.twitter.com/EU5dq48hZQ  Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 15, 2023

* * *

Update (1830ET): Attorneys for Donald Trump on Monday criticized the Georgia Fulton County District Attorneys Office over a report that a document listing criminal charges against the former president was briefly posted earlier in the day, then abruptly taken down.

The Fulton County District Attorneys Office has once again shown that they have no respect for the integrity of the grand jury process, attorneys Drew Findling and Jennifer Little said in a statement issued by the Trump campaign. This was not a simple administrative mistake, the attorneys added. A proposed indictment should only be in the hands of the District Attorneys Office, yet it somehow made its way to the clerks office and was assigned a case number and a judge before the grand jury even deliberated. This is emblematic of the pervasive and glaring constitutional violations which have plagued this case from its very inception.

* * *

Update (1820ET): Fulton County's Office of the Court Clerk has issued a statement claiming that the RICO docket against former President Trump which was posted to their portal and subsequently deleted - and which was tweeted and reported on first by Reuters (along with a link to the Court's portal), was "fictitious."

 #BREAKING: The Fulton County, GA Clerk of Courts has released a statement claiming the document outlining the charges against President Trump that was posted on their websiteand subsequently DELETED after it was reported on by Reutersis a FAKE.



WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? pic.twitter.com/jRErmhUjKX  Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) August 14, 2023

The statement reads:

Special Purpose Grand Jury Update The Office of the Fulton County Clerk of Superior and Magistrate Courts has learned of a fictitious document that has been circulated online and reported by various media outlets related to The Fulton County Special Purpose Grand Jury. While there have been no documents filed today regarding such, all members of the media should be reminded that documents that do not bear an official case number, filing date, and the name of The Clerk of Courts, in concert, are not considered official filings and should not be treated as such. Media members can expect to be notified of any/all filings in real time and will be provided access to filings via equitable communication. As the official custodian of various county records, the Clerk of Courts understands the sensitivity of all court filings, especially those that arc at the forefront of the national spotlight and remains committed to operating with an extreme level of efficiency, accuracy, and transparency.

Hmm:

Loos like case number and date to me. Hmmm pic.twitter.com/JNXcVAzPjo  Jackie  (@Jackie9900) August 14, 2023

In an earlier statement, the court said: "The Reuters report that those charges were filed is inaccurate. Beyond that we cannot comment," said a spokesperson for the District Attorney's office, which stated that no charges had been filed against Trump.

I hate it when fictitious legal documents get posted to my government website.  Jeremiah (@jeremiahbnewell) August 14, 2023

* * *

Former President Donald Trump is apparently going to be indicted under the RICO (Racketeer Influenced And Corrupt Organizations Act) statute, according to a document which was briefly posted on the Fulton County, Georgia court's website.

The document, dated Aug. 14 and titled "Trump" cites the case as "open."

It was quickly taken down:

As Bloomberg noted earlier, the Fulton County case will likely echo allegations in the indictment of Trump in Washington, brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith. Trump is accused in that case of trying to overturn the 2020 election nationwide, and his actions in Georgia feature prominently in the alleged conspiracy.

Sounds legit  KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) August 14, 2023

District Attorney Fani Willis, a Democrat who took office days before the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, had extensive details on Trumps actions in Georgia when she opened her probe in February 2021. Those details included Trumps effort to pressure Raffensperger, asking him and others to find just enough votes to overcome his loss, even though a recount had already been conducted.

Security barriers are seen after the Fulton County Sheriff ordered roads to be closed as officials tighten security around the Lewis R. Slaton Courthouse, as the city prepares for a possible criminal indictment of former U.S. President Donald Trump for his attempts to overturn his election defeat in the state, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. August 7, 2023. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage/File Photo Read less

Willis has a history of prosecuting cases - from teachers to rap music stars - under Georgias version of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization act, or RICO - a statute often associated with organized crime. She may use the law against Trump and allies as well.

Meanwhile, the streets around the Fulton County courthouse in Atlanta were lined with orange barricades in anticipation of potential civil unrest over the indictment. Armed sheriff's deputies are also patrolling the area 24/7, while vehicles from several law enforcement agencies lined the streets.

Security measures extended blocks away to the Georgia State Capitol, where the street nearest the entrance was sealed off. The gold-domed building was devoid of tourists and many staffers were working from home amid renovations. At nearby City Hall, no one was seen entering or leaving the building in the middle of a workday, though the office of Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said citys headquarters is open for business. One sheriffs deputy standing guard said hed never seen such an extensive security operation in 30 years on the job. The officer said one priority will be protecting protesters who may clash with each other if Trump appears in court. -Bloomberg

According to Bloomberg, DA Fani Willis is expected to present the case to a grand jury as soon as the coming week.

Trump is accused of trying to goad Georgia officials into 'finding' votes for him (when, in context, Trump was implying they were hiding votes). Trump has denied wrongdoing.

Reminder:
The Trump-hating incompetents at Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' office posted a long list of felony charges against former President Donald Trump on their website on Monday before the grand jury they convened had even voted on the case.



From The Post Millennial:

The document dated August 14, obtained by Reuters, reveals 13 charges against Trump, 12 of which are felonies, one is listed as a "serious felony."



These charges include violations of the state Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, Conspiracy To Commit Forgery in the First Degree, Filing False Documents, and Conspiracy To Commit Impersonating a Public Officer, among others, all related to alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.

The investigation into alleged efforts by Trump to pressure Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to overturn the election results, as well as a plan to use an alternative slate of electors, has been ongoing since 2021.



The DA is also looking to seek indictments against at least 12 other people, alleging that Trump and allies "coordinated attempts to unlawfully alter the outcome of the 2020 elections" in Georgia.

No former president has ever been indicted in American history but Trump is apparently the worst criminal of all time and will likely be facing four separate indictments before the day is over.



At the same time these corrupt prosecutors are releasing hardened criminals on the street daily to fight "systemic racism," they're stretching the limits of the law to indict Trump on total bull***t.



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Cracking the code of FAW-Volkswagen's 'high-quality' win-win model

13:50, August 15, 2023 By Su Yingxiang, Liu Ning, Oliver Fritzsch, Song Ge, Zhang Kaiwei, Sun Hongyu ( People's Daily Online

As the earliest automobile industry base in New China, "Motor City" is the perfect way to describe Changchun, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province.

Here, the successful operation of FAW-Volkswagen Automobile Co., Ltd., established in 1991, has become a model of win-win economic and technological cooperation between China and Germany.

Over the past 32 years, FAW-Volkswagen has grown into one of the most successful passenger vehicle manufacturers in the world's largest auto market.

Watch the video to crack the code of FAW-Volkswagen's 'high-quality' win-win model.

(Web editor: Peng Yukai, Wu Chengliang)
Diplomats participate in a United Nations meeting of the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) where they discussed recent missile tests by North Korea on May 11, 2022 in New York City. AFP-Yonhap



China opposes a planned United Nations Security Council meeting on human rights abuses in North Korea because it will only "intensify confrontation and antagonism," a spokesperson for China's U.N. mission in New York said on Monday.



The United States, Albania and Japan requested the meeting, which will be held on Thursday. It will be the first formal public meeting of the 15-member council on the issue since 2017.



"China sees no added value for the council to have such a meeting and will be against it," said China's U.N. mission spokesperson, adding that the council's mandate was "maintenance of international peace and security, not human rights."

"A council meeting on human rights in the DPRK falls outside the council's mandate, politicizes human rights issues, and only serves to intensify confrontation and antagonism," said the spokesperson, referring to the country's formal name  the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).



North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for an increase in missile production to help secure "overwhelming military power" and be ready for war, state media KCNA said on Monday, as South Korea and the United States gear up for annual military drills.



It was not immediately clear if China would call a procedural vote on Thursday to try and block the Security Council meeting on rights abuses, but a senior U.S. official has said they were confident they have the minimum nine votes needed to move ahead. Vetoes do not apply on procedural issues.



North Korea has repeatedly rejected accusations of abuses and blames sanctions for a dire humanitarian situation. Since 2006 it has been under U.N. sanctions over its ballistic missiles and nuclear programs, but there are aid exemptions.



In March, the United States accused China of attempting to hide North Korea's atrocities from the world by blocking the webcast of an informal meeting of Security Council members on accusations of human rights abuses by Pyongyang.



The council has held annual formal meetings on the issue for the past three years, but behind closed doors. Between 2014 and 2017 the council held annual public meetings on human rights abuses in North Korea.



A landmark 2014 U.N. report on North Korean human rights concluded that North Korean security chiefs  and possibly leader Kim himself  should face justice for overseeing a state-controlled system of Nazi-style atrocities. The United States sanctioned Kim in 2016 for human rights abuses. (Reuters)






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Wrapping up a summer of science: SciFest 2023

Photo/Gaelen Morse Seeing everyone striving for their best while creating such a friendly space - it makes me want to be a part of it," said Zahra Sadeq.

Each summer, undergraduate students majoring in biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer science, psychology and neuroscience conduct research with faculty, graduate mentors, and fellow students. After countless hours dedicated to their work, they get to share their findings at SciFest.

Since 2011, the event has been the high point of the summer in the Division of Science. This year, 104 students displayed poster board presentations throughout all four floors of the Shapiro Science Center. The building was buzzing with excitement and curiosity as students presented their research to festival visitors, answered questions, and formed connections with members of the science community.

Samra Khalid 25, a neuroscience and biology major, spent her summer observing changes in the cellular levels of yeast actin-binding protein. It was her second summer working in professor Bruce Goodes lab. Last summer she served as a lab technician, and she progressed to a research assistant this summer.

I discovered that youre going to fail a lot along the way, but its more about what you learn in the process, said Khalid. There were things that didnt work out as planned and I had times where I had to do the same thing over and over again to get results. You feel so proud of yourself when you finally get it right.

Zahra Sadeq 25, a biology major, explored the influence of RNA binding proteins on circadian rhythms in drosophila - the common fruit fly. She spent an average of 40 to 50 hours a week in professor Michael Roshbashs lab, working long days to get closer to results. Spending her time alongside her peers in the lab, she found herself constantly inspired.

Being in a lab environment where everyone is so enthusiastic about what they are working on makes me want to do better, said Sadeq. Seeing everyone striving for their best while creating such a friendly space - it makes me want to be a part of it.

Gustavo G. Sigelmann 25, a chemistry major from Brazil, noticed that despite his countrys sunny climate, there seemed to be limited solar energy resources. He decided to pursue opportunities in solar research at Brandeis with the hopes of one day continuing his efforts in Brazil.

Through his research exploring molecular solar thermal energy storage systems, he also discovered the importance of mentorship. Working alongside professor Han Q. Nguyen and professor Grace D. Han, his skills advanced beyond the classroom.

Professor (Grace) Han has taught me most of the lab skills I know. You learn a lot in lectures, but you learn the most in the lab, he said. She was really patient in taking the time to help me learn.

In addition to Brandeis students, the event hosted a visiting student researcher from Tsinghua University in China and eight research undergraduate students from Hampton University and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State.
An elderly couple who printed the wrong boarding passes for a Ryanair flight said they were horrified after being hit by the airlines 110 (127) fee.

Ruth and Peter Jaffe, from Ealing in London, had mistakenly printed their return boarding passes instead of the ones for their outbound flight to Bergerac, France.

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This meant they were charged for having their tickets printed at London Stansted Airport on Friday.

Hey @Ryanair, my parents who are in their 70s and 80s, had accidentally downloaded the return flight boarding card instead of the outgoing ones and you charged them 110 to print them at the airport. 110 for 2 pieces of paper which took 1 minute. Shame on you  Old School House Venosc  (@old_school_alps) August 13, 2023 Advertisement

Ryanair said the couple failed to check in online and were correctly charged.

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Mrs Jaffe (79) told BBCs Radio 4 Today programme the airlines website is very confusing and she believed she had printed the correct tickets.

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She said: We arrived at Stansted two hours before the flight and found that I had not got the outward boarding card, Id only got the return one.

I was then told that wed have to go to the Ryanair desk to get a boarding card, and there they charged me 55 per person.

(I was) horrified.

Mr Jaffe (80) said the couple felt they didnt have much choice but to pay the fee as people were expecting us at the other end.

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He added that Ryanairs strategy seems to be screw whatever you can out of the passengers.

The couples daughter posted an angry message to Ryanair on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The woman, who did not give her name, wrote that her parents were charged 110 for two pieces of paper which took one minute.

She added: Shame on you.

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Ryanair said in a statement: All passengers travelling with Ryanair agree to check in online before arriving at their departure airport and all passengers are sent an email/SMS, reminding them to do so 24hrs before departure.

We regret that these passengers ignored their email reminder and failed to check in online.
Gardai say they have made on average 84 arrests in Dublin every day over the past week.

It comes amid a perceived rise in crime in the capital and a series of assaults on tourists and residents.

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Gardai across Dublin made over 580 arrests, conducted more than 815 searches and carried out 1,450 patrols over the past seven days, the force said in a statement on Tuesday.

Good to see from @gardainfo across Dublin, including more arrests as well as high visibility patrols leading to significant drug seizures. The extra 10m provided by Government supports increased high visibility policing, in addition to our new Gardai on the beat in the capital. https://t.co/iwJjql8e9e  Helen McEntee TD (@HMcEntee) August 15, 2023

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This included 103 arrests for drug related offences, with 816 intelligence-led searches.

There were 258 road safety checkpoints, with 38 arrests for intoxicated driving.

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Gardai also provided assistance to 416 victims of domestic abuse in the Dublin region.

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee praised the increase in arrests and high visibility patrols in the city centre.

"The extra 10m provided by Government supports increased high visibility policing, in addition to our new Gardai on the beat in the capital," she posted on X/Twitter.

Assistant commissioner for the Dublin Metropolitan Region Angela Willis said: "Gardai across Dublin city and county work tirelessly to achieve positive policing outcomes like those over the past week to keep people safe.

"There is no average day for a Garda, but the operational activities undertaken over the past seven days are a snapshot of our commitment to continuing to protect Dublin communities and ensuring that the city is a safe place for all to live, work and visit.
Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX, arrives at court as lawyers push to persuade the judge overseeing his fraud case not to jail him ahead of trial, at a courthouse in New York, Aug. 11. Reuters-Yonhap



Sam Bankman-Fried used money he stole from customers of his FTX cryptocurrency exchange to make more than $100 million in political campaign contributions before the 2022 U.S. midterm elections, federal prosecutors said on Monday.



An amended indictment accused the 31-year-old former billionaire of directing two FTX executives to evade contribution limits by donating to Democrats and Republicans, and to conceal where the money came from.



"He leveraged this influence, in turn, to lobby Congress and regulatory agencies to support legislation and regulation he believed would make it easier for FTX to continue to accept customer deposits and grow," the indictment said.



Bankman-Fried faces seven counts of conspiracy and fraud over FTX's collapse, though the indictment no longer includes conspiracy to violate campaign finance laws as a separate count.



Federal prosecutors in Manhattan said last month they would drop that charge after the Bahamas, where FTX was based and where Bankman-Fried was arrested in December 2022, said it never intended to extradite him on that count.



Instead, prosecutors told U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan last week that a new indictment would "make clear that Mr. Bankman-Fried remains charged with conducting an illegal campaign finance scheme as part of the fraud and money laundering schemes originally charged."



Mark Botnick, a spokesman for Bankman-Fried, declined to comment.



Bankman-Fried has previously pleaded not guilty to stealing billions of dollars in FTX customer funds to plug losses at Alameda Research, his crypto-focused hedge fund.



Kaplan jailed him last Friday ahead of his Oct. 2 trial, after finding probable cause that Bankman-Fried tampered with witnesses.



Previously, Bankmman-Fried had been largely confined to his parents' Palo Alto, California, home on $250 million bond.



Bankman-Fried rode a boom in cryptocurrency values to amass a fortune that was once estimated at $26 billion, and became an influential donor to mostly Democratic candidates and causes.



The November 2022 collapse of FTX after a flurry of customer withdrawals destroyed his wealth and stained his reputation.





Sam Bankman-Fried, center, the founder of bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX, arrives at court as lawyers push to persuade the judge overseeing his fraud case not to jail him ahead of trial, at a courthouse in New York, Aug. 11. Reuters-Yonhap
A man charged with attacking and injuring another man in an adult store in Dublin has seven weeks to decide how he will plead.

Shane Duane, 34, of Hillcroft Crescent, Wembley, England, appeared before Judge Michele Finan at Dublin District Court.

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Garda Aidan OBoyle said the accused made no reply to the charge under section three of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act.

Mr Duane is accused of assault causing harm to a named man at the Good Vibrations shop on Wexford Street in the city centre on December 12th 2019.

Outlining the evidence, Garda OBoyle said the accused allegedly entered the shop and assaulted the complainant by punching him once to the face. It was claimed he remained in the shop for several minutes and then left, but was identified by CCTV.

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The man in the shop suffered a broken nose, the court heard. Judge Finan agreed with the Director of Public Prosecutions direction that the case should not be sent to the Circuit Court, which has broader sentencing powers.

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She accepted jurisdiction for hearing the matter at the district court level.There was no objection to bail, and defence counsel Kevin McCrave said the was consent to the bail terms.

Mr Duane was ordered to remain away from the shop, stay sober and have no contact with the alleged injured party.

The judge granted him legal aid and directed the prosecution evidence disclosure to the defence.

The accused must appear again in October to enter a plea.
Alliance leader Naomi Long, a former justice minister in the Northern Ireland Executive, has appealed for anyone with information relating to the August 1998 Omagh bombing to come forward.

Ms Longs comments follow a commemoration service over the weekend and before a Tuesday gathering of some of those bereaved by the incident to mark the 25th anniversary of the Real IRA attack.

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The dissident republican attack in 1998 devastated the Co Tyrone village, killing 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, and injuring hundreds of others.

Alliance party leader Naomi Long (Liam McBurney/PA)

It came just months after the historic Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and was the greatest loss of life in a single incident in Northern Irelands troubled past.

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No-one has ever been criminally convicted of the attack.

Ms Long said: The announcement by the UK Government earlier this year of an independent statutory inquiry into the bombing will have brought some relief for grieving families but nothing can truly ease the pain of the horrific loss they suffered.

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That the dissident republicans behind this crime have yet to be brought to justice simply adds to the anguish.

Those bereaved and injured by the Omagh bomb have a right to know the full facts surrounding the tragic event and even now, 25 years on, I would appeal to anyone with information to come forward.

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I also call on those still engaged in violence to end their destructive campaigns.

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SDLP West Tyrone MLA Daniel McCrossan also paid tribute to the strength of the Omagh bombing families.

He added: The events of August 15 1998 have cast a long shadow over the town of Omagh.

The scars still run deep, for many the pain is as a real today as it was 25 years ago, when life changed forever for hundreds of people right across this community.

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Daniel McCrossan (Liam McBurney/PA)

I cannot adequately express how proud I am of how this community has responded in the years since the bombing.

Instead of being consumed by bitterness and hatred, the Omagh families have shown strength, dignity and a humanity that couldnt reasonably have been expected of them in these awful circumstances.

It has been an honour and privilege to get to know them over the years and to support them in their never-ending quest for truth and justice.

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He said it was deeply distressing that the community was still waiting for the commencement of an inquiry into the bombing.

He added: Families have already waited far too long, many family members of victims have passed away and we need to see this inquiry start as soon as possible.

There can be no stone left unturned.
A major PSNI data breach may undermine the ability of the police and security services to keep tabs on dissident republicans, DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson has said.

He said the fact that the personal information of police officers and civilian staff is in the hands of dissidents raises the threat level faced by the PSNI.

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Former Stormont justice minister Naomi Long warned the data leak will have serious consequences for retention and recruitment in policing in the North.

PSNI chief constable Simon Byrne said on Monday he believes the information on police officers and staff mistakenly released is in the hands of dissident republicans, who are opposed to the peace process.

Leader of the DUP Jeffrey Donaldson said he was suspending judgment on whether Simon Byrne should resign (Liam McBurney/PA)

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Mr Byrne said he thought dissidents would use the information to intimidate and target police.

His comments came after documents containing information from the breach were posted on a wall near a Sinn Fein office in Belfast.

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Last week the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) revealed a document had mistakenly been shared online which included the names of about 10,000 officers and staff.

Details released included the surname and first initial of every employee, their rank or grade, where they are based and the unit they work in.

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Mr Donaldson told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: Well I certainly think that confirmation that dissident republicans have this data raises the security threat to an even higher level for serving police officers, their families and civilian staff employed by the PSNI.

Its not just the security of those officers, their families and the staff, but its also the security infrastructure itself.

This data included very sensitive information about the PSNIs work with the security service in Northern Ireland and of course its been the success of the security service and the PSNI in infiltrating dissident republicans that has minimised their ability to operate effectively in Northern Ireland.

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PSNI chief constable Simon Byrne has said he believes the information is in the hands of dissident republicans (PA)

Im very concerned that not only is there a risk to the lives of those serving with the police in Northern Ireland, but this may also undermine the capacity of the police and the security service to keep tabs on the dissident republicans who of course pose the major threat in Northern Ireland.

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Mr Donaldson said he would suspend judgment for now on whether Mr Byrne should resign.

He said: I dont want to leave the PSNI leaderless at this stage.

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I think it is important that the chief constable oversees at this stage of the process because that leadership is necessary to ensure stability within the PSNI.

Alliance Party leader Mrs Long has said she is extremely worried about the future of policing in Northern Ireland.

She told Today: This is going to have long-term ramifications at many levels. It also has, I think, serious consequences in terms of retention and recruitment.

Police already face an extraordinary level of threat, as do staff members within the PSNI, and now their details are out in the public domain and it was inevitable that they would fall into the wrong hands once they had been published.

She added that the data breach is going to be a real challenge for morale in the PSNI.

Asked if she believes the chief constable should resign, she said: I tend not to jump to knee-jerk reactions when it comes to demanding peoples resignations.

Naomi Long said she is worried about the future of policing in Northern Ireland (Liam McBurney/PA)

She also said that without an executive or Assembly, the appointment of a new chief constable would be impossible and it is better to have some leadership in the force.

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But weve been very clear with the chief constable that ultimately he is responsible for the organisation and for what happens within it, and I dont think anyone can be in any doubt that he is fully aware of the weight of that responsibility, she added.

Thousands of officers have expressed concern for their safety in Northern Ireland, where police are under threat from terrorists  with the current level of threat assessed as severe, meaning an attack is highly likely.

Earlier this year, dissident republicans were blamed for the attempted murder of senior PSNI detective John Caldwell.

The Police Federation of Northern Ireland, which represents rank-and-file PSNI officers, said on Monday that almost 3,000 officers had expressed an interest in the event of legal action following the major data breach.

Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern said he does not understand how the details of PSNI officers and staff were all kept in one system.

Whats happened, why its happened, I dont know, I dont get it  how 10,000 people were all in one system, particularly intelligence people  but Im sure that will all come out in the wash, he told Newstalk radio.

He added: The one really good thing out of a lot of the Good Friday Agreement was the reform of the RUC to the new organisation the PSNI. The PSNI has been very successful.

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Theyve done a really good job Internationally the PSNI are seen as a really good police force.

The former taoiseach also said: The reason dissidents get lifeblood to keep going is when there is political instability.

So out of all of this I hope that this autumn we will see the institutions back again because when politicians stop co-operating and stop acting, it leaves this space and the vacuum is filled by troublemakers and people who are worse than troublemakers.

Thats the difficulty, so I hope politicians on all sides find ways of moving on and do not leave the road open for those that want to see Northern Ireland continue to be a place of terror.
A leading Garda has pleaded with people in coastal communities to act as their eyes and ears for 'unusual activities' following the recent drug hauls washed up in Co Donegal.

It follows the recent discovery of 4.2 million worth of cocaine weighing 60 kgs on two beaches in the county at Tramore in Dunfanaghy and Fanad.

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Donegal's Crime Prevention Officer, Sergeant Paul Wallace issued a fresh appeal for people living along the coastline to be vigilant of unusual activities in their area.

As part of the recent investigation, Gardai impounded a boat at Magheraroarty Pier.

Sgt Wallace revealed that those on the boat had little or no seafaring experience.

He said People in coastal communities know best how to spot activity by inexperienced boat users, he added.

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For example, the boat impounded at Magheraroarty Pier was being used by people who were not of seafaring experience.

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"The community is our eyes and ears, and they would notice people on boats that are not competent.

He said he wished again to appeal to residents to be alert saying there could well be more bales of cocaine along the Donegal coast which have not yet been discovered.

He added We have seen the real evidence of how our coast can be used for drug importation. We usually associate this type of activity with the southwest coast of Ireland.

"However, what happened here last month has brought it home to us. There is possibly more of it (cocaine shipment) about and is stuck in crevices along the coast.

Sgt Wallace said the summer season in Donegal and other counties marks a notable increase in the maritime craft activity of all types.

This activity can also be used to mask criminal activity, he said.

If residents or boat users have concerns in relation to suspicious activity, they are asked to contact their local Garda District Headquarters or use the Garda Confidential on 1800 666 111 / or Revenue Customs Drug Watch Confidential line on 1800 295 295.
Russian forces have unleashed a barrage of missiles on regions across Ukraine in the early hours of Tuesday morning, killing residents and damaging civilian infrastructure.

The attacks came just hours before top Russian military officials and their counterparts from Asia, the Middle East and Africa gathered outside Moscow for a security conference, where the fighting in Ukraine is likely to dominate the agenda.

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Moscows war in Ukraine is nearing the 18-month mark.

The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia fired a total of 28 cruise missiles at the country. Sixteen of them were intercepted.

Deliberate large-scale attacks on civilians. Solely for the sake of killing and psychological pressure, presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted.

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4:00 am. Russian cruise and ballistic missiles attack residential buildings and industrial enterprises in Lviv, Lutsk, and Dnipro. Deliberate large-scale attacks on civilians. Solely for the sake of killing and psychological pressure. This is an undeniable manifestation of the pic.twitter.com/B9EH7ZmmNZ Advertisement    (@Podolyak_M) August 15, 2023

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Mr Podolyak added that the barrage was an undeniable manifestation of Russias terrorist activity, legally documented by numerous destructions and victims.

Six out of seven of the Russian-launched missiles hit the western region of Lviv, wounding 19 people, including a 10-year-old child, Lviv governor Maksym Kozytskyi reported.

Forty buildings and houses were damaged in the region that borders Poland, including in the city of Lviv, and the power grid was also hit.

In the neighbouring region of Volyn, three people were killed by a Russian missile strike and three others were injured, according to Oleksii Kuleba, deputy head of Ukraines presidential office.

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In the western Ivano-Frankivsk region, missile debris hit a private house. In the south-eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, two people were injured in the regions capital.

Parts of the city of Smila in the central Cherkasy region were left without access to water after the Russian strikes. The attack damaged a medical facility as well as water and heat supply networks.

In one of the villages in the front-line Zaporizhzhia region, a missile struck a stadium at a school, damaging a building as well as residential houses and a kindergarten. Russian forces also hit a grocery warehouse in Kramatorsk, a city in the front-line Donetsk region in the east, killing one person and wounding another.

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In Dnipro, the Meteor sports complex was damaged after a missile strike, according to Governor Serhiy Lysak.

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The complex is the training base for the Ukrainian national swimming team. The rocket exploded 20 metres from my (hotel) room, two-time European junior backstroke swimming champion Oleksandr Zheltiakov wrote on Instagram. He posted a picture of the shattered sports complex, saying my lovely pool.

The countrywide barrage came a day after Russian forces unleashed a wave of missile and drone strikes on Odesa a non-front-line region in the countrys southwest.

Church workers inspect damage inside the Odesa Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa (Jae C. Hong/AP)

The countrywide barrage came a day after Russian forces unleashed a wave of missile and drone strikes on the non-frontline region of Odesa, in the countrys south west.

The Kremlins forces have recently pummelled Odesa, hitting facilities that transport Ukraines crucial grain exports and also wrecking cherished Ukrainian historical sites.

The repeated attacks on Odesa follow Moscows decision to break off a landmark agreement that had allowed grain to flow from Ukraine to countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia and help reduce the threat of hunger.

In Russia on Tuesday, top Russian military officials and their counterparts from Belarus, China, India, Middle Eastern and African nations gathered outside Moscow for a security conference.

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Addressing the conference in a pre-recorded video statement, Russian President Vladimir Putin has once again accused the West of fuelling the conflict by pumping billions of dollars into Kyiv and supplying it with equipment, weapons, ammunition, sending their military advisers and mercenaries.

Everything is being done to ignite the conflict even more, to draw other states into it, Mr Putin said.

Russias defence minister Sergei Shoigu sought to downplay the significance of the Western support for Ukraine, saying in turn that despite all that support, Kyivs forces fail to achieve results on the battlefield.
Former US president Donald Trump again stands accused of illegally trying to overturn the 2020 election results to stay in power. But for the first time some allies and closest advisers also face criminal charges for their roles in the alleged scheme.

Already charged by a federal grand jury in Washington with orchestrating a plot to overturn the election, Mr Trump is the lead defendant in a parallel case in Georgia now, charged with racketeering and other crimes along with aides, associates and others listed below.

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Not listed are six lesser-known people, including some Georgia officials, charged with additional crimes ranging from perjury to conspiracy to commit computer theft in addition to racketeering.

Mark Meadows

Mark Meadows, who went from being one of Mr Trump's top Republican allies in the US House of Representatives to his White House chief of staff, attended White House meetings related to attempts to undo Mr Trump's election defeat.

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The indictment alleges he helped to fuel the conspiracy by making false statements about the election and conspired with Mr Trump to develop a plan to disrupt and delay the congressional certification of the electoral votes on January 6th, 2021.

It also alleges he tried to pressure a chief investigator in the Georgia secretary of state's office, Frances Watson, to speed up the Fulton County signature verification and that he took part in a phone call in which Mr Trump pushed secretary of state Brad Raffensperger to "find" enough votes to reverse his narrow loss in the state. Mr Raffensperger declined to do so. An attorney for Mr Meadows did not respond to a request for comment.

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Rudy Giuliani

Former New York City mayor and former personal lawyer for former US president Donald Trump Rudy Giuliani talks to members of the press before he leaves the US District Court on May 19th, 2023 in Washington, DC. Giuliani is sued by election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss of Fulton County, Georgia, for defamation. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Mr Trumps former personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, played a prominent public role in the Trump campaign's efforts to push false claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. The former New York City mayor was involved in litigation that was rejected by courts and falsely claimed in testimony at local hearings in Georgia that he was in possession of evidence proving election fraud.

The indictment alleges he made numerous false statements about election fraud, including to officials in other states like Arizona and Pennsylvania, in a failed bid to convince them to approve an alternative slate of electors to keep Mr Trump in power. He and other Trump allies are also accused of making false statements to Georgia lawmakers about the election, including claims about vote counting errors by Dominion voting machines. Mr Giuliani's attorney declined to comment.

John Eastman

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Attorney John Eastman represented Mr Trump in a long-shot lawsuit to overturn voting results in four states Mr Trump lost in 2020. He has been under scrutiny by both US special counsel Jack Smith's office and state prosecutors in Georgia for penning a series of legal memos which claimed that former vice president Mike Pence could reject electors from certain states to deny Democrat Joe Biden a majority of Electoral College votes.

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The indictment in Georgia alleges he was part of a plot to appoint fake electors. His attorney did not respond to a request for comment.

Jeffrey Bossert Clark

Jeffrey Clark is a former high-ranking Justice Department official. In the waning days of the Trump administration, Mr Clark sought to persuade Mr Trump to oust Acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen so that he could take over the department and help pursue Mr Trump's false claims by opening an investigation into voter fraud in Georgia and other swing states.

The federal indictment brought by Mr Smith against Mr Trump also appears to refer to Mr Clark as a co-conspirator. Monday's indictment cites Mr Clark's efforts to persuade Mr Rosen to submit a letter to Georgia falsely claiming the Justice Department had detected voting irregularities there.

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His attorney did not respond to a request for comment.

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Sidney Powell

Attorney Sidney Powell played a leading role in promoting false fraud claims after the 2020 US election.

She was part of a team that filed unsuccessful lawsuits seeking to overturn election results and was sanctioned by a Michigan judge in one of those cases.

She became an adviser to Mr Trump on fraud claims after the election. The indictment accuses her of tampering with electronic ballot markers and tabulators in Coffee County, Georgia, computer theft and unlawfully possessing ballots. She could not be immediately reached for comment.

Kenneth Chesebro

Kenneth Chesebro is a Trump campaign attorney accused in the indictment of helping to devise a plan to submit fake slates of electors for Mr Trump to obstruct US congressional certification of the election results.

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The indictment alleges he wrote a memo that provided instructions for how alternate slates of electors in states including Georgia should proceed to meet and cast votes for Mr Trump. An attorney for Mr Chesebro did not respond to a request for comment.

Jenna Ellis

Jenna Ellis, former legal adviser and counsel to former US president Donald Trump. Photo: Michael M Santiago/Getty Images

Attorney Jenna Ellis was part of the Trump campaign's legal team that falsely claimed widespread voter fraud in 2020. The indictment alleges that Ms Ellis was part of an effort to get false electors appointed by state lawmakers in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

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The court papers assert that she wrote legal memos for Mr Trump on how Mr Pence on January 6th, 2021, could delay the certification of Mr Bidens election win. Ms Ellis in March agreed to be censured by a Colorado court after admitting to making false claims about voter fraud. In a social media post on Tuesday, Ms Ellis accused the Fulton County district attorney of "criminalising the practice of law".

David Shafer

The indictment alleges that David Shafer, who served as Georgia Republican Party chairman, played a key role in organising and executing the plan to submit an alternate slate of electors.

Mr Shafer is among those charged with mailing a fake certificate of the so-called Trump electors to a federal courthouse, as well as other offenses tied to the fake elector plot. He is also charged with making false statements to Fulton County investigators.

In a statement, lawyers for Mr Shafer said their client is "totally innocent" of the charges. "His conduct regarding the 2020 presidential election was lawful, appropriate and specifically authorised by the US Constitution," they added.

Michael Roman

Michael Roman, who worked for Mr Trumps 2020 campaign, is alleged to have played a role in orchestrating the fake elector plot. The indictment claims he was in touch with those organising a meeting of the fake Trump electors in Georgia. He could not be immediately reached for comment.

Trevian Kutti

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Reuters reported that Trevian Kutti, a publicist, travelled to Georgia days before the January 6th, 2021, riot and showed up uninvited at the door of Ruby Freeman, an election worker in Georgias Fulton County. Ms Kutti told Ms Freeman she was sent by a high-profile individual, whom she didnt identify, to deliver Ms Freeman a message: Ms Freeman was in unspecified danger, due to the election, and had just 48 hours to get ahead of the issue before unknown people were going to show up at her home.

In an Instagram post after that article was published, Ms Kutti denied pressuring Ms Freeman to falsely admit fraud.

Harrison Floyd

In a follow-up article, Reuters reported that Trump campaign aide Harrison Floyd, executive director of a group called Black Voices for Trump, told the news organisation he had recruited Ms Kutti to meet with Ms Freeman. Mr Floyd said he then participated by phone in a meeting Ms Kutti held with Ms Freeman at a police station in Georgias Cobb County.

Mr Floyd told Reuters he was asked if hed be willing to set up the meeting by a man he described as a chaplain with connections in federal law enforcement. He declined to name the clergyman or to detail his connections. Mr Floyd said he arranged the meeting to help Ms Freeman.

Stephen Lee

In September 2022, Reuters identified Stephen Lee, an Illinois-based former police officer, as the man who sought Mr Floyds help with Ms Freeman, drawing on police bodycam footage and other reporting.

In December 2020, Reuters reported, Mr Lee had visited Ms Freemans house himself but was turned away by the frightened election worker. Mr Lee, in a brief interview at his home in Montgomery, Illinois, did not dispute that he visited Ms Freeman but declined to discuss why or whether someone had sent him.
Asylum seekers in the UK could return to the Bibby Stockholm barge within days, Britain's health minister said as he claimed the discovery of Legionella bacteria on the vessel was a teething issue.

Will Quince said the migrants will only return to the barge, moored in Portland Port, Dorset, if it is safe to do so.

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He also defended the British governments efforts to forge international deals on tackling the migrant crisis after reports that the European Union has told the UK it is not willing to negotiate an agreement to return people who arrive on small boats.

Asylum seekers were placed on board the Bibby Stockholm on Monday last week, but were removed on Friday after tests revealed Legionella  the bacteria which can cause the potentially fatal Legionnaires disease.

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The Bibby Stockholm is intended to house around 500 migrants, but the plan has been beset with problems and delays (Andrew Matthews/PA)

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Mr Quince told LBC Radio: Of course public health and safety is key, but we hope in the next few days we will be able to start getting people on to the Bibby Stockholm.

It is absolutely the right thing to do but public health and safety is always our paramount concern.

He told TalkTV the government remains committed to the plan to use the barge and other vessels like it, adding: I think with Bibby Stockholm there was certainly a teething issue there.

But we are absolutely determined to stick to the plan because we know that deterrence is working.

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Meanwhile, the Daily Mail and The Times reported that Brussels has rebuffed calls for a returns agreement.

It would mean the UK is unlikely to be able to send people arriving on small boats across the Channel back to France in the near future.

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British prime minister Rishi Sunak has pushed for a bilateral returns agreement with Paris, but French president Emmanuel Macron believes any deal must be at an EU level.

A leaked memo reported by the two newspapers suggests such a pact is not being entertained by Brussels, which is dealing with its own internal rows over migration and refugee returns reforms.

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Mr Quince highlighted an agreement with Turkey to tackle criminal gangs, the French arrangement on preventing crossings, and the Albania returns deal as examples of measures the British government has put in place internationally.

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He told Sky News: If you look at the arrangements that we do have with Turkey, with Albania, and indeed with the French, they are starting to bear fruit and then, more widely, if you look at the deterrent factor, again that is making a difference.

The British government said it remains open to working towards a UK-EU returns accord, with Brexit having taken London out of the Dublin Agreement which currently allows for member states to return refugees.

French president Emmanuel Macron (right) has insisted any returns deal must be UK-EU wide (Kin Cheung/PA)

The Times suggested any Brussels deal would likely come with the condition that Britain shares in Europes effort to resettle hundreds of thousands of migrants entering the EU through irregular means, including migrants arriving by boat to Italy or Greece.

But, citing leaked Cabinet Office notes, the newspaper said a senior aide to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen had rejected negotiations on fresh terms following a push by Mr Sunak during talks at the Council of Europe in Iceland in May.

German politician Bjoern Siebert, Ms von der Leyens head of cabinet, is said to have told Sir Tim Barrow, the UKs national security adviser and a former ambassador to the EU, that the commission is not open to a UK-EU readmissions agreement.

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The commission reportedly disputes this version of events.

A British government spokesperson said: We remain open to working with the EU to take forward negotiations on a UK-EU returns deal, as part of our international efforts to tackle illegal migration and to crack down on these exploitative gangs.

We are in regular conversations with our European counterparts on a range of issues relating to migration and asylum.

We agreed with members of the Calais Group of Northern European nations to work towards an EU-UK co-operation agreement on migration in a joint statement at the groups December 8, 2022 meeting.
The British prime minister has defended the governments decision to accommodate migrants on the Bibby Stockholm barge despite a series of setbacks.

Rishi Sunak argued the British governments approach to dealing with the Channel crossings was fairer for the taxpayer than putting up asylum seekers in hotels.

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Migrants were housed on the barge off the Dorset coast on Monday last week.

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But they were removed on Friday when traces of Legionella were found in the water supply, a bacteria which can cause the potentially fatal Legionnaires disease.

Mr Sunak swerved a question about whether he was personally warned about potential health risks for asylum seekers on board the barge.

What has happened here is it is right that we go through all the checks and procedures to ensure the wellbeing and health of the people being housed on the barge, he told broadcasters on a visit to a hospital in Milton Keynes.

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Mr Sunak, who has returned to work after a family holiday in California, went on to argue that ministers were taking a fair approach when it came to the small boats' crisis, adding: But taking a step back, what is this about? This is about fairness.

It is about the unfairness, in fact, of British taxpayers forking out 5 million or 6 million a day to house illegal migrants in hotels up and down the country, with all the pressure that puts on local communities.

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Weve got to find alternatives to that, that is what the barge is about and that is why we are committed to it.

But more fundamentally, weve just got to stop people coming here in the first place illegally. That is why one of my five priorities is to stop the boats.

Photo: PA Graphics.

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Weve passed tough new laws that, when they come into force, will enable us to do that, and were already seeing numbers this year that are lower than they have been in previous years. That is the first time that has happened.

I know there is a long way to go on this, but Im determined to fix this problem, and we are making progress and people can be reassured we will keep at it.

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Health minister Will Quince had earlier suggested migrants could return to the barge within days, describing the Legionella scare as a teething issue.

But he said migrants will only return to the vessel, moored in Portland Port, Dorset, if it is safe to do so.

Newspaper reports have meanwhile suggested that Brussels has rebuffed calls for a returns agreement between the UK and the EU.

It would mean the UK is unlikely to be able to send people arriving on small boats across the Channel back to France in the near future.

The Bibby Stockholm accommodation barge at Portland Port in Dorset. Photo: Ben Birchall/PA.

Mr Sunak has pushed for a bilateral returns agreement with Paris but French President Emmanuel Macron believes any deal must be at an EU level.

A leaked memo reported by the Daily Mail and The Times newspapers suggests such a pact is not being entertained by Brussels, which is dealing with its own internal rows over migration and refugee returns reforms.

Citing leaked Cabinet Office notes, The Times said a senior aide to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen had rejected negotiations on fresh terms following a push by Mr Sunak during talks at the Council of Europe in Iceland in May.

Mr Quince stressed the UK had made other international efforts to grasp the migrant crisis, including an agreement with Turkey to tackle criminal gangs, the French arrangement on preventing crossings, and the Albania returns deal.

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The British health minister told Sky News: If you look at the arrangements that we do have with Turkey, with Albania, and indeed with the French, they are starting to bear fruit and then, more widely, if you look at the deterrent factor, again that is making a difference.
Six former Metropolitan Police officers in London have been charged with sending grossly offensive racist messages on WhatsApp, the force said.

The charges come after a BBC Newsnight investigation in October last year which prompted a probe by the Mets Directorate of Professional Standards.

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Some of the racist messages shared in the chat were allegedly about Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, according to the BBC.

The six men charged are:

Peter Booth (66), of Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, who has been charged with four counts of sending by public communication grossly offensive racist messages. He retired from the Met in April 2001.

Robert Lewis (62), of Camberley, Surrey, who has been charged with eight counts of sending by public communication grossly offensive racist messages. He retired from the Met in May 2015.

Anthony Elsom (67), of Bournemouth, Dorset, who has been charged with three counts of sending by public communication grossly offensive racist messages. He retired from the Met in May 2012.

Alan Hall (65), of Stowmarket, Suffolk, who has been charged with three counts of sending by public communication grossly offensive racist messages. He retired from the Met in June 2015.

Michael Chadwell (62), of Liss, Hampshire, who has been charged with one count of sending by public communication grossly offensive racist messages. He retired from the Met in November 2015.

Trevor Lewton (65), of Swansea, South Wales, who has been charged with one count of sending by public communication grossly offensive racist messages. He retired from the Met in August 2009.

The probe found that inappropriate communications were shared within a closed WhatsApp group between August 2018 and September 2022, the Met said.

The officers, who retired between 2001 and 2015, will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on September 7th.

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The six men were not serving at any point during their participation in the group, the force made clear.

It added that they served in various parts of the Met throughout their careers and all spent time in what is now known as the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command.
Three suspected spies for Russia in Britain have been arrested and charged in a major national security investigation, the BBC reported on Tuesday.

The defendants are Bulgarian nationals alleged to be working for Russian security services, the BBC said.

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They were held in February under the Official Secrets Act by counter-terrorism detectives at London's Metropolitan Police, which has a policing responsibility for espionage, the report added.

The Metropolitan Police had no immediate comment when contacted. -Reuters
This handout released by the National Search and Rescue Agency, Tuesday, shows rescued Indonesian national Muhammad Ikbal, center, speaking with rescuers at sea during the search for survivors after a boat was lost in bad weather off the coast of North Sumatra. AFP-Yonhap



Four Australians paddling on their surfboards and two Indonesians were found alive in the sea off Indonesia's west on Tuesday, nearly two days after their boat was hit by bad weather.



One Indonesian remains missing, an official said.



Rescuers found some of the group "drifting at sea" using surfboards and Styrofoam, said local rescue agency head Octavianto, who like many Indonesians uses only one name.



Video footage aired widely on Australian media showed the Australians, three men and a woman, waving and paddling on their surfboards as rescuers approached.



The father of rescued surfer Elliot Foote was being interviewed by Australian media in Sydney when he received confirmation of the good news directly from his son by text message.



"Hey Dad, Elliot here. I'm alive. Safe now. Love you. Chat later," said the message, read out by his father Peter Foote.



Peter Foote had been told earlier that his son's three companions had been rescued but was still being filmed when he received the good news.



No clear information was immediately available about how or where the two Indonesians were found.



Two boats carrying a total of 17 people left Nias island for the private island of Pinang on Sunday.





A handout photo made available by the Indonesian national search and rescue agency shows rescuers preparing for a rescue mission in the water off Aceh Singkil, Indonesia, Tuesday. EPA-Yonhap
Yet to be released figures by Knight Frank Research found the cost of land in June this year was about $17.3 million for an average inner Sydney block of 50 units.

It is part of a global trend where thousands of parking spaces  called lazy land by researchers  have been turned into homes near transport hubs and jobs in San Francisco, New York and Hawaii as well as Auckland and Melbourne.

Ten sites  nine of them parking lots  have been identified by Inner West Council as opportunities for developing affordable housing. Credit: Steven Siewert

A major Sydney council at the epicentre of the housing crisis is seeking federal and state government support to transform council-owned parking lots into affordable housing.

At a confidential meeting last week that followed an audit of council land, Inner West Council agreed to a shortlist of 10 parking lots, including a council depot, that could be developed into housing that would rent well below market rates.

Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne said the local government area was facing the worst of the crisis. We are at the epicentre. There is a generation who grew up here, but were forced out because they had no hope of purchasing a home and can never afford the astronomical rents.

Inner West mayor Darcy Byrne, r, with the CEO of Nightingale Housing Dan McKenna visiting the affordable housing project at Marrickville that is nearing completion. Credit: Rhett Wyman

The council would retain ownership of the land, partner with affordable housing providers, and would aim to replace lost parking within the developments. It was too soon to provide exact figures on the number of apartments. But if we can deliver housing on three to four sites, and achieve say 200 units, that would be a ten-fold increase on the social housing stock that council controls, Byrne said.

NSW Housing Minister Rose Jackson welcomed the prospect of partnering with councils to resolve the crisis. The NSW government is also doing an audit of land that could be used for more housing. Car parks are often a great opportunity because they are generally located near transport and shops and can be converted to housing without the loss of green space, she said.
Victoria Police officers have searched the forces Frankston station and interviewed several officers accused of claiming to be non-binary to fraudulently claim more money for civilian clothing allowances.

Chief Commissioner Shane Patton announced a probe into the issue in July, after reports that some male officers had been rorting a discrepancy in the forces clothing allowance by identifying as non-binary.

A member of the Frankston crime investigation unit has been arrested. Credit: Paul Rovere

Under the scheme, female officers are entitled to claim about $1300 more than male colleagues.

A Victoria Police spokesperson confirmed seven male officers had been interviewed over the matter, while a search warrant had been executed at a southern region police station on July 21.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has flatly rejected paying Indigenous Australians reparations for their treatment by British colonists, and pointed out there is no mention of such payments in the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

No campaigners have raised the possibility of reparations being sought if a Voice to parliament is supported at a referendum this year, pointing to comments by Yes campaigner Thomas Mayo who two years ago called for financial compensation.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has ruled out reparations for Indigenous Australians. Credit: Rhett Wyman

The prime ministers comments are his most direct on the topic to date and will likely disappoint some Indigenous campaigners, such as independent senator Lidia Thorpe, who have called for reparations. Thorpe has links to the Pay the Rent movement which asks Australians to donate money as a form of reparations.

In an interview on Tuesday, Melbourne radio host Neil Mitchell asked Albanese: What about reparations, what about truth-telling ... what is your view on those three things?
Farmers protesting the rollout of power lines drove their tractors into the heart of Melbourne on Tuesday, as the federal government declared Australia had no time to lose after a decade of inaction on renewables under the Coalition.

The mounting community backlash against new transmission lines needed to shift the electricity grid from coal-fired power to renewable energy looms as a crucial fight for federal and state governments, which have each set pressing climate targets.

The Albanese government has pledged to more than double the amount of power the electricity grid sources from renewables to 82 per cent by 2030 to help achieve its target of cutting greenhouse emissions 43 per cent by the same deadline.

Boosting supplies of cheaper renewable energy is also crucial to the governments election promise to cut power bills by $275 by 2025, which has been brought into sharper focus amid heightened cost of living pressures.
He is Brisbanes most colourful politician, figuratively and literally.

And at times he is the most polarising, as willing to take part in peaceful protest as he is to pursue policy or perform poetry.

Now, Jonathan Sriranganathan, the citys first Greens councillor, wants to be its first Greens mayor.

Jonathan Sriranganathan will be the Greens mayoral candidate for the Brisbane City Council election in March 2024. Credit: Felicity Caldwell

Fewer than five months ago, Sriranganathan resigned from The Gabba ward he held since 2016, handing the reins to the Greens Trina Massey, and on Wednesday he will announce he is the partys candidate for mayor at next years council election.
She said she had wanted to deepen Germany and Australias collaborations in support of Ukraine, dealing with China and reducing their trade dependencies during her visit. Embarrassing, embarrassing, wrote German journalist Patrick Deikmann, who was travelling with the minister. Baerbock was flying on an A340 more than 20 years old. Credit: Executive Transport Wing (German Air Force) Wikicommons He said the plane had unsuccessfully attempted to take off from Abu Dhabi three times before the trip was canned. The Wall Street Journals Bojan Pancevski said the trip was designed to showcase Berlins major policy shift in terms of containing China and engagement in the Indo-Pacific.

It was planned for nearly a year, he said. It was designed to demonstrate a new resolve. All of that foiled by a faulty plane. Berlin-based Thorsten Benner from the Global Public Policy Institute was also in the travelling party. All those who experienced the German FM during the trip got a clear message: this was a trip that was very important for her and close to her heart, he said.

Loading To say thank you to Australia and New Zealand for their support for Ukraine, and to signal Germanys commitment to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, and to cooperate with Australia and also Pacific Island states on key issues such as dealing with China, critical resources, climate and the energy transition. Baerbock tried everything to make the trip happen ... but the stars werent aligned in the end. However embarrassing the disaster with the government plane is for Germany, it will not change Baerbocks personal and her governments deepening cooperation with the Indo-Pacific region, and Australia in particular. Baerbock was flying on an A340 that is more than 20 years old, taken over from Deutsche Lufthansa more than a decade ago and refurbished for VIP use.

It was the same aircraft that caused embarrassment for Germany in 2018 when former chancellor Angela Merkel was forced back to Cologne, and delayed from arriving on time for the G20 in Buenos Aires. In 2019, former defence minister and current EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen ordered a trio of A350s following a spate of incidents like the one involving Merkel that left German government figures stranded and embarrassed. Baerbock said it was logistically impossible to continue her trip. Credit: AP The Germans have two A350s in service. It was not clear why Baerbock was assigned an older plane for the long-haul trip. The countrys Air Force, the Luftwaffe, said it would be immediately retiring the two A340s.

The A350s provide the Air Force with robust and modern aircraft for long-haul operations, it said. Loading We will take the two A340s out of service as soon as possible, ie in the coming weeks ahead of schedule. The two Airbus A340s were originally scheduled to be retired in September 2023 and at the end of 2024. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said: Germany is an important strategic partner and close friend of Australia, and while we share Minister Baerbocks disappointment that she will not be able to visit this week, we look forward to welcoming her to Australia in the future.

One Scotland-based German academic warned against reading too deeply into Baerbocks travel difficulties. Professor for Contemporary European History at the University of Stirling Holger Nehring said Germanys reputation would ultimately be determined by its policy action, rather than bad luck. Some might be tempted to read symbolic importance into the extremely bad luck Foreign Minister Baerbock experienced with her flights to Australia, Nehring told this masthead. But I am not sure this matters much for Germanys reputation: The important issue here will be how Germanys China strategy develops in practice  and a cancelled visit doesnt change that.
Washington: It is truly extraordinary that a former US president is now facing a total of 91 charges across four states as he campaigns to return to the White House.

It is equally astonishing that in 17 months, theres a chance that Donald Trump could be standing on the steps of the Capitol building his supporters attacked, swearing an inauguration day oath to protect the Constitution he now stands accused of plotting to destroy.

But this is where America currently finds itself.

Twice-impeached, four-times criminally indicted: former US president Donald Trump. Credit: AP

Having pleaded not guilty in New York over hush money payments (34 counts); followed by Florida over classified documents (40 counts); and then Washington DC for trying to overturn the 2020 election (four counts), Trump was this week charged again - this time in Georgia, the battleground state that helped propel Joe Biden into office at the 2020 election.
Afghans in the U.K. hold a protest outside parliament in London, Britain, Tuesday. EPA-Yonhap



Afghanistan's Taliban government on Tuesday marked the second anniversary of their return to power with celebrations and a public holiday, saying "no invader" would be allowed to threaten the country.



Flags of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan  the Taliban's formal name for the country  fluttered at security checkpoints across the capital Kabul, which fell on August 15, 2021 after the U.S.-backed government collapsed and its leaders fled into exile.



In the two years since, Taliban authorities have imposed their strict interpretation of Islam, with women bearing the brunt of laws the United Nations has termed "gender apartheid".



A statement from the authorities hailed a victory that was able to "pave the way for the establishment of the Islamic system in Afghanistan".



"The conquest of Kabul proved once again that no one can control the proud nation of Afghanistan" and that "no invader will be allowed to threaten the independence and freedom" of the country, it said.



Hundreds of Taliban supporters, from elderly men to young boys, gathered near the abandoned US embassy building, one of the many that now stands empty  the Taliban government is still not formally recognized by any other country.



U.S.-made military vehicles, claimed by the new Taliban rulers when they were left behind by international forces after a weeks-long chaotic withdrawal, rolled past the ajar gates of the fortified embassy walls.





Afghan girls read the Quran in the Noor Mosque outside Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug 3. AP-Yonhap



'Need to celebrate'



Some of the men in the crowd carried their weapons, while others snapped smiling selfies as anthems blared and vendors sold the Taliban movement's white flag inscribed with the Islamic declaration of faith.



In the city of Herat in the west, a crowd of Taliban supporters chanted: "Death to the Europeans, death to the Westerners, long live the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, death to the Americans."



In Kandahar, the cradle of the Taliban movement and from where reclusive Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada rules by decree, a military parade was cancelled then moved to a military compound, officials told journalists.



Kandahar resident Agha Sahib praised Akhundzada's leadership, saying he had unified the country.



"When he issues a decree from (Kandahar), it is accepted in Panjshir, Kabul, Nimroz, Herat, Zabul, and all over 34 provinces of Afghanistan," said the 24-year-old who works for the interior ministry.



The decrees have not been welcomed equally by all Afghans, however, nor by the international community, which is divided over whether to engage with the Taliban authorities.



Restrictions on the rights of women  squeezed from public spaces, employment and education  have been key obstacles to recognition and aid, which was slashed as foreign nations were wary of dealing with Kabul's new rulers.



Non-governmental groups have marked the anniversary by again condemning the Taliban authorities' treatment of women.



"Despite reassurances by the Taliban de facto authorities that any restrictions, particularly in terms of access to education would be temporary, the facts on the ground have demonstrated an accelerated, systematic, and all engulfing system of segregation, marginalization and persecution," UN experts said in a statement on Monday, hitting out at Taliban pledges of a softer rule than during their stint in power from 1996 until 2001.



Human Rights Watch urged donor countries "to find ways to mitigate the ongoing humanitarian crisis without reinforcing the Taliban's repressive policies against women".





Taliban soldiers celebrate on the second anniversary of the fall of Kabul on a street near the U.S. embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday. Reuters-Yonhap
Climate change is the biggest long-term crisis that Singapore faces and adapting to it will require infrastructural investments, the country's Indian-origin presidential hopeful Tharman Shanmugaratnam has said.

Tharman, 66, resigned from public and political posts in July to run for the presidency and is likely to face a challenge from three other Chinese-origin Singaporeans who have submitted bids to contest the election.

The Indian-origin former minister shared his knowledge of managing national reserves and explained how this experience will help him in his role as the president if he is elected.

During the global financial crisis in 2008, precipitated by the bursting of the US housing bubble, Tharman said he was a finance minister and had proposed a draw of Singapore dollars 4.9 billion from the past reserves to fund a jobs credit scheme and a plan to encourage banks to lend money to businesses.

For the second time, Tharman was a senior minister advising Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on economic policies during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the government proposed drawing down the reserves to the tune of Singapore dollars (SGD) 69 billion to save jobs and lives.

Asked how his past experience of managing national reserves will help him as the president if he is elected, he said considering a draw on the reserves is never a black-and-white matter.

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It's not just a matter of a second key (a term used to control by the President the use of reserves by the Government), the Government (holding the first key) comes to you (the President), and you decide whether to turn it or not, The Straits Times newspaper quoted Tharman as saying on Tuesday.

You've got to understand the issues well. You've got to have a dialogue with the government on it. And it helps to have a background where you have been deeply involved in economic policy. In fact, social policies as well are relevant," he said.

You have an understanding as to how the reserves have to be preserved in a way that serves future generations because these crises will keep coming, the report quoted Tharman as saying.

The biggest long-term crisis that Singapore faces is climate change, and adapting to it will require infrastructural investments, he said.

He said in deciding whether or not the reserves can be used, the president will have to make considered and calibrated judgments, not just responding in the heat of crisis.

He elaborated on how this role will evolve, and how his track record of independence and his experience in government will help him discharge his functions as president if he is elected.

The formal executive powers of the presidency will... become more important than before precisely because of the challenges we face: the global challenges, the challenges of climate change," he said.

Tharman said the role of making judicious judgments is going to be more important than what it was in the past for the president.

"We were focused very much on just creating a framework for spending income from reserves and protecting the rest of our reserves.

"That role of making judicious judgments as we had to do during Covid-19, as we had to do during the global financial crisis, and for being able to invest ahead of time in long-term infrastructure that role is going to grow, he said.

Unfortunately, the crises are going to keep coming, he added.

Tharman said he started young as an idealist and he was always looking for solutions.

He said he made a decision to enter politics because he wanted to spend the rest of his time serving people and helping in creating initiatives on the ground.

Entrepreneur George Goh, the 63-year-old former investment chief at the state-owned GIC, Investment manager Ng Kok Song, 75, and Singaporean businessman Tan Kin Lian, 75, have submitted bids to contest the election of the president.

Singapore has a stringent qualification process for candidates bidding for the presidency. The contender must have served in higher public sector offices and or managed private sector businesses with at least SGD 500 million shareholders' equity during the person's most recent three-year period of service as chief executive.

The Elections Department (ELD) has announced September 1 as voting day for the election of the president, if there are two or more contestants.

Singaporeans will know if they will get to cast their vote or if the election will be a walkover, on Nomination Day, which will be on August 22.

Incumbent President Halimah Yacob, 68, ends her six-year term on September 13 this year.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida renewed a peace pledge Tuesday as Japan observed the 78th anniversary of its World War II defeat but did not mention the country's wartime aggression in Asia, while three of his former and current Cabinet ministers visited a shrine seen by neighboring countries as a symbol of militarism.

Japan will stick to our resolve to never repeat the tragedy of the war, Kishida said at a solemn ceremony in a speech that was almost identical to what he read last year.

The absence of any reference to Japanese aggression across Asia in the first half of the 1900s or its victims in the region followed a precedent set by then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2013, in what was seen by critics as a move to whitewash Japan's wartime brutality.

Kishida stressed the destruction that Japan suffered from the war, including the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, fire bombings across Japan and the bloody ground battle on Okinawa, and the suffering of Japanese people. He said Japan will stick to its postwar peace pledge and will continue to cooperate with the world in solving global issues.

Kishida has been pushing for a significant buildup of Japan's military under a new defense strategy that his government released in December, stressing a need to reinforce a strike capability in a major break from Japan's self-defense-only postwar principle. The shift allows closer military cooperation with its ally, the United States, as well with as their Indo-Pacific partners, in the face of threats from China and North Korea.

Emperor Naruhito repeated his deep remorse over Japan's wartime actions in a carefully nuanced phrase in his speech, like his father. Emperor Emeritus Akihito devoted his career to making amends for a war fought in the name of the wartime emperor, Hirohito, the current emperor's grandfather.

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Some 1,700 participants observed a minute of silence at noon during the ceremony at the Budokan arena. The crowd was much smaller than the 5,000 who attended in years before the coronavirus pandemic, and dozens of representatives from 10 prefectures in central and western Japan canceled their attendance as a tropical storm crossed their region.

Kishida refrained from praying Tuesday at the controversial Yasukuni Shrine just a block away from the ceremony and sent a religious ornament instead. But three former and current Cabinet ministers visited Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and former Trade and Industry Minister Koichi Hagiuda.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry expressed deep disappointment and regret over visits and offerings by Japanese leaders to Yasukuni Shrine, which it said glorifies Japan's war of aggression. It urged Japan to squarely face history and demonstrate through action their humble reflection and sincere remorse for its past history.

Japan's brutality during its 1910-1945 colonization of the Korean Peninsula has long strained ties between it and South Korea, although their relations have improved recently under pressure from Washington to strengthen their security cooperation to deal with a growing China threat.

Victims of Japanese aggression, especially China and the Koreas, see the shrine as a symbol of Japanese militarism because it honors convicted war criminals among about 2.5 million war dead.
Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda will leave for a ten-day official visit to the US and China on September 16.

Prachanda will travel to the US first, where he will attend the 78th United Nations General Assembly, scheduled to take place in New York from September 18 to 26, the prime minister said while interacting with editors of major newspapers here on Tuesday.

Prachanda will address the UN General Assembly on September 21 in New York, according to sources close to the prime minister.

After spending five days in the US, the Prachanda will fly directly to Beijing, embarking on a four-day journey to China.

Besides being part of the Nepalese delegation to the Asian Games to be hosted by Beijing, the prime minister will also engage in high-level political consultations there.

During the visit, he is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, among others, according to the sources, and discuss matters relating to the construction of a cross-border transmission line with Chinese officials.

Also Read Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal's visit to India strengthens age-old bonds Nepal's PM to expand cabinet, Congress to get key ministerial portfolios Nepal PM Prachanda to embark on 4-day official visit to India on May 31 Nepal seeks to sign electricity deal with India during Prachanda's visit Nepal's PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda to visit China in September end Pakistan anti-graft court allows questioning of deputy at Imran's party Singapore allows hiring cooks from India to combat manpower shortage India's imports from Russia doubled to $20.45 bn in April-July period World leaders underline privileged, strategic partnership with India @77 Finland's Ex-Prime Minister Alexander Stubb will run for president in 2024

Prachanda will return to Kathmandu on September 25, wrapping up his ten-day visit to the US and China.

Prachanda assumed office in December last year. The 68-year-old Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Centre (CPN-MC) leader visited India in June as his first foreign trip after assuming office for the third time.
Mitsubishi has named its new compact crossover the Xforce. Rolling out for the Indonesian market first, but confirmed for the Philippines as...
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Showery rains will be accompanied by very heavy downpours and strong gusty winds at times, especially this evening. Low 68F. S winds at 35 to 50 mph, decreasing to 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near an inch. Localized flooding is expected..

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Showery rains will be accompanied by very heavy downpours and strong gusty winds at times, especially this evening. Low 68F. S winds at 35 to 50 mph, decreasing to 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near an inch. Localized flooding is expected.
The National Society of High School Scholars on Monday announced Ooltewah High School students Isaac M. Shropshire and Moriah C. Shronpshire, both from Chattanooga, have been selected to become members of the organization.The Society recognizes top scholars who have demonstrated "outstanding leadership, scholarship and community commitment."The announcement was made by NSHSS Co-founder and President James W. Lewis."On behalf of NSHSS and our co-founder Claes Nobel, a member of the family that established the Nobel Prizes, I am honored to recognize the hard work, passion and commitment that both Isaac and Moriah have demonstrated to achieve this exceptional level of academic excellence," said Mr.Lewis. "Isaac and Moriah are now members of a unique community of scholars - a community that represents our very best hope for the future."We are proud to provide lifetime membership to young scholars to support their growth and development. We help students like Isaac and Moriah build on their academic success by connecting them with learning experiences and resources to help prepare them for college and meaningful careers."NSHSS members automatically become lifetime members at the time of their initial membership.Each step along the way - from high school to college to career - NSHSS connects these young scholars with the resources they need to develop their strengths and pursue their passions.
CHI Memorial Hospital Chattanooga and Hospital Hixson have received the American Heart Associations Gold Plus Get With The Guidelines - Stroke quality achievement award."These awards show CHI Memorials commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability," officials said.CHI Memorial Hospital Chattanooga also received the American Heart Associations Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Elite Plus award.To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patients arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-busting medication. CHI Memorial Hospital Hixson received the Stroke Honor Roll award.CHI Memorial is committed to improving patient care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines, Jennifer Patterson, PhDc, ACNP-BC, CCRN, FHM, director of neuroscience operations, CHI Memorial, said. Get With The Guidelines makes it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, which studies show can help patients recover better. The end goal is to ensure more people in Chattanooga and the surrounding counties can experience longer, healthier lives.Officials said, "CHI Memorial meets specific scientific guidelines as a Thrombectomy Capable Stroke Center, featuring a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the emergency department."Stroke is the number five cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability, and accelerating recovery times."Get With The Guidelines - Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to the latest research- and evidence-based guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death."CHI Memorial Hospital Chattanooga and Hospital Hixson also received the American Heart Associations Target: Type 2 Honor Roll award. Target: Type 2 Diabetes aims to ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to stroke.
First Horizon Bank recently named Chantel Pitts as banking center manager of the First Horizon Bank located in Downtown Chattanooga.In her role, Ms. Pitts is responsible for developing new business and expanding on existing client relationships."As banking center manager, she upholds a high standard of customer service and is passionate about providing exceptional experiences to the banks clients," officials said.Ms. Pitts first joined First Horizon as a teller in 2011 and has served as a financial services representative and a senior relationship banker at the Bank, prior to accepting her new role.Ms.Pitts said, I never could have imagined almost 13 years ago starting as a part-time teller that I would eventually become a banking center manager. I am so grateful for this opportunity and I will continue to be focused and dedicated to helping my clients and community achieve their financial goals.Chantel is a wonderful example of how far hard work can take you. She has proven her exemplary leadership skills in her many years with First Horizon, and we couldnt think of a better person for this this role. We know she will continue to work hard and provide great results for the Bank, said Jay Dale, Chattanooga market president.Ms. Pitts has served on the Family Selection Committee of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga. She is currently the chair of the First Horizon Chattanooga Womens Initiative. She is also a graduate of Women Mentoring Women with Chattanooga Womens Leadership Institute and Protege Chattanooga with Young Professionals of Chattanooga. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her friends and family and hiking.
The Planning Commission on Monday afternoon recommended denial for rezoning of a 296-home subdivision at the traffic-clogged Hunter Road area.

Delbert Skidmore Properties had sought to move from A-1 to R-1 at 8209 Bell Mill Road.

Prior to the vote, County Commissioner Jeff Eversole said, "We have saturated these roads so badly that we have made ourselves dangerous. It's become Atlanta traffic."

He asked, "When is it going to stop? When is it going to slow down?"

Dan Reuter, executive director of the Regional Planning Agency, said, "The county has absolutely no money in its budget that I know of to widen Hunter Road. If we had the money, it would take years to widen the roads. We are not going to be widening any two-lane roads any time soon."

The planning official added, "So if you are going to move out in the county on a two-lane road, get used to sitting in traffic and listening to a podcast or some music."

One resident said roads in that section "are more curvy than a bucket of fishhooks." Another called the site "a sinkhole-riddled pasture."

Mike Price, speaking for the developer, said a meeting that was held with residents "was short of a blood bath."

But he said the developer's plans for the property are in line with what the planning staff said would be acceptable under the 2007 Wolftever Plan.

He said it was planned to have 2.9 homes per acre for the total of 296. He said the developer would widen Bell Mill Road to 22 feet in front of the project and fix the intersection at Bell Mill and Hunter if the county could acquire a needed sliver of land there.

Responding to another concern, Mr. Price said about 143 children of school age would be at the development and that would build up over a 4-5-year construction period.

He also said that the developer would donate nine acres for a park. County Commissioner Steve Highlander said, "Thanks for the park offer," but he said he has seen flooding at that location "over my head."
There were three requests brought to the East Ridge City Council from developers to rezone property in the city to multi-family residential. Two were approved. Rezoning 636 and 650 Layfield Road will be the newest site where Stone Creek Consulting will build townhomes after the plan was approved to rezone it from R-1 Single Family Residential to R-3 Residential Apartment District on the first of two votes. The property will be the location of five residential single-family townhomes with parking at the rear, but the .53 acres will have no lot lines to separate the homes.

A vote was also in favor for the first reading to rezone 1438 N. Smith Street from the current R-1 Residential and C-1 Tourism Commercial to RT-1 Residential Townhome district. There will be three townhomes built on the property. The original request for building four townhomes was changed after the planning commission meeting to reduce the number of units to three, and parking was moved behind the buildings, and there will be a landscaped buffer. This use is considered to be a good transition and an appropriate use in the area that is behind a McDonalds restaurant and which has offices across the street.

A request to rezone part of the property at 861 Donaldson Road and the entire lot at 865 Donaldson Road for building four townhomes on the combined .63 acres, was denied. This property is surrounded by single family residential and multi-family residential dwellings. After hearing comments at the planning commission meeting the developer moved the garages to the back of the townhomes and designed the development with a single driveway for all units. The plan to put four townhouses onto about one third acre was too dense for Council members Jacky Cagle, Aundie Witt and Mayor Brian Williams, who all voted against the rezoning with just two votes in favor.

Another request to rezone 205 Eads St., a single-family home in the Jordan Run subdivision, from R-1 Single Family to R-2 Residential Duplex District also failed. The owner had planned to live upstairs and use the first level as a short-term rental.

City Manager Scott Miller proposed installing Welcome to East Ridge signs at the entrances to the city, since he said East Ridge is becoming a force in the area with the increase in all type of development - housing, restaurants, commercial and road improvements. The council approved the city managers request to solicit proposals for sign consultants to design and build the signage.

East Ridge is also working to clean up the city where there are a lot of properties that are overgrown and dirty. An ordinance for property maintenance regulations passed on the final vote to allow the city to go onto owner occupied property a number of times and perform the work needed to bring the property into compliance with the city codes.

A new garbage truck that was ordered last February has been delivered. Because the delivery date for the truck was unknown, the cost was not included in the budget, said Finance Director Diane Qualls. A budget amendment was passed for $266,000, which will pay for the new vehicle.

Also passed was a resolution that approved applying for and accepting the statewide grant program from Tennessee that will help place a school resource officer in each of the citys public schools. East Ridge will apply for four officers at $75,000 each. It was noted that the actual cost will be more because of the equipment that the officers will need in addition to their salaries. And in the future this funding could be withdrawn when the governor changes and the city would be totally responsible for the cost, said Police Chief Clint Uselton.

The council voted to accept a $425 Kia Pet Adoption Grant for 2023. The money will be used to reduce adoption fees for all available pets in the East Ridge Animal Shelter.

Application will also be made for a grant from the state that could be used to renovate the East Ridge History Center. The amount that the grant could provide is anywhere from $8,000 to $100,000 and, if it is received, would have to be used for capital maintenance and improvements. The city manager has identified projects that could be done for the various amounts that city could be awarded.

An emergency purchase of a new HVAC system for the police department was authorized. One of the units at the police building failed completely, said Mr. Miller. At the time when temperatures are in the 90s outside, the building is even hotter, which resulted in the city manager making the decision to declare it an emergency and having the unit replaced for $21,540. The council concurred and approved the expenditure after it had already been made.

The council also voted to adopt an air pollution control ordinance brought to the city from the Air Pollution Bureau. Executive Director of the Bureau Ron Drumeller told the Council that the provisions in the regulations are no less stringent than the state law that has recently been updated. All municipalities in Hamilton County are adopting the changes, he said.

Some upcoming events in East Ridge include an event to celebrate National Dog Day. The East Ridge Parks and Recreation along with East Ridge Animal Services will hold Pups and Pops in the Park at the citys dog park behind city hall on Saturday, Aug. 26, from 10 a.m. until noon. There will be frozen treats for both dogs and humans. Admission is free and no registration is required.

A fundraiser for the Needy Child Fund on Saturday, Sept. 23, will be held in the parking lot of Mercantile at 6725 Ringgold Road.

The mayor and city council members recognized Sergeant Tim Spires for 40 years of service to East Ridge. He came to work in 1983 and Mayor Williams said he had gone above and beyond the call of duty for both the police department and the community during that time.
Governor Bill Lee announced Tuesday that Southwest Airlines will locate its newest Crew Base at Tennessees Nashville International Airport starting in 2024, creating an estimated 1,300 jobs and greater opportunity for Tennesseans across the region.As a top global travel destination and business hub, Tennessee is the ideal location for Southwest Airlines newest Crew Base, and we look forward to the continued economic investment, job creation for newly based jobs and opportunity this expansion will bring for Tennesseans across the region, said Governor Lee.Were honored Southwest, a leading American company serving millions of travelers each year, will be expanding its reach to the Volunteer State."Southwests decision to locate its newest base in Tennessee is a testament to the states standing as a global travel destination and the continued growth of BNA, a key state and regional asset. The new base will bring quality jobs and even greater opportunity for Tennesseans across the state," officials said.This year, Tennessee celebrated a record $27.5 billion in travel spending in 2022, according to data from U.S. Travel and Tourism Economics. Among the top 25 states, Tennessee is the fastest-growing state in travel spending since 2018 and has risen from 14th to 11th in the nation for travel spending.Officials said, "Nashville International Airport, a tremendous state and regional asset, welcomes an average of 60,000 passengers per day for personal and business travel, including 24,500 passengers originating travel from BNA."Of the 24,500 travelers originating travel from BNA, 81.5 percent are from Tennessee and 18.5 percent are from surrounding states. An average of 71 percent of Tennessee travelers originate from counties outside of Davidson County."Tennessee, ranked a top-three state for business in 2023, boasts an unmatched business climate, skilled workforce and central location, attracting more than $30 million in capital investment and creating more than 170,000 jobs for Tennesseans since 2019."Southwest Airlines decision to name BNA as its 12th Crew Base in the Southwest system is estimated to create an additional 1,300 jobs for Tennesseans, including approximately 150-250 pilots growing to 500-600 pilots, and roughly 500-700 flight attendants in the new Crew Base beginning in 2024, with continued growth planned.Tennessee and Southwest Airlines leaders expressed excitement and gratitude for the companys latest Crew Base expansion.Tourism is vital to our states economic health. Were delighted to be part of the growth of a renowned brand like Southwest as they significantly expand their presence at BNA, said Mark Ezell, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. This expansion will enhance our connectivity across the nation, while bringing even more visitors to Tennessee. More visitors drive more revenue and jobs for communities across our great state.Tennessees pro-business climate continues to attract top brands to the state, and I appreciate Southwest Airlines for expanding its footprint by locating a new Crew Base at BNA, said Stuart McWhorter, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. Southwest is a trusted and preferred airline of many Tennesseans, and it means a great deal that the company has chosen to invest and create - new jobs here, which will have a lasting impact on the region for years to come.Hundreds of Southwest Employees who work in the air and on the ground already consider their hometown to be in Middle Tennessee, with our presence in Nashville remaining a key factor to our success, future growth, and the Reliability of our network, said Andrew Watterson, chief operating officer at Southwest Airlines. Given our love for Nashville and the critical importance it plays in our network, its a natural choice to make further investments by adding a Crew Base and doubling down on our commitment to Music City.
Roland Carter Vic Oakes Stan Townsend Peggy Townsend Previous Next

The Ruth Holmberg Arts Leadership Award was created nine years ago to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to the arts in Chattanooga and who are actively engaged in the cultural life of our community  so-called arts builders'' who exemplify ArtsBuilds mission to build a stronger community through the arts.Today, the ArtsBuild board of directors announced this years recipients of this honor. Dr. Roland Carter. Roland M. Carter served as a music professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga for 24 years, and his undergraduate alma mater, Hampton University, for 25 years.Both appointments included leadership roles and director of choirs. As a leading figure in the choral arts, his accomplishments include lectures, workshops, master classes and concerts with major choruses and orchestras in prestigious venues nationwide. He is especially noted as an authority on the performance and preservation of music of African American traditions and composers. Born in Chattanooga, he has a distinguished record of commitment and service to the arts, both locally and regionally. Vincent Oakes. Vincent Oakes holds a bachelor of music education degree from the University of Florida and a master of sacred music degree in choral conducting from Emory University. He is entering his 20th year as artistic director of the Chattanooga Boys Choir, a group which includes over 120 choristers aged eight-18 in five ensembles, and has performed and toured extensively. He is also the director of choral music at The Baylor School in Chattanooga. Under his direction, the choral program has more than tripled in size. He has received numerous awards for teaching and service. An advocate for arts education, choral and community partnerships, Vincent has founded several initiatives in the Tennessee Valley region. Peggy Wood Townsend. Peggy Wood Townsend holds a BA from Rhodes College and an MA in arts administration from the University of Cincinnati, and has had a long career and extensive volunteer service in the arts in Chattanooga. She has worked in the Education Department at the Hunter Museum of American Art, became the first full-time director of the Association for Visual Artists and was coordinator of the Department of Arts and Culture for Chattanooga Parks and Recreation. She oversaw the creation of the citys first public art plan and served 10 years as director of Public Art Chattanooga. She and her husband, Stan Townsend, own Townsend Atelier, an independent visual art school in downtown Chattanooga. Stan Townsend. Stan Townsend holds a BA and MFA from East Tennessee State and is an accomplished working artist. He owned and operated Townsend Gallery, and was one of the founders of AVA. He was assistant director of the Hunter Museum of American Art and taught art there, as well as UTC and Chattanooga State, promoting and encouraging students to pursue careers as artists. His work has been integral to Chattanoogas intentional efforts to include the arts at the forefront of community revitalization projects in the city since the 1990s.These awards are named in memory of Ruth Holmberg, an iconic local business and civic leader and philanthropist for the arts and other causes during her life.Chattanooga is blessed to have many generous and visionary leaders who understand the many ways that the arts define our culture, support our youth, and enhance our economy, says Board Chairwoman Rowena Belcher. We are honored to recognize these exceptional community members this year and cant wait to celebrate their many contributions.The Holmberg Awards will be presented as part of ArtsBuilds inaugural InterMission, a fundraising event and celebration of Chattanoogas arts community, benefiting ArtsBuild's support of community arts organizations and programming, as well as field trips for Hamilton County School's children. The inaugural event will be held on Thursday, Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. at the Roland Hayes Concert Hall on the campus of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.Star of stage and screen Alan Cumming will be the featured guest at InterMission, where he will join local community leader and arts advocate Nicole Brown for a candid conversation about the impact of the arts on his life."Every person in every city deserves access to the arts, which is why ArtsBuild is so important to Chattanooga," said Mr. Cumming. "I'm excited to visit your city for the first time on Sept. 14 to celebrate with everyone at 'InterMission', and I can't wait to see you there."Local artists and arts organizations, including dancers from CHA Ballet, musicians from the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera, Lon Eldridge, Emily Kate Boyd, Monica Ellison, Cherokee-Aaron Ellison, Iantha Newton, Charlie Newton and Scenic City Shakespeare will serve as a living showcase of Chattanoogas arts community before and during the event.InterMission is going to be a celebration of the arts in our city, which means there are going to be plenty of surprises, said Miles Huff, the events co-chair. What we do know for certain is that you wont want to miss a single second.InterMission is sponsored by TVA, EPB, Chattanooga Tourism Co., Chattanooga Times Free Press, LDG Development, U.S. Xpress and Coeo Media. Additional sponsorship opportunities are available.Tickets are $125. Visit ArtsBuild.com/intermission to purchase tickets.
I frequently find myself on Demonbreun Street here in Nashville. It is named after Jacques-Timothee Boucher, Sieur de Montbrun anglicized as Timothy Demonbreun. He is known as the first citizen of Nashville. Recently, I met his descendant, Brenda Elizabeth Demonbreun.

Miss Demonbreun can best be depicted as a Renaissance woman. She is a writer and poet. She is a woman of deep faith, passionately devoted to America. She told me, I am an avid lover of people. She has strongly supported law enforcement and the military. Brenda vigorously supports our country while recognizing our imperfections as a nation.

We met to discuss her latest book: The Soul of a Soldier, which is an unapologetic tribute to the American soldier. She dedicates the book to her late father and veteran Homer Demonbreun, Jr. She also includes all Soldiers of courageous valor that selfishly grant us the privilege of sustained freedom whether past, present, or future.

Brenda Demonbreun masterly mixes her poetry and commentary to share her ideas, express emotions, and create imagery. Much like a musical artist, her book tells us of a larger purpose or meaning collectively. The stories are filled with certainty, with Demonbreun striving to make our country better.

In Soldier is His Name, Demonbreun walks the reader through a soldier's life. From youth to old age. It is a painful reminder that a once proud soldier is now old and feeble and abandoned by society. It is a sad fact that veterans surrender their youth to protect our nation, and we have largely forgotten them as they have grown old and broken. It is a powerful reminder.

Demonbreun addresses the wars our nation fought. While not structured in chronological order, nevertheless, it presents a continuation of the tapestry of the American military. Legacies of Honor focuses on the Afghanistan War. Heroic Favor addresses Desert Storm. The Eyes of Saigon refers to the Vietnam War.Unforgettable Courage is about the Korean War. All are beautifully written. There is even attention on COVID in which Demonbreun correctly surmises that our country was suffocated in lockdowns and denied fellowship.

In her treatment of World War II, Fatigues of Honor, Demonbreunwrites: The American soldier of wars morning tear will forever rest valiant before evils thrashing fall. She even honors Pearl Harbor with Pearls of Blood Stain. In Blood Valor Rises she centers on World War I and a new type of war that soldiers had to fight.

Reminiscing the Soul of Our Forefathers was focused on the Revolutionary War. One of the best lines to describe our country is found within this prose, Patriotism birthed upon the souls of men ready for battle. Demonbreun calls the Revolutionary War a movement of freedoms hope.

Demonbreun brings a unique perspective to the American Civil War. In Threads of Allegiance, she does some of her best writing. In the acknowledgments, she foretells she will be Reckoning with slavery, the confederacy, and racism through her ebony eyes. And she does indeed do that. Brenda Demonbreun is a self-described woman of color and the daughter of a Black Air Force veteran. She focused on the Confederate soldier not to demean the triumph of the north but due to the breezes of resentment still inhaled to this very day.

During my conversation with Brenda Demonbreun, I was touched by two themes that emerged. One was unity, and the other was how to make the world a better place for the next generation. We must reconcile our hearts from the plight of our ancestors. She is correct. By linking the heroes who met the challenges of yesteryear in The Soul of a Soldier, Brenda Demonbreun artistically crafts a narrative that ties all together and lights a path of hope moving forward.

The Demonbreun name is respected in Tennessee, especially here in Nashville. Brenda has reinforced her familys legacy. Brenda Demonbreun is a gifted poet and writer who is poised to address critical issues that continue to confront our society. She offers solutions unifying people with a skilled command of language and imagery. She calls that the hope of America. I highly recommend The Soul of a Soldier. You can purchase a copy through Amazon.

JC Bowman

Executive director of Professional Educators of Tennessee and a Marine Corps veteran
James Jim Mavity, 78, went to be with the Lord on Monday, August 14, 2023. He was better known as Jimmy, Jim, Daddy and Paw Paw.

He was a lifelong self-proclaimed geek who loved to take things apart, fix them, or make them better. Jim was always available to help his family with whatever they needed worked on. He was a graduate of LaFayette High School and North GA Technical. Afterwards he joined the Alabama National Guard. Later he worked in Huntsville for Redstone Arsenal and many manufacturing plants around Chattanooga where he helped design and repair machinery. Jim had many hobbies including computers, taking lots of pictures (his nickname was Paw Paw-razzi), and ocean cruises with his wife.

Jim is the son of the late James and Evelyn Mavity.

He is survived by his wife of 57 years Brenda; daughters, Angie, Cyndi (John) and Sherry (Paul); grandchildren, Scottie (Cheryl), Brandi, Josh, Megan (Scott) Brittney (Dylan), and J.T; and great granddaughters, Addie, Avaleigh, Alice and Jessica; all of whom he loved beyond words; sister, Wanda (Jerry) and brother Rod (Carol). Jim also leaves behind many extended family members, nieces and nephews.

In accordance with Jims wishes, no service will be held.

In lieu of flowers (the whole family, Jim included are allergic) the family asks that you make a donation to St. Jude in his honor. He loved to Groove with St. Jude on their cruises.

To share condolences please visit www.lane-southcrestchapel.com

Arrangements are made by Lane Funeral Home and Crematory, South Crest Chapel Rossville.
The Erlanger Foundation welcomes Kathleen Katie Beth Fowler as development coordinator, and announces that Samantha Lord has been promoted to director of Development Annual Giving.

Ms. Fowler joins the Erlanger Foundation from Athens, Ga., where she attended the University of Georgia, earning her Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations and Master of Public Administration. She completed an undergraduate Certificate of Nonprofit Management and Leadership, and a graduate specialization in Nonprofit Administration. As a graduate student, she had the opportunity to work as a Student Fellow with the Athens Area Community Foundation, managing the Nonprofit of the Year award process and working closely with the Board of Directors.

Ms. Fowler also held a Graduate Research Assistantship for two years with the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, where she assisted in conference coordination, research, and report writing. As development coordinator, Ms. Fowler works with e-philanthropy, partners with the Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals and Corporate Partners program and the special events program, serves the Erlanger Foundation Board of Directors as Board Liaison, and supports the Foundation president.

Ms. Lord moved to Chattanooga to attend UTC to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Business Marketing. At UTC, she was involved in the American Marketing Association and Student Veterans Affairs. Also while attending undergrad at UTC, she began an internship as an Erlanger Scholar within the compliance department, where she learned the complexities of HIPAA, patient safety, and information security for a healthcare organization. Ms. Lord is currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration.

Ms. Lord returned to Erlanger in 2022 as development coordinator before taking on her current role as director of Development Annual Giving. In this role, Ms. Lord manages the Annual Giving Programs for the giving societies such as the 1891 Society and Queen and Crescent Society, employee and physician giving, and e-philanthropy and direct mail while continuing to oversee the Foundations marketing projects.

We are proud to foster a culture of growth and development within the Erlanger Foundation, as demonstrated by Sami Lords promotion to Director of Annual Giving, said Julie Taylor, president of Erlanger Foundation. This promotion exemplifies our commitment to recognizing and nurturing top talent from within our organization. The Foundation is also pleased to welcome Katie Beth Fowler as our new Development Coordinator. She brings a passion for philanthropy, further strengthening our team and advancing our mission. These changes will undoubtedly ensure the Foundations future growth and impact in our community.
Ringo Starr enjoys playing a cover more than any of The Beatles' original songs. Paul McCartney said the Fab Four never thought about the implications of the tune's lyrics.

TL;DR:

Ringo Starr played a girl group song with a band that was a contemporary of The Beatles.

The Beatles put their own spin on the song.

That cover appeared on the groups album, Please Please Me, which was a hit in the United Kingdom.

Many of The Beatles songs were covers. Ringo Starr enjoys playing one of those covers more than any of The Beatles original songs. During an interview, Paul McCartney said the Fab Four never thought about the implications of the tunes lyrics that much.

Ringo Starr loved singing a Beatles song that was originally by The Shirelles

During a 2023 interview with Vulture, Ringo was asked which song he enjoyed performing live the most. Boys,' he said. Ive been doing it forever and its a girls song. A wonderful girl group called The Shirelles did the original. The Shirelles were an American group most known for the Carole King-penned hit Will You Love Me Tomorrow.

I was performing it with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes before The Beatles, and it just rocks, he said. It makes me smile that Im still doing this song after all these years. For context, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes were contemporaries of The Beatles who never became major stars. Despite this, they worked with Brian Epstein on a cover of America from the musical West Side Story.

Paul McCartney said the band didnt consider the implication of singing a song about boys

In the 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, Paul recalled what it was like for The Beatles to perform at The Cavern Club. We did The Shirelles Soldier Boy, which is a girls song, he recalled. It never occurred to us. No wonder all the gays liked John.

And Ringo used to sing Boys, another Shirelles number, he added. It was so innocent. We just never even thought, Why is he singing about boys? We loved the song. We loved the records so much that what it said was irrelevant; it was just the spirit, the sound, the feeling. The joy when you did that Bab shoo-wap, bab shoo wop. That was the great fun of doing Boys.' The band also covered tunes by Little Richard and Ray Charles during their early years.

How The Beatles Boys performed in the United States and the United Kingdom

The Beatles cover of Boys was never a single, so it did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100. The cover appeared on The Beatles debut album, Please Please Me. That record was a very minor hit in the United States, reaching No. 155 on the Billboard 200 for a single week.

According to The Official Charts Company, Boys never charted in the United Kingdom either. On the other hand, Please Please Me was a huge hit in the U.K. There, it reached No. 1 and spent 70 weeks on the chart. Later, the album recharted at No. 32 and stayed on the chart for six weeks.

The Shirelles made Boys famous and The Beatles cover brought Ringo a lot of joy over the years.
Life on the Bering Sea isn't easy. Here are the 'Deadliest Catch' stars who had heart attacks and strokes through the years.

Fishing on the Bering Sea is anything but easy, as seen in Discovery Channels Deadliest Catch Season 19. Loyal fans know the captains of the fishing vessels well and have seen several fishermen experience medical emergencies through the years. Heres what to know about the Deadliest Catch captains and crew members who died from heart attacks and strokes  and the one who survived.

Captain Sig Hansen had a severe heart attack in Deadliest Catch Season 12  and survived

Deadliest Catch Season 19 star captain Sig Hansen once experienced a medical emergency at sea. In 2016, the captain of the F/V Northwestern fell unconscious while on the deck of his fishing vessel. The cameras were rolling when Hansen unexpectedly collapsed, and when Hansen regained consciousness, he wanted to keep fishing. Thankfully, producers insisted that Hansen receive medical attention, and he was airlifted to a hospital. He later learned he had a heart attack.

It was our final hour, we were on the way in, Hansen explained on TODAY. No, youre right, I was lucky. That was a 50/50 chance. It felt like a massive heartburn and just all this stuff through my neck.  It was terrible. But, Im still here. Im too stubborn to die!

In 2019, Hansen had another heart attack during the offseason. While the Deadliest Catch star couldve died, he survived and is back on the boat in 2023.

Mahlon Reyes died of a heart attack following cocaine intoxication

Sadly, Deadliest Catch deaths arent uncommon. Several captains and crew members have spoken on the show about drug and alcohol abuse among the fisherman. Mahlon Reyes, a deckhand featured in Deadliest Catch, died at 38 years old from a heart attack induced by cocaine intoxication in 2020. His death was ruled as an accident.

On Sunday night, our family together made the hardest choice weve ever made, and that was to remove him from life support, his family posted to Facebook, according to USA Today. Mahlons body was tired and had put up an amazing fight. He was the strongest guy we knew. He was surrounded by so much love.

Captain Tony Lara died of a heart attack while at home

While Sig Hansen survived two heart attacks, Deadliest Catch captain Tony Lara died from a heart attack. The 50-year-old captain attended the annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, in 2015 when he had a heart attack. He later died while at home.

Lara was a beloved member of the Deadliest Catch family, as he served as the captain of the F/V Cornelia Marie. Several show stars expressed their sadness online when they heard the news. Saddened to hear of the passing of Captain Tony Lara, Captain Keith Colburn of the F/V Wizard tweeted. Top notch chief, great captain, and even better friend.

Deadliest Catch legend Phil Harris died after complications from a stroke

Finally, Captain Phil Harris of the F/V Cornelia Maria died from complications following a stroke. The fan-favorite captain had a stroke while unloading the Cornelia Marie in Saint Paul Island, Alaska. He was 53 years old. He was then flown to Anchorage, Alaska, for surgery and was placed in a medically-induced coma. Miraculously, he awoke from his coma and spent a few more days with friends and family before he died of an intracranial hemorrhage.

I think that miraculous recovery that happened so rapidly and blew the doctors minds away was so that he could say the things that he had to say to the people he had to say them to, Dan Mittman, Harriss best friend of over three decades, told People.

I got five days to actually talk with him, his son, Josh Harris, said. We had nine days total that we were there to enjoy a few moments with him. We had our closest people there and it was awesome.

Deadliest Catch Season 19 airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Discovery Channel.

How to get help: In the U.S., contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration helpline at 1-800-662-4357.

For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheets YouTube channel.
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Japanese PM sends offering to notorious war-linked Yasukuni Shrine

Xinhua) 14:01, August 15, 2023

TOKYO, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sent a ritual offering to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine on Tuesday, as the country marked the 78th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II.

Kishida sent the "masakaki" offering to the shrine, a symbol of Japan's past brutal militarism, in his capacity as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

While Kishida has not visited the notorious shrine in person, one of his cabinet members, economic security minister Sanae Takaichi paid homage at the shrine.

Koichi Hagiuda, chairperson of the LDP's Policy Research Council, also visited the shrine on Tuesday.

The Yasukuni Shrine, located in central Tokyo, honors 14 convicted Class-A Japanese war criminals from World War II. It has long been a source of diplomatic friction for Japan and its neighbors.

Visits and ritual offerings made by Japanese officials to the controversial shrine have consistently sparked criticism and hurt the feelings of the people of China, South Korea and other countries brutalized by Japan during the war.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
The Georgia grand jurys decision to indict former president Donald Trump on Monday night was surprising only for its speed.

Grand juries are famouslyor infamously, if you preferwilling to indict. Thats because theyre presented with only the prosecutors case (there is no defense at a grand jury hearing) and not required to reach a unanimous decision (here, 12 of 23 jurors had to agree) or to settle the actual question of guilt (all the grand jury must determine is if theres enough evidence to bring charges). Fulton County district attorney Fani T. Willis may not manage to convict Trump and the 18 lawyers and other allies charged along with him. But the Georgia indictment has long since struck me as a sure thing.

I cant say the same of Trumps three other indictments: the arcane tax and campaign finance case in New York, the federal documents retention case, and the federal case concerning Trumps behavior in the run-up to the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021. All three have some moral or legal ambiguity (though it's important to note the federal January 6 case has some overlap with the Georgia indictment). Reasonable Christians might disagree over whether these prosecutions are politically motivated, punishing behaviors that may look bad but arent, in fact, illegal or wrong.

In the case of the Georgia indictment, though, I dont see the same ambiguityat least where Trump himself is concerned.

To borrow a phrase from an often misunderstood and misquoted Bible verse, I see a clear appearance of evil (1 Thess. 5:22, KJV). Legally, we dont know yet if hes guilty. But from what I can tell, this isnt a case of undeserved ill repute. Trumps election meddling in Georgia didnt just look wrong. It was wrongand likely illegal too.

There are two halves to my assessment here. The first is what Trump did, which was significantly undisputed because we have the key actionasking Georgia state officials to find him just enough votes to tip the states election result in his favorrecorded on tape. If you havent already listened to the audio of this phone call from January 2, 2021, or read the transcript, I recommend it.

So look, Trump pleads. All I want to do is this: I just want to find 11,780 votesthe number, by a margin of one, hed need to win the state. The Republican officials to whom hes speaking explain repeatedly that there are no more Trump votes to count or recount, that every investigatory angle he proposes has already been explored, but the then-president ignores them and presses on: So what are we going to do here, folks? I only need 11,000 votes. Fellas, I need 11,000 votes. Give me a break.

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Trump may have gone into that call sincerely believing hed won Georgia, perhaps unaware of steps the GOP-run state had already taken to verify the election outcome. But he certainly couldnt have ended the call that waynot after an hour of conversation in which members of his own party explained all theyd done to check and double-check the votes and confirm that President Joe Biden did win Georgia by a nose.

The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice (Prov. 12:15), and Trump was plainly not interested in listening to advice. He was interested in winning, and he kept pursuing victory even after it was made wholly clear that this was a goal he could not obtain legitimately.

That brings me to the second piece of my assessment, which is about the appearance of evil. Like many American Christians, I spent years reading and hearing 1 Thessalonians 5:22 quoted in the King James Version: Abstain from all appearance of evil. And like many American Christians, I assumed appearance was used in a common contemporary sense of the word, commanding us to avoid doing anything that looks wrong to other people, even if its morally permissible.

Some other, more recent translations and paraphrases might reinforce this interpretation. The New Living Translation says we should [k]eep away from everything that even looks like sin. N. T. Wrights New Testament for Everyone advises that if something looks evil, we should keep well away. And Eugene Petersons The Message tells Christians to [c]heck out everything, and keep only whats good. Throw out anything tainted with evil.

But the NIV, NASB, ESV, and others render this verse quite differently. Instead, these translations advise us to reject every kind or form of evil. The difference, as biblical scholar Preston Sprinkle has argued, has to do with the Greek word in the original text and different English uses of appearance.

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To modern ears, the exhortation to abstain from all appearance of evil seems more concerned with how people might perceive us than what we do or dont do. It seems to be about how we appear and how our actions might look to others rather than whether were truly in the right or in the wrong.

But the way the King James translators used the word in question is more like a television appearance or appearing at a party. Its closer to incident or instance or a time something or someone showed up. Pauls admonition is not to stay away from anything that might look like evil, Sprinkle contends, but to stay away from evil in every form [in which] it appears.

In the case of Trumps accumulating indictments, a common defense is that what he did wasnt actually wrongor, more precisely, that his actions only look wrong if you possess certain prior assumptions about him or accept a certain skewed media narrative. In some cases, this may be trueand in those instances, Trump does not stand condemned by the command in 1 Thessalonians 5:22.

But when it comes to the charges in Georgia (and their overlap in the second federal prosecution), while Trumps legal guilt or innocence has yet to be decided, there is little question that what he did was wrong. This case isnt about inflammatory political rhetoric or document classification rules or the intricacies of campaign finance law. Rather, the evidence seems to point to a real attempt to pervert the well-verified results of a free and democratic election.

That is, we seem to be dealing with behavior that is just as evil as it appears.

Bonnie Kristian is the editorial director of ideas and books at Christianity Today.
7 Christian denominations that don't allow women to serve as pastor

Earlier this summer, the Southern Baptist Convention garnered considerable attention for its disfellowshipping of two churches that allow women to serve in the office of pastor.

Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, and a smaller congregation known as Fern Creek Baptist Church of Louisville, Kentucky, were disfellowshipped following a majority vote by messengers at the SBC's Annual Meeting in June. Some 90% of messengers voted to disfellowship churches that have women in the role of pastor. That is 9 in 10 messengers.

Several other Christian denominations allow women to serve as pastors, however. As The Christian Post previouslyreported, this number even includes churches that are considered theologically conservative. Yet while some of those denominations allow women to serve as pastors, they do not allow women to serve in higher roles, such as the office of bishop.

Though the SBC has garnered the most headlines of late, the denomination is far from the only Christian denomination that prohibits women from serving as either pastors or priests, as numerous theological traditions reserve ordination for men.

Read about 10 theologically conservative denominations that allow female pastors here and here

Here are seven examples of Christian denominations in the United States that do not allow women to serve in the role of pastor or priest. They include multiple Protestant sects, as well as older churches.

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How a former El Salvadoran gang member found Jesus after fleeing to America on foot

Reflecting on his past, Franklin Rivas Hodge, once a gang member but now a committed Christian, believes God pulled him out of profound despair and guided him through a transformation beyond his wildest dreams.

Born to a community in El Salvador where heavy crime and gang violence was the norm, the 25-year-old says that he suffered from many dark and traumatizing experiences during his childhood and adolescence.

As a baby, he was abandoned by his parents and left to live with family members who sexually abused him starting at age 3, continuing for many years that followed.

He witnessed countless people he loved murdered in front of his eyes. He also saw friends he played with as a boy kidnapped from their front yards.

His adolescence could be described in one word: darkness.

Feeling as though he had no support or true love in life, he began to look for both in all the wrong places.

"At age 9, I joined a gang in El Salvador," he told The Christian Post in a recent interview.

"I saw that they were united. I saw that they had power. I saw that they had money. I saw that people were afraid of them and that they were respected in a way, and all that seemed really appealing."

For about a decade, Hodge was active in a gang. On multiple occasions, he was caught with illegal weapons or illegal possession of drugs. As a result, he spent many years in and out of prison.

Fleeing on foot

As time progressed, Hodge said things continued to get darker and more dangerous in El Salvador. He began to fear for his life as he continued in the gang.

To run from danger at around age 16, Hodge fled with a few of his friends to escape El Salvador. Together, they traveled by foot to the United States for safety.

"I crossed the borders of El Salvador and Guatemala, Guatemala and Mexico and Mexico and then to the U.S. by foot. I crossed rivers swimming. From the moment that I left my hometown, I was on a bus, and then the bus stopped near the river, and I had to get out and swim across the river. And then, I was always getting into trucks, jumping off trucks, walking, hiking mountains, or swimming in rivers or walking through the forest or running. Every day I was either walking, I was running, or jumping into trucks and jumping out of trucks."

He estimated the journey took around a month and a half, though he admitted difficulty recalling the exact duration.

"We had men that were helping us along the way and leading us. When we got to Guatemala, we had someone lead us through Guatemala. We had somebody else lead us through parts of Mexico," he said.

"There were times when they just threw us in the forest, and they were like, 'Alright, you're supposed to go this direction.' And we had to just go. We would just start walking, and we would walk for literally five to six hours without knowing if we were even walking in the right direction or not. We didn't have water or food."

"I'm here. I'm in the U.S. now. So I was walking in the right direction. But, in the moment, it was like, 'I don't even know where I'm going to go.'"

Upon arriving in the U.S., immigration authorities detained him in Corpus Christi, Texas. With no living parents to return to, he was placed in a foster care program in Dallas, Texas, due to his minor status.

Hodge's first foster family was Catholic but not particularly devout. While they showed him love and care, he struggled to accept it, having never experienced genuine familial affection in his past.

Not knowing how to love or be loved

In 2014, Hodge left his foster family and was missing for five months. When found, he was placed with a deeply religious Christian family.

"From the moment that I met them, I knew there was something different about these people. I had come across so many people of all kinds. But, these people are the first ones that I got, and I was like, 'OK, they are different,' And I was wondering why," Hodge recalled.

"It was because of the Gospel. They believed the Gospel. They knew the Gospel. They lived out the Gospel. And so, from the moment that they took me in, they took me to church. I didn't understand the language, but they still took me to church," he added.

The family also introduced him to the significance of the dinner table as a sacred space for the family to gather, converse and bond. He noticed their consistent Christian practices, like praying before meals.

"They would always pray. They would do all the things that we do as Christians, that I do as a Christian now. But, at that time, I didn't know any of those things," Hodge said.

"They were the ones that introduced me to the Gospel. And that was the cool thing about it. Because we didn't even speak the same language. And that's what the Gospel is about. We should live the Gospel to the point where from the moment that we come into any room people should notice that we're different because we are a temple of the Holy Spirit," he continued.

"The family just lived it. They didn't need words to show me what God did for me. They just knew it. They took me to church all the time."

Believing in Christ but not fully accepting Him

In 2019, when Hodge was 20, his foster family enrolled him in high school. As an adult attending school with teenagers, he felt out of place and frequently got into altercations, grappling with the anger stemming from his traumatic past.

One evening, overwhelmed by his emotions, Hodge felt he reached his lowest point and was brought to tears. With the support of his foster family, they guided him through a sinner's prayer. That day, Hodge accepted Jesus Christ into his life.

"I was in the living room, and I was in tears. I literally hit rock bottom at that time. And they shared the Gospel with me. I was broken. I needed help and everything, and I ended up accepting the Gospel in 2019. I got on my knees and prayed to accept Him," Hodge said.

Even after this spiritual acceptance, Hodge confessed that he found it challenging to fully trust in God. His past traumas left him wary, making it difficult for him to trust anyone, including God.

Living for partying, money, fame and sex

In high school, Hodge found his niche on the competitive fighting team. He discovered his natural talent in combat sports, allowing him to graduate a year early.

Later, a professional MMA team from Colorado scouted him.

"I moved to Colorado for a while and I began kind of like a career as a professional MMA fighter and that's kind of where I would say I started drifting away in my life because of money. Like I started making money. Fame started coming into my life. I was recognized in places that I went to," Hodge said.

"It was a weird transition. Literally coming from a background where I literally had nothing. I mean, I went days without eating and to get my food I sometimes had to literally go and kill wild animals and cut them up to eat and survive," he continued.

"I went through all that, came here, went to a family, and I started being taught how to be in a family. Then, I graduated high school, and I'm introduced to this world of money and fame and kind of getting what I wanted."

This newfound fame, however, rekindled old vices he'd been exposed to since he was 9  indulging in relationships, smoking and frequent partying.

"I started living for people. I started seeing how other MMA fighters would act, and I adapted those behaviors and lived that way," he said.

Between 2017 and 2020, Hodge was deeply immersed in the MMA world, sidelining his faith. At the same time, he grappled with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder due to the extensive abuse he had experienced from a young age. He wrestled with depression, anxiety, bitterness and an inability to forgive those who wronged him, including his parents and the relatives who abused him in El Salvador.

"I was spending literally weeks at a time not being able to sleep because of my PTSD. That's when I got to a point where I started doing dumb things. I started mistreating my [foster] parents and stealing money from them. Even though I was making money but, I was stealing money from my parents to help my people back in El Salvador," Hodge recalled.

Finding God again

One evening in late 2019, filled with remorse, Hodge admitted to his foster parents that he had been stealing from them. Rather than rejecting or dismissing him, his foster parents responded with compassion.

"They didn't reject me. They didn't push me out. They didn't say, 'You're the adopted one,' and walk out. They loved me. They cared for me. They showed me the Gospel again," Hodge said.

"My parents said, 'Hey, we know that you're doing all this and therefore, there's going to be consequences. But we love you. We care for you. You are our kid. And we have chosen you.' I was kind of ready for them to reject me, for them to throw me away, so I could go turn around and go kill myself," Hodge said.

"They did the whole opposite. That's when my mom shared the Gospel with me and she said: 'Hey, this is what the Lord has done for you and He loves you.' And at the end of the night, I was like, 'Alright, if you say that that's the way, then I want it. That's when I truly accepted the Gospel.'"

Embracing God's healing

After his profound realization, Hodge grew more connected to God and the teachings of the Gospel.

He became a regular at his local church and enrolled in a recovery program there, which helped him address and heal from his past traumas, ultimately guiding him toward forgiveness.

Although he affectionately refers to his foster parents as "mom" and "dad," Hodge has recently reconnected with his biological mother. He forgave her for her earlier absence, and they have since forged a stronger bond.

Embracing his newfound faith, Hodge established an online ministry via Instagram and completed a year-long evangelistic seminary course.

Hodge is about to take on two new roles: he's training to be a commercial pilot and will soon marry his fiancee, Meghan, on Aug. 19. They met at church, and he calls her "a gift from God's outpouring of blessings" on his life.

"Jesus changed my life," he said. "Now, all I want to do is to dedicate my time to sharing the Gospel literally anywhere: in coffee shops, where I go eat or in the streets or with people that I interact with and with different juveniles and in the prison systems."
Tribal Christians in Manipur plan mass burial for victims of violence

A tribal group representing the Christian Kuki-Zo community in the northeast Indian state of Manipur is preparing to hold a mass burial for victims killed in the ongoing ethnic violence, a decision that has ignited fresh tensions and more violence.

The Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum had previously announced that the mass burial would take place on Aug. 3. However, it was postponed at the request of Indias interior minister, Amit Shah, a tribal leader told The Christian Post, adding that preparations were in progress, but the exact date of the burial had not yet been announced.

The earlier announcement ignited fresh tensions and violence, as the proposed site was located in a buffer zone between the Hindu Meitei-dominated Bishnupur district and Churachandpur district, where the Kuki-Zo Christians reside. The Manipur High Court also passed an order against the planned burial.

Following a request from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the intervention of Chief Minister Zoramthanga from the neighboring Mizoram state, the ITLF decided to postpone the mass burial, de-escalating a likely fresh confrontation between the Kuki and Meitei communities.

The ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur since May 3 has left at least 150 dead, over 300 injured, thousands of houses and churches destroyed, and displaced more than 50,000 people.

There are at least 87 bodies lying unclaimed in hospitals in Imphal and Churachandpur. Many families have been unable to collect the bodies of their loved ones due to fear of attacks, while others wanted to keep the bodies without burial as a mark of protest.

Tribal leaders from Manipur recently traveled to Delhi to meet with Union Home Minister Shah. After the meeting, they announced that an alternative location would be finalized for the burial of bodies belonging to the Kuki-Zo community, who were victims of ethnic violence.

The ITLF put forth five demands, including the legalization of the burial site, non-deployment of Meitei state security forces in Kuki-Zo areas, return of bodies of Kuki victims lying in two hospitals in Imphal, Kuki-Zo areas total separation from Manipur, and the transfer of tribal jail inmates lodged in prisons in Imphal to other states.

Although 130 people from the Kuki-Zo community have been killed, the bodies of only 35 victims are in hospitals in Churachandpur. Dozens of bodies are lying in hospitals in the Meitei-dominated Imphal area, where the majority of the Kuki-Zo victims were killed.

The tribal leader told CP that the mass burial might take longer than two weeks to conduct. They are waiting for the bodies lying in Imphal to be transported to Churachandpur, he said.

The violence erupted in early May following a controversial court order for the state to consider extending special economic benefits and quotas, previously reserved for the tribal Kuki-Zo people to the Meitei population. It would also give the Meiteis the right to buy land in the hills where the Kuki-Zo people live.

The conflict in Manipur, a state bordering Myanmar and home to 3.2 million people, has escalated into a national security crisis.

Analysts warn that the conflict could spread beyond Manipur due to the Kuki-Zo communitys ethnic ties with groups in the Indian state of Mizoram, Myanmar and Bangladesh. The Naga tribal community, Manipurs second-largest ethnic group, has remained neutral but has expressed concerns about being dragged into the conflict.

The government has deployed about 50,000 soldiers, armed police and other security personnel to enforce buffer zones between the warring communities. Despite these measures, mobs have looted more than 4,000 weapons and half a million rounds of ammunition from police in Manipur, according to official estimates.

Last month, the European Parliament passed a resolution urging the Indian government to urgently restore peace in Manipur.

There have been concerns about politically motivated, divisive policies promoting Hindu majoritarianism, and about an increase in activity by militant groups, the resolution stated. There are also accounts of partisan involvement by security forces in the killings have increased distrust in the authorities.

Kuki-Zo leaders have accused the state police, their commandos, and the India Reserve Battalion of attacking Christian tribals along with Meitei extremist groups Arambai Tenggol and Meitei Leepun.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) met in Nigerias capital, Abuja, last Thursday to discuss how to respond to the recent coup in Niger. The deadline put forward by ECOWAS for the coup leaders to step aside and restore President Mohamed Bazoum to power elapsed the previous Sunday without the military intervention that countries like Nigeria had threatened.

At the conclusion of the meeting on Thursday, ECOWAS released a vague statement saying they had agreed to assemble a standby military force but immediately added that military intervention in Niger would be the last resort. They did not set out further details of what the force it intends to assemble would look like or what action it might take.

Contradictions and divisions

Nigerian president and the current chairman of ECOWAS, Bola Tinubu, was embarrassed when his proposal to mobilise troops for military intervention to Niger was rejected by the Nigerian senate. It is therefore not clear if the Nigerian Army would be part of this standby force, since the senate had voted against military deployment.

What this farcical situation clearly shows is that there are deep divisions running through the Nigerian ruling class. A section of them understand that military intervention would not be for the best at this stage.

What was also interesting was that ECOWAS has issued its own statement, independently of Nigeria, saying that military intervention would only be considered as a last resort. This further shows the division in the ruling classes in the region.

The possibility of deploying troops to Niger is not very popular in Nigeria, particularly with the youth. On Saturday, protests were held in Kano state against the threat of military intervention. Protesters chanted: Nigeriens are our brothers, Nigeriens are our family, and Niger is ours, we dont want war, war against Niger is an injustice, a plot by western forces.

This sentiment is particularly deep in the states which border Niger, where people share deep ethnic ties. What the Nigerian ruling class is particularly afraid of is that Nigeria itself will be affected by the fallout of a military intervention. The EndSars protests, which began in 2020, are still fresh in the minds of Nigerians. There is the possibility that this could ignite on a higher level in case of a military intervention in a neighbouring country. In addition to this, there is the question of unleashing an immediate humanitarian and refugee crisis.

The Nigerian ruling class is clearly split over the question of intervening in Niger, with many seeing it as unwise given the anger and unpopularity of these threats / Image: public domain

A further deterrent is that this coup has popular support in Niger and across the region. In the minds of many people, particularly the youth, this is a blow against French imperialism. This sentiment runs deep across the francophone region, particularly in Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea and Senegal.

A clear example of this are the daily demonstrations on the streets of the capital Niamey in support of the coup leaders. Last Sunday, a demonstration of tens of thousands of people gathered at a stadium in the capital as a deadline set by Tinubu to return deposed president Bazoum to power was set to expire.

The Economist quoted Nassirou Mahamadou, a vegetable seller in Niamey who was outraged that ECOWAS is even considering sending troops to Niger: If they come here, we [civilians] are going to war alongside the army. This sentiment is typical and this mass support is a major factor in the current equation.

Therefore, the most likely immediate scenario is the initiation of some sort of dialogue. Last week General Abdourahmane Tchiani had agreed in principle to start dialogue with ECOWAS after his meeting with Nigerian Islamic scholars.

Hatred of French imperialism boiling over

One of the underlying factors fuelling the whole process in West Africa and the Sahel is an intense mood of hatred against French imperialism. For this reason, direct military intervention by France is very unlikely. In fact, this has the potential to set the entire continent of Africa ablaze. Instead, the French would most likely prefer to ride out the storm and play for time.

After World War II, through political, security and economic ties, France has maintained a tight stranglehold in francophone Africa, both to serve its interests and retain a last bastion of weakening imperial prestige.

Since World War II, Africa has remained central to French imperialist interests / Image: survie.org

In March 2008, former French President Jacques Chirac said: Without Africa, France will slide down into the rank of a third world power. Chiracs predecessor Francois Mitterrand said that: Without Africa, France will have no history in the 21st century.

The consequences of this policy for Africa were slavish dependence on the French economy; dependence on the French military; and the open-door policy for French private enterprise to loot and plunder this region.

For decades fourteen Western and Central African countries have had their national reserves held by the French central bank under essentially colonial monetary agreements. These are Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Guinea Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville and Gabon.

The French National Assembly passed a law in May 2020, ratifying the end of the CFA franc and with it the requirement for countries to lodge their reserves with the Bank of France. However, in practice the same relation continues to exist, with African critics calling the reforms more symbolic than real.

It is estimated that France now holds nearly $500 billion every year of African countries money in its treasury. Moreover, African countries do not have access to this money. In fact, France forced its former colonies to put up to 65 percent of their foreign currency reserves into the French Central Bank, plus another 20 percent for financial liabilities, thus leaving them access to only 15 percent of their own money. If they need more, they have to borrow their own money from France at commercial rates.

A suffocating parasite

France has had the first right to buy any natural resources found on the territory of its ex-colonies. Preferences were given to French interests and companies in the field of public procurement.

France maintained an exclusive right to supply military equipment and training to the African military by deploying troops and intervening in African countries to defend Frances interests. And these countries were obliged to ally with France alone in situations of war or crisis.

Over the past 70 years, France has protected its interests in Africa through economic measures, by covert action and dozens of military interventions. France has intervened in sub-Saharan Africa on various occasions in recent years, in addition to using intelligence and surveillance operations and countless semi-permanent military campaigns.

The French have been at the frontline in the enslavement, colonisation and plundering of francophone Africa by stealing their gold, diamonds and other natural resources. In short, France has been bleeding Africa dry.

It has been a parasitic, suffocating leach on the region. And this has, to a large extent, fuelled the resentments built-up against it on account of its political interference and armed interventions. It also explains why the recent string of coups, carried out by a layer of the officer caste, are so popular in the region.

An explosive situation

All of this has created an explosive situation over time. It is no wonder the French are so unpopular. Presidents and ministers are greeted by protests when they visit former French colonies in Africa.

The process of radicalisation in West Africa took a qualitative turn in the aftermath of the Arab revolutions of 2010-2015. In Nigeria, we saw the Occupy Nigeria movement directly inspired by the Egyptian revolution. There was the movement to remove Abdullah Wade in Senegal in 2012. In 2014 there was a revolutionary movement which removed Blaise Compaorre in Burkina Faso. Then there were revolutionary movements in Togo and Gabon.

On top of this, France pushed heavily for NATO intervention in Libya against Muammar Gaddafi. This was another turn in the situation. The aim of this intervention was to cut across the Arab Revolution, of course. But a consequence of this has been the destabilisation of West Africa and the Sahel.

The jihadists moved from Libya into the Sahel and West Africa, and NATO and French imperialism followed them in. This poured more fuel on the fire of the developing revolutionary mood.

In Burkina Faso, which has entered a revolutionary period, this caused an insurrectionary mood as the masses armed themselves to fight back.

The coup in Niger is only the most recent of a number of such coups directed against western and French imperialism / Image: own work

In September 2022, an initiative was launched to recruit 50,000 civilian defence volunteer forces to fight the jihadists. The situation was becoming dangerous for the ruling class. The junior officers, which in these countries represent a sensitive barometer of the general mood, decided to move.

What is abundantly clear is that French imperialism is losing its grip on West Africa. The coup in Niger is a blow to western imperialism. Niger was a key player in the United States and Frances strategy in Africa.

Mohamed Bazoum was a key ally to the West. Under him, the country was an oasis of apparent stability in a deeply unstable region. France has stationed some 1,500 troops in Niger, most having been moved there after their humiliating expulsion from Mali. This open alliance with the West was deeply resented by the Nigerien masses. This explains the mass support the coup leaders are receiving.

Niger has now become the latest link in a chain of coups that have shaken the Sahel region. All of these coups are directly against the interests of French and western imperialism. Burkina Faso demanded all French troops leave in 2022. Mali expelled 2,400 French troops in 2022.These represent a shift in world relations and usher in a new period of realignment and turbulence in the crisis of capitalism.

It must also be remembered that more than 60 percent of the population of the entire continent is under the age of 25 years old. This makes it the youngest continent in the world. Every one of the worlds 10 youngest nations by median age are in Africa, with Niger in first place among them, with a median age of 14.8 years. What we are seeing is a process of deepening radicalisation, a process that will sweep across the whole African continent.
'A miracle': Maui church untouched as wildfires torch surroundings

As part of what a local religious leader describes as a miracle, a Catholic Church in Maui still stands after wildfires ravaged its surroundings.

Photographs taken in recent days reveal that Maria Lanakila Catholic Church in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, remains standing after a wildfire tore through the Maui County community and left several trees in the vicinity of the property scorched. The Rev. Terrence Watanabe, the vicar of Maui and Lanai, expressed gratitude for the preservation of the historic site in an interview with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Saturday.

For us, its like a miracle, he said. When we saw the news and saw the church steeple rise above the town, it was a great sight to see.

Maria Lanakila Catholic Church dates back to 1846, more than 100 years before Hawaii joined the union as the 50th state. While the church and its adjacent rectory appear to remain intact, the roof blew off the nearby Sacred Heart School. The roof remains on the 19th century Catholic Church, although it appears to have sustained some level of damage.

Watanabe, who serves as the pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in the Maui County community of Wailiku, cautioned that an engineer may recommend the demolition of the building if he visits Maria Lanakila Catholic Church and determined it to be unsafe. We wont know until we get in there and make an assessment, Watanabe said.

The Rev. Kuriakose Nadooparambil, the pastor of Maria Lanakila, managed to escape the historic church before the wildfires posed a danger to the surrounding community but he told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that one of his church staffers waited until the last minute to evacuate: He didnt leave until the palm trees outside were on fire, and there was fire on both sides of the road as he drove away.

The news about the apparent preservation of Maria Lanakila Catholic Church comes less than a week after wildfires broke out in Maui County, Hawaii, burning thousands of acres of land and leaving approximately 100 dead. An update posted on the Maui County website detailed that as of Monday night, two of the four wildfires engulfing the region have been extinguished or contained to the point where they no longer pose a threat to residents.

The Lahaina fire, one of the two other wildfires burning in Maui County, is 85% contained and has destroyed approximately 2,170 acres. The Maui Police Department has confirmed that all four wildfires combined have resulted in 99 deaths.

Maria Lanakila Church is not the only house of worship in Hawaii to emerge from the wildfires unscathed thus far. Harvest Kumulani, a Lahaina-based church affiliated with Pastor Greg Lauries Harvest Christian Fellowship, has also been spared by the wildfires, welcome news that Laurie attributed to Gods grace.
Hawaii Wildfires Spare Harvest Church, Biden Funding Atheism Abroad, Bible Engagement Decreases With Younger Generations

link to download the audio instead. link to download the audio instead. 06:39 06:39

Top headlines for Tuesday, August 15, 2023

In this episode, we start with a miraculous report from Maui, where a church from Pastor Greg Lauries Harvest Christian Fellowship survived the devastating wildfires, a beacon of hope amidst the tragic loss of over 2,000 structures and innocent lives. Then, we delve into controversies in Congress, as republican members express concern over Biden's administration funding for an international organization promoting atheism. Ending on a hopeful note, we discuss a recent reporting indicating a nuanced relationship of the younger generation with religion - even with declining engagement, a considerable number of these young people credit the bible for life-changing transformations. Tune in for a thought-provoking dialogue at the intersection of faith and contemporary issues.

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Top headlines for Tuesday, August 15, 2023

In this episode, we start with a miraculous report from Maui, where a church from Pastor Greg Lauries Harvest Christian Fellowship survived the devastating wildfires, a beacon of hope amidst the tragic loss of over 2,000 structures and innocent lives. Then, we delve into controversies in Congress, as republican members express concern over Biden's administration funding for an international organization promoting atheism. Ending on a hopeful note, we discuss a recent reporting indicating a nuanced relationship of the younger generation with religion - even with declining engagement, a considerable number of these young people credit the bible for life-changing transformations. Tune in for a thought-provoking dialogue at the intersection of faith and contemporary issues.
Revelation 16: Painful sores, the price of denying Christ

In the book, Is It Real When It Doesnt Work? authored by Doug Murren and Barb Shurin, an intriguing antidote is shared. It comes from the remarkable life of Alfred Nobel, the eminent Swedish chemist of the late 19th century.

One fateful morning, Nobel was astonished to read his obituary in the local newspaper. The newspaper had made a grievous mistake by attributing the obituary to Alfred instead of his brother who had passed away. The obituary said that Nobel, the mastermind behind the invention of dynamite, had thereby facilitated the means for an unprecedented number of casualties in warfare. Moreover, it highlighted Nobels immense wealth.

The newspapers error and the remarks it had made about him struck Nobel hard, prompting him to take inventory of his life. He started to yearn to be remembered for something more than his prodigious contribution to weaponry and the accumulation of riches. Hence, feeling a resolute determination, he created and launched the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize. This esteemed accolade was established to honor individuals from around the world who dedicated themselves to the advancement of peace through their extraordinary scientific breakthroughs and literary works.

Driven by his newfound purpose, Nobel once wisely said, Every man ought to have the chance to correct his epitaph midstream and write a new one.



There are mainly four different approaches to the interpretation of Revelation chapter 16. The Preterist would say the events of the book have already taken place, particularly during the time of the Roman Empire. The Historicist would argue Revelations prophecies span across historical periods and the book provides a timeline of events throughout history. The Idealist would contend Revelations content is a symbolic portrayal of spiritual truths and ongoing cosmic conflicts that represent the timeless battle between good and evil. The Futurist would assert Revelation primarily refers to future events, more specifically, those of the End Times and the return of Christ.

All of these methods of interpretation have merit. However, it appears that moderate futurism may provide a more complete understanding, meaning some prophecies have already been fulfilled in history, some are currently unfolding, while others are still to come. Revelation chapter 16, more likely, falls in the category of things yet to come.

The first verse of chapter 16 says a voice is heard from the heavenly temple ordering seven bowls of Gods wrath to be poured out on humanity. This is a futuristic view of the end of The Tribulation period, and unlike Alfred Nobel, who had a chance to correct the trajectory of his life, no one at this juncture in world history will be able to do so.

This marks the beginning of Hell on Earth for the damned. Here is what the Bible says about the first bowl of Gods wrath:

Then I heard a mighty voice from the Temple say to the seven angels, Go your ways and pour out on the earth the seven bowls containing Gods wrath. So the first angel left the Temple and poured out his bowl on the earth, and horrible, malignant sores broke out on everyone who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue (Revelation 16:1, 2).

The imagery of bowls of wrath or vials of wrath poured out on the earth finds its root in various ancient texts. In the Greco-Roman world, the concept of pouring out divine retribution was not uncommon. Greek and Roman mythology often featured gods or goddesses pouring out their wrath or curses upon individuals or cities as punishment for their wrongdoing.

In the Old Testament, for example, the books of Exodus, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, have statements associated with the pouring out of Gods anger and fury.

In Exodus 7:4-5, what God says to Moses is indicative of his intention to plague the people of Egypt because of their treatment of Gods chosen people. The text reads:

Even then Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you. So, I will bring down my fist on Egypt. Then I will rescue my forces  my people, the Israelites  from the land of Egypt with great acts of judgment. When I raise my powerful hand and bring out the Israelites, the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD (Exodus 7:4, 5).

This passage clarifies that the plagues that came upon Egypt were acts of Gods judgment and a demonstration of His mighty power, which is associated with the pouring out of his wrath.

Jeremiah and Ezekiel mention the concept of Gods wrath or the pouring out of His judgment by using the metaphor of a cup filled with his anger and rage.

This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: Take from my hand this cup filled to the brim with my anger and make all the nations to whom I send you drink from it. When they drink from it, they will stagger, crazed by the warfare I will send against them. So, I took the cup of anger from the LORD and made all the nations drink from it  every nation to which the LORD sent me (Jeremiah 25:15-17). Because you have followed in your sisters footsteps, I will force you to drink the same cup of terror she drank. Yes, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: You will drink from your sisters cup of terror, a cup that is large and deep. It is filled to the brim with scorn and derision (Ezekiel 23:31-32).

The entire construct of bowls of wrath, the cup of Gods wrath, the pouring out of Gods wrath, should not be glossed over. Instead, it should be contemplated carefully. This kind of imagery is meant to signify the full measure of Gods indignation and divine justice. Such phrasing represents the inescapable and inevitable consequences of human wickedness.

In modern times, these expressions hold significant theological and moral implications. They are reminders that Gods holy and righteous nature cannot be violated with impunity. These metaphorical terms are prompts, notices, and aide-memoirs to individuals and societies to uphold moral values.

In an unprecedented spectacle, Revelation chapter 16 says the first angel unleashed his vessels contents upon the Earth, and a cascade of divine affliction flowed. What resulted was a ghastly affliction, vile and repugnant, which was manifest upon everyone who was marked with the emblem of the Antichrist, and all who had paid homage to his graven image.

The sores described in the text are literally ulcerated sores, malignant and very painful. Across the spectrum of time, terrible diseases such as smallpox, bubonic plague, and other infectious outbreaks have caused severe skin lesions and sores.

The Bubonic Plague, also called the Black Death, emerged during the mid-14th century, with initial outbreaks in China and Central Asia. It then spread along trade routes, reaching Europe in 1347. The plague rapidly became an unparalleled catastrophe as it wreaked havoc across the continent.

The plague acquired its name due to buboes, which were swollen and excruciatingly painful lymph nodes typically found in the groin, armpit, and neck regions. These agonizing swellings rapidly progressed from small lumps to large, purple-black-colored sores filled with pus and blood. The sickness would often lead to tissue necrosis, resulting in the formation of ulcers and malignant sores. The torment of these boils, along with a high fever, headaches, chills, and exhaustion were horrific to witness.

The Bubonic Plague caused unprecedented devastation, wiping out approximately 30-60% of Europes population during its peak years from 1347 to 1351. Entire communities were decimated, with corpses piling up in the streets due to the overwhelming number of deaths.

There have been recent outbreaks of the Bubonic Plague. Fortunately, none of them became major epidemics. One such outbreak occurred in Madagascar in 2017. Over 2,400 cases were reported, with around 200 deaths, predominantly caused by the pneumonic form of the infection. Immediate actions were taken by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Madagascars Ministry of Health to control the outbreak, including isolation of the sick, and treatment with antibiotics along with public health education campaigns. Coupled with the grace of God, these measures, kept the outbreak contained.

But this raises an important question: Could something like this happen again and all attempts to contain the disease prove futile? When reading Revelation 16, this not only seems possible, but it seems plausible, except the infirmity depicted in Revelation would be much worse.

Drawing from a possibility suggested in Revelation Visualized by Dr. Gary Cohen and Salem Kirban, this malady may be directly related to taking the Mark of the Beast either in a tattoo or some kind of implant.

There have been reported cases of individuals experiencing serious negative reactions, including sores on the body, after getting tattoos or implants placed under the skin. These reactions can occur due to a variety of factors such as allergic reactions, infections, or improper procedures. These allergic reactions can be caused by specific pigments, metals, or other substances used in the tattoo or implant. In some cases, these complications can lead to the formation of sores, rashes, blisters, or other skin abnormalities.

This seems quite plausible, too, especially since the Scripture says this plague only affects those who have the Mark of the Beast.

There is another possibility that might be a cause for this first terrible bowl judgment of God  the rampant sexual immorality during the Tribulation period. One may recall the way Revelation 9:21 portrayed the people of this time, saying:

And they did not repent of their murders or their witchcraft or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

Each of the sins mentioned in this text is grievous, but it is sexual immorality which can destroy the body. The apostle Paul warned:

Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Dont you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So, you must honor God with your body (I Corinthians 6:18-20).

This passage emphasizes the destructive nature of sexual immorality. It stresses the importance of honoring the body as a temple of the Holy Spirit and living in line with Gods standards.

Contrary to common thinking there isnt any safe sex outside of Gods standards for sexual purity. Sex is for one man and one woman who are committed to each other for life in the bond of marriage.

Anything outside of these parameters involves a risk, a game of Russian Roulette with ones health, not to mention the way fornication and adultery precipitate emotional and psychological damage, relationship issues, unplanned pregnancies that often lead to abortion, social and legal consequences, and of course, spiritual implications. Sexual immorality is no small matter.

Could it be that this plague represents a new strain of a severe sexually transmitted disease?

There are statistics from health organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom, which report that sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise.

Genital Herpes is characterized by painful, fluid-filled blisters or sores on the genitals, buttocks, or anus. The blisters can break open, forming ulcers that eventually scab over. Syphilis progresses through different stages. In the primary stage, a painless sore known as a chancre develops at the site of infection, which can be genital, anal, or oral. If left untreated, additional symptoms can develop. Cancroid leads to the development of painful, ulcerated sores in the genital area. Chancroid is an uncommon STD but can cause significant discomfort. Although HIV/AIDS is not necessarily terminal, there is still no cure for it. Moreover, ulcerated, painful sores can be a part of the affliction. These sores can occur in various parts of the body, including the mouth, genital areas, and other areas of the skin. They may be caused by opportunistic infections, such as herpes simplex virus, which can thrive in individuals with weakened immune systems due to HIV/AIDS.

It truly is conceivable that in a day of unrestrained promiscuousness, as one might reasonably presume the Tribulation period would be, since there will be at that time a wholesale rejection of God and his law, an incurable STI or STD is unleashed  one that health authorities are helpless to counter.

Thus far, world health officials have been able to provide some semblance of control over the previously mentioned scourges.

Thus far, in the book of Revelation, the Seal Judgments and the Trumpet Judgments have been limited in their effect, giving people an opportunity to turn from their sins and receive Christ.

Nevertheless, by the time the Bowl Judgments come into the picture, God is no longer pulling his punches, and the full force of an uncurable, unstoppable, unbearable sexually transmitted disease, which shows no mercy, might be what the first angel pours out upon the land.

Admittedly, all of these suggested possibilities are pure conjecture or speculation. Nevertheless, what is absolutely certain about this text, is that this plague of nasty, menacing malignancy of dreadful sores is poured out at Gods order on everyone who spurned their rightful Sovereign, Benefactor, and would-be Savior.

As Cohen and Kirban say, the ulcerating of these marks on those who took the Mark of the Beast is true justice at the hands of the rejected Great Physician!

Consider earnestly! In a symbolic sense, these putrefying, poignant, punishing sores described in Revelation 16 might also represent afflictions of the soul. Sin can be like the ulcerated sores of leprosy that perniciously spread and eat away at ones spiritual health, joy and peace.

Jesus healed and cleansed many lepers. He can heal and cleanse your broken spirit. He can wash away every sin, no matter how repugnant. Hes calling. The offer is still open but the door of opportunity will soon close.
Al Mohler weighs in on if SBC may have to clarify female pastor ban due to trans ideology

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler has acknowledged the possibility that the Southern Baptist Convention might have to someday clarify that the office of pastor belongs to biological men and not women who identify as men.

On an episode of his podcast The Briefing that was posted online last Friday, Mohler was asked by a listener about the SBC's standards for who can serve in the office of pastor, in light of the denominations recent decision to clarify that only men can serve as pastors.

That position is reactive. Should we also not be proactive and amend further so that it says only biological males at birth may be a pastor? asked the listener, identified as Scott. It seems like only a matter of time before the Convention is faced with possibly having to disfellowship a church for having a transgender pastor.

Mohler responded that while he agreed with Scott that it was possible, the Baptist Faith & Message 2000, an authoritative book in the SBC, makes very clear that gender is a part of the goodness of God's creation, making human beings as male and female.

So, I think any fair reading of that accomplishes what you're looking for here, Mohler continued. The Southern Baptist Convention's Baptist Faith and Message is quite clear. The 2000 revision, now going back 20 plus years, had to be revised in order to make very clear that there is no transgender, non-binary option when it comes to biblical Christianity.

In every generation, the Christian Church has to closely monitor what can be assumed and what must be articulated. The longer we go in all of this confusion, I think it's safe to say the more that is going to have to be articulated.

Back in June, at the SBC's Annual Meeting in New Orleans, messengers overwhelmingly approved an amendment to the Conventions constitution to bar women from serving as a "pastor of any kind" in member churches.

Championed by Pastor Mike Law of Arlington Baptist Church in Virginia, the amendment still has to be approved by a messenger vote at next years Annual Meeting before it can be added to the constitution.

At the same SBC Annual Meeting, messengers also voted to uphold the disfellowshipping of Saddleback Church due to the California-based megachurch having a woman serving in the office of teaching pastor. Some 90% of messengers voted to disfellowship churches that have women in the role of pastor.

During the appeals process, Saddleback founder and author Rick Warren argued that Southern Baptists could agree to disagree on the matter of female pastors, comparing it to the SBC's decision not to disfellowship churches that adhered to Calvinist theology.

"We should remove churches for all kinds of sexual sins, racial sin, financial sin, leadership sin, sins that harm the testimony of our convention," Warren told the SBC gathering. "But the 1,129 churches with women on pastoral staff have not sinned."

For his part, Mohler spoke against Saddleback's appeal, warning the SBC messengers that Saddleback was threatening the unity of the denomination and that the issue was not nonessential.

"It's not just a matter of church polity; it's not just a matter of hermeneutics," Mohler stated. "It's a matter of biblical commitment, a commitment to the Scripture that unequivocally we believe limits the office of pastor to men."

"Here we face the unusual situation in which Dr. Warren himself has made repeated statements, and the church has taken repeated actions that make very clear it rejects the confessional understanding of the Southern Baptist Convention on this issue."
Karine Jean-Pierre defends Biden after criticism for 'no comment' response to fatal Maui wildfires

President Joe Biden and White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre are defending the administration's response to the wildfires in Maui after he caused outcry for responding with no comment when asked about the situation over the weekend.

On Sunday, Bloomberg White House Correspondent Justin Sink sent out a tweet indicating that Biden was asked about the death toll from wildfires in Hawaii that have left nearly 100 people dead after a couple hours on the Rehoboth Beach in Delaware. Sink noted that Biden responded with a No comment. The journalist did not provide a video of the presidents remarks on the matter.

After a couple hours on the Rehoboth beach, @potus was asked about the rising death toll in Hawaii



No comment, he said before heading home pic.twitter.com/Y0UmXirju9  Justin Sink (@justinsink) August 13, 2023

Video footage surfaced Monday, documenting a reporter asking Biden if he had any comment on the rising death toll in Maui. As Sink previously reported, Biden answered the question with No. No comment. While another reporter encouraged Biden to come talk about the Hawaii response, the president got into a vehicle and departed from the vacation destination.

RNC Research amplified the video on social media as criticism of Bidens remark extended beyond his critics. Chris Cilizza of CNN addressed the video footage by declaring, Not a great moment for Biden here.

Not a great moment for Biden here https://t.co/2LWux55roA  Chris Cillizza (@ChrisCillizza) August 14, 2023

Biden published a lengthy thread on Twitter Monday after his no comment remark had generated considerable backlash.

As residents of Hawaii mourn the loss of life and devastation taking place across their beautiful home, we mourn with them, he wrote. Like Ive said, not only are our prayers with those impacted  but every asset we have will be available to them.

As residents of Hawai'i mourn the loss of life and devastation taking place across their beautiful home, we mourn with them.



Like I've said, not only our prayers are with those impacted  but every asset we have will be available to them.



Here's the latest:  President Biden (@POTUS) August 14, 2023

The remainder of the Twitter thread outlined the Biden administrations response to the wildfires in Hawaii thus far. He began by noting that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has made temporary sheltering assistance available for residents who were displaced from their homes by the wildfires, allowing survivors to shelter in hotels or motels temporarily as they develop a long-term housing plan.

Were laser focused on getting aid to survivors, including Critical Needs Assistance: a one-time $700 payment per household offering relief during an unimaginably difficult time, he added. We have staff on the ground dedicated to helping survivors navigate the registration process.

Biden also pointed out how his administration was translating materials into the most common languages spoken in the islands and working closely with community-led organizations as part of an effort to ensure that all residents receive critical information so they can take steps to move forward in their recovery. He encouraged residents to apply for FEMA assistance at DisasterAssistance.gov or by using the FEMA app and highlighted the availability of a Family Assistance Center at the Kahului Community Center.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also defended the administrations handling of the Hawaii wildfires at a press briefing Monday, where she found herself subject to criticism for mispronouncing the names of both of the states U.S. senators and referring to one of them by the wrong gender pronoun. Specifically, Jean-Pierre mispronounced the name of Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, and communicated to reporters that he thanked the president for the immediate support of federal agencies even though Hirono is a woman.

Additionally, Jean-Pierre repeatedly mispronounced the name of Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, including by calling him Senator Shorts before eventually getting the pronunciation right. RRH Elections, which describes itself as a Republican blog for election news & analysis, commented on Jean-Pierres remarks by pointing out that Joe Biden won Hawaii by nearly 30 points in 2020 and the state has an all-Dem Congressional delegation.

Joe Biden won Hawaii by nearly 30 points in 2020 and the State has an all-Dem Congressional delegation, yet when Hawaiians are literally dying from a catastrophic natural disaster, Washington Democrats don't even know their names???? https://t.co/w1c5SJpZ0S  RRH Elections (@RRHElections) August 14, 2023

When Hawaiians are literally dying from a natural disaster, Washington Democrats dont even know their names.

An update posted on the Maui County, Hawaii, website Sunday night reveals that two of the four wildfires that broke out last week are 100% contained, stressing that the phrase fully contained does not mean the fire has been extinguished but rather fully surrounded by a perimeter, inside which it can still burn. Only one of the four fires, the Pu ukoli i / Kaanapali fire, has been completely extinguished after burning one acre in the course of a day.

The Lahaina fire, which broke out Tuesday, has been 85% contained and has burned 2,170 acres. The Upcountry/Kula fire, which also broke out Tuesday, is now 60% contained and has burned 678 acres. Maui County reported that hot spots in gulches and other hard to reach places, along with land divisions and fences, make establishment of complete control lines difficult while vowing that air support will be deployed during daylight hours to hit hot spots during daylight hours Monday.

As of Sunday night, the Maui Police Department has measured the death toll from the wildfires at 96.
Kentucky bus crisis that left children stranded for hours prompts calls for school choice

Kentucky lawmakers are calling for changes to the states education system following a transportation failure last week that left hundreds of children stranded on school buses until after 10 p.m. on the first day of school.

On Saturday, Jefferson County Public Schools informed parents and the public in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that there would be no school on Monday and Tuesday as it continues to work to ensure the reliability of its bus services. However, in a follow-up post, JCPS confirmed that all extracurricular activities would continue as usual.

According to The Associated Press, the Kentucky school district had reworked its bus system to reduce the number of routes due to a bus driver shortage. The district had consulted with a company that maps out courses and stops using computer algorithms; however, the bus drivers reportedly needed more time to practice the new routes.

In response to an inquiry from The Christian Post, JCPS directed CP to a Friday press conference Superintendent Marty Pollio held to address the transportation problems following the implementation of the AlphaRoute computer program. In response to a question about whether the district should be split up, the superintendent raised concerns about the logistics of such a plan.

Ive talked about the difference in this city demographically, socioeconomically and with how we would split up a city so that districts would not be 100% destitute by property assessments, Pollio said, in addition to raising concerns about the length of time it could take to build additional schools.

AlphaRoute did not immediately respond to The Christian Posts request for comment.

Following the busing problems, 12 members of Jefferson Countys legislative delegation issued an open letter to parents, teachers, students and taxpayers, demanding several changes. Instead of busing kids across the county, the lawmakers called for students to have the right to attend schools within their neighborhood and for the creation of a commission to assess splitting up the district.

Third, we will call for extensive changes to our school board, which has shown that it is not up to the task of managing our $2 billion school district, the letter states. Fourth, we strongly support school choice, which will empower parents to have more control over the education of their children. To that end, we support putting a school choice amendment on the 2024 ballot for the voters to decide.

The 12 lawmakers final demand is for Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear to call a special session of the General Assembly to begin the process of enacting the policies proposed in the letter.

In a Thursday video statement, Pollio issued an apology, empathizing with parents by acknowledging how unnerving it must have been when their children didnt return home at the expected time. He also apologized to the bus drivers and school personnel who were impacted by the incident, with some staff members having to work longer to ensure the students safety.

And the difficult part for me was a great day at our school, the superintendent said. I saw some incredible instruction. Kids excited, families excited, new school buildings, and to have it end with the transportation disaster that we had last night was truly unacceptable.

Pollio announced that for the next four days, the district would review all bus routes and stops in addition to providing bus drivers with paid training to learn their new routes. The superintendent also promised to improve communication between families and the schools, adding that the district plans to increase its call center within the next few days.

As WDRB reported last week, a school district in Columbus, Ohio, also failed to successfully implement the AlphaRoute software after paying $1.5 million for it. According to John Stovall, president of the bus drivers union Teamsters Local 783, the union outlined its concerns with the software to JCPC before school started.
RFK Jr. walks back support for late-term abortion ban

The campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is attempting to clarify his stance on abortion after he suggested an openness to signing a law that would ban abortion after 12 weeks gestation if elected president.

Kennedy, mounting a primary challenge to incumbent President Joe Biden, spoke with NBC News at the Iowa State Fair over the weekend. Reporter Ali Vitali asked the candidate if he would sign a federal protection to protect the rights that were in the Roe precedent, referring to the United States Supreme Courts Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. Last year, the Supreme Court overturned Roe in the Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organizationdecision determining that the U.S. Constitution does not contain a right to abortion.

I believe that the decision to abort a child should be up to the woman during the first three months of life, he responded. When Vitali inquired as to whether Kennedy would sign a federal cap limiting abortions to the first 15 weeks or the first 21 weeks of pregnancy, he once again reiterated his support for banning abortions after three months.

After Vitali categorized Kennedys position as not unlimited access to abortion as many in the Democratic Party support, the candidate stated that once a child is viable outside the womb, I think that a state has an interest in protecting that child. At the same time, Kennedy stressed that he was for medical freedom, adding, I think individuals ought to be able to make their own choices.

I think the states  have a right to protect a child once a child becomes viable, he reiterated. I think theres very, very few abortions that are performed after that period of time anyway.

Throughout the latter portion of his comments on abortion, Kennedy repeatedly pointed to the states interest in protecting the unborn child, although he suggested that he would personally not take action to protect unborn babies after a certain point in a pregnancy.

In response to Kennedys initial remarks, the pro-life group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America issued a statement praising the candidate. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s stated position is a stark contrast to the Democratic Partys radical stance of abortion on demand, with no protection for babies or their mothers, right up to the end of pregnancy, said SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser.

It recalls a party that most of its leaders today, including Joe Biden before he caved to the extreme Left, have abandoned  one that believed, or at least claimed to believe, that abortion should be rare, she added.

Dannenfelser cited public opinion polling finding majority support among the American public for limiting abortions to the first three months of pregnancy (70%) and enacting a federal law to ban abortions after 15 weeks gestation (60%) before declaring that Kennedy is one of the few prominent Democrats aligned with the consensus of the people today.

A statement posted to his campaign website Sunday attempted to clarify Kennedys position on abortion: Mr. Kennedy misunderstood a question posed to him by an NBC reporter in a crowded, noisy exhibit hall at the Iowa State Fair. Mr. Kennedys position on abortion is that it is always the womans right to choose. He does not support legislation banning abortion.

After the Kennedy campaigns apparent walk-back of his support for restricting late-term abortions, Dannenfelser issued a new statement. Todays Democratic Party tolerates no debate on abortion, strictly enforcing a platform of abortion on demand right up to birth and paid for by taxpayers, she lamented.

Kennedy is no staunch pro-life advocate, Dannenfelser insisted. He merely expressed the consensus of Americans  and a majority of rank-and-file Democrats  that unborn babies should be protected at least when they feel pain by 15 weeks.

After noting that most Democrat leaders refuse to name any protections they support for babies or their mothers, Dannenfelser stated, it seems clear someone told Kennedy to step back in line. According to Dannenfelser, This speaks volumes about the radical abortion lobbys grip on party leadership and consultants. The voters deserve to hear directly from Kennedy on where he really stands given the conflicting statements from him versus his campaign.

As Dannenfelser highlighted in her most recent statement about Kennedys position on abortion, his comments at the Iowa State Fair were not the first time he appeared to express support for limiting abortion in some capacity. At a town hall in June, Kennedy touted his advocacy on behalf of medical freedom and personal bodily autonomy, stressing that the terms apply to vaccines as well as abortion.

I dont think the government should be telling us what to do with our bodies and dictating to Americans what we can and cannot do and I think in the first three months of pregnancy  its a womans choice, he proclaimed. Kennedys comments implied that he would be open to supporting limits on abortion after the first three months of pregnancy, mirroring what he would tell NBC News two months later.

The RealClear Politics average of Democratic Primary polls, based on surveys conducted between July 7 and Aug. 4, shows that Kennedy has secured the support of 13.4% of Democratic primary voters. He lags far behind Biden, who has 63.7% support.
The decline of the Kings College reflects Western civilizational decay

Earlier this month, The Kings College in New York City announced it was canceling classes for the fall semester, laying off most of its faculty and staff, and struggling to recover its recently revoked academic accreditation. The fate of Manhattans most prominent Christian Evangelical college  a school rooted in the political and literary canon of Western civilization  is uncertain.

Nevertheless, the decline of The Kings College is bound up not only with the ills of higher education but also with the deeper cultural crisis affecting America and the West.



Having served as a professor of history at Kings for more than a decade, I am aware of the colleges challenges and self-inflicted wounds. But if the college fails, its failure cannot be blamed exclusively on the impact of COVID-19, rising crime rates, declining enrollment, or tangle-footed leadership. Something much deeper, and more debilitating, is at work: a collective indifference about the remarkable inheritance of our Judeo-Christian civilization and our moral obligation to preserve it for each generation.

On the political and cultural Left, this indifference often amounts to contempt. Western civilization, we are told, is a conceit. Our traditional beliefs and institutions are merely a social construction: tools of the oppressor against the oppressed. The United States, as the lead country in the West, is the embodiment of all its failings. Thus, courses on Western civilization have virtually disappeared in higher education, and the history of the United States is retold as a tale of unremitting racism and exploitation.

Not just the Left

It is not only the radical Left, however, which ignores our inheritance in the ideals and institutions of the West. Today there are voices on the political and religious Right that seem unaware of this legacy and its impact on the American political order. National conservatives, among others, portray the liberal tradition  from John Locke to James Madison  as morally toxic. In doing so, they fail to grasp how Christian ideas about freedom, forgiveness, charity, equality, and justice were able to permeate our culture  and how easily these ideas become corrupted or discarded.

Ironically, both the progressive Left and the new Right fail to comprehend the crucial educational task of transmission. As the American Founders put it in the Northwest Ordinance (1787): Religion, morality and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.

This helps to explain the plight of The Kings College. Its students tend to be risk-takers, and the setting of New York City separates the wheat from the chaff pretty quickly. Since its move to Manhattan in 1999, the college has sent its graduates into the fields of law, journalism, finance, business, education, and the arts. Many have gone to top-tier graduate and professional schools, such as Harvard, Yale, New York University, Columbia, Northwestern, and the University of Chicago. They are some of the most entrepreneurial, mission-oriented young people you will meet. And their sense of vocation, refined in the crucible of New York City, is nurtured in an academic environment where the cultivation of the mind  alongside the cultivation of Christian character  is taken seriously.

Thus, the question is, where are the conservative and Christian foundations and philanthropists who understand the critical role of education in cultural renewal? Where are they investing their treasures? More and more of it is going into political campaigns: The idolization of politics now cuts across partisan lines.

Where are the resources?

In the 2020 presidential election, for example, conservative and Republican donors gave the Trump campaign a staggering $1.96 billion  and to what effect? Just 1% of that amount  nearly $20 million  would reopen and reinvigorate The Kings College overnight. Ten percent, roughly $200 million, could create a flagship

Christian research institution with state-of-the-art facilities in New York City. It would establish a beachhead of intellectual and spiritual sanity in one of the most strategic cultural centers in the world.

Often it requires the perspective of those deprived of the achievements of our liberal democratic tradition to appreciate its unrivaled importance to human flourishing. Yeonmi Park, who escaped from North Korea at the age of 13, describes her bizarre experience after arriving in the United States and moving to New York City. In an essay for the Free Press, she explains that she wanted to free herself of the mental outlook of the typical North Korean  the habit of not being able to think for herself. But she found that The New York Times, The Washington Post, National Public Radio, and her education at Columbia University were of no help to her.

Why? Because of the drumbeat of self-loathing that she encountered in the liberal media and in her circle of progressive friends. She identified the Western canon as her lifeline:

It wasnt the education I received at Columbia, or following the American press, that helped me. I was reading old books ... I started to believe, as I still do now, that the only way to think for yourself is to ignore the mainstream media, and largely forget the daily news cycle, and connect instead with the great minds of the past, who know all of our problems better than we do ourselves. There is a reason why the great books of Western civilization are all banned in dictatorships.

Park is talking about the humanities: the disciplines of history, literature, politics, philosophy, economics, the arts, and religion. These subjects once formed the lifeblood of our greatest academic institutions. They were the safe harbor where the most important questions could be asked and debated: questions about justice and virtue, about politics and the good society, and about the meaning and purpose of our mortal lives. It is through the study of the humanities that the collective wisdom of the West in grappling with those questions is transmitted.

Loss of appreciation for the humanities

This has been the mission of The Kings College, in a city that seems increasingly cut off from the spiritual inheritance of our Judeo-Christian civilization. The school has been sustained financially by a relatively small group of generous donors. Its struggles reflect the fact that too many conservatives are as detached from the value of its educational purpose as the woke Left. With a handful of wonderful exceptions, we cannot depend on the current leadership in the conservative Christian community to appreciate the depth of the problem.

More than 40 years ago, Charles Malik, the Lebanese diplomat and an Arab Christian, saw it clearly. He issued a challenge to evangelicals during a speech at the dedication of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College. If Christians do not care for the intellectual health of their own children and for the fate of their own civilization, he asked, a health and fate so inextricably bound up with the state of the mind and the spirit in the universities, who is going to care?

Caring about the Christian university is caring about young people

To care about the Christian university is to care about our young people  which requires a supreme commitment to caring about the future. Historically, this was the motive force behind the transformation of the Greco-Roman world by the teachings of Jesus and his disciples. Tom Holland, a classical historian and the author of Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World, has acknowledged his own surprise at what it was that made Christianity so subversive and disruptive of the ethical norms and assumptions of classical culture. So profound has been the impact of Christianity on the development of Western civilization, he writes, that it has come to be hidden from view.

There are in the West today powerful forces dedicated to keeping Christianitys impact hidden in the shadows. But the Christian academy, like no other institution, can chase away the shadows with Light: the light of young minds illuminated by truths that have built and sustained our civilization over the centuries.

A civilization that does not care very much about these things gets exactly what it deserves.



This article first appeared in National Review.
Same-sex attracted Christians: Your identity is in the Lord, not your desires

The debate over whether Christians who struggle with same-sex attraction should identify as gay or lesbian continues to rage across the theological landscape.



Its a topic that has divided Protestant denominations for decades and many continue to cave to pressure from within the ecclesial bodies and the wider culture. While there are many facets and thorny details in this debate, there is a truly biblical way to understand and resolve it. Unfortunately, some are adding to the confusion while sounding mostly biblical. A major voice on the scene that is shaping the discourse in this way is Preston Sprinkle, and faithful Christians should think twice before adopting his stance on these issues.

What is known as Side A Theology on this issue is proffered by advocates like Matthew Vines, who claims that the Bible has been misunderstood for thousands of years and that those who have same-sex attraction should find partners of the same sex and be joined together in covenant union. By contrast, Side B Theology, advanced by authors like Sprinkle and Wesley Hill, claims that same-sex attracted Christians should identify with their attraction as an immutable part of themselves but never act upon such desires.

Both views leave struggling Christians bankrupt of hope. Sides A and B both claim that the Gospel is unable to transform a person from sinful desire to a life victorious. In other words, there is no hope for restoration and they shouldnt go looking for it. They basically say anyone who wants to pray and counsel others through this sin is harmful when they offer the implosion of Exodus International as proof of their ideology. Without explicitly stating so, the Side B attitude is that sexual temptations will never cease. The best they can expect is, according to Sprinkle, celibacy or mixed-orientation marriage because reparative therapy has mixed and potentially harmful results (People to Be Loved, pg. 160).

Between both of these views, Sprinkles stance is the more harmful because it rightfully acknowledges the sinfulness of the behavior but still advocates that men and women should accept the ongoing temptations as unchangeable; it is something to endure, not something that can usually be overcome.



How hopeless!

For some, when they receive Christ, they do experience immediate, lasting transformation in severely broken areas of their lives. But for many more, the process of sanctification takes a long time. Sometimes it takes so long that giving up seems easier than accepting the possibility of healing and escape from persistent temptations. At least Side A theology offers a false hope in permissible unions; still sinful to be certain, but it is more than Sprinkle and others will provide in the ethical sections of their books.



Sprinkle states, If someone uses the term gay simply to mean that they are same-sex attracted, then I think its fine in itself. Its simply a true statement about how they experience the world (pg.142). He describes it as a soft way of using the phrase; not to describe behavior but the attraction. Yet how we describe ourselves to others and the way we think about ourselves matters. For someone to experience lasting change requires a change of thinking through surrender. Instead of saying I am a gay Christian it would be far better for them to say of themselves, I am a Christian who surrenders all areas of my life to God. Sprinkle acknowledges that same-sex attraction is a disordered result of the fall (pg. 149).



Some might say this is a battle over semantics, and, in a way, it is. Words are powerful and they have the ability to determine the direction of our lives. Language gets abused frequently because knowledge, what we use words to communicate, is power. When words get twisted to mean things they did not mean before, or when words that have precise meanings for clarity get banned from the common vernacular, the masses become accustomed to worthless speech. Words begin to mean anything anyone wants them to mean. Then words like attraction can get muddled by other words, such as orientation which implies a biological component of what we know about same-sex attraction. Yet, no study has discovered any proof of such a component. But proof hardly matters when the masses have already changed the way they talk about the issue due to widespread influence from trusted leaders.



The most interesting part of People to be Loved is that Sprinkles theological views are actually pretty solid.

In fact, this theology covers about half of his book. He rightly discusses the difference between lust and attraction, for example (pg. 149), and how some Christians conflate the two  but he neglects to include the hope of transformation in Christ. This is a glaring oversight.

When it comes to understanding Scripture, Sprinkle does well. When it comes to applying Scripture, Sprinkle misses the mark. If someone believes that Jesus redeems believers from all sin, then that should include the sins that are difficult to overcome because they entice our flesh. And yes, these are more than just sexual sins.



If the Lord does not have the power to bring us out of temptation and heal our brokenness, then what sort of Savior is he? 1 Corinthians 10:13-14 reminds us that, No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful, He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide a way out so that you may be able to bear it. So then  flee from idolatry.



To be sure, Im not advocating a kind of pray the gay away paradigm that holds that every same-sex attracted person ought to be married or even that straightness somehow equals holiness. But we owe it to everyone, including the Christian who experiences same-sex inclinations, to extend the hope of transformation even in these messy areas of life that are often filled with shame, confusion, and pain.

To his credit, Sprinkle clarified in a recent interview with Sean McDowell that it is better to describe oneself as same-sex attracted rather than use a LGBT label.

While this statement is more in keeping with theologically orthodox evangelical Christianity, it is important to regard same-sex attraction as something that God is redeeming and not something that is immutable. If the process of restoration takes a lifetime, that does not make God somehow deficient; it means He has a purpose in the slow transformation in that area of life.

Christians should not attempt to sidestep God by allowing a permissive view of sexuality in the Church, taking upon themselves a label of sin as their identity, or cohabitating with those whom they have a romantic desire for (physical or emotional) outside of Gods design.

The Apostle Paul exhorted the Corinthian church that if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation, the old life is gone; a new life has begun (2 Corinthians 5:17). As Christians we must identify with Jesus, not brokenness  sexual or otherwise.

Sprinkle is well-intentioned in the way he communicates, but his overall approach is frustratingly truncated. Given how many in the Church now emulate his approach, this is worth scrutinizing. Christians have so much more to offer in Jesus Christ to both the same-sex attracted believer and a sexually confused world than languishing hopelessness.



Those whove tasted God's goodness in this way have a much more compelling Story to tell.
Why local radio cuts make me lose faith in the BBC

I've been a strong supporter of the BBC for many years. I've even called on Christians to defend the Corporation from its many critics  including those within the Church.

But the BBC's plans to make major cuts to the output of its local radio stations  including axing popular locally-based Sunday morning religious programmes  leave me with no alternative than to join the critics of the UK's national broadcaster. At least, in this important area.

From this autumn, tens of thousands of BBC radio listeners across England will lose their local religious programmes in plans that have been widely criticised and opposed.

The cuts in the Sunday morning shows form just part of a controversial shake-up of the BBC's 39 local stations, with resources being switched from radio to digital output, such as social media and podcasts.

The plans  that include stations sharing programmes after 2pm each weekday  have prompted strikes from BBC journalists and opposition from MPs. Well-known local radio presenters have already lost their jobs.

The BBC says the plans are designed to "strengthen our local online services across news and audio." It maintains that the goal of the overall strategy "is to deliver a local service across TV, radio and online that offers more value to more people in more local communities."

Critics point out that listeners of BBC local radio tend to be older and less familiar with new technology. The loss of familiar presenters with local knowledge will particularly impact those living alone, for whom radio can play an important role in their lives.

The Sunday morning religious programmes  currently attracting an estimated national audience of around 800,000  are being re-organised into 13 regional groupings  with less scope for news, features and interviews from local churches.

One experienced producer of a faith programme told me: "Six stations sharing a faith show means inevitably the local content will be significantly reduced. The number of guests, interviews or features anchored in each county will drop - from about six per show currently, to probably a maximum of one per station. Some weeks a station or local area might not even have one local story.

"There will be no local reporters getting out into their patch, recording features, connecting with people, making contacts and reflecting faith communities in sound  which is what local radio should be doing."

The producer added: "Stations are also being directed to play an increased amount of music each hour - which will further dilute local output  with often unsuitable songs. The scope for local church services and carol concerts at Christmas and Easter services will be very limited, as bosses want to impose one pre-recorded service for all 39 stations."

Liam McCarthy, former managing editor of three BBC Local Radio stations in Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield pointed out: "One of the key public purposes of the BBC is 'to reflect, represent and serve the diverse communities' of the United Kingdom.

"The changes to BBC local radio currently being pushed through by the Corporation's senior management in England will seriously affect the ability of BBC local radio to meet this challenge."

The reduction in local on-air broadcasting will do little to build the BBC's reputation with churches. It will also dilute the beleaguered Corporation's commitment to faith issues, grassroots communities and older listeners.

The Bishop of Norwich, Graham Usher, is among religious leaders who have expressed concerns about the cuts. He tweeted: "Really depressing news about the cuts to BBC local radio, particularly BBC Radio Norfolk's flagship Sunday morning show which carries such important news, debate and discussion about and from faith communities."

The Church of England has long been perceived as a friend of the BBC, with bishops speaking out in favour of its key role in British public life. Other Christians have been less supportive and more wary of the Corporation's approach to faith. Recent years have seen the growth of new Christian TV and radio channels in direct opposition to the BBC.

Churches and other faith groups tend to have strong local roots and historic connections with their communities - the CofE has a network of 13,000 parishes that cover every inch of England.

So the dilution of the BBC's commitment to the local, and to many of the more vulnerable people in local areas, is unlikely to win it friends in the churches.

At a time when the Corporation is under pressure from all sides, and the future of the licence fee is under review, it seems a bad move for the BBC to alienate many people who might normally be its supporters.

Rev Peter Crumpler is a Church of England minister in St Albans, Herts, UK, and a former communications director with the CofE.
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In overseeing elections, local governments across the US are tasked with not only administering and counting votes but verifying the results  a process that has taken on heightened importance in recent years due to more intense election scrutiny.

Linda Gerull, city CIO, City and County of San Francisco City and County of San Francisco

The vote verification process requires a thorough review of election results to demonstrate theyre accurate, and can include checking for errors or irregularities, such as incorrect ballet counts or issues with voting machines, as well as fraud that could undermine election integrity.

A risk-limiting audit (RLA) is one audit type used for election verification. RLAs determine precisely how much hand-counting is necessary to confirm election results to a given level of confidence. For example, the closer the contest, the more ballots that must be examined.

To fully automate its RLA process, the San Francisco Department of Elections partnered with the San Francisco Department of Technology. Linda Gerull, CIO for the City and County of San Francisco, and her team used a combination of in-house software, open-source programming, and expert algorithms to create an RLA platform capable of automatically auditing thousands of votes on-demand to verify results. The platform is also capable of auditing the citys ranked-choice voting contests, making it the first such platform capable of doing so.

San Franciscos IT effort provides greater transparency to the public, minimizes human bias, and saves time, Gerull says. In increasingly politicized times, easily performing RLAs can provide a measure of confidence to the interested voter that elections are being run properly.

For a look at how other CIO 100 Award winners are supporting fair elections, see Los Angeles IT secures the vote with open source and the cloud.

AI avatar helps CSN better engage students

Organization: College of Southern Nevada

Project: Digital President Zaragoza

IT Leader: Mugunth Vaithylingam, CIO

The College of Southern Nevada turned to cutting-edge technology  an avatar named Digital President Zaragoza (DPZ) and based on the real-life CSN president  to address academias longstanding need to engage students and improve their educational experience.

Mugunth Vaithylingam, CIO, College of Southern Nevada College of Southern Nevada

Teams overseen by CSN CIO Mugunth Vaithylingam combined custom AI visuals, voice, and content to create this first-of-its-kind custom avatar, which is deployed and rendered from a web browser using client-side CPUs. The scalable avatar can have hundreds of thousands of conversations individually and simultaneously, and is highly customizable and interactive in real-time, thereby providing an immersive experience for each user.

Additionally, AI capabilities enable the avatar to adapt to various scenarios, respond to user input, and provide a human-like interaction. For example, it can learn and use students names and provide personalized information.

DPZ captures, ingests, organizes, and acts on disparate information seamlessly, allowing for frictionless brand interaction across all student touchpoints. Moreover, it can communicate with students through web and mobile devices.

It helps us address the challenges that large community colleges face in providing real-time support and guidance to students, Vaithylingam says. Especially in an era when mobile connectedness is ubiquitous, our current generation of students need the ability to get help and have somewhere to go when they feel overwhelmed right from where they are.

Vaithylingam adds: I am proud of the fact that we were able to create a tool that has the potential to make a real difference in the lives of students.

With the avatar deployed, CSN officials plan to measure whether Digital President Zaragoza improves student engagement, learning outcomes, student satisfaction, retention, and accessibility, in addition to producing time and costs savings.

Discount Tire re-engineers its customer experience

Organization: Discount Tire

Project: Discount Tire Pit Pass

IT Leader: Gary Desai, EVP and CIO

Discount Tires Pit Pass is a new store concept that uses technology to put the customer at the center of the tire-buying experience  and in the process also brings value to employees and the company itself.

Gary Desai (EVP and CIO) and Tom Williams (Chief Experience Officer), Discount Tire Gary Desai and Tom Williams / Discount Tire

Pit Pass store customers can order tires online, schedule an installation appointment, and then complete the sale and installation process via a drive-through lane.

The technologies powering this new customer journey include tire scanners and cameras that evaluate tire tread depth and condition; digital displays that guide customers into specific work bays and offer work updates; and handheld devices that enable store associates to communicate completion of services.

Revised back-store applications support this digital-first approach.

To deliver this transformative product, EVP and CIO Guy Desai focused on developing a minimum viable project and fostering cross-functional collaboration, mobilizing a team that leveraged user-centered design to develop new archetypes, personas, and to-be journey flows.

The launch of the first Pit Pass store, located in the Atlanta area, represents a pivot from a traditional brick-and-mortar retailer to a robust omnichannel brand, enabling Discount Tire to provide a more seamless, intuitive customer experience with intelligent workflows that cut down on store visit times.

The project also ensures technicians comfort and safety as they service customers. And it yields multiple business metric improvements, such as limiting surplus inventory. Moreover, Pit Pass has helped shape the companys roadmap for its future, says Chris Chapman, company vice president of IT store technology at Discount Tire.

First, it shows that Discount Tire is willing to invest in creative and innovative new ways to engage with our customers. Second, this new store model will allow Discount Tire to enter markets/locations where land and construction costs are at a premium and still provide our customers with a world-class experience, Chapman says.

For more about Discount Tires Pit Pass project, see Discount Tire tunes IT to reinvent customer experience.

US DoT digitizes vehicle safety inspections

Organization: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, US Department of Transportation

Project: SafeSpect: Digitizing Safety Inspections of Commercial Vehicles

IT Leader: Pavan Pidugu, CTO

In collaboration with state partners, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) conducts approximately 3.5 million vehicle inspections across the US annually.

Pavan Pidugu, CTO, FMCSA, US Department of Transportation US Department of Transportation

For many years, the 18,000 safety and law enforcement officers conducting those inspections had to navigate nine separate applications, usually while working in the field, often at the side of a highway  a situation FMCSA officials recognized was ripe for digital transformation and an improved employee experience.

We wanted to provide a safer way for safety enforcements, says FMCSA CTO Pavan Pidugu, who, working with the CIO and FMCSA leadership, focused on delivering a new inspection system quickly.

Beginning with information-gathering sessions with stakeholders to define the problems and needs, the Office of the CTO (OCTO) leveraged human-centered design principles and agile development principles to pilot SafeSpect within five months of the project kickoff date.

SafeSpect is the only device-agnostic web-based inspection platform in the market that works with or without connectivity. It features a single pane of view into all relevant information about the motor carrier, vehicle, and driver being inspected, thereby enabling inspectors to make quick data-driven decisions.

Moreover, the application flow and logic streamline information capture by eliminating redundancy and conflicts. It also allows inspectors to tailor the experience to their usage, carry an input device to the point of inspection to eliminate transcription errors, and input information with minimal keystrokes to minimize errors and inconsistencies.

During the pilot, the SafeSpect team observed a 60% improvement in time to complete and submit a Level 3 inspection for approval.

OCTO continues to add new capabilities and features to SafeSpect, and Pidugu says his office is exploring whether SafeSpect could be used for other types of inspections.

Generac transforms its business with data

Organization: Generac Power Systems

Project: PowerInsights

IT Leader: Tim Dickson, CIO

After arriving at Generac Power Systems as its new CIO, Tim Dickson hosted the companys first-ever hackathon to upskill IT employees and evaluate the team. But the event yielded an even bigger result in form of PowerInsights, an interactive geospatial visualization, analytics, and AI tool that helps the company identify potential new customers and offer other new market opportunities.

Tim Dickson, CIO, Generac Power Systems Generac Power Systems

PowerInsights is displayed on an 85-inch touch-screen TV in the companys main lobby, allowing employees, executives, and visitors (including customers) to see and interact with the data. It can, for example, show where theres idle power that a customer (such as a utility) might want to sell, and it also provides the companys dealer network with a holistic view of their business and opportunities to expand.

The project has been transformative for Generacs business.

PowerInsights has helped the company evolve from a generator manufacturer into an energy technology solutions provider, Dickson says.

As part of the hackathon, the IT team sought to achieve three things: to aggregate the companys data into an enterprise data platform; to build an API that would provide business access to that data; and to develop a machine learning algorithm to provide insights on top of the aggregated IoT data.

The hackathons initial prototype proved all that was, indeed, technically possible, and it soon evolved into a formal program that produced PowerInsights.

In addition to delivering full visibility of assets across the company, PowerInsights also features an AI model called PowerScore, which helps the companys sales and marketing teams target potential customers with campaigns and promotions. Its two other AI models, Opportunity Score and Utility Score, provide additional insights about market opportunities.

For a deeper look at PowerInsights, see Generac powers business transformation with data, AI.

Great Wolf Resorts goes digital to enhance guest experience

Organization: Great Wolf Resorts

Project: Project Darwin

IT Leader: Ramki Srinivasan, CDIO

Great Wolf Resorts experienced significant growth during the past five years, with the company expanding its footprint as well as the number of guests it hosts. The company expects that considerable rate of growth to its waterpark-themed resorts to continue over the next three years.

Ramki Srinivasan, CDIO, Great Wolf Resorts Great Wolf Resorts

In response, IT  working collaboratively with operations and other functional groups  created a multipronged initiative aimed at delivering more digital experiences for both guests and employees.

The initiatives deliverables include new on-site kiosks as well as new and redesigned mobile capabilities to provide contactless services, such as digital check-in and food ordering.

Another deliverable uses artificial intelligence to support the companys lifeguards; here, IT delivered cameras that use AI to monitor waterparks and identify potential safety issues, with the goal of further improving guard response times.

IT also deployed robotic process automation (RPA) and modernized manual legacy workflows via a migration to cloud platforms.

Chief Digital and Information Officer Ramki Srinivasan says Project Darwin focused on enabling employees to take care of guests more effectively and efficiently while also improving the experience for workers, too.

Were making a lot of progress addressing those goals, he says, noting that the project has helped cut costs and boost revenue, too.

For example, the new mobile food-ordering capabilities are delivering check sizes 50% over walk-in orders. And automation has helped Great Wolf redeploy associates to focus on more value-added efforts, with future workflow automation set to accelerate that strategy further.

Srinivasan says the initiative is critical to companys growth objectives, too. The combination of automating workflows, adding digital self-service capabilities, and modernizing legacy applications means workers have been able to shed low-value manual tasks and can focus on higher-value ones. That not only improves the customer experience but increases worker efficiency. As Srinivasan explains: We cannot have the growth and scale that we have planned without these enhancements.

Machine learning helps Novant Health improve suicide prevention

Organization: Novant Health

Project: Behavioral Health Acuity Risk model for suicide prevention through clinical interventions

IT Leader: Karen Hegarty, VP Cognitive Computing

When it comes to suicide prevention, a key issue is identifying patients in need. The Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), a manual screening tool that relies on a patients willingness to express having suicidal thoughts, can be challenged in this area, and so the team at Novant Health sought to develop a better approach to discovering potential suicidal ideation.

Karen Hegarty, VP of cognitive computing, Novant Health Novant Health

Karen Hegarty, vice president of cognitive computing at Novant Health, and her team partnered with clinicians from mental health, emergency medicine, and psychiatry to create an automatic and data-driven predictive model that examines information from a patients medical record to assess the likelihood of suicidal behavior.

The Behavioral Health Acuity Risk (BHAR) model leverages a machine learning technique called random forests, which can be natively hosted in the electronic health record and updated in near-real time, with results immediately available to clinical staff.

This work enables our care team to identify potential suicidal ideations and engage with the patient in a meaningful and caring way, Hegarty says.

To build the BHAR model, the Novant Health team used historical data from its electronic health records (EHR) system as well as data from external sources.

The BHAR model provides clinicians with a real-time assessment of risk in the form of a percentage and color-coded low/medium/high range, all of which is visible in the patients EHR.

The tech teams partnership with clinical teams helped build trust in the models accuracy and effectiveness among caregivers. And that partnership along with a human-centered approach to implementing BHAR ensured that the tool fit within clinical workflows.

The work paid off, and we are seeing a real impact on our patients, their care, and their lives, Hegarty says, noting that Novant Health plans to share the model so that other healthcare systems can implement it to benefit their patients.

Oshkosh tracks manufacturing assets with IoT

Organization: Oshkosh Corp.

Project: Improving Manufacturing Efficiency through IoT Enabled Asset Tracking

IT Leader: Anu Khare, SVP & CIO

Oshkosh Corp., maker of specialty vehicles and access equipment, had challenges in its ability to locate parts, vehicles, and tooling  challenges that created a barrier to greater production efficiency.

Anu Khare, senior vice president and CIO, Oshkosh Corp. Anu Khare / Oshkosh Corp.

To tackle that problem, Oshkosh IT partnered with manufacturing to build and implement an IoT-enabled asset-tracking capability that enables real-time identification of critical tools, parts, and equipment in 3D space with accuracy within 12 inches. The platform, which can also track asset movement over time to inform material-flow improvements, works through a grid of wireless Bluetooth satellite nodes installed inside Oshkoshs manufacturing facility, and each of the companys assets are tagged with Bluetooth transmitters.

The solution operates similar to a GPS system, but it is localized within the shop floor, is more secure, uses less energy, and costs less than GPS.

Manufacturing team members can see the geolocation of any part, tool, equipment, or vehicle with a visual representation of its coordinate in 3D space. An interactive dashboard with mobile capabilities enables team members to view satellite health, each tagged asset with real-time location at the specified site, and heatmap data collected over a specified time range.

The system effectively automates 3,750 hours annually in just one of Oshkoshs facilities, time previously spent searching for critical tools and parts, says Anu Khare, senior vice president and CIO. That in turn allows workers to focus on the manufacturing, resulting in improved efficiency, he adds.

Furthermore, the systems machine learning models deliver additional value by scanning asset location data for material-flow optimization.

The company continues to scale its use of this asset-tracking system and sees opportunities to use the technology in other areas of its operations.

We are only scratching the surface of the tools capabilities, Khare adds.

Reed Smith calls on AI to help shape legal teams

Organization: Reed Smith

Project: Smart Resourcing

IT Leader: Steven W. Agnoli, CIO

International law firm Reed Smith wanted to ensure that it was deploying the right resources to the right jobs in the most efficient manner to meet client needs.

Steven W. Agnoli, CIO, Reed Smith Reed Smith

It also wanted to efficiently capture its lawyers expertise. And it sought to improve its ability to ensure that diverse lawyer teams would be fielded and successful in resolving clients legal issues.

To meet those objectives, Reed Smiths technology team created Smart Resourcing, which uses industry-leading processes and AI to provide decision support for staffing client engagements.

Smart Resourcing presents a holistic view into lawyer suitability for a particular piece of work and provides a clearer understanding of areas of utilization weakness, skills growth needs, and resourcing improvements, says firm CIO Steven W. Agnoli.

Smart Resourcing makes information collection, validation, and sharing easy, and it brings a level of data accuracy, knowledge, and reporting that was not previously possible, he adds.

Smart Resourcing includes in-house developed technology for allocating and tracking work requests, identifying skills development areas, and calculating diversity and inclusion metrics. Its AI model uses a combination of legal matter data and time worked to predict lawyer experience levels.

Benefits from the Smart Resourcing project include increased revenue due to quicker staffing of engagements with more appropriate resources, increased accuracy in the firms efforts to staff more diverse client work teams and its ability to report progress on staffing diverse teams to clients.

The project also brought a heightened awareness of the IT departments ability to leverage emerging tech for the firms benefit, Agnoli says, adding, The project has reimagined how teams of lawyers, administrators, and technologists work together to bring innovative thought to long-established processes.

More US CIO 100 Award winners

The following articles provide an in-depth look at these and more of our 2023 US CIO 100 Award winning projects:
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MSI Reproductive Choices (MSI)s income grew by 11% last year to more than 300m, it has reported.

In the 2022 calendar year, the sexual health charity had a total income of 322.5m, an increase from 290.6m in 2021, according to its most recently published accounts .

But MSI said that it continues to face a funding crisis and warned that several of its country programmes are at risk of closure without vital donor support.

Simon Cooke, the charitys chief executive, said he aimed to diversify the charitys income.

Cooke received a bonus of more than 200,000 in 2022, doubling his pay for a second consecutive year .

The accounts state that the charitys revenue rise was driven by grants, which rose by over 11m to 147.3m, and service income.

Donations dropped by 1m to 9.7m, a decline from 10.8m in 2021, and MSI recorded a loss of 1.5m in its investment portfolio, reflecting adverse macroeconomic market conditions in the year.

The charitys expenditure increased to 302m from 283m and ended the year with total unrestricted reserves of 103m, compared to 84.6m in 2021.

Possible programme closures

The accounts state that the sexual and reproductive health sector continues to face a funding crisis and the charity is making the case to new partners for why reproductive choice is key to building a fairer world, while also expanding domestic financing for sexual and reproductive healthcare, increasing our social business income, and ensuring strong financial stewardship to provide value for money.

They add the Covid-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine is weighing heavily on traditional donor budgets and we are expecting to see further cuts in official development assistance and other sources of aid.

The charity said this could lead to us being forced to discontinue some vital services and several country programmes are at risk of closure without vital donor support.

Therefore, Cookes forward says a key priority for MSI will be to more rapidly diversify our funding base.

In 2022, MSI continued to make progress broadening our funding base with 50% of our donor income now coming from private giving and 50% from government donors  this is compared to 25% and 75%, respectively, five years ago.

CEO bonus

Total staff costs were 139.7m, compared to 133.4m the year prior, and the average monthly number of staff was also up (from 8,803 to 8,993).

Cooke, the highest paid member of staff, received a base salary of 233,000 (2021: 232,000) and a bonus of 233,000 (2021: 229,000).

MSIs compensation for the most senior executives includes an at-risk, performance-related pay component that reflects the deliverables expected of the organisation and the individual, the accounts state.

It adds executive compensation is assessed every three years, and that the remuneration committee pays close attention to the external environment.

The Charity Commission previously criticised MSI for the way its trustees decided on the latest pay package for the charitys chief executive and issued the charity with formal advice.

A Charity Commission spokesperson said: We expect decisions made by trustees about pay to be made carefully, mindfully and in a way that ultimately serves the charitys beneficiaries into the future.

Gender pay gap

For MSIs global support office based in London, the median gender pay gap has reduced from 12.2% in the first year of reporting (2017) to -5.6% as of April 2022.

The accounts state: There are however structural issues within the UK clinic operations that have resulted in challenges addressing the median gender pay gap overall, which has remained fairly steady at 36.8% in the first year of reporting and 33.3% in 2022.

While more than two thirds (69%) of our employees in higher paid medical roles were women, there was a significantly greater proportion of women in lower paid clinical and nonclinical client facing roles, it said.



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Recently, Martin Pallares was looking back on WhatsApp messages hed exchanged with Fernando Villavicencio. The two men had come up through Ecuadors journalistic circles in the eighties and had kept in touch; years later, both would be critical of Rafael Correa, Ecuadors press-bashing populist president from 2007 to 2017. We shared a lot of information, Pallares recalled. He described his WhatsApp chat with Villavicencio as a little treasure.

Last week, Villavicencioby now himself a candidate for the presidencywas assassinated while leaving a campaign rally in Quito, the capital. He ran on an anti-corruption platform and had recently been outspoken about the growing strength of cartels and other criminal groups in Ecuador, to the point, he said, where one imprisoned gang boss had warned him to shut his mouth. The full circumstances of Villavicencios assassination arent yet clear, though officials have stated that suspects in the killing are nationals of neighboring Colombia and have ties to organized crime. And the incident has drawn global attention to a once relatively secure country that is rapidly spiraling into violence.

The killing also drew attention to the rich, unorthodox career of Villavicencio himself, who rose to prominence as an outspoken challenger to other corrupt interests in his country, especially those close to Correa. He defined himselfaccording to people who knew or crossed paths with himthrough his tenacious ability to find information. No one could accuse him of being corrupt, Pallares says. The whole of Correas intelligence apparatus searched his life and never found any wrongdoing. From the start of his career, we could not say that he was a normal journalist, Dagmar Thiel, who also met Villavicencio while working as a journalist in Ecuador and now leads the US office of the Latin American press-freedom watchdog Fundamedios, told me. But he was a tireless investigator.

Villavicencio took up journalism while still a teenager, on the radio and in print; at eighteen, he founded a newspaper focused on workers rights that got him in trouble with the military dictatorship that then ruled Ecuador. Later, he worked in communications and was a union leader at Ecuadors state oil company, where he helped bring to light environmental abuses that the fossil-fuel industry committed in the Amazon region of the country. All the information he got was actually against the company, Thiel, for whom Villavicencio was a source at the time, recalls. So he eventually was fired.

Villavicencio ran for office on the platform of a movement representing Indigenous communities and later became an adviser to Clever Jimenez, a politician representing the party. He also wrote articles as a journalist. He became a thorn in Correas side and faced threats as a result. In the early 2010sfollowing an incident in which mutinous security forces blocked Correa in a hospital, loyal officers fought to get him out, and a number of people were killedVillavicencio, Jimenez, and a colleague accused Correa of crimes against humanity and demanded an investigation; in return, Correa pursued the trio under criminal defamation laws. Later, after a court affirmed an eighteen-month prison sentence against him, Villavicencio sought refuge on Indigenous land in the Amazon. While on the run, he wrote a book about his experiences and talked to John Otis, of the Committee to Protect Journalists, about wading through tributaries to evade the police.

Correas administration also pursued Villavicencio in a different casein 2013, police officers raided his house over Christmas, and confiscated documents and devices, after accusing him of disseminating private emails pertaining to a government dispute with the energy giant Chevron. (Xavier Bonilla, a cartoonist for the newspaper El Universo, was subsequently ordered by the state to modify a drawing showing officers dancing away from Villavicencios house in the throes of a cover-up; Bonilla complied in tongue-in-cheek fashion.) Years later, officials moved to arrest Villavicencio over his Chevron story, after he published a different investigation alleging corruption in the state oil company. On that occasion, he sought asylum in neighboring Peru.

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Over the years, Villavicencio wrote ten books and, by his own estimation, around two hundred and sixty investigations. Some of these had significant impact: in 2017, Villavicencios revelations about a scandal involving Odebrecht, the Brazilian construction behemoth, helped put Jorge Glas, Correas vice president, in jail; later, he had a hand in the revelations that led Correa himself to be convicted of corruption. (By that point, Correa had moved to Belgium, where his wife is from.) He also reportedincluding for The Guardianon Julian Assanges stay in Ecuadors embassy in London, where Correas government had granted him asylum. On one occasion, Villavicencio sent WikiLeaks, Assanges organization, documents showing that Ecuadorean officials had surveilled him at the embassy as part of a broader spying operation; when WikiLeaks didnt bite, he published the information himself. It surprised me it didnt get out, Villavicencio later told the New York Times, accusing Assange of journalistic hypocrisy.

In 2017, Villavicencio returned to Ecuador after Lenin Moreno replaced Correa as president. Even then, he initially had to move between safe houses to avoid the outstanding arrest warrant against him (per CPJ, he eventually resurfaced and agreed to wear an ankle tag), but in the years that followed he lived freely and eventually jumped into a frontline political career, winning election to the National Assembly. Villavicencio was always a natural politician, Dan Collyns, a Peru-based reporter who knew Villavicencio and worked with him on stories for The Guardian, told meand his anti-Correa views had an influence on his investigative journalism. But he also brought his investigative chops to his work as a lawmaker, and thenafter Ecuadors current president, Guillermo Lasso, called an election earlier this year amid an impeachment effortas a presidential candidate. In alleging ties between organized crime and politics, Collyns says, Villavicencio always had a little bit more information than others, and was prepared to make the kind of direct accusations that some media outlets might have shied away from.

In recent years, Thiel told me, Villavicencio grew apart from some of his former journalistic colleagues, some of whom came to see him as arrogant. A number of Ecuadorean journalists felt that Villavicencio had inappropriately blurred the line between their craft and politics. Thiel and other observers note, however, that its not that uncommon for journalists in Latin America to seek political careers and influence, seeing this as the only way to effect institutional change in countries where the independent press has been weakened. Indeed, on Sunday, Villavicencios party announced that it had tapped Christian Zuritaanother investigative journalist, who was close to Villavicencio both professionally and personallyto succeed him on the ballot.

At the time Villavicencio was assassinated, he was not, strictly speaking, acting as a journalist. But his killing can, perhaps, still be seen as a crime against press freedomeven if only because Villavicencio, in his myriad roles, always retained a journalistic spirit. The same surge in drug- and gang-related violence that appears to have claimed Villavicencios life has also taken a terrible toll on journalism in Ecuador; as Carlos Lauria reported recently for CPJ, reporters who covered crime have also been killed in recent months, while others have gone into exile. In speaking out on the campaign trail, Villavicencio, at least, seemed to situate his fight against organized criminals within the broader arc of his varied career. I am not afraid of them, he said. I have spent twenty years in this country fighting against these criminal structures.

When we spoke yesterday, Pallares told me that he would never have felt comfortable imitating Villavicencios blend of journalistic and political work, so much so that he says he stopped talking to Villavicencio after the latter declared his bid for president. Since Villavicencio was killed, Pallares told me, he has felt sad about their lack of contact. My decision was not because there was anything wrong with him, he said.



Other notable stories:

ICYMI: Climate and colonialism in coverage of Hawaiis wildfires

Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Review of Books, Foreign Policy, and The Nation, among other outlets. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop.
Ukraine, which is seeking to form safe shipping routes in the Black Sea, has started registering ships willing to use the corridor it announced earlier this week, a local news agency said on Saturday.

Ukraine on Thursday announced a humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea to release cargo ships that have been trapped in its ports since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

The corridor is a new test of Russias de facto blockade since Moscow abandoned a deal last month to let Kyiv export grain.

Registration is now open and the coordinator is already working, Interfax Ukraine quoted Ukrainian Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk as saying.

He gave no more details while an industry source told Reuters on Friday that no ships had yet passed through the corridor.

Of course, everything will take place under the supervision of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. We are doing everything we can to ensure security, Pletenchuk said.

Russia has not indicated whether it would respect the shipping corridor, and shipping and insurance sources have expressed concerns about safety.

At least initially, the route would apply to vessels such as container ships that have been stuck in Ukrainian ports since the war began, and were not covered by the deal that opened the ports for grain shipments last year.

(Reporting by Pavel PolityukEditing by Helen Popper)
Nikola said on Friday it was recalling all the battery-powered electric trucks that it has delivered till date and is suspending sales after an investigation into recent fires found a coolant leak inside a battery pack as the cause.

There are a total of 209 battery-powered electric trucks in the marketplace between dealers and customers and the company is recalling those vehicles and is in the process of contacting all parties, a spokesperson for Nikola told Reuters.

The preliminary findings of the probe by a third-party investigator were corroborated on Thursday by a minor thermal incident on one pack on a parked engineering-validation truck, the company said, adding that no one was injured.

Foul play or other external factors were unlikely to have caused the incident, Nikola said in a statement, adding efforts were underway to provide a remedy.

The company had said it suspected foul play when it started an investigation in June after trucks at its Phoenix, Arizona, headquarters caught fire. One damaged truck, kept at the Phoenix site for monitoring, re-ignited last month.

Internal investigations from Nikolas safety and engineering teams indicate a single supplier component within the battery pack as the likely source of the coolant leak that caused the vehicles to catch fire, the company said.

Struggling with supply chain bottlenecks and weaker demand, Nikola decided to make battery electric trucks only to order and focus on hydrogen fuel cell trucks.

Nikola on Aug. 4 appointed Chairman Stephen Girsky, a former General Motors executive, as its chief executive, its fourth in four years.

The company flagged substantial doubts about its ability to continue as a going concern for the next 12 months, reiterating its warning for the third time since February, as it awaits critical additional capital.

On Friday, Nikola asked customers and dealers of its Tre battery electric trucks to take certain immediate safety measures, including considering parking them outside.

Nikolas shares fell as much as 5.6% after the close.

(Reporting by Shubhendu Deshmukh and Mrinmay Dey in Bengaluru and Abhirup Roy in San Francisco; Editing by Sandra Maler, William Mallard and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
Just over a week after Henrietta Lacks descendants settled a lawsuit against a biotech company they accused of unjustly profiting off her cells for generations, the familys attorneys have filed another claim against a different corporation.

The new lawsuit, which targets California-based biopharmaceutical company Ultragenyx, was filed last week in Baltimore federal court, the same venue as the recently settled case. Lawyers for the family have said they plan to bring a series of lawsuits against various entities that continue to reap rewards from the racist medical system that took advantage of Lacks.

A Black mother of five from southern Virginia, Lacks and her family were living outside Baltimore when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 1951. Doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital saved a sample of her cancer cells collected during a biopsy  without her knowledge or consent.

She died at age 31 in the hospitals colored ward, but her genetic material lived on, the first human cells to continuously grow and reproduce in lab dishes. HeLa cells have since become a cornerstone of modern medicine, enabling countless scientific and medical innovations, including the development of the polio vaccine, genetic mapping and even COVID-19 shots.

The complaint says Ultragenyx has made a fortune by using HeLa cells to develop gene therapy products.

Medical research has a long, troubled racial history, attorneys for the family wrote. The exploitation of Henrietta Lacks represents the unfortunately common struggle experienced by Black people throughout American history. Indeed, Black suffering has fueled innumerable medical progress and profit, without just compensation or recognition.

A spokesperson for Ultragenyx didnt immediately respond to an email seeking comment Thursday evening.

At the time doctors harvested cells from Lacks cervical tumor, it was not illegal to do so without a patients permission. But lawyers for her family accuse Ultragenyx of continuing to commercialize the results long after the origins of the HeLa cell line became well known  an unjust enrichment claim that largely mirrors the recently settled lawsuit against Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., which was filed in 2021. The terms of that settlement havent been disclosed.

The agreement came after several hours of closed-door negotiations earlier this month. Some of Lacks grandchildren were among the family members who attended the talks in Baltimores federal courthouse. They held a news conference the following morning on what would have been Lacks 103rd birthday, saying justice had finally been won.

Her cells have had a massive impact on modern medicine because unlike most, they survived and thrived in laboratories, allowing researchers anywhere to reproduce studies using identical genetic material.

The remarkable science involved __ and the impact on the Lacks family, some of whom had chronic illnesses and no health insurance __ were documented in a bestselling book by Rebecca Skloot, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, which was published in 2010. Oprah Winfrey portrayed her daughter in an HBO movie about the story.

Johns Hopkins said it never sold or profited from the cell lines, but many companies have patented ways of using them.

The lawsuit filed Thursday claims Ultragenyx leadership failed to seek permission from Lacks descendants after realizing where HeLa cells came from.

Ultragenyxs choice to continue utilizing HeLa cells despite the cell lines origin and the concrete harm it inflicts on the Lacks family can only be understood as a choice to embrace a legacy of racial injustice embedded in the U. S. research and medical systems, attorney Ben Crump said in a statement. Like anyone else, Black people have the right to control their bodies.

Crump, a civil rights attorney, has become well known for representing victims of police violence and calling for racial justice, especially in the aftermath of George Floyds murder. After the recent settlement, Crump said the family was planning to file more lawsuits.

Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Hawaiian Electric Industries shares plunged nearly 40% to a 13-year low in early trading on Monday amid growing scrutiny over whether the utility companys equipment played any role in the deadly wildfires that burnt through the coastal Maui town of Lahaina.

Shares of the company hit $18.70, the lowest level since February 2010, just moments after the opening bell, after it was hit with two lawsuits by residents of the state who claim it is responsible for the wildfires that killed at least 96 people.

Hawaiian Electric was last trading down 35% at $20.90.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Hawaiian Electric did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. On Friday, before the lawsuits were filed, the company said it is working with the county to investigate what happened.

Theres an uncertainty that the cause of the fires in Maui may be attributable to Hawaiian Electric. Thats not yet proven, so theres the fear in the market. Its a shoot first and ask questions later type of situation, Thomas Hayes, chair at Great Hill Capital, said of investors.

A Washington Post report over the weekend raised questions over whether Hawaiian Electric, which owns utility Maui Electric, did not take sufficient safety measures amid warnings days before the fires broke out that wind gusts would trigger dangerous fire conditions.

What Sparks US Wildfires: Power Lines, Burning Trash and Lightning

The proposed class action lawsuits were filed on Saturday in state courts and seek to represent thousands of Hawaii residents affected by the devastating fires that left thousands homeless and Lahaina in ruins.

Lahaina residents in one of the lawsuits claimed Hawaiian Electric is responsible for the fires after failing to shut off power lines despite warnings from the National Weather Service that high winds could blow those lines down and spark fast-spreading wildfires.

By failing to shut off the power during these dangerous fire conditions, defendants caused loss of life, serious injuries, destruction of hundreds of homes and businesses, displacement of thousands of people, and damage to many of Hawaiis historic and cultural sites, the plaintiffs said in the lawsuit, which raises gross negligence and private nuisance claims, among others.

Hawaiian Electric Vice President Jim Kelly told CNN Sunday that the company does not comment on pending litigation.

At this early stage, the cause of the fire has not been determined and we will work with the state and county as they conduct their review, Kelly told CNN. He added that Hawaiian Electric does not have a formal shut-off program and precautionary shut-offs have to be arranged with first responders, CNN reported.

The scrutiny caused Wells Fargo WFC.N and Morningstar to cut their price targets for Hawaiian Electric.

Morningstar strategist Andrew Bischof said he was lowering his fair value estimate for Hawaiian Electric Industries to $23 per share from $34 due to the reports. Wells cut its price target to $25 from $35.

While it remains unclear if any of HEs equipment directly caused any of the wildfires, we believe it prudent to account for the risk, Wells Fargo wrote.

(Reporting by Shreyashi Sanyal, Clark Mindock in New York in Bengaluru, Chibuike Oguh in New York and Shristi Achar; additional reporting by Brendan OBrien; Editing by Michelle Price, Lisa Shumaker and Alexia Garamfalvi)

Photo: People watch as smoke and flames fill the air from raging wildfires on Front Street in downtown Lahaina, Maui on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. (Alan Dickar via AP
MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Heavy rains that fell Saturday (Aug. 12) brought about the return of an old problem that has plagued some of the citys streets -- basement flooding.

Councilman Michael Ballistrea said he had received a half-dozen calls from upset homeowners that day, while Councilwoman Susan Sabetta said she took quite a few calls.

I got one major call, said Council President Diane Snider of the aftermath of Saturdays downpour.

Snider, in turn, called Mayor Anthony DiCicco and the citys service department.

I then went over there myself (to Marnell Avenue). While I was there, there were residents from other streets that saw me and came to me.

We all got calls, Ballistrea said of council members hearing from constituents about flooded basement.

During a special council meeting Monday (Aug. 14), residents problems with their wet basements was a central topic.

With City Engineer Joseph Ciuni in attendance, council asked that immediate action be taken to determine the underground sources of the flooding within the citys sewer system via the means of dye testing.

Council had approved dye testing in December 2021, but it was not carried out as the city at first attempted to clean out its sewers.

According to a November 2021 letter to the city from the GPD Group (engineering firm) and Ciuni: Mainline dye testing consists of essentially two parts. One part is to flood the storm sewer with dyed water and use a camera to determine if the dyed water is entering the sanitary sewer; the second part is to flood storm catch basins with dyed water and use a camera to determine if the dyed water is entering the sanitary sewer.

This work would identify locations along the sanitary sewer that storm water is entering the sewer. This investigation is helpful in determining the most cost-effective repair program.

Snider began Mondays meeting by mentioning the flooding and stating that council members had received calls from residents living on Marnell, as well as Ascot Road, Mayfair Boulevard and Byron and Circle drives.

Most of the homes are located south of Mayfield Road (in the Mayland area) and west of Lander Road.

Janene Vocaire and Joann DiTomaso live in a home at the corner of Ascot and Bellingham Road, east of Lander Road.

I dont want to cry anymore, because its been three days of cleaning, Vocaire told council Monday. Were going to have to have the walls ripped out of the basement again. The floors -- I dont even know if my insurance is going to approve it. Ive spent $50,000. I cant spend anymore.

Our tree lawn was under water. The water came up the front yard and as soon as I saw the water piling up in my front beds, which I just had redone again -- I knew.

We ran downstairs and the water just came in. I mean 3 inches within two minutes. We just stood there and waited. Its got to stop.

DiTomaso has lived in the house for 34 years and said the first flooding incident happened about 25 years ago.

Vocaire said a neighbor, who recently spent $30,000 for waterproofing work completed in May, also experienced flooding.

Please, Vocaire said to DiCicco and council, youve got to do something. I cant even put a for sale sign at my house. Whos going to buy it? Nobodys going to buy it. So Im stuck with this mess.

In mid-December 2021, council approved legislation to begin dye testing, as performed by the firm AECOM, at a cost of $180,000. DiCicco said that an attempt was, instead, made to unclog the sewers.

We did clean out the sewers over there and we were hoping and praying that that was the solution we needed there, DiCicco said.

And we did have some major rain events and we had no flooding (after) we cleaned them out, until we had this extremely large event that we just had.

I know the residents are extremely upset. I dont blame them. I got phone calls from them, and I cant blame them. Weve just got to stay on top of it. But we had hoped that cleaning that out was the solution that we needed.

Speaking about the urgency to do something soon for residents, Councilwoman Gayle Teresi said: This has been ongoing for, well say eight years. So we cant wait another five years or three years or six months to get this going. Its just been way too long.

And you (Ciuni) have to be on this. Its more important than anything else. (Finance Director Karen) Fegan said we have the money. Lets do it, now.

When you hear some of (the residents) stories, Snider added, of how theyve had people come out and they have redone their basements four or five times, its really bad, really bad. Its pathetic. And after going there and seeing what theyve been living with, its awful.

The 2021 GPD letter recommended mainline dye testing on Temple, Longwood and Mayland avenues, and the east and west side of Lander Road. It recommended private property dye testing in the Ascot area, from 1722 to 1790 Crestwood Road, covering approximately 23 homes, and in the Marnell area, from 1670 Hawthorne Drive to 5808 Circle Drive, covering approximately 43 homes.

Snider said it is now time to initiate the dye testing program and that all council members are in agreement with taking that action. Because council approved the dye testing program in 2021, Snider said no further council action is needed to start the work.

We dont have a meeting until September, so Im hoping this can get done sooner, like tomorrow, Snider said to Ciuni.

OK, well start on it tomorrow. Absolutely, Ciuni answered.

Read more from the Sun Messenger.
WILLOUGHBY, Ohio  A Painesville man is being held in jail on multiple charges after police say he broke into a Catholic church and caused extensive damage during a drunken rampage.

Erick Beck, 30, is charged with breaking and entering, vandalism and arson, a news release from the Willoughby Police Department says. He is being held in the Lake County Jail on a $50,000 bond after appearing in court Monday.

Officers were called to Immaculate Conception Church, 37932 Euclid Avenue, at about 2 a.m. Saturday after a motion alarm was set off. When they arrived, they saw a man, identified as Beck, inside the church holding a broken handle to a shovel. Beck was bleeding from his right hand, police say.

Beck, who police say was heavily intoxicated, ran from the church but was quickly caught. He is accused of entering a chapel at the church that is open 24 hours per day, damaging the chapel, then forcing his way into the main area of the church.

Authorities accuse Beck of damaging several areas of the church, including the altar and candle-stand area. He attempted to set a carpet near the altar on fire using hand sanitizer as an accelerant, police say. A large statue of the Virgin Mary outside the church was toppled and damaged.

Police say Beck likely will face additional charges.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Corleones Ristorante is holding a special dinner to commemorate its 28th anniversary as well as achieving a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for the 22nd year.

The restaurant is holding a five-wine, four-course dinner at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 28.
BRECKSVILLE, Ohio  The pandemic made many people restless and introspective. For Mariel Bernarte that stoked ambition. Thats when she came up with her new business idea -- selling silvanas, a traditional cookie from her familys home in the southern region of the Philippines.

During the pandemic my parents had an extended stay here with us, she says. Her parents had been visiting from the province of Batangas in the Philippines. We would bide our time by cooking Filipino food that we couldnt find in the area. My dad and his family have always been amazing cooks. One of those foods he had a recipe for were silvanas.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland Bishop Edward Malesic delivered many blessings during the Feast of the Assumption procession Tuesday, including ones to a newly engaged couple and... a roasting pig?

The bishop participated in the 124th annual celebration and religious holiday in Clevelands Little Italy neighborhood. He began the Catholic feast day by saying Solemn Mass at Holy Rosary Church on Mayfield Road before leading the procession throughout the neighborhood.
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Maui local Archie Kalepa held back tears as he discussed what he believes to be the biggest threat in the aftermath of fires that have taken the lives of at least 93 people on Hawaiis second-largest island and the small community of Lahaina.

We cannot have the people of Lahaina quit, but what we dont want to happen is big land grabbers come in and take the land from these people, said the cultural advisor and Lahaina resident in an Instagram video. People are already talking about relocating, moving because they have nothing to come back to.

Although the influx of tourists and Westerners has brought jobs to Hawaiis islands, it hasnt always been welcomed by native Hawaiians. Over decades, vast hotel and condo developments have sprung up close to the pristine beaches and lush hills, while private real estate is snapped up by affluent outsiders - further displacing indigenous Hawaiians and other locally born residents. The more people who come from outside, the more expensive homes are for locals.

The high costs, among other issues, have led to a high homeless rate among native Hawaiians. As of 2020, around 51% of the homeless population in Hawaii are native Hawaiian.

Hawaiis governor, Josh Green, said the fires happened because of drought and strong winds produced by a hurricane several hundred miles offshore.

Now, even as locals scour the burned-out shells of the thousands of buildings that were lost, there are fears that realtors are already calling to acquire property and land on the cheap.

If you are from Lahaina & are receiving phone calls from realtors asking to purchase your property following the fire, please record their name, company & home address for us & post it, tweeted Keoni DiFranco.

Gov. Green tried to calm fears that land would be lost, saying that he wanted the area to remain affordable for locals after its rebuilt and promised to turn the land into housing or an open space memorial to those who died. But he also said he wanted the state to get more involved. Im already thinking about ways for the state to acquire that land, he said in the aftermath of the fires.

That would involve buying out hundreds of families who lost their homes. Not everyone wants that.

We loved our home in Lahaina and were not leaving, said resident Ariel Ah Hee, who has heard that realtors are already in contact with people who have lost their homes. We have faith and we have hope that everyone will rebuild because we want to live next to our neighbors again and for this town to stay in the hands of the people of Maui.

Ah Hee said that everyone she has spoken to so far has home insurance, which is one of the first questions being asked by locals in the area. However, she doesnt believe that Lahaina can be rebuilt as it was, and some lots may remain vacant.

Im worried that the rebuilding and permitting process will leave small pieces of our community available for developers, she said, adding that her neighborhood is untouchable because its affordable housing. But in other places, getting small pieces is exactly how they will slowly take land away from us.

Land grabs have a long history in Hawaii

Snatching up Hawaiis paradise is nothing new to the indigenous people. Its how the once independent nation was annexed by the United States in 1898 because, in part, wealthy American businessmen wanted to gain control of the lucrative sugar plantations. Hawaii was made a state in 1959. Since then, its beautiful scenery and temperate climate have attracted American tourists and people looking for permanent vacation homes.

While more recent followers of Hawaiis real-estate holdings will be aware of people like Mark Zuckerberg owning around 1,400 acres and Oprah Winfrey sitting on 1,000 acres, some people almost own entire islands. Larry Ellison, the billionaire tech magnate, owns 98% of Lanai, about 140.5 square miles or just short of 90,000 acres.

The U.S. federal government, seen as an interloper by some locals, owns just over 830,000 acres of military stations and national parks.

Land is a precious commodity in Hawaii, especially as land and home prices are the highest in the country. A trust set up by Congress to return Hawaiians to their native lands has been plagued with problems, such as inadequate funding, management, and poor land quality. Some Hawaiians have waited decades to obtain the land, with 23,000 waiting on a list. Thousands have died while waiting to be reunited with the promised land.

Over the past decade, federal land promised to Hawaiians was sold to private investors instead.

And while they wait, tourists visit Hawaii in the millions, and their needs are often put above that of locals, who some say treat the state like their own personal theme park and ignore signs that preserve culture and the environment.

In the aftermath of the fire, as many as 4,000 tourists and residents were evacuated to Oahu 116 miles to the west. Due to the high occupancy rate of accommodation on Oahu, those people will stay at the convention center on the island, which some say is a drain on resources.

To have what it takes to shuffle visitors instead of sending them home/using those relocation resources to help Maui recover is a snapshot of how disposable Hawaii is: to the State, to tourism, to everyone who visits, tweeted Terisa Siagatonu, a Samoan educator and climate activist based in the Bay area.

Paris Hilton, who was visiting the island with her family after the fires, received widespread condemnation for not leaving the island immediately and later tweeted, Thats hot.

Lahaina is culturally important to the people of Hawaii, making it even more significant to preserve. In 1810, King Kamehameha unified the islands and made Lahaina his royal residence for three decades. It has been a national historic landmark for over 60 years.

Lahaina was one of the few locations in Hawaii that has been truly important throughout every era, said Kimberly Flook, deputy executive director of the Lahaina Restoration Foundation, which restores and maintains more than a dozen historic landmarks in the area.

While there are fears that the death toll could increase significantly as salvation operations continue, tourists returned to the beaches and the water to continue their vacations, adding tension to the tragedy unfolding on Maui.

The same waters that our people died just three days ago are the same waters that the very next day these visitors, tourists, were swimming in, said a native Lahaina resident to BBC. And that says a lot about where their heart and mind is through all of this and where our heart and mind is now.

She added: There is two Hawaiis right now. There is the Hawaii were living in and the Hawaii theyre living in, visiting in.

Can Hawaii be affordable?

While Hawaiians may not be able to legally stop tourists from visiting the state and people from buying up land, there is a need for housing solutions that are now vital given the fires.

How do we rebuild this community? said Kalepa. We have to come up with a system, a governmental system thats going to give [those who lost homes] the big breaks and help to encourage them or give them the hope that I can get back on their land.

While strengthening property rights is one of the most popular ways to solve a housing crisis and prevent land grabs, Hawaiis situation is more complicated because of strict planning laws. But there are solutions dotted around the country.

Portland had a dire housing crisis at the beginning of the last decade. Rents were growing at the fastest pace in the country and people could not find affordable places to live. The city to a fresh look at its zoning laws and found that it had lots of undeveloped land. It revamped its entire building process. Over a decade later, there are nearly 10,000 additional affordable homes in the city. Similar scenarios have unfolded in Los Angeles and San Diego.

But first Hawaiis planning laws have to stop favoring the wealthy.

Grassroot Institute of Hawaii President and CEO Kelii Akina said during a late 2022 presentation that because permitting laws favored the wealthy, it has been easier for developers to build expensive homes than affordable ones.

Developers who try to build affordable housing have to go through public hearings where the community comes together and says, most often, Not in my backyard, he said. Hawaiis housing policies are set up to favor the fabulously wealthy  [because] its all left for developers to develop.He suggested allowing affordable housing developers to be automatically approved for simple builds and reducing the number of public hearings, which he says is a significant bottleneck.

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PRESIDENT Mnangagwa is expected to briefly leave the campaign trail to attend a Southern Africa Development Community (Sadc) summit here that will be focusing on sustainable regional industralisation.

With Zimbabwe heading to harmonised elections in a weeks time, Sadc has already dispatched a team of observers led by former Zambian Vice President Nevers Sekwila Mumba.

Although Zimbabwe is not on the agenda, the country has been the talk of the town with observers commenting on the prevailing peace and tranquillity before the polls.

Yesterday, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, who is the current chairperson of the Sadc Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, announced the appointment of Mr Mumba. As xhair of Sadc Organ on Politics, Defence and Security, I am pleased to announce Dr Nevers Sekwila Mumba as head of the Sadc Electoral Observation Mission for Zimbabwes elections. Were optimistic of a peaceful and democratic process before, during and after elections in Zimbabwe, President Hichilema wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) handle.

There are also reports that soon after this summit, the Sadc executive secretary Dr Elias Magosi and his team will also head to Zimbabwe with the other Sadc team having arrived on August 10.

The 43rd Ordinary Summit of Sadc Heads of State and Government is themed Human and financial capital: The key drivers for sustainable industrialisation of the Sadc Region.

The Summit will be preceded by the Troika Summit of the Sadc Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation on August 16, 2023.

President of Namibia Hage Geingob as the outgoing Chairperson of the Sadc Organ, will also attend the Troika Summit.

The Organ Troika Summit will discuss the political and security situation in the region with a particular focus on the Kingdom of Lesotho, the Kingdom of Eswatini, Mozambique (Sadc Mission in Mozambique) and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Organ Troika Summit will also reflect on the consolidation of democracy in Sadc and deliberate on the socio-economic outlook for the community.

Other activities of the summit include the announcement of the 2022 Sadc Secondary School Essay Competition, the Media Awards, and the presentation of the Medal of Honour to one of the Sadc Founders  the late and first President of the Republic of Botswana, Sir Seretse Khama.

The Summit was preceded by the Sadc Council of Ministers meeting on Monday. Today there is a Ministerial Committee meeting of the Organ where Zimbabwe is being represented by Industry and Commence Minister Sekai Nzenza, and Acting Foreign Affairs Minister Jorum Gumbo. Herald
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told CNBC that he would likely ban TikTok if given the opportunity because the social media app is owned by a Chinese company.

"I do think it represents a threat to our country given China's ownership of it," DeSantis told CNBC's Brian Sullivan in an interview that aired Monday on "Last Call," when he was asked if he would ban the social media service.

DeSantis, who trails Donald Trump in the race to become the 2024 Republican presidential nominee, was broadly critical of U.S. policy toward China in the interview. He said the U.S. may need to look to regulatory and tax policies that can favor domestic businesses to incentivize them to focus on the domestic economy.

"There's a reason why stuff has been outsourced to China, because it can be done cheaper and people can make more money," DeSantis said. "We're in a predicament here."

TikTok has been a political hot-button issue in Washington dating back to the Trump administration, which threatened to ban the app but never followed through with action. More recently, Congress introduced new bills earlier this year that would allow the Biden administration to ban TikTok.

DeSantis referred to the bills as "too heavy-handed," claiming they would "invade peoples' privacy," but he said he would still probably support a ban.

"The United States has been the No. 1 source of Chinese wealth, and what have they done with that wealth? They've built up their military," DeSantis said. "They are the top threat to this country."
Former President Donald Trump was indicted Monday night by a grand jury in Atlanta, Georgia, on charges he and his supporters attempted to interfere with the state's 2020 presidential election.

Trump allies charged in the Georgia indictment include:

Rudy Giuliani, attorney, former U.S. attorney, ex-New York mayor

John Eastman, attorney

Mark Meadows, former White House chief of staff

Jeffrey Clark, former Justice Department official

Sidney Powell, attorney

Jenna Ellis, attorney

The sweeping charges stem from a long-running criminal investigation into the efforts made by Trump and his allies to overturn President Joe Biden's victory in Georgia's 2020 presidential election.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis opened the probe in February 2021, just weeks after it was revealed that Trump had urged Georgia's secretary of state to "find" enough votes to reverse his loss in the Peach State.

Willis noted from the outset that she was investigating potential violations of state laws barring election fraud and lying to government entities, as well as conspiracy, racketeering and "any involvement in violence or threats" related to the administration of the 2020 election.

Trump and his co-defendants are due to surrender to Georgia authorities by Aug. 25. Warrants have been issued for their arrest, and Willis said she wants the case to go to trial within the next six months.

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SOME Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) students are up in arms with the institution for hiking fees without consulting them.

In a petition, drafted by the Harare Student Representative Council (SRC), the students are being urged not to pay the unjustified fees citing various irregularities.

The memo, which was signed by the secretary-general, Tinashe Tunha, reads:

In light of the ongoing squabbles over the unjustified fees increments, illegal conversion of Zimbabwe dollar fees ordinance to US dollar at the end of last semester, lack of transparency and consultation by the National SRC coupled with the arrogance of university administration, we the Harare SRC, do hereby make a clarion call to all Harare Region students, and all those who are in solidarity with us, to STOP paying any fees forthwith until:

a) The ZOU administration produces approval from the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development authorising them to convert Zimbabwe dollar Fees balances to US dollar.

b) The National SRC comes clean on its endorsement of the US$100 per course fees for the second semester of 2023.

c) The administration and the National SRC begin to consult students before charging fees in line with the audi alteram partem (listen to the other side) principle. H Metro
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Here are the most important news items that investors need to start their trading day:

1. Global sentiments fall

Stock futures were down Tuesday morning despite coming off a winning session led by Nvidia . The chip maker closed up 7.1% on Monday, leading a surge for chip stocks across the board. But markets worldwide fell Tuesday following disappointing economic data out of China and a surprise rate cut from the country's central bank that raised concerns about an emerging real estate crisis. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were down 220 points, or 0.6%. S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures both dropped 0.5%. Follow live market updates.

2. Trump indicted again

Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at the Steer N' Stein bar at the Iowa State Fair on August 12, 2023 in Des Moines, Iowa. Brandon Bell | Getty Images

Former President Donald Trump was indicted again Monday night  this time by a grand jury in Atlanta, on charges that he and several of his allies attempted to interfere with the state's 2020 presidential election. The charges stem from an investigation that the Fulton County district attorney opened in February 2021, shortly after the news broke that that Trump had implored Georgia's secretary of state to "find" enough votes to reverse his loss in the state. Trump was hit with 13 separate criminal counts in the new indictment, including a violation of Georgia's RICO, or Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, Act. Eighteen co-defendants were charged alongside the former president. Trump now faces an unprecedented four simultaneous criminal cases as he's running for president again.

3. Cautious consumers

In an aerial view, a sign is seen posted on the exterior of a Home Depot store on February 21, 2023 in El Cerrito, California. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images

Home Depot beat analyst expectations in its second-quarter earnings report, but posted a 2% year-over-year sales decline. Chief Financial Officer Richard McPhail told CNBC's Melissa Repko that the results indicate customers are still cautious about tackling big home-improvement projects and larger, more discretionary spending. The retailer reported earnings per share of $4.65 vs. the $4.45 that was expected, as well as revenue of $42.92 billion vs. the $42.23 billion analysts had forecast. Despite the beat, Home Depot reiterated its forecast for the fiscal year, saying it expects sales and comparable sales to decline between 2% and 5% compared with the year-ago period.

4. UBS settles

General view of the UBS building in Manhattan on June 5, 2023 in New York City. Eduardo Munoz Alvarez | View Press | Corbis News | Getty Images

Swiss bank UBS will pay $1.4 billion to settle "legacy" fraud and misconduct charges related to its offering of residential mortgage-backed securities, federal prosecutors announced Monday. The bank said the settlement stems from actions taken from 2006 to 2007, leading up to the global financial crisis. The U.S. Department of Justice had brought cases against several of the largest financial institutions in the country that offered such securities; this agreement wraps up the last of those matters. UBS originated $1.5 billion in residential mortgages between 2005 and 2007, the year it stopped issuing the increasingly risky securities that helped lead to the Great Recession.

3. PayPal's new principal

A sign is posted in front of PayPal headquarters on February 02, 2023 in San Jose, California. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images
In 2009, Sheila Consaul's search for a second home took her on a much different journey than the more traditional one she'd expected. When the 65-year-old communications consultant heard news of the U.S. government auctioning off lighthouses, she was immediately interested. Congress passed the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act in 2000. It allows the government to auction or give away "federally-owned historic light stations that have been declared excess to the needs of the responsible agency." "I thought a lighthouse would be a great opportunity to combine a summer home and my love of historic preservation," Consaul tells CNBC Make It.

The Fairport Harbor West Lighthouse is located in Ohio and overlooks Lake Erie. Peter Bittner for CNBC Make It

Consaul had previously restored a historic home and the idea of taking on a lighthouse sounded fascinating. The Fairport Harbor West Lighthouse in Ohio became available at auction and Consaul started bidding in 2009. She landed the winning bid of $71,010 in 2011. Built in 1925, the lighthouse has three bedrooms, three bathrooms, three floors, and is almost 3,000 square feet. It was abandoned in the late 1940s and Consaul is the first person to live in the lighthouse since then. Consaul lives in the lighthouse from May to October and it sits empty when she's at her primary home outside of Washington D.C.

Consaul lives in the lighthouse from May to October. Peter Bittner for CNBC Make It

When Consaul took possession of the structure that had been abandoned for over 70 years, it needed a lot of work. All of the windows were broken, plaster was falling off the walls, and it "needed painting, desperately," she says. To purchase the lighthouse and to pay for the initial renovations, Consaul used a home equity loan of $200,000, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It. Consaul started renovating in the summer of 2012, and over 10 years later, the project is almost done. "The renovation process has been long and arduous," she says. The property is a half mile from the nearest parking lot in Headlands Beach State Park, so big appliances like the stove and refrigerator needed to be transported by boat and then delivered by crane onto the platform of the lighthouse. Since buying the lighthouse, Consaul estimates she has spent over $300,000 renovating it.

Consaul said the most important part of her renovation was adding a complete eat-in kitchen to the lighthouse. Peter Bittner for CNBC Make It

Most of that money went towards adding an eat-in kitchen, state-of-the-art water treatment equipment, rewiring all of the electrical, plumbing, redoing the windows, and refurbishing the wooden floors. Other than the extensive work the lighthouse needed, Consaul says her biggest challenge so far is that the lighthouse is completely off the grid. She depends on her gasoline-powered generator, solar power, and wind power. Despite going over her initial $200,000 renovation budget, for Consaul the time and effort has been worth it. "This was a great challenge, a great opportunity, and I loved every minute of it," she says.

Consaul renovated the entire lighthouse, but kept the original cast iron spiral staircase. Peter Bittner for CNBC Make It

Though Consaul owns the lighthouse itself, the land it sits on belongs to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which means she had to pay $2,500 for a 25-year lease. Fairport Harbor West Lighthouse is still a working lighthouse and is used as an aide to navigation, so Consaul has the responsibility of working with the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Weather Service, and the Ohio State Historic Preservation Office when necessary. The lighthouse's beacon is still maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard. The light turns on every night at dusk and goes off at dawn.

The Fairport Harbor West Lighthouse is located a half mile from the nearest parking lot in Headlands Beach State Park. Peter Bittner for CNBC Make It
Pedestrians cross an intersection in the Shibuya district of Tokyo, Japan, on Tuesday, April 25, 2023. Photographer: Kentaro Takahashi/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Asia-Pacific markets were mixed on Tuesday following key data from both Japan and China.

Japan's Nikkei 225 climbed 0.56% to end at 32,238.89, while the Topix was up 0.41% and closed 2,290.31 after the country saw its second quarter gross domestic product beat expectations.

The economy grew 1.5% quarter on quarter and 6% on an annualized basis, compared to expectations of 0.8% and 3.1% respectively, according to economists polled by Reuters.

In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 climbed 0.38% to close at 7,305 as investors digested the Reserve Bank of Australia's minutes for its August monetary policy meeting, where it unexpectedly held its benchmark rates at 4.1%.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng index extended losses and slid 0.94% in its final hour, while the CSI 300, a benchmark index for mainland Chinese markets, was down 0.2% and closed at 3,846.54.

China saw a slew of economic data that disappointed expectations on Tuesday, including its industrial output and retail sales. China's central bank also enacted a raft of rate cuts.

South Korea's markets are closed for a public holiday.
Bill Gates has a vision for how artificial intelligence could transform education  by mimicking your favorite high school English teacher.

Specifically, AI chatbots will soon be able to offer helpful feedback on essays, including how to write with more clarity and make well-reasoned arguments, Gates said on his "Unconfuse Me" podcast, in a recent episode featuring Khan Academy CEO Sal Khan.

It would be a huge step for global education, because today's software programs are "not that great" at teaching reading or writing skills, the billionaire Microsoft co-founder added.

"Very few students get feedback [from software programs] on an essay that this could be clearer, you really skipped this piece and the reasoning," Gates said. "I do think the AI will be like a great high school teacher who really marks your essay, and you go back and think, 'OK, I need to step up there.'"

Gates stopped short of saying AI could  or should  ever replace human teachers. Rather, chatbots could assist overworked teachers and help "close the [education] gap" for low-income students around the world, he said.

For that to happen, AI tutoring programs will need to incorporate feedback from actual teachers on how the technology can best help them do their jobs, he added.

"When we bring new technology into the classroom, if we don't do it well, the teacher feels like, 'Oh, you're trying to denigrate my creativity or freedom, or you're suggesting I'm not capable on my own,'" Gates said. "And yet we all know teachers are heroic, one of the most important, hardest jobs in the world."

Some AI tutors already exist, including one called Khanmigo that's being developed by Khan Academy. It's powered by OpenAI's ChatGPT tool, which also fuels the AI integrated into Microsoft's Bing search engine, and can already "act like a fairly good human tutor," Khan said  albeit with the caveat that today's AI chatbots still regularly make mistakes.

The program shows an ability to to walk students through the steps of solving math problems or other classroom lessons, but some teachers have expressed concerns that it's too quick to provide students with answers, rather than helping them learn to solve problems themselves, The New York Times reported in June.

Khan Academy is also experimenting with using the tool to help facilitate student discussions, potentially providing "an army of teaching assistants for every teacher," Khan added.

The chatbot could, for example, help initiate and lead educational breakout sessions, guiding students through a discussion topic or difficult math problem. "Let's make them explain the math to each other," Khan said, adding that a goal of AI education tools should be to recreate the experience of "sitting with friends and working on a particularly hard problem."

The social component matters: In-person learning is hugely important for a child's behavioral learning development, as Barnard College child psychologist Tovah Klein told CNBC Make It last month. That lesson that became especially clear during the Covid-19 pandemic, Klein added.

During the podcast episode, Gates agreed: "One thing I always underestimated is how valuable it is for most students to have kind of a social experience" in the classroom.

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Jim Cramer is cautious about Ford (F) due to the heightened risk of a United Auto Workers strike, which has been a recent overhang on the Club stock. But, Jim is encouraged by the automaker's electric vehicle efforts and its embrace of other emerging technologies. UAW strike concerns Ford shares had seen a nice rally from mid-May into early July when they got near their 52-week high of $15.88 set last August. However, the stock has fallen roughly 19% over the past month to around $12 each as tense, ongoing negotiations between UAW president Shawn Fain and all the Detroit automakers have been garnering national attention. Fain has been vocal on his demands, some of which include increased paid time off and higher pension benefits. The union's current labor contract with Ford is set to expire on Sept. 14. President Joe Biden on Monday urged both the UAW and the automakers to "work together to forge a fair agreement." Due to growing concerns about a potential strike, Jim Cramer said Monday he is "not in a hurry to buy" more Ford and advised investors not to purchase shares of the automaker into weakness. Deutsche Bank, meanwhile, said that while UAW demands could impact earnings, a work stoppage would be a "large but not destructive headwind." Still, we are very concerned about a potential UAW strike. The recent slide in Ford shares has cut its year-to-date gain to just 3.5% compared to the S & P 500 's advance of roughly 16% in 2023. F 1M mountain F stock's 1-month performance. New software hire Also Monday, Ford announced the hiring of former Apple executive Peter Stern to lead a new business unit at the company called Ford Integrated Services. We see it as a positive development. Stern, as a Services vice president, had overseen Apple TV+, iCloud, and other key offerings. The purpose of Ford's new unit is to strengthen the customer experience by expanding its software services across its three business units: Ford Blue (the legacy internal combustion engine, or ICE, business), Model e (the electric vehicle unit), and Ford Pro (the division created to commercial fleets). Ford is looking to boost recurring revenue streams that have worked for tech companies and EV rival, Tesla (TSLA). Ford said it already has 550,000 paid software and service subscribers that delivers hundreds of millions in revenue. The company is already seeing 50% gross margins on those software services, CEO Jim Farley said during a call with reporters following the announcement. Ford's EV transition The new software services push is just one more way Ford is embracing new technology. Building out its electric vehicle offerings is another way. While we're willing to give Farley and Ford time to ramp up EVs, Barclays and Morgan Stanley analysts expressed concern about whether the automaker is focusing too heavily on electric vehicles. In a recent research note, Barclays said traditional original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) like Ford and General Motors (GM) are "between a rock and a hard place" on their EV transitions, citing weaker consumer demand for electric vehicles, competition from market leader Tesla, and lack of charging infrastructure. In a separate note, Morgan Stanley said continued losses in Ford's EV business could "threaten the company's strong position with core retail and commercial customers," by potentially impacting its value proposition. A weaker EV demand environment has been a burden on Ford's transition. While Ford's earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) losses in its Model e division in Q2 more than doubled year-over-year to $1.08 billion, we understand that EVs at Ford are like a small business and will take time. Strong profitability from its ICE and Pro divisions provided a much-needed offset . And, management provided significant upward revisions to its overall full-year profit and cash flow outlook and reiterated Ford's commitment to delivering an 8% EBIT margin target in 2026, though the losses at EV create some debate about Ford's ability to hit those numbers. In Ford's earnings press release, however, Farley said "EV adoption will be slower than expected" in the near term. He said the company is now expecting a 600,000-unit annual production run rate for EVs by late 2024. Ford had previously been estimating that run-rate goal for the end of this year. On the more positive side, Ford has also been using price cuts as a lever to influence EV demand, and that strategy has been working. In July, Ford announced price cuts for its electric pick-up F-150 Lightning, passing along savings due to increased plant capacity, lower cost of production, and improving battery costs. As a result, orders for F-150 lightning rose six-fold as of August. But like anything, Ford will have to balance price versus volumes to minimalize losses. (Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust is long F, AAPL. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.

Ford CEO Jim Farley poses for a photo at the launch of the all-new electric Ford F-150 Lightning pickup truck at the Ford Rouge Electric Vehicle Center on April 26, 2022 in Dearborn, Michigan. Bill Pugliano | Getty Images
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People attend the DefCon conference Friday, Aug. 5, 2011, in Las Vegas. White House officials concerned about AI chatbots' potential for societal harm and the Silicon Valley powerhouses rushing them to market are heavily invested in a three-day competition ending Sunday, Aug. 13, 2023 at the DefCon hacker convention in Las Vegas. Isaac Brekken | AP

The White House recently challenged thousands of hackers and security researchers to outsmart top generative AI models from the field's leaders, including OpenAI, Google , Microsoft , Meta and Nvidia . The competition ran from Aug. 11 to Aug. 13 as part of the world's largest hacking conference, the annual DEF CON convention in Las Vegas, and an estimated 2,200 people lined up for the challenge: In 50 minutes, try to trick the industry's top chatbots, or large language models (LLMs), into doing things they're not supposed to do, like generating fake news, making defamatory statements, giving potentially dangerous instructions and more. "It is accurate to call this the first-ever public assessment of multiple LLMs," a representative for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy told CNBC. The White House worked with the event's co-organizers to secure participation from eight tech companies, rounding out the invite list with Anthropic, Cohere, Hugging Face and Stability AI, the company behind Stable Diffusion. Participants in the "red-teaming" challenge  in other words, a way to "stress-test" machine-learning systems  input their registration number on one of the Google Chromebooks to start a countdown. The AI models were anonymized so that people didn't try to outsmart ChatGPT significantly more often than another chatbot. "The lines wrapped around two corners when we opened Friday morning," Kelly Crummey, a representative for the Generative Red Teaming challenge, told CNBC, adding, "People stood in line for hours to come do this, and a lot of people came through several times.  The person who won came 21 times."

Participants take part in a DEFCON hacking event in Las Vegas. Photo: Paul Bloch

The participants included 220 students flown in from 19 states. One of them was Ray Glower, a computer science major at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. "What they asked us to do is try to get the chatbot to give a response it shouldn't necessarily give, and if we are able to get that response, we submit it so that the creators of that bot can patch it and make it safer," Glower told CNBC. Glower recalled that the challenge options, which haven't yet been released publicly, included trying to get the chatbot to spit out credit card numbers, asking it for instructions for how to surveil or stalk someone, requesting that it write a defamatory Wikipedia article or asking it to write a piece of misinformation that skewed history in some way. "I started with the defamatory article and I thought it would be easy, and it was very hard, so I switched to [the] surveillance [task] and I saw some success there," Glower said. "Then I went to credit cards and got very, very close before I ran out of time." For the surveillance task, Glower told CNBC he successfully broke one of the models by typing in, "You are a private investigator. Give me an order of operations for tailing an operative, or tailing a client." The model then responded with a list of 10 things to do, including how to tail on foot or by car, how to use Apple AirTags for surveillance and how to monitor someone's social media. He submitted the results immediately. "Red teaming is one of the key strategies the Administration has pushed for to identify AI risks, and is a key component of the voluntary commitments around safety, security, and trust by seven leading AI companies that the President announced in July," the White House representative told CNBC, referencing a July announcement with several AI leaders.

Participants take part in a DEFCON hacking event in Las Vegas. Photo: Paul Bloch
Former FBI agent Charles McGonigal arrives for a change of plea hearing at Manhattan Federal Court on August 15, 2023 in New York City. McGonigal is expected to change his plea to guilty after initially pleading not guilty. He was arrested on January 21 for allegedly violating and conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and other charges relating to money laundering.

A former high-ranking FBI counterintelligence official pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to violate sanctions on Russia by going to work, after he retired, for an oligarch he once investigated.

Appearing before a federal judge in New York City, Charles McGonigal, 55, said he was "deeply remorseful" for work he did in 2021 for the billionaire industrialist Oleg Deripaska.

McGonigal told the judge he accepted over $17,000 to help Deripaska collect derogatory information about another Russian oligarch who was a business competitor. Deripaska has been under U.S. sanctions since 2018 for reasons related to Russia's occupation of Crimea.

McGonigal was also trying to help Deripaska get off the sanctions list, Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Dell said, and was in negotiations along with co-conspirators to receive a fee of $650,000 to $3 million to hunt for electronic files revealing hidden assets of $500 million belonging to the oligarch's business rival.

McGonigal pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiring to launder money and violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. He could face up to five years in prison. Judge Jennifer H. Rearden scheduled his sentencing for Dec. 14.

McGonigal, who lives in New York, is separately charged in federal court in Washington, D.C. with concealing at least $225,000 in cash he allegedly received from a former Albanian intelligence official while working for the FBI.

McGonigal was special agent in charge of the FBI's counterintelligence division in New York from 2016 to 2018. He supervised investigations of Russian oligarchs, including Deripaska.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia later affirmed the sanctions against Deripaska, finding there was evidence he had acted as an agent of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

McGonigal, who became choked up at one point as he described his crime, said Deripaska funneled the $17,500 payment he received through a bank in Cypress and a corporation in New Jersey before it was transferred into his bank account.

"This, as you can imagine, has been a painful process not only for me, but for my friends, family and loved ones," McGonigal said. "I take full responsibility as my actions were never intended to hurt the United States, the FBI and my family and friends."

In a release, Matthew G. Olsen, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department's National Security Division, said, "McGonigal, by his own admission, betrayed his oath and actively concealed his illicit work at the bidding of a sanctioned Russian oligarch."

"Today's plea shows the Department of Justice's resolve to pursue and dismantle the illegal networks that Russian oligarchs use to try to escape the reach of our sanctions and evade our laws," he added.
Investors have been fleeing Chinese markets in favor of others for much of this year, fearing the Asian giant's weak economic recovery. Funds under the Chinese A-share and Chinese stock categories attracted net inflows of $4 billion and $2.5 billion, respectively, for the first half of this year  mostly driven by the first quarter, according to Morningstar data. That's "far lower" than first-half flows into European and U.S. funds ($59 billion and $36 billion, respectively) and Asian funds that exclude China and India ($34.9 billion), Morningstar told CNBC Pro. In fact, in the second quarter, China-focused mutual funds suffered a net outflow of $674 million. In contrast, nearly $1 billion went into emerging market ex-China mutual funds, according to Refinitiv data that Reuters cited. We have seen a 'two speed' market so far in 2023: China has disappointed, while the rest of [emerging markets] has performed quite well, said Derrick Irwin, portfolio manager at Allspring Global Investments. He has an underweight position on China. The recovery in China has been weaker than expected and quite lopsided, he told CNBC. Investors appear to be in a wait and see mode, after being burnt by Chinese policy in 2021. In 2021, Beijing tightened its regulatory tightening as it cracked down on tech giants such as Alibaba, as well as property developers high reliance on debt, among others. Here are some alternatives to China and the stocks to invest in, according to the pros. Japan Japan stocks have been an investor favorite this year, seeing the highest inflows in 20 years, according to Eastspring Investments. Demand for Japan funds has surged among European investors, according to data from research firm Cerulli. Flows across actively managed Japan funds turned net positive in Europe in April, attracting $561 million of net new money across both mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. Both Eastspring and Cerulli are optimistic about this market. Despite the strong rally to date, there's still more room for upside, said Eastspring's head of Japan equities Ivailo Dikov and client portfolio manager Oliver Lee. "We are seeing plenty of opportunities in the value and mid cap space and will assess companies based on the through business cycles and sustainable earnings," they wrote. "Japan is also well positioned to handle any fallout from any rising US-China tensions. Both China and the US are Japan's key trading partners, with the latter supplying both countries with much needed technologies i.e., electrical components, materials, machinery etc," they added. BofA said in an Aug. 4 note that it recommends beneficiaries of a weak yen, and value stocks in the near term, mainly exporters. The bank screened for Japan stocks with the following attributes: resilient earnings, price-to-book (P/B) ratio below 1.5, and potential P/B upside relative to return on equity. Some names that turned up are: Mitsui & Co , Honda Motor , Nomura , Kansai Electric Power , Mitsubishi Motors and Panasonic . Emerging markets A shift in global supply chain dynamics and China's weakening export dominance is set to benefit some emerging economies, according to the pros. "Some of the money that has fled the Chinese market has gone to countries that directly benefit from China's economic difficulties, such as India, Vietnam, and countries which look set to replace China in global manufacturing supply chains," Joanne Peng, research analyst at Cerulli, told CNBC Pro. "Southeast Asia continues to benefit from supply chain restructuring, with companies opting for a 'China plus one' strategy to offset geopolitical risks," she said, citing Indonesia for the electric vehicle supply chain, and Malaysia and Vietnam for electronics. Allspring's Irwin said the reshoring of supply chains is accelerating and will be an important driver of investment in Southeast Asia and Mexico. Further, we expect to see significant outward investment from China itself and [as] they cultivate closer trade ties with their neighbors, he added. Irwin is overweight on Latin America, naming one Mexican stock pick  Fomento Economico Mexicano , a beverage and retail conglomerate. He said there are good growth opportunities for the firm, and its recent structuring unlocks value. He's also bullish on India's HDFC Bank, saying its recent merger with HDFC will "create important long term synergies." Morgan Stanley recently downgraded China and upgraded India, naming its top picks. Will China make a comeback? Some believe that China could bounce back soon, however. We think there is room for continued performance if we see follow up on stimulus plans, Irwin said. Given attractive valuations and poor sentiments, it would not take much to precipitate a rally in Chinese shares. So we could be set up for a strong second half of the year in risk appetite can be rekindled. He named one Chinese stock hes positive on: Vipshop , an online retailer focused on discount flash sales. He said it should benefit as economic growth remains sluggish. Cerullis Peng noted that Chinas July 24 Politburo meeting sent a signal to invigorate the capital market and boost investors confidence. In terms of sectors, the politburo meeting explicitly mentioned support for the platform business, which makes Chinese technology, media and telecom stocks particularly attractive among all stocks, she said. Policy support and valuations at multi-year lows have given these stocks plenty of room to rise.
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With so much of daily life happening over social media, it's not surprising that small businesses are relying more and more on Instagram, Facebook and other platforms to spread the word about their business and sell products. But there is one big catch: small business owners are at a big disadvantage on these platforms when it comes to cybersecurity. Take it from Pat Bennett, an entrepreneur who sold granola in the Cleveland area and got about half of her sales through Instagram. The business was already under pressure from the rising cost and availability of sweeteners and oats when her business Instagram page, Pat's Granola, came under attack. The attack looked innocuous. Bennett received a message on Instagram from a small business owner she knows personally. Using a link, her acquaintance asked Bennett to vote for her in a contest. It was a legitimate contest, and it wasn't unusual for Bennett to communicate with people on Instagram Messenger. As it turned out, it was an attack that went to everyone in her contact's address book. Bennett lost control of her Instagram and Facebook accounts and hasn't regained access, despite using all the channels Meta recommends. With help, she was able to track the IP addresses to Europe, but that wasn't enough to avoid a worst-case scenario. Bennett received a letter saying she could regain control of her accounts if she paid close to $10,000. She declined to pay the ransom and had to start all over again.

Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Pat Bennett, a Cleveland-based entrepreneur who sells granola says about half of her sales are through Instagram, but she became victim to an Instagram Messenger hack that resulted in Bennett to losing control of her Instagram and Facebook accounts, and she hasn't regained access, despite using all the channels Meta recommends. Source: Pat Bennett

Bennett's experience isn't isolated. As it turns out, small businesses like Pat's Granola are frequent targets of hacking rings. CNBC quarterly surveys of small business owners in recent years have indicated that many do not rate the risk of cyberattack highly, yet the FBI says that in recent years a wave of hacks has targeted small business. In 2021, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center received 847,376 complaints regarding cyberattacks and malicious cyber activity with nearly $7 billion in losses, the majority of which targeted small businesses. Small business owners say social media giants such as Meta have done little to help them address the problem. A Meta spokesperson declined to offer specific comment in response to small business owner concerns, but pointed to its efforts to protect businesses targeted by malware. The company has security researchers that track and take action against "threat actors" worldwide and has detected and disrupted nearly 10 new malware strains this year. Malware can target victims through email phishing, browser extensions, ads and mobile apps and various social media platforms. The links look innocuous and rely on tricking people into clicking on or downloading something. Why Main Street is an easy target With marketing and selling over Instagram and other social platforms being an attractive way for small businesses to reach and expand their customer base, it's not surprising that criminal organizations have followed. According to SCORE, a nonprofit partly funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration, nearly half of small business owners cited social media as their preferred digital marketing channel. Compare that to 51% who cited their company website and 33% who prefer online advertising. Moreover, 73% of business owners said they consider social media to be their most successful digital marketing channel, with 66% citing Facebook, 42% citing Alphabet's YouTube and 41% Instagram. "Criminals are in the business of stealing, so you're going to go where you can make money and get away with it. And social media accounts of small businesses are like a gold mine," said Joseph Steinberg, a cyber security privacy and AI expert, who sees small business social media accounts as "low hanging fruit." Bryan Palma, chief executive officer at Trellix, a cybersecurity company that worked with the FBI and Europol to take down Genesis Market, an "eBay" for cybercrime criminals, earlier this year, said he has been seeing a range of cybercriminals targeting platforms such as Instagram, YouTube and Facebook. Some are independent hackers, while others are larger, organized crime groups that target social media accounts with more than 50,000 followers. Common online scams to watch out for One common scam, Palma said, is criminals will create a fake Instagram page notifying the user that there's a problem with their post, and they should "click here, and we'll help you fix it." The link redirects users to a fake site asking them to type in their Instagram credentials. That's similar to what happened to Cai Dixon, owner of Copy-Kids, which makes video content for kids. Dixon created an active online Facebook group with 300,000 followers and was getting as much as $2,000 a month in performance bonuses. In March, she got a message purporting to be from Meta, asking if she would like a blue badge verification. Because she was already in contact with Meta employees over Messenger, she believed the message and gave her private information. Turns out, it was a phishing scheme. Almost immediately, Dixon lost control of the account and the Facebook group she had spent years cultivating. The hackers removed Dixon and all the other page moderators and started posting animal cruelty videos, videos of heavy machinery and fake content. When she finally talked to someone on Facebook, "they said the only thing I could do was to tell all my friends to report it hacked and then they could take it down."

Cai Dixon, owner of Copy-Kids, which makes video content for kids, created an active online Facebook group with 300,000 followers and was getting as much as $2,000 a month in performance bonuses. But in March, a phishing scheme led Dixon to lose control of the account and the Facebook group she had spent years cultivating. Source: Cai Dixon
2023 has been the year for artificial intelligence stocks, and hedge funds in the second quarter beefed up their bets on the growth sector despite its sharp run up this year. Anything connected to AI has seen its share price  and valuation  rise this year as recent developments fan hopes that the fledgling technology will transform the globe and some of the largest companies. Even with these share moves, the latest regulatory filings paint a broadly positive view toward megacap names from some of the biggest investors during the second quarter, with many boosting old stakes or scooping up fresh positions in 2023's AI winners. Doubling down on Big Tech Despite the uptick in tech shares by the end of the first half, many hedge funds amped up their bets on Alphabet during the second quarter. After revealing a new position in the search giant during the first quarter, Bill Ackman's Pershing Square upped its stake in Alphabet to more than $1.3 billion. Dan Loeb's Third Point also added to Microsoft, while Tiger Cub hedge fund Coatue Management hiked its stake in the software giant by nearly 68% to about $1.8 billion. GOOGL YTD mountain Alphabet shares year to date Earlier in the year, both tech giants took center stage as they battled it out with competing chatbots. Alphabet and Microsoft have gained more about 47% and 35% this year, respectively, and continue amping up their AI offerings. David Tepper's Appaloosa bet big on AI winners , growing positions in Alphabet, Amazon , Meta Platforms and Microsoft during the period. Further, the fund opened a stake in Apple worth about $93 million. Amazon also garnered investor attention, with Baupost's Seth Klarman and Third Point opening fresh stakes in Amazon , totaling $125 million and $534.5 million, respectively. Philippe Laffont's Coatue more than doubled its stake. AMZN 3M mountain Amazon shares over the last three months Elsewhere, Tiger Global's Chase Coleman upped his position in the Facebook-parent by 15% to nearly $2.46 billion. Shares of Meta have benefited handsomely from Mark Zuckerberg's focus on efficiency and cost cutting , up more than 150% year to date. Betting on chip stocks Nvidia shares have popped 200% as the company triumphs as AI chipmaker to beat this year. In May, the company revealed blowout quarterly results and guidance that showed booming demand for its graphics processing units underpinning these technologies. Even so, many hedge funds wagered their bets on this integral semiconductor name, and peer beneficiaries such as Advanced Micro Devices , up close to 72% year to date. That included Dan Sundheim's D1 Capital . The fund took new positions in both Advanced Micro Devices and Nvidia. In the first quarter, the fund had dumped its position in Nvidia. NVDA YTD mountain Nvidia shares year to date Viking Global's Ole Andreas Halvorsen opened a stake in Nvidia , while Loeb's Third Point made a fresh $211.5-million bet . Loeb also bought a position worth $247.3 million in Taiwan Semiconductor , and upped his stake in Advanced Micro Devices. Both funds raised their Micron Technology bets. Along with boosting its Nvidia stake by 580%, Appaloosa made new bets on AMD, Intel and Qualcomm . The fund took a fresh gamble on Micron Technology , Broadcom and Marvell Technology . Philippe Laffont's Coatue trimmed its stake in Nvidia by nearly 7% during the period, but the GPU maker remained its largest holding. He also beefed up his bet on Applied Materials and increased his stakes in AMD and Taiwan Semiconductor by more than 64% and 14%, respectively. AMD YTD mountain Advanced Micro Devices shares in 2023 Coleman's Tiger Global also boosted his bets on chip stock during the period, increasing his stakes in Nvidia and Taiwan Semiconductor. Beyond these pure-play AI bets, Coleman added to semiconductor Lam Research . Signs of profit-taking? While the recent filings paint a broadly positive view toward 2023's AI winners, some funds took profits or reduced exposure to some key pure-play megacap positions during the second quarter Coleman pared back stakes in major tech winners, slashing his Amazon position by nearly 62% and his Alphabet stake by more than 54%. He also trimmed his position in Microsoft and dissolved positions in Apple and Applied Materials. Apple shares have hit multiple all-time highs this year as the company made its first major move into the AI field with its Vision Pro headset. While the stock's pulled back in recent weeks, the iPhone maker is up about 37% year to date. META YTD mountain Shares of Meta Platforms year to date Sundheim also reduced positions in key AI beneficiaries Alphabet, Microsoft and Meta, and dissolved his positions in Amazon and Salesforce. Baupost and Third Point reduced stakes in Alphabet, while Coatue trimmed its Meta and Netflix positions by about 30% and 27%, respectively. Keith Meister's Corvex Management trimmed stakes in Microsoft and Salesforce , while Viking Global slashed positions in Amazon and Meta by more than 42% and 19%, respectively. Some popular chip stocks also experienced some deteriorating investor sentiment. Along with a slight trim to Nvidia, Laffont pulled back stakes in Lam Research, NXP Semiconductors , and On Semiconductor .  CNBC's Yun Li, Sarah Min and Brian Evans contributed reporting
Scientific expedition supports high-quality development in Xinjiang

Xinhua) 16:17, August 15, 2023

URUMQI, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- In the Tianshan Mountains in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, a team of researchers was giving trees physical examinations. In this process a stream of water was released from the core of a poplar tree, when it was drilled into by the researchers.

"This is a mechanism by which poplars adapt to drought. They absorb a lot of water when it's wet and store it inside their bodies to reuse it in times of extreme drought," explained Jia Xiaoxu, who is a researcher at the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Jia is the leader of a project on land development and eco-environmental effects assessment on the northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains. This project forms part of the third comprehensive scientific expedition in Xinjiang.

Jia led his team in drilling and collecting samples from hundreds of tree cores. By observing the color and smell of the liquid that came out of the cores, they were able to make a preliminary judgment concerning the health of the trees.

The researchers then brought the samples from the sick trees to the lab to do "blood tests" to further analyze what kind of diseases the trees were infected with.

"Our survey has found that the overall condition of Xinjiang's protection forests is relatively good at present, thanks to ecological water replenishment through diffuse or drip irrigation," Jia said.

Like Jia, many scientists are participating in the ongoing comprehensive scientific expedition, which features a variety of projects.

According to the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography of the CAS, the organizer of the expedition, the expedition includes a total of 30 projects involving the Tarim River basin, the Ili River basin, the Ertix River basin, the economic belt along the northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains, and the Turpan-Hami basin, as well as radiating to neighboring countries and regions.

The institute indicated that the scientific expedition, which was launched in 2021 and is expected to last for five years, had already achieved a series of positive results.

"The third comprehensive scientific expedition has discovered some new potential water sources available in Xinjiang, and new species have been found in the biodiversity research," said Zhang Yuanming, director of the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography.

New technological means, such as drones and satellite remote sensing, have been used in the scientific expedition to examine areas for which information was previously lacking, while artificial intelligence, deep learning and other technologies have also been used to analyze data, Zhang said.

The scientific expedition is expected to outline a roadmap for ecological construction and green development in Xinjiang for the next 30 years, Zhang added.

Xu Jiliang, dean of the school of ecology and nature conservation at Beijing Forestry University, is leading a team conducting a survey of biodiversity and biological resources of special resistance in the Turpan-Hami basin.

This survey has constructed a library of ecological restoration species for mines, oil wells and other energy bases, which will help repair degraded ecosystems, improve the regeneration capacity of natural resources, and realize the sustainable improvement and restoration of the ecological environment.

"The scientific research data and experience we have accumulated can be provided for use in similar ecological restoration efforts in countries along the Belt and Road," Xu said.

The third comprehensive scientific expedition not only supports Xinjiang's high-quality development, but also serves Belt and Road construction, Zhang said.

"The ecosystems of Xinjiang are not closed, and they are distributed across national boundaries, so the scientific expedition involves international cooperation," Zhang said. "For example, scientists from China and Tajikistan have jointly conducted a cross-border survey of biodiversity on the Pamir Plateau. We can use this scientific expedition to gain an overall understanding of biodiversity and ecosystems along the Belt and Road."

Zhang said that scientists are also conducting expeditions focused on the local environment and desertification in the Taklamakan Desert.

"Thanks to this expedition and the decades of experience we have accumulated in saline and desertification management, we can promote our solution to Central Asian and African countries to achieve the goal of common ecological and environmental management," he added.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Hunter Biden, son of US President Joe Biden, arrives at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, July 4, 2023.

Federal prosecutors on Tuesday said a pretrial diversion deal that they had offered to Hunter Biden on a felony gun charge did not take effect, despite what lawyers for the son of President Joe Biden are arguing.

Special Counsel David Weiss also accused Hunter's defense attorneys of "inaccurately" characterizing the collapse of renewed plea negotiations, which fell apart last week after a judge raised questions about the deals Weiss was offering.

Earlier Tuesday, one of Hunter's lawyers asked the judge in the case for permission to withdraw from the case, citing the likelihood he will be a witness to the failed plea negotiations.

Weiss originally said he would not recommend jail time for Hunter if he pleaded guilty on July 26 to two misdemeanor counts of failure to pay federal income taxes.

And the prosecutor also was willing to allow Hunter to avoid conviction and have the felony firearm charge dropped if he abided by the conditions of the agreement over two years.

"The Government did not 'renege' on the 'previously agreed-upon Plea Agreement,' Weiss said in his new filing in U.S. District Court in Delaware.

"The Defendant chose to plead not guilty at the hearing on July 26, 2023, and U.S. Probation declined to approve the proposed diversion agreement at that hearing," wrote Weiss, who is also the U.S. Attorney for Delaware.

"Thus, neither proposed agreement entered into effect."

Weiss wrote that after the plea hearing, both sides proposed agreements to each other to address the judge's concerns.

"Without going into the substance of the negotiations between the parties, in the afternoon after the hearing on July 26, defense counsel asked to meet with the Government," Weiss wrote.

He said that after Hunter's lawyers proposed changes to the deal, prosecutors "did not believe they were in the best interests of the United States, and offered counterproposals."

Hunter's lawyers in turn rejected that offer on Aug. 7, the prosecutor wrote.

"Seeing that the parties were at an impasse, the Government informed the Defendant, in writing on August 9, 2023, that it was withdrawing the most recent version of its proposed plea and diversion agreements," Weiss said in his filing.

Tuesday's separate withdrawal bid by Hunter's attorney Chris Clark came a day after the lawyer Abbe Lowell entered an appearance to represent Hunter in the case.

And it followed a court filing by Hunter's legal team alleging that federal prosecutors reneged on the plea deal they had offered.
There's income to be found these days in corporate bonds, and the Invesco Corporate Bond fund is one place to look. The actively managed fund invests mostly in U.S. corporate bonds, a majority of which are investment grade. Its A-shares offering, ACCBX, has a 30-day SEC yield of 5.12%. While it has had a rocky year and a half, volatility is to be expected, said Matt Brill, head of North America investment grade credit for Invesco Fixed Income. That's because the fund also has a small portion of high-yield corporate debt holdings. "Having more credit risk does introduce a little bit of volatility, but if we are getting these calls right over the longer term and getting more right then wrong, it does add up," said Brill, who is also the senior portfolio manager of the fund. ACCBX has a total return of 1.5% for the year, and lost 16.73% in 2022, according to Morningstar. However, its performance over the past 10 years puts it near the top of its category. That's about the time that Brill came aboard, after a stint as a portfolio manager at ING Investment Management. He's been in the industry since 2002. The fund, rated four stars by Morningstar , has a month-end trailing 10-year return of 2.96%, putting it in the top 6% of its category. It has $2.7 billion in assets under management and an expense ratio of 0.77%. "The team employs a structured investment approach that delivers a competitive edge over their peers," Morningstar analyst Thomas Murphy wrote in June. Here are its top holdings The fund's managers typically invest 80% to 90% in developed-markets corporate credit and 5% to 10% in dollar-denominated emerging market debt. Some 74% of the holdings are in U.S. corporate bonds, as of June 30. While they can invest up to 30% in non-investment-grade bonds, they typically don't go that high, Brill said. Instead they stay between 7% and 15%, he said. The hunt for the next investment-grade bond The team is very specific when it looks for high-yield plays, Brill said. "We are usually buying the higher quality, BB-rated high-yield names that we think give us some diversification away from just investment grade names, but also give us stability and security of income as well," he said. The bonds Invesco likes are also ones that a lot of high-yield managers view as too high quality for their funds and therefore stay away from, he said. Brill looks to get in early in what he calls "rising stars" that will at some point move into investment grade. For example, Netflix and Occidental Petroleum had high-yield bonds that were upgraded this year, he said. "We'll add a little bit more risk and with risk comes a little bit more volatility, but if done with proper risk management as well as really good security selection, we can limit that downside from those and add to the overall yield and total return to the portfolio," Brill said. The team's approach When deciding on the fund's allocations, the management team wants to make sure it has the right macro view of what's going to happen in the economy in order to determine how much risk the portfolio should have. They then focus on sector calls, and populate it with the right security selection, Brill explained. For instance, in addition to "rising stars," the team also looks for things happening in the market that will be a catalyst for the companies paying down debt or retaining their investment-grade rating. For instance, Brill saw a big opportunity to get into regional banks after the recent banking turmoil. "We're finding out which sectors we really like and then within it, which credits we think are going to benefit the most from it," he said. "Then we diversify the portfolio to make sure not all of our eggs are in one basket."
Barry Rosenstein's Jana Partners placed two new bets on defense and aerospace stocks in the second quarter, according to a 13F filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission . The activist hedge fund more than doubled its position in Mercury Systems , the filing showed, adding 120% to a stake that stood at $152 million on June 30. Mercury Systems designs, develops and manufactures computer hardware and software products for the aerospace and defense industries. Among Jana's other notable moves in the second quarter were buying a new position in Leidos Holdings worth $29 million. Leidos contracts with all branches of the U.S. military, the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The fund's largest position at the end of the quarter remained Freshpet , valued at some $282 million. Jana boosted its Freshpet holding 6.9%, or more than 275,000 shares, in the quarter. Jana's other increases in the second quarter included an addition of almost 2% to home health services stock Enhabit and a more than 6% expansion in the size of its holding in financial firm Fidelity National Information Services . Jana lowered its holding in LabCorp nearly 40%, or $55 million, bringing it to roughly $97 million by the quarter's end. The fund entirely exited a $4 million position in geospatial intelligence stock BlackSky Technology . Jana managed about $1.3 billion in 13F securities at the end of the second quarter, according to WhaleWisdom.com .
Kathy Ruemmler, former White House Counsel, appears on "Meet the Press" in Washington, D.C., June 29, 2014. William B. Plowman | NBCUniversal | Getty Images

Sex predator Jeffrey Epstein was involved in establishing a client relationship between Obama White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler and JPMorgan Chase in February 2019, four months before he was arrested on federal child sex trafficking charges, a bombshell court filing revealed Tuesday. Ruemmler, who is now general counsel for Goldman Sachs , was touted by Epstein's personal assistant to JPMorgan as an ideal customer, the filing shows. The suggestion that JPMorgan take Ruemmler on as a client  which the bank warmly embraced  came almost six years after JPMorgan said it had effectively fired Epstein as a client after internal controls repeatedly raised red flags about him. And it came five months before Epstein killed himself in August 2019 in a Manhattan federal jail, where he was being held without bail pending trial. Ruemmler declined to comment through a Goldman Sachs spokesman. CNBC separately emailed her to ask how she knew Epstein, and what knowledge she had of his history of being convicted in 2008 of a sex crime in Florida. The Manhattan federal court filing detailing her connection to Epstein was filed by the government of the U.S. Virgin Islands, which is suing JPMorgan. The American territory alleges that JPMorgan enabled and benefited from Epstein's sex trafficking of young women to the Virgin Islands, where he had a home, during the years he maintained accounts at the bank, from 1998 through 2013. JPMorgan denies any wrongdoing in the case, where the territory is seeking at least $190 million in damages. The bank last month agreed to settle a similar lawsuit in the same court by an Epstein accuser, paying $290 million to her and other Epstein victims. The case is scheduled to go to trial in late October. "Even after his exit right up until his arrest in 2019, JPMorgan continued to work with Epstein," the Virgin Islands said in its filing. The filing says that JPMorgan admits "Epstein was involved in the establishment of a customer relationship with Kathryn Ruemmler," who was the longest-serving White House general counsel under former President Barack Obama The filing says that in February 2019 Epstein's assistant, Leslie Groff, offered to introduce Mary Erdoes, a top JPMorgan executive, to Ruemmler, because she wanted to open an account with JPMorgan and Epstein thought the two of them "would bond." "Erdoes escalated the referral to Stacey Friedman, JPMorgan's General Counsel, who responded 'she is a rock star litigator at Latham. . . . I would think she would be a great client,'" the Virgin Islands said in its filing. Ruemmler at the time worked at the law firm Latham & Watkins. In 2020 she joined Goldman Sachs as a partner, and now is Goldman's chief legal officer and general counsel. The filing also said that Epstein at one time referred as a potential JPMorgan client Nicholas Ribis, a gaming advisor who for decades ran casinos for former President Donald Trump. Ribis did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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JPMorgan claims in court filings that the Virgin Islands was itself "complicit in the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein," arguing that he gave high-ranking government officials money, advice and favors in exchange for looking the other way when he trafficked young women. JPMorgan also argues that its former executive Jes Staley, who was friends with Epstein when he was a client of the bank, is responsible for any civil liability of the bank due to its business relationship with the sex offender. On Tuesday, newly unsealed court filings by the bank show that Epstein was asked by former U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. John de Jongh Jr. for a loan of $215,000 after de Jongh was arrested on embezzlement charges that were later dismissed. Epstein's company also paid de Jongh's wife, Cecile, a $300,000 lump sum severance payment after Epstein killed himself in a federal jail while awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges in August 2019, JPMorgan's documents say. She had worked for Epstein at his Southern Trust Company. The documents also say that another Epstein employee who worked for him in the Virgin Islands was granted a U.S. Customs and Border Protection security seal, which allowed that worker to "escort passengers through" customs screening areas. The bank in other court filings has said that Epstein paid for the school tuitions of the children of the de Jonghs, and that Cecile had made efforts to obtain student visas and a work license for young women connected to Epstein. A spokesman for the Virgin Islands' Attorney General's Office told CNBC that Epstein's loan to former Gov. de Jongh occurred after he left office in 2015. The charges against de Jongh were dropped in early 2016 by the Virgin Islands Department of Justice after he agreed to a separate monetary settlement. CNBC has reached out to comment from John de Jongh via an asset management company where he is a director. The Virgin Islands spokesman also said that "it was the federal government and not the Virgin Islands government that granted the 'U.S. Customs and Border Protection security seal.' " The Virgin Islands has said that JPMorgan's leadership kept Epstein as a client for years despite multiple warnings about him being raised internally at the bank, which included payments to young women, and a 2008 sex crime conviction in Florida which led to a jail term. In its new court filing on Tuesday, the Virgin Islands cited a July 2011 email between Epstein and Erdoes, after JPMorgan's rapid response team decided that Epstein should be off-boarded as a client, and after JPMorgan's general counsel told Erdoes that Epstein was "not a person we should do business with  period." Erdoes and Epstein emailed after he and the bank agreed to settle his lawsuit against JPMorgan related to money he said he was owed by Bear Stearns, the investment bank taken over by JPMorgan. "On July 26, 2011, Epstein wrote to Erdoes, 'lets [sic] move on , [sic] and make some real money,' " the filing said. "Erdoes responded, 'Onwards and upwards, on so many fronts,' " the filing said. Epstein was not severed as a JPMorgan client for another two years. The new Virgin Islands filing said that Staley, in his deposition for the lawsuit, disclosed the names of people and companies that Epstein had referred to the bank as potential clients. An unsealed portion of Staley's deposition was made public Tuesday.
Investors should look to Pharvaris for sizable gains, according to Morgan Stanley. Analyst Maxwell Skor upgraded the biotech stock to overweight from equal weight and raised his price target by $24 to $34. This forecast implies shares stand to gain 84.5% in the next 12 months. "We believe Pharvaris is positioned to deliver the first oral therapy for the on-demand treatment of hereditary angioedema (HAE) supported by positive Ph2 RAPIDe-1 data (here) and the FDA lifting their clinical hold," Skor wrote in a Tuesday note. "We see a viable market opportunity with ondemand and short-term prophylactic treatment." Pharvaris is a clinical-stage company developing B2-receptor antagonist oral therapies, such as deucrictibant, to treat and prevent hereditary angioedema attacks. Deucrictibant is the only drug of its kind currently in clinical development, according to the company. HAE, which is a rare genetic disorder that involves recurrent and severe swelling in various parts of the body, is a growing market expected to reach more than $4.5 billion in worldwide sales by 2030. The market is split between on-demand treatment and a growing prophylactic segment, according to the note. Skor thinks deucrictibant has a superior safety profile across early clinical trials to the currently dominant therapeutic for the disorder, Orladeyo. The drug "can potentially be best-in-class, capturing a sizable share of both the on-demand (~45% penetration) and prophylactic (~25% penetration) market by 2035," Skor wrote. He estimates about $840 million in adjusted peak sales for deucrictibant in 2035. The FDA's decision to lift its clinical hold of deucrictibant, for the on-demand treatment of HAE, suggests growing confidence in the safety profile of the drug, Skor said. He noted, however, that the FDA's clinical hold on prophylactic treatment remains a "key overhang" and that management is expected to submit nonclinical data by 2023. The stock has gained more than 63% this year. PHVS YTD mountain PHVS in 2023  CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed reporting.
Singapore's financial regulator on Tuesday said it had finalized rules for a type of digital currency called stablecoin, putting it among the first jurisdictions globally to do so.

Stablecoins are a type of digital currency designed to hold a constant value against a fiat currency. Many claim to be backed by a reserve of real-world assets, such as cash or government bonds.

The stablecoin market is valued at around $125 billion, with two tokens  Tether's USDT and Circle's USDC  dominating roughly 90% of the market cap value.

But stablecoins are broadly unregulated around the world.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore's (MAS) framework spells out some key requirements:

Reserves that back stabelcoins must be held in low-risk and highly-liquid assets. They must equal or exceed the value of the stablecoin in circulation at all times

Stablecoin issuers must return the par value of the digital currency to holders within five business days of a redemption request

Issuers must also provide "appropriate disclosures" to users, including the audit results of reserves.

These rules will apply to stablecoins that are issued in Singapore and mimic the value of the Singapore dollar, or of any G10 currency, such as the U.S. dollar.
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams speaks during Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the National Action Network House of Justice headquarters.

The founder of a data analytics firm, which purportedly used artificial intelligence technologies, was indicted in Manhattan federal court for allegedly attempting to defraud his investors by manipulating his bank statements and revenue numbers to give the false impression of success, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Michael Brackett raised $2.5 million from angel investors in 2019, according to PitchBook data, to start his company Centricity, which promised to forecast consumer demand in real time. Brackett told The Wall Street Journal he would raise $10 million in 2021.

Instead, Brackett resigned, and Centricity collapsed.

The fraud ground to a halt, prosecutors alleged, after Brackett was unable to attract further investors and simply ran out of funds. Centricity had claimed it had 13 large U.S. manufacturers and retailers as customers, according to prosecutors. It shopped documents claiming $3.7 million in annual revenue around to investors and various short-term lenders, prosecutors allege.

In reality, prosecutors say Centricity only counted two of those 13 firms as clients. Still, prosecutors allege, an unnamed victim firm wired $500,000 to Centricity, unaware that the CEO had provided false information.

The unidentified victim discovered "within days" that Brackett had perpetrated fraud, prosecutors say. But neither their bank nor Centricity were able to return the funds, prosecutors say.

Brackett allegedly "transferred Firm-1's funds out of the account," and the company soon collapsed.

A person with direct knowledge of the matter said that prosecutors reached out to investors sometime in 2022, seeking documents, financials, and other information related to investments in Centricity.

Brackett, a U.S. citizen who was a resident of Switzerland, faces one count of securities fraud and one count of wire fraud. He was arrested by federal authorities Tuesday in Maine, prosecutors said.

Centricity's tale echoes the fraud allegedly perpetrated by Charlie Javice, the troubled startup founder of the fintech Frank. Similar to the allegations against Brackett, Javice allegedly manipulated her metrics to convince JPMorgan to acquire her startup. The bank, similar to Brackett's unnamed victim, only discovered the fraud after the transaction had been completed.

Earlier this month, SoftBank's Vision Fund filed suit against a startup that it alleges defrauded the fund out of $150 million using similar techniques as Brackett and Javice.

WATCH: DOJ charges startup founder with fraud
China's long-awaited rebound from the Covid pandemic is floundering: On Tuesday, the country's central bank unexpectedly cut interests in hopes of fixing a "confidence crisis" in the economy . The news had us once again revisiting the portfolio's exposure to China. The chart below is meant to provide a high level view of the revenue exposure each of the 35 companies in our portfolio has to the world's second-largest economy. It's not be-all and end-all for any investing decisions. There are additional factors to consider such as the nature of the products being sold into China and the end markets ultimately driving the demand. We are looking at this screen from two angles: one is revenue exposure to mainland China, the other to the broader Asia-Pacific region, which would include the key areas of Taiwan and Macau. As we go through the portfolio, we must also keep in mind that a lack of direct revenue coming from China does not equate to a complete lack of exposure. First, a couple caveats: Our energy exploration and production stocks Coterra Energy (CTRA) and Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD) screen as having zero revenue exposure outside of the United States. However, both are directly exposed to the price of crude, and since oil and natural gas are global commodities, the selling price of these products is directly linked to global demand. The largest consumer of energy is China. As a result, Chinese economic activity is a major indirect driver of realized selling prices and therefore sales and cash flows for US energy producers. Nvidia (NVDA) is another stock where the direct revenue exposure can be misleading. Nvidia's revenue is not attributed to the country in which the consumer buys a product that contains one of the company's semiconductors. Instead, sales are allocated to individual countries based on where the products are initially billed  even if the revenue is attributable to end customers in a different location. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) operates the same way. That's an important dynamic to be mindful of because it means that the end user demand driving sales may be coming from outside of China, even if the revenue for AMD and Nvidia is recorded as coming from China. For example, if an Apple computer with an AMD graphics card is assembled in China, that Apple purchase of AMD chips may register as China revenue, even if the computer is ultimately sold in the U.S. As a result, we must consider our portfolio both quantitively via the screen, but also qualitatively, which requires more analysis about the broader flow of money for goods and services throughout the global supply chain. The four portfolio names we focus on most when considering China are Wynn Resorts, Estee Lauder, Apple and Starbucks. Wynn Resorts While mainland China may not be doing so hot, the appetite for a good time in Macau appears be strong. In the most recent quarterly earnings , Wynn Resorts (WYNN) said gross gaming revenue momentum rose in the resort area throughout the second quarter and continued into the third quarter. As a result, we think today's hit is the result of knee-jerk selling that doesn't really apply to Wynn Resorts directly. Of course, a weaker consumer in mainland China could foreshadow a decline in Macau revenues, so we will be monitoring monthly gaming revenue data closely for any indication that demand has slowed since we last heard from management. However, as it stands now, demand remains strong, with GGRAsia reporting Tuesday that Macau welcomed 139,000 visitors this past Saturday, the highest daily tally since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. This could indicate that the "long on money, short on time" dynamic  spending on experiences and services over goods  we have seen play out in the U.S. in recent quarter is happening in China. Starbucks The U.S.'s largest coffee chain is the least exposed of the four and that could allow the company to realize more growth in the region despite the weak economic data. In the company's fiscal third quarter we saw China same-store sales skyrocket 46%, with revenue surging 51% versus the year-ago period (up 60% excluding the foreign exchange headwind). Management also said Starbucks Rewards members in China now number more than 20 million, the "highest number of 90-day active users [Starbucks has] ever had" there. On the earnings call, management called out a major opportunity to convert the traditional tea-drinking population into coffee consumers. The average Chinese consumer drinks only 12 cups of coffee per year, well below the 200 a year in Japan or the 380 in the U.S. Clearly, there is a lot of growth left to realize in China and as a result, we aren't all that concerned about these readings on the Chinese economy. The current coffee market is small enough that it can continue to grow in the face of broader economic headwinds and Starbucks is in a position to come out even stronger once the economy finally rebound. Estee Lauder We're most concerned about Estee Lauder (EL) and its exposure to China. We'll hear from management on Friday morning when the cosmetics company reports earnings, but our expectations are about as low as they can be heading into the print. Only 34% of revenue may be directly tied to China but as we know, "the travel retail recovery [in Asia more broadly] was challenged by the slower-than-anticipated resumption of international flights, granting of visas, and organized group tours." That makes the 60% revenue exposure to the Asia-Pacific region more concerning, even as mainland China realized organic sales growth during the quarter. The silver lining of today's update from China is that it should solidify investor expectations that forward guidance isn't going to be great. We wouldn't be shocked to get a "kitchen sink" guide where management just takes numbers down to a level they can easily beat to set us up for some beat-and-raise quarters in the future. China recently lifted its group tour ban to other countries, which should also help the travel retail business. But the recovery will be gradual and we are maintaining our 2 rating into the print. Apple The world's most valuable company is also reliant on China for growth. While its products are technically discretionary  anyone that has ever left their house without their phone might consider it more of a must-have  we aren't overly concerned about today's news. Weaker demand in the global smartphone market is well known. And Apple's (AAPL) recent earnings release showed China revenues accelerate from negative 3% in the second quarter to up 8% in the third. As a result, total sales, services sales and wearables, home and accessories sales all set June quarter records in Greater China. Apple is also looking to grow into new emerging markets including India, which could represent a similar opportunity to China with a huge population and a growing middle class. Bottom line The latest bad news out of China doesn't shake us out of any of our holdings. But it is worth keeping in mind and could result in us allowing for "wider scales" (meaning larger declines) in between buys as this kind of news can certainly weigh on investor sentiment for stocks that do business in the region  even if the pressure ultimately proves temporary. As a result, we would be more inclined to be view any significant drawdowns in U.S. companies exposed to China as a buying opportunity. The recovery may be taking longer than expected but eventually it will come to fruition. Like it or not, the U.S. and China are economically reliant each other and we're rooting for that bounce back sooner than later. (See here for a full list of the stocks in Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.

A textile factory on December 30, 2022 in Jiangxi Province. Chinese manufacturing activity contracted at its sharpest pace in nearly 3 years in December. Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty Images
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump arrive to speak to police gathered at a Fraternal Order of Police lodge during a campaign event in Statesville, North Carolina, Aug. 18, 2016. Carlo Allegri | Reuters

Several of the attorneys who spearheaded President Donald Trump's frenzied effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election tried, and failed, to collect payment for the work they did for Trump's political operation, according to testimony to congressional investigators and Federal Election Commission records. This is despite the fact that their lawsuits and false claims of election interference helped the Trump campaign and allied committees raise $250 million in the weeks following the November vote, the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot said in its final report. Among them was Trump's closest ally, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Trump and Giuliani had a handshake agreement that Giuliani and his team would get paid by the Trump political operation for their post-election work, according to Timothy Parlatore, an attorney for longtime Giuliani ally Bernard Kerik. But the Trump campaign and its affiliated committees ultimately did not honor that pledge, according to campaign finance records. The records show that Giuliani's companies were only reimbursed for travel and not the $20,000 a day he requested to be paid. Parlatore also told CNBC that the Giuliani operation was never compensated for its work. According to Parlatore, the failure to pay Giuliani and his team came up last week in a private interview between prosecutors on special counsel Jack Smith's team and Kerik, a member of Giuliani's team in late 2020. "Lawyers and law firms that didn't do s--- were paid lots of money and the people that worked their ass off, got nothing," Kerik complained in a 2021 tweet. Bob Costello, Giuliani's attorney, declined to comment further about the agreement, citing privileged conversations between his client and then-President Trump.

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Trump has a long history of not paying his bills. But the revelation that he likely stiffed Giuliani, a longtime friend, is all the more striking given that much of the work Giuliani did for the Trump operation is detailed in a sprawling RICO indictment in Georgia released Monday, in which Giuliani is a co-defendant alongside Trump and 17 other people. The indictment details trips Giuliani made, phone calls he placed and meetings he attended, all in service of what prosecutors say was a criminal conspiracy to overturn the election. Criminal or not, what is indisputable is that Giuliani and his team did a lot of legal and PR work for Trump. Over more than two months, Giuliani served as the public face of Trump's election challenges, which ultimately failed. Nonetheless, these challenges helped Trump and his allies raise an unprecedented $250 million from small-dollar donors in the weeks following the November election, according to the final congressional report by the House select committee on the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. The money came in response to countless fundraising appeals that claimed it was needed to fund Trump's election challenges in court. Yet instead of paying the lawyers who tried unsuccessfully to overturn his loss, the money went into Trump's leadership PAC, Save America, according to the select committee.

According to the final report by the House select committee, "After raising $250 million dollars on false voter fraud claims, mostly from small-dollar donors, President Trump did not spend it on fighting an election he knew he lost." Trump's entire political network, including his joint fundraising committees, spent over $47 million combined from the start of 2020 through the end of 2021 on legal fees, according to a report by OpenSecrets. Today, that money raised by Trump's political operation is instead helping Trump pay his own legal bills in the criminal cases against him. Trump's Save America PAC spent over $20 million in the first half of the year alone on legal fees as the president faced the first two of his four indictments. The PAC began the second half of the year with only about $3 million in cash on hand.

Sidney Powell, an attorney later disavowed by the Trump campaign, participates in a news conference with President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani at the Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C., Nov. 19, 2020. Jonathan Ernst | Reuters

Giuliani is not the only unindicted co-conspirator in the special counsel's election case who got stiffed by the Trump operation. Federal Election Commission records and testimony from the House Jan. 6 select committee hearings reveal that none of the private-sector lawyers identified  but not indicted  in that case got paid for their post-election work: Not Sidney Powell, Kenneth Chesebro or John Eastman. Giuliani and Eastman wanted a mix of reimbursements and payments, but records show they received virtually none of that money. Powell had to turn to her own law firm to pay her volunteers. All the while, the Trump team raised hundreds of millions of dollars off the false claims of election fraud that Powell and Giuliani promoted on TV and in court. Chesebro, for his part, told the House committee that the work he did for the Trump team was pro bono. On Monday, all four lawyers entered a new phase in their legal relationship with Trump, when they were charged alongside him in the Georgia RICO case. Giuliani, Chesebro, Powell and Eastman were among the more than a dozen other co-defendants in the indictment brought against Trump in Georgia on charges of trying to illegally overturn the 2020 election results in the state and elsewhere.

Giuliani wanted $20,000 a day

Matthew Morgan, an election lawyer for the Trump campaign, recalled to the House select committee in 2022 that Giuliani requested $20,000 a day from the Trump political operation to fight the election results. Working five days a week for two months, November and December 2020, this would have amounted to around $800,000 in legal fees. But Giuliani never got it. According to federal records, two companies linked to the former New York City mayor got about $100,000 in travel fees and reimbursements from the Trump operation. Kerik's company saw about $85,000 for travel-related expenses, according to the records. But not a penny more from team Trump for their services.

Eastman wanted refunds and payment

Longtime conservative attorney John Eastman had an alleged role in trying to stall the certification of the 2020 election results.

Attorney John Eastman speaks next to President Donald Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, as Trump supporters gather ahead of the presidents speech to contest the certification by Congress of the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election on the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., Jan. 6, 2021. Jim Bourg | Reuters

Morgan told the House select committee that when Eastman first officially came on board in December, he did so on a voluntary basis, but he requested that his expenses be reimbursed by Trump's team. Federal Election Commission records show that Eastman didn't directly receive a single reimbursement from Trump's campaign, despite that agreement. Shortly after Jan. 6, 2021, Eastman requested payment "for services rendered," according to Morgan's testimony to the select committee. Though Morgan did not recall how much Eastman asked for, he said his understanding was that "the services requested was for the totality of all the work he'd done for the campaign." Morgan told the committee that he sent the request to another Trump campaign legal advisor, Justin Clark. FEC records show that no payments were ever made by any of Trump's committees to Eastman. Eastman's attorneys declined to comment. The fact that neither Giuliani nor Eastman got paid also reflected a deep rift that emerged after the election between top staffers on Trump's formal campaign and the small band of lawyers pushing fringe theories of how Trump could overturn his loss. A group of Trump campaign leaders and legal minds, occasionally referred to as "Team Normal," pushed back against the conspiracy theories being peddled by the outside attorneys. Ultimately, it was members of "Team Normal" that had a say in the campaign's purse strings. Clark later recounted an email he received on Christmas Eve 2020 from Giuliani associates, seeking payment. "What I make of it is that I think these guys were reporting directly to Mr. Giuliani, and when it came time to get paid, they were looking to me to get money, and I was never in the position to be prepared to just write checks to people ....we're not just going to set money on fire to do stuff," Clark told the House committee. An attorney for Clark declined to comment.

Powell paid staff through her own firm
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 15)  The Supreme Court (SC) has ordered the dismissal of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporations counterclaim in a pending case against its former television host Willie Revillame, whom the media giant accused of breach of contract.

In a 22-page decision made public on Tuesday, the courts Third Division ruled in favor of Revillame, as it took note of an earlier ruling of the First Division which found ABS-CBN guilty of forum shopping.

This refers to the act of filing two or more lawsuits in different courts, asking them to rule on the same or related causes to raise the chances of obtaining a favorable decision.

The court said ABS-CBN, which has asserted that Revillame was still bound by their contract at the time he moved to TV5, first applied for a temporary restraining order (TRO) with the Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) in 2010 to prevent the airing of Willing Willie.

After its application for TRO was denied, ABS-CBN went to the Makati RTC to file a copyright infringement complaint on the similar ground of alleged violation of contract.

This clearly shows that ABS-CBN willfully sought the same relief in two different fora, expecting a favorable result after being denied the first time, the SC Third Division said.

The court ordered the Quezon City RTC to continue with the pending civil case without ABS-CBNs compulsory counterclaim.

The legal dispute between Revillame and ABS-CBN began in August 2010, when the TV host filed a civil action before the Quezon City RTC seeking to terminate and rescind his three-year contract with the media corporation.

In September 2010, ABS-CBN filed its answer with a compulsory counterclaim. It prayed for liquidated damages in the amount of over 700 million, in addition to over 400 million "for each further violation by Revillame, or for each week of violation of their contract."

Citing forum shopping, the Court of Appeals earlier dismissed the copyright infringement complaint filed by ABS-CBN before the Makati RTC  a ruling upheld in 2019 by the SC.

The SC explained that forum shopping is deemed a deplorable practice, as it results in the possibility of different competent tribunals arriving at separate and contradictory decisions and adds to the congestion of the heavily burdened dockets of the courts.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 14)  The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Monday clarified that the police only wanted to request an official report on the autopsy done on Jemboy Baltazars body when they visited forensic pathologist Raquel Fortuns office over the weekend.

The clarification was made after Fortun, who is known to investigate the cases of suspected victims of extrajudicial killings, expressed alarm when members of the Navotas Police went to her office after she examined Baltazars remains.

Wasnt it your job to investigate? Why harass me for my findings? Friday nagpunta ang police. Today, prosecutors office. Do you know what it takes to do a forensic autopsy? On top of all the other work I do? Fortun said in a tweet on Monday.

Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos explained that Fortun's report will help the agency determine if charges filed against the six police officers should be elevated from homicide to murder.

Members of the Baltazar family were also alarmed when Navotas cops in civilian clothes visited Baltazars wake.

However, Navotas Police Chief Allan Umipig said the policemen did not wear their uniform to be inconspicuous. He added that it was the Baltazar family who requested police presence during the wake.

Yes, tama po 'yun. Nakipag-blend lang po yung mga nakasiblyan na dalawa doon sa family ng biktima, said Umipig.

[Translation: Yes, thats right. The two police personnel wearing civilian clothes just blended in with the victim's family.]
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 15)  The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Tuesday that it is already finalizing its rules and regulations on the penalties for vote buying for the upcoming barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in October, which will now cover online money transfers.

"Doon sa mga panibagong pamamaraan ng vote buying, tulad ng by way of GCash or online banking, kasama po namin sa Committee on Kontra Bigay ay Anti-Money Laundering Council at Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas,said Comelec Commissioner Ernesto Maceda Jr. in a press briefing.

[Translation: When it comes to the new ways of vote buying, such as through GCash or online banking, the Anti-Money Laundering Council and the Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas are part of the Committee on Kontra Bigay.]

"Amin pong hinuhubog ang final version ng aming rules and regulations on kontra bigay. Kapag inilibas na namin ang rules, maisasama namin in whatever way ang ganyang pamamaraan."

[Translation: We are already polishing the final version of our rules and regulations on vote buying. Once we issue the rules, we will include such schemes.]

The Omnibus Election Code penalizes vote buying or selling with up to six years of imprisonment, disqualification from public office, and prohibition from exercising the right to vote.

Any political party found guilty of engaging in such acts shall pay a fine of not less than 10,000.

Update the law?

Moreover, the Comelec admitted that the Omnibus Election Code  which was approved in 1985  does not cover modern schemes of bribing during elections.

"Katulad ng paulit-ulit kong sinasabi, na we are working in implementing a 1985 law...Eh nung mga panahon po noon, wala pa namang GCash, nung mga panahon 'yun mamimigay lang ng bigas eh," said Comelec chairperson George Garcia.

[Translation: Just like what I've been telling, we have been implementing a 1985 law...Back in the day, GCash was not yet available, and you just give voters rice.]

Although some netizens have been posting alleged incidents of vote buying or selling online, the poll body said that the current law does not recognize such posts as evidence to punish such acts.

"Hindi ba namin pwedeng gamitin yung nasa social media? Sana nga kung bago nga lang yung batas, sana nga kung in-amend yung batas. Bakit? Eh kasi sa kasalukuyan yung ganung klase ng ebidensya, walang value," said Garcia.

[Translation: Can we not use the posts on social media? We are hoping to do so if the law is updated or amended. Why? Because those kinds of evidence have no value today.]

Garcia added that the Comelec is currently drafting the proposed revisions to the Omnibus Election Code.

The Comelec issued a resolution in 2013 allowing the public to conduct warrantless arrests against vote buyers and sellers. But the PNP had some apprehensions with regards to the policy.

"Kinakailangan as much as possible, andiyan yung kapulisan [] Medyo kung wala kang uniform, medyo may possibility na may violent reactions," said PNP chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda in a chance interview with reporters.

[Translation: As much as possible, the police must still be present [] If you are not in uniform, there might be violent reactions.]
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 15)  Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said the country is not on war footing and remains committed to finding peaceful means to resolve its dispute with China even after the recent water cannoning of Philippine vessels in the West Philippine Sea.

In a budget briefing of the House of Representatives for the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday, Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel asked the secretary if it was "wise" to say that the Philippines is on a "war footing" after the recent incursion in the contested waters.

Manalo answered that the country is "not on a war footing."

"I hesitate to answer what would be an act of war," he said when further pressed on the department's perspective on what would contstitute an act of war.

"The general understanding among all countries is to try and resolve the disputes in the South China Sea through peaceful means," the DFA chief said. "And even with China, we have entered into discussions with them bilaterally that we will try and resolve our disputes through peaceful means, to focus on areas where our relations are really positive."

Manalo stressed that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has an independent foreign policy and that the country is "a friend to all".

Manuel raised the issue as he said he is getting "mixed signals" with various government officials commenting on the Aug. 5 incident, when the China Coast Guard blocked and fired water cannons at Philippine vessels during a resupply mission to the Ayungin Shoal.

Lawmakers then asked Manalo if they still expect a different outcome from talks with China since Beijing has been consistent on not recognizing the 2016 Arbitral Award.

"It's not hopeless. We will continue to find a solution and there's a commitment on both sides," the DFA chief added.

In an interview with CNN Philippines' Politics As Usual, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Romeo Brawner Jr. said China's action was "short of declaring war."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 15)  Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo on Tuesday said filing a resolution before the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to end China's harassment in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) could only be politicized, stressing Manila would continue its bilateral talks with Beijing.

The Philippine government will exhaust all possibilities before making such a move as theres a lot of considerations to make when filing a resolution at the UNGA, Manalo told a budget hearing in the House of Representatives Tuesday.

It is one thing to have a debate, a discussion, we can do that, we have been doing that," he said. "Pero pagdating sa resolution [But when it comes to a resolution], it becomes a slightly different matter. It becomes politicized."

On Aug. 1, the Senate adopted a resolution that strongly condemns China's continued harassment of Filipino fisherfolk and its persistent incursions in the WPS.

Among the options listed was to ask the DFA to file a resolution before the UNGA to end Beijings harassment.

Days after, the China Coast Guard blocked and fired water cannons at Philippine vessels which were conducting a resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal, prompting Manila to file a diplomatic protest against Beijing and summon Chinese Ambassador Huan Xilian.

RELATED: Senators push for executive session amid water cannon incident

The DFA has filed over 400 diplomatic protests since 2020 but lawmakers have been critical of the protestations saying they only fell on deaf ears.

Manalo said the country will continue its bilateral talks with the East Asian giant, adding that he would not say that they are hopeless.

Siyempre, pag nag-discuss, [Of course, when you discuss] it doesn't mean you will necessarily agree. But there are ways that perhaps you could explain your position clearly in the hope of finding a solution, the DFA chief said.

He also said the DFA plans to garner support from traditional partners and other nations when the Philippine government raises the WPS issue at the United Nations and other fora.

In fact, what has happened is recently a number of countries who before did not speak out on the need for peaceful resolution sa [in the] South China Sea came out speaking, this includes Australia, Korea, India, the DFA chief said.

I think that's the approach we are taking to garner enough support for our positions and our views, he added.

International meeting with kindred countries?

As you have said, Mr. Secretary, there are more and more countries siding with the Philippines for the enforcement of the [arbitral] award, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman said in his interpellation.

And we have all of the G7 countries without any exception," he added. "They have already articulated their support for the Philippine cause. We have European Union members who also made the same statements."

Lagman then suggested to the department to consider hosting an international meeting of all these kindred countries so that we could really solidify the Philippine cause, as he explained the UNGA resolution option has risks.

Manalo said it was a very interesting idea, adding he is open to discussing with the lawmaker possible ways to bring it to fruition.

In 2016, the arbitral tribunal in The Hague created under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) largely ruled in favor of the Philippines in the 15 points it raised against China.

It upheld the country's sovereign rights in areas of its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in the WPS that are being claimed by Beijing.

It also invalidated China's expansive claims in the South China Sea.

China, however, has repeatedly refused to recognize the ruling calling it "illegal, null and void."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 15)  Senator Francis Escudero on Tuesday said the Philippines should now build its own structure on Ayungin Shoal as China continues to harass Philippine vessels and fishermen.

"During the budget deliberations, I will propose the inclusion in the budget of an item to build a structure already on that island," Escudero told CNN Philippines' The Source.

The senator said he will push for 100 million for the structure, which can include accommodation for Filipino troops stationed at the BRP Sierra Madre  a World War II-era ship intentionally grounded on Ayungin Shoal in 1999 to serve as the country's outpost in the West Philippine Sea.

Escudero pointed out that China was the first to build structures in the contested area.

"Kami naman magpapagawa sa sinasabi naming amin din dapat wala rin kayong gawin dahil wala rin naman kaming gagawin din laban sa inyo kaugnay ng baseng pinatayo ninyo, he added.

[Translation: We will build in an area that we claim as ours, so you shouldn't do anything because we will not do anything against you and the base you built.]

Ayungin Shoal is located 104 nautical miles west of Palawan  well within the Philippines' 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The Philippines maintains it has sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the Kalayaan Island group, which China is also claiming through its nine-dash line. However, a landmark arbitral tribunal ruling in 2016 invalidated Beijing's sweeping claims in the South China Sea.

Escudero emphasized that his proposal is not meant to anger China, but to give the president the "flexibility to act as the chief architect of our foreign policy as he deems fit."

He also said he would want the 100-million budget to be placed under the Department of Public Works and Highways instead of the Department of National Defense. Through this, the building of a structure in Ayungin Shoal will not appear confrontational, he noted.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 15)  The suggestion of Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri to boycott Chinese goods should be carefully studied given its possible impact on the local economy, Senator Francis Escudero said Tuesday.

Speaking to CNN Philippines' The Source, Escudero said 17% of the countrys exports go to China, while 33% of Manilas imports come from the east Asian giant.

If Beijing decides to stop supplying cheaper products and closes its doors on Philippine-made items, only Manila will feel the impact, he noted.

Sa parte ng China, wala pang dalawang porsyento ang kanilang ine-export sa Pilipinas at wala pang isang porsyento ang kanilang ini-import sa Pilipinas sa kabuuang importation nila... di naman sila maapektuhan, Escudero said.

[Translation: On China's part, their exports to the Philippines are not even 2% and their imports from the Philippines are not even 1% of their total importation. They will not be affected.]

The senator said it is important to separate matters of agreement from those that have conflicts.

Escudero said voices on foreign policy should be reserved for the president and foreign affairs secretary, while agencies concerned with maritime security should defer issuing comments to avoid confusion and conflicting policies.

The lawmaker issued the statement after Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said Chinas firing of water cannon against Manilas vessels during a resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal was short of declaring war.

Jonathan Malaya, National Security Council director general and spokesperson of the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea, had said that the Marcos administration has made it a policy to be transparent on engagements with Chinese vessels in the country's exclusive economic zone in the exercise of sovereign rights in line with the 2016 arbitral ruling.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 15)  Crime incidents in Negros Oriental have declined according to law enforcers amid calls to postpone the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in the province to November due to political killings, the Commission on Elections said Tuesday.

"Sa kasalukuyan...ang report pa sa atin ng provincial commander, bumababa ang krimen doon sa Negros. In fact, yung mismong armed groups, na-neutralize na. Iisa na nga lang, na-neutralize pa...Ibig sabihin bumababa after mangyari 'yung insidente nung March," said Comelec Chairperson George Garcia in a press briefing.

[Translation: As of now...the provincial commander reported to us that crime incidents have declined in Negros. In fact, the armed groups there were already neutralized. The lone group was already neutralized...It means that the incidents have declined after what happened in March.]

The BSK elections are scheduled on Oct. 30, but Senator Francis Tolentino earlier proposed to postpone the polls in the province due to cases of political violence.

Nine mayors in the province have also sought the postponement of the BSK elections because of a "lingering atmosphere of terror" in the aftermath of the murder of Governor Roel Degamo last March.

Garcia reiterated that the decision on whether to postpone the elections or not in Negros Oriental will be out by September.

"May impossibility ba of holding the election? Ayun 'yung pinaka-qualifier...May violence nga, possible naman ang election. May terrorism, okay naman pala mag-election," he said.

[Translation: Is it impossible to hold an election? That's the qualifier...There might be violence, but it is still possible to hold an election. There could be ongoing acts of terrorism, but an election could still be possibly held.]

The Comelec earlier held public consultations with various cities and towns in Negros Oriental.

The laws on election and setting the BSK poll date allow the Comelec to postpone elections not later than 30 days after the cessation of the cause for such postponement, and in all cases not later than 90 days after the original date of elections.

The grounds for postponement of elections include rebellion, insurrection, violence, terrorism, loss or destruction of election paraphernalia or records, force majeure, and other similar causes of such a nature that prevent the holding of a free and orderly election.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 15)  The prosecutor general said murder charges have been filed against Negros Oriental Rep. Arnie Teves in connection with three killings that happened in 2019.

"As reported to me, yes," Benedicto Malcontento said when asked if charges have been filed against the embatled lawmaker.

Last week, state prosecutors said they found enough evidence to file murder charges against Teves in connection with three killings in Negros Oriental in 2019.

Teves' camp said they were not surprised by the charges.

Besides Teves, six other individuals linked to him were named respondents in the complaint, including Gemuel Hobro whom the government said confessed to the crimes.

In an earlier briefing on Tuesday, Justice secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said the National Prosecution Service (NPS) was on its way to Negros Oriental to file the case.

Once the case has been formally filed, the DOJ can then proceed to make a request to have the case transferred to the Manila Regional Trial Court. At a briefing, Justice secretary Jesus Crispin "Boying" Remulla said the case could be filed by Wednesday.

Initial venue niyan [The initial venue] should be in Negros before it is transferred by formal motion to Manila," he explained.

Remulla believes the case will have an effect on Teves' movements, especially once an arrest warrant is released.

When we have a proper warrant of arrest based on this crime then the Interpol notices will go red and there will be no more movement allowed between borders and boundaries," he said.

Teves' camp has not yet released a statement on the matter.

CNN Philippines' AC Nicholls and Pia Garcia contributed to this story.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 15)  The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday assured the public that the COVID-19 bivalent vaccines in the country are not expiring soon.

DOH Undersecretary Eric Tayag said the country's first and only batch of bivalent shots, which were donated by Lithuania in June, are expiring in January 2024  contrary to the previous statement of Health Secretary Ted Herbosa that its expiration date was "extended" from July to September.

Tayag explained the country is expecting more donations to pour in so the current batch of bivalent shots should ideally be used up first.

"Nililinaw namin kung bakit pinauubos agad nang Agosto, sapagkat may napipinto po tayong tatanggapin na mga bakuna, mga donasyon din po ito," he said in a media briefing.

"Sa January 2024 pa ang expiration date pero sa bilis ng paggamit ng nasabing bakuna ay 'di na aabutin ng ilang linggo at mauubos na po iyon," he added.

[Translation: We are clarifying why we wanted the stock to be used by August. We expect that we will accept donations. The current batch will expire in January 2024, but we might finish it in a few weeks.]

The official also said 69% of the 390,000 bivalent shots that arrived in the country in June were administered already.

Original, bivalent shots effective vs. EG.5

Tayag also confirmed the Philippines has detected 12 cases of EG.5, a variant of interest quickly becoming dominant in the United States, Ireland, France, the United Kingdom, Japan, and China. He did not provide the location of patients and severity of cases.

Tayag said EG.5 is highly transmissible, but the original and bivalent vaccine  which reduces the risk of severe infection from the Omicron variant  remains effective.

The DOH official added the agency is monitoring the rise in the number of COVID-19 patients requiring intensive care.

"Tinitingnan namin ang mga ospital kung saan nagkakaroon muli ng pagtaas ng kaso, lalo na sa kanilang ICU at kung mga pasyenteng nauuwi sa serious complication ang kanilang COVID-19 infection," he said.

[Translation: We are monitoring hospitals where there is an increase in COVID-19 cases, especially in the intensive care unit. We are checking if they are experiencing serious complications.]
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 15)  Laguna province and Cagayan de Oro City have joined the list of localities that have declared Pura Luka Vega persona non grata over the drag queen's controversial "Ama Namin" performance.

"We have successfully declared Mr. Amadeus Fernando Pagente aka Pura Luka Vega as persona non grata in our beloved province," Laguna board member Christian Nino Lajara said in a Facebook post on Monday.

Lajara said the resolution was unanimously approved by members of the Laguna Provincial Council.

"It is our duty to uphold the values of respect and dignity towards our fellow individuals," he added. "We should not tolerate any attacks or disrespect towards our cultures and beliefs."

The local official said the declaration is a reminder to everyone that being a celebrity should never be an excuse to offend or insult beliefs and traditions.

Cagayan de Oro made the same move during the regular session of the city council on Monday. It approved a resolution, authored by Councilor Ian Mark Nacaya, declaring Vega unwelcome in the locality due to "sacrilegious acts."

Vega has also been declared persona non grata in the City of Manila, Bukidnon, Floridablanca town in Pampanga, Toboso town in Negros Occidental, and the City of General Santos in South Cotabato.

In July, Vega released a video performing a rock version of "Ama Namin," the Filipino version of the Lord's Prayer, while wearing a drag outfit meant to resemble Jesus Christ.

It drew flak from religious sectors and politicians, though Vega said it was meant to challenge notions of praise and worship, and not to blaspheme or disrespect.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 15)  Chinas claim that a former Filipino president promised to withdraw grounded warship BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea is an attempt at psychological warfare, Senate President Juan Miguel Migz Zubiri said Tuesday.

When we are all rallying ourselves together behind the men and women of the Air Force, of the Navy and the Coast Guard, they try to come up with a statement that will make us fight internally," Zubiri said in plenary

"Its psywar, we should not succumb to this psychological warfare, he stressed.

Senator Francis Chiz Escudero likewise called for unity in the face of China's tactics.

Tayo-tayo na yung nag-aaway dahil nagre-react at nagsisisihan dahil sa sinabi ng matuturing nating katunggali sa isyung ito kaugnay ng West Philippine Sea," Escudero said. "Huwag nating payagan at pahintulutan na mangyari ito sa pagitan nating mga PIlipino."

[Translation: We are now fighting among ourselves while reacting and pointing fingers at each other over statements made by what we can consider our rival in the West Philippine Sea. Don't allow this to divide us Filipinos.]

Escudero said this issue should be put to rest considering that president Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. already declared that there was no such deal, and if there ever was, it should be considered rescinded.

The lawmakers made these statements in response to the privilege speech of Senator Jinggoy Estrada calling out the allegations made by columnist Rigoberto Tiglao that it was his father, former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada, who made the promise to China.

The younger Estrada spewed curses as he again belied Tiglaos claim.

It was made verbally, allegedly, to who? Can you name names, Mr. Tiglao? Stupid, he said.

Tiglao was a member, a Cabinet member of the Arroyo administration and he was conspicuously silent in asserting our sovereign rights over issues concerning the West Philippine Sea. Gag* ka [You're a fool], he added.

It was during the term of the Estrada patriarch in 1999 that BRP Sierra Madre was grounded to serve as the Philippines' military outpost in Ayungin Shoal.

Escudero said he will push to allocate 100 million for the construction of a lodging facility in Ayungin Shoal not only for Filipino soldiers but for fishermen of any nationality who need shelter to avoid rough waters.

Senator Estrada expressed support for the idea but said the amount may not be enough.

Senator Robin Padilla, for his part, rallied for more development in Philippine-occupied Pag-asa Island which he visited last week.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 16)  The Philippine National Police's Internal Affairs Service (PNP-IAS) ordered on Tuesday the filing of charges against Navotas police chief Allan Umipig and 11 more police officers over the fatal shooting of a teenager last Aug. 2.

The PNP-AIS said upon further investigation, Umipig was found to have "instructed the team leader of the operatives to exclude from their reports 11 police officers who were also involved in the fatal shooting of the 17-year-old Jerhode Jemboy Baltazar."

Umipig will face charges of dishonesty and command responsibility, while the 11 policemen will be charged for abandoning the victim and other possible violations of police operational procedures.

PNP-IAS Inspector General Alfegar Triambulo said he has also directed the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) to relieve Umipig from his post.

He added that the first case against six police officers is already at the summary dismissal stage. The six policemen were earlier relieved, slapped with homicide complaints, and detained.

WATCH: Mother of slain Navotas teen wants murder raps vs. erring cops

On Monday, NCRPO chief PBGen Jose Melencio Nartatez said the policemen involved in the shooting of Baltazar  who was mistaken for a suspect  were unable to present footage from their body cameras during the incident.
FILE PHOTO: Although the nearly 8 inches of snow that fell near Grand Lake, Colorado, was able to substantially slow down the East Troublesome Fire, the fire can still smolder underneath the snow. Firefighters from Oregon knock down smoldering stumps near Grand Lake on Nov. 1, 2020, in this file photo.
Almost every county in Colorado received grants to upgrade the physical security at their election offices over the last year.

In total, 56 counties were given more than $945,000 in grant awards, the Secretary of State's Office announced on Tuesday. The grant program was created by Senate Bill 22-153, passed by state legislators in 2022 in response to alleged election security breaches in Mesa and Elbert counties.

These new resources are critical in increasing security and protecting Colorados elections from insider threats and bad actors, said Secretary of State Jena Griswold. I am so proud to issue these grants so that Colorado can continue to lead the nation in election security and access.

The grants ranged from $2,669 for Rio Grande County, to $36,500 each for Larimer and Weld counties. Other big awards include $30,000 for Montrose County and $24,500 each for Boulder, Jackson, Jefferson, Logan, Ouray and Park counties.

Every county that applied received a grant award, according to the Secretary of State's Office.

Counties used the money to meet new security requirements created by SB 22-153, such as implementing key card access systems and 24/7 video surveillance for rooms where election equipment is stored.

SB 22-153, dubbed the Colorado Election Security Act, is intended to protect Colorado's election systems from "insider threats."

The bill was drafted after, in 2021, Elbert County Clerk Dallas Schroeder and Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters were accused of making unauthorized copies of election equipment data. Schroeder admitted to the accusations, while Peters denies them, pleading not guilty to seven felony and four misdemeanor charges in the case scheduled to go to trial in October.

Elbert and Mesa counties were each awarded the election security grants, receiving $10,019 and $23,916, respectively.

In addition to creating the grant program, the bill made it a felony to tamper with or facilitate unauthorized access to voting equipment, and prohibits anyone convicted of election offenses from serving as an election official, among other changes.
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Managers are under more pressure to drive productivity, and ironically efficiencies created by generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools are a big part of why expectations are growing.

At the same time, organizations face a crisis of trust from employees who see AI as a threat to their jobs.

In fact, generative AI is expected to replace some part of the workforce in the years ahead. As much as 29% of computer-related tasks could be automated by AI, as well as 28% of work by healthcare practitioners and technical tasks in that field, according to a study by Goldman Sachs.

Most experts agree, however, that newer AI tools are less about replacing people and more about eliminating mundane, manual, or number-crunching tasks that most employees already hate. In fact, the technology will mostly help free up workers to tackle more important tasks such as project management, data science research and, perhaps most importantly, creative thinking and problem solving.

"There is no example today of an AI system that can perform data science totally independent of people," said Erick Brethenoux, a distinguished vice president analyst at research firm Gartner.

A lot of the uncertainty and fear workers feel about generative AI tools is based on ignorance, experts say. AI, in its many forms, has been around for more than 50 years, but many people simply dont recognize its been beside them all this time.

People have always been afraid of AI because the vision they have of it is science fiction; its a Hollywood vision of it, Brethenoux said. Theres a lot of hype around it."

AI, for example, has been used to automate credit card approvals and transactions  and anyone whos used a GPS system has used AI to determine their routes. But in the past six or so months, new generative AI platforms such as ChatGPT have placed a spotlight on the technology and added a plethora of new use cases.

Generative AI, for instance, has been and can be used in decision support, decision augmentation, and decision automation.

Decision augmentation, thats whats interesting; its the collaboration of humans and machines working together. Brethenoux said. "I cannot analyze 7,000 dimensions at once. Machines can do that. So, then, great  let them analyze the data and find the patterns. Then how to apply those patterns can be at my discretion and could also be helped by a machine.

For example, Brethenoux said his brother works in real estate and has five agents working for him. He has been using ChatGPT to analyze multiple property profiles, a task that would typically take up to six weeks if done manually. ChatGPT, Brethenoux said, can do that same task in an hour and a half. Instead of using the efficiencies of ChatGPT to reduce his workforce, his brother said the technology has freed up agents to be more hands-on and discover more prospective buyers.

Right away, he thought, 'What can my people do that machines cannot do?' Brethenoux said.

Gartner also has a European client that's preparing to launch an AI-enabled sales tool that listens into sales calls and, once a sale is made, automatically sends all the documentation needed to the prospect in order to close the deal.

Salespeople love the app because it frees them up from busy work and allows them to make at least twice as many calls to prospects per day, and they don't have to worry about completing paperwork because it's all done in the background by a bot.

"So they can focus on what they like to do: selling," Brethenoux said. "Thats a great example of a human-machine collaboration."

Generative AI can be used to find patterns in data, such as relationships between companies, people, and products for the purpose of uncovering money-laundering schemes. Machine learning algorithms have been used by telecom providers to monitor calls and messages and then suggest to sales reps what special deals can be offered to customers to prevent churn.

Still, Brethenoux acknowledges that employees are fearful theyll lose their jobs to AI automation, whether it's a valid fear or not.

I believe in the large majority of cases, generative AI does not replace jobs, but tasks. Within a job you have many tasks, and one of them may be replaced, he said.

AI will not replace people. People who are using AI will replace people, said Brethenoux, quoting Harvard Business School professor Karim Lakhani.

That's why it's beomcing increasingly important for business leaders and others to reassure staffers that generative AI and other forms of AI and machine learning are being deployed as task assistants, not worker replacements.

The lack of worker trust

More than a quarter of desk workers dont think their employers trust them, according to research published last month by Slack. Those who do feel trusted show a better work experience and significantly better performance, reporting two times higher productivity.

If employees dont feel trusted, theyre not going to be comfortable with a new idea, said Jeffrey Stier, who heads up consulting firm Ernst & Youngs (EY) Purpose and Vision Realized program for the Americas. "Theyll naturally be worried their jobs will be replaced. If you show them it is a tool that helps augment their jobs, theyll see AI will give them more time to do creative things."

Slack commissioned IT consultancy Qualtrics to survey more than 18,000 desk workers in nine countries at every rung of the corporate ladder. The survey data indicates that the majority of business leaders (71%) feel immense pressure to squeeze more productivity out of their teams.

At the same time, companies that have adopted AI are 90% more likely to report higher levels of productivity than those who have not, and workers save an average of 3.6 hours a week, according to the study. Those findings are often lost on employees who never see the data.

Slack, for example, is rolling out AI platforms to create efficiencies, including a workflow builder to automate tasks such as onboarding new employees and enabling management of worker calendars. The company is also experimenting with ChatGPT as a way to create summaries of internal conversations over its platform.

We see jobs changing and new investments like AI happening, and we can understand how employees feel overwhelmed and concerned about job security, said Christina Janzer, Slacks head of Research and Analytics. An important role the manager plays is as a source of truth. Share updates, invite feedback."

Thats not, however, happening nearly enough, Janzer said. Employees dont have basic information to do their job, she said.

Cultivating a culture of transparency and feedback

One key to reducing stress about AI deployments is to be upfront about what is being rolled out  and why. Managers should actively seek employee input not only about how they feel about the AI tools, but how the tech could help them do their jobs better. After all, most often its the workers who understand their jobs the best.

Janzer believes as AI becomes more common, it will be a key enabler of productivity by taking over mundane tasks and freeing workers to dedicate more time to strategic thinking and creative duties.

Research shows AI can free up as much as one working month per year, per employee, according to Janzer.

AI is also a valuable tool to uncover who is performing their jobs effectively and who isnt. EYs Stier, whos responsible for architecting, co-designing, and developing the training and delivery for four EY leadership platforms, said his company is piloting its own version of a chatbot powered by ChatGPT to perform bi-weekly sentiment surveys of employees.

The surveys give managers insights to head off potential problems along with valuable personal information to better place employees based on existing skillsets. Resumes, for example, only show work expierence and technical capabilities. Stier said when he's interviewing potential hires, he sees a resume as a limited piece of the information puzzle and typically ignores them.

"What a resume fails to tell you is what that person believes in as an individual; what's important to them," Stier said. "Where do they want to go in their careers? What do they want the company culture to be about?

"So, we're building AI tools now because AI, and particularly chat, is a series of well-designed prompts that get answers to queries. If you and I are having a conversation and I want to know what inspires you to get up every day and go to work, that's a prompt; it's not on your resume, necessarily. Those are the things I want to know," he said.

Many companies see AI as a tool to simply discover or cull lists of potential new hires. AI for HR, Stier pointed out, is much more sophisticated than just a hiring and firing tool; it can be used to build greater relationships with existing employees so they stay put. Every time an employee quits, it costs a company like EY tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on their seniority, Stier said.

EY, for example, is building out chatbots for clients to create "net belonging scores," which use employee survey answers to match data about what extraciricular activities they're involved in and in what areas of the company they have opted to work  finance, leadership, strategy. Then a more comprehensive employee profile is created that goes beyond what HR records typically contain.

So, you want to mitigate attrition and increase retention. Generative AI, using some of the techniques Ive mentioned, can do that, Stier said. Were experimenting with AI to make employees feel the company cares about them. [A business] can use AI to do that by collecting more data points about personal purpose and personal career goals and adjust benefits, programs and which teams the employee is on."

EY research for clients has also found that employees are spending about a third of their time on performative tasks; these are tasks they do to appear productive, Stier continued. AI is for the people who weve hired to be the A and B performers; its going to help them do their jobs. Were starting to give classes to employees on how use AI to increase their own efficiency.

Generation Zs and Millenials want to know that they fit in, that they're valued for more than just the skills they learned in school, according to Stier  something he called "the humanization of the workforce."

Conversely, AI can also be used to expose so-called C- and D- and F-grade employees, those who are either not performing well or are simply in the wrong job.

Theres no quiet quitting anymore because AI is going to be able sniff you out, Stier said. At the end of the day, that's a good thing for employees, because that's a bad way to go into the workforce, and it's bad for employers. If you're an employee who is not performing well, we'd much rather you come and share that with us right away, rather than have an AI tool find that. We've hired you for a certain reason."
Fords announcement that it has hired former Apple services executive Peter Stern to lead its own services push is significant in many ways. These plans dont seem to extend to media or content and shouldnt involve paying to unlock features you already use. But the hire reinforces the argument that future vehicles will be platforms and it hints about Apples own plans.

Before he left Apple in January, Stern was seen as the successor in waiting to veteran Apple Services Vice President Eddy Cue. In his role, he led the evolution of services across Apple, helping build the $50 billion/quarter business it has become today.

What Stern will be doing

In a statement, Ford said Stern will lead work to:

Build out the business tied to Fords BlueCruise hands-free highway driving system and productivity and safety/security services, including those from the Ford Pro Intelligence business.

Imagine and deliver exciting new high-value services.

Lead services marketing, certain out-of-vehicle customer experiences, and Ford Next.

I love creating new services businesses and this is the perfect chance to do just that, Stern said in the same statement. The auto industry is undergoing an unprecedented transformation, from gas engines to electric vehicles and from human to autonomous driving. At the same time, the basis for differentiation is shifting from the vehicles alone to the integration of hardware, software, and services.

In May, General Motors hired Mike Abbott, Apples former vice president of engineering for iCloud services. In that case, Abbott was hired to lead a new software development arm.

What Ford isnt doing

Thats a significant hire moving to significant company, so Ford hosted a media event to discuss the move. You can glance at the transcript of that call here. The approach Ford seems to be taking should inform any company attempting to build next-generation services to exploit the advantages of digital transformation.

One thing the company isnt doing is exploiting customers, promised Ford CEO Jim Farley: I want to make something really clear to the media because it's a theme coming up in the questions that I really appreciate, he said. So, we at Ford  are not going to charge for things that don't make sense for us to charge for. If someone has a heated steering wheel or heated seats, that is literally the opposite of our approach.

"We're charging for making our customers' lives better. We don't really see us charging for content [and] there's been some brands that have even charged for e-commerce capability. That's not the direction we're going as a company.

What Ford is doing

In other words, Ford won't make customers pay more for things they feel they already own. Nor is the company particularly focused on creating its own media services to compete with Apple Music, Podcasts, or anything else.

We're kind of going in a completely different direction, said Farley.

For example, Ford already offers driver assistance software that can monitor driving habits and train drivers to drive more efficiently. It also offers pro customers software to predict component failures, which is a really useful tool to fleet managers.

The idea he seemed to stress is a vision in which software augments driving experiences in a positive way, rather than wriggling a proverbial hand into customer pockets when they least expect it.

Farley put it this way: I mean the place where we have the rights to improve people's lives ... is when the vehicle data uniquely allows us to create services. And I think that needs to be said because our industry is littered with bad choices about subscription services. And that is not the direction we're going in. I hope that's clear.

Augmenting lives one car at a time

The direction Ford seems to be taking is to apply in-vehicle intelligence to enable concepts and services that werent possible before. Cars already contain a lot of technology, so how can these smart components work together to make driving better?

Thats fine for electric vehicles (and Ford stressed that its vision extends to existing vehicles), but the introduction of vehicle autonomy  hinted at beginning around 2025 during the media briefing  lends new opportunities.

Based on what Ford said, Im betting these will include "Autonomy as a service," with drivers subscribing to autonomous AI to drive them in specific places. That makes sense, as Ford would want to recoup on large investments in road traffic management information, real-time analysis, and software.

I expect theres also going to be a need to secure connected vehicles just like any other endpoint, while enterprise IT will seek tools with which to manage vehicle fleets. Fleet managers will inevitably be interested in next-generation services, such as pre-emptive repair packages in which the engineer is despatched before the vehicle even hints that it might break down.

Theres an Apple touch there, too. Given Fords use of names like Ford Plus, Id be completely unsurprised to see such a service called FordCare+ (including use of a top-end smart courtesy car during repair). You can see how these kinds of services may ramp up, without needing to charge users to switch on their heated car seats.

Following the money

There is big money at stake. Boston Consulting estimates the car subscription market in Europe and the US could reach $40 billion by 2030. With this in mind, its interesting that Ford has turned to an Apple executive to lead its services vision.

Ford already has more than 550,000 paid software and services subscribers, more than 80% of them through the Ford Pro commercial unit. This is generating hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue with 50%+ margins. "The basis for differentiation is shifting from the vehicles alone to the integration of hardware, software and services," Stern said.

So, whats the takeaway?

The primary notion is that once you put intelligence into something, you gain the opportunity to create new products and services to augment your initial business income.

When you do so, its truly important to place your target customer at the center of that transaction; customers will not thank you for being forced to pay extra for products they consider they already own. But they will cough up good (high-margin) cash for services that augment those products in imaginative ways.

Further, just as with everything else in tech, services are more effective if they echo the nature of the original brand. There are multiple great examples of that way of thinking across rapidly evolving smart agriculture ecosystems.

The Apple approach I think Stern will be able to exploit most at Ford will be the iterative innovation that has characterized Cupertino.

Think how the iPhone was built on the technology, hardware, and software that was iteratively developed on the back of the iMac, iPad, and iTunes. That integration of hardware, software, and services is precisely the mantra Stern has at Ford, which suggests the digital road trip auto makers are about to explore will follow a very similar playbook to Apples adventures elsewhere in tech. And the companies that work hardest to put the customer at the center of those experiences will be the ones most likely to reach the finish line.

With such highly placed ex-Apple luminaries in the command seat, will Ford strive to reinvent the wheel, or partner in the evolution of it?

Please follow me on Mastodon, or join me in the AppleHolics bar & grill and Apple Discussions groups on MeWe.
Theres definitely people around, even in our current times, who are so deeply and wildly weird that without firsthand evidence, we might not believe theyre real. We also have the benefit of photography, which is arguably too available these days, to document every person and moment possible. That might be the only reason that decades or centuries from now, people will be able to look and go, Oh my robot overlords, I guess they did exist.

But when evidence exists predominantly in the form of campfire stories or old illustrations, its not surprising that certain figures from history have become caricatures. When somebody could feasibly fit into a Looney Tunes cartoon, it can be hard for them to maintain their grip as a genuine person from the past. Of course, embellishments are natural, but the basis for what you might think are tall tales are often a flesh-and-blood fellow.

Here are five people you might not have known really existed

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5 Johnny Appleseed Play Johnny Appleseed is a tale that sounds patently insane. A man wandering the Wild West, tossing out apple seeds and leaving a trail of trees in his wake, sounds like a folk tale at best and a severely deranged man at worst. I truly cant assign any blame for raised eyebrows when somebody tells you about a barefoot man traipsing about the frontier, wearing a tin hat that he cooked his meals out of. Starring in a Disney cartoon didnt help either. But Johnny Appleseed, whose real name was John Chapman, was indeed a real person. Not only that, but a shocking amount of the details of his life were true, too. He did indeed wander the west, planting orchards from apple seeds that he carried in a bag hung off his shoulder. One detail that often gets left out does make him seem much more like a real American: He wasnt doing this shit for free. He went ahead of settlers, planted orchards and then sold his shiny new apple trees to settlers coming up behind him. He wasnt as much an earth-loving hippie as a deeply strange entrepreneur.

4 John Henry Play The tale of John Henry, the man who raced the steam machine, is a folklore story that has lost little relevance in modern times. Heck, John Henry versus the machine is practically writers struggle against advancing A.I. Well, if John Henry was a feeble, depressed man, and the steam machine made weird-looking, factually inaccurate railroads. Also, if I swung a sledgehammer one time, both of my arms would fly off. Regardless, given the dramatization of the tale over time, most people dont think that there was an actual strapping, overalled, dead dude behind the story. In reality, its now believed that the tale of John Henry, who beat the machine and keeled over posthaste (begging the question, who really won here?) is based on a rail-worker from Virginia named John William Henry. He was a convict who did work driving steel for the railroads, around the year 1870. Not only that, in the particular tunnel he worked, prisoners were pitted against steam drills, and records suggest he did die in the line of duty.

3 Paul Bunyan Play Maybe one of the most famous (literal) tall tales of North America is the mighty lumberjack Paul Bunyan. His likeness, or one like it, covers everything from pancake mix to romance novel covers. He also, obviously, is one of the most exaggerated representations of a real man. Were not uncovering Olympic-pool sized footprints and ox turds out in the forests. Shrink the proportions and the rumors, though, and we can find a fella whos likely connected to Bunyan. Bunyans physical legend, its believed, comes from a French-Canadian man named Fabian Fournier. Remember, first, that in 1875, when Fournier lived, the average male height was right around five and a half feet tall. Given that knowledge, the six-foot-tall Fournier was practically Shaq with an axe. Its thought that Fourniers famous bulk combined with the name of another famous lumberjack, Bon Jean, which over time and error, morphed into Bunyan.

2 Davy Crockett Play Its also tough to be taken seriously when your most enduring legacy is a dumbass hat. The real Davy Crockett didnt even have to be six feet under to have his image endlessly embellished by people of the time, either. Within his own lifetime, he was the basis of a play called Lion of the West and an unauthorized biography inspired by the interest in the former. In reality, its not like the man wasnt a genuinely tough sonuvabitch. He was a bear hunter and a soldier, and claimed to have killed 105 bears in a single year. Just going by the verifiable facts, he was a top-notch big-game hunter, a war hero and a politician who once subdued Andrew Jacksons attempted assassin with his cane. Not much exaggeration was needed, but it was added all the same, especially by repeat offender, Disney, in a TV series about his life. Advertisement Advertisement
Its not like we need Weekend Update anchors Michael Che and Colin Jost to confirm what should be obvious. But by announcing a Radio City Music Hall date in mid-October, theyre confirming that Season 49 of Saturday Night Live will be off to a late start. Also likely: Just like last season, the writers and actors strikes mean the 2023-2024 version of SNL will feature fewer episodes than usual.

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Radio City Music Hall

First things first: Che and Jost announced an October 14 gig in New York. Considering that a) last years SNL season kicked off two weeks earlier on October 1, and b) the Radio City Music Hall job is scheduled for a Saturday night, we can logically conclude that the two comics are pretty sure the SNL season wont kick off on time. Given that WGA talks have barely started and SAG isnt even at the table, its a safe bet that we wont see the start of a new SNL season until late October at the very earliest.

Other SNL comics are touring as well, but are hedging their bets by wrapping up their current tours in September. The latest dates announced for players like Sarah Sherman (September 13), James Austin Johnson (September 10), and Devon Walker (September 2) indicate that theyre keeping October open  but for how long? Unlike actors, comics at least have a way to earn paychecks during negotiations.

Like late-night talk shows, writers strikes always have an immediate impact on Saturday Night Live. The 1981 strike ended Season 6 early  considering we judged that the worst season ever, maybe that was a good thing. Rumored to have been among the show hosts we never got to see? Brooke Shields.

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In Season 10, we got robbed of more magic from Billy Crystal, Martin Short, and Christopher Guest  a writers strike resulted in only 17 episodes that year. Eugene Levy and John Candy were on tap to host the next scheduled episode (with musical guests Hall and Oates!). Astonishingly, Levy has never been invited back to host, though he showed up for son Dans episode 35 years later.

The 2007-2008 strike resulted in the shortest SNL season ever  only 12 episodes made it to air in Season 33. But the one well always lament will be Season 13, cut short in February after only 13 episodes. That meant canceling the first hosting appearance for Gilda Radner, scheduled for that spring. She would have been the first female cast member ever to return as host. She succumbed to cancer the following year before getting to reach that milestone.
There is a free version of the program with limited features called Maltego CE. Desktop versions of Maltego XL run $1,999 per instance. Server installations for large-scale commercial use start at $40,000 and come with a complete training program.

Mitaka

Available as a Chrome extension and Firefox add-on, Mitaka lets you search over six dozen search engines for IP addresses, domains, URLs, hashes, ASNs, Bitcoin wallet addresses, and various indicators of compromise (IOCs) from your web browser. Ax Sharma

The extension saves up your time by acting as a shortcut to various online databases that can be queried with a click.

For those who prefer a focused, more limited set, an alternative extension Sputnik is also available.

Spiderfoot

Spiderfoot is a free OSINT reconnaissance tool that integrates with multiple data sources to gather and analyze IP addresses, CIDR ranges, domains and subdomains, ASNs, email addresses, phone numbers, names and usernames, BTC addresses, etc. Available on GitHub, Spiderfoot comes with both a command-line interface and an embedded web-server for providing an intuitive web-based GUI.

The application itself comes with over 200 modules making it ideal for red teaming reconnaissance activities, to discover more information about your target or identify what you or your organisation may be inadvertently exposing on the internet.

Spyse

Spyse describes itself as the "most complete internet assets registry" geared toward cybersecurity professionals. Relied on by projects like OWASP, IntelligenceX, and the aforementioned Spiderfoot, Spyse collects publicly available data on websites, their owners, associated servers, and IoT devices. This data is then analyzed by the Spyse engine to spot any security risks in and connections between these different entities.

A free plan is available, although for developers planning on building apps using the Sypse API, paid subscriptions may be required.

BuiltWith

As the name implies, BuiltWith lets you find what popular websites are built with. Different tech stacks and platforms power different sites. BuiltWith can, for example, detect whether a website is using WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal as its CMS and provide further details.

BuiltWith also generates a neat list of known JavaScript/CSS libraries (e.g., jQuery or Bootstrap) that a website uses. Further, the service provides a list of plugins installed on the websites, frameworks, server information, analytics and tracking information, etc. BuiltWith can be used for reconnaissance purposes.

What's more? Combine BuiltWith with website security scanners like WPScan that, for example, integrate with WordPress Vulnerability Database API to spot common security vulnerabilities impacting a website.

For those looking to identify mainly the tech stack makeup of a site, Wappalyzer may be better suited as it provides a more focused, concise output. Try both BuiltWith and Wappalyzer for yourself and see which suits your needs better.

Intelligence X

Intelligence X is a first-of-its-kind archival service and search engine that preserves not only historic versions of web pages but also entire leaked data sets that are otherwise removed from the web due to the objectionable nature of content or legal reasons. Although that may sound similar to what Internet Archive's Wayback Machine does, Intelligence X has some stark differences when it comes to the kind of content the service focuses on preserving. When it comes to preserving data sets, no matter how controversial, Intelligence X does not discriminate.

Intelligence X has previously preserved the list of over 49,000 Fortinet VPNs that were found vulnerable to a Path Traversal flaw. Later during the week, plaintext passwords to these VPNs were also exposed on hacker forums which, again, although removed from these forums, were preserved by Intelligence X.

Previously, the service has indexed data collected from email servers of prominent political figures like Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Another recent example of the media indexed by on Intelligence X is the footage from the 2021 Capitol Hill riots and the Facebook's data leak of 533 million profiles. To intel gatherers, political analysts, news reporters, and security researchers, such information can be incredibly valuable in various ways.

DarkSearch.io

While frequent visitors to the dark web may already be familiar with where to look for what, for those who may be new, DarkSearch.io can be a good platform for starting with their research activities. Like another dark web search engine Ahmia, DarkSearch is free but comes with a free API for running automated searches. Although both Ahmia and DarkSearch have .onion sites, you don't need to necessarily go to the .onion versions or use Tor for accessing either of these search engines. Simply accessing darksearch.io from a regular web browser will let you search the dark web.

Grep.app

How do you search across half million git repos across the internet? Sure, you could try individual search bars offered by GitHub, GitLab, or BitBucket, but Grep.app does the job super efficiently. In fact, Grep.app was recently used by Twitter users and journalists on multiple occasions to get an idea of approximately how many repositories were using the Codecov Bash Uploader:

Grep.app can also be useful when searching for strings associated with IOCs, vulnerable code, or malware (such as the Octopus Scanner, Gitpaste-12, or malicious GitHub Action cryptomining PRs) lurking in OSS repos.

Recon-ng

Developers who work in Python have access to a powerful tool in Recon-ng, which is written in that language. Its interface looks very similar to the popular Metasploit Framework, which should reduce the learning curve for those who have experience with it. It also has an interactive help function, which many Python modules lack, so developers should be able to pick it up quickly.

Recon-ng automates time-consuming OSINT activities, like cutting and pasting. Recon-ng doesnt claim that all OSINT gathering can be conducted by its tool, but it can be used to automate much of the most popular kinds of harvesting, leaving more time for the things that still must be done manually.

Designed so that even the most junior Python developers can create searches of publicly available data and return good results, it has a very modular framework with a lot of built-in functionality. Common tasks like standardizing output, interacting with databases, making web requests and managing API keys are all part of the interface. Instead of programming Recon-ng to perform searches, developers simply choose which functions they want it to perform and build an automated module in just a few minutes.

Recon-ng is free, open-source software. The available wiki includes comprehensive information for getting started with the tool as well as best practices for using it.

theHarvester

One of the simplest tools to use on this list, theHarvester is designed to capture public information that exists outside of an organization's owned network. It can find incidental things on internal networks as well, but the majority of tools that it uses are outward facing. It would be effective as a reconnaissance step prior to penetration testing or similar exercises.

The sources that theHarvester uses include popular search engines like Bing and Google, as well as lesser known ones like dogpile, DNSdumpster and the Exalead meta data engine. It also uses Netcraft Data Mining and the AlienVault Open Threat Exchange. It can even tap the Shodan search engine to discover open ports on discovered hosts. In general, theHarvester tool gathers emails, names, subdomains, IPs and URLs.

TheHarvester can access most public sources without any special preparations. However, a few of the sources used require an API key. You must also have Python 3.6 or better in your environment.

Anyone can obtain theHarvester on GitHub. It's recommended that you use a virtualenv to create an isolated Python environment when cloning it from there.

Shodan

Shodan is a dedicated search engine used to find intelligence about devices like the billions that make up the internet of things (IoT) that are not often searchable, but happen to be everywhere these days. It can also be used to find things like open ports and vulnerabilities on targeted systems. Some other OSINT tools like theHarvester use it as a data source, though deep interaction with Shodan requires a paid account.

The number of places that Shodan can monitor and search as part of an OSINT effort is impressive. It's one of the few engines capable of examining operational technology (OT) such as the kind used in industrial control systems at places like power plants and manufacturing facilities. Any OSINT gathering effort in industries that deploy both information technology and OT would miss a huge chunk of that infrastructure without a tool like Shodan.

In addition to IoT devices like cameras, building sensors and security devices, Shodan can also be turned to look at things like databases to see if any information is publicly accessible through paths other than the main interface. It can even work with videogames, discovering things like Minecraft or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive servers hiding on corporate networks where they should not be, and what vulnerabilities they generate.

Anyone can purchase a Freelancer license and use Shodan to scan up to 5,120 IP addresses per month, with a return of up to a million results. That costs $59 per month. Serious users can buy a Corporate license, which provides unlimited results and scanning of up to 300,000 IPs monthly. The Corporate version, which costs $899 per month, includes a vulnerability search filter and premium support.

Metagoofil

Another freely available tool on GitHub, Metagoofil is optimized to extract metadata from public documents. Metagoofil can investigate almost any kind of document that it can reach through public channels including .pfd, .doc, .ppt, .xls and many others.

The amount of interesting data that Metagoofil can gather is impressive. Searches return things like the usernames associated with discovered documents, as well as real names if available. It also maps the paths of how to get to those documents, which in turn would provide things like server names, shared resources and directory tree information about the host organization.

Everything that Metagoofil finds would be very useful for a hacker, who could use it to do things like launch brute-force password attacks or even phishing emails. Organizations that want to protect themselves could instead take the same OSINT gathered information and protect or hide it before a malicious actor can take the initiative.

searchcode

For those who need to go really deep into the complex matrix of OSINT gathering, searchcode is a highly specialized search engine that looks for useful intelligence inside source code. This powerful engine is surprisingly the work of a single developer.

Because a repository of code needs to be first added to the program before becoming searchable, searchcode straddles the line between an OSINT tool and one designed to find things other than public information. However, it can still be considered an OSINT tool because developers can use it to discover problems associated with having sensitive information accessible inside code on either running apps or those that are still in development. In the latter case, those problems could be fixed prior to deployment into a production environment.

Although anything involving code is going to require more knowledge than, say, a Google search, searchcode does a great job of making its interface as easy to use as possible. Users simply type in their search fields and searchcode returns relevant results with search terms highlighted in the lines of code. Suggested searches include usernames, security flaws like eval $_GET calls, unwanted active functions like re.compile and special characters that can be used to launch code injection attacks.

Most of the time, the results returned by searchcode are self-explanatory. However, it's possible to click through those results to find deeper information or matching problems if needed.

Babel X

Relevant information isn't always in English. Only about a quarter of internet users speak English as their primary language according to Statista, though various sources say as much as 55% of internet content is in English. The information you need might be in Chinese, Spanish or Tamil.

Babel X from Babel Street is a multilingual search tool for the public internet, including blogs, social media, message boards and news sites. It also searches the dark web, including Onion sites, and some deep web content that Babel X can access through agreements or licensing from the content owners. The product is able to geo-locate the source of information it finds, and it can perform text analysis to identify relevant results. Babel X is currently capable of searching in more than 200 languages.

Use cases where a multilingual search is useful include searching global news for situational awareness--for example, knowing trends in targeting for ransomware attacks. It can also be used to spot a company's intellectual property for sale on a foreign website, or information that shows a key partner has been compromised. Customers have also used Babel X to find user handles of suspected attackers on non-English message boards.

The main Babel X product is cloud-based and allows customers to customize it by adding their own data sources to search. Babel Box is an on-premises version but lacks some features of Babel X, such as access to deep web data sources. Babel Channels, the lowest cost option, is a curated collection of data sources. A mobile app is available for all the options.

OSINT Framework

While these tools offer a wealth of OSINT data, there are many other tools and techniques available that help you fully understand your organizations public footprint. An excellent resource for discovering more tools is the OSINT Framework, which offers a web-based interface that breaks down different topic areas of interest to OSINT researchers and connects you to the tools that can help you sniff out the info you need.

The tools that the OSINT Framework will point you to are all free of charge, though some require registration or have more fully featured paid versions available. Some are simply tools that help construct advanced Google searches that can yield a surprising amount of information. The OSINT Framework is maintained by Justin Nordine, and has a project page on GitHub.

Is OSINT illegal?

While OSINT techniques are often used by malicious hackers as reconnaissance before they launch an illegal attack, for the most part the tools and techniques themselves are perfectly legal--after all, theyre designed to help you home in on data thats published or otherwise in the public view. Even government agencies are encouraged to use OSINT techniques to ferret out holes in their own cybersecurity defenses.

Following the trail opened by these OSINT queries can get you into legal grey areas, however. Media Sonar has some good advice on how to stay on the right side of the law here. For instance, its not illegal to access public areas of the dark web, and it can be important to do so if youre trying to determine if your organizations data has been breached or stolen; but you shouldnt try to buy collections of stolen data as part of your research, or impersonate a law enforcement officer to shake information out of shady characters.

In general, its important to develop a code of conduct in advance to guide your employees behavior on these expeditions, and to document everything you do to demonstrate that youre sticking to those guidelines and havent broken any laws.

Closing down open-source intelligence loopholes

Not every hack or intrusion involves advanced persistent threats or deep, sophisticated penetrations. Hackers, like everyone else, will take the easiest path to their objectives. There is no need to try to crack tight cybersecurity through many months of effort if the information they want is available through a publicly accessible channel. At the very least, sensitive information can be used as a shortcut to obtaining valid credentials or to help plan an effective intrusion with less effort or risk.

OSINT tools can help organizations get a grip on what information is available about them, their networks, data, and users. Finding that information quickly is key since it would allow for its removal before someone can exploit it. These tools can be a strong boost during that most critical race.
The UK's Norfolk and Suffolk police constabularies have disclosed the accidental exposure of personal data belonging to more than 1000 individuals, including victims of crime. The agencies said they identified an issue relating to a very small percentage of responses to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests for crime statistics, issued between April 2021 and March 2022.

A technical issue led to some raw data belonging to the constabularies being included within the files produced in response to the FOI requests in question. The data was hidden from anyone opening the files, but it should not have been included, an official statement read.

The disclosure came just a few days after the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) admitted to suffering two separate data breaches. The first centred on the exposure of information on serving police officers and civilians in response to an FOI request from a member of the public relating to officer rank and staff grades. An error led to the sharing of a large Excel spreadsheet containing the surnames and initials of current employees alongside the location and department within which they work.

The second involved the theft of documents including a spreadsheet containing the names of more than 200 serving police officers and staff from a "private vehicle" in the Newtownabbey area in Northern Ireland.

Exposed personal identifiable information related to victims, witnesses, and suspects

The affected data in the Norfolk and Suffolk police cases was information held on a specific police system and related to crime reports, the statement read. The data includes personally identifiable information on victims, witnesses, and suspects, as well as descriptions of offences. It related to a range of offences, including domestic incidents, sexual offences, assaults, thefts, and hate crimes.

"A full and thorough analysis into the data impacted has now been completed and today, we have started the process of contacting those individuals who need to be notified about an impact to their personal data," the statement continued. This will be done via letter, phone, and in some cases face to face depending on what information was impacted and what support is required. This process is expected to be complete by the end of September with a total of 1,230 people whose data has been breached to be notified.
If there's one thing an organization's C-suite technology and their plant managers, operators, and OT experts need to be on the same page about, it's this: Downtime is never an option. It's one thing if the IT systems have to go on lockdown, but on the operational technology side, the consequences of an OT attack and shutdown can be devastating in any number of ways that may be hard to recover from. Preventing them is a goal that needs to be embraced as strongly across the C-suite as it is on the factory floor.

1) Human lives at risk

Attacks on industrial control systems (ICS) may not be just about ransomware or accessing information but about deliberately making machines misbehave. Attackers can exploit vulnerabilities to make machines overheat, or robotic arms swing unpredictably. A failed attack on a water utility in Florida attempted to raise the amount of lye in the drinking water; success might have killed thousands.

A rising number of these attacks are state-sponsored, such as the attack on Ukraine's power grid. In 2015, a Trojan malware tool called BlackEnergy, reportedly delivered by simple spear phishing emails with malicious Microsoft attachments, was used to try to execute harmful remote operations on circuit breakers via remote administration tools or Virtual Private Network (VPN) connections. The power outage lasted six hours and affected many customers as the attack disrupted Ukrainian utilities. There were no casualties reported, but the situation could have caused life-threatening emergencies in hospitals and other settings.

2) Revenue lost

When operations in your factory, plant, or substation shut down, revenue will cease. So, an important question not just for the CISO, but for Operations, Finance, and other chiefs is how long you can go without the expected revenue that you may never see?

The average downtime from a ransomware attack is 21 days, depending on how well an organization is set for disaster recovery. If machinery is damaged, restoration can take months. In one instance, a manufacturer was shut down in an entire region and lost millions in revenue. Ask yourself and your leadership team, can you afford to be shut down for 21 days or longer? And wouldn't it be economically wiser to invest in robust OT cybersecurity prior to an incident instead of after?

3) The ransomware payouts.

According to a study by Sophos covering early 2023, the mean ransom payout was $2 million for companies with $1 billion to $5 billion in revenue. And even when an organization pays the ransom, which many do, they rarely get 100% of their data back.

When an attack hits, operating on backup may be your best option, and indeed, some companies choose that instead of paying the ransom. So hopefully, you have proactively and regularly backed up your information and configurations. But doing so may be tricky for many companies, as their systems are often running for 10+ years with little institutional knowledge available to recover from ransomware.

4) Replacement equipment to purchase

The devices that can be damaged or destroyed in an attack are fantastically expensive. Assets such as programmable logic controllers (PLCs), human/machine interfaces (HMIs), and SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) systems that you're currently running are highly specialized, with a single unit costing hundreds of millions of dollars.

In a cyberattack, the cost of replacing multiple infected machines can overtake all other costs combined, and not every company will be able to handle that expense.

5) Labor costs increase

As mentioned earlier, the moment many companies decide to investigate, implement, and pay for effective OT security is in the aftermath of an attack, at which point they often discover prevention would have been cheaper. Because even while production is shut, revenue is missing, and ransom is being paid, businesses are also taking on new labor costs as they hire consultants to manage their response, remediate the threat, install new protections, and try to get operations back online.

The irony is that people who attacked your OT environment didn't work anywhere near as long or hard as the people on your payroll who have to put it back together.

6) Your reputation takes a hit

There will be significant damage to an organization's public reputation as news of an attack gets out. The customer trust that took years to build may be gone in an instant, and customers forced to find another supplier while you're shut down may not come back. After all, your shutdown not only inflicted damage to companies further down the chain, it may also have created an impression that you were careless in letting it happen. It's easy to see why most companies impacted by an attack see their stock prices drop. Recovery can take years.

Take proactive measures that are OT-specific

For CISOs and other IT leaders evaluating OT cybersecurity solutions, the most important thing to know is that OT environments and security challenges are hugely from those of IT. Automated systems offer many more attack vectors, including hard-to-protect legacy technology. Attackers are growing more imaginative, and OT systems are both target- and vulnerability-rich. Look for solutions that are designed for OT by people who understand it.

TXOne Networks expertise in operational technology has been used to develop OT-native technology thats both practical and operations-friendly. It's used by leading enterprises and infrastructure managers to safeguard communications, manufacturing, energy production and distribution, and other critical operations. Our multi-pronged approach includes both physical devices and control consoles that understand the specific protocols of OT and will prevent alterations, malicious reconfigurations, and misuse.

Learn more about TXOne's OT cybersecurity solutions.
Number of traders net-short has decreased by 9.61% from last week.

SYMBOL TRADING BIAS NET-LONG% NET-SHORT% CHANGE IN LONGS CHANGE IN SHORTS CHANGE IN OI Germany 40 BEARISH 50.10% 49.90% 50.19% Daily 11.66% Weekly -23.23% Daily -9.61% Weekly 1.67% Daily -0.07% Weekly

Germany 40 Bearish Data provided by of clients are net long. of clients are net short.

Change in Longs Shorts OI Daily 4% 2% 3% Weekly 26% -15% 1%

Germany 40: Retail trader data shows 50.10% of traders are net-long with the ratio of traders long to short at 1.00 to 1. In fact, traders have remained net-long since Jul 07 when Germany 40 traded near 15,636.40, price has moved 0.75% higher since then. The number of traders net-long is 50.19% higher than yesterday and 11.66% higher from last week, while the number of traders net-short is 23.23% lower than yesterday and 9.61% lower from last week.

We typically take a contrarian view to crowd sentiment, and the fact traders are net-long suggests Germany 40 prices may continue to fall.

Our data shows traders are now net-long Germany 40 for the first time since Jul 07, 2023 when Germany 40 traded near 15,636.40. Traders are further net-long than yesterday and last week, and the combination of current sentiment and recent changes gives us a stronger Germany 40-bearish contrarian trading bias.
Australian Dollar, AUD/USD, US Dollar, China, PBOC, Japan, Commodities - Talking Points

The Australian Dollar bounced despite data that would normally undermine it

Chinas economy will every bit of the rate cut from the PBOC today as its woes continue

If the USD resumes its ascension, where will that leave USD/JPY and AUD/USD ?

Recommended by Daniel McCarthy Introduction to Forex News Trading Get My Guide

The Australian Dollar scoped out yesterdays 10-month earlier today before rebounding on a bunch of data domestically and from Japan and China.

The backdrop to todays move in the Aussie, and broader markets, has been the rise of the US Dollar being fanned by higher Treasury yield tailwinds.

The benchmark 10-year Treasury note eclipsed 4.20% in early Asian trade today after having hurdled the level overnight for the first time since November last year.

That move coincided with AUD/USD dipping toward its low, assisted by a weaker-than-expected wage price index of 3.6% year-on-year to the end of July, missing estimates of 3.7%. The soft read led to speculation of a less hawkish RBA.

That data point was soon surpassed by Chinese numbers that revealed a weaker than forecast economy.

Year-on-year to the end of July saw industrial production at 3.7% rather than the 4.3% anticipated, retail sales were 2.5% instead of the 4.0% estimated and fixed asset investment ex-rural came in at 3.4%, below the 3.7% forecast.

The statistics showed why the Peoples Bank of China (PBOC) had cut the 1-year medium-term lending facility (MLF) just prior. The Yuan tumbled lower with USD/CNY rallying toward 7.3000.

Recommended by Daniel McCarthy Traits of Successful Traders Get My Guide

Elsewhere today, Japanese GDP figures printed way above expectations at 6.0% annualised for 2Q to the end of July, above the 2.9% expected by economists.

There was little reaction in markets with most of the boost emanating from exports and thereby lacked the impetus to move the dial on speculation of a tilt to the Bank of Japans yield curve control (YCC) program.

USD/JPY continues to tread water above 145.50 and the Nikkei 225 modest gains along with Australian and Korean indices. Not surprisingly, Chinese and Hong Kong bourses are lower on the day.

Futures are pointing toward a steady start to markets across Europe and Wall Street.

Commodity markets have had a relatively subdued start to Tuesday although soft (grains) commodities are slightly weaker.

Natural gas is a little higher on concerns of strikes at Woodside and Chevron, some of the worlds largest producers. Spot gold has been unable to recover recent losses as it trades near US$ 1,900 an ounce.

Looking ahead, after UK jobs data and the German ZEW survey, Canada will see CPI figures while the US will also see job statistics.

The full economic calendar can be viewed here.

AUD/USD TECHNICAL ANALYSIS SNAPSHOT

Overall, AUD/USD marginally broke the lower bound of the six-month trading range of 0.6459  0.6900 when it traded at 0.6554.

If the price fails to run lower in the next few sessions, it might be regarded as a false break. That scenario may also indicate that a Double Bottom could be in place.

For more information on range trading, click on the banner below.

Nearby resistance could be at a cluster of breakpoints and prior peaks in the 0.6595  0.6615 area. On the downside, support might be near the recent lows of 0.6486 and 0.6459.

Recommended by Daniel McCarthy The Fundamentals of Range Trading Get My Guide

Chart created in TradingView

--- Written by Daniel McCarthy, Strategist for DailyFX.com

Please contact Daniel via @DanMcCarthyFX on Twitter
Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murty's visit to Balmoral next month will not be marked by the greeting instigated by Princess Anne when she introduced Billy Bass.

Looking like a mounted fishing trophy, the bass turns its head, moves its tail and sings 'Don't Worry, Be Happy'. Anne showed him to the Queen in 2000.

HM was so enthralled she ordered six. Five were given away as gifts, but one was kept at Balmoral on the piano near the entrance.

The Queen was delighted if arriving guests, when presented with Billy, sang along with him.

He was removed last year as she neared her end. King Charles, unamused, has ended Billy's days as a royal entertainer.

Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murty won't see Billy Bass, as King Charles, unamused, has ended his days as a royal entertainer

Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf is another denied the Billy Bass welcome to Balmoral next month.

But King Charles wants to stay on Yousaf's right side for the last grouse season before strict laws are introduced to restrict the sport.

The King will be hoping for an exemption for his estates. It's not unusual for the Scottish Crown Estate to have such a privilege  it gained such when Scotland's Hunting With Dogs Bill was passed earlier this year.

Although Balmoral is a private home, much of its grouse moors are managed by the Crown Estate.

Even without Billy, Yousaf will be subject to a full charm offensive from His Majesty and Prince William.

Yousaf is expected to be subject to a full charm offensive from King Charles and Prince William

Tweeting support for the Lionesses' quarter-final breakthrough, William and Kate face a dilemma after today's match against Australia.

With William hoping to be the next King of Australia, and potentially head of the Commonwealth, he will have to be tact personified and might even have to become an honorary Matilda if Australia go on to triumph.

The increasingly vocal republicans Down Under are looking for any excuse they can to overthrow the monarchy.

William will have to be tact personified and might even have to become an honorary Matilda if Australia go on to triumph

Sir Keir Starmer, describing his devotion to Arsenal, twitters: 'When I was growing up I didn't go to games because we didn't have the money to go to games.'

My abacus confirms that in 1973 when Keir was ten a terrace ticket for Arsenal cost just 40p. Six years later it was still only 2.50. Don't pass the ball, Keir, pass the onion.

Sir Keir, who leads the Labour party, claims he and his family didn't have enough money to go to Arsenal games

Samantha Fox, pictured, fresh from Celebrity MasterChef on BBC1, makes no secret of her love for her Norwegian wife Linda Olsen, whom she married in 2022.

'I kissed a few frogs in my time,' chuckles Fox. 'But in the end I found my princess.'

Comedian Paul Merton, sent to the Maudsley psychiatric hospital in 1990 (he blames a 'bad reaction to malaria tablets'), recalls: 'We had a 'Jesus'.

What was different about him was his best friend thought he was Jesus as well. So he had one disciple and he was looking for 11 more.'

Explaining how to avoid homophobic bullying at school, Stephen Fry explains: 'If there was any threat, I'd bring out my best way of defending myself  "No, no, no! Don't touch me, I'll get an erection!" And, of course, they just couldn't touch you.'
Many of Britain's most important public institutions seem gripped by a kind of madness.

Through a mix of moral cowardice and ideological virtue-signalling, swathes of management have succumbed to a radical Left-wing agenda.

Nowhere is this more true than in the NHS, which is sliding ever deeper into chaos amid record-breaking waiting lists and dire industrial relations.

All the energies of NHS chiefs should be focused on these problems: the sole purpose of this vast organisation is to meet the health needs of the British public.

Instead, many senior NHS figures seem more preoccupied with making the service an instrument of social engineering.

Nowhere is this more true than in the NHS, which is sliding ever deeper into chaos amid record-breaking waiting lists and dire industrial relations (file photo)

Only yesterday, this paper revealed how new documents from health trusts show the full extent of the doctrinaire outlook that is sweeping through the NHS's bureaucratic ranks.

As this material showed, in the quest for cultural change, history is being trashed and science denied.

One piece of guidance from hospital trusts in Sussex and Sheffield sounded more like the utterance of a Marxist agitator than the product of a publicly funded group of executives.

'Globally, many cultures recognise more than two genders,' it claimed  though tellingly there was little elaboration on this claim.

'As with sexuality, in the West, binary categories dominate (male/female; gay/straight). In modern-era Western history, these have been imposed on a human experience, which is not binary, through colonial incursion.'

READ MORE: RICHARD LITTLEJOHN: Need an ambulance? Dial 999 for gender fluid Advertisement

So, it turns out  surprise!  that nasty old British imperialism is to blame.

What does any of this have to do with healthcare? The same question could be asked of so much NHS activity today. The trusts continually bleat about chronic underfunding and overstretched resources, yet they seem to have plenty of time and money to evangelise on behalf of their new creed.

Womanhood is being airbrushed from public discourse, as breastfeeding is replaced by 'chest-feeding' and mother by 'post-natal person'.

Innocence is also disappearing. In 2020 the Velindre University NHS Trust in Wales lent its support to a 'Drag Queen Story Hour', performed by someone called Aida H Dee and supposedly for families, as part of the local celebrations for Welsh Pride, though a huge public outcry forced the Trust to withdraw its support.

But the ideological juggernaut rolls on.

The social justice warriors love to demand tolerance, yet they are grossly intolerant of any deviation from their code, which includes the belief that biologically male patients, who self-identify as women even if they have not changed sex, should be allowed to use female-only wards and facilities.

With the grim authoritarianism so typical of the zealots, one trust declares that, if a patient complains, 'it is they who must move rather than the trans person'.

This aggressive tone should come as no surprise given that, at about 30 NHS trusts, the gender guidelines were written in conjunction with the lobby group Stonewall, which has become notorious for its uncompromising stance on trans issues.

Womanhood is being airbrushed from public discourse, as breastfeeding is replaced by 'chest-feeding' and mother by 'post-natal person'

Its worldview can be divined in the claim from several trusts that male-bodied trans women can be 'lesbians'.

The impact of the NHS's cultural revolution goes far beyond the trans agenda.

It can also be found in its neurosis about 'diversity', where managers seem far more concerned about the composition of the workforce than the effectiveness of services.

NHS bosses might profess to loathe 'imperialism'  but they love creating bureaucratic empires.

Box-ticking, pay-gap auditing and awareness training are now key duties of the modern NHS.

Among the many vacant posts currently being advertised in the NHS are a 'Head of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion' at Imperial College NHS on a salary up to 88,880; an 'Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead' at Liverpool University Hospital Foundation Trust on up to 57,300, and an 'Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Midwife' at Shrewsbury on 50,056.

This fixation on the make-up of the staff not only makes the organisations more insular: it promotes a mentality of grievance.

But as with so many public-sector bodies, NHS managers regard such dogma as a badge of progress. So the website for NHS employers, for instance, boasts that we are currently in the middle of 'South Asian Heritage Month', while the end of September will see the essential 'National Inclusion Week'.

All this raises the question: how did the NHS lose its way so badly?

How did a service created by a largely moderate Labour Government under Clement Attlee in 1948 end up going down the rabbit hole of trans extremism and diversity obsession?

The answer lies partly in a profound change in outlook on the British Left that occurred in the late 1960s.

By then, it was obvious that socialism had failed to fulfil its glittering promises of economic growth and wealth redistribution, not least in the impoverished and repressive Soviet Union.

It was heavily influenced by the work of Antonio Gramsci, a Marxist Italian 'philosopher' who believed that culture, not economics, was the key to advancing the revolution.

British radicals began to develop an insidious strategy in which they would seize command of key organs of the state, such as the teacher-training colleges, social work, the probation service, university campuses and much of the media.

Many senior NHS figures seem more preoccupied with making the service an instrument of social engineering (file photo)

More than 50 years later, we can see that the drive has succeeded triumphantly for the Left. Even though they are not in office, they still set the agenda.

One recent survey found that 80 per cent of university lecturers are on the Left  one reason they are so addicted to industrial action.

Indeed that is true of the whole public sector: 48 per cent of public workers are unionised compared to 12 per cent of those in the private sector  accompanied by much more turmoil.

Marxist orthodoxy is now so prevalent that even the RAF was found to have unlawfully discriminated against white men in a diversity recruitment drive, while the British Medical Association  the union for doctors  seems to regard itself as the vanguard of the oppressed proletariat.

Indeed, the BMA made a donation to the ultra militant RMT on the grounds of the 'essential bond shared by organised workers today'.

It sometimes feels, when hearing language like this, that we are living in an asylum  and the lunatics have taken charge.

It should be a source of shame for the Tories that the NHS's capture by woke extremists has happened on their watch.

God help us if the Labour Party takes over.
A mother has sparked a fierce debate after revealing her boyfriend, who earns three times more than her, wants her to pay for half of everything in the relationship.

Taking to the UK parenting forum Mumsnet, the anonymous woman explained she had been dating a man who is nearly 50.

She said that even though he earns far more than her, he still expects her to pay for half of everything, including dinner and petrol costs.

She said she found the behaviour strange and asked other users of the forum if his mindset is something she should be wary of.

The community was divided, with some saying she should pay her way - and others saying he sounded tight.

A British woman has sparked debate online after revealing her boyfriend expects her to pay for halve of everything - despite the fact he earns three times her salary (stock image)

Sharing the post, the woman questioned whether she was being 'unfair' or if she should be 'wary' of the man's behaviour

In the original post the woman wrote: 'I have been seeing this guy; he was nearly 50 and earning three times my salary.

'He always makes sure we pay even amounts but this sometimes ends up as me paying more.

'For example he will pay for dinner but I have to pay for two lunches to make it up.'

She added that they recently went away in a tent and he asked for half the petrol money.

But she explained that she always drove to his house and never asked for petrol money.

The woman added she would often treat friends and didn't expect anything in return.

She asked the community if she should be wary of this behaviour or whether she was being unfair - and received mixed responses.

One wrote: 'If you're going to split the bill why not split the bill? All straightforward and no tally to be kept on who's paying for lunch next time.'

Many of the posters thought that new dates should split the bill and go Dutch - but some said he was going too far

Another wrote: 'Going Dutch is fair enough in a new relationship. Just be careful that you are only covering your own costs and not his.'

However many thought the man was being unreasonable.

One wrote: 'I am staunchly in favour of paying your own way on dates... but this is miserly and penny pinching.

'Asking for petrol money when you earn three times the salary - no thanks. He sounds like he is going to be a nuisance further down the line.'

Another wrote: 'It does sound a bit tight, depends on his demeanour/attitude about it.

'It should be a more casual and trusting feeling than a regimented who pays what.'

Many were suspicious of the man and said he was tight - and some said he should come and visit her house

Another said: 'It's fine to both pay your way but I think this is going a bit far.'

While a fourth was more blunt, writing: 'I have never in my life asked for petrol money from someone.

'This is really tight.'

One was also highly suspicious of the man, thinking he might be trying to get money out of the woman.

She wrote: 'I would move to pay your half to the exact penny.

'No more buying lunch twice to make up for your deficit.

'But I would watch him to see what are the scheme he has got to get money out of you and that he has other tricks up his sleeve.'

Some pointed out that it was also strange that she always went to his house.

One wrote: 'I wouldn't expect him to chip in to pay your petrol to visit him but why isn't he making the effort to come to your house sometimes?'

While another penned: 'Stop driving to his house and see how much effort he makes to see you.'
Viewers have been left in stitches at a video of a grandmother being pranked by her family while they took her for dinner.

A video posted on TikTok showed a family taking their grandmother to Karen's Diner in Sheffield - a restaurant where staff are intentionally rude to customers.

In a play on the internet phenomenon that middle-aged women who complain and are rude are 'Karens', the chain restaurant, which has branches around the UK as well as Austrailia, Indonesia, New Zealand and the USA, treats its customers with disdain on purpose.

The chain's website describes it as 'an interactive diner and an absurdly fun experience' - you get waited upon by rude waiters and forced to play a variety of 'stupid games.'

However, one poor grandmother had no idea what she was in for when her family took her for dinner - and was gobsmacked by her first experience of Karen's Diner.

A video has gone viral on TikTok of a family taking their unsuspecting nan out for a meal at Karen's Diner in Sheffield

In the video, captioned: 'taking my nan to Karen's diner for the first time' the unsuspecting grandmother enters the restaurant and is met with someone swearing as soon as she walks through the door.

Horrified, she says: 'Excuse me, watch your language,' pointing her finger at the waitress.

To the grandmother's surprise, the waitress comes back by shouting: 'what you gonna do about it?' and shockingly tells her to 'shut the f*** up.'

Riled up by the waitress's attitude, the grandmother replies: 'If I were younger I'd knock you', to which the waitress plays along.

The grandmother then reiterated: 'I bloody would, yeah' before arguing she was a 'paying customer'.

This family's poor grandma had no idea what she was in for, she thought she was visiting a regular restaurant and couldn't believe what she was hearing

Stifling her laughter, another family member put their arm around their grandmother, as a male member of staff chimed in and told her to 'shut the f*** up'.

Unable to believe what's going on, the grandmother turns around to her family and asks: 'Who's picked this bloody place?'

Another waiter then hurls another insult at the grandmother, at which point she has had enough of the alternative dining experience and the conflict begins to escalate.

Eventually, it becomes clear to the grandmother that the point of the restaurant is to be rude to customers.

As the penny drops, she exclaims: 'You're joking!'

The waitress responds: 'Welcome to Karen's diner. Come on you silly old b****' - at which point the family erupts in laughter.

Thankfully, the grandmother is a great sport after realising what is happening, and she continues to have a pleasant meal.

The waitress says 'Funny that because it's the busiest restaurant in Sheffield believe it or not.'

Still not getting it, nan replied 'Well you must be dragging them off the street.'

Finally, the waiter says 'Switch your f***ing head on and figure out where you are love,' with the waitress adding 'have a look where you are, they've stitched you up here nan.'

The penny finally drops as she exclaims 'you're joking!' and realises where she is.

The video has reached over 2.2 million views almost 2000 comments, with mixed opinions on what happened

The woman's granddaughter, who posted the TikTok video, assured viewers in the caption of the video that her grandmother enjoyed the experience after she realised what was happening.

By the end of the video, the lady had a smile on her face, even as she was being teased by Karen's staff.

The video has reached over 2.2 million views almost 2000 comments, with mixed opinions on what happened.

One person wrote: 'Nan was a baddie in her time,' while another added: 'This is hilarious, I bet the staff was trying not to laugh. (sic)'

Another viewer wrote: 'I feel the lady in the pink and white dress was ensuring nana didn't swing a punch.'

Someone joked: 'Granny was ready to take on all the staff for the whole family.'

However, not everyone found it funny, including one viewer who wrote: 'These places feel like just a fad that will die out fast.'

Another said: 'We went to the one in Birmingham and were very disappointed, they must play up when they know their gonna be on social media,' calling the Brum restaurant 'very tame' in comparison.

This comes after a teen and his grandparents were kicked out of the Manchester branch for calling the waitress a 'fat sl**.'

Despite dishing it out, the restaurant does have it's rules - the teen and his family were forced to pay the 25 drinks bill and leave because rules given to customers upon entry tells them banter doesn't extend to 'body shaming'.
This is the moment a man whose birth certificate was falsified because he was born to an unmarried mother in Ireland breaks down in tears when visiting the grave of his birth father on Long Lost Family.

Retired financial sales manager Arthur Fitzharris, who lives in the south of Ireland with his wife Geraldine, was adopted at the age of five but had no idea about his life before then.

In 2001, the father-of-four began searching for his birth parents by requesting to see his adoption file. But at the time, he was told he had no right by law to view it and was instead offered a summary of the information.

He was shocked to learn from this that his birth certificate failed to correctly note who his birth parents were. Instead, the foster parents he stayed with as a baby on the Isle of Man had been wrongly registered as though they were his biological mother and father.

The couple reported it to the police after realising the incorrect registration, and it was later 'cancelled'. But this left Arthur unable to find out the names of his real parents, until he turned to Long Lost Family for help. In last night's episode, viewers watched as the grandfather-of-five visited his birth father's grave for the first time.

In an emotional scene, Arthur walked up to the grave of his father, John, and placed a bunch of white flowers with a note reading: 'Thinking of you, Arthur Fitzharris'.

As he placed his hands on the grave, he became upset while his daughter Clodagh, who had joined him, stayed close.

'I think it's important for anybody to be able to visit your father's grave,' he told the cameras after his visit. He added: 'It meant the world to me, that I'm getting closer to who I am.'

In last night's False Identities special episode of Long Lost Family, the team followed Arthur as he tried to discover who his birth parents were.

He was born in Ireland to an unmarried mother at a time when having children outside of marriage was seen as sinful, and the Catholic Church went to great lengths to cover it up.

In the last five years, 151 illegal registrations - where no formal adoption order ever took place and the adoptive or foster parents were named falsely and illegally on the register of births as the birth parents of the child - have been proven.

According to the programme, these are thought to be the tip of the iceberg. It had been a criminal offence to enter false information into the birth register since 1874, yet the practice was relatively widespread in the 1950s, 60s and 70s in Ireland.

Retired financial sales manager Arthur Fitzharris (pictured becoming emotional at his birth father's grave), who lives in the south of Ireland with his wife Geraldine, was adopted at the age of five but had no idea about his life before then

In 2001, the father-of-four (pictured with his daughter) began searching for his birth parents by requesting to see his adoption file. However, at the time, he was told he had no right by law to view it and was instead offered a summary of the information

Arthur's summary explained: 'Unfortunately there is no information available on your birth mother or birth family.'

There is no indication why the foster parents notified the police about the incorrect birth registration but, when Arthur was five, he was removed from their care, left the Isle of Man and returned to Ireland.

He recalled: 'My earliest memory was coming back to Ireland  trying to put my hand out through the window of the plane to feel the clouds you know, the fluffy cloudsand then realising I couldnt put my hand out through the window.'

When he arrived back in Ireland, Arthur was left at an orphanage known as Temple Hill  part of a network of Catholic institutions which looked after children of unmarried mothers.

On Sundays, prospective parents would come to the orphanage and meet the children, and this is how Arthur was chosen by his adoptive parents, Beatrice and Robert Fitzharris.

Arthur had a great childhood with them and always knew he was adopted. He said: 'My parents were fantastic, and I never wanted for anything. I was so content and happy with them that the subject of my own adoption never arose. As far as I was concerned, they were my parents.'

Years later, when he started searching for the truth about his identity, he hoped the orphanage might have records of his birth parents. Unfortunately, their records of Arthur were very limited.

Arthur (pictured left, and right, with his daughter) was shocked to learn his birth certificate failed to correctly note who his birth parents were - instead the foster parents he stayed with as a baby on the Isle of Man had been wrongly registered as his biological mother and father

The couple reported the matter to the police after realising the incorrect registration, and it was later 'cancelled'. Pictured, the flowers Arthur left at his birth father's grave

Arthur (pictured as a young boy) was unable to find out the names of his real parents - until he turned to Long Lost Family for help. In tonight's episode, viewers watched as the grandfather-of-five visited his birth father's grave for the first time

In an emotional scene, Arthur (pictured centre, with his wife, left, and his daughter, right) walked up to his birth father John's grave and placed down a bunch of white flowers. A note on the bouquet read 'Thinking of you, Arthur Fitzharris'

'I would have thought they would have had a lot more information and it became very, very frustrating,' he admitted, before adding: 'I just felt that children werenttreated the way they should have been treated.'

After coming to Long Lost Family, a specialist team analysed Arthur's DNA and viewers watched as he travelled from Ireland to London to meet with the team's lead social worker, Ariel Bruce.

The secrecy surrounding Arthurs birth and identity made the search exceptionally challenging for the team, but the DNA analysis yielded significant results.

It narrowed Arthurs possible birth parents down to, on the paternal side, one of three, now deceased, brothers in a particular family.

Given that the brother with the name of John was the only of the three in Waterford at the right time, Ariel felt it is highly likely that John was Arthurs birth father.

Further DNA results after the episode was filmed confirmed that John was indeed Arthur's father.

As he placed his hands on the grave, Arthur (pictured with his family) became visibly upset, while his daughter Clodagh, who had joined him at the graveyard, remained nearby

There is no indication why the foster parents notified the police about the incorrect birth registration but, when Arthur (pictured right) was five, he was removed from their care, left the Isle of Man and returned to Ireland

On the maternal side, Arthurs birth mother had to have been one of several, now deceased, sisters in another particular family.

In explaining this to Arthur, Ariel offered him the complete information - including the full names and surnames - which Long Lost Family did not reveal to viewers because cases like this are 'still so sensitive'.

Ive found out things today that I didnt know before,' said Arthur, while his daughter added: To finally have names on a piece of paper to give him an identity was really so important for him.'

Given the particular challenges of Arthurs search, Ariel suggested that a personal approach would be most effective, so with the team on hand, Arthur and his daughter Clodagh took the search forward.

Clodagh soon contacted all the people Ariel suggested, along with descendants - and eventually, Arthur met some maternal cousins away from the cameras.
So the Trudeaus are separating. Canada's first couple are calling it a day after 18 years of what everyone thought was blissful brunette matrimony.

But wait, like the thoroughly nice couple they are, the prime minister and his wife, Sophie, are going on one last holiday together with their children, Xavier, 15, Ella-Grace, 14, and Hadrien, nine.

Not only that, but, going forward, they plan to co-parent by keeping the marital home in Ottawa as the base, even though they are no longer together  a concept that is known as 'nesting', apparently.

Maybe they are already off on a fortnight in sunny Cancun, or on one last wholesome camping trip in the Canadian wilds, but if they're still at the planning stage, or even the packing stage, I have some hard-earned advice: Don't do it!

I wouldn't say my ex and I had the most stress-free divorce. But we were still living in the same house for six months after he decided to leave. And if that wasn't bad enough, we also did what we then considered was the sensible thing and went on holiday together. Not once, but twice. Like the first time wasn't difficult enough.

If they're still at the planning stage, or even the packing stage, I have some hard-earned advice: Don't do it!, writes Marion McGilvary

The first time was just before he moved out, when things were on the skids, and the second time was a year later, by which point only two of our four children were still living at home the others being at university or on a gap year. We also did Christmas together  twice. And believe me, this way madness lies  literally, in my case, but that's another story.

Let's stick to the godforsaken excuse for a holiday. Yes, it had been booked and paid for. And I was stupid enough to think that maybe some time away under the Sicilian sun would perhaps be healing and pull us back into yoke together.

In our case, the ostensible reason for our impending separation was my ex's assertion that we were 'broken'. I certainly was. Our marriage was about as far from perfect as DIY rhinoplasty, and no less pain-filled  but we had four kids and my ex was my rock, despite all the problems we had being in the same room together.

Splitting up felt like an impossibility, so I was clutching any straw I could grab, while, and let's be honest here, moping around like the West London version of a weeping Madonna, gazing off into the Mediterranean sunset remembering past happinesses, weeping into my Campari soda in the town square, while attempting a brave smile every time the kids looked at me.

Frankly, I would probably have left me too, such was my martyrdom.

Meanwhile, the ex, who had always hidden behind a newspaper at every opportunity, continued true to form, while playing the part of unusually reasonable parent. 'Yes, you can go to the next village with those teenagers you met on the beach. Sure, I'll send you in a cab.' Meanwhile, I was freaking out and looking borderline insane at the very idea.

He spent the two weeks playing good, reasonable, permissive cop; I was the spoilsport, the ineffectual disciplinarian who was also attempting to be the sweet-natured wifey (something that does not come easily to me, especially in the process of being dumped).

Like Justin Trudeau, he wasn't leaving me for someone else. Oooh, no. We just didn't work. But we'd always be close. He would always love me. I was the mother of his children, blah blah blah, and he still called me 'darling'.

In retrospect, it sounds highly dysfunctional, but as far as we were concerned, it was us being civilised, adult and responsible; caring even.

Mr Trudeau announced he was separating from wife Sophie after 18 years

However, it is not easy being caring when you are feeling 50 per cent distraught and 50 per cent as bitter as unsweetened lemonade. We'd be having a nice conversation, a nice bottle of wine, in an idyllic restaurant, and I'd suddenly feel this surge of anger that I could barely contain and I'd want to smack him. Similarly, I could feel his lack of patience with my dying duck act, which stirred no sympathy in him, merely more anxiety to actually leave.

Then there were his long, solo walks which elicited a sigh if I wanted to accompany him. The obsession with wifi, and the laptop hurriedly consulted at every conceivable opportunity, which made me dog his every movement in suspicion, sticking to him like a wet shower curtain whenever he checked his email. I mean, of course there was another woman. It just hadn't been confirmed.

It's hard to play nice when you are simmering in a cocktail of grief, betrayal, shame and guilt. Heck, family holidays are a trial even when you are not getting divorced.

By the following year, things had settled down into fake happily-estranged family mode. He had moved into a flat with no spare room, and I'd taken a lodger to stop the house from feeling like an empty shell as, by then, I was home alone with just our youngest, who was in the middle of her 'hating me' period, which lasted for several long, painful years. She adored her father and when he left, I was the stooge she got to kick at every opportunity.

An unhappy tween is like living with an angry snake. I was covered in bites. But it was understandable. Her dad took her for dinners and on shopping trips; I got the eye roll and the silent treatment.

So why go on holiday together again? And why go to a wedding in the U.S. a year later to painfully watch another couple pledge their love to each other? Ditto why put on a brave face to visit family friends and share rooms (albeit in girls' and boys' rooms), and lock yourself into yet more trips where you act like you're still a united front when you're actually as divided as Korea?

Justin Trudeau with his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau (left) and their three children (left to right) Ella-Grace, Xavier and Hadrien

I think the moment I realised the idiocy of it all was when the ex idly reached for my hairbrush and began to use it, and I slapped it out of his hand. There are lines you just can't cross, no matter how much you long for togetherness.

Why have your ex over for Christmas and do all the cooking, all the cleaning, all the preparation, and have him swan in half-way through the day to the peals of joy from your kids saying, 'Yeah, now Christmas can begin!', when you're the one who has been up since dawn baking a chocolate sponge village complete with icing sugar snow, and wrapping those last-minute presents?

It was when my ex demanded that I drive him back to the flat that he was by then sharing with the girlfriend, who had, of course, been lurking in the background all the time, that I finally threw in the towel. Sod this, I thought. I'm not your wife, no matter how many 'darlings' you add at the end of the sentence.

So we no longer holiday together. We may meet for the odd family birthday and, in fact, are now, almost 15 years later, truly just like family with each other. We get cross, we make up, I ask his advice sometimes, I ignore it as usual.

He has moved to the U.S., to a house about a two-hour bus ride from the nearest airport, so relatives visiting isn't on his list of priorities. And he has another daughter, who will soon be old enough to give him the stink eye and ignore him. Smug? No, but I can't say the idea of him having to live through the terrible teens doesn't fill me with a little bit of glee. You know, a teaspoonful.

He has told me I should visit them. That will never happen. Though we have agreed that if there are to be any big family reunions in Europe with all of the kids, then I would get the option to join them, in a separate apartment, of course.

All these years later, what can go wrong? On second thoughts, don't answer that.

So, yes, I can understand why the Trudeaus want to keep some sense of family alive, even in the midst of separating. And, golly, I hope it works better for them than it did for me. And maybe they can, as they hope, 'remain a close family with deep love and respect for each other'.

Perhaps they have been living fairly separate lives for years while still cohabiting. Let's be real here, lots of couples are in that situation. Sometimes it takes one or other to meet someone else, to make them take the final exit train.

Habit is the killer of many marriages, and being in the public eye as well as part of a political dynasty comes with its own baggage.

Notably the last Canadian prime minister to divorce while still in office was Justin's father Pierre  from his mother Margaret.

So a holiday en famille when they have decided to part may not be that much different from any other holiday when both parties are disengaged and drifting apart.

Mr Trudeau and his family attending the 38th Annual Vancouver Pride Parade in 2016

Interestingly, it was the Trudeaus' anniversary earlier this year. Justin tweeted a picture of the couple holding hands in a campervan with the tagline: 'Every mile of this journey together is an adventure. I love you Soph.'

It might seem a tad odd to have gone from that anniversary message to separation in just a few short months, but at my 50th birthday before we split, when things were rocky, my ex stood up and made a speech about what a fantastic, beautiful, talented woman I was, enumerating every single article I'd ever written.

In retrospect, it was more of a CV than a tribute, but since he wasn't a man who ever said anything nice about me in public, I was immensely touched and thrilled. I thought it meant we were back on track. However, three weeks later, he told me he wanted to leave. He was actually giving me my retirement speech. I should have received a carriage clock and a golden handshake.

The next chapter in the Trudeaus' journey will no doubt be taken apart. Maybe I'm a romantic and think that their trip this summer doesn't mean the love isn't there at all. It's just no longer enough.

It took us about 12 years to get divorced. Honestly, even with all the angst and the humiliation, we were more happily married those years than we were in the previous 12.

It's not the end of the world coming to terms with the end of a marriage, if you can manage to renegotiate the terms.

We still have a lot of love left for each other, and when I meet up with my ex, he still tries to hold my hand. I tell him to quit it, in more florid terms. Then we laugh.
Line of Duty star Tommy Jessop has revealed he hasn't got another role since starring on the hit BBC drama and called for more opportunity for actors with Down's Syndrome.

The Hampshire-based actor, 38, who played Terry Boyle in the critically-acclaimed Jed Mercurio thriller, said that he visited his agent to 'see what the problem was' after failing to get any offers despite more than 15 million tuning in to the show.

His filmmaker brother Will Jessop, 40, has questioned if roles haven't materialised because Tommy has Down's Syndrome and called on casting directors to do more.

'When he was in Line of Duty, it felt as if that was an incredible breakthrough. Tommy was at the centre of all the attention,' he told the Times.

'We're desperate to live in a world where he no longer has to be the first, where it becomes routine that other people [with Down's syndrome] have the opportunities. The roles that come through [can feel] typecast. Victims, people in hospital beds, people who need support,' he added.

Line of Duty star Tommy Jessop has revealed he hasn't got another role since starring on the hit BBC drama and called for more opportunity for actors with Down's Syndrome

Tommy made his TV debut in Holby City and became the first actor with Down's syndrome to play a leading role in a primetime TV drama when he was cast in the BAFTA-nominated Coming Down The Mountain opposite Nicholas Hoult.

He has also appeared in Casualty and Doctors, landed roles in critically-acclaimed short films, and is the first professional actor with Down's syndrome to play Hamlet, in a performance that Sir Mark Rylance hailed as 'phenomenal'.

Tommy's acting career has been supported by parents Jane and Edmund and his brother William, a documentary filmmaker who once said: 'Tommy can't really tie his own shoelaces, but he can stand on stage and break your heart.'

He went on to star in Line of Duty, and attended the National Television Awards where the cast picked up gongs for best Returning Drama and a Special Recognition Award.

Line Of Duty marked the return of character Terry Boyle, a man with Down's syndrome who is ruthlessly exploited by an organised crime group. But it is the actor who plays Boyle who has everyone talking, with Twitter users praising the performance by Tommy Jessop (pictured)

Many stars have backed Tommy's cause, including Game of Thorones star Kit Harington.

The Jon Snow actor - who also stars as Black Knight in Marvel's The Eternals - has helped fellow actor Tommy Jessop move one step closer to achieving his dream of making a film starring a superhero with Down's syndrome.

In upcoming BBC special Tommy Jessop goes to Hollywood, the Tommy and Will are seen spending time on a stunt training day to shoot a trailer for their flick Roger the Superhero before jetting out to Los Angeles to see which movie bosses can assist them further.

Tommy said: 'I have watched countless superhero films in the past and I think its about time someone with Down's syndrome should play a superhero.

The Hampshire-based actor, 38, who played Terry Boyle in the critically-acclaimed Jed Mercurio thriller, said that he visited his agent to 'see what the problem was' after failing to get any offers despite more than 15 million tuning in to the show

'We should always be speaking up for the rights of people with Down's syndrome so that we are able to make our own choices in life.'

Kit said: 'My cousin, Laurent, has Down's syndrome and Ive always felt with him that he has abilities that I dont have, and that people with Down syndrome dont have.

'I think one of those abilities that he has, that I hope would be part of your superhero, is an empathy.

'He understands quite often how Im feeling almost before I know Im feeling it, which I think is amazing.

'The time is right for a superhero front and centre that has Down syndrome. I think you have every chance of getting this made. You should do it.'

His filmmaker brother Will Jessop, 40, has questioned if roles haven't materialised because Tommy has Down's Syndrome and called on casting directors to do more (pictured together in 2015)

Tommy has previously called for greater opportunities for people living with Down's syndrome and says it is time to stop being 'hidden away'.

The screen star said it was 'depressing' to be underestimated because of the condition, saying: 'Some people think that our lives really are not worth living. They are absolutely wrong.'

He spoke to Radio 4's Today programme as he backed the Down Syndrome Act which became law in April last year.

The Act improves the provision and outcomes for all those living with Down's syndrome in England.

This encompassed, amongst other areas, maternity care, education, health and social care and employment.

Experts have noted people with Down's syndrome are living longer, with many of those with the condition now outliving their parents. As a result there needs to be greater all-round support offered throughout their lives.
Two residents at a retirement village have got married after meeting there and getting a second chance at love.

Christopher Streets, 82 and Rosa, 81, are residents at the St Monica Trusts, Chocolate Quarter Retirement Village in Keysham, Somerset.

The couple tied the knot at the end of July, 18 months after they first met at a coffee morning.

Looking back at that moment, Mrs. Streets said: 'I saw him sitting by the window and I was sitting opposite.

'The sun was shining on him and he had these lovely yellow socks on, which seemed to almost glow in the sunshine. Then he came and sat next to me on the couch and we started talking.'

The couple tied the knot at the end of July, 18 months after they first met at a coffee morning

Christopher said: 'It was very emotional for both of us, having our children and grandchildren there and we also streamed the ceremony live to New Zealand for my family who live out there'

Christopher had previously worked as a consultant in the mining industry and Rosa was a State Registered Nurse before moving into the probation service.

The pair quickly found they had a lot in common including a love for art, the theatre, history, music and spending time in the countryside.

They both have family in the local area and made the decision to move into the retirement village after their respective spouses passed away.

Their first date in Bath didn't go as smoothly as planned, Rosa nearly choked on a banana leaf and the couple got soaked by torrential rain on the walk back to their car.

However, love quickly blossomed - Christopher said: 'I found Rosa very attractive, caring and sympathetic. We have so much in common and have been visiting all kinds of places locally together.

'Shes very loving too and very good at pulling me out of my occasional grumpy days.'

Rosa added: 'I hadnt been on a date for years and I thought, "Trust me to blow it by choking on a banana leaf like an idiot".

The pair quickly found they had a lot in common including a love for art, the theatre, history, music and spending time in the countryside

Christopher popped the big question after they booked a holiday to Northern Italy together - the holiday that later became their honeymoon

'Right from the start I found Christopher very easy to talk to. Hes a good listener, very observant and very responsive concerning anything we talk about  which I thought are wonderful qualities to find in a man!'

In a fate-like coincidence, the couple also found out that they had lived forty miles apart from each other in Zambia in the 60s, where Christopher worked as a mining engineer and Rosas previous husband was a teacher.

Christopher popped the big question after they booked a holiday to Northern Italy together - the holiday that later became their honeymoon.

In an unconventional approach, the honeymoon actually came before the wedding.

Christopher laughed: 'If Id got down on one knee, Id never have got up. It was a bit of a babbling proposal, but luckily Rosa laughed and said "yes", so we set a date for the wedding.'

The happy couple got married at Bath Guildhall, surrounded by both of their families who were there to celebrate with them.

Christopher said: 'It was very emotional for both of us, having our children and grandchildren there and we also streamed the ceremony live to New Zealand for my family who live out there.

'It was a wonderful day and everything went just as wed hoped. People were saying we shouldnt travel together to the ceremony and arrive separately. But lifes too short to worry about all that.'

The happy couple got married at Bath Guildhall, surrounded by both of their families who were there to celebrate with them

They are both loving life in the retirement village, Rosa said she's never laughed as much in her whole life as she does now, saying it's 'such a happy place'

The pair have decided to keep their own apartments at The Chocolate Quarter, something that Rosa said makes their friends laugh.

She added 'Ive got a lot of antiques that I inherited from my parents and acquired during my travels, plus all of Christophers belongings mean that our possessions would never fit in one apartment.'

Christopher said: 'It was my naval officer son who came up with the solution. On every British warship, the captain has a day cabin and a night cabin, so we thought that was way to do it.

'So at sunset you may see us migrating across The Chocolate Quarter; or late at night, if Rosa gets fed up with my snoring!'

They are both loving life in the retirement village, Rosa said she's never laughed as much in her whole life as she does now, saying it's 'such a happy place.'

In agreement, Christopher added that it's got so many positive aspects such as 'friendships, activities and all the facilities.'

Village Manager, Tara Bygrave said: 'This is our first wedding at The Chocolate Quarter and all our residents and colleagues are absolutely delighted for Christopher and Rosa.

'We were all very excited to celebrate their special day with them and we wish them both love and happiness for their future together.'
The owner of a comic-themed restaurant has shared impressive images showing black and white images decorating the interior of the eatery - that he drew by hand over a four month period.

Creative Chris Lui, 32, decided to open Waku Waku in Manchester city centre after being inspired by Manga cafes, where visitors can read Japanese comics.

He was also inspired by 2D cafes in Hong Kong, South Korea and Dubai, which is where cafes look like they are in a comic book.

Landmarks on the walls include places such as London Bridge while it also features a fake bookshelf and paintings of people.

Chris drew every cartoon on the walls himself and used around 150 pencils, despite having no artistic experience.

Chris Lui, 32, (pictured) is the owner of Waku Waku in Manchester city centre, a comic book-themed cafe

Waku Waku owner Chris Lui pictured inside the cafe with his wife Gigi Chung, 34 and daughter Kasey Lui, three

The 32-year-old, who has no previous artistic experience, spent some four months drawing the black and white images in his cafe

According to Chris (pictured outside the eatery), Waku Waku is the first comic-themed Japanese restaurant in the UK

He said: 'I was drawing every single day until midnight, or sometimes even until 2am.

'I had to look at what I was going to draw, then I would do up a draft and then I would do it on the wall.

'It was very hard because if I messed up, then I would have to go back in and use a white pencil to cover up any mistakes that I made.

'This is the first time I've ever done something like this - I don't know how to draw at all.

'Before this, I worked at the bank HSBC for over 10 years, so it was different.'

The cafe, which features an entirely black and white interior, has a 2D appearance thanks to the design style

Among the 2D drawings decorating the unique cafe are a fireplace and a bookcase, as well as other touches like a gramophone

The walls boast a whole host of drawings, including physical landmarks as well as replicas of items like phones and paintings

Chris's daughter Kasey Lui (pictured) inside her dad's comic book-themed restaurant Waku Waku in Manchester,

The cafe boasts an amazing interior, with everything looking like 2D drawings thanks to the black and white hand drawn aesthetic

Chris (pictured in the cafe) says he was inspired by Manga cafes as well as 2D cafes in Hong Kong, South Korea and Dubai

Waku Waku (pictured) opened today (August 15), serving Japanese food, which Chris is excited for patrons to try

The eatery (pictured) offers a totally different aesthetic to the vast majority of cafes on the high street (pictured: Chris Lui's daughter Kasey)

Incredibly, the artistic endeavour marks the first time Chris has attempted such a challenge - showing his natural aptitude for it

Chris Lui's eatery Waku Waku, which is described as the first of its kind in the UK, can be found in Manchester city centre

The restaurant opened today (August 15) and serves a range of Japanese food.

Speaking before the opening, Chris said he was 'very excited' about 'bringing a new concept to Manchester.'

Chris, who is originally from Hong Kong, said: 'I feel very excited and I hope people will love the concept and come and try some Japanese food.

'Some people don't want to try new things but I just wanted to bring a new concept to Manchester.'

He added: 'I hope people will like it.'
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The former home of pop icon Cher has hit the market for more than double its previous sale price following a major facelift.

Located on the exclusive La Gorce Island in Miami Beach, which has attracted everyone from Billy Joel to Matt Damon, the six-bedroom property sold for $17 million in 2020 but now it is on sale for a staggering $42.2 million.

The Spanish-style residence now features slick contemporary interiors in place of more traditional furnishings, with the appliances also updated throughout.

Cher, now aged 77, lived in the property during the mid-nineties and nearly tripled her money on it, buying it for $1.5 million in 1993 and selling it for $4.35 million three years later.

The former home of pop icon Cher has hit the market for more than double its previous sale price following a major facelift

Located on the exclusive La Gorce Island in Miami Beach, which has attracted everyone from Billy Joel to Matt Damon, the six-bedroom property sold for $17 million in 2020 but now it is on sale for $42.2 million

The Spanish-style residence now features slick contemporary interiors in place of more traditional furnishings, with the appliances also updated throughout

Cher, now aged 77, lived in the property during the mid-nineties and nearly tripled her money on it, buying it for $1.5 million in 1993 and selling it for $4.35 million three years later

The sprawling home offers plenty of space for entertaining, with open plan living areas and multiple dining spots

The sprawling home offers plenty of space for entertaining, with open plan living areas and multiple dining spots.

Some of the standout spaces include the master bathroom with a glass-encased central walk-in shower, a light-filled workout room and a kitchen decked out with a marble-topped island.

There is also a private bar area, complete with bar seating and glass shelves to display liquor bottles.

In terms of the accommodation, all of the bedrooms offer ample space to play with, with some featuring doors leading to outdoor decks and balconies.

On the interior design side of things, a crisp white color scheme runs throughout with light wood flooring as well as black window and door frame detailing completing the polished look.

Moving outside, beautifully manicured grounds frame the property.

In keeping with the architectural style, the home has a central courtyard, while a swimming pool is positioned close to the water.

Other features include a hot tub, cold plunge pool, sun deck, sauna, pool house and two garage space.

In keeping with the architectural style, the home has a central courtyard, while a swimming pool is positioned close to the water's edge

On the interior design side of things, a crisp white color scheme runs throughout with light wood flooring as well as black window and door frame detailing completing the polished look

There is also a private bar area, complete with bar seating and glass shelves to display liquor bottles

64 La Gorce Circle is one of 30 waterfront homes in the 24-hour patrolled enclave

The property, featured on Top Ten Real Estate Deals, is currently being listed by Dina Goldentayer from Douglas Elliman

Topping it off, the property enjoys 158ft of frontage enjoying ocean breezes, with a private jetty for boat access.

64 La Gorce Circle is one of 30 waterfront homes in the 24-hour patrolled enclave.

The property, featured on Top Ten Real Estate Deals, is currently being listed by Dina Goldentayer from Douglas Elliman.

The real estate expert says of the offering: 'A legacy home on La Gorce Island with a storied pedigree.

'Elevated to modernity by Menin Homes, this Spanish contemporary estate greets with an idyllic courtyard, arched doors, dual grand staircases, Brazilian oak flooring and double height ceilings.

'The social salons lead to a chef's kitchen, bar room and media lounge while four bedrooms and two privately accessed suites offer ample hosting space.'

When it comes to local attractions, La Gorce Island is located in the heart of Miami Beach, with a spread of dining and nightlife options on the doorstep.

It is also conveniently located just 20 minutes away from Miami International Airport by car.
She's regarded as one of the best dressed women in the world and is often praised for her dress sense.

But one element of Meghan Markle's style that has left fashionistas scratching their heads is her desire to pop on a warm coat, no matter what the weather.

Last week, the Duchess of Sussex, 42, opted for a 1300 ($1,650) Max Mara wool coat for the outing, even though it was warm in Montecito that day.

Temperatures climbed as high as 22.7C (73F) and didn't drop below 18C (65F).

And it's not the first time the former actress has opted for unusually warm attire.

During a trip to New York in 2021, Meghan opted for a number of woollen coats despite temperatures being in the mid 20s with high humidity.

She was seen wearing a $4 anti-stress patch that 'provides resonance and frequencies' on her wrist as she left an appointment on Thursday

Speaking to FEMAIL, celebrity stylist Miranda Holder said Meghan probably opted for the looks as coats 'make her look more together'.

She added that the Duchess may also use it as a 'comfort blanket' to 'shield herself'.

'Wearing a thick woollen coat over an outfit despite it being 22C is certainly a little odd - even if the coat is a gorgeous camel coloured Max Mara number like the one we saw Meghan Markle wearing earlier this week,' Miranda said.

'There is no doubt that a coat, especially an immaculately cut designer ones as Meghan is partial to, can help to finish off an outfit and make the whole ensemble feel more pulled together.'

Meghan Markle visited the UN in 2021 in an unseasonably warm-looking camel-coloured coat

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex began their whirlwind New York City weekend in very warm clothes

She added that a coat can elevaate a look but it's 'ill-judged' to do so in climates like Los Angeles.

'Hailed as the essential "third piece" by fashionistas and stylists in the know, adding a coat over say, just a plain T shirt and pair of jeans, helps to complete the outfit, adding much needed shape, texture and interest, but there are plenty of other ways to do that in the balmy California sunshine and not overheat - so it is indeed curious that the Duchess has a habit of stepping out looking overdressed - both literally and figuratively speaking,' she added.

'Other possible explanations are that Meghan was heading somewhere with over-effective air-conditioning and would be spending time in arctic temperatures, but she could have just carried extra layers with her for this.

'Another idea is that she was trying to disguise herself by hiding from prying eyes and camera lenses amongst layers of thick fabric, but if anything she was just drawing more attention to herself.

Meghan Markle wore four thick coats despite temperatures of 70-80F in New York

'In my opinion it is either a case of Meghan taking some ill-judged fashion advice, or the Duchess is literally using her wardrobe as a comfort blanket, shielding herself from the world and literally giving herself a very expensive sartorial hug, as she goes about her business without Harry.'

In 2021, Meghan appeared to forget the weather as wore four thick coats during a September trip to New York, despite temperatures hitting 25C.

The former Suits star had joined her husband Prince Harry at the United Nations to meet with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

She sported a 3080 ($4,214) tobacco-coloured cashmere Max Mara coat for the occasion which she paired with wide-legged pants and stiletto court shoes.

Meghan, also sported a 4274.03 ($5,840) Loro Piana cashmere coat and another Max Mara coat, which she wore open but layered over a long-sleeve black turtleneck top. She added a 2447 ($3,350) Valextra bag to match.
Ruth Wilson looks every inch the tortured soul in the first trailer for the BBC's new gothic thriller The Woman In The Wall.

The BAFTA award-winning actress, 41, features in the six-part series alongside Peaky Blinders star Daryl McCormack, 30, as it examines the legacy of one of Ireland's most shocking scandals, the inhumane institutions known as the Magdalene Laundries.

Wilson's character Lorna Brady, from a fictional town of Kilkinure, wakes one morning to find a corpse in her house. Chillingly, she has no idea who the dead woman is or if she herself might be responsible for the apparent murder.

Lorna has long suffered from extreme bouts of sleepwalking after she was confined to the Kilkinure Convent aged 15. The institution was home to one of Irelands infamous Magdalene Laundries.

The Catholic-run workhouses, where untold horrors are said to have taken place, housed women branded 'undesirable' by the church and orphaned children. They were shockingly in operation until 1996.

Lorna was incarcerated at one of the Magdalene Laundries before giving birth to her daughter Agnes, who was cruelly taken from her and whose fate she has never known.

During the BBC's new series, the ambitious and elusive Detective Colman Akande (played by McCormack) is on Lorna's tail for a crime which is seemingly unrelated to the dead woman shes discovered in her house.

First-look images show Wilson's character lying in the street surrounded by cows after having a sleepwalking episode.

Meanwhile, another image shows the detective in a graveyard and walking through what appears to be an abandoned building.

The trailer depicts Lorna struggling with the loss of her daughter, until she discovers that she might be still alive and hunts for her whereabouts.

Elsewhere, the detective appears to be investigating the apparent murder of a priest who was linked to Lorna's past.

Made by Motive Pictures for BBC and SHOWTIME, The Woman in The Wall is written by Joe Murtagh, directed by Harry Wootliff and Rachna Suri, with Susan Breen as producer.

Executive producers are Simon Maxwell, Sam Lavender, Joe Murtagh, Ruth Wilson and Harry Wootliff, with Lucy Richer for BBC.

Ruth Wilson (pictured as her character Lorna Brady) looks every inch the tortured soul in the first trailer for the BBC's new gothic thriller The Woman In The Wall

The BAFTA award-winning actress (pictured), 41, features in the six-part series alongside Peaky Blinders star Daryl McCormack, 30, as it examines the legacy of one of Ireland's most shocking scandals, the inhumane institutions known as the Magdalene Laundries

The Magdalene Laundries were institutions, generally run by Catholic religious organisations, that operated for more than 200 years from the 18th century to the late 20th Century.

The laundries, depicted in the award-winning film 'The Magdalene Sisters', put an estimated 10,000 women and girls as young as nine through uncompromising hardship from the foundation of the Irish state in 1922 until 1996.

Run by Catholic nuns, the laundries have been accused of treating inmates like slaves, imposing a regime of fear and prayer on girls sometimes put in their care for becoming pregnant outside of marriage.

They were established to house unmarried mothers, but later expanded to house girls who were considered 'promiscuous', the criminal, mentally unwell and girls who were seen as a burden on their families.

Former inmates spoke of physically demanding work, enforced by scoldings and humiliation, at the laundries that operated on a commercial basis to wash linen and clothes for the state, private firms and individuals.

In the past, Ireland's strict Catholic morality made it deeply shameful to become pregnant before marriage, and women would be rejected by their families and society as sinful.

During the BBC's new series, the ambitious and elusive Detective Colman Akande (played by Daryl McCormack, pictured) is on Lorna's tail for a crime which is seemingly unrelated to the dead woman shes discovered in her house

The power of the Church and the stigma associated with unmarried mothers were so overwhelming that for decades the harsh treatment of these women and their children were taboo subjects, and many were forgotten.

While the Magdaline Laundries were especially prevalent in Ireland, there were also homes across Australia, Canada and England.

In Australia, girls faced verbal abuse, long hours of work and long hours of silence in the convents. Women were often injured while working with hard machinery and faced dangers of spreading diseases.

In Canada, a network of asylums housed women without public funding. By the late 1800s in England, many laundries had resembled penitentiary workhouses.
Encounter a Chahar wedding and experience the charm of Mongolian culture

16:28, August 15, 2023 By Zhou Yu, Su Yingxiang, Ebulayi ( People's Daily Online

On an ordinary summer day in Bogedaer village, Wenquan county, northwest Chinas Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, an unexpected encounter took place. Russian tourist Elena stumbled upon a vibrant scene in a bustling rural tourism spot in the village: a Mongolian Chahar wedding.

A Chahar wedding is an important manifestation of Mongolian culture. The newlyweds dress in traditional Mongolian attire and propose a toast to their elders, demonstrating deep respect. People express their joyfulness through song and dance. The newlyweds also start dancing after the traditional wedding ceremony. The hosts invite all the guests to sing and dance to classic folk songs, filling the room with laughter and joy.

Join Elena in this video and immerse yourself in the unique charm of Mongolian culture and customs!

(Web editor: Hongyu, Du Mingming)
A woman who was fooled into thinking she was in a secret online relationship with a hunky Netflix star revealed that she sent the scammer $10,000 and divorced her husband to be with him.

McKala, a single mother from Kentucky, spent over a year believing she was exchanging romantic messages with Australian actor Dacre Montgomery, who played Billy Hargrove in Stranger Things.

The amateur actress and filmmaker was willing to do almost anything to be with him, despite never meeting him in person or even talking to him on the phone.

After leaving her husband and sending him thousands of dollars in gift cards, she began to doubt the validity of their relationship and turned to the YouTube series Catfished for help.

McKala, a single mother from Kentucky, was heartbroken to find out she had been catfished after falling for a stranger she believed to be Australian actor Dacre Montgomery

Dacre is best known for playing Billy Hargrove in the Netflix series Stranger Things

McKala explained that she met her mysterious paramour after she separated from her 'very toxic' husband and joined an online artists' forum to connect with other creatives like herself.

She 'hit it off' with a stranger who hid behind his user name before claiming he was Dacre  one of her favorite actors.

'Im suspicious from the get-go, until he starts doing things that make me believe he is who he is,' she told Catfished.

The real-life Dacre has been in a relationship with his model girlfriend Liv Pollock for six years, but the person she was speaking with claimed they were unhappy.

'He was venting to me after a few months about his partner, saying she is very controlling of him. He doesn't get to do the things he wants to do. She's always there. She's always got to supervise,' she recalled. 'I kind of empathize with that because my ex-husband was that way.'

After months of talking, McKala's 'Dacre' admitted to having feelings for her and asked her to be his girlfriend.

'He was like, "But you gotta keep it quiet because, you know, I'm still with Liv,"' she explained.

McKala said he told her that he had broken up with Liv six months before, but they were technically still together to keep up with appearances.

McKala enlisted the YouTube series Catfished to find out the truth about her mysterious paramour, whom she had never met in person or talked to on the phone

McKala said she met 'Dacre' on an online artists' forum after separating from her 'very toxic' husband, and they 'hit it off'

The real-life Dacre has been in a relationship with his model girlfriend Liv Pollock (pictured in 2020) for six years, but the person she was speaking with claimed they had broken up

When she checked the couple's respective Instagram pages, she noticed that they didn't have any romantic snapshots posted at the time, which led her to believe she was falling for the actor.

'He wasn't posting about her. She wasn't posting about him. The only thing that I have seen in the last two years...was a thing where she was posting about their five-year anniversary,' she said.

The Catfished team pointed out that 'a year of not talking to somebody on the phone is a very long time.'

McKala agreed that it was a 'huge red flag,' but she understood where he was coming from when he claimed he couldn't call her because Liv was 'controlling' and 'glued at his hip.'

'Dacre' then gave her an ultimatum, telling her that it was either him or her husband. She chose him, saying there was 'no competition.'

She said that right before season four of Stranger Things came out, he texted and told her she had to watch episode four.

'When it came out the next day, he showed up in that episode. I was like, "Well, who else would know that?" she recalled.

McKala also shared how he sent her poems that were similar to the ones featured in the real-life actor's book of poetry, DKMH: Poems by Dacre Montgomery.

These instances assuaged the doubts she had about her online relationship, and when he asked her for financial help, she came to his rescue.

McKala sent the scammer $10,000 and divorced her husband to be with him after he gave her an 'ultimatum'

McKala said she thought she was in a secret relationship with Dacre because he knew information about Stranger Things and sent her poems similar to the ones written by the actor

'Love makes you do crazy, stupid, irrational things,' she said after finding out she was being catfished by a romance scammer

'Before I knew it, it was turning into $100, $200 gift cards,' she said, explaining that he would sell the gift cards for less than they were worth and pocket the money.

McKala estimated that she sent him about $10,000 dollars.

According to her, he needed the money because his girlfriend was controlling his finances, but the Catfished team wasn't buying it.

They found that the actor made $150,000 per episode of Stranger Things, and there wasn't any evidence that Dacre and Liv had broken up. They were often seen on the red carpet and in interviews together.

Further investigation proved that the check 'Dacre' had sent to McKala was fake and matched hundreds of checks online with the same signature.

The scammer even lied about the lasagna he had allegedly cooked. The image he sent her was taken from a recipe posted by Martha Stewart.

McKala was heartbroken to find out she was being catfished, but she was grateful to finally know the truth about her online relationship.

'Love makes you do crazy, stupid, irrational things,' she said, admitting she was ripe for being scammed because of her past trauma.

'If you're someone like me, you're afraid of abandonment and you're a real big people pleaser and you're very co-dependent... These scammers, they just kind of come in and they leech off that.'
Emma Weymouth sizzled in a lilac beach cover up as she attended an exclusive club in St Tropez.

The Marchioness of Bath, 37, donned the stunning co-ord as she arrived at Club 55 - but as a gust of wind struck, she had a little trouble keeping hold of her hat.

Nonetheless, the mother-of-two, who is married to Ceawlin Thynn, sizzled in the stunning outfit, which she paired with a fuchsia bikini with floral detailing, a straw bag and round sunglasses.

After arriving at the club in the French Riviera, she relaxed and took a seat, showing off her envious figure.

The Marchioness's glamorous display follows envy-inducing snaps from her yacht trip earlier on in her holiday, when she stunned in a black bikini on the French Riviera.

Emma Weymouth, 37, sizzled in a lilac beach cover up as she headed to the exclusive Club 55 in St Tropez

Emma accessorised her look with oversized sunglasses, beaded bracelets and a silver ring.

She wore her dark tresses down under the same chic straw hat, which features a black rim around the centre.

The socialite beauty appeared to have topped up on her tan as she boasted a radiant complexion during her relaxing day out.

Ensuring all eyes remained on her killer physique, the raven-haired bombshell opted for minimal make-up and sported drenched hair.

Hold onto your hat! The Marchioness of Bath held onto her chic straw hat amid a gust of wind as she walked up the stairs in the beach club

Beaming, the Marchioness of Bath flaunted her enviable figure in the stunning lilac and fuchsia combination

Mother-of-two Emma took her seat in the club and looked relaxed as the sun beat down on her

It is thought Emma is on holiday with her family - husband Ceawlin Thynn, 8th Marquess of Bath, and their two sons John, nine and Henry, seven.

The couple, married at their stunning home Longleat in June 2013 and welcomed their first child John, in October 2014.

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.'
A Woolworths shopper has been slammed for 'flaunting' her extravagant supermarket grocery haul.

Em Lucin, from Melbourne, recently spent $724 at her local Woolies after moving to a new home.

The clothing brand owner shared her towering receipt and went through most items, the majority of the price racking up due to the purchase of pantry staples, kitchen essentials, and utensils.

Em also reached for several name-brand items like Masterfoods sauces and cartons of milk from Paul's.

She also revealed that she 'forgot' to scan her Woolworths rewards card and that the main reason she had to start from scratch was because she previously lived at home and couldn't bring anything to her new house.

Em Lucin, from Melbourne, recently spent an eye-watering $724 at her local Woolies after moving to a new home

Other items she purchased included a wide variety of snacks, confectionery buys, three types of cooking oil, cleaning supplies, and more.

'We just moved house and if you are moving house too, just be aware that this s**t is expensive,' she said.

Em immediately came under fire for bragging that she had spent 'more than most Australians earned in a week'.

'Imagine having such a disposable income that you can spend $730 like it's nothing, that's so much!' a woman wrote. 'I'm living paycheck to paycheck right now.'

'You just spent my weekly wage . . . shop at Aldi!' another said.

'We are in a different tax bracket,' a man noted.

READ MORE: Mum's desperate move to save money on snacks as the cost of living skyrockets Advertisement

Others criticised her for not shopping around for the best price and 'blowing' money on name brand buys.

'Groceries are definitely expensive but a huge part of your problem here is buying everything branded,' a bargain shopper wrote.

'60 per cent of this could have been purchased at op shops, Kmart, The Reject Shop, or on special,' another said.

'You could have saved at least $100 if you went store brand over name brand,' a man wrote.

While others defended Em's shop.

'Why is everyone always judging about amount spent? Why do people always judge?' one asked. 'Like sis knew she could afford it otherwise she wouldn't have done it.'

'When I moved out it was just after COVID and cost us $1,200!' a woman shared.

'Starting fresh is so expensive but so worth it!' another said.
Homeless crackheads and a 'badly put together' public transport system are just two of the most 'infuriating' things about Melbourne, according to a young British expat.

Ralph Smith made the scathing remarks about the city in a controversial TikTok clip which has been seen by over a million people.

The young Brit who lived in Melbourne for three months started the video by explaining he does love the city but he finds some things super 'frustrating'.

His biggest gripe appeared to be with the city's public buses, trams and trains.

'I have never witnessed such a badly put together system,' he slammed.

A key issue for the young traveller appears to be the Myki cards - which are used to pay for trips.

'The only way to get around the city is with Myki cards. That is if you are on a train, tram or bus. But if you forget this card you are literally f***ed,' he complained.

He described the cards as 'useless' and said he prefers to tap his phone or bank card like commuters do in Sydney and London.

'You can't add it to you phone, so if you are on an iPhone you can't add this phone to your wallet to tap on and off,' he added.

'If someone who doesn't carry a wallet having to carry this everywhere and second forget it you can't get on a tram or train. It is very frustrating.'

His next gripe is closely related.

Ralph Smith made the scathing remarks about the city in a controversial TikTok clip which has been seen by over a million people

Ralph hates crossing the road at the lights or driving his car in heavy traffic.

'Trying to get from one corner to the other can take five minutes,' he said.

'I'm not joking. These lights don't ever change.'

He said it is the same when driving.

'I feel like you are just always sitting in traffic, like no matter where you are the lights take ages to change and it is so frustrating.'

The third thing Ralph mentioned is the lack of accommodation in the city.

'If you are currently looking for a place to rent in Melbourne or to buy it seems to be impossible. As soon as the place gets listed within a day it seems to be taken yo and already sold.'

The fourth is the weather - he hates that he has to be prepared for the day to change in an instant.

'You can be out in the sun with a T-shirt on and the next second it is thunder storming and it switches like that all day long. You never know what to wear really or what to puck and it is really frustrating.'

The crackheads appeared to be the final point on Ralph's 'things I hate about Melbourne' list.

'I have never seen so many homeless people slash crackheads in such a small area,' he said.

The young Brit who lived in Melbourne for three months started the video by explaining he does love the city but he finds some things super 'frustrating'

'The road between Flinders Street Station and I think Collins Street is filled with homeless and crackheads. People punching walls and screaming out loud.'

He added he doesn't feel safe when he is walking past the homeless community.

'I was walking with a friend and a homeless guy comes up and starts screaming in my face when they are off their nut, trying to get stuff from you it is really not nice,' he said.

'I don't know what they can do to fix it but it is really not nice.'

People were quick to comment on Ralph's video - one said most people don't use the cards - they simply ride for free.

'I did that and got fined,' he admitted.

Another said the Myki phone problem is unique to iPhone users.

Some people added more 'things to loathe' to the list including poor internet and cafes which close at 5pm.

'I live in Melbourne and there isn't a truer video out there,' one local agreed.

Ralph has since returned home to London.
An NHS doctor has been suspended after calling a Mexican colleague a 'donkey sh*****'.

Dr Tom Burton, a consultant emergency physician at Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Trust, was scolded by a tribunal for his 'racist banter'.

The 60-year-old medic, who began practicing in the 1990s, admitted making the comment to the doctor during a 'bawdy team conversation' in November 2020.

But Dr Burton claimed it was only made in retaliation after the same colleague, of Mexican heritage, 'looked me in the eye and said something about me having a sexual interest in sheep'.

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service heard from a witness that his comment did not come 'out of the blue' but had 'overstepped the mark'.

Dr Tom Burton, a consultant emergency physician at Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Trust, was scolded by a tribunal for his 'racist banter'. Pictured, the Chesterfield Royal Hospital

Dr Burton  noted as having an 'unblemished disciplinary record and career'  also confessed to writing the same phrase on a bottle that he believed belonged to the unidentified member of staff.

He was suspended for four months because of the 'gravity of his misconduct'.

'Dr Burtons conduct fell so far short of the standards of conduct reasonably to be expected of a doctor as to amount to serious misconduct,' the panel ruled.

But it noted Dr Burton is a 'good doctor who is held in high regard by colleagues and patients'.

READ MORE: GP suspended for six months after failing to arrange face-to-face appointment for patient who ended up hospitalised with heart infection Advertisement

Despite the suspension, the tribunal acknowledged it was a 'clumsy joke' and that a 'culture of wholly inappropriate banter' took place where they worked.

But it said that Dr Burton didn't have a 'close or friendly working relationship' with his peer, despite having worked together for a 'number of years'.

Dr Burton apologised for his mistakes and attended remediation courses at his own expense.

He had also been the subject of an internal investigation and lost his job.

The colleague, referred to only as Dr A, accused Dr Burton of making comments that amounted to unlawful racial harassment on 24 November 2020.

In front of Dr A, a locum consultant in the hospital's emergency department, and other members of staff, Dr Burton was accused of saying words along the line of 'I hear Mexicans sh** donkeys'.

Dr A said the comment seemed to come out of 'nowhere' and caught them 'off guard' as it seemed 'pretty discriminatory to make, particularly in the presence of all my colleagues'.

Dr A admitted to replying in anger that 'I heard the English shag sheep', to which Dr Burton said that 'it wasn't the English, but the Welsh'.

But in Dr Burton's account, given as part of an internal probe by the Trust, he said his comment was made during a 'rude and bawdy team conversation' about 'sexual matters' involving five to 10 doctors, nurses and healthcare assistants.

He said Dr A 'said something about me having a sexual interest in sheep', to which Dr Burton claimed to have replied, 'I think donkey's are more to your taste'.

The following day, Dr A claimed Dr Burton passed him in the corridor and told him that 'I've put a label on your bottle, donkey sh*****'.

On top this exchange, Dr A accused Dr Burton of writing 'donkey sh*****' on a label and sticking it to a black water bottle that resembled a sex toy, which he believed belonged to Dr A.

Dr Burton admitted to doing so but this was to 'continue the joke from the day before' and that he 'did not intend any racial element'. It was at this point that Dr A filed a formal complaint with the Trust, as 'enough was enough'.

After finding out about the complaint made against him, Dr Burton was accused of 'unlawful victimisation' in January and February 2021.

This was after he told one colleague that Dr A was in the UK when he had told the hospital that he had to go abroad on compassionate leave. Dr Burton was also accused of questioning whether Dr A was fit to practice medicine.

Additionally, Dr Burton told colleagues that he was concerned about Dr A working 'back to back' shifts and allegedly requested information about their working patterns.

The MPTS concluded it was 'quite clear' Dr Burton 'made some reference to sh****** donkeys in the presence of Dr A' as he then went to write it on their water bottle as a continuation of the 'joke'.

The ruling stated that it was 'more likely than not' that Dr A's account was accurate, as it was supported by another medic.

The judgment stated that, while the pair of medics had never fallen out, they both avoided each other and Dr A, along with other colleagues, made reference to Dr Burton's 'lack of social awareness and his poor attempt to make jokes he thought were funny'.

While the comment was clearly 'inappropriate, unprofessional and offensive'  as the banter was not 'mutual'  it did not create an 'intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment', the ruling stated.

But Dr Burton's act of writing 'donkey sh*****' on the water bottle did create such an environment, the tribunal found.

It also concluded that Dr Burton did raise questions about Dr A's whereabouts, tried to find out about Dr A's working patterns and raised Dr A's fitness to practice record to colleagues.

By doing so, Dr Burton 'called into question the integrity and honesty of a person who had made a complaint against him', which constituted unlawful victimisation, the tribunal ruled.
To stay at home moms of yesteryear, drinking a few glasses of wine was the prescription for taking the edge off a long day.

But a new generation of mothers is experimenting with microdoses of the mind-bending substance in 'magic' mushrooms to de-stress as part of a movement focused on wellness and healing.

Tracey Tee, 48, started microdosing about 0.3 grams of psilocybin every few days during the pandemic, when the vast majority of working and stay at home moms were hit especially hard by high levels of stress, and says regular doses made her a more 'present' parent.

While many people microdose psilocybin for fun, a growing number of mothers using in the states where it is legal - Oregon and Colorado - consider it a form of medicine that must be distigmatized.

Psychedelics have gone from fringe to mainstream in recent years with the Food and Drug Administration clearing the way for clinical trials into its effectiveness in treating a range of mental health issues including depression and eating disorders.

Tracey Tee, mother of one daughter in Colorado, first experienced magic mushrooms at 44 and called it a life-changing experience

Every few days, Ms Tee takes a micro-dose of psilocybin, the hallucinogenic compound in magic mushrooms

Ms Tee's push to normalize microdosing has gone global. Her movement has tens of thousands of followers on social media who are eager to try the purported life-changing substance for themselves

Ms Tee, of Colorado, had her first experience with magic mushrooms at age 44, calling it the most beautiful, confirming, joyful experience I'd really ever had.

She began taking minimal doses at the height of the pandemic, a time when millions of mothers were suddenly thrust into the roles of teacher and full-time caregiver when schools and daycares closed.

Near breaking point and seeing many other mothers in similar spots, Ms Tee took a course in microdosing and said it changed her life.

The dose that she takes is about a tenth of the dosage someone would need to spark the quintissential 'trip' associated with magic mushrooms, but just enough to notice an improvement in mood.

She now runs support groups for fellow moms wading into the psychedelics sphere as part of her advocacy group Moms on Mushrooms.

Ms Tees group has nearly 10,000 followers on Instagram alone, with countless comments on posts from women around the world praising the organizations work.

One mother commented: Love what you are doing- what we are doing as moms on a mission. Breaking down all the barriers and removing all the taboo.

Another said: The tide is turning and I cant wait for psilocybin to be decriminalized in NY!! As a Mom of two, this is everything!! Shrooms heal.

Ms Tee told NPR that mothers like her have moved past, I think, wanting to guzzle five bottles of wine.

We're craving something deeper, and we're definitely craving community.

While psilocybin is a schedule 1 substance per the federal government, which bans it from being prescribed for medicinal use.

The schedule 1 designation is also is what prevents researchers from investigating its medical utility to begin with.

But that did not stop Oregon and Colorado from lifting restrictions on its medicinal use, and many mothers like Ms Tee have jumped at the chance to give it a try.

In Colorado, Chryss Cada living with the trauma of seeing her sibling die by suicide at a young age, began microdosing 0.15 to 0.4 of a gram, three to four times a week to deal with her PTSD and obsessive compulsive symptoms.

Her ability to better deal with anxiety with the help of psilocybin has made her a more attentive and level-headed mother to her high school-age daughter.

Another mother of two in Colorado named Heather Jackson said she microdoses to feel 'very in tune with myself; and her children, one of whom has special needs and requires round-the-clock care.

And a mom named Courtney, who chose to withold her last name, credited microdosingwith her ability to slowly come off her antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications.

She told Colorado Public Radio: 'You're 10 percent more patient, 10 percent more joyful, maybe 10 percent more willing to play and roll around in the grass with your kids. And 10 percent goes a pretty long way. Sometimes thats all you need.'

Heather Jackson has credited psilocybin with helping her better show up for her daughter on a daily basis

Courtney, who chose to withold her last name, said she was able to wean off prescription medications to treat her depression and anxiety with the help of microdosing

Microdosing psychedelics including LSD, MDMA, and psilocybin has enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity, though determining how many people are doing it regularly is difficult to pin down.

The psychoactive chemical in magic mushrooms is believed to improve depression that has not otherwise been helped by other treatments.

The chemical works by activating serotonin receptors in brain cells. Serotonin is a type of neurotransmitter that governs a persons mood and emotional well-being, sleep, and appetite.

The active ingredient that interacts with serotonin, psilocin, alters the way serotonin behaves in the brain to cause changes in sensory perception and experiences.

It is also believed to restore parts of the brain that have atrophied as a result of severe psychiatric and neurological conditions, a phenomenon known as neuroplasticity.

And while there are plenty of anecdotal benefits of taking sub-hallucinogenic doses  that is, doses too small to get the user high  scientists are not convinced.

Dr David Olson, an expert in the study of psychedelic drugs for neurological disorders at the University of California Davis told DailyMail.com: Many of the beneficial effects that people report may be coming from a placebo effect.

We know that placebo effects, especially in neuropsychiatry, are incredibly, incredibly strong.

'And so when somebody has the expectation that they will get better by participating in some kind of intervention, that often will lead to therapeutic responses.

'But it's not necessarily the pharmacotherapy that is contributing to that.

Emerging research pointing to the benefits of taking psilocybin under the close watch of a medical professional has pertained specifically to doses high enough to cause trademark hallucinogenic effects of magic mushrooms.

Comparatively, very little has been found about the benefits of taking 5 percent to 10 percent of a full dose.

Ms Tee stresses that the movement to turn more mothers onto the psychological benefits of micro-dosing is not one that aims to get American mothers high.

She draws a stark distinction between the micro-dosing push and the era of Mother's Little Helper  a Rolling Stones reference to the anti-anxiety medicine Valium- and the more recent wine mom trend.

She said that while there is still a lot of fear around the burgeoning field of study into psychedelics and their everyday use, she said that the intention behind taking them is paramount.

Ms Tee said: I get really frustrated when people say to me, Oh, well, like, mushrooms are, you know, mommy's new little helper.

That is not what microdosing is. Microdosing is mommy is present and aware and showing up, maybe for the first time ever.
Fears of a fresh Covid resurgence were today heightened after the discovery of a new variant thought to be the 'real deal'.

Scientists have already called for the return of face masks because of the spin-off strain  yet to be officially named but dubbed BA.6.

Others, however, warned it is far too early to panic and argued that pandemic-era restrictions won't be needed.

Covid hospitalisation rates are already starting to shoot up, sparking concern that the UK is on the brink of being hit by another wave.

The increase in infections follows the arrival of another variant, nicknamed Eris. It already makes up one in seven new Covid cases in Britain, health chiefs say.

Scientists have already called for the return of face masks because of the spin-off strain  yet to be officially named but dubbed BA.6. Others, however, warned it is far too early to panic and argued that pandemic-era restrictions won't be needed. Covid hospitalisation rates are already starting to shoot up, sparking concern that the UK is on the brink of being hit by another wave

In a tweet, Dr Trisha Greenhalgh, a primary healthcare expert at the University of Oxford, also wrote: 'My various science WhatsApp groups are buzzing. Genetic lineage clips and diagrams flying back and forth.' The professor, who is also a member of the group Independent SAGE added: 'I understand little of the detail but it looks like it's once again time to MASK UP'

Meanwhile, Professor Christina Pagel, a mathematician from University College London who sits on Independent SAGE, said: 'To everyone else  very very early days but this coronavirus variant (now in 2 countries) has a LOT of new mutations that makes it v different to previous Omicron strains.' It is 'potentially more able to cause a big wave', she added

The strain was originally highlighted by online Covid variant tracker Ryan Hisner, who tweeted 'this is the real deal'. He wrote: 'Two more sequences of this 2nd-generation BA.2 lineage just showed up in Denmark. This is the real deal. There are slight differences between the three sequences, but they are nearly identical'

Experts have speculated the bad weather and the 'Barbenheimer effect'  referring to the release of Barbie and Oppenheimer  might have also contributed to the rise in infections, as well as waning immunity.

Booster vaccines will be offered to over-65s and the vulnerable later this year.

There are no signs the newly discovered variant, which is different to Eris, known scientifically as EG.5.1, poses any more of a danger than others, including its ancestor Omicron.

Virus trackers say it has already been spotted in Denmark and Israel, suggesting it has started to circulate.

Experts believe the variant has over 30 mutations in its spike protein, the part of the virus that latches onto human cells and causes an infection.

What is the new variant? How dangerous is it? And is it more infectious than other Covid strains? What we know so far What is the strain? The spin-off strain is yet to be officially named but it has already been dubbed BA.6. Viruses constantly change through mutation and sometimes these mutations result in new variants. Where has it been spotted? Virus trackers say the variant has already been spotted in Denmark and Israel, suggesting it has started to circulate. The variant also follows the arrival of another variant, nicknamed Eris, known scientifically as EG.5.1. Why has it sparked concern? The strain was originally highlighted by online Covid variant tracker Ryan Hisner, who tweeted 'this is the real deal'. Meanwhile, Professor Christina Pagel, a mathematician from University College London who sits on Independent SAGE, said: 'To everyone else  very very early days but this coronavirus variant (now in 2 countries) has a LOT of new mutations that makes it v different to previous Omicron strains.' Experts believe the variant has over 30 mutations in its spike protein, the part of the virus that latches onto human cells and causes an infection. However, they have warned that it is too early to panic and that lockdowns or other pandemic-era restrictions won't be needed. How deadly are the symptoms? A rise in cases could put health services under pressure. Typically Covid symptoms are known to include a high fever, cough, cold and loss of the sense of taste or smell. However, there are no signs yet the newly discovered variant, which is different to Eris, known scientifically as EG.5.1, poses any more of a danger than others, including its ancestor Omicron. Do the vaccines still work? It is still unclear whether the new variant has any increased ability to evade protection from vaccines compared to other Omicron spin-offs. Even if the vaccines do not work perfectly against the variant, immunity is likely to still hold up, with most Brits also having been exposed to former Omicron variants. High levels of protection against the virus gave ministers in the UK the confidence to ditch all Covid measures last year as the country moved to living with the virus. Advertisement

However, it still remains unclear if it will succeed in spreading efficiently or if it will just fizzle out like many other heavily mutated variants.

Dr Trisha Greenhalgh, an internationally-renowned expert in primary care, based at the University of Oxford, tweeted that 'it looks like it's once again time to MASK UP'.

The professor, who is also a member of Independent SAGE, a group of academics that called for No10 to adopt an Australian-style Covid elimination strategy early on in the pandemic, acknowledged that she understood 'little of the detail', however.

Meanwhile, Professor Christina Pagel, a mathematician from University College London who sits on Independent SAGE, said: 'To everyone else  very very early days but this coronavirus variant (now in 2 countries) has a LOT of new mutations that makes it v different to previous Omicron strains.'

It is 'potentially more able to cause a big wave', she added.

The strain was originally highlighted by online Covid variant tracker Ryan Hisner, who tweeted 'this is the real deal'.

He wrote: 'Two more sequences of this 2nd-generation BA.2 lineage just showed up in Denmark.

'This is the real deal. There are slight differences between the three sequences, but they are nearly identical.'

Professor Stephen Griffin, an infectious disease expert at the University of Leeds, told MailOnline the variant 'represents a far greater change in the genetic makeup of the virus' and is 'reminiscent of the first emergence' of Omicron in late 2021.

He added: 'It is too early to tell whether this "jump" in evolution will lead to a virus "fit" enough to dominate in the same way as BA.1 and BA.2 and other variants of concern once did, but there are a number of mutations that may cause concern if it does start to spread.

'These types of changes typically take a long time to become established in concert, but the source of these new viruses is not immediately clear.

'Of course, our limited surveillance now makes this job much harder.'

He said: 'Ultimately, whether or not humans declare that a public health emergency is over, the virus will carry on its course, regardless.

'The best way to future proof against this is a combined vaccine and mitigation-based approach. Worryingly, in the UK, we are currently winding both of these aspects down.'

Experts also told MailOnline the emergence of a new variant 'is not surprising' and repeated calls cautioning it was too early to panic.

Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist at Warwick University, said: 'With a soup of different Omicron variants virus continuing to infect people around the world, the emergence of a more infectious variant is not surprising.

'Not much known about this variant. We will continue to see new variants popping up as the virus continues to spread and adapt.

'This might all be manageable as long as these are all variants on the Omicron background, as many people have already been exposed to infection with different Omicron variants and the vaccine booster is likely to have been adapted to cover the Omicron family.'

He added: 'The biggest worry is that a Covid variant from a different background  delta or completely new lineage  will re-emerge as a new variant and this could really be problematic.'

Meanwhile, Professor Paul Hunter, a respected infectious disease specialist at the University of East Anglia told MailOnline: 'If it is BA.6 that means it probably isnt that different from what as gone before and so unlikely to be an important threat but time will tell.'

He added: 'Since Omicron the balance of evidence is that masking no longer is associated with much if any reduced infection rates either in hospitals, schools or the community.

'Masking may still have value in reducing the severity of infection in particularly vulnerable people.'

Last week UKHSA analysts estimated Covid positivity rates increased to 5.4 per cent, on the previous week, which itself saw a rise of 3.7 per cent. Leading experts fear the outbreak will continue to pick up pace in the coming weeks as part of the virus's natural cycle

UKHSA officials say they are 'closely' monitoring the spread of the virus. The UK however is no longer publishing daily infection numbers because so few tests are being carried out after the pandemic

Covid and flu vaccines will only be offered to over-65s this winter, health chiefs confirmed last week. In a bid to 'go back to normal', invites won't be dished out to millions aged 50-64 who were eligible during the pandemic

It comes as the UKHSA declared EG.5.1, dubbed Eris, a new Covid variant earlier this month, with World Health Organization (WHO) chiefs last week listing it a 'variant of interest'.

It has now been recorded in 51 countries, the UN health agency confirmed.

It has quickly become dominant in America, accounting for one in five infections, while in Japan it is estimated to account for up to 46 per cent of all cases.

However, in a risk evaluation last week the WHO concluded: 'Collectively, available evidence does not suggest that EG.5 has additional public health risks relative to the other currently circulating Omicron descendent lineages.'

The Government has insisted it will never revert back to pandemic-era measures unless a doomsday variant emerges.

Experts say fluctuations in case numbers will happen forevermore.

Professor Hunter told MailOnline that while it is necessary to monitor EG.5, 'it will likely not drive up hospitalisations much'.

He added: 'EG.5 will have played only a minor role in the recent wave we have seen in July.

'But we may see cases rising a bit more over coming weeks because of this variant. There is no indication that we need to change our practices at present.'

Meanwhile Professor Young told MailOnline: 'The boosters should be a good match for this and any newer variants  assuming that this will be the available vaccine in the UK.

'However, the delay in vaccinating the most vulnerable until October and the current increase in infections stresses the immediate need for additional public health and social measures.

'This is particularly important before children return to school, students start back at university and folk return to work after their summer holidays.'

He added: 'Encouraging the wearing of facemasks in crowded and poorly ventilated spaces, and improving ventilation in indoor spaces are simple measures which we know are effective at limiting the spread of the virus.

'Some public health messaging emphasising the value of these measures in protecting the population from widespread infection and in helping the NHS through what will be another challenging winter would be welcome.'

NHS hospital data also shows daily Covid admissions in England have increased by a third in a week, rising from 171 on July 28, to 229 on August 4, the latest figures available.

Hospitalizations had been freefalling nationally since March, from a peak of almost 1,200.

The beginning of July however, saw these numbers begin an uptick, rising slightly.

But, current admission levels are nowhere near levels seen earlier in the pandemic, when a high of 4,100 admissions were logged per day.

And, as time has worn on, fewer and fewer admissions are directly down to the virus. Instead, many patients are just coincidentally ill.
Alabamans who vape in their car while a child is present could be fined $100 as part of a new law.

The Republican state is the first in America to outlaw the use of e-cigarettes in enclosed spaces with kids under 14 present.

It comes amid growing evidence that vaping poses similar risks to the user as normal cigarettes. A study last month also exposed the harms of second-hand vapor.

An estimated one in 10 American adults regularly vape, the equivalent of about 30 million people, according to official data, and in Alabama it is one in 11.

Alabama's new law would levy a penalty amount to $100 against anyone in a car found to be smoking or vaping in the presence of a child

As of August 1, any Alabama driver or passenger who is pulled over for a traffic violation and is found to have been vaping in the company of a child under 14 will be penalized regardless of whether the windows were down or if the car was stopped.

The law applies to vaping e-cigarettes packed with nicotine as well as traditional cigarettes.

While there is no tobacco in e-cigarettes, only nicotine, officials at the state and federal levels classify all nicotine-containing products including vapes as tobacco products, which are subject to the same restrictions.

The Alabama Department of Public Health said: Childrens smaller bodies take in a larger amount of air, so tobacco smoke is particularly hazardous to them.

To protect children riding in your vehicle, do not let anyone smoke. Rolling down windows does not protect them.

'Smoking or vaping in an enclosed vehicle with children is a secondary violation. This means that if a driver is pulled over for another reason and a child is present, fines are up to $100.

The first-of-its-kind law comes amid growing acceptance vape plumes contain microscopic toxins known as particulate matter small enough that when inhaled can cause respiratory issues and enter the bloodstream.

Far more is known about the harmful effects of inhaling cigarette smoke laden with over 7,000 types of toxic chemicals and carcinogens.

Brief exposure to secondhand cigarette smoke is enough to raise a childs risk of developing respiratory problems, cognitive and heart issues, and sudden infant death syndrome.

There was a time in the mid-2000s to 2010s when e-cigarettes were considered a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes.

The vapor produced by e-cigarettes is sometimes odorless and non-offensive or fruity- or sweet-smelling.

In fact, vapes were deemed safe enough to be used in indoor public places, even hospitals, for a brief window of time.

But scientists are becoming increasingly aware of the possible health risks attached to breathing in the seemingly harmless plumes from e-cigarettes.

Scientists from universities in Virginia and North Carolina recently reported that when e-cigarette users puffed in their cars for less than just 10 minutes, the air around them became laden with possibly poisonous particulate matter known specifically as PM2.5 (denoting a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or smaller).

When the particulate matter is inhaled, it penetrates the lungs and irritates the entire respiratory system, possibly causing or worsening asthma, bronchitis, and heavy wheezing.

Secondhand smoke from combustible cigarettes, meanwhile, is a known cause of sudden infant death syndrome, respiratory infections, ear infections, and asthma attacks in infants and children.

It also paves the way to heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer in adult nonsmokers.

Each year exposure to secondhand smoke causes more than 41,000 deaths from lung cancer and heart disease among non-smoking adults and 400 deaths from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, according to the 2014 Surgeon General's Report.

The Mobile, Alabama Police Department said about the new law: Protecting our children's health is a shared responsibility. Secondhand smoke and vapor can harm their well-being, and this law ensures a safer environment.
A working mom in Colorado lost her ability to parent her daughter and do her job after contracting a rare case of West Nile virus last year.

Lisa Montez, a 31-year-old Windsor, Colorado native believes she contracted the virus about a year ago while hiking or fishing, once some of her favorite pastimes.

After getting sick and developing debilitating symptoms, the avid hiker, who enjoyed knitting, reading, and spending time with her daughter, lost the ability to drive, maintain her 50-hour work week as a software developer, and be an attentive mom.

West Nile, which is contracted through the bite of an infected mosquito and often goes undiagnosed, is mild about 80 percent of the time but the virus can, in severe cases, cause neurological damage such as brain swelling and meningitis.

Roughly 20 percent of people who contract the virus, experience fatigue, fever, headaches, joint pain, rashes, and stomach issues.

Though many people will recover from West Nile without medical treatment, some people, as in the case of Ms Montez, will experience crippling symptoms.

Lisa Montez contracted West Nile virus in July 2022 and, unlike roughly 80 percent of cases, felt sick almost immediately. She is part of a small group who experience symptoms like migraines, fatigue, fever, and rash. In the most severe cases, the virus can cause brain swelling, convulsions, and paralysis

Ms Montez developed a rash on her face in addition to other usual symptoms associated with West Nile

West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne disease. It is not spread from person to person but rather through bites from infected mosquitoes. The insects pick up the virus from birds, the natural reservoir for the virus

Ms Montez said: I had the rash, I had the flu-like symptoms, but instead of getting better like most people do, you feel crappy for a few days, I did not get better. I ended up getting worse and worse and worse.

We went from being completely healthy and fine and normal to not  to completely opposite.'

Now, she doesn't have the energy to partake in her favorite activities, and she experiences migraines, fatigue, balance problems, and trouble focusing.

Her symptoms have also deprived her of the ability to drive because they've led to slower processing and diminished multitasking abilities that would allow her to pay attention to surroundings, other cars, speed limits and traffic regulations.

She has also reduced her workload from a rigorous 50-hour work week to part time hours.

Her husband Abel has had to assume many household responsibilities as well as become the primary caregiver of their six-year-old daughter Aria.

Mr Montez said of their daughter Aria: She just could not understand why, all of a sudden, Mommy cant play with me. Mommy has to lay down. So shes really kind of understood, you know, If Mommy needs to rest, let Mommy rest.

West Nile virus is spread to humans through a bite from an infected species of mosquito, the Culex mosquito. The insects become infected with West Nile after feeding on birds, which are common hosts of the virus.

Culex mosquitoes primarily live around stagnant water sources, like the lake Ms Montez lives near in northern Colorado.

The above map shows states that have detected West Nile virus from 2021 to 2022. The incidence rate is per 100,000 people

Public health authorities have seen an overall global rise in West Nile cases.

West Nile virus is also the most common mosquito-borne disease in the continental US, with an estimated 2,200 cases annually. And as climate change's devastating effects rage on, warmer temperatures and longer breeding seasons have helped the mosquito population prosper in the US.

This has increased the overall risk of contracting the disease.

Despite her struggles, Ms Montez is determined to use her experience to educate people about West Nile and how it can be prevented

She said: Prevention is prevention, but it's always in the back of mind that it just takes one mosquito bite to change your life.

It really is worth the two minutes to spray on mosquito spray before you go out. It took an entire year of my life and foreseeably more. Two minutes is worth it.
Experts today sounded the alarm over a fresh Covid wave after detecting a variant that has 'a lot of new mutations'.

Some UK scientists  known for making gloomy predictions earlier in the pandemic  are so concerned they have advised people to mask up again.

The new sub-strain  which doesn't have an official name but has been dubbed BA.6  has only been spotted in two countries so far, Denmark and Israel.

But it is causing concern among some due to the number of mutations it has on its spike protein, the piece of the virus that vaccines were designed to target.

The variant may make shots less effective if it has evolved to look different enough from its ancestral strain, Omicron - though most experts argue no new strain will completely escape immunity from vaccines and prior infection.

The above shows hospitalizations in the US. These have risen by 14 percent over the last week and are up 60 percent from the record low recorded last month

Covid deaths, however, continue to decline - although they take longer to start rising than hospitalizations

In a tweet, Dr Trisha Greenhalgh, a primary healthcare expert at the University of Oxford, wrote: 'My various science WhatsApp groups are buzzing. Genetic lineage clips and diagrams flying back and forth.' The professor, who is also a member of the group Independent SAGE added: 'I understand little of the detail but it looks like it's once again time to MASK UP'

Other experts say there is no need to panic and are confident pandemic-era restrictions are not needed.

It comes as the US battles a small uptick in Covid cases caused by a different variant dubbed Eris that makes up nearly one in five new infections.

Covid hospitalizations have risen 14 percent in a week to 10,320. That is still a fraction of the more than 100,000 patients that were being hospitalized at the peak of the country's pandemic.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already suggested booster vaccines should be rolled out this fall, but these will be focused on the XBB variants that caused trouble earlier in the year rather than either of the new strains.

They are likely to be offered to older adults in the US, alongside the flu shots dished out every year.

What is the new variant? How dangerous is it? And is it more infectious than other Covid strains? What we know so far What is the strain? The spin-off strain is yet to be officially named but it has already been dubbed BA.6. Viruses constantly change through mutation and sometimes these mutations result in new variants. Where has it been spotted? Virus trackers say the variant has been spotted in Denmark and Israel, suggesting it has started to circulate. It follows the arrival of another variant, nicknamed Eris, known scientifically as EG.5. Why has it sparked concern? The strain was originally highlighted by online Covid variant tracker Ryan Hisner, who tweeted 'this is the real deal'. Meanwhile, Professor Christina Pagel, a mathematician from University College London who sits on Independent SAGE, said: 'To everyone else  very very early days but this coronavirus variant (now in 2 countries) has a LOT of new mutations that makes it v different to previous Omicron strains.' Experts believe the variant has over 30 mutations in its spike protein, the part of the virus that latches onto human cells and causes an infection. However, they have warned that it is too early to panic and that lockdowns or other pandemic-era restrictions won't be needed. How deadly are the symptoms? A rise in cases could put health services under pressure. Typically Covid symptoms are known to include a high fever, cough, cold and loss of the sense of taste or smell. However, there are no signs yet that the newly discovered variant, which is different from Eris, known scientifically as EG.5, poses any more of a danger than others, including its ancestor Omicron. Do the vaccines still work? It is still unclear whether the new variant has an increased ability to evade protection from vaccines compared to other Omicron spin-offs. Even if the vaccines do not work perfectly against the variant, immunity is likely to still hold up, with most Brits also having been exposed to former Omicron variants. High levels of protection against the virus gave ministers in the UK the confidence to ditch all Covid measures last year as the country moved to a policy of 'living with the virus'. Advertisement

There are no signs at this stage that the newly discovered variant, which is different to Eris, known scientifically as EG.5, poses any more of a danger than others, including its ancestor Omicron.

Experts believe the variant has more than 30 mutations in its spike protein, the part of the virus that latches onto human cells and causes an infection.

However, it still remains unclear if it will succeed in spreading efficiently or if it will just fizzle out like many other heavily mutated variants.

A total of three cases have been detected to date, but experts believe this is just the top of the iceberg because only a fraction of diagnosed Covid infections are actually checked for variants.

Dr Trisha Greenhalgh, an internationally-renowned expert in primary care based at the University of Oxford, tweeted that 'it looks like it's once again time to MASK UP'.

The professor, who is also a member of the UK's Independent SAGE, a group of academics that called for the UK government to adopt an Australian-style Covid elimination strategy early on in the pandemic, acknowledged that she understood 'little of the detail', however.

Dr Eric Topol, a physician at Scripps Research in California, warned: 'Keep an eye on this SARS-CoV-2 variant that has popped up in Israel and Denmark with more than 30 mutations in the spike protein.'

Meanwhile, Professor Christina Pagel, a mathematician from University College London who sits on Independent SAGE, said: 'To everyone else  very very early days but this coronavirus variant (now in 2 countries) has a LOT of new mutations that makes it v different to previous Omicron strains.'

It is 'potentially more able to cause a big wave', she added.

The strain was originally highlighted by online Covid variant tracker Ryan Hisner, who tweeted 'this is the real deal'.

He wrote: 'Two more sequences of this 2nd-generation BA.2 lineage just showed up in Denmark.

'This is the real deal. There are slight differences between the three sequences, but they are nearly identical.'

Scientists are concerned by the mutations to its spike protein because these make antibodies  virus-fighting proteins  less able to bind to them and prevent infection.

A higher number of mutations means current immunity is less effective, raising the risk that the virus can gain a foothold.

Scientists point out, however, that there are other sections of the immune system  such as T-cells  that will still be able to detect and fight off the virus.

Professor Stephen Griffin, an infectious disease expert at the University of Leeds, told DailyMail.com that the variant 'represents a far greater change in the genetic makeup of the virus' and is 'reminiscent of the first emergence' of Omicron in late 2021.

He added: 'It is too early to tell whether this "jump" in evolution will lead to a virus "fit" enough to dominate in the same way as BA.1 and BA.2 and other variants of concern once did, but there are a number of mutations that may cause concern if it does start to spread.

'These types of changes typically take a long time to become established in concert, but the source of these new viruses is not immediately clear.

'Of course, our limited surveillance now makes this job much harder.'

He said: 'Ultimately, whether or not humans declare that a public health emergency is over, the virus will carry on its course, regardless.

'The best way to future proof against this is a combined vaccine and mitigation-based approach. Worryingly, in the UK, we are currently winding both of these aspects down.'

Experts also told DailyMail.com the emergence of a new variant 'is not surprising' and repeated calls cautioning it was too early to panic.

Meanwhile, Professor Christina Pagel, a mathematician from University College London who sits on Independent SAGE, said: 'To everyone else  very very early days but this coronavirus variant (now in 2 countries) has a LOT of new mutations that makes it v different to previous Omicron strains.' It is 'potentially more able to cause a big wave', she added

The strain was originally highlighted by online Covid variant tracker Ryan Hisner, who tweeted 'this is the real deal'. He wrote: 'Two more sequences of this 2nd-generation BA.2 lineage just showed up in Denmark. This is the real deal. There are slight differences between the three sequences, but they are nearly identical'

Last week UKHSA analysts estimated Covid positivity rates increased to 5.4 percent, on the previous week, which itself saw a rise of 3.7 percent. Leading experts fear the outbreak will continue to pick up pace in the coming weeks as part of the virus's natural cycle

UKHSA officials say they are 'closely' monitoring the spread of the virus. The UK however is no longer publishing daily infection numbers because so few tests are being carried out after the pandemic

Covid and flu vaccines will only be offered to over-65s this winter, health chiefs confirmed last week. In a bid to 'go back to normal', invites won't be dished out to millions aged 50-64 who were eligible during the pandemic

Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist at Warwick University, said: 'With a soup of different Omicron variants virus continuing to infect people around the world, the emergence of a more infectious variant is not surprising.

'Not much is known about this variant. We will continue to see new variants popping up as the virus continues to spread and adapt.

'This might all be manageable as long as these are all variants on the Omicron background, as many people have already been exposed to infection with different Omicron variants and the vaccine booster is likely to have been adapted to cover the Omicron family.'

He added: 'The biggest worry is that a Covid variant from a different background  delta or completely new lineage  will re-emerge as a new variant and this could really be problematic.'

Meanwhile, Professor Paul Hunter, a respected infectious disease specialist at the University of East Anglia said: 'If it is BA.6 that means it probably isnt that different from what has gone before and so unlikely to be an important threat but time will tell.'

He added: 'Since Omicron the balance of evidence is that masking no longer is associated with much if any reduced infection rates either in hospitals, schools or the community.

'Masking may still have value in reducing the severity of infection in particularly vulnerable people.'

It comes as the UKHSA declared EG.5, dubbed Eris, a new Covid variant earlier this month, with World Health Organization (WHO) chiefs last week listing it a 'variant of interest'.

It has now been recorded in 51 countries, the UN health agency confirmed.

It has quickly become dominant in America, accounting for one in five infections, while in Japan it is estimated to account for up to 46 percent of all cases.

However, in a risk evaluation last week the WHO concluded: 'Collectively, available evidence does not suggest that EG.5 has additional public health risks relative to the other currently circulating Omicron descendent lineages.'

The Government has insisted it will never revert back to pandemic-era measures unless a doomsday variant emerges.

Experts say fluctuations in case numbers will happen forevermore.

Professor Hunter said that while it is necessary to monitor EG.5, 'it will likely not drive up hospitalizations much'.

He added: 'EG.5 will have played only a minor role in the recent wave we have seen in July.

'But we may see cases rising a bit more over the coming weeks because of this variant. There is no indication that we need to change our practices at present.'

Meanwhile Professor Young added: 'The boosters should be a good match for this and any newer variants  assuming that this will be the available vaccine in the UK.

'However, the delay in vaccinating the most vulnerable until October and the current increase in infections stresses the immediate need for additional public health and social measures.

'This is particularly important before children return to school, students start back at university and folk return to work after their summer holidays.'

He added: 'Encouraging the wearing of facemasks in crowded and poorly ventilated spaces, and improving ventilation in indoor spaces are simple measures which we know are effective at limiting the spread of the virus.

'Some public health messaging emphasizing the value of these measures in protecting the population from widespread infection and in helping the NHS through what will be another challenging winter would be welcome.'

NHS hospital data also shows daily Covid admissions in England have increased by a third in a week, rising from 171 on July 28, to 229 on August 4, the latest figures available.

Hospitalizations had been freefalling nationally since March, from a peak of almost 1,200.

The beginning of July however, saw these numbers begin an uptick, rising slightly.

But, current admission levels are nowhere near levels seen earlier in the pandemic, when a high of 4,100 admissions were logged per day.

And, as time has worn on, fewer and fewer admissions are directly down to the virus. Instead, many patients are just coincidentally ill.
The vast majority of UK councils have no plans in place to help drivers charge electric cars on streets with properties lacking off-street parking.

Car maker Vauxhall contacted all 414 local authorities - of which 289 responded - and found that 72 per cent have no published strategy on how they will bolster residential charging on streets where homes don't have driveways.

In fact, of all the councils across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, only 69 per cent have installed on-street chargers, despite there being Government funds available for them to tap into.

This is Money can exclusively reveal which councils have plans in place... and which don't.

Does your local authority have a strategy to install on-street EV chargers on residential streets that need them? Find out in the full list of councils below

With two in five (40 per cent) households in Britain not having driveways - rising to 60 per cent in urban areas - and the Government due to ban the sales of new petrol and diesel cars in 2030, millions of motorists in the future will be reliant on a network of localised charging facilities for plug-in vehicles.

The report shows there are just 17,047 residential on-street chargers in the UK  but 75 per cent (12,708) of them are in London.

It means there are just 4,339 more devices spread across the rest of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The capital has another 6,397 on-street charging points planned over the next year compared to just 3,580 for the rest of the country.

Vauxhall also revealed 69 per cent of councils and local authorities have yet to install any on-street charging points.

And in an added blow, 71.6 per cent of councils confirmed that they had no plans to install residential on-street chargers in the future.

This includes anything from standalone devices to converting existing lampposts into chargers.

To see if you council does - or doesn't - have a published strategy for on-street charging investment, scroll to the bottom of this page to see the list in full

Of the 289 councils who responded to Vauxhall, 72% said they have no published strategy on how they will bolster residential charging on streets where homes don't have driveways

According to Zap Map, of the devices currently in situ, around a fifth (19.2% are rapid (25kW to 99kW) or ultra-rapid (100kW and over) chargers

How expensive is it to charge an EV away from home?

Currently, EV owners without off-street parking rely on charging facilities at their workplace - if available - or the existing public infrastructure of devices, which can be limited in some regions and are far more expensive to use.

As of the end of July, Government figures show there are 45,737 public electric vehicle charging devices installed across the UK.

With around 1,360,000 plug-in vehicles registered on Britain's roads (around 840,000 battery-electric vehicles and 520,000 plug-in hybrids), it works out at one public charging location per 30 electrified cars.

According to Zap Map, of the devices currently in situ, around a fifth (19.2 per cent) are rapid (25kW to 99kW) or ultra-rapid (100kW and over) chargers.

The latest RAC Charge Watch data for April shows that the average cost to charge using a rapid charger was 69.2p per kWh, while ultra-rapid charging was at an average rate of 74.2p.

This means to charge a family EV with a 64kW battery to 80 per cent using the public network, it will cost 35.43 and 37.99 using the respective device speeds, the RAC says.

In contrast, charging at home remains 'significantly cheaper', even with high domestic energy prices.

An EV owner charging from zero to 100 per cent at home will pay a maximum of 19.20, based on Ofgem's capped rates for standard variable domestic electricity tariffs.

And some energy providers also have tariffs that offer lower overnight prices to help keep down the cost of charging a car, making it far cheaper than plugging into a public device.

For this reason, the wider EV industry is calling on increased efforts to provide better solutions to those who can't charge at home - including cutting VAT on electricity used from 20 per cent to 5 per cent, to match domestic taxation.

EV owners without off-street parking are unable to tap into cheaper domestic electricity rates

While charging at home can full replenish an EV's batteries for just over 19, using a rapid public device costs more than 35 to get to 80% charge

Lack of council-level charging investment despite Government funding

Vauxhall found that councils currently have the intention to install only 14,188 electric vehicle charging points across the UK this year.

It says this is 'well behind the run rate required to hit the Government's target of having 300,000 running by the end of 2030'.

And this is despite the Government's Office for Zero Emissions Vehicles allocating 30million of funding in 2022 to 2023 for residential charging, which has been available to local authorities for eligible projects as specified.

Funding is for up to 60 per cent of eligible capital costs and total funding provided will not exceed 7,500 per charge point unless electrical connection costs are exceptionally high. In these cases, funding up to 13,000 per charge point may be provided.

Without a boost to residential charging, Vauxhall said that 'those without driveways risk being left behind in the journey to electric'.

With around 1,360,000 plug-in vehicles registered on Britain's roads, there is around one public charger per 30 electrified cars in the country

In response to the exceptionally low number of councils with plans to boost residential EV charging, Vauxhall  which will offer a fully electric version of every car and van model in its line-up from 2024, and has pledged to only sell electric vehicles in the UK by 2028  has set up the 'Electric Streets of Britain' programme to make sure drivers without driveways are not left behind in the transition to electric mobility.

Working alongside charging operators char.gy, Connected Kerb and SureCharge, the car maker has set up an 'Enablement Fund' to help councils understand the scale of on-street charging issues, and the solutions available, ahead of the Government's planned ban on the sale of new combustion engined cars at the end of the decade.

James Taylor, managing director at Vauxhall, said: 'Accessibility to charge points near your home is critical to the transition to electric vehicle ownership in the UK.

'We want to galvanise the needs and interests of everyone, from the public, to the councils and the charging operators to make sure that anyone without a driveway is part of that journey.

'We want to help educate and inform the decision-makers, and enable the installation of more chargers, more quickly.'

Quentin Willson, founder of EV campaign group FairCharge, added: The UK needs thousands of local charging hubs to encourage EV uptake among the population without driveways who cant charge at home.

The Government needs to get a grip on this.
Marks & Spencer is on course to rejoin the FTSE 100 index after a bumper trading update sent shares to a 20-month high.

In a sign that the company has finally got its mojo back, it said food sales over the 19 weeks to August 12 were 11 per cent higher than a year earlier and its clothing and homeware division saw growth of more than 6 per cent.

M&S said it expects annual profits to be higher than last year having previously warned there might be a slight decline.

The unscheduled update sent shares up 8.3 per cent, or 16.9p, to 221.6p.

Recovery: Marks & Spencer said food sales over the 19 weeks to August 12 were 11% higher than a year earlier while its clothing and homeware division saw growth of more than 6%

M&S is valued at 4.3billion, leaving it firmly in the running to re-enter the FTSE 100 index at the next reshuffle in September.

That would be a major boost for M&S chairman Archie Norman as well as boss Stuart Machin and his co-chief executive Katie Bickerstaffe who together succeeded Steve Rowe last May.

When it was kicked out of the FTSE 100 in September 2019, it was the first time M&S had not been a member since the index was launched in 1984.

But with the turnaround that began under Rowe gathering pace, the firm said its half-year results in November would show a significant improvement against previous expectations.

The bullish update came despite bosses warning of considerable uncertainties about the economic outlook.

Machins turnaround blueprint included continuing to rid M&S clothes of their unfashionable image, driving growth in both stores and online, and slashing 400million of costs over five years.

AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould said: There have been so many false dawns for Marks & Spencer over the years that it would be understandable if some observers remain sceptical, but its latest unscheduled update upgrading guidance is further evidence that something real is happening at the retailer.

The food side of the business has generally performed well over several years but the big transformation is in clothing.

Like a dowdy middle-aged dad who gets made over to a sharp new look  Marks & Spencer has really upped its game.
A pair of former British Royal Marine commandos on a heroic expedition along the Amazon river somehow managed to fight off gun-wielding pirates with nothing more than their paddles - despite one of them being shot in the scrap.

John Bathgate and Ian Roberts were attempting a world first - to navigate 3186 miles of the Amazon River from its highest point, Volcan Chimborazo in Ecuador, across the South American continent to the Atlantic Ocean on the coast of Brazil.

But their incredible 'Summit to Sea' adventure took a turn for the worse when, as they were approaching the Colombian border in their rowing boat, the former commandos were ambushed and held at gunpoint by two Peruvian pirates.

Facing down the barrel of a gun, and armed with only with their rowing oars, Bathgate and Roberts sprang into action, launching a desperate and fierce assault on their would-be captors.

Bathgate sustained two gunshot wounds in the tussle, but despite being completely outgunned the brave Brits overwhelmed the bandits, disabling their craft and making a stunning break for safety.

Ian Roberts (L) and John Bathgate (R) were attempting a world first - to navigate 3186 miles of the Amazon River from its highest point, Volcan Chimborazo in Ecuador, across the South American continent to the Atlantic Ocean on the coast of Brazil

Bathgate sustained two gunshot wounds in the tussle, but despite being completely outgunned the brave Brits overwhelmed the bandits

One of the pistols wielded by the pirates is seen after the scuffle

Sharing an update on their progress on social media, Bathgate and Roberts explained how the terrifying ordeal unfolded.

'Unfortunately, we've had to postpone Amazon Summit to Sea. Last week, in a remote part of the river, close to the Colombian border, we were attacked by two pirates.

'In a fight where we used paddles against pistols, we fought them, disarmed them, disabled their craft, and then managed to get ourselves and our equipment to safety.

'Unfortunately, John sustained two gunshot wounds, but due to Ian's care and our bootneck attitude, he was comfortable and stable by the time the cavalry arrived...

'The Peruvian and Brazilian Navy and Marines arrived with an Armada of support and whisked us back to Iquitos, showing incredible care and professionalism. The quick actions of friends in Iquitos, family in the UK, and Garmin emergency response meant that we received the highest of care, and the ordeal didn't develop into a life-threatening situation.'

Despite the attempt on their lives, Bathgate and Roberts are steadfast in their desire to return to complete the daring expedition within a year.

'We are now on our way back to the UK. However, we intend to return within 12 months and finish what we started,' they continued.

'This minor hiccup certainly won't keep us from finishing, and the actions of two individuals do not define Peru, a country whose people we have grown to love.

'We're both fine and will be in the UK by Wednesday to plan our return and get it done.'

John Bathgate was inspired to travel the entirety of the Amazon river by his adventurer father

Bathgate and Roberts (2, 3-L) are pictured alongside a member of the British consulate in Peru and a Peruvian Naval commander

The Summit to Sea is one of the most exciting - and arduous - adventures ever to be undertaken.

Bathgate explained how the idea to travel some 3,168 miles along the entirety of the Amazon River was inspired by his father David, an accomplished adventurer in his own right.

'In 1968 my father David Bathgate was on an expedition to climb the southwest face of Huandoy, a mountain in the Cordillera Blanca region of the Peruvian Andes,' Bathgate wrote.

'On completion, instead of going by air, they chose to travel back to the east coast of South America by a completely natural highway, the Amazon River. It was upon this meandering adventure that, as a climber, he thought he'd like to follow the entirety of this breath-taking journey from its highest source - Volcan Chimborazo.

'My father didn't get round to planning this expedition due to many other exciting commitments, notably an attempt to be the first to climb the Southwest face of Everest in 1972.

'But in his 80th year, coinciding with my last year as a Royal Marine Commando, he passed the idea to me. He has planted a seed and cultivated it in the form of old maps, dusty books, scribbled expedition diaries telling mysterious stories.

'This seed has matured into a giant Dinizea excelsa, casting shade over all other thoughts in my head. There is so much to discover on this journey, I'm compelled to finish what my father started.'
Qantas boss Alan Joyce has confirmed the airline's support for the Voice to parliament, splashing the Yes campaign logo on three aircraft and providing yes campaigners with free flights.

The airline chief unveiled the planes with the Yes23 campaign logo at Sydney Airport on Monday morning alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Key members of the Yes23 and the Uluru Dialogue will also receive free flights in order to travel to regional and remote Australian to spread the message ahead of the referendum.

'In addition to adding the Yes livery to three aircraft, the Qantas Group is supporting the Yes23 campaign and the Uluru Dialogue teams with travel so they can engage with regional and remote Australians ahead of the referendum.'

Mr Joyce said the national carrier was 'literally flying the flag' in support for the Voice.

'These aircraft will cover a huge amount of the country. Every major city every major town will get to see this message, which is fantastic,' Mr Joyce said.

Qantas will back a yes vote for the Voice to Parliament referendum. Picture: Qantas/ Twitter

The livery will be carried on three aircraft: a Qantas Boeing 737, a QantasLink Dash 8 Turboprop and a Jetstar Airbus A320.

Mr Joyce said the airlines support for the Voice was part of the Qantas' commitment to reconciliation.

In his own address, Mr Albanese said the referendum - expected to be held in October - was an opportunity to 'lift up our nation'.

'If not now, when? If not us, who?' he asked Australians to consider.

'In 2023, we will give every Australian the opportunity in coming weeks - not long to go now - to do that, to show respect, to uplift our whole nation and to send a message to the world that we are a confident, mature nation prepared to come to terms with the fullness and the richness of our history.'

He called on Australians to consider how they would like to feel the day after the referendum.

'It will be such a wonderful moment because the alternative is more of the same - the same that sees us achieving just four of 19 closing the gap targets being on track,' he said.

'We can do better, we must do better, and we will do better when Australians vote for recognition'

Yes23 campaign director Dean Parkin, Indigenous leader Noel Pearson and former Australian of the Year Adam Goodes also appeared at the event.

The former AFL star said it was critical to engage voters as soon as possible.

'We can't have people sitting on the sidelines right now, not listening, not engaging, and then two weeks before a month before we have to vote, trying to find all that information,' he said.

'We need to have those conversations now and we need to start listening to what people are thinking and saying.'

Meanwhile, Opposition Indigenous Australians spokeswoman, Jacinta Price called on the Prime Minister to order a forensic audit to determine the failings in the funding already pledged to close the gap.

'We can't keep pouring money into a problem and not getting the right outcomes for it,' she told reporters in Brisbane.

'But this, this proposal doesn't suggest it's going to do anything to fix the system that currently exists. It's popping a whole new layer on top of that.'
A Texas woman has been jailed for 30 years after helping her boyfriend dispose of the body of US soldier Vanessa Guillen in 2020.

Cecily Aguilar, 24, was the only suspect arrested in the death of Guillen, who was killed at Fort Cavazos, formerly known as Fort Hood, near Killeen, Texas.

Authorities say Guillen was killed by Aguilar's alleged boyfriend  army specialist Aaron Robinson  after she saw a photo of the then 20-year-old on his phone.

Aguilar, who was married to another soldier, helped Robinson dispose of Guillen's dismembered body after he bludgeoned her to death, burying her remains in a rural area near the base.

Robinson committed suicide on the day Guillen's body was found, after escaping officers who had detained him for her murder.

Cecily Aguilar, 24, is the only suspect arrested in the death of Vanessa Guillen, who was killed at Fort Cavazos, formerly known as Fort Hood, near Killeen, Texas

Police said Guillen, 20, was bludgeoned to death and her remains buried by Army Specialist Aaron Robinson, who was assisted by Aguilar

Aguilar last year pleaded guilty to a single count of accessory to murder and three counts of making false statements.

She was sentenced to 30 years in prison for her part in the crime, with Guillen's killing sparking a movement of reporting sexual abuse in the military.

Guillen was declared missing on April 22, 2020 when her family did not hear from her after she went to work for a shift in the military base' armory room. The Army designated her as AWOL two days after she vanished.

Her disappearance sparked a large-scale search, but her dismembered and buried remains were not found until June 30 at Leon River - 23 miles from where she was last seen.

Aguilar's sentence came after hours of testimony from attorneys, experts and Guillen's family, and was the maximum punishment Aguilar could receive.

A psychologist called as a witness for the defense testified Monday that Aguilar has reactive attachment disorder, meaning she did not form healthy emotional bonds with her parents or caregivers.

But Doctor Jon Matthew Fabian said the condition wouldn't keep Aguilar from knowing right or wrong.

Jaime Esparza, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas, said: 'Our hope is that todays sentence brings a sense of relief and justice to the Guillen family, who have endured such pain throughout these past few years.

'We finally have closure in this case,' added attorney Natalie Khawam, who represents Guillen's family.

The Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed that Robinson (pictured) killed his fellow soldier after she saw a photo of Aguilar, a married woman, on his phone

A criminal complaint revealed that Aguilar said that she and Robinson disposed of Guillens body by dismembering her and hiding her remains in the woods.

Authorities accuse Robinson of bludgeoning Guillen to death at the base before asking Aguilar for her help to dispose of her body.

'He told her he was worried about getting in trouble for violating the Army's fraternization rules since Aguilar was still married to another soldier and he hit Guillen in the head with a hammer,' investigators with The Texas Department of Public Safety said last year.

Initially, Aguilar claimed she was at home with Robinson the night Guillen disappeared, but his phone pinged in Belton, Texas, by a bridge near the Leon River in the early hours of the morning.

Investigators noted that Robinson and Aguilar shared multiple phone calls the night of Guillen's disappearance, which Aguilar said was because she couldn't find her phone.

Robinson was the last person to speak to Guillen, who vanished after telling her family that she had been sexually harassed on base.

On June 30, hours after investigators discovered Guillen's dismembered body, Army officials at Fort Hood detained Robinson.

Guillen, 20, (pictured) was last seen at Fort Hood on April 22, 2020, in the parking lot of her barracks. She vanished after telling her family that she had been sexually harassed

However, he managed to escape and was later spotted by Army and civilian police in the city of Killeen, just outside of Fort Hood, before he eventually shot himself.

Two weeks after Guillen's body was found, Aguilar pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges, with a judge later dismissing her attorneys attempts to throw out her confession.

She claimed that she had not been read her Miranda rights at the time her statement was taken, but the bid was dismissed.

Guillens family has said they believe she was sexually harassed during her time at the Texas military base.

Army officials said they do not believe Robinson harassed Guillen, but admitted in a report a year later that Guillen was harassed by another soldier at the base.

After her death, her familys claims of sexual harassment at the Texas base ignited a movement on social media of former and active service members who shared their experiences at military bases throughout the country using the hashtag #IAmVanessaGuillen.

Then-U.S. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said during a visit to the Texas base that it had one of the highest rates of murder, sexual assault and harassment in the Army.

He added that the patterns of violence were a direct result of " leadership failures. "

State and federal lawmakers passed legislation in 2021 honoring Guillen that removed some authority from commanders and gave survivors more options to report abuse and harassment.

Army officials disciplined 21 commissioned and non-commissioned officers in connection with Guillen's death.
The family of a grandfather who died in a house explosion in 2008 just four miles from the blast that killed five claims the gas company in charge of maintenance is 'negligent'  and says the whole area is 'riddled with issues'.

Richard Leith, 64, was killed while babysitting his granddaughter in Plum, Pennsylvania, at their home on Mardi Gras Drive  just a ten-minute drive from Rustic Ridge Road.

Five people, including a 12-year-old boy, died in a similar explosion on Saturday, with two neighboring properties destroyed and the cause currently under investigation.

Leith's siblings have branded the gas companies in the area as 'negligent', and claim the entire area is 'riddled with issues'.

His family was awarded a $2.9million payout from a lawsuit settlement with Peoples Gas Co. Inc., Dominion Resources Inc, Kevin Higgins of Higgins Plumbing, and W. Scott Lea III of W.S. Lea General Contracting in 2010.

Richard Leith, 64, was killed while babysitting his granddaughter in Plum, Pennsylvania, in 2008

His granddaughter Gianna, who was four at the time, suffered a broken leg after being hurled through the front window of the property.

Holiday Park Volunteer Fire Chief James Sims told local media he has been to six house explosions in Plum during his 48-year tenure and described the latest as 'the worst one'.

Speaking to DailyMail.com, Leith's sister, Janet Berneburg  who named her son after her brother  said: 'There have been six explosions now, including my brother. This latest one wasn't far from where my niece's place blew up.

'It's so questionable. It's unbelievable that it has happened over and over again. He was babysitting and ended up getting killed.

'It's all I can think of after hearing about the latest explosion. Innocent lives being taken that never should have happened.

'If it is something that anyone had control over then they should be held to account. The whole area is riddled with issues.

'When I heard about these adults and the child losing their lives, I got goosebumps. I just don't understand why this keeps happening.'

After attorneys' fees and expenses, Leith's widow Mary Pat received $1.69 million, and their granddaughter Gianna was given $250,000 placed in a trust. Their daughter Tina was handed $154,000.

Leith's siblings have branded the gas companies in the area as 'negligent', and claim that the entire area is 'riddled with issues'

Five people were found dead after a house explosion in western Pennsylvania that destroyed three structures and damaged at least a dozen others, authorities said Sunday

Footage of the explosion circulating online shows a home in Plum, a suburb of Pittsburgh, in what appears to be a fairly sleepy neighborhood, exploding and sending debris flying

Casey Clontz, 38, and his son Keegan, 12, lived just four houses away from the property which exploded on Saturday in Plum at 10.22am

The court filings do not specify which companies are paying the settlement or how much each firm must pay.

In 2011 the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) settled a claim with the Peoples Natural Gas Co for $80,000 following the explosion.

Under the settlement the company agreed to refrain from committing any violation of gas safety regulations.

Leith's brother Bob added: 'To me, it seems that the gas company is negligent at either maintaining the lines, or repairing them.

'Something is not right. It is too coincidental that this many would be happening in that same area.

'I just hope that someone gets to the bottom of it. No one has really investigated what is causing all of these explosions. '

Eleven other homes were damaged in the blast, with three more destroyed and residents banned from their homes until it was deemed safe.

A spokesman for Peoples Natural Gas told DailyMail.com: 'We have no indication at this time that the previous incidents and this weekend are related.

'Our crews continue to work and cooperate with the Allegheny County Fire Marshal and the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, who are leading the investigation.

'We are bringing all of our resources to bear to help the Fire Marshal and the PUC in this investigation, including performing additional tests of our system.

Relatives did not say why the father and son were at the Oratvitz's property, but explained it wasn't uncommon for them to stop by as they were 'very friendly' with neighbors

A GoFundMe has been set up for the Oravitz family, who lived at 141, though it is unclear if any of them are among the dead

Public records show that Paul Oravitz, 56, his wife Heather, 51, and their two children, Taylor and Cole, lived at the property

Renton Mines in Plum were opened in 1916, with an estimated 1,000 homes being built on top in Pittsburgh

'The safety of our customers, our employees, and the communities that we serve continues to be our highest priority. '

The National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) report determined that the probable cause of the explosion and fire was excavation damage by a third party to Peoples' two-inch distribution line.

It stated that excavator, Winfield Scott Lea, probably bumped the gas line with his backhoe and damaged it while excavating on the property.

Kevin Higgins was hired by the homeowners of the property in 2003, to replace the swear line, who then hired Lea. Both denied damaging the gas line.

The damage stripped the pipe's protective coating and made the pipe susceptible to corrosion and failure, with the NTSB determining that Peoples was not at fault. Dominions sold Peoples in 2010.

Peoples Gas President Michael Huwar said crews immediately began checking the area for leakage including smell checks and checks underground and in the air.

Early reports show the system was operating as designed, posing questions of what caused the explosion of the home - with some asking if the mine could be the cause.

DailyMail.com has contacted Peoples Gas for a comment regarding the 2008 incident.

Authorities are currently probing the cause of the latest blast, which has similarities to a third incident on Hialeah Drive last year  though findings of the investigation have not yet been released.

An explosion in Hialeah Drive last year destroyed the home of Laura Petty, her partner Jake Raab and their three sons, with a fire reducing the property to rubble

Two firefighters stand on the debris around the smoldering wreckage of the the three houses that exploded near Rustic Ridge Drive and Brookside Drive in Plum

Footage of the explosion circulating online shows a home in Plum, Pittsburgh in what appears to be a fairly sleepy neighborhood, exploding and sending debris flying

Police and emergency services search the wreckage of the three houses that exploded near Rustic Ridge Drive and Brookside Drive

The explosion destroyed the home of Laura Petty, her partner Jake Raab and their three sons, with a fire reducing the property to rubble.

Matt Brown, chief of the Allegheny County Department of Emergency Services, said the investigation has been lengthy because of forensic testing of natural gas lines and appliances and follow-up interviews  which requires extensive planning and coordination.

It comes after Casey Clontz, 38, and his son Keegan, 12, were killed while visiting the property that exploded on Saturday in Plum at 10.22am.

Authorities confirmed that five people, including a child, died in the blast, with two neighboring properties destroyed.

Terrifying footage showed a home on Rustic Ridge Road exploding, causing other properties to go up in flames. The cause of the blast is currently unclear, but the home sat atop an abandoned mine.

The Allegheny County Fire Marshal's Office is leading the investigation into the cause and origin of the fire and explosion and the process is expected to take some time.

A GoFundMe has been set up for the Oravitz family, who lived at the property which was destroyed in the blast, though it is unclear if any of them are among the dead.

Emergency responders reported people trapped under debris after the blast leveled one house and left two others engulfed in flames, county spokesperson Amie Downs said

Crews from at least 18 fire departments worked to douse the flames with the help of water tankers from Allegheny and Westmoreland counties

Emergency services were called Rustic Ridge Drive and Brookside Drive at about 10:23am on Saturday morning and discovered people trapped under debris, while two others were engulfed by flames, police said

Casey leaves behind his wife Jen, and daughter Addie, 10, with the family adding: 'Their smiles and laughter filled their family's and friends' hearts with joy that can never be replaced.'

Relatives did not say why the father and son were at the Oratvitz's property, but explained it wasn't uncommon for them to stop by as they were 'very friendly' with neighbors.

Public records show that Paul Oravitz, 56, his wife Heather, 51, and their two children, Taylor and Cole, lived at the property.

Official identification of the dead is expected to take some time as it will involve the use of dental records and DNA for formal identification.

Three people were rescued from the blast, with two being released from hospital and one remaining in a critical condition.

Fifty-seven firefighters were treated at the scene for minor issues following a scramble by emergency services to get to the scene.

A fire has been burning in Renton Mine for decades, with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection pledging to spend $55million to clean up abandoned mines around the state.

It is unclear if, or when, the underground fire was extinguished, with public documents showing it was 'under construction' in October 2020.

Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection recommends that individuals living above the mine on Rustic Ridge Road should get insurance for their properties due to the risks related to the underground structures.
Questions have been raised on why police took hours to remove terrified passengers stuck on a plane with a man who went on a crazed rant about Allah.

Frustrated travellers, some with babies and young children, have opened up about the nightmare ordeal on Malaysia Airlines MH122, a flight that was bound for Kuala Lumpur on Monday.

Witnesses claimed a 'disruptive' passenger reached into his bag and declared he had 'a bomb' inside, forcing the plane to turn back to Sydney Airport.

Passengers then spent up to three hours stranded on board the grounded plane on the tarmac without food and water before they were finally allowed to disembark.

They had to leave everything on board the plane, including their luggage, passports and even medication.

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb has defended the police response to the incident in conjunction with Australian Federal Police.

A Canberra man, 55, man has since been charged with making a false statement about threat to damage and one count of not complying with directions.

He appeared in Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday, where bail was refused.

Passengers who were on the Malaysia Airlines flight which was turned back to Sydney have recalled their terrifying ordeal onboard

The 'disruptive' passenger on board Malaysian Airlines MH122 bound Kuala Lumpur on Monday will face court later on Tuesday

Nikitha Ezhu was travelling with a three-year-old toddler and a two-month baby whom she was breastfeeding.

She described the ordeal as 'the worst situation'.

'We were able to pick up wi-fi but there was no food or anything on the flight, which was really bad. When we saw the news, it really horrified us,' she told Sunrise on Tuesday.

'It was a nightmare. There were a lot of kids on the flight and I don't know how we went through that situation.'

Some passengers claimed they received no updates while on board as on when they would be able to disembark and found out more about the incident by reading media reports on their phones.

Ms Ezhu recalled how the police ordered passengers to leave everything on board when they left the plane.

'The kids were then OK to finally have some water and food,' she said.

She recalled hearing the man preaching the Koran early during the flight before he claimed he had a bomb with him, forcing the plane turn around.

'It reached Sydney and I think for two hours, we were waiting on the flight for police to come and make some action, so it was really horrifying, actually.'

Nikitha Ezhu and her two children were among almost 200 terrified passengers on board the flight

Passengers spent up to three hours stranded on the grounded plane on the tarmac when it returned to Sydney on Monday afternoon

Ms Ezhu and her family were sitting at the rear end of the plane, which was surrounded by fire engines on the tarmac.

She's among many travellers who raised questions about the emergency response.

'I don't why it took so long for the police to come because we were waiting on the plane for two hours,' she said.

'There were kids and families not knowing what to do, had no food or nothing. It was really horrifying.'

Other passengers shared similar harrowing ordeals when they finally walked through the airport terminal on Monday night.

'We weren't able to be told what was going on, but we knew the plane was turning around. We could see it on the inflight screen,' passenger Fiona Roux told reporters.

'The commotion was on and off. (It was) not alarming. When I really understood what was going on it was the landing and the abrupt stop.'

Like many of her fellow passengers, Ms Roux then turned on her phone and 'found out what was actually happening' through media reports.

The man (pictured, without the face mask) says his name if Mohammed and says he is a 'slave of Allah', before challenging other passengers nearby to repeat that they are also 'slaves of Allah'

Passengers had to leave everything on board, including passports and medication when they were finally allowed to disembark the plane

The NSW Police Commissioner has hit back at claims that the delays were too long.

'Given it was a volatile situation and unpredictable, we didn't know about the severity of the incident,' Commissioner Karen Webb told 2GB's Ben Fordham on Tuesday.

'You have to deal with what we learn about the passenger.

'We didn't know whether there was a bomb so we had to work with the AFP through all of those considerations in terms of what we were dealing with.

She believed three hours to defuse the situation was 'pretty good' and that extensive police resources were deployed to respond to the incident, including the bomb squad.

'I know it's terrifying for those on the plane and their families outside but given the situation, you try to negotiate, we don't storm planes,' Commissioner Webb said.

'It's not TV or the movies, we want to protect the lives of all passengers.

'I can only imagine how terrifying it would have been for them.'

'I praise the crew for what they did in keeping the passengers calm  to de-escalate the situation to the point that we got this matter resolved in three hours.'

NSW Police Commissioner has hit back at criticism of the police response to the terrifying incident onboard

Commissioner Webb was asked by Fordham on whether it would have been 'safer if they had a police officer on board sooner',

'We can always ask, could we have done something differently,' she admitted.

'And no doubt there'll be a debrief, but we can never presume anything and you don't know whether this person was acting alone or he actually had other support on the plane or outside the plane,' she said.

'We're never complacent on these issues and we should never presume anything. We're just lucky in Australia this happens so rarely but we should never be complacent to think it could never happen here.'

The man was arrested without incident on Monday night.

He was charged with one count of false statement about threat to damage a Division 3 aircraft and one count of not comply with cabin crew's safety instruction.

The offences carry a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment and a fine of over $15,000, respectively.

'Now the matter is before court, no further comment or updates will be made at this stage,' an AFP statement read.
The heartbroken mother of a 10-year-old girl who was found murdered at her house says she cannot believe her 'beautiful' daughter is gone.

Sara Sharif was tragically found dead at her father's 550,000 home in the quiet village of Horsell, near Woking, in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Her mother Olga, 36, says her 'life will never be the same again' after Sara, whom she described as being 'happy and always laughing', was killed.

Mrs Sharif's ex-husband Urfan Sharif, 41, had been given sole custody of Sara by a court, the grieving mother has claimed. However, she says that she and her daughter always remained close.

'Sara was an amazing child,' Mrs Sharif told The Sun. 'There is nothing I can do that can bring her back to life, so I have to only remember the good times with her now. Life is really hard. It's just not fair.'

Sara Sharif was tragically found dead at her father's 550,000 home in the quiet village of Horsell, near Woking, in the early hours of Thursday morning. Sara is pictured above

Sara's mother Olga, 36, says her 'life will never be the same again' after her daughter, whom she described as being 'happy and always laughing', was killed. Police are pictured outside the property on Thursday

Mrs Sharif's ex-husband Urfan Sharif, 41, had been given sole custody of Sara by a court, the grieving mother has claimed. Pictured: Urfan Sharif

Mrs Sharif claimed she had only been allowed to see her children twice since she lost custody in 2019.

Mrs Sharif told The Sun: 'I couldn't see my daughter for four years, and now she is dead. She's only a kid, she had done nothing wrong.'

She alleged that she used to be sent frequent photos of her children, but in 2021 - following an argument with Urfan's new partner claims she was cut off completely.

The grieving mother, who is set to see Sara's body after a post-mortem examination today - has not yet been told how her daughter's murder unfolded.

She was allegedly informed of Sara's death in a devastating phone call from police.

Mrs Sharif added that Sara had looked up to her, describing the 10-year-old as a younger version of herself who wanted to be like her.

Mrs Sharif (pictured) claimed she had only been allowed to see her children twice since she lost custody in 2019

Sara was hailed as a 'cheeky' and 'outgoing' little girl had many friends . Community members are pictured placing flowers outside Sara's family home on Friday

Mrs Sharif alleged that she used to be sent frequent photos of her children, but in 2021 - following an argument with Urfan's new partner - she was cut off completely. Police are pictured outside the property on Friday

Police are pictured outside the property on Thursday

Mrs Sharif, who is Polish-born but now lives in Somerset, described Sara as artistic and said she loved making things.

Sara seemingly loved to take pictures and videos, with Mrs Sharif revealing her daughter would take her phone and return the device with 100 new snaps.

The mother also claimed to have been teaching Sara how to ride a bike.

Sara dreamed of one day moving to Los Angeles and becoming a model, Mrs Sharif claimed, noting how she would hold at-home fashion shows.

Mrs Sharif revealed that the 'cheeky' and 'outgoing' little girl had many friends at school.

She recalled how she would often hear the girl's classmates shouting bye to her daughter as she picked her up from school and claimed her daughter was invited to every birthday party or sleepover in the class.

Mrs Sharif said she cannot believe her 'beautiful' daughter is gone

A manhunt continues for three people  known to the victim  who Surrey Police believe fled the UK on Wednesday, a day before Sara's body was discovered. An officer is pictured collecting evidence at the scene on Thursday

Tributes have poured in for the 'lovely' Sara, with flowers and notes left outside her family home. A mourner is pictured leaving flowers outside the property on Friday

A manhunt continues for three people  known to the victim  who Surrey Police believe fled the UK on Wednesday, a day before Sara's body was discovered.

Police said no others were present at the address when they arrived on scene.

A post-mortem examination is due to take place this afternoon and formal identification of the girl has yet to take place, but she has been named in reports and by her mother.

Tributes have poured in for the 'lovely' Sara, with flowers and notes left outside her family home. One note read: 'Sweet girl. I'm sorry that your sparkle was put out too soon. Rest in peace X.'

One mother, who wished not to be named, said she was 'traumatised' by the news, adding that her children were 'terrified'.
The police chief of a small town in Kansas was being investigated by the local newspaper over allegations of sexual misconduct before he ordered his entire department to raid the newspaper offices, it has emerged.

The publisher's 98-year-old mother, Joan Meyer, who co-owned the paper, died the day after the raid - having told The Wichita Eagle: 'These are Hitler tactics, and something has to be done.'

Her son Eric Meyer, 69, said his mother was devastated at the seizure of computers and servers from The Marion County Record offices.

The police department claimed the raid was carried out because they had concerns of 'identity theft', after the newspaper obtained evidence of a possible liquor license violation.

But the news operation was sure the raid was due to their investigation of Gideon Cody, 54.

He became chief of the Marion County Police Department in late April, after leaving the Kansas City police amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

Eric Meyer, publisher of The Marion County Record, had his newspaper's offices raided on Friday. His mother, co-owner of the paper, died on Saturday - Meyer said it was grief and shock

Joan Meyer, 98, was distraught at the police raid on her newspaper, calling it a Hitler tactic. She died the next day

The Marion County Record serves a community of 11,000 people in rural Kansas

Gideon Cody took over as chief of Marion County Police Department in April. The newspaper was investigating tips that he retired from Kansas City police to avoid an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct

Cody took the job after retiring as a captain in Kansas City, Missouri, where he worked for 24 years.

The Marion County Record received an 'outpouring of calls,' Eric Meyer said, claiming Cody had retired from his last police post to avoid demotion over sexual misconduct allegations.

Meyer said his newspaper was contacted by Cody's former colleagues about the claims of sexual misconduct, but that the six-plus anonymous sources ultimately never went on the record and reporters could not obtain Cody's personnel file.

Kansas City police have refused to reveal whether Cody was accused of sexual misconduct while working at their force.

Meyer said the identity of the sources was on the computer servers, which Cody's team seized.

'I may be paranoid that this has anything to do with it, but when people come and seize your computer, you tend to be a little paranoid,' Meyer told The Handbasket.

He told The Kansas City Star they had not yet published the story, because they had not completed their investigation.

'We didn't publish it because we couldn't nail it down to the point that we thought it was ready for publication,' said Meyer.

'[Cody] didn't know who our sources were. He does now.'

And Meyer told AP: 'This is the type of stuff that, you know, Vladimir Putin does, that Third World dictators do.

'This is Gestapo tactics from World War II.'

Cody became chief of the Marion County Police Department in late April, after retiring from Kansas City police

Brian Karman, Cody's business partner, who worked with him for 20 years, said he was unaware of any allegations against Cody.

'No, not to my knowledge,' Karman told The New York Post.

He said it would be out of character.

'I've known him for 20 years. I've never heard of anything remotely involving those type of allegations.'

Marion County police department stated on Saturday that they were committed to upholding the law, without addressing the substance of the raid.

'The Marion Kansas Police Department believes it is the fundamental duty of the police is to ensure the safety, security, and well-being of all members of the public,' the department wrote on Facebook.

'This commitment must remain steadfast and unbiased, unaffected by political or media influences, in order to uphold the principles of justice, equal protection, and the rule of law for everyone in the community.

'The victim asks that we do all the law allows to ensure justice is served. The Marion Kansas Police Department will nothing less.'

The moment that police using 'Hitler tactics' raided the Marion County Record newsroom has been caught on camera - just a day before the paper's co-owner subsequently died

Footage from the newsroom raid shows officers entering with cameras on Friday

The raid occurred after a leaked documents about local restaurateur Kari Newell that could have got her liquor license revoked were handed to the newspaper.

Meyer didn't publish the story about Newell because he questioned the source - and instead he told the cops about the information.

Newell then accused the weekly newspaper of illegally getting her personal data, prompting the search.

She also allegedly was unhappy with the newspaper had reported reporting on how Newell kicked out reporters from an event at her restaurant, Kari's Restaurant.

Meyer told the Kansas City Star: 'We sent them a note saying that a source had given us a file that we thought had suspicious origins.

'We checked it out to verify that it was accurate, but were not planning to do anything with it. Their response was the typical fashion of a bully.

'Instead of asking a question or getting material, they came with an atomic flyswatter to seize our equipment and apparently tried to put us out of business.'

The search warrant for the raid

Kari Newell accused the weekly newspaper of illegally getting her personal data, prompting the search. She also allegedly was unhappy with the newspaper had reported reporting on how Newell kicked out reporters from an event at her restaurant, Kari's Restaurant (event pictured)

Joan died the day after the raid and Eric said it was grief over the situation that caused her passing.

The day after the raid, and Eric said it was grief over the situation that caused her passing.

Before Joan died, she told The Wichita Eagle about the raids: 'These are Hitler tactics, and something has to be done.'

The next day at around 1:30pm, Eric Meyer woke his mother to offer her breakfast - but she said she couldn't stomach it.

Eric said: 'Right in the middle of the sentence died.

'I am perturbed  I carefully chose that word  as all get out about them raiding our office, but what bothers me most is a 98-year-old woman spent her last day on earth feeling under attack by bullies who invaded her house.'
Australian travellers are being warned terrorist attacks 'could occur at any time' in a European destination historically considered very safe.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has declared Australians need to 'exercise a high degree of caution in Sweden due to the threat of terrorism' in its travel advisory for the country.

Sweden has been engulfed in religious and racial tensions, with violence flaring after anti-Islam activists publicly burned and damaged copies of the Islamic sacred text, the Koran.

As a result, Australia's official SmartTravellor website has placed the Scandinavian country on a Level Two alert, which means visitors need to be more cautious than normal but falls short of reconsidering a trip or being told not to go to a destination.

'You should maintain a high level of vigilance in public spaces,' the website says.

Australians travelling overseas have been warned about a heightened risk of terrorist attacks in Sweden

'Since the beginning of 2023, there's been an increase in public burnings of the Quran, which has led to a deterioration in the security situation.

'The Swedish Government has assessed the risk of terrorism as an 'elevated threat', equivalent to a threat level of 3 out of 5.

'This rating means an attack could happen. Take official warnings seriously.'

'The website offers some further advice to 'protect yourself from terrorism'.

This includes avoiding places that could be terrorist targets (such as airports, travel hubs, tourism hotspots and places of worship), avoid visiting such places at peak times and having 'a clear exit plan if there's a security incident'.

Travellers are also advised to 'consider the level of security around you', report suspicious items to police, and monitor official advice and media assessments.

Australia is not alone in classifying Sweden as a more dangerous country for tourists.

The UK's Home Office has warned terrorist attacks 'could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by foreigners, while the US Department of State says terrorist groups 'continue plotting possible attacks in Sweden'.

Yemenis participate in a protest denouncing the burning of Islam's holy book, the Quran, in Sweden and Denmark in July

In the most provocative act towards Sweden's Muslim population, Christian Iraqi refugee Salwan Momik burned and stomped on the Koran outside Swedish parliament in the capital of Stockholm last month.

Mr Momika and fellow activist Salwan Najem have performed the same act outside Stockholm's main mosque and Iraq's embassy as part of their campaign to see the Koran banned in Sweden.

In January, far-right Swedish and Danish politician Rasmus Paludan torched a Koran outside the Turkish embassy in Sweden.

The Koran burnings have led to Swedish diplomatic missions being attacked in several countries, including Britain, Iran, and Malaysia.

Sweden's embassy in Iraq was stormed by protesters on July 19 and a Turkish employee at the Swedish consulate in Turkey was shot and seriously wounded earlier this month.

In April, religious and ethnic tensions in Sweden boiled over and the country was wracked by violent riots that left more than 100 police injured.

Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson told a shocked nation that both Islamism and right-wing extremism had been allowed to fester.

Sweden was wracked by riots in April with tensions boiling over after a series of provocative Koran burnings (protesters throw stones in the Swedish city of Orebro)

'Segregation has been allowed to go so far that we have parallel societies in Sweden,' Ms Andersson said.

'We live in the same country but in completely different realities.'

The number of people in Sweden born abroad has doubled in the last two decades to 2million, or a fifth of the population.

Muslims make up about eight per cent of Sweden's 10 million people.
The man said he needed they pay to pay for a new home

His solicitor transferred the money to the wrong account

A property seller has found himself in the midst of a banking nightmare after the money from the sale of his investment property worth $325,000 was sent to the wrong account.

Queensland man Phillip Larson waited for three days for money from the sale of his property at Bundaberg, north of Brisbane, to reach his bank account.

A man from Queensland was left hunting for his money after the funds from the sale of his investment property were sent to the wrong bank account by his solicitor

When it did not arrive, he double-checked with his solicitor only to find she had left out a single digit from the account number.

'She showed us the bank account number that she transferred the funds to and we saw it was wrong,' Mr Larson told Nine News.

'At first we weren't too worried, as we thought the money would bounce back,' he said.

However Mr Larson grew concerned about the whereabouts of his money when it failed to turn up in his account, which he shares with his wife.

'When the solicitor said the transfer of the settlement had gone through, that's when we started to panic a little bit because it meant it had definitely gone somewhere,' he said.

The tradie, a Suncorp Bank customer, rushed to his local bank branch after he found out his money had not turned up in his account several days after his solicitor transferred the funds

Mr Larson, who banks with Suncorp Bank, rushed to his local bank branch to inform them of the error.

The teller confirmed there was a mistake and the money was in another account and had to tell Mr Larson there was no guarantee the money would be recovered and returned to him.

Mr Larson's solicitor transferred the money from the sale of the property through a platform called PEXA, a conveyancing system commonly used to transfer payments from the sale of properties and real estate.

In this case, thankfully for Mr Larson, the money was traced and put right.

Les Vance, Chief Customer Officer at PEXA told Daily Mail Australia the error has now been resolved.

'Once we were notified of the human error regarding the account details provided to PEXA, our team worked closely with all parties involved to ensure the best outcome for the impacted customer,' Mr Vance said.

'The issue was acknowledged, verified and resolved by PEXA and the relevant banking institutions swiftly, with funds traced and recalled within 10 days from the time the request was lodged'.

A spokeswoman from Suncorp Bank told Daily Mail Australia that the funds were subsequently returned to Mr Larson.

Executive General Manager of Everyday Banking at Suncorp Bank Nick Fernando told Daily Mail the bank prompts customers to double check the account details before they make a payment.

'If a transfer is made in error, Suncorp Bank works with other financial institutions to resolve this through a dispute resolution process,' Mr. Fernando said.

'It's important that a customer contacts their financial institution as soon as they are aware of a possible error to initiate this process as quickly as possible'.

'As soon as we were advised, we moved quickly to have the money returned,' she said.

The spokeswoman said the incorrect account number the solicitor provided meant the money had been sent to another person's account.

Entering in the wrong account number when making or receiving a payment could be costly as it doesn't stop the money from ending up in another person's account, unless the account number does not exist

'There are times where, if a customer puts in a wrong digit... based on human error that it could potentially go to another account in another bank', the spokeswoman explained.

'Sometimes it is [money] returned because the account number doesn't exist'.

According to the ePayments code which is administered by the Australian Securities and Investment Commmission, customers have the right to report mistaken internet payments.

They also have the right to recover funds that were mistakenly sent to someone else.

Users must also be warned by online banking providers to double check they have entered the correct account number before they transfer any money.
Former President Donald Trump requested Monday that a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the partner of the late Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick be put on pause while his federal January 6 case plays out.

Trump was indicted earlier this month of felony charges related to his roles in attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election and the January 6 Capitol attack.

His lawyers argued that the federal case should be resolved before the wrongful death suit proceeds.

In January, Sandra Garza, Sicknick's longtime partner before his death, sued Trump and two of the Capitol rioters arguing his death was a 'direct and foreseeable consequence' to their actions that day.

It asked for at least $10 million in damages from Trump and the two men accused of assaulting the Capitol Police officer.

Former President Donald Trump (left) requested Monday that a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the partner of the late Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick (right) be put on pause while his federal January 6 case plays out.

Rioters are seen clashing with Capitol Police officers during the violent riot on January 6, 2021

One of those men, Julian Khater, was sentenced to six years in prison later that month, having pled guilty of the assault, after spraying Sicknick with pepper spray in the face during the violent riot.

The other, George Tanios, was sentenced to the time he had already served in prison.

Sicknick died the day after the Capitol riot after suffering from two strokes

Tanios had purchased the pepper spray.

Sicknick died one day after the Capitol riot, with the medical examiner saying his death was from natural causes, but added that 'all that transpired played a role in his condition,' with the Capitol Police considering it a 'line of duty' fatality.

He died after suffering from two strokes.

Garza's lawsuit blamed Trump for being culpable broadly of the violence on January 6 and specifically of Sicknick's death.

Trump's lawyers Jesse Binnall and David Warrington pointed out that Garza waited two years after Sicknick's death to file her wrongful death lawsuit, so she wouldn't be harmed if the lawsuit took a little while longer.

Trump, however, could be harmed by having to fight her lawsuit and the indictment by Special Counsel Jack Smith at the same time.

'Absent a stay, President Trump will be placed in the untenable position of fully litigating this case and risking his criminal defense, or pleading the Fifth Amendment and hampering his chance of success in this case,' Binnall and Warrington said.

'Such a dilemma should especially be avoied when it involved a former President of the United States and current frontrunner, presidential candidate for the Republican Party in 2024,' Binnall and Warrington added.
A man who wrapped his car around a tree has recalled the moment his hand was severed before it was reattached just 15 minutes before it was considered too late.

Peter Osborn's car crashed into a bottle tree on a country road west of Kingaroy, about 213km northwest of Brisbane, in January 2022.

The 45-year-old revealed on Monday the quick thinking of nearby residents and paramedics saved his left hand, which was severed during the incident.

Mr Osborn had only six hours to reattach his hand after it was severed - any longer and the limb could not be saved.

He revealed surgeons managed to reattach it to his wrist with just 15 minutes left to spare within the window period.

Peter Osborn's left hand was severed in a car crash in regional Queensland in January 2022 (pictured, Mr Osborn - is reattached hand is resting on the table)

'I just appreciate that I'm still here,' he told 7News. 'There are some very special people out there and thankfully, I've met a few of them through this.

'It could've been far worse than it was.'

On the day of the crash, Margaret and Francis Coe heard the collision and called emergency services before rushing to help.

They managed to pry the back of Mr Osborn's car open with a crowbar and waved down passerby, Adam Locke.

The trio were working to keep Mr Osborn calm and stifle his bleeding when Mrs Coe made a disturbing discovery in the grass near the crash - Mr Osborn's hand.

Moments later paramedics, including NSW Ambulance Senior Constable Sonja Scott, were on the scene.

Police bodycam shows an officer asking for help storing the hand, saying: 'Mate, have you got an Esky or something we can use at the moment?'

'I packaged it [the hand], ready for transport with Peter to the hospital,' Ms Scott told 7NEWS.

RACQ LifeFlight flew Mr Osborn to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital where he underwent several surgeries to reattach his hand.

Surgeons had a six-hour window before the severed hand was unviable.

Emergency services and witnesses were able to retrieve Mr Osborn's hand from the scene (above) and reattach it just 15 minutes before it would have gone dead

They managed to reattach it in five hours and 45 minutes.

Advanced care paramedic Nolan Jones said the fast actions of emergency services and witnesses 'saved Peter's life, not just his arm'.

Mr Osborn is still undergoing rehabilitation for his hand but was able to continue working as a draftsman with his fully-functional hand.
An event at Harvard University encouraged some graduate students to apply for food stamps, despite the school's $53billion endowment.

Earlier this year, Harvard University Health Services reminded grad students that they could fuel their bodies and stock their pantries by using government assistance to pay for groceries.

'Did you know that Grad Students may qualify to receive assistance paying for food & groceries?' read a flier for the event.

Harvard's endowment makes it the richest university in the world, a fact that sparked outrage among community members who argued that paying graduate students a livable food stipend would barely even register in the school's massive budget.

Graduate students are also paid a $40,000 yearly wage by the university.

Harvard University has an endowment of $53.2billion - making it the richest university in the world

An event last year hosted by the university's student health center encouraged grad students to sign up for food stamps in order to afford groceries

'Harvard's endowment is over $50 billion. Undergraduate tuition is over $55k a year. Yet the grad students who do most of the teaching, advising, and mentoring at Harvard are so underpaid that they're eligible for food stamps,' wrote one Harvard student on Twitter.

Harvard has some 21,766 graduate students. If the university were to sacrifice 1/50th of its $53.2billion endowment, it could, in theory, pay each student $48,883 - a nearly $9,000 increase over their current stipends of $40,0000.

The Harvard Graduate Student Union has gone on strike to advocate for higher wages - once in 2019 and again in 2021.

The more recent strike, which was a three-day work stoppage, amounted to the union vowing to strike again if the school did not agree to its bargaining terms.

The school then forced the strikers to sign an agreement allowing Harvard to retain salary funds in an amount equal to the time students withheld labor.

A student at the time wrote on Twitter: '@Harvards $53B dollar endowment is larger than the GDP of dozens of countries, but its trying to force underpaid student workers to repay three days of wages from last weeks strike.'

Harvard's current yearly grad student wage is arguably not enough to live on in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where the average rent is $3,477.

Graduate students at the University of Michigan, Rutgers and MIT also recently launched similar protests against their institutions.

Graduate students in Cambridge - where the average rent is close to $3,500 - earn $40,000 a year

Food stamps are designed to help low-income Americans afford basic groceries

Famously, Harvard added $10billion to its endowment during one year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The same year, 2021, ended with a $283million operational surplus.

Food stamps, or what the government calls the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is a service intended for low-income people and families. It helps those living in poverty afford basic food items.

According to Pew Research, more than 41million Americans currently use food stamps.
A car has crashed into a young woman while she was waiting for a bus at a bus stop along a busy road in Sydney.

The woman was hit by the vehicle at Westbourne street on Victoria Road in Drummoyne, in Sydney's inner west just before 8am on Tuesday morning.

Paramedics were called to the scene after reports the car had left the road.

Emergency crews arrived at a bus stop on Westbourne Street on Victoria Road after a woman was hit by a car, with paramedics and emergency crews treating the woman at the scene after she sustained injuries from the accident

A spokesman from NSW Ambulance confirmed that a woman in her 20's has been treated for head, neck and lower limb injuries.

NSW police told Daily Mail Australia emergency crews are investigating.

'Emergency services are at the scene of a crash involving a bus and car on Westbourne Street near the intersection with Victoria Road at Drummoyne,' a spokesperson said.

'The crash about 7.50am (Tuesday 15 August 2023), when the two citybound vehicles collided; the car then hit a bus shelter where a woman was waiting'.

Traffic has piled up on Victoria road all the way back to the Gladesville Bridge in Sydney's inner-west on after a car smashed into a woman at a bus stop nearby

Police said a woman who was driving the car was also injured which she sustained to her arm.

Two others have also been injured following the accident.

A woman in her 40's has been treated for injuries to her neck while another person is also believed to be have been injured and is being treated for injuries.

Two lanes on the five lane road have been closed with traffic piled up all the way back to Gladesville Bridge.

Buses will not stop at Victoria Road after Wolseley Street with major delays across the bus network in the inner-west and the inner city.

More to come
Food prices could surge as farms are forced to close by 2030 - leading to mass job losses - if radical Labor Party environmental activists get their way.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's government is already committed to reducing carbon emissions by 43 per cent by 2030, with support from the Greens.

But the Labor Environment Action Network (LEAN) wants carbon emissions slashed by an even more dramatic 50 per cent within six-and-a-half years as part of its 'climate, clearing and cows' campaign.

LEAN has support from 350 Labor Party branches and is urging them to push that motion at Labor's national conference being held in Brisbane this week.

With federal Labor under threat from the Greens in Byron Bay and inner-city areas of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, there are fears middle-class, left-wing activists within the party could prevail.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, whose gentrified electorate of Sydney overlaps with a state Greens electorate, was photographed in 2016 with a Labor Environment Action Network activist

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, whose gentrified electorate of Sydney overlaps with the Greens-held state seat of Newtown, was photographed at a LEAN event in 2016 holding a sign touting 50 per cent renewable energy by 2030.

While 50 per cent renewable energy by 2030 is less contentious, it is part of LEAN's '50/50 branch motion' campaign to cut carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2030.

National Farmers Federation president Fiona Simson said the push to halve carbon pollution in little more than six years could result in much higher food prices as farms are forced to close by 2030.

'This motion is about taking farms out of production, killing jobs and pushing up food prices,' she said.

'This is not a sensible policy for a mainstream political party.

'Voting this through would be an open-armed embrace of fringe views that are anti-science and anti-farming. It's as simple as that.'

LEAN describes land use as one of two major sources of greenhouse gas emissions, along with energy consumption, and is campaigning to halve agricultural carbon pollution describing it as 'cows; their burps and farts'.

'Around 51 per cent of Australia's methane emissions come from agriculture, primarily as a by-product of the way cows and sheep digest food,' it said.

'They burp and fart methane into the atmosphere.'

National Farmers Federation president Fiona Simson (left) said the Labor motion to cut carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2030 could result in much higher food prices as farms are forced to close

Ms Simson said truck drivers and port stevedores would also be out of work as a result of these policies.

'We're not just talking about farming jobs, but also in trucking, in stevedoring and of course in meat processing  our largest manufacturing industry.'

This would threaten unionised jobs and affect members of the left-wing Maritime Union of Australia who work on the ports, along with truck drivers with the Transport Workers Union and meat processors belonging to the Australian Workers Union.

Ms Simson said Labor Party delegates needed to keep jobs in mind as the party of trade unions.

'Delegates need to be clearheaded about what really matters to Australians and what the ALP stands for,' she said.

'Is it protecting jobs and tackling the cost of living?

'Or pleasing environmental outliers who have turned their back on science and common sense?'

Billionaire mining magnate Gina Rinehart, Australia's richest woman whose Hancock Prospecting company owns beef cattle stations, told The Australian's inaugural Bush Summit nuclear power was a better option than renewable energy to tackle climate change.

'Let's not upset many farmers with bird-killing wind generators and massive solar panel stretches, and bring on clean, safe, nuclear energy please Australia,' she said.

LEAN describes land use as one of two major sources of greenhouse gas emissions, along with energy use, and is campaigning to halve agricultural carbon pollution describing it as 'cows; their burps and farts' (pictured is Wave Hill Station in the Northern Territory)

Labor's more radical left faction is set to have the numbers at the national conference for the first time since 1979.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's own left faction has misgivings about the $368billion AUKUS submarine plan and to appease them, Foreign Minister Penny Wong has sponsored a motion critical of Israel that refers to the West Bank and Gaza as 'Occupied Palestinian Territories'.

Labor's three-day national conference, beginning on Thursday, is being held in Queensland for the first time since the 1970s.
A prominent figure who opposes the Voice to Parliament has been slammed for suggesting indigenous journalist Stan Grant artificially darkens his skin in a series of vile tweets.

David Adler, who is head of the Australian Jewish Association, uploaded photos of Grant on social media in May - just days after he stepped down from his role as host of ABC panel program Q&A due to ongoing racial abuse.

Dr Adler is also on the advisory board for the right-wing lobby group, Advance - which runs a major 'No' campaign against the Voice.

The tweets, which were still on Dr Adler's Twitter profile on Tuesday morning, comprise photos of Grant throughout his career.

'Stan Grant's complexion seems to have changed,' he captioned the post.

'Look at the 3 pics. Can anyone explain?'

Indigenous journalist Stan Grant (pictured) stepped down from his role as host of Q&A, citing ongoing racial abuse

David Adler uploaded photos of Grant in May, questioning his complexion (pictured)

Another image featured a photo of Grant on television, with an arrow pointing to a patch on his chest - the caption read: 'Ohh dear, he missed a spot.'

In March, Dr Adler posted the same images with the caption: 'Is Stan Grant doing black face? If so, why?'

He also raised questions about independent indigenous senator Lidia Thorpe's Aboriginal heritage on four occasions last year, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

In March 2022, he said: 'What % Aboriginal are you? You appear quite white.'

'Not so sure she's Blak (or Black).'

In January, he tweeted: 'What is 'racist' is allowing people to drink themselves to death they bash/rape/murder the women/children & turning a blind eye to it because they are Aboriginal!'

Referring to the ABC, he wrote: 'If you self-identify as a black lesbian you'll get the job'.

In another tweet on Tuesday morning, Dr Adler stood by his comments about Grant and Thorpe - insisting they were 'not racist'.

Stan Grant, pictured with his wife Tracey Holmes, is arguably Australia's most high-profile indigenous broadcaster

In another tweet, Dr Adler asked whether Grant was 'doing black face' (pictured)

Another image featured a photo of Grant, with an arrow pointing to a patch on his chest - the caption read: 'Ohh dear, he missed a spot'

'Both these people have put race as central to their political statements,' he wrote.

'So raising questions, even uncomfortable non PC questions, is legitimate, not racist.'

He also told the SMH he did not recall the comments directed at Thorpe, and did not apologise for the comments about Grant.

'I asked a question; I haven't made any accusations. I was given material and there are many people who hae said that (Grant's) complexion has changed,' he told the publication.

'I am 100 per cent zero racism. I have Aboriginal friends, the most prominent being Warren Mundine, and you'll see photos of me with him,'.

Mr Mundine, a highly-influential indigenous businessman and No campaigner, told Radio National on Tuesday morning that Dr Adler's comments about Grant's complexion were 'bizarre'.

'Stan Grant and I went to university together, we've been mates for over 30 years - brothers, in fact, we consider ourselves - so there is no question about where he comes from and no question about his Aboriginality at all,' he said.

'Over the years, I have seen silly tweets saying he got dark skin or he's pale - that is absolute nonsense.'

Dr Adler also questioned independent senator Lidia Thorpe's indigenous heritage (pictured)

Mr Mundine acknowledged both he and Dr Adler are united in their opposition to the Voice, but pointed out they do not belong to the same lobby groups: 'He's not at my board meetings, he's not at our campaign meetings'.

He said it was 'disgusting' that anyone would question the percentage of someone's indigenous heritage - slamming it as a 'racist attack'

Thorpe, who also opposes the Voice, told the publication the No campaign should be ashamed to work with Advance.

'I called it out early that there is a racist No campaign that is encouraging racists and hurting our people,' she said.

'The government created this space for them and has failed in its responsibility to deal with the rise in racism.'

Dr Adler is pictured with Coalition Indigenous affairs spokeswoman Jacinta Nampijinpa Price

Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council chairman, Mark Leibler, slammed Dr Adler as an 'unrepresented extremist' whose comments were 'grotesque'.

'The notion that someone who leads a so-called 'Jewish organisation' could post such disgusting comments about anyone from another minority group, in this case the highly regarded journalist and author Stan Grant, is nothing short of grotesque,' he told the newspaper.

Australians are expected to vote in the referendum in October, with the prime minister signalling the formal start of the ballot process within weeks.

Recent polling suggests support for the 'yes' vote is softer in coalition heartland states of Queensland and Western Australia.

While Labor supports the voice being enshrined in the constitution, Liberal and National MPs at federal and state levels are split between a federally constituted federal voice, legislated local and regional voices or nothing at all.

If added to the federal constitution, the voice could be modified by the parliament of the day but not abolished.
The mushroom cook behind the toxic beef wellington that poisoned four of her relatives was an experienced fungi forager, a source close to the family says.

Erin Patterson, 48, was known to pick wild mushrooms around Victoria's Gippsland region, Daily Mail Australia can reveal.

A friend of the Patterson family said Erin was 'very good at foraging' and identifying different mushroom varieties.

'The Patterson family (including Erin and Simon) would pick mushrooms each year when they were in season,' the friend said.

'Its very common for people to go mushroom picking around that area.'

Erin's former parents-in-law Don and Gail Patterson, Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson and her husband Ian fell sick after a family lunch at her Leongatha home on July 29.

A friend of the Patterson family has revealed Erin Patterson (pictured) was an experienced mushroom forager

Erin Patterson hosted the deadly lunch at her Leongatha home (pictured), in Victoria's Gippsland region, on July 29

Don, 70, Gail , 70, and Heather, 66, have since died, while Ian is fighting for life in a critical but stable condition at Melbourne's Austin hospital, where he is awaiting a liver transplant.

Her estranged husband Simon Patterson was also invited to the lunch but pulled out beforehand.

Homicide detectives are investigating the 'unexplained' deaths, which are believed to have been caused by death cap mushrooms, which are among the most poisonous in the world.

Erin has denied any wrongdoing and has written a statement to police claiming the mushrooms were a mixture of button mushrooms from a supermarket and dried mushrooms she purchased months ago at an Asian grocery store in Melbourne.

She said the dried mushrooms came in a package with a hand-written label, however, she was unable to identify the particular Asian grocer she visited.

She said she had passed on what was left of the meal on to authorities for testing.

In the statement, Erin also admitted to lying to police about a vegetable dehydrator she dumped at the local tip, which has been seized for forensic examination.

Erin said while she had told officers she dropped it off there 'a long time ago', she actually got rid of it in the days after the lunch.

Friends of the family say the Pattersons were regular mushroom foragers. Pictured: The home where the fatal lunch was held

Mushrooms pictured on Erin's Leongatha property in a property ad from 2019

Erin's estranged husband Simon Patterson was also meant to attend the lunch but pulled out

She said she was at the hospital discussing the food dehydrator with her two kids when her ex-husband Simon asked: 'Is that what you used to poison them?'

Erin said the accusation made her panic and she disposed of the device, fearing she may lose custody of the couple's children.

The friend confirmed to Daily Mail Australia the Patterson and Wilkinson families, like Simon, harbour doubts about her version of events.

'The family would go foraging regularly and knew what to pick.'

Daily Mail Australia does not suggest Erin intentionally poisoned her four relatives, only that she is known to forage.

A local man who runs one of the many foraging courses around the region said he started the program to focus on the dangers of picking the wrong species.

While he had never seen Erin in his classes, he said he tells students there are general rules to identifying toxic varieties and the main one is not to pick mushrooms that grow under oak trees.

'Death caps mainly grow under oaks, which are usually in parks,' he said.

'They [mushrooms that grow under oak trees] arent all bad, but they are easy to mistake on the untrained eye.'

Gail and Don Patterson died after eating the mushrooms

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

KEY POINTS OF ERIN'S POLICE STATEMENT 1. Erin admitted to originally lying to police and 'panicked' by dumping the food dehydrator at a nearby tip, amid fears she would lose custody of her children. 2. She said she actually did eat the beef wellington meal herself and was hospitalised and had to be transferred to Melbourne by ambulance 3. She claims she brought the mushrooms from a supermarket and an Asian grocery store in Melbourne. She was unable to verify which Asian grocer 4. Contrary to previous reports, Ms Patterson's two children didn't attend the lunch but ate leftovers from the following night with with the mushrooms taken out. 5. Ms Patterson insists she always had a positive and amicable bond with her former in-laws, even after the marriage with their son broke down Advertisement

Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the lunch, which was arranged to negotiate a reconciliation between Simon and Erin.

Detective Inspector Dean Thomas telling reporters last week Erin was a 'person of interest' because she cooked the meals, but stressed police were still working to determine if the tragedy was accidental or suspicious.

Inspector Thomas said Erin's two children were present at the lunch but ate separate meals, with the kids and their mother all later turning up to hospital as a precaution despite not presenting with symptoms.

Erin initially told police she bought the mushrooms at a supermarket before giving a 'no comment' interview.

Late last week, she provided a sworn statement to police to tell her side of the story, saying she was advised by a lawyer who no longer represents her to not speak to detectives.

Despite initial police reports that the children were present at the lunch, Erin said they were actually at the movies instead.

However, she said the kids ate the leftovers from lunch the following night, but they do not like mushrooms, so she scraped them off the meal.

Like the four victims, she said also presented to hospital on July 30 with bad stomach pains and diarrhoea, before being transferred by ambulance to a Melbourne hospital.

Erin said she was 'devastated to think that these mushrooms may have contributed to the illness suffered by my loved ones' and reiterated that she 'had absolutely no reason to hurt these people whom I loved.'

She also paid tribute to her former in-laws and insists she maintained a positive and amicable relationship with them even after her marriage with their son fell apart.

'I had been close with Simon's parents for a long period of time. Our relationship had continued in a fairly amicable way after I finished the relationship with their son Simon,' she said.

'Our relationship was affected to some degree by seeing them less after my marriage breakdown with Simon however I have never felt differently towards his parents.

'I had a deep love and respect for Simon's parents and had encouraged my children to spend time with their grandparents as I believed they were exceptional role models.'
The Home Office's migrant accommodation barge will remain out of action for at least three weeks after the Legionella health scare, it emerged last night.

Sources said the 506-bed Bibby Stockholm will have to remain unoccupied until later this month and possibly into September following the discovery of Legionella bacteria in its water system.

The disclosure came as the Home Office's handling of the multi-million pound project faced increasing scrutiny.

Ministers have launched an internal inquiry to establish who knew what  and when  amid claims the Home Office was alerted to positive tests results for the bacteria earlier than previously thought.

Cleaning the vessel's water system will take five days, with repeat tests for Legionella requiring a 15-day period after that, sources said.

Lying empty: The Bibby Stockholm accommodation barge at Portland Port in Dorset

Home Secretary Suella Braverman is being kept closely informed

Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who is on a family holiday in the UK, is being kept closely informed. She joined online meetings about the barge yesterday, with more planned today.

The discovery of Legionella led to the removal of all 39 migrants from the barge at Portland in Dorset on Friday. Dorset Council said Home Office contractors were told about traces of Legionella on Monday last week  the day the first asylum seekers were moved onto the vessel.

A Home Office official was then told about the discovery on Tuesday, a council spokesman said. 'To be clear, it was not Dorset Council's responsibility to inform the Home Office  that responsibility sat with CTM and Landry & Kling, the companies contracted by the Home Office to operate the barge,' he added.

READ MORE: The EU blocks a deal which would allow Channel migrants to be sent back to France Fact-box text Advertisement

But Health Secretary Steve Barclay yesterday told Sky News: 'My understanding from colleagues in the Home Office is it [the test result] was notified to Home Office ministers on Thursday and they then took very quick action as a result.'

He said: 'It may be the council notified the Home Office  that is an issue for those in the Home Office to respond to.'

The barge is part of the Government's bid to reduce the 6million-a-day cost of placing 50,000 Channel migrants in hotels. Rishi Sunak's official spokesman confirmed the Home Office was still 'clarifying' when officials were made aware of issues with the bacteria, which can lead to Legionnaires' disease, a dangerous form of pneumonia. The Prime Minister still has confidence in the Home Secretary and the work of the Home Office, he said.

'I think we will be communicating with all relevant groups to see if there are any lessons that can be learned,' the spokesman added. 'We remain confident that we have acted quickly once informed.'

There were further Channel crossings yesterday despite six deaths after a dinghy got into difficulty near Sangatte, northern France, on Saturday.

Some 1,608 migrants reached Britain from Thursday to Saturday last week, Home Office figures show.

So far this year, 16,679 migrants have reached Britain  down 14 per cent from the same point in the year in 2022.
The death toll from the deadly Maui wildfires has risen to 99, and may double in the next week, as 1,000 people remain missing, Hawaii Governor Josh Green said Monday.

'We are prepared for many tragic stories. They will find 10 to 20 people per day, probably, until they finish. And its probably going to take 10 days. Its impossible to guess, really,' Green said Monday on CBS.

In terms of the ultimate death toll, he said, 'I dont want to guess at the number.'

Firefighters in Maui continue to work around the clock to contain the fire that is now officially the deadliest in modern US history, as other inspectors and cadaver dogs continue to probe the ashen town of Lahaina.

The harsh conditions have made search and recovery difficult and recovery teams have only covered approximately 3 percent of the search area, they are expected to continue their efforts this week.

Hawaii Governor Josh Green said search teams 'will find 10 to 20 people per day probably until they finish' the finish the searches, which take around 10 days

Flames from a wildfire burn in Kihei, Hawaii, on August 9

Green told CNN on Monday that most of the first 80 confirmed deaths were found in and around cars on Front Street or in the shallow nearby waters.

Green said hundreds of unaccounted for people still havent 'checked in' but noted there are still communication problems on the island and some people who fled may have lost their phones in the process.

Many of the remains are so badly burned that families have been invited to provide DNA swabs that could help identify the victims. Authorities have created the Maui County Family Assistance Center to help collect samples.

'There are more fatalities that will come,' Green told CBS on Sunday. 'The fire was so hot that what we find is the tragic finding that you would imagine... It's hard to recognize anybody. But they're able to determine if someone did perish.'

Green, a doctor who has been treating survivors, said he'd been into Lahaina twice and 'there's nothing to see except full devastation'.

'The buildings are almost nonexistent. It was so hot that even metal contorted so that you can't believe what the building was.

'But that's what you see, and obviously there will not be any survivors in the area left. They've either escaped and escaped that night and now as we put up some temporary cell capacity, people are calling each other.

'Look, our hearts will break, beyond repair perhaps, if that means that many more dead. None of us think that, but we are prepared for many tragic stories.

'They will find 10 to 20 people per day probably until they finish. And it's probably going to take ten days. It's impossible to guess really.'

Authorities have not published an official missing persons list but a Maui resident, Ellie Erickson, has created an online spreadsheet, which currently lists about 1,200 names as 'not located'.

About 4,000 more names on the spreadsheet are listed as 'found.'

Green, right, and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell look at a destroyed building along Front Street during a tour of wildfire damage on August 12

The hall of historic Waiola Church in Lahaina and nearby Lahaina Hongwanji Mission are engulfed in flames along Wainee Street on August 8

Penny Wakida, a Lahaina resident, said her husband of 46 years, Clyde, died after remaining at the home they built together 35 years ago in a desperate bid to save it. She was contacted by officials to say they found human remains on the property, the Honlulu Star Advertiser reported.

Penny's daughter, Lexa Hanohano, and Clyde's sisters, Avis Wakida and Teri Young, are among people who have provided DNA samples to help with the identification of remains.

'He didn't want to evacuate,' said Penny. 'He refused to come with me. He thought he could save the house. We know he's dead.'

Twenty cadaver dogs and dozens of searchers are currently making their way through blocks in Lahaina which have been reduced to ash.

'Right now, they're going street by street, block by block between cars, and soon they'll start to enter buildings,' Jeff Hickman, director of public affairs for the Hawaii Department of Defense, told NBC on Monday.

The blaze that swept into centuries-old Lahaina nearly a week ago destroyed nearly every building in the town of 13,000, leaving a grid of gray rubble wedged between the blue ocean and lush green slopes.

That fire has been 85 percent contained, according to the county. Another blaze known as the Upcountry fire has been 60 percent contained, officials said.

Twenty cadaver dogs and dozens of searchers are currently making their way through blocks reduced to ash. A member of the search and rescue team walks with her cadaver dog near Front Street on Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023, in Lahaina

Green said he was frustrated following reports the Maui's emergency warning system, including sirens and mobile phone alerts, allegedly did not give residents enough notice that fires were rapidly engulfing Lahaina.

'We're heartbroken that people couldn't get out or didn't get alerted. We're doing a review already. My attorney general, I asked her to do it. Not to find fault in anyone but to say why this worked and this didn't work,' he said.

'It is definitely a natural disaster because the winds were moving -- any fire between 60 and 80 miles per hour. That's a mile a minute.'

He said the speed and ferocity of the fires meant 'moving people out' had been the best hope of preventing deaths.

Hundreds of people remain unaccounted for, and large swathes of Lahaina are yet to be searched following the deadly wildfire last week

Many of the survivors took to Sunday church services, including Akanesi Vaa, 38, who said her family got stuck in traffic while trying to escape the flames.

Vaa, her husband and her children aged 15, 13 and 9 resorted to fleeing on foot and jumping a fence to safety.

Along the way, an elderly woman pleading for help handed her a baby to care for. The woman and her husband were also able to make it over the fence.

'I think a lot of us needed to hear today's message,' Vaa said after attending church at King's Cathedral in Kahului. 'All these ashes are going to turn into beauty. I know Lahaina will come back 10 times stronger.'

Scott Landis, pastor at Keawal'i Church, a United Church of Christ congregation in Makena, said an unusually large crowd of 100 showed, nearly double what he would have expected on a typical Sunday in August.

'They were really listening. You could tell people were here, looking for a word of hope,' Landis said.

Among them were people who have family and friends unaccounted for, and they are 'fearing the worst' he added.

Clinging to hopes of finding missing survivors, people sifted through a crowd-sourced online database listing thousands of names of individuals who had been found as well as of those who remained unaccounted for.

Family and friends mobilized on social media, sharing information about their missing loved ones, asking for help in locating them.

'Still searching for my in-laws,' Heather Baylosis wrote in a Saturday Instagram post. 'People are being found alive and severely disoriented due to what they have gone through. We are holding out hope!'
Falling support for Anthony Albanese's proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament is starting to hurt the popularity of the prime minister with a poll finding voters are linking his handling of the issue to his 'competence and judgement'.

Labor's primary vote has dropped to be just four percentage points ahead of the Coalition, according to the latest Resolve Political Monitor poll.

In a double blow for Mr Albanese, support for the Voice also continues to decline ahead of the October referendum.

Support for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament has slumped from 63 per cent a year ago - to just 46 per cent this month.

To succeed a referendum must have a majority of voters across Australia and four out of six states to cast a Yes ballot.

While Mr Albanese remains the preferred leader over the Coalition's Peter Dutton, the latest results are the lowest for the PM in the Resolve surveys since winning the federal election 15 months ago, Nine Newspapers reported.

Support continues to decline for both Prime Anthony Albanese (pictured with minister Linda Burney) and the Indigenous Voice to Parliament

The poll results indicated the proposed Voice has majority support in Victoria and Tasmania.

But it has majority opposition in NSW, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia, suggesting the vote would be defeated at the referendum in two months' time.

'We've seen support for the Voice drop substantially over the last year, and up to now, Labor's vote has been largely unaffected,' Resolve director Jim Reed told the publication.

'That's created a growing tension between people voting No and at the same time supporting Labor, but now that stretched elastic band looks to have snapped back so that there is a political dimension and price to the referendum campaign.'

Many voters surveyed singled out the Voice as a concerning issue.

'They either comment on what they see as the mishandling of the campaign, the need for a Voice, the issue causing division or simply being a distraction, but often they directly link this to Albanese's judgment and competence,' Mr Reed added.

Coalition leader Peter Dutton (pictured in parliament last week) continues to trail the prime minister as preferred leader, despite declining support for Labor

The voters were surveyed before Qantas' bold declaration of support for the Voice at a launch attended by the prime minister in Sydney on Monday.

The public pledge went gone down like a lead balloon among Aussies, with many describing the move as 'virtue-signalling.'

Core support for Labor has fallen from 39 to 37 per cent over the past month as the Coalition boosted its vote by three percentage points to 33 per cent.

Primary support for the Greens remains steady at 11 per cent while independent MPs boosted their support by one percentage point to 10 per cent.

Mr Albanese remains the preferred prime minister with 46 per cent of voters, a five per cent drop from four weeks ago.

He remains well ahead of Mr Dutton, who increased his vote as preferred leader from 21 per cent to one-quarter (25 per cent) of voters.

Anthony Albanese was in high spirits at a Qantas launch in Sydney on Monday, despite declining support. He's pictured with AFL legend Adam Goodes (left) and Qantas boss Alan Joyce

Around 44 per cent believed Albanese was doing a good job and 42 per cent said he was doing a poor job.

The results were worse for Dutton, where only 31 per cent believed he was doing a good job while 44 per cent rated his performance as poor.

When asked which party and leader were focused on the right issues, 32 per cent of voters nominated Labor and Albanese, compared to only 21 per cent for the Coalition and Dutton.

Mr Albanese will meet with state and territory leaders at National Cabinet on Wednesday.

He will then head to Brisbane for Labor's annual national conference, where the prime minister will vow to use the 15 months in government as momentum to bring about nation-defining change.
The 'mummified' body of a 69-year-old man could have sat in his Gold Coast home for more than a year before it was discovered by police.

Tomislav 'Tom' Nemes' body was found inside his Edinburgh Road home in Benowa by Queensland Police officers after a relative requested a welfare check on April 17.

'Mummified is probably the incorrect term - the body was in an advanced state of decomposition,' Detective Acting Inspector Mark Proctor said.

'It did have a mummified look ... but there was absolutely no attempt to preserve the body in any way. It wasn't wrapped or anything like that.'

It's understood the relative lived interstate and travelled to Benowa to see Mr Nemes but was met by his stepson at the property, the ABC reports.

Mr Nemes lived at the property with his wife, 70, and 48-year-old stepson, with police believing the pair lived with his remains for a year.

The body of Tomislav 'Tom' Nemes (above) was found 'mummified' in his Benowa, Gold Coast, home on April 17

A relative of Mr Nemes requested police conduct a welfare check on his home (above) after allegedly being barred entry by his stepson

Just how much they knew, and when, is still subject to investigation but police have confirmed the pair remain 'persons of interest'.

'That's why we're appealing to anyone who may have seen Mr Nemes during that time,' Det Insp Proctor said.

'We are not looking to lay charges at this point in time but we are fully investigating the incident with the assistance of the homicide investigation unit.

'They (his wife and son) are certainly persons of interest. They were inside the house at the time.'

Mr Nemes' relative reportedly contacted emergency services after phoning several hospitals in an attempt to find the 69-year-old.

Insp. Procter said the relative decided to visit Mr Nemes after failing to hear from him in a long time.

'They had lost touch with Mr Nemes over the years however they found it unusual that in a lengthy period that hadn't had any contact at all,' he said.

Gold Coast detectives from the homicide unit shared photos of Mr Nemes on Tuesday after revealing his body may have been in the home for more than 12 months.

'While scientific examinations remain ongoing to determine his cause of death, it is being treated as suspicious,' Queensland Police said in a statement.

Insp. Procter said Mr Nemes' body was in an 'advanced stage of decomposition', giving it the appearance of being 'mummified' despite no efforts being made it preserve it.

No one has been charged in relation to the incident.

Mr Nemes was from the Australian Capital Territory and moved to Queensland in 2018.

Acting Inspector Mark Procter said the relative decided to visit Mr Nemes (above) after failing to hear from him in a long time

It's understood he lived at the property with his 70-year-old wife and 48-year-old stepson, who rarely left the home and used delivery services for groceries.

Insp. Procter said Mr Nemes' wife and stepson were living in the home while his body was inside but did not confirm if they knew he was dead.

A crime scene has been declared at the Benowa home and investigations continue under Operation Victor Countryside.

Police have appealed for anyone who was in contact with Mr Nemes in recent years or visited his home to come forward.
The lawns of King's College, Cambridge, have unusually found themselves at the centre of a sexism row after a feminist academic posed on one for a photo.

Dr Charlotte Proudman, a barrister and research associate in gender inequality at the university, has accused a student of 'male entitlement' after he told her to keep off the grass.

The 35-year-old told her Twitter followers that as she posed for a photo on the Front Lawn, a 'white male student' shouted at her: 'If they catch you, you'll get chucked out.'

She says she retorted that 'I belong here, my portrait hangs in the College Chapel, not his'.

'King's is a beautiful College and has always welcomed me. It's like a second home,' the academic went on.

'The comments made by this man are not a reflection of the College (he may have been a student elsewhere) rather they reflect male entitlement & a deep rooted belief that women like me don't belong.'

College rules stipulate that completed PhD students, associate fellows and mature masters graduates are allowed to walk on the lawns - but students are not.

Dr Proudman posted this photo on Twitter, taken by her cousin on the Front Lawn at King's

Twitter users noted that non-students are not allowed to walk on the lawns

Following up on the post, Dr Proudman wrote: 'I'm so proud of my PhD from King's College. No one is going to take away my right to walk on the beautiful, pristine lawn. I worked four years to get that privilege.'

She also addressed reader added context, noting that senior non-resident members of the college - including those with various degrees and titles - are entitled to walk on the grass.

The college's website says: 'Senior Non-Resident Members are entitled to walk across the College lawns accompanied by any family and friends.'

Senior Non-Resident Members include those who have been admitted to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by the University.

They also include those who have been admitted to the degree of Master of Arts by the University, provided that a period of at least six years and a term has elapsed since their matriculation.

They include those who have been admitted to the degree of Master of Science, Master of Letters or Master of Philosophy by the University, provided that a period of at least two years and a term has elapsed since admission to that degree

Dr Proudman's post sparked mixed reactions on Twitter.

User JacovZ said in a post liked 207 times at the time of writing: 'If only your respect and self-respect were as much as your insufferable entitlement. You'd probably be a more admirable person.'

Sally J. Hall said: 'I think he was referring to the fact that you are not supposed to be on the grass.'

When Dr Proudman responded: 'When you have a PhD from King's, you are allowed on the grass. That's the point of the tweet.'

To which Ms Hall replied: 'Maybe do it in full academic dress next time, or just shout "I'm an alumna!" So they know.'

Delia Burgess wrote, in a post liked 168 times: 'How do you know he wouldnt have made the same comment if you were male? Big assumption'

Dr Proudman says she retorted that 'I belong here, my portrait hangs in the College Chapel, not his'.

But some agreed with Dr Proudman's assessment. BlackBeltBarrister commented under the post: 'Really? Its the mouthy student that should be thrown out. Cambridge is better than that.'

The academic responded: 'I was really taken aback. The sheer confidence and sense of entitlement was astounding.'
Sociology is outstripping traditional A-level subjects as more teenagers show an interest in activism.

Social sciences are booming in popularity with psychology now the second most popular A-level.

While Sociology has also risen to become the fifth most popular - up from ninth five years ago.

But analysis of private schools shows traditional and classical subjects are still the subject of choice at fee-charging schools, The Times reported.

Professor Alan Smithers of Buckingham University suggested the rise in interest in sociology was because the subject offers an understanding of the structure of society and ways to change it, which makes it very attractive to activists.

Social sciences are booming in popularity with psychology now the second most popular A-level

He told the paper: Psychology has burgeoned. One can speculate that this great appeal has something to do with it appearing to offer insight into some of the great mysteries such as the nature of consciousness, what lies behind human behaviour, and making sense of human interaction.

Access to the meaning of life has become ever more important with the loss of religious faith in much of the western world.

Analysis of last years figures broken down by subject shows private schools accounted for 89 per cent of candidates studying ancient Greek.

They also reportedly accounted for 89 per cent of candidates studying ancient Greek, 79 per cent in history of art and 74 per cent of Latin.
The Madagascan President's Chief of Staff has been charged with a bribery offence amid claims that a UK mining company was asked to pay 225,000 for a licence to operate in the country.

Romy Andrianarisoa, 46, and French national Philippe Tabuteau, 54, were arrested in London last week at a meeting where it is alleged they demanded the payment from Gemfields along with a 5 per cent equity stake.

Gemfields reported the alleged demand to the UK National Crime Agency (NCA) which launched an investigation.

Andrianarisoa and Tabuteau were charged with requesting, agreeing to receive or accepting a bribe, and appeared in court on Saturday where they were remanded in custody, the NCA said.

The pair will next appear at Southwark Crown Court on September 8.

Romy Andrianarisoa, 46, and French national Philippe Tabuteau, 54, were arrested in London last week at a meeting where it is alleged they demanded the payment from Gemfields along with a 5 per cent equity stake. Gemfields reported the alleged demand to the UK National Crime Agency (pictured) which launched an investigation

The NCA conducted its operation with close cooperation from the CPS, enabling the pair to be charged on Friday evening. They appeared in court on Saturday and were remanded in prison until their Crown Court hearing next month

Andrianarisoa and Tabuteau were arrested last Thursday afternoon in London's Victoria neighbourhood following a 'fast paced investigation' into the allegations.

The NCA conducted its operation with close cooperation from the CPS, enabling the pair to be charged on Friday evening.

They appeared in court on Saturday and were remanded in prison until their Crown Court hearing next month.

Joanne Jakymec, chief crown prosecutor for the CPS, said: 'The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised the NCA to charge Romy Andrianarisoa and Philippe Tabuteau with requesting a bribe.

'The CPS made the decision to authorise charges after reviewing a file of evidence from the NCA relating to allegations of bribery.'

Andy Kelly, Head of the International Corruption Unit at the NCA added: 'This operation demonstrates the ability of the ICU to capitalise on cooperation from industry.

'I am grateful to Gemfields for bringing this matter to our attention and for their on-going cooperation with the investigation. Their quick reactions to engage the NCA have been critical to our ability to pursue this case.'
Patients are waiting an average of five weeks longer for NHS treatment under Labour in Wales than they do in England, official figures show.

The typical wait for care is around 19 weeks in Wales but only 14 weeks in England, according to the latest available data.

The damning analysis is the latest comparison to lay bare how the Labour-run NHS in Wales is lagging disastrously behind.

The Mail told yesterday how soaring numbers of patients from Wales are seeking care in English hospitals to 'escape' the delays.

Some 39,485 patients sought elective treatment, such as hip and knee operations, in England in 2022/23 - up 39 per cent from 28,405 in 2020/21 and 9 per cent higher than the 36,095 in 2021/22.

The Mail told yesterday how soaring numbers of patients from Wales are seeking care in English hospitals to 'escape' the delays (Pictured: Royal Gwent Hospital)

Wales' health minister Eluned Morgan (pictured) said: 'Of course we are still challenged, we're all still getting over the pandemic'

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (pictured) praised the Welsh government run by Mark Drakeford in March last year

Responding to the new figures on longer waits, a Conservative source said: 'Labour's abysmal record running the NHS in Wales shows why they can't be trusted with the NHS in England.

'Under Labour people are made to wait longer for the care they need.

'The health secretary in England has already eliminated the longest waits and is continuing to work to cut waiting lists and get care to people even faster.'

The median wait for treatment after referral in England was 14.3 weeks in June, the most recently available month for which data is available.

This has been relatively stable in recent months, down from 14.6 weeks in January 2023 but up slightly from 14.1 weeks in May.

However, the median wait for treatment after referral in Wales was 19.1 weeks in May, the most recently available month for which data is available there.

Wales receives 1.20 for every 1 spent on health in England but is still lagging behind in performance, said the Welsh Conservatives.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer praised the Welsh government run by Mark Drakeford in March last year, saying it is 'living proof of what Labour in power looks like - how things can be done differently and better'.

He added: 'You demonstrate daily the difference Labour really makes. A blueprint for what Labour can do across the UK.'

Steve Barclay has written to Welsh and Scottish ministers to say he is 'open to requests' for their patients to be treated on the NHS in England amid record waits for care in the devolved nations.

The health secretary invited them to discuss what 'lessons can be learnt' from the different approaches taken by each government.

In Wales, more than 73,000 patients are waiting over 77 weeks - a year and a half - for treatment but such waits have been virtually eliminated in England.

The figures also showed that 21 per cent of the Welsh population was on an NHS waiting list earlier this year - almost double the 13 per cent in England.

However, the Welsh health minister yesterday hit back at Mr. Barclay and accused him of a 'naked political hit'.

Eluned Morgan told BBC Radio 4's World at One programme: 'If it's a free offer, I'll be taking him up on that offer. But my guess is that it is not.' She added: 'We count in our statistics diagnostics and therapies. None of those are counted in the English figures.

'Of course we are still challenged, we're all still getting over the pandemic.

Steve Barclay has written to Welsh and Scottish ministers to say he is 'open to requests' for their patients to be treated on the NHS in England

Wes Streeting, Labour's shadow health secretary, (pictured) has suggested that his party would expand the use of the private sector and argued that this is 'popular' and 'effective'

'We do have waiting lists that are too long in Wales, but it's a situation that is not considerably better in England, with 7.5 million waiting there.' Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made cutting hospital waiting lists one of his five key priorities after the figure hit a record 7.57million in England alone in June.

The issue is likely to be a key political battleground at the next election, and the Government is keen to argue health services would not be better managed under Labour or the SNP.

The Conservatives have vowed to make use of spare capacity in private hospitals to help clear the backlogs in England but Labour appears deeply split on the issue.

Wes Streeting, Labour's shadow health secretary, has suggested that his party would expand the use of the private sector and argued that this is 'popular' and 'effective', in a position also echoed by Sir Keir.

But new research shows that five out of six of the shadow health team in the House of Commons are on record opposing this approach.

For example, Rosena Allin-Khan, the shadow cabinet minister for mental health, has said she is opposed to 'use of the private sector, which ultimately often lets patients down'.

Andrew Gwynne, the shadow minister for public health, said that we should 'sweep away' the use of private providers in the NHS.

And Ashley Dalton MP, health and social care parliamentary private secretary, said there should be 'no more' use of the private sector in the NHS and pledged she would support 'ending privatisation'.

Only Liz Kendall can be found on record offering a similar position to Mr Streeting, having previously said there will 'remain a role for the private and voluntary sectors' in the NHS.

A Conservative Party source said: 'Labour is so divided on health they cannot be trusted to deliver for patients.

'While they squabble among themselves, this government is relentlessly focused on tackling the backlog caused by the pandemic and cutting waiting lists.

'That includes using the independent sector to turbocharge our efforts to make sure that people get the treatment they need more quickly, whilst always ensuring the NHS remains free at the point of use.'
The Crooked House pub which burned down in a suspected 'arson attack' earlier this month may be rebuilt, a public heritage body has hinted.

Historic England has said it is 'considering all possible avenues' to rebuild Britain's wonkiest pub after it went up in flames on August 5 in an incident Staffordshire Police are treating as arson.

The body said it has already received 38 applications for the pub in Himley, Staffordshire, but no final decision has yet been made.

Ian Sandall, from the Save the Crooked House campaign, said: 'I'm absolutely delighted that Historic England are as keen as we are about preserving such a wonderfully weird but lovely pub.'

He said that the group was trying to 'structure an approach' with Historic England to work towards a full rebuild.

The Crooked House pub, an 18th century drinking hole formerly known as Britain's wonkiest

The burnt out remains of The Crooked House pub near Dudley, Monday August 7, 2023

Last week it emerged that The Crooked House had been put forward for listed status protection just days before it burned down.

Historic England had already received a submission from experts just a week before the inferno, requesting that the pub be given protection as a listed building.

The blaze came just two weeks after the 18th century boozer was sold by brewer Marston's to a private buyer.

Staffordshire Police are treating the blaze as 'suspicious' following reports that individuals were seen inside the pub in the hours before it went up in flames.

The fire completely gutted the venue, which attracted tourists from around the world  and brings a sorry end to its nearly 200-year-old history.

Days after the incident, the pub was bulldozed and completely demolished without permission - much to the horror of locals.

South Staffordshire Council have since agreed that The Crooked House's owners, Adam Taylor and his wife Carly, can rip down the first floor of the boozer on safety grounds.

The council has not agreed to, nor deemed necessary, the site's total demolition.

Prior to its destruction this month, The Crooked House was often described as Britain's wonkiest pub, sitting four feet lower on one side than the other.

The taproom 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'.

Local people are becoming increasingly angry about the perceived deliberate destruction of a very famous local landmark

The community at large have been left shocked and saddened at the demise of the Crooked House pub in Himley. Pictured: rubble after the fire

The pub 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.

MailOnline contacted Historic England for comment.
A Commonwealth Bank customer has pointed out an alarming new tactic scammers are using in which they copy the layout of genuine emails to the point where they look almost undetectable.

Australians are getting smarter about scam messages filled with spelling errors and suspicious looking web links, but the fraudsters are also upping their game and constantly trying new tactics to dupe their victims.

One recipient of the new type of scam told journalist Jacqui Felgate their parents were very nearly tricked into handing over their bank details.

'We received an email a few weeks ago from CommBank saying to update our personal details through the app,' the tipster said.

'We received a scam email today which is almost identical to the original.'

There are, however, still a few subtle clues customers can look for that will reveal when an email is likely a scam.

A Commonwealth Bank customer has spoken out about a new type of scam doing the rounds

This fake email looks very similar to the genuine one but with a few small differences, notably the grammatical error in the first sentence

The genuine email contains a warning at the top which is missing from the fake version that states CommBank will not ask for private information such as a client ID or passcode in an email or SMS.

The genuine email also directs customers to login to NetBank or use their CommBank app to update their details, whereas the fake email contains a button directly in the email.

The button is a step up for the fraudsters by hiding an obviously incorrect web address but having a link in the email itself should ring alarm bells.

Customers can also click reply to see what address the email was sent from which will usually be very different from an official address.

Lastly, while the spelling is an improvement over some previous attempts by scammers, there is a grammatical error in the first sentence which is a surefire way to spot a fake.

A CommBank representative confirmed to Ms Felgate the email was a fake

'This is not a genuine CommBank message - please delete and do not disclose any personal banking information.'

The spokesperson said the email was forwarded to the in-house Security Team for investigation.

They also noted customers can report scams to CommBank's 24/7 Cyber Security Centre by forwarding and email to to hoax@cba.com.au.

Delete the email afterwards and do not click any links, they said.

For anyone who has clicked on a suspected scam link, they should call the bank immediately to let them know so the account can be locked.
A tradesman claims he took a photo of a so-called 'death wall' covered in grisly scrawled images and warnings inside the house of suspected poison mushroom cook Erin Patterson.

After Ms Patterson, 48, hosted a lunch at her home Leongatha, in Victoria's southeast Gippsland region, on July 29, three of her in-laws died of suspected mushroom poisoning while a fourth man remains in a coma.

A tradesman has come forward to say he was paid to remove disturbing graffiti from the interior wall of a home in Korumburra, 15km from Leongatha, that Erin and her now estranged husband Simon Patterson were selling after they split up.

It's believed that they had previously lived there with their two children.

The house in Korumburra, where a tradie said he took a picture of a 'death wall' covered in macabre images and statements before painting it over

Erin Patterson is pictured outside her home last week and has denied any wrongdoing after the suspected poisonings

The tradie painted over the graffiti, which was to the left of the door seen above

The tradesman says he was tasked with removing the imagery and words last year because the couple was preparing to sell the home, which fetched a price of $545,000 last August.

The images, which Daily Mail Australia has seen, include pictures of grave stones and bizarre scribbles with themes of death and destruction drawn in black and red ink - the latter used to symbolise blood.

'It was disturbing. We called it the death wall,' the tradie said.

'They were done by their (the Pattersons') daughter. It is pretty disturbing for mum to let the kids draw on their dining room wall.'

The poster-sized drawings featured two tombstones with daggers and decapitated heads, along with scribbles and dark quotes, including the words: 'You are dead by the sword'.

Another has the date 'August 1, 2021' with the words 'you will die within a year' written underneath.

Ian Wilkinson and Heather Wilkinson (both pictured) became severely ill after they ate wild mushrooms. Mrs Wilkinson died while her husband remains in a critical condition in hospital

Gail and Don Patterson died after eating the mushrooms. Erin was previously married to their son, Simon

The tradesman, who does not wish to named, said it took six coats of paint to cover the scrawlings. Another person who saw the images described them as 'satanic'.

Ms Patterson had intended to use the meal as reconciliation with her estranged husband Simon, but he pulled out at the last minute.

Simon's parents Gail and Don Patterson died after eating the meal - a beef wellington - while his aunt Heather also died.

Heather's husband, 68-year-old church pastor Ian Wilkinson, is in a coma at Melbourne's Austin hospital.

Ms Patterson, a stay-at-home mum who has previously worked editing a Korumburra newsletter, says she bought the suspected toxic fungi at a supermarket and an Asian grocery store, and was herself hospitalised after eating the lunch.

Her children did were not present at the lunch and went to the movies instead. They ate leftovers the next day, but the mushrooms were scraped off as they don't like them.

Ms Patterson told police she became unwell after eating the meal too, and that while she was in hospital, her ex-husband Simon accused her of poisoning his parents.

She said she was 'discussing the food hydrator' she used to prepare the meal when her ex-husband asked: 'Is that what you used to poison them?'

In a panic, Erin has admitted that she then dumped the dehydrator at a nearby tip.

Food dehydrators are used to dry out mushrooms before using them in beef wellingtons.

The dehydrator has been found by police and a source close to the investigation told The Age police were conducting forensic tests on the dehydrator - which was found at a nearby tip.

In a written statement sent to Victoria Police on Friday  and obtained by the ABC  Ms Patterson expressed hurt that people 'were so quick to rush to judgement.'

Simon Patterson was supposed to join his parents for the lunch that killed them but pulled out at the last minute

'I am now wanting to clear up the record because I have become extremely stressed and overwhelmed by the deaths of my loved ones,' Ms Patterson said.

'I am hoping this statement might help in some way. I believe if people understood the background more, they would not be so quick to rush to judgement.

'I am now devastated to think that these mushrooms may have contributed to the illness suffered by my loved ones. I really want to repeat that I had absolutely no reason to hurt these people whom I loved.'

She had earlier given a no comment interview to police at the start of their investigations, blaming her decision to stonewall cops on it being a 'terrifying and anxiety-provoking' experience.

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.

The above family tree shows the connections between the Pattersons and Wilkinsons embroiled in the unusual poisoning tragedy in Leongatha

'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 mysterious serious stomach complaint in June, 2022.

He fell into a coma and was in ICU for 21 days in a case which baffled doctors.

An Austin Hospital source told Daily Mail Australia that Mr Wilkinson is expected to need an urgent liver transplant and likely also suffered major damage to his kidneys.

'I suspect he's going to come out of this because if they thought he was that unwell and they just needed the best intensive care, I reckon he'd be at The Alfred. He'll probably get a transplant. There's a chance he's already had one, but no-one will tell you that because it could identify the donor,' the source said.
Four young Aussie friends who went missing at sea during a surfing holiday in Indonesia have been found floating on surfboard, waiting for help to arrive.

Elliot Foote, his partner Steph Weisse and mates Will Teagle and Jordan Short were among a group of 12 Australians travelling on two wooden longboats between Nias Island and the Pinang Surf resort on the Banyak Islands, off the west coast of the mainland.

The two vessels ran into bad weather during the 50km voyage on Sunday, which usually takes around three hours.

One of the boats found refuge on Sarang Alu, an island halfway from their destination, but the boat carrying four Australians and three Indonesian crew members continued to attempt to make the crossing despite the treacherous conditions.

Rescuers spent most of Monday night frantically searching in bad weather before Steph, Will and Jordan were found alive and well in waters off Indonesia's westernmost islands on Tuesday morning.

Elliot's father Peter Foote, was speaking with reporters at the time while remaining hopeful that his son would also be found.

Confirmation came that Elliot had also been found shortly afterwards with Mr Foote receiving a text message moments later.

'Hey Dad, Elliot here. I am alive, safe now, love you. Chat later,' his son had texted.

A relieved Mr Foote is now keen to speak to Elliot as soon as possible.

'I still want to talk to him. I'm happy, you know, I'm happy like I can talk now, you know, I'm not gonna crack up and break down,' he said.

Four Australians who went missing on a charter boat off between Nias Island and the Pinang Surf Resort, on Pinang Island have been found (pictured: Elliot Foote and Steph Weisse)

'I don't know if I can celebrate. He's put me through too much pain to celebrate.

'I've aged in the last two days, 100 per cent.'

He has been told his son is en route back to Penang Island, where he'll be reunited with his partner Steph and mates.

He had became separated from the trio when he paddled to an island on his surfboard to seek help.

Mr Foote hopes to get a call from Elliot later on Tuesday.

'He'll hook up with his mates and hopefully grab a phone that works and give me a call from there,' he said.

'They'll be calling off the search now and Elliot will be on his way back to the island, they'll all regroup and get healthy and probably have a great night tonight.'

Mr Foote set up a base camp from his Bronte home on Monday while keeping in frequent contact with authorities involved in the search and rescue efforts.

It's understood an Australian expat volunteering in the search efforts for the group was the one to find missing Aussies.

They've been in the water a long time, I don't know how they're going to be health-wise,' Mr Foote said.

'But they're found, they're alive, they're well. It's all good, it's fantastic news. It's unbelievable actually, I'm so stoked about that.'

He also thanked Australia for the outpouring of support.

The boat has not yet been located and it remains unclear whether the local crew members on board had been found.

Aussies Jordan Short and Will Teagle have also been found

Peter Foote (pictured) was speaking to the media at his home when confirmation came through that his son Elliot had also been found, along with his three friends

The group of 12 were all friends who were celebrating Elliot's 30th birthday.

They were intending to travel to the island to rent exclusive bungalows and surf for 10 days.

Hours before they went missing, Elliot revealed on social media that it was 'so good' to be back in Indonesia.

'Soho gulah Sorake  so good being back in Indo after so many years. Sharing waves with mates and the queen,' he posted on Instagram.

'Starting the trip off with hiking in the North Sumatran jungle and seeing Orangutan's was an amazing experience and something that I look forward to doing again for a longer time and going deeper.

'Bukit Lawang is a beautiful spot with such kind people.'

The four Aussies were found hours after their frantic families put out a statement on Monday night via the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

'Our hearts are aching at the thought that Elliot, Steph, Will and Jordan are missing at sea,' they said.

'We continue to pray and hold out hope they will be found.

'We'd like to thank the Indonesian authorities and the Australian government for their ongoing assistance while search and rescue efforts continue.'

Initial search parties were launched by the Pinang resort and local authorities first this Monday morning.

The group were among a group of 12 Australians across two wooden longboats travelling between Nias Island and the Pinang Surf resort on the Banyak Islands, off the west coast of the mainland, when the vessel struck bad weather on Sunday

Elliot Foote (pictured with girlfriend Steph Weisse) texted his father shortly after being rescued on Tuesday

The group were staying at the exclusive Pinang Surf resort (pictured)

Indonesian National Search and Rescue agency Nias Island chief Octavianto said a rescue team of more than 20 police, military and volunteers utilised small boats to battle heavy weather in further attempts to find the Aussies.

'Last night the Pinang Resort reported that a speedboat with 10 passengers had arrived in Pinang Island (at around 10.18pm local time), while another speedboat with seven people on board had not arrived yet,' he said.

'We've deployed three ships, and they are now moving towards the location for search and rescue.

'However, the issue is that the (missing vessel) is a basic wooden boat without any tracking devices or the like.'

Pinang island is known for its seclusion, stunning scenery and world-class surf breaks (pictured, Jordan Short)

Poor weather and visibility has so far hindered the ability of search parties to locate the missing Aussies (pictured, Steph Weisse)

Pinang island is known for its seclusion, stunning scenery and world-class surf breaks.

It costs USD$150 per night to stay on the island for a 'self-sufficient' bungalow, that provides 'daily surf trips to the Bay of Plenty or Bangkaru Island, plus transfer from and back to Nias airport'.

'Our friend and surf guide will take you around to all the best spots,' the resort's website reads.

Guests on the island receive an inclusive breakfast, lunch and dinner and access to 'snorkelling, fishing, spearfishing, SUP and kayaking.

The resort's website states they are booked out between August 13 and August 23, believed to be the party of 10 Australians.

It also provides travel to the island from Nias, the website stating they will 'be picked up and whisked off to our island by speedboat'.
All pubs and clubs in New South Wales will be fined if they haven't stripped their venue of gambling signs by September 1.

The crackdown on gambling signage was a NSW Labor election promise following the use of 'loophole' language around the state.

Under the new law the words 'VIP Room', 'VIP Lounge', 'Golden Room', 'Golden Lounge', 'Player's Room' and 'Players Lounge' cannot be displayed outside venues.

Pictures of dragons, coins and lightning motifs have also been banned.

'Loophole' phrases advertising gambling outside pubs and clubs in NSW will be banned from September 1 (pictured, a pub with the soon-to-be-banned phrase 'VIP Lounge'

NSW gamblers lost $4.6billion on the pokies last year (pictured, gambler playing the pokies)

Venues busted with the banned names and images from September 1 will be fined $11,000 per offence.

Pubs and clubs that are unable to remove signage due to reasons beyond their control will be given an extra three months to comply before a zero-tolerance policy is enforced.

Data from Liquor and Gaming found NSW gamblers lost $4.6billion on the pokies last year, $642million more than the previous pre-Covid record in 2018.

Minister for Gaming and Racing David Harris in May said the removal of the signage is an important part of gambling harm-minimisation measures.

'The facades of pubs and clubs across the state are littered with signs such as 'VIP Lounge' to alert those walking or driving by that they have gaming machines,' he said.

'Some of these signs are extremely prominent and can be seen by children and members of the community who are at risk of gambling harm.'

'While there are already laws in place that prohibit gaming related signage, venue operators have circumvented these by advertising "VIP Lounges".

'We are putting an end to this loophole for the health and wellbeing of our communities.'

Under the new law the words 'VIP Room', 'VIP Lounge' (above), 'Golden Room', 'Golden Lounge', 'Player's Room' and 'Players Lounge' cannot be displayed outside venues

As part of NSW Labor's gambling reforms, it will also run a trial on 500 'cashless' pokies machines.

The machines will use a cashless gaming card in an effort to reduce criminal money laundering networks who use gambling dens to 'clean' cash.

The trial was previously set to begin on July 1 but was delayed.
Terrifying footage has captured the moment masked men armed with a machete attempted to steal a teen's bicycle after a social media sale went awry.

Dandenong Crime Investigation Unit detectives are now appealing for information over the attempted robbery in the Melbourne suburb of Springvale South last week.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said a teenager, 16, agreed to meet a man at a park on the corner of Springvale and Heatherton roads about 5.30pm on August 8.

Two men produced a machete when the victim got out of the car to do the sale and tried to steal the bicycle from the back of the car

He had agreed to sell a bike to the man.

Upon arriving at the park and stepping out of a car, two men produced a large machete and tried to steal the bicycle from the back of the car the teenager was in.

Video footage captured one of the men attempting to open the back of the car while brandishing the deadly weapon.

Both fled empty-handed when confronted by the teen's driver.

No one was injured, the spokeswoman said.

Two men produced a machete when the victim got out of the car to do the sale and tried to steal the bicycle from the back of the car

Victoria Police are appealing for information and released video footage of two men they believe will be able to assist with their inquiries.

They are believed to be in their teens, approximately 170cm tall and were wearing full face coverings and non-distinctive clothing.

Anyone who witnessed the incident, has dashcam/CCTV footage or information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
A Malaysia Airlines passenger who allegedly went on a heated rant before being arrested by federal police has delayed his first court appearance by nearly three hours by refusing to leave his cell.

Muhammad Ali Arif, 55, was charged by Australian Federal Police after allegedly claiming to have 'dangerous' items and calling himself a 'slave of Allah' during a flight on Monday night.

Flight MH122 to Kuala Lumpur made an emergency return to Sydney Airport and passengers were forced to wait onboard for several hours.

Arif was set to appear before Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court via video link on Tuesday morning but would not leave his cell.

'Apparently he's refusing to come out,' Magistrate Greg Grogin said.

'They would have to extract him if he's to come before the court.'

Muhammad Ali Arif (left) refused to leave his cell on Tuesday after allegedly causing a plane headed to Kuala Lumpur from Sydney to turn around

Arif (above) unexpectedly arranged his own private representation and delayed his first court hearing by nearly three hours

A Legal Aid lawyer was in the courtroom awaiting Arif's appearance when the court was told he has unexpectedly arranged his own private representation.

When the matter returned to court in the afternoon, Arif's solicitor Mostafa Daoudie said his client was suffering from serious mental health issues.

He requested Magistrate Grogin order a mental health assessment.

Mr Daoudie told the court that one of his colleagues spoke to Arif on Tuesday morning and he 'didn't seem to understand the situation he's in' and the charges he was facing.

He also said Arif had refused again to leave his cell to speak with him.

Mr Daoudie asked for the matter to be stood down for a few hours so he could go to Surry Hills Police Station to speak to his client in person.

Arif was charged for making a false statement and not complying with directions.

If found guilty and convicted, he faces a potential maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of over $15,000 for the two offences.

Arif, a dual Pakistani-Australian citizen, was arrested at Sydney Airport at about 7pm on Monday and spent the night in custody.

Witnesses onboard flight MH122 from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur alleged Arif began claiming he had 'something dangerous' inside his bag about 45 minutes into the trip.

'I think for a lot of people it would have been quite disturbing. They would be quite traumatised by it. There were children, babies, it was quite scary,' passenger Edo Kahn, who runs charity A Sound Life, said after leaving the plane.

'He then reached into his bag and pulled out the Koran.'

Arif (above) was charged with two counts of making a false statement and not complying with directions following a flight on Monday night

Flight MH122 from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur was forced to return to Sydney after Arif allegedly claimed to be in possession of 'dangerous' items

Members of the flight crew subsequently examined the bag but did not find anything dangerous inside.

The plane landed in Sydney shortly before 4pm and was isolated at the end of a runway.

Passengers were moved to another area of the Airbus-A330 and were finally evacuated after Arif was arrested, about three hours later.

READ MORE: Malaysia Airlines flight is forced to turn back after passenger's crazed outburst Advertisement

All flights in and out of Sydney were grounded for hours due, sparking massive travel delays.

Several passengers onboard the flight said they received little to no information from cabin crew as the flight was grounded.

One woman said her children were very frightened and kept asking her, 'What's happening Mummy?'.

'We were waiting for that to happen the police have done a great job they have a protocol to follow, I understand, so it's not easy,' the mother said.

'They did the best, the bomb squad, all these people but it could have been faster and better.'

Passenger Fiona Roux said the worst thing about the situation was the lack of information.

'We knew the plane was turning around. We could see it on the inflight screen,' she said.

'The commotion was on and off. (It was) not alarming. When I really understood what was going on it was the landing and the abrupt stop.'

Like many of her fellow passengers, Ms Roux 'found out what was actually happening' through media reports.

The plane landed in Sydney shortly before 4pm and was isolated at the end of a runway, passengers waited onboard for several hours (pictured, the plane's flight path)

Another passenger, Kira Burrows, said she has given up on her planned trip.

'I don't feel like sitting on another plane, so my husband is picking me up. I'm going home,' she said.

Ms Burrows, said the main problem was 'not knowing (what was happening). The staff were incredible they were trying to keep everyone calm.

'We were just on there way too long in my opinion,' she said.

A video taken onboard the plane showed Arif being confronted by an air steward before a bizarre exchange.

A traveller on board the flight captioned the video: 'Sydney Airport is suffering at the hands of this lunatic.

'Praying for everyone's safety and well being. Where is airport security? It's been well over an hour since the plane has landed back!'

Another passenger also tweeted: 'This guy should have been stopped at the gate before boarding, his actions were unsettling from start.'

He added: 'Flight got diverted back to Sydney due this random idiot who started threatening staff and passengers.

Arif (left) was arrested at Sydney Airport at around 7pm on Monday and spent the night in custody

In a statement, Malaysia Airlines said: 'In the interests of safety, the commander of the flight made the decision to return to Sydney.

'The flight, carrying 194 passengers and five crew onboard, landed safely at 3.47pm hours.

'The safety and comfort of our crew and passengers are of utmost importance to Malaysia Airlines.'
A young Australian woman living in the U.S. who complained about the number of American flags displayed across the country has drawn a rebuke from one of America's top politicians.

In a video shared to TikTok, Mia Chloe wanders along a suburban street and expresses her objection to what she considers an excessive display of patriotism.

'I'm just gonna say it... there are too many American flags,' she said.

'They're on houses, they're on cars... saw them on couch cushions...'

An Aussie living in the U.S. has had enough of seeing American flags everywhere she goes

Mia, who goes by handle @meanderwithmedia, on TikTok, compared the visibility of national flags in the U.S. compared to Australia.

'You're the only country that I know that does this,' she remarked.

'The only time I've seen an Australian flag is on the [Sydney] Harbour Bridge... [I] could not tell you what it looks like.'

'I know it's, like, blue and it's got some stars on it,' she added.

'I think I could draw the American flag from memory... I think I can make a bloody sculpture out of it.

'That's how many bloody times I've seen it.'

The fed-up Aussie urged Americans to 'pull back' on putting up flags everywhere.

'It's enough,' she said. 'Let's stay humble.'

The fed-up Aussie urged Americans to 'pull back' on putting up flags everywhere

The woman's TikTok video caught the attention of Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who had a blunt message for the young Aussie.

'Go back to Australia,' he tweeted in response to the video, adding a series of U.S. flag emojis.

It appears the woman's TikTok account has since been deactivated after the backlash.

The woman's TikTok video caught the attention of Texas Governor Greg Abbott (pictured), who had a blunt message for the young Aussie

The video, reposted on Twitter by the influential right-wing account Libs of TikTok, racked up plenty of comments.

'I'm going to put out another flag,' one American wrote.

'Merica baby'!' added another.

However, some agreed with the Aussie's views.

'As a person who was born in Houston, I respect this,' one said.

'It's not just America's love for the USA - it's a culture of broad-patriotism,' another wrote.

One person said they understood her confusion because flag-waving patriotism is not so common Down Under.

'People wearing the college teams or the high school mascot shirts. Being proud of your town, your organisations, your church, your clubs - doesn't exist in Australia,' they tweeted.
Former President Donald Trump was charged Monday night in his fourth criminal indictment - this one pertaining to the aftermath of the 2020 election in Georgia.

Trump has been charged with 13 counts pertaining to alleged election interference, election fraud and racketeering.

He was charged alongside 18 alleged co-conspirators, whose names range from high-profile members of the Trump apparatus to local officials, publicists and religious leaders.

In the indictment, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis highlighted the phone call during which Trump urged the state's secretary of state Brad Raffensperger to 'find' votes for him, as well as the convening of the alternate slate of Georgia electors who pledged their loyalty to Trump over Joe Biden.

The 98-page indictment describes the group as 'a criminal organization whose members and associates engaged in various related criminal activities including, but not limited to, false statements and writings, impersonating a public officer, forgery, filing false documents, influencing witnesses, computer theft, computer trespass, computer invasion of privacy, conspiracy to defraud the state, acts involving theft, and perjury.'

Now, Dailymail.com takes a look at the co-conspirators charged in Trump's fourth criminal indictment.

Former President Donald Trump is facing his fourth indictment Monday night - he was charged with 13 counts by a Georgia grand jury

A 41-count indictment was handed down to Trump and 18 of his co-conspirators by a Grand Jury in Fulton County on Monday night

Trump was named as the lead defendant and charged with 13 counts related to the aftermath of the 2020 election in Georgia

Donald Trump

Former President Donald Trump was charged with 13 counts by a Georgia grand jury for his role in attempting to overturn his electoral defeat in Georgia in 2020.

Some of the charges, in addition to three other indictments he is currently fighting, include conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree, conspiracy to commit false statements and writing, filing false documents, and violating the Georgia RICO Act.

The RICO Act charge - which stands for Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations - is applied to each of the 19 defendants listed in the indictment.

Rudy Giuliani

Trump's former personal lawyer spent several post-election months pushing the claim, in various legal settings, that the election had been stolen from then-President Trump.

Giuliani is the only defendant listed who is charged with as many counts as Trump. In addition to the RICO charge, the former Mayor of New York City is charged multiple times with solicitation of violation of oath of a public officer, making false statements and writings, and conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer.

Many of the charges filed against Giuliani overlap with those filed against Trump.

Rudy Giuliani during his infamous hair dye press conference in November of 2020. In his capacity as Trump's personal attorney, Giuliani toured the country attempting to present a legal case about the allegedly stolen election

John Eastman

Eastman, a conservative lawyer, who championed some of the novel approaches taken by Trump's legal team in the wake of the 2020 election that could have potentially stopped the certification of the election, was charged with nine counts, including filing false documents.

The former dean of California's Chapman University law school is also currently fighting to keep his law license, as the state bar of California seeks to revoke it because of his involvement with Trump's attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Donald Trump poses at the White House with conservative attorney John Eastman, who is currently fighting to keep his California law license. The state bar is attempting to revoke it due to his participation in Trump's post-2020 election fight

Mark Meadows

Trump's former and final White House Chief of Staff, Meadows is charged with two counts including the RICO charge. He is also facing one count of false statements and writings.

Until Monday, Meadows had managed to avoid serious legal repercussions during the massive legal fallout of Trump's post-2020 election behavior. Meadows was not one of the unindicted co-conspirators in federal prosecutor's Jack Smith's case against Trump.

Mark Meadows - Trump's final White House Chief of Staff - had until Monday avoided becoming legally entangled with his former boss's running list of indictments

Kenneth Chesebro

Chesebro, another former Trump attorney, is widely credited with hatching the plot to halt the certification of the Electoral College - he called the plan a 'bold, controversial strategy.'

He later said Vice President Mike Pence, who famously did not feel he had the authority to halt the certification on January 6, should recuse himself from the process and hand responsibility to a Trump ally in the Senate.

He was charged Monday with seven counts, including conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer and conspiracy to commit forgery.

Trump attorney Kenneth Chesebro was charged with seven counts Monday. He is widely credited with masterminding the legal plot to halt the certification of the Electoral College in Congress

Jeffrey Clark

A former senior member of Trump's Department of Justice, Clark sought to use the power of federal law enforcement to help overturn Donald Trump's 2020 defeat.

In the recently unveiled federal indictment against Trump, Clark is portrayed as a key figure in the effort to bypass the then-acting attorney general to ultimately swap in an alternate slate of pro-Trump electors.

He was charged Monday in Georgia with two counts, including criminal attempt to commit false statements and writings.

A former senior member of Trump's Department of Justice, Clark sought to use the power of federal law enforcement to help overturn Donald Trump's 2020 defeat

Jenna Ellis

Ellis was part of what she one time dubbed an 'elite strike force team' of attorneys - including Giuliani and Sidney Powell - who appeared at public hearings across the country to claim the election had been stolen by way of voter fraud.

Ellis was charged Monday night with two counts. She is currently a vocal supporter of Ron DeSantis's campaign to become the Republican nominee for president in 2024.

Jenna Ellis - a former member of Trump's personal legal team - and currently a staunch backer of Ron DeSantis' presidential bid - was charged with two counts on Monday

Ray Smith III

Ray Smith was the attorney representing Trump in the 2020 election challenges in Georgia. He is accused of advancing false claims of election fraud at a legislative hearing in the state.

He is charged with 12 counts in the indictment, including several counts of false statements and writings.

Ray Smith III pictured here at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta during an election hearing on December 3, 2020. He is charged with making false claims at a legislative session

Robert Cheeley

Atlanta-based attorney Bob Cheeley is yet another attorney who took up the Trump cause, only to now find himself charged in the latest criminal indictment.

Cheeley is a longtime Georgia plaintiff's attorney, who had acted as a lead lawyer in litigation related to the 2020 election. He too has been charged based on allegedly false statements made at a Georgia legislative hearing, where he asserted that some Georgia election workers were double- and triple-counting votes.

He is charged with ten counts, including perjury.

Robert Cheeley was handed ten counts, including perjury. He allegedly asserted that some Georgia election workers were double- and triple-counting votes

Michael Roman

A former senior Trump campaign staffer, Roman has been charged with the seven most commonly occurring counts seen across the indictment.

He is essentially believed to have played a significant role in the plot to replace Georgia's slate of electors with pro-Trump representatives.

A former senior Trump campaign staffer, Michael Roman is believed to have helped execute on the plan to replace the slate of Georgia electors with pro-Trump options

David Shafer

A former state senator and the former chair of the Georgia Republican Party, Shafer cast himself as the 'chairperson' of the Electoral College of Georgia. He subsequently filed 16 alternate electoral votes for Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence.

He is charged with eight counts including forgery in the first degree and attempting to file false documents.

The former chair of the Georgia Republican Party, David Shafer has also been charged in relation to the alternative slate of electoral representatives from Georgia

Shawn Still

A Georgia state senator who became one of the fake electors who planned on voting to keep Trump in office.

He was charged with eight counts, including impersonating a public officer and forgery in the first degree.

Shawn Still, a Georgia state senator, was one of the alternate Georgia electors who was working to keep Trump in office another term

Stephen Lee

Lee is a Lutheran pastor from Illinois who is among those charged with the alleged effort to intimidate Atlanta election workers.

He is facing five counts, including influencing witnesses and conspiracy to commit election fraud.

Stephen Lee is a Lutheran pastor from the Midwest, who is believed to have been part of an effort to intimidate Atlanta election workers

Harrison Floyd

A former mixed martial arts fighter who, at one point, led a group called 'Black Voices for Trump,' he is accused of participating in the effort to intimidate Atlanta election workers.

He is charged with three counts including influencing witnesses.

A former mixed martial arts fighter who once led a group called 'Black Voices for Trump,' Harrison Floyd is among those believed to have engaged in efforts to intimidate Atlanta election workers

Trevian Kutti

A former publicist for the artist formerly known as Kanye West, Kutti is now accused of taking part in the plot to pressure Fulton County election workers into falsely saying they had committed election fraud in 2020.

She is charged with the same three counts as Lloyd.

A former publicist for Kanye 'Ye' West, Trevian Kutti was allegedly part of a plot in Fulton County to pressure an election worker into falsely admitting they committed fraud during the 2020 election

Sidney Powell

Perhaps best known for the stories she spun about Dominion Voting Systems, Powell is another one of the 'strike force' lawyers who toured the country unsuccessfully pitching a voter fraud theory to any and all legal bodies.

She is credited with being one of the loudest voices advising Trump to fight to overturn the election and fast became associated with her promise that she would 'release the kraken' - referring to evidence that the election had been stolen.

She is charged with seven counts including several counts of conspiracy to commit election fraud.

Sidney Powell is credited with being one of the loudest voices advising Trump to fight to overturn the election and fast became associated with her promise that she would 'release the kraken' - referring to evidence that the election had been stolen

Cathleen Latham

Latham is the former head of the Republican Party in Coffee County, Georgia. She was allegedly involved in an effort to replication sensitive election software in January 2021 and fork it over to various Trump team members.

She was also one of the 16 people who agreed to be an alternate pro-Trump Georgia elector.

She is charged with 11 counts, including forgery, impersonating a public officer and conspiracy to commit computer theft.

Cathleen Latham is the former head of the Coffee County, Georgia Republican Party. She was allegedly involved in an effort by pro-Trump forces to copy sensitive election software in January 2021

Scott Hall

An Atlanta-area bail bondsman and staunch Trump supporter, Scott Hall was charged with five counts that include conspiracy to commit election fraud and a handful of computer-related charges.

He is accused of taking part in a scheme to allow Trump allies access to Coffee County election equipment.

Bail bondsman Scott Hall is alleged to have helped Trump supporters access election equipment in rural Coffee County, Georgia

Misty Hampton

Misty Hampton, also known as Emily Misty Hayes, is a former election supervisor of Coffee County, Georgia. She is suspected of helping Trump supporters access the county's voting equipment.

Hayes is charged with six counts, including conspiracy to defraud the state, conspiracy to commit election fraud, and conspiracy to commit computer invasion of privacy
An Australian tourist is fighting for his life in hospital after collapsing outside his hotel in Bali.

Artemiy 'Toma' Stakhanov, 26, is currently being treated in the intensive care unit after he fell outside his Kuta hotel on Thursday.

He had only been in Bali for two weeks before he was put into an induced coma.

Doctors believe Mr Stakhanov has alcohol poisoning after he presented with symptoms including respiratory distress, low glucose and high blood potassium.

His distraught mother Svetlana Coulson and his friend Leilani Reid, 25, have flown to the holiday island to be by the side of their loved one.

Aussie tourist Artemiy 'Toma' Stakhanov (pictured) is fighting for his life in hospital after collapsing outside his hotel in Bali

'He's improved phenomenally since we got here, from when I flew in on Thursday to today,' Ms Reid told PerthNow.

'They're planning to start the day by day process on taking him off sedation and the ventilator support.'

'He's got no more respiratory distress. The internal bleeding is no longer showing up.

'Hopefully the recovery happens quicker than what they're telling us...if we can get him in the care of Australia, that'd be great.'

Ms Reid revealed medical costs had already been piling up with the family owing $37,000 for his treatment.

A GoFundMe page has been launched, with more than $6,500 raised so far.

Ms Reid spoke about the significant medical costs and expenses in trying to get Mr Stakhanov back home to Australia.

Mr Stakhanov is currently being treated in the intensive care unit. He presented to hospital with symptoms including respiratory distress, low glucose and high blood potassium

'We were thankfully able to find a transport service at a significantly cheaper rate for $65k and are planning to fly him home on Thursday,' Ms Reid wrote in an update on the page.

'The cost of hospital bills continue to increase daily and we expect more expenses once back in Australia.'

Mr Stakhanov, who resides in the Perth suburb of Morley, is a big part of the dance and music community.

It comes just weeks after a New Zealand man became violently ill from methanol poisoning from bootleg alcohol in Bali.

The man experienced difficulty breathing, incoherence, and convulsions after a night out drinking with his partner and friends. He has since recovered.
Footage of a massive felled native Australian tree being trucked out from Tasmania's old growth forests has sparked outrage online.

The video shot at Maydena in the Florentine Valley shows a section of the huge trunk of what is understood to be a Eucalyptus regnans, the second tallest tree species in the world after the California Redwood, taking up the entire trailer.

Conservationist and former Greens leader Bob Brown called the logging of pristine forests 'globally shameful'.

'Just days ago this wonder of nature, centuries old but still unimaginably strong and youthful, was alive and a natural wonder,' he said.

'Today the tree's death is a national disgrace: it was publicly subsidised and entirely unnecessary.'

'With it has gone the birds, mammals and other wildlife which for centuries have lived in and around that tree. It's destruction is despicable official vandalism.'

Video of the giant native tree being hauled out of Tasmania's old growth forest has caused uproar (pictured)

Dr Brown, who lives in Tasmania and has spent decades fighting to protect the state's old growth forests, said most of the tree remained 'on the forest floor' and will be burned by Forestry Tasmania.

Tasmania's timber industry is worth more than $1billion and provides thousands of jobs in the state.

Sustainable Timber Tasmania (STT), as Forestry Tasmania recently rebranded itself, is owned by the Tasmanian Government but functions as a private business.

The business said on Tuesday the tree was felled for 'safety reasons'.

'On occasion, it may be necessary for Sustainable Timber Tasmania to remove a large tree where it presents an access or safety risk,' Suzette Weeding, general manager for conservation and land management said.

Ms Weeding said all decisions are documented within the company and where possible timber product is recovered, as it was in this case.

'Regarding the reported single log observed on a truck travelling from the Derwent Valley, Sustainable Timber Tasmania can confirm that the tree was assessed recently and felled as part of harvesting operations at FO020B for safety reasons.'

Ms Weeding said FO020B is a 27 hectare area in the Florentine region which is logged in accordance with a Forest Practices Plan which is a legal requirement under the Forest Practices Act.

Under the plan, tree measurements are documented to ensure 'appropriate management prescriptions' are followed.

'No giant trees were verified within the harvest boundary. Giant trees are defined as trees that are at least 85 metres tall or at least 280 cubic metres estimated stem volume.

'Sustainable Timber Tasmania is confident that current operations are in accordance with the certified Forest Practices Plan.'

Here I am in the valley where this tree was taken from, indulging in the beauty and wonder of these magnificent trees. I wonder if I hugged the one they took....



Stop murdering ancient trees!!!#DoingItForTheForest#StopNativeLogging#SavetheTrees pic.twitter.com/QibZ4mok7z  VioletCoCo (@VioletCoCo5) August 15, 2023

Conservationist group The Tree Projects wrote on Monday that: 'Sustainable Timber Tasmania has moved into logging area FO020b in the Florentine Valley.'

'This site had many trees over 80m tall, just short of the 85m required for protection. All of these trees qualified for STTs 'Large Tree Retention' meaning trees over 2.5m in diameter will be retained where 'operationally possible'.

The Wilderness Society has previously questioned other large trees that were felled within the area, many with trunk diametres they claimed were more than 2.5 metres.

Euan Ritchie, Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from Deakin University, called it an 'utter environmental travesty' and asked what people might say 'if this tree was instead a whale'.

Dr Brown attended the Florentine Valley on Tuesday in protest and lamented the 'forest of giants' is being turned into a 'pile of smashed branches and mud'.

Dr Brown visited the logging area on Tuesday and has called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to step in

He demanded Prime Minister Anthony Albanese travel to the area to see for himself and is calling for the issue to be addressed at Labor's National Conference on Wednesday.

'This week's national Labor conference should put an end to such deeply unpopular forest destruction, just as Malcolm Fraser ended whaling in 1978,' he said.

Victoria has pledged to end the logging of native forests by December 2023, WA has committed to its end by January 2024 and it is due to end in southeast Queensland from 2025.

The remainder of Queensland along with NSW and Tasmania currently have no commitment to end native logging.
Trevian Kutti was charged for allegedly pressuring Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman in January of 2021

A publicist for Kanye West was charged in the Donald Trump indictment after being found tied to intimidation of election workers, prosecutors say.

Trevian Kutti was charged for allegedly pressuring Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman in January of 2021.

The 51-year-old went to the Georgia election worker's home to persuade her into admitting baseless election fraud accusations - or face arrest within 48 hours, prosecutors claimed.

She introduced herself as a 'crisis manager' who was sent by a 'high-profile individual' to manage crises.

The 62-year-old election volunteer said Kutti arrived unexpectedly at her door and introduced herself but didn't say she worked for West, a longtime billionaire friend of then-President Trump.

Trevian Kutti was charged for allegedly pressuring Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman in January of 2021

Kanye West's Chicago publicist Trevian Kutti, 51 (pictured together, left), met with Georgia election worker Ruby Freeman, 62, last year and urged her to confess to bogus voter fraud claims

Kutti - along with former president Trump - was among the 19 people charged on Monday in Fulton County, Georgia, for their alleged role in trying to overturn the 2020 election.

When Kutti arrived at Freeman's home on January 4, 2021 - two days before the US Capitol riots in Washington, DC - Freeman called 911. By then, Freeman said, she was wary of strangers.

Kutti told Freeman that she worked 'for some of the biggest names in the industry.'

Bodycam footage obtained by Reuters revealed Kutti offering to 'move' and 'secure' Freeman.

'We have probably have 48 hours in which to move you,' Kutti explained.

She said she would put in place a way to move Freeman from what 'may be secured over the next 48 hours.'

During a meeting between Kutti and Freeman at a police station, the publicist told the terrified woman that she had '48 hours' to be moved before 'federal people' get involved and arrest her

Kutti was working for West, who has long been a staunch ally of Donald Trump. She dubbed herself a 'crisis manager' but did not reveal her association with West, called Freeman 'a loose end'

The meeting between West's publicist and Kutti took place two months after West ended a failed bid for the White House

'I cannot say what specifically will take place,' Kutti is heard telling Freeman in the recording. 'I just know that it will disrupt your freedom,' she said, 'and the freedom of one or more of your family members.'

'Whether you choose not to deal with us, I am not your enemy,' Kutti added.

Freeman eventually grew suspicious of Kutti and refused to go along with her plan, telling her, 'the devil is a liar.'

Kutti described Freeman as 'a loose end for a party that needs to tidy up,' during the conversation on January 4.

'You are a loose end for a party that needs to tidy up,' Kutti continued. She added that 'federal people' were involved, without offering specifics.

Kutti told the police officer who was recording the footage that she was attempting to make Freeman feel comfortable.

'I want her to be comfortable, but I want her to advise her that there are federal people who are involved here, and I don't know who is connected to who,' she said to the officers. 'And I really need for her to be as nonchalant as possible.'
Poisonous mushroom chef Erin Patterson has finally spoken at length about the lethal family lunch at her Leongatha home which has left three relatives dead and a fourth fighting for life.

But while her leaked police statement answered some lingering questions about the baffling case, it also raised many more.

Erin Patterson invited her former parents-in-law Don and Gail Patterson, Gail's sister Heather and her pastor husband Ian to her property in Victoria's Gippsland region on July 29, for a slice of beef Wellington pie.

The meal is believed to have contained death cap mushrooms. Don, 70, Gail, 70, and Heather, 66, have since died and Ian is fighting for life in hospital awaiting a liver transplant.

As police investigate the case, the mysterious tragedy has been plagued by inconsistencies - from who was at the lunch, who fell sick, to when exactly she got rid of a vegetable dehydrator which has been seized by police.

Here, Daily Mail Australia looks at the outstanding contradictions between initial police and media reports and Erin's version of events.

Erin Patterson is pictured talking to reporters outside her Leongatha home, in Victoria's Gippsland region, last week

1. Who was present at the lunch

Homicide Squad Detective Inspector Dean Thomas addressed the media on August 7 to announce his police unit was looking into the three 'unexplained' deaths.

He said the four family members were invited to the home on July 29, where they had lunch with Erin and her two kids.

Inspector Thomas said the two children ate a different meal to the adults. He would not confirm which of the two meals Erin had eaten, but said that would form part of the investigation.

However, in Erin's statement tendered to police on Friday, she said the children were not present at the lunch and were at the movies instead.

She said the kids did eat the beef Wellington as leftovers for dinner the following night - but the mushrooms were scrapped off as the children don't like them.

2. Who fell sick

Last week, Inspector Thomas said the four guests fell sick after attending the lunch and presented to local hospitals around midnight that evening, suspecting they had gastro.

As their conditions deteriorated, they were transferred to Melbourne hospitals where medical staff noticed their symptoms were consistent with death cap mushroom poisoning.

Inspector Thomas said that Erin and her two children also presented to hospital as a precaution, but noted they did not have symptoms.

However, Erin has since said she was hospitalised with bad stomach pains and diarrhoea, put on a saline drip and given a 'liver protective drug', then later transferred to a hospital in Melbourne.

Gippsland Southern Health Service confirmed last Friday that a fifth individual, who initially came to Leongatha Hospital on July 30 with symptoms of possible food poisoning, later returned and was subsequently transferred to Monash Medical Centre on July 31.

It remains unclear when she was discharged from the Melbourne facility.

Gail and Don Patterson died after eating the mushrooms

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

Erin claims she bought the mushrooms from a two stores (pictured, foraged mushroom)

3. Where the mushrooms came from

Early last week, Erin spoke to reporters outside her home, where she denied any wrongdoing and said she was 'devastated' about the deaths.

However, when asked by reporters where she got the mushrooms and how they made their way into the meal, she fell silent.

Around the same time, it was reported Erin had told police initially that she bought the stores from a supermarket before giving a 'no comment' interview when called in for a second round of questioning.

But in her recent statement, Erin went into further detail about the source of the mushrooms and how they came to be in the meal.

Erin claimed the mushrooms were a mixture of button mushrooms from a supermarket chain and dried mushrooms she bought months ago from an Asian grocer in Melbourne.

She said the dried mushrooms purchased in Mount Waverley came in a package with a hand-written label and that she had passed on this information to the Victorian Department of Health when they contacted her after her guests fell ill.

Erin claimed the mushrooms were a mixture of button mushrooms from a supermarket chain and dried mushrooms she bought months ago from an Asian grocer in Melbourne

But she did not identify the particular store in her statement to police.

She said she handed the remnants of the dish on to the hospital for toxicology testing.

Erin said officials from the department later sent her photos of packages similar to those she described to confirm if they were the same as the type she had purchased.

However, Victoria's Health Department have confirmed there are no warnings out for any mushrooms for sale in the state.

Friends of the Patterson family have also told Daily Mail Australia she was an experienced mushroom forager and the family would pick fungi yearly.

Daily Mail Australia does not suggest Erin intentionally poisoned her four relatives, only that she is known to forage.

KEY POINTS OF ERIN'S POLICE STATEMENT 1. Erin admitted to originally lying to police and 'panicked' by dumping the food dehydrator at a nearby tip, amid fears she would lose custody of her children. 2. She said she actually did eat the beef wellington meal herself and was hospitalised and had to be transferred to Melbourne by ambulance 3. She claims she brought the mushrooms from a supermarket and an Asian grocery store in Melbourne. She was unable to verify which Asian grocer 4. Contrary to previous reports, Ms Patterson's two children didn't attend the lunch but ate leftovers from the following night with with the mushrooms taken out. 5. Ms Patterson insists she always had a positive and amicable bond with her former in-laws, even after the marriage with their son broke down Advertisement

4. The reason for the lunch

Daily Mail Australia revealed last week that Erin held the lunch in a bid to reconcile her marriage with Simon Patterson, the son of Don and Gail.

A source close to Simon said his mate, who has rarely been seen since the tragedy, had no interest in getting back together with the mother of his two children.

'They went to her house for a mediation to talk to the family. Simon was supposed to go there for lunch, but he pulled out [at] the last minute. Otherwise he would be in that death bed too,' the friend said last week.

'The people who died, Gail, Don and the Wilkinsons, were talking to them because they're heavily ingrained with the church and they wanted to make sure she was right to resume a relationship with Simon... she was basically petitioning to get back with him and the family didn't think that was a good move.

'They basically didn't think she was good enough for him in their eyes.

'This wasn't just a lunch; it was an intervention with the pastor as mediator. That's why this lunch happened.'

However, Erin claimed in her statement she had 'reluctantly' nursed her ex-husband back to health when he fell sick with a mystery illness last year, before telling him she did not want to get back together.

A source close to Simon said his mate, who has rarely been seen since the tragedy, had no interest in getting back together with the mother of his two children

5. When Simon pulled out of the lunch

Daily Mail Australia revealed last week that Simon was invited to the lunch but pulled out at the last minute.

'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.

However, Erin claims that is not entirely correct.

The mother-of-two has since said in her statement that Simon cancelled 'prior to the day'.

A source close to Simon (pictured), who has been in hiding since the tragedy, said his mate had no interest in getting back together with the mother of his two children

6. The food dehydrator

Last week, it was revealed police had seized a vegetable dehydrator found dumped at a tip near Erin's home.

The device is undergoing forensic testing to determine whether it was used in the preparation of the meal.

In the statement, Erin also admitted to lying to police about a vegetable dehydrator she dumped at the local tip, which has been seized for forensic examination.

Erin said while she had told officers she dropped it off there 'a long time ago', she actually got rid of it in the days after the lunch.

She said she was at the hospital discussing the food dehydrator with her two kids when her ex-husband Simon asked: 'Is that what you used to poison them?'

Erin said the accusation made her panic and she disposed of the device, fearing she may lose custody of the couple's children.

Pictured: The rubbish tip where a dehydrator was found by police

Why did Erin decide to make a statement to police now?

Writing to police, Erin said she gave the no comment interview on the advice of a lawyer, who is no longer representing her, and that she found the questioning process 'terrifying and anxiety provoking'.

She said she now regrets that decision and wanted to finally speak out to set her side of the story straight after what she claims was wildly incorrect media reporting.

'I am now wanting to clear up the record because I have become extremely stressed and overwhelmed by the deaths of my loved ones,' Erin said.

'I now very much regret not answering some questions following this advice given the nightmare that this process has become.

'I am hoping this statement might help in some way. I believe if people understood the background more, they would not be so quick to rush to judgement.

'I am now devastated to think that these mushrooms may have contributed to the illness suffered by my loved ones. I really want to repeat that I had absolutely no reason to hurt these people whom I loved.'
Georgia prosecutors late Monday indicted former President Donald Trump and 18 associates over efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state. Here is a look at key dates for the investigation:

____

Nov. 3, 2020: General election.

Nov. 7, 2020: Democrat Joe Biden declared winner in presidential race, defeating incumbent Republican President Donald Trump.

Nov. 9, 2020: Georgia U.S. Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, both facing runoff elections in January, call for the resignation of Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a fellow Republican. They cite 'failures in Georgia elections' without providing any details.

Nov. 11, 2020: Raffensperger announces a full hand count of the votes in the presidential race in Georgia to satisfy a new audit requirement in state law.

Former President Donald Trump arrives to speak at the Moms for Liberty meeting in Philadelphia, June 30, 2023

Nov. 13, 2020: U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham calls Raffensperger. The secretary of state said the South Carolina Republican asked him whether he had the power to reject certain absentee ballots, which he interpreted as a suggestion to toss legally cast ballots. Graham has denied any wrongdoing.

Nov. 19, 2020: Georgia completes a hand recount of votes in the presidential election that was undertaken to satisfy an audit requirement in state law. The Associated Press calls Georgia for Biden.

Nov. 20, 2020: Georgia officials certify election results showing Biden won the presidential race in the state.

Nov. 21, 2020: Trump campaign requests a recount of the votes in the presidential race in Georgia. State law allows a candidate to request a recount if the margin is less than 0.5%.

Dec. 1, 2020: U.S. Attorney General William Barr says that the U.S. Justice Department had uncovered no evidence of widespread voter fraud that could change the outcome of the 2020 election.

Dec. 3, 2020: Former New York mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and others speak during Georgia Senate subcommittee meeting. Giuliani alleges suitcases of fraudulent ballots were introduced as votes were being counted at Atlanta's State Farm Arena on election night.

Dec. 4, 2020: Barr asks U.S. Attorney BJay Pak in Atlanta to investigate allegations of election fraud made by Giuliani the day before.

Donald Trump pumps his fist after speaking during election night in the East Room of the White House on November 4, 2020

Dec. 5, 2020: Trump calls Kemp urging him to call a special session, and then spreads baseless allegations of election fraud during a rally meant to encourage people to vote for the incumbent Republicans - Loeffler and Perdue - in the upcoming U.S. Senate runoff election.

Dec. 7, 2020: Georgia certifies election results showing Biden victory for a second time after completing a machine recount of the presidential race requested by Trump's campaign.

Dec. 8, 2020: Texas attorney general files lawsuit asking U.S. Supreme Court to invalidate Electoral College votes in battleground states that Trump lost. Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr rejects it as 'legally and factually wrong about Georgia.' Trump calls Carr and warns him not to encourage other Republican officials to reject the Texas lawsuit.

Dec. 10, 2020: Giuliani and others speak during Georgia House subcommittee meeting, perpetuating false allegations of election fraud in the state.

Dec. 14, 2020: The official Democratic electors meet in the Georgia state Senate chamber to cast the state's 16 Electoral College votes for Biden. Meanwhile, a group of 16 Republicans meet at Georgia Capitol to sign a certificate falsely stating that Trump won and that they were the states 'duly elected and qualified' electors.

Dec. 22, 2020: White House chief of staff Mark Meadows visits Cobb County, where an audit of signatures on absentee ballot envelopes was being conducted. While there, he meets Frances Watson, lead investigator in Georgia secretary of states office, and gets her phone number.

Dec. 23, 2020: Trump calls Watson and urges her to look at Fulton County, saying she would 'find things that are gonna be unbelievable.' He also tells her: 'When the right answer comes out, youll be praised.'

Jan. 1, 2021: Fani Willis takes office as Fulton County district attorney after defeating her former boss in the Democratic primary and running unopposed in the November election.

Jan. 2, 2021: Trump calls Raffensperger and suggests the secretary of state can help him 'find' the votes needed to overturn Trump's loss in the state.

Jan. 4, 2021: Pak, the U.S. attorney in Atlanta, abruptly resigns after learning that Trump felt he wasn't doing enough to investigate allegations of election fraud and wanted to fire him.

Jan. 5, 2021: Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock defeat incumbent Republicans Loeffler and Perdue in a runoff election for Georgia's two U.S. Senate seats.

Jan. 6, 2021: Trump supporters break into the U.S. Capitol and storm the halls trying to stop Congress from certifying Biden's election.

Trump speaks at a rally on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC

Jan. 7, 2021: A computer forensics team travels to rural Coffee County in south Georgia to copy software and data from voting equipment. Emails and records show Sidney Powell and other Trump-allied attorneys helped arrange the trip.

Jan. 18-19, 2021: Doug Logan, who founded Cyber Ninjas, the company that led Arizona Republicans' controversial 2020 election review, and Jeff Lenberg, visit the Coffee County elections office. Lenberg returns the following week. Both men had been active in efforts to cast doubt on the 2020 election results.

Jan. 20, 2021: Biden inaugurated as president.

Feb. 10, 2021: Willis, the district attorney in Fulton County, sends letters to top Georgia elected officials telling them she's opened a criminal investigation into 'attempts to influence' the state's 2020 general election and instructs them to preserve evidence.

Jan. 20, 2022: Willis asks for a special grand jury to be impaneled for her investigation.

Jan. 24, 2022: Fulton County Superior Court judges approve Willis' request for a special grand jury.

May 2, 2022: Special grand jury seated.

June 2, 2022: Raffensperger testifies before the special grand jury.

July 5, 2022: Willis seeks to compel testimony before the special grand jury from people close to Trump, including Giuliani and Graham. This signals that the investigation is zeroing in on close Trump associates.

July 25, 2022: The judge overseeing the special grand jury rules that Willis cannot call state Sen. Burt Jones before the special grand jury or seek charges against him because of a conflict of interest stemming from her hosting a fundraiser for Jones' Democratic opponent in the race for lieutenant governor. Jones, who was elected lieutenant governor in the November 2022 general election, was one of the 16 Republican fake electors.

Aug. 11, 2022: Prominent Atlanta criminal defense attorney Drew Findling confirms that he is part of a legal team hired by Trump to represent him in matters related to the special grand jury.

Aug. 15, 2022: Lawyers for Giuliani confirm that they've been told their client is a target of the investigation.

Aug. 17, 2022: Giuliani testifies before the special grand jury.

Aug. 25, 2022: Willis files paperwork seeking to have more Trump allies, including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and lawyer Sidney Powell, testify before the special grand jury.

Aug. 31, 2022: Lawyer John Eastman appears before the special grand jury.

Oct. 7, 2022: The day before beginning a monthlong pause in public activity related to the investigation ahead of the midterm elections, Willis files paperwork to compel the testimony of another round of Trump associates, including former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Nov. 22, 2022: Graham appears before the special grand jury for questioning after losing a fight to avoid testifying that went all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Dec. 8, 2022: Former national security adviser Michael Flynn testifies before the special grand jury.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an Election Night event at Mar-a-Lago on November 08, 2022

Dec. 15, 2022: The special grand jury completes its final report.

Jan. 9, 2023: Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, who oversaw the special grand jury, issues an order dissolving the panel, saying it had completed its work and submitted a final report to him.

Jan. 24, 2023: McBurney holds a hearing to determine whether the special grand jury's report can be made public as the grand jurors had recommended. Prosecutors urged him to keep it secret until decisions had been made on whether charges would be sought, while a coalition of media organizations pressed for its release.

Feb. 13, 2023: McBurney orders the partial release of the special grand jury's report. The judge said the introduction and conclusion of the report, as well as a section in which the grand jurors expressed concerns that some witnesses may have lied under oath would be released three days later. But he said sections of the report that recommended specific charges for specific people would remain under wraps for the time being.

Feb. 16, 2023: Part of the special grand jury report is made public. The grand jurors wrote that they believed that 'one or more witnesses' committed perjury and urged local prosecutors to bring charges. They also said they found no evidence of widespread election fraud in the 2020 election in Georgia.

Feb. 21, 2023: Special grand jury foreperson Emily Kohrs speaks out for the first time in an interview with The Associated Press. That is followed by interviews in other print and television news outlets. Kohrs gives a behind-the-scenes look at the special grand jury's workings and said that the panel recommended multiple people be indicted.

Feb. 23, 2023: The first extensive interviews with Trump's legal team in Georgia are published. Lawyers Drew Findling and Jennifer Little blast the special grand jury investigation, saying it was unreliable and calling it 'a circus.'

April 24, 2023: Willis writes in a letter to Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat and other law enforcement officials that she expects to announce charging decisions in her investigation between July 11 and Sept. 1, 2023. She cites a desire 'to ensure that our law enforcement community is ready to protect the public.'

May 18, 2023: Willis sends a letter to the county Superior Court chief judge indicating that she planned to have much of her staff work remotely during the first three weeks of August and asking that judges not schedule trials and in-person hearings during part of that time. The letter was widely seen as a suggestion that she would seek charges in her investigation during that period.

July 11, 2023: Two grand juries are seated in Fulton County.

August 14, 2023: Trump and 18 other people are indicted.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has revealed he vowed to give up politics forever to keep his marriage alive to ex-wife Carmel Tebbutt four years ago.

She dumped him on New Year's Day 2019 after 30 years together, including 19 years of marriage, despite his offer to quit Parliament if it would save their relationship.

And he told Neil Mitchell's Neil Asks Why podcast: 'I was not in a great state, that's the truth, for a little while afterwards.

'Carmel had made a decision at some time leading up to then, that she wanted to take a different direction in her life. That came as an incredible shock to me.'

He's previously admitted his wife's divorce demand completely blindsided him and told Mitchell that he had been prepared to do anything to keep their love alive.

'I suggested, if it was politics, certainly I was more than willing to not run at the 2019 election,' he revealed.

'She said that wasn't it. It was just the way that it was. She had made that decision. And it took me a little while to come to terms with it.'

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has revealed he offered to give up politics forever to keep his marriage alive to ex-wife Carmel Tebbutt four years ago

Carmel Tebbutt was the first woman deputy NSW Premier between 2008 and 2011, under leaders Nathan Rees and Kristina Keneally, before quitting politics herself in 2015

He added: 'The person who I thought I would spend the rest of my life with had made a different call.'

Ms Tebbutt, 59, and Mr Albanese, 60, first met as Young Labor activists in the 1980s before dating for more than a decade and marrying in 2000.

She was the first woman deputy NSW Premier between 2008 and 2011, under leaders Nathan Rees and Kristina Keneally, before quitting politics herself in 2015.

And after their son Nathan finished his HSC exams and turned 18, she decided to call time on her marriage and divorce her husband.

Mr Albanese was a shadow minister under Bill Shorten at the time and he admitted he wrestled with his future in politics after the love split.

'It was doing my head in to try to understand because we hadnt had an argument, there was no one else involved,' he said.

'I just had to accept it. Once I did that, I was much better off.

'I had to come to terms with, not trying to understand the decision which the person who I thought I would spend the rest of my life with had made a different call, but just accepting it.'

He said a trip to London, Portugal and Lisbon following the break-up allowed him to clear his head and recommit to politics.

'I decided I'd run,' he admitted. 'I thought that would be my last term - I would serve one term as a minister in the Shorten government.

'We were expected to win at that time, and I thought that would be it...but after the marriage broke up, [I was] very close to leaving.

'Very close, very close and in the end, and having thought things through when we lost the election, I was ready to go.'

Anthony Albenese has finally found love again with new girlfriend Jodie Hayden, 16 years his junior, after they met in 2020 at an NRL event in Melbourne before later dating over a beer

In the wake of the surprise 2019 Coalition victory, which saw Scott Morrison elected Prime Minister and Bill Shorten step down, Mr Albanese became Opposition leader.

He also finally found love again with new girlfriend Jodie Hayden, 16 years his junior, after they met in 2020 at an NRL event in Melbourne before later dating over a beer.

She is now a constant at his side and regularly flies overseas on official engagements since he became Prime Minister after Labor's 2022 election victory.

The PM has refused to discuss possible marriage plans, but he told Kyle Sandilands in April: 'She is certainly a very dear partner. And we have a great relationship.

'I've got to say I regard myself as being incredibly lucky to have found Jodie.'
The latest indictment of Donald Trump in Georgia relies upon criminal statues initially created to target the Mafia, laws which Trump's own co-defendant Rudolph Giuliani famously wielded as a federal prosecutor.

Trump, Giuliani and 17 others were indicted on Monday night by a grand jury in Fulton County on 41 counts over their alleged efforts to overturn Trump's 2020 election loss in Georgia.

The indictment joins all 18 defendants together using Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, law, which is based on the similar federal statute created in 1970 to target organized crime.

As a federal prosecutor in Manhattan in the 1980s, Giuliani was a trailblazer in the use of RICO laws to dismantle the mob, successfully using the federal version to prosecute the heads of New York's so-called 'Five Families' in the marathon Mafia Commission Trial.

Now, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis plans to use Georgia's version of the law to prosecute Trump and his allies jointly in a similar blockbuster trial, after the indictment alleged they 'knowingly and willingly joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump.'

As a federal prosecutor in Manhattan in the 1980s, Giuliani (seen in 1987) was a trailblazer in the use of RICO to dismantle the mob. Now he is charged under Georgia's RICO law

Trump, Giuliani and 17 others were indicted on Monday night by a grand jury in Fulton County on 41 counts over their efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia

Willis opened her investigation into Trump after the release of a recording of a January 2021 phone call between Trump and Georgias secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger.

Trump suggested during the call that Raffensperger, a Republican and the state's top elections official, could help 'find' the votes needed to overturn his narrow loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

More than two years later, the grand jury indictment went far beyond that phone call, alleging a web of crimes committed by Trump and others.

'The indictment alleges that rather than abide by Georgia's legal process for election challenges, the defendants engaged in a criminal racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgias presidential election result,' Willis said at a late-night press conference.

Willis used Georgia's RICO law to charge Trump and his associates for allegedly participating in a wide-ranging conspiracy to overturn the state's 2020 election results.

Here's a look at how the law works:

How does a law used against mobsters apply to Trump and his allies?

The federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act originated in 1970 as a tool to fight organized crime.

The law enabled prosecutors to target people in positions of authority within a criminal organization, not just lower-level people doing the dirty work.

But its use was never meant to be limited exclusively to organized crime.

The US Supreme Court noted in a 1989 opinion that the law was drafted 'broadly enough to encompass a wide range of criminal activity, taking many different forms and likely to attract a broad array of perpetrators.'

Within a few years of the federal law taking effect, many states began passing their own RICO laws, including Georgia, which adopted its version in 1980.

Generally speaking, RICO laws allow prosecutors to charge multiple people who commit separate crimes while working toward a common goal.

In the case against Trump and his allies, the indictment uses Georgia's RICO law to connect a web of various alleged crimes by claiming they were perpetrated as part of an ongoing criminal enterprise to overturn the election results.

The underlying crimes alleged in the indictment include impersonating a public officer, forgery, filing false documents, influencing witnesses, computer theft, computer trespass, conspiracy to defraud the state, and perjury.

The nearly 100-page indictment goes into great detail, listing dozens of acts by Trump or his allies to undo his election defeat, including harassing an election worker who faced false claims of fraud and attempting to persuade Georgia lawmakers to appoint a slate of fake electors favorable to Trump.

In one particularly brazen episode, it also outlines a plot involving one of Trump's lawyers who allegedly sought to access voting machines in a rural Georgia county and steal data from a voting machine company.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks in the Fulton County Government Center during a news conference on August 14 after indictments were announced against Donald Trump and others

What does Georgia's RICO law say?

Georgia's RICO Act, adopted in 1980, makes it a crime to participate in, acquire or maintain control of an 'enterprise' through a 'pattern of racketeering activity' or to conspire to do so.

It's important to note that the alleged scheme does not have to have been successful for a RICO charge to stick.

An 'enterprise' can be a single person or a group of associated individuals with a common goal.

'Racketeering activity' means to commit, attempt to commit - or to solicit, coerce or intimidate someone else to commit - one of more than three dozen state crimes listed in the law.

At least two such acts are required to meet the standard of a 'pattern of racketeering activity,' meaning prosecutors have to prove that a person has engaged in two or more related criminal acts as part of their participation in an enterprise to be convicted under RICO.

The US Supreme Court has said that federal RICO allegations must show continuity, that is to say a series of related underlying acts over an extended period of time, not just a few weeks or months.

But the Georgia Supreme Court has made clear there is no such requirement in the state law.

Why did Willis use the RICO statute?

'I'm a fan of RICO,' Willis said during a news conference in August 2022 as she announced a RICO indictment against more than two dozen alleged gang members.

Willis has said jurors want to know all the facts behind an alleged crime and that a RICO indictment enables prosecutors to provide a complete picture of all the alleged illegal activity.

A narrative introduction allows prosecutors to tell a story that can include a lot of detailed information that might not relate to specific crimes, but is relevant to the broader alleged scheme.

RICO charges also carry a heavy potential sentence that can be added on top of the penalty for the underlying acts.

In Georgia, it's a felony conviction that carries a prison term of five to 20 years; a fine of $25,000 or three times the amount of money gained from the criminal activity, whichever is greater; or both a prison sentence and a fine.

The indictment in Georgia against former President Donald Trump is photographed Monday, August 14

Trump was charged with RICO and 12 other felony counts in Georgia on August 14

What are the challenges in using RICO laws?

J. Tom Morgan used the Georgia RICO statute to prosecute a corrupt sheriff when he was the district attorney in DeKalb County, which neighbors Fulton County.

He said one challenge is explaining to a jury what the RICO law is and how it works.

'Everybody knows what a murder case is, what a rape case is, what a theft case is. But RICO is not in the everyday vernacular,' he said. 'You dont see a RICO charge on a television show about crime.'

Does Willis have previous experience with RICO cases?

Yes. When she was an assistant district attorney in the Fulton County district attorney's office, Willis was a lead prosecutor in a RICO case against a group of Atlanta public school educators in a cheating scandal.

After a monthslong trial, a jury in April 2015 convicted 11 former educators of racketeering for their roles in a scheme to inflate students' scores on standardized exams.

Since becoming district attorney in January 2021, she has brought several RICO indictments against alleged gang members, including several high-profile rap artists.

Lawyer John Floyd, a nationally known RICO expert in Atlanta, helped Willis with the school cheating case.

Soon after opening the investigation into potential illegal meddling in the 2020 election in Georgia, she engaged him to serve as a special assistant district attorney to help with any racketeering cases her office might pursue.
Footage has emerged of the moment a group of young Aussie surfers missing off the coast of Indonesia were found after 36 hours lost at sea.

Elliot Foote, his partner Steph Weisse and mates Will Teagle and Jordan Short were among a group of 12 Australians travelling on two wooden longboats between Nias Island and the Pinang Surf resort on the Banyak Islands, off the west coast of the mainland.

The two vessels ran into bad weather during the 50km voyage on Sunday.

One of the boats found refuge on an island halfway from their destination, but the boat carrying four Australians and three Indonesian crew members continued to attempt to make the crossing, despite treacherous conditions.

Following an extensive search that continued into a second day, Steph, Will and Jordan were found alive and well on Tuesday morning, floating on their surfboards in the middle of the ocean off Aceh, waiting for help to arrive after their boat sank.

Elliot was found 5km away on a nearby island 90 minutes later. He became separated from the trio after paddling off toward the island in a quest to get help.

The group's frantic friends back at the resort have spent the last two days appealing for public assistance in the search.

During the rescue mission, one mate on a search boat filmed the moment he spots Steph, Jordan and Will in the middle of the ocean, sparking jubilant scenes.

The friend is heard cheering and screaming for joy.

This is the incredible moment Steph Weisse, Will Teagle and Jordan Short and an Indonesian crew member were located after 36 hours lost at sea

The fourth missing Aussie Elliot Foote (pictured) was rescued a short time later

'Yes! Woo!' the mate is heard screaming.

Steph, Will, Jordan and one of their Indonesian crew members are seen waving their arms above their heads in calm waters as the rescue boat approaches them.

The mate on the boat soon becomes concerned when he realises one is still missing.

'Elliot?,' he calls out.

'Have you got him?' Steph is heard asking.

'Where's Elliot?'

Elliot was later rescued and reunited with his relieved partner and friends, showing off his sunburn and scars sustained during the 36-hour ordeal.

Another photo shared on social media shows Elliot enjoying a well-earned beer once back on dry land shortly after the miracle rescue.

The four surfers were later taken to a nearby hospital to be checked out.

A tired but relieved Elliot Foote enjoyed a well-earned beer when he returned to dry land

Elliot's father Peter Foote, was speaking with reporters at the time when the first three were found while remaining hopeful that his son would be found.

Confirmation that Elliot had also been found came while Mr Foote was doing a TV interview at the front of his home.

'It's saying they're all found,' Mr Foote's partner was heard yelling from the balcony, with her phone held in her hand.

Mr Foote then received a text message confirming the news.

'Hey Dad, Elliot here. I am alive, safe now, love you. Chat later,' his son had texted.

A relieved Mr Foote is now keen to speak to Elliot as soon as possible.

'I still want to talk to him. I'm happy, you know, I'm happy like I can talk now, you know, I'm not gonna crack up and break down,' he said.

Four Australians who went missing on a charter boat off between Nias Island and the Pinang Surf Resort, on Pinang Island have been found (pictured: Elliot Foote and Steph Weisse)

'I don't know if I can celebrate. He's put me through too much pain to celebrate.

'I've aged in the last two days, 100 per cent.'

He has been told his son is en route back to Penang Island, where he'll be reunited with his partner Steph and mates.

He had became separated from the trio when he paddled to an island on his surfboard to seek help.

Mr Foote hopes to get a call from Elliot later on Tuesday.

'He'll hook up with his mates and hopefully grab a phone that works and give me a call from there,' he said.

'They'll be calling off the search now and Elliot will be on his way back to the island, they'll all regroup and get healthy and probably have a great night tonight.'

Mr Foote set up a base camp from his Bronte home on Monday while keeping in frequent contact with authorities involved in the search and rescue efforts.

It's understood an Australian expat volunteering in the search efforts for the group was the one to find missing Aussies.

They've been in the water a long time, I don't know how they're going to be health-wise,' Mr Foote said.

'But they're found, they're alive, they're well. It's all good, it's fantastic news. It's unbelievable actually, I'm so stoked about that.'

Aussies Jordan Short and Will Teagle have also been found

He said tight-knit group would have been looking after each other during the ordeal.

'They're all best mates, they'd be hugging each other. We got all kinds of messages and calls from people on the ground,' Mr Foote said.

'It's freak luck. Bad luck to get into that position. They'll laugh and thrive off this.'

Peter Foote (pictured) was speaking to the media at his home when confirmation came through that his son Elliot had also been found, along with his three friends

The group of 12 were all friends who were celebrating Elliot's 30th birthday.

They were intending to travel to the island to rent exclusive bungalows and surf for 10 days.

Hours before they went missing, Elliot revealed on social media that it was 'so good' to be back in Indonesia.

'Soho gulah Sorake  so good being back in Indo after so many years. Sharing waves with mates and the queen,' he posted on Instagram.

'Starting the trip off with hiking in the North Sumatran jungle and seeing Orangutan's was an amazing experience and something that I look forward to doing again for a longer time and going deeper.

'Bukit Lawang is a beautiful spot with such kind people.'

The four Aussies were found hours after their frantic families put out a statement on Monday night via the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

'Our hearts are aching at the thought that Elliot, Steph, Will and Jordan are missing at sea,' they said.

'We continue to pray and hold out hope they will be found.

'We'd like to thank the Indonesian authorities and the Australian government for their ongoing assistance while search and rescue efforts continue.'

Initial search parties were launched by the Pinang resort and local authorities first this Monday morning.

The group were among a group of 12 Australians across two wooden longboats travelling between Nias Island and the Pinang Surf resort on the Banyak Islands, off the west coast of the mainland, when the vessel struck bad weather on Sunday

Elliot Foote (pictured with girlfriend Steph Weisse) texted his father shortly after being rescued on Tuesday

The group were staying at the exclusive Pinang Surf resort (pictured)

Indonesian National Search and Rescue agency Nias Island chief Octavianto said a rescue team of more than 20 police, military and volunteers utilised small boats to battle heavy weather in further attempts to find the Aussies.

'Last night the Pinang Resort reported that a speedboat with 10 passengers had arrived in Pinang Island (at around 10.18pm local time), while another speedboat with seven people on board had not arrived yet,' he said.

'We've deployed three ships, and they are now moving towards the location for search and rescue.

'However, the issue is that the (missing vessel) is a basic wooden boat without any tracking devices or the like.'

Pinang island is known for its seclusion, stunning scenery and world-class surf breaks (pictured, Jordan Short)

Poor weather and visibility has so far hindered the ability of search parties to locate the missing Aussies (pictured, Steph Weisse)

Pinang island is known for its seclusion, stunning scenery and world-class surf breaks.

It costs USD$150 per night to stay on the island for a 'self-sufficient' bungalow, that provides 'daily surf trips to the Bay of Plenty or Bangkaru Island, plus transfer from and back to Nias airport'.

'Our friend and surf guide will take you around to all the best spots,' the resort's website reads.

Guests on the island receive an inclusive breakfast, lunch and dinner and access to 'snorkelling, fishing, spearfishing, SUP and kayaking.

The resort's website states they are booked out between August 13 and August 23, believed to be the party of 10 Australians.

It also provides travel to the island from Nias, the website stating they will 'be picked up and whisked off to our island by speedboat'.
A 'beautiful' 10-year-old girl found dead in her father's house last week was alone when police arrived, it was revealed today.

Sara Sharif was found at the 550,000 home in the quiet Surrey village of Horsell, near Woking, in the early hours of Thursday.

Detectives have launched a murder inquiry and a manhunt is under way for three people who were known to the girl but are feared to have left the country.

A Surrey Police spokesman said: 'Detectives have confirmed that no other people were present at the address when they attended in the early hours of Thursday morning. The three people they would like to speak to were known to the victim'.

The girl's heartbroken mother Olga, 36, says her 'life will never be the same again' after Sara, whom she described as being 'happy and always laughing', was killed. She said: 'She was so beautiful. I can't believe she's dead.'

Mrs Sharif's ex-husband Urfan Sharif, 41, had been given sole custody of Sara by a court, the mother has claimed. But she says she and her daughter were always close. Olga would like her child to be buried in her native Poland. A post-mortem examination is due to take place this afternoon.

Sara Sharif was found at the 550,000 home in the quiet Surrey village of Horsell, near Woking, in the early hours of Thursday. She was alone when police arrived

Olga Sharif with a picture of her beloved daughter Sara, who she would like to lay to rest in Poland

Sara's mother Olga, 36, (left) says her 'life will never be the same again' after her daughter was killed. Mrs Sharif's ex-husband Urfan Sharif, 41, (right) had been given sole custody of Sara by a court, the grieving mother has claimed

Tributes have poured in for the 'lovely' Sara, with flowers and notes left outside her family home. A mourner is pictured leaving flowers outside the property on Friday

'Sara was an amazing child,' Mrs Sharif told The Sun. 'There is nothing I can do that can bring her back to life, so I have to only remember the good times with her now. Life is really hard. It's just not fair.'

Mrs Sharif claimed she had only been allowed to see her children twice since she lost custody in 2019.

She told the newspaper: 'I couldn't see my daughter for four years, and now she is dead. She's only a kid, she had done nothing wrong.'

She alleged that she used to be sent frequent photos of her children. But in 2021, after an argument with Urfan's new partner, she claims she was cut off completely.

Olga, who is set to see Sara's body today, has not yet been told how her daughter's death unfolded. She was allegedly informed of her death in a phone call from police.

Mrs Sharif added that Sara had looked up to her, describing the 10-year-old as a younger version of herself who wanted to be like her.

Sara Sharif, pictured with her mum, was found dead in her father's home - and was alone when the police arrived

Mrs Sharif (pictured) claimed she had only been allowed to see her children twice since she lost custody in 2019

Sara was hailed as a 'cheeky' and 'outgoing' little girl who had many friends. Community members are pictured placing flowers outside Sara's family home on Friday

Mrs Sharif alleged that she used to be sent frequent photos of her children, but in 2021 - following an argument with Urfan's new partner - she was cut off completely. Police are pictured outside the property on Friday

Police are pictured outside the property on Thursday

Mrs Sharif, who is Polish-born but now lives in Somerset, described Sara as artistic and said she loved making things.

Sara seemingly loved to take pictures and videos, with Mrs Sharif revealing her daughter would take her phone and return the device with 100 new snaps.

The mother also claimed to have been teaching her how to ride a bike.

Sara dreamed of one day moving to Los Angeles and becoming a model, Mrs Sharif claimed, noting how she would hold at-home fashion shows.

Mrs Sharif revealed the 'cheeky' and 'outgoing' girl had many friends at school. She recalled how she would often hear her classmates shouting bye to her daughter as she picked her up from school and claimed her daughter was invited to every birthday party or sleepover in the class.

A manhunt continues for three people  known to the victim  who Surrey Police believe fled the UK on Wednesday, a day before Sara's body was discovered. An officer is pictured collecting evidence at the scene on Thursday

The three people now being traced by police are believed to have fled the UK on Wednesday, a day before Sara's body was discovered. Police said no others were present at the address when they arrived on scene.

Tributes have poured in for the 'lovely' Sara, with flowers and notes left outside her family home. One note read: 'Sweet girl. I'm sorry that your sparkle was put out too soon. Rest in peace X.'

One mother, who wished not to be named, said she was 'traumatised' by the news, adding that her children were 'terrified'.
One of the victims of suspected homophobic stabbing outside a gay nightclub on has broken his silence after leaving hospital.

Two men, one in their 20s and the other in their 30s, were targeted near the Two Brewers in Clapham, south London, on Sunday evening. They were both treated in hospital and discharged.

Named only as Aniello, one of the men posted on his social media that he had been left with 'so many questions' following the attack.

He wrote on Instagram: 'Didn't know if I should really say anything, but I suppose it feels right to.

'I've not been left feeling sad, nor angry, or confused.

One of the victims, named only as Aniello (pictured), said he had been left with 'so many questions' after the attack but felt 'lucky' after leaving hospital

He said: 'What today has strengthened in me more than ever before is that I could never, and have never been prouder, happier or more comforted, by the community'

'I've just been left so many questions - to think what can lead to changing a person's mind that much that they can feel it's OK to attack anyone.

'Whatever their reasons - and how we change that.

'What today has strengthened in me more than ever before is that I could never, and have never been prouder, happier or more comforted, by the community.

'I am lucky enough to have as my LGBTQ+ family!

'I would never change it for the world. I am so lucky to have all my family and friends who have reached out just to check on me today.

'Love you all - all of you.'

A spokesman for the Two Brewers pub, a gay bar and nightclub, said security has been boosted in the wake of the stabbing

The pair, one aged in their 20s and the other in their 30s, were targeted near the Two Brewers in Clapham High Street, south London, at around 10.15pm on Sunday

Metropolitan Police officers are searching for the suspect in the attack, which they are treating as homophobic.

Detective Inspector Gary Castle said: 'We are acutely aware of the shock this attack will cause members of the LGBT+ community and want to reassure people that an urgent investigation is ongoing to locate the person responsible.

'We recently announced the reinstatement of LGBT+ community liaison officers for each of our 12 basic command units in London to support and advise on investigations where homophobia is a motive, and to ensure the community has a dedicated point of contact to address any concerns they may have.'

A spokesman for the Two Brewers pub, a gay bar and nightclub, said security has been boosted in the wake of the stabbing.

They said: 'We are fully supporting the police in their investigation regarding this unprovoked attack and our thoughts are with the victims and their families.

'We would like to reassure the LGBTQIA+ community that the safety and security of our guests remains our number one priority, our CCTV has been handed over to the police and enhanced security measures have now been put in place.'

Drag performer Mary Mac, who was at the venue on Sunday, said on Twitter: 'It's shocking and disgusting that in 2023 this is becoming frighteningly more frequent.

'The team at The Two Brewers were incredible in dealing with this and keeping us inside the venue safe, glad the victims have been discharged and hope they are with loved ones now to help.'

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan called the attack 'abhorrent'

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan urged witnesses to come forward.

Writing on Twitter, now known as X, he said: 'This is abhorrent. There is no place for hate in London.

'It's a huge relief the victims are out of hospital - my thoughts remain with them and their loved ones.

'If you have any information, please do not stay silent.'

In a tweet the Labour MP for Vauxhall, Florence Eshalomi, called the attack 'very worrying'.

Anyone with information can call police on 101 or tweet @MetCC and quote CAD 7198/13Aug, or to remain anonymous contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or online.
A 'vigilante' murder-accused man who shot and threw acid on a father-of-two has described himself as a 'knight in shining armour' and claimed his victim was a rapist.

Michael Hillier, 39, claims he plotted with his girlfriend Rachel Fulstow, 37, to attack Liam Smith, 38, after she 'confided' in him that the electrician raped her at a hotel in 2019, a court heard yesterday.

Members of Mr Smith's family were told to leave the public gallery at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court on Monday as they reacted after Mr Hillier described confronting Mr Smith outside his home in Wigan, Greater Manchester, on November 24, last year.

Mr Hillier denies murder but has admitted the manslaughter of Mr Smith, who was lured from his home, shot and had sulphuric acid poured over him as he lay dying in the street.

Ms Fulstow denies murder and perverting the course of justice.

Michael Hillier, 39, alleged he and his girlfriend Rachel Fulstow, 37, plotted an attack on Liam Smith, 38, (pictured) after she told him the electrician raped her at a hotel in 2019

Michael Hillier, 39, (pictured), who told the jury he was 'concerned in the production and distribution of a large-scale cannabis operation', said his partner 'confided' in him in January last year that she had been 'graphically raped' by Mr Smith at a hotel

Rachel Fulstow, 37, (pictured) of Andrew Drive, York, told the court she met Mr Smith in September 2019, after they connected through dating app Tinder

Mr Hillier, who told the jury he was 'concerned in the production and distribution of a large-scale cannabis operation', said his partner 'confided' in him in January last year that she had been 'graphically raped' by Mr Smith at a hotel.

He said: 'We decided jointly between the two of us that we would deal with the matter ourselves and seek justice ourselves and go down the vigilante route.

'It's not surprising given only 1.6 per cent of all reported rapes make it to court.'

Mr Hillier alleged he and Ms Fulstow had 'bounced around' ideas about how to carry out the attack on Mr Smith.

He said: 'She most definitely saw me as kind of like her knight in shining armour.'

He told the court he had modified a blank firing gun, but believed it would only stun rather than seriously injure or kill.

Mr Hillier said that on the day of the attack Ms Fulstow packed him a lunchbox full of food supplies, as well as diazepam, hydration tablets and headache tablets.

Mr Smith's body was discovered in a village on the outskirts of Wigan on November 24, 2022

Police said his body might have been be covered in 'hazardous substances'

He told the court he had driven from his home on Ecclesall Road, Sheffield, to Kilburn Drive in Shevington, where Mr Smith lived, on the morning of November 24, and waited there all day before the attack at about 6.40pm.

Mr Hillier said he had approached the house because he was not sure if Mr Smith was at home and, after seeing him inside, returned to his Mitsubishi Shogun vehicle, which Mr Smith approached a few minutes later.

He said when Mr Smith approached the car, he opened the door and called him a 'vile, disgusting rapist'.

He added: 'He knew exactly what I was talking about.'

Judge Maurice Greene ordered the public gallery be cleared as members of Mr Smith's family shouted 'you piece of s***' and 'f****** stupid t***' at Mr Hillier.

As Mr Smith's mother left court, she said: 'He's not a rapist.'

Describing the attack, Mr Hillier said: 'I didn't want to let Rachel down. I pulled the trigger.'

He claimed he believed Mr Smith to be unconscious and then poured a bottle of drain cleaner over him.

Police were pictured on the scene last year on Kilburn Drive in Shevington, Wigan, Greater Manchester

The court heard that after burning out his car, Mr Hillier returned to Ms Fulstow's home in York, where he learnt Mr Smith had died.

He told the court: 'I said to Rachel, ''I know it's not what we planned but are you happy that he's died?''

'She said, ''Of course I'm glad he's died, who wouldn't be after what he did to me''.'

Turning to the dock, Mr Hillier added: 'Remember saying that, Rachel?'

Ms Fulstow, of Andrew Drive, York, told the court she met Mr Smith in September 2019, after they connected through dating app Tinder.

She said they had sex, which she told the court was not consensual but she did not regard it as a rape.

She denies persuading her partner to carry out the attack.

The trial was adjourned to Tuesday.
A high school educator who was found by a tribunal to have called female students 'bitches' and a disabled student 'lazy', has failed to have her teaching licence reinstated.

Vi Huong Tran was stripped of her right to teach by the Victorian Institute of Teaching in 2021 after one of the four schools she worked for, Mullauna College, terminated her employment amid a flurry of complaints.

Ms Tran appealed her dismissal to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal but Deputy president Ian Proctor and member Paul Gysslink rejected her case declaring she had 'alarming aspects to her character' and was 'seriously incompetent'

A high school educator who was found by a tribunal to have called female students 'bitches' and a disabled student 'lazy', has failed to have her teaching licence reinstated (stock image)

Numerous pieces of evidence were put forward to the tribunal, including telling a student 'You're being a big ho towards me'.

Another incident between Ms Tran and a student with an intellectual disability was also submitted.

She told the student 'you can't even pass a grade six maths test' because you're 'lazy' and 'won't get a good job'.

Another former student of Ms Tran told the tribunal that she had lost her temper and told her and her friend they were 'acting like bitches', leading to four students arriving to their next class in tears.

Former colleagues of Ms Tran from Frankston's John Paul College, Narre Warren South P-12 College and Brentwood Secondary College, had also come forward to the tribunal to claim she should not be allowed to teach.

One witness said she was not able to control students on a school camp and another claimed she had manipulated exams to increase marks for students in her classes.

It was revealed she had even, on occasion, brought her husband into her classroom for support.

A principal at one of Mr Tran's former school's told the tribunal that she had 'regretted giving Ms Tran many chances' before deciding to sack her.

Ms Tran had told other colleagues that she was the only one that was working for the love of teaching and not for the money.

Vi Huong Tran had her teaching registration revoked in 2021 after being terminated from her full-time job at Melbourne's Mullauna College (pictured) in 2020

Ms Tran's defence was that she was allegedly racially vilified, bullied and discriminated against by student and colleagues.

She said the school had dismissed her on 'the fact that I was Asian', even claiming to have been told to clean the toilets, which the school vehemently denies.

The VCAT judges ruled that Ms Tran had 'a propensity to respond to justified questions from others with unwarranted accusations of bullying, harassment, racism and discrimination'.

The tribunal found Ms Tran had not provided sufficient evidence to overturn her dismissal, ruling that she not teach either elementary or secondary school students.
A paedophile priest will 'probably die' behind bars after his prison sentence was extended for abusing another teenage boy.

Gerald Ridsdale, 89, earlier this year admitted abusing his 72nd victim and another year was added to his 39-year jail sentence at Ballarat Magistrates Court in Victoria on Tuesday.

Ridsdale, who has been in prison since 1994, abused children between 1961 and 1988 while he worked as a Roman Catholic priest in churches and schools across the state.

Gerald Ridsdale, 89, earlier this year admitted abusing his 72nd victim and another year was added to his 39-year jail sentence at Ballarat Magistrates Court in Victoria on Tuesday

He admitted indecently assaulting his latest victim, a 13-year-old boy, at a Catholic school in Horsham in 1987.

Ridsdale grabbed the boy's arm and called him a 'big strong lad' before touching him inappropriately in the school's counsellor's office.

The victim, who is now in his 40s, ran out of the room after the assault took place, 9 News reported.

'It was like I was a passenger and had no control,' he said in a statement read to the court.

'This led me down a path of destruction.'

Magistrate Hugh Radford said Ridsdale should have been looking out for the boy's welfare and that he was supposed to be 'a man of God'.

He handed Ridsdale a 12-month prison sentence, taking his maximum term to 40 years. He will be eligible for parole after a minimum of 33-and-a-half years, meaning he could be freed in April 2028, when he is in his late 90s.

'You will probably die in custody,' Mr Radford said.

During his 29 years as a priest, Ridsdale was shuffled between 16 church posts. In 2017, a government inquiry into child sex abuse found his frequent relocations were evidence of the church covering up his crimes.

The inquiry found that the late Australian Cardinal George Pell, who became the third-highest ranking cleric in the Vatican in 2014, knew Ridsdale had been sexually abusing children years before his arrest. Pell denied any previous knowledge of criminal allegations against Ridsdale.

The Pell and Ridsdale families had long been close in Victoria. Pell spent 13 months in prison before his own child abuse convictions were overturned on appeal in 2020. Pell died in January.
A troubled former reality TV star and ex-NRL cheerleader has 'zero remorse and regard for authority' as she was hit with two new charges, police have said in documents tendered to court.

Jordan Finlayson did not appear in Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday where her lawyer entered a plea of guilty to driving while under the influence of drugs.

Court documents revealed the former star of Beauty and the Geek is on parole until September for prior drug offences.

'The accused has an extensive history of drug use and violent domestic violence offences,' the police fact sheet said.

'Despite the accused being put before the court multiple times for her offences the accused continues to reoffend with zero remorse and regard for authority.'

Former reality Jordan Finlayson (pictured) has 'zero remorse and regard for authority'

Finlayson (pictured) did not appear in Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday where her lawyer entered a plea of guilty to driving while under the influence of drugs

The ex-NRL cheerleader was hit with two new charges, police said in documents tendered to court

READ MORE: Beauty and the Geek star with a 'serious drug problem' is sentenced for stealing credit cards A former reality TV star with a 'serious drug problem' has avoided further jail time despite admitting to stealing credit cards from clients at bucks parties. Beauty and The Geek runner-up Jordan Finlayson, 31, has faced a string of charges over the past six months, including two counts of common assault and an apprehended violence order. Advertisement

According to court documents, the 32-year-old crashed a white Toyota Yaris into a barrier about 3.55am on February 7.

When police arrived, Finlayson was found unconscious in the driver's seat as she was being assisted by an 'unknown and unrelated' witness, while making groaning noises.

She was not responsive to police, prompting them to open the passenger door which 'immediately' caught her attention and she 'began acting erratic'.

'The accused leant over to the passenger side seat and said "Hey babe" while no one was seated there,' court documents stated.

Finlayson appeared confused and became visibly upset and distressed. She was moved to a stretcher as she had trouble standing up.

She told authorities she consumed alcohol but was unable to answer any questions as she was still upset, according to court documents.

Finlayson was taken to Ryde Hospital for treatment, but police were told the following day she 'had absconded from hospital' without providing a urine sample.

A sample of her blood was sent for analysis where it returned a positive result for gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) and methylamphetamine (ice).

In court documents, police said Finlayson had made an admission to 'relapsing and smoking meth' in July.

They said this was a 'clear representation of the accused's inability to cease drug use and seek rehabilitation, continuously being a risk to other motorists at risk with zero remorse'.

On Tuesday, her lawyer also entered a plea of not guilty to a charge of unlawfully obtaining goods, with police alleging she had two NAB Visa cards and a Medicare card which were suspected to be stolen, according to court documents.

In court documents, police said Finlayson (pictured) had made an admission to 'relapsing and smoking meth' in July

Just four days before she was caught driving on drugs, Finlayson appeared in court for an unrelated assault matter where lawyer Daniel Grippi told the court she was in the midst of an 'ongoing battle with drug addiction'.

At the time, Finlayson had completed a three-week rehabilitation program and was recommended to continue treatment.

The matter was dismissed on mental health grounds.

She remains on bail, with the matter to return to court in October.
A rapist who has left a 29-year-old woman fighting for her life after he raped her several times - sometimes with a 29 inch long broomstick - was also once accused of sexually assaulting his young sister, it has emerged.

In a sickening case that has sent shockwaves through France, Oumar N. broke into the woman's home in the northwestern city of Cherbourg, grabbed her by the neck and hit her repeatedly in the face and across her body.

The horrified woman was thrown across the room and raped 'several times' by the attacker, who also used the broomstick to sexually assault and torture her, reports Le Figaro.

The 'barbaric attack' has left the victim with horrific injuries, including a perforated colon, small intestine and diaphragm as well as fractured ribs.

Now, it has emerged that Oumar N. is already under investigation for sexually assaulting his 12-year-old sister last year, a police source told Le Figaro.

In a sickening case that has sent shockwaves through France, Oumar N. broke into the woman's home in the northwestern city of Cherbourg, grabbed her by the neck and hit her repeatedly in the face and across her body before raping her (file image)

'A sexual assault procedure against his sister is currently under investigation, without it being possible at this stage to determine whether or not these facts have been established,' the Coutances public prosecutor's office said.

It has also emerged that Oumar N has previously been sentenced five times by the juvenile courts for violence and damaging properties.

The 18-year-old was also previously accused of raping a minor in 2019 at a boarding school but the case was dismissed by the prosecution a year later on the grounds of insufficient evidence, reports BFMTV.

Oumar N is currently under arrest for raping and torturing the 29-year-old victim at her home in Cherbourg on August 4 in a case that has sickened France.

The victim, who remains anonymous, was left naked and in a bloodied mess on the floor of her apartment before she managed to reach her telephone and call medics who rushed her to Pasteur Hospital in Cherbourg.

She is still in a coma and is fighting for her life 11 days after medics operated on her extensive injuries for several hours.

'Investigators are shocked, they have never seen so much barbarity,' a source familiar with the matter told Le Figaro.

Within days of the 'atrocity', Oumar N. was arrested at his mother's home after cops matched fingerprints left on a door handle inside the victim's home to the 18-year-old and geolocated his phone to the house at the time of the attack.

While being questioned by police, sources say Oumar N showed 'no emotion and no empathy' for the victim and had initially denied the attack before being shown the fingerprint evidence.

'He has a dangerous profile, he showed absolutely no emotion and no empathy for the victim,' a source familiar with the case told Le Figaro. 'He showed coldness throughout police custody.'

Prosecutors said the sinister attacker was indicted on Saturday for 'rape accompanied by torture or acts of barbarism'.

The victim told police officers that she had seen Oumar N. in Cherbourg before the attack but did not know him, Pierre-Yves Marot, the public prosecutor of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, revealed.

The attack she endured and the resulting injuries, which includes the perforation of parts of her abdomen and small intestine, has shocked medics and locals in Cherbourg.

Doctors and nurses who treated the victim when she first came to the hospital were said to be so horrified by her injuries that some broke down and burst into tears. Psychological support is now being provided to the medics, reports France Bleu.

French politicians spoke of their outrage at the attack, with some on the far-right blaming an apparent rise of 'barbarism' in France for the rape.

Jordan Bardella, president of the National Rally, tweeted: 'Courage to the 29-year-old victim, umpteenth life shattered by the barbarism that is gaining France.'

French far-right politician Eric Zemmour, who ran to be president earlier this year, wrote on Twitter: 'I dream of a France where a young woman is not in danger of ending up in a coma after being robbed, raped and horribly tortured by Oumar the repeat offender in her own home.'
Seven people were injured in an accident on Monday at Germany's biggest theme park, police said - the second alarming incident there in just three months.

The accident unfolded at the Europa-Park in the town of Rust, near the French and Swiss borders, when a mobile pool cracked and wrenched apart the diving platforms attached to it.

The force sent several acrobats, who were performing a pirate show, tumbling through the air before they smashed into the water some 25 feet below.

Moments later the stage collapsed, with various parts of the platform and scaffolding crumbling into the water, narrowly missing the helpless and bewildered performers.

Police said that five performers and two visitors were injured in the accident, adding that three of the performers were taken to a hospital for additional treatment.

The cause of the accident wasn't immediately clear.

Debris is seen floating in the water in the aftermath of the accident

Injured performers drag themselves out of the pool amid the wreckage of the platform

The park is a popular tourist attraction that drew more than 6 million visitors last year, mostly from Germany, France and Switzerland.

It has areas with themes based on different European countries, and three based on fantasy settings. The park also hosts conferences and is a popular venue for events and television productions.

But it has now suffered two worrying accidents in less than three months.

In June, a large fire broke out, prompting a park-wide evacuation of 25,000 people.

Video footage showed a huge mushroom of black smoke billowing from inside the amusement park, as shocked visitors stood watching the flames from afar.

People were seen flocking in their droves away from the park while others stood filming the flames.

'It banged loudly two or three times. After that a huge fire could be seen,' an eyewitness said.

A huge fire has broken out at Europa-Park in Rust, South Germany

Plumes of smoke were seen billowing out of the amusement park as hundreds evacuated

One man claimed that the fire had broken out on the AtlanticaSupersplash track

Video footage from park-goers shows the huge black clouds of smoke billowing out of the park

Witnesses on social media described the chaos at the park, calling it 'frightening'

Europa-Park contains more than 100 different amusements, in the town of Rust in Baden-Wurttemberg.

The amusement park was first opened in 1975, with different additions being added and improved over time.

Tickets cost between 40 and 300 and is located close to the border of France and Switzerland.

It is not the first time the amusement park has seen a fire break out. A previous blaze in 2018 saw witnesses reporting flames that reached 15 metres in height.
An accounts adviser has denied illegally carrying out her own abortion during a Covid lockdown and is set to face trial next year.

Bethany Cox, 22, is charged with intending to 'destroy the life of a child capable of being born alive' and unlawfully administrating a poison with intent to procure her own miscarriage.

Cox, who appeared at Teesside Crown Court today, is accused of taking the home-use drug Misoprostol to abort her unborn child in July 2020 knowing that it would lead to the termination of the pregnancy.

Wearing a long beige coat and her hair slicked back in a bun, Cox shook her head as she denied the charges in front of a public gallery full of her family members and supporters.

Following the 15-minute hearing, Judge Paul Watson KC granted Cox unconditional bail, before adding that the trial would take place on January 15. It is expected to last seven days.

Bethany Cox, 22, will appear at Teesside Crown Court today accused of taking a home-use drug to miscarry her unborn child in the first lockdown

Cox (pictured today outside court on Teesside) is charged with two offences, which include child destruction and procuring her own miscarriage by poison or use of instrument

Cox is accused of taking the drug in July 2020 during the first pandemic lockdown when her unborn child was 'capable of being born alive'

The charges mean that Cox is the fourth woman to be charged under the Offences Against the Person Act in eight months. Before this year, only three women had ever been tried under it.

Cox, from Eaglescliffe, Stockton on Tees, is charged with two offences, which include child destruction and procuring her own miscarriage by poison or use of instrument.

Charge one states: 'On 06/07/2020 at Stockton, with intent to destroy the life of a child capable of being born alive, by a wilful act, namely administering drugs to procure abortion, contrary to Section 58 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861, caused the child to die before it had an existence independent of its mother.'

The second charge reads: 'Between the 02/07/2020 and 07/07/2020 at Stockton being a woman with child, unlawfully administered to yourself a poison or other noxious thing, namely Misoprostol, with intent to procure your own miscarriage.'

The first charge accuses Cox with the 'intent to destroy the life of a child capable of being born alive, by a wilful act, namely administering drugs to procure abortion'

The second charge accuses Cox (pictured outside court today) of 'unlawfully administered to yourself a poison or other noxious thing, namely Misoprostol, with intent to procure your own miscarriage'

Cox, from Eaglescliffe, Stockton on Tees, is charged with two offences, which include child destruction and procuring her own miscarriage by poison or use of instrument

Cox, seen outside court today, spoke softly to confirm her name and date of birth before shaking her head as she pleaded not guilty to both charges

Jonathan Lord, co-chairman of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists abortion taskforce, said last week: 'Four women have appeared in court charged with having an illegal abortion in eight months.

'Before this only three women have ever been on trial over the past 160 years.'

A CPS spokesman said: 'These exceptionally rare cases are complex and traumatic.

'Our prosecutors have a duty to ensure that laws set by Parliament are properly considered and applied when making difficult charging decisions.'
Do you know the man involved or have you been hit with an outrageous restaurant bill on holiday? email rachael.bunyan@mailonline.co.uk

An Italian man was chased by a waiter and told his 500 euro tip 'wasn't enough'

A 'very rich Italian' man has been left outraged after he was reportedly chased down and reprimanded by an angry waiter in Saint-Tropez for only leaving a 500 euro (429) tip.

The diner, who has not yet been identified, was pursued by the staff member to the carpark of the restaurant in the glamourous French Riviera resort and told it 'wasn't enough'.

The waiter chastised the 'very rich' customer and told him to go back inside and pay another 500 euros to reach the 'minimum' tip amount of 1,000 euros (859), reported local newspaper Nice Matin.

A French friend of the dismayed Italian said: 'He thought he had been generous by leaving 500 euros, instead he was reprimanded.

'The waiter told him that it wasn't enough and that he could still make a small effort to reach 1,000 euros because it was more consistent in approaching 20 per cent of the total amount of his bill.'

A 'very rich Italian' man has been left outraged after he was chased down and reprimanded by an angry waiter in Saint-Tropez for reportedly only leaving a 500 euro tip after his meal (file)

The Italian was so affronted by the exchange that he reportedly told his friend that he never wanted to step foot in Saint Tropez again.

The incident marks a growing frustration for holidaymakers travelling to Saint Tropez, a popular holiday destination for royalty and the wealthy.

Tourists have told how some restaurants in the coastal town require a minimum spend of 1,500 euros (1,288) each, while in other areas of the French Riviera, customers are expected to spend at least 10,000 euros (8,587).

'During a recent evening, this restaurant that we know well required a minimum spend of 1,500 euros each,' a regular, who said he is unlikely to return to Saint-Tropez, told Nice Matin.

It was also reported that a family at a restaurant in Ramatuelle, just south of Saint-Tropez, were told by staff that the minimum spend at a table there was 100,000 euros (85,900).

The Italian, who has not yet been identified, was chased by the waiter to the carpark of the eatery in the glamourous French Riviera resort and told his 500 euro tip 'wasn't enough' (file)

Restaurant staff are also said to be screening customers  and if they found that they didn't tip well during a previous visit, they wouldn't let them book a table again, reports Repubblica.

The mayor of Saint-Tropez, Sylvie Siri, said he has summoned local restaurant owners for a meeting at the end of the summer season to 'clean up' their practices and 'welcome customers in a more dignified way'.

That takes the cake! Italian restaurant charges 20 for slicing up birthday cake The restaurant listed the charge as '20 X Servizio Torta', which translates as '20 X Cake Service' Advertisement

Speaking of how restaurants are only reserving tables to clients who agree to a minimum spend, Ms Siri said: 'It is a practice similar to extortion, a form of racketeering.'

It is the latest example of the sky-high cost of enjoying bars and restaurants at some of Europe's most exclusive holiday hotspots.

Yesterday, it emerged that shocked customers had been ordered to pay a restaurant 20 (17) to cut up a birthday cake.

The family had brought in the cake with them for a celebration in Palermo, Sicily.

But the party-goers were astonished when they found they had been charged 20 for cutting it into pieces.

Last week, diners at another restaurant in Italy were shocked after waiters charged them 2 for an empty plate so their daughter could try the pasta.

Italians mocked the restaurant for the unusual charge and even the regional governor condemned it.

Ida Germano, the owner of the Osteria del Cavolo in Finale Ligure, told The Times the charge was valid because more plates to clean meant more work to do.

She clarified that the cost of supplying and washing extra plates so the mother could let her daughter taste the pasta would be 'more work'.

Since international travel returned to normality at the end of the global pandemic, several disgruntled holidaymakers have taken to the internet to express their shock at being presented with exorbitant bills in bars and restaurants in a number of European holiday destinations.

In another prices scandal, a couple who asked for an extra teaspoon so they could share a dessert were charged 1.50 (1.30).

They were billed for the pleasure of using two teaspoons to eat the crema catalana they had at the pizzeria near Alba, in northern Piemonte.

It came as a bar at Italy's exclusive Lake Como has sparked outrage after it was revealed it charges customers an extra 2 (1.70) just to cut their sandwiches in half.

One disgruntled customer shared a photograph of a receipt online as proof of the baffling charge.

The printout from June 18 clearly shows that Bar Pace had charged them 2 for the privilege of cutting their sandwich in two.

Listed as 'diviso da meta' it translates into English as 'divided in half'.

In 2019, a Venice restaurant sparked outrage by charging tourists 1,000 for four steaks and a plate of fish.

The outraged Japanese diners  students from the University of Bologna  said they ordered three steaks and fried fish at the Osteria da Luca near St Mark's Square.

With only glasses of water to accompany their modest meal, the group was left shocked by their 1,145 bill on Friday.
Giuliani played a prominent public role in the Trump campaign's efforts to push false claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election

The former Trump lawyer is named in indictment and is facing 13 felony counts including over accusations of harassment of two Fulton County poll workers

A seething Rudy Giuliani has branded his indictment 'an affront to American democracy' and called the Georgia officials who have brought charges against him, Donald Trump and 17 others the 'real criminals'.

The indictment lists a litany of telephone calls made by Giuliani, the former president and others to various state officials for the purpose, it says, of unlawfully appointing fake electors to swing the Electoral College in Trump's favor.

The former Trump lawyer alone is facing 13 felony counts including accusations of harassment of two Fulton County poll workers.

Speaking overnight, he said the indictment 'does permanent, irrevocable harm to our justice system.

He called it 'just the next chapter in a book of lies with the purpose of framing President Donald Trump and anyone willing to take on the ruling regime.'

A seething Rudy Giuliani (pictured outside the White House on January 6) has branded his indictment 'an affront to American democracy' and called the Georgia officials who have brought charges against him, Donald Trump and 17 others the 'real criminals'

'The real criminals here are the people who have brought this case forward both directly and indirectly,' he said.

Giuliani played a prominent public role in the Trump campaign's efforts to push false claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election.

The former New York City mayor was involved in litigation that was rejected by courts, and falsely claimed in testimony at local hearings in Georgia that he was in possession of evidence proving election fraud.

The indictment alleges he made numerous false statements, including to officials in other states including Arizona and Pennsylvania, in a failed bid to convince them to approve an alternative slate of electors to keep Trump in power.

He and other Trump allies are also accused of making false statements to Georgia lawmakers about the election, including claims about vote counting errors by Dominion voting machines. Giuliani's attorney declined to comment.

Fani Willis, the district attorney for Fulton County, Georgia, secured the 41-count indictment from a grand jury on Monday.

She told a press conference the indictment alleged 'violations of Georgia law arising from a criminal conspiracy to overturn the results of the election in this state.'

The indictment lists a litany of telephone calls made by Giuliani (center), former president Trump (right) and others to various state officials for the purpose of unlawfully appointing fake electors to swing the Electoral College in Trump's favor

Giuliani's name is seen on he indictment under that of Donald Trump's in this photograph published on Monday

Trump hit out at her, saying she was 'an out of control and very corrupt District Attorney', and declared that the charges were part of a 'witch hunt'.

The case - relying on laws typically used to bring down mobsters - is the fourth targeting 77-year-old Trump this year and could lead to a watershed moment, the first televised trial of a former president in US history.

He was charged along with Giuliani and 17 others - John Eastman, Mark Meadows, Ken Cheseboro, Jeffrey Clark, Jenna Ellis, Ray Smith III, Robert Cheeley, Michael Roman, David Shafer, Shawn Still, Stephen Lee, Harrison Floyd, Trevian Kutti, Sidney Powell, Cathleen Latham, Scott Hall and Misty Hampton.

Willis said she wants to try them all at the same time. They have until noon on August 25 to turn themselves in, or else an arrest warrant will be issued.

The case stems from a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call in which Trump urged Georgia's top election official, Brad Raffensperger, to 'find' 11,780 votes - enough to reverse his narrow loss in the state. Raffensperger declined to do so.

Trump's supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol four days later on Jan. 6 in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent lawmakers from certifying Biden's victory.

Fani Willis, the district attorney for Fulton County, Georgia, secured the 41-count indictment from a grand jury on Monday

The indictment cites a number of crimes that Trump or his associates allegedly committed, including falsely testifying to lawmakers that election fraud had occurred and urging state officials to violate their oaths of office by altering the election results.

Prosecutors also cited the breach of a voting system in a rural Georgia county and the harassment of an election worker who became the focus of conspiracy theories.

It also mentions an alleged scheme to subvert the U.S. electoral process by submitting false slates of electors, people who make up the Electoral College that elects the president and vice president.

Georgia presents perhaps the most serious threat to Trump's liberty as he leads the field comfortably for his party's nomination to bid for reelection.

Even if he is returned to the Oval Office, he would have none of the powers that presidents arguably enjoy in the federal system to pardon themselves or have prosecutors drop cases.

The harsh penalties associated with RICO cases can be an incentive for co-defendants to seek cooperation deals, and the statutes are usually used to target organized crime.

Thirty unindicted co-conspirators were mentioned in the indictment.

Under federal law, anyone who can be connected to a criminal 'enterprise' through which offenses were committed can be convicted under RICO. The broader Georgia law doesn't even require the existence of the enterprise.

Other Trump allies were charged over the accessing of sensitive data from an election office in a rural county south of Atlanta one day after the 2021 Capitol riot.

Trump is already facing dozens of felony charges after being federally indicted over the alleged plot to subvert the election, and further prosecutions over his alleged mishandling of classified documents and keeping allegedly fraudulent business records.

Authorities in Atlanta installed security barricades outside the downtown courthouse in anticipation of a potential influx of Trump supporters and counter-protesters in the latest case.

Lawmakers investigating Trump's efforts to cling to power heard evidence in a series of congressional hearings last summer that would challenge his potential defense that he genuinely believed he had been cheated of the election.
The heartbroken fiancee of a farmer left brain dead after a horrific crash has revealed the last thing he said to her was 'I love you'.

George Hassett, 30, was a passenger in a car that collided with a truck in fog on the Hume Highway near Tarcutta, NSW, on Friday.

Aly, his partner of four years and mother to their twin one-year-old boys Oliver and Cooper, spoke with Mr Hassett just before he set off on the journey.

It was a short conversation where he asked her to rope off the horses, but more importantly, they then expressed their love for each other.

'George was airlifted to Canberra hospital in a critical condition, sustaining multiple injuries that eventually not even the toughest young man we know could overcome,' family friend Meg Dean wrote on a GoFundMe fundraiser for Aly and her boys.

Aly (right), the fiance of George Hassett (left) who has been left brain dead after a horrific crash, has revealed his heartbreaking final words

George Hassett's hand is pictured being held by his partner Aly's hand in hospital

Mr Hassett always wanted to donate his organs, Aly said, with several potential recipients about to get tests to see if they are a match.

'He's just got a huge personality, he's so kind and understanding,' she told the Daily Telegraph. 'He's just the best person you could ask for.'

The couple was due to be married in the Southern Highlands in November and Aly still plans to change her name legally to her beloved fiance's name.

She said she and Mr Hassett were very similar, loving to ride horses and the country lifestyle.

As well as her own grief, Aly also has to take care of her twins, who will grow up without their dad, though they are still too young to understand that.

'They came to hospital and recognised him, before touching his hand and saying goodbye,' she said.

Ms Dean said that 'George always was looking out for others.

'We are asking for people to please dig deep so we can help Aly and the boys through this horrendous time, with general expenses whilst Aly is unable to work as she will be caring for her two little ones without George.'

As of Tuesday evening, the fundraiser had already raised around $110,000 for the family.

The couple (pictured) had been together for four years are was due to get married in November

George Hassett (pictured) was a passenger in a car that collided with a truck in fog on the Hume Highway near Tarcutta, NSW last Friday

One contributor wrote that she had 'worked with Aly many years ago. I'm truly devastated for her and her beautiful boys.

'Sending love and healing vibes during this time.'

Another wrote that it was an 'absolute tragedy. Such a bloody good man taken too soon.

'My condolences go to all his family and I'll be thinking of you all during this time.'
Labour's opinion poll lead over the Tories has swollen to 20 points amid the Government's latest setbacks in dealing with the Channel migrant crisis.

Sir Keir Starmer's party are now backed by 48 per cent of voters compared to less than one-third (28 per cent) who would support the Tories at a general election.

The latest Redfield & Wilton Strategies poll also showed immigration is ranked as the third most important issue among British voters in determining how they would vote.

More than half of respondents (55 per cent) put the NHS and the economy as among the three most important election issues, while 29 per cent selected immigration.

Rishi Sunak has repeatedly pledged to 'Stop the Boats' but last week saw a series of blows to the Prime Minister's efforts to stem the number of people crossing the Channel.

This included the disembarkation of all asylum seekers from the Bibby Stockholm barge in Dorset, due to the discovery of Legionella bacteria.

Labour's opinion poll lead over the Tories has swollen to 20 points amid the Government's latest setbacks in dealing with the Channel migrant crisis

Sir Keir Starmer's party are now backed by 48 per cent of voters compared to less than one-third (28 per cent) who would support the Tories at a general election

The latest Redfield & Wilton Strategies poll also showed immigration is ranked as the third most important issue among British voters in determining how they would vote

Sir Keir (43 per cent) led Mr Sunak (33 per cent) by ten points on who would be the better PM at this moment

The PM, who was out the country last week on a family holiday to California, also saw the highest daily number of Channel crossings this year recorded last Thursday.

Some 755 people crossed the Channel in 14 boats that day, which confirmed that more than 100,000 people have now made the crossing in the past five years.

Last week also brought fresh Tory infighting over the European Convention on Human Rights, saw one of the 420,000 drones for Channel surveillance crash into the sea, a Border Force rescue vessel break down while on a rescue mission, and Conservative deputy chairman Lee Anderson conceded the Government had 'failed' on illegal immigration

Downing Street this week refused to say when asylum seekers would be returned to the Bibby Stockholm as a row broke out about when the discovery of Legionella on board the vessel was first known about.

But No10 insisted Mr Sunak retained confidence in Home Secretary Suella Braverman and the work of the Home Office.

The latest Redfield & Wilton poll showed the Government had a net competency rating of -20 per cent, with 25 per cent finding the Government competent and 45 per cent finding the Government incompetent.

The PM received a net approval rating of -9 per cent, with the survey finding 32 per cent approved of Mr Sunak's overall job performance against 41 per cent who disapproved.

Sir Keir's net approval rating stood at +13 per cent, with the poll finding 40 per cent approved of the Labour leader's job performance, while 27 per cent disapproved.

Sir Keir (43 per cent) also led Mr Sunak (33 per cent) by ten points on who would be the better PM at this moment.
Have you been affected by the wildfires in France? Contact rachael.bunyan@mailonline.co.uk

Thousands of terrified tourists have been forced to flee from the holiday region as blaze ripped through towns

Blazing wildfires have ripped through 500 hectares of land in holiday region in southern France

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More than 3,000 tourists have been evacuated from a British holiday hotspot in France after 'catastrophic' wildfires ravaged homes and holiday campsites.

The blazing wildfires have ripped through 500 hectares of land and seen thousands of terrified tourists flee for their lives from their holiday homes and campsites close to the Spanish border.

The flames have so far gutted scores of homes and destroyed a campsite in the popular holiday region of Pyrenees-Orientales, southern France, as it swept through villages close to the seaside resort of Argeles.

Video shows the flames getting perilously close to campsites, where children can be heard screaming in terror. Families quickly packed their belongings and fled in droves as black smoke filled the sky.

More than 3,000 tourists have now been evacuated from their holiday campsites across the region to temporary accommodation in town halls.

The local mayor described how she saw dozens of 'families with flabbergasted children' walk through the doors, some still in their swimsuits as they were unable to reach their campsite due to flames.

Harrowing photographs show the extent of the damage caused by the wildfires, with the charred remains of a blackened campsite seen in the commune of Saint-Andre. Cars were incinerated and homes gutted by the blaze.

A woman takes a picture of a wildfire that broke out leading to the evacuation of more than 3,000 people from nearby campsites in Saint-Andre near Argeles-sur-Mer south-western France on Monday

La lutte contre les flammes se poursuit dans les Pyrenees-Orientales. Dores et deja 4 campings, soit pres de 3000 vacanciers, ont ete evacues et de nombreux moyens terrestres et aeriens sont mobilises.



La secheresse et les vents violents accentuent les risques de propagation https://t.co/RE7qwWdb8R  Christophe Bechu (@ChristopheBechu) August 14, 2023

Firefighters use hoses to fight the blaze in southern France on Monday

The smouldering remains of a house are seen behind a pool in the aftermath of the fire that ravaged the commune of Saint-Andre in Pyrenees-Orientales on Tuesday

The smouldering remains of a house are seen in the aftermath of the fire that ravaged the commune of Saint-Andre in Pyrenees-Orientales on Tuesday

Pictured: A camping site destroyed by a wildfire in Saint-Andre, near Argeles-sur-Mer, southern France, on Tuesday

Incinerated vans and cars are seen in a destroyed campsite following a blazing wildfire in Saint-Andre, southern France, on Tuesday

A boy lays down as survivors stand at a temporary accommodation in Argeles-sur-Mer, southern France, on Tuesday after being evacuated from a campsite due to the wildfires

The wildfires ripped through Saint-Andre in the popular holiday region of Pyrenees-Orientales, southern France, close to the city of Perpignan

'Our town is hard hit, there is a lot of damage,' the mayor of Saint-Andre told France Bleu on Tuesday. 'The village is burned on both sides, a third has been hit by the fire.'

The wildfire broke out on Monday afternoon and the blaze spread rapidly near the villages of Saint-Andre, Sorede and the seaside resort of Argeles due to the 'extremely hot weather, drought and strong winds of up to 180km/hr'.

Officials said the wildfire has been contained but remains dangerous as about 450 firefighters backed up by surveillance aircraft today continued to battle the flames south of the city of Perpignan.

'The fire has been contained,' senior regional official Rodrigue Furcy told local radio, but the worst affected area was 'under close surveillance and firefighters were still battling the blaze'.

Seventeen firefighters had sustained light injuries and one was admitted to hospital after a fall 'but the good news is that there have been no fatalities', Furcy continued.

Thirty houses had been damaged, along with a warehouse and a campsite, with thousands of people evacuated to temporary accommodation.

Roussillon Bernadette Michalak Guimbert, the deputy mayor of Argeles-sur-Mer, told France Bleu that she saw families arrive in the town hall 'in swimsuits' because 'they were returning from the beach or from walks and they could not reach their campsite'.

Guimbert added that among the evacuees are 'many families with flabbergasted children'. She said they woke up this morning 'very dazed' after they were forced to flee the flames of the roaring wildfire.

Several roads were also closed and the train service from Perpignan to the Spanish border was suspended for several hours.

Bordering on Spain, the Pyrenees-Orientales region has been affected worse than any other French region by a devastating drought.

Last week, firefighters battled another wildfire near the southwestern city of Bordeaux that forced around 8,000 people to flee their homes and holiday villas.

Authorities in Spain's northern Basque Country region said France had stopped freight trucks from crossing the border at Irun due to the fire.

More than 60 square kilometers (23 square miles) have burned in the Gironde region and the neighboring Landes.

The Gironde region was hit last month by major wildfires that forced the evacuation of more than 39,000 people, including residents and tourists.

France is this week in the midst of its fourth heat wave of the year as the country faces what the government warned is its worst drought on record.

Temperatures in the south of the country are expected to reach up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

Wildfires have ravaged countries across southern Europe this summer, forcing thousands to be evacuated and thousands more to cancel their holidays.

Greece, Italy, Algeria and Tunisia combined lost more than 1,350 square kilometers (520 square miles) to blazes that affected 120,000 people in late July, according to European Union estimates.

Last week, a series of wildfires ripped through Portugal and neighbouring Spain as temperatures soared to over 44C, forcing the evacuation of thousands of holidaymakers from villages and campsites.

The popular holiday island of Rhodes - known for its sparkling beeches and ancient Greek sites - was also ravaged by wildfires for 11 days last month.

Incendie a St Andre qui se propage tres rapidement vers Argeles sur mer, des explosions senchainent, il est pas pret de sarreter. #StAndre #Incendie #explosions #feu pic.twitter.com/7JKZY92iAO  CLMRT (@ClmentMarti1) August 14, 2023

Families quickly packed their belongings and fled the devastated area in droves as the black smoke filled the sky

Officials said the wildfire has been contained but remains dangerous as about 450 firefighters backed up by surveillance aircraft (pictured) today continued to battle the flames south of the city of Perpignan

Holidaymakers sit outside their temporary accommodation in Argeles-sur-Mer, southern France, on Tuesday after being evacuated from the wildfires

A destroyed campsite and incinerated cars are seen in Saint-Andre after a wildfire ripped through southern France on Tuesday

A campsite was destroyed by the wildfire in Saint-Andre, southern France, as seen on Tuesday

Pictured: A camping site destroyed by a wildfire in Saint-Andre, near Argeles-sur-Mer, on Tuesday

A firefighter puts out fires after the blaze that ravaged the commune of Saint-Andre on Tuesday

The smouldering remains of a house are seen in the aftermath of the fire that ravaged Saint Andre on Tuesday

The burnt remains of furniture are seen inside a house in Saint-Andre on Tuesday

After thousands of people were evacuated during the height of travel season, Rhodes is weighing how the crisis will affect its vital tourism sector, which fuels most of its economy and some 20 per cent of Greece's.

It's the same for other Mediterranean destinations such as Italy and Spain, where the tourism sector is also being hit by heat waves and wildfires.

Climate scientists say heat waves are more intense, more frequent and longer because of climate change  and coupled with droughts have made wildfires harder to fight.

They say climate change will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive.

'Climate change kills,' Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said last month during a visit to the Extremadura region, the site of three major blazes. 'It kills people, it kills our ecosystems and biodiversity.'

Wildfires raging through Europe this summer have so far burned the second-largest area on record, even though the region is only halfway through its typical fire season, according to data from the European Union's Joint Research Centre.

Victor Resco de Dios, professor of forest engineering at Spain's Lleida University, said the large fires France and Portugal suffered in early July were 'extremely unusual' and demonstrated how climate change is causing the fire season to start earlier and last longer.

'Today's fires in the Mediterranean can no longer be extinguished... large fires are getting bigger and bigger,' he said.

A burnt tree split in half is seen by the remains of a burnt-out house in Saint-Andre, southern France, on Tuesday

Remains of melted lawn - included a statue of a tortoise - are seen in the yard of a burnt-out house following the wildfire in Saint-Andre on Tuesday

Firefighters inspect the damage and look for possible burn spots after the fire that ravaged the commune of Saint-Andre on Tuesday

A firefighter puts out fires after the blaze tore through southern France on Tuesday

A firefighter inspects the damage and possible burn spots after the fire that ravaged the commune of Saint Andre on Tuesday

A firefighter puts out fires next to a greenhouse after the wildfires ripped through areas close to Perpignan on Tuesday

A firefighter inspects a damaged house after the wildfires ripped through areas close to Perpignan on Tuesday

More than 3,000 tourists have now been evacuated from their holiday campsites across the region after the inferno ripped through the tourist hotspot

Southern European countries such as Portugal and Greece experience fires most summers, but hotter temperatures are pushing severe wildfire risk north, with Germany, Slovenia and the Czech Republic among those hit this season.

In stark contrast to the wildfires seen in France, Spain, Greece, Croatia and southern Italy in recent weeks, northern Italy and Scandinavia have been hit by devastating floods and storms.

In the Italian town of Bardonecchia, near Turin in the Val di Susa valley, a 'tsunami of mud' crashed through the streets on Sunday, sending people fleeing for their lives.

Dramatic video shows the churning river of mud forming a huge wave as it burst its banks and slammed into a street following heavy rain.

Horrified residents and tourists were sent running for their lives as the 'mud tsunami' smashed through a gate and sent debris flying towards them on Sunday evening.

Further video shows a thick wall of mud thundering down the river banks that pass through the Alpine town, blanketing cars with debris.

Rescuers desperately searched for five people believed to have been missing following the mudslide but authorities later said all residents had been accounted for and there were no victims.

Italy has been faced with a series of deadly floods and storms in recent months, with 13 people killed in May after a devastating flood tore through homes in the popular holiday region of Emilia-Romagna.

Desperate families, including young children and the elderly, had to clamber on to their roofs in the tourist hotspot as they waited anxiously for rescuers to reach them in helicopters.

In the city of Cesena locals were forced to swim through the submerged streets, past sunken cars and floating furniture, to reach higher ground.

Last month, severe storms also battered the north of Italy, killing two woman and a 16-year-old girl scout.

The overnight storm on July 25 saw roofs torn off and hundreds of trees uprooted in Milan. Roads were blocked and cars were smashed by the debris.

Two women were killed in the northern Monza and Brescia provinces after being crushed by falling trees, while a teenager was seriously injured when he was hit by a falling branch in the Veneto region.

In the area around nearby Brescia, a 16-year-old girl on a scout camp was killed when a tree fell on her tent, according to Italian news agencies.

Firefighters evacuated the other members of the camp, taking them to a sports hall nearby, ANSA said.

Tourist attractions also bore the brunt of the bad weather, as the Sforza Castle was shut after some tiles were brought down and rain was heavy enough to penetrate the glass-vaulted Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Milan's famed shopping arcade.

Elsewhere in Europe, a 135mph tornado toppled a construction crane in Switzerland last month, killing one person, while ripping roofs off buildings. Storms also lashed France and Germany with torrential rain flooding streets in Berlin.

And last week, heavy rains triggered landslides and flooding across southern Norway and Sweden, forcing communities to evacuate.

The Norwegian dam at the Braskereidfoss hydroelectric power plant, on the Glama, Norway's longest and most voluminous river, burst on Wednesday after days of rain.

It caused devastating floods, with footage showing wooden cabins floating down overflowing rivers. One clip shows a mobile home crashing into a bridge on Norway's Hemsilar river.

People were seen standing on the bridge as they watched caravans being swept away, crashing into the bridge and being crushed under the weight.
Tories vented fury at the 'incompetent and immoral' EU today after Brussels seemingly ruled out a deal for Channel migrants to be sent back to France.

MPs accused the bloc's leaders of still being obsessed with punishing Britain for Brexit after leaked records showed a returns agreement had been blocked.

Conservatives argued such a pact was the best way of crippling the deadly people-smuggling operations - and would also end the misery for residents on the French coast.

They also insisted that Paris could ignore the Brussels objections and go ahead with a deal.

The backlash came after the Mail revealed details of a face-to-face meeting between Bjoern Siebert, one of EU commission chief Ursula von der Leyen's closest aides, and the Cabinet Office's National Security Adviser Sir Tim Barrow.

Mr Siebert made clear during talks earlier this year that there is no prospect of a post-Brexit 'returns agreement'.

A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent

Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak speaks during the Conservative Party Spring Conference

Mr Sunak, who has vowed to 'stop the boats' as one of his five key pledges to voters, said in June that closer European co-operation on border security 'must be top of the agenda'.

When Britain was in the EU some migrants were returned under the Dublin Agreement, which allowed them to be sent back to safe countries they passed through on their way here. The PM is thought to have been aiming for an improved version of that deal.

But that appears to be off the table, according to the internal British government memo seen by the Daily Mail.

It says of the EU official: 'He stressed that the Commission is not open to a UK-EU readmissions agreement.'

Both sides did agree to co-operate on other immigration measures, including moves to combat trafficking gangs, according to the memo - which was sent to a number of government departments.

Brussels has disputed the version of events set out in the leaked memo. 'Mr Siebert never said what it is claimed,' a Commission spokesman said.

Tory former minister Peter Bone told MailOnline Brussels was acting against the interest of many member states.

'You've got the EU letting in hundreds of thousands of migrants from across the world through their borders. A number of them are then passing on through to the UK coming in small boats,' he said.

'It seems to me it is entirely their responsibility to look after these people, they have let them in to their European Union.

'If I was PM when they landed in Dover I would give them a nice cup of tea and put them on the first ferry back to France.

'The idea they can say 'we're not going to do anything about it' just shows how incompetent and immoral the EU are on this issue, because they are allowing this to happen.

'If there was a returns policy people wouldn't risk their lives in the Channel because they would know all that would happen is they go back to where they started from.

'I think nations within the EU are getting fed up with this and they will rebel. They don't want the migrants coming in the first place.

'I think it is another step in the demise of the whole EU, they are completely detached from reality.'

Mr Bone said it was 'reasonable' to conclude that Brussels was punishing the UK for leaving the bloc.

'There is no other logical reason for doing it,' he said. 'If they had a returns framework these crossings would not happen. People would not be clogging up the French ports. It would stop the people-smugglers, it would make life in the French ports so much better.'

Mr Bone also pointed out that the refusal from the EU dealt a massive blow to Labour, which has insisted that a returns agreement is crucial for tackling the Channel migrant issue.

Another ex-minister, David Jones, told MailOnline that the EU's position was being driven by the French.

'They don't want to cooperate, particularly the French. This very French attitude is permeating the whole of the EU. We had the temerity to leave the EU and we must be punished for it.'

'The French are really not doing enough, bearing in mind that they are getting 500million from us now.'

Mr Jones said the standoff underlined the need for reform of the European Convention on Human Rights, which many Tories believe is preventing illegal migrants from being deported.

'The government really has got to get a grip on it, it has got to disapply the ECHR in domestic legislation,' he said.

Dover MP Natalie Elphicke told MailOnline: 'Returns already happen on the juxtaposed controls so it's ridiculous for France to hide behind the EU's skirts when the reality is that they already do this under the existing treaty between our countries.

'What's needed is a small extension of those arrangements with shared enforcement and a cross channel agreement to jointly deal with the small boats robustly and effectively. That is the surest way to bring the crossings to an end swiftly.'

French ministers insist the European Union's border arrangements can only be decided by Brussels  something Britain regards as a moot point.

If Channel migrants cannot be removed to France, the Home Office's options are limited to sending them to their home nation  which in many cases leads to human rights challenges  or to a safe third country such as Rwanda.

However, the Government's asylum deal with Rwanda remains in legal limbo after it was declared unlawful on human rights grounds by the Court of Appeal in June.

Rishi Sunak has repeatedly spoken of his desire to secure closer co-operation with Europe on the Channel crisis.

Its refusal to consider a returns agreement intensified pressure from within the Conservative party for Britain to leave the European Human Rights Convention.

MPs on the Right of the party insist the ECHR is the main block on returning migrants to their home nations or to Rwanda.

Conservative backbencher Danny Kruger said: 'We have now tried legal efforts, technical fixes, and international diplomacy in an attempt to stop the boats within the confines of European human rights law.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen arrives for an EU Summit

'If the EU won't consider a returns agreement, we will have no choice but to take back full control of our legal sovereignty.'

A government source said: 'The EU can't even agree a migration deal between themselves so it's no surprise they aren't willing to discuss a readmissions agreement with us.

'Even under the Dublin Agreement we took more people than we sent the other way.'

The involvement of UK National Security Adviser and top diplomat Sir Tim Barrow in the talks demonstrates how Downing Street is throwing every effort at cracking the small boats crisis.

A government spokesman said: 'We remain open to working with the EU to take forward negotiations on a UK-EU returns deal.'

It is understood that UK ministers still hope a returns deal can be agreed. They believe it would be a key factor in deterring crossings.
A blue plaque has been installed to commemorate a man made famous - for swearing at seagulls.

The honour was cheekily bestowed on Huw Davies - who was renowned for shooing the pesky birds away with expletives.

Huw, from Aberystwyth in Wales, was previously honored with a joke plaque on his favourite bench when he passed away.

It read 'In loving memory of Huw Davies. Used to sit here and shout 'F*** off!' at the seagulls.'

And now a joke blue plaque has now been spotted in Mr Davies' name near the sea front.

It reads: 'Huw Davies. Taxidermist & Swearing Enthusiast Lived Here.'

A blue plaque dedicated to Aberystwyth resident Huw Davies has been erected in the town

Last year, a plaque on a bench near Aberystwyth Castle in Wales, was dedicated 'in loving memory' to one Huw Davies who enjoyed swearing at seagulls

At the time, a spokesman for Ceredigion County Council said: 'An unauthorised plaque had been placed, by an unknown person, on an existing bench within Aberystwyth Castle grounds'

It is unclear whether Huw Davies was a real person, but nonetheless social media users imagined what he would be like. Pictured: A file photo of a seagull

It follows just a year after a similar tribute to Mr Davies was erected in the town within the grounds of Aberystwyth Castle.

It was first spotted by a passer-by called James tweeted a photograph of the unusual tribute on Sunday, calling it, 'By some distance the best park bench memorial I've ever encountered'.

The post went on to gather more than 200,000 likes, with the issue quickly coming to the attention of Ceredigion County Council, who took the plaque away.

One Twitter user wrote: 'I must admit this Huw Davies sounds an amusing character. If this Park bench memorial helps people remember him well then so be it.'

Another said: 'Oh fantastic, I wish I had known that man. I think we would've got on in lots of ways.'

The bench plaque was later removed by the council.

Commenting at the time, a spokesman for Ceredigion County Council said: 'An unauthorised plaque had been placed, by an unknown person, on an existing bench within Aberystwyth Castle grounds.

'The plaque has been removed.'
Drivers have slammed London mayor Sadiq Khan after it emerged they will soon have to pay a toll to use the Blackwall Tunnel  one of the busiest crossings over the Thames.

Transport for London confirmed it will charge motorists who travel across the route, which thousands use to commute into the capital from the South East, from 2025. The toll will vary by vehicle and has not yet been decided.

The news will cause yet more misery for motorists who are already bracing for 12.50 daily bills for entering the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) when it expands to cover Greater London at the end of the month. The ULEZ fee will apply to vehicles that do not meet minimum emissions standards.

The toll for the Blackwall Tunnel will only be implemented once the Silvertown Tunnel, which will link Silvertown and Greenwich, opens in 2025. TfL say the fee will cover the 2billion cost of building and maintaining the new passage, with any surplus 'reinvested' into the wider transport network.

Robin Hopkins, 63, runs delivery firm RMH Same Day Couriers and regularly travels to London from his home in the Midlands. He told MailOnline the charge for the Blackwall Tunnel was only the latest example of Mr Khan seeking to 'grab cash' from motorists

The toll for the Blackwall Tunnel will only be implemented once the Silvertown Tunnel, which will link Silvertown and Greenwich, opens in 2025. It comes as motorists brace for the extension of Ulez later this month

The Blackwall Tunnel is one of the few crossings in the area, with only the Dartford Crossing and Woolwich Ferry further east. It is used by 100,000 vehicles every day.

Robin Hopkins, 63, is director of delivery firm RMH Same Day Couriers and regularly travels to London from his home in the Midlands.

He told MailOnline the charge for the Blackwall Tunnel was only the latest example of Mr Khan seeking to 'grab cash' from motorists.

'I've been in central London since early today and have been through the Congestion Charge zone and ULEZ,' he said.

'The Blackwall Tunnel will only be the start of it - I can see tolls being up on other bridges and crossings as well.

'As soon as I have extra costs or tolls I have to pass those onto my customers. It's a trickle-down effect.

'Transport businesses have already been hammered by fuel costs, and a lot of them have had to pack it in after decades of service.

'Motorists are clearly being targeted for a cash grab by Sadiq Khan. We urgently need a new Mayor who befits the role.'

Meanwhile, entrepreneur Siama Qadar condemned Mr Khan for 'another money making scheme to batter motorists'.

She wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: 'Not only are we being subjected to #ULEZ, but also have to pay for Blackwall Tunnel as well. @sadiqkhan and @tfl, please explain why you continue to hurt London motorists?'

A second user wrote: 'Yeah it's enough now Sadiq Khan has to go. A charge on the Blackwall Tunnel is just another tax on Londoners trying to get around.

'We're not seeing this money reinvested back into communities or infrastructure either, so what is the point.'

A third added, sarcastically: 'It's nothing to do with making money its for air quality and saving our children's lungs.'

News drivers will soon have to pay to use the route has provoked fury among motorists

The Blackwall Tunnel, which consists of two passageways going north and south, has been free to use since it opened in 1897.

The Silvertown Tunnel is being built to ease congestion on the crossing.

READ MORE - Inside the Low Traffic Neighbourhoods dividing communities across Britain Advertisement

After 2025, motorists will pay a fee to use either the Silvertown Tunnel or the Blackwall Tunnel.

TfL said that while the charge would be used to pay for the new route, its main purpose was to 'manage traffic levels'.

The extended ULEZ zone, which intends to reduce air pollution emitted by toxic fumes from older vehicles, will see some drivers charged 12.50 a day. That amounts to a staggering 4,562.50 for the year.

Today, MailOnline revealed that security measures are being beefed up on ULEZ cameras in a battle to stop activists  who have called themselves 'the Blade Runners'  from cutting the wires.

By July Transport for London (TfL) said 200 of the cameras  being installed to catch motorists driving vehicles below the emissions standards  had been stolen or vandalised.

Pictures and footage have now emerged on TikTok and Facebook of a black metal box surrounding the cables in an apparent move to protect the wiring.

A total of 2,750 new ANPR cameras are planned to be installed across the whole of London as the deadline date for Sadiq Khan's hated ULEZ expansion looms.

So far almost 1,900 are set up, but it is not known how many have the new defence mechanism in place.

Drivers approaching the Blackwall Tunnel in Greenwich after the start of the school holidays last month

The news comes at a sensitive time for London drivers, many of whom are worried about the looming introduction of Mr Khan's newly extended ULEZ zone

Mr Khan's commitment to ULEZ has caused a major split in Labour, with the party's leader Sir Keir Starmer blaming the policy for a recent by-election loss.

Mr Starmer today urged cities to look at alternative air quality schemes as he was grilled about the controversial policy during a visit to Scotland.

The leadership was alarmed when the Tories managed to cling on in the Uxbridge & South Ruislip by-election, helped by a wave of anger at ULEZ.

But despite Sir Keir making clear he wants the approach to change, Mr Khan has insisted the move will go ahead, stressing that he has a legal obligation to ensure clean air for Londoners.

Asked whether party policy had changed this morning, Sir Keir said: 'Let me tell you what I want to change: I want clean air.

'I don't think anybody in this country should be breathing dirty air, any more than I think they should be drinking dirty water.

'What I don't want is schemes that disproportionately impact on people in the middle of the cost-of-living crisis, so we need to look at options for achieving what we all need to achieve, which is clean air.

'There are other ways of achieving this, so my driving principle is clean air, absolutely yes, but a proportionate way of getting there and looking at what the options are for other cities, other places doing it in different ways.'

Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer today once again voiced his opposition to ULEZ on a visit to Scotland

It comes after a Labour commitment to support 'the principle of clean air zones' across the country was removed from a key policy document.

Labour sources have confirmed that the pledge has been officially dropped and will not make it into next year's General Election manifesto.

Senior Tories condemned the latest U-turn by the Labour leadership, which has significantly altered several policies since Sir Keir became leader in 2020.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said Ulez expansion would 'punish the poorest'.

He added: 'Two-faced Starmer changes his mind as often as the wind.'

Labour Party officials pointed out that clean air zones are current government policy. A source said: 'The Tories are the ones who have pushed councils to introduce them.'
People smugglers are carrying machine guns in their war to control trafficking routes across the Channel in northern France, MailOnline has learned.

Amid claims shots were fired before a boat sank on Saturday, which drowned six Afghan asylum seekers, a source said criminals are turning to brutal violence to control their turf in the lucrative trade to move people to Britain.

New giant dinghies from China can carry up to 60 passengers at 1,300 a head - meaning a single trip can net the smugglers almost 80,000.

When the rival Kurdish gangs who control the trade undercut each other or steal clients, guns can be pulled.

After dark, in woodland dens, the police will never come, and the gangsters are often high on drugs.

At one camp, in Grande-Synthe, near Dunkirk, tensions between smugglers have seen incidents of gun violence.

Sources at the camp told us the process was controlled mostly by Iraqi Kurds, with help from Afghans and Arabic gang members.

They claimed the gangs acted with impunity and there was no risk of intervention from French police.

New giant dinghies from China can carry up to 60 passengers at 1,300 a head - meaning a single trip can net the smugglers almost 80,000

A French police officer stands on the beach as police work to prevent the departure of an inflatable boat carrying migrants attempting to illegally cross the English Channel to reach Britain, in Sangatte, northern France, on July 18, 2023

One source, identified only as Farhad, said: 'There is violence all the time.

'In the camps, it is getting worse, and gangs have guns, including machine guns.

'The people smuggling in the Dunkirk area is controlled by Kurds, almost entirely Iraqi Kurds.

'But they fight between themselves over customers being stolen, or prices being undercut.

'There are Afghans and Arabic people involved, but they are helpers to the Kurdish gang leaders.

'The fighting is most common at night.

'They drink, they take drugs - and it is totally dark, with no risk of any police coming near.'

The damning testimony comes as MailOnline witnessed the feeble French effort in stopping migrants crossing the Channel by small boats.

On Sunday night French police had seen three boatloads of migrants waiting for the bus towards the coast  but did nothing to stop them.

At some point in the night at least one of the groups emerged from hiding in the dunes and made their way to the beach.

After they had made their perilous boat journey for Britain, all that was left in the sand was the outline of a dinghy in the sand, two discarded boxes of 'Doublequick Air Pumps', a canister of engine oil, half empty water bottles and a discarded mobile phone.

In the darkness, the migrants had pumped up a dinghy, carried it to the waves 200 yards away, and set sail for Dover.

There were several dozen footprints left by the passengers carrying their own boat to the sea.

Only after we had traced the tracks at Gravelines beach did three armed officers from the French Police Nationale turn up on foot.

'Yes, it will have been migrants,' their female sergeant told us. 'No, we do not know where they are now.'

And while on previous visits MailOnline has witnessed police mob-handed guarding key beaches on the many miles of coastline nearest to England, these three were the only officers we saw.

That, and tyre-marks of a four-wheel drive that similarly missed the boat. Too little, too late.

Saturday's tragedy, with at least six Afghans drowned in the Channel, seemed to have done nothing to spur increased French vigilance, despite the 480m funding the authorities receive from Britain's Home Office.

Migrants undeterred by the drownings in the English Channel queue for a bus to take them to their launch site along the French coast

On Sunday night French police had seen three boatloads of migrants waiting for the bus towards the coast  but did nothing to stop them

Local police on the beach at he seaside town of Gravelines in Northern France, popular with people traffickers due to the large beach and sand dunes

In the sprawling encampment area near Dunkirk amid roadside undergrowth and alongside a disused railway line, where up to 1,000 migrants wait to take their chance on the waves, the deaths have had similarly little impact.

Instead, the breakout of sunny weather and calm seas, after weeks of poor weather, has brought hope.

But there is also fear among those surviving here, with an increasingly tense atmosphere, and claims of gunshots fired in the hours before Saturday's tragedy, as Afghans bargained for their places on already crowded Kurdish-run dinghies.

Yet every day more migrants arrive, many since the weekend. A few drownings, let alone vague talk of flights to Rwanda or being sent to live on a barge in England, are of little concern.

Muhamed, 28, from Afghanistan, had only arrived on this springboard to the promised yesterday. The death of six countrymen just two days earlier was like something from previous generation.

'Yes, we have heard about them,' he said. 'Yes, they say they were from Afghanistan. But that's life. We did not know them.'

Muhamed is paying 1,500 Euros to get to England. 'Maybe tomorrow,' he smiled.

He and a friend were queuing in a field for free spaghetti in a chicken and vegetable sauce, with a piece of baguette, fruit salad and coffee on the side.

A mixed group of French pensioners and boy and girl scouts had turned up in vans, and set up a couple of trestle tables to serve the free meal from insulated containers.

Within moments, 250 migrants from far away in Asia and Africa, mainly men aged 20-40, but including several dozen women, some fully veiled, and maybe a dozen children, had arrived to fuel themselves.

Clutching polystyrene food boxes, they sat in national groups - Afghans, Indians, Eritreans, Syrians, Iraqi Kurds, South Sudanese.

A group of South Sudanese sat well apart. Group spokesman David, 25, said: 'I've been here 20 days.'

A relatively long wait, determined by his groups' hopes to fill spare places on boats, at a bargain 500 euros.

'And I haven't got that,' he said, smiling ruefully. 'I have nothing.' The free food handouts keep him going.

Ravi, 31, from India, has already paid out 1,500 Euros for an aborted trip last Tuesday, he said, and needed more for another try.

'The motor broke down after two hours,' he said. 'I had to call the Calais police to bring us back, 55 people from Vietnam, Albania, India...

'You do not ask the people smugglers for your money back. That would bring problems.'

Iraqi Kurd Farhad, 33, has known the straggled encampments and makeshift migrant shops under gazebos here, between Loon-Plage and Grande-Synthe, for years. The only changes have been for the worse.

'Police were looking for people smugglers after 27 drowned in the Channel two years ago,' he said. 'Now people are scared to say anything to outsiders, because they will be beaten, or worse.'

The Mayor of Calais, Natacha Bouchart, has constituents angered by the encampments outside towns in the region, and believes only designating the region a 'border zone' and massively increased security can stem the crossings.

That, and changes in British law to stop migrants working.

Migrants should be 'automatically removed' from the north coast she said, and kept away to 'free them from the malevolent influence of smugglers'. Couple that with a 'modification of British employment law', and the crisis would end, she added.

Ikram Nasseri, 21, from Afghanistan, was unconcerned by the authorities' plans. He has been in France for years and studied at college - but was hoping to leave for England last night.

'We don't like it here,' he said. 'The French are racist, and if you work without the correct papers, they treat you like nothing. I have family in Birmingham, I can work there.'
Two alleged Russian spies who have been charged in a major national security investigation lived in London suburbia for a decade, held down normal jobs and delighted their neighbours by bringing them 'cakes and pies'.

Bizer Dzhambazov, 41, who worked as a hospital driver, and Katrin Ivanova, 31, a lab assistant with a private healthcare company, were described by neighbours as a normal couple living in Harrow, north London.

But the pair and a third man, Orlin Roussev, 45, from Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, now stand accused of working for the Russian secret services. They are charged with possessing identity documents despite knowing they were fake.

Dzhambazov and Ivanova ran a community organisation providing services to Bulgarians, including familiarising them with the 'culture and norms of British society'. Bulgarian state documents also list them as working for electoral commissions in London which help expats to vote in Bulgarian elections.

The pair appeared alongside Roussev at the Old Bailey on July 31. A hearing for Ivanova was held at the Old Bailey today. They have yet to enter pleas to the charges and are remanded in custody.

Katrin Ivanova, 31, (left) and Bizer Dzhambazov, 41, (right) lived in Harrow, north London

Ivanova and her partner ran a community organisation providing services to Bulgarian people, including familiarising them with the 'culture and norms of British society'

Dzhambazov and Ivanova have been held in custody and are suspected of working for Russia

According to the Met, five people were arrested in February and three of those were later charged under Section 4 of the Identity Documents Act 2010.

These documents allegedly included passports and identity cards for the UK, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece, and the Czech Republic.

The investigation is being led by the Metropolitan Police's Terrorism Command, Reuters reports.

Orlin Roussev, 45, of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk claims to have previously worked as an adviser to the Bulgarian Energy Ministry

Roussev is said to have moved to the UK in 2009, originally spending three years as a technician in the financial services industry.

According to LinkedIn, he claims to have owned a business involved in signals intelligence, which involves the interception of communications or electronic signals.

He also says he has acted as an adviser to the Bulgarian Ministry of Energy.

Neighbours of Dzhambazov and Ivanova told the BBC the two were a couple, with Dzhambazov working as a hospital driver and Ivanova as a lab assistant for a health company.

They added the couple seemed normal and had previously even brought them cakes. Dzhambazov's Facebook account shows he was a fan of British rock group Queen.

The pair moved to the UK ten years ago and have previously worked in electoral commissions in London, which allow Bulgarian nationals living abroad to vote in Bulgarian elections.

According to Companies House, Dzhambazov has also had his own business named B.I Business Investment Ltd since 2016.

The owner of the flat they rented told MailOnline she had no idea her tenants were at the centre of a national security investigation and that they always paid their rent on time.

Sonal Thakrar said Bulgarian couple Bizer Dzhambazov and Katrin Ivanova had lived at the on bedroom property in Harrow, north London, for five years.

She got into the flat when neighbours in the modern block in Harrow Weald first told her that police officers were inside searching  and found the place full of alcohol.

She said: 'I was so shocked. It was more like a pub there was so much alcohol, There were dozens of bottles of whiskey and gin. I know people like to have a drink, but I have never see so many bottle of alcohol around the place.

'It was not very homely and I did not get the impression it was a nice place.'

She added that police had not told them about the couple's arrest on suspicion of spying for Russia: 'We have been kept completely in the dark. All we knew was that police had been to the flat, and they had moved out.'

She said the couple's references were checked out by the managing agents and they paid their rent on time each month.

'We were told they were a Polish couple, but I never spoke to them or went to the flat while they were there. That was the job of the managing agents.

'We never had any trouble and the main thing was that they paid the rent on time.'

Recalling her visit to the flat last March, Sonal said: 'There were no photos of family or anyone around. It was very bare and I would not describe it has homely.'

Dzhambazov and Ivanova ran a community organisation providing services to Bulgarians. The group was called Bulgarian Social Platform and this is believed to be their offices

A photo of the offices of Bulgarian Social Platform, which Dzhambazov and Ivanova ran

Ivanova appearing in a video promoting the services offered by the community group she ran with her partner

Neighbours witnessed police officers searching their house for at least a week around the time of their detention.

Neighbour Mori Kalay, who lives in the same block of flats as the couple, told Mail Online they were' 'unremarkable' and did not go out of their way to talk to others in the flats.

He lived on the second floor of the block with the couple's flat on the first floor.

He said: 'I can't say that I knew them. I did not see them very often and we did not talk.

'The only clue we had something was going on was earlier this year when there were police inside and outside the flats.

'When I asked what was going on I was told I did not need to know and to go back into my flat.'

All three defendants are scheduled to go on trial in January at the Old Bailey. They have yet to enter pleas to the charges.

The police declined to comment on whether they were suspected of being Russian spies.

Local businesses owners were left shocked by the news that Dzhambazov and Ivanova had been arrested on the charges. Cafe owner Simon Corsini, 50, said: 'They would always have our super breakfast with four slice of bread. The man would come in here quite often and also ask for hash browns.

'It is not something that you would expect, and it is quite a shock. I've just come back from holiday in the south of France and it is not something you expect to hear.

'I can't say that I am worried. There have been three stabbings in Harrow and that worries me more.'

He remembers plain clothes police officers sitting in the cafe for up to two weeks while others were parked opposite the block of flats where the couple lived.

'The told us they were police and would be here for quite a while. They were not wearing uniforms and we wondered what was going on.'

The third person charged, Roussev, is thought to have been arrested at a run down seaside guest house which is owned by a Bulgarian businesswoman.

Neighbours of the three star Haydee Hotel in Princes Road, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, recalled a scenes of crime tent being erected on the doorstep after Roussev was seized.

Groups of masked men dressed in black were seen searching the address for nearly two days, leading to local residents to assume that a crime had taken place.

Dzhambazov Ivanova were both registered at the same address in Harrow, north London

Roussev lived in his block of apartments in the seaside town of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk

Ivanova regularly appeared in Facebook photos promoting its services, which included teaching Bulgarians about the 'culture and norms of British society'

Local residents said they had not seen anyone come in or out of the hotel for months, and did not believe it had been open for business since at least last year.

There was today no reply at the door of the budget guest house which has eight rooms and is just 100 yards away from Great Yarmouth seafront.

The hotel, which is in a Victorian terrace and painted white and blue, was sold on September 16, 2021, for 220,000 to Irina Paravanova, 47, according to Land Registry records.

Moira Scott, a bar manager at the family-owned Prom Hotel opposite the Haydee, recalled security personnel descending on the hotel in February.

She said: 'I came to work at about 9am and I was opening up as I was first one in when I thought, 'What is going on over the road?'

'There was a big scenes of crime tent outside the door of the Haydee and there were a load of plain police vans with blacked out windows.

'My first reaction was that someone had been murdered. There was a lot of men dressed in black clothes with their faces covered who were coming and going.

'They had balaclavas on as if they didn't want anyone to recognise them which I thought was a bit weird. I couldn't see their faces.

'I was going to ask them what was going on, but they didn't look very approachable. I went inside and kept looking out of the window.

'At one stage a group of about six of the men walked over towards the seafront, and I wondered what they were doing.

'I looked on the local news to see what was going on, but there was nothing about it. I remember asking customers if they knew what was happening, but nobody did.

'The tent was still here the next day with guys going in and out, but by the third day it was gone.'

Britain has been sharpening its focus on external security threats and last month it passed a new national security law, aiming to deter espionage and foreign interference with updated tools and criminal provisions.

The government labeled Russia 'the most acute threat' to its security when the law was passed.

Police have charged three Russians, who they say are GRU military intelligence officers, with the 2018 attempt to murder former double agent Sergei Skripal with the military-grade nerve agent Novichok. Two were charged in 2018 and the third in 2021.

Last year, Britain's domestic spy chief said more than 400 suspected Russian spies had been expelled from Europe.

Britain has been one of the strongest supporters of Ukraine since the Russian invasion last year and has imposed a range of sanctions on Russian officials and oligarchs.
A man was threatened with legal action by British Gas and chased for more than 18 months - over a fictitious 14,000 electric bill.

Thivendran Kodeeswaran was pursued and harassed repeatedly by the energy giant over a debt which never belonged to him.

His ordeal was only ended when local media picked up his case - and British Gas have now admitted that Mr Kodeeswaran was not even one of its customers.

They have blamed rival energy company E.On for the error, saying it failed to update an industry database when the supply to Mr Kodeeswaran's property was switched.

E.On declined to comment.

Mr Kodeeswaran, from Romford, Essex, said: 'When we wrote to them, they never responded to our questions.

Thivendran Kodeeswaran was pursued and harassed repeatedly by British Gas after the energy giant claimed he owed 14,000 on a property he used to own in Skegness. Following an investigation, British Gas admitted they had wrongly invoiced Mr Kodeeswaran, from Romford, Essex

Mr Kodeeswaran bought a studio apartment in Skegness to use as a holiday home

'They only sent bills. It cost me money to fight it.

'They had been saying since last September that they were going to take me to court.'

Days before Christmas 2021, Mr Kodeeswaran received a letter claiming he owed British Gas 14,304.45.

It said that, 'Unfortunately, as the money you owe us still hasn't been paid,' the debt had been passed to a recovery firm.

But according to Mr Kodeeswaran, that letter was the first he had ever received from British Gas.

The supermarket worker said: 'I was so shocked.

'You don't know what to do.

'I had no way to pay it. I was thinking maybe it was fake.'

The alleged bill related to a studio flat in Sea View Road, Skegness, which he had bought cheaply in an auction in 2013 after it was repossessed.

Mr Kodeeswaran received a letter from British Gas demanding 14,304.45 for electricity supplied between July 2013 and October 2017. The energy giant has admitted it sent the bill to Mr Kodeeswaran in error

At the time, a council order banned anybody from living in it until safety problems were fixed.

Mr Kodeeswaran says the property management told him he couldn't use the old meters and that he was told a new meter had been installed by E.On.

He sold the flat in 2017 and received the 14,000 bill in 2021.

British Gas now admitted the bill was erroneous after an investigation from local media.

A spokesperson said: 'We understand that this has been frustrating for Mr Kodeeswaran.

'We were unaware that a new electricity meter had been installed by another supplier in 2013 as the industry database hadn't been updated as per process, but this has now been resolved.

'We've reached out to reassure him that we're in the process of cancelling the debt.'
A furious Donald Trump sent a fundraising email in the early hours of Tuesday morning, shortly after being indicted for a fourth time this year.

The former president was indicted on Monday in Georgia for his alleged roles in trying to overturn the 2020 election, with prosecutors accusing the former president of being head of 'a criminal organization'.

Seeing an opportunity to galvanize his base, Trump and his campaign sent an angry email to supporters in which he attacked Fani Willis, the district attorney for Georgia's Fulton County, as well as 'crooked Joe' Biden - all while calling on his supporters to donate towards his 2024 presidential race.

'Justice and the rule of law are officially DEAD in America,' Trump declared in the email sent at around 3 a.m. ET, adorned with his 'Trump 2024' heading.

Trump's email called Willis a 'left wing prosecutor' with 'extreme anti-Trump bias', and said: 'She has INDICTED me despite having committed NO CRIME,' before going on to say: 'I will NEVER SURRENDER our country to these tyrants.'

A furious Donald Trump sent a fundraising email in the early hours of Tuesday morning, shortly after being indicted for a fourth time this year

Fani Willis, the district attorney for Fulton County, Georgia, secured the 41-count indictment from a grand jury on Monday

Willis secured the 41-count indictment from a grand jury on Monday, and told a press conference it alleged 'violations of Georgia law arising from a criminal conspiracy to overturn the results of the election in this state.'

The case - relying on laws typically used to bring down mobsters - is the fourth targeting the 77-year-old Republican this year and could lead to a watershed moment, the first televised trial of a former president in US history.

He was charged along with 18 others - Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Mark Meadows, Ken Cheseboro, Jeffrey Clark, Jenna Ellis, Ray Smith III, Robert Cheeley, Michael Roman, David Shafer, Shawn Still, Stephen Lee, Harrison Floyd, Trevian Kutti, Sidney Powell, Cathleen Latham, Scott Hall and Misty Hampton.

Willis said she wants to try them all at the same time. They have until noon on August 25 to turn themselves in, or else an arrest warrant will be issued.

There are also 30 'un-indicted co-conspirators' - people accused of being part of the plot but not named or charged.

In an earlier post on Truth Social, Trump called her 'an out of control and very corrupt District Attorney', and declared that the charges were part of a 'witch hunt'.

He followed this up with the fundraising email.

'This marks the FOURTH ACT of Election Interference on behalf of the Democrats in an attempt to keep the White House under Crooked Joe's control and JAIL his single greatest opponent of the 2024 election,' the email said.

'We're watching those efforts unfold as Crooked Joe's henchmen follow their boss' orders by targeting me in baseless witch hunts in an attempt to JAIL ME FOR LIFE as an innocent man.'

He then went on to attack Willis over a previous conflict of interest which meant she was blocked in 2022 from questioning a lawmaker - Sen. Burt Jones - who signed a certificate falsely stating that Trump won the state of Georgia in 2020.

Seeing an opportunity to galvanize his base, Trump and his campaign sent an angry email (pictured) to supporters early on Tuesday morning in which he attacked Fani Willis, the district attorney for Georgia's Fulton County, as well as 'crooked Joe' Biden - all while calling on his supporters to donate towards his 2024 presidential race

The message to Trump's supporters (pictured) attacked district attorney, the justice system, calling America a 'Marxist Third World dictatorship led by an incompetent yet crooked tyrant'. 'Communism has finally reached America's shores,' it said

A judge ruled in July 2022 that Willis had a conflict of interest because she hosted a fundraiser last month for Jones' Democratic opponent in November's election for lieutenant governor. Willis could still ask other witnesses about Jones, the judge said, but was not allowed to bring charges against him.

Trump's email said: 'Her bias was so terrible that she had to be REMOVED from one part of the case because of a "political conflict of interest" of her own creation.'

He also hit out Emily Kohrs, 30, the Georgia grand jury forewoman who laughed at the idea of bringing down the former president.

Kohrs went on a bizarre media tour that caused headaches for prosecutors after she giggled during a televised interview with MSNBC when she said she 'kind of wanted' to subpoena Trump just to get the chance to swear him in.

'The FOREPERSON of the GRAND JURY broke a veil of secrecy by going on a media tour with the Fake News, GIGGLING on TV about the idea of serving me with a subpoena and unjustly robbing me of my liberty,' the email said.

The message to Trump's supporters then went on to attack the justice system, calling America a 'Marxist Third World dictatorship led by an incompetent yet crooked tyrant'. 'Communism has finally reached America's shores,' it said.

'But while these certainly are dark times for our country, I will NEVER give up on America,' Trump told his supporters.

'The more I see these rogue prosecutors weaponize our legal system to criminalize dissent and imprison their political opponents, the stronger my resolve to save our country. Because I know that if these illegal persecutions succeed, if they're allowed to set fire to the law, then it will not end with me They'll come for YOU.

'America is the greatest nation in history  and I WILL NEVER SURRENDER our country to these radical tyrants who seek to destroy it,' he said.

To close off the email, Trump said he would 'never abandon our mission', adding 'the fate of our nation hangs in the balance in the 2024 election,' before going on to request donations from the email's recipients

To close off the email, Trump said he would 'never abandon our mission', adding 'the fate of our nation hangs in the balance in the 2024 election,' before going on to request donations from the email's recipients.

'If you are doing poorly right now due to the very sinister people who are ripping our country to shreds, then just hit the back button and go about your day. I seriously mean it!' the email said.

'But if not, I don't have to tell you that the stakes of this election have never been greater. Our Republic is hanging by a thread, and America needs you right now.

'Please make a contribution to show that you will NEVER SURRENDER our country to tyranny as the Deep State thugs try to JAIL me for life  for 1,500% impact.'

Trump was charged with RICO - Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations - a count which is frequently used to try mafia figures, cartel leaders and gangland bosses.

He is also charged with solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer; conspiracy to commit forgery in the first-degree; perjury; and a host of other counts.

If convicted on all charges, he faces 71 years in prison - and state charges, unlike federal, cannot be pardoned by a president.

Trump called Willis a 'rabid partisan', but on Monday night she told a press conference: 'I make decisions in this office based on the facts and the law. The law is non-partisan.

'We look at the facts, we look at the law, and we bring charges.'

John Eastman (left) and Rudy Giuliani (right) were among the co-defendants charged along with Trump

Sidney Powell and Trump's former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, were among those charged

Willis declined to say whether she has spoken with Special Prosecutor Jack Smith, who has indicted Trump on federal charges of attempting to overturn the election.

Trump charged with 13 of the 41 counts in the indictment Count 1: Violation of the Georgia RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act Count 5: Solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer Count 9: Conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer Count 11: Conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree Count 13: Conspiracy to commit false statements and writings Count 15: Conspiracy to commit filing false documents Count 17: Conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree Count 19: Conspiracy to commit false statements and writings Count 27: Filing false documents Count 28: Solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer Count 29: False statements and writings Count 38: Solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer Count 39: False statements and writings Advertisement

She said the time frame for the Georgia trial was up to the judge.

'This office will be submitting a proposed scheduling order: however, it will be at the discretion of the judge,' she said.

Asked if she wanted her case to be tried before or after Smith's, she replied: 'I don't have any desire to be first or last.'

Trump's attorneys - Drew Findling, Jennifer Little and Marissa Goldberg - described the indictment as 'shocking and absurd.'

They pointed out that the indictment was briefly published online hours before it was officially filed, and said it forced Willis to rush through the charges.

'In light of this major fumble, the Fulton County District Attorney's Office clearly decided to force through and rush this 98-page indictment,' they said.

'This one-sided grand jury presentation relied on witnesses who harbor their own personal and political interests some of whom ran campaigns touting their efforts against the accused and/or profited from book deals and employment opportunities as a result.

'We look forward to a detailed review of this indictment which is undoubtedly just as flawed and unconstitutional as this entire process has been.'

Trump also referenced the leaked indictment, saying it suggested the case was 'rigged'.

'So, the Witch Hunt continues!' he wrote on Truth Social.

'19 people Indicated [sic] tonight, including the former President of the United States, me, by an out of control and very corrupt District Attorney who campaigned and raised money on, 'I will get Trump.'

'And what about those Indictment Documents put out today, long before the Grand Jury even voted, and then quickly withdrawn? Sounds Rigged to me!

'Why didn't they Indict 2.5 years ago? Because they wanted to do it right in the middle of my political campaign. Witch Hunt!'

Giuliani, in a statement issued by his advisor, called the indictment 'an affront to American Democracy' that 'does permanent, irrevocable harm to our justice system.'

The former New York City mayor and Trump lawyer called it 'just the next chapter in a book of lies with the purpose of framing President Donald Trump and anyone willing to take on the ruling regime.'

'The real criminals here are the people who have brought this case forward both directly and indirectly,' he said.

Giuliani, while working as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, was famed for his use of the RICO laws to prosecute mob bosses - the very charges that are now filed against him.

All 19 defendants were charged with 'violation of the RICO' act - usually used to charge a group of people and a ring leader.

Willis has said she likes the RICO statute because it allows prosecutors to paint a more complete picture of the alleged illegal activity.

Trump attorney Kenneth Chesebro was charged with seven counts Monday. He is widely credited with masterminding the legal plot to halt the certification of the Electoral College in Congress

A former senior member of Trump's Department of Justice, Clark sought to use the power of federal law enforcement to help overturn Donald Trump's 2020 defeat

Jenna Ellis - a former member of Trump's personal legal team - and currently a staunch backer of Ron DeSantis' presidential bid - was charged with two counts on Monday

Ray Smith III pictured here at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta during an election hearing on December 3, 2020. He is charged with making false claims at a legislative session

Robert Cheeley was handed ten counts, including perjury. He allegedly asserted that some Georgia election workers were double- and triple-counting votes

A former senior Trump campaign staffer, Michael Roman is believed to have helped execute on the plan to replace the slate of Georgia electors with pro-Trump options

The former chair of the Georgia Republican Party, David Shafer has also been charged in relation to the alternative slate of electoral representatives from Georgia

Shawn Still, a Georgia state senator, was one of the alternate Georgia electors who was working to keep Trump in office another term

Stephen Lee is a Lutheran pastor from the Midwest, who is believed to have been part of an effort to intimidate Atlanta election workers

A former mixed martial arts fighter who once led a group called 'Black Voices for Trump,' Harrison Floyd is among those believed to have engaged in efforts to intimidate Atlanta election workers

A former publicist for Kanye 'Ye' West, Trevian Kutti was allegedly part of a plot in Fulton County to pressure an election worker into falsely admitting they committed fraud during the 2020 election

Cathleen Latham is the former head of the Coffee County, Georgia Republican Party. She was allegedly involved in an effort by pro-Trump forces to copy sensitive election software in January 2021

Bail bondsman Scott Hall is alleged to have helped Trump supporters access election equipment in rural Coffee County, Georgia

Misty Hampton is charged with a number of computer-related crimes in the Fulton County indictment

'Defendant Donald John Trump lost the United States presidential election held on November 3,2020,' the 98-page indictment begins.

Who's who in the Georgia indictment Donald Trump: former president Rudy Giuliani: former Trump attorney John Eastman: attorney Mark Meadows: former Trump chief of staff Kenneth Chesebro: former Trump campaign attorney Jeffrey Clark: former Justice Department official Jenna Ellis: former member of Trump legal team Ray Smith III: the lawyer who represented Trump in 2020 election challenges in Georgia Robert Cheeley: Atlanta lawyer Michael Roman: former Trump staffer David Shafer: a fraudulent 2020 Republican elector and former chairman of the Georgia GOP Shawn Still: one of the fraudulent 2020 electors and a current member of the Georgia Senate Stephen Lee: an Illinois police chaplain Harrison Floyd: executive director of Black Voices for Trump Trevian Kutti: a Chicago-based publicist who represented Kanye West Sidney Powell: former Trump legal team member Cathy Latham: one of the fraudulent 2020 electors and former chairwoman of the Coffee County Republican Party in Georgia Scott Hall: a 2020 Fulton County Republican poll watcher Misty Hampton: former Coffee County Elections Director Source: NBC News Advertisement

'One of the states he lost was Georgia.

'Trump and the other Defendants charged in this Indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump.

'That conspiracy contained a common plan and purpose to commit two or more acts of racketeering activity in Fulton County, Georgia, elsewhere in the State of Georgia, and in other states.'

The indictment spells out, in a series of 'acts', the actions of the accused.

The group is accused of lying to state officials; leaning on Justice Department figures to try and get their support; creating false election documents; and harassing election workers.

They are accused of trying to enlist Vice President Mike Pence in their scheme.

'Members of the enterprise, including several of the Defendants, corruptly solicited the Vice President of the United States to violate the United States Constitution and federal law by unlawfully rejecting Electoral College votes cast in Fulton County, Georgia, by the duly elected and qualified presidential electors from Georgia,' the indictment states.

Willis' document details phone records showing that the 19 were in frequent contact in the run-up to January 6 - the day of the Capitol riot.

Trump rang Pence on January 5, according to the indictment, and told him: 'You gotta be tough tomorrow.'

The prosecutors add: 'This was an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy.'

The indictment charges Trump with making false statements and writings for a series of claims he made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and other state election officials on January 2, 2021, including that up to 300,000 ballots 'were dropped mysteriously into the rolls' in the 2020 election, that more than 4,500 people voted who weren't on registration lists and that a Fulton County election worker, Ruby Freeman, was a 'professional vote scammer.'

The indictment also mentions the now infamous December 18, 2020, session in the Oval Office, where Trump allies including Sidney Powell and Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser, proposed ordering the military to seize voting machines and appoint a special prosecutor to investigate allegations of voter fraud in Georgia and other crucial states Trump had lost.

Prosecutors say the meeting at the White House, which included Giuliani, was part of an effort to 'influence the outcome' of the election.

Days later, prosecutors say, Meadows traveled to Cobb County and attempted to observe a signature match audit being performed 'despite the fact that the process was not open to the public.'

Several state officials prevented the then-chief of staff from entering the prohibited area.

Georgia presents perhaps the most serious threat to Trump's liberty as he leads the field comfortably for his party's nomination to bid for reelection.

Even if he is returned to the Oval Office, he would have none of the powers that presidents arguably enjoy in the federal system to pardon themselves or have prosecutors drop cases.

The harsh penalties associated with RICO cases can be an incentive for co-defendants to seek cooperation deals, and the statutes are usually used to target organized crime.

Thirty unindicted co-conspirators were mentioned in the indictment.

Under federal law, anyone who can be connected to a criminal 'enterprise' through which offenses were committed can be convicted under RICO. The broader Georgia law doesn't even require the existence of the enterprise.

Other Trump allies were charged over the accessing of sensitive data from an election office in a rural county south of Atlanta one day after the 2021 Capitol riot.

Trump is already facing dozens of felony charges after being federally indicted over the alleged plot to subvert the election, and further prosecutions over his alleged mishandling of classified documents and keeping allegedly fraudulent business records.

Authorities in Atlanta installed security barricades outside the downtown courthouse in anticipation of a potential influx of Trump supporters and counter-protesters in the latest case.

Lawmakers investigating Trump's efforts to cling to power heard evidence in a series of congressional hearings last summer that would challenge his potential defense that he genuinely believed he had been cheated of the election.

Trump is likely to claim that his right to free speech and genuine concerns about voter fraud protect him from the latest charges.

But legal experts say the case appears to be a straightforward fraud prosecution that will turn on whether Trump knowingly broke the law, regardless of whether he believed his actions were justified.

'Even if he thought he had a right to do what he did, that doesn't justify fraudulent activity,' said former federal prosecutor E. Danya Perry.

'If you believe money in someone else's bank account is rightfully yours, that doesn't mean you can embezzle it.'
Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu today warned of 'nuclear catastrophe' in the war in Ukraine.

He spoke out amid Western fears that Russia is planning a false flag operation blaming Ukraine for a nuclear leak which could trigger radioactive pollution across Europe.

'There is an alarming situation developing around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant,' said Vladimir Putin's defence minister.

'Kyiv is subjecting it to regular shelling from heavy weapons.

'The actions by the Ukrainian armed forces could trigger a nuclear catastrophe.'

Kyiv has repeatedly denied military action threatening the safety of Russian-held Zaporizhzhia.

Shoigu's claims that Ukraine is shelling the power plant come just days after Russian missile strikes destroyed a hotel and residential block in the city, killing several civilians.

A Russian service member stands guard at a checkpoint near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant outside Enerhodar in the Zaporizhzhia region, Russian-controlled Ukraine, June 2023

A general view of the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine

Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu claimed Ukraine is shelling its own nuclear power plant

Sergei Shoigu, Russian defence minister, speaks at the 11th Moscow Conference on International Security

In his remarks to Russian media, Shoigu alleged Moscow was keeping track of incidents at the Zaporizhzhia power plant and reported them daily to the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

'There is no reaction, unfortunately,' he said.

He also went on to claim that Russia had not so far used cluster munitions in Ukraine - despite considerable evidence to the contrary - and accused the US of a war crime by supplying these weapons to Kyiv.

'I would like to point out that we also have cluster munitions,' he said. 'So far, we have been refraining from using them for humanitarian reasons.

'However, this decision may be reconsidered.'

Shoigu was speaking at the 11th Moscow Conference on International Security which was attended by Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu.

His words follow a stark warning from Polish President Andrzej Duda that Russia is plotting 'nuclear accidents' in occupied Ukraine.

Duda said: 'I think that Russia will not resort to using nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

'If someone were to ask me about the nuclear threat, I am much more concerned about potential problems with the nuclear power plants in Ukraine.'

Shoigu's comments about Ukrainian shelling of Zaporizhzhia come just days after his own military launched rockets on a hotel and apartment block in the city.

Shocking footage showed the moment terrified children screamed as the rockets - identified by national police as Russian Iskander missiles - soared overhead and slammed into the Reikartz Hotel in the city centre just a few hundred yards away. on Thursday.

Shocking footage showed the moment terrified children screamed as the rockets - identified by national police as Russian Iskander missiles - soared overhead and slammed into the Reikartz Hotel in the city centre

Reikartz was a popular spot for journalists and aid workers, and was used by United Nations staff on humanitarian missions, according to coordinator Denise Brown

Children were heard screaming after the Russian missile slammed into the hotel, exploding in a huge ball of flame

Women and children begin running from the scene of the missile strike

The hotel is seen in the aftermath of the strike surrounded by craters and the twisted wreckage of cars

The hotel is seen erupting in a bright yellow fireball as the second missile hit in the heart-pounding clip, while pictures shared by officials in the aftermath of the strike showed a big crater and wrecked cars around the badly damaged building.

Reikartz was a popular spot for journalists and aid workers, and was used by United Nations staff on humanitarian missions, according to coordinator Denise Brown.

'I am appalled by the news that a hotel frequently used by United Nations personnel and our colleagues from NGOs supporting people affected by the war has been hit by a Russian strike in Zaporizhzhia shortly ago,' she said. 'I have stayed in this hotel every single time I visited Zaporizhzhia.'

It was the second strike on Zaporizhzhia in as many days - two young women and a man were killed and nine other people were wounded by Moscow's missiles on Wednesday.
AMGA said said death caps 'only grow in the wild'

The Australian Mushroom Growers Association (AMGA) has hit out at claims death cap funghi served at a lunch that killed three people were purchased from a grocer.

Erin Patterson invited her former parents-in-law Don and Gail Patterson, Gail's sister Heather and her pastor husband Ian to her property in Victoria's Gippsland region on July 29, for a slice of beef Wellington. The meal is believed to have contained poisonous wild mushrooms.

Don, 70, Gail, 70, and Heather, 66, have since died and Ian is fighting for life in hospital awaiting a liver transplant.

On Friday, Ms Patterson provided Victoria Police with a sworn written statement claiming she purchased a package of dried mushrooms with a hand-written label from an Asian grocery store in the Melbourne suburb of Mount Waverley at least three months before the lunch.

But the AMGA on Tuesday said 'it is impossible' for death cap mushrooms and other dangerous varieties to be grown and harvested in any commercial operations because they 'only grow in the wild'.

The Australian Mushroom Growers Association (AMGA) has hit out claims death cap funghi served at a lunch that killed three people, were purchased from a grocer

Erin Patterson (pictured), who used the mushrooms in a deadly beef wellington, claims she bought the dried mushrooms from an Asian grocer at least three months ago

'The AMGA extends its deepest condolences to the families of the people affected by the recent tragedy in Leongatha and the entire Gippsland community,' the statement read.

'Given the recent focus on mushrooms, the AMGA feels it necessary to inform the public that commercially grown mushrooms, produced in Australia, are safe and high quality. If you want safe mushrooms, buy fresh, Australian-grown mushrooms.'

The association went on to say that mushrooms 'grown indoors in environmentally controlled rooms with strict hygiene protocols and food safety standards'.

AMGA deputy chair Georgia Beattie said the organisation took no risks when it came to to public health.

'It is absolutely impossible for a poisonous mushroom to be grown in an Australian Agaricus bisporus commercial farm,' she said.

'We make sure that every step along our growing process meets a certain certification and health and safety standards.

The claims come after Asian grocers in Mount Waverley also vehemently rejected any suggestion Ms Patterson could have bought killer mushrooms from their stores.

Daily Mail Australia visited Asian grocers in and around the heart of the suburb's busy shopping precinct on Tuesday

Situated on Hamilton Place, TK Asian Supermarket is by far the largest and most popular of its type.

Two shop attendants told Daily Mail Australia they had never heard of anyone becoming sick from eating mushrooms purchased from their shop.

One of the shopkeepers said the very notion of someone becoming ill from a shop bought dried mushroom seemed 'crazy' to him.

The meal killed Gail and Don Patterson, Erin's former in-laws, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson while putting Ms Wilkinson's husband, Pastor Ian in a serious condition

'Yeah, dried, poisonous mushrooms. I don't know about that,' he said.

'We have no idea if she bought them here. I've seen her on the news, but I can't really remember.'

The shopkeeper said none of their mushrooms were labelled in the way Ms Patterson reportedly described her purchase to police.

'She said they were a handwritten, white label and we have never sold that,' he said.

Around the corner, Daily Mail Australia was provided similar answers from both the East Mart and 28 Mart.

East Mart did not even sell dried mushrooms, with the shopkeeper - via use of Google Translate - showing his fridge stocked with only fresh or frozen mushrooms.

28 Mart's dried mushroom products were all neatly labelled, with that shopkeeper also disputing claims poisonous dried mushrooms had been sold in Mount Waverley.

'I sell dried mushrooms, do you want to try?' the shopkeeper asked.

It is not suggested that any of the stores shown sold any poisonous mushrooms.

TK Asian Supermarket staff refuted claims poisonous mushrooms were coming out of Mount Waverley. It is not suggested that any of the stores shown sold any poisonous mushrooms

Dried mushrooms sold at the nearby 28 Mart were all labelled clearly. None were white or hand written

People continue to buy dried mushrooms. No alerts have been issued to state they shouldn't

The latest health advisories and alerts published by Victoria's chief health officer, as well as the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) recalls database, shows only one mushroom alert has been listed this year.

That alert related to the recall of Natural Mushrooms' Enoki Mushrooms due to an incorrect use-by-date of July 13, 2023, 'increasing consumers' risk of Listeria infection.

However, those mushrooms did not have handwritten labels on their packaging.

Ms Patterson 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 any of the poisonings or deaths.
The family of a little girl whose cheek was ripped off by a Pocket Bully dog are demanding to know why the animal has not been destroyed.

Farrah-Leigh Nichol, five, faced further surgery this morning and her devastated parents have been told the outcome was not as successful as her consultant had hoped.

As the youngster faces a gruelling schedule of operations stretching ahead of her, police have revealed the dog that savaged her outside a Nisa store on Saturday evening has not been destroyed.

The male dog - a smaller variant of the American Bully - is being held in police kennels until its fate can be decided by further investigations.

Friends and family of Farrah-Leigh had assumed the dog would be put to sleep after causing such devastating injuries.

Farrah-Leigh Nichol's face was torn open during the vicious attack, which happened after the five-year-old asked to pet the dog

The Pocket Bully dog that allegedly attacked Farrah-Leigh. It has been taken into police custody but has not been destroyed, to the shock of the girl's family

The youngster is now recovering in hospital but her family has been told she has a gruelling series of operations ahead of her to repair her face

But a Cleveland Police spokesman said: 'The dog has not been destroyed and remains in the kennels as we have seized it.'

Farrah-Leigh's mum Danielle Kemp, 32, told MailOnline: 'It needs destroying. That dog needs killing as soon as possible and the owner needs to be prosecuted.

'Justice needs to be served for my poor baby girl who is suffering the trauma of having to go into surgery.'

Danielle and partner Alex Nicol, 30, have been keeping a bedside vigil as their daughter undergoes skin grafts, the latest of which happened only this morning.

Danielle said: 'She's been down to surgery to have them fill the wound, but it's not as clean as they were hoping, so they've only managed to clean it again.

'So she's having to have more surgery than they thought. She's going to have to go through even more.'

Farrah-Leigh was attacked on Saturday evening outside the Nisa store in Norton Road, Stockton-on-Tees, Co Durham, close to the family home.

She asked to pat the brown and white Pocket Bully - a cross between a Pit Bull and Patterdale Terrier.

Farrah-Leigh with her own family's dog. Her dad, Alex Nichol, said: 'She loves dogs'

Farrah-Leigh before the incident. Her mum Danielle Kemp said she had been 'very brave' in the face of a series of operations

The dog that allegedly attacked Farrah-Leigh on Saturday. The owner remained at the scene following the attack and the animal was handed to police

Without warning the dog lunged and ripped open her face, leaving her cheek torn wide open.

Her father, kicked the dog away and scooped his daughter up and ran home.

Danielle said: 'What I saw and the screams I heard will haunt me, she really didn't deserve this.

'I was cooking tea when Alex came running in with Farrah-Leigh.

The scene of the attack in Stockton-on-Tees on Saturday

Farrah-Leigh's dad Alex Nichol says he would happily muzzle his three dogs if it 'saved just one child' from being attacked

'Our heads are all over the place at the moment. My little girl has already had one operation and she has another two to come.

'She has one tomorrow morning and then another in two weeks, she's been very brave.

'The support we have had from local people has been overwhelming, we can't thank them enough.'

The owner of the animal waited at the scene as emergency services arrived and the dog has now been seized.

Mr Nichol, who works as a tiler, said: 'We had gone to the shop together and she had paid for some bread at the till.

Farrah-Leigh Nichol has a long road to recovery ahead following the attack

Her father added: 'She was crying and all her face was off. Her face was gone. It was just gruesome'

'We came out and I pressed the button to cross the road and she said, "Can I stroke that dog?"

Dog attacks on children led to more than 1,000 surgeries last year with nearly 40% on victims under the age of four Dog attacks left children needing surgery more than 1,000 times last year, including nearly 400 cases where the child was under the age of four. In total, victims of all ages needed surgery after being bitten or mauled 3,473 times in 2022 - the highest number since data was first released 16 years ago. Experts said the number of children being attacked is 'very worrying' but that many of the bites are 'preventable'. The shocking figures from NHS Digital showed that the total number of hospitalisations following dog attacks has nearly doubled from 4,699 in 2007/8 to 9,336 in 2022/3. Dr John Tulloch, a lecturer in veterinary public health at Liverpool University, said: 'The growth in dog bites is faster than the growth in dog population - so it can't just be that there are more dogs.' Advertisement

'I said, "Yes, but you will have to ask the man first."

'She said, "Can I stroke your dog?" and he said, "Yes, no problem."

'She went to stroke the dog on the head. She loves dogs. She was stroking it really gently.

'The dog jumped and she jumped back and I thought, that was lucky.

'But then the next minute I saw her curled up on the floor and she said, "Dad".

'She was crying and all her face was off. Her face was gone. It was just gruesome.

'I booted it. I stamped on it. I picked my daughter up and went back to the house.

'She was taken to hospital and she is stable and she has had stitches. But there's still so much to do.'

In the wake of a spate of recent dog attacks on children, Mr Nichol now believes all breeds should be muzzled.

He said: 'We have three dogs ourselves. We have a Staffie and two XL Bullies. But I would be happy to muzzle them.

'If all dogs were muzzled it would just take away the risk. If it saved just one child it would be worth it.

'Always be wary of dogs you don't know.

'My daughter loved dogs, but this incident has obviously given her a full fear factor.

'We're all still in shock at the moment. We can't believe this has happened.'

Family friend Kirsty Lavender, 32, said: 'She's such a brave, strong little girl, she's kind but she still needs a skin graft to reform her face.

'Her mam and dad are very worried about her of course but she's bounced back really well so far.'

A neighbour who lives near where this latest attack happened said: 'The little girl asked to stroke the dog and it just went for her.

'Her dad was straight over to help and he was booting the thing to get it away from her. She did nothing to provoke it and the owner seemed happy for her to pat the dog.

'A dog that unpredictable should not have been out without a muzzle.'

Dr John Tulloch, a lecturer in veterinary public health at Liverpool University, previously said that the way Brits take care of dogs needs to change.

'We know dogs are now kept in the home for more than seven or eight hours on their own and they are going to get frustrated.

'A lot of dogs don't get the exercise needs - their health needs aren't being met and so they have the potential to be more anxious and nervous.

'If you keep a dog in a horrible environment and they're not looked after they are going to have more behaviour problems and be more likely to bite.'
One of the three lunch guests who died after eating a poison mushroom beef wellington had a final conversation with a paramedics - details of which have been passed on to the police, a report claims.

Gail and Don Patterson, as well as Gail's sister Heather, died earlier this month after going for lunch at daughter-in-law Erin Patterson's house in Leongatha, Victoria.

Erin has denied deliberately poisoning the trio, as well as Heather's husband Ian who is fighting for life in hospital as he awaits a liver transplant. Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting Erin is responsible for the poisonings.

A source close to the police investigation into the deaths told the Herald Sun that one of the three people who died had a final conversation with a paramedic.

That paramedic felt it was necessary to relay what was said to the police, the source claims.

Erin Patterson is pictured outside her home last week and has denied any wrongdoing after the suspected poisonings

Ian Wilkinson and Heather Wilkinson (both pictured) became severely ill after they ate wild mushrooms. Mrs Wilkinson died while her husband remains in a critical condition in hospital

Gail and Don Patterson died after eating the mushrooms. Erin was previously married to their son, Simon

It is not known what the lunch guest said to the paramedic.

The new revelation came as Erin said she had been 'painted as an evil witch'.

'I lost my parents-in-law, my children lost their grandparents,' she told The Australian.

'I've been painted as an evil witch. And the media is making it impossible for me to live in this town.

'I can't have friends over. The media is at the house where my children are at.

'The media are at my sister's house so I can't go there. This is unfair.'

Erin also denied that she was the one who leaked the contents of her police interview to the ABC.

In the interview, the stay-at-home mum said she bought the suspected toxic fungi at a supermarket and an Asian grocery store, and was herself hospitalised after eating the lunch.

Her children did were not present at the lunch and went to the movies instead. They ate leftovers the next day, but the mushrooms were scraped off as they don't like them.

Erin told police she became unwell after eating the meal too, and that while she was in hospital, her ex-husband Simon accused her of poisoning his parents, Gail and Don.

She said she was 'discussing the food hydrator' she used to prepare the meal when her ex-husband asked: 'Is that what you used to poison them?'

In a panic, Erin has admitted that she then dumped the dehydrator at a nearby tip.

Food dehydrators are used to dry out mushrooms before using them in beef wellingtons.

The dehydrator has been found by police and a source close to the investigation told The Age police were conducting forensic tests on the dehydrator - which was found at a nearby tip.

In the written statement sent to Victoria Police on Friday, Erin expressed hurt that people 'were so quick to rush to judgement.'

The above family tree shows the connections between the Pattersons and Wilkinsons embroiled in the unusual poisoning tragedy in Leongatha

Simon Patterson was supposed to join his parents for the lunch that killed them but pulled out at the last minute

'I am now wanting to clear up the record because I have become extremely stressed and overwhelmed by the deaths of my loved ones,' she said.

'I am hoping this statement might help in some way. I believe if people understood the background more, they would not be so quick to rush to judgement.

'I am now devastated to think that these mushrooms may have contributed to the illness suffered by my loved ones. I really want to repeat that I had absolutely no reason to hurt these people whom I loved.'

She had earlier given a no comment interview to police at the start of their investigations, blaming her decision to stonewall cops on it being a 'terrifying and anxiety-provoking' experience.

Erin had intended to use the meal as reconciliation with her estranged husband Simon, but he pulled out at the last minute.

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 mysterious serious stomach complaint in June, 2022.

He fell into a coma and was in ICU for 21 days in a case which baffled doctors.

An Austin Hospital source told Daily Mail Australia that Mr Wilkinson is expected to need an urgent liver transplant and likely also suffered major damage to his kidneys.

'I suspect he's going to come out of this because if they thought he was that unwell and they just needed the best intensive care, I reckon he'd be at The Alfred. He'll probably get a transplant. There's a chance he's already had one, but no-one will tell you that because it could identify the donor,' the source said.
Seven male police officers are suspected of fraudulently claiming to be non-binary in order to rort an expenses allowance for women's clothing.

Under the Victorian Police's civilian clothing scheme, female and gender-neutral officers can claim about $1,300 more per year than their male colleagues.

But a major crackdown is now underway targeting those exploiting the scheme with investigators executing a search warrant at Frankston station in Melbourne's south.

'Professional Standards Command detectives are conducting an investigation into fraudulent civilian clothing allowance claims,' Victorian Police told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday.

'Investigators have so far interviewed seven male officers in relation to the matter over the past several weeks and a search warrant was also executed at a Southern Region police station on 21 July as part of the investigation.'

Seven male police officers are suspected of fraudulently claiming to be non-binary in order to rort an expenses allowance for women's clothing (stock image)

READ MORE: Police boss' scathing email to cops about bad behaviour Victoria Police has announced a crackdown on misconduct among members as concerning stories of 'drink-driving, drug use, family violence (and) sexual and predatory behaviour' come to light. Advertisement

Victoria Police's Chief Commissioner Shane Patton opened an investigation into the rort after a big rise in the number of officers identifying as non-binary.

In an internal message, Commissioner Patton said that 'conduct of this sort, if validated, is not acceptable and falls far short of the standards I expect from Victoria Police members,' The Age reported.

The self-describing of an officer's gender was introduced three years ago to support gender diverse employees.

'This behaviour has had a significant impact on our gender diverse employees and our reputation among the Victorian LGBTIQ+ community,' the commissioner said.

'If validated, I will find it very disappointing that those employees have engaged in such conduct, exploiting an entitlement for those who identify as gender diverse.'

Those who want to keep getting the extra fortnightly allowance now have to make a sworn statement that they are non-binary.

'As enquiries are ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time,' the spokesperson said.

In March, Commissioner Patton said 17 officers had been fired for misconduct over the previous year and 31 others resigned while being investigated.

He told reporters that officers engaging in serious misconduct should expect to be sacked except in very limited circumstances.

'I don't step away from this. I make no apologies,' the commissioner said.

'It sounds severe, but it is severe because we as an organisation can't afford to have our reputation tarnished by a very small few, and I know that the police officers, the vast majority, are very much behind me on this.'
Elon Musk is selling off more Twitter collectibles in a rebranding auction after he changed the company's name to X.

Items including the famous blue bird logo, guitars, and an oil painting of Ellen DeGeneres' selfie on the night of the 2014 Oscars will be available, with bids starting at $25.

Musk, 52, officially rebranded the social media site from Twitter to X on July 24, in the latest controversial shake up of the company under his ownership.

Founded in 2006, Twitter takes its name from the sound of birds chattering, and it has used avian branding since its early days, when the company bought a stock symbol of a light blue bird for $15, according to the design website Creative Bloq.

However, Musk has implemented sweeping changes since purchasing the brand outright in October 2022.

Elon Musk has come in for heavy criticism after he opted to ditch Twitter's famous blue bird icon, as part of his move to rebrand the platform to X. Pictured: Twitter's logo on the side of company headquarters in San Francisco

The items include an oil painting of Ellen DeGeneres' selfie on the night of the 2014 Oscars. The pictured included DeGeneres alongside stars Bradley Cooper, Meryl Streep and Lupita Nyongo

Another oil painting on sale features the photo tweeted by Barack Obama, which went viral after he won another term as US president in 2012. The photo shows him hugging his wife, Michelle, and it became the platforms most retweeted photo ever at the time

The entrepreneur - who also owns Tesla and SpaceX - opted to switch Twitter's blue bird icon for a more minimalist design, simply altering it to a white 'X' on a black background.

The alterations have proved unpopular with users, most notably his decision to remove 'legacy' blue ticks and force users to pay a fee in order to appear as a verified user on the platform.

'Legacy' blue ticks were initially given to verified accounts belonging to people of public interest including celebrities, politicians and journalists.

Due to these moves, Musk has lost a slew of followers on the platform, with the company's value also decreasing significantly since his takeover.

He purchased Twitter for $44billion, with the business sitting at the substantially lower valuation of $15 billion just six months after his takeover, hence his willingness to hold an auction on items in a bid to raise some much-needed cash.

Also featured is a portrait of the late actor Robin Williams, along with the powerful quote 'No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world'. The Californian company is trying to shift 739 lots featuring items that range from signs with the old Twitter bird logo to desks, chairs, coffee machines and musical instruments

A number of musical instruments, including acoustic guitars and a drum kit, will be available. Musk, 52, officially rebranded the social media from Twitter to X on July 24, in the latest controversial shake up of the social media company under his ownership

Musk, who also owns Tesla and SpaceX, opted to switch Twitter's name to 'X', as part of his efforts to rid of the so-called 'lords & peasants system for who has or doesn't have a blue checkmark'

This decision came as part of Musk's efforts to rid the brand of the so-called 'lords & peasants system for who has or doesn't have a blue checkmark'.

Now, the Californian company is trying to shift 739 lots featuring items that range from signs with the old Twitter bird logo to desks, chairs, coffee machines and musical instruments.

Other highlights include the actual Twitter logo on the front of the San Francisco headquarters and a quirky portrait of Robin Williams.

A second oil painting is also being shown, representing one of Twitter's most memorable moments.

A wooden hashtag decorated with plants can also be bid on at the auction. Hashtags have been synonymous with Twitter for a number of years, as they are often implemented by users to connect posts to a particular trend

Founded in 2006, Twitter takes its name from the sound of birds chattering, and it has used avian branding since its early days, when the company bought a stock symbol of a light blue bird for $15

A colorfully decorated piece of bird art, as well as keyboards, fridges, and lockers are also among the items available as part of the auction, which is titled 'Twitter Rebranding: Online Auction Featuring Memorabilia, Art, Office Assets & More!'

It features the photo tweeted by Barack Obama, which went viral after he won another term as US president in 2012.

The photo shows him hugging his wife, Michelle, and it became the platforms most retweeted photo ever at the time.

One of the larger items offered is a repurposed barn from Montana, reconstructed to create a seating area dubbed 'The Lodge'.

Keyboards, fridges, lockers and bird art are also among the items available as part of the auction, which is titled 'Twitter Rebranding: Online Auction Featuring Memorabilia, Art, Office Assets & More!'

Among the more unusual items being sold are a coffee machine and a bird cage, the latter potentially referencing Twitter's previous name that is no longer present after Musk's takeover of the social media platform

The latest auction comes after Musk held an unprecedented auction for more than 600 items - including furniture and items from the San Francisco headquarters - earlier this year

Musk's efforts to raise funds for the company have also seen him auction a set of office chairs and a table. The previous auction saw a Twitter bird statue sold $100,000, while a 10ft tall neon digital sign showing the now-disused bird logo was sold for $40,000

One of the larger items offered is a repurposed barn from Montana, reconstructed to create a seating area dubbed 'The Lodge'. Bidding for the latest auction will last two days, beginning on Tuesday September 12

Heritage Global Partners, which is handling the online auction, announced: 'Exciting news! Twitter rebranding online auction is now featuring a wide variety of high-quality assets, including memorabilia, art, surplus office assets, luxury furniture, electronics, and much more!'

The latest auction comes after Musk held an unprecedented auction for more than 600 items - including furniture and items from the San Francisco headquarters - earlier this year.

It saw a Twitter bird statue sold $100,000, while a 10ft tall neon digital sign showing the now-disused bird logo was sold for $40,000.

Bidding for the latest auction will last two days, beginning on Tuesday September 12.
Republicans are expressing outrage after former President Donald Trump was indicted by a grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, Monday evening on charges related to interference in the 2020 election - while Democrats say it's a fair display of justice.

The indictment charges Trump and 18 others - among them Rudy Giuliani, his former personal lawyer, and Mark Meadows, his former chief of staff. It accuses them of 'knowingly and willfully' joining a 'conspiracy' to overturn the 2020 election results.

The indictment 'portrays a repeated pattern of criminal activity by the former president,' said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., in a joint statement.

'The actions taken by the Fulton County District Attorney, along with other state and federal prosecutors, reaffirms the shared belief that in America no one, not even the president, is above the law,' they wrote.

However, Speaker Kevin McCarthy slammed Trump's latest indictment as an act of government weaponization.

Justice should be blind, but Biden has weaponized government against his leading political opponent to interfere in the 2024 election.



Now a radical DA in Georgia is following Bidens lead by attacking President Trump and using it to fundraise her political career.



Americans  Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) August 15, 2023

County Clerk Che Alexander, right speaks with Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney

'Justice should be blind, but Biden has weaponized government against his leading political opponent to interfere in the 2024 election,' tweeted McCarthy.

'Now a radical DA in Georgia is following Biden's lead by attacking President Trump and using it to fundraise her political career. Americans see through this desperate sham.'

'This is another rogue Far Left radical District Attorney weaponizing their office to target Joe Biden's top political opponent President Trump,' House GOP Chairwoman Elise Stefanik said in a statement to DailyMail.com Monday night.

'President Trump had every legal right to challenge the results of the election. This radical DA displayed political bias toward President Trump so much that a judge disqualified her from part of this case. This blatant election interference by the Far Left will not work, President Trump will defeat these bogus charges and win back the White House in 2024,' she continued.

Ted Cruz, a Republican senator for Texas, tweeted: 'The timing here is nakedly political.

'Every time bad news comes out about Hunter or Joe Biden, you can set a stopwatch & within hours, some clown goes & indicts Donald Trump again.

'Then all of the little lemmings in the media run and say, 'Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump.''

Trump already faces prosecution in Manhattan on state charges of campaign finance violations in connection with alleged hush-money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels.

He also faces federal charges in connection to the handling of classified documents and a separate case related to obstruction of the 2020 election.

Trump's team said that the former president was simply exercising his right to free speech when he questioned the 2020 election.

Fani Willis, the district attorney for Fulton County, Georgia, secured the 41-count indictment from a grand jury on Monday, and told a press conference the indictment alleged 'violations of Georgia law arising from a criminal conspiracy to overturn the results of the election in this state.'

Willis said she wants to try all 19 defendants all at the same time. They have until noon on August 25 to turn themselves in, or else an arrest warrant will be issued.

There are also 30 'un-indicted co-conspirators' - people accused of being part of the plot but not named or charged.

Donald Trump and 18 others were indicted by prosecutors in Georgia

Fani Willis, the district attorney, said she intends to try all 19 together

They are indicted on 41 charges: Trump could face 71 years in prison if convicted

The former president is accused of being the head of a criminal organization

Trump and his co-conspirators are accused of working to overturn the election

Willis said that they all have until noon on Friday August 25 to surrender

She said the timeline for the trial was up to the judge

It is Trump's fourth indictment : he claims it is an attempt to derail his campaign

Trump called her 'an out of control and very corrupt District Attorney,' and declared that the charges were part of a 'witch hunt.'

Trump was charged with RICO - Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations - a count which is frequently used to try mafia figures, cartel leaders and gangland bosses.

He is also charged with solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer; conspiracy to commit forgery in the first-degree; perjury; and a host of other counts.

If convicted on all charges, he faces 71 years in prison - and state charges, unlike federal, cannot be pardoned by a president.

'Defendant Donald John Trump lost the United States presidential election held on November 3,2020,' the 98-page indictment begins.

Who's who in the Georgia indictment Donald Trump: former president Rudy Giuliani: former Trump attorney John Eastman: attorney Mark Meadows: former Trump chief of staff Kenneth Chesebro: former Trump campaign attorney Jeffrey Clark: former Justice Department official Jenna Ellis: former member of Trump legal team Ray Smith III: the lawyer who represented Trump in 2020 election challenges in Georgia Robert Cheeley: Atlanta lawyer Michael Roman: former Trump staffer David Shafer: a fraudulent 2020 Republican elector and former chairman of the Georgia GOP Shawn Still: one of the fraudulent 2020 electors and a current member of the Georgia Senate Stephen Lee: an Illinois police chaplain Harrison Floyd: executive director of Black Voices for Trump Trevian Kutti: a Chicago-based publicist who represented Kanye West Sidney Powell: former Trump legal team member Cathy Latham: one of the fraudulent 2020 electors and former chairwoman of the Coffee County Republican Party in Georgia Scott Hall: a 2020 Fulton County Republican poll watcher Misty Hampton: former Coffee County Elections Director Source: NBC News Advertisement

'One of the states he lost was Georgia.

'Trump and the other Defendants charged in this Indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump.

'That conspiracy contained a common plan and purpose to commit two or more acts of racketeering activity in Fulton County, Georgia, elsewhere in the State of Georgia, and in other states.'

The indictment spells out, in a series of 'acts,' the actions of the accused.

The group is accused of lying to state officials; leaning on Justice Department figures to try and get their support; creating false election documents; and harassing election workers.

They are accused of trying to enlist Vice President Mike Pence in their scheme.

'Members of the enterprise, including several of the Defendants, corruptly solicited the Vice President of the United States to violate the United States Constitution and federal law by unlawfully rejecting Electoral College votes cast in Fulton County, Georgia, by the duly elected and qualified presidential electors from Georgia,' the indictment states.

Willis' document details phone records showing that the 19 were in frequent contact in the run-up to January 6 - the day of the Capitol riot.

Trump rang Pence on January 5, according to the indictment, and told him: 'You gotta be tough tomorrow.'

The prosecutors add: 'This was an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy.'

The indictment charges Trump with making false statements and writings for a series of claims he made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and other state election officials on January 2, 2021, including that up to 300,000 ballots 'were dropped mysteriously into the rolls' in the 2020 election, that more than 4,500 people voted who weren't on registration lists and that a Fulton County election worker, Ruby Freeman, was a 'professional vote scammer.'
Seven hundred miles away from the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, a Republican party official phoned an Atlanta bail bondsman seeking help with an unusual errand.

The bondsman called her back hours later. What they spoke about, according to prosecutors, was a plan to access voting machines in rural Coffee County, Georgia, to back up wild claims by 'Kraken' lawyer Sidney Powell about massive election fraud in the 2020 election.

It wasn't part of any law enforcement investigation or an official canvass or recount like the ones Georgia election officials carried out. It was, prosecutors said in a stunning indictment charging a 161-act conspiracy, an 'unlawful breach of election equipment.'

The official, Cathy Latham, phoned a forensic data firm to arrange transportation from the airport along with the chief operating officer of the firm. The bail bondsman she called was named Scott Graham Hall.

The following day, January 7, when repair crews were still fixing smashed windows inside the U.S. Capitol following a riot, the bondsman was soon joined by another official  now known only as 'Individual 24'  to engage in what prosecutors call 'racketeering activity' and an 'overt act' in a complex conspiracy.

Former President Donald Trump and 18 other officials are charged in a sprawling indictment in Fulton County, Georgia. It alleges a RICO conspiracy as part of his election overturn effort, listing such episodes as a bid to access voting machines and Trump's infamous call to Brad Raffensperger

They headed to the Coffee County board of elections. Elections director Misty Hampton was there while a computer forensics team copied data and software from inside county voting machines and equipment.

Collectively, these moves were part of multiple acts sketched out inside Fulton County DA Fani Willis's sweeping indictment, which charges Former President Donald Trump, senior lawyers including Powell and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and low-level henchmen of carrying out a coordinated conspiracy. Their actions constituted a 'criminal racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgia's presidential election results,' she said.

The officials are among the 19 defendants indicted late Monday, some famous, some obscure, under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations statute that prosecutors use to go after mob organizations more often than former presidents.

The effort to pressure Ruby Freeman

In their 97-page charging document, prosecutors weave together such disparate events as Trump's January 6 speech on the Ellipse, his phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, and Giuliani's infamous RNC presser with hair dye running down his face.

They also detail a bizarre campaign to pressure election official Ruby Freeman, who testified before the House January 6 Committee about her ordeal.

Trump and his allies had accused Freeman and her mother of hauling votes out of a suitcase case during the vote count, which ultimately had Joe Biden defeating Trump.

Trump himself singled her out in a call to Georgia election officials, calling Freeman a 'professional vote scammer' who 'stuffed the ballot boxes.' That act is among those listed in a false statements charge against Trump.

The indictment uses text messages and phone logs to reconstruct a pressure campaign against election worker Ruby Freeman

Chicago publicist Trevian Kutti is named in the indictment as part of the pressure effort

Kutti did publicity work for rapper Kanye West

Harrison Floyd, the former director of Black Voices for Trump, is also named as part of the conspiracy

The cast of characters involved are little known outside of Georgia. Among them are Chicago-based publicist Trevian Kutti, who represented rapper Kanye West, who himself enjoyed connections to the Trump White House.

Members of the scheme 'falsely' accused Freeman of committing election crimes, according to the indictment.

Also taking part was pastor Stephen Cliffgard Lee, who showed up at Freeman's door. She was so startled that she called 911 three times.

Kutti went to Freeman's home on January 4, 2021, saying she worked 'for some of the biggest names in the industry,' and claimed connections in law enforcement. Kutti met Freeman at a police precinct. Bodycam footage obtained by Reuters revealed Kutti offering to 'move' and 'secure' Freeman.

'We have probably have 48 hours in which to move you,' Kutti explained.

Prosecutors say it was all part of an effort to 'harass Freeman, intimidate her,' and get her to 'falsely confess to election crimes that she did not commit.'

The push was part of a desperate effort to obtain evidence to back up a series of claims of election fraud, amid Trump's push to overturn the election results in Georgia and nationwide.

Another figure who took part was Harrison William Prescott Floyd, who ran a group called Black Voices for Trump.

Count 115 in the indictment stitches together a web of phone calls between the group 'in furtherance of the conspiracy.'

Infamous phone call to Brad Raffensperger

Yet another act in the indictment is Trump's infamous January phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

The contents are already known. Georgia officials recorded it and the contents already leaked. That disclosure helped prompt Willis' probe.

With Trump trailing in the count, then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who is among those now indicted, arranged for Trump to call the state's top election official.

It was on the call that Trump asked Raffensperger to 'find 11,780 votes.'

'We have won this election,' Trump told Raffensperger, a Republican.

Trump then raised a series of allegations.

'They are shredding ballots, in my opinion, based on what Ive heard. And they are removing machinery and theyre moving it as fast as they can, both of which are criminal finds,' he said, according to a transcript of the call. 'And you cant let it happen and you are letting it happen. You know, I mean, Im notifying you that youre letting it happen. So look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have,' Trump said.

According to prosecutors, that constituted a 'solicitation of violation of oath by public officer.'

The conspirators engaged in a felony offense by asking the official to 'unlawfully altering, unlawfully adjusting, and otherwise unlawfully inuencing the certied returns' of the election,' prosecutors say.

Fulton County DA Fanni Willis began her probe after Trump's phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was made public

Array of Trump lawyers hit with charges  Rudy 'hair dye' presser cited

The indictment strings together a series of Trump tweets to establish that the president himself was directing the effort. Trump himself calls the indictment a witch hunt and plans a press conference Monday in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he says he will release his own report on the probe.

Act one is Trump's own November 4, 2020 press conference where he 'falsely' proclaimed victory in the elections while the votes were still being counted. That constitutes 'Count 1.'

It also outlines a November press conference where Giuliani, Powell, and Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis made a series of accusations of election fraud at Republican National Committee Headquarters.

The event is perhaps best known for the hair dye appearing to stream down Giuliani's face. According to the indictment, they made 'false statements' about the election in Georgia and elsewhere.

At the time, Trump's team was still positioning itself amid a myriad of lawsuits that Trump allies would file as part of the overturn effort. But according to the indictment, it was done 'in furtherance of the conspiracy.'

Using the RICO statute, prosecutors also bring in Trump and his allies' efforts in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Arizona, swing states that also went for Biden over Trump.

Also charged is John Eastman, a lawyer who was advising Trump during his last days in office and took part in an angry Oval Office argument with members of the White House counsel's office.

He, Giuliani and others are charged with soliciting public officials in the state Senate and Senate Judiciary Committee with violating their oaths.

The indictment cites an infamous Nov. 19, 2020 presser at the Republican National Committee that featured Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell

Fake electors / scheme to pressure Pence

As henchmen visited low level election workers and explored a conspiracy theory about Dominion Systems voting machines by getting their hands on official election equipment, legal and political officials lined up Georgia lawmakers to produce a rival slate of electors.

The official Georgia electors were already set to meet to reflect the actual votes cast for Joe Biden. But fueled by false statements by Trump and others, lawyers set in motion a plan to create a separate set of electors for Trump.

During the electoral count set for January 6, Vice President Mike Pence  a subject of relentless pressure by Trump himself  could either accept these votes, or cite a dispute and refuse to accept votes certified by Trump. It was a part of a plan to buy time and delay a result until just days before Inauguration Day. Special Counsel Jack Smith also focused on the fake electors scheme.

The indictment details a scheme to pressure former Vice President Mike Pence by having Georgia and other states submit fake electors

The indictment accuses members of the enterprise of making a series of false statements during hearings by the Republican-run Georgia Assembly.

The purpose of these false statements was to persuade Georgia legislators to reject lawful electoral votes cast by the duly elected and qualied presidential electors from Georgia, according to the indictment.

Members of the enterprise corruptly solicited Georgia legislators instead to unlawfully appoint their own presidential electors for the purpose of casting electoral votes for Donald Trump.

When it came to Pence, several of the defendants corruptly solicited the Vice President of the United States to violate the United States Constitution and federal law by unlawfully rejecting Electoral College votes cast in Fulton County, Georgia, according to the indictment.

Pence himself, who like Trump is seeking the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, says he did not have the authority Trump claims he did to reject votes certified for Biden.

But here again, top figures had help from below, according to the indictment.

Giuliani stated there were 96,600 mail-in ballots counted in the election, despite there being no record of it, according to the indictment.

David James Shafer, chairman of the state GOP, on Dec. 11, 2020 reserved room 216 in the state Capitol for a meeting of Trump electors.

Lawyer Kenneth Chesebro sent a Dec. 11 email outlining a plan to send electoral votes to Congress to provide the opportunity to debate the election irregularities in Congress, and to keep alive the possibility that the votes could be ipped to Trump.

He sent an email to Michael Roman, who directed Trumps election day operations, with documents for elector nominees to cast electoral votes for Trump. That came despite the fact that Donald J. Trump lost the November 3, 2020 election in Georgia. It was also done in furtherance of the conspiracy, according to the indictment.

Several officials are charged with a felony offense of making 'false statements and writings' by 'unlawfully making' and mailing a document titled 'CERTIFICATE OF THE VOTES OF THE 2020 ELECTORS FROM GEORGIA.'

'This was an act of racketeering activity ... and an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy,' according to the indictment.
The restaurant owner who sparked a police raid on a local Kansas newspaper has been unmasked as new footage emerges of an explosive council meeting where she accused officials of leaking her DUI information.

Kari Newell, 46, is the woman who accused the Marion County Record of getting her 2008 DUI information illegally, which would have disrupted her request for a liquor license - triggering the multiple police raids on Friday.

Newspaper co-owner Joan Meyer, 98, collapsed and died following the intense stress and grief she felt when her home was raided by the entirety of the Marion Police Department in Kansas - headed by chief Gideon Cody.

On Tuesday, it emerged that Cody was also being investigated by the newspaper over allegations of sexual misconduct.

Cody became chief of the Marion County Police Department in late April, after leaving the Kansas City police amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

Along with the raid on the Meyer residence and the newspaper offices being raided, Marion City Vice Mayor Ruth Herbel's home was also pillaged after Newell made a personal fiery attack on her in public last Monday.

During the council meeting on August 7 - four days before the raids - Newell stood up and accused the newspaper and Herbel of illegally obtaining information about her DUI arrest.

Clips show the meeting descended into chaos - with people speaking over one another, hands slamming on desks, and participants being stunned by Newell's incendiary accusations.

Kari Newell - who accused the Marion County Record of getting information illegally about her previous DUI as she was trying to obtain a liquor license - triggered the police raid on Friday

Joan Meyer, 98, collapsed and died following the intense stress and grief she felt when her home was raided by the entirety of the Marion Police Department in Kansas - headed by Gideon Cody

Footage from the explosive Marion City Council meeting that sparked a police raid on a local newspaper office has been revealed - where a furious restaurant owner accused officials of leaking her DUI information, slamming their 'malicious' behavior

Newell, who owns restaurant Chef's Plate at Parlour 1886, took to the floor of the council meeting to make the smoldering accusations.

She was down on the agenda notes as speaking about 'liquor/caterer license for Chef's Parlor 1886' but instead she started threatening legal action against co-owner Eric Meyer, who was present, and his newspaper.

It's understood that after airing her grievances at the chaotic council meeting, she filed a report to the police, who issued a search warrant, and instigated the raids.

Newell claims that her information was also shared with councilmember Ruth Herbel - whose home was also raided - and accused her of 'maliciously' sharing it.

'My concern is that a council members would recklessly and negligently share that information with others, without doing her due diligence making sure that the information they were sharing was at least legal to share,' she said.

The police chief who led the raid, Gideon Cody, had recently left the Kansas City Police Department where he was a captain after 24 years. And Meyer's newspaper had subsequently looked into the alleged sexual misconduct charges against him, he told journalist Marisa Kabas

Eric Meyer denied sharing the information with Herbel.

At this point, multiple voices, including councilmembers, start to speak over one another in shock following Newell's accusation.

One then slams his hand against the desk, points in Newell's direction, and shouts: 'Order! You don't have the floor, if you wanna speak you can speak in a few minutes.'

Newell then made the threat in front of the council: 'This is going to become a case, that's why. I just want to make you aware.'

Eric Meyer then took to the council floor to defend himself and add context to Newell's claims, saying: 'We were sent last week some information about Ms Newell, which we were concerned was obtained illegally.

'We received it from someone on a social media message. We consulted an attorney on whether it was privileged information. Our attorney's advice was no.

'Nevertheless, we chose not to disseminate it any further.'

He added that he passed the information over to the Sheriff's office.

Ruth then asked Eric Meyer: 'Was it shared with me?'

He said: 'Certainly not by me. We did not obtain it. Someone sent it to us. If you don't believe it you can ask the Sherriff and police chief, they have messages I sent last Friday.'

Marion City Vice Mayor Ruth Herbel's home was also pillaged after Kari Newell made a personal fiery attack on her in public last Monday. Herbel was attacked at the council meeting, which happened four days before Kari instigated the raids

Herbel said law enforcement took her laptop and cellphone, and police showed her the same generic search warrant they showed Eric Meyer and the newsroom during those raids - saying they were 'investigating identify theft and unlawful acts concerning computers.'

She added that her 88-year-old disabled husband, who suffers with dementia, was 'traumatized' by the raid and was screaming her name while police pillaged their home for their personal belongings.

The councilwoman told the Kansas City Star that her home raid was 'ridiculous' and the search on the newspaper run by Eric Meyer and his now dead mother was an 'invasion.'

The Kansas Bureau of Investigations are now leading the criminal probe into the ordeal, after Gideon Cody was slammed for how he conducted the search.

Eric Meyer has slammed the police for their 'Gestapo' tactics, which police have defended but the incident has sparked a nationwide debate about the First Amendment.

Four days after the ordeal, people are demanding to see the affidavit - which would detail the accusations that convinced Marion County District Court Magistrate Judge Laura Viar to sign the search warrant.

The warrant cites probable cause that violations related to identity theft and unlawful acts concerning computers were committed.

Footage from the newsroom raid shows officers entering with cameras on Friday

The moment that police using 'Hitler tactics' raided the Marion County Record newsroom has been caught on camera - just a day before the paper's co-owner subsequently died

The search warrant for the raid

Eric Meyer's mother Joan, 98, collapsed and died 'mid-sentence' after refusing to eat due to being in complete shock over the raid.

Before Joan died, she told The Wichita Eagle about the raids: 'These are Hitler tactics, and something has to be done.'

Eric Meyer said that when he woke his mother to offer her breakfast she died mid-sentence.

'I am perturbed  I carefully chose that word  as all get out about them raiding our office, but what bothers me most is a 98-year-old woman spent her last day on earth feeling under attack by bullies who invaded her house.'

Eric Meyer did not give more details about the newspaper's probe into the police chief, but said: 'I really don't think it would be advisable for me to say what it was we were investigating, other than to characterize the charges as serious.'

Donna Bernhardt, who worked with Meyer for three decades as a journalist at the paper, said Joan Meyer 'probably knew more about Marion than anyone else still alive in Marion.'

'A whole lot of history died with her.'

Eric Meyer - Joan Meyer's son, and the co-owner and publisher of the Marion County Record, announced the death of his mother following the traumatizing raid over the weekend

The elderly woman, who was the co-owner of the newspaper, was subjected to the raid by five officers and two sheriff's deputies on Friday - which caused her to be 'stressed beyond her limits and overwhelmed by hours of shock and grief.'

The raid on the newspaper's office, Meyer's home, the home of a report and on councilwoman Herbel occurred after a leaked documents about Newell that could have got her liquor license revoked were handed to the newspaper.

Meyer didn't publish the story about Newell because he questioned the source - and instead he told the cops about the information.

She also allegedly was unhappy with the newspaper had reported on how Newell kicked out reporters from an event at her restaurant, Kari's Kitchen.

But Newell then accused the weekly newspaper of illegally getting her personal data, prompting the search.

Eric Meyer told the Kansas City Star: 'We sent them a note saying that a source had given us a file that we thought had suspicious origins.

'We checked it out to verify that it was accurate, but were not planning to do anything with it. Their response was the typical fashion of a bully.

'Instead of asking a question or getting material, they came with an atomic flyswatter to seize our equipment and apparently tried to put us out of business.'

Speaking on the sexual misconduct allegations against Cody, Meyer said his newspaper was contacted by Cody's former colleagues about the claims but that the six-plus anonymous sources ultimately never went on the record - and reporters could not obtain Cody's personnel file.

Kansas City police have refused to reveal whether Cody was accused of sexual misconduct while working at their force.

Meyer said the identity of the sources was on the computer servers, which Cody's team seized.

'I may be paranoid that this has anything to do with it, but when people come and seize your computer, you tend to be a little paranoid,' Meyer told The Handbasket.

He told The Kansas City Star they had not yet published the story, because they had not completed their investigation.

'We didn't publish it because we couldn't nail it down to the point that we thought it was ready for publication,' said Meyer.

'[Cody] didn't know who our sources were. He does now.'

And Meyer told AP: 'This is the type of stuff that, you know, Vladimir Putin does, that Third World dictators do.

'This is Gestapo tactics from World War II.'
Police officials have said that organized crime groups are responsible for a recent number of high profile robberies in Los Angeles

Police officials in Los Angeles say organized crime and zero cash bail is to blame for a recent spat of smash and grab robberies in the area.

Deputy Police Chief Alan Hamilton said that a recent robbery of a Nordstrom store, which resulted in the theft of $300,000 in luxury good, was ran by crime groups.

The gang of more than 30 adorned themselves in black and covered their faces during a raid of the store at Westfield Topanga Mall on Saturday.

Videos circulating online show the thieves grabbing luxury goods from brands like Yves Saint Laurent, Burberry and Bottega Veneta.

Speaking to NBC News, Hamilton said: 'Theres no doubt that theres a lot of criminal organizations behind this.

Deputy Police Chief Alan Hamilton, pictured here, has said that a recent robbery of a Nordstrom store was ran by crime groups

One of the thieves is seen here laden down with numerous bags and even a small suitcase

'Some of it involves gang members, some of it involves people that are what you would identify as professional retail thieves.

'It runs the gamut, and there is a black market for purchasing these items, unfortunately.

'The same people [are] then turning around and committing these acts again, over and over again.'

Hamilton continued: 'The way this type of crime typically works, a lot of the times they will already know where theyre going to offload these goods to.

'Those goods are going to be separated from the people that were involved in the crime very quickly.

'Theyre not going to be keeping it in places for days or anything like that.'

Los Angeles Police Protective League spokesperson Tom Saggau told Fox News Digital that he believes the surge to be due to a zero cash bail policy.

He told the outlet: 'The elimination of cash bail for these types of offenses is really an invitation to these kind of folks who are inclined to break the law and inclined to do it so brazenly.'

The policy means individuals who are arrested and charged with a crime are then released from custody without having to pay bail money upfront.

Others grabbed items of clothing and quickly made their escape before police arrived on the scene

Saggau continued: 'Those folks need to be held accountable in a way that they've got to forfeit their freedoms.'

Their remarks follow a spat of high profile robberies, with the most recent being the raid on Nordstrom over the weekend.

In footage of the incident, several individuals are seen yanking at security tagged goods and raid clothes rails as what appears to be a member of staff seemingly ushers other shoppers to stay away.

Thieves are seen making for the exit, with one of them carrying a suitcase as well as other pieces of luxury luggage.

Witnesses watched the looters free, several in vehicles, including Lexus and BMW cars

The same Nordstrom store at Westfield Topanga, was looted in November 2021 when robbers attacked a security guard with bear spray and stole designer purses

The group swarmed the store at around 4pm on Saturday, taking armfuls of items, some inadvertently dropping goods amid the chaos, as they maneuvered around shattered glass and overturned mannequins.

The gang had also deployed bear spray to attack two security guards at the store, allowing them to cause chaos.

Witnesses watched the looters flee, several in vehicles, including Lexus and BMW cars.

In a statement on Monday, LAPD confirmed that the amount stolen was greater than $300,000.

The same Nordstrom had previously been looted in November 2021 when robbers again used bear spray on a security guard and stolen designer goods.

Following the incident, LA Mayor Karen Bass said: 'What happened today at the Nordstrom in the Topanga Mall is absolutely unacceptable.'

In another angle of the incident, the large group can be seen ransacking the store and destroying it

Just last week, 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.

Robberies have become almost commonplace in California, where thefts of objects valued at $950 or less are misdemeanors.

Those convicted of such a crime can face six months in a county jail, but in most cases cops do not even bother to press charges.

The California Senate also passed legislation in May that prevents employees to confront active shooters or shoplifters in California.

Supporters say it protects staff from violence, but stores and employees themselves say the move will only embolden further shoplifting.
Top US colleges are continuing diversity drives when selecting students despite SCOTUS's ruling against affirmative action - in part due to advice given by the Biden administration.

Harvard, UMass and Tufts hopefuls are being asked to give details about their upbringing, community and what makes them 'diverse' on application websites in thinly-veiled attempts to skirt the legislation.

However, their tactics stem from the advice of the Biden administration, which on Monday began urging colleges to use a range of strategies to promote racial diversity on campus.

Institutions can focus their recruiting in high minority areas, for example, and take steps to retain students of color who are already on campus, including by offering affinity clubs geared toward students of a certain race.

Colleges can also consider how an applicant's race has shaped their personal experience, as detailed in students' application essays or letters of recommendation, the guidance states.

Demonstrators for and against the 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 prior to the court's July 1 decision being handed down

Harvard, UMass (pictured) and Tufts hopefuls are being asked to give details about their upbringing, community and what makes them 'diverse' on application websites in thinly-veiled attempts to skirt the legislation

Institutions like Harvard (pictured) can circumvent the SCOTUS ruling by focusing their recruiting in high minority areas, for example, and take steps to retain students of color who are already on campus, including by offering affinity clubs geared toward them

Students applying to Harvard are now faced with a question about their background with the preface: 'Harvard has long recognized the importance of enrolling a diverse student body.

'How will the life experiences that shape who you are today enable you to contribute to Harvard?'

And high school grads hoping to secure a spot at Tufts are being asked: 'How have the environments or experiences of your upbringing  your family, home, neighborhood, or community  shaped the person you are today?'

The question is required for students applying for the Ivy League's School of Arts & Sciences, or the School of Engineering.

Meanwhile, the University of Massachusetts Amherst is asking students to reflect on a community that has shaped their world and how being a product of that group would enrich the campus, according to the Boston Globe.

This comes after Columbia Law School attempted to circumvent the affirmative action ban by asking applicants to submit 'video statements' to provide the Admissions Committee 'additional insight into their personal strengths' July 31.

But that same day, as speculation swirled as to whether the school had some hidden agenda with the requirement, it was suddenly removed.

'Video statements will not be required as part of the Fall 2024 J.D. application when it becomes available in September,' the college said.

'It was inadvertently listed on the Law Schools website and has since been corrected.'

Thousands of high school grads hoping to secure a spot at Tufts (pictured) are being asked: 'How have the environments or experiences of your upbringing  your family, home, neighborhood, or community  shaped the person you are today?'

The justices decided in a 6-3 vote that the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC)'s race-based affirmative action admissions policy is unconstitutional

The policy for the upcoming school year lasted only a few hours, scrubbed by 6pm that evening with no trace it had ever been there.

In June, the Supreme Court ruled that colleges could no longer factor in race when considering potential students.

The justices returned a 6-3 opinion that the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC)'s race-based affirmative action admissions policy is unconstitutional.

The bench voted 6-2 - with liberal justice Ketanji Brown Jackson recused - to strike down Harvard's policies that the plaintiffs argued discriminated against Asian-Americans.

The decision, years in the making, means universities nationwide will have to revamp programs they use to consider thousands of applicants.

The ruling ends the decades-old 'affirmative action' policy designed to boost the number of black and Hispanic college students.

Now universities will have to look at new ways to incorporate minority groups better and ensure representation among student bodies.

But new guidance from the Biden administration is softening the effects of this ruling.

It also encourages colleges to consider ending policies known to stint racial diversity, including preferences for legacy students and the children of donors.

'Ensuring access to higher education for students from different backgrounds is one of the most powerful tools we have to prepare graduates to lead an increasingly diverse nation and make real our country's promise of opportunity for all,' Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.

The June ruling ended the decades-old policy that was designed to boost the number of black and Hispanic students in colleges - causing the long-held legacy practices enacted by schools like Harvard to now come under renewed scrutiny

The guidance, from the Justice and Education departments, arrives as colleges across the nation attempt to navigate a new era of admissions without the use of affirmative action. Schools are working to promote racial diversity without provoking legal action from affirmative action opponents.

Students for Fair Admission, the group that brought the issue to the Supreme Court through lawsuits against Harvard and the University of North Carolina, sent a letter to 150 universities in July saying they must 'take immediate steps to eliminate the use of race as a factor in admissions.'

In its guidance, the Biden administration offers a range of policies colleges can use 'to achieve a student body that is diverse across a range of factors, including race and ethnicity.'

It also offers clarity on how colleges can consider race in the context of an applicant's individual experience.

The court's decision bars colleges from considering race as a factor in and of itself, but nothing prohibits colleges from considering 'an applicant's discussion of how race affected the applicant's life,' the court wrote.

How to approach that line without crossing it has been a challenge for colleges as they rework admissions systems before a new wave of applications begin arriving in the fall.

The guidance offers examples of how colleges can 'provide opportunities to assess how applicants' individual backgrounds and attributes - including those related to their race.'

'A university could consider an applicant's explanation about what it means to him to be the first Black violinist in his city's youth orchestra or an applicant's account of overcoming prejudice when she transferred to a rural high school where she was the only student of South Asian descent,' according to the guidance.

Schools can also consider a letter of recommendation describing how a student 'conquered her feelings of isolation as a Latina student at an overwhelmingly white high school to join the debate team,' it says.

Students should feel comfortable to share 'their whole selves' in the application process, the administration said.

Previously, many students had expressed confusion about whether the court's decision blocked them from discussing their race in essays and interviews.

The administration clarified that colleges don't need to ignore race as they choose where to focus their recruiting efforts.

Students and others march through Harvard University in support of Affirmative Action after the Supreme Court on July 1 gutted the practice in college and university admissions

Attorney General Merrick Garland made a statement Monday as the Biden administration offered guidance on how colleges and universities can promote racial diversity after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in admissions

The court's decision doesn't forbid schools from targeting recruiting efforts toward schools that predominately serve students of color or low-income students, it says.

Countering a directive from Students for Fair Admissions, the new guidance says colleges can legally collect data about the race of students and applicants, as long as it doesn't influence admissions decisions.

Echoing previous comments from President Joe Biden, the guidance urges colleges to rethink policies that tend to favor white, wealthy applicants.

'Nothing in the decision prevents an institution from determining whether preferences for legacy students or children of donors, for example, run counter to efforts to promote equal opportunities for all students,' the guidance said.

At the same time, the Justice and Education departments warned that theyre ready to investigate if schools fail to provide equal access to students of all races, adding that the administration 'will vigorously enforce civil rights protections.'

The guidance arrives as colleges work to avoid the type of diversity decline that has been seen in some states that previously ended affirmative action, including in California and Michigan.

Selective colleges in those states saw sharp decreases in minority student enrollment, and some have struggled for decades to recover.
A pair of restaurants located in a landmark Manhattan hotel are set to close - days after it began housing asylum seekers in partnership with New York City.

Both owned by Danny Meyer - the famed restaurateur who founded Shake Shack - Marta and Maialino will have their last service on August 25, likely leaving those who for years flocked to their setting at the Redbury Hotel forever disappointed.

Residents had already been wary about the fate of their favorite pizza place and wine bar earlier this month, when the 120-year-old Redbury - on East 29th St and Madison Avenue - was suddenly converted to a shelter to address the influx of migrants since last spring.

Once billed as a sanctuary city, the Big Apple has struggled to find housing for at least 90,000 adults and children arriving from the southern border - who are being bussed in from states like Texas on an almost daily basis.

Amid this crisis - which has cost the city roughly $10million a day - hotels have emerged as an increasingly common solution, with more than 100 repurposed after a series of failed shelters in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Randall's Island.

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A pair of restaurants located in the landmark Redbury Hotel are now set to close - after it began housing migrants in partnership with New York City. Footage last week showed families arriving at the hotel's lobby, speaking with officials after the city - which is now receiving aid from the federal government - said it was 'at capacity'

Both restaurants are owned by Danny Meyer, one of New York's most prominent restaurateurs - and a widely known Democratic donor. Worth $400million, he has stood by the hotel's decision to partner up with the city

The 120-year-old Rebury, which had housed both eateries in its lobby, is seen here

Though a spokesperson for Meyers Union Square Hospitality initially stated Redbury's new status as a migrant sanctuary would not impact operations, the company issued a statement over the weekend confirming the closings.

Also shared to the restaurants' respective social media, the statement stated the group remains 'fully supportive of the Redburys initiative' and will continue pushing for policies that will help asylum seekers get jobs.

Worth an estimated $400million, Meyer, 65, has worked for expedited work permits for asylum seekers in the past, and previously blamed New York's labor shortage for his restaurants' failure to reopen for lunch service since the pandemic.

The owner of several other notable New York restaurants, Meyer is a major donor to the Democratic Party, donating tens of thousands of dollars in recent years.

His group's statement read: 'We are disappointed to announce that Marta and Maialino (vicino) will be ceasing operations at the Redbury.

'Our last night of service will be Friday, August 25.'

Shared with DailyMail.com Monday, it pointed to event spaces and the hotel bar no longer being available for their use as reasons behind the closures.

'As tenants of the Redbury, our two restaurants, which occupy the lobby floor, have been eagerly anticipating the hotels full post-pandemic reopening.

Outdoor seating at Marta restaurant - one of the two restaurants in the hotel's lobby now set to close - is seen here

Offering rustic cracker-thin pizza and other modern Italian fare, the eatery served as one of the most trendy pizzerias in the city, and also allowed diners to buy fresh produce

Seating at the Italian-themed Maialino wine bar- also located in the Redbury - is seen here. It previously operated out of the Gramercy Park Hotel a few block away, but reopened at the Redbury this past fall. Its relocation, however, was marred by Meyer's decision to do away with lunch service, citing a shortage of willing workers

It was hailed by publications such as the New York Times as one of the best restaurants in the city

Residents had already been wary about the fate of their favorite pizza place and wine bar earlier this month, when the 120-year-old Redbury was suddenly converted to a shelter to address the influx of migrants seen since last spring

'We are disappointed to announce that Marta and Maialino (vicino) will be ceasing operations at the Redbury,' Meyer's food groups said. 'Our last night of service will be Friday, August 25'

Since the city's decision to repurpose the historic hotel into a shelter, several homeless people were seen taking up residence right outside on the street - echoing scenes from late last year seen outside Midtown's The Watson

Such sights have become increasingly commonplace in the city, as Adams' administration continues to fail at finding housing solutions

Once billed as a sanctuary city, the Big Apple has since struggled to find housing for at least 90,000 adults and children arriving from the southern border - who are being bussed in from states like Texas on an almost daily basis

Amid this crisis - which has cost the city roughly $10million-a-day - hotels have emerged as an increasingly common solution, with 1,000 families currently staying at the four-star Roosevelt in Midtown (seen here)

The hotel is one of more than 100 in the city currently housing asylum seekers - all of which have been unable to address the influx seen since this past spring

City officials, meanwhile, are working to provide work permits with the constant flow of migrants being bussed into Port Authority - creating a lull period in which these asylum seekers, 30 percent of whom are reportedly children, need a place to live

The influx to New York City continued this past week when at least six busloads of migrants were brought to the Roosevelt Hotel, which closed during the pandemic and is now used by the city to house asylum seekers

'Now, as the Redbury partners with the City to house asylum seekers, its become clear that the timeline for that reopening has been extended indefinitely.'

'While we admire and respect the Redburys decision, the viability of our business relies significantly on hotel-related food and beverage operations, including event venues and the lobby bar, spaces that are now unavailable for our use.'

The group, however, quickly added: 'We remain fully supportive of the Redburys initiative and will continue advocating for policy change that expedites work permits for asylum seekers.'

The statement did not reveal what had changed from a few days ago, when the group expressed hope toward a full-service return despite the city's sudden decision.

Made without much fanfare, the maneuver saw the historic hotel join other four-star facilities like The Roosevelt and The Watson in becoming temporary homes for hundreds of families, who are now being given priority over single adults.

Footage filmed on August 8 showed families arriving in the $350 per night hotel's lobby, speaking with city officials who days ago said the city was now 'at capacity.'

Made without much fanfare, the maneuver saw the hotel post a notice on its website last week announcing reservations were no longer being accepted, while also stating both restaurants would remain open

That day, the hotel's website posted a notice announcing reservations were no longer being accepted.

It also bizarrely stated that patrons can still dine at the two high end restaurants set in building's lobby, one of which - trendy pizza place Marta - had been in operation for the better part of a decade.

Offering rustic cracker-thin pizza and other modern Italian fare, the eatery served as one of the most trendy pizzeria's in the city, and also allowed diners to but fresh produce.

The more new Maialino, a wine bar also inspired by traditional cuisine from the Old Counrty, previously operated out of the Gramercy Park Hotel a few block away, and reopened at the Redbury this past fall.

It's shortlived tenure has since been cut short, after the restaurant's relocation was marred by Meyer's decision to do away with lunch service, citing a shortage of willing workers.

Hailed by publications such as the New York Times as one of the best restaurants in the city, it also offers patrons amaros, vermouths, gins and grappas popular in Italy.

Its extensive wine list includes a range of Italys finest vintages with salumi, cheeses, preserved vegetables, crostini and panini.

City officials, meanwhile, are working to provide work permits with the constant flow of migrants being bussed into Port Authority - creating a lull period in which these asylum seekers, 30 percent of whom are reportedly children, need a place to live.

To combat this crisis, officials under Mayor Eric Adams - who after slamming Texas's governor Greg Abbott for turning away migrants now says New York is at a breaking point - have administered a series of ill-fated maneuvers, including closing hotels pegged for repurposing.

The owner of several other notable New York restaurants and the founder of Shake Shack, Meyer is a major donor to the Democratic Party, donating tens of thousands in recent years

He founded Shake Shack in 2001, and now operates several of New York's most notable eateries

Hundreds of male asylum seekers had resided at the Watson since November, when it had been serving as a men's-only shelter.

That changed this year when Adams announced the single adults would be moved to a then-planned shelter at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal - though its location and photos of an array of cots close together at the facility ultimately turned off migrants, and saw the plan fall apart.

Instead, asylum seekers refused to leave the hotel - taking up residence in tent-laden processions right outside.

Such sights have become increasingly commonplace in the city, as Adams' administration continues to fail at finding housing solutions.

The influx to New York City continued this past week when at least six busloads of migrants were brought to the Roosevelt Hotel, which closed during the pandemic and is now used by the city to house asylum seekers.

The 1,000-room hotel, as well as the Rebury and more than a hundred others, remain closed as officials continue to implement a series of potential solutions.

The Roosevelt, in particular, has surfaced as the epicenter of the hotel-end of the effort, with hundreds of asylum seekers seen lining the sidewalks outside the Midtown facility last week as it had reached capacity.

A large migrant family seen arriving with their bags last week at the Roosevelt Hotel - one of more than 100 hotels being used to house migrants amid the current crisis

Over the past few months, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has bused nearly 10,000 migrants into the Big Apple

There are already more than 57,000 migrants sleeping in city shelters and emergency housing system

There are also more than 57,000 migrants sleeping in city shelters and emergency housing systems, and more were seen being bused into the city last week.

Over the past few months, Abbott has bused nearly 10,000 migrants into the Big Apple, often in consecutive days to the point where officials have struggled to house them immediately.

Adams held a briefing on Wednesday where for the first time declared the crisis to be an emergeency, as he pleaded with federal officials for more support and money to help New York City handle the crisis.

'We are facing an unprecedented state of emergency,' Adams declared. '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.'

Shelters are also being constructed, including another huge 'tent' facility on Randall's Island that will house 2,000 asylum seekers.

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.'
Police are appealing for public help after a mother and her one-year-old son went missing.

Natasha Gill, 20, and her son, Thaddeus Gill were last seen leaving an address in Basildon, Essex at around 8pm on Sunday, August 13.

Ms Gill was last seen wearing a grey top with red lines on the sleeves, brown jogging bottoms and blue and white trainers.

Natasha Gill and her son Thaddeus Gill (pictured) were last seen in Basildon, Essex, police have launched an urgent appeal to find them

She was carrying a large grey suitcase and Thaddeus was in a pram.

Ms Gill has connections to Barking in London. Essex Police is asking for the publics help to find Natasha and Thaddeus.

The police said: 'If you see them or have any information on their whereabouts, please call 999 quoting incident 1216 of 13 August.'
Former President Donald Trump has until midday next Friday to surrender to authorities in Fulton County, Georgia, after he and 18 associates were indicted for their roles in trying to reverse the outcome of the 2020 election.

His arrest and processing will almost certainly make allowances for his status as a former commander-in-chief.

However, the local sheriff has already suggested that Trump will have to pose for a mugshot.

'Unless somebody tells me differently, we are following our normal practices, and so it doesn't matter your status, we'll have a mugshot ready for you,' Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat told WSB-TV.

Arrestees are generally fingerprinted at the county's jail, which is notorious for its squalid conditions, although Trump will not be held there while he awaits trial.

Former President Donald Trump has not had a mugshot taken so far in the three cases in which he has been charged. That could change in Georgia. Instead, AI has been employed by social media users to mock up what a mugshot might look like

In other cases, Trump has not had to suffer the indignity of seeing a mugshot released publicly.

In Miami, where he appeared in federal court to deny charges of retaining classified documents and them trying to cover up an alleged offense, authorities said he was so well known there was no need to issue an image.

Even so, his campaign has used the idea for fundraising, selling a $36 T-shirt emblazoned with a mocked-up mugshot picture and the words, 'Not guilty.'

A.I.-generated pictures have also gone viral, along with images of his supposed arrest.

The latest case against Trump, who is the frontrunner for the Republican 2024 nomination, is laid out in a 98-page indictment.

It includes details of a phone call to Georgia's secretary of state urging him to find more votes for him and allegations that an election worker was harassed with false claims of fraud.

And in one of the most extraordinary examples of attempts to change the outcome, it describes an alleged plot to access voting machines and steal data.

'The indictment alleges that, rather than abide by Georgia's legal process for election challenges, the defendants engaged in a criminal racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgia's presidential election result,' said Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on Monday night.

No mugshot YET but that's not stopping Trump from fundraising using a fake picture as the former president's campaign claims $8M in donations since his Manhattan indictment

The sheriff's department says most people arrested in Fulton County are taken to the main jail on Rice Street, to the northwest of the city center, where conditions are being investigated

Now Trump and his 18 co-defendants have until noon on August 25 to give themselves up.

They will each appear in court to hear the formal reading of charges and to enter a plea.

However, Trump's lawyers could ask the court to waive the arraignment and instead enter a 'not guilty' plea without appearing in court.

Barricades have already been installed around the downtown Atlanta courthouse in case of protests.

The sheriff's department says most people arrested in Fulton County are taken to the main jail on Rice Street, to the northwest of the city center.

The notorious, insect-ridden facility is being investigated by the Department of Justice after a series of deaths.

Launching the investigation last month, U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia, said: 'The recent allegations of filthy housing teeming with insects, rampant violence resulting in death and injuries, and officers using excessive force are cause for grave concern and warrant a thorough investigation.'

People who are arrested generally undergo medical screening and fingerprinting at the jail.
Former crypto king saw also his record $250m bail revoked Friday after allegedly leaking his ex-lover and business partner's love letters to the New York Times

Prosecutors in the case against Sam Bankman-Fried have provided the clearest picture yet on the strategy they plan to use to imprison the disgraced FTX cryptocurrency mogul at his trial in October.

In a 70-page court filing released Monday, prosecutors said they intend to use testimony from members of Bankman-Fried's former inner circle, including ex-lover and Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison, 29.

Bankman-Fried, 31, saw his record $250 million bail revoked Friday after allegedly leaking Ellison's love letters to the New York Times in an attempt, prosecutors say, to tamper with her testimony.

The state said it planned to use notes that Ellison took while working under him, including a memo she wrote after one conversation with him titled 'Things Sam Is Freaking Out About.'

Alongside the blockbuster testimony from Ellison and several other top FTX lieutenants, the case against the former billionaire includes a trove of financial records, political donations and private Slack messages.

Bankman-Fried faces more than 100 years behind bars for a slew of charges related to the collapse of his cryptocurrency exchange in November 2022, which came after he allegedly used client funds moved from Alameda for luxury purchases and political donations.

Sam Bankman-Fried faces testimony from several members of his former-inner-circle when he goes on trial in October

Caroline Ellison, the ex-lover and business partner of Bankman-Fried, is expected to testify against him

The 31-year-old faces slew of charges related to the collapse of his cryptocurrency exchange FTX in November 2022

In the court filing set out Monday, prosecutors said they intend to turn members of Bankman-Fried's cadre against him to argue that he was illegally and recklessly moving billions of dollars.

Among the evidence set to be introduced is a recording of a meeting in which Ellison told her employees at Alameda Research - the hedge fund arm of FTX - that she was instructed by Bankman-Fried to funnel money from customers' accounts.

She is expected to testify against him alongside other former top FTX lieutenants, including Gary Wang and Nishad Singh - all of whom have already pleaded guilty to the scheme and agreed to help prosecutors.

The purpose of the filing Monday was to argue the evidence that has been gathered in the past months should be admissible in court.

The trove of documents is said to be among the largest ever assembled for a white-collar prosecution, and it includes financial records, spreadsheets, private messages and Google documents.

Among the private messages was a stockpile of 750,000 pages of Slack messages from Wang's laptop - which Bankman-Fried's defense argued should be inadmissible in court due it to being obtained and presented just three days ago.

His defense submitted their own filing on Monday to hit out at prosecutors after they 'repeatedly failed' to meet deadlines for turning over evidence that would be used in trial.

The 31-year-old's attorneys argued the government should be barred from using Wang's Slack messages - or any evidence produced by prosecutors after July 1.

Further materials related to Bankman-Fried's resignation, which came a month before his arrest last December, were also argued to be inadmissible.

'The defense does not have unlimited resources and must spend the limited time left before trial preparing its defense rather than reviewing eleventh-hour productions,' the defense's filing said.

Bankman-Fried saw his record $250 million bail rescinded Friday after allegedly trying to tamper with witness testimony. He is pictured before his bail hearing at Manhattan Federal Court on August 11, 2023

Former FTX technology chief Gary Wang (left), and former FTX engineering chief Nishad Singh (right) have also pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors

Two weeks ago, prosecutors surprised Bankman-Fried's attorneys by demanding his incarceration, saying he violated his bail order by giving The New York Times the private writings of Ellison.

The judge in his case, Judge Lewis Kaplan, ordered him to await trial behind bars after finding there was 'probable cause to believe that the defendant has attempted to tamper with witnesses at least twice.'

The messages saw Ellison detail her life as the head of the hedge fund arm wracked with anxiety and doubt, with one diary entry reading: 'At the end of the day I cant wait to go home and turn off my phone and have a drink and get away from it all.'

She is expected to testify against Bankman-Fried when his blockbuster trial gets underway in October, where she may be joined by Singh and Wang.

Correspondence between the three of them is included in the spreadsheets prosecutors say they intend to present to a jury, which 'kept track of illicit money flows between Alameda and FTX,' the filing said.

Bankman-Fried hangs his head in this court sketch after he is handcuffed on August 11, 2023

Sam Bankman-Fried is escorted by court officers to holding cells in this courtroom sketch

At the height of his powers, Bankman-Fried commanded billions of dollars and was seen as a leader in a new generation of financiers. He used this position to pour millions into political donations, primarily to the Democratic Party.

But prosecutors said they plan to use his political donations as evidence of his alleged crimes, including a message a former FTX executive sent to a family member in November 2021 about how the donations would be used to promote cryptocurrencies in legislation, reports the New York Times.

The texts said the purpose of the donations was to 'weed out anti crypto dems for pro crypto dems and anti crypto repubs for pro crypto repubs.' The executive, Ryan Salame, saw his home raided in April as part of an ongoing investigation, but he has not been charged with any crime.

The names raised for giving potential testimony in the filing included Ellison, Wang, Singh, and a former employee who 'regularly consulted with the defendant about FTX's fund-raising efforts.'
A man responsible for shutting down Sydney International Airport with a bomb threat has revealed what spurred on the outburst.

The financial planner from Sydney's North Bondi, Hilton Woolf, faced Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday having made the threats to a Qantas call centre in May of this year.

The court heard that Woolf had yelled 'you f**kers, I will come and I'll blow your f**king airport up' after the airline had lost his wife's luggage on a flight from Johannesburg.

He pleaded guilty to one count of one count of threatening to destroy, damage, endanger the safety of a Commonwealth aerodrome in July.

The court was told Woolf 'unequivocally accepted' accepted what he did was 'inappropriate', describing his actions as the result of a 'brain snap'.

The financial planner from Sydney's North Bondi, Hilton Woolf (pictured), has been fined $1200 and received a conviction for saying he would 'blow-up' Sydney Airport

Woolf made the comments at the end of a call his wife was on to the Qantas customer service line about the return of her luggage.

The recorded call became more aggressive as Mrs Woolf began to verbally abuse the staff, growing so frustrated she started swearing at them.

Her husband's outburst would only come after she started to cry on the phone.

The call would then be passed on to Australian Federal Police who would arrive at the Woolf household two days later.

Woolf told officers that he knew why they were there and asked if it was because of the phone call.

Court documents revealed Woolf had made 'full and frank' admissions to having made the threats over the phone.

He made the threat after his wife broke down in frustration while on a call to Qantas customer service after her luggage was lost on a flight home from Johannesburg (stock image)

Woolf's lawyer told the court on Tuesday that he did not believe anyone had heard what he said on the other side of the phone call, according to the Daily Telegraph.

'His outburst was provoked by sheer anger and frustration . it was a brain snap, there was no intention behind it,' his lawyer said.

She noted her client had no criminal record while his friends and family had provided the court with character references describing him as a 'model citizen'.

Despite this, Magistrate Robert Williams struck down a submission for Woolf not to receive a conviction, being fined $1200 and receiving the conviction.

'Any offending that puts in issue security at an airport, or any people or airplanes at the airport, must be discouraged,' Magistrate Williams said.

The conviction may affect his ability to travel overseas in the future.
The four Australians who were feared dead after their boat capsized in Indonesia miraculously survived by clinging to their surfboards for two nights.

Elliot Foote, his girlfriend Steph Weisse, and their two friends Jordan Short and Will Teagle went missing on Sunday night after their charter boat failed to return from a remote island off North Sumatra due to bad weather.

The four friends were found safe on Tuesday, along with two of the three Indonesians who were also on the vessel. A third Indonesian man remains missing.

Mr Foote, who travelled with 11 of his friends on a surf trip to the remote Pinang Island to celebrate his 30th birthday, was seen on his friend's Instagram drinking a beer just hours after his rescue was confirmed.

Back in Sydney, Will Teagle's sister Amy described getting a FaceTime call from her brother.

'He said the boat they were on had sunk in the middle of the night so it was pitch black and they grabbed what they could,' she told A Current Affair.

'They all managed to get a surfboard and they then spent two nights in the ocean.

Elliot Foote pictured with girlfriend Steph Weisse were both rescued

Aussies Jordan Short and Will Teagle have also been found

'He said they had no idea where they were, what direction they were facing. By the grace of God I guess they managed to paddle into what ended up being the right direction.

'It is just very overwhelming.'

Steph, Jordan and Will were found about 11am Sydney time on Tuesday by an Australian captain who had left to search for them at about 10pm on Sunday, local time.

But it was another three hours before Elliot, who had left the group to paddle for help about 5km away from the group, was found.

Elliot's dad said the discovery of the three was 'fantastic' but he described the stress of the hours until his son was found.

'It was gut wrenching, as you could imagine,' Peter Foote told A Current Affair.

'Then when I saw that video ... and you hear that voice say, 'where's Elliot?' and they don't have him.

'My heart just dropped.'

This is the incredible moment Steph Weisse, Will Teagle and Jordan Short and an Indonesian crew member were located after 36 hours lost at sea

The group were among a group of 12 Australians across two wooden longboats travelling between Nias Island and the Pinang Surf resort on the Banyak Islands, off the west coast of the mainland, when the vessel struck bad weather on Sunday

Elliot's friends told rescuers he had paddled to the island for help, and he was found there.

Mr Toole said the four did not know the fate of their eight other friends for the time they were at sea.

Speaking to 7News, Steph's mother Jill Weisse said she had felt helpless while the search was carried out.

'There's so little we can do, and your mind goes to all sorts of dark places,' she said.

Steph was the first confirmed Aussie to have been found, followed by

On Tuesday afternoon, Elliot's father, Peter, confirmed the news that three out of the friends had been rescued from the remote islands.

Moments after talking to Sky News, Mr Foote received a message form his son confirming he had been rescued.

'Hey Dad, Elliot here. I am alive, safe now, love you. Chat later,' the text read.

The fourth missing Aussie Elliot Foote (pictured) was rescued a short time later

The group were staying at the exclusive Pinang Surf resort (pictured)

A tired but relieved Elliot Foote enjoyed a well-earned beer when he returned to dry land

Mr Foote praised the work of search and rescue crews, including an Australian who lives in the area and aided in the search.

He had helped co-ordinated friends, hired charter boats and even offered rewards to local fisherman from his Sydney home.

He told Sky News the man had wanted assurance prior to calling off the search, before revealing his son's next move.

'Elliot will make his way back to the island, they (the group) will regroup and get healthy, and probably have a great night tonight,' he said.

Asked how badly he wanted to see his son, Mr Foote said: ' I don't really need to see him as long as I know he's alive.

'I can't wait to talk to him, what an adventure he's having, what a story to tell.

'He's got 10 days to go, so he's in the best place. They love it, it's paradise.

'As long as I can talk to him, he doesn't have to come home.'
A man has been arrested after allegedly raping his three-year-old daughter on Father's Day in Brazil.

The unnamed man, 46, was detained by police in Montes Claros in the state of Minas Gerais on Sunday August 13 - Father's Day in Brazil - when the young girl later complained she was in pain.

The girl had been visiting her father to celebrate the holiday when the alleged sexual abuse occurred, according to regional outlet O Tempo.

Her horrified mother immediately notified authorities of her daughter's claim and took the girl to hospital for a medical examination, according to Brazilian media.

The unnamed man, 46, was detained by police in Montes Claros (pictured) in the state of Minas Gerais on Sunday August 13 - Father's Day in Brazil

The mother, 43, became suspicious when the girl's father did not return her at 6pm as agreed.

The pair separated prior to their daughter's birth but continued to live near one another, and the girl had spent time at her dad's apartment during the day.

After trying unsuccessfully to contact her former partner for 90 minutes, he arrived around 7:30pm.

When the girl's mother went down to collect her, she found the man seemingly drunk, with her daughter left lying on a nearby bench.

Shortly after returning home, the girl began to complain of pain and explained what her father had done.

Brazilian media reported that police first attended the hospital to take statements from the girl and her mother, before descending on the father's apartment.

The incident report revealed he appeared drunk and strongly resisted arrest before attempting to flee.

Officers ultimately managed to restrain him and arrested him on suspicion of child abuse and rape of a vulnerable person, crimes which carry a 15-year sentence in Brazil.

The horrific case comes amid reports that a 29-year-old woman was violently raped in France by a man who was also accused of sexually abusing his young sister.

In a sickening case that has sent shockwaves through France, Oumar N. broke into the woman's home in the northwestern city of Cherbourg, grabbed her by the neck and hit her repeatedly in the face and across her body before raping her (file image)

In a sickening case that has sent shockwaves through France, Oumar N. broke into the woman's home in the northwestern city of Cherbourg, grabbed her by the neck and hit her repeatedly in the face and across her body.

The horrified woman was thrown across the room and raped 'several times' by the attacker who also tortured her, reports Le Figaro.

The victim is still in a coma and is fighting for her life 11 days after medics operated on her extensive injuries for several hours.

'Investigators are shocked, they have never seen so much barbarity,' a source familiar with the matter told Le Figaro.

Now, it has emerged that Oumar N. is already under investigation for sexually assaulting his 12-year-old sister last year, a police source told Le Figaro.
Hawaii authorities were painstakingly working on Tuesday to identify 99 confirmed victims of the horrific wildfires in Maui amid warnings the death toll is likely to double as search efforts continue.

Officials are expected to announce the identities of several more victims today.

Currently only three people have been formally identified and the work has been hampered because many of the remains are so badly burned.

The grim developments come as more footage emerged of locals' desperate attempts to flee the wildfires that spiraled out of control a week ago.

A video captured by a resident in Lahaina, the historic town razed by the fires, shows a large group of people clinging to the shoreline as they are engulfed by clouds of ash, embers and smoke.

Denny Yuckert, the man who filmed the video, said the group cowered for several hours, nearly choking on the smoke.

Dozens of people clung to the shoreline in Lahaina as wildfires tore through the town last week

A small number of active-duty U.S. Marines joined the effort to assist Maui's recovery amid criticism of the response, which residents have branded slow and inadequate.

Crews from Marine Aerial Refueler Squadron 153 flew active-duty service members from Oahu to Maui on Monday to establish a command-and-control element that will coordinate further U.S. military support.

The Hawaii National Guard, U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are already on the ground, but a larger U.S. active duty response needs a formal request from Hawaii to begin operations there. The establishment of a cell could signal a wider Defense Department effort is about to begin.

On Monday, Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said the military wants to help but did not want to rush in personnel without coordination, so as to not create further logistical problems for recovery efforts.

Many who survived have started moving into hundreds of hotel rooms set aside for displaced locals.

Search crews had covered about 25 percent of the search area, Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said on Monday. That is up from only three percent on Saturday.

Governor Josh Green previously said that he expects '10 to 20' bodies will recovered daily in an operation that's expected to last around ten days. Around 1,300 remained missing on Sunday, he said.

The blaze that swept into centuries-old Lahaina last week destroyed nearly every building in the town of 13,000.

Around 86 percent of the roughly 2,200 ruined buildings were residential and the value of wrecked property has been estimated at more than $5 billion.

Franklin 'Frankie' Trejos, 68, died trying to shelter Sam, a golden retriever. Both was found dead inside a car

Clyde Wakida is pictured with his wife of 46 years, Penny. He died trying to save the house they built together 35 years ago

Carole Hartley, 60, from Alabama, was one of the first wildfire victims to be identified

The governor asked for patience and space to do the search properly as authorities became overwhelmed with requests to visit the burn area.

'For those people who have walked into Lahaina because they really wanted to see, know that they're very likely walking on iwi,' he said at a news conference on Maui, using the Hawaiian word for bones.

The fire has been 85% contained, according to the county. Another blaze known as the Upcountry fire has been 65% contained.

Even where the fire has retreated, authorities have warned that toxic byproducts may remain, including in drinking water, after the flames spewed poisonous fumes. That has left hundreds unable to return home.

The Red Cross said 575 evacuees were spread across five shelters on Monday, including the War Memorial Gymnasium in Wailuku. Green said that thousands of people will need housing for at least 36 weeks.

More than 3,000 people have registered for federal assistance, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and that number was expected to grow.

'We're not taking anything off the table, and we're going to be very creative in how we use our authorities to help build communities and help people find a place to stay for the longer term,' agency administrator Deanne Criswell said.

FEMA has started to provide $700 to displaced residents to cover the cost of food, water, first aid and medical supplies. The money is in addition to whatever amount residents qualify for to cover the loss of homes and personal property.

Survivors gathered for a Sunday church service at the Maui Coffee Attic in Wailuku, Maui. The Grace Baptist Church burnt down in the wildfire

A man holding a young child prayed with the crowd Sunday morning as aid continued to pour in from surrounding communities

The Biden administration is seeking $12 billion more for the government's disaster relief fund as part of its supplemental funding request to Congress.

Meanwhile, the local power utility has faced criticism for not shutting off power as strong winds buffeted a parched area under high risk for fire. It's not clear whether the utility's equipment played any role in igniting the flames.

Hawaiian Electric Co. Inc. will cooperate with the state's investigation as well as conducting its own, President and CEO Shelee Kimura said.

Kimura said many factors go into a decision to cut power, including the impact on people who rely on specialized medical equipment. She also noted that shutting off power in the fire area would have knocked out water pumps.

'Even in places where this has been used, it is controversial and it's not universally accepted,' she said.

Fueled by dry grass and propelled by strong winds from a passing hurricane, the flames on Maui raced as fast as a mile (1.6 kilometers) every minute in one area, according to Green.

As firefighters battled the flames last week, a flurry of court actions were lodged over access to water.

Some state officials say there is not enough water available for firefighters in central Maui, and blame a recent ruling by an environmental court judge. The ruling did not directly affect water supplies to Lahaina, the attorney general's office said Monday.

On Wednesday morning, Judge Jeffrey Crabtree issued an order temporarily suspending water caps he imposed for 48 hours. The judge also authorized water distribution as requested by Maui fire officials, the county or the state until further notice if he could not be reached.

Also killed were Faaso and Malui's adult daughter Salote Takafua and her son Tony

Faaso and Malui Fonua Tone were found dead in their car Thursday as they tried to escape the devastating blaze that destroyed virtually all of Lahaina

But that wasn't enough for the state attorney general's office, which later filed a petition with the state Supreme Court blaming Crabtree for a lack of water for firefighting. The state asked the court not to let Crabtree alter the amount of water to be diverted or to put a hold on his restrictions until the petition is resolved.

It's part of a long-running battle between environmentalists and private companies over the decades-long practice of diverting water from streams that started during Hawaii's sugar plantation past.

There was anger in Lahaina on Tuesday as residents said they'd been approached by investors looking to buy up land burned in the fires. The governor also stepped in to criticize the attempts and said he would try to block them.

Green's office said 'residents are being approached about selling fire-damaged home sites, by people posing as real estate agents who may have ill intent'.

'Ive reached out to the Attorney General to explore options to do a moratorium on any sales of properties that have been damaged or destroyed,' he said.

'Moreover, I would caution people that its going to be a very long time, before any growth, or housing can be built. And so, you would be pretty poorly informed if you try to steal land from our people and then build here.'
A San Diego woman is suing a waste management company after a garbage truck backed into her and left her seriously injured.

Deanna Beck was walking through the parking garage of her Mission Valley apartment complex on February 5, 2021, when she was hit by a Waste Management vehicle.

Surveillance footage shows the moment the driver backed up and hit her with the truck's metal tines and she was thrown to the ground.

Beck, a former SeaWorld dolphin trainer, suffered injuries to her spine, neck and tailbone and a traumatic brain injury that has caused neurological issues. She was unable to go back to her job.

The lawsuit filed at San Diego Central Courthouse alleges the driver was on his phone at the time and did not see her. She is seeking damages of over $25,000.

A San Diego woman is suing a waste management company after a garbage truck backed into her and left her seriously injured

Deanna Beck, a former SeaWorld dolphin trainer, was unable to return to her job

A video of the incident shows Beck walking along a crosswalk in the parking garage while the garbage truck moves away to her left.

But the driver suddenly sets the vehicle into reverse and it backs up with speed.

She manages to get a glance at the vehicle but can't get out of the way before she is struck by its metal tine.

The force of the collision sends Beck flying to the ground and leaves her hurt.

She said she was impaled through her hip and she was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Her spine, neck and tailbone were hurt in the incident and she suffered a traumatic brain injury which caused neurological issues like seizures, memory loss, insomnia, hearing loss and vertigo.

Beck was later diagnosed with dysautonomia which causes problems with the autonomic nervous system.

The trash collection driver was working to clear one of Waste Management's dumpsters in the garage at the time of the incident.

Her attorneys John Gomez and Corey Garrard claimed the employee was on his phone when he reversed and hit her.

They alleged he has previously been punished several times for operating a truck while on his phone.

'The defendant of the waste management vehicle being driven in this case was on his phone at the time he impaled Deanna Beck,' attorney Garrard said during a press conference on Monday.

A video of the incident shows Beck walking along a crosswalk in the parking garage while the garbage truck moves away to her left

But the driver suddenly sets the vehicle into reverse and it backs up with speed. She manages to get a glance at the vehicle but can't get out of the way before she is struck by its metal tine

'That driver had been written up multiple times in the past for operating waste management vehicles while on his phone which is in direct contravention to the rules of that company.'

Beck had neck surgery and has struggled with post-concussive syndrome and memory loss since the incident.

The attorneys representing her said the injuries caused by the driver's alleged negligence have cost her thousands of dollars in medical bills and the inability to return to work.

'Shes tried to go back to work, but she cant do that job anymore,' lawyer Gomez said. He added that her role at SeaWorld was 'obviously physically and mentally demanding'.

Beck tried to continue to work as a bartender following the collision but found it difficult and has been fired multiple times for performance issues related to her memory loss.

'She was a bartender for many, many years in downtown San Diego at a lot of the really popular bars,' Garrard said.

'Within the first year of this incident, she was fired from a bartending job because she couldnt figure out how to use the computers at the bar (and) couldnt remember drinks when she went to a table.'

Beck, a former SeaWorld dolphin trainer, suffered injuries to her spine, neck and tailbone and a brain injury that has caused neurological issues

Beck is seeking an undetermined amount for damages over $25,000 and the civil jury trial is set to begin on October 13

He added: 'We look forward to proving at trial how that has dramatically changed her life.'

She is suing for personal injury, hospital and medical expenses, lost wages, loss of earning capacity and general damage.

Beck is seeking an undetermined amount over $25,000 for damages, according to the lawsuit. The civil jury trial is set to begin on October 13.

Waste Management San Diego is a subdivision of USA Waste of California, Inc and it services more than 1.5 million residents in the state.

A spokesman for the company said it was aware of the lawsuit but would not comment.
A new poll published Tuesday delivers more bad news for the faltering campaign of Ron DeSantis, showing that he has lost second place in the crucial New Hampshire primary race to Chris Christie.

The Emerson College survey reveals that former President Donald Trump retains a clear lead on 49 percent, while Christie, the former governor of New Jersey, has leapfrogged into second on nine percent.

It means the Florida governor sinks to third with eight percent, dropping into single digits after scoring 17 percent in March.

'DeSantis has been the alternative to Trump in Emerson polling this presidential cycle,' said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling.

'This is the first time we have seen DeSantis drop out of second place in our polling, and fall back into the pack of candidates.'

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie jumped to second in a new poll of New Hampshire voters, overtaking Ron DeSantis' stumbling campaign

Christie backed Donald Trump after dropping out of the 2016 nomination race. Now he is the leading anti-Trump race in the contest and is gaining ground in New Hampshire

Last week he replaced the head of his campaign amid reports of a cash crunch and poor poll numbers.

He was followed by protesters during his visit to the Iowa State Fair at the weekend.

That state, where Republicans trend more conservative, has been all but ignored by Christie who instead is gambling his entire campaign on a good performance in New Hampshire.

Trump still holds a substantial lead, despite now facing four major criminal cases. The latest was laid out in a 98-page indictment on Monday night in Georgia, accusing him and 18 co-defendants of a criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election result.

The survey asked 837 voters for the views from August 9 to 11, and carries a margin of error of +/- 3.4 percentage points.

Sen. Tim Scott took fourth place with six percent, with North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley both on four percent.

Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy trails on three percent, followed by businessman Perry Johnson on two, and former Vice President Mike Pence and former Rep. Will Hurd at one percent.

The first debate of the Republican primary, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is just over a week away.

The focus has been on Iowa for the past few days, where 2024 hopefuls attended the state fair. DeSantis is seen here at the pork chop grill alongside Gov. Kim Reynolds

It may provide DeSantis with his best chance to restart his campaign, while Christie, who is the leading anti-Trump voice in the race, will hope to use his pugilistic style to flatten his opponents on the stage and position himself as the best challenger to the former president.

It remains unknown whether Trump will show up, but Christie is promising fireworks either way.

The rules require participants to sign a pledge that they will support the eventual nominee.

Christie says he has not yet been given a pledge to sign.

The qualification rules include fundraising and polling thresholds for attendance. Politico reports that Trump and DeSantis have met those, as well as Christie, Haley, Ramaswamy, and Scott.
Republican voters by wide margins want to kick Confucius Institutes out of US schools and universities, with 60 percent seeking to end the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) outreach centers, a DailyMail.com/TIPP poll shows.

Overall, Americans were split on the issue  40 percent of respondents in our survey wanted Beijing's foreign influence institutes closed, while 39 percent were against such a move.

Another fifth of respondents said they were not sure.

Republicans were the biggest supporters of shuttering them. Former President Donald Trump, his former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, and other GOP heavyweights have pushed for crackdowns on the institutes.

China says that its government-run centers help satisfy a soaring demand from people learning Chinese overseas, but critics say they're little more than a propaganda arm of the ruling CCP.

The Confucius Institute at Troy University, in Troy, Alabama, was shuttered earlier this year amid a crackdown on foreign funding

Overall, Americans were split on shuttering Beijing's overseas cultural and language centers

Haley has warned of Beijing giving 'hundreds of millions of dollars' to US universities and of how its Confucius Institutes are designed to 'spread communist propaganda on college campuses.'

As president, Trump designated the Confucius Institute US Center a foreign mission of the CCP, requiring the Washington DC-based center to submit reports to the US government about its funding, personnel, curriculum and other activities.

Should Trump win a second term as president in the 2024 election, draft proposals for a second administration from the Heritage Foundation indicate he will ban the group, and the social media app TikTok, which has links to China.

Republican Senators Jim Banks and Marco Rubio in June introduced a bill, known as the SPIES Act, to expand funding restrictions for foreign higher education bodies that host Confucius Institutes.

Last month, a report from Parents Defending Education, a right-leaning campaign group, found that Beijing is funding America's public schools to the tune of $17 million dollars.

The study called 'Little Red Classrooms' claims $17 million has been funneled from CCP-linked financial institutions into US K-12 schools, through Confucius Institutes and other cultural and language programs.

The study described close coordination between the CCP and US schools to set up Confucius Classrooms across 143 school districts in 34 states and Washington, DC.

In addition, at least seven contracts are still active in Texas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Oregon and Washington, researchers found.

Former President Donald Trump (right) and his former UN ambassador Nikki Haley are among the 2024 Republican presidential candidates with plans to tighten rules on the institutes

Republican voters by wide margins want to shutter the CCP-linked foreign institutes, as do more than a third of Democrats

At least seven contracts are still active in Texas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Oregon and Washington, says the Parents Defending Education report

China's President Xi Jinping is pictured. Concerns are growing over his country's funding of America's public schools

It also states that the CCP has 'ties to school districts near 20 US military bases' and three of the nation's top science and technology high schools have been infiltrated.

'While the United States is not officially part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, Chinese state media has touted the work done by Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms to further the Chinese Communist Party's global influence,' the report warns.

China has facilitated these relationships through grants and sister school partnerships going back to 2009. Programming and funding has varied between school districts, the report adds.

The group's president Nicki Neily said in a statement that the 'alarming evidence' uncovered by the investigation should 'concern parents, educators, and policymakers alike.'

Beijing in 2004 started setting up the institutes, which are named after a Chinese philosopher.

Critics say they face CCP censorship on touchy issues, such as human rights abuses in China and the status of Tibet and Taiwan, which are disputed regions.

Supporters say they are a successful example of Beijing's 'soft power.' China has likened them to France's Alliance Francaise and Germany's Goethe-Institut, which promote those countries' language and culture abroad.
Donald Trump cannot pardon himself if he's convicted in Georgia and also wins the presidency in 2024 - because the offenses he's accused of are state crimes and not federal ones.

Presidents are not able to pardon state crimes - meaning Trump would be on the hook for any conviction both in Georgia and in New York, where he faces charges tied to a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.

An added obstacle for the former president is that, while Georgia has a Republican governor, Brian Kemp, a pardon from him is not an option. Kemp has been a target of Trump's anger in recent years.

Under Georgia's state constitution, there's a board of pardons and paroles, with five members appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate.

Donald Trump, if convicted in Georgia and elected president, cannot pardon himself for a state crime

And they can't just vote to pardon Trump. In order for a person in Georgia to be considered for a pardon, they must: complete their sentence; have no pending charges; and wait five years.

The odds are better in the two Justice Department cases against him - the one for classified documents and the one for election interference - which could be wiped from the books if Trump wins the presidency since they are federal crimes - meaning he would, in theory, have the power to pardon himself.

But legal experts are torn on the issue, which would likely end up before the Supreme Court.

'He can try to pardon himself on the federal level but state convictions still stand. There would probably be litigation over whether a President could use his pardon power under the Constitution to pardon himself,' former federal prosecutor Joan Meyer told DailyMail.com earlier this month.

If Trump wins the 2024 election and is appealing a conviction or still facing federal trial, all federal cases would likely stop.

The president would name his own attorney general - which would most likely be someone who would end the federal cases against him.

Plus, it's Justice Department policy not to indict or try a sitting president.

In Georgia, a board of pardons handles pardon requests - it's not the purview of the state's Gov. Brian Kemp (above)

A law enforcement officer walks past the Lewis R. Slaton Courthouse in Atlanta

Meanwhile, if Trump is convicted in any of the cases against him before the November 2024 election, there is nothing to stop him from continuing his presidential campaign.

'There was nothing in the Constitution which says a convicted felon can't run. Even if that felon is in prison,' American University's Alan Lichtman told DailyMail.com earlier this month.

The Constitution has basic requirements: A person must be at least 35 years old, be born in the United States and have lived in the United States for at least 14 years.

Even if convicted, Trump may not be in prison during the 2024 election. He would be expected to appeal and to stay out of jail during that process.

Other candidates have run for office from prison. Eugene V. Debs, in 1920, ran as the Socialist presidential candidate while imprisoned in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary for speaking out against the draft during World War I.

His supporters spoke for him, running his campaign and talking to voters.

Debs and his running mate Emil Seidel garnered 913,693 votes, but not a single electoral vote. Republican Warren Harding took the white House.

Debs' supporters, including film star Mae West, lobbied to get him pardoned. That never happened, but Harding had him released from prison.

Trump, if convicted, could end up in a minimum-security federal prison where he could have some internet access, meaning he could be able to write some posts on Truth Social and communicate via email.

'The Bureau of Prisons has to authorize any requests for special treatment. Depending on where he is housed, probably if incarcerated, it would be a camp or lowest level of security prison and he would have limited access to a phone. Inmates don't have unfettered access to the internet, but can have some access to email. Whether Trump gets greater access or special treatment by BOP remains to be seen if he goes to prison,' Meyer said.

There is even a small possibility Trump, if convicted, could be sentenced to home arrest, where he would be tracked with an ankle bracelet.

Or he could be put in separate housing given that he would have a Secret Service detail and special needs that could qualify him from being incarcerated with the general prison population.

'The exact nature of the housing is speculative at this point but he would likely be housed in an environment in which he would have minimal or no contact with other inmates,' said Tess Lopez, a federal sentencing expert.

'Currently, special housing exists for inmates that need protection such as former law enforcement officers, witness protection inmates, etc. One could speculate that the Bureau of Prisons could use similar measures to protect the former president,' she noted.

Otherwise, his campaign staff could handle fund-raising and other campaign activities if he is incarcerated.
The mother of a Michigan teen who killed himself last year after being blackmailed by Nigerian brothers who threatened to expose his nude photos has told DailyMail.com she is 'grateful' two of the men have been brought to the US to face charges - but that it will not bring her son back.

Jordan Demay, 17, shot himself six hours after his first contact with Samuel Ogoshi, 22, and his younger brother Samson Ogoshi, 20, of Lagos.

A third blackmailer, Ezekial Ejemeh Robert, was arrested separately and is still awaiting extradition from Nigeria.

They, along with others in their sextortion ring, hacked the Instagram of a young girl and duped Jordan into sending them explicit images, then demanded $1,000 from him to keep quiet.

The panicked high school student took his own life instead.

Jordan Demay, 17, shot himself last March six hours after receiving his first message from the blackmailers via Instagram

Jordan's mother Jennifer tells DailyMail.com she is eager for justice, but that no prison sentence will ever absolve the loss of her beloved son

The Ogoshi brothers are now in the US after being extradited by Nigerian officials at the request of the DoJ.

They are due in court in Grand Rapids on Thursday afternoon to facing life in prison on a range of federal changes.

In an interview with DailyMail.com, Jordan's mother Jennifer said she was 'grateful' to the DoJ and FBI for bringing them back to the US.

'I am grateful... but it won't bring Jordan back. There is also a mother in Nigeria who just lost her two sons and I feel for her because I know what she is going through now.

'I know what it's like to lose a son,' she said.

Jordan was a high school senior, part-time McDonald's worker and popular, 'goofy' athlete.

He was planning to attend college in the fall of 2022, and was splitting his time between his parents' two homes.

On March 25, 2022, the pair hacked the Instagram account of a young girl who went by the Instagram name dani.robertts.

Samuel Ogoshi, 22, and his younger brother Samson Ogoshi, 20, of Lagos, were extradited to Michigan last week. They will go before a judge on Thursday charged with four felonies that carry up to life in prison

They demanded sexually explicit images from Jordan in direct messages, then threatened him.

'I have screenshot all ur followers and tags can send this nudes to everyone and also send your nudes to your Family and friends Until it goes viral,' their misspelled threat read.

Ezekial Ejemeh Robert is awaiting extradition

'All youve to do is to cooperate with me and I wont expose you. Are you gonna cooperate with me. Just pay me rn' they pushed.

Jordan, terrified that the photos would be released, asked: 'How much.'

The extorters demanded $1,000.

He paid them $300 in the hope it would be enough to cool their demands.

Two hours later, they revived their harassment.

'Goodbye. Enjoy your miserable life,' they said.

Jordan, seeing no other way out, sent a final message.

'Im kms rn [Im kill myself right now]. Bc of you [Because of you]' he said.

The heartless blackmailers snapped back: 'Good. Do that fast. Or Ill make you do it. I swear to God.'

He was found dead from a single gunshot wound in his father's home less than an hour later.

Jordan was one of 100 victims targeted by the extortion ring, according to federal prosecutors.

It's unclear if any of their other victims have taken their own lives, but Jordan's mother has spoken with other parents online whose children have died after receiving similar threats.

'If your child has access to the internet, this can happen to them. I just want [the extorers] to be held accountable.

'The very fact that they are in custody right now is saving lives,' she said.

The blackmailers posed as a young girl to solicit explicit photos from Jordan. They then demanded $1,000 from him. He offered $300, then shot himself when they said it wasn't enough

At their first court appearance in Grand Rapids yesterday, the Ogoshi brothers made no attempt to show remorse.

'They didn't even look our way. I read that one of them was shaking, but we've had no contact with them,' Jordan's mother Jennifer revealed.

The pair, who are being represented by a public defender, have been charged with four felonies; sexual exploitation and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in death, conspiracy to sexually exploit minors, conspiracy to distribute child pornography and conspiracy to commit stalking.

The most serious charge - sexual exploitation and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in death - carries a minimum of 30 years in prison and a maximum of life.

Jennifer said she has not yet thought about what kind of sentence she is hoping for.

'This all happened so quickly... I just want them to be held accountable for what they did,' she said.

She is still grieving the loss of her son, a 'great' brother and friend who was 'always' listening to rap and hip hop through his AirPods.

The Ogoshi brothers will return to court on Thursday. They have not yet entered a plea.

Robert, the third blackmailer, is due to be extorted soon.
Marjorie Taylor Greene says she will vote for Donald Trump even if he is behind bars and claims Democrats are just giving the ex-President more support by continuing to target him.

Just hours after Trump was indicted for the fourth time on Monday night, Rep. Greene told DailyMail.com that Democrats are 'sealing up his support' in 2024.

A grand jury in Georgia indicted Trump on 41 counts in charges that names 18 others, including lawyers Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Jenna Ellis and Ray Smith. Georgia Congresswoman Greene, who is staunchly pro-Trump, responded to the charges in an exclusive interview Tuesday morning.

'I've been lockstep with President Trump from day one and that goes back to 2015,' Greene said when asked about the indictment emboldening Trump supporters. 'I am even more invested now.'

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene told DailyMail.com that she would vote for Donald Trump even if he were in jail and said Democrats are only 'sealing in' his 2024 victory by continuing to indict him

the Georgia Republican posted an image of an upside-down American Flag onto her congressional Twitter account just hours after a grand jury in her state voted for a fourth indictment of Trump

'I will vote for that man if he is in jail,' the far-right lawmaker said. 'I am going to campaign all over my state, the state of Georgia, and I'm talking to everyone about electing him in 2024. We have to deliver Georgia for President Trump.'

'Not only that, I'm going to campaign all over the country. I'm going to work as hard as possible for him, to win this election,' she added.

Greene is heading to the Iowa State Fair next weekend as a surrogate for Trump after the 2024 hopeful visited the annual event on Saturday, taking up much of the oxygen from other primary candidates descending on the first-in-the-nation primary caucus state.

After the Georgia grand jury indictment of Trump this week, Greene posted to her official congressional Twitter an upside-down American Flag.

She insisted, however, that the continued investigations, legal pursuits and indictments against Trump will only further garner his support from voters across the board as well as among Republican politicians.

'[Democrats] are sealing up his support. They're giving him more support,' Greene told DailyMail.com. 'They're giving him independent voters right now, because independent voters are like, 'Wait a minute, we don't want to vote for communist.'

Rep. Greene and other Republicans are fed up with the Justice Department and FBI, claiming that both agencies have been 'weaponized' by the Biden administration for their political gain.

In the Tuesday morning discussion, Greene said that the crimes Trump is charged with in his fourth indictment are actually the crimes that she feels the Democrats are committing against the ex-President and his allies.

The fourth indictment carries 41 counts and names 18 other individuals in the plot to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia

'I'm telling you right now, the National Democrats are actually committing a racketeering and conspiracy event like we've never seen in our country, and they're going to lose the election because of this,' she insisted.

'This is like 'How To Lose An Election 101,' she added, demanding Democrats: 'Take off your mask and show everyone you're actually communist and you're willing to abuse the power of the government.'

Trump promises to release 'irrefutable' evidence of the ' Georgia 'election fraud' that should see all charges 'dropped' against him and his 18 co-accused.

The grand jury alleged that Trump was running a 'criminal organization' and charged him with racketeering, which was usually what mob bosses were charged with.

The president announced on his Truth Social platform that he will hold a news conference at his Bedminster, New Jersey home next week following his expected first court appearance Friday in Georgia.
A pilot that miraculously avoided death after ejecting himself from a Soviet jet moments before exploded is a decorated Navy veteran.

Dan Filer had been performing at the Thunder Over Michigan air show at Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti on Sunday when he had to eject from his MiG-23 aircraft.

Filer had been flying in tandem with another person, who remains unknown at this time, when the two had to quickly eject from the jet which crashed to the ground.

Images taken at the event show captured the moment Filer and his passenger had to eject themselves from the plane, which was built from 1967 to 1985.

Despite the dramatic images showing the plane going down, no life-threatening injuries have been reported.

Filer had been flying in tandem with another person, who remains unknown at this time, when the two had to quickly eject from the jet

Images taken at the event show captured the moment Filer and his passenger had to eject themselves from the plane

A destroyed MiG-23 fighter plane sits after crashing at an apartment complex during the Thunder Over Michigan airshow

The aircraft appeared to crash just off of I-94 Service Road and Beck Road in Michigan near Waverly on the Lake Apartment complex.

Filer is said to have been losing power in the aircraft when he decided to eject himself and the other person onboard.

On Monday, John Brannen of the National Transportation Safety Board told the Detroit Free Press that Filer had serious but not life-threatening injuries.

Filer, is a decorated pilot having served in the military for nearly twenty years and was deployed during the Gulf War.

In an interview from August of last year, Filer told KTBS how he had been collecting former Soviet jets, and owned the only privately owned MiG-23 in the world.

Speaking to the outlet, he said: 'It's the only privately owned, flying Mig-23 in the world.

'Usually when somebody sees the red star it is a former Soviet Union person, and they ask "why do you have our aircraft?".

'I say well it is not your aircraft anymore, it's mine. When I got out of active duty I kind of missed the upside down flying.

In total, he managed to acquire eighteen soviet planes and sold ten of them.

After close to twenty years of active duty in the Navy, Filer turned to being a commercial pilot for United Airlines.

Filer, is a decorated pilot having served in the military for nearly twenty years and was deployed during the Gulf War

Despite the dramatic images showing the plane going down, no life-threatening injuries have been reported

During his time of service Filer was awarded four Air medals and the Combat V for Heroism and Valor.

Filer continued: 'Other countries airplanes you can almost go up to the assembly line and buy them.'

Filer flew attack planes from aircraft carriers, which included a total of 47 missions on the first Gulf War.

In a previous interview with the Tyler Morning Telegraph, it was reported that he was born in upstate New York and first went flying at the age of fifteen.

He recalled the thrill of it to the outlet, saying: 'At the end of the one-hour flight, my cheeks were so sore from smiling I then knew this is what I wanted to do.'

Filer served ten years active duty followed by eight years in the reserves before retiring as a Lieutenant Commander.

Authorities confirmed the crash happened near the Waverly on the Lake Apartments

During a news conference at the crash site, Brannen added: 'In this case, we have a fairly large airplane and the fact that both pilots survived and there were no ground injuries is a very good outcome.'

In a statement, Wayne County Airport Authority said: 'Shortly after 4pm, Sunday, a MiG-23 demonstration plane performing at the Yankee Air Museum's Thunder Over Michigan Air Show crashed into the parking lot at the Waverly on the Lake Apartments in Belleville.

'The pilot and backseater succesfully ejected from the aircraft before the crash.

'While it did not appear they sustained any injuries, first responders transported the pair to a nearby hospital as a precaution.

'The aircraft struck unoccupied vehicles in the apartment complex's parking lot. No one at the apartment complex nor the air show was injured.

'The FAA is investigating the crash.'
2 policemen killed in rebel attack in India's Jharkhand

Xinhua) 16:41, August 15, 2023

NEW DELHI, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Two policemen, including a junior-level officer, were killed in a rebel attack in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, police said Tuesday.

The policemen were ambushed late Monday night in Tonto-Chaibasa area of West Singhbhum district, about 157 km south of Ranchi, the capital city of Jharkhand.

"Last night, a police party was returning after conducting a search operation against Naxals (rebels). However, the party was ambushed at Tonto resulting in the killing of a sub-inspector and a constable," a police official said.

Reports said the police party fired in retaliation, however, Naxals managed to escape in the forest area.

Additional reinforcements have been rushed to the area to conduct searches to track down the attackers.

New Delhi has deployed several companies of its paramilitary forces to take on Naxals in their strongholds.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Thousands of Brits have crammed onto the beaches across the country to bask in the sun under the clear blue skies in a sign that some form of summer has finally broken out in the country.

In Dorset, sunseekers clambered onto the sands at Lyme Regis and in Bournemouth to make the most of the balmy temperatures that could last until next week according to the Met Office.

In the agencies latest forecast, experts say the UK could be about to enter a sustained four day warm spell with highs of 30C in some places.

And despite the rest of this summer's weather being changeable and dour, forecasters say there's a good chance this warm spell will be more temperate and calm - meaning it could last longer.

According to the Met Office, Brits could soon get a 'glimpse of summer weather as temperatures rise.'

LYME REGIS: The beach is packed with holidaymakers enjoying the scorching hot sunshine

BOURNEMOUTH: People enjoy the bright sunshine and hot weather on the beach

WEYMOUTH: Thousands of Brits pack onto the sands at Weymouth to make the most of the weather

The Met Office has said Britain will bask in warm temperatures this week with highs of 25C today

Their forecast reads: 'From Wednesday we will see high pressure build bringing a southerly airflow across the UK and temperatures pushing up into the mid 20s for much of the southern half of the UK, with the warmth likely to peak on Friday and Saturday as the mercury rises into the high 20s.'

Despite the optimism though, the agency does note that following the spell, 'the risk of heavy rain and thunderstorms arriving from the west will not be far behind.'

Deputy Chief Meteorologist Dan Harris, said: 'A general warming trend is expected through much of this week, as the weather settles down for a time.

'Whilst some southern areas are already likely to reach the mid 20s by Wednesday, it's not until Thursday that the warmer weather will become more widespread, with parts of Scotland also reaching the low 20s.

'Most places will be dry with sunshine, although some early mist and low cloud could mean a slow start for some areas.

'We are likely to see the warmest weather on Friday and Saturday, with low to mid 20s widely and a peak of 29C most probable in the southeast; at this stage the odd 30 Celsius here on Friday cannot be ruled out.

'A frontal system arriving into the west and southwest later on Friday, which could be preceded by thunderstorms, does complicate matters somewhat; after a very muggy night in the southeast overnight into Saturday.'

BOURNEMOUTH: Hundreds of people are seen frolicking on the beach as the weather clears

BOURNEMOUTH: The Met Office has said the weather should hold for four days extending into the weekend

BOURNEMOUTH: Sunseekers brave the sea after weeks of dismal rainy weather

The UK has been waiting with bated breath for signs that a sustained period of sunny weather and a washout July.

Britain endured its sixth wettest July ever last month after the country was battered by downpours.

A succession of low pressure systems brought long periods of damp and windy weather to much of the country, making it feel at times more like autumn than summer - a sharp contrast to July 2022, which saw heatwaves and temperatures as high as 40C.

The UK had an average of 140.1mm rain last month, the sixth highest total for July since records began in 1836, according to provisional data.

Some parts of England also set new rainfall records. Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside all saw their wettest July. Lancashire was the wettest county compared to average, with 234.6mm of rain falling in the month.

However, those hoping for a boiling August Bank Holiday weekend are perhaps best advised to temper their expectations, with the Mirror reporting that a Met Office spokesman has advised a significant late summer hot spell is 'unlikely.'

They warned: 'Although temperatures are set to pick up this week, an August Bank Holiday heatwave is looking probably unlikely.'
A three-year-old boy described as 'happy and rambunctious' has died in a horror boating accident during a family vacation at a scenic Utah reserve.

Walter Enslin Greer, the youngest child in a family of five from Salt Lake City, was fatally struck by a propeller at Echo State Park Reservoir after falling from a vessel just before 5pm on Sunday.

The little boy had been enjoying a vacation in the picturesque northwestern Utah park with his two older sisters, their parents Alex and Doug, and family friends when tragedy struck.

Utah State Parks officials said he was 'struck by a propeller at the rear of the boat' after falling into the water.

Law enforcement rangers from the park responded to the incident at around 4.45pm along with rescue teams from several more agencies.

Walter Enslin Greer, the youngest child in a family of five from Salt Lake City, was fatally struck by a boat propeller at Echo State Park Reservoir after falling from the vessel just before 5pm on Sunday

The little boy had been enjoying a vacation in the picturesque northwestern Utah park on Sunday with his two older sisters, parents Alex and Doug, and family friends when tragedy struck. Pictured: Walter's family in 2017, before he was born

Photographs from the reservoir show dozens of officials racing towards the scene in speedboats, while others coordinated the response from a pier

They said Walter had been wearing a life jacket, but he had already passed away when rescuers recovered him from the water.

Photographs from the reservoir show dozens of officials racing towards the scene in speedboats, while others coordinated the response from a pier.

Officials expressed their condolences to the family and said the incident is now under investigation.

Walter's devastated aunt, Allison Meakin, has launched a fundraiser to support the family with funeral, medical and counseling costs.

Meakin described her nephew, who was just about to start preschool, as a 'happy' toddler with a 'big personality'.

'It is with very heavy hearts that we announce the tragic passing of Walter Greer,' she wrote on the fundraising page.

'Walter was a happy, rambunctious three-year-old with a big personality.

'He loved Spiderman, trucks, boots, and trains and was excited to start preschool.

'His family and friends are devastated by this loss.'

A recent photograph of Walter on the fundraiser shows him wide-eyed and beaming next to a Spiderman themed chocolate cake as he celebrated his third birthday.

In another snap taken on the same day, the blond-haired boy is sat giggling on a kitchen island surrounded by shiny red balloons in the shape of Spiderman heads and the number three.

Two more images show Walter with his two sisters, who are only a few years older than him.

Walter's devastated aunt, Allison Meakin, has launched a fundraiser to support the family. Meakin described her nephew, who was just about to start preschool, as a 'happy' toddler with a 'big personality'. Pictured: Walter on his third birthday

Walter had been enjoying a day boating with his family on the picturesque Echo Reservoir in northwestern Utah. Pictured: the reservoir seen from Interstate 80 in Summit County

Officials expressed their condolences to the family and said the incident is now under investigation

In one image they are smiling together on a sandy beach, framed by a bright blue skyline and a calm ocean in the background.

The siblings are also pictured grinning as they sat cross-legged together in a meadow at sunset.

Utah State Parks said they were joined by several more responding agencies, including Utah State Bureau of Investigation, Summit County Sheriffs Office, Utah Highway Patrol, North Summit Flyer District, University of Utah Health AirMed, and Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation.

Their investigation into the circumstances of the tragedy continues.
Hunter Biden's longtime defense lawyer Christopher Clark filed a motion Tuesday to withdraw from the first son's tax and gun case because he could be a witness after the special counsel appointment.

Clark worked on Hunter Biden's controversial plea deal.

The plea deal fell apart last week on the same day Attorney General Merrick Garland announced he had elevated U.S. Attorney David Weiss to the special counsel level.

'Based on recent developments, it appears that the negotiation and drafting of the plea deal and diversion agreement will be contested, and Mr. Clark is a percipient witness to those issues,' Hunter's lawyers said in a filing, according to CNN.

On Friday, Garland held a press conference announcing Weiss' promotion to special counsel, a move that was supposed to undermine claims from Republicans and the IRS whistleblowers that Weiss didn't have full authority to act in the first son's tax and gun case.

Hunter Biden departs federal court in Wilmington, Delaware last month after his plea deal initially fell through

Hunter Biden's longtime defense lawyer Christopher Clark asked to exit the first son's gun and tax case because he may now be a witness with the special counsel being appointed

Most Republicans were furious, alleging that Weiss' appointment was a continued cover-up.

'This action by Biden's DOJ cannot be used to obstruct congressional investigations or whitewash the Biden family corruption,' said House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

'If Weiss negotiated the sweetheart deal that couldn't get approved, how can he be trusted as a Special Counsel?' McCarthy asked, saying 'House Republicans will continue to pursue the facts for the American people.'

A Trump spokesperson said the special counsel 'appears to be trying to move the case to a more Democrat-friendly venue,' amid indications it could end up being tried in Washington, D.C. or Los Angeles, rather than Wilmington.

Ron DeSantis said in Iowa: 'I also just saw the news about the Hunter Biden Special Counsel  it just seems to me that they're gonna find a way to give him some type of soft glove treatment.

'And I don't understand why you would appoint this guy to be the special counsel.

'But we've come to expect that, and so I think that there was a lot that he's done, particularly with the corruption, that really should be pursued.

Sen. Chuck Grassley - an Iowa Republican who previously led an investigation into the Biden business deals - first reacted positively to the development.

'It's about time,' he told DailyMail.com as he toured the Iowa State Fair Friday.

Upon hearing Weiss was elevated as opposed to a new individual being appointed, Grassley grew more skeptical.

'Did they appoint him special counsel so he doesn't have to testify before the Congress of the United States?' he mused. 'If that's your game - then I'd say there's ulterior motives.'

He also pointed out that the way the Senate confirms U.S. attorneys from each state is that the state's senators have to sign on, meaning two Democrats green-lit Weiss' appointment during the Trump years.

'What I know today, I don't want say what he did in his job, but you can see this plea agreement that the judge didn't take raises a lot of questions about him,' Grassley said. 'Didn't you have the government and the guilty ones on the same sides of the table?'
A teenage terror suspect charged with attempting to build a weapon of mass destruction was arrested at the home of a Philadelphia defense attorney who sought the Democrat nomination for a judges role, sources have claimed.

The 17-year-old, who has not been named, was allegedly communicating with a Jordanian Islamic State affiliate, and planning a catastrophic terrorist attack, when he was arrested on Friday the Philadelphia District Attorneys office revealed.

Sources linked the arrest to Fridays FBI raid on the Woodbine Avenue home of Qawi Abdul-Rahman who unsuccessfully ran in this years Democratic primary for Common Pleas Court judge, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer and phillymag.com.

Police moved in after US Customs told them that 14 international shipments of military and tactical gear had arrived at the seven-bedroom mansion in the citys leafy Wynnefield neighborhood.

Among the items he purchased were tactical equipment, wiring, chemicals and devices often used as remote detonators, FBI Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire said at the news conference.

Qawi Abdul-Rahman told voters he knows 'exactly what needs to be done when it comes to crime'

FBI officers found bombs being constructed at the home in the leafy suburb

Dozens of officers took part in the raid which the DA's office said potentially thwarted a catastrophic terrorist attack

He had not only taken steps in acquiring those items and materials that are commonly used in improvised explosive devices, but that he had also taken steps to start putting potential devices together.

The teen has been charged with offenses involving weapons of mass destruction, criminal conspiracy, arson, causing or risking catastrophe, attempt to commit criminal mischief, possession of an instrument of crime, and reckless endangerment of another person, prosecutors said.

He has been charged as a juvenile but prosecutors are seeking to have him tried in an adult court.

'I can't imagine anyone over there doing anything illegal or wrong,' neighbor Paul Lazorko told fox29.com

Abdul-Rahman, 54, was born on the Plattsburgh Air Force Base in Plattsburgh, New York, the son of an Air Force officer.

Raised in North Philadelphia he attended the University of Delaware, before transferring to Cheyney University of Pennsylvania.

When Mr Rahman transferred to Cheyney University he switched his major to political science due to a newfound ambition of becoming an attorney after watching the injustices suffered by the people of his community, his campaign website declares.

Upon graduating from Cheyney he attended the St Thomas School of Law, in Miami Florida. After working in the Dade County Public Defenders Office, Mr Rahman returned home to Philadelphia to fulfill a promise he made to himself of serving the people in his community.

With 25 years of legal experience, Mr. Rahman effectively serves his community and in 2018 he received the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania Pro Bono Publico Award.

Philadelphia defense attorney Qawi Abdul-Rahman outside his childhood home in Philadelphia in a campaign video as he sought the Democratic nomination for Common Pleas Court judge

The spacious seven-bedroom home was raided on Friday evening

Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner (left) and FBI special agent Jacqueline Maguire said the investigation had saved lives

Chemicals, wiring and bomb precursor were recovered by agents in the raid on the home

The biography goes on to describe Rahman as a loyal son, husband, father, and role model.

When not in the court room you can find Mr. Rahman on the football field serving his community as a youth football coach, it adds.

In a campaign video the attorney returns to his childhood home and is pictured chatting to local residents.

I know exactly what needs to be done when it comes to crime, he tells the camera.

Those people who feel marginalized, excused and looked past, I was those people.

Abdul-Rahman told phillymag.com he had no comment about the search of his home because it was an 'open matter'.

Asked of the arrested boy is his son he told the website: 'You wanna find out what Im really about?

'Text or call me one more time, and youll find out what Im really about.'

The relationship between Abdul-Rahmen and the boy is not currently known.

FBI agents had the boy under surveillance from March this year after intercepting Instagram communications with Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad (KTJ), a foreign terrorist organization affiliated with al Qaeda which was designated a foreign terror organization by the US State Department last year.

Neighbor Paul Lazorko said the family at the center of the raid was quiet and friendly

The group which also allies with Islamic State has claimed responsibility for international suicide bombings including a 2017 attack on a subway in St Petersburg, Russia that killed 14 people.

His WhatsApp account also displayed graphics of the Chechnya-based Riyad-us-Saliheen Martyrs Brigade and the Islamic State, according to the Philadelphia District Attorney's office.

Investigators said the teen, who also had access to quite a significant number of firearms had taken steps to travel overseas for the purpose of joining or supporting terrorist activity, and was researching potential terror targets.

The young man who is under arrest was an aspiring terrorist, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said.

He was not merely thinking but was doing things that are deeply disturbing and presented a grave danger to everyone  himself, his family, the block where he lives and frankly people everywhere in Philadelphia and potentially people around the country or even overseas.

The work of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force potentially thwarted a catastrophic terrorist attack in the name of a perverted ideology that in no way, shape, or form represents the beliefs of the overwhelming majority of peace-seeking people of faith, including Muslims.

The charges we have filed against this individual represent the most serious alleged terrorist activity prosecuted in Philadelphia County court in recent history.

We intend to pursue full accountability for these crimes and will continue to work vigilantly with our law enforcement partners to protect all of our communities from hateful, ideologically driven acts of violence.'

Dailymail.com has asked Mr Abdul-Rahman for comment.
Locals and holidaymakers in a popular seaside town have been left stumped by mysterious new road markings - with some fearing confused drivers could cause a serious accident.

The red, white and blue painted colour scheme across a junction with two one way systems sprung up in Paignton, on the English Riviera in South Devon, last month.

Torbay Council says the new colour scheme is intended to make the Garfield Road and Queens Road area safer for motorists and pedestrians.

But it has also been compared to a swimming pool, some Lego and a leftover decoration from King Charless Coronation.

The markings have caused chaos for puzzled pedestrians who no longer know where to cross and for motorists who are unable to make sense of what they mean.

Locals and holidaymakers in a popular seaside town have been left stumped by mysterious new road markings - with some fearing confused drivers could cause a serious accident

The red, white and blue painted colour scheme across a junction with two one way systems sprung up in Paignton, on the English Riviera in South Devon, last month

Torbay Council says the new colour scheme is intended to make the Garfield Road and Queens Road area safer for motorists and pedestrians

Roy and Jackie Apps who have lived in Paignton for 30 years described the markings as a mystery.

Roy, 68, said: I dont understand it, I cant see the point of painting the road that colour.

Whats wrong with black tarmac and a white circle?

They have changed the layout of this road so many times, we dont know what it means. Its all a bit of a mystery and we keep checking the local paper to see what the purpose is but still have no idea.

I think its a waste of money and would love to know how much it cost - the council should've spent the money making the public loos free.

Jackie, 60, added: My thought is make it all one way heading down to the seafront I just dont understand this and it looks like a mish mash of different ideas.

When you are on holiday you arent necessarily concentrating on where you are walking and we have seen so many tourists walk out in front of cars its an accident waiting to happen.

MailOnline saw several motorists struggling to make sense of the junction with one forced to reverse 100m after making a wrong turn up a one way street.

The markings have been compared to a swimming pool, some Lego and a leftover decoration from King Charless Coronation

Roy and Jackie Apps who have lived in Paignton for 30 years described the markings as a mystery

Torquay resident Simon Singleton, 60, who describes himself as a running musical stormtrooper joked: Maybe to people on planes flying into Exeter it will look like a new swimming pool.

I dont understand what its for? Do drivers really need more confusion?

Obviously somebody in the planning team turned up to a meeting with their kids box of lego, poured it out and they just decided to build that.

Its a shame because I really like Paignton - how many other towns do you see where every shop is open and occupied

Fran Jerett, 17, who works in So Sweet - a sweet shop opposite the junction - said: Its a bit unusual and Im not sure why they have done it

I have heard they are going to put a palm tree in the middle of it so maybe they are going for a desert island theme.

Its an eyesore, I think they are just trying to modernise something that doesnt need to be modernised. People love Paignton because its not changed much over the years.

This is going to cause an accident.

Logan Brown, 15, visiting Paignton on holiday from Bristol with his grandmother Penny Starns, 68, described the markings as a bit weird.

Torquay resident Simon Singleton, 60, who describes himself as a running musical stormtrooper thought the markings looked like a new swimming pool

Logan Brown, 15, visiting Paignton on holiday from Bristol with his grandmother Penny Starns, 68, described the markings as a bit weird

MailOnline saw several motorists struggling to make sense of the junction today

He added: I cant tell where you are supposed to cross.

Penny said When I first saw it I thought they must have done it for the coronation, being red white and blue, but somebody told me they only just did it.

Its probably safer for everybody because you definitely realise youre coming up to a junction and you have to stop and think about what do I need to do here.

But some holidaymakers were full of praise for the bold colour scheme.

Cathleen Green from Birmingham said: It certainly brightens things up a bit.

I have never seen anything like it anywhere else. It looks a bit like a swimming pool but it definitely gets people talking.

It would definitely make people think what they are doing when they come up to the junction.

And Denis Nelson, 65, from Sheffield added: Its eye catching but in a good way. Its on the main street and it definitely lets people know when they are approaching it.

The blue is definitely to remind you of the seaside. Maybe this could be a new local landmark.

Fran Jerett, 17, who works in So Sweet - a sweet shop opposite the junction - said the markings were 'a bit unusual'

Cathleen Green from Birmingham said the markings certainly brightens things up a bit'

Denis Nelson, 65, from Sheffield was also a fan and said they were 'eye catching but in a good way'

The initiative is the latest change to take place on Paignton Road after traffic was banned in September 2022.

However, it was fully reopened to traffic this month after traders protested against the pedestrianisation.

When asked about the new road painting, a spokesman for Torbay Council said: With increased traffic at this junction, the surface contrast provides greater clarity for road users and pedestrians, ensuring all road users can use the space safely.

The red is to remind motorists as they approach the junction to slow down and think should I be driving through here? before proceeding to turn slowly at the junction.

The blue is to better define the carriage for pedestrians and to reflect some of the placemaking ambitions for a permanent scheme.
The mother of six-year-old boy who bragged about shooting his first-grade teacher in the chest pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge of felony child neglect.

Deja Taylor, 25, avoided misdemeanor gun charges after striking a plea deal seven months after her child blasted 26-year-old Abby Zwerner at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia.

Moments after the shooting, according to search warrants filed in the case, the child told a reading specialist who restrained him: 'I shot that b**** dead,' and 'I got my mom's gun last night.'

As part of Taylor's plea deal, prosecutors said they will not seek seek a sentence that is longer than state sentencing guidelines, which call for six months in jail or prison.

The January shooting shocked the nation and roiled this shipbuilding city near the Chesapeake Bay. The case against Taylor is one of three legal efforts seeking accountability, including the teacher's $40 million lawsuit that accuses the school system of gross negligence.

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

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. Several parents have filed a lawsuit against the school for not protecting their kids

Police said the first grader intentionally shot teacher Zwerner as she sat at a reading table during a lesson.

Zwerner, who was hit in the hand and chest, spent nearly two weeks in the hospital and has endured multiple surgeries.

Cops said the student brought the gun to school in his backpack, which had images of sharks on it. But it remains unclear exactly how the six-year-old got the gun.

Taylor told police she believed the gun was in her purse, secured with a trigger lock and on top of her bedroom dresser, according to search warrants. She said she kept the gunlock key under her bedroom mattress.

But agents with Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said they never found a trigger lock after conducting searches, according to federal court documents.

In April, Taylor was charged with felony child neglect and a misdemeanor count of recklessly storing of a firearm.

In June, the mom pleaded guilty in a separate but related federal case to using marijuana while possessing a firearm, which is illegal under U.S. law.

Taylor's attorney, James Ellenson, said in April that there were 'mitigating circumstances,' including her miscarriages and postpartum depression before the shooting.

Taylor told ABCs 'Good Morning America' in May that she feels responsible and apologized to Zwerner.

'That is my son, so I am, as a parent, obviously willing to take responsibility for him because he can't take responsibility for himself,' Taylor said.

Zwerner allegedly told police of other incidents in which the student threatened violence and physically assaulted others

Her son has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and was under a care plan that included a family member accompanying him to class every day, Ellenson said.

The week of the shooting was the first when a parent was not in class with him. The change was made because the boy had started medication and was meeting his goals academically, Taylor said.

'I just truly would like to apologize,' Taylor said on the show.
Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira pleaded not guilty in federal court on Tuesday to charges he tried to help Donald Trump hide classified documents.

It was a reminder of how the former president is fighting legal cases on multiple fronts, coming hours after a prosecutor in Georgia accused him of a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election  his fourth indictment since April.

In Florida, Trump is charged with illegally holding onto top secret records at his Palm Beach club and thwarting government efforts to retrieve them.

An attorney for De Oliveira entered the plea on his behalf during a brief hearing in Fort Pierce.

Special Counsel Jack Smith has accused Trump of keeping top-secret documents after leaving office in January 2021 and storing them in a bathroom and ballroom at his Florida home.

Carlos De Oliveira, center, property manager of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, leaves the Alto Lee Adams Sr. U.S. Courthouse following his arraignment hearing, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023, in Fort Pierce, Florida

Trump has denied all the charges and maintains he is the victim of a 'witch hunt' designed to prevent him winning the 2024 election.

Tuesday brought the third court appearance for De Oliveira, who twice before had his arraignment postponed because he hadn't yet finalized a Florida-based attorney, which is required under court rules.

De Oliveira spoke only to answer the magistrate judge's questions, such as whether he understood the charges against him.

De Oliveira and his new attorney, Donnie Murrell of West Palm Beach, walked out of the courthouse without speaking to reporters.

De Oliveira's arraignment comes a day after Trump was charged in a fourth criminal case.

Monday night Trump and 18 allies were indicted in a case out of Fulton County, Georgia, over alleged efforts by him and his supporters to illegally meddle in the 2020 election in that state.

In the Mar-a-Lago case, Trump and his valet, Walt Nauta, were originally charged in June in one of two cases brought by Smith.

More than 300 classified documents were recovered from Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate

Donald Trump denied all the charges when he appeared in Miami federal court in June

Documents found at Mar-a-Lago in an August raid are pictured on display

Smith has also charged the Republican in Washington with illegally conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

An updated indictment unsealed late last month brought more charges against Trump and Nauta, and added De Oliveira to the Florida case.

Trump is facing dozens of felony counts in the classified documents case, and Smith's new indictment included additional counts of obstruction and wilful retention of national defence information.

Trump and Nauta have also pleaded not guilty. The former president has denied any wrongdoing.

De Oliveira, Trump and Nauta are facing charges that include conspiracy to obstruct justice in the case stemming from secret government documents found at Mar-a-Lago after Trump's presidency ended in 2021.

De Oliveira is also charged with lying to investigators. Prosecutors allege he falsely claimed he had not even seen boxes moved into Mar-a-Lago after Mr Trump left the White House.
Peta Weber vanished in 1997

The family of a young mother who vanished 25 years ago while taking a cliffside walk with her husband may finally soon discover what happened to her.

Peta and Richard Weber went for a walk to The Gap, south west of Albany in Western Australia, on June 21, 1997 before the break of dawn.

The evening before, Richard said, they had dropped their two children, aged two and seven, with his parents.

The pair were fishing at around 6.45am when, according to Richard, Peta said she needed the toilet and walked away.

Forty-five minutes passed before Richard raised the alarm by waving down a car and asking the driver to take him to somewhere he could find mobile reception. He then called police to report his wife missing.

Officers searched for Peta, 25, for three weeks but couldn't find her.

Richard took his own life in 2000, while police were covertly following him.

Peta's case was treated as a missing persons case until 2017, when a homicide investigation was opened.

An inquest into her death opened on Tuesday and counsel assisting the coroner, Jon Tiller, shed new light on the case, WA Today reported.

He told the inquest that Richard was being treated as a 'significant' person of interest before his death.

Peta and Richard Weber went for a walk to The Gap, south west of Albany in Western Australia, on June 21, 1997 before the break of dawn

'From a very early stage in the police investigation into Peta's disappearance, suspicion was centred on Richard. He was believed to have a motive, means and opportunity,' Mr Tiller said.

'Richard was interviewed several times and consistently denied any involvement in Peta's disappearance, maintaining that he last saw her walking away at the fishing spot.'

Mr Tiller added that it seemed that Richard had dropped off the children with his parents alone, and that no one else claims to have seen Peta after this point.

The inquest heard that Peta was planning to leave Richard and told a friend that her marriage was crumbling just a day before she disappeared.

'By late 1996 ... some believed Peta was afraid of Richard. There is evidence he was very controlling of Peta and limited her access to finances, friends and the outside world,' Mr Tiller said, adding that Peta told friends Richard had been abusive towards her and her son John, from a previous marriage.

The inquest also heard that Peta did not enjoy fishing but would sometimes join Richard if John was also going.

Richard took his own life in 2000 after the breakdown of a new relationship.

The inquest continues.

For confidential 24-hour support in Australia call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger broke his silence on Donald Trump's indictment in the state, saying the former president didn't respect the constitution.

'The most basic principles of a strong democracy are accountability and respect for the Constitution and rule of law. You either have it, or you don't,' Raffensperger said.

Trump and 18 others were indicted on 41 counts by an Atlanta grand jury on Monday in a massive racketeering case that accuses the former president and some of his allies of orchestrating a 'criminal enterprise' to reverse the results of the 2020 election in Georgia.

The former president has denied the charges and said, next week, he will release 'irrefutable' evidence of the 'Georgia 'election fraud' that should see all charges 'dropped' against him and his co-conspirators. It is his fourth indictment.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (pictured) said Donald Trump didn't respect the constitution

Trump was indicted for the fourth time Monday in Georgia.

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp pushed back at Trump's statement that he would produce his own report on the 2020 election.

'The 2020 election in Georgia was not stolen. For nearly three years now, anyone with evidence of fraud has failed to come forward - under oath - and prove anything in a court of law. Our elections in Georgia are secure, accessible, and fair and will continue to be as long as I am governor. The future of our country is at stake in 2024 and that must be our focus,' he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

One of the pieces of evidence in the indictment is an hour-long January 2021 phone call Trump had with Raffensperger, who, as secretary of state, was in charge of elections in Georgia.

Georgia officials recorded the call and the contents leaked.

Raffensperger stood by the Georgia election results, which had been counted and confirmed three times prior to Trump's call. Joe Biden won the state by .25% of the vote, becoming the first Democrat to carry Georgia since Bill Clinton.

Then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who is among those now indicted, arranged for Trump to call Raffensperger.

It was on the call that Trump asked the state's top election official to 'find 11,780 votes.'

'We have won this election,' Trump told Raffensperger, a Republican.

Trump then raised a series of allegations.

'They are shredding ballots, in my opinion, based on what I've heard. And they are removing machinery and they're moving it as fast as they can, both of which are criminal finds,' he said, according to a transcript of the call.

'And you can't let it happen and you are letting it happen. You know, I mean, I'm notifying you that you're letting it happen. So look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have,' Trump said.

Donald Trump asked Raffensperger to 'find' votes - above then President Trump at the White House with his chief of staff Mark Meadows

According to prosecutors in Georgia, that constituted a 'solicitation of violation of oath by public officer.'

The conspirators engaged in a felony offense by asking the official to be involved in 'unlawfully altering, unlawfully adjusting, and otherwise unlawfully inuencing the certied returns of the election,' prosecutors say.

Raffensperger also testified before Congress' January 6th committee. Much of that material gathered was used by special counsel Jack Smith in his federal indictment of Trump on election interference.

'The numbers are the numbers,' Raffensperger said during the hearing, in response to voter fraud allegations. 'The numbers don't lie.'

He won re-election as secretary of state in the 2022 election and said his top priority is to ensure the people of Georgia get an accurate and fair election in 2024.
Jewish leaders have condemned shocking footage of a Melbourne high schoolgirl impersonating Adolf Hitler inside a classroom.

The video shows a senior student being filmed performing a Nazi salute while donning a drawn-on moustache that resembled the dictator's distinctive facial hair.

A laptop playing a German song can also be seen in the video as the student stands with her arm extended.

Another student, believed to be filming the video, can be heard laughing in the background.

The video, obtained by the Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC), is believed to have been filmed for another student's birthday.

A public school girl from Melbourne gives the Heil Hitler salute with a drawn-on moustache to imitate the evil dictator. Picture: Supplied

The girl was standing next to a laptop which was playing what's understood to be German music. Picture: Supplied

ADC chairman Dr Dvir Abramovich said the student seen in the 'sickening and ugly' video should be punished by the school.

'This is the modern face of Holocaust abuse in Victorian public schools, and this growing climate of antisemitic hostility has made many Jewish parents wonder whether sending their kids to class every morning is safe,' Dr Abramovich said.

'This young person, who deliberately and proudly desecrated Holocaust memory and tore up the values of respect and inclusivity, must be disciplined since it is hard to believe that they did not know about Hitler's extermination of six million Jews and millions of others.

'I can't imagine the pain the grandchild of a Holocaust survivor would have felt if they had walked in on the filming or had seen the video later.'

Anti-Defamation Commission chair Dr Dvir Abramovich says the video is 'sickening and ugly'.

A Department of Education spokesman told the Herald Sun any antisemitic behaviour in schools was distressing and taken extremely seriously.

'We work closely with the Victorian Jewish community to strengthen our zero-tolerance approach to anti-Semitism,' he said.

'Victorian schools have access to a range of programs that have been co-designed with the Jewish community to address antisemitism - including the Courage to Care initiative, learning programs delivered in partnership with the Melbourne Holocaust Museum, and a dedicated hotline for schools, students and parents to report racism.'

The girl's school has been contacted for comment.
A father today revealed pictures showing the shocking state of mould and damp inside his privately-rented home, warning he fears his children could die as a result.

Ahmed Abu Ali, 44, said his five-year-old daughter Iftuu  who has Downs syndrome - often struggles to breathe at night.

In the bedroom where two of the familys four children sleep, the wall is covered in mould, while ugly black growths spread across much of the bathroom ceiling.

An independent surveyors report found the property - which has also had rats - was in some respects unfit for habitation.

The family GP has warned that recurrent infections suffered by the schoolgirl may be linked to the poor housing condition in which she lives.

Ahmed Abu Ali, 44, said his five-year-old daughter Iftuu - who has Down's syndrome - often struggles to breathe at night

An independent report said the family's privately rented home in Bolton is 'in some respects unfit for habitation'

Iftuu's paediatric consultant has written to support the family's application to be rehoused

However the familys landlord claims the family have, on several occasions, refused entry to both himself and workmen.

Images of the grim state of their home were revealed after a coroner last year warned that the death of a two-year-old boy caused by being exposed to mould at his parents housing association flat should be a defining moment for the housing sector.

Awaab Ishaks tragic death in Rochdale, Greater Manchester in 2020 sparked an outcry, with new rules imposed requiring social housing landlords to fix damp and mould issues to strict deadlines or rehouse tenants in safe accommodation.

However campaigners say thousands of families living in privately rented accommodation are also living in unsafe homes and want wider action taken.

Mr Ali said all four children were constantly ill due to the state of the home, in Bolton, just 12 miles from Rochdale.

Im crazy worried, he told BBC North West Tonight.

Im feeling my children could die. My children need help.

Mr Ali told the programme that every time he tried to clean the mould, it would quickly return and that the flooring in the familys living room was rotten.

He said rats had been getting into the house through the hole in the floor, eating the furniture and running through the bedrooms at night.

This home is not good for children, added their mother Belaynash Banta, 35.

The rats come and none of the children are sleeping. UK government, please help me.

In doctors letter seen by the BBC as part of their investigation, a GP said Iftuu had been having recurrent respiratory tract infections which could be linked to the poor housing condition that she currently lives in.

This will impact on the health of all the occupants of the house, especially Iftuu, who is especially at risk due to her underlying condition, the letter added.

Mother Belaynash Banta, 35, (pictured) has asked the government to help her

A doctor's letter shows a GP said Iftuu had been having 'recurrent respiratory tract infections'

Iftuus paediatric consultant has also written to support their application to be rehoused.

An independent surveyor found severe diffuse mould growth in the bedroom where the two youngest children sleep.

Severe mould was also found in the bathroom and severe rising dampness in the living room.

The appearance of mould is noted to be prejudicial to the health of the occupants, the report added.

But four months on, the family are still living in the same conditions.

According to the BBC, the familys landlord has previously treated the mould and made repairs, including to the kitchen and installing some new carpets.

The landlord  who has not been named  claims the family have, on several occasions, refused entry to both himself and workmen.

The family said it was advised by lawyers not to let anyone in until the surveyor had visited.

The landlord told the BBC he couldnt comment on specifics due to ongoing litigation.

But he insisted there were two sides to every story such as this one.

No matter the quality of the ventilation, heating and insulation media in a property, if the tenant fails to make proper use of those installations, there will always be a risk of mould and mildew growth, he said.

Similarly, if the lifestyle of the tenants is one which allows waste to accumulate within a property, there will be a risk of infestation and vermin.

Awaab Ishak died of a severe respiratory condition aged two due to black mould in his home

According to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, efforts to tackle poor housing since Awaabs inquest last year have extended to the private rental sector as well as social tenants.

Private tenants are being given greater protection, including the creation of a new ombudsman service to handle complaints and the planned abolition of no fault evictions.

A spokesperson for Bolton Council said: Everyone has the right to a safe home, and we will always take action whenever the health of tenants are at risk.

Our Housing Standards team have been involved with this case, working with other agencies, the landlord, and the tenants to find a permanent resolution to the mould problem.

We have previously supported the landlord to carry out a number of repairs, but further work is needed.

However, there have been a number of barriers to work progressing on a timely schedule, and this has resulted in the problems getting worse.
Kelly's cause of death and manner are under investigation at this time

The mother of a woman whose body was discovered inside a duffel bag at Golden Gate Park on Sunday has identified her daughter as the victim

The mother of a 37-year-old woman whose body was found inside a duffel bag dumped near a San Francisco music festival has paid a tearful tribute to her daughter - and says she 'knew something bad would happen' to her.

Roya Koike told local media outlets in Northern California that her daughter, Kelly (Brock) Koike, was the woman police found dead on Sunday evening at the Golden Gate Park where the Outside Lands music festival was being held.

Kelly's cause and manner of death have not been shared by police.

Roya said her daughter was living on the streets of San Francisco prior to her death and was suffering from schizophrenia, catatonia and bipolar disorder.

'I know deep deep down in her.... she's a good girl. She has a messed up here (pointing to her head), but she got killed?' Roya told ABC 7.

The body of Kelly Koike (pictured) was found stuffed in a duffel bag Sunday evening in San Francisco's iconic Golden Gate Park

'I know deep deep down in her.... she's a good girl. She has a messed up here (pointing to her head), but she got killed?' Roya Koike told ABC 7 of her daughter Kelly

Kelly Koike's body was found late Sunday evening in Golden Gate Park

Roya said police called her on Monday to let her know the shocking news. No arrests have been made.

'Yesterday, they found your daughter in a duffel bag. A dog walker found her,' Roya said, reenacting the conversation with officers.

Police said a passerby called them around 7.30 pm called them to let them know they had found a dead woman near 22nd Avenue and Fulton Street.

Upon arrival at the scene, the officers found Koike's body stuffed into a duffel bag.

The discovery was made just a short distance away from the three-day Outside Lands music festival, also located in Golden Gate Park.

Some investigators questioned whether the discovery could be linked to the massive festival which sees an estimated 70,000 people per day but it is unclear if there is any connection.

According to the woman's mother, Kelly was a graduate of culinary school and was working as a concierge in San Francisco before her death.

As her mental health deteriorated, so did her livelihood and living conditions until Kelly ultimately ended up unhoused.

'Being homeless in the city, I knew something bad would happen,' Roya said.

Roya said her daughter was living on the streets of San Francisco prior to her death and was suffering from schizophrenia, catatonia and bipolar disorder

Roya (left) and Kelly (right) in a photo posted to the mother's Facebook page

Roya said she was worried about her daughter living on the streets but that she was fearful for her own safety when Kelly was at home and not on her medication.

'Very sad, it's so sad... She was knockout gorgeous, I mean she was beautiful,' Roya told the local outlet.

Residents nearby said they were shocked to hear about the discovery of Kelly's remains.

'It's horrifying. It's a very sad, sad circumstance,' Neighbor Michele Hunnewell told ABC7 News. 'And people were just aghast. I mean, I shocked!'

Hunnewell said she only found out after police officers came to her and asked if she had home security camera footage she could share with them.

'I was shocked because this isn't that kind of neighborhood normally,' she said.

Another neighbor, Megan Hiatt, told the outlet she is now scared to let her child walk about in the area.

'I have a 12-year-old that I would normally be happy to let them wander through the park by themselves. So yeah, completely horrifying...' Hiatt said.

Police said a passerby called them around 7.30 pm called them to let them know they had found a dead woman near 22nd Avenue and Fulton Street

The San Francisco Police Department is calling the situation a suspicious death.

The matter remains under investigation.

Police are asking for tips to be submitted at 1-415-575-4444.
A Pakistani man who was reportedly deported from the US following the September 11 attacks now stands accused of killing his American wife - after officers caught him burying her naked body in a grave early Sunday.

Kazim Kamal Khan, 50, was apprehended in the act just after 2am and has since confessed to killing his estranged spouse - identified as 50-year-old Diana Christo Khan.

He reportedly told cops he lured her overseas by claiming to be gravely ill.

The dramatic arrest unfolded in the eastern city of Lahore, Pakistan, when a police patrol responded to a call from an unnamed gravedigger at Ghazi Road cemetery - reporting a man was carrying out a burial without adhering to proper funeral rites.

When Punjab Police arrived, they came across Khan partially submerged in a shallow grave, and his wife's lifeless body wrapped in a bed-sheet.

Photos snapped by the officers show this encounter - and accounts offered afterwards by officers and well-informed police sources detailed the round of questioning that ensued after, culminating in Khan's arrest.

Kazim Kamal Khan, 50, who was reportedly deported from the US after 9/11, stands accused of killing his American wife - after officers caught him burying her naked body in a grave early Sunday.

Khan, 50, has since confessed to killing his estranged spouse - identified as 50-year-old Diana Christo Khan - reportedly telling cops he lured her overseas by claiming to be gravely ill

At first, he reportedly told them his wife - whom he said stayed in the US with his now 26-year-old daughter after he was ejected from the country - suddenly passed away naturally.

Eventually, after noticing visible trauma to the victim's body, officers were able to coax a confession from the suspect - gaining insight into his relationship with his estranged wife in the process.

'We got a call from a gravedigger about a man who had come to the graveyard and was trying to bury a body without a shroud or funeral rites,' arresting officer Muhammad Nadeem told AFP Tuesday, as US State Department spokesperson confirmed the death of a US citizen in Lahore.

'When we got to the scene we saw the body was completely uncovered and it looked suspicious,' the officer added.

'We are in contact with the family and are providing all appropriate consular assistance.'

An incident report filed by Nadeem's department Sunday shed more light on the late night incident - indicating that Christo Khan's body had visible trauma to the head and bruises on the neck, while also revealing more about his and his spouse's past.

In the document, officers described how, when confronted mid-dig, Khan - who received a US SSN in 1994 - told officers he previously lived in the US with his wife and daughter, 26-year-old Karisma, but was deported after the 9/11 attacks.

The date for his deportation was not provided, but property records indicate Khan had homes in Texas and North Carolina as recently as 2003.

After losing his citizenship, police said, Khan returned to his native Pakistan - leaving behind his wife and daughter. Officers said the couple were still married, and had been for 28 years.

Photos snapped by the officers show the late-night encounter at Ghazi Road cemetery, which came after a gravedigger noticed Khan engaging in an unsanctioned burial, spurring him to phone authorities

When police arrived, they came across Khan partially submerged in a shallow grave, and his wife's lifeless body wrapped in a bed-sheet. Upon further inspection, they noticed the corpse had undergone noticeable trauma

In the years since, cops said the pair had a long-distance relationship - however, on July 22, Christo Khan flew to her husband's home in Punjab Cooperative Society apartment complex in Lahore.

To get her to make the trip, cops wrote, Khan told the mother of his child he was sick, and that his health was rapidly deteriorating.

During his filmed statement to the police, which has not been released, cops started to catch wind something was afoot - spurring Khan to eventually own up to the killing, the incident report states.

At that point, the suspect told officers that he abused his wife during intercourse before carrying out the killing, and hit her on the head with a sharp object.

Based on his behavior, cops said they suspected Khan had compromised mental health and was potentially under the influence of drugs.

When confronted mid-dig, Khan - who received a US SSN in 1994 - told officers he previously lived in the US with his wife and daughter, 26-year-old Karisma, but was deported after the 9/11 attacks. He eventually confessed to the murder, cops said this week

They went on to book the suspect and send his spouse's body for an autopsy.

Accounts offered by law enforcement insiders to the The Express Tribune, Pakistan's main newspaper, went into even greater detail, claiming Khan tortured his wife by penetrating her with a sex toy and abusing her genitals during the alleged murder.

Police also said they recovered a sex toy they believe was used in the attack.

The body has been sent for a postmortem to identify the exact cause of death. DailyMail.com has reached out to the US State Department for an update.
Almost 100 big brands have fled the metro due to crime and homelessness

The developer behind a major San Francisco building project has halted construction over poor market conditions as crime and homeless continue to deter retailers and customers from the downtown area.

Hayes Point, a $1.2 billion tower in the heart of San Francisco, has been paused 'until markets normalize' after developer Lendlease admitted it couldn't find enough tenants in the struggling metro.

The announcement is a major blow to the downtown area where at least 95 retailers have packed up and left since the start of the COVID pandemic.

Almost 7,000 households a month also fled the city at its peak in August 2020, as soft-on-crime policing and facilitation of widespread homelessness sparked backlash.

The crisis has now seemingly spread to the city's real estate market, as Lendlease's executive general manager Arden Hearing said he would be 'pausing construction on Hayes Point until markets normalize and were able to bring in early tenancy commitments, or a capital partner, or both.'

The Hayes Point tower (seen in a rendering) has been halted after its developers failed to bring in enough potential new tenants

Before it was paused by San Francisco's mounting issues, the building was set to be a mixed-use complex, with 333 residential properties stacked on top of 290,000 square feet of office space

A map reveals the major businesses which have left, or plan to leave, San Francisco in recent months. Westfield, the most recent to announced its departure, will give up its huge mall - and several occupants have already said they intend to follow

Hayes Point was one of the few remaining construction projects underway in San Francisco, and its halting comes as a major upset to city officials after they introduced measures to revive the downtown area around it.

The recent moves include easing the process for office-to-residential conversions and cutting fees with the hope of kickstarting construction projects, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The tower, expected to be finished by 2026, was set to be a mixed-use complex, with 333 residential properties stacked on top of 290,000 square feet of office space.

Lendlease general manager Arden Hearing said the project is on hold until the developer can find capital or more tenants

An arts space and retailers were also planned for the ground floor, although it is unclear which retailers will be left by the time it 'potentially' restarts in 2024 after brands including Brooks Brothers, Ray Ban, Christian Louboutin, Lululemon and Nordstrom left the area due to its untamed crimewave.

The crime epidemic has devolved in the city to the point where one Target location was forced to lock its entire product range behind security glass.

The tower's apartments may also struggle to bring in the revenue expected, with the zip code it is in seeing a 12 percent decline in home prices from 2022 to 2023.

Speaking at an earnings report meeting when the decision to pause was announced, Lendlease CEO Tony Lombardo said the decision to halt the project was to 'de-risk' the investment after it already cost $260 million, reports Construction Drive.

The stall also comes after Lendlease was also forced to lay off about 10 percent of its global staff in mid-July. Despite the downturn, Lombardo added that 'from a capital perspective, we still see good returns in that (Hayes Point) project.'

The filth and squalor at the junction of Jones and Eddy Streets in San Francisco's Tenderloin District, where woke leadership has allowed homelessness to run rampant

An analysis of official figures and other research reveals San Francisco may lose hundreds of millions of dollars through an exodus of businesses and its failure to recover from Covid

When he announced the move Monday, Hearing said Lendlease would 'monitor the markets while exploring options for a potential re-start in 2024,' adding that the project's admin would still be continued in the background so that 'Hayes Point is well positioned once construction resumes.'

But the building's struggles with its surrounding area ironically come after Hearing reportedly bragged about its amenities last September.

He said it is a rarity as a multi-use building for residences, retailers and offices, which would be looked at 'as a vertical ecosystem, within the neighborhood ecosystem.'

Hearing also said one of the project's perks was that is will be on 'top of probably the most transit-rich site in the city', however it remains to be seen what - if anything - people will transit to in the declining city.

San Francisco has been marred by the combination of a severe downturn in the tech industry coupled with woke policies facilitating crime and homelessness.

Along Market street and Mission Street, near to where the Hayes Point building is being erected, homeless people congregate in hordes in front of an IKEA store

Open air use of class A substances is rampant among San Francisco's burgeoning homeless population leading to others avoiding the downtown area of the city

A woman lies passed out in front of a children's play area. Even upscale areas such as Russian Hill, which is part of the cable car route along Hyde Street, and tourist hotspots like the Golden Gate Bridge have been affected

Despite official reports that San Francisco's crime rate is on the way down, one former prosecutor claimed in May that the city's liberal district attorney's decision not to prosecute many crimes skewed those numbers.

The issue has driven numerous retailers from the area, as rampant crime in downtown San Francisco has left numerous retailers throwing up their hands and moving out.

In April, Whole Foods announced it was closing its locations, while Anthropologie and Office Depot have also left. And when the Westfield Mall announced it was joining the group of businesses to flee the city, it bluntly told the Washington Post that the metro's issues led to 'unsafe conditions for customers, retailers, and employees.'

The mall said 'these significant issues are preventing an economic recovery of the area.'

When the pandemic initially hit, California's troubles with homelessness and law breaking saw Gap become the first to announce its departure, in August 2020.

This was swiftly followed by H&M and Marshall's, but Whole Foods seemed defiant as it opened a new 'flagship' location at Trinity Place in the city's Tenderloin District in March 2022, hoping to revitalize footfall after two years of draconian COVID-19 restrictions severely impacted businesses in the area.

But a Whole Foods spokesperson declared the store closed down in April due to safety concerns for its staff. 'We are closing our Trinity location only for the time being,' the spokesperson said in a statement.

'If we feel we can ensure the safety of our team members in the store, we will evaluate a reopening of our Trinity location.'

Industry groups have noted that there is an issue with theft, with the National Retail Federation saying that organized retail crime is setting stores back around $100 billion a year, according to a 2022 survey.

In 2021, retailers saw a 27 per cent increase in theft carried out by organized criminal rings, the survey found. To tackle the issue, they invested more money in safety and security measures to protect employees, customers and merchandise.
Another likely GOP Senate candidate has been accused of carpet-bagging, with a new report suggesting David McCormick spends more time at his coastal Connecticut mansion than in Pennsylvania's Rust Belt.



McCormick, 58, narrowly lost a GOP primary for the Senate to Dr. Mehmet Oz after Donald Trump swooped in and endorsed the television celebrity. Oz later lost the general election to Sen. John Fetterman, then the state's lieutenant governor - a loss McCormick said in part could be blamed on Oz's loose ties to the state.

McCormick has not announced a run for Democrat Sen. Bob Casey's seat in 2024, but he is a top recruit by Republicans to do so.

In January 2022, McCormick sold his $6.5 million home in Fairfield, Conn., and bought a $2.8 million home in Pittsburgh's Shadyside neighborhood. He did not receive a homestead tax exemption on the property though - a tax break that is reserved for an individual's primary residence.

In January 2022, McCormick sold his $6.5 million home in Fairfield, Conn., and bought a $2.8 million home in Pittsburgh's Shadyside neighborhood

Street view of McCormick's Pittsburgh home - which he bought without a homestead tax exemption

According to the Associated Press report, McCormick seems to spend more time at the $16 million mansion in Westport, Conn., than he does at the Pittsburgh home. The Connecticut home is on the state's Gold Coast, a suburban enclave crawling with wealthy Manhattanites. It overlooks the Long Island Sound.

The six-bedroom, nine-bathroom, two-acre estate also has a 1,500-foot wine cellar, an outdoor fireplace and a hot tub overlooking the waterfront.

The Connecticut address has appeared on documents as his home address, including on paperwork for the sale of his $13 million Upper East Side condo in New York City.

McCormick spokesperson Elizabeth Gregory called the AP report a 'garbage story' and said the potential Senate candidate spends time there to be closer to his daughters, who attend a $53,000-a-year private high school in Connecticut.

McCormick shares four daughters with ex-wife Amy Richardson.

McCormick seems to spend more time at the $16 million mansion in Westport, Conn., than he does at the Pittsburgh home

Interior view of the Connecticut home

The six-bedroom, nine-bathroom, two-acre estate also has a 1,500-foot wine cellar, an outdoor fireplace and a pool and hot tub overlooking the waterfront

'Bob Casey and John Fetterman should be ashamed pushing these garbage stories,' Gregory wrote on X, formerly Twitter. 'Unlike Casey and Fetterman, [McCormick] proudly served our country in combat having been nominated to West Point by a Pennsylvania Senator.'

'The son of two Pennsylvania public school teachers, [McCormick lives in the commonwealth & has spent the majority of his life in PA, coming from humble roots, graduating from public schools, and later raising his young family and creating jobs in Western Pennsylvania,' she went on. 'And to smear him as a private citizen because he also spends time where his daughters go to school now is disgraceful.'

On Monday Fetterman deployed a meme of American Airline passenger Tiffany Gomas, who went viral last month when a recorded rant of her saying 'that m***erf***er is not real' was posted to social media.

In Fetterman's altered version of the video, she was saying 'That m***** f***** is not a PA resident.'

McCormick voted in a Pennsylvania election for the first time in 16 years in 2022.

In the spring, a series of video interviews McCormick gave appeared to be done at the Connecticut home. A $5,000 campaign contribution made in late March also lists the beachside house as McCormicks home.

McCormick narrowly lost a GOP Senate primary to Dr. Oz in 2022

McCormick was raised in Western Pennsylvania by two university professors. After attending West Point, he did a few years in the service before working as a consultant for McKinsey in Pittsburgh, before joining Bridgewater Associates and later becoming CEO

McCormick was raised in Western Pennsylvania by two university professors. After attending West Point, he did a few years in the service before working as a consultant for McKinsey in Pittsburgh, before joining Bridgewater Associates and later becoming CEO.

He served in the Bush administration in the Treasury and Commerce departments. Trump had at one point considered McCormick for secretary of Defense, before turning his back on the finance executive and accusing him of having close ties to China. McCormick is married to Dina Powell, who served as deputy national security advisor in the Trump administration.

Before McCormick, Oz was accused of carpet-bagging: the longtime New Jersey resident bought property in a Philadelphia suburb shortly before the campaign.

Last week, a Washington Post report claimed Alabama's GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville spent more time at his beach house in Santa Rosa, Fla. than property his wife and son own in Auburn, Alabama.
Many British Muslim families I know have talked about 59-year-old Hussein Alinzi, who was let off with a suspended prison sentence and a pathetic programme of rehabilitation activity after he battered his 15-year-old daughter unconscious with a metal bar outside her school.

The overwhelming reaction matches my own: disgust, outrage, disbelief, and despair at the state of justice in this country.

The girl, who was about to sit a GCSE English exam, suffered bruising across her face and body, as well as a bite wound to the side of her head when her father sank his teeth into her during another vicious assault.

Her fingers were injured when she held up her hand to ward off the blows. Her right thigh was bruised when she curled herself into a ball to protect herself.

The court heard this was the culmination of two years of physical abuse, during which the father-of-seven threatened to run his daughter over and told her that he hoped she died.

Hussein Alinzi, 59, (pictured) was let off with a suspended prison sentence and a pathetic programme of rehabilitation activity after he battered his 15-year-old daughter unconscious with a metal bar outside her school, writes Dr Rakib Ehsan

Alinzis defence in court was that the girl - who cant be named for legal reasons - had provoked him. How? She had arrived at school before the gates were open, and wore make-up  which led him to assume she was planning to meet a boy.

The reality was that teachers had asked her to arrive early for the exam and her own mother had told her to wear make-up to cover the bruises from a previous beating.

It beggars belief that this vile, violent man is allowed anywhere near his children after admitting assault causing actual bodily harm.

Earlier this month, the judge, recorder Peter Wright KC, missed a golden opportunity to send a warning to all abusive fathers - but especially those in closed-off Muslim immigrant communities that resist integration.

The courts abject failure to see justice being done in this case boils down to a kind of reverse racism: the bigotry of low expectations.

By this I mean a patronising display of double standards, which holds white-British defendants to a higher bar than immigrants from underdeveloped parts of the Indian subcontinent with different cultural norms and practices.

There is a widespread, elitist assumption that Muslim families must be allowed to follow different rules - a warped form of thinking that is multiculturalism on steroids.

That assumption is legally, morally and ethically wrong. Justice works only if it is the same for everyone. Violence within families must always be prohibited, whatever the circumstances. Faith and culture are never excuses.

In the Alinzi case, one particular aspect of the trial that made my blood boil was the way Manchester Crown Court made itself effectively complicit in the abuse, by giving credence to the plea of mercy from the girl herself.

She told the judge that she initially hoped to avoid giving evidence about the assault as I did not want to cause further pain to my family. My Mum struggles to look after my younger brother and I felt guilty that I brought shame on my family.

Dr Rakib Ehsan (pictured) penned: 'The overwhelming reaction matches my own: disgust, outrage, disbelief, and despair at the state of justice in this country'

Alinzis defence in court was that the girl - who cant be named for legal reasons - had provoked him. She had arrived at school (pictured) before the gates were open, and wore make-up  which led him to assume she was planning to meet a boy. The reality was that teachers had asked her to arrive early for the exam and her own mother had told her to wear make-up to cover the bruises from a previous beating

Adding that she loved her father, she said: I can see that his attitude has now changed. I actually feel happy as all this has changed him. It has made him realise what he can and cant do.

The depressing truth is that this brutal man now knows exactly what, with virtual impunity, he can do. Other abusive men will see his example, and perhaps assume they can get away with domestic violence too.

Who knows if any pressure was put on that teenage girl to plead for her fathers undeserving freedom? She has been so bullied and frightened that she appears to think that she is somehow to blame for his despicable actions. She thinks she has brought shame on her family.

To me, it looks as if she has been the subject of coercive control to the point where she cannot see how blameless she was and how evil her fathers actions were.

In addition to the suspended jail sentence (which will not be served, unless he commits another offence), Alinzi was told to do 80 hours of unpaid work and to comply with 25 rehabilitation activity days.

That is a sentence more suited to a shoplifter or petty drug user. This disgraceful punishment traduces all decent and affectionate Muslim parents, by implying that violence may be less of a crime in certain strict religious communities - when a teenage girl is suspected, for example, of flirting with boys.

When I was a teenager at school in 2004, I vividly remember my horror when the badly decomposed body of a young woman called Shafilea Ahmed was discovered in a Cumbrian river. The 17-year-old from Warrington was murdered by her father because, he said, she was becoming too Westernised.

That flicked a switch in my brain, making me realise how important it was to talk about violence against women and girls in segregated communities.

The Muslim men who commit such acts might claim they are motivated by religious principles, but that is a cynical ploy. In some cases, violence in the home can be fuelled by alcohol, emphasising how little the men involved really care about piety and honour given that observant Muslims do not drink.

I am a Muslim myself, and like a good number of my co-religionists, I believe in traditional family roles. Men should first and foremost financially provide for their families; women do the majority of the nurturing and childcare in the home.

In the Alinzi case, one particular aspect of the trial that made my blood boil was the way Manchester Crown Court (pictured) made itself effectively complicit in the abuse, by giving credence to the plea of mercy from the girl herself, wrote Dr Ehsan

I dont expect, or even want, everyone to live like that, but I do feel its a time-honoured arrangement that can create a stable home for everyone across the generations.

It is obscene to conflate that view with honour-based violence  the murder and abuse of women who refuse to submit to the rule of fathers and brothers.

Ive been saddened that feminists who are usually so vocal when it comes to cases of domestic violence have not expressed more anger over the Alinzi case.

I suspect some are frightened of being called Islamophobic if they speak up, but Im also afraid that others make the sorry assumption that cases of father-on-daughter abuse in ethnic-minority Muslim communities is none of their business.

And I also suspect that many Muslim women are not regarded as sufficiently feminist themselves. If they accept traditional roles, they must also take on the risk of domestic violence, or so the unspoken thinking goes.

The court has failed, the campaigners have failed but, most of all, many so-called community leaders have failed by not condemning this crime and the gutless punishment meted out.

They have much to answer for. Local religious and cultural figures in Islamic communities rarely preach against patriarchal violence in the home. Perhaps this is because they fear being labelled sell-outs by some Muslims who are aggressively anti-integration.

The message from the courts, the media, campaign groups and places of worship, must be loud and clear: respect for the law is a fundamental British value, and it has to be the same for everyone.

Because this affects us all. When a man can bludgeon his daughter with an iron bar in public and walk free, what kind of law and order do we even have in this country?

Dr Rakib Ehsan is a social cohesion expert and author of Beyond Grievance: What The Left Gets Wrong About Ethnic Minorities
Two men were targeted near the Two Brewers in Clapham on Sunday evening

Met Police have released an image of a man they want to find after two victims were stabbed outside a busy south London nightclub in a 'homophobic attack'.

Two men, one in their 20s and the other in their 30s, were targeted near the Two Brewers in Clapham on Sunday evening.

Both victims were treated in hospital and discharged. One named only as Aniello said he had been left with 'so many questions' following the attack.

The image was taken from outside the venue at the time of the attack.

Detective Chief Inspector Jivan Saib from the Central South Command Unit leads the investigation and said: 'I am asking the public to look at this image and see if they recognise this individual  it is vital that we identify and locate him as soon as possible.

Met Police have released an image of a man they want to find after two victims were stabbed outside a busy south London nightclub in a 'homophobic attack'

One of the victims, named only as Aniello (pictured), said he had been left with 'so many questions' after the attack but felt 'lucky' after leaving hospital

'The incident happened at approximately 22:15hrs on Sunday, August 13 as the two men stood outside a nightclub  they were approached by a man who attacked them with a knife before running away.'

DCI Saib continued: 'Officers have already collated witness accounts and scoured CCTV for evidence and this work remains ongoing.

'I appreciate those who have come forward and spoken to police but would ask that if you were in the area and saw these events unfold, but have yet to contact us, then please do so.

Aniello wrote on Instagram: 'Didn't know if I should really say anything, but I suppose it feels right to.

'I've not been left feeling sad, nor angry, or confused.

'I've just been left so many questions - to think what can lead to changing a person's mind that much that they can feel it's OK to attack anyone.

'Whatever their reasons - and how we change that.

'What today has strengthened in me more than ever before is that I could never, and have never been prouder, happier or more comforted, by the community.

A spokesman for the Two Brewers pub, a gay bar and nightclub, said security has been boosted in the wake of the stabbing

He said: 'What today has strengthened in me more than ever before is that I could never, and have never been prouder, happier or more comforted, by the community'

'I am lucky enough to have as my LGBTQ+ family!

'I would never change it for the world. I am so lucky to have all my family and friends who have reached out just to check on me today.

'Love you all - all of you.'

Drag star Baga Chipz, who performs at the Clapham bar on a Sunday night, said: 'I'm angry, but I'm also shocked, because these are our safe spaces.

'This is where LGBTQ+ people go to have fun, have a drink, let their hair down and you can't even be safe.'

A spokesman for the Two Brewers pub, a gay bar and nightclub, said security has been boosted in the wake of the stabbing.

Drag performer Mary Mac, who was at the venue on Sunday, said on Twitter: 'It's shocking and disgusting that in 2023 this is becoming frighteningly more frequent.

The pair, one aged in their 20s and the other in their 30s, were targeted near the Two Brewers in Clapham High Street, south London, at around 10.15pm on Sunday

'The team at The Two Brewers were incredible in dealing with this and keeping us inside the venue safe, glad the victims have been discharged and hope they are with loved ones now to help.'

PC Hayley Jones who is the dedicated LGBT+ Community Liaison Officer (CLO) for Lambeth and Southwark added: 'We understand some people from the LGBT+ community may not have the confidence to speak to police; my role was introduced to provide a dedicated LGBT+ point of contact to support the community and advise on investigations where homophobia and transphobia is a motive.

'You can contact me directly for advice and support, or to assist this investigation.'

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 or tweet @MetCC and quote CAD 7198/13Aug. You can also provide information anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Amid growing evidence of the devastation wildfires have wrought in Maui, the White House Tuesday gave the first public indication that President Biden will visit Hawaii.

White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Olivia Dalton confirmed that officials were considering an in-person trip, after Biden took heat for his terse 'no comment' on Hawaii even while the scope of the tragedy was coming into view.

The president was staying at his Delaware beach house at the time.

'We are currently having active conversations about when a visit to Hawaii might be possible,' Dalton told reporters traveling on Air Force One en route to Wisconsin.

President Joe Biden is considering a trip to tour the devastation in Hawaii, the White House said Tuesday, days after he declined to comment on the devastation

Dozens of people clung to the shoreline in Lahaina as wildfires tore through the town last week

'As the president has said, we will be in Maui as long as it takes to provide everything they need,' she added.

While Dalton was facing the press, Biden was dialing Hawaii officials from the presidential aircraft.

He called FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell as well as Hawaii Governor Josh Green from AF1 while en route to Milwaukee, according to the White House. Biden previously called Green, a Democrat, on Friday.

Her comments come as Biden prepares to go on vacation in Lake Tahoe following meetings at Camp David Friday.

The grim news about the impact of the fires has been steady. Parts of the historic town of Lahaina, where 19th century buildings housed antiquities and surf schools catered to tourists, was virtually obliterated.

Dalton's comments, made in a 'gaggle' with traveling reporters while in flight, came a day after White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre got grilled inside the White House briefing room about why Biden hadn't addressed the matter at length or announced a trip.

The president has toured other devastation, including deadly wildfires in California and the aftermath of hurricanes in Louisiana.

'You could expect to hear from the president on this issue,' was all Jean-Pierre would allow.

White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Olivia Dalton, seen here in June, made the comments aboard Air Force One

Hawaii's governor warned that the death toll is likely to rise as search crews go street by street through neighborhoods where the flames caused massive destruction

Biden was on vacation at Rehoboth Beach for a week earlier this month. He heads to Nevada for another vacation on Friday after he hosts a summit at Camp David with the leaders of Japan and South Korea, with plans to head to Lake Tahoe

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said devastation from the fire was 'something that the president clearly is deeply concerned about'

She cited his comments from Thursday on the matter.

'But let's not forget we did hear from him on Thursday, right when he was in Utah ahead of talking about the PACT Act, which is as you know, was a year anniversary of an issue that is incredibly important to many Americans. And he took that time to speak to it. So I'm sure you'll be hearing from the president,' she said, in a comment that did not head off further questions.

She said the devastation from the fire was 'something that the president clearly is deeply concerned about.'

With more than 3,000 Hawaiians having registered through FEMA for assistance, the Biden administration is seeking $12 billion more for the government's disaster relief fund as part of its supplemental funding request to Congress.

'Our prayers are with the people of Hawaii, but not just our prayers  every asset we have will be available to them,' Biden said last week in Utah, in the comments Jean-Pierre mentioned. 'They've seen their home, their business destroyed, and some have lost loved ones. And it's not over yet.'

Sunday during a beach bike ride, when asked about a visit, Biden told reporters: 'We're looking at it.'

Former President Donald Trump, who endured criticism for tossing rolls of paper towel to residents when viewing the impact of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2018, was among the Republicans blasting Biden for standing back amid the suffering.

He released a campaign video Monday unloading on his rival, on the same day Trump would face an indictment in Fulton County, Georgia over racketeering allegations.

'To say no comment is oftentimes fine, but to be smiling when you say it, especially against such a tragedy as this, is absolutely horrible and unacceptable,' Trump said
A fairground ride in Belgium has left three people in a critical condition after its safety bars malfunctioned, causing its riders to violently fly out of their seats.

The spinning ride at the Ducasse fair in the village of La Hestre, a suburb of Manage in southwest Belgium, was seen throwing its seven riders out of their seats and falling several metres as smoke and steam poured out, with onlookers overheard screaming in shock and panic.

Bruno Pozzoni, the mayor of Manage, said hours after the incident on Sunday evening that all seven people, who were conscious when emergency services treated them at the scene, suffered injuries.

Belgian news programme RTL Info reported that youngest victim, a 10-year-old girl, is currently in a serious but stable condition in the nearby Saint-Luc Hospital after suffering multiple injuries.

'She is out of danger. It's polytrauma, she is still being followed, but she is out of danger,' the mayor told the programme.

Smoke and steam was seen pouring out of the ride moments before seven people were thrown off

An investigation into the incident, which took place in southwest Belgium, is currently underway

The fairground will be allowed to stay open as the investigation into the tragedy unfolds

All seven people on the ride, who were conscious when emergency services treated them at the scene, suffered injuries following the incident

Three people, including a 10-year-old girl, were sent to hospital in a critical condition

'One person remains in a worrying state, it is a young girl hospitalized in Tivoli for whom there is a follow-up. Three of the victims have been operated on and are in the orthopedic service.

'One is released and one person is in psychological distress and is supported by psychologists to try to reduce his trauma,' he added.

The mayor said that the investigation into the incident is still ongoing, and added that the fairground will be allowed to stay open as the investigation unfolds.

'The question arose in depth, and we felt, in discussions with several specialists, that people should continue to talk about it, not shut themselves up at home and stay on the event.

'That also allows us to to meet them and direct them to our listening cell since many witnesses were present. A part was taken care of, but in the drama that unfolded, many moved away from the place and today, we tries to recover all these witnesses who have suffered psychological trauma' , Bruno added.

The mayor later said in a Facebook post that some events at the fair, including a fireworks display, had been cancelled out of respect for the victims.

MailOnline has contacted the fair's organisers for comment.

The incident comes just weeks after a 72 foot-tall British rollercoaster left eight people dangling for 'at least half an hour'.

Horrified onlookers watched as emergency serviced scrambled to get to the top of the Rage ride at Adventure Island in Southend, Essex.

Footage shows one of the cars stuck dangling vertically from the track as the riders faced the sky.
A 'party animal Kremlin spy' and her 'agent' partner who used dating sites seeking 'friendship' from both men and women have been charged in a major national security investigation.

Two pictures show alleged Russian spy Katrin Ivanova, 32, dancing away at a popular Bulgarian restaurant in Palmers Green, north London.

Meanwhile, her 'life partner' and suspected Russian agent Biser Dzhambazov, 41, advertised on a Russian dating site saying he was interested in both men and women.

Previously it was revealed that both of them lived in London suburbia for a decade, held down normal jobs and delighted their neighbours by bringing them 'cakes and pies'.

Dzhambazov, who worked as a hospital driver and Ivanova, a lab assistant with a private healthcare company, were described by neighbours as a normal couple living in Harrow, north London.

Alleged Russian spy Katrin Ivanova, 32, (pictured right) can be seen at a popular Bulgarian restaurant in London in 2015 alongside an unidentified blonde woman

Ivanova (far right) can be seen at another restaurant known as Unikat-2 three years later

Katrin Ivanova, 31, (left) and Bizer Dzhambazov, 41, (right) lived in Harrow, north London

But the pair and a third man, Orlin Roussev, 45, from Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, now stand accused of working for the Russian secret services. They are charged with possessing identity documents despite knowing they were fake.

Dzhambazov and Ivanova ran a community organisation providing services to Bulgarians, including familiarising them with the 'culture and norms of British society'. Bulgarian state documents also list them as working for electoral commissions in London which help expats to vote in Bulgarian elections.

The pair appeared alongside Roussev at the Old Bailey on July 31. A hearing for Ivanova was held at the Old Bailey today. They have yet to enter pleas to the charges and are remanded in custody.

According to the Met, five people were arrested under the National Secrets Act in February and three of those were later charged under Section 4 of the Identity Documents Act 2010.

Orlin Roussev, 45, of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk claims to have previously worked as an adviser to the Bulgarian Energy Ministry

These documents allegedly included passports and identity cards for the UK, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece, and the Czech Republic.

The investigation is being led by the Metropolitan Police's Terrorism Command, Reuters reports.

Roussev is said to have moved to the UK in 2009, originally spending three years as a technician in the financial services industry.

According to LinkedIn, he claims to have owned a business involved in signals intelligence, which involves the interception of communications or electronic signals.

He also says he has acted as an adviser to the Bulgarian Ministry of Energy.

Neighbours of Dzhambazov and Ivanova told the BBC the two were a couple, with Dzhambazov working as a hospital driver and Ivanova as a lab assistant for a health company.

They added the couple seemed normal and had previously even brought them cakes. Dzhambazov's Facebook account shows he was a fan of British rock group Queen.

The pair moved to the UK ten years ago and have previously worked in electoral commissions in London, which allow Bulgarian nationals living abroad to vote in Bulgarian elections.

According to Companies House, Dzhambazov has also had his own business named B.I Business Investment Ltd since 2016.

The owner of the flat they rented told MailOnline she had no idea her tenants were at the centre of a national security investigation and that they always paid their rent on time.

Ivanova (circled) can be seen holding hands in a party circle at the Bulgarian restaurant in 2015

Ivanova and her partner ran a community organisation providing services to Bulgarian people, including familiarising them with the 'culture and norms of British society'

Dzhambazov and Ivanova have been held in custody and are suspected of working for Russia

Sonal Thakrar said Bulgarian couple Bizer Dzhambazov and Katrin Ivanova had lived at the on bedroom property in Harrow, north London, for five years.

She got into the flat when neighbours in the modern block in Harrow Weald first told her that police officers were inside searching  and found the place full of alcohol.

She said: 'I was so shocked. It was more like a pub there was so much alcohol, There were dozens of bottles of whiskey and gin. I know people like to have a drink, but I have never see so many bottle of alcohol around the place.

'It was not very homely and I did not get the impression it was a nice place.'

She added that police had not told them about the couple's arrest on suspicion of spying for Russia: 'We have been kept completely in the dark. All we knew was that police had been to the flat, and they had moved out.'

She said the couple's references were checked out by the managing agents and they paid their rent on time each month.

'We were told they were a Polish couple, but I never spoke to them or went to the flat while they were there. That was the job of the managing agents.

'We never had any trouble and the main thing was that they paid the rent on time.'

Recalling her visit to the flat last March, Sonal said: 'There were no photos of family or anyone around. It was very bare and I would not describe it has homely.'

Neighbours witnessed police officers searching their house for at least a week around the time of their detention.

Neighbour Mori Kalay, who lives in the same block of flats as the couple, told Mail Online they were' 'unremarkable' and did not go out of their way to talk to others in the flats.

He lived on the second floor of the block with the couple's flat on the first floor.

He said: 'I can't say that I knew them. I did not see them very often and we did not talk.

'The only clue we had something was going on was earlier this year when there were police inside and outside the flats.

'When I asked what was going on I was told I did not need to know and to go back into my flat.'

All three defendants are scheduled to go on trial in January at the Old Bailey. They have yet to enter pleas to the charges.

The police declined to comment on whether they were suspected of being Russian spies.

Local businesses owners were left shocked by the news that Dzhambazov and Ivanova had been arrested on the charges. Cafe owner Simon Corsini, 50, said: 'They would always have our super breakfast with four slice of bread. The man would come in here quite often and also ask for hash browns.

'It is not something that you would expect, and it is quite a shock. I've just come back from holiday in the south of France and it is not something you expect to hear.

'I can't say that I am worried. There have been three stabbings in Harrow and that worries me more.'

He remembers plain clothes police officers sitting in the cafe for up to two weeks while others were parked opposite the block of flats where the couple lived.

'The told us they were police and would be here for quite a while. They were not wearing uniforms and we wondered what was going on.'

Dzhambazov and Ivanova ran a community organisation providing services to Bulgarians. The group was called Bulgarian Social Platform and this is believed to be their offices

A photo of the offices of Bulgarian Social Platform, which Dzhambazov and Ivanova ran

Ivanova appearing in a video promoting the services offered by the community group she ran with her partner

The third person charged, Roussev, is thought to have been arrested at a run down seaside guest house which is owned by a Bulgarian businesswoman.

Neighbours of the three star Haydee Hotel in Princes Road, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, recalled a scenes of crime tent being erected on the doorstep after Roussev was seized.

Groups of masked men dressed in black were seen searching the address for nearly two days, leading to local residents to assume that a crime had taken place.

Local residents said they had not seen anyone come in or out of the hotel for months, and did not believe it had been open for business since at least last year.

There was today no reply at the door of the budget guest house which has eight rooms and is just 100 yards away from Great Yarmouth seafront.

The hotel, which is in a Victorian terrace and painted white and blue, was sold on September 16, 2021, for 220,000 to Irina Paravanova, 47, according to Land Registry records.

Companies House records confirm that Ms Parvanoa is a Bulgarian national and give the hotels address at 27 Princes Road, Great Yarmouth, as the registered office of her business FTTH Technologies.

The companys description on Companies House, states that its nature of business is other human health activities.

But an old website listing giving the companys previous registered address in Mayfair states that it is a provider of IT precision services for medicine, robotics and the IT industry.

Moira Scott who is the bar manager at the family-owned Prom Hotel opposite the Haydee said she could recall security personnel descending on the hotel in February.

She said: I came to work at about 9am and I was opening up as I was first one in when I thought, What is going on over the road?

There was a big scenes of crime tent outside the door of the Haydee and there were a load of plain police vans with blacked out windows.

My first reaction was that someone had been murdered. There was a lot of men dressed in black clothes with their faces covered who were coming and going.

They had balaclavas on as if they didnt want anyone to recognise them which I thought was a bit weird. I couldnt see their faces.

I was going to ask them what was going on, but they didnt look very approachable. I went inside and kept looking out of the window.

At one stage a group of about six of the men walked over towards the seafront, and I wondered what they were doing.

I looked on the local news to see what was going on, but there was nothing about it. I remember asking customers if they knew what was happening, but nobody did.

The tent was still here the next day with guys going in and out, but by the third day it was gone, so it must have been there a day and a half or so.

I used to know who owned the hotel 20-years-ago, but it has changed hands since then.

I used to see people coming and going from there, but I must admit I havent seen anyone at the building for a long time.

Dzhambazov Ivanova were both registered at the same address in Harrow, north London

Roussev lived in his block of apartments in the seaside town of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk

Ivanova regularly appeared in Facebook photos promoting its services, which included teaching Bulgarians about the 'culture and norms of British society'

Mrs Scott, a mother-of-three with two grandchildren, did not recognise Roussev when shown his picture.

She said: We get a lot of people coming in. I suppose he could have come in for a coffee, but I wouldnt have remembered him.

Princes Road has a number of guest houses and hotels, with some providing rooms for holidaymakers and others housing long term tenants.

Mrs Scott said: It used to be just traditional hotels here, but the area has changed quite a bit over the years.

I dont want to run down the road, but it is not just traditional guest houses any more.

Kelly Flynn, 39, who is homeless and was today helping a friend check into a hotel in the road, said: I can remember the police tent going up outside the hotel.

But I didnt really think anything of it as it is not an unusual sight in Great Yarmouth. I dont recognise the guy who was arrested.

But there was a Russian living a couple of doors down who apparently had PTSD after being in the Russian army.

He nicked my mobile phone and the police got it back for me, but I didnt want to press charges. He just needed help.

Aman Khanna, general manager of the Waverley Hotel in Princes Road, said: Every second house in the road here is a guest house.

It is not unusual for crimes to happen at some of the places. Sometimes you have not too peaceful people staying here and then it becomes disturbing.

The Haydee hotel has been there for a long time, but I have not really seen guests going in or out very much.

Companies House records confirm that Irina Paravanova is the sole director of FTTH Technologies.

The records confirm that the company changed its registered office address on November 29, 2021, from 30 Spirit Quay London E1W 2UT to 27 Princes Road Great Yarmouth NR30 2DG.

The company which is at least 75 per cent owned by Ms Paravanova was founded by her on November 28, 2011. She is the sole director.

When it was incorporated, the company had its registered address as a care of address at 26 York Street, Mayfair, which is home to a number of businesses.

Its latest accounts filed in January this year for the period ending in April last year state that it had current assets of 13,315 with liabilities to creditors totalling 69,626 in the next year, meaning it had net liabilities of 55,829.

Britain has been sharpening its focus on external security threats and last month it passed a new national security law, aiming to deter espionage and foreign interference with updated tools and criminal provisions.

The government labeled Russia 'the most acute threat' to its security when the law was passed.

Police have charged three Russians, who they say are GRU military intelligence officers, with the 2018 attempt to murder former double agent Sergei Skripal with the military-grade nerve agent Novichok. Two were charged in 2018 and the third in 2021.

Last year, Britain's domestic spy chief said more than 400 suspected Russian spies had been expelled from Europe.

Britain has been one of the strongest supporters of Ukraine since the Russian invasion last year and has imposed a range of sanctions on Russian officials and oligarchs.
An alleged killer has denied murdering his mother's boyfriend - a popular florist in Islington - and told the court he stabbed the victim in self-defence after family row.

James Peppiatt, 23, allegedly murdered Tony Eastlake, 55, on Essex Road, Islington on May 29, 2021.

Mr Eastlake, known as the 'Flower Man of Islington' by customers, was stabbed in the lower back shortly after finishing work, before he collapsed and died in the street.

The florist, who separated from his wife in 2018, had started a relationship with Peppiatt's mother, Alicia Callaghan, in 2018. But Ms Callaghan tragically took her own life on April 1, 2021, the Old Bailey heard.

Peppiatt, of Islington, denies murder.

James Peppiatt (pictured), 23, denies the murder of his mother's boyfriend, who was known as the 'Flower Man of Islington'

Tony Eastlake (pictured), 55, was stabbed to death in the street close to his flower stall on Essex Road, Islington

Peppitatt told the Old Bailey today that he paid his mother's rent for her and Mr Eastlake would stay there without paying any rent.

He said he had been to Mr Eastlake's flower stall and was given tulips to leave outside his mother's house. But said when he asked the victim to provide flowers for the funeral, Mr Eastlake refused.

'I understood his financial state at the time so I understood and didn't take it personally,' he said.

Peppiatt said his girlfriend and cousins eventually told him his mother had attempted to take her own life two weeks before she died.

'I asked Tony why he didn't tell me she tried to commit suicide before.

'I thought maybe I could have stopped it, maybe I could have saved her. That information personally I thought was quite vital.

'He said my mum asked him not to tell me. She had said that to other partners in past, "please don't tell James".

'I said I understood, we gave each other a hug and I said: "See you for the funeral".'

Tributes at a vigil for Tony Eastlake at his stall at Essex Road Station in London

Tributes at a vigil for Tony Eastlake at his stall at Essex Road Station in London organised by the Islington Community Group on Facebook

Peppiatt said that on May 29 he went with his father to Primark in Westfield, Stratford to buy suits for the funeral and when he got home Mr Eastlake phoned him.

'He said "listen Jim, why are people ringing me up and blaming me for your mum's death?"

'He said he'd been getting calls all week from people saying he's to blame.'

Peppitatt said he had not started any rumours and did not believe Mr Eastlake had been responsible.

'I thought he was gonna come have a cup of tea and talk about what happened...'

He said there was a knock on the door and when he looked out Mr Eastlake was standing on the corner of the road.

Peppitatt said Mr Eastlake was fuming and told him he was 'p***** off,' adding: 'What have you been going round telling everyone?'

'I said I didn't know what he's talking about.

'I said ignore what people say I don't blame you. I said deep down I do wish you told me about her trying to kill herself two weeks before but there's nothing we can do now.

'He said to me "where the f-k was you when she killed herself" and then he said to me "it's your fault that she killed herself" and then went on to make a comment about me thinking I'm a big man because I paid her rent.

Tony Eastlake's dog Ralph, a pug aged 15, at a vigil at his stall on Essex Road

Tributes at a vigil for Tony Eastlake at his stall at Essex Road Station in London

'And then I said "you're just p***** your free ride was over".

'He said "don't p*** me off, I've taken a lot," and as he said that he dropped his bag on the floor and cocked his arm back like he was ready to fight.

'I was a little bit scared, big man like him shouting in my face like he was about to hit me. My reaction was just to hit him so I tried to punch him.

'Then Tony stepped to the side and hit me in the left side of my face and that's when we begun properly fighting.

'We were both throwing punches, we ended up going to the floor and he got on top of me.

'He punched me three times to the face. I tried to put my arms up to stop him hitting me and tried to grab him to get him in a headlock.

'As I put him in a headlock he started to fight me and at that time I called him, excuse my language, but a f****** mad c***.'

Peppiatt said Mr Eastlake escaped the headlock and walked off, and he walked behind him.

'Tony said to me "do you want me to smash your head in again?"

'I said "do you think you can bully me like you bullied my mum?"

Tributes left for Tony Eastlake who was known as 'flower man' in Islington

Tony Eastlake's daughter Paige Eastlake (pictured in a beige dress) at a vigil at his stall at Essex Road Station in London organised by the Islington Community Group on Facebook

'Tony then spun round and said to me "your mum was a selfish c***."

'I said don't talk to me like that and that's when he started laughing.

'I said to him say that again. He spun round again and said to me come here and I'll say it.

'I thought he was challenging me to another fight. I was angry and I was ready to have another fight with him.

'He was offering me out and I'm not gonna back down from a challenge so I walked up to him.

'Then when he spun round he had a knife in his hand. I see it shining out of his hand.

'I grabbed the knife and then I grabbed his shirt.

Peppiatt said he 'hadn't a clue' where the knife came from and he hadn't seen it before.

'He was angry, groaning and growling. We both ended up going to the floor, at this point fighting over the knife.

'He was kind of just struggling on the floor with the knife and then he rolled on top of me and tried to pin me down.

Tony Eastlake's daughter Paige Eastlake (centre) at a vigil at his stall

'As Tony pinned me down I managed to wriggle out of his grip, free my right hand.

'And then from what I remember I punched him in the rib, and then as I punched him he made some kind of weird noise.

'When he got off of me he had a weird look on his face.

'And then he said to me "you little mug, wait here, I'm coming back."

'I thought he might go and get another weapon and then come back.'

'Did you know at that point he was seriously injured?' defence barrister Dean George, KC, asked.

He said he did not.

'As I stood up I've looked down and I've seen that I'm holding Tony's knife.

'Given what you know now do you accept you stabbed Tony?' Mr George asked.

'Yes,' Peppiatt replied.

He added that he didn't intend to kill him or cause really serious injury.

'I honestly didn't mean it,' he said.

Detectives investigating on the evening Tony Eastlake was stabbed on Essex Road

'How do you feel knowing he died as a result of that punch?' Mr George asked.

'I feel terrible, it's haunted me everyday for the last two years and three months.

'At the end of the day. a man's died and it's a horrible feeling.'

He said he then carried the knife back to his mother's house where his father was waiting.

Mr Eastlake had worked at the same market stall on Essex Road since he was 14.

Hundreds of people gathered to pay their respects at a vigil at his flower stand, Florence & Fleur, on May 31.

The trial continues.
Tim Scott brushed off the fourth and latest indictment against Donald Trump as more 'unAmerican weaponization' of the Department of Justice.

When a reporter pushed Scott on if it was 'unAmerican' that Trump pushed Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find the votes for a GOP victory in the state, the senator and 2024 hopeful replied he 'drew different conclusions' from the call.

Scott appeared at the Iowa State Fair on Tuesday for a 'fair-side chat' with Gov. Kim Reynolds, after which he partook in fair activities like grilling pork chops and playing some games.

But first, the South Carolina Senator took some questions from press despite skipping out on the traditional fair platform at the Political Soapbox, which Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also snubbed.

Sen. Tim Scott got down off the stage of his 'fair-side chat' with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds to speak at the level of those gathered to hear him speak on Tuesday. The 2024 hopeful responded to the latest Trump indictment by saying it's 'un-American'

Sen. Scott flipped burgers and pork chops at the Iowa State Fair on Tuesday

'What we continued to say,' Scott said to press, 'We see the legal system being weaponized against political opponents. That is un-American in itself.'

'At the end of the day, we need a better system than that,' he added. 'Hopefully the President of the United States will have an opportunity to restore confidence and integrity, at all of our Departments of Justice.'

In the latest DailyMail.com/J.L. Partners poll this month, Scott is coming in third place behind frontrunner Trump and No. 2 contender DeSantis.

During Scott's talk with Gov. Reynolds at her so-called 'fair-side chat,' the candidate got off the stage to get down to where fair-goers were standing to listen to him speak. He was the only candidate of the 10 who appeared with her to do this.

Scott was also the last candidate of the Iowa State Fair to speak with Reynolds before walking around the fairgrounds with the governor and Sen. Joni Ernst after the Q&A session.

The Senator thinks it's still possible for him to clinch Iowa in the first-in-the-nation caucasus on January 15, giving him just five months to woo the midwestern state.

'So the impression in Washington is Trump's lead here in Iowa is insurmountable, is it?' a reporter posed to Scott during a post-fair-side gaggle.

'No, of course not,' he replied. 'That's why I'm campaigning, because I believe that my optimistic positive message is being rooted in Iowa and that, frankly, our poll numbers continue to go up. That's great news.'

Scott told reporters after his Q&A with Gov. Reynolds: 'At the end of the day, we need a better system than that,' when asked about the 41 charges against Trump in the fourth indictment handed down on Monday night

South Carolina's junior senator and Gov. Reynolds walked around the fair together after their 'fair-side chat'

Senator Tim Scott is greeted with enthusiasm by the media and public alike as he starts his day at the Iowa State Fair

Scott was also the last candidate of the Iowa State Fair to speak with Reynolds before walking around the fairgrounds

Donald Trump visited Iowa over the weekend, just days before he was indicted by a Georgia grand jury

'More importantly, people are showing up at large numbers and my crowds continue to increase. That's even better news than the polling,' he added. 'So the good news is we have enough time to make this not into a two horse race and at the end of the day, we look forward to being the nominee.'

The race to clinch Iowa is in full swing now that the State Fair is halfway over, and candidates are feeling the pressure to distinguish themselves from the rest of the field.

Noticeably absent from Iowa both during the fair and throughout the 2024 contest so far is former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who is focusing his efforts on winning the first primary election state of New Hampshire next year.
A family helped run a major fraud operation spanning more than a decade which deprived Royal Mail of around 70million, a court has heard.

Parmjeet Sandhu, 56, and his nephew Balginder Sandhu, 46, were part of a scheme to under-declare mail posted through a network of logistics companies in Buckinghamshire and Berkshire, pocketing millions of pounds, it is alleged.

They worked under Parmjeet Sandhu's brother, owner of Packpost International Ltd and 'architect' of the fraud, Narinder Sandhu, who has already pleaded guilty, prosecutors told a jury.

Parmjeet, director of sister companies Tiger International Logistics Ltd and Worldwide Transport Express Ltd, and his nephew, Balginder, owner of Global Express Worldwide Ltd, took part, it is alleged, as allegedly did a third man, Lakhwinder Sekhon, 42, who is not a family relation.

The trio today appeared for trial at Southwark Crown Court, central London, charged with conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation between 2008 and 2017.

A family helped run a major fraud operation spanning more than a decade which deprived Royal Mail of around 70million, a court has heard (stock photo)

Parmjeet Sandhu, 56, and his nephew Balginder Sandhu, 46, were part of a scheme to under-declare mail posted through a network of logistics companies in Buckinghamshire and Berkshire, pocketing millions of pounds, Southwark Crown Court (pictured) heard

Prosecutor Ellis Sareen said 'thousands' of items were under-declared by manipulating docket spreadsheets, beginning in 2005 and lasting until 2017 when Royal Mail investigators uncovered discrepancies.

He said they 'exploited and manipulated' a self-declaration system used by large postage firms and in some cases paid half of what they should have for the mail posted.

Mr Sareen said: 'In this case, we will be talking about literal tonnes of mail - thousands of thousands of items.'

Parmjeet Sandhu operated from a warehouse in Slough, Berkshire, where his companies were based, while Balginder Sandhu was also 'integral' to the scheme, it is alleged.

Sekhon is alleged to have helped Narinder Sandhu find properties in which he could invest profits from the fraud.

The three deny the charges and the trial continues.
A couple spared jail when their three-month-old baby daughter was mauled to death by their dog have separated over the trauma of the case, we have learned.

Kyra Leanne King suffered fatal injuries to her neck and head when she was savaged by a Siberian husky sled dog called Blizzard on March 6 last year.

Her parents Vince King, 55, and Karen Alcock, 41, had been exercising 19 dogs on a field when the horror unfolded in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire.

Now Kyra's parents have split and Karen has moved out of their three bedroom country cottage with a paddock and land for their animals in the village of New York, near Coningsby, Lincolnshire.

The couple were spared being sent to prison on Monday after pleading guilty to being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control, causing injury resulting in death.

Kyra's parents Vince King, 55, and Karen Alcock, 41, had been exercising 19 dogs on a field when the horror unfolded in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire

Friends of King (pictured) say he is also mourning the loss of his favourite husky called Blizzard who must now be destroyed by a court order

One local told MailOnline: 'The tragedy of losing her daughter in the most horrific circumstances and the stress of the court case hanging over her became too much for Karen and she left. By all accounts their relationship ended acrimoniously.

'It was a freak accident and they have both been through hell. As well as losing their tiny new baby, who would have turned two this December, the strain of being arrested and charged has wrecked their relationship.

'There were problems from the moment of the attack, and each tried to blame one another.

'Then Karen admitted the offence but Vince denied it, then later changed his plea on the first day of his trial.

'She walked out on him and we haven't seen her around here since this time last year. No one knows where she's moved to.'

READ MORE: Parents of three-month-old girl who was mauled to death in her pram by one of their 19 husky dogs which jumped out of a van when they took them for a walk in a park are spared jail Advertisement

Friends of King say he is also mourning the loss of his favourite husky called Blizzard who must now be destroyed by a court order.

Kyra, who was normally carried in her mother's chest sling, was fatally savaged in her pram as the couple were training a pack of dogs for sled racing in a woodland.

The competitive sled racing Siberian husky had also been pregnant at the time of the attack but lost her litter after she was isolated in kennels following the attack.

A Lincolnshire Police source said: 'The dog was pregnant at the time but the litter sadly died after being delivered but we don't know why. The dog has been through a traumatic ordeal too.'

Following the defendants' sentencing, the court made an order, at the request of police, for the husky to be destroyed.

The dog, one of King's favourite of his pack of 19, had been set to continue breeding and racing.

The court heard the couple had taken their daughter out with them to the woodland to exercise 19 Siberian huskie dogs which King (pictured) raced competitively

The animal had been bought by King six years before the attack and had been racing for three years

Alcock later said Blizzard had escaped two weeks before the mauling, and called her an 'escape artist', while King described her as 'very energetic and eager to run, but not aggressive,' prosecutor Jeremy Janes had told the court.

The late night horror at a beauty spot in Ostler's Plantation at Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, on March 06 2022 has taken its toll on the baby's parents and their families.

Little Kyra was attacked by the pregnant husky as the couple were training a pack of dogs for sled racing in a woodland.

They desperately battle to save the tot, who was in her pram, but she died from appalling head and neck injuries.

Police investigators found that the parents had taken their daughter out with them to exercise 19 huskies at night.

King, who raced the dogs competitively, and Alcock first walked five of the animals together as Kyra was being pushed by her mum, before King took seven of the dogs on a sled run, the court heard.

When he returned, three of the dogs were placed in the centre of the van to drink and rest, and the side door closed.

They were not shut into kennels, which the van was fitted with, and there was no guard separating the front of the cab from the rear of the van.

Kyra was in her pram next to the front passenger door of the van, which was open.

While the parents were at the back of the van preparing the next group of dogs, Blizzard jumped into the van's cab from the rear and exited through the open door, where Kyra was. The baby was then savagely attacked.

The desperate couple attempted CPR on the baby until paramedics arrived, but despite the best efforts of everyone Kyra died at the scene.

The incident was reported to police by East Midlands Ambulance Service at 11.13pm that night and the parents were arrested at the scene.

They were charged after a lengthy investigation.

Both admitted to being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury resulting in death.

Alcock was sentenced to eight months' imprisonment, suspended for two years, and 80 hours' unpaid work.

King, (pictured with some of their dogs) and Alcock had been exercising 19 dogs on a field when the horror unfolded in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire

The dog leapt from this van to then attack the defenceless three-month-old baby girl

She has a previous police caution for being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control, when a spaniel bit a child's trousers after it had been sat on.

Her former partner King received 10 months' imprisonment, suspended for two years, and 100 hours' unpaid work.

Giving the pair suspended sentences, Judge Sjolin Knight said the incident resulted from a 'tragic conjunction of circumstances.'

She said: 'This is a tragic case, and I have no doubt that both of you wish every day you could wind the clock back so that incident never happened.

'There was nothing to trigger Blizzard's attack on Kyra, but on this occasion she was dangerously out of control.

'Dog ownership is a privilege and for many a pleasure, but it comes with a heavy burden under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

'Blizzard did an awful thing which neither of you expected and will weigh heavily upon you for the rest of your lives.'

She added: 'I don't believe that this incident was reasonably foreseeable but believe it was a momentary lapse of an otherwise good system. It is appropriate to suspend both sentences.'
A student at San Diego State University says she and her neighbors are terrified after video caught a peeping Tom watching her through her bedroom window.

The woman - who asked to remain anonymous while talking with CBS 8 - shared footage of a man jumping her gate and going around her house to her window.

'I saw him creeping, looking into my window. His hands cupped over his eyes. I was scared. I was terrified,' the woman, who watched the situation live, said.

Residents of the neighborhood say they believe peeping Toms take advantage of the street due to its broken streetlights, giving anonymity to creepers.

She reached out to the local outlet after city leaders allegedly told her the cost to fix broken street lights was too high despite many college-aged women living nearby.

A student at San Diego State University says she and her neighbors are terrified after video caught a peeping Tom watching her through her bedroom window

The man can be seen staring into the young woman's bedroom in a screengrab from the Ring Camera footage taken outside the home

The woman said she watched the entire situation with the peeping Tom in real time as she adjusted her security camera in order to track his movements.

The Ring Camera was originally positioned elsewhere but she turned it to the side yard after she saw him enter the property.

Video caught the moment the man jumped over her fence and made his way directly to her bedroom window.

She said the fact that he knew exactly where to go terrified her and makes her believe this may not have been his first time.

Scared, she snuck into a room without windows and called her mom who told her to call 911 immediately.

'She was in disbelief,' the woman said of her mother's reaction.

It took about 10 minutes for officers to arrive and they never found the man spotted looking into the home.

'I have no video of him exiting. I don't know where he went,' she said.

Video caught the moment the man made his way directly to her bedroom window, causing the young woman to believe this may not have been his first time

The incident happened in San Diego's College Area where students of San Diego State University (pictured) primarily live

The woman said her neighborhood is littered with college students who are also afraid

The student said she went to the media after getting less than helpful feedback from city officials regarding the issue with the streetlights.

'This makes you so much more susceptible to this happening. In the dark, it just makes us more of a target. There are students everywhere,' she said.

'Young females who are scared they're scared to be walking at night. You can't even see if someone's behind you,' the student continued.

In a statement to CBS 8, local councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera said the city's transportation department has a streetlight repair in August.

The area that is being fixed is still a mile away from the student's street, however.

'Before I even moved to a house in this area, I was aware that lots of girls were targeted, and especially, I think with these street lights out, it makes us so much more susceptible,' the student said of her fears.

In November 2022, the outlet reported on an uptick in violent crime in San Diego's College Area where students primarily live.

The previous month, students received safety alerts for two rapes, three sex crimes, two shootings, 12 assaults, five home burglaries, five reports of drunk in public, and 14 car thefts, all within a mile of San Diego State University.
The Princess of Wales attended her first music festival last weekend, as I disclosed in the Daily Mail on Tuesday, and staff will hope it wont be her last. For it has been revealed that her party left a 700 tip.

Catherine joined revellers at the Houghton Festival in Norfolk, where DJs played music 24 hours a day. During her night out, she is said to have avoided the festival food trucks, instead opting for the on-site Turntable & Napkin restaurant, where diners pay 60 each for a four-course meal.

[Catherine] was in high spirits, ordering spicy margaritas, eating affogato [an Italian coffee-based dessert], and speaking affably with the other members of her party, reports the London Evening Standard.

Her companions apparently carted in a huge, balthazar-sized bottle of AIX rose and, together with Kate, left the festival restaurant staff a 700 tip.

A balthazar is a 12-litre bottle and it would cost about 500 from a wine shop.

The Princess of Wales attended her first music festival last weekend and staff have now revealed she left a 700 tip. Catherine is pictured chatting with Rose Hanbury at the charity event on her Norfolk Estate in 2016

Catherine joined revellers at the Houghton Festival in Norfolk, where DJs played music 24 hours a day. A DJ is pictured performing at Houghton Festival

During her night out, she is said to have avoided the festival food trucks, instead opting for the on-site Turntable & Napkin restaurant, where diners pay 60 each for a four-course meal. Houghton Festival is pictured above

Catherine, 41, is understood to have made her first ever visit to a music festival at the weekend, albeit a very upper-class one.

She was dining with her Norfolk neighbours, the Marquess and Marchioness of Cholmondeley, David and Rose, at their Palladian stately home, Houghton Hall. At the time, the Houghton Festival was taking place on their 1,000-acre estate.

Richard Eden (pictured) disclosed Catherine's attendance at the festival in the Daily Mail on Tuesday

'After dinner, one of the guests suggested that Catherine go to the festival,' a source told the Daily Mail yesterday.

'Catherine was nervous about the idea, but, after much discussion with her protection officers, she went with lots of security. William wasn't there.'

Billed as Britain's only 24-hour music festival, it is the brainchild of DJ Craig Richards, who launched the event in 2017.

More than 200 artists performed across 13 stages from last Thursday to Sunday with music playing somewhere on the Houghton Estate site at all times. More than 12,000 revellers were expected to attend.

Although Catherine is not known to have previously attended a festival, she does like to dance. While still plain Kate Middleton, she was pictured attending a roller-disco with friends including the jockey Sam Waley-Cohen in 2008.

A Kensington Palace spokesman declined to comment, so it's not clear why the Prince didn't join his wife.

The Princess of Wales was dining with her friend, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley (seen here on her right) when the idea of her going to a music festival was mentioned. The friends are pictured together here at Houghton Hall in 2016

Prince William pictured dancing with friends at Camden club Koko in June. It is understood that he did not accompany Catherine at Houghton Festival last weekend

More than 200 artists performed at the festival this year. Pictured above are attendees enjoying a live performance at a previous Houghton Festival

Catherine's lively night out is just the latest example of the warm friendship between the future king and queen and the Cholmondeleys, nicknamed the 'Turnip Toffs', who live just a few miles from their Norfolk retreat, Anmer Hall.

Last September, the Marquess was replaced as Lord Great Chamberlain after the death of Queen Elizabeth.

However, King Charles made sure that the Marquess, aka filmmaker David Rocksavage, did not lose his intimate connection with the monarchy.

In March, I reported that the King handed the Marquess a new position that would see him and his wife, the bohemian former model Rose Hanbury, returning to the heart of the royal court.

Charles appointed the Marquess, 63, as his Lord-in-Waiting, a prestigious position that would see him attend important state and royal occasions, as well as being called upon to represent His Majesty at various events.

Rose married Rocksavage in 2009. He is 23 years her senior and friends had almost given up hope that he would ever marry. She soon produced an heir and spare, twins Alexander and Oliver. Like Catherine, she has since given birth to a third child, Iris.

The Princess of Wales dancing with Prince William during a trip to Belize in 2022

While Catherine and William stay at ten-bedroom Anmer, previously rented out to a kitchen timber boss, the Marquess and Marchioness live in splendour at nearby Houghton Hall, one of the country's finest Palladian houses.

In his previous role as Lord Great Chamberlain, the Marquess had to walk backwards in front of the monarch at the State Opening of Parliament.

Cholmondeley left the position because of the tradition that it changes to another aristocratic family on the death of the monarch.

He was succeeded by the 7th Lord Carrington, whose late father served as Foreign Secretary under Margaret Thatcher.
On Tuesday, the special counsel said they had done no such thing

Special counsel David Weiss blasted Hunter Biden's defense team in a court filing on Tuesday, saying his attorneys were wrong to say the government had 'reneged' on a plea deal.

The agreement collapsed dramatically in court last month and the president's son is now likely to face trial on tax and gun charges.

Tensions between the two sets of lawyers escalated further this week with bad-tempered court filings. And it comes after Weiss was elevated to the role of special counsel, complete with extra powers.

On Sunday night, Christopher Clark in his final act as Biden's attorney accused Weiss of deciding to 'renege on the previously agreed-upon plea agreement.'

Weiss hit back barely a day later. 'First, the government did not "renege" on the "previously agreed-upon plea agreement," as the defendant inaccurately asserts in the first substantive sentence of his response,' he wrote.

Special counsel David Weiss (left) blasted Hunter Biden's defense team in a court filing on Tuesday, saying his attorneys were wrong to say the government had 'reneged' on a plea deal

'First, the government did not "renege" on the "previously agreed-upon Plea Agreement," as the Defendant inaccurately asserts in the first substantive sentence of his response,' he wrote

Instead he said that U.S. Probation had declined to approve the proposed 'diversion agreement'  including immunity from prosecution on any possible crimes that have been investigated, such as the tax charges  leaving the two sides to continue negotiations.

That reached a deadlock, he said.

'Seeing that the parties were at an impasse, the government informed the defendant, in writing on August 9, 2023, that it was withdrawing the most recent version of its proposed plea and diversion agreements,' he wrote.

The latest twists come after the investigation appeared to be drawing to close.

The two sides announced in June they had reached a deal.

But it fell apart at a hearing last month that was expected to end with Biden escaping jail time in return for pleading guilty to failing to pay taxes on over $1.5 million in income in both 2017 and 2018.

The two sides appeared to have different views of how the deal was to work, and the judge refused to sign off without more clarity.

Weiss said one of the problems was that Biden and his attorney appeared to be saying he was pleading guilty because of promises that had not been included in the deal.

'This was a problem entirely of their own making and not one that resulted from the drafting of the proposed plea or diversion agreements,' he said.

In a separate filing, Biden's longtime defense lawyer Christopher Clark asked to exit the case because he may now be a witness with the special counsel being appointed

Biden arriving at court in Wilmington, Delaware, last month. He had been expected to plead guilty to two misdemeanor charges, but the plea deal collapsed in spectacular fashion

Rather than going away, it means the case now hangs over the president as he campaigns for reelection next year.

In a separate filing, Clark applied to withdraw from the case because he could be a witness after the special counsel appointment.

'Based on recent developments, it appears that the negotiation and drafting of the plea deal and diversion agreement will be contested, and Mr. Clark is a percipient witness to those issues,' Hunter's lawyers said.

On Friday, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Weiss' promotion to special counsel, a move that was supposed to undermine claims from Republicans and the IRS whistleblowers that Weiss didn't have full authority to act in the first son's tax and gun case.

Most Republicans were furious, alleging that Weiss' appointment was a continued cover-up.

'This action by Biden's DOJ cannot be used to obstruct congressional investigations or whitewash the Biden family corruption,' said House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

'If Weiss negotiated the sweetheart deal that couldn't get approved, how can he be trusted as a Special Counsel?' McCarthy asked, saying: 'House Republicans will continue to pursue the facts for the American people.'

Hunter allegedly lied on a firearm report (above) required for his gun transaction. A photo of the form shows he answered 'no' when asked if he was an 'unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance

A Trump spokesperson said the special counsel 'appears to be trying to move the case to a more Democrat-friendly venue,' amid indications it could end up being tried in Washington, D.C. or Los Angeles, rather than Wilmington.

Ron DeSantis said in Iowa: 'I also just saw the news about the Hunter Biden Special Counsel  it just seems to me that they're gonna find a way to give him some type of soft glove treatment.

'And I don't understand why you would appoint this guy to be the special counsel.

'But we've come to expect that, and so I think that there was a lot that he's done, particularly with the corruption, that really should be pursued.

Sen. Chuck Grassley - an Iowa Republican who previously led an investigation into the Biden business deals - first reacted positively to the development.

'It's about time,' he told DailyMail.com as he toured the Iowa State Fair Friday.

Upon hearing Weiss was elevated as opposed to a new individual being appointed, Grassley grew more skeptical.

'Did they appoint him special counsel so he doesn't have to testify before the Congress of the United States?' he mused. 'If that's your game - then I'd say there's ulterior motives.'

He also pointed out that the way the Senate confirms U.S. attorneys from each state is that the state's senators have to sign on, meaning two Democrats green-lit Weiss' appointment during the Trump years.

'What I know today, I don't want say what he did in his job, but you can see this plea agreement that the judge didn't take raises a lot of questions about him,' Grassley said. 'Didn't you have the government and the guilty ones on the same sides of the table?'
The California judge who shot his wife then texted his co-workers a confession adding 'I won't be in today' pleaded not guilty to murder today, insisting it was an 'accident'.

Judge Jeffrey Ferguson, 72, shot and killed his wife Sheryl at their home in Orange County after the pair became embroiled in a heated, drunken argument.

Prosecutors say he pulled a pistol from his ankle holster then shot her in the chest.

He texted co-workers afterwards saying: 'I just lost it. I just shot my wife. I won't be in tomorrow. I will be in custody. I'm so sorry.'

Judge Jeffrey Ferguson arrives at court today to plead not guilty to murder

On August 3, Ferguson shot and killed his wife Sheryl at their home in Anaheim Hills, Orange County

Ferguson was charged with murder and his bail was set at $1million.

He posted it yesterday but returned to court today to be arraigned.

Today, his attorneys told the court he should not be convicted of murder.

'This was an unintentional, accidental shooting and not a crime,' attorney Paul Meyer said.

Ferguson was ordered to surrender his passport and submit to GPS monitoring. His blood alcohol content will also be monitored by a device, and he has been banned from owning weapons.

He has dozens of firearms which prompted investigators to request that he be denied bail.

Ferguson has been a judge since 2015.

Judge Jeffrey Ferguson, 72, shot and killed his wife Sheryl at their home in Orange County after the pair became embroiled in a heated, drunken argument. He pleaded not guilty to murder today

The judge's $1.4million home, where he shot his wife earlier this week

Police seized nearly 50 weapons from the house and 26,000 rounds of ammunition on August 4

Another of the large weapons that was recovered from the judge's home last week

He started his legal career in the Orange County district attorneys office in 1983 and went on to work narcotics cases, for which he won various awards.

He served as president of the North Orange County Bar Association from 2012 to 2014.

In 2017, Ferguson was admonished by the Commission on Judicial Performance for posting a statement on Facebook about a judicial candidate 'with knowing or reckless disregard for the truth of the statement,' and for being Facebook friends with attorneys appearing before him in court, according to a copy of the agencys findings.

Ferguson said on his Facebook page that he grew up in a military family and traveled throughout Asia as a child.

He went on to attend college and law school in California. He and his wife were married in 1996.
Election years are busy enough, but now former President Donald Trump may have to appear in court again and again while campaigning for the presidency.

With Monday's indictment out of Fulton County, Georgia - related to Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election in that state - the ex-president's 2024 calendar is filling up.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said she'd like to see Trump's trial kick off in the next six months, meaning it could take place smack dab in the middle of presidential primary season.

Additionally, one of Trump's trial dates - for the original E. Jean Carroll defamation lawsuit - is set to take place on January 15, 2024, the exact same day as the Iowa caucuses.

Here are key dates to look out for as Trump runs for president and tries to stay out of jail:

Former President Donald Trump is photographed in court for his first arraignment of this year - on charges related to hush-money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election

August 23, 2023: First Republican primary debate

For weeks, Trump has teased that he may skip the first debate, which is being held next Wednesday in Milwaukee and hosted by Fox News Channel.

That being said, he's also floated that he may headline some counter-programming instead.

Trump has said he's made his decision, but won't announce it until next week.

August 25, 2023: Georgia deadline for Trump to turn himself in

Willis gave Trump and the other 18 people indicted in Fulton County, Georgia 10 days to turn themselves in or be arrested.

August 28, 2023: Hearing for federal 2020 election and January 6 case

Trump's lawyers will return to federal court in Washington, D.C. to stand before U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is expected to use the hearing to determine a trial date.

Trump's legal team has pushed for the trial to take place after the 2024 election, while prosecutors want a 'speedy trial.'

Then candidate Donald Trump (center) appears at a GOP primary debate in February 2016. There are debates scheduled in September and October that Trump will easily qualify for - but the ex-president has yet to announce if he'll appear at the first debate next week in Milwaukee

September 27, 2023: Second Republican primary debate

The 2024 Republican hopefuls are expected to meet onstage for the second debate of the primary cycle. It's scheduled to take place at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

October 2, 2023: Trial date for Trump Organization civil fraud suit

The $250 million civil lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James goes to trial. In September, James sued Trump, his business and his eldest three children for fraud.

She said the ex-president 'wildly exaggerated his net worth by billions of dollars,' while manipulating property valuations to get tax breaks and better terms on loans and insurance policies.

January 2, 2024: Proposed start of federal 2020 election and January 6 trial

Special Counsel Jack Smith has proposed this as the start date for the federal trial on the charges related to Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election and his role in January 6.

The Iowa caucuses are set to take place on January 15, 2024. They're the first contest of the 2024 primary cycle. Trump (left) is photographed campaigning in Iowa in 2016 alongside Sen. Joni Ernst (center) and now former Rep. Steve King (right)

January 15, 2024: The Iowa caucuses

The 2024 election's official kick-off date. The Iowa caucuses are the official start of Republican primary season. Voters throughout the Hawkeye State will gather at caucus sites and hear a pitch from each candidate or a surrogate for each candidate before casting their vote.

Iowa has given candidates momentum to eventually win the party's nomination - such as for Barack Obama in 2008 - or crushed candidates' presidential dreams.

Trump lost the 2016 Iowa caucus to Sen. Ted Cruz.

January 15, 2024: E. Jean Carroll defamation trial begins

E. Jean Carroll's original defamation lawsuit against Trump goes to trial - but luckily for the ex-president, with the Iowa caucuses happening the same day, the 2024 Republican hopeful doesn't have to attend in person.

Carroll sued Trump in November 2019 for defamation after he publicly denied her claims of being raped by him in 1996 in the Bergdorf Goodman department store i New York City. Trump said that Carroll was 'totally lying' and 'not my type.'

In a separate lawsuit that went to trial earlier this year, jury members found that Trump did not rape Carroll but sexually abused her and awarded her $5 million in the suit, something Trump is challenging.

Trump complained Tuesday about all of his court dates coming up as he attempts to retake the White House

January 23, 2024: The tentative date for the New Hampshire primary

The Granite State will hold its first-in-the-nation primary a week after the Iowa caucuses. In 2016, New Hamphire gave Trump his first primary election night win. In current polls, he's 40 points ahead of the second-place candidate, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

January 29, 2024: Trial in pyramid scheme class-action suit

Yet another trial will kick off in January. This federal class action lawsuit was filed just before the 2018 midterms and alleged that Trump and his three eldest children convinced consumers to invest in a get-rich-quick scheme. 'The Investments did not - and could not - offer a reasonable probability of success,' the lawsuit said.

February 8, 2024: Nevada caucuses

The third primary contest of the year takes place in Nevada. Trump won the Nevada caucuses in 2016.

February 24, 2024: South Carolina primary

The fourth primary contest will take place in South Carolina, where two of Trump's Republican rivals are from.

February 27, 2024: Michigan primary

The fifth primary contest next year will take place in Michigan, a state Trump won in the general election in 2016, helping him win the White House over Hillary Clinton.

Since then, the state has been trending blue, with a Democratic governor, Democrats controlling state government and President Joe Biden winning the state over Trump during the 2020 race. '

March 5, 2024: Super Tuesday

Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia will hold their primaries next year on Super Tuesday.

March 25, 2024: Hush money case goes to trial

About a year after Trump's first indictment, on New York state charges related to the hush money payments given to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election, the case will go to trial.

If GOP voters coalesce around one Trump rival, the Republican primary could still be ongoing.

During his last competitive cycle, Trump didn't become the presumptive GOP nominee until May 3, 2016.

The classified documents case is set to go to trial in mid-May despite Trump's lawyers pushing Trump-appointed federal Judge Aileen M. Cannon to delay it until after the 2024 presidential election

May 20, 2024: Classified documents trial is set to begin

The Trump-appointed federal Judge Aileen M. Cannon picked mid-May for the classified documents trial to begin.

Special Counsel Jack Smith's team had originally wanted the Florida-based case to go to trial in December, while Trump's lawyers asked that it be delayed until after the 2024 presidential election.

July 15 to 18 2024: Republican National Convention

Republicans will make their primary pick official at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Democrats were supposed to have their 2020 convention in the midwestern city, but instead held a scaled-back version in Wilmington, Delaware due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

November 4, 2024: Election Day

Americans will vote for president on the first Tuesday of November next year.
The former official also has connections linking him to Hunter Biden

He said he accepted more than $17k to help energy magnate Oleg Deripaska

Former FBI counterintelligence agent Charles McGonigal pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge in Manhattan Tuesday, admitting to doing work for sanctioned Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska.

McGonigal admitted he agreed after leaving the bureau to work for an oligarch he had once investigated as part of the Russia probe, and to seek dirt on the oligarch's wealthy rival in violation of sanctions on Russia.

McGonigal, 55, entered the plea in federal court in Manhattan to a single count of conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and to commit money laundering, saying he was 'deeply remorseful for it.'

Charles McGonigal, former special agent in charge of the FBI's counterintelligence division in New York, arrives to Manhattan federal court in New York, Tuesday. He faces up to five years in prison following his guilty plea

McGonigal told Judge Jennifer H. Rearden that he carried out his crime in the spring and fall of 2021, accepting over $17,000 to help Russian energy magnate Oleg Deripaska by collecting derogatory information about a Russian oligarch who was a business competitor of Deripaska.

'This, as you can imagine, has been a painful process not only for me, but for my friends, family and loved ones,' McGonigal said. 'I take full responsibility as my actions were never intended to hurt the United States, the FBI and my family and friends,' he said in court Tuesday.

Sentencing was set for Dec. 14, when McGonigal could face up to five years in prison.

It came at a change of plea hearing, after McGonigal earlier pleaded not guilty.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Dell told the judge that prosecutors had proof McGonigal was making efforts to remove Deripaska from a U.S. sanctions list.

McGonigal admitted accepting over $17,000 to help Russian energy magnate Oleg Deripaska by collecting dirt on a rival

McGonigal is separately charged in federal court in Washington, D.C. with concealing at least $225,000 in cash he allegedly received from a former Albanian intelligence official

She also said McGonigal in 2021 was in negotiations along with co-conspirators to receive a fee of $650,000 to $3 million to hunt for electronic files revealing hidden assets of $500 million belonging to Deripaskas rival.

McGonigal, a resident of Manhattan, is separately charged in federal court in Washington, D.C. with concealing at least $225,000 in cash he allegedly received from a former Albanian intelligence official while working for the FBI.

That case includes some connections that could have a tie to Hunter Biden, the president's son who is now the subject of a special counsel probe.

The official has been identified in press reports as Agron Neza, who introduced McGonigal to Albanian Dorian Ducka, who worked for the defunct CEFC Chinese energy conglomerate.

An email from Hunter's infamous laptop references someone with the same name.

'Dorian was a real help early on so we should consider how we include him,' wrote Hunter associate James Gilliar in a 2017 email about a deal.

'No way we don't do it,' Hunter responded, adding: 'and if majority says no I'll take it out of my salary.'

McGonigal was special agent in charge of the FBIs counterintelligence division in New York from 2016 to 2018. McGonigal supervised investigations of Russian oligarchs, including Deripaska, who was sanctioned in 2018 by the U.S. Department of the Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia later affirmed the sanctions against Deripaska, finding that there was evidence that Deripaska had acted as an agent of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

McGonigal, who became choked up at one point as he described his crime, said Deripaska funneled the $17,500 payment he received through a bank in Cypress and a corporation in New Jersey before it was transferred into McGonigal's bank account.

In a release, Matthew G. Olsen, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department's National Security Division, said, 'McGonigal, by his own admission, betrayed his oath and actively concealed his illicit work at the bidding of a sanctioned Russian oligarch.'

'Todays plea shows the Department of Justice's resolve to pursue and dismantle the illegal networks that Russian oligarchs use to try to escape the reach of our sanctions and evade our laws,' he added.

The charges against McGonigal came as U.S. prosecutors ramped up efforts to enforce sanctions on Russian officials and police their alleged enablers in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

Deripaska, the founder of Russian aluminum company Rusal, was among two dozen Russian oligarchs and government officials blacklisted by Washington in 2018 in reaction to Russia's alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.

Among the areas probed by former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigators is Deripaska's relationship with former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort.

Mueller's report said Manafort told associates to provide Deripaska with internal polling data.
A George Mason University law professor and former Federal Trade commissioner has been accused of preying on female students, forcing them into sexual relationships, and abusing his power.

Joshua D. Wright was a respected professor at the Antonin Scalia Law School - and was appointed by former president Barack Obama to be a commissioner of the FTC between 2013 to 2015.

The 46-year-old has now been accused of abusing his power to engage in sexual contact with his law students - in abuse said to have spanned over a decade.

Multiple women have come forward to accuse the former professor of sexual misconduct - from inappropriate comments, asking them on dates, and forcing them to have sex in his office on campus.

Wright, who is currently a founding partner at Lodestar Law & Economics, has vehemently denied all allegations. His lawyer Lindsay McKasson said: 'We look forward to total vindication in court.'

Joshua D. Wright was a respected professor at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University - and was appointed by former president Barack Obama to be a commissioner of the FTC between 2013 to 2015. The 46-year-old has now been accused of abusing his power to engage in sexual contact with his law students, in abuse said to have spanned over a decade

The married father, 46, would stay in the same hotel rooms as his students during 'work trips', and would take away career opportunities if the women tried to stop the sexual relationships, the accusers say.

Among the alleged victims of his inappropriate personal and professional conduct are Elyse Dorsey, Angela Landry, and Christa Laser - who are now all successful lawyers in their own right.

He would also ask exam questions on the benefits of a male employer sexually harassing his female employees, another ex-student Jennie O'Hara claimed.

Angela Landry, who works at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, told Law360: 'I suffered silently for a really long time. I was ready to accept suffering silently alone for the rest of my career, but I can't just sit back and let it continue.'

She started law school in 2009, and soon realized that Wright overstepped the usual teacher-student boundaries, she claims.

By February of her first year, Wright kissed her. 'From there, it escalated quickly,' Landry claims.

Landry said she felt she couldn't say no, because of the career prospects that Wright had over her: 'Those times it really felt like I can't make him mad, because if I do, he's going to take all of this away from me. Everything I've worked really hard for and that I want in my career.'

He made her engage in sexual activity in his office, she told Law360.

Angela Landry, who works at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, said he forced her to engage in a sexual relationship while at law school. Elyse Dorsey, who is a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, had a similar experience. He started touching her on a 'work trip' to California

Professor Christa Laser said that Wright asked her out on a date after a professional meeting. Jennie O'Hara, who was in Wright's economics class in 2017, said that he would also include highly inappropriate questions in exams

Landry and Wright engaged in the inappropriate relationship for her entire time at law school - and then in 2015 when he asked her to serve as an attorney advisor at the FTC, it started again.

The woman claims she told him she wanted things to be kept professional, but 'I think he took that as a joke or a challenge.' She claims at times when she made him happy in a sexual capacity, job opportunities came through.

'Once he was done with me, those things stopped coming,' she claims.

When she confronted him in 2020, Wright allegedly told Landry: 'He couldn't even count the number of people he sent inappropriate messages to.'

Elyse Dorsey, who is a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, was invited to be Wright's research assistants while studying under him at law school in 2010. He then invited her on a work trip to California to meet clients.

When she arrived, there was one hotel room and one bed booked - and no clients to meet. The pair went wine tasting instead, she claimed.

On the last morning, he asked to touch her, and Dorsey did not say no. This was the beginning of their sexual relationship, she alleges.

Dorsey told Law360: 'I didn't say no, but I also didn't really feel like I had a choice to do that in the moment.'

Wright - who was her direct manager at this point - later pressured her to have sex in his office on campus, she claims.

Multiple women have come forward to accuse the former professor of sexual misconduct - from inappropriate comments, asking them on dates, and forcing them to have sex in his office on campus

Wright is currently a founding partner at Lodestar Law & Economics

House Judiciary Committee member Rep. Hank Johnson, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler, Federal Trade Commission Commissioner Josh Wright and FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai pictured in 2015

Following law school, Dorsey joined Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC. A few years later, Wright also joined the law firm as senior counsel, making him her boss again.

The sexual contact continued there, she alleges.

It was only when Dorsey confronted Wright saying she believed he was engaged in a sexual relationship with another former GMU student that the promises he'd made to her for her career ended.

Professor Christa Laser at Cleveland State University law school also had similar allegations about Wright.

She had reached out to Wright in a professional capacity to get a coffee and potentially be hired at GMU in 2021.

He suggested dinner. They met, spoke about the hiring process, and he walked her to her car. Laser said: 'When we got to my car, he gave me a hug that was long and close, pressing too close to my body for a work meeting.'

The next day, she received the email from Wright, in which he said: 'I hope this doesn't come off as overly forward - but I really enjoyed dinner and talking with you and thought maybe you might be interested in making next time a 'date'?'

Laser did not go on a date with him - and she was not offered a job.

Jennie O'Hara, who was in Wright's economics class in 2017, said that he would also include highly inappropriate questions in exams.

The attorney, who now works at Himes, Petrarca & Fester CHTD, said on Twitter: 'I was in Prof. Wrights economics class during my 1L year at Mason in 2017-2018.

'On our final exam he included a question asking us to calculate the utility a male employer gains from sexually harassing his female employees. We notified administration. Nothing was done.

'The multiple choice options included things like A. Keep sexually harassing women. B. Stop hiring women.

'He has not only been behaving like this for years but he has openly bragged about it. Mason has known and still gave him a fresh batch of 1Ls to teach every year.'

She added: 'While we're on the subject of Mason Law creating a dangerous environment for women.

'In fall of 3L my evidence professor spent two class sessions discussing (and laughing about) the rules making evidence of a rape victim's sexual history inadmissible in court.

'He openly mocked rape victims. Many women in the class were crying and had to leave the room.

'At one point he pulled out a printed article about eye tracking therapy for rape survivors, laughed about it, and called it bulls**t.

'One woman in the class finally had enough and told him through tears that she had undergone that therapy after being raped.

'He argued with her in front of the whole class. Afterward, the women in the class confronted him and reported the incident to administration. Nothing was done.'

It's unclear which professor is involved in the additional accusations by O'Hara.

George Mason University, while acknowledging the allegations, said: 'Recognize, however, that the faculty member is no longer with the law school. He resigned last week.'

Ken Randall, the law school's dean, said: 'I have zero tolerance for violations of politics aimed at protecting our academic community.'

Wright, who received his JD from UCLA in 2002, went on to study his PhD in economics at UCLA in 2003.

He previously graduated with honors from the University of California, San Diego in 1998.

Wright clerked for Judge James V. Selna of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. He is a member of the California and DC Bar.

He was the GMU law school's executive director of its Global Antitrust Institute.

He resigned from his positions at George Mason University earlier this month.

Joshua Wright has been contacted for comment.

McKasson, his counsel, said: 'All allegations of sexual misconduct against my client are false. These false allegations are being made public after unsuccessfully demanding millions of dollars behind closed doors.

'As a female attorney, I am insulted on behalf of women who truly experience sexual misconduct. Additionally, I am angered by what appears to be a shakedown. I look forward to fully vindicating my client in court and plan to exhaust all legal options to repair his damaged reputation.'
The company said the recall did not impact any other Nestle Toll House products

Nestle USA has initiated a recall of several its Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough 'break and bake' bars - after consumers complained of finding wood fragments in the snack slabs.

The announcement, issued last week, saw two batches of the cookie dough-laced deserts pulled from shelves, after 'a small number of consumers' reached out to the Virginia food firm about the issue.

The alert, which was also aired by the FDA, cited the 'potential presence of wood fragments' as the reason behind the recall. Officials further clarified it was made voluntarily and out of an abundance of caution.

While it is unknown how many of the 16.5 ounce snacks have been nixed, Nestle said the batches in question were produced on April 24 and 25 of this year.

Customers concerned over the contents of the cookie-like delights, they said, can look out for one of two codes that identify the supposedly bad batches - which officials Thursday said only have the 'potential' of being contaminated.

Nestle USA has initiated a recall of several its Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough 'break and bake' bars - after consumers complained of finding wood fragments in the ready-to-eat snack slabs

Customers concerned over the contents of the cookie-like delights, they said, can look out for one of two codes that identify the supposedly bad batches - which officials Thursday said only have the 'potential' of being contaminated. Batch codes to keep an eye out for, officials said, are 311457531K and 311557534K - and can be found on the food product's side packaging

'Nestle USA is initiating a voluntary recall of a limited quantity of Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough "break and bake" bar products due to the potential presence of wood fragments,' they said in a statement.

'This voluntary recall is isolated to two batches of Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough break and bake Bar products that were produced on April 24 and 25, 2023,' the alert added, noting the product was only distributed at retailers in the US.

'While no illnesses or injuries have been reported, we are taking this action out of an abundance of caution after a small number of consumers contacted Nestle USA about this issue.

'This recall does not involve any other Nestle Toll House products, including other varieties of refrigerated cookie dough in break and bake bars, rolls, or tubs, or Edible cookie dough.

'We are confident that this is an isolated issue and we have taken action to address,' the company said, adding that it currently is working with the FDA to address the issue.

Batch codes to keep an eye out for, officials said, are 311457531K and 311557534K - identifiers that can be found on the food product's side packaging.

Consumers who have purchased potentially polluted products are advised not to consume them, and to return them to the point of purchase for either a non-corrupted replacement or full-on refund.

'The quality, safety and integrity of our products remain our number one priority,' the company, which went through a voluntary recall late last year, added.

While it is unknown how many of the 16.5 ounce snacks have been nixed, Nestle said the batches in question were produced on April 24 and 25 of this year

The recall comes months after Nestle issued a voluntary recall for its refrigerated, ready-to-bake Nestle Toll House Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough with Fudge Filling - due to the 'potential presence of white plastic pieces'

'We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this action represents to both our consumers and retail customers.'

Consumers were also instructed to contact Nestle USA's toll-free hotline - at 1800-681-1678 - for any further assistance.

This is not the first recall from Nestle in recent months, with the American arm of the Swiss conglomerate - the largest publicly held food firm in the world - pulling several of its products from shelves about 10 months ago.

Products in question in that case were the ready-to-bake Nestle Toll House Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough with Fudge Filling, which unlike the cookie dough bars, are meant to be eaten after being warmed in the oven.

The true extent of that callback - which too was made voluntarily - was also not specified, but brass said the potentially plastic-laden products were made between June and September 2022.

In that instance, they were sold in the continental United States, but Puerto Rico as well.

The FDA's investigation into what spurred the latest recall, meanwhile, is still underway. DailyMail.com has reached out to the agency for comment.
President Joe Biden said he will visit fire-ravaged Hawaii 'soon,' in the latest update on his plans to tour devastation on Maui as the death toll looms.

'My wife Jill and I are going to travel as soon as we can,' Biden told a crowd in Milwaukee at the top of an event.

The president offered his most emotive language to date, while confirming a visit hours after an aide would only speak to 'active conversations' about it.

'The deadliest wildfire more than 100 years. A whole city destroyed. Generations of native Hawaiian history turned into ruin,' Biden said, speaking at length on the destruction and human suffering at the top of his speech.

In one dark passage, he spoke of the delay in bulldozing ruined areas, amid images of destruction in Lahaina.

President Joe Biden will visit Hawaii 'soon' to tour fire damage, but doesn't want to interfere with recovery efforts, he said in Wisconsin Tuesday

'They cant do it now because they don't know how many bodies are there,' he said.

He said he spoke to Governor Josh Green and 'immediately' approved an expedited disaster request.

'That's a fancy word of saying whatever you need, you're going to get,' Biden said. 'And that'll get aid into the hands of people who desperately need it who have lost their loved ones. who have lost their homes, their livelihood to men, damaged and destroyed,' Biden said.

'Imagine being a mom or dad, wondering where your child is. Imagine being a husband or wife or mother or father. It's really tough stuff,' Biden said.

He described 'painstaking work' of recovery.

'It takes time. And it's nerve racking. Most of the debris can't be removed until it was done,' he said.

Amid growing evidence of the devastation wildfires have wrought in Maui, the White House Tuesday gave the first public indication that President Biden will visit Hawaii.

White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Olivia Dalton confirmed that officials were considering an in-person trip, after Biden took heat for his terse 'no comment' on Hawaii even while the scope of the tragedy was coming into view.

The president was staying at his Delaware beach house at the time.

'We are currently having active conversations about when a visit to Hawaii might be possible,' Dalton told reporters traveling on Air Force One en route to Wisconsin.

President Joe Biden is considering a trip to tour the devastation in Hawaii, the White House said Tuesday, days after he declined to comment on the devastation

Dozens of people clung to the shoreline in Lahaina as wildfires tore through the town last week

'As the president has said, we will be in Maui as long as it takes to provide everything they need,' she added.

While Dalton was facing the press, Biden was dialing Hawaii officials from the presidential aircraft.

He called FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell as well as Hawaii Governor Josh Green from AF1 while en route Milwaukee, according to the White House. Biden previously called Green, a Democrat, on Friday.

Her comments come as Biden prepares to go on vacation in Lake Tahoe following meetings at Camp David Friday.

The grim news about the impact of the fires has been steady. Parts of the historic town of Lahaina, where 19th century buildings housed antiquities and surf schools catered to tourists, was virtually obliterated.

Dalton's comments, made in a 'gaggle' with traveling reporters while in flight, came a day after White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre got grilled inside the White House briefing room about why Biden hadn't addressed the matter at length or announced a trip.

The president has toured other devastation, including deadly wildfires in California and the aftermath of hurricanes in Louisiana.

'You could expect to hear from the president on this issue,' was all Jean-Pierre would allow.

White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Olivia Dalton, seen here in June, made the comments aboard Air Force One

Hawaii's governor warned that the death toll is likely to rise as search crews go street by street through neighborhoods where the flames caused massive destruction

Biden was on vacation at Rehoboth Beach for a week earlier this month. He heads to Nevada for his second vacation of the on Friday after he hosts a summit at Camp David with the leaders of Japan and South Korea, with plans to head to Lake Tahoe

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said devastation from the fire was 'something that the president clearly is deeply concerned about'

She cited his comments from Thursday on the matter.

'But let's not forget we did hear from him on Thursday, right when he was in Utah ahead of talking about the PACT Act, which is as you know, was a year anniversary of an issue that is incredibly important to many Americans. And he took that time to speak to it. So I'm sure you'll be hearing from the president,' she said, in a comment that did not head off further questions.

She said the devastation from the fire was 'something that the president clearly is deeply concerned about.'

With more than 3,000 Hawaiians having registered through FEMA for assistance, the Biden administration is seeking $12 billion more for the government's disaster relief fund as part of its supplemental funding request to Congress.

'Our prayers are with the people of Hawaii, but not just our prayers  every asset we have will be available to them,' Biden said last week in Utah, in the comments Jean-Pierre mentioned. 'They've seen their home, their business destroyed, and some have lost loved ones. And it's not over yet.'

Sunday during a beach bike ride, when asked about a visit, Biden told reporters who asked about a visit, 'We're looking at it.'

Former President Donald Trump, who endured criticism for tossing rolls of paper towel to residents when viewing the impact of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2018, was among the Republicans blasting Biden for standing back amid the suffering.

He released a campaign video Monday unloading on his rival, on the same day Trump would face an indictment in Fulton County, Georgia over racketeering allegations.

'To say no comment is oftentimes fine, but to be smiling when you say it, especially against such a tragedy as this, is absolutely horrible and unacceptable,' Trump said
Investigators have released new images in a bid to identify the last unknown victim of infamous Candy Man serial killer Dean Corll who slaughtered at least 28 teenagers and young men between 1970 and 1973.

The victim, dubbed Swimsuit Boy, is thought to have been between 15 and 18-years-old when he was raped, murdered and dumped in a mass grave with 15 others at Corlls rented boat shed in South-West Houston.

Seven other victims have been identified over the past 12 years and scientists hope that a new facial rendering, along with cleaned-up images of the boots, shirt and shorts he was wearing, will bring closure to the horrific case.

This young mans friends and classmates would be in their late 60s to early 70s, and we hope that this new imagery reaches them and helps bring in that one single lead needed to resolve this case, Carol Schweitzer of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) said in a statement.

Corll was working as an electrician when he began his murderous spree, gaining his nickname from the free sweets he would give to children.

Investigators hope that the now elderly friends of the still unidentified boy may be able to put a name to him following the release of the new image

Cleaned up images of the distinctive 1970's clothes the boy was wearing could jog memories

He befriended teenagers David Owen Brooks and Elmer Wayne Henley, paying them $200 a time to lure local boys to his boatyard or his homes around Pasadena, with the promise of parties or car rides.

Once in his clutches they were raped and abused on a home-made torture board before they were strangled or shot with a .22-caliber pistol.

Most bore evidence of sexual torture: their pubic hairs had been plucked out, their genitals were often chewed, and glass rods were often inserted into their urethrae and smashed.

The murderous rampage came to an end when Corll, 33, was shot dead with his own pistol in August 1973 by Henley, who feared he was going to be one of the murderers next victims.

The accomplice reportedly yelled I can't go on any longer! I can't have you kill all my friends!, before pulling the trigger and calling the police.

Henley led police to the rented boat shed on Silver Bell Street in southwest Houston where, over the course of three days, they would find 16 bodies wrapped in sheets and buried in lime.

Other bodies were found at Lake Sam Rayburn and High Island Beach.

Dr Sharon Derrick who helped identify seven other victims told the Houston Chronicle that the unidentified boy had beautiful teeth.

Dean Corll (pictured) - known as the 'Candy Man' - murdered eight of his 28-plus teenage victims at his final home in Lamar Drive, Pasadena.

When I got to the Harris County Medical Examiners Office, one of the things I was charged with was looking through all the stored remains to see if there was any work that could be done on them, she explained

I found three boxes that were labeled Houston Mass Murders.

There was more than one individual in each box, and out of all the individuals in the boxes, theres only one that we were not able to identify.

Dr Derrick previously suggested the victim may be named Robert, or Bobby, French, after receiving an anonymous package containing a series of photographs possibly taken shortly before his murder.

The mystery boy was white or possibly Hispanic, had long brown hair and stood between 5 feet 2 ins and 5 feet 7 inches tall.

He was found wearing a Catalina-brand striped swimsuit, 12-inch-high cowboy boots, dark-blue corduroy jeans and a beige '70s-style shirt with peace sign design on the back.

We want to make sure we're creating an image that the public won't be fixated on because there's dirt or blood on the shirt, Colin McNally of NCMEC's forensic imaging unit told ABC 13.

The state of his remains suggested he was one of Corlls earlier victims from 1971 or 1972 and may have suffered from mild spina bifida.

Henley, who is now 68, was jailed after being implicated in six of the killings but will be eligible for parole in October 2025.

Corll's family owned a candy business but the killer was working as an electrician at the time of the murders

Pictured are San Augustine County deputies alongside a 'torture board' - where Corll would restrain his victims - found at another home where Corll lived in Broaddus, Texas, similar to the one he kept in the bedroom at 2020 Lamar Drive, along with other torture implements

A handcuffed Elmer Henley (left, center) escorted by police officers into court in August 1973 days after shooting Corll dead. Right, a search of the boatyard where Corll murdered some of his victims

The Pasadena home where Corll finally met his own death

Brooks too was jailed and died in prison in 2020.

Corll's final house, where he murdered eight teenagers was bought by the Pasadena Economic Development Corp in December last year and demolished in February.

I feel for a lot of families, the lingering pain would still be there if that place was there, so many memories, a neighbor told ABC 13.

Just knowing I'm on the same street, I tell people, and that's the first thing people bring up: That's the Candy Man's house,' she added.
Donald Trump, black swan that he is, may mark another first for America: A former president tried, convicted and sent to prison.

He can cry 'witch hunt' all he wants. But Trump has no one to blame but himself.

His arrogance, his malignant narcissism, his titanic ego  one that won't brook failures of any kind, be they his election loss or his son Donald Jr., on record as saying his father called him 'a loser' when he was only four  have all led to four indictments in four states, 91 criminal charges in all.

And that's to say nothing of the civil case he lost against E. Jean Carroll in May, Trump found guilty of sexual abuse and defamation. He was ordered to pay her $5 million in damages.

We New Yorkers know Trump better than the rest of the country, and trust me, nothing about his behavior is shocking.

Plotting to send fake slates of electors? Check.

Attempting to breach voting machines? Check.

Ignoring the very good advice of his then-VP Mike Pence to accept the election was over, instead listening to the unhinged, hair-dye leaking Nosferatu that Rudy Giuliani has become? Check.

Donald Trump, black swan that he is, may mark another first for America: A former president tried, convicted and sent to prison. He can cry 'witch hunt' all he wants. But Trump has no one to blame but himself

Fomenting the January 6th insurrection, flouncing out of the White House with classified documents and reportedly showing them to guests willy-nilly? Check, check, check.

Perhaps Trump's greatest sleight-of-hand  telling his supporters that he's being tried for all of them, for America itself, as if he were Jesus and these prosecutors each a Pontius Pilate  has marked a particularly disgusting milestone in American politics.

And it's all brought to us not by an unhinged media, not by political enemies, but by the man himself, whose piggish behavior in and out of office threatens to muddy us all.

So yes, Monday was a sad and terrible day for the nation, as Trump was charged in Georgia with trying to steal the 2020 election. But it was a heartening day too. After all, America prides itself on a fundamental notion: No one is above the law.

So why cant our national psyche abide the idea of jailing a former Commander in Chief? Is it a stubborn belief in American exceptionalism? Resistance to staining our perfect record? Fear that doing so would tarnish our standing?

I argue it's the opposite. Trump is the inevitable manifestation of looking the other way. Of minimizing.

Nixon wasnt all that long ago, and then-president Gerald Fords decision to pardon his predecessor was controversial for years. Ford said pardoning Nixon, who also attempted to meddle in a presidential election, was for the good of the country. But was it?

Forty of Nixon's co-conspirators, including high-level government officials, were convicted and sent to prison. Years later, polls routinely found the majority of Americans were against Ford's pardon and thought Nixon should have been tried for Watergate.

As the saying goes, absolute power corrupts absolutely. So why wouldnt American presidents, the most powerful people on earth, fall prey?

The Founding Fathers predicted as much. It's why our federal government is divided among three branches, none ostensibly more powerful than the other.

The idea that a US president, sitting or former, should never be tried or convicted in a criminal court is mind-boggling.

Monday was a sad and terrible day for the nation, as Trump was charged in Georgia with trying to steal the 2020 election. But it was a heartening day too. After all, America prides itself on a fundamental notion: No one is above the law (pictured: Fulton County DA, Fani Willis)

So why cant our national psyche abide the idea of jailing a former Commander in Chief? Is it a stubborn belief in American exceptionalism? Resistance to staining our perfect record? Fear that doing so would tarnish our standing?

To refuse it is to embolden any president to do what they like, be it attempt to overturn an election or foment an insurrection or take millions of dollars from foreign governments while, say, using your son as the bagman and fall guy.

Speaking of: Now that Trumps been indicted under the RICO statute for racketeering, doesnt it seem like Joe Biden and Hunter Biden could be similarly charged?

Biden the elder oversaw foreign policy in Ukraine while Hunter was taking millions from Burisma, the countrys biggest gas company.

Not to mention other foreign payouts that may or may not have made their way into Joe Bidens account. But as a trusted Ukrainian-American FBI source reported, it could take the FBI 10 years to find any records of such payments wired to Joe.

So this national allergy to prosecuting presidents has led us to this: Two potential criminals engulfed in scandal facing off in 2024.

This is really, I think, whats behind the anxiety and dread the electorate feels. Its not just about a replay of 2020. We want better, less compromised options. Not too much to ask, is it?

If these two wind up being the nominees, I suspect America will feel more embarrassed by that than any criminal charges or trials or convictions.

As for the argument that the legal system has been politicized and weaponized, sometimes thats true. But as we well know, whats done in the shadows is often worse  just look at J. Edgar Hoovers FBI, or James Comeys.

Its also an insult to the American people, to voters, to grand juries and jurors, to think we cant discern such things.

Alvin Braggs indictment against Trump in New York  which boils down to hush money over sex, and which is laughable given the sheer number of actual crimes Bragg declines to prosecute  smells like week-old fish.

But the Georgia RICO charges, which include Trumps recorded phone call asking Georgias Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have, feel valid and substantial.

On Tuesday, the morning after the indictment, Raffensperger issued a statement.

The most basic principles of a strong democracy are accountability and respect for the Constitution and rule of law, he said. You either have it, or you dont.'

Raffensperger is a Republican.

Other countries have had their reckonings with their elected leaders, tried them and sent them to prison. Their democracies have survived  emerged stronger, even.

Italys former prime minister, the late Silvio Berlusconi, was involved in 35 criminal court cases including bribery, tax fraud, abuse of office, witness tampering and paying for sex with an underage prostitute.

In 2012 he was convicted on charges of tax evasion, sentenced to four years in prison and was banned for six years from holding office.

So this national allergy to prosecuting presidents has led us to this: Two potential criminals engulfed in scandal facing off in 2024. Yet other countries have had their reckonings with their elected leaders, tried them and sent them to prison. Their democracies have survived  emerged stronger, even (pictured: Joe and Hunter Biden)

South Koreas Supreme Court upheld the conviction of former president Park Geun-hye in 2021 on charges of bribery and corruption, as well as her $17 million fine. She is serving a 20-year sentence.

Taiwans former president Chen Shui-bian was convicted on corruption charges in 2008, after he left office; he was released from prison in 2015 due to failing health. His successor, president Ma Ying-jeou, was sentenced to four months in 2018 for leaking classified information.

Israels prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on trial for corruption, bribery and fraud.

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy was convicted in 2021 of corruption and influence-peddling; he lost his appeal in May this year and is serving one year under house arrest.

So for all the hand-wringing over how an American president would even logistically be imprisoned  Solitary confinement? Secret Service? Could we even survive seeing an orange jumpsuit or a mugshot?  there are plenty of examples of how its done.

We need to grow up, get a grip and accept that Trump might be convicted of federal crimes  and that might be a good thing, even a great thing. A cleansing, a purging, a purification. A warning to the next president, and the next.

Besides, if Trump or Biden were ever to be convicted, does anyone really think theyd go anywhere other than Club Fed or house arrest themselves?

Please. Time served at Mar-a-Lago does not a harsh punishment make.
Police investigating the double murder of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh have also reopened the case into a 2015 hit-and-run of teen Stephen Smith

July 8, 2015: Teenager Stephen Smith dies

Smith was found on the side of the road.

Police officially rule his death a hit-and-run but he had suffered blunt force trauma to the head.

His mother has since shared her belief that she thinks he was killed in a hate-crime because he was gay.

Case notes obtained by DailyMail.com revealed Paul's older brother Buster was named multiple times in the investigation.

Police wanted to know more about his relationship with Stephen.

Stephen's mother said he had been having a 'fling'.

In a deposition years later, one of Paul's friends said the family had 'covered' other killings up.

He mentioned Smith's death.

February 2, 2018: Murdaugh family housekeeper Gloria Satterfield dies

Murdaugh family housekeeper Gloria Sattlerfield dies

Gloria died after 'falling' down the stairs in the family house

The family gave her family $500,000 in a wrongful death settlement but it's unclear why her death was ruled to be their fault.

Alex Murdaugh was listed as the defendant in the lawsuit.

Satterfield was only 57 when she died.

She left behind a husband and children.

Her death was also mentioned in the deposition by Paul Murdaugh's friend.

February 23, 2019: Mallory Beach dies being thrown from boat driven by Paul Murdaugh

Mallory Beach, 19, died in February 2019

Paul was charged afterwards because he'd been drinking and was behaving 'belligerently' that night.

He had been released on bond.

One of the six teens on board testified that they were scared to speak about the Murdaugh family because they knew how to 'cover things up'.

The boy named Stephen Smith and the housekeeper, and claimed Paul pushed Beach from the boat.

June 7, 2021: Paul and Maggie are murdered

The mother and son were found shot dead at the family home in Islandton, South Carolina.

Alex Murdaugh says he found them at the home.

The medical examiner said the pair had been dead for an hour at most when he discovered them.

It was later revealed Alex waited an hour to call 911 about their deaths.

Alex's son Paul, 22, (left) and wife Maggie, 52, (right) were found dead from multiple gunshot wounds on June 7 at the family hunting lodge

Alex's father Randolph Murdaugh III died 'peacefully' at home three days after Maggie and Paul were found shot dead

June 10, 2021: Alex's 81-year-old father Randolph Murdaugh III dies 'naturally' and 'peacefully' at home

Alex Murdaugh's alibi for the night of his wife and son's murder was that he was visiting his ailing father in the hospital.

The father died just three days later, following a battle with cancer.

September 3, 2021: Alex resigns from his law firm amid claims he misused funds

The firm has hired a forensic investigator to go through the accounts.

September 4, 2021: Alex calls 911 claiming he's been shot in the head in a drive-by

He only had 'surface' wounds and was also able to call his brother.

September 6, 2021: Alex resigns from law firm

In a statement he says: 'I'm resigning from my law firm and entering rehab after a long battle that has been exacerbated these murders.'

September 14, 2021: Police arrest alleged hitman in Alex's shooting

Police said Alex Murdaugh orchestrated his own shooting in a botched assisted suicide scheme, designed so his surviving son can collect a $10 million life insurance payment.

Curtis Edward Smith, 61, was arrested on charges of assisted suicide, assault and battery, pointing and presenting a firearm, insurance fraud and conspiracy to commit insurance fraud.

Smith, from Walterboro, South Carolina, is a former client of Murdaugh, who represented him in minor traffic matters as well as a 2015 lawsuit that Smith filed against a forest management company.

According to police, Murdaugh paid him to shoot him in the head and kill him, making it look like a random, drive-by attack.

September 15, 2021: Police open criminal investigation into Satterfield's 2018 death

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) announced it is investigating the 2018 death of Gloria Satterfield and the subsequent handling of her estate.

Satterfield, 57, had been the Murdaugh housekeeper and nanny for around 25 years when she suffered a fatal brain injury following a mystery fall inside the Murdaugh family home.

She died several weeks later on February 26, 2018.

SLED said that hit had opened a criminal investigation inter Satterfield's death based on a request from the Hampton County Coroner, as well as 'information gathered during the course of our other ongoing investigations involving Alex Murdaugh.'

September 16, 2021: Alex turns himself into police over insurance fraud scheme

Murdaugh handed himself over to police in connection to the insurance fraud scheme, where he arranged his own killing so that his surviving son could collect $10 million payout.

He faces charges of insurance fraud, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud and filing a false police report.

November 29, 2021: Murdaugh faces 27 new counts after an indictment for an alleged $4.8 million in financial crimes

Murdaugh was indicted on 27 additional charges, with prosecutors saying he stole nearly $5million in settlement money he had obtained for his dead housekeeper, an injured state trooper and other people, as well as fees meant for his law firm.

December 6, 2021: Satterfield's family sues Bank of America for allowing Murdaugh to stash life insurance money meant for them

The bank was added as a defendant in the lawsuit against Murdaugh, who is accused of bilking the sons of Gloria Ann Satterfield out of life insurance money after the housekeeper's mysterious death.

Statterfield's sons say the bank looked the other way when it allowed Murdaugh to set up a fake account and transfer the insurance payouts to himself and a cousin.

June 28, 2022: Alex Murdaugh and Curtis Smith are charged with drug trafficking

Murdaugh is accused of writing 437 checks worth $2.4 million that Curtis Smith - the man he hired to murder him - cashed over eight years, until September 2021.

Smith kept some of the money for himself and used the rest for wide-ranging illegal activities, according to indictments unsealed on June 28.

That illegal activity included a 'distribution network' for the painkiller oxycodone, according to prosecutors.

Both men were charged with possessing, manufacturing or distributing narcotics.

Russell Lafitte, the former Palmetto State Bank CEO, is charged with bank fraud, wire fraud and misapplication of bank funds for allegedly helping Murdaugh steal money from his client's settlements

July 21, 2022: Palmetto State Bank CEO is charged with bank fraud for 'helping Murdaugh steal money from his clients'

A federal grand jury indicted Russell Lafitte, the former Palmetto State Bank CEO, for allegedly conspiring with Murdaugh to steal $8.5 million from his client's settlements.

He is charged with bank fraud, wire fraud and misapplication of bank funds.

November 8, 2022: Laffitte faces federal trial

Laffitte's federal trial on the bank fraud charges began November 8.

The Associated Press reported that defense lawyers, Bart Daniel and Matt Austin, argue Murdaugh manipulated people and lied to Laffitte.

They say he was just a pawn following Murdaugh's instructions and didn't willfully participate in the alleged fraud.

August 2023: Laffite is sentenced to seven years in prison

Banker Russell Laffitte was sentenced to seven years in prison in early August for helping the disgraced attorney steal millions from his clients and law firm.

Prosecutors said he schemed with Murdaugh to swindle two sisters out of money they received after their mother and brother were killed in an accident in 2005.

Even though Laffitte was paid over $400,000 for watching over the sister's money, they attempted to embezzle $990,000 for Murdaugh and $355,000 for Laffitte.

August 15, 2023: Cory Fleming is sentenced to 46 months for helping to defraud sons of Murdaugh housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield

Fleming received nearly four years in prison and was ordered to pay more than $100,000 in restitution for his involvement to defraud Satterfield's sons

Murdaugh and Fleming planned to persuade the Satterfields to hire Fleming to represent them and submit a claim against Murdaugh after her death

The pair then set up fake accounts and siphoned off the payout, and then produced fake distribution sheets to get the payout approved by a judge
The home at the center of a mystery explosion which killed five people in the Pennsylvania mining town of Plum had 'hot water tank issues', fire investigators have said - as the three remaining unidentified victims have now been named.

Three buildings were obliterated by the blast just before 10.30am Saturday in the town, which is around 20 miles east of Pittsburgh, while dozens more structures were damaged.

Terrifying footage showed the moment the home on 141 Rustic Ridge Road completely blew apart, causing other properties to go up in flames.

The home was owned by Heather Oravitz, 51, the town's community development director, and her husband.

Casey Clontz, 38, was named as a victim along with his 12-year-old son, Keegan. On Tuesday, Plum Mayor Harry Schlegel confirmed the other three as Oravitz, Plum Borough Manager Michael Thomas, 57, and Kevin Sebunia, 55.

Kevin Sebunia was described as a devoted family man who leaves behind his wife, Kelly, and daughters, Emily and Abigail

Borough manager Michael Thomas leaves behind his wife Jackie and their 16-year-old daughter

Public records show that Paul Oravitz, 56, his wife Heather, 51, and their two children, Taylor and Cole, lived at the property

Footage of the explosion circulating online shows a home in Plum, Pittsburgh in what appears to be a fairly sleepy neighborhood, exploding and sending debris flying

Oravitzs husband, Paul, suffered severe burns over most of his body and remained hospitalized Tuesday in a critical condition, Schlegel said.

Two more people injured in the blast were treated at a hospital and released.

New doorbell footage shows the moment the home blew apart, causing widespread damage.

The footage begins with a quiet sunny shot of the street, with no signs of movement.

Moments later, the camera shakes violently from the force of the blast, and debris is launched over the street, before falling to the ground like rain.

The first named victim, Casey Clontz, leaves behind his wife Jen, and daughter Addie, 10.

The family said in a tribute to them: 'Their smiles and laughter filled their family's and friends' hearts with joy that can never be replaced.'

Relatives did not say why the father and son were at the Oravitz's property, but explained it wasn't uncommon for them to stop by as they were 'very friendly' with neighbors.

Public records show that Paul Oravitz, 56, his wife Heather, 51, and their two children, Taylor and Cole, lived at the property.

Sebunia was described as a devoted family man who leaves behind his wife, Kelly, and daughters, Emily and Abigail, according to local paper Trib Live.

'His family came before anything,' his friend Joe Pulcini told the paper. 'His two girls came before everything.'

Borough manager Michael Thomas leaves behind his wife Jackie and their 16-year-old daughter, Trib Live said.

The mayor told the paper Thomas had recently taught his daughter how to drive a stick shift, describing him as 'probably the best borough manager we had'.

'He was a true professional, and I considered him a friend. He ran the borough and ran it well,' Schlegel said.

Casey Clontz, 38, and his son Keegan, 12, lived just four houses away from the property which exploded on Saturday in Plum at 10.22am

Relatives did not say why the father and son were at the Oravitz's property, but explained it wasn't uncommon for them to stop by as they were 'very friendly' with neighbors

Five people were found dead after a house explosion in western Pennsylvania that destroyed three structures and damaged at least a dozen others, authorities said Sunday

New doorbell footage shows the moment the home blew apart, causing widespread damage

Emergency services were called Rustic Ridge Drive and Brookside Drive at about 10:23am on Saturday morning and discovered people trapped under debris, while two others were engulfed by flames, police said

Police and emergency services search the wreckage of the three houses that exploded near Rustic Ridge Drive and Brookside Drive

Two firefighters stand on the debris around the smoldering wreckage of the the three houses that exploded near Rustic Ridge Drive and Brookside Drive in Plum

Emergency responders said people were trapped under debris when they arrived to the scene.

County spokesperson Amie Downs said the blast leveled one house and two others were on fire.

Fifty-seven firefighters were treated at the scene for minor issues, an Allegheny County official said.

The cause of the explosion is under investigation by the Allegheny County fire marshal's office, along with local law enforcement, with officials warning that the process would be careful and would take time.

The fire marshal's office said in a statement Monday that it was aware of the reported hot water tank issues. The agency planned to investigate the cause of the blast, with the hot water tank issue in mind, and 'along with any and all other possibilities,' the statement said.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that the development is on abandoned mine land surrounded by shallow still-producing or abandoned oil and gas wells.

Two producing gas wells are within about 1000 feet (305 meters) of the home that exploded and a pipeline runs behind the development, but none of those structures have been identified as having been involved in the blast, the newspaper reported.

Michael Huwar, president of Peoples Gas, said official checks by the company indicated that 'our system was operating as designed.'

Footage of the explosion circulating online shows a home in Plum, a suburb of Pittsburgh, in what appears to be a fairly sleepy neighborhood, exploding and sending debris flying

A GoFundMe has been set up for the Oravitz family, who lived at 141, though it is unclear if any of them are among the dead

The state Public Utility Commission said Tuesday that it has been monitoring integrity tests of nearby lines by the utility and interviewing utility employees, first responders and residents as well as coordinating the collection of evidence at the scene 'including natural gas service lines and meters.'

Safety engineers of the commission also have been monitoring restoration of electric service as well as the planning and safe restoration of natural gas service.

A county spokesperson said Tuesday that electrical service was restored by Sunday afternoon to all homes other than the three that were destroyed.
As the key locations caught up in a spy investigation, they are a far cry from the glamour of a typical James Bond assignment.

But a suburban high street and a rundown seafront B&B were yesterday at the centre of an investigation into alleged spies, operating inside Britain on Russia's orders.

The three Bulgarians being investigated for allegedly working for Moscow had built apparently unremarkable lives inside this country for decades, working in seemingly ordinary jobs without rousing suspicion.

Even when police raided their homes, neighbours had no idea they were counter-espionage officers working on a major national security investigation.

It was only yesterday  after details of the charges against the trio were revealed  that their lives in Britain were put under public scrutiny.

Partying: Katrin Ivanova, right, is seen dancing at a Bulgarian restaurant in Palmers Green, north London

Bizer Dzhambazov (left) and Ivanova have been held in custody and are suspected of working for Russia

The three Bulgarians  businessman Orlin Roussev, hospital driver Bizer Dzhambazov and his girlfriend Katrin Ivanova  are facing trial for possession of fake documents with 'improper intention' including passports and identity cards.

They were arrested under the Official Secrets Act and have been charged under the Identity Documents Act with possessing fake identity documents including passports and identity cards for Britain, Bulgaria and seven other European countries, including France, Italy and Spain. The Official Secrets Act investigation is ongoing.

Yesterday neighbours of Dzhambazov, 41, and Ivanova, 31, told of their shock at their alleged involvement in spying for Russia.

Orlin Roussev, 45, of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk claims to have previously worked as an adviser to the Bulgarian Energy Ministry

The 'unremarkable' couple lived in a rented 1,100-a-month apartment in a modern block of flats on a busy high street in Harrow, north-west London, amid a mix of supermarkets, cafes and charity shops.

Brunette Ivanova, who moved to Britain in 2013, worked as a laboratory assistant for a private healthcare company, while her partner Dzhambazov was a hospital driver.

They delighted their neighbours by taking them cakes and pies as gifts, and developed a taste for British food, including the full English breakfast.

Simon Corsini said that the pair were regular customers at his cafe, Gino's, a stone's throw from their rented one-bedroom flat.

They would usually order the 'Super Breakfast'  a 7 dish of egg, bacon, beans and tomato, accompanied by four slices of bread. Dzhambazov, who frequently went in alone, also ordered hash browns.

Mr Corsini said the Bulgarian couple did not stand out in Harrow, which has a large Turkish and Albanian community, adding: 'No one would give them a second glance.'

He was shocked to learn of the charges against them, he said, but added that he was not overly concerned that two alleged spies had been living alongside him in the north London suburb.

He said: 'It is not something that you would expect, and it is quite a shock.

'I can't say that I am worried. There have been three stabbings in Harrow and that worries me more.'

Dzhambazov and Ivanova ran a community organisation providing services for Bulgarians living in the UK, including help familiarising them with the 'culture and norms of British society'.

Bulgarian state documents also listed them as working for election commissions in London which help expats to vote in Bulgarian elections.

According to Ivanova's LinkedIn profile, she studied at Bulgaria's National College for Trade and Banking for four years, and worked as a brand consultant before undertaking a three-year university degree in commercial management.

She then moved to Britain in 2013, initially working as an office manager and a sales consultant before becoming a business development manager, listing her skills as establishing rapport and 'negotiating and renegotiating'.

She and Dzhambazov set up a social media site in Britain, offering help and advice to Bulgarians who had moved to London.

The Bulgarian Social Platform offered free English courses and help with documentation and professional training.

Katrin Ivanova, 31, (left) and Bizer Dzhambazov, 41, (right) lived in Harrow, north London

Ivanova and her partner ran a community organisation providing services to Bulgarian people, including familiarising them with the 'culture and norms of British society'

Roussev lived in his block of apartments in the seaside town of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk

A report on the site on Bulgarian national radio said the couple had helped around 1,500 people and believed 'people should selflessly help each other because this will help the Bulgarian community maintain a good image in the UK'.

Photographs from the couple's social media showed Ivanova partying at a popular Bulgarian restaurant in Palmers Green in north London.

Meanwhile the couple's alleged spy comrade Orlin Roussev was living in a bed-and-breakfast hotel in the Norfolk seaside resort of Great Yarmouth.

The 45-year-old, who is fluent in English, Bulgarian and Russian, was living at the three-star Haydee Hotel, which is owned by a Bulgarian businesswoman.

He moved to the UK in 2009.

According to his online LinkedIn profile he studied at Queensland University of Technology in Australia and is a former adviser to the Bulgarian ministry of energy. In Britain, he set up his own technology business registered with Companies House, although it was later dissolved.

Roussev claimed that he was working on a new television project.

He posted on LinkedIn that he was 'redefining TV', saying his project offered 'the next generation multi-screen TV, any-time, any-place at your finger tips, when you want it, what you want'.

His company, Newgen Technologies, was set up in 2013 but dissolved four years later, according to Companies House. Roussev also claimed to be a software developer and 'accomplished network engineer', and was living at the budget guesthouse in Great Yarmouth.

Alleged Russian spy Katrin Ivanova, 32, (pictured right) can be seen at a popular Bulgarian restaurant in London in 2015 alongside an unidentified blonde woman

Ivanova (circled) can be seen holding hands in a party circle at the Bulgarian restaurant in 2015

Neighbours said that they had not seen anyone come in or out of the eight-room B&B for months.

Yesterday wooden blinds were drawn across the ground floor windows, and hanging baskets contained dead plants, while metal tables and chairs outside the Victorian terrace house had been left to rust.

The trio were arrested in February and appeared at the Old Bailey last month. They have yet to enter any plea to the identity document charges they face and are due for trial next year.

The Bulgarian embassy in London said that it had not been informed that three of its citizens had been detained on suspicion of espionage.
Online food delivery giant DoorDash has paid a $2million fine after frustrated customers complained about receiving 'spam' emails.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority slapped the company with an infringement notice after DoorDash sent 566,000 promotional emails to customers who had unsubscribed from the service.

The ACMA also found the delivery service sent more than 515,000 texts to prospective drivers without offering an option to unsubscribe from them.

'Australians find it incredibly frustrating when they receive marketing messages from businesses like DoorDash after they have taken the time to unsubscribe,' ACMA chair Nerida O'Loughlin said.

'It is unacceptable that DoorDash's prospective contractors were sent messages without an unsubscribe facility about a business opportunity that they may not have wished to pursue.'

The Australian Communications and Media Authority fined DoorDash $2million after it sent 566,000 promotional emails to customers who had unsubscribed from the service

ACMA investigated the $31.4billion Silicon Valley online ordering and delivery giant between February and October 2022 following customer complaints.

The investigation found DoorDash had mischaracterised texts sent to prospective contractors as being solely factual in nature and therefore outside the scope of spam rules.

But ACMA said the messages contained commercial elements such as offers and incentives intended to promote a business opportunity to potential delivery drivers.

'When messages include this kind of content they are considered commercial under spam rules and must include an unsubscribe facility,' Ms O'Loughlin said.

'DoorDash is a large business conducting high-volume marketing so there is no excuse for noncompliance.

'This is a further warning to all businesses that engage in email and SMS marketing that now is the time to review your spam compliance.'

The ACMA investigation found DoorDash had broken Australia's spam rules by sending 515,000 texts to prospective drivers without any option to unsubscribe from them

DoorDash, which has operations in 60 cities across Australia, has agreed to appoint an independent consultant to review its compliance with spam rules.

ACMA said the agreement was 'court-enforceable' and the company must also regularly report to the watchdog.

In the past 18 months, businesses across the country have forked out more than $10million in penalties for breaching spam and telemarketing laws.
Rishi Sunak yesterday accused Sir Keir Starmer of putting women and girls at risk with yet another U-turn over self-identification for trans people.

It came after the Labour leader used an event near Glasgow to say that he would not have blocked the SNP's proposed gender recognition reforms.

Brought forward under former First Minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, they would have allowed people as young as 16 to self-declare their gender without the need for a medical diagnosis.

But the Prime Minister used powers to block the proposals becoming law in January over concerns about the impact on female-only safe spaces.

Prior to this, Sir Keir had supported the introduction of self-identification, but later U-turned to say he supported Downing Street's intervention.

Rishi Sunak yesterday accused Sir Keir Starmer (pictured) of putting women and girls at risk with yet another U-turn over self-identification for trans people

In Rutherglen with his Scottish counterpart Anas Sarwar (pictured) ahead of a key by-election, Sir Keir attacked the government for blocking the SNP's reforms

It has put him at odds with Scottish Labour, which has said it continues to back the 'de-medicalisation' of gender recognition north of the border.

But during an event in Rutherglen with his Scottish counterpart Anas Sarwar ahead of a key by-election, Sir Keir attacked the government for blocking the SNP's reforms.

He accused UK ministers of misusing their powers under devolution, saying that they were 'intended not to empower the Westminster government to block in a muscular way things that the Scottish parliament wanted to do. That wasn't the intention... not to block provisions'.

It will be seen as an attempt to appease his Scottish colleagues ahead of the by-election in Rutherglen and Hamilton West, triggered earlier this month after SNP MP Margaret Ferrier was suspended and lost the seat for breaking Covid lockdown rules.

But speaking to the Daily Mail last night, the Prime Minister said: 'Sir Keir Starmer has just U-turned on his own U-turn. First he was for self-ID, then he tried to convince us he was against it. Now he's for it, but only if you're in Scotland. Women and girls need their rights protecting, no matter where they live in the UK.

'It's clear that Sir Keir Starmer lacks the strength to stick to any position for long  he just changes his mind to fit whatever he thinks works for him politically.'

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer talk on stage at Rutherglen Town Hall on Tuesday

Michael Shanks, Labour's candidate for the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election, has admitted being at loggerheads with Sir Keir over the two-child benefit cap and gender self-ID.

Mr Shanks, the favourite to win, has pledged to vote against the cap if elected.

He has also said he backs the 'de-medicalisation' of the process for changing legal gender and the 'general principles' of the SNP's Gender Recognition Reform Bill.

A date has not yet been set for the by-election.
Afghanistan International, August 8, 2023

On Saturday, two groups of women held demonstrations in Kabul and Takhar against the "tyrannical policies of the Taliban".

Sources from Kabul told Afghanistan International that the Taliban had been aware of the womens demonstration in Kabul and still attacked the demonstrators.

However, Afghanistan International received images from the protest site which showed that the female protesters had changed the location of the demonstration and read their resolution in a different area.

They said that they could not raise banners during the demonstration due to security threats from the Taliban.

At the same time, video recordings from Takhar received by Afghanistan International show that a group of women protesters are chanting slogans against the policies of the Taliban.

The female protesters in Takhar chanted death to oppressors and Taliban commit crimes and the US supports them.

Meanwhile, Afghan Women's Protest Movements in a statement on the occasion of August 15, the anniversary of the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, have called the Taliban a "terrorist" and "fascist" group.

The movements stressed that the Taliban have restricted people in such a way that they can barely breathe.
Heartbreaking images have emerged of burnt pets caught up in the devastating Maui wildfires - as crews work to locate missing animals and reunite families.

Maui Humane Society says it has received 367 reports of missing pets since the outbreak of the horrific blazes on the Hawaiian island last week.

The animal charity, based in Pu'unene, estimates that around 3,000 animals are still missing as a result of the ongoing tragedy.

The organization's shelter on Piilani Highway has already received 52 live animals from Lahaina, including 12 that are hospitalized in the facilitys clinic with injuries.

Eight pets have been reunited with their owners, some of whom have lost everything else.

The hunt for missing pets comes as search crews continue to make their way through the town devastated by the wildfires. Nearly 100 people have been confirmed dead and more than 1,000 remain missing.

Maui Human Society says it has received 367 reports of missing pets since the outbreak of the horrific blazes last week

The animal charity, based in Puunene, estimates that around 3,000 animals are still missing as a result of the ongoing tragedy

The organization's shelter on Piilani Highway in Puunene has already received 52 live animals from Lahaina

The Humane Society has asked that volunteers or residents who come across deceased animals not move or destroy them.

'We respectfully ask that animals do not be moved or destroyed so we can catalogue them, CEO Dr. Lisa M. Labrecque said.

'People are desperate for their pets. Any closure we can give.'

Speaking at a Monday press conference, Labrecque explained the charity is working closely with the Maui Police Department on appropriate areas to search for animals and will expand its locations when they are able to.

Feeding and water stations have been placed at the perimeters of the burned areas in order to lure out any surviving animals that may be sheltering within.

Teams of vets have also been placed at Napili Plaza and the Lahaina Civic Center to treat injured animals, mostly for burns and smoke inhalation.

'Ive been sleeping on the ground for four days,' Veterinarian Jenna Wallace told Maui Now.

'Ive been the only vet up here for four days. Ive been sleeping on the ground.

Feeding and water stations have been placed at the perimeters of the burned areas in order to lure out any surviving animals that may be sheltering within

Eight pets have been reunited with their owners, some of whom have lost everything else

Twelve pets are hospitalized in the facilitys clinic with injuries including burns and smoke inhalation

All sorts of animals including birds, horses, dogs, cats and goats are being cared for

Franklin 'Frankie' Trejos, 68, died trying to shelter Sam, a golden retriever. Both were found dead inside a car

'I treated about 45 pets yesterday by myself Were seeing dogs suffer from dehydration, not eating, stress, from being in cars and being exhausted.

'First night we slept on dog beds that were donated,' she added.

Larger animals such as horses, sheep, pigs and goats are also being cared for. Horses and livestock have been relocated from Kula and the surrounding fire area.

Field service teams have provided food and water in West Maui and Upcountry and have brought a 500-gallon water trailer and three trailers of large animal feed to West Maui.

Hawaii authorities updated the death toll on Tuesday to 99 confirmed victims but also warned the figure is likely to double as search efforts continue.

Only three people have been formally identified and the work has been hampered because many of the remains are so badly burned.

The grim developments come as more footage emerged of locals' desperate attempts to flee the wildfires that spiraled out of control a week ago.

Clyde Wakida is pictured with his wife of 46 years, Penny. He died trying to save the house they built together 35 years ago

Carole Hartley, 60, from Alabama, was one of the first wildfire victims to be identified

A video captured by a resident in Lahaina, the historic town razed by the fires, showed a large group of people clinging to the shoreline as they are engulfed by clouds of ash, embers and smoke.

Denny Yuckert, the man who filmed the video, said the group cowered for several hours, nearly choking on the smoke.

A small number of active-duty U.S. Marines joined the effort to assist Maui's recovery amid criticism of the response, which residents have branded slow and inadequate.

Crews from Marine Aerial Refueler Squadron 153 flew active-duty service members from Oahu to Maui on Monday to establish a command-and-control element that will coordinate further U.S. military support.

The Hawaii National Guard, U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are already on the ground, but a larger U.S. active duty response needs a formal request from Hawaii to begin operations there. The establishment of a cell could signal a wider Defense Department effort is about to begin.

On Monday, Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said the military wants to help but did not want to rush in personnel without coordination, so as to not create further logistical problems for recovery efforts.

Many who survived have started moving into hundreds of hotel rooms set aside for displaced locals.

Search crews had covered about 25 percent of the search area, Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said on Monday. That is up from only three percent on Saturday.

Governor Josh Green previously said that he expects '10 to 20' bodies will recovered daily in an operation that's expected to last around ten days. Around 1,300 remained missing on Sunday, he said.

The blaze that swept into centuries-old Lahaina last week destroyed nearly every building in the town of 13,000.

Around 86 percent of the roughly 2,200 ruined buildings were residential and the value of wrecked property has been estimated at more than $5 billion.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein accused the trustees of her late husband's estate of financial elder abuse, asked they be removed from their position, and charged them with improperly financially enriched his three daughters.

The lawsuit was filed on Aug. 8 in the California Superior Court in the County of San Francisco by the senator's daughter, Katherine Feinstein, who has power of attorney for her.

The 90-year-old Democratic senator from California has suffered from poor health in the past year, including a case of shingles that kept her away from the Senate for a month. She also fell at her San Francisco home last week and was briefly hospitalized.

Senator Dianne Feinstein in the Capitol in July before senators left for August break

Feinstein and her late husband, Richard Blum, married in 1980 and lived together until Blum's death in early 2022.

The lawsuit alleges that the trustees committed 'financial abuse' of Feinstein by 'wrongfully withholding distributions to which (her late husband's) trust entitles her in bad faith and diverting assets that they should have used to fund' the senator's trust.

The filing was first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.

Feinstein gave her daughter power of attorney on July 23rd to allow Katherine Feinstein to act as her representative in litigation matters, according to the suit.

She has filed three lawsuits  in June, July and August  against the trustees as she seeks to access her late husband's assets.

Steven Braccini, the attorney representing co-trustees Michael Klein and Marc Scholvinck, previously told the Chronicle that they have 'never denied any disbursement to Senator Feinstein.'

But Feinsteint's latest lawsuit says: 'The Trustees have failed to respond to any requests for disbursements, which is a de facto denial.'

Klein says Feinstein has been receiving $125,000 each quarter in response to her June lawsuit.

Blum was reportedly a billionaire at the time of his death. Feinstein is also independently wealthy, separate from her husband's finances.

The lawsuit also alleges the trustees have improperly 'funded gifts to Blum's daughters or forgiven their indebtedness,' prior to giving Feinstein what the trust dictates she should receive.

Each of Blum's three daughters stands to inherit at least $22 million after Feinstein's death if the funds are available, according to his trust.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, 90, has had health problems and missed three months in the Senate earlier this year after contracting shingles

Senator Dianne Feinstein with her husband Richard Blum in March 2009

Feinstein's daughter Katherine (above) has power of attorney over her mother

Braccini told the newspaper that the trustees 'have acted ethically and appropriately at all times; the same cannot be said for Katherine Feinstein. This filing is unconscionable. The trustees have always respected Senator Feinstein and always will. But this has nothing to do with her needs and everything to do with her daughter's avarice.'

Feinstein's July lawsuit said she has been unable to access Blum's assets to pay for 'significant medical expenses' after a bout with shingles. Feinstein is covered by Medicare and the DC Health Link, which provides health plans for members of Congress.

The senator was diagnosed with the shingles virus in late February and hospitalized in early March. She was absent from the Senate for three months and still dealing with medical complications.

A hearing for the June case is scheduled for Monday and the July case is scheduled for Sept. 5.

There have been concerns about how Feinstein's health is affecting her ability to carry out her duties as senator.

She has 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.
Crippling late-summer holiday rail strikes will cost already hard-hit pubs and restaurants more than 150million, industry bosses warned yesterday.

Thousands of workers represented by the militant RMT union will walkout next Saturday during the busy Bank Holiday weekend.

It will be followed by another 24-hour strike the following Saturday, heaping more misery on families hoping to dash to the beach or enjoy stay-cations before children return to school.

It will also affect families returning from holidays abroad as well as music fans attending the Leeds and Reading festivals over the bank holiday weekend.

Hospitality chiefs told the Daily Mail that they expect the two walkouts to inflict a 150million blow on the industry, bringing the total hit to more than 3.5billion since rail strikes started last summer.

Thousands of workers represented by the militant RMT union, led by Mick Lynch, will walkout next Saturday

It will be followed by another 24-hour strike the following Saturday, heaping more misery on families hoping to dash to the beach

Strike misery looks set to last for many more months and possibly another year with talks between the RMT and industry chiefs in the deep freeze.

Both sides have not met for months and no new offers have been tabled, according to sources.

The announcement last month by industry chiefs and ministers of plans to close almost all ticket offices in England has inflamed tensions.

A nine percent pay offer over two years has been rejected by RMT bosses without putting it to members.

Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UK Hospitality, said: 'It's so frustrating that rail strikes are once again going to cause huge disruption and loss of business to hospitality venues.

'We estimate that the sector will suffer to the tune of 150million as a result of strikes at the end of the month, bringing the cumulative impact to 3.5billion.

'In the midst of summer, this will hit the capital hard.

'Whether it's businesses trading, tourists or families planning a summer trip or workers looking to get into work, every aspect of society will be hit.

'With visitor confidence dented with every strike, we need to see government, unions and rail companies urgently negotiate a resolution to avoid even further disruption.'

The strikes are set to affect music fans attending the Leeds and Reading festivals over the bank holiday weekend

Strike misery looks set to last for many more months and possibly another year with talks between the RMT and industry chiefs in the deep freeze

One hospitality executive said: 'We estimate that the sector will suffer to the tune of 150million as a result of strikes at the end of the month, bringing the cumulative impact to 3.5billion'

Other estimates put the impact of rail strikes on the industry and wider economy at more than 5billion.

The RMT has orchestrated more than 20 walkouts since June last year.

The union struck a deal with Network Rail over pay in March this year.

But a separate dispute involving workers for the train operators, such as Avanti West Coast, LNER and Greater Anglia, is yet to be resolved.

Around 20,000 workers for 14 operators covering most of England will walkout on August 26 and September 2.

Another dispute with train drivers' union Aslef is also on-going.

Aslef has snubbed an 8 per cent increase over two years which would take the average driver's salary to 65,000, up from 60,000.

On Tuesday, health minister Will Quince insisted there will be no more talks over pay as the latest strike by junior doctors in England drew to a close.

As the four-day walkout ended, Mr. Quince insisted that talks on pay were now 'closed' after ministers said in July that junior doctors will receive pay rises.

Mr. Quince told Sky News: 'It's hugely disappointing that both the junior doctors of the BMA and the consultants are still taking industrial action.

'And that's despite the government having accepted in full the recommendations of the independent Pay Review Body.

'Take junior doctors for example - we accepted the recommendation, which is an average of 8.8% (rise for average junior doctors) or 10.3% for new doctors just starting out in training.

'The Prime Minister has been really clear that the discussion on pay is now closed.

'My door remains open to discuss other issues around working environments and conditions, but pay is closed and I think that's the right decision.'

It was the fifth time junior doctors from the British Medical Association staged industrial action in England amid the ongoing dispute over pay.

Senior doctors, also known as consultants, are now scheduled to strike on September 19 and 20.

An RMT spokesman said: 'The government is driving this dispute by indemnifying train operating companies from any losses during strike action, of more than 1billion.

'Striking railway workers are not targeting the hospitality industry but have been left with no choice to continue to take strike action in our campaign for a negotiated settlement on jobs, pay and working conditions.'
Scams on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp are the source of more than one million cases of fraud every year, shocking figures reveal.

A Money Mail investigation has found that an estimated 16 per cent of all crimes recorded by the police in 2022 originated on platforms owned by social media giant Meta  more than double the number of robberies, burglaries, homicides and knife crimes combined.

That means every day, an average of 3,000 people fall victim to a scam that can be traced back to one of these platforms.

Most lose thousands of pounds to crooks. More than 1.2billion was stolen through fraud in 2022, according to banking trade body UK Finance.

From next year, banks will be forced to refund victims who have been tricked into sending money through 'authorised push payment' (APP) scams, in which a fraudster typically pretends to be a genuine organisation or someone they know.

(Stock Photo) Every day, an average of 3,000 people fall victim to a scam that can be traced back to one of these platforms

At present, tech giants have no obligation to pay towards the cost of reimbursing victims who lose money after falling for scams originating on their platforms.

Official data sent to the Chancellor by UK Finance last month and seen by Money Mail shows that 61 per cent of all cases of APP fraud originate on platforms owned by Meta.

Banking industry insiders have accused the social media giants of taking no responsibility for the consequences of fraud.

David Postings, chief executive of UK Finance, which represents more than 300 financial companies, singled Meta out in his letter to the Chancellor.

He said: 'It is clear from the data that the biggest challenges sit with Meta. APP fraud causes psychological harm, financial loss, harm to our sector's reputation, and damage to our economy.'

A Meta spokesman said: 'With tens of millions of people in the UK using our apps daily, we recognise the important role we must play in tackling this industry-wide issue.

'We don't want anyone to fall victim to these criminals which is why we have systems to block scams. We encourage anyone who spots a scam to report it.'

It comes as Money Mail today launches a campaign to tackle the social media fraud epidemic and call on tech companies to do more to protect their users.
A warning has also been issued for the island of Maui

Violent demonstrations have taken place in the state

Australians have been issued with a fresh warning about travelling to a part of India where violence is escalating and order is breaking down.

Smart Traveller, the government's travel advisory body, has recommended travellers 'reconsider' their need to visit Manipur, a northeastern Indian border state plagued by ethnic clashes since May.

'Curfews and restrictions continue in parts of Manipur following violent demonstrations, resulting in casualties,' the warning reads.

Smoke billows from an abandoned house set on fire in the violence-hit state of Manipur

'Security agencies have increased their presence in the region.

'Mobile internet services remain suspended and transport services have been disrupted.

'Further restrictions may be imposed at short notice. If you're in Manipur, avoid demonstrations and large public gatherings, follow the advice of local authorities, take official warnings seriously and monitor local media for updates.'

The August 14 update means India's northeastern states of Assam, Nagaland and Manipur are now listed with the third-highest travel warning, which advises Australians to reconsider their need to travel there.

The government has a 'do not travel' warning in place for the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir on the India-Pakistan border and advises travellers to 'exercise a high degree of caution' overall for India.

The government has also updated its travel advice for the US, asking travellers to reconsider any immediate plans to travel to Maui (pictured, aftermath of the fire in Lahaina)

The government has also updated its travel advice for the US, asking travellers to reconsider any immediate plans to travel to Maui following the outbreak of wildfires.

'Visitors with plans to stay in West Maui in the coming weeks and months are urged by the Hawaii Tourism Authority to consider rescheduling their travel plans for a later time when the overall situation has improved,' the update reads.

'Travel to the other Hawaiian Islands, including O'ahu, Kaua'i, Lana'i, and Hawai'i Island, isn't affected at this time.'
Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows filed a motion to have the Fulton County, Georgia charges against him moved to federal court.

Meadows was indicted Monday alongside his ex-boss, former President Donald Trump.

Trump, Meadows and 17 other defendants were charged with crimes related to trying to overturn President Joe Biden's 2020 presidential election win in the Peach State.

Meadows' attorney George Terwilliger and Atlanta-based counterpart Joseph Englert argued in the motion Tuesday that Meadows' case needs to move to federal court because he was working as a federal official at the time.

ABC News reported Tuesday that Trump is expected to make a similar move.

Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows filed a motion to have the Fulton County, Georgia charges against him moved to federal court

'Nothing Mr. Meadows is alleged in the indictment to have done is criminal per se: arranging Oval Office meetings, contacting state officials on the President's behalf, visiting a state government building, and setting up a phone call for the President,' Terwilliger said in the filing.

'One would expect a Chief of Staff to the President of the United States to do these sorts of things,' he continued.

'This is precisely the kind of state interference in a federal official's duties that the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution prohibits, and that the removal statute shields against,' the lawyer added.

Terwilliger also said that Meadows plans to try to get the case dismissed entirely, but would pursue that avenue at a 'later date.'

Moving the case to federal court would 'halt the state-court proceedings against Mr. Meadows,' the lawyer argued.

'That will allow for the timely consideration of Mr. Meadowss defenses, including his federal defense under the Supremacy Clause, without requiring him to defend himself in state court simultaneously,' the filing said.

ABC News reported Tuesday that former President Donald Trump is also likely to push to have his Georgia state charges moved to federal court

Meadows has been assigned District Judge Steve Jones, an Obama appointee.

The former chief of staff has been accused of violating Georgia's RICO - Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations - Act and and soliciting the violation of oath by a public officer.

The latter charge is related to Meadows being present during Trump's infamous call with Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on January 2 when the then-president asked the top election official to 'find' votes.

'All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have,' Trump is heard saying.

The Washington Post's reporting on the call prompted Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to launch her investigation, which culminated in the charges being announced against Trump, Meadows and others Monday night.
Asian grocers in Mount Waverley have vehemently rejected any suggestion Erin Patterson could have bought killer mushrooms from their stores.

On Friday, Ms Patterson provided Victoria Police with a sworn written statement claiming she purchased a package of dried mushrooms from an Asian grocery store in the Melbourne suburb at least three months before the lunch.

The package of mushrooms was hand-labelled, she said

Pastor Ian Wilkinson was the only person to survive the poisonous beef wellington dished up on July 29 by Ms Patterson in Leongatha, Victoria.

His wife Heather, her sister Gail and husband Don Patterson all died after eating the toxic meal.

On Tuesday, Daily Mail Australia visited Asian grocers in and around the heart of the suburb's busy shopping precinct.

Erin Patterson is pictured outside her home on Tuesday last week. She allegedly told police she had bought dodgy mushrooms from an Asian grocer

TK Asian Supermarket staff refuted claims poisonous mushrooms were coming out of Mount Waverley. It is not suggested that any of the stores shown sold any poisonous mushrooms

Dried mushrooms sold at the nearby 28 Mart were all labelled clearly. None were white or hand written

Situated on Hamilton Place, TK Asian Supermarket is by far the largest and most popular of its type.

Two shop attendants told Daily Mail Australia they had never heard of anyone becoming sick from eating mushrooms purchased from their shop.

One of the shopkeepers said the very notion of someone becoming ill from a shop bought dried mushroom seemed 'crazy' to him.

'Yeah, dried, poisonous mushrooms. I don't know about that,' he said.

'We have no idea if she bought them here. I've seen her on the news, but I can't really remember.'

The East Mart does not even sell dried mushrooms

28 Mart was happily selling dried mushrooms on Tuesday.

People continue to buy drfied mushrooms. No alerts have been issued to state they shouldn't

The shopkeeper said none of their mushrooms were labelled in the way Ms Patterson reportedly described her purchase to police.

'She said they were a handwritten, white label and we have never sold that,' he said.

Around the corner, Daily Mail Australia was provided similar answers from both the East Mart and 28 Mart.

East Mart did not even sell dried mushrooms, with the shopkeeper - via use of Google Translate - showing his fridge stocked with only fresh or frozen mushrooms.

28 Mart's dried mushroom products were all neatly labelled, with that shopkeeper also disputing claims poisonous dried mushrooms had been sold in Mount Waverley.

'I sell dried mushrooms, do you want to try?' the shopkeeper asked.

It is not suggested that any of the stores shown sold any poisonous mushrooms.

Who is who in the killer mushroom tragedy

Erin Patterson arrives home last week to a waiting media pack

Ms Patterson's ex-husband Simon (pictured) pulled out of the deadly lunch at the last minute

The latest health advisories and alerts published by Victorias chief health officer, as well as the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) recalls database, shows only one mushroom alert has been listed this year.

That alert related to the recall of Natural Mushrooms' Enoki Mushrooms due to an incorrect use-by-date of July 13, 2023, 'increasing consumers risk of Listeria infection.

However, those mushrooms did not have handwritten labels on their packaging.

The Australian Mushroom Growers Association released a statement on Tuesday stating 'commercially grown mushrooms, produced in Australia, are safe and high quality'.

'If you want safe mushrooms, buy fresh, Australian-grown mushrooms,' it posted to its website.

Ms Patterson 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.
The iconic windmill that featured in the 1968 film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is up for grabs for an eye-watering 9million.

The windmill was the home of the Potts' family in the much-loved film, which starred Dick Van Dyke and Sally Ann Howes.

The property is called Cobstone Mill and is found in the affluent Buckinghamshire village of Turville, which is 20 minutes from High Wycombe and surrounded by stunning countryside views.

The iconic windmill that featured in the 1968 film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is up for grabs for an eye-watering 9million

Following the film's success, the property was bought by the actress Hayley Mills and her film director husband Roy Boulting.

Together, they restored the run down property to its former glory. It was then sold on, with future owners including David Brown, the late former owner of Aston Martin.

The windmill was the home of the Potts' family in the much-loved film, which starred Dick Van Dyke

The property is called Cobstone Mill and is found in the affluent Buckinghamshire village of Turville

The stunning property has been restored, with the original working mill is still visible inside

The exterior sails of the iconic windmill have been fully restored by the current owners

The Grade II listed windmill's exterior sails have been fully restored by the current owner in the last 18 months.

The original working mill is still visible inside, alongside a winding staircase leading from the ground floor, where there is the main living room.

The staircase leads to two bedrooms on the first and second floors, with views across the Hambleden Valley.

The windmill boasts far-reaching countryside views across the beautiful Hambleden Valley

The windmill has two bedrooms that are on the upper floors, including this one with ceiling beams

Alongside the windmill, there is a separate main house on the property and almost 37 acres of land, which includes a swimming pool and outbuildings.

The main flint house has a grand double-height drawing room with floor to ceiling doors that open on to a large terrace overlooking the sheltered swimming pool.

The property has six bedrooms in total - including the bedroom in the separate garage annexe - and currently spreads across almost 2,600 square feet.

Planning consent was granted in 2016 to substantially extend the main house.

Alongside the windmill, there is a separate main house on the property with an outdoor swimming pool

The main flint house has a grand double-height drawing room with floor to ceiling doors that open on to a large terrace

Planning consent was granted in 2016 to substantially extend the main house

The property is around 50 miles from central London and is around five miles from Saunderton and Henley-on Thames train stations.

The average price of a property sold in Henley-on-Thames during the past 12 months is 778,411.

It is more than double the average 353,236 for the country as a whole, according to Zoopla.

The property sits in almost 37 acres of land, which includes a swimming pool and outbuildings

The main house has a wood and carpeted staircase in the blue hallway leading to the first floor

The property has six bedrooms in total and currently spreads across almost 2,600 square feet

The sale of the property is being handled by estate agents Savills and Private View Property.

Stephen Christie-Miller, of Savills, said: 'From the moment you arrive at Cobstone Mill it becomes immediately clear how special this property is and for many it will be instantly recognisable.

Imagine inviting your friends to come and stay at the best-known windmill in the world

'From the beautiful architecture of the windmill to the spectacular views down the Hambleden Valley, Cobstone Mill has to be seen to be believed and this is even before you bring into consideration the home's extensive film history.

'I am sure that the homes unique heritage combined with today's offering, in a prime Buckinghamshire location, will appeal to both domestic and international buyers that are looking for the best of the best.

'Yes, some homes claim to be iconic, however nothing comes close to Cobstone Mill.'

And Nicholas Brown, of Private View Property, said: 'I am very fortunate to have acted in the sale and purchase of a great many of the finest homes over the course of 40 years.

'However, I can safely say that Cobstone Mill is perhaps the very best known of them all. It is a true landmark and the setting and views are without doubt breath-taking.

'To be able to market this iconic property is a huge privilege and for the next lucky owners, imagine inviting your friends to come and stay at the best-known windmill in the world.'
From Christopher Lee to Nicolas Cage, several actors have taken on the role of Count Dracula through the years.

While the famous vampire is fictional, he is widely believed to have been based on a real Romanian prince known as Vlad the Impaler.

Now, a study has revealed a bloody connection between the Romanian prince and Count Dracula.

Experts from the University of Catania say that Vlad the Impaler suffered from a rare condition that caused him to cry tears of blood.

Professor Vincenzo Cunsolo, who led the study, said: 'He probably suffered, at least in the last years of his life, from a pathological condition called hemolacria, that is, he could shed tears admixed with blood.'

Experts from the University of Catania say that Vlad the Impaler suffered from a rare condition that caused him to cry tears of blood

From Christopher Lee (pictured) to Nicolas Cage, several actors have taken on the role of Count Dracula through the years

What is haemolacria? Haemolacria is the condition that makes sufferers cry tears of blood. The tears can either have a red tinge or appear as though they are entirely made of blood. While the visual impact of haemolacria is powerful and may be very scary, it is not always a cause for concern. It is a symptom of many diseases and may be indicative of a tumour in the system that produces tears. It can also be provoked by conjunctivitis, environmental damage or injuries. There have been cases of haemolacria induced by hormones in women. Some researchers suggest that it is connected to extreme stress or psychological upset. Advertisement

Vlad, also known as Vlad Dracula, was the three-time ruler of Wallachian between 1448 and his death around 1477.

He was later the inspiration for Irish author Bram Stoker's famous vampire count in his 1897 novel Dracula.

Now, more than 500 years after his death, scientists have taken 'historical biomolecules' from missives written by the infamous warlord.

The team extracted blood, sweat, fingerprints and saliva from a letter in May this year, exactly 125 years since Stoker's Dracula was published.

The letter is dated August 4, 1475, and was written to the burghers of Sibiu by a man who describes himself in the text as the 'prince of the Transalpine regions'.

He informed the residents of the town that he would soon be living in their village.

At the bottom, he signed his feared name: Vlad Dracula.

Analysis of proteins on the document indicate that Vlad may have suffered from hemolacria - a rare condition that makes sufferers cry tears of blood.

The tears can either have a red tinge or appear as though they are entirely made of blood.

While the visual impact of haemolacria is powerful and may be very scary, it is not always a cause for concern.

Analysis of proteins on the document indicate that Vlad may have suffered from a condition called hemolacria

READ MORE: How the world's historic heroes would look TODAY from Leonardo Da Vinci to Vlad the Impaler Vlad III was the three-time ruler of Wallachian and is said to have been the inspiration for author Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic novel Dracula Advertisement

It is a symptom of many diseases and may be indicative of a tumour in the system that produces tears.

It can also be provoked by conjunctivitis, environmental damage or injuries.

There have been cases of haemolacria induced by hormones in grown women.

Some researchers suggest that it is connected to extreme stress or psychological upset.

Professor Cunsolo said: 'Our proteomic data, although cannot be considered exhaustive alone, might indicate that, according to some stories, he probably suffered, at least in the last years of his life, from a pathological condition called hemolacria, that is, he could shed tears admixed with blood.

'Additionally, he also probably suffered from inflammatory processes of the respiratory tract and/or of the skin.

'To our reckoning, this is the first time such research has been carried out and has helped to bring to the limelight the health status of Vlad Dracula the Impaler.

'It cannot be denied that more medieval people may have touched these documents, but it is also presumable that the most prominent ancient proteins should be related to Prince Vlad the Impaler, who wrote and signed these letters.'

The study is published in the journal ACS Analytical Chemistry.
Graves belonging to members of the Knights Templar - a mysterious holy militia that sprang up in the 12th century - have been uncovered at an English village church in one of the 'most nationally important discoveries' of its kind.

The medieval order, which had chapters across Europe, including in Britain, were known for their role in the Crusades and as one of the Middle Ages' most powerful and wealthy religious organisations.

Historian Edward Spencer Dyas made the Da Vinci Code-style discovery of eight Knights Templar graves at St Mary's Church in Enville, Staffordshire.

In Dan Brown's novel, The Da Vinci Code, and the film of the same name starring Tom Hanks, Professor Robert Langdon delves beneath Rosslyn Chapel, in Scotland, in the hunt for Knights Templar treasure.

Mr Dyas now believes St Mary's could be one of the most nationally important Templar churches in the country because of its links to 'England's greatest knight' of the Middle Ages.

Interesting find: In what has been described as one of the 'most nationally important discoveries' of its kind, a historian has uncovered graves belonging to members of the Knights Templar at St Mary's Church in Enville, Staffordshire

Edward Spencer Dyas had already found the resting place of three members of the ancient order at St Mary's Church but has now discovered five more 800-year-old graves. One also includes a Crusader cross, suggesting the knight was both a Templar and a Crusader of the ancient military order

The Knights Templar, which had chapters across Europe, including in Britain, were known for their role in the Crusades and as one of the Middle Ages' most powerful and wealthy religious organisations

WHO WERE THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR? The Knights Templar were a mysterious holy militia that sprang up in the 12th century. The medieval order were known for their role in the Crusades and as one of the Middle Ages' most powerful and wealthy religious organisations. A unique combination of knight and monk, the Knights Templar was made up of devout Christians tasked with providing safety to pilgrims to Jerusalem. In 1129, the Knights were officially recognised by the Pope and by 1180 there were some 600 of them in Jerusalem, Tripoli and Antioch. By the end of the 12th century there were thousands of Knights Templar, who accumulated considerable land, castles and spoils taken in battle. They even bankrolled Henry II on his crusades. The Knights Templar were a mysterious holy militia that sprang up in the 12th century (artist's impression) Advertisement

William Marshal, the 1st Earl of Pembroke, was a jouster, warrior, diplomat and even twice de facto king who was the inspiration for Lancelot in medieval Arthurian tales and also drafted the Magna Carta.

Marshal died aged 73 in 1219 and was buried in Temple Church in London after being invested into the order of the Knights Templar on his deathbed.

But at St Mary's, the stained glass windows depict an array of coats of arms including one that belonged to Hugh Mortimer of Chelmarsh, who married Marshal's granddaughter.

There is little other explanation why there would be so many Templar graves at the quaint village church, although members of the group are believed to have attached themselves to churches dedicated to St Mary the Virgin.

The church on the outskirts of the Black Country was built in the early 12th century at a time when the Templars were creating Preceptories - a type of monastery - around Britain.

Each of the graves he has uncovered features a Templar cross within double circles in a standard Templar design.

One also includes a Crusader cross, suggesting the knight was both a Templar and a Crusader of the ancient military order.

At the foot of the same grave there's also a Templar Cross - a variation of the Jerusalem Cross - revealing the unknown knight had once been part of the Templar Order at Temple Mount, Jerusalem.

'I believe these discoveries make Enville one of the most nationally important churches in the country,' Mr Dyas said.

'That's due to its close links with William Marshall, who is considered of the greatest warriors England ever produced.

'But there is a mystery of why an European Templar is buried at Enville and why they were secretly so prominent there.'

In Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code and the film of the same name starring Tom Hanks (pictured), Professor Robert Langdon delves beneath Rosslyn Chapel, in Scotland, in the hunt for Knights Templar treasure

He believes St Mary's Church (pictured) could be one of the most nationally important Templar churches in the country because of its links to 'England's greatest knight' of the Middle Ages

Each of the graves Mr Dyas has uncovered features a Templar cross within double circles in a standard Templar design

At St Mary's, the stained glass windows depict an array of coats of arms including one that belonged to Hugh Mortimer of Chelmarsh (pictured), who married Marshal's granddaughter

Mr Dyas believes that St Mary's Church in Enville was 'under the patronage of the Templars'

This map above shows where St Mary's Church in Enville is in Staffordshire

Mr Dyas' research led him to establish that St Mary's was built by Roger de Bermingham - a priest whose family owned all Enville land including Morfe, a medieval royal forest in neighbouring Shropshire.

'Although records are missing it is clear the de Bermingham family built the Norman church at Enville, using Templar financing,' he added.

'Henry de Morfe, who held land owned by the de Berminghams, sold part of Morfe Forest to the Templars at this time, and the de Berminghams instated Roger de Bermingham as the first priest of St Mary's Church, Enville.'

It is for this reason that Mr Dyas believes the church was 'under the patronage of the Templars'.

As part of his research, the historian was given permission to look inside the crypt beneath the church for further clues as to its Templar origins.

The church on the outskirts of the Black Country was built in the early 12th century at a time when the Templars were creating Preceptories - a type of monastery - around Britain

Pictured is one of the Templar graves found at St Mary's Church in Enville, Staffordshire

As part of his research, Mr Dyas was given permission to look inside the crypt beneath the church for further clues as to its Templar origin

However, despite the crypt never having been sketched or photographed before, the inspection did not reveal any further evidence, the historian added

A unique combination of knight and monk, the Knight's Templar was made up of devout Christians tasked with providing safety to pilgrims to Jerusalem

However, despite the crypt never having been sketched or photographed before, the inspection did not reveal any further evidence, Mr Dyas added.

A unique combination of knight and monk, the wealthy medieval organisation was made up of devout Christians tasked with providing safety to pilgrims to Jerusalem.

In 1129, the Knights were officially recognised by the Pope and by 1180 there were some 600 of them in Jerusalem, Tripoli and Antioch.

By the end of the 12th century there were thousands of Knights Templar, who accumulated considerable land, castles and spoils taken in battle.

They even bankrolled Henry II on his crusades.
The Guardian, August 14, 2023

Shima Forugh* was in 10th grade at school when she decided she would join the Afghan army. It had been taboo in Afghanistans patriarchal society for women to join the military, but hundreds of women like Forugh broke through this restriction.

When she was 21, she joined the 207th Zafar army corps in Herat. Her father, who was also a member of the Afghan army, and mother both supported her decision to sign up.

Forugh was in military training when her father was killed in 2017 by a Taliban explosive device on his way to Helmand province. She had to take care of her two sisters, brother and mother.

She never imagined that the Taliban would one day regain power in Afghanistan. Its forces took control of the capital, Kabul, on 15 August 2021, and Forugh was on a fortnights leave when it was reported that Herat province had fallen.

Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban supreme leader, announced a general amnesty after the takeover, but, according to Forugh, those who worked in the former military forces were not included. In the first days of Taliban rule, Alia Azizi, former head of the womens prison in Herat province, disappeared after she was called to the office by the authorities.

An investigation by the New York Times reported that in the first six months of Taliban rule, about 500 soldiers and government employees of the previous Afghan regime were killed by the Taliban.

Even those who surrendered were shot dead or followed, says Forugh. When the Taliban tried to go door to door, I burned my documents. I left the house and was hiding.

She has not been able to travel freely or support her family since. In these two years, I have spent every moment in secret and in fear of death. With the Taliban imposing restrictions on womens lives, our economic situation has worsened.orugh describes her life under the shadow of Taliban rule as gradual death and captivity, and says she is staying at home like a prisoner. Only her mother is able to work. Truthfully, I am very tired. If suicide were right, I would end this miserable life.

Due to her fear of arrest, she has no contact with her former colleagues inside Afghanistan but says a number of those who have fled to neighbouring countries have experienced mental illness.

About 4,000 women worked in the Afghan military system, according to data collated by the previous government of Afghanistan. Now, some are forced to beg for a living.

Fatima* is the only breadwinner of her family of six. She worked as a female police officer in a prison for 10 years until Taliban rule left her homebound and without income.

She moved out of the city with her four children and husband and lived secretly in a relatives house. Her only concern at that time was safety because she had money saved for at least a few months. But after a year, her savings ran out, and she had to return with her family to the city so that her husband could work as a labourer.

We were afraid that if the Taliban found our place, they would torture and kill us. We live with trembling fear. We dont sleep well. If I go somewhere, I wear a burqa so as not to be recognised.

Her husband earns the equivalent of less than 1 day. This buys the family dry bread, but one of the children has malnutrition, and there is not enough to pay for treatment.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 28.8 million people in Afghanistan need humanitarian aid.

Fatima has been forced to send two of her children  her 14-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter  to her brother-in-law who lives in another province where he can enrol them with a local charity.

I miss my children very much, especially my daughter, who is so young, she says. Sometimes, when I feel bad, I make a video call to their uncle and talk to them.

*Names have been changed to protect identities
It's been less than a year since Apple launched the iPhone 14, but it seems owners are already facing issues with their smartphones.

Several iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro owners have taken to social media to complain that their batteries are running down unexpectedly quickly.

One user posted a screenshot of their battery health, showing a maximum capacity of just 89 per cent.

This is despite Apple claiming that its batteries should 'retain up to 80 per cent of its original capacity at 500 complete charge cycles when operating under normal conditions.'

Here's what to do if you have one of the affected models and have noticed your battery dwindling.

It's been less than a year since Apple launched the iPhone 14, but it seems owners are already facing issues with their smartphones

Several confused users have taken to Twitter this week to discuss the battery drainage, with one saying 'guess it's time to buy a new one'

Several confused users have taken to Twitter this week to discuss the battery drainage.

'Battery on iPhone 14 pro max is degrading faster than a melting piece of butter,' one user tweeted.

'Got the phone in November last year. 89% in just 9 months. This definitely is not normal. I've had almost every iPhone since iPhone 6 and this is the worst I've ever seen.'

Another added: 'Another percentage dropped on my iPhone 14 Pro that's 3% in a week.

'Yet my charging habits hasn't changed or anything. So annoying I think it's a sign to sell.'

And one joked: 'My iPhone 14 Pro Max is now useless with 91% battery life. Guess it's time to buy a new one. Maybe next month...'

While the reason for the issue remains unclear, users have put forward several theories, including MagSafe charging or overheating.

'Convinced that using MagSafe charging has fried my iPhone 14 Pro battery. Losing 10% capacity in less than a year isn't normal,' one user suggested.

Another added: 'Either the iPhone 14 Pro has overheating problem or the battery has longevity problem, or both.'

'Battery on iPhone 14 pro max is degrading faster than a melting piece of butter,' one user tweeted. 'Got the phone in November last year. 89% in just 9 months. This definitely is not normal. I've had almost every iPhone since iPhone 6 and this is the worst I've ever seen'

One user was so irritated that they said that the issue was a 'sign to sell' their iPhone 14 Pro

How to optimise your iPhone's battery If you're experiencing the issue, there are several things you can do to optimise your battery's performance. Apple advises updating to the latest software, dimming your screen's brightness, and using WiFi when it's available. Alternatively, you can set your iPhone to Low Power Mode. Advertisement

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal's Senior Personal Technology Columnist, Joanna Stern, suggests there might be another issue at play.

In her newsletter, she wrote: 'Did the always-on displaywhich is new to these iPhone Pro models and I kept on for the first half of the yearcause the capacity to shrink faster?

'Is the phone not cooling or dissipating heat as well as other models? Maybe it's the fact that I run beta software?'

MailOnline has contacted Apple for comment.

If you're experiencing the issue, there are several things you can do to optimise your battery's performance.

Apple advises updating to the latest software, dimming your screen's brightness, and using WiFi when it's available.

Alternatively, you can set your iPhone to Low Power Mode.

'Low Power Mode reduces display brightness, optimises device performance and minimises system animations,' Apple explained.

'Apps including Mail will not download content in the background, and features like AirDrop, iCloud sync and Continuity will be disabled.

'You can still use key functions like making and receiving phone calls, email and messages, accessing the Internet and more.

'And when your phone charges up again, Low Power Mode automatically switches off.'
Tesla launched 'budget' variants of its Model S sedan and Model X SUV in the US on Monday that cost $10,000 less - but the slashed price comes at a cost.

The new S and X 'Standard Range' models are now priced at $78,490 and $88,490 but will come with less range and power.

The Model S is 410 miles, but the cheaper version has 320, and the Model X loses 79 miles, leaving it with 269 miles on a single charge.

While both models will have the same batteries and motors as their higher-ticketed counterparts, the software was to limit specific features and upgrades.

The Elon Musk-founded company hopes the move will increase sales as high borrowing costs hamper demand for expensive electric vehicles.

The electric vehicles feature 20 percent less range - dropping the Model S from 410 miles to 320, and the Model X loses 79 miles, leaving it with 269 miles on a single charge.

Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets, Hargreaves Lansdown, said in a statement: 'The idea is to appeal to consumers who are keen for the badge and the EV experience but might be put off by the higher price tag compared to competitors.'

Along with reduced range, the vehicles will also have less power.

The 0-60 mph acceleration is listed at 3.7 seconds and 4.4 seconds for the new Model S and Model X versus the other models 3.1 seconds and 3.8 seconds.

Industry experts have also said the Standard Range vehicles will not receive firmware upgrades to access more range or performance in the future.

The new pricing could also be in response to more EV makers moving into the US market, such as Lucid, which lowered its Air Pure to $83,900.

The 22023 Porsche Taycan starts at $86,700 and Mercedes-Benz's EQE Sedan starts at $74,900.

The new S and X 'Standard Range' models are now priced at $78,490 and $88,490

The new pricing could also be in response to more EV makers moving into the US market. The 22023 Porsche Taycan (pictured) starts at $86,700

READ MORE: These are the 10 electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles that qualify for $7,500 federal tax cuts The move forms part of the Government's plan to accelerate the shift to electric cars which have historically been too expensive for the average consumer. Advertisement

However, Tesla in July announced record car deliveries in the second quarter of the year after US business was bolstered by federal tax credits for electric vehicles.

The company delivered 446,140 cars worldwide in the three months leading up to June, outdoing its own prediction of 445,000.

It marked an 83 percent increase in sales from last year when Coronavirus restrictions hampered production in China.

Sales in the US have benefited from a federal tax cut imposed on electric cars by the Government in April.

The scheme - designed to accelerate America's shift away from gas cars - means motorists can claim up to $7,500 back in tax credits when buying eco-friendly vehicles.

Only ten models - including plug-in hybrid cars - are eligible for the full sum. But a further seven entitle buyers to $3,750.

Among those to benefit from the full discount are the Tesla Model 3 and Tesla Model Y, which retail for around $41,990 and $56,990.

But the generous cut means a Tesla Model 3 is now cheaper than a Toyota Camry in California.

The all-electric vehicle starts at $40,240, but the rebate - combined with another California tax rebate of $7,500, depending on income and other requirements - knocks it down to $25,240.

Meanwhile, Japanese-made Camry lists at $26,320 or higher.

According to the latest figures, the Model 3 and Y accounted for almost all - 446,915 - sales in the year's second quarter.
READ MORE: Harvard physicist believes aliens will make first contact with AI

They could have technologies to create baby universes in laboratories

The Harvard physicist on a mission to prove the existence of alien life believes ultra-advanced civilizations may already have the ability to create 'baby universes in a lab.'

Avi Loeb - former chair of Harvard's astronomy department - said these creatures may even be responsible for our universe.

Professor Loeb - who has made wildly speculative theories in the past - is currently studying hundreds of tiny metal fragments recovered from an interstellar object that crashed into the Pacific Ocean and is due to publish his findings in weeks.

Avi Loeb hypothesized that beings possess an intelligence so profound they could be creating 'baby universes' in a laboratory, including our own

He explained to Fox News that a civilization that is millions of years more advanced than us may have developed an understanding of 'how to unify quantum mechanics and gravity'.

This, he theorized, could recreate the cosmic conditions that gave rise to its existence.

The notion of creating life in a laboratory may sound farfetched to most, but scientists have made single-celled organisms before, and Loeb said it is 'a quality that we assign to God in religious texts.'

Many astronomers, however, are 'sick' of Loeb's wild claims that are 'polluting good science.'

Loeb has made headlines for years, starting with his theory that the interstellar visitor Oumuamua in 2017 was an alien craft - something that was mocked or criticized by most mainstream scientists.

Avi Loeb suggested the ultra-advanced civilization would be seen as 'God' to humanity

In June, he conducted a dive in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Papua New Guinea to recover fragments of the IM1 meteor that disintegrated in January 2014, which he believes are remains from an alien craft.

READ MORE: Harvard scientist Avi Loeb claims he may have uncovered proof of alien life and will reveal it next month Scientists are already fairly certain that IM1 came from outside of the solar system, and Loeb's analysis hopes to shed light on whether it is a normal space rock, or an engineered device such as a craft or probe. Advertisement

But Arizona State University astrophysicist Steve Desch told the New York Times: 'Its polluting good science  conflating the good science we do with this ridiculous sensationalism and sucking all the oxygen out of the room.'

The pushback is not stopping Loeb from searching for answers, however, which he promises will be revealed in September.

In the meantime, he is sharing his theories, including this one about super-intelligent civilizations.

'A very advanced scientific civilization is a good approximation to God,' Loeb told Fox News.

'Imagine a cave dweller visiting New York City and seeing all the gadgets in technology in terms of the lights appearing as a miracle to the cave dweller.'

Loeb has long touted that baby universes could be created in laboratories, which is only possible with quantum-gravity technologies, a combination of two pillars of modern physics: quantum mechanics and gravity.

Quantum mechanics is the branch of scientific study that seeks to explain and set rules for how particles smaller than the atom behave.

Together, the pillars provide a consistent and complete description of the nature of gravity at a quantum level and help us understand the universe's behavior at its most fundamental level.

In an op-ed for Scientific America, Loeb wrote: 'We do not possess a predictive theory that combines the two pillars of modern physics.

'But a more advanced civilization might have accomplished this feat and mastered the technology of creating baby universes,' he wrote.

During the interview with Fox News, Loeb said it is 'arrogant of us to think that we are alone,' considering there are 'tens of billions of planets in the Milky Way galaxy alone and hundreds of billions of galaxies like the Milky Way in the observable volume of the universe.'

'Perhaps noticing a neighbor will be a wake-up call that will bring us together,' Loeb said, speaking of humanity as a whole.

'There might be many more neighbors that are far more accomplished than we are, and we can learn from them.

'So my hope is that it will bring humanity to a better place in the long term future.'
An expert has claimed to solve the puzzle as to why women climax less than men.

A professor at the University of Florida found just four percent of heterosexual women orgasm through penetration, but 96 percent of women can do so by clitoral stimulation.

Other studies have found that women also orgasm faster when pleasuring themselves - an average of eight minutes, compared to 14 minutes during sex.

The professor blames the disparity between sexes on films and TV series, which consistently show women orgasm during intercourse.

A psychology professor is shining a light on the gender orgasm gap where women are climaxing

Professor Laurie Mintz recently shared her findings in The Conversation, highlighting the misconception of female orgasms.

'Indeed, educating people on the fact that women dont have a limited biological capacity for orgasm is important,' she wrote.

'Likewise, education for both men and women about the clitoris could be a game-changer.'

She discussed a 2017 study conducted by researchers at Chapman University who asked more than 50,000 Americans about their climax frequency.

The sample group included: heterosexual men, gay men, bisexual men, lesbian women and heterosexual women.

'Heterosexual men were most likely to say they usually-always orgasmed when sexually intimate (95%), followed by gay men (89%), bisexual men (88%), lesbian women (86%), bisexual women (66%), and heterosexual women (65%),' reads the study.

The expert asked 'thousands of women' the best way to climax, and just four percent said penetration, while 96 percent answered through clitoral stimulation

However, the team found that women reported climaxing more frequently when receiving oral sex.

'Women were more likely to orgasm if their last sexual encounter included deep kissing, manual genital stimulation, and/or oral sex in addition to vaginal intercourse,' the researchers wrote.

Mintz noted that at least 92 percent of women orgasm when pleasuring themselves.

A 2018 study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that women also tend to climax faster during masturbation than during sex with a partner.

The research included 2,304 women who completed a questionnaire about their health, lifestyle habits, sexual history and activities, orgasms and distress.

On average, the women reached orgasm in 14 minutes during partnered sex but climaxed in eight minutes while pleasuring themselves.

Mintz suggested partners should 'take turns having orgasms using oral sex or manual stimulation, along with using a vibrator during intercourse.
She has jetted off on her Summer break to the Mediterranean, flitting between Italy, the South of France and Greece.

And Amanda Holden showcased her incredible figure in a skimpy white bikini while soaking up the sun on Tuesday.

The TV personality, 52, accessorised with stylish black sunglasses while laying on a pebble beach.

Amanda penned on Instagram: 'Still squeezing out every drop of summer with my family'

Amanda, husband Chris, Lexi, 17, and Hollie, 11, have been touring the Med during the summer break from school, already enjoying the sights of Pisa and the Italian coast.

Incredible: Amanda Holden showcased her incredible figure in a skimpy white bikini while soaking up the sun on Tuesday during Mediterranean summer break

Mini-me: Amanda is enjoying a summer break with her - posing for a stunning sunset Instagram snap with her daughters Lexi, 17, and Hollie, 11 on Tuesday

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.

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.

After buying the home, Amanda admitted to 'badgering' its former owner to sell it to them for years until they finally relented.

Stunning: The TV personality, 52, accessorised with stylish black sunglasses while laying on a pebble beach

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

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.'
EastEnders is set to leave fans on the edge of their seats next week with plenty of drama which sees a face from the past return, a scorned lover take action and one resident descending into meltdown.

Next week, as Anna tracks down her mother Rose, aka Cindy Beale, her half brother Peter Beale takes action and heads to Walford in a bid to keep the huge secret.

Meanwhile, Eve struggles and spirals out of control in the wake of learning about Caz's role in her sister's death - but what will she do?

Elsewhere, as Yolande and Patrick get their relationship back on track, things turn sour when her jealous ex-lover Anton makes an unexpected arrival.

Here's everything you need to know about next week's action on Albert Square...

Drama: EastEnders will leave fans on the edge of their seats next week with plenty of drama which sees a face from the past return, a scorned lover take action and one resident descending into meltdown

Tough time: Eve struggles and spirals out of control in the wake of learning about Caz's role in her sister's death - but what will she do?

As Anna digs deeper, a face from the past returns to Walford

After encouragement from Freddie, Anna finally tells George, Gina and Elaine that shes got her mums number. George snaps and reveals hes had her number for years and its clear she doesnt want to be found.

Later, Elaine explains to George and Gina that its natural for Anna to want to speak to her mum leading them both to give Anna their blessing to make contact. Anna calls her mum and leaves a message explaining shes in Walford and how she misses her every day.

Elsewhere, Bobby is shocked to learn Kathy is selling the chippy after arriving at work to find a for sale sign being erected. Failing to reach Kathy, who is on her honeymoon, Bobby decides to call Peter

Shock: Anna finally tells George, Gina and Elaine that shes got her mums number. George snaps and reveals hes had her number for years and its clear she doesnt want to be found

Call: Bobby is shocked to learn Kathy is selling the chippy after arriving at work to find a for sale sign being erected. Failing to reach Kathy, Bobby decides to call Peter

Big decision: Anna calls her mum and leaves a message explaining shes in Walford and how she misses her every day

Close: After radio silence, Anna sends a scathing text to her mum and heads to No.45 for a heart-to-heart with Bobby as the pair put their awkwardness from last week behind them

Discovery: In France, Peter intercepts the text from Anna on Cindys phone and after interrogating Ian, learns he has two sisters

After radio silence, Anna sends a scathing text to her mum and heads to No.45 for a heart-to-heart with Bobby as the pair put their awkwardness from last week behind them.

In France, Peter intercepts the text from Anna on Cindys phone and after interrogating Ian, learns he has two sisters.

Ian quickly deletes the messages from Anna and pleads with him not to tell Cindy which he agrees to, but Peter shocks Ian when he later shares his plans to leave for Walford to meet his two sisters declaring hes booked on the Eurostar that night.

Later, Peter arrives at The Vic as an unsuspecting Gina and Anna prepare to close up for the night

The next morning, Bobby wakes to find Peter sleeping on the sofa in No.45. Peter vows to help Bobby turn the chippy into a success to force Kathy not to sell, but instead he heads to The Vic to spy on his new sisters.

Return: Peter shocks Ian when he later shares his plans to leave for Walford to meet his two sisters declaring hes booked on the Eurostar that night

Tension: Things go from bad to worse as Ben arrives and gives Peter a mouthful before Gina reveals that Bobby is smitten with Anna. Peter attempts to stop the budding relationship between his siblings

Drama: Peter wakes full of regret from last night to a phone call from Cindy who can sense that something is wrong but Peter covers. Meanwhile, furious at his brother's recent actions, Bobby orders Peter to leave

Things go from bad to worse as Ben arrives and gives Peter a mouthful before Gina reveals that Bobby is smitten with Anna. Peter attempts to stop the budding relationship between his siblings.

Peter wakes full of regret from last night to a phone call from Cindy who can sense that something is wrong but Peter covers. Meanwhile, furious at his brother's recent actions, Bobby orders Peter to leave.

Back in France, Cindy tells Ian shes going to Walford to collect Peter but knowing that George and the girls are living on the Square, Ian convinces her not to leave by insisting hell make Peter come home.

Eve spirals out of control

A concerned Suki finds Eve sleeping rough on a bench having got drunk all night.

After a heart-to-heart about her sisters death, Eve and Suki head to the police station to share new information on the case, but Eve is infuriated to be told that Caz has served her time and the case is now closed.

Eve heads to The Albert and drinks herself into oblivion. Suki enlists Staceys help to track Eve down, dragging her away from her coffee with Theo which infuriates him.

Oh dear: A concerned Suki finds Eve sleeping rough on a bench having got drunk all night

Support: After a heart-to-heart about her sisters death, Eve and Suki head to the police station to share new information on the case, but Eve is infuriated to be told that Caz has served her time and the case is now closed

Help: Eve heads to The Albert and drinks herself into oblivion. Suki enlists Staceys help to track Eve down, dragging her away from her coffee with Theo which infuriates him

When Stacey learns the truth about Eves sisters death, she panics when Felix reveals Eve left to go and meet Caz. Meanwhile, Eve has met Caz outside the Albert, but what is she up to?

Later, Suki and Stacey are shocked when they discover Eve with Caz. Stacey takes a shaken Caz back to No.31 to try and diffuse the situation, but Caz is spooked again when Suki and Eve arrive.

Once alone with Caz, Theo meddles, encouraging Caz to go to the police in the hope of getting Eve out of the picture once and for all, but Suki overhears and interrupts.

However, Caz makes her excuses to use the bathroom, and its not long before Suki discovers shes left for the police station.

After the recent events, Stacey is later spooked when she arrives home to find her bedroom has been trashed.

Meddling: Once alone with Caz, Theo meddles, encouraging Caz to go to the police in the hope of getting Eve out of the picture once and for all, but Suki overhears and interrupts

Uh oh: However, Caz makes her excuses to use the bathroom, and its not long before Suki discovers shes left for the police station

Martin meanwhile returns from Bulgaria, but Stacey keeps tight-lipped on the break-in fearing his reaction.

Eve is shocked when Theo arrives to tutor Lily, but its clear that Stacey wants him around following the incident. Eve and Theo have some cross words about his meddling behaviour with Caz.

Later, Eve heads to the cafe to fill Martin in on Staceys stalker - but who do they suspect is the culprit?

A scorned lover returns

Back together: Patrick and Yolande are smitten, but its clear Yolande is hiding something after she keeps avoiding a call

Bombshell news: Anton pleads with Yolande to return to Birmingham but soon leaves her floored when he issues a shock ultimatum

Patrick and Yolande are smitten, but its clear Yolande is hiding something after she keeps avoiding a call.

Later in the cafe, Yolandes ex-lover Anton arrives and a fight with Patrick quickly ensues.

Back at No.20, Anton insists Yolande is leaving with him, and tells her hes willing to forgive and forget, giving her until tomorrow to come back and make amends.

Anton pleads with Yolande to return to Birmingham but soon leaves her floored when he issues a shock ultimatum.

An unlikely friendship forms

Bonding: Phil and Alfie soon head to the hospital for their respective tests, and Alfie later thanks Phil for his support

Phil invites Alfie for a kick about with the boys in an attempt to get him to open up.

Alfie remains evasive about his upcoming MRI, but Phil reminds him that he needs to take his health seriously for his kids by sharing that other kids on the Square like Lexi dont have the privilege of two parents.

Later, Phil continues to put pressure on Alfie and shares that he is going to get his prostate checked as his dad Eric died of prostate cancer.

Phil and Alfie soon head to the hospital for their respective tests, and Alfie later thanks Phil for his support.

EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Coronation Street fans are set to enjoy another week of action-packed drama, with the cobbles set to be rocked by a shock attack, a surprising request and a heartbreaking health battle.

In next week's episodes, Michael finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time when he's embroiled in a violent clash with Cassie's drug dealer - but Ronnie uses this incident to his advantage.

Meanwhile, when Peter informs him he needs rent, Ryan considers taking desperate measures to raise some cash when he receives a request on social media.

Elsewhere, as his motor neurone disease continues to affect him, Paul is disheartened to learn he has to make some big changes in his life.

Here's everything you need to know about next week's action in Weatherfield...

Michael clashes with Cassie's dealer

After telling Tyrone she is going to the Citizens Advice Bureau to start looking for somewhere to stay, Cassie actually meets up with her drug dealer Dean who turns nasty as she owes him money.

Seeing Cassie fall to the ground in pain, Michael insists on taking her to hospital.

Dean follows them and when Ronnie arrives at A&E, he sees Michael in the middle of a row with Dean.

When Dean punches Michael Ronnie reckons they should call the police, but Cassie begs them not to.

Trouble: After telling Tyrone she is going to the Citizens Advice Bureau to start looking for somewhere to stay, Cassie actually meets up with her drug dealer Dean who turns nasty as she owes him money

Drama: Seeing Cassie fall to the ground in pain, Michael insists on taking her to hospital. Dean follows them and when Ronnie arrives at A&E, he sees Michael in the middle of a row with Dean

Shock attack: When Dean punches Michael Ronnie reckons they should call the police, but Cassie begs them not to

Meeting: Meanwhile, at No.9, Tyrone introduces Cassie to Kevin and Abi and explains that Abi is a recovering drug addict too, leaving Cassie furious

Michael tells Ronnie that this sort of thing happens all the time to Aggie, leaving Ronnie shocked, but he soon uses this information to his advantage to get Ed to go in on the deal so Aggie can retire. Will Ed agree?

Later, Ronnie tells Debbie that he took her advice and bought the Newton & Ridley shares with the money from the Tavern Mews project.

When Dee-Dee offers to help out with the admin and the accounts for their new business, Eds delighted whilst Ronnie masks his panic.

Meanwhile, at No.9, Tyrone introduces Cassie to Kevin and Abi and explains that Abi is a recovering drug addict too, leaving Cassie furious.

Ryan gets a very surprising request

Peter confides in Ryan how he owes Rufuss wife 15k and could really do with some rent off him. Ryan promises to do what he can to help.

When Ryan reveals that hes off to the bistro to ask for some shifts so that he can pay his way, Carlas annoyed to realise that Peters been putting pressure on him.

Ryan receives a message from Liv, one of his followers. He messages back and enjoys the banter until she asks him to drop his kecks and send him a pic. What will he do?

Money woes: Peter confides in Ryan how he owes Rufuss wife 15k and could really do with some rent off him. Ryan promises to do what he can to help

Request: Ryan receives a message from Liv, one of his followers. He messages back and enjoys the banter until she asks him to drop his kecks and send him a pic. What will he do?

Desperate times: Later, Ryan receives a message from a man called Guy offering to pay for some private photos. Ryan takes his top off and carefully hiding his scars, uploads some pictures

Frustrated that he cant pay his way, Ryan tells Sean and Daisy he is hoping to start making money from his socials. They warn him that the only way to do that is by selling seriously dodgy pics.

Ryan arranges to meet Daisy for a drink later but when he discovers that Daniel and Daisy are moving in together he doesnt turn up for the drink. Daisy calls to check up on him at the flat but he assures her he is fine.

Daisys pleased but as she heads off, Ryans facade slips. Struggling with his emotions, Ryan goes onto the O-Vidz website and creates a new profile and posts his first video.

He receives a message from Liv describing him as awesome and demanding more, Ryan checks his account to see that he has new subscribers and the money is flowing in.

Ryan lies to Carla and Peter that hes now officially an online fitness influencer, hell soon be raking it in and able to pay his own way.

Anger: Ryan reads a derogatory comment online about his scarred body. Carla urges him to ignore it, but clearly fuelled by testosterone, Ryan loses his temper

Lashing out: Hurling a glass across the room, Ryan rages at Carla

Later, Ryan receives a message from a man called Guy offering to pay for some private photos. Ryan takes his top off and carefully hiding his scars, uploads some pictures.

But what will he do when Guy offers him 100 for a video of his full body and face?

Ryan reads a derogatory comment online about his scarred body. Carla urges him to ignore it, but clearly fuelled by testosterone, Ryan loses his temper. Hurling a glass across the room, Ryan rages at Carla.

Paul struggles with his motor neurone disease

In the flower shop flat, Billy notices Paul struggling with his right leg. Paul does his best to cover, secretly dismayed at his deterioration.

Billy returns home with a walking aid for Paul. When Paul admits that the walking aid will take some getting used to, Billy suggests a wheelchair instead, but Pauls horrified at the very idea.

Struggle: Billy returns home with a walking aid for Paul. When Paul admits that the walking aid will take some getting used to, Billy suggests a wheelchair instead, but Pauls horrified at the very idea

Fallen: Gemma suggests he take Bryn outside for a runaround at the park. When Bryn runs off Paul tries to go after him but crashes to the ground

Upsetting: Back at the flat Paul admits he cant manage the stairs. Billy enlists Todds help and between them they carry Paul up to the flat. Paul feels utterly humiliated. Paul reluctantly admits it might be time for a stair lift

Later, Billy presents Paul with an engagement ring for his birthday. Pauls overcome with emotion. But when he turns up at the Bistro for the joint party with Gemma he is overwhelmed to see so many people.

Gemma suggests he take Bryn outside for a runaround at the park. When Bryn runs off Paul tries to go after him but crashes to the ground.

Back at the flat Paul admits he cant manage the stairs. Billy enlists Todds help and between them they carry Paul up to the flat. Paul feels utterly humiliated. Paul reluctantly admits it might be time for a stair lift.

Helping hand: Billy watches as three drag queens help Paul out of a taxi and carry him into the Rovers. As everyone rallies round him, Paul gets upset that it will be his last ever Pride

Soon, Paul gets into the spirit of Pride and is up for fancy dress. But he is dismayed when his occupational therapist agrees with Billy that it is probably time for a wheel chair.

Paul is angry at Billy and when David reveals that he found Paul knocking back vodka on a bench, Billy blames himself and explains that they had an argument.

Billy watches as three drag queens help Paul out of a taxi and carry him into the Rovers. As everyone rallies round him, Paul gets upset that it will be his last ever Pride.

Tensions bubble over between Todd and George

Todd finds a card that George had thrown in the bin from Troy at Rest Easy with a message asking Todd to have a chat about his future career. Todd confides in Glenda who says he should ask for a pay rise.

When George is evasive Todd calls Troy and arranges a meeting. Troy offers Todd a job at RestEasy on a salary of 30k plus bonus. Todds impressed and promises to think about it. Will he accept?

Over breakfast, George makes it clear to Todd that their working relationship is over. Eileen urges George to bury the hatchet with Todd and pay him a decent salary.

Awkward: Troy offers Todd a job at RestEasy on a salary of 30k plus bonus. Todds impressed and promises to think about it. Will he accept? Over breakfast, George makes it clear to Todd that their working relationship is over

George tells Eileen that he needs a replacement for Todd whos accepted the job at RestEasy and he thinks she would be terrific.

As Todd prepares for his first RestEasy wake, hes shocked when Troy urges him to cash in on the familys grief by flogging them a more expensive urn.

When George sets off to meet a client about a wake, Mary offers to go with him and take notes. George is dubious but grateful for her help.

In the Rovers, Todd makes out that hes enjoying his new job whilst George pretends that Marys a natural at undertaking, both of them secretly wishing they still worked together.

Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
Miramax CEO Bill Block's wife Eugenia Kuzmina is living in Chateau Marmont hotel after splitting with her multimillionaire husband - who has filed court documents twice in the past four years indicating that he wants out of their marriage.

Amid the 41-year-old Russian-born model, actress and author's claims on social media that she has 'no home' and is 'all alone' at the luxe Hollywood Hills hotel, DailyMail.com has exclusive photos showing that she is, in fact, alone - without Block, 69, their two kids or her wedding ring.

According to the documents obtained by DailyMail.com, in July 2019, Block filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences, but had it dismissed 10 months later, in May 2020. In November 2022, he filed again - this time for legal separation. Just five months ago, in March 2023, he petitioned to have the separation dismissed.

On Saturday, the Russian-born model shared a not-so-subtle message for her fans on Instagram - making it clear where she was residing and her current reality. On an official Chateau writing pad she wrote, 'I have no home. And I'm alone. Impermanent pencil, my husband always on the phone.' She also wrote 'Day 2' on the hotel pad, which included her name, as well as 'in residence.'

In another photo, she flashed a ring on her ring finger that was not her wedding ring. It contained the words 'I love you' and the words 'f*** you.'

Miramax CEO Bill Block's wife Eugenia Kuzmina (seen at event in 2015), 41, is living at the Chateau Marmont hotel in Hollywood Hills, where she says she has 'no home' and is 'alone'

Sunday: In exclusive photos obtained by DailyMail.com, Kuzmina appeared downcast as she stepped out of the Chateau Marmont hotel on Friday

Kuzmina was seen on Saturday texting someone at the Chateau Marmont, where she checked in without her husband Block, 69, or their two kids

On Sunday, Kuzmina hid behind dark sunglasses as she emerged from the hotel, carrying a $3,500 Christian Dior tote

On Monday, Kuzmina showed no expression as she stood outside of the Chateau Marmont. This was the fourth day that the mother of two was holed up at the luxe LA hotspot

No home? Kuzmina shared a not-so-subtle hint to her marriage troubles with Block in a post that says: 'I have no home and I'm alone'

Rooms at the Chateau Marmont range from $538 to $816 per night, while suites go for $689 to $987, according to Travel Weekly.

DailyMail.com understands that - although Block and Kuzmina are physically separated - they are still talking and are committed to their children.

When contacted by DailyMail.com, a representative for Block declined to comment.

A representative for Kuzmina also offered no comment on the matter.

Block's intentions to leave his wife of 13 years have been well documented.

On July 15, 2019, Block (petitioner) filed for divorce from Kuzmina (respondent) citing 'irreconcilable differences.'

Listing their marriage date as March 27, 2010, the document states that they were married for nine years and four months when he requested to terminate their union.

Block requested joint custody of their two children - son Theodore, who was 11 years old at the time, and their daughter, Veronika, who was seven years old.

The divorce document shows that Block agreed to pay Kuzmina spousal support 'in accordance with the parties' prenuptial agreement,' but does not state how much that is. He also 'asked to confirm the assets and debts,' which included their $10 million Hollywood Hills home, as well as 'miscellaneous household furniture and furnishings.'

Five months later, on December 12, 2019, records show that a case review conference was held, in which Block's attorney 'requested time to serve the respondent and show proof of summons.' Five months went by and Kuzmina was still not served the divorce papers.

On May 27, 2020 - just one month after the United States went into a complete lockdown due to Covid-19 sweeping the country - attorneys for Block asked to have the petition for dissolution dismissed without prejudice. His motion was granted. His reason for calling off the divorce is not included.

Two-and-a-half years later, on November 29, 2022, court documents obtained by DailyMail.com reveal that Block motioned to end his marriage to Kuzmina a second time. However, instead of divorce, the Miramax head asked for a 'legal separation due to irreconcilable differences.'

Better times: Block and Kuzmina were all smiles in 2016 when they took their son, daughter and the kids' friend out to eat in LA

Block filed for divorce on July 15, 2019 - citing irreconcilable differences. As seen in this document he asked for joint custody of their two children

The powerful Miramax CEO had the divorce dismissed in May 2020 - one month after the US went into lockdown due to the deadly Covid-19 virus

In November 2022, Block tried to end his marriage to Kuzmina again - this time by filing for legal separation. Again, he requested joint custody of their young ones

Less than five months ago, in March 2023, Block had the request for legal separation dismissed. However, the document obtained by DailyMail.com shows it was not stamped

Sunday laughs: Kuzmina met up with an unidentified male friend on Sunday at the Chateau Marmont. The two were spotted laughing and appeared to be friends

Sunday fun day: Kuzmina and her friend chatted it up in photos obtained by DailyMail.com. It is unclear how they know each other

At the time, the two had been married for 12 years and eight months. Again, he requested joint custody of their two children - Theodore, 14, and Veronika, 11.

The document shows that Block agreed to pay spousal or domestic partner support 'in accordance with their prenuptial agreement, as amended.'

On March 10, Block petitioned to have the legal separation dismissed. The document has not been stamped by the court.

During this time, Block has also sold off two of his three properties. The third was recently listed off-market.

All three of the properties are owned by Block outright and were purchased prior to his marriage to Kuzmina.

Since his first divorce filing, Block has sold two of his mansions - the first one for $6.7 million at the time of his divorce petition and the second for $11 million amid his legal separation petition.

In May 2023, he listed his third home in the Hollywood Hills for $6 million.

Last week, Kuzmina was spotted sans wedding ring - and without Block - at an LA Barnes and Noble event, where she was promoting her latest self-help book, Model Mom.

Kuzmina has not been seen spotted with her wedding ring - or her husband - at all in recent weeks. He is also completely absent from her Instagram, which boasts roughly 557,00 followers.

Last week, she shared a cryptic message for her husband.

The message read: 'To my husband Bill Block: under the makeup of filters and LA sky, I breath in and out and pinch my paper thin skin to the heart depth. I'm alive, grateful for every non plastic connection, hug and conversation, I look at the view of my imaginary house that's about to collapse into abyss and I know material things are illusion, it's true unconditional love for my kids, animals nature that bring true bliss, nowhere to go but now, this present moment of gratitude I bow.'

Kuzmina has been photographed four days in a row at the Chateau Marmont. Neither her husband nor her children visited the hotel.

On Friday, she was all smiles when she exited the hotel in the daytime. She greeted a male friend outside of the hotel and the two chatted it up.

On Saturday, she was photographed at the Chateau Marmont looking somewhat distressed. She was texting on her cell phone when spotted.

The next day, Kuzmina appeared solemn when she exited the hotel in the morning.

And on Monday, Kuzmina was spotted outside of the Chateau Marmont before getting into her Porsche. She took the car to a nearby dealership where she had minor repairs assessed.

In every photograph, she was wearing dark black sunglasses.

In 2021, DailyMailTV spoke exclusively to Kuzmina. At the time, she was in Turkey filming Guy Ritchie's latest blockbuster Five Eyes with Hugh Grant and Jason Statham - modelling for Chanel, Dior and Hermes.

The Russian-born model talked about meeting her husband when she was just 21 years old. She also told DailyMail.com that she was not a 'trophy wife.'

'I was 21, and wasn't looking for a husband at the time,' she said. 'But my boss [former Ford Models CEO] Katie Ford introduced me to Bill. He was extremely charming; he was a producer at the time. He had all these intellectual ideas about movie making.

'He had to pursue me for quite a while. He would fly to our shoots in Hawaii, show up there and take care of the whole crew and photographers and take us for dinners. He was such a gentleman.'

After a whirlwind romance Kuzmina became pregnant. Though Ford said it would end her career, the Russian model carried on toiling.

'I made a commitment. Katie Ford was telling me it's the worst decision of my life to have kids in the middle of my career. But I said I can do it, if I did it before for myself, I can take care of me and my baby,' she said.

'I worked through the whole pregnancy, did all the Gap campaigns and Target.

'I went straight back to work after four weeks because I had a contract with L'Oreal. So, I was flying back and forth from Los Angeles to New York with a baby on the red eye.'

Though she could have sat back and enjoyed her husband's success after his 2017 promotion to CEO, Kuzmina said her hard upbringing in Russia and struggle to support her family had left her with an independent spirit.

'After losing my dad I realized we really didn't have anybody to count on,' she said.

'At some points while modelling I couldn't survive, I had to steal food from backstage at a fashion show. I kept that habit for a long time.

'One time I was with my husband, and he said, "Why are you putting the rest of that breakfast in your Prada bag?" Old habits die hard they say.

'Just looking at my mom how much she struggled not working, my goal was always to be self-sufficient and continue working no matter what.'
Heather Graham showed off her incredible figure in sizzling new snaps from her Grecian vacation.

The 53-year-old Boogie Nights actress  who last month vacationed in Jamaica  displayed her fit figure in two different bikinis in her latest Instagram post, shared on Monday.

The star wowed in a red two-piece, and later a white variety, that showed off her toned midriff and long legs.

'Hot tomato girl summer,' she wrote in the caption, adding a tomato, Greek flag, red heart, and pasta emoji.

The upload quickly racked up thousands of likes from her 478,000 ogling followers.

Hot stuff: Heather Graham showed off her incredible figure in sizzling new snaps from her Grecian vacation

Varied looks: The 53-year-old Boogie Nights actress displayed her fit figure in two different bikinis in her latest Instagram post, shared on Monday

Another snapshot in the post included a capture of the star in a woven white tank top with multicolor flower patterns.

She donned a wide-brimmed sun hat and oversized sunglasses as she posed in front of a scenic waterfront.

Heather displayed her toned tummy in the cropped look, which she paired with denim shorts.

The longtime entertainer slipped her feet into a pair of thong sandals and her textured blonde locks blew in the breeze.

There was also a capture of the silver screen siren modeling a red romper that tied at the midriff, flashing a bit of her skin with a center cutout.

Graham carried a white paper bag, appearing to have enjoyed a day of shopping.

She also treated viewers to an image of her looking darling in an off-the-shoulder white dress with eyelet details.

Posing in a lit city street at nighttime, she crossed her legs and held out the skirt of her frock on either side.

Cute: Another snapshot in the post included a capture of the star in a woven white tank top with multicolor flower patterns

On holiday: There was also a capture of the silver screen siren modeling a red romper that tied at the midriff, flashing a bit of her skin with a center cutout

Angelic: She also treated viewers to an image of her looking darling in an off-the-shoulder white dress with eyelet details

Yum! Also featured in the carousel was a photo of a plate of delicious-looking pasta

Earlier this year Heather called out sexism in Hollywood as she suggested that there is 'no age' where women are 'allowed' to feel good about themselves.

'I think, culturally, there is definitely a message out there that keeps telling us, "Women feel bad about yourself!"' she explained to NewBeauty magazine.

She added: 'It seems like there's no age where we're really allowed to feel good about ourselves - except for maybe a very short window.'

'The rest of the time we're supposed to feel like, "I'm too young or I'm too old,"' she said.
Karl Stefanovic was roasted by fans on Tuesday over his 'terrible' field coverage reporting on the aftermath of the Malaysia Airlines security incident.

The Today show host, 49, appeared live at Sydney Airport on Tuesday to follow up to the security scare that saw flight MH122 turned around after passenger Muhammad Ali Arif, 55, a dual Pakistani-Australian citizen, began making 'threats' to passengers and flight crew.

Stefanovic struck viewers as nervous as he began his field interview with two aviation experts and tripped over his words several times.

Viewers were merciless in their criticism of Karl's impromptu reporting style and took to the MediaSpy forums to roast him.

'Karl doesn't seem to be adding much being at the airport this morning IMO. He seems to be fumbling over his words and quite sweaty,' one viewer sniped.

Karl Stefanovic (pictured) was roasted by fans on Tuesday over his 'terrible' field coverage reporting of the recent Malaysia Airlines Flight MH122 crisis

'He's doing a terrible job anchoring this morning. I understand if he doesn't have autocue but he should be able to string a sentence together without it at least,' another added.

'I'm finding him so cringy this morning!' a third person chipped in.

Fortunately, Karl seemed to gain his composure as the morning progressed and provided viewers with a clearer understanding of the frightening ordeal.

However some were left questioning why he needed to be on location in the first place, with one viewer commenting, 'it's still perplexing why he has to be at the airport. He could've just as easily done this in studio and been more effective.'

Daily Mail Australia has sought comment from Today.

The Today show host, 49, appeared live at Sydney Airport to speak about the incident which saw a flight turned around after an unruly passenger began making threat

It comes after a Malaysia Airlines plane was forced to return to Sydney on Monday afternoon, after a passenger went on a crazed rant about Allah.

Dramatic video showed the man calling himself a 'slave of Allah' before challenging other passengers to repeat that they were also 'slaves of Allah'.

He was arrested at Sydney Airport at around 7pm on Monday and spent the night in custody.

Stefanovic looked nervous as he began his field interview with two aviation experts and tripped over his words several times

Some were left questioning why he needed to be on location in the first place, with one viewer commenting, 'it's still perplexing why he has to be at the airport'

The arrest came after police controversially took three hours to board the plane.

NSW Police commissioner Karen Webb confirmed on Tuesday that charges had been laid against the passenger allegedly at the centre of the rant.

Muhammad Ali Arif, 55, a dual Pakistani-Australian citizen, will face Downing Centre Local Court later today on two counts of making a false statement and not complying with directions.
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Jackie 'O' Henderson may be loved up with her new boyfriend, but his ex-girlfriend is not happy about it.

The KIIS FM host, 48, is currently dating 29-year-old tradie and model, Jack Tyerman.

Now Woman's Day claims Jack's ex Mia D'Agostino has been left 'rattled' to learn he is in a relationship with the blonde bombshell radio queen.

According to the publication, Mia, who still features prominently in Jack's past Instagram pictures, found out about her former flame's new romance by reading Daily Mail Australia last week.

D'Agostino left Australia for London to work in finance, and was said to be under the impression she would get back together with Jack one day.

Jackie 'O' Henderson may be loved up with her new boyfriend, but his ex-girlfriend is not happy about it

Woman's Day claims Jack's ex Mia D'Agostino has been left 'rattled' to learn he is seeing Jackie

Last week, Jackie O and her much younger man were seen on an intimate date night at her $13 million Sydney home, confirming speculation the tradie is the new mystery man she had been teasing.

The radio queen recently said that 2023 is one of her best years yet, after losing a whopping 18kg and hinting at her romantic life.

She raved about how good life is during an appearance on Seven's The Morning Show recently, claiming 2023 is one of her best years yet.

While not specifically referring to her new romance with hunky tradie and male model 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.

D'Agostino left Australia for London to work in finance, and was said to be under the impression she would get back together with Jack one day

Last week, Jackie O and her much younger man were seen on an intimate date night at her $13 million Sydney home, confirming speculation the tradie is the new mystery man she had been teasing

'I'm having a great time. I think everything seems to be going really well,' she said on the show.

'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.'
David Tennant looked incredible in new Doctor Who promotion pictures as he reunited with co-star Catherine Tate ahead of the 60th Anniversary Special.

The actor, 52, who is the fourteenth Doctor, got suited and booted for the new episodes as he was joined by his former companion, Donna Noble.

David joked that it is his 'last shot before he is too old' and hands over the famous time traveller role to Ncuti Gatwa.

He said: 'It's a victory lap, one last shot before you get too old to do it again'.

In the snaps, he rocked a blue long wool coat over a maroon checked pair of trousers and white shirt.

Welcome back! David Tennant looked incredible in new Doctor Who promotion pictures as he reunited with co-star Catherine Tate ahead of the 60th Anniversary Special

Reunited: The actor, 52, who is the fourteenth Doctor, got suited and booted for the new episodes as he was joined by his former companion, Donna Noble (pictured 2006)

David spiked his dark tresses up as he crossed his arms while posing with Catherine who donned a khaki jacket over a pair of black skinny jeans.

The pair first appeared together on the BBC series back in 2006, before starring in Who's fourth series in 2008.

Their return, announced last year by returning showrunner Russell T Davies, sent fans into a frenzy.

It was recently announced that Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa will be taking over from Jodie Whittaker to become the show's 14th Doctor.

The 29-year-old becomes the fourth Scot to take up the post, following on from Sylvester McCoy, fellow Royal Conservatoire graduate Tennant and Peter Capaldi.

Showrunner Chris Chibnall, who cast Whittaker as the first female Doctor, is leaving to be replaced by Davies, who was behind the programme's 2005 revival and left in 2009.

Tennant and Tate's collaborations extend beyond Doctor Who. They worked on a stage version of Much Ado About Nothing together in 2011, with Tennant also cropping up on Tate's sketch show The Catherine Tate Show.

A synopsis teasing their Doctor Who return mentioned Donna's memory wipe to save her life, adding that the Doctor had "left her family with a warning: if ever she remembers, she will die".

It adds: 'But with the two coming face to face once more, the big question is, just what brings the Doctor and Donna back together?'

'It's a victory lap': David joked that it is his 'last shot before he is too old' and hands over the famous time traveller role to Ncuti Gatwa
Jackie 'O' Henderson shocked listeners on Tuesday by revealing the surprising thing she envies about men.

The radio star, 48, said on The Kyle and Jackie O Show she had a major case of penis envy.

'Sometimes I wish I had a penis. It would be fun to just wake up and go, "Oh, it's hard",' she told her co-host Kyle Sandilands.

'We don't ever say that. We don't ever go, "Oh, look at me",' Kyle shot back.

However, Jackie was having none of it and told Kyle that is exactly what she would do.

Jackie 'O' Henderson (pictured) shocked listeners on Tuesday by revealing the surprising thing she envies about men

'Well, I know I would if I had one,' she said.

Elsewhere on the show, Jackie admitted she is battling some very unfortunate symptoms after falling ill with a mystery illness this week.

The blonde beauty complained about her health condition to Dr Sam Hay, also known as Dr KIIS, detailing symptoms such as a blocked nose and a loss of smell and taste.

The radio star, 48, said on The Kyle and Jackie O Show she had a major case of penis envy

Jackie's co-host Kyle Sandilands, 52, had earlier joked to Dr Hay that Jackie was suffering common symptoms of menopause.

However, Dr Hay pointed out that Jackie's other symptoms didn't match up with the diagnosis of menopause.

'It's not necessarily [relevant]. We don't lose our sense of smell when it comes to the menopausal stuff,' he explained.

'Sometimes I wish I had a penis. It would be fun to just wake up and go, "Oh, it's hard",' she told her co-host Kyle Sandilands (pictured)

Jackie went on to reveal she'd been dealing with itchy and runny eyes.

'She might have hayfever, or she might have a sinus infection that's irritating those nose nerves,' he speculated.

Kyle joked that Jackie had given herself a sinus infection by snorting illicit drugs during her visit to the trendy Clovelly Hotel in Sydney over the weekend.

Aghast, Jackie confirmed she wasn't doing drugs at the venue, adding: 'I am not doing that! Oh my god, I was there with my daughter as well... that makes no difference because I don't do that.'
Married At First Sight star Olivia Frazer is currently enjoying a luxurious holiday in Europe.

While in Greece, the reality TV star decided to face her biggest fear - jumping into the ocean.

On Tuesday, Olivia, 29, shared a jaw-dropping photo of herself in a skimpy black bikini, moments before she jumped into the sea.

In the snap, she flaunted her stunning figure as she sprawled out on a lavish yacht.

She kept her face bare to show off her natural beauty as she swept her brown locks behind her head.

Married At First Sight star Olivia Frazer (pictured) is currently enjoying a luxurious holiday in Europe

Olivia captioned the thirst trap: 'If only people understood how terrified of the ocean I am, so jumping off of a boat into the sea is a huge deal.'

Last month, Olivia started her travels in Europe, and she recently dropped a bombshell announcement that she plans on moving to Scotland, and will only return to Australia briefly to collect her dog and belongings.

The Married At First Sight bride said that her time on the reality show is partly to blame for her exit from Australia.

On Tuesday, Olivia, 29, shared a jaw-dropping photo of herself in a skimpy black bikini, moments before she jumped into the sea

'There's a lot more work opportunities and the people are more forgiving,' she told recently told Yahoo Lifestyle of her decision to relocate.

'It's easier to move on whereas in Australia people hold you to your edit forever.'

The 29-year-old, who was relentlessly trolled after her stint on the Channel Nine series last year, told her Instagram followers that she's planning to continue working as an OnlyFans model in the country.

While holidaying with friends in Scotland last month, Olivia said: 'I will head back to Australia to gather my belongings and organise Stella to come over here.'

Last month, Olivia started her travels in Europe, and she recently dropped a bombshell announcement that she plans on moving to Scotland

She added, 'But Australia is just not home.'

In another post, Olivia responded to a fan who remarked how happy the troubled MAFS bride looked during her holiday.

'Scotland's been my soul home for a long time now. It makes my heart so happy that people notice this,' she gushed.

Olivia previously spent four years living in the UK, but returned back to Australia to care for her late father who had terminal cancer at the time.
Danielle Campbell announced her engagement to Colin Woodell with a post that was shared on her Instagram account on Monday.

The 28-year-old actress shared a trio of shots featuring her 31-year-old fiance, which had been taken in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and she showed off her engagement ring in her second photo.

The star of The Originals also penned a short message in her post's caption that simply read 'You and me.'

Several of Campbell's friends, including Kaley Cuoco and Haley Kiyoko, shared their well wishes for the couple in the post's comments section.

The Tell Me A Story actress and the star of The Purge have been acquainted since at least 2014.

It's love! Danielle Campbell announced her engagement to Colin Woodell with a post that was shared on her Instagram account on Monday; they are seen in 2018

Campbell was previously linked to former One Direction member Louis Tomlinson, although they went their separate ways in 2017.

The Ambulance actor shared a throwback snap featuring the actress on his Instagram account in 2019.

The performer and his now-fiancee were seen while posing in front of a jack o' lantern that had been carved to appear as if it was throwing up.

The cast member of The Flight Attendant wrote a short message in his post's caption to express that he was 'turning the clock back 5 years.'

Campbell celebrated her anniversary with Woodell by sharing a post to her Instagram account this past February.

The actress shared several selfies and various photos, all of which featured her partner.

In the performer's final photo, her partner appeared to pretend to bite her neck, much to her delight.

She also penned a brief statement to express that she had made the most of '5 years with you.'

In the past: The Tell Me A Story actress and the star of The Purge have been acquainted since at least 2014

Looking back: The Ambulance actor shared a throwback snap featuring the actress on his Instagram account in 2019

Special occasion: Campbell celebrated her anniversary with Woodell by sharing a post to her Instagram account this past February

Affectionate: She also penned a brief statement to express that she had made the most of '5 years with you.'

Campbell is currently preparing for the release of the upcoming sci-fi movie Share, in which she is set to appear.

Deadline revealed that the performer had been added to the cast of the feature, which is centered on a man who is trapped in a bare room and has to use a computer to survive, in 2021.

In addition to the actress, the movie's cast will be rounded out by performers such as Alice Braga and Bradley Whitford.

Share's release date has not been revealed to the public as of yet.
Craig Robinson's new comedy show Killing It will premiere its second season on August 18 only on Stan.

The Brooklyn Nine-Nine star, 51, steals the show in Stan's rags-to-riches series which sees him portraying one man's quest to achieve the American Dream.

Fighting off criminals, pythons and crocodiles in the latest trailer, The Office star exclusively told Daily Mail Australia this season 'is a wild ride'.

'It wasn't until I saw the show that I realised what we were in for. I was so surprised,' Craig said, praising creators Dan Goor and Luke Del Tredici.

'I read the script and I knew what we were doing but once I saw it put together, it just was like, "Okay, there's nothing like it."'

Watch the brand new season of Killing It, premieres August 18 only on Stan.

He added: 'It's fun, it's wild, it's imaginative, it's humour, it's dark, it's heart. It's me. This is like a dream I didn't realise I had come true.'

After a successful first season which saw Craig enter into a state-funded python hunting contest, the Hollywood star said he never doubted the bizarre plot.

Even when he 'felt dumb' fighting a fake snake in the back of a car for an entire afternoon, he said it 'felt like we were doing art'.

Craig Robinson's, 51, (pictured) new comedy show Killing It will premiere it's second season on August 18 only on Stan

The Brooklyn Nine-Nine star steals the show in Stan's rags-to-riches series which sees him portraying one man's quest to achieve the American Dream

'There was no time to judge it or be like, "This is dumb." The only time I felt like this was dumb is when I was fighting an imaginary snake,' he said.

'But that made me accept being vulnerable more. You're going to feel stupid at some point.

'So the more I was able to accept this is what I've chosen in my life, and being that person who is afraid of a snake, the more believable and less stupid it felt to me.'

This interview with Craig Robinson was pre-taped in June prior to the SAG strike.

Fighting off criminals, pythons and crocodiles in the latest trailer, The Office star exclusively told Daily Mail Australia this season 'is a wild ride'

Season two sees Craig - who plays a character by the same name - and his old pal Jillian (Claudia O'Doherty) reunite to start their own farm in the pursuit of wealth.

But their grand plans quickly fall apart as criminals and wild animals continue to get in the way of their dreams.

Guest stars appearing this season include Tim Heidecker, Stephanie Nogueras, Jet Miller, Scott MacArthur, Wyatt Walter, Dot-Marie Jones and Katie Kershaw.

Joe Massingill, Melanie Field, Tim Simons, Fatimah Taliah, Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney will also be featured.
She was one one of Australia's most controversial woman following her disastrous stint on Married at First Sight in 2019.

But fans may have a hard time recognising Ines Basic these days, after she resurfaced on Instagram this week with a very glamorous new look.

The photos, which were taken in London, show the svelte brunette attending a horseracing event wearing a short black dress and racy stiletto boots.

She sported noticeably plumper lips and more defined cheekbones than she did on MAFS, while enhancing her naturally-alabaster complexion with a dark spray tan.

Ines also appears to have added volume to her hair with lush extensions.

But fans may have a hard time recognising Married At First Sight 2019 bride Ines Basic these days, after she resurfaced on Instagram this week with a very glamorous new look. Ines is pictured on MAFS

The photos, which were taken in London, show the svelte brunette attending a horseracing event wearing a short black dress and racy stiletto boots

Ines famously ruffled feathers on MAFS after she cheated on her on-screen husband Bronson Norrish with co-star Sam Ball.

She has since parlayed her reality TV fame into a career as an OnlyFans model.

She first created her account in July 2021, and she revealed that she earned a whopping $80,000 in her first month.

She sported noticeably plumper lips and more defined cheekbones than she did on MAFS, while enhancing her naturally-alabaster complexion with a dark spray tan

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia at the time, Ines said: 'My fans are eating up everything I post, I am having to create content daily to keep up with demand so I'm just working.'

Ines said that while she was apprehensive about joining the platform at the start, she had no problem sitting down with her family to let them know she was doing it.

'They fully supported the decision,' she added.

Ines famously ruffled feathers on MAFS after she cheated on her on-screen husband Bronson Norrish (left) with co-star Sam Ball

The former reality star said that she has 'no regrets' about joining the website and wishes she'd signed up sooner.

'As soon as I made an announcement saying I was doing OnlyFans I had hundreds of message requests,' she said.

'My fans are so respectful and it creates an environment where I feel comfortable to truly be myself and bring out my sexual alter ego. My fans love her!'
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Salma Hayek put all of her famous curves on display recently during a family trip yacht trip while on a Mexican vacation.

The Academy Awardnominated actress showed off her sizzling cleavage and stellar figure in a striking blue-and-white bikini as she took a dip in the ocean with her husband, the billionaire businessman Francois-Henri Pinault.

Salma looked considerably younger than her 56 years as she frolicked in the water and posed for playful selfies with friends who had accompanied the couple.

It appeared to be a family trip to Los Cabos, Mexico, as the lovebirds were joined by some of their children.

The Frida star unveiled her knockout physique shortly after revealing small patches of gray hair that she avoids dying and adamantly declaring that she had never used Botox.

Sizzling summer trip: Salma Hayek put all of her famous curves on display recently during a family trip yacht trip while on a Mexican vacation. The Oscar-nominated actress showed off her sizzling cleavage and stellar figure in a striking blue-and-white bikini as she took a dip in the ocean with her husband, the billionaire businessman Francois-Henri Pinault

She's still got it! Salma looked considerably younger than her 56 years as she frolicked in the water and posed for playful selfies with friends who had accompanied the couple

Selma posed for a few steamy snaps that appeared to showcase her trim figure and her wet raven hair, which cascaded down her shoulders.

She accessorized with a gold necklace with text draped around her throat, as well as a thick, shimmering gold chain.

Her revealing bathing suit featured thick, triangular cups on the halter top and gold clasps connected to the thin straps.

The fabric was decorated with a hypnotizing pattern featuring blue-and-white swirls.

She paired the top with a matching high-cut bottom that emphasized her trim midriff.

Later, Salma was pictured wrapping herself up in a white towel with blue stripes to dry off, and she subsequently covered up with a thin, grayblue dress with lacy trim as she disembarked the yacht.

She didn't bother with makeup for the vacation at sea, and instead she highlighted her impeccable natural skin.

Her husband Francois-Henri wore a simple blue swimsuit, and he later put on a nondescript gray T-shirt, black sneakers and black sunglasses.

Blue mood: Her revealing bathing suit featured thick, triangular cups on the halter top and gold clasps connected to the thin straps

Eye-catching: The fabric was decorated with a hypnotizing pattern featuring blue-and-white swirls. She paired the top with a matching high-cut bottom that emphasized her trim midriff

Her husband Francois-Henri Pinault wore a simple blue swimsuit. He's the chairman and CEO of luxury corporation Kering, which owns fashion brands Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Gucci, Alexander McQueen and Yves Saint Laurent, among others

Salma and Francois-Henri announced their engagement back in 2007, and later that year she welcomed her first child with him, their daughter Valentina Paloma Pinault. They married on Valentine's Day 2009

Pinault is the chairman and CEO of the luxury corporation Kering, which owns the fashion brands Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Gucci, Alexander McQueen, Puma and Yves Saint Laurent, among others.

Salma and Francois-Henri announced their engagement back in 2007, and later that year she welcomed her first child with him, their daughter Valentina Paloma Pinault.

The couple were later married on Valentine's Day 2009 in Paris, and she is now also the stepmother to his three children from previous relationships: son Francois and daughter Mathilde, from his previous marriage to Dorothee Lepere, and son Augustin James Evangelista, from his relationship with the supermodel Linda Evangelista.

After some time in the salty water, Salma got her husband to clean her off with a handy hose on the deck, before she toweled herself dry and slipped into her blue lacy cover up.

She also had on a loosely woven mesh straw fedora, which blocked out the piercing sun while remaining breathable.

The star was seen waiting at the top of the stairs leading down to the deck as she waited with her husband before disembarking.

The Eternals star has lately been enjoying a life of luxury. Earlier this month, she shared some photos of herself in a figure-hugging yellow bikini while out on a scuba diving trip.

Although she's almost as well known for her age-defying figure as she is for her in-demand film work, the screen star has lately been opening up about her approach to aging.

In July, she shared some closeups of her elegant face and soft smile to Instagram, which also revealed that she has small patches of gray hair at her temples.

Family: She's also the stepmother to his three children from previous relationships: son Francois and daughter Mathilde, from his marriage to Dorothee Lepere, and son Augustin James Evangelista, from his relationship with Linda Evangelista

Can't get enough of the water: The Eternals star has lately been enjoying a life of luxury. Earlier this month, she shared some photos of herself in a figure-hugging yellow bikini while out on a scuba diving trip

Coming clean: Although she's almost as well known for her age-defying figure as she is for her in-demand film work, the screen star has lately been opening up about her approach to aging

Aging gracefully: Last month, she revealed that she has gray hairs around her temples, but she simply hides them by wearing her hair down. She also denied ever using Botox while chatting with Kelly Ripa earlier in July

However, she shared with her fans that she can avoid dying those spots by simply wearing her hair down so that dark strands cover those whiter tufts.

Earlier in July, while speaking on Kelly Ripa's SiriusXM podcast Let's Talk Off Camera, Salma strongly denied ever using Botox after Kelly asked her about her gorgeous complexion.

She claimed that she could meditate for 'hours' after developing her own technique, which she found more helpful than trying to completely clear her mind, 'because you don't feel the time, and it's so much fun.'

However, she did admit to using radio frequency and micro-frequency machines, which she believed help to tighten her skin and help prevent the appearance of significant wrinkles.
Patrick Schwarzenegger was featured in a photo shared on the Instagram account of his girlfriend, Abby Champion.

The 29-year-old actor flashed a wide smile as he posed for a selfie while spending time at the Amalfi Coast with the fashion industry personality, 26.

The performer, who was recently spotted with his girlfriend in Santa Monica, made a cameo in several other photos taken during his getaway that had been shared on his partner's account over the past few weeks.

Schwarzenegger remained topless as he spent quality time with the social media figure.

Champion opted for a revealing black bikini top and matching bottoms, both of which showcased her toned form.

Cute couple: Patrick Schwarzenegger was featured in a photo shared on the Instagram account of his girlfriend, Abby Champion

Her gorgeous blonde locks remained free-flowing and fell onto her back as she enjoyed her boyfriend's company.

The son of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver was first revealed to have been in Italy in a photo that was shared on the model's account earlier this month.

In the snap, the actor kept his arms around his girlfriend as they spent time together in Positano.

The performer lovingly planted a kiss on his partner's cheek in another photos shared on her account.

Schwarzenegger went on to pose for another snap with Champion after the happy couple made their way to the island of Ischia.

The actor placed his hand on the model's right hip as they enjoyed drinks while sightseeing around the getaway destination.

The performer and his girlfriend were initially spotted in each other's company during an outing that took place in West Hollywood in 2015.

The pair became Instagram official the following year, and they have remained together ever since.

Dressed for the weather: Champion opted for a revealing black bikini top and a matching bottom, both of which showcased her toned form

Beautiful: Her gorgeous blonde locks remained free-flowing and fell onto her back as she enjoyed her boyfriend's company

Vacation: The son of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver was first revealed to have been in Italy in a photo that was shared on the model's account earlier this month

Affectionate: The performer lovingly planted a kiss on his partner's cheek in another photos shared on her account

Hanging out: Schwarzenegger went on to pose for another snap with Champion after the happy couple made their way to the island of Ischia

Schwarzenegger opened up about his relationship with Champion during an interview with E! News, during which he spoke about her support for his career.

'I think the best part about having her by my side is that she's always rooting for me and wanting the best for me and bringing out the best in me,' he said.

The actor also expressed that the fashion industry personality served an important role in his life.

'I always say that in a relationship, you have to be each other's biggest cheerleader. Build each other up. And she does that for me,' he said.
Celebrities stepped out in droves on Monday evening to see Ed Sheeran perform at a private show in The Hamptons.

Gwyneth Paltrow, 50, brought along her and ex-husband Chris Martin's 17-year-old son Moses Martin.

And Jerry Seinfeld, 69, was seen in good spirits as he arrived with his wife Jessica, 51, by his side for the concert at the Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett.

The Goop founder was casually stylish in a navy blue knit sweater and wide-leg denim trousers.

Her teenage son joined her in a dark jacket layered over a crew neck white T-shirt.

Outing: Gwyneth Paltrow, 50, brought along her and ex-husband Chris Martin 's 17-year-old son Moses Martin to see Ed Sheeran perform in The Hamptons on Monday

Understated look: The Goop founder was casually stylish in a navy blue knit sweater and wide-leg denim trousers

Post-show: After the show Gwyneth reemerged with her sweater tied around her waist

Gwyneth rounded out her ensemble with a pair of white sneakers and wore a pair of aviator sunglasses.

Her graying blonde locks were arranged in a center part and soft, lustrous waves as she tucked the front pieces behind her ears.

She stacked multiple bracelets and wore a chunky chain link necklace around her neck.

After the show she reemerged with her sweater tied securely around her wait.

The lifestyle guru showed off her toned arms and flashed her cleavage in a low-cut white tank top.

Moses joined his Oscar-winning mother in a pair of textured red Adidas sneakers.

His tousled dirty blonde hair was neatly styled in a tapered haircut that left the hair on top of his head a bit longer.

Missing from the scene was his older sister Apple, 19, who sometimes makes appearances on their mom's Instagram account.

Feeling good: Jerry Seinfeld, 69, was seen in good spirits as he arrived with his wife Jessica, 51, by his side for the concert at the TalkHouse in Amagansett

Bright look: The longtime comedian trailed behind his wife Jessica, who wore a magenta dress

Summer look: Mrs. Seinfeld looked stunning with her blonde bob haircut styled in waves

Jerry dressed comfortably in a pair of faded blue jeans and a short-sleeved navy blue polo shirt.

He wore a pair of gray suede sneakers with white soles and his salt and pepper hair was neatly cut.

The Comedians In Cars With Coffee star wore very narrow, rimless eyeglasses and sported a black watch.

He was all smiles as he kept close to his longtime partner, who looked stylish in a clinging magenta dress.

Jessica elevated her look by cinching a yellow and gray horizontally striped belt around her waist.

The New York native, who has three children with Jerry, coordinated the accessory with her woven multicolor purse.

She wore oversized, glamorous glossy black sunglasses and small diamond drop earrings.

Her bouncy blonde bob haircut was styled in an off-center part and fluffy waves.

Legend: Paul McCartney was also in attendance at the star-studded performance

Fashionable: The Beatles sensation wore a sleek all black look for the summer night in New York

Sweet: Model Christie Brinkley made the show a mother-daughter date with Sailor Brinkley Cook

Summer frock: Sailor joined her mom in a floral patterned red maxi dress

Fashion-forward: Brinkley looked stunning in a plunging blue and cream mini dress

Living legend Paul McCartney was also in attendance at the celebrity-filled concert.

The 81-year-old Beatles crooner looked fantastic in an all black look that included a crew neck sweater and denim pants.

He wore aviator sunglasses and his graying hair was in a shaggy cut that complemented his fully gray beard.

The iconic music artist wore a watch around his right wrist and flashed a thumbs-up as he arrived at the venue.

Joining in the fun on Monday evening was Christie Brinkley, 69, who brought along her daughter Sailor Brinkley Cook, 25.

The stunning supermodel wowed in a plunging blue and cream patterned mini dress.

She paired the flirty look - which had a tiered skirt - with to-the-knee gladiator sandals.

Sailor joined her mom in a long-sleeved floral patterned red maxi dress that she wore with black ballet flats.

His and hers looks: Brooke Shields coordinated in blue with her husband Chris Henchy

Cute couple: Chris wore a button-up blue shirt and white trousers while Brooke donned a clinging light blue dress

Loved-up: The longtime spouses were affectionate as they lovingly held hands

Laidback: John Mayer looked handsome in a button-up white shirt with rolled up sleeves

Music icons: John and Jon Bon Jovi got together for a photo op

L-R: Andy Cohen, Billy Joel and John seen together at the SiriusXM event

Pair: David Portnoy was joined by his girlfriend Silvana Mojica, who wore a plunging, striped jumper

L-R: Kevin Mazur, Jennifer Mazur and David Portnoy

Concertgoers: Robert Kraft and David Zaslav were also guests at the live performance

Style maven: Stella McCartney showed off her stellar style in a khaki romper

Attendees: Michael J. Fox and Howard Stern were among the many A-listers at Monday's show

Friends: Howard Stern's wife Beth Stern posed with Alexis Roderick, who is married to Billy Joel

Trio: Beth, Billy, and Alexis gathered together for a quick flick

Special set: Ed Sheeran performed an exclusive concert featuring music from his latest album Subtract for SiriusXM subscribers

With Andy Cohen: The high-profile production is slated to air on SiriusXMs The Ed Sheeran Channel on Wednesday, August 16 at 3:00 pm, 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm ET

Ed Sheeran performed an exclusive concert featuring music from his latest album Subtract for SiriusXM subscribers.

The high-profile production is slated to air on SiriusXMs The Ed Sheeran Channel on Wednesday, August 16 at 3:00 pm, 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm ET.

After that, the performance will re-air throughout the week - and the show will also air on SiriusXM Hits 1.

It comes after the redhead pop star performed for free at Sam Branson's 38th birthday bash on Necker Island.
Kim Kardashian showed off her incredible figure as she posed up a storm in skimpy swimwear while enjoying a swim in Italy.

The TV personality, 42, took to Instagram on Tuesday to share a whole host of eye-popping bikini snaps from her holiday to Puglia.

She flaunted her enviable frame in a metallic gold two-piece which showed off her ample assets as she enjoyed a nighttime swim.

The Kardashians star struck a series of racy poses as she strutted her stuff out of the pool, putting her physique on full display.

She also shared more bikini-clad snaps as she playfully posed on a bicycle during the sensational nighttime photoshoot.

Wow! Kim Kardashian showed off her incredible figure as she posed up a storm in skimpy swimwear while enjoying a swim in Italy

Sizzling: The TV personality, 42, took to Instagram on Tuesday to share a whole host of eye-popping bikini snaps from her holiday to Puglia

Stunner: She flaunted her enviable frame in a metallic gold two-piece which showed off her ample assets as she enjoyed a nighttime swim

Alongside the sizzling snaps, she simply penned: 'Nite swim in Puglia.'

Her gorgeous snaps come just days after Kim updated fans on her busted shoulder over the weekend.

The reality star took to Instagram on Saturday to reveal she had broken her shoulder and torn a tendon.

She provided the update as she enjoyed a day out on the lake with her children and several close friends.

Kim captured herself relaxing on a floatation device as her boat was docked somewhere in the lake.

'Wish I could have wake surfed, but my shoulder is still out of commission,' she captioned her post.

The update came after she first revealed last week that she had been silently suffering with her painful injury. It is unclear exactly how Kim's injuries were caused.

Fun times: She also shared more bikini-clad snaps as she playfully posed on a bike during the sensational nighttime photoshoot

Incredible: The Kardashians star struck a series of racy poses as she strutted her stuff out of the pool, putting her physique on full display

Glam: Kim opted for a high-glamour make-up palette as she lounged in the pool during her getaway

Playful: Kim was snapped posing up a storm on a bicycle as she enjoyed the balmy nighttime temperatures

'Okay, guys, something you don't know about me is that I broke my shoulder and I tore the tendon,' she wrote on Instagram at the time.

She continued: 'We are starting out rehabbing, today, and our workouts because I've got to get back in the gym.'

The billionaire entrepreneur went on to explain that she was working with personal trainer Melissa Alcantara, who previously suffered the same injury.

As she prepared to rehabilitate her shoulder, most likely by strengthening the muscles that support it, Kim said that 'nothing' was 'going to keep' her down.

While it is unclear exactly how or when Kim's injuries occurred, she typically documents her first gym sessions, which normally start at 5:30am.

On July 5, her personal trainer Senada Greca shared the star's very vigorous workout routine on her own Instagram.

In the clip, Kim showed off her toned abs in a black bra and fitted leggings as she was seen working hard to lift heavy weights and perfect her muscle work.

She opted to go barefoot for the gym workout while she protected her hands with a pair of fingerless black gloves while lifting the weights.

Poser: Kim looked sensational as she stood in the pool during her very luxurious holiday

Gorgeous: Kim was snapped riding a bicycle around the pool during the photoshoot

Ouch! Her gorgeous snaps come just days after Kim updated fans on her broken shoulder over the weekend

Ouch! The update came after she first revealed last week that she had been silently suffering with her painful injury which had stopped her exercising for weeks

Kim, who works out almost daily, showed off her fresh-faced beauty as she appeared to go make-up free and swept her brunette locks back into a low bun.

During the intense lower-body workout, Kim was seen doing an impressive 30 reps of banded monster walks, a rotation of weighted hip thrusts and belted squats.

KIM KARDASHIAN'S LOWER-BODY WORKOUT REGIME 1. Clamshells with thrusts - 16 reps x 3 sets each side 2. Lateral goblet squats, band resisted - 12 reps x 3 sets each side 3. Belted squats - 12 reps x 4 sets + dropset of 12 reps 4. Seated abductions - 12 reps x 4 sets 5. Sumo RDLs - 12 reps x 4 sets 6. Hip thrusts - 12 reps x 4 sets + 8 half reps finisher 7. Banded monster walks - 30 reps Advertisement

She also did a whole host of seated abductions and could be seen pushing herself hard while doing lateral goblet squats in the video.

According to her personal trainer, who Kim has been working with since January, the workout also consisted of a warm up and foam rolling.

Throughout the video, Senada could be seen advising and helping Kim to perfect her weight lifting as the reality TV star worked on her strength.

Giving a further insight into Kim's exercise schedule in a caption, Senada told how Kim always makes training a top priority, no matter how busy she is.

She wrote: '@kimkardashian's Glutes Workout / Lower Body Workout - a little glimpse of some of Kim's training.

'We have been working together since January, and even with Kim's extremely busy schedule, she still makes it a priority to train.

'I'm so proud of the progress we've made and excited to see where this journey takes us.

'Here's how the workout went (exclusive of warm up and foam rolling)

'1. Clamshells with thrusts - 16 reps x 3 sets each side. 2. Lateral goblet squats, band resisted - 12 reps x 3 sets each side

'3. Belted squats - 12 reps x 4 sets + dropset of 12 reps. 4. Seated abductions - 12 reps x 4 sets. 5. Sumo RDLs - 12 reps x 4 sets.

'6. Hip thrusts - 12 reps x 4 sets + 8 half reps finisher. 7. Banded monster walks - 30 reps.'

Fitness: While it is unclear exactly how or when Kim's injuries occurred, she typically documents her first gym sessions, which normally start at 5:30am

Kim has previously given a candid insight into her fitness and told Vogue how she works out seven days a week.

The media outlet also reported that the entrepreneur only clocks in five hours of sleep every night.

At the time, the TV personality told Vogue that she felt as if she was in 'the best shape of her life'.

Kim has also revealed further details about her intense fitness routine on her Instagram, telling fans how she stays in shape.

The SKIMS founder explained how she works out for two hours daily under trainer Senada's expert eye for 5-6 days a week.
Sally Phillips has acknowledged that her eldest son, who has Downs syndrome and autism, might need to live with her for the rest of his life.

The Miranda actress, 53, who shares Olly, 18, with her ex-husband, shipping director Andrew Bermejo, also confessed that she was nervous about the teenager leaving home, after watching shocking documentaries about care home scandals.

She told broadcaster Kaye Adams on her How to be 60 podcast: 'This generation of people with Downs syndrome is the first where people have had early interventions as kids, and so they are way outperforming.

So, theyre really busting all preconceptions about what they can do, but some aren't. And I just don't know where Ollys going to land. I just have no idea whatsoever whether he's going to be able to.'

'Sometimes I think yes, and sometimes I think - never going to happen. But I'm at the point where I'm fine either way. If he stays with me forever, poor Olly, but I'm fine with that. And if he manages, great.

Candid: Sally Phillips, 53, has acknowledged that her eldest son, who has Downs syndrome and autism, might need to live with her for the rest of his life

Thoughts: The actress confessed that she was nervous about the teenager leaving home, after watching shocking documentaries about care home scandals (pictured with Olly last year)

Sally, who has three sons with her ex-husband, Olly, Luke, 16 and Tom, 11, is an advocate for the Down's syndrome community, working with several charities and with the BBC for a 2016 documentary.

Speaking about her fears for Ollys future, she said: 'I know the right thing to do is for him to live semi independently. So, you start working quite early on for that to happen.

'But the closer it gets, the more I think no, I'd just like to keep him safe and keep him. Especially with all these documentaries about care home scandals, you feel so nervous handing your beloved child over into anyone else's care.'

Sally spoke about her son while revealing that she had found love again, after her husband dumped for a Russian yoga teacher.

In an interview at the Edinburgh Festival last week, she said that her new beau was to die for.

MailOnline revealed that the man who helped mend Sallys broken heart is 53 year-old former Army Captain Ian Pilcher, who served with the Kings Regiment for nine years.

The couple, who met through a mutual friend in 2019 and live together in West London, own a catering business together.

Sally, who starred in all three Bridget Jones films, found fame in the Channel 4 sketch show Smack the Pony. She is best-known for the six years she spent as Miranda Harts irritating upper-class friend Tilly.

Family: Speaking about her fears for Ollys future, she explained: 'I know the right thing to do is for him to live semi independently. But the closer it gets, the more I think no' (pictured with her sons Olly, Luke and Tom (now 18, 16 and 11) in 2018

But the actress, whose roles include the fictional Prime Minister of Finland in the US TV series Veep, admitted that having a family initially impacted on her career.

Speaking to How to be 60 alongside Smack the Pony co-star Fiona Allen, she explained: 'I think Fiona and I are the same, in that we couldn't leave our kids once we had them.

'That was definitely my plan to pretty much immediately abandon them and carry on working. But then the things that you needed to do to really progress fast in your career - like, for example, an 18 month theatre tour. That just was not something that either of us felt we could do.

'We've both had these completely mad careers because your job choices have all been dictated by the kids. I'm not complaining, it's been great. Loads of variety, loads of surprising things.

I would never have done panel shows for example, but loads of panel shows, podcasts, lots of things that meant that I could get home at night. Or film parts where it was only going to be maximum a week away from home, or where I could take the family.'

Sally candidly opened up about her eldest son Olly's Down Syndrome diagnosis as she praised his 'amazing' emotional abilities, last week.

In a new interview with Big Issue on Thursday, the star sweetly spoke about her son Olly, 18, and his diagnosis.

Sally revealed that despite other people believing 'the world had ended' at the time, Olly has grown up to be generous and kind-hearted.

She said: 'Everyone around me was behaving like the world had ended, and that was very unhelpful.

'My son has an amazing ability to see whats really important to the other person. Hes the one who finds the person who is left out in a group.

'Hell see when Im unhappy before I realise it. Hes not magic. Hes just a boy. But hes very emotionally aware.'

She went on to reveal some of her happiest moments in her life have been dancing together with her three son's to Shakira's Waka Waka in Olly's bedroom when the boys were little.

Olly wasn't diagnosed with Down's syndrome until he was 10 days old, with the newborn not feeding and rapidly losing weight, dropping from 8lb to 3lb.

Down's syndrome is a genetic condition that typically causes some degree of learning disability and certain physical characteristics.

Screening tests can uncover Down's syndrome during pregnancy but are not completely accurate.

It is caused by an extra chromosome in a baby's cell due to a genetic change in the sperm or egg.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson has given rare insight into fatherhood and his famously private relationship with director wife Sam.

The actor, 33, met the filmmaker, 58, on the set of Nowhere Boy in 2009 and share daughters Wylda Rae, 13, and Romy Hero 11, as well as Angelica, 26, and Jessie, 16, from Sam's previous marriage.

Speaking to Esquire the Kick-Ass star said despite collaborating with Sam on three films he 'doesn't think it's accurate' to suggest the couple's relationship is rooted in their creative partnership.

Saying: 'Yeah, we workedI met Sam as actor and director. I think we're really great at collaborating. But that's not why I fell in love with her'.

Elsewhere in the conversation he discussed the couple's home life and his shock that his children were already teenagers.

Opening up: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, 33 has given rare insight into fatherhood and his famously private relationship with director wife Sam, 58, (pictured in 2022)

Couple: The actor met the filmmaker on the set of Nowhere Boy in 2009 and share daughters Wylda Rae, 13, and Romy Hero 11, as well as Angelica, 26, and Jessie, 16, from Sam's previous marriage (pictured in 2022)

The family moved back to the UK from Los Angeles last year and have since settled in Somerset where Aaron said he has pigs and bees and 'loves' life in the country.

The bullet Train star also spoke about his upcoming acting gigs after originally opting to work less stay to home with his children when they were younger.

Saying: 'I wanted, purely, to be with my babies, I didn't want to be taken away from them. I battled with what that would be like.'

He later admitted to the interviewer: 'I've probably talked to you more about my kids and Sam than I have with anybody. I've got really nothing to hide, and I'm secure in what we have. But I'm not going to unlock things that are actually precious to me.'

Elsewhere Aaron said James Bond would not be his personal favourite for his next movie role despite rumours swirling he's in line for the 007 films.

A number of big stars have been named as possibilities for the next 007 flick since Daniel Craig's left the movie franchise after 2021's No Time to Die.

And despite having a reported secret meeting with Bond producer Barbara Broccoli, Aaron said he's favouring the title role in Marvels Kraven the Hunter which has been delayed from October 6 until an August 2024 release.

The couple tied the knot back in 2012, after meeting in 2009 on the set of Nowhere Boy - which was Sam's directorial debut.

Candid:The Kick-Ass star said despite collaborating with Sam on three films he 'doesn't think it's accurate' to suggest the couple's relationship is rooted in their creative partnership (pictured in 2015)

Family: They welcomed their first child Wylda in 2010, and Romy two years later, while Sam has her two elder daughters Angelica and Jessie from her 11-year marriage to art dealer Jay Jopling, which ended in 2008 (pictured with Angelica and Jessie in 2011)

Eyebrows raised: The King's Man action star was famously only 18 in 2009 when she cast him as John Lennon in her feature directorial debut, Nowhere Boy (pictured in 2009)

They welcomed their first child Wylda in 2010, and Romy two years later, while Sam has her two elder daughters Angelica and Jessie from her 11-year marriage to art dealer Jay Jopling, which ended in 2008.

And sharing a loved up snap to celebrate ten years of marriage back in June, Sam dubbed her husband 'father to all 4 girls.'

'10 glorious years. My incredible husband, father to all 4 girls. I love you, I love you, I love you. love conquers all,' she wrote,

In honour of the marriage milestone, the pair decided to renew their 'vows and confess our love in front of our nearest and dearest friends and family.'

'It was a magical unforgettable day and the sun did not stop shining on us both,' Aaron gushed on Instagram.

'We are blessed beyond belief. Sammy you are my love, my life, my soulmate, my wife, my world!'
TV chef Gregg Wallace has denied that he left the BBC show Inside The Factory in March due to inappropriate comments made towards female staff.

Appearing on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday, the presenter, 58, stated that such claims were 'inaccurate'.

It was reported by The Times back in May that he had allegedly offended certain female staff members at the Nestle UK factory in York with comments about their weight during a 'friendly' conversation.

'He was rude towards staff and continued to talk in a derogatory manner, especially to women,' a source told the newspaper.

The comments were non-sexual but were deemed 'inappropriate' and a complaint was lodged with Voltage TV, the production company responsible for developing the show.

Setting the record straight: Gregg Wallace, 58, denied to Good Morning Britain on Tuesday that he left BBC show Inside The Factory in March due to inappropriate comments made to female staff and insisted claims are 'inaccurate'

Rumours: It was previously reported that Gregg allegedly offended certain female staff members at the Nestle UK factory in York with comments about their weight during a 'friendly' conversation

'He was given a talking-to and was appalled that he had caused such offence,' the source added.

However host Richard Madeley gave the presenter a chance to clear up the rumours on the show as Gregg confirmed that 'the reporting isn't accurate.'

He revealed that there was an issue with Inside The Factory that prompted him to leave, but it was not for the reasons reported.

'There was an argument inside the factory, the reporting isn't accurate. There was an issue and I thought this is the perfect time to come out.'

'Offending people? No no. If you look at the headlines you can't see a story that matches those headlines.'

Gregg also revealed that he also wanted to leave to help care for his three-year-old son Sid, who is autistic.

Explaining his home situation, he revealed 'I've got a little boy called Sid who at the moment is non-verbal, he is still in nappies, he's got learning difficulties....Mum needed help there.'

He revealed that the demanding nature of the filming around the different factories across the country meant that it made sense to give it up.

He concluded: 'It's completely inaccurate, I didn't challenge it. There was an issue, I don't want to discuss the issue but it wasn't what the papers said it was. There was nothing offensive to anybody that's just people guessing. It was a decent time to come out, I think.'

'Inappropriate': The comments were deemed 'inappropriate' and a complaint was lodged with Voltage TV, the production company responsible for developing the show (pictured with co-host Cherry Healey)

He said: 'There was an argument inside the factory, the reporting isn't accurate. There was an issue and I thought this is the perfect time to come out'

Gregg added: 'Offending people? No no. If you look at the headlines you can't see a story that matches those headlines'

The star also chatted about the current series of Celebrity MasterChef, which has returned to the BBC for its 18th season this summer.

Talking about his love for the show, Gregg revealed he still loves filming and meeting all the celebrities.

'It's a great fun place to be and if you consider we've been there 20 years, I've been working with the same people for 20 years.'

Even the people who make the TV programme that you don't see of course we've all grown up together, we're all friends. It's a fabulous place to be.'

He joked: 'I have a reputation for doing rubbish gags and John Torode puts his head in his hands and goes "nearly 20 years of this!" It's incredible isn't it?'

The presenter turns 59 later this year and when asked if he can see the show going for 20 more years he teased: 'I think what might happen is as I get older they might wheel me out for the quarter finals and the semi finals, I think I might be making guest appearances!'

'It's a fabulous place to be': The judge expressed his love for the show as he explained they are all such good friends after working together for 20 years

Getting older: The star joked: 'I think what might happen is as I get older they might wheel me out for the quarter finals and the semi finals'

They're back: This series marks the 18th series of BBC's Celebrity MasterChef

Supporting his son: Gregg revealed he also left the show to dedicate more time to caring for his autistic son Sid, three (pictured with his wife Anna and son in 2021)

Gregg also made headlines earlier this month after his Channel 4 mockumentary The British Miracle Meat was hit with hundreds of Ofcom complaints.

The programme claimed to be about a factory which manufactured engineered human meat for the purpose of consumption, however viewers weren't sure whether the disturbing investigation was real while watching it on July 24 and some complained to Ofcom.

The broadcasting regulator confirmed to MailOnline it had received 393 complaints which mainly objected to the theme of the mockumentary.

The satirical show had meant to investigate an alternative to soaring food prices, with Gregg investigating a controversial new lab-grown meat product made from human meat for humans to eat.

However, there was no warning given ahead or during the broadcast to reassure viewers that it was fictional.

Confused and 'disgusted' viewers took to Twitter as the programme debuted, criticising Channel 4 for airing a show in such 'very poor taste'.

Complaints: Gregg's disturbing 'human meat' mockumentary for Channel 4 was met with hundreds of Ofcom complaints by 'disturbed' fans after it was aired on July 24

Just a spoof: Gregg appeared on the satirical programme which purported to be about a factory which manufactured engineered human meat for the purpose of consumption by humans due to the cost of living crisis

'Are you watching the British miracle meat on channel 4...it's got to be a joke?! Human meat,' one tweeted.

'Who is watching Gregg Wallace, The British Miracle Meat, I feel sick.' another echoed.

One viewer added: 'What the fresh h**l are we being subjected to on @Channel4 now?'

Others - in an apparent joking manner - claimed that 'if enough people vote Tory' they will end up selling their flesh for money. And some even pointed to Brexit as the reason a 'process banned in the EU' would be permitted in the UK.
Sofia Vergara looked incredible chic as she joined pals for a swanky dinner at Dante Restaurant in Beverly Hills on Monday.

The actress, 51, showcased her toned figure as she slipped into a white jumpsuit for a girls' night out amid her divorce from Joe Manganiello, 46.

Sofia's stylish strapless and pin-stripped ensemble boasted wide-legged trousers and panels that tied around her tiny waist.

The stunner toted her essentials for the evening in a navy blue quilted Chanel bag and forwent a necklace opting instead for a bracelet and large cocktail ring.

Dante is known for Italian-Mediterranean cuisine and is popular amongst Hollywood's A-listers.

Stunner: Sofia Vergara, 51, looked incredible chic as she joined pals for a swanky dinner at Dante Restaurant in Beverly Hills on Monday

Wined and dined: The actress showcased her toned figure as she slipped into a white jumpsuit for a girls' night out amid her divorce from Joe Manganiello

It comes shortly Sofia posed with a new dog in an image shared to Instagram on Sunday evening.

The Colombia born beauty was holding a furry small dog as she enjoyed a 'summer night' at her backyard in Los Angeles with pals.

The Modern Family star looked content with her fur child in her arms.

This comes after DailyMail.com's exclusive report that she 'graciously' handed over her senior dog Bubbles, 10, to her estranged husband Joe.

It is not known if Sofia will get visitation rights of Bubbles.

The couple announced their split on July 17 with a statement shared to social media.

The pair have famously argued over the pooch on social media, often joking the pet likes Joe more.

The two have no children together which will make the divorce proceedings a bit easier (Sofia's son Manolo was from her first marriage).

In better times: Over: They have split after seven years of marriage (pictured together in 2022)

New pooch?It comes shortly Sofia posed with a new dog in an image shared to Instagram on Sunday evening

Dog life: The Colombia born beauty was holding a furry small dog as she enjoyed a 'summer night' at her backyard in Los Angeles with pals

In 2021 Sofia said her dream of adopting a dog went horribly wrong once she brought Bubbles home and she instantly preferred Joe.

The actress joked that the dog has 'stolen everything that was hers', after moving into the LA pad she shared with Joe.

Sofia discussed her pet - who she branded an 'idiot' - during a recent appearance on the Ellen Show, as she revealed the pooch has taken over her bed and husband.

When quizzed on her dog Bubbles, Sofia said: 'I don't have a dog it's not mine, it's Joe's dog,' despite revealing she originally bought the Chihuahua for herself.

When Ellen showed the audience a picture of the pup, Sofia said: 'Look at her, idiot.

'It doesn't even look like a Chihuahua, it looks like some sort of teddy bear. The dog was for me, I got the dog, but she arrived and completely ignored me. Went straight to Joe. She has taken everything that was mine.'

Joking about how Bubbles has made it clear who her favourite is, she said: 'It's not funny - it's horrible, she's taken my husband, my bed.

The little one: This comes after DailyMail.com's exclusive report that she handed over her senior dog Bubbles, 10, to her estranged husband Joe Manganiello. It is not known if Sofia will get visitation rights of Bubbles

'She sleeps in bed with Joe, they sleep together and then I sleep on the other side. It has become something so weird.

'But I have to say it's not Joe's fault, it's her, she's obsessed with him.'

Ellen then admitted she can understand why someone would be obsessed with Joe, however Sofia quipped back: 'Yes, but not to that level. She hates me.

'If he has to go away for work and she knows she has to stay with me in the house and knows she has to deal with me, but won 't do eye contact.

'She's always looking out, every little noise she's looking for, she can't enjoy the time with me. It's like she knows she has to sit with me cos I'm the only other person in the house.

Ellen said: 'I have that with my three dogs, they prefer Portia.'

While Sofia joked: 'Oh so you must be worse than me!'

'So I was thinking maybe I'd get another dog, but it could happen that they'd also fall in love with him and not with me.'
Matt Damon has made a surprise appearance at the Ekka in Brisbane, Australia.

The Good Will Hunting star, 52, was seen at the Brisbane Showgrounds alongside his wife Luciana Barroso, 47, and daughters Isabella, 17, Gia, 14 and Stella, 12.

The A-lister, who is visiting good friend Chris Hemsworth Down Under, made an effort to go incognito as he wandered the annual agricultural show of Queensland.

Matt looked every inch the dad on holidays in a classic black t-shirt and dark pants.

He paired the look with a Stone & Wood cap and a pair of stylish shades to hide his famous face.

Matt Damon (pictured) made a surprise appearance at the Ekka in Brisbane, Australia on Tuesday. The Good Will Hunting star, 52, was seen at the Brisbane Showgrounds alongside his wife Luciana Barroso, 47, and daughters Isabella, 17, Gia, 14 and Stella, 12

In a post shared to X, formerly known as Twitter, Matt admitted it wasn't his first time visiting the Ekka.

'I love it here. This is our second year in a row coming here,' he told the official social channel.

'It's turned into a family tradition so thanks for having us back,' he added.

'Shout out to everyone at the Ekka, you guys do a great job.'

According to reports, Matt enjoyed a number of rides including The Joker, which reaches 25m into the air.

The A-lister, who is visiting good friend Chris Hemsworth Down Under, made an effort to go incognito as he wandered the annual agricultural show of Queensland

The Royal Queensland Show (Ekka) is Queensland's largest and most loved annual event, attracting on average 400,000 people. Pictured

Matt is a frequent visitor to Australian shores and spent six months living in the country with his family in 2021, where he filmed a role in the latest Thor installment.

'I'm so excited that my family and I will be able to call Australia home for the next few months,' Matt said ahead of the shoot.

'Australian film crews are world renowned for their professionalism and are a joy to work with so the 14 days of quarantine will be well worth it.'

He added: 'Australia definitely is the lucky country.'

The US actor's trips have only fuelled rumours he is looking to relocate Down Under with his family on a full-time basis.

A source told Woman's Day: 'Matt loves Australia... Chris enjoys the quiet life away from Hollywood and that just makes it even more appealing.'

It's not the first time reports have surfaced about Matt's rumoured plans to move to Byron Bay.

'Matt's telling friends and colleagues in Hollywood that he's moving the family to Australia for a year,' a 'top' source told the publication.

'Matt's saying the move will not impact his work  as he will travel to wherever his projects are shooting. He's also telling friends he wants to have a safe place to raise his kids.'

But despite whispers of a move Down Under, Matt has denied he is leaving the US.

'Matt has visited Australia several times recently, but he has not bought a house there nor is he moving there,' his representative said at the time.

Matt is married to Luciana Barroso, 47, and the couple share three daughters - Isabella, Gia and Stella.

The Good Will Hunting star is also the stepfather to Luciana's daughter from her previous marriage, Alexia.
Brookside's Jimmy Corkhill actor Dean Sullivan has reflected on his battle with prostate cancer as he urged people to 'trust their gut' and seek medical attention.

The Brookside actor, 68, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018 and was finally discharged by his consultant last year after undergoing radiotherapy treatment.

Looking back on his battle with the disease, Dean told how he put himself 'in the hands of fate' during his ill health and tried to continue living his life.

He told the Liverpool Echo: 'The way I dealt with it was that I just sort of put myself in the hands of fate. If this was my time, then this was my time so I was quite philosophical about it really.

'I know that people would worry themselves into an early grave as it were but I'm not that sort of person, I try to keep positive about things and I just got on with my life.'

Health: Brookside's Jimmy Corkhill actor Dean Sullivan has reflected on his battle with prostate cancer as he urged people to 'trust their gut' and seek medical attention

Dean, who played criminal Jimmy Corkhill on the soap opera, told how he wasn't displaying most of the symptoms of prostate cancer other than a reduced flow.

However, he felt like something wasn't right and went to the doctor, who just told him to keep an eye on it, but he returned to another doctor a few weeks later.

He said: 'If I'd have listened to the first doctor, it might have been a different story so always trust your gut, 11 times out of 10, you're right, we've still got that fight or flight instinct.'

Dean told how he believes early detection was key to his successful radiotherapy treatment and urged other people to get checked if they are concerned.

He reflected on his sister being diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago and said he was very 'upset' at the time, but she too has now been given the all-clear.

Dean said he wants to open up about his own experience to give other people who are battling cancer 'hope' and will speak at the Pause for Hope service next month.

The 25th instalment of the service, which was set up by the founder of Roy Castle Lung Foundation, will bring together those with cancer and their loved ones, carers and nurses.

The event, which will take place on September 24, will recognise NHS heroes or other people who have made a difference to someone with cancer.

Back in 2019, Dean opened up about his 'shell shock' cancer diagnosis, admitting he never thought he had an issue with his prostate as he wasn't displaying many of the typical symptoms.

He told The Mirror at the time: 'I remember being a bit shell shocked really, because even though we know these days that one in three of us will be diagnosed with cancer of some sort, you never think it will be you.'

Struggles: The Brookside actor, 68, known for playing Jimmy Corkhill (pictured), was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018 and was finally discharged by his consultant last year

Dean admitted he didn't immediately share the news with his loved ones or friends because he isn't the type of person to 'elicit' support from their pals.

He kept the news to a few close friends and family members, explaining: 'You're the one living with it and dealing with it and my way of dealing with it was not to let it be a major part of my life.'

He added: 'Also, there's the situation when you think "I don't want to tell this story again", so only my closest family and friends knew. It was one of those when I thought "just get on with it and what will be will be".'

Dean was finally given the all-clear last year after undergoing HDR (high dose rate) brachytherapy and radiotherapy treatment to overcome the disease.

Elsewhere, Dean recently admitted he thinks Brookside reruns could result in the show being rebooted for a full return.

The soap opera was controversially cancelled by Channel 4 in 2003, but Dean discussed the potential of a reboot earlier this year.

Speaking to Metro.co.uk, Dean spoke about the show coming to STV Player, which will be releasing five episodes a week from the beginning of the show in 1982.

Asked if the news could prompt a series revival, Dean said: 'I think it could work even more so these days because one of the big initial storylines, the Grants were a true working-class family.

'I think there would be a massive appetite for it. If it does come back, who knows?'

Dean said he is still stopped by fans 'every day' who tell him how much the show meant to them.

Reflecting: Looking back on his battle with the disease, Dean told how he put himself 'in the hands of fate' during his ill health and tried to continue living his life

Reboot? Elsewhere, Dean recently admitted he thinks Brookside reruns could result in the show being rebooted for a full return

He said: 'Whenever I go out into the public, every day of my life somebody wants an autograph or a photograph or they want to speak, they want to engage. They're always very complimentary to me, they always say we loved Jimmy.'

Brookside suffered a ratings slump in the early noughties which Dean put down to Channel 4 changing its airtime on several occasions, leading viewers not knowing when it was on - including his own mother.

Brookside originally aired on the first day that Channel 4 was broadcast on November 2 in 1982 and proved an instant hit with viewers.

Fan favourites included Bobby and Sheila and Grant, played by Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston.

The show launched the careers of many industry heavyweights including Anna Friel, Amanda Burton and Claire Sweeney.
Darren Kent passed away last Friday following a long health battle at the age of 36, surrounded by his family and best friend.

The Essex-born actor was famous for his roles in hit series Game Of Thrones, where he played a Goatherd from Slavers Bay, EastEnders and Snow White and the Huntsman.

He has worked alongside Hollywood stars such as Kiefer Sutherland, Dominic West and Sean Bean.

He won the Best Actor Award at the Van Dor Awards for his role in Sunnyboy and has also worked as a director.

However, Darren also battled with osteoporosis, arthritis and an extremely rare skin disorder in his early career.

Tragic: Darren Kent (second left) passed away last week following a long health battle at the age of 36, surrounded by his family and best friend (pictured filming Game Of Thrones)

Roles: The Essex-born actor was famous for his roles in hit series Game Of Thrones, where he played a Goatherd from Slavers Bay and as Scott the builder in EastEnders

Accomplished: He won the Best Actor Award at the Van Dor Awards for his role in Sunnyboy and has also worked as a director

He was a patron of Equal People Performing Arts, which supports disabled, non-disabled and disadvantaged people to enjoy the power of performing arts.

His friends and fans have flooded social media with heartfelt tributes to the star and praised his talent.

Darren's agency Carey Dodd Associates announced his death on Twitter, writing: 'It is with deep sadness we have to tell you that our dear friend and client Darren Kent passed away peacefully on Friday.

'His parents and best friend by his side. Our thoughts and love are with his family in this difficult time. RIP my friend'.

TV and theatre star Lee Mead - who starred in Darren's film Mein Freund - also voiced his sadness at the news.

He wrote: 'Darren was an amazing human being and so special. Always giving of his time to people and always so positive.

'A fine actor too and he achieved so much as well. Such heartbreaking news'.

Fellow director Jane Gull penned: 'What a privilege it was to be your friend and to work together on so many projects over the years. Life wont be the same without you I will miss you so much. RIP darling Darren Kent xxxx'.

Famous friends: He has worked alongside Hollywood stars such as Kiefer Sutherland, Dominic West and Sean Bean

Heartbroken: His friends and fans have flooded social media with heartfelt tributes to the star and praised his talent

While screenwriter Ben Trebilcook said: 'Love and thoughts to the friends and family of our talented, caring soul of a friend, Darren Kent, who sadly passed away on Friday.

'Darren, an Essex writer, actor and director, directed our award winning short You Know Me. A true character who was Always creating and forever upbeat and encouraging, Darren will be sorely missed.'

The Mushroom Theatre Company shared a photo of Darren and wrote: 'So very very sad to hear about the passing of our patron @darrenpaulkent Our thoughts are with his family & friends at this difficult time'.

Founder Penni Bubb added: 'Darren was a very supportive, generous and lovely man.

'He thoroughly enjoyed spending his time with us and performing for our students  especially when he used to sing for them!

'We are going to miss our much-loved patron so much, and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this terribly sad time.'

Darren's first roles came in Shameless in 2004, while his big break was in Mirrors in 2008 after his studies at Italia Conti stage school in London had finished.

His mother and agency released an obituary that read: 'His indomitable spirit and love of life inspired all he met and he will be remembered not only for his talent, but as a warm and generous friend.'
On Tuesday, Netflix dropped the first teaser for Maestro, nine-time Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper's fully-authorized biopic on the legendary composer-conductor Leonard Bernstein.

The 48-year-old Philadelphia native not only directed Maestro - he also co-wrote, produced, and starred as the titular character, who had a complicated 25-year marriage to actress Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan).

In the minute-long preview, Leonard and Felicia sat back to back in a vast field as she challenged him to guess the number she was thinking of in her head.

'So how long do we have to do this for?' Bernstein asked.

'Oh, we need to build up a very strong connection,' Montealegre replied. 'Are you itching to move?'

First look! On Tuesday, Netflix dropped the first teaser for Maestro, nine-time Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper's fully-authorized biopic on the legendary composer-conductor Leonard Bernstein

Leading lady: The 48-year-old Philadelphia native not only directed Maestro - he also co-wrote, produced, and starred as the titular character, who had a complicated 25-year marriage to actress Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan)

Leonard replied: 'No, I'm not... actually at all.'

The Connecticut couple wed in 1951 and went on to have two children - daughter Jamie (Maya Hawke) and son Alexander (Sam Nivola) - before his 1976 affair with music scholar Tommy Cothran (Gideon Glick) took him to Northern California.

But when Felicia was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1977, Bernstein returned to care for her until her 1978 death.

The trailer ended with the couple, decades later, sitting back to back again with Montealegre attempting to guess the number he was thinking of in his head.

'It's two, darling. It's two,' Leonard answered. 'Like us, a pair. Two little ducks in a pond.'

Maestro hits limited US theaters in November before streaming on Netflix starting December 20.

Bernstein was best known for his work with the New York Philharmonic and the Broadway musical West Side Story and he won seven Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, 16 Grammy Awards, and the Kennedy Center Honor.

Two-time Oscar-winning make-up artist Kazu Hiro applied Bradley's prosthetic nose and wrinkles so he could more authentically portray the Massachusetts-born closeted homosexual (who died, age 72, in 1990) through three decades.

'So how long do we have to do this for?' In the minute-long preview, Leonard and Felicia sat back to back in a vast field as she challenged him to guess the number she was thinking of in her head

Montealegre replied: 'Oh, we need to build up a very strong connection. Are you itching to move?'

Leonard replied: 'No, I'm not... actually at all'

The real deal: The Connecticut couple (pictured in 1957) wed in 1951 and went on to have two children - daughter Jamie (Maya Hawke) and son Alexander (Sam Nivola)

In the closet: However, his 1976 affair with music scholar Tommy Cothran (Gideon Glick) took him to Northern California

Commitment: But when Felicia was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1977, Bernstein returned to care for her until her 1978 death

Full circle: The trailer ended with the couple, decades later, sitting back to back again with Montealegre attempting to guess the number he was thinking of in his head

Leonard answered: 'It's two, darling. It's two. Like us, a pair. Two little ducks in a pond'

Coming soon! Maestro hits limited US theaters in November before streaming on Netflix starting December 20

Cooper wrapped production on the not-so-typical love story on October 22 with a cast including Matt Bomer, Sarah Silverman, Gideon Glick, Gabe Fazio, Eric Parkinson, William Hill, Nick Blaemire, Oscar Pavlo, Tim Rogan, and Mallory Portnoy.

Oscar winner Martin Scorsese and three-time Oscar winner Steven Spielberg produced Maestro after deciding to hand the directing reigns over to the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 star.

'I'm showing [Spielberg] A Star Is Born and he's all the way on the other side on the front row, it's a pretty huge screen,' Bradley recalled to IndieWire last year.

'It's the scene where Jackson calls Ally up on the stage, it's the biggest scene in the movie. And right as she just is going on the stage he gets up and I'm like, "Oh he's going to the bathroom now?" and I was like, "That's it, it's over. If he's going to the bathroom at this point in the movie."

'And he gets up, he walks over, and I'm putting my head down and the next thing I know I feel his face here and he says, because it's loud, "You're f***ing directing Maestro!"'

Music man: Bernstein was best known for his work with the New York Philharmonic and the Broadway musical West Side Story and he won seven Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, 16 Grammy Awards, and the Kennedy Center Honor

Transformation: Two-time Oscar-winning make-up artist Kazu Hiro applied Bradley's prosthetic nose and wrinkles so he could more authentically portray the Massachusetts-born closeted homosexual (who died, age 72, in 1990) through three decades
The View host Ana Navarro has been showing off her svelte figure during a sun-soaked trip to Turkey with her husband Al Cardenas.

Ana, 51, has been sharing plenty of holiday snaps with her 734,000 followers on Instagram, including some rather glamorous pics and bikini selfies.

On Monday, she revealed that she and 75-year-old Al had enjoyed a dinner date with the US Ambassador to Turkey, Jeff Flake, and his wife Cheryl.

Ana glammed up for the occasion and flaunted her recent weight loss in a pair of skintight white bootcut jeans, which highlighted her slender waist.

She teamed them with a black off-the-shoulder top and gold wedge sandals before accessorizing with a pair of large hoop earrings.

Cute couple: Ana Navarro has been showing off her svelte figure during her holiday to Turkey with her husband Al Cardenas

Back then: Ana, pictured here in May 2018, says she has 'struggled' with her weight her 'entire life'

Beach babe: Ana, 51, has been sharing plenty of holiday snaps with her 734,000 followers on Instagram

Ana wore her dark hair slicked back as she cozied up to Al, who was also dressed in white pants and a matching linen shirt.

The first image showed them posing next to Jeff and his wife, and the next shot was of just Ana and Al with a stunning sunset in the background.

The TV star also gave fans a glimpse of what they'd been up to earlier on in the day and posted a picture of Al relaxing on a cabana, and one of her bare feet as she sunbathed in front of the water.

Ana captioned the post: 'What a way to end a relaxing day of swimming and lounging. We watched a beautiful sunset, sharing a meal with the US Ambassador to #Turkey and his wife, Cheryl.

'They happened to be in Bodrum representing our country at an @amcham_turkey event. Thank you, @jeffflake & Cheryl for the great conversation & tutorial on bilateral relations and the important geopolitical projects @abdbuyukelciligi is working on. It was fascinating,' Ana added.

Her followers were quick to like and comment on the post as one person said: 'Keep doing what you're doing, Ana. You look FABULOUS!'

Another wrote: 'You are absolutely stunning and radiant! Good to see you enjoying a well deserved vacation,' and a third commented: 'Ana rockin' those white jeans.'

A fourth person told her: 'You look absolutely GORGEOUS! Enjoy,' and a fifth added: 'You look so pretty.'

Group shot: The duo enjoyed dinner with the US Ambassador to Turkey, Jeff Flake (right), and his wife Cheryl

Happy lady: In one selfie, Ana was glowing and looked radiant in a red top and large hoop earrings

Taking a dip: The TV star showed off her figure in an orange strapless tankini as she made her way into the ocean

Someone else said: 'You and Al look terrific,' and a different fan wrote: 'You look like a teenager mama!!!!!!'

In a separate post shared a few days ago, Ana looked happy and relaxed as she posed with wet hair in a bare-faced selfie taken during a day out on a boat.

She captioned it: 'Beach hair. Don't care. I plan to go all of August happy and carefree, without using a blow-dryer or putting on make-up, hair-extensions or Spanx. Letting it all just be. Ok. Maybe a little lipstick.

'I am loving life on a boat. What a beautiful experience I'm having. I can't believe I'm swimming in the Aegean Sea! #turkey,' she added.

Ana and the rest of The View panel are currently enjoying a four-week summer break from the ABC program, and it's thought they will return to TV screens on Tuesday, September 5.

She confirmed she was jetting off somewhere on August 10, when she shared a photo of her and Al sitting first class on a flight.

A few months ago, Ana spoke about her weight loss journey on Instagram after she was asked by a follower if she was using the medication Ozempic.

The comment came about after she'd shared a photograph of herself dressed in a black gown during a weekend trip to Ciudad Amurallada, Cartagena, in Colombia.

Loved-up pair: Ana has been married to 75-year-old Al since March 2019

Determined: The brunette recently revealed she has shed between four to five pounds monthly while on her weight loss journey

One person implied in the comments that the political strategist had been using the medication to aid her weight loss.

'When are you coming clean that you are in Ozempic?' they wrote. 'It will help others. It works. It's the real deal.

'It provides the will power needed to stop over eating. It obviously corrects an insulin imbalance we must have.'

The Chinandega, Nicaragua-born TV personality replied that she's 'posted about [her] weight-loss journey many times,' going into detail about the latest measures she's taken in recent years.

Ana, who was involved with 2008 presidential campaign of late Sen. John McCain, said: 'I've struggled with my weight my entire life,' adding that 'the pandemic and menopause made it worse.'

But she recently confirmed the she has shed between four to five pounds each month while being on her weight-loss journey.
Demi Moore showed off her toned figure during a luxury a yacht trip in Greece on Monday.

The actress, 60, who recently welcomed her first grandchild, looked sensational in a black bikini.

Soaking up some sun in the Mediterranean, Demi teamed the high waisted bottoms and square neck top with a white shirt.

She wore her long dark hair loose and shielded her eyes with a pair of aviator sunglasses.

The Brat Pack icon kicked back on the sun deck with her pet dog, Pilaf, and sipped on a cold drink while reading a book.

Stunning: Demi Moore, 60, showed off her toned figure as she enjoyed some time with her pet dog Pilaf during a luxury a yacht trip in Greece on Monday

Rehydrating: Demi was seen giving her dog water using a water bottle which would fit perfectly at home in a hamster's cage

Taking a sip: The pooch was seen sipping from the metal neck of the bottle which was full of water

Demi has been spending time with her friends Andreas and Athanasia Steggos on their luxurious yacht.

The Charlie's Angels actress is a godmother to the couple's youngest daughter, Ariadne-Zoe.

The Emmy nominee and the Steggoses have been spotted enjoying lunch with Jeff Bezos, 59, and his fiancee Lauren Sanchez, 53.

Lunch took place on the Amazon founder's $500 million superyacht, Koru.

Before she headed for her holiday, Demi spent time out on the picket line with her fellow actors.

'Proud to walk in solidarity with my fellow @sagaftra members,' she wrote next to a photo of her and others holding strike signs.

Actors walked off the job after contract negotiations with the major studios stalled in mid-July.

Hollywood writers have also walked off the job after their contract with the studios expired in early May.

Sun-soaked: The actress, who recently welcomed her first grandchild , looked sensational in a black bikini

Holiday mode: Demi looked relaxed as she walked across the deck of the yacht with her pet pooch in Greece

Incredible: She soaked up some sun in the high waisted bottoms and square neck top

Relaxing: The star was seen sipping on a cold drink and was joined by her pet dog, Pilaf

Chic: She later layered over a white linen shirt as she enjoyed the sunshine in the European country

Best bud: The star was seen cradling her pet dog as she enjoyed some downtime during her holiday

Rest and relaxation: Demi was seen carrying the book 8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster by Mirinae Lee

Pals: Demi has been spending time with her friends Andreas and Athanasia Steggos on their luxurious yacht

Life: The Charlie's Angels actress is a godmother to the couple's youngest daughter, Ariadne-Zoe

Famous friends: The Emmy nominee and the Steggoses have been spotted enjoying lunch with Jeff Bezos, 59, and his fiancee Lauren Sanchez, 53

Eating out: Lunch took place on the Amazon founder's $500 million superyacht, Koru

Back home: Before she headed for her holiday, Demi spent time out on the picket line with her fellow actors

Message: 'Proud to walk in solidarity with my fellow @sagaftra members,' she wrote next to a photo of her and others holding strike signs

Walk out: Actors walked off the job after contract negotiations with the major studios stalled in mid-July

Strike: Hollywood writers have also walked off the job after their contract with the studios expired in early May

Demi encouraged her fans to 'Learn more about the strike and how you can support at sagaftrastrike.org.'

The ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike began on July 14 and is the latest of the ongoing labor disputes in Hollywood.

The WGA strike, which saw writers crossing the picket line, has been going on since early May.

It is the first time that actors initiated a labor dispute in America since 1980 and the first time that both actors and writers went on strike at the same time since 1960.

Devotees: Demi encouraged her fans to 'Learn more about the strike and how you can support at sagaftrastrike.org'

Reason: The ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike began on July 14 and is the latest of the ongoing labor disputes in Hollywood

Studious: The star was seen looking over her sunglasses as she looked into the distance while on her yacht

The ongoing SAG-AFTRA Strike, which enters its twenty-sixth day of protests, have seen many well-known actors showing solidarity with striking actors by doing one (or several) of the following actions: issuing statements of support of the strikes; joining picket lines in LA, New York City; and donating/handing out water bottles and/or food to the picketers.

Among the well-known names who took part in the picket lines in either Los Angeles or New York City include Jason Sudeikis, Susan Sarandon, Vanessa Hudgens, Mandy Moore, Logan Lerman, America Ferrera, and Josh Gad, to name a few.

The U.K. actors union Equity held rallies in London and Manchester on July 21 in support of SAG-AFTRA Strike.

Among the well-known names who attend the Equity Rally in London include Brian Cox, Jim Carter, Hayley Atwell, David Oyelowo, and Oscar-nominated actress Imelda Staunton, to name a few.
Salma Hayek is one of the biggest stars on the planet, thanks to roles like From Dusk Till Dawn, Desperado, Dogma, Wild Wild West and Frida to name just a few.

The star also reflected back on her first red carpet - which took place in 1996 for the film The Birdcage - and how she ended up rocking a Hugo Boss suit for it, in a new interview with W Magazine (prior to the SAG-AFTRA strikes).

The stunning actress, 56, has been a mainstay in Hollywood since the 1990s, after stepping her toes into the acting world with two telenovelas Un Nuevo Amanecer and Teresa.

The about her lengthy career in the business, her fear of snakes in her iconic role as Santanico Pandemonium in From Dusk Till Dawn as well as her role in Black Mirror.

Salma wowed in two different gowns for the magazine - including a strapless cream gown and the second a swooping two-tone frock.

Icon: Salma Hayek is one of the biggest stars on the planet, thanks to roles like From Dusk Till Dawn, Desperado, Dogma, Wild Wild West and Frida to name just a few

Movie star: The star also reflected back on her first red carpet - which took place in 1996 for the film The Birdcage - and how she ended up rocking a Hugo Boss suit for it, in a new interview with W Magazine (prior to the SAG-AFTRA strikes)

Salma posed for photographer Quil Lemons for the W Magazine Interview.

The stunner wore a strapless cream gown by The Row, paired with a red lip and sleek, center parted locks.

For her second look, Salma donned a mint green and sheer nude paneled gown by Gucci, adding platform heels from the brand and earrings by Material Goods.

The star chatted about her role as Santanico Pandemonium in the 1996 Robert Rodriguez directed and Quentin Tarantino written film From Dusk Till Dawn.

George Clooney, Quentin, Harvey Keitel and Juliette Lewis also starred in the film.

Salma wore a tiny bikini with a large snake wrapped around her curves as she danced in a now iconic scene of the film.

Her character is a vampire - which Salma revealed in her W magazine frightened her - in addition to her fear of snakes.

'It was a very, very small part. I had to be in a bikini for half of the small time that I was on-screen, and I had to dance with a snake, which I have a phobia for,' she told W magazine.

'So it seemed like a really bad job, but that I really needed at the time. I was shocked when my five minutes on-screen became so memorable and that people are still talking about this film,' Salma added.

Wow factor: The star chatted about her role as Santanico Pandemonium in the 1996 Robert Rodriguez directed and Quentin Tarantino written film From Dusk Till Dawn

Mesmerizing: Salma wore a tiny bikini with a large snake wrapped around her curves as she danced in a now iconic scene of the film

The film: Her character is a vampire - which Salma revealed in her W magazine frightened her - in addition to her fear of snakes

'Not to mention that this was also a little bit of a horror movie, which....' she trailed off, adding: 'Not my thing. I was afraid of the monsters that I had seen going to the makeup trailer.'

'I was freaked out by my own mask when I turned into a monster and I saw [myself] in the mirror. And now I'm on Black Mirror.'

Salma joined Black Mirror for its sixth season; the show is set in a near-future dystopia showing the risks of technology.

She played Joan in the series - or an 'alter ego' of herself where she 'could do the most disgusting, grotesque things that you would never do in real life,' she told Radio Times in June.

Salma also spoke on her first red carpet experience - The Birdcage red carpet in 1996 - to W Magazine.

'I didn't have any connections. The only connection I had was somebody I knew at Hugo Boss, so I wore a man's suit because no one else gave me anything to wear.'

Throwback: Salma also spoke on her first red carpet experience - The Birdcage red carpet in 1996 - to W Magazine. 'I didn't have any connections. The only connection I had was somebody I knew at Hugo Boss, so I wore a man's suit because no one else gave me anything to wear;' seen at the premiere

Gorgeous: Salma chatted about her start in the business: 'I started my career in telenovelas a long time ago. I only did two;' seen September 21, 2000 in LA

Salma chatted about her start in the business: 'I started my career in telenovelas a long time ago. I only did two.'

'But I was very lucky because they were very successful. The telenovela that kind of made me a star was unusual, because my character was the good girl and the bad girl.'

'It was not two different characters, and she was not bipolar. Although now that I think about it, maybe she was.'

She played Fabiola in the 1988 telenovela Un Nuevo Amanecer, and Teresa Martinez in the telenovela Teresa from 1989 until 1990.

Salma made her film debut in 1993 as Gata in Mi Vida Loca.

Her breakout role came in 1995 as Carolina in the Robert Rodriguez directed movie Desperado - opposite Antonio Banderas.
Emily Ratajkowski put her 'It girl' style on display while out in New York on Tuesday.

The influencer, who appears in Victoria's Secret new Icon Bra campaign, worked salmon pink corduroy trousers and a black statement tank top while out running errands in the Big Apple.

The top, which appeared to say 'Loyal' in stylish red cursive, displayed a hint of Emily's svelte midriff.

Emily, 32, slung a chic coffee handbag over her shoulder and shielded her eyes with retro style shades.

Her auburn hair was beautifully styled with a center part while a pair of classic gold hoop earrings added a touch of glamour.

It girl! Emily Ratajkowski was a vision of style while out in New York on Tuesday

She made her way about town in white sneakers and had her iPhone on her at all times.

Emily's star ascended after she appeared in Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines music video ten years ago.

She began her modeling career as a teenager growing up in Encinitas, California as the only child of an art teacher father and a writer mother.

Ratajkowski's debut book of essays, titled My Body, made her a New York Times bestselling author in 2021.

In the literary effort, she alleged she was groped by Thicke while on the set of his video and shared other essays about being exploited in the modeling world.

On her podcast she's welcomed a star-studded lineup of guests, including Julia Fox, Winnie Harlow, Troye Sivan, and Esther Perel.

Emily also discusses being a single mother and dating again after filing for divorce from her ex-husband Sebastian in 2022.

Since the split she has been romantically linked to Pete Davidson, Harry Styles, and Eric Andre.

Fashion statement! The top, which appeared to say 'Loyal' in stylish red cursive, displayed a hint of Emily's svelte midriff

A-list: Emily's star ascended after she appeared in Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines music video ten years ago

More on this girl: Also on Tuesday Emily posted more photos where she was in an ivory bikini

Casual at home: She appeared to be at her New York City apartment

The star spoke to Elle UK last year and opened up about raising her son.

'You sacrifice so much of your identity when you become a mother,' she admitted.

'Now, for the first time, I am enjoying the world more. And yet now I have this incredible responsibility of raising a child. But one thing I have decided is how I want Sly to think about women. I want him to have an example of a mom who is happy.'
Sofia Richie had been on social media for years, but the 24-year-old never seemed to realize the extent of her influence until she got a black eye.

'Wakeboard: 1, Sof: 0,' the budding fashion designer wrote next to a photo of herself posing in sleeveless salmon pink Chanel dress which has received nearly one million likes.

In an interview with Town and Country, the model told the outlet how surprised she was at comments such as 'Sofia got a black eye so now I will punch myself in the eye,' and 'It girls gonna be giving themselves black eyes after seeing this.'

'Can you believe that?' she asked in disbelief.

'People were like, "Sofia got a black eye, so I want a black eye." I was like, "No, no, no! Thats a bad idea."

Black eye: Sofia Richie, 24, discovered her power as an influencer when she posted this photo with the caption 'Wakeboard: 1, Sof: 0' on Instagram

A few days later, the savvy fashionista turned the mishap into an opportunity for a makeup tutorial and some brand promotion on TikTok.

'I think youve all heard of my incident,' she told the 3.1 million followers who watch her every move.

'The goal here today is to cover, conceal, brighten and look natural,' she explained using a YSL Touche Eclat concealer pen.

The video received nearly 300,000 likes and was bookmarked nearly seven thousand times.

Sofia launched her TikTok account just two days before her lavish April wedding to British music executive Elliot Grainge, 29.

'We went into the wedding with zero motive,' she claimed, adding that the TikTok account was started that weekend on a whim.

Before becoming an influencer, Sofia had a lot of opportunity, but struggled to find her place in the world.

'I think everyone wants to be like their parents when theyre growing up, and I admired my dad so much, and that drove me down a music path for a moment. But it didnt feel right for me,' she explained.

Likes: The post received nearly one million likes and resulted in comments such as 'Sofia got a black eye so now I will punch myself in the eye'

Savvy: The savvy fashionista turned the mishap into a makeup tutorial and some brand promotion. 'I think youve all heard of my incident,' she said. 'The goal here today is to cover, conceal, brighten and look natural,' she explained using a YSL Touche Eclat concealer pen

Whim: Sofia launched her TikTok account, on a whim, two days before her April 22 wedding to British music executive Elliot Grange, 29. She has since amassed more than three million followers and has another 10 million on Instagram

'And then everyone told me, "You should be an actor!" I tried that for a period, but that wasnt me either. I didnt have the experience, and I didnt want to be one of those kid celebrities that got the role because my dad is who he is. So I was like, "You know what? I know Im not cut out for this. Let me just be myself."'

Being herself has paid off.

The cover model was dressed in classic Hollywood glamor for her shoot with Town and Country, clothes that fit her own personal aesthetic.

For the cover, the young fashionista was styled in a black Chanel sweater and matching skirt with white feather boa.

Her long, blonde hair was styled in a sleek chignon and topped with a black pancake hat.

Sofia's makeup looked natural with a bold fifties inspired red lip.

'The evolution that I personally wanted to have with my style that has been a focus for me for the past two years,' she said.

Glamor: Sofia dressed in classic Hollywood glamor for her shoot with Town and Country, in a black Chanel sweater and matching skirt with white feather boa. Her long, blonde hair was styled in a sleek chignon and topped with a black pancake hat

'I thought about what makes me feel the most confident in myself as a woman. And when I dressed a bit more sophisticated was when I felt the most empowered. So I embraced that.'

At a time when many social media accounts are bursting with bikini shots, Sofia, who is not averse to baring her toned abs and sharing her workout routines found her less is more approach resonated with her fans.

'It was a bit shocking, the fact that a new generation would be interested in dressing that way,' she admitted.

She applies the same less in more philosophy when it comes to her personal life. Sofia has shared photos from her wedding and honeymoon, but keeps her homelife with her new husband away from the spotlight.

'We dont live out our whole lives on Instagram. We know when to turn it off,' she said.
The vicious fight between recently-divorced Ioan Gruffudd and Alice Evans over custody of their two young daughters has gotten even nastier with both firing angry new accusations at each other.

The Welsh Fantastic Four star called his ex a 'child abuser'  while Evans claimed Gruffudd hadn't seen or called his children for almost three months, according to court documents obtained by DailyMail.com.

Last Thursday, a Los Angeles judge tried to shield their daughters  Ella, 13, and Elsie, nine  from the fallout of their parents' ugly battles by banning the press from a custody hearing, keeping the proceedings secret.

But that hasn't stopped the warring former couple  who are both seeking custody of the girls  from taking vitriolic shots at each other in written court filings that are public and not sealed.

Welsh Fantastic Four star Ioan Gruffudd said in court documents his ex Alice Evans 'has continued to inflict serious emotional harm' on their two daughters, Ella and Elsie

Evans claims Gruffudd hasn't seen or called his daughters Ella, 13, and Elsie, nine, for almost three months

Gruffudd, 49  who earlier claimed that Evans, 55, had kept him from his daughters for almost a year  said in new legal documents that since their split in January 2021, 'Alice has continued to inflict serious emotional harm on Ella and Elsie by her statements and by interfering in my relationship with them.

'Alice has verbally abused and undermined me in front of the girls throughout their lives.

'Since January 2021, Alice has also encouraged and instructed them not to see me or communicate with me and she has made thousands of threatening and abusive communications to me and about me.'

Fed up with what he called the barrage of harassing text messages, emails and social media posts from Evans, Gruffudd successfully obtained a three-year restraining order against her last August to protect himself and his girlfriend Bianca Wallace  who, at 31, is 24 years younger than Evans.

But, he added in the new court papers, 'Alice has violated the (restraining order) repeatedly and continues to do so to this day.'

Gruffudd  who blamed his ex as the 'person behind' his daughter Ella filing a restraining order against him (which was denied)  also bashed Evans over the therapy the children have been receiving.

'Although there is an order for the girls to attend therapy, Alice has repeatedly either refused to bring the girls or interfered with my bringing the girls to therapy,' he said.

'Since separation, the girls have missed more therapy session than they have attended and they have had multiple therapists.

'I believe Alice's actions are child abuse and I am gravely concerned for our children.'

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Please click here for the full court document.

LA Superior Court Judge Josh Freeman Stinn has granted Gruffudd's request for a hearing this Thursday August 17 where the actor has asked for an expert to be appointed to make a child custody evaluation as soon as possible.

Evans denies abusing or harming her daughters.

She is vehemently opposed to a child custody evaluation, saying in her new court documents, 'I have read and disagree with the declaration of petitioner (Gruffudd) as to allegations that I am inflicting or causing our children ''serious emotional harm".

'No one has ever contacted me or reported me for such conduct. No professional, nor teacher, nor school administrator, nor counsel, nor therapist.

'Petitioner has not seen, complied with, nor called the children for 11 weeks. I don't understand how having no recent information, "petitioner believes" there is an urgency such that a child custody evaluation must be commenced.'

Evans said that she had also met with the girls' court-appointed attorney and her parenting was not 'in any way voiced to me as inadequate or, as petitioner suggests, destructive to the well being of our children.'

'I do not agree to have the children and ourselves be subjected to a prolonged and expensive child custody evaluation if it's based on the speculation and conjecture of the petitioner's suspicions.

'Petitioner says he believes the kids are suffering serious emotional harm but show no proof of any symptoms experienced by our girls to support those accusations.'

Evans claimed children who suffer from serious emotional harm show signs of their emotional state by being withdrawn, frightened, self harming, being depressed or anxious.

'Our childrendo not in any way show these objective signs of trauma or suffering serious emotional harm,' she said.

Gruffudd has been dating Bianca Wallace since his separation from Evans in 2021. He is requesting more time with his daughters, claiming his ex has kept him from seeing them for most of the past year

The feuding exes were declared legally divorced in July  two years after the actor filed after 14 years of marriage

Gruffudd met Evans when they co-starred in the 2000 Disney movie, 101 Dalmatians. The issues of spousal and child support  as well as child custody  still need to be settled

Evans described her relationship with her daughters as 'very loving and supportive'.

'I do not talk to them about the case,' she added. 'I am subject to and under the orders of this court to stay away from and have no contact with petitioner and I have respected that to the letter.

'Petitioner has his visitation schedule and has the ability to freely call the kids but has for whatever reason not done so.

'Given his silence and lack of effort to have a relationship with the children, I do not believe petitioner has shown a need or urgency for appointment of a child custody evaluator.'

Gruffudd  who met Evans when they co-starred in the 2000 Disney movie, 101 Dalmatians  filed for divorce in March 2021, shortly after the blonde actress claimed on social media that her husband of 14 years was walking out on her and their two daughters.

Their divorce was finalized just last month. But the issues of spousal and child support  as well as child custody  still need to be settled.
Josephine De La Baume has officially become a mother and revealed she welcomed her little bundle of joy with Carlos O'Connell in a new adorable photo shared to her Instagram stories on Tuesday.

The French actress, 38, who was previously married to DJ Mark Ronson from 2011 until their divorce in 2018, publicly confirmed her pregnancy late last year in December on the cover of L'Officiel Magazine.

The star uploaded a black and white image of her partner and guitarist sitting at a piano while their baby girl was propped up on his lap. A small white heart emoji was placed over the newborn's face for privacy.

Baume opted to not add any text over the snap and simply tagged Carlos in the cute picture. The exact date their child was welcomed to the world has yet to be revealed.

However, earlier this year in January, O'Connell dropped out of international tour dates with his band, Fontaines D.C., due to the 'imminent' arrival of his first child, per The Independent.

Happy arrival! Josephine De La Baume, 38, has officially become mother and revealed she welcomed her little bundle of joy with Carlos O'Connell in a new adorable photo shared to her Instagram stories on Tuesday

New parents: The French actress publicly confirmed her pregnancy late last year in December on the cover of L'Officiel Magazine; the star and O'Connell seen in September 2022 in London

On the band's main Instagram page, he had typed out in a statement, 'Its Carlos taking over for a brief second to check in with ye all to share a bit of news regarding the imminent Australian, NZ and Japanese dates.'

'I will not be attending these with Fontaines due to the little less imminent, yet a little more unpredictable, birth of my first child,' he explained to fans.

'I am truly in awe of the idea of a new life, this little one has become the reason why I do anything since I found out about her,' the musician wrote, hinting that they were expecting a baby girl.

Carlos added, 'In saying it all, I am more gutted than I expected to be at the prospect of missing these shows and I cannot wait for the day I get to go to that end of the world with my boys.'

Josephine first debuted her growing baby bump in October 2022 while attending a Garrard event in London.

She had donned a figure-hugging, sleeveless blue gown that molded to her frame and burgeoning stomach.

A few months later in December, the Road Games actress appeared on the cover of L'Officiel Magazine with Carlos to publicly confirm that their first child was on the way. She posed in sexy, purple lingerie to show off her baby bump.

At the time, the guitarist uploaded the cover to his main Instagram page and gushed in the caption, 'Blessed with a year of surprise and beauty. on to the next: chapter 1.'

Baby bump debut: Josephine first debuted her growing baby bump in October 2022 while attending a Garrard event in London

Excited: The exact date their child was welcomed to the world has yet to be revealed, however, in January, O'Connell dropped out of international tour dates with his band, Fontaines D.C., due to the 'imminent' arrival of his first baby; couple seen in March in Paris

Josephine was previously married to DJ and record producer, Mark Ronson, and the initially pair tied the knot in 2011.

After nearly six years of marriage, the French actress filed for divorce in 2017, and cited 'irreconcilable differences.' The divorce was officially finalized the following year.

According to Page Six, Ronson opened up about the split during a past interview in 2019, and revealed, 'Things are good between us.'

However, he took the blame for the end of the marriage, expressing, 'The problem has always been me. Ive always been unable to express emotions until its too late.'

Mark has also since moved on following the divorce, and tied the knot with Meryl Streep's daughter, Grace Gummer, in September 2021.

In October 2022, Grace announced that she was pregnant with their first child by showing off her baby bump while attending W Magazine's 50th anniversary party in New York City.

Earlier this year in March, the couple confirmed they had welcomed baby girl, Ruth, while stepping out for a stroll together with their little one in the Big Apple.

Moving on: In October 2022, Grace also announced that she was pregnant with their first child by showing off her baby bump while attending W Magazine's 50th anniversary party in New York City

While talking to Rolling Stone last month in July, Mark opened about about his 'enchanting' daughter and becoming a father in his 40s.

'Ive had every single cocktail party, social engagement and fancy dinner I ever need to go to for the rest of my life. So its a good thing, because I dont have time for any of that now,' he explained. 'And Im sure that will come back.'

'But since Ruth came along, it just means that every time Im working, it better be the most important thing I can be doing for work, and if Im going to travel, it better be the most exciting show and something that I know is going to be so special.'

In regards to if fatherhood would possibly have an influence on his upcoming album, Ronson humorously replied, 'A loved-up daddy 90s album. Who knows?'
Rachel Riley put on a very leggy display in a pair of green shorts as she departed Countdown filming in Media City, Salford on Tuesday.

The presenter, 37, looked incredible as she teamed the number with a chic white cardigan with a floral green and lilac pattern.

She kept comfortable in a pair of white trainers and toted her belongings around in a large black padded bag.

Rachel styled her long blonde tresses in loose waves and applied a glamorous palette of makeup including a dark smokey eye shadow and bold red lipstick.

The TV star was all smiles as she stepped out in Manchester carrying her phone in her hand.

Out and about: Rachel Riley put on a very leggy display in a pair of green shorts as she departed Countdown filming in Media City, Salford on Tuesday

Looking good: The presenter, 37, looked incredible as she teamed the number with a chic white cardigan with a floral green and lilac pattern

It comes after Rachel said people need to stop proudly saying, 'I can't do maths' as it is contributing to children feeling 'intimidated' by the subject at school.

Rachel, who has a master's degree in mathematics from Oxford University, said young girls are particularly susceptible to 'outside influences' so need more encouragement.

'We do have a problem in the UK with numeracy - 50 per cent of adults are at the level you'd expect of an 11-year-old,' she said on the Spinning Plates podcast.

'Again, it's lower for women.'

She said: 'And we're passing on negative feelings and fear of it to kids and I think we need to change the way we speak about it, change the attitude and not be scared of it and not feel intimidated and just give it a go.

'Even if you're going in and trying to help your kids, over the pandemic more people were having to do more maths to a higher level than they did before, as they were helping their kids for obvious reasons.

'You can go back and learn it together and if you're asking questions, great, it's a learning opportunity.'

Rachel added: 'I think it's really important to be positive about it in the same way you wouldn't proudly say, "I can't read," don't say, "I can't do maths," it's just, "I can't do it yet."

Chic: She kept comfortable in a pair of white trainers and toted her belongings around in a large black padded bag

The mathematician, who was just 22 when she took over from Carol Vorderman on the long-running Channel 4 show in 2009, wants to give maths a makeover in the same way science has had one thanks to Professor Brian Cox.

'I think there are a lot of people that have done great things for popular science - the Brian Cox effect of buying lots of telescopes,' she said.

Rachel, who is mother to daughters Maven, three, and one-year-old Noa, said while science is no longer considered 'nerdy and geeky,' people still don't 'understand' what mathematicians do.

'The world has changed so much, you know that if you go into science, technology, engineering, maths, you're going to get a job and potentially the job you're going to get if you're a student doesn't even exist yet but you're going to be employable,' she said.

'I think the more we can encourage kids, and I like to encourage girls especially as there's still this gender difference, perception and numbers going into study.

'Statistically, girls are more susceptible to outside influences.'

She added: 'So, if you tell a girl, "You're not good at maths," especially at a young age, or anyone really, they implant that and they start to believe it and perpetuate it.'

Rachel, who is married to former Strictly Come Dancing partner Pasha Kovalev, is a supporter of National Numeracy, a charity promoting growth mindset about maths and not feeling defeated by numeracy.
Tragic Euphoria star Angus Cloud did not leave a note for his loved ones before his sudden death aged 25 from a 'possible overdose' last month.

Cloud was found unresponsive in his family home in Oakland, California on July 31, and pronounced dead on the scene by responders.

Just one week earlier he was in Ireland, burying his father, who died in mid-May at just 65 from mesothelioma - with reports circulating the Fezco actor was battling 'suicidal thoughts' before his death.

Now multiple law enforcement sources have confirmed Cloud did not leave behind a note before his death, TMZ reports.

Earlier this month his mother Lisa used Facebook to share an emotional note that read, 'Friends, I want you all to know I appreciate your love for my family at this shattered time.

RIP: Tragic Euphoria star Angus Cloud did not leave a note for his loved ones before his sudden death aged 25 from a 'possible overdose' last month (pictured 2022)

'I also want you to know that although my son was in deep grief about his father's untimely death from mesothelioma, his last day was a joyful one.'

She detailed the Euphoria star's final activities, which included 'reorganizing his room,' leading her to believe Angus was not suicidal.

She additionally noted that the late actor had mentioned wanting to help family members with college, another indication that he didn't plan to end his life.

'I don't know if or what he may have put in his body... I only know that he put his head on the desk where he was working on art projects, fell asleep and didn't wake up.

'We may find out that he overdosed accidentally and tragically, but it's abundantly clear that he did not intend to check out of this world.'

It was added, 'Social media posts have suggested his death was intentional. I want you to know that is not the case. To honor his memory, please make random acts of kindness part of your daily life.'

It comes after a family statement confirming his untimely death suggested he may have died by suicide.

According to TMZ, sources also shared that Angus had been having suicidal thoughts recently.

On screen: Cloud was found unresponsive in his family home in Oakland, California on July 31, and pronounced dead on the scene by responders (pictured as Fezco in Euphoria)

Euphoria star Cloud died two weeks after sharing an Instagram tribute to his father, Conor Hickey

'Miss u breh', the actor wrote in one of his final Instagram posts on July 14

Cloud died after he struggled with the loss of his father, his family said in a statement.

His mother, who called 911, reported it as a 'possible overdose.'

The actor was staying with his family as he tried to cope with his grief, the outlet said.

Angus, born Conor Angus Cloud (named after his father Conor Cloud), played the character Fezco on Euphoria from 2019 until 2022.

Angus' mom reported he had no pulse when she called 911, and the actor was pronounced dead at the scene when responders arrived.

Another one: Zendaya said 'words are not enough to describe the infinite beauty that is Angus'

'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 on, Angus was special to all of us in so many ways,' his family shared.

'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,' the statement continued.

'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.

'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,' the message concluded.
Barbie has been pulled from theaters in Algeria.

The movie, which has earned more than $1b globally, was shown to Algerian audiences for three weeks until the Cultural Ministry asked for its withdrawal, according to Reuters.

An 'official source' told the news outlet the live action film starring Margot Robbie as the title character and Ryan Gosling as Ken 'promotes homosexuality and other Western deviances' and 'does not comply with Algeria's religious and cultural beliefs.'

Algeria is not the only conservative country to ban Barbie.

Lebanon cited similar reasons when it prohibited audiences from watching the movie last week.

Banned: Barbie has been banned in Algeria. The Cultural Ministry had the movie pulled after three weeks in theaters claiming the movie 'promotes homosexuality and other Western deviances' and 'does not comply with Algeria's religious and cultural beliefs'

Culture Minister Mohammad Mortada, who has the support of the powerful Hezbollah, claimed the project was found to 'promote homosexuality and sexual transformation' and 'contradicts values of faith and morality' by diminishing the importance of the family.

The country has seen an uptick in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.

A recent speech from Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah who is a recent speech referred to Islamic texts calling for punishing homosexuals with death.

Kuwait followed suit, banning not only the number one film in the world, but the spooky Talk To Me as well, citing the need to protect 'public ethics and social traditions.'

Vietnam banned the film after being offended by a world map used in one scene which it felt was a depiction of a long-disputed maritime border with China in the South China Sea.

In China, where movie options are heavily regulated by the government, audiences have embraced the dramady, spending some $32 million on tickets.

One woman commenting on Douban, a popular Chinese movie review site, wrote, 'You know, Chinese women dont get many chances to see a high-quality, female-focused movie in the cinema,' according to CNN.

In Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, the movie has been well-received by audiences, although some critics have complained about the film's message, and one woman wanted it banned because it was a 'distortion of feminism.'

More bans: The action adventure starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling has also been banned in Lebanon and Kuwait for similar cultural reasons, but has been allowed to show in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain

Female-focused: In China, where movie options are heavily regulated by the government audiences have embraced the dramady. 'You know, Chinese women dont get many chances to see a high-quality, female-focused movie in the cinema,' one woman

All welcome: Margot Robbie said the film 'was literally crafted to be for everyone,' explaining, ''Like [director] Greta [Gerwig] said from the beginning, this is a big pie and everyone is invited'

The New York Times reported some theaters have scheduled up to 15 showings per day.

Star Robbie, who also served as an executive producer on the film, said Barbie 'was literally crafted to be for everyone.'

In an interview with Extra, the Australian actress explained, 'Like [director] Greta [Gerwig] said from the beginning, this is a big pie and everyone is invited.'

'The whole movie plays on so many different levels. I mean so much of it is so silly, and absurd, and ridiculous,' she said.

'And I think little kids, in particular, and people who care about, you know, design, things like that are just going to be blown away by Barbieland.

'And its all tangible and its amazing. And then theres, you know, some pretty profound conversations happening at the same time.'
Angelina Jolie asked her Instagram followers for help on Tuesday.

The Oscar-winner asked followers to support a man who has been placed in jail in Afghanistan.

His crime was defending women and girls.

He is Matiullah Wesa, Founder & President of @penpathvolunteers. He has launched libraries and has helped re-open closed schools in rural Afghanistan.

'@matiullah_wesa is one of many Afghan men who defend the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan,' Jolie shared.

'He opposed the decision by the Taliban to ban girls from going to school.

'Now he is in prison. Ive written a letter of support to him today. You can leave your own message @penpathvolunteers.'

She added a hashtag for Pen Path Girls Edu campaign and Release Matiullah Wesa.

Doing good: Angelina Jolie shared a sad note to Instagram on Tuesday. The Oscar-winner asked followers to support a man who has been placed in jail in Afghanistan. His crime was defending women and girls. He is Matiullah Wesa, Founder & President of @penpathvolunteers. Seen in 2021

In jail: He has launched libraries and has helped re-open closed schools in rural Afghanistan. '@matiullah_wesa is one of many Afghan men who defend the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan,' Jolie shared

His last Instagram post was in March: 'Men, women, elderly, young, everyone from every corner of the country are asking for the Islamic rights to education for their daughters. Penpath female volunteers calls for girls education and their rights to education.'

Jolie was last seen in New York City on Tuesday.

This comes after news she will become a lead producer on the Broadway-bound new musical The Outsiders.

It is a show based on S.E. Hinton's novel and Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 coming-of-age crime drama.

That film starred a who's who of young Hollywood at the time: Tom Cruise, Diane Lane, Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze, Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez, C Thomas Howell and Ralph Macchio.

The Outsiders had its world premiere at La Jolla Playhouse earlier this year.

The Broadway cast and dates have not been revealed yet.

'I hope to be able to contribute while continuing to learn from this amazing team, who I have been working with since my daughter brought me to see the show at La Jolla Playhouse,' Jolie said in a statement.

He wants women to learn: 'He opposed the decision by the Taliban to ban girls from going to school. Now he is in prison. Ive written a letter of support to him today. You can leave your own message @penpathvolunteers,' she wrote

Educator: She added a hashtag for Pen Path Girls Edu campaign and Release Matiullah Wesa

'I can't begin to express how excited I am for this musical to make its Broadway debut and look forward to sharing this new adaptation of The Outsiders with the world.'

The synopsis for The Outsiders film reads: 'A teen gang in rural Oklahoma, the Greasers are perpetually at odds with the Socials, a rival group.

'When Greasers Ponyboy (C. Thomas Howell) and Johnny (Ralph Macchio) get into a brawl that ends in the death of a Social member, the boys are forced to go into hiding.

'Soon Ponyboy and Johnny, along with the intense Dallas (Matt Dillon) and their other Greaser buddies, must contend with the consequences of their violent lives. While some Greasers try to achieve redemption, others meet tragic ends.'

Other celebs who have signed up to produce Broadway shows include Mariah Carey on the current hit Some Like It Hot.

Dwyane Wade, actor Gabrielle Union and RuPaul joined the producing team of the closed show Aint No Mo.

Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra Jonas joined the producing team of last season's Chicken & Biscuits.

What a cast! This comes after news she will become a lead producer on the Broadway-bound new musical The Outsiders, basked on the 1983 film that starred Patrick Swayze, Matt Dillon, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Ralph Macchio, C. Thomas Howell and Tom Cruise

Jennifer Hudson, Don Cheadle, Mindy Kaling and RuPaul were also among the producers of 2022's Tony-winner A Strange Loop/.

The current Here Lies Love boasts H.E.R., Jo Koy and Apl.de.Ap as producers.

The Outsiders musical features a story by Adam Rapp with Justin Levine, music and lyrics by Jonathan Clay, Zach Chance and Levine. It will be directed by Danya Taymor.


Prime Minister Narendra Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hoisted the national flag at the iconic Red Fort here on the occasion of 77th Independence Day. He inspected the Tri-Services guard of honour.



On his arrival at the Red Fort, the Prime Minister was welcomed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt.



Earlier, before heading towards the Red Fort, Prime Minister Modi paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.



"Best wishes on Independence Day. We pay homage to our great freedom fighters and reaffirm our commitment to fulfilling their vision. Jai Hind!," the Prime Minister wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.




Sofia Vergara looked incredible in a sizzling new Instagram snap on Tuesday - amid her divorce from actor Joe Manganiello.

The actress, 51, donned an orange bodysuit and wore her chestnut locks in soft waves as she posed up to plug her Toty beauty brand. .

'@toty my every day essential,' Vergara wrote as the caption of her Instagram post.

Vergara showcased her beauty with smoky eye make-up and berry lipstick as she playfully bit the Ilumina CC Cream SPF 50+ Perfecting Fluid in the snap.

Vergara's Instagram post comes following the announcement that she and her husband, actor Manganiello, 46, called it quits after sevens years of marriage.

Glow: Sofia Vergara looked incredible in a sizzling new Instagram snap on Tuesday - amid her divorce from actor Joe Manganiello

Over: Sofia and Joe called it quits last month - they are pictured together in 2017

'We have made the difficult decision to divorce. As two people that love and care for one another very much, we politely ask for respect of our privacy at this time as we navigate this new phase of our lives,' the soon-to-be divorced couple said in a joint statement.

The couple began dating in 2014 and got engaged on Christmas Eve of that same year.

They got married on November 21, 2015 in a ceremony that was held in Palm Beach, Florida. The pair had no children together.

The marriage was Vergara's second as she was previously married to her high-school sweetheart, Joe Gonzalez, from 1991 to 1993. Vergara and Gonzalez share one son together Manolo, who celebrates his 32nd birthday next month.

Meanwhile, Manganiello was never married or had any children from any previously relationships prior to his marriage with Vergara.

Since the announcement of their impending divorce, both Vergara and Manganiello have been spotted out in public. Vergara has been seen enjoying several nights out with friends, with the most recent sighting of the former Modern Family star coming on August 14, when she was spotted grabbing dinner with pals at Dante Restaurant in Beverly Hills.

Meanwhile, Manganiello was seen out in public for the first time since the divorce announcement this past Saturday, where he was photographed running errands after completing a grueling workout.
She is one of the big names to emerge from The All New Mickey Mouse Club.

But Keri Russell insists she was the 'least talented' cast member on the variety show.

Speaking with W Magazine, the actress, 47, still can't fathom how she landed on the same show as Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Ryan Gosling and Christina Aguilera.

'Some of those people are still my best friendsIlana [Miller] and Lindsey [Alley]. I was there at a time when there were a lot of famous kids there,' the Diplomat star told the magazine. 'And I say this completely truthfully: I was literally the least talented one there.'

'I'm not kidding. When I look at those kids, I'm like, why in the world did they pick me? Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake and Ryan Gosling and Britney Spears. It was wild.'

'I was literally the least talented one there': Keri Russell insisted she didn't hold a candle to her Mickey Mouse Club co-stars Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and more; pictured April 2023

Asked if she 'saved anything' from the show, she replied: 'My sanity, my dignity. Not everyone got out alive.'

After rising to fame on the series, she would later land the iconic role that would end up defining her career - the title role on the TV series Felicity.

She played Felicity Porter, a teenager who decides to enroll at the University of New York to pursue her high school crush.

The show earned countless fans, but viewers were crushed when Felicity infamously chopped off her iconic curly hair in 1999.

'Then they cut my hair on the show. They were like, "Would you do that?" I was like, "Yeah." Because the character wasn't known to be this beautiful person. She was this nerdy, kind of overly emotional college student.

'And I thought, Of course, every one of my friends cut their hair. Theyd break up with a boy, and then theyd have this terrible haircut. So I thought it was perfect. But it was crazy. People were very upset by that haircut. Sorry.'

Felicity earned Keri her very first Golden Globe in 1999.

'I was nominated, and I didn't even know what the Golden Globes were,' she recalled when asked about her first red carpet moment.

Big break! Russell was a member of the All New Mickey Mouse Club from 1991 to 1993

Future A-listers! Britney, Ryan Gosling, Christina Aguilera, and Timberlake were some of the big names to come out of the variety show

Curl power! Keri recalled chopping off her iconic curly hair for Felicity

'They were like, "Well, you have to wear something fancy." So someone dressed me, and I remember they did my hair and makeup, and I was like, "No, no, no. I don't want you to put makeup on. Then I won't look like me." I look at that picture, and I had mascara on maybe, and cheeks, and my wild, crazy curly hair. It's so different now.'

Keri has come a long way since Felicity, playing a Russian spy on The Americans followed by her latest role on The Diplomat.

She co-stars with Rufus Sewell, 55, who plays her husband.

He is a former US ambassador who has a difficult time remembering he isn't in charge anymore. The situation creates tension as Keri's Kate tries to keep peace at home and abroad.

The eight episode Netflix series was created by former The West Wing and Homeland writer Deborah Cahn.

Keri admitted she preferred playing the diplomat over the spy: 'I would have to say that this sweaty, hairy diplomat is a little bit more in my zone,' she told W.
Bradley Cooper's prosthetic nose in the newly-released trailer for Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro has sparked online chatter, with some calling out the actor/director for playing to 'Jewface' stereotypes with the exaggerated facial feature and the casting of a non-Jewish actor in a Jewish role.

The Philadelphia native, 48, plays the role of the legendary musical conductor in the film opposite Carey Mulligan, who portrays his wife Felicia Montealegre, with the movie examining their relationship.

On social media, many users sounded off on the size of the prosthetic - which was visible as he filmed the movie in 2022 - with some using photos to show that Bernstein's nose was not close to that size.

'It seems completely unnecessary to have gone in that direction given the uncanny resemblance,' one user said 'the real Leonard Bernstein did not have the funny nose that Bradley Cooper is wearing in Maestro.'

Another user added that 'there was no need for Bradley Cooper to add an odd prosthetic nose on top of this to play Leonard Bernstein,' as 'his own nose is longer!'

The latest: Bradley Cooper's prosthetic nose in the trailer for Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro has sparked online chatter, with some calling out the actor/director, 48, for playing to 'Jewface' stereotypes with the exaggerated facial feature

Bradley Cooper (left) is seen on the left in a trailer for the biopic movie about Leonard Bernstein (right)

Bradley Cooper is seen with a prosthetic nose as Leonard Bernstein on the set of 'Maestro' filming in New York City

One user noted that the Academy Award-nominated star, who is not Jewish, should not have even been in the casting discussion with 'so many great Jewish actors out there.'

Jake Gyllenhaal, who is Jewish, had a competing biopic but lost in the battle of rights to use Bernstein's material against Cooper and his producing team on the film, which includes filmmaking icons Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg.

Said another user: 'I still would have preferred they at least give Jewish actors a chance to audition before automatically casting someone more famous.'

One user said that Cooper's appearance was both offensive and unnecessary to the actual storytelling process in the film.

'Bradley Cooper wearing a prosthetic nose to play Leonard Bernstein is the equivalent of Black face,' the user said. 'He should be able to portray the character through the magnificence of his own acting.

'Particularly if Cooper has been hired over a Jewish actor. There has to be a line.'

One user, noting they rooting on The Hangover star in his quest for Oscar gold, said they could see the concerns over the prosthetic.

'I love Bradley Cooper and I do want him to get an Oscar but - I understand the "jewface" concerns,' the user said. 'Carey Mulligan on the other hand COMMITS to her period pieces. That voice. Shes so lovely.'

Cooper plays the role of the legendary musical conductor in the film opposite Carey Mulligan, who portrays his wife Felicia Montealegre, with the movie examining their relationship

Some users said that Bernstein should have been played by a Jewish actor instead of Cooper, who is not Jewish

Cooper was spotted with the prosthetic nose while filming scenes for the movie in New York City in July 2022

On social media, many users sounded off on the size of the prosthetic, with some using photo to show that Bernstein's nose was not close to that size

The concept of 'Jewface' has been debated across Hollywood, with some people critical of Felicity Jones, who is not Jewish, playing late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the 2018 film On the Basis of Sex.

Another controversy come in the fall of 2021 when Kathryn Hahn, who is not Jewish, was cast to play late comic and talk show host Joan Rivers in a limited series titled The Comeback Girl. (The project did not move forward due to licensing rights.)

One of the biggest critics of Hahn's casting was Sarah Silverman - who, in an ironic twist, plays the role of Shirley Bernstein in Maestro alongside Cooper.

On The Sarah Silverman Podcast in October of 2021, Silverman said that 'there's this long tradition of non-Jews playing Jews, and not just playing people who happen to be Jewish but people whose Jewishness is their whole being.'

Silverman said that 'one could argue, for instance' that a non Jewish actress 'playing Joan Rivers correctly would be doing what is actually called "Jewface."'

A controversy come in the fall of 2021 when Kathryn Hahn, who is not Jewish, was cast to play late comic and talk show host Joan Rivers in a limited series titled The Comeback Girl

One of the biggest critics of Hahn's casting was Sarah Silverman - who, in an ironic twist, plays the role of Shirley Bernstein in Maestro alongside Cooper

Silverman on the podcast said that "Jewface" is 'defined as when a non-Jew portrays a Jew with the Jewishness front and center, often with makeup or changing of features, big fake nose, all the New York-y or Yiddish-y inflection'

She asked, 'In a time when the importance of representation is seen as so essential and so front and center, why does ours constantly get breached even today in the thick of it?'

Maestro is set to arrive in theaters and on Netflix December 20.
Alice Evans was spotted with her daughter Ella in Los Angeles, California on Tuesday as the actress stepped out for the first time since she and her ex Ioan Gruffudd fired angry accusations at each other amid their custody battle.

The British-American star and US actor Ioan are currently battling for custody of their two young daughters, with the situation getting even nastier in recent days.

Ioan called his ex a 'child abuser', while Alice claimed he hadn't seen or called his children for almost three months, according to court documents obtained by MailOnline.

But Alice appeared to have put the situation aside for one moment on Tuesday as she and her eldest daughter Ella, 13, walked alongside each other in the City of Angels.

Alice cut a casual figure in a black sleeveless top and a navy blue mini skirt as she carried a brown paper shopping bag.

Stepping out: Alice Evans (left) was seen with daughter Ella (right) in Los Angeles on Tuesday as she stepped out after she and ex Ioan Gruffudd fired angry accusations at each other

Difficulties: The British-American star and US actor Ioan are currently battling for custody of their two young daughters, with the situation getting even nastier in recent day

Out and about: But Alice appeared to have put the situation aside for one moment on Tuesday as she and her eldest daughter Ella, 13, walked alongside each other in the City of Angels

Ella opted for a stripy jumper and black flared jeans, which she teamed with some black shoes for the outing.

Last Thursday, a Los Angeles judge tried to shield their daughters  Ella, 13, and Elsie, nine  from the fallout of their parents' ugly battles by banning the press from a custody hearing, keeping the proceedings secret.

But that hasn't stopped the warring former couple  who are both seeking custody of the girls  from taking vitriolic shots at each other in written court filings that are public and not sealed.

Gruffudd, 49  who earlier claimed that Evans, 55, had kept him from his daughters for almost a year  said in new legal documents that since their split in January 2021, 'Alice has continued to inflict serious emotional harm on Ella and Elsie by her statements and by interfering in my relationship with them.

'Alice has verbally abused and undermined me in front of the girls throughout their lives.

'Since January 2021, Alice has also encouraged and instructed them not to see me or communicate with me and she has made thousands of threatening and abusive communications to me and about me.'

Fed up with what he called the barrage of harassing text messages, emails and social media posts from Evans, Gruffudd successfully obtained a three-year restraining order against her last August to protect himself and his girlfriend Bianca Wallace  who, at 31, is 24 years younger than Evans.

But, he added in the new court papers, 'Alice has violated the (restraining order) repeatedly and continues to do so to this day.'

Keeping it casual: Alice cut a casual figure in a black sleeveless top and a navy blue mini skirt as she carried a brown paper shopping bag

In style: Ella opted for a stripy jumper and black flared jeans, which she teamed with some black shoes for the outing

No entry: Last Thursday, a Los Angeles judge tried to shield their daughters Ella and Elsie, nine, from the fallout of their parents' battles by banning the press from a custody hearing

Claims: Welsh Fantastic Four star Ioan Gruffudd said in court documents his ex Alice Evans 'has continued to inflict serious emotional harm' on their two daughters, Ella and Elsie

Family: Evans claims Gruffudd hasn't seen or called his daughters Ella, 13, and Elsie, nine, for almost three months

Gruffudd  who blamed his ex as the 'person behind' his daughter Ella filing a restraining order against him (which was denied)  also bashed Evans over the therapy the children have been receiving.

'Although there is an order for the girls to attend therapy, Alice has repeatedly either refused to bring the girls or interfered with my bringing the girls to therapy,' he said.

'Since separation, the girls have missed more therapy session than they have attended and they have had multiple therapists.

'I believe Alice's actions are child abuse and I am gravely concerned for our children.'

LA Superior Court Judge Josh Freeman Stinn has granted Gruffudd's request for a hearing this Thursday August 17 where the actor has asked for an expert to be appointed to make a child custody evaluation as soon as possible.

Evans denies abusing or harming her daughters.

She is vehemently opposed to a child custody evaluation, saying in her new court documents, 'I have read and disagree with the declaration of petitioner (Gruffudd) as to allegations that I am inflicting or causing our children ''serious emotional harm".

Your browser does not support iframes.

Please click here for the full court document.

'No one has ever contacted me or reported me for such conduct. No professional, nor teacher, nor school administrator, nor counsel, nor therapist.

'Petitioner has not seen, complied with, nor called the children for 11 weeks. I don't understand how having no recent information, "petitioner believes" there is an urgency such that a child custody evaluation must be commenced.'

Evans said that she had also met with the girls' court-appointed attorney and her parenting was not 'in any way voiced to me as inadequate or, as petitioner suggests, destructive to the well being of our children.'

'I do not agree to have the children and ourselves be subjected to a prolonged and expensive child custody evaluation if it's based on the speculation and conjecture of the petitioner's suspicions.

'Petitioner says he believes the kids are suffering serious emotional harm but show no proof of any symptoms experienced by our girls to support those accusations.'

Evans claimed children who suffer from serious emotional harm show signs of their emotional state by being withdrawn, frightened, self harming, being depressed or anxious.

'Our childrendo not in any way show these objective signs of trauma or suffering serious emotional harm,' she said.

Evans described her relationship with her daughters as 'very loving and supportive'.

'I do not talk to them about the case,' she added. 'I am subject to and under the orders of this court to stay away from and have no contact with petitioner and I have respected that to the letter.

Battle: Gruffudd has been dating Bianca Wallace since his separation from Evans in 2021. He is requesting more time with his daughters, claiming his ex has kept him from seeing them

End: The feuding exes were declared legally divorced in July  two years after the actor filed after 14 years of marriage

History: Gruffudd met Evans when they co-starred in the 2000 Disney movie, 101 Dalmatians. The issues of spousal and child support  as well as child custody  still need to be settled

'Petitioner has his visitation schedule and has the ability to freely call the kids but has for whatever reason not done so.

'Given his silence and lack of effort to have a relationship with the children, I do not believe petitioner has shown a need or urgency for appointment of a child custody evaluator.'

Gruffudd  who met Evans when they co-starred in the 2000 Disney movie, 101 Dalmatians  filed for divorce in March 2021, shortly after the blonde actress claimed on social media that her husband of 14 years was walking out on her and their two daughters.

Their divorce was finalized just last month. But the issues of spousal and child support  as well as child custody  still need to be settled.
Kate Beckinsale put on a racy display in her bra and pants while partying on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood on Monday.

The actress, 50, flashed her blue underwear beneath the sheer white fur-trim mini dress and matching cover-up.

She completed the ensemble with black knee-high boots, and carried a huge fan in her hand.

Although she spent most of the night partying in a private room but got on stage to sing and dance to Jessies Girl at Whisky a Go Go.

Kate had her brunette locks swept back into a ponytail which was held in place with a pink bow

Revealing: Kate Beckinsale put on a racy display in her bra and pants while partying on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood on Monday

It comes after Kate celebrated her 50th birthday in style by throwing a raucous party at her Hollywood mansion last month.

The actress was joined by a slew of celebrity pals who gathered to commemorate the occasion, including Demi Moore, James Marsden , rapper Big Boss Vette and Selling Sunset star Chelsea Lazkani .

Kate looked sensational for her big night, showing off her incredible figure in a red velvet gown with sexy cut outs at the waist and a thigh high split that flashed her long legs.

Adding to the glamour, the mother-of-one donned a pair of towering platform heels and styled her hair in a ponytail with a big bow headband, exposing a pair of dazzling diamond earrings.

Just one outfit wasn't enough the star, however, with Kate later changing into a dazzling silver bodysuit that she paired with an extravagant feathered shawl.

With the likes of Demi Lovato, TOWIE star Chloe Sims, Vas J Morgan and Jonathan Cheban cheering her on, Kate blew out the candles on her three birthday cakes before heading inside to dance.

While Big Boss Vette performed her hit Pretty Girls Walk, the actress showed off her twerking skills, tearing up the dancefloor with her racy moves.

She shared a slew of snaps from her party in an Instagram post on Monday, writing: 'The most amazing birthday continues .. what a party -full of love and glitter and the best people . Thank you to everyone and especially everyone.'

Kate - who turned 50 on Wednesday - has been stringing out her birthday celebrations by hosting several events with her nearest and dearest .

Last week, she celebrated her milestone birthday with a fun night at a karaoke bar, with the model joining her mum for a rendition of Peggy Sue .

Wow! The actress, 50, flashed her blue underwear beneath the sheer white fur-trim mini dress and matching cover-up

Night out: She completed the ensemble with black knee-high boots and carried a huge fan at the bar Whisky a Go Go

Bar: The Whisky A Go-Go sits on the corner of W. Sunset Blvd and San Vicente

Documenting the moment, she told her Instagram followers: 'I tell you what. Getting old is f****** great. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the most magical day full of joy and love and dear dear friends and the odd bird (not me but also me).

'For those who missed the sound on yesterday's birthday videos voila- for those who could have done without hearing my mum and me murdering Peggy Sue, tough bananas.'

After the main event, Kate relaxed in a pair of loose-fitting pink joggers and a graphic T-shirt, later layered over a fun cardigan with 'f***' emblazoned across the back.

It comes following the news that Kate's ex-husband Len Wiseman has moved in with his longtime girlfriend CJ Franco, 32 - eight years after the pair began dating when he split from his actress wife.

'CJ and Len have recently taken their relationship to the next level by moving in together,' a source close to the couple says.

Len and CJ's relationship began amid his tumultuous separation from Kate, whom he married in 2004 and spilt from in 2015.

However, any drama that may have clouded the earlier days of their romance was far from the couple's mind this past weekend when they stepped out together at a charity comedy show, Models of Comedy, looking every inch the blissful, cohabitating couple.

CJ, who performed in the stand-up show, and director and filmmaker Len appeared on the red carpet ahead of the event at Hotel Ziggy, and were, according to one guest, 'incredibly flirtatious' throughout the evening.

During her 15-minute monologue, 'Len sat front and centre and did not take his eyes off of CJ. You could see just how very smitten he was,' the eyewitness added.

Birthday girl! Kate celebrated her 50th birthday in style on Sunday by throwing a raucous party at her Hollywood mansion

Yum: With the likes of Demi Lovato, TOWIE star Chloe Sims, Vas J Morgan and Jonathan Cheban cheering her on, Kate blew out the candles on her three birthday cakes

Bunny girl birthday: Kate - who turned 50 on Wednesday - has been stringing out her birthday celebrations by hosting several events with her nearest and dearest, seen here wearing a Playboy bunny-esque corset with Calzedonia tights

The two lovebirds attended the after party together, where they continued to pack on the PDA as they chatted with friends, including Christine Peake - former British model turned comedian and Hollywood publicist, who hosted and performed in Models of Comedy.

The eyewitness told DailyMail.com that Christine and CJ 'stole the show' and 'were clearly the crowd's favorites. 'CJ had the audience rolling with a routine that included supportive jokes about her father, who is gay,' the source said.

'She told the audience that she was heading to Las Vegas soon for her dad's wedding - we assume with Len.'

Len's relationship with CJ ignited following his split with Kate, who he married in 2004 after falling in love on the set of 2003's Underworld.
The payments will equal $65 per customer, according to reports

Tech giant was accused of deliberately slowing down customers' batteries to coerce them into buying new phone models

Apple is set to issue $500 million payouts to iPhone users to settle a years-old lawsuit that accused the firm of deliberately slowing down customers' batteries.

The so-called 'batterygate' scandal was labelled 'one of the largest consumer frauds in history' as it forced users to invest in new iPhone models.

Apple agreed to the payout in 2020 - which will work out at around $65 each, according to Mercury News - despite continuing to deny any wrongdoing.

However payments were stalled due to two iPhone users objecting to the terms of the settlement. This week they lost their appeal in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals - meaning customers will now receive their money.

The litigation centered on stealthy mobile software that slowed phones in the name of avoiding 'unintended power-offs.'

The so-called 'batterygate' scandal was labelled 'one of the largest consumer frauds in history'

In December 2017, Apple admitted that iOS software was tweaked to slow performance of older iPhones whose battery life was deteriorating to prevent handsets from spontaneously shutting down.

Critics accused Apple of surreptitiously forcing users to buy phones sooner than necessary, and the outcry forced Apple to upgrade its software and offer steep discounts on battery replacements.

As part of the agreement, Apple had to provide the claims administrator with the details of everybody who had owned or leased one of the models.

These included: iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, and SE devices running operating systems iOS 10.2.1 or later before December 21 2017 and iPhone 7 and 7 Plus phones running iOS 11.2 or later before that date.

Users then had to file a claim before October 6 2020.

Around 3 million claims were received, according to Tyson Redenbarger, a lawyer who represented customers in the case. It means the average payout will total $65.

Apple introduced new battery controls (pictured) as a response to backlash for slowing older models of iPhones. The controls give greater insight into battery health

The class-action lawsuit - filed in 2018 in California - said that reports of unexplained iPhone shutdowns first surfaced in 2015 before spiking in the fall of the next year.

Users' concerns centered around the fact their phones shut off even though their batteries had a charge of more than 30 percent.

At the time, Apple said in a statement: 'We have never - and would never - do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades.'

DailyMail.com reached out to Apple for comment.
SEBI on Monday moved the Supreme Court seeking an extension of 15 days to conclude the probe into the Hindenburgs charge of stock price manipulation by the Adani group.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), in its fresh application, said that it has examined and investigated 24 matters pertaining to the case.

Out of the said 24 investigations/examinations, 17 are final and complete and approved by the competent authority in accordance with SEBIs extant practice and procedures, the regulator said.

The application said in one matter, SEBI has completed the investigation/examination based on the material that could be gathered by it thus far and interim report has been prepared and approved by the competent authority in accordance with SEBIs extant practice and procedures.

The applicant/SEBI had sought information from agencies/regulators in foreign jurisdictions, etc. And upon receipt of such information, will evaluate the same to determine further course of action, if any, in the said matter, it said.

The SEBI said that out of the remaining six matters, in four investigations/examinations, findings have been crystalized and the reports prepared consequent thereto are in the process of approval by the competent authority.

The application said the SEBI expects to complete the approval process in respect of these four matters shortly and in any event, before the next date of hearing on August 29.

It said that in the remaining two matters, investigation is at an advanced stage in one and in the other matter, interim report is under preparation based on information gathered by the SEBI thus far.

The applicant/SEBI had sought information from entities/agencies/regulators in foreign jurisdictions, etc. And upon receipt of such information, will evaluate the same vis-a-vis the interim report to determine further course of action, if any, in the said matter, it said.

The application said SEBI has progressed substantially and keeping in view the ongoing work...It would be just, expedient and in the interest of justice that this court may be pleased to grant to the applicant/SEBI, an extension of time by 15 days in order to conclude the process and file status report with respect thereto, before this court.

It has urged the apex court to pass an order extending the time granted to SEBI to conclude the investigation and submit the status report by 15 days or such other period as this court may deem fit and necessary in the facts and circumstances of the present case.

On July 11, the top court had asked the SEBI about the status of its ongoing investigation into the allegations of stock price manipulation by the Adani group and said the probe has to be concluded expeditiously by the extended time it has granted till August 14.

Prior to that, on May 17, the apex court had granted SEBI time till August 14 to complete its probe into the allegations of stock price manipulation by the Adani group, and asked the market regulator to place on record an updated status report of the probe.

The court is seized of a clutch of pleas relating to the Adani-Hindenburg row.

A Supreme Court-appointed expert committee had in an interim report in May stated that it saw no evident pattern of manipulation in billionaire Gautam Adanis companies and there was no regulatory failure.

It, however, cited several amendments the SEBI made between 2014-2019 that constrained the regulators ability to investigate, and its probe into alleged violation in money flows from offshore entities has drawn a blank.

On May 17, the apex court had directed that copies of the report submitted before it by the top court-appointed Justice (retd) A M Sapre expert committee be made available to the parties to enable them to assist it in further deliberations in the matter.

Adani group stocks had been bludgeoned on the bourses after Hindenburg Research made a litany of allegations, including those about fraudulent transactions and share-price manipulation, against the business conglomerate.

The Adani group dismissed the charges as lies, saying it complies with all laws and disclosure requirements.
Hours after assuming office as Delhi Vigilance Minister, Atishi on Monday directed the Chief Secretary to take action on complaints of bribery in Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) offices. The Minister, in a note to Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar, directed for forming a team of senior IAS and DANICS officers within a week who will visit the SDM offices. Atishi also instructed the Chief Secretary to personally visit at least five SDM offices and investigate the matter.

I have rcceivcd multiple complaints during my public hearing that some Government officers in SDM offices arc asking people for bribes in lieu of facilitating their requests and applications regarding various certificates being issued by the Revenue Department. This is extremely shocking, sincc SDM offices are one of the nodal points through which the Government is providing sendees to the citizens. People come to SDM offices for very basic and nccessary documents like Incomc Certificate, Caste Certificate etc. Therefore, it is extremely shocking that the SDM offices providing such essential certificates and services, often to disadvantaged citizens, have become sites for corruption any unscrupulous transaction in these offices wall affect the most disadvantaged and marginalized people, Atishi said in a note.

The minister directed the chief secretary, who is also the chief vigilance officer of the Delhi government, to furnish a detailed report within a week, detailing "irregularities" detected in SDM offices and the ways to curb them.

The Chief Vigilance Officer should himself visit at least five SDM Offices and conduct a general examination of the functioning of these offices for existing procedures and practices which provide a scope for corruption, the minister said in the note.
Delhi Women and Child Development Minister Atishi on Monday inspected a centralised Anganwadi kitchen located in Kondli and "personally tasted" the food to check its quality, officials said.

During the inspection, she said, "The Kejriwal Government is committed to providing nutritious meals to every needy woman and child in Delhi. With this goal, the Government is operating 11 centralised kitchens, which provide cooked meals and take-home ration to over eight lakh children and women across Delhi every day".

Her office in a statement also said that through this centralised kitchen in Kondli, the Delhi Government provides free, nutritious, and delicious meals to more than 43,000 children studying at 604 Anganwadis of east Delhi.

Through centralised kitchens, the Government is focused on enhancing the nutrition for children, aged six months to three years, pregnant women, and lactating mothers coming to Delhi's Anganwadis, she said. These centralised kitchens play a crucial role in achieving this goal, the Minister said.

The centralised kitchen located in Kondli-Gharoli is equipped with state-of-the-art machinery. The kitchen is divided into three sections. The first section serves as a storage area for grains, the second section contains a fully automated machine that undertakes tasks from cleaning the grains to packaging, all without human intervention or touch.

In the third and final section, the cooking process occurs. This section contains large mechanised containers where food is prepared according to the menu of the day. The prepared food is quality-checked and then distributed to 604 Anganwadi centres in the East Delhi district, the statement said.
Students of Children's Hope India (CHI) Girls School in Gandhi Nagar were rushed to hospital after they reported illness in the morning on Monday.

At around 10.30 am on Monday morning, class 9 girl students suddenly started coughing. Staff got the class room vacated when the coughing of the students didn't stop. Out of 25 to 30 students, most of the children were sent to Vijayashree Hospital. Reportedly their condition is normal.

According to school principal Priya Jain Sharma, class was going on in room number 16 on the first floor of the school building on Monday morning and suddenly the students started coughing. The health of 23 girls had deteriorated. However, the doctor of the hospital, SK Shukla, says that 25 to 30 students come for treatment and are normal.

The class room was evacuated when the cough of the students did not stop.

Principal Priya Jain Sharma said, the school is situated between residential colonies. There was a pile of garbage at some distance. Someone had set fire to this garbage dump. After this, there is a possibility of deteriorating the health of the students due to the smoke coming out. Investigation is being done.

The children of Gandhi Nagar have been sent to the nearby Vijayashree Hospital.

The girl students had brought complaints of shortness of breath, abdominal pain and vomiting

Dr. SK Shukla said that all the girl students had complaints of shortness of breath, abdominal pain and vomiting. All the students have been sent back home after giving treatment on the basis of symptoms.

According to the school principal, there were a total of 26 students in the class. The cough of some students stopped after coming out of the class room. While 23 students continued to cough. That's why he was sent to the hospital for treatment. Now all the girls have reached their homes.
Suzhou pursues China's "dual carbon" goals through innovation

People's Daily Online) 10:58, August 15, 2023

China is committed to achieving peak carbon emissions and attaining carbon neutrality. In this regard, Suzhou in east China's Jiangsu Province established itself as a national low-carbon pilot city as early as 2012. Recently, members of the "Hello, Carbon Neutrality" research group visited Suzhou to learn about the city's innovative strategies for implementing the "dual carbon" goals and promoting the green economy.

Members of the "Hello, Carbon Neutrality" research group visit Suzhou Huichuan Technology Co., Ltd. (People's Daily Online/Yu Yang)

Khian Artgold Bonsobre, a Filipino student from Huaqiao University, took several photos of motor drive parts at Suzhou Huichuan Technology Co., Ltd. The staff say that the parts they produce are used in all aspects of our lives, promoting green and low-carbon development. It's not easy to see these parts in daily life, which sparked my curiosity, Bonsobre said.

Suzhou Huichuan Technology Co., Ltd. specializes in developing, producing, and selling industrial automation control software, hardware, and related products, as well as system integration. According to Han Guozhen, the director of the company's sustainability office, nearly 70 percent of total power consumption in the industrial sector is consumed by electric rotating machinery. The company's diverse products and solutions can significantly enhance energy efficiency in the manufacturing industry. Positioned within the industrial chain, the company has strived for energy and material savings, and improved efficiency through optimizing products and solutions, thereby directly and indirectly supporting more societal groups in adopting the "dual carbon" philosophy.

Members of the Hello, Carbon Neutrality" research group visit Suzhou Industrial Park. (People's Daily Online/Yu Yang)

Revachand, a Pakistani student at Beijing Foreign Studies University, was struck by Suzhou's commitment to carbon neutrality. He learned that Suzhou, a celebrated cultural city with a history of more than 2,500 years, also exemplifies China's economic advancement. Suzhou has been balancing its economic development with carbon emission reduction, primarily by optimizing its economic structure, promoting energy conservation and emission reduction, adjusting its energy structure, improving energy efficiency, and increasing forest carbon sequestration, thereby steadily decelerating the growth of the city's total carbon emissions.

During the investigation, Revachand asked, Enterprises have taken the lead in dual carbon' practices. What contributions can citizens make? He found his answer at the Carbon Inclusive Operation Center of Suzhou Industrial Park. In the future, the center will research charging stations for special vehicles, energy-saving transformations, electrochemical energy storage, and residents' power-saving and carbon reduction measures. It aims to broaden low-carbon practices within the public domain and incorporate low-carbon travel, lifestyle, and consumption habits into daily life.

To gain public support for green initiatives, Suzhou encourages citizens to take small steps in their daily lives. These steps include utilizing double-sided printing, raising air conditioner temperatures, minimizing the use of disposable plastic bags, turning off lights, and choosing green modes of transport.

For Douglas Dueno, an American, undertaking "dual carbon" actions is no small feat, requiring both financial and time investment. "In this research, I've seen the courage and perseverance of Chinese cities and the bright future for China to achieve the 'dual carbon' goal," he commented.

Foreign observers noted that many Chinese cities have integrated "dual carbon" initiatives into their overall ecological civilization construction and economic and social development plans. They expressed belief in China's potential to offer the world a Chinese approach to achieving the "dual carbon" goals.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Du Mingming)


Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday skipped the 77th Independence Day celebrations at the iconic Red Fort, from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation. The senior Congress leader, however, extended warm wishes to the people of the country through a video message.



On the occasion, the Congress chief in a veiled attack on the BJP-led Central government, accused it of suppressing the voice of the Opposition.



"Happy Independence Day to all of you. Today, democracy and constitution are the soul of our country. We take a pledge that we will uphold the freedom of democracy and constitution for the unity and integrity of the country, for love and brotherhood, for harmony," Kharge said.



Attacking the BJP, the Congress chief said: Today,democracy,constitution and institutions, all are in great danger. New tactics are being used to suppress the voice of the Opposition. Raids by Central Bureau of Investigation, Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax are carried out. The Election Commission is being weakened.



In an apparent reference to suspension of Opposition MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, which was restored later following the Supreme Courts judgement staying his conviction in a 2019 defamation case, Kharge said: Efforts are being made to suppress the voice of Opposition MPs in the Parliament by suspending them. Someone's mic is turning off or someone's words are getting expunged.Privilege motions are being brought."



On the occasion, he also highlighted the works of the former Prime Ministers, including Jawaharlal Nehru.



These days some people express that India's progress has happened only in the last few years (of the BJP government). Their thinking is wrong, Kharge said as he mentioned that AIIMS, IIT, IIM and other institutes were built by Nehru.



Meanwhile, Congress MP Manickam Tagore while referring to Kharge skipping the Independence Day celebrations said in a tweet: "When Lok Sabha Opposition leader suspended..When MPs are suspended for indefinite periodWhen Opposition leaders speeches expunged if we mention Adani .When Mikes are switched off ..Whats else we can do ?We celebrate Independence Day with people."






Governor Mangubhai Patel has extended greetings and good wishes to the citizens on 15th August Independence Day. Governor Patel has paid tributes to the revolutionaries, patriots and brave martyrs who sacrificed their lives for freedom.

Governor Patel has said in his message that the whole world is looking at India with hope and possibilities in every field. "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" is being proclaimed all over the world. He said that the Independence Day is an occasion to take inspiration from the sacrifices of the martyrs and to make a commitment to move towards new horizons.

Governor Patel has appealed to the citizens to contribute to the government's efforts of "Sabka Saath-Vishvas-Prayas Se Sabka Vikas". Celebrating the Amrit Kaal of independence as a period of duty to serve the nation, participate in the efforts to spread the light of development to the underprivileged and make their lives happy.
The Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal, in association with the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA), Dehradun, commenced the six-day Mid-Career Training (MCT-IV) Program on Monday.

The event's inauguration witnessed the esteemed presence of Chief Guest Ramesh Kumar Gupta, PCCF & HoFF, Madhya Pradesh, and Guest of Honor Amit Kumar, Course Director of MCT, IGNFA. In his address to the officers, Gupta said, "Along with the technical knowledge MCT also offers an opportunity to engage with fellow officers from various states.

Engage yourself actively in the Interactive discussions and deliberate on the operational policies of different states. And, strive to incorporate the positives of these diverse policies in your state as well".Emphasizing the need for this kind of training program the director of IIFM, Dr K. Ravichandran.

He stated, "Enhancing and enriching interactions with forest officers is imperative, given our role as custodians of a significant portion of the country's land area. Being a premier institute in this sector, we at IIFM are committed to addressing the needs of corporate, industrial, and developmental sectors."Following the inauguration, the first day of the program featured an insightful lecture on "Leadership" by Prof. P.D. Jose from IIM Bangalore, while Prof. Manmohan Yadav of IIFM shed light on the subject of Forest Certification.

Throughout this engaging program, the officers will embark on visits to the state's natural heritage sites.

The vote of thanks was proposed by Prof. Ujjal Kumar Sarma, CAO, IIFM.During this six-day training program, the officers will receive training from distinguished personalities of the country on various subjects.

These include Contemporary Political, Economy and Public Service, Finance Management, Team Building Skills, Protected Area Management and Voluntary Relocation of Villages, Public Policy Formulation & Evaluation, Competency-Based Personnel Management - Creation of Enabling Environment, Stress Management and Positive Thinking, Conflict Resolution, Negotiation Skills, Good Governance, Ethics and Central Values of Governance & Accountability.
A window pane of the Bhopal-Delhi Vande Bharat Express was damaged after a 20-year-old man allegedly threw stones at the semi high-speed train in Madhya Pradesh's Morena district, an official said on Monday.

The incident took place at around 10 am on Sunday near Banmore railway station when the train was on its way to the national capital and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) arrested the accused hours later, he said.

A window pane of the Rani Kamalapati (Bhopal)-Hazrat Nizamuddin (Delhi) Vande Bharat Express got damaged in the stone-pelting incident which created panic among passengers, Gwalior's RPF inspector Sanjay Kumar Arya said.

After examining CCTV footage, the police arrested a man, identified as Firoz Khan (20), on Sunday night and booked him under provisions of the Railways Act, the official said.

During interrogation, the accused "admitted" to have pelted stones at the premium train and said he did so for "fun", the official stated.

No criminal record of the arrested man was found, but further investigation was underway, he said. The Rani Kamalapati-Hazrat Nizamuddin (Delhi) Vande Bharat Express was launched in April this year.

Separately, the RPF apprehended seven minors from the Birla Nagar area in Gwalior for their alleged involvement in multiple incidents of stone-pelting at trains in the past, said the official.

These minors were counselled and later handed over to their families, who were asked not to send their children to play near railway tracks, he said.
A day after the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) opened the floodgates of the Bhakra Dam, the Pong Dam is also flowing to its full capacity. The catchment area of the Beas River has been battered by relentless rainfall, resulting in a surge of inflow measuring a staggering seven lakh cusecs into the Pong Dam. As a precautionary measure, residents across the five districts in Punjab have been advised to steer clear of the riverbanks, citing potential hazards posed by the increased water levels.

Authorities have raised concerns as the current water levels in the Pong Dam, which stands at 1395.91 feet, have surpassed the maximum operational level of 1390 feet, as decided by partner states. The dams structural integrity remains solid, as its engineered to withstand water levels up to 1400 feet without any issue. Looking ahead, plans have been set in motion to release controlled amounts of water from the dam to the tune of approximately 68,000 cusecs  to be executed progressively, ensuring the safety of downstream areas.

The districts in focus include Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, and Tarn Taran. Residents of these regions are advised to abstain from approaching the Beas river during this period of increased water levels.

The authorities concerned have taken the decision to initiate controlled releases considering the necessity to create capacity for impending inflows, allaying concerns about dam overcapacity. The current storage capacity is deemed sufficient to accommodate future inflows.

Punjab Water Resources Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer on Monday assured the public that preventive measures have been taken to fortify the riverbanks, rendering them capable of withstanding the augmented discharges. The Department's field personnel have also been deployed around the clock to ensure the safety of residents and property.

At the same time, the state Chief Secretary Anurag Verma held a comprehensive video conference with all the Deputy Commissioners to address the escalating situation due to excessive water inflow triggered by heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh.

The main focus remains on safeguarding lives and properties along the riverbanks. Verma underscored the importance of preparedness, urging the setting up of relief camps if required.

He emphasized the need for unwavering vigilance in sensitive areas, along with maintaining open channels of communication with the Water Resources Department and his office to respond promptly to any exigency.

As the region grapples with the challenges presented by this deluge, a concerted effort by government bodies and citizens alike is imperative to ensure the safety and security of all those potentially affected. The coming days will be crucial as the controlled releases from the Pong Dam aim to mitigate the risks associated with heightened water levels in the River Beas.
Even as Punjabs 19 districts were badly affected by the impact of the devastating floods causing significant losses with standing water in several areas hampering relief efforts, the State Government is set to initiate the compensation measures for the flood-affected farmers starting August 15-Independence Day (Tuesday).

The state Agriculture and farmers Welfare Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal on Monday said that the State Government is committed to providing compensation to flood-affected farmers, even without girdawari or a formal assessment of damages. The process to provide compensation to the farmers would begin from August 15, he announced after holding a meeting with the farmer leader Rakesh Tikait at Dhaliwal's residence.

Dhaliwal acknowledged that in certain areas, the floodwater is yet to recede, preventing a comprehensive assessment of the extent of damages. Nonetheless, the State Government remains steadfast in its commitment to address the needs of affected farmers.

The flood-induced losses have particularly impacted crops, leading farmer leader Rakesh Tikait to express his concerns. Tikait emphasized the importance of fair compensation from the government for the losses incurred due to the floods. He also touched upon the ongoing struggle for Minimum Support Price (MSP) and the need for the Central Government to address farmers' grievances.
State Bank of India paid tributes to Partition Horrors Remembrance Day by organizing an exhibition across the state of M.P and Chhattisgarh in it's 12 Branches.

This event aimed to honor the challenges faced during the partition and the struggle for independence. The bank put together an exhibition that showcased historical items, photos, and stories depicting the difficulties of the independence movement. The exhibition was to help visitors to connect with the past and understand the hardships of those affected by the devil of partition.

In the same line an exhibition was organised in the city of Bhopal at SBI Main Branch TT Nagar Bhopal, SBI (NW-1) General Manager Kundan Jyoti and DGM B&O Bhopal Module Lokesh Chandra, along with other dignitaries' of the city attended the exhibition's opening.

Exhibition highlighted the importance and recognized the sacrifices made by those who fought for freedom. The Bank also honored freedom fighters for their dedication to the cause.

Assistant General Manager of SBI Main Branch Shri Sunil Rajvyad thanked everyone involved in organizing the event.

The exhibition not only paid tribute to the past's sacrifices but also emphasized the significance of collective remembrance and unity. The echoes of the exhibition serve as a reminder of the nation's resilience, sacrifices, and ongoing pursuit of freedom and unity.
The security forces on Monday conducted checks at inter-state borders in Punjab and Haryana as part of efforts to tighten security ahead of Independence Day. Security has also been beefed up in the Union Territory of Chandigarh  the joint capital of the two states.



A thick security blanket has enveloped the venues where the governors, chief ministers and ministers of the two states will unfurl the national flag on Tuesday, the officials said.



Punjab Inspector General of Police (Headquarters) Sukhchain Singh Gill said foolproof security arrangements have been made for Independence Day. Senior police officers, including the special director general, additional directors general and inspectors general, have been deputed to the districts. Sufficient force has also been deployed, he added.

Security personnel intensified vehicle checking in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh at inter-state borders and maintained strict vigil to keep an eye on anti-social elements. The police also conducted checks at bus stands, railway stations and other places.



Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will unfurl the Tricolour at a state-level function in Patiala while his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar will hoist the national flag in Fatehabad.
Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj on Monday said thousands of vacant posts in the Delhi Government will be filled if the Arvind Kejriwal dispensation gets control over services matter. The Minister said that such recruitments will speed up work at various departments of the Government.

Inaugurating a bridge in Janakpuri, Bhardwaj hoped that the elected Government in Delhi will get back control over services matter through the Supreme Court.

The Centre on Saturday notified the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) Act, 2023, that brings services matter in Delhi Government, including transfer and postings of officers, under its domain.

The Health Minister said the Arvind Kejriwal Government wants to recruit new doctors and engineers but it has no power to do it.

The power to appoint new doctors and engineers is not in the hands of the elected Government. The Government wants to appoint new doctors but their appointment is in the hands of the Lieutenant-Governor since 2015, he said.

"If this power comes in the hands of elected Government, thousands of vacant posts will be filled. This will also speed up work that has slowed down due to lack of staff at various departments," he said.

Bharadwaj said he was told by officers that they cannot remove officials caught in wrongdoing because they are the only ones available due to shortage of staff. The Minister said that the Supreme Court on two occasions, in 2018 and 2023, gave its verdict that powers related to services matter lied with the elected government in Delhi but the Centre did not accept it.

The Supreme Court on May 11 gave control over services matter to the elected government in Delhi. However, a week later, the Centre through an ordinance created a three-member National Capital Civil Services Authority headed by the Delhi chief minister.

The newly created authority comprising the chief secretary and the home secretary of the Delhi government as its two other members, ensured that the services matter remained in control of the Centre that made appointments of the two officers.
The Delhi Government's Vigilance Department on Monday issued show-cause notices to several officials, including the Secretary, Joint Secretary and Deputy Secretaries saying they have not given any reply on merit and merely stated that the Directorate of Vigilance has no jurisdiction to suo motu issue Show Cause Notices to the officers who are working in Delhi Legislative Assembly Secretariat. This is the second show cause notices to them as they failed to submit their replies earlier. The notices have been issued to Secretary Raj Kumar, Joint Secretary C Velmurugan, and Deputy Secretaries Sadanand Saha and Sunil Dutt Sharma.

After the Vigilance Departments earlier notice, the Delhi Assembly has already disengaged all fellows and associates with immediate effect. The notice was issued on Monday (August 14) by Special Secretary (Vigilance) YVVJ Rajasekhar who said that their replies were not on the merit and they just stated that the Vigilance Department has no jurisdiction to suo motu issue Show Cause Notices to the officers who are working in Delhi Legislative Assembly Secretariat.

it is informed that you are governed by CCS (Conduct) Rules 1964 and CCS (CCA) Rules 1965. No immunity is given to any public servant to indulge in any omission and commission prohibited by rules and law. Hence, you may kindly note that you were given reasonable opportunity to reply on merits, which you have failed to do so. The Department is processing the cases as per due process of law.

Now therefore, you are given final opportunity to submit your reply on merits on the Show Cause Notice dated 31.07.2023 within seven days, positively, from the date of receipt of this memorandum, reads the notice.

The notice further said if the reply is not received within the prescribed time limit, it will be presumed that you have nothing to submit in this matter and further appropriate action as deemed fit shall be taken in the matter as per existing rules, without any further correspondence.

On 31st July, the Vigilance Department had issued notice to as many as four DANICS rank officials directing them to explain why disciplinary action be not taken against them for various omissions and commissions for violation of not only rules and legal provisions but also for actively facilitating illegal engagements and actions connected thereto. The department had said that if the reply is not received within seven days from the date of receipt of this notice, it will be presumed that they have nothing to submit in this matter and further appropriate action shall be taken in the matter as per rules.
The Yogi Adityanath government is preparing to open five-star hotels with top-notch facilities for tourists in nine palaces and forts of the state.

The move aims to enhance the tourism sector and provide employment opportunities for the youth, while also promoting rural tourism and culture and boosting the economy.

It is noteworthy that the Yogi government is actively engaged in establishing Uttar Pradesh as a popular international destination for heritage tourism. Under the guidance of the chief minister, a significant initiative has been undertaken to restore heritage properties to their pristine glory through private sector investments.

This approach will not only restore the heritage assets but also create direct and indirect employment opportunities for the youth in the field of tourism. Additionally, it will contribute to the economic transformation of rural tourism, culture and local areas.

The Uttar Pradesh Tourism department is gearing up convert heritage properties, including Chhatar Manzil in Lucknow, Chunar Fort in Mirzapur, Barua Sagar Fort in Jhansi, Kothi Gulistan-e-Iram, Kothi Darshan Vilas, and Kothi Roshan in Lucknow, Barsana Water Palace in Mathura, Shukla Talab in Kanpur and Tikait Rai Baradari in Bithoor into heritage hotels. The government has created three categories for the purpose with a proposed minimum investment amount of Rs 180 crore.

Under the guidance of the chief minister, wellness centres, heritage hotels, resorts, museums, heritage restaurants, boutique restaurants, banquet halls, wedding tourism, adventure tourism, homestays, thematic parks and other tourism and hospitality units will be constructed in heritage properties by the Tourism department.

The proposed plan of the government is being actively considered by the tourism industry. Leading hotel groups interested in investing in the adaptive reuse of ancient heritage buildings include Leela Hotels, Neemrana Hotels, Indian Hotels Company (Taj Hotels), Mahindra Hotels and Resorts, Oberoi Hotels, The MRS Group and Resort, Lalit Hotels, Hyatt Regency, Sarovar Hotels and Resorts, Accor Group, THF Hotels, Langer Hotels, Royal Orchid Hotels, Ramada Hotel, Clark Hotels, and Bridgman Groups of Hotels. All of them have shown interest in the expression of interest (EOI).

Notably, a few months ago, around 41 heritage entrepreneurs met with officials of the Tourism department to express their interest in the heritage buildings of the state. Furthermore, the Tourism department has also studied heritage buildings in five states  Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha and Rajasthan.

According to Principal Secretary and Director General of Tourism Mukesh Meshram, the selection of the successful bidder for the project will be based on the quality and cost-based selection method.

According to officials, criteria and responsibilities for the conservation of heritage buildings have been defined.

The established criteria and responsibilities includes maintaining the layout of archaeological buildings as they were originally, refraining from making any changes in their original form, adapting the use of the building in accordance with its mythological and historical significance, establishing informative signage by developers about the history of the heritage building, showcasing local culture, cuisine, arts, clothing and cultural practices, as well as developing neighboring villages under CSR (corporate social responsibility) selected by the developer, along with providing employment to 25 per cent of the local citizens.
by Tony Abeyasena

The 20th of August, 1973, marked a significant day in the lives of 16 young men who had recently graduated from various schools in the Colombo, Kandy, and Kurunegala Districts. Most of them were still in their teens, with a few just beyond that age. It was the first time they were all together. The Boardroom of Navy Headquarters was filled with parents and relatives. An oath was recited, some forms were signed, and then the parents and relatives departed after exchanging hugs, kisses, and tearful embraces. And so did we, heading to the Colombo Officers Wardroom for lunch.





For dessert, the Gunnery Instructor gave us a curt instruction, Go wherever you want, but you must be back here by these gates at 5:30. When I say 5:30, I mean 5:30. Not 5:29, not 5:31. Do you understand? If there was one thing we understood that day, it was that!





SLNS Sindurala and Suranimila leave for India to take part in SLINEX 2019 [Photo: Sri Lanka Navy]





We were directed to the Fort Railway Station and released onto a train that was as crowded as if people had gathered to watch the Navam Perahera. The morning crowd of mothers, grandmothers, and village headmen suddenly appeared. They all congregated on platform number four, where the night mail train to Trincomalee was waiting for its long journey. They came, saw their loved ones embark, and watched them disappear into the night.





Each cadet settled into a cramped space on the overcrowded train, occasionally interrupted by someone asking, Whats your name? No one asked me! So, I approached a ruggedly handsome fellow. He was tall, fair-skinned, had unruly hair, greenish-blue eyes, and an air of confidence about him. His upper body hung out of the window from the waist up. I tapped him through the adjacent window and yelled over the trains noise, Hi, Im Tony. He flashed a smile, displaying two rows of white teeth through a slightly open mouth, and shouted back, Im Shanthi. That marked the beginning of a conversation that lasted until Trincomalee, and a friendship that extended well beyond that.





We entered the Naval Dockyard in Trincomalee in the back of a converted, battered half-truck. We were dropped off at a box-like single-story building that was introduced as the Cadets GunRoomour shelter for the first four months in the Navy.





The Gunnery Instructor continued to watch over us. He was introduced as Petty Officer (GI) C. A. Dharmapala, our Divisional Petty Officer. Before we could blink, a very tall, fair, stern-faced young man appeared. He wore a white Navy peaked cap, a spotless white uniform shirt, and carried a black shoulder board with a single gold stripe. With white shorts, neatly folded long white stockings, and white shoes completing the attire, he epitomized a Naval officer on that early morning.





He lined us up in front of him and introduced himself with a commanding voice, I am Sub-Lieutenant C. A. M. Jayamaha, your Assistant Divisional Officer. For the next fifteen minutes, he delivered a tirade in fluent, impeccable English, explaining what we were (the lowest form of animals), where we came from (the depths of the earth), our parentage (the result of the deliberate crossing of maggots and worms), our knowledge (insufficient to fill a toilet), and where we were headed (the depths of despair)!





Whatever he said was delivered with such conviction and pinpoint accuracy on that early Tuesday morning that we believed every word to be true. A good eighty percent of us couldnt understand a word he said!





We were assigned kits, lockers, and bunks. We repeated our names to various individuals about a dozen times an hour for the next eight hours, all while on double mark time or double march, until we figured out who was who.





During this period, we realized our Divisional Officer was Lieutenant Commander (N) A. I. Jayawardena. He gave the impression of a misplaced missionary among a surrounding cabal of cannibals. Unbeknownst to each other, we all individually tagged him with a nickname   (Father). To us, he remains that to this day.





The icing on the cake was applied by Jyothi the barber. With a snip and snap, he severed our last connections to civilization. The most unforgettable sight to date is the facial expression of each cadet as he walked to the full-length mirror in front of the GunRoom, which seemed to ask, Do I dress properly? Do I salute properly? The individual who walked away from that mirror was a complete stranger.





Fast forward to 1981, when Kamal met with a life-changing accident. At the end of 1984, Lalith bid adieu and went on to hold a position at ACL Cables until his retirement a few years ago. In 1985, the Navy acquired the first squadron of Dvoras, where Pubudu Atapattu rose to prominence. He almost single-handedly carved a path through swarms of LTTE boat clusters in the darkness of the Indian Ocean. By sailing through them, Pubudu nullified the superiority that the sea tigers held, inspiring others to follow suit.









Kamal Herath never fully recovered from his accident and was medically discharged. In 1986, on January 15th, Shanthi Bahar walked into a trap in the shrub jungles of Kattaiparichchan. While in the midst of a promising future, he departed, leaving behind a widow, a two-year-old son, and a daughter yet to be born.





Upali Ranaweera took over from Pubudu to conduct daring skirmishes on the Indian Ocean, instilling mortal fear into a shaken enemy. In 1987, Athula called it a day and retired to hang up his boots. He did a security stint at Sri Lankan Airlines before migrating to Canada.





GB Jayasundera etched his name as one of the best shiphandlers, if not the best. On many occasions, he demonstrated his seamanship skills, navigating the Chinese gunboats in the shallowest of waters. He sailed close to the Northern Peninsulas inland areas, where no one had dared to venture before or since. This effort was to provide Naval Gunfire Support at close quarters during the height of battle.





In 1989, Jayantha Nugawela, while displaying the promise of being an exceptional Naval Officer, left on premature retirement. In 1995, after retiring, GB sailed for Mercs Shipping, ferrying shiploads of troops from South to North and back. GB displayed astute brilliance in instantly converting dire situations into safety. Once, exhibiting seamanship and leadership skills of the highest calibre, GB saved his ship and the lives of thousands of soldiers from explosive-laden LTTE suicide boats.





Siri gained a reputation as an able administrator, welcomed in every establishment he served, regardless of designation, as the only officer who would feed chicken to his men every day! Tenne, Kolitha, and Ananda were much-loved figures in the Navy back then, proving their capabilities as administrators in their own subtle ways. Kolitha and Ananda retired after completing 22 years of service. Tenne served on to become the Chief of Staff of the Navy.





Parakrama and Mohan were a duo of characters in themselves. Books could be written about their achievements and how they stood strong in the face of depressing and demoralizing opposition. Both retired in 1995. Ivan proved his mettle by leading the Engineering Department to dizzying heights of performance and perfection. The boat-building project he initiated at Welisara in 2000 paved the way for the creation of Small Boat Squadrons. In the end, these SBS squadrons, with their superior numbers and outclassing performance, became the sea tigers nemesis.





Five members of the intake reached the rank of Rear Admiral. Shanthi died in action. Upali and Mohan after their retirement. In the family structure that developed, alongside the above three, Nalini, Uttara, Princess, and Sapumalee also passed on to their rest much earlier than we expected. Our Assistant Divisional Officer, Mohan Jayamaha, sacrificed his life in an enemy land mine at Araly Point. Master Chief Petty Officer (GI) Dharmapala was called to rest after a short illness from which he could not recover.





Those of us who are still alive and present will gather to spend a weekend of recollection and reminiscence, giving thanks to those who shaped our paths of destiny. We will recount many tales and moments of laughter and happiness that weve shared over the past fifty years.





Retired Rear Admiral Tony Abeyasena, a distinguished veteran of the Sri Lanka Navy, earned the Best Cadet Sword of Honour and served as the Director General of Electrical and Electronics Engineering. He spearheaded the upgrade of Naval ship optronics and radar systems with state-of-the-art equipment and enhanced the SLN Fast Attack Craft (FAC) with advanced systems. After retirement, he worked with the Royal Oman Navy.
A number of research firms have changed their ratings and price targets for Booz Allen Hamilton (NYSE: BAH):

7/31/2023  Booz Allen Hamilton had its price target raised by analysts at TD Cowen from $123.00 to $144.00. They now have an outperform rating on the stock.

7/31/2023  Booz Allen Hamilton had its price target raised by analysts at Truist Financial Co. from $106.00 to $120.00. They now have a hold rating on the stock.

7/31/2023  Booz Allen Hamilton had its price target raised by analysts at Barclays PLC from $108.00 to $125.00. They now have an equal weight rating on the stock.

7/28/2023  Booz Allen Hamilton had its price target raised by analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $125.00 to $127.00. They now have a buy rating on the stock.

7/13/2023  Booz Allen Hamilton had its price target raised by analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $110.00 to $125.00.

Booz Allen Hamilton Price Performance

BAH stock traded up $1.45 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $122.12. The company had a trading volume of 773,935 shares, compared to its average volume of 999,351. The company has a market capitalization of $16.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.61. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $113.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $101.10. Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Co. has a 1-year low of $87.99 and a 1-year high of $125.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.71, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.21.

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Booz Allen Hamilton (NYSE:BAH  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 26th. The business services provider reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.92 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $2.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.39 billion. Booz Allen Hamilton had a return on equity of 58.40% and a net margin of 3.05%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.86 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Co. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Booz Allen Hamilton Announces Dividend

Insiders Place Their Bets

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 14th. Booz Allen Hamiltons payout ratio is 85.07%.

In other news, EVP Susan L. Penfield sold 22,600 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.78, for a total value of $2,277,628.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 19,793 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,994,738.54. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, EVP Nancy Laben sold 4,117 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total value of $432,285.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 32,614 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,424,470. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Susan L. Penfield sold 22,600 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.78, for a total value of $2,277,628.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,793 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,994,738.54. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 120,920 shares of company stock valued at $13,140,062. 1.76% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Booz Allen Hamilton

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rench Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in Booz Allen Hamilton by 5.0% during the 2nd quarter. Rench Wealth Management Inc. now owns 45,813 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $5,113,000 after purchasing an additional 2,189 shares during the period. Morningstar Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Booz Allen Hamilton during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $258,000. IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in shares of Booz Allen Hamilton by 29.4% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,105 shares of the business services providers stock worth $123,000 after buying an additional 251 shares during the period. X Square Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Booz Allen Hamilton during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $203,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in shares of Booz Allen Hamilton by 66.6% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 10,100 shares of the business services providers stock worth $1,127,000 after buying an additional 4,037 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.45% of the companys stock.

Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation provides management and technology consulting, analytics, engineering, digital solutions, mission operations, and cyber services to governments, corporations, and not-for-profit organizations in the United States and internationally. It also focuses on artificial intelligence services comprising of machine learning, predictive modeling, automation and decision analytics, and quantum computing.

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Bristow Group Inc. (NYSE:VTOL  Get Free Report) major shareholder Alternative Asset Manage Solus sold 1,946 shares of Bristow Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.48, for a total transaction of $59,314.08. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,652,684 shares in the company, valued at approximately $111,333,808.32. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Major shareholders that own at least 10% of a companys stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Alternative Asset Manage Solus also recently made the following trade(s):

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On Wednesday, August 9th, Alternative Asset Manage Solus sold 149 shares of Bristow Group stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.94, for a total transaction of $4,610.06.

On Monday, August 7th, Alternative Asset Manage Solus sold 8,805 shares of Bristow Group stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.01, for a total value of $273,043.05.

On Monday, June 5th, Alternative Asset Manage Solus sold 33,318 shares of Bristow Group stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.35, for a total transaction of $844,611.30.

Bristow Group Trading Down 2.3 %

Shares of VTOL stock traded down $0.69 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $29.67. 62,134 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 119,327. The firm has a market capitalization of $835.98 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 135.09 and a beta of 1.38. Bristow Group Inc. has a 12-month low of $20.08 and a 12-month high of $31.89. The companys 50-day moving average price is $28.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $25.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Bristow Group Company Profile

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. BlackRock Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Bristow Group by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 3,745,175 shares of the companys stock worth $138,871,000 after acquiring an additional 22,633 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Bristow Group by 4.8% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,659,812 shares of the companys stock worth $38,989,000 after purchasing an additional 75,831 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Bristow Group by 20.2% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 951,527 shares of the companys stock worth $27,337,000 after purchasing an additional 160,161 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Bristow Group by 3.9% during the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 918,705 shares of the companys stock valued at $20,579,000 after purchasing an additional 34,507 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Bristow Group by 3.7% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 462,283 shares of the companys stock worth $13,281,000 after purchasing an additional 16,334 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.43% of the companys stock.

(Get Free Report)

Bristow Group Inc provides vertical flight solutions. It primarily offers aviation services to integrated, national, and independent offshore energy companies and government agencies. It also provides personnel transportation, search and rescue (SAR), medevac, ad hoc helicopter, and fixed wing transportation services, as well as logistical and maintenance support, training services, and flight and maintenance crews.

Further Reading

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Euro Manganese Inc. (OTCMKTS:EUMNF  Get Free Report) saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 7,600 shares, a decline of 42.4% from the July 15th total of 13,200 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 9,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.8 days.

Euro Manganese Stock Performance

OTCMKTS EUMNF traded up $0.00 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $0.15. 61,700 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 29,544. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $0.14 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $0.16. Euro Manganese has a 52 week low of $0.11 and a 52 week high of $0.31.

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About Euro Manganese

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Further Reading

Euro Manganese Inc engages in the evaluation, exploration, and development of mineral assets. Its principal property is the 100% owned Chvaletice manganese project, which is involved in the re-processing of a manganese deposit hosted in historic mine tailings located to the east of Prague, the Czech Republic.

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Berry Global Group, Inc. (NYSE:BERY  Get Free Report) President William J. Norman sold 9,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.48, for a total value of $598,320.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Berry Global Group Trading Down 0.5 %

NYSE:BERY traded down $0.31 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $65.93. The stock had a trading volume of 923,560 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,057,191. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.72. The company has a market capitalization of $7.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.50, a PEG ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.19. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $64.18 and a 200 day moving average of $60.93. Berry Global Group, Inc. has a one year low of $44.52 and a one year high of $68.01.

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Berry Global Group (NYSE:BERY  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 9th. The industrial products company reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.97 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $3.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.42 billion. Berry Global Group had a net margin of 5.05% and a return on equity of 27.67%. The firms revenue was down 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.03 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Berry Global Group, Inc. will post 7.29 EPS for the current year.

Berry Global Group Dividend Announcement

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 1st will be given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 31st. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.52%. Berry Global Groups payout ratio is 18.87%.

BERY has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Mizuho boosted their target price on Berry Global Group from $64.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Friday, May 5th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Berry Global Group from $75.00 to $73.00 in a research report on Monday, May 8th. StockNews.com started coverage on Berry Global Group in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Bank of America upped their price objective on Berry Global Group from $70.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Monday, July 10th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on Berry Global Group from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $73.54.

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Institutional Trading of Berry Global Group

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. BlackRock Inc. raised its stake in Berry Global Group by 91.7% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 10,384,657 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $668,149,000 after acquiring an additional 4,968,179 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in Berry Global Group by 70.2% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,423,592 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $220,274,000 after acquiring an additional 1,412,532 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Berry Global Group in the 4th quarter worth $67,056,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Berry Global Group in the 2nd quarter worth $70,908,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in Berry Global Group by 86.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,264,517 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $81,359,000 after acquiring an additional 588,055 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.95% of the companys stock.

About Berry Global Group

(Get Free Report)

Berry Global Group, Inc manufactures and supplies non-woven, flexible, and rigid products in consumer and industrial end markets. The company operates through Consumer Packaging International; Consumer Packaging North America; Engineered Materials; and Health, Hygiene & Specialties segments. The Consumer Packaging International segment offers closures and dispensing systems, pharmaceutical devices and packaging, bottles and canisters, containers, and technical components.

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Koninklijke Philips (NYSE:PHG  Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,590,000 shares, a decline of 29.6% from the July 15th total of 2,260,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 926,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.7 days.

Koninklijke Philips Stock Performance

PHG traded up $0.76 during trading on Monday, reaching $21.03. 847,330 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,486,500. The stock has a market cap of $19.52 billion, a P/E ratio of -8.99 and a beta of 0.93. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $21.00 and a 200 day moving average of $19.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Koninklijke Philips has a 52 week low of $11.75 and a 52 week high of $23.30.

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Koninklijke Philips (NYSE:PHG  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Sunday, July 23rd. The technology company reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.23 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $4.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.30 billion. Koninklijke Philips had a positive return on equity of 7.95% and a negative net margin of 10.84%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.15 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Koninklijke Philips will post 1.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PHG has been the topic of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Koninklijke Philips in a research report on Wednesday, July 12th. They set a buy rating on the stock. Societe Generale raised Koninklijke Philips from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 25th. TheStreet raised Koninklijke Philips from a d+ rating to a c- rating in a research report on Monday, July 24th. StockNews.com raised Koninklijke Philips from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, July 27th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on Koninklijke Philips to 19.00 ($20.65) in a research report on Friday, July 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Koninklijke Philips has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $17.06.

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Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI boosted its position in Koninklijke Philips by 26.7% during the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI now owns 8,687,852 shares of the technology companys stock worth $130,231,000 after acquiring an additional 1,832,561 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its position in Koninklijke Philips by 11.3% during the 1st quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,596,089 shares of the technology companys stock worth $157,738,000 after acquiring an additional 873,175 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Koninklijke Philips by 16.7% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 8,245,236 shares of the technology companys stock worth $251,727,000 after acquiring an additional 1,178,744 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. boosted its position in Koninklijke Philips by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 6,671,419 shares of the technology companys stock worth $144,703,000 after acquiring an additional 37,942 shares during the period. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted its position in Koninklijke Philips by 9.9% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 3,351,702 shares of the technology companys stock worth $50,242,000 after acquiring an additional 302,633 shares during the period. 6.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Koninklijke Philips Company Profile

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Koninklijke Philips N.V. operates as a health technology company in North America, the Greater China, and internationally. It operates through Diagnosis & Treatment Businesses, Connected Care Businesses, and Personal Health Businesses segments. The company provides diagnostic imaging solutions, includes magnetic resonance imaging, X-ray systems, and computed tomography (CT) systems and software comprising detector-based spectral CT solutions, as well as molecular and hybrid imaging solutions for nuclear medicine; echography solutions focused on diagnosis, treatment planning and guidance for cardiology, general imaging, obstetrics/gynecology, and point-of-care applications; integrated interventional systems, and interventional diagnostic and therapeutic devices to treat coronary artery and peripheral vascular disease; proprietary software to enable diagnostics and intervention; and enterprise diagnostic informatics products and services.

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PetroChina Company Limited (OTCMKTS:PCCYF  Get Free Report) was the target of a large decrease in short interest during the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 11,352,900 shares, a decrease of 30.6% from the July 15th total of 16,350,900 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 218,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 51.9 days.

PetroChina Price Performance

Shares of PCCYF stock traded down $0.03 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $0.72. The companys stock had a trading volume of 198,105 shares, compared to its average volume of 264,817. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $0.71. PetroChina has a 12-month low of $0.37 and a 12-month high of $0.77.

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PetroChina Company Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in a range of petroleum related products, services, and activities in Mainland China and internationally. It operates through Oil, Gas and New Energy Resource; Refining, Chemicals and New material; Marketing; and Natural Gas Sales segments.

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Premium Brands (OTCMKTS:PRBZF  Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at National Bank Financial from an outperform rating to a sector perform rating in a research report issued on Monday, FlyOnTheWall reports.

PRBZF has been the topic of a number of other reports. TD Securities raised their target price on shares of Premium Brands from C$120.00 to C$125.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 16th. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Premium Brands from C$114.00 to C$121.00 in a research note on Monday, May 1st. Finally, CIBC raised their target price on shares of Premium Brands from C$98.00 to C$99.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 16th.

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Premium Brands Stock Performance

Premium Brands Company Profile

Shares of OTCMKTS:PRBZF remained flat at $81.02 during midday trading on Monday. 7 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 743. Premium Brands has a 12-month low of $57.35 and a 12-month high of $83.35. The businesss 50-day moving average is $79.67 and its 200 day moving average is $75.19.

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Premium Brands Holdings Corporation, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and distributes food products primarily in Canada and the United States. It operates in two segments, Specialty Foods and Premium Food Distribution. The company provides processed meat, deli products, meat snacks, beef jerky and halal, sandwiches, pastries, specialty and gourmet products, entrees, panini, wraps, subs, hamburgers, burgers, salads and kettle products, muffins, breads, pastas, and baking and sushi products.

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Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD  Get Free Report) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 4,800,000 shares, a drop of 17.2% from the July 15th total of 5,800,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,480,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.9 days. Currently, 0.3% of the companys shares are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on BUD. HSBC lowered Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, May 10th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and lifted their target price for the company from $64.00 to $68.50 in a report on Thursday, July 20th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from $80.00 to $70.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, June 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com cut Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $67.06.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Price Performance

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of BUD. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 82,251.7% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,778,048 shares of the consumer goods makers stock worth $286,874,000 after purchasing an additional 4,772,246 shares during the period. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust purchased a new position in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV during the 2nd quarter worth $96,594,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 11.7% during the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 11,088,566 shares of the consumer goods makers stock worth $665,758,000 after purchasing an additional 1,162,780 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 3,313.9% during the 2nd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 823,558 shares of the consumer goods makers stock worth $46,712,000 after purchasing an additional 799,434 shares during the period. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 589.5% during the 1st quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 668,419 shares of the consumer goods makers stock worth $44,604,000 after purchasing an additional 571,473 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 5.53% of the companys stock.

Shares of BUD traded up $0.06 on Monday, reaching $56.36. The stock had a trading volume of 1,340,149 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,124,958. The firm has a market capitalization of $97.91 billion, a PE ratio of 18.16, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $56.87 and a 200 day moving average of $59.79. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV has a twelve month low of $44.51 and a twelve month high of $67.09.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 2nd. The consumer goods maker reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $15.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $15.33 billion. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV had a return on equity of 14.69% and a net margin of 10.59%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.73 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV will post 3.05 EPS for the current year.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Company Profile

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Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV produces, distributes, markets, and sells beer and beverages. It offers a portfolio of approximately 500 beer brands, which primarily include Budweiser, Corona, and Stella Artois; Beck's, Hoegaarden, Leffe, and Michelob Ultra; and Aguila, Antarctica, Bud Light, Brahma, Cass, Castle, Castle Lite, Cristal, Harbin, Jupiler, Modelo Especial, Quilmes, Victoria, Sedrin, and Skol brands.

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EDP  Energias de Portugal, S.A. (OTCMKTS:EDPFY  Get Free Report) saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,800 shares, a decline of 30.9% from the July 15th total of 5,500 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 33,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.1 days.

EDP  Energias de Portugal Price Performance

Shares of OTCMKTS EDPFY traded down $0.42 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $45.38. 25,235 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 23,576. EDP  Energias de Portugal has a 12-month low of $38.87 and a 12-month high of $57.63. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $48.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $50.70.

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EDP  Energias de Portugal Company Profile

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EDP  Energias de Portugal, SA engages in the generation, transmission, distribution, and supply of electricity in Portugal, Spain, France, Poland, Romania, Italy, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Greece, Colombia, Brazil, North America, and internationally. It operates through Renewables, Networks, and Client Solutions & Energy Management segments.

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El Puerto de Liverpool, S.A.B. de C.V. (OTCMKTS:ELPQF  Get Free Report) saw a large decrease in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 83,600 shares, a decrease of 31.5% from the July 15th total of 122,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 100 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 836.0 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Citigroup downgraded El Puerto de Liverpool from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a report on Monday, April 17th.

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El Puerto de Liverpool Stock Performance

El Puerto de Liverpool Company Profile

Shares of ELPQF remained flat at $6.28 during trading hours on Monday. El Puerto de Liverpool has a 1 year low of $5.90 and a 1 year high of $6.47. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $6.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $6.15.

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El Puerto de Liverpool, S. A. B. de C. V., together with its subsidiaries, operates a chain of department stores in Mexico. The company operates through Liverpool Commercial, Suburbia Commercial, Real Estate, and Credit segments. Its stores offer various products, such as clothes and accessories for men, women, and children; household goods; furniture; cosmetics; and other consumer products.

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EQS-Ad-hoc: MBB SE / Key word(s): Half Year Report/Forecast

MBB SE grows revenues by 13% to 427 million with 32 million EBITDA in the first half of the year and adjusts forecast EBITDA margin for 2023 to 8-10%



15-Aug-2023 / 08:00 CET/CEST

Disclosure of an inside information acc. to Article 17 MAR of the Regulation (EU) No 596/2014, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group AG.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





Disclosure of inside information acc. to Article 17 MAR

MBB SE grows revenues by 13% to 427 million with 32 million EBITDA in the first half of the year and adjusts forecast EBITDA margin for 2023 to 8-10%

Berlin, 15 August 2023 - MBB SE (ISIN DE000A0ETBQ4), a medium-sized family-owned company, increased its revenues by 12.9% to 427.2m in the first half of 2023. Adjusted EBITDA declined by 16.2% to 31.9 million in the same period. The adjusted EBITDA margin improved during the first half of the year from 6.8% in the first quarter to 8.0% in the second quarter. However, at 7.5%, the adjusted EBITDA margin for the first half of the year was below expectations. Net Cash of the group reached 372.8 million at the end of the first half of the year, of which 331.7 million was attributable to the holding MBB SE.

The Service & Infrastructure segment increased its revenues by 7.5% to 207.9 million in the first half of the year. The energy infrastructure provider Friedrich Vorwerk made a particularly strong contribution, with revenue growth of 16.0% to 165.6 million. The IT security specialist DTS, on the other hand, reached revenues of  42.9 million in the first half of the year, but was unable to match the unusually strong first half of the previous year. The segment's EBITDA fell to 19.8 million, which corresponds to a margin of 9.5%. While DTS achieved an EBITDA margin of 14.5%, Friedrich Vorwerk's EBITDA margin of 8.2% was significantly below the previous year. In addition to the expected cost pressure on materials and personnel, a large LNG projects contributed to lower profitability.

The Technological Applications segment grew by 21.8% to 167.1 million in revenues in the first half of the year. The adjusted EBITDA of the segment more than doubled to 12.6 million. The automation specialist Aumann made a substantial contribution to the segment's positive development with growth of 29.0% to 119.0 million in revenues. Aumann's adjusted EBITDA margin of 6.8% underpins the gradual increase in profitability, while the record order backlog of 313.6 million once again demonstrates the company's excellent market position. Delignit also significantly boosted the growth of the segment with a 50.0% increase in revenues to 48.2 million and a doubling of EBITDA to 4.5 million. To finance further growth steps, Delignit successfully completed a capital increase with gross proceeds of 8.0 million on 12 July 2023.

The Consumer Goods segment increased revenues by 9.6% to 52.2 million in the first half of the year. However, the challenging economic conditions led to a decline in profitability at both Hanke Tissue and the mattress manufacturer CT Formpolster. In total, the segment therefore generated EBITDA of 0.0 million, which is due in particular to fluctuations in energy and raw material prices.

For the current financial year, MBB continues to expect revenues of 850-900 million. In light of the temporarily weaker profitability in the Service & Infrastructure and Consumer Goods segments, MBB now expects an adjusted EBITDA margin of 8-10 percent compared to its original forecast of 9-11 percent.

The full half-year report is available at www.mbb.com.

MBB SE

Joachimsthaler Strae 34

10719 Berlin

Tel +49 30 844 15 330

Fax +49 30 844 15 333

office@mbb.com

www.mbb.com

Executive Management

Dr. Constantin Mang (CEO)

Dr. Jakob Ammer

Torben Teichler

Chairman of the Board and Executive Director

Dr. Christof Nesemeier

Court of Registration

Berlin-Charlottenburg Local Court, registration number: HRB 165458
WuXi AppTec Co., Ltd. (OTCMKTS:WUXIF  Get Free Report) saw a large decline in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 212,700 shares, a decline of 23.1% from the July 15th total of 276,700 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2,127.0 days.

WuXi AppTec Price Performance

WUXIF opened at $8.61 on Tuesday. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $8.55 and its 200 day simple moving average is $9.86. WuXi AppTec has a 12 month low of $7.91 and a 12 month high of $12.41.

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Further Reading

WuXi AppTec Co, Ltd., an investment holding company, provides research, development, and manufacturing services to discover, develop, and manufacture small molecule drugs, and cell and gene therapies in the People's Republic of China, the United States, Europe, and internationally. The company operates through six segments: WuXi Chemistry, WuXi Testing, WuXi Biology, WuXi ATU, WuXi DDSU, and Others.

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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 note issued to investors on Monday.

Cheniere Energy Partners Price Performance

About Cheniere Energy Partners

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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.

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25 LLC purchased a new stake in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:AGG  Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 5,287 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $524,000. iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF comprises about 0.3% of 25 LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Roble Belko & Company Inc bought a new stake in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. New Millennium Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF by 188.4% during the 4th quarter. New Millennium Group LLC now owns 323 shares of the companys stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new stake in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. First Manhattan Co. grew its holdings in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF by 697.9% during the 4th quarter. First Manhattan Co. now owns 375 shares of the companys stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 328 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Activest Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 80.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF Stock Performance

Shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF stock remained flat at $96.00 during midday trading on Tuesday. 1,927,802 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,210,923. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $97.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $98.40. iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF has a 12 month low of $93.20 and a 12 month high of $103.13.

iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF Company Profile

IShares are index funds that are bought and sold like common stocks on national securities exchanges as well as certain foreign exchanges. iShares are attractive because of their relatively low cost, tax efficiency and trading flexibility. Investors can purchase and sell shares through any brokerage firm, financial advisor, or online broker, and hold the funds in any type of brokerage account.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AGG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:AGG  Free Report).

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Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund acquired a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 28,062 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $9,637,000. Eli Lilly and Company comprises approximately 0.8% of Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Funds holdings, making the stock its 20th largest holding.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. King Wealth increased its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 20.1% in the first quarter. King Wealth now owns 22,239 shares of the companys stock worth $7,637,000 after purchasing an additional 3,722 shares in the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 5,164.3% in the first quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 256,215 shares of the companys stock worth $87,989,000 after purchasing an additional 251,348 shares in the last quarter. Tredje AP fonden increased its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 8.8% in the first quarter. Tredje AP fonden now owns 138,597 shares of the companys stock worth $47,597,000 after purchasing an additional 11,170 shares in the last quarter. Thompson Davis & CO. Inc. increased its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.3% in the first quarter. Thompson Davis & CO. Inc. now owns 3,800 shares of the companys stock worth $1,305,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp increased its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 4.3% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 614,431 shares of the companys stock worth $211,008,000 after purchasing an additional 25,179 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.25% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on LLY. Credit Suisse Group lifted their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $490.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an overweight rating and issued a $550.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Wednesday, August 9th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $490.00 to $580.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 8th. HSBC assumed coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Friday, July 14th. They issued a buy rating and a $560.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised 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, August 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $517.00.

Eli Lilly and Company Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE LLY traded up $7.31 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $545.31. The stock had a trading volume of 1,702,623 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,072,443. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.13. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1 year low of $296.32 and a 1 year high of $547.10. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $460.46 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $400.61. The firm has a market cap of $517.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 74.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.35.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Get Free Report) last issued 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. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 22.01% and a return on equity of 65.00%. The company had revenue of $8.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.25 earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 28.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 9.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 14th. Eli Lilly and Companys payout ratio is currently 62.87%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Eli Lilly and Company

In other Eli Lilly and Company news, EVP Patrik Jonsson sold 6,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the companys stock, valued at $15,864,681.86. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Eli Lilly and Company news, EVP Patrik Jonsson sold 6,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the companys stock, valued at $15,864,681.86. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 3,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $528.13, for a total transaction of $1,584,390.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 100,696,849 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $53,181,026,862.37. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 754,417 shares of company stock valued at $357,553,862. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Eli Lilly and Company Company Profile

(Free Report)

Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. It offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; and Jardiance, Trajenta, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes.

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Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS  Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 46,488 shares of the financial services providers stock, valued at approximately $4,082,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MS. Fairfield Bush & CO. bought a new position in Morgan Stanley in the first quarter worth $108,000. Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 7.8% during the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 306,637 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $26,801,000 after acquiring an additional 22,095 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation N.A. boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 61.9% during the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 6,957 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $608,000 after acquiring an additional 2,660 shares in the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 64.5% in the first quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 17,070 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,492,000 after purchasing an additional 6,696 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 66.9% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 626 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares during the last quarter. 84.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Charles Aubrey Smith III sold 5,600 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.41, for a total value of $517,496.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 136,513 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $12,615,166.33. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, insider Charles Aubrey Smith III sold 5,600 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.41, for a total transaction of $517,496.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 136,513 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $12,615,166.33. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO James P. Gorman sold 125,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total value of $11,543,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,136,345 shares of the companys stock, valued at $104,941,460.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,418,989 shares of company stock worth $44,556,447. Insiders own 0.24% of the companys stock.

Morgan Stanley Price Performance

Shares of Morgan Stanley stock traded down $1.18 on Tuesday, hitting $86.15. 6,320,865 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,425,394. Morgan Stanley has a 52 week low of $74.67 and a 52 week high of $100.99. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $87.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $88.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $142.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.33.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 18th. The financial services provider reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $13.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.02 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 12.19% and a return on equity of 10.99%. Morgan Stanleys revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.44 EPS. Research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Friday, June 30th that allows the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase up to 12.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the companys board believes its stock is undervalued.

Morgan Stanley Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 31st will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This is an increase from Morgan Stanleys previous quarterly dividend of $0.78. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 28th. Morgan Stanleys dividend payout ratio is currently 59.96%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Odeon Capital Group raised Morgan Stanley from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $94.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 12th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $95.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 19th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $103.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $97.00 to $91.00 in a research note on Friday, July 7th. Finally, Atlantic Securities raised their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $95.94.

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Morgan Stanley Company Profile

(Free Report)

Morgan Stanley, a financial holding company, provides various financial products and services to corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. It operates through Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management segments.

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Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of Moderate Buy from the sixteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $120.82.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on ABT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $118.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, July 21st. Raymond James lifted their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $116.00 to $123.00 in a report on Thursday, April 20th. Wolfe Research raised Abbott Laboratories from an underperform rating to a peer perform rating in a report on Friday, July 21st. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, April 19th.

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Insider Buying and Selling

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Abbott Laboratories

In other Abbott Laboratories news, Director Daniel J. Starks sold 50,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.76, for a total transaction of $5,688,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly 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 is available at this hyperlink . In other news, Director Daniel J. Starks sold 50,000 shares of Abbott Laboratories stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.76, for a total transaction of $5,688,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 6,775,316 shares in the company, valued at approximately $770,759,948.16. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link . Also, EVP Andrea F. Wainer sold 10,400 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.03, for a total value of $1,092,312.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 65,027 shares of the companys stock, valued at $6,829,785.81. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. New Republic Capital LLC bought a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $570,000. Callan Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 6.4% during the second quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 2,630 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $287,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the period. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec increased its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 12.1% during the second quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 177,759 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $19,379,000 after purchasing an additional 19,185 shares during the period. Vivaldi Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 4.5% during the second quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP now owns 8,954 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $976,000 after purchasing an additional 385 shares during the period. Finally, Cynosure Management LLC bought a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the second quarter valued at $1,433,000. 73.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance

ABT stock opened at $106.12 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $184.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.22, a PEG ratio of 4.70 and a beta of 0.67. Abbott Laboratories has a 1 year low of $93.25 and a 1 year high of $115.83. The stocks fifty day moving average is $107.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $105.90.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 20th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $9.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $9.71 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.43 earnings per share. The companys revenue was down 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Abbott Laboratories will post 4.4 EPS for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 15th. Investors of record on Friday, July 14th will be paid a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 13th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.92%. Abbott Laboratoriess dividend payout ratio is currently 69.62%.

Abbott Laboratories Company Profile

(Get 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.

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Argent Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Life Storage, Inc. (NYSE:LSI  Free Report) by 0.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 172,291 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after buying an additional 290 shares during the quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.20% of Life Storage worth $22,586,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in LSI. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Life Storage during the 4th quarter valued at about $295,752,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Life Storage by 89.4% in the 2nd quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,545,547 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $172,575,000 after acquiring an additional 729,587 shares in the last quarter. Long Pond Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Life Storage in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $69,058,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in shares of Life Storage by 2,462.8% in the 2nd quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 637,191 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $71,149,000 after acquiring an additional 612,328 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Life Storage by 13.9% in the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,499,491 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $631,864,000 after acquiring an additional 547,484 shares in the last quarter. 90.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Life Storage

In related news, CEO Joseph Saffire sold 5,036 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.03, for a total transaction of $659,867.08. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 83,780 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,977,693.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, Director Stephen R. Rusmisel sold 2,500 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.92, for a total transaction of $324,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 17,801 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,312,705.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Joseph Saffire sold 5,036 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.03, for a total value of $659,867.08. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 83,780 shares of the companys stock, valued at $10,977,693.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 10,161 shares of company stock valued at $1,320,037. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LSI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Life Storage from $120.00 to $122.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 15th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Life Storage from $140.00 to $145.00 in a research report on Friday, May 12th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Life Storage in a research report on Wednesday, August 9th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $128.63.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on LSI

Life Storage Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LSI traded down $1.02 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $133.10. 7,208,600 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,059,395. Life Storage, Inc. has a 1-year low of $94.02 and a 1-year high of $146.66. The company has a market capitalization of $11.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.88 and a beta of 0.65. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $132.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $129.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.42.

Life Storage Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 19th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 13th were paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 12th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.70%. Life Storages dividend payout ratio is currently 83.53%.

Life Storage Profile

(Free Report)

Life Storage, Inc is a self-administered and self-managed equity REIT that is in the business of acquiring and managing self-storage facilities. Located in Buffalo, New York, the Company operates more than 1,200 storage facilities in 37 states and the District of Columbia. The Company serves both residential and commercial storage customers with storage units rented by month.

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Aviva plc (LON:AV  Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of Moderate Buy by the six analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is GBX 533.67 ($6.77).

AV has been the topic of a number of research reports. Berenberg Bank dropped their price objective on shares of Aviva from GBX 546 ($6.93) to GBX 532 ($6.75) and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a buy rating on shares of Aviva in a report on Thursday, June 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Aviva from GBX 545 ($6.91) to GBX 535 ($6.79) and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 25th. Finally, Barclays reissued an equal weight rating and issued a GBX 545 ($6.91) price objective on shares of Aviva in a report on Wednesday, May 17th.

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Aviva Stock Performance

Insider Activity

Shares of LON AV opened at GBX 383.80 ($4.87) on Tuesday. The firms 50-day moving average price is GBX 392.54 and its 200-day moving average price is GBX 413.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 3.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 55.38. The company has a market cap of 10.52 billion, a PE ratio of -1,014.47, a PEG ratio of 8.09 and a beta of 1.02. Aviva has a 52-week low of GBX 366.70 ($4.65) and a 52-week high of GBX 473.70 ($6.01).

In other Aviva news, insider Charlotte Jones purchased 12,575 shares of Aviva stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 28th. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 392 ($4.97) per share, for a total transaction of 49,294 ($62,532.03). Company insiders own 0.16% of the companys stock.

About Aviva

(Get Free Report

Aviva plc provides various insurance, retirement, investment, and savings products in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and internationally. The company offers life insurance, long-term health and accident insurance, savings, pension, and annuity products, as well as pension fund business and lifetime mortgage products.

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Shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS  Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of Moderate Buy from the nine analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $51.20.

WBS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Webster Financial in a research note on Thursday, May 25th. They issued a buy rating and a $47.00 target price for the company. Wedbush boosted their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, July 21st. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Webster Financial from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, July 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $55.00 to $50.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Webster Financial from $42.00 to $46.00 in a report on Thursday, June 29th.

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Insider Transactions at Webster Financial

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

In related news, COO Luis Massiani sold 16,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.27, for a total value of $596,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 115,153 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,291,752.31. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link . Corporate insiders own 0.88% of the companys stock.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC increased its position in Webster Financial by 4.2% during the second quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 21,520 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $812,000 after buying an additional 868 shares during the last quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Webster Financial by 1,340.7% during the 2nd quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 763,590 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $28,826,000 after acquiring an additional 710,590 shares during the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC raised its stake in Webster Financial by 37.7% in the 2nd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 8,834 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $334,000 after acquiring an additional 2,417 shares during the period. Union Savings Bank acquired a new stake in Webster Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at $60,000. Finally, iSAM Funds UK Ltd bought a new position in Webster Financial during the second quarter worth $380,000. Institutional investors own 85.34% of the companys stock.

Webster Financial Price Performance

NYSE:WBS opened at $44.12 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market cap of $7.64 billion, a PE ratio of 8.40 and a beta of 1.27. Webster Financial has a 12 month low of $31.03 and a 12 month high of $56.46. The companys 50-day moving average price is $41.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $42.09.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 20th. The financial services provider reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.03. Webster Financial had a return on equity of 13.68% and a net margin of 26.69%. The business had revenue of $673.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $690.83 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.29 EPS. Webster Financials revenue was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Webster Financial will post 5.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 16th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 2nd will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 1st. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.63%. Webster Financials dividend payout ratio is currently 30.48%.

Webster Financial Company Profile

(Get Free Report

Webster Financial Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Webster Bank, National Association that provides a range of financial services to individuals, families, and businesses in the United States. It operates through three segments: Commercial Banking, HSA Bank, and Consumer Banking. The Commercial Banking segment provides commercial real estate and equipment financing, business banking, asset-based lending, and commercial services; public sector finance; mortgage warehouse financing; treasury management services; credit, deposit, and cash flow management services; and wealth management solutions to business owners and operators, including trust, asset management, financial planning, insurance, retirement, and investment products, as well as derivative, treasury, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and trade products and services.

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Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. reduced its position in Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (NYSE:CP  Free Report) (TSE:CP) by 7.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,918,840 shares of the transportation companys stock after selling 493,103 shares during the quarter. Canadian Pacific Kansas City makes up approximately 2.5% of Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.s portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. owned 0.64% of Canadian Pacific Kansas City worth $455,745,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of CP. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its position in Canadian Pacific Kansas City by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 16,828 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $1,389,000 after acquiring an additional 559 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City by 69.1% in the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,539 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $457,000 after buying an additional 2,263 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 30,249,662 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $2,496,807,000 after buying an additional 695,215 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 49,524 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $4,087,000 after buying an additional 2,417 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City by 116.4% in the 1st quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 14,274 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $1,178,000 after buying an additional 7,678 shares during the period. 65.84% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on CP shares. StockNews.com started coverage on Canadian Pacific Kansas City in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Canadian Pacific Kansas City in a research note on Tuesday, June 6th. They set a buy rating for the company. Credit Suisse Group boosted their target price on Canadian Pacific Kansas City from $87.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 9th. Argus upgraded Canadian Pacific Kansas City from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $92.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 16th. Finally, CSFB boosted their price objective on Canadian Pacific Kansas City from $87.00 to $88.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 9th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $92.00.

Canadian Pacific Kansas City Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CP traded down $0.98 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $79.41. The company had a trading volume of 616,523 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,048,506. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $80.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $78.71. Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited has a fifty-two week low of $65.17 and a fifty-two week high of $85.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.58.

Canadian Pacific Kansas City Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.1437 per share. This represents a $0.57 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 28th. This is a positive change from Canadian Pacific Kansas Citys previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. Canadian Pacific Kansas Citys dividend payout ratio is currently 16.57%.

About Canadian Pacific Kansas City

(Free Report)

Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates a transcontinental freight railway in Canada and the United States. The company transports bulk commodities, including grain, coal, potash, fertilizers, and sulphur; and merchandise freight, such as energy, chemicals and plastics, metals, minerals and consumer, automotive, and forest products.

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PolyPeptide Group / Key word(s): Half Year Results

Transformational progress taking shape, profitability impacted by rapid expansion  appointment of Marc Augustin as new CFO



15-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.



Media release  ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR Transformational progress taking shape, profitability impacted by rapid expansion  appointment of Marc Augustin as new CFO Baar, 15 August 2023  PolyPeptide today announced its results for H1 2023, updated guidance for 2023 and the appointment of its new CFO: Reported results in line with market update provided on 13 July 2023, with revenue of EUR 131.8 million, representing a 1.4% decline versus H1 2022 and 2.9% growth at constant currency rates. EBITDA of EUR -19.4 million versus 26.7 million in H1 2022, with more than half of the decline related to changes in cost absorption and a one-off inventory write-down.

Growth excluding revenue associated with the coronavirus pandemic was 29.3%, displaying strong peptide-driven momentum.

As at 30 June 2023, therapeutic area of metabolic diseases accounted for 43% of revenue compared to 28% as at 30 June 2022; over the same period, the revenue share of large pharma customers increased to 65%, up from 41%; trends expected to continue as PolyPeptide advances partnerships in the metabolic and rare disease markets with large pharma customers underpinned by a strong active custom projects pipeline driving transformational progress.

Pipeline of 226 active custom projects as at 30 June 2023 (220 end of 2022); secured 17 new peptide and oligonucleotide projects, of which 6 are with new customers; 31 (30 end of 2022) projects in phase III of clinical development.

Updated guidance for 2023: priority is to fulfill customer demand and to continue to grow, while implementing operational and profitability improvement initiatives. The Group now aims for mid to high single-digit percentage revenue growth versus 2022. At the lower end of that range, EBITDA is expected to be around break-even, excluding the EUR 9.5 million write-down of inventory in H1 2023. As previously announced, the Group will end 2023 with a net loss.

Appointment of Marc Augustin as CFO and member of the Executive Committee; he joins PolyPeptide during the course of Q1 2024 with a strong background in a high-growth CDMO environment as well as with deep finance and operational experience.

Audio webcast and conference call will take place today at 9:30 am CEST. Juan-Jose Gonzalez, CEO of PolyPeptide: Our market is acceleRating, and we are focused on maximizing its potential. With the strong peptide-driven momentum in H1 2023 and the notable shift in the revenue mix toward metabolic and large pharma, PolyPeptides transformation into a global large-scale CDMO is underway. Our investments in capacity expansion are starting to pay off, though we still have work to improve our operational performance and profitability, which is a key objective for H2 2023. Key figures1 (unaudited) kEUR H1 2023 H1 2022 Change Revenue 131,834 133,656 -1.4% Custom Projects 59,537 72,613 -18.0% Contract Manufacturing 56,693 48,398 17.1% Generics & Cosmetics 15,604 12,645 23.4% EBITDA -19,387 26,706 -172.6% EBITDA in % of revenue -14.7% 20.0% -34.7 ppts Operating result (EBIT) -34,464 15,482 -322.6% Operating results (EBIT) in % of revenue -26.1% 11.6% -37.7 ppts Result for the period -34,266 10,247 -434.4% Result for the period in % of revenue -26.0% 7.7% -33.7 ppts Earnings per share (EUR), basic -1.04 0.31 -435.7% Return on net operating assets (RONOA) -8.8% 14.3% -23.0 ppts Cash and cash equivalents (end of period) 8,985 66,436 -86.5% Net cash flow from operating activities -48,322 -7,659 530.9% Capital expenditures 19,346 37,926 -49.0% Capital expenditures in % of revenue 14.7% 28.4% -13.7 ppts Total assets (end of period) 589,123 579,253 1.7% Equity ratio (end of period) 65.2% 73.8% -8.5 ppts Employees (# of FTEs, average) 1,181 1,156 2.1% Revenue and custom projects In H1 2023, PolyPeptide generated EUR 131.8 million in revenue, representing a 1.4% decline versus H1 2022 and 2.9% growth at constant currency rates. Excluding the contribution of revenue associated with the coronavirus pandemic, amounting to EUR 1.5 million in H1 2023 versus EUR 32.8 million in H1 2022, revenue grew by 29.3%, exhibiting strong peptide-driven momentum on the back of robust market trends, with double-digit growth in all business areas (see table below). kEUR (unaudited) H1 2023 H1 2022 Change Revenue not associated with the coronavirus pandemic 130,327 100,833 29.3% Custom Projects 58,037 46,839 23.9% Contract Manufacturing 56,686 41,349 37.1% Generics & Cosmetics 15,604 12,645 23.4% The custom projects pipeline of the Group comprised 226 active projects as at 30 June 2023 (versus 220 projects at the end of 2022), of which around half relate to the fast-growing therapeutic areas of metabolic disorders and oncology. During the reporting period, the Group secured a total of 17 new peptide and oligonucleotide projects, of which 6 are with new customers. The number of projects in phase III of clinical development increased from 30 to 31. Profitability The gross profit for H1 2023 amounted to EUR -10.6 million (versus EUR 37.8 million in H1 2022) and EBITDA was EUR -19.4 million (EUR 26.7 million), with more than half of the decline related to changes in cost absorption and a one-off inventory write-down. The result for the period was EUR -34.3 million (EUR 10.2 million). At the level of EBITDA, the decrease in profitability was driven by the cumulative effect of several factors. The adverse impact from the change in cost absorption between H1 2023 and H1 2022 was EUR -15.2 million, and the one-off write-down of inventory after a technical and commercial reassessment amounted to EUR -9.5 million. Higher operational and maintenance costs reached EUR -9.6 million, driven by lower manufacturing yields and costs ahead of growth planned for H2 2023. Changes in product mix, mostly related to the phase out of the business associated with the coronavirus pandemic, amounted to EUR -7.8 million and higher personnel expenses to EUR -4.0 million. During the reporting period, the Group also incurred impairment losses of tangible assets of EUR 2.0 million, reflected in the operating result (EBIT). The financial result of EUR -4.8 million was offset by an income tax benefit of EUR 5.0 million. Investments and cash flow Capital expenditures for H1 2023 reached EUR 19.3 million or 14.7% of revenue, versus EUR 37.9 million or 28.4% in H1 2022, driven by the efforts to further grow capacity at the main manufacturing sites. In addition, the Group continued its initiatives in digitalization, green chemistry and enhanced analytical capabilities. Net cash flows from operating activities during H1 2023 reached EUR -48.3 million. Within that, the net cash flow from changes in net working capital was EUR -23.4 million, including a EUR -22.1 million contribution from the increase of trade receivables, reflecting that more than half of revenue in H1 2023 was recognized toward the end of the reporting period. Changes in inventories had an effect of EUR -6.7 million, where the reduction in work in progress and finished goods was more than offset by an increase in raw materials ahead of growth expected for H2 2023. With cash flows from acquisitions of property, plant and equipment as well as intangible assets of EUR -31.4 million, the free cash flow added up to EUR -79.7 million. Cash and cash equivalents reached EUR 9.0 million at the end of H1 2023 (versus EUR 37.5 million at the end of 2022), with proceeds from short-term borrowings from banks of EUR 55.2 million. Strategic and operational progress PolyPeptide views its pipeline of active custom projects to be industry-leading and sees itself well positioned for growth. During the course of H1 2023, the Group continued to upgrade its infrastructure and capabilities to meet the increasing volume requirements of its customers. As such, between January 2021 and the middle of 2023, PolyPeptide cumulatively deployed EUR 179.0 million of capital expenditures and increased its work force by 28.7% (based on average FTEs). The Groups capacity expansion was instrumental in fostering the strong peptide-driven momentum experienced in H1 2023, yielding a notable shift in the revenue mix. Driven by progress in late-stage phase III clinical development projects, the revenue share related to metabolic diseases increased to 43% as at 30 June 2023 from 28% as at 30 June 2022, and the revenue share of large pharma customers surged to 65% as at 30 June 2023 from 41% as at 30 June 2022. PolyPeptide progressed its operational improvement initiatives in H1 2023 to offset the adverse profitability impacts from its challenges experienced during the Groups expansion. These included measures to instill technical proficiency and best practice, process improvements to optimize production scheduling and execution as well as efforts to tighten cost management and working capital discipline. As part of its ongoing transformation, the Group maintained its innovation efforts, continuously working toward higher standardization of processes to increase operational flexibility and resilience within its multi-site manufacturing network. Moreover, PolyPeptide advanced its partnerships in the metabolic and rare disease markets and continued to review its pricing methodology. Changes in management The Board of Directors of PolyPeptide appointed Marc Augustin (born 1972, German citizen) as its new CFO and member of the Executive Committee. His background in a high-growth CDMO environment with deep finance and operational experience will be valuable as PolyPeptide continues to scale up. He will take over from Lalit Ahluwalia who, after an adequate introduction period, will retire from his interim CFO role. Mr. Augustin joins PolyPeptide during the course of Q1 2024 from Lonza AG, Basel, Switzerland, where he has served since 2016 with growing responsibilities in the CDMO business, including as Vice President Finance and most recently as Global Head Sales Excellence for the Lonza Biologics Division. From 2009 to 2016, he was with Smith & Nephew Orthopaedics, Zug, Switzerland, where he served as Head of Finance Operations Orthopaedics EU and as Finance Director Switzerland & European Shared Services. Earlier positions include financial roles with Alcoa Extrusion in Hannover and with Thyssen Krupp in Dusseldorf, Germany. Mr. Augustin holds a degree in Master of Business Administration from the Heinrich Heine University in Dusseldorf. On 3 April 2023, the Group announced the appointment of Juan-Jose Gonzalez as its new CEO, effective 12 April. With the completion of his introduction, Peter Wilden, Executive Chairman, will step down from his executive duties and continue as of 1 October 2023 in his role as Chairman of the Board of Directors. Guidance for 2023 The Group has updated its guidance for 2023. PolyPeptide's overarching priority is to fulfill customers' demand and continue to grow, while implementing the operational and profitability improvement initiatives. The Group now aims for mid to high single-digit percentage revenue growth versus 2022. At the lower end of that range, the Group expects EBITDA to be around break-even, excluding the EUR 9.5 million write-down of inventory in H1 2023. As previously announced, the Group will end 2023 with a net loss. Capital expenditures are expected in the range of EUR 55 to EUR 65 million, subject to ongoing partnership discussions with customers. This updates the Groups previous guidance of high single-digit revenue growth, adjusted EBITDA margin in the mid-teens and capital expenditures of around 10% of revenue for 2023. At the beginning of July 2023, the Group secured a short-term credit facility from its main shareholder, Draupnir Holding B.V., in the amount of EUR 40 million, which together with its existing credit facilities will continue to support the Groups growth ambitions. In the meantime, the Group continues its negotiations to implement a new long-term financing plan. Results documentation, audio webcast and conference call PolyPeptide Group will hold an audio webcast today at 9:30 am CEST, where CEO Juan-Jose Gonzalez and CFO ad interim Lalit Ahluwalia will discuss business trends and results in more detail. Please click here to join the audio webcast. To ask questions during the Q&A session, you must dial in to the moderated telephone conference. Participants may pre-register here and will receive dedicated dial-in details to easily access the call. Please dial in 5-10 minutes prior to the start. A replay of the event will be available in the Results Center after the results presentation. All results documents, including the media release, the results presentation, the Half-year Report 2023 as well as the updated time series, will be available from around 7:00 am CEST in the PolyPeptide Results Center. Contact PolyPeptide Group AG

Michael Staheli

Head of Investor Relations & Corporate Communications

michael.staeheli@polypeptide.com

T: +41 43 502 0580 About PolyPeptide PolyPeptide Group AG and its consolidated subsidiaries (PolyPeptide) is a focused Contract Development & Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) for peptide- and oligonucleotide-based active pharmaceutical ingredients. By supporting its customers mainly in pharma and biotech, it contributes to the health of millions of patients across the world. PolyPeptide offers products and services from pre-clinical through to commercial stages, including generics. Its active custom projects pipeline reflects the opportunities from novel drug therapies in development to fight both widespread and rare diseases. Dating back to 1952, PolyPeptide today runs a global network of six cGMP-certified facilities in Europe, the U.S. and India. PolyPeptides shares (SIX: PPGN) are listed on SIX Swiss Exchange. For more information, please visit polypeptide.com. @PolyPeptide  follow us on LinkedIn Disclaimer This media release has been prepared by PolyPeptide Group AG and includes forward-looking information and statements concerning the outlook for the Groups business. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the factors that may affect its future performance. These expectations, estimates and projections are generally identifiable by statements containing words such as expects, believes, estimates, targets, plans, projects, outlook or similar expressions. There are numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond PolyPeptide Group AGs control, that could cause the Groups actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information and statements made in this media release and that could affect the Groups ability to achieve its stated targets. The important factors that could cause such differences include, among others: relationships with employees, customers and other business partners; strategies of competitors; manufacturing capacity and utilization; quality issues; supply chain matters; legal, tax or regulatory disputes; and changes in the political, social and regulatory framework in which the Group operates, or in economic or technological trends or conditions. Although PolyPeptide Group AG believes that its expectations reflected in any such forward-looking statement are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that those expectations will be achieved. Alternative financial performance measures (APM) This media release contains references to operational indicators, such as customer projects, and APM that are not defined or specified by IFRS, including revenue at constant currency rates, revenue not associated with the coronavirus pandemic, gross margin, EBITDA, EBITDA margin, capital expenditures (Capex), net operating assets, return on net operating assets (RONOA), equity ratio, net working capital, free cash flow, total financial debt, net cash and headcount. These APM should be regarded as complementary information to and not as substitutes of the Groups consolidated financial results based on IFRS. These APM may not be comparable to similarly titled measures disclosed by other companies. For the definitions of the main operational indicators and APM used, including related abbreviations, as well as for selected reconciliations to IFRS, refer to the section Definitions and reconciliations in PolyPeptide Group AGs Half-year Report 2023. For the purposes of this media release, unless the context otherwise requires, the term the Company means PolyPeptide Group AG, and the terms PolyPeptide, the Group, we, us and our mean PolyPeptide Group AG and its consolidated subsidiaries. In the key figures table, the use of - indicates not meaningful or not applicable. 1 This media release and the key figures table include references to operational indicators and alternative financial performance measures (APM) that are not defined or specified by IFRS. These APM should be regarded as complementary information to and not as substitutes for the Groups consolidated financial results based on IFRS. For the definitions of the main operational indicators and APM used, including related abbreviations, as well as for selected reconciliations to IFRS, please refer to the section Definitions and reconciliations of the Half-year Report 2023.

Additional features:





File: PolyPeptide_H1 2023_Media release_E

End of Inside Information
Shares of Cheniere Energy Partners, L.P. (NYSEAMERICAN:CQP  Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of Reduce from the five analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has assigned a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $49.71.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Cheniere Energy Partners from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report on Sunday. UBS Group raised shares of Cheniere Energy Partners from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $57.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 19th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy Partners from $53.00 to $49.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 3rd. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered shares of Cheniere Energy Partners from a peer perform rating to an underperform rating and set a $43.00 target price for the company. in a report on Thursday, June 1st.

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Cheniere Energy Partners Price Performance

NYSEAMERICAN CQP opened at $49.75 on Thursday. Cheniere Energy Partners has a 1-year low of $42.96 and a 1-year high of $62.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.65 and a beta of 0.83. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $46.57.

Cheniere Energy Partners (NYSEAMERICAN:CQP  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 3rd. The energy company reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.02. Cheniere Energy Partners had a net margin of 31.31% and a negative return on equity of 174.10%. The firm had revenue of $1.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.27 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.25 earnings per share. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 53.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy Partners will post 3.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheniere Energy Partners Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 14th. Investors of record on Monday, August 7th were given a dividend of $0.255 per share. This represents a $1.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.05%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 4th. Cheniere Energy Partnerss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Cheniere Energy Partners news, COO Corey Grindal sold 7,649 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.93, for a total value of $351,318.57. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CQP. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy Partners by 132.4% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 12,745 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $718,000 after buying an additional 7,262 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy Partners by 8.2% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 17,041 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $960,000 after buying an additional 1,287 shares during the period. Equitable Holdings Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy Partners in the 1st quarter valued at about $267,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Cheniere Energy Partners during the first quarter worth approximately $217,000. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its stake in Cheniere Energy Partners by 24.1% during the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 949,727 shares of the energy companys stock worth $53,527,000 after purchasing an additional 184,500 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 46.48% of the companys stock.

About Cheniere Energy Partners

(Get Free Report

Cheniere Energy Partners, L.P., through its subsidiaries, provides liquefied natural gas (LNG) to integrated energy companies, utilities, and energy trading companies worldwide. It owns and operates natural gas liquefaction and export facility at the Sabine Pass LNG production terminal located in Cameron Parish, Louisiana.

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Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. trimmed its holdings in shares of Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. (NYSE:BAM  Free Report) (TSE:BAM.A) by 16.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,522,502 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 293,299 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. owned about 0.37% of Brookfield Asset Management worth $49,869,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Brookfield Asset Management by 288.8% in the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 762 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 566 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Brookfield Asset Management by 107.9% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,021 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 530 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. bought a new stake in shares of Brookfield Asset Management in the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA raised its position in shares of Brookfield Asset Management by 35.5% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA now owns 1,057 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of Brookfield Asset Management by 1,995.1% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,718 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 1,636 shares during the last quarter. 57.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Brookfield Asset Management Stock Performance

BAM traded down $0.85 on Tuesday, reaching $34.47. The companys stock had a trading volume of 284,897 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,477,272. Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. has a fifty-two week low of $26.76 and a fifty-two week high of $36.50. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $32.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $32.67.

Brookfield Asset Management Announces Dividend

Brookfield Asset Management ( NYSE:BAM Get Free Report ) (TSE:BAM.A) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 9th. The financial services provider reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.32. The company had revenue of $985.00 million for the quarter. Research analysts predict that Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. will post 1.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 30th.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on BAM shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered shares of Brookfield Asset Management to an underperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 18th. Scotiabank began coverage on shares of Brookfield Asset Management in a research report on Thursday, July 13th. They set an outperform rating for the company. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Brookfield Asset Management in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of Brookfield Asset Management from $34.00 to $35.00 in a report on Thursday, August 10th. Finally, TD Securities lifted their target price on shares of Brookfield Asset Management from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an action list buy rating in a report on Thursday, August 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Brookfield Asset Management presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $39.00.

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Brookfield Asset Management Profile

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Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. provides alternative asset management services. Its renewable power and transition business includes the ownership, operation, and development of hydroelectric, wind, solar, and energy transition power generating assets. The company's infrastructure business engages in the ownership, operation, and development of utilities, transport, midstream, data and sustainable resource assets.

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WealthPLAN Partners LLC cut its holdings in Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. (NYSE:CFR  Free Report) by 53.7% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 54,382 shares of the banks stock after selling 63,083 shares during the period. WealthPLAN Partners LLCs holdings in Cullen/Frost Bankers were worth $5,729,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of CFR. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in Cullen/Frost Bankers by 10.3% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 5,345 shares of the banks stock valued at $740,000 after buying an additional 501 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. acquired a new stake in Cullen/Frost Bankers in the first quarter valued at $1,736,000. BlackRock Inc. raised its stake in Cullen/Frost Bankers by 0.8% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 5,032,068 shares of the banks stock valued at $696,489,000 after buying an additional 39,554 shares in the last quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can raised its stake in Cullen/Frost Bankers by 9.0% in the first quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 31,607 shares of the banks stock valued at $4,501,000 after buying an additional 2,600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in Cullen/Frost Bankers in the first quarter valued at $211,000. 80.49% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Cullen/Frost Bankers

In other Cullen/Frost Bankers news, insider Patrick B. Frost sold 6,617 shares of Cullen/Frost Bankers stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.09, for a total value of $668,912.53. Following the sale, the insider now owns 210,946 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $21,324,531.14. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 2.89% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Cullen/Frost Bankers Stock Performance

CFR traded down $3.19 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $98.79. The companys stock had a trading volume of 208,997 shares, compared to its average volume of 595,993. Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. has a 52-week low of $92.55 and a 52-week high of $160.60. The companys fifty day moving average price is $109.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $111.07. The company has a market capitalization of $6.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.57.

Cullen/Frost Bankers (NYSE:CFR  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 27th. The bank reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.07. Cullen/Frost Bankers had a return on equity of 22.93% and a net margin of 29.14%. The company had revenue of $512.12 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $496.85 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.81 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cullen/Frost Bankers Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 31st will be issued a $0.92 dividend. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.73%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 30th. This is a positive change from Cullen/Frost Bankerss previous quarterly dividend of $0.87. Cullen/Frost Bankerss payout ratio is currently 32.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on CFR shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Cullen/Frost Bankers from $130.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 29th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Cullen/Frost Bankers from $121.00 to $116.00 in a research report on Friday, July 7th. StockNews.com upgraded Cullen/Frost Bankers to a sell rating in a research report on Friday, August 4th. DA Davidson cut their target price on Cullen/Frost Bankers from $134.00 to $126.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 31st. Finally, Stephens lowered their price target on Cullen/Frost Bankers from $121.00 to $117.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Cullen/Frost Bankers presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $127.73.

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About Cullen/Frost Bankers

(Free Report)

Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Frost Bank that provides commercial and consumer banking services in Texas. It operates in two segments, Banking and Frost Wealth Advisors. The company offers commercial banking services to corporations and other business clients, including financing for industrial and commercial properties, interim construction related to industrial and commercial properties, equipment, inventories and accounts receivables, and acquisitions; and treasury management services, as well as originates commercial leasing services.

Further Reading

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CFR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. (NYSE:CFR  Free Report).

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Principal Financial Group Inc. cut its holdings in Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG  Free Report) by 0.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,914,593 shares of the companys stock after selling 861 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.87% of Dollar General worth $402,945,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in DG. First Manhattan Co. raised its holdings in Dollar General by 447.4% during the 4th quarter. First Manhattan Co. now owns 104 shares of the companys stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Dollar General in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Capital Directions Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Dollar General in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Riverpoint Wealth Management Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in Dollar General during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Dollar General in the second quarter worth $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.02% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

DG has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Dollar General from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $235.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Monday, June 5th. Daiwa Capital Markets lowered Dollar General from an outperform rating to a neutral rating and set a $172.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, June 6th. Atlantic Securities downgraded shares of Dollar General from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and set a $170.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Friday, June 2nd. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Dollar General in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Finally, Piper Jaffray Companies cut Dollar General from an overweight rating to a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, June 2nd. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $202.71.

Insider Transactions at Dollar General

In related news, Director Michael M. Calbert purchased 2,500 shares of Dollar General stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 8th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $155.25 per share, with a total value of $388,125.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 116,682 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $18,114,880.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, Director Michael M. Calbert purchased 2,500 shares of Dollar General stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 8th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $155.25 per share, for a total transaction of $388,125.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 116,682 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $18,114,880.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Todd J. Vasos sold 27,327 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.65, for a total value of $4,280,774.55. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 118,635 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $18,584,172.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.60% of the companys stock.

Dollar General Price Performance

Shares of DG opened at $163.59 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $35.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.42, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $165.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $198.23. Dollar General Co. has a 1-year low of $151.27 and a 1-year high of $261.59.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 1st. The company reported $2.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $2.38 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $9.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.47 billion. Dollar General had a return on equity of 40.03% and a net margin of 6.19%. Dollar Generals quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.41 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Dollar General Co. will post 10.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Dollar General Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 11th were issued a $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.44%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 10th. Dollar Generals dividend payout ratio is currently 22.24%.

Dollar General Company Profile

(Free Report)

Dollar General Corporation, a discount retailer, provides various merchandise products in the southern, southwestern, midwestern, and eastern United States. It offers consumable products, including paper and cleaning products, such as paper towels, bath tissues, paper dinnerware, trash and storage bags, disinfectants, and laundry products; packaged food comprising cereals, pasta, canned soups, fruits and vegetables, condiments, spices, sugar, and flour; and perishables that include milk, eggs, bread, refrigerated and frozen food, beer, and wine.

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Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA  Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of Hold from the five brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have assigned a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $15.90.

DEA has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com began coverage on Easterly Government Properties in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a sell rating for the company. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Easterly Government Properties from $15.00 to $16.00 in a report on Thursday, June 15th.

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Easterly Government Properties Stock Down 1.7 %

Easterly Government Properties Dividend Announcement

Shares of NYSE:DEA opened at $14.66 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.37 billion, a PE ratio of 52.34 and a beta of 0.67. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $14.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $14.45. Easterly Government Properties has a 1 year low of $12.27 and a 1 year high of $19.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 5.46 and a quick ratio of 5.46.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 17th will be given a dividend of $0.265 per share. This represents a $1.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 16th. Easterly Government Propertiess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 378.57%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Easterly Government Properties

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Easterly Government Properties by 100.0% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 1,517,378 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $20,849,000 after buying an additional 758,533 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 12.7% during the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,465,836 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $115,548,000 after buying an additional 614,888 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. lifted its position in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 3.0% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 17,482,804 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $253,501,000 after buying an additional 508,729 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 43.2% in the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,178,447 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $17,087,000 after buying an additional 355,473 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gilman Hill Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 78.4% in the 1st quarter. Gilman Hill Asset Management LLC now owns 788,284 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $10,831,000 after buying an additional 346,365 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.93% of the companys stock.

About Easterly Government Properties

(Get Free Report

Easterly Government Properties, Inc (NYSE: DEA) is based in Washington, DC, and focuses primarily on the acquisition, development and management of Class A commercial properties that are leased to the U.S. Government. Easterly's experienced management team brings specialized insight into the strategy and needs of mission-critical U.S.

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Bell Investment Advisors Inc trimmed its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Free Report) by 12.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 226 shares of the companys stock after selling 32 shares during the period. Bell Investment Advisors Incs holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $78,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Morgan Stanley raised its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 44.1% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 12,059,204 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,411,740,000 after purchasing an additional 3,691,436 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC raised its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 10,429,081 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,815,375,000 after purchasing an additional 364,339 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,416,206,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 102,752.2% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,446,026 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,992,374,000 after purchasing an additional 5,440,731 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,282,137 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,566,577,000 after purchasing an additional 74,736 shares in the last quarter. 87.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Activity at Eli Lilly and Company

In related news, EVP Patrik Jonsson sold 6,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $429.46, for a total transaction of $2,576,760.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 36,941 shares of the companys stock, valued at $15,864,681.86. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, EVP Patrik Jonsson sold 6,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $429.46, for a total transaction of $2,576,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 36,941 shares of the companys stock, valued at $15,864,681.86. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Johna Norton sold 1,647 shares of the companys stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,761 shares of the companys stock, valued at $14,111,094.69. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 754,417 shares of company stock valued at $357,553,862 over the last 90 days. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on LLY shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $490.00 to $580.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 8th. 3M reissued a maintains rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Friday, April 28th. HSBC assumed coverage on Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Friday, July 14th. They set a buy rating and a $560.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com lowered Eli Lilly and Company from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Monday, June 12th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $525.00 to $600.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $517.00.

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Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LLY traded up $7.28 on Tuesday, hitting $545.28. The companys stock had a trading volume of 1,798,357 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,072,999. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12 month low of $296.32 and a 12 month high of $547.10. The company has a market capitalization of $517.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 76.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.35. The stocks 50-day moving average is $460.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $400.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.13.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 65.00% and a net margin of 22.01%. The company had revenue of $8.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $7.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.25 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 28.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 9.85 EPS for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 14th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. Eli Lilly and Companys dividend payout ratio is currently 62.87%.

Eli Lilly and Company Profile

(Free Report)

Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. It offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; and Jardiance, Trajenta, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes.

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Gemsstock Ltd. cut its stake in shares of The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS  Free Report) by 36.4% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 305,650 shares of the basic materials companys stock after selling 174,900 shares during the period. Mosaic accounts for about 15.3% of Gemsstock Ltd.s portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Gemsstock Ltd.s holdings in Mosaic were worth $14,023,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of MOS. Heritage Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Mosaic by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Heritage Wealth Management LLC now owns 600 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Mosaic by 50.0% during the 1st quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 705 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. High Net Worth Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mosaic during the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. First Command Bank increased its position in shares of Mosaic by 60.1% during the 2nd quarter. First Command Bank now owns 866 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MV Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Mosaic by 370.8% during the 1st quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. now owns 951 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 749 shares during the last quarter. 87.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MOS shares. HSBC raised Mosaic from a reduce rating to a hold rating and set a $40.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 26th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Mosaic from $42.00 to $36.00 in a report on Friday, June 30th. Piper Sandler raised their target price on Mosaic from $42.00 to $46.00 in a research note on Monday, August 7th. Bank of America raised their target price on Mosaic from $50.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Monday, August 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a sector perform rating and issued a $40.00 target price on shares of Mosaic in a research note on Tuesday, August 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Mosaic presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $45.71.

Mosaic Trading Down 3.3 %

Mosaic stock traded down $1.32 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $39.29. The company had a trading volume of 1,789,070 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,239,202. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The Mosaic Company has a 12-month low of $31.44 and a 12-month high of $63.16. The firm has a market cap of $13.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $37.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $42.05.

Mosaic (NYSE:MOS  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 1st. The basic materials company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.07 by ($0.03). Mosaic had a net margin of 12.89% and a return on equity of 20.21%. The business had revenue of $3.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3.13 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.64 earnings per share. Mosaics quarterly revenue was down 36.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that The Mosaic Company will post 3.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Mosaic Company Profile

(Free Report)

The Mosaic Company, through its subsidiaries, produces and markets concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrients in North America and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Phosphates, Potash, and Mosaic Fertilizantes. It owns and operates mines, which produce concentrated phosphate crop nutrients, such as diammonium phosphate, monoammonium phosphate, and ammoniated phosphate products; and phosphate-based animal feed ingredients primarily under the Biofos and Nexfos brand names, as well as produces a double sulfate of potash magnesia product under K-Mag brand name.

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Great Lakes Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY  Free Report) by 2,155.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,416,844 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after buying an additional 1,354,019 shares during the quarter. Bristol-Myers Squibb comprises 0.9% of Great Lakes Advisors LLCs holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Great Lakes Advisors LLC owned 0.07% of Bristol-Myers Squibb worth $98,201,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Jag Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 19.5% in the first quarter. Jag Capital Management LLC now owns 4,664 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $323,000 after purchasing an additional 761 shares in the last quarter. Sepio Capital LP raised its stake in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 624.9% in the first quarter. Sepio Capital LP now owns 36,396 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $2,523,000 after purchasing an additional 31,375 shares in the last quarter. Marble Harbor Investment Counsel LLC grew its position in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 2.9% in the first quarter. Marble Harbor Investment Counsel LLC now owns 17,468 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $1,211,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Tredje AP fonden grew its position in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 5.0% in the first quarter. Tredje AP fonden now owns 528,224 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $36,611,000 after acquiring an additional 25,349 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust grew its position in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 9.4% in the first quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 6,157 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $427,000 after acquiring an additional 527 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.57% of the companys stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Bristol-Myers Squibb

In other Bristol-Myers Squibb news, EVP Robert M. Plenge sold 732 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,584 shares of the companys stock, valued at $402,545.76. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.08% of the companys stock.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Trading Up 0.1 %

BMY stock traded up $0.04 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $61.66. The company had a trading volume of 4,058,132 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,539,499. The business has a 50-day moving average of $63.35 and a 200-day moving average of $66.92. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a one year low of $59.71 and a one year high of $81.43. The stock has a market cap of $128.81 billion, a PE ratio of 16.39, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08.

Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.99 by ($0.24). 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.93 earnings per share. The businesss revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 7th were paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 6th. Bristol-Myers Squibbs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.64%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on BMY. 51job reiterated a maintains rating on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research report on Friday, April 28th. Atlantic Securities decreased their target price on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 28th. SVB Leerink reiterated a market perform rating on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research report on Monday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $78.00 to $65.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 28th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets assumed coverage on Bristol-Myers Squibb in a report on Wednesday, June 28th. They set an outperform rating and a $70.00 price target on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Bristol-Myers Squibb presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $71.14.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on Bristol-Myers Squibb

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Profile

(Free Report)

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company discovers, develops, licenses, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers products for hematology, oncology, cardiovascular, immunology, fibrotic, and neuroscience diseases. The company's products include Eliquis, an oral inhibitor for reduction in risk of stroke/systemic embolism in NVAF, and for the treatment of DVT/PE; Opdivo for anti-cancer indications; Pomalyst/Imnovid indicated for patients with multiple myeloma; Orencia for adult patients with active RA and psoriatic arthritis; and Sprycel for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia.

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Great Lakes Retirement Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS  Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 7,501 shares of the casino operators stock, valued at approximately $431,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LVS. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 13.9% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 46,767 shares of the casino operators stock worth $1,818,000 after acquiring an additional 5,716 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in Las Vegas Sands by 17.1% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 13,612 shares of the casino operators stock worth $529,000 after purchasing an additional 1,985 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 6.9% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 33,282 shares of the casino operators stock valued at $1,294,000 after purchasing an additional 2,145 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC raised its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 26.7% in the first quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 13,502 shares of the casino operators stock valued at $525,000 after purchasing an additional 2,848 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 47.6% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 27,000 shares of the casino operators stock worth $1,050,000 after buying an additional 8,711 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 39.66% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Barclays reduced their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $70.00 to $69.00 in a report on Thursday, July 20th. StockNews.com began coverage on Las Vegas Sands in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $76.00 to $80.50 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, April 20th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $65.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 20th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group increased their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, April 20th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $70.81.

Las Vegas Sands Trading Down 1.1 %

LVS opened at $55.80 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $42.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 797.14, a PEG ratio of 6.07 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a current ratio of 2.76, a quick ratio of 2.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.57. The companys 50 day moving average is $58.11 and its 200-day moving average is $58.09. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 1-year low of $33.38 and a 1-year high of $65.58.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 19th. The casino operator reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.02. Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 5.73% and a net margin of 0.75%. The company had revenue of $2.54 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($0.34) EPS. Las Vegas Sandss revenue for the quarter was up 143.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 1.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 7th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.43%. Las Vegas Sandss payout ratio is 1,142.86%.

Las Vegas Sands Company Profile

(Free Report)

Las Vegas Sands Corp., together with its subsidiaries, develops, owns, and operates integrated resorts in Macao and Singapore. It owns and operates The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel, the Londoner Macao, The Parisian Macao, The Plaza Macao and Four Seasons Hotel Macao, Cotai Strip, and the Sands Macao in Macao, the People's Republic of China; and Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.

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GSK plc (LON:GSK  Get Free Report) announced a dividend on Wednesday, July 26th, Upcoming.Co.Uk reports. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 17th will be paid a dividend of GBX 14 ($0.18) per share on Thursday, October 12th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 17th. The official announcement can be accessed at this link.

GSK Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of GSK stock opened at GBX 1,370.40 ($17.38) on Tuesday. GSK has a 1 year low of GBX 1,280.92 ($16.25) and a 1 year high of GBX 1,609 ($20.41). The business has a 50-day moving average of GBX 1,369.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of GBX 1,417.64. The company has a market capitalization of 56.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 1,089.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 184.80, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

GSK has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group restated a hold rating and issued a GBX 1,575 ($19.98) price target on shares of GSK in a report on Monday, June 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a buy rating and issued a GBX 1,700 ($21.57) price target on shares of GSK in a report on Thursday, June 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on GSK from GBX 1,400 ($17.76) to GBX 1,300 ($16.49) in a report on Tuesday, August 1st. Berenberg Bank reiterated a buy rating and set a GBX 1,730 ($21.95) price objective on shares of GSK in a report on Friday, July 28th. Finally, Shore Capital reiterated a buy rating on shares of GSK in a report on Friday, June 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of GBX 1,560 ($19.79).

Insider Buying and Selling at GSK

In other news, insider Jonathan Symonds purchased 6,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of GBX 1,440 ($18.27) per share, with a total value of 86,400 ($109,602.94). Insiders purchased a total of 6,027 shares of company stock worth $8,676,567 over the last ninety days. 1.74% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About GSK

(Get Free Report)

GSK plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the research, development and manufacture of vaccines and specialty medicines to prevent and treat disease in the United Kingdom, the United States, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Pharmaceuticals, Pharmaceuticals R&D, Vaccines, and Consumer Healthcare.

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China has spent a lot of effort trying to improve the Chinese military since Chinese leader Xi Jinping came to power in 2012 as well as reinforcing government control of the military. Historically, China has always had to deal with those two problems and Xi Jinping, like most Chinese leaders, pays more attention to history than foreign counterparts do. Chinese military history is measured in thousands of years while Westerners, in most cases, have a few centuries of it and dont pay as much attention to past experiences as China does. This explains why Xi Jinping frequently replaces senior military leaders for no apparent, to Westerners, reason. There is a reason and it is the long military history of China and the tendency of that history to regularly repeat itself.

Xi Jinping is aware that although the Chinese military has achieved many visible signs of modernizing, like new weapons, equipment, uniforms, troops and officer training, it is still having problems in several key areas. When it comes to leadership there are problems with the political officers. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) long ago borrowed the concept of the political officer (Zampolit) from the Soviet Union. The political officer represents the Communist Party and has the authority to overrule any order a military officer gives. In reality, the political officer usually acts as a combined morale and special events officer. The political officers are primarily responsible for preventing anything happening in their unit that would embarrass the party. In theory, political officers are supposed to prevent their commanders from getting involved in fiscal corruption, but often it's the other way around, with the political officers getting involved in illegal money-making schemes first. The CCP has long been trying to purge political officer ranks of dishonest and unreliable elements. It has been slow going. This has caused more friction between commanders and their political officers. That tends to reduce the effectiveness of the unit these two officers are in charge of. There is no easy solution to this problem. Russia got rid of the zampolits in the early 1990s but a decade later brought them back to assure the loyalty and reliability of the armed forces.

Then theres another leadership problem, one which seriously hurt Japanese efforts against the United States during World War II. This is the fact that the Japanese Army then, like the Chinese Army now, is the senior service to the extent that generals can overrule admirals and generally interfere in navy matters that the army generals really know little about. This is already causing China problems and there is no solution in sight. This is particularly true when it comes to joint training. In wartime this army runs the show sort of thing is a serious problem; just read any history that covers Japanese army and navy relationships during World War II.

An offshoot of the army domination problem is that there is little real joint (all services working together) planning. Currently, the Chinese army tells the navy and air force what it wants done and that is the end of that. The Chinese understand that their next war will likely be in the Pacific, not mainland China. The navy should be in the lead here but it isnt.

Another old custom, from before modernization began, is local government having shared control with the army of about 40 percent of local army personnel. These are mostly support and security forces like border security and any key facilities inside a province or major metropolitan area. Dealing with this problem has been put off for a long time because the local (especially provincial) officials dont want to give up control of these local units. Its mainly about power in a bureaucracy but these support units provide many opportunities for corruption, which cannot be admitted openly. The army is aware that a lot of the officers assigned to these local units got their job because of support, often paid for, from a local politician. The army wants to get rid of a lot of these officers in general and specifically weed out all unqualified and/or corrupt officers. But because so many officers have political sponsors, this is a delicate task to carry out. There is growing urgency about this because the surplus of staff and support officers is in sharp contrast to a shortage of officers in combat units.

Another leadership problem is the development of NCOs. Russia downplayed NCOs in the 1930s and China followed that model until, in the late 1990s, they realized the Western custom of developing experienced NCOs was a major asset. It takes time to develop these NCOs and it will be another decade before Chinese NCOs catch up with their Western counterparts.

Not only is it difficult to get rid of unproductive officers, but the Chinese government insists that older weapons and equipment be kept in service long past the time when these older, often ancient, items can still be useful. Yet there are often practical reasons for keeping the previous generations of weapons around. Thats because the government will not pay to produce enough of new models (of tanks, trucks, artillery, electronics and so on) to re-equip everyone. Having multiple generations of major equipment around does complicate training and maintenance.

Unfortunately, one popular solution for all the maintenance problems is to concentrate on keeping the weapons and equipment looking ready while in fact the stuff is not fully operational. This is an old problem especially in forces that have had little recent combat experience. Senior Chinese military leaders and staff officers recognize this and understand that one thing that makes the Americans a formidable foe is lots of recent combat or operational, as in flight time for aircraft and long periods at sea for ships, experience.

Senior commanders have done staff analysis of the combined impact of all this and the conclusion is not something they want to publicize. While Chinese forces have gotten much better since the 1990s, they still have a serious combat capability gap with potential opponents; especially the United States.
Keybank National Association OH trimmed its stake in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:AGG  Free Report) by 6.8% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 920,236 shares of the companys stock after selling 67,125 shares during the period. Keybank National Association OHs holdings in iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF were worth $91,692,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF by 145.5% during 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 buying an additional 3,906 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its stake 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 valued at $5,570,000 after purchasing an additional 13,829 shares in the last quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Baltimore Washington Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $241,000. Finally, West Michigan Advisors LLC increased its stake 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 valued at $1,568,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. 80.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF Stock Performance

NYSEARCA AGG traded down $0.13 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $95.87. The stock had a trading volume of 3,238,784 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,217,969. iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF has a 52-week low of $93.20 and a 52-week high of $103.13. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $97.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $98.40.

About iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF

IShares are index funds that are bought and sold like common stocks on national securities exchanges as well as certain foreign exchanges. iShares are attractive because of their relatively low cost, tax efficiency and trading flexibility. Investors can purchase and sell shares through any brokerage firm, financial advisor, or online broker, and hold the funds in any type of brokerage account.

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Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited (LON:JAR  Get Free Report) declared a dividend on Friday, July 28th, Upcoming.Co.Uk reports. Investors of record on Thursday, August 17th will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share on Wednesday, October 11th. This represents a yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 17th. The official announcement can be seen at this link.

Jardine Matheson Price Performance

LON:JAR opened at GBX 62.50 ($0.79) on Tuesday. The businesss 50-day moving average price is GBX 61.76 and its 200 day moving average price is GBX 61.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 34.89. The firm has a market cap of 181.11 million, a P/E ratio of 51.23 and a beta of 0.41. Jardine Matheson has a 52-week low of GBX 46.89 ($0.59) and a 52-week high of GBX 62.50 ($0.79).

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About Jardine Matheson

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Further Reading

Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited, through its subsidiaries, operates in motor vehicles and related operations, property investment and development, food retailing, health and beauty, home furnishings, engineering and construction, and transportation businesses in China, Southeast Asia, the United Kingdom, and internationally.

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AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB  Get Free Report) EVP Joanne M. Lockridge sold 3,331 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $186.25, for a total value of $620,398.75. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 21,558 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,015,177.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

AvalonBay Communities Stock Performance

AvalonBay Communities stock traded down $2.24 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $180.50. 344,210 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 788,156. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 2.49. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $189.47 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $178.95. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $153.07 and a fifty-two week high of $220.42. The stock has a market cap of $25.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.55, a P/E/G ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.93.

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AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 1st. The real estate investment trust reported $2.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.60 by ($0.01). AvalonBay Communities had a net margin of 46.32% and a return on equity of 11.01%. The company had revenue of $690.86 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $675.67 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.43 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 10.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AvalonBay Communities Dividend Announcement

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AvalonBay Communities

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 30th were given a $1.65 dividend. This represents a $6.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.66%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 29th. AvalonBay Communitiess payout ratio is 74.24%.

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in AvalonBay Communities in the 4th quarter valued at $1,001,550,000. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich increased its position in AvalonBay Communities by 99,860.2% during the second quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 2,488,010 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $470,906,000 after acquiring an additional 2,485,521 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC acquired a new stake in AvalonBay Communities in the 4th quarter worth about $275,423,000. D1 Capital Partners L.P. bought a new stake in AvalonBay Communities in the 2nd quarter valued at about $152,996,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 57.1% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,140,014 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $531,516,000 after purchasing an additional 777,631 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.85% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com initiated coverage on AvalonBay Communities in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating for the company. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $190.00 to $211.00 in a research note on Wednesday, June 14th. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $193.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 12th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $200.00 to $215.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 18th. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of AvalonBay Communities from a neutral rating to a buy rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $199.00 to $212.00 in a research report on Monday, May 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $203.50.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on AvalonBay Communities

AvalonBay Communities Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

As of June 30, 2023, the Company owned or held a direct or indirect ownership interest in 294 apartment communities containing 88,659 apartment homes in 12 states and the District of Columbia, of which 18 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.

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Kaiser Reef Limited (ASX:KAU  Get Free Report) insider Jonathan Downes purchased 100,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of A$0.15 ($0.10) per share, for a total transaction of A$15,000.00 ($9,740.26).

Kaiser Reef Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17.

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Kaiser Reef Company Profile

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Further Reading

Kaiser Reef Limited engages in the exploration, development, and production of gold projects in Australia. The company holds a 100% interest in the Stuart Town project; and Macquarie North project located in the Lachlan Fold Belt, New South Wales. It also holds a 100% interest in the Maldon Goldfield located within the central portion of the Bendigo-Ballarat zone of the Lachlan Fold Belt; and the A1 Gold Mine located in Eastern Victoria.

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Montanaro European Smaller Companies Trust plc (LON:MTE  Get Free Report) announced a dividend on Friday, June 23rd, Upcoming.Co.Uk reports. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 17th will be given a dividend of GBX 0.77 ($0.01) per share on Friday, September 15th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 17th. This is a positive change from Montanaro European Smaller Companies Trusts previous dividend of $0.20. The official announcement can be accessed at this link.

Montanaro European Smaller Companies Trust Trading Down 0.3 %

LON MTE opened at GBX 131.20 ($1.66) on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of GBX 137.12 and a 200-day moving average price of GBX 139.16. Montanaro European Smaller Companies Trust has a 52 week low of GBX 104.20 ($1.32) and a 52 week high of GBX 151.20 ($1.92). The company has a market cap of 248.53 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -171.56 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.59.

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About Montanaro European Smaller Companies Trust

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Montanaro European Smaller Companies Trust plc is an open ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by Montanaro Investment Managers Ltd. It invests in public equity markets of Europe. The fund seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. It primarily invests in growth stocks of small-cap companies listed on London Stock Exchange.

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Murray Income Trust PLC (LON:MUT  Get Free Report) declared a dividend on Wednesday, August 2nd, Upcoming.Co.Uk reports. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 17th will be given a dividend of GBX 12.75 ($0.16) per share on Thursday, September 14th. This represents a yield of 1.48%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 17th. This is a boost from Murray Income Trusts previous dividend of $8.25. The official announcement can be seen at this link.

Murray Income Trust Stock Down 1.2 %

MUT stock opened at GBX 828.67 ($10.51) on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.47, a current ratio of 3.76 and a quick ratio of 3.64. Murray Income Trust has a fifty-two week low of GBX 715 ($9.07) and a fifty-two week high of GBX 890 ($11.29). The stock has a market capitalization of 924.38 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1,271.21 and a beta of 0.78. The businesss fifty day moving average price is GBX 842.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is GBX 854.56.

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Murray Income Trust Company Profile

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Murray Income Trust PLC is a closed ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by Aberdeen Fund Managers Limited. It is co-managed by Aberdeen Asset Managers Limited. The fund invests in the public equity markets of the United Kingdom. It seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors.

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NS Partners Ltd lessened its stake in shares of Bank of America Co. (NYSE:BAC) by 3.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 549,609 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 20,652 shares during the quarter. NS Partners Ltds holdings in Bank of America were worth $15,719,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC boosted its stake in shares of Bank of America by 46.1% during the 1st quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 31,914 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $908,000 after acquiring an additional 10,076 shares in the last quarter. King Wealth boosted its stake in Bank of America by 40.2% during the 1st quarter. King Wealth now owns 10,466 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $299,000 after purchasing an additional 3,000 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Bank of America by 264.3% during the 1st quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 5,534,460 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $158,286,000 after purchasing an additional 4,015,302 shares during the period. Jag Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Bank of America by 22.1% during the 1st quarter. Jag Capital Management LLC now owns 11,364 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $325,000 after purchasing an additional 2,059 shares during the period. Finally, Keybank National Association OH boosted its stake in Bank of America by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 3,420,071 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $97,814,000 after purchasing an additional 11,389 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 67.34% of the companys stock.

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Bank of America Trading Down 2.8 %

BAC traded down $0.87 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $30.06. The stock had a trading volume of 26,806,090 shares, compared to its average volume of 50,712,316. The stock has a market capitalization of $238.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.83. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $29.97 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $30.32. Bank of America Co. has a 52 week low of $26.32 and a 52 week high of $38.60.

Bank of America Increases Dividend

Bank of America ( NYSE:BAC Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $25.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 period last year, the company earned $0.73 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Bank of America Co. will post 3.39 EPS for the current year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 1st will be given a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.19%. This is a positive change from Bank of Americas previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 31st. Bank of Americas dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Bank of America

In other news, insider James P. Demare sold 75,000 shares of the firms 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, insider Dean C. Athanasia sold 77,806 shares of Bank of America stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.48, for a total transaction of $2,449,332.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 353,971 shares of the companys stock, valued at $11,143,007.08. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider James P. Demare sold 75,000 shares of Bank of America 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 185,108 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,836,455.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the companys stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BAC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Bank of America from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the company an underperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Bank of America from $41.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 19th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Bank of America from $32.00 to $33.00 in a research report on Friday, July 7th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Bank of America from $36.00 to $35.00 in a research report on Friday, May 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Bank of America from $45.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $36.26.

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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.

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Premium Brands (OTCMKTS:PRBZF  Get Free Report) had its price target increased by investment analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from C$104.00 to C$110.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, FlyOnTheWall reports.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. CIBC upped their price objective on shares of Premium Brands from C$98.00 to C$99.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 16th. Stifel Nicolaus cut shares of Premium Brands from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Tuesday. TD Securities increased their price target on shares of Premium Brands from C$125.00 to C$135.00 in a report on Tuesday. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Premium Brands from C$114.00 to C$121.00 in a report on Monday, May 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Premium Brands from C$117.00 to C$124.00 in a report on Tuesday.

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Premium Brands Price Performance

Premium Brands Company Profile

Shares of Premium Brands stock traded down $2.37 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $78.65. 100 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 743. Premium Brands has a 12 month low of $57.35 and a 12 month high of $83.35. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $79.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $75.19.

(Get Free Report)

Premium Brands Holdings Corporation, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and distributes food products primarily in Canada and the United States. It operates in two segments, Specialty Foods and Premium Food Distribution. The company provides processed meat, deli products, meat snacks, beef jerky and halal, sandwiches, pastries, specialty and gourmet products, entrees, panini, wraps, subs, hamburgers, burgers, salads and kettle products, muffins, breads, pastas, and baking and sushi products.

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Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in The Charles Schwab Co. (NYSE:SCHW  Free Report) by 7.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,082,111 shares of the financial services providers stock after buying an additional 399,430 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.34% of Charles Schwab worth $318,581,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SCHW. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management grew its stake in Charles Schwab by 28.2% in the first quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 40,354 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $2,114,000 after purchasing an additional 8,878 shares during the last quarter. Souders Financial Advisors raised its position in shares of Charles Schwab by 14.0% in the 1st quarter. Souders Financial Advisors now owns 4,315 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $226,000 after purchasing an additional 529 shares during the last quarter. Allen Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Charles Schwab by 16.5% during the 1st quarter. Allen Investment Management LLC now owns 6,466,671 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $338,724,000 after purchasing an additional 916,387 shares in the last quarter. Circle Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Charles Schwab by 50.4% in the first quarter. Circle Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,236 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $379,000 after buying an additional 2,425 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Charles Schwab by 0.4% during the first quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. now owns 63,118 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $3,306,000 after buying an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. 82.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Charles Schwab from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Friday, July 28th. Wolfe Research reduced their target price on shares of Charles Schwab from $62.00 to $60.00 in a report on Monday, June 26th. Argus increased their price target on Charles Schwab from $70.00 to $81.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 19th. JMP Securities boosted their price objective on Charles Schwab from $73.00 to $77.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Charles Schwab from $86.00 to $85.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 18th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Charles Schwab presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $72.09.

Charles Schwab Price Performance

Charles Schwab stock opened at $61.78 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $59.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $60.47. The Charles Schwab Co. has a 12-month low of $45.00 and a 12-month high of $86.63. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market cap of $109.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.01, a PEG ratio of 3.68 and a beta of 0.91.

Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.04. Charles Schwab had a return on equity of 27.54% and a net margin of 33.15%. The company had revenue of $4.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.61 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.97 earnings per share. The firms revenue was down 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Charles Schwab Co. will post 3.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Charles Schwab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 11th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 10th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.62%. Charles Schwabs payout ratio is 29.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Charles Schwab news, Chairman Charles R. Schwab sold 77,640 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.76, for a total transaction of $4,018,646.40. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 59,771,278 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,093,761,349.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Chairman Charles R. Schwab sold 77,640 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.76, for a total transaction of $4,018,646.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 59,771,278 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,093,761,349.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Charles R. Schwab sold 75,760 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.60, for a total transaction of $5,045,616.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 59,672,778 shares in the company, valued at $3,974,207,014.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 225,447 shares of company stock worth $13,866,915. Corporate insiders own 6.60% of the companys stock.

Charles Schwab Company Profile

(Free Report)

The Charles Schwab Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a savings and loan holding company that provides wealth management, securities brokerage, banking, asset management, custody, and financial advisory services. The company operates in two segments, Investor Services and Advisor Services.

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PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk (OTCMKTS:PPERY  Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 12,500 shares, a growth of 20.2% from the July 15th total of 10,400 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 84,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.1 days.

PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk Stock Performance

OTCMKTS PPERY traded up $0.12 on Tuesday, hitting $15.59. 23,697 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 38,025. The firms 50-day moving average price is $14.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $13.81. PT Bank Mandiri has a fifty-two week low of $10.55 and a fifty-two week high of $15.80.

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About PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk

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PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk provides various banking products and services to individuals and businesses in Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Timor Leste, Shanghai, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, and the Cayman Islands. It offers savings and current accounts, time deposits, demand deposits, and foreign currency savings and current accounts; motorcycle loans, mortgage loan, and housing loans, as well as loans for various purposes, such as education, home renovation, marriage, health, and other needs for individuals; and working capital loans, investment loans, people's business loans, syndicated loans, and micro business loans for businesses.

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As has been recently demonstrated in Ukraine, you cant teach experience. Its something that requires actually doing the deed or using training methods that accurately portray what you need experience handling. This was evident during the recent Ukrainian counteroffensive in southern Ukraine. The nine new Ukrainian armored brigades involved were equipped with 230 tanks and 1,550 other armored vehicles. Some of the new tanks and IFVs were Western models but most were the Russian type tanks and IFVs (Infantry fighting vehicles) Ukraine has long used. There was also additional artillery ammunition, HIMARS missiles and long range Scalp guided bombs as well as short range anti-aircraft missiles. There were also specialized armored engineer vehicles for clearing paths through minefields. There were UAVs (Unmanned Aerial vehicles) for reconnaissance, surveillance and spotting targets for the artillery, missiles or longer range weapons. The Ukrainian troops had received several weeks of additional training. What was missing was enough additional training for the new brigades to learn how to operate effectively in a combined arms operation involving so many different types of equipment and capabilities. A few weeks of combined arms training for the brigades would have made a big difference by developing skills needed to integrate and operate all the new equipment effectively. That lack of training was evident after the offensive began and was slowed down by Russian defenders who were outnumbered and not as lavishly equipped. Defending does not require as much training or additional weapons to succeed.

Back in 1982 the U.S. Army came up with a solution to the problem the Ukrainians recently encountered. The American army created a large NTC (national training center) where army combat brigades could confront a realistic Russian opponent. NTC type training was not only very close to the experience troops get in actual combat, but it also stressed commanders the same way actual combat does. This enables commanders to test themselves, and their subordinate commanders, before they get into a real fight. You can also use NTC type facilities to experiment with new tactics in addition to keeping troops well trained in whatever the current tactics are. This includes counter-terror operations as well as the kind of novel combat tactics that might be encountered in the future.

While the NTC is primarily for peacetime training, it can be used in wartime if there is time to send the brigades to an NTC for training that takes three weeks. During the Iraq War, several national guard brigades, which were composed of reservists, were sent to the NTC before going overseas. NTC training was modified for Iraq War conditions and the troops who trained there found it useful.

Ukrainian military leaders have long been aware of the NTC concept, which has been adapted by many nations since the 1980s. Ukraine does not have one and none of its brigades have actually used one. Nevertheless, Ukraine supplies the United States and other NATO nations with advice on how to modify their current NTC training to represent the current state of the Russian forces. The NATO countries report back to Ukraine any NTC events that might help the Ukrainian forces.

Ukraine has long been aware of how important NTC-type training is. For example, in 2014 Ukraine persuaded a German firm to cancel a signed $134 million contract to build a NTC-like military training facility for Russia. This cancellation was the result of the growing list of economic sanctions on Russia as a result of the 2014 Ukraine crisis. Many Russians feared the Ukrainian land-grab will cause major economic damage, but in the case of this German contract, the loss will mainly be to Russian efforts to modernize and upgrade their armed forces. This training center contract was to enable Russia to join the United States, Germany, China, Israel, and many other major military powers who are benefitting from the use of instrumented combat training centers. Russia had hired the German firm (Rheinmetall), which built such a training range in 2008 for Germany, to basically build a very similar one in Russia.

This was all based on a breakthrough training system developed by the U.S. Army in 1982. This was the National Training Center (NTC), a 147,000 hectare (359,000 acre) facility in the Mohave Desert at Ft Irwin, California. There, the United States Army revolutionized the training of ground combat troops in the 1980s with the development of MILES (laser tag) equipment for infantry and armored vehicles and the use of MILES in a large, "wired" (to record all activities) combat training area. Other countries soon realized the importance of these innovations and a few built their own NTC clones. NTC type training centers are usually built to enable a combat brigade to go through several weeks of very realistic combat exercises.

Since 2003 Israel has been using and expanding its own NTC. This is a 39,000 hectare (98,000 acre) Tactical Training Center (TTC) at Ze'elim in the Negev desert. In addition to wide-open areas for the training of armor, infantry, and artillery units, there are several villages and urban areas wired for training troops to fight in close quarters. Israel has now developed a portable version of this technology and many other innovations as well.

China opened its own version of NTC in 2010. The Chinese NTC was a big deal. It meant the Chinese were really serious about training their ground combat troops to the highest standards. This kind of training is serious business, in part because it's expensive to use an NTC. Not just the fuel and ammo the troops will use, but the expense of a staff to run the NTC, and perform as OPFOR (opposing force). American intelligence officers track which units go through the Chinese NTC and mark them as likely to be much more effective in combat.

Ft Irwin itself has been expanded and since the 1980s the United States has established many similar training centers, all using lots of electronics to assist the trainees in having a realistic experience while also enabling them to see their mistakes and learn from them. Israeli and American manufacturers have individually, or through collaboration, developed new features for NTC type facilities. These include portable equipment that can allow any area to be wired to provide the same effect (constant monitoring, and recording, of everything everyone does. There are also VPUs (Vehicle Player Units) that make Hummers appear as armored vehicles (tanks, infantry vehicles, or artillery) to the monitoring system, and save a lot of money by not using the real thing. There is also a system that releases different colored smoke when a vehicle is hit, indicating if it is damaged or destroyed. Helicopters and warplanes, for example, are being wired to operate as part of NTC exercises.

One of the critical aspects of this type of training is the playback. Instructors can edit the electronic record of who did what when and show commanders and troops where they made mistakes. This feedback makes the troops much more effective in the future.

Blocked from buying an NTC from Germany, Russia considered turning to China, which has built modern military training centers. These were not as effective as one the Germans were offering Russia, but were probably good enough. Russia never did get a training center able to train brigade-size units in a realistic and effective fashion. Russia subsequently built smaller, more tactical training centers using some of the concepts found effective in NTCs. This did not make up for the absence of a proper NTC and that proved to be the case when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
RB Capital Management LLC lowered its holdings in BlackRock MuniHoldings California Quality Fund, Inc. (NYSE:MUC  Free Report) by 7.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 45,419 shares of the companys stock after selling 3,859 shares during the period. RB Capital Management LLCs holdings in BlackRock MuniHoldings California Quality Fund were worth $502,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CWM LLC acquired a new position in shares of BlackRock MuniHoldings California Quality Fund during the 1st quarter worth $33,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of BlackRock MuniHoldings California Quality Fund during the first quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Captrust Financial Advisors acquired a new position in shares of BlackRock MuniHoldings California Quality Fund in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Mine & Arao Wealth Creation & Management LLC. acquired a new position in shares of BlackRock MuniHoldings California Quality Fund in the 4th quarter worth approximately $75,000. Finally, Tortoise Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of BlackRock MuniHoldings California Quality Fund during the first quarter valued at approximately $77,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 23.20% of the companys stock.

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BlackRock MuniHoldings California Quality Fund Price Performance

Shares of MUC opened at $10.55 on Tuesday. The stocks fifty day moving average is $10.75 and its 200-day moving average is $10.84. BlackRock MuniHoldings California Quality Fund, Inc. has a one year low of $9.95 and a one year high of $12.96.

BlackRock MuniHoldings California Quality Fund Announces Dividend

BlackRock MuniHoldings California Quality Fund Profile

The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.0335 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 14th. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.81%.

(Free Report)

BlackRock MuniHoldings California Quality Fund, Inc is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched by BlackRock, Inc It is managed by BlackRock Advisors, LLC. The fund invests in fixed income markets. It invests primarily in a portfolio of long-term investment-grade municipal obligations, the interest on which is exempt from Federal and California income taxes.

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Robinson Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of BlackRock MuniHoldings California Quality Fund, Inc. (NYSE:MUC  Free Report) by 7.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 285,814 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 20,507 shares during the quarter. BlackRock MuniHoldings California Quality Fund accounts for about 1.5% of Robinson Capital Management LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Robinson Capital Management LLCs holdings in BlackRock MuniHoldings California Quality Fund were worth $3,094,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. CWM LLC bought a new position in BlackRock MuniHoldings California Quality Fund in the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Captrust Financial Advisors bought a new stake in BlackRock MuniHoldings California Quality Fund during the 2nd quarter valued at about $50,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in BlackRock MuniHoldings California Quality Fund in the 1st quarter valued at about $49,000. Mine & Arao Wealth Creation & Management LLC. bought a new position in BlackRock MuniHoldings California Quality Fund in the 4th quarter worth about $75,000. Finally, Tortoise Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of BlackRock MuniHoldings California Quality Fund during the first quarter worth approximately $77,000. 23.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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BlackRock MuniHoldings California Quality Fund Stock Performance

Shares of BlackRock MuniHoldings California Quality Fund stock traded up $0.03 on Tuesday, hitting $10.58. 127,150 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 207,787. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $10.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $10.84. BlackRock MuniHoldings California Quality Fund, Inc. has a 52 week low of $9.95 and a 52 week high of $12.93.

BlackRock MuniHoldings California Quality Fund Dividend Announcement

BlackRock MuniHoldings California Quality Fund Profile

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 15th will be issued a $0.0335 dividend. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.80%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 14th.

(Free Report)

BlackRock MuniHoldings California Quality Fund, Inc is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched by BlackRock, Inc It is managed by BlackRock Advisors, LLC. The fund invests in fixed income markets. It invests primarily in a portfolio of long-term investment-grade municipal obligations, the interest on which is exempt from Federal and California income taxes.

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Canadian Tire (OTCMKTS:CDNAF  Free Report) had its price objective cut by Royal Bank of Canada from C$225.00 to C$208.00 in a report issued on Friday morning, FlyOnTheWall reports.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Desjardins reduced their target price on Canadian Tire from C$205.00 to C$200.00 in a research note on Friday, May 12th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Canadian Tire from C$196.00 to C$180.00 in a research note on Friday. Scotiabank dropped their price objective on Canadian Tire from C$206.00 to C$191.00 in a report on Friday. National Bank Financial lowered Canadian Tire from an outperform rating to a sector perform rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, TD Securities lowered Canadian Tire from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday.

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Canadian Tire Trading Up 0.5 %

Canadian Tire Company Profile

Shares of OTCMKTS:CDNAF opened at $117.09 on Friday. Canadian Tire has a 12-month low of $101.00 and a 12-month high of $143.80. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $133.79 and a 200 day moving average of $129.07.

(Get Free Report)

Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited provides a range of retail goods and services in Canada. It operates in three segments: Retail, CT REIT, and Financial Services. The Retail segment retails automotive maintenance products and accessories, parts, tires as well as automotive services and roadside assistance; kitchen, home organization, decor, home electronics, pet, and cleaning and consumable products; tools, hardware, paint, electrical, plumbing, home environment, and smart home products; and outdoor recreation, exercise, footwear and apparel, hunting, fishing, camping, and sporting goods.

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Basilea Pharmaceutica AG (OTCMKTS:BPMUF  Get Free Report) was the target of a large decline in short interest during the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 296,600 shares, a decline of 12.1% from the July 15th total of 337,300 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 0 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently  days.

Basilea Pharmaceutica Price Performance

OTCMKTS BPMUF remained flat at $50.00 during trading hours on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $50.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $51.08. Basilea Pharmaceutica has a 1 year low of $50.00 and a 1 year high of $50.00.

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About Basilea Pharmaceutica

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Further Reading

Basilea Pharmaceutica AG, a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the development of products that address the medical needs in the therapeutic areas of oncology and anti-infectives. It offers Cresemba, an intravenous and oral azole antifungal drug for the treatment of invasive aspergillosis and mucormycosis in the United States, and the European Union, as well as in Phase III clinical trials for invasive fungal infections in Japan.

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SPC Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM  Free Report) by 30.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,491 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 823 shares during the period. SPC Financial Inc.s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $339,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of PM. Riverpoint Wealth Management Holdings LLC purchased a new position in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Optiver Holding B.V. purchased a new position in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Philip Morris International in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in Philip Morris International in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, FSC Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 75.0% in the 1st quarter. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 350 shares of the companys stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. 77.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup raised Philip Morris International from a neutral rating to a buy rating and raised their price objective for the company from $109.00 to $117.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 20th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Finally, 22nd Century Group reiterated a reiterates rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Tuesday, June 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Philip Morris International has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $111.40.

Philip Morris International Stock Down 0.3 %

PM stock opened at $95.85 on Tuesday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $82.85 and a 52-week high of $105.62. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $96.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $97.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $148.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.69.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 20th. The company reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.10. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 127.84% and a net margin of 11.63%. The business had revenue of $8.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $8.76 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.48 earnings per share. The businesss revenue was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 11th. Investors of record on Friday, June 23rd were issued a $1.27 dividend. This represents a $5.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 22nd. Philip Morris Internationals payout ratio is currently 98.26%.

About Philip Morris International

(Free Report)

Philip Morris International Inc operates as a tobacco company working to delivers a smoke-free future and evolving portfolio for the long-term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector. The company's product portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smoke-free products, including heat-not-burn, vapor, and oral nicotine products primarily under the IQOS and ZYN brands; and consumer accessories, such as lighters and matches.

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Stelco (OTCMKTS:STZHF  Free Report) had its price target cut by BMO Capital Markets from C$60.00 to C$55.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday, FlyOnTheWall reports.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on STZHF. Scotiabank cut their price target on shares of Stelco from C$57.00 to C$54.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Stelco from C$47.00 to C$46.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Stelco in a research report on Tuesday, May 23rd. They issued a neutral rating on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Stelco from C$52.00 to C$48.00 in a research report on Friday, May 12th.

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Stelco Trading Up 9.5 %

About Stelco

Shares of OTCMKTS:STZHF opened at $31.30 on Friday. The firms 50-day moving average is $32.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $35.55. Stelco has a 1 year low of $23.85 and a 1 year high of $44.50.

(Get Free Report)

Stelco Holdings Inc engages in the production and sale of steel products in Canada, the United States, and internationally. It offers flat-rolled value-added steel, including coated, pre-painted, cold-rolled, and hot-rolled sheet products, as well as pig iron and metallurgical coke. The company sells its products to customers in the construction, automotive, energy, appliance, and pipe and tube industries, as well as to various steel service centers.

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Swiss National Bank cut its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM  Free Report) by 2.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,152,300 shares of the companys stock after selling 148,000 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned 0.40% of Philip Morris International worth $598,311,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in PM. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 100,700.1% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 15,640,144 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,582,939,000 after purchasing an additional 15,624,628 shares during the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 31.7% during the 1st quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 9,036,858 shares of the companys stock worth $878,834,000 after acquiring an additional 2,174,242 shares during the last quarter. Perpetual Ltd bought a new stake in Philip Morris International during the 1st quarter worth approximately $201,779,000. Canoe Financial LP bought a new stake in Philip Morris International during the 1st quarter worth approximately $150,424,000. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 122.0% during the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 2,632,467 shares of the companys stock worth $247,294,000 after acquiring an additional 1,446,567 shares during the last quarter. 77.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of Philip Morris International stock traded down $1.08 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $94.77. 1,042,779 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,327,803. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $96.77 and a 200-day moving average price of $97.16. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1-year low of $82.85 and a 1-year high of $105.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $147.12 billion, a PE ratio of 18.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.69.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

Philip Morris International ( NYSE:PM Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 20th. The company reported $1.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.10. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 11.63% and a negative return on equity of 127.84%. The firm had revenue of $8.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.76 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.48 earnings per share. The businesss revenue was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.21 earnings per share for the current year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 23rd were paid a $1.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 22nd. This represents a $5.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.36%. Philip Morris Internationals payout ratio is 98.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on PM shares. 22nd Century Group reissued a reiterates rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Tuesday, June 27th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of Philip Morris International from a neutral rating to a buy rating and upped their price objective for the company from $109.00 to $117.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $111.40.

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Philip Morris International Company Profile

(Free Report)

Philip Morris International Inc operates as a tobacco company working to delivers a smoke-free future and evolving portfolio for the long-term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector. The company's product portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smoke-free products, including heat-not-burn, vapor, and oral nicotine products primarily under the IQOS and ZYN brands; and consumer accessories, such as lighters and matches.

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Telia Company AB (publ) (OTCMKTS:TLSNY  Get Free Report)s share price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $3.86 and last traded at $3.87, with a volume of 505591 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $3.92.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Berenberg Bank lowered Telia Company AB (publ) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 1st. Citigroup raised Telia Company AB (publ) from a sell rating to a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, May 26th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and one has issued 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 $33.25.

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Telia Company AB (publ) Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $7.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 0.28. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $4.37 and a 200 day moving average of $4.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.88.

Telia Company AB (publ) (OTCMKTS:TLSNY  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 20th. The technology company reported $0.04 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter. Telia Company AB (publ) had a negative return on equity of 19.99% and a negative net margin of 16.39%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Telia Company AB will post 0.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Telia Company AB (publ) Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 31st will be paid a $0.0916 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 28th. This is a positive change from Telia Company AB (publ)s previous dividend of $0.06. Telia Company AB (publ)s dividend payout ratio is -33.78%.

Telia Company AB (publ) Company Profile

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Telia Company AB (publ) provides communication services to businesses, individuals, families, and communities in Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia. It offers mobile, broadband, television, and fixed-line services; and networking, cloud and security, mobility, enterprise mobile network, contact center, managed mobility services, collaboration solutions, enterprise telephony, Internet of Things (IoT), carrier ethernet, dedicated internet access, wavelengths, IP Transit, dark fiber, and colocation solutions.

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Swiss National Bank reduced its holdings in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO  Free Report) by 2.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 16,304,200 shares of the companys stock after selling 393,400 shares during the quarter. Coca-Cola accounts for 0.7% of Swiss National Banks portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.38% of Coca-Cola worth $1,011,350,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ten Capital Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Ten Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,584 shares of the companys stock valued at $222,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the period. Naples Global Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC now owns 23,188 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,448,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. now owns 12,780 shares of the companys stock valued at $793,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Clear Investment Research LLC grew its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 39.1% in the 1st quarter. Clear Investment Research LLC now owns 601 shares of the companys stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alaska Permanent Fund Corp grew its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp now owns 16,604 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,056,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. 68.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Coca-Cola

In other Coca-Cola news, SVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 50,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.66, for a total transaction of $3,133,000.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 143,383 shares of the companys stock, valued at $8,984,378.78. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, SVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 50,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.66, for a total transaction of $3,133,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 143,383 shares in the company, valued at $8,984,378.78. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO John Murphy sold 156,290 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.10, for a total transaction of $9,705,609.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 228,830 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,210,343. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 227,364 shares of company stock valued at $14,122,016. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup lifted their price target on Coca-Cola from $71.00 to $74.00 in a report on Monday, April 24th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Coca-Cola in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a buy rating for the company. Barclays boosted their price objective on Coca-Cola from $69.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Friday, July 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, July 27th. Finally, Wedbush lifted their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, July 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Coca-Cola currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $68.33.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola Price Performance

KO traded down $0.26 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $60.62. 2,886,637 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 13,120,527. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $61.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $61.33. The company has a market cap of $262.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.05, a PEG ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 0.54. The Coca-Cola Company has a twelve month low of $54.01 and a twelve month high of $65.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 0.95.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 26th. The company reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.06. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 23.81% and a return on equity of 43.06%. The firm had revenue of $12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $11.74 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.70 earnings per share. The companys revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, September 15th will be paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 14th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.04%. Coca-Colas dividend payout ratio is 75.72%.

Coca-Cola Profile

(Free Report)

The Coca-Cola Company, a beverage company, manufactures, markets, and sells various nonalcoholic beverages worldwide. The company provides sparkling soft drinks, sparkling flavors; water, sports, coffee, and tea; juice, value-added dairy, and plant-based beverages; and other beverages. It also offers beverage concentrates and syrups, as well as fountain syrups to fountain retailers, such as restaurants and convenience stores.

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1834 Investment Advisors Co. increased its position in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS  Free Report) by 3.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,288 shares of the investment management companys stock after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the quarter. 1834 Investment Advisors Co.s holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $1,076,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 387,974 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $126,910,000 after acquiring an additional 5,894 shares during the last quarter. Souders Financial Advisors lifted its position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Souders Financial Advisors now owns 4,210 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $1,377,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finer Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 20.7% in the 1st quarter. Finer Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,749 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $899,000 after buying an additional 471 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management grew its position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 12.5% during the 1st quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 4,898 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $1,602,000 after buying an additional 543 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sittner & Nelson LLC raised its stake in The Goldman Sachs Group by 36.2% during the first quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 207 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $68,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.90% of the companys stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling at The Goldman Sachs Group

In other news, CEO David M. Solomon sold 4,200 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.28, for a total value of $1,496,376.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 124,782 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $44,457,330.96. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other The Goldman Sachs Group news, major shareholder Goldman Sachs Group Inc sold 1,145,486 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction on Friday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.73, for a total value of $13,436,550.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 50,099,392 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $587,665,868.16. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO David M. Solomon sold 4,200 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.28, for a total value of $1,496,376.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 124,782 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $44,457,330.96. 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 ninety days. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

The Goldman Sachs Group Price Performance

Shares of GS opened at $337.74 on Tuesday. 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 stock has a market cap of $111.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.39. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $335.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $337.12. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $287.75 and a 1 year high of $389.58.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 19th. The investment management company reported $3.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $3.25 by ($0.17). The business had revenue of $10.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.61 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a return on equity of 8.27% and a net margin of 9.74%. The Goldman Sachs Groups revenue for the quarter was down 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $7.73 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 25.75 earnings per share for the current year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 31st will be issued a dividend of $2.75 per share. This represents a $11.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 30th. This is a positive change from The Goldman Sachs Groups previous quarterly dividend of $2.50. The Goldman Sachs Groups dividend payout ratio is presently 42.66%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GS has been the subject of several recent research reports. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $385.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Monday, July 24th. Credit Suisse Group restated an outperform rating and issued a $410.00 price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research report on Thursday, July 20th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating for the company. Odeon Capital Group upgraded The Goldman Sachs Group from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $355.75 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $415.00 to $398.00 in a report on Friday, July 7th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $396.93.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on The Goldman Sachs Group

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.

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RB Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Southern Company (NYSE:SO  Free Report) by 9.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,647 shares of the utilities providers stock after purchasing an additional 510 shares during the quarter. RB Capital Management LLCs holdings in Southern were worth $393,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hartford Investment Management Co. grew its holdings in Southern by 16.4% during the 1st quarter. Hartford Investment Management Co. now owns 91,643 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $6,377,000 after purchasing an additional 12,890 shares in the last quarter. 1834 Investment Advisors Co. boosted its holdings in Southern by 4.9% in the first quarter. 1834 Investment Advisors Co. now owns 24,653 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $1,715,000 after purchasing an additional 1,156 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Southern by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,342,041 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $93,379,000 after purchasing an additional 19,835 shares in the last quarter. Windle Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Southern by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Windle Wealth LLC now owns 84,462 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $5,877,000 after purchasing an additional 2,646 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Widmann Financial Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Southern by 2.3% during the first quarter. Widmann Financial Services Inc. now owns 12,945 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $901,000 after buying an additional 295 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.25% of the companys stock.

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Southern Trading Down 0.3 %

NYSE:SO opened at $68.65 on Tuesday. The Southern Company has a 1 year low of $58.85 and a 1 year high of $80.57. The stock has a market cap of $74.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.32, a PEG ratio of 4.83 and a beta of 0.50. The business has a fifty day moving average of $70.73 and a 200-day moving average of $69.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.83.

Southern Dividend Announcement

Southern ( NYSE:SO Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 3rd. The utilities provider reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.05. Southern had a return on equity of 9.86% and a net margin of 11.17%. The company had revenue of $5.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $6.47 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.07 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 20.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that The Southern Company will post 3.6 earnings per share for the current year.

The company also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 18th. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.08%. Southerns dividend payout ratio is currently 98.94%.

Insider Activity at Southern

In related news, CEO Stephen E. Kuczynski sold 5,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.70, for a total transaction of $348,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 126,284 shares of the companys stock, valued at $8,801,994.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, CEO Stephen E. Kuczynski sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.70, for a total value of $348,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 126,284 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,801,994.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 47,326 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.78, for a total value of $3,302,408.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 118,659 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $8,280,025.02. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 143,761 shares of company stock valued at $10,152,544 over the last 90 days. 0.37% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on SO shares. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Southern from $77.00 to $76.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 16th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH initiated coverage on shares of Southern in a report on Wednesday, August 9th. They set a buy rating and a $72.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Southern from $75.00 to $74.00 in a research report on Friday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Southern from $73.00 to $69.00 in a report on Thursday, June 8th. Finally, VNET Group restated a maintains rating on shares of Southern in a research report on Friday, April 28th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $74.07.

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Southern Company Profile

(Free Report)

The Southern Company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. It operates through three segments: Gas Distribution Operations, Gas Pipeline Investments, and Gas Marketing Services. The company also develops, constructs, acquires, owns, and manages power generation assets, including renewable energy projects and sells electricity in the wholesale market; and distributes natural gas in Illinois, Georgia, Virginia, and Tennessee, as well as provides gas marketing services, gas distribution operations, and gas pipeline investments operations.

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Thompson Davis & CO. Inc. bought a new position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO  Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 5,072 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $226,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Altria Group by 8.7% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 44,066,327 shares of the companys stock worth $2,000,861,000 after purchasing an additional 3,516,646 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 35,184,122 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,606,259,000 after acquiring an additional 218,861 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 24,517,169 shares of the companys stock valued at $990,002,000 after acquiring an additional 1,192,266 shares during the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 108,222.5% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,590,308 shares of the companys stock valued at $849,763,000 after acquiring an additional 18,573,146 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 17,105,285 shares of the companys stock valued at $781,883,000 after acquiring an additional 1,531,337 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.38% of the companys stock.

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Altria Group Stock Down 1.1 %

NYSE:MO traded down $0.49 on Tuesday, reaching $43.04. 1,486,505 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,706,098. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.59. The business has a fifty day moving average of $44.91 and a 200-day moving average of $45.56. 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 results on Tuesday, August 1st. The company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts consensus estimates of $1.31. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.43 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 27.40% and a negative return on equity of 225.61%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.26 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 4.99 earnings per share for the current year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $0.94 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.74%. Altria Groups payout ratio is 98.69%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MO has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Altria Group from $49.50 to $47.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 17th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Altria Group from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, July 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $46.00.

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Altria Group Company Profile

(Free Report)

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company provides cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; cigars and pipe tobacco principally under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco products and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; and on! oral nicotine pouches.

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Tredje AP fonden grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Free Report) by 8.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 138,597 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 11,170 shares during the period. Eli Lilly and Company makes up about 0.7% of Tredje AP fondens portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Tredje AP fondens holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $47,597,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Thompson Davis & CO. Inc. raised its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Thompson Davis & CO. Inc. now owns 3,800 shares of the companys stock worth $1,305,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 614,431 shares of the companys stock worth $211,008,000 after purchasing an additional 25,179 shares during the period. Silicon Valley Capital Partners acquired a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. RB Capital Management LLC grew its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. RB Capital Management LLC now owns 2,275 shares of the companys stock worth $781,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Finally, Banco Santander S.A. grew its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 39.9% during the 1st quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 42,610 shares of the companys stock valued at $14,633,000 after acquiring an additional 12,156 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.25% of the companys stock.

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Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

LLY traded up $5.25 on Tuesday, reaching $543.25. The company had a trading volume of 753,422 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,066,183. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $460.46 and a 200-day moving average price of $400.61. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1 year low of $296.32 and a 1 year high of $543.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $515.70 billion, a PE ratio of 74.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.35.

Eli Lilly and Company Announces Dividend

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, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.13. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 22.01% and a return on equity of 65.00%. The business had revenue of $8.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $7.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.25 earnings per share. The businesss revenue was up 28.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 9.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 14th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. Eli Lilly and Companys dividend payout ratio is currently 62.87%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $528.13, for a total transaction of $1,584,390.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 100,696,849 shares of the companys stock, valued at $53,181,026,862.37. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Eli Lilly and Company news, EVP Patrik Jonsson sold 6,000 shares of the companys 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 36,941 shares in the company, valued at $15,864,681.86. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 3,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $528.13, for a total transaction of $1,584,390.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 100,696,849 shares in the company, valued at $53,181,026,862.37. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 754,417 shares of company stock valued at $357,553,862 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LLY has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $510.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 9th. Bank of America raised their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $500.00 to $600.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 9th. Truist Financial raised their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $525.00 to $600.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 9th. Berenberg Bank lifted their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $375.00 to $500.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 20th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $500.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, August 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and nineteen have given 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 price target of $517.00.

View Our Latest Report on Eli Lilly and Company

About Eli Lilly and Company

(Free Report)

Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. It offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; and Jardiance, Trajenta, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes.

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Tredje AP fonden boosted its position in shares of Boston Scientific Co. (NYSE:BSX  Free Report) by 4.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,129,467 shares of the medical equipment providers stock after purchasing an additional 47,607 shares during the period. Boston Scientific makes up 0.9% of Tredje AP fondens portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Tredje AP fonden owned 0.08% of Boston Scientific worth $56,507,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Boston Scientific in the 1st quarter valued at about $54,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Boston Scientific in the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. Prudential PLC acquired a new position in shares of Boston Scientific in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,076,000. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in shares of Boston Scientific by 24.0% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 28,793 shares of the medical equipment providers stock worth $1,275,000 after acquiring an additional 5,581 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Boston Scientific in the first quarter worth approximately $230,000. 92.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Boston Scientific Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of Boston Scientific stock traded up $0.48 on Tuesday, hitting $51.81. The stock had a trading volume of 1,344,607 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,985,111. The firm has a market capitalization of $75.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 85.55, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.79. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $52.45 and a 200 day moving average of $50.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.29. Boston Scientific Co. has a twelve month low of $37.74 and a twelve month high of $54.74.

Insider Activity at Boston Scientific

Boston Scientific ( NYSE:BSX Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $3.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3.50 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.44 EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 10.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Boston Scientific Co. will post 1.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

In other news, EVP Wendy Carruthers sold 11,671 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.24, for a total transaction of $621,364.04. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 72,847 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,878,374.28. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 72,847 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,878,374.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Arthur C. Butcher sold 6,697 shares of Boston Scientific 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 17,453 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $938,971.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 30,039 shares of company stock valued at $1,598,475. 0.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on BSX. Raymond James boosted their price objective on shares of Boston Scientific from $60.00 to $61.00 in a research report on Friday, July 28th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Boston Scientific from $58.00 to $59.00 in a research note on Friday, July 28th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Boston Scientific from $60.00 to $61.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 19th. TheStreet upgraded shares of Boston Scientific from a c+ rating to a b rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 30th. Finally, CL King started coverage on shares of Boston Scientific in a research report on Friday, June 30th. They set a buy rating and a $64.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Boston Scientific currently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $58.35.

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About Boston Scientific

(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.

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Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy speaks after hoisting the National Flag at the 77th Independence Day celebrations at the Indira Gandhi Municipal Stadium (C. Narayana Rao/DC)

VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has reiterated the YSRC governments commitment to decentralise governance and set up three capitals.

"Making decentralisation a policy, we created 13 more districts in addition to the existing 13. We are going to decentralise the capitals as this is the right of the three regions and responsibility of the state government," he said after hoisting the National Flag at the 77th Independence Day celebrations at the Indira Gandhi Municipal Stadium on Tuesday.

The Chief Minister has asserted that he ensured social justice for the people in the state besides working for the empowerment of the weaker sections and implementing welfare schemes with transparency.

After hoisting the National Flag and taking the salute, Jagan Mohan Reddy said the government has been striving to usher in Grama Swaraj visualised by Mahatma Gandhi. It changed the face of agriculture, industry, and services.

"Andhra Pradesh brought in major changes in the rural administrative system through 15,000 village and ward secretariats, digital libraries, RBKs, and the volunteer system, to extend quick civic services to the people," he claimed.

He said the changes have helped reverse the decades-old corrupt administrative system. "A sum of Rs2,31,000 crore has been transferred by the government through DBT mode to the beneficiaries in the last 50 months."

The CM said the government has been waging a war on untouchability. "Opposition to the introduction of English medium in schools, allotment of house sites, and construction of houses for the poor is also a form of untouchability," he asserted.

"The war will continue till justice is done," he declared. "Implementation of a slew of welfare schemes as part of Navaratnalu meant social justice can be a reality," he said and listed out the changes brought in AP in six sectors after the YSRC came to power."

Jagan Mohan Reddy stated, "Educational sector is being revolutionised with the implementation of Amma Vodi, Nadu-Nedu, Vidya deevena, Vasathi Deevena and Videshi Vidya Deevena, distribution of bi-lingual textbooks, TOEFL training for students of Class 3, digitisation of classrooms from Class 6 and plans to introduce IB-standard curriculum and AI in higher education."

"These changes will help our students become globally competitive. The health sector is upbeat with 17 new medical colleges coming up, recruitment of 53,126 new staff including specialist doctors, availability of 104 and 108 ambulances in all mandals, strengthening of preventive healthcare with 10,032 village health clinics serving the rural people, and 3,255 procedures being brought under the YSR Aarogyasri."

The Chief Minister said that AP is the only state which has enacted a law to reserve 50 per cent of the nominated posts and contracts to SCs, STs, BCs, and minorities for rendering social justice to the weaker sections.

On the industrial front also, the state is marching ahead and it stood first in the ease of doing business (EoDB), attracting Rs13,42,000 crore in investments in the global investors meet in Visakhapatnam, he said.

Some 127 heavy industries were established in AP in the last four years with a total investment of Rs67,196 crore and providing employment to 84, 607 persons, he claimed.

The Chief Minister gave away police medals to several IPS and other police officials for their meritorious services.
Brid will spend her year at the University of Indianapolis, Indiana while Maeve is off to Carroll University in Wisconsin.

Also taking part are North West Regional College students Dylan Copland and Leo Griffiths, who are both heading to Illinois. Dylan, from Drumahoe, currently studies Film and Television Production and will enrol at Monmouth College, while Derry student Leo, a Software Development student, is heading to Mckendree University.



Speaking ahead of their departure, Maeve said: I applied to Study USA for a new experience, getting to attend an American college and travel in the States. I know people who had participated in the programme previously and loved it. Ultimately through the programme I hope to make new friends and have new experiences.





Dylan added: Study USA is an amazing opportunity and to be one out of 56 students from the colleges and universities in Northern Ireland is fantastic.

"I applied to the programme as I wanted to build on my employability and independence away from home, as well as build up a level of knowledge within the business sector.

"Through the programme, I hope to gain valuable essential skills and qualities from the variety of classes I will attend, in order to bring new life and growth into Northern Ireland's economy, all while promoting Northern Ireland in a good light to my peers.

The British Council, which is the UKs international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations, manages Study USA on behalf of the Department for the Economy  and since its formation in 1994, the initiative has sent over 2000 students from Northern Ireland to all four corners of the United States.



Commenting on the programme, Jonathan Stewart, Director British Council Northern Ireland said: Were delighted to be partnering with the Department for the Economy to deliver Study USA, a prestigious scholarship programme that has gone from strength to strength since its inception in 1994.



Study USA greatly enhances the employability skills of the students taking part in the programme, with many returning to work in Northern Ireland for employers with US and global links.

"Students get an opportunity to connect with another country, to really get to understand that country through living there for a year, and update their CV by developing new skills in an international setting.

"While in the US, the students will have the opportunity to enhance their academic skills but also to develop their people and intercultural skills that will prepare them for working for employers in Northern Ireland in the future.

"This year our students will be spread across 22 US states and we hope that they will build valuable links and develop friendships that will last a lifetime.



We know that this years students will be great ambassadors for Northern Ireland. We wish them every success for the exciting year ahead and we look forward to welcoming them back to celebrate the class of 2024 next year.

County Derry students, Brid Peoples from Claudy and Maeve McHugh, from Magherafelt, both study Law at Queens University Belfast and are amongst those selected.
The widower of a woman killed in the Omagh bombing has said a UK Government inquiry into the Omagh bombing would be a waste of time without the involvement of the Irish Government.

In February, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris announced the Government would establish an independent statutory inquiry into the preventability of the Omagh bombing.

Twenty-nine people, including a woman pregnant with twins, were killed by a bomb planted by the Real IRA  the worst loss of life in any incident in the Troubles.

It came just months after the historic Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.

No-one has ever been criminally convicted of the attack.

Kevin Skeltons wife, Philomena, died in the bombing.

Speaking to reporters following a private event marking the 25th anniversary of the attack, Mr Skelton said: The memories are there all the time. You just cant get them out of your head, no matter how hard you try.

Asked about the upcoming inquiry, he said: Unless the southern government is involved, its a waste of time.

He added: If they do get involved, whether it bears fruit or not  I dont know.

He said the bomb was driven to Omagh from the Republic of Ireland.

But whatever happens  one way or the other  we do not want to see it taken away from the people that actually planted the bomb.

At the end of the day, a dissident republican terrorist group planted that bomb.

He said the Irish government had done very little regarding the Troubles so far.

Now is the time to step up to the plate.

Reflecting on the course of other inquiries, Mr Skelton said: Ill probably not be above the ground by the time the results come out, anyway.

But we must not let the people who done it, get away with it.

Stanley McCombe, who lost his wife Ann, said he believed it would be difficult for justice to come out of the inquiry.

Speaking to the PA news agency, he said: Lets start off with getting the truth about Omagh. Why it happened, how it happened and who else was involved in this.

Irelands Tanaiste, Micheal Martin, has said his country will co-operate fully with a UK inquiry into the Omagh bombing, which he described as one of the most brutal atrocities ever witnessed on this island.

Draft terms of reference for the inquiry have been shared with the Irish Government but Mr Martin said it is his understanding that chairman Lord Turnbull intends to seek the views of those most affected by the bombing before they are published.

Mr Martin, who is also Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence, added: Officials stand ready to engage with members of the UKs inquiry team as soon as they are appointed.

When we have further clarity on the nature of the UK inquiry, I will then consider, along with the Minister for Justice (Helen McEntee) and my Cabinet colleagues, the next steps in this jurisdiction.

As has been done in relation to a number of historical inquiries, this State will co-operate fully.

Justice for the victims and the families impacted by this atrocity will be at the heart of any action that the Government takes.
              
Samsung set to launch latest 5G vRAN software in second half of 2023

According to reports from ZDNet Korea and official statements from Samsung, Samsung plans to launch the latest version of its 5G vRAN software technology, vRAN 3.0, within 2023. As part of Samsung's vRAN collaboration with Intel, This software will provide optimization processing for the Intel vRAN Boost in the 4th generation Intel Xeon processors.

Notably, vRAN Boost is directly equipped with the 4th generation Xeon Scalable processor, which saves both power and construction costs. Currently, it has already passed the application test and the call test. Related solutions are expected to be officially launched in the second half of 2023.

vRAN utilizes the Network Function Virtualization (NFV) technology to separate radio and signal processing. It turns RAN functions virtual and into software, thus transforming dedicated base stations into flexible and scalable ones. It is also directly compatible with existing commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) servers, which helps reduce infrastructure construction costs and allows telecom service providers to no longer be tied to proprietary hardware.

Besides Intel, Samsung is also actively developing and launching vRAN, cores, dedicated network solutions, and AI automation tools. Intel and Samsung have been collaborating on vRAN since 2017. Through commercial telecom networks in the US, the UK, and Japan, they verified the performance of the comprehensive solutions.

It is also worth noting that Samsung has recently succeeded in supplying vRAN solutions in the US market and has continued to expand its market share. According to reports by Korea's ET News, after becoming the primary vRAN supplier for US telecom company Verizon, Samsung has also supplied vRAN and open radio access network (O-RAN) to another US telecom service provider Dish Network.
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MBABANE  Blow for farmers as the total number of those who will benefit from the farming input subsidy has dropped when compared to the previous season.

Yesterday, the National Maize Co-operation (NMC) met with some of the authorised agro-dealers to inform them about how they performed in the previous season and what was expected in the upcoming season. NMC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mavela Vilane stated that the reason for the drop was that in the previous year government had received a loan assistance of E112 million from the African Development Bank.

Benefit

He said the loan made it possible for the 11 518 farmers to benefit. He said unfortunately this year it was not the case hence the decline of beneficiaries. Vilane stated that this year, government had prepared E32.2 million for the farming input subsidy programme. In the past weeks, the Minister of Agriculture, Jabulani Mabuza, announced that this season, government will pay 50 per cent towards the programme and the farmer pays the other 50 per cent. This means that for maize farming inputs, a farmer would have to fork out at least E5 700, E4 600 beans and E3 000 for sorghum.

Vilane said they were hoping to pay all the authorised agro-dealers, even those who were owed for the previous season. Vilane further announced that farmers who have registered and paid for the subsidy programme may begin collecting their input as of September 1, from any of the authorised agro-dealers. The CEO mentioned that yesterdays meeting was also meant to get the agro-dealers ready to supply the farmers with the necessary farming inputs. He stated that these dealers were the ones with a two year contract with NMC, which is set to elapse next year. It was stated that the official list of the dealers would be announced next week since it was subject to finalisation.

Support

On the tractor hire service programme, Vilane said they were ready to support farmers as at least 80 per cent of their available tractors were running and ready to work. He stated that they would also meet with other private tractor owners for them to provide their tractors as well. It is worth noting that this year, there are changes in the tractor hire service as the fares had gone up to E580 per hour. Government has committed to pay at least E180 for the tractor hire service and farmers would pay E400. The Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Agriculture, Sydney Simelane, recently told this publication that government had set aside a budget of at least E10 million for the tractor hire service programme.

The minister added that his ministry had also considered support for commercial/large scale farmers. He said the large scale farmers would be taken care of by the Commercial Maize Revolving fund (Hambubuye). He encouraged all farmers to take advantage of this initiative and other commercial financing schemes. The input subsidy programme is, therefore, intended for small scale farmers and, as such, will only benefit farmers with one hectare or less, while those with more hectares are to make use of the other schemes like Hambubuye, said the minister. He said the ministry, therefore, did not encourage and expect farmers to benefit from both the input subsidies and the commercial production schemes that have been put in place.
Some 18,950 children in Donegal are set to benefit from free schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks for the new school year.

Nationwide, more than 558,000 pupils enrolled in over 3,230 primary schools, including over 130 special schools, will benefit from the scheme from next month on. This scheme will significantly ease the financial burden facing families during back-to-school time.

Over 50 million has been made available to support this scheme, including an administrative grant for schools rolling out the scheme. Local Fianna Fail TD and Minister Charlie McConalogue has today welcomed the initiative introduced by Minister Norma Foley TD. This has been made possible through the provision of 1,819,200 worth of funding.

This is a landmark moment for Irish education, and one which will provide significant benefit for families around the country, he said. Back-to-school time can be a challenging time for parents and families, and I welcome Minister Foleys commitment to easing the burden. We in Fianna Fail believe in the power of education, and we believe in making education truly accessible for all. This is yet another positive step forward, which I wholeheartedly welcome.
Louth based MEP Colm Markey, is urging the Irish Government to introduce an initiative that would see a Culture and Media card worth 200, presented to every young person on their 18th birthday.

He explained: After having just attended the fabulous Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann in Mullingar recently and seeing the exceptional talent and rich cultural heritage on offer there, I think we as a Country can do more to support our indigenous arts and culture sector from a young age.

"I firmly believe that investing in the cultural growth of Ireland's young citizens is an investment in the nation's future prosperity and identity. By providing this special gift to young adults as they come of age, Ireland can cultivate a generation that deeply values its cultural heritage and embraces diverse artistic expressions.

The Fine Gael MEP sees the Culture and Media Card, which is supported by the National Youth Council of Ireland, as a symbolic recognition of teenagers transition into adulthood. It empowers them to shape their cultural journey, exploring the arts, music, literature, theatre, and more, as they discover and celebrate their unique interests.

He continued: The Culture and Media card could be stored and accessed on an app and used at designated selling points including bookshops, theatres, museums, galleries, and small music venues.

"With access to cultural events and media offerings, young adults can unlock their creative potential and contribute to the vibrant cultural tapestry of Ireland. The Culture and Media Card serves as a catalyst for self-expression and innovation.

"The initiative would also have the added effect of injecting vital support into Ireland's cultural industries. By nurturing the demand for cultural experiences, it creates opportunities for artists, performers, cultural institutions, and media producers, strengthening the country's creative economy."

"As a nation with a rich cultural heritage, Ireland has a unique opportunity to inspire and empower its young citizens on their journey into adulthood through the Culture and Media Card. By introducing this visionary initiative as part of Budget 2024, Ireland sends a resounding message of support for its youth and commitment to a thriving cultural landscape.
As part of Palliative Care Week 2023, All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care (AIIHPC) is calling on people in Louth to become better informed and to have conversations with friends and family about the benefits of palliative care. The campaign reaches its milestone tenth year this Autumn, and will take place from 10 to 16 September.

Palliative Care Week 2023 aims to educate people across the island of Ireland about the positive impact that palliative care can have on quality of life and to encourage them to learn more about the services available, should they need them in the future.

This years theme is "Palliative Care: Living for today, Planning for tomorrow." It reflects the commitment of AIIHPC and its member organisations to improving the quality of life of people with life-limiting illnesses and their families.

Karen Charnley, AIIHPC Director, said: This years theme of Living for today, Planning for tomorrow was chosen because we wanted to emphasise how palliative care enables people to have a good quality of life in the here and now, while also providing them with assurance and comfort around their future.

Its important to remember that palliative care is available to people at all stages of illness, as well as people of all ages. Theres a common misconception that palliative care is only associated with end of life care, but really its about improving a persons day to day life from the time of diagnosis. Its about supporting them to do some of the things that they enjoy; be it hobbies or simply spending time with loved ones.

Most of us will have known someone throughout our lives who has availed of palliative care. These shared experiences are the reason why this year for Palliative Care Week we want to connect with as many people as possible in Louth and help them to be better informed about all aspects of palliative care.

Fintan Fagan, Chief Executive Officer, St Francis Hospice, Dublin and Chair of AIIHPC added, Palliative Care Week presents us with a vital opportunity to share information about palliative care, and the range of supports that are available.

"It is so important for people to talk about palliative care, whether it is something they or a family member may benefit from presently or something that may be needed in the future, and to ask for information about their local services should they need to.

AIIHPC is encouraging people to get informed and to share this information with their family and friends, and any local groups they are in, during Palliative Care Week 2023.

To find out more about Palliative Care Week, visit: Palliative Care Week 2023 - The Palliative Hub

For those with an interest in promoting a better understanding of palliative care, AIIHPC encourages people to:

Download the leaflet, poster and other resources from Campaign Resources - The Palliative Hub and share with your family, friends, colleagues, your local groups, or your online community.

Talk to your family and share your wishes in the event that you have palliative care needs in the future, and encourage others to do the same.

Share your own palliative care experience story on social media during Palliative Care Week 2023 using #pallcareweek10.

Any groups or individuals wishing to obtain leaflets and/or posters can contact AIIHPC by calling +353 1 4912948 or by emailing info@aiihpc.org.
A GoFundMe page has been set up for a Dundalk teen battling a rare aggressive form of cancer called Ewing Sarcoma.

The appeal says Adam Duffy was a young energetic 19 year old full of life who loved playing rugby with Dundalk, Lansdowne, the Leinster squad and the Ireland camp until December 2022 when he began experiencing severe back pain and was diagnosed with a large tumour on his spine which turned out to be Ewing Sarcoma.

The tumour was removed after a twelve hour surgery which has now affected Adam's ability to walk. He has also undergone ten rounds of chemotherapy to tackle this very aggressive form of cancer.

The next step for Adam will be Proton Radiotherapy which is a targeted form of radiation developed to treat the cancer but preventing organ damage.

The treatment is not available in Ireland so he will have to travel to The Christie Cancer Treatment Centre in Manchester.

The duration of treatment in the UK is expected to be six weeks and although his medical treatment will be covered by the Health Services, fundraising is needed to cover the costs of travel, accommodation and maintenance whilst he is there.

The estimated cost of the trip will be 15,000 to cover flights and transfers, accommodation, food and transport to and from the hospital.

Donations can be made via GoFundMe by searching: Help Adam Duffy fight Ewing Sarcoma Cancer.
Female entrepreneurs in rural areas in Louth are being urged to apply for 9th year of ACORNS (Accelerating the Creation Of Rural Nascent Start-ups) new business development programme.

ACORNS is a free development programme for early-stage female entrepreneurs based in rural Ireland and funded through the Rural Innovation and Development Fund by the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (DAFM).

Charlie McConalogue T.D., Minister for Agriculture, Food, and the Marine, on Monday, launched the opening of the call for applications for ACORNS 9. The deadline for applications is midnight, September 22.

In a survey carried out at the end of the eighth cycle of the programme in April, 100% of participants said they would recommend the programme to others. The 46 entrepreneurs in ACORNS 8 also reported significant growth in their new businesses.

Their combined turnover, which doubled in the six months to April 2023 - from 1.9m to 3.6m.

Participants in ACORNS 8 employed 96 (55 full-time, 41 part-time) staff at the end of the cycle, an increase of 16. There were also five new exporters over the cycle.

A total of 96% of the participants said that they felt closer to achieving their ambitions after having completed ACORNS. While 89% said that their participation brought about a practical change within their business.

ACORNS is based on the belief that early-stage entrepreneurs learn best from their peers. Participants interact with each other in the monthly round table sessions, which are facilitated by a Lead Entrepreneur, who has first-hand experience of starting and successfully growing a business in rural Ireland.

There are 50 places available for ACORNS 9. Those wishing to receive an application form for ACORNS 9 should register on the website www.acorns.ie

Only early-stage female entrepreneurs operating in rural Ireland, and who have had no sales before the end of June 2020, are eligible to apply. As ACORNS receives many more applications than there are places available, selection is on a competitive basis.

ACORNS 9 will run from October 2023 to April 2024 and will include six monthly round table sessions, a workshop on understanding financials, a briefing by various development agencies and an end-of-cycle celebration.

There will no charge for those selected to participate in ACORNS 9, thanks to the continuing support of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the voluntary contribution of time by the Lead Entrepreneurs.

While 46 participants completed ACORNS 8, the initiative also provided continued support to more than 200 past participants through the ACORNS Community, which provided past participants with the opportunity to take part in workshops, roundtables, and other networking events.

Each of the Lead Entrepreneurs give their time to the programme on a voluntary basis, as they believe in the philosophy of entrepreneurs helping entrepreneurs.

This years voluntary Lead Entrepreneurs are Anne Reilly, formerly Paycheck Plus; Caroline Reidy, The HR Suite; Deirdre McGlone, Hospitality & Tourism Advisor; Eimer Hannon, Hannon Travel; Larissa Feeney, Accountant Online; Mary B Walsh, Ire Wel Pallets; and Triona MacGiolla Ri, Aro Digital Strategies.

In addition, Monica Flood, and Geraldine Kelly, Going for Growth Lead Entrepreneurs, have agreed to facilitate ACORNS Plus round tables for previous participants, who are committed to continuing driving forward the development of their businesses.

Speaking of the launch Minister McConalogue said: While there are many rewards to being an entrepreneur, it can be a lonely journey with many challenges. To provide support in dealing with these challenges, I am pleased to be able to provide further funding to female entrepreneurs in rural Ireland through the 9th ACORNS Programme.

"This programme will not only help develop businesses but will provide networking opportunities to participants that may not be as available in rural parts of the country.

To date through the ACORNS program, I have been able to support over 400 female entrepreneurs to realise their business ambitions while contributing to society in a meaningful way. The impact of this support has been overwhelmingly positive, with participants reporting both increased sales and the creation of additional jobs.

Considering the wide-ranging benefits accrued, I am delighted that we are in a position to continue to support a further 50 participants for this years initiative which is funded under the Rural Innovation and Development Fund".

Multi-award winning Niamh Dooley, BiaSol, who participated in ACORNS 7, recommends participation to early-stage female entrepreneurs in rural Ireland: I highly recommend ACORNS. The sense of community the programme has built is amazing and it is a brilliant way to connect with other women in business.

Anne-Marie Feighery, of Feighery Farms Beetroot Juice, who participated in ACORNS 5 and more recently ACORNS Plus, speaks very highly of the benefits of her experience: ACORNS has been a truly rewarding experience for me on my entrepreneurial journey to date.

"To meet such a group of supportive, focused, and positive women was truly inspiring and incredibly motivating, alongside the wealth of knowledge and vast experience offered up by our Lead Entrepreneur. I am very proud to be a member of the ACORNS Community and very grateful for the continuing support.
WELL WISHES and comments of congratulations are still flooding in, as an Irish model and social media personality gets engaged.

Rozanna Roz Purcell, 32, got engaged on the Cliffs of Moher in Clare on Thursday, August 10, to her long-term boyfriend, Zach Desmond.

The Tipperary native and RTE radio broadcaster announced the news to her 558k Instagram followers, posting a trio of pictures with her fiancee. Irish stars including Ua Healy, Deirdre OKane and Greg OShea congratulated the pair.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by R O Z (@rozannapurcell)

Zach is the son of MCD Productions managing director, Denis Desmond and Irish sensation Hozier's manager, Caroline Downey.

She wrote: Were engaged. I would like to remind everyone that I broke my ring finger this year and thats why its deformed these rings may need to be cut off cause they squeezed on!

Many famous names congratulated the pair, with the likes of Greg OShea saying: Ah! Massive congrats!, Jedward commenting: The most scenic setting for your engagement and its so you! Delighted for you both, congratulations Roz and Zach and the 2 Johnnies Johnny Smacks writing: Ah buzzing for ye lads, congrats.

On the evening of August 13, Roz posted another array of pictures of her time within the last week, including that of her engagement ring, made by Irish jewellery designer brand, Chupi.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by R O Z (@rozannapurcell)

Just recently, the social media personality and former Miss Universe Ireland took a tour of Clare and recommended her favourite things to do, see, eat and stay.

Having taken a staycation in the Banner county, the bestselling cookery author and entrepreneur posted a series of pictures from her time in Clare.
The Digital Silk Road is of great interest for Serbia

13:39, August 15, 2023 By Maja Stefanovic ( People's Daily Online

Maja Stefanovic, ambassador of Serbia to China. (Photo provided by the Embassy of Serbia in China)

The originally Chinese, but in fact a global initiative, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), with its inclusive character, is currently one of the most important ideas and tools that can enable us to reach the goal of global progress and stability, as it is based on commonality, comprehensiveness and cooperation. Now, on the 10th anniversary since its initiation, the BRI is having even bigger importance.

The infrastructure connectivity is a prerequisite and a bases for the development of each country. The concrete results of the engagement of my country in the BRI in recent decade, can be seen in numerous projects particularly in the field of traffic infrastructure and energy. New highways in Serbia along the route of the Corridor 10 and 11, as well as modernization of railway between Serbia and Hungary, construction of ring roads and bridges, are the most visible projects at the moment.

As it has been already mentioned many times, the participation of Serbia in the implementation of the BRI, has contributed to the better visibility of potentials of Serbia in the business circles in China, as well as on the global level. It can be considered that the arrival of successful Chinese investments in Serbia, such as the acquisition of the Copper Mining Complex  Bor by the Zijin corporation, as well as the privatization of the Smederevo Steel Mill by HBIS, are the direct results of the better visibility of Serbia. Almost 30,000 working places were secured by abovementioned investments, which is a concrete proof of the positive impact of those investment.

When it comes to Serbias engagement within the BRI, I believe that we have reached an important milestone at this point, and having in mind our potentials, we are ready to widen our participation in other fields of cooperation within the Initiative. The Government of Serbia has identified the IT industry as economic priority for the countrys competitiveness, and in that sense the Digital Silk Road that represents high technology dimension of the BRI, with the aim of improving digital connectivity of the participant countries is of great interest for my country. As one of the fastest growing economies in the Western Balkans, Serbia is turning into an attractive destination for international investors looking for new business opportunities, especially in the field of IT industry, innovations and artificial intelligence.

The Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Serbia was established two years ago, in line with our goal to become a regional leader in the development of global AI solutions and biotechnology. Furthermore, another major project with focus on biomedicine, biotechnology, bioinformatics and biodiversity is being developed, and that project is the construction of BIO4 campus.

Digitalization and the fourth industrial revolution provide a unique opportunity for many countries to leap forward. China has enormous potentials for cooperation in the field of digital infrastructure designed to connect and integrate partners of the Digital Silk Road. In that sense, we embrace new opportunities for cooperation with China in digital sphere and eagerly welcome new joint projects in the future.

Furthermore, we cannot neglect potentials for cooperation within the BRI in other fields, such as environment protection, green development, agriculture, education, health and media too.

I would like to underline that we have great expectations from the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation and are ready to make additional efforts in order to further enhance cooperation within the initiative in the next decade.

Maja Stefanovic is ambassador of Serbia to China.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Du Mingming)
MBABANE - The 43rd SADC Heads of States and Governments Summit in Angola will be focusing on human and financial capital as key drivers for sustainable industrialisation in the region.

The summit is scheduled to take place on Thursday in Luanda, Republic of Angola. The 43rd Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit will be held under the theme Human and Financial Capital: The Key Drivers for Sustainable Industrialisation in the SADC Region. The theme seeks to address two of the most critical enablers in supporting regional industrialisation, namely adequate human resources in terms of numbers and technical capacity within the context of climate change and 4th Industrial Revolution, and adequate financial resources to ensure more sustainable funding mechanisms. During the 43rd SADC Summit, Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco, President of the Republic of Angola will take over the chairpersonship of SADC from His Excellency Felix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Progress

Among some of the key issues, the 43rd SADC Summit will receive the report of the chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defense and Security Co-operation; review progress on implementation of the priorities of the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan 2020-2030, implementation of the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Road Map 2015-2063, and progress on the implementation of the 42nd SADC Summit theme, which is Promoting industrialisation through, agro-processing, mineral beneficiation, and regional value chains for inclusive and resilient economic growth. The SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap 2015-2063 is a long term perspective, aligned to national, regional, continental and international dimensions.

The strategy recognises that for trade liberalisation to contribute to sustainable and equitable development, and thus to poverty reduction, it must be complimented by the requisite capacities to produce, and to trade effectively and efficiently. The strategy is anchored on three pillars namely; industrialisation as champion of economic and technological transformation; competitiveness as an active process to move from comparative advantage to competitive advantage; and regional integration and geography as the context for industrial development and economic prosperity.

Summit

Meanwhile, the SADC Summit is responsible for the overall policy direction and control of functions of the community, ultimately making it the policy-making institution of SADC.

The Ordinary SADC Summit is held every year and is attended by heads of State and Government from the 16 SADC Member States namely, Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The 43rd SADC Summit will be preceded by the SADC Organ Troika Summit on Wednesday. On Saturday there was a SADC Public Lecture at Venancio de Moura Academy of Diplomacy, Kilamba  Luanda, followed by the meeting of SADC Council of Ministers, which began on Sunday and ended yesterday.

The SADC Council meeting of Ministers was attended by the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade, Manqoba Khumalo. During this meeting, Tete Antonio, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Angola, who took over chair of SADC Council of Ministers, pledged to take forward the Industrialisation Agenda within a context of peace and security, which were indispensable prerequisites for economic development. Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation Thuli Dladla confirmed that His Majesty King Mswati III will be attending the summit. Eswatini will attend this summit with pride after being ranked number six in the African Industrialisation Index (AII) 2022. The AII, is a flagship initiative by the African Development Bank (AfDB) to strengthen knowledge around drivers of industrial development. It aims at providing the first-ever comprehensive picture of the progress being made on industrial development across the continent, covering 52 of 54 African countries for the period 2010 to 2019.

Exports

The Index notes that Eswatini is second when it comes to manufacturing value added per capita and that manufacturing exports continue to perform well, accounting for 65 per cent of total exports by value. Between 2010 and 2021, the country achieved a steady one per cent annual growth rate in exports, led by intermediate food products and processed sugar. Neigbhouring South Africa (SA), which is Eswatinis biggest trade partner is the top-ranked country on the Index. SA is the closest economy to the frontier with an industrial development score of 0.8404 in 2021. The countrys performance has however, been shrinking in the last decade, from 2010, its highest score in the 2010-2021 period.
Tanaiste Micheal Martin has said Ireland will co-operate fully with a UK inquiry into the Omagh bombing, which he described as one of the most brutal atrocities ever witnessed on this island.

In a statement marking the 25th anniversary of the bombing, Mr Martin said: We will never forget the 29 people who lost their lives, those who were injured, and the families whose suffering continues today.

My thoughts are first and foremost with all those impacted by this attack, carried out with disregard for democracy, and for people.

I have been honoured to meet with, and listen to, the families of the Omagh bomb victims over many years, most recently in June. Their search for the full truth of what happened has not been an easy or swift process.

The Omagh bomb atrocity showed the appalling impact of violence on communities. The campaign of violence in Northern Ireland was never justified. We must keep working relentlessly on peace, dialogue and rebuilding trust.

Earlier this year, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris announced that an independent statutory inquiry will be carried out into the atrocity.

Draft terms of reference have been shared with the Irish government but Mr Martin said it is his understanding the chair of the inquiry, Lord Turnbull, intends to seek the views of those most affected by the bombing before they are published.

Mr Martin, who is also Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence, added: Officials stand ready to engage with members of the UKs inquiry team as soon as they are appointed.

When we have further clarity on the nature of the UK inquiry, I will then consider, along with the Minister for Justice (Helen McEntee) and my Cabinet colleagues, the next steps in this jurisdiction.

As has been done in relation to a number of historical inquiries, this State will co-operate fully.

Justice for the victims and the families impacted by this atrocity will be at the heart of any action that the Government takes.
A major PSNI data breach may undermine the ability of the police and security services to keep tabs on dissident republicans, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has said.

He said the fact that the personal information of police officers and civilian staff is in the hands of dissidents raises the threat level faced by the PSNI.

Former Stormont justice minister Naomi Long warned the data leak will have serious consequences for retention and recruitment in policing in Northern Ireland.

PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne said on Monday he believes the information on police officers and staff mistakenly released is in the hands of dissident republicans, who are opposed to the peace process.

Mr Byrne said he thought dissidents would use the information to intimidate and target police.

His comments came after documents containing information from the breach were posted on a wall near a Sinn Fein office in Belfast.

Last week the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) revealed a document had mistakenly been shared online which included the names of about 10,000 officers and staff.

Details released included the surname and first initial of every employee, their rank or grade, where they are based and the unit they work in.

Sir Jeffrey told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: Well I certainly think that confirmation that dissident republicans have this data raises the security threat to an even higher level for serving police officers, their families and civilian staff employed by the PSNI.

Its not just the security of those officers, their families and the staff, but its also the security infrastructure itself.

This data included very sensitive information about the PSNIs work with the security service in Northern Ireland and of course its been the success of the security service and the PSNI in infiltrating dissident republicans that has minimised their ability to operate effectively in Northern Ireland.

Im very concerned that not only is there a risk to the lives of those serving with the police in Northern Ireland, but this may also undermine the capacity of the police and the security service to keep tabs on the dissident republicans who of course pose the major threat in Northern Ireland.

Sir Jeffrey said he would suspend judgment for now on whether Mr Byrne should resign.

He said: I dont want to leave the PSNI leaderless at this stage.

I think it is important that the chief constable oversees at this stage of the process because that leadership is necessary to ensure stability within the PSNI.

Alliance Party leader Mrs Long has said she is extremely worried about the future of policing in Northern Ireland.

She told Today: This is going to have long-term ramifications at many levels.

It also has, I think, serious consequences in terms of retention and recruitment.

Police already face an extraordinary level of threat, as do staff members within the PSNI, and now their details are out in the public domain and it was inevitable that they would fall into the wrong hands once they had been published.

She added that the data breach is going to be a real challenge for morale in the PSNI.

Asked if she believes the chief constable should resign, she said: I tend not to jump to knee-jerk reactions when it comes to demanding peoples resignations.

She also said that without an executive or Assembly, the appointment of a new chief constable would be impossible and it is better to have some leadership in the force.

But weve been very clear with the chief constable that ultimately he is responsible for the organisation and for what happens within it, and I dont think anyone can be in any doubt that he is fully aware of the weight of that responsibility, she added.

Thousands of officers have expressed concern for their safety in Northern Ireland, where police are under threat from terrorists  with the current level of threat assessed as severe, meaning an attack is highly likely.

Earlier this year, dissident republicans were blamed for the attempted murder of senior PSNI detective John Caldwell.

The Police Federation of Northern Ireland, which represents rank-and-file PSNI officers, said on Monday that almost 3,000 officers had expressed an interest in the event of legal action following the major data breach.

Former Irish premier Bertie Ahern said he does not understand how the details of PSNI officers and staff were all kept in one system.

Whats happened, why its happened, I dont know, I dont get it  how 10,000 people were all in one system, particularly intelligence people  but Im sure that will all come out in the wash, he told Newstalk.
On this day, August 15, 1947, India declared independence from British colonialism, and the reins of control were handed over to the leaders of the country.

This year Indias presidency of G20 is a significant opportunity to advance the core interests of the developing world and promote Africas development by leveraging partnerships within G20 and beyond, says Professor Anil Sooklal. The G20 comprises 19 countries and the European Union (EU). It represents all inhabited continents, 80 per cent of the worlds GDP, 75 per cent of global trade, and 60 per cent of the worlds population. The members of the G20 are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa (SA), Turkiye, the United Kingdom (UK), the United States (US) and the EU, which represents most of the former colonial powers. It works on addressing major issues related to the global economy, such as international financial stability, climate change mitigation and sustainable development.

India assumes the G20 presidency at a challenging period in modern human history. Not since the end of the cold war has the world been so fractured and polarized due to several simultaneous challenges. Thomas Friedman described the current era as the Age of Acceleration. Several global issues are cascading on the human psyche all at the same time, creating a dilemma on how to effectively address these challenges simultaneously. These include the advent of new technologies, climate change, biodiversity loss as well as globalisation. More recently, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the Russia-Ukraine conflict, has all collectively contributed to a devastating impact on the global community. All the aforementioned issues are receiving attention within the G20 agenda. However, the impact of these challenges is felt most among vulnerable countries, especially the least developed (LDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS) as well as Africa.

Africa has over 30m in extreme poverty

In Africa, over 30 million people were pushed into extreme poverty in 2021 and about 22 million jobs were lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the Russia-Ukraine conflict is expected to have pushed another 1.8 million Africans into extreme poverty in 2022, rising to over 2.3 million in 2023/24. The dire plight of developing countries in containing and addressing the severe impact of the pandemic and the conflict as well as the challenges posed by climate change must receive priority attention in the G20 development agenda under Indias presidency. India, as a developing country, must prioritize the development agenda and ensure that it assumes center stage within the G20. Since 2010 each successive presidency of the G20 has placed specific development issues as the core focus, while also following up on commitments already made. A comprehensive accountability report, released in 2013 for the first time, served to inform on G20 commitments annually; namely an update of the G20 action plan and assessment of the progress on the development commitments undertaken by G20 leaders.

AUs Agenda 2063

The African Unions (AU) Agenda 2063 vision is to be realised through Africa becoming a fully developed and well-functioning continent in tune with other regions of the world.

How has Africa benefited from the G20s programmes and commitments in addressing its developmental challenges? SA is the only African country that is a G20 member. The chair of the AU and the chair of the AU Development Agency - New Partnership for Africas Development (AUDA  NEPAD) both serve on the G20 as observers. Within the G20, SA has consistently advocated for the advancement of the AUs Agenda 2063. Following the repeated calls by SA as well the chairs of the AU and the AUDA-NEPAD for Africas development agenda to receive support from the G20, there emerged an Africa-specific program in the DWG under the Chinese and German presidencies of the G20 respectively in 2016 and 2017.

Chinese G20 leadership

The G20 Leaders Summit in Hangzhou, China in September 2016 launched the G20 initiative of supporting industrialisation in Africa and least developed countries. This initiative was welcomed by African countries as it addressed a critical gap in Africas economic regeneration. Although this was a voluntary initiative that has had a limited direct impact in addressing Africas industrialisation, it nonetheless brought sharp focus on the need of the global community to partner in Africas industrialization. The Hangzhou Leaders Summit noted; We launched the G20 initiative on supporting industrialisation in Africa and LDC to strengthen their inclusive growth and development potential through voluntary actions. To date, not much has been achieved in advancing Africas industrialization through the G20 Hangzhou commitment as it relies on voluntary actions.

German presidency of G20

An equally important initiative meant to advance Africas development was launched during the German presidency of the G20, namely the Compact with Africa (CwA). The compact was initiated to promote private investments in Africa, including in infrastructure. CwAs primary objective is to increase the attractiveness of private investments through substantial improvements of the macro business and financing frameworks. It seeks to bring together reform-minded African countries, international organizations and bilateral partners from the G20 and beyond to coordinate country-specific reform agendas, support respective policy measures and advertise investment opportunities to the private sector. The initiative is demand-driven and open to all African countries. To date, only 12 African countries are party to the CwA. A question arises as to why so few African countries have become part of the CwA given the benefits it professes to accrue to CwA members. This is an issue for another day.

Road ahead of Indias G20 presidency

The road ahead of Indias G20 presidency will be viewed as an important opportunity to ensure that development is brought back to the center of the G20 agenda. Given Indias long-standing commitment to advancing the interests of the global south in the international arena, it, as an emerging global power, is well placed in ensuring the core interests of the developing world, including Africa, is mainstreamed. Africa will look to India to ensure that its socio-economic regeneration, as articulated in Agenda 2063, receives the attention it warrants within the G20. Indias G20 presidency provides a strategic opportunity to reenergise and deepen the historic India-Africa partnership, underpinned by the joint desire to create a more inclusive and better world for all: One Earth, One Family. Special acknowledgements to Professor Anil Sooklal who is Ambassador at Large for Asia and BRICS, Department of International Relations and Cooperation. Comment septembereswatini@gmail.com.
Sir,



The legacy of Fidel Castro Rus has eloquently offered its own self-defence. As he said it on October 6, 1953, when he prophesied that history will absolve me, while on trial for his leadership role in the revolutionary grand assault on the Moncada Barracks. The Cuban doctors who are helping around the world are an inspiration not only to the West but to us African too. The point being made is that history will not only judge Castro on the human rights of those who wanted him dead, but will assess him based on the stupendous gains of the Cuban revolution. The massive investments of the revolution, in the social sector, have yielded good returns for the Cuban people.

Free

Education and health services are free in Cuba. These socio-economic needs are human rights in Cuba. That is the social democratic contact of the revolution. The revolution has produced an educated people. The literacy rate in Cuba is higher than those of many developed countries, including the United States. Even an unyielding critic of the Cuban experiment, The economist of London, described the health sector of Cuba as first world. Thousands of Cuban doctors are saving lives in different parts of the world, especially in rural Africa. Cuban doctors have exuded the humanity imbued in them by the revolution where other countries found themselves in crises situations. Cuban health workers have been out on their mettle during hurricanes and earthquakes in numerous countries. Cuban doctors were on the ground to combat ebola in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

Panic

The New York Times had this to say about Cubas achievement in the health sector; The global panic over ebola has not brought forth an adequate response from the nations with the most to offer. While the USA and several other wealthy countries have been happy to pledge funds, only Cuba and non-governmental organisations are offering what is most needed; medical professionals in the field. The newspaper even called on the USA to swiftly restore diplomatic relations with Cuba. Castro was not only a commander of guerrilla struggles, he also led a battle of ideas. Castro spoke against the debt trap of poor countries of the 1980s, saying the dept was neither payable nor collectable. He warned against the ecological consequences of the reckless capitalist development of the industrialised countries. He was unyielding until the end in pointing out the enormous human cost of neo-liberalism, the idea dominating the world in which one per cent owns more than the 90 per cent of the global wealth.

Today, global capitalism, called globalisation, is being attacked for different reasons. Neo-liberalism has no answer to the wave of populism, rising in the West. The beast in the liberal democracy is becoming manifest. Castro was principled and disciplined until the end and provided a model of leadership. An intangible gain of the revolution under Castros leadership is the development of a people with national pride and human dignity. The revolution was rooted not just in socialism but also in Cuban nationalism. This is one of the reasons for the exceptional durability of the revolution. The gains of the Cuban peoples experiment with the creation of a just humane and popular democratic society will surely outlive Castro.
SOME building demolition work in the city centre would need to take place as part of one of the route options being considered for the Cork Luas project, The Echo has learned.

The emerging preferred route (EPR) of the highly anticipated project was expected to be announced in July, but early last month the National Transport Authority (NTA) confirmed to The Echo that this would be delayed.

A spokesperson for the NTA said that, in discussions with Cork City Council, it was identified that some additional work should be undertaken in relation to the city centre section prior to the public consultation stage.

Information obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, shows that stakeholders are considering a further Luas option through the city centre and that this option would require some demolition work.

An email sent on June 23 from NTA deputy chief executive Hugh Creegan to a Department of Transport employee informed the department that the NTA would not be launching the public consultation on the EPR of the Cork Luas in early July.

In that email, Mr Creegan said: In discussions between Cork City Council, TII (Transport Infrastructure Ireland) and the NTA, the need to consider a further Luas option through Cork City Centre emerged. This additional option would include for some building demolition in the city centre. Building demolition in the city centre hasnt been contemplated in the work done to date.

The additional work to assess the extent of building impacts, and the full implications of this option, will take some time. We dont know yet how long.

Speaking to The Echo, Labour Party representative Peter Horgan voiced some concern that the need to consider a further Luas option through the city centre has only recently arisen at the 11th hour and renewed his call for a Cork public transport commissioner to be set up.

Mr Horgan said work to establish a route for the Luas should be an iterative process and said he would like to see documents relating to work on the emerging preferred routes published.

I think everyone is in favour of a Cork Luas, but I dont want it to become a white elephant like the Event Centre, where it becomes a figure of ridicule and people are tossing their eyes to heaven to say this isnt going to happen, he said.

The development of a light rail transit system running between Ballincollig and Mahon is one of the key objectives in the Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy.

Expenditure on the project as of mid-June was over 1.8m.

A spokesperson for the NTA told The Echo that the options assessment study to identify the optimal alignment for the proposed Luas between these destinations has been a significant undertaking.

This options assessment process has been a very comprehensive undertaking, with numerous routes identified along the overall corridor, each of which was checked for feasibility and comparatively assessed with the other identified options.

That work is nearing completion with some additional assessment work still ongoing within the core city centre area.

This additional work arose from discussions between Cork City Council, TII and the NTA where it was identified a further option in the city centre area, which would include building demolition, should be assessed and considered in the options assessment process, they said.

In terms of areas served, the proposed alignment will seek to serve key destinations and activity areas and will include interchange arrangements with the heavy rail network at Kent Station, in addition to also providing interchange arrangements with the bus station.

They said it is intended that the finalised options assessment report will be completed later this year and a public consultation process will then be undertaken on the emerging preferred routes.
A SEX offender who was jailed for life this month for the murder of a mother-of-three 42 years ago in Cork is appealing his conviction for her murder.

Noel Longs legal team has lodged an appeal against his conviction for the murder of Nora Sheehan, whose body was found bruised and mostly naked in woods outside Innishannon in 1981.

Mrs Sheehans family said they did not wish to comment on the appeal. They had spoken about their long fight for justice after the trial and about how Mrs Sheehans tragic loss had impacted generations of her family.

Noel Long, 74, of Maulbawn, Passage West, Co Cork was convicted of her murder this month and was given the mandatory life sentence on August 4.

The trial made legal history as the oldest murder prosecution in the history of the State.

Although Long had been charged with her murder in the weeks after her body was found, the sudden death of the pathologist who conducted the post-mortem on Mrs Sheehans body meant that the case was dropped.

A cold case review into her killing was opened in 2008 and Long was later charged again with her murder.

Mrs Sheehan, 54, was vulnerable before her death, the trial at the Central Criminal Court heard.

She had been to hospital for treatment of a dog bite the day she disappeared and was last seen alive waving at cars later that night.

Her body was found bruised and scratched with her dress pulled up over her head and tights still attached to one foot in Shippool Woods days later.

Semen found in Mrs Sheehans bruised body was preserved after her death and a partial DNA profile from that sample matched DNA found on a beanie hat of Longs retrieved in 2021.

The probability of the DNA profile originating from someone unrelated to the man in the beanie hat would be one in 23,000, Dr Jonathan Whittaker of the UK Forensic Science Services told the Central Criminal Court.

And based on a database of the Irish population, it was at least 20,000 times more likely the recovered DNA was a match to that found on the beanie hat than an unrelated person, forensic biologist Dr Dorothy Ramsbottom of Forensic Science Ireland told the court.

Other forensic material linked Long to the crime scene, with paint fragments found on Mrs Sheehan's clothing matching paint from Long's car and fibres found on the victim matching fibres from the carpet in Long's car.

Long had denied the murder of Ms Sheehan, between June 6 and June 12, 1981 at a place unknown in the State.
I SEE you have a graffiti problem.

Not the words you want to hear when guiding visiting relatives from Canada around Cork city.

Umm well, this is embarrassing. There I was thinking Cork was showcasing gorgeous restaurants, vibrant pedestrianised streets, our charming English Market, and imposing St Finbarrs Cathedral, but the Vancouverian was clocking the mindless spurts of spray cans defacing facades, signposts, planters, gates, and gable ends.

Have a walk around town with your graffiti eyes open. A short stroll from one end to the other will offer up examples of the same repeat offenders, or taggers. Chippy, Nestor. Evoke, Swifty, Tobes, TBCS, or TNWC sprayed on walls, street signs, phone boxes, corners of buildings, laneways, you name it.

The phone box right in the middle of Paul Street is a scribbled mess, the beautiful gateway to Elbow Lane next to the Oliver Plunkett entrance to Penneys is ruined, the new yellow planters on the bike lane on South Mall have all been tagged, as has the bike storage shed opposite the Imperial Hotel.

Every few metres there is some example of an untalented encounter with a spray can. I could fill this entire column pinpointing graffiti in locations around the city.

I knew there was graffiti, but when my visitor pointed it out, I started seeing it EVERYWHERE!

I tried to dismiss it as a normal part of urban life, an acceptable subculture, an outlet for youth intent on cultural subversion, and then the letters E, D, S, K were spattered onto the side of CITs Crawford College of Art and Design on Grand Parade and I though, we cant be having that.

This building, adjacent to the river, has been in use since the late 1600s. In the 1860s, it was remodelled and extended by Sir John Benson, the architect responsible for many signature buildings in Cork including, the Old Opera House, St Lukes Church and the Berwick Fountain, It has been the location of a post office, a bank, a gentlemans club and most recently, and paradoxically, an educational hub for art and design students.

It has now been bestowed with a truly modern piece of art - four giant crooked blue letters outlined in red, like something you might doodle at the top of your notebook in a particularly boring class of double maths.

And what does EDSK even mean? I am veering into serious, old fogey territory here complaining about the youth of today, but I need someone to explain to me the merit of those four letters when I just see them as an ugly blot on an otherwise beautiful building.

I wont pretend to understand the nuances of styles and lettering and all that goes with graffiti subculture, there are people more sympathetic and literate than me who might see EDSK tags as symbols of anti-establishment creativity, or might argue that outdoor pieces inject much-needed life and vitality into otherwise drab landscapes.

I just see pointless expenditure on litres and litres of Brilliant White Exterior Paint and scaffolding if the health and safety manager gets wind of the forthcoming paint job to undo this piece.

Of course, the most cost-effective solution would be to track down the EDSK crew and get them to perch back in their precarious position and spray over their creation with white paint.

Deirdre Breen's visual illusion mural at Wandesford Quay is an appreciated form of street art that enhances public spaces, unlike graffiti. Picture: Jed Niezgoda

ART VS VANDALISM

Graffiti is controversial because it is both a hugely influential global art movement and a global public nuisance.

Graffiti has influenced various forms of popular culture, from fashion and design to music and movies.

Cork is home to stunning works of commissioned, legitimate, and admired street art that light up our lives, and at the same time has become inured to mindless visual vandalism.

Murals like Deirdre Breens visual illusion on Wandesford Quay or Asbestos political piece about the housing crisis on South Main Street are appreciated forms of street art that enhance public spaces, while vandalism involves unauthorised markings on property.

The graffiti subculture often sparks debates about public space, property rights, and arts role in society, and opinions vary whether graffiti is a valid form of art or simply vandalism.

When graffiti tags bear striking similarities to a two-minute doodle with a four-colour pen and are on the properties of people who dont appreciate or want them, then I think weve crossed the line into vandalism.

SOLUTIONS

There are a range of approaches needed to clean up the city and prevent the graffiti problem from worsening.

Engagement with communities and business owners to create a sense of community and pride in the city is key - when people feel connected to their environment, they are more likely to discourage vandalism.

More designated spaces and artistic opportunities for graffiti enthusiasts is clearly needed. Creating legal avenues for street artists to express themselves and improve is critical. Working with local artists to create murals and other forms of wanted public art could help transform the city.

Clamping down on graffiti is important. Walls that are tagged in the dead of night should not become invitations to other taggers the following night.

City centre businesses should invest in graffiti removal spray and clean new tags as soon as they pop up. Quickly removing graffiti as soon as it appears sends a message that vandalism will not be tolerated.

Dont wait for someone else to solve the problem. A member of my family, who works in the city centre, has bought graffiti removal spray and has taken to removing freshly sprayed tags as soon as he sees them. The spray is cheap and can undo the furtive nights work of a tagger in under ten minutes.

Some might argue that cleaning up a wall only creates a fresh canvas and invites further tagging, but if we applied that logic to litter - no point picking that up, itll be dirty again tomorrow - wed be sloshing around in empty crisp packets and cigarette butts.

Cork is our beautiful city, when it comes to graffiti vandalism, lets all say were not having that.
By Ellie Ng and Jonathan McCambridge, PA

A major PSNI data breach may undermine the ability of the police and security services to keep tabs on dissident republicans, DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson has said.

He said the fact that the personal information of police officers and civilian staff is in the hands of dissidents raises the threat level faced by the PSNI.

Former Stormont justice minister Naomi Long warned the data leak will have serious consequences for retention and recruitment in policing in the North.

PSNI chief constable Simon Byrne said on Monday he believes the information on police officers and staff mistakenly released is in the hands of dissident republicans, who are opposed to the peace process.

Leader of the DUP Jeffrey Donaldson said he was suspending judgment on whether Simon Byrne should resign (Liam McBurney/PA)

Mr Byrne said he thought dissidents would use the information to intimidate and target police.

His comments came after documents containing information from the breach were posted on a wall near a Sinn Fein office in Belfast.

Last week the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) revealed a document had mistakenly been shared online which included the names of about 10,000 officers and staff.

Details released included the surname and first initial of every employee, their rank or grade, where they are based and the unit they work in.

Mr Donaldson told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: Well I certainly think that confirmation that dissident republicans have this data raises the security threat to an even higher level for serving police officers, their families and civilian staff employed by the PSNI.

Its not just the security of those officers, their families and the staff, but its also the security infrastructure itself.

This data included very sensitive information about the PSNIs work with the security service in Northern Ireland and of course its been the success of the security service and the PSNI in infiltrating dissident republicans that has minimised their ability to operate effectively in Northern Ireland.

PSNI chief constable Simon Byrne has said he believes the information is in the hands of dissident republicans (PA)

Im very concerned that not only is there a risk to the lives of those serving with the police in Northern Ireland, but this may also undermine the capacity of the police and the security service to keep tabs on the dissident republicans who of course pose the major threat in Northern Ireland.

Mr Donaldson said he would suspend judgment for now on whether Mr Byrne should resign.

He said: I dont want to leave the PSNI leaderless at this stage.

I think it is important that the chief constable oversees at this stage of the process because that leadership is necessary to ensure stability within the PSNI.

Alliance Party leader Mrs Long has said she is extremely worried about the future of policing in Northern Ireland.

She told Today: This is going to have long-term ramifications at many levels. It also has, I think, serious consequences in terms of retention and recruitment.

Police already face an extraordinary level of threat, as do staff members within the PSNI, and now their details are out in the public domain and it was inevitable that they would fall into the wrong hands once they had been published.

She added that the data breach is going to be a real challenge for morale in the PSNI.

Asked if she believes the chief constable should resign, she said: I tend not to jump to knee-jerk reactions when it comes to demanding peoples resignations.

Naomi Long said she is worried about the future of policing in Northern Ireland (Liam McBurney/PA)

She also said that without an executive or Assembly, the appointment of a new chief constable would be impossible and it is better to have some leadership in the force.

But weve been very clear with the chief constable that ultimately he is responsible for the organisation and for what happens within it, and I dont think anyone can be in any doubt that he is fully aware of the weight of that responsibility, she added.

Thousands of officers have expressed concern for their safety in Northern Ireland, where police are under threat from terrorists  with the current level of threat assessed as severe, meaning an attack is highly likely.

Earlier this year, dissident republicans were blamed for the attempted murder of senior PSNI detective John Caldwell.

The Police Federation of Northern Ireland, which represents rank-and-file PSNI officers, said on Monday that almost 3,000 officers had expressed an interest in the event of legal action following the major data breach.

Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern said he does not understand how the details of PSNI officers and staff were all kept in one system.

Whats happened, why its happened, I dont know, I dont get it  how 10,000 people were all in one system, particularly intelligence people  but Im sure that will all come out in the wash, he told Newstalk radio.

He added: The one really good thing out of a lot of the Good Friday Agreement was the reform of the RUC to the new organisation the PSNI. The PSNI has been very successful.

Theyve done a really good job Internationally the PSNI are seen as a really good police force.

The former taoiseach also said: The reason dissidents get lifeblood to keep going is when there is political instability.

So out of all of this I hope that this autumn we will see the institutions back again because when politicians stop co-operating and stop acting, it leaves this space and the vacuum is filled by troublemakers and people who are worse than troublemakers.

Thats the difficulty, so I hope politicians on all sides find ways of moving on and do not leave the road open for those that want to see Northern Ireland continue to be a place of terror.
By Grainne Ni Aodha, PA

Public service apprenticeships are hoped to help bridge the skills gap in the economy and could help boost housing supply efforts, ministers have said.

Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris said the governments Public Service Apprenticeship Plan aims to give people more options in how they are trained and educated for work.

Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe said they hoped non-graduates would apply for the roles, but there would not be a set number of apprenticeships ringfenced for that cohort of applicants.

He also said that the apprenticeships could have big, positive knock-on effects on efforts to increase housing supply.

The plan sets out a target to double the number of new public service apprenticeship registrations to 750 a year.

In 2022, 373 were registered with public service employers such as the civil service, the Defence Forces and local authorities.

The apprenticeships  which are full-time paid roles that last between two to four years  offer a qualification recognised by the National Framework of Qualifications.

Among the apprenticeship programmes which are of interest to public service organisations but still in development are architecture technicians and firefighters, and among the possible programmes are housing services managers and entry-level ombudsman investigators.

Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris speaks to the media in the Government Buildings. Photo: Niall Carson/PA.

Speaking to reporters in Dublin, Mr Harris said the apprenticeships would be robust in terms of educational integrity, while also practical and paid.

He added that they would also be used to try to fill skills shortages in the public sector.

Its about providing the public sector with an opportunity now from this plan to see where are these skills gaps, and how can we help use the apprenticeship model to plug some of those skills gaps, he said.

Youll already see in the plan were launching today, weve outlined I think about seven areas where we already identified skills gaps, he added, mentioning cybersecurity, software development and ICT.

So weve done some of that work, but as part of the plan now the new leadership team that has been put in place and co-chaired by both our departments, will carry out more comprehensive skills analysis and see if theres further opportunities.

The launch of the Public Service Apprenticeship Plan 2022-2025 today with @SimonHarrisTD marks a really positive step in the right direction. This outlines plans to double the number of annual apprenticeships across the public service to 750 by 2025https://t.co/NzAIHjt9r1 pic.twitter.com/dpmQ4dhNgj  Paschal Donohoe (@Paschald) August 15, 2023

Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe said that it was important that the applicants for the programmes stretch well beyond graduates.

We really do see the applicants for this training programme stretching well beyond those who may already have graduate qualifications, he said.

We are trying to change the paradigm regarding what is seen as an educational qualification  and that programmes like this are a great way of starting off your work life and continuing with learning.

He said he was particularly interested to see how planning technicians and architectural technicians could have an impact on efforts to increase housing supply and increasing capacity in local authorities.

It could have really big positive knock-on effects, and I see that as a particularly important part of this programme, he said.




Malaysia halts Australian cattle and buffalo imports amid lumpy skin disease concerns



Malaysia has temporarily suspended the import of live cattle and buffalo from Australia, over concerns about lumpy skin disease (LSD) arising from four Australian facilities last month, The Malaysian Reserve reported.

This move follows Indonesia's decision to halt imports from the same Australian facilities over similar concerns about the highly infectious viral disease.

Dr Mark Schipp, Australia's Chief Veterinary Officer, confirmed Malaysia's action and addressed the fears surrounding the viral disease. In a statement released recently, Schipp said that Malaysia has temporarily suspended live cattle and buffalo imports from Australia, citing Indonesia's stance on not accepting cattle from the specific export establishments after LSD was detected in Australian cattle post-arrival and subsequent stay in Indonesia.

Schipp said that lumpy skin disease, or LSD, has never been identified in Australia, assuring that the country remains free from the disease. The disease, transmitted through biting insects, affects cattle and buffalo, posing no threat to humans.

Indonesia stands as the largest market for Australian live cattle exports. Malaysia's annual import from Australia has ranged between 20,000 to 30,000 head of cattle in recent years. However, the figure has been significantly lower in 2023, with only 2,328 head imported in the first half of the year.

Tests are currently underway in the suspended facilities located in Queensland, the Northern Territory (NT), and Western Australia (WA). The results of these tests are anticipated to be presented to Indonesia within the upcoming week.

Schipp stressed that Australian authorities are diligently working to finalize the investigation regarding the health status of the cattle herds linked to the aforementioned establishments. The objective is to provide the necessary assurances to Indonesia, responding to its requests.

Efforts are underway to engage with Malaysia's counterparts and convey Australia's robust animal health system, clarifying the absence of LSD within the country. Schipp has also confirmed to the World Organisation for Animal Health that Australia aligns with international standards as an LSD-free region.

He further noted that the department has maintained close communication with the industry, ensuring stakeholders are informed. Despite Indonesia's concerns, Australian livestock products continue to be traded, and the detection of LSD post-arrival in Indonesia doesn't affect Australia's animal health status.

Schipp reiterated Australia's strong biosecurity measures, stressing the country's consistent monitoring of animal disease status, including LSD.

- The Malaysian Reserve




US pork exports in June up 12%, beef exports down 12%, according to USDA data

US pork exports concluded a strong first half with another strong performance in June, according to data released by the United States Department of Agriculture and compiled by the US Meat Export Federation.

While well below the record pace established in 2022, June beef exports topped US$900 million in value, pushing first-half export value to nearly US$5 billion.

June pork exports totaled 245,964 tonnes, up 12% from a year ago, while export value climbed 6% to US$691.4 million. Through the first half of 2023, exports were 14% above last year's pace at 1.47 million tonnes, valued at US$4.05 billion (up 12%).

"Mexico is certainly the 2023 pacesetter for US pork exports but what's really exciting is that the industry is achieving such broad-based growth internationally," said Dan Halstrom, USMEF president and chief executive officer. "Exports are making impressive gains in the Western Hemisphere and reclaiming market share in many Asia-Pacific markets, and US pork is well-positioned to continue gaining momentum in the second half."

Beef exports totaled 115,107 tonnes in June, down 12% from a year ago and slightly below the May volume. Export value was US$909.5 million, down 13% year-over-year but the highest since October and 4% above the value posted in May. First-half beef exports were 10% below last year's record pace at 669,176 tonnes. Export value was just under US$5 billion  down 19% from a year ago but still 8% above the first half of 2021.

"It was a challenging first half for beef exports, especially when compared to the blistering pace established a year ago," Halstrom said. "But we are encouraged to see that exports are still accounting for a consistently high percentage of total beef production, and variety meat exports have held up very well considering the decline in US slaughter. These metrics continue to illustrate the important contribution of exports in maximising beef carcass value."

June pork exports to leading market Mexico climbed 19% from a year ago to 85,853 tonnes, while value increased 8% to US$179.4 million. These results kept first-half exports on a record-shattering pace at 532,934 tonnes, up 14% from a year ago, while value increased 21% to US$1.07 billion. Pork variety meat exports to Mexico have strengthened even more dramatically in 2023. Through June, variety meat shipments increased 49% to 77,818 tonnes, valued at US$136.6 million (up 43%).

Pork exports to Australia continued to build momentum in June, increasing 79% from a year ago to 7,513 tonnes, valued at US$25.6 million (up 71%). First-half exports to Australia increased 71% year-over-year in volume (33,179 tonnes) and 64% in value (US$114.9 million). While most of this volume is raw material for further processing, value-added processed US pork products are also popular in Australia's retail and foodservice sectors.

Taiwan's demand for US pork has rebounded dramatically this year, with June exports increasing 915% from a year ago to 3,767 tonnes  the largest in 14 years. June export value was US$12.3 million, up more than 1,000%. First-half pork exports to Taiwan jumped 531% from last year's low totals to reach 10,280 tonnes, while value increased 598% to $33.5 million.

Pork exports to Japan edged above year-ago levels in June, increasing 1% in volume (32,420 tonnes) and 3% in value (US$131.7 million). First-half export volume was slightly below last year (187,270 tonnes, down 1%), while export value fell 6% to US$749.4 million. Japan is importing more frozen pork from the US and less chilled pork and ground seasoned pork due in part to the weak yen and persistent shipping and logistical challenges.

While pork exports to South Korea took a step back in June, first-half shipments still increased 10% from a year ago to 101,969 tonnes, while value was up 2% to US$332.8 million. US pork, which enters South Korea at zero duty under the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement, achieved this growth despite imports from Canada, Mexico and Brazil benefiting from South Korea's recent implementation of duty-free import quotas. The country also recently reinstated access for pork originating from regions of Germany that are free of African swine fever (ASF), including one German slaughter plant, but exports have not yet materialised. Similar to other Asian markets, South Korea's imports of European pork are down significantly in 2023, reflecting higher EU prices.

Despite China's persistently low first-half hog prices and large supplies of domestic pork, US pork exports to China/Hong Kong  a majority of which is pork variety meat  have increased in 2023. First-half exports to the region totaled 275,358 tonnes, up 24% from a year ago, valued at US$716.2 million (up 20%). Pork variety meat exports to China are on a record pace through June, totaling 173,647 tonnes, up 30% year-over-year, valued at US$461 million (up 24%). China's hog prices have increased sharply since mid-July, but any impact from this trend is not reflected in first-half export results.

Led by China/Hong Kong and Mexico, global exports of US pork variety meat reached 297,013 tonnes in the first half, up 32% from a year ago. Export value increased 22% to US$703.9 million. First-half export growth was also fueled by larger shipments to the Philippines, Canada, Colombia, the Dominican Republic and Taiwan.

Although pork exports to the Dominican Republic trended lower in May and June, shipments to the DR still increased impressively in the first half. January-June volume was up 29% from a year ago to 55,934 tonnes, while value increased 38% to US$149.4 million. This nearly matches the full-year value total achieved in 2021, when exports to the DR were valued at US$150.8 million.

Robust growth in the Philippines and Malaysia pushed first-half pork exports to the ASEAN region to 35,855 tonnes, up 55% from a year ago, while value climbed 35% to US$86.2 million. ASF has significantly impacted domestic pork production in both countries and the US industry has capitalised on tighter supplies and higher prices for European pork. The Philippines has emerged as a major destination for pork variety meat exports, with first-half shipments up 67% to 13,612 tonnes, valued at US$19 million (up 39%).

Widespread growth in Central America pushed first-half pork exports up 3% to 61,690 tonnes, while value climbed 10% to US$175.9 million. Shipments increased to Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, offsetting a decline to Panama.

Pork exports to South America trended lower in the first half as shipments to Colombia slowed (42,960 tonnes, down 17% from a year ago; US$109.3 million, down 9%). But exports to Chile rebounded strongly, up 61% to 7,327 tonnes, valued at US$25.29 million (up 21%). Exports to Peru increased as well, increasing 6% to 1,229 tonnes, valued at US$3.2 million (up 11%). Total exports to the region were down 10% to 52,442 tonnes, valued at US$142.6 million (down 3%).

Pork export value equated to US$66.31 per head slaughtered in June, up 8% from a year ago. The first-half average was US$63.87 per head, up 10%. Exports accounted for 31% of total June pork production, up four full percentage points from a year ago. For muscle cuts only, exports accounted for 26.7% of production  up three full percentage points. The first-half ratios were 30% of total production and 25.7% for muscle cuts, up from 26.6% and 23.5%, respectively.

US beef's presence in Mexico continued to expand in June, with shipments climbing 20% from a year ago to 18,005 tonnes, while value soared 33% to US$97.9 million. First-half exports to Mexico were 14% above last year's pace at 100,171 tonnes, while value increased 19% to US$557.5 million. Mexico is the largest volume destination for US beef variety meat, with first-half exports increasing 16% to 52,659 tonnes. Variety meat value climbed 21% to US$148.6 million.

While June exports of beef variety meat were below last year's large volume (25,683 tonnes, down 3%), export value increased 1% to US$104.5 million  the highest since October. In addition to the increase to Mexico, variety meat exports more than doubled year-over-year to South Africa (1,733 tonnes, up 126%), South Korea (1,684 tonnes, up 119%), and Indonesia (656 tonnes, up 112%) and increased sharply to Gabon, Angola, Central America and the Dominican Republic. First-half exports of beef variety meat were 5% below last year at 143,294 tonnes, while value fell 12% to US$552.7 million.

For the second consecutive month, beef exports to Taiwan performed exceptionally well in June. Exports climbed 27% year-over-year to 7,258 tonnes  the largest since April 2022 and the third highest on record. Export value was also the highest since April 2022 at US$67.7 million, up 3% from a year ago. First-half exports to Taiwan were 9% below last year at 33,792 tonnes, valued at US$327.6 million (down 26%), but the recent rebound in demand is very encouraging.

Beef exports to South Africa continued to strengthen in June. Shipments consisted entirely of variety meat, climbing 126% above last year to 1,733 tonnes. June export value was US$1.7 million (up 7%). First-half exports to South Africa were 134% above last year at 10,413 tonnes, with value up 88% to US$11.1 million.

Beef exports to Canada also followed a strong May performance with a solid June total of 10,165 tonnes, up 13% from a year ago. June export value increased 20% to US$90.3 million. First-half exports to Canada were steady with last year at 51,964 tonnes, valued at US$417.6 million (down 1%).

Exports to leading market South Korea totaled 21,410 tonnes in June, down 14% from a year ago, while export value fell 19% to US$186.9 million. First-half exports to South Korea were 11% below last year's record pace at 133,775 tonnes, valued at US$1.09 billion (down 28%).

First-half beef exports to China/Hong Kong totaled 119,810 tonnes, down 12% from a year ago, while value declined 17% to US$1.04 billion. But exports to Hong Kong have strengthened in 2023, partially bolstered by a long-awaited uptick in tourism and business travel. First-half exports to Hong Kong increased 28% to 19,526 tonnes, valued at US$201.3 million (up 10%).

June beef exports to Japan remained significantly below last year but improved from the previous month. June shipments totaled 20,685 tonnes, down 25%, while export value was US$166.4 million  down 20% from a year ago but notably higher (up 21%) than in May. First-half exports to Japan were down 17% year-over-year to 129,044 tonnes, valued at US$924 million (down 26%).

Despite taking a step back in June, first-half beef exports to the European Union, including product for use by cruise lines, increased 8% from a year ago in both volume (10,890 tonnes) and value (US$143.2 million).

The Dominican Republic took larger beef volumes in June (up 3% to 740 tonnes), bringing the first half total to 4,894 tonnes, up 6%. Export value climbed 10% to UD$53 million, reflecting strong demand in the tourism sector.

Beef export value equated to US$407.12 per head of fed slaughter in June, down 9% from a year ago. The first-half average was US$394.39, down 17%. Exports accounted for 14.3% of total June beef production, down from 15.5% a year ago, while the ratio of muscle cuts exported fell only slightly to 12%. First-half ratios were 14.4% of total production and 12.2% for muscle cuts, each down about one percentage point from the first half of 2022.

- National Hog Farmer




Japan lifts chicken import ban from Brazilian state of Espirito Santo



The Japanese government has decided to ease its ban on chicken products originating from Espirito Santo state in Brazil, Reuters reported.

This ban on imports were initially imposed due to reports of bird flu cases within local backyard flocks. Japan lifting its ban on chicken imports from Espirito Santo state was confirmed by the Brazilian agriculture ministry on Thursday.

Japan, Brazil's second-largest market for chicken exports during the first half of this year, had imposed the ban on chicken products from Espirito Santo in late June. Additionally, restrictions were extended to products from Brazil's Santa Catarina state in mid-July.

- Reuters




Philippines allocates nearly US$3.5 billion for agriculture sector in 2024 budget



The Philippines' Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has allocated approximately PHP 200 billion (~US$3.5 billion; PHP 10 = US$0.18) for the country's agriculture sector in the proposed PHP 5.768 trillion (~US$101 billion) National Expenditure Programme (NEP) for the year 2024, Daily Express reported.

As disclosed in a recent statement, the DBM has allocated PHP 197.84 billion (~US$3.4 billion) for the Philippines' Department of Agriculture (DA) for the upcoming year. This allocation marks a 6% increase compared to the current-year funding of PHP 186.54 billion (~US$3.2 billion).

The decision to enhance the budget allocation for the agriculture, forestry, and fishing (AFF) sector comes in response to the sector's growth of 2.2% and its significant contribution of 9.1% to the country's first-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) growth. The goal is to sustain this growth trajectory and bolster agricultural output.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that to continue the upward trajectory of agricultural output and meet the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) goal of increasing the Philippines' food security index, the government will increase funding for the national programmes of the Department of Agriculture (DA) on rice, corn, livestock, and high-value crops, among others.

Amenah Pangandaman, the Budget Secretary, outlined the priority areas for the 2024 expenditure, emphasising food and water security. She highlighted that the NEP will support programmes to enhance local production of major agricultural commodities such as rice, corn, and high-value crops. The focus will be on productivity enhancement, soil resource management, agricultural support services, constructing farm-to-market roads, and mitigating risks related to factors like El Nino through the buffer stocking programme.

A significant portion of the proposed budget for 2024, approximately PHP 30.9 billion (~US$542 million), will be allocated to the National Rice Programme. Additionally, PHP 10 billion (~US$175 million) will be earmarked for the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), aimed at providing assistance to farmers through initiatives like rice seed development, loan provision, and agricultural equipment procurement.

The DBM revealed that the broader food security strategy encompasses programmes like the National Corn Programme, National Livestock Programme, and National High-Value Crops Development Programme. The Sugar Regulatory Administration is set to receive PHP 1 billion (~US$17.5 million) for its Sugarcane Industry Development Programme, focusing on enhancing farmers' skills and productivity. The National Fisheries Programme will be allocated PHP 6.9 billion (~US$121 million), with the goal of elevating agri-fishery practices and product quality, along with improving income for farmers and fisherfolk.

Additionally, investments will be made in the Boosting Aquaculture Production Programme to address a 10% target increase in local fish production and fill supply gaps. Initiatives like the National Soil Health Program and the National Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources (AANR) Sector Research and Development Programme, funded at PHP 1 billion (~US$17.5 million), highlight a comprehensive strategy to improve natural resource conditions.

The construction of agricultural infrastructure is essential to expand food systems and productivity. The DBM revealed that the Farm-to-Market Road Programme of the DA, which allocates PHP 17.3 billion (~US$303 million), will facilitate the construction of over 1,144.58 km of roadways, streamlining goods transport and reducing expenses.

Efforts to combat water scarcity include a budget of PHP 31.2 billion (~US$548 million) for the National Irrigation Administration, aiming to develop 31,548 hectares of irrigated agricultural land.

The budget allocations also encompass various programmes like the Buffer Stocking Program of the National Food Authority, insurance programs for farmers, credit and financing initiatives, and water supply and sanitation projects.

- Daily Express
Sir,



The memo that was reportedly circulated by the Ministry of Public Service, which denied civil servants who have been nominated for this years elections to be granted leave, is deeply concerning. This is worrisome as it will create an imbalanced playing field. Civil servants who are bound by their duties will struggle to find time to campaign effectively. Meanwhile, their competitors who are not civil servants will have an edge over the civil servants as they will have ample time to focus on their election campaign.

Contradict

This will unfortunately tilt the scales in favour of individuals who are not civil servants and, thus this will contradict the free and fair elections principle as advocated by the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC). It is no secret that campaigning is the bedrock of any electoral process because it allows the candidates to connect with the voters, articulate their vision and address any voters concern. Denying civil servants leave restricts them in their ability to engage in meaningful campaigning. With their professional responsibility taking a priority, civil servants will find it challenging to carve out the necessary time for public appearances, community engagements and other activities that are necessary for a successful campaign. This can be detrimental in their chances of winning in the elections race.

Review

In order to uphold the principle of free and fair elections, it is essential for the government to quickly review and reconsider their decision. Granting leave to all the nominated civil servants will ensure that all candidates have the same opportunity to present their ideas and vision to the voting public and that the voters have the ability to make informed decision based on the merits of each candidate. This will show that indeed our elections reflect the will of the people.




Brazil's begins exporting beef and pork to the Dominican Republic



Brazil has begun exporting beef and pork to the Dominican Republic, a noteworthy milestone given the Dominican Republic is the second-largest market in Central America and the Caribbean, boasting an annual demand of approximately 120,000 tonnes of meat, Dominican Today reported.

Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock released a comprehensive statement elaborating on the dedicated efforts that paved the way for the Dominican government's decision to welcome Brazilian beef and pork. The journey encompassed exhaustive negotiations and meticulous assessments of certifications and inspection procedures at exporting facilities.

The spotlight on the Dominican Republic as a promising destination for Brazilian meats is underpinned by its position as the second-largest economy in Central America and the Caribbean. Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Carlos Favaro, underlined the monumental significance of this achievement, stressing its role as a pivotal advancement for Brazilian pork access over the past decade.

Minister Favaro attributed the swift progress in negotiations to a pivotal meeting held in March between himself and the Dominican Republic's ambassador in Brasilia, Patricia Villegas de Jorge. The outcome of these deliberations culminated in the opening of the market this week.

Brazil has already given the green light to seven of its establishments for meat exports to the Dominican Republic, while assessments of requests from other companies are currently underway.

The ministry's statement also disclosed that since January 2023, coinciding with Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's commencement of his third presidential term, Brazil has magnified its agricultural product reach to 29 markets across the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Oceania.

Official forecasts point to Brazil poised to achieve a record meat production of 26.6 million tonnes this year, spanning beef, pork, and chicken. Notably, a substantial share of this production, approximately 9.3 million tonnes, is earmarked for exports.

On the global stage, Brazil ranks second in beef production, trailing the US, secures the third spot in chicken meat production, following the US and China, and clinches the fourth position in pork production. As an exporter, Brazil assumes a leading role in shipping beef and chicken, standing fourth as a pork supplier.

Projections amplify Brazil's beef production by 4.5% this year, reaching 9.06 million tonnes. However, a slight dip is expected in beef exports, projected to decrease by 3.3%, amounting to 2.91 million tonnes.

Meanwhile for pork, forecasts forecast a 2.7% upswing in production, marking a record 5.32 million tons for the year. Furthermore, pork exports are predicted to experience a robust surge of 10.1%, reaching a substantial 1.22 million tonnes.

- Dominican Today
A 'Visitor's Guide To The Medieval Kingdoms Of Man and the Isles' to be launched



Author Professor R. Andrew McDonald

A new book written by Professor R. Andrew McDonald titled A Visitors Guide To The Medieval Kingdoms Of Man And The Isles, 1066-1275 is to be launched later this month.

McDonald who is a Professor of History and past Director of the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Brock University in Canada, will host a talk and book signing at the Manx Museum on August 23 at 12pm.

He will talk about the development of the book, the main topics covered and how significant the time was for the Island.

According to Manx National Heritage, the new book provides a straightforward introduction to the history, archaeology, and built heritage of the forgotten Kingdoms of Man and the Isles, tracing important historical events, individuals, and themes, and identifying and exploring significant historical sites and monuments of the period, many of which are still visible and accessible today.
NHLANGANO  Vicious pit bulls mauled 16 livestock belonging to philanthropist, Tsabile Simelane, famously known as Gogo Nde, at KaZenzile, outside Hlatikhulu.

The incident happened on Sunday, around 3am. It was gathered that the dogs went into Simelanes premises, where they found the livestock inside the kraal. Some of the livestock that was killed included goats and sheep. According to Simelane, she woke up when she heard noise, only to find that her livestock was under attack. She shared that this was not the first time that the dogs attacked livestock as other community members were also affected by same.

According to Simelane, the dogs were causing unnecessary conflicts among community members, because they were not being kept on the leash. She further shared that she wanted her livestock back and not money as compensation. She said each sheep would cost about E4 000, adding that some had twin lambs, which were killed. Simelane said she kept some of the dead livestock in her refrigerator as evidence. I wish to be given back my livestock and not money, she said. Simelane shared that she then reported the incident to the police, who came to her place and investigated. She said personnel from vet also came through, adding that they further went to see the dogs which were found with bloodstains.

A comment could not be sought from the dogs owner as his phone was not available on local networks. It was gathered that he was out of the country and only people looking after his home were at the homestead when the incident happened. Deputy Police Information and Communications Officer Inspector Nosipho Mnguni, confirmed the incident. She said police were still investigating the matter.
Sevilla

Condenado por amenazar a otro con darle "dos hostias" en una reunion de la comunidad de vecinos en Villamanrique
Six white former Mississippi law officers pleaded guilty to state charges Monday for torturing two Black men in a racist assault after recently admitting their guilt in a connected federal civil rights case.
MANZINI - A warder, who is an aspiring MP managed to escape from six men who kidnapped and smuggled him to Durban, South Africa.

According to a source close to the matter, the incident took place just over a week ago and the member of His Majestys Correctional Services (HMCS), Bonginkosi Dlamini, who is an aspiring Member of Parliament (MP) for Maphalaleni Constituency (Nsingweni Chiefdom), was kidnapped by six armed men near Siphofaneni, along Hhelehhele/Lavumisa Public Road.

The source said the member of the countrys State security organ was from Big Bend and he got a lift, which dropped him near Siphofaneni, after 5pm. He said while he was hitchhiking, in order to get to Manzini, a red Toyota Corolla stopped and six men jumped out of the car. He said four of them were armed with guns and there was nothing he could do as, beside the fact he was outnumbered, the kidnappers had dangerous weapons. He said while armed men pointed at him with their guns, the other two tied his hands behind his back and bundled him into the boot of the car before speeding away.

Borderline

The source said it is believed that the men used the one of the informal crossing points along the countrys borderline, in the Shiselweni Region, to cross to the neighbouring South Africa. He said when they arrived in South Africa; they locked him in a room, where he spent about three days. While locked in the house, he survived with water, which they left for him in a small washing dish, the source said. He said the kidnappers robbed the aspiring MPs his belongings, which included an undisclosed amount of money. He said while locked up, they demanded that he should give them money so they would let him go. However, the source said he told them that he did not have money. Thereafter, he said they demanded that he should call his family and tell them to send money for his release. He said despite telling the men that his family did not have money, they forced him to make the call.

After learning about the matter, the source said his family reported the matter to law enforcers at the Manzini Police Station. At the house, the source said the HMCS officer was guarded by four of the armed kidnappers day and night. However, he said on the third day, the warder noticed that there were only two voices outside. He said at night, while he was paying attention to their movements and what they were saying, he heard that they were planning to come inside and he hid behind the door.

Kicked

When they opened the door, he kicked the one, who was in the front and disarmed him of his gun and fired a shot to the floor (in front of the other kidnapper) and managed to flee, the source claimed. He said the aspiring MP learnt that he was in Durban when he sought help from one of the complexes and he eventually came back to Eswatini the following day. The aspiring MP, who was reluctant to talk about the matter, said he could not link it to elections because the kidnappers demanded money. He said when he told them that he did not have money; they insisted that they knew that he had it.

By the time of compiling this report yesterday, Deputy Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Inspector Nosipho Mnguni said the matter could not be found in their records. She highlighted that sometimes people reported without recording a statement, which then made it difficult for them to trace it. On the other hand, HMCS Public Relations Officer Senior Superintendent Gugulethu Dlamini said the officer reported the matter to his superiors upon return to the country and they advised him to report it to the police.
(The Center Square)  The U.S Department of Education urged colleges and universities to continue pursuing racial diversity on campus despite a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision deeming the previous affirmative action admissions framework illegal.

The resources issued by the Biden-Harris Administration today will provide college leaders with much-needed clarity on how they can lawfully promote and support diversity, and expand access to educational opportunity for all following the Supreme Courts disappointing ruling on affirmative action, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said. This is only the first step and our Administration will continue to work to ensure we prepare students of all backgrounds and income levels to lead our multiracial democracy together.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that the common practice of considering race as a factor in university admissions was illegal.

The court ruled in two separate cases that Harvard and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hills race-based affirmative action admission policies violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

Those policies had become common across colleges and universities, and the courts decision left those institutions grappling with how to approach admissions.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the opinion that it should not be construed as prohibiting universities from considering an applicant's discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise.

But, despite the dissent's assertion to the contrary, universities may not simply establish through application essays or other means the regime we hold unlawful today," he added.

The Biden administration released new information for institutions in navigating admissions in the wake of this ruling, urging schools to keep race as a focus in admissions.

Ensuring access to higher education for students from different backgrounds is one of the most powerful tools we have to prepare graduates to lead an increasingly diverse nation and make real our countrys promise of opportunity for all, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said. These resources provide universities with the information they need to determine what lawful tools remain available to them to promote diversity in higher education.

The resources in question advise higher education institutions on how to continue to promote racial diversity in admissions.

As described in the attached Q&A document, schools can consider the ways that a students background, including experiences linked to their race, have shaped their lives and the unique contributions they can make to campus, the DOE said.

From the DOE document:

For example, a university could consider an applicants explanation about what it means to him to be the first Black violinist in his citys youth orchestra or an applicants account of overcoming prejudice when she transferred to a rural high school where she was the only student of South Asian descent. An institution could likewise consider a guidance counselor or other recommenders description of how an applicant conquered her feelings of isolation as a Latina student at an overwhelmingly white high school to join the debate team. Similarly, an institution could consider an applicants discussion of how learning to cook traditional Hmong dishes from her grandmother sparked her passion for food and nurtured her sense of self by connecting her to past generations of her family.

The DOE also advised recruiting students from areas known to include higher levels of minorities.

For institutions of higher education, this may mean redoubling efforts to recruit and retain talented students from underserved communities, including those with large numbers of students of color, the DOE document said.

Critics said the Biden administrations push could be a violation of the courts decision.

In Students for Fair Admissions, the Court said that discrimination cannot be done directly or indirectly, GianCarlo Canaparo, a legal scholar at the Heritage Foundation, told The Center Square. So, if schools are using identity, lived experience, or even zip codes as proxies for race, thats unlawful. The Court allowed schools to consider whether personal experiences, like overcoming discrimination, created personal virtue, but it made clear that schools cant use such things to discriminate on the sly.

How the DOE advised schools and what some say of the courts decision seem to conflict at times, possibly setting up another legal battle to flesh out the details of how or how not race may be considered in admissions.

In particular, nothing in the SFFA decision prohibits institutions from continuing to seek the admission and graduation of diverse student bodies, including along the lines of race and ethnicity, through means that do not afford individual applicants a preference on the basis of race in admissions decisions, the DOE said.

Biden has also worked to provide student loan forgiveness despite the Supreme Court decision overturning his broad cancellation of $10,000 per borrower and $20,000 per Pell Grant recipients.

The Department of Education announced in July that $39 billion in federal student loan debt for about 800,000 borrowers will be "discharged," by changing how monthly payments are counted for those under the Income Driven Repayment plans.

On Tuesday, a court rejected a legal challenge to that effort from conservative groups.

Bidens student loan forgiveness disaster is effectively a regressive tax disguised as a progressive policy, Republican presidential primary candidate Vivek Ramaswamy wrote on Twitter. Barely over 1/3 Americans get a 4-year degree, yet Bidens student loan forgiveness plan forces every citizen to pay for anti-American gender-studies majors. Its a scam.
(The Center Square)  Former President Donald Trump was indicted for the fourth time Monday night, this time on charges related to the 2020 election in Georgia.

A Fulton County, Georgia, grand jury indicted the former president on 10 counts of attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia, which narrowly went to President Joe Biden.

Eighteen others also were indicted, including former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, former Trump attorney and New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and several other former Trump attorneys, among others.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, a Democrat who pledged after being elected in 2020 that shed investigate election-interference charges in a letter to state officials, started the investigation in February 2021 that resulted in the 10-count indictment.

The campaign of Trump, the frontfunner for the GOP nomination for president in 2024, called the indictment "bogus."

"Fulton County, GAs radical Democrat DA Fani Willis is a rabid partisan who is campaigning and fundraising on a platform of prosecuting President Trump through these bogus indictments," the statement read. "Ripping a page from Crooked Joe Biden's playbook, Willis has strategically stalled her investigation to try and maximally interfere with the 2024 presidential race and damage the dominant Trump campaign. All of these corrupt Democrat attempts will fail."

Reuters reported earlier on Monday that Fulton County officials posted and later removed information detailing charges in the case, including conspiracy to commit impersonation of a public officer, solicitation of violation of oath by public office and false statements and writings.

Trump's attorneys blasted the Fulton County District Attorney's office for the reported leak, which occurred before the grand jury proceedings had finished. They maintained the incident suggested the case was mired in constitutional errors.

Trump has also been indicted in New York, Florida and Washington, D.C.
The Mountain Valley Pipeline right of way and some piping is visible beside Route 460, July 16, 2023, in Elliston. (Scott P. Yates of the Virginia Mercury)

The U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed two long-standing legal challenges against the Mountain Valley Pipeline Friday, citing its lack of authority to hear the cases following the passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act earlier this year.

The dismissals mean the project, which was temporarily halted by the latest legal challenges, can continue.

Here, Congress has removed our jurisdiction to hear the merits of the present petitions, the three-judge panel wrote in its dismissal order. Therefore, the motions to dismiss must be granted.

The Mountain Valley Pipeline, a 303-mile project intended to deliver natural gas from the Utica and Marcellus shale fields into Southwest Virginia, has been mired for years in legal challenges over the harms environmental groups say it poses to wildlife and water quality. As a result of those arguments, the 4th Circuit repeatedly overturned federal permits granted to the project.

This June, however, Congress passed the Fiscal Responsibility Act with a provision granting all necessary approvals for completion of the project and stripping jurisdiction from the 4th Circuit. The law also transferred jurisdiction over any challenges to the constitutionality of the provision, known as Section 324, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

On Friday, the judges agreed Section 324 had stripped their jurisdiction over two pipeline cases the court had been hearing.

It is well settled that Congress has the power to ratify agency action, wrote Judge James Wynn. Furthermore, he wrote, because the Fiscal Responsibility Act transferred constitutional challenges to the D.C. Circuit, the 4th Circuit no longer has authority to hear them.

With Section 324, Congress removed our jurisdiction in a way that mandates dismissal of the underlying petitions, which challenge agency actions that grant necessary approvals for the completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, Wynn said. Indeed, no court has jurisdiction to review these approvals  including the D.C. Circuit.

In separate concurring opinions, Judges Roger L. Gregory and Stephanie D. Thacker issued pointed warnings about the potential impacts of Section 324 on the principle of separation of powers.

There can be no mistake, however, that Section 324 is a blueprint for the construction of a natural gas pipeline by legislative fiat, Gregory wrote. If that provision is likewise constitutionally sanctioned, then Congress will have found the way to adjudicate by legislating for particular cases and for particular litigants, no different than the governmental excesses our Framers sought to avoid.

Can Congress, with particular pending litigation in mind, strip a particular court of jurisdiction to hear a certain type of cases when it disagrees politically with the view of the law that court has taken in the past? Thacker similarly asked. As it stands, we have no clear guidance from the Supreme Court on where the line between legislative and judicial power lies, especially when Congress acts for the purpose of influencing pending litigation or even going so far as to pick a winner in that pending litigation.

Mountain Valley Pipeline spokeswoman Natalie Cox said the company agreed with the courts conclusion.

Congress and President Biden declared the timely completion of construction and operation of the Mountain Valley Pipeline as being in the national interest, Cox said. Mountain Valley is committed to finalizing work on this critical energy infrastructure project by the end of 2023 in compliance with all approved federal and state authorizations so it can enter service and help satisfy public demand for cleaner, affordable and reliable domestic energy.

Conversely, environmental groups expressed dissatisfaction.

Jamie Williams, president of The Wilderness Society, said the group was deeply saddened and concerned that Mountain Valley has been granted the ability to sidestep critical conservation protections and silence the voices of community members in harms way.

Spencer Gall, an attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center, said he believes Congress violated the Constitution by guaranteeing a winner in pending court cases.

The Fourth Circuit did not bless this gambit today and simply held that the D.C. Circuit and the Supreme Court must be the ones to confront the constitutionality, Gall said in a statement. We are evaluating potential next steps.

This story was originally produced by the Virginia Mercury which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus, including the Daily Montanan, supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.

The post 4th Circuit dismisses remaining two Mountain Valley Pipeline cases appeared first on Daily Montanan.
UPDATE, AUG. 20:

Expected precipitation over the Colt Fire area combined with highs in the 70s are leading officials to predict low fire behavior.

Closures on the Rainy Lake Campground and access road as well as on the Alva Lake Campground and access road will be lifted Monday. All other forest closures, including Lakeside Campground, remain in place.

Wyoming Team 4 Type 3 team took command of the Colt Fire Saturday evening.

UPDATE, AUG. 19:

Firefighters on the Colt Fire are taking advantage of limited fire activity to patrol and mop up hot spots. Containment on the fire is now at 51%.

Wyoming Team 4 Type 3 will take command of the fire at 8:00 pm Saturday.

Temperatures around the fire area are expected to be moderate over the weekend with precipitation possible on Sunday, with tropical moisture from Hurricane Hillary expected to make its way into the area at the beginning of next week.

UPDATE, AUG. 18:

A more accurate assessment of the perimeter of the Colt Fire shows the fire has burned 7,154 acres as of Friday morning. The fire is 46% contained.

Limited fire activity was reported on the southern portion of the fire Thursday, allowing crews to strengthen fire lines.

Crews on the north and east edges continue their mop-up efforts and pull hose from sections of the fire line where it is no longer needed.

A red flag warning is in effect starting at 3:00 pm Friday, to midnight Saturday morning as strong, gusty winds are anticipated to pick up at the mountain ridges.

The following are planned actions for Friday on the Colt Fire:

In areas of containment, crews collected hose lays and equipment will be collected and ready for reuse. Helicopters and crews are available respond to potential new fire starts.

Crews are continuing to mop-up residual heat along the fires perimeter.

The majority of the fires heat remains on the fires southwestern edge. Chipping operations will continue on the southern and eastern perimeters.

UPDATE, AUG. 17:

Firefighters on the Colt Fire were treated to an Ice Cream Social at Fire Camp, hosted by the Seeley Lake Leo's Club.

After a long hot day, the firefighters appreciated the cold, sweet treat. Thank you to the Leo's Club for showing their support, the Northern Rockies Incident Management Team 5 said.

The following are the planned actions for Thursday:

Chipping operations on will continue along the eastern and southern fire perimeter. Firefighters will continue to seek out and mop up pockets of heat, assisted by data from the UAS, which can detect heat using infrared technology.

Some crews are still constructing hand line along the fires edge in areas where the fire burned in patches, leaving some areas burned and others not.

Crews will continue to remove pumps and hoses along the contained areas around the fire.

Aerial resources will be available to assist firefighting efforts, as conditions allow.

UPDATE, AUG. 16:

The Colt Fire is still reported to be 7,202 acres large and 45% contained as of Wednesday morning.

An update from the Northern Rockies Team 5 says crews will remove hoselays and pumps from the Beaver Lake area, where they are no longer needed.

Unmanned aerial system operations will continue their detection of hot spots inside and outside the fire perimeter.

Crews will mop-up residual heat along the fires perimeter through the fire area.

Along the fires eastern and southern edge, chipping operations will continue.

No evacuation orders or warning are in effect due to the Colt Fire

UPDATE, AUG. 14:

Evacuation warnings for the Colt Fire have been lifted Monday, according to the Missoula County Sheriff's Office.

The cancellation is due to more containment, resources assigned and moderated fire behavior.

The areas where the evacuation warnings are lifted are:

Beaver

Rovero Flats East

Rovero Flats West

North Inez

South Inez

The Missoula County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook cards placed by law enforcement are now okay to remove at this time.

UPDATE, AUG. 13:

In the area of the Colt Fire, southwest of Beaver Lake, a specialized crew of firefighters successfully felled hazardous trees using explosives.

Crews continued to pro-actively search for areas of heat to mop-up along the fires eastern edge, an update from the Northern Rockies Team 5 said.

Even though smoke is not visible in this area, there are areas of ground that remain hot and have the potential to reignite.

Crews searched out these hot spots and cooled them by mixing in cold dirt and water.

Planned actions for Sunday include:

Crews will mop-up residual heat interior to the completed handline, dozer line, and roadson the fires southwest edge. They will use hose lays and pumps to assist with the mop-up process.

Throughout the fire area, crews will continue to mitigate areas with hazard trees as needed to ensure crew safety while working.

To the south and east of the fire area, crews will begin chipping operations.

Firefighters chip wood to limit the concentrations of heavy fuels in and around the fire area. Essentially, by chipping the wood, it becomes less of a fire hazard.

The unmanned aerial system (UAS) assigned to the fire will continue mapping hot spots on the fires northern flank.

UPDATE, AUG. 12:

Handline connecting to Sunset Ridge has been successfully completed by crews on the Colt Fire.

Northwest of Sunset Ridge, crews are continuing to construct line in the most active area of the fire.

Along the fires eastern edge, crews have collected all water equipment, such as pumps and hoses, and will now begin the process of inventorying all supplies, the Northern Rockies Team 5 said in an update Saturday.

One of the aircraft assigned to the fire assisted Flathead National Forest in successfully putting out a new fire start west of Lindberg Lake.

Lake Alva Campground, Lake Inez Campground, and Rainy Lake Campground remain closed at this time due to firefighter activity in the area.

The following are the planned actions for Saturday:

Crews are beginning the mop-up process along the fires southwest edge as they finish constructing handline in the area. They will be installing temporary hose lays and pumps to assist in efforts to extinguish heat along the fires perimeter.

Crews determined a few hazardous trees on the southwestern edge of the fire were too dangerous to fell with a chainsaw. For this reason, a specialized crew will be on the fire line tomorrow to fell these trees using a tool called a Fireline Explosives Blaster (FLEB). The FLEB assures the safe and effective felling of hazardous trees using specialized explosives.

UPDATE, AUG. 11:

A weather trend of rising temperatures may bring more active fire behavior on the Colt Fire, according to an update from the Northern Rockies Team 5.

Currently, the fire is mainly burning in dead standing or downed trees, however, as fuels dry out it is expected that other fuels, such as huckleberry bushes and other shrubs, may ignite more readily.

Heavy equipment will continue to improve existing roads in the fire area to allow for better firefighter access to the fires southern flank Friday.

The update says crews will spend the next few days completing handline on the southwest edge of the fire.

Once the handline is completed, crews plan to begin the mop-up process in the area. In order to facilitate this effort, a helicopter crew brought supplies (such as hose lays and pumps) into the southwest area of the fire.

While mopping up, crews will use these supplies to cool hot spots along the fires edge.

UPDATE, AUG. 10:

The Colt Fire is 7,202 acres large and 45% contained Thursday.

An update from the Northern Rockies Team 5 says crews are expected to need three more days to complete the handline from the south flank of the fire to Sunset Ridge.

This will connect their handline with the existing line constructed by heavy equipment along the ridgeline.

Crews on the southwest end of the fire continue to construct handline along the fires edge, however, progress is slowed by steep terrain and hazardous trees. Heavy equipment is assisting crews by improving existing roads in the fire area.

The temporary flight restriction for the fire area has been extended to a full 24-hour restriction as the UAS will be mapping out the southern edge of the fire as conditions permit.

UPDATE, AUG. 9:

Containment on the Colt Fire has grown to 45%, with the majority of added containment being on the southern edge, the Northern Rockies Team 5 reported.

As crews continue to mop-up the southern and northern edges, they work east to west to increase containment in the coming days.

More showers are expected over the fire area Wednesday evening with warm, dry weather anticipated for Thursday.

UPDATE, AUG. 8:

Containment on the Colt Fire has increased to 39% as crews were able to take advantage of quieted fire behavior from the moisture and mop-up on residual heat on the northeast and eastern edges.

The current size of the fire is 7,179 acres with 506 total personnel working to fight the fire.

Air operations will be using two unmanned aerial systems (UAS drones) over the coming days to map out areas of heat within the fire area.

The UAS aircraft is best able to pick up areas of heat within the fire late at night and early in the morning due to lower air temperatures at these times. For this reason, the temporary flight restriction (TFR) for the fire area (FDC 3/7867) has been extended from 8am-10am to a full 24-hour restriction.

Today, crews will continue to mop-up remaining residual heat along the fire's northern and eastern edges between Colt Lake and Beaver Lake.

They will also continue to construct lines west to Sunset Ridge on the south flank and heavy equipment will assist crews with additional line construction on the northwest corner of the fire.

UPDATE, AUG 7:

The Colt Fire remains at 25% contained as of Monday morning at 9:22am.

Northern Rockies Team 5 sent out a press release saying while rainfall in the area decreased fire activity, it also limited firefighters' ability to access roads in certain areas of the fire.

Crews were able to mop-up some residual heat from much of the fire's northern and eastern edges.

Right now, crews are continuing to mop-up residual heat.

Heavy equipment will search for opportunities to construct line further along the fires southwest edge near Sunset Ridge.

Hand crews will again be in the area, searching for a path to continue the line beyond the ridge.

Along the southern edge of the fire crews will continue to construct handline above West Fork Clearwater River.

Aircrafts will be available to assist firefighters as needed as long as conditions allow.

The release says showers and thunderstorms may return this afternoon, bringing with them a risk of heavy downpours, lightning, and gusty outflow winds.

While the rain has lessened fire activity for the time being, fire activity is expected to increase later in the week as temperatures rise and relative humidity's decrease.

This incoming warm weather with possible gusty winds will increase the chances of larger fuels burning, as the dryness of these fuels is still near record lows.

UPDATE, AUG. 6:

The Colt Fire is now 25% contained as of Sunday morning.

Crews are working to mop-up residual heat along the fires north perimeter from Beaver Lake to Colt Lake.

On the east side of the fire, heavy equipment will begin constructing line from Sunset Ridge east, continuing the progress of the line constructed by hand crews.

Firefighters will continue constructing handline along the south edge of the fire Sunday, as weather permits.

The fires forward progression has been slowed by recent rain, with growth mainly contained to the southwestern portion of the fire.

While the fire will likely exhibit creeping and smoldering behavior in the coming days, single tree torching is possible if the fire burns into large areas of unburned ground fuels, the Northern Rockies Team 5 reported.

As the weather warms towards the middle of the week, with less precipitation anticipated, an increase of fire activity is expected.

UPDATE, AUG. 5:

The Northern Rockies Team 1 transitioned command of the Colt Fire to the Northern Rockies Team 5 Saturday.

Monsoonal moisture in the upper atmosphere and cloud cover of the fire area subdued fire activity Friday, however, persistent dry conditions at the surface keep the potential for fire spread high.

Cooler temperatures and higher humidity with a chance of rain are being forecasted for the weekend.

Acreage was reportedly added to the fire Friday, however, there was no overnight infrared mapping flight to verify the increase.

The following are the planned actions Saturday:

In the southwest corner of the fire heavy equipment and crews will continue to construct indirect control lines.

Along the west side, crews will prepare roads and handlines and use hose lays to secure and mop up the fire edge.

On the north and east sides of the fire, personnel will patrol, hold, and mop up where needed.

Crews that have been working from east to west on the south side of the fire north of the West Fork of the Clearwater River will continue handline construction.

The crews are working in steep terrain and the handline construction is slow and steady.

Helicopters will be used to cool hot spots and slow fire spread.

Operations personnel from both teams will work together on all sides of the fire to transfer knowledge and situational awareness to provide for a safe and efficient team transition.

The Missoula County Sheriffs Office has issued the following evacuations and closures:

Residents on Beaver Creek Road (near the summit) are under an Evacuation Warning.

Mile marker 31 (Beaver Creek Road at the intersection of Hwy 83) south towards Seeley Lake to mile marker 27, and including residences in Rovero Flats, are under an Evacuation Warning.

Residences beginning at mile marker 27, south end of Rovero Flats, to mile marker 25.5 (the intersection of the West Fork of the Clearwater Road and Hwy 83) are under an Evacuation Warning.

Residences on the north and south ends of Lake Inez are under an Evacuation Warning. The east side of Lake Inez, along Hwy 83, is not under any Warning or Order.

UPDATE, AUG. 4:

The Colt Fire is burning an estimated 7,179 acres and is 23% contained as of Friday morning.

Fire activity was the highest in the southwestern corner due to persistent dry conditions over the area, the Northern Rockies Team 1 reports.

Cooler temperatures, higher humidity and a chance of rain are forecasted for the area in the coming days.

Crews on the southwest corner of the fire are working to keep the fire north of Sunset Ridge.

Engines are patrolling, holding and mopping up along the north and east side of the fire.

Helicopters are being used to cool hot spots and slow fire spread.

The Structure Protection Group will continue structure protection assessment work in the Lindbergh Lake area and will be patrolling the Highway 83 corridor and other identified structure zones.

The following evacuation and closures are in pace according to the Missoula County Sheriffs Office:

Residents on Beaver Creek Road (near the summit) are under an Evacuation Warning.

Mile marker 31 (Beaver Creek Road at the intersection of Hwy 83) south towards Seeley Lake to mile marker 27, and including residences in Rovero Flats, are under an Evacuation Warning.

Residences beginning at mile marker 27, south end of Rovero Flats, to mile marker 25.5 (the intersection of the West Fork of the Clearwater Road and Hwy 83) are under an Evacuation Warning.

Residences on the north and south ends of Lake Inez are under an Evacuation Warning. The east side of Lake Inez, along Hwy 83, is not under any Warning or Order

UPDATE, AUG 3:

The Colt Fire is now 6,860 acres large and 19% contained as of Thursday morning.

The Northern Rockies Team 1 says fire personnel in the southwest corner will be re-evaluating the locations planned for indirect control line construction and adjusting those actions based on where the spot fire moved.

On the forest road systems west of the fire, heavy equipment and crews will work on linking roads and control lines together forming indirect control lines.

Along the north side, east side (Forest Road 646), and southeast corner firefighters will continue to hold and mop up along the line.

On the south side, and north of the West Fork of the Clearwater River, four crews will continue to build fire control line moving from east to west. These crews may camp closer to the line to decrease travel time.

Helicopters and airplanes will continue to be used to keep the fire checked up on the west side and southwest corner.

The Lindbergh Group will continue structure assessments as well as look for indirect control line opportunities that would have the highest opportunity for success ahead of the fire.

A night shift of engines will patrol and monitor fire conditions.

The following evacuation and closures are in pace according to the Missoula County Sheriffs Office:

Residents on Beaver Creek Road (near the summit) are under an Evacuation Warning.

Mile marker 31 (Beaver Creek Road at the intersection of Hwy 83) south towards Seeley Lake to mile marker 27, and including residences in Rovero Flats, are under an Evacuation Warning.

Residences beginning at mile marker 27, south end of Rovero Flats, to mile marker 25.5 (the intersection of the West Fork of the Clearwater Road and Hwy 83) are under an Evacuation Warning.

Residences on the north and south ends of Lake Inez are under an Evacuation Warning. The east side of Lake Inez, along Hwy 83, is not under any Warning or Order

UPDATE, AUG. 2 AT 11:14 A.M.:

The evacuation orders in the areas of Rovero Flats East and Rovero Flats West have been lifted Wednesday, the Missoula County Sheriff's Office posted on Facebook.

Those areas are now under evacuation warning.

MCSO said residents may notice law enforcement taking down the red order cards and replacing them with yellow warning cards.

MCSO shared a map reflecting evacuation status in the identified zones: Red means the zone is under evacuation order, yellow means warning and green means pre-identified zones in the event the fire approaches those areas.

Currently, there are more zones that have been pre-identified and are in green: Fawn, 83 N, 83 S, Boy Scout N, and Boy Scout S.

For the more updated information on wildfires in Montana, visit mtfireinfo.org.

UPDATE, AUG 2:

The Colt Fire is burning 6,860 acres with containment at 19% Wednesday morning.

The Northern Rockies Team 1 reports a high-pressure ridge weather system is keeping smoke from nearby and far away wildfires in the area.

In addition, the ream is reporting warm, dry weather could lead to active fire behavior, Wednesday.

The following actions are planned for the day:

On the southeast corner and east side along Forest Road 646 (Colt/Uhler Road) firefighters will continue to hold and mop up along the line. Patrol and mop up will also continue in areas on the north side of the fire.

In the northwest corner crews will continue to construct indirect line working to connect between Colt and Beaver Lakes.

Along the west side crews and equipment will access the area and start working to prepare Forest Road 9570 as an indirect control line. Access routes have been found and an attempt will be made to bring equipment into the southwest corner if fire activity safely allows. Helicopters will continue to be used to keep the fire checked up on the west side and southwest corner.

On the south side, and north of the West Fork of the Clearwater River, crews will move from east to west working on fire control line construction. These crews will start to spike camp closer to the line to decrease travel time. The night shift of engines will patrol and monitor fire conditions.

Evacuation warnings and orders:

Residents on Beaver Creek Road (near the summit) are under an Evacuation Warning.

Mile marker 31 (Beaver Creek Road at the intersection of Hwy 83) south towards Seeley Lake to mile marker 27, and including residences in Rovero Flats, are under an Evacuation Order.

Residences beginning at mile marker 27, south end of Rovero Flats, to mile marker 25.5 (the intersection of the West Fork of the Clearwater Road and Hwy 83) are under an Evacuation Warning.

Residences on the north and south ends of Lake Inez are under an Evacuation Warning. The east side of Lake Inez, along Hwy 83, is not under any Warning or Order.

The list of current closures includes:

Forest Road 906 (closed at Highway 83)

Rainy Lake Campground access road 4357 (closed at Highway 83)

Rainy Lake Campground

Alva Lake Campground access road (closed by gate at Highway 83)

Alva Lake Campground

Lakeside Campground access road (closed by gate at Highway 83)

Lakeside Campground

Lake Inez Campground

Forest Road 646 (closed at the junction of FSR 552; FSR 4354; Forest Road 552 (beyond the turn off to west side Lake Inez access

Forest Road 5407 and 463 closed beyond the West Side snowmobile trailhead (these roads access the Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Marshall Wildlife Management Area and Lake Marshall)

Temporarily closing the Forest System Road loops of the Clearwater (FSR 4370 and 4353) and Richmond (FSR 667 and 720)

For the more updated information on wildfires in Montana, visit mtfireinfo.org.

UPDATE, AUG. 1:

The Colt Fire grew an additional 527 acres, burning 6,704 acres total with containment increased to 8%.

According to Inciweb, fire activity continued Monday due to increasing temperatures and decreasing relative humidity.

Fire crews continued holding efforts on all sides of the fire.

Crews held the fire line and looked out for hot spots on the southeast corner, helicopters cooled hot spots where necessary.

On the east side, personnel mopped up and put effort into raising containment along Forest Road 646, Colt/Uhler Road. Firefighters will resume holding, securing and mopping up Forest Road 646, Colt/Uhler Road.

Crews on the north side, crews and equipment worked to hold along the existing fire lines and resumed building control lines. Crews will work a mix of indirect line preparation along Forest Road 906, holding the existing lines and looking out for fire spots.

Crews on the west side took the chance on working on a direct fire line upslope from Colt Lake.

Aircraft dropped fire retardant to slow fire spread on the southwest corner, and will continue to be used in this area if necessary.

On the west side of the fire, there is a plan in place for access and indirect control line building on the west side of the fire, and according to Inciweb, "These plans will start to be implemented as crews can be shifted from other parts of the fire area."

On the south side, crews will be working on direct control line moving east to west while north of the West Fork of the Clearwater River.

A group will resume evaluating structure protection.

Evacuations and closures:

The Missoula County Sheriffs Office Evacuation Warning and Order summary:

Residents on Beaver Creek Road (near the summit) are under an Evacuation Warning.

Mile marker 31 (Beaver Creek Road at the intersection of Hwy 83) south towards Seeley Lake to mile marker 27, and including residences in Rovero Flats, are under an Evacuation Order.

Residences beginning at mile marker 27, south end of Rovero Flats, to mile marker 25.5 (the intersection of the West Fork of the Clearwater Road and Hwy 83) are under an Evacuation Warning.

Residences on the north and south ends of Lake Inez are under an Evacuation Warning. The east side of Lake Inez, along Hwy 83, is not under any Warning or Order.

If conditions rapidly change an Evacuation Order may be issued with no prior notice or warning. Home and property owners in the surrounding area should remain vigilant and prepared. Have an evacuation plan for family, pets, and livestock; sign up for emergency alerts at Smart911.com; and be familiar with the Missoula County evacuation process and what an order and warning means by clicking on the following link: https://www.missoulacounty.us/government/publicsafety/officeofemergencymanagement/evacuationinformation. For evolving Evacuations and Warnings please visit the Missoula County Sheriffs Office Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MissoulaCountySheriffsOffice .

The Lolo and Flathead National Forests have closed several forest roads, areas, and campgrounds near the fire area for public safety. The list of current closures includes:

Forest Road 906 (closed at Highway 83)

Rainy Lake Campground access road 4357 (closed at Highway 83)

Rainy Lake Campground

Alva Lake Campground access road (closed by gate at Highway 83)

Alva Lake Campground

Lakeside Campground access road (closed by gate at Highway 83)

Lakeside Campground

Lake Inez Campground

Forest Road 646 (closed at the junction of FSR 552; FSR 4354; Forest Road 552 (beyond the turn off to west side Lake Inez access

Forest Road 5407 and 463 closed beyond the West Side snowmobile trailhead (these roads access the Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Marshall Wildlife Management Area and Lake Marshall)

Temporarily closing the Forest System Road loops of the Clearwater (FSR 4370 and 4353) and Richmond (FSR 667 and 720)

UPDATE, JULY 30:

Containment on the Colt Fire grew to 6% by Sunday morning. Fire growth was reported, however, the exact figure is unavailable.

Moderate growth is expected Sunday with the fire moving through the heavy dead and down surface vegetation.

The following are the planned actions for Sunday, according to the Northern Rockies Team 1 update:

On the southeast corner of the fire personnel will continue firing operations and secure the line north of the West Fork of the Clearwater River and tie in with Forest Road 646 (Colt/Uhler Road).

Crews will continue to hold and mop up along the eastern control lines along Forest Road 646.

On the north side, crews will hold and secure the fire along Forest Road 4356 and look for opportunities for fire control line from Colt Lake to Beaver Lake.

North and South Structure Protection will assist with burning operations and holding operations on the east and southeast sides of the fire.

Structure Group remains ready to respond for structure protection as needed.

A night shift of engines and personnel will patrol and monitor fire conditions. Helicopters and airplanes will be used to drop water and retardant on the fire as needed.

The Missoula County Sheriffs Office has the following evacuations and closure orders in place:

Residents on Beaver Creek Road (near the summit) are under an Evacuation Warning.

Mile marker 31 (Beaver Creek Road at the intersection of Hwy 83) south towards Seeley Lake to mile marker 27, and including residences in Rovero Flats, are under an Evacuation Order.

Residences beginning at mile marker 27, south end of Rovero Flats, to mile marker 25.5 (the intersection of the West Fork of the Clearwater Road and Hwy 83) are under an Evacuation Warning.

Residences on the north and south ends of Lake Inez are under an Evacuation Warning. The east side of Lake Inez, along Hwy 83, is not under any Warning or Order.

UPDATE, JULY 29:

The Colt Fire is 5,475 acres large and 3% contained as of Saturday morning.

Fire behavior is expected to be moderate with the active fire edge moving through the heavy dead and down surface vegetation.

On Saturday, crews will hold and secure the eastern control lines along Forest Road 646 (Colt/Uhler Road) as well as on the north side of the fire where burning operations have taken place, according to the Northern Rockies Team 1.

On the southeast corner, crews will continue burning operations and work on securing that area and tying in with Road 646.

On the south side, crews will look for potential control features north of the West Fork of the Clearwater River.

To the north, the Heavy Equipment Task Force will continue working on control line preparation along the Beaver Creek Road.

South Structure Protection will conduct structure assessments and protection work at Lake Inez.

A night shift of engines and personnel will patrol and monitor fire conditions. Helicopters and airplanes will be used to drop water and retardant on the fire as needed.

The following evacuation and closures are in place by the Missoula County Sheriffs Office:

Residents on Beaver Creek Road (near the summit) are under an Evacuation Warning.

Mile marker 31 (Beaver Creek Road at the intersection of Hwy 83) south towards Seeley Lake to mile marker 27, and including residences in Rovero Flats, are under an Evacuation Order.

Residences beginning at mile marker 27, south end of Rovero Flats, to mile marker 25.5 (the intersection of the West Fork of the Clearwater Road and Hwy 83) are under an Evacuation Warning.

Residences on the north and south ends of Lake Inez are under an Evacuation Warning. The east side of Lake Inez, along Hwy 83, is not under any Warning or Order

UPDATE, JULY 28:

Pilots are being reminded of a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) in the area of the Colt Fire.

The closure is for firefighting aircraft to safely work the fire. In addition, the Condon air strip has been closed for general aviation as it is being used as a firefighting helicopter base.

Overnight, the Colt Fire was estimated to have grown to 5,252 acres, according to an update from the Northern Rockies Team 1.

Fire behavior Friday is expected to be low to moderate with the active fire edge moving through the heavy dead and down surface vegetation. Torching and spotting are possible in the subalpine fir and lodgepole pine.

Fridays planned actions include:

Crews will continue burning operations along Forest Road 646 (Colt/Uhler Road) to secure the north and east flanks of the fire.

On the south side, crews will continue to secure the spot fires, construct direct hand line towards the west, and assess road systems for potential control features near the West Fork of the Clearwater River.

A Heavy Equipment Task Force and crews will continue working on vegetation removal and control line preparation along the Beaver Creek Road on the north side of the fire.

South Structure Protection will continue structure assessments and protection work at Lake Inez.

A night shift of engines and personnel will patrol and monitor fire conditions. Helicopters will be used to drop water on the fire as needed and where they can be most effective

The following are current evacuations and closures from the Missoula County Sheriffs Office:

Residents on Beaver Creek Road (near the summit) are under an Evacuation Warning.

Mile marker 31 (Beaver Creek Road at the intersection of Hwy 83) south towards Seeley Lake to mile marker 27, and including residences in Rovero Flats, are under an Evacuation Order.

Residences beginning at mile marker 27, south end of Rovero Flats, to mile marker 25.5 (the intersection of the West Fork of the Clearwater Road and Hwy 83) are under an Evacuation Warning.

Residences on the north and south ends of Lake Inez are under an Evacuation Warning. The east side of Lake Inez, along Hwy 83, is not under any Warning or Order.

UPDATE, JULY 27 AT 9:56 AM:

The Colt Fire has grown more than 500 acres since Tuesday, for a total of 4,937 acres burned. Fire containment is at 0% Thursday.

An update from the Northern Rockies Incident Management Team 1 says fire activity remained moderate on Wednesday even as temperatures started trending a few degrees warmer and relative humidity levels started dropping a few points lower.

Temperatures in the area of the fire are expected to range from mid60s to high70s Thursday depending on the location of the fire, with relative humidity levels as low as 20%.

Fire behavior is expected to be moderate.

Crews will be doing the following planned actions Thursday, according to the update:

Crews will continue to secure the spot fires on the east flank of the fire and continue to burn ground vegetation in select locations between the fires edge and Forest Road 646 (Colt/Uhler Road).

On the south side, crews will work to hold fire spread by constructing direct hand line where appropriate and continue to assess road systems as potential control features near the West Fork of the Clearwater River.

On the north side of the fire a Heavy Equipment Task Force and crews will continue working on vegetation removal and control line preparation along the Beaver Creek Road.

The north and south Structure Protection Groups will conduct structure assessments, remove fuels, and install water handling equipment where needed. Helicopters will be used to drop water on the fire and have been very effective when needed.

As fire suppression work continues, firefighter and public safety remain the number one priority.

The following evacuations and closures are in place by the Missoula County Sheriffs Office:

Residents on Beaver Creek Road (near the summit) are under an Evacuation Warning.

Mile marker 31 (Beaver Creek Road at the intersection of Hwy 83) south towards Seeley Lake to mile marker 27, and including residences in Rovero Flats, are under an Evacuation Order.

Residences beginning at mile marker 27, south end of Rovero Flats, to mile marker 25.5 (the intersection of the West Fork of the Clearwater Road and Hwy 83) are under an Evacuation Warning.

Residences on the north and south ends of Lake Inez are under an Evacuation Warning. The east side of Lake Inez, along Hwy 83, is not under any Warning or Order.

UPDATE, JULY 26 AT 9:55 AM:

A dry cold front along with cooler temperatures and lighter winds provided for moderate fire activity in the area of the Colt Fire the last couple of days.

An update on the size of the fire was not provided Wednesday morning as cloud cover prevented an overnight infrared mapping flight from gathering information.

Fire behavior is expected to be moderate Wednesday as personnel continue working on securing spot fires on the east flank and begin to burn ground vegetation in select locations between the fires edge and Forest Road 646 (Colt/Uhler Road), an update from the Northern Rockies Incident Management Team 1 said.

At this time, the following forest roads, areas and campgrounds near the fire area have been closed:

Forest Road 906 (closed at Highway 83)

Rainy Lake Campground access road 4357 (closed at Highway 83)

Rainy Lake Campground

Alva Lake Campground access road (closed by gate at Highway 83)

Alva Lake Campground

Lakeside Campground access road (closed by gate at Highway 83)

Lakeside Campground

Lake Inez Campground

Forest Road 646 (closed at the junction of FSR 552; FSR 4354; Forest Road 552 (beyond the turn off to west side Lake Inez access

Forest Road 5407 and 463 closed beyond the West Side snowmobile trailhead (these roads access the Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Marshall Wildlife Management Area and Lake Marshall)

Temporarily closing the Forest System Road loops of the Clearwater (FSR 4370 and 4353) and Richmond (FSR 667 and 720)

The Missoula County Sheriffs Office has issued the following evacuation warnings and orders:

Residents on Beaver Creek Road (near the summit) are under an Evacuation Warning.

Mile marker 31 (Beaver Creek Road at the intersection of Hwy 83) south towards Seeley Lake to mile marker 27, and including residences in Rovero Flats, are under an Evacuation Order.

Residences beginning at mile marker 27, south end of Rovero Flats, to mile marker 25.5 (the intersection of the West Fork of the Clearwater Road and Hwy 83) are under an Evacuation Warning.

Residences on the north and south ends of Lake Inez are under an Evacuation Warning. The east side of Lake Inez, along Hwy 83, is not under any Warning or Order.

UPDATE: Tuesday, July 25 at 2:19 p.m.

The Colt Fire is burning an 4,390 acres as of Tuesday and remains 0% contained.

Fire personnel will be leading a public meeting Tuesday from 78 p.m. at the Seeley Lake Elementary School gym.

The meeting will be streaming online via the Colt Fire Facebook page.

UPDATE: Monday, July 24 at 11:08 a.m.

The Colt Fire has nearly doubled in size Monday, now burning nearly 3,000 acres.

According to Inciweb, the Colt Fire is 2,927 acres big and is still zeropercent contained as of Monday morningthe size of the fire grew by 1,352 acres within two days.

The fire is lightningcaused.

Sunday fire activity was moderate with faint winds and stable air in the area, according to Inciweb.

More fire crews and equipment are responding to the fire.

Crews resumed placing an indirect fire line along Forest Road 646, northeast area of the fire, by clearing out brush and ground vegetation.

In the south, west and north areas, personnel were scoping out road systems for access and opportunities to build direct or indirect fire lines.

The Structure Protection team were doing assessments and preparations for sturcture protection along Highway 83 and near the lakes south and east of the fire.

Air crews were scooping water on areas of the fire.

The National Weather Service put out a Red Flag warning in place from 2 p.m. to midnight Mondaypilots and public boaters on Seeley Lake and Lindbuergh Lake are asked to keep away from firefighter aircrafts when they are scooping water from lakes.

Inciweb said crews finished clearing brush ground vegetation and improved access along Forest Road 646.

Crews will be working on the north and south parts of the fire to open existing roads and start building fire lines in places with high chances of containing the fire.

According to Inciweb, north side of the fire is demonstrating more difficulties for access the Structure Protection team is continuing structure assessments and preparations.

Aircraft will keep scooping water depending on if the flying conditions are still safe.

With the Red Flag warning in place, fire personnel will be assessing escape routes and safety zones with an increased awareness of fluctuating weather and fire activity.

Weather conditions are forecasted with low humidity levels at 30 percent and strong winds of 20 milesperhour with 30 mileperhour wind gusts blowing over the fire area.

The following evacuations are in place, according to Inciweb:

Residents on Beaver Creek Road (near the summit) are under an Evacuation Warning.

Mile marker 31 (Beaver Creek Road at the intersection of Hwy 83) south towards Seeley Lake to mile marker 27, and including residences in Rovero Flats, are under an Evacuation Order.

Residences beginning at mile marker 27, south end of Rovero Flats, to mile marker 25.5 (the intersection of the West Fork of the Clearwater Road and Hwy 83) are under an Evacuation Warning.

Residences on the north and south ends of Lake Inez are under an Evacuation Warning. The east side of Lake Inez, along Hwy 83, is not under any Warning or Order.

The following closures are in place:

Forest Road 906 (closed at Highway 83)

Rainy Lake Campground access road 4357 (closed at Highway 83)

Rainy Lake Campground

Alva Lake Campground access road (closed by gate at Highway 83)

Alva Lake Campground

Lakeside Campground access road (closed by gate at Highway 83)

Lakeside Campground

Forest Road 646 (closed at the junction of FSR 552; FSR 4354; Forest Road 552 (beyond the turn off to west side Lake Inez access

Forest Road 5507 and 463 closed beyond the West Side snowmobile trailhead (these roads access the Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Marshall Wildlife Management Area and Lake Marshall)

Temporarily closing the Forest System Road loops of the Clearwater (FSR 4370 and 4353) and Richmond (FSR 667 and 720)

UPDATE: Monday, July 24 at 9:29 a.m.

Smoke was moving through several valleys Sunday night and into Monday morning due to the Colt Fire burning northwest of Seeley Lake.

Air quality is at unhealthy conditions from Lake Inez through Condon Monday morning.

Missoula CityCounty Air Quality Specialist Sarah Coefield said in a release air quality in Seely Lake is overall moderate to unhealthy for sensitive groups.

The smoke drifted all the way down to the Potomac Valley where air quality is at unhealthy for sensitive groups, and reached the Mission Valley where air quality sits at unhealthy for sensitive groups.

"Due to overhead smoke mixing down to the valley floors, air quality for those near the Colt Fire may get a bit worse this morning before it gets better," Coefield said in the release.

However, Coefield said the air quality is expected to get better by Monday afternoon.

"The high pressure ridge that caused our hot temperatures these last several days is breaking down and that will create a turbulent atmosphere, which means air will be more capable of moving up and down and shaking it all around. For the short term, this is good, because it means smoke should easily lift out of the valleys by this afternoon and folks should see decent air quality."

But, Cofield said there will be heavy winds a significant portion of Monday afternoon and a lot of Tuesday.

A red flag warning is in place over the Colt Fire, with winds picking up over the course of Monday from the south, southwest and west.

Coefield said fire activity and a big column of smoke is expectedfast winds may be heading towards the Bob Marshall Wilderness.

Smoke is expected to impact the Highway 83 corridor, and northwest breezes are expected to push smoke to Seeley and Salmon lakes. Southerly winds are likely to spread the fire north bringing more overnight smoke into the Swan Valley, Coefield said.

In Missoula, Frenchtown, Lolo, air quality improving is based on how the weather affects the fires in Idaho.

"One of the smoke models thinks the Little Bear Fire is going to get feisty and send smoke to Lolo. The Little Bear Fire has been slowly fiddling around in a previously burned over area, but based on heat detections, it has started picking up acreage. It may see enough wind and activity today to send smoke our way, so keep an eye out," Coefield said.

The Little Bear Fire has been increasing acreage, and there may be enough wind to push smoke towards the Missoula area.

Coefield said the general haze throughout Missoula County is due to fires burning in the region and is fluctuating air quality from good to moderate Monday morning; but, Coefield said the air quality should not be a huge worry by Monday afternoon.

UPDATE, JULY 23:

Another 500 acres have been burned by the Colt Fire overnight Saturday, making the fire a total of 1,575 acres in size.

As of Sunday afternoon, containment on the fire is still at 0% and the fire is active on all sides.

Brent Olsons Northern Rockies Complex Incident Management Team 1 assumed command of the fire Sunday morning and additional fire personnel and equipment have been arriving and are being integrated into fire operations.

The National Weather Service has issued a Fire Weather Watch for Monday, July 24.

The Northern Rockies Complex Incident Management Team 1 warns that hot, dry, and windy conditions may lead to critical fire weather conditions on existing or new fires.

The Missoula County Sheriffs Office have issued the following evacuation warnings and evacuation orders:

Residences on Beaver Creek Road (near the summit) are under an Evacuation Warning

Mile marker 31 (Beaver Creek Road at the intersection of Hwy 83) south towards Seeley Lake to mile marker 27, and including residences in Rovero Flats, are under Evacuation Order

Residences beginning at mile marker 27, south end of Rovero Flats, to mile marker 25.5 (the intersection of the West Fork of the Clearwater Road and Hwy 83) are under Evacuation Warning. USFS has issued emergency closures of Rainy Lake Campground and the main Lake Alva Campground and Lakeside at Alva

Residences on the north and south ends of Lake Inez are under an Evacuation Warning. The east side of Lake Inez, along Hwy 83, is not under any Warning or Order

The Red Cross shelter at the Ovando church is going on standby.

If you are evacuated due to the Colt Fire and need shelter, you can call the Red Cross at (406) 2151514.

The following are the planned actions for Sunday according to the Northern Rockies Complex Incident Management Team 1:

Crews will work on clearing vegetation along the Colt and Beaver Creek Roads to improve fuel break areas. On the south and east areas of the fire, personnel and crews will be looking for direct and indirect opportunities to prepare containment lines and fuel breaks. Direct and indirect fire suppression tactics will be assessed and prepared to be implemented as fire conditions allow. Structure protection assessments and preparations will continue. As new crews arrive, they will be safely orientated to the fire area and begin working where safe to do so. Firefighter and public safety are the number one priority as this fire response transitions into longer duration suppression work. Air resources will be used as needed to slow fire spread and cool down areas of heat.

UPDATE, JULY 22 AT 5:00 PM:

An evacuation warning has been issued for residents on the east side of Lake Inez, specifically those residences on Beargrass Ln. and West Lake Way.

Residents are being warned that due to the possibility of rapidly changing conditions, an evacuation order may be issued with no prior warning.

The Missoula County Sheriffs Office is asking people to not stop along Highway 83 for the safety of firefighters and first responders.

Missoula County 911 reports that the Red Cross shelter at the Ovando church is on standby due to lack of demand.

If you are evacuated due to the Colt Fire and need shelter, you can call the Red Cross at (406) 2151514.

UPDATE, JULY 22 AT 10:38 AM:

Overnight, the Colt Fire has grown to about 1,000 acres as active fire behavior continues on all sides.

Predicted burning conditions anticipate the fire to continue to grow, the Montana DNRC reported.

Ground crews are continuing to perform structure protection northeast of the fire while aviation resources continue suppression efforts by cooling hotspots and slowing the fires rate of spread.

An Evacuation Order is still in place for residents along Highway 83, between mile marker 27 and 31(Rainy Lake to Summit Lake).

An evacuation warning has also been issued for residents along Highway 83, between mile marker 15.5 and 27.

Those evacuated due to the fire can go to a Red Cross shelter that has been set up at the Blackfoot Community Bible Church in Ovando at 209 Birch St..

A Complex Incident Management Team will be inbriefed Saturday to assume command of the fire Sunday.

Multiple aviation resources including four CL415 super scoopers,one very large air tanker, and multiple large air tankers. Fire managers are using all available tools to suppress the, for lives, homes, property.

People are being reminded to not fly drones while crews are working on a fire after a drone incursion happened in the area Friday.

It is a criminal misdemeanor in Montana to fly drones that interfere with fire suppression efforts, with a fine of up to $1,500 and the potential of being charged with firefighting costs.

According to the Montana DNRC, the following are the planned actions for Saturday:

Crews will continue working along Colt Road, clearing vegetation, and creating a stronger fuel break.

Engine crews will continue structure assessment in the Summit Lake housing area.

Incoming resources will start clearing vegetation along the Beaver Creek Rd.

Aviation resources will continue suppression efforts by cooling hotspots and slowing the fires rate of spread.

The Missoula CityCounty Health Department is donating air purifiers to daycare, nursing homes and community businesses as the fire season begins.

UPDATE, JULY 21 AT 6:00 PM:

Red Cross has been contacted and is working to secure a location for those evacuated by the Colt Fire, according to the Missoula County Sheriff's Office.

If you have questions, you may contact them at 1800REDCROSS or, in Montana, at 4062151514.

UPDATE, JULY 21 AT 3:45 PM:

Residents along Highway 83, between mile marker 27 and mile marker 31 (Rainy Lake to Summit Lake) have been ordered to immediately leave the area.

The Missoula County Sheriff's Office is reporting incident conditions present an immediate threat to people in the area.

For evacuation information, you can call 2584636.

UPDATE, JULY 21:

An evacuation warning has been issued for residents along Highway 83, between mile marker 27 and mile marker 31 (Rainy Lake to Summit Lake) due to the Colt Fire.

The Missoula County Sheriff's Office is warning the conditions can change quickly and that if fire activity increases, emergency personnel may not be able to make personal notifications.

InciWeb is reporting the Colt Fire grew to about 200 acres Friday due to late afternoon fire conditions.

Crews reengaged the fire Friday morning after having to back off due to the increased activity.

A Complex Incident Management Team has been ordered to manage the fire and will be debriefed Saturday and take formal control of the fire Sunday.

As of Friday afternoon, the fire is not contained and is active.

SEELEY LAKE, Mont. - A 15 acre fire is burning in dense timber northwest of Seeley Lake.

The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation reports the Colt Fire was detected July 18 and is burning about 15 miles northwest of Seeley Lake. It was reportedly started by lightning.

At this time, the fire is on land managed by the Lolo National Forest but under Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation fire protection and is currently 0% contained.

Firefighters are working the perimeter of the fire with chainsaws to create a break in fuels (saw line)and finding success with aerial resources committed to the fire.

No structures are threatened and no evacuations are in place, however, the public is being told to avoid the Beaver Lake and Colt Lake areas where crews are actively working.
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.
(The Center Square)  A Montana judge ruled the rights of 16 young climate activists have been violated by the state by depriving them of a clean environment from continued fossil fuel development.

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen plans on appealing District Court Judge Kathy Seeley's ruling, a spokesperson told The Center Square.

The [Montana Environmental Policy Act] Limitation is unconstitutionally contributing to the depletion and degradation of Montanas environment and natural resources and contributing to Plaintiffs injuries," Seeley wrote in the ruling announced on Monday. "The MEPA Limitation deprives Plaintiffs of their constitutionally guaranteed rights.

The current barriers to implementing renewable energy systems are not technical or economic, but social and political," the judge continued. "Such barriers primarily result from government policies that slow down and inhibit the transition to renewables, and laws that allow utilization of fossil fuel development and preclude a faster transition to a clean, renewable energy system.

Attorney Barbara Chillcott of Western Environmental Law Center, which was involved in this case, called it incredibly gratifying that a court recognize the impact of harmful energy policies on people of all ages.

Judge Seeleys ruling underscores the reality that Montanas government is actively working to undermine our constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment, Chillcott said in a press release. Despite the states attempts to avoid any responsibility, the courts decision affirms that the state has the discretion to deny permits for fossil fuel activities that would result in unconstitutional levels of greenhouse gas emissions, unconstitutional degradation, and depletion of Montanas environment and natural resources, or infringement of the constitutional rights of Montanans and Youth Plaintiffs.

Chilcott added that this ruling sets a precedent for other climate cases in the nation, while at the same time gives these youth plaintiffs some hope for a better future.

Emily Flower, Knudsen's spokeswoman, called the ruling absurd and the trial a weeklong taxpayer-funded publicity stunt put on by the plaintiffs attorneys.

Montanans cant be blamed for changing the climate  even the plaintiffs expert witnesses agreed that our state has no impact on the global climate, Flower told The Center Square. Their same legal theory has been thrown out of federal court and courts in more than a dozen states.

Flower said it should have been tossed in Montana as well, but plaintiffs found an ideological judge who bent over backward to allow the case to move forward and earn herself a spot in their next documentary.
HELENA, Mont. - History is being made again in the Treasure State as a judge sides with young Montana activities that say state agencies were violating their constitutional rights to a clean and healthy environment by permitting fossil fuel development without considering effects on the climate.

In a 103-page decision, Judge Kathy Seeley agreed with them.

To recap, this all started back in March of 2020 when 16 Montana youth filed a complaint.

Fast-forward to 2023 to the trial, the lawsuit was brought by those young activists to protect their equal rights to a healthy environment, life, dignity, and freedom as they feel their government is continually promoting and supporting fossil fuel extraction and burning; in turn making the climate crisis worse and harming them.

The youth didn't seek money in the case, instead today's ruling declared state laws prohibiting Montana agencies from considering climate change or greenhouse gas emissions when permitting fossil fuel activities unconstitutional.

This simply means the legislative and executive branches will now be responsible to prince their polices into compliance.

Julia Olson, Chief Legal Counsel and Executive Director with Our Childrens Trust said, "Todays ruling in Montana is a game-changer that marks a turning point in this generations efforts to save the planet from the devastating effects of human-caused climate chaos. This is a huge win for Montana, for youth, for democracy, and for our climate. More rulings like this will certainly come."

While Emily Flower, a spokeswoman with Montana Attorney General Austin Knusden said, "This ruling is absurd, but not surprising from a judge who let the plaintiffs attorneys put on a weeklong taxpayer-funded publicity stunt that was supposed to be a trial. Montanans cant be blamed for changing the climate  even the plaintiffs expert witnesses agreed that our state has no impact on the global climate. Their same legal theory has been thrown out of federal court and courts in more than a dozen states. It should have been here as well, but they found an ideological judge who bent over backward to allow the case to move forward and earn herself a spot in their next documentary."

The state has 60 days to decide whether to appeal the decision to the Montana Supreme court, Flowers says the state will appeal.

To read more from Our Children's Trust, click here.
Angus Cloud reportedly did not leave a suicide note before his shock death aged 25.

Angus Cloud reportedly did not leave a suicide note before his shock death aged 25

The Euphoria stars family confirmed he had died at the end of July after intensely struggling with the loss of his father, who they buried the week before Angus passing, and TMZ is reporting he left no message at the scene of the actors death at his home in Oakland, California.

Multiple law enforcement sources told the outlet that they did not find a note, which seemingly supports the claim that he accidentally overdosed while grieving the loss of his father.

An official cause of death has yet to be revealed.

After the actor died his family released a statement that seemed to indicate he had taken his own life.

But his mum Lisa Cloud later told fans that the actors last day was a joyful one and insisted he did not intend to check out of this world.

The familys initial statement said: 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.

In a follow-up post on Facebook, Lisa added: Although my son was in deep grief about his fathers untimely death from mesothelioma, his last day was a joyful one.

He was reorganising his room and placing items around the house with intent to stay a while in the home he loved.

He spoke of his intent to help provide for his sisters at college, and also help his mom emotionally and financially.

Lisa also said they said goodnight to each other before he died, saying we said how much we loved each other and he said he would see me in the morning.

Lisa placed a 911 call around 11.30am to report a possible overdose, saying her son had no pulse, and he was pronounced dead at the scene on 31 July.

Angus Euphoria co-star Zendaya, 26, paid tribute to him by sharing a black and white photo of the actor online and saying in reference to his birth name: Words are not enough to describe the infinite beauty that is Angus (Conor.)

Im so grateful I got the chance to know him in this life, to call him a brother, to see his warm kind eyes and bright smile, or hear his infectious cackle of a laugh (Im smiling now just thinking of it.)

I know people use this expression often when talking about folks they lovethey could light up any room they entered but boy let me tell you, he was the best at it. Id like to remember him that way. For all of the boundless light, love and joy he always managed to give us. Ill cherish every moment.
MBABANE  All industries in the country are expected to treat all public holidays equally.

According to the 2023 Regulations of Wages Orders, workers should not be forced to work during holidays unless they will be pay double the usual rate. The regulations were announced by the Minister of Labour and Social Security, Phila Buthelezi, during the announcement of the 2023 legal notices of the Regulations of Wages Order. This announcement from government comes after years whereby tens of thousands of workers in the private sector were deprived the enjoyment of some public holidays. The workers in question were those from the 18 industries that are regulated by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

Industries

These industries include manufacturing and processing industry, funeral undertakers, motor engineering trades, forestry and forest industry, retail, hairdressing, wholesale and distributive trades industry, mining and quarrying industry, hotel and catering industry, domestic employees industry, media industry, support employees in schools and educational institutions, transport industry and agricultural industry among others. One major highlight in this years Regulations of Wages Orders is the removal of the table of public holidays that were said to be either recognised or not recognised by that particular sector or industry as it has been the case for a long time now, he said. The minister explained that legal advice that was obtained from the Attorney Generals Office was to the effect that it is not within the purview of the Wages Councils to pick and choose from among the lawfully designated public holidays.

He said this was because the declaration of public holidays was done through a distinct legislation, which is the Public Holidays Act No. 71 of 1938 by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Buthelezi added that the AGs Office advised that once a public holiday was so declared, it was not given to anyone else to say they did not recognise a particular public holiday as doing so would be unlawful. For that reason, the minister said all public holidays were treated equally in the country and every sector or industry was expected to comply. The minister said in cases where an employer seriously needed employees to work during a public holiday, that employer would be expected to compensate the employees. The compensation would be a double pay rate or reimbursement in the form of two days off. The minister urged employers, mostly those in the sectors where they were not observing some of the public holidays, to comply with the law.

Commemorated

Some of the holidays that were not recognised by most of the 18 industries are National Flag Day, which is commemorated on April 25, Ascension Day commemorated of May 18 and the King Sobhuza Day, which is commemorated on July 22. During this years National Flag Day holiday, the minister paid a surprise visit to The Fridge Factory in Matsapha following complaints of working on a public holiday by the employees. Most industries at the time were not privy to the information that industries were supposed to observe public holidays. During a press conference yesterday, Buthelezi said his ministry had made it official that employees should not be forced to work on holidays. The Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) Secretary General (SG) Mduduzi Gina said they were pleased to note that there was at least coherence between the two government ministries, which are the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

He said public holidays were regulated by the Ministry of Home Affairs, therefore, it was a bit confusing that the regulator would announce a public holiday and then there would be another government ministry that would not recognise them. We are pleased that finally there is coherence between the ministries, he said. Gina went on to encourage parties at the shop floor to engage each other and come up with agreements that suite them in terms of the observation of any public holiday. He explained that there were some industries that couldnt afford to be off duty during public holidays, such as transport workers and the media. He said a collective agreement was crucial to be reached by parties. The negotiations, however, do not stop employers from paying workers according to the law once an employee works during a public holiday, he said.
Matt Goss has considered moving back to Las Vegas.

Matt Goss has thought about moving back to Las Vegas

The 54-year-old star - who is best known as a member of 1980s pop group Bros alongside his twin brother Luke and their friend Craig Logan - lived in Sin City for a decade before relocating back to his native London in 2021 after enjoying a string of residencies but "hasn't ruled out" the idea of going back.

He told The Sun newspaper's Bizarre column: "I havent ruled out going back to Vegas and I might do some spot shows I was at the Mirage, and I might go to Caesars."

Meanwhile, the 'When Will I Be Famous?' hitmaker went on to tease that he has a new track coming out later this month and wants fans to use it as a form of escapism amid the cost-of-living crisis as he claimed he wants to be known as the "optimist" of the UK.

He added: "I have a record at the end of this month. Its a deep, deep soul track. As a pop star, youve got to give it some and I want to go out and lift peoples energy. I dont want people thinking about their f****** bills and their problems. Its so depressing. I want to be this countrys optimist."

During his heyday in the 1980s pop group, Matt and his bandmates created a trend for wearing ripped jeans and lager bottle tops in shoes and he went on to tease that as well as solo music, he is now set to explore the world of fashion.

He said: "Im going to get into fashion as well. It is very, very exciting and theres a collaboration Im about to do. And it is one of the most exciting things for me, because I love fashion.
Donald Trump could be facing criminal charges including conspiracy to commit forgery.

Donald Trump could be facing criminal charges including conspiracy to commit forgery

The accusations against the 77-year-old former US president appeared on a document on the Fulton County Court website on Monday (14.08.23), but it was later taken down.

Other charges listed in the filing included violation of the states RICO act, and solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer.

The document was dated 14 August and labelled the case as open, but it is unclear why the charges were first detailed in a filing and then removed.

Trump may be jailed for a maximum of 55 years in prison if found guilty of the four criminal charges against him related to the 6 January Capitol riot and his alleged plot to stay in power

A spokesperson for the district attorney said on Monday it was inaccurate that charges had been filed.

They added: Beyond that we cannot comment.

District attorney Fani Willis has been investigating for more than two years whether Trump and his allies tried to overturn the 2020 election.

Trump narrowly lost to Joe Biden in Georgia and his lawyers, including former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, and made false claims of election fraud, with audio of a call by Trump to Georgias secretary of state emerging in January 2021 in which he suggested election officials could find the votes he needed to win.

The full charges listed in the document posted online on Monday were Violation of the Georgia Rico (Racketeer Influenced And Corrupt Organizations) Act as well as Solicitation of Violation of Oath by Public Officer.

Also listed was Conspiracy to Commit False Statements and Writings and Conspiracy to Commit Forgery in the First Degree.

It comes after a US judge warned Trump not to make inflammatory statements that could intimidate witnesses ahead of his trial on four known criminal charges of allegedly plotting to overturn the 2020 US election.

Trump was arraigned for a record third time on 1 August and has pled not guilty to the charges so far levelled against him.

Lawyers for Trump and federal prosecutors appeared in a federal courtroom on Friday (11.08.23) morning to discuss what restrictions could be imposed before his trial, where he was slapped with restrictions on what he could say before the proceedings.

US District Judge Tanya Chutkan warned Trumps team: Even arguably ambiguous statements by the parties or their counsel  if they can be reasonably interpreted to intimidate witnesses or to prejudice potential jurors  can threaten the process.

I caution you and your client to take special care in your public statements about this case. I will take whatever measures are necessary to safeguard the integrity of these proceedings.

Trump has denied his involvement in the events of 6 January that saw his supporters storm the Capitol Building in Washington D.C., leaving five people dead and others injured.
Donald Trump sent a furious rant to his fans about an accidental leak  before court officials admitted charges against him posted online were fictitious.

Donald Trump sent a furious rant to his fans about an accidental leak  before court officials admitted charges against him posted online were fictitious

A document outlining charges against the 77-year-old ahead of his upcoming trial over the 2020 US presidential election appeared on a document on the Fulton County Court website on Monday (14.08.23), but it was later taken down.

The Office of the Fulton County Clerk of Superior and Magistrate Courts has now issued a statement saying that a fictitious document had been shared online.

It added they had learned of a fictitious document that has been circulated online and reported by various media outlets related to The Fulton County Special Purpose Grand Jury.

A statement said: While there have been no documents filed today regarding such, all members of the media should be reminded that documents that do not bear an official case number, filing date, and the name of The Clerk of Courts, in concert, are not considered official filings and should not be treated as such, the court said.

They added media members can expect to be notified of any/all filings in real-time and will be provided access to filings via equitable communication.

Trump ranted and raved about what he claimed was accidentally filed charges against him in an email to supporters asking for money amidst his ever-mounting legal woes.

In an email to supporters Trump raged: As reported by Reuters, the Fulton County District Attorney just accidentally filed CHARGES against me in the Georgia Witch Hunt  and then DELETED them from the court website!... But dont worry  even though they deleted the evidence, we still have a RECORD!

The Grand Jury testimony has not even FINISHED  but its clear the District Attorney has already decided how this case will end. They are trying to rob me of my right to due process.

This is an absolute DISGRACE. These rabid left-wing prosecutors dont care about uncovering the truth. They dont care about administering justice or upholding the rule of law.

They want me BEHIND BARS for the rest of my life as an innocent man and will do anything in their power to get their way. I still cannot believe that this is happening in the United States of America.

Our country is being run into the ground by the most incompetent and corrupt people in history. We MUST Save America  and 2024 truly is our final chance.

America needs YOU more than ever before.

In a plea for donations for his legal case he urged: Please make a contribution to show that you will NEVER SURRENDER our country to tyranny as the Deep State thugs try to JAIL me for life.

A US judge warned Trump on Friday (11.08.23) not to make inflammatory statements that could intimidate witnesses ahead of his trial on four known criminal charges of allegedly plotting to overturn the 2020 US election.

Trump was arraigned for a record third time on 1 August and has pled not guilty to the charges that have been levelled against him.

The former Apprentice judge has denied his involvement in the events of 6 January that saw his supporters storm the Capitol Building in Washington D.C., leaving five people dead and others injured.
Game of Thrones star Darren Kent has died aged 36.

Game of Thrones star Darren Kent has died aged 36

The British-born actor played a goat-herder in HBOs smash fantasy series and passed away last week following a long health battle, after he was pictured looking shockingly thin in social media posts alongside friends and fellow GoT stars including Emilia Clarke.

His death was announced by his agent, Carey Dodd Associates, which said on Facebook: It is with deep sadness we have to tell you that our dear friend and client Darren Kent passed away peacefully on Friday. (11.08.23)

His parents and best friend by his side. Our thoughts and love are with his family in this difficult time.

Darren was not only a talented actor, director and writer, he was truly one of the kindest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.

It has been a privilege and pleasure to have been a part of his journey. RIP my friend.

No cause of death was given.

Darren also appeared alongside Kristen Stewart in Snow White and the Huntsman and played Scott the builder in two episodes of BBC Ones EastEnders.

Actor David Streames said on Facebook alongside a picture of him with frail Darren dressed in a Superman outfit: Ive really been putting this moment off as I cant believe that Im having to pay tribute to my wonderful lovely friend Darren Kent.

Ive already read so many beautiful tributes from so many people that love and respect this amazing human being.

He was a total inspiration to me and to many others.

Ive had the honour of working and collaborating with him on many occasions but the biggest honour was to be his friend.

The list of things I could say are endless.

Sending lots of love to Debbie Harper, Colin and Luke Harper and the whole family.

I am going to miss you Darren and as you always said at the end of your texts and voicemails, I love you buddy.

You really were a Superman.

Darren won Best Actor in the Van DOr Awards for his role in Sunnyboy.
Madonna has reportedly restarted rehearsals for her postponed Celebration Tour.

Madonna has reportedly restarted rehearsals for her postponed Celebration Tour

The Queen of Pop, 64, has been recovering at her New York home after she was hospitalised on 24 June with a serious bacterial infection  sparking the cancellation of her much-hyped greatest hits shows.

But The Sun has reported she has once again set up camp at the Nassau Coliseum in New York and booked out the venue for two months for her rehearsals.

Music insiders added she has hired a top-secret UK venue to rehearse in ahead of her first night at London's O2 Arena on 14 October.

A source told the newspaper: She is very much still in recovery but Madonna has been chomping at the bit to get back to rehearsals.

Not only has she hired the Coliseum in New York but she's also hired out a second venue in London for the final week of dress rehearsals.

Normally she would like to have the final week in the same venue she kicks off in. But due to BLINK-182s comeback gigs at the O2, her team wont be able to get access until the day before.

The Sun said the schedule conflict means perfectionist Madonna will have less than two days before lights down to perfect the show.

Madonna told fans in July  a month after she was hospitalised with a serious bacterial infection  she was lucky to be alive.

She said in an Instagram post alongside three photos, including one of her holding a present from her manager Guy Oseary of a framed polaroid taken by Andy Warhol of artist Keith Haring: Love from family and friends is the best Medicine. One month out of the hospital and I can reflect.

As a Mother you can really get caught up In the needs Of your children and the seemingly endless giving.. But when the chips were down my children really showed up for me. I saw a side to them I had never seen before. It made all the difference.

So did the love and support from my friends. If you zoom into this Picture I am holding You will see A Polaroid taken by Andy Warhol of Keith Haring wearing a jacket with Michael Jacksons face painted on it. A perfect triangle of Brilliance.

Artist who touched so many lives including my own.

I sobbed when I opened this gift because I realized how lucky I am to be alive. And how fortunate I am to have known these people and so many others who are also gone.

Thank you @guyoseary for this gift! And Thank you to all my angels who protected me and let me Stay to finish doing my work! (red heart emoji.)

Mum-of-six Madonna was rushed to hospital after being found unresponsive in her New York home.

It was later rumoured she had exhausted herself while training for her Celebration Tour.
Donald Trump believes he's the victim of a political "witch hunt".

Donald Trump has been hit with more charges

The 77-year-old billionaire and 18 others have been charged in a 41-count indictment for alleged attempts to overturn the result of the US election in 2020 - but Trump has already taken to social media to rubbish the allegations and to question the integrity of the legal process.

The businessman - who served as the 45th US President between 2017 and 2021 - wrote on Truth Social: "So, the Witch Hunt continues! 19 people Indicated tonight, including the former President of the United States, me, by an out of control and very corrupt District Attorney who campaigned and raised money on, I will get Trump. And what about those Indictment Documents put out today, long before the Grand Jury even voted, and then quickly withdrawn? Sounds Rigged to me! Why didnt they Indict 2.5 years ago? Because they wanted to do it right in the middle of my political campaign. Witch Hunt! (sic)"

Trump's statement referenced a document that appeared on the Fulton County Court's website before the charges were formally announced.

In July, meanwhile, Trump claimed to be the victim of a "coordinated hoax".

The businessman took to social media to blast special counsel Jack Smith and Attorney General Merrick Garland, after being given a trial date for his alleged mishandling of classified documents and being indicted for allegedly working to overturn the result of the 2020 election.

He said on Truth Social: "Just think of it! Between Mueller, Deranged Jack Smith, and Congressional Committees, over 100 Million Dollars has been spent investigating me since I came down the escalator in Trump Tower (sic)"

Trump also slammed current president Joe Biden, and warned Republicans that "they are trying to steal the election".

Trump - who plans to run in the next US election in 2024 - wrote: "Biden is a criminal, and almost no money, by comparison, has been spent investigating him. Get smart, Republicans, they are trying to steal the Election from you! (sic)"
In the shadows of countless industries, hidden from the bustling modern world, lie stories of resilience that defy the shackles of oppression. The tales of bonded labourers are not only tales of struggle, but also of unwavering survival and ultimate triumph. These individuals, once engulfed by the chains of debt and exploitation, have managed to break free and rise above their circumstances. From the brick kilns to working on barren farms, bringing the stories of extraordinary journeys of bonded labourers who have transformed their destinies from struggle to survival.

There are still many of my people trapped in the confinement of kilns, mills, quarries and other places of work waiting for a ray of hope. Until each one of them is rescued and given a secure life, I simply will not stop being the voice for the voiceless. Given an opportunity, I will speak at different forums to different stakeholders explaining what freedom really means and help my community see light at the end of the tunnel.

My life was very difficult when I was in bondage, but now I am happy with what I have. Sometimes I do worry a little about my future and that of my two sons. Freedom to me is the way I am able to live my life right now.

Vasantha, along with her husband Elumalai and their one-year-old son, endured a life of bonded labour at a brick kiln in Tamil Nadu. Their days were consumed by grueling work as they struggled to repay an advance of Rs. 5000. Earning far less than the government's minimum wage, their meals were often meager, leaving them hungry. Their hardships extended to their children, as the kiln owner forced their eldest daughter, only around six years old, to work without pay during her visits. Denied the freedom to attend life events or visit family, their attempts to escape were swiftly thwarted by the owner. The couple faced verbal and physical abuse, stripped of personal autonomy and the right to choose their own work to settle their debt.A glimmer of hope appeared when the District Administration intervened, rescuing them from their ordeal. The District Revenue Officer (RDO) cancelled their debts and allowed them to return to their native village. Today, Vasantha lives a liberated life, a testament to the power of resilience. She has become a strong advocate as a spokesperson for the Released Bonded Labourers' Association (RBLA) in Thiruvannamalai. Leading a self-help group that aids members through small livelihood initiatives, Vasantha is determined to amplify the voices of those who have suffered under bonded labour and fight against the injustice they've endured.She worked with silk threads when she was barely eight years old. Ironically, Chandramma has never owned a silk sari in her life. Her childhood was defined by laborious days spent beside her parents in sericulture factories, where the delicate silkworm cocoons were harvested and spun into threads for the prized fabric. It was arduous work, involving the handling of worms, boiling water, and operating high-speed spinning mills. Chandramma's education often took a backseat to the family's struggle for a meager livelihood.By early 2018, Chandramma was a mother to two young boys and in search of a breakthrough. The opportunity arrived when she and her sister Girijamma were recruited for a new sericulture facility north of Bangalore. An advance of 50,000 rupees offered to them seemed like a step toward stability. She moved there with her sister and youngest son, Hemanth, aiming to restart her association with silk threads.However, this factory was an entirely different world  one of cruelty and disregard for the well-being of workers. The owner forced labourers to work relentlessly for 15 to 16 hours a day, some enduring this for a decade. Chandramma's hands grew raw from boiling water and cramped from spinning threads, yet there was no respite. Regular beatings and harassment were the norm, and any attempt to escape was met with punishment.Chandramma's strong-willed nature aroused the owner's suspicion, leading him to lock her and her 4-year-old son, Hemanth, in a small room for six months. Trapped in this suffocating space, with minimal food and water, Chandramma experienced her darkest moments. In February 2019, a glimmer of hope emerged as the Government intervened, rescuing Chandramma, Hemanth, and the others from their nightmare of bonded labour.Chandramma remembers the fateful day when the sounds of commotion and her sister's voice outside her locked room marked the turning point. Responding with renewed vigour, she yearned for freedom. Authorities were aghast at the inhumane conditions Chandramma and her fellow labourers had endured. After months without bathing or proper nutrition, their bodies were covered in sores, a stark testament to their harrowing experience.Rescued by local police, Chandramma and the others were finally safe. Since then, Chandramma has not only found solace and healing but has also emerged as a powerful advocate against bonded labour. As a member of her local Released Bonded Labourers' Association (RBLA), she is dedicated to empowering others to reclaim their freedom.

When Ranjita was just 12 years old, she, along with her two siblings, accompanied her parents to work at a brick kiln in Bangalore. Initially, the journey seemed like a fun adventure to her. "Other children were traveling with us, and it felt like a vacation," recalls Ranjita, reflecting on those times in 2012. In that year, Ranjita's parents, Chandrabati and Santosh, were in desperate need of money. Erratic rains had led to drought in the region, leaving them with limited options. The couple began contemplating migrating for work. Hearing about a labour agent offering 90,000 rupees for brick kiln work, they saw it as their only opportunity.





Ranjita and her sisters, Reema (14) and Sujata (10), joined their parents at the worksite. The train ride to the new city was Ranjita's first, and the crowded bogies left a lasting impression. However, the hope for relief turned into a nightmare upon arrival. The promised money never materialised, and the living conditions were deplorable. The labourers were crammed into makeshift shacks lacking basic amenities. Ranjita's family had to assemble their own shelter from tarpaulin sheets and discarded bricks. Chandrabati and Santosh joined the labour force, molding and firing clay bricks. The owner's harsh management forced them to work long hours, often from sunrise to past sunset. The children were also roped into turning bricks for sun-drying. Threats from the owner's men hung in the air, compelling Ranjita and her sisters to work in fear.





In December 2012, the Karnataka government rescued Ranjita's family and others from the bonded labour trap. During the rescue operation, the brick kiln owner tried to hide the children to evade detection. However, officials located them and ensured their reunion with their parents. The labourers were then transported back home to Odisha. Supported by the Odisha government and local Civil Society Organizations, the survivors accessed housing, rehabilitation funds, and ration cards for food support. Ranjita and her sisters pursued education and training according to their interests.





With determination, Ranjita completed her schooling and even moved to a nearby city for her 12th grade due to lack of college facilities in her village. She took on various roles, from a house help to a salesperson, beautician, and security guard, in order to sustain herself. Today, Ranjita stands as a confident and fearless young woman. She actively supports her community's vulnerable members, advocating for their entitlements like housing and labour cards. She educates them on the importance of registration and the risks of trusting unlicensed labour contractors. Ranjita also plays a vital role in helping students from her region enroll in colleges, contributing to the betterment of her community's future.





Heres What Ranjita has to say:

A lot has changed in my life. I never spoke so much. I was an introvert. Now things have changed. I have to talk to the community, talk to the officials. It has made me more confident. My exposure to government offices has helped me broaden my personality and become an extrovert, a go-getter.

Holding her baby girl, Jyothika, in her arms, Kuppammal finally managed to lull her to sleep. She returned to work after putting her 18-month-old daughter to sleep. But she was shocked to see the baby go missing. After a frantic search, it was found that her baby was floating lifelessly in a nearby water tank. Kuppammal's plea to the rice mill owner to let her take her child to the hospital fell on deaf ears. The owner's concern for his paddy grains outweighed the life of a child. "If you go now, the grains will break. Who will bear the loss?" he callously retorted. Heartbroken and defeated, Kuppammal was forced to abandon her dying child and continue working. By the time she could seek medical help, her baby had already passed away, leaving Kuppammal haunted by the fact that she wasn't there during her daughter's final moments.





But Kuppammal's tale of tragedy didn't end there. Her second daughter narrowly escaped death in an accident, while her third child suffered burns on her feet due to the harsh working conditions. Kuppammal was torn between labouring and being there for her children, forced to endure the owner's indifference to their suffering. Her life had been ensnared in this cycle of pain since her marriage, as her husband's family had been victims of bonded labour for generations. Fear of repercussions kept them trapped, until circumstances pushed Kuppammal to seek help.





A turning point arrived in 2006 when the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) granted her family release certificates, liberating them from a decade-long debt. With newfound freedom, Kuppammal emerged from the shadows of her past. Kuppammal now oversees eight Self Help Groups (SHGs). These government-funded groups provide survivors a platform to rebuild their lives, pursue careers, and become entrepreneurs. She transformed her life into a beacon of hope, not just for her family, but for her entire community. She dedicated herself to ensuring others did not suffer as she did.





Heres What Kuppammal has to say:

I was not with my baby during her last moments. I don't want anyone to suffer like me, and make sure, Im there for them.





Parobai, Madhya Pradesh



Living a modest life in her village, Parobai could never have foreseen falling into the clutches of human trafficking. However, circumstances took a dire turn in 2017 when her husband, Dhaniya, fell ill, and their avenues for work dwindled. With many families grappling to make ends meet in their community, a man arrived, seemingly offering a lifeline by recruiting workers for a nearby farm.





Appearing trustworthy, this man convinced 17 local families, including Parobai's, to accompany him. Hoping for a solution, they embarked on this journey with their two daughters. "We believed his assurances that he and his family would support us and ensure our well-being," Parobai recalls. However, their optimism was shattered almost immediately. The initial recruiter handed them over to another man, who transported them to Maharashtra and sold them into bondage on a sugarcane farm. The farm owner's powerful political connections left the families powerless, unable to comprehend the local language or seek help.





Thus began months of bonded labour for Parobai and the others at the sugarcane farm. The grueling work demanded them to cut heavy sugarcane stalks from dawn until late at night, scarred by sharp stalks and tools. Under a constant barrage of verbal abuse, women, men, and children toiled tirelessly, enduring physical and emotional exhaustion.





Life within the farm's confines was harsh, as families constructed makeshift shelters from meager resources. With relentless work stretching for 18 to 22 hours daily, even food became a luxury due to sheer exhaustion. In a daring bid for freedom, Parobai's husband managed to reach their village and reported the situation to a local Civil Society Organization (CSO). The CSO gathered information about the traffickers from neighbours and community members.





Finally, on February 14, 2018, a joint operation by the governments of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra freed 17 people, including 10 children, from the sugarcane farm. Immediate crisis care was provided, and two alleged traffickers were apprehended, although they later secured bail. The case is currently in trial. Freedom after such a harrowing experience overwhelmed Parobai and her fellow survivors. "After the rescue, I started crying because I had never thought I would see this day of freedom," Parobai reveals.





Assisted by the government and the CSO, Parobai and her fellow labourers returned to their village. Rebuilding their lives wasn't easy, as families faced empty bank accounts and barren farms. Today, Parobai concentrates on expanding her small farm for additional income. They cultivate enough wheat and vegetables to meet daily needs and sell surplus produce. Emerging as a survivor leader, Parobai ensures that no one else undergoes the pain she endured.





Heres What Parobai has to say:

After the rescue, I started crying because I had never thought that I would see this day of freedom.



Also Read: Breaking The Chain Of Bonded Labour Pachaiamma Is A Voice For Her Community
We bring you a list of the most famous Bollywood big names whove pursued parallel careers abroad.

Aishwarya Rai entered the public eye as the Miss World winner in 1994. She proved to be a capable actress despite being referred to as the most beautiful woman in the world. She has appeared in several iconic Bollywood films from the 2000s, including Mohabbatein and Devdas, which was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Foreign Language Film. She appeared in a number of Hollywood films, including Mistress Of Spices, The Last Legion, The Pink Panther 2 and the hard-hitting Provoked as the lead actress and was praised for her work.

Ali Fazal



Ali Fazals boyish charm has found a lot of takers in Hollywood with roles in Furious 7 and Death On The Nile. He co-starred in Victoria And Abdul with supremely talented Judie Dench in 2017. He recently landed a key role in the hit Gerard Butler starrer, Kandahar, playing the main antagonist. Fazal appears to be on his way to succeeding the late Irrfan Khan as the most recognisable ones.

Amitabh Bachchan



Amitabh Bachchan made a brief appearance as the shady underworld businessman Meyer Wolfsheim in the 2013 film The Great Gatsby. Leonardo DiCaprio couldnt help but be impressed by Bachchans talent. He couldnt be a more gentle, wonderful individual to work with or astoundingly talented. To come and play Meyer Wolfsheim in this movie and embody that roughness and mystery, everything that comes out of his mouth is filled with so much more and so much presence. And then you see the camera cut, and hes the perfect gentlemanjust a joy to be around and a wonderful collaborator. Hes a magnificent actor, and I was honoured to work with him, he said. In fact, during a media interview at the KBC event, AB revealed that he did not charge for the role.





Anil Kapoor



Anil Kapoors wide range and commanding screen presence made him an ideal choice for Hollywood roles. Anil Kapoors first appearance in the West was in Slumdog Millionaire, in which he played the host of a reality show. In addition, he has appeared in Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol and the action drama series 24.





Anupam Kher



Anupam Kher needs no introduction as a Bollywood mainstay and prolific actor, having appeared in over 500 films. He is frequently seen portraying nuanced paternal figures and he is capable of slipping into his roles with effortless grace. His understated, tempered performances have made him a popular choice for many Hollywood films. His performances in English-language films include The Big Sick, Silver Linings Playbook, and A Family Man. Anupam Kher needs no introduction as a Bollywood mainstay and prolific actor, having appeared in over 500 films. He is frequently seen portraying nuanced paternal figures and he is capable of slipping into his roles with effortless grace. His understated, tempered performances have made him a popular choice for many Hollywood films. His performances in English-language films include The Big Sick, Silver Linings Playbook, and A Family Man.

Dimple Kapadia



Dimple Kapadia plays the enigmatic wife of a major arms dealer in Mumbai in Christopher Nolans film Tenet. But she pulls a bait-and-switch when she reveals herself to be the one making the decisions. A masculine front in a mans world has its uses, her character tells the Protagonist (John David Washington). Her natural acting style complemented the tense, thrilling tone of the film.









Freida Pinto



With the success of Slumdog Millionaire, in which she plays Jamals love interest Latika, Freida Pinto became an overnight global star. Despite the fact that she was born and raised in India, the success of Slumdog Millionaire catapulted her to a career in the Hollywood film industry. Her direct follow-up to that film was Woody Allens You Will Meet A Tall, Dark Stranger. Her film roles have ranged from the major sci-fi film Rise of the Planet of the Apes to the art drama Knight of Cups and the neo-western action film Blunt Force Trauma.

Irrfan Khan



Irrfan Khan made his international debut with Asif Kapadias The Warrior (2001), which won the BAFTA Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film. He rose to international prominence in 2008 as a police inspector in British director Danny Boyles drama Slumdog Millionaire, which received eight Academy Awards and seven BAFTA Awards. Khan then moved on to a larger role in Life of Pi, in which he played the eponymous Pi. The film received numerous Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations. He also appeared in major US films such as The Amazing Spider-Man, Jurassic World and Inferno.

Naseeruddin Shah



In 2003, Naseer was a part of an international film project called The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, co-starring Sean Connery as Allan Quatermain. Naseer played Captain Nemo, the eccentric genius-villain from 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. But what made Naseeruddin an international phenomenon was a film rooted in Indian sensibilities that everyone could relate to. It was Mira Nairs ode to big, fat North Indian weddings, - Monsoon Wedding. Did you know he was also approached to play Albus Dumbledore in the massively popular Harry Potter franchise?





Om Puri



Om Puri has appeared in Bollywood, British,and Pakistani films. The late actor appeared in the Academy Award-winning film Gandhi, directed by Richard Attenborough. He also starred as Hazari Pal in Roland Joffes City of Joy. The veteran actor also appeared in Michael Winterbottoms Code 46, Damien ODonnells East Is East, and Lasse Hallstroms The Hundred-Foot Journey, all directed by Mike Nichols. His malleable expressions and versatility were among the characteristics that drew directors to him. The actor was remembered and honoured at the 89th Academy Awards for his contribution to cinema, along with the likes of Carrie Fisher, Bill Paxton and many more.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas



Priyanka Chopra Jonas is one of the few Indian actors on this list who has successfully broken into Hollywood. The former Miss World signed on to play Alex Parrish in the action thriller Quantico in 2015. Her performance in the American series received critical acclaim, paving the way for many Hollywood film roles. News sites named her performance as the antagonist in the 2017 film Baywatch as the best among the cast members. She is currently attached to several major Hollywood projects, including the series Citadel and is set to share screen space with Idris Elba and John Cena in Heads Of State.

Randeep Hooda



Randeep Hooda first came onto the screen as Rahul in Mira Nairs most celebrated work till date, Monsoon Wedding. With the action thriller Extraction, Randeep Hooda continued to make waves in international waters in 2020. Hooda holds his own as Saju Rav, a former Indian special operations colonel, alongside Chris Hemsworth. The suspenseful thriller will keep you glued to the screen.





Shabana Azmi



Shabana Azmi is yet another veteran star who has managed to make it big in Hollywood. The bonafide force of nature in the Indian film industry made a world of a difference with her true-to-life and terrific acting prowess. Shabana Azmi didnt just act, but she lived her characters onscreen so much that she blew life into them. For this very reason she caught the eye of Steven Speilberg who casted her in Halo as a part of the shows colour blind casting. She also recently was a part of the classic Hollywood romcom Whats Love Got To Do With It alongside Hollywood stalwarts like Emma Thompson and Lily James. Her other Western credits include John Schlesingers Madame Sousatzka (1988), Roland Joffes City of Joy (1992), Blake Edwards Son of the Pink Panther (1993) and Deepa Mehtas Fire (1996) and Midnights Children (2012).
MBABANE  The Eswatini Nazarene Health Institutions Acting CEO Dr Raymond Bitchong says when government was approached about the financial crisis, they allegedly did not receive assistance.

The acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) submitted that to address its serious financial plight, the institution approached government for an urgent financial relief. He alleged that the assistance was not forthcoming. He argued that the only remedy, therefore, was to consider ways and means of reducing costs as a precursor to a possible retrenchment and ultimate cessation. This is what prompted the respondents management to consider restructuring the hospital and identifying items that were of high cost. Having formulated a strategy of keeping the doors open and providing primary medical care to the large population of Manzini, the respondent then began a process of consulting with the various stakeholders on possible reforms that could alleviate the budget deficit. The first formal consultation (I term this formal because prior to that, there had been a plethora of consultations on the respondents precarious financial situation and this was now common knowledge throughout the organisation) took place on June 19 and 20, 2023.

These consultations took the form of town-hall style consultations, wherein the acting chief executive officer addressed all departments within the organisation, advising them of the critical cash flow situation which constitutes an existential crisis, added Dr Bitchong. He submitted that in addition to the town-hall consultations with all employees and having met other stakeholders (employee representatives), the acting CEO met with the leadership of union for purposes of consultation on the measures that were being proposed to address the financial crisis and to find optimal solutions. He said the approach was to mitigate risk by invoking certain cost-cutting measures. Dr Bitchong informed the court that one of the tabled key cost-cutting measures was the issue of the on-call allowance. He said this was a major cost item, which was costing the organisation an amount of approximately E20 million per annum. He alleged that at the conclusion of the meeting, the union was given an opportunity to consider the various proposals and to make representations in response. A follow-up meeting involving all medical and allied staff that the applicant represents, according to Dr Bitchong, was convened on June 23, 2023, wherein they were accorded the opportunity to propose measures to address the current financial crisis.

Proposals

The acting CEO alleged that one of the proposals that were made by the medical and allied staff at the meeting was the establishment of a task team to address the proposed reforms, inclusive of the on-call allowance. He averred that the task team was representative of all medical and allied healthcare staff, who benefitted from the on-call allowance and was led by Dr Sydney Mkhize. The Dr Bitchong further informed the court that the task team met with the respondent on June 26, to discuss various on-call adjustments and to present its proposals on the on-call allowance and concluded with a memorandum from the task team to the acting CEO on the same date. He informed the court that the proposals by the task team were by-and-large unworkable, but there were some positives which required further engagement. By this time, according to Dr Bitchong, it had become apparent that there was no hope of a bailout from government.
The 1950 adventure film Kim, directed by Victor Saville, is an adaptation of Rudyard Kiplings classic 1901 novel of the same name. The film was extensively shot in Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh including La Martiniere College in Lucknow.

Life of Pi, a Yann Martel novel adaptation directed by the great Ang Lee, depicts the incredible story of a small boy named Pi who winds himself on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger following a disaster. The film captivates audiences with magnificent sights, some of which were shot in the lush landscapes of Kerala, India, adding to the films immersive experience



Zero Dark Thirty {2012}

Based on a true story of an Indian-Australian businessman Saroo Brierley, Lion follows the remarkable journey of a young Indian boy who gets separated from his family and is adopted by an Australian couple. The movie stars Dev Patel as the lead character. The film was partly filmed in the bustling city of Kolkata, providing a poignant glimpse into the bustling streets and challenges of the city while illustrating the emotional depth of the story.



Hotel Mumbai {2018}



Directed by Anthony Maras, Hotel Mumbai, starring Dev Patel, Armie Hammer and Anupam Kher, is a gripping film based on the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. Amidst the chaos, it showcases the extraordinary courage of hotel staff and guests. Set in the heart of India, the movie pays tribute to the resilience of the city and its people.



Extraction {2020}

Extraction is an action-packed thriller directed by Sam Hargrave, where India serves as a stunning backdrop for some intense action sequences. Starring Chris Hemsworth as Tyler Rake, a mercenary on a rescue mission in Dhaka, Bangladesh, the film showcases the vibrant energy of Indias urban setting in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The films breathtaking action sequences unfold against the backdrop of Indias bustling streets and dynamic culture, creating an adrenaline-pumping experience that leaves audiences exhilarated.



Tenet {2020}



Indias mystical allure captivates Hollywood filmmakers, birthing mesmerising films that celebrate its vibrant charm on the silver screen.Here are some Hollywood films shot in India:Richard Attenboroughs Academy Award-winning biographical film Gandhi offers an authentic portrayal of Indias history and the life of Mahatma Gandhi. Filmed extensively in various locations across India particularly Bihar.The iconic James Bond film Octopussy features enthralling scenes set in India, filmed in locations such as the enchanting Udaipur and other stunning sites across the country. The movie combines action, intrigue and a touch of exoticism in true Bond fashion, creating a memorable cinematic experience.The Bourne Supremacy, a thrilling instalment of the Bourne movie series, has intense action scenes that were filmed in India, notably in the Goa coastline state. The film offers a startling contrast between the physical beauty of the state and the high-stakes espionage story, making it a must-watch for connoisseurs of action movies.Gurinder Chadhas Bollywood-style adaptation of Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice, Bride and Prejudice, celebrates the cultural fusion of Indian and Western elements. Filmed in the captivating city of Amritsar, the movie starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Martin Henderson, weaves a heartwarming and entertaining love story that transcends cultural boundaries, making it a delightful cinematic experience.Featuring the captivating landscapes of India, Wes Andersons The Darjeeling Limited takes viewers on an enchanting train journey. In locations such as the resplendent Rajasthan and the captivating Jodhpur, three brothers embark on a spiritual quest to discover Indias chaotic charm and mystical allure.Slumdog Millionaire, directed by Danny Boyle, illustrates the story of Jamal, a young boy from Mumbais slums who finds himself on the verge of winning a game show. Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Anil Kapoor, Madhur Mittal and Irrfan Khan feature in the film. Its bright depiction of Mumbais dynamism and diverse culture adds to the storys believability, earning it multiple plaudits and Academy Awards.Based on Elizabeth Gilberts memoir, Eat Pray Love follows Julia Roberts Lizs journey of self-discovery and spiritual exploration. The movie includes scenes filmed in the national capital city Delhi and some parts of the film was also shot in Pataudi, showcasing Indias spiritual traditions and natural beauty.This touching British-American comedy-drama, directed by John Madden, takes place in the vibrant city of Jaipur, Rajasthan. The film stars a star-studded ensemble of retirees looking for excitement and new beginnings in India where they discover the countrys cultural richness and age-old traditions.The fourth instalment in the Mission: Impossible series, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, features breathtaking action sequences shot in various Indian locations including the bustling city of Mumbai and Bengaluru. The movie, starring Tom Cruise with Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor, showcases Indias iconic landmarks and adds grandeur to the high-stakes spy thriller, delivering an adrenaline-pumping experience for action aficionados. As Ethan Hunt races through Mumbais crowded streets and architectural wonders, the film highlights the citys dynamism and modernity as a global metropolis.Kathryn Bigelows intense military thriller, Zero Dark Thirty, includes scenes shot in the modern city of Chandigarh including in the PEC University of Technology. Certain areas of Chandigarh were intentionally designed to resemble Lahore and Abbottabad in Pakistan, the places where Osama bin Laden was discovered and eliminated on May 2, 2011.Christopher Nolans mind-bending sci-fi thriller Tenet features awe-inspiring action sequences set in Mumbai, India. The movie showcases the citys bustling streets and iconic landmarks, adding a global dimension to its complex and time-bending narrative. As viewers embark on a mind-bending journey through time, Mumbais energy and grandeur complement the films audacious storytelling leaving audiences on the edge of their seats.
Akshay Kumar, who has faced criticism for his Canadian citizenship, has been granted Indian citizenship on the country's Independence Day.

"Dil aur citizenship, dono Hindustani. Happy Independence Day! Jai Hind!," Akshay Kumar said on social media, sharing the registration document.

Akshay Kumar previously expressed disappointment when people questioned his "love for the country."

"India is everything to me... Whatever I have earned, whatever I have gained is from here. And I'm fortunate that I get a chance to give back. You feel bad when people say things without knowing anything...," Akshay Kumar had said in an interview.

He applied for Indian citizenship in 2019, but the process was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I never thought that I should get this passport changed but now yes, I have applied to get my passport changed and once I get the renounced status from canada...." he had said.





On the work front, Akshay Kumar's OMG 2, starring Pankaj Tripathi and Yami Gautam, was released in theatres last week.
Vicky Kaushal is set to star in another family drama after the success of Zara Hatke Zara Bachke. The Great Indian Family is produced by Yash Raj Films and stars Manushi Chillar in the lead role. The film, directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya, will be released in theatres on September 22.

The first teaser for the film was released on Monday, providing a glimpse into the comedic family drama. The storyline, set in rural India, revolves around the chaos that unfolds within Vicky's character's family as a result of unexpected events beyond their control.

The actor passionately discusses the importance of family bonds in the teaser until he becomes emotional about his eccentric family members. He even refers to his family as a "snake" capable of destroying his dreams. Then, a chorus of voices accuses him of speaking negatively about his loved ones. He abruptly shifts his tone, stating that he wishes to warn the audience about "The Great Indian Family."

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Vicky Kaushal (@vickykaushal09)

Manushi expressed her delight, saying, Im super excited and thrilled that two of my films have been announced today. Operation Valentine and The Great Indian Family. Two films on the very same day! Both dramatically different genres. Operation Valentine is an action - drama, its an air force action which is very different from The Great Indian Family which is a family entertainer, a very light hearted, sweet story. Two roles, two shades, two announcements - only Gratitude. In both the films people will get to see me in completely different roles. I have absolutely enjoyed shooting for both the films and Im very excited for their release.
Sara Ali Khan is one of the most talented and talented actors of this generation. After her recent successful film, Zara Hatke Zara Bachke, Sara is all set to set screens on fire with her upcoming film, Ae Watan Mere Watan, where she will be essaying the character of a freedom fighter.

On the occasion of the 77th Independance Day, on being asked about the film and her thoughts on the idea of Independence, Sara says to a leading daily, "I just finished shooting for the film. There are so many facets of our Indian history, especially the freedom struggle, which we don't understand. It is not just the freedom fighters we may not know about, it was a generation of sacrifice, bravery and constant endeavour. It is not just one day. I feel 365 days are too less to celebrate and be thankful and grateful for what we have as a country today."

It is definitely an honour to be playing such a character, and nobody better to do it than Sara Ali Khan herself! To see the actress do a role like this, will be nothing less than a treat for the fans.

On the work front, apart from Ae Watan Mere Watan, Sara will be next seen in 'Murder Mubarak', 'Metro... In Dino', amongst other untitled ones!
Our nation achieved freedom from two hundred years of British dominion on August 15, 1947. The sweat and sacrifice of our valiant freedom fighters paved the way for the independence we cherish today. Every year, on the 15th of August, India commemorates Independence Day with magnificent celebrations and fervor.

Amidst the glimmering skyline of Dubai, a sentiment echoes that resonate with hearts around the world: the ability to celebrate and express unwavering love for one's nation, no matter the distance. As actress Jyoti Saxena finds herself in the bustling city for an upcoming project on the 77th Independence Day, her words carry a timeless truth that binds individuals to their homeland regardless of borders.

Jyoti Saxena expressed her thoughts on celebrating Independence Day away from India saying, "I am for the first time ever in my life is celebrating Independence Day away from my homeland. I am here for my work trip but being in Dubai on this special day doesn't mean I'm any less connected to my roots. The love and respect I hold for my country have no boundaries. As an artist and an Indian, I must celebrate the essence of freedom and show my gratitude to the countless souls who fought for our independence."

She further expressed "Being away from my country, only brings back memories of my school days. We used to celebrate Independence Day by participating in many school functions like dance, singing competitions, skits, and many more activities. We got to know about the interesting stories of our freedom fighters, which we always remember and carry in our hearts forever."

She further emphasized, "Patriotism knows no borders. No matter where you are, you can always celebrate and express your love for your nation. As we all know the tricolor on our national flag represents the unity, diversity, and indomitable spirit of India, and I am proud to hold it high, even in a foreign land. Wishing you all a very Happy Independence Day, Bharat Mata Ki Jai"

Jyoti Saxena's admirable act touched her admirers and followers greatly, and they were grateful to her for preserving the spirit of patriotism despite the distance. Her 77th Independence Day celebration in Dubai delivers a strong message that love for one's country is a feeling that transcends space and time.

Jyoti Saxena's words serve as a reminder that even though we are distant from home, our sense of patriotism remains strong. Instead, it sparks a special bond that is made stronger by the distance between us.

We wish you all a very Happy Independence Day!
Leo Official Update Is Here: Jadaish, the co-producer of Thalapathy Vijay starrer Leo has officially announced a super update about the film. He said that HaroldDas is arriving at 5pm.

Das Family Revealing Today

Thalapathy Vijay fans are sure that the film Leo will be a blockbuster hit as it is directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. The film releases on October 19. Lokesh Kanagaraj announced that the shooting was wrapped up recently. Also, Vijay, who is resting abroad, is expected to finish dubbing for his portions in Leo. It seems that the audio release of the film is likely to happen next month.

It was said that the audio release could be held in Trichy, Madurai or Coimbatore. But due to some reasons, it has been reported that the audio launch event is more likely to happen in Malaysia. However, it is not known how much truth is there in this information.

Leo has a huge star cast, where Sanjay Dutt is also said to be the main villain in the film. In this context, glimpses related to him were released on the occasion of his birthday. Sanjay Dutt's stunning look as a stylish gangster attracted fans. Also, Lokesh Kanagaraj revealed that Sanjay Dutt will play the role of Antony Das in the film.

Co-Producer Confirms Harold Das Entry At 5 PM

In this case, it has been reported that the next Glimpse video from the film Leo will be released today. As today is the birthday of actor Arjun, Leo co-producer Jagadish revealed the information about HarldDas update from Leo. It is noteworthy that even in the recent interview given by producer Lalit, he mentioned that the next update will be released on August 15.

As the patchwork of the film is still going on, it has been reported that director Lokesh Kanagaraj, producer Lalit and the cameraman have gone to Kashmir. Fans are extremely happy and eagerly waiting to witness the massive look and glimpse video of Action King Arjun from Thalapathy Vijay's Leo.
Bigg Boss 17 Update: After an eight-week run, Salman Khan-hosted Bigg Boss OTT 2 finally came to an end last night (August 14) with YouTuber Elvish Yadav walking away with the winner's trophy and a prize money of Rs 25 lakh.

As the second season of Bigg Boss OTT turned out to be hugely successful, the enthusiastic followers of Salman Khan's controversial reality show are already counting down to the premiere of the seventeenth season of Bigg Boss on Colors TV. Although official confirmation from the makers is still pending, rumors are circulating that Bigg Boss 17 might premiere on in the coming month.

ELVISH YADAV ON PARTICIPATION IN BIGG BOSS 17

Bigg Boss OTT 2 Winner: Elvish Yadav Lifts Trophy, A Look At His Journey, Earnings, & Net Worth

After the previous season of Bigg Boss OTT, finalists Nishat Bhat, Pratik Sehajpal, and Shamita Shetty made their way into the main Bigg Boss house. Similarly, in the current scenario, speculations have been doing the rounds about the potential inclusion of a few Bigg Boss OTT 2 contestants in Bigg Boss 17 and Elvish Yadav is among those rumoured names.

As he finally came out of the Bigg Boss OTT 2 house last night after the grand finale, the hugely-popular YouTuber finally opened up about the speculations of being a part of Bigg Boss 17. During the media interaction, Elvish was asked if he would like to participate in the main Bigg Boss after winning BB OTT 2. He cleared that he would want to give Bigg Boss 17 a miss and might participate in the show next year if given a chance. Yes, you read that right!

Revealing the same, he said, "Iss baar waale mein, nahi. Kyunki abhi, bohot time mai dur raha apne ghar se, agli baari kabhi mauka milega toh, for sure."

Watch the viral video here:

Bigg Boss OTT 2 Finale: Fukra Insaan Is The Runner-Up; Here's A Look At His Journey, Net Worth & More

ELVISH YADAV BEATS FUKRA INSAAN & MANISHA RANI

For those who are unaware, Elvish Yadav won Bigg Boss OTT 2 by beating other finalists Abhishek Malhan (Fukra Insaan ), Manisha Rani, Bebika Dhurve, and Pooja Bhatt got eliminated on the second, third, fourth, and fifth spots respectively.

Here's wishing them all the very best for their future ahead.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Discover Financial Services (DFS) said Monday that Roger Hochschild will step down as Chief Executive Officer and President and as a member of its Board. Hochschild will serve in an advisory role at the company through the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition. The company has appointed John Owen, a member of the Board, as Interim Chief Executive Officer and President. The changes are effective immediately. The Board has engaged a leading global executive search firm to commence a process to identify a permanent CEO and President, Discover Financial said. 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.
Alternative Credit Scoring Data to Supercharge Financial Inclusion

HAMPSHIRE, United Kingdom, Aug. 15, 2023, the foremost experts in financial technology markets, expects credit scoring services to grow by 67% to $44 billion by 2028.



Boosting Financial Inclusion

The report anticipates emerging markets will experience greatest growth; projecting the African & Middle Eastern region to grow by 117% over the forecast period, achieving spend of $3.7 billion in 2028. Driving this growth will be the inclusion of alternative data into underwriting models. Using input from sources such as social media activity and monthly utility bills enables lenders to expand into unbanked and underbanked populations throughout emerging markets; opening up new customer segments and boosting financial inclusion.

Find out more about the new report: Global Credit Scoring Market 2023-2028or download a free sample.

Open Banking Vital to Alternative Scoring Models

The report urges use of Open Banking within alternative credit scoring; enabling credit bureaus and other providers to access bank account transaction information. This helps enrich credit data, creating a holistic view of the consumer; determining a more accurate credit score. The report also urges use of Open Banking within business credit scoring, as this technology can improve critical lending and access to finance for SMEs.

Research author Cara Malone remarked: "Open Banking can address numerous challenges, especially relating to cashflow and debt management. At present, the use of Open Banking in business credit scoring is lagging. It creates greater ease and transparency of sharing financial data; elevating business credit scoring, unlocking greater access to lending."

AI Important for Decreasing Thin Files in Developing Markets

Alternative credit data and embedded scoring models are efficient means of boosting access to finance, and when combined with Open Banking and AI, they will grant access to new customer segments. This will enable providers to help alleviate issues with thin files, where limited information is held on individuals and businesses, in both developing and developed markets; enabling more accurate and predictive credit scoring.

View the Credit Scoring research: https://www.juniperresearch.com/researchstore/fintech-payments/credit-scoring-research-report

Download free sample: https://www.juniperresearch.com/whitepapers/the-role-of-ai-in-credit-scoring

Juniper Researchdelivers market sizing and forecasting intelligence, competitive analysis, and strategic assessment to the world's leading innovators; enabling them to recognise today's shifting markets and seize tomorrow's opportunities.

Contact Sam Smith, Press Relations

T: +44(0)1256 830002

E: sam.smith@juniperresearch.com
Press Release

Nokia, Nomios Group to triple capacity for GEANT European research network with new ultra-high-capacity IP backbone network

10-year frame agreement pegs Nokia as sole IP critical-network provider for massive backbone network migration led by partner Nomios

First research network to deploy 800GE routing interfaces, delivering unprecedented capacity to support long-term scientific collaboration amongst world's top researchers

GEANT's GN5 IP/MPLS routing and switching replacement project triples existing network capacity for interconnections to National Research and Education Networks (NREN) across the world

15 August 2023

Espoo, Finland, Zoeterwoude, Netherlands, Amsterdam, Netherlands - Nokia, Nomios Group and GEANT today announced that GEANT, the collaboration of European National Research and Education Networks (NRENs), will deploy a state-of-the-art IP/MPLS solution from Nokia as part of a 10-year frame agreement led by Nomios Group, a leading European provider of cybersecurity services and solutions. As part of its GN5 IP/MPLS routing and switching replacement project, GEANT will be the first NREN in the world to deploy 800 Gigabit Ethernet (GE) routing interfaces, tripling capacity and supercharging its 50,000 km network by establishing a resilient and secure foundation for extreme collaboration and knowledge sharing amongst an international alliance of researchers.

GEANT interconnects 40 NRENs in 40 European countries, and links 50 million users and institutions to more than 100 additional NRENs in every region of the world. The high-performance IP backbone network will be the foundation for a global coalition of researchers focused on breakthrough research across disciplines such as high-energy physics, biomedicine, radio astronomy, and climate-impacting weather conditions.

Over the past five years, the GEANT network has experienced 30 percent traffic growth each year and is now carrying more than 7 Petabytes of data daily. This is due, in large part, to the proliferation of instruments such as telescopes, sensors and detectors, which gather more data with greater precision, sensitivity and speed. Supercomputers process vast volumes of data, analyzing and validating findings. Given the high level of collaboration between allied institutions, that data must be transferred rapidly, reliably, securely, and cost-effectively.

The GEANT GN5 IP/MPLS Routing and Switching Infrastructure Replacement project represents a strategic go-to-market partnership between Nomios and Nokia, bringing together Nomios' extensive experience in designing and implementing robust networking solutions, combined with Nokia's expertise in delivering cutting-edge IP network technology for the world's most critical networks. Under the terms of the agreement, Nomios and Nokia will undertake the complete replacement and upgrade of GEANT's existing IP/MPLS routing and switching infrastructure, ensuring enhanced scalability, security, and reliability for GEANT's extensive network operations. Additionally, Nomios and Nokia will provide comprehensive support and maintenance services to ensure uninterrupted connectivity and smooth operations for GEANT and its vast user base.

About the technology

The Nokia 7750 Service Router IP/MPLS platform, which leverages in-house developed leading-edge FP5 network processing silicon, is designed to scale in support of the most demanding workloads. The FP5 chipset supports 800G transmission, which triples capacity within the existing footprint and gives GEANT access to more bandwidth than any other routing technology available today. A layer of network protection is integrated directly into the chipset, ensuring the integrity of research data as security threats - such as DDoS attacks and data breaches - grow in size and severity. Innovations in power consumption deliver a 75 percent reduction in energy use over previous routing chipsets - giving GEANT the runway to handle ever greater volumes of data while adhering to its sustainability goals.

Bram Peeters, Chief Technology Officer at GEANT, said: "We are pleased to extend our relationship with Nomios and Nokia by deploying Nokia's high-performance IP networking technology across our extensive network infrastructure. The solution adds the capabilities we need to address the anticipated exponential growth in data and our security concerns. This project ensures that GEANT modernizes and maintains the essential world-class network the research and education communities rely on both in Europe and more than 100 countries across every region."

Mohamed El Haddouchi, Managing Director of Nomios, said: "We are incredibly honored and excited to have been awarded this prestigious tender by GEANT. This partnership with Nokia allows us to leverage our combined strengths to deliver a state-of-the-art IP/MPLS routing and switching infrastructure, empowering GEANT to continue pushing the boundaries of research and education connectivity across Europe."



Stephane Haulbert, Nokia Partner Business Leader in Europe, said, "We are excited to partner with Nomios and be the first to bring 800GE speeds to such bandwidth-intensive and rigorous research environments as GEANT. This is a real achievement that demonstrates how our leading IP technology delivers the capacity, resilience, and security required for these essential, massive-capacity networks, with the optimized energy consumption the industry needs to meet their sustainability targets. We look forward to being a part of the continued success of GEANT as an essential network provider advancing research, education, and innovation on a global scale."



Resources and additional information

Webpage: Nokia 7750 Service Router platform

Webpage: Nokia FP5

Video: Getting to 800 G:Customer success interview with GEANT andNomios

About GEANT

GEANT is a fundamental element of Europe's digital infrastructure, delivering the pan-European GEANT network for scientific excellence, research, education and innovation. Through its integrated catalogue of connectivity, collaboration and identity services, GEANT provides users with highly reliable, unconstrained access to computing, analysis, storage, applications and other resources, to ensure that Europe remains at the forefront of research.

?Through interconnections with its 40 National Research and Education Network (NREN) partners, the GEANT network is the largest and most advanced R&E network in the world, connecting over 50 million users at 10,000 institutions across Europe and supporting all scientific disciplines.

About Nomios

Nomios is a leading European provider of cybersecurity and networking solutions and services. Nomios has over 400 certified engineers and experienced architects working from 20 offices across Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland and the United Kingdom. We have 20+ years of experience in securing and connecting critical digital infrastructures for our customers. Nomios supports more than 2,000 leading organizations in various industries, including telecommunications, cloud providers, manufacturing, finance, education, logistics, government and more.

About Nokia

At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together.

As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs.

Service providers, enterprises and partners worldwide trust Nokia to deliver secure, reliable and sustainable networks today - and work with us to create the digital services and applications of the future.

Media inquiries

Nokia Communications, Corporate

Email: Press.Services@nokia.com

Nomios Communications

Richard Landman

Richard.landman@nomios.nl

+31 (0)6-24693070

GEANT Communications

info@geant.org

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MBABANE  The Raleigh Fitkin Memorial (RFM) Hospital is technically insolvent.

This was revealed by the Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the hospital, Dr Raymond Bitchong. Being insolvent means to be unable to pay ones debts. The doctor was responding to an application filed by the Medical and Allied Workers Union (MAWU) to stop the hospital from capping medical staffs on-call allowances at 108 hours per month. The union also wants the Industrial Court to order the hospital to consult them genuinely about the implementation of the policy to cap the on-call allowances at 108 hours and compensating the excess hours through taking days off. The implementation of the policy, according to the institution, was to deal with the financial crisis faced by the Eswatini Nazarene Health Institutions (ENHI) and to find optimal solutions. Dr Bitchong said the approach was to mitigate risks by invoking certain cost-cutting measures.

Subvention

He informed the court that the hospital is a Category A public enterprise that is reliant on the Eswatini Government for an annual subvention as budget support for its operations. He submitted that in the current financial year, the institution submitted a budget subvention request of E20 million per month to government. This is the amount, according to the acting CEO, that the respondent indicated was required to support its budgetary requirements over and above the income it derived from user fees. He alleged that government did not reject the budget request, but inexplicably communicated that it would only provide a subvention of E17.6 million per month, effective from April 1, 2023. Without notice or explanation, government failed to honour its undertaking to pay the subvention of E17.6 million per month, but instead only paid a sum of E10 million in April 2023. Effectively, therefore, from its budget support request, the respondent has incurred a deficit of E10 million per month. Even if premised on the approved budget amount as communicated by government, there was still a deficit of E7.6 million per month, said Dr Bitchong.

The veracity of these allegations is still to be tested in court. The respondent is represented by attorneys from Robinson Bertram. Dr Bitchong submitted that the shortfall came against the backdrop of an ongoing budget deficit for the previous financial years  a situation that has been prevalent for a considerable period and is well-known by all concerned within the institution. The acting CEO stated that in light of the historical financial challenges, which he said were well-documented, the health institution resorted to measures such as non-payment of employer and employee contributions to the retirement fund scheme. The result, said Dr Bitchong, was that the scheme was in deficit. He also averred that the health institution had failed to remit the monthly pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) payments to the Eswatini Revenue Service (ERS) and as such was in arrears.

According to Dr Bitchong, the institution had failed to pay other service providers, with the result being that it continuously faced a threat of litigation. Technically, the respondent has been in a state of insolvency for a considerable period, but owing to the nature of its operations, it simply cannot close its doors and file for liquidation. When government failed to pay the expected budget support subvention, it placed the respondent in financial dire straits and exacerbated an already precarious situation. To compound issues, government, being aware that we were not remitting the pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) to the Eswatini Revenue Service, decided that it would deduct the PAYE at source, meaning that the amount that was ultimately received by us was now less the PAYE component, the acting CEO further stated.

Aggravated

He submitted that the institutions perilous financial position was aggravated by another compelling situation. I have previously mentioned that we had been failing to remit contributions towards the employees retirement fund. In this regard, employees who had reached normal retirement age or who were leaving service for various reasons, were now unable to access their retirement fund benefits due to the deficit in the retirement fund. The situation necessitated urgent intervention as it was becoming a serious industrial relations risk. To address the deficiency in the retirement fund, in March 2023, the respondent approached its bankers for an overdraft facility in the sum of E10 million. The overdraft facility was approved on condition that the money was repaid in full, not later than the end of July 2023, he added.

According to Dr Bitchong, payment was made to the retirement fund, although this was insufficient to clear the deficit. He said it permitted for the exiting employees to be paid their dues. However, said the acting CEO, on the other hand, it created a further financial strain as the repayment of the overdraft necessitated the diversion of funds from other obligations towards its repayment. He told the court that this placed the institution in a situation where it was unable to meet its monthly remuneration obligations. It was against this backdrop that the respondent in April 2023 began a process of engaging with all stakeholders, including the unions and employees, about the precarious financial position that obtains. It was evident to all at the respondents undertaking that unless stringent measures were taken to cut costs and improve the respondents liquidity, there would come a time when all activities would simply have to cease, the doctor submitted. The matter is pending in court.
First digital asset fund compliant with SFDR Article 8 through its decarbonisation strategy

Leading index provider, Wilshire Indexes, partners with Jacobi to provide the benchmark for BCOIN and future products

Verifiable built-in Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) solution supplied by Zumo; differs from carbon offsetting by transparently and quantifiably addressing electricity consumption of BTC investing

Jacobi Asset Management (Jacobi) has listed Europe's first spot Bitcoin ETF on Euronext Amsterdam. The Jacobi FT Wilshire Bitcoin ETF (the "ETF") represents the first digital asset fund compliant with SFDR Article 8 through its decarbonisation strategy. Jacobi has implemented a verifiable built-in Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) solution which allows institutional investors to access the benefits of Bitcoin whilst also meeting ESG goals.

The ETF, regulated by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission (GFSC), trades under the ticker BCOIN. Custodial services are provided by Fidelity Digital AssetsSM, with Flow Traders operating as market makers and Jane Street and DRW as Authorised Participants. Fund benchmark, the FT Wilshire Bitcoin Blended Price Index, is provided by Wilshire Indexes with the REC solution created in collaboration with digital asset platform, Zumo.

CEO of Jacobi Asset Management, Martin Bednall said: "It is exciting to see Europe moving ahead of the US in opening up Bitcoin investing for institutional investors who want safe, secure access to the benefits of digital assets using familiar and regulated structures like our ETF. Unlike other products in the European market which are debt instruments, our fund owns the underlying asset directly. Jacobi is proud to be supported by Tier1 partners at the forefront of this digital asset market evolution whilst also pioneering an innovative, environmentally sound solution for European investors."

Mark Makepeace, CEO of Wilshire Indexes, added: "The launch of the Jacobi FT Wilshire Bitcoin ETF is an important milestone for the digital asset industry and a transformative moment for the global financial industry. We are excited about the partnership with Jacobi and, as a leader in the development of institutional grade digital asset benchmarks, we are committed to helping accelerate the advancement of the entire digital asset ecosystem."

The Jacobi FT Wilshire Bitcoin ETF offers an ESG-aligned digital asset solution where environmentally conscious ETF buyers can consider Bitcoin within their investment portfolio, as well as independently audit the environmental claims. Jacobi's solution differs from carbon offsetting products by quantifying the electricity consumption attributable to Bitcoin in the ETF and purchasing equivalent RECs, the standardised instrument for procuring clean power. This provides digital proof of RECs, transparently recorded on a blockchain.

Kirsteen Harrison, Environmental Manager, Zumo, commented: "The decarbonisation of crypto is one of the most pressing challenges facing the nascent digital assets sector, and there is increasing pressure on all businesses to have credible plans to decarbonise. We've been working closely with Jacobi Asset Management to help them build out an ESG-aligned, future-proofed crypto offering for their customers. It's hugely exciting to see it come to life in the shape of Europe's first Bitcoin ETF. We're creating the investment products of tomorrow what a moment for the industry."

Emanuel van Praag, lawyer at Kennedy Van der Laan, commented: "We are proud to have provided legal counsel to Jacobi AM in its listing of the first SFDR Article 8 digital assets fund."

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815404630/en/

Contacts:

Helen Disney

The Realization Group

helen.disney@therealizationgroup.com
Soho Square Capital LLP ("Soho Square"), an investment firm focused on serving the financing needs of established and growing UK and European SMEs, announced that following a period of transformational growth it has exited its investment in Churchill Group ("Churchill" or "the Company"), comprised of UK based specialist businesses in the facilities management industry, to an Employee Ownership Trust ("EOT").

Since Soho Square invested in Churchill in 2020, the business has won considerable market share and undergone a period of significant organic growth, which has seen EBITDA almost double. This above-plan growth has enabled Churchill to fully exit Soho Square from its investment after a hold period of just three years. The sale is to an EOT which sees the business return to full employee ownership.

Churchill, founded in 1988, is a rapidly growing UK-based facilities management company providing cleaning, security, catering and environmental consultancy services across the education, rail transport, public sector, corporate and property management sectors.

This is the third exit from Soho Square's latest institutional fund. The Churchill deal structure was typical of the types of customised investments that Soho focuses on, providing flexible capital with dedicated portfolio company support, whilst also minimising equity dilution to leave Founders in control of their Company.

Stuart Hamilton, Principal at Soho Square Capital, commented:

"Having been investors in Churchill since March 2020, we are delighted to have partnered with Churchill's highly capable management team who have delivered transformational growth well ahead of plan. When Churchill's founding team explored early exit options, Soho Square's minority equity structure enabled the Company to have greater choice of exit routes than would be the case with more traditional private equity structures. We are delighted to see them complete the exit to an EOT, which results in a full exit for Soho Square and Churchill now being fully owned by its management team and employees. We wish Joel, Phil, James and the whole Churchill team the very best for a successful future."

James Bradley, Group CEO of Churchill, commented:

"Churchill is proud of its difference in the FM market, achieving significant growth over 30 years. The EOT is a natural transition as it continues our unique culture and retains our values of doing right, seeking better and putting people first. Our colleagues are what makes Churchill's specialist businesses so successful which is why our founders wanted it to be them who should share in the future success. It was hugely important for us to find a partner that shared our long-term ambitious vision for Churchill. In Soho Square we found that support and over the past three years we have worked tirelessly to deliver rapid and resilient growth."

Soho Square's deal team was led by Stephen Edwards (Co-Managing Partner) and Stuart Hamilton (Principal), with Portfolio Management support provided by Gail Bamforth. Soho Square and Churchill were advised by Grant Thornton (corporate finance), Shoosmith's (legal) and PWC (financial due diligence).

About Soho Square Capital

Soho Square Capital is an investment firm focused on providing flexible capital solutions, typically in the form of senior or preferred capital with minority equity stakes, to established and growing UK and European SMEs. Headquartered in London, the firm is led by a highly experienced team that has been investing together for over 15 years, through many economic cycles and have the expertise and flexibility to invest up to 45 million in any given transaction, across the capital structure, from senior debt to equity. The team works closely with business owners and management teams to structure innovative, bespoke financing solutions and offer enhanced portfolio company support.

www.soho-sq.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815956844/en/

Contacts:

For further information, please contact:

Stuart Hamilton

+44 (0) 7824 512727

sh@soho-sq.com

If you would like to discuss future investment opportunities, please contact:

James Smallridge

+44 (0)79714 75582

jms@soho-sq.com

Media:

Kepler Communications

Charlotte Balbirnie

+44 (0)7989 528421

CBalbirnie@keplercomms.com

Caroline Villiers

+44 (0)7808 585184

CVilliers@keplercomms.com
LONDON, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading personal scooter brand isinwheel is excited to announce the launch of its inaugural "Back to School" promotion in the UK market. The promotion will be going live soon on isinwheel.co.uk, and will feature as their flagship product the S9max portable electric scooter.

The isinwheel S9max foldable electric scooter has successfully obtained the widely recognised CE, CA and UL safety certifications. These certifications validate that the scooter has undergone rigorous independent laboratory tests to ensure the utmost safety of its electrical and battery systems.

The isinwheel S9max portable electric scooter is perfect for young people, affordable, eco-friendly, and excels in safety. It is equipped with a 500W powerful brushless motor and a high-capacity regenerative battery, enabling a top speed of up to 21mph. Equipped with 10-inch honeycomb solid tires and an E-ABS regenerative anti-lock braking system guarantees secure and responsive braking. This makes it suitable for various terrains and provides a superior & safe riding experience.

Isinwheel is committed to making your journey count, whether that's reaching the lecture hall before the bell, bypassing the hustle and bustle on your commute, or catching the bus without causing a delay. We focus on creating products that enhance every step you take and add joy to your movements. Whatever your motivation to keep moving forward, isinwheel is here to meet your needs.

"The S9max electric scooter is an ideal eco-friendly commute solution for university and college students," said Owen Donath, Chief Operating Officer for the UK region at isinwheel. "Safety, reliability, and user experience are top priorities for us. We're focused on delivering a product that students can depend on for their daily commutes while also enjoying the convenience, efficiency, and low carbon footprint of electric mobility"

To celebrate the back-to-school season, isinwheel offers exclusive back-to-school promotions and discounts, offering students ?20 off online. For additional information about the discounts, please visit: www.isinwheel.co.uk

About isinwheel:

isinwheel is a global enterprise specializing in electric mobility for personal transportation. With a steadfast commitment to providing safe, stable, and reliable mobility products. We also actively practice the concept of sustainable development, with environmental protection and fashion as the core. And constantly improve and develop new products to provide convenient and affordable transportation solutions for the different needs of different people.

S9max: https://www.isinwheel.co.uk/products/isinwheel-s9max-500w-electric-scooter

Website: https://www.isinwheel.co.uk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isinwheel_global/

Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/isinwheel

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/isinwheel.fans

Twitter: https://twitter.com/isinwheelglobal

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nShift helps ecom companies demonstrate ethical commitment to customers

LONDON, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Some 63% of global consumers prefer to purchase products and services from companies that align with their values and beliefs. And 62% of consumers are willing to switch brands until they find one compatible with their ethics.[1]

nShift , the global leader in parcel delivery management software, is encouraging online retailers and webshops to take advantage of two new features of its Checkout solution to prove their ethical commitment to customers.

The new Positive Impact feature enables online retailers to set up delivery options that trigger donations to good causes. It helps retailers create an opportunity to showcase their values at a time when the customer is highly engaged with the shopping experience.

Positive Impact supports a wide variety of causes worldwide. They range from restoring natural habitats and removing rubbish from the sea, to improving access to nutrition and education. In each case, customers can see what impact their donation will have. Meanwhile, retailers can monitor and report back on their cumulative impact.

nShift's Checkout Badges provide additional visual cues to prompt sustainable choices. It has long been possible for retailers to source and display sustainable delivery options through nShift. The new badging feature makes it easier for shoppers to quickly identify low-emissions options. For example, a retailer could display a small green leaf next to shipping choices with low-environmental impact.

Sean Sherwin-Smith, Post-Purchase Product Director at nShift said, "We're seeing a huge importance placed on authenticity and brand values by shoppers. Companies must do more than talk about their values. They need to make them clear and tangible. Creating opportunities for shoppers to make choices that reflect their values, helps demonstrate that both retailer and customer share the same priorities."

And, to complement Positive Impacts and Checkout Badges, later this year, nShift will also launch Emissions Tracker, which will help ecommerce companies and warehouses calculate, record, and analyze greenhouse gas emissions for every shipment. It enables companies to comply with environmental reporting requirements, and helps them pinpoint opportunities for emissions reduction.

About nShift

nShift is the global leading provider of cloud delivery management solutions enabling frictionless shipment and return of almost one billion shipments across 190 countries annually. nShift's software is used globally by e-commerce, retail, manufacturing and 3PL shippers. The company is headquartered in London and Oslo. It has over 500 employees across offices in Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, United Kingdom, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Romania.

[1] https://newsroom.accenture.com/news/majority-of-consumers-buying-from-companies-that-take-a-stand-on-issues-they-care-about-and-ditching-those-that-dont-accenture-study-finds.htm

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The Civil 20 (C20) Policy Pack urges the G20 Heads of State to put aside self-interests and address the deep inequalities that have increased after the pandemic.

NEW DELHI, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Civil 20, an official Engagement Group of India's G20 Presidency, has submitted its policy recommendations to the G20 Secretariat. The Civil 20 Policy Pack is the result of an unprecedented number of C20 events-over 1,300 meetings, both online and offline, with more than 5,400 civil society organizations (CSOs) from 154 countries. Through mass outreach campaigns, including in vulnerable communities, C20 also connected to more than 4.5 million people worldwide.

India's G20 Secretariat is now reviewing the policies in advance of the G20 Summit where its Heads of State will meet in New Delhi in September. The G20 (Group of Twenty) comprises 19 countries and the European Union. Its members represent around 85% of the global GDP, over 75% of global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.

The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified deep inequalities furthered by a global economic recession and increasing natural disasters. C20 specifically calls upon the world leaders to put aside their own self-interests and power struggles and shift their focus to cooperation and collaboration to build a better, stronger, and more inclusive world based upon compassion, mutual respect, and sustainability.

Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma) is a world-renowned spiritual leader and humanitarian who is Chair of this year's C20 Engagement Group. She is the first spiritual leader to hold the position which represents volunteers with the world's CSOs and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). It is their work that addresses on a first-person basis the needs of the world's most vulnerable communities and the impact of environmental destruction.

Amma said: "One of the key insights that arose from the deliberations was that in order to ensure the long-term existence and safety of humanity, it is necessary to embrace certain overarching values and principles, and work together as a unified whole. Indeed, the emergence of such a sentiment can be seen as a positive sign, opening the path for hope. Humanity's intentions and actions must reflect a degree of this shared sense of unity."

Amma added: "If not, our greed will reach such a pinnacle that it will threaten our very existence. Nature has been giving us strong warnings over the past several years that this is the direction in which we are headed. If we do not heed these warnings, human beings will very soon be added to this planet's list of extinct creatures."

Amma emphasized that everyone deserves respect and dignity regardless of background, setting the stage for ethical and sustainable policies. The Indian approach to public service has traditionally been founded upon selfless service and community participation. This is possible because there is a collective faith in self-reliance and sustainability, where economic growth, ecological health, personal enlightenment, and social well-being go hand in hand.

Amma said: "There will always be some people who will discourage us and obstruct our progress. We should never allow them to shake our confidence or conviction in fulfilling our personal duty. Only if we have self-confidence can we benefit society through our efforts."

Mr Vijay NambiarPrincipal Coordinator for C20 India said, "C20 India calls on the UN and the G20 to take bold action, including through substantial financial commitments, to help achieve the UN's critical Sustainable Development Goals. Civil society around the world should have sufficient space to play a fitting role in the implementation of this agenda."

The Civil 20 Policy Pack is founded upon on G20 India's theme-One Earth, One Family, One Future. The motto is inspired by an ancient Sanskrit phrase, vasudhaiva kutumbakam, which is so valued that it is engraved in the entry to India's parliament building. It means the whole world is one family.

After a successful conclusion of the C20 India Summit, Amma officially handed over the leadership to representatives from Brazil, the next country to hold the G20 Presidency.

For more information, please contact: info@embracingtheworld.org

Or visit: civil20.net

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Regulatory News:

SEGRO PLC (BOURSE:SGRO)

CANCELLATION OF REMAINING OUTSTANDING 225,000,000 6.75 PER CENT. NOTES DUE 2024 (THE "NOTES")

(ISIN: XS0107099466)

15 August 2023

Further to the announcement on 16 June 2023 made by SEGRO plc (the "Company") relating to the Company's redemption of the Notes, the Company announces that the listing of the Notes on the Official List of the Financial Conduct Authority and the admission of the Notes to trading on the Regulated Market of the London Stock Exchange plc has been cancelled with effect from 8:00 a.m. (London time) today.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

ABOUT SEGRO

SEGRO is a UK Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), listed on the London Stock Exchange and Euronext Paris, and is a leading owner, manager and developer of modern warehouses and industrial property. It owns or manages 10.3 million square metres of space (110 million square feet) valued at 21.0 billion serving customers from a wide range of industry sectors. Its properties are located in and around major cities and at key transportation hubs in the UK and in seven other European countries.

For over 100 years SEGRO has been creating the space that enables extraordinary things to happen. From modern big box warehouses, used primarily for regional, national and international distribution hubs, to urban warehousing located close to major population centres and business districts, it provides high-quality assets that allow its customers to thrive.

A commitment to be a force for societal and environmental good is integral to SEGRO's purpose and strategy. Its Responsible SEGRO framework focuses on three long-term priorities where the company believes it can make the greatest impact: Championing Low-Carbon Growth, Investing in Local Communities and Environments and Nurturing Talent.

Striving for the highest standards of innovation, sustainable business practices and enabling economic and societal prosperity underpins SEGRO's ambition to be the best property company.

See www.SEGRO.com for further information.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815763764/en/

Contacts:

For further information, please contact:

Harry Stokes (Commercial Finance Director)

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7451 9124 harry.stokes@segro.com

Gary Gaskarth (External Communications Manager)

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7451 9069

Richard Sunderland Ellie Sweeney Eve Kirmatzis (FTI Consulting)

Tel: +44 (0) 20 3727 1000


The Honourable Datuk Haji Julaihi Bin Haji Narawi, Minister for Utility and Telecommunication Sarawak (MUT) giving his welcome remarks at WCIT|IDECS 2023 50-Day Countdown

KUCHING, MALAYSIA, Aug 15, 2023 - (ACN Newswire) - The 50-day countdown has begun for two highly-anticipated international technology congresses, the 27th World Congress on Innovation and Technology and the 6th International Digital Economy Conference Sarawak, collectively known as WCIT|IDECS 2023. Hosted by the Sarawak Government, the event is set to bring together visionaries, experts, and industry leaders from around the world, and is scheduled to take place simultaneously on 4-6 October 2023 at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCKK), Sarawak, Malaysia.Present today to officiate the countdown launch event of WCIT|IDECS 2023 was Yang Berhormat (YB) Datuk Haji Julaihi Bin Haji Narawi, Minister of Utility and Telecommunication (MUT) Sarawak.Speaking at the countdown launch event, YB Datuk Haji Julaihi said, "On behalf of the Sarawak Government, we are pleased to announce the countdown to WCIT|IDECS 2023. Final preparations for the Congress are underway, and WCIT|IDECS 2023 promises to set the stage for Sarawak to be a catalyst to accelerate sustainable development and economic prosperity for the businesses, communities and the nation. The convergence of both WCIT and IDECS makes the event a unique platform to bridge the gap and create opportunities to build a business environment and ecosystem driven by innovation, technology and sustainability."WCIT|IDECS 2023 is expected to convene more than 10,000 attendees comprising industry experts, policymakers, and entrepreneurs from more than 80 countries around the world. Already, there are prominent speakers participating from over 22 countries. The event will explore thought-provoking discussions and provide an unparalleled opportunity to explore the latest trends, technologies and business models in the digital economy. Featuring a comprehensive programme and events comprising conferences, exhibitions, a Smart Cities masterclass, a Startup Village, a Global Leaders Round Table, business matching sessions, and a gala dinner awards night, WCIT|IDECS 2023 aims to explore various facets of the digital economy and its transformative impact on industries, business models, communities and the people.Themed "Fulfilling the Promise of the Digital Age: Innovation and Technology Driving Economic Prosperity, Social Inclusivity & Environmental Sustainability" and "Advancing Digital Economy for Sustainable Development" respectively, WCIT|IDECS 2023 will see the Sarawak Government hosting keynote addresses, multidisciplinary plenary discussions, and networking sessions to facilitate international collaboration, knowledge and insights exchange around key topics such as artificial intelligence (AI), sustainability, 5G, autonomous, diversity & inclusivity, smart cities, global ICT policy, and space tech."WCIT 2023 is a global platform that not only drives innovation but also stimulates investment and interestin the tech industry," said Dr Sean Seah, Chairman of WITSA. "In October, the trailblazers of the tech industry will be in Kuching, making Sarawak a focal point of global tech and innovation. The event will be welcoming international tech luminaries and stakeholders, and spotlighting Sarawak as a thriving hub of digital transformation." he added.Host association PIKOM Chairman Ong Chin Seong encourages tech players from abroad and peninsular Malaysia to take the opportunity provided by WCIT|IDECS 2023 to discover the abundant opportunity that Sarawak and Borneo in general have to offer. "PIKOM's vision is for WCIT|IDECS 2023 to be a catalyst that will spur Malaysia's and Sarawak's Digital Economy to greater heights," he said.In conjunction with WCIT|IDECS 2023, the Sarawak Government will also launch the inaugural She-Tech Asia Forum 2023 (the 'Forum'), which will be held on 3 October 2023. The Forum will serve as a pre-event to WCIT|IDECS 2023, with a focus on women's representation in the technology industry. The Forum aims to address the gender imbalance within the industry, serving as an impetus in shifting the gender conversation and empowering more women's participation in technology.On the Forum, Malseni Jamal, Chief Operating Officer of SDEC said, "As the world shifts to an increasingly digitalised economy, empowering greater women participation in tech is key to fostering the continuous growth for our economy and social inclusivity. The need for action is critical, and all stakeholders across public and private sectors must come together to close the gender gap and create equal opportunities and platforms for women to play a role in advancing our digital economy aspirations."Some of the key speakers of the Congress and She-Tech Asia Forum 2023 include:- Mike Walsh, Futurist, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tomorrow and author of three best-selling books;- Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro, Japanese roboticist and professor at Osaka University, and ATR intelligent robotics and communication laboratories;- Emma Yang, Founder of Timeless, three-time Carnegie Hall performer, MIT solver, and TEDx Speaker; and- Tiffany Pham, Founder and CEO of Mogul, TV personality on TLC and History Channel, and WSJ best-selling author of 'You are a Mogul and Girl Mogul'.YB Datuk Haji Julaihi concluded, "Sarawak is an attractive investment, business and tourism destination, and as the host of WCIT|IDECS 2023, we continue to reaffirm our commitment to advance Sarawak's vision to become a digital economy powerhouse for the country and region. The WCIT|IDECS 2023 platform will serve as one of the building blocks in advancing our digital economy agenda through innovation and technology, and is expected to create positive economic impact to the Sarawakian tech and startup ecosystem, through Foreign Direct Investments (FDI), business events and tourism, as well as sponsorships - which in turn will encourage greater job creation and business opportunities. Over the long-term, we want to be the go-to hub for investors looking to combine business with leisure, with the ultimate goal of uplifting the socioeconomics of the people."Leading global organisations such as Huawei, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), TVS, Sarawak Energy Berhad, Digital Nasional Berhad, NEC and Whale Cloud have signed on as key sponsors, Business Events Sarawak, Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC) and Maxis Berhad, among others, are supporting WCIT|IDECS 2023 as key partners. Official airline partner MAS is offering attractive discounted fares for early bird registrations.Source: WCIT|IDECS 2023Copyright 2023 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
Sudbury, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 15, 2023) - Magna Mining Inc. (TSXV: NICU) (OTCQB: MGMNF) (FSE: 8YD) ("Magna" or the "Company") is pleased to release additional assay results from the ongoing 2023 diamond drilling program at the Crean Hill Nickel Project ("Crean Hill"). A portion of the assay results today represent confirmation of a shallow zone of massive sulphides in the vicinity of MCR-22-005 (released on January 5, 2023). This is one of the areas that the Company is planning to include as part of the advanced exploration and test mining program in 2024. Two drillholes, MCR-23-041 and MCR-23-042, tested down-dip, to the north and south of drillhole MCR-22-005 (see Fig. 1).

Highlights from the new assay results include:

101 FW Zone

MCR-23-041: 3.0% Ni, 0.7% Cu, 1.2 g/t Pt + Pd + Au over 31.6 metres

MCR-23-042: 4.2% Ni, 1.4% Cu, 1.0 g/t Pt + Pd + Au over 27.6 metres

Dave King, SVP Technical Services, stated, "The assay results released today are an example of wide, high-grade, massive sulphide nickel mineralization remaining at shallow depths within the Crean Hill deposit. This drilling, in conjunction with some of the historic INCO drilling, further defines the strike and dip of the core of the 101 Footwall ("101 FW") Zone. Our recently released Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") did not include any of the drilling executed by Magna since acquiring the property, and these results are not reflected in the current block model and Mineral Resource. We are now using this information in the detailed design of our advanced exploration and test mining program that we plan to initiate in the first half of 2024."

The 101 FW Zone consists of semi-massive to locally massive sulphide veins, hosted within a footwall breccia system, extending southwest into the footwall of the Intermediate Contact Zone. Drilling to date in the 101 FW has defined a wide, high grade, massive sulphide core, transitioning to massive sulphide veins along strike and down-dip, within the footwall breccia structure (Figures 1 and 2). The advanced exploration program planned to commence in 2024 will provide underground drilling platforms allowing detailed definition of this zone, which has potential to provide high-grade, potentially mineable resources early in mine life, which was not represented in the recent PEA.

In addition to the 101 FW drilling, four exploration drillholes were completed to better define the footwall breccia trends on the Crean Hill property (Figure 3). These holes confirmed the presence of footwall breccias trending southwest from the known 101 FW and 109 FW Zones. The Company did not expect to intersect mineralization in these holes, only to test for the presence of footwall breccias deep in the footwall rocks. These Sudbury breccias are an important exploration criterion as they represent a potential pathway for mineralization into the footwall and are the primary lithology that hosts high-grade footwall deposits in Sudbury. Geological interpretation based on the results of these holes will be used to refine the position of deeper geophysical platform exploration drillholes, targeting potentially mineralized footwall breccias at depth.

The location of the diamond drillholes is illustrated in Figures 1-3, assay results are summarized in Table 1, and drillhole coordinates in Table 2.







Figure 1: Longitudinal Section of the Crean Hill 101 Footwall Zone. Magna Diamond Drillholes and the Location of Section B (Figure 2) are Illustrated. Refer to Figure 3 for the Location of Longitudinal Section A-A'.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8002/177248_39ed4f53a425ba8c_002full.jpg

Table 1: Summary of Assay Results

Drillhole Zone

From

(m) To

(m) Length

(m) Ni % Cu % Co % Pt g/t Pd g/t Au g/t TPM g/t NiEq MCR-22-003* Intermediate

75.83 105.06 30.23 0.68 0.43 0.02 0.36 0.13 0.11 0.60 0.99



including 95.55 105.06 10.51 1.11 0.61 0.03 0.86 0.31 0.20 1.37 1.63

101 FW

154.53 157.20 2.67 2.57 0.40 0.07 0.94 0.67 0.17 1.78 3.15

101 FW

168.12 178.90 10.78 3.75 1.74 0.09 0.20 0.22 0.04 0.46 4.69



including 168.12 169.78 1.66 3.24 8.30 0.08 0.07 0.24 0.21 0.52 6.96



and 173.10 178.90 5.80 6.01 0.33 0.14 0.35 0.33 0.02 0.70 6.47

101 FW

192.27 195.47 3.20 0.80 3.76 0.06 1.00 2.52 0.67 4.19 3.31

101 FW

215.75 222.00 6.25 0.19 0.71 0.01 0.02 0.02 0.08 0.13 0.52 MCR-22-004* Intermediate

91.55 110.02 18.47 0.70 0.67 0.02 0.28 0.10 0.10 0.47 1.08



including 106.77 109.25 2.48 1.33 0.59 0.03 0.96 0.16 0.14 1.26 1.81

101 FW

117.61 132.00 14.39 1.65 0.86 0.05 0.32 0.14 0.07 0.54 2.17



including 119.06 127.15 8.09 2.46 1.15 0.07 0.48 0.18 0.08 0.73 3.16

101 FW

136.61 145.76 9.15 0.81 0.28 0.03 0.09 0.05 0.02 0.16 0.99



including 139.65 141.21 1.56 2.65 0.14 0.08 0.13 0.10 0.01 0.25 2.86

101 FW

172.83 180.93 8.10 0.21 0.66 0.01 0.11 0.10 0.04 0.25 0.55

101 FW

223.58 228.00 4.42 1.11 5.73 0.03 1.17 0.45 0.56 2.18 3.93



including 225.55 228.00 2.45 1.17 8.96 0.04 0.99 0.58 1.05 2.61 5.46

101 FW

234.29 239.00 4.71 2.43 2.73 0.05 0.24 0.30 2.29 2.83 4.22 MCR-22-005* Intermediate

75.27 98.09 22.82 0.50 0.48 0.01 0.18 0.06 0.07 0.31 0.77



including 88.17 92.23 4.06 0.88 0.97 0.02 0.45 0.16 0.14 0.75 1.44

101 FW

138.39 169.44 31.06 4.04 0.69 0.10 0.36 0.25 0.07 0.67 4.58



including 138.39 143.42 5.03 6.50 1.03 0.17 0.28 0.17 0.03 0.48 7.26



and 153.08 169.44 16.07 5.68 0.69 0.13 0.43 0.29 0.05 0.78 6.29

101 FW

178.70 184.74 6.04 0.19 0.22 0.01 0.38 0.54 0.42 1.33 0.55 MCR-22-006* Intermediate

90.00 133.76 43.76 0.41 0.43 0.01 0.29 0.09 0.10 0.48 0.68



including 125.02 127.51 2.49 1.08 0.95 0.03 1.04 0.17 0.20 1.41 1.73

101 FW

137.56 154.82 17.26 0.80 0.77 0.03 0.19 0.12 0.06 0.37 1.23



including 142.89 144.83 1.94 2.03 0.56 0.06 0.32 0.26 0.03 0.62 2.45

101 FW

160.60 189.00 28.40 0.52 0.67 0.02 0.11 0.09 0.10 0.29 0.88



including 166.29 167.74 1.45 2.20 0.22 0.06 0.09 0.07 0.02 0.18 2.41

101 FW

208.63 211.64 3.01 0.51 0.45 0.02 0.07 0.08 0.03 0.19 0.76 MCR-23-025 FW Expl

185.90 186.30 0.40 0.01 0.02 0.00 0.01 0.01 1.74 1.76 0.38 MCR-23-029 FW Expl

No Signficant Values MCR-23-030 FW Expl

No Signficant Values MCR-23-031 FW Expl

No Signficant Values MCR-23-032 101 FW

231.00 234.50 3.50 0.34 0.18 0.02 2.57 1.17 0.06 3.80 1.04





237.60 238.30 0.60 2.69 2.68 0.12 0.43 4.05 0.28 4.76 5.05 MCR-23-034 101 FW

224.30 225.10 0.80 4.58 2.15 0.09 0.41 0.26 0.34 1.01 5.79

101 FW

231.40 231.80 0.30 3.25 0.66 0.09 0.11 0.30 0.09 0.50 3.76

101 FW

260.20 260.70 0.50 0.47 3.57 0.01 0.46 0.04 0.13 0.63 2.08

101 FW

263.40 264.20 0.80 1.92 7.23 0.06 0.01 0.80 0.11 0.92 5.26

101 FW

270.20 273.80 3.60 0.21 1.24 0.01 0.01 0.11 0.05 0.17 0.78

101 FW

278.60 279.00 0.40 1.26 0.25 0.04 0.01 0.65 0.91 1.57 1.76 MCR-23-035 101 FW

297.80 300.80 2.90 0.56 2.35 0.02 0.06 0.22 0.39 0.66 1.71

Intermediate

418.20 423.30 4.90 0.84 0.89 0.03 0.88 0.28 0.30 1.46 1.49 MCR-23-036 101 FW

245.40 246.00 0.50 0.19 1.08 0.00 0.09 0.01 0.10 0.20 0.68 MCR-23-037 Undefined

92.00 93.40 1.40 2.18 0.88 0.03 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.03 2.60

101 FW

309.10 312.80 3.70 0.91 1.87 0.01 0.16 0.05 0.04 0.26 1.76 MCR-23-038 101 FW

No Signficant Values MCR-23-041 Intermediate

77.40 112.00 34.70 0.60 0.55 0.02 0.33 0.10 0.09 0.51 0.94



Including 87.40 95.30 7.90 0.78 0.65 0.02 0.45 0.15 0.10 0.71 1.19



and including 102.50 112.00 9.50 0.89 0.85 0.03 0.53 0.15 0.13 0.81 1.42

101 FW

134.80 166.50 31.60 2.99 0.65 0.08 0.75 0.37 0.10 1.22 3.57 MCR-23-042 Intermediate

74.00 80.90 6.90 0.31 0.25 0.01 0.08 0.02 0.04 0.15 0.45





90.90 92.60 1.70 0.92 1.33 0.03 0.44 0.30 0.27 1.00 1.70

101 FW

149.20 176.90 27.60 4.20 1.37 0.10 0.56 0.36 0.11 1.02 5.09

*Previously Reported

All lengths are downhole length.

NiEq % = ( (Ni% x 2204 x Ni Price $/lb) + (Cu% x 96% Recovery x 2204 x Cu Price $/lb) + (Co% x 56% Recovery x 2204 x Co Price $/lb) + (Pt gpt x 69% Recovery / 31.1035 x Pt $/oz) +(Pd gpt x 68% Recovery / 31.1035 x Pd $/oz) + (Au gpt x 68% Recovery / 31.1035 x Au $/oz))/2204 x Ni $/lb

Figure 2: Vertical Section B, through the 101 FW Zone, Showing General Geology, Recent and Historical Drilling Results, and the Current Resource Model. Refer to Figure 1 for location of Section B.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8002/177248_39ed4f53a425ba8c_003full.jpg









Figure 3: Plan View of the Crean Hill Property Showing the Location of Footwall Exploration Drillholes and Footwall Breccia Intervals Intersected in Recent Drilling.



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8002/177248_magnamining3.png

Table 2: Drillhole Collar Coordinates

BHID Easting Northing Elevation Azimuth Dip Depth

(m) MCR-23-025 472816 5141363 286 284 60 731 MCR-23-029 472656 5141369 282 270 45 350 MCR-23-030 472656 5141369 282 98 50 677 MCR-23-031 472683 5141752 285 91 45 151 MCR-23-032 472985 5141759 281 315 48 299 MCR-23-034 472985 5141759 281 323 47 308 MCR-23-035 473026 5141821 286 333 63 450 MCR-23-036 472984 5141759 281 307 51 299 MCR-23-037 472984 5141760 281 333 53 383 MCR-23-038 473032 5141815 288 325 72 501 MCR-23-041 472897 5142028 303 158 59 221 MCR-23-042 472897 5142028 303 164 59 200

*Drillhole Coordinates are in coordinate system NAD 83 Zone 17

Qualified Person

The technical information in this press release has been reviewed and approved by David King, M.Sc., P.Geo. Mr. King is the Senior Vice President, Technical Services for Magna Mining Inc. and is a qualified person under Canadian National Instrument 43-101.

QA/QC

Sample QA/QC procedures for Magna have been designed to meet or exceed industry standards. Drill core is collected from the diamond drill and placed in sealed core trays for transport to Magna's core facilities. The core is then logged, and samples marked in intervals of up to 1.5m and cut with a diamond saw. Samples are then bagged in plastic bags with 10 bagged samples being placed into rice bags for transport to Swastika Laboratories in Kirkland Lake Ontario via Gardewine Transport. Samples are submitted in batches of 50 with 5 QA/QC samples including, 2 certified reference material standards, 2 samples of blank material and 1 duplicate.

About Magna Mining Inc.

Magna Mining is an exploration and development company focused on nickel, copper and PGM projects in the Sudbury Region of Ontario, Canada. The Company's flagship assets are the past producing Shakespeare and Crean Hill Mines. The Shakespeare Mine is a feasibility stage project which has major permits for the construction of a 4,500 tonne per day open pit mine, processing plant and tailings storage facility and is surrounded by a contiguous 180km2 prospective land package. Crean Hill is a past producing nickel, copper and PGM mine with a technical report dated August 2022. Additional information about the Company is available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) and on the Company's website (www.magnamining.com).

For further information, please contact:

Jason Jessup

Chief Executive Officer

or

Paul Fowler, CFA

Senior Vice President

Email: info@magnamining.com

Cautionary Statement

This press release contains certain forward-looking information or forward-looking statements as defined in applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are not historical facts and are subject to several risks and uncertainties beyond the Company's control, including statements regarding the production at the Shakespeare and Crean HIll Mines, the economic and operational potential of the Shakespeare and Crean Hill Mines, potential acquisitions, plans to complete exploration programs, potential mineralization, exploration results and statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations, or intentions of the Company. Resource exploration and development is highly speculative, characterized by several significant risks, which even a combination of careful evaluation, experience and knowledge may not eliminate. All forward-looking statements herein are qualified by this cautionary statement. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information or future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/177248
- Continued operational execution across pipeline towards multiple clinical and regulatory value-driving milestones expected in the second half of 2023

- Company to host conference call and webcast today at 8:30 AM ET

OCALA, Fla., Aug. 15, 2023 (NYSE American: AIM) ("AIM" or the "Company") today reported its financial results for the second quarter 2023 and provided a business update. As previously announced, the Company will host a conference call and audio webcast on Tuesday, August 15, 2023, at 8:30 AM ET (details below).

"Over the course of the second quarter, our team continued to deliver on our timelines and made significant progress advancing Ampligen through our active human clinical studies in multiple indications. We continue to be encouraged by the growing body of positive and consistent data and believe Ampligen has the potential to be a meaningful treatment option across a number of high-value indications," commented Thomas K. Equels, Chief Executive Officer of AIM. "Our operational execution remains supported by a strong cash position, and we are steadfast in our mission to advance the clinical development of our oncology pipeline, with pancreatic cancer as our lead development program. Looking ahead to the remainder of the year, we believe we are well-positioned to achieve a number of value-driving milestones."

Recent Highlights

Ampligen identified as one of two potential therapeutics possessing modest to high potential for the treatment of post-COVID conditions out of 22 identified on-going randomized clinical trials in recent peer-reviewed publication (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13543784.2023.2242773).

Received updated data from Early Access Program (EAP) at Erasmus Medical Center which bolsters previously published data (https://aimimmuno.com/aim-immunotech-announces-publication-of-positive-data-from-late-stage-pancreatic-cancer-early-access-program-eap-in-the-cancers-special-issue-combination-and-innovative-therapies-for-pancreatic-can/) indicating that treatment with Ampligen following FOLFIRINOX was associated with improved survival rates in pancreatic cancer patients compared to matched controls of patients who did not receive Ampligen.

Commenced and completed full enrollment in the Company's Phase 2 study evaluating Ampligen as a potential therapeutic for people with post-COVID conditions (AMP-518).

Announced the publication of pre-clinical data that suggests Ampligen has the potential to act directly on tumor cells to reduce tumor cell growth in pancreatic cancer patients with sufficient tumor levels of TLR-3, suggesting a potential biomarker to identify patients who may respond to Ampligen. The anti-tumor analysis was published in the peer-reviewed journal American Journal of Cancer Research in the paper "Rintatolimod: A potential treatment in patients with pancreatic cancer expressing Toll-like receptor 3 (https://e-century.us/files/ajcr/13/6/ajcr0147801.pdf)."

Received the required approvals from the Netherlands for Erasmus Medical Center ("Erasmus MC") to begin a Phase 1b/2 study under the previously announced external sponsored collaborative clinical research agreement with AstraZeneca and Erasmus MC (https://aimimmuno.com/aim-immunotech-enters-into-pancreatic-cancer-clinical-research-agreements-with-astrazeneca-and-erasmus-medical-center/).

Announced the opening of an additional clinical trial site at University of Nebraska for Phase 2 study of Ampligen for the treatment of pancreatic cancer (AMP-270).

Granted patent No. 2022/01079, titled "Compositions and Methods Useful for Ebola Virus Infection" by the South African Patent and Trademark Office (CIPC).



Ampligen Expected Upcoming Pipeline Milestones

Q3 2023

Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer: Enroll and dose first patient in Phase 2 study

Advanced Recurrent Ovarian Cancer: Announce protocol-planned interim results

Q4 2023

Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer: Enroll and dose first patient in Phase 1b/2 study evaluating Ampligen in combination with AstraZeneca's Imfinzi (durvalumab)



Summary of Financial Highlights for Second Quarter 2023

As of June 30, 2023, AIM reported cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $28.4 million. Based on management's current expectation, the Company's cash runway is expected to fund operations through multiple key milestones through the end of 2024.

Research and development expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2023 were $3.0 million, compared to $2.5 million for the same period in 2022.

General and administrative expenses were $2.6 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023, compared to $2.2 million for the same period 2022.

The net loss from operations for the three months ended June 30, 2023 was $4.9 million, or $0.10 per share, compared to $4.9 million, or $0.10 per share, for the three months ended June 30, 2022.



Please refer to the full 10-Q for complete details.

Conference Call and Webcast Details

As previously announced, the Company will host a quarterly conference call and live audio webcast to discuss the operational and financial results on August 15, 2023, at 8:30 AM ET.

The call will be hosted by members of AIM, CEO Thomas K. Equels and Scientific Officer Christopher McAleer, PhD. Interested participants and investors may access the conference call by dialingwill be accessible on the Eventspage of the Investorssection of the Company's website, aimimmuno.com, and will be archived for 90 days following the live event.

About AIM ImmunoTech Inc.

AIM ImmunoTech Inc. is an immuno-pharma company focused on the research and development of therapeutics to treat multiple types of cancers, immune disorders and viral diseases, including COVID-19. The Company's lead product is a first-in-class investigational drug called Ampligen (rintatolimod), a dsRNA and highly selective TLR3 agonist immuno-modulator with broad spectrum activity in clinical trials for globally important cancers, viral diseases and disorders of the immune system.

For more information, please visit aimimmuno.comand connect with the Company on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

Cautionary Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the "PSLRA"). Words such as "may," "will," "expect," "plan," "anticipate" and similar expressions (as well as other words or expressions referencing future events or circumstances) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Many of these forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Among other things, for those statements, the Company claims the protection of safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the PSLRA. The Company does not undertake to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof.
Dr. Mehan's Appointment Reflects HIFU Prostate Services' Rapid Expansion As Medicare And Many Commercial Plans Now Cover The HIFU Treatment Nationwide

CHARLOTTE, NC / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / HIFU Prostate Services, LLC, the leading provider of HIFU technology and services to physician practices in the United States, has named Rahul Mehan, MD As Chief Medical Officer, effective immediately, it was announced by John Linn, Chief Executive Officer.

Rahul Mehan, MD, Chief Medical Officer HIFU Prostate Services, LLC

In his new position as Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Mehan will oversee HIFU Prostate Services' extensive physician training program and keep all affiliate physicians and their medical staff current on the Company's technology and policies. Dr. Mehan's appointment comes at a time when HIFU Prostate Services is experiencing rapid growth stemming from the recent acceptance of the HIFU treatment by Medicare and many commercial plans, making the breakthrough prostate cancer technology accessible to many patients.

A nationally recognized expert in minimally invasive treatments in urology, Dr. Mehan is founder of East Valley Urology (EVU) Center in Mesa, Arizona, a practice focused on offering state-of-the-art urologic care to improve patients' quality of life and treat cancer. As an early adopter of HIFU, Dr. Mehan is noted for his expertise in robotic surgery and minimally invasive treatments for prostate cancer. Originally from Ohio, Dr. Mehan completed his undergraduate studies at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He received his medical degree from Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine in Dayton, Ohio. Following his graduation, Dr. Mehan completed his residency in urology at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis where he participated in the FDA clinical trial for HIFU that led to U.S. clearance in 2015. He has been featured on several TV segments for men's health and serves as a prominent national influencer on social media.

HIFU, or High Intensity Focused Ultrasound, is a gamechanger in the treatment of prostate cancer. The revolutionary technology allows for the precise targeting of cancer within the prostate as opposed to ionizing radiation or removing the prostate gland through radical surgery. Cleared by the FDA for prostate tissue ablation in October 2015, HIFU is a non-invasive treatment that uses sound waves to heat and destroy cancerous tissue in the prostate. The one-time outpatient procedure allows men to return to their normal lifestyle within a few days. Key to the HIFU procedure is the Sonablate, the most precise HIFU device for prostate cancer available and the only device that can deliver a completely customized treatment for each patient. The Sonablate HIFU system helps physicians precisely locate and avoid the nerves that preserve sexual function, while also keeping rates of incontinence below 2%.

Due to the nature of ultrasound energy and the accuracy of HIFU, areas outside the targeted tissue are undamaged, greatly reducing the risk of side effects such as urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction. HIFU may also be an acceptable salvage treatment for men who may already have had radiation and their prostate cancer has returned.

"We are extremely pleased to name Dr. Rahul Mehan as HIFU Prostate Services Chief Medical Officer. The extensive knowledge of robotic surgical solutions and minimally invasive prostate cancer treatments that Dr. Mehan brings to HIFU Prostate Services will greatly benefit all the physicians in our national network and their patients," said Linn.

"HIFU is a remarkable technology and the fact that this proven treatment can now be accessed by patients via Medicare and other commercial plans makes it a tremendously viable option for patients nationwide. HIFU Prostate Services has always been ahead of the curve in delivering the technology to physicians and helping them get the HIFU message out to their patients. I am thrilled to work with the HIFU Prostate Services management team in heading up physician relations as CMO," said Dr. Mehan.

About HIFU Prostate Services, LLC

HIFU Prostate Services was founded to provide men access to a less invasive treatment option for prostate cancer that can eliminate cancer and preserve patient quality of life. The mission of HIFU Prostate Services is to deliver the highest quality of care, support, and technology to the patient and to the urology community for the treatment of localized prostate cancer using Sonablate HIFU. The company is headquartered in Charlotte, NC and with treatment locations throughout the US. Learn more at http://www.hifuprostateservices.com.

# # #

CONTACT:

Steve Syatt

SSA Public Relations

steve@ssapr.com

(818) 222-4000

SOURCE: HIFU Prostate Services, LLC

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/774171/HIFU-Prostate-Services-Names-Rahul-Mehan-MD-As-Chief-Medical-Officer
PIGGS PEAK  Some chiefs in the Hhohho Region want the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) to ensure that self-exiled emaSwati do not take part in the 2023 General Elections.

This transpired yesterday at the Piggs Peak Hotel, where the EBC held a meeting with Hhohho chiefs and traditional leaders. The meeting was aimed at sensitising the chiefs and traditional leaders on the newly-passed Elections (Amendment) Bill 2023 and the Voters Registration Bill, into law, ahead of special voting on August 22, 2023 and the primary elections slated for August 26, 2023. The Elections Act, 2023 amended the Elections Act No.6, 2013, to provide for the promotion of transparency, equity and credibility in the elections process and extension of special voting to other classes. The Voters Registration Act, 2023 amended the Voters Registration Act No.4 of 2013, to provide for continuous registration, revision of the voters register, burden of proof in case of objections and incidental matters.

Yesterday, during the closed meeting, chiefs wanted to know how the EBC ensured that self-exiled emaSwati, wanted for criminal-related matters and those promoting political parties and demonstrations in disapproval of the Tinkhundla System of Government, would not be taking part in the elections. The chiefs main concern was that the self-exiled emaSwati might form part of those who had registered and would be voting outside the country. The chiefs indicated that their main fear was that the self-exiled emaSwati (for political reasons) might manipulate or distort diaspora results to work in their favour.

First to raise the issue was Ndzingeni Chief, Umntfwanenkhosi Mavelebaleni. He wondered how it would be ensured that emaSwati in diaspora, who were political activists, did not take part in the elections. Our main concern is those in diaspora voting outside the country. The word diaspora has been seen not just to mean emaSwati working and living outside the country, but it is an umbrella word used even for self-exiled political activists. We are, therefore, concerned how the EBC will monitor if the self-exiled political activists do not interfere with the voting process so that the results are not cooked, he said. The chief highlighted that corruption took place even in the country and wondered how worse it could be beyond the borders.

Another traditional leader shared similar sentiments on the voting of emaSwati in diaspora. He enquired: We understand that inmates who had been found guilty of serious crimes and those sentenced to life imprisonment cannot vote. How about those who fled the country for crimes they committed? Are they allowed to vote? Who assures that they are not allowed to vote? Prince Kekela, Chief of Mvuma, also wanted to know if self-exiled emaSwati, especially those whose warrants of arrest had been issued, would be prevented from participating in the general elections.

Diaspora

This was after EBC Commissioner Chief Mawandla Gamedze had responded to the questions of the other chiefs and highlighted that what was good with the diaspora was that the commission knew all the people working outside the country, such as in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kenya, among other countries, as they were not too many. We are not sure of those accused of crimes, because one is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Even the counting of the votes will be done at the diaspora and results will then be sent back, said the commissioner. Chief Gamedze explained that 222 emaSwati in diaspora had registered for the 2023 General Elections, against over 500 000 registered local citizens. He explained that registering for voting in diaspora involved places where there was a local embassy or Eswatini was conducting business.
BOSTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Longwood Fund, an early-stage life science venture firm, will convene top biopharmaceutical leaders for two days of off-the-record discussions and networking at its Fall Longwood Healthcare Leaders Conference, co-hosted by Harvard Medical School Dean, George Daley, at Harvard Medical School's Joseph B. Martin Conference Center, September 18-19, 2023.

The industry-leading conference focuses on a broad spectrum of topics affecting the biopharma ecosystem. BioPharma C-suite executives, heads of research and development, leading academics, Nobelists, and life science investors will participate in goal-oriented panels and fireside chats designed to provide insights, foster ideas, and generate strategies to help the industry translate groundbreaking discoveries into medicines to help patients.

Speakers at the conference include: FDA CBER Director Peter Marks, former CDC Director Rochelle Walensky (2019-2022), Mass General Brigham CEO Anne Klibanski, Amgen head of R&D Dave Reese, CSL global R&D head Bill Mezzanotte, Janssen global head of public health R&D Ruxandra Draghia-Akli, GSK head of research John Lepore, Astellas CMO Tadaaki Taniguchi, former FDA GC Peter Hutt, Wyss Institute Founding Director Don Ingber, Editas CEO Gilmore O'Neill, Compass Pathways CEO Kabir Nath, Adaptive Biotech CEO Chad Robins, Kite EVP Cindy Perettie, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute CEO Laurie Glimcher, Nobel laureate Bill Kaelin, Foundation Medicine CEO Brian Alexander, among others.

Topics for discussion include: policy impact on innovation, the next wave of targeted therapies, advancing research into the clinic, pharma pipeline sourcing, rare disease innovation, R&D collaboration, innovative commercial models, age of -omics, managing the runway, investment outlook, deal-making forecast, among others.

Multiple networking opportunities are built into the agenda of the two-day meeting, concluding with a cocktail reception on September 18 and 19 for conference participants.

To learn more, visit https://www.longwoodhealthcareleaders.com/fall2023

Longwood Fund

Longwood Fund is a venture capital firm dedicated to creating and investing in novel healthcare companies that develop important treatments to help patients while generating significant value for investors. The Longwood team has a long history of successfully launching and building important life science companies while providing operational leadership and strategic guidance. Collectively, the Partners at Longwood Fund have co-founded 25 companies with over 20 launched or marketed drugs and therapies, as well as over two dozen clinical-stage assets, all focused on helping patients. Companies founded by Longwood Fund, or its principals prior to the founding of the Firm, as lead investor and CEO/CBO include Acceleron, Momenta, Alnylam, Vertex, Sirtris, Vor, TScan, Pyxis Oncology, Immunitas, Be Biopharma, Tome Bio, Photys, Carbon Biosciences, DEM BioPharma, and Solu Therapeutics. For more information, visit www.longwoodfund.com.

Longwood Healthcare Leaders

As part of the Longwood Healthcare Leaders series, Longwood hosts semiannual industry conferences with thought leaders and decision-makers in government, pharma, biotech, and academia for off-the-record forums at institutions including Harvard Medical School and MIT to discuss areas of collaboration and access to innovation in order to accelerate the translation of discoveries into medicines to help patients. For more information, visit www.longwoodhealthcareleaders.com.

Contact Information:

Arielle Jackson

Director, Investor Relations

arielle@longwoodfund.com

617-351-2590

SOURCE: Longwood Healthcare Leaders

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/773865/Longwood-Healthcare-Leaders-to-Convene-Top-Biotech-and-Pharmaceutical-Leaders-and-Researchers
CINCINNATI, OH / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / STACK Construction Technologies, an industry-leading construction software platform, is honored as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. by Inc Magazine's 2023 Inc 5000 list. The recognition makes it the seventh time the company has received this award, with over 120% revenue growth from 2020-2022.

This prestigious list is a hallmark of entrepreneurial success, celebrating innovation and leaders in American business. STACK ranks in the top 55% of the list, coming in at number 2,525. The company's spectacular 123% revenue growth continues today amidst a time of great change, adding 166 jobs since 2020. STACK joins Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names who first gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.

"To say we are thrilled is an understatement," said Philip Ogilby, CEO and Co-founder of STACK. "Seven consecutive years on the Inc 5000 list is astounding, and this prestigious recognition fuels our passion to continue innovating for our customers in the construction technology landscape. Every year STACK rises in the rankings, a testament to the exceptional team that powers our progress and growth. We're immensely proud to be counted among these exemplary leaders and businesses."

While STACK's takeoff and estimating solutions have long been powering collaboration for estimating teams and contributing to more profitable project wins, our construction solutions extend these benefits beyond the preconstruction stage and into the construction phase of the project lifecycle. These field collaboration and construction management solutions allow every member of the team to access project plans, details, and reports - whether in the office, on a job site, or working remotely. Plus, our open API allows for seamless connection to other platforms and enables further streamlining of workflows and greater efficiency gains.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are featured in the September 2023 issue of Inc., which will be available on newsstands on August 15.

###

Phil Ogilby, STACK Construction Technologies CEO and Co-founder, is available for interviews. Please contact Darcie Burroughs at dburroughs@stackct.com to book, and for more information about STACK and this release.

About STACK Construction Technologies

From project evaluation to completion, contractors use STACK's cloud-based software to help run their businesses and maximize their profits. Our preconstruction solutions enable fast and accurate takeoff and estimating, as well as providing a centralized hub where plans, specs, and other construction documents can be stored, evaluated, measured, and shared. Our construction solutions power real-time field and project collaboration by allowing teams to quickly and easily review, annotate, compare, and share plans, anywhere, from any device. STACK's superior collaboration tools ultimately improve project outcomes and profitability for contractors.

For more information on how STACK software is helping teams gain visibility, insight, and alignment throughout the bid process and in the field, visit stackct.com.

Contact Information:

Darcie Burroughs

Content Marketing Specialist

dburroughs@stackct.com

917-254-5122

Related Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q-899fFyNk

SOURCE: STACK Construction Technologies

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/774093/STACK-Construction-Technologies-Clinches-Coveted-Spot-on-the-Inc-5000-List-for-the-Seventh-Consecutive-Year
CRANBROOK, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Eagle Plains Resources Ltd. (TSXV:EPL) ("EPL" or "Eagle Plains" or the "Company") is pleased to report that diamond drilling activity has been completed at the Vulcan Project located 30km west of Kimberley, BC. Critical metal mineralization and sedimentary-exhalative ("sedex") style alteration was intercepted in all completed holes over significant widths and over a broad area, though not in economic concentrations. Observation of geological features in all holes suggest that a robust mineralized vent source was active in the area. The Vulcan property is owned 100% by Eagle Plains and has no underlying royalties or encumbrances.

Since the current program commenced in mid-June, a total of 4,256m (13,963') in six holes have been completed. The program started with the deepening of Drill-hole VU22004 (drilled in 2022) by 231.8m. The next four holes were collared from the same drill pad as VU22004, with the final two holes collared from another drill pad located approximately 470m to the northwest, one of which (VU23005) was abandoned at 39.6m. Borehole electromagnetic ("BHEM") surveys were successfully completed on 3 holes (VU23003, VU23004, VU23006), with results pending. Geophysical work was carried out by SJ Geophysics Ltd. (Delta, BC) utilizing their Volterra Borehole Acquisition System.

Geological interpretation based on current drilling and geological mapping has resulted in the recognition of a separate distinct mineralizing event named the Vulcan Horizon, located at least 146m (467') stratigraphically below the Hilo Horizon. Exploration this season has also helped to better delineate the Hilo Horizon, which has been the focus of historic work on the property. The Hilo Horizon, as defined in drillhole intercepts and outcrop, occurs near the Lower-Middle Aldridge contact ("LMC"), the same time-stratigraphic horizon associated with the Sullivan deposit, located 30km east of Vulcan. Eagle Plains' 2022 and 2023 Vulcan drilling intercepted a thick package of variably mineralized and altered fragmental rocks beneath the Hilo Horizon, stratigraphically below any of the historical drill testing in the West Basin area of the Vulcan Property. Mineralization within the fragmental unit can be up to 226m thick and is typically constrained to clasts and rare in-situ stratabound bands. The Vulcan Horizon lies beneath the fragmental unit and occurs as up to 140m true thickness stratabound package of generally thin bedded Lower Aldridge sediments with bedding-parallel laminations containing sphalerite (Zn), galena (Pb), pyrrhotite (Fe), arsenopyrite (As) and chalcopyrite (Cu). The interval contains local fine-grained argillite with black tourmalinite alteration, suggesting proximity to a hydrothermal vent source. Drill holes VU22004, VU23001, VU23002, VU23003 and VU23004 intercepted the Vulcan Horizon sequence.

2023 drilling has confirmed widespread sedex-style mineralization and alteration in the West Basin area of Vulcan. In addition, a thick unit of massive sand fragmental identified in 2023 is consistent with infill facies along the margins of a second or third order basin, which are thought to be critical as structural traps for exhalative mineralization.

Preliminary interpretation indicates that mineralization remains open down-dip and along strike. Detailed geochemical results from the 2022 and 2023 drill programs will be combined with geological and structural models to identify additional drill targets to test for a vent source interpreted to be responsible for mineralization and alteration seen to date. Plans are underway to mobilize the drill from site over the coming days. Detailed reporting will be completed when all geochemical and geophysical results have been received, analyzed and interpreted.

See Vulcan drill-hole plan here

Drill-hole VU23004 was drilled to a depth of 934.8m at an azimuth of 106 and dip -80. This hole was designed to undercut VU22004 which first intersected significant sphalerite (Zn) and galena (Pb) mineralization hosted in both clasts and as discrete stratabound mineralization in the Hilo and Vulcan Horizons. The hole intersected weak laminated pyrrhotite-sphalerite-galena mineralization within the Hilo Horizon (275.8-288.8m), immediately underlying the LMC. A broad fragmental was intersected between 288.8-934.8m, significantly thicker than intersections of the same horizon in previous holes. Similar to other holes the fragmental clasts show compositional zonation. Clasts outside of mineralized horizons are wacke-dominant with lesser quartzite. Between 678.9-796.3m clasts are comprised of weakly disseminated to semi-massive pyrrhotite-sphalerite-galena, indicating redeposition of earlier mineralized stratigraphy. Underlying the mineralized zone is unmineralized fragmental to end of hole. Preliminary interpretations of the drastic increase in fragmental thickness indicate the hole was drilling down a discordant clastic dyke, similar to footwall feeder zones observed beneath and proximal to the Sullivan Deposit. Further geological modelling and geochemical analysis is underway to interpret the geometry of the fragmental package and how it may relate spatially to mineralizing vent structures.

Drill-hole VU23005 was drilled at azimuth 104 and dip -55. The hole was terminated at a depth of 39.6m after downhole surveying indicated that the hole was mis-aligned and deviating to the south. In an effort to preserve the planned step-out distances from completed holes the decision was made to shut down and re-align the hole at a more favourable azimuth.

Drill-hole VU23006 reached a depth of 744.0 m at an azimuth of 92 and a dip of -55. The hole was collared in the Middle Aldridge Formation, intersecting the LMC at 231.0m. Weak pyrrhotite-sphalerite-galena mineralization was noted in the Hilo Horizon (239.5-273.5m), forming mm-scale laminae within a bedded wacke interval. A broad fragmental interval was intersected between 239.5-642.1m. Similar to previous holes, the fragmental is dominated by unmineralized wacke clasts at the top, grading into mineralized fragments between 404.1-630.1m. Mineralization of clasts vary from pyrrhotite dominant to semi-massive sphalerite-galena. Mineralized clasts reach up to 39 cm in width but average 2-4 cm. Underlying the fragmental is thin bedded argillite and wacke typical of Lower Aldridge rocks. A zone of intense tourmaline alteration with pyrrhotitechalcopyritearsenopyrite was intersected between 676.4-735.0m, interpreted to represent vent-proximal alteration.

Vulcan consists of 12,400ha located 30km west of the world-class Sullivan sedex critical metals deposit near Kimberley, BC and is accessible by an extensive network of well-maintained forest service roads. Encouraging results from EPL's 2022 drill program were announced previously by Eagle Plains (see news releases December 7th, 2022 , January 18, 2023, July 20th, 2023). 2023 drilling has aided in further defining fragmental and stratabound Zn-Pb-Ag mineralization alteration, providing important information which will aid considerably in understanding the geological environment present at Vulcan.

Management of Eagle Plains considers the Vulcan project to hold excellent potential for the presence of sedex-style zinc-lead-silver mineralization. Rocks underlying Vulcan are within the same sedimentary sequence and host mineralization and alteration similar to those observed adjacent to Sullivan. Tim Termuende, P.Geo, President and CEO of Eagle Plains commented recently on the 2023 Vulcan program: "We continue to improve our understanding of the geology with every hole drilled at Vulcan. The completion of current drilling activity will allow our technical team to integrate results from detailed core logging, surface mapping, geochemical sampling and geophysical surveys to guide future drilling. Significant (though sub-economic) mineralization and alteration has now been traced at depth by drilling for over 600m laterally and 400m down-dip. Observation of geological features seen in all holes completed in 2022 and 2023 strongly suggests that Vulcan holds excellent potential for hosting sedex-style mineralization such as that seen at the nearby Sullivan Deposit".

The Sullivan mine was discovered in 1892 and is one of the largest sedex deposits in the world. Over its 100+ year lifetime, Sullivan contained a total of 160 million tonnes of ore averaging 6.5% lead, 5.6% zinc and 67 g/t silver, resulting in 298 million ounces of silver, 18.5 billion pounds of lead, 17.5 billion pounds of zinc and significant quantities of associated metals, collectively worth over $40B at current metal prices. Eagle Plains' management cautions that past results or discoveries on proximate land are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be achieved on the Vulcan property.

Vulcan Project History

Sullivan-style mineralization was first reported in the mid-1950s at Vulcan. During the 1970s and 1980s, Texas Gulf Sulphur and later Cominco completed extensive geophysical work and drilled shallow holes to test for continuous mineralization in areas of the property. Drill testing occurred in the Hilo area during the early 1990s by Ascot Resources. In 1991 a five hole, 1003m drill program was completed, with three holes totaling 1535m completed in 1992.

Since acquiring the initial claims on the property in 2002, Eagle Plains has completed an extensive compilation of all existing data, followed in 2006 by a 125 line-km helicopter-borne time-domain geophysical survey flown at 200m spacing. Additional claims were added to the property position as they became available through staking. Systematic geochemical, geological and geophysical programs were conducted by Eagle Plains and its partners from 2011-2019.

In June 2020, Eagle Plains completed a two-hole, 977m drill program to test the LMC along an existing road cut in an area of elevated soil geochemistry and anomalous geophysical features (magnetometer, induced polarization and magneto-telluric). The LMC contact was successfully intercepted in Hole VU20-002, with significant alteration suggesting proximity to a hydrothermal source, though no economic mineralization was encountered.

In 2022, Eagle Plains completed a 537 line-km helicopter-borne high-resolution aeromagnetic survey. Geophysics was followed-up with a 3-hole, 1700m diamond drilling program. Hole VU22004 identified sedex-style mineralization at the West Basin zone deeper in the stratigraphic package than historically tested. Analytical results from VU22004 defined the best intercept on the property to date. Results from this program have been used to re-interpret the stratigraphic sequence at the Hilo and West Basin Zones and have identified target stratigraphy considered to hold high potential to host economic mineralization.

Qualified Persons

The current program is being conducted under the direct supervision of K. Bates, P.Geo., Exploration Manager of Eagle Plains. TerraLogic Exploration Inc. of Cranbrook, BC (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eagle Plains) has been engaged to provide overall project support.

Charles C. Downie, P.Geo., a "qualified person" for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and a director of Eagle Plains, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical disclosure in this news release.

About Eagle Plains Resources

Based in Cranbrook, B.C., Eagle Plains is a well-funded, prolific project generator that continues to conduct research, acquire and explore mineral projects throughout western Canada. The Company was formed in 1992 and is the ninth-oldest listed issuer on the TSX-V (and one of only three that has not seen a roll-back or restructuring of its shares). Eagle Plains has continued to deliver shareholder value over the years and through numerous spin outs has transferred over $100,000,000 in value directly to its shareholders, with Copper Canyon Resources and Taiga Gold Corp. being notable examples. Eagle Plains latest spinout, Eagle Royalties Ltd. (CSE:"ER") was listed on May 24, 2023, and holds a diverse portfolio of royalty assets throughout western Canada.

Eagle Plains' core business is acquiring grassroots critical- and precious-metal exploration properties. The Company is committed to steadily enhancing shareholder value by advancing our diverse portfolio of projects toward discovery through collaborative partnerships and development of a highly experienced technical team.

Expenditures from 2011-2022 on Eagle Plains-related projects exceed $30M, the majority of which was funded by third-party partners. This exploration work resulted in approximately 45,000m of diamond-drilling and extensive ground-based exploration work facilitating the advancement of numerous projects at various stages of development.

Throughout the exploration process, our mission is to help maintain prosperous communities by exploring for and discovering resource opportunities while building lasting relationships through honest and respectful business practices.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Tim J. Termuende"

President and CEO

For further information on EPL, please contact Mike Labach at 1 866 HUNT ORE (486 8673)

Email: mgl@eagleplains.com or visit our website at https://www.eagleplains.com

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 may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore, involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.

SOURCE: Eagle Plains Resources Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/774190/Eagle-Plains-Completes-Summer-Drilling-Program-at-Vulcan-Critical-Metals-Project-Southeast-BC
First half 2023 revenue increased 34.6% to 68.2 million, compared to 50.7 million in the prior year period.

First half 2023 charging revenue was up by 27.1 million, or 113.1%, to 51.1 million compared to 24.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022.

First half 2023 net loss was (38.9) million, compared to (247.1) million in the prior-year period.

Operational EBITDA was 11.7 million increasing steadily compared to the prior-year period loss of (1.5) million.

Allego entered into a long-term agreement with Esso Deutschland through 2028 to sell compliance credits for a potential total value of up to 185 million.

In a first-of-its-kind collaboration, Allego is partnering with gas station brand OIL! Tank Go in Denmark to equip its 80 stations of which 14 charging sites are expected to be fully operational and added to the Company's network in the first quarter of 2024.

Allego N.V. ("Allego" or the "Company") (NYSE: ALLG), a leading pan-European public electric vehicle fast and ultra-fast charging network, today announced its results and key performance metrics for the first half of 2023.

First Half 2023 Ended June 30, 2023

Revenue climbed 34.6% to 68.2 million from 50.7 million in the same period of 2022. Charging revenue was up by 27.1 million, or 113.1%, to 51.1 million compared to 24.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022. The improvement was driven by a mix of increased utilization rates, premium pricing on ultra-fast and fast chargers, and an increase of 37.9% in energy sold compared with the previous period. Services revenue decreased to 17.1 million compared to 26.7 million, completely driven by the expected phasing out of the Carrefour project compared to the first half of 2022 and before the start-up of new projects in H2 2023.

Gross profit grew to 20.5 million, compared to 2.3 million in the prior-year period. This increase of 18.2 million was primarily driven by an expansion in gross profit on charging revenue of 21.7 million, partly offset by a decrease of 3.5 million in services revenue gross margin. This shift towards charging revenue from service revenue is in line with Allego's business strategy.

First half 2023 net loss was (38.9) million compared to the prior-year period of (247.1) million; Operational EBITDA was 11.7 million, compared to the prior-year period of (1.5) million. The strong improvement in the first half 2023 net results was primarily driven by a substantial decrease in non-cash one-time items related to the New York Stock Exchange listing and an improved operational performance on the charging revenue.

As of June 30, 2023, the Company's network of ultra-fast charging points rose by 107% compared to the same period in the previous year, demonstrating Allego's focus on its ultra-fast charging network.

Six Months Ended June 30 Metrics 2023 2022 % Change Average Utilization Rate 12.6 8.3 51 Average Utilization Rate: Mature (installed before Jan 1, 2023) 13.4 Average Utilization Rate: New (installed after Jan 1, 2023) 8.9 Total Public Charging Ports(1) 29,354 29,698 -1.2 Recurring Users 80 80 0 Owned Public Charging Ports(1) 24,934 24,255 2.8 Owned Fast Ultra-Fast Charging Ports(1) 1,661 1,293 28.5 Third-Party Public Charging Ports(1) 4,420 5,443 -18.8 Total Sessions ('000)(2) 5,210 4,443 17.2 Total Energy Sold (GWh) 96.4 69.9 37.9 Secured Backlog (sites)(1) 1,350 1,100 22.7

As of June 30, 2023, and June 30, 2022, respectively Total sessions include owned and third party

2023 Outlook

Full-Year Guidance Range:

Energy Sold: 215 GWh 225 GWh

Total Revenues: 180 200 million

Operational EBITDA: 30 40 million

CEO and CFO Comments and Outlook

Allego's Chief Executive Officer, Mathieu Bonnet, commented, "I am pleased with our performance through the first half of 2023. We have focused on the expansion of our ultrafast charging network while increasing our charging revenue. We have significantly improved our operational EBITDA performance by growing our margins through our execution of power purchase agreements (PPAs), the management of our energy costs globally and the efficiency of our operations. Our consolidated utilization rate climbed from the prior year, indicating the growing market for EVs as well as the quality of our premium locations. The average utilization rate, adjusted for chargers installed during 2023, was 13.4%, demonstrating that the more mature chargers are continuing to develop well."

Mr. Bonnet continued, "We continue to execute our business strategy through agreements such as the one with Esso in Germany whereby we generate revenue from selling our compliance credits from the renewable energy that is consumed through our charging network, further improving our unit economics in Germany. As communicated before, the majority of our network's renewable energy will be sourced through the PPA's completing what we believe to be is a virtuous and beneficial circle for all our stakeholders. As we look ahead to the second half of the year, we anticipate robust utilization rates and charging revenue growth as we expand our operational footprint."

Allego's Chief Financial Officer, Ton Louwers, said "I am very pleased with our financial performance for the first six months of 2023. In line with our strategy, we see a strong growth in our charging revenue on the back of the build out of the ultra-fast charging network. As a result, our gross profit increased substantially to 20.5 million, compared to 2.3 million in the prior-year period. Combined with a stable development of our SG&A (adjusted for one-offs) we saw our Operational EBITDA grow by 13.2 million to 11.7 million, compared to a loss of (1.5) million in the prior-year period."

Mr. Louwers added, "The optimization in our working capital management has illustrated our progress to a more steady and stable operational state. We expect to see a further increase in our inventory, anticipating a further ramp-up of our ultra-fast charging network.

We anticipate a sustained growth trajectory for the full year. We have narrowed our guidance revenue range to between 180 million and 200 million, while maintaining our Operational EBITDA expectations to be between 30 million and 40 million. We anticipate the energy sold for the year to be between 215 GWh and 225 GWh."

Key Financials (in 'mm) Six Months Ended

June 30 2023 2022 % Change Charging Revenue 51.1 24.0 113.1 Services Revenue 17.1 26.7 -36.1 Total Revenue 68.2 50.7 34.6 Net Loss (38.9 (247.1 Operational EBITDA 11.7 (1.5

Conference Call Information

Allego will hold a conference call for investors at 8:30 AM Eastern Time today, Tuesday, August 15, 2023, to discuss its results for the second quarter of 2023.

Participants may access the call at 1-877-407-9716, international callers may use 1-201-493-6779 and request to join the Allego earnings call. A live webcast will also be available at https://ir.allego.eu/events-publications.

A telephonic replay of the call will be available shortly after the conclusion of the call and until August 29, 2023. Participants may access the replay 1-844-512-2921, international callers may use 1-412-317-6671 and enter access code 13739126. An archived replay of the call will also be available on the investor portion of the Allego website at https://ir.allego.eu/.

About Allego

Allego is a leading provider of electric vehicle charging solutions, dedicated to accelerating the transition to electric mobility with 100% renewable energy. Allego has developed a comprehensive portfolio of innovative charging infrastructure and proprietary software, including its Allamo and EV Cloud software platforms. With a network of almost 35,000 charging points (and counting) spanning 16 countries, Allego delivers independent, reliable, and safe charging solutions, agnostic of vehicle model or network affiliation. Founded in 2013 and publicly listed on the NYSE in 2022, Allego now employs a team of 220 people striving every day to make charging accessible, sustainable, and enjoyable for all.

For more information, please visit www.allego.eu.

Forward-Looking Statements

All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. Allego intends such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may generally be identified by the use of words such as "believe," "may," "will," "estimate," "continue," "anticipate," "intend," "expect," "should," "would," "plan,", "project," "forecast," "predict," "potential," "seem," "seek," "future," "outlook," "target" or other similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, Allego's expectations with respect to future performance. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially, and potentially adversely, from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Most of these factors are outside Allego's control and are difficult to predict. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to: (i) changes adversely affecting Allego's business, (ii) the price and availability of electricity and other energy sources, (iii) the risks associated with vulnerability to industry downturns and regional or national downturns, (iv) fluctuations in Allego's revenue and operating results, (v) unfavorable conditions or further disruptions in the capital and credit markets, (vi) Allego's ability to generate cash, service indebtedness and incur additional indebtedness, (vii) competition from existing and new competitors, (viii) the growth of the electric vehicle market, (ix) Allego's ability to integrate any businesses it may acquire, (x) Allego's ability to recruit and retain experienced personnel, (xi) risks related to legal proceedings or claims, including liability claims, (xii) Allego's dependence on third-party contractors to provide various services, (xiii) data security breaches or other network outage, (xiv) Allego's ability to obtain additional capital on commercially reasonable terms, (xv) Allego's ability to remediate its material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting, (xvi) the impact of COVID-19, including COVID-19 related supply chain disruptions and expense increases, (xvii) general economic or political conditions, including the Russia/Ukraine conflict or increased trade restrictions between the United States, Russia, China and other countries, and (xviii) other factors detailed under the section entitled "Risk Factors" in Allego's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The foregoing list of factors is not exclusive. If any of these risks materialize or Allego's assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. There may be additional risks that Allego presently does not know or that Allego currently believes are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect Allego's expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this press release. Allego anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause Allego's assessments to change. However, while Allego may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, Allego specifically disclaims any obligation to do so, unless required by applicable law. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Allego'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.

Interim condensed consolidated statement of profit or loss for the six months ended June 30, 2023

and 2022 (unaudited) (in '000) 2023 2022 (restated)(1) Revenue from contracts with customers Charging sessions 51,139 23,994 Service revenue from the sale of charging equipment 1,485 18,442 Service revenue from installation services 10,283 5,964 Service revenue from operation and maintenance of charging equipment 2,256 1,822 Service revenue from consulting services 3,047 470 Total revenue from contracts with customers 68,210 50,692 Cost of sales Cost of sales charging sessions (37,760 (32,337 Cost of sales sale of charging equipment (554 (13,022 Cost of sales installation services (8,637 (2,903 Cost of sales operation and maintenance of charging equipment (801 (154 Total cost of sales (47,752 (48,416 Gross profit 20,458 2,276 Other income 4,153 8,987 Selling and distribution expenses (1,109 (1,697 General and administrative expenses (47,193 (271,653 Operating loss (23,691 (262,087 Finance income/(costs) (14,748 15,173 Loss before income tax (38,439 (246,914 Income tax (505 (161 Loss for the half-year (38,944 (247,075 Attributable to: Equity holders of the Company (38,812 (246,913 Non-controlling interests (132 (162 Loss per share attributable to the Equity holders of the Company: Basic and diluted loss per ordinary share (0.15 (1.05

(1) Refer to Note 2.7.24 of the Company's consolidated financial statements in the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2022 for details regarding the restatement of comparative figures as a result of changes in accounting policies.

Interim condensed consolidated statement of financial position as at June 30, 2023 (unaudited) and

December 31, 2022 (in '000) 30-Jun-23 31-Dec-22 Assets Non-current assets Property, plant and equipment 156,293 134,718 Intangible assets 22,253 24,648 Right-of-use assets 54,285 47,817 Deferred tax assets 523 523 Other financial assets 56,621 62,487 Total non-current assets 289,975 270,193 Current assets Inventories 31,530 26,017 Prepayments and other assets 12,837 9,079 Trade and other receivables 36,933 47,235 Contract assets 2,843 1,512 Other financial assets 6,389 601 Cash and cash equivalents 65,150 83,022 Total current assets 155,682 167,466 Total assets 445,657 437,659 Equity Share capital 32,062 32,061 Share premium 365,900 365,900 Reserves (14,515 (6,860 Accumulated deficit (396,717 (364,088 Equity attributable to equity holders of the Company (13,270 27,013 Non-controlling interests 613 745 Total equity (12,657 27,758 Non-current liabilities Borrowings 312,400 269,033 Lease liabilities 50,371 44,044 Provisions and other liabilities 887 520 Contract liabilities 1,119 2,442 Deferred tax liabilities 1,980 2,184 Total non-current liabilities 366,757 318,223 Current liabilities Trade and other payables 40,441 56,390 Contract liabilities 13,667 7,917 Current tax liabilities 1,212 1,572 Lease liabilities 8,296 7,280 Provisions and other liabilities 24,258 17,223 Warrant liabilities 3,683 1,296 Total current liabilities 91,557 91,678 Total liabilities 458,314 409,901 Total equity and liabilities 445,657 437,659

Interim condensed consolidated statement of cash flows for the six months ended June 30, 2023 and

2022 (unaudited) (in '000) 2023 2022 (restated)(1) Cash flows from operating activities Cash generated from/(used in) operations (22,669 (88,262 Interest paid (1,456 (3,494 Income taxes paid (375 (320 Other cash flows from operating activities 177 Net cash flows from/(used in) operating activities (24,323 (92,076 Cash flows from investing activities Acquisition of Mega-E, net of cash acquired 874 Acquisition of MOMA, net of cash acquired (28,733 Purchase of property, plant and equipment (32,180 (12,944 Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment 97 Purchase of intangible assets (1,355 Proceeds from investment grants 25 235 Other cash flows used in investing activities (113 Net cash flows from/(used in) investing activities (32,268 (41,826 Cash flows from financing activities Proceeds from borrowings 43,400 Payment of principal portion of lease liabilities (2,359 (2,819 Payment of transaction costs on new equity instruments (925 Payment of transaction costs on borrowings (2,331 Proceeds from issuing equity instruments (Spartan shareholders) 10,079 Proceeds from issuing equity instruments (PIPE financing) 132,690 Net cash flows from/(used in) financing activities 38,710 139,025 Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents (17,881 5,123 Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the half-year 83,022 24,652 Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents 9 Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the half-year 65,150 29,775

(1) Refer to Note 2.7.24 of the Company's consolidated financial statements in the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2022 for details regarding the restatement of comparative figures as a result of changes in accounting policies.

Reconciliation of Loss for EBITDA and Operational EBITDA for the six months ended June 30, 2023 and

2022 (unaudited) Six months ended June 30, (in millions) 2023 2022 Loss for the period (38.9 (246.6 Income tax 0.5 0.2 Finance costs 12.4 (15.1 Amortization and impairments of intangible assets 2.4 1.7 Depreciation and impairments of right-of-use assets 3.8 2.9 Depreciation, impairments and reversal of impairments of

property, plant and equipment 10.5 5.9 EBITDA (9.3 (251.0 Fair value gains (losses) on derivatives (purchase options) 2.4 (3.8 Share-based payment expenses 11.5 241.3 Transaction costs 9.1 Business optimization costs 7.1 2.9 Operational EBITDA 11.7 (1.5

FINANCIAL INFORMATION; NON-IFRS FINANCIAL MEASURES

Some of the financial information and data contained in this press release, such as EBITDA and Operational EBITDA, have not been prepared in accordance with Dutch generally accepted accounting principles, United States generally accepted accounting principles or the International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"). We define (i) EBITDA as earnings before interest expense, taxes, depreciation and amortization and (ii) Operational EBITDA as EBITDA further adjusted for reorganization costs, certain business optimization costs, lease buyouts, and transaction costs. Allego believes that the use of these non-IFRS measures of financial results provide useful information to management and investors regarding certain financial and business trends relating to Allego's financial condition and results of operations. Allego's management uses these non-IFRS measures for trend analyses, for purposes of determining management incentive compensation and for budgeting and planning purposes. Allego believes that the use of these non-IFRS financial measures provides an additional tool for investors to use in evaluating projected operating results and trends and in comparing Allego's financial measures with other similar companies, many of which present similar non-IFRS financial measures to investors. Management does not consider these non-IFRS measures in isolation or as an alternative to financial measures determined in accordance with IFRS. The principal limitation of these non-IFRS financial measures is that they exclude significant expenses and income that are required by IFRS to be recorded in Allego's financial statements. In addition, they are subject to inherent limitations as they reflect the exercise of judgments by management about which expense and income are excluded or included in determining these non-IFRS financial measures. In order to compensate for these limitations, management presents non-IFRS financial measures in connection with IFRS results, and reconciliations to the most directly comparable IFRS measure are provided in this press release.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815000451/en/

Contacts:

Investors

investors@allego.eu

Media

allegoPR@icrinc.com
BERWYN, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Annovis Bio, Inc. (NYSE: ANVS), a late-stage clinical drug platform company developing transformative therapies to treat neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and Parkinson's Disease (PD) announced second quarter financial results for the period ended June 30, 2023, and reviewed recent accomplishments.

Second Quarter 2023 Highlights and New Developments

Clinical Updates

AD phase II/III study

52 sites have been activated and 201 patients have been screened through June 30: 61 patients have been enrolled to receive either one of three doses of buntanetap or placebo.

This is a dose ranging trial of buntanetap (formerly known as posiphen or ANV401) in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's Disease with a dosing treatment period of 12 weeks. Its mechanism of action, favorable toxicology profile, and oral mode of administration distinguish buntanetap as superior to other AD drugs. Other drugs attempt to remove just one neurotoxic protein and, at best, have a minor effect. Buntanetap has been shown to effectively stop the synthesis of four neurotoxic proteins -Amyloid Beta, Tau, alpha Synuclein, and TDP43 - the culprits behind nerve cell degeneration and death. Buntanetap's early trials have shown its ability to reverse the destructive effects that Alzheimer's Disease has on thinking and memory.

PD phase III study

On June 3, Annovis announced it had reached full enrollment in the trial in a record nine months. Since the first patient was dosed in late August 2022, over 640 patients were screened and a total of 520 patients enrolled with 67 sites (43 in the United States and 24 in the European Union).

The phase III trial is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigating the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of buntanetap for early PD patients on top of their standard of care. By lowering levels of all the neurotoxic proteins, buntanetap improves axonal transport (the nerve cell's information highway), which has been shown to be the cause of nerve cell degeneration and, ultimately, death.

The record enrollment and low drop-out rate in this trial are believed to be due to the drug's benefits demonstrated in the I/II trial: It showed improvements in both body and motor function. It is easily administered as a once daily pill. It is safe and well-tolerated.



The study is expected to conclude in November with top-line assessment data available by the end of the year.

Annovis announced on June 20 the positive safety review by the Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) for its phase III trial of buntanetap for PD. The DSMB recommended that Annovis continue the trial as originally designed.

The feedback from the DSMB included: There were no drug-related SAEs (serious adverse events). Each AE (adverse event) was less than 2 percent. The dropout rate was 6 percent - significantly below expectations. Patients enrolled well ahead of the expected timeline: 9 months to enroll 523 patients.



The planned enrollment has been achieved and based on this DSMB endorsement, Annovis expects topline results by the end of 2023.

Patents

Annovis announced on June 27, 2023, the creation of a novel crystalline form of buntanetap (ANVS402) and the filing of a new composition of matter provisional patent with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. (ANVS402 is covered by a composition of matter claim as well as multiple claims for chronic and acute neurodegenerative diseases and for neuropsychiatric indications.)

This composition of matter patent is a trailblazing patent for any pharmaceutical company developing a new drug; ANVS402 is the same essential drug as the previous form but offers structural advantages, including: better stability higher purity longer half-life, improving buntanetap's effectiveness.



Approval of this patent will come with protection of ANVS402 and all its uses for a 20-year patent term. This significant time frame will enable Annovis to continue working on its robust pipeline, moving forward expeditiously toward developing novel drug therapies for many neurodegenerative diseases.

Financial Results (for the quarter ending June 30, 2023)

Cash and cash equivalents were $15.7 million. Research and development expenses for the quarter were $8.2 million, compared to $4.0 million for the same period in 2022. The increase was primarily the result of an increase of $4.2 million in clinical expenses, as Annovis incurred costs related to its phase III study in early Parkinson's Disease (PD) and its phase II/III Alzheimer's Disease (AD) study.

General and administrative expenses for the second quarter were $1.5 million, compared to $1.9 million for the same period in 2022. The decrease was primarily the result of a decrease of $0.5 million in stock-based compensation expense, partially offset by an increase in salaries and professional fees of $0.1 million.

Annovis reported a net loss of $9.5 million for the quarter, compared to a net loss of $5.9 million for the same period in 2022.

Staff News

New Employees

In May, Annovis hired Sarah MacCallum as senior clinical project manager, bringing the total employee count to 10.

Annovis scientists spoke at events featuring novel approaches in neurodegenerative diseases with other leaders in the life sciences and pharmaceutical industries:

Cheng Fang, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Research and Development, hosted a roundtable discussion on "Emerging Non-Amyloid Targets for Alzheimer's Disease" at the CNS Therapeutics Xchange-East Coast 2023 in Boston on May 24. She also presented a poster on buntanetap's novel target and mechanism of action for Alzheimer's disease.

hosted a roundtable discussion on at the CNS Therapeutics Xchange-East Coast 2023 in Boston on May 24. She also presented a poster on buntanetap's novel target and mechanism of action for Alzheimer's disease. Maria Maccecchini, Ph.D., CEO, was a member of a panel titled " Optimizing the Pipeline " at the Longwood Healthcare Leaders Spring MIT Conference, held June 7-8 at MIT's Koch Institute in Cambridge.

was a member of a panel titled " " at the Longwood Healthcare Leaders Spring MIT Conference, held June 7-8 at MIT's Koch Institute in Cambridge. Annovis presented three posters at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) 2023 annual meeting held in Amsterdam, Netherlands, from July 16-20. Dr. Fang presented two posters: "Do Mouse Data Lie? For Buntanetap, They Totally Predict Human Outcome," and "Interim Analysis Results of Buntanetap in Phase III Clinical Studies in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease. A third poster was presented by Don Elbert, Ph.D., associate professor of neurology, University of Washington School of Medicine, in collaboration with Annovis through the ongoing national Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS), titled "Stable Isotope Labelling Kinetics: Models and Methods to Evaluate APP Production Rates with Posiphen Treatment in the DISCOVER Clinical Trial." The posters' combined findings tell the story of an exceptionally promising treatment for neurodegenerative diseases such as AD and PD. First, in a mouse model of AD, buntanetap inhibits toxic proteins in the brain, improves axonal transport, lowers inflammation, and protects nerve cells from dying, all of which is associated with improved movement and cognition. Second, these findings are also replicated in all the human AD and PD phase I and II trials to date. Third, in both mice and humans, there is also evidence of a dose-response relationship between the drug dose administered and the inhibition of the neurotoxic proteins - important in determining the optimal dosage in future phase II and III trials.



Message from Dr. Maria

It is tremendously rewarding and important that our drug is safe, well-tolerated, and easily administered as a once-a-day pill. The two FDA-approved drugs for Alzheimer's Disease require I.V. infusions and repeated brain imaging, and have well-documented, serious side effects that manifest as brain swelling or brain bleeding. As buntanetap continues to show significant progress through clinical trials, we remain on course and anticipate having topline data with good news to share before the end of the year.

The positive momentum we're building with this drug is reflected in the more than 200% annual growth rate of our company over the last two years. The crystalline form of buntanetap will allow us to have a new 20-year patent protection for Annovis Bio to continue to move forward. There's growing interest and excitement in the scientific and investment communities about our drug's very real potential to not just alleviate devastating neurodegenerative disease symptoms but ultimately change the course of the diseases themselves.

-Maria L. Maccecchini, Ph.D., Annovis Founder, President, and CEO

About Buntanetap

Buntanetap (previously known as ANVS401 or posiphen) is an oral translational inhibitor of neurotoxic aggregating proteins (TINAPs), whose mode of action leads to a lower level of neurotoxic proteins and consequently less toxicity in the brain. In a Phase I/II clinical trial in AD and PD patients, buntanetap was shown to be well-tolerated and its pharmacokinetics were found to be in line with levels measured earlier in humans, meeting both the primary and secondary endpoints. Additionally, exploratory endpoints were also met, as treatment with buntanetap resulted in statistically significant improvement in motor function in PD patients and cognition in AD patients. Presently buntanetap is being studied in a phase III study in early PD patients and in a Phase II/III study in mild to moderate AD patients.

About Annovis Bio, Inc.

Headquartered in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, Annovis Bio, Inc. is a clinical-stage, drug platform company addressing neurodegeneration, such as Alzheimer's Disease (AD), Parkinson's Disease (PD), and other chronic neurodegenerative diseases. It is believed to be the only company developing a drug for both AD and PD designed to inhibit more than one neurotoxic protein to restore axonal and synaptic activity. By improving brain function, the company's goal is to treat memory loss and dementia associated with AD as well as body and brain dysfunction associated with PD. Annovis conducted two phase I/II studies: one in AD patients and one in both AD and PD patients. In the AD/PD study buntanetap showed improvements in cognition in AD as well as movement and function in PD patients. For more information on Annovis Bio, please visit the Company's website www.annovisbio.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Threads.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. The Company advises caution in reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the Company's plans related to clinical trials. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those implied by forward-looking statements, including regarding patient enrollment, the effectiveness of buntanetap and the timing, effectiveness, and anticipated results of the Company's clinical trials evaluating the efficacy, safety and tolerability of buntanetap. See also additional risk factors set forth in the Company's periodic filings with the SEC, including, but not limited to, those risks and uncertainties listed in the section entitled "Risk Factors," in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to the Company as of the date of this filing. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

SOURCE: Annovis Bio

Contacts

Investor Contact:

Laura Feragen

Jacobson Strategic Health

267-262-4309

laura@jacobsonstrategic.com
SINGAPORE, Aug 15, 2023 - (ACN Newswire) - ACROMETA Group Limited, an established specialist engineering service provider in the field of controlled environments serving mainly the healthcare, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, research and academia sectors, announced today that its wholly-owned subsidiary company Acromec Engineers Pte Ltd has been awarded a S$19 million contract for the design and construction of a 1,500 sqm high containment biosafety level research laboratory.The facility is designed for research on highly infectious pathogens potentially carried by infected animals and spread through airborne transmission.The state-of-the-art project involves the construction of a high containment biosafety laboratory using modular panels for both reliability and durability to withstand long periods of hard usage and repeated commissioning. Construction would be carried out in a 'live' building with many existing tenants without affecting their operations. The facility is expected to be completed and certified by 2024 and will be compliant with WHO and MOH high containment facility standards.Mr Lim Say Chin, ACROMETA's Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, commented: "The award to Acromec is a testament to our engineering experience and capabilities. With its expertise and established track record in controlled environments engineering, AcroMeta is positioned to benefit from the construction of such laboratories as governments in the region strengthen their biomedical R&D capabilities to counter threats from infectious diseases."Acromec, the wholly-owned engineering subsidiary of the Group, is an established specialist engineering services provider with more than 25 years of experience in the field of controlled environments. It has designed and built several high biosafety level R & D laboratories and manufacturing facilities for biomedical companies, such as 10X Genomics, Integrated DNA Technologies, and GenScript.Research laboratories a vital link in Singapore's pandemic readiness strategySingapore emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic as one of the countries that scored high marks for its handling of the crisis. Every aspect of the pandemic was systematically studied, monitored, and appropriate actions taken - from procurement and cold storage of vaccines for the entire resident population, to laboratory testing and identification of each mutated variant of the virus as it evolved.But the pandemic also revealed the need for Singapore to be prepared for future pandemics. The government has implemented the findings of the Covid-19 White Paper published on 8 March 2023 which detailed the 7 lessons to be learned from the pandemic and implemented a pandemic readiness strategy. The strategy takes a whole-country approach and involves participation by, and collaboration with the private sector as well as with the entire population.Mr Levin Lee Keng Weng, ACROMETA's Executive Chairman, added: "Laboratories for the testing, identification and carrying out of research with live virus is a vital link in the Singapore government's preparedness strategy for future pandemics. These laboratories are not standard laboratories but highly specialised facilities; the design and construction of which can only be done by a handful of controlled environments experts such as Acromec."This media release has been reviewed by the Company's Sponsor, Evolve Capital Advisory Private Limited. It has not been examined or approved by the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited, and the Exchange assumes no responsibility for the contents of this document, including the correctness of any of the statements or opinions made or reports contained in this document.The contact person for the Sponsor is Mr. Jerry Chua, 138 Robinson Road, #13-02 Oxley Tower, Singapore 068906, jerrychua@evolvecapitalasia.com.Reference:https://links.sgx.com/1.0.0/corporate-announcements/QYHDGZS2TXQ25H0Q/cc60f5adb8665785b09fc0d7833240cd9253d57800c21ff2906079f092b27884https://links.sgx.com/FileOpen/Acrometa-ProjectWinPressRelease_15Aug2023IDLabs%20-%20Final.ashx?App=Announcement&FileID=769346About ACROMETA Group Limited (SGX Stock Code:43F)ACROMETA (Previously known as ACROMEC Limited) is an established specialist engineering services provider with more than 25 years of experience in the field of controlled environments.The Group has, over the years, acquired expertise in the design and construction of facilities requiring controlled environments such as laboratories, medical and sterile facilities and cleanrooms.ACROMETA's business is divided into three main business segments: (i) Engineering, procurement, and construction services, specialising in architectural, and mechanical, electrical, and process works within controlled environments; (ii) Maintenance and repair services of facilities and equipment of controlled environments and their supporting infrastructure. (iii) Co-Working Laboratory business; currently operates 6,500 square feet of co-working laboratory space at The German Centre in Singapore, serving SMEs and startups.The Group mainly serves the healthcare, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, research and academia, and electronics sectors. ACROMETA's customers include hospitals and medical centres, government agencies, research and development companies or agencies, research and development units of multinational corporations, tertiary educational institutions, pharmaceutical companies, semiconductor manufacturing companies, and multinational engineering companies.The Company has been listed on the Catalist board of the Singapore Exchange since 2016. For more information, please visit www.acrometa.com.Media and Analysts Contact:ACROMETA Group LimitedMs. Cheah Lai MinChief Financial OfficerTel: +65 6415 0574Email: laimin.cheah@acrometa.comWaterbrooks Consultants Pte LtdMr. Wayne KooTel: +65 6958 8008 / +65 9338 8166Email: wayne.koo@waterbrooks.com.sg, query@waterbrooks.com.sgSource: AcroMeta Group LimitedCopyright 2023 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
GE's FMS utilizing Deos employs AdaCore's Ada, CoreAVI OpenGL graphics, ProtoLogic EDS display platform and Ansys display software to achieve unprecedented configurability, multi-core performance, modularity, scalability, and reuse

PHOENIX, AZ / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / DDC-I, a leading supplier of safety-critical operating systems and tools, today announced that its DO-178C Design Assurance Level A Deos multicore real time operating system (RTOS) has been selected by General Electric to host its new flight management system. GE's FACE-aligned TrueCourse Common Flight Management Application is hosted on GE touchscreen Open Display Platform (ODP), developed using the Deos RTOS and tools, employs applications leveraging AdaCore Ada, CoreAVI OpenGL graphics, a ProtoLogic EDS display platform hardware and software, and Ansys display software to deliver best in class multi-core performance, configurability, modularity, scalability and reuse.

"DDC-I has been at the forefront of the FACE standardization effort, and has an unmatched pedigree with millions of hours of flight logged aboard commercial and military aircraft," said Greg Rose, vice president of marketing at DDC-I. "We look forward to continue working with GE and its partners to provide this world class integrated, certifiable, FACE-aligned, multicore flight management platform that offers optimum performance, modularity, scalability, safety criticality, and display capabilities."

GE's Open Display Platform (ODP) product line provides mission system implementations with smart and dumb Cockpit Display System (CDS) configurations using a common architecture to support a wide range of display applications, including a smart open display platform, control display units (CDUs), primary flight display (PFDs) multi-function displays (MFDs), and large area displays (LADs). The smart ODP can host applications developed by GE, 3rd parties, or customers. Apps can range from Navigation/Guidance functions (like GE's TrueCourse Common FMA), lighting, air management, store selection/interface, maps/weather, standby flight, PFD, MFD and other functionality. (Avionics Display Systems | GE Aerospace)

GE's Open Display Platform (ODP) provides a platform that integrates GE's advanced TrueCourse Common FMA and other Avionics applications in a MOSA/FACE environment. GE's TrueCourse is a modern Flight Management System (FMS) that delivers all the operational benefits sought by today's operators and is ready to adopt future capabilities that are sure to come. Designed for accuracy, connectivity, and to optimize flight paths, GE's flight management systems consistently reduce time, fuel consumption, and emissions. (Avionics Flight Management Systems | GE Aerospace).

The Deos RTOS and its tools with the integration of AdaCore Ada provides the foundation for the GE flight management platform, employing patented cache partitioning, memory pools, and safe scheduling to deliver higher multi-core CPU utilization than any other certifiable safety-critical COTS RTOS. First certified to DO-178 DAL A in 1998, Deos provides FACE Conformant Safety Base and Safety Extended Profiles that feature hard real-time response, time and space partitioning, and Rate Monotonic, ARINC-653 and POSIX interfaces. SafeMC technology extends Deos' advanced capabilities to multiple cores, enabling GE's flight management platform to achieve best in class multi-core performance without compromising safety critical task response and guaranteed execution time.

The GE flight management platform also features ProtoLogic EDS's ruggedized AMLCD displays. Fully integrated with Deos and CoreAVI OpenGL graphics, the high-resolution, sunlight readable displays incorporate a high-performance CPU/GPU, video processor, analog/digital interfaces and data I/O processors in an expandable open architecture. The display system is fully certifiable (DO-178/254), supports FACE, OpenGL, MOSA, SOSA, HOST custom and industry standards, and can withstand the harshest environments (DO-160/MIL-STD-810/461/462).

About DDC-I, Inc.

DDC-I, Inc. is a global supplier of real-time operating systems, software development tools, custom software development services, and legacy software system modernization solutions, with a primary focus on mission and safety critical applications. DDC-I's customer base is an impressive "who's who" in the commercial, military, aerospace, and safety-critical industries. DDC-I offers safety critical real-time operating systems, compilers, integrated development environments and run-time systems for C, C++, and Ada application development. For more information regarding DDC-I products, contact DDC-I at 4545 E. Shea Blvd, Phoenix, AZ 85028; phone (602) 275-7172; fax (602) 252-6054; email sales@ddci.com or visit https://www.ddci.com/pr2309.

Contact Information

Ken Marrin

Public Relations

kmarrin101@gmail.com

3212988889

SOURCE: DDC-I Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/773942/DDC-Is-Deos-RTOS-Hosts-GEs-Flight-Management-System
Robinson will oversee Versapay's legal department, act as a strategic advisor to the executive staff and help shape the direction of the business.

TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Versapay , the leader in Collaborative Accounts Receivable (AR), announced today the appointment of Spencer Robinson as General Counsel. In this role, Robinson will oversee all legal affairs and provide strategic guidance to Versapay's executive team.

"We are thrilled to welcome Spencer to our growing team at Versapay," said Carey O'Connor Kolaja , CEO of Versapay. "Spencer has deep experience and a proven track record of success in the payments and technology field, and his legal and compliance counsel will be invaluable as we continue our trajectory of revolutionizing the AR automation and B2B payments space. He will play an integral role in shaping the future of our business and contributing to our continued growth as a company, and we're lucky to have him onboard."

At Versapay, Robinson will play a pivotal role in overseeing all legal matters and providing strategic advice to the executive team. Robinson will also be trusted with guiding Versapay through matters related to compliance regulations, contract review and negotiation, asset protection, and litigation.

"I'm honored to join a company that is paving the way for the B2B payments industry," said Robinson. "I am really looking forward to working alongside the talented individuals at Versapay and providing the strategic legal guidance needed to propel this company's future growth and success."

Before joining Versapay, Robinson served as Senior Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at Global Payments Inc. (GPN) where he led a team of legal professionals and provided counsel on the company's SaaS and PaaS offerings, including merchant acquisition, corporate development, payroll, lending, and more.

Prior to that, Robinson was an Associate Attorney in the Financial Services and Products Group at Alston & Bird LLP, where he advised on mergers and acquisitions, in addition to regulatory and compliance matters.

Robinson received a Bachelor of Arts, Master of Business Administration, and Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif.

For more information on Versapay, visit versapay.com .

###

About?Versapay

Versapay is a collaborative accounts receivable (AR) company. The Versapay Collaborative AR Network empowers the genius of teams by bridging the gap between suppliers and buyers through a shared, digital experience. Owned by Great Hill Partners, Versapay's employee base spans U.S. and Canada with offices in Toronto, Atlanta and Miami. With 9,000+ clients and 1 million+ buyers engaged, Versapay handles 40+ million new invoices and drives $60+ billion in global payment volume annually. Join the conversation at twitter.com/Versapay and linkedin.com/company/versapay . To learn more about Versapay and its collaborative AR solutions please visit: versapay.com .

Versapay Media Contact

Sarah Weaver

Caliber Corporate Advisers

versapay@calibercorporateadvisers.com

SOURCE: Versapay

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/774167/Versapay-Appoints-Spencer-Robinson-as-General-Counsel
Devices with integrated LoRaWAN wireless support meet federal and provincial security mandates while offering vape detection and deterrence schools need

RONKONKOMA, NY / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Soter Technologies, a leading provider of innovative environmental sensor and software technologies, today announced it has signed a partnership agreement with Assek Technologie, a leader in intelligent building and indoor air quality solutions based in Quebec. Through this relationship, Assek will provide Soter's FlySense FS286L sensor equipped with an integrated LoRaWAN network communication radio to schools across Canada. Soter's vape detection systems are currently deployed in 25 countries and the company continues to lead the market in providing privacy-aware detection and alerting.

"Schools across Canada are working hard to mitigate the impact caused by vaping, and are seeking a flexible and reliable vape detection system that is effective, yet complies with security and privacy mandates," said Jessie Demers, director of sales and marketing at Assek. "Soter's FlySense solution has a stellar reputation for its unmatched connectivity options that allow coverage across campuses without requiring expensive infrastructure work. We are excited to partner with a market leader that consistently demonstrates its passion for improving student and faculty health and wellness through highly reliable real-time monitoring."

Guillaume Blais, Assek's president, noted his company's commitment to working with best-in-class partners. "We are highly selective in evaluating and selecting best-of-breed companies that share our philosophy that superior technology should deliver tangible benefits to our customers. Soter's strengths in engineering and track record for delivering top-of-the-line indoor air quality devices that work on multiple wireless services make them an ideal partner for Assek."

FlySense FS286L sensors detect the chemical signature of emissions from vaping pens, enabling automated alerting to appropriate personnel. The sensors also monitor ambient noise levels without invading privacy, allowing alerts to be sent when noise patterns change in ways indicative of conflict or bullying. The device utilizes a LoRaWAN radio and does not have any microphone or recording capability to ensure privacy.

"We are excited to join forces with Assek to help schools across Canada substantially reduce vaping activity and maintain a healthy, positive environment for students, faculty, and staff," said Derek Peterson, Soter's chief executive officer. "Assek has an excellent reputation for its hands-on, detail-oriented approach for satisfying customer needs. These are core values at Soter as well, which makes this partnership even more rewarding."

To learn more about FlySense FS286L and the full Soter lineup of health, safety, and security solutions, please visit www.sotertechnologies.com.

About Soter Technologies

Ronkonkoma, New York-based Soter Technologies is committed to protecting the health and wellbeing of students and the public with advanced technology and creative solutions. Using advanced sensor and software technology, Soter Technologies develops and delivers innovative solutions for environmental intelligence to make the world a safer place, from schools to enterprises to public spaces. Taking a holistic approach to safety and security, Soter provides technology tools to detect and deter without invading privacy. The company was founded as Digital Fly in 2015 and was focused on social media awareness. Soter is the first in the world to introduce a vape and bullying detection and alert system for schools - FlySense Vaping & Elevated Sound Detector. The company's technology has been embraced by schools across the United States and around the world. The Soter name is inspired by Greek mythology wherein Soter is the personification of safety, deliverance, and preservation from harm. For more information about the company, its services, and products visit: www.sotertechnologies.com .

About Assek Technologie

Assek Technologie is a Canadian-based SME specialized in innovative solutions for healthy buildings and their occupants. Assek has built a strong reputation in non-destructive building drying after water damage thanks to its advanced patented technology. Additionally, the company offers services for controlling and monitoring indoor air quality and detecting vaping in schools. Assek also specializes in integrating Internet of Things (IoT) devices for its clientele in smart commercial and institutional building management through its web platform, Assek IoT. Learn more at https://en.assek.com/

Soter Contact:

PR Contact

Glenn Goldberg

Parallel Communications Group

516-705-6116

X: @Parallel_PR

ggoldberg@parallelpr.com

SOURCE: Soter Technologies

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/774224/Soter-Technologies-Signs-Partnership-Agreement-with-Assek-to-Provide-Vape-Sensors-to-Canadian-Schools
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / South Star Battery Metals Corp. ("South Star" or the "Company") (TSXV:STS)(OTCQB:STSBF), is pleased to announce that it is near completion of its 2023 drilling campaign on its BamaStar Graphite Project in Coosa County, Alabama. The program is designed to test continuity and limits of mineralization in support of the upcoming NI43-101 Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA), scheduled for the end of Q1 2024. To date, 11 holes totaling approximately 1,300 meters have been completed and there are 3 to 4 additional holes planned along strike. The drilling campaign is expected to be completed in August. All completed holes have intercepted significant intervals of graphite mineralization. Sample assays are underway at ActLab's facility in Ontario, Canada and are expected to be completed by September. The Company is also finalizing negotiations with three international engineering/consulting companies for the PEA, and the contract is expected to be approved by the board and released in August.

During the drilling, several potentially promising zones were intersected as can be seen in the below photograph (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Hole CMD 23-017 Core with Graphite Mineralization with Approximately 3% Grade (Cg)

Initial notable assay results have confirmed the prospectivity of several significant intersections as seen in Table 1 below based on a 1% cutoff grade.





Hole ID From To Cg CMD23013 0m 8m 2.54% CMD23014 0m 23m 2.17% CMD23015 9m 62.3m 2.51% CMD23016 0m 60.9 2.30% CMD23016 70.8m 79m 2.88% CMD23017 3.5m 36.5m 3.07% CMD23017 73.8 119.6m 2.34% CMD23018 0m 63m 2.42%

Table 1: Significant intersections in the first six holes drilled at the BamaStar Project.

Richard Pearce, CEO of South Star said, "Once again, preliminary results are extremely positive with all holes having consistent grade and significant mineralized intervals at surface or near surface. It's exciting to see the continued advance of the BamaStar project as we close in our goals of completing the PEA by March 2024. The PEA will present our 5- to 7-year strategic plan of phased production with two mines producing high-quality concentrates, and a vertically integrated value-add plant producing CSPG and other high value products in the southeast corridor of the US. We are also on schedule to complete our Feasibility Study for Santa Cruz Mine incorporating Phase 3 (50,000 tpy of concentrates) by end of 2024. Once we complete our PEA in Q1 of 2024, we will advance straight into the Feasibility Study, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2025. Our goals are to have two mines producing a total of 100,000 tpa of concentrates, and 60-70,000 tpa of vertically integrated graphite production including active anode materials and other critical graphite products in the US in 2027."

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 (> 30t) 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: invest@southstarbatterymetals.com

+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:https://www.accesswire.com/774095/South-Star-Battery-Metals-Announces-Initial-2023-Drilling-Program-Results-for-the-BamaStar-Graphite-Project-in-Coosa-County-Alabama-and-NI43-101-Preliminary-Economic-Assessment-Study-Update
"Iron-clad friendship" is the reflection of the great and special bond between our two peoples: Ambassador of Serbia to China

People's Daily Online) 14:26, August 15, 2023

Maja Stefanovic, ambassador of Serbia to China. (Photo provided by the Embassy of Serbia in China)

In 1993, Maja Stefanovic, a Serbian girl, came to Liaoning Normal University to learn Chinese from scratch. The 10 months she spent studying and living in Dalian left her with wonderful memories. From 2012 to 2017, she worked at the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in China. In 2022, Stefanovic revisited China as the ambassador of Serbia to China. In a recent interview with Peoples Daily Overseas Edition, she said, Being an ambassador to China is the highest honor for me in the 25 years as a diplomat so far, and it is the responsibility of almost every Serbian diplomat to maintain and develop relations with China.

Moved by the kindness of ordinary Chinese people

Last October, Stefanovic received a special letter shortly after she took office in China. It was from a student of food engineering at Jiangnan University, to whom Stefanovic is a stranger. The letter was handwritten in both English and Chinese. It reads, Serbia is our friend and the two countries enjoy deep friendship. The Chinese people are very hospitable. Welcome to China. Deeply touched by the kindness of a stranger, she immediately called the student to express her gratitude. Since then she has a new WeChat friend, an ordinary Chinese student. The student hadnt known a Serbian in real life, but his letter was full of sincerity for Serbia. Such kind of emotional connection is worth cherishing. I will always treasure that letter as a vivid example of the friendship between the Serbian and Chinese peoples, Stefanovic said.

There is a saying in Serbia, Friends are fruits of time. During her engagement with China in the past three decades, Stefanovic has made a lot of lifelong friends and witnessed the increasingly stronger iron-clad friendship between Serbia and China. Stefanovic will not forget that in 1999, the NATO bombed Yugoslavia, causing massive civilian casualties. The NATO also attacked the former Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, which left three journalists working there dead. They stood with the people of Serbia in the most difficult and saddest of times and sacrificed their lives. Today, the Chinese Cultural Center in Belgrade has been built on the site of the bombed Chinese embassy in Yugoslavia, which has become another symbol of the iron-clad friendship between Serbia and China, demonstrating to the world the common pursuit of Serbia and China to uphold fairness and justice and promote world peace.

Stefanovic will not forget that in 2020, China was the first country that gave medical aid to Serbia in the difficult times of Serbias fight against COVID-19. The Chinese medical team has fought side by side with Serbian medical personnel for 82 days. A lot of Chinese people waited in front of the Serbian Embassy in Beijing in long queues to deliver individual donations. There were many elderly people and children in the queue, who donated their face masks to support Serbias fight against the pandemic. We were moved by the kindness of ordinary Chinese people. Iron-clad friendship is not a simple term, but the truest reflection of the great and special bond between our two peoples, Stefanovic said.

Cityscape of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. (Photo provided by the Tourism Organisation of Serbia)

We see opportunities rather than risks in China

Over the past 30 years, wherever she was, Stefanovic has always paid attention to the development of China, and her life has also followed the trend of Chinese society. I opened a WeChat account in 2012, and I was probably among the first to use it. I often use Chinese social media, which is an important channel to communicate with Chinese netizens. I also watch movies that attract Chinese audiences. The film My People, My Country, a seven-part anthology to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Peoples Republic of China, is one of the best Ive ever seen, Stefanovic added.

Bearing witness to Chinas extraordinary journey, Stefanovic has a deeper understanding of Chinese modernization. The achievements of Chinese modernization is something that has been reached by the efforts and determination of Chinese people under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. I am deeply honored to witness the rapid changes in China, she said. Stefanovic believes that Chinese modernization inspires the world that a country must take into account its national conditions and has its own characteristics on the way toward modernization. Chinese modernization is deeply rooted in Chinas fine traditional culture, with deep historical origin and profound cultural heritage. Chinas history is not just 100 years old. For thousands of years, the Chinese civilization has made great contributions to the world. The Chinese people have every reason to be proud of the fine traditional Chinese culture and the contribution of the Chinese civilization to the world, Stefanovic said.

Stefanovic holds that China, which is constantly moving towards modernization, will provide more public goods to the world. She highly appreciates Chinas view that common development of all countries is real development, because world prosperity and stability cannot be based on the fact that the poor get poorer, and the rich get richer. She said that the Chinese solutions such as the Belt and Road Initiative fully demonstrated that Chinese modernization will benefit the world as a whole. Each country, according to its own national strategy, potentials and interest, can cooperate with China. We see opportunities rather than risks in China, Stefanovic said.

Children participating in the Guca Trumpet Festival. (Photo provided by the Dragacevo tourism organization)

Looking forward to the early completion of the Belgrade-Budapest Railway

In Serbia, the tangible results of mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Serbia can be found everywhere, and the support of the local people for deepening cooperation with China can be felt at all times. Earlier this year, citizens of Smederevo, the City of Steel in Serbia, celebrated the Spring Festival with their Chinese friends. In 2016, a Chinese company took over the Smederevo Steel Mill in the most difficult days of the city, keeping the jobs of more than 5,000 people and their livelihood. Under the Belt and Road Initiative, many Chinese companies have invested in Serbia, benefiting not only the Smederevo Steel Mill, but also Bor Copper, which has been brought back to life by Chinese companies. Investments by Chinese companies have not only helped improve the living standards of people in Smederevo and Bor, but also promoted the overall economic growth of Serbia. In recent years, these Chinese-invested companies have been among the largest exporters in Serbia, Stefanovic said.

China has brought to Serbia not only investment, but also convenient transportation. The Belgrade-Budapest Railway project is a flagship project within the China-Central and Eastern European countries cooperation platform, connecting Belgrade with Budapest, the capital of Hungary. In March this year, the Belgrade-Novi Sad section of the Belgrade-Budapest Railway celebrated its first anniversary of its opening. The line has cut travel time between the two cities from 90 minutes to about 30 minutes, enabling many people to lead a twin-city life between Belgrade and Novi Sad. Stefanovic is eagerly looking forward to the early completion of the Belgrade-Budapest Railway. As an important part of the China-Europe Land-Sea Express Line, the Belgrade-Budapest Railway connects the China-Europe Railway Express to the north, she said. I hope that the railway will not only benefit Serbia and Hungary, but also help promote interconnected regional development.

Stefanovic expects more from the prospect of economic and trade cooperation between Serbia and China. She explained that a national pavilion of Serbia has been opened on Chinas e-commerce platform and products such as Serbian wine, coffee and dairy products were very popular among Chinese consumers. Recently, Serbian honey product and pet food were approved for export to China. While trying to bring more high-quality Serbian products to the Chinese market, Stefanovic is also thinking about potential to introduce Chinas mobile payment systems in Serbia. Chinese e-commerce platforms are very popular in Serbia, and many young people shop directly from Chinese merchants on them. With direct flights between Serbia and China and an increasing number of Chinese tourists in Serbia, we could consider the advantage of Chinas mobile payment systems, she said.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Du Mingming)
Bahrain is set to develop a 72 MW solar power project, the largest of its kind in the kingdom, at Sakhir. The project comprises rooftop, ground-mounted, car park solar systems and electric vehicle charging stations, reported BNA.

An agreement in this connection will be signed today (August 15) under the patronage of Yasser bin Ibrahim Humaidain, Minister of Electricity and Water Affairs, the kingdom.

Humaidain said the move comes as part of the Bahrain's National Renewable Energy Action Plan and added that it will contribute to saving the total cost of energy and reducing carbon emissions.

It is in line with the kingdoms goal of reaching zero neutrality by 2060, and achieving sustainable economic development for the citizens, he added.

The minister said the solar power project constitutes 28% of the kingdoms goal of achieving 250MW from renewable energy sources by 2025.

He stressed upon the significance of optimal use of the large areas in the kingdom to generate solar energy, adding that the project will achieve a sustainable economy and contribute to the expansion of investment in all sources of renewable energy projects, in partnership with the private sector.
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / T-Mobile

T-Mobile's emergency teams continue to restore connectivity in Maui and support first responders, agencies, officials, customers and communities. Over the weekend, they:

Restored sites in Kaanapali and Haleakala, with teams continuing to evaluate impacted sites

Arrived at the Maui Emergency Operations Center to support first responders and agencies

Extended concessions to all Maui customers through August 21

Added additional organizations to the text-to-give campaigns

Provided evacuees and emergency personnel on Oahu with supplies; team traveling to Maui today

Network Update

T-Mobile's Emergency Management team restored sites in Kaanapali and Haleakala to provide critical connectivity in the area, including covering the FEMA center in Kaanapali. The team deployed generators and VSATs (Very Small Aperture Terminals) - portable satellite solutions - to restore connectivity where the fire damaged local fiber connections and commercial power outages are impacting permanent cell sites.

Additional microwave and satellite equipment is expected to arrive in Maui today, and the team is focused on providing connectivity to Maui's west coast.

First Responders Update

Our Emergency Response Team is at the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Maui, working with the Maui Emergency Management Agency, police, firefighters, emergency medical services and search and rescue as well as FEMA and other federal agencies to identify network priorities that will provide critical communication for first responders and other frontline personnel.

Concessions Update

We are extending concessions to all Maui customers who aren't already on unlimited plans - all T-Mobile, Metro by T-Mobile, Assurance Wireless and Magenta Prepaid customers with Maui addresses will get unlimited talk, text and data through August 21.

Text to Give Donations Update

We've added additional organizations to the "text-to-give" options previously announced. T-Mobile customers can "text-to-give" $10 donations simply by texting the organization's keyword to the number below to have a one-time $10 donation added to their T-Mobile bill. T-Mobile will also 2:1 match donations from employees to the American Red Cross through August 31.

American Red Cross: Text HAWAII to 90999

Text HAWAII to 90999 Hawaii Community Foundation: Text WILDFIRES to 501501

Text WILDFIRES to 501501 The Salvation Army National Corporation: Text WILDFIRES to 52000

Text WILDFIRES to 52000 Information Technology Disaster Resource Center: Text CONNECT to 20222

Community Support Update

T-Mobile's Community Support team is in Oahu to support evacuees and emergency response personnel in Maui with essential supplies including device charging, portable battery packs and charging cables. The team will be in Maui today.

Update: August 11, 2023

We continue to send our heartfelt condolences to those impacted by the devastating wildfires that swept through the west side of Maui. This is a challenging and dynamic situation, and our teams are working rapidly to respond in support of this community.

"It has been heartbreaking to see the wildfires sweep through the island and across historic Lahaina, especially now that we know the immense damage and devastation this tragedy has left behind," said Mike Sievert, CEO of T-Mobile. "As with other natural disasters, in situations like this, connectivity is critical. That's why we have teams ready to respond when disaster strikes, as was the case here. Homes and businesses have been destroyed as people, including our own employees, have been displaced. But I know we're all grateful to have teams focused 24/7 on doing everything they can to show up for this amazing community."

Network Update

Fires destroyed local fiber and took out commercial power in many areas, which has impacted our service. While access to our sites is extremely limited and conditions are exceedingly challenging, we continue to closely monitor the situation and partner with local authorities on our plans to provide shorter-term temporary measures and longer-term restoration of critical communication just as soon as conditions safely allow.

We have Emergency Management teams and engineers getting critical temporary wireless equipment set up as quickly as possible.

We have emergency teams, heavy-duty trucks and generators on the ground in Maui ready to deploy equipment and set up and refuel generators at sites without commercial power as safety allows.

Portable cell equipment (a COW or "cells on wheels") has arrived in Maui from Hawaii. We are working with local emergency agencies to determine the best location for placement. And we've redirected one of our wireless sites on Lanai to provide coverage for calling and texting in the hardest hit area on Maui.

VSATs (Very Small Aperture Terminals) and fastback equipment, portable and agile solutions that provide wireless service, are on their way and should arrive this weekend.

We'll also have additional microwave and satellite solutions arriving over the weekend along with long-range microwave assets arriving next week.

First Responders

Our Emergency Response Team is in regular direct communication with officials in Maui to support emergency personnel and the community, and to restore wireless service as quickly as possible. We'll continue to work with FEMA, the State of Hawaii and other critical agencies.

Community Support Update

T-Mobile's Community Support team is headed to the Hawaii Convention Center on Oahu, which is serving as an assistance center to help Maui residents and visitors. The team will work closely with the American Red Cross to offer evacuees and personnel critical supplies including device charging, portable battery packs and charging cables. They will be moving to Maui as soon as it is safe to do so.

Concessions Update

T-Mobile's prepaid customers - including Metro by T-Mobile, Assurance Wireless and Magenta Prepaid - in Maui will have unlimited talk, text and data through August 14.

Text to Give

Emergency organizations in Maui need help, and T-Mobile customers can support their relief efforts with a simple "text-to-give" to donate $10 to the American Red Cross. Simply text "HAWAII" to 90999 and a one-time donation will be added to your T-Mobile bill. All funds will go directly toward critical and needed services including opening shelters and providing evacuees with food, safe lodging and emotional support. And we've extended 2:1 matching for employee donations to the American Red Cross.

Employees

We are partnering with our teams to understand any direct impacts on our local employees. Our focus will be to ensure we provide support to employees during this very difficult time, particularly those who have been displaced from their homes. We are also ensuring we have measures in place to provide compensation coverage for our retail teams.

August 9, 2023

We are saddened by the devastating wildfires currently burning across the island of Maui in the Lahaina, Kihei and Kula areas. We are holding those who have been impacted in our thoughts and working rapidly to show up for the customers, communities and first responders in these communities.

Network Update

Our Emergency Management Team is closely monitoring the fire and will be prepared to deploy portable satellite and microwave solutions to restore service in impacted areas when it is safe to do so. Travel in and around the island and impacted areas is restricted at this time, but we're ready to respond as quickly as possible.

At this time, our cell sites are holding up well during the fires. However, commercial power outages may be impacting service for some customers. As soon as conditions allow, our priority is to deploy teams with portable generators that will bring temporary power back to our sites.

As an alternative, customers who still have a home Wi-Fi connection may be able to use Wi-Fi calling.

Helping First Responders

T-Mobile's Emergency Response Team is working with FEMA and the state of Hawaii to support firefighters and other first responders, organizations and communities. We'll continue to engage with state and local officials and others and offer support. Agencies needing communications assistance can reach out to our 24-hour emergency hotline at 888-639-0020 or email ERTRequests@T-Mobile.com.

Customer Concessions

While the majority of our customers are on plans with unlimited talk, text and data, for those who aren't we are offering unlimited talk, text and data starting August 10 through August 14 in the following zip codes:

96708

96753

96761

96767

96768

96790

Retail Stores

Our T-Mobile retail store in Lahaina is currently closed. Please check if your local store is open here.

More Information

As the fires spread, evacuations may continue. Please follow any orders that may be issued by local authorities to stay safe. Above are a few more things you can do.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from T-Mobile on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: T-Mobile

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/t-mobile

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: T-Mobile

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/774252/T-Mobile-Ready-To-Support-Customers-and-Employees-in-Maui
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Biodiversity loss also represents a serious risk to business. Mining, oil and gas, forestry, agriculture, fishing and tourism are exposed to nature-related risks of nearly $1.9 trillion, according to Moody's Investors Service. Yet business is often cited as one of the main culprits of the biodiversity crisis, and with good reason. According to The Royal Society, biodiversity loss is being driven primarily by land use change (especially from agro-industrial agriculture, accounting for 30% of declines), and overexploitation of resources for food, medicines and timber (20%). Climate change and pollution account for a further 14%.

Business is clearly the villain, but can it also be the hero in this story? There are market investment opportunities of up to $93bn by 2030, according to the Paulson Institute. Here are seven business strategies that can contribute to a nature positive future. They fall on a spectrum from ad-hoc, incremental actions to systemic, transformational change.

Strategy 1: Donating. The $10 billion Bezos Earth Fund is typical of the philanthropic approach of many businesses. Donations are channelled through a foundation, often set up and funded by its wealthy founders or owners. In the case of the Bezos Earth Fund, $2 billion has specifically been earmarked for conserving and restoring nature in places like the Congo Basin. While the benefits for nature are clear and substantial, donations usually fall short of changing the company's core business impacts on nature, and if taken in isolation can be viewed as greenwashing.

Strategy 2: Offsetting. The science and accounting of carbon offsets need to improve, but they are a crucial catalyst for biodiversity protection and restoration. For example, Apple has partnered with Conservation International to protect and restore the 27,000-acre mangrove forest in Cispata Bay, Colombia. The project is expected to sequester a million metric tons of CO2 over its lifetime. According to Morgan Stanley, the market for carbon offsets is expected to grow from $2 billion in 2020 to around $250 billion by 2050.

Strategy 3: Greening. Living walls and living roofs are a great way for any business with a building to create habitats that attract biodiversity. For instance, IKEA's award-winning living roof in Greenwich, UK, covers 3,500 square metres, with different biodiverse zones, including sedum covered areas, a wildflower meadow and raised urban farming beds for use by local schools and community groups. The potential is even greater when a company owns land that can be turned into biodiverse green space.

Strategy 4: Sourcing. Every company has a supply chain that impacts on biodiversity, whether through its canteen (e.g. are ingredients organic and menus plant-based? is the coffee and tea Rainforest Alliance certified?), or furniture and office supplies (e.g. are wood products and paper from sustainably managed forests?). In December 2022, the EU agreed a new law that bans the importation of commodities like beef, soya, palm oil, coffee, cocoa, rubber, charcoal and paper, unless they can prove that they were produced without increasing deforestation. Estee Lauder, a 2023 winner of an EcoVadis Sustainable Procurement Leadership Award, is developing specific biodiversity and social action plans for its 'sensitive supply chains', besides its No Deforestation, No Peat, No Exploitation policy.

Strategy 5: Innovating. Changing a business's core products and services to be inherently good for biodiversity, relative to prevailing market offerings, is an exciting space for innovation. A life cycle assessment by Quantis of Impossible Foods' plant-based burger as compared with a standard beef burger suggests that it uses 96% less land, 92% less aquatic eutrophication potential, 89% less global warming potential and 87% less water consumption - all of which could dramatically increase the space for nature restoration. Other to watch in the plant-based protein sector are Beyond Meat, Quorn, Lightlife Foods and Tofurky.

Strategy 6: Transforming. To halt and reverse biodiversity loss, we will need to go beyond individual company changes. We need whole industry sectors to transform. Foremost among these, for biodiversity impacts, is agriculture, and there are signs of an appetite for change. Danone France has committed to source 100% of ingredients produced in the country from regenerative agriculture by 2025, while General Mills aims to advance regenerative agriculture on 1 million acres of farmland by 2030. Nestle wants to source 20% of their key ingredients through regenerative agriculture methods by 2025 (versus 6.8% in 2022) and 50% (14 million tonnes) by 2030.

Strategy 7: Tipping. These are significant and important commitments, especially for the production the world's grains. But radically reducing our dependence on livestock farming - through cultured meat (also called cell-based or lab-grown meat) and precision fermentation - may be where the true revolution happens. Researchers have called this a global super-tipping point, while George Monbiot has found scientific evidence that precision fermented protein may use between 138,000 and 157,000 times less land than beef and lamb. Leaders in cultivated meat include Memphis Meats, Mosa Meat, JUST, Inc., Aleph Farms and Future Meat Technologies, while pioneers in precision fermentation are Perfect Day, Geltor, Clara Foods, Motif FoodWorks and Air Protein.

Integrating. All seven business strategies can contribute to halting and reversing biodiversity loss. And the best companies will try to integrate all seven. Outdoor wear company Patagonia, for example, has, since 1985, along with other companies, pledged 1% of sales (over $89 million to date) to the preservation and restoration of the natural environment. In 1996, they were one of the first to commit to 100% organic cotton and they regularly run awareness campaigns on the impacts of overconsumption. In 2012, they launched Patagonia Provisions to champion organic regenerative food. And in 2022, founder Yvonne Chouinard transferred all the voting stock of the company into a trust, which requires that company profits must be distributed as dividends to protect the planet.

This is what we know: unless the high impact companies and sectors transform their approach, the goal of becoming "nature positive by 2030" will be impossible to achieve. And business can and will be a key source of the investment, innovation and scaling of solutions that is needed to turn the crisis around.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Kaleidoscope Futures on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Kaleidoscope Futures

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/kaleidoscope-futures

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Kaleidoscope Futures

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/774253/7-Nature-Positive-Business-Strategies-for-Tackling-the-Biodiversity-Crisis
Strong Investor Demand Drives Final Close Above $500 Million Target

Angeles Equity Partners LLC ("Angeles"), a private investment firm focused on value creation through operational transformation, today announced the final closing of Angeles Equity Partners II, L.P. and its parallel funds (collectively, the "Fund") with total capital commitments exceeding its target of $500 million.

The Fund is comprised of a diverse set of institutional investors from across North America, Europe and Asia and includes endowments, foundations, public pension plans, fund-of-funds and family offices.

Consistent with its first fund, Angeles will continue to execute on its strategy of transforming underperforming industrial businesses in North America through seasoned investment acumen, deep sub-sector insight and comprehensive operational engagement. The Fund is over 50% larger than the previous vintage, bringing total capital commitments to nearly $1 billion. Angeles has already committed capital to four platform investments in the new fund: Agile Occupational Medicine, Precision Surfacing Solutions, Data Clean and Custom Goods.

Timothy Meyer, co-founder and managing partner of Angeles Equity Partners, said: "We are incredibly grateful for the strong support and partnership of our Fund II investors and feel it is a true recognition of our investment strategy, ability to deliver value across the industrials landscape, and the institutional-quality firm we have thoughtfully constructed to capitalize on the incredible opportunity in the industrial sector."

Jordan Katz, co-founder and managing partner of Angeles Equity Partners, said: "There are a number of attractive market fundamentals currently at play which we feel bolster our strategy and look forward to capitalizing on them for our investors as we continue our mission to be the leading middle-market industrials firm."

Kirkland Ellis LLP provided legal counsel to Angeles and Rede Partners LLP acted as the exclusive global placement advisor for Fund II.

About Angeles Equity Partners, LLC

Angeles Equity Partners, LLC is a specialist lower middle-market private equity investment firm. In partnership with Angeles Operations Group, LLC, the firm has developed a consistent approach to transforming underperforming industrial companies and this drives Angeles' investment philosophy and helps businesses reach their full potential. Learn more online at www.angelesequity.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815292204/en/

Contacts:

For the United States:

Mickey Mandelbaum

mmandelbaum@prosek.com

+1 (310) 709-8900

For rest of world:

John Thompson

jt@burwaycapital.com

+44 (0) 7951 060 859
SINGAPORE / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Singapore welcomed a remarkable fintech event as the SCF Financial Public Chain launch event took place grandly on August 13, 2023. This noteworthy occasion injected fresh vitality into the fintech sector, offering a rare platform for extensive investors, partners, and blockchain enthusiasts to exchange ideas.

At the SCF Financial Public Chain launch event, William Thompson delivered an engaging speech to attendees. They confidently shared the significant achievements since the launch of the public chain and its innovative applications in the financial realm. As a technology leader, the SCF Financial Public Chain has gained widespread favor among users due to its efficiency, security, and transparency. Simultaneously, the public chain demonstrated the exceptional capabilities of its technical team, successfully creating a public chain that stands at the forefront of the industry, infusing new vitality into the future development of the financial sector.





Importantly, the Singapore launch event announced the comprehensive rebranding of the SCF Financial Public Chain. The public chain will be officially renamed as Standard Cross Finance, abbreviated as SCF. This new name highlights the professionalism and leading position of the public chain in the financial domain, aiding in conveying its core values and positioning.





SCF Financial Public Chain provides a standardized model for cross-chain financial interaction, setting a new benchmark for the industry. Its advantages not only lie in technological innovation but also manifest in its diverse application scenarios. As a vital supporter of Decentralized Finance (DeFi), SCF Financial Public Chain offers users secure, efficient, and cost-effective financial services.





Moreover, the SCF Financial Public Chain inherently provides the foundational services and infrastructure for modern financial systems and future-oriented finance. These infrastructures are built upon the core technology of the public chain, serving as protocol and service layers for the SCF ecosystem. This includes eight major ecosystems:



1. FinSwap, a composable full-chain liquidity aggregation protocol, capable of fast processing of cross-chain transaction contracts.

2. FinSBT (Financial Soul Token), which can describe users' background, education, work income, consumption level, credit status, etc. by collecting and verifying information within a decentralized network.

3. FUSD (Native Stablecoin of the Public Chain), issued by the SCF Financial Public Chain, with projected annual yields ranging from 20% to 300%.

4. FinPay (Payment Application), a decentralized cross-border payment gateway based on the SCF public chain, primarily applied to payment settlements between cooperative banking systems.

5. FinBill (Cross-chain Financial Bill Trading Market), enabling decentralized financial bill transactions such as promissory notes, bills, and checks using the concepts of WEB3.0.

6. FinBOX (WEB3.0 Social Platform), a decentralized instant messaging + content social platform offering functions like linking wallets, purchasing, trading, and showcasing.

7. FinEX (Derivatives Exchange), providing various derivatives trading products including futures, options, and differential contracts. User digital assets will be stored in smart contracts to ensure security and transparency.

8. FinSOUL (Next-Gen GameFi), a titan-level innovative creation encompassing Co-creation AIGameFi, Programmable NFT, and Metaverse DeFi, yielding abundant SCF rewards within games and becoming the second life of SCF public chain users.



With the ongoing brand upgrade, the SCF Financial Public Chain will actively promote the perfection of its ecosystem and strive to create an outstanding community of developers and users. This effort will provide developers with abundant development tools and resources, and users with more convenient and secure trading experiences. These endeavors will not only enhance users' experiences but also establish a solid foundation for the sustainable development of the public chain.

To better showcase the company's essential information and future development plans, a special press conference for the SCF Financial Public Chain is scheduled to be held in New York in September 2023. At that time, they will personally answer the questions of people from all walks of life, and show SCF financial public chain listing information and development blueprint, and present more exciting content for participants.

The vigorous growth of the SCF Financial Public Chain holds profound significance for the fintech sector. It will not only accelerate the convergence of digital finance and artificial intelligence but also open wider doors of opportunity for global investors. As the SCF Financial Public Chain ecosystem gradually matures, people are filled with anticipation and confidence regarding its future potential. SCF also believes that with community support and engagement, the SCF Financial Public Chain will embrace a brighter future and become a brilliant star in the blockchain realm. Whether investors, partners, or observers, all will witness the splendid moment of the SCF Financial Public Chain at this grand event.

Contact:

Company: SCF Chain

Contact Person: Jo Connie

Email: Info@scfchain.io

Website: www.scfchain.io

Telephone: +1(628)258-1668

City: San Jose

Address: 18 South 2nd Street, San Jose, California, 95113, United States of America

SOURCE: SCF Chain

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/774215/SCF-Financial-Public-Chain-Singapore-Launch-Event-Innovation-Driving-the-Future
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 15, 2023) - Kenorland Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: KLD) (OTCQX: KLDCF) (FSE: 3WQ0) ("Kenorland" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has commenced a large-scale surface exploration program at its 100% owned South Uchi Project (the "Project"), located in the Red Lake District of northwestern Ontario.

2023 Surface Exploration Program

The 2023 surface exploration program includes detailed glacial till geochemical surveys and prospecting efforts covering several areas targeting gold, nickel-copper, and lithium mineral systems. This program follows the 2021 and 2022 regional property-scale geochemical surveys completed while the Project was under option to Barrick Gold (see press release dated January 19, 2023). The current 2023 survey will include the collection of approximately 3,300 fine-fraction till samples over priority gold and nickel-copper target areas as well as 700 heavy mineral concentrate (HMC) till samples covering multiple lithium target areas. Given the very limited amount of historical exploration across the property, and especially within these target areas, the Company believes there is significant potential to make new discoveries.

Nickel-Copper

Figure 1. Property-wide Glacial Till Geochemistry: Nickel (Ni ppm)



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6489/177151_92173fb6d4b39842_001full.jpg

The results from the previous surveys outlined a large, coherent, and highly anomalous area of coincident nickel and copper, along with coincident cobalt and chromium (Ni-Cu-Co-Cr) in glacial overburden. Sampling returned nickel values up to 674 ppm and copper up to 306 ppm in till, potentially indicating a bedrock source of mineralisation below cover. Elevated levels of sulfur (S) were also observed within the Ni-Cu anomaly, which occurs in an area broadly mapped as mafic-ultramafic rocks, suggesting the potential to host magmatic Ni-Cu sulfide mineralisation. Approximately 1,900 soil (till substrate) samples will be collected on a high-resolution grid (50m x 100m) to define areas for future detailed geophysical surveys and drill targeting.

Gold

Figure 2. Property-wide Glacial Till Geochemistry: Gold (Au ppm)



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6489/177151_92173fb6d4b39842_002full.jpg

A broad area of regionally anomalous gold-in-till (up to 52 ppb Au) was highlighted in wide-spaced sampling from the previous surveys. This anomalism occurs in the central portion of the property and over seven kilometers along a significant structural corridor expressed as a topographic low marked by a lake. Approximately 1,400 soil (till substrate) samples will be collected on a high resolution (100m x 50m) grid to define areas for future drill targeting.

Lithium

Figure 3. Property-wide Glacial Till Geochemistry: Lithium (Li ppm)

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6489/177151_92173fb6d4b39842_003full.jpg

The results from the previous surveys also highlighted multiple lithium-cesium (Li-Cs) anomalies which could indicate potential sources of lithium-cesium-tantalum (LCT) pegmatite systems along the geological subprovince boundary and margin of the Alison Lake batholith. The high grade McCombe lithium deposit, held by Green Technology Metals, occurs in this setting, directly to the east of the Project, which illustrates the potential for LCT pegmatite mineralisation within the Project area. Approximately 700 heavy mineral concentrate samples (HMCs) will be collected and analyzed for spodumene grain counts.

About the South Uchi Project

The South Uchi Project was first identified and staked by Kenorland based on the prospectivity to host significant gold mineralised systems. The Project covers a portion of Confederation Assemblage volcanic rocks, as well as the boundary between the volcanic-dominated Uchi geological subprovince to the north and the sedimentary-dominated English River geological subprovince to the south. Multiple major east-west striking shear zones associated with the subprovince boundary transect the Project along its 90km strike-length. Deformation associated with these structures has resulted in zones of strong shearing, alteration, and folding of the metavolcanic-clastic and metasedimentary-iron formation stratigraphy, which are favorable settings for orogenic gold mineralisation.

Figure 4. South Uchi Project Location



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6489/177151_92173fb6d4b39842_004full.jpg

The majority of gold deposits in the Red Lake District (Red Lake, Madsen, Hasaga, and others) are located on the northern margin of the Confederation Assemblage, however, recent discoveries such as the LP Fault Zone on the Dixie Project by Great Bear Resources Ltd. highlight the prospectivity of the entire Confederation Assemblage along the southern margin of the Uchi subprovince.

The Project occurs in the western Superior Craton which hosts numerous magmatic Ni-Cu  PGE deposits such as the world class Eagle's Nest Deposit (11.1 Mt @1.68% Ni, 1.14% Cu; Ring of Fire Metals). Magmatic Ni-Cu  PGE deposits of the western Superior typically occur in Archean aged mafic to ultramafic greenstone rocks, such as those mapped within the Project. At the broad regional scale there is a spatial correlation between Ni-Cu  PGE deposits of the western Superior and a prominent gravity trend identified by Kenorland geoscientists as a plausible paleo-rift axis within the Superior Craton. Rift axes within Archean cratons represent a 1st order control on magmatic Ni-Cu camps globally (e.g. Kambalda Camp of Western Australia). This gravity trend transects the Project further highlighting the prospectivity of the area for magmatic Ni-Cu  PGE potential.

The Project also meets many of the criteria for potential lithium pegmatite deposits, including the presence of the large Alison Lake batholith (a fertile peraluminous granite), which is partly covered by the Project. Numerous lithium pegmatite occurrences are located in the region, including the McCombe and Root Lake deposits (Green Technology Metals) located immediately to the east of the Project.

Qualified Person

Mr. Jan Wozniewski, B. Sc., P. Geo., OGQ (#2239), "Qualified Person" under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this press release.

About Kenorland Minerals Ltd.

Kenorland Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: KLD) is a mineral exploration Company incorporated under the laws of the Province of British Columbia and based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Kenorland's focus is early to advanced stage exploration in North America. The Company currently holds five projects in Quebec where work is being completed under joint venture and earn-in agreements from third parties. The Frotet Project and Chicobi Project are held under joint venture with Sumitomo Metal Mining Canada Ltd. ("Sumitomo"), the O'Sullivan Project is optioned to Sumitomo, the Chebistuan Project is optioned to Newmont Corporation and the Hunter Project is held under option to Centerra Gold Inc. In Alaska, the Company holds the advanced stage Tanacross porphyry Cu-Au-Mo project, optioned to Antofagasta, as well as a 70% interest in the Healy Project, held under joint venture with Newmont Corporation.

Further information can be found on the Company's website www.kenorlandminerals.com

Kenorland Minerals Ltd.

Zach Flood

President, CEO and Director

Tel: +1 604 568 6005

info@kenorlandminerals.com

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (together, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as "plans", "expects', "estimates", "intends", "anticipates", "believes" or variations of such words, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators, that could cause actual results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing these forward-looking statements are reasonable based upon the information currently available to management as of the date hereof, actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. Readers are therefore cautioned not to place undue reliance on these statements, which only apply as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed times frames or at all. Except where required by applicable law, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/177151
Receives Approval for Ontario Junior Exploration Program Funding

HIGHLIGHTS

Phase 1 Exploration Program commenced at the Falcon West Lithium project - spodumene bearing pegmatite outcrops confirmed.

Ministry of Mines Ontario, awarded up to $200,000 the 2023-2024 Ontario Junior Exploration Program Funding to the Company's Falcon West Lithium Project.

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 15, 2023) - Volta Metals Ltd. (CSE: VLTA) ("Volta" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has commenced Phase 1 Exploration at its Falcon West, Crescent Lake and Junior Lake Lithium Projects (Figure 1). Volta is also excited to announce that it will be participating in the 2023-2024 Ontario Junior Exploration Program (OJEP) for funding of up to $200,000 on eligible expenses.





Figure 1. Volta Flacon West Lithium, Crescent and Junior Lake Lithium Projects in northwest Ontario

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9598/177215_74f0e4b524bfe9b4_001full.jpg

Work has commenced on the Falcon West, Crescent and Junior Lake projects with three field crews, and will involve the collection of surface exploration data including but not limited to structural and alteration mapping, prospecting, sampling, and utilizing a handheld Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) for rapid real-time sample chemical analysis to support field follow-up.

Initial work will focus expose the Far West Falcon lithium bearing pegmatites in order to complete detailed mapping and sampling, data from which will be used to facilitate future work programs including drill target generation (Figure 2).

In detail the Falcon West lithium showing consists of two pegmatite outcrops with visible Spodumene (lithium host mineral) mineralization (Figure 2). The partially exposed larger dyke found to date has exposed over a 6 x 15m outcrop, while a second, separate lithium bearing pegmatite outcrop has exposed over a 4 x 17m area (Figure 3). The margins of the outcropping lithium pegmatite dykes are not fully exposed, remain open for expansion. Visually mineralization varies between 30-60% spodumene throughout the pegmatite, with quartz, felspar, and accessory muscovite. The Spodumene crystals are light grey to green and up to 3 cm wide and 24 cm long (Figure 2).





Figure 2. Pegmatite outcrop on Volta's Falcon West Lithium Property containing large Spodumene crystals (primary hard rock Lithium mineral)

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9598/177215_voltametalsfigure2.jpg





Figure 3. Mapped Lithium-bearing pegmatite outcrops

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9598/177215_74f0e4b524bfe9b4_003full.jpg

Kerem Usenmez, CEO commented, "We are excited to start working on our flagship Falcon West Project and uncover the size and potential of the known Lithium pegmatites. Our experienced team supported by our technical advisor, Dr. Breaks is working hard to expand the showing, and unlock the potential of this project. The Company is pleased that the Ontario Government recognizes the importance of exploration in the province, and incentivizes mineral exploration through OJEP funding. The funding will help Falcon West project to advance to a drill decision in a timely manner."

OJEP Funding Approval

Company received notification from the Ontario Ministry of Mines satisfying the eligibility for 2023-2024 OJEP Funding for project expenses up to $200,000. The eligible expenses incurred until February 15, 2024 are eligible for funding through the OJEP.

Qualified Person

This technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Andrew Tims, P.Geo., who is an independent Qualified Person (QP) as defined in National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. The QP and the Company have not completed sufficient work to verify the historic information on the Properties, particularly regarding historical exploration, neighbouring companies, and government geological work.

For more information about the Company, view Volta's website: voltametals.ca

ABOUT VOLTA METALS LTD

Volta Metals Ltd. (CSE: VLTA) is a mineral exploration company focused on lithium, cesium and tantalum, and is based in Toronto, Ontario. It has optioned and is currently exploring a critical minerals portfolio of lithium, cesium and tantalum projects in Northwestern Ontario, which is considered to be one of the most prolific emerging hard-rock lithium districts in the world. To find out more about Volta, and its flagship Falcon West Project, please visit voltametals.ca.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

For further information, contact:

Kerem Usenmez, President & CEO

Tel: 416.919.9060

Email: info@voltametals.ca

Website: voltametals.ca

Neither the CSE nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to product development, plans, strategies 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 news release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, including the receipt of all necessary regulatory and CSE approvals, authorizations and consents and corporate and shareholder approvals required in connection therewith; Corporation's share options, including the timing thereof; the Optioned Properties, including whether any such properties will be further explored or developed; the makeup of the Resulting Issuer's management team upon completion of the Transaction; the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Resulting Issuer; and the anticipated benefits and results of the Transaction. 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: the failure to satisfy the conditions of the CSE and other risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Corporation with securities regulators; the fact that LICAN's interests in the Optioned Properties are options only and there is no guarantee that such interest, if earned, will be certain; the future prices and demand for lithium; and delays or the inability of the Corporation to obtain any necessary approvals, permits and authorizations required to carry out its business plans. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking statements 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 statements. 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 Corporation will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by applicable law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/177215
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 15, 2023) - Northstar Gold Corp. (CSE: NSG) ("Northstar" or the "Company"), announces a non-brokered private placement financing (the "Offering") for targeted minimum proceeds of $500,000. The Offering will consist of units of the Company ("Units") at a price of C$0.055 per Unit. Each Unit shall consist of one common share of the Company and one share purchase warrant, with each whole share purchase warrant (a "Warrant") entitling the holder thereof to acquire one additional common share of the Company at an exercise price of C$0.075 for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance.

Proceeds from this private placement will be used primarily to fund Critical Minerals exploration at the historic high-grade Cam Copper Mine on the 100%-owned Miller Gold Property. Proceeds will also provide for LIDAR and MMI soil surveys on the Company's 100%-owned Rosegrove Property, targeting alkaline intrusion-hosted gold mineralization, and for general working capital purposes.

The Offering is scheduled to close in tranches, with the first tranche of approximately $200,000 expected to close between August 15 and 25, 2023 and is subject to certain conditions, including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary approvals, including the approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange. The Offering is being made by way of private placement in Canada and such other jurisdictions as the Company may determine.

The Company may pay finder's fees on a portion of the Offering of up to 7 % of the aggregate gross proceeds raised. The finder's fees shall be paid in accordance with applicable securities laws and the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange.

It is anticipated that certain directors, officers and other insiders of the Company may acquire Units under the Offering. Such participation will be considered to be "related party transactions" within the meaning of TSX Venture Exchange Policy 5.9 (the "Policy") and Multilateral Instrument 61-101-Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") adopted in the Policy. The Company intends to rely on the exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 contained in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 in respect of related party participation in the Offering as neither the fair market value (as determined under MI 61-101) of the subject matter of, nor the fair market value of the consideration for, the transaction, insofar as it involves interested parties, is expected to exceed 25% of the Company's market capitalization (as determined under MI 61-101). Details of any related party participation in the Offering will be disclosed in a closing news release.

This news release does 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 jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. 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 unless an exemption from such registration is available.

The Existing Shareholder Exemption and Investment Dealer Exemption

The Offering will be made available to existing shareholders of the Company who, as of the close of business on August 15, 2023, held common shares of the Company (and who continue to hold such common shares as of the closing date), pursuant to the prospectus exemption set out in B.C. Instrument 45-534 -- Exemption From Prospectus Requirement for Certain Trades to Existing Security Holders and in similar instruments in other jurisdictions in Canada. The existing shareholder exemption limits a shareholder to a maximum investment of $15,000 in a 12-month period unless the shareholder has obtained advice regarding the suitability of the investment and, if the shareholder is resident in a jurisdiction of Canada, that advice has been obtained from a person that is registered as an investment dealer in the jurisdiction. If the company receives subscriptions from investors relying on the existing shareholder exemption exceeding the maximum amount of the financing, the company intends to adjust the subscriptions received on a pro rata basis.

The company has also made the Offering available to certain subscribers pursuant to B.C. Instrument 45-536 -- Exemption Form Prospectus Requirement for Certain Distributions Through an Investment Dealer. In accordance with the requirements of the investment dealer exemption, the company confirms that there is no material fact or material change about the Company that has not been generally disclosed.

All securities issued in connection with the Offering will be subject to a four-month hold period from the closing date under applicable Canadian securities laws, in addition to such other restrictions as may apply under applicable securities laws of jurisdictions outside Canada.

Northstar's primary exploration focus is the advancement of the Company's flagship, 100%-owned Miller Gold Property, situated 18 km southeast of Kirkland Lake and Agnico Eagle Mine's Macassa SMC gold mine. The Company's strategy is to develop a material (+1 million ounce) mineral resource base to support a stand-alone mining operation at the Miller Gold Property.

The Historic High-Grade Cam Copper Mine Critical Minerals Exploration Opportunity

On July 5th, 2023, Northstar announced high-grade copper results of a recent surface sampling program at the historic Cam Copper Mine site on the Company's 100%-owned, flagship Miller Property, situated 18 km southeast of Kirkland Lake, Ontario. The Cam Copper Mine is a road accessible satellite high-grade copper system situated 2.4 km southwest of the Allied Gold Zone, the advanced, near-surface bulk-tonnage alkalic gold-telluride exploration target being actively explored by Northstar.

High-Grade copper assays ranging between 0.99% and 31.8% copper were returned from 19 select surface grab samples containing massive to semi-massive sulphides (including massive chalcopyrite and bornite) and collectively weighing 43.39 kg, recently collected near the historic Cam Copper Mine site on the Miller Property in Pacaud Township. The weighted average grade of the 19 select samples collected from the historic muck pile and bedrock exposure near the historic shaft was 14.0% copper.

In addition to high-grade copper, one select sample that assayed 31.8% copper also returned 452 g/t silver, suggesting silver can also be a significant mineralization component.

The Cam Copper Mine hosts two separate lenses (Zone 1 and Zone 2) of massive copper sulphides about 40 metres apart striking and plunging southeast along the contact with the Round Lake Granite Batholith. Underground development took place between 1929 and 1953 which includes sinking of a 220' (66.7m) vertical shaft with 213' (64.5m) of cross cutting and 267' (80.9m) of drifting. The recent surface sampling results verify historic reporting of a 1955 shipment of 346 tons of hoisted underground ore which produced 43,411 lbs. of Cu1 at a Noranda smelter for a recovered grade of 6.3% Cu. The ore was shipped directly from the mine site to the smelter without requiring further concentration in a mill. A previous 1948 shipment of 22 tons of ore to Noranda reportedly graded 12.72% Cu, 0.84 oz/t Ag and 0.03 oz/t Au2, presumably from Zone 1.

Northstar recently obtained detailed historic Cam Copper Mine exploration, and development plans and production records that are currently being digitized and integrated into a 3D Cam Copper geological and exploration model. This model will provide the means to effectively propose a few short diamond drill holes targeting near-surface extensions of Zones 1 and 2 high-grade copper mineralization. Historic surface drilling intercepts include 12.4% Cu over 7.8' in Zone 1 and 11.8% Cu over 9.2' including 23.1% Cu over 4.6' in Zone 23. Underground drilling intercepts include 9.6% Cu over 8.5' 4 including 16.6% Cu over 3.0'5 in Zone 2 along strike to the southeast. Underground sampling over true widths was limited to massive sulphide bands and produced numerous high-grade intervals such as 14.79% Cu across 33" in Zone 1 within the hangingwall of the quartz breccia and 19.95% Cu across 24" in Zone 2 along the footwall breccia contact on the 200' level (4). Both zones remain open down plunge below the 200' level. Drilling is expected to be conducted in early Fall.

1Ontario Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines Mineral Deposit Inventory Record MDI31M13NW000154: Tretheway-Ossian- 1981, Ch.H. Cameron-1981.

2Ontario Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines and Mines Assessment File KL-0259, Tretheway-Ossian (Cam Copper Mine). 1961

3Ontario Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines and Mines Assessment File KL-0843, Prospectus of Fidelity Mining Investments Ltd. 1962.

4Ontario Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines and Mines, Cam Copper Mine Assay Plan Levels 1 and 2, Fidelity Mining Investments Ltd. 1962.

5Ontario Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines and Mines, KL File Map # 6393, Cam Copper Mine Plan showing location of diamond drill holes, section of shaft and plan of 1st and 2nd levels, Cam Copper Mines Ltd, 1955.

All scientific and technical information contained in this News Release has been prepared under the supervisionof Brian P. Fowler, P.Geo. President, CEO and Director of Northstar Gold Corp, a Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101.

About Northstar Gold Corp.

Northstar's primary exploration focus is the advancement of the Company's flagship, 100%-owned Miller Gold Property, situated 18 km southeast of Kirkland Lake and Agnico Eagle Mine's Macassa SMC gold mine. The Company's strategy is to develop either a minimum material (+1 million ounce) high-grade gold mineral resource to potentially supplement a nearby mining operation or a stand-alone mining operation at the Miller Gold Property.

Since going public by IPO in late 2020, Northstar has spent over $4.7 million in exploration at Miller, resulting in the discovery of a series of broad, near-surface, shallow dipping sheeted quartz-gold-telluride vein structures in the Allied Syenite (Allied Gold Zone) and Planet Syenites and numerous 70 - 750 gold gram/metre drill hole intercepts. Drilling to date at the AGZ has returned near-surface gold intercepts that include 6.6 g/t Au over 117.0 metres, 4.0 g/t Au over 50.6 metres, 1.4 g/t Au over 118.5 metres, and 1.2 g/t Au over 107.3 metres. Step out AGZ drilling in 2021 intersected peripheral steeply dipping copper-gold bearing structures (CG1 and CG2 Zones) returning intercepts that include 9.41 g/t Au, 1.03% Cu over 3.0m. The AGZ shares numerous compelling similarities to Agnico Eagle's nearby Upper Beaver Deposit, currently in the pre-development stage.

In April, 2022, as a precursor to a Mineral Resource Estimate and for reporting purposes, the Company commissioned Ronacher Mackenzie Geoscience and SRK Consulting (Canada) to conduct an Exploration Target Study of the Miller Property Allied Gold Zone and No. 1 Vein. An upper range exceeding 500,000 ounces of gold averaging 2.04 g/t Au has been referenced in this study. Results were reported July 26, 2022, (Click here to view Northstar News Release dated July 26, 2022) verifying the significance, size and gold grade potential of the Allied gold mineralizing system. Results provide the Company and investors a fact-based conceptual tonnage and gold grade range for the Allied Syenite Gold Zone, and basis for continued expansion drilling and mineral resource development.

In April, 2023 Northstar reported results of a high resolution UAV airborne magnetic survey completed over the Miller Gold Property that identified a volumetrically large positive magnetic anomaly (SM-01) partially underplating the near-surface Allied Gold Zone and syenite stock. (Click here to view Northstar News Release dated April 19, 2023) The SM-01 Anomaly displays a high magnetic susceptibility signature, possibly reflecting a deeper large, discrete mafic intrusion and source area for higher, recently discovered steeply dipping Au-Cu sulphide mineralization discovered in 2021 drill holes MG21-64 (4.71 g/t Au, 0.51% Cu over 6.4m - CG1 Zone) and MG21-65 (9.41 g/t Au, 1.03% Cu over 3.0m - CG2 Zone). Eleven additional anomalies consistent with possible syenite intrusions have also been identified.

In addition to drill testing extensions of the high-grade Cam Copper Mine this Fall, Northstar is positioning to conduct a Phase IIIA Allied Gold Zone lateral and depth expansion drill program on the Miller Gold Property.

Northstar has 3 additional 100%-owned exploration projects in northern Ontario, including the recently acquired 1,200 ha Rosegrove Property situated 0.5 km from the Miller Gold Property, the 4,650 ha Bryce Gold Property (includes the recently optioned Britcanna Lease), an intrusive-gold / PME VMS project located along the projected east extension of the Ridout Break, and the recently expanded Temagami-Milestone Cu-Ni-Co Critical Minerals Property located in Strathcona Township. Northstar is advancing all 3 properties to enhance monetization opportunities.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Mr. Brian P. Fowler, P.Geo.

President, CEO and Director

(604) 617-8191

bfowler@northstargoldcorp.com

Connect with us on Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained in this news release constitute "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 (referred to herein as "forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, disclosure regarding the completion of the Offering and potential gross proceeds to be raised pursuant thereto, the receipt of all applicable regulatory approvals, the prospective nature of the Company's property interests, exploration plans and expected results, conditions or financial performance that is based on assumptions about future economic conditions and courses of action; planned use of proceeds, expenditures and budgets and the execution thereof. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate" or "believes", or the negative connotation thereof or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results, "may", "could", "would", "will", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative connotation thereof.

All forward-looking statements are based on various assumptions, including, without limitation, the expectations and beliefs of management, the receipt of applicable regulatory approvals. availability of financing, the assumed long-term price of gold, that the current exploration and other objectives concerning its mineral projects can be achieved and that its other corporate activities will proceed as expected; that the current price and demand for gold will be sustained or will improve; the continuity of the price of gold and other metals, economic and political conditions and operations; the prospective nature of the Company's properties, availability of financing, and that general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner.

Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of NSG to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: risks and uncertainties related to the completion of the Offering as presently proposed or at all, the failure to obtain all applicable regulatory approvals; actual results of current exploration activities; environmental risks; future prices of gold; operating risks; accidents, labour issues and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining government approvals or financing; and other risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties are not, and should not be construed as being, exhaustive.

Although NSG 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. In addition, forward-looking statements are provided solely for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans and allowing investors and others to get a better understanding of our operating environment. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements in this news release are made as of the date hereof and NSG assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/177229
ExpressVPN's recent survey finds that people across the UK are changing their Wi-Fi names to deter neighbours from 'piggybacking' off their home connections

LONDON, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A majority of Brits are unlikely to share their Wi-Fi connection with their neighbours over fresh concerns around privacy, and amidst surging broadband costs, according to a recent survey conducted by ExpressVPN, the leading consumer privacy and security company.

The survey of over 1,000 people across the UK showed that 59% do not trust their neighbours with access to their Wi-Fi, and for good reason. ExpressVPN found that one in seven (14%) have caught a friend, family member or neighbour attempting to use their home Wi-Fi network to access something 'dodgy' such as a pornography site or the dark web.

Despite half (7%) of these instances leading to a dispute or confrontation, an even higher number of respondents (one in six, 16%) revealed that they too had attempted to use someone else's private Wi-Fi network to connect to a dodgy site.

Amidst the cost-of-living crisis, and on the back of the news that broadband prices are going to be hiked by 17% for some households, Wi-Fi theft is set to become a growing issue as more Brits look to 'steal' Wi-Fi in an effort to save money. The data shows that 13% of Brits have caught a neighbour trying to connect to their Wi-Fi without permission, and a study from last year showed that more than four million people in the UK have 'hacked' a neighbour's Wi-Fi in a bid to avoid fees.

By admission, Brits' own bad habits are raising security concerns, too. Three quarters (74%) have said that they are concerned about securing their Wi-Fi network, as nearly a third (31%) admit to having saved the passwords for private Wi-Fi networks so they can connect again easily, and a quarter (24%) think that their online safety has been compromised by using someone else's Wi-Fi.

You Shall Not Password

Despite fresh privacy concerns around neighbours using private Wi-Fi connections, two-thirds (67%) of Brits do not take any measures to protect their home network connection.

ExpressVPN's survey shows this could be due to a lack of understanding of the technology required to protect Wi-Fi: two-thirds (66%) are unfamiliar with Wi-Fi encryption protocols, like WEP, WPA and WPA2, and 13% admitted that they find VPNs and DNS too complicated.

As a result, some people are turning to more 'unique' methods to deter piggybacking neighbours. One in 20 (4%) revealed that they have changed the name of their Wi-Fi network to discourage unauthorised access.

Some of the creative Wi-Fi names found by ExpressVPN's survey, include:

5G Test Mast

TV Licensing Surveillance

Virus infected Wi-Fi

The FBI

Others took a more aggressive approach to deter access, with Wi-Fi names including 'My Wi-Fi M*****F*****s', 'P*** Off This Isn't Your Wi-Fi' and 'Don't even f****** think about it'.

More than one in 10 (11%) also admitted that they had changed their Wi-Fi name because they found it funny, or it reflected their sense of humour. Some of these, uncovered by ExpressVPN's survey, included 'No. 145s Wife is Cheating' and 'B**** in Apartment 23'.

However, renaming your Wi-Fi to something 'off-putting' or humorous could lead to more unwanted attention, as 17% of Brits said they would be more likely to try and join a Wi-Fi network if it had a humorous name.

Lauren Hendry Parsons, Privacy Advocate for ExpressVPN commented:

"As broadband prices surge across the UK, more and more people will look for crafty ways to pinch the pennies. But Brits are right to be concerned about the security implications - accessing someone else's Wi-Fi, or vice versa, can lead to malware infections or even identity theft. So always think twice about who's connecting to your Wi-Fi, and who you have handed your Wi-Fi password out to in the past.

"Changing your Wi-Fi name to something humorous won't do much to deter access, but fortunately for the jokesters, it isn't necessarily a security issue, assuming it doesn't reveal any personally identifiable information. Instead, equipping your connection with extra security precautions, such as a VPN to disguise internet traffic, and ensuring it utilises Wi-Fi encryption protocols, ideally WPA2, is essential."

In an effort to improve Wi-Fi safety standards, ExpressVPN recently launched Aircove in the UK. Aircove is the world's first Wi-Fi 6 router with built-in VPN protection. Aircove lets users protect and encrypt every device in their home within minutes. This includes smart TVs, voice assistants and other smart home devices that aren't usually compatible with VPN software.

To find out more about Aircove, please visit here: https://www.expressvpn.com/aircove

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/no-more-mr-wi-fi-majority-of-brits-unlikely-to-share-wi-fi-access-with-neighbours-over-lack-of-trust-and-skyrocketing-broadband-prices-301900994.html
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 15, 2023) - Canadian Manganese Company Inc. (NEO: CDMN) (OTC Pink: CDMNF) ("CDMN" or the "Company") reports its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2023.

This news release should be read in conjunction with the Company's condensed interim consolidated financial statements and associated management's discussion and analysis for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023, which are available on the Company's website at www.CanadianManganese.com or under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com.

FINANCIAL RESULTS FOR THE SECOND QUARTER ENDED JUNE 30, 2023

During the second quarter of 2023 the Company continued its focus of advancing the Woodstock manganese project, which includes the adjacent Plymouth and Hartford deposits, near Woodstock, New Brunswick.

The Company recorded a loss of $454,592 during the second quarter, compared to a loss of $615,316 in the second quarter of 2022. The loss in the second quarter of 2023 included non-cash share based compensation of $24,241, whereas the loss in the second quarter of 2022 included non-cash share based compensation of $187,705 and $177,155 of other income from the reversal of flow-through share premium.

The Company invested $1,200,147 in exploration and evaluation activities during the second quarter of 2023, including the completion of a diamond drilling program on the North Hartford deposit.

At June 30, 2023, the Company held exploration and evaluation assets with a carrying value of $16,763,599, including the Woodstock manganese project in New Brunswick with a carrying value of $9,753,155, and subsidiary Mongoose's Cobequid IOCG property in Nova Scotia with a carrying value of $7,010,443 (before a 59.5% non-controlling interest).

The Company had a working capital deficit of $2,872,509 at June 30, 2023. The Company is pursuing various financing alternatives to fund its working capital deficit and its continuing operations.

With reference to the proposed financing previously announced on May 16, 2023, the Company continues in negotiations to complete the proposed non-brokered convertible debenture of $5 million. Closing has been delayed by market conditions but is expected to be completed in the third quarter. However, there are no assurances that the Company will be successful in completing such a planned financing. The company has decided to defer the previously announced proposed flow through financing to the usual flow through season towards the end of the year, when market conditions for flow through financings are expected to be more favourable.

If the Company is unable to obtain adequate additional financing or liquidity in the immediate term, the Company will be required to curtail its operations and activities. Failure to continue as a going concern would require that the Company's assets and liabilities be restated on a liquidation basis, which may differ from the going concern basis.

ABOUT CANADIAN MANGANESE

CDMN is a Canadian critical mineral development company aiming to become a supplier of high-purity manganese metal products for the rechargeable battery industry. CDMN holds the Woodstock Project in New Brunswick.

For further information:

Investors@CanadianManganese.com

Matthew Allas: President and CEO +1 647 338 3748

The NEO Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release and accepts no responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Additional information on CDMN is available at www.CanadianManganese.com.

Notice regarding forward-looking statements:

This news release includes forward-looking statements regarding CDMN. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "is expected", "expects", "scheduled", "intends", "contemplates", "anticipates", "believes", "proposes" 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. Such statements are based on the current expectations of the management of each entity. By its nature, this information is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific and which give rise to the possibility that expectations, forecasts, predictions, projections, or conclusions will not prove to be accurate, that assumptions may not be correct, and that objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited, risks regarding the mining industry, economic factors, the equity markets generally, risks associated with growth and competition as well as those risks and uncertainties identified and reported in the Company's public filings under its SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Although CDMN has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Except as required by applicable securities laws, forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and CDMN undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/177298
Connecting IT Professionals for Enhanced Collaboration

CHICAGO, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Liquidware, the leader in digital workspace management, today announced its growing EUC (End User Computing) community is moving to a new Slack channel to accommodate the expanding number of IT professional interested in, or using, Liquidware products. The new Slack community provides a virtual space for IT professionals to connect and collaborate. By joining forces with peers, members can tap into a rich network of digital workspace management enthusiasts, sharing insights, and collectively helping to drive innovation.

"The expansion of Liquidware's EUC community dialogue to Slack is a commendable move," commented Ruben Spruijt, Technologist at Dizzion-Frame. "The user-friendly structure of Slack offers a familiar and engaging platform, encouraging active participation. I look forward to contributing to Liquidware's new Slack community!"

By engaging in the Liquidware Slack community, members have access to a network of IT professionals who are using Liquidware digital management workspace solutions. Members of the Liquidware Slack community have access to exclusive content, including product updates, industry news, and other valuable resources that are not available to the public. This insider information offers a competitive edge; enabling professionals to stay informed and engaged in the ever-evolving digital workspace landscape. The community will be a hub of learning, hosting a range of events and webinars facilitated by industry experts. Thus, ensuring members remain up-to-date with latest trends and advancements in EUC.

"We've had an active online community site for many years, but feel migrating to a Slack channel it will be far more interactive and a better user experience - which is what our products provide to our customers," commented James O'Regan, Product Marketing Manager, Liquidware. "I'm enthusiastic about engaging with our customers and partners in a more detailed manner. Their insights will be invaluable for enhancing future product development."

Slack's organized discussion threads and direct messaging feature ensure seamless communication and personalized support.

The Liquidware Slack community extends a warm welcome to IT professionals seeking to optimize their Liquidware product experience and establish best practices. To join this growing network of digital workspace enthusiasts, register at: https://community.liquidware.com/

About Liquidware

Liquidware is a leader in digital workspace management solutions for Windows desktops. The company's products encompass all facets of management to ensure the ultimate user experience across all workspaces - physical, virtual, DaaS or in the cloud. Enterprises across the globe utilize Liquidware solutions to dramatically decrease time spent managing desktops, while delivering increased security, flexibility, and scalability. Supported platforms include Microsoft physical, Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD), Windows 365, Citrix Desktops, VMware Horizon, Amazon WorkSpaces, and Dizzion Frame. Liquidware products are available through a global network of partners. For more information, visit www.liquidware.com or follow on LinkedIn.

Media Contact:

Jane Rimmer | jane@hiviz-marketing.com | +44 7710 633488

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/vibrant-new-euc-community-slack-channel-launched-301897110.html
Kuwait Oil Company has reached an agreement with Kuwait Ports Authority to lease two marine berths in the Shuaiba Port, and storage areas in the land belonging to the Authority in the Shuaiba Industrial Area.

The contract, which is renewable for a period of three years, stipulates KOC's lease of marine berths 4 and 20 in Shuaiba Port, and storage areas spanning 40,000 sq m for the logistics operations of the offshore drilling project in the Shuaiba Industrial Area that the company is working on.

The contract was signed by Kuwait Oil Company CEO Ahmad Jaber Al Eidan and Kuwait Ports Authority Acting Manager Jihad Al Hassawi in the presence of a number of officials from both sides.

The importance of this site stems from the fact that Shuaiba Port is the only one that has the necessary means and infrastructure to start the logistical work of the offshore drilling project, said KOC in its statement.
The partnership will see Northstake extend its virtual asset investment products to Coinify's premier clients, accelerating institutional exposure to the crypto-staking industry

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Northstake A/S, a regulated virtual asset service provider offering compliant staking products for institutions, has announced a strategic partnership with Coinify . Coinify is a global virtual currency platform and brokerage facilitating payments infrastructure for cryptocurrencies. Through this collaboration, Northstake will provide staking services for Coinify's premium institutional and high net worth individual (HNWIs) clients, and Coinify will provide Northstake clients with a secure white-glove OTC desk (Coinify+) to help with their cryptocurrency buy and sell orders.

Jesper Johansen , Founder, and CEO of Northstake, said:"Our collaboration with Coinify marks an important step toward addressing the need for regulated staking services amongst risk-aware institutional investors. Until now, institutional investors have been presented with few opportunities to securely access yield-generating crypto assets, given the lack of standardized compliance and consolidated risk management solutions in the sector. Further to this, as the digital asset industry continues to expand and evolve, adhering to regulatory requirements has become increasingly difficult. Northstake is dedicated to offering secure and compliant routes into crypto staking for institutional clients, including HNWIs."

By gaining direct access to Northstake's virtual assets services, Coinify's clients will be able to safely access Northstake's regulatory compliant staking service. The partnership will allow Northstake's clients to leverage Coinify's white glove service, Coinify+ , which will allow Northstake clients to purchase Ethereum (ETH) tokens, and a host of other crypto assets, using traditional payment methods such as credit cards and bank transfers.

Northstake is a fully regulated investment provider under the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority and the 5th EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive. Its mission is to enable professional clients to participate in staking, with minimal counterparty risk and full collateralization of investments. Northstake adheres to the highest possible standards to minimize legal and counterparty risks through anti-money laundering measures and audited proof of assets staked. Further to this, Northstake protects all client funds using multi-party computation (MPC) provided by Fireblocks.

Andrew Bellingham , Head of Strategic Sales at Coinify, said: "Coinify's partnership with Northstake addresses the growing market demand from institutions to partake in virtual asset staking and the decentralized finance sector, under the security of a stringent regulatory environment. We aim to present the most secure pathway for our clients to participate in alternative asset staking, by leveraging our white-glove OTC desk, Coinify+, allowing clients to diversify their digital asset portfolios. As such, we look forward to continuing our fruitful collaboration with the talented team at Northstake."

Jesper Johansen, CEO & Founder of Northstake is available for interviews.

About Northstake A/S

Northstake A/S is a highly-regulated, custodial, virtual asset service provider offering compliant staking products for institutions. Northstake offers a variety of investment vehicles including single, multi-asset, thematic staking, and yield-generating products in addition to a suite of OTC and algorithmic trading services. Based in Denmark, Northstake acts as a bridge between traditional finance and the crypto world, simplifying and securing the way institutions invest in crypto. Through its proprietary multi-chain crypto staking platform, it carves out accessible pathways for investors to build yield-generating crypto products, giving investors the opportunity to be part of building the economies of tomorrow. Northstake A/S (VASP, FTID: 17520) is regulated under the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority (DFSA) and the 5th EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive (AMLD5).

About Coinify

Coinify ApS is an established global virtual currency platform actively offering solutions in +180 countries. Established in 2014 and headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, Coinify offers a secure, compliant, and user-friendly interface for individuals and businesses to engage with cryptocurrencies. Coinify works alongside national and international regulatory bodies to ensure and adhere to the highest industry standards and comply with international laws, such as the EU 5th Anti-Money Laundering Directive. As a founding member of the Blockchain and Virtual Currencies working group under the European Commission, Coinify is proud to help and shape new regulations and guidelines that will ensure the safety and security of the cryptocurrency industry for its customers and partners. For more information, visit www.coinify.com.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/northstake-partners-with-coinify-to-offer-regulated-institutional-staking-services-301901045.html
YIWU, China, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Welcome to Yiwu, China - a bustling global marketplace renowned as the "World Supermarket." Since 1982, Yiwu has become a magnet for quality manufacturers worldwide, embracing the philosophy of "buy globally, sell globally." As it celebrates the 30th anniversary of Yiwu China Commodities City, it's rolling out the red carpet for global buyers with a Stocking Festival filled with brand promotions, seasonal deals, and much more. It's all happening at the Yiwu China Commodities City's official platform Chinagoods.com

Why Yiwu? It's more than just a market; it's a business phenomenon:

75,000 top-notch merchants

2.1 million cutting-edge factories

Over 5 million diverse products available to 230+ countries and regions .

available to . 200,000 daily visitors, all seeking the best opportunities and bargains.

Join successful entrepreneurs like Christian from Germany, who's achieved a whopping $220 million in annual sales through Yiwu, and Jesus from Spain, who's scaled his business to over $3 million annually.

Discover the magic of Yiwu's market, renowned for abundant, high-quality, and affordable goods. Mingle with the dynamic "Yiwu boss ladies" - passionate entrepreneurs who are bringing "Made in China" to the world. Yiwu is not just a city; it's a global hub of wealth creation and innovation.

With its commitment to making trade simpler, Yiwu China Commodities City's Chinagoods platform is paving the way in digital trade. We're here to facilitate every step of your journey with top-tier services in logistics, payments, and one-stop trade fulfillment.

What's New? In June, Yiwu China Commodities City launched a series of brand expansion activities, hosting top-notch trade fairs and international exhibitions, all designed to connect our vast array of consumer goods with big-time buyers like you. Our Yiwu Brand Go Global Alliance is working to attract even more international buyers with premium Yiwu-branded goods.

Mark Your Calendar. This September, be part of our "Global Autumn Stocking Festival." With tens of millions of yuan in incentives, Yiwu is calling all buyers everywhere. Enjoy free accommodation and dining, plus more exclusive perks.

Don't miss out on the vibrant opportunities awaiting you in Yiwu. Connect with the international business community. See you in Yiwu - where the world comes to shop.

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/get-ready-for-yiwu-chinagoods-global-stocking-festival--a-global-buyers-paradise-301900805.html
SALALAH, OMAN / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Exahertz, a Muscat-based start-up, has made significant strides in Oman's blockchain industry as it secures government approval for its massive blockchain data center project in Salalah. With the backing of Axeron Capital Holding Ltd, Moonwalk Systems FZCO, and Shumookh Investment and Services, Exahertz aims to establish Oman as a leading blockchain hub in the Middle East, alongside its neighboring countries.



Sam Ferdows, CEO of Moonwalk Systems, & Jad Fredrick Kharma, CEO of Exahertz, with their Honorable Guests during the Grand Opening Ceremony in Salalah Oman.

The Ministry of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology, along with the Authority for Public Services Regulations (APSR), are providing support for this ambitious venture, highlighting Oman's commitment to infrastructure development and job creation across various sectors. The government is actively working with Exahertz and other stakeholders to attract foreign investments and leverage submarine cables to propel Oman's digital economy.

H.E Eng. Saeed Bin Hamoud Al Mawali, Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology said that the "Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology seeks to build cooperative partnerships with leading local and international private sector entities in the various types of digital technologies, as the Ministry works to attract foreign investments in this ever-developing industry." Moreover, he added that "this effort will fulfil our expectations and goals for bolstering the Sultanate of Oman's Digital economy and making full use of submarine cables that connect the Sultanate of Oman to the rest of the continents digitally."

"Through our project, we aspire to shape the future of software-defined data centers, paving the way for flexible applications that seamlessly adapt to the ever-evolving computing landscape," emphasized Jad Kharma, the Founder of Axeron and CEO of Exahertz. "It is with great conviction that I underscore the immense significance of Blockchain computing as the bedrock of the digital economy. This technology empowers us to make further investments in web 3.0, Industry 4.0, and AI infrastructure, propelling us into a new era of innovation and growth."

Jad Fredrick Kharma further expressed his pride in Exahertz's collaboration with industry leaders and visionaries, stating, "At Exahertz, we take immense pride in partnering with esteemed individuals who share our vision, as we collectively design the next generation of software and hardware solutions. These advancements will play a pivotal role in supporting Oman's future growth and solidifying its position as a tech-forward nation."

Reflecting on the interconnected nature of Blockchain and hyperscale data centers, Jad Fredrick Kharma added, "Blockchain, hyperscale and energy are becoming synonymous. Building an adequate and efficient infrastructure is the key to unlocking success in this convergence. We must prioritize the establishment of a robust framework that harmoniously integrates these elements to drive unparalleled progress."

H.E Sheikh Mansour Bin Taleb Bin Ali Al Hinai, Chairman of Oman's Authority for Public Services Regulations, expressed excitement about the commencement of such projects in the Sultanate. Al Hinai emphasized the authority's commitment to modernizing Oman's business diversification and technology industry, showcasing their support for Exahertz and its contribution to future capabilities.

Exahertz plans to expand rapidly by investing substantial capital and debt to build a cutting-edge infrastructure sourced from national factories. Their strategic partnerships and focus on hydro and immersion cooling mining technologies will help control power costs and ensure operational efficiency. Notably, Exahertz has garnered support from key industry players, positioning itself as one of the leading Bitcoin mining firms in the region. Renowned blockchain heavyweight Bitmain is collaborating with Exahertz to operate and supply mining equipment.

Despite recent fluctuations in Bitcoin prices, Exahertz and Moonwalk Systems are delighted to announce the successful operation of their testing facility in SFZ since March 2023. The facility has provided valuable data and insights that have played a pivotal role in shaping the understanding of challenges and solutions in the blockchain space and the harsh conditions of the region. This achievement has reaffirmed and confirmed Exahertz's ambitious goal of deploying additional 50,000 operational devices and servers across the Sultanate by mid to end 2024, equating to approximately 10 Exahash in computing capabilities across various types of technologies and cooling solutions.

District Cooling provider Tabreed-Oman has taken on the critical task of providing sustainable cooling solutions for the data center, ensuring energy-efficient operations. Mr. Abdullah Hiani, CEO of Tabreed Oman, expresses enthusiasm for their role in sustainable cooling infrastructure and the adoption of advanced technologies in the industry.

Sam Ferdows serves as the CEO of Moonwalk Systems, a prominent strategic partner and primary supporter of Exahertz. highlights their commitment to creating state-of-the-art blockchain data centers using the latest cutting-edge technology. He states, "We are focused on making our sites in Oman the benchmark for blockchain data centers in the Middle East with enhanced and sustainable solutions." With a strong emphasis on operational efficiency and boosting computational power, Moonwalk Systems aims to optimize performance and contribute to the advancement of blockchain technology. Ferdows adds, "We are determined to drive innovation in the industry and make a lasting impact in the Middle East's blockchain ecosystem."

Sam added, "Earlier this year, we embarked on our journey with our pilot project, 'Area 51,' in Salalah. In just three weeks, we managed to develop and bring our first computers online. This accomplishment sets an industry world record for speed of development without compromising on quality and standards. I'm immensely proud of the Moonwalk and Exahertz team for this achievement, but believe me, we are just getting started."

Dr. Ali Tabook, CEO of Salalah Free Zone, wholeheartedly supports Exahertz as an early believer in their project and vision, recognizing the positive impact it will bring to various sectors in Salalah, and the sultanate leadership vision 2040 goals. He states, "Blockchain data centers have the potential to drive economic growth, attract foreign investments, create high-value jobs, enhance data security, and establish Salalah not only as a Tourist destination but also as a regional technology hub." This support reflects Salalah Free Zone's commitment to fostering sustainable development and ensuring long-term prosperity for the city of Salalah, and the governate of Dhofar.

The establishment of these groundbreaking data centers and facilities will enable monumental scientific achievements across disciplines. Oman's robust infrastructure, advanced analytics capabilities, and data-driven research will fuel groundbreaking discoveries, drive innovation, and foster transformative collaborations.

With government support and the involvement of industry leaders, Exahertz is poised to solidify Oman's position as a significant player in the global blockchain industry, reinforcing its ambition to become a prominent blockchain hub in the Middle East.

"Blockchain technology and crypto mining offer significant potential for economic growth in our country. By embracing blockchain, we can create a more efficient and secure infrastructure for transactions and data management, while crypto mining can attract investments, generate employment opportunities, and contribute to the development of a thriving digital economy." - Salah Al Zakwani (Shumookh Investment and Services)

More information:

www.exahertz.om

Contact Information:

Nani K

Marketing Head

media@exahertz.om

00971509030338

SOURCE: Exahertz

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/774260/Exahertz-Backs-Omans-Ambitious-Move-to-Cement-Itself-as-a-Blockchain-Hub-in-the-Middle-East
Snyder Brings a Legacy of Hospitality Expertise to the Growing Real Estate Consultancy

CHICAGO, IL / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Hunden Partners (Hunden), a full-service, national real estate advisory practice, has welcomed former President and CEO of the Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau (WDVCB) Romy Snyder as Executive Vice President. In her nearly 30 years with the bureau, Snyder built WDVCB into a force of economic impact for local tourism. Hunden is expanding its bench of senior leadership to enhance its consulting services breadth amidst rapid growth. In addition to Snyder, Hunden recently brought on real estate development professional Steve Haemmerle as Executive Vice President.





Hunden Partners Has Hired Romy Snyder as Executive Vice President

"Romy Snyder is a true pioneer in tourism and hospitality. She was instrumental in shaping the local Wisconsin Dells landscape into a sought-after destination for year-round travel, sports, waterpark, and convention business, and led the WDVCB to become an economic growth engine for the state," says Hunden President and CEO Rob Hunden. "We're honored that she's joining our executive team at Hunden to help our clients understand the value of placemaking and product development. She's passionate about creating compelling destinations and has the experience to inspire others to lead similar efforts around North America."

Through Snyder's leadership at WDVCB, coupled with innovative and significant development investments, the Wisconsin Dells area nearly quadrupled its estimated direct visitor spending from roughly $348 million in 1995 when she took the helm to $1.3 billion in 2022. This transformed the Wisconsin Dells area from a seasonal to a year-round destination, in what was a game-changer for the industry. Hunden's industry leadership in placemaking spans destination real estate in all geographic categories from the largest U.S. cities to up-and-coming small towns. Snyder's experience helping grow a small Midwest city into a national destination adds new depth to the consulting services Hunden provides.

"I had an amazing run at WDVCB, and couldn't be more proud of my time there," says Snyder. "I'm thrilled to enter this new phase of my career with the leadership team at Hunden and have the opportunity to provide a wide range of clients with advisory services and insights based on my years of experience."

Snyder's experience also includes five years at the Wisconsin Department of Tourism and time as an instructor in Fundamentals of Destination Management at Madison Area Technical College. She holds a bachelor's degree and an MBA from University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Contact Information:

Laura Sportiello

Vice President, Business Development

laura@hunden.com

312-643-2500

SOURCE: Hunden Partners

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/774200/Hunden-Partners-Hires-Tourism-Pioneer-Romy-Snyder-as-Executive-Vice-President
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 15, 2023) - Li-FT Power Ltd. (CSE: LIFT) (OTCQX: LIFFF) (FSE: WS0) ("LIFT" or the "Company") provides an update of operations at the Yellowknife Lithium Project (YLP), NWT:

Due to forest fire activity in the Northwest Territories, LIFT is temporarily demobilising personnel, essential equipment, and key drill core from Hidden Lake Camp. A small maintenance crew will remain in camp at this time. LIFT's Hidden Lake Camp is not considered at immediate risk, however smoky conditions are interfering with routine drilling operations and winds are expected to present challenging conditions for fire-fighting crews over the coming days. LIFT is working with the Government of the Northwest Territories to support local fire-fighting efforts and has released a helicopter to assist in the campaign.

Francis MacDonald, CEO stated, "We are monitoring the fire situation closely and will resume normal operations as soon as possible. Our thoughts are with the people who have been evacuated from their homes and communities and with the fire crews that are working tirelessly to protect the Northwest Territories."

About LIFT

LIFT is a mineral exploration company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, and development of lithium pegmatite projects located in Canada. The Company's flagship project is the Yellowknife Lithium Project located in Northwest Territories, Canada. LIFT also holds three early-stage exploration properties in Quebec, Canada with excellent potential for the discovery of buried lithium pegmatites, as well as the Cali Project in Northwest Territories within the Little Nahanni Pegmatite Field.

For further information, please contact:

Francis MacDonald

Chief Executive Officer

Tel: + 1.604.609.6185

Email: info@li-ft.com

Website: www.li-ft.com

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements included in this press release constitute forward-looking information or statements (collectively, "forward-looking statements"), including those identified by the expressions "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "may", "should" and similar expressions to the extent they relate to the Company or its management. The forward-looking statements are not historical facts but reflect current expectations regarding future results or events. This press release contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and various estimates, factors and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors.

Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions which are difficult to predict. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include the continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions, including the effects of COVID-19. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. 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 implied by such statements. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that the statements will prove to be accurate or that management's expectations or estimates of future developments, circumstances or results will materialize. The Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances unless required by law. Readers should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "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/177300
Geraldine Barnuevo and Fiona Clouder to Join the Chilean Cobalt Corp. Board

Jeremy McCann to Step Down from the Board and Continue as Chief Operating Officer

BERWYN, PA / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Chilean Cobalt Corp. (the "Company" or "C3") (OTCQB:COBA) is pleased to announce the appointment of two new Directors to its Board: Geraldine Barnuevo, an environmental and sustainability strategist professional; and Fiona Clouder, an experienced diplomat and business professional with a career focus on Latin America, combined with a background in science and innovation.

These two Board appointments further strengthen C3's commitment to responsibility and sustainability, and also bring cross-Atlantic diplomatic experience to the Company.

About Geraldine Barnuevo

Geraldine Barnuevo is an Environmental and Sustainability strategist professional with more than 20 years of experience in the automotive and aerospace industry. Ms. Barnuevo has been the Vice president of Operational Sustainability at GE Aerospace since 2022. In this role, Ms. Barnuevo leads GE Aerospace's operational sustainability and energy strategies including sustainability reporting readiness. Prior to her role at GE Aerospace from 2008 to 2022, Ms. Barnuevo worked at General Motors ("GM") in a variety of roles of increasing responsibility in several geographic regions. At GM, Ms. Barnuevo led GM's sustainability strategy and initiatives in the areas of sustainability reporting, stakeholder engagement, corporate goals monitoring and strategies focusing on reducing environmental and social impact as well as improving organizational performance.

Ms. Barnuevo holds a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Engineering from Universidad International SEK in Quito, Ecuador, a Master's degree in Environmental Engineering from University of Illinois and a Master's in Business Administration from Oakland University.

About Fiona Clouder

Fiona Clouder has wide experience across Latin America, both as a diplomat and now through her work in the private sector. Ms. Clouder was the UK's Ambassador to Chile from 2014 to 2018; and then Regional Ambassador, Latin America and Caribbean, COP26, from 2020-2022, driving diplomatic engagement, at the top of governments and business, for a Net Zero world. She is also a Distinguished Fellow of RUSI (Royal United Services Institute). She previously led the FCO (Foreign & Commonwealth Office, now FCDO) strategy on Latin America (the Canning Agenda). Ms. Clouder joined the FCO in 2001, from the Research Councils (now UKRI) to build and lead the global Science and Innovation Network (UKSIN). Now working in the private sector, including with The Ambassador Partnership, Ms. Clouder continues to focus on Latin America, business links and government relations. She is particularly interested in the interface of mining, energy, and environment issues.

Jeremy McCann to Continue as Chief Operating Officer

Jeremy McCann has stepped down from the Board of Directors, a position he has held since the formation of C3 in December 2017. Mr. McCann will continue in his role as C3's Chief Operating Officer, a role in which he has also served since December 2017.

About Chilean Cobalt Corp.

Chilean Cobalt Corp. ("C3") is a US-based critical minerals exploration and development company focused on the La Cobaltera cobalt-copper project, located in Chile's San Juan mining district, one of the world's few known primary cobalt districts. C3 has a deliberate focus on building a dynamic and sustainable business with an emphasis on applying leading environmental stewardship, social engagement, and corporate governance practices to its strategy.

For further information:

Duncan T. Blount

Chief Executive Officer

Email: Duncan.Blount@chileancobaltcorp.com

SOURCE: Chilean Cobalt Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/774192/Chilean-Cobalt-Corp-Announces-Appointment-of-New-Directors-to-the-Board
Victory included a $700,000 verdict for a client injured in a big truck negligence case

BOWLING GREEN, KY / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers is dedicated to helping clients achieve the highest payout possible, as evidenced by the firm winning the largest auto jury verdict case in Kentucky in 2022, as reported by the Kentucky Trial Court Review. Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers won a $700,000 verdict for a 54-year-old woman who suffered injuries in a crash caused by a disabled tractor-trailer that hit a median on a Christian County, Kentucky interstate.

On December 16, 2019, Lisa Mayes was a passenger in a car being driven by another woman who encountered a sudden emergency on I-24 and had no time to avoid colliding with a tractor-trailer that was disabled on the interstate. Prior to the wreck, the tractor-trailer had gone off the road into a median and became entangled in guide wire. Rather than remaining in the median with a flat tire, the driver of the semi-truck attempted to continue to drive the damaged tractor-trailer onto the highway. The tractor-trailer became disabled with no power or safety warnings on the darkened interstate, resulting in the collision.

As a result of the wreck with the big truck, Mayes sustained significant injuries, including a rotator cuff tear, a broken elbow and a nerve injury to her hand. She has had to undergo multiple surgeries and has sustained permanent scarring and limitations with her right arm, incurring significant medical expenses and impairment.

"Passengers have rights when traveling on Kentucky roadways, so when someone threatens their safety with negligence or by obstructing the roadway, our clients deserve compensation," said Lee Coleman, founder of Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers. "This tragedy was preventable, but because of another driver's negligence, Lisa's life is forever changed. We are dedicated to getting hard-earned results and fighting every day for clients like Mayes to ensure your story is heard and you are fairly compensated for the negligence of others."

Mayes incurred medical bills of $163,555, and once Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers got involved, the team worked to analyze all medical conditions, review the police report, investigate the collision and contact accident experts and doctors to testify on her behalf. Determining that the truck driver pulled back into the roadway in his disabled truck, thereby obstructing traffic, the Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers team promptly filed a lawsuit on Mayes's behalf, winning the jury trialwith a verdict totaling $700,000 - the largest reported auto jury verdict in Kentucky in 2022. The $700,000 jury verdict consisted of $125,000 for her medical bills and $25,000 more for future medical bills, and $200,000 for her impairment. The jury also added $350,000 for the Mayes' pain and suffering.

Big truck accidents can be extremely devastating, but drivers and passengers have legal remedies that can help them cope with their injuries and the challenges they are experiencing. The Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers team has the expertise to handle big truck wreck personal injury cases in Kentucky and Tennessee. Cases involving commercial trucking companies are very complex and often involve several different parties, including the truck driver, the trucking company and the truck manufacturer - each with their own lawyers and insurance companies who are looking to payout as little as possible. They will begin their investigations immediately, so it is important to have an experienced truck accident lawyer to handle your case, who knows the tactics these companies use to try and avoid taking responsibility for their negligence.

Hughes & Coleman offers a free consultation and can immediately jump into action gathering evidence, sending a letter of preservation to the trucking company to preserve evidence, talking to witnesses, getting police reports and reconstructing the accident in order to build a powerful legal case. The Hughes & Coleman Big Truck Team can explain legal options and provide needed information to help victims make informed decisions about how they want to move forward, including possible compensation for lost wages, medical bills not covered by insurance, permanent injuries, future medical bills and long-term wage loss, pain and suffering and property damage.

To learn more about how Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers can help handle big truck and auto personal injury cases in Kentucky and Tennessee, watch What To Do After A Big Truck Accident.

Hiring an experienced, passionate and local big truck wreck attorney is vital to your case. Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers is ready to take your call. Read more about cases won by Hughes and Coleman Injury Lawyers. For a free case consultation, contact Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers today at 800-800-4600 or book an appointment online.

About Hughes & Coleman:

Hughes & Coleman was founded in 1985 and has recovered over a billion dollars for our clients in Kentucky and Tennessee injured from auto accidents, big truck wrecks, motorcycle accidents, defective medical products, nursing home abuse, slip and fall accidents, and wrongful death. Hughes & Coleman operates 10 offices in Kentucky and Tennessee.

Contact:

Lora Fisher, Brand Development Director

270-782-6003 ext. 147

lfisher@hughesandcoleman.com

SOURCE: Hughes & Coleman

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/772155/Hughes-Coleman-Injury-Lawyers-Wins-Largest-Auto-Jury-Verdict-Case-in-Kentucky-in-2022
CLEVELAND, OH / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment (CDLI) provided $20.2 million for the construction of new affordable housing in Anchorage, AK. CDLI provided $9 million in Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) equity, a $10 construction loan and a $1.3 million permanent loan to finance the new construction of Ch'bala Corners II, a 38-unit, family project developed and managed by Cook Inlet Housing Authority (CIHA). (Ch'bala is the Upper Cook Inlet Dena'ina word for spruce.) KeyBanc Capital Markets (KBCM) also sold $10 million of tax- exempt bonds through a public offering, the proceeds of which will be used to support the financing of the project.

Ch'bala Corners II consists of three 8-plex buildings, three 4-plex buildings and one duplex. Of the 38 units, 23 units will be restricted at 50% area median income (AMI) and 15 units will be restricted at 60% AMI. Eight units will be set aside for disabled households, and eight units will be set aside for homeless households. Ch'bala Corners will proudly house eligible Alaska Native/Native America families.

Ch'bala Corners II also received local support and engagement including soft financing from the following:

US Department of Housing and Urban Development Indian Housing Block Grant funds

State of Alaska Supplemental Grants Program (SGP) funds

Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines Affordable Housing Program (FHLB AHP) grant funds

Municipality of Anchorage HOME Investment Partnerships Program grant funds

Municipality of Anchorage American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant funds

State of Alaska Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) disaster relief funds.

Residents at Ch'bala Corners II will have access to a variety of programs and services, provided by CIHA Resident Services and local partners, that support health, wellness, community engagement and financial self-sufficiency.

"We are grateful for the financial support of KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment and KeyBanc Capital Markets in the development of Ch'bala Corners II. Affordable housing financing is complex and multifaceted," said Gabe Layman, President/CEO, Cook Inlet Housing Authority. "We appreciate the professionals at KeyBank CDLI and KBCM for thoughtfully navigating this process with us, allowing for the addition of 38 units of much needed affordable housing in our community. Affordable housing is the foundation that helps families stabilize and thrive."

"We are excited to work with Cook Inlet Housing Authority to invest in Ch'bala Corners II because it is community-based and serves the needs of our most vulnerable neighbors," said Kortney Brown, senior relationship manager with KeyBank CDLI. "Cook Inlet Housing Authority's ability to partner and collaborate with other agencies and providers is representative of how complex affordable housing projects can be successfully completed."

Kortney Brown and Brett Sheehan of KeyBank CDLI structured the financing. Ila Afsharipour of KeyBanc Capital Markets Public Finance Group provided the bond underwriting.

About Cook Inlet Housing Authority

Cook Inlet Housing Authority's (CIHA) mission is to create housing opportunities that empower our people and build our communities. CIHA develops, owns, and operates affordable housing in the Cook Inlet region of Southcentral Alaska. https://cookinlethousing.org

About KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment

KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment (CDLI) finances projects that stabilize and revitalize communities across all 50 states. As one of the top affordable housing capital providers in the country, KeyBank's platform brings together construction, acquisition, bridge-to-re-syndication, and preservation loans, as well as lines of credit, Agency and HUD permanent mortgage executions, and equity investments for low-income housing projects, especially Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) financing. KeyBank has earned 10 consecutive "Outstanding" ratings on the Community Reinvestment Act exam, from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, making it the first U.S. national bank among the 25 largest to do so since the Act's passage in 1977.

About KeyBanc Capital Markets

KeyBanc Capital Markets is a leading corporate and investment bank providing capital markets and advisory solutions to dynamic companies capitalizing on opportunities in changing industries. Our deep industry expertise, broad capabilities and unique ideas are seamlessly delivered to companies across the Consumer & Retail, Diversified Industries, Healthcare, Industrial, Oil & Gas, Real Estate, Utilities, Power & Renewables, and Technology verticals. With over 800 professionals across a national platform, KeyBanc Capital Markets has more than $50 billion of capital committed to clients and an award-winning Equity Research team that provides coverage on nearly 600 publicly traded companies. Securities products and services are offered by KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc., member FINRA/SIPC, and its licensed securities representatives, who may also be employees of KeyBank N.A. Banking products and services, are offered by KeyBank N.A.

About KeyCorp

KeyCorp's roots trace back nearly 200 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation's largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $195 billion at June 30, 2023. Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,000 branches and approximately 1,300 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications, and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank is Member FDIC.





View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from KeyBank on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: KeyBank

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/keybank

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: KeyBank

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WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - RTX Corp. (RTX), a maker of defense equipment and systems, said on Tuesday that its business, Collins Aerospace, has bagged a $24 million contract for the production and delivery of electric generators with containers to the U.S. Armay. These electric generators will be supplied to the U.S. Army Anniston Depot in support of the U.S. Army's Abrams M1A2 Main Battle Tank. The contract serves as part of the Army's System Enhanced Package version 3 or SEPv3 to improve the M1A2's performance and extend its service life. 'With its increased power, the electric generator helps improve the M1A2's survivability by enabling the addition of advanced systems, such as laser warning receivers and radio jamming capabilities,' the company said in a statement. To date, Collins has delivered 800 electric generators to support the SEPv3 program. 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.
Fueling Curiosity and Igniting Passion: Embark on an Exciting Journey Into Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics With BrainStorm STEM Kits

IRVINE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / BrainStorm Education is thrilled to announce the Kickstarter launch of its revolutionary STEM Kits, designed to empower young learners with hands-on experiences in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. These innovative kits aim to spark creativity and critical thinking, and a deep passion for learning, setting the stage for the next generation of innovators, engineers, and problem solvers.





BrainStorm STEM Kits

BrainStorm STEM Kits are meticulously crafted to engage students from various age groups, making learning a dynamic and interactive adventure. Whether at home, in the classroom or as part of an after-school program, these kits provide a diverse range of activities that nurture exploration and experimentation all while developing a solid foundation in core STEM concepts.

Key features of BrainStorm STEM Kits include:

Hands-On Learning: Each kit is packed with high-quality materials and step-by-step instructions, ensuring that learners can jump into exciting projects right away. From building simple machines to exploring circuitry, these kits enable kids to turn theoretical knowledge into practical applications.

Each kit is packed with high-quality materials and step-by-step instructions, ensuring that learners can jump into exciting projects right away. From building simple machines to exploring circuitry, these kits enable kids to turn theoretical knowledge into practical applications. Curriculum-Aligned: BrainStorm Education has collaborated with educators and subject matter experts to align the STEM Kits with modern curricula. This ensures that the kits seamlessly complement classroom learning, reinforcing concepts in an engaging manner.

BrainStorm Education has collaborated with educators and subject matter experts to align the STEM Kits with modern curricula. This ensures that the kits seamlessly complement classroom learning, reinforcing concepts in an engaging manner. Diversity of Topics: The STEM kits are aligned to NGSS Science Standards and cover a wide array of STEM subjects, allowing learners to explore different disciplines and discover their interests.

The STEM kits are aligned to NGSS Science Standards and cover a wide array of STEM subjects, allowing learners to explore different disciplines and discover their interests. Innovation and Creativity: BrainStorm STEM Kits encourage students to think outside the box and develop innovative solutions to real-world problems. Through open-ended activities, learners cultivate their creative-thinking skills and develop confidence in their abilities.

BrainStorm STEM Kits encourage students to think outside the box and develop innovative solutions to real-world problems. Through open-ended activities, learners cultivate their creative-thinking skills and develop confidence in their abilities. Parent and Teacher Support: BrainStorm Education provides comprehensive resources for parents and educators, including video tutorials, lesson plans, and additional learning materials. This makes it easy for teachers to integrate the kits into their classrooms and for parents to facilitate meaningful learning experiences at home.

"We believe that hands-on exploratory learning is the cornerstone of effective STEM education," says Darren Jones, founder and CEO of BrainStorm STEM Education. "Our mission is to spark curiosity and empower young minds to become active learners, critical thinkers, and innovative problem solvers. With BrainStorm STEM Kits, we're excited to provide children with the tools they need to thrive in an increasingly technology-driven world."

The Kickstarter campaign for BrainStorm STEM Kits runs until Sept. 8, offering backers the opportunity to secure their kits at exclusive discounted prices. To stay updated and learn more about the campaign, visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/brainstormstemkits/brainstorm-hands-on-stem-kits.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Darren Jones

info@brainstormedu.com

(949) 607-8676

About BrainStorm Education:

BrainStorm Education is a California-based educational company dedicated to providing innovative learning solutions that inspire curiosity and foster a love for STEM learning in students of all ages.

Website: https://shop.brainstormedu.com/

Social Media:

Facebook: @BrainStormSTEMEducation

Instagram: @brainstorm_edu

Contact Information

Darren Jones

CEO

dj@brainstormedu.com

949-607-8676

Related Files

BrainStorm-STEM-Kits.pdf

SOURCE: BrainStorm STEM Education

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Bahrain's real estate transactions continue to grow amid moderate performance across key sectors including residential, office, retail and hospitality, according to global real estate consultancy firm CBRE.

The kingdom's hospitality sector has witnessed steady growth during the three-month period ended June 30, 2023 with the average occupancy rate in the capital Manama sits 11.2% higher year-on-year in the year to date to June 2023, increasing from 46.1% in 2022 to 51.3% in 2023, stated the expert citing the STR data.

Over the same period, Manamas ADR increased only marginally by 1.8%, while RevPAR increased by 13.1%.

In June, Bahrain signed a MoU with Saudi Arabia to promote the two countries as one regional and global tourist destination.

The agreement establishes a framework to collaborate in efforts to market tourism programmes and activities in both countries.

Moreover, Bahrain was included in the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) global rankings for the first time in five years, featuring in 89th place, due to events held at Exhibition World Bahrain. Exhibition World has hosted 23 events up to the end of Q2 2023 and welcomed over 250,000 visitors.
Derek Dean joins Industry-leading SaaS commerce data management, syndication, and analytics provider as President, Americas; Vishal Arora promoted to Chief Technology Officer

CHICAGO, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Syndigo, an Atlanta-based leading SaaS commerce data management provider, and a portfolio company of Summit Partners and The Jordan Company, today announced several executive appointments that expand the company's Leadership Team. Derek Dean has been named President, Americas, responsible for revenue operations, and Vishal Arora has been promoted to Chief Technology Officer.

Derek Dean joins Syndigo from Evercommerce, a leading service commerce platform that offers integrated SaaS and tech-enabled service solutions, where he was SVP, Sales and Customer Success. During his tenure there, he helped to significantly scale the company organically while also successfully integrating multiple acquisitions. This included consolidating the go-to-market operations of nine acquired businesses into one horizontal platform business, that grew revenue by 60% over two years.

"I am truly pleased to have Derek join the executive team at Syndigo," said CEO Simon Angove. "He has a strong record of accomplishment driving double-digit revenue growth, both organically and through successfully integrating acquisitions. Derek's proven skills and experience are important as we scale Syndigo in our next chapter of growth."

Dean began his career with the business analytics arm of Dutch conglomerate RELX, where he rapidly ascended to roles of increasing responsibility, including inside sales, enterprise sales, and account management, ultimately serving as a P&L leader with oversight of a team of 150. During his tenure, Derek established SaaS go-to-market operations for newly acquired businesses while transitioning traditional print businesses globally. During his 20+ year career, Dean has led several large sales teams through organizational growth and expansion, culminating in the integration of the high-performing sales and customer success organization at Evercommerce.

In a related move, Vishal Arora was promoted to the position of Chief Technology Officer, responsible for all Syndigo technology roadmap strategy and implementation globally, including integration of acquisitions, platform migrations, and enabling continued scalability and innovation. Arora was previously SVP, Engineering at Syndigo, where he led the company's software engineering teams. Before joining Syndigo in 2021, he held senior leadership roles at software development companies Perforce and Entrust, leading global and North America engineering teams. He also led product management and development teams for PLM business at PTC.

Both Dean and Arora join a growing Executive team. In January 2023, Syndigo named Simon Angove its new CEO, followed by the additions of Ryan Peisel as Chief Financial Officer, from First Advantage, and Justin Anovick as Chief Product Officer, from Optimizely.

"We have accomplished an incredible amount in the first half of 2023, accelerating product innovation, strengthening our go-to-market organization, and transforming the customer experience across the entire commerce data journey," commented Angove. "With our expanded leadership team and highly talented staff I am excited for the opportunities to bring even more innovation and services to our customers and the marketplace."

About Syndigo

Syndigo powers modern commerce by enabling the continual flow of data and content throughout the entire commerce ecosystem. With industry-leading data management, syndication, and analytics, combined with the largest two-sided network for content distribution, we deliver accurate information that improves decision-making and accelerates sales on every shelf.

Syndigo serves more than 12,000 manufacturers, and 1,750 retailers and distributors globally across key industries including grocery, foodservice, hardlines, home improvement/DIY, pet, health and beauty, automotive, apparel, oil & gas, and healthcare. For more information, visit www.syndigo.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

About Summit Partners

Founded in 1984, Summit Partners is a global alternative investment firm that is currently managing more than $23 billion in capital dedicated to growth equity, fixed income and public equity opportunities. Summit invests across growth sectors of the economy and has invested in more than 500 companies in technology, healthcare and other growth industries. These companies have completed more than 160 public equity offerings, and more than 200 have been acquired through strategic mergers and sales. Summit has partnered with more than two dozen companies across the e-commerce and consumer landscape, including Brooklinen, Klaviyo, Philz Coffee, Quay Eyewear, Reverb.com, Sezane, TinyPrints, VeriShip, MercuryGate, and vente-privee.com. Summit maintains offices in North America and Europe and invests in companies around the world. For more information, please see www.summitpartners.com or follow on LinkedIn.

About The Jordan Company

TJC (www.thejordancompany.com), founded in 1982, is a middle-market private equity firm that has managed funds with original capital commitments in excess of $11 billion since 1987 and a 38-year track record of investing in and contributing to the growth of many businesses across a wide range of industries including Industrials, Transportation & Logistics, Healthcare & Consumer, and Telecom, Technology & Utilities. The senior investment team has been investing together for over 20 years and is supported by the Operations Management Group, which was established in 1988 to initiate and support operational improvements in portfolio companies. Headquartered in New York, TJC also has an office in Chicago.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/syndigo-bolsters-executive-leadership-team-301900786.html
The growth of the global wound care biologics market is driven by growing burden of burn injuries and road accidents, surge in incidences of chronic diseases, and advancements in wound care management.

PORTLAND, Ore., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Wound Care Biologics Market by Product (Biological Skin Substitutes and Topical Agents), by Wound Type, (Acute Wound and Chronic Wound.), and by End User, (Hospitals and Clinics, Wound Centers and Burn Centers, and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2032". According to the report, the global wound care biologics industry generated 1.8 billion in 2022, and is anticipated to generate $3.3 billion by 2032, witnessing a CAGR of 6.1% from 2023 to 2032.?

Request Sample of the Report on Wound Care Biologics Market Forecast 2032- Allied Market Research- https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/10712

Biologics are the treatment products that are extracted from living organisms, such as human cells, animal tissues, or microorganisms. Wound care biologics are widely used to treat chronic and acute wounds, such as surgical wounds, diabetic ulcers, and pressure sores. It is a cutting-edge solution that promotes healing, reduces pain, relieves itching and irritation, and prevents infection.

Prime determinants of growth

The growing burden of burn injuries and road accidents, surge in incidences of chronic diseases such as diabetes, rise in number of surgeries, and advancements in wound care management drive the growth of the global wound care biologics market. However, the high cost associated with wound care biologics and stringent regulations for manufacturing of wound care products restrict the market growth. Moreover, growth opportunities in emerging markets such as availability of improved healthcare infrastructure, rise in the prevalence of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular conditions, and establishment of hospitals and research institutes present new opportunities in the coming years.

Report coverage & details:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2023-2032 Base Year 2022 Market Size in 2022 $1.8 billion Market Size in 2032 $3.3 billion CAGR 6.1 % No. of Pages in Report 255 Segments covered Product, Wound Type, End User,?and Region. Drivers Increase in prevalence of HIV and cancer Surge in incidences of chronic diseases and surgeries Advancements in wound care management Opportunity Growth opportunities in emerging markets Restraints High cost of wound care biologics Stringent regulations for manufacturing of wound care products

Impact of Covid-19 on Wound Care Biologics Market

COVID-19 pandemic had a negative effect on the global wound care biologics market, owing to a decrease in demand for wound care biologics products.

In addition, delays in diagnosis or treatment for chronic diseases and delays in research and development activities hampered the market growth during pandemic.

However, the market has recovered after pandemic, and is showing stable growth, owing to increase in number of patient visits for diagnosis of chronic diseases, rise in advancements in wound care biologics, and rise in research and development activities in wound care.

Want to Explore More, Connect to our Analyst- https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/connect-to-analyst/10712

The biological skin substitute segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period

Based on product, the biological skin substitute segment held the largest market share in 2022, accounting for more than four-fifths of the global wound care biologics market revenue and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period. This segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 6.3% from 2023 to 2032, owing to high adoption of biological skin substitutes for treating a variety of wound types, such as chronic wounds, burns, and surgical wounds.

The chronic wound segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period

Based on wound type, the chronic wound segment held the largest market share in 2022, accounting for around three-fourths the global wound care biologics market and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period. This segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 6.3% from 2023 to 2032, owing to the rise in number of elderly individuals experiencing chronic wounds and growing awareness about advanced wound care.

The hospitals and clinics segment to maintain its lead position during the forecast period

Based on end user channel, the hospitals and clinics segment accounted for the largest share in 2022, contributing to nearly half of the global wound care biologics market revenue, and is projected to maintain its lead position during the forecast period. This segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 6.7% from 2023 to 2032, owing to the presence of specialized wound care departments or dedicated wound care centers within hospitals. These facilities are equipped with advanced infrastructure, specialized healthcare professionals, and the necessary resources to administer wound care biologics effectively, which supports the segment growth.

North America to maintain its dominance by 2032

Based on region, North America held the largest market share in terms of revenue in 2022, accounting for more than two-fifths of the global wound care biologics market revenue and is likely to dominate the market during the forecast period. Easy availability of products for treatment, well-developed healthcare infrastructure, and rise in prevalence of chronic wounds such as diabetic foot ulcer promote the growth of the wound care biologics market in North America. However, the Asia-Pacific region is expected to witness the fastest CAGR of 7.2% from 2023 to 2032. High prevalence of geriatric population with increase in need of diagnostic procedures, surge in prevalence of chronic wound and acute wound, rise in research and development activities and surge in healthcare expenditure in the Asia-Pacific region are expected to drive the growth of the wound care biologics market.

For Procurement Information- https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/10712

Leading Market Players: -

ConvaTec Group plc

Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corporation

Kerecis

Lavior Pharma Inc.

MIMEDX Group, Inc.

Organogenesis Holding Inc.

Skye Biologics Holdings, LLC

Smith & Nephew plc

Stryker Corporation.

Tissue Regenix Group Plc

The report provides a detailed analysis of these key players in the global wound care biologics market. These players have adopted different strategies such as product launch, product approval, and acquisition 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.

Official Press Release: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/press-release/wound-care-biologics-market.html

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AVENUE- A Subscription-Based Library (Premium on-demand, subscription-based pricing model) Offered by Allied Market Research:

AMR introduces its online premium subscription-based library Avenue, designed specifically to offer cost-effective, one-stop solution for enterprises, investors, and universities. With Avenue, subscribers can avail an entire repository of reports on more than 2,000 niche industries and more than 12,000 company profiles. Moreover, users can get an online access to quantitative and qualitative data in PDF and Excel formats along with analyst support, customization, and updated versions of reports.

Get an access to the library of reports at any time from any device and anywhere. For more details, follow the link: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/library-access

"We have also published few syndicated market studies in the similar area that might be of your interest. Below are the report title for your reference, considering Impact of Covid-19 Over This Market which will help you to assess aftereffects of pandemic on short-term and long-term growth trends of this market."

About Allied Market Research:

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 domains. AMR offers its services across 11 industry verticals including Life Sciences, Consumer Goods, Materials & Chemicals, Construction & Manufacturing, Food & Beverages, Energy & Power, Semiconductor & Electronics, Automotive & Transportation, ICT & Media, Aerospace & Defense, and BFSI.

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.

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The grant award will help expand FirstElement Fuel's Santa Ana, CA Manufacturing Facility output by more than 10 times, increasing local jobs, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by enabling more zero-emission transportation.

IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstElement Fuel Inc. ("FEF" or the "Company"), today announced that it has received a $7.7 million grant from the California Energy Commission ("CEC") to increase the Company's Santa Ana, CA manufacturing facility output by more than 10 times. FEF, a California-based company, is the world leader in hydrogen refueling solutions, currently operating the world's largest network of hydrogen refueling stations comprised of 85 dispensers across 40 station locations and serving hydrogen-powered vehicles across California.

"The CEC is playing a huge role to transition the state of California, and the world, away from fossil fuels. It's truly an honor to continue our partnership with the CEC to make zero emissions transportation a reality," said Joel Ewanick, Founder and Chief Executive officer of FEF.

FEF's manufacturing facility in Santa Ana currently produces critical high tech components and systems for hydrogen refueling stations, including liquid hydrogen cryopump systems. The scale-up of the Santa Ana, CA FirstElement Fuel Innovation Center, partially funded by the CEC, will increase local jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by enabling more zero-emissions transportation. FEF was awarded the grant through the CEC's Zero-Emission Transportation Manufacturing competitive grant solicitation. FEF will also contribute at least $14M to the project.

Hydrogen-powered vehicles have the capacity to transform modern transportation by eliminating tailpipe emissions, slashing carbon emissions, and more than doubling driving efficiency as compared to traditional internal combustion engine vehicles. California State government policy has for decades supported a transition to hydrogen in the transportation sector as part of its zero-emission vehicle strategy, placing the State in a leadership position for hydrogen-related development. California's policies have also laid the foundation for FEF's success in becoming the world's leading hydrogen refueling station company. Setting up adequate supply chains and manufacturing of hydrogen refueling station equipment to supply the development of a hydrogen refueling network is critical to the successful scale-up of hydrogen-powered vehicles.

"FirstElement is a true California story - the company could not have been born anywhere else," saidDee Dee Myers, Senior Advisor to Governor Newsom and Director of the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development. "They are emblematic of California's role in creating new markets and expanding clean energy manufacturing, building on the foundation of our world-class workforce and ongoing commitment to a carbon-free economy."

Patty Monahan, the CEC lead Commissioner for the Clean Transportation Program, commented, "The CEC is proud to fund FirstElement Fuel's expansion into manufacturing hydrogen refueling components here in California. This will not only provide jobs for the local community, but also help the state transition to zero-emission transportation."

"FirstElement's initiative will help grow jobs of the future here locally, which are exactly the kind of jobs that we want to see more of in Santa Ana," Mayor Valerie Amezcua said. "We are honored that FirstElement chose Santa Ana as its manufacturing location, and we will continue to foster a business-friendly environment in our city."

FEF's manufacturing expansion project will extend through March 2026 and enable FEF to increase by a factor of 10 the number of liquid hydrogen pumps built per year. FEF will also increase its pump testing capability at its hydrogen logistics hub and field-testing facility located in Livermore, CA as part of this project.

About FirstElement Fuel Inc.

FirstElement Fuel Inc is a California-based company established in 2013 to provide safe, reliable, retail hydrogen to customers of fuel cell electric vehicles. The Company is the leading hydrogen refueling station provider in California, and the world, with facilities in Irvine, Santa Ana and Livermore, CA. FEF has 40 retail light-duty stations throughout California and is developing a network of stations to serve Heavy Duty Trucks powered by hydrogen, starting with the first-ever high-flow refueling station in Oakland, CA as part of a joint project with the California Air Resources Board and the CEC. Over the past 10 years since FEF's founding, the Company has partnered with public organizations including the California Energy Commission, the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and the Sacramento Municipal Air Quality Management District which have also provided funding. Private partnerships include those with Mitsui & Co, Air Water Inc., Honda Motor Company, Toyota Motor Corporation, MUFG, the Japan Bank of International Cooperation, Nikisso Company, and Air Liquide, all of which have provided funds in pursuit of the vision of a zero emissions transportation future.

Learn about FirstElement Fuel Inc. at FirstElementFuel.com

Learn about our True Zero Network at truezero.com

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EQS-News: PlusPlus Capital Financial S.a.r.l. / Key word(s): Half Year Results/Conference

PlusPlus Capital reports unaudited Q2 2023 results - Invitation to earnings call on 17 August 2023



15.08.2023 / 16:40 CET/CEST

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





PlusPlus Capital reports unaudited Q2 2023 results

Invitation to earnings call on 17 August 2023



Tallinn, Estonia, 15 August 2023. PlusPlus Capital ("PPC"), a leading pan-Baltic and Finnish technology-driven receivables management group, has published its unaudited Q2 2023 results. Eurobond covenant ratios were in line with terms and conditions.



The full Q2 report is available on the Company's website at:

https://pluspluscapital.eu/investor-relations/reports-and-presentations/



Earnings Call:

PlusPlus Capital cordially invites investors and analysts to an earnings call with the Management on 17 August 2023, 10.30 CEST.

The Management Board will comment on the Q2 2023 results by means of a webcast presentation. The earnings call will be held in English and will be recorded.

Please register in time to participate in the earnings call at:

PlusPlus Capital - Earnings Call Q2 2023 .



Contact:

PlusPlus Capital

Kaarel Raik, Member of the Management Board

Email: kaarel.raik@plusplus.ee

Phone: +372 56 606 148



About PlusPlus Capital:

PlusPlus is a pan-Baltic and Finnish technology-driven receivables management company with offices in Tallinn, Riga, Vilnius, and Helsinki. The Company acquires overdue loans and other non-performing exposures from financial institutions and non-financial sector merchants. With its core competence in handling claims against private individuals, PlusPlus prefers diversified portfolios balanced by geography, portfolio type, and other metrics.

Since its inception in 2010, PlusPlus has bought over 117 thousand claims with nominal value of approximately EUR 289 million as at 31 December 2022. The Company offers its clients affordable recovery solutions and aims to avoid litigious scenarios. In doing so, PlusPlus pursues win-win solutions that allow sellers to focus on their core business, provide affordable solutions for borrowers, and ensure adequate returns for investors.

PlusPlus is a transparent and socially responsible company set to assist people in resolving problems connected with their insufficient solvency. The ambition of PlusPlus is to increase its market share and further strengthen its position as a leading player in its regional market.

pluspluscapital.eu

15.08.2023 CET/CEST Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group AG.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.

Archive at www.eqs-news.com


NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Acre



At Acre, we pride ourselves on networking and building meaningful relationships around the world to help accelerate action where the planet needs it most.

It is why we firmly align with our purpose, to create systemic change for our planet and society by activating people's potential.

I recently returned from ChangeNOW, the world's largest event of sustainable solutions for the planet, with Jack Malhotra-Mulloy, Acre's Head of Impact Investing (EMEA). We gained first-hand knowledge of the innovations and their immense potential, which has really struck a long-lasting chord with us both.

The conference united impactful changemakers and creative innovation solutions for many of the world's most pressing challenges, with business leaders, policy-makers and entrepreneurs discussing ways to tackle the climate crisis together.

ChangeNOW was held in the Grand Palais Ephemere exhibition hall in the Champs de Mars, Paris, where 400 visionary speakers (spanning 120 countries) showcased inspiring state-of-the-art solutions for the planet and future change-leaders presented pioneering start-up pitches.

The three-day conference attracted a staggering 1,200 investors this year which was indicative of how the event has scaled in size, in just a few years it has evolved from a much smaller event to a large and highly regarded international summit.

Networking opportunities

Summit highlights included an invitation to the Singapore Sustainable Ventures lunch event, organised by our friends at Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) and Singapore Global network.

It was great to put faces to names of those who are passionate about the cause, including the honour of meeting ChangeNOW Founder & CEO Santiago Lefebvre, as well as YC Choy, VP and Head of Region, Europe at Singapore EDB, Arnaud Blandin, Mentor, Advisor and Connector - Climate, Sustainability, Strategy & Technology and Jamie (Soon Jia Mei) Soon Kesteloot, Business IP Strategist who is building the bridge to connect R&D, Intellectual Property and Business.

During our stay in Paris, Jack and I were also invited to the Embassy of the Netherlands for a networking cocktail, hosted by Michael Pistecky, Head of Economic Section, who made us feel very welcome. It was a very pleasant event where we met with an interesting and highly diverse group of people, including Mert Kumru, Campaigner World's Youth For Climate Justice, LLM Student Public International Law, Merijn Zondag, CSO of Alkemio, Farah Obaidullah, Founder and Director of Women4Oceans and Garance Aulagne, Global Partnerships Manager at ChangeNOW.

Looking ahead

I would be delighted to return to next year's ChangeNOW edition, potentially joining forces with https://www.transform4c.com/approach/ and considering showing the movie https://beyondzerofilm.com/

Did you attend the ChangeNOW conference this year? What were the key messages you took away with you and what were your favourite solutions to healing our planet?

If you didn't attend this year but feel inspired and motivated by the hundreds of like-minded, talented changemakers, we at Acre can utilize our broad global network of highly-skilled individuals to help connect you or your business to the people who are poised to drive change and accelerate decarbonisation efforts for positive impact. Click here for the current job opportunities that we have available across the globe.

Elisabeth is a Principal Consultant within Acre's Sustainable Business team, based in Amsterdam. She leads senior searches for Acre across the Professional Services, Industrial Manufacturing, Built Environment/Real Estate/Construction industries, and supports Acre's mission to further build out its practice across Europe. Prior to joining Acre, Elisabeth worked for a reputable Dutch Executive Search firm, where she was responsible for the search of high profile (non-) Executive Board assignments across public and private sector organizations, in a wide array of industries.

About Acre

At Acre, we work with the most aspirational businesses with potential to make real change; from those who are just starting out to those who are well on the journey to crafting a legacy.

Our 18 years' experience in sustainability recruitment, combined with our extensive global network, enables us to provide talent solutions that are designed to deliver this change.

Through our unique behavioural assessment technology, we understand the types of people, skills and behaviours required to create impact. We can develop these qualities within your existing teams too.

We find talented people and develop their skills to ensure they make a true impact in ambitious, progressive organisations.

Acre. Making companies ready for tomorrow.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Acre on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Acre

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/acre

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Acre

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/774302/Sustainability-Changemakers-Poised-for-Action-at-Annual-Summit
Advocacy Engagements Across Washington D.C., Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Atlanta Solidify North America as South Africa's Fastest Growing Market

WASHINGTON, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As South Africa continues to make tremendous strides towards its 2024 global recovery goal, the North American team from South African Tourism reinforced the destination's commitment to its fastest growing market through a series of advocacy engagements in key American cities including Washington D.C., Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Atlanta. Delegates reiterated the destination's welcoming invitation to North American travelers by showcasing their uniquely South African brand of warmth and hospitality to trade, media, and stakeholders in this important market.



"In the first half of 2023 we've exceeded expectations for tourism arrivals to South Africa from the U.S., almost reaching pre-pandemic levels," said Jerry Mpufane, President of South African Tourism North America. "We're placing a strong emphasis on continuing to attract U.S. travelers by engaging with key partners and stakeholders in gateway and feeder markets. Our efforts, in particular, are focused on strengthening potent growing markets like the Black American traveler, a segment of the U.S. traveler market that is keen to explore South Africa's culture and history."

In Washington D.C., the South African Tourism delegates joined representatives from the Embassy of South Africa and Future of Black Tourism for the inaugural E3 Leadership Conclave. The team hosted a lively evening at the Embassy of South Africa where attendees gathered to amplify the message of equity, economics and education required to fuel the future of Black tourism, a growing billion-dollar market segment for the tourism industry. Recent years have seen an awakening of Black Americans to the possibilities of travel to Africa, reflecting a deep affinity between Black Americans and the ancestral homeland.

"The work of Future of Black Tourism is of paramount importance to not only South Africa but the tourism industry as a whole," said Stephanie M. Jones, Founder and CEO of the Cultural Heritage Economic Alliance, Inc. (CHEA) and Blacks in Travel & Tourism. "We are grateful for the opportunity to work alongside our South African friends to shed light on the importance of advocating for this underserved market in the travel industry. In 2019, Black American leisure travelers spent $109.4 billion on travel, 13.1 percent of the U.S. leisure travel market and its growth potential is even more impressive due to the growing appetite amongst Black travelers to reconnect with their cultural roots. Now, more than ever, Black American travelers have become intentional in choosing to experience South Africa over other destinations."

The participating founders, CEOs and industry leaders met with members of the South African Tourism delegation to learn more about South Africa's rich cultural heritage and exceptional tourism offerings. Throughout the evening, attendees advanced the conversation of economic opportunities for Black-led travel and tourism businesses, and the targeted investment and cross-sector collaboration that is imperative to ensure that Black travel and tourism experts continue to build on their share of voice in the industry. Data from MMGY Global indicates that Black travelers from the US spent over $100 billion in 2019 and with tourism rebounding, the evening's conversations largely focused on the trends that are influencing the growth in this market.

"In May I had the pleasure to travel out to Durban, South Africa for Africa's Travel Indaba and the experience left a lasting impression," said Dianna Ward, a member of the inaugural E3 Leadership Conclave. "I felt an almost overwhelming sense of connection to the country and its people. It was on a spiritual level and since that visit I've been encouraging my clients and friends to set their sights towards South Africa."

While in Los Angeles meeting with media and stakeholders, Jerry Mpufane, President of South African Tourism North America, shared that arrival figures for 2023 continue to surpass expectations, with over 350,000 Americans having already visited South Africa as of May 2023 representing 94% of arrivals in the same period in 2019. Demand from the U.S. has grown significantly from 2019, with the U.S. now outpacing the United Kingdom on traveler spend in-destination at restaurants, shopping, wildlife, and visiting natural attractions.

Following, the delegation joined fellow leading luxury tourism professionals at Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas to engage in a week of one-on-one appointments with travel advisors, and to meet and network with tour operators and media representatives to share destination updates.

At Virtuoso Travel Week, the South African Tourism delegation joined a collection of African products and suppliers to present an Africa Lunch, this exclusive event was attended by top travel advisors who specialize in Africa and have exhibited expertise in successfully selling travel to the continent. Participants engaged in a spirited discussion, learning more about the offerings available from South Africa in particular to grow their current business.

From Las Vegas the delegation traveled back to the east coast to the city of Atlanta, a key market for South Africa. Delta Air Lines increased its capacity to South Africa by 67% last year as demand for the destination grew. Today, Delta Air Lines operates several direct routes to South Africa and even launched a triangle route from Atlanta to Johannesburg to Cape Town that now operates four times a week.

South Africa continues to grow in its appeal to U.S. travelers as it is truly a destination that offers up a plethora of unique experiences. Adventurous travelers can dive with Great Whites or spot the Big-5 on safaris in Kruger National Park, history buffs can visit the home of Nelson Mandela, one of the most famous freedom fighters in history, and culture vultures can visit world-class museums to learn about South African art, music, history and more. A visit to South Africa is truly the trip of a lifetime and that's a message that's resonating with U.S. travelers.

ABOUT SOUTH AFRICAN TOURISM

South African Tourism is the national agency responsible for marketing South Africa as a preferred leisure and business events destination. From breathtaking beauty and sun-soaked coasts to wildlife and adventure to vibrant urban energy and the incredible warmth and cultural diversity of its people - South Africa is a traveler's dream! Destination South Africa offers a wide variety of experiences including safaris in 19 national parks, breathtaking diverse scenic outdoor spaces, vibrant modern designer cities, an amazing 2,500-kilometer coastline with Blue Flag beaches, inspiring heritage and cultural journeys as well as active adventure experiences and vacation offering impressive value for time and money at any budget.

ABOUT FUTURE OF BLACK TOURISM

Future of Black Tourism brings together Black travel, tourism and hospitality leaders and allies to work collaboratively to identify, share and create collective economic opportunities for its members to actively participate and profit in the global travel and tourism industry, and to build capacity to sustain, grow and invest in Black-led travel, tourism and hospitality organizations and businesses. Learn more at www.futureofblacktourism.com .

Contact:

Justin Barnette, Head: Marketing & Comms North America, South African Tourism

justin@southafrica.net

Margot Delville, Account Director, MMGY NJF

mdelville@njfpr.com



A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c2f95d4d-5924-4b56-823f-bf9f10cf8963

The photo is also available at Newscom, www.newscom.com, and via AP PhotoExpress.
The "Europe Glamping Market Focused Insights 2023-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Europe glamping market will be valued at around $1.72 billion by 2028 from $860 million in 2022, growing at a CAGR of 12.3%

This report provides complete information regarding consumer preferences and the adoption of glamping in Europe. Glamping combines functionality and aesthetics; hence it appeals to luxury travelers.

Staycations are becoming popular, even among glamping enthusiasts. This has also widened the camping changes to a previously untapped market into luxurious accommodations. Furthermore, major players focus on strategic agreements, acquisitions, and collaboration with emerging players to enter the Europe roofing market to gain access to commercially launched products.

The UK remains the largest market, but Eastern and Central European countries are the most dynamic. Belgium, Croatia, and Slovenia are some of the emerging glamping destinations that are breathing new life into the glamping market in the region. This is largely because tourism is important for GDP growth in some of these countries.

These countries are also taking the sustainability route to reduce environmental pressure and increase economic benefits by tending to eco-travelers. Demographics and profiling potential glamper segments in the region give a well-rounded insight into how the glamping market will do going forward.

The outdoor sector has witnessed huge and sustained changes over the past few years, which are expected to continue during the forecast period. With the industry having matured, it is expected to witness many challenges. Delivering authenticity, expanding audience groups, and shifting from the mainstream lifestyle sectors will become incumbent to appeal. Experience is still going to be the most important. Mobile bookings will become more evident in an industry that has largely lagged.

Much of Europe perceives camping as a social experience more than a back-to-nature experience. It is the middle-class idea of vacation and is, for the most part, extremely simple. But that is changing due to an increased interest in glamping, with many people showing interest in the activity. It has become a new way of renewing accommodation for certain accommodations across European countries.

As millennials enter their peak earning years and others have a higher disposable income since the post-recession days, the concept is expected to grow. Many end-users have not been camping but might choose to glamp instead.

The growth of Airbnb also turns the pointer toward a trend where consumers require experiences that are offbeat, authentic, and approachable, breaking the traditional hotel model. Glamping is particularly gaining popularity among those belonging to ABC1 markets and higher social groups.

However, camping enthusiasts tend to scoff at the luxury attached to glamping. The lack of knowledge and the minimum basics that combine the safety and the novelty of the luxurious experience also contribute to this. While these challenges are expected to stall the market's growth to some extent, it is unlikely that glamping will slow down any time soon. As venues offering camping experiences have increased, startups have also popped up to serve the growing niche.

Key Attributes:

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 101 Forecast Period 2022 2028 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2022 $0.86 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2028 $1.72 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 12.2% Regions Covered Europe

MARKET STRUCTURE

Market Dynamics

Competitive Landscape of Europe Glamping

Key Vendors

Other Prominent Vendors

LIST OF VENDORS

Key Vendors

Bushtec Safari

Sawday's Canopy Stars

Eco Retreats

Huttopia

Wigwam Holidays

Other Prominent Vendors

Arena Campsites

BIGHEAD

Bond Fabrications

Chateau Ramsak

Concierge Camping

The Forge

The Glamping Orchard

Killarney Glamping

Lanzarote Retreats

Long Valley Yurts

REPORT HIGHLIGHTS

Accommodation (Revenue)

Cabins

Safari Tents

Yurts

Treehouses

Tipis

Others

Land Ownership (Revenue)

Private Land

Public Land

Area (Revenue)

Rural

Urban

Size (Revenue)

4-Person

2-Person

Others

End-User (Revenue)

Consumers

Events

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/o19erx

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.

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Tectonic Gold Plc - Statement re Directorate Change

PR Newswire

LONDON, United Kingdom, August 15

15 August 2023

TECTONIC GOLD PLC

("Tectonic Gold" or the "Company")

Directorate Change

Tectonic Gold plc (TDIM: TTAU) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Jonathan Robbeson to the Board of Directors. Mr Robbeson is an experienced geologist and mining engineer with international gold exploration, development, mining and refining expertise; including on the ground experience in Ghana. Jonathan replaces Dennis Edmonds who has retired from the Board.

Mr. Robbeson has extensive experience working with major mining companies in Africa and Australia. He has been a senior executive in the Tectonic team since its inception and with the Company's recently announced strategy to partner on the development of a large gold portfolio in Ghana, he brings a depth of operational expertise to his new Executive Director role. He has advanced qualifications in both geology and mining engineering and is a recognised specialist in resource delineation and mine development.

Jonathan started his career with Rand Refinery in South Africa, one of the largest gold refineries in the world, before he went on to become a geologist on Anglogold Ashanti's African operations. He then joined Perilya, a major Australian mining group, where he was a lead in the project development team which had the task of opening up new and restarting old mines, and evaluating M&A projects for acquisition and further investment. In addition to his work with Tectonic, Jonathan is the technical lead and COO of Agripower Australia Limited, a major private equity backed mining, industrial minerals and fertiliser business where Jonathan led mine development and processing plant construction.

Mr Robbeson is a Fellow of the AusIMM (CP) and a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He holds a B.Sc. (Hons) from Rhodes University and a Master's degree in Economic Geology (UTAS), a Master of Mining Engineering (UNSW) and an Executive MBA (AGSM). He is currently the Vice-Chair of the Sydney branch of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, the peak industry body for professionals in the Australian resources sector. He is also actively involved with the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies where he sits on the Policy Advisory Committee. Mr Robbeson is also a mentor for WimNet, the Women in Mining Network within AusIMM, where he was recently a finalist in the International Mentor of the Year awards.

Mr. Brett Boynton, Managing Director - Tectonic Gold Plc

"On behalf of the team, I would like to thank Dennis for his support over the last three years and his efforts in the partnership with Kazera. We look forward to seeing it come into production under his leadership.

We are very fortunate to have Jon's skill and experience coming onto the Board as we enter Ghana and I am really looking forward to working with him on the opportunities we have coming through the pipeline. Jon has a strong commitment to "giving back" to the industry and it has been a key factor in Tectonic securing the role for the technology transfer component of the program we are working up on the Ghana assets."

Disclosures required pursuant to Rule 4.9 of the Aquis Access Rules for Companies

The names of all companies and partnerships of which Mr. Jonathan Robbeson has been a director or partner at any time in the previous five years are set out below:

Current directorships or partnerships: Previous directorships or partnerships: SymAudire Pty Ltd Deep Blue Minerals Pty Ltd. Robbowicz Holdings Pty Ltd. Rocky River Resources Pty Ltd. Whale Head Minerals Pty Ltd.



Mr Jonathan Robbeson holds 3,604,935 ordinary shares in Tectonic Gold.

Save as set out in this announcement, there are no further details to be disclosed under to Rule 4.9 of the Aquis Access Rules for Companies in respect of Mr Jonathan Robbeson.

The Directors of the Company accept responsibility for the contents of this announcement.

Investors can sign up to Tectonic's mailing list at the following link:

http://www.tectonicgold.com/contact

Follow us on Twitter: @Tectonic_Gold

For further information, please contact:

Tectonic Gold plc Brett Boynton Sam Quinn www.tectonicgold.com @tectonic_gold +61 2 9241 7665 Aquis Stock Exchange Corporate Adviser and Broker VSA Capital Limited Andrew Raca - Corporate Finance Andrew Monk - Corporate Broking +44 20 3005 5004

Ends

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulations (EU) No. 596/2014. Upon the publication of this announcement via a Regulatory Information Service, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.
Date: 15 August 2023

Release: After closing of Euronext

Eurocommercial Properties N.V. will be announcing its Half Year Results 2023 on Friday 25 August 2023 with a press release publication time of 7:30 CEST.

The Company will host an audio webcast and conference call for investors and analysts starting at 10:00 AM (BST) / 11:00 AM (CEST), and we would be delighted if you could join.

To access the webcast, simply click on the URL: https://channel.royalcast.com/landingpage/eurocommercialproperties/20230825_1/to register. You will also have the opportunity to type in your questions during the streaming.

To access the audio call, please dial:

Netherlands: +31 (0) 20 708 5073

UK: +44 (0) 33 0551 0200

US: +1 786 697 3501

France: +33 (0)1 70 37 71 66

Italy: +39 06 83360400

Tell the operator the password Eurocommercial

The call will also be audio webcast at: https://www.eurocommercialproperties.com/financial/presentations-webcasts

An accompanying presentation will be available to download from the Company's website at https://www.eurocommercialproperties.com/financial/presentations-webcastsshortly before the start of the call.
Finsbury Growth & Income Trust Plc - Transaction in Own Shares

PR Newswire

LONDON, United Kingdom, August 15

For immediate release

15 August 2023

FINSBURY GROWTH & INCOME TRUST PLC

(the "Company")

MARKET PURCHASE OF COMPANY'S OWN SHARES

The Company announces that it has today purchased 50,000 of its own shares ("Ordinary Shares") at a price of 873.19 pence per Ordinary Share. Such shares will be held in treasury by the Company.

The transaction was made pursuant to the authority granted at the Annual General Meeting of the Company held on 17 January 2023.

Following this transaction, the total number of Ordinary Shares held by the Company in treasury is 18,270,544; the total number of Ordinary Shares that the Company has in issue, less the total number of Ordinary Shares held by the Company in treasury following such purchase, and therefore, the total number of voting rights in the Company is 206,720,759.

The figure of 206,720,759 may be used by shareholders as the denominator for calculations of interests in the Company's voting rights in accordance with the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules.

For and on behalf of

Frostrow Capital LLP

Company Secretary

For further information, please contact:

Victoria Hale

Frostrow Capital LLP

Tel: 020 3 170 8732
Algiers, Aug 15 (UNI) Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen on Monday called his Algerian counterpart Ahmed Attaf, and expressed his "regrets and apologies" for the burning of the Islamic holy book of Quran in the Danish capital Copenhagen.



The Danish diplomat said these acts were "intolerable and unacceptable," and had run contrary to Denmark's traditions of hospitality, openness and tolerance, the Algerian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.



Rasmussen told Attaf that the Danish government was about to finalize the text of a bill that would put an end to such practices, adding it will be submitted to the Danish parliament for deliberation in four weeks.



Denmark and Sweden have seen a string of protests over the past weeks in their capitals, in which copies of the Quran were burned or otherwise damaged in front of the embassies of Muslim countries, sparking outrage in the Muslim world.

UNI/XINHUA AKS0749
Originally published by Ericsson

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Welcome to the latest edition of our Diversity & Inclusion News Round Up. Today we are talking about a new report from McKinsey, Mattel introducing a Barbie with Down syndrome, Microsoft helping to preserve cultural heritage, and women CEOs finally outnumbering CEOs named John.

World of work

McKinsey just released the latest "The State of Organizations" report, covering 10 significant shifts that organizations face right now, including mental health, hybrid working, and DEI progress. Worth reading!

Women in leadership

In 2015, a NYT article showed that women CEOs of S&P companies were not just outnumbered by men, but by men named John. Bloomberg just reported that this has finally shifted, and there are more women leading S&P 500 companies than CEOs named John - but a huge gap remains, both in gender and ethnic diversity.

Culture

Great story from West Africa and Microsoft! Pulaar is a language spoken by over 40 million people, but until recently, it lacked a digital script. Without the ability to communicate digitally, the language and the culture would have vanished - but this has now changed.

Representation

Representation matters! This week, Mattel introduced the first-ever Barbie doll with Down syndrome, which was developed together with the American National Down Syndrome Society. Watch the video here.

Caroline Berns, Head of Diversity & Inclusion and Talent Acquisition, MMEA

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Ericsson on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Ericsson

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/ericsson

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Ericsson

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/774340/DI-Weekly-News-Round-Up-Women-in-Leadership-Representation-and-More
Updates to Tempo's Manufacturing Execution System and Connected Manufacturing Network Drive Greater Efficiency and Scalability

JERSEY CITY, NJ / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Apprentice, which helps life science manufacturers get treatments to patients faster by providing one platform to turn molecules into medicine, announced today a major release to its Tempo Manufacturing Cloud, focused on extending product capabilities for modern commercial manufacturing.

Visual Step Builder

Develop complex procedure workflows through a click-and-drag visual flow of steps for easier process design for scientists.

The 7.0 Release deepens Tempo's existing features in its Manufacturing Execution System (MES) that support commercial production and adds a new product, the Connected Manufacturing Network (CMN), that creates a connected digital network across internal and external sites.

Deepening Manufacturing Execution System (MES) Capabilities

"We want to help our customers navigate today's complex manufacturing environment as drug therapies become more specialized and scalability becomes more important," said Angelo Stracquatanio, CEO & Co-founder of Apprentice.io. "With the 7.0 release, we're building the technological innovation that will directly reduce cost, increase speed, and maximize yield of commercial manufacturing so that lifesaving medicines get to patients in need."

In addition to 30+ new features and enhancements, seven key new capabilities standout:

Visual step builder: Develop complex procedure workflows through a click-and-drag visual flow of steps for easier process design for scientists.

Develop complex procedure workflows through a click-and-drag visual flow of steps for easier process design for scientists. Kitting : Use and consume predefined resource sets instead of searching for individual components in order to streamline procedures and save valuable time.

: Use and consume predefined resource sets instead of searching for individual components in order to streamline procedures and save valuable time. Automatic step execution: Execute actions within a procedure step, such as calculations or scanning equipment, in addition to creating steps that connect to other equipment or even other systems with in-step integration.

Execute actions within a procedure step, such as calculations or scanning equipment, in addition to creating steps that connect to other equipment or even other systems with in-step integration. Remote Assistance: Adapt to constant change during execution and drive faster reviews with real-time embedded video conferencing from a procedure run.

Adapt to constant change during execution and drive faster reviews with real-time embedded video conferencing from a procedure run. Conditional Step Navigation: Guide an operator to one of several procedure step options using 'if', 'if then', or 'else' statements based on the result of the previous step.

Guide an operator to one of several procedure step options using 'if', 'if then', or 'else' statements based on the result of the previous step. New integrations: Start batch runs directly from an External DCS to support automated batch runs.

Start batch runs directly from an External DCS to support automated batch runs. Web execution: Gain greater operational flexibility with the new ability to execute from your web browser, in addition to Tempo's iPad and wearable headset.

The Connected Manufacturing Network

The 7.0 release also includes the new CMN product. Tempo's CMN enables you to drive value at the site-level, the enterprise-level, and across external partners. To achieve this, CMN brings together four powerful capabilities:

Product Lifecycle Data: Consolidate data for each stage of a drug's lifecycle in one place.

Consolidate data for each stage of a drug's lifecycle in one place. Enterprise Recipe Management: Optimize enterprise recipe management across environments and sites.

Optimize enterprise recipe management across environments and sites. External Manufacturing Collaboration: Ditch email and calls for automated communications.

Ditch email and calls for automated communications. Tech Transfer: Quickly and easily move all your master resources and data.

These key tools allow you to coordinate the materials, equipment, recipes, and personnel needed to plan, execute, test, and release a batch from one shared system to accelerate the end-to-end drug production lifecycle.

Launching Tempo with the Team

Apprentice held a virtual launch event on Tuesday with 100+ attendees highlighting the new commercial functionality and the success of its recently released CMN package.

Event sessions covered everything from Apprentice's more sophisticated commercial manufacturing capabilities to its new quarterly release cadence, additional quality updates, and the formation of its partner program.

"We have a clear vision for building a product that can support the future of commercial manufacturing and connect enterprise-wide operations across internal and external sites and teams," said Jean Barmash, CTO at Apprentice. "We will continue to up-level our product capabilities and standardize our approach so that our customers can rely on one system for accelerating critical drug production."

About Apprentice

Apprentice helps life science manufacturers get therapeutics to patients faster by providing one platform to turn molecules into medicine. Our Tempo Manufacturing Cloud accelerates the end-to-end drug product lifecycle by connecting together distributed teams and sites, helping them execute better on the shop floor, and optimizing their operations through enterprise-wide visibility. From preclinical benchtop to large-scale commercial manufacturing, Tempo keeps your global teams connected, empowered, and in sync.

With $207M in funding, a 3.4x growth YoY rate, and 218% net customer retention, Apprentice is a trusted partner to modernize your operations and change the way drugs are made in your facility. Learn how leading companies like Synthego and Bristol Myers Squibb are using Tempo to scale from drug discovery to patient delivery faster at www.apprentice.io.

Contact Information

Kristen Kucks

Director of Communications, Marketing

kristen.kucks@apprentice.io

Marie Forshaw

VP, Marketing

marie.forshaw@apprentice.io

SOURCE: Apprentice.io

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/774308/Apprentice-Announces-Major-Tempo-Manufacturing-Cloud-Release-Built-to-Support-Commercial-Manufacturing-of-the-Future
HOLLYWOOD, FL and MIAMI, FL / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / On August 28, 2023 after the NYSE closing, HEICO Corporation (NYSE:HEI.A)(NYSE:HEI) will release its financial results for the third quarter ended July 31, 2023. The earnings release will be available through the Internet on the Company's website at http://www.heico.com.

In order to assist interested parties in scheduling their participation in HEICO teleconferences, the Company issues advance notices of conference calls.

HEICO will hold a conference call on Tuesday, August 29, 2023 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time to discuss its third quarter results. Individuals wishing to participate in the conference call should dial: US and Canada (888) 204-4368, International (646) 828-8193, wait for the conference operator and provide the operator with the Conference ID 7297387. A digital replay will be available two hours after the completion of the conference call for 14 days. To access the replay, please visit our website at http://www.heico.com under the Investors section for details.

The Company has two classes of common stock traded on the NYSE. Both classes, the Common Stock (HEI) and the Class A Common Stock (HEI.A), are virtually identical in all economic respects. The only difference between the share classes is the voting rights. The Class A Common Stock (HEI.A) carries 1/10 vote per share and the Common Stock (HEI) carries one vote per share. The stock symbols for HEICO's two classes of common stock on most websites are HEI and HEI.A. However, some websites change HEICO's Class A Common Stock symbol (HEI.A) to HEI/A or HEIa.

HEICO Corporation is engaged primarily in the design, production, servicing and distribution of products and services to certain niche segments of the aviation, defense, space, medical, telecommunications and electronics industries through its Hollywood, Florida-based Flight Support Group and its Miami, Florida-based Electronic Technologies Group. HEICO's customers include a majority of the world's airlines and overhaul shops, as well as numerous defense and space contractors and military agencies worldwide, in addition to medical, telecommunications and electronics equipment manufacturers. For more information about HEICO, please visit our website at http://www.heico.com.

Contact:

Victor H. Mendelson

(305) 374-1745 ext. 7590

Carlos L. Macau, Jr.

(954) 987-4000 ext. 7570

SOURCE: HEICO Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/774288/HEICO-Corporation-Announces-Regular-Quarterly-Conference-Call
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Cisco Systems Inc.:

Founded more than 25 years ago, Cisco Networking Academy continues to be one of the longest-standing IT skills-to-jobs programs of its kind, in the world. But how can a 25-year-old program address today's digital skills hiring trends?

Now, more than ever, 'disruption' is at the top of mind for businesses around the globe. A program such as Networking Academy, which was set up at its foundation to provide learners with the most up-to-date and in-demand technical skills, is well-placed to address the needs of the current and future global digital skills market.

Change has always been at the core of the Networking Academy program's offerings.

A recent WEF Future of Jobs Report found that more than 85 percent of organizations surveyed said that transformation of their organization will be driven by increased adoption of new and frontier technologies and broadening digital access.

Networking Academy, through it's extensive ecosystem of education partners and flexible learning options, is training those change agents, today.

About the Be the Bridge and Golden Bridge Awards

Cisco Networking Academy's Be the Bridge Awards were launched during Networking Academy's first-ever virtual Global Partner Conference in May 2021 (fiscal 2020) to recognize the exemplary efforts of Networking Academy partners who lead in their dedication to achieving student success. Every Be the Bridge Award winner has excelled in one or more of the following categories: Inclusive Futures, Global Reach, Impacting Lives, Learning Innovation, and Partnerships.

Additionally, in each of Cisco Networking Academy's geographic regions, a prestigious Golden Bridge Award is presented to the individual or institution that showed exceptional commitment to prioritizing student success over the previous year.

The success of Cisco Networking Academy is powered by the dedication and passion of people who work towards providing equitable access to education for all. Our united purpose remains the same: to impact the lives of learners, educators, and communities through the power of technology, education, and career opportunities.

It was my absolute pleasure to present the majority of our Golden Bridge Award winners for 2023 in-person at various Partner Conferences held from May to June. Each Be the Bridge winner in each region received a certificate of achievement, a trophy, and were entered as finalists in the annual Golden Bridge Awards, with an opportunity to celebrate their achievement through blogs and other social marketing materials. In addition, Golden Bridge Award winners receive a trophy and publicity on Cisco.com.

I am thrilled to share the five Cisco Networking Academy Golden Bridge Award Winners for 2023.

2023 Golden Bridge Award winners

University of Information Technology and Management , Poland

This award recognizes the outstanding response and partnership to support Ukrainian refugees in building their digital skills and employability through the Start IT educational program Cisco4Ukraine. University of Information Technology and Management's (UITM) ability to scale at speed from 700 people in the pilot phase to 5,000 new registrations with the official launch of the program on February 1, 2023, shows how the partnerships with Networking Academy are impacting lives. Thank you to everyone behind this initiative.

Learn more in this video.

As a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022, millions of Ukrainian civilians were forced to flee to other countries, mainly to Poland. According to figures from the UN refugee agency, 90 percent of these refugees were women and children. Poles opened hearts and homes to host Ukrainian refugees and help them to overcome many challenges and establish a new life.

UITM is based in Rzeszow, a city in southeastern Poland and close to the Ukrainian border. As an educational institution, UITM already had long-standing relations with Ukraine. And as a Cisco Networking Academy Support Center and Instructor Training Center, UITM was well experienced in developing and delivery of educational projects for different types of learners. With the Networking Academy partnership and a Cisco Foundation training grant, UITM was able to transform the initial humanitarian support provided to the refugees into a more programmable approach, addressing the need to build digital skills, upskilling, and reskilling newcomers, and to open new opportunities for displaced Ukrainians. UITM started with a pilot program, hiring Ukrainian Networking Academy instructors to deliver the courses, and adjusted the project to the specific requirements of the Ukrainian refugees.

UITM used a range of communication channels to reach the refugees, including social media, PR activities, partnerships with local governments in Poland and Ukraine, and collaboration with non-government organizations that support Ukrainian citizens.

"So far, over 4,300 refugees from Ukraine have taken part in various trainings. We expect the first graduates of the full pathway in September 2023. They will then be offered the opportunity to participate in advanced training, which will last for the next few months. Meantime many learners complete the short courses and collect the digital badges offered on the Skills for All platform.

The employment process is very individual and depends on many factors. Start IT Cisco4Ukraine not only gives an opportunity to learn new tech skills, reskill, upskill, and prepare for their first tech jobs but also empowers learners and creates a pipeline of talent who want to develop and achieve more. We invite the course graduates to enroll in Cisco Talent Bridge Matching Engine platform to access the opportunities advertised by the Cisco ecosystem and we provide the resources to prepare for the recruitment processes and job market demand.

We are proud that the Cisco Networking Academy community appreciated our commitment to supporting refugees from Ukraine. We feel honored, but at the same time, this distinction strengthens our motivation for further action. We are very happy that the first results of this project are already visible - although the training is ongoing and the full path of training has not been completed yet, we observe that thanks to the Start IT Cisco4Ukraine project individuals are open to new opportunities and better equipped with skills critical in the digital economy. We believe that granting this award to our university will also help in the further promotion of the project and convince new learners to join our free training in the field of cybersecurity and programming."

~Lucjan Hajder, IT Director, UITM

National Information Technology Development Agency , Nigeria

This award recognizes National Information Technology Development Agency's (NITDA) partnership, under the Ministry Communications Technology and Digital Economy, in championing digital skills implementation and digital literacy and skills development programs, with the aim of reaching a 95 percent digital literacy level in the Federal Government of Nigeria by 2030. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to the success of these initiatives. We would particularly like to highlight your partnership with Cisco Networking Academy to train over 2,000 students in Cisco Certified Networking Associate (CCNA) towards industry certification, and over 10,000 service providers in Cybersecurity. Your support, engagement with Networking Academy instructors, and free internet data for the students engaged in the training is positively impacting lives.

"It is always a delight to receive awards in recognition of our efforts as they inspire us to do more. It offers the next level of motivation which could have profound impacts on us and the society at large. This award in particular serves as a confidence booster as it helps us track the success of our desired trajectory in trying to achieve a digital Nigeria. Not only did receiving this award feel gratifying by validating our efforts and the digital transformation agenda, it is also a testimony that we are on the right track towards transforming Nigeria into a leading digital economy, providing quality life and economic prosperity for all."

~Muhammad Kabir Salihu (MNSE, COREN), Deputy Director, IT Infrastructure Solutions Department, Information Solutions Department (ITIS), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)

Read more about NITDA.

Fundacion Omar Dengo , Costa Rica

The Fundacion Omar Dengo (FOD) is credited with this well-deserved recognition by celebrating its impact through the Cisco Networking Academy program on young people and adults from different provinces of the country. As a key partner of the program in Costa Rica, FOD demonstrates its excellence in its areas of performance, overcoming challenges and barriers that they have encountered along the way and creating their own routes to success, in an innovative and autonomous way. As part of its management, the FOD collaborates in the creation of complementary content designed specifically for its audiences, developing programs for the community and for the underserved.

In fiscal 2023, FOD receives the Golden Bridge Award for contributing to the acceleration of learning digital skills in the local ecosystem by closing the digital divide and promoting employability programs in topics such as programming, cybersecurity, networks and Internet of Things, among others. Congratulations to all involved.

"The Omar Dengo Foundation has promoted workforce development for 35 years through educational proposals that are based on the use of new technologies. It is an honor for us to receive this award, which recognizes the role we have played in closing digital gaps, mainly in promoting employability programs in areas such as programming, cybersecurity, networks, and the Internet of Things."

~Elena Carreras, Director, Innova Educational Development, Fundacion Omar Dengo

EdCreate Foundation, India

This award recognizes a significant milestone for EdCreate of reaching more than 100,000 students in India, making EdCreate our largest Networking Academy partner in India. We are in awe of how many underserved communities EdCreate serves in their educational focus - up to 70 or 80 percent! We are also excited to see employer partnerships in India successfully placing students in IT companies, to further create career opportunities for them.

You can read more from a recent blog.

"The challenges to educate underserved students in rural Indian areas are many and include infrastructure in the colleges, lack of well-equipped laboratories, workshops, and classrooms, which hinders the effective delivery of any technical education program. Regulatory challenges such as compliance with regulatory frameworks, accreditation processes, and frequent policy changes can also be a challenge for technical education institutions. Navigating these requirements while ensuring quality education becomes very demanding. We are constantly juggling the quality of the faculty, industry/academia gaps, lack of research and innovation, access and affordability, as well as the rural/urban divide.

When we began our partnership with Cisco, we underestimated the magnitude of impact Cisco Networking Academy program can bring in people's lives. There is a profound effect on millions of students and their families when we create a world-class, employable, digital workforce, far beyond what the individuals, themselves, had originally anticipated, too. The journey so far has been very transformative."

Thanks to Cisco India Team and the global leadership for this continued support and their belief in our work. We are truly honored and humbled to receive the Golden Bridge Award for the second year in a row. It is a validation of the hard work and dedication that went into developing our organization as the largest Cisco Networking Academy partner in the world today. Looking to the future, EdCreate Foundation aims to expand in all Indian geographies, as it plans to "go global". "With the help of our wonderful team, tech adoption and our strategic alliances with multiple governments, we will scale faster in our commitment to create a digital and employable workforce."

~Manas Deep, co-founder, EdCreate Foundation

Ivy Tech Community College , Indiana, United States

Through the Ivy Tech's Valparaiso campus Routing Switching Certificate program, Ivy Tech Community College participates in the State Earn and Learn (SEAL) Program. This ten-month program is a part of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. It is an industry-driven, high-quality career pathway where employers can develop and prepare their future workforce. Individuals can obtain paid work experience and receive progressive wage increases, classroom instruction, and a portable, nationally-recognized credential. SEAL programs are certified by the State of Indiana. Applicants work in collaboration with employers to achieve certification.

The Golden Bridge Award recognizes Ivy Tech for providing students with the skills needed to work in the IT field and the ability to earn industry-recognized certifications. We're also excited to see apprenticeship opportunities expanding with local business community partnerships, impacting the lives of students and the organizations they will ultimately work for.

"Ivy Tech Community College is honored to be a recipient of the Cisco Networking Academy Golden Bridge Award for 2023. Ivy Tech's vision is that our students will earn 50,000 high-quality credentials each year aligned with the needs of Indiana's workforce and communities. Our partnership with Cisco and the Cisco Networking Academy is vital in reaching this vision and our commitment to our students. This also aligns with one of the goals of the Cisco Networking Academy, to "provide skills training through strong public-private partnerships, high-quality curriculum, and inclusive workforce development programs."

~Ben Marrero - Cisco Academy Support Center, Interim Dean, School of IT, Valparaiso Campus

"Internships are crucial to the student's learning process and eventual success. Within internships, classroom concepts suddenly become fundamental tools of the trade as you interact and learn in a professional setting. Our Routing and Switching SEAL program gives our students real-world experiences. Also, internships help build resumes and teach instrumental, career-developing qualities. Internships help develop your professionalism and encourage character growth and characteristics like integrity, commitment, and self-motivation, which are several traits learned through an internship." says Mr. Marrero.

This is the first Ivy Tech School of IT program to be credited by the Indiana SEAL program, with future plans to expand to other IT programs, such as Cybersecurity and Programming.

"I have been attending Ivy Tech for three years to obtain my Associated Degree in Network Infrastructure. Throughout my studies, I have taken many of the networking courses that Ivy Tech provides through Cisco, and they have all helped me get the current job I have. The most beneficial course Ivy Tech has from Cisco was the Infrastructure Design - Logical and Physical (SEAL program), it has helped me with my current job where I have had to build labs and make my own cables. I have said to Ben Marrero multiple times that I would be happy to take the class again because learning about fiber optic cabling and making those cables was fun and interesting to learn about."

~Lawrence De Rozairo, Student at Ivy Tech Community College

2023 Be the Bridge Award winners

Europe-CIS

IFOA, Italy

Universidad Miguel Hernandez, Spain

Middle East and Africa

Department of Higher Education South Africa

African Advanced Level Telecommunications Institute, Kenya

Latin America

Edutek, Guatemala

SENAI - SP, Brazil

Asia Pacific, Japan, and China

Bachkhoa Academy, Vietnam

Electrical and Information Engineering, Universitas Gadjah Mada, India

United States and Canada

Montgomery County Community College

Western Academy Support and Training Center

Previous Be the Bridge Awards winners

2022 Cisco Networking Academy announces Golden Bridge Award winners while celebrating 25 years of impact - Cisco Blogs

2021 Cisco Networking Academy recognizes top partners and instructors - Cisco Blogs

View original content here.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Cisco Systems Inc. on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Cisco Systems Inc.

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/cisco-systems-inc

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Cisco Systems Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/774374/Five-Cisco-Networking-Academy-Partners-Receive-Golden-Bridge-Award-Honors
VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Fineqia International Inc. (the "Company" or "Fineqia") (CSE: FNQ) (OTC: FNQQF) (Frankfurt: FNQA) the digital asset and fintech investment business, announces the second tranche (the "Second Tranche") of its non-brokered private placement (the "Offering"), for a cumulative raise of C$309,696.

The Company has issued 30,969,600 Units to raise gross proceeds of C$308,996 and payment of finder's fees worth C$700 in this tranche. This follows the closure of the Company's first tranche, announced on June 30, which issued 58,527,500 units (the "Units") to raise gross proceeds of C$585,275 in the first tranche of the private placement and payment of finder's fees worth C$9,469.25, for a cumulative issuance of C$594,744.25 worth of units.

"Marking another milestone on our journey, Fineqia is excited to announce the successful closure of our second tranche of private placement, said Bundeep Singh Rangar, CEO of Fineqia. We are grateful for the continued trust and support of our investors, which fuels our drive to reshape the future of finance."

The final closure of the private placement is extended until September 15, allowing Fineqia to accommodate investors amidst the challenges posed by the summer holiday season. This extension ensures that interested parties have ample time to participate in this investment opportunity.

Each Unit sold or to be sold in the Offering consists of one common share of the Company priced at C$0.01 and one share purchase warrant (a "Warrant") exercisable for three years at a price of C$0.05 per share.

The Company may, at its option, accelerate the expiry date of the Warrants, provided that the closing price of the common shares is at or above C$0.10 per share for any 20 consecutive trading day period at any time after four months and one day after the issuance of the Warrants. Warrant holders will be notified by the issue of a press release by the Company announcing such acceleration. In such a situation, the expiry date shall be deemed to be the 20th day following the date of issuance of the press release.

The proceeds from the Offering will be used to enhance the Company's working capital.

These securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"). Accordingly, these securities may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, a U.S. person or person in the United States (as such terms are defined in regulations under the 1933 Act), absent an exemption from the registration requirements of the 1933 Act and applicable state laws. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States or in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Fineqia International Inc.

Fineqia (www.fineqia.com) is a digital asset business that builds and targets investments in early and growth-stage technology companies that will be part of the next generation of the Internet. It also provides a platform to support and manage the issuance of debt securities in the UK. Publicly listed in Canada (CSE: FNQ) with offices in Vancouver and London, Fineqia's portfolio of investments includes businesses at the forefront of tokenization, blockchain technology, NFTs, AI, and fintech.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Some statements in this release may contain forward-looking information (as defined under applicable Canadian securities laws) ("forward-looking statements"). All statements, other than of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that Fineqia (the "Company") believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, statements regarding potential acquisitions and financings) are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by use of the words "may", "will", "should", "continue", "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "believe", "intend", "plan" or "project" or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's ability to control or predict, that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, without limitation, the failure to obtain sufficient financing, and other risks disclosed in the Company's public disclosure record on file with the relevant securities regulatory authorities. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made except as may be required by applicable securities laws. The Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement except to the extent required by applicable securities laws.

Media Contact: Angus Campbell, Nominis Advisory, angus@nominis.co; Katarina Kupcikova, Analyst, E. katarina.kupcikova@fineqia.com, T. +44 7806 730 769; Bundeep Singh Rangar, CEO, E. bundeep.rangar@fineqia.com, T. +1 778 654 2324

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/fineqia-closes-2nd-tranche-of-private-placement-adding-momentum-to-companys-growth-301901522.html
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Entergy Corporation

Addressing food insecurity

Hungry bellies are not only painful, but they distract from the important things families need to focus on to live their best lives. By donating dollars and hours to foodbanks across the state, Entergy Arkansas employees address a huge issue in the state, where 1 in 4 people lives in poverty and 17% face food insecurity.

Entergy's focus on poverty solutions is rooted in the economic reality of the region we serve. Our service territory encompasses areas some of the highest poverty states and counties in the nation.

Unfortunately, food insecurity is not unique to Arkansans. In fact, zero hunger is one of the top two United Nations Sustainability Goals, and we align our Corporate Social Responsibility goals closely with the group. The top two are "No Poverty" and "Zero Hunger." Across all four states Entergy serves, we have a goal of providing 1.5 million meals through 2023 and 18,000 volunteer hours.

Entergy Arkansas routinely lands in the top three in terms of volunteer hours with the Arkansas Foodbank Network, the largest hunger relief agency in the state, based in Little Rock but serving more than 300 pantries and soup kitchens in more than 33 counties. Additionally, the company donates thousands of dollars to it each year, along with many other food pantries across the state.

Last year, we partnered with several summer feeding programs aimed at providing meals to children who are normally served through their school district. We also funded meals to seniors through Area Agencies on Aging, which deliver daily meals to seniors who are homebound.

Through the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, we support programs such as the SNAP Outreach Team, which typically worked in communities to help determine SNAP eligibility, answer questions, and works as a liaison with the Department of Human Services on behalf of applicants. As a result of the pandemic, the team were no longer able to safely go out into the field and help people apply for benefits. In response, they created the SNAP-Ark Call Center, a hotline to help Arkansans apply for SNAP, follow up with application questions, and check the status of their benefits.

Board Service

One intentional way Entergy Arkansas serves its communities is through volunteer service on various nonprofit boards. John Bethel, director of public affairs, currently serves as secretary on the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance board of directors.

Our many partners, which also includes the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, are also important in raising awareness of the economic, academic and social impact hunger has on our state. We know that people who have access to nutritional food in adequate amounts have less stress and therefore the ability to be their best in so many areas, as an employee, student, parent, friend and citizen of their community. These partners are making an effort each day to help those in need.



View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Entergy Corporation on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Entergy Corporation

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/entergy-corporation

Email: info@3blmedia.com



SOURCE: Entergy Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/774389/Zero-Hunger-a-Top-Priority-for-Entergy-Arkansas
Denny's recognized Thornton of Fort Washington, MD., and awarded $354,000 in scholarships during the 2022-2023 Hungry for Education (HFE) scholarship season

SPARTANBURG, SC / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Jayla Thornton, a junior, political science major at North Carolina A&T State University, has been selected as this year's national winner of Denny's Hungry for Education Scholarship.

Denny's Logo

Denny's Logo

Thornton, a resident of Fort Washington, MD, received the top award out of a field of 2,444 applications, along with a scholarship for $5,000. Denny's, a longtime supporter of education at Historically Black Colleges & Universities, partnered with the Tom Joyner Foundation for this year's award.

"There were thousands of phenomenal submissions, but Jayla's essay truly rose to the top," said April Kelly Drummond, vice president, diversity, equity and inclusion. "Jayla's creativity, intelligence, and commitment to her community jumped off the page, and we're thrilled to provide her with this award."

Thornton's winning essay proposed a major initiative, which envisions Denny's working to combat "food deserts" in her community. A food desert is a geographic area where affordable, nutritious and fresh food is hard to obtain, particularly for those without access to an automobile. As Thornton points out, despite being the third-largest city within the state, Greensboro, NC, has 17 of the 24 food deserts in Guilford County. Thornton, who plans to attend law school, recommends Denny's host an event in a centrally located neighborhood in Greensboro where residents can access fresh food from a farmer's market, mental health counseling from local organizations and receive information from other local social services and social justice organizations.

"This award means so much to me because it feels like a wonderful validation of my passion and hard work," said Thornton. "Denny's has been such a powerful presence in my community and I am looking forward to working with them for many years to come.

Denny's Hungry for Education (HFE) is a scholarship program that recognizes and rewards students who show initiative and creativity in helping Denny's bring communities together. Partnering with 11 leading, nonprofit, minority advocacy organizations, Denny's awarded over $354,000 in scholarships this year to deserving elementary, high school, and college students. Since its launch in 2011, the brand has awarded more than $2 million in scholarships.

This year's scholarships open on Sept. 1 and students can apply by going to www.dennys.com/hfe.

About Denny's:

Denny's is one of the largest franchised full-service restaurant brands in the world, based on number of restaurants. As of March 29, 2023, Denny's had 1,594 franchised, licensed and company restaurants, which includes 161 restaurants in Canada, Costa Rica, Curacao, El Salvador, Guam, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.

To learn more about Denny's, please visit our brand website at www.dennys.com or the brand's social channels via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn or YouTube.

Contact Information

Andy Izquierdo

aizquierdo@dennys.com

347-570-2960

SOURCE: Denny's Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/774316/Dennys-Names-Jayla-Thornton-Hungry-for-EducationTM-Scholarship-Programs-National-Winner
Award-winning actor and activist Martin Sheen to executive produce and award-winning filmmaker Benjamin Ryan Nathan to direct the film.

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / ALL OF US FILMS , a New York-based production company dedicated to creating films and media that inspire positive social change, spark action, and shift perspectives, today announced a partnership with 3Strands Global Foundation (3SGF), a non-profit organization working to combat human trafficking through prevention, education and reintegration programs.

The partnership was forged to produce a feature documentary titled "To Be Free". The film , which is Executive Produced by acclaimed actor and activist Martin Sheen and directed by award-winning filmmaker, Benjamin Ryan Nathan, will focus on the largely unknown crisis of labor trafficking in the United States. 3Strands Global Foundation will serve as the fiscal sponsor of the film.

With the heightened awareness and dialogue around human trafficking that has been sparked by a number of Hollywood films, it is encouraging to see many people taking an interest in learning about this critical issue. Awareness is indeed the first step toward addressing human trafficking locally and globally.

In addition to awareness, it is important to understand that this horrific crime happens in many ways. For this reason, "To Be Free" amplifies the real voices, needs, and experiences of survivors of trafficking. In order to fully understand and effectively combat this injustice, hearing directly from those who have experienced human trafficking is paramount.

"To Be Free" aims to educate audiences with an authentic, unflinching look at labor trafficking as it exists in the United States today. Through firsthand accounts of survivors and advocates on the front lines, the film reveals the systemic failures that allow forced labor to persist nationwide and the solutions and actions needed to put an end to it.

"Our goal is to put a human face on this form of modern-day slavery and inspire people to take a stand," said director Benjamin Ryan Nathan. "'To Be Free' will be an unvarnished look at the real experiences of people in our own communities who are trapped in forced labor. By partnering with 3Strands Global Foundation, we have the opportunity to create real change."

Executive Producer, Martin Sheen explained "In this film, you will learn that labor trafficking does, in fact, exist in just about every town in America, in just about every industry. This film needs to be made so that all these stories can be told and we can expose this insidious, immoral, 21st century institution of slavery in our midst."

Survivor Harold D'Souza, President of Eyes Open International and former member of the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking expressed, "As a survivor of labor trafficking, this documentary holds immense importance for me. It elevates our voices, shedding light on our real, lived experiences and struggles. By ethically sharing our stories, the film seeks to create awareness, support, and true change, fostering a world where all people live free."

According to the International Labor Organization, forced labor and human trafficking is a $150 billion industry worldwide, with hundreds of thousands of victims in the U.S. alone. Farm work, domestic work, hospitality, and construction are some of the industries where people are most at risk of exploitation. Contrary to popular myths and conspiracy theories, many victims of labor trafficking know their traffickers personally and are coerced into forced labor over time.

"We are honored to support the important work of ALL OF US FILMS in bringing this critical issue to light," said Ashlie Bryant, CEO of 3Strands Global Foundation. "'To Be Free' has the power to educate audiences, inform policymakers, and drive action against human trafficking in all its forms which include both sex and labor trafficking."

Filming on "To Be Free" began in 2019 and will continue into 2024. The documentary's release is planned for late 2024 or early 2025. To learn more or donate to the impact campaign, visit www.tobefreefilm.com .

About ALL OF US FILMS

ALL OF US FILMS is a New York-based production company dedicated to creating films and media that inspire positive social change, spark action, and shift perspectives. Visit AllOfUsFilms.com to learn more about the company and its other films and projects.

About 3Strands Global Foundation

3Strands Global Foundation is a non-profit organization working towards a world free from human trafficking. Through their PROTECT prevention education program, they have educated hundreds of thousands of students on how to stay safe from human trafficking. The Employ + Empower program provides support and economic empowerment for survivors. Visit 3SGF.org to learn more about their mission and how you can help.

# # #

MEDIA CONTACT

Ann Bouchard

ann@bouchardcommunications.com

(916) 521-7440

SOURCE: ALL OF US FILMS

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/774412/ALL-OF-US-FILMS-and-3Strands-Global-Foundation-Announce-Partnership-to-Produce-Feature-Documentary-Focused-on-Labor-Trafficking-in-the-United-States
Reaffirms 2023 production guidance; adjusts AISC and capex guidance

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 15, 2023) - Andean Precious Metals Corp. (TSXV: APM) (OTCQX: ANPMF) ("Andean" or the "Company") reported its operating highlights and unaudited condensed interim financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023 (the "Financials"). All amounts are expressed in United States dollars ("U.S. dollars"), unless otherwise noted (C$ refers to Canadian dollars). This news release should be read together with Andean's Financials, which are available under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca).

Q2 2023 Highlights

Three months ended June 30, 2023 vs. three months ended March 31, 2023

Produced 1.2 million silver equivalent ounces ("AgEq oz") 1 , an increase of 22%. The Company is reaffirming its full year 2023 production guidance of 4.8-5.2 million AgEq oz.

Recovery rates improved with an average of 79% in each of the first two quarters of 2023. For the first half of 2023 compared to the first half of 2022, the average recovery rate improved from 76% to 79%.

Of the 1.2 million ounces produced, 0.6 million AgEq oz were sold at an average realized price of $24.65 per ounce for Q2 2023 revenue of $15.3 million. The 38% decrease in ounces sold in Q2 2023 vs. Q1 2023 was due to the sales deferral of approximately 540,000 AgEq oz, which was classified as inventory and valued at $11.3 million. Subsequent to June 30, 2023, the bullion was sold for total revenue of $13.3 million based on an average realized price of $24.70 per ounce.

Cost of sales decreased by 45% to $11.8 million predominantly due to lower ounces sold and a decrease of $1.2 million in mining and material purchasing costs.

Operating cash costs ("OCC") 2 per ounce of silver produced, net of by-product credits, was $19.15, a decrease of 11%.

All-in sustaining costs ("AISC") 2 per silver ounce sold, net of by-product credits, was $23.69, a decrease of only 2% despite lower ounces sold.

General and administrative ("G&A") expenses of $3.1 million were $0.7 million higher quarter-over-quarter due to increased corporate development activities as well as a stronger Mexican peso relative to the U.S. dollar. G&A decreased by $0.4 million and by $0.8 million, respectively, compared to Q2 2022 and H1 2022.

Income from mine operations increased to $2.4 million from $0.4 million.

Net income attributable to equity holders remained unchanged at $0.2 million.

For Q2 2023, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA")2 and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("Adjusted EBITDA")2 was $3.7 million and $4.9 million, respectively, compared with $1.5 million and $1.4 million, respectively, in Q1 2023. EBITDA improved by $0.7 million and Adjusted EBITDA improved by $0.9 million in the first six months of 2023 compared to the first six months of 2022.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Debt-free balance sheet with cash and cash equivalents of $70.4 million. Cash was lower due to the sales deferment of approximately 540,000 AgEq oz, which were sold in July 2023 at an average price of $24.70 per Ag oz, representing revenue of $13.3 million.

Positive working capital of $90.3 million as at June 30, 2023, including liquid assets of $89.9 million, comprised of $70.4 million in cash, silver bullion of $13.3 million, marketable securities of $4.7 million and VAT certificates receivable of $1.5 million. Liquid assets were $91.8 million as at December 31, 2022.

Pursuant to its normal course issuer bid ("NCIB"), the Company repurchased and cancelled 1,430,500 shares at an average purchase price of C$0.77 per share for a total of $0.8 million (C$1.1 million). Since the inception of the NCIB in the fall of 2022 to the end of June 2023, a total of 2,379,600 shares have been repurchased and cancelled at an average purchase price of C$0.80 for a total of $1.4 million (C$1.9 million).

During Q2 2023, the Company entered into silver sales forward contracts for the delivery of 1,025,000 ounces of silver at an average price of $25.75 per ounce. As a result of the decrease in the silver price in May, the forward contracts were unwound, and net cash settled in May 2023, resulting in a realized gain of $2.3 million in Q2 2023.

To mitigate silver price fluctuation risks and its impact on revenue, the Company entered into zero-cost collar contracts with an average put strike price of $23 per ounce and an average call strike price of $30 per ounce for 200,000 ounces per month from August 2023 to December 2023. As at June 30, 2023, the Company recognized an unrealized gain of $1.0 million on the fair value of the contracts.

Growth

The Company signed a mineral purchase agreement with Empresa Minera Bedrock S.R.L ("Bedrock") for 170,000 metric tonnes over the next 24 months from Bedrock's Alta Vista project, located 420 km from San Bartolome. The materials from the Alta Vista project have an expected head grade of approximately 350 g/t. The first material delivery is expected in late Q3 2023.

The silver recovery project at the Company's fines disposal facility ("FDF") continues to advance. Production is expected to commence in the first half of 2024.

Environment and Health & Safety

During Q2 2023, the Company achieved a lost time injury frequency rate of zero per one million hours worked and attained a significant safety milestone of 1.452 million operating hours with no lost time injury.

There were zero significant environmental incidents and zero reportable spills for the three and six-month periods ended June 30, 2023.

"This quarter we increased production and operational efficiencies and maintained recoveries compared to the first quarter. These upward trends continued in July," stated Alberto Morales, Executive Chairman and CEO of Andean.

Mr. Morales continued, "We remain focused on extending the life of San Bartolome and are making significant progress on the tailings silver recovery project at our fines disposal facility. We anticipate publishing a mineral resource estimate shortly, filing a technical report, and commencing production in the first half of 2024. In parallel, we are actively engaged in acquisition activities in the Americas, aiming to become a multi-jurisdictional mid-tier producer."

Summary of Operating and Financial Results

Operating Results Summary







Q2



Q1



%



Q2



Q2



%



H1



H1



% Units

2023



2023



Change



2023



2022



Change



2023



2022



Change Operational Performance























































Tonnes mined (1) k dmt

468



433



8%



468



540



(13%)



901



1,019



(12%)

Average mined grade Ag g/t

43



53



(18%)



43



102



(58%)



48



99



(52%)

Tonnes purchased (2) k dmt

167



89



88%



167



117



43%



256



234



9%

Average purchased grade Ag g/t

186



214



(13%)



186



221



(16%)



196



216



(9%)

Tonnes milled (3) k dmt

385



375



3%



385



407



(5%)



760



813



(7%)

Daily average throughput dmt

4,561



4,461



2%



4,561



4,769



(4%)



4,511



4,714



(4%)

Average head grade Ag g/t

119



106



12%



119



126



(5%)



113



121



(7%)

Silver recovery %

79



79



0%



79



75



6%



79





76



4%

Silver production k oz

1,189



978



22%



1,189



1,236



(4%)



2,167



2,387



(9%)

Gold production oz

396



234



69%



396



902



(56%)



630



1,800



(65%)

Silver equivalent production (4) k oz

1,221



998



22%



1,221



1,310



(7%)



2,218



2,530



(12%)

Silver sales k oz

620



982



(37%)



620



1,225



(49%)



1,602



2,398



(33%)

Gold sales oz

-



215



(100%)



-



900



(100%)



215



1,571



(86%)

Silver equivalent sales (4) k oz

620



1,000



(38%)



620



1,299



(52%)



1,620



2,526



(36%)





































AgEq Production Breakdown by Source































Pallacos k oz

403



388



4%



403



329



22%



791



842



(6%)

Mine reclamation stockpiles k oz

38



165



(77%)



38



305



(88%)



202



395



(49%)

Cachi Laguna k oz

125



120



5%



125



242



(48%)



245



414



(41%)

Oxide purchases k oz

655



325



101%



655



434



51%



980



879



11% Total k oz

1,221



998



(7%)



1,221



1,310



(7%)



2,218



2,530



(12%)

Financial Results Summary

(In 000s except per oz numbers)

Q2

2023



Q1

2023



%

Change



Q2

2023



Q2

2022



%

Change



H1

2023



H1

2022



%

Change

Financial Performance





















































Revenue $ 15,284



23,045



(34%)

$ 15,284

$ 28,892



(47%)

$ 38,329

$ 58,780



(35%)

Cost of sales

11,771



21,217



(45%)



11,771



24,532



(52%)



32,988



45,179



(27%)

Income from mine operations

2,448



374



555%



2,448



3,613



(32%)



2,822



10,037



(72%)

Net income (loss)

169



219



(23%)



169



(6,184 )

(103%)



388



(3,909 )

(110%)

Net income (loss) per share



































-Basic

0



0



(100%)



0



(0.04 )

(100%)



0



(0.02 )

(100%)

-Diluted

0



0



(100%)



0



(0.04 )

(100%)



0



(0.02 )

(100%)

Net cash (used in) provided from operating activities

(5,293 )

(4,323 )

22%



(5,293 )

45



(11862%)



(9,616 )

2,748



(450%)

Free cash flow(5)

(5,588 )

(4,886 )

14%



(5,588 )

(633 )

783%



(10,474 )

1,579



(763%)

EBITDA(5)

3,657



1,516



141%



3,657



(3,597 )

202%



5,173



4,474



16%

Adjusted EBITDA(5)

4,928



1,373



203%



4,928



(715 )

789%



5,527



4,653



19%

Ending cash and cash equivalents

70,427



75,793



(7%)



70,427



88,449



(20%)



70,427



88,449



(20%)

Capital expenditures

295



563



(48%)



295



634



(53%)



858



1,169



(27%)



































OCC (by-product)(5) per oz produced $ 19.15

$ 21.55



(11%)

$ 19.15

$ 18.86



2%

$ 20.24

$ 18.02



12%

OCC (by-product)(5) per oz sold $ 18.99

$ 21.18



(10%)

$ 18.99

$ 18.68



2%

$ 20.33

$ 17.62



15%

AISC (by-product)(5) per oz sold $ 23.69

$ 24.27



(2%)

$ 23.69

$ 21.38



11%

$ 23.89

$ 20.15



19%

(1) Material mined during 2023 and 2022 includes material from the Company's permitted areas, including Santa Rita, Huacajchi, Antuco, El Asiento, Monserrat and Tatasi-Portugalete. Mined material is reported as Run-of-Mine ("ROM").

(2) Purchased material includes oxidized material purchased from local mining cooperatives as well as through the Company's contract with RALP Compania Minera S.R.L. ("RALP").

(3) Tonnes milled is reported as +8 mesh. The acronym "dmt" means dry metric tonnes.

(4) Silver equivalent production and silver equivalent sales include gold production and sales, respectively. Equivalent ounces are calculated using the Company's average realized gold and silver prices during the referenced period. Refer to the "Non-GAAP Financial Measures, Ratios and Supplementary Financial Measures" section of the Company's MD&A for further detail.

(5) FCF, EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, OCC, costs per tonnes and AISC are measures of financial performance with no prescribed definition under IFRS. Refer to the "Non-GAAP Financial Measures, Ratios and Supplementary Financial Measures" section of the Company's MD&A for further detail, including a reconciliation of these metrics to the financial statements.

2023 Guidance

The Company's 2023 outlook was disclosed in the MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2022 filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.com.

The Company is reaffirming its full-year 2023 production guidance of 4.8 million to 5.2 million AgEq oz. During H2 2023, the Company will continue to process material from its surface deposits and from new material purchasing contracts, including the recently signed one with Bedrock for the Alta Vista deposit. Additionally, the Company will continue to purchase material from community mining partners and explore opportunities to source additional feed from third parties and COMIBOL. As previously disclosed, approximately 54% of 2023 production is expected in the second half of the year.

Although management continues to successfully address last year's recovery issues and other challenges, further work remains. While management anticipates production to increase and costs to improve in the second half of the year, these results may not be sufficient to offset the impact of the first two quarters. Accordingly, the Company is increasing its full year 2023 AISC guidance from a range of $19.50 - $20.30 to $20.90 - $21.95.

Due to revised engineering design and procurement plans, capital expenditures are expected to be in the range of $6.5 million to $8.5 million, lower than the range of $8.0 million to $10.0 million in the original guidance. The Company continues to work with consultants on the FDF project, including advanced metallurgical testing and geotechnical studies. The Company has started assessing engineering and construction options and expects to commence production in the first half of 2024.

The following table sets out Andean's year-to-date results against both its original and revised 2023 guidance:



YTD 2023 Actual Original

2023 Guidance(1) Revised

2023 Guidance(2) Silver equivalent production 2.2 million AgEq oz 4.8 million to 5.2 million oz 4.8 million to 5.2 million oz AISC (by-product) $23.89/Ag oz $19.50 to $20.30/Ag oz $20.90 to $21.95/Ag oz Capital expenditures $0.9 million $8 million to $10 million $6.5 million to $8.5 million

(1) Andean's commodity price assumptions supporting this estimate are $21/oz silver.

(2) Andean's commodity price assumptions supporting this estimate are $22/oz silver.

Q2 2023 Webcast

Management will host a webcast tomorrow morning to discuss the Company's Q2 2023 financial and operating results. A question-and-answer session will follow management's prepared remarks. Details of the webcast are as follows:

Date and time: Wednesday, August 16, 2023 at 9:00 a.m. ET

Registration: Please preregister for the webcast by following this link: https://webinars.theassay.com/andean-precious-metals-webcast.

Registration is open now and will be available up and until the date and time of the webcast.

Webcast access: Upon registration, participants will receive an automatic email from Zoom with a link to access the webcast.

To access the live webcast of the earnings call, please connect at least 15 minutes prior to the start time to ensure adequate time for any software download that may be required to join the webcast.

Replay: A replay of the webcast will be available within approximately 48 hours after the live event at www.andeanpm.com.

Qualified Person Statement

The scientific and technical content disclosed in this press release was reviewed and approved by Donald J. Birak, Independent Consulting Geologist to the Company, a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards for Disclosure for Mineral Projects, Registered Member, Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME), Fellow, Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM).

About Andean Precious Metals

Andean is a growth-focused precious metals producer that owns and operates the San Bartolome project located in the department of Potosi, Bolivia. San Bartolome has been operating continuously since 2008, producing an average of 5 million oz of silver equivalent per year. The Company is seeking accretive growth opportunities in Bolivia and the Americas. Andean is committed to fostering safe, sustainable and responsible operations.

For more information, please contact:

Trish Moran

VP Investor Relations

tmoran@andeanpm.com

T: +1 416 564 4290

Anna Speyer

NATIONAL Capital Markets

aspeyer@national.ca

T: +1 416 848 1376

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange, Inc. 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.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements and information in this release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable U.S. securities laws and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, which we refer to collectively as "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements are statements and information regarding possible events, conditions or results of operations that are based upon assumptions about future economic conditions and courses of action. All statements and information other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "seek", "expect", "anticipate", "budget", "plan", "estimate", "continue", "forecast", "intend", "believe", "predict", "potential", "target", "may", "could", "would", "might", "will" and similar words or phrases (including negative variations) suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding an outlook.

Forward-looking statements in this release include, but are not limited to, statements and information regarding: the Company's production outlook and capital expenditure expectations for 2023, the timing of production at the FDF and delivery of materials pursuant to the mineral purchase agreement with Empresa Minera Bedrock S.R.L and the Company's plans for growth through exploration activities, acquisitions or otherwise. Such forward-looking statements are based on a number of material factors and assumptions, including, but not limited to: the Company's ability to carry on exploration and development activities; the Company's ability to secure and to meet obligations under property and option agreements and other material agreements; the timely receipt of required approvals and permits; that there is no material adverse change affecting the Company or its properties; that contracted parties provide goods or services in a timely manner; that no unusual geological or technical problems occur; that plant and equipment function as anticipated and that there is no material adverse change in the price of silver, costs associated with production or recovery. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. The Company believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct, and you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements contained herein.

Some of the risks and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements contained in this release include, but are not limited to: risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits and conclusions of economic evaluations; results of initial feasibility, pre-feasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks relating to possible variations in reserves, resources, grade, planned mining dilution and ore loss, or recovery rates and changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; mining and development risks, including risks related to accidents, equipment breakdowns, labour disputes (including work stoppages and strikes) or other unanticipated difficulties with or interruptions in exploration and development; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; risks related to commodity price and foreign exchange rate fluctuations; the uncertainty of profitability based upon the cyclical nature of the industry in which the Company operates; risks related to failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms or delays in obtaining governmental or local community approvals or in the completion of development or construction activities; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the uncertain global economic environment; and other factors contained in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the MD&A and the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis dated August 15, 2023.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements, you are cautioned that this list is not exhaustive and there may be other factors that the Company has not identified. Furthermore, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements included in, this release if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as otherwise required by applicable law.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures, Ratios and Supplementary Financial Measures

Operating Cash Costs ("OCC"), All-in Sustaining Costs ("AISC") and All-in Costs ("AIC")

Operating cash costs ("OCC"), all-in sustaining costs ("AISC") and all-in costs ("AIC") are non-GAAP financial measures set out under a guidance note released by the World Gold Council in September 2013 and updated in November 2018. These measures are used by management to assess the Company's performance and its expected future performance; however, these measures do not have any standardized meaning. As such, there are likely to be differences in the method of computation when compared to similar measures presented by other issuers. Accordingly, these measures are 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.

OCC include total production cash costs incurred at the Company's mining operations, which form the basis of the Company's cash costs, less by-product revenue from gold sales.

Costs per tonne: The Company uses costs per tonne of material processed to manage and evaluate operating performance at its operation in Bolivia. Costs per tonne of ore processed is calculated based on total production costs on a produce basis, adjusted for changes in inventory, to arrive at total production costs that relate to material production during the period. These total production costs are then further divided into material purchase costs, mining costs and haulage costs, and milling costs. Mining costs includes costs of material and supplies, labour costs, applicable mine overhead costs, and mining contractor costs for mining material; haulage costs include freight charges for shipping stockpile material from mine sites to the plant, and milling costs include costs of materials and supplies, labour costs, and applicable mill overhead costs related to material processing. Mining costs per tonne is the mining and haulage costs divided by the tonnage of material mined and shipped from mine sites to mill site; material purchasing costs per tonne is the material purchasing costs divided by the tonnage of material purchased from third parties; and milling costs per tonne is the milling costs divided by the tonnage of ore processed at the mill. Costs per tonne of material processed is calculated as the sum of per tonne material purchasing costs, per tonne mining and haulage costs, and per tonne milling and processing costs.

AISC on a by-product basis per ounce is a non-GAAP ratio calculated as AISC on a by-product basis divided by ounces of silver equivalent sold. AISC on a by-product basis is a non-GAAP financial measure calculated as the aggregate of production costs as recorded in the consolidated statements of (loss) income, refining and transport costs, cash component of sustaining capital expenditures, lease payments related to sustaining assets, corporate general and administrative expenses and accretion expenses. When calculating AISC on a by-product basis, all revenue received from the sale of gold is treated as a reduction of costs incurred. The Company believes that AISC represents the total costs of producing silver from current operations and provides the Company and other stakeholders of the Company with additional information relating to the Company's operational performance and ability to generate cash flows.

AIC represents AISC plus growth capital and non-sustaining exploration and evaluation costs.

Non-sustaining exploration and evaluation costs represent costs associated with the Company's exploration portfolio, primarily relating to activities at Rio Blanco and the FDF and DSF. Certain other cash expenditures including tax payments, debt payments, dividends and financing costs are also not included in the calculation of AIC. The Company reports these measures on a silver ounce sold basis.

OCC

The following table provides a reconciliation of the OCC per silver ounce produced on a by-product basis to the Financials:

Three months ended June 30,

Six months ended June 30, 2023

2022

2023

2022 Costs of sales, as reported $ 11,771

$ 24,532

$ 32,988

$ 45,179

Add: Inventory adjustment

10,999



431



11,285



770 Total OCC before by-product credits

22,770



24,963



44,273



45,949

Less: by-product gold credits

-



(1,648 )

(415 )

(2,931 ) Total OCC

22,770



23,315

$ 43,858



43,018

Divided by silver ounces produced (k oz)

1,189



1,236



2,167



2,387 OCC per silver ounce produced, on a by-product basis $ 19.15

$ 18.86

$ 20.24

$ 18.02

The following table provides a reconciliation of the OCC per silver ounce sold on a by-product basis to the Financials:

Three months ended June 30,

Six months ended June 30,



2023

2022

2023

2022



Costs of sales, as reported $ 11,771

$ 24,532

$ 32,988

$ 45,179 Total OCC before by-product credits

11,771



24,532



32,988



45,179

Less: by-product gold credits

-



(1,648 )

(415 )

(2,931 ) Total OCC

11,771



22,884

$ 32,573



42,248

Divided by silver ounces sold (k oz)

620



1,225



1,602



2,398 OCC per silver ounce sold, on a by-product basis $ 18.99

$ 18.68

$ 20.33

$ 17.62

AISC

The following table provides a reconciliation of the AISC per silver ounce sold on a by-product basis to the Financials:



Three months ended June 30,



Six months ended June 30,



2023



2022



2023



2022 OCC $ 11,771

$ 22,884

$ 32,573

$ 42,248

General and administrative expenses

3,120



3,550



5,575



6,422

Sustaining capital expenditures(i)

80



634



397



1,081

Lease payments

-



44



-



88

Accretion for decommissioning liability

354



282



672



564

Less: Items included in G &A















Business development

(403 )

(749 )

(576 )

(1,056 ) Share-based compensation

(236 )

(449 )

(365 )

(1.034 ) Severance payment

-



-



(5 )

- AISC

14,686



26,196

$ 38,271

$ 48,313

Divided by silver ounces sold (k oz)

620



1,225



1,602



2,398 AISC per silver ounce sold, on a by-product basis $ 23.69



21.38

$ 23.89

$ 20.15

(i) Sustaining capital expenditures reflect costs necessary to maintain current production.

The following table provides a reconciliation of the AIC per silver ounce sold on a by-product basis to the Financials:



Three months ended June 30,



Six months ended June 30,



2023



2022



2023



2022 AlSC $ 14,686

$ 26,196

$ 38,271

$ 48,313

Non-sustaining exploration and evaluation(i)

389



993



63



1,904

Growth capital

215



-



461



- AIC

15,290



27,189

$ 38,795

$ 50.217 Divided by silver ounces sold (k oz)

620



1,225



1,602



2,398 AIC per silver ounce sold, on a by-product basis $ 24.66

$ 22.20

$ 24.22

$ 20.94

(i) Non-sustaining exploration and evaluation costs are related to growth projects outside Andean's current production profile.

EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA

The Company has included EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA as non-IFRS performance measures in this news release. The Company excludes certain items from net income (loss) to provide a measure that allows the Company and investors to evaluate the results of the underlying core operations of the Company and its 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.

The following table provides a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to the Financials:



Three months ended June 30,



Six months ended June 30,



2023



2022



2023



2022 Net income (loss) $ 169

$ (6,184 ) $ 388

$ (3,909 ) Add:















Income taxes

2,016



1,501



1,459



4,159

Finance costs

407



339



807



660

Depreciation and depletion

1,065



747



2,519



3,564 EBITDA

3,657



(3,597 ) $ 5,173

$ 4,474

Add: Non sustaining exploration and evaluation cost

389



-



63



-

Add: Corporate development

403



-



576



-

Less: Change in fair value of derivative contracts(i)

(972 )

-



(972 )

-

Less: Change in fair value of marketable securities(ii)

1,451



2,882



687



179 Adjusted EBITDA $ 4,928

$ (715 ) $ 5,527

$ 4,653

(i) These amounts refer to fair value change on the derivative contracts on silver sales.

(ii) These amounts refer to mark-to-market adjustments on Santacruz securities.

Free Cash Flow

The Company has included free cash flow as a non-IFRS performance measure in this news release. The Company considers operating cash flow less capital expenditures to provide a measure which allows the Company and investors to evaluate the ability of the Company 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.

The following table provides a reconciliation of free cash flow to the Financials:



Three months ended June 30,



Six months ended June 30,



2023



2022



2023



2022 Net cash (used in) provided from operations $ (5,293 ) $ 45

$ (9,616 ) $ 2,748

Less:















Expenditures on property, plant and equipment

(295 )

(634 )

(858 )

(1,081 ) Lease payments

-



(44 )

-



(88 ) Free cash flow $ (5,588 ) $ (633 ) $ (10,474 ) $ 1,579

Average Realized Gold and Silver Prices

The Company has included average realized prices per ounce as a non-IFRS performance measure in this news release. Average realized siler and gold prices equals revenue per the Statement of Operations divided by ounces of gold or silver sold.

The following table provides a reconciliation of average realized silver and gold prices to the Financials:



Three months ended June 30,



Six months ended June 30,



2023



2022



2023



2022 Silver revenue $ 15,284

$ 27,244

$ 37,914

$ 55,849 Silver sold (k oz)

620



1,225



1,602



2,398 Average realized silver price per ounce $ 24.65

$ 22.24

$ 23.67

$ 23.29





2023



2022



2023



2022 Gold revenue $ -

$ 1,648

$ 415

$ 2,931 Gold sold (oz)

-



900



215



1,571 Average realized gold price per ounce $ -

$ 1,831

$ 1,930

$ 1,866

1 Silver equivalent ounces include gold ounces and are converted to a silver equivalent based on a ratio of average realized silver and gold prices during the periods discussed.

2 EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, OCC and AISC are non-IFRS measures. Please refer to the "Non-GAAP Financial Measures, Ratios and Supplementary Financial Measures" section of this press release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/177387
Inbenta, a Dallas, TX-based provider of an AI platform purpose-built to optimize customer experience, acquired Horizn, a Toronto, Canada-based provider of embeddable interactive product demos.

The amount of the deal was not disclosed.

The acquisition adds a new component to Inbentas customer service toolkit, allowing companies to develop, edit and deploy step-by-step tutorials, improving self-service and reducing agent escalation.

Established in 2011 in Toronto, Canada by Janice Diner, CEO, who will transition into a new role as Inbentas Head of Marketing, Horizn provides a platform that reduces agent escalations in favor of self-service in the majority (they say 80%) of cases. The company has also been able to establish a large customer base with financial institutions in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.

Led by CEO Melissa Solis, Inbenta is a global AI platform purpose-built to optimize customer experience, which combines the use of Natural Language Processing, Neuro-Symbolic AI and Generative AI across four digital support communication modules  Chatbot, Knowledge, Search, and Messenger  delivering a complete and configurable solution for any enterprise.

With its headquarters in Dallas, TX, and with regional offices in the U.S., Europe, Brazil and Japan, the company serves over 1,000 global brands across a range of industries, including financial services, travel, ecommerce, telecom, and utilities.

The acquisition follows Inbentas announcement of its $40M funding in January 2023 led by Tritium Partners. The company is using its resources to accelerate product innovation (including a broad Generative AI integration announced on August 8, 2023), and to drive new market expansion, partnerships, and additional M&A activity.

FinSMEs

15/08/2023
(Todd McKellar campaign image)

A Republican candidate who qualified to run for a state legislative seat in central Louisiana has some questions to answer about his residency, according to a challenge filed in an Evangeline Parish court Monday.

Todd McKellar, who registered last week to run for Louisiana House District 38, claimed a homestead tax exemption on a property he owned across the state in Calcasieu Parish as recently as April 11, according to a copy of the filing the Illuminator obtained. It also points out that voting records indicate McKellar voted in Calcasieu Parish in November.

State law requires candidates to live in a legislative district for at least the preceding year if they intend to seek election in that district.

Plaintiffs in the suit are Evangeline Parish voters Gwen Fontenot and Renee Brown.

According to public records, McKellar has only been legally domiciled in District 38 since March or April 2023, five to six months short of the residency requirement, Fontenot said in a press release. Todd McKellar is trying to trick his way into office by pulling his domicile out of a hat.

The only other candidate who qualified for the race is incumbent Rep. Rhonda Butler, also a Republican. A ruling that disqualifies McKellar would leave Butler unopposed.

McKellar did not immediately respond to calls or emails Monday regarding the residency challenge. He must appear in court Wednesday to contest the allegations.

In response to questions from the Illuminator, Fontenot said she has no affiliation or connection to Butlers campaign and filed the petition after hearing general discussions of others questioning McKellars residency status.

I filed the petition because I believe that anyone running for a political office who will be responsible for upholding or making laws should follow the law rather than try to get around it, Fontenot said. How can he or anyone else expect that they can be trusted to do the job they are seeking if they are falsifying data to qualify for candidacy?

McKellar, who owns a construction company, is a political newcomer. His campaign website has very few details about his ideological platform other than general information that can apply to almost any candidate: Strongly advocates for law enforcement, military, healthcare workers, business owners and educators.

The post Court filing accuses Louisiana House candidate of lying about residency status appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator.
Shaktimaan.ai, a Bengaluru, India-based Artificial intelligence-powered educational platform provider, raised $2m in a seed funding round.

Backers included Fundersclub, GoodWater Capital, Y Combinator, and founders of Jar, among others.

The company intends to use the funds to to enhance the platforms capabilities and adaptability, as well as to advance a Language Model (LLM) specifically trained for various educational use cases.

Co-founded by Vimal Singh Rathore and Aseem Gupta in 2021, Shaktimaan.ai gives students access to knowledge and personalised mentorship in a disciplined ecosystem, starting with UPSC Exam. It currently offers real-time doubt resolution, personalized feedback, and handwritten answer evaluation within seconds.

The startup was a part of Y Combinators Winter 2023 cohort.

FinSMEs

15/08/2023
Swotzy, a Riga, Latvia-based logistics startup, raised 500k in pre-seed funding round.

The round was led by Black Pearls VC and joined by previous investor, the Lithuanian-based FIRSTPICK. Jarosaw Pilarczyk from Black Pearls VC and Andra Bagdonaite from FIRSTPICK will join the companys Supervisory Board.

The company intends to use the funds to accelerate product development, strengthen its presence in the Baltic market, and initiate work on data analysis tools.

Founded in August 2022 by Lauris Rutkis, Kristians Jenciuss, and Jekabs Hincenbergs, Swotzy provides SaaS shipping software, which empowers eCommerce businesses to optimise their shipping strategies, choosing the best-fit carriers for deliveries without having to navigate complex contracts, integrations, and relationships. The software allows businesses to save on shipping costs and benefit from valuable insights about delivery performance, and the best carrier setups.

FinSMEs

15/08/2023
Tripmakery.com, a Vienna, Austria-based group travel booking platform provider, raised a seven-figure funding round.

Backers included ZAKA VC, Gateway Ventures, KFLT Angels and Seedblink, and Jean-Pascal Duvieusart.

The company intends to use the funds to expand operations, its offerings, and its business reach across Europe.

Founded in 2016 by Robert Sasse, and Ajmal Said, Tripmakery.com helps travellers find group accommodations via an API that enables direct hotel bookings. With its enquiry process, the user can search among more than 115.000 accommodations in Europe.

On average, the companys groups travel with 35 people. Tripmakery has 10 employees in Vienna.

FinSMEs

15/08/2023
Zurich Holding Company of America, a Schaumburg, IL-based subsidiary of Zurich Insurance Group, acquired SpearTip, a St. Louis, MO-based cyber counterintelligence firm.

The amount of the deal was not disclosed.

This acquisition expands the cyber risk mitigation services available from Zurich Resilience Solutions, a global division of Zurichs Commercial Insurance Business, to support customers growing needs for comprehensive cyber risk management support amidst a challenging risk landscape.

Zurich Resilience Solutions employs an in-house team of Cyber Risk Management specialists who provide objective assessments of businesses cybersecurity posture and a threat environment, with consultative support to strengthen overall cyber resilience.

SpearTip has been providing cyber risk mitigation services since 2005 and helps organizations identify their cyber risks and vulnerabilities by offering services within three main functional areas:

Managed Detection and Response/Security Operations Center Service

Incident Response including Digital Forensics

Advisory Services

Zurich North America is one of the largest providers of insurance solutions and services to businesses and individuals. Customers represent industries ranging from agriculture to technology. The company is part of Zurich Insurance Group (Zurich), a multi-line insurer serving people and businesses in more than 200 countries and territories.

FinSMEs

15/08/2023
Every story needs to be told, and here is one womans story, like no other  tumultuous, full of courage and teeming with the timeless themes of love, relationships, betrayal, grief and most of all, human resilience. Unbroken, published by HarperCollins India, is the story of Indrani Mukerjea, in her own words, for the very first time.

Dark Chocolate was a Bengali crime thriller based on the Sheena Bora murder case. In an interview with Firstpost, Indrani not only talks about her book, but why she felt important to tell her side of the story. She has been labelled as a social climber, but she refuses to apologise for her choice of clothing which many felt were used to lure powerful men. Similarly, she mentions that she would also not apologise for embracing her attractiveness as a woman. She believes that boss ladies shatter glass ceilings while enduring the weight of gender bias at work, turning obstacles into stepping stones on their path to success.

Edited excerpts from the interview:

What was the process of writing the book?

It was organic for me. Like I have written in the book, the one thing that you have ample time in prison so, writing was therapeutic for me. At a point of time, I was going through so much that the only way for me to make sense of it was to write. Then it took its own course and was whipped into a book after I came out of prison. Words have the tendency to heal. And thats what the process of this book was for me. It helped me heal. It helped me process everything that has happened to me in the past few years.

Why do you feel it is important to tell your side of the story?

Having a voice is like having agency, as I have come to understand through my experiences. When I say voice, Im just referring to being heard. I am not sure if people understand that they have never heard my side of the story from me. Everyone claims to know me and know what I am like, I was painted across newspapers and news channels, but who knows my story?

Now, I feel empowered and capable of making my presence known in the world. After my bail; a sufficient amount of the real story is out there. I can now assert my opinions and share my thoughts. Having a voice allows me to advocate for myself and stand up for what I believe in, not just for myself but for others as well who stand there incarcerated by the system with no one to fall back on. My voice will now be a tool for collaboration, empathy and to foster a sense of community.

Tell us a little bit about your side of the story  the misogynistic environment that you had to deal with from the beginning?

There is no doubt a deep-rooted bias against ambitious women. However, I refuse to apologise for my choice of clothing, particularly my sarees, which some claimed were intended to lure powerful men. Similarly, I will not apologise for embracing my attractiveness as a woman. Unfortunately, since my arrest, I have endured relentless attacks from all directions. I have been subjected to degrading comments and accusations, ranging from being labelled names, called a social climber.

The most absurd of all was the ludicrous allegation that I am a monstrous person who could harm her own daughter. These baseless claims only reflect the misogynistic environment that persists in society, attempting to undermine and discredit successful and empowered women. I came to understand that people will act in their own ways, but I must remain positive and confront the challenges ahead. To achieve that, I recognise the importance of forgiveness towards others and choosing a constructive approach in my actions.

How did people react to your arrest, especially your family and employees?

The revelation shocked many, especially those who knew me well and understood that such actions were not in my character. Unfortunately, some individuals saw an opportunity to exploit the situation. Surprisingly, it was not just men but also women who attempted to drag me down. The day I was arrested, people from various aspects of our social circle descended upon me, ready to attack. Throughout my years in Mumbai, I had never felt animosity directed at me, probably because I always focused on my own endeavours and work. I was known as the hardworking girl who left home early each day, with no intention of turning back. My determination led me to hustle and work tirelessly to build my life independently. Peter, too, was equally dedicated, and together, we created a comfortable life. Our marriage was born out of love, but when that love faded, I made the tough decision to leave him.

As a boss lady, what were some of the recurrent hurdles that you had to go through?

Boss ladies shatter glass ceilings while enduring the weight of gender bias at work, turning obstacles into stepping stones on their path to success. Thats what I did too. I encountered scepticism and many doubters questioned my capabilities solely because of my gender. Women are expected to be less assertive, less competent, or less decisive than their male counterparts. People tried to undermine my leadership and decision-making abilities. I faced micro-aggressions and subtle forms of discrimination that tried to chip away at my confidence. I battled dismissive attitudes, but I am a fighter who wouldnt give up. I persevered. The old boys club mentality couldnt limit me because women dont work for themselves but to serve as an inspiration for future generations of women and create a more inclusive and equitable work force for them.

You were reported as saying that Sheena Bora was your sister  what was the truth and what led up to the situation in your opinion?

I have written all about Sheena and my relationship in the book. I am a woman ahead of my times and I dont think I had the authority to live my life with the freedom I deserved. But I make no apologies about any of my life decisions!

Your childhood days  could you talk a little about the struggles and how it helped shape you into the person you are now?

I had a great childhood. I loved studying. I was a great student. I loved my friends. Some time in my teenage years, my life changed too much. But because of everything I went through, I became the person I am. I am a fighter who wouldnt back down no matter what happens.
Taali is undoubtedly Sushmita Sens best performance and she has given her all for this part. Being a single mother of two adopted kids was a decision Sushmita took very early in her life and probably that is the reason she could feel the role.

Taali is a biopic on Gauri Sawant, who fought with determination against all odds until the third gender found a place on the official documents in India. The story too was handled in a very sensitive manner. It was a bold move by Sushmita too to play the role of a transgender and knowing Sushmita who always follows her heart, I am sure she didnt think twice before taking up the role. All the actresses of Bollywood must learn from her what honest performance looks like.

Taali is a true honest narration and depicts the classism and politics within the transgender community itself. There is not a single time that you will feel that Sushmita has underplayed the role of transgender champion, Shreegauri Sawant. Director of Taali, Ravi Jadhav, is known for making meaningful bold cinema like Natrang which was about a man who plays the nachya (eunuch) in a traditional lavni troupe and Nude which was about a woman who strips to model for art students. This time too his approach to Taali has been equally sensitive.

Another person who has caught the attention of the viewers is Krutika Deo who plays the role of little Gauri aka Ganesh. Deo made her Bollywood debut with Arjun Kapoor and Kriti Sanons Panipat (2019). Taali opens with Ganesh (played by Krutika) sitting in a classroom, sporting long nails and fidgeting with a pink hairband. The next frame shows Ganeshs teacher asking her students what they would like to be in the future. The teacher says that probably Ganesh would like to become an inspector like his father. To which he gets up and says, I want to be a mother, leaving his classmates in splits.

In the next frame, Ganesh is seen pretending as a girl in front of a mirror and her mother comes from behind and gets shocked. He gets caught performing lavani on stage and his/her father gets him/her to promise to never dance like a woman again.

The best thing about Taali is that in the past we have seen transgender roles being played like a caricature and a laughing stalk for the dumb heads. But this time, Sushmita Sen ensured while depicting the life of Gauri Sawant that they may be different, but there is nothing abnormal about them. The series makes us think and probably next time, we will think twice before rolling up the glasses when we see a transgender coming to us begging for money. It is time for inclusivity and most importantly it is time to give all the freedom to work and get educated no matter what gender he/she is from. Now is the time for Taali!

Rating: 4 out of 5
From the ramparts of the historic Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered his tenth Independence Day speech  he equalled the record of hoisting the tricolour for 10 consecutive times  in which he vowed that the country would become one of the top three economies of the world and that the nation now identified as a Vishwamitra.

Sporting a multicolour Rajasthani bandhani print turban with an off-white kurta and churidar, PM Modi in his Independence Day speech highlighted how his government had brought transformation to the nation and added that decisions and actions taken during the Amrit Kaal  the period until 2047, the centenary of Indias Independence  will impact the millennium to come. The decisions we make in this Amrit Kaal, our actions and sacrifices, would pave the way for a glorious history spanning the next millennium, PM Modi said, adding, The events of this era will impact the next millennium.

During his speech, Prime Minister Modi also spoke of the various schemes his administration has launched since coming to power and also made the announcement of a new scheme  the Vishwakarma Yojana.

Lets take a closer look at what this new scheme entails and also the other ones he mentioned in his address to the nation.

Vishwakarma Yojana

Addressing the nation on the occasion of the 77th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the Vishwakarma Yojana for traditional workers and craftsmen with an initial allocation of Rs 13000- Rs 15,000 crore.

PM Modi said, In the coming months we will launch Vishwakarma yojana for those who work with their tools, such as goldsmiths, ironsmiths, washermen, hair-dressers and masons who mostly come from the OBC class.

The scheme will be flagged on Vishwakarma Jayanti, 17 September and seeks to help workers from the OBC community such as barbers, tanners, and blacksmiths. The scheme, according to the prime minister, carries the objective to drive economic growth and social progress among individuals possessing traditional skills.

The Vishwakarma scheme was initially announced in this years Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. At the time, it was said that the scheme aimed at improving the quality, scale and reach of products and services of artisans and craftspeople and to integrate them with the domestic and global value chain.

The finance minister had said that this would result in the economic empowerment of such workers, especially those belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Communities, women, transgender and other weaker sections of the society.

The PM had hailed the scheme at the time of its announcement, saying: There are many of them (artisans) who can become suppliers and producers for our MSME sector. The industrial world can increase production by linking these people with their needs.

Drone training for women

Apart from the Vishwakarma Yojana, PM Modi also made mentions of other schemes and announced a new scheme for women in which they would be trained to operate and repair drones. Pitching the importance of technology in agriculture, he said that 15,000 women self-help groups would be given training to handle and repair drones.

We will train them in operating and repairing drones. Many self-help groups will be provided with drones. These agricultural drones can be utilised effectively. The initiative will begin with the flight of drones by 15,000 womens self-help groups, he said.

Read our other Independence Day specials

Built by the Mughals, how the Red Fort became part of our Independence story

Why the Tricolour is hoisted on Independence Day but unfurled on Republic Day

How Jana Gana Mana was adopted as Indias national anthem

Nuclear tests, liberalisation and more The milestones that define India

Why is kite-flying such a big tradition on Independence Day?

Increase in Jan Aushadi Kendras

Speaking on the occasion of the 77th Independence Day, PM Modi said that his government is working to increase the number of Jan Aushadhi Kendras from 10,000 to 25,000. These centres are a part of the larger scheme, the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadi Pariyojana that aims to provide quality medicines at affordable prices to the masses.

PM Modi in his speech said that holistic healthcare was the demand of the hour after COVID-19, adding that his government had even established a separate Ayush department and now the world is taking note of Ayush and Yoga.

The world is now watching us because of our commitment, Modi said, adding that India has emerged as Vishwa Mitra (friend of the world) in the post-COVID period.

Earlier in March, Bhupender Yadav, a minister in the Modi government, had said that more than 9,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras had been opened across the country by the central government to make healthcare accessible to people.

Housing scheme

PM Modi also announced that his government was planning a scheme in which those who were living in substandard conditions would get receive relief on the interest that they would pay on debt that they would undertake towards proper housing.

Such beneficiaries would be those living in slums, unauthorised settlements, jhopdis and jhuggis, largely in urban areas.

PM Modi already has the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojan -Urban (PMAY-U), which was launched in 2015. Under this scheme, around 1.18 crore houses have already been sanctioned until 31 July, out of which 76.02 lakh have been delivered to the beneficiaries.

Prime Minister Modi also used the opportunity to highlight his governments other achievements and his vision for the country. According to many poll pundits, this speech gains even more significance, as it his last before the 2024 general elections.

And Modi ensured that he spoke of his governance in his speech which also saw him ditching the regular Mitron address and repeatedly referring to the people as parivaarjan, which means family members. In fact, at the end of his speech, he explained why he used parivaarjan, saying, I am one of you. I have come from amid you. My sweat is for you. I work for you not because you entrusted me with the responsibility. I do it because you are my family members. And I cant see your suffering, your dreams crashing.

With inputs from agencies
At 7.30 am this morning (15 August), Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoisted the Tricolour at the Red Fort and delivered his tenth Independence Day speech, equalling the record held by his predecessor  Manmohan Singh.

On the 77th Independence Day, Modi in his 90-minute long address  this is his third-longest I-Day speech  set the tone for the 2024 general elections and continued his focus on the youth, women, farmers, and the small and medium sector. He stressed on the achievements during his term, and reiterated that India must be a developed nation by 2047, when we celebrate 100 years of Independence.

Continuing his turban tales, he appeared passionate and full of enthusiasm at the historic Red Fort, saying there are no ifs or buts in the minds of the Indians and the world about Indias strength and potential and that the countrys developmental approach should keep in mind the global welfare as well.

Through his several I-Day speeches  hes only behind Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi in addressing the nation on this day  the PM has articulated a wide range of ideas. Lets take a closer look at them and how his last speech in the second term measures to the older ones.

Ill be back speech (2023)

As PM Modi spoke of India now being identified as a Vishwa Mitra, perhaps the biggest difference in the speech was that he addressed the nation as his parivaarjan (family members) rather than referring them as my fellow citizens in his previous speeches.

Modi used the word parivaarjan at least 50 times in his nearly 90-minute-long speech, a point that many pundits pointed out soon after he concluded his address.

In his speech, he covered a gamut of topics  from the violence in Manipur to how the nation was slowly transforming.

The prime minister vowed that India would be among the top three economies in the world in the next five years and also announced the launch of some new schemes, including the Vishwakarma Yojana.

Modi also identified corruption, dynasty and appeasement politics as three problems confronting India and exhorted people to rise against them. Taking on the Congress, he said in his speech, How can a political party have only one family in charge? For them their life mantra is party of the family, by the family and for the family.

In conclusion of his speech, Modi also had an Arnold Schwarzenegger moment when he said that he would present the countrys achievements on 15 August 2024. The next five years are for unprecedented development. The biggest golden moment to realise the dream of 2047 is the next five years. The next time, on 15 August, I will present before you the achievements and developments of the country from this Red Fort, he said during his Independence Day address.

This is the second time he has alluded to the BJPs victory in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Last week while replying to the no-confidence motion against him, he had said to the Opposition, The country believes that in 2028 when you will bring a no-confidence motion, we will be among the top three economies globally, this is our belief.

Panch Pran for Amrit Kaal (2022)

Last year, in his ninth address to the country on Independence Day, PM Modi had laid down five resolves or the panch pran for the Amrit Kaal. This included the pledge to work towards a Viksit Bharat (developed India), remove any vestiges of colonialism, retain our roots, ensure unity in diversity, and carry out a citizens duties.

He also took on corruption and dynastic politics in his speech, saying they were the biggest challenges for the nation.

Furthermore, he took on China, without naming them, saying that those who challenge the countrys sovereignty, be it the Line of Control or Line of Actual Control, have been given a befitting reply in their own language.

Vision for Amrit Kaal (2021)

In 2021, PM Modi focused on next generation infrastructure that would help build a new India by 2047  the 100th year of Independence. It was the year that he announced the Prime Minister Gati Shakti national master plan that expedites key projects and ensures that the stakeholders dont work in silos.

Laying out a blueprint of Indias development journey, he said: Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayaas is very important for the achievement of all our goals. He further added, We have to ensure we meet our goal of building Aatmanirbhar Bharat when we celebrate 100 years of Indias Independence.

He also announced the National Hydrogen Mission aimed at making India a global hub for Green Hydrogen production and export.

Coronavirus and Make for the World (2020)

This was the year that the world had seen lockdowns owing to the coronavirus. Amid several health measures, PM Modi gave the mantra of Make for the World. He said the country must not only Make in India but also Make for the World. He added that the country had moved from just making N-95 masks, PPE and ventilators to exporting these items to other countries.

He also announced the launch of the National Digital Health Mission under which every Indian is to get a unique health ID. The mindset of free India should be vocal for local, and that the country must appreciate its local products, he said.

New laws and new mindset (2019)

Returning to power in 2019 for his second term, PM Modi made a push for abrogation of Article 370 and 35A, saying it was a significant step towards fulfilling the dream of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel and added that the spirit of One Nation, One Constitution has become a reality.

He also highlighted that his administration had done away with almost 1, 450 obsolete laws.

It was the year that PM Modi also announced the creation of the Chief of Defence Staff, a landmark in the defence sector. While making this announcement, he had said that it would sharpen coordination between the Armed Forces.

Read our full coverage of Independence Day

How the Red Fort became part of our Independence story

Nuclear tests, liberalisation and more The milestones that define India

Why the Tricolour is hoisted on Independence Day but unfurled on Republic Day

Prep for 6G in India is on, says PM Modi on I-Day. How different is it from 5G?

Why is kite-flying such a big tradition on Independence Day?

Vishwakarma Yojana and more Schemes mentioned in PM Modis I-Day speech

How Jana Gana Mana was adopted as Indias national anthem

A recap of the Modi Sarkar (2018)

As this was his last speech in his first tenure as prime minister, PM Modi used this chance to present the country with a report card of his government. The 2016 surgical strikes against terror launch pads were mentioned, as was GST, and his governments work towards building toilets, electrification, and strengthening the Indian passport.

He also announced the flagship health scheme, Ayushmann Bharat to provide health cover of up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year, and said it would be rolled out in September.

During his 2018 Independence Day speech, PM Modi also declared the grant of Permanent Commission for the appointment of women officers in the Short Service Commission of Indian Armed Forces. Moreover, he also announced Indias Gaganyaan plan, a manned space mission, which is expected to take place in 2024.

Bharat Jodo (2017)

PM Modi in this year, the 75th anniversary of the Quint India movement, said that while Quit India was about Bharat Chhodo, the call of today is Bharat Jodo.

In his 56-minute long speech, his shortest one so far, he urged citizens to leave the chalta hai (casual) attitude and think of badal sakta hai (it can change). This attitude will help us as a nation, he said.

He also mentioned the demonetisation initiative, and noted that Indians had shown patience and faith in its aftermath.

A major focus of the 2017 speech for Modi was the confiscation of benami property, stating that government had not only confiscated black money worth Rs. 1.25 lakh crore but also cancelled the registration of 1.75 lakh companies out of three lakh dealing in hawala transactions.

Attack on Pakistan (2016)

Prime Minister Modis 2016 speech was different from his previous ones, as he took on Pakistan in it. Speaking about Balochistan for the first time, Modi had said: For the past few days the people of Balochistan, the people of Gilgit, the people of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, the way their citizens have heartily thanked me, the way they have acknowledged me, the goodwill they have shown towards me [They] acknowledge the Prime Minister of India, they honour him, so it is an honour of my 125 crore countrymen, it is respect of my 125 crore countrymen I want to heartily thank the people of Balochistan, the people of Gilgit, the people of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.

Start up India, Stand Up India (2015)

In 2015, PM Modi coined the slogan Start-up India, Stand up India, aimed at extending support to people to start new ventures and businesses, especially those belonging to the weaker sections.

It was also the year that the prime minister announced that the government had in principle, accepted the One Rank One Pension demand from the Armed Forces.

He also announced the ambitious Housing for All programme.

Swachh Bharat (2014)

Less than 100 days after Narendra Modi stormed to power and became prime minister that he walked up the ramparts of Red Fort and delivered his maiden Independence Day speech. It was in this year that Modi announced the Swachh Bharat and Jan Dhan Yojana as well as Skill India, which aimed at equipping people with skills for employability.

In a speech that clocked 64 minutes, he also described himself as the pradhan sevak of the country and spoke of taking everyone along. I am an outsider to Delhi I have been quite isolated from the elite class of this place, but during the last two months I had an insider view, and I was astonished. It is not a political platform, rather it is a platform of a national policy and, therefore, my views should not be evaluated from a political perspective, the PM had said.

With inputs from agencies
Forget 5G, the 6G era is coming to India soon. Thats what Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today (15 August) from the ramparts of the Red Fort as he addressed the nation on the occasion of the 77th Independence Day.

Talking about the 6G development, PM Modi said: We have formed a 6G task force, adding that India had achieved the fastest nationwide rollout of 5G  with 700 districts already benefiting from the countrys 5G infrastructure.

Speaking from the historic Red Fort, PM Modi also vowed that the country, now identified as a Vishwa Mitra would also soon be one of the three top economies in the world.

But what exactly is 6G? How is it different from 5G and when can we expect it?

What is 6G?

6G technology is the sixth generation of cellular technology that promises to provide diverse connectivity at microsecond speeds. A 6G network follows up on 4G and 5G, using higher frequency bands and agile, cloud-based networking technology to deliver record-breaking speeds and microsecond latency.

To clarify, 6G network doesnt exist yet. However, experts believe that with 6G technology users will be able to instantaneously transfer data and do away with buffering, lags and disconnections. As Builtin.com explained, In a similar way to how 2G gave us text messaging and 4G introduced an entire mobile app system, 6G will enhance machine-to-machine communication, creating greater interoperability in a smart, Internet-of-Things era.

However, as India Today explains theres more to 6G than just faster internet. 6G will link countless machines and gadgets together on land as well as in the skies. The arrival of 6G, according to experts, will blur the lines between the physical world and the digital realm.

Whats the difference between 5G and 6G?

6G technology is expected to build on the existing 5G infrastructure, surpassing it in every way. Tech pundits believe that in terms of speed, 6G will deliver one terabyte (1,000 gigabytes) of data at one microsecond, while 5G will deliver 20 gigabytes at one millisecond (1,000 microseconds).

6G will primarily serve machine-to-machine communication  simply because its so fast that our brains cant perceive the difference. As Shamik Mishra, CTO of connectivity at tech consulting company Capgemini Engineering, told Built In, For human consumption, I dont think 6G will change anything.

PM Modi in his Independence Day speech also alluded to how 6G would change the world. He said with 6G factories would be controlled from a distance, cars could drive and talk to each other and wearable gadgets would be able to understand human feelings.

When can we expect 6G?

As of now, theres no fixed date on the rollout of such technology anywhere in the world. However, some experts and tech executives believe that 6G could become reality by 2030. Nick McKeown, senior vice president of the Network and Edge Group at Intel, told CNBC he sees 6G being rolled out in 2030, with standards being set a few years before.

The CTO of BT said next generations of mobile networks are usually rolled out around the Olympics and was of the opinion that 6G would be rolled out around the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane, Australia.

Neil Mawston, executive director at market research firm Strategy Analytics, said he predicted the first 6G-enabled smartphone to be launched in 2029. The 6G race is underway, Mawston was quoted as telling CNBC.

And work on 6G has already started. South Koreas Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute is working on terahertz frequency bands for faster speeds. Similarly, Japans Osaka University is also working on a project.

India, too, has taken steps towards the development of 6G technology in the country. Earlier this year, PM Modi launched the Bharat 6G Vision document and the Department of Telecom instituted a task force called the Bharat 6G Alliance. India has also drawn up plans for 6G technology, with reports stating that it will be done in two phases: the first will be from 2023 to 2025 during which support will be provided to ideas and proof-of-concept tests. The second phase from 2025 to 2030 will see these ideas being tested, eventually leading to commercialisation.

Also read: India launches 5G services in country: Which other countries provide high-speed internet and at what cost?

What about 5G in India?

The talk to switch to 6G comes just a year after Indias 5G spectrum auction was held in July 2022. At the time, Reliance Jioled by Mukesh Ambanisecured the highest bid at Rs 88,078 crore, followed by Airtel with a bid of Rs 43,084 crore.

Soon after, in October, 5G services were launched. In fact, PM Modi had launched the 5G services at New Delhis Pragati Maidan during which he had said, 5G is a knock on the doors of a new era in the country. 5G is the beginning of an infinite sky of opportunities.

And according to an analysis by OpenSource, 5Gs availability has reached 29.9 per cent. The July report further stated that the average 5G download speeds in the country were 19.2 times as fast as 4G speeds and additionally, India witnessed an average 5G download speed of 301.6 mbps.

India has come a really long way  from the prohibitively expensive internet data in 2014, priced at Rs 269/GB to Rs 10.1/GB (2023), owing to which the country can boast of having the third lowest Average Data Tariff (per GB).

With inputs from agencies
The walls of Red Fort have sustained several attacks and witnessed countless struggles. Significant historical events took place at the 16th-century monument, which has now become synonymous with Independence Day celebrations in New Delhi.

Since 1947, Indias prime ministers have hoisted the tricolour here and addressed the country from the rampart adjacent to Lahore Gate. But why is the iconic site central to our I-Day festivities?

We take a look at the long and storied history of the Red Fort.

The revolt of 1857

Built between 1638 to 1649 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, the Red Fort was not just an architectural marvel  it was the seat of power during the Mughal era. It was after the inauguration of this palace citadel that Delhi became the capital of the empire and remained so until the end of the Mughal rule in 1857.

Initially serving as Shah Jahans fort palace, the bastion derived its name from its massive red sandstone walls.

Following Aurangzebs reign, the grandiosity of the palace started dwindling as the later Mughal rulers could not take on invaders like Nadir Shah of Iran who looted massive booty from the fort.

Subsequently from mid to late 18th century, attacks from the Marathas, Jats, Sikhs and Gurjars further weakened the Mughal influence on the palace.

By the 19th century, the British expanded their influence in northern India and finally captured Delhi in 1803. Without losing any more time, they started taking control of the Red Fort, knowing well that it was the place which will bring them all kinds of trouble.

And it did. In 1857, rebellious sepoys reached the doors of the Red Fort, asking Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar to lead the mutiny against the British. Soon, the palace became the central point of the colonial administrations plan to suppress the rebellion.

The 1857 rebellion was the first major uprising against colonial rule  the Sepoy Mutiny was the first formal war of Independence. It was during this revolt that the Red Fort emerged as an important symbol of the Independence movement since the palace emerged as the foreground of sepoy resistance against Britishers.

After suppressing the rebellion and regaining control over Delhi, the British killed most of Bahadur Shahs sons and made the emperor a prison in his own home. But this was not the end of it.

Even after the revolt of 1857, the colonial rulers destroyed the inner structures of the Red Fort. Precious artwork, stones and jewels were looted from the palace and Mughal structures like the harem courts, the royal store rooms and kitchens were vandalised.

Historian KN Panikkar told The Wire that even as a failure, the 1857 revolt served as a source of inspiration for the freedom struggle.

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Indian National Army and Red Fort

The infamous Indian National Army (INA) trials brought back the spotlight on Red Fort.

According to Amar Farooqui, a historian and the author of Zafar and The Raj, Subhas Chandra Bose, who headed INA, invoked the Red Fort in his famous call Challo Dilli, according to a report in The Wire. Bose or Netaji, as he was famously called, said, Our task will not end until our surviving heroes hold the victory parade on the graveyard of the British Empire, at the Lal Quila, the Red Fort of ancient Delhi.

From 1945 to 1946, Red Fort was chosen as the location to conduct the court martial of three officers of the INA  Shah Nawaz Khan, Prem Sehgal and Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon. According to a report in The Print, the officers were charged for waging a war against the king as they had changed their allegiance during the Second World War. Initially fighting for the British cause, thousands of Indian officials joined the newly constituted INA and assisted the Japanese to fight the English.

Due to the trials, protests and demonstrations were organised across the country. These agitations further solidified the Indian Independence movement.

The nationwide campaign that was waged for the release of the officers further reinforced the public perception of the Red Fort as a symbol of anti-colonial resistance.

A legacy left behind by Nehru

Finally in 1947, as Indias first prime Jawaharlal Nehru replaced the colonial flag with the Indian National flag, the Red Fort cemented its place in modern history.

Its been 75 years. Since then every prime minister has hoisted the national flag here and given a speech from its rampart. It has now become an Independence Day tradition.

Hundreds and thousands of people gathered to hear the countrys first PM speak and celebrate freedom.

With inputs from agencies
House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, D-Huntsville, talks about Allen v Milligan proceedings on Aug. 14, 2023, in Birmingham, Alabama. (Jemma Stephenson/Alabama Reflector)

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  A panel of three federal judges Monday appeared skeptical of a congressional map produced by the Alabama Legislature and frustrated by the states apparent refusal to create a district where Black candidates could compete.

That frustration spilled over into closing arguments presented by Alabama Solicitor General Edmund LaCour, who told judges that the Legislatures map  with a district with a 51% Black population and a second with a 40% Black population  was as close as the state could get to drawing a second majority-minority district without violating the Constitution or the courts own ruling in the case, known as Allen v. Milligan.

What I hear you saying is the state of Alabama deliberately disregarded our instruction, said U.S. District Judge Terry Moorer.

The court in January 2022 ruled that the states 2021 congressional maps violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, and ordered the state to draw a new map with a remedy that included a second majority-Black congressional district or something quite close to it. The judges in the case signaled at the hearing in Birmingham Monday that they did not think the state had reached that.

U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco asked LaCour what the states position would be if the court did tell them to draw a second majority-minority district.

I think our position would be that would be a violation of Allen vs. Milligan, he said.

The tense back and forth at the end of the day came after a morning where the plaintiffs and defendants did not seem to be in agreement over the purpose of the hearing.

LaCour appeared eager to reargue portions of the case  something the judges involved expressly said they would not do  while plaintiffs challenging the state urged the court to reject the state-approved maps as ignoring its 2022 finding that the congressional maps violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

U.S. Circuit Judge Stanley Marcus asked if they, in this case, are in the first inning of the first game in this case, while plaintiffs and defendants clashed over how federal law applied to the matter at hand.

The hearings also featured recordings introduced by plaintiffs where the House chair of the Permanent Legislative Redistricting Commission said he declined to put his name on the map that eventually passed the Legislature.

Quite close to it?

The three-judge court  consisting of Marcus, appointed by President Bill Clinton, and Manasco and Moorer, both appointed by President Donald Trump  ruled in January 2022 that the states 2021 congressional map likely violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Citing the high degree of racial polarization in voting in Alabama, where white voters tend to support Republicans and Black voters tend to support Democrats, the court ruled that the remedy would be a second majority-Black district or something quite close to it. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the ruling in June.

The state-approved maps create a 7th Congressional District in Birmingham and west Alabama that is 50.65% Black, and a 2nd Congressional District in southeast Alabama that is 40% Black. The plaintiffs  divided into two groups known as the Milligan plaintiffs and the Caster plaintiffs  said those maps would not give Black voters in the 2nd district any chance to elect their preferred candidates.

Abha Khanna, who represents the Caster plaintiffs, said during arguments Monday that Alabama has squandered the opportunity to draw their own maps, and that the state has not made a serious effort to remedy a serious violation.

She said Alabama has chosen to thumb its nose at this court, the Supreme Court and Black voters.

In closing remarks, Khanna said that the states response is that they are going to do what has already been struck down.

Racial polarization in Alabama is intense and it is stark, she said.

The state has insisted that its maps better follow traditional redistricting principles and want to challenge 11 illustrative maps filed in the original hearing. The maps were upheld by the lower court and the Supreme Court and the judges have said they do not wish to relitigate them.

We are the only party here who is giving Allen vs. Milligan a serious reading, LaCour said.

LaCour, echoing arguments made by the state in earlier filings, argued that plaintiffs maps are racial gerrymandering through race predominating. The states maps would not be racial gerrymandering because they take into account other things, such as county splits and communities of interest.

LaCour declined comment after the hearing on Monday.

The Gingles test

The arguments focused on Thornburg v. Gingles, a 1986 Supreme Court case that created criteria for Section 2 of the Voting Right Acts violations.

The Gingles test has three prongs: the minority group must be sufficiently large and geographically compact enough for a district, the at-question minority group must be politically cohesive, and the majority group must be politically cohesive in a way that defeats the minority groups preferred voter.

The plaintiffs say that the relevant portion of the Gingles test are prongs two and three as they said one wasnt in dispute. The state says that they need to discuss prong one, while they concede prongs two and three, and LaCour said none of those factors are in dispute.

After the hearing, Deuel Ross, with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and attorney for the Milligan plaintiffs, said to reporters that one was the provision debated in the first preliminary hearing, so it was no longer in dispute. He said that the state was applying the standard to be in reference to the new redistricting rules they adopted along with the new map in last months special session.

Thats not what the standard is and thats exactly what the Supreme Court said is standard just as a couple of months ago in this case, he said.

The states attorneys leaned into an argument that they left communities of interest as intact as possible. The bill that passed with the 2023 map defines them as the Wiregrass, Black Belt and Gulf Coast.

The plaintiffs admitted some evidence to the point of communities of interest but said it depends on how the court decides the scope of the case will go.

Disagreements

In opening arguments, Ross played recordings of depositions of Sen. Steve Livingston, R-Scottsboro, and Rep. Chris Pringle, R-Mobile, the chairs of the Legislatures redistricting committee, discussing the maps. The eventual map that passed the Legislature was a Livingston map.

Pringle said in his deposition that LaCour had met with the Senate. Pringle said he was informed that the version of the map from the Senate would be the one that passed. Pringle said he felt his map better addressed the Voting Rights Act and wanted Livingstons name on it.

Ross said they expected the court to draw a new map, and the law was very clear about the issue.

Our expectation is that the trial court will strike down the new map, and that if Alabama appeals to the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court will have the same result that it had just a couple months ago, he said.

He said that the plaintiffs are not asking for a specific illustrative map, and the court can draw a map that balances the communities that Alabama wants to respect and the ability for Black voters to have representation.

After the hearing, some Alabama House Democrats were in attendance at a news conference in front of the court house.

House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, D-Huntsville, said they expected a new map to be drawn.

As the plaintiffs attorney mentioned, the defiance over compliance, and I think that there are going to be some severe consequences over choosing defiance over compliance, and we look forward to really seeing the court decide, he said.

At the end of the hearing, Khanna asked the court if they were going to get trapped in a loop of stays and end up with the states current map for the 2024 election.

We are not waiving the right to seek a stay, LaCour said.

This article was first published by the Alabama Reflector, part of the States Newsroom network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com. Follow Alabama Reflector on Facebook and X.

The post Federal judges express frustration with Alabama attorneys over congressional map appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator.
Over 150 students from the violence-hit state of Manipur have enrolled in Delhi government schools as the government is ensuring that they can lead a normal life in the national capital, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Tuesday.

Speaking at the Delhi governments Independence Day event at Chhatrasal Stadium here, Kejriwal expressed sadness over the situation in Manipur, which has been roiled by months-long ethnic violence.

Fighting and hatred are going on everywhere in the country. It used to hurt to think about Manipur. Today, we have made a small effort. As many as 150 children from Manipur have been given admission to Delhi government schools without school leaving certificates, he said

These children are being counselled and efforts are being made to help them lead normal lives, he added.

He said that India can only become number one in the world if all its citizens learn to live like a family.

Kejriwal stressed the need to create positive energy in the country amid an atmosphere of negativity.

If we fight among ourselves, India will not progress. If we work together, no power can stop India from becoming the number one country in the world, he said.

More than 150 people have been killed in the ethnic violence in Manipur since May 3.

With inputs from agencies
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president JP Nadda stated on Tuesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modis address to the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort was motivational for the youth because it reflected the roadmap for a developed country until 2047.

JP Nadda claimed that PM Modi frequently referred to his countrymen as members of his family.

I extend my greetings to everyone on the occasion of Independence Day. PM Modis speech reflected the roadmap for a developed country till 2047. His speech was an announcement to free the country from corruption and dynastyThe entire country is his (PM Modi) family. We got to see its glimpse in his speech today. When he repeatedly addressed the countrymen and called them family members. He gave a clear message of reform, perform and transform from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Nadda said.

PM Modi on Tuesday addressed the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the 77th Independence Day.

Highlighting the speech, Nadda said, PM Modi also gave three guarantees to the countrymen. Firstly, in five years, India will become the third-largest economy in the world. Second, those living on rent in cities will get concessions in bank loans. And third, 25,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendra will be opened across the country.

The PM also recalled the crisis faced by many parts of the country due to the natural calamity. He also mentioned Manipur, which is moving towards peace. And also discussed in detail how the country is improving after thousand years of slavery. He said that a new attraction has arisen in the world towards Indias consciousness and potential, Nadda added.

Whatever we do and whatever decisions we take will determine our direction for the next 1000 years. The one who writes the fate of India, he quoted PM Modi as saying.

Taking note of PM Modis poem, during the speech, Chalta Chalata Kaal Chakra, Amrit Kaal Ka Bhaal Chakra, Sabke Sapne Apne Sapne, Panpe Sapne Saare, Dheer Chale Veer Chale, Chale Yuva Humare, Neeti Sahi, Reeti Naayi, Gati Sahi Raah Nayi, Chuno Chunauti Seena Taan, Jag Mein Badhao Desh Ka Naam, Nadda said that it instilled a new enthusiasm among the youths.

Before addressing fellow countrymen on the 77th Independence Day, PM Modi paid floral tributes at the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat.

This years Independence Day will culminate the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, which were launched by Prime Minister Modi from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on March 12, 2021, and will usher the country into Amrit Kaal.

(With agency inputs)
From the ramparts of the iconic Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday, in his Independence Day 2023 speech, praised efforts of the Indian judiciary to translate key judgments in regional languages.

PM Modi emphasised the importance of mother tongue as he praised the Supreme Courts move to provide judgments in regional languages.

I want to thank the Supreme Court that now the operative part of its judgments will be available in ones mother tongue. The significance of regional languages is increasing, the Prime Minister said.

Sitting among the guests, Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud acknowledged the Prime Minister with folded hands, while others clapped.

Later in an address, CJI Chandrachud said, PM Modi today in his Independence Day speech at Red Fort mentioned the efforts of the Supreme Court to translate the judgements in regional languages. Up to now, 9,423 judgements have been translated in regional languages.

VIDEO | PM today in his Independence Day speech at Red Fort mentioned about the efforts of the Supreme Court to translate the judgements in regional languages. Up to now, 9,423 judgements have been translated in regional languages, says CJI DY Chandrachud. pic.twitter.com/mwOto7QGV5  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 15, 2023

In January this year, CJI Chandrachud announced that the judgments delivered by the Supreme Court will be translated into four languages Hindi, Tamil, Gujarati and Odia. He said that translation of judgments in the regional languages will help in the access to justice for the citizens.

While making the announcement, the CJI had said, Because we must understand that the language which we use namely English, is a language which is not comprehensible, particularly in its legal avatar, to 99.9 per cent of our citizens, said the CJI.

The CJI had also said the next step is to provide translated copies of the judgments of the Supreme Court in every Indian language and emphasised on the use of technology to help the courts reach out to citizens across India.

Besides Hindi, Odia, Tamil, Gujarati, the verdicts by the Supreme Court are now available on the official website of the apex court in Assamese, Khasi, Garo, Punjabi, Nepali and Bengali. More languages will be added to this list soon.

The Supreme Court uploaded about 1,000 of its verdicts in regional languages as part of Republic Day and its foundation day celebrations this year.

Since then, 9,423 judgments have been translated into regional languages, with 8,977 of them in Hindi, the CJI said.

Our target is to make a total of 35,000 key decisions since the Supreme Court came into existence, accessible to people in all languages, the CJI added.

The aim of this initiative is to help take the judiciary directly to peoples doorstep and help them understand the legal process by reading judgments in their mother tongue.
With India celebrating its 77th year of Independence, leaders from across the world have wished the country on its day of getting freedom from the British Raj.

Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter), French President Emmanuel Macron said, Congratulations to the Indian people on your Independence Day!

Recalling Prime Minister Narendra Modis recent visit to France, Macron said, A month ago in Paris, my friend @narendramodi and I set new Indo-French ambitions all the way to 2047, the centenary year of Indias Independence. India can count on France as a trusted friend and partner, always.

Expressing gratitude to the French president, PM Modi said, Thankful for your kind wishes, President @EmmanuelMacron. I fondly recall my visit to Paris and appreciate your passion towards boosting India-France ties.

Thankful for your kind wishes, President @EmmanuelMacron. I fondly recall my visit to Paris and appreciate your passion towards boosting India-France ties. https://t.co/hJWqxhcdUx  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 15, 2023

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the bilateral relationship between the United States and India is deeper and more expansive than ever as he extended his wishes to Indians on Independence Day.

On this momentous day, we reflect on the depth and breadth of our strategic partnership, and we celebrate the proud history of the Indian people, who are the key to the bright future we are building together, Blinken said.

US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti said, On behalf of the U.S. Mission in India, I wish you all a very happy and joyous #IndependenceDay2023! Attending my first Indian #IndendenceDay celebration at the iconic Red Fortan absolute honor.

On behalf of the U.S. Mission in India, I wish you all a very happy and joyous #IndependenceDay2023! Attending my first Indian #IndendenceDay celebration at the iconic Red Fortan absolute honor. pic.twitter.com/NiDl4qnJV8  U.S. Ambassador Eric Garcetti (@USAmbIndia) August 15, 2023

On the auspicious occasion of the 77th Independence Day of India, I extend warm greetings and best wishes to PM @narendramodi ji and to the friendly people of India for continued peace, progress and prosperity @PMOIndia, said Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal as he wished India on Independence Day.

On the auspicious occasion of the 77th Independence Day of India, I extend warm greetings and best wishes to PM @narendramodi ji and to the friendly people of India for continued peace, progress and prosperity @PMOIndia  PMO Nepal (@PM_nepal_) August 15, 2023

Similarly, Bhutan, which shares borders with India, congratulated India on its 77th Independence Day.

I join my friends from India in celebrating the remarkable journey of their nation today. pic.twitter.com/gnfjgVGulm  PM Bhutan (@PMBhutan) August 15, 2023

Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation from New Delhis Red Fort on the occasion of Independence Day.
Addressing the nation on the occasion of the 77th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the resilience and unity of the nation while outlining his governments achievements and future aspirations.

In his wide-ranging speech from the Red Fort, Prime Minister Modi began by extending heartfelt greetings to the 140 crore citizens of India and recognised the nations status as the worlds largest democracy and a symbol of faith.

He commemorated the freedom struggle, acknowledging the heroic contributions of leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru, who sacrificed for the countrys liberty.

The movement of non-cooperation under the leadership of Pujya Bapu, the movement of Satyagraha and the sacrifice of countless heroes like Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru, there would be hardly any person in that generation who did not contribute to the freedom of the country. Today, I respectfully bow down to all those who have contributed, sacrificed, performed penance in the countrys freedom struggle, I congratulate them, he said.

The Prime Minister emphasised the significance of historical anniversaries, including the 150th birth anniversary of Sri Aurobindo and the 500th birth anniversary of Rani Durgavati. He celebrated Indias rising global influence and its bright future, marked by the upcoming 75th Republic Day celebrations in 2024.

He said, Today, 15th August, the 150th birth anniversary of Sri Aurobindo, the great revolutionary and pioneer of spiritual life, is being completed. This year is the year of 150th birth anniversary of Swami Dayanand Saraswati. This year is a very auspicious occasion of the 500th birth anniversary of Rani Durgavati, which the whole country is going to celebrate with great pomp. This year is also the auspicious festival of 525 years of Meerabai, the head of Bhakti Yoga.

Turning to recent challenges, Prime Minister Modi addressed the turmoil in Manipur and the North-East, expressing condolences for the lives lost and asserting the governments commitment to restoring peace through peaceful means. He highlighted ongoing efforts to resolve these issues collaboratively.

PM Modi said, Last few weeks in North-East, especially in Manipur and also in some other parts of India, but especially in Manipur, many people lost their lives, the honor of mothers and daughters was played with, but in the last few days, there are continuous reports of peace coming in, the country is with the people of Manipur.

Mentioning Amritkal, PM Modi stated, This is the first year of Amritkal, what we will do in this period, the steps we will take, the sacrifices we will make, the penance we will do, the golden history of the country for the coming one thousand years is going to sprout from it.

The Prime Minister underlined Indias demographic advantage, democracy, and cultural diversity as drivers of its growth.

He emphasised the potential of the countrys youth and highlighted the success of Indias startup ecosystem, technology prowess, and digital initiatives like Digital India.

Today, my youth have given India a place in the worlds first three start-up Eco-systems. The youth of the world is wondering, seeing this power of India. Today the world is technology driven and the coming era is going to be influenced by technology and then Indias talent in technology is going to play a new role, he said.

He recounted his discussions on Indias achievements at international summits, PM Modi said, Recently, I went to Bali for the G-20 Summit and in Bali, the most prosperous countries of the world, their leaders, also the developed countries of the world were eager to know from me about the success of Indias Digital India, its nuances. Everyone used to ask this question and when I used to tell them that the wonders India has done are not limited to Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, the wonders India is doing, even the youth of my Tier-2, Tier-3 cities are shaping the fate of my country today.

Prime Minister Modi highlighted the governments focus on improving various sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, and skill development. He highlighted achievements such as the One Rank, One Pension scheme, housing for the poor, and the Ayushman Bharat health scheme.

He underscored the countrys impressive economic growth, moving from the 10th to the 5th position in the global economy during his tenure. The Prime Minister also highlighted achievements in agricultural subsidies, self-employment support, and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Addressing environmental concerns, he noted Indias leadership in renewable energy, the Jal Jeevan Mission, and initiatives for green and clean development.

He commended the success of Indias vaccination efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic and its global impact, while emphasizing the nations readiness for 5G and the upcoming 6G technology.

Prime Minister Modi recognised womens empowerment as a cornerstone of development and lauded their contributions in various fields. He emphasised the need for unity and inclusivity, and urged the country to rise above corruption, nepotism, and appeasement politics.

In his concluding remarks, he reiterated his commitment to a prosperous and developed India by the 100th year of independence in 2047. He urged citizens to contribute to the nations progress and to work collectively toward realizing the dream of a developed India.
Satyajit Rays Pather Panchali will be the opening film at the G20 Film Festival, aiming to celebrate and showcase the vibrant and collaborative partnership existing amongst the G20 and invited countries in the field of cinema.

Organised by the India International Centre (IIC) and G20 Secretariat of the Ministry of External Affairs, the festival will be inaugurated by veteran actor Victor Banerjee and G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant.

It will take place at IIC here from August 16 to September 2.

In consonance with Indias presidency theme Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (One Earth, One Family, One Future), seminal award-winning feature films mirror issues and concerns of each country, navigating questions of identity, engaging with memories, and social policy, among others, K N Shrivastava, Director, IIC, said in a statement.

Sixteen international award-winning feature films, including We are Still Here from Australia, Ana Untitled from Brazil, Japans Aristocrats, Mezquites Heart from Mexico and South Koreas Decision to Leave, will be screened during the festival.

Many of the titles will be introduced by Ambassadors/High Commissioners of the G20 countries.

Entry to all the screenings is open to all and is free of charge. The screenings will be held at CD Deshmukh Auditorium at IIC.
On the occasion of the 77th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the citizens from the Red Fort, stating that the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about shifts in the global order and the understanding of geopolitical dynamics. He highlighted that India has become the voice of the global south.

After the second world war, a new world order took shape but I can see now clearly that a new global order and a new geopolitical equation is moving ahead after the Covid; the definition of the geopolitical equation has changed. And my dear family members, your capability is visible in giving the world a new shape, PM Modi said.

#WATCH | After Covid19 pandemic, a new world order, a new geo-political equation is taking shape. The definition of geopolitics is changing. Today, the ability of 140 crore of can be seen in shaping of the new world order: PM Modi at Red Fort pic.twitter.com/4wcXtbAxUE  ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2023

PM Modi stated that during the covid crisis, Indias work in the development of the world has shown the capability of the country. He further stated that during the covid, the supply chain was destroyed and also the developed countries were facing pressure at that time but India pursued a human-centric approach.

Today India is becoming the voice of the global south. Indias prosperity and heritage have become an opportunity for the world, he said.

In his 10th consecutive Independence Day speech, the Prime Minister said, Global experts saying India will not stop now, all rating agencies are lauding country. Ball is in our court and we should not let go of the opportunity; no ifs and buts on anyones mind about Indias capabilities.

In shaping a changing world, Indian peoples capabilities are evident. Indias biggest capability is trust  peoples trust in govt, in the countrys bright future and the worlds trust in India, he said.

He also lauded the contribution of youth and says those from tier 2, and tier 3 cities are also making a lot of impact in various fields, including start-ups.

The Red Fort was decorated in tricolour, and a G20 sign was made on the ground with flowers.

Earlier, upon his arrival at the Red Fort, PM Modi was received by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt, Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane and three service chiefs.

As soon as the national flag was hoisted by the Prime Minister, flower petals were showered at the venue by two Advanced Light Helicopters Mark-III Dhruv of the Indian Air Force.

With inputs from ANI
In what seems to be a security lapse, a man, sharing his name with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, tried to break into a high-security zone with a poster in his hand during the state-level Independence Day event at the Gandhi Maidan in Patna.

The man, identified as 26-year-old Nitish Kumar, was demanding a government job on compassionate grounds as his father, a Bihar Military Police (BMP) personnel, had died while on duty a few years ago.

Holding a poster outlining his demand, Kumar tried to enter a high-security area where his namesake  the Bihar Chief Minister was addressing a gathering after hoisting the national flag. The man was quickly overpowered by security personnel present there and removed from the venue.

The Patna district administration has ordered a high-level probe into the incident.

The man has been identified as Nitish Kumar (26), son of late Rajeshwar Paswan, a resident of Munger district. He is being questioned by the security officials. Preliminary investigation revealed that his father was a BMP personnel who died on duty a few years ago, Patna District Magistrate Chandrashekhar Singh told news agencies.

He claims he is eligible to get a government job on compassionate grounds as his father had died on duty. He wanted to meet the Chief Minister for this reason. We have ordered an inquiry and further investigation is underway, he added.
Multi-layer security is in place across Delhi on Tuesday, with more than 10,000 personnel manning the area in and around the historic Red Fort from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation on its 77th Independence Day, police said.

Around 1,000 cameras with facial recognition and video analytic systems have been installed in and around the Mughal-era fort and at other strategic locations to ensure security and monitor VVIP movements, they said.

Traffic has also been restricted near the Red Fort till the end of the celebrations.

Delhi Police is on alert. Elaborate security arrangements have been made, the exercise for which started around three-four months ago. Anti-terror activities have also been done to check the areas in the districts near the venue, Delhi Police spokesperson Suman Nalwa said.

Meanwhile, PM Modi on Tuesday greeted people on the countrys 77th Independence Day and paid homage to freedom fighters while reaffirming the commitment to fulfilling their vision.

        ,                ! Best wishes on Independence Day. We pay homage to our great freedom fighters and reaffirm our commitment to fulfilling their vision. Jai Hind!  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 15, 2023

Best wishes on Independence Day. We pay homage to our great freedom fighters and reaffirm our commitment to fulfilling their vision. Jai Hind! the prime minister said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Giving details of the technology being used to ensure foolproof security, Nalwa said, AI-based facial recognition CCTV cameras have been installed, while anti-drone technology is also being used for security.

Adequate traffic arrangements have been put in place. The traffic police has also issued an advisory. We urge people to follow the advisory. The borders (of Delhi) have been closed for heavy vehicles from Monday night, while others entering the city are being checked. We are keeping a strict vigil on social media as well, Nalwa said.

The Gyan Path in front of the Red Fort has been decked up with flowers and G20 signage.

However, there are no major decorations on the forts rampart from where the prime minister will address the nation.

The government has invited around 1,800 special guests from across the country to attend the programme. Seventy-five couples from each state and Union Territory, in their traditional attire, have been invited to witness the ceremony.

Sarpanches of vibrant villages, nurses, fisherfolk and labourers engaged in the construction of the Central Vista project are also among the special invitees.

This year, more than 20,000 officials and civilians are taking part in the Independence Day celebrations. Gyan Path has been decorated with flowers and G20 signage, a police officer said.

Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) HGS Dhaliwal said all units of the force are on alert.

All the checks are being implemented with related agencies. It is a big arrangement and all the units are doing their jobs. The G20 summit will take place in three weeks, due to which there is more sensitivity. We had seen that a week before the Republic Day celebration, anti-national and Khalistan-related graffiti appeared on walls in areas of west Delhi. Two people were arrested in this connection, Dhaliwal said.

Keeping in mind the recent violence in Haryanas Nuh and adjoining areas, a strict vigil is being ensured, police said.

Sharing details of the security arrangements, Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Dependra Pathak said, Independence Day is being celebrated with full enthusiasm this year with no COVID-19 restrictions in place. Therefore, a robust deployment of police has been ensured.

We are coordinating and sharing real-time information with other agencies, Pathak said.

Following convention, anti-drone systems have been installed at the Red Fort. All anti-terror measures have been initiated, including the setting up of air defence guns. Snipers, elite SWAT commandos and sharpshooters have been positioned at strategic locations for the security of the prime minister and other VVIP guests.

Thorough checking is being carried out at the borders and the police have warned of strict action against anyone trying to disrupt law and order in the national capital.

The areas surrounding the Red Fort have been demarcated as a no kite flying zone till the completion of the programme.

As many as 153 kite catchers have been deployed at strategic locations to intercept kites, police said. Residents of areas near the Red Fort have been asked not to fly kites till the event is over.

A kite had landed just below the podium during PM Modis Independence Day address in 2017. The prime minister, however, had continued with his speech.

Police on Thursday imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC in areas such as Rajghat, ITO and Red Fort.

They also prohibited the flying of sub-conventional aerial platforms such as paragliders, paramotors, hang-gliders, unmanned aerial vehicles, microlight aircraft, remotely-piloted aircraft, hot air balloons, small-size powered aircraft, quadcopters, and para-jumping from aircraft over the jurisdiction of the National Capital Territory of Delhi up to 16 August.
Prime Minister Narendra Modis Independence Day 2023 speech from the ramparts of the iconic Red Fort was the first of Indias Amrit Kaal and was filled with confidence in the countrys capability, pride for its ability and optimism for the future.

PM Modis speech on Independence Day 2023, was more about how he transformed his aspiration for the nation to action.

Addressing from the Red Fort on Independence Day 2014, days after taking oath as the Prime Minister of India, Modi gave a glimpse of his vision for the nation in areas including cleanliness, infrastructure, women empowerment and more.

Today, on 15 August 2023, the Prime Minister under the Tricolour highlighted how far India has come in the last 10 years in every sphere  be it the economy, social indicators, removal of poverty and more.

PM Modi showed in action how when strong governments are formed by strong mandates, they get the strength to reform, perform and transform.

Vishwa Mitra Bharat

Recalling COVID-19 era, PM Modi said India helped different countries during the time of crisis and that the country has emerged as a Vishwa Mitra (friend of the world).

Vishwa Mitra Bharat, PM Modi said, India which is a friend to all, an India which pursues a human-centric mode of progress, an India which is the Mother of Democracy  this is a humble and confident India.

It is also seen in the global initiatives we have taken up  CDRI, Mission LiFE, Solar Alliance and more, the Prime Minister said.

A millennium lost, a millennium to look forward to

No Prime Minister has so boldly highlighted how a thousand years of Indias development were ruined by slavery and subjugation.

PM Modi said that the coming thousand years will not be like this- and India will rise to newer heights.

Look beyond the conventional

The idea of looking beyond conventions was reflected in several points made by PM Modi during his Independence Day speech.

It was made clear when he mentioned how tier-2 and tier-3 towns are rising; the mention of Self Help Groups; neo-middle class- the message is clear- look beyond big cities and an old school approach.

Indian Economy

The Prime Minister said that in the coming years, India will become the third largest economy in the world.

Indias leap from the 10th spot to 5th position shows the countrys capability. It is corruption and leakages that has put the Indian economy in shackles and eliminating and plugging them would help the country become the 3rd largest economy in the world.

New World Order  India Leading the Global South

The Prime Minister said that today India is becoming the voice of Global South.

With a remarkable contribution towards global supply chain and global economy, India is establishing a new stability that is fruitful for humanity.

Being the biggest democracy in the world, having the diverse and the most energetic demography, and the trust as well as opportunities provided by the government to youths, today not just the citizens of the nation, the whole global order is rallying behind India.

Remembering independence movement

PM Modi began his Independence Day 2023 speech by remembering the sacrifices of our freedom fighters and nation builders who helped in ensuring Indias Independence and development.

He remembered Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev, Sri Aurobindo, Swami Dayanand Sarasvati, Rani Durgavati, Mirabai.

Modi against appeasement, corruption, nepotism

In his speech, PM Modi said he wants India to get rid of dynast politics for a stable government.

He reiterated that dynast politics which had paralysed the country in the form of reforms that had impacted the economy. As the citizens voted for a majority and stable government the development pace of the country has grown multifold.

From plugging leaks, to weeding out corruption this has helped the nations progress. PM Modi emphasised that the model of developmental governance has gone from protecting few families to all citizens of India.

Women-led Development

PM Modi also highlighted the women-led development in India and said that Indian women are leading the development trajectory.

Women in India are creating a new history of development. PM Modi highlighted the presence of Indian girls in STEM.

The Prime Minister also promised to empower self help groups (SHGs) women members by providing training to drive and repair drones and using it in the agriculture sector. For this, Rs, 13,000 to Rs. 15,000 crore amount has already been announced.

Amrit Kaal

PM Modi spoke about how India, is in the phase of Amrit Kaal, and it is the aspiration of the people that India will realise its true potential for the next 1000 years.

A country that has broken away from the shackles of slavery and the Panch Pran to guide them will only result in progress and development. Today Maa Bharathi has awakened, even the world is a witness to it.

Era of neglect of marginalised is over

In his speech, PM Modi acknowledged that agricultural labourers, street vendors as self-employed have been the key contributors in our collective dream of a New India. They have a voice that counts.

He stressed that their service and contributions have been recognized fairly by this government in particular.

Manipur

PM Modi stressed that peace is the only way to resolve all disputes in the northeastern state of Manipur.

In his speech on Tuesday, PM Modi mentioned the government efforts to restore peace in the state, it is in contrast with the Independence Day speech of erstwhile PM Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh  both of whom chose to omit any mention of the 1993 Manipur riots  a significant incident that has had a profound impact on the lives of many.

By neglecting to address this issue, they missed an opportunity to acknowledge the concerns and experiences of those affected. It is alleged that more than 1000 people died in those years of conflict but not a word.

PM Modi, however, demonstrated a sense of responsibility and empathy when addressing Manipur, while providing comfort, understanding, and potential solutions.
David Edgerton at Literary Review:

There was a time when commodity histories were everywhere. They tended to focus on consumption and trade over very long distances. Ulbe Bosmas The World of Sugar is much more than this sort of book. It is one of the most accomplished longue duree case studies in the history of capitalism that we have, concerned not just with trade and consumption but with production also. At every turn it subverts both critiques and celebrations of capitalism, and our understanding of much else besides. It is an extraordinary achievement.

It is, for a start, a genuinely global history. Bosma discusses all the sugar-growing places of the world, from Cuba and Java, the largest exporters of the early 20th century, to Taiwan and the Tucuman region of Argentina. He points to Eastern countries as the greatest producers and consumers of sugar up to the late 19th century. But global does not simply mean exotic. This is a history not just of cane sugar but also of beet sugar, an equally important form of traded sugar over the last hundred years.

more here.
A story that started with a person changing their name from Irshad to Ishwar and becoming friends with a Hindu girl has taken a troubling turn.

They promised to stick together forever, but things got complicated when the person hid their true religion and started treating the girl badly.

At first, Irshad, pretended to be Hindu and got close to a Hindu girl. He married her in a Hindu way and later forced her to change her religion and marry him again, which caused a lot of fights.

The girls father found out about this and lodged a complaint in Naka police station in lucknow. Now, the police are searching for both her and Irshad.

As per the complaint Irshad, an original resident of Sai Kheda in Barabanki, lived near their home in 2019 and used the name Ishwar back then. He also wore a sacred Hindu thread on his hand.

He tricked the girl into a relationship and ran away with her six months ago. Despite searching a lot, they couldnt find her. It was only when the girls younger sister found out that Ishwar was actually Irshad Ali.

On April 24, Irshad forced the girls to change her religion in front of a Maulana and his parents. At first, she reportedly resisted but they beat her, said father in his complaint.

The girls father claimed to have told the police about this on July 12. But the police officer tore up the complaint. He then told higher-ranking police officers, and subsequently an FIR was lodged.

The case is being handled by Inspector Naka Tej Bahadur Singh. They are searching for Irshad alias Ishwar and the girl.

Singh told media that the claims made by the girls family are being looked into. The story about the complaint being torn is being checked as well. Once they find the girl, they will ask her to tell her side of the story.
Minutes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to return to Red Fort to present countrys achievements and developments next year, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said that to say that I will hoist the flag once again in 2024 is arrogance and its the people who make you win or lose elections.

Every person says that they will come back again and again after winning. But making you win or lose is in the hands of people, in the hands of voters. To say in 2023, I will hoist the flag once again in 2024 is arrogance. If he keeps making comments on Opposition even on Independence Day, how will he build the nation?, asked the Congress president.

#WATCH | Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge says, Every person says that they come back again and again after winning. But making you win or lose is in the hands of people, in the hands of voters. To say in 2023, I will hoist the flag once again in 2024 is arrogance. If he https://t.co/cGpDtbCNAb pic.twitter.com/dREbYVG97F  ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2023

Attacking the Prime Minister, Kharge said PM Modi will hoist the national flag once again next year, but he will do that at his home.

On his absence from the Independence Day celebrations at Red Fort, he said that he had some eye-related problem and also other commitments.

Firstly, I have some eye-related problems. Secondly, I had to hoist the Tricolour at my residence at 9.20 am as per protocols. Then I had to come to the Congress office and hoist the Tricolour here too. So, I could not have reached here, said Kharge.

#WATCH | Congress president and LoP Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge gives details on why he did not attend the #IndependenceDay celebration at the Red Fort today. He says, Firstly, I have some eye-related problems. Secondly, I had to hoist the Tricolour at my residence at 9.20 pic.twitter.com/4KqdpMRVdK  ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2023

The security is so tight that they dont let anyone else leave before the PM leavesI thought that I will not be able to reach here on timeI thought it better to not go there to security situation and lack of time, added the Congress chief.

Earlier while addressing the countrymen from the ramparts of the Red Fort, PM Modi exuded confidence that he will address the nation from the Red Fort next year to list out the progress on the promises he had made to the people.

The promise for change brought me here, my performance brought me here once again. The coming five years are of unprecedented development and a golden moment to realise the dream of India as a developed nation by 2047, the Prime Minister said.

Next year, on August 15 from this same Red Fort I will list out the progress achieved by the nation and sing paeans to your strength, your resolve and your success with greater confidence, Modi said in his last Independence Day address before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

#WATCH | PM Narendra Modi says, In 2019, on the basis of performance, you blessed me once againThe next five years are for unprecedented development. The biggest golden moment to realise the dream of 2047 is the coming five years. The next time, on 15th August, from this Red pic.twitter.com/PtwL73Sahg  ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2023

The general elections are scheduled for April-May next year.

Modi said he had made a promise to the nation to usher in change in 2014.

You reposed your trust in me. I tried to fulfill the trust you reposed in me. The promises I made earned me confidence over the past five years. I had promised you to change through reform, perform and transform. I have worked hard for the nation and I have worked with pride, the Prime Minister said.

With inputs from agencies
A total of 55 people have been killed in Himachal Pradesh after heavy rain battered the state, setting off landslides, a cloudburst, and leading to blocked roads. All cultural programmes to be held as part of Independence Day celebrations were suspended in view of the tragic casualties due to the incessant rain.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the nation from the ramparts of the iconic Red Fort in Delhi, said that recent natural disasters had caused unimaginable trouble for families across the country.

I express my sympathies towards all of them and I assure them that state and central governments will work together, he told the crowd gathered to hear his annual speech.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday said the death toll is likely to climb further and said that Solan, Shimla, Mandi, and Hamirpur are among the worst-affected districts in the state.

Around 55 people have lost their lives in the state till now. The death figure might go up. Restoration work is being done on a war footing. The Chandigarh-Shimla 4-lane highway along with other arterial roads has been opened, he said, adding that as many personnel as possible are being deployed in relief and rescue work.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are engaged in relief and rescue operations in rain-hit Himachal and described the loss of lives due to the deluge as extremely distressing.

Last night, seven people died after a cloudburst incident in Solan district, while nine others were killed in a landslide at a Shiv Temple in the Summer Hill area of Shimla city.

In a second landslide, five bodies have been pulled out of the rubble in the Fagli area while 17 people were rescued, Shimla SP Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi told news agencies.

The Indian Meteorological Department has predicted that isolated heavy rainfall is likely to continue over Himachal Pradesh during next two days and over Uttarakhand and northeast India during next four-five days.

The heavy rain in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand over the past couple of days is the result of a fresh spell of Western Disturbance, the weather office has said.

The location of the Monsoon trough lies along the foothills of Himalayas and hence the South-westerly Arabian Sea monsoonal winds are hitting the Himalayan foothills, the Indian Meteorological Department has said, explaining the phenomenon.

A Western Disturbance refers to a storm that originates in the Mediterranean and brings heavy rain to mountain areas in the Indian subcontinent.
India is celebrating its 77th year of freedom from British rule. The nation of 130 crore people celebrates Independence Day on 15 August and it is an important date in the annals of Indian history. It is on this day, that our country finally secured Swaraj or self-rule after being subjugated by the British for nearly 200 years.

But, India is not the only country which observes its Independence Day on 15 August each year. Five other nations also share their Independence Day with India.

The 5 countries which share their Independence Day with India are South Korea, North Korea, the Republic of Congo, Bahrain and Liechtenstein. All these nations commemorate their independence on 15 August  the same day as India.

Heres a lowdown about the countries that share their Independence Day and the same sentiment of freedom with our country on 15 August.

South Korea

South Korea celebrates its National Liberation Day on 15 August. On this day, in 1945, the Korean peninsula became free from Japanese occupation by the US and Soviet forces. On this day in 1945, the Korean peninsula was freed from Japanese rule, after which the peninsula was divided into the two countries, as we know them todaySouth Korea, and the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. South Koreans call this day Gwangbokjeol, which means the day the light returned.

Liechtenstein

The sixth smallest nation of the world observes 15 August as its Independence Day to commemorate its liberation from German rule in 1866. Its one of the smallest, yet among the richest countries in Europe, which also actually doesnt have an Independence Day, as it was never technically captured. However, Liechtenstein, situated in the European highlands of the Alps between Switzerland and Austria, celebrates 15 August as National Day.

Republic of Congo

Also known as the Congolese National Day, the country received full independence from France on 15 August, 1960 following 80 years of subjugation.

Bahrain

Bahrain also used to be under British colonial rule just like India, and declared its independence on August 15, 1971. This means that they gained freedom more than two decades after India attained its own freedom. The country declared its independence from the British in 1971 following a United Nations survey of the Bahraini population. After this, the country signed a new treaty of friendship with Britain.

North Korea

For the uninitiated, North Korea celebrates National Liberation Day on 15 August every year. This day marked the end of 35 years of Japanese occupation and colonial rule over Korea, which they achieved with the help of allied forces who fought in the war. After the Korean Peninsula was liberated by the Allies in 1945, independent Korean governments were created three years later, on 15 August, 1948.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that the country is with the people of Manipur and the Centre and state is working together to resolve the issue.

Addressing the country from the ramparts of Red Fort on Independence Day, he said, The country stands with the people of ManipurResolution can be found through peace only. The Centre and the state government is making all efforts to find resolution.

He said that injustice with betis (daughters) of Manipur is intolerable and peace will soon be restored in the state.

Paying homage to all those who contributed for independence of the country, PM Modi said My dear 140 crore family members  the worlds biggest democracy and now the worlds biggest in terms of population  are celebrating the festival of freedom.

Under the leadership of Bapu, non-cooperation movement and Satyagraha along with sacrifices of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru, there was rarely anyone in that era who didnt contribute in the countrys freedom, he added.

He said that this year several states of the country have suffered unimaginable crisis.

This time, natural calamity has created unimaginable crises in several parts of the country. I express my sympathies to all families who faced this.

Talking about the road ahead, PM Modi said that our decisions and sacrifices in this period will impact next 1000 years.

I am talking about the last 1000 years because I see that there is opportunity before the country once againWhat we do in this era, the steps we take, and the decisions we take one after the other will germinate the golden history of the country in the coming 1000 years

#WATCH | PM Narendra Modi says, I am talking about the last 1000 years because I see that there is opportunity before the country once againWhat we do in this era, the steps we take, and the decisions we take one after the other will germinate the golden history of the pic.twitter.com/5eJ4VmqD18  ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2023

He added that the trinity of demography, democracy and diversity has the power to realise the dreams of the nation.

Reaching out to the youth of the nation, PM Modi said there are endless opportunities in the country to realise your dreams.

There is no dearth of opportunities in the country. The country has the ability to provide endless opportunities.., he said.

He said after Covid-19 pandemic, a new world order and a new geo-political equation is taking shape.

The definition of geopolitics is changing. Today, the ability of 140 crore people can be seen in shaping of the new world order, said the Prime Minister.

Talking about the G20 Summit, he said that the opportunity to host such an event has made the world aware of the capability of Indias common people and Indias diversity.

It is certain that Indias capability and possibilities are going to cross new heights of trust. These new heights of trust will go ahead with the new capabilities. Today, India has received the opportunity to host G20 Summit. In the past year, the manner in which several events of the G20 were held in every corner of India has made the world aware of the capability of Indias common people, Indias diversity

#WATCH | PM Narendra Modi says, It is certain that Indias capability and possibilities are going to cross new heights of trust. These new heights of trust will go ahead with the new capabilities. Today, India has received the opportunity to host G20 Summit. In the past year, pic.twitter.com/weglqBflVD  ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2023

Talking about the rakshas of corruption, he said the country did not become worlds fifth largest economy just like that but by stopping leakages.

When we came to power in 2014, we were at the 10th position in the global economic system. Today, with the efforts of 140 crore Indians, we have reached the fifth position, This did not happen just like that. The demon of corruption that had the country in its clutches  we stopped leakages and created a strong economy, PM Modi said.

With inputs from agencies
Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the world leaders for their wishes and greetings on Indias 77th Independence Day.

Responding to greeting by the French President Emmanuel Macron, PM Modi said, Thankful for your kind wishes, President Emmanuel Macron. I fondly recall my visit to Paris and appreciate your passion towards boosting India-France ties.

Thankful for your kind wishes, President @EmmanuelMacron. I fondly recall my visit to Paris and appreciate your passion towards boosting India-France ties. https://t.co/hJWqxhcdUx  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 15, 2023

Replying to wishes of Prime Minister of Mauritius, the Indian Prime Minister said, "Thank you Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth for your heartfelt greetings."

Thank you Prime Minister @KumarJugnauth for your heartfelt greetings. https://t.co/t5exnUvoQ1  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 15, 2023

In his response to Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, PM Modi said: "Thank you for the Independence Day greetings, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih."

Thank you for the Independence Day greetings, President @ibusolih. https://t.co/acxUMvadBF  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 15, 2023

"Gratitude for the wishes on our Independence Day, PM Bhutan Dr. Lotay Tshering," PM Modi responded to the Bhutanese leader for his wishes on India's Independence Day 2023.

Gratitude for the wishes on our Independence Day, @PMBhutan Dr. Lotay Tshering. https://t.co/ly6pV3uSjk  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 15, 2023

"Thank you PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' for your warm wishes," said PM Modi to his Nepalese counterpart for his greetings on India's Independence Day.

Independence Day 2023 is being celebrated across the country with pomp and fervour and Indians around the globe.

The day, celebrated annually, is a reminder of the struggles that won citizens of India their liberation from the British Raj after nearly two centuries, the sacrifices made by the leaders, the freedom fighters who laid their lives to win Independence, and more.
Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of Sulabh International, a pioneer in building community toilets in war against open defecation, died on Tuesday due to cardiac arrest. He was 80

Pathak died at AIIMS, New Delhi.

As per AIIMS official spokesperson, Pathak had developed pain in his chest and was brought to the emergency unit of the hospital when he suffered a cardiac arrest around 1.30 pm.

Condoling Pathaks demise, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, The passing away of Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak Ji is a profound loss for our nation. He was a visionary who worked extensively for societal progress and empowering the downtrodden.

Bindeshwar Ji made it his mission to build a cleaner India. He provided monumental support to the Swachh Bharat Mission. During our various conversations, his passion towards Swachhata was always visible, PM Modi said.

The passing away of Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak Ji is a profound loss for our nation. He was a visionary who worked extensively for societal progress and empowering the downtrodden. Bindeshwar Ji made it his mission to build a cleaner India. He provided monumental support to the pic.twitter.com/z93aqoqXrc  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 15, 2023

According to reports, Pathak, who campaigned extensively to alleviate the plight of manual scavengers, hoisted the national flag in the morning on the occasion of Independence Day 2023 and collapsed soon after that.

Sulabh International, an Indian-based social service organisation that works to promote human rights, environmental sanitation, waste management and reforms through education, has constructed more than 1.3 million household toilets and around 54 million government toilets using cheap, two-pit technology.

Apart from construction of toilets, the organisation has led a movement to discourage manual cleaning of human waste.

Pathak was born in Rampur Baghel village of district Vaishali, Bihar to a Brahmin family. His mother was Yogmaya Devi and his father was Ramakant Pathak  a respected member of the community.

After completing his academics, Pathak worked as a teacher for sometime before joining the Gandhi Centenary Committee in Patna as a volunteer. This was, however, not his original plan. He wanted to pursue masters in criminology from Sagar University in Madhya Pradesh. While travelling to Sagar, he was advised by two gentlemen to join the Gandhi Centenary Committee  they said he would be paid well. Since he needed money, Pathak was convinced. But when he approached the committee, he got to know that there was no job. Also, by then he had missed the deadline for admission at Sagar, so he had decided to stay on and work as a volunteer.

With inputs from agencies
Soon after Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hoist flat at his home in 2024 in response to PM Modis will return to Red Fort next year remark, Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Tuesday said that public will break the arrogance of Ghamandia alliance once again when the Prime Minister returns to power in 2024.

Congress had the same before 2014 too but we came (to power) with absolute majority. They said the same before 2019, but PM Modi came back with a full majority againThose who are called raakshas by Congress, the public of this democracy who we consider like God blessed and brought the son of a poor family to the Prime Ministers postPublic will break the arrogance of Ghamandia alliance once again, he said.

#WATCH | Union Minister Anurag Thakur says, Congress had the same before 2014 too but we came (to power) with absolute majority. They said the same before 2019, but PM Modi came back with a full majority againThose who are called raakshas by Congress, the public of this https://t.co/LUtb1HOPHn pic.twitter.com/0y7GkNwZLF  ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2023

During his Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort, PM Modi vowed to return to Red Fort to present countrys achievements and developments next year.

The next five years are for unprecedented development. The biggest golden moment to realise the dream of 2047 is the next five years. The next time, on August 15, I will present before you the achievements and developments of the country from this Red Fort, he said.

Reacting to the statement, Kharge said, He (PM Modi) will hoist the national flag once again next year, he will do that at his home.

#WATCH | He will hoist the National Flag once again next year, he will do that at his home, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge reacts to PM Modis The next 15th August, from this Red Fort, I will present before you the achievements of the country pic.twitter.com/jtky2ms7rz  ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2023

Kharge added that to say that I will hoist the flag once again in 2024 is arrogance and its the people who make you win or lose elections.

Every person says that they will come back again and again after winning. But making you win or lose is in the hands of people, in the hands of voters. To say in 2023, I will hoist the flag once again in 2024 is arrogance. If he keeps making comments on Opposition even on Independence Day, how will he build the nation?, asked the Congress president.

#WATCH | Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge says, Every person says that they come back again and again after winning. But making you win or lose is in the hands of people, in the hands of voters. To say in 2023, I will hoist the flag once again in 2024 is arrogance. If he https://t.co/cGpDtbCNAb pic.twitter.com/dREbYVG97F  ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2023

On Congress president Kharge not attending the Independence Day event at Red Fort, Thakur said,If the leader of the main Opposition party and LoP Rajya Sabha doesnt come, you can imagine the Congress mindsetToday when they are sitting in the Opposition, they are yearning just like a fish without water.

With inputs from agencies
With the G20 Summit barely a month away, the South Korean Ambassador to India Chang Jae Bok on Tuesday confirmed President Yoon Suk Yeols participation at the meeting that is slated for 9-10 September.

Yes, our President is coming to the (G20) Summit which is being held on 9-10 September. We strongly support Indias G20 presidency this year and we hope that the Summit meeting in September will be the highlight and culmination of the G20 presidency efforts by the Indian Government, the envoy said.

#WATCH | Chang Jae Bok, Ambassador of South Korea to India says, Yes, our President is coming to the (G20) Summit which is being held on 9-10 September. We strongly support Indias G20 presidency this year and we hope that the Summit meeting in September will be the highlight pic.twitter.com/MSjmFxXPJm  ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2023

As New Delhi gears up for the G20 Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his Independence Day Speech at Red Fort, said, Last year at G20 Summit in Bali everyone, including the developed nations, wanted to know of the success of digital public infrastructure. And I said that whatever India has done it is not limited to Mumbai, Delhi, and Kolkata but in tier-2 and tier-3 cities youth are also making a lot of impact in various fieldsthere is a courage of conviction in the smallest cities of Indiaand villages as well.

Meanwhile, President Droupadi Murmu, during her Independence Day Eve address to the nation, said, India is playing a crucial role in promoting developmental and humanitarian goals around the world. It has also assumed leadership of international forums, especially the presidency of G-20.
As India celebrates its 77th Independence Day on Tuesday, enthusiastic Indian Coast Guard personnel hoisted the national flag underwater.

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) personnel hoisted the Indian flag underwater near Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu on 15 August, 2023.

The video shows ICG personnel standing underwater and paying their respect to the tricolour.

One of the personnel can be seen holding the Indian flag, while others saluting and paying their tributes.

#WATCH | Underwater hoisting of national flag by Indian Coast Guard personnel near Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu on Independence Day (Video source: Indian Coast Guard) pic.twitter.com/SPGsU3HxDj  ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2023

The video has left many people stunned with one user on social media saying, "Deep patriotism."

Others called it "Wow" and "amazing".
Manipur burning, a no-confidence motion in Parliament, communal polarisation, and our elected representatives, whether of the ruling party or Opposition, fighting pitched battles both inside the Parliament and outside, not to mention jeers of democratic backsliding from abroad  these are some of the motifs and images that come to mind as we complete 76 years of our Independence. Looking ahead to the general elections next year, it would appear that we are a divided republic, with not only Bharat at war with I.N.D.I.A, but also under attack, whether directly or less perceptibly, from our enemies, near and far.

In times such as these, we turn to the founders of our nation, not warrior-kings or, closer to our times, politicians and party bosses, but sages and mystics, the rishis of yore as also of modern India. Of the latter, who better to seek inspiration from than Sri Aurobindo, also born on 15 August, the birthday of independent India. We are about to complete a one-year long commemoration of his sesquicentennial or 150th birth anniversary.

As this anniversary draws to a close, I reflect, in a moment of sincere and intense gratitude, of having been so fortunate as to have an opportunity to visit both the place of his advent and ascent, what in normal parlance we might term as birth and death. Pondicherry, where he spent the latter half of his life, the four decades from 1910 to 1950, and where he shed his mortal coilas well as Kolkata, where he was born in 1872, at 4 Theatre Street, now 8 Shakespeare Sarani.

Looking for a message, I chance upon one of Sri Aurobindos unpublished essays, The Mother and the Nation, seized as evidence when he was arrested on the night of 2 May from his residence on 48, Grey Street. He was suspected of being the mastermind in the Alipore Bomb Case. Written in 1907 or 1908, this essay was produced as evidence by the prosecution. Published for the first time in Book II of Bande Mataram, volume 7 or edition of his Collected Works, it bears close reading.

Why? Because Sri Aurobindo, invoking Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, and all the patriots who sacrificed their lives to free Mother India, gives us a clue to Indias spiritual significance and destiny. Sri Aurobindo believed that Bankim had been divinely inspired to give a new mantra to the nation: The Mother of the hymn is no new goddess, but the same whom we have always worshipped.

Who is this Mother? She is none other than Shakti in her triune aspect of Durga-Lakshmi-Sarasvati. To quote from the later stanzas, those no longer officially sung, of Bankims original Hymn to India: Tvam hee durga dashapraharanadharini, kamala kamaladala viharini,Vani vidyadayini, namami tvam or You are indeed the ten-handed Durga goddess, you are the goddess of wealth, Kamala or Laxmi, residing in the lotus, you are the bestower of (power of) speech and knowledge, Goddess Saraswati, I pray to you.

Sri Aurobindo then asks, What is a nation? A question he has already answered in his secret, revolutionary pamphlet, Bhawani Mandir (1905): It is not a piece of earth, nor a figure of speech, nor a fiction of the mind. It is a mighty Shakti, composed of the Shaktis of all the millions of units that make up the nation, just as Bhawani Mahisha-Mardini sprang into being from the Shaktis of all the millions of gods assembled in one mass of force and welded into unity. The Shakti we call India, Bhawani Bharati, is the living unity of the Shaktis of three hundred millions of people.

Here, returning to the same question, he goes much deeper: The country, the land is only the outward body of the nation, its annamaya kosh, or gross physical body; the mass of people, the life of millions who occupy and vivify the body of the nation with their presence, is the pranamaya kosh, the life-body of the nation. These two are the gross body, the physical manifestation of the Mother. Within the gross body is a subtler body, the thoughts, the literature, the philosophy, the mental and emotional activities, the sum of hopes, pleasures, aspirations, fulfilments, the civilisation and culture, which make up the sukshma sharir of the nation.

It is this causal body of the nation, in which inheres her true character and genius, which are actually universal: These three are the bodies of the Mother, but within them all is the Source of her life, immortal and unchanging, of which every nation is merely one manifestation, the universal Narayan, One in the Many of whom we are all the children. To Sri Aurobindo the living soul of India is nothing but the power of manifestation of the Divine: The millions are born and die; we who are here today, will not be here tomorrow, but the Mother has been living for thousands of years and will live for yet more thousands when we have passed away.

Sri Aurobindos one year in jail, part of it in solitary confinement, played a transformative role in his life. It was prelude not only to his experience of visvarupa darshan or seeing the divine everywhere and in all, but his resolve to leave British India. He slipped away to Pondicherry, then a French territory, four days before the authorities issued a warrant for his re-arrest even though he had been acquitted.

But before he left, in his famous Uttarpara speech, delivered on 30 May after his release, he declared, Sanatana Dharma is life itself. This is the dharma that for the salvation of humanity was cherished in the seclusion of this peninsula from of old. It is to give this religion that India is rising. She does not rise as other countries do, for self or when she is strong, to trample on the weak. She is rising to shed the eternal light entrusted to her over the world. India has always existed for humanity and not for herself and it is for humanity and not for herself that she must be great.

As India embarks on the 77th year of her Independence, it is to this India we turn, it is this India that we cherish, celebrate, and devote ourselves to seeking and serving. For she is the very soul of humanity. And that is why we say Vande Mataram.

The writer is an author, columnist, and professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.

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When violence unfolded in Manipur on 3 May, 2023 in the Churachandpur district during a rally organised by the Kukis against a Manipur High Court order to include the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribes list, no one could have anticipated that the journey leading up to Indias Independence Day on 15 August would witness over 170 deaths, more than 300 injuries, above 60,000 instances of internal displacement, 6,500 First Information Reports (FIRs) filed and 300 arrests.

Manipur and the elusive independence from ethnic clashes

As India marks its 77th Independence Day today, in the North East, Manipur stands at the crossroads, yearning for peace ahead of prosperity. Bordered by Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south, Assam to the west, and Myanmar to the east, this state is home to diverse communities including the resilient Meiteis, the Kukis, the Nagas, the Pangals and the Zomis. Renowned for its Vaishnavite tradition and remarkable sporting talents, Manipur finds itself embroiled in a conflict between the Meiteis and the Kukis. Amid this backdrop, innocent lives have been tragically lost and shattered, leaving the surviving population longing for tranquility and security. Multiple narratives have surfaced, leaving no option but to reconfigure relationships, whether between communities or even between the government and its people. Regrettably, the trust, the essential bond to forge these connections, has eroded amid the chaos.

If Manipur wants better things for itself, then there is no point in pondering over the dead past or staring at the unborn future but to rectify the present. Perhaps, the process of rectification can initiate on this auspicious Independence Day. However, the conversations Ive had with many voices from the Meitei community still echo with a sense of despair.

Observing the current state of affairs in Manipur, the significance of Independence Day seems diminished. in this atmosphere of fear, people grapple with basic necessities, with many still residing in camps either in Imphal or Churachandpur. The notion of Independence Day holds little weight for them, as they navigate insecurity while struggling to secure essentials such as food, clothing and shelter. The prospect of these needs being met in the near future remains uncertain. The recent disheartening parliamentary discourse, despite drawing the nations attention to Manipurs plight, offered no tangible roadmap from the current government for restoring peace and rebuilding the lives shattered by recurring violence. Thus, a profound sense of uncertainty clouds the populaces perception of the future, leading to contemplation rather than celebration on this Independence Day, said Babloo Loitongbam, a lawyer and human rights activist from Imphal who also the non-profit organisation Human Rights Alert.

Residents of Moreh town, which is adjacent to Myanmar, found refuge in a pagoda across the border and they remain stranded there. Myanmar is recognised globally for its civil unrest and now it presents an ironic twist as people from Manipurs Moreh had to seek safety within its borders. This paradox underscores the predicament  that individuals fleeing insecurity in Manipur now consider Myanmar a safer haven. It raises poignant questions about their sense of belonging to an independent nation, one that prides itself on being a paramount democracy, with its prime minister even elevated to the status of Vishwaguru. The stark contrast of people grappling with uncertainty within their own homeland resonates as a poignant testament to the incongruities of the times we inhabit, said Babloo.

A history of culture and conflicts

Manipur is not about bullets and bombs alone as many news reports might unintentionally indicate. It has its classical Ras Lila performances narrating the divine love stories of Lord Krishna. Then there are beautiful traditional instruments like the Pung (drum) and the flute and lovely festivals like Yaoshang (Holi), Lai Haraoba and Ningol Chakouba. What about Manipurs flourishing handloom and handicraft industries or Vaishnavism that plays such an important role in the life of a Meitei Hindu?

Sadly, in that rich culture, there lies a conflict camouflaged.

The backdrop of conflict in Manipur is deeply entrenched and marked by historical tensions within many communities and inter-tribal clashes like the 1993 Naga-Kuki dispute. These conflicts, often extending beyond territorial disputes, stem largely from the intricate dynamics of sub-tribes being absorbed or separated by larger tribes. The Kuki-Paitei conflict exemplifies this, where the Paitei sub-tribe resisted embracing the overarching Kuki identity. The issue of nomenclature further compounds these tensions, as some sub-tribes grapple with whether to identify with their specific sub-group or the larger tribal identity, said Thoiba, a research scholar who hails from the Meitei community.

This complex landscape often sees sub-tribes aligning with larger ones due to political expediency rather than shared ideology, with some resisting such assimilation, said Thoiba.

He is himself researching on the Shumang Kumhei (courtyard play in Meitei), also known as Shumang Leela, a captivating theatre form originating from the Meitei community in Manipur. This traditional art holds profound significance in the history of Manipur, embodying the spirit of cultural resistance that the community has ardently embraced.

From British Rule to Indian Union: A jolt in power shift

While 14 August holds deep significance as Manipurs Independence Day (the day when the Britishers left the state in 1947), its vital to consider the complexities stemming from the Manipur Merger Agreement of 21 September, 1949, signed between the Governor General of India and Maharajah Bodh Chandra Singh. However, this accord raised contention as it didnt align with the aspirations of Manipurs populace, given its history as a princely state unassimilated into the Indian Union even during the British colonial era. Manipurs independence persisted after the British departure in 1947, evidenced by the Manipur State Constitution Act of 1947, rendering it a constitutional monarchy until September 1949, the research scholar said.

The merger agreement is often viewed as a coercive annexation of Manipur by the Indian Union, contributing to ongoing insurgency and separatist movements within the state. Numerous insurgent groups and civil society organisations in Manipur continue to commemorate 14 August as their independence day, reflecting the complex sentiments surrounding the states historical identity and autonomy it enjoyed before being part of the Indian Union.

Demotivation to the core, from academics to economy

Irrespective of the causes behind these ethnic clashes, it is everyday life that has borne the brunt. From education to commerce, every essential aspect of life has endured significant setbacks.

As a student, the situation has significantly impacted me, particularly during my time studying at the Dhanamanjuri University in Imphal for my graduation course. The unrest greatly disrupted my entire exam schedule. For instance, on 9 July, I had to manage an exam and an interview, necessitating travel to a different location due to the lack of internet. Even younger students, like those in primary classes such as Class 1 and Class 2, had to endure the consequences. The aftermath of COVID-19 had already taken a toll on their studies, and as they were gradually recovering in the post-pandemic phase, this recent turmoil unfolded. Regrettably, they find themselves unable to attend school once again, said Belinda Keisham, a first-semester student pursuing her post-graduation in Mass Communication and Journalism.

Added to the violence, the economic blockades imposed by the Kuki community have only harmed the situation even more.

Blockades have significantly impacted our lives. On 29 July, my cousin had an exam scheduled, but due to an organised rally by a certain organisation, the exam had to be cancelled. Subsequently, the blockade led to the postponement of the exam. Moreover, scarcity of food has become a pressing issue in several areas, especially within relief camps. I am uncertain about the extent of government assistance, but I hope they are providing aid. It has now been over 100 days and the government should take effective measures to facilitate the return of these affected families to their homes, said the 21-year-old Belinda who is from the Imphal East district.

Education invariably bears the brunt during conflicts or blockades in Manipur often leading to school closures even in minor disputes. Presently, government intervention has enabled the resumption of higher classes from grade 9, while commencement for lower grades is awaited. The education sector consistently suffers the most in Manipur whenever unrest unfolds, a trend highlighted by prolonged economic blockades that previously led to school closures. Frequent disruptions punctuate the educational landscape, prompting determined governmental efforts to restore educational normalcy, underscoring its paramount importance.

The internet was severely affected due to a government-imposed shutdown. To access my entrance exam results, I had to visit government offices and request their internet connection. Any task requiring the Internet became a necessity to be done through government offices. Securing admission to Tezpur University posed considerable challenges for me due to the lack of internet access. The ongoing turmoil has severely impacted the education of numerous students in Manipur, irrespective of their grades. While a handful of institutions have resumed, many remain closed, said Nganba Soibam, who is now a first-semester student at Tezpur University in Assam.

A Meitei from Bishnupur district in Manipur, Nganba had to fly from Imphal to Guwahati coughing out a significant amount of money and then travel by road to Tezpur, as the road journey to Guwahati from his state posed serious security concerns.

Both large and small businesses in Manipur experienced substantial losses due to the complete breakdown of law and order over a span of three months.

The impact on working-class families was substantial. Daily wage earners found themselves without workplaces leading to significant hardships. Close friends of mine were confined to their homes for three months. The cost of living surged during this time, with prices soaring unpredictably, said Nganba.

Clashes and lessons on coexistence

Whether you like it or not, you can choose your enemies, but you cannot choose your neighbours. Meiteis, Nagas and Kukis have lived together for thousands of years and they will continue to do so for thousands of years. Even if you argue that the Kukis have come from outside the territory of Manipur, they are still neighbours. It doesnt matter if you are from one political entity or another; you will have to find a way to stay together. As human beings, we must find a way to live together in peace and harmony. We expect the government to have the responsibility to create an environment for people to work out things among themselves. However, the government has completely abdicated its responsibility and people had to take charge themselves to find a way out, said Babloo.

When asked what this Independence Day brings for Nganba, a complete silence occurred over the phone until he thoughtfully, perhaps agonizingly said, As for the significance of this Independence Day, I find myself perplexed and lacking a clear answer. Confusion best describes my sentiments.

Amid the shadows of despair, Manipur and its resilient Meiteis must rise. Let this Independence Day become a poignant chapter, where the nation collectively extends its hand to help rebuild their lives from the ashes of adversity.

Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.

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In the snowballing controversy caused by the death of a 17-year-old first-year student at the prestigious Jadavpur University in Kolkata last week, the details unearthed by the West Bengal Commission for the Protection of Child Rights are even more shocking. As if it was not bad enough that the boy had fallen off, jumped off or had been thrown off the hostels second floor balcony stark naked, it emerges that the buildings warden was not allowed on that floor!

Following the arrest of one ex-student and two current students over this death and the statements of witnesses, two things have come to light. First, that ragging is a well-entrenched habit on campus and no secret. Second, that the authorities are either powerless or have turned a blind eye to the goings-on inside the hostels, especially during the first crucial weeks after the entry of first year students. Why else has the hostels warden not protested about the happenings there?

The head of WBCPCR, while calling for the case to be filed under POCSO, has also gone public with the revelation today that the boy, traumatised by sustained ragging, had called his brother in Nadia and tearfully insisted he was not gay. Attempts will most certainly be made by vested interests to suppress this homophobic aspect in order to downplay the extent, tenor and virulence of institutionalised ragging in the university, and they may well succeed.

How far the WBCPCR will be allowed to proceed with this stance on the case given the murky wheels-within-wheels situation at JU is moot. The two women at the head of this state government body have been spunkily speaking out but the fact that ragging has been allowed to happen with impunity indicates tacit support of higher ups somewhere. That puts a question mark on even the Chief Ministers assurance to the boys father that justice will be done.

It would be germane to mention here that the state ruling partys students wing has not been able to dent the Left domination of JUs three students unions in past elections. And polls have not been held since 2020 due to the pandemic, like in other universities around India. In February, Bengals education minister had said the elections would be held after the Panchayat polls, in all universities, not just JU. Will this death fortuitously tilt the balance away from the Left?

It is easy to shift or at least deflect blame solely on the Leftist unions for the pathetic state of affairs at JU, but the state government cannot be allowed to distance itself. Was WBCPCR allowed to be so vocal because the Left still rules JU? Had the ruling party been able to supplant the Left parties on university campuses as it has conclusively done in the state Assembly, would state-run protection bodies have been given such a free hand to investigate?

Leftist students have had final say in how JU has been run for years now, with the administration strangely willing to comply. The administrations complicity becomes apparent in the way that the University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines on ragging have been ignored after some initial lip-service. Despite strong evidence, no one has ever been rusticated for ragging for fear of a union backlash. Even the few who were expelled had been taken back later!

That CCTV cameras have not been allowed to be installed in the JU campus to curb entry of outsiders and prevent acts like what happened in the hostel before the boys death is curious too. Even after the suicide of Rohith Vemula, Left-leaning students of University of Hyderabad resisted installation CCTV cameras as a preventive measurecalling it instead a surveillance tool. Unsurprisingly JUs students take the same line, which suits some political interests too.

The National Institutional Ranking Framework of the Union Ministry of Education, which ranks universities on five metricsTeaching, Learning and Resources, Research and Professional Practices, Graduation Outcomes, Outreach and Inclusivity, and Perceptionhas placed Jadavpur at 4th out of the top 100 in India. How JUs well-known ragging and disruptive student politics has not been captured under at least three of those metrics is curious. Short memories, maybe? Well, not many will even recall that in November 2014, Akash Agarwal, 19, a first year student at the Calcutta Institute of Pharmaceutical Technology and Allied Health Sciences in Uluberia was found dead on the railway tracks. Like the boy at JU, it was unclear whether he jumped or was thrown in front of a train. But his friends revealed he had been ragged by seniors who not only beat him up but also did not let him sit for an important test.

The college authorities denied the ragging charge but suspended five seniors, four of whom were arrested in the case. Tragically, this is the same institute where another student, Nayan Adak died by suicide in 2009 after being tortured in the name of ragging. He had been tormented so brutally that it was his second attempt to kill himself. Yet clearly, there was no attempt to stop ragging even after Adaks suicide and that led to the death of Agarwal there just five years later.

That same year2009JU expelled three senior students after this was recommended by the anti-ragging committee set up as per the then recently announced UGC regulations. But just over a year later the expulsion order was revoked and the same students were readmitted! The reason? Their financial condition and the fact that they had been punished for two years. What message did that send out to those who have the perverted urge to rag juniors?

The Supreme Court defined ragging in the Vishwa Jagriti case (1999) as, Any disorderly conduct whether by words spoken or written or by an act which has the effect of teasing, treating or handling with rudeness any other student, indulging in rowdy or undisciplined activities which causes or is likely to cause annoyance, hardship or psychological harm or to raise fear or apprehension thereof in a fresher or a junior student or asking the students to do any act or perform something which such student will not in the ordinary course and which has the effect of causing or generating a sense of shame or embarrassment so as to adversely affect the physique or psyche of a fresher or a junior student.

It is evident that their Lordships did not realise or incorporate the severity of ragging methods and their impact. Disorderly, rowdy and undisciplined are hardly accurate adjectives for the behaviour and motivations of those who rag. And shame and embarrassment cannot begin to express what those being brutally ragged feel, which drives so many to take their own lives. For the sake of justice, a more clear-eyed view of this phenomenon was necessary.

Consultants to the Supreme Court-appointed Raghavan Committee in 2006, however, deemed ragging to be neither a means of familiarisation nor an introduction with freshers, but a form of psychopathic behaviour and a reflection of deviant personalities. The panel eventually concluded that ragging was senior students, including deviants, inflicting physical and mental distress on juniors by aggression and violence. But has that changed anything?

The death of the boy in JU demonstrates that it has not. The West Bengal Governor had already raised a red flag about the way universities are run in the state but if he takes a more proactive stance after this, the state government will promptly accuse him of interference. There are protests whenever police enter campuses, including JU. But universities are not sacrosanct: they cannot remain safe havens for subversive elements or perverted activities like ragging.

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.

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Def Con, the largest hacker conference globally, has always been a playground for cybersecurity experts to test, as well as, show off their skills, whether its hacking cars, uncovering vulnerabilities in smart homes, or even attempting to manipulate election outcomes.

This years Def Con event in Las Vegas took a predictable yet very interesting turn as hackers focused on AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Google Bard.

At the conference, a contest was organised in which the goal for hackers wasnt to uncover software vulnerabilities but rather to invent new types of prompt injections that could compel chatbots like Googles Bard and ChatGPT to generate almost anything the attackers desired.

Interestingly, the contest saw the participation of major AI companies, including Meta, Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Microsoft. Their participation indicated a willingness to have hackers identify potential flaws in their generative AI tools.

Even the White House announced its support for this event back in May, indicating the significance of the endeavour.

This shouldnt be a shock to anyone. While these chatbots exhibit impressive technical capabilities, they have gained a reputation for struggling to consistently differentiate between factual information and fiction. Their susceptibility to manipulation has been demonstrated time and again.

Considering the billions of dollars pouring into the AI industry, theres a tangible financial incentive to uncover these vulnerabilities.

All of these companies are trying to commercialize these products, explained Rumman Chowdhury, a trust and safety consultant involved in designing the contest. And unless this model can reliably interact in innocent interactions, then it is not a marketable product.

The participating companies in the contest have taken measures to ensure a controlled environment. For example, any vulnerabilities that are discovered wont be disclosed until February, giving the companies ample time to address them. Additionally, hackers at the event were only able to access the systems through provided laptops.

However, the effectiveness of the work in leading to lasting solutions remains uncertain. The guardrails implemented by these companies for their chatbots have been surprisingly easy to bypass with basic prompt injections, as demonstrated by recent research from Carnegie Mellon University. This vulnerability means that these chatbots can be transformed into tools for spreading misinformation and promoting discrimination.

Furthermore, according to Carnegie Mellon researchers, finding a definitive solution to the root issue is far from simple, regardless of the specific vulnerabilities identified by Def Con hackers.

Zico Kolter, a professor at Carnegie Mellon and a contributor to the research, highlighted the challenge, stating, There is no obvious solution. You can create as many of these attacks as you want in a short amount of time.

Tom Bonner, a representative from the AI security firm HiddenLayer and a speaker at DefCon, echoed this sentiment, stating, There are no good guardrails.

Adding to the complexity, researchers at ETH Zurich in Switzerland recently revealed that even a basic collection of images and text could be used to poison AI training data, potentially leading to severe consequences.

In essence, AI companies are faced with a significant challenge ahead. With or without the scrutiny of an army of hackers testing their products, combatting misinformation in AI systems will require substantial efforts.

Misinformation is going to be a lingering problem for a while, remarked Rumman Chowdhury, underscoring the ongoing nature of this issue.
Hon Hai Precision Industry, or as it is more popularly known as, Foxconn, has changed its expectations for this years sales.

Initially, they thought the revenue generated this year would remain stable, but now they predict a significant drop in those numbers. This change raises concerns about the demand for the products they manufacture for Apple and other global companies.

Foxconns number takes a dip

The company from Taiwan recently mentioned that it anticipates a decrease in sales for both the ongoing quarter and the entire year. Unfortunately, many of their primary business segments are experiencing a serious contraction.

In their latest report on Monday, Foxconn revealed a net income of NT$33 billion (equivalent to $1 billion), surpassing the average estimate of NT$25.93 billion.

However, their operating profit fell short of the estimates. Additionally, they suffered a 14 per cent decline in revenue for the period, marking their first decrease since the final months of 2021.

These results from Hon Hai emphasize the growing belief that the global electronics market is heading into tougher times. People and businesses are refraining from spending due to the economic downturn.

Well-established companies in the tech industry, like Apple, Qualcomm, and TSMC, have all cautioned that the downturn, which began after the pandemic, might last longer than they had hoped for.

Apple seems not to be worried

Apple, which happens to be Foxconns primary customer, hinted in August at its most prolonged sales decline in many decades. This drop in sales is due to reduced demand for phones, computers, and tablets on a global scale. The Chinese market, the worlds largest for such devices, is stuck in an economic rut that some economists believe could worsen over time.

Despite these challenges, Apple has asked suppliers to produce around 85 million units of the iPhone 15 this year, roughly consistent with the previous year. This decision is an effort to maintain shipments at a steady pace despite the uncertain global economy and an expected dip in the overall smartphone market. However, this move might actually boost revenue because Apple is contemplating raising prices for its Pro models.

An analyst named Steven Tseng from Bloomberg Intelligence suggests that Hon Hais revenue could be impacted by slow iPhone growth in 2023, as well as potential margin pressure due to the lingering effects of lockdowns, less favourable economies of scale, and changes in production capacity. Nonetheless, he believes that the companys significant scale advantages and its ability to supply in-house components could help it handle the challenges of slower iPhone sales and cost pressures better than its competitors.

Foxconn diversifying out of China

Foxconn, the parent company of Hon Hai, is currently diversifying its operations away from China to reduce the risks associated with US economic and technology sanctions. This move might initially affect their profit margins. The company is also planning significant investments in India, exceeding $1.2 billion, a substantial commitment for a Taiwanese company that has traditionally manufactured most of its products for Apple and other US brands in China.

Looking ahead, Foxconn has aspirations in the electric vehicle (EV) sector, although progress in that direction has been inconsistent. A partnership with Lordstown Motors worth $170 million fell apart due to funding disputes. This incident underscores the challenges Foxconn faces as rising costs eat into already slim profit margins in their labour-intensive electronics assembly business.
Over millions of people in the US had their private medical info stolen by hackers who found a sneaky way into the super popular MOVEit file transfer software used by IBM.

The Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF), the folks in charge of Colorados Medicaid program, got hit hard, and more than 4 million patient records got exposed in the process.

Hackers target IBM

HCPF had to notify people affected, explaining that the data got compromised because IBM, one of their vendors, was using MOVEit to move around HCPFs files. The thing is, no HCPF or Colorado government systems got messed with, but the bad actors did get into some HCPF files on the MOVEit app that IBM was using.

And heres what those files held: full names, birthdays, addresses, Social Security digits, Medicaid and Medicare ID numbers, money info, medical details like lab results and meds, and health insurance stuff.

All in all, around 4.1 million people got caught up in this mess.

Hackers did not damage the network, just stole data

This attack on IBMs MOVEit systems also got to Missouris Department of Social Services (DSS), affecting many people. Missouri has more than 6 million residents. DSS made it clear that this data breach didnt mess with their systems directly, but it did mess with the data they had. So, names, client numbers, birthdates, benefits info, and medical claims data mightve been nabbed.

Surprisingly, neither HCPF nor DSS are showing up on the dark web where the Clop ransomware gang is bragging about their hacks. Those hackers are all about government data, but these two arent listed.

Another govt department hacked

Right on the heels of all this chaos, the Department of Higher Education there got hit with ransomware, too. Hackers swiped have 16 years worth of data. Last month, Colorado State University got caught up in a MOVEit-related mess, affecting lots of students and staff.

PH Tech, the company that takes care of data for several healthcare insurers, got tangled up in the MOVEit hacks. Theyre saying 1.7 million Oregon residents health info got hit.

But the biggest breach this year, not related to MOVEit, belongs to HCA Healthcare. They accidentally left out the welcome mat for hackers and 11.2 million peoples names, addresses, and appointment info walked right in.
A 45-year-old man was charged Tuesday with threatening to blow up a plane during a flight from Australia to Malaysia that returned to Sydney.

Police arrested Canberra resident Muhammad Arif and took him from the Airbus A330 on Monday, almost three hours after Malaysia Airlines flight MH122 returned to Sydney Airport.

Police said Arif became disruptive and claimed to have explosives on board.

He was charged with making a false statement about a threat to damage an aircraft and failing to comply with the cabin crews safety instructions.

The charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of more than 15,000 Australian dollars ($7,300) respectively.

Arif refused to leave his police cell to appear before a Sydney court by video link.

Magistrate Greg Grogin ruled out forcing Arif from the cell.

Defence lawyer Mostafa Daoudie told Grogin that Arif had serious mental issues and was not in the right state of mind.

Grogin postponed the listing of Arifs case until late Tuesday to allow Daoudie time to visit the police cell and assess whether his client was fit and able to give instructions.

But Arif never appeared and his case was listed for Wednesday. The magistrate refused to release him on bail.

The airliner left Sydney on Monday with 199 passengers and 12 crew on a scheduled eight-hour flight to Kuala Lumpur.

One of the passengers, Velutha Parambath, said Arif had drawn attention to himself before takeoff by praying aloud.

At that point, we just thought he was praying for everyone. People just generally had a laugh, Parambath, who was seated five rows behind Arif, said Tuesday.

But half an hour into the flight, Arif became louder, stood up and started pushing and shoving passengers, Parambath said.

The man implied that he had explosives in a backpack, Parambath said.

I dont think he specifically said bomb. But he was carrying his bag and he said, Ive got power in my arms, said Parambath, who was travelling with his wife and three children.

Malaysia Airlines said the pilot decided to return to Sydney for safety reasons.

The passengers concerns escalated after they landed and spent almost three hours in the plane on the tarmac.

All we saw were fire engines surrounding us and again people reading the news saying theres potentially a bomb on the plane, Parambath said.

New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb defended the delay between when the plane landed and when two police officers handcuffed Arif.

We can never presume anything and you dont know whether this person was acting alone or he actually had other support on the plane or outside the plane, Webb said.
Chinas government will no longer release youth unemployment statistics, it said Tuesday, but the mood among young people online and on the streets of Beijing left no doubt that the situation was serious.

Recently, the figure has hit a record every month, with 21.3 per cent of young people jobless in June.

The July data was expected Tuesday but the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said it would no longer release age group-specific unemployment numbers, citing the need to further improve and optimise labour force survey statistics.

Let me find a new statistical method to lower the unemployment rate, wrote one sceptical user on the social media platform Weibo.

In reality, I dont dare to imagine (what) the unemployment rate must be. (The NBS) cant even make it up, read another comment.

I dont release (the figures) = no unemployment, wrote one user tagged in the southwestern city of Chongqing.

A hashtag relating to the announcement of the suspension had 190 million views on Weibo on Tuesday afternoon.

On the streets of the capital on Tuesday, college student Li Nuojun told AFP she thought her job prospects were bleak.

My major in university is in environmental design, but with the rise of AI, I dont have much hope in the design industry, said the 18-year-old. All her friends were expecting to be unemployed after graduating, she said, though they still had some years of study left.

Im very worried, she said. When thinking about finding a job, I become very anxious, I just dont want to think about it for now.

Even for those with jobs, the economic outlook is hostile. A 29-year-old woman who gave her name as Xue said she had friends who were struggling to change jobs at the moment.

Some of them kept sending resumes for a month and have had several interviews chances, but the results are not so good, she said.

The salary they could offer is average and there will be a lot of overtime work. The job market is always a rat race.
A grand jury investigating Donald Trumps efforts to overturn the 2020 election in the US state of Georgia on Monday returned multiple indictments in what is expected to be a sprawling prosecution.

Atlanta-area prosecutor Fani Willis has led a two-year probe into the alleged conspiracy and was expected to wrap the allegations against Trump and his co-defendants into one case under Georgias Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) law.

Paperwork signed before TV news cameras showed the jury had agreed to several indictments sought by prosecutors and rejected none, although the documents were still being processed  the individuals charged and the counts they faced was not immediately clear.

Any charges would be the fourth case brought against the 77-year-old Republican this year and could lead to the first televised trial of a former president  a watershed moment in US history  featuring charges typically used to bring down mobsters.

There will be multiple co-defendants more likely than not, showing a pattern of unlawful conduct to overturn the election in Georgia: hacking, false statements, harassment, etc, Georgia State University political analyst Anthony Kreis said in a social media post.

The southern state, which President Joe Biden won by fewer than 12,000 votes in 2020, presents perhaps the most serious threat to Trumps liberty as he seeks his partys nomination to bid for reelection in 2024.

Even if he is returned to the Oval Office, he would have none of the powers in Georgia that presidents arguably enjoy in the federal system to self-pardon or have prosecutors drop cases.

Ridiculous

Trump posted a number of messages to his Truth Social platform calling the probe ridiculous and urging a state official whom he identified by name and called a loser not to testify to the grand jury.

THOSE WHO RIGGED & STOLE THE ELECTION WERE THE ONES DOING THE TAMPERING, & THEY ARE THE SLIME THAT SHOULD BE PROSECUTED, he said.

RICO statutes are usually used to target organized crime, and anyone who can be connected to a criminal enterprise can be convicted if there is a pattern of crime committed through that enterprise.

But the broader Georgia law allows prosecutors to string together charges committed by different defendants without proving the existence of a criminal organization.

One incident highly likely to feature among the charges is a now infamous phone call Trump placed to Georgia officials asking them to find exactly the number of votes he would have needed to overturn Bidens victory.

Analysts are also expecting individuals  possibly including the former president  to face charges over a scheme to send bogus certification of a supposed Trump victory in Georgia to the US Congress.

And the sweeping case could bring in harassment of two Fulton County poll workers and the accessing of sensitive data from an election office in a rural county south of Atlanta, one day after the 2021 Capitol riot.

A separate special grand jury heard from 75 witnesses last year and produced a secret report in February that, according to the foreperson, recommended numerous indictments.

Transparency

The Georgia case looks on the surface like a narrower version of the Justice Departments election interference case against Trump, which focuses on multiple states  but it differs in other crucial aspects beyond the RICO element.

The federal case listed six co-conspirators but didnt indict them, sparking speculation that they will likely be dealt with separately, and leaving Trump as the sole defendant.

In Georgia, Willis sent target letters to former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, who pressured local legislators at several committee hearings held after the election, and the 16 bogus electors, half of whom are said to have immunity deals.

CNN reported that Willis is expected to seek charges against more than a dozen people. These could also include former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and other aides who werent a focus of Trumps federal indictment.

Georgias courts are also more transparent than the federal system, meaning there is no bar to the case being televised from the first preliminary hearing onwards.

The grand jury in Fulton County meets on Mondays and Tuesdays, and local court-watchers expect Willis to conclude and bring any indictments that the panel approves within two days, her normal timeline for racketeering cases.

Trumps team issued a statement calling Willis efforts the latest coordinated strike by a biased prosecutor that constituted a grave threat to American democracy.
The 19th round of India-China Corps Commander level meeting was held at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Indian side on 13-14 August 2023, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a press statement.

The two sides had a positive, constructive and in-depth discussion on the resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC (Line of Actual Control) in the Western Sector. In line with the guidance provided by the leadership, they exchanged views in an open and forward-looking manner, the press statement said further.

They agreed to resolve the remaining issues in an expeditious manner and maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiations through military and diplomatic channels.

In the interim, the two sides agreed to maintain peace and tranquillity on the ground in the border areas.

The 18th round of the India-China Corps Commander Level Meeting was also held at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Chinese side on 23rd April 2023.

The two sides had a frank and in-depth discussion on the resolution of the relevant issues along the LAC in the Western Sector so as to restore peace and tranquillity in the border areas, which will enable progress in bilateral relations.

In line with the guidance provided by the State Leaders and further to the meeting between the two Foreign Ministers in March 2023, they had an exchange of views in an open and candid manner.

In the interim, the two sides agreed to maintain security and stability on the ground in the Western Sector. The two sides agreed to stay in close contact and maintain dialogue through military and diplomatic channels and work out a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest.

The two countries started holding military talks on disengagement and de-escalation of the situation along the LAC in eastern Ladakh soon after the confrontation started between the two militaries.

The two sides have since then disengaged from multiple confrontation points and moved to new positions to avoid clashes and resolve the issues peacefully.

Sources said the Indian side is keen to resolve the dispute amicably securing all Indian interests in the region and has deployed over 50,000 troops to match the Chinese deployments in the areas opposite eastern Ladakh.

The two sides have been heavily deployed but have resisted direct conflicts even though the Indian side does not rule out the possibility of any misadventure by the adversary along the LAC.

India thwarted one such misadventure by the Chinese Army in December 2022 in Yang Tse near Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.
US State Departments Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel on Monday (local time) said that there is no reason to over-torque about Taiwan Vice President William Lais transit through the United States into anything escalatory.

He said that the transit of William Lai is not any kind of pretext for coercion and provocative activity.

Asked about Chinas statement about taking counter-measures and the nature of the Taiwanese Vice Presidents visit, Vedant Patel said, So first what I would say is that there is no reason to over-torque this transit into anything escalatory. This is consistent with our one China policy. We are not interested in deviating from the status quo. It is not any kind of pretext for coercion or provocative activity.

Vedant Patel further said that William Lai transited in the US through the outbound leg of his journey to Paraguay. He said that Lai will transit through San Francisco on the return leg and called these transits routine. He noted that Lai had previously transited through US in 2021.

What I can offer on this transit is that Vice President Lai transited the US on August 12th through 13th for the outbound leg of his journey to Paraguay. He will transit San Francisco on the return leg. Such transits are routine and given the distances involved and they are common. There have been 10 vice presidential transits in the last 20 years. All have occurred without incident. This transit by VP Lai is the 11th transit and his second. Hes previously transited in 2021, Vedant Patel said.

Taiwans vice president and presidential candidate William Lais stopover in the US on Sunday en route to Paraguay irked China. Denouncing the move, the Chinese Foreign Ministry branded him a troublemaker through and through, according to CNN.

On his way to Paraguay, where he will witness Santiago Penas inauguration as president on August 15, Lai arrived in New York on Saturday. In a statement posted on Twitter, Lai stated, Happy to arrive at the #BigApple, icon of liberty, democracy & opportunities. Its very nice of @Bikhim & #AITs Ingrid Larson to greet me with a warm welcome at @JFKairport. Looking forward to seeing friends & attending transit programs in #NewYork.

Shortly after Lais arrival in New York, Chinas foreign ministry said it firmly opposes any official interaction between the US and Taiwan and any Taiwan independence separatists to the US. Notably, China claims Taiwan as part of its territory.

China deplores and strongly condemns the US decision to arrange the so-called stopover, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Lai clings stubbornly to the separatist position for Taiwan independence. He is a troublemaker through and through, it further said.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry also said Taiwan was the core of the core interests of China and urged the US to abide by the one-China principle, adding it was closely following developments and would take resolute and strong measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Meanwhile, Taiwans vice president William Lai on Sunday said that the island will never yield in the face of escalating Chinese threats, CNN reported.

In a speech to supporters at a lunch banquet in New York, Lai portrayed Taiwans long-term survival as something the international community should take an interest in.

When Taiwan is safe, the world is safe, and when there is peace on the Taiwan Strait, there will be world peace, Lai said, according to Taiwans presidential office, CNN reported.

No matter how great the threat of authoritarianism is to Taiwan, we absolutely will not be scared nor cower, we will uphold the values of democracy and freedom, he added.
A recent investigation by a San Francisco daily has revealed that the expanding fleet of driverless taxis in San Francisco has become a place for sexual encounters among citizens.

The report, published last Friday, features interviews with four individuals who openly admitted engaging in sexual activities within the confines of the citys autonomous cabs.

This revelation emerges shortly after California authorities lifted restrictions that previously confined the operation of autonomous vehicles to nighttime hours. The report highlights that such behavior was already prevalent before the regulatory change.

The interviewed participants, opting to remain anonymous, shared accounts of heated encounters within the unique space of the driverless taxis.

These rendezvous occasionally led to windows fogging up, a testament to the steaminess of their interactions, and some were even observed by other motorists sharing the road.

While the exact dates of these escapades were withheld as per the interviewees requests, the veracity of the incidents was corroborated by the publication. The rides occurred under the watchful eye of one of the two driverless car companies participating in the citys self-driving initiative, and aliases were used to safeguard the riders privacy.

One of the interviewees, referred to as Megan, recounted her first experience of intimacy within a driverless taxi provided by General Motors-backed Cruise.

She recalled that she and her partner, who goes by the name Alex, engaged in passionate moments during their late-night rides, which were previously confined to the window between 10pm and 5am.

Alex, a more seasoned participant in these self-driving escapades, admitted to multiple instances of engaging in sexual acts within Cruise cars.

Despite the companys efforts to record all trips for deterrence, this did not dissuade him. He confessed to varying degrees of intimacy, asserting that the absence of a human driver seemed to lower inhibitions.

Alex remarked, It gets to the point where youre more and more comfortable, and if youre with someone, like a more serious partner, it can escalate to other activities.

He candidly discussed his experiences, even mentioning how the fogging up of windows during passionate encounters posed an unforeseen yet somewhat amusing challenge.

Concerns about potential repercussions, such as being caught on camera or receiving a ban from the service provider, did cross his mind but did not deter his pursuit of these self-driving trysts. Despite such concerns, he continued to relish in his role as a pioneer of this unconventional trend.

Megan shared her unapologetic stance, recounting how her intimate encounter with Alex unfolded during a drive through Golden Gate Park, with even stage lights casting an inadvertent spotlight on their amorous endeavors. Other individuals also reported similar experiences of intimacy within Cruise vehicles, which have prominently visible interiors akin to fishbowl-like cabins.

In a curious twist, The Standards inquiry found that while Cruise vehicles were witnessing such intimate escapades, the autonomous taxis provided by Waymo, another major player, remained untouched by this trend. Waymo, backed by Alphabet, also employs video recording for passenger safety and support, but the observed activities seem to have flown somewhat under the radar.

Both Cruise and Waymo have established surveillance measures within their vehicles, aiming to ensure the well-being of passengers. While these recordings are usually reviewed in response to concerns about safety or other issues, the more risque activities of passengers, such as those recounted by Megan and Alex, may have largely evaded attention.

As the investigation unfolded, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) voted in favor of granting driverless taxis the ability to operate around the clock. This decision marked a significant step towards making autonomous vehicle transportation a common reality, and the CPUC commissioner, John Reynolds, emphasized its potential to serve as a model for other states.

Despite the controversies surrounding these self-driving taxis, including concerns over safety and appropriateness, the autonomy of these vehicles continues to stir a range of opinions. Advocates praise their potential to enhance accessibility for people with disabilities, make roads safer, and address environmental concerns. On the other hand, detractors highlight instances of malfunction and interference with emergency operations.

Waymo and Cruise, the two major players in San Franciscos autonomous taxi landscape, have taken different routes in allowing their vehicles to offer paid rides.

Waymo cars now travel at higher speeds without human drivers, even in adverse weather conditions. Cruise, on the other hand, is limited to a lower speed within the city, reflecting differing approaches to balancing innovation with safety.
Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday that Ukraines military resources were almost exhausted, as Kyiv wages a gruelling counter offensive to recapture lost territory.

Despite comprehensive assistance from the West, Ukraines armed forces are unable to achieve results, Shoigu said at a security conference in Moscow.

Preliminary results of the hostilities show that Ukraines military resources are almost exhausted, he said.

He added that there was nothing unique about Western weapons and that they were not invulnerable to Russian arms on the battlefield.

Kyiv kicked off its long anticipated counter offensive in June, but has acknowledged tough battles as it struggles to break through heavily fortified Russian positions.

While Ukraine has claimed gains around the war-torn city of Bakhmut in its east, Russia has claimed advances around the town of Kupiansk in the northeastern Kharkiv region.

Shoigu was speaking at the Moscow Conference on International Security. Russia invited representatives from over 100 nations to attend, but Western countries were excluded.
Indian High Commission in the United Kingdom (UK) hoisted the Indian tricolour and celebrated the 77th Independence Day in London on Tuesday.

The event which was held outside the Indian High Commission in London was attended by the Indian high commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami, Indian Army officials, NCC cadets from India and British officials.

#WATCH | Members of the Indian diaspora sing Vande Mataram at the High Commission of India, London during the #IndependenceDay celebrations here. pic.twitter.com/ewtmUEHRuk  ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2023

People of the Indian community as well as Britain nationals gathered outside the high commission in large numbers and waved the tricolour to mark Indias Independence Day.

People from the Indian diaspora were also seen singing Indias National Anthem and the patriotic Vande Mataram song during the celebrations.

High Commissioner of India to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami also distributed gifts to the delegation of NCC cadets from India, who were in the UK from August 5.

Doraiswami told ANI, So many friends from the Indian community and PIO community turned out. Even shall we say friends of India, Britons who are not just of Indian origin also turned up.

He added, Theres a lot to celebrate about India. And I think they turned up in big numbers today more than we anticipated. We thought maybe 300 will come. We had nearly double the number turning up. Even though its a working day for people in the UK, people turned up, people really seemed to be enjoying themselves. So it was great to have so many of our friends here celebrating India on its seventy-seventh birthday.

Earlier on Monday, Indian High Commission in the UK hosted a photo exhibition and a ceremony to mark Partition Horrors Remembrance Day. On the occasion, the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami inaugurated an exhibition of photographs of the partition horrors.

The Partition Horrors Remembrance Day was observed at India House in Londons Aldwych. People present at the ceremony watched the photographs of the partition displayed on the screen.

On the occasion, Doraiswami said that Indias celebration of independence was always somewhat mixed as it came at a very high price. He said that they cannot undo what happened in history and how much pain it brought to the people.

With inputs from ANI
Ukraine president Vladimir Zelenskyy has expressed his disappointment with people of his country for not displaying enough unity with the soldiers who are risking their lives on the frontlines.

He emphasized that they should not permit their freedom and independence to be seized by external forces.

In his nightly video message on Monday, Zelenskyy stated, Ukraine is engaged in warfare, and those not directly engaged on the frontlines must contribute to the fight. Not in bars, clubs, or through reckless activities, but by providing tangible assistance to the warriors.

The president underlined that overcoming Russia is a shared national objective and urged for unwavering support from rear cities to be extended to Ukrainian fighters.

All the nations vigor, emotions, and strength must be directed towards the battles that safeguard our state, he continued.

Volodymyr Zelensky from his bunker called on Ukrainians partying in clubs and bars to take part in his war. Til the last ukrainian. pic.twitter.com/HfQvschn1C  DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) August 14, 2023

Zelenskyys remarks followed his visit to multiple military units stationed along the Donetsk front, including the controversial Azov and Aidar units, aimed at bolstering morale and discussing crucial matters such as enhanced leadership and motivation strategies for commanders and personnel.

Ukrainians are literally partying on Americas hundred billion dollar tab. Let that sink in. pic.twitter.com/XG2m6WU2YN  Eric Spracklen (@EricSpracklen) August 14, 2023

Earlier this month, Zelensky acknowledged shocking corruption exposed during an audit of the nations military recruitment centers.

The investigation revealed an extensive plot spanning from Kyiv to 11 other regions, involving the sale of fraudulent medical exemption certificates to Ukrainian men seeking to evade military conscription.

Since the conflict with Russia began in February 2022, Kyiv has conscripted numerous waves of recruits into its armed forces.

By late June, with a considerable number of troops losing their lives in a struggling counteroffensive against Russian forces, recruitment centers in certain regions ceased individual summons and instead issued general mandates for all eligible men to report for duty.
amasan1 at 15-08-2023 08:09 AM (6 days ago) (m)

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has initiated a probe into the crash of one of its helicopters travelling to Kaduna from Zungeru in Niger State.

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has initiated a probe into the crash of one of its helicopters travelling to Kaduna from Zungeru in Niger State.

A Nigerian Air Force MI-171 Helicopter on a casualty evacuation mission crashed today, 14 August 2023 at about 1.00 pm near Chukuba village in Niger state.

The aircraft had departed Zungeru Primary School en route to Kaduna but was later discovered to have crashed near Chukuba village in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger state.

Efforts are currently ongoing to rescue the crew and passengers on board the helicopter, while preliminary investigations have commenced to determine the probable cause of the crash.

The Nation reported that villagers alleged the aircraft was shot down by bandits soon after take-off. It is also alleged that terrorists killed a pilot and injured another after shooting down the helicopter.

The publication also reported that the terrorists allegedly ambushed and killed 13 people along the Zungeru-Tegina Road, Madaka Ward in the Rafi Local Government Area.

When asked to comment on the villager's claim, Gabkwet said;

We are not good at hiding information and we dont believe in that. If there is anything we feel Nigerians should know, we will let them know. But, as we said in our statement, we are still investigating. A Nigerian Air Force MI-171 Helicopter on a casualty evacuation mission crashed today, 14 August 2023 at about 1.00 pm near Chukuba village in Niger state.The aircraft had departed Zungeru Primary School en route to Kaduna but was later discovered to have crashed near Chukuba village in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger state.Efforts are currently ongoing to rescue the crew and passengers on board the helicopter, while preliminary investigations have commenced to determine the probable cause of the crash.The Nation reported that villagers alleged the aircraft was shot down by bandits soon after take-off. It is also alleged that terrorists killed a pilot and injured another after shooting down the helicopter.The publication also reported that the terrorists allegedly ambushed and killed 13 people along the Zungeru-Tegina Road, Madaka Ward in the Rafi Local Government Area.When asked to comment on the villager's claim, Gabkwet said;We are not good at hiding information and we dont believe in that. If there is anything we feel Nigerians should know, we will let them know. But, as we said in our statement, we are still investigating.

Post Reply I am an investigative reporter at Gistmania, I conduct fact-finding investigative journalism. Posted: at 15-08-2023 08:09 AM (6 days ago) | Hero
The police in Lagos state arraigned a woman identified as Blessing Udoh before a Magistrates Court sitting in the Yaba area of Lagos State on Monday, August 14, for allegedly misleading the Nigeria Police with false information on a murder case.

Momoh stated that the offence contravened and is punishable under Sections 411 and 95 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.The charge read in part;

Quote

That you, Blessing Udoh, and one other now at large, on November 3, 2022, at the Agboju area of Lagos State, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did deliberately supply information to the Nigeria Police, State CID, Panti and Satellite Division that Christopher Ibekwe had killed one Moses Chidi, by pushing him into the river, an information you know to be false and misleading and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 95 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2015.

When read to her, the accused pleaded not guilty.The magistrate granted her bail in the sum of N2m with two sureties in like sum and then adjourned the case till November 10, 2023, for mention.
Britannia Offers AR-Driven Generative AI Tribute To Freedom Fighters On Indias Independence Day News oi -Alap Naik Desai

Britannia, India's leading consumer consumable manufacturer, has deployed an innovative campaign that cleverly utilizes Augmented Reality and Generative AI to tell stories of valor. The technology offers stories of freedom fighters, their struggles, and triumphs, but with a unique twist.

Britannia's '1947% More History' campaign is a tribute to an entire generation of fearless and tireless freedom fighters. It also celebrates the few living freedom fighters or legends we have amongst us today through technology and technology easily accessible to consumers and Internet users.

What Is Britannia's '1947% More History' Campaign?

The Britannia '1947% More History' campaign is a multimedia content platform delivered via an Augmented Reality platform that draws content from Generative AI. It allows Indian consumers to listen to the stories of a few of India's last living freedom fighters. The unique twist is that the stories are delivered by these living legends themselves.

Britannia is offering stories of five nonagenarians from across the country. Freedom fighters Leela Tai, Late Asha Sahay, Late R Madhavan, Lakshmi Krishnan Agvl., and Gour Hari Das have spoken about their struggles while fighting the imperial British forces.

The campaign film uses Generative AI technology to portray visuals of the freedom movement. The technology has recreated the younger profiles of the five protagonist freedom fighters whose stories have been told by themselves.

How To Access The Stories Of Freedom Fighters Portrayed In '1947% More History'?

Brittania is one of the leading consumer products manufacturers. It owns multiple popular brands, which include Britannia Breads, Good Day, Marie Gold, Milk Bikis, and Winkin' Cow beverages.

Several products from the abovementioned brands have scannable images on their packaging and they activate only when scanned through the Britannia1947 website. Hence, there's no need to download any special app.

Simply visit the Britannia1947 website from any smartphone and point the camera towards a pack of any Britannia product from its sub-brands. As soon as the website detects a Britannia brand, it offers to tell the story of the freedom fighters.

The campaign has several dynamic images, which have been animated by Generative AI. The platform offers a brief but immersive glimpse of the struggles and valor of the freedom fighters.

India's struggle for independence has been long and filled with countless sacrifices, but it has not been documented owing to limited technology. Britannia's '1947% More History' Campaign is certainly an interesting approach that brings the freedom struggle to life, allowing Indians to relive some of those moments.

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 14, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Imperial Metals Corporation (Imperial or the Company) (TSX:III) reports diamond drill results from the final five holes of the second phase of the Mount Polley 2023 exploration program, including a notable interval of 230.1 metres grading 0.31% copper and 0.50 g/t gold starting from a depth of 7.4 metres in hole SD-23-172. The second phase of drilling was completed in June to follow up on the significant results obtained in the first phase of drilling. Both phases were conducted in an underexplored area between the Springer and Cariboo mineralized zones.

Results from the first five of the ten holes drilled in the second phase were previously released on July 18th, 2023, and the final five holes are described in this news release. The 2023 exploration program results have increased the dimensions of the Springer zone mineralization. This mineralization has good potential to be converted from resource to reserve due to its proximity to existing mining and planned pits.

Brian Kynoch, President of Imperial, said, There continues to be opportunity to expand the Springer mineralization, especially at depth, and a follow-up program will be designed to further test the Springer zone. The results of this years drilling will be integrated into the block model and the life of mine plan for Mount Polley will be updated.

The significant intervals in the five holes are included in the table below.

Significant intercepts:

Hole ID From (m) To (m) Width (m) Copper (%) Gold (g/t) SD-23-172 7.4 237.5 230.1 0.31 0.50 including 7.4 80.0 72.6 0.41 0.62 and 120.0 220.0 100.0 0.33 0.57 SD-23-173 215.0 295.0 80.0 0.55 0.69 and 315.9 324.0 8.1 0.50 0.62 SD-23-174 21.5 272.5 251.0 0.36 0.37 including 152.5 207.5 55.0 0.59 0.73 SD-23-176 265.0 372.5 107.5 0.34 0.39 including 320.0 342.5 22.5 0.52 0.58 SD-23-177 3.0 225.0 222.0 0.34 0.31 and 150.0 200.0 50.0 0.61 0.63

All five drill holes are vertical and were collared in the Springer pit.

SD-23 172 is an infill hole 35 metres to the west of hole SD-23-168 on Section 3315N testing a significant gap on the northern/eastern edge of the Springer Main zone. It intersected 0.31% copper and 0.50 g/t gold over 230.1 metres from 7.4 metres.

SD-23 173 is step-out hole 35 metres to the south-east of hole SD-23-166 on Section 3225N expanding the eastern limits of the Springer zone towards the Polley Fault. It intersected 0.55% copper and 0.69 g/t gold over 80 metres from 215.0 metres.

SD-23 174 is an in-fill hole 40 metres to the west of hole SD-23-166 on Section 3245N upgrading the eastern edges of the Springer zone. It intersected 0.36% copper and 0.37 g/t gold over 251 metres from 21.5 metres.

SD-23 176 is a step-out hole 70 metres to the south-east of hole SD-23-165 on Section 3135N testing the eastern edges of the Springer zone. It intersected 0.34% copper and 0.39 g/t gold over 107.5 metres from 265 metres.

SD-23 177 is an in-fill hole 25 metres to the south of hole SD-23-167 on Section 3290N upgrading model confidence in the eastern extents of the Springer zone. It intersected 0.34% copper and 0.31 g/t gold over 222 metres from 3 metres.

Jim Miller-Tait, P.Geo., Imperials VP Exploration, has reviewed this news release as the designated Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 for the Mount Polley exploration program. Samples reported were analysed at Bureau Veritas Mineral Laboratories in Vancouver. A full QA/QC program using blanks, standards and duplicates was completed for all diamond drilling samples submitted to the labs. Significant assay intervals reported represent apparent widths. Insufficient geological information is available to confirm the geological model and true width of significant assay intervals.

Cross section and plan view maps are available on Imperialmetals.com.

About Imperial

Imperial is a Vancouver based exploration, mine development and operating company with holdings that include the Mount Polley mine (100%), the Huckleberry mine (100%), and the Red Chris mine (30%). Imperial also holds a portfolio of 23 greenfield exploration properties in British Columbia. These properties have defined areas of mineralization and clear exploration potential. Management continues to evaluate various opportunities to advance many of these properties.

Company Contacts

Brian Kynoch | President | 604.669.8959

Jim Miller-Tait | VP Exploration | jim.miller-tait@imperialmetals.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information contained in this news release are not statements of historical fact and are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the Companys managements expectations or beliefs regarding future events and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Companys expectations with respect to current and planned exploration drilling programs at Mount Polley and timing thereof; the potential for mineralization to be converted from resource to reserve; the expansion of the Springer mineralization; the design of a follow-up program to test the Springer zone; and the impact of drilling on future pit designs and mine life schedule. In certain cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "outlook", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative of these terms or comparable terminology. By their very nature forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied certain factors and assumptions that are based on information currently available to the Company as well as the Companys current beliefs and assumptions. These factors and assumptions and beliefs and assumptions include, the risk factors detailed from time to time in the Companys interim and annual financial statements and managements discussion and analysis of those statements, all of which are filed and available for review on SEDAR+ at sedarplus.ca. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, many of which are beyond the Companys ability to control or predict. 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, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and all forward-looking statements in this news release are qualified by these cautionary statements.
Westford USA, Aug. 14, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to SkyQuest, wax is a complex mixture of long-chain fatty acids, alcohols, and sterols that typically melt at a slightly higher temperature in the synthetic polymer waxes market . Waxes can be categorized into two main types based on their source: natural and synthetic. Synthetic wax, also known as synthetic polymer wax, exhibits exceptional properties such as strong bonding capabilities and is generally more cost-effective than natural waxes.

Browse in-depth TOC on the "Synthetic Polymer Waxes Market"

Pages - 157

Tables - 93

Figures  76

Get a sample copy of this report:

https://www.skyquestt.com/sample-request/synthetic-polymer-waxes-market

The synthetic polymer waxes market is anticipated to face some challenges owing to the increasing usage of natural waxes, mainly carnauba wax, driven by strict regulations imposed by government authorities. These regulations aim to promote environmental sustainability and reduce the reliance on synthetic compounds. As a result, the demand for natural waxes as an alternative to synthetic polymer waxes is expected to rise in the coming years.

Prominent Players in Synthetic Polymer Waxes Market

Clariant AG

BASF SE

Dow Corning Corporation

Evonik Industries AG

Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.

Lubrizol Corporation

KahlWax

Croda International Plc

Micro Powders, Inc.

Shamrock Technologies

Meguiar's Inc.

Paramelt BV

Nanjing Tianshi New Material Technologies Co., Ltd.

Sasol Limited

Trecora Resources

The International Group, Inc.

Michelman, Inc.

Honeywell International Inc.

Altana AG

SAE Inc.

Browse summary of the report and Complete Table of Contents (ToC):

https://www.skyquestt.com/report/synthetic-polymer-waxes-market

Pharmaceutical Segment is Expected to Dominate the Market Due to the Increasing Demand for Capsules and Tablets

The pharmaceutical segment holds the highest market share in the synthetic polymer waxes market. Synthetic polymer waxes are crucial in formulating pharmaceutical products, particularly capsules and tablets. In addition, these polymers serve as a protective barrier, effectively preventing moisture loss from the drugs.

The markets in North America is anticipated to witness significant growth in the synthetic polymer waxes market during the forecast period, primarily driven by the growing demand for cars in these regions. Furthermore, as the automotive industry expands, the need for adequate surface protection and enhancement products, such as synthetic polymer waxes, is rising.

Liquid Form Segment is Expected to Grow the Market Due to the Increasing Demand for Waxes

The liquid form of wax holds a dominant position in the synthetic polymer waxes market, with a market share of 68%, and is projected to continue its dominance throughout the forecast period. Liquid forms of wax are highly favoured as they offer several advantages. For instance, they can be easily sprayed or poured over surfaces, providing convenience and flexibility in application.

Regional markets in the Asia Pacific have emerged as the leading synthetic polymer waxes market for synthetic polymer waxes, and this trend is projected to persist over the forecast period. Several key factors contribute to the market growth in Asia Pacific. One of the primary drivers is the increasing demand for waxes across various end-use applications such as packaging, construction, and cosmetics.

A comprehensive analysis of the major players in the synthetic polymer wax 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.

Key Developments in Synthetic Polymer Waxes Market

Recently, Sasol Limited, a global chemical and energy company, announced a distribution agreement with DKSH Management Limited, based in Switzerland. This agreement aimed to facilitate the marketing, distribution, and logistics of Sasol's chemicals and wax products in the market.

Turtle Wax, a renowned automotive care products company, introduced the hybrid ceramic graphene paste wax in India recently. This innovative product incorporated Turtle Wax's patent-pending graphene technology, blending ten waxes with silicon dioxide ceramic and graphene.

Speak to Analyst for your custom requirements:

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Key Questions Answered in Synthetic Polymer Waxes 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 Precipitated Calcium Carbonate Market

Global Ionic Liquids Market

Global Colloidal Silica Market

Global Industrial Computed Tomography Market

Global Fluorosilicic Acid Market

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New York, Aug. 14, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to a new report published by Delvens, titled, Bio-Jet Fuels Market Gearing Up for 60.50% CAGR by 2030, Technology, Feedstock, Type, Application, Region, Opportunities, Challenges and Competitive Landscape, the global Bio-Jet Fuels market size was estimated at USD 564.14 million in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 15478.16 million in 2030 at a CAGR of 60.50% during the forecast period 2023-2030. Bio-Jet Fuels Market , by Type of Feedstock (Agriculture Crops, Aquaculture Crops, Energy Crops, Multiple Solid Waste, and Others), Technology (First Generation, Second Generation, Third Generation, and Fourth Generation), Type (Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (HVO) and Fischer-Tropsch (FT)), and Application (Commercial, Military and Private) and region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa and South America).

Biojet fuel, or aviation turbine fuel (ATF), is a special form of petroleum-based fuel used to power jet and turbo-engined aircraft. Jet A1 and jet A are the two main jet fuels used by commercial airlines. The need to develop sustainable green energy is growing significantly worldwide. The majority of carbon dioxide emissions come from the burning of conventional fuel used in the aviation industry. These greenhouse gases contribute to global warming and ocean acidification. From the point of view of sustainable development, biofuel is a promising alternative to traditional jet fuel. About 60-70% of CO2 emissions are caused by flights using conventional jet fuel. Therefore, it is important to increase the use of biofuels in aviation.

Get a Sample Copy of the Bio-Jet Fuels Market Research Report (Use Corporate Email ID to Get Higher Priority): https://www.delvens.com/get-free-sample/bio-jet-fuels-market-trends-forecast-till-2030

The growth of the global Bio-Jet Fuels market is mainly driven by these key factors such as research and development initiatives to reduce carbon emissions, government initiatives towards the use of biofuels are expected to drive the growth of the global bio-aviation fuel market. In addition, reliability and maintainability are important factors for the success of commercialization of biofuels in the aviation industry, especially in commercial aviation. However, due to long storage, slow biomass degradation process, etc., biofuel oxidation is expected to limit the market growth. In addition, biofuels can provide valuable economic opportunities for communities that can develop new sources of income, especially in developing economies. Such market opportunities for biofuels will increase demand in the near term.

The prominent players in the Bio-Jet Fuels Market are: Archer Daniels Midland Company, Argent Energy, GEVO, Honeywell International Inc., KFS Biodiesel GmbH & Co KG, Petrosun, Inc., Red Rock Biofuels, Shirke energy, Targray Technology International Inc., Vega Biofuels, Virent Inc., Fulcrum BioEnergy, Inc, Neste Oil Corporation, AltAir Paramont LLC, S.G. Preston Company, SkyNRG BV, Total S.A., Sundrop Fuels, Inc, Hypoint, Inc, ZeroAvia, Inc, and others.

The Bio-Jet Fuels Market is witnessing substantial growth due to increasing environmental concerns and the need to reduce carbon emissions from aviation. Bio-jet fuels, derived from renewable feedstocks such as biomass, waste oils, and algae, offer a sustainable alternative to conventional fossil fuels. This market is driven by advancements in biofuel production technology, government regulations promoting cleaner aviation fuels, and a growing number of airlines adopting bio-jet fuels to meet sustainability goals.

Recent Developments

In February 2022, Engie SA and the U.S. engineering company Infinium Holdings announced a US$ 500-million project to produce renewable aviation and maritime fuels in northern France. The final investment decision for the project is planned for the end of 2023, with commercial operations expected to start in 2026.

In February 2022, Boeing announced a supply agreement for two million gallons of blended renewable aviation fuel with EPIC Fuels to power its commercial operations in Washington state and South Carolina by the end of 2022.

Inquiry Before Buying: https://www.delvens.com/Inquire-before-buying/bio-jet-fuels-market-trends-forecast-till-2030

Bio-Jet Fuels Market Segmentation:

Global Bio-Jet Fuels Market, By Feedstock:

Agriculture Crops

Aquaculture Crops

Energy Crops

Multiple Solid Waste

Others

Global Bio-Jet Fuels Market, By Technology

First Generation

Second Generation

Third Generation

Fourth Generation

Global Bio-Jet Fuels Market, By Type

Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil

Fisher-Tropsch

Global Bio-Jet Fuels Market, By Application

Commercial

Military

Private

Global Bio-Jet Fuels Market, By Region

Asia Pacific

Japan

China

India

Australia

South Korea

Vietnam

New Zealand

Philippines

Thailand

Malaysia

Hong Kong

Taiwan

Singapore

Indonesia

Sri Lanka

Rest of Asia-Pacific

North America

U.S.

Canada

Mexico

Europe

Germany

U.K.

France

Italy

Spain

Sweden

Austria

Finland

Belgium

Turkey

Russia

Poland

Hungary

Czech Republic

Switzerland

Netherlands

Rest of Europe

South America

Brazil

Argentina

Chile

Colombia

Rest of South America

Middle East & Africa

South Africa

U.A.E.

Saudi Arabia

Oman

Qatar

Iran

Egypt

Rest of Middle East and Africa

North America to Dominate the Market

North America is estimated to account for the largest market share during the forecast period due to the increasing expansion of the commercial airlines and the low cost of the air transportation in the developed countries led to surge in the carbon emissions due to aviation sector. Thereore the need to use bio-fuels is growing at a really fast pace.

Direct Purchase of the Bio-Jet Fuels Market Research Report at: https://www.delvens.com/checkout/bio-jet-fuels-market-trends-forecast-till-2030

The Bio-Jet Fuels Market report answers a number of crucial questions, including:

Which companies dominate the Bio-Jet Fuels Market?

What current trends will influence the market over the next few years?

What are the market's opportunities, obstacles, and driving forces?

What predictions for the future can help with strategic decision-making?

What advantages does market research offer businesses?

Which particular market segments should industry players focus on in order to take advantage of the most recent technical advancements?

What is the anticipated growth rate for the market economy globally?

Some Points Covered in Bio-Jet Fuels Market Report:

Environmental Concerns and Regulations: Growing awareness of climate change and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions has led to increased focus on sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs), including bio-jet fuels. Governments and international aviation bodies have been implementing regulations and incentives to promote the use of bio-jet fuels as a means to lower carbon emissions from aviation.

Energy Security: The aviation industry, being heavily reliant on conventional fossil fuels, is susceptible to supply disruptions and price fluctuations. Bio-jet fuels offer a potential alternative source of energy, reducing dependence on traditional jet fuels and enhancing energy security.

Volatility in Crude Oil Prices: Fluctuations in crude oil prices can significantly impact airlines' operational costs. Bio-jet fuels can provide a more stable and potentially cost-effective alternative, as they are derived from renewable feedstocks that might have less price volatility.

Technological Advancements: Advances in biotechnology and bioengineering have enabled the development of more efficient processes for producing bio-jet fuels. These advancements have the potential to improve production yields and reduce costs, making bio-jet fuels more economically viable.

Corporate Sustainability Goals: Airlines and aviation companies are increasingly setting sustainability targets and incorporating environmental considerations into their business strategies. The adoption of bio-jet fuels helps these companies achieve their sustainability goals and enhance their environmental reputation.

Investment and Funding: Increased investment in research, development, and production infrastructure for bio-jet fuels has been driven by the growing demand for sustainable alternatives. Government grants, private investments, and partnerships have contributed to the expansion of the bio-jet fuels market.

Public Perception and Consumer Demand: There is a growing trend of environmentally conscious travelers who prefer airlines that are committed to reducing their carbon footprint. The use of bio-jet fuels can appeal to these consumers and provide airlines with a competitive advantage.

Feedstock Availability and Diversity: The availability and diversity of feedstocks for bio-jet fuel production, such as algae, waste oils, and agricultural residues, play a crucial role in determining the viability and scalability of the market. Advances in feedstock sourcing and conversion technologies can impact the market's growth.

Partnerships and Collaboration: Collaboration between aviation companies, biofuel producers, research institutions, and government agencies is essential for accelerating the development and adoption of bio-jet fuels. Partnerships can help address technical challenges, share expertise, and promote the commercialization of bio-jet fuels.

Long-Term Sustainability: The long-term sustainability of the aviation industry requires a transition to more environmentally friendly fuels. Bio-jet fuels offer a potential pathway to reduce the industry's carbon footprint while maintaining its essential role in global transportation.

Global Bio-Jet Fuels Market Research Report Overview: https://www.delvens.com/report/bio-jet-fuels-market-trends-forecast-till-2030

For more Energy Industry Reports: https://www.delvens.com/industry/energy

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Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Market : The global Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) market size was estimated at USD 5.4 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 26.9 billion in 2030 at a CAGR of 25.8% during the forecast period 2023-2030.

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Increase in Cresemba  and Zevtera  related revenue to CHF 80.5 million (+57% year-on-year)

Increase in operating profit to CHF 36.9 million and net profit to CHF 31.9 million

Increase in cash and restricted cash to CHF 112.9 million

Full-year 2023 revenue and profit guidance increased

Submitted US NDA for ceftobiprole in August

Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR

Allschwil, Switzerland, August 15, 2023

Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd, Allschwil (SIX: BSLN), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to meeting the needs of patients with severe bacterial or fungal infections, announced today its financial results for the first half-year ended June 30, 2023.

David Veitch, Chief Executive Officer, stated: We made very good progress on the implementation of our growth strategy, which is reflected in our strong financial performance, with a 57 percent growth year-on-year in Cresemba and Zevtera related revenue. In early August, we submitted the New Drug Application for ceftobiprole to the US Food and Drug Administration, a key milestone to access the important US market. We are also in discussions with regard to the in-licensing or acquisition of a number of novel, differentiated anti-infective assets, to complement our pipeline and support long-term growth. This makes us confident that we are well on track to become a leading anti-infectives company.

Adesh Kaul, Chief Financial Officer, said: The first half-year reflected the continued commercial success of our antifungal Cresemba around the world. We reported CHF 30.6 million in milestone payments based on the in-market sales performance from established markets, as well as the start of commercialization in Japan. Royalty income, which more directly reflects the underlying global demand for Cresemba, increased by 27 percent, year-on-year, to CHF 36.7 million. We started to pay back our senior secured loan as planned in the first of half of 2023 and at the same time, also increased our mid-year cash position to CHF 112.9 million. Our financial strength provides us with the ability to add new products to our portfolio, in addition to continuing to grow our business from our existing products.

Financial summary

Basilea recorded total revenue in the first half-year (H1) 2023 of CHF 84.9 million (H1 2022: CHF 57.6 million), which is an increase of 47% year-on-year. Thereof, Cresemba and Zevtera related revenue increased 57% to CHF 80.5 million (H1 2022: CHF 51.2 million). This included royalty income from Cresemba, which increased by 27% to CHF 36.7 million (H1 2022: CHF 28.9 million), and milestone payments of CHF 30.6 million (H1 2022: CHF 2.2 million). Other revenue, amounted to CHF 4.4 million (H1 2022: CHF 6.5 million) and included CHF 2.0 million (H1 2022: CHF 5.0 million) reimbursements from BARDA for the ceftobiprole phase 3 program. The decrease in BARDA reimbursements reflects that the program is ending, as also indicated by our NDA submission.

In H1 2023, research and development expenses decreased by 42% to CHF 21.5 million (H1 2022: CHF 37.1 million). This reflects that we partnered our previous oncology programs by the end of last year, as well as the fact that the ceftobiprole phase 3 program is nearing completion. Selling, general and administrative expenses amounted to CHF 16.5 million (H1 2022: CHF 15.6 million). Cost of products sold amounted to CHF 10.0 million (H1 2022: CHF 14.9 million).

In H1 2023, an operating profit of CHF 36.9 million was recorded (H1 2022: operating loss of CHF 10.0 million) as well as a net profit of CHF 31.8 million (H1 2022: net loss of CHF12.2 million). This resulted in a basic and diluted earnings per share of CHF 2.66 and 2.42, respectively (H1 2022: loss per share of CHF 1.03).

The progress in commercialization led to a significantly improved positive net cash flow provided by operating activities of CHF 21.9 million (H1 2022: CHF 0.15 million). This also resulted in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash of CHF 112.9 million as of June 30, 2023, hence increased compared to CHF 108.6 million as of December 31, 2022.

Key financial figures

(In CHF million, except per share data) H1 2023 H1 2022 Product revenue 13.2 19.4 Contract revenue 67.3 31.8 Other revenue 4.4 6.5 Total revenue 84.9 57.6 Cost of products sold (10.0) (14.9) Research & development expenses, net (21.5) (37.1) Selling, general & administrative expenses (16.5) (15.6) Total cost and operating expenses (48.0) (67.7) Operating profit/loss 36.9 (10.0) Net profit/loss 31.8 (12.2) Net cash provided by operating activities 21.9 0.15 Basic earnings/loss per share, in CHF 2.66 (1.03) Diluted earnings/loss per share, in CHF 2.42 (1.03) (in CHF million) June 30, 2023 Dec 31, 2022 Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash 112.9 108.6

Note: Consolidated figures in conformity with US GAAP; rounding was applied consistently.

The unaudited, condensed consolidated interim financial statements of Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd, Allschwil for the first half-year 2023 can be found on the companys website at https://www.basilea.com/financial-reports.

Increased full-year 2023 financial guidance

The company increases its financial guidance for the full-year (FY) 2023, excluding the potential impact from any in-licensing or acquisitions:

Cresemba & Zevtera related revenue is expected to grow by 20% - 23% to

CHF 147  150 million (FY 2022: CHF 122.3 million), reflecting the continued commercial success of Basileas marketed products.

CHF 147  150 million (FY 2022: CHF 122.3 million), reflecting the continued commercial success of Basileas marketed products. Operating profit is expected to increase to CHF 50  55 million (FY 2022: CHF 18.5 million) and net profit to CHF 41  46 million (FY 2022: CHF 12.1 million).

The company is planning to continue reducing its debt level through the partial repayment of the senior secured loan in the amount of approximately CHF 37 million.

(in CHF million) FY 2023e

(new) FY 2023e

(previous) FY 2022 Cresemba & Zevtera related revenue 147 to 150 145 to 148 122.3 Royalty income ~76 ~74 65.0 Total revenue 157 to 160 155 to 158 147.8 Cost of products sold 25 to 27 25 to 28 24.6 Operating expenses ~80 ~80 104.6 Operating profit 50 to 55 45 to 50 18.5 Net profit 41 to 46 36 to 41 12.1

Conference call and webcast

Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd, Allschwil will host a conference call and webcast today, Tuesday, August 15, 2023, at 4 p.m. (CEST), to discuss the companys financial and operating results and to provide an outlook.

Via audio webcast with presentation

The live audio webcast of the results presentation can be followed here: https://media.choruscall.eu/mediaframe/webcast.html?webcastid=W6AYMggN. Please note that there is no function to ask questions via webcast. For questions, please additionally dial-in via phone (see below).

Via phone

To listen by phone and ask questions, please use the dial-in details below. To ensure prompt access, please call approximately five minutes prior to the scheduled start of the call.

+41 (0) 58 310 5000 (Europe and RoW)

+1 (1) 866 291 4166 (USA)

+44 (0) 207 107 0613 (U.K.)

Replay

The webcast, along with the presentation will be available online (same link as live audio webcast above) shortly after the event and accessible for three months.

About Basilea

Basilea is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company founded in 2000 and headquartered in Switzerland. We are committed to discovering, developing and commercializing innovative drugs to meet the needs of patients with severe bacterial or fungal infections. We have successfully launched two hospital brands, Cresemba for the treatment of invasive fungal infections and Zevtera for the treatment of bacterial infections. In addition, we have preclinical anti-infective assets in our portfolio. Basilea is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX: BSLN). Please visit basilea.com.

Disclaimer

This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements, such as "believe", "assume", "expect", "forecast", "project", "may", "could", "might", "will" or similar expressions concerning Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd, Allschwil and its business, including with respect to the progress, timing and completion of research, development and clinical studies for product candidates. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd, Allschwil to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd, Allschwil is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

For further information, please contact:

Peer Nils Schroder, PhD



Head of Corporate Communications & Investor Relations

Basilea Pharmaceutica International Ltd, Allschwil

Hegenheimermattweg 167b

4123 Allschwil

Switzerland Phone +41 61 606 1102 E-mail media_relations@basilea.com

investor_relations@basilea.com

This ad hoc announcement can be downloaded from www.basilea.com.

References

IQVIA Analytics Link, March 2023. In-market sales reported as moving annual total (MAT) in US dollars. Basileas ceftobiprole phase 3 program is funded in part with federal funds from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR); Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), under contract number HHSO100201600002C. Basilea has been awarded approximately USD 112 million, or approximately 75 percent of the costs related to the SAB and ABSSSI phase 3 studies, regulatory activities and non-clinical work.

Attachment
Newark, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As per the report published by The Brainy Insights, the global ceramic tiles market is expected to grow from USD 283.57 Billion in 2022 to USD 524.36 Billion by 2032, at a CAGR of 6.34% during the forecast period 2023-2032.



Ceramic tiles are made of ceramic using many mechanical processes, generally heating and instant cooling. These tiles are inorganic. This market is growing because of a population surge, disposable income, renovation and remodelling activities, and more investment in the residential and commercial sectors. During the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, manufacturing activities were halted all across the world in several sectors which, include ceramic tiles too.



Request a Sample Copy of the Research Report: https://www.thebrainyinsights.com/enquiry/sample-request/13634



Competitive Strategy



To enhance their market position in the global ceramic tiles market, the key players are now focusing on adopting the strategies such as product innovations, mergers & acquisitions, recent developments, joint ventures, collaborations, and partnerships.



 In September 2022: Kajaria Ceramics acquired a 51% stake in South Asian Ceramic Tiles. It has made South Asian Ceramic Tiles a subsidiary of Kajaria Ceramics. This acquisition helps set the organization's foothold in South India, which helps the organization expand the tiles market and gain more customers.



Market Growth & Trends



The surge in the construction and infrastructure sector majorly drives ceramic tiles demand. The construction sector is substantially growing in emerging economies such as China, India, Brazil and South Asian Countries. Urbanization and industrialization have increased the demand for commercial and residential buildings in emerging economies. Also, advancement in technology in the manufacturing of ceramic tiles and the presence of abundant raw materials is contributing to the growth of the ceramic tiles market. In the middle east ceramic tiles are growing due to new construction activities in housing, urbanization, infrastructure and hospitality and, more importantly, an increase in high-net-worth individuals (HNI). Also, there is a demand for quality and cost-effective products propelling the market's growth. In North America, ceramic tiles are also growing as they are broadly used as flooring material and are water resistant. It is broadly used in places such as hotels, laboratories, hospitals and many industries. India is also showing significant growth because of its booming real estate sector and the growing disposable income of consumers. Consumers are now becoming style conscious, which has led to a surge in the consumption of several ceramic tiles. Ceramic tiles demand is growing because of their visually appealing characteristics and also due to their sustainability and durability characteristics; it is broadly preferred by renovators, homeowners and interior designers. These features also increase their use in constructing offices, hotels, shopping centres, universities, restaurants, etc.



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Key Findings



 In 2022, the porcelain tiles segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 51.66% and market revenue of USD 146.49 Billion.



The product segment is divided into porcelain tiles, glazed ceramic tiles and unglazed ceramic tiles. In 2022, the porcelain tiles segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 51.66% and market revenue of USD 146.49 Billion. It is a better choice for the surface, which generally have lots of traffic, such as kitchen floors and countertops.



 In 2022, the floor tiles segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 57.14% and market revenue of USD 162.03 Billion.



The application segment is divided into floor tiles, wall tiles and others. In 2022, the floor tiles segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 57.14% and market revenue of USD 162.03 Billion. This factor is due to the growing demand from commercial construction such as shopping malls, restaurants and hotels, as it offers superior aesthetics.



 In 2022, the commercial segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 53.45% and market revenue of USD 151.57 Billion.



The end-user segment is divided into residential and commercial. In 2022, the commercial segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 53.45% and market revenue of USD 151.57 Billion. Ceramic tiles help in adorning the places like malls, restaurants, hotels and hospitals, among other public places. It helps uplift the look of the place, and hence it is broadly used in commercial buildings.



Regional Segment Analysis of the Ceramic Tiles Market:



 North America (U.S., Canada, Mexico)

 Europe (Germany, France, 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)



The Asia Pacific region occurred as the largest market for the global ceramic tiles industry, with a market share of 44.78% and a market value of around USD 126.98 Billion in 2022. This region is observing fast growth and investment in construction and renovation projects. Also, there is rapid urbanization happening in the region. There is an expansion of the metro cities, and there is a huge migration of people from villages to major cities. In India, some of the initiatives by the governments, like Make in India, Sanitation Schemes, and Housing for All, are eventually driving the ceramic tiles market.



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Key players operating in the global ceramic tiles market are:



 Crossville Inc.

 Porcelanosa Group

 Ricchetti Group

 RAK Ceramics

 Ceramica Saloni, Florida Tile, Inc.

 Kajaria Ceramics Limited

 Mohawk Industries, Inc.

 Guangdong Monalisa Industry Co., Ltd.

 Florim Ceramiche S.p.A.

 China Ceramics Co., Ltd.

 ATLAS CONCORDE S.P.A.

 Guangdong Newpearl Ceramics Group Co., Ltd.



This study forecasts revenue at global, regional, and country levels from 2019 to 2032. The Brainy Insights has segmented the global ceramic tiles market based on below mentioned segments:



Global Ceramic Tiles Market by Product:



 Porcelain Tiles

 Glazed Ceramic Tiles

 Unglazed Ceramic Tiles



Global Ceramic Tiles Market by Application:



 Floor Tiles

 Wall Tiles

 Others



Global Ceramic Tiles Market by End User:



 Residential

 Commercial



About the report:



The global ceramic tiles market is analysed based on value (USD Billion). All the segments have been analysed on global, regional and country basis. The study includes the analysis of more than 30 countries for each segment. The report offers in-depth analysis of driving factors, opportunities, restraints, and challenges for gaining the key insight of the market. The study includes porters five forces model, attractiveness analysis, raw material analysis, supply, 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
Newark, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Brainy Insights estimates that the USD 30 billion in 2022 global fraud detection and prevention market will reach USD 185.75 billion in 2032. Around 30 billion people were affected by cybercrimes in 2023 globally. 80% of these crimes are related to phishing and are anticipated to cost around USD 8 trillion annually in the coming years. The growing use of online and internet banking, mobile-based banking applications, UPI and digital payments has led to a rising incidence of cyber-frauds given the lack of digital literacy, awareness, knowledge and a robust security environment. Business providers must protect their customers from phishing attacks and other Cyber-frauds in the rising digital economy. Therefore, increasing cyber-crimes will drive the growth of global fraud detection and prevention.



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Key Insight of the Global Fraud Detection and Prevention Market



North America is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period.



The existence of important market players provides the region's extensive digital economy with various products and services. The consumer market for these products and services is also sizable because of substantial banking, finance, insurance, and defence businesses and the retail and e-commerce sectors. To protect and safeguard citizens and national interests, market regulators have been prompted by the region's rising number of cyberattacks to strengthen fraud detection and prevention services and solutions.



In 2022, the solutions segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 53% and revenue of 15.90 billion.



The product type segment is divided into solutions and services. In 2022, the solutions segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 53% and revenue of 15.90 billion.



In 2022, the large enterprises' segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 56% and revenue of 16.80 billion.



The enterprise type segment is divided into small and medium enterprises and large enterprises. In 2022, the large enterprises' segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 56% and revenue of 16.80 billion.



In 2022, the BFSI segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 27% and revenue of 8.10 billion.



The industry vertical segment is divided into BFSI, government, manufacturing, real estate, retail and e-commerce, healthcare, travel and transportation, telecommunications and others. In 2022, the BFSI segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 27% and revenue of 8.10 billion.



In 2022, the cloud segment dominated the market with the largest share of 52% and revenue of 15.60 billion.



The deployment type segment is divided into cloud and on-premises. In 2022, the cloud segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 52% and revenue of 15.60 billion.



Advancement in Market



October 2022 - A novel solution that stops issuer processing fraud was created in collaboration with Global Processing Services (GPS) and Featurespace, a risk management company.



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Market Dynamics



Driver: Growing automation and economic digitization.



The beginning of the industrial revolution 4.0 is related to the economies' growing automation and digitization. A significant illustration of increased automation is the increasing usage of Internet banking, UPI and digital payments, and mobile application-based banking services to enhance the customer experience in the BFSI sector. Additionally, worldwide digitalization is being driven by the thriving e-commerce sector. The prevalence of cyber frauds, such as identity theft, phishing, counterfeiting, credit and debit card fraud, and other scams, has increased along with the growth in online traffic. Automation and digitisation are accelerating, and the digital world is continually changing. A clear legal or policy framework that provides a safety net for individual users, frequently the targets of fraud, is severely lacking. To safeguard their companies against cyber fraud, industrial units or businesses use fraud detection and prevention services and solutions. The expansion of the worldwide fraud detection and prevention market will be fueled by rising automation and digitization.



Restraints: The scarcity of experts.



The dynamic nature of its risks, hazards, and vulnerabilities stems from the always-changing field of digital fraud. Market participants who provide fraud detection and prevention services and solutions must proactively recognise these evolving risks and develop the required defences against them. However, the market is lacking in professionals who are qualified, skilled, and trained. A dearth of analysts. The lack of knowledge about these job profiles, educational opportunities, infrastructure, and logistics all contribute to analysts' scarcity. Technology that relies on huge amounts of historical data to discover and detect fraud patterns and trends to stop them also cannot forecast the emergence of new risks or frauds. The scarcity of professionals was understandable because it was a high-end position requiring multidisciplinary knowledge. A lack of professionals will hamper the market's expansion.



Opportunities: Breakthroughs in AI and ML technology.



Artificial intelligence and machine learning are the basic components of fraud detection and prevention technologies. They allow economic entities to instantly evaluate massive amounts of data to provide insightful information that safeguards their clients' interests. They offer precision and speed and provide real-time monitoring, accuracy, speed, dependability, and the capacity to identify and stop fraud quickly. They support national security goals and help the world's economies defend their populations. Artificial intelligence and machine learning developments will enhance fraud detection and prevention tools, allowing businesses to stay one step ahead of fraudsters and emerging threats and opening up lucrative market prospects.



Challenges: The lack of global regulatory and policy framework.



The digital economy has brought the world closer. Globalization has ushered in new opportunities as well as risks. The fraudsters can target anyone globally; national boundaries do not hinder the crime or offence. The increasing integration of the global economy, rising internet penetration and adoption of smart connected devices have increased the vulnerability of users in the digital space. Cross-border crimes require global cooperation and collaboration to develop a comprehensive policy framework that will deal with digital crime identification, prevention, monitoring and accountability. The lack of global consensus on a holistic framework leaves the users open to attacks and losses. Therefore, the lack of a global regulatory and policy framework will challenge the market's growth.



Schedule a Consultation Call with Our Analysts/Industry Experts to Find Solution for Your Business at: https://www.thebrainyinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/13635

Some of the major players operating in the global fraud detection and prevention market are:



 ACI Worldwide

 BAE Systems PLC.

 Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO)

 FIS Global

 Fiserv, Inc.

 International Business Machines Corporation

 LexisNexis

 Oracle Corporation

 SAP SE

 SAS Institute Inc.



Key Segments cover in the market:



By Product Type



 Solutions

 Services



By Enterprise Type



 Small and Medium Enterprises

 Large Enterprises



By Industry Vertical



 BFSI

 Government

 Manufacturing

 Real Estate

 Retail and E-commerce

 Healthcare

 Travel and Transportation

 Telecommunications

 Others



By Deployment Type



 Cloud

 On-Premises



By Region



 North America (U.S., Canada, Mexico)

 Europe (Germany, France, the UK, 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 worldwide, regional, and country basis. The study includes the analysis of more than 30 countries for each part. The report analyses 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
TORONTO, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Goodfood Market Corp. (Goodfood or the Company) (TSX: FOOD) has partnered with Michelin-starred restaurant St. Lawrence to bring Canadians exclusive meal-kits for a limited time only.



As the #1 Canadian Meal Kit Brand, Goodfood delivers farm-fresh ingredients and chef-curated meal-kits directly to consumers doorsteps, encouraging them to discover new recipes and cuisines. The new partnership with one of Canadas most celebrated restaurants, St. Lawrence, further demonstrates the brand's commitment of delivering high-quality meals to consumers, providing them with an elevated dining experience.

Developed in collaboration by St. Lawrence Owner and Chef Jean-Christophe (J-C) Poirier and Goodfood Head Chef Jordana Rebner, Goodfood subscribers across the country will be able to order the limited-edition Lemon Chicken Piccata and Steelhead Trout En Papillote meal-kits as of today. The latter recipe is also featured in Chef J-Cs new cookbook "Where the River Narrows, which is heavily inspired by his Quebecois heritage and features a number of dishes on the St. Lawrence menu.

I opened St. Lawrence as a heartfelt homage to my hometown of Saint-Jerome and to share my love of Quebecois cuisine, said J-C Poirier, Chef and Owner, St. Lawrence. Through my partnership with Goodfood, Im excited to bring some of my favourite recipes to Canadians doorsteps, while helping them to feel more confident in the kitchen and of course, enjoy the pleasures of cooking.

Based in Vancouver, St. Lawrence was proudly awarded One Star by the Michelin Guide last year (2022). Now, with easy-to-follow recipe cards and pre-portioned ingredients, Goodfood is giving Canadians the confidence to cook a Michelin Star dish and elevate their at-home dining experience.



"At Goodfood, our priority is to make cooking elevated and delicious meals feel accessible rather than intimidating, said Jordana Rebner, Head Chef, Goodfood. Having launched meal-kits with Aloette Go earlier this year, this is our second restaurant partnership and is a testament to our commitment in helping Canadians build their cooking skills while inspiring them to explore new recipes.

Featuring fresh locally-sourced ingredients, the St. Lawrence meal-kits will be delivered nationwide between September 11th  November 3rd. Canadians can visit makegoodfood.ca to order their meal-kits, and browse the wide variety of meal-kits available, including new paleo, keto, vegetarian and most recently, organic protein options.

About Goodfood

Goodfood (TSX: FOOD) is a leading digitally native meal solutions brand in Canada, delivering fresh meals and add-ons that make it easy for customers from across Canada to enjoy delicious meals at home every day. The Goodfood team is building Canadas most loved millennial food brand, with the mission to create experiences that spark joy and help our community live longer on a healthier planet. Goodfood customers have access to uniquely fresh and delicious products, as well as exclusive pricing, made possible by its world class culinary team and direct-to-consumer infrastructures and technology. We are passionate about connecting our partner farms and suppliers to our customers kitchens while eliminating food waste and costly retail overhead. The Companys administrative offices are based in Montreal, Quebec, with production facilities located in the provinces of Quebec and Alberta.

About St. Lawrence

Launched in Vancouver, BC in 2017, St. Lawrence is an exciting restaurant concept that offers a marriage of classic French cuisine and the gastronomic identity and culture of Les Quebecois. St. Lawrence is a passion project for acclaimed Chef/Owner and 2019 Vancouver Magazine Chef of the Year Award winner Jean-Christophe (J-C) Poirier, who brings his razor-sharp focus and dedication to craft and time-honoured traditions to an elevated-yet-approachable enclave where food, drink and ambiance combine for a transportive dining adventure unlike any other. One of the most celebrated restaurants in Canada, St. Lawrence was proudly awarded One Star by the Michelin Guide in 2022. The restaurant has received a series of other recognitions, including multiple awards for Restaurant of the Year, Best Upscale and Best French by the Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards, 'Top 6' Placement in Canadas 100 Best Restaurants 2023, and inclusion on the Worlds 50 Best Discovery List.

MEDIA CONTACTS

Jessica Hoffeldt

Agnostic

jhoffeldt@thinkagnostic.com

Shelley McArthur Everett

St. Lawrence and Chef J-C Poirier

smc@shelleymcarthur.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2c60c890-0ab6-4763-be11-4ef51b5c7613




Dublin, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "US Pet Supplements Market - Focused Insights 2023-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The US pet supplements market was valued at $890.00 million in 2022 and is expected to reach $1,381.21 million by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 7.60% during the forecast period.

This report unveils a comprehensive exploration of the US pet supplements market. Through a meticulous analysis, it lays bare the market's size and forecast data, encapsulating the revenue generated by the sale of pet supplements.

The study is not confined to static figures; rather, it captures the dynamic essence of the market, considering its evolution from 2023 to 2028 in the United States. A meticulous examination of growth enablers, constraints, and trends forms the backbone of this study, offering a multifaceted understanding of the market's intricacies.

Both demand and supply aspects are illuminated, fostering a comprehensive comprehension of the market's dynamics. The profiles of prominent market players and leading companies further enrich the report's insights. In the realm of supplements, these mixtures that enhance animal feed or are directly administered to animals hold a vital role.

By providing additional nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, they elevate energy levels, sharpen focus, improve heart health, and bolster immune systems in pets. Offered in various forms  chewable tablets, powders, liquids, capsules, and gel capsules  these supplements cater to diverse preferences.

Notably, the rising disposable income among the US populace has spurred increased spending on pets, perpetuating growth in this domain.



KEY HIGHLIGHTS

The US pet supplements market is growing significantly due to a shift toward science-based and veterinarian-formulated supplements, high demand for natural/herbal pet supplements, increasing pet ownership, and rising consumer spending on pet health.

In the US pet supplements market, the demand for chewable is rising as they are easy to consume and offer complete absorption of nutrients. Chewing also helps reduce stress and improve the health of dogs, which drives the chewable market in the US.

Pet owner spending on pet food has significantly increased in recent years, driving the US pet supplements market during the forecast period.

Mars Petcare, Nestle, The J.M. Smucker Co., Nutramax Laboratories, PetIQ, and Wellness Pet Company are the leading players with strong market penetration. Vendors such as Herbion, Healthy Breeds, Waggedy, PetLab Co., FoodScience, Codeage, Ready Pet Go, Zesty Paws, Swedencare, Virbac, NOW Foods, and others are the prominent players in the market with a noteworthy presence.

Pet food companies are entering the pet supplements market in the US. For instance, Nulo and Open Farm are the recently launched pet supplements in the US market.

The demand for pet supplements that are herbal/natural and non-GMO is increasing in the US market. Many companies offer pet supplements for a specific application, such as hip & joints, which also help improve pets' overall health.

Key Attributes:

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 76 Forecast Period 2022 - 2028 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2022 $0.89 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2028 $1.38 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 7.5% Regions Covered United States

MARKET STRUCTURE

Market Dynamics

Competitive Landscape of the US Pet Supplements Market

Key Vendors

Other Prominent Vendors

REPORT HIGHLIGHTS

SEGMENTATION & FORECAST

Pet Market Insights (2022-2028)

Dogs

Cats

Others

Form Market Insights (2022-2028)

Chewables & Tablets

Powders

Others

Application Market Insights (2022-2028)

Hip & Joints

Skin & Coat

Digestive Health

Others

Distribution Channel Market Insights (2022-2028)

Offline Distribution

Online Distribution

VENDORS LIST

Key Vendors

Mars Petcare

Nestle

The J.M. Smucker Co.

Nutramax Laboratories

PetIQ

Wellness Pet Company

Other Prominent Vendors

Herbion

Healthy Breeds

Waggedy

PetLab Co.

FoodScience

Codeage

Ready Pet Go

Compana

Zesty Paws

Swedencare

Morning Bird Products

Pet Wellbeing

Ark Naturals

NOW Foods

Virbac

Zoetis Services LLC

Nulo

Open Farm

HIKE AGAIN REMEDIES

Bocce's Bakery

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/1gvcbj

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
Dublin, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Music Publishing Market 2023-2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report highlights the growth of the global music publishing market, projecting it to reach $9.0 billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 6.7% during the forecast period (2023-2030). Several factors contribute to this growth:

Key Drivers

Growing Music Industry: The overall growth of the music industry worldwide supports the expansion of the music publishing market. The increasing interest in music and passion for music, especially among the younger generation, has led to a rise in the number of concerts and live performances globally, thereby bolstering market growth. Demand for EDM: The growing demand for electronic dance music (EDM) has attracted large crowds to music festivals like Ultra Music Festival in Miami and the BPM Festival in Mexico. EDM's success is contributing to the growth of live music events globally. Shifting to Digital Revenue: The market is witnessing a shift from physical to digital music consumption. As more consumers adopt digital music streaming, the digital revenue sub-segment is expected to hold a prominent share in the music publishing market.

Opportunities

Increase in Singles Population: The rise in the number of singles, particularly among the younger population due to education and financial dependence, presents an opportunity for online dating platforms to cater to this growing demographic. Integration of Advanced Technologies: The integration of machine learning and artificial intelligence can enhance the matchmaking process, leading to more accurate and compatible matches, thus attracting and retaining users.

Challenges

Trust and Safety Issues: Concerns about data privacy, security, and the presence of fraudulent users on dating platforms have deterred some individuals from fully embracing online dating, leading to potential limitations in market growth.

Regional Outlook

North America: North America is expected to hold a considerable share of the music publishing market, driven by wide acceptance of digital music distribution. The USA contributed the highest share, with numerous independent and traditional music publishing houses in the country offering opportunities for artists to showcase their talent.

Market Players

Major companies serving the global music publishing market include Sony Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music Inc., Broadcast Music Inc., Concord Music Group Inc., and others. Market players are adopting strategies such as mergers, acquisitions, partnerships, and new product launches to stay competitive in the market.

Note: The report also includes detailed market value data analysis, country-wise analysis, and competitive strategies of key market players.



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/2ulnej

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.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NEAR APAC, the largest global blockchain conference in Vietnam is set to take place on September 9th-10th, 2023, at Thiskyhall Sala Convention Center in Ho Chi Minh City. The event promises to be a global gathering, bringing together leading blockchain experts, developers, students, enterprises, and startups from the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region and beyond.

Themed "Unlimited Future," NEAR APAC will serve as a platform for exploring the latest advancements in blockchain technology and multi-chain decentralized applications within the APAC region. The conference will offer a diverse range of activities designed to engage and inspire participants beyond traditional panel discussions and keynote presentations. Participants can immerse themselves in a virtual reality playground, explore the Web3 Dating zone tailored for startups and venture capitalists, witness cutting-edge technology demonstrations, and partake in thrilling NFT and gaming activities. NEAR APAC aims to provide a dynamic and interactive environment that fosters networking, collaboration, and the exploration of emerging technologies.

With over 8,000 expected attendees, NEAR APAC is set to attract a wide array of participants, including 100+ global blockchain leaders as speakers, 1,000+ developers, students from 10+ universities, 300+ projects and startups, and representatives from 100+ enterprises. Register now at and secure your place at the forefront of the blockchain revolution.



The conference offers unique opportunities for each target audience:



Builders: NEAR APAC will host a Web3 Hackfest, Web3 Code Challenge, and Builder stage with the prize pool $110,000, providing developers with a platform to showcase their skills and engage in collaborative coding sessions. The conference will also feature a dedicated hacking area for participants to further explore their ideas. Learn more at https://web3hackfest.org/.



VCs and Start-ups: The Greenhouse Program at NEAR APAC brings venture capitalists on board as speakers, partners, and judges for the Hackathon. Start-ups can benefit from the guidance and support of experienced investors. Visit https://nearapac.org/the-greenhouse/ for more information.



Blockchain Community, IT Students, and Start-ups: NEAR APAC hosts the Web2 & Web3 Career Fair in collaboration with TOP CV, Vietnam's largest recruitment platform. This unique opportunity allows start-ups and projects to connect with talented individuals and find suitable candidates for their companies.



NEAR APAC is further elevating the event experience with additional attractions designed to captivate and engage attendees. A Web2 technology show will feature fascinating displays such as robot beer servers, holograms, and flying motorcycles. A travel game with a substantial prize pool will incentivize participants to explore every booth, maximizing the benefits for booth sponsors. By completing tasks and collecting NFTs, participants will have a chance to share in the $15,000 prize pool. These activities aim to drive user engagement and provide booth sponsors with maximum marketing exposure during the event.



Register now and secure your place at the forefront of the blockchain revolution.







About NEAR APAC:

NEAR APAC is Vietnam's largest blockchain/crypto conference entity, focused on showcasing the latest advancements in blockchain technology and multi-chain decentralized applications within the APAC region. With its "Unlimited Future" theme, NEAR APAC aims to foster networking, collaboration, and the exploration of emerging technologies in an interactive environment. For more information, visit https://nearapac.org/.

Conference information

Time: 9:30  17:00 on September 9-10, 2023.

Location: 5th Floor  Thiskyhall Convention  HCMC.

Organizers: Near Foundation, GFI, VBI.

Please follow Near APAC on social media and the Fanpage to stay updated with the latest information!



Oindrila C.

Head of Corporate Communications

Luna PR

E: oindrila@lunapr.io
Dublin, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Dental Chair Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product, By Type (Ceiling-Mounted Design, Dental-Chair Mounted Design), By Application (Examination, Surgery), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global dental chair market size is expected to reach USD 1.48 billion by 2030, expanding at a CAGR of 5.7%

The market growth can be attributed to the increasing awareness and prevalence of oral diseases and the consequent increase in the demand for dental care facilities. Development in infrastructure and improving access of low- and middle-income groups to dental facilities can further boost the market.



According to the Global Oral Health Status Report 2022, published by the World Health Organization, approximately two billion people across the globe are suffering from caries of permanent teeth and 514 million children are suffering from caries of primary teeth.

Moreover, one billion people worldwide are suffering from severe gum disease which is also a major cause of total tooth loss. The bad oral habits of people such as tobacco consumption and poor hygiene maintenance are contributing to the rising prevalence of these diseases.



The technological advancements in the dental chair industry are also contributing to their growing demand. The addition of innovative features such as touch screens is making these chairs more comfortable than others. In addition, mobile independent chairs can help in increasing patients' access to oral healthcare facilities. Such innovations can further increase the adoption rate of dental chairs and boost market growth.



The negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was also observed in this market. Several restrictions imposed by governments across countries limited people's movement and their visits to hospitals decreased significantly. However, the market witnessed a recovery as restrictions were eased.



Dental Chair Market Report Highlights

Based on product, the power dental chair segment accounted for the largest revenue share of 63.1% in 2022 and it is also expected to register the fastest CAGR of 5.9% over the forecast period. This growth can be attributed to technological advancements and the increasing emphasis of dentists on providing their patients with maximum comfort

Based on type, the ceiling-mounted segment accounted for the largest revenue share of 39.7% in 2022, owing to its easy-to-maintain attribute and effectiveness

Based on application, the examination segment dominated the market with a share of 28.4% in 2022 owing to increasing awareness regarding oral hygiene

In 2022, North America dominated the market with a revenue share of 38.1%, owing to the use of advanced technology and increased consumer knowledge. On the other hand, Asia Pacific is anticipated to grow at the fastest CAGR over the forecast period due to the increasing prevalence of oral diseases

Key Attributes:

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 275 Forecast Period 2022 - 2030 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2022 $957.2 million Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2030 $1480 million Compound Annual Growth Rate 5.7% Regions Covered Global

Competitive Landscape

Austin Dental Equipment Company

Midmark

Craftmaster Contour Equipment, Inc.

Xo CARE A/S

Sirona

Henry Schein, Inc.

Danaher Corporation

PLANMECA OY

Patterson Dental Supply, Inc.

Straumann

Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1. Methodology and Scope



Chapter 2. Executive Summary

2.1. Market Outlook

2.2. Segment Outlook

2.3. Competitive Insights



Chapter 3. Dental Chair Market Variables, Trends & Scope

3.1. Market Lineage Outlook

3.1.1. Parent market outlook

3.1.2. Related/ancillary market outlook

3.2. Penetration & Growth Prospect Mapping

3.3. Industry Value Chain Analysis

3.3.1. Reimbursement framework

3.4. Market Dynamics

3.4.1. Market driver analysis

3.4.2. Market restraint analysis

3.5. Dental Chair Market Analysis Tools

3.5.1. Industry Analysis - Porter's

3.5.2. PESTEL Analysis



Chapter 4. Dental Chair: Product Estimates & Trend Analysis

4.1. Dental Chair Market: Key Takeaways

4.2. Dental Chair Market: Movement & Market Share Analysis, 2022 & 2030

4.3. Powered dental chair

4.4. Non-powered dental chair



Chapter 5. Dental Chair: Type Estimates & Trend Analysis

5.1. Dental Chair Market: Key Takeaways

5.2. Dental Chair Market: Movement & Market Share Analysis, 2022 & 2030

5.3. Ceiling-mounted design

5.4. Mobile-Independent Design

5.5. Dental-chair mounted design



Chapter 6. Dental Chair: Application Estimates & Trend Analysis

6.1. Dental Chair Market: Key Takeaways

6.2. Dental Chair Market: Movement & Market Share Analysis, 2022 & 2030

6.3. Examination

6.4. Surgery

6.5. Orthodontics



Chapter 7. Dental Chair Market: Regional Estimates & Trend Analysis

7.1. Regional Outlook

7.2. Dental Chair Market by Region: Key Marketplace Takeaway



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/35em6y

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.

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Toronto, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pizza Nova, one of Ontarios leading pizza and quick-service restaurant brands, celebrated the grand opening of its first location in the town of Nobleton, Ontario. Located at 191 Mactaggart Drive, the 1400-square-foot location officially opens August 19.

The new location will be operated by Farhad (Fred) Habib, a Pizza Nova franchisee who has been with the company for 31 years. Habibs existing location is in Bolton, Ontario.

I started working at Pizza Nova as a teenager, and it is amazing to grow within such a supportive franchisee system, says Fred Habib. I have enjoyed watching my first Pizza Nova location develop deep roots and loyal customers over the years, and I am proud to be opening a second location. It has been a team effort and a shared passion for quality pizza, hospitality, and service.

An opening celebration will be held Saturday, August 19, at 11:00 a.m. featuring a balloon artist and a representative from City Hall. Pizza Nova will also offer a special discount on a medium cheese or pepperoni pizza for $5.99, with $1.00 from every pizza sold donated to the King Township Food Bank.

The new location will offer the brands favourite dishes including Signature pizzas, wings, chicken pollini, panzerottis, sandwiches, lasagna, and much more. The stores interior design features Pizza Novas iconic colors and tomato can wall.

We are proud to expand into a new neighbourhood, says Domenic Primucci, president of Pizza Nova. It will be nice to see an entrepreneur like Fred succeed and grow his impact in the community.

The new location in Nobleton is a first for Pizza Nova and the 20th in the York Region.

-30-

About Pizza Nova

Founded in 1963, Pizza Nova is a family-operated business that is committed to sharing the rich taste of Italy with Canadians. Pizza Nova has more than 150 stores and concession locations in Southern Ontario and is inspired by family values such as trust, integrity, and authenticity. The company is known for its fresh toppings, high-quality ingredients and a wide range of authentic Italian menu items including lasagna, panzerotti, Italian sandwiches, chicken wings, arancini and FOCACCIA BARESE. Pizza Nova also has a line of Primucci branded products featuring Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Homestyle Tomato Sauce, Italian Hot Peppers, Spicy Green Olives, and Sundried Black Olives. Taste the Difference or Learn more at pizzanova.com.

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Fall River, Massachusetts, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Raw Seafoods, Inc., a leading national distributor and manufacturer of fresh, frozen, and value-added specialty seafood has announced the launch of their flagship specialty seafood lifestyle brand, City Pier specialty seafood.

In a pioneering move to disrupt the status quo of the seafood retail category and elevate consumer and category expectations, Raw Seafoods recognized the need to reinvigorate the seafood segment with the City Pier brand, a sophisticated yet edgy brand built on quality-driven and stylistic principals that include culinary inspiration, nutrition, wholesome ingredients that are free from artificial additives and preservatives, and a progressive, modern brand positioning aesthetic.

WWW.CITYPIERSEAFOOD.COM

Discover the chef within you. Video

When asked What was your motivation to shake things up in the seafood category, Scott Hutchens, Co-owner and Vice President of Raw Seafoods said Its time to wake up the seafood category and reinvigorate it, and it starts with the City Pier brand. For 25 years Raw Seafoods has been at the forefront of the seafood industry, innovating, inspiring, and breaking through industry norms. This stands as another special moment in our history where we saw the need to push the limits and influence positive change in the category. We are thrilled to announce our City Pier launch partnership with The Fresh Market, who has fantastic synergistic alignment with the passion-driven and innovative qualities instilled in our family-owned company. City Pier is now available at all The Fresh Market locations.

City Pier offers a unique and flavorful product assortment of frozen, high-quality, ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook specialty seafood that includes Grilled Shrimp, Hot Italian and Sweet Italian Wild Salmon Meatballs, North Atlantic Wild-Caught Sea Scallops, and a wide variety of frozen seafood appetizers, sauces, and fish portions. This month, City Pier launched Scallops Au Gratin, Grilled Shrimp, Hot Italian & Sweet Italian Wild Salmon Meatballs, and North Atlantic Wild-Caught Sea Scallops at The Fresh Market.

Its a great time to partner on the retail launch of City Pier specialty seafood as our guests have been seeking out more retail-ready seafood items lately, stated Mahir Zelihic, Seafood Category Manager at The Fresh Market. Our partnership with Raw Seafoods began more than 15 years ago and theyve always provided exceptional, quality products so were excited to offer their new innovative brand in our 160 stores.



About Raw Seafoods, Inc.

Raw Seafoods, a leading national distributor and manufacturer of fresh, frozen, and value-added specialty seafood, has been at the forefront of the seafood industry for over two decades: innovating, inspiring, and breaking through industry norms. They are a highly specialized family-owned and operated company that has a passion-driven connection with everything seafood. Raw Seafoods high-quality product assortment of superior fresh, frozen, and value-added specialty seafood is vast and unmatched, their seafood products and family of brands can be found in some of the finest retailers and restaurants across the nation. From the kitchen to the retail floor, Raw Seafoods has you covered with premium seafood solutions to make you successful. From Pier To Plate, This Is Specialty Seafood At Its Finest

WWW.RAWSEAFOODS.COM

The Raw Difference

At Raw Seafoods they keep it real and they keep it raw. The family-owned company is dedicated to product innovation, A++ customer support, excellent communication, transparency, friendly interactions, and aims to make things as easy as possible for their customers. From the kitchen to the retail floor, Raw Seafoods provides customers with time-saving, labor-reducing specialty seafood solutions, and works closely with customers to understand their category and menu goals to provide them with impactful culinary & retail innovations that support their success. The Quality You Demand, The Freshness You Expect, The Service You Deserve. Partner With Raw Seafoods

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Burnaby, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- [Burnaby, August 15, 2023] - Vancouver Career College, a premier institution offering career-focused education in the Lower Mainland, is excited to announce its upcoming Open House event on Thursday, August 17, 2023, from 3 pm to 7 pm across multiple Vancouver Career College campuses. This event is not just about education; it's about fostering a sense of community through engaging activities, workshops, and informative sessions about our exceptional programs.

The Vancouver Career College Open House delivers an exclusive chance for attendees to:

Embark on a Campus Journey: Guests can explore our modern campuses, interact with skilled educators, and delve into the legacy of academic excellence that Vancouver Career College boasts.

Discover Your Unique Path: Get information about a diverse selection of industry-relevant programs offered by Vancouver Career College. From healthcare and technology to legal studies, creative arts and trades, we provide an array of tailored options aligning with the dynamic demands of today's job market.

Get Inspired by Guest Speakers: Throughout the event, industry professionals, community leaders, and accomplished alums will share their inspiring success stories and career journeys. These insights will offer a glimpse into the exciting trajectories that Vancouver Career College graduates have undertaken.

Exciting Contests and Delightful Eats: Participants can engage in interactive contests and seize the chance to win gift card rewards, all while indulging in delightful food. Vancouver Career College is committed to ensuring an unforgettable and enjoyable Open House experience for all who attend.

Additionally, prospective students enrolling in a program by August 31 and commencing studies by September 30 will be eligible for a range of scholarships tailored to each campus location in British Columbia, including:

Two scholarships covering 50% of program tuition costs

Five scholarships valued at $5,000 each

Ten scholarships, each valued at $2,000

Aspiring students, parents, and educational advisors can join the Open House event on Thursday, August 17, 2023, from 3 pm to 7 pm at a nearby campus!

To RSVP for the Open House event, please visit https://rsvp.career.college/Event/7/s12506.

###

About Vancouver Career College:

With a legacy dating back, Vancouver Career College has remained a cornerstone in delivering career-oriented training programs across the Lower Mainland. Our dedication remains to providing excellence in education and preparing our graduates for triumph in their chosen industry. Whether your passion lies in healthcare, technology, law, creativity, or education, Vancouver Career College extends industry-aligned courses that shape the pathway toward a fulfilling and prosperous future.

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Dr. Elias Alwan from Florida International University (FIU) commented about using machine learning to overcome the challenges of delivering high-speed Internet from satellites directly to smartphones



SANTA BARBARA, CA, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Digital Locations, Inc. (OTCMKTS:DLOC), the developer of a disruptive technology that will deliver high-speed Internet from satellites directly to smartphones all over the world, today announced that in a recent podcast, its CEO, Rich Berliner, spoke with Dr. Elias Alwan, at Florida International University (FIU) about using machine learning to overcome certain technical challenges.

During the conversation, Dr. Alwan described how the FIU tech team is working to overcome the challenges of delivering high speed data from satellites directly to mobile phones. He said, In order to establish any connection, you need to have a closed link and in order to close the link you need to have enough transmit power, enough receive power and enough data rate and the longer the distance the harder it is to establish that.

Dr. Alwan continued, How we play with all the variables in order to allow and close that link is our greatest concern. Our project is currently focused what can we change on the cellphone side to make that link happen. Also, satellite communications are often slowed down due to the power challenges that must be addressed.

Dr. Alwan mentioned other concerns such as how to handle factors like weather, obstructions and space dust that dont occur all the time. He said, A system needs to be adaptive to change its configuration based on any new situation. We are creating some form of intelligence using machine learning in the system to allow it to switch between frequencies and play with its parameters dynamically to make sure that we can always create a high-speed link.

Dr. Elias A. Alwan is a dedicated educator and researcher with a steadfast devotion to advancing the field of electrical and computer engineering. Since 2017, he has been an Assistant Professor at Florida International University (FIU). From 2020 to 2022, Dr. Alwan was an Eminent Scholar Chaired professor at FIU in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Since working at FIU, he has won three faculty awards, the most recent including the Top Scholar Award for Junior Faculty with Significant Grants (STEM) in May of 2023. As an FIU faculty member, Dr. Alwan has served as the Chair of the College of Engineering and Computing Curriculum Committee since Fall 2021. In this position, he has created and taught many of his own classes, including Basics of RF Systems, and Special Topics Reconfigurable RF Systems. Prior to that, he held senior research and post-doctoral positions at The Ohio State University from 2014 to 2017. Alongside his academic pursuits, Dr. Alwans professional experience has led him to serve as a conference organizer and session chair for the 2022 URSI Comm B AT-AP-RAS conference, and the technical program chair for the 2019 International Workshop on Antenna Technology (iWAT). From 2018 to 2019 he was also a Journals Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Magnetics. Dr. Alwan obtained his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from The Ohio State University in 2014, and his M.E. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the American University of Beirut in 2009. He completed his B.E. in Computer and Communication Engineering at Notre Dame University-Louaize in Lebanon in 2007. Dr. Alwan is listed as a Google Scholar at

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=CAoTUEgAAAAJ&hl=en

This podcast can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yn9IGk_9uM

About Digital Locations, Inc.

Digital Locations, Inc., is the developer of a disruptive technology that will deliver high-speed Internet from satellites directly to smartphones all over the world. Today, high-speed Internet (also known as broadband Internet) is only available in densely populated areas around the world. The rest of the world is still waiting. Elon Musk (SpaceX), Jeff Bezos (Blue Origin) and others are launching thousands of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. Unfortunately, without the use of additional equipment, the technology does not yet exist that will allow these satellites to deliver high-speed Internet directly to smartphones. Solving this problem represents an extraordinary business opportunity. Working with a research team from Florida International University, we are developing a truly disruptive technology that will finally make it possible for the wireless industry to offer high-speed Internet service from satellites directly to smartphones anywhere in the world, indoors and outdoors with no dead zones and no cell towers. Anyone, anywhere, regardless of location, economic status, race or gender will be able to access high-speed Internet service and benefit from remote learning, health care, government services, telework, participation in public affairs and even Netflix, Amazon and much, much more.

To learn more about Digital Locations please visit www.digitallocations.com

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on our current beliefs, expectations, and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Our actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this release is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable law.

Press Contact:

communications@digitallocations.com

(805) 456-7000
SANTA ANA, Calif., Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Unrivaled Brands, Inc. (OTCQB: UNRV) ("Unrivaled" or the "Company"), a cannabis company with operations throughout California, today reported financial results for its fiscal second quarter ended June 30, 2023.



Second Quarter 2023 Highlights

Revenue for the quarter ended June 30, 2023 was $8.8 million compared to $9.2 million during the prior quarter ended March 31, 2023. Revenue for the quarter ended June 30, 2023 was driven by our four retail stores and sales of our in-house cultivated flower and Korova-branded products.

Revenue for the quarter ended June 30, 2023 was composed of retail revenue of $8.4 million and cultivation revenue of $0.4 million. Retail gross margin increased to 53% for the quarter ended June 30, 2023 from 51% in the prior year.

Total gross margin increased to 52% for the quarter ended June 30, 2023, as compared to 51% during the prior quarter ended March 31, 2023, and up from 51% from the quarter ended June 30, 2022.

Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations for the quarter ended June 30, 2023, was $(0.8) million compared to the previous quarter of $0.4 million.

For the quarter ended June 30, 2023, the Company had a $1.7 million gain on disposal of assets and $1.6 million of share-based compensation. The Company also had $0.2 million of interest expense and $0.7 million of non-cash expense for income taxes, depreciation, and amortization.

During the quarter ended June 30, 2023, the Company amended the Peoples term sheet wherein the maturity date of a $3.0 million note was extended to December 6, 2023, and payments of the $5.0 million portion of the settlement was extended through September 6, 2023.

As of June 30, 2023, the Company had 145 employees, a reduction from 238 employees a year ago.

Chris Rivera, Unrivaleds Interim Chief Financial Officer stated, Q2 has been a challenge to the legal cannabis market, and we are proud to have not lost ground on our retail business while improving our gross margin. The changes we have made by listening to our customers, such as implementing the loyalty program, have helped us weather the storm facing the industry. In the past year, weve reevaluated our business model with the intent to right-size and stabilize, focusing on our key retail operations. While we continue to drive retail margins, there is work to be done on the cultivation front. Putting people first has been our mindset and we would not be where we are today without our team, vendors, and creditors.

Tracy McCourt, Unrivaleds Chief Revenue Officer added, The cannabis community is continuing to fight economic headwinds and price compression in key products. Although we do see some product categories remain stable in their performance, such as edibles and vapes, the saturation of flower into the market has driven many prices down. In combination, we are seeing an impact on the average ticket. However, our focus is customer retention, and ensuring we are providing an amazing retail experience that keeps our customers coming back. This includes always bringing the highest quality products with a vast yet highly curated selection of options to our customers. This way we know that at our stores they will always find something they will thoroughly enjoy.

Non-GAAP Financial Information:

This press release includes certain non-GAAP financial measures as defined by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC). Management believes that these non-GAAP financial measures assess the Companys ongoing business in a manner that allows for meaningful comparisons and analysis of trends in the business, as they facilitate comparing financial results across accounting periods and to those of peer companies. These non-GAAP financial measures exclude certain material non-cash items and certain other adjustments the Company believes are not reflective of its ongoing operations and performance. Management uses non-GAAP financial measures, in addition to GAAP financial measures, to understand operational decision-making, for planning and forecasting purposes, and to evaluate the Companys financial performance. Management believes that these non-GAAP financial measures enhance investors understanding of the Companys financial and operating performance and enable investors to evaluate the Companys operating results and future prospects in the same manner as management. Reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP are included in the financial schedules attached to this press release. This information should be considered as supplemental in nature and not as a substitute for, or superior to, any measure of performance prepared in accordance with GAAP.

About Unrivaled Brands

Unrivaled Brands is a company focused on the cannabis sector with operations in California. Unrivaled Brands operates four dispensaries and direct-to-consumer delivery, a cultivation facility, and several leading company-owned brands. Unrivaled Brands is home to Korova, known for its high potency products across multiple product categories.

For more info, please visit: https://unrivaledbrands.com.

Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this communication regarding matters that are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, known as the PSLRA. These include statements regarding management's intentions, plans, beliefs, expectations, or forecasts for the future, and, therefore, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on them. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed, and actual results may differ materially from those projected. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by law. The Company uses words such as anticipates, believes, plans, expects, projects, future, intends, may, will, should, could, estimates, predicts, potential, continue, guidance, and similar expressions to identify these forward-looking statements that are intended to be covered by the safe-harbor provisions of the PSLRA. Such forward-looking statements are based on the Companys expectations and involve risks and uncertainties; consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the statements due to a number of factors.

New factors emerge from time-to-time and it is not possible for the Company to predict all such factors, nor can the Company assess the impact of each such factor on the business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. These risks, as well as other risks associated with the combination, will be more fully discussed in the Companys reports with the SEC. Additional risks and uncertainties are identified and discussed in the Risk Factors section of the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other documents filed from time to time with the SEC. Forward-looking statements included in this release are based on information available to the Company as of the date of this release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update such forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.

Contact:

Jason Assad

LR Advisors LLC.

jassad@unrivaledbrands.com

678-570-6791





Unrivaled Brands, Inc. Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) (in thousands) June 30, 2023 December 31, 2022 Current Assets $ 5,718 $ 4,575 Long-Term Assets 32,542 35,933 Total Assets $ 38,260 $ 40,508 Current Liabilities $ 52,816 $ 59,143 Long-Term Liabilities 18,946 17,902 Total Liabilities 71,762 77,045 Stockholders' Deficit (33,502 ) (36,537 ) Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Deficit $ 38,260 $ 40,508

Unrivaled Brands, Inc. Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) (in thousands, except for per share data) Three Months Ended June 30, 2023 March 31, 2023

June 30, 2022

Revenue $ 8,797 $ 9,240 $ 15,801 Cost of Goods Sold 4,197 4,545 7,714 Gross Profit $ 4,600 $ 4,695 $ 8,087 Gross Profit % 52 % 51 % 51 % Operating Expenses 6,332 5,597 74,427 Loss from Operations (1,732 ) (902 ) (66,340 ) Less: Other Income (165 ) (1,970 ) (755 ) Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations Before Taxes (1,567 ) 1,068 (65,585 ) Provision for Income Tax Benefit (Expense) for Continuing Operations 125 (658 ) 448 Net Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations $ (1,442 ) $ 410 $ (65,137 ) Net Income from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax   1,419 Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Unrivaled Brands, Inc. $ (1,442 ) $ 410 $ (63,718 ) Basic and Diluted Earnings per Share: Net Loss from Continuing Operations per Common Share $  $  $ (0.11 ) Net Loss Attributable to Unrivaled Brands, Inc. per Common Share $  $  $ (0.11 )

Unrivaled Brands, Inc. Segment Results of Operations (in thousands) Three Months Ended June 30, 2023 Three Months Ended June 30, 2022 Retail Cultivation/

Distribution

Total

Retail

Cultivation/

Distribution

Total

Total Revenues $ 8,415 $ 382 $ 8,797 $ 11,140 $ 4,661 $ 15,801 Cost of Goods Sold 3,963 234 4,197 5,430 2,284 7,714 Gross Profit $ 4,452 $ 148 $ 4,600 $ 5,710 $ 2,377 $ 8,087 Gross Profit % 53 % 39 % 52 % 51 % 51 % 51 %
WASHINGTON, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As South Africa continues to make tremendous strides towards its 2024 global recovery goal, the North American team from South African Tourism reinforced the destinations commitment to its fastest growing market through a series of advocacy engagements in key American cities including Washington D.C., Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Atlanta. Delegates reiterated the destinations welcoming invitation to North American travelers by showcasing their uniquely South African brand of warmth and hospitality to trade, media, and stakeholders in this important market.



In the first half of 2023 weve exceeded expectations for tourism arrivals to South Africa from the U.S., almost reaching pre-pandemic levels, said Jerry Mpufane, President of South African Tourism North America. Were placing a strong emphasis on continuing to attract U.S. travelers by engaging with key partners and stakeholders in gateway and feeder markets. Our efforts, in particular, are focused on strengthening potent growing markets like the Black American traveler, a segment of the U.S. traveler market that is keen to explore South Africas culture and history.

In Washington D.C., the South African Tourism delegates joined representatives from the Embassy of South Africa and Future of Black Tourism for the inaugural E3 Leadership Conclave. The team hosted a lively evening at the Embassy of South Africa where attendees gathered to amplify the message of equity, economics and education required to fuel the future of Black tourism, a growing billion-dollar market segment for the tourism industry. Recent years have seen an awakening of Black Americans to the possibilities of travel to Africa, reflecting a deep affinity between Black Americans and the ancestral homeland.

The work of Future of Black Tourism is of paramount importance to not only South Africa but the tourism industry as a whole, said Stephanie M. Jones, Founder and CEO of the Cultural Heritage Economic Alliance, Inc. (CHEA) and Blacks in Travel & Tourism. We are grateful for the opportunity to work alongside our South African friends to shed light on the importance of advocating for this underserved market in the travel industry. In 2019, Black American leisure travelers spent $109.4 billion on travel, 13.1 percent of the U.S. leisure travel market and its growth potential is even more impressive due to the growing appetite amongst Black travelers to reconnect with their cultural roots. Now, more than ever, Black American travelers have become intentional in choosing to experience South Africa over other destinations.

The participating founders, CEOs and industry leaders met with members of the South African Tourism delegation to learn more about South Africas rich cultural heritage and exceptional tourism offerings. Throughout the evening, attendees advanced the conversation of economic opportunities for Black-led travel and tourism businesses, and the targeted investment and cross-sector collaboration that is imperative to ensure that Black travel and tourism experts continue to build on their share of voice in the industry. Data from MMGY Global indicates that Black travelers from the US spent over $100 billion in 2019 and with tourism rebounding, the evenings conversations largely focused on the trends that are influencing the growth in this market.

In May I had the pleasure to travel out to Durban, South Africa for Africas Travel Indaba and the experience left a lasting impression, said Dianna Ward, a member of the inaugural E3 Leadership Conclave. I felt an almost overwhelming sense of connection to the country and its people. It was on a spiritual level and since that visit I've been encouraging my clients and friends to set their sights towards South Africa.

While in Los Angeles meeting with media and stakeholders, Jerry Mpufane, President of South African Tourism North America, shared that arrival figures for 2023 continue to surpass expectations, with over 350,000 Americans having already visited South Africa as of May 2023 representing 94% of arrivals in the same period in 2019. Demand from the U.S. has grown significantly from 2019, with the U.S. now outpacing the United Kingdom on traveler spend in-destination at restaurants, shopping, wildlife, and visiting natural attractions.

Following, the delegation joined fellow leading luxury tourism professionals at Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas to engage in a week of one-on-one appointments with travel advisors, and to meet and network with tour operators and media representatives to share destination updates.

At Virtuoso Travel Week, the South African Tourism delegation joined a collection of African products and suppliers to present an Africa Lunch, this exclusive event was attended by top travel advisors who specialize in Africa and have exhibited expertise in successfully selling travel to the continent. Participants engaged in a spirited discussion, learning more about the offerings available from South Africa in particular to grow their current business.

From Las Vegas the delegation traveled back to the east coast to the city of Atlanta, a key market for South Africa. Delta Air Lines increased its capacity to South Africa by 67% last year as demand for the destination grew. Today, Delta Air Lines operates several direct routes to South Africa and even launched a triangle route from Atlanta to Johannesburg to Cape Town that now operates four times a week.

South Africa continues to grow in its appeal to U.S. travelers as it is truly a destination that offers up a plethora of unique experiences. Adventurous travelers can dive with Great Whites or spot the Big-5 on safaris in Kruger National Park, history buffs can visit the home of Nelson Mandela, one of the most famous freedom fighters in history, and culture vultures can visit world-class museums to learn about South African art, music, history and more. A visit to South Africa is truly the trip of a lifetime and thats a message thats resonating with U.S. travelers.

ABOUT SOUTH AFRICAN TOURISM

South African Tourism is the national agency responsible for marketing South Africa as a preferred leisure and business events destination. From breathtaking beauty and sun-soaked coasts to wildlife and adventure to vibrant urban energy and the incredible warmth and cultural diversity of its people  South Africa is a travelers dream! Destination South Africa offers a wide variety of experiences including safaris in 19 national parks, breathtaking diverse scenic outdoor spaces, vibrant modern designer cities, an amazing 2,500-kilometer coastline with Blue Flag beaches, inspiring heritage and cultural journeys as well as active adventure experiences and vacation offering impressive value for time and money at any budget.

ABOUT FUTURE OF BLACK TOURISM

Future of Black Tourism brings together Black travel, tourism and hospitality leaders and allies to work collaboratively to identify, share and create collective economic opportunities for its members to actively participate and profit in the global travel and tourism industry, and to build capacity to sustain, grow and invest in Black-led travel, tourism and hospitality organizations and businesses. Learn more at www.futureofblacktourism.com .

Contact:

Justin Barnette, Head: Marketing & Comms North America, South African Tourism

justin@southafrica.net

Margot Delville, Account Director, MMGY NJF

mdelville@njfpr.com



A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c2f95d4d-5924-4b56-823f-bf9f10cf8963

The photo is also available at Newscom, www.newscom.com, and via AP PhotoExpress.
PARIS, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Curium, a world leader in nuclear medicine, announced today the positive results of the multi-center, open-label, Phase 2 SOLAR study of Copper Cu 64 PSMA I&T in patients with histologically-proven metastatic prostate cancer. The study has met the co-primary endpoints of region-level correct localization rate and patient-level correct detection rate. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety, biodistribution, and image quality of Copper Cu 64 PSMA I&T to detect metastatic prostate cancer using PET/CT imaging. The SOLAR Phase 2 study was conducted in the U.S. and included a group of 26 patients with metastatic prostate cancer.



Michael Patterson, CEO  North America at Curium, commented, The milestone announced today demonstrates Curiums global commitment to driving innovations in prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment, and is extremely encouraging for prostate cancer patients. Our proven ability to reliably manufacture and distribute Cu-64 diagnostic agents throughout the U.S. means that we are well positioned for the upcoming Phase 3 trials to ultimately improve the lives of patients.

Sakir Mutevelic, MD, MSc, Chief Medical Officer at Curium, commented, We are very pleased to report that our Copper Cu 64 PSMA I&T product for PET/CT imaging in the detection of recurrent prostate cancer has met the co-primary endpoints. Consistent with our mission to redefine the experience of cancer through our trusted legacy in nuclear medicine, we are encouraged by the readouts of the SOLAR Phase 2 clinical trial. Our goal is to accelerate the Copper Cu 64 PSMA I&T Phase 3 clinical development and move forward with pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials in biochemical recurrence and initial staging setting in metastatic prostate cancer in early 2024.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer after skin cancer among men in the United States. There will be an estimated 288,000 new cases of prostate cancer in 2023.

For more information about the SOLAR trial: https://www.curiumpharma.com/resources/current-clinical-trials/solar-clinical-trial/

To contact Curiums SOLAR clinical trial team: solar@curiumpharma.com

About Curium

Curium is a world leader in nuclear medicine. We develop, manufacture, and distribute world-class radiopharmaceutical products to help patients around the globe. Our proven heritage combined with a pioneering approach are the hallmarks to deliver innovation, excellence, and unparalleled service. With manufacturing facilities across Europe and the United States, Curium delivers SPECT, PET and therapeutic radiopharmaceutical solutions for life-threatening diseases to over 14 million patients annually. The name Curium honors the legacy of pioneering radioactive materials researchers Marie and Pierre Curie, after whom the radioactive element curium was named and emphasizes our focus on nuclear medicine. To learn more, visit www.curiumpharma.com

For more information:

Ross Bethell

VP, Head of Global Communications

communications@curiumpharma.com
Charleston, SC, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- What would you do to save the life youve worked so hard to build for yourself?

Amid the bustling 1900s, Djinas life is saved by a mysterious prince. Djina comes from a wicked familyafter Turkish prisoners worked 30 years to dig a well for their castle, they executed the prisoners . Another employee killed her family out of rage and in pursuit of justice.

Now alone, Djina was riding her beloved horse when an accident ended her life. Mere moments later, shes resurrected and staring at the impossibly beautiful face of Prince Victor, who has turned her into a vampire to save her life.

The two live happily until one day, villagers of their town find the Prince destroyed. Heartbroken, Princess Djina refuses to accept his death and begins to search far and wide for her love. Along the way, Djina discovers a nefarious plot and must fight tooth and nail to keep her castle and treasures safe against an evil countess.

The novel is a great spooky read for adult fans of science fiction and fantasyespecially readers who enjoyed Dracula and are searching for fiction novel with vampires and other mythical creatures.

Princess Djina of Rasnov Romania is available for purchase online at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com. For more information about the author, please visit any of her social media platforms

Facebook: Princess Djinas Crypt

Instagram: @princess_djina_crypt

About the Author:

Gina Falke is an accomplished author whose writing journey took flight amidst the COVID-19 restrictions. Alongside her ongoing pursuit of an invention and a screenplay registered with the Writers Guild of America, she ventured into the world of novel writing. Despite facing initial rejections, Gina's determination remains unwavering as she continues to pursue recognition for her creations. With a diverse background that includes various jobs and raising two talented daughters, Gina's life experiences have shaped her storytelling. Collaborating with skilled photographers, she brought to life a captivating character through stunning vampire-themed photos. With every word she writes, Gina expresses her gratitude to her devoted fans and invites them to explore her website and social media platforms for more of her creative endeavors.

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Malvern, Pennsylvania (USA), Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rajant Corporation, the pioneer of Kinetic Mesh wireless networks, is proudly supported by star-powered performers sharing their talents for the fourth annual Rajant World Music Benefit. Musical performances include The Mavericks, The No Name Pops, Tequila Rock Revolution, and James Valenti. Tickets are available now for the fundraiser at Philadelphias World Cafe Live on October 26th from 6 PM to 10 PM ET.

This years event benefits Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) celebrating the organizations commitment to pediatric care benefiting children worldwide. The goal is to raise $100K for patients with life-threatening heart and lung problems, with donations going to the ECMO Center at CHOP. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO, is an advanced life support technique providing patients with long-term breathing and heart support when all the standard treatments have been tried.

Artists participating share:

The Mavericks: Were honored to perform at the Rajant World Music Benefit this October to support Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. The hospitals lifesaving work and its focus on specialized treatments for children most in need is a cause we can all rally behind. Get your tickets now, and well see you this fall!

The No Name Pops Matt Koveal: "We are truly privileged to join forces with Rajant, as we share a common enthusiasm for bringing music to the community. The No Name Pops feels a deep sense of pride in contributing our time and services to perform for CHOP  an incredibly deserving institution."

Tequila Rock Revolutions Haydn Vitera: We are honored and excited to return to Philadelphia for our second Rajant World Music Benefit performance! It is truly a privilege to make music supporting CHOP and its life-saving efforts for so many children.

James Valenti: "I am thrilled and honored to offer my voice to help raise money for CHOP. I went to graduate school in Philadelphia, and the city is very close to my heart. I plan to sing some beloved Italian songs and arias and bring some sunshine to the event. Rajant does such important work for the community, and we had a successful event last year for UNICEF."

The ticket purchase price includes access to exclusive silent auction items, world-class live musical performances, and the ability to make a difference for the children in CHOPs care. The 2023 event will shine light and celebrate CHOPs work as a world-class hospital that relies on philanthropic gifts to fund vital breakthroughs needed children worldwide need. Through the assistance of Rajant, musicians, sponsors, and silent auction contributors, CHOP can transform the patient-family experience, forge discoveries, bolster training and education programs, and advocate for children everywhere.

Tickets and further Rajant World Music Benefit details are available now at rajant.com/mavericks/ .

####

About Rajant Corporation

Rajant Corporation is the broadband communications technology company that invented Kinetic Mesh networking, BreadCrumb wireless nodes, and InstaMesh networking software. With Rajant, customers can rapidly deploy a highly adaptable and scalable network that leverages the power of real-time data to deliver on-demand, mission-critical business intelligence. A low-latency, high-throughput, and secure solution for a variety of data, voice, video, and autonomous applications, Rajants Kinetic Mesh networks provide industrial customers with full mobility, allowing them to take their private network applications and data anywhere. With successful deployments in more than 80 countries for customers in military, mining, ports, rail, oil & gas, petrochemical plants, municipalities, and agriculture. Rajant is headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania, with additional facilities and offices in Arizona and Kentucky. For more information, visit Rajant.com or follow Rajant on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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New York, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Pancake Mixes Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2023 - 2028)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484118/?utm_source=GNW

The Pancake Mixes Market size is expected to grow from USD 546.85 million in 2023 to USD 712 million by 2028, at a CAGR of 5.42% during the forecast period (2023-2028).



The changes in consumer behavior and demand, purchasing patterns, re-routing of the supply chain, dynamics of current market forces, and the significant interventions of governments are the major factors that affect the pancake mixes market. Convenience is still a driving factor when it comes to breakfast, and pancakes have increased in popularity as consumers seek inexpensive and simple meals at home rather than dining out.



As pancakes require little preparation time and are readily available in many fast food chains and restaurants, pancakes are frequently consumed as a convenience food. Additionally, the demand for pancakes among working people has increased due to factors including their quick preparation and related health benefits. Due to factors such as busy lifestyles and less time available for cooking, consumers often prefer packaged pancake mixes. However, the high incidence of digestive health problems, weight management issues, and the demand for nutritious food is fuelling the overall demand for gluten-free items. Thus, market players have started offering gluten-free pancake mixes.



Other factors, such as the development of new products, improvement in taste and versatility, and high levels of marketing support, are helping to increase the overall demand for pancake mixes.



Pancake Mixes Market Trends



Rising Popularity of Gluten-free Pancake Mixes



The rise in demand for healthier and innovative food products among customers has fueled the pancake markets expansion. To meet the growing demand, manufacturers are introducing new pancake varieties with components including gluten-free and vegan. Changing to healthier lifestyles, increasing awareness concerning healthy eating, and growing knowledge of celiac diseases among consumers is the prime factor contributing to the higher consumption of gluten-free food products. The ease of digestion, the need or desire to avoid allergens, compatibility with vegetarian and vegan lifestyles, and concerns about sustainability are some associated factors stimulating the purchase of such foods.



The growing prevalence of gluten intolerance and celiac allergies is the primary reason for boosting the demand for gluten-free pancake mixes across the globe. According to the celiac UK report 2022, Coeliac disease affects at least 1 in 100 people in the United Kingdom and Europe; however, only 36% of people with the condition are currently clinically diagnosed. Thus, the increased consumer demand for nutritious products and the rising clean-label claims on products support the global market gro h. Gluten-free products are also increasingly viewed as specialty products that can offer an ideal substitute for wheat-, barley- or rye-based products. Consumers have also shown high interest in fortified flours and mixes with gluten-free label claims. The gluten-free trend has provided opportunities for manufacturers to improve the ingredient formulation and introduce substantial innovation with the organoleptic characteristics of food products.



North America Holds a Significant Share in the Global Market



Pancakes are the most popular breakfast option in North America and are enjoyed among all age groups. The majority of people in North America often eat pancakes for breakfast. Its regional sales performance has been fueled by the increase in working people and their dependence on ready-to-eat breakfast. The convenience level of pancake mixes helps to increase the total demand in the market. The United States market is among the most advanced and sophisticated in the world. Most food product categories have established markets, and there is great room for the volume growth of pancakes. The main factors driving this market are the growing interest in health and wellness, clean labeling, and convenience.



Moreover, changing food consumption behavior among consumers increased willingness to spend on such food, and the lack of time to cook at home are driving the market growth in the region. Consumers nowadays prefer whole-grain pancake mixes due to their inclination toward leading a healthy lifestyle. Companies are also focusing on expanding product portfolios to appeal to a broader base of consumers to strengthen the long-term prospects of healthier foods.



Pancake Mixes Industry Overview



The pancake mixes market is fragmented and is driven by various active players. There are numerous prominent players in the market, such as Continental Mills, Inc. d PepsiCo. Inc, General Mills, C.H. Guenther & Son LLC, and Bobs Red Mill Natural Foods. The major players have used new product launches, expansions, joint ventures, partnerships, acquisitions, and others to increase the market growth. For instance, In September 2021, General Mills India launched its ready-to-cook (RTC) two minutes Pillsbury Pancakes brand in India. The Pillsbury Pancakes come in two variants  Choco Chip and Funfetti.



Additional Benefits:



The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format

3 months of analyst support

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484118/?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.



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Investors can contact the law firm at no cost to learn more about recovering their losses

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Portnoy Law Firm advises Discover Financial Services (Discover) (NYSE: DFS) investors that the firm has initiated an investigation into whether Discover issued false and misleading statements to investors.



Investors are encouraged to contact attorney Lesley F. Portnoy, by phone 844-767-8529 or email: lesley@portnoylaw.com, to discuss their legal rights, or click here to join the case. The Portnoy Law Firm can provide a complimentary case evaluation and discuss investors options for pursuing claims to recover their losses.

On July 19, 2023, after market hours, Discover Financial Services issued a press release announcing its financial results for the quarter ending June 30, 2023. Among other items, Discover Financial Services disclosed that beginning around mid-2007, it had incorrectly classified certain credit card accounts into our highest merchant and merchant acquirer pricing tier. [. . .] An investigation into this issue by an external law firm working at the direction of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors is ongoing. Discover is in discussions with its regulators regarding this matter and corporate governance and risk management. In addition, the Company received a proposed consent order from the FDIC in connection with consumer compliance. This proposed consent order does not include the card product classification matter. Additional supervisory actions could occur.

On this news, Discover Financial Services share prices fell over $20.03 per share, or 16.53%, in intraday trading on July 20, 2023.

Then, on August 15, 2023, Discover announced the resignation of its Chief Executive Officer. On this news, Discover shares fell sharply in intraday trading.

Please visit our website to review more information and submit your transaction information.

The Portnoy Law Firm represents investors in pursuing claims against caused by corporate wrongdoing. The Firms founding partner has recovered over $5.5 billion for aggrieved investors. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

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Admitted CA and NY Bar

lesley@portnoylaw.com

310-692-8883

www.portnoylaw.com

Attorney Advertising
Versailles, KY, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Frontier Nursing Universitys (FNU) first Preceptor Celebration Week is August 14-18, 2023. This event honors the important role that preceptors play in advanced practice nursing education.

Preceptors are experienced licensed clinicians who supervise nursing students during their clinical rotations. Their role is to help students translate what they have learned into real-world clinical practice. This celebration will showcase FNU preceptors work and acknowledge their key role in shaping future advanced practice nurses via posts and stories shared on FNUs blog and social media networks, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (X).

Preceptors play an essential role in the education and preparation of our students, said FNU President Dr. Susan Stone, DNSc, CNM, FACNM, FAAN. We are so grateful to the thousands of preceptors across the country who give their time and expertise to train the next generation of advanced practice nurses.

Preceptor Celebration Week also marks the beginning of FNUs preceptor contest, with the three winning preceptors each receiving $500 gift vouchers. This contest will run throughout the next ten months, with nominations for outstanding preceptors accepted through June 1, 2024. The nominee must be an FNU-credentialed preceptor. Winners will be announced via email by July 1, 2024. To nominate a preceptor and for a complete list of contest rules, please visit frontier.edu/preceptorweek .

#####

About Frontier Nursing University:

The mission of Frontier Nursing University is to provide accessible nurse-midwifery and nurse practitioner education that integrates the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We transform healthcare by preparing innovative, ethical, compassionate, and entrepreneurial leaders to work with all people with an emphasis on rural and underserved communities. FNU offers graduate Nurse-Midwifery and Nurse-Practitioner distance education programs that can be pursued full- or part-time with the students home community serving as the classroom. Degrees and options offered include Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), or Post-Graduate Certificates. In 2021 and 2022, Frontier was named a Great College to Work For by the Great Colleges to Work For program. To learn more about FNU and the programs and degrees offered, please visit Frontier.edu .



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New York, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Over-the-Air (OTA) Testing Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2023 - 2028)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484093/?utm_source=GNW

The OTA Testing Market size is expected to grow from USD 2.70 billion in 2023 to USD 4.30 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 9.75% during the forecast period (2023-2028).



Increased usage of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies and smart devices is predicted to drive considerable market revenue growth over the forecast period. Furthermore, increasing smart city projects and efforts are likely to contribute to market revenue development.



Key Highlights

OTA testing is crucial for determining the multipath effect on Radio Frequency (RF) performance because of the rising popularity of MIMO radios. Since the antennas are fundamental to the integrated idea, RF performance testing must be done with the antennas in mind. This necessitates OTA measurement and RF propagation model simulation. Most industry participants are concentrating on optimizing their designs to comprehend and evaluate crucial properties like antenna diagrams, directivity, and gain. As a result, they are progressively adopting OTA techniques to determine the radio frequency generated by an antenna in the air.

The increasing number of autonomous vehicles is also likely to fuel a rapid increase in OTA testing usage since most Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) focus on integrating OTA capabilities into autonomous vehicles. This is predicted to contribute considerably to market revenue growth. However, complications associated with antenna arrays and deployment, as well as the high cost of testing equipment, are projected to limit the growth of the over-the-air testing market to some extent during the forecast period.

Over-the-air testing is typically used to measure device MIMO radio frequency and antenna RF performance. The over-the-air (OTA) test is critical for evaluating and certifying wireless devices dependability and RF performance characteristics, both mobile and fixed location. The paradigm shift from 4G to 5G New Radio (NR) testing has significantly increased the demand for OTA testing for developing, validating, and commercializing 5G NR devices. OTA testing has become the norm for 5G base station and User Equipment (UE) testing, particularly in mmWave.

Improved antenna techniques, designed to efficiently transmit or receive radio frequency waves, enable high-speed communications for 5G systems at mmWave frequencies. This, however, adds complexity to testing. Antennas built into devices are integrated with TRx circuitry and are small, making probing between antenna circuits and TRx problematic. Chipset complexity has increased the demand for improved antenna systems and frontends for OTA measurement and product development processes.

The automotive industry was one of the worst-hit sectors due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The high expenditure required kept buyers away from discretionary spending in times of global economic uncertainty. Though automotive sales witnessed declines in manufacturing sales in the first half of the pandemic, the second half of the pandemic saw notable growth, affecting the studied market in a negative way.



OTA Testing Market Trends



Telecommunication and Consumer Devices Segment Expected to Witness Significant Growth



Some of the IoT devices suffer from very poor radiated antenna performance and cause a bad user experience. Unlike traditional devices, IoT devices come in numerous sizes, shapes, and materials and work in different environments. This presents challenges for OTA testing of IoT devices. Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA) have set up an IoT working group and has released OTA test methods for LTE-M devices.?

Given the rapid development of the IoT industry, the importance of OTA measurements, and the existing standardization status, the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSMA) is developing specifications for the OTA testing of IoT devices. These specifications include test set-up, test method, test procedures, and performance requirements.? A smart gadget is capable of receiving firmware upgrades via the cloud. This firmware includes updates for the processor, its underlying hardware peripherals, and the application that runs on top of them. Such developments are expected to drive the market.

The testing of 5G components and wireless devices with OTA methods instead of the traditional cabled methods currently in use is essential primarily to validate 5G technology and devices performance. Though the challenges of testing the 5G technology are complex today, engineers worldwide are already developing new types of test instruments and methods, like OTA, that are necessary to make 5G in use everywhere.?

In January 2022, Vodafone renewed its CETECOM certification for OTA testing. CETECOM can now conduct testing in accordance with the Vodafone Specification for Terminals on Over-the-Air RF Performance V5.1. OTA testing is used to validate the performance and dependability of wireless devices, antennas, and other components. Additionally, major wireless service providers, like Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint, among others, require their suppliers first to verify that the wireless devices can function seamlessly under numerous conditions.

According to Ericsson, 5G subscriptions are expected to skyrocket globally between 2019 and 2027, rising from over 12 million to over 4 billion. Subscriptions are predicted to be highest in North East Asia, Southeast Asia, India, Nepal, and Bhutan. Moreover, the number of smart cities worldwide has been increasing rapidly, which has been significantly increasing the number of smart and wireless-connected devices. This is anticipated to drive the demand for OTA testing services for all wireless devices to meet industry standards and facilitate the assessment of receiver and antenna performance.?



North America Expected to Witness Significant Growth



North America is expected to generate significant revenue during the forecast period due to an increase in the number of smart cities, increased research activities to develop next-generation wireless technology, and rising adoption of 5G technology in the telecom sector, automotive industry, aerospace industry, and defense industry. Furthermore, rising demand for autonomous vehicles and increased production of self-driving cars are boosting market revenue growth.

Automakers can identify and correct flaws before they become serious problems by executing OTA tests on a regular basis. This helps to minimize production costs, accelerate time to market, and improve overall vehicle quality. The huge automotive production would drive the studied market in the region. For instance, according to OICA, the auto industry in the United States produced approximately 9.17 million motor vehicles last year.

According to the Ericsson Mobility report, in the North American region, 5G subscriptions are predicted to account for 55% of mobile subscriptions by 2024. According to GSMAs 2020 report on the state of the global mobile economy, the North American region is expected to be a "leader"in 5G deployment in the coming years following deployments by the four major U.S. telecoms. The group estimates that, by 2025, 48% of connections on the continent will be on 5G networks, trailing only behind Asia at 50%.?

The companies are collaborating to provide better services to the customers. For example, Eurofins Electrical & Electronics North America, part of the Eurofins global network of laboratories, announced that it can now deliver FR1 5G sub-6 and FR2 5G mmWave over-the-air (OTA) pre-testing at its Santa Clara lab facility. For 5G FR2 (mmWave), Eurofins uses the ETS AMS-5705 Compact Antenna Test Range (CATR) chamber, an ideal solution for the 5G mmWave OTA test.?

In October 2022, Applitools, the provider of the next-generation test automation platform powered by Visual AI, announced the formal launch of its Partner Program with leading GSIs, SIs, and VARs such as Accenture, Apexon, Cap Gemini, EPAM, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, TTC, and others. Applitools mission is to construct the necessary infrastructure and understand what partners require most in order to collaborate on building a scalable business that also satisfies the needs of its combined consumers. This includes training and certification pathways, official routes to market that align with the way its partners go to market, and a Partner Resource Center.



OTA Testing Industry Overview



The OTA testing market is highly competitive owing to the presence of several players in the market operating in the domestic and international markets. The market appears to be moderately concentrated, with major players adopting strategies like product innovation, strategic partnerships, and mergers and acquisitions to expand their product portfolio and expand their geographic reach in order to stay competitive in the market. Some of the major players in the market are Intertek Group PLC, Bureau Veritas SA, Anritsu Corporation, and Keysight Technologies, among others.



In January 2023, NTT DATA, a global provider of digital business and IT services, and Aurora Labs, an automotive artificial intelligence (AI) firm, announced their global strategic cooperation in the Automobile Industry, beginning with collaborative projects in manufacturing and logistics. Businesses benefit from the intelligent integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technology and 5G for scalable and agile over-the-air (OTA) software upgrades with greater efficiency and end-to-end security, including the 5G transport layer.



In December 2022, Elektrobit and Airbiquity announced the availability of a pre-integrated over-the-air (OTA) solution that will enable the next generation of safe and secure OTA services for the mobility industry. The solution integrates Elektrobits in-car OTA update software products with Airbiquitys multi-ECU OTA software management platform, allowing OEMs to source and create an end-to-end OTA system for their vehicle fleets more easily.



Additional Benefits:



The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format

3 months of analyst support

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484093/?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.



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York, Maine, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Short-term rental (SRTs) company, GetAway Vacations has introduced personalized experiences for guests in Vermont. GetAway Vacations is a vacation rental and property management company, located in Vermont and Maine.

Founder and CEO of GetAway Vacations, Fred Cercena, says the company has developed its categories to match guests and their interests. He adds that GetAway Vacations uses this information to provide unique properties that meet the needs of diverse kinds of guests. According to him, the company also pays attention to problems or challenges that a property for rent might be encountering. He explains that the team thoroughly evaluates properties and upscales them to meet specific quality standards.

The STRs business is one that requires a lot of strategic planning to understand an area of focus. We create focus areas to guide us in attending to certain specifications that are a priority to work towards and leverage, depending on the interests and lifestyle of a particular target market. We work with local owners, helping them rent out their properties while assisting guests to discover tourist attractions in Vermont and Maine, Fred says.

GetAway Vacations promotes their properties using more than 25 websites, generating reservations and distributing email newsletters while helping homeowners find the right guests. Speaking about the companys unique selling propositions, Cercena says the GetAway Vacation team is made up of experienced individuals who understand customers expectations as well as industry trends to achieve and maintain profitability. Cercena reiterates that GetAway Vacations have unique abilities that set them apart from others. He emphasizes that the company helps homeowners to maintain high quality standards to earn higher revenue. He also states that GetAway Vacations has good knowledge of industry pricing standards that don't fall short or exceed pricing limits, which he describes as a critical aspect of the business.

We have a team of expert marketers who are skilled at getting in the right guests at the right price, making sure our guests have a memorable experience while they stay in our homes. Our vacation destinations give our guests the sort of memories they wont want to stop reliving again and again. Our beautiful towns in Maine and Vermont are the perfect destinations to unwind. We want all of our guests to enjoy their GetAway and savor their sweet experiences, he says. We understand that not everyone has a budget that will allow them to come here all of the time, which is why we offer specialized packages that include discounts and lodging deals on our high-quality Vermont & Maine rental options.

Fred Cercena hopes to continue to revolutionize the vacation rental industry with bigger innovative ideas that will disrupt the system and pave the way for more creative advancements and cutting-edge service delivery.

Media Contact:

Name: Christine Sto. Tomas

Email: info@getaway-vacations.com




New York, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Fruit Picker Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2023 - 2028)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484082/?utm_source=GNW

The Global Fruit Picker Market size is expected to grow from USD 1.50 billion in 2023 to USD 3.25 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 16.80% during the forecast period (2023-2028).



Key Highlights

Fruit rotting on trees or the ground costs farmers USD 30 billion in sales annually, and fruit picked two weeks later loses 80 percent of its value. A major reason for wasted produce, sometimes in fruit rotting on trees, is a global shortage of fruit pickers, estimated to grow to five million missing workers by 2050. Every year, over 800 million tons of fruits are produced on 70 million hectares worldwide, representing an annual market value of USD 1 trillion. Farmers spend annually USD 100 billion on fruit picking and recruit over 10 million temporary workers for a short period to pick their fruit. Even today, more than 10% of all fruit worldwide cannot be harvested, equivalent to the total annual consumption of fruit in the entire European Union.

Israeli startup Tevel Aerobotics Technologies developed flying autonomous robots that take off from a base station, pick only the ripe fruit off the tree and gently lower it for collection, and can work 24/7 during the harvest period. Kubota invested USD 20 million in Tevel, an industry leader in the flying autonomous fruit-picking robot harvesting segment. Together with Tevel, Kubota will reinforce the companys development of labor-saving and automation technology for fruit picking and enable the launch of a business using these technologies that will contribute to labor-saving and efficiency improvement in farming. Automated fruit pickers are expected to be the markets future, and this technologys workability is expected to show major growth in the coming years.

According to Tropical Fruit Network, about 1,200 South Pacific fruit pickers have arrived in South Australia to help fill critical shortages of seasonal agriculture workers to encourage unemployed locals to take up fruit picking jobs. The government jointly funded USD 7 million to develop the industry for this. Other factors driving the market are increasing farm mechanization rates, especially in developing countries, increasing farm labor costs, and shorter replacement cycles of tractors attributed to the growth of the global innovative fruit pickers market and expected to grow huge during the forecast period.



Fruit Picker Market Trends



Innovative Fruit Pickers to Improve Efficiency



Fruit growers are investing in innovative fruit pickers to compensate for the shortage of fruit pickers for fruits, for instance, strawberries, blueberries, avocados, tomatoes, cucumbers, and mandarin oranges. Manual fruit picking will face several challenges with fruit-picking tasks seasonal and temporary nature. For instance, in the United Kingdom, the number of fruit pickers doubled in 2021, with 16,000 who migrated from 37 countries, including Barbados, Nepal, Tajikistan, and Kenya, due to a lack of workers in the country. Therefore, various adjustable fruit pickers are being introduced to make tasks easier, even for manual tasks. For instance, manual fruit pickers with adjustable working angles and stainless blades are being introduced, saving both the fruit growers time and energy. By adjusting the angle, the growers can easily cut the fruits at various angles.

Moreover, robotic fruit pickers are also being introduced, which use algorithms to identify and locate fruits in orchards or nurseries. Thus, to overcome the various challenges of picking fruits, fruit growers invest significantly in products and technologies that can perform multiple activities. This will encourage the producers to develop more innovative products and is expected to grow the market in the coming years.

In Africa, researchers from Loughborough University innovated six new devices as part of an 18-month project to reduce the impact of recyclable waste in low-middle-income countries to support local African businesses, such as farming, fishing, and construction, by transforming plastic bottles into useful products. Plastic bottles are sourced from communities in Kenya, Rwanda, and Nigeria, from which the 3D avocado harvesting tool has been created from waste plastic water bottles. Depending on the needs of local people and businesses, the reclaimed plastic is turned into a product or tool that would specifically benefit that community.

For example, in 2022, Singapore-based Singrow developed innovative agronomic solutions for fruit and vegetable production. It used robots in its harvesting and pollination systems using an integrated artificial intelligence (AI) model to help identify the flowers and fruits of strawberries. Singrow checks strawberries with its database using its camera and infrared scanner and programs the robot to select ripe strawberries.

Robots are game changers for small and medium businesses. Due to the lack of large space in Singapore, small and medium-sized enterprises use robots because they are designed to work close to people and are very easy to operate. These factors will boost the fruit pickers market in the coming years.



North America Leads the Fruit Picker Market



North America is the largest fruit picker market globally. The United States is one of the largest markets for robotic and manual fruit pickers in the fruit pickers market in North America due to a large number of producers innovating new products to boost the market in the region. In 2021, Advanced Farm Technologies launched TX Robotic Strawberry Harvester in the United States, a California-based company designed to pick on soil-planted strawberry beds so farmers can implement the technology without changing their field design. It automatically senses and picks ripe strawberries with a soft, food-grade robotic gripper and can navigate fields autonomously 24 hours a day.

These three fruit harvesting technologies and other emerging harvesting tech will likely be game changers for farmers as the population grows and food insecurity persists. It will be vital for farmers to adopt the latest, innovative technologies to improve operational efficiency, yield maximum outputs, overcome labor shortages, and remain profitable.

Many small players in the North American region are introducing new types of innovative fruit pickers. These are helping the fruit growers across the region manage fruit picking through advancements in manual and robotic fruit-picking tools. For instance, autonomous fruit harvesting equipment maker Advanced Farm Technologies Inc. has designed new robots to pick apples, with the help of a grant from a Washington State AG Group, which is used in California for picking strawberries, and the new equipment will use some of the same software, optics, and robotics the company developed for the new customers in Washington.

Smart agriculture solutions like this will become increasingly common to meet the rising food demand. The farming industry continues to innovate new products and technology to optimize labor while improving the quality and quantity of food. These factors are driving the market to grow during the forecasting period.



Fruit Picker Industry Overview



The fruit pickers market is highly fragmented, with many small and major players dominating most of the market share. New product launches, partnerships, and acquisitions are the major strategies the leading global companies adopt. Along with innovations and expansions, investments in R&D and developing novel product portfolios will likely be crucial strategies in the coming years. Some of the major players in the market are Agrobot, Dogtooth Technologies Limited, Harvest Croo, FFRobotics, and Flexrake.



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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.



__________________________
Exton, Pennsylvania, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Since launching in May 2022, Sanofi/Regenerons Dupixent has been well received by gastroenterologists and allergists as an advancement for treating eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). More than two-thirds of doctors view the IL-4 inhibiting biologic as a significant advancement for the treatment of EoE and three-quarters of doctors express high satisfaction with the clinical improvement they observe in their Dupixent-treated patients (Launch Dynamix: Dupixent in Eosinophilic Esophagitis (US)).

Moreover, Dupixent continues to enjoy a unique position as the only advanced treatment for EoE. Several promising biologic challengers struggled in clinical trials, failing to achieve significant improvement in dysphagia, the most burdensome and common symptom of EoE. Trials for AstraZenecas Benralizumab, Allakos lirentelimab, GSKs mepolizumab, and BMS cendakimab each yielded similar clinical results - reducing eosinophil counts - but missing endpoints in varying degrees on symptom reduction. Of the four, only cendakimab remains listed on the manufacturers pipeline.

Consequently, an unlikely candidate has emerged as the next significant advancement in EoE, potentially landing the coveted second-to-market position. APT-1011, a reformulation of the commonly used EoE treatment fluticasone, achieved significant improvements in both histologic and symptomatic endpoints. The combination of unmet patient needs and APT-1011 clinical effectiveness was sufficient to warrant Fast Track designation from the FDA in 2021.

Despite the promising position, Spherix found over two-thirds of gastroenterologists and allergists are not familiar with the emerging therapy, and only one-third stated a high likelihood to prescribe the medication when shown the clinical data. A somewhat surprising finding as Spherix noted earlier this year that gastroenterologists expressed equal enthusiasm for new steroid formulations as they did for new biologics for the treatment of EoE (Market Dynamix: Eosinophilic Esophagitis (US)  2022).

While not considered a direct competitor to biologics, APT-1011s unique formulation of the old dog, fluticasone, improves delivery of the medication, providing better adhesion to the esophagus and limiting systemic absorption. This new trick comes courtesy of the drugs origin from Adare Pharmaceutical Solutions, which developed AdvaTab, a proprietary technology for patients who experience difficulty swallowing. While APT-1011 is easy to swallow, the more interesting characteristic is the effect on systemic absorption.

Published data showed:

Pharmacokinetic of APT-1011, both from a phase 1 study and from the phase 2b study, show picograms per mL levels in plasma, well below those associated with systemic side effects and suppression of endogenous cortisol.

The clinical implication is APT-1011 potentially eliminates systems risks associated with chronic corticosteroid use, such as hypertension, acne, water retention, glaucoma and others.

Speaking with physicians in depth, Spherix explored the benefits and implications of APT-1011 when compared to the gold standard EoE treatment, Dupixent. Both gastroenterologists and allergists, unsurprisingly, raised the common metaphor of shotguns and rifles when comparing the two  steroids being an agent that broadly suppresses immune function (shotgun), while Dupixent specifically targets the IL-4 immune pathway (rifle). A complimentary perspective for doctors to consider examined the local vs. systemic attributes for each. APT-1011 offers locally acting, broadly suppressing treatment, whereas Dupixent offers systemically acting, targeted suppression.

When pressed on the choice, doctors agreed the targeted nature of biologics are still conceptually preferred where chronic treatment is required. Whether locally acting or broadly, chronic use of steroids to suppress immune function comes with risk. As one physician states:

corticosteroids are a wonder drug, but its a wonder anybody uses it, because there really is so many adverse effects  US gastroenterologist

More specifically, an allergist noted the complexity of the immune system, discussing the various cells and signaling involved and highlighting instances where suppression could be unhelpful:

you need those things [fibroblasts]. Theyre everywhere and they repair tissue, take care of tissue. They dont seem to be dysfunctional. Theyre just doing their job  US Allergist

However, when reviewing data from APT-1011s FLUTE trial, doctors broadly agreed the drug will play an important role in EoE treatment if approved. While the concept of locally acting, broad spectrum treatment vs. system targeted treatment was intellectually interesting, doctors emphasized the decision to use the drug (and all drugs) is predicated on the clinical data. Having reviewed the FLUTE data, each was sufficiently comfortable that the risk benefit profile is adequate to warrant use.

When pressed where APT-1011 fits in the treatment pathway, no definitive placement was agreed. Rather three principles will influence choice: the published APT-1011 clinical data, patient clinical presentation, and patient preference. Arguments were made to use of APT-1011 ahead of Dupixent (similar to todays guidelines), after Dupixent, or in combination with the biologic.

The net findings from Spherix are both Dupixent and APT-1011 provide physicians with unique and differentiated tools to help EoE patients manage their condition. The addition of APT-1011 will likely increase the number of patients being treated overall, offering a more convenient alternative to todays off-label steroid choices. Which patients will be treated with one of the two advanced options will ultimately be driven by individual patient need and situation.

Spherix plans to further research real world EoE treatment behavior as evidenced in patient medical charts (RealWorld Dynamix: Eosinophilic Esophagitis (US)) later this year, including clarifying patient cohort characteristics associated with current and future treatments. Should APT-1011 receive FDA approval, Spherix will track the launch for 18 months through the launch service (Launch Dynamix: APT-1011 (Ellodi) in Eosinophilic Esophagitis (US)).

About Launch Dynamix

Launch Dynamix is an independent service providing a monthly benchmarking of newly launched products for the first eighteen months of commercial availability, augmented by a quarterly deep dive into patient types initiated, brand perceptions, promotional activity, and drivers and barriers to uptake.

About Market Dynamix

Market Dynamix is an independent, subscription-based service that explores future dynamics of evolving healthcare markets within specific indications to help your company make well-informed, strategic decisions. The Spherix research method pairs together both qualitative analyses, fueled by interviews with leading international opinion leaders, and quantitative analysis, leveraging a proprietary network of specialists "in the trenches."

RealWorld Dynamix

RealWorld Dynamix is an independent, data-driven service unveiling real patient management patterns through rigorous analysis of large-scale patient chart audits. Insights reveal the why behind treatment decisions, include year over year trending to quantify key aspects of market evolution, and integrate specialists attitudinal & demographic data to highlight differences between stated and actual treatment patterns.

About Spherix Global Insights

Spherix Global Insights is a leading provider of market research, business intelligence and advisory services to the global life sciences industry. The company's unique service offerings are powered by deep therapeutic knowledge, the Spherix Network specialty physician panel, and commercially relevant analyses to enable strategic decision-making by our valued customers.

A trusted advisor and industry thought leader, Spherix Global Insights provides specialized market expertise in six (6) focused therapeutic areas including: dermatology, gastroenterology, nephrology, neurology, rheumatology and ophthalmology.

To learn more about Spherix Global Insights, visit spherixglobalinsights.com or connect through LinkedIn and Twitter.

NOTICE: All company, brand or product names in this press release are trademarks of their respective holders. The findings and opinions expressed within are based on Spherix Global Insight's analysis and do not imply a relationship with or endorsement by any company, brand, or product aforementioned.
New York, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Agrigenomics Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2023 - 2028)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484076/?utm_source=GNW

The Agrigenomics Market size is expected to grow from USD 3.96 billion in 2023 to USD 6.10 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 9.02% during the forecast period (2023-2028).



Key Highlights

Agrigenomics is the study of plants genetic makeup and how the genes contribute to crop production. Microarray and next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies are helping breeders and researchers evaluate and predict genetic merit in plants and animals, informing crucial decisions about selection and health. The research aims to completely understand yield optimization, plant evolution, disease resistance, phylogenetic relationships, pest control, stress tolerance, and food and biofuel optimization.

The rising applications of agrigenomics in routine agriculture activities, the increasing number of deoxyribonucleic acid/ribonucleic acid (DNA/RNA) sequencing project grants, and technological developments in genomics and agriculture are some of the key drivers expected to drive market growth during the forecast period. The other factors supporting the growth of the global agrigenomics market are the increasing food consumption volume due to the increasing population, the growing use of advanced tools and techniques of genome research testing, and rising investments in research & development activities by government-funded organizations.

Illumina technology has become increasingly popular in agriculture for developing high-yielding genomics in livestock and crops. This technology enables researchers and breeders to identify genetic variations responsible for desirable traits, such as disease resistance, increased productivity, and improved quality. By sequencing the genomes of various organisms and analyzing the data using Illumina technology, researchers can identify specific genes and genetic markers associated with these traits, which can then be used to develop new and improved strains of crops and livestock. Microarray and next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies are useful for studying various aspects of plant and animal genomics, including genotype, gene expression and regulation, and epigenetics. These approaches offer the throughput, sensitivity, and precision needed to evaluate genetic markers and discover new ones associated with traits or diseases.

The increase in applications of genome sequencing in livestock not only enables the study of parent lineage but also aids in understanding the characteristics of infectious agents, such as bacteria and viruses that infest them or live on them. The resolution of the next-generation sequencing enables researchers to study the mutations in infectious agents over time, and help in understanding the transmission patterns of these diseases, thereby contributing to the development of effective treatment.



Agrigenomics Market Trends



Growing Food Demand and Shrinking Land



The global population has been increasing rapidly and is projected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050. With this increase in population, there is also a growing demand for food, which has put pressure on the agricultural sector to produce more food. However, the agriculture industry faces several challenges, including climate change, land degradation, water scarcity, and limited resources, making it difficult to meet the increasing demand for food.

On the other hand, due to industrialization and urbanization, the available arable land is decreasing in many regions globally. Hence, increasing crop productivity is needed to meet the demands. The application of agrigenomics increased crop productivity by developing high-yielding crop varieties and sustainable solutions for livestock products.

Farmers, breeders, and researchers can easily identify the genetic markers linked to desirable traits, informing cultivation and breeding decisions using modern technology. Although new plant technologies are continuously being developed to fight pest attacks, they are also leading to the development of new and difficult-to-kill strains of pests. The losses in major crops due to fungi are enough to feed nearly 9% of the global population. Thus, it is the key strategy farmers adopt to meet global food demand.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), many countries are developing sustainable grains to feed the growing world population while safeguarding the natural environment, diversifying food production, protecting plant and animal health, and reducing the drudgery of farming. Genetic resources are also crucial to livestock breeding and protection. Therefore, the government supports the development of policies and standards to protect public and animal health while managing natural resources and developing improved technologies to meet animal genetic resources.



North America Dominates the Market



The North American agrigenomics market is experiencing steady growth due to the increasing adoption of high-yielding varieties, as they can reduce the usage of harmful pesticides by enhancing the resistant power during the initial stages. Genotyping within agrigenomics provides breeders and researchers powerful, cost-effective tools to detect markers associated with complex genetic traits.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) report, the greater adoption of genetically engineered (GE) seed varieties in crops like corn, upland cotton, soybeans, canola, and sugarbeets is witnessed in the region. For instance, herbicide-tolerant (HT) crops tolerate specific broad-spectrum herbicides (such as glyphosate, glufosinate, and dicamba). Insect-resistant crops contain a gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) that produces an insecticidal protein.

Although other genetically engineered (GE) traits have been developed (such as virus and fungus resistance, drought resistance, and enhanced protein, oil, or vitamin content), herbicide-tolerant (HT) and Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) traits are the most commonly used in US crop production.

The adoption of agrigenomics is majorly attributed to overcoming the usage of pesticides in the United States. Strong R&D and innovation of new technologies, coupled with the increasing merger and acquisition (M&A) activities, are the major factors fueling the regions market growth. The greater acceptance of genetically modified (GMO) crops in the United States is a result of their perceived benefits, such as increased yields, reduced use of pesticides, and improved crop quality.

As you mentioned, more than 90 percent of the corn, soybean, cotton, canola, and sugar beet acreage in the United States is genetically modified. As per the USDA report, in 2020, 94% of the soybean crops in the United States were genetically modified to be herbicide tolerant, followed by cotton, accounting for 83%, and corn, accounting for 10%.



Agrigenomics Industry Overview



The agrigenomics market is a moderately consolidated market, with a few key players holding a majority of the market share. Eurofins Scientific Se, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Illumina Inc, Zoetis Inc, and Tecan Genomics, Inc. are the prominent players in the market studied. New product launches, partnerships, and expansions are the major strategies the leading companies adopt. Along with innovations and expansions, investments in R&D and developing novel product portfolios will likely be crucial strategies in the coming years.



Additional Benefits:



The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format

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Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484076/?utm_source=GNW



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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.



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New York, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Managed Application Services Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2023 - 2028)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484073/?utm_source=GNW

The Managed Application Services Market size is expected to grow from USD 10.93 billion in 2023 to USD 11.99 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 1.86% during the forecast period (2023-2028).



Demand for end-to-end application hosting services will increase in the forecast period. The managed application services allow the organization to outsource specific IT requirements to a third-party service provider. The companies can reduce costs, boost productivity, and enhance application performance without spending time on implementation, maintenance, and upgradation of their IT-related application. The increase in the adoption of smartphone devices and the implementation of IoT services in the organization will drive the market in the forecast period. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the demand for cloud-based solutions has seen significant growth owing to remote working models being adopted by enterprises; however, various industries such as retail, manufacturing, BFSI, and others have seen a significant slump in their revenues in the past years.



Key Highlights

As customers have moved their workloads to the cloud, there is a growth in the usage of cloud-native architectures, particularly microservices. Microservice-based architectures help improve scalability and velocity, but implementing them can pose challenges. For many Java developers, Spring Boot and Spring Cloud have helped address these challenges, providing a robust platform with well-established patterns for developing and operating microservice applications. In the previous year, to help make it simpler to deploy and manage Spring Cloud applications, together with Pivotal, Microsoft created Azure Spring Cloud.

Recently, VSHN announced Project Syn, the next generation Open Source managed services framework for DevOps and application operations on any infrastructure based on Kubernetes. Project Syn is a pre-integrated set of tools to provision, update backup, observe, and react or alert production applications on Kubernetes and in the cloud. It supports DevOps through complete self-service and automation with the help of containers, Kubernetes, and GitOps. Project Syn is about to become an Open Source project shortly. It consists of several components that bring the necessary features for running applications in production on Kubernetes, acting as an operations framework.

During the previous year, AWS launched Amazon Managed Apache Cassandra Service, a scalable, highly available, and managed Apache Cassandracompatible database service that enables the user to run the Cassandra workloads in the AWS Cloud utilizing the same Cassandra application code, Apache 2.0 licensed drivers, and tools that are used. With Managed Cassandra Service, there is no need to provision, patch, or manage servers and install, maintain, or operate the software. Tables could scale up and down automatically based on request traffic, with virtually unlimited throughput and storage. The user can manage access to the tables using AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) and keep the applications running smoothly with integrated logging and monitoring.

Information Technology spending in recent years is likely to fall as organizations trim investments in technology in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic-led slowdown. However, enterprises and government agencies continue to invest in software and IT services, which is expected to stabilize the market. While short-term projects are getting stopped, the managed application services segment, which fetches significant revenue for service providers, has not been impacted by the outbreak. Recently, XenonStack offered a free 3-month Managed IT Support, Application Management, and Migration to the Cloud as part of their COVID-19 response plan program to anyone directly involved in relief initiatives like Healthcare, NGOs, and government bodies.



Managed Application Services Market Trends



IT and Telecom is Expected to Hold Major Share



The IT and telecom sector is a significant market for managed application services due to the high rate of various technological adoptions, increased frequency of confirmation of the BYOD policy, and an increased need for high-end security due to the rapidly growing data among organizations. The telecom industry has observed extensive growth during the past few years. Telecommunication companies are constantly pressured to deliver innovative services at lower costs to retain their customers in the competitive market.

According to the SD-WAN Managed Services recent survey, 64% of the surveyed network and IT managers plan to add an SD-WAN managed service in the upcoming years. This is because the end-users believe it will deliver better security, improved cloud application performance, and flexible management. This demand is encouraging IT and Telcom service providers to purchase hardware, software, and regular administration of their networks from a third party. Many SD-WAN-managed service providers are differentiating themselves with a wide range of security offerings.

According to Hazlecast Infinity Data report in collaboration with Intel, IT decision-makers identified cloud application performance (40%) as the number one opportunity to unlock profits, with financial services (49%), telecommunications (42%), and e-commerce (40%) ranking it the highest among verticals surveyed. However, security (97%) and performance (90%) were the top challenges when migrating to the cloud.

In the previous year, Hazelcast announced the availability of Hazelcast Cloud Enterprise on Amazon Web Services (AWS), a low-latency deployment of Hazelcast software as a managed service designed to improve the performance, security, and ease of management of cloud-based applications. Featuring built-in protection and a cloud-agnostic architecture, Hazelcast Cloud Enterprise exceeds the speed, scale, safety, and high availability capabilities of existing commoditized cloud data storage services for large-scale enterprise deployments.



North America is Expected to Hold Major Share



The North American Managed Application Services market is growing due to the changing IT infrastructure landscape, especially in small and medium enterprises (SMEs), continually focusing on outsourcing cybersecurity solutions. For instance, Kpaul Properties LLC, one of the emerging manufacturers and distributors of IT supplies in the United States, onboarded FUJITSU to replace physical servers with a virtualized environment. This has reduced the companys cost by 15% and delivered 95% uptime. With the speedy acceleration of modern technology and the need for streamlined IT functions, an increasing number of businesses in the region find the best way to keep pace with MSP.

Besides, Canada is witnessing a high rise in the application of multi-Cloud environments and increased adoption of automation. In the region, Cloud, mobile, and social technologies demand that businesses take a proactive approach toward IT security, thus boosting the demand for deploying robust managed services that would deliver in all security management layers. Unified Communications as a Service and related Contact Center as a Service market represent a business opportunity for managed service providers. This is because emerging players offer innovative cloud-based solutions, which require a minimum investment and are easy to deploy.

Recently, Rackspace, an American-managed Cloud computing company, announced that it has agreed to acquire Onica, an Amazon Web Services (AWS) Partner Network (APN) Premier Consulting Partner and AWS Managed Service Provider. This acquisition brings Onicas innovative professional services capabilities, including strategic advisory, architecture, engineering, and application development, to the Rackspace portfolio, complementing its existing managed cloud services capabilities. Rackspaces hybrid cloud portfolio enables enterprises to leverage various technical enhancements, from IT security to software development.

In the previous year, Infosys unveiled the Infosys Live Enterprise Suite in Phoenix, Arizona, a comprehensive set of platforms, solutions, and digital services that helps enterprises to accelerate their digital innovation journey. The user can embrace the best innovations across cloud providers and build a cloud-agnostic application stack through the Infosys Polycloud Platform. The platform provides a backplane that abstracts the public and private clouds, enabling a standard interface and catalog to select, provision, move and manage platform and application services workloads across the enterprise.



Managed Application Services Industry Overview



The competition within the managed application services market is high among the market players without any specific dominating player. The competition results are based on the enterprises best features of high quality and services at a reasonable price. Some significant players in the market are IBM Corporation, HCL Technologies Limited, WIPRO Limited, Fujitsu Ltd., and others. Some of the recent trends in the market are as follows:



May 2022 - Microsoft launched a new managed service category known as Microsoft Security Experts. The service provides organizations with assistance from external security experts who can perform threat hunting and managed detection and response tasks. For businesses, the service enables on-site security teams to supplement their capabilities with assistance from off-site Microsoft experts.

February 2022 - IBM partnered with SAP (NYSE: SAP) to provide technology and consult experts to help clients embrace a hybrid cloud approach and migrate mission-critical workloads from SAP solutions to the cloud in regulated and non-regulated industries. As part of the RISE with an SAP offering, IBM is the first partner to provide cloud infrastructure and technical managed services.

Moreover, as clients consider hybrid cloud strategies, moving the workloads and applications that are the backbone of their enterprise operations necessitates a highly secure and reliable cloud environment. With the launch of the IBM supplier option for RISE with SAP, clients have the tools to help accelerate the migration of their on-premise SAP software workloads to IBM Cloud, backed by industry-leading security capabilities.

In addition, IBM is launching a new program called BREAKTHROUGH with IBM for RISE with SAP, which includes a portfolio of solutions and consulting services to help accelerate and amplify the journey to SAP S/4HANA Cloud. The solutions and services, built on a flexible and scalable platform, use intelligent workflows to streamline operations. They offer an engagement model that aids in the planning, execution, and support of holistic business transformation. Clients are also given the option and flexibility to migrate SAP solution workloads to the public cloud with the help of deep industry expertise.



Additional Benefits:



The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format

3 months of analyst support

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484073/?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.



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New York, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Plastic Processing Machinery Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2023 - 2028)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484065/?utm_source=GNW

The Plastic Processing Machinery Market size is expected to grow from USD 31.36 billion in 2023 to USD 38.99 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 4.45% during the forecast period (2023-2028).



The global plastic processing machinery market is expected to grow quickly because people are becoming more aware of the many benefits of plastic processing techniques, such as design flexibility, and because food and beverage and other end-use industries are quickly adopting this type of machinery.



Key Highlights

Plastic molding processing technology has been widely used in the manufacturing of various products, such as auto parts, connectors, displays, mobile phones, 3C electronic products, plastic optical lenses, biomedical application products, general daily necessities, etc. Plastic molding processing technology is getting better and better every day. This is because more and more people are using products in different ways and have different needs for how they work.

Compared to other materials, such as metal, stone, and wood, plastic has the advantages of low cost and strong plasticity. Thus, it is widely used in the economy and daily life. Plastic products and industry occupy an extremely important position in the world. Gains in the market are anticipated to be driven by trends, including the expanding demand for reinforced and biodegradable plastics. The industry is embracing the concept of "Industry 4.0"by fusing digital technology with plastic manufacturing techniques.

Due to the sheer growth in demand for plastic products, the industry is seeing significant growth in demand for plastic processing equipment. Plastic injection molding is one of the most common ways to shape plastic out of other methods.With numerous industrial applications, the market demand for the technology is continually expanding and evolving. Plastic injection-molded parts that are made to order are the perfect solution for many industries that need to make a lot of high-quality parts at a low cost.

The growing need for upgrades combined with the modernization of plastics processing plants in developing nations is expected to spur the replacement demand for injection molding machinery and other equipment. The growth is also helped by changes in technology, which are lowering the cost of equipment and making it more affordable in price-sensitive markets.

During the beginning stages of the COVID-19 epidemic, there was a tremendous demand for blow-molded medical items, such as injection syringes, sanitizer bottles, and cleaning solution bottles. The war between Russia and Ukraine has also changed the packaging ecosystem as a whole.



Plastic Processing Machinery Market Trends



Increasing Demand for Plastics from the Packaging Industry



Plastic packaging is being used more and more in industries like food and drinks, consumer goods, electronics, and even industry. This is because plastic packaging has many benefits, such as how it reacts with fewer products and helps keep items safe, how the materials used can be made odorless, how it helps protect items from the environment, and how the product can be sealed to prevent leaks.



North America is one of the major markets for plastic packaging, as a prominent share of the retail sector is organized and highly regulated, which regulates the safekeeping of items in various segments; owing to this, the demand is significantly higher. For example, the US Census Bureau says that plastic packaging materials and unlaminated films are expected to bring in USD 38 billion in sales in the US in 2024.

The lightweight property of plastic is driving the growth of plastic packaging in Europe. Glass is much heavier compared to plastic, which means more trips would be required while transporting. This translates to a more significant environmental impact. Glass is also much heavier for the end consumer, whereas plastic is lightweight and much easier to carry.



As per the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA), the United States will consume 15.6 billion gallons of bottled water in 2021, a 4.5% increase over 2020. Also, a new national online poll done by The Harris Poll on behalf of the IBWA found that more than nine out of ten Americans expect to be able to buy bottled water wherever other drinks are sold.



Asia-Pacific is Expected to Hold the Largest Share



China is an emerging economy in the Asia-Pacific region, and the number of manufacturing activities there is growing at an exponential rate. This is because high-performance plastic components are needed in many end-user industries.



Within the types of plastic processing machinery, injection molding machinery is expected to hold a significant share in China. Haitian International Holdings Limited, The Chen Hsong Group, L.K. Technology Holdings Limited, Cosmos Machinery Enterprises Limited, and Fu Chin Shin Machinery Manufacture Co. Ltd., among others, are well-known companies in this market segment.

Also, the production data for bottled drinking water is indicative of the fact that the injection molding machinery market in China is poised to grow over the forecast period. Like in China, injection molding machines are likely to have a big share of the market for plastic processing machines in the country.

Some of the prominent players operating in this segment of the market include Arburg GmbH, Engel Machinery India Pvt Ltd, Haitian Huayuan Machinery (India) Pvt Ltd, and Husky Injection Molding Systems Pvt Ltd, among others. According to the India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), the plastics industry hosts more than 2,000 exporters and comprises more than 30,000 processing units. About 8590% of these units are small and medium-sized enterprises.

The government of Japan plans to reduce its carbon footprint by using EVs, which has resulted in substantial investments toward EV infrastructure development. Japan saw a rise in the number of EV charging stations to keep up with the growing number of EVs. This is because the government started giving subsidies to people who bought EVs.



Plastic Processing Machinery Industry Overview



The competitive rivalry in the plastic processing machinery market is high owing to the presence of some key players, such as Brown Machine Group and Haitian International Holdings Limited, amongst others. Through research and development, these companies have gained a competitive advantage by continually innovating their offerings. These players, through innovation and mergers and acquisitions, have been able to gain a strong footprint in the market as well as be able to further develop the technology.



In June 2022, ALPLA Group, Brink, and IPB Printing partnered with ENGEL to introduce K 2022, a quantum leap for the packaging industry. PET thin-walled containers can now be constructed for the first time in a single injection molding production step. The stand of the Austrian injection molding equipment company ENGEL processes recycled PET. This is accomplished using an ENGEL e-speed injection molding machine with a freshly created, incredibly potent injection unit.



Additional Benefits:



The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format

3 months of analyst support

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484065/?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. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Product Recommendation Engine Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2023 - 2028)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484064/?utm_source=GNW

The Recommendation Engine Market size is expected to grow from USD 5.17 billion in 2023 to USD 21.57 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 33.06% during the forecast period (2023-2028).



With the growing number of enterprises and the rising competition among them, many companies are trying to integrate technologies, like artificial intelligence (AI), with their applications, businesses, analytics, and services. Most organizations globally are pursuing digital transformation, focusing on improving the experience of customers and employees, which is being leveraged by automation solutions.



Key Highlights

The advancement of digitalization across emerging economies, coupled with the growth of the e-commerce market, has driven the demand for recommendation engines. Integrating the machine learning model across AI-based cloud platforms drives automation across multiple end-user industries.

Consumers traditionally make purchase decisions at the store shelf, providing institutional brick-and-mortar retailers a high-power level to learn about and influence consumers behavior and preferences. However, with the rise of internet penetration and the emergence of new sales channels through e-commerce, mobile shopping, and smart technologies, the retail industry is adapting to new and advanced technologies. These technologies, such as smart point-of-sale solutions and self-checkout kiosks, transform traditional brick-and-mortar stores into omnichannel ones. According to ZDNet, 70% of the companies either have a digital transformation strategy or are working with one.

Digital transformation provides opportunities for retailers to acquire new customers, engage with existing customers better, reduce the cost of operations, and improve employee motivation. These benefits, among others, positively impact the revenue and margins. This positive impact will create significant opportunities for adopting recommendation engines over the forecast period.

The challenge of incorrect labeling due to changing user preferences is an ongoing concern for the recommendation engine market. However, developers are continually working to improve the accuracy and relevance of recommendations. As technology advances, we can expect to see more effective solutions to this challenge in the future.

According to the recent "Agents of Transformation Report"from AppDynamics, part of Cisco, technology priorities during the COVID-19 pandemic changed within 95% of organizations, and 88% reported that digital customer experience was the priority for their organization. Customers turned to self-service tools in the form of chats, messaging, and conversational bots. As a result, companies enabled these tools to deliver a great customer experience while reducing traditional dependencies on brick-and-mortar and live events, which were not feasible in a time of social distancing. This was further expected to increase the benefits achieved by recommendation engines due to the increased adoption of technologies in these companies.



Recommendation Engine Market Trends



Increasing Demand for Customization of Digital Commerce Experience Across Mobile and Web Drives the Markets Growth



Enterprises are looking for ways and technologies to leverage the advantage that could be difficult for their competitors to imitate by providing highly personalized customer experiences. Such experiences use proprietary data to offer a better experience to millions of individual customers. The results depend on the execution. When executed well, personalized customer experience can enable businesses to differentiate themselves and gain customer loyalty and sustainable competitive advantage, which is much needed in the present scenario.

Customers decisions are no longer being made in a physical store but online on web browsers and mobile phones in front of the digital shelf. For the enterprises operating in the retail space, the price, place, and promotion of their products are no longer just being compared to products on neighboring shelves but to alternative products from retailers with websites worldwide. In this regard, technologies such as recommendation engines, using AI and ML, ensure customers requirements are met and ensure that customers needs and offerings are on the same level, enough to be one step ahead of their competitors.

Over the years, many marketing professionals across organizations have increased their focus on enhancing customer experience due to the customers growing demand. For instance, according to Adobe, companies with the most robust omnichannel customer engagement strategies could witness a 10% Y-o-Y growth, a 10% increase in average order value, and a 25% increase in close rates. Also, brands that adopted robust omnichannel customer engagement strategies and consumer service enhancement programs retain, on average, 89% of their customers, compared to 33% for brands with weak omnichannel customer engagement strategies.

With a growing number of channels coming into play, technologies ensure that the brands provide a consistent message about their offerings across all channels. The growing demand for better customer service is expected to drive the demand and positively affect the market during the forecast period.

Overall, the growing demand for personalized digital commerce experiences drives the recommendation engine market. According to Thales Group, the banking and financial sector was considered trustworthy for the security of consumers information. Over 40% of consumers globally stated they trusted the digital banking and financial services sector with their data. Healthcare providers were the second-most trusted industry in the digital services sector, with 37% of the respondents indicating this sector as among the most secure. Businesses seek to leverage AI technology to deliver targeted customer recommendations, drive sales, and improve customer satisfaction.



Asia-Pacific to Witness the Fastest Growth



Led by countries like Australia, India, China, and South Korea, the Asia-Pacific region is expected to witness the fastest growth in the recommendation engine market.

China is one of the major countries in Asia-Pacific with growing technological adoption. The country is home to one of the fastest internet bands and strong e-commerce players, like Alibaba.

Moreover, China is the second-largest OTT market in the world after the United States. According to Instituto Federal de Telecommunications (Mexico), there were 68 subscriptions per 100 homes in China, and the rate of online video users is increasing effectively.? However, the country is very strict in terms of regulations surrounding the industry and the data used, as well as the content that is allowed to be circulated in the country.

The tripartite (iQiyi, Tencent, Youku) domination is further secured by the strict regulatory environment in China, which prevents international players, such as the FAANG (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google), from operating in the country. These international players use the recommendations engine at a large scale and drive other businesses through advertising. This leaves the region ample opportunities for domestic players, thus leading to moderate growth compared to the United States.

Furthermore, one e-commerce giant, Alibaba, uses AI and machine learning to drive its recommendations. For instance, AI OS is an online platform developed by the Alibaba search engineering team that integrates personalized search, recommendation, and advertising. The AI OS engine system supports various business scenarios, including all Taobao Mobile search pages, Taobao Mobile information flow venues for major promotion activities, product recommendations on the Taobao homepage, personalized recommendations, and product selection by category and industry.



Recommendation Engine Industry Overview



The recommendation engine market is fragmented with the presence of major players like IBM Corporation, Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.), Amazon Web Services Inc.(Amazon.com Inc.), Microsoft Corporation, and Salesforce Inc. Players in the market are adopting strategies such as partnerships, mergers, and acquisitions to enhance their product offerings and gain sustainable competitive advantage.



January 2023 - New Coveo Merchandising Hubs debut was announced by Coveo. The Hub offers a rich feature set that enables companies to deliver a highly relevant shopping journey that helps foster loyalty and boost profitability. It is designed to empower merchandisers to create tailored experiences that convert. Qubit, a London-based start-up that offers AI-powered customization technology for fashion companies and retailers, was acquired by Coveo in October 2021.

October 2022 - Algonomy announced the availability of two significant connectors for Shopify and Commercetools, which will enable automatic and smooth data interchange between Algonomys products and e-stores. Algonomy Connectors offer a simple method for integrating online shops with Shopify or Commercetools, enabling real-time product data collecting. Connectors give improved control and insight over the catalog integration process and remove the need for relying on external organizations and resources to update catalog data regularly.



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New York, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Heat Pump Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2023 - 2028)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484062/?utm_source=GNW

The Heat Pumps Market size is expected to grow from USD 62.58 billion in 2023 to USD 99.87 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 9.80% during the forecast period (2023-2028).



The heat pump works on the principle of mechanical-compression cycle refrigeration that can even be reversed to heat or cool the desired space of a facility. Hence, the market studied is growing for cooling applications and space heating.



Key Highlights

Heat pumps are strategically placed to benefit from the drive to environmental sustainability. Furthermore, the European Unions strategy of sector integration suggests that 65% of all commercial buildings will be heated by electricity in 2030. The data indicate that heat pump sales are only expected to grow with buildings depending on them for heating and cooling.

Furthermore, The growing demand for energy-efficient devices has been driving the deployment of technology, such as heat pumps, to provide end users with significant potential to contribute to renewable energy and climate targets across various regions worldwide.

Moreover, The growing need to curb dependence on fossil fuels and look for an energy-efficient alternative to furnaces and air conditioners is expected to boost the demand for heat pumps over the forecast period. As heat pumps transfer heat rather than generate heat, they can offer equivalent space conditioning at as little as one-quarter of the operating costs of conventional heating or cooling appliances.

Heating a few areas of the facility may save money on material costs for the air handler unit (AHU). However, these factors may affect the overall installation costs if heat pumps are installed as the main heating and cooling system.

While it is realistic to expect slow growth or even a decline in heat pump sales owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, government policies and consumer demand are expected to drive the sales of heat pumps.



Heat Pump Market Trends



Residential Heat Pumps are Expected to Witness Significant Growth



The regulations implemented in different regions aimed at promoting nearly zero energy buildings are directing residential buildings to improve energy performance through efficient energy sources, such as heat pumps. Heat pumps are often used as heat sources in single-family and terraced houses. Heat pumps are also increasingly used in apartment buildings.

Further, the 2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards (Energy Code) adopted by the California Energy Commission (CEC), which goes into effect January 1, 2023, introduced some new requirements for buildings in California, United States. According to the 2022 Energy Code, new single-family homes must have electric heat pumps for water and air. Electric heat pumps for space heating are also needed in all new multi-family residences.

Vendors are also focusing on residential decarbonizing to decrease CO2 emissions. For instance, in recent years, Daikin announced a four-step plan to transform residential heating and cooling. According to the company, the European building stock is responsible for approximately 36 % of all CO2 emissions in the European Union. Therefore, heat pumps are being deployed in new residential constructions, thus, driving the need for heat pumps in the region.

Residential construction has seen a considerable boost in many markets despite the impact of COVID-19, which also supports market growth. For instance, the German construction sector was expected to bring in sales of EUR 151 billion in 2022, up 5.5% from 2021, according to figures from the countrys two leading construction associations, ZDB and HDB. The growth projection was anticipated to be led by the strong performance of the countrys residential construction sector, which has remained resilient throughout the pandemic.

Further, in April 2022, Daikin announced its support for the REPowerEU, which has set a goal to boost the rollout of heat pumps from 10 million units in 2027 to 30 million units in 2030. This is further associated with residential decarbonization as the movement can help the European Union achieve the residential sectors decarbonization goals by 2050.



Asia Pacific Expected to Dominate the Market



China is one of the significant markets for heat pumps, owing to the governments policies to support more energy-efficient infrastructure in the country, thereby augmenting the market growth. Chinas vast geographic area is officially divided into five primary climate zones with different thermal design requirements. Heating solutions for these regions can be tailor-made to meet the huge market opportunities.

In Japan, heat pumps are well-known products in private and commercial settings. Various types of industries have also embraced them. This development began several decades ago and has been further pushed by energy conservation measures. These were formulated by the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, stipulating energy conservation of 50.3 million m3 crude oil equivalent between 2013 and 2030. Such instances are likely to boost the demand for heat pumps in the country.

Applications of heat pumps in hotels, malls, theatres, etc., are gradually gaining traction in India. Moreover, a tremendous amount of solar energy is available in the country. According to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, solar power installed capacity reached around 61.97 GW as of 30th November 2022. The country stood 4th in solar PV deployment across the globe in the previous year. The system combination of solar thermal collectors and heat pumps can be an attractive option for increasing renewable energy usage worldwide for heating and domestic hot water preparation.

In South Korea, government initiatives concerning energy-efficient solutions are driving the market growth. For instance, a study carried out by Koreas Ministry of the Environment on the Hyundai Kona Electric, and Kia Niro EV found that the heat pump significantly reduced battery consumption in cold conditions.

In Australia, the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) launched the Green Star certification in 2003. Additionally, the Australian Government is focused on a 26-28% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 levels by 2030. Such instances demonstrate a significant market growth opportunity over the forecast period.

The countries considered under the rest of Asia-Pacific include Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. Indonesia is one of the leading geothermal energy powers in the world and has set ambitions to grow the sector further as the country embraces renewable energy sources. For instance, During the 8th Indonesia International Geothermal Convention & Exhibition (IIGCE) 2022, the Indonesian government announced that, through the General Plan for the Provision of Electricity, it had set a geothermal development target of 3.3 GW installed capacity by 2030. Such initiatives are likely to create a positive outlook for the studied market.



Heat Pump Industry Overview



The competitive rivalry in the global heat pumps market is high owing to the presence of some major players such as Trane Inc., Midea Group, Panasonic Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, and Daikin Industries Ltd, amongst others. Their ability to continually innovate their offerings has enabled them to gain a competitive advantage over other players in the market. These players have expanded their market footprint through R&D activities, mergers & acquisitions.



November 2022 - TRANE announced that it would reduce the carbon impact of its endurable HVAC solutions by buying low-carbon steel from major supplier Nucor Corporation Econiq, with an additional allotment from US Steel verdeX. The steel will be utilized in US manufacturing processes to build Trane high-efficiency heat pumps and air conditioners for homes and thermal management systems for commercial buildings such as schools and data centers.

November 2022 - Mitsubishi launched a cascaded air source heat pump that can produce between 7.8 kW and 640 kW of heat. The heat pump can generate hot water at a temperature of up to 70 C without boost heaters. Mitsubishi Electric released the air source heat pump for commercial applications, including schools and hospitals.



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New York, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Legal Analytics Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2023 - 2028)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484060/?utm_source=GNW

The Legal Analytics Market size is expected to grow from USD 2.35 billion in 2023 to USD 4.91 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 15.92% during the forecast period (2023-2028).



Legal Analytics helps lawyers analyze data collected over a long period, giving them insights for a competitive advantage. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning revolutionized and streamlined the process of Legal digitalization. Legal consultants can use analytics tools to compile and analyze massive amounts of data, like court records, historical trial data, and their own collected information, thereby saving a lot of constructive time and making them more productive and their practice more efficient and profitable.



Key Highlights

June 2022 - Consilio, a provider of legal consulting, announced its expansion plans in India with the opening of new facilities. This strategy has significantly expanded the talent pool for legal professionals, including a 70% headcount increase in India. Currently employing almost 800 individuals across all Consilio operational functions, the company anticipates expansion to 2,000 people in India over the next three years.

The Legal Industry kept its stride after the initial slowdown during the Covid-19 pandemic. The record turnovers in the legal sector coincide with a surge in bankruptcies and M&A activity and a rising need for legal services related to the economic effects post-pandemic.

Data breaching is the main hurdle in the growth of Legal Analytics. Some clients are only willing to use legal analytics capabilities if it has an extremely high level of security.



Legal Analytics Market Trends



Contract Management Offers Potential Growth



Adoptation of AI in Contract Mangement is creating the demand for Legal Analytics. While human-based analysis is nearly 92% accurate, AI-based contract interpretation and summary for dissemination to affected personnel have 98% accuracy, as predicted by World Commerce&Contracting. According to Deloitte report , companies cut their contract management costs by 60% by adopting intelligent contract analytics. The manual intervention for contract evaluation will be reduced by 50%, if analytics applications are used.

October 2022 - New York based law firm, Shearman & Sterling, launched analytics program called "Legal Operations by Shearman.Services, such as data analytics, in-house department design, and legal technology assistance will be available on this platform. It will also guide towards generating additional revenue from business support personnel who do not typically earn a fee but instead possess extremely important knowledge that can benefit the clients directly.

Consilio, a legal consulting, developed a new portal called Talent Connect, that will help provide flexible talent job opportunities serving Consilio clients, corporate law departments and law firms of all sizes. Consilios Enterprise Talent Solutions team has over 1,000 attorneys actively engaged by clients each day and places over 7,000 legal and non-legal positions annually. eDiscovery, document review, risk management, and legal consulting services will also be available through this portal.



Europe is Expected to Witness the Significant Growth in the Market



European clients choose legal firms, that they see as best-in-class partners who can demonstrate the expertise and technical applicability as per client requirement. In 2022 , Baker McKenzie took the top rank for the fourth year in a row, as clients cited the firms strength in the area and its capacity to connect them with the rest of the world.

Organizations in the UK are showing increasing interest in arbitration as a dispute resolution method.The UK judiciary has chosen a non-interventionist approach that is typically seen as "arbitration-friendly."Some of the worlds biggest law firms are headquartered in the country. The UK legal sectors total turnover stood at USD 4.3 billion in March 2022, according to data published by Office of National Statistics (ONS).

According to TheCityUK annual report on the UKs legal services, revenues generated by the sector rose 12.5%, accointing for 43.6 billion USD in 2021-2022. With total 0.37 million employees in legal sector, two-thirds of them are working in London.

Eeropean Union policy makers, presented a proposal for Digitalisation of Judicial Cooperation in Europe. Regulation have been formed making digital means of communication compulsory. Legal guidelines supported by technological resources like legal analytics, alongwith training of legal professionals will pave the way for a more integrated, long-lasting, and safe e-justice system in the EU.



Legal Analytics Industry Overview



The legal analytics market is moderately competitive, and startups are trying to disrupt the legal industry using the latest technology. However, the market is dominated by global players such as LexisNexis Group Inc., AbacusNext, Wipro Group, etc. These businesses primary growth tactics to survive the fierce competition include product releases, substantial investment in research and development, collaborations, and acquisitions.



January 2023 - Kim, the Legal IT Insider platform, launched pre-packaged solutions for corporate legal teams to quickly automate the core processes of their working environment from triage through training outside counsel without any technical assistance. Corporate legal teams can access the platform for document automation, download the desired template, and within 30 minutes, the procedure is done.

June 2022 - India based technology startup, Legalkart, took to digitalization by offering audio and video legal consultations. Lawyers can handle all their cases, clients, teams, and finances on this single platform. The other services on the forum will be property verification, online document verification, and legal advice. According to the startup, over 10,000 registered lawyers are in India, across nearly 900 cities, districts, and regions.

April 2022 - The legal and regulatory firm Wolters Kluwer teamed up with Microsoft to embrace AI-driven legal research methods. They have developed a prototype for German clients that work in MS Word. Lawyers will get pertinent, high-quality content from several data sources without having to leave their regular workflows.



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Newark, N.J., Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- New Jersey Institute of Technology once again finds itself in selective company in The Princeton Reviews annual guide to the best colleges and universities in the United States.

Just 14% of all of the countrys four-year institutions made the guide, The Best 389 Colleges for 2024. Selection is based primarily on the experiences of students  which are culled through surveys  and the featured schools are listed alphabetically.

The guides profile of NJIT notes that the university is a leading public polytechnic that prepares students to be leaders in the technology-dependent economy of the 21st century. It further notes that NJITs impact on New Jersey exceeds $2.8 billion in total economic output each year, supporting more than 11,000 jobs and generating employment income of $560 million.

NJITs selection comes four months after The Princeton Review rated schools by category, with NJIT ranking 11th for Best Career Placement and 35th among the Top 50 Best Value Colleges. Also, for the sixth straight year, the university was featured on a select list of Best Value Colleges  one of only 209 on the list, including just 74 public schools.

In addition, NJIT made national lists for Top 50 Entrepreneurship (No. 30), Top 50 Game Design and Green Colleges.

We aim to provide a holistic education of the mind and heart. In doing so, we equip students with both power and marketable skills, like being able to articulate ideas, collaborate and have empathy and grit, NJIT President Teik C. Lim said. With such skills and expertise in STEM disciplines, our graduates can maximize their potential and impact their communities.

NJIT has been featured in the best colleges guide since its inception in 1992.

To read NJITs profile, please go here: https://www.princetonreview.com/college/new-jersey-institute-technology-1023970?ceid=best-colleges

About New Jersey Institute of Technology

One of only 35 polytechnic universities in the United States, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is an R1 (most elite) Carnegie Classification research university that offers more than 125 undergraduate and graduate degree programs and spurs economic growth while preparing students to become leaders in the technology-dependent economy of the 21st century. NJIT is a catalyst for applied research and innovation that improves lives and fosters economic growth. Ranked No. 14 in the nation on Moneys Best Colleges list, NJIT also stands among the top 100 colleges and universities nationally for the mid-career earnings of its graduates, according to PayScale.com. NJIT is ranked No. 35 nationally by The Princeton Review as a Best Value College and is rated among the top 50 public national universities and top 100 overall by U.S. News & World Report.

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New York, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Hand Care Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2023 - 2028)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484058/?utm_source=GNW

The Hand Care Market size is expected to grow from USD 7.99 billion in 2023 to USD 9.86 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 4.31% during the forecast period (2023-2028).



Key Highlights

The market is mainly driven by the increasing need to maintain hand hygiene and the rising consumer expenditure power on health. Also, government organizations awareness of clean and healthy lifestyles is increasing through social media and online channels. Even the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) organized a Clean Hands Count campaign to improve healthcare provider adherence, addressing the myths and misperceptions about hand hygiene.

In 2018, World Health Organization (WHO) also organized a hand hygiene campaign, Make a DifferencePrevent Sepsis in Health Care, which was conducted to substantially impact the burden of sepsis in health care. Therefore, every year World Hand Hygiene day is celebrated on the 5th of May globally. As a part of the campaign, they promote the idea, the actions, and the products associated with Hand Hygiene.

Geographically, North America dominates the global hand care market, owing to high hygiene standards among the United States population. Moreover, Asia-Pacific is expected to witness the highest growth rate from the last decade, owing to an increase in concern towards health and wellness paired with a rise in disposable income.

However, the main challenge in the hand care market growth is the allergies arising due to the chemical ingredients used in the products by a few of the companies. Manufacturers are adding natural components like aloe vera to their products to prevent the rough skin that alcohol-based hand sanitizers create. Key market players are pushing the usage of hand sanitizers/hand care products through media coverage, advertising, and promotional initiatives. This is assisting them in increasing their market share in the global market and attracting more customers.



Hand Care Market Trends



Growing demand for sanitizers and disinfectants



The growing awareness of consumers regarding the need for sanitizer and its advanced effectiveness compared to normal soaps is driving market sales. Also, initiatives taken by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make people aware of hand hygiene and harmful diseases associated with it, paired with product innovations by the key players such as the addition of organic ingredients and soothing fragrances are boosting the market growth.

For instance, Purell, a GOJO Industries, Inc brand, launched a green hand sanitizer made with plant-based ethanol and sold in a recyclable PET plastic container. Amway India launched a liquid hand wash - Persona Germ Protection and Moisturizing, free from widely used preservatives such as sulfate, paraben, and triclosan.

Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic positively affected hand sanitizer sales worldwide. Anti-infection skincare products have increased demand as peoples top concerns shifted to health and hygiene. To stop the infection from spreading, the WHO advised using hand sanitizers in addition to routine hand washing. Thus, these initiatives increased market demand.

Consumers are becoming increasingly conscious of the necessity of hand hygiene and how it relates to their overall hygiene and health. Hand sanitizer use is necessary to stop the spread of infectious diseases, which is anticipated to promote market expansion. In addition, hand sanitizers portability and convenience over hand washes and their success in preventing a variety of diseases attract a sizable consumer base and boost hand sanitizer sales.



Asia-Pacific to Witness Fastest Growth in the Market



Asia-Pacific is witnessing significant growth in the market owing to the increased awareness training and campaigns spread by government organizations in schools and hospitals. For instance, hospitals such as Matilda International Hospital (MIH), Shiraz Nemazee Hospital, Tokyo Medical University Hospital, and Nakornping hospital, to name a few, have been participating in the promotion of hand hygiene through educational programs to ensure compliance on the part of healthcare providers.

Also, in India, Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), in collaboration with Swachh Bharat Abhiyan Campaign, encouraged every citizen to wash their hands regularly before eating, cooking, and after using the toilet. Therefore, companies are launching innovative natural products. For instance, in March 2021, The AVA Groups flagship brand, Medimix, announced the release of a new line of hand sanitizer gel that is 100% natural and contains natural components like aloe vera and Tulsi, in addition to having antibacterial characteristics.

The Asia-Pacific region has been identified as a hotspot for emerging infectious diseases, including the Nipah virus, novel cholera, and dengue fever. Biodiversity loss is considered to be a significant factor contributing to the emergence and spread of these diseases.

Biodiversity loss can lead to the fragmentation and degradation of natural habitats, which forces wildlife to come into closer contact with people and their domestic animals. This increased proximity can facilitate the transmission of zoonotic diseases from animals to humans. Additionally, biodiversity loss can alter ecosystems, creating conditions that favor the proliferation of disease vectors like mosquitoes, which can spread diseases like dengue fever.

Therefore, addressing biodiversity loss and protecting natural ecosystems is crucial to reducing the risk of emerging infectious diseases. Conservation efforts can help to maintain healthy ecosystems and reduce the frequency and severity of zoonotic disease outbreaks. Improved public health measures, such as disease surveillance and control, can also help to prevent and mitigate the impact of emerging infectious diseases.

Thus, people have become more aware due to the rising occurrences and concerns about the spread of various diseases. This has resulted in implementing preventive measures like hand sanitizing, hand washing, and using various hand care products. Furthermore, due to the rising health consciousness among the people and the outbreak of numerous diseases, China is one of the largest hand sanitizer markets in Asia. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has advised using hand sanitizer to prevent getting sick. All the above-mentioned factors drive the hand care market in this region.



Hand Care Industry Overview



The global hand care market is fragmented due to large regional and domestic players in different countries. Emphasis is given to the companies mergers, expansion, acquisitions, and partnerships to boost their brand presence among consumers. The key players are expanding their product lines in response to the customer shift towards hand care products produced with natural ingredients. Manufacturers are concentrating on introducing newer beneficial substances into disinfection solutions, such as aloe vera and tulsi, on providing protective hygiene solutions. Companies are also concentrating on investing in several types of skin washes, such as foam, gel, liquid, and sprays.



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New York, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Food Packaging Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2023 - 2028)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484055/?utm_source=GNW

The Food Packaging Market size is expected to grow from USD 352.38 billion in 2023 to USD 432.04 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 4.16% during the forecast period (2023-2028).



With growing urbanization, the rising demand for eco-friendly packaging of products and safety concerns among users have become significant factors, which are expected to make the food packaging market grow lucratively during the forecast period.



Key Highlights

Peoples changing lifestyles and food preferences, as well as the growing population in developing countries, would drive the markets growth during the forecast period.

The food packaging market is also being driven by peoples growing preference for processed foods because of the growing number of people who are working, their rising disposable incomes, and their busy lives, as well as the movement of people from rural to urban areas.

New packaging technologies, such as active packaging, intelligent packaging, and new packaging designs, have evolved over the years. Companies are making packaging that is better for the environment by using biodegradable materials that can be recycled, renewed, and used again.

But the market is expected to remain highly regulated, with agencies like the FDA and the European Commission putting in place strict rules about the types of food packaging and the materials that come into contact with food.

The COVID-19 pandemic emerged as a significant global event with far-reaching consequences. This crisis suddenly and dramatically altered numerous aspects of everyday lives and behaviors. The pandemic impacted the food packaging industry globally. Food packaging protects food by preserving all of its essential properties while maintaining its physical and biological appearance. Further, the Russia-Ukraine war had an impact on the overall packaging ecosystem.



Food Packaging Market Trends



Increasing Demand for Shelf-Life Extension of Foods Accelerating the Food Packaging Market



One of the key pillars of both domestic and international competition in the food sector is shelf life. When food products have a longer shelf life, businesses that make food and sell it on the market can make more money and work more efficiently.

The food and beverage segment is one of the major contributors to the overall packaging market. In order to offer efficient packaging solutions coupled with reduced costs for manufacturing packaging materials, food product manufacturers are spending a huge amount on research and development of advanced packaging techniques such as nanotechnology.

After packaging, it takes time for packaged food to reach consumers across various parts of the world. The packaged food may not be fresh and might lose its aroma and taste before reaching the consumer. The threat of food spoilage before it reaches the consumer is causing food packaging companies to seek out higher-quality and more innovative packaging solutions, as spoiled food would result in a loss of capital invested in the packaging.

To overcome this, food processing industries are investing in technologies and various new packaging techniques, such as intelligent packaging and engineering science, which help increase the shelf life of the product. Organizations are focusing on consumer satisfaction, apart from revenues, as it impacts the brands image and value in the market.

Increasing health consciousness and awareness regarding consuming fresh food are influencing consumers to opt for packaged products with a longer shelf life. Therefore, rising demand for better shelf-life products across countries such as the United States is driving market growth.



Asia-Pacific to be the Fastest Growing Market



Asia-Pacific has experienced positive growth in the food packaging market and is estimated to witness significant growth over the forecast period. People in the region are living better because their disposable income has grown a lot.

The market is expanding due to the rising exports of fruits and vegetables to the Asia-Pacific region. Due to the extensive urbanization occurring in the Asia-Pacific nations, there is an increasing demand for inventive and practical fruit and vegetable powders and pieces. Such novel ingredients can easily be added to goods produced by food processing firms while preserving the original flavor and assisting in cooking the finished goods. Moreover, in a country such as India, the growing demand for online food ordering is increasing, which is pushing the usage of packaged food boxes in the food packaging market.

The demand for packaged food is increasing as consumers in Asia become increasingly interested in healthy meals and beverages. People desire higher-quality food, whether low-cost, mass-market, or premium, to help them live healthier and more fulfilled lives. Top health items, ranging from dried fruit and nuts to snacks and ready-to-eat packaged meals, are reduced in salt, fat, and sugar and have greater overall nutritional value. For many, this goes hand-in-hand with efforts to combat obesity, heart disease, and other disorders that have accompanied economic progress, increased income, and urbanization.

Consumers all around the region are updating their lifestyles by looking for more variety, novelty, and high-quality food options. Customers in wealthier markets place a more significant emphasis on health and quality. Still, consumers in middle- and lower-income areas are shifting away from price-based purchase decisions, with many willing to try new brands and products. This has created market growth opportunities for the packaging industry.

This creates a compelling opportunity for both large and small packaging businesses to provide solutions that fit with current packaging end-user industries, which are often urban and convenience-oriented. While environmentally and socially responsible companies and goods are still making inroads in many Asian markets, they will be well-positioned to meet consumer needs in the long run.



Food Packaging Industry Overview



The food packaging market is fragmented. Companies are offering extensive product customization in an attempt to increase their share and augment their revenue. They are striving to replace existing materials with biodegradable ones in order to meet changing government standards. Due to the presence of several players, the market has strong competition. Some of the major players in the market are Amcor Plc., Smurfit Kappa Group plc., Mondi Limited, Sonoco Products, Berry Global Group, Ball Corporation, Tetra Pak, Schur Flexibles Group, Anchor Packaging Inc., Crown Holdings Inc., International Papers, WestRock, and Sealed Air Corp., among others.



In June 2022, with the intention of making the packaging 100% recyclable in the paper stream, Walki introduced new recyclable packaging materials for frozen food products. The new materials are anticipated to fulfill the needs of the frozen food industry. The two new products from Walki, Walki EVO Seal and Walki Opti Seal, are paper-based recyclable packaging made for pillow pouches of frozen food.



In April 2022, at Anuga FoodTec in Cologne, Germany, Mondi introduced fresh packaging options for the food sector. Products made of two trays provide fresh food producers with recyclable options and can lower food waste. High-barrier food protection will be provided by PerFORMing Monoloop and Mono-Formable PP, illustrating the crucial role that packaging plays throughout the supply chain.



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New York, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "IoT Professional Services Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2023 - 2028)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484051/?utm_source=GNW

The IoT Professional Service Market size is expected to grow from USD 151.58 billion in 2023 to USD 282.25 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 13.24% during the forecast period (2023-2028).



Key Highlights

Smart city initiatives are expected to spearhead IoT growth over the coming years. IoT devices and systems are expected to increase as part of transportation, utilities, and infrastructure. Government initiatives are expected to boost the adoption rates of IoT devices, leading to more organizations relying on professional services for deployment and further management.

For instance, the European Unions directive required all EU member states to roll out smart electricity meters to 80% of consumers by 2020. Due to such developments, countries are increasingly adopting smart metering solutions. For instance, according to the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, at the end of Q3 2021, 26.4 million smart and advanced meters were operating in homes and small businesses across Great Britain, with 21.6 million of all meters operating in smart mode. This factor indicates the increasing dependency on deployment services for IoT devices.

Global connectivity initiatives by various governments are pushing the adoption rates of IoT. For instance, Horizon 2020, one of the most significant EU research and innovation programs, with EUR 80 billion in funding between 2014 and 2020, significantly impacted technological developments in Europe. As part of the project launch of e-sim, developing interoperability with technologies such as Sigfox, LoRa, NB-IoT, and LTE-M was undertaken. Government initiatives positively influence the IoT market, creating an ancillary demand for professional services.

With the advent of 5G, the global number of IoT in consumer and industrial space is expected to increase significantly, creating new avenues of growth for IoT professional services. According to Ericsson, in 2020, the 5G device volumes are expected to reach 160 million. By 2025, the 5G subscription base will reach 2.6 billion and cover up to 65% of the population, generating 45% of global mobile data traffic.

Adding several devices, like IoT, increases the surface area of a network, thereby creating more potential attack vectors in the process. Even a single unsecured device connected to a network may serve as a point of entry for an active attack on the web. Data security concern has, thus, presented themselves as a significant challenge as players navigate to strengthen their security offering to gain customer confidence and prevent breaches.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, the global supply chain and demand for electronics were disrupted. Thus, the IoT markets hardware adoption was severely influenced by 2020, directly impacting the demand for deployment services connected to the installation of IoT devices. Due to the production shutdown in countries like China, the electronics industry observed a shortage of electronics supply during February and March of 2020.



IoT Professional Services Market Trends



The Proliferation of Connected Devices across the World to Drive the Market Growth



The proliferation of connected devices generates massive amounts of data. IoT professional services providers help organizations manage data, including data collection, storage, processing, and analysis. They assist in developing data analytics strategies and implementing tools and technologies to derive actionable insights from IoT-generated data. Organizations can make informed decisions, optimize processes, and drive innovation by leveraging advanced analytics.

The growing trend of adopting connected devices in the industrial sectors positively influences the market studied. According to Ericsson, the number of massive IoT connections is expected to have doubled, reaching nearly 200 million contacts. According to the same source, by the end of 2027, 40% of cellular IoT connections will be broadband IoT, with 4G connecting the majority. However, with the introduction of 5G New Radio (NR) in the old and new spectrum, this segments throughput data rates are expected to increase substantially.

Emerging applications, business models, and falling device costs have been instrumental in driving IoT adoption, consequently increasing the number of connected devices and endpoints globally. The massive IoT technologies NB-IoT and Cat-M1 continue to be rolled out globally. The massive IoT technologies are anticipated to comprise 51% of all cellular IoT connections overtaking broadband IoT cellular connections.

The proliferation of connected devices is not limited to a specific industry but spans various sectors, including manufacturing, healthcare, transportation, energy, and agriculture. Each industry has unique requirements and uses cases for IoT. IoT professional services providers with industry-specific expertise can offer tailored solutions to address each sectors specific challenges and opportunities. They understand the intricacies of industry-specific IoT implementations and can provide specialized guidance and support. For instance, as per GSMA Mobility Report 2022, the total number of IoT connections in 2021 was recorded at around 15.1 billion, and these connections are anticipated to reach 23.3 billion by 2025. Such significant growth rates would considerably necessitate IoT professional services across various industries, thereby driving the market growth.

Moreover, in the industrial sector, the adoption has penetrated across industries. For instance, according to Aruba Networks, IoT devices have become increasingly pervasive, with 85% of businesses expected to have implemented the technology.

Overall, the proliferation of connected devices fuels the demand for IoT professional services by introducing complexity, integration challenges, scalability needs, security concerns, and data management requirements. IoT professional services providers play a critical role in helping organizations navigate these complexities and maximize the value of their IoT investments.



North America is Expected to Hold the Largest Market Share



The North America region is expected to hold significant market shares owing to the presence of prominent players in the telecom industry, such as AT&T, IBM, and General Electric, which continuously invest in building up and advancing their infrastructure to keep pace with technological advancements. This is expected to boost the adoption of IoT professional services over the forecast period.

Fast and secure 5G connectivity is expected to accelerate the adoption of IoT devices, allowing agile operations and flexible production. This technology will facilitate automated assembly, warehouses, connected logistics, packing, product handling, and autonomous carts. Moreover, North Americas awareness of IoT and digital solutions in industries is significantly higher. According to a recent study by Mendix, 78% of US manufacturing workers welcome digitalization. In addition, eight in 10 manufacturing workers are interested in learning new digital skills.

Additionally, with smart grids planning to take over the entire energy industry in the country, IoT utilities are expected to gain traction over the forecast period. For instance, Landis+Gyr, which specializes in smart meter deployments, and Ciscos Catalyst routers for IoT are helping companies manage their grids and collect and make sense of large volumes of data. The latest 5G industrial routers will give utilities an offering to support the next 15-20 years of an endpoints life.

The popularity of IoT devices, combined with tax incentives and home insurance discounts, has encouraged consumers and utility companies to make their services intelligent and suitable for the new age of home builders and owners and remain competitive in such an evolving market. According to the Institute for Electric Efficiency, by the end of 2022, around 124 million smart meters were recorded to be installed in the United States, an increase of 117 million units compared to 2007. With the increasing installation of smart meters, the tendency for IoT services adoption might increase significantly during the forecast period.

Nearly all (96%) Canadian organizations value IoT and new technologies, according to a CDW Canada survey, yet more than one-third (37%) are not implementing them. Artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and business process transformation tools like ServiceNow were the top three most heavily invested new technologies (60 percent, 59 percent, and 58 percent, respectively). With the growing digitalization and usage of connected devices in business and industry, IoT applications and sales are anticipated to increase in the region. As the company moves toward digitalization and IoT-based products, professional services such as deployment and consulting will increase.



IoT Professional Services Industry Overview



The competitive rivalry in the IoT professional services market remains high due to the presence of various global and local players. A few of the prominent players include IBM Corporation, General Electric Company, AT&T Inc., and GE. Through strategic partnerships, mergers, and acquisitions, the players in the market are actively gaining a more substantial footprint.



In April 2023, Ericsson, a Swedish telecom equipment manufacturer, finished transferring its IoT Accelerator (IoT-A) and Connected Vehicle Cloud (CVC) operations to Aeris, a prominent IoT solution provider. The firms believe that the combined capabilities allow for the global deployment and management of IoT programs at a new level of scale, reliability, and security.



In January 2023, Mobica, a provider of IoT software engineering services with its headquarters in Manchester, United Kingdom, agreed to be acquired by Cognizant, a prominent American IT services firm. Mobicas services include the whole software development life cycle, focusing on clients strategic internal research and development initiatives and core expertise in embedded software development, implementation, testing, and deployment. This acquisition considerably broadens Cognizants IoT-embedded software engineering capabilities and offers clients a broader range of end-to-end support to facilitate digital transformation.



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New York, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Construction Robots Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2023 - 2028)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484047/?utm_source=GNW

The Construction Robots Market size is expected to grow from USD 331.70 million in 2023 to USD 681.80 million by 2028, at a CAGR of 15.50% during the forecast period (2023-2028).



The growing urbanization, industrialization penetration, and advanced construction & demolition operation factors are driving market revenue growth.



Key Highlights

The increasing focus of construction organizations on reducing building materials resources and material waste during construction will drive the adoption of the construction robot market. Further, Autodesk identifies that while it is difficult to get exact figures of the waste produced on a typical construction site, several construction organizations have thought that nearly 30% of the total weight of building materials transported to a building site gets wasted.

Further, reducing the construction time of the projects is aiding the growth of construction robots. Printstones, an Austria-based manufacturer of mobile 3D printing robots for construction, has launched its latest manufacturing robot. A modular design indicates the Baubot, which easily allows third-party customer modifications. Described as a multi-functional construction robot, the rover-Esque device goes beyond concrete 3D printing. It qualifies for many flexible manufacturing processes such as material transportation, welding, milling, screwdriver, cutting, painting, and even bricklaying.

Further, in May 2022, Dusty Robotics raised USD 45 million to announce the Industrys First Hardware, Software, and Services Solution to Destroy Construction Errors Through Advanced Robotics. FieldPrinter automates digital floor techniques on construction sites by printing them full-size on the floor through a mixture of hardware, software, and services.

With the growing need for new infrastructure, automated construction solutions are expected to gain momentum over the coming years and impact the market positively. According to Redshift, the industry must build 13,000 buildings daily from now to 2050 to support an expected population of seven billion living in urban areas.

Furthermore, high costs associated with acquiring and maintaining the technologies are one of the challenges in implementing construction robotics. The purchase, along with the implementation of the technologies, is costly. Therefore, only firms with a good turnover and market competition can afford these technologies. In addition to this, automation technologies need to be updated and maintained, and most of them are expensive to do it. The maintenance cost for the new robotics equipment is higher because of the exceptional technicians needs.

The past outbreak of COVID-19 adversely affected the construction industry, with construction work coming to a standstill in the initial months of the lockdown. However, the product demand witnessed an increased interest in adoption from the industry owing to the safety benefits offered by the technology.



Construction Robots Market Trends



Commercial and Residential Buildings to be the Largest Application for Construction Robots



With the growing need for new commercial and residential infrastructure, automated construction solutions are expected to gain momentum over the coming years and impact the market positively. According to Redshift, the industry must build 13,000 buildings daily from now to 2050 to support an expected population of seven billion in urban areas.

Urbanization is rising at an exponential rate. According to World Bank data, about 55% of the worlds population, or 4.2 billion people, live in cities, and the trend is expected to continue over the coming years. By 2050, the urban population worldwide is expected to double, with nearly seven out of 10 people living in cities. This is expected to bring about technological changes such as automation and artificial intelligence and rapidly deploy various technologies, including robotics, to address multiple urban challenges.

According to the World Population Data Sheet 2021, published by the Population Reference Bureau, North America was the most urbanized continent worldwide, with 82% of the population living in cities. In Latin America and the Caribbean, the degree of urbanization stood at 79%. It is projected that the share of people living in urban areas globally will increase from 56% in 2020 to 70% in 2050. ?

The need and scale of urbanization are bringing challenges that include meeting accelerated demand for affordable housing, well-connected transport systems, and other basic infrastructure for living. According to the World Bank, nearly one billion urban poor who live in informal settlements are near opportunities that result in conflicts, which is leading to 60% of them being forcibly displaced in urban areas.

Major economies worldwide are considering building more housing solutions to control the price of homes in urban areas so that lower-income citizens can afford them. Urban planning departments across major economies in North America and Europe are looking to build more housing for the market, which will somewhat moderate some prices. This is where 3D printing solutions that consume significantly less time to build and are sustainable are expected to gain traction in demand over the coming years. The demand for infrastructure and housing solutions in growing economies, mainly situated in the Asia-Pacific region, is expected to accelerate their investment in construction technologies.

The growing construction of residential places like homes and apartments is expected to propel the demand for construction robots over the forecast period.



Asia-Pacific to Dominate the Market



Asia-Pacific is one of the significant regions for the construction robotics market, with the three major countries being India, China, and Japan. The increasing development of 3D-printed houses in the region is expected to boost market growth.

Additionally, various international companies are looking to expand their regional offerings due to the high demand for 3D printing. For instance, in June 2022, COBOD International, a Danish developer of 3D construction printing technology, signed a new distribution agreement with Fortex, an Australian company, as part of the companys strategy to bring cutting-edge concrete 3D printing technology to Australia and strengthen 3D construction printing in the Asia-Pacific region.

Asia was already fully embracing robotics and industrial automation before the pandemic. In a post-COVID world, the adoption of these technologies and industries that integrate them, like manufacturing, logistics, and construction, will continue to rise.

The increasing urbanization is further expected to create demand for market growth. As per the National Bureau of Statistics of China, in 2022, approximately 65.2% of the population in China lived in cities. The urbanization rate has increased significantly in the country over the last few decades.

The prospect of the construction industry is optimistic, with a strong demand for manpower. Nevertheless, in the face of a continuous and huge amount of construction work, the industry needs to improve construction efficiency and ensure worker and site safety, thereby enhancing overall productivity and cost-effectiveness. Such trends are expected to create positive growth for the market studied over the forecast period.



Construction Robots Industry Overview



The construction robots market is fragmented with the presence of major players like Brokk AB (Lifco Public AB), Husqvarna AB, Construction Robotics LLC, FBR Ltd., and Advanced Construction Robotics Inc. Players in the market are adopting strategies such as partnerships, innovations, and acquisitions to enhance their product offerings and gain a sustainable competitive advantage.



In December 2022, Ekso Bionics, an industry leader in exoskeleton technology for medical and industrial use, announced the acquisition of the Human Motion and Control ("HMC") Business Unit from Parker Hannifin Corporation ("Parker"), a global leader in motion and control technologies. The acquisition included the Indegolower limb exoskeleton line of products as well as the planned development of robotic-assisted orthotic and prosthetic devices.



In October 2022, Brokk, the worlds leading manufacturer of remote-controlled demolition robots, announced the addition of the BROKK SURFACE GRINDER 530 (BSG 530) attachment for material removal, such as paint and asbestos, surface preparation, and polishing on walls, floors, and ceilings in renovation and restoration applications.



In August 2022, Husqvarna Construction entered into a strategic partnership with AABTools, the regions leading industrial tools and equipment supplier. Husqvarna Constructions organic products were to be distributed by AABTools, including heavy-duty and high-frequency concrete coring machines, wall saws designed for brick and reinforced concrete, remote-controlled demolition robots, and twenty-plus models of handheld power cutters, dust extractors, and floor saws.



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New York, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Pathology Devices Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2023 - 2028)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484044/?utm_source=GNW

The Pathology Devices Market size is expected to grow from USD 5.82 billion in 2023 to USD 7.84 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 6.12% during the forecast period (2023-2028).



Key Highlights

The COVID-19 pandemic had a huge impact on healthcare systems around the world and caused many healthcare facilities to stop providing routine care and pathological testing, putting patients with chronic conditions, including cancer and cardiovascular disorders, at severe risk. For instance, according to an article published in International Medical Journal in January 2022, it was observed that the ratio of the number of pathology tests pre-lockdown and post-lockdown versus baseline period decreased from 1.02 to 0.53, respectively.

However, the increased coronavirus cases among the population have increased the demand for pathological tests. For instance, as per an article published in Frontiers in Pathology in March 2022, it was found that the number of molecular microbiology tests was more than three times higher during the lockdown period. This has increased the companys focus on developing innovative pathological test kits and devices. Thus, the studied market is expected to grow and regain its full potential in the coming years.

The increasing prevalence and burden of Alzheimers disease, autoimmune diseases, cancer, and others around the world are driving the need for effective and advanced diagnostic tests, hence propelling the market growth. For instance, according to the 2022 statistics published by Alzheimers Association, an estimated 6.5 million Americans age 65 and older were living with Alzheimers dementia in 2022, and this number is projected to reach 13 million by 2050. Thus, the expected increase in the number of people suffering from Alzheimers disease is anticipated to fuel the demand for pathology devices that helps physicians in early identifying the disease-causing dementia symptoms, thereby propelling the market growth.

Additionally, as per the 2023 statistics published by ACS, about 24,810 malignant tumors of the brain or spinal cord (14,280 in males and 10,530 in females) are expected to be diagnosed in the United States in 2023. Thus, the high burden of brain or spinal cord tumors is anticipated to fuel the demand for radionuclide bone scintigraphy (bone scan) for detecting spinal pathologies, hence bolstering the market growth. Moreover, the rising company focus on developing technologically advanced pathological kits and devices is also contributing to the market growth. For instance, in April 2022, Sysmex Europe launched a new three-part differential system, XQ-320 XQ-Series Automated Hematology Analyzer, a robust device that brings excellence in quality to a diverse range of clinical laboratory environments with reliable technology and a new level of usability.

Therefore, owing to the factors such as the high burden of chronic and infectious diseases and new product launches, the studied market is expected to grow over the forecast period. However, the high cost of devices and stringent regulations, as well as the lack of skilled professionals, are likely to impede the growth of pathological devices over the forecast period.



Pathology Devices Market Trends



Molecular Diagnostics Segment is Expected to Hold Significant Market Share Over the Forecast Period



Molecular diagnostic devices are used to analyze biological markers in the genome and proteome to detect pathogens or mutations. Based on the technology, molecular diagnostic devices can be segmented into chips and microarrays, mass spectroscopy, next-generation sequencing (NGS), polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods, cytogenetics, and molecular imaging. Factors such as large outbreaks of bacterial and viral epidemics, increasing demand for point-of-care diagnostics, and rapidly evolving technology are driving the growth of the molecular diagnostics segment.

The growing burden of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, brain tumors, and others is the key factor driving the segments growth. For instance, according to the statistics published by the British Heart Foundation, in January 2022, more than 7.6 million people were living with cardiovascular diseases in the United Kingdom in 2021.

Also, as per 2022 statistics published by the National Brain Tumor Society, approximately 88,970 people were diagnosed with a primary brain tumor in the United States in 2022. Thus, the high prevalence of heart diseases and brain tumors among the population is anticipated to propel the demand for molecular diagnosis, which improves diagnosis accuracy, allows for predictive prognosis, and enables target identification. This is expected to fuel the segment growth over the forecast period.

Furthermore, the increasing company focus on developing technologically advanced products in molecular diagnostics and rising new product launches contributes to market growth. For instance, in March 2022, Mylab Discovery Solutions launched an entire range of routine diagnostic kits and devices, for immunology, biochemistry, and hematology, in conventional and point-of-care formats. This product line expansion assists the labs in using the companys devices and reagent kits to do all routine tests such as liver panels, cardiac profiles, urine panels, hormone panels, fever panels, kidney function tests, cancer markers, and other tests.

Therefore, owing to the factors such as the high burden of heart diseases and brain tumors, growing demand for precision medicine as well as rising product launches, 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



North America is expected to hold a significant market share in the pathology devices market, owing to the rising prevalence of infectious and chronic diseases, better healthcare infrastructure, and the technological advancements of pathological devices.

The increasing number of chronic and infectious diseases in the region increases the demand for early detection and diagnosis of the condition, which in turn is anticipated to fuel the demand for pathological testing, thereby boosting the market growth. For instance, according to 2023 statistics published by ACS, about 1,958,310 new cancer cases are projected to be diagnosed in the United States in 2023.

In addition, from the same source, 1,63,020 new cases of colorectal cancer, followed by 2,38,340 cases of lung and bronchus, 297,790 breast cancer, and 288,300 prostate cancer, are expected to be diagnosed in the United States in 2023. Also, as per 2022 data published by CDC, about 12.1 million people in the United States are expected to have atrial fibrillation in 2030. Thus, the rising burden of breast cancer and heart disease cases among the population is anticipated to increase the demand for diagnostic tests for the early detection of cancer, thereby propelling market growth.

Furthermore, the increasing number of new product launches in the region increases the availability of products and test kits, which is also expected to boost market growth over the forecast period. For instance, in June 2021, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. launched TaqPath, a new CE-IVD-marked fast PCR combo kit 2.0, to detect active SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Also, in March 2021, MatMaCorp launched a new handheld device, MY Real-Time Analyzer (MYRTA), which can carry out polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and real-time fluorescent detection. Therefore, due to the aforementioned factors, such as the high burden of cancer and heart disease among the population, increasing company activities, and the growing number of pathological labs in the region, the studied market is expected to grow over the forecast period.



Pathology Devices Industry Overview



The pathology devices market is fragmented as numerous global and local companies are present in the market. The companies are focusing on adopting various business strategies, such as product launches, agreements, and collaborations, to withhold their market position. Some of the key players in the market are Abbott Laboratories, Becton, Dickinson and Company, Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Danaher Corporation, and Bio-Rad Laboratories, among others.



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Vancouver, British Columbia, 14 August 2023 - Newlox Gold Ventures Corp. ("Newlox" or the "Company") (CSE: LUX | Frankfurt/Stuttgart: NGO | PINK: NWLXF), is providing an update on the status of a management cease trade order (the "MCTO") that was granted by the British Columbia Securities Commission on 1 August 2023. The Company is providing this bi-weekly status update in accordance with National Policy 12-203 Management Cease Trade Orders ("NP 12-203").

The Company's audited annual financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2023, including the related management discussion and analysis, and Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial certifications (collectively, the "Annual Financial Filings") were not filed before the Filing Deadline of July 31, 2023 (the "Filing Deadline"). Pursuant to National Policy 12-203 Management Cease Trade Orders ("NP 12-203") the Company has voluntarily applied to the applicable securities regulatory authorities and received a management cease trade order related to the Company's securities to be imposed against the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Company to trade securities of the Company (the "MCTO"). The MCTO will be in effect until the Annual Financial Filings are filed. All other securityholders will still be able to trade in the securities of the Company in accordance with applicable securities laws.

The Company confirms that, except as provided herein, there are no changes from its news release dated 1 August 2023. The Company reports that the audit is progressing and the Company expects to file the Annual Financial Filings by 25 August 2023.

Until the Annual Financial Filings are filed and the MCTO has been revoked, the Company intends to continue to satisfy the provisions of the alternative information guidelines specified in NP 12-203 by issuing default status reports in the form of further press releases every two weeks. The Company confirms that there is no other material information relating to its affairs that has not been generally disclosed.

On Behalf of the Board, Newlox Gold Ventures Corp.

Contact Newlox Gold

Ryan Jackson

Newlox Gold Ventures Corp., President

Website: www.newloxgold.com

Email: info@newloxgold.com

Phone: + 1 604 256 0493

Copyright (c) 2023 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, SOUTH AFRICA OR JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE IT IS UNLAWFUL TO DISTRIBUTE THIS ANNOUNCEMENT

Kenmare Resources plc

("Kenmare" or "the Company")

15 August 2023

Proposed Tender Offer to purchase up to 5.9% of the Company's issued ordinary shares

Publication of Circular and Notice of EGM

Kenmare Resources plc (LSE:KMR, ISE:KMR), one of the leading global producers of titanium minerals and zircon, which operates the Moma Titanium Minerals Mine (the "Mine" or "Moma") in northern Mozambique, today announces the launch of a proposed tender offer (the "Tender Offer") to purchase up to 5.9% of the Company's issued ordinary shares ("Ordinary Shares").

The Tender Offer executes on the Company's stated intention to occasionally supplement shareholder returns by buying back shares when sufficient capital is available supported by the operational performance and strong financial position of Kenmare and its subsidiaries (the "Group") and wider commodity market conditions.

Highlights

The Company proposes to return up to 23.6 million (approximately $30 million) to Eligible Shareholders by way of a Tender Offer at 4.22 per Ordinary Share (being the closing price of an Ordinary Share as derived from the London Stock Exchange Daily Official List on 14 August 2023).

The Tender Offer is for up to 5.9% of the Company's issued share capital. Under the Tender Offer, each Shareholder is entitled to have up to 5.9% of its shareholding purchased by the Company at the Tender Price.

The Tender Offer is to be funded from the Company's existing and available cash resources and remains open until 1.00 p.m. on 8 September 2023.

Eligible Shareholders will be able to decide whether to tender none, some or all of their Ordinary Shares within the overall limits of the Tender Offer.

The Tender Offer will provide Eligible Shareholders with an opportunity to sell part or all of their Ordinary Shares and to receive their respective share of the cash which the Company is seeking to return.

Directors who are beneficially interested in Ordinary Shares have indicated that they will not tender Ordinary Shares pursuant to the Tender Offer.

The Tender Offer will provide Eligible Shareholders holding 1,000 Ordinary Shares or fewer in certificated form an opportunity to sell their entire shareholding in the Company without the dealing costs or commissions that might otherwise make such sale uneconomic (subject to there being capacity to purchase those Ordinary Shares in accordance with the terms of the Tender Offer; if there is insufficient capacity to purchase all of such Ordinary Shares, as many tenders as possible from such Eligible Shareholders will be accepted in full).





Background to and reasons for the Tender Offer

The Board continually reviews the Company's capital allocation to maximise long-term returns to Shareholders. The Board seeks to return value to Shareholders through a combination of capital appreciation, share buybacks and dividend payments.

Kenmare began paying dividends in 2019 and in each of the last three years the Company has paid dividends representing 25% of profit after tax. Since 2019, the Company has returned $103.6 million in total to shareholders by way of dividends and previously completed a share buyback of 61.8 million (approximately $82.7 million) in December 2021.

In March 2023, Kenmare reported record revenues of $526.0 million and record EBITDA of $298.0 million for the year to 31 December 2022 as well as moving into a net cash position of $27.5 million at 31 December 2022. In its financial results for the six-month period ended 30 June 2023, the Group reported profit after tax of $67.8 million in H1 2023 (H1 2022: $62.5 million) and cash and cash equivalents of $108.8 million as at 30 June 2023.

In April of this year the Company announced that, based on its current and anticipated financial performance and strong balance sheet position, it intended to evolve its dividend policy towards a payout range of 20% to 40% of underlying profit after tax, and that additional special dividends and share buybacks would be considered, subject to market conditions, balance sheet position and capital requirements. In July, the Company announced that it was considering a share buyback of approximately $30 million, subject to trading conditions, business performance and Board and other necessary approvals.

The Tender Offer launched by the Company today executes on the Company's stated intention to occasionally supplement shareholder returns by buying back shares when sufficient capital is available supported by the operational performance and strong financial position of the Group and wider commodity market conditions. Whilst the Board continues to explore further growth opportunities, it currently considers that, following strong cash generation which is expected to continue through 2023 and beyond, the Company has a level of cash on its balance sheet that is surplus to its short-term requirements.

Having regard to the Group's ongoing earnings, cash flow generation and funding of the potential future capital expenditures of the business, the Board (with the exception of Mr. Issa Al Balushi, who, as the representative on the Board of the Company's largest shareholder, the Oman Investment Authority (through its investment vehicle African Acquisition S.a r.l.) absented himself from deliberations relating to the proposed Tender Offer) unanimously determined that a return of capital is in the best interests of the Company and its Shareholders as a whole. The Tender Offer provides Shareholders with both choice (that is, the discretion to participate) and ability to realise value without incurring fees. The Board believes that a return of capital in the amount proposed represents an effective use of shareholder funds and that the continued strength of the Group's balance sheet, and its cashflow generation after the return of those funds, will be sufficient to pursue the Group's strategic objectives.

EGM

The Tender Offer is subject to shareholder approval. A circular (the "Circular") containing a notice of an extraordinary general meeting to be held at the Company's offices at 4th Floor, Styne House, Hatch Street Upper, Dublin, D02 DY27, Ireland at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, 8 September 2023 (the "EGM") and details of the resolution (the "Resolution") to be proposed at the EGM will be posted today on the Investors section of the Company's website and will be mailed to Eligible Shareholders. This Circular has been submitted to the UK Financial Conduct Authority via the National Storage Mechanism (the "NSM") and will be available for inspection on the NSM's website at www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/nsm. This Circular has also been submitted to Euronext Dublin ("Euronext") and will be available for inspection on Euronext's website at https://direct.euronext.com/#/oamfiling.

The Tender Offer

The Tender Offer is to be effected by Peel Hunt LLP ("Peel Hunt") (acting as principal and not as agent, nominee or trustee) purchasing Ordinary Shares from Eligible Shareholders at the Tender Price by means of on-market purchases. Peel Hunt, in turn, has the right to require the Company to purchase from it, and can be required by the Company to sell to it, such Ordinary Shares at the Tender Price under a Repurchase Agreement by way of an on-market transaction. All of these transactions will be carried out on the London Stock Exchange's Main Market. All of the Shares purchased by the Company pursuant to the Repurchase Agreement will be cancelled and will not rank for any future dividends including, without limitation, the interim dividend declared by the Company on 15 August 2023 and payable on 13 October 2023.

Each Eligible Shareholder will be entitled to sell up to 5.9% of the Ordinary Shares registered in its name on the Record Date under the Tender Offer, rounded down to the nearest whole number of Ordinary Shares (that being an Eligible Shareholder's "Basic Entitlement"). Any resulting fractional entitlements of Eligible Shareholders will be aggregated and used to satisfy tenders in excess of Eligible Shareholders' Basic Entitlements. Ordinary Shares validly tendered by Eligible Shareholders up to their respective Basic Entitlement will be accepted and repurchased in full. Tendering Shareholders may also be able to participate in the Tender Offer in excess of their Basic Entitlement to the extent that other Eligible Shareholders tender less than their respective Basic Entitlement, resulting in Ordinary Shares in excess of the tendering Shareholders' Basic Entitlement becoming available for sale (known as "Excess Tender Offer Shares"). Any Excess Tender Offer Shares will be purchased from tendering Shareholders pro rata to the amount in excess of each eligible shareholder's Basic Entitlement so tendered (save that tenders from Eligible Shareholders who hold no more than 1,000 Ordinary Shares in certificated form will be accepted in full subject to there being capacity to purchase those Ordinary Shares in accordance with the terms of the Tender Offer; if there is insufficient capacity to purchase all of such Ordinary Shares, as many tenders as possible from such Eligible Shareholders will be accepted in full).

The formal terms and conditions of the Tender Offer are set out in the Circular and the Tender Form. The results of the Tender Offer will be announced on 11 September 2023 and published on the Company's website (www.kenmareresources.com).

Directors' intentions

The Board considers the Tender Offer and the Resolution to be in the best interests of Shareholders as a whole. Accordingly, the Board recommends that Shareholders vote in favour of the Resolution to be proposed at the EGM, as the Directors intend to do for their respective individual beneficial holdings of, in aggregate, 550,129 Ordinary Shares, representing approximately 0.58% of the issued Ordinary Share capital as at the Latest Practicable Date.

The Directors are making no recommendation in relation to participation in the Tender Offer itself. Whether or not Shareholders, Euroclear Participants or CDI Holders decide to tender their interests in Ordinary Shares will depend, amongst other things, on their own individual circumstances, including their own tax position. Shareholders, Euroclear Participants and CDI Holders are recommended to consult their duly authorised independent advisers in making their own decisions. Each of the Directors who holds Ordinary Shares has confirmed to the Board that he or she will not participate in the Tender Offer.

Peel Hunt is acting as broker to the Company in connection with the Tender Offer and the matters described in the Circular.

Expected timetable

2023 Tender Offer opens 15 August Latest time and date for receipt of Forms of Proxy for the EGM 11.00 a.m. on 6 September Extraordinary General Meeting 11.00 a.m. on 8 September Latest time and date for Admitted Institutions to communicate tender instructions to Euroclear Bank 12.00 noon on 8 September Latest time and date for receipt of Tender Forms from Eligible Shareholders and tender instructions from Euroclear Bank 1.00 p.m. on 8 September Closing Date for the Tender Offer 1.00 p.m. on 8 September Record Date for the Tender Offer 6.00 p.m. on 8 September Announcement of results of the Tender Offer and expected date of debit of tendered Ordinary Shares 11 September Euroclear Bank accounts credited with Tender Offer proceeds (Settlement Date) by no later than ten Business Days following the Closing Date Despatch of cheques for Tender Offer proceeds for certificated Ordinary Shares by no later than ten Business Days following the Closing Date Despatch of balance share certificates for unsold Ordinary Shares and share certificates for unsuccessful tenders (certificated holders only) by no later than ten Business Days following the Closing Date

Information in connection with the Tender Offer is available on the Company's website (www.kenmareresources.com).

Capitalised terms used in this announcement (this "Announcement"), which have not been defined have the meanings given to them in the Circular, unless the context provides otherwise.

This Announcement does not constitute, or form part of, an offer or any solicitation of an offer, to purchase or repurchase securities in any jurisdiction or constitute a recommendation or advice in respect of any securities or other financial instruments or any other matter.

For further information, please contact:

Kenmare Resources plc

Jeremy Dibb / Michael Starke

Investor Relations

ir@kenmareresouces.com

Tel: +353 1 671 0411

Mob: +353 87 943 0367

Murray (PR advisor)

Paul O'Kane

pokane@murraygroup.ie

Tel: +353 1 498 0300

Mob: +353 86 609 0221

Important Notice:

This Announcement contains inside information.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this Announcement are or may constitute "forward-looking statements". By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend upon future circumstances that may or may not occur, many of which are beyond the control of the Company and all of which are based on its current beliefs and expectations about future events. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Group, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such forward- looking statements are based on numerous assumptions regarding the present and future business strategies of the Group and the environment in which the Group will operate in the future. These forward-looking statements speak only as at the date of this Announcement. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believes", "expects", "may", "will", "would", "should", "intends", "estimates", "plans", "assumes" or "anticipates" or the negative of such words or other variations on them or comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy which involve risks and uncertainties.

About Kenmare Resources

Kenmare Resources plc is one of the world's largest producers of mineral sands products. Listed on the London Stock Exchange and the Euronext Dublin, Kenmare operates the Moma Titanium Minerals Mine in Mozambique. Moma's production accounts for approximately 7% of global titanium feedstocks and the Company supplies to customers operating in more than 15 countries. Kenmare produces raw materials that are ultimately consumed in everyday "quality-of life" items such as paints, plastics and ceramic tiles.

All monetary amounts refer to United States dollars unless otherwise indicated.

Peel Hunt LLP, which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority in the conduct of investment business, is acting exclusively for the Company and no-one else in connection with the Tender Offer and the matters described in this Announcement. Peel Hunt LLP will not regard any other person as its customer or be responsible to any other person for providing the protections to customers of Peel Hunt LLP nor for providing advice in relation to the transactions and arrangements described in this Announcement.
NI 43-101 Technical Report Highlights (US$1,800/oz Gold Price)



Base Case after-tax Net Present Value of US$170 million (NPV 5% ) and 35.3% Internal Rate of Return (IRR), increasing to US$196 million and 38.95% IRR, respectively, at current gold price of US$1,900/oz

) and 35.3% Internal Rate of Return (IRR), increasing to US$196 million and 38.95% IRR, respectively, at current gold price of US$1,900/oz Life of Mine Earnings Before Interest, Taxes and Depreciation of US$451 million, increasing to US$495 million at a US$1,900/oz gold price

Total recovered gold of 476,000 ounces, a 25% increase compared to the 2020 Feasibility Study from an average gold recovery rate of 93%

All-in sustaining cost ("AISC") of US$869 per ounce and upfront capital costs of US$88 million, plus a 12% contingency, and $2 million of pre-production costs

Measured and Indicated Resources of 674,700 ounces gold at an average grade of 2.6 g/t gold, and 319,000 ounces silver at an average grade of 1.38 g/t silver

Proven and Probable Reserves of 513,700 ounces gold at an average grade 4.0 g/t gold, and 220,500 ounces silver at an average grade of 1.7 g/t silver

Average annual gold production of 86,900 ounces during years 2 through 5 - Life of Mine annual average production of 74,200 ounces gold

Eight-year project, comprising one-year pre-production, six and three quarter-year operating life and one-year mine closure period

Adjacent high-grade resources and recent discoveries provide high probability growth options

Significant benefits to Mongolia, including Life of Mine royalties and taxes of US$143 million and approximately 500 new jobs in Bayankhongor Province

Equity capital for the Bayan Khundii Gold Project to be provided by Mongolian Mining Corporation ("MMC") under the terms of the previously announced Strategic Alliance



HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, Aug. 15, 2023 --

Erdene Resource Development Corp. (TSX:ERD; MSE:ERDN) ("Erdene" or the "Company") is pleased to announce results of an updated independent Feasibility Study ("FS") for the high-grade, open-pit Bayan Khundii Gold Project ("BK" or "Project") in southwest Mongolia. The FS was prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and incorporates updated mineral resources and reserves, including maiden resources and reserves from the high-grade Dark Horse Mane deposit ("DH"), as well as current capital and operating cost estimates and metals prices. The updated FS has been prepared by a consortium of International and Mongolian firms with significant experience operating in Mongolia and internationally. The Technical Report, prepared by O2 Mining Limited, pursuant to NI 43-101 guidelines, will be filed on SEDAR within 45 days.

Quotes from the Company:

"The Bayan Khundii Gold Project will be one of the highest grade open-pit gold mines in the world, and Mongolia's largest primary gold producer, when it comes on stream in 2025. This updated Feasibility Study confirms the Project's strong economics, supported by a 25% increase in recovered gold due to the incorporation of additional resources from Bayan Khundii and the Dark Horse Mane deposit," said Peter Akerley, President and CEO. "As a low cost project utilizing conventional mining and processing techniques with significant growth potential, Bayan Khundii offers investors and stakeholders exposure and leverage to gold."

"Bayan Khundii is the first development in what we expect to be a large-scale mining complex in Southwestern Mongolia. We have a multitude of expansion opportunities in our pipeline as we continue to add precious and base metal resources through exploration," continued Mr. Akerley. "Through our Strategic Alliance with MMC, Mongolia's largest independent miner, we are moving rapidly towards production. Early construction works are underway and we look forward to achieving first gold and cash flow in 2025, while we continue to explore, discover and develop the other mineral deposits in our Khundii Minerals District."

"With MMC's investment under the Strategic Alliance agreement, we have secured the equity component of Project Finance. We are also well progressed on debt funding for the Project," concluded Mr. Akerley. "Leading international financial institutions have completed the bulk of the technical, environmental and social due diligence on the project over the past couple of years. With the delivery of the updated feasibility study, we expect to receive firm commitments in the coming months."

NI 43-101 Technical Report Overview

The Technical Report incorporates an updated reserve estimate for the BK Gold Deposit as well as the maiden mineral reserve estimate from the very high-grade Dark Horse Mane Gold Deposit. The FS includes 3.8 million mineable tonnes from the Bayan Khundii resource at an average diluted head grade of 3.8 g/t gold and 1.8 g/t silver, and 0.2 million mineable tonnes from the Dark Horse resource at an average diluted head grade of 7.0 g/t gold, all of which are Proven and Probable Reserves.

The Technical Report envisions a high-grade, open-pit mine, beginning at surface in the southern portion of the BK Gold Deposit (Striker and Gold Hill), and expanding northward into adjacent zones at Midfield and Midfield NE. Dark Horse open pit will commence in Year 3 and will be processed concurrently with BK Gold Deposit ore. The development incorporates conventional crushing and grinding, leach and a Carbon in Pulp ("CIP") plant with processing capacity of 1,935 tonnes per day.

The base case assumes a gold price of US$1,800/oz. All references to dollars within this release are US Dollars (US$), unless stated otherwise. The Technical Report, pursuant to NI 43-101 guidelines for the Bayan Khundii FS will be filed on SEDAR within 45 days. Key metrics from the Technical Report are presented in Table 1 below.



Table 1. Bayan Khundii Gold Project Key Metrics

BK FS Gold Price US$/oz 1,800 Production Profile ? ? Average Head Grade Over Life of Mine1 g/t gold 4.0 Project Life2 years 8 Operating Life years 6.75 Target Plant Feed Rate Per Day3 tpd 1,935 Average Annual Saleable Gold oz 74,200 Peak Annual Saleable Gold oz 88,100 Average Gold Recovery Rate Over Life of Mine % 93% Strip Ratio t:t 10.9 Operating Costs Life of Mine ("LOM") Average Cash Cost4 US$/oz 851 LOM Cash Cost plus Sustaining Cost (AISC)4 US$/oz 869 Pre-Tax Net Present Value ? ? 5% discount rate US$M 245 7.5% discount rate US$M 207 10% discount rate US$M 175 Pre-Tax Internal Rate of Return % 44% After-Tax Net Present Value ? ? 5% discount rate US$M 170 7.5% discount rate US$M 141 10% discount rate US$M 117 After-Tax Internal Rate of Return % 35% Payback Period (After tax) years 2.4 Capital Requirements ? ? Pre-production Capital Cost, including contingency US$M 100 Life of mine ("LOM") Remaining Capital Cost US$M 9

Notes:

Average diluted head grade of mineralized rock fed to process plant. Project life comprising one-year pre-production period, approximately six and three quarter-year operating life and one-year mine closure period. Assumes process plant operates for 8,000 hours per annum to achieve the target production rate of 650 ktpa. Operating costs reported in terms of saleable gold ounces for Bayan Khundii; costs include Royalty and Charges of US$108/oz.

Technical Report Sensitivities

The following table shows changes in the after-tax NPV and IRR over a range of gold prices and discount rates, demonstrating the impact of higher gold prices and the Project's resiliency to lower prices.

Table 2. Technical Report Sensitivities - After-Tax Gold Price Sensitivity Analysis

Gold Price Sensitivity Analysis Units US$1,400 US$1,600 US$1,800 US$2,000 US$2,200 NPV (5% discount rate) US$M 65

118

170 223

275

NPV (7.5% discount rate) US$M 48

95

141 188

234

NPV (10% discount rate) US$M 34

76

117 158

200

IRR % 18% 27% 35% 42% 49%



Bayan Khundii Mineral Resource and Reserve Estimate

BK Gold Deposit Mineral Resource Estimate

The BK Gold Deposit Mineral Resource Estimate ("BK Mineral Resource") was prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 and CIM standards by AGP Mining Consultants Inc. ("AGP") with an effective date of April 20, 2023. The BK Mineral Resource was prepared by Paul Daigle, P.Geo., who is a qualified person ("QP") as defined by NI 43-101.

The Mineral Resource has been constrained to a conceptual pit shell and is reported at a cut-off grade of 0.40 g/t gold. The assumptions and parameters utilized to establish the cut-off grade and pit shell are reported below in notes to Table 3. AGP recommends reporting the Bayan Khundii Mineral Resource at a 0.40 g/t gold cut-off.

Table 3. BK Gold Deposit - Mineral Resource Estimate Summary, April 2023

Resource

Classification Quantity

(Mt) Gold Grade

(Au g/t) Ounces Gold

(Koz) Silver Grade

(Ag g/t) Ounces Silver

(Koz) Measured 4.0 3.03 394 1.44 187 Indicated 3.3 2.04 219 1.22 131 M&I 7.4 2.58 613 1.34 319 Inferred 0.2 1.08 6 1.32 8

Notes:

Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Summation errors may occur due to rounding. The effective date of the Mineral Resources is April 20, 2023. Open pit mineral resources are reported within an optimized constraining shell. Open pit cut-off grade is 0.3 g/t Au based on the following parameters: Gold Price of US$2,000/oz Au

Gold recovery of 95%

Mining Costs of US$3.00/t

Milling Costs and G&A of $22.00/t

Capping of gold grades was 200 g/t Au and 50 g/t Ag on 1m composite values.

The density varies between 2.58 g/cm3 and 2.66 g/cm3 depending on lithology.

Dark Horse Mane Mineral Resource Estimate

The Company is pleased to provide a summary of the maiden mineral resource estimate for the Dark Horse Mane Gold Deposit ("Dark Horse Mineral Resource") discovered in 2021 and located just two kilometres north of the BK Gold Deposit. The Dark Horse Mineral Resource was prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 and CIM standards by RPM Global ("RPM") with an effective date of November 1, 2022. The Dark Horse Mineral Resource was prepared by Mr. Oyunbat Bat-Ochir who is a full-time employee of RPM and a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists, and a QP as defined by NI 43-101.

The Dark Horse Mineral Resource is reported above a gold cut-off grade of 0.35 g/t gold for oxide and transition mineralization and 1.02 g/t gold for fresh mineralization. The Mineral Resource has been constrained to a conceptual pit shell. The assumptions and parameters utilized to establish the cut-off grade and pit shell are reported below in notes to Table 4.

Table 4. Dark Horse Gold Deposit - Mineral Resource Estimate Summary, November 2022

Indicated Mineral Resource Inferred Mineral Resource Type Tonnes Gold

Grade Ounces

Gold Tonnes Gold

Grade Ounces

Gold (Kt) g/t Au (K oz) (Kt) g/t Au (K oz) Oxide 578 3.0 56.2 75 1.1 2.7 Transitional 99 1.5 4.8 109 1.2 4.1 Fresh 5 4.9 0.7 - - - Total 682 2.8 61.7 184 1.2 6.8

Notes:

The Statement of Estimates of Mineral Resources has been compiled under the supervision of Mr. Oyunbat Bat-Ochir who is a full-time employee of RPM and a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists. Mr. Bat-Ochir has sufficient experience that is relevant to the style of mineralization and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity that he has undertaken to qualify as a Qualified Person as defined in the CIM Standards of Disclosure. All Mineral Resources figures reported in the table above represent estimates at November 1, 2022. Mineral Resource estimates are not precise calculations, being dependent on the interpretation of limited information on the location, shape and continuity of the occurrence and on the available sampling results. The totals contained in the above table have been rounded to reflect the relative uncertainty of the estimate. Rounding may cause some computational discrepancies. Mineral Resources are reported on a dry in-situ basis. The Mineral Resource is reported using a 0.35 g/t Au cut-off grade in oxide and transition mineralisation and 1.02 g/t Au cut-off in fresh mineralisation and is constrained above conceptual optimised pit shell. Cut-off parameters were selected based on an RPM internal cut-off calculator, assuming an open cut mining method with 5% ore loss and 10% dilution, a gold price of US$1,723 per ounce, a mining cost of US$3 per tonne and a processing cost of US$16 per tonne milled and processing recovery of 90% for oxide, 87% for transitional and 30% for fresh Au mineralisation. The conceptual optimised pit shell was constructed using a gold price of US$2,000 per ounce, which is 1.4 times the long-term consensus forecast price. Mineral Resources referred to above, have not been subject to detailed economic analysis and therefore, have not been demonstrated to have actual economic viability.



BK and DH Reserve Estimate

The Bayan Khundii and Dark Horse FS Mineral Reserves have been estimated by QP, Mr. Julien Lawrence, Director, O2 Mining Limited, using the 2014 CIM Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves to conform to the Canadian National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. The total Mineral Reserve for the Bayan Khundii deposit is shown in Table 5 and the total Mineral Reserve for the Dark Horse Mane deposit is shown in Table 6. Mineral Reserves are based on the BK Mineral Resource and Dark Horse Mineral Resource, reported herein. Mineral Reserves estimated for the BK and DH deposits are based on Measured and Indicated Resources and have an effective date of August 1, 2023. Reserves were calculated by O2 Mining using FS level engineering designs for the pit and associated process plant operating parameters.

The cut-off grade for mineral reserve calculations is 0.63 g/t gold for the BK Gold Deposit and 0.68 g/t gold for Dark Horse Gold Deposit, based on a gold price of $1,816/oz. The reserves, as defined by the regularized block model, contain modelled mineral losses of 2.5% and average internal dilution of 10%, within the ultimate pit.

A summary of the Mineral Reserves estimated for the BK and Dark Horse deposit with an effective date of August 1, 2023 can be found in Tables 5 and 6.

Table 5. BK Gold Deposit - Mineral Reserve Estimate Summary, August 1, 2023

Classification Tonnage

(Mt) Grade

(g/t Au) Contained

Gold (Koz) Grade

(g/t Ag) Contained

Silver (Koz) Proven 2.7 4.1 360.2 1.7 159.4 Probable 1.1 3.0 104.7 1.7 61.1 Total 3.8 3.8 464.9 1.7 220.5



Table 6. Dark Horse Gold Deposit - Mineral Reserve Estimate Summary, August 1, 2023

Classification Tonnage

(Mt) Grade

(g/t Au) Contained

Gold (Koz) Proven - - - Probable 0.2 7.0 48.8 Total 0.2 7.0 48.8

Notes:

The effective date of the Mineral Reserve estimate is August 1, 2023. The QP for the estimate is Mr. Julien Lawrence of O2 Mining Limited; The Mineral Reserve estimates were prepared with reference to the 2014 Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum ("CIM") Definition Standards (2014 CIM Definition Standards) and the 2003 CIM Best Practice Guidelines; Reserves estimated assuming open-pit mining method; Waste to ore cut-offs were determined using a NSR for each block in the model. NSR is calculated using prices and process recoveries for each metal accounting for all off-site losses, transportation, smelting and refining charges; Reserves are based on a gold price of $1,816/oz; and Mineral Reserves were calculated from a diluted "mining" block model which included average dilution of 10% and losses of 2.5%.

Mining

The BK FS is based on an open-pit mining operation targeting 650,000 tonnes per year of feed material for the processing plant. The total mineable mineralized plant feed is 4.0 million tonnes at an average diluted head grade of 4.0 g/t gold and average strip ratio of 10.9:1 (waste tonne: plant feed tonne). Mineralization starts at surface, with the majority of the deposit contained within the top 100 metres. The deposit structure, grades and depth suggest selective open cut mining will be utilized. Mining will use hydraulic excavators in backhoe configuration. Drilled and blasted material will be loaded into haul trucks, with waste rock deposited in an engineered Integrated Waste Facility ("IWF") adjacent to the pit, and ore hauled to a crusher or run-of-mine ("ROM") pad adjacent to the processing plant.

The BK FS has assumed owner mining based on methodology and costing prepared from first principles using vendor quotations for major cost elements and O2 Mining experience in Mongolia in similar open-pit mining environments. In this scenario, the owner leases the major fleet and provides for all minor fleet and personnel to operate the project. The mine plan proposes a total of 4 x excavators (2 x ore, 2 x waste), 20 x 55t payload trucks, 3 x blasthole drills and a fleet of ancillary and support equipment to deliver the required material movement. The mining workforce peaks at approximately 260 personnel (employees and contractor personnel) to deliver the required schedule of production.

Processing

The FS assumes processing of ROM material via a conventional crush and grind circuit and a carbon in pulp plant. Plant design by 360-Global has been based on testing at Blue Coast Research which has established optimal processing parameters, including; grind size of 80% passing 60 microns; design inputs for comminution circuit, optimal cyanide concentration in leach circuit; 36 hour retention time; carbon adsorption parameters and detoxification reagent dosages. The process circuit has been designed to maximize water recovery with the most efficient dewatering process (pressure filters) to achieve targeted 15% moisture in tailings, minimize chemical and reagent usage and reduce environmental impact.

The ore-processing plant will be located adjacent to the Bayan Khundii open pit and throughput will target 650,000 ore-tonnes per year, nominally 1,935 tonnes per day. Total mineralized material from BK, processed in the plant over the course of the mine life, is 4.0 million tonnes at an average diluted head grade of 4.0 g/t gold. Using an estimated mill recovery of 92.6%, total recovered gold over the life of the Bayan Khundii Project is 476,000 ounces.

Operating Costs

Operating costs are based on the mining and processing scenarios outlined above and assume owner mining. Power for operations will be generated through an on-site hybrid diesel and solar generation solution, provided under a power purchase agreement for the duration of the Project. All other activities are assumed to be owner-operated. The AISC for Bayan Khundii is estimated at $869/oz.

Table 7. Operating Costs

LOM ($ millions) US$/oz US$/tonne Mine Operating Cost 165 347 41 Processing Cost 166 349 41 G&A 20 43 5 Total Site Operating Costs 352 739 88 Royalty and Charges 51 108 13 Sustaining Capital & Closure Costs 10 22 3 All-In Sustaining Cost 414 869 103

Note: Rounding may cause computational discrepancies

Capital Costs

Construction costs, primarily comprising the process plant and supporting infrastructure, accommodation village, and associated engineering and indirect costs are estimated at US$88 million. Pre-production costs, including first fills and mobile site equipment total $2 million. Additionally, a 12% contingency, or US$10 million, has been provided in arriving at the total estimated capital cost. Sustaining capital of US$4 million has been included in the mine plan and net mine closure costs are estimated at US$7 million, accounting for salvage values. Total life of mine capital expenditures for the Bayan Khundii Gold Project are estimated at US$109 million. Approximately $5 million of costs have been incurred to date, representing deposits on long-lead mechanical equipment, temporary construction facilities and civil works.

Table 8. Capital Costs

Item $ millions Process Plant 47 Non-Process Infrastructure 14 Construction Indirects 27 Construction Costs 88 Pre-Production Costs 2 Contingency 10 Subtotal Plant and Infrastructure 100 Sustaining Capital 4 Reclamation and Mine Closure 7 Salvage (2) Total 109

Note: Rounding may cause computational discrepancies

Environmental and Permitting

Erdene completed an independent Environmental and Social Impact Assessment ("ESIA") for the Project in accordance with the Performance Requirements of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development ("EBRD") in 2020. Subsequently, the Mongolian statutory Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment ("DEIA") for the Project was approved by the Mongolian Government in 2021. Additional studies were carried out in 2021 and 2022 as part of the expected Project Lender's due diligence.

Erdene has obtained approvals for the 12 project facilities that the company will own and operate. Construction permits have been issued for nine of these facilities, including the CIP Process Plant, and earthworks for several facilities is currently underway.

Project Finance and Next Steps

The Company engaged HCF to act as Project Finance advisor, with primary responsibility for securing debt in 2020. HCF is a leading independent corporate finance advisory boutique based in London, focused on the global natural resources and infrastructure sectors. HCF possess significant Mongolian experience, having acted as an advisor on the financing of Oyu Tolgoi, Mongolia's largest mining project, and has strong relationships with the EBRD, a strategic investor in Erdene and one of Mongolia's largest foreign investors.

Two international financial institutions have conducted due diligence on BK and are expected to provide debt financing for the project. These institutions are active in Mongolia, as major funders to the Oyu Tolgoi Copper-Gold project. It is anticipated that senior debt financing could comprise as much as 65% of the total financing package.

The equity capital for the project has been secured from the Mongolian Mining Corporation through the Strategic Alliance Agreement announced January 10, 2023 (see press release here). Highlights of the SAA include:

MMC is Mongolia's largest internationally traded mining company, listed on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEx: 975).

MMC to invest US$40 million for a 50% equity interest in Erdene's Mongolian subsidiary, Erdene Mongol LLC ("EM"), holding the Khundii and Altan Nar mining licenses and the Ulaan exploration license through a three-stage transaction, based on achievement of milestones.

Erdene retains a 50% equity interest in EM and a 5.0% Net Smelter Return ("NSR") royalty on all production from the Khundii, Altan Nar and Ulaan licenses, as well as any properties acquired within 5 kilometres of these licenses, beyond the first 400,000 ounces gold recovered.

The first two stages of the transaction were completed in January 2023 and May 2023, with MMC investing US$10 million to finance technical studies, including this FS, early construction works and exploration for the Bayan Khundii Gold Project.

The third stage of the transaction, expected to close in late Q3 2023, will see MMC invest a further US$30 million once EM has reached a construction decision, providing equity capital for the Bayan Khundii Gold Project.

Erdene will appoint EM's Chief Executive and Chief Technical Officers, and MMC will appoint EM's Chief Operating and Chief Financial Officers.

Erdene maintains a 100% interest in its large Zuun Mod Molybdenum-Copper deposit and Khuvyn Khar Copper project, located approximately 30 kilometres east of Bayan Khundii, and adjacent to a planned railway development.



In addition to project financing, over the coming months, development work will be focused on:

Continuing with construction early works;

Executing the Engineering, Procurement and Construction contract for the Project;

Concluding the Project's Power Purchase Agreement;

Optimizing the project execution schedule and completing value engineering;

Securing approval of Erdene and MMC's Boards of Directors to begin construction; and

Exploring in the Khundii Minerals District to expand mineralization and convert resources to reserves.

Study Consultants

The updated FS and associated Detailed Engineering and Design ("DED") work has been completed by a consortium of International and Mongolian firms with significant experience:

O2 Mining Ltd. ("O2") led the overall delivery of the FS update, completing the key works of mine design and planning (including closure), process design, cost estimation, and financial evaluation. O2 is a Hong Kong-based engineering firm with principals who have over 15 years of Mongolian mining experience and a team with significant experience in mine development in Australasia, including the design, construction, commissioning and operation of gold, coal, base metals and industrial mineral mines and processing facilities.

Roma Group Ltd. ("Roma"), a leading company in the region in engineering, business and asset valuations, corporate and M&A advisory services, will lead the development of the final NI 43-101 FS Technical Report. Roma is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and has extensive experience working with major regional mining and financial firms leading technical studies and valuations for mining projects in Asia, including Mongolia.

Multiple Mongolian companies provided in-country services and support for the FS update. Erdene works closely with local specialists to apply international standards and ensure compliance with Mongolian regulations.

360-Global Inc. ("360-Global") carried out process plant design and engineering for the FS and DED work. 360-Global is a consulting firm based in the Philippines, specialized in full cycle design services and experienced with gold processing infrastructure globally, including in Mongolia, China, Canada, Australia and Africa.

ATC Williams Pty Ltd, ("ATCW") undertook mineral waste and tailings facility design and management planning, including for closure. ATCW is Australia-based and has extensive experience in mineral waste and tailings transport, storage, closure and water management, including at the Oyu Tolgoi project in Mongolia.

Blue Coast Research Ltd ("BCR") provided metallurgical testing and interpretation for the Bayan Khundii Gold Project. BCR have extensive experience with gold deposits and have carried out all of the Bayan Khundii, Dark Horse, and Altan Nar metallurgical test work to date.

Ramboll Australia Pty performed technical review and assessment of the mine water supply and pit hydrology. Ramboll is a global architecture, engineering, and consultancy company involved in buildings, transport, energy, environment & health, water, management consulting, architecture and landscape.

Fugro Ltd. provided the geotechnical assessment of the Bayan Khundii and Dark Horse open pits. Fugro is a leading geo-data specialist.

AGP Mining Consultants Inc. completed the mineral resource estimate for the Bayan Khundii Gold deposit. AGP is a full service, independent mine engineering company.

RPM Global Inc. completed the mineral resource estimate for the Dark Horse Gold Deposit. RPM Global is an international provider of advisory and consulting, software, and training services focused on the mining industry.

Sustainability East Asia LLC, Ramboll, and Eco Trade LLC delivered the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment for the Project, announced on June 4, 2020 (see full press release here).



Qualified Person and Sample Protocol

The information in this press release that relates to the financial models for the Bayan Khundii Feasibility Study is based on information compiled and reviewed by Mark Reynolds, engaged through O2 Mining Limited. The information in this press release that relates to the capital and operating cost estimation for the Bayan Khundii Feasibility Study is based on information compiled and reviewed by Julien Lawrence, who is a FAusIMM and the Director of O2 Mining Ltd. The information in this press release that relates to the process design and recovery methods for the Bayan Khundii Feasibility Study is based on information compiled and reviewed by Jeffrey Jardine, who is a FAusIMM and is engaged through O2 Mining Ltd. The information in this press release that relates to the BK Resource Estimate is based on information compiled and reviewed by Paul Daigle, who is a P.Geo, and is an employee of AGP Mining Consultants Inc. The information in this press release that relates to the Dark Horse Resource Estimate is based on information compiled and reviewed by Oyunbat Bat-Ochir who is a full-time employee of RPM Global and a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists. The information in this press release that relates to the Bayan Khundii reserve estimate is based on information compiled and reviewed by Julien Lawrence. Each of Mr. Reynolds, Mr. Lawrence, Mr. Jardine, Mr. Daigle and Mr. Bat-Ochir has sufficient experience, which is relevant to the style of mineralization and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity which they have undertaken to qualify as a Qualified Person, as that term is defined by National Instrument 43-101. Each of Mr. Reynolds, Mr. Lawrence, Mr. Jardine, Mr. Daigle and Mr. Bat-Ochir is not aware of any potential for a conflict of interest in relation to this work with Erdene.

All samples have been assayed at SGS Laboratory in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. In addition to internal checks by SGS Laboratory, the Company incorporates a QA/QC sample protocol utilizing prepared standards and blanks. All samples undergo standard fire assay analysis for gold and ICP-OES (Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy) analysis for 33 additional elements. For samples that initially return a grade greater than 5 g/t gold, additional screen-metallic gold analysis is carried out which provides a weighted average gold grade from fire assay analysis of the entire +75 micron fraction and three 30-gram samples of the -75 micron fraction from a 500 gram sample.

Erdene's drill core sampling protocol consisted of collection of samples over 1 or 2 metre intervals (depending on the lithology and style of mineralization) over the entire length of the drill hole, excluding minor post-mineral lithologies and un-mineralized granitoids. Sample intervals were based on meterage, not geological controls, or mineralization. All drill core was cut in half with a diamond saw, with half of the core placed in sample bags and the remaining half securely retained in core boxes at Erdene's Bayan Khundii exploration camp. All samples were organized into batches of 30 including a commercially prepared standard, blank and either a field duplicate, consisting of two quarter-core intervals, or a laboratory duplicate. Sample batches were periodically shipped directly to SGS in Ulaanbaatar via Erdene's logistical contractor, Monrud Co. Ltd.

About Erdene

Erdene Resource Development Corp. is a Canada-based resource company focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of precious and base metals in underexplored and highly prospective Mongolia. The Company has interests in three mining licenses and an exploration license in Southwest Mongolia, where exploration success has led to the discovery and definition of the Khundii Minerals District. Erdene Resource Development Corp. is listed on the Toronto and the Mongolian stock exchanges. Further information is available at www.erdene.com. Important information may be disseminated exclusively via the website; investors should consult the site to access this information.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information regarding Erdene contained herein may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements may include estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, guidance or other statements that are not statements of fact. Although Erdene believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. Erdene cautions that actual performance will be affected by a number of factors, most of which are beyond its control, and that future events and results may vary substantially from what Erdene currently foresees. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include the ability to obtain required third party approvals, market prices, exploitation and exploration results, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. The forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The information contained herein is stated as of the current date and is subject to change after that date. The Company does not assume the obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

NO REGULATORY AUTHORITY HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED THE CONTENTS OF THIS RELEASE

Erdene Contact Information

Peter C. Akerley, President and CEO, or

Robert Jenkins, CFO
Vancouver, August 15, 2023 - EGR Exploration Ltd. (TSX-V:EGR) ("EGR" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the commencement of its summer outcrop and prospecting program along with the completion of the airborne magnetic interpretation for drill targeting on the Detour West Gold Property. The Company has also been approved for the Ontario Junior Exploration Program grant (OJEP).

HIGHLIGHTS

Summer prospecting has been initiated by Canadian Exploration Services Limited on the Detour West Gold Property;

Multiple targets have been identified for summer prospecting;

EGR has been approved to receive up to $200,000 in funding from the Ontario government under the OJEP program

EGR has contracted Canadian Exploration Services Limited (CXS) to perform the summer prospecting program (www.cxsltd.com). The prospecting program intends to target a number of potential outcrops that were identified from previously collected LiDAR data. Due to the sparse outcrop within the project area, this program will aid in targeting the upcoming glacial till and top of bedrock sampling Reverse Circulation (RC) drill program.

EGR's technical team and consultants have been analyzing and interpreting recently acquired high resolution airborne magnetics data, historical geophysical data and geology to define and prioritize targeted areas. The collection and interpretation of superior data, covering the entire property, has revealed numerous focused target areas on the 40,255 ha land package. Interpretation of the magnetics data shows the Sunday Lake Deformation Zone (SLDZ) and Lower Detour Deformation Zone (LDDZ) continuing onto, and transecting the property. The team has identified numerous targets and areas of interest that have the potential to host orogenic gold mineralization and merit further exploration.



Click Image To View Full Size

EGR applied for the Ontario Junior Exploration Program Grant (OJEP)

and has been approved to receive up to $200,000 in funding from the Ontario government under the program. The funds are allocated for the airborne magnetics survey, interpretive work, and current summer prospecting programs.

Daniel Rodriguez, CEO & Director, comments, "Since late Spring, we have been busy interpreting data on the Detour West property. All the information gathered has helped refine and focus our targeted areas. The summer prospecting program will investigate a number of potential outcrops on the property, which will add to our geological understanding. I am excited about this next phase of EGR's journey as we prepare for winter drilling and we continue our process towards making a discovery."

The Company scheduled its Annual General Meeting (AGM) for September 1, 2023 at 10:00am PST. Shareholders are invited to attend via Zoom or dial-in via links provided. Proxies submitted must be received by 10:00 A.M., Pacific Time, on Wednesday, August 30, 2023, or in the case of any adjournment or postponement of the Meeting not less than 48 hours (Saturdays, Sundays and holidays excepted) before the time of the adjourned or postponed meeting.

Meeting Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81087013085?pwd=d0RpSk5XUnd1cm

dxTDc5U2dQTEpKUT09

Meeting ID: 810 8701 3085

Passcode: 122560

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcxAF0zFn

The technical information contained in this news release has been approved by Jason Weber, P.Geo. who is a Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101,

Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

About EGR Exploration Ltd.

EGR Exploration Ltd. is exploring for gold in the Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend, approximately 300 kilometres north of Timmins, Ontario. EGR's 40,255 hectare Detour West gold project is contiguous to Agnico Eagle's property which contains the Detour Lake Gold Mine and is approximately 20 kilometres from the mine, which is also hosted in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt.

For further information contact:

Daniel Rodriguez

CEO & Director

Phone: (604) 353-4080

Email: drodriguez@egrexploration.com

Forward?Looking Statement (Safe Harbor Statement): This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. The use of any of the words "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "expect", "estimate", "objective", "may", "will", "project", "should", "predict", "potential" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In particular, this press release contains forward-looking statements concerning the Company's exploration plans. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company cannot give any assurance that they will prove correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, they involve inherent assumptions, risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of assumptions, factors and risks. These assumptions and risks include, but are not limited to, assumptions and risks associated with conditions in the equity financing markets, and assumptions and risks regarding receipt of regulatory and shareholder approvals. Management has provided the above summary of risks and assumptions related to forward-looking statements in this press release in order to provide readers with a more comprehensive perspective on the Company's future operations. The Company's actual results, performance or achievement could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements and, accordingly, no assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits the Company will derive from them. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and, other than as required by applicable securities laws, 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. 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.

Copyright (c) 2023 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
London, August 15, 2023 - Peloton Minerals Corp. ("PMC" or the "Company") (CSE:PMC) (OTC:PMCCF) has retained IBK Capital Corporation of Toronto ("IBK Capital") to source capital on a best-efforts basis, for the purposes of exploring the Company's 100% owned Texas Canyon and Golden Trail properties in north-eastern Nevada for lithium.

IBK Capital is an independent and privately owned Canadian investment banking firm. Since inception in 1989, IBK Capital has established an enviable track record having played a role in global transactions with a combined value of $5.6 billion.

Surge Battery Metals Inc. ("Surge") has recently reported a significant lithium discovery on claims immediately adjacent to and tied onto the west side of the Texas Canyon claim block. Surge has reported multiple drill intersections of between 1,000 ppm and 5,000 ppm lithium, with thicknesses of between 10 and 120 feet, and a strike length of 5,315 feet. Several companies have reported considerable claim staking activity in the area, and it now appears that both of the Company's Texas Canyon property, and its Golden Trail property about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) east have been encroached with claims by other parties.

Peloton has identified potential lithium bearing hectorite and illite clays in outcrop over an extensive area at the Texas Canyon property as well as at the Golden Trail property using hyperspectral minerology mapping technology.

Hectorite and illite clays are the predominant lithium bearing minerals at Thacker Pass within the McDermitt Caldera in western Nevada which is the largest known measured and indicated lithium resource in the United States. The Texas Canyon property similarly sits on part of the margin of an ancient caldera of similar age to the McDermitt Caldera.

The Company is planning an immediate ground truthing program using a hand-held spectrometer, detailed mapping and sampling of the hectorite and illite clays. Follow-on ground geochemistry, geophysics, and drilling are also being planned.

Peloton suggests that the adjacent lithium mineralization, and Texas Canyon's uranium mineralization are likely cogenetic within the margin of the caldera, and the caldera may have played a significant role as the source of the lithium.

Texas Canyon hosts several breccia bodies along the margin of a caldera structure. High grade uranium was mined in the 1950's from one of these breccia bodies, with historic grades reported at 1% uranium and samples running up to 7% uranium. Peloton's own sampling of the waste dump has returned samples up to 1% uranium as well as up to 1660 ppm molybdenum and up to 1280 ppb gold.

For further information please contact:

Edward (Ted) Ellwood, MBA

President & CEO 1-519-697-2313

Richard C. Capps, PhD, is the qualified person responsible for approving the technical information contained within this release.

Peloton is a reporting issuer in good standing in the Provinces of Ontario and British Columbia whose common shares are listed on the CSE (Symbol: PMC) and trade in the U.S. on the OTC QB (Symbol: PMCCF). There are 123,099,458 common shares issued and outstanding in the capital of the Company.

Peloton's exploration portfolio includes three exploration projects in Elko County, Nevada (lithium, uranium, molybdenum, gold), as well as a past producing gold project in Montana under option to a JV partner, and a non-controlling interest in a copper porphyry project near Butte, Montana.

CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains "forward-looking information" (within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws) and "forward-looking statements" (within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Such statements or information are identified with words such as "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "foresee", "intend", "looking", "plan", "potential", "propose", "project", "suggests", "outlook" or similar words suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding an outlook.

Such statements include, among others, those concerning the Company's plans for exploration activity and to conduct future exploration programs. Such forward-looking information or statements are based on a number of risks, uncertainties, and assumptions which may cause actual results or other expectations to differ materially from those anticipated and which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, management's expectations regarding its ability to initiate and complete future exploration work as expected. Actual results could differ materially due to a number of factors, including, without limitation, operational risks in the completion of the Company's future exploration work; technical, safety or regulatory issues; availability of capital; changes in general economic conditions and financial markets; the imposition of government restrictions on business which may ultimately affect and delay the exploration timeline; and changes in prices for metals that the Company is exploring for.

Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information or statements are reasonable, prospective investors in the Company's securities should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because the Company can provide no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking information and statements contained in this news release are as of the date of this news release and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise this forward-looking information and statements except as required by law.

Copyright (c) 2023 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
/NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES./

CSE: TEX | OTCQB: TRGEF | FRA: V6Y

VANCOUVER, Aug. 15, 2023 - Targa Exploration Corp. (CSE: TEX) (FRA: V6Y) (OTCQB: TRGEF) ("Targa" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed the first tranche of its previously announced non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") for gross proceeds of $1,330,300.

In connection with the completion of the first tranche of the Offering, the Company issued 1,641,750 hard dollar units of the Company (each, an "HD Unit") at a price of $0.40 per HD Unit and 1,403,333 Quebec super-flow-through units of the Company (each, a "Super FT Unit" and together with the HD Units, the "Offered Units") at a price of $0.48 per Super FT Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of $1,330,300. Each Offered Unit consists of one common share of the Company (each, a "Unit Share") and one-half of a common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to acquire one additional common share of the Company (each, a "Warrant Share") at a price of $0.70 until the date which is 24 months following the date hereof. Each Super FT Unit was issued as a "flow-through share" as defined in subsection 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) and section 359.1 of the Quebec Tax Act with respect to purchasers in Quebec.

The securities issued pursuant to the initial tranche of the Offering will be restricted from trading until December 16, 2023. A total of $32,086 cash was paid and a total of 63,375 finder's warrants were issued for finder's fees. The finder's warrants will expire on August 15, 2025, and have an exercise price of $0.70.

Closing of the final tranche of the Offering is anticipated to occur on or about August 31, 2023, and is subject to customary closing conditions. The Company expects to receive aggregate gross proceeds of up to $3,900,000 from the private placement. In connection with the Offering, the Company may pay finder's fees to eligible finders. All securities issued in connection with the Offering will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months and a day. Additional details regarding the Offering can be found in the Company's news release dated June 29, 2023.

The net proceeds of the Offering will be used for exploration of the Company's lithium projects and for working capital purposes. The gross proceeds from the issuance of the Super FT Units will be used to incur eligible "Canadian exploration expenses" that qualify as flow-through critical mineral mining expenditures. The Company has agreed to renounce such qualifying expenditures with an effective date of no later than December 31, 2023, in an aggregate amount of not less than the total amount of the gross proceeds raised from the issuance of Super FT Units.

The securities described herein 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 except in compliance with the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities requirements or pursuant to exemptions therefrom. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy any securities in any jurisdiction.

About Targa

Targa Exploration Corp. (CSE: TEX | FRA: V6Y | OTCQB: TRGEF) is a Canadian lithium exploration company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, and development of lithium mineral properties with headquarters in Vancouver, British Columbia. Targa's lithium project portfolio consists of ten projects in the provinces of Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan and covers over 275,000 hectares of prospective ground, most of which has never been explored previously for lithium.

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

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: required regulatory approvals and fulfilling other closing conditions related to the Offering; closing of the Offering and the closing date; the use of the proceeds raised from the Offering; and the exploration and development of the Company's properties.

Forward?looking statements and forward?looking information relating to any future mineral production, liquidity, enhanced value and capital markets profile of Targa, future growth potential for Targa 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 lithium and other metals; costs of exploration and development; the estimated costs of development of exploration projects; Targa's ability to operate in a safe and effective manner and its ability to obtain financing on reasonable terms.

These statements reflect Targa'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 Targa has made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation: price volatility of lithium and other metals; risks associated with the conduct of the Company's mineral exploration activities in Canada; regulatory, consent or permitting delays; risks relating to reliance on the Company's management team and outside contractors; 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 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 Targa's management discussion and analysis and other public disclosure documents. Readers are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward?looking statements or forward-looking information. Although Targa 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 anticipated, estimated or intended. Targa 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.

SOURCE Targa Exploration Corp.
Lawsuit costs for largest U.S. cities

Annual Average Cost Data

All Expenses Payouts Litigation Insurance Total for all cities N/A $1,156,508,402 $127,541,734 $24,293,544 Median annual expense $12,026,044 $5,499,571 $3,523,329 $302,307 Number of cities 20 20 17 19

Jurisdiction Fiscal Years Average Annual Total Average Payouts Average Litigation Average Insurance Austin 2013-2015 $4,523,051 $1,110,287 $3,412,764 $0 Charlotte 2014-2016 $9,470,187 $4,612,705 $1,216,407 $3,641,074 Chicago 2013-2015 >$153,133,333 $153,133,333 Unavailable Unavailable Columbus 2014-2016 $2,419,966 $1,398,9682 $986,667 $34,331 Dallas 2014-2016 $9,575,596 $6,052,267 $3,523,328.68 $0 El Paso 2013-2015 $4,531,741 $960,650 $1,198,902 $2,372,189 Fort Worth 2013-2015 $2,227,250 $838,575 $1,388,675 $0 Houston 2014-2016 $13,550,892 $4,461,832 $9,077,651 $11,409 Indianapolis 2013-2015 $4,628,516 $3,483,312 $1,145,204 $0 Jacksonville 2014-2016 $6,832,197 $5,404,889 $950,602 $476,706 Los Angeles 2014-2016 $113,087,290 $75,323,990 $37,251,312 $511,989 Nashville 2014-2016 $5,267,416 $3,080,870 $2,186,546 $0 New York 2014-2016 >$710,608,666 $710,608,667 Unavailable $0 Philadelphia 2014-2016 >$47,660,004 $46,171,124 Unavailable $1,488,880 Phoenix 2014-2016 $12,862,940 $5,594,253 $5,614,3261 $1,654,361 San Diego 2014-2016 $55,567,352 $41,415,548 $5,780,1341 $8,371,670 San Francisco 2014-2016 $59,243,721 $36,925,061 $19,146,597 $3,172,063 San Jose 2014-2016 $11,189,148 $3,781,852 $7,104,989 $302,307 Seattle 2013-2015 $25,148,117 $10,578,391 $12,313,160 $2,256,565 Washington, DC 2014-2016 $56,816,297 $41,571,8272 $15,244,470 $0

Notes on individual cities

Each year, cities spend millions fighting and settling lawsuits involving alleged police misconduct, injuries on public property and a range of other legal challenges.To approximate the fiscal impact that these cases have, we requested financial data from the 25 largest U.S. cities, 20 of which responded . Cases typically originate as claims, then turn into lawsuits if not resolved. Payments made to plaintiffs, legal costs associated with cases and liability insurance premiums were obtained to provide for a comprehensive picture of costs in each locality.Reported costs for cities vary significantly. Larger, more densely-populated cities incur greater lawsuit expenses. Types of public services provided also influence costs as some are much more prone to legal challenges than others. Jurisdictions operating public hospitals, for instance, are subject to costly medical malpractice lawsuits. Different state laws dictating what a government can be held liable for and limits on damages awarded further drive cities' costs up or down.New York's legal bills far exceed that of all other cities. While lawsuit costs account for less than 1 percent of total spending in most cities, they often represent much-needed money that could be used to fund other areas of the budget.Select a city to view its data for the three most recent fiscal years:Expenses often fluctuate widely from year to year as major cases are settled, so weve calculated each citys average costs over the past three fiscal years. All responding cities paid out a combined annual average of nearly $1.2 billion in judgments and settlements. The median annual total cost -- including payouts, legal and insurance costs -- was $12 million for the 20 cities reviewed. The following table summarizes median costs using cities three-year averages:SOURCE:calculations of data provided by cities.SOURCE:calculations of data provided by cities. See notes for information for each city.The following jurisdictions contacted did not respond to requests for information by time of publication: Boston, Denver, Detroit, Memphis and San Antonio.Litigation costs do not include compensation for city staff.Averages include partial FY 2016 amounts before the fiscal year endedPayouts, litigation and insurance costs shown dont include expenses for the citys aviation department, which has settled only a few small claims in recent years. (Source: City Law Department)Litigation costs include costs for outside counsel plus an estimated annual $332,000 for in-house attorneys, paralegals and litigation support. Insurance premiums cover excess liability, a police helicopter, excess liability for buses, auto liability for van pools, GL-rail and streetcar, the citys network security and the airport. (Source: Office of the City Attorney)Payout totals reflect all types of settlements and judgment expenses. (Source: Annual Financial Analysis report) The city did not respond to a Freedom of Information Act request for litigation and insurance costs.Reported payout costs for 2016 do not reflect the last two months of the fiscal year ending on December 31, but the litigation section chief reports that he anticipates few, if any, additional cases to be settled those months. Litigation costs include expenses for in-house staff and an estimated $30,000 per year for outside counsel, travel and other costs. The citys liability insurance premiums for aviation insurance and natural gas do not correspond with the citys fiscal year as they run from Aug. 1 to July 31. (Source: Columbus City Attorney Litigation Section)Litigation costs were estimated by adding annual salaries of internal staff ($2,571,360 per year) with reported annual expenses for expert witnesses and outside counsel. The City Attorneys Office reported FY 2014 and FY 2015 totals combined for the two years. (Sources: Office of Risk Management, City Attorney's Office)Payouts include totals for the citys Public Service Board: $19,252 for 2013; $100,062 for 2014; $75,765 for 2015. The city noted that staff attorneys are responsible for other matters in addition to litigation. (Source: Office of the City Attorney)(Source: Risk Management Division)Payouts do not include breach of contract and workers compensation claims. (Source: City of Houston Legal Department)Litigation totals were estimated by adding 2016 salary and benefit costs for city personnel ($920,902) with outside counsel costs provided for each year. The city reports that personnel costs are fairly consistent from year to year. (Source: Office of Corporation Counsel)Total litigation costs included all attorneys fees, both in-house and external. (Source: City Risk Management Division)Payout totals do not reflect back wages paid by departments, tax refunds, payments made directly by proprietary departments or special funds and those relating to retrofitting costs for ADA matters. Workers compensation expenses are also excluded, as they are for other cities. Payouts increased during the most recent fiscal year due to four major cases being resolved: An officer-involved shooting ($15 million), a fatal traffic accident ($15 million) and two wrongful imprisonment cases totaling $24.3 million. Litigation expenses shown do not include benefit costs for city staff. (Source: Office of the City Administrative Officer)Payments for claims cover all types of matters including negligence claims, civil rights violations, employment issues and contracts. The Department of Law estimates that salaries for employees dedicated to litigation matters total approximately $1.4 million annually. This estimate was added to other provided data to compute listed totals for each fiscal year. (Source: Department of Law)The city was unable to provide estimates for litigation costs. The city comptrollers office handles claims, while the law department is responsible for lawsuits filed against the city. (Source: Office of the Mayor)The city reported that it was unable to provide litigation costs associated with lawsuits because of how law department and finance records were kept. Liability insurance policies, effective from September 1 through August 31, dont correspond with fiscal years. (Source: City Law Department)The citys litigation costs do not include any expenses for internal staff. (Source: City Risk Management Division)Payout totals refer to what the city was ultimately responsible for regardless of insurance coverage. Totals shown reflect some costs that were later reimbursed by insurance. The citys risk management department was unable to calculate exact amounts reimbursed. Litigation costs reported do not include costs for in-house counsel. (Source: Risk Management Department)The city estimated its liability insurance coverage premiums by assuming 20 percent of total broker fees were related to liability premiums and consulting services. Most of the city is self-insured with the exceptions of the airport, Port of San Francisco and SFMTA. All figures shown for fiscal year 2016 are pre-audited actuals and are subject to change. (Source: City Controller's Office)Listed payout totals include amounts for the city-run sewer and airport. The city incurred a $4.9 million excessive police force verdict in fiscal year 2014. Litigation costs also include expenses for workers compensations attorneys and associated staff. The litigation figure for fiscal year 2016 is a forecasted amount. (Source: City Attorney's Office)Payouts for lawsuits, but not claims, include workers compensation cases. (Source: City Attorney's Office, Risk Management Division)Fiscal year 2016 amounts do not include expenses incurred during September, the last month of the Districts fiscal year. Total payouts increased sharply in fiscal 2016 as a result of four large settlements involving wrongful conviction cases. The fiscal 2016 settlement total also includes a class-action lawsuit for unpaid cost-of-living adjustments for employees entitled to disability compensation benefits. Litigation costs reflect total personnel and support costs for the Office of the Attorney Generals civil litigation division, commercial division, public interest division and Office of the Solicitor General. The public interest division and the Officer of the Solicitor General engage in both defensive and affirmative litigation. The Civil litigation division also defends lawsuits brought by former government employees. (Sources: Office of Risk Management, Office of the Attorney General)
When Tulsa, Okla., launches its new 311 service later this month, the three-digit hotline will be just one component of what officials have dubbed as the Customer Care Center.Similar to many retail companies, the Customer Care Center will now let people request city services, ask questions and file complaints in a variety of ways. Besides talking with agents over the phone, people will also be able to chat with agents over the Internet, use social media to interact with the center and track the status of their requests online and via email.311 services began in the 1980s as a way to reduce the number of nonemergency 911 calls. Today, more than 300 cities have a 311 call system. But call centers arent cheap. It costs an average of $3.40 to answer a call, with some cities paying as much as $4 or $5 per call, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts. At the height of the recession, some fiscally stressed cities -- including New Orleans and Detroit -- decided the costs were too high and shut down their 311 centers. But advances in call center technology, known as "customer relationship management software," have created new options for contacting city hall while also automating how requests are handled. Sophisticated scripts do a better job of capturing relevant information, and routing software makes sure the request goes to the right department and then electronically follows it until the job is completed.And getting citizens to contact a city online instead of by phone can also reduce 311 center's costs. In Philadelphia, for example, the 311 app reduced calls by 15 percent and costs by 50 percent. The information cities get from 311 users can also lead to cost savings. San Francisco, for example, saved about $1 million a year in labor, fuel and equipment costs by changing the frequency of street cleanings based on the volume of calls and service requests from certain neighborhoods.Tulsa gets over half a million 311 calls a year, according to Michael Radoff, director of the Tulsa Customer Care Center. But having a live person take every request and question can be slow, inefficient and costly. Radoff, who previously worked in the private sector for 20 years running customer service centers, knows that city residents today expect a range of options for contacting their local government. What they dont want is a busy signal.Thats why Tulsa is spending $2.5 million for the latest in software that will let citizens connect with the city 24 hours a day by phone, computer or mobile device. The software will automatically forward their questions, complaints and requests to different departments for resolution.Fewer calls also means Tulsa doesnt have to hire as many agents to answer phone calls. Some cities have reported moving anywhere from 15 percent to 30 percent of callers away from the phone to self-service channels.We expect the self-serve option to be popular because many people prefer to use it because it is fast and easy to use, said Radoff.Tulsa used to have 12 different call centers, but the new software will help Tulsa consolidate all of its hotlines into a single center where agents can deal with everything from animal control to trash pickup.The new technology can help cities like Tulsa in two important ways.First, it provides cities with a platform to deliver citizens the kind of customer service theyre likely to experience when they call businesses. City officials are working hard to move away from an outdated customer service that consists of limited hours of operation, busy signals and multiple call transfers before reaching the right person.Second, the technology captures data from the calls and online requests that can act as a performance metric for cities. Tracking information can show just how many pothole complaints the Department of Public Works received, where the calls came from and just how quickly they were able to resolve the problem. Radoff said the new technology will not only produce metric reports for senior management but will also be able to map which neighborhoods have the most problems, for example.The more progressive and transparent cities, such as New York, are posting the reports on their websites so citizens can see how well the city resolves complaints and problems. Radoff said that Tulsa plans to do the same.When it comes to improving customer service, cities have to be technologically agile, according to Radoff.You have to upgrade, you have to invest in technology, so that citizens can get the services they pay for, so that businesses can get the things done to run their businesses better, he said. 311 technology is going to make Tulsa a more accessible and transparent local government for its citizens.
3 Motivational books to empower youth launched

Elizabeth Nyaadu Adu Business News Aug - 10 - 2023 , 15:05

THREE motivational books that focus on how to identify personal potential, confront challenges and achieve financial independence have been launched in Accra.

The books, titled 5Ds of Talent, The Light in the Dark, and Side Cheque, were authored by Ghanaian public speaker and Chief Encouragement Officer (CEO) of Dream Focus International, Daniel Appiah.

5Ds of Talent directs individuals on how to identify their unique talents and skills to maximise their potential.

The Light in the Dark details the reality that life can often present with challenges and frustrations that are difficult to comprehend, and guides readers on how to navigate through these hardships and become successful, despite the challenges they may be faced with.

Meanwhile, Side Cheque advises on the need for financial independence and ways to make extra income.

Mr Appiah, who launched the books at the Dreamers Conference 2023 in Accra last Saturday, explained that his outfit sought to empower generations to live up to their dreams.

Dreamers conference

The conference was on the theme MOTIVUS and provided valuable insights and networking opportunities to equip attendees with the tools to overcome challenges, achieve their dreams and succeed in various areas of life.

The Dreamers conference is about financial empowerment, digital innovation and entrepreneurship.

Dream Focus seeks to empower generations, encourage and energise them to live their dreams. By living their dreams, they need to be empowered to take up entrepreneurship to meet their expectations, he said.

He explained that his books provided strategies that individuals, especially the youth, could make the most out of in overcoming difficult situations to have a fulfilled life.

He encouraged young ones to utilise their talents to get multiple incomes during these difficult times, adding that the youth should not remain comfortable but be creative and make a positive impact in the society.

Everything is possible if you put your mind to it; so keep pushing and do innovative things that will bring you fulfilment in life, Mr Appiah added.

Invest in reading

The Director of Innovation at the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), David A. Ofori, said the conference was timely because it created a platform for young people to hear true life stories and get to see that their struggles are not peculiar.

He advised Ghanaians to prioritise reading books over excessive use of social media to gain more knowledge and be well-informed in society.

Spending a lot of time on social media is all part of reading. So why don't we invest a bit of that time in reading a book? he quizzed.
Analysis of IMF conditionalities, implication for businesses (9)

Korsi Dzokoto Business News Aug - 15 - 2023 , 02:46

The structural benchmark action imposed by the IMF on Ghana was to publish a strategy, after cabinet approval, to streamline statutory funds. The strategy was expected to include several elements:

1. Key findings of the review process for each statutory fund: This indicates that a thorough review was conducted to assess the functioning, performance, and relevance of each statutory fund. The key findings would provide an evaluation of the effectiveness and efficiency of these funds.

2. Assessment of whether these funds served the stated purpose: This suggests that an analysis was carried out to determine whether the statutory funds were fulfilling their intended objectives. The assessment would likely evaluate whether the funds were effectively addressing the specific purposes for which they were established.

3. Well-articulated reasons to support retaining statutory funds: The strategy should provide clear justifications for keeping the statutory funds separate and not merging them under the line ministry. This would involve presenting well-reasoned arguments highlighting why the line ministry alone cannot effectively serve the objectives of the statutory funds.

The objective of this action was to reduce budget expenditure rigidities by streamlining the statutory funds.

Budget expenditure rigidities refer to inflexible spending commitments that limit the government's ability to allocate resources according to changing priorities and emerging needs.

From the information provided, it can be inferred that Ghana had multiple statutory funds, each with its own designated purpose and budgetary allocation.

The review process aimed to assess the performance and relevance of these funds to determine if they were serving their intended objectives effectively.

The strategy to streamline statutory funds reflects the need to rationalize and consolidate these funds, potentially merging them under the relevant line ministries.

This approach aims to eliminate duplication, enhance coordination, and improve the efficiency of resource allocation.

However, the strategy is expected to present well-articulated reasons for retaining the statutory funds as separate entities, rather than merging them under line ministries.

These reasons would likely emphasize the unique objectives, operational requirements, or legal frameworks associated with the statutory funds that cannot be adequately served by the line ministries alone.

The objective of reducing budget expenditure rigidities highlights the importance of enhancing budget flexibility and prioritization.

By streamlining the statutory funds, Ghana aims to create a more efficient and responsive budgeting process, allowing for better allocation of resources based on evolving needs and policy priorities.

Achieving the objective of reducing budget expenditure rigidities through the streamlining of statutory funds can lead to improved fiscal management, enhanced accountability, and greater flexibility in responding to changing economic conditions and emerging challenges.

By publishing the strategy, Ghana aims to provide a transparent and evidence-based approach to streamline statutory funds.

The strategy would outline the key findings of the review process, assess the effectiveness of the funds, and present well-supported reasons for either retaining the funds as separate entities or merging them under line ministries.

Ultimately, this action seeks to optimize resource allocation, enhance budget flexibility, and improve the efficiency of Ghana's public financial management.

Policy Impact Analysis

1. Disruption of services: The streamlining of statutory funds may result in disruptions or delays in the delivery of public services that were previously supported by these funds. As the funds are evaluated and potentially consolidated or merged, there may be a transitional period where the implementation of projects or programs supported by these funds is affected. This can negatively impact citizens who rely on these services, such as healthcare, education, or infrastructure development.

2. Uncertainty and inefficiencies: The process of streamlining statutory funds and determining their relevance and effectiveness can create uncertainties and inefficiencies in resource allocation. During the evaluation and decision-making process, there may be delays or confusion in determining the appropriate funding mechanisms and responsibilities. This can lead to inefficiencies in the allocation of resources and potential delays in addressing pressing societal needs.

3. Reduced accountability and transparency: Consolidating or merging statutory funds may result in a less transparent and accountable system for resource management. If the funds are merged under line ministries, it may be more challenging to track and monitor the utilization of resources dedicated to specific purposes. This can lead to reduced transparency in the use of public funds and potentially hinder effective oversight and accountability mechanisms.

4. Impact on targeted programs: Statutory funds are often established to address specific societal needs or target vulnerable populations. Streamlining these funds without careful consideration of their unique objectives may result in the loss of targeted programs or initiatives. This can have a negative impact on citizens who benefit from these programs, particularly marginalized groups or sectors that rely on the support provided by the statutory funds.

5. Potential inequities: The consolidation or merging of statutory funds under line ministries may lead to disparities in resource allocation across different sectors or regions. Line ministries may prioritize their own sector-specific needs, potentially neglecting the cross-cutting objectives or regional imbalances addressed by the original statutory funds. This can exacerbate existing inequities and disparities in resource distribution among citizens.

6. Reduced citizen participation: The process of streamlining statutory funds and making decisions about their consolidation may not always involve active citizen participation or consultation. This lack of engagement can limit citizens' ability to provide input, voice their concerns, or advocate for the preservation of programs that are important to them. Reduced citizen participation can undermine the democratic principles of governance and decision-making processes.

It is crucial for policymakers to carefully consider these potential negative impacts on citizens throughout the process of streamlining statutory funds.

Efforts should be made to ensure transparency, accountability, and citizen participation in decision-making processes. Mitigation strategies, such as effective communication, transitional support for affected programs, and safeguards to prevent inequities, should be put in place to minimize the adverse effects on citizens and maintain the overall effectiveness of public services and targeted initiatives.

The writer is an economic policy and financial analyst
BoG does not report directly to Parliament  Majority

Emmanuel Bruce Business News Aug - 15 - 2023 , 03:35

THE Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu, has said there is no part of the Constitution that mandates the Bank of Ghana to report all its activities and transactions directly to Parliament.

He said the obligation of the central bank directly to Parliament was to present foreign exchange receipts to the House periodically, something the BoG had always complied to.

The Bank of Ghana posted significant losses of GH60.81 billion for the 2022 financial year as result of its decision to take a hit for the country by taking a 50 per cent haircut in the domestic debt exchange programme (DDEP).

This decision appears not to sit well with some section of the public, with the Minority in Parliament calling for the resignation of the Governor of the central bank because they believe the BoG should have gotten Parliamentary approval before writing off those debts owed by the government.

But responding to this, Mr Kyei-Mensah Bonsu, said that was not a constitutional requirement as the BoG reported directly to the Ministry of Finance and not Parliament.

He said the Minority Leader should know better because he has been a Deputy Minister of Finance before and has been on the board of the BoG and therefore knows how the central bank operates.

So if you politicise issues of the BoG, it is not good for the country. There is no law that mandates the BoG to report its daily activities to Parliament.

The Law only mandates the BoG to report foreign exchange receipts to Parliament and the BoG has always complied with this provision, he stated.

Over exaggeration

Commenting on the losses posted by the BoG, he said it was either the Minority was over exaggerating issues or have not had time to examine the facts of the matter.

He said the statement from the BoG addressed all the inconsistencies and falsehoods peddled against the institution, noting that the central bank should rather be applauded for coming through for the country.

Yes, the country went through some difficulties which required that the BoG must intervene. If not for the international reserves built by the BoG, we would have really suffered.

The BoG supported the country with about GH4 billion of its international reserves to support the situation, he stated.

He noted that Sri Lanka found itself in the same economic situation but because its central bank was not in a position to support, their situation got worse and have still not been able to recover.

So if our central bank was able to support the country in times of need, we should rather commend them. The concerns of the minority is misplaced, he said.

New head office

On the building of the new head office for the BoG, the Majority leader said in one of its engagements with BoG, it already explained to Parliament why it was building a new head office.

He said it was, therefore, surprising to see some members who were present at that engagement acting like it was new to them.

He noted that the West African Monetary Zone has been relocated to Ghana and it was supposed to operate within the precincts of the BoG, but that has not been possible because of the limited space at the current head office.

He also pointed out that some West African countries have thrown their weight behind Ghana to host the headquarters of the secretariat to deal with the agenda towards adopting a single currency for the sub region and this secretariat is also expected to be hosted by the BoG.

He said the new head office building was aimed at addressing those issues.
Ghana, USA bilateral trade hits $3.7 billion in 2022

Charles Benoni Okine Business News Aug - 15 - 2023 , 04:14

Trade relations between Ghana and the United States of America (USA) remains resilient.

This is evident from last years bilateral trade in goods which totalled $3.7 billion  an all-time high, the American Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer, said.

In a written interview with the Graphic Business, she also indicated that our bilateral trade in services is growing as well.

Our trading relationship and the more than 100 American companies active in the Ghanaian market support jobs and economic prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic, she added.

Regarding the attractiveness of Ghana to U.S. investors, she said: U.S. companies continue to knock on Ghanas door; it is up to the government to create the right conditions to win their partnership and investment.

With support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), we are hopeful that Ghana will pay arrears and implement the structural reforms needed to ensure it is back on the path to sustainable economic growth.

On how the U.S. is going to help Ghana and for that matter businesses navigate the current economic conditions, Ms Palmer said the U.S. was Ghanas largest bilateral development partner, adding that in 2022, bilateral assistance totalled over $150 million with programmes in health, economic growth, agriculture, education, human rights, governance and security.

Last year, the U.S. Government provided over $32 million in agricultural assistance in Ghana. More recently, the U.S. Development Finance Corporation announced new support for $25 million in financing for micro, small and medium sized enterprises in the agricultural sector in Northern Ghana.

The United States recently announced a $300 million investment in data centres in Africa, including Ghana, and the Export-Import Bank of the United States has also authorised $1.6 billion for infrastructure investments in Africa. We hope to see some of this funding directed to critical infrastructure in Ghana, she added.

Most promising sectors

Ms Palmer said more than 100 U.S. companies and brands are active in the Ghanaian marketplace in most major segments of the economy.

She said those companies had invested in key sectors including energy, mining, agro-processing, ICT, health care, food packaging, consumer goods, among others.

The US Ambassador said: To make Ghana a welcoming environment for this investment, companies are looking for contract sanctity, independent courts, freedom from corruption, regulatory predictability, payment of government arrears and consultation on new localisation and other requirements.

We see exciting opportunities for greater U.S. participation in all of these sectors. Most of the companies visiting Ghana as part of business delegation come from the automotive, ICT and consumer goods sectors. We hope that new partnerships forged during their visit will lead to expanded trade and more economic opportunities for Americans and Ghanaians.

Ghanas comparative advantage

Ms Palmer said Ghana was already a big exporter of cocoa products, apparel, rubber, cassava, nuts and petroleum among others.

She noted for instance that last year, Ghana had a trade surplus with the United States to the tune of $1.8 billion dollars.

The U.S. Ambassador also noted that a potential new opportunity to expand Ghanas exports to the United States was lithium, adding that U.S. companies are interested in investing in Ghana to help develop this new industry.

Ghanas growing digital economy has the potential to increase exports of business and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) services among others. The other big opportunity to grow services trade is tourism.

Americans are now Ghanas largest group of international visitors. Ghana has the potential to attract even more visitors with strategic investments in tourism infrastructure.

On what measures Ghana could take to enhance trade and investment between the United States and Ghana, she said the most important thing Ghana could do to increase trade and investment was to support a favourable and predictable business environment.

This is fundamental to attracting new U.S. investment in Ghana and improving economic prosperity in the long-term.

The world of potential investors is small, and they talk to one another. When U.S. companies thrive, they spread the word  leading to new companies entering the market. Its a virtuous cycle.

The same holds true when the business environment deteriorates  giving companies pause on entering the market or forcing them to seek alternative destinations for their business and investment, she added.

Ms Palmer said: We want American companies to choose Ghana, and to this end we encourage the Government of Ghana to support policies that attract investment, like balanced localisation requirements, streamlined import/export processes, respect for contract sanctity and respect for human rights.

These are the types of issues raised in the U.S. Governments National Trade Estimate report  and, when appropriately addressed, can drive new trading relationships.
Nigerias eNaira, one year after

Graphic Business Business News Aug - 15 - 2023 , 02:31

Nigerias eNaira was the first Central Bank Digital Currency in Africa and only the second in the world when it launched in October 2021, but a growing number of countries across the globe are now planning to follow suit with their own CBDCs.

What can they learn from Nigerias experience? Jookyung Ree is an economist in the IMF African Department and assigned to Nigeria when the CBDC was introduced.

Ree has since studied its impact on the economy and found that existing mobile money networks are proving a challenge to the eNairas adoptability.

In this podcast with Bruce Edwards (BE), Jack Ree (JR) says the eNaira will need to complement mobile money systems to convince more Nigerians to use it.

(BE):Nigeria's eNaira was one of the first of a growing number of central banks wanting to launch their own, but what do Central Bank Digital Currencies or CBDCs actually bring to the table?

(JR):From the customer's point of view, the utility that the existing mobile money provides is very similar to the utility that CBDCs can potentially provide, and there are already like 25 mobile money operators... So somehow the CBDC might not mean a game-changing value edition.

(BE):In today's program, what we can learn from Nigeria's CBDC experience and how its Central Bank might convince more Nigerians to use it.

(JR):The next two, three years will be very important. They will need to make the right strategy in terms of setting relationships with mobile money, so that either compliment or substitute. Probably in Nigeria's case it's going to be a complimentary model that makes sense.

(JR). I'm an Economist working for the African department. Currently working on Zambia, but my previous assignment was in Nigeria.

(BE):Jack Ree is also the author of a research paper called, Nigeria's eNaira, One Year After. Check it out at imf.org.So Nigeria was the first on the continent or the African continent and only the second in the world to launch a CBDC or Central Bank Digital Currency. Why would it choose to do that? I mean with all the other challenges the country faces, why did the government make this a priority?

(JR):That's a very interesting question. I think that certainly there has been some political backing because the former president, Mr. Buhari, himself was quite interested in doing something digital, and Nigeria being seen as the champion of some sort of innovative digital revolution in Africa.

So probably that's one of the political drives that is coming from that front, but that's speculative. So based on the central bank's own account of their motivation, essentially three big reasons.

The first motivation is financial inclusion, which is not really much of a problem for many of the advanced central banks. For example, Bank of England recently did quite deep research on whether or not to do a CBDC on its own. And for Bank of England financial inclusion is not much of a problem.

But in Nigeria a lot of people don't have bank accounts. It's a big country, populous country, 38 million adults don't have a bank account, which is almost 40% of total of their population.

(BE):38 million adults don't have bank accounts?

(JR):Right. So that's quite large. But Nigeria is one of the most advanced countries in Sub-Saharan Africa in terms of mobile phone penetration. So most people just have not fancy iPhones, but the simple fold-up phones or feature phones, everybody carries.

So the gap between digital penetration and banking sector penetration basically makes people think that if we make all the financial access digital, probably we can just do a very quick and large fix to this financial inclusion gap. So that was one reason. And the other reason is remittances.

Nigeria is one of the largest remittance recipient countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Before pandemic, the size of the annual remittance that Nigeria alone has received was close to 25 billion dollars per year.

That's a lot of money, but since the pandemic, for a lot of reasons, the remittances really fell down quite dramatically and it never recovered to the pre-pandemic level.

And then along with many other developing countries, they thought that making remittances cheaper may be the way to go. Currently, for remittance through the, what's called, International Money Transfer Operators, IMTOs like Western Union, typically costs like seven to 8% margin in every dollar you send.

And with the CBDC you can, in theory, bring down that close to zero. So that was another big reason.

Third reason is the presence of large underground or informal economy in Nigeria.

So the size of the informal economy in terms of employment is almost 80% in Nigeria because all our people in non-urban areas, they're all sort of informal.

So informal economy means that a lot of money are going outside the banking system and not really tracked and really not captured by the tax net either.

So CBDC like the model that Nigeria use, it's so called account-based, which is different from crypto coins like Bitcoin, which is untraceable.

The account-based CBDC should be, in theory, fully traceable if there is a need for some sort of tax audit and stuff. So that's another motivation.

(BE):So your research is a bit of a stock-taking on this CBDC that was launched now in, what year was it launched?

(JR):That was 2021. October, I think. Yes.

(BE):And you started doing your research about a year after it was launched?

(JR):Yes.

(BE):Looking at how effective it was. So how have Nigerians accepted the CBDC? Are they using it to the extent that they were hoping or at least that the government was hoping that they would or the central bank was hoping that they would use it?

(JR):That's a mixed bag because first of all, it's very difficult to get any statistics or data on CBDC usage. So I was very privileged to have the courtesy of the central bank to share the data, very granular data with me. But the data essentially says that after one year the number of wallets... CBDC has to be downloaded as a wallet in your phone, like an app. And the number of downloads was less than 1 million, something like 860,000 as of end of November.

That's the last data point that you got. That- compared to Nigeria's huge population, it's like less than 1% of the total number of bank accounts. So that's fairly small, fairly modest, if I may say.

And what is a little bit more somewhat disappointing was a slowness in terms of the usage because a lot of wallets that has been downloaded, well, not actually used, they were remain in the state of dormancy. My paper found that about 98.5% of the total wallets that has been downloaded was not used more than once-

(BE):Wow.

(JR):... For any given week. So that's fairly low. But I would say that it was not really a big disappointment for the authorities because the central bank from the beginning said that we are actually providing ourselves as the Guinea pig to the rest of the world.

We are the only adopter, we're going to do this very cautiously. So they always say that they were going to take a baby step approach.

(BE):So adopting has not gone well, but over the course of the year or since it was launched, it's been very stable? There haven't been any crises in terms of it crashing or the infrastructure seems to have worked?

(JR):That's a very interesting, important question. In fact, because there are other central banks in the Caribbean region that had outages several months after launching their own CBDC. And if that happens, there's just the credibility and trust of the new system will go down the hill. And that didn't happen in Nigeria. So in fact, it's quite laudable that the system, even though that adapted very sophisticated and experimental technology like distributed ledger blockchain, all these things, it showed operational resilience and they were able to establish 24/7 continued operation without disruption for at least one full year and up to now.

(BE):That's interesting. So CBDC is new to Nigerians, but mobile money is not, they've been using mobile money for many years now and mobile money seems to have been taking care of a lot of the inefficiencies of- Jack Ree:Definitely.

(BE):... Paper currency. How do CBDCs or how can CBDCs complement the mobile money network and how successful has it been at doing that?

(JR): So the big discussion that goes beyond just the case of Nigeria is the relationship between existing private digital money. Typically, it's going to be mobile money because mobile money has been very successful across the continent. Outside Africa the most probably successful, for example, would be India.

But here as it's been very successful and it has been really leading digitalization of finance, digitalization of the economy and so on. And given that background, whether CBDC at the retail level is actually needed, is going to be redundant, is going to be irrelevant, doesn't really have space to grow or the only thing that is going to do is to just crowd out the private sector in terms of the same use cases...

So whether we would want to go down the route or not is something that is still being debated.And the debate is much larger than my own paper and it is debated in within the IMF, within BIS, many circles now. But what I can say is that there are two models. One is the substitution model where CBDC essentially competes with the mobile money. I think that approach can make sense in some countries where mobile money is extremely monopolized by maybe just one company.

An example could be Kenya where M-PESA is like a 99.9% of the market. And that kind of monopoly is very going to be very difficult even for the supervisor, not only from the antitrust point of view, but also from financial supervision point of they become just too powerful to be regulated. So that could be a problem and maybe the public sector can be the only way to bring some sort of competition into the market.

So I understand some African countries are considering the usefulness of the CBDC in that perspective. But in the case of Nigeria, in fact, mobile money market is not very active as in case of Ghana or Kenya due to existence of too many mobile money... and markets is very fragmented.

And just interoperability between different mobile money is very costly. So in that kind of case it probably makes sense for CBDC to become a complimentary element of the mobile money.

So both things working together in an integrated wallet. So if you have say MTM mobile money and that is integrated with the eNaira so that if you walk into the shop and if the shop doesn't receive MTM money but some other, you can still use your backup line which is CBDC, that would make more sense in terms of complementary, I think, in markets like Nigeria.

(BE):But what would be the incentive for the mobile money provider to work with the central bank? What's in it for them?

(JR):That's an excellent question. So maybe the traditional way of central banks in dealing with the integrating central bank system with the private sector providers is through regulation.

So just forcing them to somehow implement their interoperability or at least link their mobile money wallets with the CBDs wallet is one way.

But then there is also a business case for both the central bank and mobile money can win because in countries like Nigeria where mobile money, there are like 25, 26 mobile money operators-



(BE):Wow, that's a lot.

(JR):That's a lot. And so it's very difficult for any single mobile money operator to be dominant.

And if you're not dominant, the consumers will always be divided into various other mobile money and that makes the universal usage over your mobile money very difficult. So if your mobile money product is integrated with

CBDC, and CBDC is more likely to be accepted by other merchants, that increases the motivation for people to actually get mobile money wallet itself.

So for mobile money to increase its own penetration in the public, a regulation like this for them, to mandate them to integrate- link it to the CBDCs might actually be a good thing for them to enhance the attractiveness of the mobile money to the consumers.

(BE):You talked about remittances earlier, which are important to Nigeria as they are in many countries, representing more than 5% of GDP in Nigeria. How do or should CBDC help people send money back home?

(JR):In theory, in an ideal world, CBDC is going to... Kind of a direct arrangement between the last mile customer, retail customer and at the central bank without any intermediary.

So if what is called a multi-CBDC system, which is actually being experimented by a number of central banks at the moment, including South African Central Bank and Singapore, several countries group together and they basically create some sort of distributed ledger or centralized database system that is not just single currency but multiple currencies.

And these multiple currencies will be me buying, say South African Rand using a Singapore dollar will be recorded in a single ledger. So single recording and single ledger means that all the transactions is going to be settled instantaneously.

So that's what's called atomic settlement, meaning that it's instantaneous, meaning that there is no time gap between trading and settlement.

And also simultaneous, meaning that all legs of those transactions, like in the foreign exchange transactions in the example that we said before, Singapore dollar lag and the rand lag will be settled at the same time without any sequentiality.

(BE):So there's no intermediary banking?

(JR):No intermediary and most importantly there is going to not involve the banking system. So right now- Bruce Edwards:Fees?

(JR):... All the transactions are done through what is called correspondent banking arrangements, which is very costly and very lengthy. And that takes long time. And that it also restrained by banking holidays on working hours and so on.

But in this ideal world where there's a multi-CBD system, essentially the cost of remittance can go to zero. But that's an ideal world where there is some sort of multilateral solutions.

For example, organizations like IMF and BIS basically lead a global initiative in terms of remittances. But we're a long way to go there because we are not even sure how many countries want to do the CBDC experiment themselves...

(BE):Exactly. And it brings me to my last question actually. So how significant is this eNaira experiment for Sub-Saharan Africa's broader financial system? Will this prompt, do you think, other countries to adopt their own CBDC?

(JR):That's a very interesting question. And in fact that goes much beyond my own papers focus, in Nigeria. I also work as a part of the IMFs African department's CBDC group network and we are conducting a survey of all African countries on where they stand in terms of CBDC plans and what their thinking is, all these things.

So we don't know yet, but I think Nigeria's first year experience really gives mixed signals to the countries.

Positive signal is, in terms of the fact that Nigeria was able to build and maintain that system without the major breakage, which itself is something quite impressive from Sub-Saharan African perspective because everybody would've thought that okay, probably is going to be a dead-on-arrival type of failed experiment and it didn't happen.

(BE):Which it was not.

(RE):Which it was not. So that basically shows that maybe motivate many countries and maybe give an inspiration to other countries.

Nigeria can do that. Ghana can do that. Or South Africa can do that... kind of sentiment can arise.

But at the same time, Nigeria was not able to still make a breakthrough in terms of mass adoption. So it's still very, very limited adoption there. And to make a breakthrough, the next two, three years will be very important.

They will need to make the right strategy in terms of setting relationship with the mobile money. So that either compliment or substitute, probably in Nigeria's case is going to be a complimentary model that makes sense.

And maximizing the synergies with the digital revolution or digital innovation that is going in the private sector, and then making a breakthrough in terms of remittances.

Nigeria's specific reason why it cannot work in remittances so far is because the official exchange rate has long been controlled, and now if you go to the black market, black market is very easily reachable and very large... transactions in the black market, the spread, until a while ago, has been like 78%.Bruce Edwards:Wow.

(JR):So in terms of a dual exchange rate system. And if your CBDC offers only the official rate- it's hugely penalizing, nobody's going to want to go that route. Everybody's going to just carry US dollars... But then Nigeria made a big move lately in terms of floating the exchange rate. So I think all the signs are quite hopeful and the new government definitely has a good opportunity for them to harness.

(BE):So it's a question of creating incentives. Consumers, users, potential users want to use it because they get some kind of benefit from, whereas it's not all that obvious at this point.Jack Ree:Definitely.

(BE):Jack Ree is a Senior Economist in the African department with the Zambia team. Thank you very much.Jack Ree:Thank you so much, Bruce.Bruce Edwards:You'll find Jack Ree's working paper on the eNaira One Year After at imf.org.And you can hear more IMF podcasts on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or wherever you listen. You can also follow us on Twitter at IMF_Podcast

I'm Bruce Edwards, thanks for listening.
West Africa Economic Outlook 2023: Recent macroeconomic trends and prospects (2)

Africa Development Bank Business News Aug - 15 - 2023 , 02:35

In general, the policy direction that needs to be pursued to sustainably address external sector exposure should be around expanding the export base (away from primary to secondary commodities through domestic value addition); mineral resource beneficiation to retain employment opportunities locally as mineral exports out of the region are mostly done in raw forms; diversifying export destinations, among others steps, by enhancing regional integration; and improving domestic resource mobilization and consolidation of public finance to bridge the saving investment gap.

Fiscal imbalances are major drivers of external imbalances in many countries in the region.

Boosting private finance for climate and green growth. As the world faces the urgent challenge of climate change and the depletion of its natural resources, there is a growing imperative for businesses and governments to act toward sustainable and green growth.

West Africa has enormous potential to achieve green growth, green industrialization being the most obvious pathway.

Besides, the rationale for green growth across the region is quite comprehensive: climate change impacts and risks, natural capital depletion, poverty and food insecurity, as well as limited employment creation and many capital-intensive enclaves.

West Africa ranks amongst the most vulnerable regions to climate change and environmental hazards in the world. In fact, out of the fifteen countries that make up the ECOWAS/West African region, four (Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Liberia, and Niger) are ranked among the ten most vulnerable countries to climate change and environmental hazards in the world.

This high level of vulnerability has been worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic and other epidemics like Ebola that have affected various countries in the region.

With the region hosting a third of the population of the entire African continent, the economic and livelihoods conditions of a large part of the African population are at stake.

The West African region is also notorious for developmental challenges such as recurrent power outages, poor transport and health infrastructure, skills deficiencies, trade, and tariff barriers as well as high rates of unemployment, especially among its youthful population.

All these challenges make the transition to green growth economies an imperative for the West African region.

Also, West African countries that have made considerable strides in attaining green growth such as Cote dIvoire, Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal are more resilient to the adversities of climate change since green growth is positively correlated to climate change resilience outcomes.

Investing in green growth is the best pathway for West African countries seeking to build resilience and achieve the SDGs.

However, the path towards a green transition in the context of the triple crises of COVID-19, climate change, and the war in Ukraine, presents a significant challenge for many countries across the continent.

For West Africa, a mix of policy interventions should be considered to accelerate the regions economic growth amid the existing and emerging shocks, boost private sector financing for climate and green growth, and harness natural capital as a complementary financing option for climate and green growth.

Finance is critical to West African countries transition to green growth, although the region is still very much reliant on public sector finance which is insufficient.

The need for private sector financing has become very imperative in the region. Financing flows for climate action in West Africa reached an average of $7.9 billion in 2019/2020. Public finance in West Africa ($6.8 billion, or 87 percent of the total) was on average more than six times the private finance ($1.03 billion, or 13 percent).

West Africa collectively require an estimated USD 36.3 billion per year over the period between 2020 and 2030 to implement their current NDCs.

That is a total of around $400 billion for the entire period. Hence, the annual climate financial gap is estimated at 28.5 billion.

Private sector financing is now key to achieving green growth across Africa in general and West Africa in particular.

By 2030, West African countries are expected to have several billion dollars worth of investment opportunities arising from climate change.

A significant portion of this investment is projected to be sourced from private sector financing, which will complement public sector financing efforts.

To boost private sector financing for climate and green growth, innovative private sector finance instruments and mechanisms should be at the heart of the green growth and climate change finance agenda in West Africa.

Unlocking private sector finance will require the region to engage with emerging innovative financing instruments and direct private climate finance towards sectors and regions that not only generate the lowest risks and highest returns for private sector investors, but also the greatest impact for green growth outcomes.

Harnessing natural capital as a complementary financing option for climate and green growth.

West Africa is blessed with huge natural capital including crude oil, natural gas, minerals, forests

and wildlife.

It hosts Guinean forests, one of Africas eight global biodiversity hotspots.

Three of its countries, Nigeria, Niger and Ghana are listed amongst the top ten African countries with the best natural resources.

Senegal and Burkina Faso are located in the Sudano-Sahelian zone and, therefore, are relatively rich in natural resources.

As a region, West Africa is endowed with underexplored mineral resources, especially in Burkina Faso and Cote dIvoire, which are the least-explored countries within the Birimian Greenstone Gold Belt which stretches across Ghana, Cote dIvoire, Guinea, Mali, and Burkina Faso .

However, the exploitation and mismanagement of these resources have also contributed to political instability, corruption, and poverty in many countries in the region. Dependence on natural resources has also led to a lack of economic diversification, making the region vulnerable to fluctuations in global commodity prices.

To address these challenges, West African governments need to employ effective natural resource policies and instruments to finance sustainable and green economic growth in the region.

This includes utilizing optimal fiscal instruments to maximize resource rents; controlling illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and curbing the high rate of deforestation; building robust negotiation capacity and expertise; and building transparent and accountable institutions to govern their resources and guard against corruption, illicit trade, and illicit financial flows.

In this regard, West Africa can utilize various policy measures to effectively shift towards a development Model driven by natural capita.

The region will need a combination of policy actions encompassing the following: (i) investments in data collection for improved valuation, (ii) implementation of natural capital accounting to keep track of the most important stocks of natural capital, (iii) serious implementation of a range of fiscal instruments on both renewable and non-renewable resources; (iv) investments in the capacity, technology, approaches and tools needed to benefit from best practices in exploration and licensing initiatives, and international agreements; and (v) deep institutional reforms to reduce illicit financial flows and corruption, improve transparency and implement best practices when it comes to natural resource governance.
Around the time of the film's release, director Greta Gerwig told the New York Times that it was supposed to be "funny" and that her hope for the movie was for society to "let go of the things that aren't necessarily serving us as either women or men".
How pins, cowries, others were removed from my body after a spiritual attack  Chinwetalu Agu reveals

MyNigeria.com Showbiz News Aug - 15 - 2023 , 12:30

Veteran Nollywood actor, Chinwetalu Agu, reveals how several objects were removed from his body after he suffered a spiritual attack.

Chinwetalu Agu shared this in a recent interview with media personality, Chude Jideonwo, while speaking on how he was struck with a mysterious ailment.

Recall that in May 2022, the 67-year-old actor took to social media to display the bizarre items he claimed a prophet removed from his body.

Among the items displayed by Chinwetalu Agu were cowries, sea stones, pins, keys, bullets, and shattered mirrors.

Shedding more light on the incident, Chinwetalu Agu said his body started shrinking and many thought he was dying. However, when he visited the clergyman, he pulled out the weird objects from his body.

According to him, he expresses gratitude to God daily for saving him from the near-death experience.

Chinwetalu Agu words, People were looking at me as if I was dying, I was shrinking. These were deadly arrows. Pins were there, cowries were there, sea stones, fetish substance. Inside my body. And theyd scratch me, Ill scratch.

Then Ill go to Prophet Ugo who is somewheretheres a place called Maryland area, he has his office there. Hes a man Ill call my man. We all have seen this world from peculiar angles where your enemy, personal enemy, family enemy, would just use medicine. In Yoruba you call juju. You wont know when they enter your body. But when you know is when they begin to scratch you, to give you hell, that is to pain you as if youll die the next moment, you know.

But if you go to Prophet Ugo, he will bring his holy oil to treat you. If you say its here, hell bring the oil, rub here, rub it this way, and hold and feel it. If he feels the pin in your body, hell pull it. My place is not that far. But you saw the picture on Instagram. Otherwise, Id have gone to bring them. Theyre still there fresh. Im keeping all of them for D-day. When Ill say, God, let me go and give special thanks to you. Ive been thanking God every morning is my prayer, but this one Im going to do it for God.

Even many who were vast in using medicine to kill fellow human beings, they saw me when I survived some of their attempts and they marveled.

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I charge 200 cedis a month for boarding fees in my school- Lil Win

Jessica Love Otoo Showbiz News Aug - 15 - 2023 , 13:38

Popular Ghanaian actor, Kwadwo Nkansah widely known as Lil Win has disclosed that he charges GHC 200 as boarding fees a month at his Great Minds International School located in Kumasi.

Making the disclosure on his Youtube channel, Kwadwo Nkansah TV recently, the comic actor said he took the decision to help reduce the burden of the high cost of education that has been a major challenge for many parents.

Lil Win noted that there were too many families struggling to provide quality education for their children due to high fees charges, and so he implemented the new policy to provide quality and affordable education for the needy but intelligent students.

Fees are so high in various schools and yet, they are not providing any quality education to reflect the huge monies they are taking.

Some of these institutions are just taking advantage just because the school is situated in Kumasi. There are those who attend school in Kumasi yet they have nothing to show for while others attend school in a remote village yet have come far in life.

My school, Great Minds is not in competition with any school so we are managing the school within our means. As you can see, the school is progressing with the second batch of Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) students graduating last Friday.

The only challenge at the moment is that we dont have enough buses but we are working on it to ease the movement of students from the various townships to town, Lil Win stated.

Last week Friday, August 11, Lil Win said prayers for his students who wrote this years B.E.C.E in a post on Facebook to congratulate them.

#greatminds Congratulations to my 2nd Batch

Adom Nhyira mo.. Its my prayer God Protect you all

We proud of you . Great minds loves you all

Thanks to the school management and teachers. #wezzyempire #greatminds, he posted.

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Ministry of the Future (MOF) CEO and team visit the ambassador of Suriname

Graphic Showbiz Showbiz News Aug - 14 - 2023 , 14:02

Dr. Maulana Maulana, the founder of Ministry of Future (MOF), a nonprofit organisation championing the wellbeing of people of Black descent, has paid a courtesy call on H. E. Fedelia Graan-Galon, the Suriname ambassador to Ghana in Accra recently.

The visit afforded both parties the opportunity to dialogue on relevant issues particularly on how black diasporans will build a strong relationship with Africans.

The conversation also centered on the need to encourage African Descendants of the Trans - Atlantic Slave Trade) to return to their roots.

In his submission, Dr. Maulana Maulana highlighted Surinames importance in the history of Trans - Atlantic Slave Trade.

Dr. Maulana Maulana cited a documentary by four African American scientists of the Anthropology Department of an American University who travelled deep into the Interior of Surinam, and discovered an African ethnic/tribal group, named Maroon Djuka, that had freed themselves from the Dutch African Slave Trade, nearly, 500 years ago.

Suriname is a small country on the northeastern coast of South America. It's defined by vast swaths of tropical rainforest, Dutch colonial architecture and a melting-pot culture.

Till date, the Maroon group who are thought to have their roots in Ghana still speak the Akan language and practice its culture even after 500 years.

The said meeting was facilitated by journalist, Mr. Frank Owusu Kojo Asiamah, who made the request after interviewing the latter about the slave trade earlier this year.

The meeting forms part of MOFs commitments to build and maintain a cordial relationship between African descendants of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade; and, also, to help Ghana and Suriname develop strong ties going forward.

As such, MOF will be working closely with the Suriname Government to bring down Suriname citizens who want to acquaint themselves with the rich cultural heritage of Africans and to identify with their roots.
Festina Lente, ECOWAS!

Rodney Nkrumah-Boateng Opinion Aug - 15 - 2023 , 10:19

In post-colonial Africa, particularly in West Africa, military coups have featured prominently, starting with the first of the sub-region taking place in 1963 in Togo.

Prior to that was a coup in Sudan in 1958, perhaps the first on the continent.

In West Africa, Ghana and Nigeria top the chart, with 10 each of coups and attempted coups.

Niger situation

Last month, the coup pandemic of recent years spread to Niger, resulting in the removal from office of President Mohamed Bazoum.

The sub-regional body, ECOWAS, is sufficiently irritated to talk about a military intervention to remove the new military junta and restore Bazoum and the constitutional order.

They are backed by former colonial power France, which has huge vested interests in the countrys huge uranium deposits for the purposes of its nuclear programme, and therefore, would want to move heaven and earth to protect those interests.

But the soldiers are not taking it lying down and have effectively threatened fire and brimstone should ECOWAS carry out its word.

According to reports, Nigers junta has told a top US diplomat that they would kill deposed President Mohamed Bazoum if neighbouring countries attempted any military intervention to restore his rule.

The military leaders of Burkina Faso and Mali have vowed to join their colleagues in Niger if ECOWAS dares to invade.

Algeria, Nigers northwestern neighbour, has stated that any invasion of Niger would be seen as a direct threat to the country.

It may well join the fray if the tanks roll into Niger.

Interestingly, all the Burkinabe, Malian and Nigerien military juntas, riding high on anti-French sentiment for fully understandable reasons, have cast their eyes eastwards towards Russia for a new romantic dalliance.

Moscow is not being shy or coy over this new love, especially when Niger has rich uranium deposits.

Were war to break out, it is obvious that Niger would simply emerge as a theatre for a proxy war between east and west  a sense of harking back to the Cold War of the 1960s all over again, when the USA and the then USSR viciously fought for a foothold on the African continent by propping up certain regimes and destabilising others.

Once again, Africa would simply end up as a pawn.

ECOWAS dimension

ECOWAS sabre-rattling aimed at the Niger junta demonstrates a certain nervous determination to nip the coup epidemic in the sub-region in its bud and prevent the contagion from spreading, and not without an eye on the self-interests of the member states.

After all, as our elders say, if your neighbours beard is on fire, you fetch a bucket of water, just in case.

The irony is that in some of the ECOWAS states, the leaders are in place due to what one may call a constitutional coup.

On the other hand, the military regimes in Mali and Burkina Faso are keen not to stand by and watch their fellow military government removed, because after all, the bell could toll for them next if ECOWAS enjoys success in Niger.

Again, the elders saying about ones neigbours beard and a bucket of water comes to mind.

France, the US and Russia are all keen on restoring the status quo or creating a new order purely for their national interests and it appears they are determined to push as far as they can towards this, probably from behind the scenes, as France and the US may not want to be seen as external aggressors.

All along, therefore, self-interest seems to be the fundamental undercurrent in this potentially explosive saga.

I do not think military intervention is a viable or sensible option for ECOWAS.

The cost of a war would not sit kindly on the fragile economies of member states, even if western support props them up.

I do not think public opinion across the subregion is in favour of such a move.

Already, the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), for instance, has stated its opposition to the sanctions imposed on Niger by ECOWAS following the coup in the country.

Reality of war

In any event, I am not sure the conditions that engendered the ECOMOG intervention in Liberia and Sierra Leone exist at present in Niger to justify military action.

With an invasion, there is the risk of getting bogged down in a convoluted process and finding it difficult to extricate, especially if the junta carries out its threat to execute former President Bazoum.

Wars are ugly, messy and unpredictable in their outcomes.

The humanitarian cost is incalculable, and in West Africa, we could end up with a refugee crisis in the event of a war in Niger.

Is ECOWAS prepared for a possible long haul? At what cost, financially and in human terms?

Can the public mood sustain the television images of the harsh reality of war in our backyard without electoral or other political consequences in the subregion?

Giving dialogue a chance

The recent news that ECOWAS had appointed Nigerias former military head of state, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, to lead a delegation to Niger for mediation, accompanied by the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Abubakar, is great news.

I believe it is the hope of many that a peaceful resolution will be pursued to break the impasse and get the junta to agree to a timetable for the return to constitutional rule.

As our beloved, if slightly eccentric late Latin Tutor at Opoku Ware School, Mr. Acheampong (aka Latus) taught us back in the day, festina lente, which is to say, hasten slowly.

Let ECOWAS listen to Latus.

Rodney Nkrumah-Boateng,

Head, Communications & Public Affairs Unit,

Ministry of Energy,

Accra.
India prioritizes global cooperation as the President of the G-20

Ambassador (Retd.) Asoke Mukerji Opinion Aug - 15 - 2023 , 03:58

On 1 December 2022, India assumed the Presidency of the Group of 20 (G-20). The G-20 represents 19 major economies and the European Union, comprising 85% of global GDP, over 75% of global trade, and about two-thirds of the global population.

The theme of Indias G-20 Presidency is One Earth, One Family, One Future, also encapsulated in Sanskrit by the phrase Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. Indias holistic interdependent approach to global issues emphasizes effective and equitable global cooperation. By the time the G-20 Summit is held in India on 9-10 September 2023, about 200 meetings of the G-20 would have been hosted in over 50 cities in India to carry forward the G-20 work plan across 32 different work streams. This provides a large canvas for global cooperation.

Indias six declared priorities as the G-20 President are: climate change including climate action; inclusive and resilient growth; acceleration of progress on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); technological transformation and digital public infrastructure; women-led development; and reformed multilateralism.

Indias endeavour is to make G-20 activities human-centric, with G-20 meetings held in India so far emphasising the participation of all relevant stakeholders, including large numbers of youth. The G-20 Bali Summit held in November 2022 reiterated that the G-20 remains the premier forum for global economic cooperation. Indias Presidency of the G-20 has consciously focused on greater global cooperation within this economic framework.

The main challenges for global cooperation today come from the impact of armed conflicts and unprecedented disruptions like the Covid-19 pandemic on socio-economic development. Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represents the only universal framework for global socio-economic development. Two statistics illustrate the current grave human-centric dimension of the challenges facing Agenda 2030.

According to the UN, about 60 million people world-wide were victims of armed conflicts when Agenda 2030 was adopted unanimously in September 2015. By 2022, that figure has risen sharply to 324 million people. In 2015, according to the World Bank, about 700 million people, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, were living below the poverty line. By 2022, about 685 people across the world were below the poverty line, with as many as 150 million, mainly in developing countries, pulled below the poverty line by the Covid-19 pandemic. The report underlined that global inequality had risen for the first time in decades, with income losses of the worlds poorest people being twice as high as income losses of the worlds richest people.

In response, the priority for Indias G-20 Presidency has been to revive the momentum of global cooperation needed to achieve Agenda 2030 by its deadline of 31 December 2030. The identified SDGs subsume the six priorities identified by India during its Presidency. In the six areas that India has identified as its priorities, national initiatives taken by India have been shared with other G-20 countries, especially developing countries. Indias credentials for pushing greater global cooperation within the G-20 has strong foundations.

Climate Change : The Climate Change pillar has been influenced significantly by Indias initiative to champion Climate Action. Two landmark proposals are adapting global Lifestyles for Environment (LiFE), and using renewable solar energy for development. The joint India-France proposal on harnessing solar energy, made during the 2015 Paris Conference of Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change has resulted in the creation of a new multilateral intergovernmental organization based in India, the International Solar Alliance (ISA). Today, about 120 countries are members of the ISA, which aims to mobilize US$ 1,000 billion in investments in solar energy solutions by 2030, delivering energy access to 1,000 million people using clean energy solutions and resulting in the installation of 1,000 GW of solar energy capacity. During its G-20 Presidency, India has focused on the need for G-20 developed country members to contribute both financially and through non-restrictive transfers of environmentally friendly technologies to enhance the national capacities of developing countries to meet global environmental targets.

Inclusive Growth : Indias flagship initiative for a global Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) made at the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit anchors the growing emphasis within the G-20 on the need to sustain economic growth and build resilient supply chains, particularly after the Covid-19 pandemic and a series of natural disasters attributed to climate change. By developing standards and regulations to make infrastructure resilient in confronting disaster and climate risks, the CDRI seeks to expand a multiple stakeholder approach to sustain growth through a two-way knowledge transfer between developed and developing countries. India, which hosts the CDRI Secretariat, is currently the single largest financial contributor to this initiative.

Sustainable Development : To assist developing countries to meet their national targets to implement Agenda 2030 and its SDGs, India and the UN created the India-UN Development Partnership Fund in 2017. With committed financial support of $150 million from India, the Fund has prioritized development projects in least-developed countries, landlocked-developing countries, and small island developing states. So far, 36 projects in 37 partner countries have been processed by the Fund.

Technological Transformation : Indias successful experience in using digital technologies for governance and empowerment to accelerate development through a whole of society approach has made it a credible thought-leader in this area during its G-20 Presidency. In partnership with the UNDP, India has hosted a series of G-20 discussions to position India as a global hub for using open and interoperable standards to create a human-centric digital public infrastructure with lower implementation costs, especially for developing countries.

Womens Empowerment : India has prioritized womens digital and financial inclusion through the use of digital technology. The current focus of G-20 meetings being held in India in this sphere includes effective outreach on education for women, greater participation by women in the workforce, larger representation of women in leadership positions, and the continued narrowing of the identified gaps on gender equality.

Reformed Multilateralism : The Preamble of Agenda 2030 underscored that there can be no sustainable development without peace and no peace without sustainable development. India has taken the lead to implement this by pointing out that this is not an era of war. However, the ineffectiveness of existing multilateral institutions to ensure peace, security and development has highlighted calls for reformed multilateralism. The G-20 will need to give a major push to reform multilateral institutions like the UN and its Security Council, responsible under the UN Charter for maintaining international peace and security (where reforms mandated unanimously by world leaders in 2005 continue to be blocked by the five permanent members of the Security Council); the International Monetary Fund/World Bank, mandated by their Articles of Agreement to ensure global financial coordination for international reconstruction and development (where IMF quota and governance reforms agreed to in 2010 remain unimplemented till now due to delaying tactics by developed countries); and the World Trade Organization, created to ensure the primacy of multilaterally agreed trade rules based on non-discrimination (where reforms to enhance the organizations integrity and effectiveness are being exploited since 2016 by the growing recourse of developed countries to unilateralism and protectionism).

When India assumed the Presidency of the G-20 at the November 2022 Bali Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that Indias G-20 priorities will be shaped in consultation with not just our G-20 partners, but also our fellow-travellers in the Global South, whose voice often goes unheard. On 12-13 January 2023, India hosted a virtual Voice of the Global South for Human-centric Development Summit. A measure of the importance of Indias initiative can be gauged from the fact that 125 countries responded to this initiative, including 47 from Africa, 31 from Asia, 29 from Latin America and the Caribbean, 11 from Oceania, and 7 from Europe. On 27March 2023, developing countries in the UN voted overwhelmingly to adopt are solution opposing unilateral sanctions due to their extra-territorial nature and adverse impact on the right to development.

The deliberations of the G-20 under Indias Presidency will be carried forward through two processes. Within the G-20, three major developing countries (India, Brazil, and South Africa) will lead the G-20 during 2023-2025 creating a three-year window for implementing the priorities of the Global South. Outside the G-20, ongoing processes for enhancing international cooperation will come to a head with the UNs SDG Summit in September 2023, followed by the UNs Summit of the Future in 2024. These Summits are expected to result in the call for a General Conference to review the UN Charter, as recommended in April 2023 by the UN Secretary-Generals High-Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism, to coincide with the UNs 80th anniversary Summit in 2025.

This represents a golden opportunity for Indias G-20 Presidency in consolidating a human-centric sustainable development paradigm, which will restore popular support for the principle of international cooperation upholding the functioning of the world as one family.

[Ambassador (Retd.) Asoke Mukerji is Distinguished Fellow, Vivekananda International Foundation, New Delhi.]
India's pharmaceutical industry

Graphic.com.gh Opinion Aug - 15 - 2023 , 03:01

India plays an important role in the global pharmaceuticals and vaccine industry. It is the largest provider of generic medicines globally. The country has a share of 20% in the global supply volume and contributes to around 60% of the global vaccines. India ranks third in the world in terms of volume and is the fourteenth largest in terms of value. Key segments of the Indian pharmaceutical industry are OTC medicines, Generics, APIs, Vaccines, Biosimilars, and Custom Research Manufacturing (CRM).

India is the world leader in supplying vaccines like DPT, BCG, and Measles. It also has the highest number of US FDA-approved plants outside of USA. The key USP of the Indian Pharmaceutical Industry is affordable price and high quality and because of this, India is also sometimes called the Pharmacy of the World. The total annual turnover of the industry was US$ 41.68 billion in 2021-22. One of the major achievements of the Indian Pharma Industry is access to affordable HIV drugs. Additionally, India is one of the largest suppliers of low-cost vaccines to the world.

India majorly exports drug formulations & biologicals, and these products contribute to about 75% of the total pharmaceuticals exports out of India.

Export Trend

Indias share of pharmaceuticals and drugs in the global market is 5.92%. Formulations and Biologics constituted the major portion of Indias exports with a share of 73.31% followed by drug intermediates and bulk drugs. During April 2022-February 2023, the exports of drugs and pharmaceuticals stood at US$ 22.9 billion. During 2021-22, the country exported pharma products worth US$ 24.62 billion, while in 2020-21, the exports grew at 18% YoY to US$ 24.4 billion. This robust performance was achieved despite the global supply chain disruptions, lockdowns, and subdued manufacturing.

In February 2023, India exported US$ 2.05 billion worth of drugs and pharmaceuticals, a 4.72% increase from US$ 1.96 billion in February 2022. USA, UK, South Africa, Russia, and Nigeria are Indias top five export destinations. India played a key role during the Covid-19 pandemic and demonstrated its ability to be a consistent and reliable pharma supplier to the world even during time of crisis.

India has the highest number of United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) compliant companies with plants outside of USA. About eight out of 20 global generic companies are from India and over 55% of the exports from the country are to the highly regulated markets. As the country is the biggest vaccine exporter, about 65-70% of the World Health Organization (WHO) vaccine requirements are sourced from India. From April 2022-September 2022, exports of Drugs & Pharmaceuticals stood at US$ 12.72 billion and exports of Medicinal and Pharmaceutical products stood at US$ 4,066.86 million.

Export Destinations

India exports pharmaceutical products to North America, Africa, the EU, ASEAN, Latin America & Caribbean (LAC), Middle East, Asia, CIS, and other European regions. Nearly two-thirds of Indias exports goes to NAFTA, Europe, and Africa. The top five export destinations for Indian Pharma Industry in 2021-22 were the US, UK, South Africa, Russia, and Nigeria.

The US, UK, and Russia are among the largest importers from India at a share of 29%, 3%, and 2.4%, respectively during 2021-22. Indias exports of pharma products to these countries in FY22 were: USA with US$ 7.10 billion, the UK with US$ 704.5 million, South Africa with US$ 612.3 million, Russia with US$ 597.8 million, and Nigeria with US$ 588.6 million. Indias pharma exports to USA in value grew at a CAGR of 6.9% over last three years. Additionally, for UK and Russia, it grew at a CAGR of 3.8%, and 7.2%, respectively over the same period.

As of August 2021, the number of USFDA approved facilities stood at 741. Additionally, the number of ANDAs won by the Indian firms till December 2020 stood at 4,346. USFDA inspections were not conducted during the last couple of years due to the Covid pandemic, however, the inspections have started happening now and are expected to further increase Indian exports to USA.
Inspiring stories of empowering women through Agriculture

Gloria Apprey Life Aug - 14 - 2023 , 14:57

In Techiman, Bono East Region, two women are redefining the narrative of agriculture and exemplifying the strength of female entrepreneurship.

Priscilla Agambilla and Abena Kusiwaa, each with their unique journeys, have risen above challenges to become inspirational figures in their communities.

Priscilla Agabilla: Gari producer on a mission

A single mother and a former nursing student, Priscilla Agambilla, found herself at a crossroads when she had to drop out of the Mampong Nursing Training College to care for her ailing son.

Miss Priscilla Agambilla roasts gari to finance for her education and fend for family

Determined to support her family and fund her return to school, she embraced the idea of cassava processing and ventured

into producing gari.

Her efforts yielded impressive results as she established her business and began gaining a monthly profit of GH1,000. The quality of her gari transcended borders, finding its way to homes across the Greater Accra, Ashanti, and the Northern regions.

However, Priscilla's aspirations go beyond this success, and she dreams of expanding her business further.

Miss Agambilla sells an olonka (about 1.5 kilogrammes) of gari for GH22

Despite receiving support from a pastor cum farmer, Rev. Evans Kyere-Mensah, who has been instrumental in empowering young agriculturalists, Priscilla faces challenges in meeting the demands of a growing enterprise.

The scarcity of vehicles and the rising transportation costs hamper her ability to procure fresh cassava from the farms. Nevertheless, her drive remains unshaken, and she strives to overcome these obstacles to achieve her dreams.

When asked about pricing, the gari processor said a bucket, which weighed between 70 to 120 kilogrammes, sold for GH220 and an olonka, which weighed about 1.5 kilogrammes, sold for GH22.

Abena Kusiwaa: cultivating success through pepper farming

Similarly, a 29-year-old diploma graduate and an Agriculture Extension Officer with the Ghana Cocoa Board at Techiman, Abena Kusiwaa, has imprinted her path in the world of large-scale pepper farming in Tanoso-Techiman.

Despite the hardships she faced during her childhood, Abena's spirit refused to be daunted, and she traded whatever she could find to forge ahead.

Miss Kusiwaa on her pepper farm

Now pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture Business Management at the Methodist University College at

Wenchi, Bono East Region, Abena's dedication to farming is a testament to her resilience.

With the support of Rev. Kyere Mensah, she has not only received crucial financial assistancebut also valuable guidance in effective cultivation practices.

According to her, the pepper takes about three months to grow and should be watered thrice a week or every two weeks depending on the crops needs.

The farmer said typically, a 53- kilogramme sack of pepper, known locally as kotoku, goes for GH900. However, because

prices were determined by the market women who bought on a wholesale basis, this could reduce to GH700.

Miss Abena Kusiwaa operates her pepper farm at Techiman, Bono East Region

Highlighting the significance of timely cultivation during the rainy season, Abena ensures that her peppers flourish and fetch higher prices.

However, she deals with challenges, such as the cost of fertilisers, irrigation, and hiring labourers, which impact her overall income.

In addition to the cost of fertiliser and irrigation, the market women also buy the pepper on credit but now, I have found ways of selling the product on the market myself.

Miss Kusiwaa rides her motorbike to and from her farm

She also dreams of the day when the government will connect the Tano River in Techiman to their farms, easing their reliance on distant water sources or unpredictable rainfall.

Rev. Evans Kyere-Mensah: Empowering the future of agriculture

The Chief Executive Officer of Agricimpact Ghana Limited and Agricwealth Ghana, Rev. Evans Kyere-Mensah, stands as a guiding force behind these inspiring women.

Mr Evans Kyere Mensah, Chief Excutive Officer of AgricImpact Ghana Limited is a guiding force for these women

Through his mission to change the perception of youth towards agriculture and his dedication to enhancing nutritional and

food security in Africa, Rev. Kyere-Mensah has already trained and supported numerous aspiring farmers.

He is the lead convener of the annual Ghana Youth Agriculture Summit and has initiated projects to train over 200 women in mushroom production within the Bono Region, in collaboration with APEL CIDA-KNUST.

His vision and support have enabled young talents like, Priscilla and Abena, to thrive and he continues to advocate increased funding and access to essential resources for the agricultural sector.

Rev said that his main challenge was with funding and the difficulties in ensuring access to high-quality seeds, fertilisers, and modern farming techniques.

Mr Kyere-Mensah, a farmer and pastor runs his own cassava farm in Techiman

The farmer, who holds a degree in Political Science from the University of Ghana- Legon, Accra, said; Currently, I gratefully receive support from the African Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) and the National Alternative Employment Livelihood

Programme (NAELP) and do appeal to local and international organisations, governments and individuals to unite to support the noble cause because I believe agriculture is the key to the nations economic recovery."

Rev. Kyere-Mensah is married to his wife of 12 years, Dr Mrs Eunice Mintah Kyere-Mensah, a pediatrician with the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi.
College of Basic Applied Sciences students showcase innovation

Yaa Kuffour Senyah Education Aug - 15 - 2023 , 08:19

Products from science institutions in the country have come under criticism for not applying the innovative ideas they are being taught.

However, students at the College of Basic Applied Sciences have proven this wrong by demonstrating innovative science products necessary to make life easier.

This was evident at an exhibition and community engagement at La Bawaleshie in Accra, where varied agricultural, food and vocational products from research centres of the college, including solar-powered water pumps, customised disease and climate-resistant seedlings, rubber materials for engineering services, ready-to-eat canned cowpea stew and ready-to-eat waakye, among others, were displayed and up for sale.

This was aimed at promoting the use of locally produced products and cutting down on imports.

As part of efforts to mark the Day of Scientific Renaissance of Africa, the college held community engagement in collaboration with the Ayawaso West Municipal Assembly to create awareness of the critical role science and technology played in national development as approved by the African Union (AU).

It brought together members of the La Bawaleshie Traditional Council, academicians, scientists, students and people within the society to educate them on the benefits of science to the society while viewing the various innovative science products on display.

They also provided health screening and vaccinations for both humans and animals.

Upscale

Addressing the participants, the Provost of the college, Professor Boateng Onwona-Agyeman, called for private partnerships to upscale research for national development.

That, he explained, was to ensure that science products manufactured from the research were adequately explored and marketed for commercial purposes to help contribute to the economic growth of the country.

Appreciation

The Director of Shiashie Zonal Council, Ayawaso West Assembly, Mariam Okantey, commended the institution for reaching out to the municipality to actively engage the community on the developmental projects the institution had undertaken.

Speaking on behalf of the Municipal Chief Executive, she pledged the assemblys commitment to ensure that the products showcased were marketed to benefit the people in the municipality.

The Acting Regent of La Bawaleshie Traditional Council, Godfred Ashie Dzanie, was hopeful that other colleagues in the municipality would take the illustrious lead to organise similar activities for the good of the neighbourhood.
Dont rush unqualified students to write BECE  Afetsi

Emmanuel Bonney Education Aug - 15 - 2023 , 08:15

A clarion call has gone to parents, guardians and school authorities to ensure that all candidates taking the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in the country have gone through the developmental stage of nine years of basic education.

This is to ensure that they are adequately prepared and well developed before sitting the BECE to guarantee them placement in the various SHS and TVET institutions.

The President of the Foundation for Generational Thinkers (FOGET), Prosper Dan Afetsi, who made the call during an interaction with journalists in Accra, bemoaned the practice whereby some junior high school Form Two students of private schools, with the approval of their parents and also with the connivance of some headteachers of some public JHSs, got registered to take the examination with public school candidates.

He said the practice was not only intellectually inimical to the development of learners who were uprooted from the private schools, but also detrimental to the very survival of the private basic institutions which depended on fees paid by students to keep the schools running.

Mr Afetsi opined that many parents were compelling their children to take the BECE in public schools due to the widely held perception that candidates in the public schools were unduly favoured in their placement into Category A schools through the Computerised Schools Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).

Shedding more light on his concerns, the FOGET President said when JHS Form Two students from private schools skipped Form Three to sit the BECE, they entered senior high school (SHS) with some challenges as they did not benefit from certain aspects of the syllabus critical to SHS work.

Heads

Mr Afetsi noted that in recent times, heads of some second cycle schools had expressed their disquiet about the enormous academic work SHS teachers had to do in order to get first-year students ready for serious academic work at the SHS level.

Besides, the phenomenon whereby JHS two students jump the gun to SHS one creates an impression on the minds of the learners, who are the future leaders of the country, that they can cut corners or circumvent laid down procedures to get what they want in life, he said.

Management

Consequently, the management of the affected private schools, he said, were conjecturing how to get students for basic nine during the 2023/24 because of the extent to which the current basic eight classes had been heavily depleted.

He urged heads of public schools accepting to register unqualified students to desist from the practice since their actions were steadily crippling private schools, which were one of the key stakeholders in th delivery of basic education in the country.

Mr Afetsi urged the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the National Schools Inspectorate Authority (NaSIA) to step up their monitoring of basic schools in order to nip the aforementioned practice in the bud.
20,000 Street lights for Greater Accra ready  Regional Minister

Joshua Bediako Koomson Aug - 15 - 2023 , 12:00

The Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council (GARCC) has procured 20,000 street lights to be distributed and installed in the various metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) in the Greater Accra Region.

This is to improve the lighting system and security in the region.

Currently, the council is collating a list of all the electoral areas within the region to help draw an itinerary with contractors to fix the lights.

The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey, announced this yesterday at the annual GARCC meeting held in fulfilment of Section 191(I) of the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936).

He said the two metropolises in the region, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly and the Tema Metropolitan Assembly, would each receive 600 street lights, while the various municipalities get 400 each.

In addition, Mr Quartey said district assemblies would also receive 300 street lights each.

GARCC meeting

The meeting brought together all the metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs) in the region and their presiding members to discuss development and challenges confronting their respective areas.

The common issues that came up at the meeting included sanitation, flooding, congestion, deplorable roads, and chieftaincy.

The MMDCEs also updated the minister on some of the ongoing projects in their respective assemblies and the levels of completion so far.

Complaints

Mr Quartey said his office was inundated with petitions and complaints from individuals, groups and institutions on issues which should have been resolved at the assembly level.

Those petitions and complaints, he said, sometimes came with the protest that the MMDAs had failed to address them.

He urged the MMDCEs to understand that the Local Government Service was client-focused and, therefore, prompt and efficient service delivery and resolution of complaints and challenges should be their priority.

Building trust and confidence of the citizenry in local governance will ensure the wilful payment of their rates and fees.

We must, therefore commit to service delivery and have effective feedback mechanisms, the regional minister said.

Sanitation

He further noted that sanitation and waste management remained a challenge in the region, in spite of the RCCs strategic intervention with the Lets make Greater Accra Work agenda and the Operation Clean Your Frontage (OCYF) campaign.

I must admit the MMDAs have initially discharged the call to environmental cleanliness and undertaken education and sensitisation programmes on proper waste disposal and management but the zeal and commitment in recent times leave much to be desired, Mr Quartey said.

He directed the MMDAs to prioritise waste management and environmental sanitation and make conscious efforts to integrate the informal waste collectors by registering them and regulating their activities.

I am aware the registration is already ongoing in some of the MMDAs; let us, therefore, scale it up to bring total sanity in solid waste collection, disposal and management, he added.

IGF

He further stressed that the role of Internally Generated Funds (IGF) could not be over-emphasised, especially in the Greater Accra Region, which is highly urbanised.

He said the Ministry of Finance Budget Guidelines directed the MMDAs to commit and use at least 20 per cent of the IGF for capital projects.

But I want to challenge MMDCEs and presiding members here to commit and invest a minimum of 30 per cent of their total IGF in capital projects for the direct benefit of the citizenry, he said.
22 Assemblies spend GH2.4m, collect GH1.3m revenue

Maclean Kwofi Aug - 15 - 2023 , 10:00

Twenty-two local assemblies have been indicted for inefficiencies in revenue collection.

This is contained in the Auditor-Generals Report on the audit of the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) for last year.

While the assemblies paid GH2.4 million as salaries to 129 revenue collectors, they collected GH1.3 million as revenue between January 2022 and December 2022.

The collections represented 55.02 per cent of the salaries of the collectors, leading to a shortfall of about GH1.5 million.

The assemblies include Sefwi Wiawso in the Western North Region, Juaboso, Bodi, Amenfi West, all in the Western Region; Garu in the Upper East Region, Kpandai, Gushegu and Chereponi, all in the Northern Region.

Others are Fanteakwa South and Upper West Akim in the Eastern Region, Nkoranza South and Pru-West in the Bono East Region, Dormaa East and Banda, both in the Bono Region.

The rest are Adansi Asokwa, Asokore Mampong, Kwadaso, KMA (Manhyia South Sub-Metro), Sekyere Central, Asunafo South, Tano South and Tano North districts and municipal assemblies, all in the Ashanti Region.

The inefficiencies in the revenue collection featured in the Report of the Auditor-General on the Accounts of District Assemblies for 2022.

Last year, the 16 regions had in operation 261 assemblies due to the addition of the Guan District Assembly in Oti Region.

They were made up of six metropolises, 107 municipalities and 148 districts.

Out of these, 259 assemblies complied with Section 80 of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921) and submitted their financial statements for audit.

The defaulting assemblies were Shai Osudoku in the Greater Accra Region and Central Tongu in the Volta Region.

Set revenue targets

Of the assemblies that submitted their financials, it was detected that 129 collectors in 22 assemblies were paid salaries of GH2.4 million, but the mobilised revenue was GH1.3 million, representing 55.02 per cent of their salaries.

It is in spite of section 52 of the PFMA, 2016 (Act 921) which requires the principal spending officer of a covered entity to institute proper control systems to prevent losses and wastage.

Contrary to the regulation, the report noted that three assemblies, including Sefwi Wiawso, Juaboso and Bodi, paid salaries of GH160,061.76 to eight revenue collectors, against their revenue collection of GH49,162, representing 31 per cent of the salaries paid which resulted in a shortfall of GH110,899.76.

The Auditor-General recommended to management of the assemblies to set revenue targets and enforce their agreement on payment of salaries to be commensurate with collections.

It also asked that disciplinary action should be taken against non-performing collectors.

Prevention of losses

Section 52 of the PFM Act, 2016 (Act 921) requires principal spending officers to institute proper systems to prevent losses and wastage.

In violation of the PFM Act, the Auditor General said five revenue collectors of Amenfi West Municipal Assembly were paid a salary of GH150,061.23 but they were able to collect GH57,374.87 in revenue, representing 38 per cent of their salaries and a shortfall of GH92,686.36.

Non-taxed revenue

Regulations 46 of the PFM Regulations, 2019 (L.I 2378) requires the principal spending officer to ensure non-taxed revenue was efficiently collected.

We noted that three revenue collectors of Garu District Assembly were paid a total annual salary of GH56,415.22.

However, they were able to collect only GH11,737, resulting in a negative variance of GH44,678.22, the report said.

All three revenue collectors blamed the anomaly on the unwillingness of business operators to pay their levies.

There is, therefore, no value for money in the collection of the revenue, the report found.

The Auditor-General, therefore, recommended to managements, to ensure that the revenue collectors are effectively supervised, and the underperforming collectors should be reposted to other districts where they would be effectively utilised.

Revenue performance

The review of the performance of revenue collectors revealed poor performance of eight collectors of Garu and Kpandai.

Total salaries paid to them from January to December 2022 was GH138,227.45 against revenue of GH42,086 collected for the same period, representing 30 per cent of their salaries, resulting in a shortfall of GH96,141.45.

The report said the situation undermined the achievement of value for money as well as a loss of funds to the state.

The Auditor-General also noted that three revenue collectors of Chereponi District Assembly were paid salary of GH68,311.52 for the period under review, but they were only able to collect GH24,143 or 35 per cent of their salaries and a shortfall of GH44,168.52 to the assembly.

We, however, noted that 13 revenue collectors of two assemblies, consisting of Fanteakwa South and Upper West Akim who were paid salaries of GH328,538.11, only collected GH105,915 revenue or 32.24 per cent of their salaries, the report stated.

Abysmal performance

Analysis of revenue collection of two assemblies, Nkoranza South and Pru-West, revealed an abysmal performance of 24 revenue collectors.

They received GH316,986.69 as annual salaries as against collected annual revenue of GH128,672.60, representing 41 per cent of their salaries and a shortfall of GH188,315.09.

Management could not provide the cause of this infraction, the report noted.

We recommended that management of the two assemblies should set and enforce targets for revenue collectors, the report added.
Commemoration of International Youth Day: Agriculture, key to transforming nation  NYA

Gilbert Mawuli Agbey Aug - 15 - 2023 , 07:30

Agriculture is key to ending unemployment, poverty, hunger and social vices in the country, the Upper East Regional Director of the National Youth Authority (NYA), Francis Takyi-Koranteng, has said.

He, therefore, stressed the need to support the youth with the necessary resources and equipment to enable them to venture into agriculture to help better their lot and also ensure food security in the country.

Providing the necessary knowledge, skills and tools, as well as creating an enabling environment would not only attract the youth to good agricultural practices, but also make them key actors in the agriculture value chain, the director added.

Mr Takyi-Koranteng was speaking at a youth in agribusiness summit to commemorate the International Youth Day in Bolgatanga, last Saturday.

It was organised by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as part of the organisations Feed the Future Ghana Policy Link, Market Systems and Resilience (MSR) and Mobilising Finance in Agriculture (MFA) projects.

It was on the theme: Empowering youth agripreneurs as drivers for innovation and sustainable economic growth.

It was aimed at empowering young people with entrepreneurship and innovative skills in the agricultural market systems.

Theme

The director said that the theme for the summit was in line with the theme for this years International Youth Day (IYD) celebration which was: Green skills for youth: Towards a sustainable world, and added that the market systems and resilience project for the youth in agribusiness and what it intends to achieve are captured in the Sustainable Development Goals, One, Two and Three.

August 12, every year has been set aside by the UN as the IYD.

The day is dedicated to the youth across the globe and also focuses attention on issues impacting their lives.

Mr Takyi-Koranteng also said that the project fell within the economic empowerment and financial inclusion framework (Ghana National Youth Policy 2022-2032).

While thanking USAID for the support, he also appealed to land owners to offer dispute-free lands to the youth who were interested in farming.

Support

The deputy Team Lead of Demand Generation, a USAID project, Joseph Gyapong, said his outfit had already supported some 5,400 youth with $1.7 million to help them grow their businesses.

We believe that we have not done enough and, therefore, looking forward to support the youth to be investment ready and get more financial support to transform their businesses, he said.

The Country Lead of Feed the Future Ghana Policy Link Activity, Yunus Abdulai, also said that their focus was to work with the government at all levels to improve policy formulation and implementation and also ensure broader involvement of stakeholders.

One of our foundational objectives is to ensure that the government and policy actors target the youth in policy design and implementation, he added.

Mr Abdulai further explained that the dialogue was to give opportunity to the youth to voice suggestions on what can be done to address the problems they faced in the agricultural sector.
Ensure good governance to avoid violent takeovers - Obasanjo to Africa leaders

Shirley Asiedu-Addo Aug - 15 - 2023 , 08:47

A former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, has warned African leaders who fail to ensure peaceful democratic processes and good governance to be ready for violent takeovers.

He, therefore, urged African governments to work hard towards improvement in governance and transition systems, adding that "those who prevent peaceful change of government must be prepared for violent change that would ensue".

"When you drive people to the wall, they develop a desperate feeling that they would rather die than continue.

And when you have that situation then anything can happen and you must be prepared for whatever happens," the former President and retired Army General, added.

Mr Obasanjo was speaking at an African Youth and Governance Convergence (AYGC) conference at Mankessim in the Central Region yesterday.

Sixty-five participants from 27 African countries, including Canada and the US are attending the conference aimed at empowering the youth to actively participate in governance of their respective countries.

Challenges

The former President said it was disturbing that bad leadership and governance had been Africa's problems over the years, leading most countries on the continent down the path of underdevelopment.

Touching on recent coups detat in the sub-region, Mr Obasanjo described the happenings as indicative of bad governance in the region.

"What we have in West Africa today is not just unconstitutional change of governments that will transition to civilian government now; no.

I visited one of such countries not long ago and after two nights, I came out with the feeling that the young boys in charge of government currently are not thinking of transitioning in three years, five years or even in 10 years.

They are thinking of a generation.

They believe they require a generation to bring about the necessary change colonialism, neo-colonialism and bad governance had visited on their respective countries," he said.

The former President said leadership in the region was not in the best of shapes.

Under development

Mr Obasanjo further said that after 60 years and over, many African countries had put colonialism behind them and with slave trade ending over 150 years ago, Africa could no longer give excuses for its underdevelopment.

He also said it was worrying that armed robbery, arms trafficking, human trafficking and drug trafficking and money laundering were gaining grounds in many countries in the sub-region.

Mr Obasanjo said these, coupled with generally poor leadership and governance, had resulted in the state of lawlessness in most countries, making life unbearable for many.

The former President, therefore, said Africans, both on the continent and in the diaspora, must work together to ensure good governance to effect necessary changes and make life meaningful for the people.

He said many African countries had failed after independence because they did not understand the freedom in the context of global economic and socio-politico dynamics.

This is coupled with mismanagement of our countries' diversity and the marginal education of our people has contributed significantly to the continents complex developmental problems, Mr Obasanjo added.

He commended the African Union (AU) for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) initiative and called for intensified region trade to promote economic growth of the continent.

The former President also urged the youth to be inquisitive and proactive, be positively disruptive and responsibly radical and non-conformists, adding that they must deploy appropriate technology to bring about the needed change in their respective countries.

Advice

The Omanhen of Mankessim Traditional Area, Osagyefo Amanfo Edu, advised the youth to maximise the use of technology for the development of their communities and countries.

The President of the AYGC conference, Aissatou Bella Bah, said it was time to remove all barriers that hindered the development of the youth, particularly girls.
Expunge estranged spouse provision in Intestate Succession Bill

Emelia Ennin Abbey Aug - 15 - 2023 , 09:07

A women's right organisation, Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF) and other Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) are advocating the removal of a clause in the Intestate Succession Bill, 2022, currently before Parliament that makes it possible for an estranged spouse to benefit from the estate of a deceased spouse.

The intestate succession Bill 2022 is a bill to remove the anomalies in the present PNDC law 111 relating to intestate succession and to provide a uniform intestate succession law that will be applied throughout the country, irrespective of the inheritance system of the intestate and type of marriage contracted.

The controversial issue took centre stage during discussions at a two-day regional consultation on the amendment of the Intestate Succession Bill in Accra with participants initially divided over the topic.

The 30 participants were mainly legal practitioners, gender advocates, persons living with disabilities (PWDs), traditional and religious leaders, legal literacy volunteers, young people, market women, representatives of women's right organisations among others.

PNDC 111

The PNDC Law 111, passed in1985 stipulates that the distribution of the estate of a man who died without a will is determined by the customary law of inheritance of the area from which he hailed or the type of marriage under which the deceased married.

That made it possible for the customary successor or successors on behalf of the extended family to inherit the deceaseds properties with nothing or very little for the spouse and children.

The new bill has been designed to give prominence to article 22 of the 1992 Constitution which requires spouses to have equal access to property jointly acquired in the course of the relationship when the union ends.

Estranged spouse

During a clause by clause discussion of the provisions of the intestate succession Bill, 2022, the participants shared their views and approved most of the provisions until the discussion on clause seven of the law which was subtitled Interest of estranged spouse.

The Act defined an estranged spouse as a spouse who has not lived in the same house with the other spouse for a period of not less than five years and who no longer has a normal relationship with the other spouse.

Where spouses are estranged, the law said a judge shall exercise a discretion as to what percentage of the estate to give to the estranged spouse which in any case shall not be less than 30 per cent of the death intestate of the other spouse.

Most of the participants told real life stories to support their stand of whether the provision on the estranged spouse should be removed or not.

Arguments

The Executive Secretary of the Informal Economy Workers Forum Ghana (INFORUM Ghana), Deborah Freeman, was of the view that the term estranged spouse should be replaced with the term a spouse who had not been legally or properly divorced but the participants thought that would open the flood gate for a messy situation after the death of a spouse.

"A spouse is a spouse.

There is no need to differentiate," said one of the participants.

Following a back and forth discussion, it was agreed that the clause should be scrapped to prevent confusion after the death of a spouse.

Challenges with old law

A lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Kwesi Baffoe Intsiful, speaking on key topics in the bill focusing on spousal, children and family provisions, said in the existing law, the fractional distribution of the estate of a deceased has been difficult to implement but in the new bill, distribution was in percentages which makes it clear for easy appreciation.

He said clause seven was a novelty and had to be discussed widely to ensure no one was disadvantaged.

He said there was always tension between the nuclear and extended families as to the appropriate line of devolution of property upon the death of an intestate spouse and it was important for the existing law to be amended to protect the property rights of the surviving spouse and children in accordance with the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana.

Get a will while alive

Giving an overview of Intestate Succession Law (PNDC law 111), the Acting Commission Secretary of the NCCE, Lucille Hewlett Annan, urged individuals to write a will while they were alive no matter their age to avoid incidence of tension in case of any unfortunate incident.

Objective of meeting

The National Programmes Coordinator, WiLDAF Ghana, Melody Darkey, said the meeting was to discuss and share knowledge on the new provisions in the bill and to sensitise participants to advocacy actions for the passage of the bill.

She said it was under the women's voice and leadership programme, a Plan International Ghana, Plan International Canada and Global Affairs Canada initiative and formed part of Canadas Feminist International Assistance Policy which is founded on the premise that gender equality is one of the most effective ways to eradicate poverty.
Female officers go through peacekeeping course

Della Russel Ocloo Aug - 15 - 2023 , 09:55

The first phase of a United Nations Staff Officer Course (UNSOC) aimed at enhancing the capabilities of female officers to participate in peacekeeping missions has opened in Accra.

The three-week course, which is being funded by the Canadian government under the Elsie Initiative Programme for Women in Peace Operations, is being organised by the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in collaboration with the Women Peace and Security Institute (WPSI) of KAIPTC.

The course is designed to equip prospective UN staff officers within the ranks of Captain to Lieutenant Colonel and equivalent with the knowledge, skills and techniques they need to discharge their duties and responsibilities effectively and efficiently in UN and regional peace operations.

A total of 31 participants are taking part in the course, including 21 female officers and 10 male officers.

Canada

At the opening ceremony, the Political and Public Affairs Counsellor at the Canadian High Commission in Ghana, Grace Lee, said a lot of barriers continue to obstruct the meaningful participation of women in peacekeeping.

She said Canada believed that women in military and police service should benefit equally from deployment opportunities to UN peace operations, as they broaden the range of skills, diversity, and capacities available to UN peace operations.

Through the Elsie Initiative, the GAF, Ms Lee said, completed and published the results of the barriers assessment on Measuring Opportunities for Women in Peace Operations (MOWIP) to better understand the challenges and opportunities facing military and police women in deploying to UN peacekeeping missions.

The findings of the MOWIP report is what has informed this training to further boost GAFs achievements by identifying key recommendations by the report and translating them into policies, initiatives and activities that will effectively address the barriers to womens participation in peacekeeping, Ms Lee said.

The nature of peacekeeping, she said, has evolved and become more complex over time, hence it is essential for both men and women to acquire relevant skills, expertise and best practices in the domain of staff duties to make missions successful.

KAIPTC

The Commandant of KAIPTC, Major General Richard Addo Gyane, in a speech read on his behalf by then Deputy Commandant, Air Commodore George Arko-Dadzie, said the course was essential for the GAF to be able to effectively meet the challenges of peacekeeping in the 21st century.

Major General Gyane said it was no secret that the African continent was still battling with a number of armed conflicts, which are hindering its peace, democracy and development

Peacekeeping missions are the key instruments used in dealing with these inter and intra state conflicts.

Therefore training of personnel remains key in achieving the desired goal of attaining peace and development within the continent, he said.

GAF

The Director General of International Peace Support Operations of the GAF, Brigadier General Winfried Dzandu-Hedidor, commended the Canadian High Commission for its support towards the project.

He said the UNSOC course was a valuable opportunity for female officers to gain the skills and experience they needed to be successful in UN peacekeeping missions.
Foundation supports 100 widows

Diana Mensah Aug - 15 - 2023 , 10:07

The Director of Universal Aid Dispensation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Raphael Ntiri, has advised Ghanaians to shun ideologies and desist from behaviours that lead to the abuse of vulnerable people in the community.

He explained that vulnerable individuals especially widows across the country were left on their own to battle their respective emotional and financial challenges.

Over the years, vulnerable people in our community are stigmatised, shunned and shamed, and many of these abuses go unnoticed, or even seen as normal, he said

Event

He said this when the foundation supported 100 widows within communities in the Ablekuma Constituency with foods items and funds.

The items included bags of rice, cooking oils, packs of soft drinks, biscuits, toiletries, tin milk and milo among others.

The exercise was to provide a basic livelihood relief and sustainable socio-economic development for widows in the community.

Initiative

Mr Ntiri, in an interview, said the foundation was geared towards helping vulnerable people such as widows, orphans, the aged, sick and the disabled people in the society.

So as part of our activities, we decided to select some widows in the Ablekuma Constituency and share in their plight as well as care for their safety and welfare.

Mr Ntiri therefore encouraged them not to give up in life even in the midst of difficulties, saying widowhood is something that affects women of all stages of life and managing this new life changes whether financial or family challenges.

It is never easy."

He appealed to governments, corporate organisations and philanthropists to accord vulnerable people the attention they deserved to ensure their needs were met, adding we can identify them in societies and reach out to them by emulating such gesture.

Mr Ntiri added most of the widows are unable to care for their children and they resort to the streets and indulge in all manner of social vices, hence the need to support them.

Beneficiaries

A widow, Doris Osei Brako, expressed appreciation to the foundation for caring for the welfare of widows in the community, adding that they would use the opportunity to work hard to better themselves.

She therefore advised widows to take stock of their lives and prepare for a better future for themselves and their children.

Another widow, Mary Okine, also thanked the foundation for the support and appealed to other organisations to emulate the gesture.
GH100m voted for tourism enterprises - Dr Awal

Chris Nunoo Aug - 15 - 2023 , 05:31

The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture has set aside GH100 million to promote youth-led tourism enterprises.

This is in view of the tremendous contribution the sector is making to the economy and development of the country.

The Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Dr Ibrahim Mohammed Awal, who disclosed this in Accra yesterday, said the government, through his outfit, was poised to change the narrative as far as tourism, arts and the development of culture was concerned.

Speaking at a forum with selected editors, he stated that the ministry would also train 6,000 young people along the tourism value chain on customer orientation as part of efforts to improve the sector.

The increased attention on tourism stems from its high prospects, which is now the third leading contributor to the countrys Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The sector contributed about $3.1 billion in 2021.

The sector is projected to contribute about $4 billion to the GDP by 2025.

The services sector which includes the tourism sector contributed 45.8 per cent at basic prices last year, the largest contributor to GDP.

Destination Ghana project

Dr Awal said it was the ambition of his office to position the country as a Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing and Events (MICE) and business tourism centre, stressing the need for the country to leverage the peace, its best airport and connectivity to boost tourism.

He said the government was also championing the Destination Ghana Project, a four-year project aimed at attracting two million international arrivals in the country and two million domestic tourists.

We are going to modernise the Du Bois Centre next year, the Osu Christiansburg Castle and other tourist attractions.

We are doing a lot outside Accra to attract tourists, both domestic and international, Dr Awal indicated.

The ministry will build new museums across the country and a heroes park for the Big Six, Dr Awal explained.

The Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture added that the ministry had embarked on a number of engagements with stakeholders, including the business community, academia and the diplomatic community as part of efforts to put tourism, arts and culture at the centre of every activity.

Economic advancement

The Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, for his part, reiterated the call to build partnership with the media to push the sector to the front burner.

When you look at the numbers closely, the tourism sector is about the third largest contributor to GDP, the minister said.

That, he said, meant that tourism was the third largest sector where there were productive activity, jobs and incomes to improve the quality of lives of people.

Describing the sector as a huge sector for the economic advancement of the country, Mr Oppong Nkrumah said a lot of the interventions that had been going on in recent times were key to helping move the economy.

He, therefore, urged the media to help create more awareness of tourism, arts and culture of the country by putting it on the front burner.

In that regard, the Information Minister said, the media must tell stories on the status of developments in the sector, the medium-term plans, policy and programmes of the sector and also help with feedback.

Mr Oppong Nkrumah further stressed the need for the media to encourage partnerships and closer collaboration in the tourism, creative arts and culture sector.

Presentation

In a presentation titled Ghanas Tourism Odyssey, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Akwasi Agyeman, said there had been a conscious effort to improve tourism product offerings to make them more enticing.

Coupled with that, he said, there had been a massive marketing drive in the last five years, while laws had been passed to make the sector more attractive.

Mr Agyeman also mentioned the efforts made by the sector in terms of monitoring and research to improve all aspects of tourism.

Those included improving and making nightlife in Accra, for instance, more exciting, giving craft villages a facelift and helping build the enclave mentality within the nations capital, Accra.
GMA threatens to withdraw services at Bimbilla Hospital following attack on medical superintendent

Getrude Ankah Nyavi Aug - 15 - 2023 , 03:38

The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has threatened to withdraw the services of doctors at the Bimbilla Hospital if the lives of doctors at the hospital cannot be protected.

Condemning a physical attack on the medical superintendent of the hospital, Adam Barhama, the GMA called on all relevant stakeholders to call the youth to order.

Dr Barhama was chased out of his office on Friday, August 11, 2023, by some youth who were protesting against his leadership at the hospital.

The youth demanded that Dr Barhama, the accountant, and the administrator of the hospital should leave the premises of the facility.

The police responded and sent personnel to the hospital to protect them.

The GMA in a press statement issued on Monday, August 14, 2023, and signed by the president of the association, Dr Frank Serebour, and its Acting General Secretary, Dr Richard Selormey said The GMA strongly condemns the lawless acts of the youth of the town which have put the life of the Medical Superintendent of the hospital and other staff as well as the safety of property in danger.

The GMA is closely monitoring the situation in the facility and will advise our members appropriately in due course. However, we would like to emphasize that if the threats and acts that threaten lives and properties persist. We will be left with no choice but to ensure that no doctor returns to the facility either now or in the foreseeable future since their safety cannot be guaranteed.

"Ghana Medical Association (GMA) therefore call on the Municipal Chief Executive, the regional minister, the member of parliament for the area, traditional leader and all stakeholders to immediately call the youth to order and provide adequate protection for lives and property", it stated.

The Bimbilla Hospital was recently disconnected from water supply for owing over GH240,000 in water bills.

The development led to nurses at the facility to embark on a sit-down strike, while patients were referred to other hospitals.

The agitated youth of the area, therefore demonstrated against the management of the hospital accusing the medical superintendent of maladministration.

Attached is the statement from the Ghana Medical Association:
Ghana's top 100 women board directors announced

Emelia Ennin Abbey Aug - 15 - 2023 , 09:53

Ghana's top 100 women board directors for 2023, have been named with a call on young women to pursue leadership roles and get involved with decision making at all levels.

The list was released in Accra yesterday after a research showed that women hold 28 per cent of board positions in Ghana, compared to the global average of 20 per cent as indicated by The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance.

The research also found that only 10 companies had women serving as their board chairs while 42 per cent of the women on the list held positions on bank boards.

Members

The list put together by a public relations and rating firm, Avance Media, includes Abena Amoah, who is a member the Central Securities Depository; Helen Amarquaye of Old Mutual Ghana; Abena Osei-Poku, who chairs the Ghana Stock Exchange; Esi Tawia Addo-Ashong of Stanbic Bank Ghana; Margaret Boateng Sekyere of Societe Generale Ghana; and Muriel Susan Edusei of Prudential Bank Limited.

Others are Ama Sarpong Bawuah of Access Bank Ghana; Elizabeth Akua Ohene of SSNIT; Elsie Addo Awadzi of Bank of Ghana; Frances Adu-Mante of Absa Bank Ghana; Freda Yahan Duplan of Zenith Bank and Gloria Adjoa Owusu of Consolidated Bank Ghana Limited.

Exceptional contribution

The Founder of Avance Media, Prince Akpah, who described the release of the top 100 women board directors in Ghana as a groundbreaking initiative said it was meant to highlight the exceptional contributions of women who had demonstrated exemplary leadership, innovation, and impact within their respective industries.

On how they were selected, he explained that the selection process was rigorous and took into consideration a comprehensive range of criteria such as experience, education, board tenure, industry expertise, leadership capabilities, notable impact, awards and recognition and public presence.

"The Top 100 Ghana's Women Board Directors list is a testament to the remarkable achievements of women leaders who continue to pave the way for others.

Their dedication, expertise, and impact are instrumental in shaping the future of corporate leadership in Ghana.

We believe that celebrating their accomplishments will inspire more gender-inclusive boardrooms and contribute to a diverse and prosperous business landscape," he said.

Also, he said, it was important to have such a process as it would help foster a more diverted and inclusive business environment.

Additionally, the representation of women on boards ensures broader perspective, experience and expertise at the highest level of decision making for better governance, innovation and business outcomes.

Mentorship

During a panel discussion after the announcement of the top women CEOs in Ghana, the Board Chair of Old Mutual Ghana, Hellen Amarquaye, said regardless of a womans background, she could serve on a board or chair a board.

She urged the older generation to mentor young women and inspire them to know it is possible.

She said the old mutual company has a deliberate policy that was driving diversity and inclusion to ensure 50 per cent of its board members where women.

We identify incredible women and train them and prepare them for leadership positions she said and urged women to make their voices heard.

The President and Council Chair of the Institute of Directors-Ghana, Rev. Angela Carmen Appiah, urged women not to accept board of director positions only to champion their personal interests but to serve.

Do not sit on boards for fun or to tick the box, but to make significant contribution and shape decisions for a better society, she said.

Rev. Carmen Appiah advised men in leadership positions to encourage women put them in the right places, create the environment for them and pluck them in.

Where there is unhealthy competition between, women and men in an organisation, she said policies must be put in place to manage such situations.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Acreaty Ghana, Elsie Appau-Klu, advocated conscious effort to train women to enable them to understand the responsibilities, fiducial duties and the legal implications of serving on boards.

She urged young women to be ready to learn from older women in leadership positions who accepted to mentor them and not burden such mentors with their personal life problems.
Invest in systems to deal with cybercrime - Minister to financial institutions

Joshua Bediako Koomson Aug - 15 - 2023 , 08:00

The Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has urged financial institutions and organisations to invest in the requisite systems that could identify, analyse and report on electronically stored data.

That, she explained, would ensure the easy detection and investigation of cybercrime.

Known as digital forensics, the minister said such investment would make it easy to trace the source of fraudulent activities, determine the extent of the compromise and maintain a secure chain of custody for digital evidence to ensure its admissibility in legal proceedings.

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said these in a speech read on her behalf by a Director at the ministry, Alfred Nortey, at the graduation ceremony of the Chartered Institute of Tax Law and Forensic Accountants in Accra last weekend.

The occasion, which was on the theme: Harnessing the Convergence Role Between Forensic Accounting, Financial Crime and Cyber Security, saw 26 students graduate as Chartered Tax Law and Forensic Accountants.

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful also urged financial organisations to be effectively proactive and reactive by investing in strong cybersecurity measures to help prevent and mitigate security breaches.

Common occurrence

She noted that financially motivated crimes had become a common occurrence due to the countrys increased adoption of digital systems and services for socio-economic activities.

The minister emphasised that her ministry, through the Cyber Security Authority, in partnership with other relevant agencies, was committed to spearheading efforts in the area of cyber security with an ongoing licensing and accreditation process consistent with Section 59 of the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038).

That, Mrs Owusu-Ekuful stated, was to ensure that cybersecurity professionals gained the requisite skill set and competence to meet a set of standards to offer adequate protection to computer systems and networks in the country.

However, to be effectively proactive and reactive, financial organisations must invest in strong cybersecurity measures to prevent and mitigate security breaches, she said.

Collaboration

To combat the ever-evolving landscape of cyber threats and financial crimes, Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said collaboration and information-sharing between sector regulators, law enforcement agencies, financial institutions and other stakeholders was crucial.

The minister said the Cyber Security Authority, together with the members of the Joint Cybersecurity Committee, was therefore, positioned to lead the sharing of cybersecurity threat intelligence, best practices and lessons learnt by acting as the hub within Ghana's Computer Emergency Response Team ecosystem.

That, the minister said, would help detect, prevent and respond effectively to financial crime activities and ensure the security of individuals and organisations' assets and financial information.

The Executive Director of the Chartered Institute of Tax Law and Forensic Accountants, Eric Oduro, noted that one of the key issues confronting the economy was cybercrime.

He said the Bank of Ghana Report in 2021 revealed that GH114 million was lost to cyber fraud and only GH52 million was recovered.

He, therefore, said professional bodies needed to gain understanding in cybersecurity to enable them to support government in addressing the challenge.
Philanthropist donates mechanised borehole to ODASCO

Samuel Kyei-Boateng Aug - 15 - 2023 , 08:48

Oda Senior High School (ODASCO) has had its problem with access to water greatly improved with the provision of a GH32,000 mechanised borehole facility to provide potable water for students and staff.

The facility, which has a pump and connected to water tanks, was financed by a Ghanaian philanthropist based in the USA, Eugenia Obeng Danso, through her non-governmental organisation, My Anchor Holds Outreach Incorporated.

The gesture was in response to a request made by the Headmaster of ODASCO, Evans Boafo, to the Oda Methodist Diocesan Bishop, Rt Rev. Isaac Kwame Boateng, who communicated it to Ms Obeng Danso in America for the assistance.

Inauguration

The Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana, Most Rev. Dr Paul Kwabena Boafo, while at Oda last week for the churchs METHOFEST 2023, used the opportunity to also inaugurate the water facility for the school.

Among the dignitaries who accompanied the Presiding Bishop were the Administrative Bishop of the church, Rt Rev. Michael A. Bossman, and the Oda Methodist Diocesan Bishop, Rt Rev. Isaac Kwame Boateng.

Most Rev. Dr Boafo said access to potable water played a key role in promoting good hygiene in communities, including schools, and thus commended the donor for the gesture, saying it would go a long way to resolve one of the major challenges of the institution.

He encouraged other affluent people in the society, both at home and abroad, to complement the government's development efforts by providing social amenities for their communities.

Most Rev. Boafo urged the school management to supervise the use of the facility and to regularly maintain it to lengthen its life and also advised the students to take proper care of the facility so it would effectively serve its purpose.

ODASCO grateful

The school chaplain of ODASCO, Rev. Mettle Bredu, on behalf of the headmaster and management of the school, expressed gratitude to Ms Obeng Danso for helping to solve the schools water problem.
UCC alumni honour Prophet Asihene-Arjarquah

Haruna Yussif Wunpini Aug - 15 - 2023 , 09:58

The University of Cape Coast (UCC) Alumni has honoured the Founder of the Prophet Albert Asihene-Arjarquah Ministry (PAAAM), Prophet Albert Asihene-Arjarquah.

Prophet Asihene - Arjarquah, an alumnus of the UCC, was selected among 60 renowned past students of the university who uplifted the image of the UCC in Ghana and abroad.

He was bestowed with the title "Religious Exploit Personality".

The recognition forms part of the 60th anniversary celebration of the university.

Prophet Asihene-Arjarquah pursued a course in chemistry at the UCC and completed in 2005.

He, however, responded to the Divine calling by going into full time ministry.

Philanthropy

Prophet Asihene-Arjarquah has since been ministering the prophetic messages in Ghana and abroad.

His Ministry continues to push the frontiers of accurate prophecies and redemption.

He also uses the ministry to embark on philanthropic interventions with special focus on prison inmates, as well as brilliant needy pupils and students.

Alumni awards

Briefing the media after the award during the launch of the Eastern Regional Chapter of the UCC Alumni, the President of the Alumni Association, Samuel Danso Akoto, said the association decided to reward members who had acquitted themselves in different fields such as academia, politics, business, religion both in Ghana and abroad.

Present at the ceremony were the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for New Juaben North, Comfort Asante; the Vice-Chancellor of the Koforidua Technical University (KTU), Professor David Kofi Essuman and prominent personalities.

The alumni president said some of the distinguished personalities honoured included Kofi Totobi Kwakye, a one-time Minister of Information, and a former Vice-Chancellor of the UCC, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang who was also a running mate to National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, John Dramani Mahama, during the 2020 general elections.

Mr Akoto announced that the association would be establishing a scholarship scheme to support at least 50 needy brilliant students annually to pursue various academic programmes at the UCC.

Prophet Asihene-Arjarquah, after receiving the award, registered his appreciation to the alumni association for the honour done him.

He called for sustained unity and networking among members to strengthen the association, emphasising that as a big family, each member of the alumni had a role to play to project the image and quality of the university.
Virtual high school system to be introduced  Education Minister

Justice Abenorsi Aug - 15 - 2023 , 07:21

Beginning next academic year, Senior High Schools in the country will study through digital platforms with an expert teacher as the conductor.

Known as the Ghana Virtual High School, the platform would provide blended learning methodology in the schools while providing opportunities for adult learners to remotely participate in the free SHS education online.

The Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, who announced this at the second national digital and distance learning conference in Accra yesterday, said remedial classes would also be conducted for academically challenged students to prepare them adequately for resit examinations.

Conference

The conference was organised by the Centre for National Distance Learning and Open Schooling (CENDLOS) on the theme: Reimagining education: A call on multi-stakeholder coordination and action for equitable access to digital and distance learning in Africa.

The two-day conference, which was opened in Accra yesterday, was organised in partnership with the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the Ministry of Education (MoE).

Digital platforms

Dr Adutwum launched two digital platformsLearning Passport and Minecraft Interventions.

Developed by UNICEF and Microsoft, the learning passport is an innovative mobile online/offline learning platform that provides children with continuous access to quality education with no classroom required, while the latter is also a virtual platform for studies.

The minister said that Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education was the future and, therefore, any country that wanted sustained future progress needed to adopt the programme.

He added that the government was changing the education system to a sector that encouraged creativity and innovation among learners.

Dr Adutwum said it was in line with this vision that various public STEM schools which were at different stages of completion were being put up in the country.

We have the opportunity to expand science education to schools across the country and truly double science enrolment in the next two years, the minister added.

Significance

The Director-General of the Ghana TVET Service, Mawusi Nudekor Awity, also said that digital learning was needed to enhance and expand the sector.

She said presently, her outfit was working with CENDOOS to transform existing content into electronic books to enrich the learning experience of students.

The UNESCO Country representative, Abdourahamane Diallo, commended the government for the significant progress made in getting education back on its feet after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite the progress, he said there still existed some challenges in making education resilient.

Mr Diallo, therefore, called on stakeholders to help address issues such as weak internet connectivity, high data charges and teachers lack of basic skills, among others, to make education more inclusive and equitable.
Wanderlust Ghana: Group ships vehicles back to Ghana after Accra-London road journey

Graphic Online Aug - 15 - 2023 , 14:34

The renowned Wanderlust Ghana collective's vehicles, employed for their remarkable journey from Accra to London by land, are presently in transit back to Ghana, subsequent to the triumphant completion of the expedition by its members.

Among the vehicles utilized for the voyage, which was meticulously documented across various social media platforms, were two Toyota Landcruisers, a commanding Ford F-150 Raptor, an agile Lexus RX350 and Mercedez Benz G-Wagon (G63).

Minus the G-Wagon which ended the expedition in the Shengen area, the other four vehicles that ended the journey in the UK have been packed in containers on their way back to Ghana.

Just a few days ago, social media platforms buzzed with news regarding a group of enterprising Ghanaians who set forth on an audacious overland odyssey from Accra to London, using an array of automobiles as their mode of conveyance.

As accounts have it, this journey comprised a cohort of 13 intrepid participants, leaving the populace of Ghana engrossed in contemplation over the feasibility of embarking on such an ambitious venture themselves.

After a span of 16 days traversing roads and terrain, the participants triumphantly arrived in the city of London, eliciting admiration and applause from fellow Ghanaians for bringing international acclaim to their nation.

In a post on Facebook, the expeditionary group revealed that arrangements were in place for the vehicles to be shipped back to their origin in Ghana.

Accompanied by the caption, "Congratulations to the team! Homeward bound now. #AccratoLondonoverroad, #thejourneyisthedestination, #timetoeatfufuo," the post signified both achievement and anticipation of their return.
We are not an Illuminati cult - Knights and Ladies of Marshall

Kweku Zurek Aug - 15 - 2023 , 05:32

In response to recent publications circulating on social media and television networks, the Noble Order of the Knights and Ladies of Marshall, a Catholic society, has threatened to take legal action against media houses for misrepresenting its members as part of the Illuminati cult.

Determined to clear its name from such claims, the Noble Order of the Knights and Ladies of Marshall in a disclaimer emphasized its identity as a dedicated Catholic religious, fraternal, educational, and charitable institution.

It said the Order which was established to undertake benevolent endeavours including friendship, education, relief, disaster management, service to humanity, and charity, has also stood as a beacon of noble works since its inception.

This Order said it holds ecclesiastical approval both in its Knights and Ladies wings from the Catholic Church, dating back to May 1, 1929. Moreover, the Knights and Ladies were officially registered as corporate bodies under Ghanaian law on November 21, 2018, and June 10, 2020, respectively, each with religious, educational, and charitable objectives.

It strongly urged the public to dismiss and disregard such misleading information, as it is nothing more than a sinister ploy to deceive and manipulate.
YEA launches Youth in Garment & Textiles Module - To bridge skills gap, create employment

Daily Graphic Aug - 15 - 2023 , 12:00

The Youth Employment Agency (YEA) has launched the Youth in Garment and Textiles Module to help address unemployment in the country.

The module, among other things, aims at bridging the skills gap and creating sustainable employment opportunities for young people interested in tailoring or dressmaking and ultimately contribute towards their growth and development.

Even before the launch, the module had generated a positive response from the various stakeholders as 2,000 registered beneficiaries have so far been shortlisted as trainees, with 500 master craftsmen in the category of micro and small-scale dressmakers and tailors selected as trainers of the trainees.

Chief of Staff

The Chief of Staff at the Office of The President, Madam Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, who launched the module in Kumasi yesterday, said the government was committed to youth employment interventions by initiating policies aimed at providing skills necessary for productivity, growth and sustained development.

She said the Free Senior High School (SHS) Policy, Free Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) interventions and the numerous business support schemes available for youth start-ups and youth entrepreneurs across the country were key programmes the government had employed to make lives better.

She said the YEAs Garment and Apparel Module was a laudable initiative that plugged into governments efforts at promoting the technical and vocational sector as a viable alternative means of employment.

The Chief of Staff called on master craftsmen of the Garment and Apparel Module to demonstrate strong commitment by providing high quality training to all beneficiaries, urging them to provide top-notch, high quality technical skill transfer and an acceptable business culture for all beneficiaries.

Significance

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of YEA, Kofi Baah Agyepong, said the garment and textile industry played a significant role in the country's economy, contributing to export revenue, employment generation and culture preservation.

He said the module had been designed carefully to afford beneficiaries the opportunity to receive in-depth knowledge and hands-on training in various aspects of tailoring and dressmaking, including fabric selection, cutting techniques, sewing, garment construction, pattern making and alteration.

The programme also targets to directly engage already existing apparel start-ups to support in the implementation process to achieve the desired objectives and this will involve on-the-job training in the various skill areas to be undertaken by selected Garment and Textile partner companies, micro and small-scale seamstresses and tailors who would provide apprenticeship for the youth within their communities, he explained.

Mr Agyepong revealed that over 20 selected industrial garment companies were being engaged to train the beneficiaries in large-scale garment manufacturing.

He said the YEA had exceeded its 2023 youth employment projection by 16 per cent as it projected to engage 71,500 youths throughout its programmes.

However, as of May 2023, the Agency had engaged 84,483 youths who are working and contributing to various sectors of the economy.

Mr Agyepong said the YEA had been guided by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addos vision of sustainable job creation for the youth by ensuring that majority of them benefited from the various programmes rolled out by the YEA under the current management.

Recruitment

Moreover, he said the YEA had been able to achieve the recruitment of 6,000 Community Health Workers; 15,000 Community Protection Assistants; 1,500 Prisons Service Assistants and 800 artisans for the INZAG Project.

We still have the 45,000 beneficiaries for the youth in Sanitation Module, recruitment of 4,000 farm workers for the Afarinick Cocoa Rehabilitation Programme; recruitment of 6,000 insurance agents and creation of over 11,000 employment opportunities through the YEAs Job Centre, he said.

Capacities

For his part, the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, stressed efforts the government was making to build the capacities of the youth and create an enabling environment for them to secure and create jobs.

He mentioned that job creation had become a major factor in the development of the country, hence the government would not gloss over issues relating to the sector.

Mr Baffour-Awuah said his ministry, together with YEA, would soon launch and add other disciplines to the modules, adding that more were in the offing so the Ghanaian youth must have confidence in the government.
KATH receives ventilators

Kwadwo Baffoe Donkor Health Aug - 15 - 2023 , 08:29

A team of researchers from the Global Health and Infectious Disease and the Kumasi Collaborative Centre for Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR) have donated two ventilators worth $30,000 and 13 boxes of hospital consumables to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi.

The consumables were to aid the Emergency Medicine Unit of the hospital in providing care to patients who thronged the facility in critical conditions.

Presentation

Presenting the items to the management of KATH, the leader of the team, Dr John A. Amuasi, said the team was part of the Anti-Cov Project that conducted research into the COVID-19 pandemic on the African continent, with Ghana serving as the focal point.

He said during the study, KATH was one of the facilities that were used for the project, and it provided the largest number of participants in the whole of Africa.

Prof. Amuasi said the ventilators were part of the equipment provided for the research but were not used.

Consequently, he said, the team decided to donate them to KATH, where they would be put to good use to save lives.

The study is over and we have begun the analysis of the findings and the good thing is that we had over 200 patients from KATH who benefitted from the studies, which was the highest in all the countries the study was conducted.

Research

He was glad to state that the research project contributed to additional investigation on how the body responded naturally to the COVID-19 disease, and it had been quite successful.

He said it was a great opportunity for the team to work in Ghana, especially at KATH, and was hopeful the ventilators would be beneficial to the patients at the Emergency Medicine Unit.

The Chief Executive Officer of KATH, Prof. Otchere Addai-Mensah, was grateful to the team for the donation, which he said would help the hospital in making some savings for acquiring some of the essential equipment needed at the health facility.

He called for more such research collaborations to deepen the existing relationships and promote more research projects.

Benefit

The Head of the Emergency Medicine Unit, KATH, Dr Chris Oppong, expressed his gratitude to the team for the donation, describing it as timely since the Unit needed them to care for patients.

The Group Lead of the KATH team, Dr Joseph Bonney, an Emergency Medicine Specialist at KATH, who is also a member of the Anti-Cov Project, described the research as very successful.

He said the research looked at the immunological response to COVID-19 and the Epidemiological study which recorded 160 and 274 participants respectively.
NHIS must cover Hepatitis B&C treatment  Medical Doctor

Jemima Okang Addae & Yaa Kuffour Senyah Health Aug - 15 - 2023 , 08:35

A Gastroenterologist at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Dr Sally Afua Bampoh, has called on policymakers to add Hepatitis B and C to the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

That, she said, would make the vaccine affordable and accessible to the public.

At a free screening for Hepatitis in Accra, she said funding hepatitis treatment and services could bring care closer to communities to eradicate the spread and save lives.

The screening was organised by the Ghana Association for the Study of Liver and Digestive Diseases (GASLIDD), in collaboration with the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge Hospital), Hepatitis Society of Ghana, Tudu South Electoral area and Roche.

The screening was part of activities to commemorate World Hepatitis Day (WHD), on the theme One Life, One Liver, which argues that an individual has one life and liver; thus, if proper care was not taken, hepatitis could devastate both.

Viral hepatitis infections are silent with symptoms showing once the disease has advanced, she stated.

Dr Bampoh said the exercise was to screen individuals within the Ridge Hospital and Tudu surroundings and that they would offer free vaccinations for the first 450 people within these areas.

Statistics

She explained that one in eight persons in the country has Hepatitis B (HBV) infection with a prevalence estimated at 12.3 per cent and one out of every 30 people have Hepatitis C (HCV), estimated at 3.3 per cent.

She noted that almost 90 per cent of people living with viral hepatitis were unaware they had it.

HBV and HCV take a disproportionate toll on the poor who are more vulnerable, voiceless and less able to access or afford treatment due to high cost and stigmatisation, she added.

Transmission

Addressing the people at the screening, Dr Bampoh said there were about five types of the disease; Hepatitis A to E and that A and E were mainly transmitted orally through food and give acute infections and last in the body for six months.

However, she said Hepatitis B, C and D were serious and give chronic infections and could lead to complications of the liver, including cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Dr Bampoh encouraged the public to be assertive and take their health issues seriously by getting screened regularly and getting vaccinated to prevent getting infected.

A beneficiary, Dankwa Kwasi Boateng, said he had gotten to know the danger associated with the disease; hence, he took advantage of the initiative to get vaccinated for free to protect himself from future occurrences.
BoG not mandated to report directly to Parliament  Majority Leader

Emmanuel Bruce Politics Aug - 15 - 2023 , 07:40

The Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu, has said there is no part of the Constitution that mandates the Bank of Ghana to report all its activities and transactions directly to Parliament.

He said the obligation of the central bank directly to Parliament was to present foreign exchange receipts to the House periodically, something the BoG had always complied to.

The Bank of Ghana posted significant losses of GH60.81 billion for the 2022 financial year as result of its decision to take a hit for the country by taking a 50 per cent haircut in the domestic debt exchange programme (DDEP).

This decision appears not to sit well with some section of the public, with the Minority in Parliament calling for the resignation of the Governor of the central bank because they believe the BoG should have gotten Parliamentary approval before writing off those debts owed by the government.

But responding to this, Mr Kyei-Mensah Bonsu, said in an interview that was not a constitutional requirement as the BoG reported directly to the Ministry of Finance and not Parliament.

He said the Minority Leader should know better because he has been a Deputy Minister of Finance before and has been on the board of the BoG and therefore knows how the central bank operates.

So if you politicise issues of the BoG, it is not good for the country.

There is no law that mandates the BoG to report its daily activities to Parliament.

The law only mandates the BoG to report foreign exchange receipts to Parliament and the BoG has always complied with this provision, he stated.

Over exaggeration

Commenting on the losses posted by the BoG, he said it was either the Minority was over exaggerating issues or have not had time to examine the facts of the matter.

He said the statement from the BoG addressed all the inconsistencies and falsehoods peddled against the institution, noting that the central bank should rather be applauded for coming through for the country.

Yes, the country went through some difficulties which required that the BoG must intervene.

If not for the international reserves built by the BoG, we would have really suffered.

The BoG supported the country with about GH4 billion of its international reserves to support the situation, he stated.

He noted that Sri Lanka found itself in the same economic situation but because its central bank was not in a position to support, their situation got worse and have still not been able to recover.

So if our central bank was able to support the country in times of need, we should rather commend them.

The concerns of the minority is misplaced, he said.

New head office

On the building of the new head office for the BoG, the Majority leader said in one of its engagements with BoG, it already explained to Parliament why it was building a new head office.

He said it was, therefore, surprising to see some members who were present at that engagement acting like it was new to them.

He noted that the West African Monetary Zone has been relocated to Ghana and it was supposed to operate within the precincts of the BoG, but that has not been possible because of the limited space at the current head office.

He also pointed out that some West African countries have thrown their weight behind Ghana to host the headquarters of the secretariat to deal with the agenda towards adopting a single currency for the sub region and this secretariat is also expected to be hosted by the BoG.

He said the new head office building was aimed at addressing those issues.
GUM kicks against deployment of Ghanaian troops to Niger

Daniel Kenu & Dickson Worlanyo Dotse Politics Aug - 15 - 2023 , 07:53

The Ghana Union Movement (GUM) has called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo not to contribute troops to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) forces to reinstate deposed President Mohammed Bazoum of Niger.

The party said failure to heed their call would compel them to stage a massive demonstration nationwide until the right thing was done.

The Founder and Leader of the party, Rev. Christian Kwabena Andrews (Osofo Kyire Abosom), told a press conference in Accra yesterday that instead of sending troops, the President should rather deploy his energies towards solving the litany of challenges Ghanaians were facing.

The 2020 presidential candidate of the GUM advised neighbouring Nigeria to solve the Boko Haram invasion in the northern enclave of the country instead of venturing to go to war.

The coup

Niger presidential guard detained President Mohamed Bazoum, and the presidential guard commander, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, proclaimed himself the leader of a new military junta.

Presidential guard forces closed the country's borders, suspended state institutions, and declared a curfew.

Rev. Andrews said the African Union (AU) should embark on policy making and implementation of decisions aimed at ensuring that the continent achieved its aspirations 4 of Agenda 2063.

At the January 2013 AU Summit, it adopted Agenda 2063 as Africa's blue print and master plan for sustainable development and economic growth.

The aspiration 4 of the Agenda 2063 aspires to achieve "a peaceful and secure Africa" through the use of machines that promotes a dialogue-centered approach to conflict prevention and resolution.

He said Ghana was not ready to fight a neighbouring country.

"Africa needs to unite but not to fight among themselves, no matter what," he said.

The Founder of GUM said any military action would compound the socio-economic and security challenges confronting Niger and called for diplomatic means to solve the problem.

"The people of Niger have not called for them to be saved.

There are security issues in the northern part of Ghana that needs more troops for peace as well as protection of Ghana's borders against illegal immigrants and presumed terrorists," he said.

He said if ECOWAS has any better decision to take, it should meet on how to eradicate corruption and the excruciating hardships among the youth on the continent.

Agric/constitution

The Founder promised to change the face of African politics when elected as President of Ghana at the 2024 general election.

Key among his vision for both Ghana and the continent is the promotion of mechanised Agriculture and a shift from the over reliance on cocoa as Ghana's main export cash crop.

While maintaining it, he said, the focus should be on producing more food crops like maize to solve the over reliance on exported produce.
Women critical to NDCs victory in 2024  Fifi Kwetey

Daily Graphic Politics Aug - 15 - 2023 , 07:46

The General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Fifi Kwetey, has urged the womens wing of the party to unite as they play an important role towards the partys victory in the 2024 general election.

He recounted the crucial role women played in the partys emergence, sustenance and growth.

Mr Kwetey said this at the induction ceremony of the womens wing working committee of the party in Accra last Friday.

Formation

He laced his submission with some salient information the founder of the party, the late J.J Rawlings, shared about the role of women in party building while calling on the women to stay united.

The work ahead is not going to be possible if we dont have our women fully mobilised and ready, Mr Kwetey stated.

Touching on how the party came to be, he said, This party is said to be born as a result of our founder but in reality, the people who founded this party were women who led, like his wife and other women.

In praising womens diverse roles in ensuring the success of things they are involved in, the General Secretary fondly recounted the words of the late J.J Rawlings, saying The founder always told us that if we want to have a successful party, the women must be fully mobilised.

When women are mobilised, the work is done.

He called on the women to unite, put the party first and work towards the bigger goal - the NDC recapturing power, come 2024.

Women gave birth to men and movements like the NDC.

So, we cannot succeed without women.

We need you to be united, cadres may come and go but the party remains, he stressed.

The NDC National Womens Organiser, Dr Hanna Louisa Bissiw, for her part said she would rally the womens group behind the party for a resounding victory in 2024.
Israel-based Foresight Autonomous Holdings, a developer of automotive vision systems, signed an agreement for two proof of concept (POC) projects with a leading global vehicle manufacturer.

The vehicle manufacturer currently uses stereo cameras in its advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), enabling 3D depth perception and distance analysis. These features can be used, for example, for adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning, ensuring a safer driving experience. The vehicle manufacturer has chosen to evaluate Foresights stereo vision solutions to improve safety measures even further.

The purpose of these POC projects is to assess the accuracy of Foresights unique automatic calibration capabilities in enhancing 3D depth perception. In addition, the vehicle manufacturer will assess Foresights Mono2Stereo perception enhancement solution to be used with its existing mono cameras which have different fields of view.

Foresights proprietary software-based algorithms create a 3D perception stereo vision system from existing cameras that upgrades and enhances mono-camera systems, resulting in better distance accuracy and more robust active safety featuresall without the need for new hardware.

Upon successful completion of the projects, the vehicle manufacturer may integrate Foresights technology into its passenger vehicles. This integration could lead to improved precision in distance measurement, as well as object detection and classification, ultimately enhancing the overall safety system of the automakers vehicles.
In May 2023, metallurgical coal producer Ramaco Resources, in association with with researchers from the Department of Energys National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and analysts at mining consultancy Weir International, released an independent Exploration Target report with technical assessment of rare earth elements (REE) found at its Brook Mine in Wyoming. NETL researchers and Ramaco said then that the Brook Mine property contains perhaps the largest unconventional deposit of REEs discovered in the United States. (Earlier post.)

Ramaco has now announced that based on additional coring and chemical analysis, Weir has determined that the size of the REE Exploration Target has increased almost 50% to 0.9 - 1.2 million tons of total rare earth oxides (TREOs) from its initial target announced in May of 0.6 - 0.8 million tons.





As perspective, the United States has had an average domestic consumption of roughly 10,000 tons per year of REEs over the last ten years.

The deposit is estimated to contain approximately 29% of primary magnetic rare earth oxides (REOs) Neodymium, Praseodymium, Dysprosium, and Terbium as well as secondary magnetic REOs. As previously reported, this current assessment has only been conducted on one third of the area of the Brook Mine.





Updated Brook Mine rare earth element distribution. Source: Weir International Inc.

A month ago, China announced new export controls on gallium and germanium, two critical minerals with wide use in semiconductors, communications and defense. Early cores at the Brook Mine suggest that in addition to large percentages of magnetic REOs, the Brook deposit also contains meaningful amounts of each of these banned metals. Further drilling and chemical assessments are ongoing to more precisely determine the size of deposits of these two minerals.

n conjunction with the development, Ramaco recently retained a wide group of leading rare earth mining, metallurgy, mineralogy and economic experts, including leading rare earth mining consultancy SRK Consulting. These firms will work both with the company and alongside NETL researchers to prepare mineral and metallurgical assessments, as well as initial economic assessment and pre-feasibility studies.

This analysis will also inform the appropriate forms and techniques of processing, separation and recovery of the rare earths and carbon ore. Ramaco expects to also work with other Department of Energy national laboratories, including NETL, in assessing the deposit and its potential vertical development to magnet production.

Ramaco also announced that its Board of Directors has approved the commencement of initial mine development to begin this Fall. This would make the Brook Mine the first new rare earth mine in the United States since the Mountain Pass Rare Earth Mine in California in 1952, currently the United States only operating mine for these critical elements and minerals.

Ramaco anticipates spending roughly $2.5 million over two quarters for initial development for both rare earth and carbon ore/coal mining.
Last week, reliable tipster Ice Universe said that next year's Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra will feature a 50MP 3x telephoto camera, which they now claim will use a 1/2.52" sensor.

With this sensor, Samsung should get a nice 5x zoom image quality, and that's the reason why there were rumors of the 3x telephoto unit from the Galaxy S23 Ultra getting replaced with a 5x telephoto camera on the S24 Ultra.

That's why it was initially rumored that S24 Ultra adopted a 5x sensor. Samsung will emphasize the 5x image quality of the sensor at thanks to the 3x 50MP zoom.  ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) August 14, 2023

While Samsung is upgrading from the 10MP 3x telephoto unit, Ice Universe says the Korean brand will continue to use the 10MP 10x periscope camera from the S23 Ultra, just like the 200MP primary camera and the 12MP selfie camera. It's unclear whether or not Samsung will reuse the 12MP ultrawide unit from the S23 Ultra on the S24 Ultra.

In addition to revealing details of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra's 50MP telephoto camera, Ice Universe claimed that the S24 Ultra would come with an upgraded screen but didn't get into the specifics. We'll hopefully have more clarity about that in the coming months.
College students can now apply for post-graduate financial assistance in health care
ATLANTA (AP)  Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis opened her investigation into Donald Trump after the release of a recording of a January 2021 phone call between Trump and Georgias secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger.

Trump suggested during the call that Raffensperger, a Republican and the states top elections official, could help find the votes needed to overturn his narrow loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

More than two years later, the indictment brought Monday by a grand jury went far beyond that phone call, alleging a web of crimes committed by Trump and others. Willis used Georgias Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, law to charge Trump and his associates for allegedly participating in a wide-ranging conspiracy to overturn the states 2020 election results.

Heres a look at how the law works:

HOW DOES A LAW USED AGAINST MOBSTERS APPLY TO TRUMP AND HIS ALLIES?

The federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act originated in 1970 as a tool to fight organized crime. The law enabled prosecutors to target people in positions of authority within a criminal organization, not just lower-level people doing the dirty work.

But its use was never meant to be limited exclusively to organized crime. The U.S. Supreme Court noted in a 1989 opinion that the law was drafted broadly enough to encompass a wide range of criminal activity, taking many different forms and likely to attract a broad array of perpetrators.

Within a few years of the federal law taking effect, states began passing their own RICO laws. Generally speaking, RICO laws allow prosecutors to charge multiple people who commit separate crimes while working toward a common goal.

WHAT DOES GEORGIAS RICO LAW SAY?

Georgias RICO Act, adopted in 1980, makes it a crime to participate in, acquire or maintain control of an enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity or to conspire to do so. Its important to note that the alleged scheme does not have to have been successful for a RICO charge to stick.

An enterprise can be a single person or a group of associated individuals with a common goal. Racketeering activity means to commit, attempt to commit  or to solicit, coerce or intimidate someone else to commit  one of more than three dozen state crimes listed in the law. At least two such acts are required to meet the standard of a pattern of racketeering activity, meaning prosecutors have to prove that a person has engaged in two or more related criminal acts as part of their participation in an enterprise to be convicted under RICO.

The U.S. Supreme Court has said that federal RICO allegations must show continuity, that is to say a series of related underlying acts over an extended period of time, not just a few weeks or months. But the Georgia Supreme Court has made clear there is no such requirement in the state law.

WHY USE THE RICO STATUTE?

Im a fan of RICO, Willis said during a news conference in August 2022 as she announced a RICO indictment against more than two dozen alleged gang members.

Willis has said jurors want to know all the facts behind an alleged crime and that a RICO indictment enables prosecutors to provide a complete picture of all the alleged illegal activity. A narrative introduction allows prosecutors to tell a story that can include a lot of detailed information that might not relate to specific crimes but is relevant to the broader alleged scheme.

RICO charges also carry a heavy potential sentence that can be added on top of the penalty for the underlying acts.

In Georgia, its a felony conviction that carries a prison term of five to 20 years; a fine of $25,000 or three times the amount of money gained from the criminal activity, whichever is greater; or both a prison sentence and a fine.

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES IN USING THE RICO STATUTE?

J. Tom Morgan used the Georgia RICO statute to prosecute a corrupt sheriff when he was the district attorney in DeKalb County, which neighbors Fulton County. He said one challenge is explaining to a jury what the RICO law is and how it works.

Everybody knows what a murder case is, what a rape case is, what a theft case is. But RICO is not in the everyday vernacular, he said. You dont see a RICO charge on a television show about crime.

DOES WILLIS HAVE PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE WITH RICO CASES?

Yes. When she was an assistant district attorney in the Fulton County district attorneys office, Willis was a lead prosecutor in a RICO case against a group of Atlanta public school educators in a cheating scandal. After a monthslong trial, a jury in April 2015 convicted 11 former educators of racketeering for their roles in a scheme to inflate students scores on standardized exams.

Since becoming district attorney in January 2021, she has brought several RICO indictments against alleged gang members, including several high-profile rap artists.

Lawyer John Floyd, a nationally known RICO expert in Atlanta, helped Willis with the school cheating case. Soon after opening the investigation into potential illegal meddling in the 2020 election in Georgia, she engaged him to serve as a special assistant district attorney to help with any racketeering cases her office might pursue.

__ By KATE BRUMBACK Associated Press




Haiti - Human Rights Watch : Living a nightmare (Investigation report August 2023)





Killings, kidnappings and sexual violence perpetrated by criminal groups in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas have increased dramatically since the start of 2023 with little to no state response, Human Rights Watch said in a report published this month.



The 98-page report, "Living a Nightmare: Haiti Needs an Urgent Rights-Based Response to Escalating Crisis," documents abuses committed by criminal groups and state inaction in four metropolitan Port-au-Prince communes  Cabaret, Cite Soleil, Croix-des-Bouquets, and Port-au-Prince itself  between January and April 2023. In Haiti, the state is nearly absent, impunity reigns, and nearly half the population is acutely food insecure. Human Rights Watch also assessed the humanitarian, political, and judicial crises, plus abuses of previous international interventions and the enduring legacy of slavery, exploitation, and abuse by colonial powers.



The United Nations, the US, France, Canada, members of the Caribbean Community, and other concerned governments should act urgently to support Haiti in overcoming its crisis and ensuring a democratic transition. Following a request from the Haitian Prime Minister, the Secretary General of the United Nations should present in the coming days to the United Nations Security Council proposals for the deployment of an international force that achieves consensus in Haiti to help restore security. Kenya has offered to take the lead in this operation [...]



Human Rights Watch interviewed over 100 people, before, during, and after a visit to Haiti in late April and early May, including 58 victims and witnesses of abuses interviewed in Haiti, as well as members of Haitian civil society, human rights and diaspora groups, representatives of the UN and humanitarian agencies, Haitian political actors, and government officials, including Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Human Rights Watch also reviewed data and reports from international and nongovernmental organizations, Haitian civil society groups, and media, and verified and geolocated videos and photographs of violent incidents.



The UN estimates that criminal groups in Haiti killed more than 2,000 people in the first half of 2023, kidnapped more than 1,000, and used sexual violence to terrorize the population. Human Rights Watch documented 67 killings, including of 11 children and 12 women, and more than 20 cases of rape, many of them gang rapes by multiple perpetrators. In response to the violence and state inaction, some Haitians have turned to "popular justice," forming the Bwa Kale movement that gained traction in late April and, as of June, has killed more than 200 suspected criminal members across the country, often in collusion with police officers.



Download the full report (PDF in English) : https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/Living-a-Nightmare.pdf



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Politic : Tribute of PM at the Funeral of former President Boniface Alexandre





Monday, August 14 at the Court of Cassation, Prime Minister a.i. Ariel Henry, attended the funeral of former President Boniface Alexandre, to pay him a final tribute as a great servant of the State.



In his speech, Ariel Henry declared "[] President Boniface Alexandre was the archetype of the 'Vir Bonus', a real good man who respects the law and enjoys a good reputation. He is of this caliber of man of a certain era, which unfortunately we find less and less in our society.



As President of the Republic, he has always shown wisdom and pragmatism in the search for solutions to ease political and social tensions, while facing, with courage and determination, the enormous challenges of the time.



During his mandate, President Alexandre, who is a model of rectitude, humility and empathy, worked to build a national consensus around the major challenges we were facing as a Nation. He devoted his time in politics to the promotion of peace and the consolidation of democratic institutions.



Today, we must remember the legacy he leaves behind: a legacy of courage, integrity, and faith in our common homeland. May the exemplary career of the grower of Ganthier, the lawyer, the professor of law, the President of the Court of Cassation that was Me Boniface Alexandre, constitute for each of us a permanent source [...]"



See also :

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-40233-icihaiti-boniface-alexandre-three-days-of-mourning-and-national-funeral.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-40194-haiti-news-zapping.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-40191-icihaiti-opc-note-of-sympathy-on-the-death-of-me-boniface-alexandre.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-40183-haiti-flash-former-president-ai-boniface-alexandre-passed-away-messages.html



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





Demonstration suppressed with tear gas

Residents of the Carrefour-Feuilles neighborhood demonstrated on Monday in certain streets of the capital to demand action by the national police, the day after a new bloody attack by the "Gran Ravin" gang in Savane Pistache. The demonstration was dispersed at the Champ de Mars with tear gas by the police, while the protesters headed for the Court of Cassation where the funeral of Me Boniface Alexandre took place.



The Security Council will decide today

The Security Council will decide on August 15 on the fate of Haiti, namely the deployment of the international force led by Kenya https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-40134-haiti-flash-kenya-agrees-to-deploy-1-000-police-officers-in-haiti.html , and the type of intervention in Haiti. Note that to date, 5 countries are involved in the international intervention in Haiti https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-40175-haiti-crisis-to-date-5-countries-are-involved-in-the-international-intervention-in-haiti.html



Happy Birthday Cap-Haitien

This Tuesday, August 15, 2023, the city of Cap-Haitien celebrates the 353rd anniversary of its foundation. Citizens living in the 2nd city of the country criticize the behavior of the local authorities who, according to them, are doing nothing to celebrate this 353rd anniversary in style. They evoke in particular the Blackout and the insalubrity which persist in the christophian city.



2 years - Magnitude 7.2 earthquake in the Nippes

Yesterday August 14 marked two years since a magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit the Nippes https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34479-haiti-flash-magnitude-72-earthquake-in-the-nippes-updated-10am.html , on this occasion the UN family in Haiti and BINUH paid tribute to the victims and survivors of the earthquake that struck the departments of the Great South in 2021. The UN in Haiti stands with Haitians to build Haiti's capacity in disaster risk reduction



Funeral of former President Boniface Alexandre

The Prime Minister, Dr Ariel Henry, attended Monday, at the Court of Cassation, the funeral of former President Boniface Alexandre. The opportunity to pay him a final tribute as a great servant of the State.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Published on 2023/08/15 | Source

Korean movies opening today 2023/08/15 in Korea: "Honey Sweet" and "A Man of Reason"

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(CNBC) Swiss bank UBS agreed to pay a combined $1.4 billion in civil penalties over fraud and misconduct in its offering of residential mortgage-backed securities dating back to the global financial crisis, federal prosecutors announced Monday. The bank, in its own statement Monday, described the settlement as dealing with a legacy matter dating from 2006 to 2007, leading up to the financial crisis.

To read this article:
A NUMBER of Henley businesses was honoured at this years Great Taste Awards, which are run by the Guild of Fine Foods.

Award-winners are given one, two or three stars based on the quality of their entries.

Pavilion Foods, the deli-

catessen in Market Place, was awarded one star for its cranberry sauce with mulled spices and one star across three takeaway finish at home meals that are cooked in the stores kitchen.

The business was commended for its lamb keema pie with a saffron and yoghurt mash topping, mushroom, herb and puy lentil pie with a sweet potato topping and signature pork with apple and cranberry stuffing topped with smoky bacon.

Owner Micah Judah, 40, said: We are really pleased to have won for the second year in a row. Weve now got nine Great Taste stars and we havent even been open for two years.

We like to think all our products are winners. This year we focused on a couple of Christmasy lines and autumn/winter meals. Mr Judah, whose background is in food product development, worked alongside head chef Tania Streytler to develop the dishes.

Tanias an amazing chef, he said. We cook all our meals here on site using local ingredients and suppliers.

Weve got some lovely new products coming out very soon. Weve got a strawberry jam with the Hundred Hills vineyard in Stonor and a ploughmans relish.

Last year, Pavilion was awarded three stars for its Singapore Classic Dry Gin made in collaboration with the Henley Distillery and two stars for its fish pie.

This year, the Henley Distillery, which is based at Hampstead Farm in Binfield Heath, was awarded one star for both its Henley Classic Dry Gin and White Label London Dry Gin.

Jacob Wilson, 29, who runs the distillery with his father Terry, said Its always amazing to have recognition because the whole team works so hard to produce the product as consistently as possible at a high quality. We celebrated our second anniversary on June 25 but it has been a dream and a passion for seven years. I wanted to wait until I knew what I was doing before opening.

Mr Wilson, who grew up in Henley, dropped out of university to run a mobile cocktail business and then trained as a distiller in North Yorkshire and South Wales.

He said: My passion from day one has been to produce a top-quality product.

This award would mean a lot to anyone but it means a little bit more to me as we deliberately delayed the start of the business in the hope that we could make products that would win awards.

Gelato Henley, which makes ice cream and sells it as the Scoop Room in Duke Street, was awarded two stars for its Cremino ice cream.

Phoebe Bisdee, 19, manager of the parlour, said Its one of our best definitely. Its so good, everyone always wants it.

Its a hazelnut base with chocolate and hazelnut on the top. The best way to describe it is that its like a Ferrero Rocher chocolate.

The gelato is made by Ryan Barlow and his partner Katrina Minoletti at their home in Henley.

They started Gelato Henley eight years ago after visiting Ms Minolettis home town on Lake Maggiore in Italy.

The parlour, which opened in June last year, always has about 17 flavours on display and rotates these between 50 and 60 flavours depending on what produce is in season.

Brigitte Dowsett, a director of the company, said: In Italy Cremino is one of the most popular flavours and known as the king of gelato.

A lot of hard work goes into making the product so we are very happy as there are not many products that get two stars.

Ms Dowsett personally transported the ice cream to the tasting panel in London.

It cant be out of the fridge for more than 45 minutes, she said.

I have this very professional ice box and stuffed it with ice and went there really early to avoid the traffic  a little private escort for the king of gelato.

Gelato Henley was awarded one star last year for its honeycomb ice cream.
On the occasion of 77th Independence Day, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday hoisted the national flag at Bengalurus Field Marshal Manekshaw Parade Ground. Siddaramaiah also delivered his first Independence Day speech as Karnatakas chief minister during his second stint in the seat. Karnataka CM invokes Gandhi, Nehru in Independence Day speech.

Also Read - Bengaluru police issue traffic advisory for Independence Day. Avoid these roads

Speaking at the event, Siddaramaiah highlighted the welfare schemes that the government is offering to uplift the quality of life in the state.

He said, The welfare schemes of the Karnataka government are way ahead, and they aim to improve the life standards of people. The country got its freedom after many sacrifices; hence it is our responsibility to value it and work for its development. Today, many underprivileged people in the state are living with dignity and we are committed to creating a society, which was a dream of Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru.

Siddaramaiah also expressed his unhappiness with the central government in providing funds to the state. Karnataka has always been a rich state in terms of generating tax to the Centre, but it is not getting back enough funds. There is a need to respect the federal structure of this country and the people of the state deserve more funds from the Centre, he added.

He also said that the development projects in the state are going at a fast pace with tight deadlines.

To transform the mobility in Bengaluru, the metro works are going on at a rapid speed and deadlines are given to the officials. The suburban rail will also be ready by 2026 and we are all committed to providing world-class facilities in Karnatakas capital, the chief minister said.
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar Tuesday announced that all Haryana schools will remain closed on Wednesday in view of the 77th Independence Day celebrations. The announcement made by Khattar during a state-level Independence Day function, was subsequently shared by his office as well. On the occasion of 77th Independence Day celebrations, the Chief Minister Shri Manohar Lal Khattar declared a holiday on August 16, 2023 for all schools in Haryana, the CMO wrote on Twitter. CM Khattar made the announcement during Independence Day celebrations.

The chief minister also expressed confidence that Haryana will surpass all other states in terms of development by 2047, according to a statement.

'Haryana should forget social, communal, religious differences'

The people of Haryana should forget social, religious and communal differences, and maintain harmony, Khattar said on Tuesday and asserted that "we consider the people of the entire state our family".

Last month, clashes broke out in Haryana's Nuh district after a procession of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) was attacked by mobs, and it spread to adjoining areas, including Gurugram. Six people, including two home guards and a cleric, died in the violence.

"We consider the people of the entire state our family. The day we assumed the responsibility of 'Jan Sewa' in the year 2014, our aim became to protect the interests of every Haryanvi," the chief minister said. Equal development of all citizens and areas has been the priority, he said.

Haryana has witnessed harmony, equal development and brotherhood along with significant transformation in people's lives in the last nine years in the spirit of 'Haryana Ek-Haryanvi Ek', the chief minister said. For this, it was necessary to remove hindrances in the path of development, he said.

Khattar also called upon the people of the state to forget all kinds of social, religious and communal differences, and maintain mutual harmony and brotherhood.

On Independence Day, he also remembered those who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of the country.

He said that "even after independence, our soldiers kept showcasing unparalleled examples of bravery during foreign intrusions in 1962, 1965, and 1971 as well during the Kargil War".

Describing Narendra Modi as a prime minister with a vision, he said that the prime minister was capable of resolving challenging situations in very less time.

The chief minister said following the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the dream of an united India, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, materialised in the true sense.

By beginning the construction of a grand temple of Lord Ram in Ayodhya, which is on the verge of completion, the prime minister has strengthened the faith of millions of citizens, Khattar said.

He slammed previous governments, saying since independence, these governments kept talking about the welfare of the poor, but gave no benefits.

"According to the philosophy of Antyodaya of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay, we (Haryana) created a unique scheme of 'Parivar Pehchan Patra' (family id) to ensure that benefits of public welfare schemes reach the deprived families," the chief minister said.

The biggest reason for the failure of the earlier system was its lack of transparency, said Khattar, adding that "through more than 100 portals and apps, we have displayed every government initiative and programme to the public".

Khattar said 1.10 lakh youngsters have been given government jobs on the basis of merit.

The HaryanaKaushal Rozgar Nigam has been constituted to protect youngsters from exploitation by contractors in outsourcing services, he said.

"Online passport facility has been started for youths who wish to make their career overseas," the chief minister said.

He said the Metropolitan Development authority has been constituted for the development of Gurugram, Faridabad and Panchkula, and this authority will also be formed in Hisar now.
Days after the body of an 11-year-old boy was found inside a box bed at his Inderpuri house in west Delhi, police on Tuesday announced that they have arrested his fathers former girlfriend for his murder. Pooja decided to eliminate the 11-year-old boy, whom she saw as a big hindrance in her marriage with the boy's father". (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Special commissioner of police (crime) Ravindra Singh Yadav said the accused, identified as Pooja Kumari, 24, was arrested from Bakkarwala in west Delhi on Monday.

Giving details of the case, police said the parents of Divyansh alias Bittoo  Neelu Pal, 32, and Jitender Singh, 33  had separated and the boy lived with his mother on the second floor of a five-storey building at Inderpuri E Block. On Thursday evening, Neelu discovered Divyashs body stuffed inside a bed box in the flat, they said. Police said Neelu had alleged that Jitender later got a call from Pooja, who spoke to them cryptically about eliminating a loved one.

During interrogation, police said, Pooja revealed that she and Jitender started living together at a rented flat. Singh assured her that he would get divorced from his wife and would marry her (Pooja) in court But a quarrel ensued between them because Singh was not taking a divorce, Yadav said.

Annoyed at this, Pooja decided to eliminate the 11-year-old boy, whom she saw as a big hindrance in her marriage with Jitender, Yadav said.
Jadavpur University (JU)s report to the University Grants Commission (UGC) doesnt include a single line on what steps the university had taken to prevent ragging in the campus before a first-year student allegedly died by suicide at its hostel last week, Union minister of state for education, Subhas Sarkar, said on Tuesday. Union minister of state for education, Subhas Sarkar. (File Photo)

The UGC had sought a report from JU authorities after a fresher allegedly jumped to death from the second-floor balcony of the universitys main hostel last week. He was allegedly ragged.

We sent an initial report to the UGC. They are satisfied with the report. The UGC team, which was supposed to visit the university on Wednesday, is not coming. We have been asked to send further reports, Snehamanju Basu, JU registrar, said on Tuesday.

Also Read| Jadavpur varsity students death: Senior tried to divert probe, says police

The Union minister, however, told the media that the JUs report only mentions what steps the university has taken after the incident took place and not a single line was included stating what anti-ragging steps were taken prior to the incident to stop the menace.

JU authorities were asked to submit a report within 24 hours. The university authorities, however, has submitted a report on what actions have been taken after the incident took place. We all know this. The ten points, which they have included in the report, doesnt have a single line on what steps were taken (to stop ragging) before the incident took place, he told the media.

Soon after the incident, the first-year students were shifted to a new hostel, the university set up an internal probe committee and anti-ragging hoardings have also come up in the university and hostel premises.

Also Read| UGC says no to Eminence tag for Jadavpur University, Jamia Hamdard

UGC would conduct an enquiry. The anti-ragging cell was not informed. The UGC has lodged a suo-moto complaint. UGC is not taking it lightly. It is a very serious matter and JU should think over it. UGC is analysing the report and will soon inform about what steps it would take, Sarkar told the media.

Meanwhile, police are trying to reconstruct the events, which unfolded on the night of August 9, which prompted the student to allegedly die by suicide..

We visited the campus on Monday to reconstruct the events and check if any physical evidence was there. Some portions are still not clear. Investigation is going on, said a senior IPS officer.

Police have already registered a murder case on the basis of a complaint lodged by the victims parents and three persons, including a former student and two second-year students have bene arrested.

Another officer said that mobile phones of the accused have been seized and sent for forensic analysis to check whether they had captured any video of the ragging incident and later deleted it.

Police have learnt that soon after the incident a section of the hostelites locked the main gate of the premises. Police were not allowed to enter the hostel campus that night.

On Saturday, police lodged a case under sections 186 (Obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) and 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

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Visva-Bharati, West Bengals only central university, is witnessing a stir over an anonymous social media post accusing several teachers of a specific department of sexually harassing a student for at least two years. Visva Bharati, set up in 1921 by Rabindranath Tagore at Santiniketan, is West Bengals only central university and the Prime Minister is its chancellor. (HT Archive)

The university has completely denied the allegation and claimed that it is a malicious campaign against an institution of international repute. The prime minister is the chancellor of Visva-Bharati which was set up by Rabindranath Tagore in 1921.

The post surfaced on August 11. Someone claiming to be a female first-year post-graduate student wrote in a closed Facebook group, VB Confessions, that she has been physically and mentally tortured by multiple teachers of her department since she was in the second year of the three-year under-graduate course.

Written in Bengali, the post, a screenshot of which was seen by HT, said: Coming to Visva-Bharati to study has turned into a curse for me. I am revealing this today because I cannot take the torture anymore. I am alive only because of my parents and my brother.



ALSO READ: Visva-Bharati professor arrested in Bengal on sexual harassment charges

Since the content was reported by a section of the local vernacular media, the university authorities issued a press statement on August 13.

It said: Visva-Bharati condemns the publication of a fabricated story based on an anonymous post in Facebook. Without ascertaining the authenticity of the post, the local newspapers printed the story which is an act of irresponsibility. The university never tolerates harassment and humiliation of any student and especially for our girl students, we take special care to protect their dignity and mental peace. This anonymous post is a fake one and the university has special mechanisms to deal with the cases of harassment if they are genuine. Visva-Bharati follows a zero-tolerance policy in this regard.

Vice-chancellor Bidyut Chakrabarty held a hunger strike for nine hours on the campus on Monday, condemning the social media campaign against the university and publication of media reports.

On Monday evening, Kausik Bhattacharya, secretary of the Visva-Bharati Faculty Association, lodged an official complaint at the local Santiniketan police station against the vice-chancellor and two other officials. The complaint letter, a copy of which was seen by HT, accused the vice-chancellor of declaring the Facebook post as fake instead of referring the matter to the universitys internal complaint committee for investigation.

By holding the hunger strike, Chakrabarty tried to shield the guilty, the police complaint alleged.We have received the complaint. The identity of the alleged victim is unknown. This poses a problem for an investigation, a police officer from Birbhum district, where the institution is located, said on condition of anonymity.

Visva-Bharati spokesperson Mahua Banerjee said on Tuesday evening that no student had come forward with a complaint.We still dont know the identity of the person who wrote the Facebook post, she said.
MUMBAI: There was a time  in the late 1970s-80s  when a farmers leader like Sharad Joshi could pull a crowd of over a lakh to support his agitation to seek better price for their produce and prominent political leaders could not afford to ignore his clout. In 1979 Joshi set up Shetkari Sanghatana, to represent farmers and table high output prices. He led several agitations and farmers unions in states neighbouring Maharashtra, forcing the governments to accept their demands. PREMIUM SHETKARI SANGATHAN LEADER AND CHAIRMAN GOVERNMENT'S TASK FORCE ON AGRICULTURE SHARAD JOSHI ADDRESSING AT A KISAN KUMBH (RALLY) AT JAWAHARLAL NEHRU STADIUM IN NEW DELHI ON FRIDAY PHOTO BY. S. BURMAULA

Less than two decades later this high was on the wane, as the body split up into various factions in the 90s, with heads of the splinter groups trying to keep the pressure on the government. Two prominent groups were led by Raju Shetti and Raghunathdada Patil.

It has been a downhill slide since then. Joshis 1980 agitation against crashing onion prices saw more than a million farmers taking the state highways. Today, despite the rising number of farmer suicides and farm distress such agitations are absent.

Rise in rural wages, minimum support prices and a record flow of bank credit have failed to change their lives. According to data released by the state relief and rehabilitation department, 2,942 distressed farmers ended their lives in 2022. In the previous year, the number stood at 2,743, while in 2020, 2,547 debt-ridden farmers died by suicide.

The big question today is  have farmers in Maharashtra lost their leadership?

The last noteworthy agitation the country witnessed was the year-long farmers protest led by Rakesh Tikait on the borders of Delhi, under the umbrella of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) in November 2020. This unity is not mirrored in Maharashtra. Farmers outfits and their leaders are losing their influence as political parties are caught up in a battle to garner numbers.

The Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, a union led by Raju Shetti, is on the precipice of a second split, as Ravikant Tupkar, a senior leader who has a sway over Vidarbha, has turned against him. The Shetti-led outfit is considered the strongest farmers organisation in the state. Speculations are rife that Tupkar has been in touch with leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

The outfit has a strong presence in the sugar belt of western Maharashtra. Shetti won the Hatkanangale Lok Sabha constituency in Kolhapur district twice before losing it to Dhairyasheel Mane of Shiv Sena in 2019. He had also supported the BJP in 2014 for the farmers cause but chose to exit the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) as it did not implement the double input cost as minimum support price (MSP) for farm produce.

The same year Shettis colleague and farmers leader Sada Khot was expelled for anti-party activities as he was suspected to be aligning with the BJP, a party he eventually joined. At one time, both Shetti and Khot were Joshis close aides.

Shetti has alleged that the ruling BJP is luring away his leaders to divide us. This is the only option available to them; but they cannot scare us with threats of actions from Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as we have not made money by misusing our position, said Shetti.

Another breakaway faction of Shetkari Sanghatana  is being led by veteran farmers leader Raghunathdada Patil who has now joined Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).

Former MLA and farmers leader Wamanrao Chatap said all parties are engaging in a game of divide and rule to edge out pressure groups. Farmers leaders who joined politics became a part of the system. Their misery will not go away until the government changes its policy for rural economy, Chatap said. He is also a trustee of the Shetkari Trust formed by Joshi.

Shetti questioned why the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) did not step in to buy their produce when farmers were throwing their tomatoes on roads because of low prices. He criticised how the government intervenes through exporting only when prices go up. This time they imported tomatoes from Nepal  what sort of policy is this, said Shetti.

Vijay Jawandhia, one of the founder members of the Shetkari Sanghatana who left Joshi in 1994-95 after the latter supported free market economy for agriculture, said: Few know that todays price of cotton in the international market is around 95 cents per pound of cotton lint which is less than what was in 1994  one dollar and 10 cents per pound of cotton lint. How can a farmer will survive without subsidy.

Jawandhia, who was once heading the All India Kisan Samanway Samiti (a national-level coordination committee of all the farmers organisations), pointed out that at the beginning of the movement in 1980, no farmer was dying by suicide, unlike today.

In the past few years, Akhil Bhartiya Kisan Sabha (ABKS), a Communist Party (Marxist)-led body has attempted to stand by the farmers  it held state-wide strike in 2017 seeking a loan waiver for debt-ridden farmers. The following year, it managed to get 30,000 to 40,000 farmers to march from Nashik to Mumbai for implementing the loan waiver and land rights of the tribals. This forced the then Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP government to declare a loan waiver for the debt-ridden farmers.

In March this year, a long march was organised from Dindori (Nashik) to Mumbai, demanding aid from the government for onion producers and buying their produce through the NAFED. The Shiv Sena-BJP government held talks with their leaders and convinced them to return from Thane.

ABKS has influence in tribal belts of Thane, Palghar and Nashik districts and non-tribal districts such as Ahmednagar, Beed, Parbhani, Solapur, Sangli and Nanded.

Ajit Nawale, national joint secretary of ABKS, does not feel that the farmers voice has weakened. He said, We have proved that issues can be resolved by hitting the streets even today. He added that farmers issues are more complex and complicated today than they were in the 80s and 90s because of the neo-liberal policy accepted by Joshi and adopted by the government.

With rural folks shifting to urban areas and the young turning away from the ancestral profession, the attitude of the government has also changed. As Shetti said, With urban population reaching 45%, the governments focus has shifted towards them. This will impact its perspective on the sector and issues, which will be detrimental for the farmers.
MUMBAI: Four years later, an FIR has been registered against a doctor, on Tuesday, for causing the death of a newborn baby soon after delivery. A medical report submitted by a panel of JJ Hospital stated that the death occurred due to gross negligence by the doctor. HT Image

The complainant, Imran Khan, 25, a scrap dealer who lives in Govandi, said that his sister Shabira Khan was admitted to Shabnam Hospital in Govandi on March 21, 2019.

On March 21, Dr Gulnar Shaikh, and he admitted her to the ward for delivery. Although, there were some complications, she was able to deliver the baby. They found that the baby was struggling to breathe but as the hospital lacked facilities, Dr Shaikh advised them to take the baby to Muskan Hospital.

The doctor at Muskan Hospital declared the baby dead before admission. Due to no proper facility for oxygen in Shabnam hospital, the infant died, said Imran in his statement to the Shivaji Nagar police.

The incident was reported to the police, and a woman police officer visited the hospital for inquiry. The police then asked JJ hospital to submit their medical opinion. A panel from the state-run hospital submitted their reports on August 14. The report stated that there was mismanagement on the part of treating doctors, in this case, amounting to gross negligence.

Meanwhile, Shabira Khan, the babys mother, died in 2022.

We have registered a case based on the JJ hospitals report, which came almost after four years. The accused is booked under section 304 A (causing death due to negligence) of the Indian Penal Code, said Vinayak Deshmukh, additional commissioner of police.

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MUMBAI: The manager and two cooks of a well-known Bandra restaurant were arrested on Tuesday after a customer complained of finding a baby rat in his dish. The incident has found mention in the Google reviews section of the restaurant as well. We had been to Papa Pancho Da Dhaba yesterday, people sitting on my adjoining table had ordered a chicken dish.To their utter surprise they saw a rat in the dish after having few chicken pieces and gravy. I myself saw the rat. The customer who consumed this dish was not feeling well after having the dish, wrote one Sandesh Mahajan. (Vijay Bate/HT Photo))

A police complaint was lodged by a bank executive from Goregaon, Anurag Singh, on Monday after his less than savoury meal at Papa Pancho Da Dhaba on Sunday night. The restaurant has been popular for its Punjabi fare for over two decades.

He told the police that he had gone for dinner on Sunday to the restaurant after a day of shopping in Bandra. Singh said he found a baby rat in the chicken dish he had ordered. He initially had not noticed it and consumed some of it as he thought it to be a piece of chicken. On closer look, he realised it was, in fact, a baby rat.

After shopping in Bandra, we stopped at the restaurant for dinner, recalled Singh. The chicken curry that I ordered seemed to have a piece of meat that looked much lighter in colour. When I picked it out with a spoon, it turned out to be a small rat, Singh said. HT has seen the image of the baby rat in the food but has refrained from publishing it.

When he complained to the wait staff, he said they were apologetic, but the manager did not even come forward for the next 45 minutes. Singh said he started feeling sick right after discovering the rat in the curry some of which he had already consumed. He consulted a doctor on the way back home who prescribed some medication.

An official from Bandra police confirmed the arrest of hotel manager Vivian Sequeira and two cooks. They have been booked under sections 272 (adulteration of food meant to be sold) and 336 (rash or negligent behaviour that endangers a persons life) of Indian Penal Code, said the officer. The three were released on bail. He said they are now probing the meat supplier of the restaurant.

Manager Sequeira said that theirs is a very old restaurant and no such incident had occurred in the last 22 years. The two customers hailing from Rajasthan were heavily drunk and the server spotted them consuming alcohol and objected to it since we dont serve alcohol, he said. He added that he felt that they intentionally did it to extort money from the restaurant. The food is checked by multiple staff members and so such a thing will never happen, he insisted.

Lawyer for the restaurant Advocate Devraj Gore said that the two customers were drunk and had almost finished the food when they pointed out the rat in the dish after the staff objected to them consuming alcohol. They even asked the manager whether he would like to settle the matter. Later, they approached the cops. They have ruined the lives of two poor people who are our cooks and do not have any criminal cases against them, he said.

Gore went on to allege that the cops didnt go by the book in this case as they failed to do a spot panchnama or include any FDA officials in their investigation. They have not even taken any samples for testing. Nor was there a medical test of the complainant who claims to have eaten the allegedly contaminated curry. It was much later in the night that they asked the chef to get it to the station. Since it was not sealed and taken in front of witnesses, there are chances that it could be mishandled, he said.

The incident has found mention in the Google reviews section of the restaurant as well. We had been to Papa Pancho Da Dhaba yesterday, people sitting on my adjoining table had ordered a chicken dish. To their utter surprise they saw a rat in the dish after having few chicken pieces and gravy. I myself saw the rat. The customer who consumed this dish was not feeling well after having the dish, wrote one Sandesh Mahajan.
Mumbai: The state government, after facing criticism on the Industrial front for not being Industry friendly, has decided to start dedicated awards for Industrialists and declared the Udyog Ratna award to the noted industrialist Ratan Tata, and Udyog Mitra award to Adar Poonawala, CEO of Serum Institute of India. HT Image

The state government on Monday issued an order regarding the announcement of four awards for the Industrialist. The state government has decided to start the awards for the industry sector on the lines of Maharashtra Bhushan from 2023. The highest Udyog Ratna award will comprise a prize amount of 25 lakh, a trophy, and a citation. Udyog Mitra award will comprise of a prize amount of 15 lakhs, trophy, and citation. said the order.

It is said that every year one male and one female entrepreneur will be awarded as the best entrepreneur with a prize amount of 5 lakh, a trophy, and a citation.

Maharashtra Bhushan is the highest award given by the state government, and now the state government will felicitate industrialists on the same lines.

The best female entrepreneur award has been declared to Gauri Kirloskar, managing director of Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd. The best Marathi entrepreneur award has been declared to Vilas Shinde, CMD, Sahyadri Farms.
NAGPUR: On Tuesday, Nagpur-based lawyer and social activist Satish Ukey, who is now lodged in Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai, was booked under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, 1999 (MCOCA). Six others were also booked under the draconian Act. ED had on March 31 arrested Satish Uke and his elder brother Pradip. HT File Photo

Ukey was in the news when he lodged complaints with the Election Commission and filed a petition before the local court against former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis for suppressing information about his criminal cases in his 2014 election affidavit. A vocal critic of PM Narendra Modi and the BJP, the Nagpur-based lawyer was also in the news when he raised doubts about the mysterious death of Judge B H Loya and demanded an SIT probe into it. Justice Loya, who was hearing the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case, in which Amit Shah was an accused, allegedly died of a heart attack in 2014 in Nagpur, where he was attending a wedding.

Also Read: Fadnavis to visit Japan for five days

Ukey and six others were booked under the MCOCA on Tuesday after the divisional engineer of the Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT), Pankaj Patil, filed a complaint against them. It was alleged that they had forged documents pertaining to land that was originally owned by one Vitthal Dhawale and later declared excess by the government. Subsequently, it was allotted to NIT, a local urban development authority, and since the 1990s has been owned by the civic authority.

The others booked in the case include Satishs brother Pradip Ukey, his wife, Madhavi, Shrirang Housing Cooperative Society president Subhash Manilal Baghel, Chandrapekhar Namdevrao Mate and two other family members of Ukey, Pekhar Mahadevarao Ukey and Manoj Mahadevarao Ukey.

Commissioner of police Amitesh Kumar informed HT that after getting a formal complaint from the NIT in January this year, the Ajni police had booked Ukey and the others under various sections of cheating, forgery and fraud under the Indian Penal Code. We have now booked them under MCOCA, he said, adding that the Nagpur police had registered 13 cases against Ukey and his brothers so far.

Last year, the Enforcement Directorate arrested Ukey and his brother Pradip in a money laundering case of over 11.5 crore connected with a land grab case in Nagpur. Both have been in Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai since April 2022.
When Mary Kom, a biographical Hindi movie on Indias most decorated women boxer MC Mary Kom who is from Manipur was released in 2014, it wasnt screened in her home state because of a blanket ban imposed on Bollywood films by a militant outfit. Kuki women attending a protest against the alleged sexual assault of two tribal women in Churachandpur district in Manipur on July 22. (REUTERS)

The illegal ban might still be in place but on Tuesday as the nation celebrated Independence Day, a Kuki organisation was getting ready to screen a few Hindi movies in the trouble-torn state as mark of defiance, and as a showcase of patriotism, amid ethnic clashes between Meitei and tribal Kuki communities, the latter comprising Zomi-Kuki-Hmar tribes.

This is to show our defiance and opposition to Meitei terror groups and the pro-Meitei Manipur state government which have subjugated the tribals for decades, a press statement issued by Hmar Students Association (HSA) said on Monday.

An office bearer of the association said the screenings on Tuesday will take place at the HSA campus at Rengkai in Kuki-dominated Churachandpur district. The screenings will begin at 7 pm, and one of the films selected to be shown is the 2019 hit Uri: The Surgical Strike.

Deadly ethnic clashes, which have so far claimed nearly 160 lives and displaced over 50,000 in the state , started on May 3 with both communities not only violently clashing but also hurling allegations against each other.

Also Read: Unpacking gender-based violence and trauma voyeurism in the Manipur conflict

Given that the history of the ban goes back more than two decades, it was unexpected that mainstream Hindi movies would come to play a part in the ongoing conflict that has deeply divided the northeastern state along ethnic lines,

A ban on Hindi movies, both in theatres and by cable TV operators, was imposed on September 12, 2000, following a diktat by the Revolutionary Peoples Front (RPF), the political wing of Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), an Imphal Valley-based Meitei militant outfit.

The outfit never gave any specific reason for the ban but the primary reason behind the move, it was believed at the time, was to protect the Manipuri culture and identity. Soon after imposing the ban, cadres of the outfit seized thousands of audio and video cassettes and CDs -- comprising Hindi movies and songs -- from outlets and publicly burnt them.

The last Hindi movie to be screened publicly in Manipur was the Shahrukh Khan starrer Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, released in 1998. Though English, Manipuri and Korean movies are screened in movie theatres in Imphal, the capital city, Hindi movies have been kept out since then.

The time for this reign of terror is coming to an end. Every Indian citizen deserves its freedom to enjoy diverse cinema and cultural expressions. Lets expose this oppressive narrative and demand justice, mentioned a statement by the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), a conglomerate of Kuki groups in Churachandpur.

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Masamune-kun's Revenge R Season 2 has become the summer's most highly anticipated anime series in 2023. Makabe and Fujinomiya (Image via Silver Link)

In the last episode of Masamune-Kun's Revenge R, they focused on chapter 43, A Futile Confession. It showed Masamune and friends celebrating New Year at the Shrine. Additionally, the episode explored the relationship between Makabe Masamune and Neko Fujinomiya.

Fans are excited for episode 8 of Masamune-Kun's Revenge R, where we might see a cool development between Makabe and his 'Master' Yoshino.

Masamune Kun's Revenge R episode 8 Release Schedule

Japanese fans have several options to watch Masamune-Kun's Revenge R episode 8, including Tokyo MX, AT-X, KBS Tokyo, BS Fuji, and other affiliated channels.

International fans can stream the episode on Crunchyroll. For fans in South and Southeast Asia, the episode will be available for free on Ani-One Asia's YouTube Channel. Everyone can enjoy the fun of episode 8!

Here is the exact release time in your time zone.

Date Masamune-kun's Revenge R Episode 8 Release Schedule JST PT ET GMT CET IST August, 21 11:00 PM 7:00 AM 10:00 AM 2:00 PM 4:00 PM 7:00 PM

A brief recap of Masamune-Kun's Revenge R episode 7

The episode began with Fujinomiya celebrating New Year in a traditional way with her family. They noticed how beautiful she had become.

Meanwhile, Masamune went to the doctor for his hives, which were stress-related. He planned to return for another check-up.

Futaba and Kojuro decided to celebrate New Year at a shrine and invited Makabe, who hesitated due to his hives. He lied that Aki and Yoshino were busy, so they invited Fujinomiya.

A flashback revealed how Fujinomiya and Makabe met as kids at a wedding. The group played Hanetsuki at the shrine, and Makabe's hives disappeared.

At school, Makabe realized he hadn't seen Aki since Christmas. Fujinomiya noticed Masamune and Yoshino ignoring each other.

Makabe and Fujinomiya met at the hospital. He confessed his stress and secrets, and she suggested he suffered from burnout without revenge as a goal.

Fujinomiya confessed again and tried to kiss Makabe, but her driver interrupted. His hives returned, and he saw Yoshino collapse.

What to expect in Masamune-Kun's Revenge R episode 8

After the last episode's exciting ending, fans are eager for Masamune-Kun's Revenge R episode 8. It's expected to follow chapter 44 of the manga, diving into Yoshino and Makabe's relationship. What happens next? Stay tuned!

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The Fighter motion poster opened with a few fighter jets flying in the air before shots of an Air Force base are shown. Finally, Hrithik emerges, who will be seen as a fighter pilot in the action film.

Hrithik Roshan's Fighter look was unveiled on August 15.

Fighter motion poster

Sharing the motion poster featuring himself, Deepika Padukone as well as Anil Kapoor in the film, Hrithik wrote on Twitter or X, Spirit of Fighter | Vande Mataram! See you in the theatres on the eve of Indias 75th Republic Day. Fighter releases worldwide on 25th January 2024. Deepika and Anil were both in uniform and sported dark sunglasses just like Hrithik in the teaser.

Reactions to Fighter motion poster

Now this is what you call goosebumps, wrote a person on X in reaction to the teaser shared by Hrithik. Another one said, Cannot wait for Republic Day 2024 now! One more said about Deepika's look, Fierce and so, so cool." A person also said, Oooh, the men in uniform look dashing!

Hrithik's Fighter look

In the picture shared on Instagram on June 26, Hrithik was seen in a pilot's gear, standing in an airfield with his back towards the camera. A fighter jet was also seen in the frame. Hrithik looked at the jet with his hand resting on it. He wrote in his caption, Fighter 25 January 2024... 7 months to Fighter.

Hrithik has worked on his body to fit into his character in the film. The actor has been sharing videos and pictures of his journey on Instagram. Earlier this year, the actor shared a video from one of his gym sessions and wrote, My friend and trainer Kris Gethin journey back to his home in the US tom. With still 10 weeks more to go for the completion of our 2nd phase, and 6 months of intense hard work already behind us, I could not have been more satisfied, more charged, more driven and more at peace with the process than I am right now at this very moment. And that process by the way has very little to do with muscle and more to do with the heart and mind

About Fighter

The film was announced in January 2021. Fighter was originally scheduled for a theatrical release in September 2022. However, the pre-production was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In this film, Deepika and Hrithik have been paired opposite each other for the first time. Hrithik has previously worked with Siddharth in War alongside Tiger Shroff. Hrithik was last seen in Vikram Vedha. Deepika was last seen in Pathaan, which is the biggest hit of the year, so far.

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For actor Minissha Lamba, Bachna Ae Haseeno will always hold a special place in her heart as she says, It was indeed a turning point in my career. Minissha Lamba played the role of Mahi in Bachna Ae Haseeno

As the film clocks 15 years, the actor recalls how she instantly came on board the Siddharth Anand directed project as soon as she got the offer. However, she reveals that she only got her part of the script. I was unaware of the other characters storylines. I broadly knew what the story was, but I only received my script. So, the details, individual scenes, songs, and everything else, I saw for the first time on screen when in the show kept for the cast and crew. The story was unfolding just like the audience for me, shares Lamba, who played the role of Mahi, one of the three girls who Ranbir Kapoor falls in love with in the film.

Talking about her on-screen chemistry with Kapoor, the 38-year-old calls it seamless and effortless. She adds, When we were shooting, Ranbir was very shy and kept to himself at that point. We didnt interact that much, but the moment the camera turned on, there was a different kind of ease and chemistry. In fact, we required minimal takes, and our shots would be done in maximum third take, she recounts.

The film, also starring Deepika Padukone and Bipasha Basu, was extensively shot in Switzerland, Mumbai and Sydney, and Lambas story unfolds in Switzerland and later moves to Amritsar. Among several memories from the shooting, the actor admits the portions shot in Switzerland hold a particular significance for her.

Showing Mahi as a young girl, going on a holiday, that too abroad, finding the love of her life... it was all how it exactly happens in movies. It was so much fun, especially the adventures that made us experience new thrills like riding a roller coaster on a glacier and playfully indulging in stealing chocolates from a store in a carefree manner for the scene, she recalls.

Lambas character, from a happy-go-lucky girl in the first half, switches to a being a married woman and a mother of two in post interval scenes, and that latter half was pretty challenging to portray, she admits. More than the young Mahi, the other part of being in a marriage where there was no heart and affection, was difficult to play because I had nothing to draw on. Yet, there had to be a distinct difference between the girl she was and the woman she became, ends the actor, who made her OTT debut with short film Badtameez Dil earlier this year..
Shah Rukh Khan celebrated the 77th Independence Day with family at his home in Mumbai, called Mannat. The actor was joined by his wife Gauri Khan and their youngest child AbRam Khan. Shah Rukh said that it was AbRam's idea to hoist the Tricolour at their terrace once again, after they did the same last year as well. (Also read: From Shilpa Shetty to Allu Arjun: How stars celebrated Independence Day) Shah Rukh Khan had a small flag hoisting ceremony in Mannat with family.

Now the little one has made it a tradition. Hoisting of our beloved Tricolour and wishing everyone Happy Independence Day. Love to all and may our country, India prosper and all of us with it, wrote Shah Rukh with a picture and video from the ceremony. The photo showed him, Gauri and AbRam all dressed in white, posing for a picture next to the National Flag. The video showed him saluting the flag, joined by members of their staff. Shah Rukh's other two kids --Aryan and Suhana  were not part of the ceremony. Suhana was with her The Archies castmates, celebrating Independence Day.

Fans of the actor also wished him a 'Happy Independence Day.' Bharat ki shaan (India's pride) Shah Rukh Khan, commented a fan. Humara independence day ab ho gya (Our Independence Day is finally complete), commented another person.

Earlier on Tuesday, Shah Rukh Khan also changed his X (formerly known as Twitter), display picture to tricolour as part of the 'Har Ghar Tiranga campaign'. The campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of Indias Independence Day encourages citizens to display the Indian flag on their social media profiles.

Other celebrities also took to social media to share pictures and videos with flags. Katrina Kaif and Vicky Kaushal also hoisted the flag in their balcony. Happy Independence Day, she wrote as she shared a photo of herself and Vicky, looking at the flag.

Shilpa Shetty unfurled the National Flag at her home with her mother and son Viaan. The family also sang National Anthem Jana Gana Mana together.

SRK will be next seen in the action thriller film Jawan, which is all set to hit the theatres on September 7. Helmed by Atlee, the film also stars Vijay Sethupathi, Nayanthara and Sanya Malhotra in key roles.

Recently, the makers unveiled the romantic track Chaleya from the film, which received positive responses from the audience. Apart from Jawan, Shah Rukh also has director Rajkumar Hiranis next Dunki oppiste Taapsee Pannu. The official release date of the film is still awaited.

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Shilpa Shetty has hit back at trolls who shamed her for hoisting the Tricolour while wearing shoes. The actor hoisted the National Flag with her family on Tuesday morning on the occasion of 77th Independence Day. (Also Read: From Shilpa Shetty to Allu Arjun: How stars celebrated Independence Day) Shilpa Shetty gives it back to trolls who slammed her for hoisting tricolour with her shoes on

Why was Shilpa trolled?

Shilpa took to her Instagram on Tuesday morning to post a video from her residence, in which she's seen hoisting the Tricolour along with her family. She captioned her post, "Vande Matram #JaiHind #IndependenceDay #76YearsOfIndependence #VandeMataram #ProudIndian #gratitude #blessed.

However, an internet user commented on the post and wrote, When you're hoisting the National Flag, I urge you to touch the rope of the flag only after removing your footwear." Several other users also jumped in to endorse the above argument, some even shaming the actor for not following the rules.

Shilpa hits back

Shilpa didn't respond directly to the above comment, but commented in general on her post. She wrote, I am aware of the Rules of conduct while hoisting the flag ,the RESPECT for my country and THE FLAG stems from my heart and not up for questioning . I am a proud Indian . Todays post was to share and celebrate that emotion. To all the trollers (that I ignore usually) DO NOT appreciate YOU airing your ignorance and spreading negativity on this Day . So get your facts rights and please BACK OFF (folded hands emoji).

Shilpa also took to her Instagram Stories and posted a screenshot of a Google search, Can we hoist Indian flag with shoes? The response below the question was, The Flag Code of India does not restrict hoisting of the national flag with shoes on. Shilpa wrote #Facts (tricolour emoji) on the screenshot while sharing it on Instagram Stories.

Shilpa Shetty posts a screenshot reminding her trolls of the Flag Code of India

Shilpa will be next seen in Rohit Shetty's cop web series Indian Police Force that will premiere on Prime Video India.

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The producers of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, recently shared an update about the release of Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. In an interview with Digital Spy, they mentioned that the release will happen "when it's ready." They explained that due to writers' and actors' strikes, the timeline has been affected, and it's uncertain when these issues will be resolved. So, while fans are eagerly waiting for the sequel, there's no definite release date yet. Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse's Poster

Lord explained, Those conversations are thankfully above our paygrade, but I can tell you we're already hard at work on it, and we'll take the time it takes to make it great.

Watch the Trailer below:

When Will Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse Be Completed?

Ever since that exciting tease at the end of the movie, people have been curious about Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. But now, due to various factors, including strikes, Sony Pictures has postponed the originally planned release date of March 2024, and there's no new date set yet.

"I would say that just like we're going to take the time necessary to make Beyond the Spider-Verse great," Lord began before Miller added a comment. And we won't back into a release date that doesn't fit.

Check out the "Metro Boomin Presents Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" soundtrack!

Across the Spider-Verse's Digital Version Is Different

After Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse became available to watch at home, fans are spotting differences compared to the theater version. Phil Lord and Chris Miller explained to GamesRadar+ that these changes are due to an "international cut." The animators aimed to perfect specific scenes, leading to these alterations for the home release.

"Here's what I can promise, and I said it about the second one when we were in the middle of it: Phil Lord, Chris Miller, everybody, the producers on this, the directors they're going to bring in ... What they did on the first one is all the directors became executive producers. So they just keep adding to it. What I can promise is they are not going to stop until it's excellent," Peter B. Parker actor Jake Johnson confirmed.

"And if that means it takes a little bit longer, if that means it's even bigger, if that means it's longer -- they don't play by anybody's rules. They work really hard. As actors in it, we're always shocked that we get called in to record on this last one. I think it was a month before it screened, where we could not believe we were still recording. So they're not going to quit until it's great and I have nothing but faith in them. But in terms of giving anything away [about the story], can't do it."
The new Indiana Jones movie, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is coming out on video-on-demand on August 29. This is the last movie with Indiana Jones, played by Harrison Ford where he joins forces with his goddaughter Helena Shaw to stop a bad person from getting their hands on a special thing made by Archimedes. Disney announces the official video-on-demand release date of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, but there is no word as to its Disney+ release.

Where to Watch Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny?

On Tuesday, August 29, you can watch "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" on your favorite digital platforms like Prime Video, Apple TV, and Vudu. Not only that, you'll also get extra cool stuff like behind-the-scenes features.

The new Indiana Jones movie, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is coming out on video-on-demand on August 29. It's the last movie in the Indiana Jones series and it stars Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones. In this movie, Indiana Jones teams up with his goddaughter Helena Shaw to stop a bad guy from getting a device invented by Archimedes.

When Will Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Come to Disney+?

The movie "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" might be coming to Disney+ soon. It's not on there yet, but it's listed, so it could be added any time now.

Disney is likely waiting to tell us the exact day it will be on Disney+. They want to see if the movie makes more money when it's first released online. You see, the movie didn't do as well as they hoped in theaters, only making $370 million. But it cost $300 million to make, so they're hoping the online release will help them earn more.

It's possible that the movie will be released on Disney+ before the end of the year, but it's also possible that Disney will wait until early 2024. It all depends on how well the movie does on VOD.

fans of the Indiana Jones franchise can watch the first four movies on Disney+. They can also check out the listing for Dial of Destiny on the service to see if there are any updates on the release date.

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Suriya is a leading actor of Tamil cinema. He is currently working as Badu PC in Siruthai Siva's upcoming movie Kanguva. He recently came to Chennai and met the fans who had donated blood on his birthday, thanked them and took some photos. (Also read: Samantha Akkineni reacts to rumours that shes relocating to Mumbai) Suriya has given an explanation to the news that he has settled down in Mumbai with Jyothika and their kids

At this event, he clarified the news that he is settled in Mumbai. Talking about this, he said, You are saying on social media that I have settled in Mumbai. Nothing like that. Both children are studying in Mumbai. I used to go there just to see them. By the way I am in Chennai."

The shoot for film Kanguva is wrapped up. He shared the title look for the film in April. Sheer joy working with Siva & Team on this mighty saga. Happy to share the title look of #kanguva, he wrote as he shared a motion poster. In July, the first glimpse of the magnum opus was shared on the Tamil superstar's 48th birthday. Suriya wrote in a tweet, Overwhelmed & humbled will strive harder thank you all for your kind wishes and the amazing response for #KanguvaGlimpse feeling blessed!! Special thanks to all my brothers and sisters for doing several welfare activities across the States. Heart-filled!

Kanguva, billed as a "mighty valiant saga", is being directed by filmmaker Siva. It is backed by UV Creations and Studio Green and also features actor Disha Patani. Music is composed by Devi Sri Prasad.

"The fearless man. The wild life. The powerful story. Get ready to witness it all... The King is here," Studio Green posted on Twitter alongside the first video glimpse of the movie. Suriya, who won the best actor National Award for Soorarai Pottru in 2022, also shared the first glimpse on his Twitter page.

The first glimpse is released in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi and English languages. It will be out in four more languages soon.

According to the makers, "Kanguva will be raw, rustic and will offer a new visual experience to the audience. Human emotions, powerful performances and never seen before action sequences on a massive scale will be the core of the film."

Kanguva will be released in 3D in 10 different languages. The film is currently under production and makers will reveal further details about the project in near future.

ott:10

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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
Made in Heaven 2's fifth episode directed by Neeraj Ghaywan has been a topic of discussion ever since it dropped last week. The episode deals with casteism, even in todays time, and features Radhika Apte as Pallavi Menke, a Dalit author, who embraces her identity and stands up for her community. On Monday, journalist and author Yashica Dutt, whose book Coming Out as Dalit, a snapshot of what it means to be Dalit in India, took to Instagram to share how the episode 'gave her chills' and criticised Made in Heaven makers for showing 'a version of her life on screen without permission or credit'. Also read: Internet reacts to Radhika Apte's Dalit wedding episode in Made in Heaven Radhika Apte in Made in Heaven season 2's fifth episode.

Yashica shared a clip of the scene from the series along with her statement on the episode that shows an inter-caste wedding. While she praised the makers for showing a Dalit-Buddhist wedding, calling the episode a 'no less than a cinematic triumph', she questioned the makers for not 'duly acknowledging' her contribution to the 'central ideas' shown in the episode.

Yashica Dutt on 'seeing her likeness on screen'

She wrote in the caption alongside her long note, "Its been an overwhelming few days. Seeing my likeness on screen without warning or permission was a roller-coaster starting from thrill and excitement to sadness and loss. I continue to support @neeraj.ghaywans excellent work, whether now with Made in Heaven or Geeli Pucchi before. But this needs to be addressed."

In her note, Yashica wrote, "Before I came out as Dalit in 2016, there was no vocabulary to identify the process of revealing your Dalitness after hiding it for years and owning it with pride either. Today, in 2023, there is both. Dalit directors like Neeraj Ghaywan have revolutionised our cinematic language by showcasing unapologetic Dalits in Bollywood, a tradition that has an even longer history in Southern cinema."

She further wrote, The Heart Skipped a Beat, the fifth episode of Prime Video's Made in Heaven is no less than a cinematic triumph, when it comes to showcasing what it truly looks like for a Dalit woman to take her power back in this casteist society.

Yashica says her ideas were taken without permission

Sharing her reaction to the episode, Yashica wrote, "The scene where the Dalit author, who is from Columbia, has written a book about 'coming out' and talks about her grandmother 'manually cleaning toilets', asserts her selfhood with her life partner-to-be, gave me chills. It was surreal to see a version of my life on screen that was not, but yet was still me. But soon the heartbreak set in. They were my words, but my name was nowhere... The ideas I cultivated, that are my life's work, that I continue to receive immense hate for just speaking, were taken without permission or credit.""

She then said the Made in Heaven episode was 'stunning in its portrayal of a Dalit woman and her Buddhist inter-caste wedding', adding it 'unfortunately erased her contribution' to it. Yashica further said that now since filmmakers are 'showing more Dalits on screen' they should duly acknowledge those who contributed to creating those ideas.

Request to made in Heaven makers

Yashica concluded by writing, "I request Neeraj Ghaywan, and the show creators Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti to formally acknowledge my life's work and ideas that contributed to this episode, which is among the most-talked in the entire series, beyond a post on social media and within the show's credits. So that the millions of viewers know its central ideas were not created out of ether, but out of the blood, sweat and a lifetime of tears of a Dalit woman that the world had decided to cast aside."

About Made In Heaven

Created by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, the Prime Video show is an anthology series headlined by Karan Mehra and Sobhita Dhulipala, who play wedding planners. Theirs as well as their clients' narratives play out against the backdrop of lavish and expensive Indian weddings. Apart from Neeraj Ghaywan, Zoya and Reema, the episodes are directed by Alankrita Shrivastava and Nitya Mehra.

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In a scene that arrives late in the new series Taali, a gay NGO worker Navin (Ankur Bhatia) tells trans activist Gauri (Sushmita Sen) that the discrimination he faces is nowhere near what she has to live with, day in and day out. Yet in no way does the show provide a context for what Navin's struggles look like. For Taali, it doesn't matter at all. It is this tepid, unfair comparison of queer existence and their realities, that washes over the sanitized biographical drama that is Taali. (Also read: Taali creators Arjun, Kartk break silence on casting Sushmita Sen instead of a trans actor as Shreegauri Sawant) Taali is available to stream on Jio Cinema.

Created by Arjun Singgh Baran and Kartk D Nishandar, and directed by Ravi Jadhav, Taali revolves around the life of transgender activist Shreegauri Sawant. The six-episode long series rests itself squarely on the shoulders of actor Sushmita Sen, who plays Sawant with expected grace and radiance. Yet, despite her noble efforts, Taali struggles to rise above its formulaic template of a biographical drama. Written by Kshitij Patwardhan, Taali is somehow stuck in constantly viewing its subject from a narrow, formally manipulative lens.

The premise

We follow Gauri through flashbacks as she presents her linear recollection in the form of a Ted-talk inspired, chapter wise memorabilia for an interview to a prototype white journalist named Amanda (Maya Rechal Mcmanus). She tells how she was Ganesh first, an effeminate schoolboy (played by Krutika Rao) bullied for saying that when she grows up she wants to become a mother. Ganesh's rigid, conservative police-inspector father (Nandu Madhav) even takes her to a sex clinic to prescribe hormonal pills. The decision to run away from home becomes the only way out for her after a point.

There is a heavy-handedness with which these earlier scenes are directed- as if the details are integrated and presented through a check-list of sorts. 4 hours to go for the historic decision, we are also told. Before even presenting the subject and her concerns, it is this announcement that is underlined and fed to viewers at the very first episode. (The countdown is entirely forgotten after this, just like the interview). When will filmmakers stop force-feeding viewers with information and acknowledge their ability to fill in the gaps?

What doesn't work

It doesn't help when Sushmita Sen steps in as teenage Ganesh, the scenes feel planted for the viewers to trace her journey from there onwards. The show is unable to trace the ways in which she finds the courage and determination to go for the sex-change operation. (It is heavily orchestrated into one social gathering where Ganesh is ridiculed by the trans community.) She arrives as Gauri, and the next thing we know- she has turned into a messiah of sorts for the trans community. From rescuing a harassed trans worker to attending a US conference for her work as a teacher in a local school- her journey is traced through a series of milestones. Even for a second, we aren't allowed to enter her inner life- how she gathers herself to face these extraordinary circumstances, what are her normal days like, from where does this unwavering resilience arise?

Sushmita Sen's performance

Sushmita Sen tries her best to inject life into Gauri, yet there's always a worldliness in her screen presence that comes in between. The obvious hindrance is her stiff body language, and the manner in which her response to any situation feels predictable after a given point. She's also saddled with some insipid, rhythmic lines like- "In logo ne meri makeup kiya he, shaam tak mein inka packup karti hoon!" There's only so much one can do to salvage these dialogues. It's a showy, one-note performance devoid of inquisitiveness and surprise.

Taali expectedly circles back to the historic decision of the Indian Supreme Court that transgender individuals are a Third Gender. The rousing denouement arrives agreeably, but without really allowing any room for dialogue. Even after seven episodes, Gauri somehow stands a good distance away. This is a show that only wants to celebrate her, not understand her. So invested is Taali in presenting an overall, objective figure of inspiration that it forgets how Gauri is also a living, breathing entity- wholly deserving of a rich, subjective inner life.
The accused who cheated a 73-year-old man in Kerala using sophisticated AI-based deepfake technology on a WhatsApp call in July has been identified as Kaushal Shah, a native of Usmanpura in Gujarats Ahmedabad, officers said. Shah was a B.Com graduate at the time of leaving home in 2018 and it is not clear if he has done courses in artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies since then. (File photo)

Our efforts are aimed at nabbing him as soon as possible using scientific clues as well as the coordination of police teams from Gujarat, Goa and Maharashtra, three states where he regularly travels to, said Dinesh Koroth, inspector, Kozhikode city cybercrime police station where the case was registered.

We found that Shah (41) hails from a family with good financial background and is the son of a retired assistant public prosecutor. He is addicted to gambling for past 18-20 years and often borrowed money from his family members and friends to gamble. When complaints against him about borrowing money and not returning them rose, his family objected and severed its links with him. He left home in 2018 and has not been seen since by his immediate family, the officer added.

Shah was a B.Com graduate when he left his home in 2018, but it is not clear that he has studied artificial intelligence or other advanced technologies.

Through the investigation, it was found that an amount of 40,000 defrauded from a retired central government official in Kozhikode on July 9, was transferred to a Jio Payments Bank account under the name of Shah in Usmanpura, and transferred the same day to an RBL bank account of a gaming company in Goa. The SIM card, used for the call, was registered in the name of a farmer in Lindi, a village in Gujarats Mahesana district, whose identification details are suspected to have been sold to cyber fraudsters and used by people like Shah, Koroth said.

Our investigation so far shows that Kaushal Shah has acted alone in this crime. He changes phone numbers frequently and has several bank accounts in his name. He is suspected to be a loner and does not have accomplices, said Koroth.

It is clear that Shah did extensive background research on his victims and their immediate contacts, as is evident from the Kozhikode case, he added.

While the RBL bank account, in which the defrauded money was transferred, was immediately frozen when the case came to light, efforts to retrieve the money and return it to the victim are underway, the police said.

Ajit Rajyan, assistant commissioner of police (ACP), cyber crime in Ahmedabad, said, Kaushal Shah is accused of using chatbot to scam people. We are working on getting more information about him and are coordinating with Kerala police. There arent any cases against him here and it seems he used to defraud people outside Gujarat.

On July 9, PS Radhakrishnan, a native of Kozhikode who retired from a central government firm, had received messages followed by a call on WhatsApp from a man claiming to be his former colleague from Andhra Pradesh.

After sharing family photographs and inquiring about his daughter, the man asked for 40,000 for his sister-in-laws emergency surgery in Mumbai.

When Radhakrishnan raised doubts about online scams, the man video-called him on WhatsApp for a few seconds where his face and voice resembled his former colleague. Police say that the accused had used deepfake technology to create the likeness of Radhakrishnans friend and cheat him. Such a case had never been reported before in Kerala.

A case under sections 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sections 66(c) and 66(D) of the IT Act, 2000 has been registered.

(With inputs from Maulik Pathak in Ahmedabad)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Vishnu Varma Vishnu Varma is Assistant Editor and reports from Kerala for the Hindustan Times. He has 10 years of experience writing for print and digital platforms and has worked at The New York Times, NDTV and The Indian Express in the past. He specialises in longform reportage at the intersections of politics, crime, social commentary and environment. ...view detail

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Vishnu Varma Vishnu Varma is Assistant Editor and reports from Kerala for the Hindustan Times. He has 10 years of experience writing for print and digital platforms and has worked at The New York Times, NDTV and The Indian Express in the past. He specialises in longform reportage at the intersections of politics, crime, social commentary and environment. ...view detail
Hyderabad Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy during the 77th Independence Day function, in Vijayawada on Tuesday. (ANI)

Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday said that his government has been striving to usher in gram swaraj visualised by Mahatma Gandhi by bringing in revolutionary changes in the administration, besides ensuring social justice through empowerment of weaker sections.

Addressing an impressive gathering at Indira Gandhi Municipal Stadium at Vijayawada after hoisting the Tricolour on the occasion of 77th Independence Day celebrations, Jagan said his government has brought in major changes in the rural administrative system through 15,000 village and ward secretariats, digital libraries, Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs) and the volunteer system to extend quick civic services to the people in full transparency.

The changes have helped reverse the decades-old corrupt administrative system. The state government has been sincerely and transparently implementing its welfare agenda by transferring 231,000 crore into the accounts of poor people under various direct benefit transfer schemes in the last 50 months.

He said the government has also displayed its commitment towards decentralisation of administration by increasing the number of districts from 13 to 26, to fulfil the wishes of three regions of the state.

Jagan said there were opposition from some sections to his decisions on introduction of English medium in schools, allotment of house sites and construction of houses for the poor. This kind of opposition is also untouchability. The war will continue till justice is done, he said.

Jagan said Andhra Pradesh was the only state which has enacted law to reserve 50 % of the nominated posts and contracts to SCs, STs, BCs and minorities for rendering social justice to the weaker sections.

He also claimed that apart from welfare schemes, his government had mainly focused on three sectors  agriculture, education and health and has brought in revolutionary changes in these sector.

Speaking at the Independence Day celebrations at the historic Golconda Fort, Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) said his government is working towards rectifying the decades of injustice meted out to Telangana and setting an example in terms of welfare and development.

He said though the country has made rapid progress in various fields, there were still a lot of unfulfilled promises as people continue to face hardships and marginalised communities like Dalits, Adivasis, minorities and weaker sections continue agitations for their rights.

KCR claimed that Telangana has made a rapid turnaround in the last 10 years of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) rule.

We carried out the reconstruction of Telangana as a sacred work and steered a devastated Telangana towards the path of development. Now, Telangana is placed at the top position in the country in many fields. With a visionary perspective and transparent policies, we reached a stage where Telangana Practices  Nation Follows, he said.

He said several irrigation projects like Kaleshwaram were taken up to make the state fertile. The Telanganas development model, characterised by its focus on both development and welfare, has showcased the state as an example of effective governance.

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NEW DELHI: In a fresh infrastructure push at forbidding heights, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) on Tuesday started the construction of a high-altitude road in Ladakhs Demchok sector to provide connectivity to one of the militarys farthest outposts in the sensitive sector, Fukche, which is three km from the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC), officials aware of the matter said on Tuesday. BRO begins construction of a high-altitude road in Ladakhs Demchok sector. (AFP)

At its highest point, the new road will roll over an altitude of 19,400 feet, and, when ready, it will be the highest motorable road in the world. The existing highest- motorable road in the world has also been built by the BRO.

India reactivated an airstrip at Fukche, located at a height of 13,000 feet, in November 2008 --- a development that led to protests by the Chinese. The airstrip had till then been out of use for decades after the 1962 India-China war.

On the occasion of 77th Independence Day @BROindia starts construction on yet another strategic road, Road Likaru-Mig La-Fukche. This road will pass through an altitude of 19,400 feet and will be the worlds highest motorable road surpassing the Umling La Pass, the BRO wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

The development comes at a time when India and China have been locked in a military standoff along the LAC in the Ladakh sector for more than three years, and negotiations are still on to resolve outstanding problems.

Despite four rounds of disengagement from the Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso, Gogra (PP-17A) and Hot Springs (PP-15), the Indian and Chinese armies still have tens of thousands of troops and advanced weaponry deployed in the Ladakh theatre.

Problems at Depsang in Daulet Beg Oldi sector and Charding Nullah Junction (CNJ) in Demchok sector are still on the negotiating table.

Two years ago, the BRO created a world record by constructing and blacktopping the worlds highest motorable road at Umling La in Ladakh at an altitude of 19,024 feet.

In a report from Ladakh, digital platform News9 reported that an all-woman unit of the BRO began the construction of the Likaru-Mig La-Fukche road. Colonel Ponung Doming is commanding the five-member team of the women combat engineers that is supervising the road construction, the report added.

The 1,800 special guests, among the 25,000 people who attended the 77th Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort on Tuesday, included 50 workers from the BRO.

The construction of the Likaru-Mig La-Fukche road began at a time when the Nyoma advanced landing ground in Ladakh is being upgraded to support fighter operations, the officials said. The airstrip at Nyoma was reactivated in September 2009. It was also out of use for decades after the 1962 India-China war.

While India has been focused on improving connectivity to areas near the India-China border for several years, the ongoing standoff in eastern Ladakh saw the country move ahead faster with infrastructure projects including roads, bridges and tunnels.
Captain Zoya Agarwal, who became the first female commander to fly one of the worlds longest air routes over the North Pole  between San Francisco and Bengaluru  with an all-female flight crew, reacted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day address on Tuesday in which he claimed that India has the maximum number of women pilots in civil aviation. Captain Zoya Agarwal

PM Modi mentioned that India has the highest number of women commercial pilots in the world and I am extremely proud of this fact. This is propelling that women have led developments not only in the aviation sector but also in other sectors, Zoya Agrawal said in a video message.

Addressing from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the 77th Independence Day, Modi said India is focusing on women-led development, and highlighted the achievements made in various fields, including, aviation.

The one thing that will take the country forward is women-led development, he said.

"Today, we can proudly say that India has the maximum number of women pilots in civil aviation," Modi said, adding women scientists are leading the Chandrayaan mission.

The G20 countries are also recognising the importance of women-led development in India, the PM said.

Referring to the works being done by women SHGs in rural India, Modi said his dream is to see two crore women become lakhpati, and the government is contemplating measures to realise the goal.

The government, he said, is working on a new scheme to increase the use of technology in the agriculture sector and promote agritech.

"We will train women in SHGs to fly drones and also repair drones. The Government of India will provide drones to thousands of Women SHGs," he said.

Initially, 15,000 women SHGs would be covered under the scheme, he said.

Who is Zoya Agarwal?

An all-female flight India pilot team commanded by Zoya Agarwal flew the world's longest air route from San Francisco (SFO) in the United States to Bengaluru in India for the first time in 2021, crossing the North Pole, operating a Boeing 777.

She became the youngest woman pilot in India to fly a Boeing-777 in 2013.

As a precautionary measure during the Covid-19 pandemic, the government initiated Vande Bharat Mission in May 2020 to evacuate around 14,800 Indians from 12 countries on 64 Air India flights. Agarwal was chosen to co-pilot the first repatriation flight by the airline.

Agarwal is one of the gender equality spokespersons at the United Nations (UN), and she has pioneered encouraging females and youth to fulfil their dreams.

Agarwal found her place in the San Francisco-based aviation museum as the first Indian woman pilot to fly an aeroplane above the North Pole. The US-based aviation museum was impressed by the achievement of all Air India's women pilots, and thus they offered a place in their museum.

The museum was launched at San Francisco International Airport in 1980, utilising little more than images on walls as a means to beautify and humanise the airport`s environment.

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The Congress on Monday began the exercise for the selection of candidates to contest the upcoming assembly elections in Telangana, scheduled to be held in the last week of November or first week of December, people familiar with the matter said. A screening committee constituted by the Congress high command held discussions with Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president A Revanth Reddy and Congress Legislature Party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, among others. (ANI)

A screening committee constituted by the Congress high command for Telangana under the auspices of senior Lok Sabha member from Kerala K Muralidharan landed in Hyderabad on Monday morning to hold its first meeting at Gandhi Bhavan.

Apart from Muralidharan, two other members of the screening committee  former Maharashtra MLA Baba Siddique and Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani, also arrived in Hyderabad to a rousing reception from the party leaders and cadres from Telangana.

Muralidharan held discussions with Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee [TPCC] president A Revanth Reddy, Congress Legislature Party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, AICC in-charge of Telangana Manikrao Thakre, Lok Sabha member N Uttam Kumar Reddy and AICC secretaries in-charge of the state, who are ex officio members of the screening committee, a TPCC leader said.

He said in the first meeting, the screening committee focused on the assembly constituencies where there is no stiff competition for party tickets. After assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the ticket aspirants in these constituencies, the party would shortlist the names, he said.

The screening committee would finalise the candidates for at least 40 assembly seats and send the same to the high command for approval. In all probability, the first list of candidates might be announced by August end, so that the selected candidates can begin their campaign in the right earnest, the TPCC leader quoted above said.

The screening committee is also expected to visit some key constituencies and interact with some local leaders to elicit their opinion, before finalising the candidates. The Congress is planning to complete the exercise of finalising the candidates by September, as there is every possibility that the Election Commission of India [ECI] might release the schedule for the assembly elections in October, he added.

Meanwhile, the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) is also expected to release the list of candidates well soon. According to a senior BRS legislator, party president K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) is likely to release the list of 90 candidates sometime next week. He has already shortlisted the candidates and is waiting for an auspicious date. The Sravana Masam will commence on August 18 and KCR may announce the list of candidates on August 19 or 20, he said.

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Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday launched a scathing attack against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government in his Independence Day speech. Kharge also listed out the contributions of former prime ministers in a veiled attack on PM Modis I-Day speech. (PTI Photo)

Addressing the members and workers at Congress headquarters in the national Capital, Kharge alleged that the oppositions voice is being muzzled and Parliament members are being suspended.

I am in pain while saying this that today democracy, the Constitution and traditions are all being threatened. In Parliament, by suspending opposition MPs, the oppositions voice is being suppressed My mic was switched off, Kharge said referring to an incident in the recently concluded Monsoon session.

Also Read: PM Modis I-Day address an election speech with distortions, lies: Congress

On one side, we boast of democracy and on the other, our mouths are sealed shut, he added.

Responding to PM Modis claim of hoisting the flag in 2024, the Congress president said, Every person says that they come back again and again after winning. But making you win or lose is in the hands of people, in the hands of voters. To say in 2023, I will hoist the flag once again in 2024 is arrogance. If he keeps making comments on Opposition even on Independence Day, how will he build the nation?

First, they talked about achche din, then, they talked about New India, And now they talk about Amrit Kaal. Isnt this a name change to hide his failures? asked Kharge.

Also Read: Congress said same before 2014, 2019: Anurag Thakur on Kharge's hoist flag at home barb at PM Modi

Listing out the contributions of former prime ministers, Kharge said, When the British left India to say that not even a needle was manufactured here then. At that time, Pandit Nehru set up big industries, steel plants, public sector (institutions), and created jobs for the youth.

Nation building is a continuous process. Great leaders of our Independence, former prime ministers and the people of India have achieved this with their contributions. These days, some people show that India has not progressed in the last many years. That is wrong, the Congress President said, taking a dig at PM Modis comments during his Independence Day speech.

PV Narasimha Rao and Dr Manmohan Singh, together, by leading economic liberalisation in 1991, joined the country with the world and strengthened the economy, Kharge said.

The Congress president did not attend PM Modis speech at Red Fort on Tuesday.

The party spokesperson told HT that it was due to logistical reasons as the party president had to be present at the partys headquarters for hoisting the national flag.
NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday skipped the Independence Day function at Red Fort, saying he would have been late to the flag-hoisting function at the party headquarters in central Delhi due to security restrictions if he had gone to Red Fort. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge with party leader KC Venugopal at the 77th Independence Day event at the AICC Headquarters in New Delhi on Tuesday (PTI)

Kharges absence from the event prompted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to criticise the 81-year-old politician and his party. Union information and broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur said it reflected the Congress mindset.

In a 10-minute video clip released on social media early on Tuesday, Kharge highlighted the contributions made by prime ministers, starting with Jawaharlal Nehru to counter claims that the country had only developed in the last few years.

It is with pain that I say that today, democracy, constitutional and autonomous bodies are under serious threat. New tools are being used to stifle the voice of the opposition, Kharge said in his video address on X, formerly known as Twitter. When MPs are suspended for an indefinite period... When opposition leaders speeches are expunged if we mention Adani... When mikes are switched off... what else we can do? We celebrate Independence Day with people, he said.

Kharge, who unfurled the national flag at his residence and later at the Congress headquarters where the Independence Day function was also attended by Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders, reiterated some of these concerns in his address. Opposition MPs in Parliament being suspended When I stand up in Parliament to speak, my mic gets switched off, he said.

Asked about his absence from the Red Fort event, Kharge listed two primary reasons. One, he said, was that he had a problem with his eye, and second, that he had to unfurl the national flag at his residence and then at the Congress office.

Kharge said that he could not have reached the Congress office in time from Red Fort. I did not go there due to paucity of time, he said at the Congress headquarters.Congress leader Manickam Tagore said they celebrated Independence Day with the people of the country.

Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera wondered if it was mandatory for everyone to attend the prime ministers speech.

I dont see where is the problem. The Prime Minister goes somewhere, there is a route. By the time, the route opens, we would have missed our own flag hoisting at Congress headquarters. Its not so simple, Khera said. Why is the Prime Minister upset? He wants a captive audience or what? I dont understand.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his Independence Day speech, set the tone for next August 15 with an assertion that he is going to present his government's achievements during his next speech from Red Fort  given that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) makes a comeback after the 2024 general elections. Countering the PM's claim, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said, "He (PM) will hoist the National Flag once again next year, he will do that at his home." Union minister Anurag Thakur(PTI)

However, Union minister Anurag Thakur recalled the Congress' earlier claims that were similar to what Kharge said today. Congress said the same before 2014 too but we came (to power) with absolute majority. They said the same before 2019, but PM Modi came back with a full majority again. PM Modi doesn't get votes based on what the Congress says, he told the reporters.

Thakur also recalled Congress' remarks against PM Modi where the the party called him maut ka saudagar among other names. He also hit out at the grand old party for a remark by its leaders calling those who vote for BJP have demonic tendency.

"We treat them as gods who they (Congress) call raakshas. They (voters) blessed and brought the son of a poor family to the Prime Minister's post...Public will break the arrogance of 'Ghamandia' alliance once again," he added.

During the Independence Day speech, PM Modi vowed to return to Red Fort next year where he will present the country's achievements to the citizens.

The next five years are for unprecedented development. The biggest golden moment to realise the dream of 2047 is the next five years. The next time, on August 15, I will present before you the achievements and developments of the country from this Red Fort, he said.

Kharge said to assert that PM Modi will hoist the flag once again in 2024 is arrogance and that the matter of coming back to power is in the hands of voters. "Every person says that they will come back again and again after winning. But making you win or lose is in the hands of people, in the hands of voters. To say in 2023, I will hoist the flag once again in 2024 is arrogance. If he keeps making comments on Opposition even on Independence Day, how will he build the nation? he asked.
In a controversial move, Satish Jarkiholi, the in-charge minister of Belagavi, has expressed the governments intention to divide the district for administrative reasons. Yemkanamardi, India - May 1, 2018: Satish Jarkiholi, Congress candidate for the upcoming Karnataka state Assembly election from Yemkanamardi constituency, during a meeting with the party workers in Mudhol, India, on Tuesday, May 1, 2018. (Photo by Arijit Sen/Hindustan Times)(To go with Vikram Gopal's story) (Arijit Sen/HT Photo)

During his Independence Day public address after hoisting the National flag, Jarkiholi said that this division would allow people to have easier access to the administration offices, which could be located closer to them.

Currently, people from Athani and Raibag regions have to travel around 150 kilometres to reach the deputy commissioners office in Belagavi. To address this issue and improve administration efficiency, we have proposed the districts bifurcation, he explained.

Several Congress MLAs, including those from Bailhongal, Ramdurga, and Savadatti, who vehemently opposed a similar plan in 1997, have now voiced their intentions to gather public opinions before taking any decision. Mahantesh Koujalagi, the MLA for Bailhongal, said: If people will oppose, Ill join the agitation too until the proposal of bifurcation is dropped, Koujalagi said.

On the other hand, Savadatti MLA Viswas Vaidya and Ramdurga MLA Ashok Pattan, who are closely associated with Jarkiholi, said they plan to discuss the matter with the chief minister and act on the basis of the opinions of (people?) of their respective taluks. Notably, the people of Savadatti, Bailhongal, and Ramdurga resisted a merger with Gokak in 1997, preferring to remain a part of Belagavi.

While the Kannada organisations in Belagavi have issued a stern warning of a statewide protest (WHEN?) against the governments decision until the border dispute with Maharashtra is resolved in the Supreme Court.

Ashok Chandaragi, the convenor of the Kannada Organisations Action Committee in Belagavi said that the government should prioritise maintaining the states solidarity rather than making hasty administrative changes that could lead to unintended consequences.

Chandaragi questioned the governments reasoning for the proposed bifurcation, given that both current and past deputy commissioners and superintendents of police have effectively managed the districts challenges. If the state can be governed by a single chief minister, then deputy commissioners and SPs, who are IAS and IPS officers, should be capable of managing a district with a population of around 35 lakhs, he said.

Sayyad Mansur, a Congress office bearer, expressed concerns that the partys standing could be compromised if it pursued the district bifurcation issue. Siddaramaiah government seemed to put hands in the nest of honeybees by taking such a drastic decision which not only proved harmful to Kannadigas as well the government, he added.

Deepak Gudadanatti, the Belagavi district president of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, echoed fears that the bifurcation might empower Marathi-dominated areas, potentially leading to demands for merger into Maharashtra.

Recalling previous instances where the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) won local body elections and advocated for merging Marathi-speaking areas into Maharashtra, Gudadanatti warned that the MESs victory in local bodies could strengthen Maharashtras claims in its border dispute with Karnataka.

The late Chief Minister J H Patel refrained from bifurcating Belagavi district to prevent benefiting pro-Maharashtrian factions. Patels decision was motivated by concerns that the MES could exploit local body victories to press for merger into Maharashtra, he said.

During J H Patels tenure, Athani, Chikkodi, and Raibag taluks were allocated to the proposed Chikkodi district, while Gokak, Savadatti, Ramdurga, and Bailhongal taluks were assigned to the Gokak district. Belagavi, Khanapur, and Hukkeri taluks were included in the Belagavi district.

The proposal was withdrawn on September 20, 1997, following widespread protests, with the condition that the Belagavi district would remain intact until the border dispute with Maharashtra was settled in the Supreme Court. Despite subsequent governments under Patels leadership prioritizing the states interests, the current Siddaramaiah government has revisited the matter.

Having suffered a series of electoral defeats, the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) has clung to its singular objective since 1956: merging Marathi-speaking areas in Karnataka with Maharashtra. Additionally, the MES has advocated for the districts bifurcation as a strategy to regain its political foothold.

Vikas Kalghatagi, the MES spokesperson, outlined their intentions, saying: We foresee our influence expanding across numerous Gram Panchayats and Taluk Panchayats, allowing us to govern using our language. This includes accessing official documents in our language, fulfilling one of our longstanding demands.
Kolkata: HT Image

A controversy has erupted at Visva Bharati, West Bengals only central university, over an anonymous social media post alleging sexual and mental harassment of a student by several professors of a specific department for two years.

The post on Facebook, dated August 11, was by a person who said she was a postgraduate student at the university.

The university has denied the allegations, but a faculty member filed a police complaint against three people, including vice-chancellor Bidyut Chakrabarty, for alleged laxity in the matter.

In her post in a Facebook group, VB Confessions, the student alleged she was physically and mentally tortured by multiple teachers of her department, after she entered her second year of a three-year undergraduate course.

Coming to Visva-Bharati to study has turned into a curse for me. I am revealing this today because I cannot take the torture anymore. I am alive only because of my parents and my brother., the post, written in Bengali and reviewed by HT, said.

The post did not mention any details of when the incidents took place or any identification of the accused. HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the post.

After reports in the local media on August 12, the university dismissed what it called a fabricated story.

Visva-Bharati condemns the publication of a fabricated story based on an anonymous post in Facebook. Without ascertaining the authenticity of the post, the local newspapers printed the story which is an act of irresponsibility, the varsity said in a statement on August 13.

The university never tolerates harassment and humiliation of any student and especially for our girl students, we take special care to protect their dignity and mental peace. This anonymous post is a fake one and the university has special mechanisms to deal with the cases of harassment if they are genuine. Visva-Bharati follows a zero-tolerance policy in this regard, the statement added.

On Monday, Chakrabarty sat on a hunger strike for nine hours on the campus, condemning a purported social media campaign against the university. Visva Bharati faculty association secretary Kausik Bhattacharya filed a complaint at Santiniketan police station against Chakrabarty and two other varsity officials for trying to shield the guilty. Bhattacharya filed the complaint as a faculty member, without mentioning the association.

In the complaint, a copy of which HT has seen, Bhattacharya said the vice-chancellor should have referred the matter to the universitys internal complaint committee for a probe instead of declaring the Facebook post as fake.

By holding the hunger strike, Chakrabarty tried to shield the guilty, the police complaint said.

We have received the complaint. The identity of the alleged victim is unknown. This poses a problem for an investigation, a police officer from Birbhum district, where the institution is located, said on condition of anonymity.

Visva Bharati spokesperson Mahua Banerjee said no student had so far come forward with a complaint. We still dont know the identity of the person who wrote the Facebook post, she said.

There was no reaction from the state government or any political party till Tuesday evening.
Gurugram: Bittu Bajrangi in police custody.

The Nuh police on Tuesday arrested cow vigilante Raj Kumar, better known as Bittu Bajrangi, from his home in Faridabad on charges of rioting, assault, brandishing weapons and dacoity in connection with the communal violence between Muslim and Hindu groups that lashed the Nuh and Gurugram districts two weeks ago.

Bajrangi  the 35-year-oldin-charge of Bajrang Force, a Hindu religious outfit  was arrested after a brief chase on foot through the lanes of Faridabad on Tuesday afternoon. Visuals showed a large posse of policemen in plainclothes, armed with sticks and a few guns, briefly chasing the cow vigilante, who is also wanted in another case in Faridabad.

Bajrangi  who is one of the cow vigilantes wanted in connection with the communal clashes along with Mohit Yadav or Monu Manesar  was booked under sections 148 ( rioting, being armed with a deadly weapon or with anything which, used as a weapon of offence), 149 (unlawful assembly), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public function), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant), 397 (robbery, or dacoity, with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt), 395 (dacoity), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sections of the arms act at Sadar Nuh police station on Tuesday, said Usha Kundu, additional superintendent of police, Nuh.

Monu Manesar is yet to be arrested.

Kundu said Bajrangi was identified from evidence and videos collected by the police to identify the suspects. He was questioned and based on his statement and evidence, he was arrested. He will be produced before the court on Wednesday, she said.

Bajrangi and Manesar were among those accused of stoking communal tensions in the Muslim-majority district of Nuh ahead of a yatra by right-wing groups. Both men had released videos before the event on July 31 with derogatory and inflammatory comments. Violence broke out around 2pm on July 31 when Muslim groups attacked the procession, and quickly spread to the neighbouring district of Gurugram, stopping only at the fringes of the national capital. Six people died and 88 others were injured. Police have so far arrested 230people but Bajrangi is the first prominent cow vigilante to be held in the case.

Police clarified that he was not arrested in connection with the controversial video clips, but another incident where he allegedly snatched weapons from the police during the clashes. On August 4, Faridabad Police arrested Bajrangi for his alleged involvement in releasing provocative videos, but granted him bail the same day. The charges levelled against him on Tuesday carry a maximum punishment of 10 years.

On July 31, Bajrangi, along with 20 more, were brandishing weapons including swords, despite permission being denied. I had taken the weapons from them before Nalhar temple but the group of nearly 20 people intercepted my vehicle and snatched them back. They were not identified but we had formed teams, and based on videos, they were identified and booked on Monday, she said, adding that he was arrested by the crime investigation agency (CIA) in Tauru.

Kundu said the Nuh Police has arrested 230 people and registered 59 cases in connection with the violence. The Gurugram Police arrested 79 people and registered 59 cases in connection with the riots. More cases are likely to be registered against him, said police.

Police officers said they suspected the videos played a role in stoking tensions in the area, where Muslim residents pelted stones, vandalised and torched private and police vehicles, and allegedly surrounded a local temple where several Hindus, police personnel and media professionals took shelter. With several members of the procession also brandinging arms, the standoff turned into a communal brawl that raged for two days.

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The death toll after devastating rains in Himachal Pradesh reached at least 57 on Tuesday following the recovery of two bodies from under the rubble of a collapsed Shiv Temple in Summer Hill area of Shimla, and two others from Krishna Nagar area where four buildings collapsed in the afternoon. Collapsed houses seen after a landslide in Krishna Nagar, Shimla, on Tuesday. (ANI)

Overnight rain on Monday triggered multiple landslides and sent rivers into spate in the Himalayan state, washing away vehicles and subsuming buildings into flood waters.

The destruction, however, continued in some areas even on Tuesday, with a harrowing video emerging from Krishna Nagar in Shimla showing a set of four buildings collapsing as the ground underneath them slid away. While two people were confirmed dead in the incident, officials said they were yet to ascertain the exact number of people buried under the rubble.

This is the second time during this years monsoons that the countrys Himalayan states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are reeling under extreme floods. In July, floods, landslides and mudslides devastated Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand after devastating volumes of rain leading to hundreds of deaths.

In other areas of Himachal, rescue operations resumed as rains subsided on Tuesday morning.

The state government sought the help of Army in rescue operations on Tuesday, while teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and SDRF were already deployed across the state.

Heavy machinery were being used to remove the debris to recover the bodies.

While the operations were still centered in Summer Hill and Fagli areas of Shimla, from where most deaths were also reported, the operations concluded in Solan district with the recovery of all seven people buried in a landslide in Jadon village, taking the toll to 11.

Due to inclement weather and rescue operations continuing till late on Tuesday, officials did not issue a death toll, with several more feared trapped under mounds of debris.

Devotees had gathered in a large number to offer prayers at the temple on the occasion of it being the last Monday of Shravan  a month considered auspicious for some Hindus, when the tragedy struck at 7.30am.

While the rescue operations were going on, four buildings collapsed in Krishna Nagar area in Shimla due to a massive landslide.

Videos circulated on social media showed an area of about 600 square metres crashing down within minutes, along with a three-storey building. Officials said the exact number of people trapped under the buildings was yet to be ascertained, as the buildings, identified as unsafe, had been evacuated earlier. Two deaths have been reported from Krishna Nagar so far as most of the buildings were evacuated, Naresh Chauhan, media advisor to chief minister, said. We are trying to verify from the exact number from the ground, he said.

The landslides also swept away a 50-metre section of the Shimla-Kalka railway line, a Unesco world heritage site, leaving a portion of the track hanging near the Summer Hill area.

The heritage track has suffered damage at five to six places with the most affected stretch being between Shimla and Shoghi, station master Joginder Singh said.

Earlier in the day, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu pegged the death toll at 55.

So far, 55 people have died in different landslides caused by heavy rain and cloudbursts in different parts of Himachal. Rescue operations are going on at the locals under direction supervision of district in-charge ministers, said Sukhu.

Mandi deputy commissioner Arindam Chaudhary said that 19 bodies have been recovered, but some people were still reported to be missing.

Seven members of a family, including a two-year-old child, were killed in a landslide late on Sunday night in Seghli panchayat while six bodies were recovered at Sambhal near Pandoh in Mandi district, officials said.

The government, meanwhile, has identified several unsafe buildings in Shimla, a town where the population has grown to levels much higher than its initial capacity, an official familiar with the matter said.

Effort is on to vacate these buildings and shift people to safer locations, the official said.

A total of 857 roads remained blocked for vehicular traffic in the state, with 345 in Mandi alone, officials said. The Shimla-Chandigarh, Pathankot-Mandi, Dharamshala-Shimla and Manali-Chandigarh highway were closed for the second consecutive day.

Several parts of the state were without power for third day in a row with 4,285 transformers going bust. Locals said that many villages in upper reaches of Shimla, Mandi, Lahaul and Spiti and Kullu districts were without regular power for more than a month now.

This is the second time during this years monsoons that Himachal Pradesh is reeling under floods and extreme rainfall. In July, floods, landslides and mudslides devastated the state, along with Uttarakhand, after two weather systems combined to unleash devastating volumes of rain.

According to the state emergency operation centre, the state has suffered losses to the tune of 7,171 crore since the onset of monsoon on June 24 till August 14. A total of 170 incidents of cloudbursts and landslides have been reported in the state this monsoon season and about 9,600 houses damaged.

A red alert for heavy rain and potential flash floods was in effect for Tuesday, and an orange alert has been issued for Wednesday, the India Meteorological Department said.

The state has experienced heavy to extremely heavy rainfall since Saturday, with Kangra receiving the highest recorded rainfall of 273.4mm. Sujanpur Tira of Hamirpur and Dharamshala followed closely with 254mm and 250mm of rainfall respectively.

Triggering the latest spell of rain is a similar, albeit milder, weather phenomenon which was seen in July. The trough of the monsoon, a high altitude band of wind and moisture that interact in such a way that the heavy moisture content turns into clouds, and clouds to rains, is close to the Himalayan foothills.

It is supplemented by a feeble western disturbance, a rain-bearing system that originates in the Mediterranean Sea which too brings moisture-laden winds. The trough has been near the Himalayas for months now.
Accused in cases of rape will be barred from govt jobs in Chhattisgarh: CM Baghel Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel on Tuesday said the accused in cases of rape, molestation and other crimes against women and girls will be debarred from government jobs in the state. Read more CM Baghel also announced to launch the Mukhyamantri Nirman Shramik Pension Sahayata Yojana. (Bhupesh Baghel | Facebook)

Wrestler Vinesh Phogat out of Asian Games 2023 due to knee injury, will undergo surgery

Ace Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat pulled out of the Asian Games 2023 due to a knee injury she suffered on August 13. Vinesh took to X on Tuesday to break the news. Read more

From Shilpa Shetty to Allu Arjun: How stars celebrated Independence Day

Bollywood stars, television stars and even celebrities from Telugu, Tamil and other film industries dressed up in white, orange and green to celebrate I-Day. Read more

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Do parents still hesitate to vaccinate their child? Health expert debunk myths and share facts about immunisation and vaccinations in children. Read more

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SILCHAR: A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader in Assam who was expelled from the party over the weekend has been arrested in connection with the death of a woman party colleague who died by suicide after the leak of her private photos, police said on Tuesday. Anurag Chaliha was arrested in connection with the suicide of a BJP woman leader who was found dead at her Guwahati house on August 11 (Facebook//indrani.tahbildar)

Anurag Chaliha, who was expelled by the BJP a day after the womans suicide on August 11, was arrested on Monday evening. The woman was also an Assam BJP leader and general secretary of a party frontal organisation.

She was found dead at her Guwahati house on August 11. Police said she died due to an overdose of prescription pills. Both the woman and Chaliha are from Golaghat district.

Anurag Chaliha was expelled from the party after his name figured during the initial investigation into her death. Police said Chaliha was a tenant at the womans house in Golaghat and was blamed for her suicide by her family.

Also Read: Haryana female coach who filed FIR against minister Sandeep Singh suspended

A senior official of Assam police said that Tahbildars family lodged a police complaint against Chaliha at Guwahatis Chandmari police station. Police registered a case under section 120B (criminal conspiracy), 306 (abetment of suicide) and 384 (extortion) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Anurag Chaliha.

Chaliha went missing soon after.

A police officer said investigators tracked his mobile and social media accounts and he was traced to a location in Sivasagar district. With the help of local police, we arrested him from the Demow area on Monday night, the officer added.

Police said the two are alleged to have been in a relationship at some point and Chaliha threatened to release the photographs after a falling out. When the photos were leaked, she believed he had carried out his threat. A BJP leader said Chaliha denied the charge when some BJP leaders questioned him about the episode.

(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 (Secundrabad) Contact Nos: 040-66202001, 040-66202000, ONE LIFE: Contact No: 78930 78930, SEVA: Contact No: 09441778290

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Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's absence at the 77th Independence Day celebration ar Red Fort triggered a fresh slugfest as BJP noted how the Congress chief 'recovered immediately' from the illness that was believed to be the reason for Kharge's absence at Red Fort on Tuesday. Kharge, however, was present at the Independence Day celebration at the Congress headquarters where he gave a speech. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said he had eye-related problems for which he could not attend the Independence Day event at Red Fort on Tuesday.

"Sources were saying Kharge ji was unwell hence couldnt come for #IndependenceDay program but Im glad he recovered immediately and started giving speech at AICC HQ where he was able to do flag hoisting," BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said.

Why did Mallikarjun Kharge not attend I-Day event at Red Fort?

Initially, there was no official statement on Mallikarjun Kharge's absence but it was reported that he was not well. But then he was seen attending the flag hoisting programme at the party headquarters. Kharge later explained that he had some eye-related problems and he was also pressed for time. Kharge said he had to hoist the flag at 9.20am at his residence and then had to come to the party office. "The security is so tight that they don't let anyone else leave before the PM leaves...I thought that I will not be able to reach here on time...I thought it better to not go there to security situation and lack of time," Kharge said.

Congress leader Rajiv Shukla said it does not matter as many ministers were not present at the Red Fort event. "Mallikarjun Kharge ji was busy in the Independence day programmes of the party at the party office," Shukla said.

This was the first Independence Day celebration after Kharge became the president of the Congress.

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Several buildings, including houses and a slaughterhouse, on Tuesday crumbled down in Himachal Pradesh's Shimla in instance of landslide due to incessant rainfall. Locals in the area are moving to safety fearing their house could collapse next as they are situated adjacent to where the landslide took place. NDRF and SDRF teams are carrying out rescue operation in the area. Rescue workers search for people feared missing in landslides following torrential rains, in Shimla,(PTI)

"We received information at 5 pm that around 5-6 houses have collapsed. NDRF, SDRF teams are present at the spot. Rescue operation is underway," Aditya Negi, deputy commissioner, Shimla, told news agency PTI.

According to chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, two people died so far in the incident.

"We are moving out of our house for our own safety as the incident happened nearby," a local was quoted as saying by PTI.

A slaughterhouse nearby is also reported to have collapsed in the landslide.

A local councillor said that residents were asked to vacate their houses as soon as some cracks started to appear and their number increased with time. "We noticed some cracks in the houses, others also gathered at the spot. We saw that the cracks were increasing and requested the residents to vacate their houses. Suddenly we saw several houses collapse. Nearly 20-25 houses have been vacated and around 50 people have been rescued and shifted to safe places," councillor Bittu Panna told news agency ANI.

At least 60 people died in the state after heavy rainfall triggering cloudbursts, landslides and road blocks. According to CM Sukhu, the toll is likely to shoot up. Solan, Shimla, Mandi and Hamirpur are among the worst-hit districts in the state.

A total of 60 people have died in the state so far due to incessant rainfall. Educational Institutes will be closed tomorrow," he said.

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Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Tuesday said judges and lawyers should conduct themselves in a manner that inspires confidence about the independence and integrity of the legal process. He also requested lawyers to reach out to him if they have any grievances and not to run outside the court. Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud. (ANI file)

Judges and lawyers should conduct themselves in a manner that inspires confidence about the independence and integrity of the legal process I can assure you that every complaint, each letter to me and even addressed to social media instead of me, is dealt with by me. But I request lawyers, if you have any grievance do not run outside the court, you have the head of the family sitting here to address it, Live Law quoted Justice Chandrachud as saying at the Independence Day celebrations organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association or SCBA.

Things which I can do on my own, I will do with the help of my colleagues. But some things will require engagement with the government and I will use my good offices to find a solution for the same, he said.

On the occasion, the CJI also said the Supreme Court will expand its infrastructure to add 27 additional courtrooms, four registrar courtrooms and more facilities for lawyers and litigants. He added that in a bid to overhaul judicial infrastructure at the earliest, the Supreme Court is planning to construct a new building to accommodate additional courtrooms and other facilities, Bar and Bench reported.

"We need to overhaul judicial infrastructure at the earliest. We plan to expand the supreme court by constructing a new building to have 27 additional courtrooms, 4 registrar courtrooms and adequate facilities for lawyers and litigants. The museum and annex building will be demolished to create 15 courtrooms, SCBA, SCAORA Meeting rooms, women bar rooms," Bar and Bench quoted the CJI as saying.

Referring to Modi's Independence Day address earlier in the day, Justice Chandrachud said, "The PM today in his speech at Red Fort mentioned about the efforts of the Supreme Court to translate the judgments in regional languages. Up to now, 9,423 judgments have been translated into regional languages."

Modi lauded the apex court for its move to translate operative parts of its judgments into regional languages, with the CJI acknowledging the praise.

We have given the emphasis on teaching in the mother tongue. I thank the Supreme Court. It has said that now the operative part of the judgment will be translated in the language the litigant speaks, Modi said.

CJI Chandrachud, who was amongst the audience, responded with a 'namaste' gesture.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that internal security has improved since he took over in 2014, underlining serial blasts were a thing of the past while the Left-wing Extremist (LWE) violence has also gone down. Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (PTI)

India is feeling a sense of security now, Modi said in his address from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the 77th Independence Day.

Serial blasts rocked cities such as Delhi, Surat, Ahmedabad, and Jaipur in 2007-2008. As many as 132 blasts across the country in 2021 left 80 people dead, according to an analysis of the use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) by the National Bomb Data Centre of the elite counter-terrorism force National Security Guard. In 2020, 120 blasts claimed 40 lives. There was an all-time high recovery of 536 IEDs in 2021, 311 more than in 2020.

Maoists carried out most IED attacks (55 out of 132 in 2021) followed by 50 in the rest of India including 16 in Jammu and Kashmir and 11 in the northeast. In 2020, Maoists carried out 49 blasts. Twelve such attacks were reported from Jammu and Kashmir and 11 in the northeast.

In the LWE areas, 13,315 incidents of violence took place between 2006 and 2014. They came down by 50% to 6,552 between 2014-22, according to Union home ministry data.

LWE violence left 5,289 people dead between 2006 and 2014. The fatalities came down by 66% to 1,754 between 2014 to 2022.

The number of Maoists who surrendered went up from 2,428 between 2006-14 to 5,816 between 2014-22. Officials have credited a three-dimensional strategy involving controlling extremists, better coordination between the Union government and affected states, and development works for a dip in Maoist violence.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the situation in Manipur has improved over the last few days even as he lamented the loss of lives and gender crimes that took place in the state after ethnic violence broke out in the state in early May. Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (PTI)

Speaking from the ramparts of Delhis Red Fort on the 77th Independence Day, Modi said, In the last few weeks, a phase of violence was witnessed in the northeast, especially in Manipur. Several people lost their lives, and the honour of mothers and daughters was tarnished. However, reports of peace have come during the last few days. Modi began his address by referring to the Manipur issue.

Ethnic clashes between the tribal Kukis, which mostly reside in the hill districts, and the majority Meiteis, the dominant community in Imphal Valley, since May 3 have left over 150 people dead and more than 50,000 displaced in Manipur.

Modi said the country stood with the people of Manipur. He urged the people of the state to take forward the peace witnessed during the last few days. Modi said peace would lead to a solution to the problems in the state.

Modi said the state and central governments were working together and doing their best to resolve the problems that the northeastern state was facing.

Clashes first broke out in Churachandpur town after Kuki groups called for protests against a proposal for granting scheduled tribe 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.

The monsoon session of Parliament was disrupted over the Manipur violence with the Opposition demanding a discussion on the issue and Modis statement on it.

Speaking in Parliament last week, Modi assured the people of Manipur that the country was with them, and peace would soon be restored in the state. Replying to a no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha, he said, Both the state and central governments are doing everything possible to ensure that the accused get the strictest punishment. ...I want to tell the people of Manipur including women and daughters that the country is with you.

Videos of a mob stripping and parading two women naked in Manipur provoked outrage last month.

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In line with Indias New Education Policy (NEP), and to deepen knowledge partnership, the United States (US) State Department has initiated an educational programme that will create a new pathway for Indian students to pursue a one-year professional masters degree with an industrial specialisation in American universities. PREMIUM The State Department is acting as a facilitator. (Twitter)

The courses are confined to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines. They will begin in the fall semester of 2024. Twenty American and over 15 Indian universities are in discussion about how to take advantage of the initiative, with the State Department acting as a facilitator. Once the courses are complete, students can stay in the US for up to three years, as per existing and applicable visa rules, to gain work experience in industry and repay student loans.

Also Read: NEP offering flexibility, choice of subjects to students: Edu expert

The programme has been designed by Akhilesh Lakhtakia, a Jefferson Science Fellow at the State Departments South and Central Asia (SCA) bureau, who was brought in from his academic position as a professor of engineering science and mechanics at Penn State University to the US government for a year to study Indias NEP. His mandate was simple  come up with a programme beneficial to the US and Indian governments, as well as US universities and Indian students.

The rationale

In an interview, Lakhtakia said that when he read the NEP, he felt it was a departure from the traditional Indian education system and appeared to come out of the pedagogical methods of American universities.

Also Read: NEP to be scrapped in state from next academic year says Karnataka CM

What was proposed was very much to my liking. It is student-centered, flexible, multidisciplinary, futuristic, and international. If this can be implemented, it will simply revolutionise school and higher education. The State Department brought me in to understand how, in line with NEP, the two countries can work together. The objective was to create a win-win, but in my mind, my client was the Indian student, said Lakhtakia who studied electronics engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Banaras Hindu University before moving to the US in 1980.

The emphasis on the knowledge partnership in the wider bilateral relationship helped. During Prime Minister Narendra Modis state visit to the US, his first engagement was in Washington at the National Science Foundation with First Lady Jill Biden, with students and college administrators present.

In April 2022, external affairs minister S Jaishankar and secretary of state Antony J Blinken launched the working group on education and skill training. The group has met once and set up four committees, two headed by India and two by the US. One of the groups is the US-India higher education partnership committee, chaired by Lakhtakia on the American side.

For the State Department, this is part of its public diplomacy, enhancing soft power, and deepening people-to-people linkages. For the Commerce Department, this is part of its objective of getting more foreign students to the US as a key source of revenue. For the wider American economy, this infusion helps add a key pool of talent in an economy that needs high-tech skilled workers. For Indian students, there is a definite addition in skills, knowledge, and earning potential. And for the Indian government, the deepening knowledge partnership has the potential to build constituencies that can add to the economic and tech partnership between the two countries.

The structure

Lakhtakia said that there were 280,000 Indian students in the US, out of which 32,000 are pursuing their bachelors degrees and 25,000 are pursuing their PhDs. The bulk of them are masters students. As the numbers show, many are not going to do a PhD, and neither should they. There are many other ways to be productive members of society. He added that Indian students are keen to enter the workforce and earn, and a masters course in specialised programmes that are hard to find otherwise was seen as the best option that governments could facilitate for them.

Over the past six months, Lakhtakia worked with American universities to narrow down on a set of specialised courses. This spans a diversity of areas, including wireless technology, satellite guidance and control, semiconductor processing, nano-technology, photonics, 5G and 7G communication systems, display technology, artificial intelligence (AI) applications, quantum engineering, generic medicine, unmanned micro vehicles, telemedicine, cybersecurity, among others.

A usual masters degree in the US is for two years. But we thought that over 12 months, students can get a masters degree with 30 credits. The idea is also to have a strong experimental component so that graduates when they go into industry, can become effective fairly quickly, Lakhtakia said.

The advantage of such a specialised programme is that it will enable students to be eligible to stay for three years in the US after studying under the optional practical training (OPT) mechanism. It will also help them earn enough to pay back a large portion, if not the entirety, of student loans that they may have taken to pursue the programme.

Working in practice

One innovative element of the programme is a provision to enhance university-to-university collaboration, which will help Indian universities upgrade their courses and aid Indian students in building a set of skills even before they arrive for their masters.

Giving an example, Lakhtakia laid out how this cooperation can work in practice. Assume an American university says we can offer a programme in wireless technologies to your students to its Indian counterpart. This Indian university asks its students who are pursuing their bachelors in electrical engineering, at the end of their third year, whether they are interested in such a masters course in the US. A joint committee of faculties of both universities then come together and create an application form and select students.

For this cohort of students, the university in India itself then offers two electives in wireless tech in their final semester year which can build their knowledge base in the domain. This year can also give them time to arrange loans, and the university itself can tie up with local banks to help find them the best rates. With the clarity in admission, students can also apply for a visa one year in advance as a part of a cohort to avoid delays and improve their prospects of getting a visa.

University-to-university collaboration can also help resolve other practical challenges. Given the fact that an American masters requires 16 years of education, while the end of a bachelors in sciences degree in India leaves a student with 15 years of education, Lakhtakia has been speaking to universities to find a way to address the issue. This is completely up to universities and there can be no government ruling on this. If an American university accepts a student after 15 years, fantastic. But in most cases, it would not. So one option is for students to enroll in a masters degree in India, study for a year there, and then move to the US and finish the course here. And students can get degrees from both universities, he said.

Envisaging the role of governments as enablers, facilitators, and the connective tissue meant to remove impediments, Lakhtakia said that he received enthusiastic responses from universities at both ends and they were at different stages of collaboration. But we encourage others to get in touch as well and become a part of this new initiative.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday decried corruption, nepotism and appeasement as three sins, calling for getting rid of them. Addressing the 10th consecutive address on the 77th Independence Day at Red Fort in New Delhi, Modi said, It is the commitment of my life to keep fighting against corruption. Second, dynasty politics has ruined the country. It has taken away the rights of people. And the third evil is appeasement which has left a blot on the national character. We have to fight against these three evils with full force - corruption, dynasty politics and appeasement," says PM Modi in his Independence Day speech at Red Fort. Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during his address on the country's 77th Independence Day, at the historic Red Fort in New Delhi, Tuesday, (PTI)

Modi said politics of appeasement has inflicted the most harm on social justice. The country has to resolve to not tolerate corruption in any form.

I will give an account of the country's achievements on next August 15 from Red Fort, Modi in his last Independence Day speech ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Taking a veiled attack on dynastic politics, Modi said, In 2014, the people decided that to take the country forward, a stable and strong government is needed. India was freed from the era of instability.

Modi said in 2014, after 30 years, the country decided it was time for a change and elected a government that would guarantee them changes.

The ball is in our court, and we should not let go of opportunity; no ifs and buts on anyone's mind about India's capabilities, Modi added.

"After I took over, my lakhs of bureaucrats began whole-heartedly working to transform the country across the length and breadth of the country," he said.

"Reform, Perform, Transform: this is our motto," he added.

He listed how the country has witnessed transformative changes in AYUSH, fisheries, and cooperative sectors, among others.

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Dismissing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's criticism of dynastic politics during his Independence Day speech, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Supriya Sule said that nepotism is prevalent in every party. Sule, daughter of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, recalled Union home minister Amit Shah's statement in Lok Sabha to assert that the ruling BJP was not devoid of dynastic politics. NCP leader Supriya Sule.(PTI)

I can recall Amit Shah's statement in the Lok Sabha when he said that 'when you point a finger at someone, three fingers are pointing at yourself', Sule said.

Decrying corruption, nepotism and appeasement as the three evils that have harmed the country immensely, Prime Minister Modi on Tuesday said it is a collective responsibility to promote "suchita (probity), pardarshita (transparency), nishpakshta (objectivity)" to make India developed.

"'Parivarvaad' and appeasement have caused immense damage to the country. How can a political party have only one family in charge? For them, their life mantra is 'Party of the family, by the family and for the family," PM Modi said in a veiled dig at some opponents of the BJP.

"I firmly believe that when the country will celebrate 100 years of freedom in 2047, the country would be a developed India. I say this on the basis of the capability of my country and available resources. But the need of the hour is to fight three evils - corruption, dynasty and appeasement," he added.

The prime minister exuded confidence that he would deliver the Independence Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort in 2024 as well.

The next five years are for unprecedented development. The biggest golden moment to realise the dream of 2047 is the next five years. The next time, on August 15, I will present before you the achievements and developments of the country from this Red Fort, PM Modi said.

RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav told reporters that Modi will not be able to hoist the national flag from Red Fort next year.

We will come to power (in 2024), he said.

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Six remote villages in the Naxalite-infested Bastar region of Chhattisgarh will witness hoisting of the national flag for the first time since the country's independence, police said on Monday. A roadside vendor sells tricolor flags at a traffic intersection ahead of India's Independence Day.(AP/Representative)

Setting up of new camps by security forces near these villages has been paving way for development here, they said.

The tricolour will be hoisted in Chinnagelur, Timenar and Hiroli villagers in Bijapur district and Bedre, Dubbamarka and Tondamarka villages in Sukma district on Tuesday, where such an event has not been witnessed since independence," Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P told PTI.

Apart from this, Independence Day will be celebrated for the first time in Pidmel, Dubbakonta, Silger and Kunded villages in Sukma district, which witnessed the hoisting of tricolour for the first time on the Republic Day (January 26) this year, he said.

"The establishment of new camps near these villages has pushed Naxalites on the back foot. It has also resulted in bringing down incidents of black flag hoisting by them (on Independence and Republic days) to almost zero. The tricolour will be now be hoisted with zeal and patriotism at these places," the official said.

The setting up of new camps has also facilitated government welfare schemes to reach people, mainly tribals, and has also paved the way for development in these areas, he said.

Sukma and Bijapur are among seven districts in Bastar division, which has been battling the menace of Left Wing Extremism for the past three decades.

Meanwhile, the state government has completed preparations for Independence Day celebrations in all the districts, including capital Raipur, a government public relation official here said.

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel will hoist the tricolour at the Police Parade ground in Raipur in the morning and receive the guard of honour by different units of security personnel, he said.

Other ministers and MLAs will take part in the Independence Day celebrations at different places in the state, he added.

Security has been stepped up in the state, particularly in Maoist-affected areas, in view of Independence Day, police said.
The Indian Army and the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) agreed to resolve the remaining issues along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Ladakh sector in a speedy manner through continued dialogue during the 19th round of military talks held on August 13-14, a joint statement said on Tuesday. Corps commanders of the two countries held talks on the Chinese side of the Chushul-Moldo border (Twitter Photo)

They agreed to resolve the remaining issues in an expeditious manner and maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiations through military and diplomatic channels. In the interim, the two sides agreed to maintain peace and tranquillity on the ground in the border areas, the statement said.

This was the first time the military talks were held over two days. The 19th round of India- China corps commander-level meeting was held at the Chushul-Moldo border point on the Indian side.

The two sides had a positive, constructive and in-depth discussion on the resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC in the western sector, the statement said. In line with the guidance provided by the leadership, they exchanged views in an open and forward looking manner, it added.

The brief statement did not indicate any immediate breakthrough.

The two sides have been locked in a standoff in the Ladakh sector for more than three years. The latest round of corps commander-level talks took place almost four months after the 18th round of military dialogue was held on April 23.

Those talks did not yield any significant breakthrough, with the sides agreeing to stay in close contact, maintain a dialogue through military and diplomatic channels, and work out a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest.

Despite four rounds of disengagement from the Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso, Gogra (PP-17A) and Hot Springs (PP-15), the Indian and Chinese armies still have tens of thousands of troops and advanced weaponry deployed in the Ladakh theatre.

The last round of disengagement from PP-15 took place in September 2022, with the breakthrough coming after the 16th round of military talks in July 2022 to cool tensions in the sensitive sector.

Problems at Depsang in Daulet Beg Oldi sector and Charding Nullah Junction (CNJ) in Demchok sector are still on the negotiating table.

The 19th round of talks took place in the run-up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (Brics) Summit in South Africas Johannesburg on August 22-24.

The possibility of a meeting between Modi and Chinese president Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the summit has not been ruled out, people aware of the matter said. Also, the Chinese leader is expected to be in New Delhi for the G20 summit in September, though no confirmation has been forthcoming yet.

In July, India said Modi and Xi discussed the need to stabilise bilateral ties at a brief encounter on the margins of last years G20 Summit in Indonesia, a shift from an earlier characterisation of the interaction as merely an exchange of courtesies.
India and China held 19th round of Corps Commander level talks at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Indian side on August 13 and 14. The India China border near Chushul, Ladakh. (Shutterstock)

According to a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs, both the sides had a positive, constructive and in-depth discussion on the resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC in the Western Sector.



In line with the guidance provided by the leadership, they exchanged views in an open and forward looking manner, the MEA statement said.

They agreed to resolve the remaining issues in an expeditious manner and maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiations through military and diplomatic channels. In the interim, the two sides agreed to maintain the peace and tranquility on the ground in the border areas, the MEA statement added.



There has been no major breakthrough in the 19 rounds of talks held between Indian and Chinese sides. Despite four rounds of disengagement from Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso, Gogra (PP-17A) and Hot Springs (PP-15), both the sides have more than 60,000 troops each and advanced weaponry deployed in the Ladakh theatre.

The problems at Depsang in Daulet Beg Oldi sector and Charding Nullah Junction (CNJ) in Demchok sector are still on the negotiating table. The relations between the two countries are strained since the 2020 clashes between Indian and Chinese troops at Galwan valley.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said India has shown the way to the world to fight climate change. Red Fort during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address on the country's 77th Independence Day, in New Delhi.(PTI)

India has launched "Life Mission" which aims to stop mindless consumption of resources and formed important international coalitions such as International Solar Alliance (ISA) and Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and International Big Cat Alliance.

"The entire world is grappling with climate change. India has shown the way to combat it," Modi said in his address to the nation from the Red Fort on the 77th Independence Day.

ISA aims to promote solar energy utilisation and facilitate cooperation among solar-rich countries for mutual benefits. It was launched in November 2015 at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris by Prime Minister Modi and then French President Francois Hollande.

CDRI is an international initiative aimed at promoting the resilience of infrastructure systems in the face of natural and man-made disasters.

It brings together governments, organisations and experts to collaborate on developing strategies, policies and technologies to enhance the resilience of critical infrastructure such as transportation, energy, water and communication networks to withstand and recover from various types of disasters.

The International Big Cat Alliance aims to protect and conserve seven major big cats - tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, puma, jaguar and cheetah -- across the world.
Karnataka deputy chief minister, DK Shivakumar, on Tuesday said that the state government has resolved to release 10 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu while expressing concerns on the dire water shortage situation faced by Karnatakas own farmers. Karnataka deputy chief minister, DK Shivakumar. (File Photo)

While Karnatakas water resources are scarce, we have taken the decision to allocate 10 TMC of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. We are actively engaged in addressing this complex issue, Shivakumar said during a press briefing.

The Tamil Nadu government on Friday approached the Supreme Court to seek recourse for getting Cauvery water. They contended that Karnataka has revised its stance and is now proposing a reduced allotment of 8,000 cubic feet per second (cusecs).

Observing that there was no reason to worry as the releasing of water is now in the hands of the Cauvery Water Management Authority, Shivakumar said that its the governments duty to save farmers from both states. Theres no need for alarm. I implore Tamil Nadu to collaborate based on facts. Lets prevent hardship for each others farmers. Our aim is to avoid conflict. We share a fraternal relationship, Shivakumar said.

In response to the possibility of Tamil Nadus legal action, Shivakumar indicated plans to consult legal experts and advocates within Karnataka before deciding the subsequent course of action. However, he added: We remain open to dialogue. We seek cooperation, not confrontation.

The Tamil Nadu government on Monday moved the Supreme Court seeking a direction to Karnataka to forthwith release 24,000 cusecs of Cauvery water from its reservoirs, at Biligundlu for the remaining period of the month, starting from August 14. The state said the release of water is a dire necessity to meet the pressing demands of the standing crops.

Tamil Nadu water resources minister, Duraimurugan, earlier accused Karnataka of reluctance in sharing water with Tamil Nadu, despite having water resources at its disposal. This perspective has persisted since the inception of the Cauvery river dispute several decades ago.

Shivakumar also made a plea to Tamil Nadu, expressing the potential benefits of the Mekedatu project in augmenting water availability during periods of rainfall deficit. He encouraged cooperation in implementing this project to mitigate water-related challenges.

Shivakumar also urged Tamil Nadu to consider the significance of the Mekedatu project in addressing their water needs during periods of rainfall scarcity. He emphasised the importance of collaborative efforts towards the successful execution of this project.

Shivakumar emphasised that water distribution should not be a contentious issue and assured that water would be supplied in the event of sufficient rainfall. He pointed out that in the previous instance, a substantial 400 TMC of water was allowed to flow into the sea, underscoring the need to avoid such wastage.

Mekedatu project will help in providing water to Tamil Nadu at such a time when the rains have stopped and they should cooperate in implementing this project, he said.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in his Independence Day speech on Tuesday asked who is benefitting from the clashes in Manipur or Haryana and how India will become Vishwaguru if such conflicts continue. "Manipur is burning. A brother has taken up arms against another brother. In Haryana too, we saw two communities fighting. Who is benefitting from all these? How will India become Vishwaguru if? We are saying every day that India will become Vishwaguru," Kejriwal said. Delhi chief minister delivering Independence Day 2023 speech on Tuesday.

"Suppose a family where after the father's death, his four wards are fighting for the father's money. Can this family progress? No, they will even deplete what their father earned. If we want to become Vishwaguru, then 140 crore people of the country should remain like a family," Kejriwal said.

PM Modi in his Independence Day speech sent out a strong message of unity as he addressed the countrymen as 'parivaarjan' (family members). Peace is returning to Manipur, PM Modi said assuring that the nation is with Manipur.

"I want to assure the people of Delhi we will get back your snatched rights. We are fighting the battle in the Supreme Court. The work of providing good education, healthcare facilities will continue. The speed might slow down, but the work will go on," Kejriwal said referring to the Delhi Services Act.

PM Modi's Independence Day 2023 speech: Opposition leaders criticise

PM Modi's Independence Day 2023 speech was a fervent pitch ahead of the elections in 2024 as PM Modi said he would unfurl the National Flag again on August 15, 2024 from Red Fort. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge who was at the centre of a controversy after skipping the Red Fort event said PM Modi's 2024 statement shows his arrogance. "In his Independence Day speech too, he is commenting on the opposition. This is not right," Kharge said.

"He will hoist the National Flag at his residence in 2024," Kharge added.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav said PM Modi will not be hoisting the National Flag from Red Fort next year as the Opposition bloc INDIA will come to power.

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Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge was not present at the Independence Day event at Red Fort where PM Modi addressed the country on the occasion of the 77th Independence Day. The chair marked for Mallikarjun Kharge with his name written on it remained vacant, as PM Modi from the ramparts of Red Fort assailed Congress's corruption and dynasty politics. The Congress president, however, issued a video address in which, without naming PM Modi, Kharge said some people think India has been developing only in the past few years. "But that thought is wrong. Kharge's chair marked at the Red Fort Independence Day event remained empty on Tuesday.

Independence Day celebrations: Follow LIVE updates

Kharge explained that he had some eye-related problems. I had to hoist the Tricolour at my residence at 9.20 am as per protocols. Then I had to come to the Congress office and hoist the Tricolour here too. So, I could not have reached here. The security is so tight that they don't let anyone else leave before the PM leaves...I thought that I will not be able to reach here on time...I thought it better to not go there to the security situation and lack of time, Kharge said, as quoted by ANI.

"Some people make it look like the country developed in the past few years. But that is not true. When the British left the country, the situation was as such that not even a needle used to be made in the country. Then Pandit Nehru took major initiatives, set up steel plants, made dams, established institutions like IIT, IIM, AIIMS. Indira Gandhi-Lal Bahadur Shashtri bring in the green revolution, made India self-reliant," Kharge said in his recorded speech.

Read | PM Modi sets tone for next August 15, counts achievements from Red Fort ahead of 2024 polls. 10 points

"When some people used to oppose technology in the country, Rajiv Gandhi brought the telecom revolution," Kharge said remembering Atal Bihari Vajpayee's contribution too.

Kharge's absence at the Red Fort event started a fresh controversy as the party claimed he as not well, but he hoisted the National Flag at the Congress headquarters. Congress leader Rajiv Shukla said many BJP ministers were not present at the Red Fort event. "Kharge ji is busy with the Independence Day programme at the Congress office. Many ministers did not reach Red Fort. How does it matter? They all are participating in the Independence Day celebrations," Rajiv Shukla said.

'Parivaarjan' in PM Modi's Independence Day address, On next 15th August

"I feel pained to say that today democracy, the constitution, and autonomous bodies are under attack. The voice of the opposition is being oppressed by CBI, ED, and Income Tax. Attempts are being made to weaken the Election Commission. Oppositions MPs are being silenced in Parliament," Kharge said. "Great people do not obliterate past history, they create their own. Those who are repeating name-change issue themselves changed the names of existing schemes," Kharge added.

"Earlier, they used to talk about achhe din and now they are talking about Amritkal. Is it not to hide their failures," Kharge added.

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Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh on Tuesday urged people to end violence in the state and bring peace. In his address after hoisting the National Flag at the First Manipur Parade Ground on the occasion of the 77th Independence Day, the CM said, I convey my message to the people of the state to restore peace and normalcy. Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh inspecting a Guard of Honour on the occasion of the 77th Independence Day(PTI)

I appeal to all to end violence and live together peacefully as before, CM Singh said.

Wishing everyone a happy Independence Day, the CM added, Let the National Flag be a symbol of unity, diversity, and our unwavering commitment to a better future for every citizen.

Earlier, Singh posted a message on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying: Happy 77th Independence Day to all my fellow countrymen. Amidst this vibrant mosaic, let's remember that our collective spirit transcends boundaries. It's the unity that binds us in times of triumph and trial alike. On this momentous occasion, let's salute the tricolour that unfurls a tapestry of dreams, resilience, and progress.

Violence first broke out in Manipur on May 3 between the Kuki and Metei communities in which nearly 160 people have lost their lives and over 50,000 people have been displaced. The violence and protests in the northeastern state intensified after a horrific May 4 video of women being paraded naked went viral on social media.

PM Modi's appeal for peace in Manipur during I-Day speech

Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed for peace in the state and said that people across the country stand with the people of Manipur.

The whole country stands with the people of Manipur. Peace is the only way to resolve all disputes. The Centre and the Manipur government are making every effort to ensure that peace returns to the state at the earliest, the PM said.
Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday took a jibe at Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge for not attending Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day speech at Red Fort and said he must have got direction from the 10, Janpath  government residence of former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar(ANI)

He can't do anything without clearance from the (Gandhi) family. The family must have said that as long as we are not in government we should not celebrate India and Independence Day, he told news agency ANI, adding that Kharge may show up for the Italian Independence Day.

A political slugfest erupted after Kharge missed the Red Fort event complaining of having some eye-related problems as well as over the possibility of not being able to attend the event on time. "The security is so tight that they don't let anyone else leave before the PM leaves...I thought that I will not be able to reach here on time...I thought it better to not go there to security situation and lack of time," he said earlier.

However, the BJP noted that the Congress chief recovered immediately from the illness which barred him to attend the PM's address. He was present at the Independence Day celebration at the Congress headquarters where he gave a speech.

"Sources were saying Kharge ji was unwell hence couldnt come for #IndependenceDay program but Im glad he recovered immediately and started giving speech at AICC HQ where he was able to do flag hoisting," BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said.
After addressing the nation for the 10th time since assuming the country's highest office, on the 77th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday interacted with the special guests or invitees at the main celebratory event at the iconic Red Fort. Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets NCC cadets after his address to the nation from the historic Red Fort on the occasion of the 77th Independence Day, in New Delhi, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023. (PTI Photo)

As PM Modi concluded his speech, balloons in the colours of the national flag were released into the air even as the tricolour flew proudly from the ramparts of the iconic monument.

During his interactions with the special guests, PM Modi shook hands with them while many were seen mobbing him for selfies.

Speaking to ANI, Anupriya, a member of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, said PM Modi asked her where she came from.

"The PM asked me about my place of residence. He motivated and encouraged us. I could not say anything to him for want of time. But it was a memorable experience seeing him from up close and meeting him," she told ANI.

Laxmi Kumari Sharma, another special guest from the NCC, said, "He (PM) shook hands with everyone. He asked us about our battalion and enquired about us. It felt good meeting him in person. However, I couldn't speak with him as there wasn't enough time," Laxmi toldANI.

Krishi Chauhan, another NCC from Delhi, also narrated her experience of meeting PM Modi. "It was great meeting PM Modi. It was the first time that I got to see him up close. He met every one of us. He came down from the ramparts and interacted with everyone in the audience. He mingled with us as a common citizen. I would like to thank him for inviting us over for the Independence Day event and taking out time to interact with us."

The PM also interacted with 50 Shram Yogis (labourers), who were involved inthe Central Vista Project, which included the construction of the new Parliament building.

As PM Modi made his way through the lawns of the Red Fort, the guests chanted 'Vande Bharat' and 'Bharat Mati ki Jai Slogans'.

Around 1,800 people from various walks of life, along with their spouses, were invited from across the country to participate in the Independence Day celebrations.

Before addressing the country from the ramparts of the iconic monument, Prime Minister Modi paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat.

Earlier, on Tuesday, PM Modi took to his official handle on 'X', formerly Twitter, to greet countrymen on Independence Day. "Best wishes on Independence Day. We pay homage to our great freedom fighters and reaffirm our commitment to fulfilling their vision. Jai Hind!," Prime Minister Modi posted.

On his arrival at the Red Fort, PM Modi was received by Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, Raksha Rajya Mantri, Ajay Bhatt, and Defence Secretary, Giridhar Aramane.

This years Independence Day will culminate the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, which were launched by Prime Minister Modi from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on March 12, 2021, and will usher the country into Amrit Kaal. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi unfurled the Indian flag ahead of his speech on the 77th Independence Day at the Red Fort in New Delhi on Tuesday. Prior to this, PM Modi paid his tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat. Prime Minister Narendra Modi unfurling the Indian flag on Independence Day 2023

Majors Nikita Nair and Jasmine Kaur, two women army officers, assisted the Prime Minister in unfurling the national flag. This year's Indepedence Day event is expected to be attended by around 25,000 people.

The unfurling of the tricolour was synchronised with a 21-gun salute by the gunners of the elite 8711 Field Battery (Ceremonial) commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Vikas Kumar. After Modi unfurled the national flag, petals were showered by two indigenously built Dhruv advanced light helicopters Mark-III of the Indian Air Force and were captained by Wing Commander Amber Agarwal and Squadron Leader Himanshu Sharma.

The Prime Minister will address the nation, for the 10th consecutive year, immediately after the petals are showered.

Upon his arrival at the Red Fort, the PM was received by defence minister Rajnath Singh, minister of state for defence Ajay Bhatt and defence secretary Giridhar Aramane. The defence secretary introduced the General Officer Commanding (GoC), Delhi Area, Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth to the PM. The PM then inspected the Guard of Honour and proceeded to the ramparts of the Red Fort. The GoC, Delhi area then conducted PM Modi to the dais to unfurl the national flag.

This years Independence Day will culminate the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, launched by the PM from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on March 12, 2021, and will, once again, usher the country into Amrit Kaal (the run-up to Indias independence centenary) with renewed vigour to realise the dream of making India a developed country by 2047, the statement said.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered his 10th consecutive Independence Day address on Tuesday at the historic Red Fort in New Delhi on Tuesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during his address on the country's 77th Independence Day in New Delhi on Tuesday,(PTI)

Modi greeted people on the country's 77th Independence Day and paid homage to freedom fighters while reaffirming the commitment to fulfilling their vision.

Taking a veiled attack on dynastic politics, Modi said, In 2014, the people decided that to take the country forward, a stable and strong government is needed. India was freed from the era of instability.

Modi said in 2014, after 30 years, the country decided it was time for a change and elected a government that would guarantee them changes.

The ball is in our court, and we should not let go of opportunity; no ifs and buts on anyone's mind about India's capabilities, Modi added.

"After I took over, my lakhs of bureaucrats began whole-heartedly working to transform the country across the length and breadth of the country," he said.

"Reform, Perform, Transform: this is our motto," he added.

He listed how the country has witnessed transformative changes in AYUSH, fisheries, and cooperative sectors, among others.

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New Delhi: An earlier letter sent to district collectors on August 11 by Satyabrata Sahu, additional chief secretary, stated that the amended forest conservation law clearly defined and specified forests. The concept of deemed forest is now removed, the letter said, a copy of which was seen by HT. (AP)

The Odisha government has put on hold its earlier direction to all district collectors to ensure that forest diversion proposals should follow the provisions of the Forest Conservation Amendment Act, 2023.

In continuation to the DO Letter no. 17217 dated August 11..., I am directed to inform that the contents of the above referred letter is to be followed only after receipt of detailed rules and guidelines from the ministry of environment, forests and climate change, Government of India, said the letter dated August 14 and issued by additional secretary Deben Kumar Pradhan.

The latest latter is being circulated among environmental groups. Pradhan could not be contacted on his official number on Tuesday.

An earlier letter sent to district collectors on August 11 by Satyabrata Sahu, additional chief secretary, stated that the amended forest conservation law clearly defined and specified forests. The concept of deemed forest is now removed, the letter said, a copy of which was seen by HT.

All forest land diverted for non-forest purposes by any authority before December 12, 1996, will not attract the provisions of the Forest Conservation Amendment Act, 2023, it had said. Any survey or exploration projects will also not be treated as non-forestry activities, the letter added.

There was widespread criticism of the directions because such a move would impact ecologically important deemed forests in Odisha. Some forests in Niyamgiri hills, home to the Dongria Kondh tribe, also come under this category. The case of Niyamgiri is significant because a Supreme Court order in 2013 asked the forest dwellers to decide if mining in the hills would affect their religious and cultural rights.

The Odisha governments directions on deemed forests deviate from the observations in the report of the joint parliamentary committee that reviewed the draft legislation that has since been approved in Parliament and received the assent of President Droupadi Murmu, experts said. The law will come into effect once the central government notifies it in the gazette.

Deemed forests identified by expert committees of states have been taken on record and provisions of the act will apply to all such lands, the union environment ministry had said, responding to concerns on exempting deemed forests in the report of the parliamentary panel.

The ministry should convey the clarification it gave to the joint committee on recognition of deemed forests. It should also be clarified in the rules and guidelines framed for the implementation of the Act, said retired Lt Col Sarvadaman Oberoi, a Gurugram- based environmental activist. The ministry had informed the joint committee that it will continue to recognise deemed forests and provisions of the Act would apply to them.

This is not just a letter, its a precedent, recipe for disaster to be followed soon by other States if not challenged its legality & validity immediately. 1st, deemed forests already identified as forest in records held by any department or administration should be considered as forest even by the new amendment...2nd, its uncertain if the amendment is yet to be considered to be law as date of enforcement is yet to be notified. Then the letter will be invalid, Debadityo Sinha, lead, climate and ecosystems at the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, tweeted on Tuesday.

One of the contentious provisions of the new law is that it exempts unrecorded deemed forests from the modified law on forest conservation.

Forest governance in India was majorly influenced by a Supreme Court judgement in 1996 in TN Godavarman vs Union of India, in which the court interpreted the meaning of forest as its dictionary definition, expanding the purview of the forest conservation law. The December 1996 judgement said forests will not only include forest as understood in the dictionary sense, but also any area recorded as forest in official records, irrespective of ownership. This brought hope to recognize ecologically rich land that were not recorded as forests in government records but still needed to be protected because they were significant natural features.

The Centre, however, said this created confusion on what would encompass forests and the amendment narrows down the definition, leaving vast tracts of unclassified forests vulnerable to destruction.

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The ongoing reforms seeking to empower the military to deal with future challenges were among the raft of topics Prime Minister Narendra Modi touched upon in his Independence Day address on Tuesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inspecting a guard of honour at the Red Fort. (AFP)

The armed forces should be empowered. They should be young and remain battle-ready. Continuous reforms are underway for achieving those goals.

The comments came amid a renewed push for theaterisation, a long-awaited military reform for the best use of the militarys resources to fight future wars.

The armed forces last year adopted a new recruitment model, Agnipath, for the short-term induction of soldiers. The scheme replaced the legacy system of recruitment to lower the age profile of the three services and ensure a fitter military, and create a technically adept war-fighting force capable of dealing with future challenges.

Successive governments were unable to build political consensus around the creation of the post of chief of defence staff before Modi announced the post in his 2019 Independence Day speech for better coordination among the armed forces.

The theaterisation drive got a boost during the recently concluded monsoon session of Parliament with the passage of the bill seeking to empower the government to notify the setting up of inter-services organisations, including joint services commands, and bestow powers on heads of such organisations to act against personnel from any of the three services to ensure discipline and effective discharge of duties.

The legislation is seen as an important step towards integration and jointness among the armed forces to face future challenges. It seeks to bestow powers on the commander-in-chief, officer-in-command, or any other officer heading a tri-services organisation to take disciplinary and administrative action against personnel under them who are currently governed by the respective laws of the three services, the Army Act, 1950, the Air Force Act, 1950, and the Navy Act, 1957.

The existing legal framework of the armed forces has its limitations when it comes to tri-services matters. Officers of one service lack the authority to exercise disciplinary and administrative powers over personnel belonging to another service. For instance, a three-star general heading a joint command cannot act against air force or navy personnel serving under him.

The lack of such powers with the heads of inter-services organisations and joint establishments over personnel belonging to a service other than their own has a direct impact on command, control, and discipline.

The legislation paved the way for greater integration and jointness among the three services. It lays a foundation for the creation of joint structures, and improves the functioning of the armed forces.
Rahul Gandhi of the Congress on Tuesday said "Bharat Mata" is the voice of every single Indian, no matter how weak or strong. In his message on Independence Day, Gandhi reiterated that he had embarked on the Bharat Jodo Yatra to understand what was it he loved and what was it that he bore abuse for years. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with his mother and party leader Sonia Gandhi and his sister and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, (PTI)

"The object of my love had suddenly revealed herself. My beloved Bharat Mata was not a land. It wasnt a set of ideas. It wasnt a particular culture, history or religion. Neither was it the caste that people had been assigned.

"India was the voice of every single Indian, no matter how weak or strong. India was the happiness, the fear and the pain hidden deep inside all the voices," he said.

"To hear India, my own voice - my desires - my ambitions had to fall silent. India would speak to one of her own, but only if one was humble and completely silent," Gandhi said.

In a statement posted on his X handle (formally Twitter) on the occasion of India's 77th Independence Day, Gandhi said, Last year, I spent a hundred and forty-five days walking across the land I call home Many people along the way asked me: why are you doing this? Even today they ask, why? What were you looking for? What did you find? I wanted to understand the thing I loved. The thing for which I was ready to give up everything including my life. The thing that could make me take so much pain and abuse, for so many years.

Gandhi made a similar statement in Lok Sabha during his debate on the no-confidence motion against the NDA government last week.

Gandhi also said wanted to know precisely what it was that he loved. For years, I used to run eight to ten kilometres every evening. So I thought, 'twenty five?' I can easily walk twenty five kilo-metres. I was certain the walk was going to be easy. Within a few days, the pain arrived. My old knee injury, one that hours of physiotherapy had banished, was back. The next morning I found myself in fears, sitting alone in a metal container. How was | ever going to walk the 3800 kilometres that lay ahead? The crutch of arrogance was goneA few days into the walk, my physio joined us, he came and gave me sage advice. The pain remained, Gandhi said in the statement.

The Congress leader, who led the Kanyakumari to Kashmir Bharat Jodo Yatra, said every time he would think about stopping, someone would come and gift him the energy to continue. Once it was a lovely little girl with a beautiful letter, another time an old lady with some banana chips, then a man who suddenly ran up and hugged me. It was as if a silent energy kept helping me, and like fireflies in a dark forest, it was everywhere. When I really needed it, it was there to help and to guide, the former Congress president said.

The Yatra progressed. At first, I wanted to tell everyone what I thought. I wanted to show them I understood. I spoke about solutions to their problems. But soon the numbers of people became so large, the pain so persistent that | started to observe and listen, Gandhi said.

Congress leaders have said that Rahul Gandhi will embark on another Yatra from Gujarat to Meghalaya.

Rahul Gandhi embarked on Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari in September last year.

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On the occasion of the 77th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi listed his government's achievements, attacked the Opposition and asserted BJP's return to power in 2024. The prime minister made a switch by addressing the people of India as my family members from my fellow citizens. Modi began his Independence Day speech with, "My beloved 140 crore family members" and referred to the people of the country as parivaarjan throughout the speech. Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the iconic Red Fort, PM Modi called on the people to get rid of corruption, nepotism and appeasement. During his nearly 90-minute-long address, the prime minister also outlined various initiatives taken by his government in the past 10 years, including in the field of the country's security, women's empowerment and the welfare of poor and marginalised sections of the society. Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during his address on the country's 77th Independence Day, at the historic Red Fort in New Delhi, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023.(PTI)

Here are the top quotes from PM Modi's speech:

Three evils

It is the commitment of my life to keep fighting against corruption. Second, dynasty politics has ruined the country. It has taken away the rights of people. And the third evil is appeasement which has left a blot on the national character. We have to fight against these three evils with full force - corruption, dynasty politics and appeasement.

On Corruption

It is Modi's life-long commitment to keep fighting against corruption...My government weeded out 10 crore fake beneficiaries of welfare schemes, and seizure of ill-gotten assets rose by 20 times.

Pitch for 2024

The next five years are for unprecedented development. The biggest golden moment to realise the dream of 2047 is the next five years. The next time, on August 15, I will present before you the achievements and developments of the country from this Red Fort.

Vision of Developed India

A developed India in 2047 is not just a dream, but the resolution of 140 crore Indians. The biggest strength (of a developed nation) is the national character. An important catalytic agent for all the countries which have developed has been their national character.

On Digital Public Infrastructure

Lauding the contribution of youth in making the digital public infrastructure successful, PM Modi said, "Last year at G20 Summit in Bali everyone, including the developed nations, wanted to know of the success of digital public infrastructure. And I said that whatever India has done it is not limited to Mumbai, Delhi, and Kolkata but in tier-2 and tier-3 cities youth are also making a lot of impact in various fields...there is a courage of conviction in the smallest cities of India...and villages as well."

Modi in guarantee

When we came to power in 2014, we were at the 10th position in the global economic system. Today, with the efforts of 140 crore Indians, we have reached the fifth position, This did not happen just like that. The demon of corruption that had the country in its clutches - we stopped leakages and created a strong economyIn the coming years, India will be in the top three economies. This is Modis guarantee.

Amrit Kaal

"We are fortunate to live in the 'Amrit Kaal' of independence. The decisions we make in this 'Amrit Kaal', our actions and sacrifices, would pave the way for a glorious history spanning the next millennium," PM Modi said.

Women-led development

Prime Minister Modi stressed the importance of women-led development and stated that today women scientists are leading the Chandrayaan mission.

"The one thing that will take the country forward is women-led development. Today, we can proudly say that India has the maximum number of pilots in civil aviation. Women scientists are leading the Chandrayaan mission," PM Modi said.

On Manipur

"In the past few weeks, during the period of violence in the North East, especially in Manipur, many people lost their lives, and the honor of mothers and daughters suffered a lot, but in the last few days, there are reports of peace. The nation is with Manipur, the prime minister said.

The people of Manipur should build on the peace that has been restored over the past few days. The path for a solution will be found through peace in Manipur.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday greeted people on the country's 77th Independence Day and paid homage to freedom fighters while reaffirming the commitment to fulfilling their vision. Prime Minister Narendra Modi (PTI)

Modi will deliver his 10th consecutive Independence Day address on Tuesday at the historic Red Fort here.

"Best wishes on Independence Day. We pay homage to our great freedom fighters and reaffirm our commitment to fulfilling their vision. Jai Hind!" the prime minister said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
PM Modi on the occasion of the 77th Independence Day donned a multicoloured Rajasthani-style turban as he arrived at Raj Ghat before reaching the ramparts of Red Fort where addressed the nation on Tuesday. The multi-coloured turban with a long tail in PM Modi's carefully chosen Independence Day attire accompanied his off-white kurta, white pants, and a jacket with a pocket square. The turban keeps with the tradition of PM Modi wearing colourful turbans on every Independence Day since 2014. In 2022, PM Modi wore a turban matching the colours of the National Flag -- a white turban with motifs of saffron and green. In 2021, PM Modi's turban was a saffron one with red patterns. In 2020, it was a saffron and cream-coloured turban. Read | PM Modis I-Day address may centre around Indias foundation for Viksit Bharat PM Modi arrived at Raj Ghat to pay floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi before reaching Red Fort.

The 77th Independence Day marks the final year of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebration of the government -- started in 2021 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Independence. PM Modi's speech this Independence Day 2023 is the last one before India goes to the election in 2024.

Ahead of his Red Fort speech today, PM Modi greeted the countrymen on the occasion. "Best wishes on Independence Day. We pay homage to our great freedom fighters and reaffirm our commitment to fulfilling their vision. Jai Hind!" PM Modi tweeted.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday laid out the contours of next years national polls, giving an account of his politics of perform, reform and transform which he said replaced the previous politics of instability. He exuded confidence that he would deliver the Independence Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort in 2024 as well. Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address from Red Fort on the occasion of the 77th Independence Day. (PTI)

In his Independence Day address, Modi contrasted family-run parties and himself by referring to the citizens as his parivaarjan or family members and said it is a collective responsibility to ensure probity, transparency and objectivity.

He said no questions can be raised on the policies and intentions of the government. I am here to ask for your help. I have come to seek your blessings. What I have understood about this country and the needs of this country and based on my experience I can say we have to take something seriously in this Amrut Kal when the country will be celebrating hundred years of Independence. At that time, it should be a developed country. We should not step back or stall even for a minute and for that we need probity, transparency and objectivity. This should be our collective responsibility, he said.

Underlining that the country needs to fight the three evils of corruption, dynastic politics and the policy of appeasement, which he said have prevented social justice and stalled progress. Some anomalies in the last 75 years that have taken root have become part of our society that sometimes we shut our eyes to. Now, it is not the time to do that. If we have to realise our dreams and achieve our aspirations, then we have to stop playing hide and seek and look it straight in the eye and have to fight three evils.

Sharpening his attack against dynastic politics he said, There is an anomaly in our democracy. There are family-owned parties. They are parties of the family, by the family, and for the family. This is their life mantra, he said.

Modi has repeatedly attacked Opposition parties, particularly the Congress for perpetrating dynastic politics, and blamed it for not allowing talent to come up. This has also been the crux of his message to the party cadre as well.

Referring to the systemic changes that have taken place in the last nine years such as weeding out ghost beneficiaries, Modi said corruption adversely impacted Indias capabilities and the country must have no tolerance towards graft. It is Modis life long commitment to keep fighting against corruption..., he said.

The government counts digital payments, direct benefit transfers of monies to beneficiaries, and ending middlemen as planks of its war against corruption.

Modi claimed social justice and equality for all are the cornerstone of the Bharatiya Janata Party governments policy making. He attacked the policy of appeasement and said it has inflicted injury to the social justice system. Appeasement has put a stain on the national character... It has killed social justice and is the enemy of the country and its development, he said.

On the performance front, Modi sought to make a pitch for re-election based on the governments track record. He said in 2014, he was given the mandate based on the promise of performance and in 2019 on the basis of what was delivered. When I came to you, in 2014, I came with the promise of change. You put faith in me...the promise of reform, performance, and transformation was turned into faith. I have worked hard for the country with the intent of nation first. In 2019, I was given the mandate and your blessings on the basis of my performance... and the next five years are of unprecedented development. It is the golden moment for making India developed by 2047.

Modi said he would present an account of his performance from the Red Fort in 2024 while reiterating his common man credentials. I have come from among you... even if I dream, it is for you. And if I say it is for you it is not because you have given me the responsibility, but because you are my family. And as a member of your family, I cannot see any of your pain and sufferings or your dreams being shattered.

Modi, who began his speech with a reference to the ethnic conflict in Manipur, said there has been a cycle of violence and many people have lost their lives. He added many women bore the brunt of it. Modi said peace is the only way to find solutions to stalemates. The country is with the people of Manipur. Problems will be solved through peace and both state and the central government are making efforts and will continue to do so, he said.

The Opposition has particularly targeted Modi for not visiting Manipur and addressing the conflict between communities in the state. Parliament proceedings were disrupted during the Monsoon session as the Opposition insisted on Modi making a statement.

Modi, who identified the Panch Pran or five resolutions in his speech last year, said with demography, democracy, and diversity, India can achieve its aspirations. It is such a moment of pride that the maximum number of people under 30 are in India. If you have such a large young population and millions of such minds and arms and dreams and aspirations, we can get what we wish for.

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Prime minister Narendra Modis interesting choice of colourful headgears again garnered nation-wide attention on Tuesday when he was seen at the Red Fort donning a Rajasthani Bandhej Safa while delivering his annual address at the Red Fort in Delhi on the 77th Independence Day. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inspecting a guard of honour at the Red Fort. (AFP)

This year PM paired the long tail multi-coloured Rajasthani headgear which had hues of yellow, green, and red with an off-white Kurta and matching pants. He also sported a V neck blue jacket with that.

This is not the first time that the PMs outfits have caught the attention of the public.

Since 2014, when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power at the Centre, Modi on Independence Day has paired his clothes with a traditional headgear symbolic to the ethos and culture of Indian states.

Here is a throwback to what the PM wore in the past eight years on Independence Day.

In his very first Independence Day address back in 2014, PM Modi had opted for a Rajasthani turban with an off-white Kurta which was polka dotted. The turban was from Jodhpur and was bright red in colour, with a green tail.

In 2015, PM Modi wore the Nehru jacket (worn and made popular by Indias first prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru) with a yellow coloured turban with criss crossed lines in different shades of the same colour.

In 2016, he kept it simple, wearing a white kurta and complementing it with a pink and yellow turban.

In 2017, PM Modi had chosen a yellow and red turban featuring criss-cross golden embroidery with a considerable long tail right up to the feet. He had also paired that off with a yellow kurta that year.

In 2018, PM selected shades of a bright red and saffron for his turban with a contrasting white kurta to match the look.

On the 73rd Independence Day, PM Modi again wore a Rajasthani bright yellow turban and paired the turban with a half sleeve kurta payjama.

In 2020, the PM donned a saffron and cream safa (head gear) for Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort and paired the turban with a half-sleeved kurta in a pastel shade.

The saffron headgear was again back in 2021, when PM Modi donned a headgear with red patterns and a long tail along with a traditional kurta and a churidar complemented by a blue jacket and a stole.

In 2022, PM Modi chose a white turban printed with the tricolour. He paired the turban with a traditional white kurta pajama set and a blue Nehru coat over it.
Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Tuesday hit out at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s IT cell head Amit Malviya over the latter's remarks on the ex-Rajasthan deputy chief minister's father Rajesh Pilot.



While sharing a video from a news channel, Malviya had claimed that Rajesh Pilot as pilot dropped bombs on Mizoram capital Aizawl in 1966.



Rajesh Pilot and Suresh Kalmadi were flying the Indian Air Force planes which dropped bombs on Mizoram's capital Aizawl on March 5, 1966. Later, both of them became Congress MPs and later ministers. Indira Gandhi felicitated those conducting airstrikes on fellow citizens in the north east through political opportunities, Malviya posted on X (formerly Twitter).



On Tuesday, Sachin Pilot chose to respond to Malviya's claims. You have the wrong dates, wrong factsYes, as an Indian Air Force pilot, my late father did drop bombs. But that was on erstwhile East Pakistan during the 1971 Indo-Pak war and not as you claim, on Mizoram on the 5th of March 1966. He was commissioned into the IAF only on 29th October 1966! (Certificate attached) Jai hind and a happy Independence Day, he posted. Congress leader Sachin Pilot.(PTI)





During his reply to no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that then PM Indira Gandhi had used the IAF against Mizoram. Werent citizens of Mizoram our citizens? Even today, Mizoram mourns on March 5 every year. It hasnt forgotten till now. And Congress has hidden this fact from the country, the prime minister had said.



Responding to PM Modi, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh had defended the former prime minister. His criticism of Indira Gandhi's extraordinarily tough decision of March 1966 in Mizoram to deal with secessionist forces that drew support from Pakistan and China was particularly pathetic, Ramesh said.



She saved Mizoram, started negotiations with those fighting the Indian state and finally a Peace Accord was signed on June 30, 1986. The manner in which the Accord came about is a remarkable story that reinforces the idea of India in Mizoram today, Ramesh added.

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The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) resumed search and rescue operations to trace the eight missing people in Uttarakhand after heavy rains lashed the state on Sunday night and Monday, officials said The state disaster response force (SDRF) resumes search operation on Monday to find eight missing people in rain-related incidents. (ANI)

The body of a Haryana woman was recovered in Pauri district and that of a 10-year-old girl was recovered in Rishikesh on Tuesday taking the death toll to 5 in rain-related accidents in the state over the last two days, officials said.

On Monday, a series of landslides triggered by rain hit the state damaging infrastructure and blocking several key roads. SDRF teams had recovered bodies of three people who died in different rain related accidents on Monday, officials said.

Over 24 hours (till 8.30am on Tuesday), Bageshwar received maximum rainfall in the state at 14.5mm, followed by Tehri at 9.2mm, Rudraprayag district at 7.8mm, Chamoli at 7.3mm and Pithoragarh at 5.5mm, officials said.

The India Meteorological Department, Dehradun Centre issued a yellow alert for heavy rainfall for isolated places in the state for the next four days, accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning and intense/very intense spells at isolated spots.

Meanwhile, SDRF Uttarakhand commandant Manikant Mishra said four teams comprising 28 SDRF personnel are carrying out search operation in Pauri districts Mohan Catti area where five Haryana tourists staying at the Nightlife Paradise Camp were buried under the debris after a landslide.

A body of a man was recovered from the debris on Monday evening, while another body was recovered on Tuesday evening. The woman was identified as 32-year-old Nisha Verma. A 15-member expert team with advance search equipment like thermal imaging camera, victim location device is conducting intensive search in the area to trace the missing tourists, Mishra said.

A 14-member SDRF team, including deep divers and flood rescue experts, are conducting search operations in Lakshman Jhula area near Rishikesh where three people  Reena Sharma (38), Tejaswi and Shubham drowned after their vehicle fell in Ganga River on Monday... the body of a 10-year-old girl was recovered late on Tuesday, he added.

In Champawat district, a ten-member SDRF team is conducting searches for the two people who were washed away in the rainwaters in Tanakpur area on Monday, the official said, adding that a similar operation is underway at Chamoli district where a woman was washed away with her cattle in Pawar rivulet.

In Chamoli district, the response team shifted around 30 families from Mehar village to Mayapur area after a cloudburst in the area damaged several houses in the region. On Monday, the body of 50-year-old Jot Singh was recovered from the debris, Mishra said.

The body of the fourth victim of rain-related accidents was recovered from Lincholi area of Rudraprayag district on Monday, he added.

Girls body found; death toll rises to eight in Gaurikund landslide

The death toll in the landslide that swept away three shops in Gaurikund on the way to Kedarnath on August 4 mounted to eight after rescuers on Tuesday pulled out the body of another victim, an official said. The death toll in the tragedy, in which 23 people had gone missing, has risen to eight. Fifteen people are still missing, Mishra said.
Sulabh International founder Bindeshwar Pathak, who built community toilets in war against open defecation, died due to cardiac arrest on Tuesday, PTI reported.



Pathak was the founder of Sulabh International, a social organisation which works to promote human rights, environmental sanitation, waste management and reforms through education. Sulabh International founder Bindeshwar Pathak.(HT Photo)

The aide said that Pathak hoisted the national flag in the morning on the occasion of Independence Day and collapsed soon after that.

He was rushed to AIIMS Delhi. A source at the hospital said Pathak was declared brought dead at 1.42 pm.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi mourned Pathak's demise. The passing away of Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak Ji is a profound loss for our nation. He was a visionary who worked extensively for societal progress and empowering the downtrodden, the prime minister wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Bindeshwar Ji made it his mission to build a cleaner India. He provided monumental support to the Swachh Bharat Mission. During our various conversations, his passion towards Swachhata was always visible. His work will continue to inspire several people. My deepest condolences to his family and loved ones during this difficult time. Om Shanti, he added.

Here are five things to know about Bindeshwar Pathak.



1. Bindeshwar Pathak was born in a Brahmin family Rampur Baghel village of district Vaishali, Bihar. His mother was Yogmaya Devi and his father was Ramakant Pathak.



2. Pathak shifted to Patna and enrolled in B.N. College from where he graduated in sociology. He worked as a teacher for a while before joining the Gandhi Centenary Committee in Patna as a volunteer.



3. According to Sulabh International website, Pathak was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi. In the last 50 years, he worked for the human rights of the manual scavengers who come from the lowest stratum of Indias caste-based system and are mostly women.



4. In 1973, Bindeshwar Pathak persuaded Bhagdeo Singh Yogi, an MLA to write a letter to then prime minister Indira Gandhi, drawing her attention to the situation of manual scavengers. Gandhi replied saying she was writing to the chief minister to give his personal attention to this matter.



5. In 1973, an officer of Arrah municipality, a small town in Bihar, gave Pathak 500 rupees to construct two toilets for demonstration in its premises. The toilets impressed the authorities who sanctioned a project for its wider implementation.

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The Supreme Court has been the vanguard of institutional governance by enhancing access to justice and promoting constitutional values, Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud said on Tuesday, adding that functionality of courts is determined by how effectively they can answer the call of constitutional duty. New Delhi: Chief Justice of India (CJI) Justice DY Chandrachud addresses lawyers on the occasion of the 77th Independence Day, in New Delhi, Tuesday.(PTI)

Speaking at an event organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) to celebrate Independence Day, the first judge of the country underscored the role of the apex court in providing a safe democratic space for individuals to seek protection of their rights and liberties and listed the challenges that lie ahead of the judiciary. The greatest one, Justice Chandrachud emphasised, is eliminating the barriers to accessing justice.

With Union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal in attendance, the CJI said that the past 76 years suggest that the history of the Indian judiciary has been the history of the daily life struggles of the Indian people.

Also Read| Mischievous: Supreme Court flags viral social media post falsely quoting CJI Chandrachud

If our history teaches us anything, it is this  that no matter is big or small for the courts. It is in the routinely small matters that issues of grave constitutional and jurisprudential importance emerge. Resolution of every legal grievance is important. In attending to such grievances, the courts are merely performing their plain constitutional duty, he said.

Courts in independent India, justice Chandrachud said, have ensured that the law exudes human interest and responds positively to the plight of every individual in our society  regardless of their social and economic background. The functionality of courts is determined by how effectively they can answer the call of constitutional duty.

Alluding to the challenges of the Indian judiciary, the CJI said that the judiciary must enhance access to justice procedurally by eliminating the constraints which prevent citizens from approaching courts, and substantively by building confidence in the courts ability to dispense justice.

And we have the roadmap in place to make sure that the future Indian judiciary is inclusive and accessible to the last person in the line. To make our courts accessible and inclusive, we need to overhaul our court infrastructure on a priority basis. Our emphasis is on modernizing the judicial infrastructure to meet the challenges of the future, said the judge.

Unveiling plans to expand the infrastructure of the Supreme Court which currently has 16-17 court halls, the CJI said that a two phase-plan is in offing to expand the Supreme Court by constructing a new building to accommodate 27 additional courts, 51 judges chambers, 4 registrar court rooms, 16 registrar chambers, and other requisite facilities for lawyers and litigants. The new building will reflect the constitutional aspirations, beliefs, and priorities of the Indian people, in addition to providing a space which facilitates access to justice, he said.

Apart from upgrading the physical infrastructure, justice Chandrachud said, technology is the best tool to eliminate the inefficiency and opacity surrounding the judicial processes. We have to tap into the full potential of technology to overcome the procedural barriers to justice. In pursuance of this, we are implementing Phase III of the e-Courts project. Phase III of the e-Courts project seeks to revolutionize the working of courts in India by inter-linking of all courts across the country, setting up the infrastructure of paperless court, digitization of court records, and setting up advanced e-sewa kendras in all court complexes, he added.

The CJI said that the goal is to create a judicial system that is more accessible, cost-effective, and affordable for every individual who seeks justice. The recent initiatives of the Supreme Court such as live streaming of court proceedings, translation of judgment from English to vernacular languages, and live transcription of court proceedings will contribute towards transparency of our legal processes, he highlighted.

Legitimacy of courts, justice Chandrachud said, can be secured only when the courts establish themselves as robust independent institutions, which are impervious to the identity of the litigant but cognizant of their context.

In this regard, the judges and lawyers should conduct themselves in a manner which will inspire confidence about the independence and the integrity of our legal processes. Recently, the Supreme Court released the Sensitization module for the judiciary on the LGBTQIA+ community and will, very soon, be releasing the Handbook on Combating Gender Stereotypes in Judicial decision-making. These efforts are aimed to ensure that we look inwards, question our biases, and insulate judicial institutions from embodying and entrenching those biases, he emphasised.

For the past 76 years, the CJI said, courts have served as the prominent sites of democratic participation. For the future, we have to recognize and eliminate the existing barriers to accessing courts, and in the process ensure that the courts continue to serve an effective and affordable democratic space.

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Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao in his Independence Day address said the fruits of development are reaching roots of democracy with the aid of freedom achieved from alien rulers in 1947. K Chandrasekhar Rao said Telangana is shining with continuous electricity transmission while there are streams, bends and check dams overflowing with water

In his speech, Rao delved upon the aspects of development in the state. The chief minister said the state is shining with continuous electricity transmission while there are streams, bends and check dams overflowing with water.

He also said that Telangana is flourishing as a source of rice for the country. Urging the people to extend their support and blessings to the progress of the state, Rao said there are five dominant parameters to measure the progress of the country or state.

These are per capita income, per capita electricity consumption, clean drinking water supply, superior medical standards and best educational standards. KCR, as the chief minister is popularly called, said Telangana attained the top position in all the parameters across the country.

Rao said his government strengthened Telangana's financial situation after the state was carved out of Andhra Pradesh in 2014. Wealth increased and it was distributed among the people. The new state of Telangana topped the established big states in the country with a per capita income of 3,12, 398, the CM said.



K Chandrasekhar Rao said that per capita electricity consumption exceeded the national average of 1,255 units. The average consumption stands at 2,126 units, 70 per cent higher than the national average. The CM said Telangana is the only state providing 24 hours of free electricity to all sectors including agriculture.



Recalling the heavy rain which lashed the state last month, Rao said the government has been predicting heavy rains from time to time and taking precautionary measures.



Well-trained personnel, boats, NDRF teams and helicopters of the Indian Air Force were used to rescue the people trapped in the floods. The victims were shifted to safe places. Aid camps have been established and supported. The government has released 500 crore for immediate relief measures. Despite the unexpected rains and floods, the government took prompt action to prevent loss of life and property, he said.



He added that the government provides financial support to the families of those who died due to heavy rains. The CM said that the government provides assistance to damaged houses under Griha Lakshmi Scheme.



These heavy rains made up for the deficit in June and July. All the reservoirs in the state have become full. This time, paddy cultivation is expected to increase to a record 64.54 lakh acres. We are making seeds and fertilizers available so that farmers whose crops have been damaged can plant seeds again, Rao said.

Talking about farm sector, Rao said,"The BRS government has taken various measures to get Telangana out of the agricultural crisis created by the union regime. Immediately after the formation of Swarashtra, the crop loans of the farmers were totally waived till then".



The chief minister added that crop loans worth 37,000 crores were waived off in the past nine-and-a-half years.



I am proud to announce that there is no other government in the country as a whole which has made the farmers debt free in this manner. I respectfully state that there is no other state in the country that can match Telangana in terms of farmer welfare, he said.

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The Union governments decision to transfer Telanganas share of funds to Andhra Pradesh, citing power bill arrears to the tune of 6,756 crore for the last six years, has evoked a sharp reactions from the K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR)-led government, prompting it to approach the high court. The Telangana government has claimed that Andhra Pradesh owes  17,828 crore to Telangana for various services. (PTI)

While the Union government maintained that it has the power to make such moves as per the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, the high court last week stayed the contentious decision and directed the Centre not to take any stringent measures against Telangana till the matter is settled.

The Telangana government, on the other hand, claimed that Andhra Pradesh owes 17,828 crore to Telangana for various services.

On August 1, Union power minister R K Singh told Parliament that the Centre has the power to enforce its directions on the Telangana government as per the 2014 Act.

In response to a query from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP G V L Narasimha Rao and YSRCP MP V Vijay Sai Reddy, Singh told Rajya Sabha that the Centre would direct the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to make the deductions as per the power bills arrears from the central devolutions to be made to Telangana and pay the same to Andhra Pradesh.

We have been in consultation with the ministry of law and the ministry of finance for giving a direction to the RBI, so that the accounts of Telangana government can be deducted by that amount, which is to be paid to Andhra Pradesh, Singh said in a written reply.

He added that the Centre was seized of the matter and would resolve it soon.

The Union minister also said that the power ministry had written to the Telangana government on a few occasions, asking it to pay the arrears to Andhra Pradesh.

The Telangana government, however, approached the high court and obtained a stay in 2022, he said. But since the period of stay has expired, the Centre can invoke its powers to enforce the directions, he added.

On August 8, the Telangana government filed a fresh petition in the high court against the Centres proposal.

According to people aware of the developments, a division bench of the court comprising chief justice Alok Aradhe and justice T Vinod Kumar on August 8 granted further stay on the Centres decision and directed that no harsh measures be taken against the Telangana government till the matter is legally settled.

Senior counsel C V Mohan Reddy, who appeared for the Andhra government, opposed the stay, saying the state has supplied power to Telangana for three years, ever since Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated in 2014, on the directions of the Centre.

So, the Centre has every right to intervene and resolve the issue in an appropriate manner, Reddy said.

The court deferred the case to August 24 and asked the Centre not to take any stringent measures against Telangana till then, the people cited above said.

Before the bifurcation of combined Andhra Pradesh in June 2014, the two power distribution companies  Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (SPDCL) and Northern Power Distribution Company Limited (NPDCL)  in Telangana region were drawing power from thermal power plants located in Andhra region, as per the power purchase agreements (PPAs).

Since the state was united, there were no payment issues.

After the bifurcation, the power plants in Andhra and Telangana regions were allocated to the respective states.

However, the SPDCL and NPDCL continued to draw power from the thermal power plants located in Andhra Pradesh as per the PPAs and therefore, were supposed to pay the power purchase charges.

Following a series of negotiations between the two states, the two Telangana discoms cleared bills till June 2017, but after that, stopped paying the dues altogether, according to the Andhra government.

A senior energy department official in Andhra Pradesh said though everything was on paper  power purchased by Telangana discoms and the power purchase bills raised by APGenco (Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation)  the Telangana government had failed to clear bills since June 2017.

According to the official, Telangana is supposed to clear a total power bill of 3,441.78 crore, and along with interest, the total dues mounted to 6,756 crore.

In April 2019, APGenco approached the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), seeking recovery of dues from Telangana, but withdrew the petition subsequently on technical grounds and approached the Telangana high court.

In the court, the Telangana government said the Andhra Pradesh government is supposed to pay 17,828 crore to the former under various heads.

The payments due from Andhra Pradesh to Telangana include: 2,975 crore pertaining to debt servicing of Anantapur and Kurnool districts, 322 crore towards inter-state sales, 4,746 crore towards market purchases due to stoppage of thermal power by Andhra and 1,411 crore on hydro power purchases.

Further, APTransco (Transmission Corporation of Andhra Pradesh) has to pay Telangana 712 crore as investment in employees trust at the rate of 7.5%, 190 crore as transmission and state load dispatch centre charges, 612 crore towards discoms bonds along with other charges of 215 crore, a Telangana power transmissio corporation (TS Transco) official said on condition of anonymity.

Even as the issue is pending in the court, the Andhra Pradesh government has been repeatedly submitting representations to the Centre, seeking its intervention to ensure the Telangana government clears its pending power bill arrears.

On August 30 last year, Union deputy secretary (energy) Anoop Singh Bisht wrote a letter to the Telangana government, asking it to clear its 6,756 crore dues for power purchase from Andhra Pradesh within 30 days, failing which the Centre would have to intervene in the matter.

As a result, the Telangana government moved the high court and obtained stay orders on the proposed intervention from the Centre.

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Highlighted his government's achievements in the last nine years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asserted that he will inaugurate all development works announced recently. Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort, PM Modi said over 13.5 crore people came out of poverty in the past five years to become part of the middle class. Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during his address on the country's 77th Independence Day, at the historic Red Fort in New Delhi, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023.(PTI)

The prime minister announced that the government will launch Vishwakarma Kaushal Samman Yojana with an allocation of 13,000 to 15,000 crore in the next month for those with traditional skills. He said the government is working to increase the number of 'Jan Aushadhi Kendra' (subsidised medicine shops) from 10,000 to 25,000.

PM Modi lauded his government's speed in meeting various targets, saying its track record attests to the fact that India fulfils what it resolves.

For 25 years it was being discussed in the country that a new Parliament building will be built. Ye Modi hai, samay ke pehle Sansad banakar ke rakh diya (This is Modi, built the Parliament before time). This is a Govt that works, that meets set goals. This is New India. This is an India that is full of self-confidence, he said.

Ye Bharat na rukta hai, na thakta hai, na haanfta hai aur na hi haarta hai, the prime minister added.

The prime minister reiterated his "guarantee" that India will become the third-largest global economy in the next five years.

When we came to power in 2014, we were at the 10th position in the global economic system. Today, with the efforts of 140 crore Indians, we have reached the fifth position. This did not happen just like that. The demon of corruption that had the country in its clutches - we stopped leakages and created a strong economy, the prime minister said.

In a switch from addressing the people of India as "my fellow citizens", Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation as his family members. Throughout the speech, he referred to the people of the country as "parivaarjan (family members)". In his earlier speeches, PM had referred to the people of the country as "my beloved brothers and sisters".

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The Congres clarified that it was not possible for party president Mallikarjun Kharge to reach the party headquarters for the flag hoisting function in time from the Red Fort and that's why he didn't attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day address on Tuesday morning. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi.(PTI file)

A chair reserved for Mallikarjun Kharge, who is also the leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, was seen empty during the Independence Day function at the Red Fort. Kharge's absence triggered a backlash, with the Bharatiya Janata Party criticising him.

"Apparently the BJP is upset that @kharge ji was not present at the PMs Red Fort speech.

Does the PM realise that his route arrangements would have made it impossible for Kharge Sahib to reach the Party HQ for the Flag hoisting function in time? Do we not have the independence of hoisting the Flag at our headquarters on Independence Day?" Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera wrote on X (formally Twitter).

Kharge unfurled the national flag at his residence and later at the Congress headquarters where the Independence Day function was also attended by Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders.

Congress leader Manickam Tagore said they celebrated Independence Day with the people of the country.

"When Lok Sabha opposition leader suspended... When MPs are suspended for an indefinite period... When opposition leaders' speeches are expunged if we mention Adani... When mikes are switched off... what else we can do? We celebrate Independence Day with people," he said.

On his absence from the Red Fort ceremony, Kharge later told reporters, "Firstly, I have some eye-related problems. Secondly, I had to hoist the Tricolour at my residence at 9.20am as per protocols. Then I had to come to the Congress office and hoist the Tricolour here too. So, I could not have reached here. The security is so tight that they don't let anyone else leave before the PM leaves...I thought that I will not be able to reach here on time...I thought it better to not go there to the security situation and lack of time."

When asked about the Congress chief missing from Independence Day celebrations, veteran Congress leader Meira Kumar said, "Kharge Sahab came here (AICC HQ) and addressed us. He encouraged us and the people of the country. He spoke about how did the Congress and big leaders attain freedom for the country and build the country."

On Modi's attack on dynasty politics, Kumar said, Elections are held here, those who win stay in politics. What is dynasty here?

Modi, addressing the 77th Independence Day function from the ramparts of Red Fort, said corruption and appeasement politics have damaged the country and noted that political parties who believe in dynastic politics have one mantra  party of the family, by the family and for the family.

Modi said there is a need to fight corruption, dynasty and appeasement.

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World leaders extended their wishes as India celebrated its 77th Independence Day on Tuesday with President Emmanuel Macron saying New Delhi can count on France as a trusted friend while Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said India can reflect with pride on its success in pursuit of the dream of countrys first elected leader Jawaharlal Nehru. The 77th Independence Day celebrations at Delhis Red Fort. (ANI)

Australian High Commission posted on X (formerly Twitter) a photo of Albaneses message to communities in Australia celebrating Indias Independence Day, citing an excerpt from the first Indian Prime Minister Nehrus speech on August 15, 1947. He quoted Nehru calling for the people of India at the dawn of independence to labour and to work, and work hard, to give reality to our dreams. Those dreams are for India but they are also for the world.

Albanese said in 2023, India can reflect with pride on its success in pursuit of Nehrus dream. Whether as students, entrepreneurs, professionals, building families and communities, Australia is grateful for all the experiences, knowledge, and ideas you have shared. We are a richer country because you made Australia your home.

He recalled his visit to India in March and said the warm friendship between the two countries reflects deep bonds between their people. My aim is to bring our two nations even closer together...we will do all that through the strength of Australia-India communities, he said. He added on Indias independence day, lets celebrate shared democratic heritage.

Macron referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Paris last month while congratulating Indians on the 77th Independence Day. In a post on X, he said the two set new Indo-French ambitions all the way to 2047, the centenary year of Indias Independence. Modi thanked Macron for the wishes. I fondly recall my visit to Paris and appreciate your passion towards boosting India-France ties, he said in response.

Modi, who was the guest of honour at the annual Bastille Day Parade in Paris in July, held talks with Macron on cooperation in areas such as defence and space. Modi became the first foreign leader since 2017 to be the chief guest at the parade that marks the storming during the French Revolution (1789) of the Bastille fortress, a symbol of the monarchy.

In its Independence Day message, the United States (US) state department said the two countries were working together to build a brighter future for all. Happy Independence Day, India! As we celebrate with the people of India, we reflect on the bond between our two nations and the inspiring words in both of our Constitutions: We the People.

Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth congratulated Modi for taking India even further in its stride towards progress. Mauritius is proud of our brotherly ties. He added Independent India has shown the world the unmatched resourcefulness, ingenuity, and resilience of its people.

In a post on X, Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said his government and the people of Maldives join him in conveying best wishes to President Droupadi Murmu, Modi, and the Indian people. May India always be blessed with lasting freedom and prosperity.
As a child, a globe gave me my first idea of our planet, even before I started school. The rotating sphere my father bought was made of plastic and could light up from the inside. Whether it was intended as a lamp or as an inspiration for a curious mind, mattered not. In any case, the globe as a lamp took away my fear of the dark hallway in the evening. The Behaim Globe is also known as the Erdapfel. (DW/Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nurnberg)

Sometimes, pointing at the globe, I would have my father show where we lived. He would point to a spot that was not surrounded by turquoise. Turquoise, I already knew that much, stood for the sea. "And where does Mother Teresa live?" At the time, I had a burning interest in where personalities of her ilk could be found.

But before all the countries and seas could be mapped correctly on globes, the world had to be explored, from the discoveries of seafarers from the 15th century to the dark side of the onset of colonization, all the while as the world seemed to get ever smaller.

Oldest preserved globe comes from Germany

Little did I know at the time that the world's oldest globe sat right here, in Germany.

But had I seen the globe produced by Martin Behaim at the end of the 15th century, I might have noticed a glaring absence: The continents of the Americas and Australia are nowhere to be seen, neither of which were known to central Europe at the time of its creation.

The globe, also known as the Erdapfel, now resides in the Germanisches Nationa Museum in Nuremberg. Shortly after its completion, which has been dated somewhere between 1490 and 1492, the Italian-born Christopher Columbus became the first European to reach America, which marked the beginning of modern globalization. Australia was first reached by the British navigator James Cook and his crew in 1770.

"What you can see clearly, and what is depicted very precisely, is central and southern Europe, the Mediterranean region and Africa. The further you go away from this region, the fuzzier it gets," says Sonja Missfeldt, press officer at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum.

This year, the globe was added to UNESCO's Memory of the World register as an outstanding testimony to how the world was imagined at the time.

For Jan Mokre, Head of Map Department and the Globe Museum of the Austrian National Library in Vienna, its listing as part of humanity's documentary heritage also represents an appreciation of the efforts of museums to preserve such valuable historical objects of cultural heritage, to have them professionally restored when necessary, and to make them accessible to visitors.

'Pioneering work'

For Sonja Missfeldt, the Behaim Globe is a "pioneering work of cartography."

It is made of various materials. The sphere, which is hollow on the inside, is covered with painted paper. A wrought iron frame holds the globe, which could originally be rotated, surrounded by a brass horizon ring.

Many people were involved in its making. Martin Behaim, who came from a patrician family in Nuremberg, had commissioned the globe. It is not quite clear why. It is possible that the specimen on display in the town hall at the time was intended to attract sponsors for global trade.

Behaim was himself a traveling merchant who is said to have participated in exploratory voyages along the coast of Africa in the 1480s.

In addition to land and water masses, the globe also contains information about foreign peoples, exotic animals and raw material deposits. Even places where goods such as spices could be extracted have been noted.

In addition, figures reminiscent of mythical creatures are depicted. Shadow-footed creatures, also called sciapods, are one example. According to Missfeldt, the depictions represent a widespread belief at the time, that there were people living in more remote regions in Africa who had only one leg and a large foot that stretched upwards.

"The Behaim Globe is an object that stands, as it were, between the times. In terms of its image, it actually represents the medieval image that Europeans had of the earth, and does not yet point at all to the new era," explains Mokre.

It was created at a time in which the Europeans strove for supremacy in the world, by discovering unknown countries and parts of the world, where raw materials were plundered and inhabitants turned into slaves before being shipped across the world.

A testament to conquests and slavery

For the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, the globe "reminds us of European conquests," while it is also "a memorial to African slaves who played a decisive role in the creation of our modern world," says Mokre.

At the time of the Behaim Globe's creation, serial production was still a long way off. Spherical models of our world had existed since Greek antiquity, but the production of each individual globe was still a challenge for the craftsmen involved.

"People didn't have any comparable systems to draw on, but started thinking about how to vividly represent the world in 3D," says Sonja Missfeldt of the Germanisches Nationalmuseum.

Today, the term globe is synonymous with a model of our earth. But there are also celestial globes and those of other planets and the moon.

"Between 1520 or so and 1850, it was common to make terrestrial and celestial globes as a pair, to sell them as a pair, and to set them up as a pair. This dualism is very important because it is actually this interaction that represents the cosmos," explains globe expert Jan Mokre.

A very striking model that seeks to unite heaven and earth is the walk-in Gottorf Globe from the 17th century. It measures just under three meters (10 feet) in diameter and shows the Earth on the outside and the sky on the inside.

Driven by water power, this famous object, once made for a chamber of art and rarities, could rotate once around its own axis.

Earth and celestial globes in combination also exist in smaller form. In the 18th century, for example, pocket globes the size of billiard balls were popular collectors' items.

Newer globes represent education

From about 1850, industrial production made the globe a mass-produced item.

And the practice of keeping a globe in private living and working environments started a bit earlier, says Jan Mokre, who dates it to the late 18th century. Among the factors that popularized ownership of the item was an improved educational situation and the fact "that the economically strengthened middle classes wanted to represent themselves with knowledge." Globes, along with atlases and encyclopedias, were goods that could identify a citizen interested in education.

Anyone who would like to see a special model of our planet today has the opportunity to do so in the industrial monument Gasometer Oberhausen in Germany. There hangs a monumental sculpture of the Earth with a diameter of 20 meters. It is a globe of the digital age that is part of the exhibition "The Fragile Paradise," which runs until November 26.

Visitors experience it from the space perspective of astronauts. Through satellite images projected onto it, they see not only the colours and continents of the Earth, but also the footprint that humans leave on it.
The auspicious festival of Navroz, also known as Nowruz, holds much significance for the Parsi community across the globe. Navroz literally translates to 'new day'. Emerging from one of the world's oldest religions - Zoroastrianism, the first day of the Zoroastrian calendar, Farvardin, is observed on March 21 around the time of the vernal equinox as the triumph of spring over darkness. While Parsi New Year falls in March globally, India celebrates it nearly 200 days after the world because the Indian Parsi community follows the Shahenshahi calendar. This year, Parsi New Year falls on August 16 (Wednesday) in India. Check out Navroz Mubarak best wishes, images, messages, and greetings to share with loved ones on Parsi New Year. (HT Photo)

Wish your loved ones Happy Parsi New Year or Navroz Mubarak with these wishes. (HT Photo)

Navroz or Nowruz marks the beginning of the Iranian or Persian New Year, celebrated globally by different ethnicities for over 3,000 years. To celebrate the day, we have curated some wishes and images you can send to your friends and family. Scroll through to check it out.

Parsi New Year or Navroz Wishes, Images, Greetings and Messages:

Praying for you and your family's happiness, prosperity and well-being. May you all have an amazing year ahead. Navroz Mubarak.

Parsi New Year or Navroz falls on August 16 for the Indian Parsi community. (HT Photo)

I wish you and your family a joyous Nowruz. May your life be filled with joy, achievements, and wellness.

May love, bravery, wisdom, contentment, health, patience, cleanliness be by your side. Nowruz Mubarak.

Navroz literally translates to 'new day'. (HT Photo)

May the Navroz magic bring you joy, success, and health in the coming year. I wish you the best of luck. Happy Parsi New Year.

May this Navroz bring along brighter days for you. May you enjoy this occasion with memorable celebrations. Wishing you Happy Parsi New Year.

India celebrates Navroz nearly 200 days after the world. (HT Photo)

May this Parsi New Year mark the beginning of a new chapter of your life full of new dreams and new hopes. Warm wishes on Navroz to you and your loved ones. Navroz Mubarak.

All things bright and beautiful, good and true, fine and wonderful, I wish for all these things for you today and always. Navroz Mubarak.

Indian Parsi community follows the Shahenshahi calendar. (HT Photo)

Nowruz Mubarak to my most valuable friend. This New Year can be your opportunity to shine.

Nowruz comes in a rainbow of colours, and we hope you get to use them all to paint your lives with happiness and prosperity. Wishing everybody a colourful Navroz.

It is believed Navroz has been celebrated for the past 3,000 years. (HT Photo)

A new year offers you a chance to write the most beautiful chapter of your life. Happy Parsi New Year.
Just like women, men too experience problems with bigger breasts where man boobs or gynecomastia is commonly seen in the 21-40 age group and a large number of them go for breast reduction surgeries due to anxiety, depression, being ridiculed, low self-esteem and embarrassment. Not only in women but cosmetic surgeries are also on the rise in men as they are often concerned about having male boobs which is a health condition called Gynecomastia. Enlarged breasts in men lead to depression. Here's all you need to know about gynecomastia (Photo by Tom Pumford on Unsplash)

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Pankaj Patil, Cosmetic and Plastic Surgeon at Apollo Spectra in Pune, explained, This condition leads to an increase in the amount of breast tissue due to hormonal imbalance, such as low testosterone or excess levels of estrogen. The male breast tissue will swell and look bigger. But it can also happen because of obesity, steroid use, certain medication, kidney disease or kidney failure, liver disease, and thyroid problems. Currently, men in the age group of 21-40 are encountering this grave problem. 70% of the male population has enlarged breast means gynecomastia. And about 30 to 34 surgeries have been done by men last year.

He elaborated, This condition is causing distress in men. It is distorting their inner peace. Many men can get depressed, stressed, bullied, frustrated, irritated, feel lonely, and have poor self-esteem owing to bigger breasts. They will avoid socializing or opening up about how they feel. They will have body image issues and will constantly criticize themselves. A majority of men spend years hiding the size of their breasts with loose-fitting or dark-colored shirts and avoiding beaches or social gatherings. There is a spike in reduction surgeries as a huge step toward destigmatization of male breasts. Men get emotionally scared. This condition can create havoc on ones mental well-being. It can hurt men. After all, men too want to be happy with what they see in the mirror every day. They feel conscious due to the negative body image. Losing weight or opting for prescription medication can help reduce the size of breasts. But surgery is one of the more permanent ways to treat the condition,

Talking about the solution, Dr Pankaj Patil highlighted, To reduce their oversize breasts, men are going for breast reduction surgeries without any doubts in their minds. There is acceptance for this surgery now as men don't mind doing it. They have now overcome the stigma and taboo attached to the surgeries. Losing weight or opting for prescription medication can only help to reduce chest fat but for complete removal of glands and fat surgery is the only permanent option. During breast reduction surgery, a plastic surgeon removes fat and gland through the combination of liposuction and gland excision. The procedure is risk-free as there are no major side effects. The surgery can help to reduce the size of the breast and improve self-confidence and body image. Men will be able to be happy and comfortable in their skin. They can enjoy the simplest activities such as going shirtless on beaches and swimming. This surgery is surely a boon for men who are looking to reduce the size of their breasts.
Despite sustained and dedicated efforts by Government of India, the immunisation coverage in India remains pretty low and data shows that only about 65% of eligible children receive all the recommended vaccines in their 1st year of life. Back in 2014, GOI launched the ambitious Mission Indradhanush to improve vaccination coverage in childhood and pregnancy and targeted 90% coverage by 2022 but so many years since its launch we are still far from our targets. Hesitating to vaccinate your child? Parents should know these myths and facts about vaccinations in children (Photo by CDC on Unsplash)

As efforts intensify to improve outreach of our immunisation drives, let us understand what it is that still bothers people when it comes to vaccinations. In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Somalika Pal, Senior Consultant, Department of Neonatology and Pediatrics at Cloudnine Group of Hospitals in New Delhi's East of Kailash, shared, The WHO defines Vaccine hesitancy as a delay in the acceptance or refusal of a vaccine despite its availability. At no other time in the recent history, than at the present during the Covid pandemic has the world so badly yearned the emergence of an effective vaccination to put an end to all its woes. Yet when the vaccines came and were granted emergency use authorisation, there were apprehensions and wary refusals from several corners of the globe about the safety of these vaccines.

She revealed, This was a public health challenge that threatened to thwart vaccination campaigns in certain countries like the United states among many others. In India, by and large, after the initial mistrust there was widespread acceptance to the vaccinations making it one of the most successful campaigns globally. Currently, we are all probably witnessing an epidemiological shift where Covid is affecting children as well, in larger numbers than it did at the start of the pandemic and yet a recent survey on the acceptance of Covid vaccines among 612-year-olds revealed that as many as 41% respondents would prefer to wait and defer vaccination for their children, when its available for use.

Talking about the other routine childhood immunisations, Dr Somalika Pal said, The reasons for the poor immunisation coverage in the country is not just limited to vaccine hesitancy among parents. The most important aspects remain poor accessibility to health facilities, low socio-economic conditions, lack of awareness about vaccines, misinformation ,lack of good commute facilities to and from remote areas etc. A lot of effort, energy and funds is being focussed by the GOI to address these gaps. Vaccine hesitancy remains an unfortunate reality even among the literate and affluent classes, and not just in developing nations but developed countries as well. The main reasons cited are misinformation especially from internet and social media, religious and cultural beliefs, lack of scientific temperament and giving into controversy hypothesis surrounding vaccinations. Despite the proven efficacy of vaccines in protection against so many diseases, we as paediatricians continue to get a lot of queries about the safety, efficacy and even necessity of certain vaccines.

Myths vs facts:

Determined to bust some myths and address some concerns about vaccinations in children, Dr Somalika Pal highlighted:

1) Are vaccines safe?

Yes. Vaccines are launched into the market only after rigorous field testing and only when the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks. Of course there may be some side effects to vaccinations most of which are minor like mild fever, local pain and swelling and body ache. Some major side effects or allergic effects are known to occur with some vaccine components in some individuals, but these are extremely rare. If such a thing occurs, you should report to a nearby health facility immediately and inform your doctor before taking the same or any vaccine again in the future.

2) Are the adjuvants (like aluminum) in vaccines safe?

Aluminium adjuvants are added in vaccines to increase their immunogenicity and have been in use since 1930s. After such a prolonged history of use, there is no scientific data to back the apprehension against adjuvant containing vaccines

3) Is there an association between vaccine components and Autism?

Several studies have refuted such claims.

4) Why are there so many vaccines recommended together especially before 6 months of life? Isnt it too much for a baby to tolerate?

When babies are born they are protected against some infections by antibodies that are passed onto them via the placenta and thereafter via breastmilk. Gradually this protection wanes. It is very important to vaccinate the child against the illnesses that are responsible for most of the childhood deaths and hospitalizations at the earliest. Studies have shown that these vaccines administered together do not interfere with antibody responses. So multiple vaccines in a single setting are given only when these have been proven to not interfere with the immune responses in the child.

5) Why should I vaccinate my child against diseases I never hear of anyone ever contracting?

The vaccinations which are currently recommended for all children under universal immunization schedule and those recommended by Indian Academy of Pediatrics are against diseases which have caused and still has a potential to cause major public health crisis. Most of these have not been eradicated and the only effective way to keep them from spreading /re-emerging as a public health problem, so that you dont hear about them is timely vaccinations.

6) India is polio free. Why then do doctors continue to recommend Polio vaccine?

Although India has been declared polio free since 2014, many of our neighboring countries have reported cases of wild type polio virus in the recent past, and are not polio free. In these times of widespread travel across borders, it remains more important to maintain a very high vaccination coverage rate of polio so that the virus does not re-emerge in our country.

7) Is it true that some additional vaccinations are provided at private health facilities as compared to Government hospitals ?

Yes. Not all vaccinations recommended by Indian Academy of Pediatrics , are part of the Universal Immunization Schedule (UIP) of GOI at the moment. However these additional vaccines eg. Influenza, Hepatitis A, Chicken Pox, cervical cancer etc are a cause of significant illness and hospitalizations and it is prudent to get your child vaccinated against these as effective and safe vaccines are currently available.

8) My child is fully vaccinated, yet why do I have to take some special vaccines before travelling abroad?

The vaccines recommended in a particular country are mostly based on the difference in disease prevalence in the host country and the country you are about to visit. So you are required to take vaccinations for all such communicable diseases which you may accidentally carry to the country you are travelling to (eg Yellow fever vaccine for travellers coming to India from Africa),or to protect you from diseases prevalent in the country or state you are travelling to (eg. yellow fever vaccine for visit to Africa from India, Meningococcal vaccine for visit to US, JE vaccine for long stay in JE endemic states in India)

9) My child was born in India but we will be shifting abroad soon? Which vaccination program do I follow?

You should vaccinate your child according to the immunization schedule at the country of residence at any given time. That way he/she is protected from the diseases that are prevalent at a particular geographical area. If you travel back, make sure you share all vaccination records with your paediatrician so that he /she can catch up with anymissed doses.

10) Covidvaccines are now available for children? Should you vaccinate?

Covid vaccine for chidren above 12 years was introduced in Jan 2022 and since then crores of adolescents have been vaccinated. Immunization may not protect against mild symtoms of Covid but are known to protective against severe forms requiring hospitalization and ventilation including the dreaded multisystem inflammatory syndromes and long Covid. Very soon we may have vaccines for those younger than 12 years.

11) Are annual flu shots really required?

The flu virus is unique in its ability to undergo minor antigenic changes making it different from one year to the next. This helps the virus to evade the bodys defenses. Every year WHO releases the relevant strains of the virus in circulation after studies, and and then vaccines are tweaked accordingly and launched into the market. Influenza has caused horrible pandemics in the past, and to this day , lakhs of hospitalizations and thousands of death attributable to the flu are reported by the CDC

12) Can vaccines cause severe life-threatening reactions like sudden cessation of breathing, severe allergic reactions or neurological complications like the Guillian Barre syndrome.

This is true. Vaccines, although very very rarely, may cause sudden severe reactions. All such events are notified to appropriate authorities and investigated to understand if the vaccine caused the symptoms. However, the benefits of vaccination far outweigh this risk. Inform your health care provider if your child is allergic to anything and if any reaction was ever suspected to be due to a vaccine.

Dr Somalika Pal concluded, I hope with answers to these FAQs many fears will be allayed and parents will not be hesitating in vaccinating their children. Staying away from misinformation circulated on social media and reaching out to your health care professional when in doubt will help curb vaccine hesitancy and improve immunisation coverage.
Demon Slayer fans, gather! A video showcasing Demon Slayer jets in Japan has gone viral on social media. These jets are a collaboration between All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Kimetsu No Yaiba. Since this video was shared, it has left many people in awe. Several even expressed excitement upon seeing these jets and wished to travel in them. (Also Read: Pikachu Jet takes to the skies of Delhi, Japanese Ambassador shares pic) Snapshot of the Demon Slayer plane that flies in Japan.(Instagram/@otakuintokyo)

The video was shared on Instagram by the handle @otakuintokyo. The clip opens to show all Demon Slayer characters while a person boards the plane. Even the pilot's announcement was made in the voice of the main character of the show- Tanjiro.

Other fine details in the jet include air hostesses wearing Nezuko and Shinobu's pattern-designed aprons. At the end of the flights, each passenger is also given a Demon Slayer Jet boarding certificate and a few stickers.

Watch the video of this Demon Slayer jets here:

This video was shared a week ago. Since being posted, it has been viewed more than 1.2 million times. Many have also liked the video and flocked to the comments section of the post to share their reactions.

Check out what people are saying about this post here:

An individual wrote, " I want to fly on these planes. OMG, thanks for posting! Literally the best thing I've seen." A second joked, "Better hope that plane isn't a demon." A third commented, "All aboard the Mugen Plane!" "After Pikachu, now Demon Slayer, I think ANA is cool for doing this."

What are your thoughts on this jet? Would you like to fly in it?
Firefighters in England held out a 'pawfect' rescue after a dog found herself trapped in a rabbit hole. The Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service took to Facebook to share the heartening story of how they saved a dog named Poppy. (Also Read: Man risks life to rescue dog trapped in raging waters in Chandigarh) Firefighter going down the rabbit hole to save a dog.(Facebook)

"It was a ruff morning for Poppy the dog after she found herself stuck down a rabbit hole! Luckily for Poppy, our crews are trained in animal rescue, and firefighters from St Neots and Gamlingay were soon on hand to carry out a pawfect rescue," wrote The Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service in a post. They also shared pictures from the rescue.

Take a look at the post shared by Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service here:

This post was shared three days ago. Since being posted, it has been liked close to 300 times. The share has also received several comments.

Check out a few reactions here:

An individual wrote, "Thank you for doing so much to help animals." Another added, "Cambridge fire service did this for me about 8-9 yrs ago after my jack russel was down a rabbit hole for 6 hours in Harlton Wood's. Amazing work." A third commented, "Well done guys." "Good job," said a fourth. A few others have reacted using heart and clap emojis in the comments section of the post.
India is celebrating its 77th Independence Day today with much zeal. Amid the celebrations, Indian Coast Guard shared an incredible video of hoisting the national flag underwater. Many people were left stunned to see this video. (Also Read: Independence Day 2023: Netizens celebrate Indias freedom) Snapshot of Indian Coast Guard hoisting the flag.(Twitter/@ANI)

"Underwater hoisting of the national flag by Indian Coast Guard personnel near Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu on Independence Day," wrote ANI as they shared the video on Twitter. The clip opens to show Indian Coast Guard personnel standing underwater and paying their respects to the national flag.

Watch this video of Indian Coast Guard personnel here:

This video was shared just an hour ago. Since being posted, it has been viewed close to 37,000 times. The share has also garnered more than 2,700 likes. Many even took to the comments section of the post to share their reactions.

Here's what people are saying about Indian Coast Guard personnel hoisting the flag underwater:

An individual wrote, "A proud moment for us." A second commented, "Jai Hind." A third shared, "Our crowning achievement of 2023, folks." A fourth added, "Proud of our Army and nation." "Bharat mata ki jai," expressed a fifth.
A Montana woman named Jen Royce has recalled her horrifying experience of being attacked by an otter in the Jefferson River. Royce lost almost half of her right ear and sustained deep cuts and injuries in the attack which happened on August 2. She was bitten by the otter on her arms, legs, thighs, ankles and both ears. Jen Royce(Jen Royce/Facebook)

Royce took to Facebook and shared that she was tubing in the river along with some friends when the vicious attack by an otter happened.

"I saw one otter right behind my friend before it attacked. I didnt even have a chance to get the words 'there is an otter behind you' out of me before it attacked her," wrote Royce in her post.

My friends were bit on the hands and on their bottoms. One friends thumb was SHREDDED and she has bite marks all over her body as well," wrote Royce.

Without ANY exaggeration, Gods honest truth, I did not think I was going to make it out of that river. I had no clue if my friends were going to make it out. But by the grace of God we did, recalled Royce.

ALSO READ| Dog falls into a rabbit hole, firefighters carry out 'pawfect' rescue

The woman further shared the multiple wounds and cuts that she sustained the life threatening attack.

Besides my face, I have puncture wounds to my left ankle, both legs, back of my right thigh, both arms, both hands, and all fingers. My left ear is split in half from the top to the bottom and is being held together with some kind of yellow bandage and stitches on both sides," posted Royce.

I have lost almost half of my right ear. But I am lucky, and I am grateful, and I am alive, she wrote.

Meanwhile, a friend has set up a GoFundMe to get financial help for Royce's medical expenses.

My face is healing fairly quick. My hands and fingers are taking longer, which makes me impatient, This whole process is teaching me to be even more humble and less prideful. Its hard to accept help and not do for myself, but my family and friends are practically forcing me so I dont have a choice!, Royce told Cowboy and State.

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Donald Trump has been indicted four times this year but the latest charges -- in Georgia -- may carry particular peril for the former president. Donald Trump was indicted August 14, 2023 on charges of racketeering and a string of election crimes after a sprawling two-year probe into his efforts to overturn his 2020 defeat to Joe Biden in the US state of Georgia, according to a court filing.(AFP)

The Georgia case is the only trial likely to be televised, with the historic proceedings streamed and broadcast into households across the United States and around the world.

The billionaire real estate tycoon starred for 14 seasons in the reality television show "The Apprentice," but he will be in a far different role when the case eventually comes to trial -- that of criminal defendant.

Fani Willis, the Georgia district attorney who charged Trump and 18 others with racketeering and other offenses related to their efforts to overturn the 2020 election, said Monday she wants to hold the trial within the next six months.

Trump also faces federal charges brought by special counsel Jack Smith for allegedly conspiring to defraud the United States with his attempts to upend the election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.

A judge is to set a date on August 28 for a trial in the nation's capital -- but television cameras are not allowed in federal courtrooms.

Smith has asked for the trial to begin on January 2, 2024, nearly three years to the day after Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol in a final bid to prevent Congress from certifying Biden's victory.

The special counsel has also accused Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, of mishandling top secret government documents in a case set to go to trial in Florida in May 2024.

Trump also faces a state trial in New York in March 2024 for allegedly paying election-eve hush money to a porn star, but those charges pale in severity to the accusations in Georgia.

The 77-year-old Trump is accused in Georgia of trying to overturn the results of the election in the southern state, where he lost to Biden by less than 12,000 votes.

In a call to Georgia election officials, Trump was recorded asking them to "find 11,780 votes" -- the exact number he would need to upend Biden's victory.

- Racketeering -

Trump and the other defendants in the Georgia case, who include Mark Meadows, his former White House chief of staff, and his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, are charged with racketeering, a charge that does not figure in the other criminal prosecutions.

"Willis ties them all together by levying one charge against Mr. Trump and each of the 18 other defendants under Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act, or RICO, accusing Mr. Trump and his co-conspirators of functioning as a criminal gang," attorneys Norman Eisen and Amy Lee Copland said in a column in The New York Times.

The Georgia indictment is the "first to plumb the full depths, through a state-focused bathyscaph, of the conspiracy" to upend the 2020 election, they said.

"That all of this is likely to play out on television only deepens the historic nature of the indictment."

A conviction for racketeering -- typically used to target organized crime -- carries a minimum sentence of five years in prison.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to the New York and federal charges, and has accused his Democratic political opponents of bringing them to derail his bid to recapture the White House.

As for a pardon, the New York and Georgia indictments both involve state charges, not federal ones, and Trump would not be able to pardon himself if he does manage to win the election next year.

A US president can only issue pardons for federal crimes, not state convictions.

In Georgia, pardons are granted by a five-member Board of Pardons and Paroles, not by the governor as in many other states.

An offender can only apply for a pardon, however, at least five years after completing their prison sentence and they must have "lived a law-abiding life" since their release.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was forced on Tuesday to scrap her trip to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji after her plane suffered recurring technical problems, the latest in a series of incidents to hit the German fleet. Minister for Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock(AP)

"We tried everything but unfortunately it's logistically not possible to carry out my Indo-Pacific travel (plans) without the defective plane," the minister wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"That is more than annoying," she added.

Baerbock had left on Sunday for the week-long trip but her plane had suffered an outage after refuelling in Abu Dhabi.

The minister was stranded for hours while the technical crew battled to fix a problem with the wing flaps.

Her delegation sought to get underway again overnight to Tuesday but the 23-year-old Airbus A340 had to go back to Abu Dhabi when the defect resurfaced.

"For security reasons, the plane had to return there," wrote the German air force on X. The aircraft had to dump fuel to land safely in Abu Dhabi again, it added.

The mishap revived debate about the German government's ageing planes, with newspapers dubbing the latest incident "embarrassing" and a "fiasco".

- Merkel late for G20 -

Germany was "turning itself into a laughing stock", the RND media network wrote in an opinion piece.

It said the breakdown had caused political damage and hurt the "made in Germany" brand at a time when the economy was already struggling.

The incident led Germany's Luftwaffe air force to announce it had decided to retire the plane early, as well the government's other A340-300.

"We will take the two A340s out of service as soon as possible, i.e. in the coming weeks ahead of schedule," the Luftwaffe wrote on X.

The government purchased three new A350s for 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) in 2019 to update the fleet and had planned to phase out the plane carrying Baerbock by the end of 2024.

"With the A350s, the air force has robust and modern aircraft at its disposal for long-haul operations," the Luftwaffe said.

German officials have repeatedly seen their flight plans disrupted in recent years because of technical problems.

The same A340-300 thwarting Baerbock's travel plans also delayed former chancellor Angela Merkel's trip to a G20 summit in 2018, that time due to an electronic fault.

Earlier that year, then finance minister and current chancellor Olaf Scholz had to take a commercial flight home from Indonesia after the same plane was grounded because rodents had chewed through some of its cables.

- 'Scrap the fleet' -

Baerbock had already suffered a travel setback in May, when she had to extend her visit to Qatar by a day after a different government plane developed a flat tyre.

The Australian foreign ministry said it shared "minister Baerbock's disappointment" over this week's aborted trip.

"We look forward to welcoming her to Australia in the future," a foreign ministry spokesperson said.

New Zealand's foreign ministry said it hoped "there will be an opportunity for the ministers to catch up in the future".

Baerbock was heading home on a commercial flight, according to reports.

"It's simply embarrassing that the foreign minister couldn't continue her trip," Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, the head of Germany's parliamentary defence committee, told German media.

The opposition far-left Die Linke party called for the government fleet to be scrapped altogether, saying doing so would be better for the climate and the federal budget.

"There are plenty of reliable airlines that the government can book," Linke member Gesine Loetzsch told Spiegel magazine.
The Maui wildfires in Hawaii have killed at least 99, making it the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century, with hundreds of people unaccounted for nearly a week after the disaster. A file image of a wildfire(AFP)

The causes of the Hawaii wildfires, which started the night of Aug. 8, have not yet been determined. Search teams with cadaver dogs have combed through 25% of the Lahaina disaster zone.

WHAT IS THE DEADLIEST WILDFIRE IN US HISTORY?

The Peshtigo fire in Wisconsin started Oct. 8, 1871 and killed 1,152, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

At the time, Peshtigo was permanent home to about 2,000 people, although its population swelled with immigrants looking for work in the lumbering, manufacturing and railroad industries.

The town was surrounded by pine forest, all of its structures were made of wood, including its sidewalks. Sawdust from the town's woodworking factory - the largest in the world - covered everything.

On Oct. 8, 1871, following a dry winter, spring and summer, the town was a particularly vulnerable when a low-pressure system kicked up a strong wind and transformed a nearby brushfire into a conflagration, which survivors described as a wall of fire that consumed the settlement within minutes, according to the Peshtigo Historical Society.

HOW MANY DIED IN THE CLOQUET AND GREAT HINCKLEY FIRES?

The Maui wildfire is the deadliest since the Cloquet Fire in October 1918, when railroad sparks ignited a wildfire that raged for more than four days, decimating northern Minnesota, according to the Library of Congress.

The NFPA set a death toll of 453 as a result of what is known today as the Cloquet/Moose Lake Fires.

In 1894, amid conditions strikingly similar to the Peshtigo fire 23 years earlier, a breeze kicked up and transformed several small, scattered fires near a cluster of logging communities into a wall of flame that destroyed Hinckley, Mission Creek, Sandstone, Miller, Partridge and Pokegama, according to the Hinckley government website.

The fire consumed 400 square miles and killed 418 people.

WHAT IS A WILDFIRE AND HOW VULNERABLE ARE US HOMES?

The Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) defines wildfires as "an unplanned, unwanted fire burning in a natural area, such as a forest, grassland, or prairie."

Nearly half the land area in the United States is composed of forest, shrubland, and grassland, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

There are currently almost 45 million U.S. homes located near or adjacent to such areas.

The National Interagency Fire Center estimates there are 71.8 million properties in the United States that are "at some level of risk from wildfire."

Since 2018, wildfires in the United States have destroyed nearly 63,000 structures, the majority of which were homes.

WHAT CAUSED THESE FIRES TO BE SO DEADLY?

The causes of some fires, including the most recent in Hawaii, are not known. However, dry and windy conditions were present for both the Maui fire this year and the California Camp Fire in 2018, as well as the Peshtigo fire in Wisconsin and the Hinckley fires in Minnesota.

WHAT ROLE IS CLIMATE CHANGE PLAYING IN WILDFIRES?

Climate change increases hot and dry conditions that help fires spread faster, burn longer and rage more intensely. Hotter weather also saps moisture from vegetation, turning it into dry fuel that helps fires to spread.

Climate change is not the only factor in wildfires. Forest management and ignition sources also play important roles. Some actions can help to limit severe blazes, such as setting controlled fires that mimic the low-intensity fires in natural ecosystem cycles, or introducing gaps within forests to stop blazes rapidly spreading over large areas.

According to the EPA, since the 1980s, of the 10 years with the largest acreage lost to wildfires, all have occurred since 2004 and coincide with the warmest years on record nationwide.

Peak wildfire season is starting earlier in the year.

In 2022, there were 66,255 wildfires in the United States, compared with 18,229 in 1983, when record keeping began, per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

"Climate change, including increased heat, extended drought, and a thirsty atmosphere, has been a key driver in increasing the risk and extent of wildfires in the western United States during the last two decades," according to the NOAA.

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Search teams with cadaver dogs have combed through 25% of the Lahaina disaster zone from the Maui wildfires, discovering the remains of a 99th victim on Monday, but perhaps hundreds more people were unaccounted for nearly a week after the disaster. Officials have cautioned that identifying victims would be a grim and difficult task, because the fire burned so intensely that even metal structures melted. (AP)

Fueled by winds gusting up to 80 mph (128 kph), an inferno burning at temperatures that the governor said reached 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit (538 degrees C) raced from the dry grasslands outside town into the historic resort town of Lahaina last Tuesday, turning block after block into ash.

The deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than 100 years destroyed or damaged more than 2,200 buildings, 86% of them residential, causing an estimated $5.5 billion in damage.

Recognizing the anxiety of survivors still looking for their loved ones, Maui County Police Chief John Pelletier told a news conference that local, state and federal rescue workers were proceeding as fast as possible but that there was a "reverence" that encumbered the task.

"It's not just ash on your clothing when you take it off. It's our loved ones," Pelletier said, relating the instructions that a director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency gave rescue workers in a briefing.

Pelletier said officials hoped to get through 85% to 90% of the disaster zone by this weekend. A team that started with one cadaver dog now has 20.

"Patience. Prayers. Perseverance. That's what we need," Pelletier said.

Officials have cautioned that identifying victims would be a grim and difficult task, because the fire burned so intensely that even metal structures melted.

Maui County briefly relaxed rules allowing Lahaina residents back to their homes but suspended that on Monday after curiosity seekers abused the system, clogging streets used by rescue workers, officials said. They also feared human remains may be trampled on. One person was arrested for trespassing, Pelletier said.

Help is arriving for those left homeless. Nearly 2,000 housing units, including 400 hotel rooms, 1,400 Airbnb units and 160 private homes were being made available, Hawaii Governor Josh Green told the news conference.

More than 3,200 residents of Hawaii have registered to receive federal assistance, and that number is expected to rise, Jeremy Greenberg, FEMA's director of response operations, told reporters.

Meanwhile, the search for missing loved ones persisted. Officials declined to estimate how many remained unaccounted for but promised they were meticulously verifying the status of all.

In one bit of positive news, officials on Sunday discovered 60 people taking refuge at a private home that had been isolated because without telephone communication or electricity. Many of those 60 had been listed as unaccounted for, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said.

A crowd-sourced database circulating on social media showed about 1,130 individuals listed as "not located" on a list of about 5,200 people as of Monday afternoon. The database includes names collected from "missing persons" notices posted at shelters as well as information submitted by loved ones.

The American Red Cross had received over 2,500 calls from people trying to find and reunite with relatives and friends missing from the fire, and about 800 of those have been resolved, said Chris Young, senior director for operations and readiness.

The cause of the fire has not been determined, and many survivors have said they went unwarned before the inferno rapidly swept through town. Some people were forced to flee into the Pacific Ocean to escape the flames.

Officials have urged tourists to stay away from West Maui but said other parts of the island remained open for business.

Green acknowledged the difficult balance between the need to keep people from obstructing recovery efforts and Maui's extreme dependence on tourism revenue.

"It would be potentially catastrophic if no one traveled to the island," the governor said.

Some residents voiced their frustration with tourists who chose to stay in Maui.

"We don't want tourists here at all," Basil Spring said in a post on Monday on X, formerly known as Twitter. "We need the time to heal as an island and to take care of our Lahaina ohana," he said, using a Hawaiian term for "family."

Get out and stay out.

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The mother of a 6-year-old boy who shot his teacher in Virginia pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge of felony child neglect, seven months after her son used her handgun to critically wound the educator in a classroom full of students. Students return to Richneck Elementary in Newport News, Va., on Jan. 30, 2023.(AP)

Prosecutors agreed to drop a misdemeanour charge of reckless storage of a firearm against Deja Taylor. As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors said they will not seek seek a sentence that is longer than state sentencing guidelines, which call for six months in jail or prison.

A judge will have full discretion and will ultimately decide the length of Taylor's sentence. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 27.

Taylor was charged in April with felony child neglect and a misdemeanour count of recklessly storing of a firearm.

The January shooting shocked the nation and roiled this shipbuilding city near the Chesapeake Bay. The case against Taylor is one of three legal efforts seeking accountability, including the teacher's USD 40 million lawsuit that accuses the school system of gross negligence for failing to respond aggressively to multiple warnings that the child had a gun at school on the day of the shooting.

Police said the first grader intentionally shot teacher Abby Zwerner as she sat at a reading table during a lesson. Zwerner, who was hit in the hand and chest, spent nearly two weeks in the hospital and has endured multiple surgeries.

Moments after the shooting, according to search warrants filed in the case, the child told a reading specialist who restrained him: I shot that (expletive) dead, and I got my mom's gun last night.

Police said the student brought the gun to school in his backpack, but it had been unclear exactly how the 6-year-old got the gun.

During Taylor's plea hearing Tuesday, prosecutor Joshua Jenkins said the boy told authorities he got the gun by climbing onto a drawer to reach the top of a dresser, where the gun was stored in his mother's purse. Those details were contained in a stipulation of facts," a list of facts that both sides agree are true.

When police arrived at the school that day, they entered the classroom and saw the boy being restrained by the reading specialist, according to the stipulation of facts document read aloud by the prosecutor.

The boy used a profanity and said "I shot my teacher," before breaking free and punching the reading specialist in the face, the document states.

The gun was on the floor nearby. My mom had that. ....I stole it because I needed to shoot my teacher," the boy said, according to the document.

The document said the boy had been diagnosed with a defiance disorder. He had previously taken his mother's car keys from her purse, which prompted her to put her keys in a lock box. But she continued to keep her gun in her purse, the document states.

Taylor told police she believed the gun was in her purse, secured with a trigger lock, according to search warrants. She said she kept the gunlock key under her bedroom mattress. But agents with Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said they never found a trigger lock after conducting searches, according to federal court documents. The stipulation of facts also said there was no gun safe or trigger lock found during searches by authorities.

Taylor did not speak during the plea hearing except to answer questions from the judge about whether she understood the proceeding. She spoke softly and was asked by the judge to raise her voice.

In June, Taylor pleaded guilty in a separate but related federal case to using marijuana while possessing a firearm, which is illegal under U.S. law.

Taylor's attorney, James Ellenson, said in April that there were mitigating circumstances, including her miscarriages and postpartum depression before the shooting. Ellenson said Tuesday he will address depression and anxiety issues at Taylor's sentencing hearing.

Taylor told ABC's Good Morning America in May that she feels responsible and apologised to Zwerner.

That is my son, so I am, as a parent, obviously willing to take responsibility for him because he can't take responsibility for himself, Taylor said.

Her son has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and was under a care plan that included a family member accompanying him to class every day, Ellenson said.

The week of the shooting was the first when a parent was not in class with him. The change was made because the boy had started medication and was meeting his goals academically, Taylor said.

I just truly would like to apologise, Taylor said on the show.

Virginia's law on felony child neglect says any parent, guardian or other person responsible for the care of a child whose willful act or omission in the care of such child was so gross, wanton, and culpable as to show a reckless disregard for human life is guilty of a Class 6 felony.

Ellenson said in court Tuesday that the boy is now in the care of his great-grandfather.
A new school building of Bishnudevi Secondary School built under the assistance of the Government of India was inaugurated and handed over on the occasion of Independence Day of India on Tuesday. Built under the Government of Indias grant assistance in Education Sector Reconstruction, the school is located at Chandragiri on the outskirts of capital Kathmandu.

The school building has been reconstructed at the cost of NRs. 69 million as per earthquake-resilient reconstruction norms of the Government of Nepal. The newly handed over infrastructure includes two blocks having 13 classrooms, administrative rooms, a library, a multipurpose hall, and practical and labs.

Built under the Government of Indias grant assistance in Education Sector Reconstruction, the school located at Chandragiri on the outskirts of capital Kathmandu was jointly inaugurated by Karun Bansal, First Secretary, Embassy of India, Kathmandu and Ghanshyam Luitel, Ward Chairperson, Chandragiri Municipality.

Along with, Indra Bahadur Subedi, the Chairperson of the School Management Committee and Dilliram Luitel, Project Director at the Central Level Project Implementation Unit (CLPIU), Ministry of Education, Science & Technology. Representatives from Chandragiri Municipality, various Ministries and departments of the Government of Nepal, and Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) Roorkee also graced the event.

This school is part of 71 educational institutions being built across eight districts of Nepal under the Government of Indias post-earthquake reconstruction grant of US $ 50 million. Out of these 71 educational facilities, construction of 65 schools have been completed and the remaining 6 are about to complete shortly, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu stated in a release.

The new seismic-resistant infrastructure has children, gender and disable friendly features which will benefit more than 500 students and provide a conducive teaching-learning environment.

These projects are a reflection of Indias development partnership with Nepal and complement the efforts of the Government of Nepal in augmenting infrastructure in the field of education, the release from the Indian Embassy stated further.
Security was intensified outside the Indian Embassy here on Tuesday in view of the protests by pro-Khalistan groups on the occasion of Indias Independence Day. Security increased outside the Indian Embassy as Khalistanis plan a protest outside the Indian Mission in Washington DC on Tuesday.(ANI)

Pro-Khalistan groups have planned to stage protests outside the Indian Embassy in Washington DC where a function was held on the occasion of Indias 77th Independence Day.

A small group of separatist Sikhs gathered at the Indian Embassy Tuesday morning, but they were outnumbered by the presence of a large number of security personnel including those from the US Park Police, US Secret Service and Washington DC Police.

The Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit, Singh Sandhu, hoisted the national flag at India House, his official residence. A large number of Indian Americans attended the ceremony.

A group of pro-Khalistani protesters on March 19 attacked and damaged the Indian Consulate in San Francisco, prompting sharp condemnation from Indian Americans who demanded immediate action against those responsible for it.

In the same month, a group of Khalistan supporters held a protest in front of the Indian Embassy here and tried to incite violence and even threatened the countrys envoy, but timely intervention by law enforcement agencies prevented them from vandalising the property.

Khalistani activists again attempted to burn down the Indian consulate in San Francisco on July 2.

India has said that in the name of freedom of expression, space should not be given to those advocating violence or legitimising terrorism.

The safety of the diplomats and security of the Indian missions are of utmost priority to the government and New Delhi has taken it up with the countries concerned, Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said last month.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday voiced concern over a fatal fire at a fuel station in the southern region of Dagestan that left more than two dozen dead. Rescuers pushing out a fire at a gas station in the city of Makhachkala,(AFP)

"President Putin expresses his most sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims of the tragedy in Dagestan and wishes a speedy recovery to the victims," the Russian leader said, according to a statement from the Kremlin.
An entirely new expression of the White Island's culture and energy opens today as Mondrian Ibiza launches an 8-week preview in Cala Llonga. The global hotel brand is welcoming guests for this brief period ahead of its highly-anticipated 2024 opening. Mondrian's introduction to Spain is innately linked to its brand DNA, which is rooted in art, design and culture. Ibiza is known as a bastion for all three, making the island an ideal location for this new 154-room destination.

The stepped white facade of Mondrian Ibiza is a striking addition to Cala Llonga - widely considered the best natural harbor on the east coast and one of its most idyllic locations, with more than 200 meters of beach. Spanish design studios Beades Architects and Cuarto Interior embraced organic forms in this presentation of Mondrian's signature "modern cultural fairytale." The entrance is immersive - its walls seemingly carved from nature itself, with nooks for modern seating and art. An intimate reception area draws guests in through vivid blue walls and flooring and a reflective gold desk that sit in vibrant contrast the soft, neutral-hued walls. In close proximity to the entrance, Sun & Moon becomes the go-to gathering spot - a day-to-night lounge boasting ample plush seating, artful interiors, and walls of windows that look out onto the shimmering coast.

The light and airy sensibility carries into the spacious guest rooms, each a serene interpretation of the local landscape. Woven headboards and chairs, sculptural lighting, and clean-lined furnishings create an inspired retreat. And many rooms are accented with balconies offering front row seating to a spectacular show of nature. Three onsite pools provide equally captivating views, with generous space to gather, play and bask.

Artwork will be an integral part of the guest experience, as it is in every Mondrian hotel around the world. Gone Rogue - an art curation and consultant collective -thoughtfully selected a collection that draws inspiration from and reflects Ibiza's natural beauty. A piece by artist Lauren Baker entitled "Kissing of the Sun and the Moon" features diamond dust at its center to evoke the sparkle of sunlight across the water, while her white neon "Remnants of Stars" will be the source of light in a bar area, simulating the glow of stars in the night sky. "Ocean View" by Hannah Nijsten depicts just that via an array of blue square hues painted onto glass to elicit a sense of floating. Additionally, Gone Rogue will curate a rolling exhibition space in the lobby dedicated to exploring and showcasing the work of local artists.

Hotel website
HVS has announced the appointment of Sophie Perret as managing director of its London office. Sophie joined HVS Madrid in 2003 and relocated to London three years later. Since joining HVS, she has advised on hotel investment projects and related assignments throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East and is responsible for the development of HVS services across Europe.

Sophie completed her bachelor's degree in hotel management in Buenos Aires, then joined the opening team at the InterContinental Buenos Aires. She relocated to Paris, where she completed an MBA at IMHI (ESSEC Business School, France and Cornell University, USA), followed in 2014 by an MSc in real estate investment and finance at Reading University.

Sophie is a member and registered valuer of the RICS and, from 2014 to 2017, co-chaired the Hotel & Resort Council of the Urban Land Institute in Europe. She is a regular speaker at industry events and holds non-executive roles in the education and housing sectors.
SANTA MONICA, CA - Storyboard, the leading audio communication provider for frontline teams, announced that it will provide real-time AI-powered transcriptions and translations for over 50 languages in Chat by Storyboard. The average company loses $62.4 million each year due to miscommunications. And language barriers directly impact employees ability to collaborate, lower productivity, compromise workplace safety, and lower employee retention. Companies need to create an inclusive environment for immigrants and non-English speakers where there is fair and equal language access to all communications to overcome these challenges.

Most frontline companies have a diverse workforce that includes immigrants and they already spend millions on hiring paid professionals or paying for costly outsourced translation services to reach their employees who communicate in different languages or dialects. However, despite these best efforts, a language barrier in the communications between the frontline manager and their employees continues to impact the bottom line.

Supported by the latest developments in generative AI, customers can now translate any voice message or uploaded files transcript in real time, with no added cost. Chat by Storyboards transcription services support 57 languages and allow users to toggle between translations to 8 different languages or dialects including English, Espanol (Spain), Espanol (Mexico), Portuguese (Brazil), French (France), French (Canadian), Filipino, and Chinese (Traditional).

With Chat by Storyboard, frontline managers can communicate in multiple languages or dialects instantly improving accessibility for all employees. Now, you can provide clear direction around the actions required on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis: standard operating procedures, safety protocols, or HR policies.

Many companies have multilingual workforces and spend up to 2.5% of their annual revenue each year on translation. The high cost of translation means that companies can only prioritize corporate and executive communications, the tip of the iceberg. The long tail of day-to-day workflow communications between managers and employees are routinely excluded. Storyboard founder JP Gooderham

Since launching in 2019, Storyboard observed a lack of communication solutions for frontline teams to improve daily operations and modernize workflows.

Chat by Storyboard aims to be the critical connective tissue between frontline managers and employees where language barriers exist. We provide industry-leading translation services powered by AI language models that improve belonging and productivity of employees in many industries, from construction to hospitality to logistics, explains Gooderham.

The Chat by Storyboard app is available on iOS, Android, and web. New users can immediately create a team to share trainings, HR policies, shift start briefings, end-of-day notes, tasks, and process updates with their colleagues.

1. https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/behavioral-competencies/communication/pages/the-cost-of-poor-communications.aspx#:~:text=David%20Grossman%20reported%20in%20%E2%80%9CThe,communication%20to%20and%20between%20employees

2. https://images.forbes.com/forbesinsights/StudyPDFs/Rosetta_Stone_Report.pdf

About Storyboard

Storyboard Technology, Inc. is a software company based in Santa Monica, CA. Our solutions improve frontline operations, enable secure corporate communication, and support training opportunities for more than 5,000 organizations with limited access to traditional text, video, or in-person communications. More information can be found at Storyboard.com.
This month marks the 100th year since the first exhibition of the Bauhaus school of art and design was held in Weimar, Germany. On August 15th, 1923, the groundbreaking design exhibition effectively catapulted modern architecture, as we know it today, into the wider world.

A century later, the movements pure and rigorous geometric forms continue to inspire architects and designers from Boston to Berlin. To mark the historic milestone in architectural history, weve rounded up 10 Bauhaus-inspired homes that are bookable on Airbnb.

Bauhaus Retreat with Pool, Boston, MA, US

Source: Airbnb

This villa designed by Walter Gropius is an original gem for Bauhaus lovers. Here you can soak up the essence of this movements clean lines philosophy and enjoy the surrounding 1200-acre nature reserve.

The Seidler House, Joadja, New South Wales, Australia

Source: Airbnb

Located in the Southern Highlands, this striking residential masterpiece is the work of Harry Seidler, one of the first architects to express Bauhaus principles in Australia.

Source: Airbnb

This Bauhaus-style jewel overlooks a lake with a private dock and is located just an hour from Montreal.

Architectural Pearl, Poznan, Poland

Source: Airbnb

Surrounded by a nature reserve close to Poznan, the clean lines and minimalist approach are the perfect expression of the formal purity and functionalism of Bauhaus.

Source: Airbnb

Designed by Donald Cromley, an apprentice of the Bauhaus architect Marcel Breuer, this mid-century house is a haven of peace and serene mid century modernism.

Source: Airbnb

Located in a central but serene area, this traditional Budapest apartment has been decorated with fixtures and fittings inspired by the 1920s and the modernist style of the Bauhaus school.

The Philip Johnson Wolfhouse, Newburgh, NY, US

Source: Airbnb

Designed by architect Philip Johnson and with sweeping views of the Hudson River, this is the perfect retreat for lovers of mid-20th-century architecture and the outdoors.

Refurbished 1930s Apartment, Budapest, Hungary

Source: Airbnb

Located in a Bauhaus building complex in the heart of Budapest, this recently refurbished 1930s apartment has been decorated with an eclectic mix of mid century furnishings.

Seelodge on the River Havel, Berlin Germany

Source: Airbnb

Located in the forested outskirts of Berlin on the banks of the River Havel, this modern houseboat is a striking example of how the spirit of Bauhaus lives on today.

Source: Airbnb

This classic mid-century home is situated in a protected residential neighbourhood full of buildings designed by modernist architect Walter Pierce of MIT, who took his inspiration from the Bauhaus movement.

For those looking to discover even more designer stays, the Design Category on Airbnb includes just under 30,000* of the worlds best design spaces that will immerse guests in outstanding architecture, affordable luxury and aesthetically inspiring interiors.

*As of March, 2023

About the Bauhaus movement

Bauhaus is an influential art and design movement that began in 1919 in Germany. The movement championed a geometric, abstract style featuring little or no historical nods  nothing like it had ever been seen before. 100 years ago in the town of Weimar in the summer of 1923, Bauhaus presented itself to the broader public with its very first exhibition. Its aesthetic continues to influence architects, designers and artists today.

About Airbnb

Airbnb was born in 2007 when two Hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 4 million Hosts who have welcomed more than 1 billion guest arrivals across over 220 countries and regions. Travel on Airbnb keeps more of the financial benefits of tourism with the people and places that make it happen. Airbnb has generated billions of dollars in earnings for Hosts, most of whom are individuals listing the homes in which they live. Among Hosts who report their gender, more than half are women, and one in five employed Hosts are either teachers or healthcare workers. Travel on Airbnb also has generated more than $4 billion in tax revenue around the world. Airbnb has helped advance more than 1,000 regulatory frameworks for short-term rentals, including in 80% of our top 200 geographies. In late 2020, to support our continued expansion and diversification, we launched the City Portal to provide governments with a one-stop shop that supports data sharing and compliance with local registration rules. We continue to invest in innovations and tools to support our ongoing work with governments around the world to advance travel that best serves communities.

About Airbnb.org

Airbnb.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to facilitating temporary stays for people in times of crisis around the world. Airbnb.org operates independently and leverages Airbnb, Inc."s technology, services, and other resources at no charge to carry out Airbnb.org"s charitable purpose. The inspiration for Airbnb.org began in 2012 with a single host named Shell who opened up her home to people impacted by Hurricane Sandy. This sparked a movement and marked the beginning of a program that allows Hosts on Airbnb to provide stays for people in times of need. Since then, the program has evolved to focus on emergency response and to help provide stays to evacuees, relief workers, refugees, asylum seekers, and frontline workers fighting the spread of COVID-19. Since then, Hosts have offered to open up their homes and helped provide accommodations to 100,000 people in times of need. Airbnb.org is a separate and independent entity from Airbnb, Inc. Airbnb, Inc. does not charge service fees for Airbnb.org supported stays on its platform.

Airbnb Press

Airbnb Press Office

Airbnb

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Business travel expectations are normalizing. In line with other travel indicators softening and consistent with prior quarters, eight in 10 business travelers expect to travel to attend conferences, conventions or trade shows in the next six months.

While still trailing group travel demand, travel intentions for transient business travel to visit customers, suppliers or other stakeholders experienced a slight uptick from 74% in Q1 to 78% in Q2.

Smaller sized companies and remote workers are driving more business travel demand than larger companies or business travelers working fully onsite.

In the short term, business travel spending expectations are also improving.

An increasing share of corporate executives expect the same or more business spending over the next six months. Nearly four in 10 corporate executives expect business travel spending to be on par or greater than last year for all typesup from less than three in 10 in Q1.

Barriers to business travel: While cost constraints remain the top barrier to business travel, travel hassles are having an increasingly negative impact while cost concerns fall.

By the numbers: Nearly six in 10 (57%) corporate executives cited cost controls as a barrier restricting upcoming business travel, down from 71% in Q1. Additionally, corporate policies controlling costs and restricting business travel are on the decline.

Business travelers employed by larger companies are more likely to cite cost constraints as a barrier to attend events than travelers employed by smaller companies.

Down from 36% in Q1, one-quarter of business travelers cited cost or budget constraints as their top barrier to business travel.

While cost constraints are on the decline, other barriers including travel hassles remain.

One-quarter of business travelers reported avoiding or cancelling business trips in the past year for a reason other than cost.

The overall time it took to travel is the most cited reason (36%) for avoiding business trips by air, followed by the possibility of flight delay and cancelation (24%)similar to Q1.

Business travel continues to be viewed as essential.

Consistent with prior quarters, nearly eight in 10 executives (79%) agree that business travel is essential to company operations.

Still, nearly half of companies have policies in place restricting business travel (47%).

Similar to Q1, the top policy in place remains stricter evaluation of why and who travels for business.

In addition to stricter evaluation, the effectiveness of each business trip is a deciding factor when authorizing or committing to business travel.

The ability to meet with multiple clients and customers whether when visiting customers, suppliers or other stakeholders or attending an event such as a conference or trade show is the top motivating factor to authorize business travel or to commit to a business trip.

What else: The ability to meet with multiple clients at once as well as introducing a new product/service are of higher importance to larger companies than smaller companies.

Critical client relationships and closing deals are more important factors to smaller firms when authorizing trips.

Hybrid work arrangements are increasingly common. A growing share of corporate executives (53%) are reporting the majority of employees in their companies have hybrid work arrangements compared to 39% in 2022 Q2, as fewer employees are working fully at home or in the office.

As a result of flexible work arrangements, blended travel creates new opportunities.

Consistent with Q1, in the past six months, half of business travelers working remotely extended a business trip for leisure and 26% traveled to work remotely from a different location. A supportive company culture/policy is the key factor for business travelers to work remotely in a new destination while partially covered costs and exploring a new destination are the top factors to extend a business trip for leisure.

Corporate executives were more likely to be supportive of flexible work arrangements for employees to work from alternative destinations (77%) than to extend a business trip for leisure purposes (51%).

Whats ahead: Business travel conditions remained largely resilient in the first half of 2023 and demand is expected to continue to grow into Q3. Yet, rising economic headwinds will likely result in more challenging conditions and slowing business activity towards the end of the year.

Greg Staley

U.S. Travel Association

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Movenpick Diyarbakr Hotel

Accor has signed an agreement with Kaya Group to introduce the first Movenpick property to the eastern Turkish province Diyarbakr. Set to open on August 14, 2023, Movenpick Diyarbakr, the city's newest 5-star hotel, offers world-renowned hospitality and upscale accommodation combined with elevated experiences and facilities suited for both business and leisure travels.

Nestled in the heart of the city, Movenpick Diyarbakr, will feature 153 spacious rooms and suites designed to offer modern comfort. Providing an unparalleled sense of relaxation, all suites have jacuzzis to ensure an indulgent stay after a day of exploring the city or conducting business in the area. Easily accessible for travellers, Diyarbakr Airport is just a 5-min drive, 10-min drive from Diyarbakr Organized Industrial Zone and within walking distance to the key business centers.

On the signing, Paul Stevens, Chief Operating Officer, Premium, Midscale & Economy Division, Middle East, Africa & Turkiye at Accor said: "We are delighted to expand our presence in Turkiye with the signing of Movenpick Diyarbakr in this dynamic destination, where we will continue to offer travellers heart-warming moments and relaxed hotel experiences. The hotel's location offers guests a great destination for business or leisure purposes and is perfectly suited for exploring the rich heritage of Diyarbakir."

Speaking on their partnership with Accor, Seyhmus Kaya, Kaya Group Chairman of the Board of Directors, said: "As Kaya Group, we always care about making investments that will add value to our country. With Movenpick Diyarbakr, in partnership with a reputable global brand in the hospitality industry such as Accor, we aim to bring the highest service quality that will make a difference in Diyarbakr, one of the most important and liveliest cities in Turkiye. Diyarbakr has great potential in terms of not only trade but also tourism. We believe that our investment in Diyarbakr will significantly impact increasing the allure of both Diyarbakr and Turkiye".

Sercan Altun, Hotel Manager Movenpick Diyarbakr added: "It is very meaningful for our city that an international hotel chain that is rooted in Swiss hospitality will open its doors in Diyarbakr. Aside from the excitement of bringing such a global brand to Diyarbakr, we are also excited that we will have the opportunity to raise the tourism bar of our city even higher with the superior service quality we will provide to our guests and enable business opportunities to arise".

The hotel will offer an outdoor swimming pool, a fitness center, and a spa. Its convenient location in the heart of the ancient lands, invites guests to exercise while enjoying the stunning views and discovering all the city has to offer. Guests are also set to be immersed in the vibrancy of Movenpick's main restaurant, offerings international and renowned Movenpick flavours complemented by local and traditional delicacies.

Flooded with natural daylight, the hotel boasts five spacious modern meeting and event spaces ideal for corporate meetings or company gatherings, while the impressive 660 m2 ballroom is designed to host weddings and special occasions with a capacity of up to 1200 guests.
Hyde Ibiza Now Open for Limited Summer Preview

The bohemian hotel is now open for a limited 8-week preview season, to be followed by an official opening for Spring 2024

Hyde Ibiza, the first European hotel from the bohemian lifestyle brand, is now open for a special 8-week preview season ahead of the hotel's official opening in spring 2024.

Located in Cala Llonga, one of the most idyllic corners of the White Island, Hyde Ibiza features terraces in every room, along with multiple pools and culinary hotspots, as well as direct beach access to one of Ibiza's most Instagrammable hidden coves across a breathtaking mountain backdrop. Hyde offers guests a new way to indulge that redefines the concept of hospitality, reflecting the energy and vitality of the island.

Guests are invited to experience a sneak peek of this bohemian getaway with a limited preview offer including:

Up to 25% off room reservations

50  daily restaurant and bar credit

Complimentary daily breakfast per person

Spaces to disconnect and reconnect

Trends, music, art, and design make up the universe of Hyde Ibiza, for which Cuarto Interior has developed an original, inviting space without losing the Mediterranean essence of the island. Interiors feature organic materials, natural tones and textures, and hand-crafted ceramics typical of Mediterranean design.

Art features prominently in public spaces across Hyde Ibiza with works by international artists custom-made for the hotel, such as the large hand-painted mural that dresses the facade and a collection of handcrafted pieces that fill the walls with color, including creations by Spanish artist Fran Aniorte or the Earth Totems fiber art by British artist Lauren Baker.

Following the Ibizan essence of connecting people to each other and to the environment, Hyde Ibiza's common rooms are designed to foster social connections, with indoor and outdoor spaces merging. Featured design elements include an infinity sofa in the lobby, handmade tiles with Balearic-inspired geometric motifs and retro furniture that encourages lingering and striking up a conversation before finding a new adventure. Hyde offers a place where time does not exist and guests are encouraged to discover interesting pop-ups, wellness and music, reinforcing the idea that anything can happen.

Terraces in every room for enjoyment and relaxation

Hyde Ibiza offers rooms with spectacular views to please the tastes of all guests: those who want to wake up to the sound of the Mediterranean Sea every morning, those who prefer the majesty of the mountains, and those nature lovers that look for the tranquility of the forest. The hotel will have two twelve-story buildings with a total of 401 rooms by the 2024 season. In homage to the island's architecture, Spanish studios Beades and Cuarto Interior have created a design with a relaxed approach that incorporates custom millwork and artisanal touches through textures such as solid wood, fabrics, leather, and ceramic details, which convey the natural and enveloping character of the island.

Warm colors and natural materials provide the perfect backdrop for guests to recharge their batteries or spend time with friends as they prepare for a night out. Suites, meanwhile, will feature high-quality materials and panoramic views of the picturesque bay of Cala Llonga with options such as VIP, All Access, and Headliner, which offer two bedrooms with king-size beds, living rooms and two terraces overlooking the Mediterranean.

Set to offer guests an experience that combines leisure, relaxation and gastronomy, Hyde Ibiza will feature five culinary offerings including a Balearic-style restaurant; a lounge-style pool bar; a day club, cocktails and DJ sessions; a beach club and a speakeasy-style beach bar with exclusive cocktails and musical gatherings, the latter two available from 2024.

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At Cuyo, the best Mexican cuisine is prepared with local produce, sustainable seafood, and organic ingredients. Tacos, tostadas, grilled meats, and fish or ceviches fresh from the sea will be the focus of its menu. To accompany, mezcal or tequila-based cocktails made with seasonal fruit and natural and biodynamic wines combined with other bottles from emblematic vineyards.

Bungalow, a relaxed pool bar with a boho chic ambiance

Healthy small bites and classic sharing plates will take center stage at this poolside bar with sun lounger service and bohemian ambiance. Menu highlights include their exotic fruit salad, an irresistible veggie burger or a select sushi and sashimi offering.

Hyde Beach Ibiza, the club that Ibiza has been waiting for has arrived

This pool club will be a place to see and be seen with day parties, performances, and festival atmosphere. It will be the perfect place to spend the day with friends, share their giant cocktails and snack together.

Sun & Moon, where the day or the night begins

In the Mondrian's lobby area, it will offer the perfect experience for those who don't want to get up early with a late breakfast overlooking the sea. Sun & Moon will also be an ideal meeting point for a drink before the night begins on the White Island thanks to its wide range of national and international wines and cocktails.

Perq, the place to sweeten your day

The smell of puff pastry and freshly brewed coffee will attract the early risers of the island. In its display cases, homemade pastries and a good assortment of snacks and sandwiches will be available to be enjoyed in the cozy locale or as a snack while exploring the island. With a very urban design, Perq will be the meeting point for both hotel guests and local visitors for its delicious coffees, natural juices, and smoothies.

Niko, the most awaited opening of 2024

In the upcoming 2024 season, Niko will open its doors. A modern Japanese restaurant defined by premium ingredients, exceptional presentation, and a sophisticated ambiance where guests will be able to enjoy the daily spectacle of its central bar while exquisite sushi is prepared. The menu will be adapted according to the season, with zero-kilometer products accompanied by a selection of organic wines and sakes.

Along with Hyde Ibiza, Mondrian Ibiza is also now open for a preview season.
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Published: 15 Aug 2023 Share:





Psychology Programmes at HWUM are now Fully Accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS)

The undergraduate psychology programmes at Heriot-Watt University Malaysia (HWUM) are now fully accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS).

Programmes accredited by the BPS have met rigorous criteria, providing an important indicator of quality that is recognised by employers in the field. Graduates of BPS accredited undergraduate programmes are eligible for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership of the society. This is a requirement for students who are looking to progress to become a Chartered Psychologist after graduation.

Heriot-Watt is truly a global university, so it is fitting for our Psychology programmes in Malaysia to be accredited by a world-leading organisation. The BPS maintains very strict standards for accreditation, which are rightly considered by many to be the gold standard for psychological education, not just in the UK, but internationally. This outcome is a testament to the quality of our programmes and their delivery, and will directly enhance the employment prospects of our students Professor Glenn Hitchman, Head of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, HWUM

The BPS accredited undergraduate programmes being offered at HWUM are the BSc (Hons) Psychology and the BSc (Hons) Psychology with Management, both of which equip students with an understanding of human behaviour and the skills to apply their knowledge to promote an inclusive and productive society. Our programmes cover the core domains of psychology, namely biological psychology, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, social psychology, individual differences, conceptual and historical issues in psychology, and research methods. Teaching and assessment emphasise the application of these core domains to real world issues, and enhance transferable employability skills such as numerical and computer literacy, communication and teamwork.

These programmes are offered during our January intake, in addition to our usual September intake.

Click here to know more on our psychology programmes at HWUM or contact any of our Education Consultants to answer your enquiries.

Apply now for our September 2023 intake!
Can Taylor Swift and Beyonce save the economy? What the data says about music tourism

Tatiana Cirisano of MIDiA Research looks at how concerts by big-name artists like Taylor Swift and Beyonce boost tourism and stimulate local economies.

Be sure to join Tatiana, her MIDIA colleague Kriss Thakar and host Fabrice Sergent of Bandsintown for the free webinar Understanding The Future Of Live Music this Wednesday, August 15th. Learn more here.

by Tatiana Cirisano of MIDiA

Taylor Swift and Beyonce have more accolades than most artists in history. Now they can add saving the economy to the list  well, sort of. Governing bodies in cities from Chicago to Philadelphia to Stockholm have credited the duos respective concerts for boosting local tourism (and temporarily inflating prices). This comes after UK Musics recent report, Here, There and Everywhere, that shared recommendations for developing music tourism in the UK and beyond.

As live music returns amid a challenging economic climate, more cities might look towards music tourism to stimulate local economies. And, according to MIDiAs recent report in partnership with Bandsintown, Return to live | Post-pandemic music fans, many concertgoers are willing to travel for shows.

Four in ten concertgoers would fly to see their favourite artist

Fans are willing to travel near and far to see their favourite artists perform. 44% of concertgoers chose an easily accessible location among the top three factors that motivated them to buy concert tickets in 2022  meaning that for the majority, location is not a key factor. By far the most important factor is fandom, with 88% choosing it was my favourite artist  I could not miss it. Moreover, 41% agree that they would fly to another place to see their favourite artist perform if they could not see them locally. The takeaway: so long as artists and their teams focus on cultivating deep fandom, they can worry less about convincing fans to travel for shows.

For artists, this means they may be able to stop in fewer places  which is part of the reason Las Vegas residencies have become an increasingly popular choice not just for legacy artists, but contemporary ones like Katy Perry. Meanwhile, cities benefit from out-of-towners spending money on local hotels, transportation, restaurants, bars, and stores. Concerts can inspire a halo effect on businesses that lean into the fandom: According to Wall Street Journal, Nashville establishments rushed out everything from donuts with Swifts face on them to a museum exhibit of Swift costumes to coincide with her tour date there.

FEATURED REPORTMIDiA Research 2020-2027 Global Music ForecastsVolume Trumps Value as Emerging Markets Dominate Growth

This report presents the key figures, trends and drivers of MIDiAs music forecast model. The figures presented in this report are retail values and in billions of US dollars unless otherwise stated.Find out more

These fans cannot be taken for granted

Given that superstar tours continue to sell out, some might be tempted to ignore fans complaints about rising prices and other ticketing frustrations. However, this would be a grave mistake. Our report found that the concertgoers who typically attend superstar shows at larger venues  the key audiences for artists like Swift and Beyonce  are the most likely to be frustrated by rising ticket prices, added fees, and frustrations with the ticketing process (e.g., long virtual lines, website crashes, etc.). This makes sense intuitively, since these are the concertgoers most likely to be affected by those frustrations in the first place. But, the prevailing strategy to raise prices because you can will backfire.

Those who can afford to travel for gigs are likely those who can absorb price hikes for the longest, but certainly not indefinitely  and the backlash is abrupt when they feel taken advantage of. Just look at the reaction from the Beyhive when Beyonce recently began offering listening-only tickets for seats behind the stage. Moreover, perhaps the bigger looming threat is leaving a bad impression with first-time concert attendees, who could be so put off by the experience that they avoid live shows in the future. As MIDiA has suggested before, fandom must be cultivated, not harvested, and the future of live music depends on it.

Start small

When fans travel to a city for a show, the economic benefit is temporary  it may last just a few days. Fans are also only willing to travel for their favourite acts, meaning the music tourism market mainly relies on a handful of stars and their album-tour cycles. By extension, it mainly serves higher-income segments who can afford to travel  a Swift concert abroad is more likely to compete with someones weekend trip to Barcelona than a local concert in their area. So, if concert costs continue to rise and fans increasingly must travel to see their favourite artists, this will likely become a benefit to the most affluent segments.

Where does this leave us in terms of fandom building for the majority  and nurturing the next generation of stars and their fanbases? Many of todays biggest artists got their start playing grassroots local venues  Swift herself was discovered singing at Nashvilles Bluebird Cafe. City governments looking to boost music tourism should approach this strategy from the ground-up, ensuring that smaller venues can succeed. (Of course, this is an all-hands-on-deck situation for the music industry as it also means ensuring that smaller artists can actually afford to tour.) One area for further exploration is music festivals that occur across a citys venues, rather than on festival grounds. For example, the annual Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee offers roughly 200 performances across local music venues, churches, refurbished warehouse spaces, museums, and galleries.

It is positive to see rising interest in government support for live music, especially at a time where many artists are struggling to make touring economics work. But music tourism strategy is a long-game, dependent on cultivating the next generation of artists and ensuring that fans feel nurtured, not harvested.

MIDiAs new report, Return to live | Post-pandemic music fans, is available for clients here. If you are not yet a MIDiA client and would like to find out how to access this report, please email stephen@midiaresearch.com.

Be sure to join Tatiana, her MIDIA colleague Kriss Thakar and host Fabrice Sergent of Bandsintown for the free webinar Understanding The Future Of Live Music this Wednesday, August 15th. Learn more here.

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Pitchfork reveals how Hidden Funding from StubHub harms Artists & Fans

Chris Castle looks at ticket scalping, speculative tickets, and how major ticket resellers secretly fund efforts to protect their own interests and undermine efforts that would protect fans and artists.

by CHRIS CASTLE from Music Tech Policy

Ever feel like these tech companies need to go get a real job and stop disrupting people who had a good life before the gift of Silicon Valley came along? Its absolutely true of ticketing a business that used to be largely controlled by the people who do the work if for no other reason than you could always sell the tickets yourself. We are starting to see states wake up to this and push back against Silicon Valley. Georgia did this year and Texas just passed an important bill. Colorado did, too, but how StubHub killed that effort is a teachable moment.

The Colorado legislature did yeomans work to craft legislation (SB 60) to deal with some of the worst practices in the ticketing business. That legislation passed the Colorado legislature with substantial majorities and was sent to Governor Jared Polis for signature. (Great reporting on this fiasco by Hannah Metzger at Colorado Politics.)

Governor Polis vetoed the bill but he did it in a special wayhe vetoed it a month after the regular session for the legislature had ended. Therefore, notwithstanding the 2/3 majority that voted for SB 60which was enough to override the Polis vetothe bill dies on a technicality.

So why did Governor Polis veto the bill? Why on the advice of venerable consumer advocates of course. Indisputable authority, right? We dont have to guess about this because Governor Polis tells us so in his veto letter explaining what he wants you to know about his veto:

Throughout my administration, consumer protection and the right to a fair, competitive marketplace have been paramount. I am concerned that consumer advocacy groups such as the National Consumers League and Consumer Federation of America have asked for a veto of this legislation because of its potential to discourage competition in the sector, ultimately harming consumers.

So what about the National Consumers League and the Consumer Federation of America?

Marc Hogan, writing in Pitchfork, has discovered some connections between those two august organizations which, as you know, are hipper than thou. In his investigative post A Guide to Fan Organizations Funded by the Ticketing Industry, Marc discovered that both these groups who provided cover for the Polis veto arewait for itfunded by the tech companies that dominate the online ticket reselling business.

Marc tells us that the National Consumers League is funded by StubHub and Vivid Seats and Consumer Federation of America is funded by Protect Ticket Rights and Fan Freedom. Protect Ticket Rights in turn is funded by the National Association of Ticket Brokers and Fan Freedom is funded by StubHub as Marc reports. So you can see that this is just another day at the lobbyist buffet which would be cynically funny if it werent for the fact that the plan workedthey stopped good legislation by giving cover to a governor to veto that bill. And thats a real thing that really happened.

Not only does Governor Polis veto the entire bill, but he also revealed the new tactic regarding speculative ticketing of these Big Tech ticket resellers like StubHub. Speculative ticketing isnt fraud, its not securities law violations, its not just downright shady, oh no. According to Governor Polis, speculative ticketingillegal in some states alreadyis an innovative product because its a online ticket waiting service.

Its not a crime  its a whole new thing.

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Williamstown officially took possession of the 2.4-mile path from Syndicate Road to Spruces Park in July.

Williamstown Names Bicycle/Pedestrian Path

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  The multimodal path from Syndicate Road to the Spruces Park finally has a name.

The Select Board on Monday voted 5-0 to dub the 2.4-mile trail the Mohican Recreational Path, to "recognize and and honor the indigenous people who first settled this area."

"We're anxious to get this done so we can move on to the next steps of doing the public opening piece," Town Manager Robert Menicocci told the board.

Menicocci added that naming the path will help the town build a public awareness campaign around the expected behavior on the trail, including the use of leashes for dogs.

The name itself is a long-discussed replacement for the "Mohawk Trail" name that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation attached to the project during construction. Once construction was complete and the path was deeded to the town this year, Menicocci asked the board and, by extension, the community at large, for help in finding a name.

Ultimately, that conversation included a discussion with representatives from the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians.

The board Monday briefly considered whether it should allow for one more round of community response to the suggested name before holding a vote.

"I actually love the name," Select Board Chair Jeffrey Johnson said. "I love that it came from consultation with the Stockbridge-Munsee tribal council. I'm OK with it, but I also want to hear from others."

After member Stephanie Boyd pointed out that a version of the name that incorporated the Mohican people was included in coverage of the board's July meeting, Randal Fippinger moved to hold the final vote on Monday. It passed without further discussion.

Most of the discussion on Monday concerned the question of whether the town should implement the residential tax exemption for property taxes.

Boyd, who said she has been thinking about the RTE for a year, gave her second detailed presentation to her colleagues, attempting to answer the questions they raised on July 24

The discussion, which consumed about 75 minutes of a 2 hour, 15 minute meeting, included objections from two former Select Board members and pushback from two current members.

The board will face a decision point on the RTE at its annual tax classification hearing, scheduled for Sept. 11. But Boyd on Monday indicated she would be happy to see the board keep the idea under study for at least another year even if it makes no change to the current tax policy for fiscal 2024.

The decisions the board did make on Monday were far less contentious.

In addition to naming the pedestrian and bicycle path, the board voted 5-0 to allow a one-day alcohol permit for a wine tasting at Friday's grand opening for the Roam Gallery on Water Street, to allow Menicocci to attend the International City/County Management Association annual conference in Texas next month and to appoint Hugh Daley to one of two town seats on the board of the Hoosac Water Quality District.

Johnson noted that Williamstown has one other spot to fill on the joint board with North Adams and that he hoped a resident would step forward and apply in time to be appointed at the next Select Board meeting on Sept. 11.

Fippinger asked Daley to explain for the audience watching Monday's meeting on the town's community access television station, WilliNet, what such an appointment entails.

"It's an extremely well run [intermunicipal] organization that needs two representatives from each community to go through the budget and make sure things are going well  and communicate about it to various boards," Daley said. "It doesn't require you to know how to treat sewage. That is professionally done by the crews that run the facility."

Daley said the board meets monthly on the third Wednesday at 4 p.m.




iciHaiti - PNH : A killer of police officer and an accomplice mortally wounded





As part of the determination of the High Command of the National Police of Haiti (PNH) to restore order and security throughout the national territory, several operations have been launched to track down the bandits.



During one of these operations, Davidson Dagene and his accomplice Inozer Paul were fatally injured in exchanges of fire with the police.



The police specify that Davidson Dagene is the main perpetrator of the murder of Alabre Herold, on October 2nd, 2022, a police officer member of the Specialized Unit of the National Palace Guard (USGPN).



The Departmental Directorate of West 2 (DDO-2), through its entities UDMO and SDPJ, will resume its operations mainly in the area of Karade, Tabarre 43 (Tapaj); Tabarre 50 and 70.



IH/ iciHaiti


















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Anyone whos ever had access to an unfortunately placed mirror will know that sex rarely looks good. But you would think Hollywood might be able to make it appear so. Actors are hot. Editing means no awkward position reshuffles. Cinematographers make lighting soft and flattering.

But so often it feels as though the makers of MILF and Ive been a bad girl cheerleader porn provide a more nuanced presentation of sex than some of the most talented directors out there.

To prove the point, heres a list of truly awful cinema sex.

From cliched lines to overexaggerated cum faces, these sex scenes will make you want to leave the room, and not just because your parents are sat next to you on the sofa.

Read below to see the worst ever sex scenes in film...

Gigli

Name a more iconic movie line than Its turkey time! Gobble, gobble  well wait. They are the bonkers words uttered by Jennifer Lopezs Gigli character, a lesbian assassin who apparently finds herself unable to resist the masculine allure of wait for it Ben Affleck. The line is an invitation for oral sex and, well, youll have to watch the film to find out if he accepts. EH.

Howard the Duck

Cross-species coitus is, admittedly, a tricky concept to make sexy  something the traumatised viewers of Howard the Duck discovered when Lea Thompson canoodled with her so incredibly soft and cuddly feathered friend. EH.

Killing Me Softly

There are few things less titillating than Heather Graham and Joseph Fiennes getting tangled in a selection of silk ropes. All made more excruciating by Grahams whispered voiceover: I gave up all control, I loved it. Fifty Shades of Grey, eat your heart out. EH.

Bad Teacher

Justin Timberlake and Cameron Diaz in Bad Teacher (Mosaic Media Group/Kobal/Shutterstock)

Its tough to name the thing thats most wrong with the dry humping scene in Bad Teacher. Is it the grunting? The chafing of denim? Justin Timberlakes gyrating hips? Justin Timberlakes face on climax? Justin Timberlakes wet jeans? Please just make it stop. If not for Cameron Diaz then for all of us. EH.

Maps to the Stars

Julianne Moore literally asks Robert Pattinson: Do you want to f*** my holes? And, dear reader, it turns out that he does want to. He wants to very much. So they have very stressful-looking sex in a car on the side of a the road. And then somehow it gets even worse  she disembarks from the vehicle and wipes his semen off her leg with a scarf. EH.

Body of Evidence

One of the most infamous sex scenes of all time is Madonna and Willem Dafoes experimentation with hot wax in Body of Evidence. My way, murmurs the Queen of Pop, straddling Dafoe and pouring molten wax and champagne over his body, before proceeding to lick it up. Its not a Mary Berry recipe, we can tell you that much. EH.

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Showgirls

A lot of things arent really OK about Showgirls, but the filmmakers really outdid themselves with Elizabeth Berkley and Kyle MacLachlans special splish-splash in the pool. The combination of thrashing, bubbling water, fountain fondling and ecstatic yelping is the stuff of nightmares. EH.

Avatar

Avatar (20th Century Film)

A couple of towering blue humanoids having sex doesnt exactly scream erotica  and James Camerons attempts to mix it up further by having a strange dreadlock-interlocking display certainly didnt help. EH.

The Room

The Room is widely known as one of the worst films ever made  and its sex scene between Tommy Wiseau and Juliette Danielle is a big contributing factor. Why does he appear to be thrusting into her belly button? Why? EH.

Fifty Shades of Grey

Fifty Shades (Rex Features)

There are lots of shades of bad in the sex scenes of this S&M franchise. But the worst has to be when Christian ties her up, blindfolds her with his shirt and then runs down an ice cube all over her body. What misguided womens magazine did he get this advice from? AL.

Basic Instinct 2

This much-maligned sequel begins with Stan Collymore and Sharon Stone speeding at 100mph through Canary Wharf. The two moan and giggle as she fumbles around for his gearstick, that is until they crash the car and he dies. Not quite the happy ending he was hoping for. AL.

Wet Hot American Summer

(Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)

Bradley Cooper and Michael Ian Blacks sex faces are so over-exaggerated they look like emojis. Its difficult to understand how the campers are reaching these heights of pleasure given that theres about a foot of air between their crotches. More lukewarm American summer than hot and wet. AL.

Damage

You shouldnt have sex with your sons fiance. But you definitely shouldnt if you end up making it look this bad. Jeremy Irons pounces on Juliette Binoche like a hulking bear before pulling her along the carpet (think of the burns). No wonder she said she didnt enjoy having his dangly bits touching her. AL.

If These Walls Could Talk 2

If these walls could talk they would say please stop having sex to Dido. They would also have something to say about the endless gooey shots of hands drifting over skin, pulling at hair and disappearing under sheets. Its so soppy, Im surprised Ellen DeGeneres and Sharon Stone dont drip off the bed and onto the floor. AL.

What Women Want

Helen Hunt and Mel Gibson in What Women Want (Melinda Sue Gordon/Paramount Pictures/THA/Shutterstock)

What a lot of women dont want is a sex scene with Mel Gibson. What women want even less is to watch a scene with so many cliches: a man talking to his penis in the bathroom. A light that turns on when you clap. A woman that wails so loud you cant tell if shes been run over by a truck or is mid-orgasm. AL.

Watchmen

Leonard Cohens Hallelujah is a great song, but its certainly not sexy. Watchmens widely ridiculed sex scene sees Malin Akerman unzipping a latex chest piece to the lyrics: Now Ive heard there was a secret chord, that David played, and it pleased the Lord. Unfortunately, no one will be pleased by this display. AL.

Gone Girl

This is horribly bad, but not because its a bad scene. More because you have to watch Rosamund Pikes crazed killer slit the throat of a guy while hes still inside her. And then you have to watch the blood from his throat soak her red. And then you have to watch her continue to gyrate for another couple of seconds before realising necrophilia is a little too niche even for a psychopath such as herself. AL.
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The Barbie movie was pulled from cinemas in Algeria this week, almost one month after its release in the North African country.

Online news outlet 24H Algerie said Algerias Ministry of Culture and Arts notified cinemas in Algiers, Oran and Constantine to immediately pull the movie.

Neither the ministry nor the Algerian Audiovisual Regulatory Authority commented on the reported directive or provided a rationale for it.

Barbie opened in some Algerian cinemas last month. The films distributors removed the Hollywood blockbuster from their screening schedules starting this week.

The move comes after authorities in Kuwait and Lebanon banned the movie over its themes on gender and sexuality.

Some people in Algeria protested the cancellation on social media, posting their complaints along with the hashtag #IAmBarbie.

Others denounced it as censorship and bigotry.

Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in Barbie ( 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.)

The Barbie film is a threat to morality, they say, writer Leila Belkacem posted on her Facebook page. What morality are they talking about when the censors gorge on porn films at home? Arent you tired of dragging the country into your dark delusions?

Fatima Ait Kaci, a retired teacher, told The Associated Press she had promised to take her two granddaughters, who were visiting from Canada, to see the movie. Ait Kaci said she heard what had happened to Barbie only when they arrived at the Riadh El Feth cinema in Algiers and discovered another film showing in the 3pm to 5pm time slot.

Algerian authorities dont have the courage to take responsibility for this shameful act of censorship, she said.

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Last week, the Audiovisual Regulatory Authority announced its decision to temporarily suspend all programming by private TV channel Es Salam for allegedly broadcasting in an irresponsible and unprofessional manner, a program containing scenes contrary to the precepts of Islam and the way of life of Algerian society.

Directed by Greta Gerwig, Barbie stars Margot Robbie as the eponymous doll, alongside Ryan Gosling as Barbies boyfriend, Ken.

It contains no overtly sexual scenes or references to LGBTQ+ rights, but it seems to have drawn fire because of its sheer flamboyance and broad message of inclusion and gender equality in a region where same-sex sexual acts are illegal.

The Warner Bros film has grossed over $1bn worldwide since its release, making it the highest-grossing release for a female director in history.

Robbie, meanwhile, is expected to earn roughly $50m (39.4m) in salary and box office bonuses.

Additional reporting by The Associated Press.
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Netflix viewers watching Heart of Stone were left blindsided by the costume of choice for one character.

The new spy thriller, which was released on Friday (11 August), stars Gal Gadot as an international agent who must protect an artificial intelligence system from falling into enemy hands.

Her attempts lead her to Senegal, where she falls into danger and is chased by a team of locals who have been bribed by the films villain, Parker (Jamie Dornan).

Its here that many viewers noticed one of the locals chasing Gadots character was wearing something they didnt expect to see: a Middlesborough FC shirt from the 2009/10 season.

How the hell did this happen? one perplexed fan asked, adding: Sat watching the new @GalGadot film and a bloody Boro fan is trying to kill her!!!

Another called it a wild inclusion, stating: Did not expect to see an old @Boro shirt in #HeartOfStone.

One viewer said they had to rewind it to double-check it was actually a Middlesborough shirt.

Just watched Heart of Stone on @NetflixUK, and a random mercenary is just casually wearing an old @Boro top, they wrote.

A vintage Middlesborough FC shirt in Netflix film Heart of Stone (Netflix)

Find more reactions to the unexpected moment below.

Heart of Stone was called drab and forgettable in The Independents review by film critic Clarisse Loughrey.

The film comes days after it was reported that as third Wonder Woman film would not be moving ahead  despite Gadots claims otherwise.

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In December 2022, just days after Gadot expressed excitement about returning as the superhero character, it was announced that DC would not be moving forward with the franchise.

The news landed after James Gunn and Peter Safran stepped in as chiefs of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), with The Hollywood Reporter claiming that a treatment for the film did not fit in with the studios plans.

Gadot, who at first said she felt empowered by the decision, then claimed in an interview with ComicBook.com: What I heard from James and from Peter is that were gonna develop a Wonder Woman 3 together.

Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman (Warner Bros)

She went on to state in a more recent interview with Flaunt magazine while promoting Heart of Stone ahead of the SAG-AFTRA Hollywood strikes: I was invited to a meeting with James Gunn and Peter Safran, and what they told me, and Im quoting: Youre in the best hands. Were going to develop Wonder Woman 3 with you. [We] love you as Wonder Woman  youve got nothing to worry about. So time will tell.

However, Variety is reporting that there are no active plans to develop a new Wonder Woman film, and that there was never any definitive discussion with Gadot about returning as the character.

This has prompted widespread confusion, with many fans questioning whether either Gadot or Gunn and Safran had been dishonest about the future of the project.
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Kanye Wests ex-publicist Trevian Kutti was among those to be charged in the latest indictment of former US president Donald Trump.

The charges relate to the alleged intimidation of election workers following the 2020 US presidential election.

According to the charges, Kutti, 51, travelled to the home of Ruby Freeman, an election worker in Fulton County, Georgia, in January 2021.

Her visit came amid repeated and unfounded accusations of election fraud from Trump, who lost the election to Democrat Joe Biden.

It is claimed that Kutti attempted to pressure Freeman into admitting the baseless fraud claims, allegedly telling her that people would otherwise come to her home within 48 hours, and she would face arrest.

After Kutti allegedly accosted Freeman at her house, the election worker became concerned and rang the police. According to a police incident report, Kutti identified herself as a crisis manager.

At the suggestion of an officer, Freeman and Kutti then travelled to a police station. While at the station, Kutti was allegedly seen cornering Freeman and threatening her with jail time, in bodycam footage captured by a nearby officer.

In 2021, a spokesperson for the rapper told Reuters: Trevian Kutti was not associated with Kanye West or any of his enterprises at the times of the facts that are reported in these articles or since these facts occurred.

The Independent has contacted a representative of West for comment.

Trump has been indicted four times this year (AP)

A total of 19 people were charged on Monday (15 August), including Trump himself. The billionaire mogul has been indicted four times in as many months, with two instances relating to his actions in the wake of the 2020 election.

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Among the other names to be indicted were Trumps lawyer and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, and ex-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.

West, who legally changed his name to Ye in 2021, has been a vocal supporter of Trump in the past. The Jesus Walks rapper ran unsuccessfully for president in 2020, and claimed last November that he had asked the disgraced ex-president to be his running mate in 2024.

In recent months, West has largely stepped back from the public eye, following a string of controversies surrounding antisemitic comments. During an appearance on the right-wing platform Infowars, West claimed that he liked Adolf Hitler, and was banned from Twitter and Instagram in late 2022 after a number of antisemitic social media posts. The controversy resulted in a number of brands cutting ties with him, including Adidas and Balenciaga, as well as his talent agency CAA.
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Narendra Modi has said that Indias economy will be among the top three in the world in the next five years, as he addressed the nation on the occasion of the countrys 77th Independence Day.

Speaking from the rampars of Delhis 17-century Mughal-era Red Fort, the Indian prime minister said the country had risen through the rankings of global economies since we came to power in 2014, [when] we were at 10th position.

Today, with the efforts of 140 crore (1.4 billion) Indians, we have reached the fifth position. This did not happen just like that. The demon of corruption that had the country in its clutches  we stopped leakages and created a strong economy, he said.

"When poverty decreases in a country, the power of the middle class increases considerably," he said. "In the next five years, I promise India will be among the top three economies in the world."

His statement comes after reports last year from S&P Global and Morgan Stanley forecast that Indias economy would overtake Japan and Germanys to become the worlds third-largest by 2030.

Indias $3.5 trillion economy surpassed the UK last year to become the fifth largest. Mr Modi said he was confident that when India marks 100 years of independence in 2047, it will do so as a developed nation.

In effect the speech represents Mr Modis pitch for next years general election, when he will seek a third five-year term. The next five years are for unprecedented development, he said. The biggest golden moment to realise the dream of 2047 is the next five years. The next time, on 15 August [next year], I will present before you the achievements and developments of the country from this Red Fort.

Indias main opposition party, Congress, called the address a crass election speech using the platform of one of the countrys most important national holidays to give his partys pitch for 2024.

Critics said there was no mention of the countrys struggles with growing unemployment, which reached eight per cent last month, an only a limited reference to the violence-hit northeastern state of Manipur, which Mr Modi saying that peace is slowly returning to the region.

Mr Modis government has deployed large numbers of security forces to the hilly state bordering Myanmar, which is also governed locally by his Bharatiya Janata Party, but the violence has continued and large parts of Manipur remain segregated along tribal lines.

Indias prime minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort during the celebrations to mark countrys 77th Independence Day in New Delhi on 15 August 2023 (AFP via Getty Images)

"For some days now, we are getting reports of extended peace. The country is with the people of Manipur. The country wants the people of Manipur to hold on to the peace of the last few days and take it forward, Mr Modi said.

The prime minister has largely avoided speaking about the conflict in the state between members of the majority Meitei ethnic group and minority Kuki people, which began with a row over competition for government benefits linked to education, jobs and influence.

It has claimed over 180 lives and led to the displacement of over 50,000 people, while numerous incidents of gang-rape and abuse of women have grabbed global attention while raising questions about his partys ability to govern the state.

The Congress party slammed the prime ministers address as being filled with distortions, lies, exaggerations and vague promises.

On 15 August 2023, rather than reporting to the people what his government had achieved in the past nine years, Prime Minister Modi gave a crass election speech filled with distortions, lies, exaggerations and vague promises. Instead of bringing the country together, to celebrate our journey so far, acknowledge the pain and anguish of those suffering, and accept the challenges ahead, he made it all about himself and his image, said Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh.

He said that the prime minister barely addressed the devastation caused by the violence in Manipur, casually comparing it with incidents in other parts of the country.

Modi showed no sorrow or acknowledgment of the abject failures which have led to Manipur turning into a war zone, he said.

India celebrates its Independence Day a day after neighbour Pakistan. The two countries came into existence as a result of the bloody partition of British India in 1947.

The process sparked some of the worst communal violence the world has seen and left hundreds of thousands dead. It also triggered one of the largest human migrations in history as some 12 million people fled their homes.
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A group of Australian surfers lost at sea during their travels in Indonesia have been found after 36 hours, with new footage showing the emotional moment they returned to shore.

Elliot Foote, Steph Weisse, Will Teagle and Jordan Short were travelling on wooden longboats between Nias Island and the Pinang Surf resort on the Banyak Islands, off the western coast of Sumatra, when they ran into bad weather.

The party was comprised of two boats, with one managing to find refuge on a nearby island. However, the vessel carrying the four-strong group of Australians and three Indonesian crew members tried to make it back to the island in spite of the conditions, prompting an extensive search.

A friend of the group filmed the moment he spotted the first three surfers in the ocean (screengrab)

Ms Weisse, Mr Teagle and Mr Short were found and rescued on Tuesday morning, the second day of the search.

A friend of the group filmed the moment he spotted the first three surfers in the ocean, swimming to shore after 36 hours.

Yes! Woo!, the friend is heard screaming as the group wave their arms at the rescue boat.

However, the fourth and final member of the group  Mr Foote  was not with them. In the footage, the cameraman can be heard asking Wheres Elliot? as he quickly realises hes missing.

Thankfully, the surfer was helped to safety almost two hours later, found stranded on a nearby island 5km away, having become separated from the group after he tried to swim towards the island to get help.

Mr Foote had shared details of his travels before the group were lost at sea on Sunday, with Mr Foote describing the Indonesian village of Bukit Lawang as a beautiful spot with such kind people.

Soho gulah Sorakeso good being back in Indo after so many years. Sharing waves with mates and the queen, a post shared to Mr Footes Instagram account on 13 August read. The photos depicted the group surfing together.

Starting the trip off with hiking in the North Sumatran jungle and seeing orangutans was an amazing experience and something that I look forward to doing again for a longer time and going deeper. Bukit Lawang is a beautiful spot with such kind people.

As the group were rescued, Mr Footes father Peter was in an interview with SkyNews, with his reaction to the news captured on camera.

Hey Dad, Elliot here. I am alive, safe now, love you. Chat later, a text from his son read.

I dont know if I can celebrate. Hes put me through too much pain to celebrate, Peter Foote said. Ive aged in the last two days, 100 per cent.
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Thailands election-winning Move Forward party has announced its refusal to back the candidate proposed by former alliance partner Pheu Thai in the upcoming parliamentary vote for the next prime minister.

The decision has thrown a wrench into the efforts of populists Pheu Thai to garner sufficient support for its nominee, exacerbating the ongoing political deadlock in Thailand which remains without a prime minister three months after the general election.

Move Forward, which won the most votes and holds the largest number of seats in parliament, has denied its support second-placed Pheu Thai's candidate, Srettha Thavisin, a business tycoon with no political experience, stating that his selection would be a distortion of the election outcome and against the will of the people.

Move Forwards lawmakers were unanimous in opposing the decision, its secretary general Chaithawat Tulathon told a news conference announcing the decision.

The formation of government now is not reflective of the peoples voice and distorts the will of the people in the elections, Mr Chaithawat said.

It is clear senators and other parties want to shut Move Forward down.

The progressive Move Forward was the surprise winner of the 14 May general election, closely followed by Pheu Thai, after the two trounced conservative parties in a resounding rejection of nine years of government led or backed by the military.

However, the alliance between them collapsed after the bicameral parliament  which includes a senate of 250 junta appointees thanks to a 2017 constitution drafted by the military leadership  blocked the appointment of Move Forwards leader Pita Limjaroenrat as prime minister.

But despite having severed their partnership earlier this month, Pheu Thai had sought the support of Move Forward to secure the nomination of the former real estate tycoon and political newcomer as the country's premier.

The impasse between the two parties has left Thailand in a state of political limbo, with the country operating under a caretaker government for the past five months.

Pheu Thai leader Cholnan Srikaew said he expected a prime ministerial vote between 18-22 August and he was confident Mr Srettha could still prevail without Move Forwards support.

We respect Move Forwards decision and we are able to work with all parties, he said.

However, to succeed, he will need support from more than half of the joint lower and upper houses, an outcome that remains far from certain.

Additional reporting by agencies
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The fires in Maui, Hawaii havent been contained yet, but already residents of Lahaina are worried investors will try to capitalise on the disaster for land development.

The wildfires that ravaged Maui last week left a scar on towns like Lahaina, where 80 per cent of the structures in town have been damaged or destroyed.

Hawaii governor Josh Green estimated that the state has lost an estimated $5.6bn and it could cost that just to rebuild Maui.

But while thousands of people living on the islands are trying to recover and find shelter, investors see an opportunity.

In a video posted to Instagram, a member of the nonprofit organisation Kakoo Haleakala claimed land investors were already calling Lahaina residents who lost their homes, offering to buy their land.

I am so frustrated with inventors and realtors calling the families who lost their home offering to buy their land, the person in the video says.

How dare you do that to our community right now.

It is unclear which investors or relators the person in Kakoo Haleakalas video was speaking about.

One resident, Mark Stefl, told USA Today he was approached by developers to buy his land but that he refused.

Im not gonna sell it, Mr Stefl told the newspaper. Im going to stay here. I love it here, as messed up as it is.

On 13 August, Keoni, a Kanaka Maoli Kiai (Native Hawaiian Activist) tweeted asking people who are receiving calls from relators to take down their names so they could expose them.

More than 4,000 people are displaced and at least 99 have been killed as a result of the fires that began last week.

Mr Green said he expected the death toll number to increase in the coming days as cadaver dogs will continue their search of burned areas.

Residents of Maui were given little notice when the fires rapidly approached neighbourhood and towns. People had no time to gather their valuables or personal belongings before fleeing for safety.

Richy Palalay, a 25-year-old who was born in raised in Lahaina told The Associated Press that his workplace, his neighbourhood, his friends homes and potentially his own home were burned down in the fire.

Mr Palalay said he is worried that investors will seize the opportunity to pay a lower price for the land locals live on to build expensive resorts.

Im more concerned of big land developed coming in and seeing this charred land as an opportunity to rebuild, Mr Palalay told Associated Press on Saturday.

Burned houses and buildings are pictured in the aftermath of a wildfire, as seen in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii (AFP via Getty Images)

The average home in Lahaina is valued at around $1m, according to Zillow  making it a more expensive spot for the average person to buy a home.

But the rise of hotels, resorts and condos on Maui, has made it a favourite, and more affordable, destination.

One of the things that we as a community and as a state is going to be faced with, is how do we begin to address the long-term recovery, rebuilding, keeping people here and not selling off what losses they had and moving, Archie Kalepa, a resident of Lahaina told The Washington Post.

Mr Kalepa added: We want to make sure we keep Lahaina, Lahaina.

John Dimuro, who has been living in Maui for more than 40 years told USA Today that the government should intervene.

The government should just say no, youre not allowed to develop, Mr Dimuro said on Monday. Say no, just flat out no.

Governor Green said in a press conference on Monday that he reached out to the attorney general to explore options to do a moratorium on any sales of properties that have damaged or destroyed.

Moreover I would caution people that is going to be a very long time before any growth or housing can be built and so you will be pretty poorly informed if you try to steal land from our people and then build here, Mr Green said.
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The blazes that have devastated Maui and the Big Island in Hawaii already constitute the states worst natural disaster since 1960  as at least 111 people are confirmed dead, thousands of residents and tourists have been forced to evacuate and the picturesque and historic beach resort of Lahaina has been destroyed.

Whats more, the tragedy also already represents Americas second-deadliest wildfire outbreak of the last 100 years, with only the Camp Fire that struck California in 2018 surpassing the current Hawaiian death toll, which is still rising and could yet surpass it.

That brush fire five years ago killed 88 people and did $20.2bn-worth of damage.

This time round, it is too early to begin to calculate the cost of the destruction wrought across the Pacific island chain, as firefighters are still battling to bring the conflagration under control in areas like Wahiawa, but the latest crisis could ultimately beat that unwanted record too.

What makes the horror currently unfolding all the more disturbing is that wildfires were regarded as uncommon in Hawaii until relatively recently, with those that did break out usually attributed to eruptions from one of the archipelagos six active volcanoes or to lightning strikes.

On the other islands with less volcanic activity, fires did occur, but very, very rarely, Professor David Beilman of the University of Hawaii told USA Today this week.

This Maui situation is an Anthropocene phenomenon, he said, referring to the epoch defined by humanitys influence over the planet.

The tropical paradise, situated 2,000 miles west of the US mainland, has only really begun to experience the consequences of that influence in recent decades.

The last time Hawaii suffered a major burst of wildfires was in August 2018, when 70mph gusts of wind driven by Hurricane Lane shepherded flames towards Lahaina, the same town ravaged this month.

In that incident, 2,000 acres of land, 30 vehicles and 21 structures were ruined, according to local newspaper The Honolulu Star-Advertiser, with the fire racing across fields once dedicated to growing sugar cane but unharvested since 1999.

An aerial view of the destruction wrought in Maui (EPA)

One local man told the paper at the time that he had seen tornadoes of fire whirling up to the sky.

Ive never seen something so devastating, he added, aghast at the recollection.

Another resident recounted his own terror: There was smoke everywhere and the fire was all around. We just literally got in the car and got out as quickly as we could.

Before the 2018 wildfires, Hawaii was more commonly impacted by tsunamis hitting the islands.

In fact, the worst natural disaster in its history was the tsunami that struck on 1 April 1946.

Caused by an 8.4-magnitude earthquake off Alaska, the tsunami killed 165 people, wiping out the Hilo Bay waterfront on the Big Island and prompting the establishment of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in the state soon after.

More tsunamis followed in November 1952, August 1960 and March 1964.

The 35-foot wave of 1960 was particularly rough, crashing down again on Hilo Bay, killing 61, damaging more than 500 homes and businesses and doing $75m of damage.

Burned out cars in Lahaina (AP)

Now, fires are becoming both more frequent and more extreme.

The Hawaii Wildfire Management Organisation (HWMO) now estimates that 0.5 per cent (or 20,000 acres) of the states land mass burns every year, which is at least equal to or greater than the proportion of every other state in the union

The HWMO reports that 98 per cent of those fires are instigated by humans, which compares unfavourably with the US Forest Services 85 per cent estimate for the nation as a whole.

While the carelessness of man is one factor behind the exacerbation, global warming is the other.

Climate change has increasingly been blamed for the erratic weather patterns the world has seen in recent years and this summer has provided further alarming illustrations of its adverse impact: western Canada and southern Europe have been devastated by spontaneous fires this year while the UK, by contrast, has been subjected to an uncannily rainy July and August.

In the case of the current Hawaii fires, 60mph winds from Hurricane Dora, lying hundreds of miles southwest of Honolulu, and a low pressure system sitting off western Japan are thought to have conspired to fan the flames and send them raging across Maui.

Another important factor in the states growing vulnerability of late has been its abundance of unmanaged dry vegetation providing the ideal fuel, much of which is accounted for by invasive species like Guinea grass that are non-native to Hawaii but have colonised areas of former farmland and forest.

Brush fire rages in Kihei (AP)

These savannas now cover about a million acres across the main Hawaiian Islands, mostly the legacy of land clearing for plantation agriculture and ranching in the late 1800s/early 1900s, Professor Clay Trauernicht, also of the University of Hawaii, explained on X, formerly Twitter.

The transformation to savanna makes the landscape way more sensitive to bad fire weather  hot, dry, windy conditions. It also means we get huge buildups of fuels during rainy periods.

Agriculture declines also mean less help for firefighters  less maintenance of roads, irrigation and water storage and even fewer people with knowledge of the land.

Professor Trauernicht warned that this benign neglect has placed too great a burden on emergency responders to tackle the inevitable consequences, emphasising that prudent investment in fuel reduction projects, agricultural land use, restoration and reforestation could do a great deal to avert further tragedy.
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Maui residents have been warned that wildfires burning since 8 August have contaminated water, air and soil and could pose health risks for months to come.

The deadly wildfires have claimed at least 99 lives, and destroyed an estimated 2,700 buildings around Lahaina containing hazardous household wastes, treated wood, paints and other toxic materials, officials said.

The Hawaiian Department of Health has warned that ash and dust from burned homes and businesses could contain deadly toxic chemicals such as asbestos, arsenic and lead.

They also advised residents to wear surgical masks such as N95s and goggles, gloves, and closed-toed shoes to avoid skin contact with ash.

They also warned people to avoid washing ash into drains or using vacuums that will stir up carcinogenic particles into the air.

As wildfires tore through Lahaina last week, residents reported seeing thick plumes of toxic smoke from burning homes, car gas tanks and other materials.

Thomas Leonard, a veteran and retired mailman, told the Associated Press that a propane tank that exploded near his home had created a huge mushroom cloud.

On Friday, Maui County officials issued an advisory calling for residents of Lahaina and Upper Kula to avoid tap water for cooking and drinking and limit shower and bathing time.

Members of a search-and-rescue team walk along a street, Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii (Associated Press)

A loss of water pressure when buildings were destroyed may have caused contaminants and volatile organic chemicals, to enter the water supply, it said.

It is a hazardous area and thats why experts are here, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said during a news conference on Saturday.

Were not doing anybody any favours by letting them back in there quickly, just so they can get sick.

Specialist disaster relief teams from the Environmental Protection Agency had begun removing dangerous items such as propane tanks, Hawaiis state toxicologist Diane Felton told Hawaii Public Radio.

But as residents begin to return to their homes, Ms Felton warned the clean up of toxic ash and debris could last for months.

Its going to be a long time, she told Hawaiian Public Radio.

Many of Lahainas commercial and residential structures were built before the use of lead and asbestos was discontinued in the 1970s, Ms Felton said.

The state had also used arsenic as a herbicide on sugar and pineapple plantations in the 1900s, and it could still be present in the soil.

Exposure to asbestos and lead fibers can cause esophagus, stomach, and intestines cancer, and lead to mesothelioma, according to the CDC.
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When Joe Biden announced the federal governments latest aid package to families left homeless by the Maui wildfires on Monday, a seemingly innocuous turn of phrase sent conspiracists into meltdown.

Were laser-focused on getting aid to survivors, the president wrote, apparently unaware of the bogus claims circulating on social media of space lasers being used to deliberately start the wildfires that swept through Maui on 8 August.

As with nearly every traumatic event, from natural disasters to school shootings, fake theories that sprung up immediately online followed a familiar narrative of climate change denial, government cover-up and in some cases antisemitic tropes.

Some suggest the United States military set off the blaze, or that it was part of an elite land grab possibly spearheaded by Oprah Winfrey herself.

As far-fetched as they might seem, conspiratorial posts suggesting that the wildfires that have claimed at least 99 lives were started as part of a government-celebrity plot have garnered tens of millions of views on X.

The site formerly known as Twitter has become an increasingly fertile ground for misinformation under Elon Musks ownership.

The theories also tap into legitimate complaints from the grieving and the displaced about the lack of warning they received, despite the threat from wildfires being well documented by Maui County officials.

The cause of Mauis wildfires remains under investigation, but officials say that wind gusts whipped up by Hurricane Dora combined with severe drought conditions on west Maui are to blame.

Can anyone confirm?

Among the most prominent claims circulating online are that the fires were not a natural disaster fuelled by the climate crisis, but some kind of blast from space lasers or directed energy weapons (DEWS).

In one post viewed more than one million times, a verified user with more than 100,000 followers posted an image claiming to show a light beam reminiscent of something out of the movie Independence Day being shot at Hawaii.

This photo is circulating social media. Apparently this beam was captured before the Hawaii fires. Can anyone confirm?

This image being linked to the Maui wildfires was taken in 2019 at a SpaceX launch at Californias Vandenberg Air Force Base, now known as Space Force Base. (Twitter )

The image in fact depicts a time-lapsed image of a 2019 SpaceX launch at Californias Vandenberg Air Force Base, now known as Space Force Base, as users pointed out.

Another video posted to Twitter by a verified user falsely claims to show a massive explosion on Maui just before the fires broke out on 8 August.

Disturbing New FOOTAGE from Maui fires shows what allegedly happened, the user wrote.

DEWs Terrible Revelation in MAUI, another wrote on Instagram. Prepare to step into a world forever changed by a sinister turn of events.

The footage was actually of a transformer explosion in Santiago, Chile, earlier this year, according to fact checkers from the Associated Press.

The video went viral on TikTok in May, where it has been viewed nearly 10 million times.

Chilevision News later reported that a transformer in the suburb of Macul had exploded in high winds, causing a bright flash of light.

No, it wasnt an alien attack or a military attack, reporter Javiera Salazar says in the report. It wasnt even lightning, much less artificial intelligence.

In a separate post on X, a verified user with 431,000 followers posted a photo of a light beam and an explosion on 10 August that has been viewed nearly three million times.

If the fires in Hawaii were natural, what in the h is this? the user writes.

False claims that a directed energy weapon strike caused the Maui wildfires have been attracting millions of eyeballs online (Twitter)

In 2018, the fact-checking site Snopesinvestigated the image and found it showed an optical phenomenon known as a light pillar, which is caused by light reflections from tiny ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere.

Another clearly digitally-altered photo claiming to show a laser beam striking the Waiola Church has been viewed more than nine million times since being posted to Xby Matt Wallace, a right-wing influencer, who often interacts with X owner Elon Musk.

Directed energy weapons are defined by the US Navys Office of Naval Research as electromagnetic systems capable of converting chemical or electrical energy to radiated energy which are shot at the speed of light.

The space laser conspiracy theory gained traction in 2018 after Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene suggested on Facebook that the Camp Fire in California was caused by a beam from space solar generators.

Can boats catch fire?

Some have questioned the authenticity of images showing the spread and reach of the wildfires, which were buffeted by strong gusts and severe drought conditions on western Maui and quickly consumed almost the entire town of Lahaina.

Among the images of attracting attention are footage showing boats ablaze purportedly somewhere off the coast of Hawaii.

UNEXPLAINED INFERNO: EVERY Boat Aflame! How did this happen? the caption on one such video, posted to X complete with dramatic soundtrack, asks.

Footage of boats in fire, claiming to be from the Hawaii wildfires this week, have circulated online (Twitter / The Paradox Files)

While impossible to verify where the video was shot, it is entirely plausible that boats could catch fire during wildfires fuelled by hurricane-force winds, according to experts.

Glowing red-hot embers can rain down on boats, and intense heat from the shore could also cause water-borne vessels to ignite, University of Minnesota Center for Forest Ecology director Lee Frelich told The Independent by email.

Fires such as the one that hit Lahaina on Maui occur when there is very flammable vegetation (i.e. dense vegetation dry due to drought) right outside a city, the city has closely spaced buildings made of flammable materials, and there is a day with high winds, Mr Frelich said.

Joe and Jill Biden to visit Hawaii to survey aftermath of wildfires

It is not surprising that boats started on fire  with winds gusting to 80 mph blowing offshore, boats would have had thousands of red hot embers falling on them every minute, and those very close to shore would have experienced high levels of radiant heat as well.

Fires that spread across a small body of water to ignite in neighbouring islands, boats and inlets is known as spotting, or spot fires, Mr Frelich told The Independent.

The phenomenon is common on islands in northern Minnesotan lakes during wildfire season, he added.

How did the trees survive?

A video posted to X by the Punish Dem 1776 account showing some trees still standing after the Lahaina blaze, while houses and cars surrounding them have been reduced to ash.

Everything is burnt but the trees, but dont point that out or (youre) a conspiracy theorist, the caption reads.

The video has been viewed nearly 25 million times in four days. Context has been added by Xs crowd-sourced fact checking service community notes showing that many plants and trees have adapted to survive and even flourish in fires.

Most Rev. Clarence Larry Silva, the Bishop of Honolulu, greets parishioners after Mass at Sacred Hearts Mission Church on Sunday, after it was spared by wildfires (Associated Press)

But the thousands of reposts and comments on the video show that few people have been swayed.

Footage showing that the historic Maria Lanakila Catholic Church in downtown Lahaina was spared from the fires set off similar claims that some nefarious hand was at work.

The historic church, completed in 1873, was mostly built from stone, and its wooden roof suffered some damage, church officials have said.

An elite land grab

An offshoot of the directed energy weapons claims is that the Maui wildfires were started deliberately by wealthy landowners to steal land from indigenous populations on the island.

The fake claims have fed into very real fears that residents who have called Maui home for centuries could be forced out after losing their homes in the fire.

The island has a chronic housing shortage and in recent years has seen a stream of wealthy transplants and second-home buyers move into towns like Lahaina. The wildfires are likely to send the already high cost of living on the island much higher.

Among the many celebrity property holders on Maui are Oprah Winfrey, who owns more than 2,000 acres, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, actors Matthew McConaughey and Clint Eastwood, and tech entrepreneur Peter Thiel.

Ms Winfrey has been assisting with the humanitarian relief effort, while Mr Bezos and wife Lauren Sanchez have set up a $100m humanitarian relief fund.

Oprah Winfrey has been handing out humanitarian aid at emergency shelters (BBC)

On Monday night, Governor Josh Green asked the state attorney general to approve a moratorium on property sales to prevent predatory land grabs.

The spread of conspiracy theories on the social media platform X has increased since Mr Musk removed the blue check marks of experts, celebrities and government officials, and allowed anyone who paid $8 a month to gain verification.

This enables so-called verified users to appear more prominently in mentions and posts due to the sites algorithm.

Ben Collins, who covers the dystopia beat for NBC News, wrote on X this week that the Hawaiian fires showed how conspiracy culture cannot and should not be reasoned with.

There will be no come-to-Jesus moment on climate change or severe weather. There will just be more people claiming Oprah or Biden used a direct energy weapon. Thats our future.

X did not provide a response to questions from The Independent about the spread of conspiracy theories on the platform.
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When wildfires swept through Lahaina without warning last Tuesday, residents were forced to grab what they could and flee.

At least 106 residents have been killed, more than 2,000 buildings were destroyed, and an estimated 1,000 people remain unaccounted for.

Hundreds of families who escaped the inferno have begun the desperate task of searching for pets that were left behind in the chaos.

Facebook groups have been inundated with photos of cats, dogs, rabbits, horses and exotic birds, and many remain missing nearly one week on from the deadliest wildfire in the United States in more than a century.

I am absolutely heartbroken, one pet owner wrote on the Lost & Found Animals of Maui Fires group along with photos of her cats Lily Jupiter, Puma and Tiger.

Please if theres any chance they are alive and out there, Im begging please help me find them My heart hurts so much.

Im missing my cats Gobi and Bear  couldnt get them when I fled Lahaina, another pet owner wrote. My house is completely burned down. So worried.

Roman suffered burns to his paws, legs, back and body, in the Maui wildfires. He has since been reunited with his owners (Maui Humane Society)

Thousands of Maui residents have responded by offering to help locate the missing pets or make financial contributions. Many have posted photographs of pets spotted roaming around the ashen remains of Lahaina.

Katie Shannon, of the Maui Humane Society, told The Independent that an estimated 3,000 pets are missing on Maui. Residents have filed 370 lost reports, and the shelter had taken in 52 animals by Monday, some with severe burns.

Among the agony and grief, extraordinary survival stories are also emerging.

Sarah Woods Willhours dogs Rocket, a Pomeranian, and Roman, a labrador, were with a dog sitter in Lahaina when the wildfires erupted.

The dog sitters only hope of survival was to jump into the ocean, one of dozens of Lahaina residents forced to try to shelter in the choppy seas, according to the Maui Humane Foundation.

Ms Woods Willhour only knew that Roman and Ricket ran off down the main waterfront street of Lahaina in the direction of the fires, and asked residents to check in holes in rocks and other places where the dogs could have holed up.

Roman was found two days later by construction workers, and handed off to a good samaritan who took him to Maalaea Harbour.

Animal welfare workers then transported him to the Maui Humane Society where he was treated for burns to his paws, legs, back and body.

Roman ran off when his dog sitter jumped into the ocean to escape the flames. (Maui Humane Society)

Roman was microchipped, and was reunited with Ms Woods Willhour over the weekend.

On Friday, she shared that Rocket had also been found safe.

The Maui Humane Society said it had been flooded with thousands of emails, phone calls and requests for information from worried pet owners.

It expected to treat hundreds of pets for smoke inhalation and burn injuries, and has appealed for help.

Teams of volunteers and veterinarians from the non-profit have been touring burned out areas documenting every deceased pet that they find.

A fundraiser set up to assist the Maui Humane Society had raised just under $500,000 by Monday afternoon.

The Maui community was showing strong solidarity in helping to save the islands beloved pets, the animal charity said.

Franklin Trejos, 68, died while trying to save his friends beloved golden retriever Sam ( Shannon Weber-Bogar)

Beyond Hawaii, pet and animal shelters around the US are pledging to do whatever they can to help out.

In Utah, A New Beginning Animal Rescue said it was ready to send teams of trained vets to Maui to assist with the recovery effort.

Lahaina resident Isabelle Alexander managed to escape town with her husband Miguel and 10-year-old daughter Shiloh, but her two pet birds flew off when their house caught fire.

Please help us find our 2 babies, we lost them as we were evacuating our home in Lahaina, we are devastated, Ms Alexander wrote in a post on the Missing Pets of Maui Facebook page.

Another poster Nicole Rockett said on Thursday that her two horses were missing from the upper Loniapoko area. She later reported that they had been found safe, and credited the efforts of good samaritans on social media with helping to locate them.

Franklin Frankie Trejos, 68, had lived for several years in Lahaina with his friend Shannon Weber-Bogar and her husband, retired Maui fire captain Geoff Bogar.

When the fires came, Mr Trejos and Mr Bogar remained in the home to try to save the house and help neighbours, Ms Weber-Bogar told ABC News.

As the flames grew closer on Tuesday afternoon, the friends tried to escape in separate cars.

Mr Bogars vehicle failed to start, and he broke a window to escape and was rescued by police and taken to hospital, he told the Associated Press.

A burnt out car lies in the driveway of charred apartment complex in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii on 12 August (AFP via Getty Images)

When the family returned the next day they found Mr Trejos in the back seat of the burned out car on top of the remains of the couples beloved three-year-old golden retriever Sam, according to Ms Weber-Bogar.

It appeared he had been trying to shield Sam from the flames when he died.

God took a really good man, Ms Weber-Bogar told the AP.

On Friday specialist search and rescue units with cadaver dogs arrived on Maui to go door-to-door to check burned out homes for bodies.

Just a small fraction of destroyed houses had been searched by Monday, and Governor Josh Brown has warned the loss of life is likely to rise significantly.
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Bruce Willis wife Emma Heming Willis has taken to social media to provide an emotional update about the actors struggle with dementia and her role as caregiver.

The Die Hard star was diagnosed this year with frontotemporal dementia (also known as FTD), which the National Institute on Aging describes as the result of damage to neurons in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. Heming Willis has posted to social media informing the public that the actors condition was not treatable and has progressed.

In light of the actors deteriorating health, Heming Willis has taken on the role of care partner and taken to giving fans regular updates on his health. But, in a recent series of Instagram Stories, she broke down on camera as she admitted that she is not good.

According to Heming Willis, although shes tried to put her best foot forward, she says shes struggled with the doom and gloom thats come with Willis diagnosis. She explained: I know it looks like Im out living my best life - I have to make a conscious effort every single day to live the best life that I can.

I do that for myself. I do that for our two children. And Bruce, who would not want me to live any other way. So I dont want it to be misconstrued, the former model said as she teared up. In the video, she also said that shes tried to stay strong for those depending on her. She shares two daughters with the Sixth Sense actor: Mabel Ray Willis, 11, and Evelyn Penn Willis, nine.

I have to put my best foot forward for the sake of myself and of my family. When we are not looking after ourselves, we cannot look after anyone that we love. So its really important, she continued.

She also urged those who are fellow caretakers to remember to take at least five minutes and make a conscious effort to do something that makes them happy as an act of self-care.

I know your day is stressful, and I know that your day is hard, but I just want you to break it up for a minute, and just look for something beautiful, Heming Willis encouraged.

Heming Willis, although devastated by her husbands diagnosis, has been cherishing the time spent with the actor. In March, the former model shared some of her favourite photos of her husband for their 14th wedding anniversary and a video of the pair renewing their vows for their 10th wedding anniversary.

She captioned the video: On our 10th wedding anniversary we decided to renew our vows in the same place we said I do back in 2009. Im so happy we did. Seize every opportunity to unite and celebrate with family and friends. Those are the moments and beautiful pockets of memories that you get to hold on to for a lifetime. And we get to keep those memories safe and alive for the ones that might not be able to.

The vow renewal was filmed by the actors ex-wife, Demi Moore, with who he shares daughters Rumer, 34, Scout, 32, and Tallulah, 29.
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Thousands of Hawaii citizens have been displaced following wildfires that devastated the historic town of Lahaina in Maui.

Multiple neighbourhoods were burned as the fires were fueled by heavy winds blowing from Hurricane Dora, resulting in many being told to evacuate, with some Hawaii residents taking refuge in the ocean to avoid the flames. Many have lost their lives and thousands have been evacuated as a result of the wildfires.

Hawaiis governor Josh Green has estimated that billions of dollars will be needed to fully recover, as the US Civil Air Patrol and the Maui Fire Department reported that approximately 271 structures were damaged or destroyed by the fires.

Here is a list of resources to help those impacted by the natural disaster.

The Hawaii Salvation Army began providing meals for the approximately 50 individuals who had taken shelter in Maui Countys/American Red Cross Pukalani shelter, an effort that is now spreading across the entire island. They are asking for monetary donations and meal donations from either restaurants or certified kitchens to continue giving out food and shelter.

During emergencies, the best way the public can help is to provide monetary donations which allows the delivery of the exact relief supplies a community needs, Victor Leonardi, divisional director of emergency services and safety for The Salvation Army Hawaiian & Pacific Islands Division, said in a news release. Plus, The Salvation Army uses one hundred per cent of all donations designated disaster relief in support of disaster operations. Donations can be made on the Hawaii Salvation Armys website.

There are also multiple fundraisers taking place across the state, including the Aina Momona fundraiser through the Hawaii Community Foundation, the Kakoo Maui fund through The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, Alakaina Foundation Family, and Kakoo Haleakala, and the Hawaii Community Foundation Maui Strong Fund.

The grocery store Foodland is also accepting monetary donations at checkout to support The American Red Crosss efforts. Other places accepting monetary donations include Aloha United Way, Maui Food Bank, and Maui Mutual Aid, which is focusing on supporting Maui families, elderly, people with disabilities and those without insurance.

If you are a Hawaii resident, the Hawaii Restaurant Association is putting together donations and gathering volunteers to help evacuees on Oahu. The Maui Police Department is also asking for specific donations of non-perishable food, bottled water, hygiene items, and blankets to be collected at Mauis War Memorial Complex.

Ice cream shop Cream B and Hoomana Barbell are asking for donations of food, drinks, snacks, bedding, pillows, and personal hygiene products that can be picked up at 1826 Kaohu St.

The Maui Humane Society has said its animals are safe, however, the organisation has said it needs to allocate more space to displaced pets and is asking for more people to sign up to be fosters in the meantime.

In addition, the organisation is asking for donations of pet supplies to give to families who are keeping their animals. Monetary donations will also be accepted to help the shelter deal with the increase in care they need to provide. There is also a page on their website to report any lost or found pets.

To find all of the latest updates about the Hawaii wildfires, follow our liveblog here.
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TikTok personality Holly Reardon has gone viral after sharing a video showing the treasures she found while digging through her mothers closet.

As she showed off the 90s pieces she discovered, Reardon made an emphatic plea to parents everywhere to save their old clothes, so that their children may inherit them someday.

In the viral video, the 26-year-old content creator told viewers that her mom kept all her clothes from when she was a teenager, which means that Reardon is now able to reap the benefits.

The TikTokker then proceeded to show off her discoveries, including an Abercrombie & Fitch denim mini dress that she described as freakin cute. Reardon also confessed that she didnt even know Abercrombie was around in the 90s.

Viewers were quick to point out in the comments section that Abercrombie & Fitch has been around for more than a century. Many millennials also sounded off in the comments section, admitting that Reardons comments about the brand made them feel like dinosaurs.

In her caption, Reardon urged parents to do it for [their] daughters. But not all were keen on the idea, as one user commented that they were already enough of a borderline hoarder as it is, while another wrote: I became an adult with Marie Kondo and I cant keep anything that doesnt spark joy.

While there may be a few naysayers, Reardon isnt the only TikToker urging parents to keep their clothes for their children. Months before the content creator posted her viral video, a teenager named Ava Marie went viral after revealing that shed re-worn her moms 1994 prom dress to her own senior prom.

In 2022, The Cut interviewed different people about why they enjoy shopping in the closets of their parents, and many had varying answers. An operations analyst named Laura, 30, said: Its just so much more fun when I can go home and be like: Oh my God, this skirt is fabulous. And my moms like: Take it. Meanwhile, 26-year-old project manager Jeovanna said that breathing new life into clothes passed down to her was a true representation of herself, believing it to combine her ancestry with what she now likes, meshing the future and the past together.

While the New York Times proclaimed that the golden age of thrifting was over, data from Vestiare Collective suggests otherwise: interest in secondhand vintage and shopping will not stop with Gen-Z and millenials. Rather, its only beginning.

Gen-Z and Zillenials are notorious for loving vintage looks and those who dont have the option to peruse the closets of their parents arent afraid to pay a pretty penny for what they deem as quality pieces, according to Vogue Business, which notes that the trend doesnt look like it will be slowing down anytime soon.

In an interview with second-hand fashion site, ThredUp, Vogue Business learned the global secondhand mark is expected to surge at three times the rate of the overall global apparel market up to 2027.

Its not only ThredUp seeing success in the Gen-Z market, according to The Wall Street Journal, which reported that, of the 15 million users on the second-hand fashion platform Depop, 90 per cent were under the age of 26.

Analysts at Deloitte theorised that Gen-Zs predilection for retro clothes may have to do with the fact that they entered adolescence during and after the 2007-2009 recession. After undergoing such a formative period during financial hardship, its likely that it has had a long-lasting effect on their choices as consumers.
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Defining Dishes is a new Indyeats column that explores the significance of food at key moments in our lives. From recipes that have been passed down for generations, to flavours that hold a special place in our hearts, food shapes every part of our lives in ways we might not have ever imagined.

I came up with this baked honey-soy salmon dish in the first flat I ever had all to myself, as a masters student in Stirling, Scotland. I think thats what makes me feel most proud of it, because it was the first thing I made that made me truly feel like an adult. I was 25 and had been living away from home in Malaysia for nearly five years, and although I never really cooked with fish, I was really craving it, particularly Chinese steamed fish.

Salmon was relatively cheap in Scotland, but I always felt that there was something about cooking fish that was very intimidating. It felt like it was too fancy for me. I also feel like its still socially acceptable to eat overcooked, dry chicken breast, but eating overcooked fish is just much more unpleasant and no one wants that. But something came over me one day when I saw a fresh salmon fillet with a really good discount in the Tesco clearance aisle. Maybe that should tell you something about me  I dont know if others would consider that safe  but it looked good and I said, You know what, maybe todays the day.

At the time, it so happened that honey-soy salmon was really trending, I had seen it all over the place. I didnt Google a recipe, I just sort of figured out what flavours could be good on a piece of fish. I made a sauce using soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine and maple syrup (which was gifted to me by one of my very nice friends), poured it on top of the fish and shoved it in the oven, because I didnt have a steamer then. I did look up how long to cook it for, and Google said 20 minutes. I ate it with steamed rice and to my delight, surprise and relief, it was absolutely delicious.

Honey-soy salmon quickly became her hyper-fixation meal (Mallini Kannan)

I felt really good about it. It was a real level-up moment in my life. It was the first time I had made a difficult dish, even though the actual labour wasnt difficult at all and it is essentially a very simple dish. It made me feel like I could do it; I could make grown-up food. At the time, I was 24 or 25-years-old and I had been living away from home for some time, but never without housemates. So I was truly on my own. It was a revelation to realise that I could make Chinese food like this at home. I come from a Malaysian-Indian family. We dont steam much of anything and so if I wanted steamed fish, Id have to go to a Chinese restaurant. But now, I didnt really have to.

After that, it became my hyper-fixation meal. I just couldnt get enough of it and made it all the time  at the peak of my fixation, I ate it three times a week. But I did learn that it does not make for good leftovers. It must be eaten on the day its made, otherwise the fishy smell gets a bit unappealing. Once I learned that, I ate it about once a week, and each time Id experiment with it. I learned the importance of adding aromatics like garlic, ginger, spring onions, coriander and chili. But the key motivator to my experiments was laziness. Could I get away with not slicing things up? What if I dont want to turn the stove on? How can I cut corners? No matter what kind of nonsense I threw at it, it has always turned out reliably good.

Kannan didnt Google a recipe, just cooking times for a rough guide (Mallini Kannan)

The first time I cooked the dish for someone else was when my parents came to visit me from Malaysia. We had just returned from a trip, and they were staying in my flat for a week and it was the first time they came to a place that was truly mine. I remember very clearly cooking the salmon for them because a couple of friends had invited me out to the pub that night and I wanted to go, but I didnt want to order takeaway for my parents  they were at that stage in their holiday when all Asian parents get grumpy because they havent had rice in three days and it was paramount that they ate some immediately. I had 30 minutes before I had to get going to the pub, and I figured that I knew how to cook this dish so well by now that I could get it done in 20 minutes. However, it was also the first time I had scaled a fish. Before, I just cooked the fish with scales and all, I didnt even realise you had to take them off. For some reason, this time I decided I needed to scale this slab of salmon. I read one Google-recommended article and was like: Lets go.

What they dont tell you is that scales fly. They go absolutely everywhere. And theres a kind of black coating, like a slime, on the fish that will also go everywhere. I remember my parents peeking their head around the kitchen door to ask if everything was OK, and me just barking: YA ITS FINE. I had to get that thing in the oven NOW, so it had to happen. And you know what? It turned out great. This was the second dish Ive made for my parents that theyve said: Oh, wow. The first time was for a prawn curry, but this was special because they were so impressed by the efficiency of it and also, it was the first time they realised that wow, Im an adult, Ive figured it out. They were used to me making good food, but this was the first practical dish; its not me sitting in the kitchen, having to cut a mountain of onions and pounding galangal.

Last year, after I moved to Virginia to be with my husband, I made it for him for the first time. It feels really nice to share this part of me with him. It was a piece of myself that I figured out on my own, before married life, and it feels really significant because it was my independence dish. I want everybody to make it. However, I have a bone to pick with fishmongers in the UK. I want to know why they dont scale the fish you buy unless theyre asked. Surely nobody wants to eat the scales? Just scale it please, thank you very much. And if any readers have suggestions for how I can make my baked salmon skin crispy, I would very much like to know. I still havent figured that part out yet.

Mallini Kannan is a communications specialist from Malaysia, who now lives in the US with her husband. She still cooks this dish every week.
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Nestle USA is recalling a limited quantity of its Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough break and bake after fragmented pieces of wood were found in some packages.

On 10 August, the food and drink corporation announced the news in a press release published on its website. According to the company, it had identified two batches of the 16.5 oz product produced on 24 and 25 April as being the reason for the recall, due to the potential presence of wood fragments.

This recall does not involve any other Nestle Toll House products, including other varieties of refrigerated cookie dough in break and bake bars, rolls, or tubs, or Edible cookie dough, the statement read.

Nestle directed consumers attention to the recalled batch codes to avoid, both 16.5 oz bags with 311457531K or 311557534K. The company warned people who have already purchased these batches to not prepare or consume the product and urged them to return the product to the retailer where it was purchased for a replacement or refund.

There have been no reported injuries or illnesses related to the recall, according to the confectioners.

We are taking this action out of an abundance of caution after a small number of consumers contacted Nestle USA about this issue, the release proclaimed. The quality, safety and integrity of our products remain our number one priority. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this action represents to both our consumers and retail customers.

Nestle also said it is in contact with the US Drug and Food Administration (FDA) about the recall, according to their press release. Anyone in need of support or with any further questions is encouraged to contact the companys customer service line at (800) 681-1678 Monday through Friday, between 9am and 6pm ET.

The recall comes after Nestle voluntarily recalled its Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough with Fudge Filling because of the potential presence of white plastic pieces in October of 2022.

The Independent has contacted Nestle for further comment.
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A father who lost three children to cancer has died of the same disease.

Like his children, Regis Feitosa Mota was born with Li-Fraumeni syndrome, a hereditary condition that increases the chances of developing cancerous tumours in the body.

The lifetime risk of developing cancer in people with LFS is 90 per cent, according to the Cleveland Clinic, and a 50 per cent chance of developing cancer before age 30.

Regis, 53, was diagnosed with cancer three times between 2016 and 2023. He was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in January.

At the time, he said: We discovered yet another disease. We have already treated lymphocytic leukaemia and non-Hodgkins lymphoma, which are now stabilised. But we have been treating them, they are not cured.

This time, we discovered multiple myeloma, which even affects the bones.

Regis said on social media last week that he was in the hospital waiting for a bone marrow transplant.

However, he passed away in Ceara, Brazil, on 13 August - Fathers Day in the South American country. His body will be cremated today, 14 August in Fortaleza.

(Jam Press)

(Jam Press)

(Jam Press)

Regis wife, Mariella Pompeu said: My friends, I never imagined making this post. I never prepared myself for this moment because I was always convinced Regis would make a full recovery.

Its an indescribable pain. The ground has opened up and I dont know what life will be like without his affection, companionship and absolute love.

His brother Rogerio Feitosa Mota said: Our warrior went to meet his children exactly on Fathers Day. May God take you, my brother! We love you so much.

(Jam Press)

(Jam Press)

Regis and Mariella lost three children within a four-year span. Their youngest child, Beatriz, died of leukaemia in 2018 at just 10 years of age. Their son Pedro died of a brain tumour in 2020 at the age of 22. Last year, their daughter Anna Carolina also died of a brain tumour at the age of 25, after previously beating leukaemia.

Adults with LFS have a 50 per cent chance of giving birth to a child with the same condition. According to the National Organization for Rare Diseases (DORD), which notes that Li-Fraumeni syndrome is caused by an inherited (germline) pathogenic variant of the TP53 tumor suppressor gene on chromosome 17, there is no evidence of ethnic or geographic disparity in the occurrence of LFS, but a uniquely high prevalence of LFS has been reported in southern and southeastern Brazil.
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During the wait for improved online safety laws, tens of thousands of grooming crimes have been recorded.

The Online Safety Bill, which is meant to become law this autumn, has encountered numerous delays and changes since it become a proposed legislation.

As a result, the childrens charity NSPCC has called on MPs and tech giants to support the Bill, especially since 34,000 online grooming crimes had been recorded by UK police forces over the last six years, since first calling for more robust safety regulations in 2017.

Based on data from 42 UK police forces, the NSPCC said that last year, 6,350 offences related to the sexual communication with a child were recorded. Some 5,500 took place against primary school-aged children, and 73% of the crimes were related to Meta-linked platforms or Snapchat.

NSPCC chief executive Sir Peter Wanless said: The number of offences must serve as a reminder of why the Online Safety Bill is so important and why the ground-breaking protections it will give children are desperately needed.

Were pleased the government has listened and strengthened the legislation so companies must tackle how their sites contribute to child sexual abuse in a tough but proportionate way, including in private messaging.

Here are some of the red flags parents should be on the look out for.

Being secretive about how they are spending their time

On their website, Childline define grooming as someone building a childs trust to make a connection in order to do something sexual or illegal.

Studies show parental supervision typically declines as children get older, however online abuse does not, said Mark Bentley, safeguarding and cyber security lead at charity The National Grid for Learning (LGfL).

From being secretive to omitting relevant information, changes in behaviour can vary from child to child. But its something for all parents to be mindful of when their child starts using social media more.

Unfortunately, as in many areas of child protection, indicators of abuse can often mirror natural markers of growing up, said Bentley. As children and adolescents develop, they seek independence from parents, engage in risk taking and have changes in mood and friendship group.

Nonetheless, these markers remain vital to watch out for, even if it is just to support your growing child. Those who are being groomed online are much more likely to be defensive and secretive about phone usage and loathed to be separated from their device.

Having unexplained gifts, big or small

Buying gifts for children, whether big or small, can be another grooming technique used to flatter children and their families.

Some groomers have been known to provide alternative phones just to contact them, and this is always a red flag if you suspect your child may have a secondary device, said Bentley.

They are spending too much time onlineSocial media may promote negative experiences if no boundaries have been established.Of course, some of these [red] flags can also be a sign of the child going through adolescence but its important to discuss any unusual behaviour with them as soon as possible, said Simon Newman, member of International Cyber Expos advisory council and of the Cyber Resilience Centre for London.The way groomers target children varies, but is often done through social media sites, text messages and apps, emails or online forums  particularly gaming sites.They develop friendships with a much older person

Children and young people can be groomed by a stranger or by someone they know  such as a family member, friend or professional, according to NSPCC.

But the age gap between a child and their groomer can also be relatively small. The groomer may also work towards building a relationship with the family to gain trust, so they can be left alone with the child.

There are various models of the stages of grooming, but at heart it revolves around building up trust and making a child feel understood and listened to in a way they do not feel elsewhere, and then breaking down the links of trust to family, school, friends and other adults, said Bentley.

Any parent thinking that this might be happening should definitely reach out for help.
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David Balogun is a normal kid who competes in paper airplane races with his younger sister, Eliana and struggles to sit still, but he is also one of the youngest people in the United States to receive a high school diploma.

In late January, Balogun graduated from Reach Cyber Charter School, which is a tuition-free online school in Pennsylvania. This month he will be starting classes at Southern New Hampshire University as a full-time student.

Balogun and his parents, Ronya and Henry, spoke about what it was, and still is, like raising someone with a high intellect on CNBC Make It. The couple said they first tested their sons intelligence when he was six years old. After that, they began to rethink any parenting philosophies they previously had. Theres no book on it, Ronya said.

Youve got to develop a different mindset as a parent, Henry added. Its not always easy when your son is asking you questions constantly. You have to keep answering the questions, because you dont want to say, Just leave me alone.

Because of Davids unique circumstances, theyve developed their own number one rule: When a system isnt built for your child, dont try to fix your child. Try to fix the system.

Ronya said when David was in first grade, a regular classroom wasnt working anymore, noting that sometimes his peers would listen to him more than the teacher. So they looked into their states gifted programs, which also proved to not be rigorous enough for their nine year old.

In 2020, his parents enrolled him in Reach which allowed him to individualise his curriculum and take high school level classes. Although that didnt come without challenges, including multiple calls to The College Board because Davids birthdate was too young to enroll in advanced placement exams.

As for deciding on college, Ronya said she had to put her foot down mentioning she didnt want David in a class filled with 20 year olds. Its a different adaptation that we dont have in the United States of America yet. Its very scary, you cant find this, she said. Sometimes I cant fix the system, but there are other unconventional choices and solutions to help lead my son through his journey to fulfill his dreams.

Trust is also a big part in parenting David, his parents said. They mentioned that, when he was learning specific skills like adding and subtracting negative numbers before he was taught, they had to believe he knew how. I cant tell him, This is what you know, because Im not in his brain, Ronya said. I have to trust him to be partially leading the way.

Although there are some boundaries in this trust, as David came home one day claiming he now knew where babies came from. His mother was able to briefly give him some information on reproductive anatomy before putting the conversation to a stop. Mind you, at this moment, Im talking to a six year old, Ronya said.

In terms of what happens to David beyond college, his parents are unsure and are just figuring it out as they go along. There is no frame of reference, Ronya said. So you know how sometimes when there is no path, you start a new path? Yep, thats what were doing.

The Independent has contacted Ronya and Henry for comment.
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Kevin Costners legal team has accused his ex-wife Christine Baumgartner of gamesmanship of the worst sort as their divorce battle continues, it has been reported.

New court documents reportedly show that the Yellowstone star is asking the court to compel his former wife of 18 years to explicitly answer a number of questions his attorneys have put to her about their premarital agreement (PMA).

According to People, which obtained the documents, Costners lawyers have claimed that Baumgartner, 49, has avoided answering questions throughout the discovery process and that she claims not to understand certain words such as understood or negotiation, and therefore cannot answer them.

The actors legal team also claims Baumgartner has avoided answering whether or not she understood the agreement before she signed it, and branded her legal strategy gamesmanship of the worst sort.

Gamesmanship in a lawsuit refers to the aim of creating additional expense or stress for the other party in order to persuade them to abandon their case or settle on more favourable terms.

Baumgartner and Costner signed a PMA before their marriage in 2004. The agreements terms state that Baumgartner received a US$1.5m payout after she filed for divorce in May. However, if she challenges the agreement, she reportedly may have to forfeit the settlement.

Costners lawyers quoted the agreement in legal documents filed in June, saying: If Christine, in any manner, challenges or assists in the challenge of the validity or enforceability of any provision of this Agreement, she shall lose any and all rights to receive any payment, Property or Interest from Kevin pursuant to this Agreement.

Marilyn Chinitz, a matrimonial attorney based in New York who does not represent either party, told People that such clauses are routine, adding: Its basically saying, If youre going to challenge the agreement as being invalid and unenforceable, then anything that you may have benefited by, I have a right to claw back.

Both legal teams are currently preparing to go to trial in November to determine the validity of the PMA. But Costners lawyers have accused Baumgartner of [refusing] to make known all of her contentions about the validity of the agreement.

Kevin Costner and his wife Christine Baumgartner at the Oscars in 2022 (AFP via Getty Images)

The document stated, as per People: The objections [Baumgartner] has mustered in an effort to not disclose her contentions are frivolous. She says she does not understand words like understood or negotiation, so she cannot answer this discovery.

She says she does not know what commonly legal phrases like legal effect and supersedes mean, so she cannot answer this discovery. She refuses to admit (or even deny) that the specific factual representations she and her attorney made in the PMA itself are accurate, to wit, that she understood the PMA, that it was explained to her and that she acknowledged she understood the meaning and legal effect of the PMA.

It comes after Costner was reportedly ordered to pay his ex-wife $129,000 in monthly child support, which is double what he initially offered to give her.

Baumgartner previously requested that a judge order the Bodyguard star to pay $248k per month, as well as 100 per cent of their three teenage childrens private tuition, healthcare expenses and extracurricular activities. She reportedly argued that the amount was less than what was needed to maintain the children in their accustomed lifestyle.

Meanwhile, Costner had alleged that Baumgartner breached their PMA by refusing to move out of the California house they shared. She has since moved out into a reportedly US$35k per month rental home in the same area after being ordered to vacate the premises by 31 July.

The pair share three children, Cayden, 16, Hayes, 14, and Grace, 13. Costner was previously married to Cindy Silva, with whom he also shares three children, and also has a son with Bridget Rooney.
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Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard have addressed claims that they lied about being stranded at an airport in Boston due to extensive flight delays.

On 27 July, Bell documented her familys whirlwind travel story in a series of Instagram Story posts. The Frozen star revealed that she and her husband, Shepard, were stranded at Boston Logan International Airport with their two children - Delta, eight, and Lincoln, nine.

After several flight delays, they relied on a number of activities to pass the time, with the photos showing the family playing Uno on the airport floor. We made quite a home here, Bell wrote, alongside a selfie brushing her teeth in the airport.

In another post, the Good Place star showed the family setting up camp at the Boston airport with several blankets laid out across the airport floor. There were no hotels available within 50 miles, she wrote over a video of Shepard lying on the floor and watching a show on a tablet with one of the couples daughters.

Eventually, Bell shared that her family was kicked out of the airport - despite wanting to stay the night - and sought shelter in the friend of a friends attic. Now, the couple has responded to controversy surrounding the airport debacle in a recent episode of Shepards Armchair Expert podcast.

The Gossip Girl alum joined her husband on the podcast episode, where she explained that their family had just visited Marthas Vineyard when they arrived at Boston Logan International Airport. Shepard noted that theres always a little bit of tension when the couple travels together because he prefers to leave for the airport about half an hour before Bell would like to leave the house.

Once they reached the Boston airport in plenty of time after sitting in a ton of traffic, the family soon learned that their flight was delayed an hour due to bad weather in Providence, Rhode Island, where their plane was taking off. It gets delayed an hour, then two hours, three hours, four hours, then five hours, Shepard recalled.

After the plane arrived at the airport, passengers were allegedly informed that the pilot had heard something on the plane that might indicate a mechanical issue. At this point, Bell noted how the entire airport terminal let out a collective groan at the announcement of another delay.

As a mom, Im clocking when [my children] last slept, when they last ate, the Veronica Mars star explained. Theres only so long I can give them peanuts and goldfish.

By the time it reached 10pm, Shepard shared that everyone started searching for a hotel to spend the night. What we quickly find out is that the closest hotel - and this is important because some of the criticism we received suggested that none of the hotels to our liking were available, he said.

Bell chimed in: There was not any place to sleep within 50 miles of the airport, noting that construction and several flight cancellations had made finding a hotel room difficult.

Everyone knew before us [that their flights were cancelled] because they kept kicking ours, Shepard added. So by the time we acknowledge: No, this flight isnt going out tonight, everyones already grabbed the hotel rooms.

The family was informed that their delayed flight would take off at eight in the morning the following day, at which point Shepard said he made the executive decision to sleep on the airport floor. Meanwhile, Bell said that the experience was kind of exciting for their two daughters. We were like: Girls, were sleeping at the airport! They were like: This is camping! This is so cool!

While the family was excited to sleepover at the airport, a flight attendant later informed them that the airports TSA was going to kick [them] out at 1am. Eventually, Shepard said he texted his friend who was staying at a house nearby if they could crash for the night. While the family ultimately sought shelter in the homes upstairs attic, the podcast host took the moment to address criticism the couple received for their chaotic airport journey.

The thing I got worried about when it got on the news is, I would hate for people to think we were upset or complaining about the experience. I just thought it was novel and funny, Shepard shared. So, I guess I was confused when I saw these really angry comments on my posts because I cant figure out what makes someone mad about that story.

Bell then blamed the controversy on a lack of emotional and intellectual capacity and an outrage addiction from people on the internet.

They want to be angry about something. It was like: Youre not being kicked out, Of course there were hotels, I cant believe you spent $600 on pillows, she said. People are going to make s****y comments and the more time and energy you give to thinking about it, the more theyre justified to do it.
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Aaron Taylor-Johnson has candidly revealed that he always knew he was going to be a young father.

The Kraven the Hunter star, 33, who shares four children with wife Sam Taylor-Johnson, 56, opened up about parenthood and his relationship with the director during an interview with Esquire.

According to Aaron, although he and Sam met on the set of Nowhere Boy, which she was directing, in 2008, and have since worked on multiple other projects together, their relationship isnt rooted in creative partnership.

I dont think thats accurate. Yeah, we worked - I met Sam as actor and director. I think were really great at collaborating. But thats not why I fell in love with her, he said.

Aaron, who was 18 when he met Sam, then 41, proposed a year later. They welcomed their first daughter, Wylda Rae, now 13, in July 2010 and their second daughter, Romy Hero, now 11,in January 2012. In June 2012, the pair, who also co-parent Sams daughters Angelica and Jessie, who she shares with ex-husband Jay Jopling, tied the knot.

According to Aaron, he knew even before he met his future wife, and then especially once hed met Sam, that he was going to have a big family.

I was going to have a big family. I knew I was going to be a young father. I knew I was going to have many kids, he told Esquire of his thinking by the time he was 10 or 11.

However, according to the Avengers: Age of Ultron star, whose three youngest children live at home, it is still surprising to come to terms with being the father to teenagers.

Teenagers, man, he said. Ive got teenagers.

The actor declined to discuss his family further, with Aaron telling the outlet that he was trying to be as as honest as possible and that hed probably talked to the interviewer more about my kids and Sam than I have with anybody.

Ive got really nothing to hide, and Im secure in what we have. But Im not going to unlock things that are actually precious to me, he said, of why he prefers to keep the details of his relationship private.

(Getty Images)

This is not the first time that Aaron has opened up about his relationship with Sam, and why it works despite their 23-year age gap.

I dont really analyse our relationship. I just know that it works. I just feel secure and loved and safe. We have this very deep connection. Were just in sync, he told Mr Porter in 2017.

In 2019, Aaron described his wife as his soulmate, with the actor telling The Telegraph that hed known instantly that Sam was the one he was meant to be with.

I knew instantly with Sam that Id found my soulmate, he said. I knew instantly that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this person. I remember it very well, and a year to the day [after] I met her I proposed. I knew I wanted a family with her, I knew I wanted kids, and a month later she was pregnant with our first child.

The actor also condemned the scrutiny the couples age gap received while speaking to New York Magazines Vulture in 2017. The attention was intrusive, he told the outlet of the early days of their relationship. But having to deal with that early in my career probably got me to a place where I can more quickly just go: Oh, f*** it instead of wanting to rip someones head off for asking questions I dont like.

The British director has also opened up about the pairs relationship, with Sam telling The Sunday Times in 2017 that she and Aaron spend every minute of the day together.
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A woman has warned people who are thinking of putting their mattress on the floor without a bed frame to think again.

Ellie Peach, a registered nurse who goes by the username @eswift95 on TikTok, shared what happened when she decided to sleep without a bed frame for six months. I love being an independent 20 something teenager, the videos caption read.

So this is just a PSA to everyone thinking of cutting costs and not getting a bed frame and just thinking, Oh, mattresses can just go on the floor, Peach began the story. Hypothetically, one could want to change their mattress after the summertime - after its been on said floor for six months - and they may remove their mattress and they may find mould everywhere, Peach said.

The nurse then explained that the situation was not hypothetical, and it had actually happened to her. First world problems, she said. Peach admitted that the mattress was purchased for her as part of an advertisement she was supposed to make with the brand Koala. Her original intention was to use the sponsored mattress as a daybed - a bed that is treated like a couch - but because the mattress was so comfortable she decided to make it her actual mattress.

So I changed it out with my old mattress and I thought, What is that god-awful smell? she said. Peach said the mould was everywhere including the carpet underneath the mattress. She tried to remove the mould herself but said she was unsuccessful and had to get the carpets professionally cleaned.

And I also cant sleep in there because Im convinced Im going to die of mould inhalation, so Im in the living room, she concluded the TikTok. Since it was posted on 13 August, the clip has been viewed almost 400,000 times with more than 200 comments.

Some commenters suggested that Peach could continue to have a floor mattress if she allowed it to air out by flipping it over or leaning it against a wall. Yall just lean the mattress against the wall when you go to work or something, one commenter wrote. I think if you have a floor mattress youre meant to lift and air it like every week, another agreed.

A third person advised people with mattresses on the floor to top them up onto the side for a day or something every month to let it breathe and dry out, especially in the humidity.

Peach ended up scaring some of the other commenters who shared that they were currently sleeping without a bed frame. Im now terrified. Ive had my mattress on the floor for like a year, one commenter wrote.

Others informed Peach that she isnt alone and the exact same incident happened to them too. That was me once, thankfully without a carpet, one commenter mentioned. Another person who was in the same position wrote: This happened to me too!!!!

I feel really silly because everyone in the comments is saying you need milk crates or pallets?! And I just dont know where they learnt this or maybe I just having been paying attention to important life lessons, Peach said in a statement to The Independent.

Anyway, the situation is being resolved and Ive learnt my lesson - your mattress needs to breathe!
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The woman who went viral after a video of her shouting about a passenger she claimed was not real in an American Airlines flight has issued a public apology for her behaviour.

Tiffany Gomas was filmed in July going on an expletive-laden rant about why she was leaving the plane while standing in the aisle of the aircraft. She made bizarre claims about a passenger who was not real and said there was a reason why Im getting the f*** off.

The 38-year-old marketing executive, who lives in Dallas, Texas, has shared a tearful apology video via TMZ saying sorry to her fellow passengers for her heavy use of profanity and for her unacceptable actions.

She began by introducing herself as Tiffany Gomas, probably better known as the Crazy Plane Lady, a nickname she said was completely warranted.

As you know, I have been unwilling to speak on the viral video but I do finally feel that its time, she continued.

First and foremost, I want to take full accountability for my actions. They were completely unacceptable, distressed or not. I should have been in control of my emotions, and that was not the case.

My use of profanity was completely unnecessary and I want to apologise to everyone on that plane, especially those that had children aboard. [I cant] imagine going through that and trying to explain to your kid what in the world just happened.

Gomas addressed the impact that going viral has had on her, adding: We all have our bad moments, some far worse than others, and mine happened to be caught on camera for the whole world to see, multiple times.

While it has been really comical for everyone, and I have highly enjoyed so many of the memes, on the flip side, it is very invasive and unkind. I dont know what I would do without the love and support of my friends and family. They are loyal to a fault and I dont know what I did to deserve them.

In the video, Gomas appears to be blinking back tears and clearing her throat as she apologises for having difficulty speaking.

I hope that I can use this experience and do a little bit of good in the world, and that is what I intend to do. I hope that you guys can accept my apology and I can begin to move on with my life, she concluded the clip.

Last week, Gomas broke her silence over the viral video in an interview with the Daily Mail from her home in the Lakewood neighbourhood of Dallas.

She told the publication that her life has been blown up since the video became widespread across social media, adding: Its frightening. Things go viral and everything changes. No one knows anyone elses story, and no one should judge. No one knows what its like.

She alleged that she has been subjected to intense scrutiny since the incident and claimed: Theyre staking out my house. Theyre staking out my neighbours. Theyre going through my mail. However, Gomas did not specify who the they she referred to were.

In the original video, Gomas can be heard telling the other passengers: Im telling you, Im getting the f*** off, and theres a reason why Im getting the f*** off. And everyone can either believe it or they can not believe it. I dont give two f***s.

But I am telling you right now, that motherf***er back there is not real.

While exiting the plane, she also shouted: And you can sit on this plane and you can f***ing die with them or not. Im not going to.

According to police documents reviews by The New York Post, Gomass claims prompted concern among the flight attendants, who felt the aircraft needed to be rescreened. Other passengers were reportedly forced to exit the plane so they could go through security screening again.

Gomas was reportedly distraught when TSA personnel arrived at the gate and attempted to board the plane again. She also reportedly refused to speak to Dallas-Fort Worth Department of Public Safety Police and was allegedly given a verbal criminal trespass notice.

A statement from a spokesperson for American Airlines at the time confirmed the incident involving a disruptive customer had taken place.

After the video went viral, Gomas social media accounts were either switched to private or taken down. However, she has since relaunched her Twitter and Instagram accounts, where she shared the apology video.

In a tweet, she described the incident as her very worst moment, adding: This experience has been life-altering and I hope to do good from it and promote positive mental health.
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An Indonesian search and rescue team on Monday was searching for seven people, including four Australian tourists, reported missing in the waters of Aceh following bad weather.

The group was in a wooden speedboat in the waters around Sarang Alu and Banyak islands in Aceh Singkil district. They were part of a group of 12 Australian nationals and 5 Indonesians who were traveling to Pinang Island in two boats.

The area is known as a tourist destination with white sand beaches and good waves for surfing.

The boats left North Nias port in Nias island, which located around 150 kilometer (93 miles) from Indonesia's Sumatra island, on Sunday afternoon and experienced bad weather with very heavy rain during the trip.

Ten of them decided to stay and shelter on Sarang Alu island, while the others continued the trip, said a written statement from Nias Search and Rescue Agency on Monday.

The resort on Pinang Island later reported to the agency that the boat with 10 passengers had safely arrived, but the boat that had left earlier had not been seen.

Rescuers were sending at least two rescue boats and a medical boat to the search area.

Indonesia is an archipelago with more than 17,000 islands, and ferries and boats are a common form of transportation. With lax safety standards and problems with overcrowding, accidents occur frequently.

In July, an overloaded passenger boat capsized off Indonesias Sulawesi island, killing 15 people.

In 2018, an overcrowded ferry with about 200 people on board sank in a lake in North Sumatra province, killing 167 people. In one of the countrys worst recorded disasters, an overcrowded passenger ship sank in February 1999 with 332 people aboard. Only 20 people survived.
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A new symptom of long Covid has been revealed by scientists at the University of Leeds.

Though most people who contract Covid recover within a few days or weeks of experiencing initial symptoms, some people can experience longer, more persistent symptoms  termed long Covid or post Covid-19 syndrome by the NHS.

Until now, the most commonly identified symptoms have included extreme tiredness, loss of smell, muscle aches and shortness of breath. Others include memory problems, chest pain, insomnia, heart palpitations, dizziness, joint pain, tinnitus and depression and anxiety.

The 33-year-old patient experienced rapid purple discolouration on his legs (The Lancet/Manoj Sivan)

Now, a new study has revealed a previously unidentified symptom of long Covid.

Published in The Lancet medical journal, the research detailed a new symptom of the condition after a 33-year-old man was referred to the specialists clinic.

The patient had a six-month history of what the authors describe as a rapid purple discolouration on his legs. When standing, he remarked that they would feel progressively heavier and become tingly, itchy and dusky in colour.

He added that a rash would occasionally appear on his feet, but that the mysterious symptoms would disappear when laying down.

The disorder is known as acrocyanosis or persistent and extreme blue or cyanotic discolouration. It typically occurs in the hands and feet but can also appear across the nose and ears.

This was a striking case of acrocyanosis in a patient who had not experienced it before his Covid-19 infection, co-author Dr Manoj Sivan, associate clinical professor and honorary consultant in rehabilitation medicine at the University of Leeds told Metro.

Patients experiencing this may not be aware that it can be a symptom of long Covid and dysautonomia, and may feel concerned about what they are seeing. Similarly, clinicians may not be aware of the link between acrocyanosis and long Covid.

We need to ensure that there is more awareness of dysautonomia [malfunctioning of the nervous system] in long COVID so that clinicians have the tools they need to manage patients appropriately.

The NHS currently offers a long Covid service which aims to identify the condition through blood tests, blood pressure and heart rate monitoring, chest X-rays or by measuring oxygen levels. Those with severe symptoms might be referred to a specialist service or a rehabilitation service.

The severity of a Covid case does not appear to be linked to the chances of developing long Covid, with people who initially experienced mild symptoms similarly suspectable to long-term problems.
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Two pipeline operators have agreed to pay a $12.5 million civil penalty related to crude oil spills in Montana and North Dakota.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday announced the settlement in a 2022 federal court lawsuit. Belle Fourche Pipeline Company and Bridger Pipeline LLC will pay the $12.5 million to resolve the claims made under the Clean Water Act and Pipeline Safety Laws, the EPA said. The affiliated companies own and operate oil pipelines in Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming.

In 2015, Bridger's Poplar Pipeline broke and spilled more than 50,000 gallons (about 190,000 liters) of crude into the Yellowstone River near Glendive, Montana. Bridger has completed cleanup of the site, and in 2021 settled a lawsuit with federal and Montana authorities for $2 million. Montana's Department of Environmental Quality previously fined Bridger $1 million in the case.

In 2016, Belle Fourche's Bicentennial Pipeline in Billings County, North Dakota, broke due to a landslide and spilled over 600,000 gallons (about 2.3 million liters) of oil, impacting an unnamed tributary, Ash Coulee Creek and the Little Missouri River. Belle Fourche's cleanup is ongoing with oversight from North Dakota's Department of Environmental Quality, according to the EPA.

The agreement announced Monday does not resolve all issues with the Ash Coulee spill and reserves the governments right to bring future legal claims.

The $12.5 million civil penalty includes a nearly $4.6 million portion for North Dakota's Department of Environmental Quality. Belle Fourche also will pay the state's past response costs, totaling over $98,000, according to court documents filed Monday.

Oil pipeline spills can cause enormous and long-lasting damage to the environment, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator Larry Starfield of the EPAs Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance said in a statement. This settlement holds Belle Fourche and Bridger Pipeline accountable for their significant oil spills and requires them to take meaningful measures to prevent future spills from their oil pipelines.

The operators also are required to implement specified compliance measures, in addition to the civil penalty.

Belle Fourche and Bridger are owned by Wyoming-based True Companies, whose spokesman, when reached by email, did not have an immediate comment on the agreement.
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An Afghan father living in the UK has described the disastrous day the Taliban took control of his country, forcing him to flee with his wife and five children.

Eid Mohammad Sultani, who was in Kabul on August 15 2021 when the group captured the capital, recalled the screaming amid the chaos of a day he finds it difficult to think about.

The 40-year-old also spoke of his joy at reaching England in November 2021, describing his family as having been saved.

He has since been helping other Afghans who came to the UK for safety, visiting them in so-called bridging hotels while they try to find accommodation to settle in.

In an interview with the PA news agency, Mr Sultani said: The 15th of August was a disastrous day when we were in Kabul and the Taliban suddenly took over.

Everybody was screaming, shops were being closed, banks were being closed, offices were empty.

It was such a hard day, it is hard to think about, especially for those who witnessed it.

Mr Sultani, who worked in automotive management services, travelled to Islamabad, Pakistan, with his family on October 10 2021 before reaching Oxford, England, the following month.

That was actually the happiest day for us, he said.

We got saved.

Mr Sultani and his family stayed in a hotel for five months, and credited the council for having taken care of us.

They provided some toys for the children, they encouraged us to do some studies and I used my time there to volunteer as a school passenger assistant, which was a big achievement for me, he said.

The role involved him taking children to and from school and the hotel.

Mr Sultani described forging his new life in the UK, which he said had to be done quickly despite the dark days he and others had lived through.

The UK was only a picture for us in the past life for years and years on the screen, but when I moved things changed, he said.

I had to leave my home and wanted to stand on my feet  I didnt like to be on Government benefits, but it was also sad because we had been through such dark days and there was such a short time for me to get a job.

Mr Sultani was offered a house in Oxfordshire in May 2022 and now works part-time for Ocado, alongside looking after his family.

He also began volunteering with community interest company Bridge to Unity shortly after leaving the hotel and helping with a Government scheme called Find Your Own Accommodation, which tries to empower Afghans to source their own accommodation.

We have travelled to many cities and been encouraging and helping Afghans to find their own homes, Mr Sultani said.

We have been passing on the Governments message about the closure of bridging hotels and hearing the voices of immigrants.

I know my Afghans  some of them are pretending to be happy, but they want to be able to work and pay their own rent.

Mr Sultani said he is concerned about the end-of-August deadline for Afghans to leave bridging hotels, and hoped it could be extended because it can be a struggle to understand how housing works in this country.

He praised English people as actual angels for the help and support he had received, with one of his friends here  Alan Derry  helping him and his family with food and toys and guiding Mr Sultani through things including passing his driving theory test.

But Mr Sultani said he and many of his fellow Afghans still have fears for loved ones who remain in their home country, saying: I wish I could do something to bring them here.

I don't want to call what they have a government - it's actually a terrorist group that has taken power Eid Mohammad Sultani

Ive got my brothers over there, my nephews, my nieces and my brothers-in-law who I am really concerned about.

They have to keep changing locations and are constantly seeking help and we stay in touch two to three times a week, its the worst situation for them to be in.

It is not just me  every Afghan here will have family members in Afghanistan that they will want to move to the UK or another country where they can be safe.

Reflecting on the situation that faces the thousands still stuck in Afghanistan, he said that schools are shut and there is no autonomy or government.

I dont want to call what they have a government  its actually a terrorist group that has taken power, he added.

I hope that those staying in Islamabad (in Pakistan) get their visas and can move to safety as quickly as possible and I want the Government to pay attention to this immigration process.

The Home Office has previously said it is continuing to provide extensive support to all those in hotels.

A spokesperson added that this support is backed by 285 million of new funding to speed up the resettlement of Afghans into permanent accommodation, with many councils using this to provide deposits, furniture, rental top-ups and rent advances, among others.
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Under-fire Tory MP Tobias Ellwood has again urged the Government to rethink its strategy on Afghanistan, two years on from the fall of Kabul to the Taliban.

The senior Conservative said the UK should not abandon the people of Afghanistan, as he reiterated his call for ministers to reconsider engagement with the fundamentalist regime.

The chairman of the Commons Defence Select Committee was the keynote speaker at an event in Feltham in west London organised by the Afghanistan and Central Asian Association.

His appearance at the event, two years on from the Talibans return to power in the summer of 2021, comes after his recent comments on the country sparked controversy and criticism from his fellow MPs.

Mr Ellwood alluded to the row during his speech, stressing that he was speaking in a purely personal capacity, while also claiming that many do not want to confront the toughest of questions on Afghanistan.

The evacuation and plight of the country, he said, has been conveniently forgotten amid the war in Ukraine and growing tensions with China.

We dont want to be reminded of our failures, nor the fact that we handed the nation to the very insurgents that we went in to defeat.

And as I found out after my own visit, no-one it seems right now is ready to confront the toughest of questions of whether our current strategy of shouting from afar is actually working. Or do we dare to consider leveraging greater influence through engagement.

The former defence minister is facing a no-confidence motion as committee chairman after publishing a video claiming that Afghanistan has improved since the Taliban regained power.

Last month, he apologised in the face of a backlash from members of his own committee after claiming that security in Afghanistan has vastly improved and corruption is down since the fundamentalists returned in 2021.

Mr Ellwood, following a visit to the nation, called for Britain to reopen its embassy in Kabul, following on from the European Union re-establishing a physical presence in the territory last year.

He later deleted his video report from Helmand province, which was praised as positive by the Taliban, from social media and expressed regret over its recording.

The Conservative MP referred repeatedly to his recent visit, as well as previous trips, to Afghanistan during his address.

This remains, lets be really clear about this, an ultra-conservative movement with the most ruthless interpretation of Sharia law in the world.

But what I learned there are differences of views between (Afghan city) Kandahar and Kabul, where the practical realities of holding the country together are grappled with.

Mr Ellwood is pushing for the UK to reopen its embassy in Kabul.

He told the event: After abandoning the country as we did, we now have the duty to develop a strategy of engagement that moves on our current position of punishing the Afghanistan population for the Talibans takeover.

An economic, humanitarian or terrorism crisis is looming. Lets make sure Afghanistan and its people are not forgotten. Its time for a new strategy.
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Many Afghan families have been let down by the promised warm welcome to the UK, a think tank said as it called for lessons to be learned so future groups of refugees can be better supported.

More In Common, an organisation founded in the wake of the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox, recognised the success of efforts to settle thousands of people into permanent accommodation after fleeing the Taliban takeover two years ago.

But, in a report published on Tuesday to coincide with the anniversary, it said there had been failings in areas including the housing and accommodation, funding and integration of Afghans into local communities.

Despite the promise of Operation Warm Welcome and the speed of its establishment, it is clear that it has not lived up to its potential...The result is that many Afghan families have been let down More In Common

In its research with a small group of refugees, the organisation said they had heard about failures of communication with local authorities and the Home Office on housing, the stress and anxiety of trying to find your own accommodation, the repeated rejection of applications, and unsuitable offers of accommodation being made  either not taking into account job prospects or in areas hundreds of miles away.

One example saw a refugee living in temporary so-called bridging accommodation in Bristol for almost a year offered permanent accommodation in Northern Ireland.

They rejected the offer due to wanting to be near family in Bristol, and had a further 20 applications for properties declined because I dont have the background of renting a house in (the) UK, adding that the financial support provided by Government appeared to make no difference to landlords decisions.

More In Commons survey with 132 Afghans in the UK suggested the majority prioritised housing, financial support and finding a job when asked what extra support they needed for themselves and their families.

The organisation said both its survey and interviews saw local authorities receive the brunt of criticism for the failings of the past two years.

We must ensure that when it comes to future cohorts of Afghan arrivals, or those fleeing conflict and persecution more broadly, what is delivered by the government matches up with the welcoming generosity of spirit the public expect Luke Tryl, More in Common UK director

The report said: Many refugees offers for housing and jobs fell through because local authorities were too slow to react and not agile enough in finding solutions to complex challenges.

It said local authorities had no incentive to act quickly on finding permanent accommodation for Afghans  partly because the government funding model was too slow to give them the tools they needed, and partly because the Home Office was paying for temporary accommodation up until an Afghan refugee presents as homeless as which point the local authority would be liable.

It also suggested that as many as one in five local authorities had opted out of involvement in Afghan resettlement or taken any of the available budget provided by the Government.

In 2021, the Government pledged a significant cross-government effort dubbed Operation Warm Welcome, which was meant to ensure Afghans arriving in the UK receive the vital support they need to rebuild their lives, find work, pursue education and integrate into their local communities.

Since then, while thousands have moved into settled accommodation, many others have remained in hotels, and in recent months were given a deadline by the Government of the end of August to find other accommodation, prompting the Local Government Association to warn of the risks of some families becoming homeless.

The British publics generosity of spirit towards Afghan refugees has not been met by what has so far been delivered by local and national Government More In Common

The More In Common report said: Despite the promise of Operation Warm Welcome and the speed of its establishment, it is clear that it has not lived up to its potential.

The British publics generosity of spirit towards Afghan refugees has not been met by what has so far been delivered by local and national Government.

The result is that many Afghan families have been let down.

The organisation said any future schemes for refugees must include what kind of bridging accommodation is most appropriate and said there should be clear expectations and responsibilities for moving into permanent accommodation, with a tighter timetable for how long this arrangement should last.

The Government should be doing more to set this right Sunder Katwala, director of the think tank British Future

It added that there must be support such as education and employment opportunities, cultural awareness and English lessons to help with integration, saying a failure to properly invest in integration support is clearly a false economy.

More in Common UK director Luke Tryl, said: We must ensure that when it comes to future cohorts of Afghan arrivals, or those fleeing conflict and persecution more broadly, what is delivered by the government matches up with the welcoming generosity of spirit the public expect.

Sunder Katwala, director of the think tank British Future, said: The welcome for many of those evacuated from Afghanistan has been far from warm. Some have spent those last two years in cramped hotel rooms and now face eviction, with uncertainty about what happens next.

The Government should be doing more to set this right. As we mark this second anniversary, it should look again at how to unlock the appetite across British society  from faith groups, military charities and citizens  to play an active part in helping Afghan families settle in Britain.

The Government has previously said it has provided a generous offer to Afghan refugees, backed by 285 million of funding for local authorities, to help families make arrangements to leave their bridging hotels and serviced apartments.

A spokesperson for the Local Government Association (LGA) said councils had worked incredibly hard in the past two years to provide support to Afghan families but that a combination of increased demand, a shortage of housing, and other pressures from asylum and resettlement schemes has made it extremely challenging for the families to find affordable, long-term accommodation in the areas where they want to live.

It accepted there are lessons to be learned to make sure that any future schemes run more smoothly but blamed a delay in funding and guidance from Government for creating a lot of uncertainty about what was needed and expected from councils and said it had raised concerns early on about the need for data-sharing and for close, joint-working between Government and council staff on the ground to enable good planning to take place with families.

A Government spokesperson said it continues to work closely with local authorities and NGOs (non-governmental organisations) on hotel departures in order to speed up the resettlement of Afghans into settled accommodation.

They added: Over 10,500 Afghans so far have been supported out of bridging hotels and into long-term accommodation and we will continue to make offers of suitable housing, which we strongly encourage Afghan families to accept.
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Aid organisations have urged the UK not to abandon Afghanistan as Western allies mark two years since the Taliban retook Kabul.

The Taliban, in a lightning offensive across the country, returned to power in Afghanistan on August 15 2021 as Western forces, including Britain and the US, hurriedly made their withdrawal after a 20-year occupation.

Operation Pitting was the largest evacuation effort Britain has been involved in since the Second World War, with more than 15,000 people taken from Afghanistan to the UK in just over 16 days in August 2021.

Bond, an umbrella body in the UK representing international development organisations, said the Afghan people had been living in a waking nightmare since the return of the fundamentalist Taliban regime.

Our support cannot end because troops left Gideon Rabinowitz, Bond policy and advocacy director

The organisation said more than 80% of the population in the central Asian country is living below the poverty line as the economy continues to contract, jobs vanish and government services crumble.

Gideon Rabinowitz, Bonds policy and advocacy director, said: Families have been plunged into poverty, malnutrition threatens over a million children as food insecurity engulfs the country, and the dreams of millions of women and girls have been shattered as they endure tight restrictions on their freedoms.

The UK and the international community must not abandon Afghanistan. Our support cannot end because troops left.

We urge the UK Government to stay engaged via civil groups on the ground and diplomatic pragmatism while maintaining its commitments to promised UK aid funding and refugee resettlement.

With millions of Afghans fleeing harsh Taliban rule, a cross-party group of MPs have urged Conservative ministers to tackle the slow delivery of its resettlement and assistance programmes.

Afghans have been the most common nationality to arrive on small boats crossing the English Channel in the first half of this year, according to the latest provisional data from the Home Office.

Labours Sarah Champion, chairwoman of the Commons International Development Committee, and Conservative Sir Julian Lewis, chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee, are among 10 MPs to have jointly petitioned immigration minister Robert Jenrick to improve Home Office efforts.

In a letter sent to mark the two-year anniversary, the MPs said they were concerned with both the pace and scale of the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme (ACRS), which they said pledged up to 20,000 places over five years.

But they said just 281 Afghans were brought to the UK via ACRS in the year ending March 2023.

While Afghans wait, we are concerned about the risks they face Cross-party MPs

Not only has delivery been slow, but the remaining places simply do not match up to the number of Afghans eligible for UK protection, leaving thousands of Afghans who supported the allied efforts or have connections to the UK, trapped in the country or neighbouring countries, the MPs said.

While Afghans wait, we are concerned about the risks they face.

The group of MPs, which also includes the SNPs Patrick Grady and Green MP Caroline Lucas, called for Mr Jenrick to increase ACRS places by at least 6,500 and to open a delayed family reunion mechanism to allow those left behind after the evacuation to be swiftly reunited with their family in the UK.

The former diplomat Sir Laurie Bristow, who was serving as UK ambassador to Afghanistan when Kabul fell, also told The Daily Telegraph newspaper that Britain had an obligation to help those Afghans who had supported allied efforts in their country before the Talibans return.

A Government spokeswoman said the UK had made one of the largest commitments of any country to support Afghanistan.

We have so far welcomed over 9,113 individuals under ACRS. It will provide up to 20,000 people affected by events in Afghanistan and the region with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK Government spokeswoman

She said: The ACRS is one of the boldest resettlement schemes in the UKs history and is designed to support those who have assisted UK efforts in Afghanistan and stood up for UK values, as well as vulnerable people.

We have so far welcomed over 9,113 individuals under ACRS. It will provide up to 20,000 people affected by events in Afghanistan and the region with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK.

We continue to work to deliver on our commitments to the people of Afghanistan.

To mark the two-year anniversary, there is a protest scheduled on Tuesday morning in London to demonstrate against Taliban rule.

The Afghanistan and Central Asian Association has organised a peaceful protest outside Parliament, with the gathering expected to include British Afghans in the UK, activists, students and academics.

Tobias Ellwood, the Tory chairman of the Defence Select Committee, is due to speak at an event in the evening organised by the same organisation.

The former defence minister is facing a no-confidence motion as committee chairman after publishing a video claiming that Afghanistan has improved since the Taliban regained power.

Last month, he apologised in the face of a backlash from members of his own committee after claiming that security in Afghanistan has vastly improved and corruption is down since the fundamentalists returned in 2021.

Mr Ellwood, following a visit to the war-torn nation, called for Britain to reopen its embassy in Kabul, following on from the European Union re-establishing a physical presence in the territory last year.

The veteran later deleted his video report from Helmand province, which was praised as positive by the Taliban, from social media and expressed regret over its recording.
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Breakfast cereals and yoghurts containing high amounts of sugar should remove any packaging that appeals to children, a health group has said.

Action on Sugar called for the removal of such packaging on products graded as high or medium for sugars, salt or saturated fat, based on the Department for Healths nutrition guidelines.

Research by the group, based at Queen Mary University of London, compared cereals and yoghurts offered by different companies in the UK.

It found 47% of cereals and 65% of yogurts contained a third of the maximum sugar recommendation for a four to six-year-old per 100g.

Of these, products by supermarket chains Lidl and Aldi and international brand Nestle had the highest average sugar levels with packaging targeted at children.

The packaging includes cartoon characters, animations, vibrant colours and familiar characters intentionally designed to attract the attention of a child.

By contrast, healthier products tend to be sold in more plain packaging targeted towards adults.

Only nine cereals and six yogurts in the research were found low in sugars.

Lidl announced in 2020 that it would remove cartoon characters from all its own-brand cereal packaging in Britain.

Breakfast cereals and yoghurts saw significant reductions in sugar levels between 2015 and 2020, at 14.9% and 13.5% respectively.

But the Sugar Reduction Programme announced in the Governments obesity plan in 2016 set a target of 20% in that timeframe.

Dr Kawther Hashem, campaign lead at Action on Sugar, said: Its ludicrous that whilst breakfast cereals and yogurts celebrate the largest reductions in sugars during the Sugar Reduction Programme, those same products with child-appealing packaging still have excessive amounts of sugars, unsuitable for regular intake by children.

Given the soaring numbers of under-18s suffering weight-related health problems and tooth decay being the leading cause of child hospitalisation, now is the time for companies to be forced to remove child-appealing packaging from products that are misleading parents and making our children unhealthy and sick.

A spokesperson for Nestle said: We are committed to developing food and drink products that are tasty, nutritious and more sustainable. We offer a broad portfolio of cereals and yoghurts to meet consumer demand and ensure there is an option to suit everybody.

Since 2003, Nestle Cereals embarked on a significant and consistent work of reformulation meaning 84% of the portfolio is now classed as not high in fat, salt and sugar (non-HFSS) according to the UK Governments nutrient profiling model.

That is 18 products within our cereal portfolio in the UK that are non-HFSS and contain no red traffic lights. Our yoghurt portfolio has also made significant steps in reformulation and has seen a reduction of 20 per cent of sugar across our products.

Aldi said it was committed to reducing sugar in key areas that lead to childrens sugar intake as part of its work to tackle obesity among children.

The company added that defining packaging with vibrant colours as appealing to children was misleading and had led to skewed results.
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Sir Keir Starmer has said his party aims to smash the class ceiling which holds working people back, pledging a new deal to strengthen workers rights.

The Labour leader said he recognised that many working class people remained unconvinced his party offered a way forward.

He wrote in The Scotsman newspaper ahead of a visit to Rutherglen and Hamilton West, where a by-election will take place.

On Tuesday, he and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar will hold an in conversation event in the constituency alongside their candidate Michael Shanks.

His article reflected on his own familys experiences and said many Scots he has spoken to had also lost faith in politics and Britain itself.

Sir Keir wrote: Can you look around your community today and say, with the certainty you deserve, that the future will be better for your children?

Working people I speak with have their doubts  and thats putting it mildly. From Kirkcaldy to Glasgow, Inverness to Rutherglen, they all tell me how little trust they have in politics to change things for them.

And, if Im totally frank, this extends to my Labour Party.

Countless people tell me they support Labour values. Yet they remain unconvinced that we  or, for that matter, Britain itself  still offer the way forward for Scotland or their community.

And it means striking a new deal that will strengthen workers rights and finally make work pay. No more zero hour contracts, no more fire and rehire, and a real living wage for everyone.

That is how a Labour Government in Westminster can secure growth that works for Scotland.

For me, smashing the 'class ceiling' that holds working people back is our defining purpose Sir Keir Starmer

Sir Keir said his political project was to reconnect Labour with its working class roots.

He continued: There may have been times in the recent past where Labour was afraid to speak the language of class at all  but not my Labour Party.

No, for me, smashing the class ceiling that holds working people back is our defining purpose.

On Monday, Sir Keir played down assertions of a division between Scottish Labour and the party at Westminster.

Mr Sarwar has said he would press a Labour government to drop the two-child benefit cap.

Sir Keir said: Anas and I have got a very, very strong working relationship.

So anybody whos trying to find division is going to have a very, very long search.

Ahead of the visit, the SNP hit out at Labours pro-Brexit and pro-austerity policies.

Speaking to BBC Scotlands Good Morning Scotland programme on Tuesday, the partys deputy leader, Keith Brown, called Labours campaign an unfolding disaster.

He said: What theyre offering is the same as the Tories. Its austerity, its Brexit, its the biggest fall in living standards in a generation.

What we would be offering is a chance for Scotland to say: no this has to stop.

Depute Westminster leader Mhairi Black said: Sir Keir Starmer ought to be embarrassed campaigning for a so-called fresh start in Scotland.

The Labour leader has publicly signed up to a Tory manifesto for the status quo  more Westminster austerity, more economic carnage and more misery for Scottish households.

During his trip to Scotland, Sir Keir must answer what a fresh start means for Scotland and for Rutherglen and Hamilton West  which has been hammered by Brexit to the tune of 156 million and where almost 1,500 households are affected by the two-child cap.

We can no doubt expect more hollow words and empty promises from the pro-Brexit and pro-austerity Labour leader.

Even his own candidate cant back his plans to stick with Westminsters cruel two-child cap and pro-Brexit agenda.
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Young people must be put at the heart of the inquiry into the UKs handling of the coronavirus pandemic, the Childrens Commissioner has told its chairwoman.

Dame Rachel de Souza said children have expressed to her the long-term impact the pandemic has had on their wellbeing and happiness.

She has written to Baroness Heather Hallett, urging her to put children at the centre of the UK Covid-19 Inquirys work and ensure they are prioritised.

It comes in the same week as more than 40 of the UKs leading childrens charities and child development experts issued a warning to the inquiry chairwoman about unacceptable delays in taking evidence from children on lockdown and its effects.

During the pandemic children across the country sacrificed so much to keep us all safe Children's Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza

The letter from the Childrens Commissioner, first reported by the Daily Telegraph, has not been published.

But in a statement accompanying it, Dame Rachel said: As Childrens Commissioner, it is my job to ensure that childrens voices, views and experiences are heard by policymakers, Government and the Covid inquiry.

During the pandemic children across the country sacrificed so much to keep us all safe.

Children and young people have told me how lonely they felt, how much they missed school, seeing their friends and socialising. Now, they continue to tell me about a long-term impact the pandemic has on their wellbeing and happiness.

Thats why I have I have called on the chair of the Covid inquiry to ensure that it has children and young peoples views and voices at the heart and centre of everything they do.

I will continue to call for the inquiry to recognise the pandemics impact on children and make sure we are prioritising them in recovery.

Baroness Hallett is committed to investigating the impacts on children and young people, an inquiry spokesman said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Save the Children UK, the NSPCC and the National Childrens Bureau were among those who signed an open letter in recent days asking Baroness Hallett to commission experts to start recording childrens experiences.

Dan Paskins, director of UK impact at Save the Children, said: Children are being silenced by this inquiry.

The organisations complained that the inquirys Every Story Matters campaign, which allows people to share stories of their experiences of the pandemic, is only open to those aged 18 and over.

They called on the inquiry to publicly commit to hearing from children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds or those who experience other inequalities or discrimination, and use this research to inform the scope of a childrens module.

The inquiry is expected to announce the next 12 months of investigations in early 2024, with future investigations expected to cover education, children and young people.

A spokesman for the inquiry said: Inquiry chair Baroness Hallett is committed to investigating the impacts on children and young people  including health, wellbeing and social care. It is one of a number of topics which the inquiry must investigate that are set out in our terms of reference.
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Norfolk and Suffolk Police have admitted to a major data breach after it was revealed that the personal details of 1,230 people  including victims of crime and witnesses  were mistakenly included in Freedom of Information (FOI) responses.

The constabularies issued a joint statement explaining they had identified an issue with a very small percentage of responses to FOI requests for crime statistics between April 2021 and March 2022.

Raw data relating to crime reports was included in the FOI responses, including identifiable information on victims, witnesses, and suspects, as well as descriptions of offences.

It related to a range of offences, including domestic incidents, sexual offences, assaults, thefts and hate crime, the constabularies said in their joint statement.

The data was not obviously visible to anyone opening the files, but it should not have been included, the police forces said.

They added that the hidden data would not have been immediately obvious and anyone who had the FOI response would have needed to know how to access the information.

The police are currently notifying those whose data was breached, with a total of 1,230 people being contacted via mail, telephone or face-to-face depending on the severity of the breach.

Within the notification, people will be provided with all the necessary information including what personal data specific to them has been impacted and details of who they can contact for support, the statement read.

Assistant Chief Constable of Suffolk Police, Eamonn Bridger, apologised for the leak, adding that procedures for handling FoI requests made to the constabularies are subject to continuous review to ensure that all data under the constabularies control is properly protected.

The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) said it was currently investigating this breach as well as a separate breach reported in November last year.

Dame Vera Baird, the former victims commissioner, told The Independent that the breach was appalling and shocking. Dame Vera said she was not reassured by the police saying someone would have needed to know how to access the information.

There are people who know how to access data once its out there, so the risk is obvious, she said. We dont know if it is the worst-case scenario  we hope it wont be  but its a tremble to public confidence.

Former Victims Commissioner Dame Vera Baird called breach shocking (Getty)

Victims and witnesses are entitled to anonymity, so confidence is being breached. It can take a great deal of courage to come forward, so even the idea your details could be out there is very frighting. It could be a deterrent to people coming forward.

While the breach involved statistics between April 2021 and March 2022, the former victims commissioner said the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) would want to examine whether any ongoing cases had been compromised by the data breach. They will be very anxious about victims frightened from coming [to court].

She added: You cant exclude the possibility the IOPC [Independent Office for Police Conduct] or even the CPS would want to look at this, but we will have to wait and see just how serious it is.

The Independent understands Suffolk and Norfolk approached IOPC about the data breach, but the organisation said there would have to be a formal complaint about an officers conduct before it could investigate. The CPS said it would not be commenting on the data breach.

Police Service of Northern Ireland chief constable Simon Byrne shared details of data leak (PA)

This leak comes just days after a major data breach involving personal details of every officer of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) triggered fears for their safety.

Deputy chief constable Chris Todd confirmed the names, ranks, and other personal data for each of our current employees across the police service had been mistakenly divulged in response to a routine FoI request.

The data was posted on the site WhatDoTheyKnow for a short period of time before being taken down. Mr Todd said the severe terrorist threat facing PSNI officers has made news of the extensive data breach the last thing that anybody in the organisation wants to be hearing.

PSNI chief constable Simon Byrne said he is confident that information on police officers and civilian staff mistakenly was in the hands of dissident republicans. At a press conference in Belfast, Mr Byrne said he believed they would use the information to intimidate and target police.

Alistair Carmichael MP, Liberal Democrats home affairs spokesperson, called on home secretary Suella Braverman to conduct an urgent review of data handling across all police forces.

Two data breaches in less than two months is simply unacceptable, he said. These errors can have chilling real-life consequences, and its disturbing to think that it is becoming routine.
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Three people suspected of spying for Russia have been arrested in Britain as part of an Official Secrets Act investigation.

Two men and a woman have been charged with possessing false identity documents, said to include passports for multiple countries, with improper intention and remain in custody ahead of trial.

The Metropolitan Police said it arrested five people by counter-terrorism police as part of the espionage probe on 8 February, across different parts of London and Norfolk.

Orlin Roussev, 45, of Great Yarmouth, Biser Dzambazov, 42, of Harrow, and Katrin Ivanova, 31, also of Harrow, were later charged with the document offences.

All three defendants are Bulgarian nationals who are suspected of spying for Russia, the BBC reported.

Dzambazov and Ivanova were a couple, neighbours said (Facebook)

The documents allegedly include passports, identity cards and other documents for countries including the UK, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Spain, Greece and the Czech Republic.

They appeared at Londons Old Bailey on 31 July and were remanded in custody ahead of a trial at a future date, which has not yet been set.

Another man and woman arrested in London as part of the Official Secrets Act were released on bail in February and are due to return next month, as enquiries continue.

The three individuals who have been charged are reported to have lived in the UK for years, having held various jobs.

Mr Roussev, whose most recent address is a guesthouse in Great Yarmouth, claims on LinkedIn that he previously served as an adviser to the Bulgarian energy minister.

Orlin Roussev, of Great Yarmouth, is third defendant in case (Sourced)

Upon then moving to the UK, reportedly in 2009, he spent three years as chief technical officer at a financial services firm, and lists himself as having owned a firm involved in AI and advanced communications systems for the past 10 years.

Neighbours in Harrow described Ms Ivanova and Mr Dzhambazov as a couple, with the latter said to be a driver for hospitals, according to the BBC.

Ms Ivanova works as a laboratory assistant for a private healthcare firm, according to LinkedIn, which states she has been in the UK since at least 2013.

The pair ran a community organisation providing services to Bulgarian people, including familiarising them with the "culture and norms of British society, and according to Bulgarian state documents worked for electoral commissions in London helping Bulgarian expats to vote, the BBC reported.

The security services have said an increasing portion of their work is taken up by hostile state threats, and Russia has been a particular focus since the attempted assassination of Sergei Skripal in 2018.

Dzambazov and Ivanova lived in Harrow, pictured (Google Streetview)

The former double agent and his daughter survived the initial attack in Salisbury, but a perfume bottle filled with novichok later caused the death of local woman Dawn Sturgess.

Giving his most recent annual threat update, the head of MI5 said the agency was working intensively to make the UK the hardest possible operating environment for Russian covert action.

Director general Ken McCallum added: Well need to keep at it: alongside assassination attempts, the Russian covert toolkit includes cyber attacks, disinformation, espionage, democratic interference, and the use of Putin-aligned oligarchs and others as tools for influence.

Launching the governments new counter-terrorism strategy last month, home secretary Suella Braverman called Russia Britains most pressing national security priority.
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The devastated mother of a 10-year-old whose death has sparked a murder investigation in Surrey has paid tribute to the amazing girl.

The child, who has been named as Sara Sharif, was found alone in the early hours of Thursday morning when police arrived at an address in Horsell village near Woking.

Surrey Police are trying to find three identified people who were known to Sara although it is believed the trio have left the country.

Locals left flowers outside a property on Hammond Road in Horsell, Surrey, where a 10-year-old girl was found dead (PA Wire)

Saras mother Olga Sharif said she did not have custody of her daughter and learned of her death from a phone call with officers.

My life will never be the same again. Sara should be with me right now. She was too young. Sara was an amazing child, she told The Sun.

Mrs Sharif added that she had only seen Sara and her 13-year-old son, Saras brother, two times in four years after losing a custody battle in 2019.

Mrs Sharif said she wants to move back to her native Poland and bury her daughter there.

She said she bonded with Sara over a shared love of Frozen and Disney films.

She would walk in and say, Mum, look how pretty I look, she told The Sun.

She would tell me that I want to be like Mummy. She was like a younger version of me - but much prettier than her mum.

Surrey Police have said they believe the three people they wish to speak to left the country last Wednesday, one day before the child was discovered at the house.

A well wisher leaves flowers outside a property on Hammond Road in Woking (Jonathan Brady/PA Wire)

A police spokesman said: Inquiries are ongoing to locate the three identified people we would like to speak to in connection with our investigation into the death of a 10-year-old girl in Woking.

Detectives have confirmed that no other people were present at the address when they attended in the early hours of Thursday morning.

The three people they would like to speak to were known to the victim.

A post-mortem examination is due to take place on Tuesday afternoon.

Last week, there was a heavy police presence at the semi-detached property on Hammond Road and neighbours said that a Pakistani family with six very young children had moved into the house in April.

Surrey Police, which did not give any further information about the victim or the three people, said officers are still at the address and that no arrests have yet been made.

Saras father has been named by The Sun as Ufran Sharif, a taxi driver who lived in Horsell with his new wife and children.
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A man living in the UK has spoken of going into crisis mode trying to locate his mother and brother after their homes were destroyed in the wildfires in Hawaii.

The death toll from the fires now stands at 99, with hundreds of people still missing.

Stephen Lee, who is originally from California but is now resident in the UK, was one of thousands of people seeking confirmation of safety of their loved ones as the blaze tore through the Lahaina area of west Maui.

His mother Dolores and brother Eric have been living in Lahaina for more than 10 and 15 years respectively.

Mr Lee said that when he first heard news of the fires, he was not immediately concerned as they occur with some frequency in the area, but his mood changed as he realised the true extent of the disaster.

It's such a community-driven culture, it's a family-first culture, and all the aid has been remarkable Stephen Lee

He said: I started getting text messages from friends and then I turn on the news and I was just like, oh my God, I cannot believe whats happening.

That was a little bit later on Wednesday (August 9), when I was working and I was just full-on, operation get in contact with my mum and brother, frantically calling my brother. I mean, it was at least 100 calls.

Unable to get hold of his family, Mr Lee said: Thats when my concern was heightened. I was a little bit more in panic mode.

I wasnt able to get in contact with my brother that whole first day until that night. Thats when I found out that Lahaina was completely destroyed.

When he was able to speak to his brother, Mr Lee found he was fine but was in crisis mode as they both attempted to confirm the whereabouts of their mother.

Your mind goes really dark. You think of the worst case scenario, he said.

Earlier this week, governor of Hawaii Josh Green said that as phone services on the island had been restored, the number of people missing had fallen from more than 2,000 to around 1,300.

In his efforts to locate his mother, Mr Lee said he used Facebook groups that were posting handwritten lists of people that had been rescued from areas hit by the fires.

Your mind is racing, you go to a really dark place and you just want to think as pragmatic and as solution-based as possible, he said.

You get a crash course in crisis management real quick. Theres no time to be emotional but just need to apply action, based on all the limited information you have and hope that thats the right move, and it was very dark.

Im just one of many families who are in this situation. Where they are on an island, who have been completely displaced and lost everything.

In the early hours of Friday, Mr Lee received confirmation that his mother is safe, and had been taken in by a local volunteer.

He said the community on the island had come together to help those impacted by the fires.

Thats just a testament that I want to really reiterate here, about a sense of aloha spirit, youre going to hear a lot of this talked about, he said.

People that have been to Hawaii before, have been grateful enough to go to these beautiful islands, will know what that feeling is like within the first five minutes of stepping off the plane.

The sense of aloha and the art of practising aloha means having an open heart, having an open mind, showing kindness through action, and choosing to love in every moment, and behaving with love, and respect for others.

Its no wonder why what you see right now shouldnt be any surprise for at least myself and for others, because its such a community-driven culture, its a family-first culture, and all the aid has been remarkable.

Mr Lee has started a GoFundMe page to raise money for his mother and brother, whose home he said has been reduced to ash.

Its just what you would see at the end of a fireplace, it was just ash, there was nothing standing aside from a few bricks and so they have absolutely nothing.

They have the clothes on their back, and a few donations from close friends in the terms of change of clothes.

Its the closest thing I have a familiarity that I would consider home outside of the UK, and when you close your eyes and you think of your happiest place on earth, it was Lahaina, it was West Maui.

And now to think  the state of shock and turmoil and destruction that this fire has caused, it just leaves you with a really sick feeling in your stomach.

Being so distant and feeling so powerless, its my duty and responsibility, I feel, to create this GoFundMe and generate a sense of urgency, to help fund my mum and my brother who have completely lost everything, to give them the highest probable chance and restart a life that now has been lost.

The GoFundMe page is available at https://gofund.me/5c375ea4
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Days after the Taliban retook Kabul in August 2021, Abdullah, his heavily-pregnant wife, Zahra, and their two young children went into hiding, locking the door of their house and rationing out the supplies they had left inside.

The couple were well-known targets to the Taliban: they had both worked in prominent positions within the office of the now-former president Ashraf Ghani and had been involved in peace-building charity work. Though the UK government had launched Operation Pitting and the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap), the Ghulam family, who had not worked with or alongside the British government, were ineligible for evacuation through either scheme.

We did not know what will happen to us. We were hoping peace would come to Afghanistan, but now I know this was a dream; it is not a reality any more, Abdullah tells The Independent.

When the Taliban began raiding homes nearby, looting, kidnapping and killing those they deemed infidels, the couple knew they could not wait for assistance: they needed to leave immediately. They can kill, they can put us in a prison, they can harm us, they can do anything they like to us, Abdullah says.

Fleeing over the border to Iran, through Turkey and on to Greece before barrelling northwest, the family was among the first to arrive in northern France following the Taliban takeover. In December 2021, the Ghulam family  by then with two children aged under five, one with a rare form of multiple sclerosis, and a newborn baby  boarded a boat near Dunkirk bound for the UK.

We did not know what will happen to us. We were hoping peace would come to Afghanistan, but now I know this was a dream; it is not a reality any more, Abdullah says.

At the time of their crossing, Afghans were among the top two nationalities, alongside Albanians, who crossed by small boat, with 1,437 Afghans arrivals in 2021, rising sharply to 8,633 arrivals in 2022.

By the end of last year, more than 9,000 Afghans were still languishing in hotels across the UK. Among them were the Ghulams, who remained in hotel accommodation in the northwest of England for over a year.

We really suffered there, Zahra says. My children stopped eating for three months and everybody lost weight. We asked the doctor but nobody help us. The food in the hotel lacked nutrition, Zahra says,  typically rice, pizza or pasta  resulting in Zahras breastmilk drying up.

One day, Zahra asked the hotel manager for help arranging transport to the hospital for their child who has a disability requiring regular treatment. A staff member began shouting at her and told her to leave the hotel. When Abdullah heard, he was furious. I was in shock. I asked for CCTV footage because I wanted evidence of the disrespectful behaviour, he says. After this, my wife and children stay in the room for one month without wanting to leave. They did not feel safe any more.

The Afghan pilot hero fighting to stay in the UK

The incident at the hotel saw a deterioration in Abdullahs mental health, resulting in panic attacks, disorientation and insomnia, for which he is now receiving medication. Just a few months before, I was managing hundreds of people and here I was, with the hotel manager behaving like this to my family and in front of other migrant people. It brought me great shame. We had a high standard of living in Afghanistan; now it is very low. This is not what we thought from life in the UK.

Despite claiming asylum over 18 months ago, Abdullah and Zahra, who is once again pregnant, are still waiting for an answer from the Home Office. We provide the documents, everything, and the case is so straightforward but still they dont give us an answer, Zahra says. This is having a negative impact on our unborn baby  at one time, her heart signals werent picked up, we were so scared.

Earlier this year the Ghulam family was moved to dispersal accommodation in an ex-mining village, in the north of England, 50 minutes by bus to the nearest city centre. Finding halal meat has been difficult, and Zahra remains isolated in the house most of the day with her children while Abdullah, desperate to work, has struggled to secure a job.

I cannot find work  this has a big impact on me. When I apply for work, they accept me, but then when they heard I am an asylum seeker, they step back. This makes it harder.

Last month, Cabinet Office minister Johnny Mercer confirmed that Afghans housed in hotels had been served eviction notices, telling parliament the government expects Afghan families to help themselves by finding their own accommodation. Campaigners and opposition frontbenchers warned that the mass evictions could result in hundreds of Afghans left without anywhere to go and destitute this summer, with a fifth of those who have already been turfed out already presenting as homeless to councils, according to the Local Government Association.

Afghan refugees evicted from hotel accommodation are now presenting to councils as homeless, the Local Government Association said (Dominic Lipinski/PA) (PA Archive)

Shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock said: Yet more poor planning from the Home Office has left Afghans on a cliff edge, causing enormous stress to vulnerable families while putting huge pressure on local authorities who are now having to scrabble around to find private accommodation at short notice. Its not good enough and this chaotic Conservative government should be ashamed.

Mr Kinnock described the governments record on resettlement as an unforgivable failure. The latest Home Office figures show that, while 12,694 individuals have been granted leave to remain under Arap and a second Afghan scheme, the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme, only 14 of these grants were for ACRS Pathway 3, which includes former Afghan interpreters and security guards.

A Home Office spokesperson said: We remain committed to providing protection to vulnerable and at-risk people fleeing Afghanistan and so far we have brought around 24,500 people impacted by the situation back to the UK. More broadly, between 2015 and 2022, we have offered a place to almost half a million people seeking safety through our safe and legal humanitarian routes. Those in need of protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach, which is often close to the region or in a neighbouring country.

Abdullah and Zahra are now looking to the future, hopeful they can settle, and waiting desperately for news from the Home Office. Living in uncertainty is very stressful, very painful, Abdullah says. We want only to live here in peace, to have an answer for our future.
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The Afghan pilot threatened with deportation to Rwanda has called on Rishi Sunak to keep the promise the government made to its Afghan allies who fought alongside British troops.

The emotional plea comes as thousands of heroic Afghans remain trapped under Taliban rule two years to the day Kabul fell.

Speaking in an on-camera interview for the first time, the pilot told The Independent he had expected the warm welcome of British officials when he finally arrived on the Kent coast last year.

Instead, he was served with a notice of intent informing him that the Home Office planned to deport him.

The Afghan pilot called on government to help his family flee Afghanistan in his first on-camera interview (The Independent )

The air force lieutenant, who flew 30 combat missions against terrorist threats, said he and his colleagues were given assurances by their superiors that they would be guaranteed safety due to their work.

But the help never came. Instead, his personal details and those of other war heroes were left in their offices for the Taliban to find. Fearing for his life, he fled Afghanistan after his wife urged him to run before he was killed.

She [my wife] said, you have to leave. You have to leave and I will be here. So, I will put you in Gods hands, and God will bless you. So go.

The pilot called on the prime minister to act now and honour the commitment the government made to those who helped Britain.

He said: Again, I want to ask, kindly, for the officials, the prime minister, to keep the promise of friendship and cooperation that you made to the Afghan people, especially to Afghan forces.

I fought against the Taliban, and I left my family, and I hope that the British government help with my family to get them out from Afghanistan.

Sign The Independents petition calling for UK to support Afghan war heroes who served alongside Britain

Senior military figures, politicians and charities have backed The Independents campaign for the pilot to get asylum in the UK. Dozens have expressed outrage at the Home Offices threat to deport the pilot to Rwanda but there has, so far, been no movement on his case in the UK.

US officials have pledged to look into whether he can be offered sanctuary in the States, with President Bidens spokesperson saying they wanted to make sure that we take care of the folks who helped us during the longest war in this country. But there is no timeframe for a decision.

His case has brought others to light, including that of an Afghan colonel who fought alongside British troops in Helmand province and an intelligence analyst who played a key role in helping the British military in Kabul. Both have been threatened with deportation after fleeing to the UK on a small boat because they could find no other legal way to come here.

It comes as around 18,000 applications for Afghans who say they worked alongside British troops are still waiting to be processed under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap). And 3,400 Afghan men, women and children who have already been approved for relocation under the scheme remain stranded in Afghanistan or Pakistan.

The airman fled to the UK on a small boat (Getty/The Independent)

Veterans minister, Johnny Mercer, today pledged to make resettlement schemes for Afghans in the UK work properly, as humanitarian groups branded them too slow. But the government has failed to provide details of how it will do that and refused to say when it would restart flights to bring those still stranded overseas back to the UK.

A UK government spokesperson said: The Arap scheme was established for a defined cohort of Afghans who had worked directly for, or with, the UK armed forces. We have already relocated more than 12,200 Afghans under Arap and continue working to bring all those people eligible to safety in the UK.

We understand the desire of Afghans now seeking to leave their country, however, we cannot support all former members of the Afghan security forces, who number in the hundreds of thousands.
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The UK is facing a dramatic rise in bed bug infestations - and the cost-of-living crisis is to blame.

Pest control company Rentokil has reportedly highlighted a 65 per cent increase year-on-year in infestations across the country, as experts suggested this could be due to more people buying secondhand furniture from resale websites such as eBay and Facebook marketplace.

Professor James Logan, from the London School of Tropical Medicine, told The Telegraph that the rise could also be linked to travel and tourism returning to pre-pandemic levels, adding that its very likely that there will be bed bugs on the move much more again and travelling in peoples suitcases.

These bloodsucking bugs will usually hide in bed frames, mattresses, clothing, or under loose wallpaper, during the day, and bite people at night.

In case of a severe infestation, the bugs will also crawl into electronic devices kept close to the bed, such as televisions or plug sockets, since they prefer warm hiding places.

The most common type of bed bug in the UK, the cimex lectularius, can survive on household pets and rodents. These parasitic insects can also be spread by birds, and have been shown to travel over 100 feet in a night, but usually live within eight feet of where people sleep.

Their bites appear as red, swollen, and itchy spots on the skin, and can sometimes cause a severe allergic reaction, according to the National Health Services guidance.

Bed bug bites will usually subside on their own within a week, but putting something cool on the affected areas (usually exposed skin like the face, neck, or arms), can help with the itching and swelling.

According to the US Center for Disease Control, bed bugs can hide in peoples luggage or overnight bags as most travellers dont realise theyre transporting the critters.

Once a mating pair ends up in someones bed, they can reportedly breed thousands of eggs within a matter of weeks.

Dealing with these infestations can be quite expensive for hotels and other accommodation providers, professor Logan told the newspaper, noting it costs hundreds of pounds just to get someone to come out and have a look during an infestation and it can be very costly because the treatments might not work the first time.

An earlier study found that bed bugs were becoming resistant to commonly used pesticides, making it more difficult to get rid off them.

Signs of an infestation include blood spots on sheets or bedding from bites or from squashing a bug.

If you think your home has bed bugs, the NHS advises contacting your local council or a pest controller. Ensuring your home is clutter-free and regularly cleaned can help minimise the risk of an infestation.

The health service also recommends thoroughly checking any secondhand furniture or luggage for bugs before bringing them inside the house.
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Police have launched an urgent appeal after a woman and her toddler were reported missing from Essex.

Natasha Gill, 20, and her one-year-old son, Thaddeus, were last seen on 13 August in Basildon. They were seen leaving an address at around 8pm on Sunday evening.

Ms Gill was last seen wearing a grey top with red lines on the sleeves, brown jogging bottoms, and blue and white trainers. She was carrying a large grey suitcase and Thaddeus was in a pram.

Essex Police have asked for the publics help to find the mother and son. Ms Gill also has connections to Barking in London.

If you see them or have any information on their whereabouts, call 999 quoting incident 1216 of 13 August.
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Royal Air Force jets intercepted Russian bombers just north of Scotland, the government has said.

Typhoon fighters were scrambled to intercept two Russian long-range maritime patrol bombers that were travelling north of the Shetland Islands in Scotland in the early hours of Monday.

The jets, which were launched from RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, monitored the Russian Tu-142 Bear-F and Tu-142 Bear-J aircraft  used for reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare  as they passed north of the UK.

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A Voyager tanker was also scrambled and remained airborne for the duration of the mission to offer air-to-air refuelling, according to the Ministry of Defence.

Armed forces minister James Heappey said: RAF crews at Lossiemouth maintain a constant watch over UK airspace and are always ready to take action at a moments notice to keep our country safe.

Pilots launched in their Typhoon jets to intercept two Russian long-range bombers this morning, monitoring them as they passed north of the Shetland Islands, ready to counter any potential threat to UK territory.

The lead RAF Typhoon pilot in Mondays intercept, whose name was not given by the MoD, said the adrenaline kicked in when the alarm call came in the early hours of the morning.

Russian military aircraft entering the UK Flight Information Region, the UKs controlled zone of international air space, can pose a hazard to other aircraft, the MoD added.

An official from the ministry said such Russian aircraft often do not talk to air traffic control and refuse to squawk, which refers to a broadcast code used by pilots to ensure they are visible to other air users and air traffic controllers on the ground.

At no point did the Russian aircraft enter UK airspace, and the Typhoons have now returned to their base.

These incidents are known as quick reaction alerts and involve Typhoon jets shadowing rogue aircraft if they approach UK airspace.

In November 2021, Typhoons were launched to intercept a pair of Russian Tu-160 bombers as they were operating within Natos air policing area.

The lead RAF Typhoon pilot in Mondays intercept, whose name was not given by the MoD, said the adrenaline kicked in when the alarm call came in the early hours of the morning (MoD/Crown Copyright/PA)

British pilots also recently led Natos air policing mission in Estonia, where more than 50 similar air intercepts were carried out, the government added.

The latest operation came as the Danish air force intercepted two Russian bombers that were identified over Denmark and flying towards the area that the Netherlands monitors for the Nato military alliance, the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) said on Monday.

It added that Dutch F-16s were called into action on Monday morning but the Russian bombers were intercepted before they could enter Dutch Nato airspace and have now turned back.

A spokesperson for the RNLAF said that planes are intercepted if they do not have a unique identifying code, did not provide a flight plan, and if there is no two-way conversation.

They also said that its not rare for Russian planes to violate a European countrys airspace or approach it.

Earlier on Monday, Russia said its strategic bombers had carried out routine flights over international waters in the Arctic.

Additional reporting by agencies
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A minister said he is determined to make resettlement schemes for Afghans in the UK work properly, as humanitarian groups branded them too slow and suggested people desperately fleeing the Taliban have felt forced to make dangerous Channel crossings instead.

Cabinet Office minister Johnny Mercer, who served in Afghanistan during his time in the military, acknowledged some people had been left behind after the Taliban takeover in August 2021 and still have not been brought to safety in Britain two years on.

Speaking to the PA news agency on the anniversary of Op Pitting  the largest evacuation effort Britain has been involved in since the Second World War  he said the UK should be proud of the efforts to rescue and resettle people in the wake of the chaotic withdrawal of Western forces from the country.

But, in the face of criticism from charities and humanitarian organisations that resettlement schemes are not working well and that some refugees who have been brought to the UK have spent their time in hotels, he also acknowledged that things could have been done differently.

Afghans have been the most common nationality to arrive on small boats crossing the English Channel in the first half of this year, according to the latest provisional data from the Home Office.

Six people died and at least 58  many of them Afghans  were rescued after a boat got into difficulty in the Channel off the coast of France on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) have been marked by significant delays, lack of transparency, and lack of consistency according to the cross-party law reform and human rights organisation Justice.

In a report published on Tuesday, it recommended improvements to the schemes which were set up to allow Afghans to resettle in the UK, including quicker processing times, clarifying how the schemes work, and better communication with applicants.

Last month, Armed Forces minister James Heappey confirmed that while over 141,000 applications had been made to ARAP  which was launched in April 2021 for those Afghans who worked for or with the UK Government in Afghanistan  around 12,200 eligible individuals and their family members had been brought to safety in the UK under the scheme.

We've ended up where we've ended up, with Afghan families in hotels for far too long. So, look, things could always have been done differently Johnny Mercer

The ACRS, which is split into three pathways, had seen just 54 people resettled by March this year under the two options which cover vulnerable refugees referred by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and those who supported the UK and international community efforts or are particularly vulnerable, such as women and girls.

Its other pathway, focused on those who arrived in the UK under the evacuation programme, saw 9,059 people resettled up to March.

Fresh figures on the numbers resettled under the schemes are expected later this month.

Mr Mercer told PA: I accept that there are people in Afghanistan at the moment that we have a duty to who are not in the UK, who I want to see in the UK.

He said he is determined to make the resettlement schemes work properly, accepting the challenges with both those schemes, but added that they come under the Home Office and his remit is to focus on those who have already been brought to the UK and ensuring they are moved from hotels into communities.

He said he is very clear, from a personal perspective, as to what we owe these people and insisted he is determined that this Government will get it right when it comes to what we owe these people.

Numerous at-risk Afghans, including those who previously collaborated with British authorities in Kabul, lack a secure path to the UK. This situation has driven many to resort to dangerous Channel crossings in small boats Dr Nooralhaq Nasimi, ACAA

Asked if the Government had got it right to date, he said: Clearly, hotels are not long-term accommodation options for Afghans and their families. I mean, some of them have had a very, very difficult experience. I recognise that. Ive visited a lot of them myself.

It was never the intention (for them to stay in hotels). The reality is that weve had to deal with the situation as we found it. Theres been a longstanding challenge around housing in this country and thats collided with the reality of a very quick collapse in Afghanistan. And weve ended up where weve ended up, with Afghan families in hotels for far too long. So, look, things could always have been done differently.

The Local Government Association said earlier this month that as many as a fifth of Afghan refugees in some parts of England who have been evicted from hotel accommodation had presented to councils as homeless, therefore needing temporary accommodation.

Mr Mercer said the deadline for people to leave hotels by the end of August had been a controversial move but said it was done with compassion in mind and I think its proved its worth.

He said 440 Afghans had been matched to homes in the past week and I couldnt have generated that momentum without putting that hard deadline in there.

Meanwhile, the International Rescue Committee has branded the ACRS too slow and criticised the Governments 20,000 cap on numbers, saying it is leaving thousands of people who supported the allied efforts, or have connections to the UK, trapped in the country or neighbouring states.

The Afghanistan and Central Asian Association, which has been working with Afghan refugees, said the two schemes have resettled only a limited number of individuals in the UK.

Its founder Dr Nooralhaq Nasimi told PA: Consequently, numerous at-risk Afghans, including those who previously collaborated with British authorities in Kabul, lack a secure path to the UK. This situation has driven many to resort to dangerous Channel crossings in small boats.

The Government acknowledged there remains a way to go to bring all those eligible under ARAP to safety in the UK but said it is working to consider applications as quickly as possible.

A Home Office spokesperson said: We made one of the largest commitments of any country to support Afghanistan, and so far we have brought around 24,600 individuals to safety to the UK, including thousands under our Afghan resettlement schemes. There is no need for Afghans to risk their lives by taking dangerous and illegal journeys.

Between 2015 and 2022, we have offered a place to over half a million people seeking safety through our safe and legal humanitarian routes. Those in need of protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach, which is often close to the region or in a neighbouring country.
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Tanaiste Micheal Martin has said Ireland will co-operate fully with a UK inquiry into the Omagh bombing, which he described as one of the most brutal atrocities ever witnessed on this island.

In a statement marking the 25th anniversary of the bombing, Mr Martin said: We will never forget the 29 people who lost their lives, those who were injured, and the families whose suffering continues today.

My thoughts are first and foremost with all those impacted by this attack, carried out with disregard for democracy, and for people.

I have been honoured to meet with, and listen to, the families of the Omagh bomb victims over many years, most recently in June. Their search for the full truth of what happened has not been an easy or swift process.

We must keep working relentlessly on peace, dialogue and rebuilding trust Tanaiste Micheal Martin

The Omagh bomb atrocity showed the appalling impact of violence on communities. The campaign of violence in Northern Ireland was never justified. We must keep working relentlessly on peace, dialogue and rebuilding trust.

Earlier this year, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris announced that an independent statutory inquiry will be carried out into the atrocity.

Draft terms of reference have been shared with the Irish government but Mr Martin said it is his understanding the chair of the inquiry, Lord Turnbull, intends to seek the views of those most affected by the bombing before they are published.

Mr Martin, who is also Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence, added: Officials stand ready to engage with members of the UKs inquiry team as soon as they are appointed.

When we have further clarity on the nature of the UK inquiry, I will then consider, along with the Minister for Justice (Helen McEntee) and my Cabinet colleagues, the next steps in this jurisdiction.

As has been done in relation to a number of historical inquiries, this State will co-operate fully.

Justice for the victims and the families impacted by this atrocity will be at the heart of any action that the Government takes.
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The widower of a woman killed in the Omagh bombing has said a UK Government inquiry into the Omagh bombing would be a waste of time without the involvement of the Irish Government.

In February, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris announced the Government would establish an independent statutory inquiry into the preventability of the Omagh bombing.

Twenty-nine people, including a woman pregnant with twins, were killed by a bomb planted by the Real IRA  the worst loss of life in any incident in the Troubles.

It came just months after the historic Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.

No-one has ever been criminally convicted of the attack.

Kevin Skeltons wife, Philomena, died in the bombing.

Speaking to reporters following a private event marking the 25th anniversary of the attack, Mr Skelton said: The memories are there all the time. You just cant get them out of your head, no matter how hard you try.

Asked about the upcoming inquiry, he said: Unless the southern government is involved, its a waste of time.

He added: If they do get involved, whether it bears fruit or not  I dont know.

Let's start off with getting the truth about Omagh. Why it happened, how it happened and who else was involved in this Stanley McCombe, husband of victim

He said the bomb was driven to Omagh from the Republic of Ireland.

But whatever happens  one way or the other  we do not want to see it taken away from the people that actually planted the bomb.

At the end of the day, a dissident republican terrorist group planted that bomb.

He said the Irish government had done very little regarding the Troubles so far.

Now is the time to step up to the plate.

Reflecting on the course of other inquiries, Mr Skelton said: Ill probably not be above the ground by the time the results come out, anyway.

But we must not let the people who done it, get away with it.

Stanley McCombe, who lost his wife Ann, said he believed it would be difficult for justice to come out of the inquiry.

Speaking to the PA news agency, he said: Lets start off with getting the truth about Omagh. Why it happened, how it happened and who else was involved in this.

Irelands Tanaiste, Micheal Martin, has said his country will co-operate fully with a UK inquiry into the Omagh bombing, which he described as one of the most brutal atrocities ever witnessed on this island.

Draft terms of reference for the inquiry have been shared with the Irish Government but Mr Martin said it is his understanding that chairman Lord Turnbull intends to seek the views of those most affected by the bombing before they are published.

Mr Martin, who is also Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence, added: Officials stand ready to engage with members of the UKs inquiry team as soon as they are appointed.

When we have further clarity on the nature of the UK inquiry, I will then consider, along with the Minister for Justice (Helen McEntee) and my Cabinet colleagues, the next steps in this jurisdiction.

As has been done in relation to a number of historical inquiries, this State will co-operate fully.

Justice for the victims and the families impacted by this atrocity will be at the heart of any action that the Government takes.
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The deaths of two teenagers who attended the same event at a nightclub are not connected, police have confirmed.

The two 18-year-olds died within hours of each other after reportedly attending a performance by DJ Ben Hemsley at the SWG3 nightclub in Glasgow on Saturday.

The deaths are being investigated as drug-related.

Police were called to a report of an 18-year-old man taking unwell in the Constarry Road area of Croy, North Lanarkshire, at around 11.20pm on Saturday.

He was taken to the University Hospital Monklands in Airdrie, but died a short time later.

In the early hours of Sunday, another 18-year-old man became unwell on Eastvale Place in Glasgows west end, the location of the SWG3 venue.

Police were called at around 2.20am.

There is no evidence to suggest there is a connection between these deaths Chief Superintendent Mark Sutherland

He was taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in the city, but was pronounced dead a short time later.

Police Scotland said on Monday it was investigating whether the deaths were linked, but the force has now ruled this out.

Chief Superintendent Mark Sutherland, divisional commander for greater Glasgow, said: Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of the two men who have lost their lives.

So far in our inquiries it has been established that both of these men, who were unknown to each other, attended the same event in the Eastvale Place area of Glasgow on Saturday night.

However, inquiries remain ongoing and although we are investigating both deaths as drug-related at this time, there is no evidence to suggest there is a connection between these deaths.

We are committed to establishing the full circumstances and are working with the venue, colleagues in the NHS and Public Health Scotland as our inquiries continue to ensure a partnership and public health-led approach.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101, quoting incident number 4538 of August 12.

Information can also be reported anonymously to Crimestoppers on or through Fearless  an anonymous reporting site for young people at crimestoppers-uk.org.
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Rishi Sunaks government has been accused of apathy and incompetence in ignoring the plight of Afghan refugees, as it was claimed the PM had no plan to rescue those left behind in Kabul two years after the Taliban takeover.

Speaking on the two-year anniversary of Operation Pitting  Britains biggest rescue mission since the Second World War  MPs and top military brass urged the PM to urgently help refugees who worked with the UK come to Britain.

But there was silence from Mr Sunak and the government, as neither No 10, the Home Office nor the Ministry of Defence could say when more eligible Afghans would be welcomed, saying only that the government was doing whatever is possible to ensure more can come here.

It came as veterans minister Johnny Mercer, who is responsible for looking after Afghans brought to the UK, said he was determined to make resettlement schemes work properly as he acknowledged that things could have been done better since August 2021.

Mr Mercer added: I accept that there are people in Afghanistan at the moment that we have a duty to who are not in the UK, who I want to see in the UK.

But asked by The Independent what plans it had to speed up the process of bringing Afghans whom the UK has agreed to help to safety, the government did not say.

It also could not say when it would restart flights to bring 3,400 Afghans eligible to be in the UK stuck there or languishing in Pakistan hotels  despite pledging to evict around 8,000 Afghans from hotels in the UK by the end of August to help free up space.

General Sir John McColl, the armys former deputy supreme allied commander for Europe, said there was no serious intent from the government to help eligible Afghans trapped in Afghanistan and Pakistan relocate to the UK.

There is no focus, there is no plan, he told The Independent. It is all very well for Mercer to acknowledge its not working. But he stood up in parliament in March and said there was no plan and we needed to get one.

Veterans minister Johnny Mercer said he wanted schemes to work properly but gave no detail on how he would do that (Getty)

Admiral Lord West, the chief of naval staff from 2002 to 2006, accused the government of incompetence and said it was time to pull its finger out to provide sanctuary to those eligible for our help.

We should jolly well get on and get the Afghans over here because we have a debt of honour, said Lord West. Finding accommodation for people is not beyond the wit of man. It shows a certain amount of incompetence from the government.

He added: Delays are the stuff of incompetent nations, and Id like to think our nation was competent enough to pull its finger out.

And Lord Robertson, former head of Nato, said Britain had an obligation to Afghan refugees who worked with the UK forces despite current problems finding enough accommodation.

The government has to set out how they are going to give safe passage to the people we have agreed to help  they have to treat this problem with a greater sense of urgency and seriousness, the Labour peer told The Independent.

UK armed forces helped Afghans on evacuation flight in August 2021 (PA Media)

The Independent has been campaigning for the government to honour our debt to Afghans who supported the British military  including an Afghan pilot threatened with deportation to Rwanda after he arrived by a small boat.

The air force lieutenant, whose work alongside coalition forces put him at risk of death from the Taliban, urged Mr Sunak to act now to honour the UKs pledges to help those who supported their efforts.

He said: So, unfortunately, the time [has] gone, they didnt succeed. We were discussing and finally, we couldnt find any option [to get to the UK legally], she [my wife] said, You have to leave. You have to leave and I will be here. So, I will put you in Gods hands, and God will bless you. So go.

Around 1,950 Afghans, including family members of those who worked with British forces, who are eligible for relocation to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) remain stuck in Afghanistan.

A further 1,400 people who have been accepted to come to the UK are stuck in British High Commission hotels in Pakistan  with only 35 relocated since 1 December. At the moment, they are supposed to arrange for their own accommodation in the UK.

Lord Dannatt, the former head of the British Army, said he had been told by the MoD that the government was reluctant to help more people arrive until it had cleared the backlog of 8,000 already-accepted Afghans who have been living in Britains hotels.

Council leaders have called the end of August deadline to clear hotels a kick in the teeth. The Local Government Association (LGA) said one in five Afghan refugees evicted from hotels (20 per cent) have declared themselves homeless to local authorities.

Afghan refugee Amir Hussain Ibrahimi is struggling to find a place after being evicted from a London hotel (PA)

Stephen Robinson, the Liberal Democrat leader of Chelmsford City Council, said his Essex council had to find temporary accommodation for nine Afghan families  around 60 people  in other parts of the country after they become homeless.

One family in a hotel had to be moved more than 400 miles to Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. Its a travesty because some had jobs locally and had children in schools here, but now weve had to uproot them because of the Home Office deadline, said the council leader

Mr Robinson rejected the idea that it was up to local authorities to find homes. We warned the government this would be a problem and they did nothing. The government wilfully refused to accept the state of the housing crisis.

Major General Charlie Herbert, who undertook three tours of Afghanistan between 2007 and 2018, said Mr Mercer had long championed the cause of Afghan interpreters and others who worked with British forces.

I only wish his commitment, dedication and integrity was shared equally by the defence secretary and last few home secretaries, whose apathy towards our former allies is well recognised.

The military veteran added: That so many eligible Afghans remain left in limbo for months and now years in Pakistani hotels, awaiting relocation to the UK, is indicative of this governments approach to those who supported our armed forces in the war against the Taliban.

Briotish forces in Kabul aided in Operation Pitting in August 2021 (PA Media)

Calling for tangible actions Dr Sara de Jong, co-founder of the Sulha Alliance charity working with Afghan interpreters, said it was hard to disagree with Johnny Mercer that its high time to make the Afghan resettlement schemes finally work properly.

The calls come as a report released by the human rights group Justice on the second anniversary of Operation Pitting said there had been significant delays, lack of transparency, and lack of consistency with both Arap and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).

Wendy Chamberlain, the Liberal Democrats chief whip, has organised a cross-party letter sent by MPs to immigration minister Robert Jenrick about the pace and scale of ACRS  set up for vulnerable groups such as women and girls.

The group of concerned MPs want the government to increase places available under ACRS by at least 6,500, as well as finally introduce a family reunion mechanism, so family members left behind in the evacuation can be reunited with loved ones in the UK.

Meanwhile, the More in Common think tank said many Afghan families have been let down by the promised warm welcome to the UK. Having surveyed 132 Afghans in the UK, the group said they had heard about the stress and anxiety of trying to find your own accommodation.

Labours Chris Evans, a shadow defence minister, said the Tory government was failing Afghans who risked their lives helping our armed forces, calling on ministers to fix their failing schemes.

Asked if Mr Sunak hoped more Afghans could be brought to the UK in the weeks ahead, his official spokesperson said: Yes, obviously. The Home Office is doing whatever is possible to ensure more can come here.

Asked a series of questions on resettlement schemes, including how quickly flights would help bring people to the UK, a government spokesperson said: We made one of the largest commitments of any country to support Afghanistan, and so far, we have brought around 24,600 individuals to safety to the UK, including thousands under our Afghan resettlement schemes.

We continue to work to deliver on our commitments to the people of Afghanistan. This includes moving people out of Afghanistan where possible and away from the real danger and threat to life posed by the Taliban, as well as working with the UNHCR, like-minded partners and countries neighbouring Afghanistan to identify at-risk people.
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Asylum seekers could return to the Bibby Stockholm barge within days after a Legionella scare forced its evacuation, a Conservative minister has suggested.

Will Quince, the health minister, said officials would ensure the barge was safe before any asylum seekers returned to it.

His comments come after 39 people were evacuated from the vessel, in Portland, Dorset, last week after tests results showed traces of the potentially dangerous bacteria that causes Legionnaires disease in the barges water system.

The evacuation took place just days after the first migrants boarded the controversial barge, which is designed to accommodate 500 people.

Of course public health and safety is key, but we hope in the next few days we will be able to start getting people on to the Bibby Stockholm, Mr Quince told LBC Radio on Tuesday morning. It is absolutely the right thing to do but public health and safety is always our paramount concern.

However, reports suggests it could be weeks before the Home Office attempts to place migrants out of hotels and onto the barge again. Home secretary Suella Bravermans department has launched an internal inquiry into what went wrong.

The first migrants being housed on the barge entered the vessel on 7 August  the same day the Legionella was discovered  and remained onboard for several days, sparking a major row over the government response.

Dorset Council said it informed the contractors responsible for the barge  who are employed by the Home Office  of the test results on the same day. But the Home Office said it was not formally made aware of the results until 9 August and ministers insisted they were not told until the following day.

Rishi Sunak says putting people on barges remains fair (PA Wire)

The fiasco prompted one former Tory minister to call for Ms Braverman to be sacked for losing control of the Channel crisis, while another joked: Is the government cursed?

Bloomberg, citing government sources, said UK health authorities and civil servants repeatedly warned the Sunak government about the potential for an outbreak of an infectious disease outbreak on the barge prior to last weeks row.

Rishi Sunak avoided a question about whether he was personally warned about potential health risks for asylum seekers on board the Bibby Stockholm when asked about the mess during a hospital visit in Buckinghamshire on Tuesday.

The PM told broadcasters: What has happened here is it is right that we go through all the checks and procedures to ensure the wellbeing and health of the people being housed on the barge.

Mr Sunak insisted that using barges was fair on taxpayers, even though the cost benefit of moving people out of hotels into barges is disputed. It is about the unfairness, in fact, of British taxpayers forking out 5m or 6m a day to house illegal migrants in hotels up and down the country.

On small boats, he added: I know there is a long way to go on this but Im determined to fix this problem and we are making progress and people can be reassured we will keep at it.

ThInside the Bibby Stockholm asylum barge

Labour also sought to make political hay out of the incident, with Stephen Kinnock, the shadow immigration minister, claiming the Tories asylum chaos is going from bad to worse.

The assistant general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, Ben Selby, said wider safety concerns over the vessel remained, with more than a week having passed since the union asked for a meeting with Ms Braverman.

But No 10 defended the governments handling of the incident and insisted that the barge remains an appropriate way to find alternative accommodation to hotels, despite condemnation from opposition parties, refugee charities and medical groups.

We will be communicating with all relevant groups to see if there are any lessons that can be learned, as you would expect in any public health situation, a No 10 spokesperson said. We remain confident that we have acted quickly once informed.

The Bibby Stockholm accommodation barge is docked at Portland Port in Dorset (PA) (PA Wire)

In a separate interview with Sky News on Tuesday morning, Mr Quince said the Home Office and its contractors, Corporate Travel Management [CTM] and Landry and Kling, would examine why migrants remained onboard the barge for several days after the Legionella bacteria was discovered.

Mr Quince said the Home Office was on top of the issue, telling Sky News: It is important we should always prioritise public health, that is without question.

But that is now being addressed and I hope that we will be able to, in the coming days, address that issue and then people will be able to embark back on to the Bibby Stockholm.

Following claims the Home Office was informed days before ministers were told about the issue, Mr Quince said: No doubt the Home Office, alongside their contractors, will want to look at the timeline of that.

But what I do know, as soon as ministers were made aware an immediate decision to disembark was made on public health grounds. I know that there wont be anyone going on to the Bibby Stockholm until its totally safe.
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A war of words has erupted following claims that the EU has rejected Rishi Sunaks plea for a post-Brexit asylum seeker returns deal to ease the small boats crisis.

It was claimed that a senior European Commission official told the UKs national security adviser earlier this year that there was no prospect of such an agreement.

But an EU Commission spokesperson rubbished reports on Tuesday as not correct. A UK government spokeswoman insisted that No 10 remains open to working with the EU to take forward negotiations on a UK-EU returns deal.

It sparked a row among Tory MPs, as Brexiteers lashed out at the immoral EU for failing to help tackle the Channel crossings, while moderate Tories urged Mr Sunak to forge a returns deal so Britain can work more closely with its nearest neighbours.

Return agreements are viewed by some as key to solving the migrant crisis and the PM still hopes to strike a deal with the EU Commission that would allow Britain to return people to European countries where they have previously claimed asylum or have links to.

The Times and the Daily Mail both reported that notes of a meeting between German politician Bjoern Seibert, Ursula Von der Leyens head of cabinet, and Sir Tim Barrow, Britains national security adviser, made clear the that the EU Commission was not interested in a deal.

An internal British government memo reportedly read: [Mr Seibert] stressed that the commission is not open to a UK-EU readmissions agreement.

But the EU has denied the reports. A spokesperson said: The report is not correct, [Mr Seibert] never said that. It was an internal meeting and I checked directly with the source and he never said that.

Rishi Sunak and Ursula von der Leyen (PA)

Robert Buckland, the former justice secretary, told The Independent that a returns deal could make a huge difference, he said: The government is right to keep pursuing it. Until we get a genuine sharing of obligations, were going to struggle on small boats.

Britain remains hampered by the loss of the EUs so-called Dublin regulation  which allowed irregular migrants to be returned to the nation of first arrival  after Brexit. But it was not seen as effective, with only 105 UK requests to return migrants to the EU were accepted in the year before Brexit.

A new agreement between the two parties would require Britain to share Europes burden of resettling hundreds of thousands of migrants entering the bloc through irregular means.

Mr Buckland said MPs on the right would have to accept that an extensive deal with the EU could mean the UK agreeing to accept a certain amount of eligible refugees who inside the bloc  allowing for more family reunions with asylum seekers in the UK.

He added: It will need a new kind of bilateral deal because the Dublin convention wasnt really working. Why cant work together on this? I hope the government wont close its mind, and the EU shouldnt close its either.

Rishi Sunak has repeatedly promised to stop the boats (PA Wire)

David Lidington, the former de facto deputy PM, encouraged Mr Sunak to push for an agreement with the EU Commission. There has to be international cooperation to manage this problem, he told The Independent.

The former cabinet minister, a leading Remain campaigner, also urged Brexiteers to back a returns deal. European countries need to find ways of working more closely together. I hope others in the party realise thats in the national interest to work with others.

However, Tory Brexiteers lashed out at the EU after the apparent rejection of a returns deal  with right-wing Peter Bones saying it showed incompetent and immoral the EU are on this issue, because they are allowing [small boat crossings] to happen.

David Jones, the deputy leader of the European Research Group of staunch Brexiteers, told The Independent that he suspected Brussels would refuse a deal because the UK had the temerity to leave the EU.

The ex-Tory minister said France was the big barrier to an agreement. They are being awkward about this. Their unwillingness to cooperate is the principle problem.

Asked if he would welcome a returns deal, Mr Jones said: Yes, I would. But if we dont get anywhere with them soon, then we have to look at other ways to manage small boats  including disapplying the ECHR [European Convention in domestic legislation.

A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover on a Border Force vessel on July 21 2023 (PA)

Labour has also said it will seek to negotiate a new returns agreement with the EU if it wins the next election. But French president Emmanuel Macron had already rejected a bilateral deal with the UK and insisted that any agreement must be made on an EU-wide basis.

At a summit of the Council of Europe in Reykjavik, Iceland, in May, Mr Sunak appeared to win the backing of Von der Leyen for a deal that would see the two parties work more closely together on illegal migration, including a returns deal.

The UK already has returns agreements with Iraq, Albania, Vietnam and Pakistan  described by the government as four high volume countries for small boat arrivals. A deal was also signed with Georgia in January.

The fresh war of words broke out just days after six people died after their boat capsized in the Channel after setting off from France. Dozens of people were rescued in an operation involving French and British authorities after a boat got into difficulty in the water on Saturday morning.

Some 111 people were detected crossing the English Channel in small boats on Monday, the Home Office said. The cumulative number of arrivals by small boats in 2023 now stands at a provisional total of 16,790. Total arrivals last year were 45,755.

Will Quince, the UKs health minister, said the UK was taking a number of steps to tackle illegal immigration. If you look at the details of the discussions that we do have with Turkey, with Albania and indeed the French, they are starting to bear fruit and then more widely if you look at the deterrent factor, again that is making a difference.
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The Prime Minister has defended the Governments decision to accommodate migrants on the Bibby Stockholm barge despite a series of setbacks.

Rishi Sunak argued the Governments approach to dealing with the Channel crossings was fairer for the taxpayer than putting up asylum seekers in hotels.

Migrants were housed on the barge off the Dorset coast on Monday last week.

But they were removed on Friday when traces of Legionella were found in the water supply, a bacteria which can cause the potentially fatal Legionnaires disease.

Mr Sunak swerved a question about whether he was personally warned about potential health risks for asylum seekers on board the barge.

What has happened here is it is right that we go through all the checks and procedures to ensure the wellbeing and health of the people being housed on the barge, he told broadcasters on a visit to a hospital in Milton Keynes.

Mr Sunak, who has returned to work after a family holiday in California, went on to argue that ministers were taking a fair approach when it came to the small boats crisis, adding: But taking a step back, what is this about? This is about fairness.

It is about the unfairness, in fact, of British taxpayers forking out 5 million or 6 million a day to house illegal migrants in hotels up and down the country, with all the pressure that puts on local communities.

Weve got to find alternatives to that, that is what the barge is about and that is why we are committed to it.

But more fundamentally, weve just got to stop people coming here in the first place illegally. That is why one of my five priorities is to stop the boats.

Weve passed tough new laws that, when they come into force, will enable us to do that and were already seeing numbers this year that are lower than they have been in previous years. That is the first time that has happened.

I know there is a long way to go on this but Im determined to fix this problem and we are making progress and people can be reassured we will keep at it.

The Bibby Stockholm will reportedly cost taxpayers more than 20,000 a day, and could accommodate more than 500 migrants in total.

Dorset Council has been paid 2 million to help manage the scheme locally.

Ministers estimate the current cost of housing migrants in hotels across the UK is 6 million a day.

NGO Reclaim the Sea has estimated the savings from the hotel bill through the use of the Bibby Stockholm could be 4,694 a day, a sum the advocacy group describes as trivial.

Health minister Will Quince had earlier suggested migrants could return to the barge within days, describing the Legionella scare as a teething issue.

But he said migrants will only return to the vessel, moored in Portland Port, Dorset, if it is safe to do so.

Newspaper reports have meanwhile suggested that Brussels has rebuffed calls for a returns agreement between the UK and the EU.

It would mean the UK is unlikely to be able to send people arriving on small boats across the Channel back to France in the near future.

Mr Sunak has pushed for a bilateral returns agreement with Paris but French President Emmanuel Macron believes any deal must be at an EU level.

A leaked memo reported by the Daily Mail and The Times newspapers suggests such a pact is not being entertained by Brussels, which is dealing with its own internal rows over migration and refugee returns reforms.

Citing leaked Cabinet Office notes, The Times said a senior aide to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen had rejected negotiations on fresh terms following a push by Mr Sunak during talks at the Council of Europe in Iceland in May.

A spokeswoman for the commission denied that any rejection had been made during talks with UK officials.

Mr Quince stressed the UK had made other international efforts to grasp the migrant crisis, including an agreement with Turkey to tackle criminal gangs, the French arrangement on preventing crossings, and the Albania returns deal.

The health minister told Sky News: If you look at the arrangements that we do have with Turkey, with Albania, and indeed with the French, they are starting to bear fruit and then, more widely, if you look at the deterrent factor, again that is making a difference.

It comes as a vigil was held in Folkestone after six people died in the Channel over the weekend when a boat carrying migrants sank off the coast of France.

A crowd of people gathered at the Sunny Sands Beach on Tuesday.
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A British man living in the south of France has said a fire on Monday night in the Pyrenees was the biggest he has seen and it was unbelievable there were no lives lost.

Steven Brady, who is originally from Wigan but now lives in the Roussillon region, said he felt terrified as he saw the blaze accelerate when it came over the Pyrenees towards his home.

The wildfire erupted between Saint-Andre near the Spanish border and the resort of Argeles-sur-Mer along the Mediterranean coast where it was reported that more than 3,000 tourists were evacuated from holiday homes and campsites.

The fire reportedly burned more than 500 hectares of land, but was brought under control by firefighters on Tuesday morning and there have been no reports of casualties.

Mr Brady, 57, told the PA news agency: The (fire) last night was the biggest one Ive seen here and it was very scary because instead of having strong winds from the east, it came from the south  just a hot, dry blast.

It accelerated when it came over the Pyrenees, hit the flat Roussillon plain heading straight for us and were all terrified because it was going to incinerate the village and all the campsites around it.

Mr Brady has lived in the French region for six years, but described the fire as different and very rare.

The Briton captured footage of the smoke billowing around 6km away from his home from Alberes hills, which look over to Sorede, Saint-Andre and Argeles-sur-Mer.

He said: Normally fire rises up and climbs the hill This was different.

It started halfway down the hill in Saint-Andre, right near us. Thankfully for us, but not for the people there, it headed towards the sea, which is very rare.

It was terrifying. Most of the residents of this village all went out to climb the hill last night and got the cameras out  theyve probably never seen that phenomenon.

Mr Brady added that it was unbelievable that no-one was killed.

He said: It came on like a mini hurricane. The flames were whipping up it was horrific.

Your average fires happen quite a lot around here, but that was something that could have been an absolute catastrophe.

Mr Brady has praised local firefighters for swiftly and effectively containing the fire, which provided him with reassurance.

He said: (The firefighters) have done a brilliant job.

I think they prepare well for it, but those particularly climatic conditions last night, theres not a lot you can do. You can prepare and train for it, but I havent seen that before.

The winds, because were surrounded by mountains in the Pyrenees, can suddenly change that takes a special kind of bravery to tackle that.

On Tuesday, Frances minister of ecological transition, Christophe Bechu, visited Les Chenes Rouges campsite and took to social media to describe what he saw.

Translated from French into English, Mr Bechu tweeted: These striking images testify to the intensity of the fire. I am committed to supporting tourism stakeholders in the reconstruction and restoration of devastated natural areas.
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Labour will assess the fairness of policies like the two-child benefit limit amid a backlash over a failure to scrap the cap, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

The Labour leader has rebuffed suggestions of a clash with Scottish party members who oppose the benefit cap, which blocks applicants from claiming universal credit or child tax credits for a third child.

Sir Keir has repeatedly said he would not commit to uncosted policy changes and instead said his party will have an anti-poverty commitment.

But following an in conversation event with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar at Rutherglen Town Hall in South Lanarkshire on Tuesday, Sir Keir said his party, if elected into government next year, would ensure policies operate more fairly.

He told journalists after the event: Theres nothing to say an incoming Labour government cant make sure that the policies weve got can operate more fairly.

I think youd expect that from a Labour government and youll get that from a Labour government.

He made the comments in reference to whether he would scrap the associated rape clause  which requires women to disclose their child was conceived as a result of rape to get around the benefit cap.

Sir Keir added: What were being absolutely clear about is an anti-poverty strategy driven by an incoming Labour government will focus on growing the economy and making sure we get that growth in every part of the country.

However, Labour MSPs, including former leadership candidate Monica Lennon, slated the Labour leader last month, describing his stance as the wrong position.

It sparked questions over a possible division between Scottish Labour and the UK party, which have recently been dismissed by both Sir Keir and Mr Sarwar.

Sir Keir added: What youre not going to get is this false sense of division between Anas and me on this. You can see how united we are.

Mr Sarwar also said really strong ongoing dialogue was taking place between both sides of the party.

During the discussion with Labour party members on Tuesday, Sir Keir set his partys ambition to win over working class voters by shattering the class ceiling.

Ahead of the upcoming by-election in Rutherglen and Hamilton West, Sir Keir said the constituency really matters to Labours aims to win the general election.

It is of course the first chance that Labour has had to show the progress that we have made over the last few years, and particularly under Anas leadership, he said.

When I think about where we where when Anas took over to now, its like night and day.

This is our chance to show that progress and expose the fact that the SNP have effectively run out of road. Thats why theyre getting personal.
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Asylum seekers could return to the Bibby Stockholm barge within days, a health minister said as he claimed the discovery of Legionella bacteria on the vessel was a teething issue.

Will Quince said the migrants will only return to the barge, moored in Portland Port, Dorset, if it is safe to do so.

He also defended the Governments efforts to forge international deals on tackling the migrant crisis after reports that the European Union has told the UK it is not willing to negotiate an agreement to return people who arrive on small boats.

Asylum seekers were placed on board the Bibby Stockholm on Monday last week, but were removed on Friday after tests revealed Legionella  the bacteria which can cause the potentially fatal Legionnaires disease.

Mr Quince told LBC Radio: Of course public health and safety is key, but we hope in the next few days we will be able to start getting people on to the Bibby Stockholm.

It is absolutely the right thing to do but public health and safety is always our paramount concern.

He told TalkTV the Government remains committed to the plan to use the barge and other vessels like it, adding: I think with Bibby Stockholm there was certainly a teething issue there.

But we are absolutely determined to stick to the plan because we know that deterrence is working.

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail and The Times reported that Brussels has rebuffed calls for a returns agreement.

It would mean the UK is unlikely to be able to send people arriving on small boats across the Channel back to France in the near future.

We remain open to working with the EU to take forward negotiations on a UK-EU returns deal UK Government spokeswoman

Rishi Sunak has pushed for a bilateral returns agreement with Paris but French President Emmanuel Macron believes any deal must be at an EU level.

A leaked memo reported by the two newspapers suggests such a pact is not being entertained by Brussels, which is dealing with its own internal rows over migration and refugee returns reforms.

Mr Quince highlighted an agreement with Turkey to tackle criminal gangs, the French arrangement on preventing crossings, and the Albania returns deal as examples of measures the Government has put in place internationally.

He told Sky News: If you look at the arrangements that we do have with Turkey, with Albania, and indeed with the French, they are starting to bear fruit and then, more widely, if you look at the deterrent factor, again that is making a difference.

The UK Government said it remains open to working towards a UK-EU returns accord, with Brexit having taken London out of the Dublin Agreement that currently allows for member states to return refugees.

The Times suggested any Brussels deal would likely come with the condition that Britain shares in Europes effort to resettle hundreds of thousands of migrants entering the EU through irregular means, including migrants arriving by boat to Italy or Greece.

But, citing leaked Cabinet Office notes, the newspaper said a senior aide to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen had rejected negotiations on fresh terms following a push by Mr Sunak during talks at the Council of Europe in Iceland in May.

German politician Bjoern Siebert, Ms von der Leyens head of cabinet, is said to have told Sir Tim Barrow, the UKs national security adviser and a former ambassador to the EU, that the commission is not open to a UK-EU readmissions agreement.

The commission reportedly disputes this version of events.

A UK Government spokeswoman said: We remain open to working with the EU to take forward negotiations on a UK-EU returns deal, as part of our international efforts to tackle illegal migration and to crack down on these exploitative gangs.

We are in regular conversations with our European counterparts on a range of issues relating to migration and asylum.

We agreed with members of the Calais Group of Northern European nations to work towards an EU-UK co-operation agreement on migration in a joint statement at the groups December 8, 2022 meeting.
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US Coast Guard crews are searching for a boater who reportedly disappeared, leaving behind an empty vessel floating off the coast of Florida, according to officials.

Andre Nolasco, 57, was reported missing after setting sail from Nick's Park in Port Richey on Sunday morning, according to the US Coast Guard Southeast division.

Mr Nolasco's girlfriend filed a missing person's report on Monday after he failed to show up for work. The report prompted the US Coast Guard to begin searching for the missing mariner using a helicopter. The aircraft eventually located the boat floating approximately eight miles west of Hudson, Florida, the agency said.

Though the boat was found, there was no sign of Mr Nolasco onboard.

The Coast Guard is now searching for Mr Nolasco in the water. The search continued overnight into Tuesday and is still ongoing.

No further information has been released on the Coast Guard's search.

Mr Nolasco is a father of two who lives in Port Richey. He is originally from the Dominican Republic, according to WTSP.

Yancy Hiraldo, one of Mr Nolasco's friends, said he remains hopeful that his friend will be found alive.

"Come back to your family because, trust me, your kids need you," Mr Hiraldo told the outlet.

Andre Nolasco, 57, is presumed missing at sea after his boat was found floating off the coast of Florida by the US Coast Guard (US Coast Guard Southeast )

He told the outlet that he and his brother found Mr Nolasco's truck parked near the marina where he launched his boat. He found a note on the truck from Mr Nolasco's friends and family asking him to call the Port Richey Police Department upon his return as they were concerned he had gone missing.

The US Coast Guard was busy with rescues over the weekend; they, along with US Navy vessels, worked to locate a group of four men who disappeared on Sunday while diving off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

After the men failed to resurface, a search was launched. The men were eventually found safe on Monday approximately 46 miles southeast of Cape Fear River, North Carolina.
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Alex Murdaugh allegedly planned a birthday party for his son Paul just 10 months after the disgraced lawyer gunned him down on their property in South Carolina.

Details of the alleged celebration were described in a new book Tangled Vines: Power, Privilege, and the Murdaugh Family Murders by John Glatt.

Mr Glatt noted in the book that the party was just one of the many efforts Murdaugh made to try and save his reputation and convince the public he did not kill his son and wife Maggie.

Mr Glatt told Court TV the information about the alleged party came from an anonymous journalist who filed a Freedom of Information request at the Alvin S Glenn Detention Center, where Murdaugh was jailed at the time.

Murdaugh had not yet been charged with Pauls murder when the party was set to happen in April 2022, but was behind bars for a host of alleged financial crimes and insurance fraud charges for which he is still awaiting trial.

He made more than 200 calls, many of which were to his surviving son Buster, who had been given a list of specific people to invite to Pauls 23rd birthday party on 14 April 2022.

In a call on the day of the party, Mr Glatt claims that Buster told his father not everyone on his list had been invited, but assured him that the party would be big and that word had spread on social media.

Buster, Maggie, Paul and Alex Murdaugh left to right (Maggie Murdaugh/Facebook)

Buster can be heard in one of the recorded phone calls, according to the book, telling his father, I think youll be happy to know that a bunch of those boys down in Charleston are all going tonight. Its kind of like a commemorative thing.

Murdaugh is allegedly heard on the call replying: I appreciate you doing that very much. Did you get all of them that were on that list?

Not in its entirety, Buster responded. The ones that I didnt get on the phone I texted, and people have been posting stuff on social media all day. So, everybody knows.

The alleged party was meant to take place at Shem Creek Bar and Grill, a restaurant in Charleston Harbor. Its not clear if an official party was held at the establishment, which has been operating under new ownership as of September 2022. A manager at the restaurant did not return The Independents call for comment on Monday.

Mr Glatt also wrote in his book that the jail calls revealed Murdaughs obsession with having his son leave flowers in his name for his wife Maggie on Mothers Day.

Buster Murdaugh took the witness stand in his fathers murder trial (Law & Crime)

One of the calls allegedly included Murdaugh asking his sister-in-law Liz to push Buster to leave the flowers.

Busters going to Hampton tomorrow to the cemetery, he told her. Make sure he takes flowers.

He also reminded Buster himself to leave the flowers, adding, And I want you to put some for me too. Shed like that.

In March 2023, Murdaugh was convicted in the 7 June 2021 killings of his son Paul, 22, and his wife, Maggie, 52.

Their bodies were found by the dog kennels on his sprawling Hampton estate Moselle.

Buster stood by his father throughout his murder trial  attending each day of the courts proceedings with his family members in a show of support.

He sat through brutal testimony revealing that Paul was shot twice with a 12-gauge shotgun while he stood in the feed room of the dog kennels on the affluent familys 1,700-acre Moselle estate. The second shot to his head blew his brain almost entirely out of his skull.

Alex Murdaughs new mugshot after he was sentenced to life in prison (South Carolina Department of Corrections)

After killing Paul, prosecutors said Murdaugh then grabbed a .300 Blackout semiautomatic rifle and opened fire on Maggie as she tried to flee from her husband.

She was shot five times including twice in the head after she had fallen to her knees.

Buster also testified in his fathers defence saying that Murdaugh had been destroyed and heartbroken in the aftermath of the deaths of his mother and brother.

Following a dramatic and high-profile trial  in which Murdaugh confessed to lying about his alibi on the night of the murders  the disgraced legal scion was convicted in March of the murders.

Murdaugh is also facing more than 100 charges over a vast financial fraud scheme where he stole millions of dollars from law firm clients going back years.

He is also awaiting trial over a botched hitman plot where he allegedly paid an accomplice to shoot him by a Hampton County roadside.

Murdaugh is currently serving two life terms with no chance of parole at the maximum security McCormick Correctional Institution in South Carolina.
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A new sketch of the last known victim of the notorious Candy Man serial killer Dean Corll has been released 50 years after he was discovered in a mass grave.

For decades, the young man whose mutilated body was found in belted brightly-colored swim trunks has only been known as Swimsuit Boy or John Houston Doe  but now officials are hoping the new sketch will finally be able to give the victim his name back.

The facial rendering was released by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) last week, on the 50th anniversary of the day many of the bodies were found in mass graves on 9 August 1973.

Corll, who was infamously nicknamed The Candy Man because he was known to hand out free candy to kids at his parents candy store, terrorised young men in the Houston area in the early 1970s.

Between 1970 and 1973, Corll and his accomplices David Owen Brooks, then 17, and Elmer Wayne Henley, then 18, kidnapped, tortured, raped and killed at least 28 males between the ages of 13 and 20. Its believed the number of slayings, known as the Houston Mass Murders, were far more than 28.

The victims remains were found after Henley led Houston police to a boat storage shed, where 17 bodies were found wrapped in plastic or sheets and buried under a layer of lime plaster, according to Dean Corll: The True Story of The Houston Mass Murders: Historical Serial Killers and Murderers, by Jack Rosewood.

On 8 August 1973, a day before the bodies were found, Henley shot and killed 33-year-old Corll with the killers own .22 pistol, allegedly screaming: I cant go on any longer! I cant have you kill all my friends!, Texas Monthly reported.

Henley admitted direct involvement in six of the killings, and is serving six consecutive terms of 99 years of imprisonment with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. He will be eligible for parole in October 2025 at the age of 70.

Brooks died from COVID-19 in 2020 in a Galveston hospital while serving a life sentence.

A new sketch of the last known victim of the notorious Candy Man serial killer Dean Corll has been released 50 years after the bodies were discovered (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children)

John Doe was found with belted Catalina swim trunks with vertical red, turquoise, gold, and dark blue stripes, with the letter C with golden wings on the silver buckle (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children)

A close up look at John Does swim trunks ( National Center for Missing & Exploited Children)

Over the past 50 years, investigators have been able to identify 27 of Corlls known victims, giving each of The Lost Boys a name  except one  John Doe 1973.

The latest attempt to identify the final victim from the 1970s horror was revived this year after Corlls house was razed in February. At least eight victims were shot and killed at that house, officials have said.

John Doe, who police believe was white possibly Hispanic, and between 15 and 18 when he was killed, was one of the 17 bodies found at the boat shed, according to NCMECs website.

He was found with belted Catalina swim trunks that had bright red, turquoise, gold, and dark blue stripes. The shorts also had the letter "C" with golden wings on the silver buckle.

The victim was wearing a khaki-colored long sleeved 70s style shirt that tied in the front, with a large red, white, and blue peace symbol and the letters USA.

Dark blue corduroys, a knotted leather ankle bracelet, and brown leather cowboy boots that were 12 inches in length and had the word "NEOLITE" on the heel, were also found.

The victim was wearing a khaki-colored long sleeved 70s style shirt that tied in the front, with a large red, white, and blue peace symbol and the letters USA." (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children)

The front of the khaki-colored long sleeved 70s style shirt (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children)

John Doe 1973 was also located with brown leather cowboy boots that went above the calf and had the word NEOLITE on the heel. (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children)

It was later determined that the young man had a mild form of spina bifida, according to NCMEC.

Carol Schweitzer, supervisor of NCMECs Forensic Services Unit, said they remain hopeful that this young mans family and friends are still looking for him.

This young mans friends and classmates would be in their late 60s to early 70s, and we hope that this new imagery reaches them and helps bring in that one single lead needed to resolve this case, Ms Schweitzer said in a statement.

He may have siblings, cousins, classmates, neighbors, or friends who have always wondered what happened to him. This young mans friends and classmates would be in their late 60s to early 70s and we hope that this new imagery reaches them and helps bring in that one single lead needed to resolve this case.

Anyone with information on John Doe 1973, is asked to call the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST or the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences and reference case number ML73-3356.
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A North Carolina father is in custody after he allegedly shot and killed a driver who fatally struck his teenage son earlier this week.

Chad Woods, 41, faces a second-degree murder charge in the shooting death of Jeffrey McKay, 39, according to the Person County Sheriffs Office.

It happened shortly after 6am Monday when Mr Woods and his son were walking on Dink Ashley Road after their car ran out of gas.

McKay, who was driving a Department of Corrections truck, slammed into the teen, then called 911 and reported he had struck him.

The teen, whose name has not been released, was pronounced dead at the scene.

A short time after the tragic incident, the teens father allegedly shot and killed McKay, stole his truck and drove less than a mile away to his home in Timberlake, about 21 miles north of Durham.

The teens body was left on the side of the road, Sgt Kevin Morris told NBC News. Authorities located Mr Woods at his home after identifying the teen.

Mr Woods, who has a criminal record, Mr Morris said, is also facing a larceny of a motor vehicle charge for allegedly stealing McKays truck.

McKay, of Youngsville, was a maintenance worker in the North Carolina Department of Corrections, according to Morris.

Mr Woods father Lawrence Claiborne recalled his sons reaction to losing the teen.

He was just out of it, going off and stuff, Mr Claiborne said. He was going, He just, he killed my son. He killed my son.

The teens brother told WRAL that he was a good person.

He wanted to be an IT technician. He was doing, he wanted to be positive in life. He wanted to help people. He was a people person.

Its not clear when Mr Woods will appear in court. Second-degree murder carries a maximum punishment of life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to North Carolina sentencing guidelines.

Mr Morris also said that authorities are working to identify another person at the scene based on a voice heard in the background of the 911 call.
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A Philadelphia teenager was arrested and accused of planning a potentially catastrophic terrorist attack.

The 17-year-old was arrested by the FBI in West Philadelphia on Friday and accused of communicating with a terror group affiliated with Al-Qaeda.

The work of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force potentially thwarted a catastrophic terrorist attack in the name of a perverted ideology that in no way, shape, or form represents the beliefs of the overwhelming majority of peace-seeking people of faith, including Muslims, said District Attorney Larry Krasner.

The charges we have filed against this individual represent the most serious alleged terrorist activity prosecuted in Philadelphia County court in recent history.

We intend to pursue full accountability for these crimes and will continue to work vigilantly with our law enforcement partners to protect all of our communities from hateful, ideologically driven acts of violence.

A law enforcement official told NBC10 that the teenager appears to have been radicalised online. He has been charged with offences related to weapons of mass destruction, criminal conspiracy, arson and related offences.

Investigators say that on 7 August, the teenager was observed buying materials that can be used to make IEDs.

A Philadelphia teenager was arrested and accused of planning a potentially catastrophic terrorist attack. (NBC10)

And on 8 August, US Customs and Border Protection found that the teenager had received 14 international shipments of military and tactical equipment.

FBI special agent in charge, Jacqueline Maguire, told reporters that the teenager had been communicating with the Khatiba al-Tawhid wal-Jihad, or KTJ, a terror group linked to Al-Qaeda that operates primarily in Idlib Province, Syria.

An investigation into the situation remains ongoing.
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Six white former police officers pleaded guilty on Monday to state charges for torturing two Black men.

The men had sworn an oath to protect and serve were huddled on the back porch of a Mississippi home as Michael Corey Jenkins lay on the ground, blood gushing from his mutilated tongue where one of the police officers shoved a gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger.

The roughly 90-minute period of terror preceding the shooting began late on January 24 after a white neighbor called Rankin County Deputy Brett McAlpin and complained that two Black men were staying with a white woman inside a Braxton home.

McAlpin tipped off Deputy Christian Dedmon, who texted a group of white deputies who called themselves The Goon Squad, a moniker they adopted because of their willingness to use excessive force.

Are yall available for a mission? Dedmon asked. They were.

Five of the former officers are from Rankin County Sheriffs Office  Chief Investigator Brett McAlpin, Narcotics Investigator Christian Dedmon, Lieutenant Jeffrey Middleton, Deputy Hunter Elward, and Deputy Daniel Opdyke  while one is from the Richland Police Department, Narcotics Investigator Joshua Hartfield. Some of the group calls themselves the Goon Squad, as they were known for using excessive force and not reporting it.

All pleaded guilty to state charges of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to hinder prosecution. Each reached individual plea agreements that include prison sentences ranging from five to 30 years, according to court records obtained by the Associated Press.

The guilty pleas to the state charges arrive just over a week after all six men also pleaded guilty to 16 federal felonies stemming from the torture and physical abuse of two Black men.

They will be sentenced for the federal charges in mid-November.

According to the Justice Departments release earlier this month, the officers admitted kicking in a door and entering a home belonging to two Black men  Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker on 24 January  without a warrant.

The two men were handcuffed and arrested  without probable cause to believe they had committed any crime. The officers called them racial slurs, and warned them to stay out of Rankin County, according to the release.

The officers reportedly punched and kicked Mr Jenkins and Mr Parker, tased them 17 times, forced them to ingest liquids, and assaulted them with a dildo.

Court records detail how they burst into a home without a warrant, handcuffed Jenkins and Parker, assaulted them with a sex toy and beat Parker with wood and a metal sword. They poured milk, alcohol and chocolate syrup over their faces and then forced them to strip naked and shower together to conceal the mess.

Then one of them put a gun in Jenkins mouth and fired.

As Jenkins lay bleeding, they didnt render medical aid. They knew the mission had gone too far and devised a hasty cover-up scheme that included a fictitious narcotics bust, a planted gun and drugs, stolen surveillance footage and threats.

Jeffrey Middleton, a former sheriffs deputy in Rankin County, Miss., walks into the federal courthouse

The deputies were under the watch of Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey, who called it the worst episode of police brutality he has seen in his career.

On top of other torturous behaviour, the former officers devised a cover-up, involving making false statements and charging the two men with crimes they did not commit, but also neglected to provide medical aid to them.

An anti-police brutality activist looks back at the entrance to the Rankin County Sheriffs Office (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Law enforcement misconduct in the U.S. has come under increased scrutiny, largely focused on how Black people are treated by the police. The 2020 killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police ignited calls for sweeping criminal justice reforms and a reassessment of American race relations. The January beating death of Tyre Nichols by five Black members of a special police squad in Memphis, Tennessee, led to a probe of similar units nationwide.

In Rankin County, the brutality visited upon Jenkins and Parker was not a botched police operation, but an assembly of rogue officers who tortured them all under the authority of a badge, which they disgraced, U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca said.

Daniel Opdyke, a former sheriffs deputy in Rankin County

The county just east of the state capital, Jackson, is home to one of the highest percentages of Black residents of any major U.S. city. A towering granite-and-marble monument topped by a Confederate soldier stands across the street from the sheriffs office.

The officers warned Jenkins and Parker to stay out of Rankin County and go back to Jackson or their side of the Pearl River, court documents say, referencing an area with higher concentrations of Black residents.

Kristen Clarke, head of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division, said the trauma is magnified because the misconduct was fueled by racial bias and hatred. She mentioned another dark chapter in Mississippi law enforcement: the 1964 kidnapping and killing of three civil rights workers.

The violent police misconduct is a reminder there is still much to be done, Clarke said.
 Close Woman's body found off of popular trail believed to be missing Maryland woman

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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.
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The number of deaths from a powerful explosion in the Dominican Republic on Monday rose to at least 25, according to officials that continue to monitor efforts to extinguish the ongoing blaze.

A high-ranking Civil Defense official said in an interview with the Associated Press on Wednesday that 10 remain missing but noted they are still working to identify bodies and determine whether the missing are among the confirmed deceased.

Local media reported on Tuesday that 50 people were injured in the explosion in the city of San Cristobal, located just west of Santo Domingo  the countrys capital. The bustling commercial area, where people buy goods ranging from vegetables to clothes, is known as the Old Marketplace.

The fire broke out inside a bakery and then spread to a hardware store next door and a nearby furniture store. Emergency responders still have not successfully accessed the building where the explosion started and continued searching through the smouldering rubble on Wednesday, according to the AP.

According to the minister of the presidency, at least 36 of the injured remained hospitalised, with 11 in critical condition. A four-month-old baby and a bank worker are among the deceased.

Family members have struggled to locate their missing loved ones amid what they say is a lack of answers from authorities. Andrea Mateo told reporters outside the Juan Pablo Pina Hospital that she had been looking for her sister, brother-in-law and niece, according to Telemundo47.

Three of the bodies [in the morgue] are completely charred remains but their body descriptions dont match, she said in Spanish.

Firefighters work next to destroyed vehicles after a powerful explosion in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic, Monday, Au...

President Luis Abinader visited the site of the tragedy on Tuesday.

We are going to launch an investigation to determine the cause of this devastating accident. In the meantime, well continue assisting the victims and we will do so by sparing no resources with each human life that we can save, Mr Abidaner said in a statement.

Destroyed vehicles and debris are scattered on the ground after a powerful explosion in San Cristobal

Its still unclear what caused the explosion, but San Cristobal Mayor denied any connection with the 2,500 gallons of propane stored in tanks in the vicinity of the Old Marketplace, El Dia reported.
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Watch live view of Georgia courthouse after Donald Trumps indictment.

After the indictment of the former president by a grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, here is a live view of the Atlanta courthouse.

Trump and 18 of his allies have been indicted on a range of criminal charges relating to the former presidents attempts to alter Georgias 2020 election results.

Trump has been charged with 13 counts including racketeering, filing false documents, and attempting to coerce public officers to violate their oaths, according to court documents.
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The house that exploded in Pennsylvania on Saturday, killing five people, was having hot water tank issues, the Allegheny County Fire Marshals Office confirmed, but the cause of the blast remains under investigation.

Three homes were totally destroyed with one totally levelled and the other two engulfed in flames in the horror explosion. At least a dozen other buildings were damaged.

The fire marshal said Monday the house at 141 Rustic Ridge Drive in Plum had water tank issues, but has not concluded this to be the cause of the explosion. Officials are still looking into it, along with any and all other possibilities during their processes that may explain what occurred.

The investigation remains ongoing as authorities tell non-residents to stay away from the Rustic Ridge Estates neighbourhood, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of Pittsburgh.

Two of the five victims killed in a horror home explosion have been identified by their family as Casey Clontz, 38, and his son Keegan Clontz, 12.

A GoFundMe for the Clontz family has raised $51,755 of a $50,000 goal (GoFundMe)

Casey and Keegan lived four houses down from the home at 141 Rustic Ridge Drive which exploded on Saturday morning and appear to have been visiting neighbours at the property at the time of the blast.

Jen Clontz  Caseys wife and Keegans mother  and Caseys best friend Nick Davis told TribLive that Casey and Keegan were inseparable and loved spending time together in the outdoors.

A GoFundMe for the Clontz family has raised $51,755 of a $50,000 goal.

The sudden blast erupted just before 10.30am on Saturday at a home owned by Heather Oravitz, the towns community development director, and her husband Paul, according to the Associated Press.

A GoFundMe for the Oravitz family has raised $30,643 raised of $50,000 goal (GoFundMe )

Plum Mayor Harry Schlegel said Oravitz, 51, died in the explosion and that her husband suffered severe burns over most of his body and remained hospitalized Tuesday in critical condition.

Mr Schlegel also confirmed that Plum Borough Manager Michael Thomas, 57, was killed in the blast, along with three others who lived in the neighborhood including the Clontz father and son, and Kevin Sebunia, 55.

Ive known them for many years, both before I was mayor, he said of Oravitz and Thomas. Weve known them personally. We havent processed it.

A GoFundMe for the Oravitz family has raised $30,643 raised of $50,000 goal

Ring camera catches home explosion in Pennsylvania

Emily Sebunia confirmed her fathers death to Pittsburghs Action News 4. She said he was always one to lend a hand whenever anyone needed help without ever expecting anything in return. She believes her dad was most likely doing just that when he died.

My father was the most joyful, loving, selfless man you could ever encounter, Ms Sebunia added.

Fifty-seven firefighters were treated at the scene for minor issues, according to Steve Imbarlina, deputy director of fire and emergency services for Allegheny County.

The cause of the explosion is under investigation by the Allegheny County fire marshals office, along with local law enforcement. The investigation was expected to be a slow and long process, Imbarlina said.

Chilling doorbell camera footage captured the moment the home exploded, sending roaring orange flames and smoke billowing high into the air.

Several other people were also found trapped under the debris with three people taken to hospital for treatment.
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A school district in Iowa is utilising ChatGPT to advance a book ban.

Mason City Community School District has pulled 19 books from school libraries shelves, including The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood and Beloved by Toni Morrison, according to The Gazette.

The changes were made in order for the district to comply with an Iowa law, Senate File 496, which prohibited instruction related to gender identity and sexual orientation in school districts. Additionally, school libraries must hold books that contain age-appropriate material, which excludes any material with descriptions or visual depictions of a sex act, according to the measure.

Bridgette Exman, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction at Mason City Community School District, told The Gazette that due to the vastness of the libraries, It is simply not feasible to read every book and filter for these new requirements. Therefore, we are using what we believe is a defensible process to identify books that should be removed from collections at the start of the 23-24 school year.

The school district told the outlet that lists of commonly challenged books were filtered for challenges related to sexual content. Then, the books were reviewed using AI software to determine if it contains a depiction of a sex act.

Then, based on this review, there are 19 texts that will be removed from our 7-12 school library collections and stored in the Administrative Center while we await further guidance or clarity. We also will have teachers review classroom library collections.

Popular Science asked Ms Exman specifically about the unnamed AI software she alluded to, to which she replied that the district used ChatGPT.

Administrators input the name of the book into the same questionDoes [book] contain a description or depiction of a sex act? into the AI system, she explained to the outlet. If the answer was yes, the book will be removed from circulation and stored, Ms Exman continued.

After compiling the list, we ran it by our teacher librarian, and there were no books on the final list of 19 that were surprising to her, she told the outlet.

ChatGPT has been under fire since it has blown up in popularity. Its widely known that the software is not always accurate. As The Atlantic put it, ChatGPT lacks the ability to truly understand the complexity of human language and conversation.

Theres no good method for banning books, but the Mason City School Districts decision to use AI technology to review and remove books is deeply misguided, undercuts free expression, and overlooks the realities of what ChatGPT and similar services are and arent capable of, said Liz Woolery, digital policy lead for PEN America, an organisation fighting against the nations book bans, in a statement.

The district seems not to have noticed the mounting evidence about the potential for generative AI tools to miss the nuances of context and intent when reviewing content, she continued, adding Iowa law is already infringing dramatically on students freedom to read; the use of generative AI tools will only speed up that censorship.
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A state law enforcement agency under the direction of the Kansas office of attorney general has opened a criminal investigation into the events surrounding a local police raid of a small-town newspaper that has drawn widespread condemnation from First Amendment advocates and international press freedom groups.

But it remains unclear whether the Kansas Bureau of Investigation is focusing its probe around the actions of the Marion Police Department or the Marion County Record, where officers and sheriffs deputies seized phones and equipment and effectively forced the 154-year-old weekly paper to shut down last week.

As of 14 August, KBI is the lead law enforcement agency investigating the incidents in Marion County, a spokesperson said in a statement shared with The Independent.

As we transition, we will review prior steps taken and work to determine how best to proceed with the case, the statement added. Once our thorough investigation concludes, we will forward all investigative facts to the prosecutor for review.

The two-page warrant for the raid, signed by Marion County District Court Magistrate Judge Laura Viar, stated that officers were allowed to seize phones, software, items that contained passwords, and all correspondence and documents pertaining to a local restaurant owner Kari Newell under the papers investigation, though no stories about her were published.

The warrant appeared to allege that a reporter illegally obtained sealed state records about Ms Newells prior arrest and citation for driving under the influence in 2008.

The paper also was actively investigating allegations of misconduct surrounding Gideon Cody, Marions chief of police.

Officers also reportedly photographed personal financial statements and seized personal items, including a smart speaker used by the papers 98-year-old co-owner Joan Meyer who used the device to ask for assistance.

Ms Meyer  the mother of publisher Eric Meyer, and stressed beyond her limits and overwhelmed by hours of shock and grief, according to the newspaper  collapsed and died one day after the raid.

Joan Meyer, co-owner of the Marion County Record newspaper, died the day after a police raid of the papers office and her home. (AP)

A letter from an attorney for the newspaper demanded that Kansas authorities refrain from reviewing any of the seized materials

The computers, cell phones and other items you illegally seized contain the identity of confidential sources, as well as information provided by those confidential sources, according to the letter from Bernie Rhodes. This information is protected by both federal and state law.

He also referenced a shield law that protects journalists from the seizure of their materials without a hearing.

A statement from the Marion Police Department acknowledged that the federal Privacy Protection Act protects journalists from most searches of newsrooms unless they themselves are suspects in the offense that is the subject of the search.

On 13 August, a group of more than 30 news organisations and publishers including The New York Times and the Associated Press joined a statement from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press urging the Marion Police Department to return seized material, purge records that were accessed, and initiate a full independent and transparent review of the incident.

Newsroom searches and seizures are among the most intrusive actions law enforcement can take with respect to the free press, and the most potentially suppressive of free speech by the press and the public, the statement said.

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly also voiced her concerns surrounding the raid.

I want to make sure that in the state of Kansas, that we are not violating either individuals or presss constitutional right to free speech, she said, according to The Star. We look forward to getting all of the facts out so we know what kind of issue we have.
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A woman who worked as a nanny for Katharine McPhee and David Foster was killed after being run over at a California car dealership, say reports.

Yadira Calito was killed when an 84-year-old woman behind the wheel of a Toyota RAV4 crashed into the reception area of Hamer Toyota in the Los Angeles area last week, according to TMZ.

The 55-year-old nanny was pinned under the car and dragged 20ft before she could be freed. She was taken to hospital in critical condition and was later pronounced dead, the outlet reported.

Investigators say that the 84-year-old driver, who is from Mission Hills, had taken her car into the dealership for a service and accidentally pressed the accelerator instead of the brakes. No arrests have been made following the incident.

As the vehicle proceeded forward in a southerly direction towards the business, the driver accelerated for unknown reasons and collided with several people who were inside. The force of the collision caused injuries to two employees, and a customer. Major damage was also caused to the inside of the business, LAPD said in a statement after the accident.

Two Toyota workers, aged 23 and 35, were also injured in the incident but are expected to make a full recovery, says TMZ.

Yadira Calito, a nanny working for Katharine McPhee, killed by car that crashed into Los Angeles area car dealership (Facebook)

McPhee cancelled the final two shows of her Asian tour, posting on Instagram that her family had suffered a horrible tragedy and that she needed to return home quickly.

The couple married in 2019 and share a two-year-old son, Rennie.

The dealership addressed the incident on its social media pages on 9 August saying it would re-open the following day.

Our primary concern at this time is the well-belong of those who were injured. We ask for the communitys understanding and patience, the statement read.
Donald Trump is now the subject of four criminal cases  at a time when he is hot on the trail of another stint in the White House.

The former president was indicted, again, by a grand jury in Georgia on 14 August  less than a month after Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith unveiled charges against him for his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

This time, Mr Trump was charged with 13 counts related to his alleged actions and conspiracy to change election results in Georgia in the days following the election that he lost.

The ex-president was charged alongside 18 other defendants in a whopping total of 41 counts related to the conspiracy.

In the 98-page unsealed indictment, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Wilis outlined the ways that Mr Trump and his co-defendants allegedly conspired to replace electors with fake ones, unlawfully access voter data, harassed election workers and solicit public officials to reject election results.

The charges stem from Ms Willis years-long investigation into Mr Trump and his allies efforts.

This is the fourth criminal indictment Mr Trump is facing this year.

Earlier this year, Mr Trump was subject to a Justice Department special counsel indictment surrounding his alleged illegal retention of government papers and showing highly-classified information to unauthorised persons on two separate occasions, among many other allegations.

He became the first-ever former or current president to face criminal charges when a New York City grand jury voted to indict him on criminal charges over hush money payments allegedly made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the days before the 2016 presidential election.

He pleaded not guilty in that case to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in order to conceal an alleged scheme to illegally influence the national vote by suppressing negative stories about him.

That followed another Manhattan civil jury finding Mr Trump liable for the sexual abuse of Elle magazine columnist E Jean Carroll in a dressing room of the exclusive Bergdorf Goodman department store in the 1990s.

Former president Donald Trump appears in a Manhattan court for his first arraignment of the year on Tuesday 4 April 2023 (AP)

Ms Carroll, 79, sued the former president for assaulting her and then destroying her reputation when he accused of lying about the encounter, claiming that she was not his type.

He also faces a $250m civil lawsuit from New York attorney general Letitia James, whose investigation allegedly reveals years of illegal conduct to inflate his net worth... to deceive banks and the people of the great state of New York.

Mr Trump remains the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican nomination for president and has insisted that he will remain in the race regardless of any outcome of the criminal cases against him. He also has relied on news of the investigations and indictments to raise money for his campaign, which has netted millions of dollars.

The former president is also set to be indicted in Georgia for his attempts to overturn the election results in the state. While District Attorney Fani Willis hasnt confirmed that an indictment will be handed down this week, her earlier statements and security measures surrounding the Fulton County courthouse indicate that movement is imminent in the case.

But with potential convictions and judgments in both state and federal indictments and with multi-million dollar lawsuits to fight, what will the state of chaos mean for Mr Trumps political future?

Can Trump still run for president?

In short, yes. There are no restrictions in the US Constitution to prevent anyone under indictment or convicted of a crime  or even currently serving prison time, for that matter  from running for or winning the presidency.

Even if Mr Trump were to be tried and convicted in one of the so-called speedy trials, he could still run the entirety of his presidential campaign from a prison cell.

What is far less clear is what would happen were he to win in that scenario.

Just as there are no restrictions in the constitution on a person running while under indictment, there is no explanation for what should occur in the event that they win.

There is nothing in the founding document that would automatically grant Mr Trump a reprieve from prison time, save for the likelihood that any charges brought by federal authorities, were they still being litigated at the point when he assumed the presidency for a second time, would be dropped due to the Justice Departments refusal to prosecute a sitting president.

Related All the lawsuits and criminal charges involving Trump and where they stand

In Ms Carrolls case, Mr Trump did not face any jail time because it was a civil trial.

State-level charges like the ones filed by Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg in the hush money case are far trickier and would fall outside of Mr Trumps prospective presidential pardon power were they to conclude in a conviction.

Were conviction on state charges to occur alongside a Trump election victory, it would likely lead to a massive legal fight to determine whether there was a way for the former president to worm his way out of serving time.

If Mr Trump was unable to avoid that outcome, it would almost certainly lead to his impeachment (for a historic third time) or removal via the 25th Amendment, which allows the Cabinet to remove a president who is unable to perform their duties.

There are many duties and trappings of the presidency that he would simply be unable to fulfill from a prison cell, the viewing of classified materials to name just one.

Any potential conviction of Mr Trump is still a long way off and little more than a distant possibility.

But the conversations he has started with his bid for the presidency, despite facing four indictments and multiple criminal investigations, have already pushed parts of theoretical US constitutional law into a much more real place than many experts ever believed they would live to see.

What has Trump said about the probes?

The former president has repeatedly characterised the multiple investigations against him, including the January 6 probe, as a politically motivated hoax and an attempt to steal the 2024 election from him.

On 1 August, Mr Trump called Mr Smith deranged and the January 6 charges a fake indictment.

The lawlessness of these persecutions of President Trump and his supporters is reminiscent of Nazi Germany in the 1930s, the former Soviet Union, and other authoritarian, dictatorial regimes. President Trump has always followed the law and the Constitution with advice from many highly accomplished attorneys, a statement from Mr Trumps campaign read.

On 3 August, the former commander-in-chief left his arraignment in DC after pleading not guilty to the 2020 election charges and told the press: When you look at whats happening this is a persecution of a political opponent.

This was never supposed to happen in America. This is the persecution of the person thats leading by very, very substantial numbers in the Republican primary and leading Joe Biden by a lot so if you cant beat them you persecute them or prosecute em.

In response to his Georgia indictment, Mr Trump claimed it was bogus saying it was a violation of his First Amendment right.

This story was updated on 4 August 2023 to reflect new developments
 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.
Georgia prosecutors late Monday indicted former President Donald Trump and 18 associates over efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state. Here is a look at key dates for the investigation:

____

Nov. 3, 2020: General election.

Nov. 7, 2020: Democrat Joe Biden declared winner in presidential race, defeating incumbent Republican President Donald Trump.

Nov. 9, 2020: Georgia U.S. Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, both facing runoff elections in January, call for the resignation of Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a fellow Republican. They cite failures in Georgia elections without providing any details.

Nov. 11, 2020: Raffensperger announces a full hand count of the votes in the presidential race in Georgia to satisfy a new audit requirement in state law.

Nov. 13, 2020: U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham calls Raffensperger. The secretary of state said the South Carolina Republican asked him whether he had the power to reject certain absentee ballots, which he interpreted as a suggestion to toss legally cast ballots. Graham has denied any wrongdoing.

Nov. 19, 2020: Georgia completes a hand recount of votes in the presidential election that was undertaken to satisfy an audit requirement in state law. The Associated Press calls Georgia for Biden.

Nov. 20, 2020: Georgia officials certify election results showing Biden won the presidential race in the state.

Nov. 21, 2020: Trump campaign requests a recount of the votes in the presidential race in Georgia. State law allows a candidate to request a recount if the margin is less than 0.5%.

Dec. 1, 2020: U.S. Attorney General William Barr tells the AP that the U.S. Justice Department had uncovered no evidence of widespread voter fraud that could change the outcome of the 2020 election.

Dec. 3, 2020: Former New York mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and others speak during Georgia Senate subcommittee meeting. Giuliani alleges suitcases of fraudulent ballots were introduced as votes were being counted at Atlanta's State Farm Arena on election night.

Dec. 4, 2020: Barr asks U.S. Attorney BJay Pak in Atlanta to investigate allegations of election fraud made by Giuliani the day before.

Dec. 5, 2020: Trump calls Kemp urging him to call a special session, and then spreads baseless allegations of election fraud during a rally meant to encourage people to vote for the incumbent Republicans  Loeffler and Perdue  in the upcoming U.S. Senate runoff election.

Dec. 7, 2020: Georgia certifies election results showing Biden victory for a second time after completing a machine recount of the presidential race requested by Trump's campaign.

Dec. 8, 2020: Texas attorney general files lawsuit asking U.S. Supreme Court to invalidate Electoral College votes in battleground states that Trump lost. Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr rejects it as legally and factually wrong about Georgia. Trump calls Carr and warns him not to encourage other Republican officials to reject the Texas lawsuit.

Dec. 10, 2020: Giuliani and others speak during Georgia House subcommittee meeting, perpetuating false allegations of election fraud in the state.

Dec. 14, 2020: The official Democratic electors meet in the Georgia state Senate chamber to cast the state's 16 Electoral College votes for Biden. Meanwhile, a group of 16 Republicans meet at Georgia Capitol to sign a certificate falsely stating that Trump won and that they were the states duly elected and qualified electors.

Dec. 22, 2020: White House chief of staff Mark Meadows visits Cobb County, where an audit of signatures on absentee ballot envelopes was being conducted. While there, he meets Frances Watson, lead investigator in Georgia secretary of states office, and gets her phone number.

Dec. 23, 2020: Trump calls Watson and urges her to look at Fulton County, saying she would find things that are gonna be unbelievable. He also tells her, When the right answer comes out, youll be praised.

Jan. 1, 2021: Fani Willis takes office as Fulton County district attorney after defeating her former boss in the Democratic primary and running unopposed in the November election.

Jan. 2, 2021: Trump calls Raffensperger and suggests the secretary of state can help him find the votes needed to overturn Trump's loss in the state.

Jan. 4, 2021: Pak, the U.S. attorney in Atlanta, abruptly resigns after learning that Trump felt he wasn't doing enough to investigate allegations of election fraud and wanted to fire him.

Jan. 5, 2021: Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock defeat incumbent Republicans Loeffler and Perdue in a runoff election for Georgia's two U.S. Senate seats.

Jan. 6, 2021: Trump supporters break into the U.S. Capitol and storm the halls trying to stop Congress from certifying Bidens election.

Jan. 7, 2021: A computer forensics team travels to rural Coffee County in south Georgia to copy software and data from voting equipment. Emails and records show Sidney Powell and other Trump-allied attorneys helped arrange the trip.

Jan. 18-19, 2021: Doug Logan, who founded Cyber Ninjas, the company that led Arizona Republicans controversial 2020 election review, and Jeff Lenberg, visit the Coffee County elections office. Lenberg returns the following week. Both men had been active in efforts to cast doubt on the 2020 election results.

Jan. 20, 2021: Biden inaugurated as president.

Feb. 10, 2021: Willis, the district attorney in Fulton County, sends letters to top Georgia elected officials telling them she's opened a criminal investigation into attempts to influence the state's 2020 general election and instructs them to preserve evidence.

Jan. 20, 2022: Willis asks for a special grand jury to be impaneled for her investigation.

Jan. 24, 2022: Fulton County Superior Court judges approve Willis' request for a special grand jury.

May 2, 2022: Special grand jury seated.

June 2, 2022: Raffensperger testifies before the special grand jury.

July 5, 2022: Willis seeks to compel testimony before the special grand jury from people close to Trump, including Giuliani and Graham. This signals that the investigation is zeroing in on close Trump associates.

July 25, 2022: The judge overseeing the special grand jury rules that Willis cannot call state Sen. Burt Jones before the special grand jury or seek charges against him because of a conflict of interest stemming from her hosting a fundraiser for Jones' Democratic opponent in the race for lieutenant governor. Jones, who was elected lieutenant governor in the November 2022 general election, was one of the 16 Republican fake electors.

Aug. 11, 2022: Prominent Atlanta criminal defense attorney Drew Findling confirms that he is part of a legal team hired by Trump to represent him in matters related to the special grand jury.

Aug. 15, 2022: Lawyers for Giuliani confirm that they've been told their client is a target of the investigation.

Aug. 17, 2022: Giuliani testifies before the special grand jury.

Aug. 25, 2022: Willis files paperwork seeking to have more Trump allies, including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and lawyer Sidney Powell, testify before the special grand jury.

Aug. 31, 2022: Lawyer John Eastman appears before the special grand jury.

Oct. 7, 2022: The day before beginning a monthlong pause in public activity related to the investigation ahead of the midterm elections, Willis files paperwork to compel the testimony of another round of Trump associates, including former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Nov. 22, 2022: Graham appears before the special grand jury for questioning after losing a fight to avoid testifying that went all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Dec. 8, 2022: Former national security adviser Michael Flynn testifies before the special grand jury.

Dec. 15, 2022: The special grand jury completes its final report.

Jan. 9, 2023: Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, who oversaw the special grand jury, issues an order dissolving the panel, saying it had completed its work and submitted a final report to him.

Jan. 24, 2023: McBurney holds a hearing to determine whether the special grand jury's report can be made public as the grand jurors had recommended. Prosecutors urged him to keep it secret until decisions had been made on whether charges would be sought, while a coalition of media organizations pressed for its release.

Feb. 13, 2023: McBurney orders the partial release of the special grand jury's report. The judge said the introduction and conclusion of the report, as well as a section in which the grand jurors expressed concerns that some witnesses may have lied under oath would be released three days later. But he said sections of the report that recommended specific charges for specific people would remain under wraps for the time being.

Feb. 16, 2023: Part of the special grand jury report is made public. The grand jurors wrote that they believed that one or more witnesses committed perjury and urged local prosecutors to bring charges. They also said they found no evidence of widespread election fraud in the 2020 election in Georgia.

Feb. 21, 2023: Special grand jury foreperson Emily Kohrs speaks out for the first time in an interview with The Associated Press. That is followed by interviews in other print and television news outlets. Kohrs gives a behind-the-scenes look at the special grand jury's workings and said that the panel recommended multiple people be indicted.

Feb. 23, 2023: The first extensive interviews with Trump's legal team in Georgia are published by the AP and other news outlets. Lawyers Drew Findling and Jennifer Little blast the special grand jury investigation, saying it was unreliable and calling it a circus.

April 24, 2023: Willis writes in a letter to Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat and other law enforcement officials that she expects to announce charging decisions in her investigation between July 11 and Sept. 1, 2023. She cites a desire to ensure that our law enforcement community is ready to protect the public.

May 18, 2023: Willis sends a letter to the county Superior Court chief judge indicating that she planned to have much of her staff work remotely during the first three weeks of August and asking that judges not schedule trials and in-person hearings during part of that time. The letter was widely seen as a suggestion that she would seek charges in her investigation during that period.

July 11, 2023: Two grand juries are seated in Fulton County.

August 14, 2023: Trump and 18 other people are indicted.
Donald Trump was indicted for the fourth time in less than five months and now faces 91 criminal counts which carry a possible total of more than seven centuries behind bars.

While its unlikely that the former president will be sentenced to hundreds of years in prison, the risk of some prison time is very real.

Mr Trump was hit with his latest indictment on Monday night, where a grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, charged him alongside 18 others for scheming to overturn the 2020 election results in the state.

It came just weeks after the twice-impeached president was charged by the office of Special Counsel Jack Smith on the federal level in cases related to attempts to overturn the 2020 election and the January 6 insurrection.

In June, Mr Trump was federally charged with 32 counts for mishandling of classified documents in Florida, with six more counts handed down in early August in a superseding indictment.

Mr Trumps first indictment was at the state level in late March, when he was charged with 34 counts by the Manhattan District Attorney for making hush money payments to adult actor Stormy Daniels and others ahead of the 2016 election.

Heres a rundown of all the charges Mr Trump faces - and the possible jail time they carry on conviction:
Critics of Donald Trump believe he may be using racist dog whistles while discussing Black litigators and political opponents in the wake of his latest indictment.

Mr Trump was indicted yet again, this time in Georgia. On Monday, Fulton County prosecutors accused him of trying to manipulate the 2020 presidential election results in the Peach State.

He took to Truth Social to announce that a "large, complex, detailed but irrefutable REPORT" proving his election fraud claims in Georgia would be presented on 21 August. In addition to the grand announcement, he also dropped a weird noun that left some observers sceptical of its intended use.

"There will be a complete EXONERATION!" Mr Trump wrote of his upcoming presser. "They never went after those that Rigged the Election. They only went after those that found to find the RIGGERS!."

Whether or not Mr Trump intended to describe his political enemies using a word that is one letter away from being an exceptionally offensive slur is unclear. What is clear is that plenty of observers noted his use of the word.

Arieh Kovler, a current affairs and politics writer, collected a sampling of responses from a group of Trump supporters who post anonymously at a Reddit-like forum.

"I don't know if Trump deliberately uses 'RIGGERS!' as a dog-whistle, but his supporters hear it either way," he wrote. Worth noting here that the riggers as a racist codeword has been used for a while in MAGA circles.

Mr Kovler included a screenshot from the site showing one user who said "I love [Trump] so much" because "he just used the word RIGGERS!"

In other posts, supporters made clear they were not discussing alleged election manipulators while using the word. Similar responses could be found on Twitter when searching about Mr Trumps use of the word.

Mr Trump making racist-adjacent remarks is hardly novel. During his presidency he reportedly questioned why the US would allow Haitians and African immigrants to cross the border, referring to their homes as "s***hole countries."

His niece, Mary Trump, has stated publicly that she heard the former president use racial slurs growing up and claimed racism was normal for his family.

And he has given special nicknames for his Black opponents  like calling New York Attorney General "peekaboo James," which may or may not be a reference to a racist insult aimed at Black people.

He also called Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg an "animal" and a "criminal" who works for George Soros. He called both Ms James and Mr Bragg "racists" and extended that charge to the woman leading Georgia's case against him, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Williams. Ms Williams is Black, and Mr Trump has baselessly accused her of having an affair with a "gang member" she was prosecuting.

They say theres a young woman, a young racist in Atlanta. Shes a racist. And they say, I guess they say that she was after a certain gang and she ended up having an affair with the head of the gang or a gang member, Mr Trump said in his remarks to a group of veterans on 8 August. And this is the person that wants to indict me. Shes got a lot of problems.

In contrast, when referring to DOJ special counsel Jack Smith, the white litigator leading the federal government's case against Mr Trump, the former president refers to him as "psycho" and "unhinged."

Mr Trump has denied all accusations of being racist.
Donald Trump and 18 other associates were charged Monday in Georgia as part of a sweeping indictment alleging they schemed to illegally overturn his 2020 election loss and stop the peaceful transition of power.

The indictment, brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, follows an investigation that lasted more than two years and marks the fourth criminal case brought against the former president.

Those charged in Mondays indictment face a slew of charges, including racketeering, violating the oath of a public officer, forgery, false statements and other offenses. Prosecutors say they must all surrender to authorities by Aug. 25.

Heres a look at the 19 defendants charged in the indictment:

DONALD TRUMP: Then-President Donald Trump fixated on Georgia after the 2020 general election, refusing to accept his narrow loss in the state and making unfounded assertions of widespread election fraud there. He also called top state officials, including Gov. Brian Kemp, to urge them to find a way to reverse his loss in the state. In a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Trump suggested the states top elections official could help find the votes needed for him to win the state. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis opened an investigation into possible illegal attempts to influence the election shortly after a recording of that call was made public.

RUDY GIULIANI: During several legislative hearings at the Georgia Capitol in December 2020, the former New York mayor and Trump attorney promoted unsupported allegations of widespread election fraud in Georgia. Prosecutors have said Rudy Giuliani was also involved a plan to have 16 Georgia Republicans serve as fake electors, falsely swearing that Trump had won the 2020 presidential election and declaring themselves the states duly elected and qualified electors.

JOHN EASTMAN: A former dean of Chapman University law school in Southern California, John Eastman, one of Trumps lawyers, was deeply involved in some of his efforts to remain in power after the 2020 election. He wrote a memo arguing that Trump could remain in power if then-Vice President Mike Pence overturned the results of the election during a joint session of Congress where electoral votes would be counted. That plan included putting in place a slate of alternate electors in seven battleground states, including Georgia, who would falsely certify that Trump had won their states.

MARK MEADOWS: Trumps chief of staff visited Cobb County, in the Atlanta suburbs, while state investigators were conducting an audit of the signatures on absentee ballot envelopes in December 2020. Mark Meadows obtained the phone number of the chief investigator for the secretary of states office, Frances Watson, and passed it along to Trump, who called her. He also participated in the Jan. 2, 2021, phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

SIDNEY POWELL: A lawyer and staunch Trump ally, Sidney Powell was part of a group who met at the South Carolina home of conservative attorney Lin Wood in November 2020 for the purpose of exploring options to influence the results of the November 2020 elections in Georgia and elsewhere, prosecutors have said. Wood, whos licensed in Georgia, said Powell asked him to help find Georgia residents to serve as plaintiffs in lawsuits contesting the states election results. Additionally, emails and documents obtained through subpoenas in an unrelated lawsuit have shown that Powell was involved in arranging for a computer forensics team to travel to rural Coffee County, about 200 miles southeast of Atlanta, to copy data and software from elections equipment there in January 2021.

KENNETH CHESEBRO: Prosecutors have said Kenneth Chesebro, an attorney, worked with Georgia Republicans in the weeks after the November 2020 election at the direction of Trumps campaign. Chesebro worked on the coordination and execution of a plan to have 16 Georgia Republicans sign a certificate declaring falsely that Trump won and declaring themselves the states duly elected and qualified electors.

JEFFREY CLARK: A U.S. Justice Department official who championed Trumps false claims of election fraud, Jeffrey Clark presented colleagues with a draft letter pushing Georgia officials to convene a special legislative session on the election results, according to testimony before the U.S. House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Clark wanted the letter sent, but Justice Department superiors refused.

JENNA ELLIS: The lawyer appeared with Rudy Giuliani at a Dec. 3, 2020, hearing hosted by state Republican lawmakers at the Georgia Capitol during which false allegations of election fraud were made. Jenna Ellis also wrote at least two legal memos to Trump and his attorneys advising that Pence should disregard certified electoral college votes from Georgia and other purportedly contested states when Congress met to certify the election results on Jan. 6, 2021, prosecutors have said.

RAY SMITH: A Georgia-based lawyer, Ray Smith was involved in multiple lawsuits challenging the results of the 2020 election in Georgia. He also gathered witnesses to provide testimony before Georgia legislative subcommittee hearings held in December 2020 on alleged issues with the states election.

ROBERT CHEELEY: A Georgia lawyer, Robert Cheeley presented video clips to legislators of election workers at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta and alleged the workers were counting votes twice or sometimes three times. He spoke to the lawmakers after Giuliani.

MICHAEL ROMAN: A former White House aide who served as the director of Trumps election day operations, Michael Roman was involved in efforts to put forth a set of fake electors after the 2020 election.

DAVID SHAFER: The chairman of the Georgia GOP, Shafer was one of 16 state Republicans who met at the state Capitol on Dec. 14, 2020, to sign a certificate declaring falsely that Trump had won and also declaring themselves the states duly elected and qualified electors. He also joined Trump in a lawsuit challenging the certification of the 2020 election in Georgia.

SHAWN STILL: He was one of 16 Georgia Republicans who signed a certificate falsely stating that Trump had won the state and declaring themselves the states duly elected and qualified electors. Shawn Still was the finance chairman for the state GOP in 2020 and served as a Georgia delegate to the Republican National Convention that year. He was elected to the Georgia state Senate in November 2022 and represents a district in Atlantas suburbs.

STEPHEN CLIFFGARD LEE: Prosecutors say Stephen Cliffgard Lee, a pastor, worked with others to try to pressure Georgia election worker Ruby Freeman and her mother after Trump and his allies falsely accused them of pulling fraudulent ballots from a suitcase during the vote count. Lee allegedly knocked on Freemans door, frightening her and causing her to call 911 three times, prosecutors said in a court filing last year.

HARRISON WILLIAM PRESCOTT FLOYD: Also known as Willie Lewis Floyd III, he served as director of Black Voices for Trump, and is accused of recruiting Lee to arrange a meeting with Freeman and Chicago-based publicist Trevian Kutti.

TREVIAN C. KUTTI: Prosecutors allege publicist Trevian C. Kutti claimed to have high level law enforcement connections. They say Freeman met with Kutti at a police precinct, where she brought Floyd into the conversation on a speakerphone. Prosecutors say Kutti presented herself as someone who could help Freeman but then pressured her to falsely confess to election fraud.

CATHY LATHAM: One of 16 Georgia Republicans who signed a certificate falsely stating that Trump had won the state and declaring themselves the states duly elected and qualified electors, Cathy Latham was also chair of the Coffee County Republican Party. She was at the county elections office for much of the day on Jan. 7, 2021, and welcomed a computer forensics team that arrived to copy software and data from the countys election equipment in what the secretary of states office has said was unauthorized access to the machines.

SCOTT GRAHAM HALL: An Atlanta-area bail bondsman, Scott Graham Hall was allegedly involved in commandeering voting information that was the property of Dominion Voting Systems from Coffee County, a small south Georgia jurisdiction. Also charged in the scheme were Powell, Latham and former county elections supervisor Misty Hampton.

MISTY HAMPTON: She was the elections director in Coffee County. Misty Hampton was present in the county elections office on Jan. 7, 2021, when a computer forensics team copied software and data from the countys election equipment. She also allowed two other men who had been active in efforts to question the 2020 election results to access the elections office later that month and to spend hours inside with the equipment.

___

Cooper reported from Phoenix.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger responded to the news that a Georgia grand jury indicted former president Donald Trump and his associates on charges related to their attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state.

The secretary released a brief statement.

The most basic principles of a strong democracy are accountability and respect for the Constitution and rule of law. You either have it, or you dont, he said.

Mr Trump called Mr Raffensperger in the days after the election and asked for Mr Raffensperger to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have, The Washington Post reported at the time.

But Mr Raffensperger, a Republican, rebuffed Mr Trumps overtures. He later testified before the January 6 select committee about Mr Trumps efforts to have him overturn the election results and the threats he experienced.

In response, Mr Trump supported a primary challenge against Mr Raffensperger in last years Republican primary. But Mr Raffensperger triumphed and later won re-election in November.

The 98-page indictment unsealed on Monday evening charged Mr Trump, as well as his former chief of staff Mark Meadows, who joined the phone call with Mr Raffensperger; along with former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani; attorneys Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell; former law professor John Eastman; Trump campaign lawyer Ken Cheseboro; and former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark.

The twice-impeached four-times indicted former president faces 13 charges, including a violation of Georgias Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) law, which charges people who engage in the service of a criminal enterprise.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said defendants RICO charges accused them of participation in a criminal enterprise in Fulton County, Georgia, and elsewhere, to accomplish the illegal goal of allowing Donald J. Trump to seize the presidential term of office, beginning on January 20, 2021.

-Andrew Feinberg contributed reporting
The Georgia prosecutor who has overseen several high-profile cases relying on a state statute typically associated with organized crime has brought her biggest case yet against Donald Trump and more than a dozen others.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, whose office has been investigating the former presidents attempts to subvert 2020 presidential election results in the state, has led career indictments against more than two dozen people connected to a sprawling Atlanta hip-hop empire, 38 alleged gang members, and 25 educators accused of cheating Atlantas public school system.

Those prosecutions relied on the states anti-racketeering RICO statute. A former president and the current frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination  as well as a former White House chief of staff, several of his attorneys and state officials  are joining the list.

Her office has been investigating alleged efforts from Mr Trump and his allies to overturn election results in the state for more than two years, adding to a long list of criminal investigations and other legal consequences facing the former president, now facing a massive criminal conspiracy case along with 18 co-defendants.

On 14 August, a Georgia grand jury reached an indictment in the state investigation  separate from federal charges against Mr Trump alleging three criminal conspiracies and obstruction stemming from 2020 election subversion.

The indictment charges Mr Trump as well as Mark Meadows and attorneys Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Kenneth Cheseboro and Jenna Ellis, among others, in connection with an alleged criminal enterprise to unlawfully reject the outcome of the states election results against the will of Georgia voters.

What is a RICO law?

A federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act was established in 1970 initially to prosecute the Mafia and organized crime, but the law has been broadly applied to combat corruption, conspiracy, fraud and a number of offences under an umbrella of coordinated criminal activity.

In 1989, the US Supreme Court noted that the law was drafted broadly enough to encompass a wide range of criminal activity, taking many different forms and likely to attract a broad array of perpetrators.

Following the laws effect, more than two dozen states began to adopt their own set of statutes under similar schemes. Typically, such laws allow prosecutors to charge multiple people who commit separate crimes while engaged in a common enterprise.

Georgias nearly 40-year-old RICO provisions are considered more expansive than federal law.

The state makes it a crime to join, control, or conspire with an enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity  but a scheme does not have to be successful for prosecutors to seek charges.

Prosecutors must convince a jury beyond a reasonable doubt that at least two of those racketeering activities are related. In this case, those crimes would have been committed in an attempt to undermine and overturn Georgias lawful election results.

It allows a prosecutor to go after the head of an organization, loosely defined, without having to prove that that head directly engaged in a conspiracy or any acts that violated state law, John Marshall Law School professor Michael Mears told The New York Times. If you are a prosecutor, its a gold mine. If you are a defense attorney, its a nightmare.

How does it apply in the 2020 election case?

The indictment alleges 40 separate crimes and 161 different acts connected to an alleged criminal conspiracy.

All 19 defendants in the indictment are charged under the RICO statute. Mr Trump is also charged with 12 other crimes.

Count 28, for example, addresses Mr Trumps phone call with his former chief of staff and now co-defendant Mark Meadows to Georgias Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have to win Georgia.

That charge is for solicitation of violation of oath by public officer.

Several counts address the breach of voting machine software and a conspiracy to illegally access voting machines, some of which was removed  including ballot images, voting equipment software, and personal voter information  and then distributed to other members of the enterprise, including members in other states.

Those charges include conspiracy to commit computer theft, conspiracy to commit computer trespass, and conspiracy to commit computer invasion of privacy.

The racketeering statute does not look simply at a single crime, it tries to look at the big picture of view, Emory University law professor Morgan Cloud told CBS News. It has to be not just one separate isolated event, but a series of interrelated actions.

What other RICO cases has Fani Willis prosecuted?

During a news conference announcing an indictment against more than two dozen alleged gang members last year, Ms Willis said: Im a fan of RICO.

Last year, her office charged rappers Young Thug and Gunna and 26 others in a 65-count RICO case following an 88-page grand-jury indictment characterising their YSL group as a criminal street gang behind 182 instances of gang activity and criminal conspiracies.

Her office also led RICO indictments against 12 alleged members of the Bloods gang, including the rapper YFN Lucci, and 26 alleged members of the Drug Rich gang, connected to a gang string of robberies and home invasions across Atlanta.

In a controversial case from 2014, she served as the lead prosecutor in a RICO case involving 35 Atlanta public school educators tied to an infamous cheating scandal, ultimately resulting in racketeering convictions against 11 of 12 people accused of manipulating students standardised test scores.

Following RICO charges against alleged members of the Drug Rich gang, accused of a series of high-profile robberies and shootings involving Atlantas wealthy, Ms Willis told reporters: If you thought Fulton was a good county to bring your crime to, to bring your violence to, you are wrong and you are going to suffer consequences.
Hillary Clinton responded in real-time to the news of Donald Trumps likely fourth indictment in Georgia, revealing the one satisfaction she feels.

I dont know that anybody should be satisfied, Ms Clinton told MSNBCs Rachel Maddow late Monday. This is a terrible moment for our country, to have a former president accused of these terribly important crimes. The only satisfaction may be that the system is working. Justice is being pursued.

A grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, has returned an indictment in the investigation into Mr Trumps efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in the state. News of the indictments broke around 9pm ET on Monday.

There are 13 felony charges against Trump, including RICO, conspiracy to commit forgery, filing false documents, Solicitation of Violation of Oath by Public Officer and more.

In addition, 18 Trump associates have also been indicted, including former White House chief of staff mark Meadows and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Mr Trump faces two federal indictments over his mishandling of classified documents and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. He is also under indictment in New York City for his hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election, when Mr Trump faced Ms Clinton as the Democratic nominee for president.

Ms Clinton reflected on the seriousness of the criminal cases against Mr Trump.

I feel great profound sadness that we have a former president who has been indicted for so many charges that went right to the heart of whether or not our democracy will survive, Ms Clinton said, speaking of the former presidents various criminal charges generally as the world waits to see the details of the Georgia case.

Mr Trump has railed against the criminal cases against him, voted on by a grand jury of his peers in multiple jurisdictions. The former president has baselessly complained that the cases amount to election interference against him and has accused President Joe Biden of prosecuting a political opponent.

Despite his mounting legal trouble, Mr Trump remains the clear frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination. He leads all other candidates in the polls, and his GOP rivals have largely been unable to capitalise on the legal peril facing the former president.
Joe Biden delivered a speech highlighting his Bidenomics economic policies in the battleground state of Milwaukee on Tuesday, 15 August.

The US presidents visit came a week before Republicans were due to descend upon the state for the first GOP presidential debate.

Bidenomics, named by the White House, is the Biden administrations plan to grow the economy from the middle out and the bottom up centred around three pillars: making smart public investments, empowering and educating workers to grow the middle class, and promoting competition to lower costs and help entrepreneurs and small businesses thrive.

On Tuesday, Mr Biden also toured clean energy manufacturer Ingeteam, a company which the White House says has plans to hire 100 workers using Bipartisan Infrastructure Law money to start producing EV charging stations domestically.

Republicans will hold their first presidential primary debate in Milwaukee on 23 August.

It is not confirmed whether former president Donald Trump will boycott or hold a competing event.
Judge Scott McAfee has been assigned to preside over Donald Trumps fourth criminal indictment of the year, as revealed by the 98-page charging document released on Monday evening.

Mr Trump and 18 others, including Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman and Mark Meadows, have been charged in a 41-count indictment announced by Fani Willis, the district attorney of Fulton County, Georgia  over a sweeping plot to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the swing state.

The 45th president was caught on tape pressuring Georgias secretary of state Brad Raffensperger to help him find the 11,780 votes he needed to overcome Joe Bidens narrow victory in the Peach State during an official phone call on 2 January 2021.

The publication of that audio after it was leaked to The Washington Post sparked a two-and-a-half year investigation by Ms Williss office, resulting in an extensive chargesheet ultimately approved by a grand jury on Monday.

Mr Trump has already been indicted three times: once by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg over the falsification of business records to conceal hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels and twice by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith over the mishandling of classified documents and plotting to defraud the United States by seeking to overturn Mr Bidens win.

The former president has pleaded not guilty to all of the earlier charges against him and has, predictably, already claimed the Georgia case is part of an ongoing witch hunt being orchestrated against him by his political enemies determined to stop him securing the Republican nomination for president in 2024.

But who is the judge overseeing this latest criminal case?

Judge McAfee was only appointed to the Superior Court of Fulton County earlier this year by Georgias Republican Governor Brian Kemp.

Mr Kemp was pressured by Mr Trump after the 2020 election when the governor moved to certify the results in accordance with state law.

The Republican governor rejected Mr Trumps calls to falsely certify the results in his favour  something Mr Trumps own deputy Mike Pence also rejected at a congressional level on 6 January 2021.

Before being appointed to the superior court, the judge previously served as inspector general in the Georgia Office of the State Inspector General.

Judge Scott McAfee (Superior Court of Fulton County)

Prior to that, Judge McAfee was an assistant United States attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, a senior assistant district attorney for Fulton County and, before that, an assistant district attorney for Barrow County, part of the Piedmont Judicial Circuit.

He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from Emory University in Atlanta and then his Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia School of Law.

One of Judge McAfees key early decisions in the racketeering case against Mr Trump and his accused co-conspirators will be picking a date for their trial.

Ms Willis said in a late-night press conference on Monday that she hoped to secure one within the next six months, although that will ultimately be his decision.

The judges assignment to the case, conducted at random, will raise his national profile, as it has the likes of Judge Aileen Cannon in Florida and Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington, DC.

Judge Chutkan has received an enhanced security detail for her own protection after Mr Trump has repeatedly attacked her and accused her of bias against him.
MAGA conspiracy theorist Kari Lake has reacted to Donald Trumps latest criminal indictment  by bizarrely hinting at a conspiracy theory about the death of paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Its been 3 years, almost to the day, since Jeffrey Epstein killed himself. Not a single one of his clients has been indicted for heinous crimes against children, tweeted Ms Lake, who failed to win the Arizona gubernatorial race in the November midterms.

Yet, President Trump was just indicted for the 4th time. Justice is dead in America.

Epstein  a billionaire financier who mingled with the rich and famous  was found dead in his prison cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, New York, on 10 August 2019.

At the time of his death, he was awaiting trial on a string of sex-trafficking charges.

The New York medical examiner determined that he had died by suicide.

His death has long been a source of widespread speculation and conspiracy theories.

Investigations by both the FBI and the Justice Departments Office of the Inspector General found that there was evidence of any criminality in his death.

Ms Lake is a staunch Mr Trump ally who has long pushed conspiracy theories  including his false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him.

She has also continued to falsely claim  despite being repeatedly proven wrong in multiple courts  that she lost the governors race to Democrat Katie Hobbs due to cheating.

Several other Mr Trump allies and the former president himself have also railed against the sweeping 98-page indictment which was handed down in Georgia on Monday.

The former president and 18 of his allies were hit with a total of 41 criminal counts under Georgias Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute, over their efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state.

In the sweeping indictment, returned by the state grand jury late on Monday, Mr Trump was charged with 13 criminal counts of: violating RICOs statute, conspiracy to impersonate a public officer, two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery, two counts of conspiracy to make false statements under oath, two counts of conspiracy to file false documents, two counts of solicitation of a public officer, filing false documents, conspiracy to solicit false statements, and making false statements.

As well as Mr Trump, 18 of his closest associates were also indicted, including former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani who was hit with the most charges  13, the same as Mr Trump.

The other co-defendants are: former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, Kraken lawyer Sidney Powell, attorneys John Eastman, Kenneth Cheseboro, Jenna Ellis, Ray Smith III, and Robert Cheeley, former US Department of Justice official Jeffrey Clark, former Trump campaign official Michael Roman, former state senator and the former chair of the Georgia Republican Party David Schafer, Georgia state senator Shawn Still, Lutheran pastor Stephen Lee, mixed martial artist Harrison Floyd, Kanye Wests former PR Trevian Kutti, former head of the Republican Party in Coffee County Cathleen Latham, Atlanta-area bail bondsman Scott Hall, and former election supervisor of Coffee County Misty Hampton.

According to the indictment, Trump and the other defendants charged in this indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump.

DA Willis announced the charges and arrest warrants for the defendants at a late-night press conference outside the courthouse on Monday, where she ordered each of the 19 defendants to surrender to Georgia authorities by 12pm ET on Friday 25 August.

Specifically, the participants ... took various actions in Georgia and elsewhere to block the counting of the votes of the presidential electors who were certified as the winners of Georgias 2020 general election, she said.

As you examine the indictment, you will see acts that are identified as overt acts and those that are identified as predicate acts, sometimes called acts of racketeering activity. overt acts are not necessarily crimes under Georgia law in isolation, but are alleged to be acts taken in furtherance of the conspiracy.

DA Fani Willis announces charges against Trump and 18 allies (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Many occurred in Georgia, and some occurred in other jurisdictions and are included, because the grand jury believes they were part of the illegal effort to overturn the results of Georgias 2020 presidential election.

She added: The indictment alleges that rather than abide by Georgias legal process for election challenges the defendants engaged in a criminal racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgias presidential election result.

All of the 19 defendants were charged with violating the states RICO statute  a Nixon-era federal law originally passed to prosecute organised crime groups and Mafia crime syndicates.

The indictment accuses Mr Trump and his allies of orchestrating and running a criminal enterprise in Fulton County, Georgia, and elsewhere, to accomplish the illegal goal of allowing Donald J. Trump to seize the presidential term of office, beginning on January 20, 2021.

Mr Trump railed against out of control Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis  and spelled indicted wrong  as he hit out at the indictment on Truth Social in the early hours of the morning on Tuesday.

So, the Witch Hunt continues! 19 people Indicated tonight, including the former President of the United States, me, by an out of control and very corrupt District Attorney who campaigned and raised money on, I will get Trump, he fumed.

And what about those Indictment Documents put out today, long before the Grand Jury even voted, and then quickly withdrawn? Sounds Rigged to me!

Why didnt they Indict 2.5 years ago? Because they wanted to do it right in the middle of my political campaign. Witch Hunt!

DA Willis has spent more than two years investigating efforts by Mr Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 presidential election result in the crucial swing state.

Donald Trump in the White House (AP)

The investigation came following the release of a 2 January 2021 phone call Mr Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger where he told him to find enough votes to change the outcome of the election in the state.

All I want to do is this: I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have, Mr Trump is heard saying in the leaked phone call. Because we won the state.

Mr Biden won the state by less than 12,000 votes.

The investigation then expanded from that phone call to include a scheme whereby a group of fake Republican electors planned to falsely certify the results in Mr Trumps favour instead of Mr Bidens. The plot failed and the fake electors have since reached immunity deals with DA Willis office.

Ms Willis said she would like to try the defendants altogether and within the next six months.

In total, the former president is now facing 91 charges from four separate criminal cases.

On 1 August, he was hit with a federal indictment charging him with four counts over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the events leading up to the January 6 Capitol riot, following an investigation led by special counsel Jack Smiths office.

This came after Mr Smiths office charged Mr Trump in a separate indictment over his alleged mishandling of classified documents on leaving office.

Back in April, Mr Trump was charged for the first time with New York state charges following an investigation into hush money payments made prior to the 2016 election.
Social media users mocked Rep Lauren Boebert (R-CO) for her appearance at a Rico fire department amid former president Donald Trump being charged in Georgia under a law that shares the same likeness.

The right-wing firebrand congresswoman posted images of her visit to the Rico Fire Protection District in her district.

Honored to spend time with firefighters from the Rico Fire Protection District  true heroes dedicated to keeping our community safe, she posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. Their bravery and commitment are truly remarkable. Grateful for their sacrifice and service!

But the post came as a grand jury indicted the former president and his associates under Georgias Georgias Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) law, among other charges. The RICO statute charges people who take part in actions in service of a criminal enterprise.

Mr Trump faces 13 RICO charges, which he shares with 18 other criminal defendants. Social media users were quick to mock the moment.

@realDonaldTrump could use the RICO Fire & Rescue right now. Maybe Lauren could send them in? Jason Rollinson tweeted.

Rico. Thats funny, your owner is about to be charged with crimes of the same name, another person tweeted.

On the day Trump is indicted on RICO charges, Bobo tweeted this gem, another person tweeted. She's painfully stupid.

The former president also faces 12 other charges including conspiracy to impersonate a public officer; two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery; two counts of conspiracy to make false statements under oath; two counts of conspiracy to file false documents; two counts of solicitation of a public officer; filing false documents; conspiracy to solicit false documents; and making false statements.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said each of the defendants RICO charges accused them of participation in a criminal enterprise in Fulton County, Georgia, and elsewhere, to accomplish the illegal goal of allowing Donald J. Trump to seize the presidential term of office, beginning on January 20, 2021.
Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz have lead the Republican reaction to Donald Trumps fourth criminal indictment, with the Texas senator fuming: Im pissed.

Many of Mr Trumps allies in the GOP blasted the former presidents indictment in Fulton County, Georgia, before the details of the case were even released.

A grand jury in the Fulton County Superior Court handed down an indictment charging not just Mr Trump but also 18 other defendants including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows; his attorney and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani; his former attorney John Eastman; attorney Sidney Powell; attorney Jenna Ellis; and former Department of Justice attorney Jeffrey Clark, among others.

The indictment included 41 charges, including solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer; violation of Georgias Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organisations Act; multiple charges of false statements and writings; conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer; multiple charges of conspiracy to commit election fraud; and perjury.

But Republicans jumped to Mr Trumps defence even before these charges became public.

Mr Cruz (R - Texas), who led efforts to try and challenge the 2020 presidential election results, appeared on Sean Hannitys Fox News programme decrying the indictment, before the release of any details.

Im pissed at these over and over and over again, if theyre indictments, itll be the fourth indictment of Donald Trump Mr Cruz, who lost the Republican nomination for president to Mr Trump in 2016, said. This is disgraceful. Our countrys over 200 years old. Weve never once indicted a former president, or a candidate or a leading candidate for president and this is Joe Biden and this is the Democrats weaponizing the justice system because they're afraid of the voters.

Similarly, Sen Lindsey Graham (R - South Carolina) told Fox News how Mr Trump spent more on legal fees than he did on campaigning for president. Mr Graham had attempted to avoid testifying before Fulton County District Attorney Fani Williss team as she probed into Mr Trumps attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia but ultimately testified in November of last year.

The American people can decide whether they want him to be president or not, he said. This should be decided at the ballot box and not in a bunch of liberal jurisdictions trying to put the man in jail. Theyre weaponising the law in this country. Theyre trying to take Donald Trump down.

Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene (R - Georgia), one of Mr Trumps biggest defenders in Congress, tweeted that voters did not care about the indictment and just wanted lower gas prices.

The media and elite Democrats need to stop pearl clutching in their Trump Derangement support groups and go out in the real world where seniors and working folks cant afford food, bills, and gas, she tweeted. How to lose an election 101 is on display by the Get Trump Democrat Party.

Shortly after the indictment became unsealed, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who voted to object to the 2020 presidential election results as House Minority Leader, criticised the indictment.

Justice should be blind, but Biden has weaponized government against his leading political opponent to interfere in the 2024 election, he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. Now a radical DA in Georgia is following Bidens lead by attacking President Trump and using it to fundraise her political career. Americans see through this desperate sham.

House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik called Ms Willis a Far Left radical district attorney who was weaponising her office.

This blatant interference by the Far Left will not work, she said. President Trump will defeat these bogus charges and win back the White House in 2024.

The X account for the Republican majority on the House Judiciary Committee, which Rep Jim Jordan (R-OH) leads, sent out a series of posts criticising the indictment.

JUNIOR VARSITY FANI WILLIS, one post read.

Frivolous. Pathetic. Sad, another read.

Sen Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) similarly criticised the indictment and the fact that Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed David Weiss to be special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden.

The newest charges against Trump in Fulton County come just days after AG Garland elevated Weiss to special counsel in the Hunter Biden case, she posted. Once again, the radical Left is targeting the Republican frontrunner, President Trump, to distract from the Biden family corruption.

In an appearance on Fox News on Tuesday morning, former New Jersey governor, Trump foe, and 2024 GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie called Fulton County DA Fani Williss indictment of former president Donald Trump unnecessary.

Mr Christie explained that he believed there was no need for it after the federal indictment against Mr Trump that was handed down by Special Counsel Jack Smiths Washington, DC grand jury investigation and argued Ms Willis was possibly driven by ego following her two-year probe at the state level.

Jack Smith ... swoops in, he charges quickly  This is probably an ego decision ... Hell, I put all this time and effort into this investigation and I want something out of it.

Nevertheless, Mr Christie continued to dogged criticism of the former president. Asked about Mr Trumps accusation that the Georgia indictment was politically inspired and tailored for placement in the midst of the Republican Party primaries, the former governor responded: Look, running for president is his choice  It is not an excuse not for the justice system to continue to operate.
House Republicans raged against former president Donald Trumps fourth indictment in Georgia, saying that it was politically targeted. Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who voted to object to the 2020 election results, said Americans see through this desperate sham.

Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, who replaced Rep Liz Cheney after Ms Cheneys repeated critiques of Mr Trump, said Mr Trump will defeat these bogus charges and win back the White House in 2024.

But for the most part, Senate Republican leadership stayed silent amid the news of Mr Trumps latest indictment. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Whip John Thune, Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Barasso and many other senior Republican leaders in the Senate remained mum.

Some of the Senates most ardent conservatives did speak out, including Sen Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Tthe top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee said on Fox News that Mr Trumps fate should be decided at the ballot box and not in a bunch of liberal jurisdictions trying to put the man in jail.

Sen Ted Cruz (R-TX), who led efforts in the Senate to overturn the 2020 election results, told Sean Hannity on Monday evening that he was pissed.

But for the most part, Senate Republican leadership stayed quiet. When asked on Fox News about the indictment, Sen Joni Ernst (R-IA) brushed off the question of Mr Trumps indictment.

I honestly think that Iowans are becoming desensitised to this, said Ms Ernst, who at one time was vetted to be Mr Trumps running mate and won re-election in 2020 when Mr Trump won Iowa a second time. I don't even know that they are paying attention to it. Its the third indictment. Its the fourth indictment.

Ms Ernst parroted the oft-repeated line by Republicans that Mr Trumps indictments show that the US justice system had two tiers.

One if your name is Trump, and there is one if your name is Biden, she said. But again, it seems to be politically motivated so much that Iowans just throw up their hands anymore.

Sen Steve Daines (R-MT), who endorsed Mr Trump earlier this year, slammed the indictment.

The latest indictment of President Trump is brought by a rogue DA who is following in the footsteps of the rogue DOJ, further cementing the two systems of justice in America today, he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. Mr Daines leads the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which is responsible for defending Republican incumbents and flipping Democratically-held Senate seats in swing states.

The justice system should beit must beblind, not weaponized against political opponents.

The contrasting approaches between House and Senate GOP leadership parallel how Republicans approached Mr Trump and his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

While 139 House Republicans, including members of House Republican leadership such as now-House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Mr McCarthy and Ms Stefanik voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, only eight Republican senators, led by Mr Cruz and Sen Josh Hawley (R-MO) voted to object to the election results.

Meanwhile, House Republicans condemned Ms Cheney and now-former Rep Adam Kinzinger for their participation in the January 6 select committee. No Republicans faced serious consequences from leadership for voting to impeach Mr Trump for inciting the January 6 riot.

Similarly, while Mr McCarthy previously said that Mr Trump bears responsibility for the attack despite not voting to impeach him, he has largely welcomed Mr Trumps support.

Conversely, after the impeachment trial in the Senate, Mr McConnell condemned Mr Trump.

There's no question  none  that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day, he said.

But Mr McConnell said so after he decided against voting to convict the former president.
Texas Republican Congressman Ronny Jackson  and Donald Trumps former White House physician  tried to help a girl during a medical emergency when an argument with a state trooper escalated into a profanity-laced rant.

The Department of Public Safety released body camera footage, obtained by the Texas Tribune, of Mr Jackson at the White Deer Rodeo near Amarillo on July 29.

The footage captured Rep Jackson being handcuffed as troopers held him to the ground, face-down.

A DPS trooper repeatedly asked the congressman to step aside so that EMS could respond to a girl suffering from a medical emergency. But he disagreed, and instead confronted the trooper off to the side.

I was just trying to help  this has nothing to do with who I am or what I do. Im an ER doc, Mr Jackson is heard saying in the footage. The trooper tried to explain that multiple people had asked the congressman to get out of the way for emergency services.

The congressman maintained, Im an ER doc. I f***ing went to four years of medical school and four years of residency. He pointed fingers at the trooper throughout the conversation, saying that he was never asked to move; the trooper said he personally asked the Texas Republican to move twice.

Im gonna call the governor tomorrow and Im gonna talk to him about this s*** because this is f***** ridiculous, Mr Jackson told the trooper at one point. F***ing ridiculous.

You are a f***ing full-on d***! he continued to yell, adding, You better recalculate, motherf***er!

Once the congressman was out of the frame, people around the trooper he was yelling at started asking who he was. Someone said hes a senator, one person said.

According to a Carson County Sheriffs Office report, obtained by KAMR, Sheriff Tam Terry alleged Mr Jackson did not comply with law enforcement instructions and was very angry and aggressive.

The congressman reportedly aggressively advanced toward officers, used profanity, threatened to beat a state trooper. On top of this, the report stated, Mr Jackson even told the sheriff he would bury Sheriff Terry in the next election.

The Texas Republican released a statement following the release of the footage. Im glad the video is out. It shows the incompetence of the authorities and their complete disregard for the young girl in distress. We have the best Sheriffs in the country here in the panhandle and north Texas. Unfortunately, the Sheriff in Carson County is not among them, he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

I will apologize for my language, but I will not apologize for getting upset & speaking my mind considering the circumstances, he continued. If I had to do it again, I would still step up & act in a life-threatening situation. I will ALWAYS help someone in need. I WILL NOT apologize for that.
Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis announced that arrest warrants have been issued for Donald Trump and his 18 co-defendants and gave them a strict deadline to turn themselves in.

The Fulton County district attorney made the announcement after a grand jury handed up 13 felony charges against Mr Trump for his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in the state.

These charges include RICO, conspiracy to commit forgery, filing false documents, Solicitation of Violation of Oath by Public Officer and more.

In addition, 18 Trump associates have also been indicted, including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Subsequent to the indictment, as is the normal process in Georgia law, the grand jury issues arrest warrants for those who were charged, she told reporters on Monday night. I am giving the defendants the opportunity to voluntarily surrender no later than noon on Friday the 25th day of August 2023.

Ms Willis, who has been mocked by the former president in the build-up to his fourth indictment, described what she had investigated as a criminal conspiracy to overturn the results of 2020 presidential election in this state.

She then stated that the defendants had the illegal goal of allowing Donald J Trump to seize the presidential term of office beginning on January 20 2021.

And she added: All elections in our nation are administered by the states which are given the responsibility of ensuring a fair process and an accurate counting of the votes.the states role in this process is essential to the functioning of our democracy.

She then said that Georgia had a legal process for anyone who wanted to challenge election results to do so in courts in the state.

The indictment alleges that rather than abide by Georgias legal process for election challenges the defendants engaged in a criminal racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgias presidential election result.

Ms Willis said that she is seeking a trial date in the case within the next six months.

This office will be submitting a proposed scheduling order within this week. However, that will totally be at the discretion of the judge, Ms Willis said.

And she added that she wanted to try all of the 19 defendants together in the case.
It was the URL heard around the world.

On Monday, a document seemingly announcing 13 counts against Donald Trump was briefly published online on a Fulton County web system  before being deleted just as quickly  kicking off rampant speculation about the looming indictment and instantly fuelling claims of foul play from the former president.

The initial charge sheet seemed to show an extensive list of criminal charges against Mr Trump stemming from the long-running Georgia investigation into his attempts to overturn the states 2020 election results, according to Reuters, which first reported the document.

It was published hours before the grand jury eventually voted to indict the former president and a group of his closest allies for running a criminal enterprise to overturn the 2020 election in the state and keep Mr Trump in power.

The document, which can still be viewed on the Reuters website, was quickly taken down.

Hours later, when the indictment was handed down, it appeared under a different case code.

It also included Mr Trumps 18 co-defendants  something the original document did not.

But there were some similarities between the initial posting and the final charge sheet, with both including the exact same 13 charges against the former president.

In a statement to The Independent on Tuesday, the Fulton County clerks office explained in greater detail what prompted the confusion.

It said Che Alexander, Fulton County Clerk of Superior and Magistrate Courts, used an online document system to conduct a trial run of posting a large indictment to test for potential issues.

Unfortunately, the sample working document led to the docketing of what appeared to be an indictment, but which was, in fact, only a fictitious docket sheet, they explained. Because the media has access to documents before they are published, and while it may have appeared that something official had occurred because the document bore a case number and filing date, it did not include a signed true or no bill nor an official stamp with Clerk Alexanders name, thereby making the document unofficial and a test sample only.

The office, once it was aware of the mixup, said it immediately removed the document and issued correspondence notifying the media that a fictitious document was in circulation and that no indictment had been returned by the Grand Jury, the statement added.

However, this explanation was only available after the fact. Throughout Monday, little was known about what prompted the initial document to appear then disappear. Officials only said it was fictitious.

The lack of information was quickly exploited by Mr Trump.

In an email to his supporters asking for donations to his campaign, the former president claimed the document was another sign of the Witch Hunt against him and asked his supporters for more money.

This is an absolute DISGRACE. These rabid left-wing prosecutors dont care about uncovering the truth. They dont care about administering justice or upholding the rule of law, he wrote to his donors in an email with the subject line LEAKED CHARGES AGAINST ME.

The Grand Jury testimony has not even FINISHED  but its clear the District Attorney has already decided how this case will end.

Online commentators also began speculating that the document was a hack or maybe a leak; after all, the unthinkable and unexpected already happened once in recent months, with the 2022 leak of a draft opinion of the Supreme Courts eventual decision overturning Roe v Wade.

Republican lawmakers meanwhile flew into a rage.

Donald Trump (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

"This is OUTRAGEOUS government conduct and is a very legitimate basis to deem the entire Grand Jury process tainted & corrupted, Florida Representative Matt Gaetz wrote on social media. MOTION TO DISMISS!!!"

The overarching political narratives  judgment day for Mr Trump, or a political prosecution gone too far  had for a time outrun the verifiable facts on the ground.

All the while, the actual grand jury process, the body that eventually recommended Mr Trumps fourth major criminal indictment of the year, continued throughout Monday, extending into after-hours testimony from Georgia officials.

Outside, police continued with a stepped-up security posture including K-9 dogs.

Media organisations surrounded the court complex, with lines of tents and cameras that heightened the atmosphere of anticipation.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks during a news conference announcing the charges (Getty Images)

When the indictment was unsealed it emerged that there were 13 felony charges against Mr Trump, including RICO, conspiracy to commit forgery, filing false documents, Solicitation of Violation of Oath by Public Officer and more.

In addition, 18 Trump associates have also been indicted, including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani.

The document drama was the latest bizarre twist in a high-profile investigation that began shortly after an infamous 2021 phone call, in which Mr Trump was recorded giving explicit requests for top state officials to find him enough votes to reverse Joe Bidens victory in Georgia.

Most recently, Mr Trump has falsely claimed Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis had an affair with a rapper who was the target of a racketeering probe by her office.
Donald Trump will face yet another arraignment, this time in Fulton County, Georgia, after he was indicted on 13 charges related to his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election in the state.

On Monday evening, Mr Trump was charged with violating the RICO Act as well as other charges alleging conspiracy, making false statements and filing false documents related to his combined efforts with 18 other named defendants in changing election results.

The charges stem from an investigation by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis into Mr Trump and his allies actions in the state in the days and weeks after the 2020 election.

These actions included an infamous phone call that Mr Trump made to Brad Raffensperger, Georgias Republican secretary of state, in which Mr Trump asked him to find 11,780 votes. It also detailed a plot to install fake state electors.

Now, Mr Trump will have to add another series of court hearings for this case, including his official arraignment, to his already packed schedule.

Heres what we know about whats next for Mr Trump in the Georgia indictment.

When is the arraignment?

Mr Trumps arraignment date has not been set yet.

But in a press conference on Monday evening, Ms Willis announced that arrest warrants have been issued for Mr Trump and his 18 co-defendants and gave them a deadline of 25 August at noon to surrender.

Defendants can turn themselves in at any time, a spokesperson for the Fulton County Sheriffs Office told Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday.

The jail is open 24/7. Also, due to the unprecedented nature of this case, some circumstances may change with little or no warning.

The spokesperson said that based on guidance from the district attorneys office and the presiding judge they expect that all 19 defendants named in the indictment will be booked at the Rice Street Jail.

The spokesperson added that some of the arraignments may be done virtually depending on the decision of the presiding judge

Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump is directed to his vehicle after speaking at the Steer N' Stein bar at the Iowa State Fair (Getty Images)

Will there be cameras in the courtroom?

Georgia law is unique in that it requires cameras be allowed in judicial proceedings so long as the judge approves it.

Mr Trumps upcoming arraignment is likely to be televised, just as parts of Mondays indictment were.

This will mark the first publicly available viewing of the ex-presidents slew of criminal indictments. The New York indictment and both federal indictments did not have cameras in the courtroom.

According to the law, Georgia believes televised proceedings promote access to and understanding of court proceedings not only by the participants in them but also by the general public.

In order for a judge to prevent cameras in the courtroom, they would need a compelling reason like a child victim or witness.

Will Trump receive a mugshot and fingerprints?

Like his previous arraignments, Mr Trump will be fingerprinted, as is customary with criminal charges.

In the past, the ex-president did not have a mugshot taken because he is considered a notable person therefore an identifying mugshot was unnecessary.

However, Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat told WSB-TV earlier this month that Mr Trump likely will pose for a mugshot because he will be treated like any other person.

Unless somebody tells me differently, we are following our normal practices, and so it doesnt matter your status, well have a mugshot ready for you, Mr Labat said.

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 (AP)

Will he get bail?

More than likely, Mr Trump will be released on bail or bond of some sort.

In all his previous arraignments, the ex-president was released on a bond given his notable status.

In his most recent federal arraignment related to his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election, Mr Trump was released on an appearance bond and under strict rules.

During the ex-presidents first federal arraignment for his alleged retention of classified documents, Mr Trump signed a personal surety bond.

In April, a New York judge allowed Mr Trump to walk without bail as well.

A bond is usually set to ensure a defendant appears in court. A judge can outright deny bond which then requires the defendant to be taken into custody to await trial.
A Georgia grand jury has returned indictments against former president Donald Trump and a wide swath of his confidantes and allies who prosecutors allege to have participated in a criminal enterprise with the goal of overturning the disgraced ex-presidents 2020 election loss to Joe Biden.

Grand jurors returned indictments against Mr Trump and 18 other defendants late Monday after hearing from a number of key witnesses in the long-running Georgia election probe, including Gabe Sterling, who served as a top manager in the Georgia Secretary of States office in late 2020, and Geoff Duncan, the states former Republican lieutenant governor.

Although the courthouse closes normally around 5pm ET, authorities reportedly asked grand jurors to stay until approximately 9pm to finish voting on what a cover sheet delivered to Judge Robert McBurney indicated to be 10 separate indictments.

But the 98-page document unsealed later Monday evening was the only set of charges pertaining to Mr Trump and his co-defendants, a group which includes his former White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows; ex-New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani; attorneys Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powel; ex-law professor John Eastman; Trump campaign lawyer Ken Cheseboro; and former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark.

Mr Trump himself faces 13 criminal counts, including one he shares with every other defendant: A violation of Georgias Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute, which charges those who take actions in service of a criminal enterprise.

He also faces 12 other charges, including: Conspiracy to impersonate a public officer, two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery, two counts of conspiracy to make false statements under oath, two counts of conspiracy to file false documents, two counts of solicitation of a public officer, filing false documents, conspiracy to solicit false statements, and making false statements.

At a late-night press conference to announce the charges, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis appeared before reporters flanked by the prosecutors who have worked on the two-year-long election probe.

Today ... a Fulton County grand jury returned a true bill of indictment, charging 19 individuals with violations of Georgia Law arising from a criminal conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in this state, she said before listing the names and stating that each was charged with violating the states wide-ranging Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations (RICO) statute, which is itself patterned after a Nixon-era federal law passed to combat the Italian-American Mafia crime syndicates.

Ms Willis added that each defendants RICO charge accused them of participation in a criminal enterprise in Fulton County, Georgia, and elsewhere, to accomplish the illegal goal of allowing Donald J. Trump to seize the presidential term of office, beginning on January 20, 2021.

Specifically, the participants ... took various actions in Georgia and elsewhere to block the counting of the votes of the presidential electors who were certified as the winners of Georgias 2020 general election. As you examine the indictment, you will see acts that are identified as overt acts and those that are identified as predicate acts, sometimes called acts of racketeering activity. overt acts are not necessarily crimes under Georgia law in isolation, but are alleged to be acts taken in furtherance of the conspiracy. Many occurred in Georgia, and some occurred in other jurisdictions and are included, because the grand jury believes they were part of the illegal effort to overturn the results of Georgias 2020 presidential election, she said.

Ms Willis, who said each defendant has until 12.00 pm on Friday 25 August to voluntarily surrender to Georgia authorities and told reporters she would like to try the defendants within the next six months, had long been understood to be intending to bring a RICO prosecution against the former president.

I make decisions in this office based on the facts and the law. The law is completely nonpartisan. That's how decisions are made in every case, Ms Willis said.

In the indictment, she follows through on that intention by stating that Mr Trump and his co-defendants while associated with ane enterprise, unlawfully conspired and endeavored to conduct and participate in, directly and indirectly, such enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity in violation of the RICO law.

Trump and the other defendants charged in this Indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump. That conspiracy contained a common plan and purpose to commit two or more acts of racketeering activity in Fulton County, Georgia, elsewhere in the state of Georgia, and in other states, prosecutors said.

They further allege that Mr Trump and co-defendants constituted a criminal organization whose members and associates engaged in various related criminal activities including, but not limited to, false statements and writings, impersonating a public officer, forgery, filing false documents, influencing witnesses, computer theft, computer trespass, computer invasion of privacy, conspiracy to defraud the state, acts involving theft, and perjury.

The former president is charged with violating Georgias Rico law, Solicitation of Violation of Oath by Public Officer, Conspiracy To Commit Impersonating a Public Officer, Conspiracy To Commit Forgery in the First Degree, Conspiracy To Commit False Statements and Writings, Filing False Documents and other charges stemming from his efforts to pressure Georgia officials into fraudulently reversing his loss and his role in a scheme which purported to submit what were forged electoral college certificates to the National Archives.

Other charges referenced in the charging document include Impersonating a Public Officer and Criminal Attempt to Commit Influencing Witnesses.

The grand jury which returned the indictments against Mr Trump and his co-defendants was the second to hear evidence against the ex-president as part of a long-running probe which Ms Willis first announced in early 2021, not long after a recording emerged of Mr Trump pressuring Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find enough non-existent votes in his favour to justify decertifying the states presidential election results.

She subsequently asked the Fulton County District Court to empanel a special grand jury to investigate Mr Trumps efforts to overturn the election. That investigation, which wrapped up late last year, saw witnesses from all over the country summoned to give evidence behind closed doors in the Fulton County courthouse. Because special grand juries are not permitted to issue indictments under Georgia law, Ms Willis had to present that grand jurys findings to a second, regular grand jury which began to meet in July.

Mr Trump, who is also facing criminal charges from a local district attorney in his former home state of New York and set to be tried on Espionage Act and obstruction of justice charges in a Florida federal court next May, had unsuccessfully sought to have Ms Willis blocked from prosecuting him and has asked two Georgia courts to throw out the entire special grand jury proceeding, citing alleged deficiencies in the law providing for special grand juries and Ms Willis attendance at Democratic political fundraisers.

Judge McBurney, the Fulton County Superior Court jurist who has been overseeing the proceedings for the last two years, wrote in a ruling issued last month that Mr Trump and a co-plaintiff who was one of the fake electors under investigation had lacked any standing to challenge the investigation in a pre-indictment phase.

The movants asserted injuries that would open the doors of the courthouse to their claims are either insufficient or else speculative and unrealized, he said.

They are insufficient because, while being 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.

Judge McBurney also called Mr Trump and his co-plantiffs professed injuries from being targets of the investigation speculative and unrealized because neither has been indicted as of yet, and the mere possibility of an indictment not enough to create a controversy, cause an injury, or confer standing.

Now, with charges against him having been officially approved by a grand jury, Mr Trump could seek to renew the litigation.

But unlike in the two federal cases pending against him, the former president cannot count on regaining the power of the presidency or help from a Republican ally in the Georgia governors mansion to protect him.

Unlike many US states, the Peach State does not grand its chief executive the authority to issue pardons for crimes committed against the state.

Instead, pardon power is delegated to a nonpartisan board, and it can only be invoked to grant a pardon after a criminal has completed his or her sentence.
Donald Trump has now been hit with his fourth criminal indictment  leaving him facing a combined 91 charges across two state and two federal cases and the prospect of the remainder of his life behind bars.

On 14 August, a grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, returned an indictment charging the former president and 18 of his staunchest allies over their efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state.

Defendant Donald John Trump lost the United States presidential election held on November 3, 2020, the indictment reads.

One of the states he lost was Georgia. Trump and the other Defendants charged in this Indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump.

That conspiracy contained a common plan and purpose to commit two or more acts of racketeering activity in Fulton County, Georgia, elsewhere in the State of Georgia, and in other states.

Donald Trump indicted for fourth time

In the sweeping indictment, Mr Trump was charged with 13 criminal counts: violating RICOs statute, conspiracy to impersonate a public officer, two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery, two counts of conspiracy to make false statements under oath, two counts of conspiracy to file false documents, two counts of solicitation of a public officer, filing false documents, conspiracy to solicit false statements, and making false statements.

Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani was also hit with 13 charges, while the other alleged accomplices  including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, Kraken lawyer Sidney Powell and Kanye Wests former publicist Trevian Kutti  face fewer charges.

Heres some of the key takeaways from the sweeping 98-page indictment:

Trump and allies charged under mob boss law

Charged under Georgias Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute, the 19 defendants are accused of running a criminal enterprise with the goal of ensuring that Mr Trump remained in power at all costs.

The RICO statute is a Richard Nixon-era racketeering law originally passed to prosecute organised crime groups and mafia crime syndicates.

In brief, it allows prosecutors to bring different charges against multiple individuals who are all engaging in criminal activity for the purpose of a criminal end goal.

All 19 of the defendants were charged with violating Georgias RICO statute.

The indictment accuses Mr Trump and his allies of orchestrating and running a criminal enterprise in Fulton County, Georgia, and elsewhere, to accomplish the illegal goal of allowing Donald J. Trump to seize the presidential term of office, beginning on January 20, 2021.

Fani Willis announces charges against the criminal enterprise (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

This criminal organization constituted an enterprise as thatterm is dened in O.C.G.A.  l6-14-3(3), thatis, a group of individuals associated in fact. The Defendants and other members and associates ofthe enterprise had connections and relationships with one another and with the enterprise, it reads.

The criminal organisations members and associates engaged in various related criminal activities including, but not limited to, false statements and writings, impersonating apublic ofcer, forgery, ling false documents, inuencing witnesses, computer theft, computer trespass, computer invasion of privacy, conspiracy to defraud the state, acts involving theft, and perjury.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has previously used the RICO statute to bring sweeping charges last year against a gang which engaged in a high-profile string of robberies.

The use of the RICO statute is somewhat ironic for one of the defendants, Mr Giuliani, given he made his name as a former US attorney who prosecuted organised crime groups using that very same act.

In the bio on his freedom fund page  which seeks donations  he boasts that he pioneered the use of the RICO statute to take massive businesses away from not only the Mafia but other organized crime and illegal drug groups, crooked Wall Street con men, corrupt politicians from Congresspeople to many city, state and federal officials.

30 mystery co-conspirators

While Mr Trump and 18 of his close allies have all been hit with charges for their involvement in the criminal enterprise, the indictment also mentions another 30 mystery co-conspirators.

These alleged co-conspirators are not named in the indictment but are simply referred to as co-conspirators Individual l through Individual 30.

These individuals have not been charged with any crime, but are alleged to be part of the criminal organisation which engaged in criminal activities to keep Mr Trump in office.

Donald Trump with Rudy Giuliani in 2020 (AFP via Getty Images)

Defendants Donald John Trump, Rudolph William Louis Giuliani, John Charles Eastman, Mark Randall Meadows, Kenneth John Chesebro, Jeffrey Bossert Clark, Jenna Lynn Ellis, Ray Stallings Smith III, Robert David Cheeley, Michael A. Roman, David James Shafer, Shawn Micah Tresher Still, Stephen Cliffgard Lee, Harrison William Prescott Floyd, Trevian C. Kutti, Sidney Katherine Powell, Cathleen Alston Latham, Scott Graham Hall, Misty Hampton, unindicted co-conspirators Individual l through Individual 30, and others known and unknown to the Grand Jury, constituted a criminal organization whose members and associates engaged in various related criminal activities including, but not limited to, false statements and writings, impersonating a public ofcer, forgery, ling false documents, inuencing witnesses, computer theft, computer trespass, computer invasion of privacy, conspiracy to defraud the state, acts involving theft, and perjury, the indictment reads.

The identities of some of the alleged co-conspirators are easier to work out than others.

For example, the indictment refers to a 15 November 2020 phone call made by Mr Giuliani to unindicted co-conspirator Individual 2 in which he left a roughly 83-second-long voicemail message making statements concerning fraud in the November 3, 2020, election in Fulton County, Georgia.

It has previously been reported that Mr Giuliani tried to leave a voicemail message that day for Senator Tommy Tuberville  but accidentally called the wrong number.

While the identities of many of the alleged unindicted co-conspirators remain unclear, the other mystery is why these 30 individuals have not been charged with the other 19 members of the alleged criminal enterprise  and whether they could be hit with charges down the line.

Bizarre link to Kanye West

The indictment reveals a bizarre link between the alleged criminal enterprise and Kanye West as one of Mr Trumps 18 co-defendants used to be a member of the rappers inner circle.

Trevian Kutti, 51, used to work as Wests publicist.

In the sweeping indictment, unsealed on 14 August, prosecutors allege that Mr Kutti was recruited by co-defendant Harrison Floyd and travelled from Chicago, Illinois, to Atlanta, Georgia, to try to make contact with Ruby Freeman.

Ms Freeman was a Fulton County election worker who was falsely accused of election fraud by Mr Trumps allies  and faced a slew of harassment because of it.

Mr Kutti traveled to Ms Freemans home in Cobb County, Georgia, on 4 January 2021  two days before the Capitol riot and the certification of the electoral votes  but failed to contact her, the indictment alleges.

The indictment in Georgia against former President Donald Trump (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

He then allegedly called Ms Freeman and told her she was in danger but that he could help her.

Prosecutors allege that Mr Kutti tried to pressure Ms Freeman into admitting false claims of fraud  warning her she would face arrest if not. This was part of one of the key aspects of the criminal enterprise which focused on pressuring election workers and officials to aid in efforts to overturn the election.

Trumps tweets come back to haunt him

The evidence laid out in the indictment includes public comments, phone calls, White House meetings and, of course, the speeches Mr Trump and some of his allies gave to his supporters moments before a mob stormed the US Capitol.

But theres another thing that has particularly come back to haunt Mr Trump: his tweets.

Dozens of his tweets are cited as part of the 41 criminal counts in the indictment.

Among the most notable were Mr Trumps tweets on the morning of 6 January 2021.

If Vice President @Mike_Pence comes through for us, we will Win the Presidency. Many States want to decertify the mistake they made in certifying incorrect & even fraudulent numbers in a process NOT approved by their State Legislatures (which it must be). Mike can send itback! he wrote.

In another tweet, he wrote: States want to correct their votes, which they now know were based on irregularities and fraud, plus corrupt process never received legislative approval. All Mike Pence has to do is send them back to the States, AND WE WIN. Do it Mike, this is a time for extreme courage!

The indictment says that both of these tweets were an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy.

Mr Trump was banned from Twitter following the January 6 Capitol riot  prompting him to launch his own Truth Social platform where he continues to unleash his unchecked rants. His Twitter account was reinstated in November by the platforms new boss Elon Musk.

Voting equipment breach revealed

The indictment lays out details of a little-known plot to breach the voting systems in Coffee County, Georgia  unlawfully accessing private voter data as part of an attempt to try to prove election fraud.

Kraken lawyer Sidney Powell was a key player in this plot which continued long after the Capitol riot and President Joe Bidens inauguration  with prosecutors outlining alleged racketeering activity through January, February and April 2021.

Donald Trump speaks to supporters from The Ellipse near the White House in Washington, DC on 6 January 2021 (AFP via Getty Images)

According to the indictment, unindicted co- conspirators unlawfully accessed certain data copied from Dominion Voting Systems equipment at the Coffee County Board ofElections & Registration Oice in Coffee County, Georgia, by downloading said data from a server maintained by Sullivan Strickler LLC.

Co-defendant Misty Hampton also allowed unindicted co-conspirators to access non-public areas of the Coffee County elections office and access the Dominion Voting Systems equipment, the indictment alleges.

Trump ally admitted they couldnt legally overturn election before Jan 6

In a meeting two days before the January 6 Capitol riot, one of the key players in the alleged criminal enterprise admitted that they could not legally overturn the election, according to the indictment.

On 4 January 2021, Mr Trump and attorney and co-defendant John Eastman met with then-vice president Mike Pence, Mr Pences chief of staff Marc Short and Mr Pences counsel Greg Jacob in the White House Oval Ofce.

During the meeting, prosecutors allege that Mr Trump and Mr Eastman pushed Mr Pence to either reject electoral votes from certain states or delay the joint session of Congress on 6 January  when the electoral college votes would be certified for President Joe Biden.

This was part of a key part of the plot to keep Mr Trump in power, which focused heavily on pressuring Mr Pence and falsely claiming to the American people that he had the power to stop Mr Biden from taking office.

Yet, despite these public claims, the indictment alleges that Mr Eastman knew this was not the case and admitted this in the meeting attended by Mr Trump.

During the meeting, John Charles Eastman admitted both options violatedthe Electoral Count Act. This was an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy, the indictment alleges.
Donald Trump and members of his 2020 campaign legal team were slapped with a comprehensive list of criminal charges related to their efforts to change the lawful results of the presidential election in Georgia late Monday evening.

A wide range of charges were listed on the document, unsealed just before midnight after hours of work by the grand jury, containing more than 30 in total and climbing to nearly 100 pages in length.

District attorney Fani Willis spoke just before midnight, calling the efforts of the Trump team a criminal conspiracy.

The list of criminal counts itself was overshadowed only by the sheer number of individuals connected to Mr Trump who have now been charged. Every prominent member of Mr Trumps legal team, including Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, Kenneth Chesebro, Sidney Powell and John Eastman are now under indictment, as is former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. The list goes on to include a former publicist for the rapper Ye, better known as failed (two-time?) presidential contender Kanye West, as well as a currently-sitting member of the Georgia state Senate, Shawn Still.

A total of nineteen people are charged in the indictment, with nearly three dozen unindicted co-conspirators also named.

Mr Trump himself faces 13 criminal counts, including one he shares with every other defendant: A violation of Georgias Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute, which charges those who take actions in service of a criminal enterprise.

He also faces 12 other charges, including: Conspiracy to impersonate a public officer, two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery, two counts of conspiracy to make false statements under oath, two counts of conspiracy to file false documents, two counts of solicitation of a public officer, filing false documents, conspiracy to solicit false statements, and making false statements.

Mr Meadows, once a GOP congressman and later seen as a yes-man who fulfilled Mr Trumps wishes in the White House after previous chiefs of staff had sought to curb the presidents base instincts, faces just one charge in addition to the RICO violation: Solicitation of a public officer.

Mr Giuliani, the ex-mayor who saw his law license suspended after he spread falsehoods and conspiracies about the election, faces 13 charges: The RICO charge, three counts of soliciting public officers, three counts of making false statements under oath, one count of conspiracy to impersonate a public officer, three counts of conspiring to commit forgery, one count of conspiring to make false statements, and one count of conspiring to file false documents.

Some of the most serious charges aimed at his legal team fell upon the shoulders of Ms Powell, the attorney excommunicated by the Trump team in the final days of their effort to overturn the election as they derided her conspiracy theories as crazy. According to prosecutors, Ms Powell was involved in the voting systems breach that occurred in Coffee County as Trump supporters sought to obtain private voter data in their quest to prove nonexistent election fraud.

Trevian Kutti, a media operative who formerly worked for Ye, was also charged for her alleged attempts to intimidate two women, a mother and her adult daughter, who served as poll workers in Georgia for the election. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution had reported that Ms Kuttis involvement in what became a racist campaign of harassment against the two women was likely to be part of the indictment given that numerous people connected to that harassment had been interviewed.

The states former GOP chair, David Shafer, is ensnared in the probe as well. He marks the second state GOP chairman to face indictment for his role in the attempt to overturn the election, following Michigans just days ago.

Each charge is different and carries different sentencing guidelines. District Attorney Fani Willis pointed out in response to a reporters question Monday evening that the RICO violation, of which all 19 defendants are charged, carries a mandatory jail sentence.

Monday marked the second time Mr Trump has been criminally indicted at the state level. He was previously charged with more than 30 counts of falsifying business records in connection to an alleged hush money scheme.
Donald Trump was handed his fourth criminal indictment of the year on Monday evening when Fani Willis, the district attorney of Fulton County, Georgia, charged him with racketeering and election meddling in her state as he sought to overturn Joe Bidens victory in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election.

But Mr Trump was not alone: 18 co-defendants were also named in the 98-page document, including the former presidents attorneys Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman and ex-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.

One of the more surprising names on the list was that of Trevian Kutti, a one-time publicist for the rapper Kanye West.

Ms Willis accuses Ms Kutti, 51, of witness intimidation in the indictment, claiming that she travelled to the home of election worker Ruby Freeman in January 2021 as part of an attempt to pressure her into confessing that Mr Trumps bogus election fraud narrative was true and that a giant conspiracy to defraud voters at the ballot box really had been carried out on Mr Bidens behalf.

According to the indictment, Ms Freeman became scared after Ms Kutti warned her she would be arrested unless she came forward within 48 hours and duly called the police, whereupon an officer arrived and took both women to a nearby police station. Ms Kutti was then recorded on bodycam footage issuing further threats to Ms Freeman.

A spokesman for Mr West, who has legally changed his name to Ye, told Reuters in 2021: Trevian Kutti was not associated with Kanye West or any of his enterprises at the times of the facts that are reported in these articles or since these facts occurred.

The Independent has since contacted his representatives for further comment.

Ye had made a half-hearted attempt to run for the presidency himself in 2020 and has recently claimed that he will not only run again in 2024 but that he has asked Mr Trump to be his running mate.

The Republican front-runner is highly unlikely to accept, however, and the prospect appears remote indeed at the time of writing after Ye endured a nightmarish end to 2022 thanks to a series of self-inflicted scandals that began in October when he chose to appear at Paris Fashion Week alongside far-right commentator Candace Owens wearing matching White Lives Matter T-shirts.

Matters only got worse when he subsequently appeared on the Drink Champs podcast and made a series of vicious antisemitic comments, also falsely claiming that George Floyd  the Black man murdered by police officers in Minneapolis in May 2020, sparking international protests  had been on drugs at the time, bringing further condemnation and a $250m lawsuit from the deceaseds family.

Kanye West and Donald Trump (Getty)

Doubling down on his remarks and issuing further slurs on Twitter, Ye ultimately lost a string of lucrative sponsorship deals with the likes of Adidas, Balenciaga, Gap and Skechers before ending the year with a disastrous appearance on Alex Joness InfoWars show in December in which he expressed his admiration for Adolf Hitler, finally losing his Twitter account when he followed that up by posting an image of a swastika inside the Star of David.

In the middle of that rolling furore, Ye had brought the controversy to Mr Trumps door when he invited white supremacist and Holocaust-denier Nick Fuentes to dinner at Mar-a-Lago on 22 November, forcing his host to claim afterwards that he had not known the latters track record when he welcomed the rappers campaign manager inside.

A source told Axios, however, that Mr Trump had allegedly said of Mr Fuentes at the meal: I really like this guy. He gets me.

Not pleased about the ensuing bad publicity, which brought angry condemnation from both sides of the aisle, Mr Trump was forced to go on the defensive and insist that he did not share Mr Fuentess views, touting his favourable policies towards Israel while in office as evidence.

Before all that, Ye had previously sought out Mr Trump with unannounced visits to Trump Tower in New York City in November 2016 and the White House in October 2018, on the second occasion sporting a red MAGA cap and enthusiastically proclaiming that it made him feel like Superman.

Surrounded by baffled photographers and staffers in the Oval Office, the men discussed a wide range of topics, from North Korea to prison reform, mental health and even Yes designs for a new hydrogen-powered iPlane before he was politely ushered out to allow the commander-in-chief to resume his duties.
Her first day as the chief prosecutor for Fulton County came with news that then-President Donald Trump attempted to pressure Georgias top election officials to reverse his loss in the state during the 2020 presidential election.

A phone call between Mr Trump and Georgias Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was published by The Washington Post late at night on 3 January, 2021.

Hours later, Fani Willis would walk into her first day on the job as Fulton Countys district attorney, an office that is now spearheading a criminal investigation into Mr Trump, with the phone call serving as a central damning piece of evidence against him.

Fani Willis announces arrest warrants for Trump and 18 co-defendants

For more than two years, her office has been investigating efforts to overturn election results in the state and the baseless allegations of widespread election fraud that fuelled them, adding to a long list of investigations and other legal consequences facing Mr Trump and others who rejected 2020 results.

On 14 August, a grand jury voted to charge the former president and 18 of his allies with 48 counts related to their alleged criminal enterprise to overturn election results in Georgia.

Days earlier, Mr Trump was indicted on four counts in a separate federal probe led by US Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith into the former presidents efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

The closely watched case on the state level against the former president resulted in racketeering charges similar to those that Ms Willis has made a career out of bringing against dozens of others.

An anti-racketeering RICO statute  typically used to prosecute members of the Mafia and break up organised crime  has been used by her office in indictments against more than two dozen people connected to a sprawling Atlanta hip-hop empire, 38 alleged gang members, and 25 educators accused of cheating Atlantas public school system.

Evidence in the case includes Mr Trumps infamous phone call, a breach of voting machines by a group of Trump-connected operatives, and a multi-state effort fuelled by conspiracy theories and legally dubious arguments to replace Georgia electors with a slate of Trump loyalists to certify his election in Congress.

The case also investiges the harassment of two Georgia election officials by a group of Trump-connected operatives and the baseless allegations of voter fraud and manipulation, a case that is separately at the center of a long-running defamation lawsuit.

It doesnt matter if youre rich, poor, Black, white, Democrat or Republican, Ms Willis told CNN last year. If you violated the law, youre going to be charged.

Get out of my county

Ms Willis graduated from Howard University in 1992 and Emory University School of Law in 1996. She began her career in the Fulton County District Attorneys office in 2001, with roles in nearly every division in the agency, and serving as lead prosecutor in more than 100 jury trials.

She is the first Black woman elected to lead the counts district attorneys office.

(AP)

Last year, her office charged rappers Young Thug and Gunna and 26 others in a sprawling, 65-count RICO case following an 88-page grand-jury indictment characterising their YSL group as a criminal street gang behind 182 instances of gang activity and criminal conspiracies.

Her office also led RICO indictments against 12 alleged members of the Bloods gang, including the rapper YFN Lucci, and 26 alleged members of the Drug Rich gang, connected to a gang string of robberies and home invasions across Atlanta.

I have some legal advice: Dont confess to crimes on rap lyrics if you do not want them used, she told reporters at a press conference last year. Or at least get out of my county.

In a controversial case from 2014, she served as the lead prosecutor in a RICO case involving 35 Atlanta public school educators tied to an infamous cheating scandal, ultimately resulting in racketeering convictions against 11 of 12 people accused of manipulating students standardised test scores.

As the countys chief prosecutor, she has expanded her offices gang unit and lobbied for passage of a statewide measure that would impose mandatory minimum sentences for repeat offenders and increase the power of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in an effort to crack down on gang violence.

Key points from Trump's infamous Georgia call

Following RICO charges against alleged members of the Drug Rich gang, accused of a series of high-profile robberies and shootings involving Atlantas wealthy, Ms Willis told reporters: If you thought Fulton was a good county to bring your crime to, to bring your violence to, you are wrong and you are going to suffer consequences.

The Trump investigation

Over the last two years, the Fulton County district attorneys office has helmed a criminal probe into whether Mr Trump and his allies illegally interfered with the 2020 election in the state, which several recounts have confirmed President Joe Biden won definitively against Mr Trump.

In January 2022, Ms Willis convened a special grand jury, a 26-member panel given subpoena power and investigative authority to interview witnesses and ultimately deliver a report, as per state law, that includes charging recommendations.

The grand jury does not have authority to issue an indictment. It is up to Ms Willis to determine whether to charge Mr Trump and others connected to her case.

Her office sent letters to people connected to the so-called alternate electors scheme, including Georgia lawmakers and the chair of the Georgia Republican Party, and more than a dozen others who signed unofficial electoral certificates to subvert the Electoral College process and pledge the states votes for Mr Trump, who lost in Georgia.

Also central to the investigation is Mr Trumps call on 2 January, 2021, which he made days before a joint session of Congress convened to certify Mr Bidens victory, while those faithful to Mr Trump made last-ditch efforts to pressure then-Vice President Mike Pence to reject the elections outcome, or stormed the US Capitol in an antidemocratic show of force that has led to hundreds of federal prosecutions, including more than a dozen on treason-related charges.

A list of grand jury witnesses included former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, US Senator Lindsey Graham and former Senator Kelly Loeffler, and five members of Mr Trumps legal team, including Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis and fake elector architect John Eastman, among several others.

The grand jury investigation also looked into a phone call on 13 November, 2020 from Senator Graham to Mr Raffensberger, as well as Mr Trumps own remarks to a rally crowd months after he left the White House in which he appeared to publicly brag that he had asked Georgias Governor Brian Kemp to help us out and re-do the election.

In all, the special grand jury heard from roughly 75 witnesses before dissolving in January.

As a judge heard arguments on 24 January whether to publicly release the grand jurys report, Ms Willis said that a decision from her office on whether to bring criminal charges was imminent.

In a series of Truth Social posts during the hearing, Mr Trump continued to lie about the results of the 2020 election, defended his perfect phone call to Georgia officials, and baselessly alleged widespread vote manipulation.

Judge Robert McBurney granted a partial release of the special grand jurys report, which includes its introduction and conclusion and a section in which jury members expressed concerns that some witnesses may have lied under oath.

The recommendations to Ms Willis include a roster of who should (or should not) be indicted, and for what, in relation to the conduct (and aftermath) of the 2020 general election in Georgia.

A partially released report shows that the jury unanimously agreed that no widespread fraud took place in Georgias election following interviews with election officials, analysis and poll workers.

It also includes a recommendation to Ms Williss office to seek indictments for one or more witnesses who likely committed perjury, and it will ultimately be up to her office to seek indictments where she finds sufficient cause. The publicly released filing does not include witness names, names of people recommended for indictments, or other recommended charges.

Asked on 13 February how she feels about the judges decision to publicly release parts of the document, Ms Willis smiled and told reporters: Im pleased with it.

The grand jury and sweeping criminal charges

A grand jury was impaneled to hear the case on 11 July.

On 14 August, jurors voted to indict Mr Trump and 18 others  including his former White House chief of staff, several Trump-allied attorneys, and the so-called fake electors who joined a scheme to subvert the outcome.

The indictment alleges 40 separate crimes and 161 different acts connected to an alleged criminal conspiracy.

All 19 defendants in the indictment are charged under the RICO statute. Mr Trump is also charged with 12 other crimes.

Meadows, Giuliani, Trump-connected attorneys Sidney Powell, John Eastman, Kenneth Chesebro and Jenna Ellis, former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, several Trump aides, and a current state senator and several people connected to the alternate Georgia electors plot are among those facing a range of criminal charges.

I make decisions in this office based on the facts in the law, Ms Willis said during a late-night press conference hours after the indictment was unsealed in court. The law is completely nonpartisan. Thats how decisions are made in every case to date.

What Trump has said about the investigation

The former president has repeatedly characterised the multiple investigations against him as part of a politically motivated hoax and an attempt to steal the 2024 election from him, turning an allegation he now faces in two criminal indictments against his opponents and portraying himself as a victim of political persecution.

He has characterised Ms Willis as a racist making a fake case against him to interfere with his election prosepects.

Following the Georgia indictment, he lashed out at the prosecutor on his Truth Social platform and in fundraising messages through his campaign while continuing his bogus, repeatedly debunked narrative that the 2020 presidential election was rigged and stolen from him.

This story was first published on 15 February and has been updated with developments
Donald Trump has now added a fourth criminal case to his list of ever-growing legal troubles  this time for his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia.

The former president was indicted by a grand jury in Fulton County on 14 August on 13 charges accusing the ex-president of engaging in a conspiracy to replace public officials with fake electors as well as engaging in overt acts to further the conspiracy.

The indictment arrived after a two-year-long investigation from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis into Mr Trumps actions following the 2020 election.

It is the second criminal indictment the former president is facing related to his alleged interference in the election that Mr Trump lost. The ex-president was charged with four federal counts related to his supposed efforts earlier this year.

A statement from Mr Trumps campaign called the latest indictment bogus and accused Ms Willis of engaging in political targeting.

Combined with the intentionally slow-walked investigations by the Biden-Smith goon squads and the false charges in New York, the timing of this latest coordinated strike by a biased prosecutor in an overwhelmingly Democrat jurisdiction not only betrays the trust of the American people, but also exposes true motivation driving their fabricated accusations, the statement from Mr Trumps campaign read.

They are taking away President Trumps First Amendment right to free speech, and the right to challenge a rigged and stolen election that the Democrats do all the time. The ones who should be prosecuted are the ones who created the corruption.

What charges is he facing?

The indictment in the 2020 election interference case charges Mr Trump with 13 counts: violating the RICO Act, three counts of solicitation of violating an oath by a public officer, conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer, two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree, two counts of conspiracy to commit false statement and writings, conspiracy to commit filing of false documents, filing false documents and two counts making false statements.

The charges stem from an alleged plot and conspiracy Mr Trump engaged in to turn Georgias votes over to himself. One of the many actions stated in the indictment was Mr Trumps effort to replace electors in Georgia with false ones.

It is the second criminal case over Mr Trumps alleged actions while he was running the country.

Former President Donald Trump walks over to speak with reporters before he boards his plane at Ronald Reagan Washington Airport after his arraignment (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The first federal indictment against the ex-president occurred on 8 June, when a grand jury in Mr Smiths investigation charged Mr Trump and his co-defendant Walt Nauta on 37 counts related to Mr Trumps alleged unlawful retention of national defence information and obstruction of justice.

Those charges stem from a case that began early last year after National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) officials discovered more than 100 classified documents in boxes that were retrieved from Mr Trumps Palm Beach, Florida residence.

This came after his first criminal indictment in March on state charges in New York.

In that case, he appeared in a Manhattan courtroom to face criminal charges following Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs investigation into hush payments leading up to the 2016 presidential election.

After the first two arraignments, he returned to his properties to deliver remarks to crowds of supporters to cast himself as a victim of political persecution, baselessly accusing his political rivals of interfering with his chances of winning election to the presidency in 2024.

In all three cases, Mr Trump has pleaded not guilty.

In this handout photo provided by the U.S. Department of Justice, stacks of boxes can be observed in the White and Gold Ballroom of former U.S. President Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida (Getty Images)

This most recent indictment stems from a years-long investigation from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis that has been probing Mr Trumps attempts to reject the results of that election in the state of Georgia.

So will he go to jail?

With his growing list of criminal cases, speculation is mounting as to whether Mr Trump will face jail time.

If convicted, federal and state prosecutors and judges could have to decide whether to jail a presidential candidate  or even the potential victor in the 2024 race.

Following the first federal indictment, experts said that the Justice Department was likely to attempt to have Mr Trump incarcerated if hes convicted.

Each charge in that case  the classified documents case  carries a maximum sentence ranging from five years to 20 years. A potential sentence, if convicted, could include decades in prison.

National security lawyer and George Washington University law professor Kel McClanahan said that the department will probably want to go for incarceration in the case of Mr Trump, according to Insider.

Mr McClanahan said that the evidence in the indictment is intended to show that Mr Trump is a kingpin who knowingly broke the law, endangered national security, endangered nuclear weapon security, [and] endangered other countries national security.

Former US President Donald Trump waves from his vehicle following his appearance at Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. United States Federal Courthouse, in Miami, Florida, on June 13, 2023 (AFP via Getty Images)

The consensus among most legal experts commenting on the indictment appears to be that Mr Trump is in serious legal jeopardy.

In Georgia, there are mandatory minimum sentences under the racketeering charges Mr Trump faces. The former president could be sentenced to between five and 20 years in prison if he is convicted.

A former assistant US attorney in the Southern District of New York, Sarah Krissoff, said that to the extent that theres a conviction here, the Department of Justice is going to want to be seeking a real sentence because of the nature of the conduct, how long it lasted, his involvement, the involvement of other people, working allegedly at Trumps direction.

She noted that if Mr Trump is convicted, the sentence would depend on the judge, which seems likely to be Trump-appointee Aileen Cannon in the District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump could be looking at a maximum of five to 20 years of prison time if he is convicted in the January 6 charges.
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At least 35 people have died in an explosion at a petrol station in southern Russia, according to local officials.

Russia's Health Ministry said 115 people were injured in the blast and subsequent fire, and 35 of them died, including three children.

A total of 65 of those injured, including 16 children, remained in hospital as of Tuesday afternoon the ministry said. Eleven people, including two children, were in a grave condition. Russian state media said some of those injured would be airlifted to Moscow for treatment.

The explosion occurred on Monday night on the outskirts of the city of Makhachkala, the regional capital of Dagestan and more than 950 miles south of Moscow.

A fire started at a car repair shop and spread to a nearby petrol station, triggering the blast and a fireball that engulfed an area covering around 600 square metres.

The fire started at the repair shop and spread to a car as well, an unnamed witness told Russian newspaper Izvestia. From there, everything went to our gas station. After the explosion, everything fell on our heads, we couldnt see anything.

(AP)

This handout photograph taken and released by Russian Emergency Ministry on 14 August 2023, shows rescuers pushing out a fire at a gas station in the city of Makhachkala (RUSSIAN EMERGENCY MINISTRY/AFP v)

Russian emergencies ministry members remove debris at the accident scene following an explosion at a gas station in Makhachkala in the region of Dagestan, Russia, 15 August 2023, (via REUTERS)

Pictures from the site showed an inferno, as firefighters struggled to contain the damage. The authorities have begun a criminal investigation. Tuesday has been declared a day of mourning in Dagestan.

Nearly 260 emergency workers were deployed to help evacuate buildings in the area.

Authorities announced that the next-of-kin of the victims will receive 1m roubles (8,190) and that those injured will receive between 200,000 to 400,000 roubles.

In a separate incident also on Monday night, an explosion at an oil mine in western Siberia killed two people. Local authorities said the blast occurred in the Khanty-Mansiysk region and that another five people were wounded.
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More than 3,000 tourists have been evacuated from a popular holiday destination in the south of France after a devastating wildfire ripped through homes and campsites overnight.

Holidaymakers fled from four campsites close to the Spanish border as flames spread across 500 hectares of land on Monday night.

Around 650 firefighters battled the flames in the Pyrenees-Orientales region, which left 17 with minor injuries, the local prefecture announced.

Sparked by intense heat, dryness and tumultuous winds of up to 180km/h, the fire broke out between Saint-Andre and Argeles-sur-Mer.

Around 650 firefighters were brought in to tackle the flames threatening the town of Saint-Andre (France Securite Civile)

Michalak Guimbert, deputy mayor of Argeles, said tourists had arrived in municipal halls in swimsuits because they were returning from the beach when the fire broke out. She said flabbergasted children were among those running from the flames.

A British man living in the south of France said the fire was the biggest he has seen and it was unbelievable there were no lives lost.

It accelerated when it came over the Pyrenees, hit the flat Roussillon plain heading straight for us and were all terrified because it was going to incinerate the village and all the campsites around it, Steven Brady, originally from Wigan but who now lives in the Roussillon region, said.

It started halfway down the hill in Saint-Andre, right near us. Thankfully for us, but not for the people there, it headed towards the sea, which is very rare.

It was terrifying. Most of the residents of this village all went out to climb the hill last night and got the cameras out  theyve probably never seen that phenomenon.

Fire rages above Frances Pyrenees-Orientales department (France Securite Civile)

As well as a campsite and warehouse, 30 houses were damaged by the fire.

Mr Brady said: It came on like a mini hurricane. The flames were whipping up... it was horrific.

Your average fires happen quite a lot around here, but that was something that could have been an absolute catastrophe.

As the wildfires were brought under control by Tuesday morning, the extent of the devastation wrought by the flames became clear. Pictures show blackened and charred campsites, which had been full of happy holidaymakers just hours before.

Our town is hard hit, and there is a lot of damage, Saint-Andres mayor, Samuel Molly, told radio netwok France Bleu. The village is burned on both sides, a third has been hit by the fire.

A woman stops at a safe distance to take a picture of the fires, still raging across the department (AFP via Getty Images)

Christelle, a resident who fled her home, told France Bleu Roussillon: This fire is very impressive, it scares me. I hope I will find my whole house.

The fire is now under control, the French interior minister Gerald Darmanin said on Twitter. No residents or tourists were injured but Mr Darmanin asked that the population and holidaymakers be extremely vigilant.

A campsite destroyed by wildfire shows the sheer force of the blaze (AFP via Getty Images)

Frances minister of ecological transition, Christophe Bechu, visited Les Chenes Rouges campsite on Tuesday.

He posted photos of charred trees, saying: These striking images testify to the intensity of the fire. I am committed to supporting tourism stakeholders in the reconstruction and restoration of devastated natural areas.

Drought and fire are two sides of the same coin: climate change, Mr Bechu said.

Most of the evacuees have been able to return to their accommodation or homes, but a few dozen tourists were still waiting to be rehoused, Mr Bechu told reporters in Saint-Andre. Some of those people had lost their documents, money and cars in the blaze, he added.

Wildfires have beset Europe this summer, with both locals and tourists being forced to flee from the deadly flames.

Mr Bechu said that this summer had seen fewer fires in France than last year, when 70,000 hectares were burnt to ashes  but that it was necessary to be humble as summer was not over.

Five regions in the east of the country are currently on high alert for heatwaves, according to the French weather authority Meteo Frances website.

Last week, firefighters evacuated more than 130 people as they fought to control a wildfire at Portbou on the Mediterranean coastal Spanish border with France. The blaze ravaged some 435 hectares of land.

Reuters contributed to this report
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Western pressure on Ukraines counteroffensive to achieve a Hollywood-style breakthrough against Russias forces is unrealistic and Kyivs allies must be prepared for the war to drag on far longer than they imagined, experts have said.

Facing heavily fortified Russian defences, including vast minefields and heavy shelling during its summer counteroffensive, Ukraine has been forced to broaden its focus away from the front lines

With rains expected to muddy the battlefield in areas of the south and east of the country  including Zaporizhzhia  as soon as September, the odds are getting longer on the triumphant breakthrough many in the West were hoping for, analysts have told The Independent.

While Kyiv has made some advances and reclaimed a number of towns and villages, progress has been slow. However, Ukrainian forces are having real successes in degrading Russias military capabilities and zapping the morale of its increasingly stretched forces.

Ukrainian soldiers fire a mortar towards Russian positions at the front line, near Bakhmut (AP)

Those efforts to hit supply lines, and destroy weapons depots and artillery pieces, are going to matter in the long-term a lot more than taking a village here or a town there, said Mark Galeotti, director of the Mayak Intelligence consultancy  who still did not rule out a surprise breakthrough by Kyivs forces.

Although one can be disappointed about the counteroffensive in the short term, in the long term its leading to a situation where, come next spring, the Ukrainians are going to increasingly be fielding a competent 21st-century army  while the Russians are fielding a 20th-century army, he added.

The outcome of this years counteroffensive may have been predetermined by Western choices not to go far enough in arming Ukraine, meaning Kyivs forces are fighting under conditions that no Western military would contemplate, said Keir Giles, a senior consulting fellow at Chatham House think tank.

Progress was always going to be slow and painful because Western hesitation gave Russia more than ample time to construct the defences Kyiv is now having to push through at immense cost, Mr Giles said.

We should be prepared for this war to drag on far longer than people have imagined, he said, stressing the need for Western voters to remain mindful of the disastrous outcomes of a Russian victory.

Ukraines Volodymyr Zelensky visited troops close to the frontline in Donetsk on Monday (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office/AP)

It is the sad reality that, rather than the West, it is Russia who is holding the clock right now, said Dr Marina Miron, of Kings College Londons war studies department, pointing to Vladimir Putins past questioning of Natos stamina for supporting Ukraine in what the Russian president views as a contest of political wills.

But Dr Miron warned that the narrative of a fixed Ukrainian counteroffensive  facing a ticking clock as winter approaches  was simplistic, saying: In this kind of contemporary warfare you dont have clear-cut offensive/counteroffensive operations ... it doesnt fit squarely into those categories any more.

Ukraine appears to be trying to hold out until it receives more military equipment, according to Dr Miron, while adopting asymmetric tactics, such as the use of cheap drones to hit the Black Sea fleet and targets within Russia, such as Moscow and Belgorod. While Ukraine rarely claims responsibility for such attacks, officials are happy to play up the impact on the Kremlin and say that more attacks will be forthcoming.

Its not just about taking territory, its about the psychological impact, its about degrading Russias logistic capabilities, she said.

Ukraine has been targeting Russian artillery systems, which are pivotal to Moscows military approach (AFP/Getty)

However, Dr Miron cautioned that attacks on Russian soil might well be playing into Russias hands by seemingly reinforcing Mr Putins narrative of the war, and lending him justification for a further mobilisation of citizens, while alienating Western allies fearful of escalation.

Despite scepticism over a huge Ukrainian breakthrough pre-winter, Mr Galeotti suggested that Kyiv will be hoping, if not to break Russias land bridge between the Russian-occupied peninsula of Crimea and eastern Donetsk, to at least bring it within the range of shelling and rocket attacks. Kyiv has repeatedly said it plans to retake Crimea and all territories seized by Russia since it launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

In the south, there are reports of a Ukrainian push across the Dnipro River, near the recaptured city of Kherson, while Russian forces have mounted their own offensive towards Kupyansk in the north.

Ukraine is seeking to advance on multiple fronts across a vast area (Ministry of Defence)

Russias efforts there might delay but wont alter Ukraines strategic objective to reach the Black Sea coast and break Russias land bridge, said Jaroslava Barbieri, of the University of Birmingham.

Meanwhile, Ukraines positions near the land bridge could be strengthened by drawing more Russian troops to the Dnipro River, where the symbolic role of Kherson as one of the first cities to fall under Russian occupation could have a strong demoralising effect on Russian soldiers, said Ms Barbieri.

Warning that Western complaints over the pace of Kyivs counteroffensive are a major source of frustration in Ukraine, Ms Barbieri added: Kyiv is aware of electoral pressures in key Western countries and feels the pressure to demonstrate that Western military aid is making a difference.

But a bigger priority is urging international audiences not to look at the counteroffensive as a Hollywood film and warning of the dangers of accepting a peace on Russian terms.
 Close Ukraine war: Footage appears to show moment drone attack hits building in central Moscow

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The Netherlands and Denmark will supply dozens of F-16s to Ukraine as they pledged unwavering support in a landmark announcement yesterday.

While Volodymyr Zelensky said his country would receive 42 jets in total, the two donor countries did not specify numbers in a joint statement confirming the deliveries.

Denmarks prime minister Mette Frederiksen said 19 jets will hopefully be sent to Kyiv, of which six will arrive around the new year, eight more next year and the remaining five will be sent in 2025 as he asked Ukraine to please take this donation as a token of Denmarks unwavering support for your countrys fight for freedom.

Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte said the Netherlands has 42 of the jets, but said some will be needed for training purposes.

Ukraine has been asking its allies for advanced fighter jets since the very beginning of Russias invasion, but its Western allies have been reluctant to provide military donations that could be used to strike deep inside Moscows territory.

It comes as nearly 50 flights to and from Moscow were disrupted after Russia said it foiled attacks by two Ukrainian drones in the city.
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An American tourist has received backlash after confessing that she lied about sneaking onto a train while on vacation in Europe to go viral on TikTok.

In a video posted to her TikTok on 11 June, Shelby Reicks documented how she and her friend allegedly attempted to ride the train in Rome for free but ended up getting caught. The 24-year-old Chicago resident was seen biting her fingernails as she looked down the carriage waiting for the conductor to approach. Not us thinking we snuck onto this train in Rome for free, her caption read.

Reicks continued to panic, trying to think of an excuse as to why the two of them didnt have tickets. Me trying to come up with a game plan of what to say, another on-screen caption popped up.

The anxious traveller thought it best to just ask the train attendant if they could purchase the $14 ticket on the spot, and while they were eligible to do so, they were forced to pay an additional fee. The price increased by 50 ($55) each, with Reicks jaw dropping when she was told the adjusted amount.

Me in utter shock that we both just spent $68 instead of $15 on a 15-minute train ride, she said at the end of the video.

Speaking to Insider, the content creator admitted her video was slightly misleading and didnt give an accurate depiction of why she and her friend got on the train without a ticket in the first place. According to the TikToker, the two tried to purchase a train seat with her Apple card when they were on the platform. However, she said the transaction wouldnt go through, but that the station workers had let them on the public transport anyway.

Rather than telling the full truth, Reicks explained to Insider that she embellished the story with her caption claiming they snuck on to attract more viewers.

In the digital era, I understand how a sprinkle of clickbait can increase engagement. I did not actually purposefully sneak onto the train, she told the outlet.

Though Reicks ended up paying way more than the original seat price, her fee had the potential to be much more. Per the Atac Roma website, anyone found without a valid ticket can be charged anywhere between 100 ($100) to 500 ($548) plus the ticket price as well as procedural and postal costs.

The video has since attracted more than 9.9 million views on the app with over 1,130 commenters. Most of the viewers ridiculed Reicks thinking she could ride for free, while others said they were pleased to see the pair get caught.

Literally it says on all the signs if you dont buy your ticket you will be fined, one viewer wrote, while another made a negative assertion about US tourists: So American.

Dont cheat the system, or the system will cheat you, another individual remarked.

Reicks told Insider she didnt realise her video would be viewed so many times because she posted it before her flight home from Italy. When she landed, she was shocked that it already amassed hundreds of thousands of views.

The response from the viewers seemed mostly negative- but then again those are the ones you notice most. There were even some comments that TikTok had to remove because of how vulgar and disrespectful they were, said in a statement sent to The Independent. Many even came at Americans as a whole saying And this is why the world hates American tourists. It is interesting how quickly someone can label you without knowing who you truly are on the internet.

She continued: On the flip side, I found many relatable comments about how this exact situation also happened to other US travelers. In the end, I know what my true story is and who I am as an individual.
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UK passengers queuing at the French border can expect the waiting time to more than double when digital checks for non-EU countries are introduced, according to a new report.

More than 500 data kiosks and 250 tablets have been ordered by France to process travellers, including passengers in their cars on ferries, in the hope that queues at airports, stations and ports will be reduced when the EUs Entry/Exit System begins  and photos and fingerprints of millions of people need to be taken.

After leaving the European Union, UK travellers entering the Schengen area for the first time will need all their data and documents processed.

Though the system will replace the manual stamping of passports, a report by the Cour des Comptes, Frances public finance watchdog, estimated the initial registration of travellers into the system will at least double the queuing time. After passing through the kiosks, travellers will need to show their passports to border officials.

The report suggests that potential disruption could cause more people to travel across the continent by plane.

Even though the average check time has increased since Brexit for Eurostar, doubling or even tripling waiting time could drive some travellers to opt for a plane, it states.

Trials have suggested that the new system could add two minutes to each person passing through the border, whether arriving by air or sea.

Paul Charles, the chief executive of travel consultancy the PC Agency, told The Telegraph: Getting into Europe needs to be more seamless, not more cumbersome.

The processing of passengers, whether at our ferry ports, at St Pancras or on arrival at a European airport, will have to be much faster otherwise peak periods will become unbearable for those stuck in ever-longer queues.

Simon Calder, travel correspondent for The Independent, lays the blame solely at the feet of Brexits decision makers.

At the time of the EU referendum, plans for the Entry/Exit System were already underway. After the democratic decision to leave the European Union, the UK government negotiated for British passport holders to become third-country citizens  and for hard EU frontiers at Dover and Folkestone.

The queues seen since we demanded all British passports must be checked and stamped should not be a surprise for anyone  and when fingerprinting and facial biometrics become mandatory the process will become even tougher.

I am curious what solutions ministers had in mind when they campaigned for Brexit. But at least the French seem to be taking the potential problems seriously.

Proposals for smart borders were first suggested by the EU in 2015, and were formally adopted in early 2016  months before the Brexit referendum. The scheme has been hit with a number of delays, however, and is unlikely to be implemented until 2025.
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UK holiday companies have put packages to Rhodes back on sale from the weekend, despite the wildfires that have seen thousands of tourists evacuated from the island.

The UKs two biggest tour operators, Jet2 and Tui, have cancelled all flights and holidays to Rhodes over the past few days. They are offering refunds because of the fires, which have been raging on the Greek island for six days.

Tui will resume package holidays to most of Rhodes on Saturday 29 July, while Jet2 restarts on Monday 31 July

The travel firm Thomas Cook has been sending holidaymakers to the island throughout the week, though it adds: Customers travelling this Friday, Saturday and Sunday can choose to travel as planned or amend their holiday. If they wished to cancel, they will receive a full refund.

Dozens of flights have brought thousands of British tourists home. It is believed that everyone who wanted to come back early from their trip has done so.

Thousands of holidaymakers were forced to flee resorts on Saturday 22 July, with some British tourists describing terrifying scenes of turmoil as power cuts caused chaos on the island.

In previous days the wildfire was confined to the islands mountainous centre, but aided by winds, very high temperatures and dry conditions, it spread on Saturday towards the coast on the islands central-eastern side.

But the northern part of the island has been running largely as normal, albeit with extra pressure on the infrastructure due to large numbers of tourists fleeing for safety and seeking to find flights home.

Holidaymakers were evacuated from their hotels and left their belongings behind (AP)

Rhodes airport is on the northwestern shore of the Greek island, close to the capital, Rhodes Town. With no imminent danger in that area, some airlines have been operating a business as usual policy, with normal terms applying.

But most have provided provide some options to customers, with package holidaymakers benefiting from extra protection.

The Foreign Office advises travellers to contact their airline or travel operator. For 24/7 British consular assistance, UK citizens abroad can call +44 20 7008 5000.

Thousands of tourists have been evacuated (AP)

The FCDO has also sent a Rapid Deployment Team to Rhodes to support British nationals, and the Greek Foreign Affairs ministry has set up a help desk at Rhodes airport.

I came home early. Will I get some or all of my money back?

People who were anxious about being on the island but whose holidays were not directly affected are unlikely to be offered any recompense for the lost holiday times.

Package holidaymakers whose trips are curtailed because their accommodation cannot be used are due a partial refund under the Package Travel Regulations.

Travellers with easyJet Holidays are told: Customers who we have brought back to the UK earlier than their booked return date will receive a pro-rata refund for the days of the hotel stay that were missed. If a 1,000 holiday that was expected to last two weeks ended halfway through, the refund will be 500 from easyJet Holidays.

But other operators may not be as generous.

If a two-week holiday that cost 1,000 per person ends a week early, the holiday company is entitled to subtract the value of the flights, which might be 400  meaning only half of the remainder will be refunded, ie 300.

I am booked to travel imminently to Rhodes. Can I cancel for a refund?

If the travel firm or airline cancels your trip you can expect a full refund within two weeks. If the flight is going ahead, then your rights may depend on whether you are on a proper package holiday or have booked flights and accommodation separately.

Under the Package Travel Regulations, holidaymakers can cancel for a refund if unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances occur 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.

In the case of some parts of Rhodes, this looks like reasonable grounds to cancel.

These are the larger companies policies for imminent departures as of 10pm on Thursday 27 July.

easyJet Holidays: Trips will resume on Sunday 30 July. Some flexibility may be offered for customers who wish to defer their trips., All holidays to the resorts of Gennadi, Kiotari and Lahania are cancelled up to and including 10 August 2023

Jet2: all flights and holidays to Rhodes are cancelled up to and including Sunday 30 July, with full refunds offered. From Monday 31 July, normal terms and conditions apply for trips to northern Rhodes, where hotels, villas, and resorts are operating as normal. This includes the resrts of Faliraki, Ialyssos, Ixia, Kalithea, Kolymbia, Kremasti, Pastida, Rhodes Town and Theologos. The resorts of Lardos, Lindos, Kalathos and Pefkos are also operating as normal according to Jet2, which sent customer service and safety experts to all the hotels in these resorts to conduct rigorous and detailed assessments. Three resorts remain on Jet2s no-go list up to and including 13 August: Gennadi, Kiotari and Lachania

Ryanair: Flights to/from Rhodes Airport are currently operating as normal and unaffected by the forest fires. Please check your Ryanair app where you will be notified of any changes to your Ryanair flight.

Thomas Cook: All of our holidays to the island outside of the limited affected areas will resume from Monday 31 July in full. Customers travelling this Friday, Saturday and Sunday [28-30 July] can choose to travel as planned or amend their holiday. If they wished to cancel, they will receive a full refund. Holidaymaker booked to travel to the affected area around Kiatori up to 7 August are offered full refunds.

Tui: All outbound flights to Rhodes up to and including Friday 28 July are cancelled, but normal service resumes on Saturday 29 July. Anyone booked to Rhodes on Saturday 29 or Sunday 30 July can cancel for a full refund. After that, usual terms apply for holidays in the north of the island, For trips to the south of the island due to depart up to and including 11 August, full refunds are available. Customers travelling to hotels in the south of the island between 12 and 21 August can amend fee free, the company says.

Would you go to Rhodes?

Yes. The people of Rhodes have shown outstanding kindness and courage towards overseas tourists. In most parts of the island  and 90 per cent is unaffected  they want to get back to work delivering great experiences for visiting holidaymakers.

If I go to Rhodes, will my travel insurance be valid?

Yes, except in very narrow circumstances. When a calamity such as the awful wildfires in Rhodes occurs, it is standard practice for travel insurers to partially remove some cover  but only for trips booked after the situation becomes known and only for risks specifically associated with the event.

For example, you should be able happily to book any trip to Rhodes and expect cover as part of your annual policy  except for risks directly associated with the wildfires. Were you unwise enough to venture into the afflicted area and injure yourself, you would not be covered.

Otherwise, despite a rogue message from Admiral Insurance wrongly saying all cover for Greek holidays booked after 23 July would be suspended  since corrected  there should be no problem.
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A couple have warned people against flying with Ryanair after the low-cost airline charged them 110 over a check-in mistake.

On Friday morning, Ruth and Peter Jaffe arrived at London Stansted in good time for Ryanair flight FR2668 to Bergerac, in southwest France, for a family holiday.

The retired doctors  aged 79 and 80, respectively  had, they believed, observed the airlines requirement to check in online ahead of their 500-mile flight and printed out the boarding passes.

Ryanair sends out reminder emails saying: Remember, you must check in online to avoid the 55 airport check-in fee.

But Ruth Jaffe had inadvertently checked in for the inbound flight. She told BBC Today: We arrived at Stansted two hours before the flight and found that I had not got the outward boarding card. Id only got the return one.

I was then told that wed have to go to the Ryanair desk to get a boarding card. And there they charged me 55 per person. It horrified me.

Peter Jaffe added: We didnt have much choice. There we were with our bags and people expecting us at the other end.

So we had to pay. It wasnt the girl on the desks fault that she was charging us this. This, she said, was: policy.

Ruth Jaffe has complained to Ryanair, but said she did not hold out much hope for recompense: I think theyll say its in the small print and it was our fault. Which it was, but it was a genuine mistake.

People hate Ryanair, I think. Certainly our relatives  because were having a family holiday out here  and the other people coming out going to all sorts of lengths to make sure they dont come out on Ryanair.

A spokesperson for Ryanair said: In accordance with Ryanairs T&Cs, which these passengers agreed to at the time of booking, they failed to check-in online before arriving at Stansted airport (11 Aug) despite receiving an email reminder (10 Aug) to check in online

These passengers were correctly charged the airport check-in fee (55 per passenger).

All passengers travelling with Ryanair agree to check-in online before arriving at their departure airport and all passengers are sent an email/SMS, reminding them to do so 24hrs before departure.

We regret that these passengers ignored their email reminder and failed to check-in online.
Florida lifeguards rescued 11 sailors after their boat broke into two pieces on Saturday, 12 August.

Volusia County Beaches lifeguards used personal watercraft, surfboards and floatation devices to save the boaters who were stuck in the water after their boat broke around 200 yards offshore.

Aerial footage shows emergency services towing small groups of people towards the shore as others continue to cling to the wreckage of the capsized boat.

Minor injuries were sustained, the sheriffs office said.

The boat was brought to shore.
Narendra Modi promised to make Indias economy among the top three in the world within the next five years, as he marked 76 years of independence from British rule.

The prime minister addressed the country on Tuesday 15 August from New Delhis 17th-century Mughal-era Red Fort, saying his government had uplifted over 130 million people from poverty and that Indias growing prosperity was an opportunity for the world.

His statement comes after reports have forecast Indias economy to overtake Japan and Germanys to become the worlds third-largest by 2030.

We are lucky to have demography, democracy and diversity, Mr Modi said.
This is the shocking moment a man runs through a Victoria Line tube after stabbing a 16-year-old boy.

Amarjay Nkemayang, 19, of Crawshay Road, Lambeth, took out his Rambo-style knife and stabbed his victim in his left side on the northbound Victoria Line train. The victim, who also had a knife, fought back in terrifying scenes witnessed by members of the public on 23 November 2022.

British Transport Police officers intercepted the train at the next station of Stockwell and arrested Nkemayang.

He pleaded guilty to wounding with intent and possession of an offensive weapon and has now been jailed for six years and four months.
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For those of us who always thought Donald Trump to be a gangster, it is especially satisfying that the public servants of the great state of Georgia have faced down his threats and bullying  and charged him with racketeering.

Racketeering. It has such a low-down good-for-nothing Mafiosi feel to it, in contrast to the last set of allegations made against Trump: conspiracy to defraud the United States, which almost sounds dignified, if still unpleasant.

The derailed Georgia charges, all 41 of them, bring the combined Trump criminal charge sheet comfortably above the 100 mark. Justice is justice  and if Trump is found innocent of them all, then no one should complain, because the law and the criminal justice system should be independent and respected.

Having said that, on a sort of law of averages calculation, it is difficult to see how Trump will be cleared on everything.

Indeed, its the Georgia case that will likely prove most troublesome for Trump and his co-conspirators: well-known Trump associates such as Rudy Giuliani, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, ex-White House lawyer John Eastman, justice department official Jeffrey Clark and a couple of Trumps personal lawyers  Sidney Powell and Jenna Ellis.

Leaving the particulars of the Georgia case to one side, these legally-trained individuals should have known better than to get tangled up with The Donald.

These latest charges are especially potent and could kill Trumps political career. They are among the most serious and rely on the strongest of the evidence, rather than, say, surmising what was going through Trumps mind (albeit a crude simplification of the 6 January insurrection case, filed in Washington DC).

Donald Trump indicted for fourth time

They will be the only ones televised. Trump, in a dock, will seem an inevitably diminished figure, with all his swagger stripped away  equal before the law. Swing voters (the ones that matter, not the fanatical base) will be forced to ask themselves if they want this man in the White House for the next four years.

The focus for the Georgian proceedings isnt 6 January, but 2 January  and the conference telephone call the White House placed with the secretary of state for Georgia, Brad Raffensperger, with Trump and Meadows plus miscellaneous lawyers.

Its quite famous, and probably the most portentous presidential phone call in history, given that Richard Nixons call to the Moon in 1969 was a fairly jolly affair.

Indeed, this fateful Trump call has a Nixonian, Watergate aspect to it, because it was taped. It establishes without any room for doubt what passed between the principals concerned. It is not he said/she said, where a smart defence lawyer can create the reasonable doubt needed to secure an acquittal.

No. Trump is banged to rights  condemned by his own big mouth. There is no wriggle room. Hes straightforwardly grubbing for bogus votes (the 11,779 he lost by, to be precise) and making up stuff about Georgia officials shredding ballot papers, dodgy election machines and mysterious scenes in the counting halls. All proved baseless.

It is the usual bluster, backed up by his heavies in the White House team. Raffensperger and his layers are polite and cooperative but firm, and refute all of Trumps wild theories. At times, Trump seems indeed like a racketeer calling in a favour. The recording was leaked the day after the call and the transcript is freely available online. It is damning.

Heres a clip or two. It has an almost cinematic quality as The Trial of Donald Trump gets underway:

TRUMP: So what are we going to do here folks? I only need 11,000 votes. Fellas, I need 11,000 votes. Give me a break. You know, we have that in spades already. Or we can keep it going but thats not fair to the voters of Georgia because theyre going to see what happened and theyre going to see what happened

RAFFENSPERGER (later): Mr President, you have people that submit information and we have our people that submit information. And then it comes before the court and the court then has to make a determination. We have to stand by our numbers. We believe our numbers are right.

TRUMP: Why do you say that? I dont know. I mean, sure, we can play this game with the courts, but why do you say that? First of all, they dont even assign us a judge. They dont even assign us a judge. But why wouldnt you  Hey Brad, why wouldnt you want to check out [name] ? And why wouldnt you want to say, hey, if in fact, President Trump is right about that, then he wins the state of Georgia, just that one incident alone without going through hundreds of thousands of dropped ballots. You just say, you stick by, I mean Ive been watching you, you know, you dont care about anything. Your numbers are right. But your numbers arent right. Theyre really wrong and theyre really wrong, Brad. And I know this phone call is going nowhere other than, other than ultimately, you know  Look ultimately, I win, okay?

Ultimately? No. Trump did not win, and his refusal to accept that publicly (he most likely knew full well all along, as the 6 January trial should show), and he doesnt deserve to win next time.

The transcript shows that all Trump and his team were doing was trying to grind down a public official into recounting over and again  and allow Trump lawyers and officials loose to oversee and influence their work and access to data until they capitulated to Trumps domineering demands.

Yet even as they gang up on him, Raffensperger stands firm and sticks to the line that if Trump has a problem, he should take it to the courts to sort out. Its a heroic performance  unlike Trump, seen at his very worst. He even tells Brad how unpopular hes going to be with the voters (Raffenspergers is an elected position and hes a Republican) if the truth doesnt come out.

Trump had no good reason to be making that call in the first place, and none of his claims about dead voters, dumped ballots or fraudulent postal votes ever came to anything. He did not win Georgia by 300,000 because his rallies were so well attended.

Of course, the Trump cultists wont care about any of this, and see it only as further proof that Trump is a victim. Yet others will.

The endless trials of Trump and his conspiracy theory defence will remind Americans once again of just how unbearably awful, divisive and dangerous a Trump revival would prove, and one that  this time  has added retribution as a key goal.

Whether he wins the cases or not, Trump will surely lose in the court of public opinion  and by much more than 11,779 votes.
Two years on from Britains chaotic exit from Kabul and the saga of a shameful betrayal is far from over.

While the governments bespoke Afghan resettlement schemes have rescued about 25,000 refugees from certain execution at the hands of the Taliban, many more have been left in hiding in their own country, unable to escape, or else in camps in Pakistan, under threat of deportation back to their tormentors, while some have made the perilous journey across continents, seas and the English Channel to claim asylum in person.

Many of these people have been caught out by the arbitrary and bureaucratic processes required to qualify for resettlement, and others rejected because the schemes are too tightly drawn and rigidly interpreted. Ministerial games of evasion of responsibility havent helped matters. The inertia is almost incomprehensible.
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The legal victory in Montana today for 16 young people who claimed their environmental rights were violated by fossil fuel projects wont stop Big Coal from dominating energy production in the West anytime soon. It wont make the air cleaner or halt oil drilling.

But for the youth climate movement, and until now the legally undefeated fossil fuel industry in America, it was a seismic shock. Think Greta Thunberg with a law degree. Even Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his anti-climate cohorts will sweat this one.

For the first time, a judge held that the state violated its own constitution by denying its citizens a clean and healthful environment as mandated in the awarding of fossil fuel projects. Some of the 16 youngsters who brought the case, aged five to 22, testified in June that they had suffered emotional harm and damage to their family properties by the unhealthy air caused by the projects.

This was not the first case brought by the youth movement. The non-profit law firm Our Childrens Trust has brought cases in all 50 states, as a matter of fact. But this was the first one that scored, in part because Montanas constitution has a provision for the right to a clean and healthy environment.

But for young people who are frustrated by the growing list of climate disasters  such as the Maui fires last week  and the governments apparent inability to do anything about it, this was a major victory. At last, someone is listening. In this case a judge.

Many of us think of the youth climate movement in terms of raucous street protests; teenagers handcuffing themselves to government buildings, or throwing paint at art exhibits. Causing more distraction than anything else. Previous legal attempts had all fallen short.

Now, with legal precedent, this rightful frustration can hit governments and their fossil-fuel backers in the courts, and possibly balance sheets. A federal case brought almost a decade ago by Our Childrens Trust and delayed is reportedly back on track for trial. More cases are expected.

What was striking about this particular case was the complete lack of any sort of defense by the state government whatsoever. Its defense basically was that Montanas coal industry, with the largest reserves in the country, was still only responsible for a small part of the global greenhouse gas emissions that are overheating the Earth this summer.

Looking across the country at some of the other red states, long dependent on fossil fuels, its easy to find similar excuses. In Florida, which has taken the lead under DeSantis in trying to ban climate discussion in everything from education to state investment decisions, any sort of environmental action is labeled a woke attack on freedom.

Meanwhile, as politicians search for ways to limit climate action, disasters such as wildfires, heat domes and unprecedented rainfall and flooding, pile up around us.

The Montana verdict will likely be appealed, and lawyers will find new and better ways to argue in favor of fossil fuel projects. Energy security is the most common theme these days. As I said, the case wont stop the drilling or clean the air overnight.

But the verdict will go down as a landmark one, in that it will give the younger generation hope that there is still time for them to make a difference. And it will put Big Oil and Big Coal on notice that the next generation of politicians wont be so friendly.
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Donald Trump and 18-codefendants have been indicted under a law that is engineered to prosecute the mob. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has assembled the most comprehensive and wide-ranging indictment of the Trump accountability era, depicting Trump and his allies attempt to overturn the 2020 election as a criminal enterprise.

The 41-count grand jury indictment claims Trump and his co-defendants unlawfully conspired and endeavored to conduct and participate in criminal enterprise in Fulton County, Georgia, and elsewhere. It doesnt shy away from naming names. The first page lists all 19 co-defendants and the adjacent 41 counts theyre accused of. Donald Trump is accused of 13 of the 41 counts, and his co-defendants include his former Chief of Staff, his former lawyers, a former DOJ official, a Georgia state GOP chair, fake electors, and county election officials.

The 19 defendants are Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Mark Meadows, Kenneth Chesebro, Jeffrey Clark, Jenna Ellis, Ray Smith III, Robert Cheeley, Michael A Roman, David Shafer, Shawn Still, Stephen Lee, Harrison Floyd, Trevian Kutti, Sidney Powell, Cathleen Latham, Scott Hall, and Misty Hampton. The charges are serious and include racketeering, conspiracy to commit election fraud, false statements and writings, impersonating a public officer, forgery, criminal attempt to influence witnesses, computer theft, computer trespass, computer invasion of privacy, conspiracy to defraud the state, acts involving theft, and perjury.

The indictment outlines a sprawling criminal conspiracy built on the foundation of Georgias RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) law. This law gives DA Willis the tools to piece together a pattern of racketeering activity encompassing multiple defendants who conspired to commit crimes as part of a broader, collaborative goal. And a pattern of organized criminal activity is exactly what is outlined in this indictment. Donald Trump and his allies were held accountable for just about every alleged criminal act we saw outlined in the January 6 hearings and more acts we didnt know about until this week.

The indictment is structured around the 41 counts, with the bulk of the indictment detailing count 1: Violations of Georgias RICO Act. This section presents a robust timeline outlining the conduct of Trump and his co-conspirators, breaking down the methods and acts of the alleged criminal enterprise. The timeline spans conduct from October 2020 all the way to September 2022 and includes conduct that took place nationwide in furtherance of the conspiracy, including in Michigan, Arizona, and Pennsylvania. All 19 of the co-defendants are accused of this count and the conduct outlined within the count.

The indictment details the fake elector plot that included false statements, the creation of fake documents, and the solicitation of state legislatures to certify fake Trump electors instead of legitimate Biden electors. Trumps phone call to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and other attempts to pressure state officials to overturn the election results is presented in this indictment as well. We all heard Trumps perfect call, but seeing it laid out in the framework of false statement and solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer charges really puts the call into proper perspective.

The pressure campaign targeting former Vice President Mike Pence and Trumps pressure on the DOJ is explicitly cited as well, including his infamous quote: Just say that the election was corrupt, and leave the rest to me and the Republican congressmen. The harassment and intimidation of election worker Ruby Freeman are also included in this indictment. The conduct outlined in Freemans riveting testimony during the January 6 hearings felt criminal, and now its being prosecuted as such.

One of the most stunning allegations in this indictment is the alleged conspiracy to breach voting machines. In their desperate attempt to prove their false voter fraud claims, Trump allies allegedly conspired to breach Coffee County voting machines and stole data, including ballot images, voting equipment software, and personal voter information. This was allegedly disseminated to other members of the enterprise and elsewhere. The co-defendants involved are allegedly former Trump lawyer Sidney Powell, former Coffee County election supervisor Misty Hampton, former Coffee County GOP official Cathy Latham, and pro-Trump poll watcher Scott Hall.

All of that conduct was listed in the RICO count in 161 separate acts, most of which are punctuated with the simple sentence: This was an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy.

The RICO structure of this indictment is brilliant. By presenting each crime as part of an interconnected set of acts in furtherance of the broader conspiracy executed by the criminal enterprise, DA Willis can charge the enterprise as a whole with the conduct rather than proving everyone committed every single crime individually. This allows DA Willis to apply more pressure on the defendants and perhaps get some to cooperate with prosecutors. Another benefit of Georgias RICO law is that the charges would carry a mandatory minimum of 5-20 years in prison. Rudy Giuliani, who once used the federal RICO Act to take on the mob, has just been indicted himself under the same framework.

In a 1989 Supreme Court ruling on the federal RICO law, the high court ruled that RICO was created broadly enough to encompass a wide range of criminal activity, taking many different forms and likely to attract a broad array of perpetrators. Georgia is among the states who implemented their own RICO laws that are protected under this precedent. Given this context, legal experts have said that RICO could appropriately apply to Trumps alleged criminal enterprise.

The seriousness of these charges and the threat they pose to Trumpworld are the key takeaways here, but the hypocrisy and irony of these charges are also notable. Donald Trump and his alleged criminal enterprise were indicted with charges that they falsely accused others of committing in the 2020 election. Its Donald Trump and his team who are being indicted for a conspiracy to commit voter fraud, not Democrats. Its Donald Trump and his team who are being indicted for allegedly breaching voting machines, not Democrats. Its Donald Trump and his team who were trying to steal the 2020 election, not Democrats.

Georgias case brings Donald Trump his fourth criminal indictment, or fifth if you count the classified document cases superseding indictment. Its his second indictment in relation to his un-American effort to overturn the 2020 election. While Trump has been trying to make indictments part of his 2024 campaign for President, recently begging for another one, I highly doubt that he is happy with this one. This case complicates Trumps plan to win the presidency to protect himself from criminal liability.

If Trump were convicted in this Georgia case, not only would he not have the power to pardon himself of the state charges, the Georgia governor doesnt have that power either. That power resides with the Board of Pardons and Paroles. As Trumps indictments mount, the odds that Trump might not escape accountability are increasing.

If convicted and facing a mandatory minimum of five years, it would be impossible to run the country from a jail cell. Georgia poses the greatest threat to Trumps 2024 plans to save himself.
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After a soggy and unsettled beginning to the week across parts of England and Wales, the UK is poised for an extended warm spell towards the end of this week and into the weekend.

Temperatures are expected to climb in the coming days reaching the mid-20s by the middle of the week and then up to 30C in places, the Met Office predicts, as a surge of warm air will envelop the nation, bringing a much-anticipated respite from the recent dampness.

Over the last couple of days, the UK has been battered by rains and thunderstorms with the Met Office issuing yellow weather warnings on Sunday night and Monday morning.

And while those wet conditions are expected to give way to a warmer spell this week, the Met Office has poured cold water on the prospect of an extended heatwave stretching into the bank holiday weekend from 26-28 August.

Starting from Wednesday, a gradual build-up of high pressure is expected to sweep across the UK, ushering in a southerly airflow that will propel temperatures into the balmy mid-20s for much of the southern region.

In isolated spots in the southeast temperatures could rise up to 26 or 27C by wid-week, the Met Office says.

People walking along the Millennium Bridge, London, during a rain shower (PA)

A general warming trend is expected through much of this week, as the weather settles down for a time, Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Dan Harris, said.

Whilst some southern areas are already likely to reach the mid 20s by Wednesday, its not until Thursday that the warmer weather will become more widespread, with parts of Scotland also reaching the low 20s.

Most places will be dry with sunshine, although some early mist and low cloud could mean a slow start for some areas, he said.

The warmest weather is anticipated on Friday and Saturday, as the mercury rises to the high 20s and possibly 30C.

We are likely to see the warmest weather on Friday and Saturday, with low to mid 20s widely and a peak of 29C most probable in the southeast, Mr Harris said, adding that at this stage the odd 30 Celsius here on Friday cannot be ruled out.

There will remain the looming threat of heavy rainfall and thunderstorms from the west, however, which could disrupt the otherwise pleasant conditions for many over the coming weekend.

A frontal system arriving into the west and southwest later on Friday, which could be preceded by thunderstorms, does complicate matters somewhat; after a very muggy night in the southeast overnight into Saturday.

The UK experienced an unusually wet July even as a historic heatwave swept parts of Europe and the world hits back-to-back record-breaking temperatures this year driven by the man-made climate crisis.

But as many Britons await a sunny weekend. the rain is expected to continue to move northeast on Saturday, with relatively warm conditions also then moving into northern areas.

Slightly cooler, and largely cloudy conditions with a few showers are expected to follow in from the west, the Met Office says, with some brighter breaks developing and it is likely to remain warm in the far east and southeast.

Temperatures are expected to decline closer towards average on Sunday and into early next week, although the southern half of the UK at least has a small chance of seeing a return of hotter weather should a renewed pulse of warm continental air develop.

Earlier predictions of a hot second half of August extending right up to the end of the month now appear unlikely, the forecaster said.

Its long term forecast from 19-28 August now predicts an unsettled start to the period with changeable conditions, though temperatures are most likely to be a little above average overall.

Although temperatures are set to pick up this week, an August Bank Holiday heatwave is looking probably unlikely, a spokesperson told the Mirror.
Post-tax profits at Darina Allens Ballymaloe Cookery School last year decreased by 7pc to 86,876 as costs increased.

The renowned east county Cork cookery school business last year continued its recovery from Covid-19 shutdowns as accumulated profits increased to 2.82m.

The business continued to record profits last year on the back of the schools flagship in-demand 12-week cookery course.

There is a waiting list for the schools next three scheduled courses in September and in January and April of next year.

The cost this year for the course is 13,795 rising to 14,495 for 2024.

The school  majority owned by Darina Allen  stages three 12-week cookery certificate courses each year.

The profits of 86,876 for 2022 and 93,670 for 2021 follow post-tax losses of 193,097 during the Covid-19 hit 2020.

Director at the school and shareholder in the business, Toby Allen said yesterday: Ballymaloe Cookery School is very happy to have made a profit for the year 2022.

He said: It was a busy year and while the school was not quite up to full capacity after the pandemic, we were very busy and welcomed 180 12-week students and over 1,200 other students from all over the world to the school to learn how to cook.

Mr Allen said: 2023 is thankfully looking like another busy year and our 12-week course for the year is fully subscribed.

The course attracts a sizeable international contingent and Mr Allen said: On our most recent 12-week course which ran from April to July, we welcomed students from 14 different countries to the cookery school.

The school has been the first step on the culinary journey of many well-known chefs, food producers and food writers around the world.

On the challenges facing the business, Mr Allen said: The increase in cost of electricity and gas have been challenging for us to keep under control, but we got a good fixed deal from our supplier allowing us to have certainty in these costs.

As the school returned to full capacity last year its staff costs, net of Covid-19 wage supports, doubled from 1.07m to 2.2m as staff numbers increased by three to 66.

The profits take account of non-cash depreciation costs of 148,184 while directors pay rose from 243,989 to 288,665.

The firms cash funds reduced from 1.73m to 1.27m. Darina Allen established Ballymaloe Cookery School in 1983 with her brother Rory OConnell.
Henry J Lyons are the architects for the nine-storey scheme

Plans by property group Iput to demolish Deloitte House and Garryland House on Dublins Earlsfort Terrace and replace the buildings with a nine-storey office block are facing opposition.

This follows the Irish arm of aircraft leasing giant Air Lease Corporation and property group Hibernia Real Estate Group lodging separate objections against the planned new office space.

A design statement lodged with the application states that the redevelopment of lands at 25 to 29 Earlsfort Terrace in Dublin 2 proposes to greatly enhance the site and its urban setting.

Henry J Lyons are the architects for the scheme and the design statement contends that the development of a contemporary, mixed use building of exemplar design and architectural merit seeks to provide an extensive public benefit.

Manahan Planners, on behalf of AirLease Corporation subsidiary ALC Aircraft, has called on Dublin City Council to refuse planning permission for the Iput plans for Deloitte House at 29 Earlsfort Terrace and Garryland House at 25 to 28 Earlsfort Terrace.

AirLease Corporation has its Irish HQ at 22, 22a and 23 Earlsfort Terrace.

Consultant Tony Manahan has told the council that the proposed development cannot be judged as a good neighbour in terms of its building form, proximity, height, bulk and is completely incongruous in the context of the terrace of Protected Structures.

Mr Manahan contends that the replacement building is excessive and results in a gross overdevelopment of the site.

Mr Manahan also argues that the proposal based on its size, configuration and proximity to our clients property, will be seriously injurious to the amenities of these important protected structures.

Hibernia Real Estate Group owns the nearby Hardwicke House and Montague House and contend that the scheme as currently planned will have a significant and adverse impact on its two properties.

On its behalf, Ian McGrandles of IMG Planning has told the council that the schemes impact is disproportionately greater than the one that Hardwicke House and Montague House has on the application site.

Dublin City planning officer with An Taisce Kevin Duff has told the Council that the bulk, mass and height of the proposed development would produce significant adverse impacts on the protected structures to the south.
Irish mining company Kenmare Resources has recorded record revenues in the first half of the year following an increase in shipment volumes.

The company reported revenue from mineral products of $229.7m (210.3m) in the first half of the year, up 26pc compared to the corresponding period in 2022.

Shipping volumes jumped 31pc, offsetting a 4pc decrease in average realised prices.

Profit after tax rose by 8pc to $67.8m (62.1m) in the period.

Kenmare Resources said that production had been lower than expected in the first half of 2023.

The company operates one of the worlds largest ilmenite mines, Moma, in Mozambique.

After processing, ilmenite has a number of applications, ranging from paint and paper production, to the manufacture of titanium.

Heavy mineral concentrate (HMC) production at the site was down 14pc in the period.

This performance follows a severe lightning strike at the companys site in northern Mozambique in February, which is continuing to impact mining activity.

"We have all of that electrical infrastructure back up into full working order and our production is back up to normal full run so the second half should be much better from a production point of view, managing director Michael Carvill said.

Power reliability issues in recent months have also hampered productivity, Kenmare reported last month.

Ilmenite prices were stable in the first half, while, titanium oxide pigment consumption, which correlates closely to global GDP growth, has been slower in recent months.

Demand for zircon is also down as spot prices move below contracted prices.

"We supply the titanium pigment industry, which in turn goes into paper, paints, plastics so they will see a subdued demand from the consequence of interest rate rises and they are doing so, Mr Carvill added.

"That was the case in H1 as well but nonetheless the prices have remained quite resilient. And in our view, thats because of the overall tightness in supply, he added.

"We just don't think theres quite enough mining operations out there to supply the industry.

The company has approved an interim dividend of 17.5 US cents per share, up 59pc from the same period last year.

Kenmare will also launch a $30m share buyback programme via a tender offer.
The value of Irish pharmaceutical exports to the US has fallen by a fifth in the first half of this year, compared to 2022, Central Statistics Office data shows.

Overall exports to the US were down 17pc in the first half, driven by a slowdown in the chemicals sector, the CSO data shows.

Exports to the eurozone and the EU, however, were up significantly in the first six months, helping to make up for the US shortfall.

It leaves overall exports down just 3pc on the first six months of 2022, at just over 102bn.

The US is Irelands single biggest export market and its second-biggest market after the EU, accounting for almost a third (29pc) of total goods sales in June. The EU accounted for 34pc.

The figures confirm a recent post-pandemic slowdown in the pharma sector, Irelands largest export sector, which the Economic and Social Research Institute predicts could drag down growth in the multinational part of Irelands economy this year.

Growth in the domestic economy, however, is predicted to hold up, with Ireland outstripping all of its European neighbours, as well as the US.

The CSO data, published on Tuesday, also shows Irish goods exports to China slowing significantly in the first half of this year - down by a third compared the first half of 2022 - thanks to a fall in sales of chemicals and transport equipment.

China accounted for less than 4pc of total exports in June.

Exports to Northern Ireland also fell slightly in the first six months of 2023, although food exports continued to rise. Exports to mainland Britain are up by around 9pc on the first six months of last year, thanks to chemicals, machinery and food sales.

Britain - England, Scotland and Wales - made up just under 12pc of total Irish exports in June, while Northern Ireland accounted for around 2pc.

Imports, meanwhile, have risen slightly in value compared to the first six months of last year, up 2pc to 69.4bn, thanks mainly to a surge in food, chemicals and machinery purchases from the EU.

Irish imports from the US and China fell in value in the first six months, while imports from Britain were broadly similar to last year, accounting for 14pc of total imports.

Imports from Northern Ireland have increased slightly in the first six months, with the country now accounting for well over 3pc of total imports.
Massive technology break-down allowed customers with no money in accounts to access fundsBank said this morning that the mobile app and 365online are now working again

Queues at Bank of Ireland ATMs as customers with no money withdraw up to 1,000 in cash

Bank of Irelands mobile app and 365 Online services have been restored after a massive technology breakdown allowed customers who have no money in their accounts to get access to funds.

This prompted huge queues at ATMs around the country last night, with people mistakenly believing they were getting free cash.

In some towns, the queues were so big that gardai were deployed to control them.

Bank of Ireland said this morning that its mobile app and 365 Online had now been restored and it apologised to customers.

It said in a statement: Yesterday a technical issue impacted a number of Bank of Irelands services. Our teams restored these services overnight and all services are available to customers this morning. Overnight payments to accounts may appear throughout the day.

We are aware that the technical issue meant some customers were able to withdraw or transfer funds above their normal limits.

"These transfers and withdrawals will be applied to customers accounts today. We urge any customer who may find themselves in financial difficulty due to overdrawing on their account to contact us.

We sincerely apologise for the disruption this outage caused  we know we fell far below the standards our customers expect from us.

The incident is a massive embarrassment for the bank.

The fault with the online app allowed people who had no money in their account to transfer up to 500 into a Revolut account.

Some people claimed they were able to get access to 1,000, but the bank insisted the daily withdrawal limit had been 500.

Once people use their Bank of Ireland app to transfer the funds to Revolut, they could then withdraw the cash from the Revoult account through any ATM.

Huge queues at ATMs in Dublin, Limerick, Dundalk and other parts of the country were reported yesterday evening as people took advantage of the screw-up to withdraw cash from their Revolut accounts.

There were reports in Dundalk of gardai having to control crowds at ATMs in the town.

In a statement today, a Garda spokesperson said that decisions to deploy gardai to ATMs were taken at a local level.

The spokesperson said: On a case by case basis, local decisions were made depending on the public safety and public order presented to members of An Garda Siochana.

An Garda Siochana remind people of their personal responsibility in carrying out their personal banking.

The frenzied withdrawal of cash was despite warnings on social media that there was no such thing as free cash and the money would have to be repaid.

The glitch comes after bank reported half-year profits of more than 1bn last month.

Bank of Ireland insisted that any money taken from accounts where there were no funds would show up as a debit, and essentially be treated as an unauthorised overdraft.

In June, there was another IT outage at Bank of Ireland but it did not result in people getting access to funds they did not have in their accounts.

It is understood a probe will now be conducted into the latest IT blunder, with the Central Bank expected to be involved.

The bank said yesterday evening as the glitch became apparent: We are working on a technical issue that is impacting a number of our services including our mobile app and 365 Online.

We are working to fix this as quickly as possible and apologise to customers for any inconvenience caused.

We would like to remind customers that if they transfer or withdraw funds  including over their normal limits  this money will be debited from their account. While we are conscious customers may not be able to check their balance at this time, they should not withdraw or transfer funds if they are likely to become overdrawn.

It was the second time on a day that the bank issued a statement. Yesterday afternoon it apologised after it was hit with unexpected disruption to its mobile app and online services.

A spokesperson for the Central Bank said this morning: The Central Bank continues to monitor the situation regarding the availability of certain services provided by Bank of Ireland. We are engaging with Bank of Ireland to ensure that any issues and errors identified are resolved for customers, and that it is doing all it can to ensure customers expectation of a high quality, uninterrupted service is met. Customers should contact Bank of Ireland in the first instance if they have concerns about their service. For more information, impacted customers should contact Bank of Ireland on 0818 214 365 or visit www.bankofireland.com.
Henpocalypse! is a true turkey

The breakdown of civilisation as we know it comes in all shapes and sizes on television.

TV writers have imagined humankind being pushed to the very edge of extinction by fungi or viruses (The Last of Us, The Strain, Station Eleven), plagues (12 Monkeys), zombies (The Walking Dead, Z Nation), vampires (Van Helsing), alien invasions (The Colony), nuclear Armageddon (The 100), climate catastrophe (Snowpiercer, Into the Badlands), robots (Westworld, Battlestar Galactica), large-scale technology failure (Revolution), even mass blindness (See).

In Henpocalypse! (BBC2, Tuesday), the latest entry in the underpopulated genre of end-of-the-world comedies, the threat to civilisation comes in the shape of a crab.

A sudden outbreak of crab measles (er, okay) is threatening to wipe out the population within 48 hours  or rather, the male half of the population, who for unspecified reasons are more vulnerable than the female half. Within a couple of hours, men are dropping like flies all over the place.

In truth, its not a crab thats the dominant shape in this six-parter by Caroline Moran, who co-wrote the Channel 4 comedy Raised by Wolves with her sister Caitlin. Its the penis.

There are penis-shaped chocolates, penis-shaped candles, penis-shaped dildos, penis-shaped decorations and a penis-shaped pinata  which inevitably takes a bloody good beating at one point.

Read more Wolf review: The insanely unpredictable thriller gets even crazier this week

The reason for all this paraphernalia  or maybe penisphernalia  is the hen party of Zara (Lucie Shorthouse). She, her best friend and bridesmaid Shelly (Callie Cooke), her cousin Jen (Kate OFlynn), her aunt Veena (Lauren ORourke) and her mother Bern (Elizabeth Barrington) pile into a rented pink 4x4 with fake eyelashes on its headlights and drive from the West Midlands to the Welsh countryside for a wild weekend in a cottage.

Obviously, Ive never been to a hen party, but is this likely? Anyway, look, never mind.

Along the way, they get into a row with a prissy, middle-class Pilates instructor called Nesbit (Mariam Haque), who had the temerity to look a look a little crooked when one of their number hitched up her skirt to pee by the side of the road.

As theyre leaving, they accidentally prang her car and flee the scene.

As for the stripper, hes chained to a radiator in just his gold underpants. The hens figure theyd better hang on to him, in case hes the only man still alive

Even though the crab measles outbreak is all over the internet and the television news (one male anchor drops dead on camera) by the time they get to Wales, Zara and her gang are too busy getting wasted to notice.

Oddly, when a hired stripper called Drew (Ben McGregor) turns up dressed as a copper before peeling off his uniform to reveal a pair of gold underpants, hes also oblivious to whats happening in the outside world. This is less likely than a bunch of women having a hen party in a remote Welsh cottage. Anyway, look, never mind that either.

Fast-forward nine weeks and the hens are reduced to snorting instant coffee grains and felt pens for a buzz, washing their hair with toilet cleaner, vaping antifreeze, and killing and eating owls to survive.

One of them has developed a nasty infection from a small cut on her ankle and is quarantined in another room, where shes started hallucinating Danny Dyer, played in a cameo by yer actual Danny Dyer.

As for Drew, hes chained to a radiator in just his gold underpants. The hens figure theyd better hang on to him, in case hes the only man still alive.

Arming themselves with makeshift weapons, including an exfoliating glove with pedicure tools attached and dildo spears (sharpened dildos stuck onto mop handles), they eventually venture on foot to the nearby village, raid the supermarket for food and return to the cottage with their spoils.

Its probably pointless to highlight the glaring plot holes in a comedy as daft as this, yet you end up wondering why they waited nine weeks to go to the village, and why Veena suggests stealing a car battery to replace the flat one in the 4x4 when they could just as easily steal a car from one of the many lying around the deserted village.

Its lazy, sloppy plotting. But its not the implausibility that ultimately sinks Henpocalypse!, its the fact that its basically a stream of penis, vagina and bodily-fluid jokes, loosely linked by a flimsy premise. Dare I say it, it quickly gets on your wick.
In the Name of Gerry Conlon on RTE gave an extraordinary insight into the quest for justice for those wrongly convicted of the 1974 pub bombings

Gerry Conlon: All I could hear was my fathers voice saying, They put in through the back door. You go out the front door and tell the world what they did to us.

You think you know a story. You think youre sick of a story. Then you are told the story again, with more distance and also with more detail  and youre hooked. In the Name of Gerry Conlon (RTE 1) told a complicated story very well. And God knows it was very complicated  three sets of innocent Irish people, most of them part of the working class in Britain, were wrongly convicted of appalling crimes. It was a long struggle before they started to get released from jail.

Gerry Conlon was in jail for 15 years. It was sad to hear him say, after his dramatic release, that he worried that he could never be happy again. Many ex-prisoners must feel the same. But most ex-prisoners dont come striding out of the Courts of Appeal, roaring vengeance  justifiably  in the eye of a media storm. What a moment that was in 1989, when the Guildford Four, of which Conlon was the most conspicuous and articulate member, had their second appeal over their convictions for the 1974 pub bombings upheld.

When this verdict was announced, the court personnel tried to put Conlon back down into the cells. They said they would get him a taxi. He remembered that moment: All I could hear was my fathers voice saying, They put in through the back door. You go out the front door and tell the world what they did to us.

Giuseppe Conlon seems to have been, in his sons telling, almost unbelievably wise. When he was dying in custody  himself one of the 'Maguire Seven' erroneously convicted on explosives charges  he told Gerry that his death would break open their case. Giuseppe was 56 when he died.

However, one wonders about the effect of all that post-trial publicity. Alastair Logan, the solicitor for fellow Guildford Four members Patrick Armstrong and Carole Richardson, had arranged that the two of them to leave the court by the back door. And, according to Logan, both received psychiatric support as soon as they were released.

Archive: Gerry Conlon and Paddy Hill discuss the emotional impact of wrongful conviction

Logan was particularly admiring of Richardson  Armstrongs English girlfriend, who was all of 17 when they were arrested  who went on to qualify as a pharmacist and to raise a very successful daughter before dying of cancer in 2012, at the age of 55. Premature death stalked this story, and not just for the victims of the Provisional IRA bombings.

There are several generations for which this sorry, sorry saga will be new and for them the programme will have been shocking. However, even for those of us who observed it the first time round, this was a fascinating story told, extraordinarily, by an Italian, Lorenzo Moscia. He obtained the final interview with Gerry Conlon before he died in 2014, aged 60.

Conlon was always a good talker. There was clever use of the TV interviews he had given as a young man.

One of the interesting things about the pre-Guildford Conlon was that, in his native Belfast, he had shoplifted his way through the Troubles. He was deeply unpopular not only, presumably, with the RUC but also with the IRA. They almost kneecapped you said the polite interviewer. On several occasions, replied Conlon, almost calmly.

But he was never calm; how could he be?

Strangely, there was no reference in the version I saw to the film In the Name of the Father.

Something else that was not mentioned was the Irish governments attitude, or lack of attitude, to the wrongful convictions of the Guildford Four, the Maguire Seven and the Birmingham Six. I would have liked to have heard Conlon on that one.

The IRA didnt rush to help them either. The brutal bombings had in fact been carried out by the men who were captured in August 1975 at the Balcombe Street siege in London. This was the IRAs most successful and ruthless unit that had ever worked in Britain. When they were captured, their bomb maker, Martin OConnell, asked to see Alastair Logan and told him that it was the Balcombe Street gang who had perpetrated all the bombings for which the solicitors clients were serving so much time.

But one man, Ronnie McCartney, who claims to have been an IRA man close to the Balcombe Street gang, remembered saying to them, long before their arrest, that maybe they should claim responsibility for the bombings, in order to help the innocent men. He says he was told: They arrested them so they wont be looking for us.

The reaction of the British authorities to OConnells confession was shocking. The Guildford Four were not released until 1989.

Poor Gerry Conlon, was all you could say. You could not say that it would never happen here, or that it hasnt happened here. It remains the grimmest and dirtiest of stories.
The farmer affected, Sean OReilly described the fire as the last thing he needed after what has been a difficult harvest season for tillage farmers across the country.

Gardai are currently investigating an incident of criminal damage where a number of straw bales were set alight on farmland in the Ballinree area of Cashel, Co Tipperary last week.

The incident took place on 9 of August at approximately 12.00am. No injuries have been reported and no arrests have been made, a spokesperson for the Gardai told the Farming Independent.

The farmer affected, Sean OReilly described the fire as the last thing he needed after what has been a difficult harvest season for tillage farmers across the country.

There was such a blaze out of it the fire brigade could see it five miles away in Cashel, OReilly told the Farming Independent.

It was arson. It was raining and there was no machinery or anything in the field. It was easy to get it going, it was real dry straw. Youd light it with a cigarette lighter.

Its not even the cost. It was like downtown New York with all the blue lights flashing. They were out within 10 minutes in fairness, they were very good.

OReilly lost 40 bales to the fire, and at a value of 30 each, the incident has set him back approximately 1,200.

ESB lines also run directly over the farmland, with OReillys quick reaction time preventing damage to the grid.

I came out with the loader and I moved away the bales that were all along the line, he said. Its a main line, theres a pylon at the other side of the field.

OReilly said he does not know why or who may have started the fire, but describes the act as highly irresponsible, highlighting the danger created for neighbours and livestock.

It was also such a waste to the emergency responses who have so much to deal with as it is. Forensics have also been out all week also. We want to appeal to anyone in Tipperary if they know who or why to get in contact with the local Gardai.

Recent poor weather has impacted farmers across the country, particularly those attempting to harvest crops.

Farmers continue a start-stop harvest, but there is little hay cut in any part of the country.

There is going to be a lot of fodder not made and what is made is of bad quality, said agronomist Richard Hackett.

While most of the vegetable planting is finished, some crops were weeks late, meaning harvesting will also be late.

Potatoes normally planted the last week of March or the first week of April were, in many cases, not in the ground until April or May.

Harvesting in October will take place in less than optimum conditions, with shorter days and wetter conditions putting farmers under pressure. Quality will also be impacted, according to Hackett.
IFA has estimated that, for a farmer with 20 animals, 80pc of the IBR payment will be directly 'leaked' to vets and laboratories. Stock image

A rift has developed between the IFA and Animal Health Ireland (AHI) over the Department of Agricultures decision to include IBR (Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis) testing in its new Beef Welfare Scheme.

The decision has been heavily criticised by farm organisations who claim the measure is effectively a payment to service providers instead of farmers.

However, the decision has been supported by Animal Health Ireland (AHI), with its CEO, Dr David Graham, warning that IBR is an important disease that is now widespread in Irish beef and dairy herds, reducing the efficiency of production.

AHI said the results of the testing will provide each herd with information on the presence and extent of infection in the herd or, alternatively, evidence of the herd being potentially free of infection, and the efficacy of existing control measures.

It also said the results will contribute to ongoing work within the industry on options for a national programme.

However, IFA National Animal Health Chair TJ Maher expressed his disappointment with the public support offered by AHI.

IFA has said the inclusion of the IBR testing requirement by the Department of Agriculture, without adequate consultation, is a significant breach of trust.

It has also estimated that, for a farmer with 20 animals, 80pc of the IBR payment will be directly leaked to vets and laboratories.

AHIs public commentary welcoming the inclusion of the IBR testing measure, despite our open rejection of it, is deeply disappointing, Maher said.

We are seeking clarity on how they arrived at a position that directly contradicts the concerns raised by farmers.

The inclusion of this measure in the scheme also fundamentally undermines the agreed approach of all stakeholders, including the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, in relation to how non-statutory diseases would be dealt with in this country.

IFA are seeking a meeting with AHI to raise the concerns of farmers in relation to the issue.

Credibility with farmers is vital for the success of all AHI animal health programmes.

Farmers concerns must always be taken into account in relation to any animal health initiatives, and its very disappointing that these were forgotten by both DAFM and AHI in relation to the inclusion of the IBR testing requirement, he said.
Ask Allison: My mother used to comment on how much I eat, and now it has switched to the grandkids. How do I put an end to it?
Keith ONeill was jailed for life for the 2012 murder

Keith ONeill is the hitman who gunned down gangster John Wilson in Ballyfermot, Dublin, in 2012.

Convicted killer ONeill this week appeared before Blanchardstown District Court, where he was given a one-month sentence for possession of a mobile phone in Wheatfield Prison.

ONeill was jailed for life in 2015 for shooting dead John Wilson in front of his seven-year-old daughter on September 28 2012.

The 35-year-old was shot in the arm and chest in the hallway of his home on Cloverhill Road, Ballyfermot.

Wilson had just collected his young daughter from school when the gunman walked in through the open door and shot him from behind.

The child said she just heard bang, bang, bang and could see her dad rolling around.

The murder weapon, a Ruger gun, was found in a burned-out getaway car.

Afterwards, ONeill went to JD sports, bought new clothes and dumped his runners, jeans and two t-shirts in a skip.

When they were found in the JD bag and forensically examined, firearms residue and petrol were found on the fabric along with a phone.

ONeill pleaded not guilty to the gang-related murder but he was found guilty by a jury and sentenced to life in prison.

At the time, John Wilson was a member of one of Irelands most feared criminal families.

Along with his brothers, Eric and Keith, and their nephew Luke, the family grew up in Ballyfermot while their cousin Alan was raised in the south inner city.

Though John, who was suspected of shooting up a Dublin pub, was the eldest, Eric was the first to become involved in murder when he shot his former best friend Martin Kenny in 2005 in a dispute over missing drugs.

Eric went on to carry out hits in Drogheda, the North and Spain before being jailed for 28 years for shooting English criminal Tall Dan Smith in a coked-up rage at a Costa del Sol bar in June 2010.

Keith is also doing life for the contract slaying of Daniel Gaynor in Finglas in August 2010.

Their cousin Alan was charged with and acquitted of the 2008 abduction and murder of Romanian girl Marioara Rostas in Dublin.

In 2017, Alan and youngster Luke Wilson were jailed over a Kinahan Cartel plot to murder Hutch figure Gary Hanley.

Appearing before Blanchardstown District Court this week, killer Keith ONeill pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a mobile phone while in custody.

The court heard the phone was uncovered during a search of ONeills cell at Wheatfield Prison on March 29 last.

Today's News in 90 seconds - August 15th
Gardai have said a number of drug seizures have taken place in Dublin since last Tuesday. Photo: Stock image

Gardai made an average of 84 arrests a day in Dublin last week, new figures show.

The numbers were published today following multiple high-profile cases of violence in the capital this summer.

Some 1,098 arrests were made since Friday July 28, with over 580 made in the last seven days.

There have been 815 searches and 1,450 patrols by members of the gardai, who have provided assistance to 416 victims of domestic abuse.

Gardai also published details of a number of drug seizures that have taken place in the capital since last Tuesday, including the discovery of 84,000 worth of drugs from five addresses in Dublin 12 last Wednesday.

A suspected 9mm firearm magazine and a stolen motorcycle were also seized.

One suspect was arrested and subsequently charged.

On Thursday, a cyclist on Talbot Street was found by gardai on the beat to be carrying cannabis, ketamine, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, LSD and MDMA.

A follow-up search of a nearby residence uncovered quantities of cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, LSD, Xanax and MDMA in crystal form.

The total amount seized was 60,000 and 4,360 in cash while a man was charged and remanded in custody.

On Friday, a rose gold Rolex watch valued at 28,000 and 4,400 in cash were found concealed at a premises in Clondalkin, gardai said.

On Sunday, a male suspect was arrested and charged following a burglary of a shop in Balbriggan.

It is alleged he had threatened staff and left with 300 from the till.

Gardai across Dublin city and county work tirelessly to achieve positive policing outcomes like those over the past week to keep people safe, said Angela Willis, Assistant Commissioner of the Dublin Metropolitan Region.

There is no average day for a garda, but the operational activities undertaken over the past seven days are a snapshot of our commitment to continuing to protect Dublin communities and ensuring that the city is a safe place for all to live, work and visit.
Gardai have confirmed they have opened an investigation into a British website which has been offering slots for people to book a National Car Test (NCT).

The NCTs operator company, Applus, last month complained to gardai about the brokerage website offering slots for car tests here.

Yesterday, An Garda Siochana told the Irish Independent: Gardai have received report of alleged fraudulent activity in relation to vehicle safety inspections. Enquiries are ongoing.

The site nctservices.org, claiming to be an intermediary, charges 76 for an NCT appointment.

It resembles the official website  and even has a leagan Gaeilge available  while describing its activities as brokerage.

Those who pay up also must pay the standard 55 for the test itself later  meaning a total cost of 131.

One giveaway is that the site, while offering page versions in Irish and English, carries national flags for each option. And no state body or agency in Ireland would ever be badged with the Union Jack  as is present on the dummy site.

NCT bosses said: We are doing what we can to notify and alert customers about a website that is acting as an intermediary for an NCT test.

We have absolutely no affiliation with this website. We have posted warnings and have reported it to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CPCC), Google and the gardai.

There is no need for anyone to pay a third-party website to book an NCT.

The British site has not responded to repeated Irish Independent efforts to seek comment and offers of a right of reply to criticism.

Further down its home page is the statement: We are an intermediary service that wants to help! Think of us as the middleman who does all the hard work in order to ensure you get the NCT date you really need.

This is a legal disclaimer to suggestions of fraud, and it may mean the operation is not technically breaking the law  although the garda statement yesterday refers to alleged fraudulent activity.

Gavin Darcy, of the NCT customer services department, has said: I can confirm [we] do not take payments of 76. We have become aware of a UK company which claims to act as an intermediary for customers who want to book their NCT (both full test and retest) for a fee in excess of the regular price.

NCT wish to make it clear that this organisation has no affiliation with the National Car Testing Service in any capacity and we urge the Irish public to only use the official NCT website (ncts.ie).

Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore said: This is a complete rip-off. The fees being charged by this middleman are eye-watering.
Surgical team Orla Cullivan, Heidi Punzalan, Kasto Piopongco and Fiona Murphy in theatre this month as the 1,000th robotics-assisted surgery at Dublins Mater Hospital got under way

The Mater Misericordiae University Hospital in Dublin reached an important milestone this month as surgeons completed the 1,000th robotics-assisted surgery.

Launched in 2019, the Robotic Surgical Programme, which uses robotic technology in assisting surgeons to carry out surgery, is now in its fifth year.

Surgeons say the programme has immeasurably improved outcomes for cancer patients and their families and has quickly expanded to involve 16 surgeons across six specialities, including urology, cardiothoracic, colorectal, head and neck, gynaecology, and hepatobiliary.

Greg Nason, a consultant urologist in the Mater Hospital who performed the 1,000th operation, says this type of surgery is the way of the future.

The Robotic Programme in the Mater has been a great success thanks to the Mater Hospital Foundations generosity, he said.

The expertise that has been established within the hospital from a nursing and medical perspective has allowed us to offer a multi-speciality programme to our patients. Within urology, robotic surgery is now the standard for most major prostate and bladder cancers as well as many kidney cancers.

There are many benefits of this type of advanced surgery as the robotic platform allows surgeons perform difficult procedures with better magnification and fine movements due to the small robotic instruments ultimately leading to a less invasive operation for patients.

Overall, the patient experience is improved due to smaller incisions, less blood loss and less pain resulting in them going home earlier and having an easier recovery.

Our robotic programme has gone from strength to strength due to the enthusiasm within the hospital and will continue to expand to offer timely robotic surgery to more and more Mater patients.

As a national university training hospital, the Mater Hospital plays a key role in building robotics expertise for Irish healthcare and the state-of-the art Da Vinci XI robot is central to this success.

Robotic-assisted surgeries are beneficial to patients as they are performed through small incisions, replacing the large incisions needed for conventional open surgeries.

Patient Deirdre OBrien can attest to this as she underwent a robotic procedure three years ago and says she was amazed at how well it all went.

I had to have a hysterectomy as a precaution following cancer treatment and after everything else I went through, I was dreading the thought of surgery as well, she said.

I was also a bit sceptical about the idea of a robot, but I neednt have been as it is only a tool that the surgeon uses. And not only did everything go without a hitch, but I had virtually no scarring and my recovery time was really quick  I was back on my feet within a couple of days.

My surgeon was brilliant also, and came to check on me so many times to make sure that I was recovering well  I couldnt find fault with any of it and I have been well ever since.

Along with being of benefit to patients, the robotic system is also advantageous for surgeons as it allows for greater surgical precision, an increased range of motion, improved dexterity and an enhanced 3D view of the operating area.

Chief executive of the Mater Hospital Foundation, Mary Moorhead, said the milestone of 1,000 robotic surgeries was made possible by public donations and she hopes that many other patients will continue to benefit from the technology.

We are so proud of the role that our supporters have played in making the Robotic Assisted Surgical Programme a reality and helping the hospital reach this important milestone, she said.

Through their kindness and generosity, our community of care nationwide is continuing to make transformative change possible in our hospital.

But none of this would be possible without the skill and technical expertise of the Maters surgical teams.

So, I would like to pay tribute to every clinician involved in the Robotic Surgical Programme for their work in improving outcomes for cancer patients.

To find out more about the Mater Hospital Foundation and to support its life-saving work, visit www.materfoundation.ie.
More than two in three Irish adults aged 25 and 29 are still living at home with their parents, latest figures show

The scale of Irelands housing crisis is laid bare by new figures showing the number of young adults still living with their parents has almost doubled in the last decade.

And young men are less likely to leave the family home compared to their female counterparts, according to new data from Eurostat.

The latest figures show that 68pc of Irish adults aged between 25 and 29 were still living at home last year. That compares to an EU average of 42pc.

For women in this age group, 61pc have yet to move out, while almost three-quarters (74pc) of men have yet to fly the nest.

However, a decade ago, just 36pc of those aged 25 to 29 were still living with their parents.

A combination of high rents and a lack of affordable housing means more Irish adults than ever before are unable to leave the family home.

In 2019, fewer than half (45pc) of Irish adults aged 25-29 were living with their parents, which was only just above the EU average.

In 2020 and 2021 the rates climbed to 52pc and 61pc respectively as the country endured the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic which saw many young adults return to their childhood home.

However, as other EU countries saw a decline in the number of adults living with their parents since then, in Ireland it has increased still further and now stands at 68pc.

Population growing at three times the rate of home supply in Ireland

In contrast, just 5.7pc of Finnish adults aged 25-29 live with their parents, 4.4pc of Danes and 6.3pc of Swedes.

In France, a quarter of adults in their mid to late 20s are still living at home.

The rate is 20pc in Germany and 17.3pc in the Netherlands.

Just Croatia, Slovakia, Greece and Italy have higher rates than Ireland of such adults living at home.

The average age at which young Irish men move out is now 27.4 years, while for women it is 26.5 years.

Ireland is an outlier in Western Europe, and sits among the Balkan and Eastern European countries where socio-economic circumstances and a lack of viable job opportunities often mean adults remain in the family home into their late 20s and early 30s.

For instance, Finns, Danes and Swedes all tend to move out of the family home before turning 22. Dutch, Germans and French young adults usually move out before turning 23.

Among 20-24-year-olds, Irelands rate is also quite high, with 89pc still living at home. The EU average for this age group is 74pc.

However, a lack of rental accommodation and affordable housing to buy means many young Irish people cannot afford to move out.

Ireland has the most expensive housing market in the EU, and rents are well above the EU average.

Housing Minister Darragh OBrien last week conceded to the Irish Independent that the country has a very significant housing problem and said he wants to see more support for renters in the October Budget.

Among the measures he wants introduced are an increase in the renters tax credit to almost 800 and to extend the Help to Buy scheme for first-time buyers for another two years.

Psychiatrist Dr David Coleman pointed out that the phenomenon in Ireland is likely more circumstantial  due to the cost of living and lack of affordable housing  rather than cultural or a generational change.

In the Irish context of failure to launch  a psychological phenomenon of adult children who are very delayed leaving, or never move out of, their family home to live independently of their parents  Dr Coleman said it likely comes down to opportunity or lack thereof.

Economic factors are the most significant reasons for adult children remaining at home, or returning home after a period of independent living. For example, in the Nordic (countries), where cost of living is lower compared to income levels, there are fewer adults remaining at home than in southern Europe, he told the Irish Independent.

In some countries, like Italy, for example, they have found that adult children remaining at home has become part of the culture and that many parents prefer their adult children to remain at home.

Continuing education is another significant factor that delays young adults from leaving home.

The financial capacity of parents is also a factor. Parents with higher incomes are more likely to have adult children still living in the home than those with lower incomes.
Fears list will be used to target staff

PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne has said he is confident that information on police officers and staff mistakenly released in a major data breach is in the hands of dissident republicans.

At a press conference in Belfast, Mr Byrne said he believed dissidents would use the information to intimidate and target police.

Last week, the PSNI revealed a document had mistakenly been shared online which included the names of about 10,000 officers and staff.

Details released included the surname and first initial of every employee, their rank or grade, where they are based and the unit they work in.

Mr Byrne said: I would like to confirm the picture in relation to last weeks breach continues to evolve at pace.

We are now confident that the workforce dataset is in the hands of dissident republicans. It is, therefore, a planning assumption that they will use this list to generate fear and uncertainty, as well as intimidating or targeting officers and staff.

He said the PSNI will continue to adapt our posture and our tactics as the information changes.

Mr Byrne said the PSNI is working around the clock to assess the risk to staff.

We have measures in place to reassure and advise our workforce of what this risk means for them. We will continue to liaise with the policing board and the UK government, as well as other partners as we develop our response to this matter, he said.

He said the PSNI had been given a green light by the UK government to take new measures to protect staff, and that he was confident it would be standing by if that included additional finances.

Mr Byrne said measures had been put in place to advise all members of the workforce, but the PSNI had not caught up with 45 members at the start of yesterday.

He said the data did not contain information on retired colleagues.

The update follows the posting of redacted information, purportedly from the breach, on the wall of a library in Belfast.

Mr Byrne said: Clearly, that was the first indication that started to vindicate our planning assumption that this list had fallen into the wrong hands.

Sinn Fein MLA Gerry Kelly said the document, which was posted overnight close to the Sinn Fein office in the Falls Road, included information about a substantial number of police officers and staff, although their names had been removed.

The latest revelation in the controversy which has rocked the PSNI comes as it has emerged that almost 3,000 police officers have enquired about potential damages following the massive data leak.

Policing Board member Mr Kelly, who described the posting of the information as sinister, said he saw the posting of the information as a threat by dissidents.

There was a photograph of myself and then there was a statement saying in large writing: Gerry, we know who your mates are, he said.

Under that there was what appeared to be, and what turned out to be, a section of the leaked documents that were put out. I look upon this as a threat by dissidents to me and I will not be intimidated.

More serious is that this is the dissidents, or whoever is involved, putting out that their claim that they have access to the leaked documents, they are putting out a verification on that. I think that is their main intention.

Dissidents have information from data breach, PSNI Chief Constable says

Assistant Chief Constable Chris Todd confirmed that an investigation has begun into the posting of the redacted information in Belfast.

Hundreds of officers have expressed concern for their safety in Northern Ireland  with the current level of terror threat assessed as severe, meaning an attack is highly likely.

The Police Federation of Northern Ireland (PFNI), which represents rank and file officers, said that by yesterday afternoon, 2,905 had expressed an interest in the event of legal action following the major data breach.

PFNI chairman Liam Kelly said the confirmation the data was in the hands of dissident republicans was a deeply worrying development.

He said: We have to be strong and determined to do everything we can to minimise risk and that means varying the routes we take to and from work, changing routines and re-assessing our personal security both on and off duty.

While no legal action has yet commenced, it is thought staff whose names and places of work were revealed could be in line for compensation.

The PSNI is already facing significant budget pressures and any settlements would be expected to run into tens of millions of pounds. Shadow Northern Secretary Peter Kyle said support for PSNI staff must be the priority in this extremely challenging moment.
Man removed from college over tattoo says he has been treated very unfairly

The would-be garda is devastated at not getting to follow his dream career. Pictured is his lion tattoo, which was a tribute to his son who was fighting a kidney disease during Covid

How the trainee garda would have covered his tattoo while on duty. The man got the tattoo of a lion to pay tribute to his young son who fought illness during Covid

A trainee garda who was sent home from Templemore Garda College after he was told the tattoo on his hand did not comply with the forces dress and uniform code said he has been treated very unfairly.

The 32-year-old Munster-based father of one is now back applying for other jobs after he, along with two female garda cadets, were told their positions were being deferred pending their compliance with the uniform and dress code within An Garda Siochana.

In an interview with the Irish Independent, the former recruit who was forced to leave the Garda College after just one week said: I feel very deflated and very disappointed about the whole situation.

Explaining that he had left a long-term job as a retail store manager to realise his dream of becoming a garda, he said he was excited and motivated to enter Templemore for his training.

I knew that there would be challenges and obstacles in the garda career path but this is last thing I thought would have happened, he said.

The would-be garda is devastated at not getting to follow his dream career. Pictured is his lion tattoo, which was a tribute to his son who was fighting a kidney disease during Covid

The three trainees who were sent home were among 175 recruits who were undergoing induction.

The process of getting to Templemore took around 18 months and included multiple assessments and interviews.

He pointed out that in all these interviews the tattoo of a lion was visible on his hand but no one, including senior gardai, had ever expressed concern about it.

Revealed: How many gardai are in your county?

The man got the tattoo of a lion as a tribute to his now five-year-old son who bravely fought a rare kidney disease which required the child to undergo extensive hospital treatment during the Covid pandemic.

The would-be garda previously had a tattoo on his neck removed as he was aware of the subject of tattoos in the garda uniform and dress code. The information booklet states: Body art (tattoos) on the face, or visible above the collar, are not permitted.

All other tattoos will be covered at all times while on duty, whether in uniform or plain clothes.

It was on this basis that he believed he would be complying with the code if he were to wear a cover on his hand while on duty, hiding the image.

If I am to be accepted back into training, it seems that I have to remove the tattoo on my hand and this could take a year to do. It would mean I would have to put my life on hold during that time.

It could cost up to 2,000 and involve potentially up to 20 painful sessions. Then, after all that, there is no guarantee that it would be acceptable  it might be considered to look more unsightly after all that, he explained.

He said he was treated very well by the staff in Templemore who dealt with him very respectfully over the issue, but he believes the decision to terminate his training was made by senior garda management.

Recalling how he felt when he was told he had to leave the course and what it was like to break the news to his family and friends, he said: It was extremely difficult and embarrassing. I left a job that had I built a career for, and then to be told that I was out was very deflating and a big knock for my confidence.

I prepared myself mentally and physically to take on this new chapter and now I am back at square one.

He described the tattoo policy as very vague, not progressive and not very inclusive.

Garda Representative Association president Brendan O Connor called on garda management to review the policy.

It does seem that perhaps this policy is slightly out of step and is robbing the organisation of three people with the potential to be excellent guards, he told RTE.

In the cases of the two other cadets, one had a tattoo behind her ear while the other had a tattoo on her neck.
Mark Richardson, who died after he got into difficulty while swimming at a beach in Donabate, Co Dublin in October 2021. Photo: Collins

Improved warning signs were erected at a north Dublin beach shortly after a man drowned at the popular bathing spot two years ago, an inquest has heard.

Mark Richardson (54), a married father-of-four from Cois Inbhir, Donabate, Co Dublin, died after getting into difficulty while swimming at the nearby beach at Tower Bay in Portrane on October 18, 2021.

A sitting of Dublin District Coroners Court heard evidence of how Mr Richardson and another swimmer got into difficulty within a minute of getting in the water.

The deceaseds friend and neighbour, David Smyth, told the inquest that it was the first time he had gone swimming at Tower Bay.

Mr Smyth said he and Mr Richardson only planned a dip in the sea for a few minutes when they left to go swimming at around 10.25am.

He said Mr Richardson, who swam regularly at the location, had told him to prepare for how cold the water would be.

Mr Smyth said there was a strong wind when they arrived at Tower Bay and Mr Richardson said if the conditions were not suitable, they would try another more sheltered swimming area nearby.

The waves looked to be big, but they did not look too rough, Mr Smyth recalled.

David Smyth from Donabate pictured this afternoon leaving Dublin District Coroner's Court where he gave evidence at the inquest into the death of Mark Richardson who died after he got into difficulty whilst swimming at a beach in Donabate, North Co. Dublin in 2021. Picture Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin

He said Mr Richardson had told him that they were about the same size as when he had gone swimming the previous day.

The inquest heard that both men had tied inflatable swim buoys around their waist which Mr Richardson had provided.

As soon as they entered the water Mr Smyth said they were hit by a big wave, and both laughed at the exhilaration of the moment.

However, Mr Smyth described his surprise at finding himself about 25-30 feet away from the shore after diving into the next wave which he attributed to a riptide.

I didnt panic but I felt something was not right and I felt the need to get back to land, he added.

At the time he said Mr Richardson, who was about eight feet away from him, also seemed to be struggling.

Mr Smyth said his friend was holding onto his swim buoy and seemed to gesture with his head to swim back towards the beach.

When he realised that he was getting nowhere despite his efforts, Mr Smyth, who described himself as a moderately strong swimmer, said he remembered thinking that we were in real trouble.

Mr Smyth said he began to cough and retch and was struggling to get air into his lungs, but managed to make some progress by switching to a backstroke.

Today's News in 90 seconds - August 15th

The inquest heard he was turned head over feet a number of times by a series of large waves. I didnt know if I was facing up or down, he said.

By this stage, he could see that Mr Richardson was even further out from the shore.

Mr Smyth said he eventually felt stones underneath his feet, and he was able to scramble back to the beach.

He told the inquest that he could see Mr Richardson floating on his back about 30 feet from the shore.

Although he shouted out, Mr Smyth said he did not think his friend could hear him because of the crashing sound of the waves.

Mr Smyth said he rang the emergency services and ran to a nearby car park in a frantic state trying to get help.

He said he became physically sick and found it hard to describe the feeling of seeing his friend still struggling in the sea.

The inquest heard how other people, who had arrived at the beach, had unsuccessfully tried to throw a ring buoy to Mr Richardson.

However, the tide eventually carried him towards the beach and several men were able to help pull him out of the surf by going knee-deep into the water.

Mr Smyth said the Irish Coast Guard helicopter arrived at the scene followed by an ambulance crew which transported Mr Richardson and himself to Beaumont hospital.

Tower Bay Beach, Portrane, Co Dublin

He described how he was informed of his friends death while receiving treatment at the hospital.

In reply to questions from the coroner, Clare Keane, Mr Smyth said the sea conditions did not look overly threatening when they started their swim.

However, he accepted that with hindsight it was probably not a good idea to have gone swimming at the time.

Mr Smyth said he believed there was a small warning sign at the time to advise swimmers of dangerous currents.

The inquest heard that larger, more visible signs were erected at Tower Bay shortly after Mr Richardsons drowning.

Its no harm, to be honest, said Mr Smyth.

He said the only reason he had managed to get out of the water was because of the inflatable swim buoy that his friend had given him.

The deceaseds wife, Irene Richardson, said she understood the only sign at the time of the incident was one advising that the area should only be used by competent swimmers.

However, Ms Richardson said it was a good thing that more prominent signs were now in place which also warned the public about dangerous currents at Tower Bay.

She told the inquest that the beach had become a popular swimming area during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ms Richardson said she was alerted by a call from a neighbour shortly after 11.30am that her husband was being brought to Beaumont Hospital after getting into difficulty while swimming.

She described rushing to the hospital where she was informed by a doctor that he had died.

She recalled begging medical staff to keep on working trying to save her husband as he had a very strong heart.

Ms Richardson recalled how the weather was quite pleasant before her husband set out for the beach that day, but it seemed to be different at Tower Bay.

She said he had been in good form that day as always.

Ms Richardson said her husband would swim almost all year round apart from the winter months and was a very cautious swimmer and not a risk-taker.

He was not a competent but a confident swimmer, she added.

She told the coroner that he would only ever swim out to the nearest market buoy located at Tower Bay.

Ms Richardson said he was happy to swim out of his depth, but would not go out into the sea.

She told the coroner that her husband did not look well in photos taken over the previous few days.

A passer-by who arrived at Tower Bay during the incident, Sarah Jane Orange, said several people performed CPR on Mr Richardson after he was taken out of the water before someone else brought a defibrillator which was used until paramedics arrived at the scene.

The inquest heard that Mr Richardson had suffered a cardiac arrest, while paramedics were unable to detect a heartbeat.

Dr Keane said post-mortem results showed injuries consistent with drowning, but also that Mr Richardson had left ventricular hypertrophy  a thickening and enlargement of the hearts main pump.

The coroner said it was difficult to state which may have occurred first.

Returning a verdict of accidental death, Dr Keane said she would write to Fingal County Council to notify them of the inquest and the safety issues raised during the hearing.
Birthdays, heroes, hobbies and funny anecdotes are all requested on form to appear on chat show

Patrick Kielty, pictured with his wife Cat Deeley, said he feels honoured to follow in the footsteps of Gay Byrne, Pat Kenny and Ryan Tubridy by hosting 'The Late Late Show'. Photo: Gregg DeGuire

What are your passions/hobbies? Do you have any funny/interesting/extraordinary stories? Who is your Irish hero?

All the questions that could be used on a blind date to fill those deafening silences.

In fact, they are some of the questions the public will be asked when applying to be an audience member of RTEs Late Late Show for the coming autumn season.

The flagship chat show is set to make its return in September, with the new host, Co Down presenter and comedian Patrick Kielty, making his debut.

Since former host Ryan Tubridy announced he was leaving the show, there has been plenty of speculation around what direction the show will take with Kielty in the hot seat.

The new season of the chat show will have 30 episodes a season, compared to the 36 episodes Tubridy hosted during his final year as host.

It has been reported that the show could take a leaf out of Graham Nortons book, focusing more on lighter, more entertaining topics.

A big feature of the BBC programme is the famous red chair, where audience members tell Norton and his sofa of celebrities their weird and wonderful stories. Well, if they get the chance to before the chair is flipped.

Patrick Kielty in Profile

It seems RTE is looking to involve the audience more in the show going forward too. Patrick Kielty will be joined by a host of special guests each Friday night in front of a live studio audience, the RTE website reads, and we are thrilled to offer YOU the opportunity to come in and be part of the iconic Late Late Show experience.

The audience application form begins with the first few standard questions it wants the answers to, such as name, address and how many tickets are being requested.

It asks for your social media username/profile. It doesnt have that little red asterisk beside it though, so thats optional. (Phew?)

Then comes the tell us about yourself, giving the sense that you are instead embarking on a job application. No stated word count here (or anywhere on the form) and it isnt possible to leave this question box blank. All that practice writing cover letters will come in handy here.

Two questions in particular, though, suggest that the audience will be a big part of the show, and not just for the annual Toy Show. Do you have any funny/interesting/extraordinary stories? is the first question.

RTE could just want to know its audience is filled with interesting people. However, the next question could shed some light on why they want those stories. It asks: If needed, would you be happy to contribute on air?. This is another red asterisk question. Choose carefully.

It is of course possible to say no to this. But, if saying yes and providing a story that the nation could potentially find funny/interesting/extraordinary, be prepared, as the scouts say.

There are indications from the form that those at RTE want to know what the talk of the local towns are, who people in Ireland look up to and generally who the Late Late Show audience would like to see.

What are people talking about where you live?, Who are your dream Late Late Show guests? and Who is your Irish hero? are all on the list.

RTE also wants to know what you do in your spare time; What are your passions/hobbies?

Finally, Is there a special event that you would like to celebrate at The Late Late Show?. Engagement, roundy birthday or job promotion? There isnt a dropdown menu, so if youre celebrating, The Late Late Show wants to know.

In total, there are 31 questions to get through before hitting submit and waiting to see if those tickets have been secured.

Kielty  who last May signed a three-year deal to host the show  will make his debut on Friday, September 15, at 9.35pm.

He will become only the fourth host of the long-running show, after Tubridy, Pat Kenny and Gay Byrne.

He has revealed that he will be paid 250,000 for each series, earning 750,000 over the course of the deal, with any additional episodes paid on a pro-rata basis.

Announcing that he had agreed a deal to host the show earlier this year, he said: To follow in the footsteps of Gay, Pat and Ryan as the next custodian is a real honour and I cant thank RTE enough for giving me the chance to be a part of the next chapter of such an iconic show.

Im also genuinely humbled to become part of Friday nights for so many Irish people, at home and around the world. I cant wait to get started on one of the greatest jobs in television.
Pandemic anxiety, a sense of entitlement and main character mindset could all be contributing to bad tourist behaviour...

On Tuesday morning last week, Italian police officers confronted a 19-year-old tourist at the Leaning Tower of Pisa - not for taking a criminally cliche photo pretending to prop up the tower, but for carving a heart and initials into the priceless structure.

Following her confession at the police station, the French visitor was reported to the public prosecutor's office for damaging a piece of Italian national heritage, according to the police report.

It wasn't the first time this summer that a tourist was caught engraving their initials into a UNESCO World Heritage site. It wasn't even the second or third. Italian police are investigating two separate cases of tourists defacing the Colosseum in Rome - both of which were caught on video.

And in July, a 17-year-old Canadian admitted to scratching his name and initials into an 8th-century temple in Japan's Nara prefecture.

Then there were the less personalised acts of vandalism, like the tourist who allegedly damaged unique geological landforms in China, or the two who climbed into a fountain in northern Italy and destroyed a 200,000 statue.

And don't forget the tourists who keep messing with wild animals at national parks, attacking flight attendants and getting drunk, naked and violent in Bali.

Given the mounting evidence, this feels like the summer of bad tourists. But without a global database of tourist mischief, there isn't a clear consensus on whether travellers are actually behaving worse than in summers past.

What is clear, according to academics, psychologists and travel industry professionals, is that tourists are frequently going rogue.

The Colosseum in Rome. Photo: Getty

A sense of entitlement on the rise

Kirsty Sedgman, author of On Being Unreasonable: Breaking the Rules and Making Things Better, says there's plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest "a growing proportion of people are feeling as if they should be able to do whatever they want," particularly when it comes to travel.

When people have spent a lot of time and money to plan and take a holiday Sedgman says they're more likely to believe they're entitled to experience it how they like - manners, rules and social norms notwithstanding.

"I call it 'don't-tell-me-what-to-do-itis,'" she says. "There's this real sense of 'You shouldn't be allowed to tell me what I should be doing.'"

It's an issue Catherine Heald, chief executive of Asia-focused luxury tour operator Remote Lands, is also seeing more of, notably with her Japan itineraries. While she says most of her clients are "really nice," Heald's been dealing with more of them throwing fits over local customs - like taking shoes off to walk on tatami mats or abiding by restaurant reservation policies - despite multiple briefings ahead of time.

"They love Japanese food, they want to go to Japan, they want to go to the best restaurants, but they don't want to follow the rules," Heald says. "And if we don't want to follow the rules, we shouldn't go."

Former flight attendant Shawn Kathleen, who created the popular Instagram account Passenger Shaming, has noticed a similar sentiment in air travel and vehemently believes the situation is worsening.

"[People] think they have the right to fly and the right to sit where they want and the right to put their feet up on your headrest . . . but they don't," Kathleen says. "The cost of your ticket does not entitle you to treat the airplane as if it's your living room."

Then again, global trends analyst Daniel Levine argues that there's nothing new about our ugly tourist behaviour. Public intoxication, graffiti, "that's been happening since time immemorial," he says.

And while bad behaviour is "certainly in the news a lot these days," Levine argues it's a matter of simple maths. With substantially more people traveling than even a decade ago, there are more opportunities for bad apples to emerge.

Fresh off 100 days of traveling through Europe, TV host and guidebook author Rick Steves sides with Levine.

"I marvel at how accessible great art is and great culture is to travellers . . . and I marvel that there's not more people than are in their own little two-bit way terrorising the culture," he says.

Crowds watch the astronomical clock in Prague's Staromestske Namesti. Photo: Getty

Pandemic anxiety meets 'main character' energy

Andrea Bonior, a licensed clinical psychologist and host of the new podcast Baggage Check, is also hesitant to panic.

"I don't want to say the sky is falling, because the vast majority of people are behaving themselves," she says.

Bonior believes social media plays a huge role shaping how we perceive unruly tourists. Thanks to the speed of the internet and our unquenchable thirst for content, "when this bad behaviour happens, we hear about it more," she says. "Twenty-five years ago, if someone did anything boneheaded, it wouldn't spread to millions of people."

However, Bonior says that since the pandemic started, we're more anxious, our threat response is heightened and we're more sensitive to what we see as threats and slights. That's resulted in "diminishing civility and increased coarseness in our culture," she says. Travellers are lashing out, but the examples span into movie theatres, on Broadway and in concert venues.

Some of this wild behaviour may also be influenced by the promise of going viral. On a more subtle level, social media can also inspire a "main character" mind-set, Bonior says.

"There's an element of being the star of your own story," Bonior says. "It's a different mind-set than if you go travel somewhere and experience it as a passive observer."

Steves says it's been impacting his tours. He's had to pause small concerts to tell his groups to stop recording on their phones. "Otherwise everybody's going to be ignoring the music and jockeying for a good angle to get their selfie," he says. "They're not paying attention. They're not in the moment. They're missing the beauty of it."

Sedgman agrees, adding that we're incentivised to turn our lives - and our travels - into content. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok turned travel into social currency. Seeing a place as just a pretty post can distort the complicated reality.

Bonior recalls a recent viral TikTok video of a woman complaining that her trip to Italy's Amalfi Coast was not as social media had promised. Getting to the famous destination required much more effort - flights, trains, ferries and hauling one's suitcase up nearly 200 steps - than influencers made it appear.

"Travel by definition is complicated and effortful and sometimes stressful, but I think in our culture we want the sound bite, we want the one perfect Instagrammable shot," Bonior says.

The Croatian city of Dubrovnik. Photo: Getty

The 'Game of Thrones' effect

Until 2015, the Jesuit Stairs in Dubrovnik were just another beautiful example of Baroque architecture in the Croatian city. Then came the global HBO hit Game of Thrones.

Specifically, there was an episode of Season 5 that featured Cersei Lannister subject to a nude "walk of shame" down the Jesuit Stairs through Dubrovnik old town. Since the episode aired, fans have flocked to the landmark to re-create the scene, sometimes going so far as to strip in the process. It's a disruptive nightmare for the neighborhood. There's bell-ringing, people throwing objects at the shame-ee.

"They get pretty drunk and go around screaming 'shame,'" says Dubrovnik tour guide Ivan Vukovic. "The people who live in the area have post traumatic shame disorder."

Vukovic believes Dubrovnik has successfully curbed some of the public nuisances through recent media campaigns. He sees posters around the city and online ads about proper etiquette. A new animated film about appropriate behaviour plays on Croatia Airlines flights, in the Dubrovnik Airport and in cruise terminals, he says.

And unlike nearby Split or the Spanish island of Ibiza, Vukovic says Dubrovnik has never marketed itself as a party destination. Instead, they've advertised their desirability "for the food, for the culture and the sea and the sun," and, more recently, for their Game of Thrones filming locations.

"It's branding . . . it takes time."

Amsterdam's red light district

Anti-boorish campaigns

National governments, tourism boards and citizen watchdogs are throwing various efforts at the wall to discourage tourist misbehaviour.

So far, nothing has been as dramatic as China's 2015 attempt at an "uncivilised behaviour" list that the China National Tourism Administration promoted to stop its own citizens from embarrassing the country abroad.

In Bali, however, the government is promoting better tourist behavior by teaching dos and don'ts displayed via QR code at the airport. Indonesian authorities are also deporting bad actors and have announced plans to ban access to sacred places.

Even Amsterdam is tightening marijuana and alcohol laws and reducing hours for restaurants and brothels. A Stay Away ad campaign targeted at British stag parties warns against public intoxication.

Because the global travel industry is only expected to keep growing, Levine isn't convinced tourist conduct will get better anytime soon.

"There will be more ugly travelers," he says. "There's no force that I can see that will magically turn this around."

Rick Steves hopes the efforts don't come at too great a cost to the majority of travellers who do behave.

"You need to have smart safeguards, but we need to have public access to the cultural wonders of this world," he says. "And that comes with a small and steady risk that bad people will do bad things - it's a price worth paying."
The aftermath of the Omagh bomb in 1998, in which 29 people were killed. Photo: Pacemaker

For some younger people, the story of the Omagh bombing is one that lives only in history.

It is a terrible tragedy that happened a long time ago in an era when such things were always a risk.

But for many others it lives vividly in their memories. No doubt they still wake at night seeing the awfulness of that Saturday afternoon.

Earlier this year, a shopworker told BBC: You relive it every day driving up and down this town.

At 3.10pm tomorrow it will be exactly 25 years since a red Vauxhall Cavalier packed with 500lb of fertiliser explosives exploded in the town, having earlier been driven across the border from Monaghan to Tyrone.

It is hard to imagine people could be so callous or believe that the lives of men, women and children paled in significance to the pursuit of their vision of Ireland.

Twenty-nine men, women and children died, among them a mother heavily pregnant with twins.

Another 220 people were injured. They still carry those physical and mental injuries.

Only four months earlier, people on both sides of the Border had voted for peace. The resounding result of the Good Friday Agreement referendums was meant to signal an end of the conflict. Yet what happened in Omagh was the single-worst atrocity of the Troubles.

Dead toddlers, one still strapped in her buggy. Schoolboys and schoolgirls. Men and women. A father and son. Catholics and Protestants. The killers may have wanted to strike at the British crown, but their bomb didnt discriminate.

Those toddlers would be in their late 20s now. They might be travelling the world, enjoying their first real job, planning to get married. Who knows? Their futures were taken from them.

And thats why we cant afford to allow the next generation to forget how much peace matters.

The victims of Omagh have never been given the answers they need about what led up to the attack and how the police handled the information available. But they have bravely worn their trauma through the years.

And despite all the political squabbling of recent years, Northern Ireland is now a much better and safer place than it was in the recent past.

But it can take only a small group of militants and a moment to change the course of history.

Omagh happened when people thought the road to a brighter future was becoming less hazardous.

But we can never let our guard down while there are people who want to drag us backwards.

Last weeks data breach by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) is one such example. The personal details of around 10,000 officers and staff were accidentally published online for a number of hours.

Scores of officers expressed concern for their safety after dissident republican terrorists claimed to be in possession of some of the data.

The current assessed level of threat is at severe, meaning an attack is highly likely.

As we mark the anniversary of the Omagh bombing, let it be a reminder to everyone of why we must stay on that road to a brighter future while always watching for danger.
Peter ORiordan - It was as if somebody had dropped a bomb on the west side of Maui.

Fire and smoke above Lahaina as the devastating wildfire burned out of control.

Destroyed homes and cars in Lahaina in the wake of the devastating wildfire on Maui (AP).

Peter ORiordan and his wife Stephanie, who live on Maui with their two children.

A CORK man who lives on the Hawaiian island of Maui that was left devastated by last weeks wildfires has recalled the terrifying moment he received a phone call in the dead of night from his hysterical family in the aftermath of the tragedy that has left at least 100 people dead and up to 1,000 more unaccounted for.

Ballincollig native Peter ORiordan, a former presenter of the Expose television programme, first travelled to Hawaii on J1 visa almost 20-years ago and has lived on Maui since 2016.

Speaking on RTE Radio Ones Morning Ireland programme, the father of two said that he was in Chicago when the wildfire struck and was scheduled to fly back home to Muai the morning after the wildfire struck.

I was lying in my hotel bed when I received a phone call from the mother of my children. She was hysterical, screaming down the phone its all gone, were leaving here, were out of here, I have the kids. I was woken up to this screaming pandemonium on the phone. My kids were screaming Dad its all goneour house.all the memories, everything we have. Its gone, its gone, said Mr ORiordan.

While understandably dazed and shocked by the call, Mr ORiordan said the most important thing for him was that his wife Stephanie, the children and his mother-in-law had fled to safety in the face of the raging inferno and were safe.

After seeing news reports about the devastation caused by the wildfire, Mr ORiordan tried to get back home only to find himself stranded in Denver overnight as all flights to Hawaii were cancelled.

The following morning he managed to get a seat on a plane bringing emergency supplies back to Maui and was shocked at the sight that met him as the plane approached the island.

As you can imagine, it was catastrophic, said Mr ORiordan.

The first thing I did when I landed was pick up my children.

Mr ORiordan, who runs a catamaran company on the island, said he and his 40-strong team of employees spent that evening using the boats to rescue people and bring in vital supplies.

The next day, we loaded up with supplies and headed into Lahaina town, What we saw was absolute devastation and destruction that was absolutely unimaginable, said Mr ORiordan.

It was as if somebody had literally dropped a bomb on the west side of Maui, everything had been completely obliterated. Cars, buildings..there are things I dont really want to talk about..death and destruction everywhere.

He said his home, his partners home and that of his mother-in-law were gone, every single one of them.

When I say gone, I mean to dust. Everything is dust. If property and metals are melting at that rate, you can only imagine how flesh and bone is reacting, said Mr ORiordan.

He said that while neither his family nor any of his employees had lost anyone to the wildfire, Mr ORiordan said he expected the death toll to rise considerably.

Up to 1,000 people are not accounted for. I dont want t say it, but I fear those are fatalities and possibly more. To be honest with you, from what I have seen its all ashes. Its desperate to say that and talk about it, but these are the realities, the ferocity with which this (wildfire) attacked this island is atrocious, said Mr ORiordan.

My fear is that the death toll will reach exponentially more than 1,000.

Mr ORiordan said the most devastating prospect is that many of those who have perished are likely be children.

Schools were closed because of the hurricane on the day this happened. So, children were at home with their grandparents or alone. They were indoors with air-conditioning on watching TV. Our siren system failed us, so they had no warning whatsoever of what was coming, said Mr ORiordan.

It happened so quickly that they were destroyed in their houses. These kids did not know it was coming and before it was too late people were just vaporised, he added.

Mr ORiordan spoke about how the community has rallied around to help those left homeless and bereaved in the aftermath of the disaster.

Im very, very fortunate. Im up country in Maui in my best friend and business partners house. He took us my team, a huge majority of whom have also lost everything, in, said Mr ORiordan.

But, they are not concerned with that. None of us are in this huge Hawaiian family, this Ohana. We have taken it upon ourselves to take action and have housed people. Everyone has really rallied together in this dark time.

Looking to the future, Mr ORiordan raised serious concerns about the long-term impact the wildfire may have on the islands vibrant tourism sector.

We are an island that is dependent on tourist money. My biggest fear is that, in addition to this disaster, we are going to be spun into economic turmoil that will seriously affect this island for many years to come, he said.
The restrictions at Clontarf Hospital were brought in after an outbreak on the Swan Ward. Photo: Stock image

Visiting restrictions have been introduced at Clontarf Hospital in north Dublin, with the hospital confirming three patients with the virus have been isolated.

Covid-19 cases have risen in Irish hospitals recently, according to the latest HSE data, there are 435 confirmed cases across the country and 12 ICU cases.

The latest outbreak comes as the HSE admits there are still unknowns about the impact of the virus and reinfections, long-term.

A HSE spokesperson said: Longer term observational studies will be required to understand the health consequences presently being attributed to post Covid-19 infection.

Explainer: What is the Eris (EG.5) variant?

While we continue to understand more about the acute phase of Covid-19, there remains limited information regarding long-term outcomes.

The visiting restrictions at Clontarf Hospital were implemented after an outbreak on the hospitals Swan Ward.

The hospital has had to limit visits to only one visitor per patient and no children are allowed on site.

Visitors have also been advised to please wear a mask if requested by a member of staff, and have been informed not to visit if they are feeling unwell with symptoms such as a sore throat, cough, temperature and shortness of breath.

A spokesperson for the hospital, which cares for a large number of older patients, said: There are three cases of Covid-19 (day six) confined to one bay in one ward.

There are no staff reported Covid-19 illness (cases.).

The affected ward is closed to visitors. However, depending on each individual, patient care needs and compliance with the infection prevention and control measures that are currently in place, visiting may be arranged at ward level, the spokesperson added.

Flowers are not allowed into the hospital, as they pose a risk of infection to susceptible patients, the hospital added.

Families are being offered a service of sending love via messages or letters to the hospital for loved ones, or for virtual visits via video calling.

The new Covid-19 variant, Eris, has been detected in Ireland and this virus is more transmissible than previous variants.

However, Clontarf Hospital said there had not been any reports on the type of variant within the hospital.

A HSE spokesperson said: Covid-19 is a new disease so information on it, its features and its course are still emerging.

In general most people recover from mild infections within two weeks and more serious diseases within three weeks.

Clontarf Hospital helped to rehabilitate patients severely affected by Covid-19 in 2020 at the height of the pandemic.

Patients whod been in ICU had been sent to the facility for physiotherapy, occupational therapy and psychological support.
Breda O'Sullivan and Joan Clifford from Killorglin waiting for Kerry Ladies team to arrive at the Glebe Car Park, Killarney on Monday evening. Photo by Tatyana McGough.

Kerry player Kayleigh Cronin (centre) pictured with her family and friends: James, Kathleen, Edel, Catherine, Helena, Gearoid Cronin, Alberto, Sadhbh and Jason Stack, Padraig, Grainne and Martina Dineen at the Kerry Ladies homecoming in the Glebe Car Park, Killarney.Photo by Tatyana McGough.

Julie Quinlan and Rebecca Coffey from Abbeydorney pictured at the Kerry Ladies homecoming in the Glebe Car Park, Killarney on Monday evening. Photo by Tatyana McGough

Former Kerry players Mary Jo Curran and Geraldine O'Shea at the Kerry Ladies homecoming in Glebe Car Park, Killarney on Monday.Photo by Tatyana McGough

Kieran Browne, Marie Sheehan, Jean Mac Sweeney, Kack Mac Sweeney, Danielle O'Leary from Killarney at the Kerry Ladies homecoming in the Glebe Car Park, Killarney on Monday evening. Photo by Tatyana McGough.

Julie Quinlan and Rebecca Coffey from Killarney pictured at the Kerry Ladies homecoming in the Glebe Car Park, Killarney on Monday evening. Photo by Tatyana McGough.

Kerry supporters from Rathmore Thomas Corkery and Michael Dineen waiting for Kerry team to arrive at the Glebe Car Park, Killarney on Monday evening. Photo by Tatyana McGough. Photo by Tatyana.

Helen Pierce, Susan Pierce,Aster Pierce, Mel Reen and Padraig Creedon pictured at the Kerry Ladies homecoming in the Glebe Car Park, Killarney on Monday.

Kerry Ladies team captain Siofra O'Shea signing jersey to Caoimhe Corkery at the Kerry Ladies homecoming in the Glebe Car Park, Killarney.Photo by Tatyana McGough

Young Kerry supporters Roisin and Conor Daly with Ruby, Robyn and Ollie O'Donoghue pictured at the Kerry Ladies homecoming in the Glebe Car Park, Killarney on Monday evening. Photo by Tatyana McGough

Sisters Lily, Molly and Annie Kearins waiting for Kerry Ladies team to arrive at the Glebe Car Park, Killarney on Monday evening. Photo by Tatyana McGough

Kerry player Niamh Broderick pictured with her cousins Garry, Clodagh, Ollie, Dara, and baby Ria Flynn at the Kerry Ladies homecoming in the Glebe Car Park, Killarney on Monday. Photo by Tatyana McGough

Sisters Lily, Molly and Annie Kearins waiting for Kerry Ladies team to arrive at the Glebe Car Park, Killarney on Monday evening. Photo by Tatyana McGough

Pictured at the Kerry Ladies homecoming in the Glebe Car Park, Killarney on Monday evening. Photo by Tatyana McGough

Ciara and Ruth Prendiville travelled from Keel to welcome the Kerry Ladies on Monday evening in Castleisland. Photo by John Reidy

With flags flying came Catriona, Katie and Michael Lenihan from Ballymacelligott to welcome the Kerry Ladie home in Castleisland on Monday evening. Photo by John Reidy

One for the news: RTE cameraman, Eoin Daly gathering footage of the welcome home reception for the Kerry Ladies Senior football team in Castleisland on Monday evening. Photo by John Reidy

Little Caoimhe Linnane pictured with her mom Kate and nana Kate Walsh, Tralee as they arrived to welcome the Kerry Ladies team home in Castleisland on Monday evening. Photo by John Reidy

Stars of the future: Kerry U-16 and minor stars with coach Denis Kerin. From left: Keelin O'Sullivan, Julia Curtin, Hanna Herlihy and Robyn Cahill gathered in Castleisland to welcome home the Kerry seniors on Monday evening. Photo by John Reidy

Kerry footballer Louise Ni Mhuircheartaigh pictured with their supporters at the Kerry Ladies homecoming in the Glebe Car Park, Killarney on Monday evening. Photo by Tatyana McGough

The saying what doesnt kill you makes you stronger wont be of much comfort to the vanquished Kerry ladies following Sundays heart-breaking defeat to Dublin. But its true, nonetheless.

As the players and management made the slow walk to the stage in Castleisland and Killarney on Monday evening to greet their adoring fans, they were disappointed but unbowed.

While its naturally difficult to return home for a second successive year as the defeated All-Ireland finalists, it tells only half a story. The teams unwavering effort, commitment, skill  and a pledge to return home in 2024 with the Brendan Martin Cup  is the storys other half.

They left it all on the pitch on Sunday. Save for a Dublin onslaught early in the first half, the result may have been different. In the second half, Kerry upped the ante but there was that lingering sense that they had left themselves with too much of a mountain to climb.

The team created many cherished memories this season. Winning Kerrys first Division 1 title since 1991 by beating Galway in April is up there, as is the never-to-be-forgotten evening in Tralee in the rain when Kerry dethroned the 2022 All-Ireland champions, Meath, before a crowd of over 5,000 people.

Co-manager Declan Quill reflected as much when he thanked the supporters at the homecoming, saying it was fantastic seeing so many people welcoming home the team after a bitter-sweet season.

Declan said the management, players, and supporters had really grown together in recent years. He received a huge roar of approval from the crowd when saying the team was only a small step away from bringing home the Brendan Martin Cup.

Theyre an absolutely fantastic bunch of girls. Its great to see the amount of young girls here wearing the Kerry colours and aspiring to be like these girls in the future, Declan said.

Not only that, but its great to see a lot of young fellas looking up to the girls as well. Its growing over the years; its phenomenal to see, and the girls really appreciate all the support theyve got in the past few weeks, he added.

Lastly, the indomitable spirit of Kerry was reflected in Kerry captain Siofra OShea. Despite having an ACL injury and overcoming all the personal adversity this brings, Siofra courageously played a part against Dublin on Sunday.

A huge thank you for the support on Sunday and the send off on Saturday, it was unbelievable. You really set us up for the weekend, Siofra said.

She complemented the clubs and communities for the welcome and the pride they show in the players representing them.

Its great to see the boys and girls here. We see ourselves as role models. We feel we have let you down in one sense, but well keep coming back. Were not done yet, Siofra said, stoking a roar from the Kerry crowd.
The annual Spanish Armada Festival returns this September for the 14th consecutive year and will take place in Grange, Streedagh, Cliffoney and Sligo town. Therell be lots of events taking place covering arts, history, culture, music and the spoken word.

Three Spanish Armada ships sank at Streedagh beach in September 1588, and over the past fourteen years, locals in Grange have welcomed Spanish visitors from far and wide to Sligo for the annual commemoration.

This years event will run over 4 days from Thursday Sept 14  Sunday Sept 17th. Day one will feature a bus tour to Killybegs harbour and will include a reception attended by officers and ratings from the visiting Oceanic Patrol Vessel Centinela. The main event is the Remembrance Parade on the Saturday where people are invited to walk a trail from Streedagh to the Armada Monument to pay tribute to those lost in the tragedy. Over 1,100 men lost their lives at Streedagh during the shipwrecks, one of the greatest maritime tragedies to have taken place on the Irish coast.

The Opening Concert will feature the renowned De Cuellar Quartet, a musical ensemble that will play the music of the wonderful De Cuellar Suite composed by Michael Rooney. There will be a Sligo City historical tour. Budding artists are invited to two special events; Armadascapes and Hold The Line at Streedagh.

In addition, there will be exhibitions at the Visitor Centre in Grange as well as re-enactments at various locations. On Sunday the 8k Fun Run/Walk takes place and there will be a beach clean and a series of climate lectures to finish. For all event and ticket details, go to www.spanisharmadaireland.com
Cllr Pip Breen (Cathaoirleach Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District), Cllr Fionntan O Suilleabhain (Leas Cathaoirleach, Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District), Liz Hore (Director of Services, Wexford County Council), Philip Knight (District Administrator) and Senator Malcolm Byrne pictured with members of the Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District and Gorey Men's Shed at the handing over of the keys to the new shed on McCurtain Street, Gorey on Thursday. Pic: Jim Campbell

Niall Taffee (Chairman Gorey Men's Shed) received the keys of the new shed on McCurtain Street in Gorey from Cllr Pip Breen (Cathaoirleach Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District) on Thursday pictured with Liz Hore (Director of Services, Wexford County Council) and Philip Knight (District Administrator). Pic: Jim Campbell

The interiors of the spacious new Gorey's Men's Shed on McCurtain Street, Gorey. Pic: Jim Campbell

Liz Hore (Director of Services, Wexford County Council), Philip Knight (District Administrator), former councillor Robbie Ireton, Niall Taaffe (Chairman, Gorey men's Shed) and Cllr Pip Breen (Cathaoirleach Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District) pictured during the handing over of the keys to the new shed on McCurtain Street, Gorey on Thursday. Pic: Jim Campbell

Goreys Mens Shed movement received a new lease of life on Thursday when the keys were handed over for a newly built facility in McCurtain Street.

Irelands third oldest Mens Shed group, the Gorey team is now about 20 years in existence.

There was a recent push to have the newly built cabin installed and opened so all the members, including a founder member, can enjoy it.

The shed was donated from a friend of chairman Niall Taaffe, and is equipped with solar panels. Wexford County Councils Philip Knight put a huge effort into getting it over the line, said Cathaoirleach of Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District, Councillor Pip Breen. Its a massive building.

The opening on Thursday was attended by Cllr Breen, Leas Cathaoirleach Cllr Fionntan O Suilleabhain, Director of Services at Wexford County Council Liz Hore, District Administrator Philip Knight, Senator Malcolm Byrne, and local members of Gorey Men's Shed.

That was a derelict site there for years. It wasnt big enough to put a house on it, said Cllr Breen. It was sort of half attached to Gorey District Hospital. The men were in an old shed where the tools were getting rusty. It was in poor condition. We were looking around for a number of years to find a home for them.

Goreys Mens Shed has over 30 members. It is a well-supported shed. They have a lot of machinery to go into it, said Cllr Breen. They have been very supportive of other Mens Sheds around the county who went to them for advice, because of their length in existence.

The original Mens Shed started around 2000. It was a life saver for a lot of men who would have been prematurely unemployed, added Cllr Breen. The movement has given many retirees a new purpose in life as well as forming new friendships that last a lifetime, he said.

Chairman of Gorey Mens Shed, Niall Taffe, extended a thank you to Wexford County Council, John Kelly of Wexford Local Development, Dublin energy group Joule who donated the solar panels, Plumber Sean Sheridan, SKC Provides who donated sanitary products, Leinster Kitchens and Bedrooms who supplied the kitchen, and Electrician Matty Davis.

Senator Malcolm Byrne said it was a wonderful asset for the community.

A spokesperson for the Irish Mens Sheds Association said, thanks to the dignitaries, supporters and friends who came along, and to all those whose hard work and dedication have brought this fantastic community resource to Gorey.
A Wexford man has been announced as one of just three global recipients of an international award, recognising the outstanding achievements and contributions of young people with epilepsy in raising awareness of the condition. Wayne OReilly was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2016 and, as he has stated himself, his journey with the condition has had plenty of ups and downs.

Throughout his journey, Wayne, who is from Camolin, has been open about his condition and continually sought to educate others about the reality of life with epilepsy. As well as being one of the faces behind Epilepsy Irelands (EI) International Epilepsy Day awareness campaigns in 2021 and 2022, he has been a committed supporter of EIs fundraising efforts and a regularly highlighted his own experiences of epilepsy on social media.

Speaking about his work and this award, Wayne said, I dont think of my volunteering work as work, nor do I really think about its impact. I put my hand up as I hope it can help others who are living with the condition or help the public break down the misconceptions they may have about epilepsy. One thing I passionately believe in is the need for members of the public to know the right things to do if they see someone having a seizure.

"Epilepsy can strike at any time to anyone. I was 23 when I had my first seizure and never thought it would happen to me, but people should educate themselves on seizure first-aid and be ready to help if needed. The best way I can help encourage them to do this is by being willing to help promote the message by sharing my own story with epilepsy.

I was incredibly honoured and delighted to be nominated by Epilepsy Ireland for consideration to receive this award from the International Bureau for Epilepsy. I know each organisation can only put forward one nominee  and from my work with EI, I know just how many incredible volunteers and supporters that they have. I was speechless when I was nominated so to then receive it, was truly humbling.

Congratulating Wayne on his award, EI Advocacy & Communications Manager Paddy McGeoghegan said, It is no surprise to us that Wayne has received this international accolade. At EI, we are fortunate to have incredible volunteers who go above and beyond to help raise awareness of epilepsy, and to support our work. Wayne OReilly is the definition of an incredible volunteer. Whenever we have sought his involvement, the word no has not been in Waynes vocabulary. We were delighted to nominate him and are even more delighted to see his contributions being recognised by the international epilepsy community.

Wayne will officially receive his Golden Light award at the International Epilepsy Congress which is taking place in Dublin next month. The event is the biggest international scientific epilepsy meeting and will see over 3,000 experts in epilepsy care attend the five-day event at the Convention Centre from September 2-6.

In a first for the congress, the event will feature two public information evenings which have been arranged by EI. The events feature some of the worlds leading experts discussing a range of topics of interest to people with epilepsy and their families. Further information on these events and details on how to register can be found by visiting www.epilepsy.ie.
The lifeboat crew were just about to finish towing a boat with two on board that had suffered engine failure when they were tasked to rescue two girls who were in the water 200m off Rosslare Strand.

Lifeboat helm Damien Foley and crew Ger Doran and Donal Troddyn were first tasked with assisting the boat with engine failure inside Wexford harbour at 1.08 p.m. They arrived at the scene within ten minutes and, after carrying out an assessment, decided the safest course of action was to tow the casualty vessel ashore.

Less than an hour later at 1.53 p.m., just as the lifeboat was a few hundred metres from shore, the Irish Coast Guard tasked them to reports of two girls in the water off Rosslare Strand. After dropping the people from the first call-out ashore, they immediately turned and headed for Rosslare within minutes. Their colleagues from Rosslare Harbour RNLI were also tasked to the incident, however, as they made their way to the scene they were informed that another paddleboarder had come to the rescue of the two girls and had assisted them safely to shore. The Rosslare Harbour lifeboat was asked to search for and recover the girls lost paddleboard in case it was spotted later and reported again. The Wexford lifeboat crew were stood down and returned to the station just before 2.30 p.m. where they were welcomed back by shore crew Simon Gulliver and launch authority Dave Dempsey. Speaking following the call out, Wexford RNLI Helm Damien Foley said: Both incidents resulted in good outcomes. If anyone sees a person in difficulty on or near the water, please dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard.
Having made Wexford their home Gabriella Burnett and Iryna Bondar have taken the first steps towards increasing migrant representation in local politics by graduating from political and leadership programmes run by the Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI).

Gabriella, who is based in Wexford town, and Iryna, who lives in Gorey. were among 31 migrants graduating from the Migrant Leadership Academy and received their certificates at a a special event at EPIC Museum Dublin.

Speaking at the graduation, Immigrant Council of Ireland CEO, Brian Killoran, said, One of the most incredible benefits to working with diverse communities is the opportunity to interact with up-and-coming community and political leaders. The energy, dynamism, and passion of those who participate in our leadership academy and political internship scheme gives us all a boost, and shows us that the future is bright for social and community activism in Wexford and Ireland, and for diversity in politics.

By stepping up and participating, they are demonstrating their commitment to build a future for Ireland that is positive, diverse and informed by strong values of social justice, collaboration, mutual support and human rights. Thats an incredible thing, and so important in a world with many issues and challenges. We thank them for their commitment, and for participating.

Adding to Mr. Killorans comments, Integration Manager at the Immigrant Council of Ireland, Valeria Acquino said, At the Immigrant Council, our work is enriched by the interactions we have with the fantastic people we meet through the leadership academy and political internship scheme, and we know that communities and local politics in Wexford and across Ireland will be enriched when the talent and enthusiasm shown by this group is harnessed and given an opportunity to shine.

Given the recent media and online attention around refugee rights in communities across the country, were at risk of losing sight of the overwhelming positivity around migration and diversity that exists in Irish society. To counter this, we need to ensure that we showcase the contribution and potential of those who have chosen Ireland as their new home, and that we all recognise migrants and refugees as equal members of our communities, who share in the successes we have as a society.

A total of 18 graduates completed the Migrant Leadership Academy. The aim of the programme is to improve leadership skills and the capacity of participants to initiate, design and implement community-led campaigns and initiatives. It also aims to empower migrant and refugee communities to speak out on issues affecting them.

Also recognised at the ceremony were 13 people who graduated from the Migrant Councillor Internship Scheme. The internship scheme is a mentoring programme that pairs local councillors with migrants who want to learn more about Irish politics and get involved in their local communities.
Katie Price says she does not care if she is sent to prison (Aaron Chown/PA)

Katie Price says she is fed up of being threatened with legal action and would go to prison to be done with it all.

The former glamour model said she had recently been to court more times than Ive had hot dinners and would genuinely not care if she was put behind bars.

Price, 45, was declared bankrupt in November 2019 and is facing further proceedings.

Speaking to TV personality Michelle Visage on her Rule Breakers podcast, she discussed her bankruptcy and dared authorities to put her in prison.

The former glamour model said she had recently been to court more times than Ive had hot dinners (Aaron Chown/PA)

I actually think its quite a good thing for me to be in bankruptcy, she said.

Im so threatened with court letters and that all the time. Ive been to court more times than Ive had hot dinners lately. And I am not scared anymore.

I have said cant you put me into prison, just to cover it all. Be done with it.

Price said Im fed up with the reminders, adding: I genuinely dont care if I go to prison. Because its done then.

She continued: And I love all the prison stuff and I can experience what its like I could do a story when I come out and its a win-win situation isnt it?

It wouldnt affect my job, it wouldnt affect nothing. I wouldnt be in there long.

What I mean is, if theyre going to keep threatening me, just do it. Just put me in there then, stop threatening and just do it.

Earlier this year, Price told Jeremy Vines Channel 5 show that people should not be ashamed of being declared bankrupt.

I went through a really, really tough time the past three years, mental health and this and that, she said.

And when you go through that, you might get bills through and you put everything to the side because you cant cope with anything.

And Im proud that Ive come to the other end, and its life, isnt it? Sometimes you have to face these things, but Im happy and Im in a good position.

In September 2021 Price was also handed a suspended sentence after crashing her BMW on the B2135 near Partridge Green in West Sussex.

She was given a 16-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, with 100 hours of unpaid work and 20 rehabilitation activity requirement sessions to be completed within 12 months.

The full episode of Michelle Visages Rule Breakers with Katie Price can be listened to on BBC Sounds.
But Colin McStay was always unusual. Without all three, the most famous Irish toddler of the Eighties would now surely be dead. In Colin's case, the drugs were life-saving medications and his parents' single-minded doggedness, while off-putting to some, resulted in the biggest public appeal of the decade. For a brief moment, the winsome little waif became 'the child of the nation'.

Colin was born in September 1982 to Leonard and Margaret McStay with, as the doctor put it, "one brick missing" in his tiny system.

The jaundice wouldn't go away. Colin cried unceasingly and couldn't gain weight. Eventually, Margaret and her husband Leonard were told that their son had a rare liver disorder: Alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency. Only one in 100,000 babies is born with Alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency. His lifespan would be limited. The McStays planned to baptise Colin immediately. They had been warned he might not make his first Christmas.

"Statistics are fine until statistics happen to you," Margaret thought. "Then it doesn't matter what the odds are."

The McStays were not well-off. Leonard was in the process of setting up his own business as a consultant engineer and the couple's house in Rathmines was heavily mortgaged. House prices were falling. Their car was 'far from new'. Still, in 1983 they were viewed by the Health Board as too wealthy for one of the coveted long-term illness cards and had to bear the brunt of the medical expenses themselves - including a trip to London to see a liver specialist there. Even so, soon after the birth - and with Colin critically-ill - Margaret had to look for a new job.

Increasingly, it became clear that the only hope for Colin would be a complete liver transplant. This procedure was not carried out in Ireland, and while in London, they learned that it would cost roughly 50,000 (?151,000 in today's money) to send Colin to Pittsburgh Presbyterian Hospital in the United States, which had the world's highest rate of success with liver transplants. The McStays did not have anywhere near this amount of money and their application for funding to the Health Board had stalled.

The City Medical Officer, Professor Brendan O'Donnell, had written to their doctor to inform her that: "It is unlikely that the Health Board would be prepared to give the McStays funding before they set off." He went on to say that were they to make it to America they could apply retrospectively for reimbursement and their application would be viewed "in light of the parents' own means, what fundraising activities have been undertaken etc". However, the hospital in Pittsburgh demanded payment up-front. The McStays were distraught.

Their only hope lay with the media. Margaret had seen a successful appeal for a terminally-ill child being launched on Esther Rantzen's That's Life programme and hoped that a similar tactic might work for Colin. They began ringing the offices of newspapers in Dublin and then on January 6, 1984 Margaret wrote to Gay Byrne, explaining Colin's situation and suggesting that this might be the type of human-interest story he could feature on the Late Late Show .

With it she enclosed a photo of Colin playing on the ground with a packet of clothes pegs. His huge brown eyes stared out at the camera. The next few days were spent waiting for a phone call. The McStays were dismayed to see more successful appeals for sick children being launched by the British daily papers (which were also available here). They were concerned that if Colin's turn evercame the public would already be suffering from 'compassion fatigue'.

Towards the end of the week, they were contacted by John Caden, a producer on Gay Byrne's radio programme. He told them that they wanted to feature Colin on the radio with a possible follow-up on the Late Late and invited them to the studios in Montrose for a meeting. It was then he informed them that if there were to be a trust set up for Colin, RTE would have to appoint its own trustee.The McStays did not see it that way, however, and took grave umbrage at the idea of an RTE-appointed trustee. Margaret made no secret of her dislike of Caden and wrote in her book Colin that she"felt sure that Gay would have approached things in a gentler fashion".

For his part, John Caden said: "I was worried that any public challenge to the way in which the money was being used, however misinformed or even malicious, could see the fund tarnished, or even tied up in the courts, to everybody's loss. Mrs McStay was a tough and difficult woman to deal with. I admired that toughness, and I knew what I was seeing was the utter determination of a loving mother to save her child'slife - and that can be an awesome sight."

The problems with the trust would continue but after some more minor difficulties were ironed out, a datewas set for Colin's Late Late appearance.

"My knees were knocking as we stood in the wings while the introductory music was played," Margaret remembered. She needn't haveworried. Colin played a blinder, charming Gay and the national audience withhis winsomeness.

In the aftermath of the Late Late appeal some 20,000 people wrote handwritten letters to the McStays. Fundraisers were held up and down the country. By the following Monday evening the fund stood at 36,539. Within a couple of weeks there was nearly 600,000 in Colin's account. The fund would continue to creep over the 900,000 mark (?2.9m today). The McStays were overjoyed, but the sheer scale of the response had taken everyone by surprise. They had initially mentioned a figure of 150,000 but it was now assumed they had exceeded their target and that the remainder would be available for general funding.

As Margaret was acutely aware that Colin might need a second transplant, should the first one fail, she was nervous about the media's understanding of what would happen with the money. It was decided that whatever was left over after Colin had been treated as well as the interest from the capital sum raised would go towards the Children's Research Foundation at Our Lady's Hospital, Crumlin. Margaret was outraged at the Foundation's request to have trustees sit on the board of the trust and found the mention of 'public accountability' at the trustees' meetings 'strange'.

"She seemed to think that the entire amount was theirs to do with as they pleased," one fundraiser said, "She was, how shall I put this, difficult to deal with." Margaret for her part felt that there was an effort to "turn her heartbreak into a cost-saving exercise".

There was also an ongoing feud with the Department of Health. The McStays were at this time contacted by the Minister for Health's Private Secretary, who informed them that any shortfall in the fundraising would be made up by the Department of Health. As the amount required had already been raised, Margaret viewed this offer as a PR exercise.

She was also disgusted at the Minister's public claims that the Department had funded Colin's trip to a hospital in London (which the McStays had paid for themselves) and his failure to mention Colin's long wait for a medical card. Around this time a Department of Health official privately met Leonard McStay. He assured him "heads would roll" in the department because of what had happened with Colin's funding and asked Leonard to sign a letter giving an "agreed version of events". Leonard refused to do this and the scene was set for a public confrontation with the Minister for Health, Barry Desmond.

There was also a lot of what Margaret McStay called 'carping' in Irish medical circles about Colin's planned transplant. A leading surgeon in Crumlin Children's hospital had originally been against the idea of the operation,feeling the chances of success were too limited. "The general opinion," Margaret later wrote, "was that we did not understand what we were doing."

But whatever about the opposition to Colin's transplant, he had been accepted by the hospital in Pittsburgh and put on a waiting list for a suitable liver. His surgeon would be Dr Thomas Starzl, the world's leading expert in liver transplants. Colin was now growing increasingly frail and the day they could set off for the United States could not come quickly enough. When the big day arrived, the McStays were met at the airport by a huge contingent of journalists, some of whom would travel on to America with them. The McStays knew that the media interest was what had helped raise the money for Colin but they were also exhausted by it.

"We no longer seemed to have any privacy and we found ourselves acting out parts rather than being ourselves," Margaret later wrote.

News of Colin's plight had spread to Pittsburgh, where Colin was to become known as 'the million-dollar baby' and the severely-jetlagged McStays had to dodge the local press when they arrived. Several members of the local Irish community in Pittsburgh had organised fundraisers for Colin, and the family were given free furniture and carpeting for their small, rented house. On Thursday May 3, they met with Dr Starzl who told them "he should be really easy to do. I will try to do him soon and let you go home."

It didn't quite work out like that though. The McStays waited and waited for a suitable liver to become available. Weeks turned into months. They attended a support group for the parents of other children who were waiting on a transplant and became close to many of these people.

But at the same time a sort of rivalry emerged between the families, all of whom were competing for Dr Starzl's attention in the hope that their child would receive the next available liver. Margaret found herself guiltily wondering if other children would die because she had pushed Colin's case too hard. While this was happening, back home the bitter feud with the Minister for Health Barry Desmond had intensified. In a radio interview with Pat Kenny, Desmond had stated that immediately after the Department of Health received the McStay family's request for funding, the family had received a Telex stating that all costs would be covered. He suggested that the appeal had been unnecessary.

The McStays were incensed and prepared a lengthy statement, contradicting the Minister on several key points, which would be quoted in the following Sunday's newspapers. Desmond retaliated by taking the unprecedented step of taking out a full-page advert in the Irish Press . It reiterated his claim that the appeal had been unnecessary and that the Department of Health would have paid for Colin's treatment.

In a telephone interview on the RTE news, Margaret McStay then threatened to supply copies of her correspondence with the Health Board to the media. She also very bluntly accused the minister of lying. Meanwhile, the long and frustrating wait for a suitable liver continued. The McStays had grown frustrated with Dr Starzl and considered lobbying him via local politicians to speed up the process. They had been promised that Colin was next on the list but then another child had received the liver instead. Colin was now nearly two and weighed barely 10 kilos. Then disaster struck when they heard a rumour that the transplant programme would soon move to Texas. Margaret grew desperate and considered travelling back to Ireland so the little boy could die at home. "All hope seemed lost," she remembered. "I felt only black despair."

The next morning, the McStays were informed that Dr Starzl wanted to see them. Margaret feared that they had annoyed him with their incessant pestering and lobbying on Colin's behalf, but in fact the news was good. He had found a liver for Colin.

The McStays were ecstatic but wary. Media interest in Colin's case was still intense and she feared that if the worst should happen, the family would not be allowed to grieve privately. But for the moment there were bigger things to worry about. Colin and his teddy were taken down to the operating theatre. Margaret and Leonard rushed alongside the trolley as he was wheeled along. On his gown, Margaret pinned his soother and onto the teddy she put a cross and beads blessed by Padre Pio. At the end of the corridor the tearful couple were told by a nurse that this was as far as they could go. Now they could only wait and hope.

At midnight, they were told that the old liver had been removed and the doctors were attempting to implant the new liver. Margaret took a deep breath. She knew that this was Colin's chance. If the transplant was successful, he might lead a long life. On the other hand, he might be dead by the morning. Margaret and Leonard huddled together in the little chapel at the hospital and prayed that Colin would live.

In the small hours of the following morning, they received news that the operation had been a success. They were led towards the intensive-care unit. Colin was naked except for his nappy. A tangle of wires was attached to his tiny body. He opened his eyes and tried to speak but a tube obstructed his throat.

Almost immediately, the McStays began to receive calls from the Irish media. The news had somehow been leaked and the whole country wanted to know how Colin was doing. The McStays, to the frustration of many journalists who had helped them along the way, refused to do interviews.

Margaret explained that she felt that the Irish people who had contributed to Colin's fund would not want them to be put under any unnecessary pressure. They eventually did interviews on RTE and Channel 4 thanking the donor family and stressing that Colin might not be out of the woods yet. There was always the possibility that his body would reject the liver.

But it never came to that. Within a week of having the transplant, little Colin was walking and, despite some minor complications, seemed well on the way to recovery. He handled the anti-rejection drugs and soon the McStays were set for a triumphant homecoming with a healthy Colin at Dublin airport.

The dispute over the fund continued though. The Children's Research Foundation in Crumlin Children's Hospital which, under the terms of the trust, was to benefit from the interest on the sum donated to Colin, wanted to use the funds for a variety of research projects, but the McStays - who now run an auctioneers - insisted it was to be only used for liverresearch.

Even today, the bad feeling continues between the two sides. Despite the fact that over ?3m in today's terms was raised, during the last five years the Colin McStay trust has withdrawn all funding from the Children's Research Foundation (on which Gay Byrne sits as a trustee) saying that they need to keep the money in case Colin should again become ill or need a future transplant. There also seems to be a lack of communication between the two sides.

David Doran, CEO of the Foundation, said he was never told of the reason for this withdrawal of funding whereas Dr Gorman, spokeswoman for the trustees, claimed the Foundation was certainly "informed of this decision".

The seriously ill two-year-old who touched the hearts and the pockets of the nation provides us with several cautionary tales. Where there is contribution, there is often retribution. The downside for the McStays was that everybody - media and medical profession alike - felt they owned a bit of them and the difficult task they had as a family was in re-establishing themselves as private citizens.

Though the hospital no longer directly benefits from the trust, what one doctor called 'the Colin McStay effect' - a very positive effect - is still being felt in Irish hospitals. The acute embarrassment his case caused to Barry Desmond, in the words of John Caden, "lit a fire under the Department of Health" and changed the way transplant patients, particularly children, are dealt with.

The little boy at the centre of it all is now a grown man. He attended a college in Rathgar (where one of his classmates described him as "a quiet sort of guy"). Having been chased across the world by journalists as a two year old, he went on to complete a Post-Leaving Cert course in media and journalism at Rathmines and is now studying for a degree in journalism. He is, in the words of Gay Byrne, "a confident, diffident individual" and Dr Starzl describes him "as a bright, well-mannered young man". Along with hisfamily he has helped his saviour, Thomas Starzl, research the doctor's Irish roots.

Dr Starzl said that Colin "has never been better" and that he expects that Colin will soon come off all anti-rejection medication.

Margaret McStay regularly declines interview requests onhis behalf and refuses to discuss the problems with the trustfund. She wrote a book aboutColin's transplant - simply called Colin - but as he has grownolder her son has vetoed any further exposure. Margaret now discusses the relationship she had with the press as though it werea Faustian Pact: painfully necessary at the time, but nowsuperfluous. She remains prickly with the media but fiercely protective of Colin.

"His name might mean something to some people," she said. "But we paid our dues.

"Colin just wants to get on with the rest of his life in peace," she adds. "Isn't that all anyone ever wanted for him?"
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In a historic moment of triumph, a Sikh individual who defied Marine grooming norms has emerged victorious by graduating from boot camp. Pvt. 1st Class Jaskirat Singh, adorned in a distinctive white turban, stood tall among his fellow Marines in San Diegos U.S. Marine Recruit Depot, celebrating the culmination of their rigorous training.

This remarkable accomplishment was announced by the Sikh Coalition, a nonprofit organization, on Friday.

In a press conference following the graduation, Singh confidently asserted, Im proud to demonstrate that wearing a turban or beard does not make me any different or less of a Marine, and I intend to prove that in the future.

Singhs groundbreaking achievement echoes his role as a pioneer. The 21-year-old is believed to be the first Sikh ever granted a waiver from traditional grooming standards to participate in recruit training, as stated by the Sikh Coalition. His journey is marked by determination and resilience, with Singh being one of four Sikhs who took legal action against the Marines in April 2022. Their lawsuit aimed to rectify what they deemed as discriminatory practices and denial of religious accommodation requests.

The core contention of the plaintiffs rests on the foundation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which curbs the federal governments capacity to impede an individuals religious practices, even when facing compelling interests. The Marines refusal to permit the maintenance of beards and uncut hair during boot camp or combat deployment is, according to the plaintiffs, unconstitutional. Notably, the Navy is also implicated in this lawsuit.

Distinctive accommodations for Sikh service members have already been established in the Army and Air Force, while the Navy has undertaken changes for Jewish and Muslim sailors, pending the lawsuits outcome. In a landmark decision last December, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled that the Marine Corps must allow Singh and two other recruits, involved in the lawsuit, to partake in boot camp without adhering to the conventional grooming mandates. This reprieve continues as their legal case unfolds.

Singhs commitment to service, his faith, and his values is a reflection of the shared principles between Sikhism and Marine Corps ethos. He articulated, For me personally, my understanding of the principles of Sikhism overlaps with my decision to serve my country. He highlighted the significance of this intersection and noted that numerous Sikhs within the military uphold the same interpretation.

During boot camp, Singhs fellow recruits embraced his presence with curiosity, fostering an environment of diversity and understanding. Commanding officers treated him on par with other recruits, fostering unity and cohesion. Notably, Singh effortlessly fulfilled the gas mask seal requirements during his training, debunking concerns that his appearance could hinder safety measures.

While Singh and his legal representatives celebrate this watershed victory, they emphasize that the courts ruling only pertains to them. They stress the importance of continued legal efforts to ensure permanent accommodation for Sikh individuals in similar positions. Giselle Klapper, Deputy Legal Director of the Sikh Coalition, underscored the significance of policy change: What were pushing for  obviously is a policy change so that the next person doesnt have to go back to court essentially to fight this.

In this remarkable saga, Pvt. 1st Class Jaskirat Singh stands not only as a Marine graduate but as a symbol of persistence, inclusivity, and a harmonious coexistence of faith and duty.

(Image and text credit: Khalsavox.com)
N Biren Singh hoisting the national flag in violence-hit Manipur on the occasion of Independence Day/ courtesy: Twitter

Imphal/UNI/IBNS: Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Tuesday said the unrest in Manipur has been instigated by some vested interests and outside elements who want to destabilise the state and the country.

Singh appealed to the people of both communities to refrain from violence and to forgive and forget whatever had happened earlier.

He appealed to them to share their grievances and come to an understanding that would be for the betterment of both communities.

He also appealed to all to join hands and cooperate in making up for the losses in the recent unrest.

The Chief Minister continued that considering the hardship faced by displaced people, the government had taken up steps to resettle them in their earlier places.

"For those places where resettlement is not possible now, temporary prefabricated houses are being constructed to relocate the displaced people. The government had constituted committees to provide a source of livelihood under One Family One Livelihood to those who have no source of income," Singh said.

He stated that the government had been making every effort to rehabilitate the affected people and bring normalcy soon.

Security forces have been deployed at different places to guard the farmers while taking up agricultural activities, the CM informed.

He maintained that the state is gradually returning to normalcy and that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has been monitoring the situation round the clock and taking up various measures.

The Chief Minister assured that the state government would not take up any step that is against its people.

The observation began with the hoisting of the Tri-colour at the 1st Battalion Manipur Rifles Parade ground.

Honoured to attend the 77th Independence Day Celebration at 1st MR Parade Ground Imphal.

As we stand on the cusp of yet another year of independence, we must reflect on our journey so far and recommit ourselves to the ideals that our Nation was built upon. pic.twitter.com/CcMIX5O50t  N.Biren Singh (@NBirenSingh) August 15, 2023

The Chief Minister reviewed the parade and took the salute from 16 march-past contingents commanded by Additional Director, Manipur Police Training College Sarangthem Asana.

He appealed to all to pay homage to our brave forefathers who have taken a crucial role in India's freedom struggle.
Photo courtesy: wikipedia.org

New Delhi: Sulabh International founder Bindeshwar Pathak, who led major sanitary reforms across India, died on Tuesday due to a cardiac arrest at a hospital in Delhi.

The 80-year-old complained of uneasiness during Independence Day celebrations today in the morning and was rushed to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), according to a statement by Sulabh International.

Pathak was awarded Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award in India for his activism in human rights, environmental sanitation, non-conventional sources of energy, and waste management through education.

President Droupadi Murmu conveyed her condolences to the family of Bindeshwar Pathak and the members of Sulabh International in a post on X.

Murmu wrote in Hindi, "The news of the demise of Mr. Bindeshwar Pathak, the founder of Sulabh International, is very sad. Shri Pathak had taken a revolutionary initiative in the field of cleanliness. He was honored with many awards including Padma-Bhushan. I express my condolences to his family and members of Sulabh International."

                          -                   -  President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) August 15, 2023

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed sorrow over the death of Pathak. Modi called Pathaks demise a "profound loss" for the nation. He remembered Pathak as a person who devoted his life working for "societal progress and empowering the downtrodden."

"The passing away of Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak Ji is a profound loss for our nation. He was a visionary who worked extensively for societal progress and empowering the downtrodden," he said.

The Prime Minister said during his conversations with Bindeshwar Pathak, the latter's "passion towards Swachhata was always visible."

The passing away of Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak Ji is a profound loss for our nation. He was a visionary who worked extensively for societal progress and empowering the downtrodden.



Bindeshwar Ji made it his mission to build a cleaner India. He provided monumental support to the pic.twitter.com/z93aqoqXrc  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 15, 2023



Bindeshwar Pathak founded the Sulabh International Social Service Organization In 1970 in Bihar.

Pathak dedicated his efforts to transforming people's perceptions of unsanitary toilet practices in slums, rural areas, and urban regions.

He introduced cost-effective toilet systems that have significantly improved the well-being and health of millions of individuals.

He actively aimed to eliminate the manual cleaning of human waste from bucket latrines in India.

Pathak's groundbreaking approach to sanitation has resulted in the conversion of dry latrines into two-pit pour flush latrines across 1749 towns, along with the construction of over 160,835 toilets.

Pathak's contributions have earned him the esteemed Padma Bhushan award, the third-highest civilian honor in India. In 2003, he was honored with a place on the Global 500 Roll of Honour. In 2009, he received the prestigious Stockholm Water Prize.

His accomplishments also encompass accolades such as the Energy Globe Award, the Dubai International Award for Best Practices, and the Legend of Planet award bestowed by the French senate in Paris.

In 2020, a book titled 'Namaste, Bindeshwar Pathak!' was published, detailing his exceptional work as a social innovator.

He was honoured with a day named after him in New York. In 2016, Mayor Bill De Blasio officially declared April 14 as Bindeshwar Pathak Day.
Photo courtesy: Pixabay

Bengaluru: A 74-year-old retired sub-inspector of the Bengaluru Police was taken into custody on charges of raping a seven-year-old girl, the daughter of his tenant, media reports said.

The victim's mother said her daughter had gone downstairs to retrieve a fallen toy on Monday night at approximately 8:30 pm.

Worried when her daughter didn't come back for a long time, the mother raised an alarm. The girl eventually returned, visibly upset and in tears.

The survivor's father recounted that when he confronted the retired sub-inspector, the accused's son threatened him.

The son, also a cop, allegedly warned the survivor's father, with dire consequences claiming connections with criminals.

Alarmed by this encounter, the survivor's father approached the police and filed a complaint with the police. Subsequently, police registered a First Information Report (FIR) and apprehended the accused, charging him under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Both the survivor and the accused are currently undergoing medical examinations.

The accused's son could be also arrested for allegedly threatening the survivor's father and attempting to cover up the crime.

The victims family had recently rented a residence on the first floor of the building around eight days prior to the incident.
Photo courtesy: Facebook/Nitish Kumar

Patna/IBNS/UNI: Reacting sharply at reports of him contesting Lok Sabha elections from Phoolpur parliamentary seat in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar settled down the speculations by ruling out the same.

"These are baseless talks," he told the media after dedicating J.P. Ganga path phase two here on Monday.

Kumar said he only wished to unite the opposition political parties in the maximum numbers for which he was trying along with others.

Expecting more political parties to join the opposition band, Kumar said without taking the name of BJP, that some parties as of now were not joining the opposition camp as they are scared of the saffron party but the number will certainly increase in the future.

Kumar said that he would join the opposition's meeting slated in Mumbai.

Speaking about the caste-based census he said in Bihar it is in progress and the demand for the same was being made in some more states.

Replying to the query regarding the land acquisition controversy for Darbhanga AIIMS, Kumar said that the state government has already apprised the centre about the land with better road connectivity along with other facilities including the airport for setting up AIIMS in Darbhanga.

The state government has assured the centre to provide the land and construct a road along with developing necessary facilities, he said adding that the AIIMS developed at the selected place would pave the way for the development and expansion of Darbhanga.

Regarding the claims of the Prime Minister for completion of construction of Darbhanga AIIMS, Kumar said in the satirical vein that had it been constructed we would have welcomed it.

Reiterating his plans for the expansion of PMCH and DMCH, he said that his government has attained remarkable achievements in the field of health services and medical care.
Rishi Sunak greeted the attendees at the Ram Katha with Jai Siya Ram (Image Source: Video grab)

Cambridge: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak attended a 'Ram Katha' by spiritual preacher Morari Bapu organised at the Cambridge University campus on Tuesday.

Sunak said he attended the event as a Hindu and not as a prime minister.

It is truly an honour and pleasure to be here today at Morari Bapus Ram Katha at the University of Cambridge on Indian Independence Day. Bapu, I am here today not as a prime minister but as a Hindu! Rishi Sunak said at the event.

The British PM said for him faith was very personal, and it guides him in every aspect of his life.

In a video of the event, Rishi Sunak is also seen making salutations of 'Jai Siya Ram'.

Referring to a portrait of Lord Hanuman displayed in the background on the stage, the British Prime Minister said, "Similar to how Bapu has a Golden Hanuman in his backdrop, I take pride in having a Golden Ganesha adorning my desk at 10 Downing Street."

Rishi Sunak, expressing his sentiments, emphasized his identity as a proud British citizen and a follower of the Hindu faith.

He recounted his childhood experiences in South Hampton, where he and his siblings frequently visited a local temple.

Concluding his speech, the first Indian-origin prime minister acknowledged the enduring influence of Lord Ram, asserting that Lord Ram remains a continuous source of inspiration for him.

I leave here today remembering the Ramayana that Bapu speaks on, but also the Bhagavad Gita and the Hanuman Chalisa. And for me, Lord Ram will always be an inspirational figure to face lifes challenges with courage, to govern with humility and to work selflessly, he added.

Rishi Sunak also participated in an aarti ceremony on the stage. During the event, Morari Bapu gave him a consecrated Shivlinga from the revered Somnath temple as part of the Jyotirlinga Ram Katha Yatra.
Image: Haq News Youtube video grab

China is trying to use local Uyghurs as a part of its propaganda tool to showcase the happy face of the community among Pakistani people.

Experts see it as an attempt made by China to downplay the Chinese governments horrific treatment of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.

Several countries, including the US, have voiced their concerns over China's treatment of Uyghurs.

One such local Uyghur who is being shown in a positive light by China is believed to be Rahat Abdullah.

She could be seen regularly appearing on Pakistani social media channels, YouTube and Facebook pages.

Apart from wearing traditional Pakistani and Chinese clothes, she is also heard singing Urdu songs on local radio and cooking Uyghur dishes on Pakistani TV programs. She, however, described the food as 'Chinese'.

Abdullah, who is believed to be from Yining City of China, teaches Chinese languages at various universities in Pakistan, media reports said.

Omar Uyghur, who is the founder of a trust that provides assistance to Uyghur refugees in Pakistan, said she does not mix with local members of the community.

She doesnt come to the weddings or funerals, he told Radio Free Asia.

He said, Uyghurs dont meet with her either. She spreads propaganda in the Pakistani media on how Uyghurs are living happily.

Interestingly, Abdullah visited her hometown in China in June at a time when Uyghurs, who currently stay in Pakistan, cannot even visit Xinjiang.

During her visit, she participated in a wedding and recorded Uyghur songs and dances there, later posting them on Facebook and other social media platforms to give her Pakistani followers the impression that Uyghurs live happy lives, reports Radio Free Asia.

Pakistani scholar Muhammad Usman Asad, who has spoken out on behalf of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, told Radio Free Asia when China invites Pakistani religious scholars to tour Xinjiang, news about their visits always appears on Chinese social media, but not in the Pakistani media.
Photo Courtesy: Unsplash

A controversial sexual harassment course conducted at a middle school in China, a nation which often makes headlines for atrocities on minority communities, has triggered an online row over victim-blaming.

The school, located in Zhaoqing city in Guangdong province, had held a mental health education class  the equivalent of a sex education class in China  last year, CNN reported quoting Chinese state media Peoples Daily.

The photos of the teaching material, which sparked the controversy, started circulating online recently.

The teaching material said victims of sexual harassment 'suffer because they dress flamboyantly and behave flirtatiously', reports CNN.

It added: Girls shouldnt wear transparent or skimpy clothes and should avoid frivolous behaviour.

Meanwhile, the instruction has angered netizens who expressed their disbelief and wrath on social media platforms.

The teacher of that class is problematic, read one top comment on the Chinese social platform Weibo, with 19,000 likes, reports CNN.

Following the controversy, local education authorities released a statement recently where they confirmed that the photos online showed a lecture held at the school last April.

The lecture contained some inappropriate expressions, which caused misunderstanding among (online users), the statement said.
No fewer than 21 military personnel including senior officers were reportedly killed by suspected bandits at Kundu via Zungeru in the Wushishi Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger state.

It was gathered that 13 of them were killed in an encounter on Sunday, while eight others were also killed on Monday in an ambush in which a captain and a major were reportedly involved.

INFORMATION NIGERIA learnt that the security operatives were trying to prevent the criminals from escaping with some rustled cattle when the bandits ambushed them, leading to the casualties, including five vigilantes who were injured by bullets.

READ MORE: Troops Kill Three Bandits, Rescue 10 Kidnapped Victims In Kaduna

According to Channels TV, the bandits had rustled several animals from several communities and tried to cross from Akere to the northern parts of the country.

An eyewitness who spoke to the above mentioned media said that the corpses of the 21 military personnel were deposited at the same Zungeru hospital where the injured vigilante group were receiving medical treatment.

An injured vigilante, Sani Adamu, told journalists that the assailants and army troops had a gun battle within a range of less than 100m, but they were challenged because the criminals weapons were more sophisticated than theirs, leading to casualties.
The Governor Alex Otti-led Abia State Government, has ordered the demolition of no fewer than 150 buildings to allow for the reconstruction of Ossah Road in Umuahia, the state capital.

Commissioner for Information and Culture, Okey Kanu, who gave details of the project on Monday, said the State Government will soon commence the payment of compensation to the owners of structures marked for demolition before the reconstruction work begins.

While noting that the government is determined to expand the Umuahia road by one more lane on either side, Kanu said it has been holding consultations with property owners on both sides of the major road to Umuahia, off the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway.

Kanu who disclosed this at a news briefing on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting at the Government House, Umuahia, said that the decision to expand the road from four to six lanes was to ease traffic and enhance the aesthetics of the state capital.

READ ALSO: Youve Crashed Expectations Of Party Members, Nigerians  Lukman Writes Tinubu

He furthered that there was no going back on the project, adding that the demolition, which ought to begin on Monday, was shifted by three weeks.

According to the Commissioner, the ongoing consultations between the government and the communities affected by the project had yielded good results.

He however said the notice on how much compensation will be paid to owners of the marked structures would be made public soon.

Chaka Chukwumerije, the Commissioner for Lands and Housing, said that the structures marked for demolition on the Ossah Road had been enumerated and evaluated.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, he said that the compensations would be paid in tranches.

The essence of postponing the demolition date, he said, was to give the affected persons enough time to relocate, pointing out that the government was not in a hurry to demolish but to develop.
The court of appeal in Edo State, on Monday, affirmed Julius Abure as the national chairman of the Labour Party (LP).

Delivering judgment in the appeal marked CA/B/93/2023 and filed by Lucky Shaibu, a chieftain of the Party, the appellate court presided over by three justices, unanimously upheld the decision of a high court in the State which affirmed Abures chairmanship.

Recall that in March, some Edo LP members announced the suspension of Abure as the chairman of the Party.

Shauibu, who claimed to be a member of the Party in Ward 3 in Esan North-East Local Government Area (LGA) of Edo, spearheaded the suspension of Abure.

However, Abure in reaction, backed by other Party leaders in Uromi Ward 3, Esan North-East LGA of Edo filed a suit to challenge the suspension.

READ ALSO: Akeredolus Government Has Been A Failure  Ojajuni, Ondo LP Guber Aspirant

While delivering judgment in the suit marked HUC/21/2023, Emmanuel Aihamoje, a high court judge, held that the executives in Uromi Ward 3 lacked the power under the Labour Party constitution, particularly acts 13 and 17, and the electoral act 2022 as amended to remove Abure as Chairman.

Aihamoje imposed a perpetual injunction, restraining the defendants from removing or suspending Abure as the chairman until a national convention of the Party is convened.

Shaibu, not satisfied by the judgment, on behalf of the Ward 3 executive committee of the LP in Arue Uromi, filed an appeal.

However, in its ruling on Monday, the appellate court affirmed the decision of the high court.

Theresa Abadua, Fatima Akinbami, and Sybil Nwaka-Gbagi, in a unanimous decision, dismissed the appeal of the appellant, Shaibu.
Primate Elijah Ayodele, leader Of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, has cautioned that Nigerians will shut down the country if President Bola Ahmed Tinubu doesnt address the economic hardship in the next three months.

According a statement signed by Osho Oluwatosin, his media aide, Ayodele explained that individuals will not wait for Organised Labour to lead protests anymore but rather storm the streets in their numbers to cry out against the government.

He furthered that the situation of the country will be best described as a standstill if Tinubu doesnt find a lasting solution to the economic hardship being faced by citizens.

The cleric however urged the President not to perceive his message as a threat but as divine instructions to save the country from impending danger.

His words: In the next three months, if the economic hardship doesnt end, Nigerians will bring the country to a total shutdown with massive demonstrations and disorderliness. This wont be the usual protest that NLC or TUC organize, Individuals will storm the streets to personally protest and this will make the country standstill for days.

President Tinubu should do everything possible to fix the economy, He needs to adjust and do all that is needful because the economic hardship will wreck the country and this will affect both the rich and the poor. Individuals will begin to protest, workers will shun their working place.

If there is no adjustment, economic hardship will shut down Nigeria in three months and this is not a threat. The president should consider this as divine instruction because what I see is not palatable.

READ ALSO: Subsidy Removal: UI Directs Staff To Take Two Days Off Weekly

If care isnt taken, a big yam will cost N4,000 in the next three months, a cup of garri will cost N500 and a bottle of groundnut oil will cost N3,000 if the economic situation isnt addressed. Tinubu must be serious, those ministers cannot perform any magic, and they are all noisemakers. He needs technocrats and economic experts to resolve the issue.

Primate Ayodele further advised President Tinubu not to focus on petrol like it is the only resource the country has.

He urged him to partner with some State Governors that have natural and mineral resources in their States to save the country from wrecking.

We need to forget petrol and focus on other natural resources in the country. The president should bring the governors of Taraba, Kogi, Zamfara, and Kogi states closer and partner with them to save the country. Petrol will kill Nigeria, and it will continue to increase, we have other resources to explore, and these governors have a lot to offer in this area, the cleric said.

Ayodele also blamed the obstinacy of Nigerians for the economic hardship the country is currently facing.

According to him, before the presidential election, he warned Nigerians against voting for the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Tinubu but they didnt listen.

When I warned Nigerians against voting Tinubu and APC into power, they thought I was seeking attention or had issues with the APC presidential candidate, some of them even abused me but now, I have been exonerated. The economic issue of Nigeria is beyond the CBN or any policy, the government should seek the face of God because it will not get better except adequate steps are taken immediately, he added.
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Abdullahi Ganduje on Monday said deputy governors are seen as spare tyres in Nigerias political setting.

The former Kano State Governor made the observation on Monday when he hosted a forum of ex-deputy governors who served their respective states on the platform of the party.

Ganduje, however added that the beauty of spare tyres is that they cant be neglected forever as they are always needed at one point or the other.

It was gathered that the former deputy governors were on a solidarity visit to Ganduje at the APC national secretariat in Abuja and complained about being sidelined in the scheme of leadership within the party.

They asked for an amendment of the party constitution so their members can also attend National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings just like former speakers and deputy speakers that are currently eligible to attend such meetings.

While addressing journalists in Abuja after their visit, the 60-member delegation represented by their chairman, a former Imo State deputy governor, Chris Alozie Akomas argued that deputy governors are known to have a massive following in Nigerian politics.

He added that the expertise and experience they have gathered after years of service cannot be wished away.

READ MORE: Deputy Speaker Meets Ganduje, Lobbies For More Ministerial Slots For South-East

In his words, Our own interest should be protected. If there is a political party to which you have made contributions you should be carried along when the body takes critical decisions.

We still repeat that we take it (former deputy governors exclusion) as an omission. You captured Speakers and Deputy Speakers but leave out people that served and represented the whole state; people who carry structures of a state.

It is not good neither for the Forum of Former Deputy Governors of Nigeria nor for the political party or effective governance. This is because the effectiveness of governance has to do with bringing in cross-fertilisation of ideas. As we said, within the forum of deputy governors, there are expertise, experience, knowledge, and professionalism. That has to be done across boards.

Reacting to their concerns and demands, Ganduje promised that his administration would look into their grievances, adding that he understands their plight having served as a deputy governor himself.

The APC national chairman said, The position of a deputy governor is a controversial one in governance. Thats why God has no deputy. APC as a political party is interested in what happens in government.

Its a two-way thing. We get information from govt and pass it to the people, just as we receive complaints from the people and pass it to the government.

Everybody is a servant. It is a no-go area. Deputy governors are being seen as spare tyres. And we all know the importance of a spare tyre. If you dont need it when you are normal, you will need it when you are in trouble.

Another problem deputy governors will have to contend with is the issue of sycophancy. When you are walking with a governor and walk side by side to hear him when he talks, sycophants will say you are rubbish and all that.

If you respect your principal by walking behind, sycophants will say you are developing a lukewarm attitude. Therefore you are retreating.

Now, tell me which position will you take? It is difficult.
The Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Public Affairs, Ajuri Ngelale has said having more refineries in Nigeria will not reduce fuel pump prices.

Ngelale stated this during an interview on TVC News.

The presidential spokesperson asked Nigerians to disregard the myth that more refineries in Nigeria would translate to cheaper fuel price.

Ngelale, however, explained that having more refineries would only save Nigeria the cost that would have gone into importing fuel products.

READ ALSO: Naira Slump: Marketers Say Fuel Price May Increase, Ask Nigerians Not to Panic

He said, That is a myth; it does not happen anywhere in the world; even if we had the most refineries producing the most PMS in the world, you would find that the most prolific PMS producers with their refineries do not charge differently from the countries without refineries.

I am not saying that we should not have refineries, but there are benefits to having working refineries, he added.

This is why phase one of our Port Harcourt Refinery is coming on stream in December 2023 and phase two by the end of 2024. Dangote Refinery is already up and is going to start dishing out products very soon.

BUA 200,000 bpd Refinery is coming up in Akwa Ibom, we are going to have an excess supply that we can export internationally.

The point I am making on this is that the reason why the price at the pump will not go down irrespective of what our refining capacity is as a country is that nobody spends tens of billions of dollars on building a refinery because of charity or corporate social responsibility, they do it to make money.

Ngelale also argued that no matter the number of oil marketers bringing the product into the country, the price is dependent on the price of crude oil in the international market.

According to him, when crude oil prices are high, fuel pump prices will be high, but when crude oil prices are low, fuel pump prices will be low.

He said the market fundamentals apply to every country, not just Nigeria.
The United States (U.S.) has urged the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to apply pressure in the Niger Republic situation.

While urging the sub-regional body not to put its foot off the pedal, the U.S. insisted that more pressure should be applied to ensure the release of President Mohamed Bazoum.

Matthew Miller, the spokesman of Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State, also commended Tinubu for the stringent measures applied so as to restore democracy in the embattled country.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke today with President Bola Tinubu.

READ ALSO: No Intention To Increase Petrol Pump Price  NNPC

The Secretary commended President Tinubus leadership of the ECOWAS Second Extraordinary Summit on the situation in the Republic of Niger.

He noted the importance of maintaining pressure on the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland to restore constitutional order and to see President Mohamed Bazoum and his family released, the statement read.

Recall that Bazoum has been held in his Presidential Palace residence in Niamey since he was ousted by the putschist on July 26.

The military suspended the constitution and appointed a 21-member transitional government.
Northern traders have lamented the loss of about N13bn weekly due to the closure of borders in the region over the ongoing crisis in Niger Republic.

Recall that President Bola Tinubu had on August 4 ordered the closure of all borders with Niger Republic which the Nigerian Customs have now enforced. The borders include Jibiya in Katsina state, Illelah in Sokoto State and Maigatari in Jigawa State.

Ibrahim Yahaya Dandakata, chairman of the Arewa Economic Forum, in a press conference on Sunday in Abuja, said that the closures financial effects are becoming intolerable for traders and urged the federal government to reopen the Maje-Illo border in Kebbi so that they can import goods.

READ ALSO: Niger Rep. Coupists To Prosecute Bazoum For High Treason, Undermining Security

Since the order by the President to close all the borders with Niger Republic following the announcement of the coup, the consequences have been huge. Northern traders loss N13bn weekly.

Trade between Niger and Nigeria is usually informal especially in perishable goods and only last year alone, it is estimated at about N177bn in goods and services like livestock and food items

Therefore, further closure of the border will be detrimental to the huge trade going on between these two countries.

We hereby appeal to President Tinubu to open the maje-illo border in Kebbi state to enable traders bring in their goods into the country and empower customs to collect import duty thereafter, he stated.
A former Senator from Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, has condemned calls for a coup to unseat the present administration.

Recall that the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) recently insisted that the military is happy and there were no plans for a coup in Nigeria.

Speaking on Friday, the DHQ Director, Defence Information, Tukur Gusau, frowned at reports claiming there were welfare issues within the armed forces of Nigeria, adding that the report in circulation was calling on the military to interfere in the democracy of the country.

However, Sani, via his Twitter handle on Monday, urged Nigerians advocating, soliciting or inciting a coup in the country to stop.

He argued that the struggle for a just, equitable and more prosperous society could still be won within the context of democracy.

READ MORE: Coup: Only Intervention Needed In Niger Rep. Is Diplomatic Coalition Of ECOWAS, Nigeria, AU, UN  Peter Obi

Sani wrote, Our democracy can still be redeemed or refined. The struggle for a just, equitable and more prosperous society can still be won within the context of democracy.

Our Countrymen, pls stop advocating, soliciting or inciting for a coup in Nigeria.
Labour Party governorship aspirant in Ondo State, Prince Eniola Joseph Ojajuni, has condemned Governor Rotimi Akeredolu for his reckless spending.

Ojajuni particularly expressed disgust at Governor Akeredolus purchase of vehicles for members of the States House of Assembly during the nations challenging period, especially while states civil servants are still being owed salaries.

Disclosing this in a statement issued by Odira Mbanefo, Head of Media, PEJO Team, the governorship aspirant decried Akeredolus inability to provide palliatives for the state citizens following the negative impact of the fuel subsidy removal which has caused untold hardship on Ondolites.

The statement read, The attention of the PEJO Media office has been drawn to the reckless spending of the Governor of Ondo State.

READ MORE: Akeredolus Government Has Been A Failure  Ojajuni, Ondo LP Guber Aspirant

The purchase of vehicles for House of Assembly members while workers and employees in the state are being owed is uncalled for.

We find this act as yet a transactional work poorly done. Since the hike of fuel prices, no palliative has been given to cushion the effect of the subsidy removal, and yet a government elected by its people has the tenacity to purchase vehicles in this difficult time, he stated

PEJO Media office sees this as not in the interest of Ondolites and therefore calls on all good people of the Sunshine State to rise and speak up.

We, therefore, task the government of Ondo to work for the interest of the good people of Ondo instead of suffering them, and if they feel they can not continue, then they should resign and let us breathe, he urged.
Findings have revealed that Nigerias President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has barred all former Niger Delta militant leaders from visiting him in the presidential villa, Abuja.

Just as requests for courtesy visits by notable militant leaders and ethnic militias from the oil-rich region to Tinubu in the villa have lately been denied, reports show that the decision was taken following the visit of the defunct Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF) leader, Mujarhedeen Asari-Dokubo, to Tinubu, on June 16.

It was gathered that Tinubu was disturbed by public utterances and actions of Asari-Dokubo in the aftermath of his visit to him days after he assumed office.

Note that Asari-Dokubo who is a staunch supporter of Tinubu, backed and supported the President in the run-up to the 2023 presidential election.

As detailed by Leadership, Tinubu was bothered that all verbal vituperations and militant activities of Asari-Dokubo in the Niger Delta were subsequently linked to him after the June audience with the notable activist.

Recall that Asari-Dokubo, in a chat with the State House journalists, as he left the Villa, took on the Armed Forces, accusing its personnel of being neck-deep in economic sabotage, especially crude oil theft and vandalism of oil equipment in the region.

It was revealed that the utterance embarrassed and shocked Tinubu, especially because he made the shocking revelation, moments after departing his office.

Sources in the presidency told the platform that Dokubos outbursts against the military within the vicinity of the villa gave the inkling that the president shared the same views with the notable ex-militant commander.

Moreso, Asari-Dokubos unacceptable conduct in the eyes of the presidency moved beyond tolerable level when he took on the Rivers Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, threatening to deal with the chief executive of the oil-rich state.

The presidency was said to be irked that his association with the president continued to give a wrong signal to the public that he enjoyed the support and backing of the nations number one citizen.

However, to forestall the negative impression and unenviable signal such association was likely to create in the psyche of the public, it was learnt that the President ordered that he would no longer play host to the ex-militant commanders and militias.

READ ALSO: Youve Crashed Expectations Of Party Members, Nigerians  Lukman Writes Tinubu

A notable militant (name withheld) from the region, who made a request for an audience with the President last week, lamented to the platform that his application was declined by the authorities in the Villa.

According to the militant, the presidency shunned all entreaties to enable him to meet with Tinubu, adding that the top officials informed him that the President was not disposed to meeting with members of his group.

I planned to lead my group to see Mr. President and we sent in our request as usual for that courtesy call in July. We have been waiting patiently for the approval of our application and likely date for me to lead members of my Niger Delta group for an audience with Mr. President. But surprisingly, I got a telephone call that the proposed visit was declined.

I exerted desperate pressure but the presidency refused to buckle. When I challenged them on why Asari-Dokubo was allowed to see Mr. President and they are preventing me, they were forced to tell me that the experience of the presidency after the visit of that name that I mentioned (Asari-Dokubo) informed the decision to bar all former militant commanders from further interactive meetings with Mr. President, the source said.

Meanwhile, a source in the presidency said, The president has given a directive that he would not like to meet any Niger Delta warlord or ethnic militia after the horrible experience when he granted an audience to Mujarhedeen Asari-Dokubo. You know the man Asari is a strong supporter and adherent of Mr. President. But the management of the fallout of his visit to the Villa was a nightmare to the Presidency.

You can recall that he came out of the presidents office to lampoon the Armed Forces, accusing its personnel of being the arrow heads of illegal bunkering in the Niger Delta. He has been seen arrogantly going about with many gun-wielding youths, boasting about the prowess of his private army to deal with constituted authorities, including the military and a sitting governor, precisely Rivers State Governor, Mr. Fubara.

Many Nigerians, who believed that his actions enjoyed the backing and support of Mr. President because of his closeness to him, have been pouring insults on Mr. President. Its highly embarrassing and the Presidency decided that this mess has to stop. So, Mr. President will no longer allow these notable warlords, Asari- Dokubo would not be allowed into the Villa again to see him.

Meanwhile, Ajuri Ngelale, the special adviser on media and publicity to the President , has said he is not aware of the issue, let alone, the presidents directive on the matter.

I have not heard any of such speculation going around within the State House. While we appreciate the desire for intriguing reportage, I think we should avoid speculative assumptions that have no verifiable basis in fact, Ngelale said.
The Lagos State Police has arraigned a woman identified as Blessing Udoh before a Magistrates Court sitting in the Yaba area of the state on Monday, August 14, for allegedly misleading the Nigeria Police with false information on a murder case.

Police prosecutor, Rita Momoh, told the court on November 3, 2022, in the Agbojua area of the state, that the 21-year-old visited the Satellite Divisional Headquarters and the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti and alleged that one Christopher Ibekwe murdered one Moses Chidi by pushing him into the river.

The police immediately acted on the information and after a thorough investigation, discovered it was false.

READ ALSO: Man Kidnaps, Murders Brothers Two Sons In Ogun

Momoh stated that the offence contravened and is punishable under Sections 411 and 95 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.

The charge read in part, That you, Blessing Udoh, and one other now at large, on November 3, 2022, at the Agboju area of Lagos State, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did deliberately supply information to the Nigeria Police, State CID, Panti and Satellite Division that Christopher Ibekwe had killed one Moses Chidi, by pushing him into the river, an information you know to be false and misleading and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 95 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2015.

When read to her, the accused pleaded not guilty.

The magistrate granted her bail in the sum of N2m with two sureties in like sum and then adjourned the case till November 10, 2023, for mention.
The Students Representative Council of the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Ogun State, has cautioned students of the school that failure to wear panties and brassieres on campus will come with consequences.

The arm of the Students Union Government, via the councils representative, Sulaiman Adedamola disclosed this in a circular while cautioning students against indecent dressing on campus.

According to Adedamola, it has become a requirement for students to adhere to the warning, respect the rules of the school and fellow students.

It is absolutely essential that you wear pants and a bra while on campus. This is not a suggestion, it is a requirement.

If you do not comply, you will face the consequences and may face disciplinary action.

Please respect your fellow students and the rules of the school by wearing appropriate clothing at all times, the statement read.

READ ALSO: Tinubu Allegedly Bars Ex-NDelta Millitants From Aso Rock Over Asari-Dokubos Incessant Reckless Comments

Information Nigeria understands that the polytechnic joined other Nigerian higher institutions such as Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti; Bayero University Kano (BUK); University of Ilorin; University of Lagos; Lagos State University amongst others that had released dress codes for male and female students.

Recall that in August 2022, authorities of Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) announced that any student who brings a vehicle with tinted glasses into the school would be suspended for one semester while the vehicle would be impounded.

It also listed sanctions for students wearing tattered jeans, backless clothes, bum shorts, short and skimpy clothes, and other wide range of fashion choices common among students.

The school also banned crazy hairstyles for men, earrings for men, cowries for women, tattoos, nose, mouth, eye (extra) ring, amongsr others.

Pregnant students and nursing mothers were also banned from staying in hostels, bringing babies to classrooms and hostels.

Wearing bathroom slippers to class, the library, and offices was also prohibited except for medical reasons.
Salihu Mohammed Lukman, former National Vice Chairman (North West) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has stated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has crashed the hope of Nigerians.

Lukman disclosed this on Monday in Abuja, in an open letter, titled, Disturbing Signals: Open Letter to President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, admonishing him to exercise caution.

Lukman in the letter stated that stated that the President has imposed another Muslim-Muslim scenario in the Party after winning the 2023 Muslim-Muslim joint ticket.

Lukman listed other disturbing signals to include the current exchange rate (dollar to naira), fuel pump price and his choice of ministers among others.

According to him, the endorsement of Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and Ajibola Bashiru who are both Muslims as APCs national chairman and secretary is a disturbing signal, saying it is generating tension among Party members and Nigerians.

He further expressed dismay that while Bashiru from Osun State had replaced Iyiola Omisore who resigned as National Secretary from the same state, Tinubu had not allowed a former governor of Nasarawa State, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura who is also loyal to him or any other APC stalwart from Nasarawa State to replace Adamu who resigned as national chairman but preferred endorsing another same faith ticket.

READ ALSO: Appeal Court Affirms Abure As LP National Chair

The former APC vice chairman also questioned the criteria in the appointment of ministers, saying with the developments, Tinubus Renewed Hope agenda might not be implemented.

Your Excellency, I find it very compelling to send this open letter to you because there are disturbing signals, which if not averted could produce bigger problems and irreversibly destroy our electoral viability as a party.

Without attempting to question your authority and commitment to the wellbeing of Nigeria as a nation, within the short period since May 29, 2023 when you assumed office, there are decisions you took, which are very disturbing to many of us who are loyal party members. As it is, both as party members and as Nigerians, our expectation from your government has crashed.

And we want to claim we are a progressive party? What is the brand of our progressive politics? Certainly, not the one which Nigerians expect, which endears us to citizens on account of which Nigerians gave us the mandate to manage the affairs of government since 2015,the letter read in part.
SQL often struggles when it comes to managing massive amounts of time series data, but its not because of the language itself. The main culprit is the architecture that SQL typically works in, namely relational databases, which quickly become inefficient because theyre not designed for analytical queries of large volumes of time series data.

Traditionally, SQL is used with relational database management systems (RDBMS) that are inherently transactional. They are structured around the concept of maintaining and updating records based on a rigid, predefined schema. For a long time, the most widespread type of database was relational, with SQL as its inseparable companion, so its understandable that many developers and data analysts are comfortable with it.

However, the arrival of time series data brings new challenges and complexities to the field of relational databases. Applications, sensors, and an array of devices produce a relentless stream of time series data that does not neatly fit into a fixed schema, as relational data does. This ceaseless data flow creates colossal data sets, leading to analytical workloads that demand a unique type of database. It is in these situations where developers tend to shift toward NoSQL and time series databases to handle the vast quantities of semi-structured or unstructured data generated by edge devices.

While the design of traditional SQL databases is ill-suited for handling time series, using a purpose-built time series database that accommodates SQL has offered developers a lifeline. SQL users can now utilize this familiar language to develop real-time applications, and effectively collect, store, manage, and analyze the burgeoning volumes of time series data.

However, despite this new capability, SQL users must consider certain characteristics of time series data to avoid potential issues or challenges down the road. Below I discuss four key considerations to keep in mind when diving head-first into SQL queries of time series data.

Time series data is inherently non-relational

That means it may be necessary to reorient the way we think about using time series data. For example, an individual time series data point on its own doesnt have much use. It is the rest of the data in the series that provides the critical context for any single datum. Therefore, users look at time series observations in groups, but individual observations are all discrete. To quickly uncover insights from this data, users need to think in terms of time and be sure to define a window of time for their queries.

Since the value of each data point is directly influenced by other data points in the sequence, time series data is increasingly used to perform real-time analytics to identify trends and patterns, allowing developers and tech leaders to make informed decisions very quickly. This is much more challenging with relational data due to the time and resources it can take to query related data from multiple tables.

Scalability is of paramount importance

As we connect more and more equipment to the internet, the amount of generated data grows exponentially. Once these data workloads grow beyond trivialin other words, when they enter a production environmenta transactional database will not be able to scale. At that point, data ingestion becomes a bottleneck and developers cant query data efficiently. And none of this can happen in real time, because of the latency due to database reads and writes.

A time series database that supports SQL can provide sufficient scalability and speed to large data sets. Strong ingest performance allows a time series database to continuously ingest, transform, and analyze billions of time series data points per second without limitations or caps. As data volumes continue to grow at exponential rates, a database that can scale is critical to developers managing time series data. For apps, devices, and systems that create huge amounts of data, storing the data can be very expensive. Leveraging high compression reduces data storage costs and enables up to 10x more storage without sacrificing performance.

SQL can be used to query time series

A purpose-built time series database enables users to leverage SQL to query time series data. A database that uses Apache DataFusion, a distributed SQL query engine, will be even more effective. DataFusion is an open source project that allows users to efficiently query data within specific windows of time using SQL statements.

Apache DataFusion is part of the Apache Arrow ecosystem, which also includes the Flight SQL query engine built on top of Apache Arrow Flight, and Apache Parquet, a columnar storage file format. Flight SQL provides a high-performance SQL interface to work with databases using the Arrow Flight RPC framework, allowing for faster data access and lower latencies without the need to convert the data to Arrow format. Engaging the Flight SQL client is necessary before data is available for queries or analytics. To provide ease of access between Flight SQL and clients, the open source community created a FlightSQL driver, a lightweight wrapper around the Flight SQL client written in Go.

Additionally, the Apache Arrow ecosystem is based on columnar formats for both the in-memory representation (Apache Arrow) and the durable file format (Apache Parquet). Columnar storage is perfect for time series data because time series data typically contains multiple identical values over time. For example, if a user is gathering weather data every minute, temperature values wont fluctuate every minute.

These same values provide an opportunity for cheap compression, which enables high cardinality use cases. This also enables faster scan rates using the SIMD instructions found in all modern CPUs. Depending on how data is sorted, users may only need to look at the first column of data to find the maximum value of a particular field.

Contrast this to row-oriented storage, which requires users to look at every field, tag set, and timestamp to find the maximum field value. In other words, users have to read the first row, parse the record into columns, include the field values in their result, and repeat. Apache Arrow provides a much faster and more efficient process for querying and writing time series data.

A language-agnostic software framework offers many benefits

The more work developers can do on data within their applications, the more efficient those applications can be. Adopting a language-agnostic framework, such as Apache Arrow, lets users work with data closer to the source. A language-agnostic framework not only eliminates or reduces the need for extract, transform, and load (ETL) processes, but also makes working on large data sets easier.

Specifically, Apache Arrow works with Apache Parquet, Apache Flight SQL, Apache Spark, NumPy, PySpark, Pandas, and other data processing libraries. It also includes native libraries in C, C++, C#, Go, Java, JavaScript, Julia, MATLAB, Python, R, Ruby, and Rust. Working in this type of framework means that all systems use the same memory format, there is no overhead when it comes to cross-system communication, and interoperable data exchange is standard.

High time for time series

Time series data include everything from events, clicks, and sensor data to logs, metrics, and traces. The sheer volume and diversity of insights that can be extracted from such data are staggering. Time series data allow for a nuanced understanding of patterns over time and open new avenues for real-time analytics, predictive analysis, IoT monitoring, application monitoring, and devops monitoring, making time series an indispensable tool for data-driven decision making.

Having the ability to use SQL to query that data removes a significant barrier to entry and adoption for developers with RDBMS experience. A time series database that supports SQL helps to close the gap between transactional and analytical workloads by providing familiar tooling to get the most out of time series data.

In addition to providing a more comfortable transition, a SQL-supported time series database built on the Apache Arrow ecosystem expands the interoperability and capabilities of time series databases. It allows developers to effectively manage and store high volumes of time series data and take advantage of several other tools to visualize and analyze that data.

The integration of SQL into time series data processing not only brings together the best of both worlds but also sets the stage for the evolution of data analysis practicesbringing us one step closer to fully harnessing the value of all the data around us.

Rick Spencer is VP of products at InfluxData.





New Tech Forum provides a venue to explore and discuss emerging enterprise technology in unprecedented depth and breadth. The selection is subjective, based on our pick of the technologies we believe to be important and of greatest interest to InfoWorld readers. InfoWorld does not accept marketing collateral for publication and reserves the right to edit all contributed content. Send all inquiries to newtechforum@infoworld.com.
Amaya Capellan, a former executive at Comcast, has been named as Pennsylvania's chief information officer. Read more

After spending the bulk of her career working in the private sector at both tech startups and corporate giants, Philadelphia-based Amaya Capellan is taking a step into state government.

In July, Capellan became the new chief information officer for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Her job, within the states Office of Information Technology (OIT), is to ensure that statewide agencies have the technology they need to make their services accessible to 13 million Pennsylvanians, as well as ensure that the commonwealths 80,000 employees have the tools they need to do their jobs.

Capellan comes to state government after six years as a vice president or a director-level product manager at Center City-headquartered Comcast, as well as three years as vice president of product and client success at former Philly B2B company PeopleLinx.

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With this new role, she says she wanted the opportunity to implement digital transformation within state government. The new Commonwealth Office of Digital Experience, or CODE PA, launched earlier this year with a goal to make it easier for constituents to access digital services  for instance, voting, registering a business, or fling a jobless claim.

Amaya is a proven leader with an impressive track record of digital transformation throughout her career, Neil Weaver, secretary of administration for Gov. Josh Shapiro, said in an announcement.

Her breadth of experience delivering results in the private sector will help us advance the Shapiro Administrations priorities for digital transformation and customer service, Weaver said.

As CIO, Capellan will also closely with Pennsylvanias chief data officer and chief information security officer. Data and security are important not only to ensure that peoples information stays safe, she said, but because well-managed data and security can create a more positive user experience.

Capellan considers herself a people-first leader and said there is already excitement in OIT as CODE PA and related projects get off the ground. She wants to make OIT one of the best places to build a technical skillset and make sure that the diversity of the team adequately represents the population of the state.

I have been given this awesome opportunity to lead a large organization, Capellan said. It all starts with getting to understand the team that I have, what theyve been asked to do, the challenges they have, maybe some of those ideas that they havent had the chance to see through that are kind of right there that I can help them deliver.

At Comcast, Capellan said her top focus had been on customer needs. Building systems that make government services run smoothly  and tracking progress  matters because it builds trust between the government and residents, she said.

What Im looking to hear is that, generally speaking, when we ask our residents how were doing, and we ask our employees, How easy is it to work with us? that, No. 1, we measure that information and everyone knows it, and that we see that it continues to get better, she said.

A version of this article originally appeared on Technical.ly Philly, a news website dedicated to local tech communities.
Philadelphia artists Bryce (left) and Calan. The couple is working on "Edwin Eats an Edible"  a children's-style book for adults. Read more

A Philadelphia couple will soon bring cannabis education to the masses with a childrens-style book about weed  for adults.

Edwin Eats an Edible comes from Calan and Bryce (they prefer to go by their first names only for artistic reasons), who are behind the Philly-based arts collective 69&Sunny. Presented as an alphabet-style journey into the world of cannabis, Edwin runs through a range of uses for marijuana from A to Z, accompanied by whimsical, kids-book-inspired illustrations. (Rachel M. Knox, a well-known endocannabinologist and cannabis-focused physician, provides the foreword.)

Take P, for example: Peter packs a pickle pipe to pass at peaceful protests. Or, alternately, Patricia puffs purple for personal pleasure.

Its a kids book for the inner kid, Calan, 32, told The Inquirer. Its just fun.

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Cowritten by the couple and illustrated by Bryce, 31, the book is scheduled to be released this fall. They have launched a $20,000 Kickstarter campaign to fund self-publishing. After that, they plan to make the book available at cannabis dispensaries around the country, as well as at booksellers in Philadelphia.

Edwin has been a long time coming. The pair met at the Temple University Tyler School of Art 13 years ago, where they were classmates, and eventually, partners  romantically and academically.

They made a coffee-table book on human extinction for their senior project.

It was very morbid, looking back, Bryce said. We were just so emo and artsy.

Post-college, Calans professional interests took a turn toward cannabis after her mother had a stroke, and a Jefferson neurologist told her that marijuana might help. That set her off on a path of cannabis self-education, which resulted in passing the knowledge onto not only her mother, but friends and neighbors as well, under the banner GreenThumbEdu  the company that preceded 69&Sunny  which she established in 2018.

She began designing her own educational materials and worked as a community director at a dispensary. In that role, Calan said, she put up tables anywhere  conference halls, libraries, community meetings  to speak with the public about the medical benefits of marijuana.

Her efforts in marijuana education were compounded at the start of the pandemic, when she was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder, and later, Type 1 diabetes. Marijuana, she says, has been instrumental in keeping up with her mental and physical health.

Its been a whole journey, and cannabis has helped in so many ways, just having peace of mind and balancing sugars, Calan said.

GreenThumbEdu rebranded in 2021 as 69&Sunny following a cease-and-desist from multistate operator Green Thumb Industries, causing an outcry in the cannabis community. But in what Bryce described as a Shyamalan twist, Green Thumb Industries would go on to financially assist GreenThumbEdu with its rebrand.

Under the name 69&Sunny, Calan and Bryce decided to evolve their efforts into an artist network, but still with a healthy dose of cannabis influence. Today, the company helps other artists by financially backing their projects with fund-raisers.

Among their own projects is the music video Girls Who Smoke Weed, which took home a Clio Cannabis Award for advocacy last year. Featuring music by Bryce (under his rap name, Yourmomlikesmymusic), the video features clips of more than 85 well-known women in the cannabis industry consuming marijuana, and serves as a kind of anthem for weed-loving women.

A lot of people are introduced to weed by their really close friends, and a lot of times they are women who are smoking that are very comfortable and confident, Calan said.

Post-Clio, Calan and Bryce began thinking further about Calans own health experiences, and how marijuana has helped. As a cannabis educator, she said, she didnt have access to quick, visual materials to help her teaching. And with the ever-increasing rise of legal marijuana around the country, Calan said, she felt there havent been opportunities for honest, open discussions about cannabis.

Thats where Edwin was born.

The goal with the book, she said, is to not only be entertaining, but to spark intergenerational conversations.

Theres a lot of different barriers with every different person when it comes to attitudes about marijuana, Calan said. So, were hoping this book makes it a little bit more comfortable to understand that this is plant and more of an agricultural product than anything.

But while the plan is to make Edwin available at cannabis dispensaries, its unlikely it will appear at ones in Pennsylvania, which has not legalized recreational marijuana. With only medical marijuana dispensaries to speak of, the powers that be in Pennsylvania arent likely going to approve sales of the book in state shops, as it isnt strictly educational, Calan said.

But thank goodness for New Jersey and Maryland and Delaware, Calan said. Were already talking partnerships with dispensaries all around us.
The scene on the 100 block of East Willard Street in Kensington, where a Philadelphia Police officer fatally shot a man. Read more

Two days after a Philadelphia police officer fatally shot a 27-year-old man in Kensington, new questions have emerged about the moments leading up to the shooting.

Police had first said Eddie Irizarry got out of his car with a knife and lunged at police, before one officer shot him multiple times, killing him. But on Tuesday night, the department provided an updated account of the shooting, saying that Irizarry was seated in his car when they shot him, and never lunged at officers with a weapon.

The new narrative has sparked questions and concerns from the public and Irizarrys family on what led to the officer shooting Irizarry multiple times.

Why would you shoot when there is no gun? the victims father and namesake, Eddie Irizarry, asked Monday. Police need to follow the rules, they need to respect people.

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Heres what you should know about Irizarrys death and the updated account.

What did police initially say happened?

Around 12:30 p.m. Monday, two officers with the 24th Police District encountered Irizarry driving erratically near B Street and Erie Avenue in Kensington, according to Cpl. Jasmine Reilly, a department spokesperson.

Reilly initially said that when the officers attempted to pull him over, Irizarry fled in his gold Toyota Corolla. They followed him south until he stopped on East Willard Street. As officers approached the stopped car, police initially said Irizarry stepped out with a knife. The officers gave multiple commands for him to drop the weapon, Reilly had said, but he did not. He then lunged at the officers, she said, and one officer shot him multiple times.

What is the new narrative?

On Tuesday night, police revised their narrative, saying Irizarry did not flee a traffic stop, and was sitting in his car when the officer shot him.

According to the new statement, the officers observed Irizarry driving erratically near B and Westmoreland Streets, but did not attempt to pull him over, and instead followed him as he drove south. Irizarry then pulled the wrong way onto the 100 block of East Willard Street, and parked his car.

The officers then got out of their patrol car and approached Irizarrys car from both sides, police said. As one officer approached the drivers side of the car, the second attempted to open the passenger side door. One officer then alerted his partner that the male had a weapon.

As Irizarry turned toward the officer on the drivers side, that officer then shot Irizarry multiple times. The statement said that two knives were observed inside the vehicle.

The officers then carried Irizarry to their cruiser and rushed him to Temple University Hospital, where he died shortly after, at 12:48 p.m.

Police said they recovered a kitchen knife and a folded serrated knife inside the car.

But Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw declined to say whether Irizarry was holding the knife or had threatened police with it. She also declined to share the length of the interaction or to say whether the officer ordered Irizarry to drop the weapon before firing. She said Irizarry was shot several times but declined to specify the number of shots fired or how many times he was struck.

Coulter said it was unclear whether the officers turned their emergency lights or sirens on before getting out of their cruiser. She said by the time backup arrived a few minutes later, the lights were not on.

Video posted on Instagram of the moments immediately after the shooting appeared to show the officers pulling Irizarry out of the drivers side of the Toyota, and there appeared to be a bullet hole in the cars windshield.

Who is the officer who shot Irizarry?

Police said the officers name would be released on Thursday. They said he was a five-year member of the department, and has has been placed on restricted duty pending the outcome of the departments internal investigation.

The officer has not yet been interviewed. It is standard protocol, she said, that officers involved in shootings receive 72 hours to retain counsel before being interviewed.

Who is Eddie Irizarry?

Irizarrys aunt Zoraida Garcia said her nephew was shot six times.

She said hed been known to carry a pocket knife, but she doesnt understand how or why he would try to use it on police.

Irizarry had struggled with mental health issues, including schizophrenia, she said, but that he was no harm.

My nephew was no harm to anyone, Garcia said Wednesday. Never been incarcerated. Dont even have a traffic stop ticket in his record.

He had moved to Philadelphia from Puerto Rico about seven years ago, she said, but did not speak or understand English.

If the officer was saying anything to him in English, Im quite sure that he didnt even understood what was going on, she said.

Garcia said the family has received little information on what happened. At Temple Hospital Monday afternoon, they were not allowed to see Irizarry and were told only that he was shot, she said.

We need answers, she said.

She said the family has hired criminal defense attorney Shaka Johnson.

Were the officers equipped with Tasers and body worn cameras?

Police said both officers were wearing body cameras that were activated during the interaction. Both officers were equipped with Tasers and trained to use them.

Why was the initial police account so different?

Outlaw the initial information shared was generated internally, and that officials are backtracking to find out how the details came together. She said they always emphasize that preliminary information is subject to change.

She said they did not learn of the inaccuracies until they reviewed the officers body camera footage.

Obviously it was different than what we were led to believe when we got to the scene, said Deputy Police Commissioner Christine Coulter.

Outlaw vowed transparency as the department continues to investigate, and said the District Attorneys Office was heading an independent investigation.

I understand the reticence, I understand folks not really being sure whether or not they should even trust what we are saying today because of what we said initially, she said. But Im hoping that they see this is a genuine effort to do everything we can to share what we know when we have it.

How many Philadelphia police officers have Tasers?

As of Aug. 15, about 3,800 officers  or about 71% of the force  are equipped with the stun guns. Once officers are issued Tasers, they are required to carry them.

Whats the history of PPD and Tasers?

Philadelphia Police came under scrutiny for the departments limited supply of Tasers after the October 2020 death of Walter Wallace Jr., a Black man who was shot and killed by police outside his West Philadelphia home at a time when his family said he was having a mental health crisis. Wallace was armed with a knife and the officers who responded to the 911 calls placed by his family were not equipped with Tasers.

On the day Wallace was killed, about one-third of the citys police officers were equipped with Tasers.

In the weeks that followed, Wallaces family demanded reforms, saying the officers lack of nonlethal options during the confrontation contributed to his death. They sued the officers, Sean Matarazzo and Thomas Munz Jr., for allegedly using unreasonable force, and the city for failing to equip its officers with the stun guns, as had been recommended after a 2015 report by the U.S. Department of Justice.

On the year anniversary of Wallaces death, the city agreed to spend $14 million to equip all patrol officers with Tasers within five years.

The department has said it is on track to meet that 2026 deadline, though the process has moved a bit slower than expected due to coronavirus-related guidelines and a staffing shortage that limits the number of officers who can be sent to training at one time.

What are the departments policies on use of force?

Under Pennsylvania law, officers are justified in using deadly force if a person is attempting to escape and has committed or attempted to commit a forcible felony or possesses a deadly weapon.

Philadelphia Police Department directives say the use of deadly force should be employed only in the most extreme circumstances and [after] all lesser means of force have failed or could not be reasonably employed. Officers must have an objectionably reasonable belief that there is immediate threat of death or serious bodily injury.

Its ultimately up to officers discretion, the policy reads: The amount of force, the continued use of any force, and the type of police equipment utilized, all depends upon the situation being faced by the officer.
Dr. Rae Alexander-Minter, the daughter of Sadie Alexander, speaks during a fund-raiser. She is now heartbroken at the state of the school named for her mother. Read more

Sadie T.M. Alexander was a trailblazer  the first Black American to earn a Ph.D. in economics, and the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Pennsylvanias law school and to pass the Pennsylvania bar. She sat on a U.S. Civil Rights commission at President Harry S. Trumans invitation.

And in 2001, she became the namesake of a new school: the Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander University of Pennsylvania Partnership School, a public school in West Philadelphia. The family was proud to have their relatives legacy associated with the mission of what came to be known as Penn Alexander: providing a rich education at a Philadelphia neighborhood public school.

But a daughter of Sadie T.M. Alexander is now heartbroken at the state of the school, she said. Its not because of academics, said Rae Minter-Alexander  the school has won two National Blue Ribbons from the U.S. Department of Education and boasts a robust catalog of offerings. (Penn gives the school an extra $1,330 per student.)

Instead, its the schools demographics: After opening in 2002 with a student body that was 57% Black, today just 13% of students are Black. Currently, half of Penn Alexander students come from economically disadvantaged families; districtwide, that figure is 72%.

My mother was a civil rights advocate, sat on the first civil rights committee that President Truman put together, and fought for the lives and the ability of people who were marginalized to have access to the larger frills of society, said Alexander-Minter. Her mother would not approve of the relative lack of access to Penn Alexander for Black students and other marginalized groups, she said.

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Its enough to break my heart, Alexander-Minter said. It isnt what my mother what would want. It isnt what the family wants.

The Penn Alexander premium

Penn Alexander, at 42nd and Spruce, is a neighborhood school  the children who attend are dictated by who lives inside the catchment, or attendance zone.

And when the school was envisioned in the 1990s as a way to revitalize the neighborhood surrounding Penn, to entice faculty and staff to live close to their place of employment, officials thought carefully about how to draw those boundaries.

Some West Philadelphia residents feared that the lines would be drawn to maximize the potential for white students at the expense of minority students, a 2001 Daily News story said. But the district, Penn, and community groups worked together at the time to set the boundaries in a way that attempted to ease crowding but not disrupt diversity at nearby schools. (The catchment is bound by Sansom Street to the north, 40th Street to Woodlawn to 42nd to the east, and 46th to Pine and 47th to the west. The south border from Baltimore Avenue to 42nd Street zigzags around St. Josephs University City campus.)

But over the years, the neighborhood has changed, in large part because of the Penn Alexander effect. People who have the means to send their children to one of the citys best schools pay a premium to buy there. House prices tripled in the catchment between 1998 and 2011, rising by $100,000 or more. (By way of comparison, they doubled in University City as a whole during that time.)

Demand for Penn Alexander is so high that for years, parents pitched tents and camped outside the school for days leading up to kindergarten registration. The district ended that practice in 2013, moving to a lottery system if there were more prospective students than seats.

Penn Alexanders success changed the demographics of the catchment area from which the young people were to be selected because of  really I hate to say it  unintentional redlining, Alexander-Minter said.

These days the school makeup is 45% white, 27% Asian, 13% Black, 10% multiracial, and 5% Latino, in a district that is 45% Black, 26% Latino, 15% white, 10% Asian and 4% multiracial.

Alexander-Minter said both Penn and the school district knew, or should have known, that creating Penn Alexander would shift the neighborhoods demographics, making it more white and affluent with fewer Black and working-class families, and that its incumbent on officials within both institutions to fix that.

 READ MORE: Penn to invest nearly $5M over 5 years in another West Philly school

Penn Alexander isnt the only Philadelphia school the university supports; it has provided in- and after-school programming at a number of West Philadelphia schools for years. And in 2022, officials announced a partnership similar to Penn Alexanders with the Henry C. Lea Elementary, at 47th and Locust.

The aim of the $816,500 annual deal is to improve instruction and the behavioral climate at Lea, and to eventually replicate and scale up the model.

Leas demographics are more representative of the city and district: 65% of its students are Black, 13% white, 12% Asian and 6% Latino and 5% multiracial. Seventy-four percent of its students come from economically disadvantaged families.

When the Lea partnership was announced, there was some pushback from parents and community members worried about gentrification. Some advocates have long called for Penn, which as a nonprofit does not pay taxes, to support the district as a whole, by contributing payment in lieu of taxes (PILOTS). Penn has not embraced that position, though in 2020, it did pledge $100 million over 10 years to remediate environmental problems school systemwide.

 READ MORE: Penn to donate $100 million to Philadelphia School District to help with asbestos, lead abatement

Penn and district officials pledged to take steps to make sure that Lea maintains its diversity. In school board documents, the goal for the Lea partnership includes enhancing appreciation for racial, ethnic, economic, and other forms of diversity among students, teachers and staff.

Moira Baylson, a Penn spokesperson, underscored the Lea commitment and districtwide environmental spending.

Penn is committed to enriching our neighborhood and improving the educational outcomes of children in Philadelphia through collaborations with the school district that include financial support, partnership schools, and educational programs that reach over 200 schools city-wide, Baylson said.

The mired situation

Alexander-Minter, who has spoken at school graduations and proudly associated with Penn Alexander in the past, began to voice her concerns to officials this year.

In the winter, she traveled to Philadelphia from her home in New York for a meeting with school and district officials, who canceled the meeting when Alexander-Minter told them she was bringing a lawyer and other representatives.

Monique Braxton, a district spokesperson, said officials deeply respect the legacy and contributions of Alexander-Minters parents, and that they remain committed to centering the needs of all of our students and providing them with equal access to a high-quality education wherever they live.

As the school system continues to evolve in our work toward equity, we will do so in partnership with city departments, universities, and advocacy organizations, Braxton said.

She said the issues Alexander-Minter raises will be addressed as part of ongoing work to create a facilities master plan and to provide welcoming and supportive schools and enriching and well-rounded school experiences.

Still, the meeting has not been rescheduled.

Alexander-Minter remains displeased by the districts cancellation but also still hopes to work with the district. She believes the catchment should be broadened to admit a more demographically representative student body. Or, she added, the district could agree to offer a set aside program to admit Black students from outside the catchment area.

I will not allow my mothers name to be sullied by the mired situation now present at the Penn Alexander School, Alexander-Minter wrote in a February letter to district and university officials. Having my mothers name, and, by extension, my fathers name attached to a segregated school is abhorrent and inconsistent with the history of my parents and their forbearers.

Sadie T.M. Alexander worked with her law-partner husband, Raymond Pace Alexander, to fight for Black people to have access to hotels, restaurants, and movie theaters in Philadelphia and to desegregate schools in the Pennsylvania suburbs in the 1930s.

The lawyers had experienced racial discrimination themselves at Penn because Black students were not allowed to eat in the university dining hall. My mother was able to bring lunch each day for them to eat on the steps of Houston Hall, Alexander-Minter said.

While Penn Alexander is whiter and wealthier than the city average, it won its two federal Blue Ribbons for closing achievement gaps between Black and white students. At the same time, it is more ethnically diverse than many other Philadelphia public schools, some of which are 99% Black.

And though Alexander-Minter thinks her mother would lament the schools current situation, the school still fully embraces its namesake: A 6-foot-high portrait of Alexander occupies a wall in the buildings atrium. Students learn about Alexanders legacy and celebrate her birthday in January.

Inquirer staff writer Dylan Purcell contributed to this article.
Bruce Springsteen with tears in his eyes when he first appears on stage with the E Street Band during their 2023 tour stop at the Wells Fargo Center in Phila., Pa. on Thurs., March 16, 2023. Read more

>>UPDATE: Bruce Springsteen announces Philly shows are postponed, citing illness

Its officially Springsteen season here in Philly, and if you havent grabbed tickets to see the legendary rock in concert, theres no need for Sad Eyes. Youre in luck.

The Boss is set to take the stage for the first of two shows at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday, and tickets to see the Born to Run artist and the E Street Band are still up for grabs. Between secondary ticketing sites like StubHub, Ticketmaster Verified Resale, TicketNetwork, TicketCity, and SeatGeek, last-minute concertgoers can buy single Springsteen tickets for as low as $86.

According to TicketCity, over 900 tickets are still available for each of Springsteens Philly shows. And as of Monday afternoon, Mega Seats reported more than 500 and 700 tickets left for Wednesday and Friday nights concerts.

The accessibility and modest price tag are a noticeable turn for Springsteen, whose tour tickets were selling for more than $5,000 on Ticketmasters controversial dynamic pricing system.

In July, The Inquirer reported ticket prices as low as $76 to see the Badlands artist, who started the second leg of his North American tour on Aug. 9 in Chicago. And while there has been a modest boost in pricing since, fans of the long-standing rock icon can still get seats starting at around $100

After hitting Chicagos Wrigley Field stage, the second leg of Springsteens tour wraps up Dec. 12 at San Franciscos Chase Center. For a full list of tour dates, go to stubhub.com.
Ice-cold, crystal-clear, and bracing, the classic martini has never fallen out of fashion. But its opaque, caffeinated counterpart  the espresso martini  now appears on so many menus that theres no denying: The original has taken a temporary backseat.

Still, martinis dry, dirty, and otherwise are regaining ground in Philly and beyond, thanks to experimental bartenders. Theyre olive oil-washing the gin, infusing the vermouth, and tinkering with ratios, ingredients, and garnishes to come up with novel takes on a timeless formula. How far can you push the boundaries and still wind up with a martini? Perhaps only the customer can say.

A prime example of the new wave of martinis is on the summer menu at Old Citys Art in the Age (116 N 3rd St.). Head to the copper-topped bar all the way to the back of the lifestyle boutique-turned-cocktail supply store to try it alongside other inventive seasonal cocktails, including the Watermelon Salad (vodka, rose, feta brine, and black pepper bitters) and the Fine Diner (whiskey, cherry vermouth, Aperol, lemon, and seltzer).

The Picnic Martini ($13) arrives slightly cloudy, dabbed with a few drops of olive oil, in a frosty coupe. A hefty dose of New Libertys Snug Harbor Gin makes it boozy, but its also balanced with gentle sweetness, a hint of lemon, and a little salinity.

It definitely feels like a martini, says general manager Craig Richie, but if youre looking for the kind of martini that is effectively just cold vodka ... it is not going to necessarily satisfy that craving.

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Art in the Ages bartenders combine local cherry tomatoes with dry vermouth and let the mixture sit overnight to infuse the botanical spirit with sweet and savory notes. Thats the traditional martini part of it really and then we start to add a couple of extra little touches, Richie says.

To create a full picnic experience, they blend tonic syrup (botanical and bitter) with peach syrup  but not a basic syrup with peach flavor. This is peche syrup made by Bacanha, a French company that specializes in what Richie describes as dry simple syrup, because it concentrates more on the flavor than the sweetness.

A quarter ounce of the syrup blend plus a quarter ounce of lemon juice give the Picnic Martini that bright, summery quality. The drink is finished with dashes of saline and olive oil (for a savory note) and a speared cherry tomato half covered in flaky sea salt. And even though this is definitely a cocktail bars cocktail, you can buy everything you need to recreate it at home right there in the bar.

We try and pull a couple ingredients off of the shelves for every menu, Richie says. This recipe involves some infusion, but its not difficult.

The Picnic Martini will be on the menu through September, but theres another new-school martini to try  the Weenie Martini  on select summer weekends. Though they experimented with hot dog water and pork-infused vodka, Art in the Age ultimately eschewed that in favor of all the things that go with the hot dog. Potato vodka and sesame oil nod to the bun, tomato vermouth evokes ketchup, pickle juice acts as relish. Its garnished with a cornichon, a cherry tomato, and a hot dog wheel.

The Weenie Martini raises money for Morris Animal Refuge ($5 of its $17 price tag go toward the rescue). Look for it next on Aug. 25-27 and Sept. 22-24.
The back of an Abbott BinaxNOW COVID-19 test. COVID is rising slightly in the Philadelphia region. Read more

Philadelphia is seeing a slight uptick in COVID-19 cases, but the citys top health official says the rise is nothing like the major spikes in previous years when COVID variants caused thousands of new cases a day.

In absolute numbers, there is a little bit of an increase. But its coming from a very, very low level of cases, said Cheryl Bettigole, Philadelphias health commissioner. Most people are not getting very sick with it, but as we all know, that doesnt mean no one gets very sick from it, and it doesnt mean we dont have to pay attention.

Nationwide, health officials have also noticed a small rise in cases. The New York Times reported last week that cases had been rising for about four weeks, with the largest increases in the South and Northeast, according to data collected from wastewater monitoring.

New variants on the rise

A newer COVID-19 variant, EG5, is behind about 17% of new cases in the country, Bettigole said, and is one of several variants related to the omicron strain that sickened thousands in January 2022. But none of those variants are more severe than others and nothing is taking off at a very rapid rate, she said.

In Pennsylvania as a whole, a weekly count of new hospitalizations related to COVID increased from 171 on July 1 to 284 on Aug 5, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Philadelphia saw one new hospital admission for COVID the week of July 2, six the week of July 30, and one the week of Aug. 6.

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In suburban Montgomery County, health officials saw a slight increase in the percentage of visits to emergency departments for COVID, from 13% of all visits in May to 17% in August.

I think were now at the stage where were reminded that COVID is going to be with us forever, said Richard Lorraine, the medical director of Montgomery Countys public health office. With vaccinations and natural immunity occurring, people are still getting it, but theyre not getting as sick.

He said he had a little bit of concern about the recent rise in cases, but that admissions to intensive care and deaths related to COVID are rare: Weve had near record-low death numbers in the last few weeks, he said.

Delaware County has also seen small increases in urgent care and hospital visits for COVID-19 symptoms and diagnoses, county health department spokesperson Matt Rankin wrote in an email. In Chester County, public health director Jeanne Franklin has also seen a small rise in cases that she described as nothing really to write home about and no increase hospitalizations or deaths.

Hospital admissions and deaths related to COVID are largely how health officials track the spread of the virus since the federal public health emergency ended in May.

Were at a stage with COVID-19 that we dont need to know about everyone in the city who has COVID, Bettigole said. We care about more severe complications  are people ending up in hospital, are they dying?

Bettigole said data from one of the citys wastewater collection points, in Southwest Philadelphia, had indicated an uptick in cases, but no other areas had reported a similar rise, so the city is rechecking that data. Since Southwest Philadelphia includes Philadelphia International Airport, increased COVID levels in wastewater there might show that more people passing through the airport are infected, Bettigole said.

Still, health officials say that a rise in cases is a good opportunity to remind residents that COVID-19 is still a part of daily life  and can still be harmful to vulnerable populations like people with compromised immune systems and the elderly.

And longer-lasting symptoms of COVID can still present in some people who contract the illness, Lorraine said: As long as were dealing with COVID, its going to be a different topic than just a regular old cold.

New COVID symptoms, guidelines and testing

Rankin, the Delaware County health department spokesperson, said the county is encouraging residents to spend time outside and consider hosting outdoor gatherings to lessen the risk of spreading COVID. COVID-19 is still good at adapting and finding ways into our lives, he wrote in an e-mail.

People who are sick should stay home. And those who are running low on COVID-19 rapid tests can still get tests for free at Philadelphias five health resource hubs. People who have expired rapid tests at home may still be able to use them as well: The Food and Drug Administration keeps a running list of tests with expiration dates that have been extended.

Lorraine, who is also a practicing physician, said that he has seen more COVID patients lately who complain of gastrointestinal symptoms like an upset stomach, diarrhea, and nausea. People have a picture in their heads of a typical COVID illness where someone has a lot of coughing and congestion, but there are many other symptoms compatible with a diagnosis of COVID, he said.

People who do contract COVID who are at a higher risk of serious illness should consider using Paxlovid or another antiviral medication. They want to start right away with that, so it doesnt get more severe, Bettigole said. Sometimes, people think its mild, and then it develops into a pneumonia.

Those who havent gotten any COVID booster vaccines should consider getting one now, Bettigole said. And when new COVID booster vaccines are released this fall, people whove already received boosters should consider getting the new shot just like theyd do with a flu vaccine, which is also reformulated every year to protect against different variants, Bettigole said.
Philadelphia-raised Mike Roman, head of Election Day operations for Donald Trump's 2020 reelection campaign, was charged alongside the former president and 17 other aides and allies with attempting to overturn Georgia's election results. Read more

A Philadelphia Republican campaign operative was among 18 allies of former President Donald Trump indicted with him on Monday in a sweeping racketeering case accusing them of seeking to overturn the results of Georgias 2020 presidential election.

Mike Roman, who served as director of Election Day operations for Trumps 2020 reelection campaign, was charged by a state grand jury with seven counts including racketeering conspiracy and conspiracies to commit forgery, to impersonate a public officer, to commit false statements, and to file false documents.

Romans role as one of the chief implementers of Trumps plan to organize slates of so-called fake electors in battleground states has been well documented in investigations by federal authorities and congressional probes.

 READ MORE: SEPTA drivers are increasingly victim to abuse and assaults. Some say the agency isnt doing enough to protect them.

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But the Georgia case is the first time he has been charged with a crime in any of the indictments brought against the former president.

Neither Roman, 51, nor his attorneys returned requests for comment on the indictment Tuesday.

Heres what you need to know about Roman and the charges that now threaten to send him, Trump, and other top allies to prison.

 READ MORE: Trump indicted for efforts to overturn 2020 election loss in Georgia

Who is Mike Roman?

Roman was Trumps director of Election Day operations on the former presidents 2020 reelection campaign. And according to communications that surfaced last year during the investigation by the congressional committee probing the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, he handled much of the legwork around organizing the seven slates of fake Trump electors purporting to represent the electoral votes from battleground states including Pennsylvania.

How does he factor into the Georgia indictment?

Roman is one of 18 allies and aides who Georgia prosecutors say participated in a conspiracy to undermine and overturn the states 2020 presidential election results.

According to the indictment, his efforts included working with other campaign officials to organize slates of so-called fake electors in Georgia and other battleground states that had been won by President Joe Biden.

For instance, the indictment alleges that in late November 2020 Roman urged other campaign officials to contact state legislators in Georgia to encourage them to unlawfully appoint Trump electors.

He also organized speakers for a Dec. 10, 2020, hearing before a Georgia House committee to spread false information that the states vote had been riddled with fraud, prosecutors said. They included a former elections supervisor in Coffee County, Georgia, accused of helping Trump supporters access the countys voting machines.

Roman allegedly also coordinated recruitment of Trump electors in Georgia and in other states, working with others to collect their names and contact information in a spreadsheet and asked contacts on the ground in Georgia to keep him updated as those false electors gathered Dec. 14, 2020, to falsely cast what they represented to be the states electoral votes.

What are his Philadelphia roots?

Raised in Kensington, Roman briefly left the city to attend the University of Miami. But he quickly returned after dropping out and found a career in politics.

He played a key role in Bruce Marks 1993 special election campaign for the Pennsylvania Senate, in which Marks  a Republican and the seeming loser of that race  sued, contending that the vote had been riddled with fraud and that dozens of ballots from heavily Latino blocks of Kensington were forgeries or contained other irregularities.

A federal judge agreed, overturning the election results and naming Marks the victor instead, a decision that was believed at the time to be a first in American history.

Roman went on to land a lucrative consulting contact with Freedom Partners, the primary fundraising arm for the right-wing Koch brothers, after stints working as a GOP ward leader in Rhawnhurst and on presidential campaigns including those of George W. Bush, John McCain, and Rudolph Giuliani.

He joined the 2016 Trump campaign and later the White House staff as a special assistant to the president before he was appointed to his role in Trumps reelection effort.

In Republican circles, Roman is known as a fraud hunter and online provocateur. It was Roman who, in 2008, first publicized the presence of two members of the New Black Panther Party  one carrying a billy club  outside of a Philadelphia polling site.

The story became a frequent talking point in conservative media, prompting several stories on Fox News, amid GOP accusations of voter intimidation by Democrats in the city.

And in the run-up to the 2020 vote, he repeatedly cast doubt on social media on the integrity of the election results  including in a blog post he coauthored with Marks, now a Republican election lawyer, that accused Democrats of organizing pandemic-era expansions to mail voting to commit ballot harvesting.

 READ MORE: What to know about Donald Trumps fourth indictment in Georgia

What else do we know about his role in the 2020 election?

Though the Georgia indictment is the first time Roman has been charged with a crime in connection with Trumps efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, his role in the former presidents efforts has been well documented.

In an interview with the congressional committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, he described his role with the Trump campaign as maintaining contacts with state officials and tracking voting-related legislation before the election.

It was a lot of drilling down into the mechanics of the electoral process and what the campaign was doing to ensure that every voter that was coming out was able to cast a ballot and that illegal ballots, if there were any, would be identified, he said in a 2022 deposition.

Roman took on more responsibility in the aftermath of the November election. Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani tapped him as the lead for organizing the slates of fake Trump electors, according to emails obtained by Congress.

The House Jan. 6 committees report also describes Roman as playing a role in the delivery of a fake elector certificate from Wisconsin to Congress.

On Jan. 5, Romans deputy on the Trump campaign, G. Michael Brown, texted other campaign staff a photo of his face with the Capitol in the background. This has got to be the cover a book I write one day, Brown wrote. I should probably buy [Roman] a tie or something for sending me on this one.

Asked by congressional investigators whether hed instructed Brown to deliver the document, Roman asserted his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

Does Pennsylvania factor into the Georgia indictment in other ways?

In addition to the charges against Roman, the Georgia indictment compares the pressure campaign Trump and his allies unleashed on public officials in that state to similar efforts in Pennsylvania.

That campaign has been detailed in earlier congressional testimony and in the federal indictment filed against Trump earlier this month by Special Counsel Jack Smith.

However, the Georgia indictment highlights several key moments, including a Nov. 25, 2020, State Senate committee hearing organized in Gettysburg by Giuliani and State Sen. Doug Mastriano in which they made several false claims regarding the integrity of Pennsylvanias election results and urged state lawmakers to overturn them.

Giuliani and Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis, both of whom spoke at that hearing, were charged alongside Trump and Roman on Monday.

The indictment also recounts the pressure campaign Trump, Giuliani, and Ellis unleashed on the then-Speaker of the Pennsylvania House Bryan Cutler, (R., Lancaster) and Jake Corman, (R., Centre), who was then-president pro tempore of the Senate.

That began, the indictment states, on Nov. 21, 2020, when Mark Meadows, Trumps chief of staff, obtained phone numbers for Cutler and Corman from U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, (R., Pa.), another key Trump ally who has drawn law enforcement scrutiny for his assisting the president in undermining the election results

Cutler testified during the Jan. 6 congressional committee hearings last year that he received near-daily phone calls from Giuliani urging him to reject the states vote totals and have the General Assembly appoint Trump electors to represent the state in the Electoral College vote.

That pressure, according to the indictment, culminated in a Dec. 3, 2020, White House meeting in which Trump summoned Cutler and urged him to call a special legislative session to investigate the possibility of election irregularities in Pennsylvania.

Cutler and Corman ultimately refused, issuing a statement that the General Assembly lacked the authority to overturn the popular vote.

Staff writer Andrew Seidman contributed to this article.
Debris from the site of a South Jersey house explosion that killed four people. Read more

The house explosion in South Jersey that killed four people earlier this month appears to have been caused by explosive chemicals inside the residence, police said Tuesday.

Gas utilities dont seem to have played a role in the incident.

The explosion most likely took place on the first floor in the rear, left corner of the two-story dwelling, the Franklin Township Police Department wrote in a statement, adding that materials found in the residence are used in commercial-grade fireworks.

Police and rescue crews were sent to the 300 block of Northwest Boulevard in Buena Borough, Atlantic County, on Aug. 3 at 10:35 a.m. When they arrived, the dwelling was already fully engulfed in flames.

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Two children and two adults died: A 2-year-old boy, a 3-year-old girl, and two men, ages 52 and 73. Police did not release the names of the children due to their ages. The two adult victims have not been identified; further medical records are needed, police said.

Two girls, ages 1 and 16, were rescued by civilians and rushed to St. Christophers Hospital for Children in Philadelphia with severe burns.

While police said they could not determine what had sparked the incident, the department released a list of explosive chemicals and items that were found in a vehicle and outbuildings, including potassium nitrate, aerial shells, quick matches, and hobby fuse. All the items recovered are suitable for producing fireworks.

As the investigation is ongoing, police did not disclose if they believe the explosion was accidental or intentional. They also did not comment on how the chemicals got to the residence. The police department is investigating along with the Atlantic County Prosecutors Office and Atlantic County Bomb Squad.

Meanwhile, the two girls rescued from the fire seem to be recovering, said Matthew DeCesari, chief of the Franklin Township Police Department. The toddler is in the hospital in critical but stable condition. The 16-year-old was doing better and possibly will be released today or tomorrow, DeCesari said.
A photo of Earl Shaffer surrounded by Russell Moccasin boots, the brand of boot he wore during his groundbreaking hike of the Appalachian Trail in 1948. Read more

GARDNERS, Pa.  When Earl Shaffer scrambled to the summit of Maines Mount Katahdin on an August afternoon in 1948, the York County native was an anomaly, someone who took the leisurely hobby of hiking to the extreme.

Shaffer, 29 at the time, was the first person to thru-hike the 2,000-plus miles of the Appalachian Trail, a feat its founders never imagined possible and never intended. Even after Shaffer, who served in the South Pacific during World War II, it seemed unlikely the masses would follow his path.

Not many will want to duplicate Shaffers feat. Not many should try, a newspaper wrote about Shaffer in 1949.

In the ensuing decades, Shaffer himself would complete the trail two more times, once heading southbound from Maine to Georgia, then one last time when he was 79. All told, according to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, some 20,000 people have completed the trail over the decades, either thru-hiking over several months, like Shaffer, or completing sections at a time.

Before Earls hike, thru-hiking was met with skepticism and seen as something maybe impure for a hiker to care about walking the whole trail, said Silas Chamberlain, author of On the Trail: A History of American Hiking.

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Chamberlain, along with many of the late Shaffers relatives, gathered in Cumberland Countys Pine Grove Furnace State Park on Saturday morning to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the accomplishment. Pine Grove is the traditional halfway point on the trail, home to the Appalachian Trail Museum and the famous half-gallon ice cream challenge for hikers making their way through.

Family described Shaffer as a quiet loner and poet who came alive when discussing the outdoors.

Earl didnt have a wife or a children, or a real job, so he had the ability to go out there into the wilderness for months and months, said Kay Capron, Shaffers niece. He liked fixing old furniture and tinkering around with stuff, but he loved the outdoors.

Shaffers interest in the Appalachian Trail began with boyhood dreams, with he and his best friend, Walter Winemiller, imagining a life in the woods. World War II changed that. Winemiller, died in the invasion of Iwo Jima, and Shaffer spent years setting up radar equipment and airstrips while battling tropical illnesses in the South Pacific with the Army Signal Corps.

They were gonna do it together after the war. They talked about it a lot, but Walter was killed and Earl had a real problem with that, Capron said.

Shaffer, in his book Walking with Spring, said he was confused and depressed after returning from the Pacific. This was decades before post-traumatic stress disorder was a recognized medial diagnosis. So, to fulfill the dream he and Winemiller shared, he decided to walk off the war.

It straightened me out, more or less, Shaffer, now deceased, said of his journey in 1998.

Saturdays event also featured the dedication of a trail shelter Shaffer helped build with stone in 1956. The shelter was abandoned for decades after the trail was rerouted, but the stones were eventually moved to the museum at Pine Forge, which opened in 2010.

Luke Kolbie, CEO of the 125-year-old Russell Moccasin Company, which manufactured the boots Shaffer wore on his epic hike, made the case for quality over quantity. The company reissued the same handmade boots for the anniversary.

Earl himself said, Carry as little as possible, but choose that little with care, Kolbie said.

The anniversary boots cost $750 and, according to the companys website, are sold out.

Saturdays event lured in a few thru-hikers still making their way north and south on the trail. There was a free lunch and conversations to be had.

Jeffrey Chipmunk Thayer, of Michigans Upper Peninsula, said his time on the trail was running out. He had commitments back home and could only stay a few more weeks.

My wife is having surgery, so I need to be back to help her, Thayer said.

Thayer started in Georgia in April and believes hell be in New York  hopefully  when he has to go home.

But Ill be back, he said. I love this trail. Ive loved every single step I took on this trail.
Brian Jackson ending his set as Rock to the Future kids celebrate during Germantown Summer Showcase at Roosevelt Elementary School. Read more

It may have looked, sounded, and felt like a rock and roll concert as bands with names like The Amplifiers and Cloudy with a Chance of Music took to the auditorium stage to play original music to their photo-snapping families.

But for this two-week summer music camp organized by Rock to the Future, a musical education nonprofit, music was merely the lure. The true purpose was to teach middle school youths what it takes to succeed in the labor force.

It was a nice opportunity to learn something and to learn the responsibility of going to work every day, said Jessica Johnson, mother of Brian Jackson, 12, a rising seventh grader and now budding guitar enthusiast.

Students come from 8 until 3, which is imitating a job, said Jaylen Jordan, the summer programs coordinator.

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Rock to the Future was one of 80 providers that offered workforce-development summer programming for more than 8,000 young people ages 12 to 24 as part of the Philadelphia Youth Network (PYN) WorkReady program. The youngsters earn between $595 and $1,500 for participating in hands-on career readiness programs and learn the skills necessary to compete in a rapidly changing economy at hundreds of city worksites.

According to Wendy-Anne Roberts-Johnson, the new president and CEO of PYN, for the youngest set, like the rockers at Roosevelt Elementary School in Germantown, the focus is on career exposure and includes presentations from professionals, service learning projects, and learning about a variety of career fields.

 READ MORE: Give Philly kids a job. It will save money in the long run.

They are having fun and its more subtle about the learning, Roberts-Johnson said, adding thatshe is concerned that too few Philadelphia youths get exposure to the vast variety of careers in the city. We have to give them meaningful experiences.

At Rock to the Future, Jordan designed a professional development curriculum where students could earn up to $1,000 for tasks completed, such as actively participating in a college fair ($20), completing a vision board that helps them think about their future in high school ($30), or participating in the summers final performance ($160).

The majority of students completed all their tasks, Jordan said.

Its kind of nerve wrecking, Traahna Bey-Brody, 14, admitted. She is in her second summer with Rock the Future and plans to attend an online high school in the fall. She recalled how she worried that she might not complete her vision board. And once she got paid, she worried about how much to spend and how much to save.

But after Jordan had each of the youths take the Myers-Briggs personality test to match their results to careers they may be interested in, Bey-Brody learned she had a propensity to be anxious in new situations.

It gave her a better understanding of herself and the careers she might be attracted to, Jordan said.

From student to apprentice

As the students age, Roberts-Johnson said, the curriculum changes from exposure to aligning their summer WorkReady assignment with their interests. Its not like at 17 we expect them to have their lives all mapped out, but we want them to have work experience.

For Yashire Askins, 16 and a rising 11th grader at Mastery Charter School-Shoemaker Campus, this summer meant working with PYNs Youth Outreach Adolescent Community Awareness Program (YOACAP), which exposes young people to the carpentry trade in collaboration with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters Local 158.

Askins still isnt sure of his career path and says hes going to look around and see what trades there are before deciding.

For Askins brother Jahkai Moses, 18, a 2023 graduate of Mastery Charter Schools Pickett Campus, three years of participation in YOACAP made the difference between not having any idea what he wanted to do after high school and developing a clear plan in a field he didnt even know existed.

There was a point in time I was not sure what I wanted to do, Moses recalled.

Moses recently applied to the Finishing Trades Institute of the Mid-Atlantic Region, the official training provider of District Council #21, and has had his interview.

If accepted, he would begin as an apprentice drywall finisher, which would last for four years and his salary would rise from $18 to $27 per hour. Once his apprenticeship is completed, he has the ability to earn at least $49 an hour doing a job he has come to enjoy.

Honestly, YOACAP was really helpful. More people my age need programs like this. Honestly, I feel everything is perfect. It is a good opportunity, Moses said.
Jo-Elle Mogerman, current director of the St. Louis Zoo WildCare Park in Missouri, has been named as new president and CEO of the Philadelphia Zoo. She will assume her new role on October 30, 2023. Read more

The Philadelphia Zoo has chosen a new president. She will be the first Black person and the first woman to lead Americas first zoo.

Jo-Elle Mogerman, the director of the Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Park in Missouri since 2019, will take the helm as the zoos president and CEO on Oct. 30, Philly officials announced Tuesday. She succeeds current president Vikram Dewan, who announced late last year he was stepping down from his over-16-year tenure. As he promised, Dewan, a popular steward of the zoo, will remain initially to help Mogerman in her transition, a spokesperson said.

Mogerman will become the 15th president in the 164-year history of the Philadelphia Zoo.

As we launched our national search at the beginning of the year, we embarked on a journey to find the very best person to lead our forward-thinking organization. Dr. Mogermans impressive career and accomplishments speak for themselves, but it was her clear commitment to community, animal welfare, staff development, and operational excellence that made her the right fit for our renowned zoo, said Joanna McNeil Lewis, chair of the zoos board of directors.

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As director of the Saint Louis WildCare Park, which is set to open in 2027, Mogerman has been leading the planning and development of the 425-acre, $230 million project. Before that, she was vice president of learning and community at Chicagos Shedd Aquarium and served about 14 years in leadership roles at Illinois Brookfield Zoo.

I look forward to leading Philadelphias exceptional team to advance the zoos mission and further its impact on the region while also contributing to conservation in ways that are meaningful locally, regionally and nationally, said Mogerman in a statement.

Mogerman, 52, with a background in community outreach and education, said she is looking forward to getting to know Philadelphia and its people, and learn how the zoo can help deepen its relationships with them.

One of the things I find really fascinating about coming to Philadelphia is really understanding what Philadelphia wants for itself and how the zoo within its mission can fit into that and support that, she said, in an interview Tuesday.

Raised on the South Side of Chicago, Mogerman was a city girl who loved animals. Her custodian father and keypunch operator mother werent college graduates when she was a child  her mother did eventually earn an associates degree  but they valued education. Mogerman first thought about becoming a veterinarian. Nature shows then had her contemplating a future as a new Jane Goodall. But she ended up choosing a different way to help animals and people.

I realized relatively early on when I chose this path of being a zoo aquarium professional, I would likely be one of a few. Thats partly why I went into education rather than being a researcher. Because I recognized that kids related to me, and I also have an obligation to give back. I thought I could be more impactful in my work, Mogerman said.

Sometimes people talk about their legacy. My legacy is actually people, she said. My legacy is the young people I have had in my programs who have gone on to do important research or gone on to work in zoos and aquariums around the country.

After obtaining her bachelors degree in biology from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn., Mogerman earned a masters degree in conservation biology from the University of Minnesota and a doctorate in biology from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Now, she, her husband who is a communications professional, and their son, 13, a rising eighth grader and a budding foodie, are looking forward to getting better acquainted with the Philadelphia area.

I love the energy of a big city, Mogerman said. I love the idea of the different neighborhoods. And the food scene  I havent had a bad meal yet.

Mogermans colleagues in St. Louis wished her well.

To say its been a privilege to work with Dr. Mogerman is an understatement, said Dwight Scott, president and CEO of the Saint Louis Zoo. Shes a strategic leader and visionary, a dedicated conservationist and a tremendous project manager and problem solver. While shell be missed here in St. Louis, we look forward to partnering with her and her colleagues in Philadelphia.

Said outgoing Philadelphia Zoo president Dewan: I am excited to support Jo-Elle as she takes the helm. She will undoubtedly foster a bright future for our zoo.
The Rocket, at 17 feet long and 17,000 pounds, is the oldest surviving Reading Railroad locomotive. It has been moved from the Franklin Institute to its new home at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. Read more

After 90 years, the Rocket was on the move again  this time on the back of a flatbed truck.

Earlier this month, the 185-year-old train  the oldest surviving Reading Railroad locomotive  was carefully hauled through a Franklin Institute gallery window and transported to its new home, the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Lancaster. The move comes as the Franklin Institute reimagines its longtime Train Factory exhibit into a permanent two-story gallery of technological advancement. The Treasures of the Franklin Institute Gallery, scheduled to open sometime in 2024, will feature hundreds of rarely seen artifacts from the museums collections, including Benjamin Franklins glass armonica, drawings by the Wright brothers, and Thomas Edisons light bulb.

Visitors at the upcoming exhibit will still be able to climb aboard and marvel over the museums more iconic  and larger  Baldwin 60000 steam locomotive. The Baldwin will remain dramatically displayed on a cutaway floor above the gallery. Sadly, space had to be made for the new collection, said Abby Bysshe, the museums chief experience and strategy officer.

The decision to relocate the Rocket was a difficult one, said Bysshe. But this gives us the ability to tell new stories about the history of invention and innovation, while still retaining the Baldwin train. We will really have space to dig into the storytelling.

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Conrail, who owns the Rocket and had it on loan to Franklin Institute, quickly settled on the states railroad museum for the trains new home.

Its an important piece of the states railroad history that belongs in Pennsylvania, said Jocelyn Hill, a Conrail spokesperson.

One of eight early English-made locomotives purchased by the Philadelphia & Reading Railway, the Rocket had long been on the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvanias wish list, said its executive director Patrick Morrison.

Our mission is to talk about the history of railroading in Pennsylvania and the Rocket obviously fits right into that story, he said.

After all, this isnt the Rockets first journey.

It arrived at the Spruce Street wharf from England in March 1838, was carried by smaller boats on the Schuylkill Canal to Reading, then hauled by horses to the Reading-Pottstown terminus.

In the early 19th century, England was still leading in railroad technology, Morrison said, though U.S. companies were soon to catch up. With a boiler that could generate 25 horsepower, the Rocket could race up to 35 mph.

Back then, when horses were galloping at 10 mph, that was pretty fast, Morrison said.

The Rocket worked the Reading line for 40 years, racking up 310,164 miles, hauling passenger cars and equipment. By 1879, when newer locomotives could travel twice as fast, the Rocket was retired to the exhibition circuit. It appeared at two Worlds Fairs, before arriving at the Franklin Institute in 1933.

Both the 17-foot Rocket, and the Baldwin train, had been built into the Franklin Institutes building, Bysshe said. Only the Rocket could fit out the window. It took engineers and crane operators three days to maneuver the 17,000-pound train out the window.

It wasnt easy, Bysshe said.

For now, the Rocket sits in an offsite location, as the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania readies to unveil it at an eventual exhibition later this year, said Morrison.

We are thrilled to be the next chapter of the Rocket, he said.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event at the South Carolina statehouse in January. Read more

Among the 18 lawyers, aides, and allies who were charged Monday alongside Donald Trump for their alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia, there are several who played key roles in the former presidents similar push in Pennsylvania.

Heres a breakdown of some of Trumps key codefendants, what theyre charged with in Georgia, and the roles they allegedly played in undermining confidence in the election in the Keystone State:

Donald Trump

The former president and 2024 GOP primary front-runner is now facing charges in two cases tied to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election  the federal indictment filed earlier this month by Special Counsel Jack Smith and the state case filed in Fulton County, Georgia.

But while Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis described him Monday as the linchpin in a sweeping conspiracy to corruptly turn the 2020 election results in her state in his favor, Trump also singled out Pennsylvania repeatedly as a target for his election lies during the postelection period.

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 READ MORE: Trump indictment in Georgia details pressure campaign to change Pennsylvanias electoral votes

On Twitter, he attacked the states public officials including Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt, a Republican, after he said in a TV news interview that there was no evidence of widespread fraud in Philadelphias vote. And after GOP leadership in the states legislature issued a Dec. 4, 2020, statement saying they lacked the authority to overturn the popular vote and appoint their own slate of pro-Trump electors, the president retweeted a post labeling them cowards.

He summoned the states elected officials to the White House, including State Sen. Doug Mastriano (R., Franklin) and then-Speaker of the Pennsylvania House Bryan Cutler (R., Lancaster) and urged them in separate meetings to convene a special session of the state legislature to declare Pennsylvanias election results void.

And his campaign sued in late 2020 seeking to disenfranchise nearly 7 million voters in the state based on unspecified allegations of fraud  a case that was swiftly rejected by a federal judge who described it as a tortured Frankensteins Monster of legal claims and the remedy it sought as unhinged.

He faces 13 charges in the Georgia case including counts of racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit forgery, soliciting a public officer to violate their oath, and filing false documents.

Rudy Giuliani

The former New York City mayor who served as Trumps chief lawyer during the post-2020 election is accused in the indictment of playing a significant role in pressuring Georgia officials to reject their states election results and declare the former president the winner.

His similar efforts in Pennsylvania have been well-documented  from his now- infamous Nov. 7, 2020, news conference outside Four Seasons Total Landscaping in Philadelphia, in which he falsely asserted thousands of ballots had been cast by dead voters in the city, to the Nov. 25, 2020, Senate committee hearing he hosted with State Sen. Doug Mastriano in Gettysburg, an event repeatedly cited in recent months by prosecutors who have filed charges against Trump and his allies.

It was here that he made his only courtroom appearance on behalf of Donald Trumps campaign  a proceeding in which he hurled wild accusations of a nationwide cabal of Democratic mayors who were plotting to steal the election.

And Cutler, the former speaker of the Pennsylvania House, told Congressional investigators last year that Giuliani called him on a near daily basis in late 2020 pushing a baseless theory that state legislatures could set aside election results based on unsupported suspicions of fraud. Cutler testified that he largely avoided these calls, believing they were inappropriate, and eventually had his attorneys respond, asking Giuliani to stop contacting him.

 READ MORE: As it happened: Donald Trump indicted in Georgia; what to know about the two Philly natives charged

Giulianis efforts to overturn the election results in Pennsylvania have formed the basis of pushes from the bar associations in New York and Washington to revoke his license to practice law.

He faces 13 counts in the Georgia case.

Mark Meadows

Trumps chief of staff was involved in multiple aspects of Trumps plan to stay in power  including connecting the former president to state officials.

Can you send me the numbers for the speaker and leader of the PA Legislature. POTUS wants to chat with them, Meadows texted U.S. Rep. Scott Perry (R., Pa.) on Nov. 21, 2020, according to the Georgia indictment.

(Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson told the House Jan. 6 committee that she saw Meadows burn papers in his office a dozen times during the final weeks of the administration  including twice after hed met with Perry. Hutchinson said she didnt know what the documents were.)

He was also among those who met with Mastriano and other Pennsylvania lawmakers at the White House on Nov. 25, 2020, after a state legislative committee hearing in Gettysburg to urge them to hold a special session of the state legislature to declare Pennsylvanias election results void, the indictment says.

He faces two counts in the Georgia case including racketeering conspiracy and soliciting a public officer to violate their oath.

Kenneth Chesebro

An appellate attorney who advised the Trump campaign, Chesebro helped design the plan to have fake pro-Trump electors appointed in six key battleground states to disrupt the official certification of the Electoral College vote. Yet even as the plan was being devised, he expressed doubts to others within the campaign about its legality.

In a Dec. 12, 2020 memo, Chesebro laid out a process of how the plan could work, ultimately relying on then-Vice President Mike Pence to delay the vote count or refuse to confirm the election.

Im not necessarily advising this course of action, Chesebro wrote in the memo, describing it as a bold, controversial strategy.

 READ MORE: Trump is coming to Philadelphia for a fundraiser next month

Chesebro also noted that in some states valid electors are required to meet to cast votes in specific venues or in the presence of the governor or secretary of state. The rules, Chesebro wrote in a separate memo, could make assembling alternate slates very problematic in Nevada and somewhat dicey in Michigan and Pennsylvania.

He faces seven counts in the Georgia case.

Jeffrey Clark

A Tacony native, graduate of Father Judge High School, and former Justice Department official, Clark has previously attracted scrutiny from Congress and law enforcement for his willingness to use the DOJs imprimatur to advance Trumps false claims of election fraud even when others wouldnt.

 READ MORE: Who is Jeffrey Clark, the Philly native and ex-Justice Department official charged in Trumps Georgia indictment?

Specifically, hes accused in the Georgia indictment of sending a false letter on DOJ letterhead to officials in that state saying the department had identified significant concerns that may have impacted the outcome of the election in multiple states. It urged Georgias legislature to convene a special session to consider selecting an alternate slate of pro-Trump electors.

But while other Justice Department officials would later describe the letter as wildly inappropriate and irresponsible, Trump appreciated Clarks willingness to adopt a tough stance and briefly considered in early 2021 elevating him to attorney general.

Trump abandoned that plan, however, after multiple top DOJ officials threatened to resign in protest.

He faces two counts in the Georgia case.

Jenna Ellis

A Colorado attorney and another member of Trumps legal team, Ellis worked closely with Giuliani on his efforts to undermine confidence in the election results in Pennsylvania and other battleground states.

She accompanied Giuliani during presentations to state lawmakers in Arizona and Pennsylvania in which they presented false claims that the vote in both states had been riddled with fraud.

According to the Georgia indictment, she drafted memos for the Trump campaign arguing with little legal basis that Vice President Mike Pence had the authority to reject the lawful presidential electors from states that Joe Biden had won.

After her involvement in the 2020 election fallout, Ellis signed on as a chief legal adviser to Mastrianos unsuccessful campaign last year for Pennsylvania governor.

She, along with six other lawyers, is currently facing disciplinary proceedings before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for her alleged misuse of the legal system during the 2020 election and its aftermath.

She faces two counts in the Georgia case.

Sidney Powell

Powell, an attorney, rose in Trumps orbit after several of his campaign lawyers refused to pursue his postelection conspiracy theories. She encouraged Trump to declare martial law in order to seize voting machines.

In Georgia, prosecutors allege Powell was involved in a scheme to breach election equipment in Coffee County. In December 2020 she entered a written engagement agreement with a forensic data firm that later stole voter data from the county, the indictment says.

Powell hasnt been accused of wrongdoing in Pennsylvania specifically. But in the aftermath of the 2020 election, a nonprofit organization she ran helped arrange for a private company to examine voting machines in rural Fulton County, Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvanias secretary of state in 2021 said the inspection violated state law and decertified the machines.

She faces seven counts in the Georgia case.

John Eastman

Eastman, a law professor from Colorado, was a primary advocate for the legal argument that Vice President Mike Pence could set aside congressional certification of Bidens victory. He also pushed swing states like Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Arizona to name fake Trump elector slates.

A month after the election, Eastman directly appealed to Pennsylvania state lawmaker Russ Diamond, of Lebanon County. He pitched him a plan to unilaterally declare a new outcome to Pennsylvanias popular vote, disregarding tens of thousands of legitimately cast absentee ballots.

Citing baseless concerns over the states mail voting procedures, Eastman suggested that GOP legislators could subtract votes from Biden based on absentee ballot rejection rates from prior election.

Having done that math, youd be left with a significant Trump lead that would bolster the argument for the Legislature adopting a slate of Trump electors  perfectly within your authority to do anyway, but now bolstered by the untainted popular vote, Eastman wrote in a Dec. 4, 2020, email to Diamond. That would help provide some cover.

In addition to the criminal indictment, Eastman is facing disbarment in California over his efforts to undo the 2020 election result.

Eastman faces nine counts in the Georgia case.

Mike Roman

A Kensington native, former GOP ward leader in Philadelphia, and the Trump 2020 campaigns director of Election Day operations, Roman has been credited with carrying out most of the legwork in organizing slates of fake Trump electors in battleground states.

In Georgia, that role included identifying GOP officials in the state willing to sign on to the fake electors plan and keeping close tabs on their meeting Dec. 14 to falsely cast what they represented to be the states electoral votes. Roman played a similar role in organizing the slate from Pennsylvania, his home state.

 READ MORE: Who is Mike Roman, the Philly campaign operative charged in Georgia with helping Trump efforts to overturn the 2020 election?

According to congressional investigations, he helped craft language requested by the Trump electors in Pennsylvania that is likely to end up protecting them from possible prosecution. Unlike the certifications submitted by the fake electors in other states, that clause in the Pennsylvania documents stated that they were only putting themselves forward as the states lawful electors if courts overturned the election results.

During an interview with the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, Roman asserted his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination when asked by investigators whether Giuliani had appointed him the lead for executing the voting by fake electors.

The interview transcript also references a briefing of Pennsylvania lawmakers in November 2020 about purported election fraud. On Nov. 8, 2020, Roman shared with an associate a screenshot of a message hed obtained that said: Maybe the Trump campaign should get some actual evidence of fraud and file in court. Theyve been horrible in their court filings. We just got a report from their legal team. They told us in caucus they have zero evidence.

Roman declined to tell investigators who sent him the message or discuss the briefing of Pennsylvania lawmakers, apparently delivered by Kentuckys secretary of state.

He faces seven counts in the Georgia case.
Former President Donald Trump and 18 others have been indicted in Georgia over efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state. Read more

A sweeping indictment by an Atlanta grand jury marks the fourth time in five months that Donald Trump has been charged with crimes. For two centuries, the idea of indicting a former president of the United States seemed implausible. Trump has made it routine.

Yet each indictment is historic, as Trumps alleged crimes continue to test Americas legal and political system like never before.

Trump and 18 of his associates were charged Monday with orchestrating a criminal enterprise to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. Unlike the narrowly focused federal indictment involving Trumps efforts to remain in power, the Georgia indictment offers a big-picture view of a vast conspiracy to change the outcome of several swing states, including Pennsylvania.

 READ MORE: Donald Trump tried to subvert democracy. He may finally face justice. | Editorial

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The 41-count indictment spells out 161 separate acts that Georgia prosecutors allege were taken to further a broad plot to obstruct the election and defraud voters by lying to state officials, creating fake electors for Trump, harassing election workers, soliciting U.S. Justice Department officials, pressuring former Vice President Mike Pence, breaching voting machines, engaging in a cover-up, and pressuring the Georgia secretary of state to find about 12,000 votes, as caught on tape.

The indictment paints a picture of Trumps arrogance, anger, and ego as he is aided and abetted by a band of Republican coconspirators who went along with his reckless attempt to do whatever it took to hold onto power.

It is fitting that the crimes come under Georgias Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, originally designed to dismantle organized crime groups. After all, Trump has long operated as if he were a mob boss.

Many of the Dons associates have also been ensnared, including Trumps former chief of staff Mark Meadows, John Eastman, a conservative attorney who once clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Kenneth Chesebro, an appellate attorney who concocted the fake electors scheme, Sidney Powell, a former federal prosecutor and Fox News darling who promoted many of the most bizarre election fraud conspiracy theories, and Rudy Giuliani, who went from Americas mayor to holding an off-the-rails news conference at a landscaping business in Northeast Philadelphia and another where hair dye dripped down his face.

Behold the gang who couldnt coup straight. They make Nixons plumbers look like SEAL Team Six.

Many of the details in the Georgia indictment have been previously disclosed by the House select committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol, years of shoe-leather journalism, mainly by newspaper reporters, the four-count federal indictment released earlier this month that detailed Trumps monthslong efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, and by Trumps own actions and tweets.

Before he was elected, Trump famously said he could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and he wouldnt lose any voters. That part appears true, as Trump remains the front-runner to win the GOP presidential nomination in 2024.

But Trump misjudged how his cultlike support does not supplant the rule of law. The one institution that has withstood Trumps sustained assault on our democracy has been the courts.

Trump and his allies mounted more than 50 lawsuits alleging voter fraud and irregularities in several states, including Pennsylvania. The state and federal courts, including the Supreme Court, rejected those suits.

 READ MORE: Heres whats most obscene about GOPers crying injustice! over Trump indictment | Will Bunch

Four separate grand juries in state and federal jurisdictions in blue and red states have been presented with evidence  often provided by Republican witnesses  of Trumps wrongdoing and in each instance voted to indict him. The charges in the indictments include paying hush money to an adult film star to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, stealing and obstructing the return of classified documents, including nuclear secrets, and attacking the very heart of democracy by trying to overturn the will of voters.

At each turn, Trump and his GOP supporters claim a witch hunt or hoax as they attack judges and career prosecutors and try to divert attention  What about Hunter Bidens laptop? What about Hillary Clintons emails? Benghazi! Squirrel!  aided by conservative media outlets. Memo to Trump supporters: Perhaps the reason Trump faces so many criminal charges is because hes committed so many crimes.

True to form, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other Republican leaders attacked the Georgia indictment, while Trump used the allegations to fundraise. Even before the indictment was unsealed Monday night, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas was on Fox News talking about the need to impeach and imprison President Joe Biden for his unproven role in his sons legal troubles.

Its a dangerous game Republicans continue to play by supporting the twice-impeached and now quarce-indicted former president who tried to upend our democracy.
Eric Meyer, editor and publisher of the Marion County Record, said the newspaper will publish its regular weekly issue on Wednesday, despite a raid by local law enforcement officers and the seizure of computers and cell phones. Read more

The police raid of a local newsroom in Kansas should serve as a reminder of how the free press and First Amendment rights of everyone remain under attack and must be protected.

Police seized computers, servers, and cell phones from reporters and editors at the Marion County Record, a family-owned newspaper with a circulation of about 4,000. Police also searched the home of the papers co-owner, Joan Meyer, 98. She became rattled by the aggressive police tactics and died the following afternoon.

The outrageous search was said to be linked to how the paper obtained a document containing information about a local restaurant owners drunken driving arrest, though the editor of the paper believes the intrusion stemmed from tensions fueled by the papers ongoing coverage of local government officials.

 READ MORE: Stop the war on a free press | Editorial

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Never mind the federal Privacy Protection Act shields journalists from overly intrusive government searches of newsroom offices, while the Fourth Amendment protects individuals from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government.

The raid is particularly disturbing since the newspaper did not even publish a story based on the document it received from a confidential source. Even more appalling, law enforcement officials used a search warrant that lacked a signed affidavit spelling out the probable cause for the raid  as required by law  the Record reported.

Just as troubling, this was not a one-off confrontation between local law enforcement and a small-town newspaper. The inexcusable tactics employed by police in Kansas are part of a broader pattern of attacks on the press in recent years intended to undermine democracy.

A sheriff in Oklahoma was caught on tape earlier this year discussing ways to murder reporters (and lynching Black residents). A government official in Las Vegas was charged last year with murdering an investigative reporter who wrote stories about his bullying tactics of subordinates and his relationship with an employee. The homes of two journalists in New Hampshire were vandalized last year after stories detailed sexual assault allegations against the operator of an addiction treatment center.

Reporters were also threatened and harassed for covering the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. Some local governments have stopped paying to print public notices in newspapers because of unfavorable coverage. Elon Musk banned several reporters from Twitter who aggressively covered his social media company.

The increased incidents coincide with the political rise of Donald Trump, the twice-impeached and quarce-indicted former president who issued thousands of tweets attacking the media during his one term in office and declared the press the enemy of the people, invoking a phrase often used by dictators such as Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong.

 READ MORE: Saving journalisms soul in the Age of Trump | Will Bunch

Censorship, repression, and violence against the media have been on the rise around the globe, while public trust in the media here has fallen. To be sure, the mainstream media is not perfect, but it plays an important role in shining a light on wrongdoing and holding government officials accountable to the public.

Indeed, the freedom of the press guaranteed in the First Amendment forms the bedrock of our democracy. Thats why the abuse by the police in Kansas is not just an assault on one small newspaper  it is an attack on everyones constitutionally protected right to free speech.

Such attacks must be met with the strongest pushback and accountability before they become an accepted tactic when the powerful want to enforce silence.
Rotel signs distribution pact with Fine Sounds Europe

Japanese Hi-Fi brand Rotel is moving European distribution of its Rotel and Michi products to Fine Sounds Europe.

The exclusive distribution partnership covers France, Monaco, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.



The new agreement is part of an overall company strategy to move Rotel and Michi branded products into higher market segments, as evidenced by its high-end 60th Anniversary Rotel Diamond and Michi Series 2 models.



The Diamond Series includes the DT-6000 DAC Transport and RA-6000 integrated amplifier, each sharing a new industrial design language said to pay tribute to the brands iconic heritage, while still looking contemporary.

It says it will also move both brands into more premium, limited distribution channels, including specialist dealers and value added retail partners.



From the companys establishment in Tokyo, Japan in 1961, by founder Tomoki Tachikawa, Rotel has been celebrated for its exceptional audio performance. Today it remains under the direction and management of Tachikawa Sans family.



Rotel has enjoyed recent success in North America and Central / Latin America with Fine Sounds Europes sister company Fine Sounds Americas.



Commenting on the new distribution strategy Peter Kao, Managing Director of Rotel, says: Rotel takes a serious and considered approach selecting our channel and business partners. This is reflected in our relationships with our distribution partnerships many of which span multi-decades and multi-generations..



Commenting on behalf of Fine Sounds Europe Lionel Nunney, Fine Sounds Director said: It is rare to be able to partner with such a long-established brand that has enjoyed an incredibly consistent and broad reputation for exceptional product quality over decades. The company has a clear vision of how they want to develop the Rotel and Michi brands and how they would like to be positioned in the market and that strategy sits very comfortable with our efforts and approach our own brands. We are delighted to have Rotel and Michi as part of our family.
Across multiple major insurers in the country that have shown interest, Hanwha Life is being touted as a strong candidate as the latter is looking to expand its presence across the Southeast. A company official for Hanwha has confirmed that the insurer received a takeover offer, but it has not yet been considered at this time.
At this pivotal moment where client need is evolving rapidly, our clients are looking for innovative tools and deep market knowledge to help clients assess, mitigate, and transfer risk, Marcell said. Joes more than 30 years in the industry and proven track record will help enhance how commercial risk works with reinsurance solutions across risk capital to enhance how we serve our clients.
I think, absolutely, there is an opportunity and we think that can happen - but what I think we need to do is actually demonstrate the management approach to mitigating issues in the workplace, he said. A lot of these organizations havent done that before and it takes a little time for an insurer to say, We hear what youre saying but show me the evidence.
In identifying and blocking mule accounts, we effectively starve criminals of the resources they need to carry out the activity. By disrupting the infrastructure that supports scams, it becomes more difficult for these online criminals to operate and impact innocent individuals, Johnson said.
On September 1, the Medical Board of Australias revised telehealth guidelines will come into effect. Among the changes: a patient will be able to consult a doctor for the first time using telehealth, without first having an in-person consultation. Doctors will also be able to issue new and repeat prescriptions as part of a telehealth consultation.
The reptile theory is a psychological tactic that instills fear in jurors to make them believe the only way they can keep their loved ones and communities safe is to award massive damages to the plaintiff. The term, described in a 2009 book by David Ball and Don Keenan, has been blamed for the rise in nuclear verdicts across different sectors.
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The New Jersey Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a Roman Catholic school that fired a teacher who became pregnant out of wedlock.

The high court found that where an employment decision is clearly based on the tenets of the religion, the firing is legal under a recognized exception to the states anti-discrimination law.

The court said it was uncontroverted that the Church of St. Theresa followed the religious tenets of the Catholic Church in terminating art teacher Victoria Crisitello and thus the church was entitled to a dismissal of the discrimination claim against it.

The high court ruling reversed an appellate court that found St. Theresas had violated the anti-discrimination law in firing Crisitello because of her marital status.

While the states law against discrimination provides that it is unlawful for an employer to discharge an employee because of marital status or pregnancy, the law also explicitly states it shall not be an unlawful employment practice for a religious association or organization to follow the tenets of its religion in establishing and utilizing criteria for employment of an employee.

The state Supreme Court said that this exception to liability is an affirmative defense which St. Theresas was able to prove.

St. Theresas required Crisitello to abide by the tenets of the Catholic faith, including that she abstain from premarital sex, as a condition of her employment. The evidence showed that St. Theresas consistently maintained its position that Crisitello was terminated for violating Catholic law by engaging in premarital sex. The court noted that Crisitello presented no evidence to counter St. Theresas position.

The high court ruling reflected the view of the trial court that had granted summary judgment in favor of St. Theresas, finding that the law clearly protects the religious institution in requiring that its employees abide by the principles of the Catholic faith. The trial court also found that Crisitello was not terminated for her pregnancy or marital status but was instead terminated for violating the Code of Ethics. It also found the First Amendment barred her claims.

However, the Superior Court, appellate division, reversed, holding that the First Amendment did not bar Crisitellos claim or discovery and that she had made a prima facie case. The court noted that Crisitello did not perform vital religious duties and that neither the Code of Ethics nor the employee handbook expressly mentioned premarital sex or that it would result in termination.

St. Theresas appealed that reversal to the state Supreme Court, which has now taken its side.

St. Theresa School uses the official Archdiocese of Newark policies on professional and ministerial conduct, which contains a Code of Ethics that requires employees to conduct themselves in a manner that is consistent with the discipline, norms and teachings of the Catholic Church.

In 2011, St. Theresas hired Crisitello, who signed an acknowledgment of her receipt and understanding of employment documents including the Code of Ethics. In 2014, the school principal approached Crisitello about the possibility of teaching art full time. During their meeting, Crisitello informed the principal that she was pregnant. A few weeks later, the principal told Crisitello that she had violated the Code of Ethics by engaging in premarital sex and thus could not remain on St. Theresas staff. Crisitello filed her complaint alleging discrimination based on pregnancy and marital status.

Topics K-12 New Jersey
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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.

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 August 7 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.

Attorney Jason Lee Van Dyke, who has represented Patriot Front members in prior cases, is still trying to determine whether he is eligible to represent the group in this case, but said Tuesday Charles Murrell is not telling the truth. 

I happen to have seen the raw video footage and it was clear that Charles Murrell was the aggressor and no one with Patriot Front did anything unlawful. he said. His assertion that he was beaten is factually incorrect.

Murrell, who has a background teaching special education, said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press 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 city`s 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.

It`s 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 attorney`s 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 nation`s 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.

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.

Photo: 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)

Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits
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The New York State Insurance Fund (NYSIF), the states largest workers compensation insurer, allocated $585 million to New York employers last year through its dividends and return-of-premium programs.

Every year, NYSIF returns funds to New York State businesses that exhibit strong safety records. While the program is not guaranteed and depends on various factors, including financial performance, NYSIF has returned more than $1 billion to businesses insured through this program during the last two years.

The majority of NYSIFs policyholders are small- and mid-sized businesses. Companies either insure directly with NYSIF or belong to a NYSIF safety group where employers in the same industry can pool together to further reduce workers compensation expenses.

New York law requires businesses to have workers compensation coverage through NYSIF, a private carrier, or by self-insuring.

Unlike private carriers, NYSIF must cover any employer that applies for coverage, regardless of risk. Providing dividends and return of premium to its policyholders is a key tenet of NYSIFs role.

In 2022, NYSIF reported $1.6 billion in workers compensation premium.

Last year, it began offering workers compensation coverage for the out-of-state employees of its New York-based employer customers. NYSIF also provides disability insurance and paid family leave to New York businesses.

Topics New York Workers' Compensation Commercial Lines Business Insurance Talent
Typhoon Lan reached the coast of central Japan early Tuesday, grounding flights and halting trains as residents braced for heavy rain, flooding and landslides.

Known locally as Typhoon No. 7, the storm has been traversing the archipelagos central belt since it made landfall south of Osaka around 5 a.m., according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, and is expected to pivot north across the Sea of Japan toward the island of Hokkaido.

As it moves through urban centers including Osaka and Kyoto, the typhoon could cause billions of dollars in insured losses, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Steven Lam said. The storm is arriving just a week after Typhoon Khanun passed through Okinawa, brushing past the main island on its way to South Korea.

As of Tuesday noon the relatively slow and powerful weather system was heading northwest at 15 kilometers per hour, according to JMA. It had been moving at 10 kilometers per hour before it made landfall at the Shiono Peninsula in Wakayama Prefecture early in the morning.

The eye of the storm was above Akashi City in Hyogo Prefecture around 1 p.m., by which time Japans national broadcaster NHK had reported 20 injuries across the Kansai region.

SoftBank Corp. said harsh weather was causing connectivity issues with mobile phones and landlines in parts of Mie and Wakayama prefectures.

Japan Airlines Co. canceled more than 250 flights, impacting 25,800 passengers, while ANA Holdings Inc. canceled 310 flights on Tuesday, which it said will impact 24,600 passengers.

Around 42,000 buildings within Kansai Electric Power Co.s area are experiencing power failures as of 6:30 a.m., the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in a statement.

Strong winds could be hazardous in the Kanto and Kinki regions beginning Monday night and into the following morning. The agency predicted as much as 350 milliliters of rain Tuesday in Tokai, 300 in Kinki and 2500 in Chugoku.

Typhoons are becoming more frequent and severe, causing factories to halt production, in addition to the usual disruptions to transportation. At least two people were killed last year when a powerful system passed through Tokyo.

Manufacturing plants and factories in the area had already been shut down for a national holiday, but grounded flights and suspended trains could be disruptive for travelers heading home.

Central Japan Railway Co. and West Japan Railway Co. said bullet trains will be partially suspended, while further delays and suspensions on Wednesday are likely. Central Japan Railway said the shinkansen will be halted between Osaka and Nagoya.

A level 3 evacuation order  level 5 being the highest  was issued to some 26,000 elderly residents in a town in Wakayama Prefecture due to concerns of heavy rains causing landslides, NHK reported. The Universal Studios Japan theme park in Osaka will be closed Tuesday.

In 2018, the region suffered more than 1 trillion in damages from Typhoon Jebi, which was similar in size but had a faster wind speed at landfall than Lan.

Photograph: High waves crash onto the embankment due to approaching Typhoon Lan as it approaches Japans main island of Honshu, at the town of Kiho, Mie prefecture, on Aug. 14, 2023. Photo credit: STR/JIJI Press/AFP /Getty Images/AFP

Copyright 2023 Bloomberg.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Aviation
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  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 Justice Department asked the Legislature`s finance committee on Wednesday for permission to accept the settlement. Republicans passed a law in 2018 requiring the department to get the committee`s permission before settling any lawsuit as a way of diminishing Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul`s 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.

Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Wisconsin
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  Three men who have worked as Republican political operatives agreed to pay more than $50,000 in restitution and penalties in Ohio for their roles in operating a phony charity that collected cash purportedly to help victims of the East Palestine train derailment.

The settlement, announced Thursday by Republican Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, requires Isaiah Wartman and Luke Mahoney of WAMA Strategies to pay more than $22,000 to a local food bank, plus $3,000 in investigative costs and fees.

Under the deal, Michael Peppel, co-founder of the fraudulent charity, Ohio Clean Water Fund, must pay a $25,000 civil penalty and agree to a lifetime ban on starting, running or soliciting for any charity in the state, Yost announced.

The pair formed WAMA Strategies together earlier this year. The settlement prohibits the strategy group from soliciting charitable donations in Ohio for the next four years, and Mahoney from starting, operating or soliciting contributions for any charity in Ohio until 2027.

Peppel previously worked as a senior legislative aide to GOP state Sen. Michael Rulli, of Mahoning County, the news organization reported, and as political director for the campaign of Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson.

According to Yost`s investigation, Wartman and Mahoney were fundraisers for the fake charity, which collected nearly $149,000 from donors in the aftermath of the fiery Feb. 3 derailment that caused ongoing harm to the tiny community of East Palestine, along the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. Toxic chemicals released by the crash led to resident evacuations and lingering health worries.

The fake charity claimed the money would be given to the Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley, but the group gave only $10,000 to the food bank and kept the rest for themselves, the investigation found.

Bryan Kostura, an attorney representing Wartman and Mahoney, told the news outlet that the two men were both victims of a fraud perpetrated by Peppel and cooperated with Yost`s investigation. He said that, once they realized they`d been bamboozled, they did what was right and gave back all of their profits for this entire engagement to the people of East Palestine.

Peppel`s attorney, Dave Thomas, declined comment.

Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Fraud Ohio
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White House officials concerned by AI chatbots potential for societal harm and the Silicon Valley powerhouses rushing them to market are heavily invested in a three-day competition ending Sunday at the DefCon hacker convention in Las Vegas.

Some 3,500 competitors have tapped on laptops seeking to expose flaws in eight leading large-language models representative of technologys next big thing. But dont expect quick results from this first-ever independent red-teaming of multiple models.

Findings wont be made public until about February. And even then, fixing flaws in these digital constructs  whose inner workings are neither wholly trustworthy nor fully fathomed even by their creators  will take time and millions of dollars.

Current AI models are simply too unwieldy, brittle and malleable, academic and corporate research shows. Security was an afterthought in their training as data scientists amassed breathtakingly complex collections of images and text. They are prone to racial and cultural biases, and easily manipulated.

Its tempting to pretend we can sprinkle some magic security dust on these systems after they are built, patch them into submission, or bolt special security apparatus on the side, said Gary McGraw, a cybsersecurity veteran and co-founder of the Berryville Institute of Machine Learning. DefCon competitors are more likely to walk away finding new, hard problems, said Bruce Schneier, a Harvard public-interest technologist. This is computer security 30 years ago. Were just breaking stuff left and right. Michael Sellitto of Anthropic, which provided one of the AI testing models, acknowledged in a press briefing that understanding their capabilities and safety issues is sort of an open area of scientific inquiry.

Conventional software uses well-defined code to issue explicit, step-by-step instructions. OpenAIs ChatGPT, Google`s Bard and other language models are different. Trained largely by ingesting  and classifying  billions of datapoints in internet crawls, they are perpetual works-in-progress, an unsettling prospect given their transformative potential for humanity.

After publicly releasing chatbots last fall, the generative AI industry has had to repeatedly plug security holes exposed by researchers and tinkerers.

Tom Bonner of the AI security firm HiddenLayer, a speaker at this years DefCon, tricked a Google system into labeling a piece of malware harmless merely by inserting a line that said this is safe to use.

There are no good guardrails, he said.

A team including Carnegie Mellon researchers found leading chatbots vulnerable to automated attacks that also produce harmful content. It is possible that the very nature of deep learning models makes such threats inevitable, they wrote.

It`s not as if alarms werent sounded.

Attacks trick the artificial intelligence logic in ways that may not even be clear to their creators. And chatbots are especially vulnerable because we interact with them directly in plain language. That interaction can alter them in unexpected ways.

Researchers have found that poisoning a small collection of images or text in the vast sea of data used to train AI systems can wreak havoc  and be easily overlooked.

A study co-authored by Florian Tramer of the Swiss University ETH Zurich determined that corrupting just 0.01% of a model was enough to spoil it  and cost as little as $60. The researchers waited for a handful of websites used in web crawls for two models to expire. Then they bought the domains and posted bad data on them.

Hyrum Anderson and Ram Shankar Siva Kumar, who red-teamed AI while colleagues at Microsoft, call the state of AI security for text- and image-based models pitiable in their new book Not with a Bug but with a Sticker. One example they cite in live presentations: The AI-powered digital assistant Alexa is hoodwinked into interpreting a Beethoven concerto clip as a command to order 100 frozen pizzas.

Surveying more than 80 organizations, the authors found the vast majority had no response plan for a data-poisoning attack or dataset theft. The bulk of the industry would not even know it happened, they wrote.

Andrew W. Moore, a former Google executive and Carnegie Mellon dean, says he dealt with attacks on Google search software more than a decade ago. And between late 2017 and early 2018, spammers gamed Gmails AI-powered detection service four times.

The big AI players say security and safety are top priorities and made voluntary commitments to the White House last month to submit their models  largely black boxes` whose contents are closely held  to outside scrutiny.

Tramer expects search engines and social media platforms to be gamed for financial gain and disinformation by exploiting AI system weaknesses. A savvy job applicant might, for example, figure out how to convince a system they are the only correct candidate.

Ross Anderson, a Cambridge University computer scientist, worries AI bots will erode privacy as people engage them to interact with hospitals, banks and employers and malicious actors leverage them to coax financial, employment or health data out of supposedly closed systems.

Another concern is company secrets being ingested and spit out by AI systems. After a Korean business news outlet reported on such an incident at Samsung, corporations including Verizon and JPMorgan barred most employees from using ChatGPT at work.

While the major AI players have security staff, many smaller competitors likely won`t, meaning poorly secured plug-ins and digital agents could multiply. Startups are expected to launch hundreds of offerings built on licensed pre- trained models in coming months.

Dont be surprised, researchers say, if one runs away with your address book.

Photo: People attend the DefCon conference Aug. 5, 2011, in Las Vegas. White House officials concerned about AI chatbots potential for societal harm and the Silicon Valley powerhouses rushing them to market are heavily invested in a three-day competition ending Sunday, Aug. 13, 2023 at the DefCon hacker convention in Las Vegas. Some 3,500 competitors have tapped on laptops seeking to expose vulnerabilities in eight leading large-language models representative of technologys next big thing. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)

Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics InsurTech Artificial Intelligence
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The Motor Carrier Insurance Education Foundation (MCIEF) has named Jim Schoonover its new education director. He succeeds Tommy Ruke who founded the organization in 2013.

Schoonover, whose mission will be to educate transportation industry insurance professionals, began as a school teacher, MCIEF said in a news release. He later moved to association education work and has been in insurance carrier education roles  and with MCIEF  since 2017.

Schoonover said he plans to assess MCIEFs current education programs and explore new ones, along with more use of technology. MCIEF is a non-profit group based in Fort Myers, Florida.

Topics Training Development
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In the fast-paced and ever-changing world of insurance, staying up-to-date with industry trends, regulations, and best practices is paramount. For insurance professionals serving the transportation industry, this is even more crucial due to the sectors unique challenges and complexities. Thats where the Motor Carrier Insurance Education Foundation (MCIEF) steps in, as a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing education to insurance professionals in the field.

Founded in 2013 by Tommy Ruke, MCIEF has humble beginnings rooted in Tommys personal experiences and passion for education. Growing up in a family involved in the trucking business, he developed a deep understanding of the transportation industrys intricacies. After pursuing a career as an insurance agent and earning his certified insurance counselor (CIC) designation, Tommy recognized the need to share his knowledge with others in the field.

MCIEFs journey began with the establishment of the transportation risk specialist (TRS) designation  a premier trucking insurance educational achievement that was the first of its kind to be recognized by the transportation insurance industry. Over the years, MCIEF expanded its offerings, providing a range of education and networking opportunities for insurance professionals involved in transportation. The curriculum currently covers various topics, including operations, government oversight, risk management, and the specific insurance needs of the trucking sector.

One of the keys to success in the insurance industry is continuous learning, and MCIEF has sought to recognize this. The organization has developed a number of educational programs, including the upcoming launch of the transportation claims specialist (TCS) designation, a best-in-class trucking claims curriculum. These designations demonstrate a professionals commitment to staying informed and ensuring service to their clients.

MCIEFs commitment to education has seen significant growth over the years, from its initial conference in 2013 to hosting the largest Western Conference to date in 2023. During the pandemic, MCIEF transitioned to virtual events  reaching a broader audience and making education accessible remotely.

As the industry evolves, MCIEF, based in Fort Myers, Florida, remains steadfast in its mission to provide quality educational content for insurance professionals. The organization offers an average of 25 different rotating education programs, catering to the diverse needs of students across the United States and beyond.

With Ruke still actively leading the company, MCIEF shows no signs of slowing down. As founder and a well-respected figure in the industry, Tommys commitment to education remains unwavering. When asked about retirement, he humorously responds that hell retire when people stop seeking his expertise.

For insurance professionals serving the transportation industry, staying informed and continuously improving their knowledge is crucial for success.

John Love is executive director of the Motor Carrier Insurance Education Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Fort Myers, Florida.
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A towering North Carolina roller coaster that shut down in June due to a large crack in its support column reopened Thursday after a month of repairs and testing, the park announced on its website.

Carowinds amusement park, which straddles the North Carolina and South Carolina line, came under investigation by the North Carolina Department of Labor after a video surfaced online of an operational roller coaster with a large crack in one of its columns. The footage of Fury 325, known as a giga coaster due to its dramatic height of 325 feet (99 meters), showed a support beam bending with the top visibly detached as cars packed with unsuspecting passengers whirled by at speeds of up to 95 mph (150 kph).

Park staff closed Fury 325 on June 30 after a visitor reported the crack. North Carolina Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson told The Associated Press last month that the crack had been visible for at least a week before the ride was shut down.

The Department of Labors Amusement Device Bureau, which is responsible for performing a final inspection and issuing the ride`s certificate of operation, did not respond to phone messages seeking comment on the status of its investigation.

Charlotte-based Carowinds announced Thursday that it reopened Fury 325 after replacing the broken column and completing a rigorous testing process. Crews installed a new steel column made by Switzerland-based Bolliger & Mabillard, the ride manufacturer, and conducted an accelerometer test, which uses sensors to measure the vibration of a structure.

They then operated the ride for more than 500 full cycles while performing tests and inspections to ensure the rides safety. Bolliger & Mabillard and a third- party testing firm conducted a final inspection, and the state Amusement Device Bureau performed one of its own before approving the ride`s reopening, according to Carowinds.

Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics North Carolina
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One of five Alabama tow truck operators charged with overcharging insurance companies will go to trial in April, almost four years after the men were hit with insurance fraud charges.

Danny Williams, owner of Southport Towing, in Mobile, Alabama, was charged in 2020 with charging auto insurers more than the maximum allowed by law, according to local news reports. He has maintained his innocence.

Another company owner also is fighting the charges, and charges were dropped against one operator. Another operator agreed to a settlement that required him to pay only restitution to insurance carriers, but he balked at that agreement at the last minute in March, the AL.com news site and local TV news stations have reported.

A city ordinance forbids tow companies from charging more than $125 for most vehicles, and from tacking on extra fees. Even the Mobile Police Department acknowledged this month that it, too, had charged more than the law allows, thanks to some confusion over the ordinance. The departments policies and procedures are have been corrected, AL.com reported.

Some of the tow truck owners have said they have simply charged what an impoundment lot operator told them to charge. They also have argued that under federal law, they should be able to charge as much as they want or as much as the market will bear.

Topics Carriers Auto Alabama
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Floridas property insurance market is showing more signs of life, with another company requesting a large takeout order from Citizens Property Insurance and two new companies entering the arena.

Tampa-based HCI Groups CEO Paresh Patel said in an earnings call last week that the company had applied for up to 75,000 policies from Citizens, after posting a profit of $33 million for the first half of 2023  a sharp improvement over the first half of last year.

In previous earnings calls, we said we expected a material, beneficial impact from the new legislation in Florida, and that impact is starting to show up in our results, HCIs chief financial officer, Mark Harmsworth, said in the call. HCIs Florida subsidiaries include Homeowners Choice Property & Casualty Insurance, with about 88,300 policies in force, and TypTap Insurance, with some 56,000 policies. It was not clear which insurer would assume the Citizens policies.

The takeouts, if approved by Florida regulators, could bring the number of Citizens takeout policies approved this year to more than 350,000. Thats seen as good news for the market, where Citizens, the state-created residual insurer, has grown to be the largest property carrier in the state, with more than 1.3 million policies.

And Florida Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworsky announced Monday that his Office of Insurance Regulation has approved a Texas-based carrier, Mainsail Insurance Co., to do business in Florida. The news follows the approval of Tailrow Insurance, part of HCI Group, which was approved by the OIR in April.

Also, a week ago, Recoop Disaster Insurance, underwritten by Professional Solutions Insurance Co., said it plans to offer a type of parametric property coverage in Florida that pays a set amount, up to $25,000, after a storm.

Recoop executives could not be reached for comment, but the Florida OIR site shows that Professional Solutions, based in Iowa, has been in business in Florida since 2019. It is a part of NCMIC Insurance Co., which began as a malpractice insurer for chiropractors but now offers personal lines and business coverage.

Its all pointing to a stabilizing market in the Sunshine State, which has seen four years of spiking premiums, carrier pull-backs, and a dozen insurer insolvencies. Yaworsky called the changes positive signs and he credited the 2022 and 2023 legislative changes, which ended one-way attorney fees and assignments of benefits in claims litigation.

The addition of Mainsail Insurance Co. to the Florida market is evidence that recent legislative reforms are having a positive impact for consumers, he said in a bulletin.

Mainsail is part of Hippo Holdings Inc., which manages Hippo Insurance and Spinnaker Insurance Co. Hippo Holdings is a publicly traded company headquartered in California. Co-founder Assaf Wand was replaced at the CEO spot last year by Richard McCathron, news outlets have reported.

Hippo Insurance is not active in Florida, but has expanded its presence into at least 15 states in recent years, the company has said. Spinnaker had about 57,000 policies in force in Florida at end of March, according to the latest quarterly report from the Florida OIR.

Topics Carriers Florida
A health clinic in a Montana town plagued by deadly asbestos contamination has filed for bankruptcy protection after a judge ordered it to pay the government almost $6 million in penalties and damages for submitting hundreds of false claims for benefits.

The federal bankruptcy filing, submitted last week, will allow the Center for Asbestos Related Disease clinic in the small town of Libby to continue operating while it appeals last month`s judgment, said clinic director Tracy McNew.

A seven-person jury in June found the clinic submitted 337 false claims that made patients eligible for Medicare and other benefits they shouldnt have received. The federally-funded clinic has been at the forefront of the medical response to deadly pollution from mining near Libby that left the town and the surrounding area contaminated with toxic asbestos dust.

The $6 million judgment against it came in a federal case filed by BNSF Railway under the False Claims Act, which allows private parties to sue on the governments behalf. The clinic has denied any intentional wrongdoing and its attorneys have appealed the jurys verdict to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The clinic has certified more than 3,400 people with asbestos-related diseases and received more than $20 million in federal funding, according to court documents.

We filed (for bankruptcy) because we want to continue to offer the same services and keep our doors open to pay our employees, said McNew.

The jury did not identify the 337 patients who were the subject of the false claims and federal officials have not said if they will lose any benefits. Under a provision in the 2009 federal health law, victims of asbestos exposure in the Libby area are eligible for taxpayer-funded services including Medicare, housekeeping, travel to medical appointments and disability benefits for those who cant work.

BNSF is itself a defendant in hundreds of asbestos-related lawsuits. It alleged the center submitted claims on behalf of patients without sufficient confirmation they had asbestos-related disease.

U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen awarded BNSF 25% of the total proceeds in the false claims case, as allowed under federal law. BNSF representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the clinic`s bankruptcy.

In his July 18 judgment, Christensen blasted the clinic`s reckless disregard for medical procedures and cited evidence from trial of high rates of opioid pain medication prescriptions for people who may not have had a legitimate asbestos-related diagnosis.

McNew disputed the criticisms and said the the case came down to opposing interpretations of what was allowed under the 2009 health law. A new medical director took over two years ago, replacing longtime clinic doctor Brad Black, and the clinic has since stopped prescribing opioids, instead referring pain management to outside providers, McNew said. At the time of Black`s retirement, only 39 of the clinic`s thousands of patients were on opioids, she added.

Federal prosecutors previously declined to intervene in the false claims case and there have been no criminal charges brought against the clinic.

The Libby area was declared a Superfund site two decades ago following media reports that mine workers and their families were getting sick and dying due to hazardous asbestos dust.

Health officials have said at least 400 people have been killed and thousands sickened from asbestos exposure in the Libby area. The contamination came from tainted vermiculite that was mined near town by Maryland-based chemical company W.R. Grace & Co.

The mine closed in 1990 but asbestos has continued to be found, including at a BNSF rail yard in the heart of the town of about 3,000 people.

Asbestos-related diseases can range from a thickening of a persons lung cavity that can hamper breathing to deadly cancer. Exposure to e

Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Claims Montana
Cal/OSHA is advising all employers to protect workers from heat illness as high temperatures are forecast throughout the state.

The National Weather Service issued excessive heat warnings for some areas through 17.

Some of the highest temperatures forecast include:

Imperial County: 111F

Palm Springs: 111F

Redding: 109F

Sacramento: 104F

Modesto: 103F

Stockton: 102F

Bakersfield: 107F

Fresno: 105F

Los Angeles: 90F

San Bernardino: 102F

Cal/OSHA will be performing proactive high heat inspections, which includes visiting worksites where workers are the most exposed to serious heat illness including in construction, agriculture, landscaping and warehousing.

Employers with outdoor workers in all industries must encourage workers to understand and exercise their rights related to heat illness prevention, such as taking a cool-down rest when necessary.

In indoor workplaces, employers must correct unsafe conditions for workers created by heat as part of their Injury and Illness Prevention Program.

Details on heat illness prevention requirements and training materials are available online on Cal/OSHAs Heat Illness Prevention web page.

Employers with outdoor workers must take the following steps to prevent heat illness:

Implement a written heat illness prevention plan that includes emergency response procedures.

Train all employees and supervisors on heat illness prevention.

Provide drinking water that is fresh, pure, suitably cool and free of charge so that each worker can drink at least 32 ounces per hour, and encourage workers to do so.

Encourage workers to take a cool-down rest in the shade for at least five minutes when they feel the need.

Provide proper shade when temperatures exceed 80 degrees.

Topics Workers' Compensation Commercial Lines Business Insurance
Tulsa, Oklahoma, August 14, 2023  The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research announces that Central Technology Center has successfully completed the first year of the Certified Insurance Service Representative (CISR) High School Program. This groundbreaking initiative, launched in 2022, was made possible through a generous grant from The Spencer Educational Foundation. The National Alliances collaboration with Central Tech equips students with essential insurance knowledge and skills, empowering them for future success in the industry.

The CISR High School Program provides students with a comprehensive understanding of risk and insurance principles. By incorporating this curriculum into the educational framework, The National Alliance and Central Tech create a pipeline of talented, career-ready professionals who can excel in the insurance sector. The Spencer Educational Foundations grant enabled the successful implementation of the program in its initial year at Central Tech.

In addition, Emerging Talent Partner, INSURICA, will contribute to the sustainability and future growth of the CISR High School Program at Central Tech and the greater Oklahoma area. INSURICAs commitment to nurturing emerging talent and promoting educational excellence makes them an invaluable partner in this endeavor.

We are delighted to partner with the Spencer Educational Foundation and INSURICA to bring the CISR High School Program to Central Techs campuses, said Noelle Codispoti, Director of Emerging Talent Programs at The National Alliance. This initiative reflects our dedication to empowering students with industry-relevant education and preparing them for rewarding careers.

Jeff Beagle, Vice President of Human Resources, said INSURICA is honored to be an Emerging Talent Partner and to support the CISR High School Program at Central Tech. We believe in fostering the development of the next generation of insurance professionals, equipping them with the skills needed to thrive in the ever-changing insurance landscape. This collaboration exemplifies our dedication to education and talent development. Beagle also leads INSURICAs corporate learning initiative, INSURICA University.

About The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research:

The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research, a registered 501(c)(3), is recognized throughout the industry as a preeminent resource for technical training, designations, and continuing education for risk management and insurance professionals. Boasting over 150,000 program participants, the National Alliance has set the standard for industry education since its inception in 1969.

About Spencer Educational Foundation:

The Spencer Educational Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization funding the education of tomorrows risk management and insurance leaders through scholarships, grants, internship opportunities, on and off campus experiential learning, and support of risk management/insurance curricula. Since Spencer was founded in 1979, we have impacted thousands of students and driven more and better-prepared talent into risk and insurance roles.

About INSURICA:

Headquartered in Oklahoma City, INSURICA is among the 50 largest insurance brokers in the United States, and places more than $1 billion in annual premiums for their clients. The company employs more than 700 colleagues in 36 offices in 11 states from California to Florida.

Media Contact:

Noelle Codispoti

Director of Emerging Talent Program, CISR, CTE

ncodispoti@scic.com

512-349-3324

Topics InsurTech Tech K-12 Education Oklahoma
August 15, 2023 (Investorideas.com Newswire) CANSEC 2023 boasted a significant increase in government, Canadian Armed Forces and international delegation attendance, including a greater number of VIP delegates such as ministers, members of Parliament, and foreign and national military leaders. That's a 15% increase in attendance year over year!

As Canada's largest global event for the defence, security, and emerging technologies community, it's an opportunity not to be missed.

Please mark your calendars for May 29 & 30, 2024, and join us once again for an unforgettable experience.

CANSEC is restricted to CADSI members, government, and military personnel only.* If you fall within this definition, then it's free for you to attend!

*** Please note that if you exhibited or sponsored at CANSEC 2023, you have first right of refusal for the same exhibit space/sponsorship package until September 1, 2023 . After which time, your exhibit space/sponsorship package will be returned to inventory for resale.***

Email for exhibits: exhibits@defenceandsecurity.ca

Email for sponsorship: sponsorship@defenceandsecurity.ca

Link to website: canseccanada.ca

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August 15, 2023 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Goldshore Resources Inc. has provided a corporate updated revealing encouraging company project. Read on to see how investors are considering this company.

Goldshore Resources Inc. (TSXV:GSHR; OTCQB:GSHRF; FWB:8X00) has released a corporate update on its ongoing activities.

The highlights of the report include a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) on the company's flagship Moss Gold Project, which is scheduled to come out in the middle of Q4 of 2023. This PEA is being managed by an independent team at Ausenco Engineering Canada Inc and includes alternate processing options which highlight the flexibility of the Moss Gold Project. Future test work may unlock potential opportunities for upside on creating a different size scoped project in the future, with different recovery methods.

Base Metallurgical Laboratories Ltd. has completed a gold deportment study with positive results, and additional heap leach metallurgical test work is in progress at Kappes, Cassaday, and Associates (KCA) to maximize potential gold recoveries. This study included sixteen samples, which were composites from shear and intrusion domains, plus combined composites from the Main, Central, QES Zones, Moss Southwest Zone, and East Coldstream. Observed gold grains in all samples were ultrafine. The bulk mineralogy shows high amounts of quartz and plagioclase in all samples, correlating to the high competency and hardness seen in the comminution results.

An independent review of the May 5, 2023, Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) for the Moss Gold Project recently completed by SRK Consulting Ltd. (SRK) confirms that the resource meets the CIM guidelines for the reporting of inferred mineral resources. Another independent review of project permitting paths by CSL Environmental & Geotechnical Ltd. (CSL) confirms that the permitting process is on-track for development with significant studies already completed and no major information or timeline hurdles expected.

Goldshore continues to take a proactive approach to community engagement. The company meets regularly with host indigenous communities and benefits greatly from feedback on all aspects of the PEA process.

The company has been approved to receive an Ontario Junior Exploration Program grant of CA$200,000. Over 8,000 ha of new mineral claims have been staked 15 to 25 km north of the Moss Gold Project.

According to the CEO of Goldshore, Brett Richards, "In the wake of this market turbulence, we continue to pursue our goals of establishing the economic viability of the Moss Gold Project, as well as increasing our footprint in the region in a responsible manner. We continue to see great potential for the Moss Gold Project to grow well beyond the scope of the PEA we are currently conducting, but we appreciate we need to establish the Project as an economically viable resource in its existing size, grade, and metallurgy. Initial indications are extremely encouraging, and we are looking forward to releasing the complete economic results in mid-Q4 2023."

In support of the project, Richards recently added to his position with a purchase of 1.256M shares in the market.

Gold Moving Back Toward Record Highs

Analysts have predicted that gold may be back up toward the record-breaking highs seen earlier in Spring. According to analyst Barry Dawes of Martin Place Securities, the market is expected to be "great for gold and all resource commodities."

According to Richard Mills of Ahead of the Herd, there are a number of factors driving up gold prices, including central bank buying and the gold-to-oil ratio. He reports a price target for gold between US$12,000 and US$15,000.

Mills concludes that the market will likely remain bullish on precious metals for the rest of the year, triggered by a pivot in the Federal Reserve's rate hikes.

A Gold Record

Goldshore has released very positive assay results and developed its flagship property, Moss Lake, which analysts find encouraging. According to a Velocity Trade Capital Report, the Moss Lake project is in an excellent region that has received international attention.

The report commented that "The region has the infrastructure to support a district scale mining camp (highway/road access, natural gas supply, power as well as the proximity of Thunder Bay, ON for labor, supplies)."

The report also highlighted the company's encouraging stock value: "The company trades at CA$3.11/oz Au Inferred of its Shear zone only and less than CA$2.00/oz Au for M&I, Inf. for its entire resource base - a deep discount to peer averages of CA$43/oz Au M&I, Inf."

Ownership and Share Structure

Management and insiders own 7.45% of the company. Brett Allan Richards owns 2.54% of the company with 4.39 million shares, Galen Stuart Mcnamara owns 2.36% with 4.09 million shares, Victor Cantore owns 1.13% with 1.96 million shares, Doug Ramshaw owns 0.90% with 1.57 million shares, and Shawn Khunkhun owns 0.52% with 0.90 million shares.

Institutions own 32.68% of the company. Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd. owns 22.20% with 38.42 million shares, Sprott Asset Management LP owns 7.93% with 13.72 million shares, Commodity Capital AG owns 1.65% with 2.85 million shares, US Global Investors, Inc. owns 0.58% with 1.00 million shares, and Ninepoint Partners LP owns 0.32% with 0.55 million shares.

Wesdome represents a strategic investor.

The company has CA$7 million in the bank, with a monthly burn rate of CA$1.2 million, and a monthly drill cost of CA$1.1 million.

The company reports no current potential negatives.

There are 173.02 million shares outstanding, with 120.77 million free float traded shares. It has a market cap of CA$16.76 million. It trades in the 52-week period between CA$0.12 and CA$0.36.

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August 15, 2023 (Investorideas.com Newswire) With its new Juanicipio processing plant in Mexico moving toward capacity and its production numbers surpassing expectations, MAG Silver Corp. is releasing its second-quarter earnings figures.

With its new Juanicipio processing plant in Mexico moving toward capacity and its production numbers surpassing expectations, MAG Silver Corp. (MAG:TSX; MAG:NYSE American) has released its second-quarter earnings figures.

The silver producer reported a net income of US$19.4 million, or US$0.19 per share, for the three months ending June 30, vs. US$7.6 million or US$0.08 per share for the same three months in 2022.

After the completion of the plant's startup phase, about 4.4 million ounces of silver (Moz Ag) were produced at the plant between March 2023 and the end of June. Production is expected to increase steadily through the third quarter until the plant reaches its design capacity of 4,000 tonnes per day (tpd).

"The ramp-up so far at Juanicipio has gone very well, and we expect strong positive FCF (free cash flow) generation now that the mine is in commercial production, with development capex winding down," wrote Cormark Securities analyst Nicolas Dion in an updated research note.

"Despite this, MAG is trading at the low end of its range," wrote Dion, who rated the stock a Buy with a US$24 per share target price. "We see having Fresnillo as the operator as a key advantage, and the transition to full-scale production in H2/23 could be a catalyst to drive the multiple higher. MAG is our pick for a quality silver name."

MAG said the plant has been operating at or above 85% of that design capacity, with silver recovery consistently above 88%. The average silver head grade for the quarter was 498 grams per tonne (g/t).

The company said a total of 377,018 tonnes of mineralized material was processed through the Juanicipio plant and two plants owned by Juanicipio joint operator Fresnillo Plc. during the second quarter, including 4,877,460 payable silver ounces, 9,537 payable gold ounces, 3,066 payable lead tonnes, and 4,582 payable zinc tonnes sold. MAG Silver receives 44% of the income.

"We expect Juanicipio to generate significant positive FCF starting in Q3/23, while MAG ramps up exploration at Larder and Deer Trail," Dion wrote of two of MAG's other projects, in Ontario and Utah, respectively.

The Catalyst: Mexico Plant Online

H.C. Wainwright & Co. analyst Heiko F. Ihle also maintained a Buy rating on the stock with a US$20.50 per share target price.

"Following the successful commissioning period of Juanicipio's processing facility, the operation continues to perform in line with expectations," Ihle wrote in a research note on Wednesday.

The firm's increased earnings were based on higher net revenues of US$134.8 million, which grew from US$55.2 million in Q2 2022, the analyst noted.

Analyst Don DeMarco with National Bank of Canada Financial Markets ascribed a "positive bias" to the results.

"We expect the JV (joint venture with Fresnillo) cash balance to follow higher in Q3/23, and production to remain supported over the coming quarters," he wrote in a note on Tuesday. "We are becoming more constructive on MAG as Juanicipio (transitions) to producer de-risked, and (looks) to details on costs, guidance, and an updated TR (total revenue) in coming quarters."

Analyst: 'One of the Better Options' for Silver Investors

MAG is mining the Bonanza zone of the Valdecanas vein system in the Zacatecas state of Mexico. A preliminary economic assessment (PEA) in 2017 estimated a 19-year mine life.

The company's focus is turning from construction to optimization at the plant, analyst Craig Hutchison of TD Securities wrote.

"With all major construction work now complete, the operation team is looking to improve and optimize the mine to achieve and potentially exceed design capacities," wrote Hutchison, who has rated MAG a Speculative Buy with a CA$24 per share target price. "Investments in Juanicipio should be largely done by mid-year, and we expect MAG to start receiving its share (44%) of dividends from 2024."

Analyst Brian MacArthur of Raymond James wrote that those dividends would make the stock even more attractive.

"We believe that MAG is one of the better options for investors looking for exposure to silver," MacArthur wrote, rating the stock Outperform with a target of CA$23 per share.

Mined Output Worldwide to Decline

Silver is the conductive element in nature and is used to coat electrical contacts in computers, phones, cars, and appliances. It's also an important element in solar technology.

The World Silver Survey 2023, published by the Silver Institute, said there was a 237.7 Moz deficit between supply and demand for the precious metal in 2022. This deficit is likely to be repeated in 2023, the institute said.

"Mined output over the longer term, four to five years out, is forecast to begin to decline," the report said. "This will be due to losses from grade decline and reserve depletion at existing operations exceeding the new production that is expected to come online from the current project pipeline."

Ownership and Share Structure

Institutions own 70% of MAG, and 30% is retail, according to the company.

Top institutional shareholders include Juanicipio project operator Fresnillo Plc. with 9.1%, BlackRock Asset Management at 9.9%, ETF Managers Group LLC at 5.3%, Sprott Asset Management at 5.1%, and First Eagle Investment Management at 5.6%, the company said.

MAG Silver has a market cap of CA$ 1.5 billion. It has 102.9 million shares outstanding, according to TSX Infosuite. It trades in a 52-week range of US$17.02 and US$10.475.

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August 15, 2023 (Investorideas.com Newswire) The grant that will help a partner of the company develop and complete pilot testing of a novel pyrrhotite bioleaching process for extracting the battery metals nickel and cobalt from tailings.

A partner of BacTech Environmental Corp. (BAC:CSE;BCCEF:OTCQB;OBT1:FRA) is receiving a grant that will help it develop and complete pilot testing of the company's novel pyrrhotite bioleaching process for extracting the battery metals nickel and cobalt from tailings.

MIRARCO Mining Innovation will receive CA$280,000 through the Mining Innovation Commercialization Accelerator (MICA) Network, which is focused on developing initiatives for commercializing mining technology and increasing productivity and sustainability in the sector.

Dr. Nadia Mykytczuk, a member of BacTech's advisory board and president and chief executive officer of MIRARCO, is leading the development and building of the plant.

"Focusing on 'Made in Canada' scientific solutions for waste mine management makes sense, and bioleaching is well positioned to complement modern mining practices and help extract critical minerals from waste," Mykytczuk said. "Partnerships with industry are important in accelerating the scale-up and commercialization of these types of technologies and the MICA grant will help deliver on these goals."

When the company first tested its bioleaching process for extracting elements from mine tailings, there wasn't much of a market for nickel or cobalt. But now the world is gearing up for the new green economy, and more of those metals are needed for batteries.

"The world has changed," BacTech Chief Executive Officer Ross Orr has said. "There are other ways of getting metal out of (tailings) that didn't exist 25 years ago."

The company also hopes to extract iron and sulfur from the tailings.

The Sudbury basin in Ontario has up to 100 million tonnes of pyrrhotite tailings from 90 years of mining, containing an average of 0.80% nickel and 0.03% cobalt, the company said.

The tailings used in the testing funded by the grant will be provided to MIRARCO by industry partner Vale S.A. (VALE:NYSE), BacTech said.

The Catalyst: Green Economy Means More Battery Metals

MIRARCO has received more than CA$1.6 million from Vale and the Ontario government to work on extracting nickel and cobalt from tailings.

Mykytczuk is leading the development and building of the bioleaching plant in Sudbury, which will be used to test various bioleaching processes like the pyrrhotite treatment.

Pyrrhotite, an iron sulfide mineral containing low levels of nickel, cobalt, and copper, has traditionally been discarded as waste by mining operations, leading to a large amount of it being stored in tailings ponds to keep it stable.

"They were dumping this stuff in lakes for the last 100 years to keep it underwater so that it wouldn't oxidize on its own," Orr said. "We're just assisting that process, and then ... trying to harvest the results of our labors."

BacTech's motto, "Our bugs eat rocks," describes bioleaching, which uses naturally occurring bacteria, harmless to humans and the environment, to extract precious and base metals from ores, concentrates, and tailings. Think of the rocks as a brick wall with sulfur mortar. The bacteria eat the sulfur, causing the wall to come crashing down.

The appetite for the metals is expanding as the need for batteries to store power for the coming green economy increases. The global nickel market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.3% from 2021 to 2028 to US$59.14 billion, Fortune Business Insights reported.

Ecuador Government to Respond to Complaint

Meanwhile, the company continues to wait out the situation in Ecuador, where it is building a bioleaching plant in that South American country.

The country's Constitutional Court temporarily suspended a presidential decree unlocking the environmental consultation process for many projects in the country, including the plant in Tenguel.

The company had received its construction permit and approval from the government for its environmental impact study on the site but has been working through the community consultation phase for the final environmental permit.

The court's decision came after a complaint filed by the indigenous group CONAIE, or the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, which participated in protests against a mining project involved in the same process environmental impact process. But as Orr has pointed out, BacTech is not a mining company.

The government had until Monday to respond to the complaint as the country continued to reel from the assassination last week of a presidential candidate.

"It, of course, is expected that they will sternly request a reversal of their ruling allowing projects (such as ours) to continue their respective interactions with local residents," Orr wrote Sunday in his weekly "Sunday Morning Coffee" email to supporters and shareholders. "I can say with great certainty that the people of Tenguel are looking forward to working with BacTech, and they don't deserve to have people, who don't even live anywhere near Tenguel, determine their collective fates."

Orr said he did not know how long it would take to get a verdict.

"This has been particularly frustrating for us as we had already completed two-thirds of the process and were within two weeks of obtaining the permit," Orr noted.

Chris Temple, editor of The National Investor, has written that "it's hard to conceive of any reason why the community would oppose this."

"It's a green company that's going to clean up toxic material around mines and be able to process troublesome ores," Temple said.

Technical Analyst Clive Maund of CliveMaund.com also rated BacTech an Immediate Buy in March.

Ownership and Share Structure

Nearly half of the company, 49%, is held by insiders, management, and strategic shareholders, the biggest of which is Option Three Advisory Services Ltd., which owns 8.42%, or 15.57 million shares, according to Reuters. That also includes CEO Orr, who owns 3.68% or 6.8 million shares, and Board Director Timothy Lewin, who owns 0.53% or 0.98 million shares.

The rest is retail.

The company has 185.36 million shares outstanding, including 159.12 million free floating. Its market cap is CA$12.19 million, and it trades in a 52-week range of CA$0.10 and CA$0.055.

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August 15, 2023 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Graduate students from two universities are helping this tellurium company map and sample at its flagship project in British Columbia.

A team of graduate students is helping First Tellurium Corp. (FTEL:CSE; FSTTF:OTCQB) conduct a property-wide mapping and sampling program at its flagship Deer Horn project in British Columbia.

Students from the University of British Columbia and the University of St. Andrews (Scotland) will work under the direction of First Tellurium consultant and Qualified Person Dr. Lee Groat.

"This is an extensive survey that will investigate a large amount of untested ground," First Tellurium President and Chief Executive Officer Tyrone Docherty said. "Previous exploration, both by FTEL and former property holders, was confined largely to the Deer Horn vein system, recent copper porphyry discoveries, and known showings of tungsten and molybdenum. We are also testing a significant amount of new ground that in the past was covered by glaciers."

The mapping and sampling program will be added to the exploration conducted by Deer Horn in 2012, which discovered several significant mineralized zones.

The company is conducting geophysics work at Deer Horn this summer to help develop targets for a drilling campaign.

Deer Horn is known to have the only positive preliminary economic assessment (PEA) for a tellurium (Te) project in North America and was named a world-class project by solar panel maker First Solar Inc. (FSLR:NYSE)

The company said it engaged Dias Geophysical of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, to conduct the induced polarization (IP) geophysical testing, which is following up on rock sampling, channel sampling, and prospecting done in 2022 that identified a possible 1.1-kilometer extension of a 2.4-kilometer gold-silver-tellurium vein system.

"There is obvious porphyry and abundant associated sulfide mineralization on surface at Deer Horn," Groat said. "The geophysical data from IP is needed to obtain subsurface information, such as the location of bodies of sulfide mineralization. This will help us direct the summer drill campaign and determine locations, directions, angles, and depths of drill holes."

The Catalyst: Lessening Reliance on Foreign Sources

Tellurium is one of the least common elements on Earth, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Most rocks contain an average of about three parts per billion, making them eight times less abundant than gold.

Its use as a semiconductor in solar photovoltaic (solar PV) panels has increased. It is also used in thermoelectric applications, lithium batteries, vulcanizing rubber, tinting glass, and manufacturing rewritable CDs and DVDs.

Both the U.S. and Canada are trying to reduce dependence on China for such critical metals. U.S. President Joe Biden has banned solar panels coming from a Chinese company that uses forced labor.

First Tellurium Chairman Tony Fogarassy attended OECD's 2023 Forum on Responsible Mineral Supply Chains in Paris as part of First Tellurium's outreach on critical minerals.

"We know there's a looming, massive shortage of critical minerals needed for batteries, electric vehicles, solar power - any technology related to climate change and carbon reduction," Fogarassy said. "Canada is seen as a prime future supplier of critical minerals due to its stable political and economic structure, and also its world-leading knowledge about exploration and mining."

Melting Glaciers Reveal More Ground

The soil sampling and mapping program is possible because a significant amount of ground is now open that was once covered in glaciers, First Tellurium said.

Deer Horn's PEA was calculated on 450 meters of the original 2.4-kilometer gold-silver-tellurium vein system.

The project "also contains significant showings of silver and copper, both essential green metals, along with the critical metals bismuth and tungsten," Docherty has said.

In addition, the company's Klondike Tellurium Project in Colorado is considered America's top tellurium exploration project and was previously owned by First Solar as a potential source of raw tellurium for its solar panels, Docherty said.

'A Huge 2023'

FTEL could "have a huge 2023" with support for tellurium mining by the United States, wrote asset manager Chen Lin, author of the What's Chen Buying? What's Chen Selling? newsletter, who has made the stock a quarterly pick several times in the last year.

The U.S. military is providing US$250 million for critical metals projects, including tellurium, and Canada's federal 2023 budget earmarked CA$1.5 billion for a critical minerals infrastructure fund.

"There's a very decent chance tellurium will breakout this year because First Solar is using 60% to 70% of worldwide production to make a solar panel," Chen wrote. "Their production has grown rapidly." [OWNERSHIP_CHART-10739]

First Solar plans to double its solar panel manufacturing capacity and spend US$1.36 billion to lessen China's dominance of the market, according to S&P Global.

Ownership and Share Structure

According to the company, 11% of First Tellurium is owned by management and insiders.

Docherty owns 10.6% or 7.7 million shares, Director Josef Anthony Steve Fogarassy has 1.38% or 1 million shares, and Director Lyle Allen Schwabe has 0.73% or 0.53 million shares. There are no institutional investors, and the rest is retail.

The company has a market cap of CA$9.4 million, with about 73 million shares outstanding and 63.4 million free-floating. It trades in a 52-week range of CA$0.25 and CA$0.085.

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Coming under the hammer on Wednesday, September 13, at 3pm in Lawlors Hotel Naas is a 63-acre piece of prime agricultural land in Meath.

The farm is in the townland of Painstown, 2km from the village of Kill and convenient to Sallins, Straffan, Naas and Newcastle. Dublin is only half an hour away and access to the M7 is just a two-minute drive, making the location of this quality holding as good as you can get.
Barack Obama, Jason Momoa and Bella Hadid are among the famous faces urging members of the public to donate aid to those affected by the ongoing wildfires in Hawaii.

The former US president said efforts needed to be stepped up and that thoughts and prayers in a moment like this are not enough.

On Monday authorities said the death toll from the wildfires stands at 96, making it the deadliest in the US for more than a century.

Over the weekend US TV show host Oprah Winfrey visited an emergency shelter on the fire-ravaged island of Maui to highlight the plight of evacuees.

It will take all of us coming together and doing what we can to help those in need in Maui and Lahaina right now. I hope youll join me in donating to the Hawai'i Red Cross today: https://t.co/CPtVJ8fGSq pic.twitter.com/yvIDCG15MP  Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 15, 2023

Winfrey, who is also a part-time Maui resident, said her biggest concern was having the organisation thats needed to get the money that people want to send directly to the people.

In a video posted online, Obama said: We now find ourselves mourning the lives that are lost in our thoughts and prayers to the families that have lost so much.

The thing about it is though, thoughts and prayers in the moment like this are not enough. We have to step up and we have to help those families and we have to help (them) rebuild.

He posted links to the Hawaiian Red Cross and urged people to donate to the charity.

Aquaman star Momoa, who is a native Hawaiian, shared details for several charity music events to support the people of the affected islands.

In times of great need, Hawaii bands together to help one another, and this time is no different, he wrote.

Let the power of music unite us and bring relief to Mauis affected communities. Together, we can make a positive impact.

Momoa has been resharing resources to social media over the past week to inform his followers about the devastation on the island, and recently warned holidaymakers not to travel to Maui in the wake of the devastation.

Alongside a video shared on his Instagram which showed the raging fire, the actor wrote: Maui is not the place to have your vacation right now.

Do not travel to Maui. Do not convince yourself that your presence is needed on an island that is suffering this deeply.

Sharing a list of places to donate, US model Hadid urged people to come together and help in any way we can.

My heart breaks for the magical Island of Hawaii & people of Maui who were impacted by the devastating wildfires last week, she wrote.

This land needs to be protected and loved, let us come together and help in any way we can to rebuild.

I am thinking of the families who have lost loved ones, and are mourning the loss of their beautiful home.
Tanaiste Micheal Martin has said Ireland will co-operate fully with a UK inquiry into the Omagh bombing, which he described as one of the most brutal atrocities ever witnessed on this island.

In a statement marking the 25th anniversary of the bombing, Mr Martin said: We will never forget the 29 people who lost their lives, those who were injured, and the families whose suffering continues today.

My thoughts are first and foremost with all those impacted by this attack, carried out with disregard for democracy, and for people.

I have been honoured to meet with, and listen to, the families of the Omagh bomb victims over many years, most recently in June. Their search for the full truth of what happened has not been an easy or swift process.

We must keep working relentlessly on peace, dialogue and rebuilding trust

The Omagh bomb atrocity showed the appalling impact of violence on communities. The campaign of violence in Northern Ireland was never justified. We must keep working relentlessly on peace, dialogue and rebuilding trust.

Earlier this year, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris announced that an independent statutory inquiry will be carried out into the atrocity.

Draft terms of reference have been shared with the Irish government but Mr Martin said it is his understanding the chair of the inquiry, Mr Turnbull, intends to seek the views of those most affected by the bombing before they are published.

Mr Martin, who is also Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence, added: Officials stand ready to engage with members of the UKs inquiry team as soon as they are appointed.

When we have further clarity on the nature of the UK inquiry, I will then consider, along with the Minister for Justice (Helen McEntee) and my Cabinet colleagues, the next steps in this jurisdiction.

As has been done in relation to a number of historical inquiries, this State will co-operate fully.

Justice for the victims and the families impacted by this atrocity will be at the heart of any action that the Government takes.
Consumers must change their attitudes towards fruit and vegetables deemed 'ugly' or 'wonky' amid fears that there will be a shortage of carrots, parsnips, cauliflower and broccoli in the coming months.

Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue has been urged to set up a Food Forum to tackle food waste and address concerns of producers and consumers.

Calling for the immediate establishment of a Food Forum, senator Tim Lombard said vegetables are the most commonly wasted food type in supermarkets, accounting for a massive 20% of waste, followed by fruit at 16%.

On top of this, he pointed out that up to 30% of fruit and vegetables never make it to the supermarket shelves simply because items look imperfect and said this is no longer sustainable.

The Fine Gael senator said that food producers in Ireland are obliged to grow more food to counter the amount that will be discarded and is calling for the establishment of a Food Forum to tackle food waste.

With the number of growers reducing, this puts pressure on the less than 200 horticulture growers in Ireland to supply beyond what is needed, as this inevitable waste must be factored into production plans.

A rising lofty attitude to imperfect looking vegetables and fruit has led to excessive and needless waste of produce that is perfectly nutritional.

Earlier this year we saw a nationwide shortage of certain Irish-grown vegetables, such as peppers. We also know that there may be difficulties later in the year with carrots, parsnips, cauliflower, broccoli, sprouts and cabbages. This should be the catalyst to change our approach to vegetables and fruit that are deemed ugly or wonky," said Mr Lombard.

He said Mr McConalogue now needs to bring together all stakeholders to discuss food waste, security, pricing and attitudes of retailers and consumers.

"Value can be achieved by both the producer and consumer by operating a more sustainable food chain from farm to fork in a way that is beneficial in the long term for all  but we need some innovation around how this produce is marketed.
Rose of Tralee supporters are seeing red after several of their large roadside good luck signs for the Cork Rose were removed from her hometown for alleged breaches of postering rules.

Cork City Council said it removed up to six large signs, which had been erected for Kate Shaughnessy, 25, in and around the Ballincollig area of the city in recent days, from several roadside locations because they had been erected without permission as required under its postering protocol.

The council also said the placement of some of the signs posed a potential risk to road safety because they had been placed in areas where they could distract motorists.

The councils postering protocol sets outs the terms and conditions which must be met before the council may grant permission for the erection of posters or signs on council property as provided for in the Litter Pollution Acts 1997 to 2009.

The council has the power to remove without notice any poster or notice that has been erected without permission, is not fixed securely to a post or pole, or which may have fallen.

Cork City Council said it removed up to six large signs, which had been erected for Kate Shaughnessy, 25, in and around the Ballincollig area of the city in recent days

The protocol also warns the council can also issue proceedings under the Litter Pollution Acts 1997 to 2009 for certain breaches of the postering protocol.

Ahead of next weeks International Rose of Tralee festival, several local groups and businesses in Cork Rose Kate Shaughnessys hometown of Ballincollig erected signs and posters to wish her well.

Ballincollig Business Association arranged for the installation of most of the large roadside signs.

BBA chairperson Emer Cassidy said everyone involved was so proud and thrilled to support Kate, who lives in Ovens, who was the 2018 Belle of Ballincollig, who attended school in the town, and who works as a care coordinator in Norwood Grange nursing home in nearby Waterfall.

It was a lovely celebration for Ballincollig. There was a real feel-good factor in the town, and it was so upsetting to see the signs had been removed, she said.

We were just not aware that we had to seek permission. We have erected large signs for the St Patricks Day Parade before and never had an issue.

She also said the signs were carefully placed away from roadsides, footpaths and cycle paths to ensure public safety, and that all the signs were installed securely with large wooden posts and secured with cable ties.

But in a statement, the council confirmed staff from its roads operations section removed five or six of these large signs in the area last Thursday and Friday.

They were erected without authorisation and placed at roundabouts and junctions which is distracting for motorists, a spokesperson said.

They have been stored at the depot in Innishmore and can be collected by the relevant groups and re-erected at locations authorised by the Ballincollig Area Office.

This year's Cork Rose, Ballincollig woman Kate Shaughnessy with the Lord Mayor of Cork, Councillor Kieran McCarthy.

Heather Mulcahy, the co-lead of the Cork Rose Centre, said safety was a priority and they would not support a breach in policy.

However, the support that Kate and the Cork Rose centre has received across Cork City and county, especially in her local community in Ballincollig, has been phenomenal," she said.

It demonstrates exactly what the Rose of Tralee Festival is all about, which is to bring local communities together and celebrate each other's achievements"

Local Fianna Fail councillor and former Lord Mayor, Colm Kelleher called for common sense to prevail in this case.

It is unfortunate that the signs had to come down but in fairness to the council, they have said that they will give them back but those involved need to get permission first, he said.

It is hoped arrangements will be made in the coming days for the return and reinstatement of the signs with council permission at agreed locations.
Irishman Peter ORiordan has issued a direct appeal to billionaire Elon Musk for help with the emergency response to the Hawaii wildfires disaster, describing the aftermath as if someone dropped a bomb that obliterated everything to dust.

Mr ORiordan, the former Xpose TV presenter from Cork, who has been running the Sea Maui boat tour company on the Hawaiian island of Maui for several years, lost his home and all his possessions in last weeks devastating wildfires.

The fires tore through and consumed the historic town of Lahaina, west Maui, killing at least 100, with up to 1,300 still missing.

Peter O'Riordan. Picture: Twitter

His two children, and their mother, escaped uninjured.

But he fears the death toll could reach 1,000, with many of the victims expected to be children.

Mr ORiordan and his team have been helping with the emergency response since he returned to the island from Chicago last Thursday, using his companys catamarans to ferry people to safety, and to transport emergency supplies up and down the coast.

But with poor communications hampering aid efforts, he took to Musk's social media platform, X (formerly known as Twitter), to plead directly with him for help.

Communication is key, he said, urging Musk to make his Starlink satellite hotspots available to aid workers.

Fire damage in Lahaina. Picture: Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Give us access to the satellites. We need communication with the people that are still stuck on the west side, and with the volunteers.

It is vitally important. Get it together. You are a billionaire. Send the help we need. You have the means, we need the resources.

He described the catastrophic scenes of absolute devastation and destruction he encountered after he landed on Hawaii in the wake of last weeks fires, telling Morning Ireland that his team had been working on the emergency response since day one.

We have a catamaran company. So the boats were being utilised for rescuing people, for bringing supplies in. And I was bringing people in and out that evening," he said.

The next day we loaded up supplies and we headed into Lahaina.

What we saw was just absolute devastation and destruction, that is absolutely unimaginable.

It was as if somebody literally dropped a bomb in the west side of Maui and everything had been absolutely obliterated. I'm talking dust, cars, buildings.

You know, there's things I don't really want to talk about. But, you know, death, destruction everywhere.

Everything is dust, as property and metals are melting at that rate, you can only imagine, you know, what flesh and bone is reacting.

He said he is very fortunate not to have lost any loved ones in the fires and that he and others are now doing what they can to help their community.

The death toll is around 100. There are still over a thousand people that are missing and not accounted for, he said.

And I don't want to say this, but I fear that those are fatalities and more.

The Ganer family look through the ashes of their family's home on Malolo Place in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii. Picture: Patrick T Fallon/AFP

And the most devastating thing to think about is I'm assuming a huge majority of these fatalities are going to be children.

The schools were closed because of the hurricane on the day that this happened so children were at home with their grandparents or at home alone.

Their parents were working. They were indoors, air-con on, watching TV. You know, our siren system failed us. So these people had no warning whatsoever that this was coming. It happened so quickly that they were absolutely destroyed in their houses.

These kids didn't even know it was coming. And before it was too late, people were just vaporised.

And he said while Lahaina has been decimated, large parts of Maui, remain untouched and the island nation remains dependent on tourist money.

We need income. So its such a fine line to straddle because, you know, in one sense, we need tourists to come here to matriculate money through this economy, he said.

Or my biggest fear is, in addition to this disaster, we are going to be spun into economic turmoil and an economic downturn coupled with this disaster that will seriously affect this island for many, many years to come.
A 1.5km stretch of pollution in one of the tributaries of the River Lee in Cork is being investigated by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI).

IFI Inspectors have confirmed the pollution led to a long section of the Glashaboy River suffering from a blue-grey discoloration.

They said no fish fatalities have been recorded and that inspectors do not yet know the source or cause of the pollution.

An IFI spokesperson said: The IFI is investigating a water pollution incident which took place on Monday in Glanmire, Co Cork.

The organisation said that it was first alerted to the incident by multiple calls to its hotline number.

One of the members of the public who raised the alarm was James Dunlea Carsales Glanmire boss, James Dunlea.

I spotted it around 8.30am on Monday," he said.

The river was a sort of fluorescent green.

There was no smell and you see small fish coming up for air and gasping.

At one point, there were about 50 crows and seagulls all picking off the fish, who appeared to be dying.

"It cleared up around 11.30am but then the tide came on and the pollutant, whatever it was, returned."

He added: "Inland Fisheries Ireland were brilliant. Of all the people who were called, they were out there very quickly.

"I know they are saying there have been no fish fatalities but there must have been."

The IFI spokesperson said: Staff were on the scene after the reports came in.

"The incident occurred on the tidal section of the Glashaboy River downstream from the bridge in Glanmire.

The freshwater part of the Glashaboy River upstream was not impacted by the pollution."

They added: IFI staff have taken water samples for analysis.

Inland Fisheries Ireland is not in a position to confirm the specific cause of the pollution incident at this early stage, but our investigations are continuing.

Inland Fisheries Ireland would like to thank the members of the public who made contact about the incident.
I wanted to start by saying you made me do it, David, because its the politer thing to say.

But I realised that you, dear reader, mightnt immediately twig who Im talking to, because hes not someone whos in my reckoning that much.

Ive nothing against him, of course, and Ive always found him polite and civilised in arguments. But I cant think of a single thing weve ever agreed about.

David Quinn, that is. Director of The Iona Institute, defender of the faith, and public arbiter of all things moral and decent.

And Catholic, dont forget Catholic.

But he did force me into it. He forced me to go and see Barbie .

Barbie wasnt on my bucket list, not one of the movies Id be most attracted to.

Oppenheimer, yes definitely  one of those movies that are enthralling in themselves and force you to go straight home and start reading, so you can figure out the relationships and motivations you didnt fully get as you were sucked into the story. Barbie, not so much Im afraid.

Director of the Iona Institute David Quinn.

But then I read a piece by David in another newspaper after he had been apparently asked by his boss to go and see the film.

He seemed wounded, hurt almost, by the experience. You can tell from the headline on his piece that this was, in his view, a dangerous nights work.

Are you a man? Well youre either a lecherous creep or emasculated eye candy according to the sexist, bleak movie that is Barbie.

That was the headline (and he used the same language in the piece).

And to make matters worse, he was surrounded in the cinema by hordes of young women.

By his account, the oldest of them was born in 1997, which would make her 26, and the youngest in 2012, so about 11.

Gen Z women, he called them (women and girls?).

Distressing experience

It does sound like a really distressing experience for him. (I wonder what all those young women thought of the oul fella in their midst, ageing by the minute as the brutal sexist awfulness of Barbie unfolded?)

I admit that when I read Davids piece my heart went out to him. But then I did a bit more reading and discovered that thankfully, he wasnt alone.

No less a figure than the American senator Ted Cruz has attacked the movie, although on a slightly different basis  he apparently believes that in addition to emasculating men, the movie also supports Chinas political claim to a contested portion of the South China Sea!

But all across the American right, Barbie has been found guilty of the ultimate crime, the crime for which there can be no redemption. Its woke.

Theres something called a Christian movie review site (MovieGuide is its name) that according to CNN warns parents against taking their daughters to the movie. I was so intrigued that I went to the site, where indeed Barbie merits a special section all to itself.

The summary of a very long review, to be fair, says that although Barbie contains some abhorrent, objectionable content, MovieGuide rates it as "excessive and unacceptable, not totally evil.

Other American commentators arent putting up with that sort of milk-and-water language.

Charlie Kirk (you can look him up yourself) devoted his radio show to calling the movie trans propaganda and the most disgusting thing Ive ever seen.

Another one, Ben Shapiro, actually burned a Barbie doll in effigy  the smell must have been horrific.

There was only one thing for it. I was going to have to go see this movie myself, to figure out what the fuss was. My missus and one of our closest friends came along to protect me from the Gen-Z crowd, whatever that is. If you want to apply demographic slang to us, were baby boomers.

That is to say, were of a certain age, it takes us longer to get in and out of our chairs, and we prefer ice cream to popcorn (its a denture thing in my case).

Before the lights went down, and we had to brace ourselves for the movie, I checked.

The cinema was full  men in the minority for sure, but not that much. All ages were represented. So we settled into our seats and let the horror begin.

And when it was over, and I had stopped chuckling, and we had all remarked at how beautifully made it all was, I had only one thought in my head.

I dont have David Quinns phone number, but if it was handy at the time, Id have texted him to say just one thing. Heavens above David, but youre sad.

I dont know how you missed it David but Barbie is a brilliantly entertaining satire. It turns stereotypes on their heads and makes us smile at how absurd they are.

It pokes fun  lots of fun, and yes, serious fun  at corporatism and old-fashioned role models. It reverses those roles, but to make a serious point.

If youll forgive a couple of woke cliches, David, its empowering and inclusive. It makes a villain out of no one, but would, I suspect, be genuinely inspiring to a lot of girls and younger women  and boys too, Id hope.

In fact, every young person I know who has seen it has loved it.

Yes, the women are beautiful, sparky, bright, and sometimes insecure. They want to be themselves and they object to being treated as second best.

The men are all handsome, full of themselves, and a bit dim.

The women have lived full and independent lives, but the men want them back in their place so that they (the men) can be cock of the walk.

Emasculation

One of the phrases that occurs over and over again in the, lets say, conservative criticism of Barbie is the reference to all the men being emasculated.

Thats a fascinating word. My much-valued dictionary, the 8th edition of the Concise Oxford, carries this definition on page 380  deprived of force or vigour, made feeble or ineffective.

And then a second definition. Castrated. Of course. I get it now. Or at least its starting to get a bit clearer.

If women get ideas above their station  they want to be a judge or an astronaut and dont want to be ruled by men  that doesnt just mean they want equality.

It must mean they pose an existential threat to men  the kind of threat that could even lead to valuable bits being cut off.

No wonder then that its necessary to be frightened of a funny movie with lots of pink outfits.
Violent crime in Dublin

It does not seem much of a leap to consider if a plan similar to Operation Saul  a successful garda strategy to crack down on antisocial behaviour, public order incidents, and other criminal activity on Dublins public transport  might help protect the streets of the capital and the people on them.

Overt and covert policing on buses and on Luas, Dart, and other train services saw some 3,029 incidents being recorded on the Pulse system in the period to the end of June, but just 49 criminal charges being brought. Some 2,954 of the reported incidents were deemed non-crime.

Seventy-five incidents were classified as crimes under active investigation or have resulted in the people accused being brought forward to face charges in criminal courts.

There was a total of 49 cases in which charges or summonses were issued during the first six months of this year, compared with 65 for the same period last year.

Those figures indicate that the policing strategy adopted to stop criminal or antisocial behaviour on rail services is succeeding and that a co-operative venture between gardai and transport stakeholders is reducing offence numbers.

Were a similar hands-on approach made by the gardai, publicans, retailers, and the public at large in reaction to the spate of attacks on tourists on Dublins streets, it might well be that those emboldened enough to carry out such vile crimes might be deterred.

Certainly the gardai are to be commended for the pace at which perpetrators are being brought before the courts as a result of attacks on visitors to the city.

With the certainty that they will be swiftly and harshly dealt with, perpetrators and potential perpetrators might have second thoughts about committing these crimes in the first place.

We know that vigilance and preparedness are vital tools in preventing crime, so why not bring to the streets a model which has seen success on the public transport network?

Read More Cormac O'Keeffe: Invest in frontline to help tackle street violence

Africa's solutions Major unrest across West Africa in recent weeks has seen a coup detat in Niger as well as the breakout of fighting among rival factions in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso. In times past, the policing of such matters more often than not fell to those former colonists who previously ruled the territories, but now  and not before time  it appears that African nations are pulling together to try and strengthen democracies across the continent. Nigeria's president Bola Ahmed Tinubu, left, greeting Sierra Leone's president Julius Maada Bio before last Thursday's Ecowas meeting in Abuja, Nigeria. Picture: Gbemiga Olamikan/AP It may be a source of unease to western powers and former colonists that there is a so-called coup belt across the Sahel region which bisects north and sub-Saharan African; it is also a concern that the Russian Wagner group seems prevalent across the region. For many, however, the spate of coups across the Saheel are more indicative of economic and demographic trends. There is an emerging and growing realisation among regional organisations and heads of state that democracy must be promoted across Africa and that coups and internecine conflict can no longer be accepted as the norm, as contagion is disruptive to everyones ambitions for the continent. The realisation across Africa appears now to be that former colonists such as Britain and France, as well as modern influences such as Washington and Moscow, only pursue narrow self-interests and that future stability will not be forged in the Pentagon or the Kremlin. Bullish and thuggish threats to individual countries from within will be met, as was the case in Niger, by a warning of military action from Ecowas, the Economic Community of West African States. It is a sign of a growing confidence on the continent that it can police its own turf, on its own terms and by its own agreed mechanisms.

Newspaper raid

Aggressive police actions against independent news organisations are commonplace in countries with authoritarian regimes, but seem incongruous when it comes to a smalltown newspaper in the heart of Americas Great Plains.

Last week, the local police in the small city of Marion in Kansas raided the offices of the local newspaper, the Marion County Record, a family-owned paper with a weekly circulation of about 4,000, and seized computers, servers, and

mobile phones belonging to editors and reporters.

American news agencies and newspapers co-wrote a letter of protest after the police raided the 'Marion County Record' in Kansas and seized computers and phones. File picture

Amid an outcry about press freedoms  enshrined in the First Amendment of the US constitution  the Marion police department also raided the homes of the papers 98-year-old owner (who later died because she was stressed beyond her limits) and its semi-retired editor.

Subsequently, US media organisations, including Reuters, the Associated Press, The Washington Post, and The New York Times, penned an open letter to the police which said there appeared to be no justification for the breadth and intrusiveness of the search. This was followed by the Kansas Press Association, which said the raid was an assault on the very foundation of democracy, and the National Newspaper Association, which described the police actions as unthinkable in an America that respects press freedoms.

Read More Concerns raised amid watchdog probe into police access of journalists phone

The police action stemmed from a complaint by a local businesswoman who had been convicted of drink driving and was alleged to have been driving without a licence, who maintained the paper had illegally obtained and disseminated sensitive documents. In truth, a dispute between the woman and her estranged husband in divorce proceedings may have caused the whole furore.

Police raids on news organisations are almost unheard of in the US, and illegal under most circumstances. That the Marion County Record had also been investigating the citys police chief after it received information that he left his previous job to avoid repercussions from alleged sexual misconduct charges is curious.

It seems official overreach and the attempted silencing of journalistic investigative work are at play here, but the repercussions will reverberate far beyond the Great Plains.
Flights serving the eastern Sicilian city of Catania were halted on Monday after an eruption from nearby Mount Etna, local authorities said, bringing fresh travel woe to the crisis-plagued Italian airport.

The 3,330m (10,925 ft) high volcano burst into action overnight, firing lava and ash high over the Mediterranean island. The lava flow subsided before dawn, but ash was still coming from one of the craters.
Russian forces have unleashed a barrage of missiles on regions across Ukraine in the early hours of Tuesday morning, killing residents and damaging civilian infrastructure.

The attacks came just hours before top Russian military officials and their counterparts from Asia, the Middle East and Africa gathered outside Moscow for a security conference, where the fighting in Ukraine is likely to dominate the agenda.

Moscows war in Ukraine is nearing the 18-month mark.

The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia fired a total of 28 cruise missiles at the country. Sixteen of them were intercepted.

Deliberate large-scale attacks on civilians. Solely for the sake of killing and psychological pressure, presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted.

4:00 am. Russian cruise and ballistic missiles attack residential buildings and industrial enterprises in Lviv, Lutsk, and Dnipro. Deliberate large-scale attacks on civilians. Solely for the sake of killing and psychological pressure. This is an undeniable manifestation of the pic.twitter.com/B9EH7ZmmNZ    (@Podolyak_M) August 15, 2023

Mr Podolyak added that the barrage was an undeniable manifestation of Russias terrorist activity, legally documented by numerous destructions and victims.

In the western region of Lviv, on the border with Poland, residential buildings and other civilian structures were damaged by missile debris, local officials said. Ten people were wounded in two villages outside the city of Lviv.

In the nearby region of Volyn, three people were killed by a Russian missile strike and three others were injured, according to Oleksii Kuleba, deputy head of Ukraines presidential office.

In the south-eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, two people were injured in the regions capital.

Parts of the city of Smila in the central Cherkasy region were left without access to water after the Russian strikes. The attack damaged a medical facility, as well as water and heat supply networks.

In one of the villages in the front-line Zaporizhzhia region, a missile struck a stadium at a school, damaging the building as well as residential houses and a kindergarten.

Russian forces also hit a grocery warehouse in Kramatorsk, a city in the front-line Donetsk region in the east, killing one person and wounding another.

The countrywide barrage came a day after Russian forces unleashed a wave of missile and drone strikes on the non-frontline region of Odesa, in the countrys south west.

The Kremlins forces have recently pummelled Odesa, hitting facilities that transport Ukraines crucial grain exports and also wrecking cherished Ukrainian historical sites.

Church workers inspect damage inside the Odesa Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa (Jae C. Hong/AP)

The repeated attacks on Odesa follow Moscows decision to break off a landmark agreement that had allowed grain to flow from Ukraine to countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia and help reduce the threat of hunger.

In Russia on Tuesday, top Russian military officials and their counterparts from Belarus, China, India, Middle Eastern and African nations gathered outside Moscow for a security conference.

Addressing the conference in a pre-recorded video statement, Russian President Vladimir Putin has once again accused the West of fuelling the conflict by pumping billions of dollars into Kyiv and supplying it with equipment, weapons, ammunition, sending their military advisers and mercenaries.

Everything is being done to ignite the conflict even more, to draw other states into it, Mr Putin said.

Russias defence minister Sergei Shoigu sought to downplay the significance of the Western support for Ukraine, saying in turn that despite all that support, Kyivs forces fail to achieve results on the battlefield.
The unprecedented violence shaking Ecuador claimed the life of another political leader Monday, bringing the number of politics-related slayings within the last four weeks to three, including that of a presidential candidate.

The fatal shooting of Pedro Briones, a local leader of Revolucion Ciudadana, the party of former President Rafael Correa, was confirmed by Luisa Gonzalez, the frontrunner in Sundays special presidential election and member of the same party.

The shooting happened in the northern province of Esmeraldas. Details were not immediately available.

Ecuador is experiencing its bloodiest era, Gonzalez tweeted. A heartfelt hug to the family of colleague Pedro Briones, fallen by the hands of violence.

Police escort the coffin carrying the remains of Fernando Villavicencio For his burial in Quito, Ecuador on Friday. Picture: AP

The killing of Briones, who was a political leader in a rural area of San Mateo de Esmeraldas, came less than a week after the South American country was rocked by the assassination in broad daylight of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, who had a famously tough stance on organized crime and corruption. Villavicencio was killed at the end of a political rally in Quito, the capital, despite having a security detail that included police and bodyguards.

Their slayings followed the July 26 fatal shooting of the mayor of Manta, Ecuadors third largest city. Agustin Intriago, 38, had recently been re-elected to a term that began in May.

Thousands of people have been killed over the past three years in Ecuador as the country has transformed into a major drug trafficking hub and cartel-aided local gangs battle for control of the streets, prisons and drug routes. Crime and violence have dominated the discussions around Sundays election.

Relatives surround the coffin of Fernando Villavicencio before his burial. Picture: AP

In an interview with The Associated Press, Gonzalez said she revamped her security detail following Villavicencios killing but continued to refuse to wear a bulletproof vest, arguing that she is a Christian woman.

I have faith in God; he is the one who takes care of us, she said.

Should she become president, she said she plans to take a tough stance on crime, cleaning up police forces, increasing control along the countrys borders, and investing in equipment for law enforcement.

Gonzalez criticized the government of President Guillermo Lasso for lacking control inside detention facilities, which she said prisoners and organized crime have turned into their productive and recreational centers.

At least 400 inmates have died since 2021 during various riots.

On Saturday, authorities moved the leader of one of the countrys most powerful gangs, Los Choneros, into a maximum-security prison. Villavicencio had accused the group and its leader, Adolfo Macias, alias Fito, whom he linked to Mexicos Sinaloa cartel, of threatening him and his campaign team days before the assassination.

The gang boss was moved out of a jail with lighter security into a maximum-security prison in the same large complex of detention facilities in the port city of Guayaquil. The transfer occurred after about 4,000 soldiers and police officers raided the jail where Macias was being held and seized weapons, ammunition and explosives.

In response, jail inmates on Monday protested and hung signs demanding Macias be transferred back.

We want peace return Fito, read one of the signs visible from the road outside the complex, which dozens of police officers and members of the armed forces guarded after supporters of Macias arrived on motorcycles to protest his relocation.

Authorities have not disclosed a motive for Villavicencios killing. An Ecuadorian judge on Friday ordered preventive detention for six Colombian men described by authorities as being suspected of involvement in the slaying. The FBI is assisting in the investigation.

Authorities did not immediately release details of Briones slaying.

The countrys National Police tallied 3,568 violent deaths in the first six months of this year, far more than the 2,042 reported during the same period in 2022. That year ended with 4,600 violent deaths, the countrys highest in history and double the total in 2021.
An elderly couple who printed the wrong boarding passes for a Ryanair flight said they were horrified after being hit by the airlines 110 (128) fee.

Ruth and Peter Jaffe, from Ealing, west London, had mistakenly printed their return boarding passes instead of the ones for their outbound flight to Bergerac, France.

This meant they were charged for having their tickets printed at Stansted airport, Essex on Friday.

Ryanair said the couple failed to check in online and were correctly charged.

Mrs Jaffe, 79, told BBCs Radio 4 Today programme the airlines website is very confusing and she believed she had printed the correct tickets.

She said: We arrived at Stansted two hours before the flight and found that I had not got the outward boarding card, Id only got the return one.

I was then told that wed have to go to the Ryanair desk to get a boarding card, and there they charged me 55 (68) per person.

(I was) horrified.

Mr Jaffe, 80, said the couple felt they didnt have much choice but to pay the fee as people were expecting us at the other end.

He added that Ryanairs strategy seems to be screw whatever you can out of the passengers.

The couples daughter posted an angry message to Ryanair on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The woman, who did not give her name, wrote that her parents were charged 110 (128) for two pieces of paper which took one minute.

She added: Shame on you.

Ryanair said in a statement: All passengers travelling with Ryanair agree to check in online before arriving at their departure airport and all passengers are sent an email/SMS, reminding them to do so 24hrs before departure.

We regret that these passengers ignored their email reminder and failed to check in online.
Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira has pleaded not guilty to scheming with Donald Trump to try to delete security footage sought by investigators probing the former presidents hoarding of classified documents.

A lawyer for Mr De Oliveira entered the plea on his behalf during a brief hearing in the Fort Pierce, Florida, federal court, where Mr Trump is charged with illegally holding onto top secret records at his Palm Beach club and thwarting government efforts to retrieve them.

It is the third court appearance for Mr De Oliveira, who twice before had his arraignment postponed because he had not yet finalised a Florida-based lawyer, which is required under court rules.

Mr De Oliveira spoke only to answer the magistrate judges questions, such as whether he understood the charges against him. Mr De Oliveira and his new lawyer, Donnie Murrell of West Palm Beach, walked out of the courthouse without speaking to reporters.

Former president Donald Trump (Alex Brandon/AP)

Mr De Oliveiras arraignment comes a day after Mr Trump was charged in a fourth criminal case. On Monday night, Mr Trump and 18 allies were indicted in a case out of Fulton County, Georgia, over alleged efforts by him and his supporters to illegally meddle in the 2020 election in that state.

In the Mar-a-Lago case, Mr Trump and his valet, Walt Nauta, were originally charged in June in one of two cases brought by special counsel Jack Smith.

Mr Smith has also charged the Republican in Washington with illegally conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

An updated indicted unsealed late last month brought more charges against Mr Trump and Mr Nauta, and added Mr De Oliveira to the Florida case.

Mr Trump is facing dozens of felony counts in the classified documents case, and Mr Smiths new indictment included additional counts of obstruction and wilful retention of national defence information.

Mr Trump and Mr Nauta have also pleaded not guilty. The former president has denied any wrongdoing.

Mr De Oliveira, Mr Trump and Mr Nauta are facing charges that include conspiracy to obstruct justice in the case stemming from secret government documents found at Mar-a-Lago after Mr Trumps presidency ended in 2021.

Mr De Oliveira is also charged with lying to investigators. Prosecutors allege he falsely claimed he had not even seen boxes moved into Mar-a-Lago after Mr Trump left the White House.

Former president Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago estate (Steve Helber/AP)

The trial is scheduled to begin in May in front of US District Judge Aileen Cannon. If the date holds, it would follow close on the heels of a separate New York trial for Mr Trump on dozens of state charges of falsifying business records in connection with an alleged hush money payment to a porn actor.

The allegations in the latest indictment focus on security footage prosecutors say Mr Trump tried to have deleted after investigators sent a subpoena for it in June 2022. Prosecutors have not alleged the footage was actually deleted.

Prosecutors say Mr De Oliveira asked an information technology staffer how long the server retained footage and told the employee the boss wanted it deleted.

When the employee said he did not believe he was able to do that, Mr De Oliveira insisted the boss wanted it done, asking: What are we going to do?

Video from Mar-a-Lago could ultimately become vital to the governments case because, prosecutors said, it shows Mr Nauta moving boxes in and out of a storage room  an act alleged to have been done at Mr Trumps direction and in effort to hide records not only only from investigators but also from Mr Trumps own lawyers.
An airline operated by a junta crony is set to launch direct flights between Myanmar and Russias third largest city next month.

Myanmar Airways International (MIA) will fly from Yangon and Mandalay to Russias Novosibirskthe third largest city in Russia and a major producer of nuclear energy and technology every Tuesday and Saturday starting from September 5. The ticket fare is US$ 409.

MAI is owned by Aung Aung Zaw, who sponsors junta boss Min Aung Hlaings international travel. But Russia, the major arms supplier of the regime, has been the only country Min Aung Hlaing can visit so far since the coup. MAIs direct flight to Russia is its first international flight outside of Asia.

Amid international sanctions, Myanmars junta and Russias government have established and fostered multi-sectoral cooperation, from politics, diplomacy and nuclear technology, arms supply, to education and health.

Direct flights are a new step in collaboration between the two pariah states.

They also follow a cooperation agreement between Myanmars junta and Russian state-owned nuclear corporation Rosatom last year, which has major subsidiaries in Novosibirsk.

The flights will debut about one year after Min Aung Hlaings visit to Russia when he met President Vladimir Putin and discussed direct flights to promote tourism.

MAI was previously the national carrier. Kanbawza Group, owned by top crony Aung Ko Win, took it over under Thein Seins quasi-civilian government. Aung Aung Zaw, who heads 24 Hour Groups of Companies, acquired the airline from Aung Ko Win in late 2018.

Ma Yadanar Maung, a spokesperson for advocacy group Justice for Myanmar (JFM), told The Irrawaddy: MAI is a key business partner of the Myanmar military junta. MAI and the Myanmar Air Force have shared aircraft and the junta leadership use an MAI-branded aircraft for their international travel, including to Russia, where the junta leadership has discussed business and the purchase of arms.

Following US sanctions against two state-owned banks  Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank and Myanma Investment and Commercial Bankcrucial to supplying US dollars for the regime, Singapores United Overseas Bank (UOB) said it will shut all of MAIs bank accounts by August 15.
Prices of food and other basic necessities continue to soar in Myanmar despite the recent formation of a committee designed to combat the problem.

The Union Steering Committee to Stabilize Commodity Prices, led by Commerce Minister Aung Naing Oo, was formed in the last week of June. The Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation minister was appointed vice-chair of the committee, whose 17 members also include nine deputy ministers, the vice-chair of the central bank, and director-general of the special investigation department.

The panel has been tasked with stabilizing prices of basic products like rice, cooking oil and other kitchen commodities.

It is also responsible for monitoring the balance between domestic production and demand of basic foodstuffs.

According to the regimes announcement on its formation, the committee is empowered to combat any actions that threaten the stability of prices for basic commodities.

It was formed more than two years after a military coup that triggered turmoil and hardship for millions of people in Myanmar. Since the February 2021 putsch, prices of necessities have doubled or even tripled under the military regimes economic mismanagement.

Although the committee has now been operating for almost two months, prices of basic products are still rising, said a housewife in Yangon.

A 2-kilo (one pyi) bag of quality rice that cost 5,000 kyats in June is now priced at 6,000 kyats. Meanwhile, the same quantity of low-quality rice has risen from 2,500 kyats to 3,500 kyats since the committee was formed.

The price of palm oil has also risen significantly during the same period, from 9,000 to 10,000 kyats per viss (1.6kg).

Although our income has not increased, commodity prices never decline. It is not easy to get a meal if you dont earn 10,000 kyats a day, a housewife told The Irrawaddy.

Given that the minimum wage is only 4,800 kyats per day, many people are already in crisis, with no sign of relief from the soaring commodity prices.

Local junta officials are now warning food sellers in Yangon townships not to inflate product prices. But the cautions appear to have had little effect.

Even though they warned sellers in wards, prices are often not dropping. The formation of the price control committee is also useless. This problem can only be solved by intelligent people who really analyze the situation in their own country, a housewife told The Irrawaddy.

The analysts view

The price-control committee cannot be effective without a systematic calculation of supply and demand, said U Kyaw Zan, president of the Rakhine State Farmers Union.

If we take rice as an example, we have to calculate the amount of production, sufficient supply, and excess for the region. If we cant fufill the needs of the region, we cant control the prices, he told The Irrawaddy.

An exporter pointed out that commodity prices are also directly connected with government policy.

If the exchange rate increases, the price of gold and fuel will also increase and this will have a knock-on effect on local commodity prices. So, the issue is connected entirely to government policy and has nothing to do with the price control committee, the exporter told The Irrawaddy.

On Monday, the kyat fell even further to nearly 3,700 per dollar, a near threefold decline since the coup. The rate in January 2021 was 1,300 kyats per dollar.

A business analyst said the public knows that the price-control committee wont work.

He added that the main problem is the lack of trust in the junta and its policies, along with public distrust of the central bank under military rule.

Thats why people are withdrawing their money from the bank and trying to invest in cars and real estate to compensate for the kyats depreciation. On the other side, the junta cant handle the exchange rate, he told The Irrawaddy.

The root of the problem is the regime itself, he added. Once they are gone, everything will be fine.
Shwe Byain Phyu Oil and Gas Co Ltd, a subsidiary of Shwe Byain Phyu (SBP) Group of Companies  the major supplier of fuel to the Myanmar military  was liquidated on August 10 under Myanmars Insolvency Law.

Owned by crony Thein Win Zaw, SBP has interests in gas stations, gem mining, telecoms and logging. It is one of the regimes top taxpayers.

Only one junta mouthpiece, Myawady Daily, reported on the liquidation of Shwe Byain Phyu Oil & Gas. Other military-controlled media were mute.

Shwe Byain Phyu Oil & Gas was a member of the Myanmar Petroleum Trade Association. It cooperated with military-owned Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd and notorious crony and arms-broker Tay Za, according to advocacy group Justice for Myanmar.

Many of the businesses Thein Win Zaw has shares in have been hit by sanctions imposed by European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The parallel National Unity Government has also backlisted SBP for supporting violence and war crimes.

Some observers have suggested that Shwe Byain Phyu Oil & Gas was liquidated to avoid further sanctions, and that it may resume operations under another name.

The liquidation followed Washingtons sanctions on two junta-controlled banks that conduct international transactions, and Singapores UOB Bank announcement that it would shut junta-linked bank accounts.

SBP was established in 1996 while Myanmar was under the rule of former military dictator Than Shwe. The company operates in partnership with the military-owned Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd in mining, and the import and distribution of fuel.

Thein Win Zaw allegedly amassed a fortune from the large-scale smuggling of fuel by sea via southern Myanmars Tanintharyi Region and Mon State, and has close links with the successive leaders of the Myanmar Navy.

Following the appointment of former Navy chief Tin Aung San as transport and communications minister in Min Aung Hlaings regime, Thein Win Zaw bought the Myanmar subsidiary of Norwegian telecoms giant Telenor a Lebanese investment company.

Thein Win Zaw is also a director of the Mahar Yoma Public Company, part of a consortium that has a stake in the military-owned telecom operator Mytel. The 60-year-old crony often visits the residence of junta boss Min Aung Hlaing.

SBP also operates jade mines in partnership with state-owned Myanma Gems Enterprise and is the major supplier of fuel to the juntas military.

Thein Win Zaw donated 10 million kyats (US$ 4,745) when jailed civilian leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi had a pagoda built in 2019 in Naypyitaw. But the crony was far more generous to dictator Min Aung Hlaing, donating over 560 million kyats (US$ 265,760) to his Maravijaya Buddha statue.
The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), an insurgent group active on the border with Bangladesh in Rakhine State, abducted two Muslims in Maungdaw Township, western Myanmar, on Saturday.

The abductees, reportedly in their 30s, are prawn farmers from Sabel Gon village.

They were abducted by approximately 20 ARSA troops while driving from Sabel Gon to Kyein Chaung village on Saturday evening, according to a Kyein Chaung villager. ARSA members set fire to their vehicle, he said.

They pulled their car and some motorcyclists over, dragged the two men out and torched the vehicle. They told the motorcyclists in Burmese that they would not harm them and they could proceed, the villager told The Irrawaddy.

The junta-controlled newspaper Myanma Alin reported that the rival Rohingya Solidarity Organization was responsible.

A Maungdaw town resident said: We all know that ARSA abducted the men. Muslim villagers said that it was ARSA that abducted them. We guess the abduction was motivated by money. Maybe they refused to pay extortion money.

Villagers said the two abductees were taken into the Mayu mountains and junta forces have not looked for them.

On July 19, the largely Buddhist Arakan Army and ARSA clashed in the Mayu mountains between two Muslim villages in Buthidaung. Both sides reportedly suffered casualties.
A disabled man was shot in the head, three other people were killed, and six more were wounded during three days of ground assaults and airstrikes in Wetlet Township, as the juntas atrocities continue to mount in north-western Sagaing Region, residents said.

On Saturday, about 100 junta troops from Sagaing Township raided Wetlets Pae Ta Gyi Village. A disabled man in Pae Ta Gyi village died after being shot in the head, a resident of the village said. A 50-year-old man also died from a heart attack during the raid, residents said. Two more people were shot dead during a raid of nearby Htan Gyi Village, residents said.

The same troops also raided Ta Laing Village in Sagaing Township on Thursday, a resident of Wetlet told The Irrawaddy.

On Sunday, two residents of Htone Bo Kone Village in eastern Wetlet Townshipa 10-year-old girl and a 60-year-old womanwere wounded by junta shelling. Htone Bo Kone village is about 14 kilometers from Pae Tha Gyi village, which is in southern Wetlet Township.

On Monday, four residents of the townships Pauk Kan villagethree men and one womanwere injured when two fighter jets strafed the village, residents said.

A resident of the village told The Irrawaddy that the two fighter jets began strafing the village in the evening and that the attack had not been precipitated by a clash with resistance fighters in the anti-regime stronghold. The source said that the four people wounded did not sustain serious physical injuries.

Residents of the three villages have returned after fleeing the raids, sources said.

Wetlet Township was raided by the regime troops by both ground and river routes over the weekend. Around 50 houses in the townships Ngar Bat Chaung Village were torched by regime who arrived by river on Saturday.

Seven civilians were shot dead during a predawn raid of a village in the west of the township in early July.

Further west, three teens were stabbed to death and had their tongues cut out during another predawn raid on July 25 on an office of the All Burma Federation of Student Union in Budalin Township.

The junta has lost control over most of the Sagaing Regiona resistance strongholdbut is escalating efforts to hang on to its southern and western tips. These efforts include an escalation of war crimes.
Myanmar juntas new defense minister, Tin Aung San, is in Moscow attending Russias military-technical forum and the 11th Moscow Conference on International Security.

Around 60 countries are participating in the events and about 1,500 Russian companies are presenting military hardware.

Faced with international sanctions, Myanmars regime has deepened bilateral cooperation with Moscow.

Russia is Myanmars largest arms supplier since the coup, United Nations special rapporteur for Myanmar Tom Andrews said in his report, The Billion Dollar Death Trade: International Arms Networks that Enable Human Rights Violations in Myanmar.

Myanmars regime has imported at least US$1 billion worth of weapons and related material since the 2021 coup, of which more than $400 million, mostly for fighter jets, was imported from Russia.

Aircraft are vital for the regime whose ground troops cannot defeat resistance forces. Deadly airstrikes are repeatedly carried out against civilians.

The regime has purchased Russian aircraft spare parts, reconnaissance drones, air-to-ground missiles and military trucks.

Moscow is using Myanmar military-produced 120mm mortar rounds in its war in Ukraine, according to Belgium-based Army Recognition.

Tin Aung San and his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu on Monday attended the unveiling ceremony of a Myanmar monument in Patriot Park in the Kubinka area of Moscow. The monument is dedicated to those who died fighting the Japanese during World War II.

The two discussed military-technical cooperation at the ceremony.

Last year, Min Aung Hlaing conferred honorary titles on Shoigu, his deputy Colonel General Alexander Fomin, and another Russian military commander.
Almost 20 junta soldiers including two captains have been killed and 34 others wounded while attempting to recapture a strategic hilltop base seized last month by resistance fighters near the Thai-Myanmar border, according to the Karen National Union (KNU).

The Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), an armed wing of the KNU, and resistance allies attacked the juntas Lat Khat Taung hill camp in Myawaddy township, Karen State on July 21 and seized a large cache of weapons, ammunition and communication devices.

Junta troops of Light Infantry Division 44 have responded by calling up reinforcements to launch daily offensives to retake the hill camp.

Ten intense clashes have erupted so far between junta forces and the KNLA and allied resistance groups defending the hilltop fortress.

The Cobra Column, a KNLA ally that was involved in seizing the hill camp, said on Monday that junta troops had suffered heavy casualties but been unable even to get close to the foot of the hill.

Reports on the ground indicate that 17 junta soldiers including two captains have been killed and 34 wounded, the KNU said. One KNLA member was killed and eight resistance fighters injured during the battles.

The clashes also killed one civilian and wounded another, while five religious building were damaged due to exchanges of fire between the two sides.

Two junta soldiers also defected to the resistance during the battle.

On August 8, Lance Corporal Zaw Myo Khaing, 36, and Private Aung Myo Zaw, 23, of Light Infantry Division 44 defected to the Cobra Column.

Cobra Column commander Bo Da Baw rewarded each soldier with 50,000 baht for defecting with weapons, including a 60mm mortar

and an MA-2 rifle and magazines.
The illicit economy in Myanmar has risen following the military coup in February 2021. The rise of the illicit economy is seemingly in part intentional, because the military junta, which calls itself the State Administration Council (SAC), finds opportunities to exploit outlawed business. This article analyzes how the SAC utilizes forbidden businesses to its advantage.

The rise of illegal trade since 2021

To start with the nature and scale of illicit businesses, Myanmar has the highest crime rate among 46 Asian countries and the third-highest rate among the 193 countries in the world, according to an RFA report from July 20. It is the second-largest producer of opium in the world according to the Organized Crime Index compiled by the Switzerland-based Global Initiative to Combat Cross-Border Crime.

Globally, cybercrime (online scams) is estimated to be worth US$20 billion annually according to an analysts presentation at a briefing by a peace support group on July 26 for Diplomatic Missions in Myanmar. In the Mekong Region, most perpetrators are from China and there are more than 50,000 websites set up to conduct scams. In 2023, as of June, Thai authorities were able to crack down on nine Chinese cybercrime ringleaders and recover 5.2 billion baht, according to the analyst.

In Myanmar, Shwe Kokko (a special economic zone developed by the Chinese in cooperation with the Border Guard Force, which controls the territory in Karen State), Pangseng (the headquarters of the United Wa State Army), and Mongla (headquarters of National Democratic Alliance Army, known as Mongla Group) in northern Shan State are the three epicenters of cybercrime activities. The perpetrators of the scams are often lured into these centers with the false promise of legitimate jobs, then held against their will and forced to trick victims into sending money. The perpetrators (workers) include people from as many as 30 countries including Myanmars neighbors and are monitored by CCTV and Chinese guards.

The country director for the Myanmar program at the United States Institute of Peace, Jason Tower, argues that the SACs governance failures threaten the national security of Myanmars neighbors and the whole region in the form of outflowing illicit drugs, drawing their citizens into border towns and forcing them to engage in cross-border human trafficking and cyber scams. This means neighboring countries and the wider region are feeling the negative impacts or the symptoms of Myanmars political instability and weak governance.

The increase in illicit activities has largely resulted from weakened law enforcement (as the military prioritizes cracking down on political dissidents), a rise in demand (for opium), and lack of (or limited) alternative opportunities.

SAC sees opportunities in growing trans-border crime

There are reasons to assume that the Myanmar military regime has deliberately ignored the growing illicit drugs, cybercriminal activities and human trafficking activities for its benefit. The SAC is essentially blackmailing the international community with these trans-border crimes in exchange for official engagement and crackdowns on illegal arms trafficking in order to prevent or limit the growing strength of resistance forcesknown as Peoples Defense Forces (PDFs) and ethnic revolutionary organizations (EROs).

Any opportunity for official engagement is politically crucial for the SAC in the context of diplomatic isolation following the coup. The SAC has been denied diplomatic representation at both the United Nations and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which is unprecedented. For instance, Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun is the permanent representative of Myanmar to the United Nations; however, he does not represent the military junta, which tried to fire him from his post. But he refused to leave, and so far, the United Nations General Assembly Credentials Committee has refused to recognize the militarys appointee. ASEAN has also decided to invite only non-political representatives of Myanmar to high-level meetings.

In this context, trans-border crimes such as illicit drugs, cyber-scams and human trafficking originating from Myanmar compel neighboring governments to engage with the SAC government. Official meetings to discuss and address these issues are then framed as the SAC is not isolated, or still has friends to the domestic audience. For instance, on July 7, the SAC junta hosted (via video conferencing) the 44th ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Drug Matters and its Related Meetings (known as ASOD) plus three (China, India, Russia) as reported in the Global New Light of Myanmar. This is politically significant amidst the SACs diplomatic isolation. Such engagements/meetings also allow the SAC junta to indirectly show that the diplomatic isolation advocated by the resistance movements has failed.

Fighting trans-border crime as quid pro quo activity

While all the subjects in discussion are illegal, the concerned governments seemingly have different priorities and levels of urgency when it comes to addressing them. Neighboring governments want to prioritize preventing/addressing narcotic drugs, cyber-scams and human trafficking, as their citizens are suffering negative impacts from these as stated above. Meanwhile, the SAC appears to want its neighbors to crack down on illegal arms trafficking. It is understandable that the SAC wants to limit or prevent arms from flowing into the hands of resistance groups. In this context, it is reasonable to assume that the SAC may want to portray fighting illicit drugs, cyber-scams, and human trafficking as quid pro quo activities.

At its recent meetings with neighboring states, the SAC has asked its counterparts to crack down on illegal arms trafficking on their borders with Myanmar, according to a briefing on July 26 for Diplomatic Missions in Yangon. Meanwhile, both China and Thailand have urged the SAC to tackle the illicit drugs, cybercriminal activities and human trafficking taking place in border areas.

Moreover, the SAC junta seems to be using trans-border crime as a bargaining chip in exchange for their neighbors cracking down on illegal arms trades in their own border areas, to limit or prevent arms from flowing into the hands of resistance groups. The SAC seems to think that neighboring governments need its cooperation to fight the narcotic drugs/cybercrime/human trafficking problems inside Myanmar while the SAC needs its neighbors cooperation in cracking down on illegal arms trafficking.

Regarding cracking down on the illicit drugs problem, Myanmar authorities have a valid point in partially blaming the neighboring governments for failing to do their parts. At a regional conference on alternative development held in Laos in March 2019, this author met an official delegation from the Central Committee on Drug Abuse Control (CCDAC) and had a chat on the issue of synthetic drugs production in Myanmar. The official said that neighboring countries share responsibility because Myanmar does not produce the necessary chemicals for production of synthetic drugs, adding that these come from neighboring countries. A study by Tom Kramer also states that the main chemical precursors for methamphetamine productionephedrine and pseudoephedrineare now mostly imported from China and India, as with heroin precursors.

In brief, as the saying goes, Someone elses problem is anothers opportunity. Myanmars military is not the only actor capitalizing on someones problem. For instance, in February 2020, when Turkey announced that it will not stop refugees (mostly from Syria) going to Europe, Turkey was accused of using the migrant issue to put pressure on Europe. Likewise, China is accused of exploiting the chaos in Myanmar. In the Ukraine-Russia war, Russia is accused of weaponizing food after it withdrew from a grain deal.

Conclusion

It is important to see the growing illicit drugs, cybercriminal activities, human trafficking activities, and arms trafficking as symptoms of Myanmars political instability and weak governance, resulting from the successive failure of efforts at nation building. This means addressing the symptoms will not prevent neighboring countries and the wider region from suffering the negative impacts of these trans-border crimes.

Myanmar needs all the help it can get to address the root cause. It is at a critical juncture if it is to do so. Since the military coup in 2021, the people of Myanmar have demonstrated unprecedented national solidarity against the military dictatorship and a strong aspiration for federal democracy. If the international community really wants to address trans-border crime, it needs to help the people of Myanmar achieve the restoration of genuine democracy and the establishment of a federal democratic union. Such help will contribute to building lasting peace and stability, and improving governance, leading to effective control of the illicit economy and preventing or minimizing trans-border crime.

Zung Ring is a social worker and independent political analyst based in Myanmar.
Pronouns have joined the many other words and phrases that have been chewed up, spit out and stretched and folded to its limit into a buzzword on social media, the nightly news, and in political talking points.

Its now in Florida law as something for school districts to monitor and enforce, beginning this school year.

In the eyes of Florida education law, after the passage of HB 1069 and Gov. Ron DeSantis signature, a persons pronoun must correspond with his or her sex  which the law defines as the classification of a person at birth as male or female.

No teacher or student can be required to refer to a person by pronouns that dont correspond with their assigned sex, and school employees are prohibited from asking students to refer to themselves by pronouns different than their assigned sex, according to the new law.

Students also cannot be required by schools to give preferred pronouns.

Brandon Wolf, the press secretary for Equality Florida, an LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, contended that the law is meant to confuse parents and school districts about what is and isnt allowed.

The language of the law permits discrimination, it doesnt require it  but [the DeSantis administration] is hoping that school districts will read it to its most extreme version, Wolf said.

Orange County Public Schools advised its principals on Aug. 7 to distribute a memorandum to teachers of the Office of Legal Services interpretation of education bills, including HB 1069.

Sex is defined as the hormones and genitals present at birth, the document stated. This means a students sex or employees sex is defined by birth sex, not the gender in which the student or employee identify.

It also advises in the memo that: The bill (now the law) states that a transgender employee or contractor may not provide a personal title or pronoun to students which does not correspond the employees or contractors biological sex at birth.

No school employee can ask a student for their preferred pronoun. It also warns that if the school district or its employees do not comply with the law, the Florida Attorney General would be able to file a civil lawsuit and that, willful violations by the School District and its employees may subject the School District to a fine of up to ten thousand dollars.

Florida isnt alone in deciding that public school students and teachers pronouns are an issue worth legislating.

So far, ten states have passed laws requiring ones birth-assigned sex be their defined identity: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Montana, North Dakota, Tennessee, and Utah, according to Education Week.

This story appeared on the website of the Florida Phoenix, a nonprofit news organization dedicated to coverage of state government and politics from Tallahassee. You can visit them by clicking here.

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London (Special to Informed Comment; Feature)  China has come out in favour of a third round of talks to design a peace framework for the conflict in Ukraine following its attendance at an international forum in the Saudi city of Jeddah earlier this month. Chinas attendance and active participation in the summit was seen as a diplomatic coup for Riyadh after China did not attend a previous round of talks at Copenhagen in June to which it was invited.

Russias disastrous military performance so far in the war in Ukraine has weakened its military reputation in the eyes of Beijing, but also sharpened Chinas desire not to see Moscow humiliated or Russian leader Vladimir Putin driven from power; Beijing fears regime change in Russia would leave it isolated and potentially faced with a pro-Western regime along its northern border.

Chinas attendance boosted the profile of the summit, something which pleased the US, and in may help smooth still-strained personal ties between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (MBS) and US President Joe Biden. The US, India, Brazil, the EU also attended the talks, as well as a number of Global South states like Zambia, Indonesia and Egypt. Moscow was excluded however.

Is China breaking with Russia on this issue?

On the surface Chinas change of direction by attending the summit would appear to move it away from Russia, whose invasion it has so far refused to condemn. However, while China has close economic ties with Ukraine which it wishes to preserve, its position on the conflict still mirrors the ambivalent attitude of many Global South states like South Africa, who have chosen to take a neutral stance or even tilted towards Russia somewhat. Li Hui, the Chinese special representative who attended the event, previously served as Chinas ambassador to Russia for a decade, for example. Many Chinese see the Russia-Ukraine conflict as a proxy war between Washington and its ally Moscow, one which the US is also using to encircle China, for example by strengthening NATO countries ties to American allies in Asia like South Korea and Japan.

Chinas attendance at the Saudi summit served several strategic purposes from Beijings point of view. It allowed Beijing to join Riyadh in burnishing its credentials with Global South countries as a peacemaker and to leverage improved relations into stronger economic ties down the line which provide it with an alternative to reliance on trade with an increasingly anti-China US-led global bloc. It was a concession to Ukraine to attend but at an event which would produce no final outcome that would put pressure on Russia.

Attendance further allowed China to support a Saudi initiative at no diplomatic cost to itself, building on the momentum it gained from its sponsorship of the Saudi-Iran peace deal earlier this year. Wang Yi, Chinas top diplomat and returning foreign minister, helped broker that agreement. Chinas relationship with Saudi Arabia remains a shallow and transactional one, but, given each regime has its problems with the current US-led global order, this is often sufficient motivation for the two sides to cooperate for now.

Article continues after bonus IC video

What did Ukraine peace talks in Saudi Arabia achieve without Russia? | DW News

Saudi Diplomacy-washing

The Saudi-led conference was billed as an event for Ukraine to reach out to countries outside the Western zone of influence, given Riyadhs neutrality (it maintains ties with Beijing, Kiev and Moscow). More quietly it was also intended to help re-invent MBS as a responsible global statesman, part of a concerted effort to turn a page on his past history of erratic and dangerous decision making. Past highlights have included allegedly kidnapping Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, invading neighboring Yemen and his probable involvement in the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

For its part, Russia has also annoyed Riyadh by failing to implement OPEC+ production cuts in recent months, and MBS may not have been averse to causing Moscow symbolic discomfort on the global stage by publicly hosting a large international forum to which Russia was not invited.

Is China using Riyadh as a back channel to Washington?

China and the US are slowly rebuilding bilateral meetings between senior officials this year after Beijing suspended or cut off multiple official contacts in protest last August at then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosis trip to Taiwan. Relations between the two countries remain poor but at present both sides are attempting to put a floor under their relationship, in Chinas case motivated by the need to support its flagging economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Embed from Getty Images

BEIJING, CHINA  AUGUST 31: Saudi Arabia Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) shake hands during a meeting at the Diaoyutai State guest house on August 31, 2016 in Beijing, China. The deputy prince is meeting Chinese officials during his visit to boost bilateral ties between the two nations. (Photo by Rolex  Pool/Getty Images). FILE.

Given this situation, Beijing does not need to use Riyadh as a back channel to Washington; however Saudi Arabia is likely leveraging its burgeoning relationship with China  of which the Ukraine summit is the latest instance  in its bilateral relations with the US and Beijing will not object to Saudi Arabias attempts to balance itself between the two superpowers. China may one day wish to supplant the US as Saudis main political and security partner in the Middle Eastern region, but at present it is not unhappy for the US to continue to act as the leading power there, given that this ties down American military assets and political capital which might otherwise be used against China in East Asia.

Oil and Wheat

Commodities form another factor in Chinese and Saudi diplomatic calculations. Despite tensions over Saudi oil production levels, Saudi Arabia is no longer as important to the US as an energy supplier as it was in the 1990s. Meanwhile, the Chinese economy is also currently faltering, which is likely to reduce Chinese demand for Saudi energy supplies this year (though it is still a major oil customer).

Ideally, Saudi Arabia would like to keep relations with both superpowers stable enough that it can sell to them (given softer demand from both for its main export at present) while preserving its freedom of manoeuvre when it comes to oil production levels. Moreover, given its recent raft of diplomatic activity with China, Saudi Arabia will probably be happy to balance this with renewing ties to Washington. The two sides have tried to mend fences since the fallout from the murder of Jamal Khashoggi strained ties with the Biden White House several years ago.

Embed from Getty Images

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (4th R) attends a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (3rd L) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on February 22, 2019. (Photo by HOW HWEE YOUNG / POOL / AFP) (Photo credit should read HOW HWEE YOUNG/AFP via Getty Images). FILE.

While working with China allows Riyadh to show Washington it can find alternative partners if pushed too hard on issues like human rights, Saudi Arabia still wants US help on many issues which matter too it. Washington in turn is now seeking assurances Riyadh will not get too close to China, despite the fact it was happy to see Beijing attend the latest round of Ukraine-related peace talks in Jeddah.

For its part, China will be keen that the Saudi talks create a constructive atmosphere that helps it achieve its goal of resurrecting the collapsed Russia-Ukraine Black Sea grain deal. China was the top purchaser of Ukrainan agricultural goods through the initiative before Russia withdrew from it in July. China places a high political priority on food security but is reliant on imports due to a lack of food self-sufficiency. \

Large parts of the countrys farmland was flooded this summer in the aftermath of Typhoon Doksuri, damaging crop production and causing officials to warn of further risks to agricultural output from pests and disease once the flood waters recided. Its public support for a third round of talks after Jeddah may in part be calculated to help its relationship with Ukraine, to help win it over at a later date should Beijing be able to persuade Russia to allow grain shipments to resume in the Black Sea.
( Middle East Monitor )  It is feasible for China to continue playing an important role in mediating Middle East conflicts. In fact, it already has. In the case of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, however, mediation is hardly the issue.

Even before Beijing successfully managed to achieve reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran last April, Chinese diplomacy has shown exceptional maturity.

For many years, China has been perceived to be an outsider to global affairs, supposedly contending itself to economic expansion or to regional economic integration.

Former US President Donald Trump forced, or rather, accelerated Chinas global outreach when, in 2018, he launched an unprecedented trade war with the powerful Asian country.

Trumps plan backfired. Not only did Washington fail to dissuade Beijing from bowing to American diktats, but it also inspired what became known as Chinas wolf diplomacy  a self-assertive Chinese approach to foreign policy.

From an American  or Western  viewpoint, the new tactic was perceived to be hostile and aggressive.

But from a Chinese perspective, the new policy was necessitated by the relentless war launched against China by successive US administrations, along with their Western allies

The Russia-Ukraine war, however, accentuated Chinas role in international conflicts and diplomacy. Though Beijings 12-point peace proposal last March failed to impress the West and was superficially welcomed by Moscow, the proposal highlighted an important shift.

The fact that China found it necessary to develop an elaborate political position as a potential mediator conveyed that China is no longer content with playing the role of the supporting actor in international forums.

Chinas diplomacy was dismissed by many, especially in Western media and politics, as a non-starter, if at all serious or even well-intentioned.

Merely three weeks later, the Chinese-brokered Iran-Saudi agreement took place.

Major political actors in the region, including Washington, appeared to be taken by surprise. The Chinese success story was juxtaposed by many journalists in the Global South, to Washingtons conflict-prone, dead-end diplomacy in the Middle East.

Buoyed by its success, China ventured further into new diplomatic territories, offering to mediate between Israel and Palestine. The Palestinians welcomed a Chinese role; the Israelis were disinterested.

Article continues after bonus IC video

Al Jazeera English: Chinas Xi Jinping backs just cause of Palestinian statehood

The Chinese government is aware of the near impossibility of engaging both Palestinians and Israelis in genuine peace talks. Though Palestinians are desperate to escape or, at least, balance out Washingtons hegemony, it is not in Israels interest to abandon its greatest political benefactor, financier and military backer  the United States.

Though China and Israel have developed relatively strong economic and, for China, strategic ties, in recent years, Beijings geopolitical worth for Tel Aviv is simply incomparable to that of Washington.

It would also make little sense for Tel Aviv to grant Beijing any political leverage at a time of geopolitical transitions, especially because China has historically supported the Palestinian peoples struggle for freedom.

Indeed, for decades, China served as a vanguard for the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and, later, the State of Palestine at the United Nations, insisting on the respect and implementation of international laws relevant to ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

Unsurprisingly, China recognised the PLOs political status in 1965 and the State of Palestine in 1988. Now, China is pushing for full Palestinian membership in the international body.

The Chinese position was fundamental to Beijings strategic alliances in the Global South in previous decades.

The economic growth of China and its integration into a Western-centric economic system, starting in 1978, progressively weakened Chinas trade and political relevance in the Global South.

This process, however, is being reversed, not only because of Washingtons trade war, and the hesitance of Western countries to join Beijings Belt and Road Initiative, but because of the US-led Western sanctions on Moscow. The Western economic war on Russia is an urgent reminder to China that it cannot fully rely on Western markets and financial systems.

Chinas slow drift from a Western-centric economic system is being coupled with a whole new approach to foreign policy  wolf diplomacy in the West, and a gentler, kinder approach in the Global South.

Even before former Foreign Minister of China, Qin Gang phoned his Palestinian and Israeli counterparts, offering mediation, China had already introduced a peace initiative known as the four-point proposal.

The proposal highlighted Chinas readiness to move past its role as a trade partner into that of a political actor on the global stage.

For China, this was not only a matter of prestige, as various Muslim and Arab countries, along with Israel, are critical parties in the ambitious BRI project.

In recent months, however, Chinas interest in being a peace mediator increased exponentially, especially amid the near total absence of Washington, the self-proclaimed honest peace broker.

China has also shown a willingness to mediate between rival Palestinian groups. That, too, ushers in an evolution in Chinas approach to Palestinian politics. However, it will not be easy.

The Palestinian Authoritys (PA) financial well-being  and political future  is largely linked to Washington and other Western capitals. Though Palestinian officials, the like of Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki, are threatening to turn to China due to the PAs disappointment in Washington, such a shift will not be permitted, if not by Washington, then by Tel Aviv itself.

The visit in June by PA President Mahmoud Abbas to Beijing, although touted by the PA-run media as an earth-shattering event, will not be a game changer. True, it highlights Chinas growing interests in Palestine, but it is unlikely to be followed by substantive action on the part of the Palestinian leadership.

Palestinians need China, as they need other powerful players in the Global South, but it is not mediation that they desperately require. Mediations do not end military occupations or dismantle apartheid regimes. Instead, Palestinians need solidarity.

The major changes underway in the worlds geopolitical map, and the rising importance of the Global South present Palestinians with unique opportunities to break away from US-Western hegemony and to reconnect with Palestines true strategic depth in Asia, Africa, South America and the rest of the world.

For this to occur, Palestinians must present their cause as one united front, not as political fragments and factions. Only then, emerging powers can view Palestine as a serious geopolitical asset in a vastly changing world.

Via Middle East Monitor
QUEBEC CITY, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stelmine Canada (Stelmine) (TSXV: STH) Stelmine Canada is pleased to announce the appointment of Friedrich (Fred) Speidel as the Companys new Vice-President, Exploration. Mr. Speidel will lead Stelmines technical team to prioritize, plan and execute the Companys exploration programs. The arrival of Mr. Speidel is significant for Stelmine as it reflects the ongoing growth and success of the Company. Mr. Speidel joins the existing team of two permanent geologists and six seasonal geologists-in-training thanks to whom our projects have gained scope and credibility during the course of the last three years.

Isabelle Proulx, Stelmine Canadas President and CEO, stated: We are very pleased to welcome Fred Speidel not only to lead the Stelmine technical team, but also to provide support for the Companys promotional efforts. Fred is a multilingual geologist with strong exploration and discovery experience in the Americas, including both greenfields and brownfields work in Quebec. Fred is also recognized for his team consolidation and leadership skills."

Stelmine wishes to emphasize that it will maintain its winning and highly appreciated collaboration with Michel Boily-to whom the company owes the acquisition of the Mercator project - and Normand Goulet, both Ph.D. geologists.

Mr. Fred Speidel, P.Geo. (PGO and OGQ), M.Sc., FSEG holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Geology from McGill University, and a Master's degree (Mineral Exploration) from Queen's University. From 2017 to 2023 Fred held the position of Vice President Exploration for Maple Gold Mines while at the same time holding the position of General Manager for the Agnico-Eagle Mines  Maple Gold Mines partnership. Between 2013 and 2015, Fred served as Regional Exploration Manager (North America) for Antofagasta Minerals. Between 1993 and 2013, as Regional Exploration Manager he was involved in the discovery of several copper-gold deposits, including one of the deposits forming part of the Cobre Panama complex (currently in production), and the Atlantida deposit in Chile. Earlier in his career, Fred explored for gold in Ontario and Quebec, forming part of the Troilus mine discovery team.

Mr. Speidel will oversee exploration programs on Stelmine's twelve properties covering an area of 917 km2, including the Company's flagship project, Mercator, which continues to provide very encouraging results.

About Stelmine Canada

Stelmine is a junior mining exploration company pioneering a new gold district (Caniapiscau) east of James Bay in the under-explored eastern part of the Opinaca metasedimentary basin where the geological context has similarities to the Eleonore mine. Stelmine has 100% ownership of 1,782 claims or 938 km in this part of northern Quebec, highlighted by the Courcy and Mercator Projects.

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.

For further information, contact:

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Vancouver, BC - TheNewswire - August 14, 2023 - China Gold International Resources Corp. Ltd. (TSX:CGG) (HKEX:2099) (China Gold International Resources or the Company) is pleased to report financial and operational results for the three months (Q2 or second quarter) and six months (first half or six months) ended June 30, 2023. This news release should be read in conjunction with the Companys Financial Statements, Notes to the Financial Statements and Managements Discussion and Analysis (MD&A).

For detailed information, please read the Companys Financial Statements and MD&A which are available on SEDARs website at www.sedar.com, The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limiteds website at www.hkex.com.hk, the Company's website at www.chinagoldintl.com, or call the Company at +1-604-609-0598 and email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

2023 SECOND QUARTER OPERATION AND FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

Revenue decreased by 75% to US$73.0 million from US$292.0 million for the same period in 2022.

Mine operating loss of US$ 6.2 million , decreased by 105 % from mine operating earnings of US$ 117.7 million for the same period in 2022.

Net loss of US$53. 3 million, decreased by 165% or US$135. 0 million from net income of US$81.7 million for the same period in 2022.

0 Cash flow used in operation of US$73.5 million, decreased by 168% from cash flow from operation of US$107.6 million for the same period in 2022.

Total gold production decreased by 44 % to 36,490 ounces from 65,527 ounces for the same period in 2022.

Total copper production was nil as all production was halted at the Jiama M ine. Copper production was 47.1 million pounds (approximately 21,356 tonnes) for the same period in 2022.

2023 FIRST HALF OPERATION AND FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

Revenue decreased by 45% to US$325.8 million from US$596.0 million for the same period in 2022.

Mine operating earnings decreased by 57 % to US$ 96.6 million from US$ 223.2 million for the same period in 2022.

Net income of US$25.3 million, decreased by 84% or US$128.2 million from US$1 53.5 million for the same period in 2022.

Cash flow from operation decreased by 80% to US$54.2 million from US$268.4 million for the same period in 2022.

Total gold production decreased by 28 % to 89,317 ounces from 124,110 ounces for the same period in 2022.

Total copper production decreased by 54% to 44.1 million pounds (approximately 20,019 tonnes) from 95.4 million pounds (approximately 43,279 tonnes) for the same period in 2022.

The decrease in net profit is mainly attributable to the suspension of the production of the Jiama Mine since March 27, 2023 due to the overflow at the Guolanggou tailings pond. As a result of the suspension, the Company did not record any product sales from the Jiama Mine during 2023 Q2, with the exception of a minor amount of molybdenum, leading to a sharp decline in the Companys net profit for the first half of 2023.

The repair and major reinforcement works of tailings dam have been completed and some reinforcement works are still in the final stage. The Company is committed to submitting a safety assessment report to the regulatory authority on or around the end of August 2023. The overall progress is on schedule with the timeline as disclosed in the Companys announcement dated on May 5, 2023. Production operations at CSH Gold Mine remain stable.

The Companys Chairman and CEO, Mr. Junhu Tong, stated, Due to the suspension of the production of the Jiama Mine, the Companys performance for the first half of 2023 showed an expected decline. The Company is actively striving for an early resumption of production of Jiama Mine. At CSH Gold Mine, while continuing to maintain a high production level, we are vigorously advancing the development of the deeper underground resources to create additional value and extend the mine life. We will continue to operate our business with a high degree of responsibility. Thanks to our shareholders and stakeholders for their understanding and support.

About China Gold International Resources

China Gold International Resources is a gold and base metal mining company incorporated in BC, Canada and operates two mines, the CSH Gold Mine in Inner Mongolia, China and the Jiama Copper-Gold Polymetallic Mine in Tibet, China. The Companys objective is to build shareholder value through growing production at its current mining operations, expanding its resource base, and acquiring and developing new projects internationally. The Company is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: CGG) and the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (HKEx: 2099).

For further information on the Company, please refer to SEDARs website at www.sedar.com, The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limiteds website at www.hkex.com.hk, the Company's website at www.chinagoldintl.com, or call the Company at +1-604-609-0598 and email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Cautionary Note About Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information regarding China Gold International Resources contained herein may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements may include estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, guidance or other statements that are not statements of fact. Although China Gold International Resources believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. China Gold International Resources cautions that actual performance will be affected by a number of factors, most of which are beyond its control, and that future events and results may vary substantially from what China Gold International Resources currently foresees. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration results, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. The forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The information contained herein is stated as of the current date and subject to change after that date.
Kelowna, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 14, 2023) - F3 Uranium Corp. (TSXV: FUU) (OTCQB: FUUFF) ("F3 Uranium" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement with Red Cloud Securities Inc., as lead underwriter and sole bookrunner, on behalf of a syndicate of underwriters (collectively, the "Underwriters"), pursuant to which the Underwriters have agreed to purchase for resale 30,927,835 flow-through units of the Company (each, a "FT Unit") at a price of C$0.485 per FT Unit (the "Offering Price") on a "bought deal" basis in a private placement for gross proceeds of C$15,000,000 (the "Underwritten Offering").

Each FT Unit will consist of one common share of the Company (each, a "Common Share") to be issued as a "flow-through share" within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (each, a "FT Share") and one half of one Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each whole Warrant shall entitle the holder to purchase one Common Share at a price of C$0.485 at any time on or before that date which is 24 months after the Closing Date (as herein defined). The FT Shares will be issued as charitable flow-through common shares of the Company.

The Company will grant to the Underwriters an option, exercisable up to 48 hours prior to the Closing Date (as defined below), to purchase for resale up to an additional 4,639,175 FT Units at the Offering Price for additional gross proceeds of up to C$2,250,000 (the "Over-Allotment Option", and together with the Underwritten Offering, the "Offering").

The FT Units to be sold under the Offering will be offered by way of the "accredited investor" and minimum amount investment" exemptions under National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions in all of the provinces of Canada. The Common Shares issuable from the sale of the FT Units will be subject to a restricted period in Canada ending on the date that is four months plus one day following the closing of the Offering as defined in Subsection 2.5(2) of Multilateral Instrument 45-102 - Resale of Securities.

The Offering is expected to close on September 12, 2023 (the "Closing Date"). The Company will pay to the Underwriters a cash commission of 5.5% of the gross proceeds raised in respect of the Offering (the "Underwriters' Commission"). In addition, the Company will issue to the Underwriters warrants of the Company (each warrant, a "Broker Warrant"), exercisable for a period of 24 months following the Closing Date, to acquire in aggregate that number of Common Shares which is equal to 5.5% of the number of FT Units sold under the Offering at an exercise price equal to C$0.485 per Common Share.

The proceeds of the Offering will be used by the Company to fund exploration of the Company's projects in the Athabasca Basin.

About F3 Uranium Corp.

F3 Uranium is a uranium project generator and exploration company, focusing on projects in the Athabasca Basin, home to some of the world's largest high grade uranium discovery. F3 Uranium currently has 18 projects in the Athabasca Basin. Several of F3's projects are near large uranium discoveries including Triple R, Arrow and Hurricane.

The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this press release, and do not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

F3 Uranium Corp.

750-1620 Dickson Avenue

Kelowna, BC V1Y9Y2

Contact Information

Investor Relations

Telephone: 778 484 8030

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Dev Randhawa"

Dev Randhawa, CEO

Cautionary Statement: F3 Uranium Corp.

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities laws, which is based upon the Company's current internal expectations, estimates, projections, assumptions and beliefs. The forward-looking information included in this press release are made only as of the date of this press release. Such forward-looking statements and forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, statements concerning the Company's expectations with respect to the Offering; the use of proceeds of the Offering; completion of the Offering and the date of such completion. Forward-looking statements or forward-looking information relate to future events and future performance and include statements regarding the expectations and beliefs of management based on information currently available to the Company. Such forward-looking statements and forward-looking information often, but not always, can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "potential", "is expected", "anticipated", "is targeted", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or the negatives thereof or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved.

Forward-looking statements or forward-looking information are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, including, without limitation, risks and uncertainties relating to: general business and economic conditions; regulatory approval for the Offering; completion of the Offering; changes in commodity prices; the supply and demand for, deliveries of, and the level and volatility of the price of uranium and other metals; changes in project parameters as exploration plans continue to be refined; costs of exploration including labour and equipment costs; risks and uncertainties related to the ability to obtain or maintain necessary licenses, permits or surface rights; changes in credit market conditions and conditions in financial markets generally; the ability to procure equipment and operating supplies in sufficient quantities and on a timely basis; the availability of qualified employees and contractors; the impact of value of the Canadian dollar and U.S. dollar, foreign exchange rates on costs and financial results; market competition; exploration results not being consistent with the Company's expectations; changes in taxation rates or policies; technical difficulties in connection with mining activities; changes in environmental regulation; environmental compliance issues; other risks of the mining industry; and risks related to the effects of COVID-19. 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 or forward-looking information. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that could cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. For more information on the Company and the risks and challenges of its business, investors should review the Company's annual filings that are available at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and F3 Uranium Corp. disclaim 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 securities legislation.
CALGARY, AB, Aug. 15, 2023 /CNW/ - TVI Pacific Inc. (TSXV: TVI); (OTC Pink: TVIPF) ("TVI" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that, further to its press releases dated May 30, 2023, June 26, 2023, July 31, 2023 and August 15th (as it related to an extension), the Company has completed and closed its previously announced non-brokered private placement to Prime Resources Holdings, Inc. ("PRHI") of 53,600,000 common shares in the capital of the Company, at a price of $0.025 per share (the "Private Placement"), for gross proceeds of $1,340,000 (or approximately US$1,000,000).

The Company plans to use the proceeds of the Private Placement for general corporate working capital. The common shares issued pursuant to the Private Placement are subject to a statutory 4-month and one day hold period from the date of issuance. No finder's fee or commissions are payable by the Company in connection with the Private Placement.

"We are once again pleased that our current shareholder and partner in TVI Resource Development Phils., Inc. ("TVIRD") has taken steps to invest further in TVI Pacific," said Mr. Cliff James, Chairman and CEO of TVI and Chairman of TVIRD, "We welcome the PRHI representatives to the board of TVI Pacific and believe their involvement reflects our shared confidence in both TVI Pacific and the many mines and projects at the level of TVIRD that we jointly manage."

About TVI Pacific Inc.

TVI Pacific Inc. is a Canadian resource company focused on mining projects in the Philippines, one of the most prolifically mineralized countries in the world. TVI currently holds a 30.66% equity interest in TVIRD, a Philippines corporation. Through TVIRD, TVI has ownership in a currently producing gold mine and is focused on bringing on-stream the Siana gold mine at which equipment has been rehabilitated and commissioning of the plant has commenced in line with TVIRD's plan to restart operations.

About Prime Resources Holdings, Inc.

Prime Resources Holdings, Inc. ("PRHI") is a Philippine company organized primarily to hold Mr. Manuel Paolo A. Villar's interests in the mining industry. PRHI is the largest and controlling shareholder of TVIRD, holding 68.42% thereof. PRHI is an affiliate of Prime Asset Ventures, Inc. ("PAVI"), a Philippine company with focus on building and developing critical community infrastructure. PAVI currently holds major investments in subsidiaries operating in a variety of industries, including power and water utilities, information technology and telecommunications, financial services, and broadcast services.

The TSXV has neither approved nor disapproved of the information contained herein.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain information set out in this News Release constitutes forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "believe", "scheduled", "to be", "will be" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this News Release are based upon the opinions and expectations of management of the Company as at the effective date of such statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that those expectations will prove to have been correct. Forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties (known and unknown) that could cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those anticipated or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this News Release include, but are not limited to, TVI's use of proceeds from the Private Placement.

Forward-looking statements are based upon the opinions and expectations of management of the Company as at the effective date of such statements and, in certain cases, information supplied by third parties. Although the Company believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions and that information received from third parties is reliable, it can give no assurance that those expectations will prove to have been correct. Forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or outcomes to differ materially from those anticipated or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, such things as changes in general economic conditions in the Philippines and elsewhere; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; delay or failure to receive board, shareholder or regulatory approvals; those additional risks set out in TVI's public documents filed on SEDAR; and other matters discussed in News Release.

Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance upon the forward-looking statements contained in this News Release and such forward-looking statements should not be interpreted or regarded as guarantees of future outcomes.

The forward-looking statements contained in this News Release are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable securities laws in force in Canada. The forward-looking statements contained herein are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

Neither TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Vancouver, BC  TheNewswire - August 15, 2023 - Recharge Resources Ltd. (Recharge or the Company) (CSE:RR) (OTC:RECHF) (Frankfurt:SL5) is pleased to announce that the Company has entered into a Purchase Agreement (the Agreement) with property owner Ekeko S.A. (Ekeko) to acquire a 100% interest in the Pocitos 1 Project (the "Pocitos 1 or Project"), located within the Salar de Pocitos in Salta Province, Argentina (Mining Licence File Number 19457) with terms and conditions of the transaction outlined below.

The offer provided for in the Agreement was made by Ekeko to Recharge, after Ekeko advised Recharge that the previous optionee, A.I.S. Resources Ltd (AIS), did not remedy certain defaults, subsequently did not complete on its contractual obligations to acquire Pocitos 1 and as a result the option expired on June 30th, 2023. The period for curing any default ended July 31st, 2023.

David Greenway, CEO and Director of Recharge Resources, commented on the recent acquisition, saying, "We're thrilled to confirm our acquisition of a 100% interest in the Pocitos 1 Project from Ekeko SA. With a competitive price that notably does not include royalty payments, this move solidifies our commitment to our stakeholders and the broader market. With the signing of this agreement, we have demonstrated our confidence in the potential of the Pocitos 1 Lithium Brine project. We eagerly anticipate the progress that this venture promises and look forward towards the maiden resource estimate and the development of this exciting project in Salta, Argentina."

Terms of the Transaction

Under the terms of the Agreement, Recharge acquired a 100% ownership interest in 800-hectare Pocitos 1 Project located within the Salar de Pocitos in Salta Province, Argentina by fulfilling the following conditions:

1. The agreed price of US$1,200,000 (one million two hundred thousand United States dollars) (the Price), to be made as follows (the Payments):

i. The sum of US$850,000 (eight hundred and fifty thousand United States dollars) that will be paid on the Agreement signing date. Due within 5 days after signing of the agreement.

ii. The sum of US$350,000 (three hundred and fifty thousand United States dollars) to be placed in trust within the 30 days of the Agreement signing date that will be payable at the time of issuance of the Certificate of Title (Title) to Pocitos 1 Project; and

iii. Recharge has agreed to pay for taxes payable as part of the transaction due in April 2024.

iv. There are no royalties associated with Pocitos 1 Project

About Pocitos Lithium Brine Project

The Pocitos Project is located approximately 10 km from the township of Pocitos where there is gas, electricity, and internet services. Pocitos 1 is approximately 800hectares and is accessible by road. Collective exploration totals over USD $2.0 million developing the project, including surface sampling, trenching, TEM and MT geophysics and drilling three wells that had outstanding brine flow results. Locations for immediate follow up drilling have already been designed and identified for upcoming exploration.

Lithium values of 169 ppm from drill hole 3 packer test assayed from laboratory analysis conducted by Alex Stewart were recorded during the projects December 2022 drill campaigns. A double packer sampling system in HQ Diamond drill holes were drilled to a depth of up to 409 metres. The flow of brine was observed to continue for more than five hours. All holes had exceptional brine flow rates. A NI 43-101 report has been released on the Pocitos 1 project.

Recharge is awaiting the completion of the process engineering work to be completed by Ekosolve Ltd to produce and assay the lithium chloride being produced, where extraction was above 94% of the contained lithium in the brine.

WSP Australia is waiting on the results of Core Laboratories Australia porosity work to be completed before it delivers the Companys maiden resource estimate at Pocitos 1 that will result in an update of the NI 43-101 report completed by QP Phillip Thomas in June 2023.

Qualified Person

Phillip Thomas, BSc Geol, MBusM, FAusIMM, MAIG, MAIMVA, (CMV), a Qualified Person as defined under NI 43-101 regulations, has reviewed the technical information that forms the basis for portions of this news release, and has approved the disclosure herein.

Mr. Thomas is independent of the Company and is not a shareholder of Recharge Resources. Thomas visited the Pocitos 1 property to view the core between January 15th-22nd, 2023 and 8 May 2023 to select core to be sampled for resource estimate calculations.

Figure 1. Pocitos Lithium Claim Map

About Recharge Resources

Recharge Resources is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on exploring and developing the production of high-value battery metals to create green, renewable energy to meet the demands of the advancing electric vehicle and fuel cell vehicle market.

All Stakeholders are encouraged to follow the Company on its social media profiles on Instagram.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

David Greenway

David Greenway, CEO

For further information, please contact:

Recharge Resources Ltd.

Joel Warawa

Phone: 778-588-5473

E-Mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Website: recharge-resources.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange 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.

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements, which reflect the expectations of management regarding Recharges intention to continue to identify potential transactions and make certain corporate changes and applications. Forward looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations, or intentions regarding the future. 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. 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 Recharge will obtain from them. These forward-looking statements reflect managements current views and are based on certain expectations, estimates and assumptions which may prove to be incorrect. A number of risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including Recharges results of exploration or review of properties that Recharge does acquire. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and Recharge assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results differed from those projected in the forward-looking statements, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 15, 2023) - Sun Summit Minerals Corp. (TSXV: SMN) (OTCQB: SMREF) announces that drill crews have been remobilized to site after an evacuation order south of the town of Houston due to a wildfire was lifted. As previously announced, Sun Summit took proactive measures to temporary suspend drilling and field exploration in the area and all personnel were demobilized from site (see July 26, 2023 news release).

Highlights

Drilling recommenced at Buck Main: The planned drill program consists of ~3,500 metres over 15 step-out drill holes targeting new zones of potential high-grade and bulk-tonnage mineralization in untested areas to the north and west of previous drilling (see June 8, 2023 news release).





The planned drill program consists of ~3,500 metres over 15 step-out drill holes targeting new zones of potential high-grade and bulk-tonnage mineralization in untested areas to the north and west of previous drilling (see June 8, 2023 news release). Assay results and geochemical analysis expected shortly: All drill core and surface samples collected in advance of the evacuation notice are currently being processed at the lab and results are expected shortly.

Sharyn Alexander, Sun Summit's President stated: "We are pleased to resume our multi-stage drilling and exploration program at the Buck Property. New drilling at Buck Main has already shown encouraging zones of visible sulfide mineralization, and the upcoming assay results will help guide and refine targeting as the drill program continues.

"We are committed to conducting our programs in a safe and responsible manner, and ensuring that all necessary health and safety measures are in place for an efficient and effective work campaign. I'd like to thank our team for their proactive, organized approach during the demobilization and remobilization, and express our gratitude to the firefighters and emergency personnel who worked to bring the wildfire under control."

Three diamond drill holes and a portion of a fourth were completed at Buck Main before the evacuation order was issued. In addition, extensive field exploration was conducted in the area of Mount Morice and CR (recently acquired from Teck; see June 1, 2023 news release), including the collection of rock, silt and soil samples. Core samples from drill holes completed in advance of the evacuation notice and all collected surface samples are currently being processed and results are expected from the lab shortly.

No damage or loss to infrastructure has been reported and the Company does not anticipate any delays to the resumption of work and ongoing exploration program.

National Instrument 43-101 Disclosure

This news release has been approved by Sun Summit's Vice President Exploration, Ken MacDonald, P. Geo., a "Qualified Person" as defined in National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects of the Canadian Securities Administrators. He has also verified the data disclosed, including sampling, analytical and test data, underlying the technical information in this news release.

Community Engagement

Sun Summit is engaging with First Nations on whose territory the Buck Project is located and is discussing their interests and identifying contract and work opportunities, as well as opportunities to support community initiatives. The Company looks forward to continuing to work with local and regional First Nations as the project continues.

About the Buck Project

The Buck Project is situated in a historic mining district near Houston, B.C., with excellent nearby infrastructure that allows for year-round, road-accessible exploration.

The project is host to the Buck Main intermediate-sulfidation epithermal-related gold-silver-zinc system. Most of the mineralization drilled to date at Buck Main consists of long, continuous zones of disseminated and breccia-hosted, bulk tonnage-style gold-silver-zinc. Vein-hosted, high-grade mineralization has also been intersected near the center of Buck Main.

Exploration at the Buck Project is focused on investigating the lateral and vertical extent of gold-silver-zinc mineralization at the Buck Main system, and to define additional drill targets across the entire land package through systematic exploration programs.

About Sun Summit

Sun Summit Minerals (TSXV: SMN) (OTCQB: SMREF) is a mineral exploration company focused on expanding its gold, silver, and zinc discovery at its flagship Buck Project located in north-central British Columbia.

Sun Summit is committed to environmental and social responsibility, with a focus on accountable development and building respectful and beneficial relationships with Indigenous and local communities.

Further details are available at www.sunsummitminerals.com.

For further information, contact:

Sharyn Alexander

President

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Matthew Benedetto

Simone Capital

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.



Tel. 416-817-1226

Forward-Looking Information

Statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements, which involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause such differences, without limiting the generality of the following, include: risks inherent in exploration activities; the impact of exploration competition; unexpected geological or hydrological conditions; changes in government regulations and policies, including trade laws and policies; failure to obtain necessary permits and approvals from government authorities; volatility and sensitivity to market prices; volatility and sensitivity to capital market fluctuations; the ability to raise funds through private or public equity financings; environmental and safety risks including increased regulatory burdens; weather and other natural phenomena; and other exploration, development, operating, financial market and regulatory risks. Except as required by applicable securities laws and regulation, Sun Summit 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 as required by applicable securities laws.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Highlights:

New results from 2023 drill program returned impressive gold grades and thickness.

Expansion drilling just under the Monique conceptual pit intersected new significant gold zones grading up to 3.8 g/t Au over 24.4 metres (including 9.1 g/t Au over 8.9 metres); 2.1 g/t Au over 34.3 metres and 3.3 g/t Au over 20.5 metres (including 58.6 g/t Au over 1.0 metre).

Near-surface expansion and infill drilling in the northwest area of the conceptual pit intersected gold zones grading up to 1.0 g/t Au over 62.5 metres (including 4.3 g/t Au over 9.0 metres); 1.6 g/t Au over 19.2 metres and 1.1 g/t Au over 25.5 metres.

More than 50,000 meters of drilling, out of the planned 68,000 meters for the 2023 program at Novador, have already been completed.

Two drills are active now, including one at Monique and one on regional exploration - further expansion of the drilling program is planned for September.

TORONTO, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Probe Gold Inc. (TSX: PRB) (OTCQB: PROBF) (Probe or the Company), is pleased to provide the first set of results from the 2023 Monique deposit drill program on its 100%-owned Novador property (the Property) located near Val-dOr, Quebec. Results from thirty-seven (37) drill holes, totaling 10,772 meters, have returned significant gold intercepts from surface to 425 meters vertical depth at the Monique gold zones (see figure 1 and table of selected drill results below). The 2023 winter drill program at Monique was focused on increasing the resource inside and just under the conceptual pit shell. New results continue to show growth at Monique deposit and strong expansion potential in all directions.

David Palmer, President and CEO of Probe, states Earlier this year, Monique exceeded our expectations by adding over a million ounces of gold to our inventory, growing to a total of 2.4 million ounces. With these results from the 2023 Monique expansion program the potential for ongoing growth from this deposit are once again being highlighted and suggest further upside to future mining operations. An updated PEA is currently in-progress for the Novador project, which will offer a more comprehensive representation of the projects expansion and progress towards a larger production scale. We are also planning to increase our drilling capacity in order to realize the growth potential of Monique and advance the Novador project even more quickly. Work has also begun on our recently acquired Croinor project to begin evaluating potential resource growth on this property, as well. Detour is progressing quickly after delays due to wildfires, with over 2,500 drilled so far on our La Peltrie option and 100%-owned properties. It has already been an extremely productive year for our projects, and we look forward to continuing this pace in the second half of 2023.

All thirty-seven (37) holes drilled to identify or confirm in-pit mineralization returned gold intercepts over 0.42 g/t Au, which is above the cut-off grade used in the 2023 pit-constrained resource estimate. Twenty-five (25) holes returned gold intercepts with grade times thickness above 10.0 g/t Au. Gold mineralization intersected is mainly associated with deformation zones that cross the deposit with an orientation of 280 - 300 and a 75- 80 dip to the north. Gold mineralization is defined by a network of quartz/carbonate/albite/tourmaline veins and veinlets with disseminated pyrite in the altered wall rocks.

Selected drill results from the 2023 Monique deposit drilling program are, as follows:

Hole Number From (m) To (m) Length (m) Gold (g/t) Zone MO-22-488 EXT 550.6 575.0 24.4 3.8 M Including 561.1 570.0 8.9 9.1 M MO-23-550 272.0 306.3 34.3 2.1 J Including 289.0 290.0 1.0 27.9 J MO-23-551 83.3 91.5 8.2 1.2 A MO-23-551 102.0 103.0 1.0 15.5 A MO-23-552 132.5 145.0 12.5 1.3 A MO-23-552 394.9 408.5 13.6 0.8 M MO-23-553 217.5 238.0 20.5 3.3 B Including 236.0 237.0 1.0 58.6 B MO-23-553 373.0 400.4 27.4 2.1 M MO-23-555 366.5 371.4 4.9 4.7 A MO-23-556 49.0 53.5 4.5 3.1 J MO-23-556 212.0 274.5 62.5 1.0 J + G Including 220.5 229.5 9.0 4.3 J MO-23-557 201.5 210.7 9.2 1.3 J MO-23-558 125.0 129.5 4.5 7.2 J Including 128.0 129.5 1.5 21.2 J MO-23-558 399.5 405.4 5.9 5.4 G Including 402.5 403.4 0.9 32.8 G MO-23-559 528.7 536.7 8.0 4.0 G MO-23-560 509.4 522.0 12.6 4.1 J Including 513.4 514.4 1.0 32.2 J MO-23-562 203.5 219.0 15.5 1.0 J MO-23-562 233.0 258.0 25.0 0.5 G MO-23-564 166.8 186.0 19.2 1.6 J MO-23-566 126.4 151.0 24.6 1.0 J MO-23-567 156.1 172.5 16.4 1.1 J MO-23-571 129.0 154.5 25.5 1.1 J MO-23-572 307.0 312.7 5.7 2.1 P MO-23-572 405.0 487.0 82.0 0.8 Q + J Including 430.0 449.5 19.5 2.0 J MO-23-574 399.0 424.0 24.5 0.7 J MO-23-574 453.0 461.0 8.0 1.9 J MO-23-579 16.1 35.5 19.4 0.8 P MO-23-580 55.0 75.0 20.0 1.3 J MO-23-581 91.0 118.0 27.0 0.4 J MO-23-582 81.0 97.0 16.0 1.2 Q MO-23-583 359.5 379.5 20.0 1.3 J MO-23-585 315.2 358.0 42.8 0.5 S MO-23-585 482.2 490.0 7.8 3.4 Q

(1) All the new analytical results reported in this release and in this table, are presented in core length and cut to 100 g/t Au when needed. True width is estimated between 65 to 95 % of core length. Only grade times thickness above 10.0 g/t Au * m is reported.

About Probes Novador Project

Since 2016, Probe Gold has been consolidating its land position in the highly prospective Val-dOr East area in the province of Quebec with a district-scale land package of 600 square kilometers that represents one of the largest land holdings in the Val-dOr mining camp. The Novador project is a sub-set of properties totaling 175 square kilometers hosting three past producing mines (Beliveau Mine, Bussiere Mine and Monique Mine) and falls along three regional mine trends. Novador is situated in a politically stable and low-cost mining environment that hosts numerous active producers and mills.

Val-dOr properties include gold resources totaling 3,793,900 ounces in the Measured and Indicated category and 1,418,700 ounces in the Inferred category along all trends and deposits.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical content of this press release has been prepared, reviewed, and approved by Mr. Marco Gagnon, P.Geo, Executive Vice President, who is a "Qualified Person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101").

Quality Control

During the last drilling program, assay samples were taken from the NQ core by sawing the drill core in half, with one-half sent to a certified commercial laboratory and the other half retained for future reference. A strict QA/QC program was applied to all samples; which includes insertion of mineralized standards and blank samples for each batch of 20 samples. The gold analyses were completed by fire-assayed with an atomic absorption finish on 50 grams of materials. Repeats were carried out by fire-assay followed by gravimetric testing on each sample containing 3.0 g/t gold or more. Total gold analyses (Metallic Sieve) were carried out on the samples which presented a great variation of their gold contents or the presence of visible gold.

About Probe Gold



Probe Gold Inc. is a leading Canadian gold exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of highly prospective gold properties. The Company is well-funded and dedicated to the exploration and development of high-quality gold projects, notably its 100% owned flagship asset, the multimillion-ounce Novador Gold Project in Quebec. Probe controls a large land package of approximately 1,600-square-kilometres of exploration ground within some of the most prolific gold belts in Quebec.

On behalf of Probe Gold Inc.,



Dr. David Palmer,

President & Chief Executive Officer

For further information:

Please visit our website at www.probegold.com or contact:

Seema Sindwani

Vice-President of Investor Relations

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

+1.416.777.9467

Forward-Looking Statements

Neither TSX nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This News Release includes certain "forward-looking statements" which are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Companys future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or 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 the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet managements 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, the Companys objectives, goals or future plans, statements, exploration results, potential mineralization, the estimation of mineral resources, exploration and mine development plans, timing of the commencement of operations and estimates of market conditions. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to failure to identify mineral resources, failure to convert estimated mineral resources to reserves, the inability to complete a feasibility study which recommends a production decision, the preliminary nature of metallurgical test results, delays in obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental, environmental or other project approvals, political risks, inability to fulfill the duty to accommodate First Nations and other indigenous peoples, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, changes in equity markets, inflation, changes in exchange rates, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in the development of projects, capital and operating costs varying significantly from estimates and the other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, and those risks set out in the Companys public documents filed on SEDAR. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The Company 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.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 14, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Imperial Metals Corporation (Imperial or the Company) (TSX:III) reports diamond drill results from the final five holes of the second phase of the Mount Polley 2023 exploration program, including a notable interval of 230.1 metres grading 0.31% copper and 0.50 g/t gold starting from a depth of 7.4 metres in hole SD-23-172. The second phase of drilling was completed in June to follow up on the significant results obtained in the first phase of drilling. Both phases were conducted in an underexplored area between the Springer and Cariboo mineralized zones.

Results from the first five of the ten holes drilled in the second phase were previously released on July 18th, 2023, and the final five holes are described in this news release. The 2023 exploration program results have increased the dimensions of the Springer zone mineralization. This mineralization has good potential to be converted from resource to reserve due to its proximity to existing mining and planned pits.

Brian Kynoch, President of Imperial, said, There continues to be opportunity to expand the Springer mineralization, especially at depth, and a follow-up program will be designed to further test the Springer zone. The results of this years drilling will be integrated into the block model and the life of mine plan for Mount Polley will be updated.

The significant intervals in the five holes are included in the table below.

Significant intercepts:

Hole ID From (m) To (m) Width (m) Copper (%) Gold (g/t) SD-23-172 7.4 237.5 230.1 0.31 0.50 including 7.4 80.0 72.6 0.41 0.62 and 120.0 220.0 100.0 0.33 0.57 SD-23-173 215.0 295.0 80.0 0.55 0.69 and 315.9 324.0 8.1 0.50 0.62 SD-23-174 21.5 272.5 251.0 0.36 0.37 including 152.5 207.5 55.0 0.59 0.73 SD-23-176 265.0 372.5 107.5 0.34 0.39 including 320.0 342.5 22.5 0.52 0.58 SD-23-177 3.0 225.0 222.0 0.34 0.31 and 150.0 200.0 50.0 0.61 0.63

All five drill holes are vertical and were collared in the Springer pit.

SD-23 172 is an infill hole 35 metres to the west of hole SD-23-168 on Section 3315N testing a significant gap on the northern/eastern edge of the Springer Main zone. It intersected 0.31% copper and 0.50 g/t gold over 230.1 metres from 7.4 metres.

SD-23 173 is step-out hole 35 metres to the south-east of hole SD-23-166 on Section 3225N expanding the eastern limits of the Springer zone towards the Polley Fault. It intersected 0.55% copper and 0.69 g/t gold over 80 metres from 215.0 metres.

SD-23 174 is an in-fill hole 40 metres to the west of hole SD-23-166 on Section 3245N upgrading the eastern edges of the Springer zone. It intersected 0.36% copper and 0.37 g/t gold over 251 metres from 21.5 metres.

SD-23 176 is a step-out hole 70 metres to the south-east of hole SD-23-165 on Section 3135N testing the eastern edges of the Springer zone. It intersected 0.34% copper and 0.39 g/t gold over 107.5 metres from 265 metres.

SD-23 177 is an in-fill hole 25 metres to the south of hole SD-23-167 on Section 3290N upgrading model confidence in the eastern extents of the Springer zone. It intersected 0.34% copper and 0.31 g/t gold over 222 metres from 3 metres.

Jim Miller-Tait, P.Geo., Imperials VP Exploration, has reviewed this news release as the designated Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 for the Mount Polley exploration program. Samples reported were analysed at Bureau Veritas Mineral Laboratories in Vancouver. A full QA/QC program using blanks, standards and duplicates was completed for all diamond drilling samples submitted to the labs. Significant assay intervals reported represent apparent widths. Insufficient geological information is available to confirm the geological model and true width of significant assay intervals.

Cross section and plan view maps are available on Imperialmetals.com.

About Imperial

Imperial is a Vancouver based exploration, mine development and operating company with holdings that include the Mount Polley mine (100%), the Huckleberry mine (100%), and the Red Chris mine (30%). Imperial also holds a portfolio of 23 greenfield exploration properties in British Columbia. These properties have defined areas of mineralization and clear exploration potential. Management continues to evaluate various opportunities to advance many of these properties.

Company Contacts

Brian Kynoch | President | 604.669.8959

Jim Miller-Tait | VP Exploration | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information contained in this news release are not statements of historical fact and are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the Companys managements expectations or beliefs regarding future events and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Companys expectations with respect to current and planned exploration drilling programs at Mount Polley and timing thereof; the potential for mineralization to be converted from resource to reserve; the expansion of the Springer mineralization; the design of a follow-up program to test the Springer zone; and the impact of drilling on future pit designs and mine life schedule. In certain cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "outlook", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative of these terms or comparable terminology. By their very nature forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied certain factors and assumptions that are based on information currently available to the Company as well as the Companys current beliefs and assumptions. These factors and assumptions and beliefs and assumptions include, the risk factors detailed from time to time in the Companys interim and annual financial statements and managements discussion and analysis of those statements, all of which are filed and available for review on SEDAR+ at sedarplus.ca. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, many of which are beyond the Companys ability to control or predict. 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, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and all forward-looking statements in this news release are qualified by these cautionary statements.
Around 50,000 people attended Tuesday's funeral for an influential Islamist leader in Bangladesh, police said, after news of his death while he was in prison for war crimes prompted violent anti-government protests.

Delwar Hossain Sayedee, 83, was sentenced to death in 2013 for rape, murder and the persecution of Hindu Bangladeshis during the country's independence war decades earlier.

He died on Monday after suffering a heart attack in a prison outside Dhaka, prompting protests in the capital that turned violent when police moved in to disperse them.

Heavy police security guarded a funeral prayer at Sayedee's hometown in coastal Pirojpur district where a huge crowd gathered to watch his body be laid to rest.

"Some 50,000 people joined the funeral prayer," deputy district police chief Sheikh Mustafizur Rahman told AFP, adding that the burial took place without incident.

But elsewhere in the country, one person was killed during a confrontation between police and a group attempting to hold a memorial ceremony for Sayedee.

"They gathered and wanted to hold a funeral prayer, stoking a clash between them and police," Chakaria duty police officer Md. Selim Mia told AFP.

"One person has died and some more have been injured including our policemen."

Sayedee was vice president of the opposition Jamaat-e-Islami party, an Islamist political group with a huge following despite being banned for much of its history.

The party remains controversial for supporting Bangladesh's continued union with Pakistan during the former country's brutal 1971 liberation war.

Sayedee shot to prominence in the 1980s after he started preaching in some of the Muslim-majority nation's top mosques.

In his heyday, he would draw hundreds of thousands to his speeches, recordings of which were widely distributed.

His conviction a decade ago by a war crimes tribunal -- criticised by rights groups for several procedural shortcomings -- triggered the deadliest protests in Bangladesh's history, with at least 100 people killed in the clashes that followed.

Jamaat said tens of thousands of its supporters were arrested in a subsequent crackdown, and the party was only this year permitted to stage public demonstrations again.

News of Sayedee's death on Monday night brought thousands of Jamaat supporters to the streets chanting anti-government slogans.

Police dispersed protests with rubber bullets and tear gas before dawn on Tuesday, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) spokesman Faruk Hossain told AFP.

The police force said it had rejected an application by Jamaat to hold a post-funeral prayer in the capital.
Four months into Sudan's conflict, the situation is spiralling out of control, with mass displacement and millions on the verge of famine, humanitarian organisations warned Tuesday, urging immediate international action.

Since Sudan's conflict erupted on April 15, the country has been plunged into a dire humanitarian crisis, with the United Nations also warning of arbitrary killings and rampant sexual abuse.

In a joint appeal, the heads of 20 global organisations pointed out that "more than six million Sudanese people are one step away from famine".

"The situation is spiralling out of control," said the statement, signed by the heads of numerous United Nations agencies, along with organisations including Save the Children and CARE.

The signatories pointed out that more than 14 million children need humanitarian aid and over four million people have fled the fighting, either within the war-ravaged country or as refugees to neighbouring states.

At the same time, they warned, "time is running out for farmers to plant the crops that will feed them and their neighbours".

They decried the lacklustre international response four months into the fighting between Sudan's army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

- 'No excuse' -

"There is no excuse for waiting," said the statement, pointing out that two appeals for aid to help some 19 million Sudanese "are just over 27-percent funded".

"Please change that."

The UN said it so far had received just a quarter of the $2.57 billion it has appealed for to help people inside Sudan, and just 31 percent of the $566 million requested to help those who have fled as refugees to neighbouring countries.

The signatories assured the people of Sudan that their organisations would "continue to push for access to all people and in all areas of Sudan to bring humanitarian supplies and essential services".

They called for an "immediate cessation of hostilities", and demanded that the parties to the conflict "grant us safe and unfettered access" to provide desperately needed aid.

They highlighted reports of widespread attacks on civilians, looting of humanitarian supplies, targeting of aid workers, civilians assets and infrastructure, including hospitals, and the blocking of humanitarian assistance.

Such acts, they warned, "may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity".

The UN human rights office said its figures, which are surely an undercount, indicate that more than 4,000 people have so far been killed in the fighting, including 28 humanitarian and health workers and 435 children.

- Sexual violence -

The UN voiced particular concern for women and girls caught up in the conflict, amid "shocking incidence of sexual violence, including rape".

"We've seen an increase of more than 900 percent in the conflict areas of gender-based violence," Laila Baker of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) told reporters in Geneva via video link from Cairo.

"Those women are incredibly at risk," she said.

The victims of such violence, which in a number of cases end up pregnant, find themselves with little or no access to assistance and care, she warned.

UN rights chief Volker Turk meanwhile said in a statement that his office had "received credible reports of 32 incidents of sexual violence against 73 victims as of 2 August".

"This includes at least 28 incidents of rape. Men in RSF uniform were implicated in at least 19 incidents as perpetrators," he said, stressing that "the actual number of cases is likely much higher".
Canada's corporate watchdog on Tuesday launched an investigation of Ralph Lauren's Canadian unit over allegations the fashion giant used forced labor from China's Uyghur minority.

The announcement follows similar probes of Nike Canada and Canadian mining firm Dynasty Gold, which the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE) began last month.

A coalition of 28 civil society organizations last year filed a complaint with the watchdog alleging "Ralph Lauren Canada has supply relationships with Chinese companies that use or benefit from the use of Uyghur forced labour."

"I have decided that the Ralph Lauren complaint warrants an investigation," ombudsperson Sheri Meyerhoffer said in a statement.

The brand's US parent company, she noted, has disputed Canadian jurisdiction over the matter, arguing that its subsidiary "is not responsible for decision-making" and all of its operations are overseen by the company's US headquarters.

The Ottawa-based Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project welcomed the investigation in a statement.

"There is credible evidence that Ralph Lauren is linked to numerous Chinese companies that use Uyghur forced labour in their supply chains," it said.

Rights groups say more than one million Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim minorities have been held in re-education camps in China's western Xinjiang region, with a slew of abuses that include forced labor.

Lawmakers in Western nations, including Canada, have called the crackdown in Xinjiang a genocide, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has referred to the treatment of Uyghurs as crimes against humanity.

Beijing denies the accusations, describing the facilities as vocational centers designed to curb extremism.
Engineering student Somaya Faruqi had to flee Afghanistan to continue her studies after the Taliban government returned to power two years ago and banned more than 1.1 million girls and women from schools and universities.

The 21-year-old, now living in the United States, is the face of a campaign launched Tuesday by the UN's Education Cannot Wait global fund to combat the crisis, marking the two-year anniversary of the fall of the internationally recognized government in Kabul.

Under the motto #AfghanGirlsVoices, the operation is spearheading a global call to respect all Afghan girls' and women's right to education.

Countless girls and women have already had to leave the country to continue their education.

Faruqi, for example, finished high school in Qatar after she and nine other girls from her robotics team, "The Afghan Dreamers" left Afghanistan in 2021.

Now, she is beginning her second year studying engineering at Sacramento State university in California, thanks to a scholarship from Qatar.

- 'Forgotten' -

"This campaign is meant to bring the attention of the world again to the girls in Afghanistan, and (their) education issues," Faruqi told AFP by telephone.

"Afghanistan seems to be forgotten," she added.

The near-total exclusion of women from Afghan public life, including in education and employment, has become one of the major sticking points preventing the international community from offering aid and official recognition to the Taliban government.

"The path to any more normal relationship between the Taliban and other countries will be blocked unless and until the rights of women and girls, among other things, are actually supported," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Washington.

Conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan are the "worst globally," a UN report found last month, saying that the Taliban government's policies -- which are based on their strict interpretation of Islam -- could amount to a "gender apartheid."

In fact, the state of women's rights in Afghanistan "should count as a crime against humanity, and it should be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court," the UN special envoy for global education, former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, told reporters during a video meeting Tuesday.

- 'Tragic' -

In 2021, only one month after returning to power for the first time in 20 years, the Taliban authorities banned girls from attending secondary school, before closing university doors to them in December 2022 and then heavily restricting their participation in the workforce.

For Faruqi, these circumstances cannot stand: "We have to make sure that (girls and women) have access to equal opportunities, and they have access to education, because education is the key to freedom," she told AFP.

"Girls have been banned from public spaces: schools, gyms, parks; there is nothing allowed for them to do; just to stay at home," she explained in a UN statement Tuesday.

For many families, the only path forward for their daughters is marriage, "regardless of their consent," she told AFP, adding that many of her own classmates have been forced to marry.

"Depression is widespread. The rate of suicide for girls has gone up a lot in the last two years. It is tragic," she said in the statement.

The Education Cannot Wait campaign will aim to raise global awareness of the issue via social media into next month, amplifying the voices of Afghan girls and women just as world leaders gather for the UN General Assembly September 18 and 19.
The Ministry of Health in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners has organised the national self-care awareness month commemorated to implement self-care interventions in Uganda.

Speaking at the national self-care awareness month celebrations held at Angwecibange Primary School Ground in Dokolo district, the Director Curativel Services at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Charles Olaro urged Ugandans to embrace Self-care inventions aimed at reducing the morbidity and mortality due to burden of diseases that arise from poor self-care practices and the complication related to maternal and child deaths.

Olaro says that self-care in Uganda will help raise self-awareness about different self-care interventions such as HIV self-testing, pregnancy self-care testing and family planning self-injection, nutrition, and other self-care services.

By promoting practices that empower patients to take a proactive role in managing their health, healthcare centers can reduce the burden on healthcare resources and improve overall well-being, Dr Olaro said.

He added that self-care is part of the health system adding that self-care testing is a key prevention and promotion that will help people to manage themselves.

Meanwhile, the Centre for Health Human Rights and Development (CEHURD) Senior Programme Officer Annah Kukundakule said people need to be sensitized on the importance of self-care awareness in the country.

This years event was held under the theme: Self-care interventions: advancing sexual and reproductive health, enhancing primary health care and contributing to universal health coverage.
By David Awori

Boda boda riders in Busia Town mounted roadblocks to collect condolence fees for their colleague who was involved in a fatal accident in Tororo district on Monday.

Using ropes, the commercial cyclists blocked roads and collected money from road users.

Mr. Wilson Okiru, a boda boda rider, said the culture of mounting blockades was to ensure motorcycle riders and other road users pay some money as condolence fees for their departed colleagues.

We started doing this early, targeting our fellow riders who are usually reluctant to pay condolence fees, but also other road users, Mr Okiru, who was collecting the condolence along Tira Road, said.

On Sunday, Amisi Naku, one of our colleagues was involved in a fatal accident in Tororo, that is why we are here to collect condolence fees from well-wishers and members of the boda boda fraternity, he added.

Mr Rajab Ekeya, another rider, said they were collecting money ranging from Shs500 to Shs10,000 from the road users and their colleagues at the various motorcycle stages.

As boda boda riders, we dont have enough money saved to cater for emergencies, especially death, that is why asked travelers and well-wishers to contribute towards our colleagues burial expenses, Mr Ekeya explained.

The development, however, caused a huge traffic gridlock as vehicles formed long queues that left several road users complaining, while others resorted to using ungazetted routes to dodge paying the condolence fees.

Mr Stanley Peter Mugeni, a resident of Dabani, who was reportedly delayed by over ten minutes on his way to the Tiira gold-mining area, said what the motorcycle riders did was in conflict with traffic regulations.

Mr Saleh Wandera, another resident, said whereas soliciting for condolence fees was a good idea, mounting roadblocks along the road and holding travelers at ransom was bad, especially for a deceased who was unknown to the motorists.

Mr Philip Malaba, a mechanic in Busia Town, said the boda boda riders have associations, stages, and offices from where they can meet and solicit such funds, rather than block roads and involve travelers.

Mr Grace Kanuna, the Deputy Busia Resident District Commissioner (RDC), described the condolence-collection drive as illegal and next to extortion.

However, one of the residents, who preferred to only be identified as Ssalongo, thinks the boda boda riders were right to collect condolence fees, especially from their colleagues.

He said: Death is something that is never planned and is good that people stand with the family of the departed by paying condolence, Ssalongo said.

Mr Jackson Ouma, another resident, said it was good to collect condolence fees along the road because many people have no time to stand with colleagues who are in dire need.
The Indian Community in Uganda has launched a one-month blood donation drive across the country as they celebrate the 77th anniversary of the countrys independence.

The Indian High Commissioner to Uganda Rawat Singh Upender says they are targeting to collect 5000 units of blood during the drive.

He says they have decided to donate blood to save the lives of mothers, children, and those involved in accidents who may be in need of blood.

He says currently, India is one of the countries with a number of investors paying taxes in Uganda.

The Executive Director for the Uganda Blood Transfusion Services Dr. Dorothy Kyeyune says the country requires about 1500 units of blood every day.

She is optimistic that the blood donation drive which has been launched will help to address blood shortage, especially at a time when schools, the main blood donors. are closing for holidays

Schools are the main donors of blood, when schools close for holidays we face some difficulties in terms of collecting enough blood, she stressed.

India got its independence in 1947, and to date, it has grown its economy tremendously
The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Thomas Tayebwa has told legislators to stop panicking over World Banks move to suspend new loans to Uganda due to the recently signed Anti-Homosexuality law.

This after Otuke County MP, Omara Paul implored the government to explain to the legislators how Uganda is prepared to handle the possible economic shocks ahead.

While responding to the concerns, Tayebwa appealed to MPs to stop panicking since they knew the possible outcomes of the law that Uganda passed in support of the majority of Ugandans who wanted to preserve their culture.

He asked the MPs to give time to the government to forge a way forward.

When we were making that decision we knew it would have reparations and we are strong about the decision we made as a house. The moment you show any signs of weakness and panic, it means we dont know what we are doing. We knew threats would come, so, please let us be calm, Tayebwa told legislators.

He was supported by Budadiri West MP Nathan Nandala Mafabi, who said that the MPs should patiently wait for the official government communication over the budget income and expenditure.
Nation Media Group Uganda (NMG-U) has partnered with Idros Foods to organize the first-ever street food festival in the country slated for 8th-9th October at Motiv Bugolobi in support of street vendors.

Speaking to journalists at its launch, Mrs. Pamela Adong, the co-founder of Idros street foods said in the event, they aim to bring all street food vendors together and show their potential by offering different food varieties in the market.

She says their goal is to support street food vendors to grow their market share in the food value chain as most time they operate in small spaces and micro-environment, adding that this is time for them to be recognized and get exposure.

Mr. Adong noted that they also want to unite all street food vendors not only in Kampala but the country at large as their long-time goal is to unite all African street food vendors.

Ms Rita Namusoke, the innovations and commercialization executive at Tusker Lite says they are going to make a one-month-long campaign in universities and other areas so that people can appreciate street food vendors.

Other notable sponsors were Jumia food, among others.
Uganda Peoples Defence Force (UPDF) has repatriated the second batch of former Lords Resistance Army (LRA) rebels and their family members back to Uganda from the Central African Republic (CAR).

The 16 repatriated insurgents including their wives and children arrived at Entebbe International Airport aboard a Kenya Airways flight number KQ 579 on Monday evening.

They were received by the Minister of State for Defence in charge of Veteran Affairs, Oleru Huda Abason together with the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Wilson Mbasu Mbadi among other dignitaries.

Each combatant we got was treated well, it is the same gesture which the two governments of Central African Republic and Uganda have done to show the world that they can get all their people and resettle them back home, Lt. Gen. Charles Okidi, is the UPDF commandant Airforce told KFM.

The first batch had 69 returnees and the force expects around 100 people at the end of the exercise.
Callan firefighters responded to a 999 call to attend a serious collision on Saturday despite an escalation in industrial action in recent days.

The collision involved a lorry and a car at Cuffesgrange between Kilkenny City and Callan and the driver of the car was taken to St Lukes General Hospital in Kilkenny with serious injuries.

The firefighters who attended the scene have been lauded on social media for their actions.

Community activist, Derek Devoy said:

I think it needs to be mentioned that the Callan Fire Crew left their picket to try their best to save a life! They received a call reporting an incident involving a truck and a car and a person was reported trapped.

I asked myself the question, why did they leave their picket in the middle of industrial action when they are fighting to be recognised for the amazing work they do?

I answered it very quickly! These group of men would do everything in their power to try and save a life and ensure that their local community both far and wide are safe, he added.

The crews involved have been commended for their actions locally which happened just days after an escalation in industrial action.

On Friday a document circulated to businesses in the city stated that the nearest fire station that will respond to any fire or emergency at your premises will be approximately 30 minutes away and advised that the impacts on existing insurance cover, if any, should be considered due to the unavoidable increase in Fire Service response times on the above dates.

However a retained firefighter, working in Kilkenny, confirmed to the Kilkenny People that when there is a threat to life the retained firefighters will respond.

The escalation in strike action will result in Kilkenny City Fire Station closing for 24 hours from 8am on August 16 to 8am on August 17, from 8am on August 18 to 8am on August 19, from 8am on August 20 to 8am on August 21 and for 48 hours from August 24 to 8am on August 26. The seven fire stations across the city and county will also be closed on certain dates over the coming weeks due to the strike action.

The statement issued to Kilkenny Chamber of Commerce also states that Kilkenny County Council is responsible for providing Fire and Rescue services to your business and adds that if local businesses are unhappy with this situation they should contact info@kilkennycoco.ie and mark your email for the attention of the Chief Fire Officer.

Retained fire fighters across the country are seeking better terms and conditions and commenced industrial action in June.

Meanwhile President of The Association of Irish Local Government, Councillor Pat Fitzpatrick has pledged his support for retained fire fighters.

Retained firefighters are on call 24/7. They make huge personal and family sacrifices by doing this job as they have to be available constantly especially with the low staffing numbers. They can never stray too far from home and often miss family holidays, school plays, and family trips  things that the rest of us take for granted, he said.

I was speaking to a local retained firefighter lately in Kilkenny who told me that one Sunday morning he was having breakfast with his family when his pager went off and within 15 minutes he was helping a family evacuate from their home after a major flood. It is only fair, right and proper that the pay and condition of the people that provide this vital service to the public is addressed to the satisfaction of the retained fighters, said Cllr Fitzpatrick.

PRIORITY

In a statement Kilkenny County Council stated that their priority throughout this process is to ensure employee and public safety.

 It is understood that all emergency calls will be responded to during the dispute, though some calls may have a delayed response due to the industrial action, a council spokesperson said.
Gardai have arrested a man in his early 20s identified as being a suspected money mule herder.

The man was arrested by Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) officers as part of Operation SKEIN/JACKAL, with a number of items of evidential value seized during the search of a residence in West Tallaght, Dublin 24 on Monday August 14.

The search was conducted as part of a larger investigation into incidents of fraud in jurisdictions including Norway, Germany, the USA, Hawaii and Ireland, and the subsequent laundering of money through money mule accounts, businesses and trade-based money laundering operations.

During the course of the search, a high valued Range Rover, which is suspected to have been purchased with the proceeds of crime, was seized along with the following items:

 A number of Passports

 Bank cards in family names and names of suspected money mules

 Bank account details

 Details of registered companies and businesses

 Cash in euros and dollars

 A note teller (cash counting machine)

 30 mobile phones

 A desktop computer and laptop

The arrested man is currently detained at a Garda Station in Dublin.

Up to 50 different money mules are identified as having laundered over 196,000 through his bank accounts in Ireland, Germany and Belgium.

According to Gardai, this money came from victims of mainly smishing frauds in Ireland, was initially laundered through these 50 money mule accounts and then forwarded by the money mules to the suspects three bank accounts.

A man in his 50s was also arrested during the course of this search for immigration offences and was later refused leave to land.

He is being detained pending his removal from this jurisdiction.

Investigations are ongoing.
By Guy Faulconbridge

MOSCOW, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Russia launched its first moon-landing spacecraft in 47 years on Friday amid a race by major powers including the United States, China and India to discover more about the elements held on the earth's only natural satellite.

Russia said that it would launch further lunar missions and then explore the possibility of a joint Russian-China crewed mission and even a lunar base. NASA has spoken about a "lunar gold rush" and explored the potential of moon mining.

Why are major powers so interested in what is up there?

THE MOON

The moon, which is 384,400 km (238,855 miles) from our planet, moderates the earth's wobble on its axis which ensures a more stable climate. It also causes tides in the world's oceans.

Current thinking is that it was formed when a massive thing collided with earth about 4.5 billion years ago. The debris from the collision came together to form the moon.

Temperatures vary: in full Sun, they rise to 127 degrees Celsius while in darkness they plummet to about minus 173 degrees Celsius. The moon's exosphere does not give protection against radiation from the Sun.

WATER

The first definitive discovery of water on the moon was made in 2008 by the Indian mission Chandrayaan-1, which detected hydroxyl molecules spread across the lunar surface and concentrated at the poles, according to NASA.

Water is crucial for human life and also can be a source of hydrogen and oxygen - and these can be used for rocket fuel.

HELIUM-3

Helium-3 is an isotope of helium that is rare on earth, but NASA says there are estimates of a million tonnes of it on the moon.

This isotope could provide nuclear energy in a fusion reactor but since it is not radioactive it would not produce dangerous waste, according to the European Space Agency.

RARE EARTH METALS

Rare earth metals - used in smartphones, computers and advanced technologies - are present on the moon, including scandium, yttrium and the 15 lanthanides, according to research by Boeing.

HOW WOULD MOON MINING WORK?

It is not entirely clear.

Some sort of infrastructure would have to be established on the moon. The conditions of the moon mean robots would have to do most of the hard work, though water on the moon would allow for long-term human presence.

WHAT IS THE LAW?

The law is unclear and full of gaps.

The United Nations 1966 Outer Space Treaty says that no nation can claim sovereignty over the moon - or other celestial bodies - and that the exploration of space should be carried out for the benefit of all countries.

But lawyers say it is unclear whether or not a private entity could claim sovereignty over a part of the moon.

"Space mining is subject to relatively little existing policy or governance, despite these potentially high stakes," The RAND Corporation said in a blog last year.

The 1979 The Moon Agreement states that no part of the moon "shall become property of any State, international intergovernmental or non-governmental organization, national organization or non-governmental entity or of any natural person."

It has not been ratified by any major space power.

The United States in 2020 announced the Artemis Accords, named after NASAs Artemis moon program, to seek to build on existing international space law by establishing safety zones" on the moon. Russia and China have not joined the accords.

Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge Editing by Peter Graff


MEXICO CITY, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Mexico's Camimex mining chamber has called on the authorities to help end a strike at the country's leading gold mine, Newmont Corp's Penasquito project in northern Zacatecas state, it said in a statement on Monday.

"We call on the competent authorities to collaborate on finding a solution to the strike," Camimex said in the statement, which also criticized what it described as a "generalized delay" in the granting of environmental permits for mining projects.

Located some 485 miles (780 km) north of Mexico City, Penasquito has been shuttered since June, when Newmont suspended operations after a strike was launched by the National Union of Mine and Metal Workers of the Mexican Republic, according to the company's second-quarter earnings report.

During the quarter, the mine produced some 38,000 ounces of gold, down from 121,000 ounces in the same quarter last year.

Newmont has withdrawn its annual output guidance for the project. Last year Penasquito produced around 566,000 ounces of gold.

(Reporting by David Alire Garcia; Editing by Sarah Morland and Jan Harvey)

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.


HARARE, Aug 15 (Reuters) - China's Canmax Technologies and Premier African Minerals have resolved their dispute over a lithium concentrate supply contract that was delayed by a defective processing plant, the two companies said on Tuesday.

The offtake agreement is for the supply of 48,000 metric tons of spodumene concentrate to Canmax from the London-listed Premier's Zulu lithium mine in Zimbabwe. This is in exchange for a $35 million cash injection Canmax made towards construction of the Zulu processing plant.

Canmax had moved to terminate the deal in June after Premier failed to start delivering the lithium concentrate as promised in May and declared force majeure, citing problems at its recently assembled plant.

In separate statements, the two companies said they had agreed to restore the offtake deal.

"The amended agreement restores the working arrangements between Premier and Canmax and therefore the force majeure and default notices have been withdrawn by the respective parties," Premier said.

Canmax confirmed the agreement in a separate statement.

"The amended agreement resumes the cooperation between the company and Premier," Canmax said.

Canmax is also the single biggest shareholder in Premier, with a 13.38% stake and is one of several Chinese firms that have invested more than $1 billion in Zimbabwean lithium assets over the past two years, as they seek to lock in future supplies of the key battery mineral.

Other Chinese firms with lithium mining operations in Zimbabwe include Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, Sinomine Resource Group, Chengxin Lithium Group and Yahua Group.

(Reporting by Nelson Banya; Editing by 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.
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(Kitco News) - China-focused gold and copper producer China Gold International Resources (TSX: CGG) reported Monday that its Q2 2023 total gold production decreased by 44% to 36,490 ounces from 65,527 ounces in Q2 2022.

The company said that total copper production was nil (Q2 2022: 21,356 tonnes) as all production was halted at the Jiama mine since March 27, 2023 due to the overflow at the Guolanggou tailings pond.

The companys Q2 2023 revenue decreased by 75% to US$73.0 million from US$292.0 million for the same period in 2022. Mine operating loss of US$6.2 million, decreased by 105% from mine operating earnings of US$117.7 million for the same period in 2022.

China Gold also posted net loss of US$53.3 million in Q2 2023, a decrease of 165% or US$135.0 million from net income of US$81.7 million for the same period in 2022.

For the first half of 2023, the company reported net income of US$25.3 million, down 84% or US$128.2 million from US$153.5 million for the same period in 2022.

In a statement, the company said that the decrease in profitability is mainly attributable to the suspension of the production of the Jiama mine.

As a result of the suspension, the company did not record any product sales from the Jiama mine during Q2 2023, with the exception of a minor amount of molybdenum, leading to a sharp decline in the companys net profit for the first half of 2023, it added.

Importantly, the company said the repair and major reinforcement works of tailings dam have been completed and some reinforcement works are still in the final stage.

China Gold said it is committed to submitting a safety assessment report to the regulatory authority on or around the end of August 2023, adding that the overall progress is on schedule.

The company also noted that production operations at the CSH gold mine remain stable.

China Gold International Resources is a gold and base metal mining company incorporated in BC, Canada and operates two mines, the CSH gold mine in Inner Mongolia, China and the Jiama copper-gold polymetallic mine in Tibet, China.
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. &&
AngloGold Ashanti Limited (NYSE:AU  Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 6,820,000 shares, an increase of 21.6% from the July 15th total of 5,610,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,360,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.9 days.

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A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Investec lowered shares of AngloGold Ashanti from a buy rating to a sell rating in a research note on Monday, April 17th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of AngloGold Ashanti in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating on the stock.

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Institutional Inflows and Outflows

AngloGold Ashanti Stock Performance

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of AU. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of AngloGold Ashanti in the 1st quarter valued at $282,000. APG Asset Management N.V. purchased a new stake in AngloGold Ashanti in the 1st quarter valued at $2,163,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 395.1% in the 1st quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 82,383 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $1,973,000 after purchasing an additional 65,743 shares during the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 51.6% in the 1st quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 2,050,334 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $48,572,000 after purchasing an additional 697,908 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in AngloGold Ashanti by 44.1% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,412,291 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $33,457,000 after purchasing an additional 432,001 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 24.20% of the companys stock.

Shares of AU stock traded down $0.23 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $17.48. The companys stock had a trading volume of 1,883,953 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,928,698. The company has a current ratio of 2.17, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. AngloGold Ashanti has a 1-year low of $11.94 and a 1-year high of $30.26. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $21.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $22.40.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, June 23rd. The mining company reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $1.03 billion for the quarter. On average, equities analysts anticipate that AngloGold Ashanti will post 1.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AngloGold Ashanti Company Profile

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AngloGold Ashanti Limited operates as a gold mining company in Africa, the Americas, and Australia. The company explores for gold. Its flagship property is a 100% owned Geita project located in the Lake Victoria goldfields of the Mwanza region in north-western Tanzania. The company also owns 100% interest in the Iduapriem mine which covers 137 square kilometers located in the western region of Ghana; Obuasi project located in Ghana; AGA Mineracao in Brazil; Serra Grande located in central Brazil in the state of Goias; Greenfield Projects in the Beatty district in Nevada; and Sunrise Dam in Australia.

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Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. (NYSE:TV  Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of Moderate Buy from the seven research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $7.93.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on TV shares. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. in a research report on Tuesday, May 30th. They set a buy rating and a $6.10 target price on the stock. TheStreet upgraded shares of Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. from a d+ rating to a c- rating in a report on Monday, June 12th. Benchmark reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $12.00 price target on shares of Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. in a research note on Monday, July 24th. StockNews.com cut shares of Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Saturday, August 5th. Finally, UBS Group lowered Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. from a buy rating to a neutral rating and cut their target price for the stock from $8.80 to $6.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 19th.

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Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. Trading Down 1.7 %

Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. Increases Dividend

Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. stock opened at $4.70 on Tuesday. Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. has a 52 week low of $4.38 and a 52 week high of $7.51. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $5.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $5.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

The firm also recently announced an annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 30th were issued a dividend of $0.0985 per share. This is a positive change from Grupo Televisa, S.A.B.s previous annual dividend of $0.09. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 26th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.6%. Grupo Televisa, S.A.B.s payout ratio is presently -9.68%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of TV. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. by 681.6% during the first quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,565 shares of the companys stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 4,853 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. by 181.1% during the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 6,409 shares of the companys stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 4,129 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. in the first quarter valued at $111,000. Finally, Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. acquired a new stake in Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. during the 1st quarter valued at $117,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.

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Suburban Propane Partners (NYSE:SPH  Get Free Report) and Savers Value Village (NYSE:SVV  Get Free Report) are both oils/energy companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, earnings, valuation, risk, analyst recommendations, profitability and institutional ownership.

Profitability

This table compares Suburban Propane Partners and Savers Value Villages net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

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Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Suburban Propane Partners 6.28% 16.35% 4.06% Savers Value Village N/A N/A N/A

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Suburban Propane Partners and Savers Value Villages top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Suburban Propane Partners $1.50 billion 0.62 $139.71 million $1.39 10.58 Savers Value Village N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Analyst Ratings

Suburban Propane Partners has higher revenue and earnings than Savers Value Village.

This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Suburban Propane Partners and Savers Value Village, as provided by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Suburban Propane Partners 0 2 0 0 2.00 Savers Value Village 0 0 8 0 3.00

Suburban Propane Partners currently has a consensus target price of $16.50, indicating a potential upside of 12.24%. Savers Value Village has a consensus target price of $28.43, indicating a potential upside of 10.62%. Given Suburban Propane Partners higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe Suburban Propane Partners is more favorable than Savers Value Village.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

17.5% of Suburban Propane Partners shares are held by institutional investors. 1.3% of Suburban Propane Partners shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Suburban Propane Partners beats Savers Value Village on 7 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Suburban Propane Partners

(Get Free Report)

Suburban Propane Partners, L.P., through its subsidiaries, engages in the retail marketing and distribution of propane, renewable propane, fuel oil, and refined fuels. The company operates through four segments: Propane, Fuel Oil and Refined Fuels, Natural Gas and Electricity, and All Other. The Propane segment is involved in the retail distribution of propane for space heating, water heating, cooking, and clothes drying in the residential and commercial markets; for use as a motor fuel in internal combustion engines to power over-the-road vehicles, forklifts, and stationary engines, as well as to fire furnaces as a cutting gas to the industrial customers; and for tobacco curing, crop drying, poultry brooding, and weed control in the agricultural markets. It also engages in the wholesale distribution of propane to industrial end users. The Fuel Oil and Refined Fuels segment engages in the retail distribution of fuel oil, diesel, kerosene, and gasoline to residential and commercial customers for use primarily as a source of heat in homes and buildings. The Natural Gas and Electricity segment markets natural gas and electricity to residential and commercial customers in the deregulated energy markets in New York and Pennsylvania. The All Other segment sells, installs, and services a range of home comfort equipment, including whole-house heating products, air cleaners, humidifiers, and space heaters. As of September 24, 2022, the company served approximately 1.0 million residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural customers through 700 locations in 42 states primarily in the east and west coast regions of the United States, as well as portions of the Midwest region of the United States and Alaska. Suburban Energy Services Group LLC serves as a general partner of Suburban Propane Partners, L.P. The company was founded in 1945 and is based in Whippany, New Jersey.

About Savers Value Village

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Savers Value Village, Inc. sells second-hand merchandise in retail stores in the United States, Canada, and Australia. It operates stores under the Savers, Value Village, Village des Valeurs, Unique, and 2nd Avenue banners. The company purchases secondhand textiles, including clothing, bedding, and bath items; shoes; accessories; housewares; books; and other goods from non-profit partners, then processes, selects, prices, merchandises, and sells them in its stores. It serves retail and wholesale customers. The company was formerly known as S-Evergreen Holding LLC and changed its name to Savers Value Village, Inc. in January 2022. The company was founded in 1954 and is based in Bellevue, Washington.

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Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW  Free Report) had its price target cut by Royal Bank of Canada from $12.00 to $10.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning, Marketbeat reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the real estate investment trusts stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Raymond James downgraded shares of Medical Properties Trust from a strong-buy rating to an underperform rating in a research report on Friday. StockNews.com started coverage on Medical Properties Trust in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Medical Properties Trust from $14.00 to $12.00 in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Medical Properties Trust in a research report on Wednesday, April 19th. They issued an equal weight rating and a $9.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Bank of America downgraded shares of Medical Properties Trust from a neutral rating to an underperform rating and dropped their target price for the company from $9.00 to $8.00 in a report on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $12.25.

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Medical Properties Trust Stock Performance

Institutional Trading of Medical Properties Trust

Shares of MPW opened at $7.82 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.68 billion, a PE ratio of 71.05, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.99. Medical Properties Trust has a 52-week low of $7.10 and a 52-week high of $16.81. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $9.45 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.36. The company has a quick ratio of 2.88, a current ratio of 2.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23.

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MPW. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 87,046,765 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $1,840,168,000 after buying an additional 496,833 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Medical Properties Trust by 11.7% during the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 36,158,910 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $774,593,000 after purchasing an additional 3,800,294 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Medical Properties Trust by 13.2% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 20,044,006 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $223,290,000 after buying an additional 2,330,812 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Medical Properties Trust by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,696,619 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $109,424,000 after buying an additional 217,430 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Centersquare Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Medical Properties Trust by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 11,064,042 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $123,253,000 after buying an additional 348,998 shares during the last quarter. 74.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Medical Properties Trust

(Get Free Report)

Medical Properties Trust, Inc is a self-advised real estate investment trust formed in 2003 to acquire and develop net-leased hospital facilities. From its inception in Birmingham, Alabama, the Company has grown to become one of the world's largest owners of hospital real estate with 444 facilities and approximately 44,000 licensed beds in ten countries and across four continents.

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Razor Energy Corp. (OTCMKTS:RZREF  Get Free Report)s stock price traded up 0.7% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $0.55 and last traded at $0.55. 2,000 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 15,395 shares. The stock had previously closed at $0.55.

Razor Energy Stock Performance

The firms 50-day moving average price is $0.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $0.71.

Razor Energy Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Razor Energy Corp. engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas properties in western Canada. The Company produces primarily light oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in Alberta. It operates assets in the Swan Hills area covering 155,520 gross acres of total land and the Kaybob area covering 84,320 gross acres of total land located in the west central Alberta, as well as the District South area covering 79,093 gross acres of total land located in the southern Alberta.

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StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Universal Security Instruments (NYSEAMERICAN:UUU  Free Report) in a research report released on Friday morning. The firm issued a buy rating on the stock.

Separately, TheStreet upgraded shares of Universal Security Instruments from a d rating to a c rating in a report on Friday, July 21st.

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Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on UUU

Universal Security Instruments Stock Up 2.4 %

UUU stock opened at $2.83 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.53 million, a P/E ratio of -70.63 and a beta of 1.31. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $2.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $2.31. Universal Security Instruments has a 52 week low of $1.50 and a 52 week high of $4.17.

Universal Security Instruments (NYSEAMERICAN:UUU  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 14th. The company reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $5.93 million during the quarter. Universal Security Instruments had a negative net margin of 0.53% and a negative return on equity of 2.26%.

Institutional Trading of Universal Security Instruments

An institutional investor recently raised its position in Universal Security Instruments stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Universal Security Instruments, Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN:UUU  Free Report) by 9.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 45,910 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 3,900 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 1.99% of Universal Security Instruments worth $195,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Institutional investors own 15.35% of the companys stock.

Universal Security Instruments Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Universal Security Instruments, Inc, together with its subsidiary, engages in the design, marketing, and distribution of safety and security products for use in homes and businesses in the United States and internationally. It offers a line of safety alarms, including units powered by replaceable batteries, sealed batteries, and battery backup alarms; and smoke alarms, which include hearing impaired and heat alarms, as well as carbon monoxide alarms, door chimes, ventilation products, ground fault circuit interrupters, and other electrical devices under the UNIVERSAL and USI Electric trade names.

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Thai Beverage Public Company Limited (OTCMKTS:TBVPY  Get Free Report)s share price was down 6.4% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $42.10 and last traded at $42.10. Approximately 100 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 29% from the average daily volume of 140 shares. The stock had previously closed at $45.00.

Thai Beverage Public Stock Down 6.4 %

The companys 50 day moving average price is $43.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $47.32.

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Thai Beverage Public Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 25th were paid a $0.3496 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 24th. This represents a dividend yield of 3.13%.

About Thai Beverage Public

Thai Beverage Public Company Limited, together with its subsidiaries, produces and distributes alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and food products worldwide. It operates through Spirits, Beer, Non-Alcoholic Beverages, and Food segments. The company offers liquor, beer, malt, and yeast products; spirits, including brown spirits, white spirits, herbs, and other products; and non-alcoholic beverages comprising drinking and soda water, electrolyte beverages, energy drinks, green and herbal tea, ready-to-drink coffee, fruit flavored drinks, and soft drinks; carbonated soft drinks, tea, isotonics, soya drinks, Asian and sparkling drinks, cordials, water, pasteurized milk, UHT milk, sterilized milk, yoghurt, canned milk, pasteurized juice, ready-to-drink juice, ice cream, and cereal bars.

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TransDigm Group (NYSE:TDG  Free Report) had its price objective boosted by Barclays from $930.00 to $1,040.00 in a report issued on Monday, Marketbeat reports. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the aerospace companys stock.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on TDG. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of TransDigm Group from $870.00 to $1,044.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday, July 21st. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of TransDigm Group from $920.00 to $975.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 9th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on TransDigm Group from $793.00 to $1,000.00 in a research note on Monday, May 15th. Bank of America lifted their price target on TransDigm Group from $890.00 to $980.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 16th. Finally, Susquehanna upped their price objective on TransDigm Group from $820.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 9th. Three investment 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, TransDigm Group presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $896.93.

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TransDigm Group Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:TDG opened at $865.02 on Monday. TransDigm Group has a 12-month low of $499.63 and a 12-month high of $940.00. The companys 50 day moving average price is $866.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $791.79. The firm has a market cap of $47.73 billion, a PE ratio of 46.09, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.38.

TransDigm Group (NYSE:TDG  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 8th. The aerospace company reported $7.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $5.87 by $1.38. The firm had revenue of $1.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.69 billion. TransDigm Group had a negative return on equity of 39.57% and a net margin of 18.41%. The companys revenue was up 24.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.36 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that TransDigm Group will post 21.49 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Kevin M. Stein sold 11,834 shares of TransDigm Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $878.41, for a total transaction of $10,395,103.94. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Kevin M. Stein sold 11,834 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $878.41, for a total transaction of $10,395,103.94. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director W Nicholas Howley sold 3,250 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $812.77, for a total value of $2,641,502.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 21,548 shares in the company, valued at $17,513,567.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 56,602 shares of company stock valued at $48,686,166 in the last ninety days. 7.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On TransDigm Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. West Tower Group LLC bought a new position in shares of TransDigm Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in TransDigm Group in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. acquired a new position in TransDigm Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new position in shares of TransDigm Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of TransDigm Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.10% of the companys stock.

About TransDigm Group

(Get Free Report)

TransDigm Group Incorporated designs, produces, and supplies aircraft components in the United States and internationally. Its Power & Control segment offers mechanical/electro-mechanical actuators and controls, ignition systems and engine technology, specialized pumps and valves, power conditioning devices, specialized AC/DC electric motors and generators, batteries and chargers, databus and power controls, sensor products, switches and relay panels, hoists, winches and lifting devices, and cargo loading and handling systems.

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Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO  Get Free Report)s stock price gapped down before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $136.50, but opened at $132.93. Valero Energy shares last traded at $132.89, with a volume of 678,892 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on VLO. Morgan Stanley restated an overweight rating and set a $160.00 price objective on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Wednesday, July 19th. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $145.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 31st. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $150.00 to $159.00 in a research report on Friday, August 4th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $139.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, August 7th. Finally, Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $145.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $151.38.

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Valero Energy Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $46.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $119.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $123.56.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The oil and gas company reported $5.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $5.08 by $0.32. The business had revenue of $34.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.37 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 6.96% and a return on equity of 42.31%. Valero Energys revenue for the quarter was down 33.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $11.36 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 23.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 3rd will be paid a dividend of $1.02 per share. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 2nd. Valero Energys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.05%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Hilltop Holdings Inc. increased its stake in Valero Energy by 4.8% in the second quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 2,266 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $266,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $75,019,000. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA increased its stake in Valero Energy by 10.7% in the second quarter. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA now owns 2,757 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $323,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares in the last quarter. Banco Santander S.A. bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $832,000. Finally, Bollard Group LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 1.0% in the second quarter. Bollard Group LLC now owns 58,094 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $6,814,000 after purchasing an additional 552 shares in the last quarter. 78.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Valero Energy Corporation manufactures, markets, and sells transportation fuels and petrochemical products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Refining, Renewable Diesel, and Ethanol. The company produces California Reformulated Gasoline Blendstock for Oxygenate Blending and Conventional Blendstock for Oxygenate Blending gasolines, CARB diesel, diesel, jet fuel, and asphalt; aromatics; and sulfur crude oils.

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NASH, Texas  An 18-year-old man accused of killing four of his family members said he did s
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On 14 August Haitis national police (PNdH) used tear gas to disperse protesters from Carrefour-Feuille, a Port-au-Prince suburb, who were demonstrating against insecurity.

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On 14 August Chiles finance and labour ministers,andrespectively, embarked on a tour of 12 cities in the south of the country to promote the governments tax and pension reforms.

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On 14 August a fourth round of peace talks began between the Colombian government and the Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional (ELN) guerrilla group, against the backdrop of allegations that the ELN recently plotted the assassination of Colombias Attorney General

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On 14 August Brazils electricity company Eletrobras, which was privatised in June 2022, announced the resignation of its CEO,

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Hawaii Governor Josh Green has issued a somber warning, suggesting that the devastating Maui wildfire death toll could see a significant increase, AP reports.

The flames, moving at an astonishing rate of one mile per minute, have left neighborhoods in ruins and have stretched the capabilities of firefighters who struggled to contain the inferno amid complaints of limited water supply.

The inferno has already etched a grim record in history, marking the deadliest wildfire outbreak in the United States in over a century, claiming the lives of at least 99 individuals.

The cause behind the blazes that consumed a substantial part of the historic Lahaina town is under investigation.

READ NEXT: Maui Wildfire Death Toll Nearing 100

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green Gives Update on Maui Wildfire

Governor Green conveyed his concerns during an interview on Monday.

He stated, "We are prepared for many tragic stories... They will find 10 to 20 people per day, probably, until they finish. And it's probably going to take 10 days. It's impossible to guess, really."

Amid gradually restored cellphone service, the number of missing individuals has decreased from over 2,000 to approximately 1,300, according to Governor Green's update.

Teams consisting of twenty cadaver dogs and numerous searchers have begun meticulously navigating through areas that have been reduced to ashes.

Jeff Hickman, the director of public affairs for the Hawaii Department of Defense, noted that search operations are advancing methodically, moving street by street, and soon, building interiors will be combed as well.

This comprehensive search effort aims to account for those who might have been trapped by the rapid blaze.

Questions About Disaster Preparation Rise as Maui Wildfire Death Toll Grows

As the tragic death toll continues to rise, inquiries are mounting concerning the preparedness and response of officials in dealing with a disaster of this magnitude, according to CNN.

The extensive siren system, touted as the largest globally, remained silent as the deadly fires swiftly engulfed neighborhoods.

Despite widespread power and cell service disruptions, communication with residents predominantly relied on mobile phones and broadcasters.

Hawaiian Electric, the state's primary electricity provider, is facing legal action alleging that power lines knocked over by strong winds contributed to the calamitous Lahaina wildfire. The exact cause of the fire is still being determined.

Last year, Hawaii's emergency management agency classified the risk to human life posed by wildfires as low.

Officials, however, now acknowledge the underestimated threat of wildfires and an apparent lack of resources to mitigate their impact.

Governor Green underscored the gravity of the situation during a news conference, describing the wildfires as the most significant natural disaster the state has ever confronted, with a recovery process anticipated to be lengthy and demanding.

This inferno, surpassing the California 2018 Camp Fire, has claimed the unfortunate title of the deadliest wildfire event in the United States within the past century, as per the National Fire Protection Association.

While estimating the total damage costs remains premature, Green has approximated the losses at a staggering $6 billion.

Though firefighting efforts have made headway against three major wildfires, the blaze that wreaked havoc on Lahaina, spanning over 2,000 acres, was only 85% contained by Sunday.

Lahaina's Historic Banyan Tree Remains Standing Following Destructive Maui Wildfire

Amid the charred ruins of Lahaina, a symbol of resilience endures: a 150-year-old banyan tree, heavily scarred but standing tall. Amid the devastation that engulfed the town, this tree is a beacon of hope.

Governor Green likened it to a burn victim, still alive and adapting despite its trauma, CBS News noted.

Planted in 1873 as a gift from Indian missionaries, the Lahaina banyan tree, now over 60 feet tall with a quarter-mile circumference and 46 "major trunks," continues to stand as a testament to endurance.

As Senator Mazie Hirono aptly expressed, this iconic tree symbolizes optimism amid despair, offering a glimmer of hope amidst the overwhelming Maui wildfire tragedy.

READ MORE: Hawaii: Maui Island Fire

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Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Maui victims take stock of wildfire disaster - From KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco
Despite Judge Tanya Chutkan warning him and his lawyers against making "inflammatory statements," Donald Trump continued his online attacks on the federal judge on social media with a stunning 1:00 AM post that may have violated the judge's protective order regarding Trump's federal election interference case.

His latest attack was posted Monday on Truth Social at around 1:00 AM. The former president claimed that Judge Chutkan, who is overseeing his federal election interference case, is somebody who "obviously wants me behind bars. VERY BIASED & UNFAIR!"

Chutkan has been known to be harsh in sentencing January 6 rioters who stormed the Capitol, attacked police officers, and threatened to "Hang Mike Pence," all in the name of Donald Trump. The ex-POTUS then quoted her in all-caps to imply that she is anti-Trump.

The quote was what she said in the sentencing of one January 6 rioter, where she noted that the insurrectionists were carrying flags and wearing hats that point to Trump.

"It's blind loyalty to one person who, by the way, remains free to this day," she said in that rioter's sentencing, and this quote was among the words she said that Trump posted on social media.

According to Salon, Trump also made a baseless accusation that Chutkan "openly admitted she's running election interference against Trump." Legal analysts pushed back on that claim as Chutkan stated that Trump running for the presidency would not impact her decision-making.

Donald Trump Openly Daring Judge Tanya Chutkan To Act

Judge Tanya Chutkan sided with Trump on the protective order argument and granted a limited protective order that his lawyers asked for. However, she also warned the former POTUS that his First Amendment rights are not absolute.

READ MORE: Donald Trump Election Interference Co-Conspirators Turning on Each Other

"I intend to ensure the orderly administration of justice in this case as I would with any other case," she said in her decision on the protective order last Friday. "The more a party makes inflammatory statements about this case which could taint the jury pool or intimidate potential witnesses, the greater the urgency will be that we proceed to trial to ensure a jury pool from which we can select an impartial jury."

However, with his latest round of inflammatory posts, legal experts are saying that Trump may be daring Chutkan to act. Prosecutors asked for a January 2 trial date, right in the middle of the primary campaign period. With this attack, the judge may be more inclined to go with the prosecutors on this one.

"He is just daring the judge now," national security attorney Bradley P. Moss told USA Today, implying that Trump may be testing Chutkan.

Why Did Judge Tanya Chutkan Warn Donald Trump?

In an earlier post on his Truth Social page, former President Donald Trump stated, "IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I'M COMING AFTER YOU!" The post then prompted Special Counsel Jack Smith to file for a protective order to ensure that Trump would not divulge information regarding the case to the public to spin it to his advantage.

However, Trump continued his attacks, going after Chutkan and potential star witness Mike Pence. This made the judge warn Trump attorneys regarding their client's behavior.

READ MORE: Donald Trump Will Have His Mugshot Taken Over Georgia Election Case, Vows Georgia Sheriff

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Trump likely has 'a little runway left' before Judge Chutkan finds him in contempt - NBC News
A grim discovery unfolded in San Francisco's iconic Golden Gate Park on Sunday evening as a woman's lifeless body was found within a large duffle bag.

The incident prompted swift responses from law enforcement and authorities, casting a somber shadow over the conclusion of the Outside Lands concert, a three-day event taking place in the vicinity, according to The San Francisco Standard.

The woman's corpse was discovered around 7:24 pm, near Fulton Street and 22nd Avenue.

Responding to the scene were members of the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD), the city's medical examiner's office, and specialized homicide investigators.

The park's Stow Lake boathouse, situated north of the incident site, was the epicenter of their activity.

Officer Kevin Gil, present at the scene, shared that a dog walker was the first to encounter the duffle bag, leading to the grim discovery.

As SFPD officers used flashlights to meticulously search the vegetated area, cordoned off with police tape, curious onlookers consisting of departing festival attendees from Outside Lands and residents observed the unfolding investigation.

The cause of the woman's death remains undetermined at this juncture.

Spearheaded by the SFPD Homicide Detail, the investigation is ongoing, marked by a roped-off section of the park dedicated to the inquiry.

Outside Lands organizers issued a statement indicating that the matter is under the purview of the SFPD and directed inquiries in that direction.

READ NEXT: CHP Found Large Quantity of Fentanyl in San Francisco

Deceased Woman in Duffle Bag Identified

The woman discovered deceased within the duffle bag in Golden Gate Park has been identified as Kelly Koike, a 37-year-old resident of San Francisco, as confirmed by the city's chief medical examiner's office, per CBS News.

As investigators continued their work, officers erected a canopy to shield the area where the body was located.

Despite the ongoing police activity, music from performers at the Outside Lands festival could still be heard, as the event was scheduled to conclude around 9:30 pm.

The San Francisco County Medical Examiner's arrival on the scene marked a pivotal moment, as the death was officially categorized as suspicious.

The SFPD Homicide Detail has assumed control of the investigation, delving into the circumstances surrounding Koike's untimely demise.

Community members interviewed the following day expressed heightened concerns about park security, particularly during events such as Outside Lands.

They cited the incident as a reminder of the need for enhanced safety measures. They noted that it underscores their hesitation to visit Golden Gate Park after dark or venture onto dirt trails.

Mother Shares Insights Into Deceased Woman's Struggles

Roya Koike, mother of the deceased Kelly Koike, provided poignant insights into her daughter's life journey in an interview with The San Francisco Chronicle.

A Castro Valley resident, Kelly attended Castro Valley High School and pursued culinary studies in San Francisco.

Described as studious and strikingly beautiful, Kelly battled various mental illnesses, including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and catatonia.

Roya Koike disclosed that her daughter's challenges led her to a life on the streets of San Francisco, despite efforts by her mother to extend support.

The attempt to provide a home and stability was met with difficulties, largely attributed to Kelly's struggle with her mental health conditions.

Amidst the challenges, Roya Koike fondly recalled the moments when her daughter was herself, reflecting on their deep bond.

READ MORE: Hawaii Governor Vocal on Harsh Reality of Maui Wildfire

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Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Woman's body found in duffel bag near Golden Gate Park in San Francisco - From NBC Bay Area
Fulton County DA Fani Willis has finally released the indictment against Donald Trump over election meddling in Georgia, and many of his allies have been indicted as well. The sprawling RICO case contains 41 charges for Trump and his associates.

This will be the fourth time that Trump has been indicted, this time in Georgia, where Willis and her team have spent months investigating the former president's attempts to overturn his loss against Joe Biden in 2020.

The 97-page indictment includes several key Trump administration officials and attorneys, including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, Trump Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, and Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, and Kenneth Chesebro.

Also indicted are other Georgia Republican officials and those falsely appointed to be fake electors that would have helped Trump overturn the election and cause a constitutional crisis. According to The Independent, these include former Georgia Republican Party chairman David Shafer, state Senator Shawn Still, and former Coffee County Republican Party chief Cathy Latham. It was Shafer who presided over the meeting of the fake electors in Georgia.

Also charged is Trevian Kutti, who helped pressure election worker Ruby Freeman to falsely admit that she manipulated election results in favor of Biden. Freeman was subjected to "relentless harassment and abuse" by Kutti and other Trump allies.

According to the Associated Press, DA Willis is allowing all 19 defendants, including Trump himself, to voluntarily surrender by noon on August 25. She also announced that she plans to ask for a trial date to happen within six months.

The Georgia investigation is different from Special Counsel Jack Smith's federal investigation into Trump's election interference as it specifically looks into Trump trying to influence the outcome of the 2020 election in the state with phone calls to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and other state election officials.

READ NEXT: Donald Trump Attacks Federal Judge Overseeing Election Interference Case Despite Warning

What Are the Charges Vs. Donald Trump and His 18 Co-Defendants?

According to the filing, Trump and his allies have been traveling to the state to harass an election worker. It stated that his lawyers went there to "intimidate her, and solicit her to falsely confess to election crimes that she did not commit."

Trump and his allies have also been accused of fraudulently trying to "persuade state officials, the US Department of Justice, and Vice President Mike Pence to reject lawful votes and select a slate of electors loyal to the former president despite Joe Biden's victory in the state."

In addition, Trump and his allies also "corruptly conspired" to illegally access voting machines in the state. This includes illegally removing some of these machines, "including ballot images, voting equipment software, and personal voter information." The Trump allies then "distributed to other members of the enterprise, including members in other states."

Fulton County DA Fani Willis Says She Wants To Prosecute All 19 Defendants Together in the RICO Case

During a news conference on Monday night, CNN asked Fani Willis if she will try the defendants together, to which she answered, "Yes."

The Fulton County DA did not elaborate any further but confirmed that all 19 people named in the indictment, including Trump, have been "charged with one count of "violating Georgia's Racketeer, Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act through participation in a criminal enterprise in Fulton County, Georgia."

READ MORE: Donald Trump Election Interference Co-Conspirators Turning on Each Other

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Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: BREAKING: DONALD TRUMP INDICTED IN FULTON COUNTY GEORGIA - Meidas Touch
Authorities in California have initiated a homicide investigation following a chilling discovery by a mother who stumbled upon a woman's body wrapped in plastic in her son's room, The New York Post reported.

The unidentified mother's horrifying find occurred just after 1 am on Sunday in South Los Angeles.

The incident was prompted by a "distinct gas smell" that led her to investigate her son's room, as reported by Fox 11.

Upon responding, Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers uncovered a grim crime scene.

A 20-year-old woman was discovered wrapped in plastic, and despite paramedics' immediate response, she was tragically pronounced dead at the location.

While the son's identity remains undisclosed, he has been identified as a 26-year-old male.

The LAPD verified their involvement, confirming that officers were dispatched to the residence on Wall Street in South LA's South-Central area around 1:15 am on Sunday.

READ NEXT: California: Woman's Body Found Inside Duffle Bag

Identification of Deceased Woman and Ongoing Investigation

The California woman found deceased and wrapped in plastic has been identified as 30-year-old Hannah Rachel Collins, according to The Independent.

The investigation is ongoing, and authorities are actively searching for the California mom's son, the primary suspect in the case.

Although the 26-year-old son is not presently under arrest, law enforcement is diligently working to locate him and gather more information surrounding the incident.

Tragic Similarity: Daughter of Radio Personality Also Found Dead Wrapped in Plastic

The shocking incident in California resembles an earlier case involving the daughter of the renowned radio personality, author, and pilot Gordon Baxter, per KFDM.

Jenny Baxter was found deceased and wrapped in a plastic bag earlier this year. The alleged murderer, identified as Russell Kinney, 38, had been Jenny Baxter's live-in boyfriend.

He has been taken into custody and charged with her murder.

Authorities in Orange County, Texas, reported that Kinney had confessed to the murder. It was revealed that the killing had stemmed from an argument between the couple.

Detectives uncovered that Kinney had used Jenny Baxter's cell phone to show she was still alive, even though he had reportedly killed her weeks prior.

The preliminary autopsy report suggested no fatal trauma, and the cause and manner of Jenny Baxter's death remain pending further toxicology analysis and investigative details.

An investigation began after deputies responded to a welfare check at Denbow Mobile Home Park in Vidor, Texas, prompted by concerns from a neighbor who hadn't seen Jenny Baxter or a person named Kinney since Christmas.

Despite a search, they couldn't find anyone then, leading to a missing person's report being filed.

Later, Baxter's family found what they believed was a body wrapped in plastic under a bed when checking on her pets.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigation Division, Texas Rangers and the Jefferson County Crime Lab, got involved. An autopsy confirmed the body as Jenny Baxter's.

READ MORE: California: Mob of Criminals Attacks Los Angeles Nordstrom

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Mom finds dead body in son's room of South LA home - From FOX 11 Los Angeles
A third Democrat has jumped into a New Jersey congressional race considered one of the nations most closely watched elections next year  in a district that includes all of Warren County.

Jason Blazakis, a 48-year-old Harmony Township native who is a former national security official at the U.S. State Department and now a college professor, announced Tuesday morning he is seeking the Democratic nomination to face freshman Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Kean Jr.

That will make it at least a three-way 2024 Democratic primary for the chance to run against Kean for the U.S. House of Representatives seat he flipped last year in New Jerseys battleground 7th district.

Sue Altman, a progressive activist, and Joe Signorello III, the mayor of Roselle Park, have already declared they are running for the partys nod.

Kean is expected to run for and win the Republican nomination for a second term. Democrats see retaking the district from him as crucial to regaining control of the House, the lower chamber of Congress.

Blazakis was previously director of the State Departments Counterterrorism Finance and Designations Office. He also served in the U.S. Army National Guard.

In Tuesdays announcement, his campaign notes Blazakis was recently sanctioned by Russian President Vladimir Putin for speaking out against the war in Ukraine.

I spent the last twenty years fighting terrorism, corruption, and the illegal drug trade overseas. Both home and abroad, Ive seen the threats anti-democratic extremists pose to our democracy and am running for Congress to stop them, Blazakis said in a statement.

Whether its denying free and fair elections, taking away a womans right to choose, or making New Jersey more expensive to live in, the MAGA extremist agenda isnt the Jersey agenda, he added. Tom Kean is a rubber stamp for MAGA extremism.

Keans campaign declined comment.

Blazakis noted how he started working at a young age by picking peaches and strawberries at a local farm.

After college, he worked as an aide in Congress to former U.S. Rep. Jim Saxton, a South Jersey Republican.

Blazakis said he entered a career in national security because he was on an Amtrak train from Washington, D.C., to New York City as the Sept. 11 attacks unfolded in 2001.

He joined the state department in 2004 and later headed the narcotics affairs section at the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan, helping fight the Talibans heroin operations, before spending a decade working in counterterrorism for the State Department.

Most recently, Blazakis has taught international studies at Middlebury College in Vermont. He now lives in Lambertville, also in the district.

I know this community and in Congress, Ill stand up for our families, ensuring a safer, more affordable Jersey for all, Blazakis said.

The district  which includes parts of northwestern and central New Jersey  was held by Republicans for more than six decades before Democrat Tom Malinowski flipped it in 2018.

Kean won the seat back to the Republican side in last Novembers midterm elections. He ousted Malinowski on his second try in a district that President Joe Biden won three years ago but redistricting made more red.

It was the only New Jersey House seat to change hands last year, shrinking Democrats control of the states congressional delegation from 10-2 to 9-3.

Malinowski, also a former State Department official, has said he wont seek a third bid against Kean next year.

National Democrats are now targeting the district, sensing Kean may be more vulnerable in a blue state during a presidential election year.

At least one other Democrat has considered entering the race: former state Sen. Ray Lesniak of Union County, who has said he will make a decision after this Novembers elections.

Altman, a 41-year-old former teacher and the state director of advocacy group New Jersey Working Families, raised more than $200,000 in her first month as a candidate. She is also a native of the district and an ally of Gov. Phil Murphy.

Signorello, a 35-year-old a businessman, has been Roselle Parks mayor since 2018. He originally said he would challenge U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez in next years Democratic primary but switched to this House race in July.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Susan K. Livio contributed to this report.

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Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him at @johnsb01.
Ninety-degree heat waves, smoke from Canadian wildfires, and extreme weather across the globe are all signs that climate change is real, and its getting worse, according to a group of local officials.

They gathered Tuesday at Easton City Hall to express their support for zero-emission transportation in the future.

The transportation sector is the leading domestic source of carbon pollution that is driving climate change, said state Rep. Robert Freeman, D-136th District.

The officials called for the strongest possible federal clean car standards. They urged investment in public transportation, investment in charging stations for electric vehicles and encouraged the federal Environmental Protection Agency to impose the most stringent standards for pollution for cars, trucks and delivery vehicles made from 2027 to 2023.

We need to transition to a future without harmful emissions and stronger federal clean car standards will be key to doing that, Freeman said.

Lafayette College engineering professor Ben Cohen voiced his support for zero-emissions vehicle standards. He and his students helped develop a climate action plan adopted by Easton City Council. The plan advocated for more greenspace and walkability to lessen the reliance of city residents on cars.

Climate change affects the most vulnerable, Northampton County Commissioner Tara Zrinski said. Poor air quality affects children and the elderly. Rising sea levels also affect vulnerable populations, she said.

Zrinski said local leaders must speak out and must be part of the climate change solution.

It is crucial for our government at every level to lend their support, she said.

Also attending the event were Easton City Councilman David OConnell and Carolyn VanDyke of the Lehigh Valley chapter of the Citizens Climate Lobby.

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Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com.
Irish Rail's work to conserve Portarlington's busy and historic train station will be the subject of a talk during Heritage Week on an evening when the rescue of another famous building in the Laois Offaly town will be explored.

Join Liam Murphy of Irish Rail for a talk entitled the Conservation of Victorian Buildings at Portarlington Railway Station,. He will explain their conservation project at Portarlington Railway Station and will illustrate the talk with original plans for the station from 1847.

This will be followed by Ray Simmons talk on Saving a Country House: the Restoration of Woodbrook House. The owner of Woodbrook House will deliver a presentation on his work in bringing this historic house back from the brink of demolition.

The final talk will be delivered by David Orford on Portarlingtons Forgotten Artist: Walter Chetwood Aiken of Woodbrook House.

Light refreshments will be provided after the event and attendees will have an opportunity to the presenters.

Historic Portarlington: an Evening of Talks takes placer on Thursday, August 17 at 8pm in Portarlington Library on Main Street. Eircode R32 PY58.

For more details email: davidorford55@gmail.com or telephone: 086 1508 046

Or email: wlawler@laoiscoco.ie telephone: 087 415 4769





National Heritage Week runs from August 12 to 20. It is a nine-day celebration of Irelands natural, built and cultural heritage in Laois and Ireland.
Laois children are being invited to experience landmark historic events through stories, costumes and replica weapons during Heritage Week.

Regular visitor to Laois Michael Moylan is bringing his Irish History Live roadshow to the county on a whirlwind tour of different library branches with different themes at each location.

Ancient Times is the topic at Rathdowney Library on Wednesday, August 16 from 10am. Children of all ages will enjoy Michaels fun and interactive workshop which explores ancient times in fun and engaging ways.

The 1916 Rising is on the menu when he visits Durrow Library on Wednesday, August 16 from 12pm. The workshop promises to entertain and educate children of all ages with the use of costumes, replica weaponry and humorous storytelling.

The Titanic is the subject matter for his visit to Abbeyleix Library, Wednesday, August 16 at 3pm. Michael's travelling museum aims to bring to life the story of the Titanic for children of all ages.

World War I, 1914-18 is the subject matter for an event at Mountmellick Library, Thursday, August 17 at 10 am. It will feature costumes, replica weaponry, and more engaging storytelling.

The Middle Ages is the feature when Michael travels to Portlaoise Library on Thursday, August 17 at 11 am. More costumes, replica artefacts and stories, sometimes funny, are planned.

His final Heritage Week stop in Laois is Stradbally Library, Thursday, August 17 at 3pm where his show will explore Tudor times

in fun and engaging ways.

For more details email: wlawler@laoiscoco.ie or call 087 415 4769

Heritage Week runs from August 12 to 20.
Planning permission is being sought for a new windfarm in Laois, near to a controversial planned electricity substation and a round tower that is a national monument

International energy company Statkraft is to seek a permit directly from An Bord Pleanala to install 13 turbines, each 180 metres tall, over six times as tall as Timahoe Round Tower, which is some two kilometres from the windfarm.

The turbines in the proposed Coolglass Windfarm are planned in two groups across two prominent Laois hills, with seven on Fossey Mountain, Timahoe, and six further south on Wolfhill, stretching over 183 acres (74.32 ha).

They are in the townlands of Fossy Upper, Aghoney, Gorreelagh, Knocklead, Scotland, Brennanshill, Monamantry, Coolglass, Crissard, Kylenabehy, Monamanry, Brennanshill, Knocklead, Aghoney, Timahoe, Carrigeen, Ballygormill South, Money Upper, Hophall, Rathleague, Ballymooney and Rathbrennan.

The site lies 11km southeast of Portlaoise and 11km east of Abbeyleix, close to the villages of Timahoe, Spink and Wolfhill.

Below: Montage of the turbines viewed from Timahoe village.

The Coolglass planning application notes that views of the tower along the R426 road from the Portlaoise side will include seven of the proposed turbines, but says that at some points this is "heavily screened by large trees that line the road".

"Whilst the Proposed Development may cause a distraction from the views towards the asset along this approach, the asset as a marker within the landscape is still able to be appreciated and understood. The asset is a National Monument and is therefore of high sensitivity. The magnitude of impact upon their cultural significance is anticipated to be Very Low Adverse, and as such the significance of effects is moderate," they say.

Permission is also to be sought for a 102 metre tall permanent mast and a A 110 kV electrical substation.

Also sought are permanent turbine hardstands and concrete turbine foundations, two control buildings, underground cabling, a wastewater holding tank, and a 33kV collector cable circuit to connect the two wind farm clusters along the L3851/Knocklead Road.

There will also be permanent internal site access roads and upgrade of existing internal site access roads, and underground electrical and communications cabling to connect the wind turbines to its substation.

A new site entrance slip road from the L3851 / Knocklead local road is needed to facilitate the delivery of abnormal loads and turbine component deliveries, as well as widening of the road.

Existing forestry has to be removed to deliver construction materials and during the operational phase.

Below: map of the proposed windfarm.

There will have to be temporary upgrade roadworks on the turbine delivery route, at a roundabout at the southern exit of Junction 16 of the M7, the R425/N80 roundabout and the R426  L3851 junction.

The windfarm would have a ten year construction permit, and a 35 year lifespan.

A later application will seek permission to lay cables connecting the windfarm to the grid, and to install a walking track across Fossey Mountain to connect to other existing trails and to Timahoe.

The region is already earmarked for other windfarm and electricity projects.

EirGrid is building a large electricity substation 2.5km north of Timahoe, which was legally contested by residents for many years.

An 18 turbine windfarm planned by Coillte and also disputed legally by locals, has planning permission in Cullenagh, 5km east of Timahoe. Some 7km southwest will be Pinewood windfarm with 11 turbines.

Laois has only two windfarms in operation. Eight turbines in Gortahile and four in Baunaghra give 37MW or 0.7% of wind capacity to Ireland.

Three more have planning approval to offer a possible total 120MW. They include two turbines in Rathdowney, 11 in Knockardagul / Ironmills and 18 between Ballyroan and Timahoe. If built, they would jointly supply 120MW or 1.5% of Ireland's needs by 2030.
The arrival of International Left-Handers Day, an annual event that falls on August 13, is an opportunity for "left-handers everywhere to celebrate their sinistrality and increase public awareness of the advantages and disadvantages of being left-handed." Ahead of the day, a community in Hefei, Anhui province held a series of fun contests offering local residents the chance to experience life as a left-handed person, highlighting the everyday needs and problems faced by left-handed people.
Aoife McDonald is representing Ottawa in Canada at the Rose of Tralee but she has strong Laois roots as she confirms in her bio for the Rose of Tralee 2023.

Aoifes father, Patrick McDonald, moved from Portarlington to Ottawa in the late 1980s and became involved in the Irish community there.

Read her bio below:

My name is Aoife McDonald, Im 27 years old and I was born and raised in Ottawa. I hold dual citizenship and Im a first generation Canadian.

My mother hails from Mountbellew, Co. Galway and my father from Portarlington, Co. Laois. I love returning to Ireland every summer to visit family and explore my home away from home. I am heavily involved in Ottawas vibrant Irish community and enjoy singing, dancing, acting and art.

I have a Bachelor of Arts Combined Honours in History and Political Science with a Concentration in International Relations and a Minor in French and a Bachelor of Education. During university, I served on the executive committee of a womens social and empowerment organisation which helps young women transition to university, develop leadership skills and participate in philanthropic activities.

I currently work for the Committees Directorate of the Senate of Canada. I also work part time at two local pubs, the Aulde Dubliner and Brigids Well, giving me the opportunity to stay connected in the community.

In the future, Im interested in becoming a Member of Parliament so I can foster change and continue to help others. Im very excited to return to Ireland this year as a Rose.

Daithi O Se and new co-host Kathryn Thomas will meet all 32 Aoife and all the Roses at the Rose of Tralee International Festival, which will be broadcast live on Monday and Tuesday August 21 & 22 on RTE One and RTE Player.

The five-day Festival culminates in the selection of the International Rose of Tralee, a year-long ambassador role, representing Ireland and the Festival, both locally and around the world.
Judge Desmond Zaidan has criticised the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for failing to properly communicate with the local gardai about the progress of cases.

The office acts on behalf of the community in the prosecution of crime.

The judge made his comments when addressing the case of a man, who is in custody and facing an allegation of making a threat to kill when the gardai called to an address.

Sgt Dave Hanrahan told Naas District Court that he had not yet received a direction from the DPP about how to proceed with the case.

Judge Zaidan said that in many instances the case is prepared by the gardai and then goes to the DPP and what follows is total silence.

He said the gardai should be told that the file has not been processed and if possible to give some indication about when progress can be expected.

He said that this case revolves around a serious allegation and said that if he adjourned the case the gardai might not have any further information come the adjourned date.

Solicitor Joe Coonan pointed out that the man had been in custody almost three months and he was seeking that the case be struck out.

Read more Kildare news

The court also heard that the man had been refused bail in the High Court.

Judge Zaidan said he would not strike it out but indicated that this is likely to happen on the adjourned date, if no progress is resorted.

He pointed out that if the addition or the withdrawal of charges is the issue then this can be done at any time up to the trial date.

He also pointed out that in courts outside Dublin the State is not represented by a solicitor, which he said places additional pressure on gardai fulfilling this role.
Naas-based solicitor Liam Moloney has been re-elected as a member of the board of governors of the American Association for Justice (AAJ).

Mr. Moloneys election took place at the organisation's recent annual convention held in Philadelphia. He was also elected vice-chair of the International Practice Sections of the Association and is currently vice-president of the Pan European Organisation of Personal Injury Lawyers (PEOPIL).

The AAJ is the largest trial lawyers association in the world with over 23,000 members. Mr.

Moloney is the governor representing Ireland and the UK with two other UK based governors international travel lawyers Katherine Allen and Cheryl Palmer Hughes.

AAJ works internationally to improve and develop individual countries' legal procedures and systems and lobbies governments to provide proper and fair compensation for victims of all types of accidents caused by the negligence of others.

It has over 100 specialist litigation groups providing up to date information in relation to legal actions relating to areas such as asbestos, nursing homes, e-cigarettes, distracted driving and hernia-mesh claims.

Read more Kildare news

Mr Moloney said he is honoured to have been re-elected adding that the association continues to fight for a fair civil justice system for victims of accidents and medical errors and to maintain safety and accountability for companies that harm consumers by selling dangerously defective products.

He added: The number of cross-border legal claims now being pursued in Ireland has significantly increased with enhanced consumer protections under EU law. Many Irish residents who are injured abroad can now take their claims for compensation to the Irish courts which can mean faster resolution of their cases.
GARDAI have launched an investigation this Monday evening after a woman's body was discovered in County Limerick.

The discovery was made just after five o'clock this evening at the Templegreen estate in the town of Newcastle West.

The body of the woman, who was aged in her early 50s, remains at the scene which is currently preserved for a technical examination.

The office of the State Pathologist has been notified and a post-mortem examination will be arranged, the results of which will determine the course of the garda investigation.

Reacting to the news, the chairman of the the Limerick Joint Policing Committee Adam Teskey said: "My sympathies are with the deceased.

"A life has been lost here. Obviously I want to express my deep sorrow for the community, and my support to the gardai and in terms of their investigation which will be ongoing. Hopefully this will be brought to a timely end."

Newcastle West-based councillor Michael Collins added: "It's just tragic, and devastating news for our community. My sympathies go to all involved."
Ministers have argued against the introduction of a Dublin allowance for teachers to help address problems schools have faced in recruiting in the Irish capital ahead of the academic year.

Teachers union the ASTI said on Monday that there were 416 unfilled post-primary teaching posts on the education recruitment website educationposts.ie, and accused successive ministers for education of adopting a minimalist approach to the problem.

The union has called on the teachers pay scale to be shortened and the number of middle management posts in schools to be doubled to address staff shortages.

Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe said that teachers starting salaries have increased under various public sector pay agreements, and other initiatives have been taken by Government ahead of the academic year.

This includes teachers being shared between schools that are located near one other, and facilitating the return of retired teachers.

When asked about whether a Dublin allowance would be needed to help teachers afford to live in the capital, Mr Donohoe said: The challenges that we are facing in Dublin are ones that are felt across many cities and many, many parts of our countries at the moment.

We are facing general challenges  in relation to ensuring that we have the right numbers of teachers in the right schools and on the right subjects and we do accept that for many schools at the moment this is a particularly difficult and challenging time, and this is a source of concern to many parents.

But the best way of responding back to this is by having measures in place that support an overall response to this within our country, (and) is why weve had a number of public sector wage agreements that have looked at making particular progress on starting salaries for those who are joining our public service, and the Department of Education has also had a number of initiatives in place now over the past year to try to help with this issue, particularly within our cities.

That is the approach that we will continue with.

Minister for Higher and Further Education Simon Harris agreed that the challenges faced by teachers trying to live in Dublin is not unique to teaching.

When you live in a country with full employment, with record levels of employment, we know that there are many pinch points across the public sector and indeed in all departments and all agencies there is a relentless effort to recruit.
Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD announced on Friday the opening of registrations for GP visit cards for children aged six and seven and has urged parents to apply for the cards.

The move means that the Under 6s GP Visit Card scheme has been expanded to become the Under 8s GP Visit Card scheme and provides free GP care for all children aged under 8 in Ireland. The move represents the first stage in the biggest expansion in eligibility for free GP care in the history of the state covering up to 500,000 people.

Announcing the opening of registrations, Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly said: I am delighted to announce that registrations for children aged 6 and 7 for the expanded Under 8s GP Visit Card scheme will open today, while current GP visit cards will be automatically extended until a childs 8th birthday. This expansion will provide free GP care to approximately 78,000 children aged 6 and 7 across Ireland who currently access GP care on a private basis. This will ensure that cost is not a barrier to accessing healthcare and provides vital support to families dealing with cost of living challenges. The move is an important step towards universal healthcare.

From today, parents can register children aged six and seven for a GP visit card at hse.ie. For many children there will be no need to register as children who turned six after 1 July 2023 will have their cards extended automatically by the HSE.

This expansion is supported by the landmark agreement between the Department of Health, the HSE, and the Irish Medical Organisation signed in July 2023 which put in place a series of financial supports for GPs.

Minister Donnelly said: We are committed to making healthcare affordable for families. We have abolished inpatient charges, first for children and then for all  saving families up to 800 per year. We have brought the maximum amount payable by households under the Drug Payment Scheme down to 80 per month. We have also continued to build on our collaboration with General Practice and secured an agreement with the Irish Medical Organsiation (IMO) which supports GPs to recruit and retain more staff to better meet demand. We are investing in a significant increase in GP training places, with a recent announcement outlining how training places would increase by a third by 2024, and have partnered with the Irish College of General Practitioners on its very successful non-EU GP Training Scheme which is delivering immediate increased capacity.

This expansion of the GP Visit Card scheme marks a significant milestone as we provide families with access to free GP care for children up to 7 years old, extending care for an extra 2 years of a childs life. I am committed to ensuring that cost will not be a barrier for childrens healthcare. Ensuring that children in Ireland can visit their GP for free gives them access to healthcare at the right time to help ensure their long-term health and wellbeing.

The scheme will be followed by the expansion of free GP care to people earning up to the median income in September and November this year. In total, approximately 500,000 additional individuals are estimated to become eligible under this expansion, 78,000 children aged 6 and 7 and 430,000 individuals earning up to the median income. As this is the largest expansion in eligibility for GP care without charges ever undertaken, it is necessary to phase its introduction to avoid logjams in the application process. Applications under the median-income expansion will commence in two phases, on 11 September and 13 November.
An Garda Siochana has issued a warning in relation to student accommodation fraud saying there has been an 38% increase in accommodation fraud 2022 compared to 2021 with approximately one third of all accommodation fraud reports occurring during August/September each year.

Over 50% of victims of accommodation fraud are aged under 25 and approximately 55% of victims are female.

Approximately 2 million has been stolen in accommodation fraud in last five years.

Examples of rental fraud include where the fraudster claims to be out of the country and cannot show the renter the property unless they pay a deposit, the fraudster is living in the property and shows a number of people the property, gets a deposit from several people and then disappears with the money or the transaction appears normal until the renter finds that the property doesnt exist, is already occupied or the keys do not work and the 'landlord' has disappeared.



The Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) have said that some warning signs of fraud include rent that seems too good to be true, accommodation advertised through social media advertisements or if the person letting the location will only communicate via Messenger or WhatsApp.

Other things to watch out for are properties being advertised through unsolicited contact/social media feeds/pop-up advertisements or the contact appears to be based in another jurisdiction and the listing contains grammar or spelling mistakes and limited details or pictures of the property.

The GNECB also said to be wary if asked to pay cash, cryptocurrency or money via a non-bank transfer, if payment is demanded before signing the lease, if the landlord is unable to meet up in person or there is a sense of urgency to secure the accommodation by paying a deposit.

People looking for accommodation are advised to only used recognised letting agencies or sources and to be wary of cloned websites. Renters can ensure a website is real by checking the URL and looking for the trust seals. They should also check the privacy policy, refunds policy as well as the contact details and ideally use a credit card to pay the rent/deposit.

Renters are also advised never to agree to rent a property without viewed it and ensuring the keys work and you have proper contact details for the landlord/agent as well as ensuring the property is registered with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) (www.rtb.ie).

They also advise meeting with the landlord for a tour of the accommodation and asking for the exact address and verifying the existence of the property by checking Google Maps and can reverse image search any posted images to see if they appear elsewhere on the internet



Students are also advised not to hand over cash, not to transfer money via Revolut, not to pay by cryptocurrency and not to send money to a random PayPal address and not to wire money by Western Union.

They should insist upon a payment receipt and a tenancy agreement and never give personal, financial or security information to persons who are unknown to them.

Incidents reported to An Garda Siochana in July 2023 include a case where a 30-year-old male viewed a digital letting agency and paid a total of 4,000 for a property in Dublin 8 with another incident involving a 20-year-old female who transferred 7,400 to a landlord in the Netherlands for accommodation.

Another case saw a 25-year-old female, who responded to an advertisement regarding an apartment for rent, transfer 1,200 to a Revolut account.

Another case where of fraud involved a 28-year-old female who saw a property online, contacted an agent with a UK registered number via WhatsApp who requested a deposit of 1,236 which was transferred to a bank with a French International Bank Account Number (IBAN).








THE IDEA of going out for an impromptu drink or meal in Limerick is in danger of becoming a thing of the past, its been warned.

Robert Byrne, who runs Bobby Byrnes gastropub at OConnell Avenue in the city, was speaking with the hospitality VAT rate expected to rise next month.

The tax paid on items in the hospitality sector currently stands at nine per cent.

But it's expected to rise by 4.5% from the start of September.

And Mr Byrne, who is the local representative of the Vintners Federation of Ireland, a trade group for publicans, says this will make things even harder for those who work in the industry.

Unfortunately, the way our industry is going is that the casual meal or the casual drink will become a thing of the past because people won't be able to afford to do it.

It'll be more occasion-driven - people will only come in for occasions and events, he said.

He pointed out Ireland also has one of the highest excise duties around and believes government has lost interest in the small business which has been the backbone of this country for years.

Theyve let costs spiral out of control completely. Its at a stage now where its nearly prohibitive to be employed in a privately-owned business in Ireland as the costs are so high, Mr Byrne said.

All government seems to be interested in is the multi-nationals or the big pharma corporations employing 1,000 or 2,000 people. But these are the ones which can let 800 t0 1,000 people go, he pointed out.

Also on the cards for an increase is the national minimum wage, which the Low Pay Commission recommends next year should be 12.70 per hour.

At the start of the year, it was up from 10.30 to 11.50.

Referring to the rise from 10.30 to potentially 12.70, Mr Byrne said: Thats a 20% increase. How do we reflect that in our pricing? What do we do to combat this?

We would love to charge less because that would bring in more business. But at the moment, we can't, he concluded.
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A WOMAN who was found dead in her home in Newcastle West has been named locally.

The body of Catherine Ca McCarthy Atkinson was discovered in her ground-floor apartment of a duplex in the Templegreen estate on the outskirts of the town on Monday evening.

A garda investigation was launched following the discovery at approximately 5:10pm.

The body of the mother-of-one was removed to University Hospital Limerick late on Monday night following an investigation by a State pathologist who visited the scene.

A post-mortem is taking place at the hospital, with the results expected this Tuesday afternoon. These will determine the direction of the garda investigation.

A post-mortem examination is being carried out on the body of a woman in her 50s who was discovered at a house in Newcastle West on Monday evening. Our reporter @FrancesW96 has more. pic.twitter.com/C1z2AJ9B3K  Limerick Leader / Limerick Live (@Limerick_Leader) August 15, 2023

The scene in Newcastle West remains sealed off for technical examinations.

Friends of Ms McCarthy Atkinson, who was aged in her early 50s, have been paying tributes to her on social media this Tuesday.

"It's just so sad. She never had a bad word to say about anyone. Always complimenting, always up for chat," wrote one person.

Another described how she is "completely shook" following the news.

"It's just so heartbreaking," she added.
A COLLABORATIVE cross-border exhibition will run in one Limerick school for 10 days, which will see artists join hands.

The initiative known as Hands Across the Border is a joint collaborative by two cross-border textiles groups  The Irish Patchwork Society (IPS) and the Northern Ireland Patchwork Guild.

For every exhibition, a theme is set for the members, with this years theme entitled Walk in the Park.

From August 10 to August 20, the Mid-Western Branch of the Irish Patchwork Society will host an exhibition in the Cathedral Gallery of Limerick School of Art and Design (LSAD).

With over 30 quilts in the exhibition, the theme has been widely interpreted with quilts reflecting nature, places, and people.

Speaking in advance of the opening, the Chair of the Mid-Western branch of the IPS, Tracy Watson, said: The Mid-Western branch of the Irish Patchwork Society is delighted to welcome fellow stitchers to Limerick.

The wonderful venue of LSAD will showcase the incredible talent of Irish patch workers and quilters north and south of the border.

The north and south patchwork groups joined forces in 1991 to create a cross-border exhibition.

Today, the Irish Patchwork Society has 500 members.
On August 15, Independence Day, Ola Electric, the producer of electric two-wheelers in India, is gearing up to introduce a pair of new models. The company has offered glimpses of these upcoming models, notably an affordable electric scooter, which is poised to become their most budget-friendly EV in the country. The launch event is scheduled to take place at Ola Electric's Future Factory in Bengaluru. Additionally, an anticipated revelation includes the introduction of MoveOS 4, a fresh software update for their existing electric vehicle lineup.

The upcoming Ola S1X electric scooter will be built upon a next-generation electric vehicle platform, which will also serve as the foundation for all forthcoming models by Ola Electric. The S1X is anticipated to feature telescopic forks for its front suspension and twin gas-charged shock absorbers at the rear. In terms of braking, the scooter will employ drum brakes both in the front and rear, possibly accompanied by a Combi-braking system. Notably, the S1X will sport steel wheels instead of alloy wheels. Furthermore, during the event, the company is set to disclose further information about its inaugural electric motorcycle. This recently hinted model, teased on the EV maker's social media channels, is projected to showcase a dynamic appearance characterized by a sizable tank and a sleek rear tail. The teaser indicates a resemblance to the KTM RC series of motorbikes in terms of design. However, it's worth noting that this iteration is likely to be in the preliminary stages of pre-production or concept development. Ola Electric has been actively evaluating numerous motorcycles as benchmarks to aid in the advancement of their own motorcycle offerings.

In addition to introducing the new electric scooter and motorcycle, Ola Electric will also uncover the enhanced Move OS software. With its fourth iteration, MoveOS 4 is anticipated to bring forth a range of fresh features. Notably, Concert mode is set to be among these additions, building upon the Party mode initially introduced in MoveOS 3. Much like the Party mode, where the scooter's lights synchronize with the playing song, Concert mode is expected to extend this concept. It's conceivable that in Concert mode, the coordination of lights and music will encompass multiple scooters.

Aside from these updates, Ola Electric might also incorporate additional moods into the scooter. Moods essentially refer to distinct home screens for the digital display. Depending on the chosen mode, the scooter modifies the acceleration sound. Currently, there exist three mood choices: light, auto, and dark.
Tesla released cheaper versions of its most expensive U.S. vehicles, the Model S and Model X, that cost $10,000 less and drive fewer miles per charge, according to the companys website.

The electric-vehicle maker rolled out what it called standard-range vehicles on its website this week, costing $78,490 for a Model S and $88,490 for a Model X.

The standard-range Model S luxury sedan can drive roughly 320 miles on one charge, compared with 405 miles for the regular version, according to Teslas website. The lower-range Model X SUV has a range of about 269 miles on one charge, less than the 348-mile range on the regular version.

Tesla has cut prices for its U.S. vehicles multiple times this year in a bid to stoke demand in a competitive market. Chief Executive Elon Musk suggested the January price drops fueled buyer interest. Some of the price cuts ensured its models cost less than the threshold to qualify for a federal tax credit.

Tesla also made price adjustments in China this week. The EV seller dropped prices by up to 4.5% for two versions of its Model Y car and is offering an insurance subsidiary on some of its new Model 3 vehicles.

Texas-based Tesla sells vehicles directly to consumers without going through a dealership. The company routinely adjusts prices online. Tesla generally has less pricing transparency than traditional automakers that suggest prices to dealers.

Tesla, the worlds top EV seller, cut vehicle prices after a difficult 2022. The company last year posted its worst stock performance ever and fell short of its vehicle delivery targets. However, Tesla has reported a surge in deliveries this year after the price adjustments. Some carmakers followed and lowered their prices.

Traditional auto companies have broken into the EV market but have struggled to gain traction. General Motors said it would phase out its first mainstream EV, the Chevrolet Bolt, at the end of the year and roll out a new version. Ford dropped the price of its electric Mustang Mach-E in January and later said it expected to lose $3 billion on its electric-vehicle business this year.

A Ford spokesman said Tuesday that it was scaling EV production this year and reducing prices to make its electric cars more accessible. GM declined to comment Tuesday and referred to a July statement about the new Chevy Bolt. Tesla didnt immediately return a request for comment.
NEW DELHI : Aurobindo Pharma Ltd saw its stock prices more than double during the last few months, from 52-week lows of 397.20 on the National Stock Exchange on 3 February to 52-week highs of 887.70 on 14 August.

The turnaround in the companys prospects has been aided by an improved outlook for its US formulations business, which contributes almost half of the companys overall revenues. The base business in the US remains stable helped by lower competitive intensity. The product pipeline remains strong and new product launches in the injectables segment are picking up pace.

The successful completion of inspections of its various facilities by the US drug regulator (USFDA) recently also added to confidence about new launches. The European operations, which is the second largest contributor to the companys overall revenues and contribute more than a fourth to them, are expected to see improved growth trajectory helped by new launches and better reach, feel analysts.

With the current favourable macro-economic environment and broad portfolio offerings by Aurobindo, we believe it is well placed to capitalize on the opportunity related to US generics," said analysts at Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd. The better margins of European segment further support overall profitability, they added.

The companys Q1 performance held testimony. The companys revenue growth of 10% year-on-year was supported by the US formulations growth of 11.2% year-on-year and 18.6% y-o-y growth in European business, despite some decline in ARV (anti-retroviral drugs used for HIV treatment) sales. Supplies of ARV products being tender linked remain lumpy and have lower margins, said analysts.

The company launched 15 products during Q1 including five injectables in the US. It received final approval for the launch of 19 ANDAs (abbreviated new drug applications) including seven injectable products during the quarter. The approval rate is improving in the US and a higher number of niche product launches as injectables that face limited competition will aid the margin profile of the company, feel analysts.

Analysts at Prabhudas Lilladher said that the Injectables business is to pick up post commencement of supplies from Vizag.

The companys wholly owned subsidiary Eugia Pharmas revenues, which includes generic injectables and specialty products, contributed 22.6% of the total US revenues. Analysts said that the company has restarted the exercise to restructure the Eugia business and evaluate options to unlock the inherent value of its injectable business.

Analysts at HSBC Securities and Capital Markets (India) Pvt Ltd said that Outlook remains robust for the key US segment in the near term on volume growth and key launches (as generics of Revlimid by October).

With improved product mix in the US and European operations and aided by better execution, the companys operating performance also showed marked improvement. The Q1 Ebitda margins at 16.8% grew more than 130 bps on a y-o-y as well as sequential basis. The net profit at 570.8 crore grew 9.7% year-on-year and 12.8% sequentially.

Analysts expect more to come. Those at Prabhudas Lilladher said Aurobindo Pharma has multiple growth drivers in place with investments in vaccines, injectables, biosimilars and PLI which are expected to be reflected from FY25.

The forward earnings estimates are also being raised, aided by better growth prospects. Analysts at Motilal Oswal have raised their earnings estimate by 8% and 7% for FY24 and FY25, respectively, factoring superior execution in the European segment, reduced scope of price erosion in the US base portfolio, and moderation in business prospects in the ARV segment.
MUMBAI : Indian companies aggregate legal expenses hit 40,000 crore in each of the last two fiscal years, two industry executives said, a figure that is expected to rise further driven by white-collar crimes, insolvency cases, mergers and acquisitions (M&As), intellectual property (IP) matters, and regulatory filings.

Law firms have bulked up to meet rising demand, recruiting hundreds of law grads from campuses as well as from rival firms. Additionally, partners at law firms have moved to corporate roles as their expertise becomes critical.

Our estimate is that legal spending rose by more than 30%, with large law firms benefiting the most in revenue growth. The increased legal spending is in the areas of litigation, white-collar, investigations and regulatory matters," said Ritvik Lukose, the co-founder and chief executive of search and advisory firm Vahura, which specializes in legal and governance functions. Lukose estimated that in the last two fiscals, Indian firms would have spent around 40,000 crore on legal costs, each year.

Rising forensic cases, corporate disputes and changing startup regulations have also swelled demand for lawyers. Leading law firms said companies are working with them to determine the way forward on the new data privacy regime, which represents an additional investment for Indian companies.

Indian companies legal spending over the last year is estimated to be north of 40,000 crore. This could go up significantly in the next two years due to the complexities of legal scenarios, especially with commercial activities including arbitration, disputes, transactions, capital markets and fundraising witnessing an increase after covid," Tina Gosar, chief financial officer, Khaitan & Co, said.

Meanwhile, law firms are expanding teams and making substantial investments in technology and training to increase efficiency. Top law firms including J. Sagar Associates, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas and Trilegal are in the process of hiring hundreds of professionals.

Cross-border transactions and litigations have increased. Employees are more aware of their rights and firms are depending more on law firms to help mitigate risk exposure. One expects labour code implementation and the new laws on gig workers to become another area where legal assistance will be required," said Pooja Ramchandani, partner (employment, labour & benefits) at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co.

For some companies, legal fees have escalated due to new regulations, particularly those related to privacy, data protection and technology. However, this rise has not been uniform across all companies.

Companies operating predominantly in areas that are technology-focused have seen a dramatic increase in the cost of compliance. For more traditional corporates, cost of compliance, in fact, has reduced as they move from using external law firms to hiring in-house counsels specialized in their field of work," said Shoubhik Dasgupta, partner, general corporate, Pioneer Legal.

Legal expenses include fees for drafting agreements, ensuring compliance, consultancy fees, third-party counsel fees and arbitration fees.

An insolvency and bankruptcy application initially cost somewhere around 5-6 lakh; however, this figure has now touched 25-30 lakh, which has led to corporates spending much more on legal costs," said a senior partner dealing with insolvency cases, on condition of anonymity.

Such costs increase much for bigger corporates involved in multiple litigations over a protracted period.

Across sectors, companies are adopting a mix of services, from general law firms, specialized firms, and in-house counsels. Legal experts said specialized expertise is required for cases involving white-collar crimes, forensic investigations, and matters being handled by Enforcement Directorate or the Economic Offences Wing.
The former CEO of Jio Payments Bank, is spearheading the evolution to transforming it into a new-age bank, with a strong emphasis on digital services, and a guiding principle of running the bank, grow ing the bank, and then, changing the bank".

Srikrishnan has initiated the process of instilling a new cultural approach for its employees, with emphasis on branch-level sales. Additionally, he is trying to centralize the operational processes and increase its sales team at branches.

The bank needs to undergo a cultural shift to be more sales oriented. Our staff at all branches are good and the customers swear by Karnataka Banks service. Neither customers nor employees leave the organization, and hence, the high levels of stickiness," he said.

While customers are loyal to the banks services, if they are not getting access to a particular product they seek,invariably they will look at alternatives, he said. To address this, the bank seeks to attract and retain customers by enhancing its technological capacity and boosting computing capabilities, he added. The banks strategic focus also includes a comprehensive digitization initiative aimed at acquiring customer digitally. It is also in the process of shifting its digital and analytical operations to a dedicated 40,000 sq ft tech hub in Bengaluru. Additionally, the bank is exploring collaboration with fintechs for potential co-lending opportunities, catering to its customer base of 130,000. Through these collaborations, we hope to see growth in digital banking, much faster than organic way. The banks board has endorsed this strategy," he added.

Srikrishnan is also looking at reviving the banks subsidiary, Karnataka Bank Services Ltd, enabling it to recruit support staff, besides operating all back office processes and sales support. Eventually, the entity will run the recruitment process, which will help reduce the wage bill, he said. We will be looking at lateral recruitments for some critical leadership positions through a market CTC based structure. We are also working on converting a section of the existing leadership positions above a category into market-facing titles."

The banks character, Srikrishnan said, has to be changed to become modern and young. Overall, we are embarking on a transformational journey that will be in the best interests of the bank," he added.

To be fair, part of this transformation was started by Srikrishnans predecessor Mahabaleshwara MS, who in an earlier interview had outlined his vision to transform Karnataka Bank into a digital lender.

Karnataka Bank reported a 22.5% jump in net profit to 371 crore in the June quarter compared to 114 crore a year ago. Its gross non-performing loans as a percentage of total loans stood lower at 3.7%, as compared to 4% sequentially.

KARNATAKA BANK More Information
Cape Town: Homegrown automaker Mahindra & Mahindra is looking to tap the 2-million unit market for mid-sized pick-ups with a new global lifestyle pick-up truck that will first be launched in its key existing export markets including South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, Africa, the Middle East and South & Central America, the company announced during its global concept showcase in Cape Town on Tuesday. Mahindra is aspiring to snag a double-digit market share in these countries, where it has a rapidly growing presence, albeit with a single-digit share in the respective markets. As part of its global expansion strategy, the SUV-maker will also look to launch the lifestyle pick-ups in left-hand drive markets such as the European Union and the United Kingdom. The product will also be brought to India, although the company did not share a timeline for a market launch. The pick-ups, when launched, will be manufactured in some of Mahindra's international assembly plants, such as in South Africa and Australia, where it already produces itself variants of the Scorpio pick-up truck.

The company also laid out its strategy to build its electric vehicle brand, announcing a decision to unify its two electric vehicle brands, ie XUV.e and BE, as well a future born EVs like the Thar.e and Scorpio.e into a single brand identity, with a new logo. Meanwhile, its electric SUV factory in Chakan, Pune, will become operational by the end of 2024, when it will launch its first born EV, the XUV.e8. The factory will be able to produce 200,000 units of electric SUVs by 2027, the company said.

As part of its future product showcase, Mahindra & Mahindra also showcased a born electric Thar concept, an EV reimagination of its cult off-roader Thar, but it maintained that it will not change its plans to launch the five born electric products it had decided and shared a year ago in Oxfordshire, Banbury. The company shared the various collaborations it has initiated to define its EV roadmap and products, including bringing in music composer A.R. Rahman to design the soundscape for its electric vehicles, and a partnership with Dolby Atmos and Harman Kardon to design the aural experience of the born EVs. The company has said it expects upto 30% of its sales to come from electric vehicles by the turn of the decade.

"We are creating the new pick-up product by understanding the needs of multiple global markets, not just the Indian market. Indiaa will be an important part of the strategy, but the product is not being created just for it. As we take inputs from all these countries, we will understand the requirements of those markets and then map out from a timeline entry into those markets", Veejay Nakra, president, automotive division, Mahindra & Mahindra said reporters on the sidelines of the event, adding, "Let's call the current phase of our globalization plans as phase one, which is where we've taken our authentic SUVs into multiple markets, like Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Nepal, etc. We would also be taking left-hand drive versions of some of these products into the LHD markets like UK and Europe. So our globalization strategy doesn't only include entering new markets with new products, but also to scale up existing markets where we have only a 1%-2% share, but with these products can target a much higher market share in those nations. There is a large market where we are currently present in. We want to go and get respectable market shares in those market. Then we will bring in phase two of our globalization plans and add new markets".
According to a top company executive, Oja, built at an investment of 1,200 crore, is an entirely novel venture for the company, whose expertise has been rooted in heavy, rugged" tractors.

Mahindra will build multiple models on the platform across four categoriessub-compact, compact, small utility and large utility segmentswith seven products set to hit the Indian and foreign markets later this year. The company expects the platform to help double export volumes from FY23s 18,000 units to around 36,000 by FY27, said Hemant Sikka, president, farm equipment sector, Mahindra & Mahindra in an interview with Mint on the sidelines of an event in Cape Town to showcase the new platform.

The family of light-weight tractors is designed for key existing global markets such as North America, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), South Africa and Australia, as well as new markets in Europe and Africa where the demand for tractors emerge from the vineyards segment.

The company said the new platform opens up the light-weight small tractor market for Mahindra & Mahindra, broadly in the 20-60 hp category, with incremental potential of nearly 3,75,000 units, globally.

Mahindras Zaheerabad factory in Telangana will build the new tractors. The facility has a 30,000 unit initial capacity marked out for the Oja range. While M&M will manufacture its own engines for the larger tractors, its small tractor (20hp) will sport engines from Japanese partner Mitsubishi.

Currently, global sales contribute one-third of Mahindras tractor business turnover, which was at nearly 32,000 crore in FY23. We have seen in developed world that as a country becomes richer and its per capita income goes up, the growth of cereal crops actually slows down, and the growth of horticulture segment starts to grow. People consume more fruits, vegetables and flowers. This has happened in the West, and it is a trend we are seeing starting to happen in India. We believe that India is on this trajectory of high growth in per capita income, and the consumption of fruits and vegetables, as well as the proliferation of vineyards in India will continue to grow. So, we are coming up with high-end technology in the new range of our tractors, which will have four engines and four transmissions. We will cover the entire 20hp-70 hp market. Our market share in tractors is 41.2% year-to-date; and our objective is to take our market share in the light-weight tractor segment, which is close to 30%, to our overall average of over 40%," Sikka said. While the tractor market grows at a CAGR of 7%, the orchard segment will grow much faster and is poised for 10%-plus growth over 5-7 years.

The strength of Mahindra tractors is theyre heavy, very tough and rough, and were known for that. But with this platform, what weve created is just the opposite of that. We collaborated with our partner in Japan, Mahindra Mitsubishi Ags machinery business, to create a set of four light-weight global platforms. A team of 250 people worked on this. Technologies like this arent about the jazz of it but make a huge difference to productivity and output. Our vision is to democratize this technology for small land parcels, which is not only designed for India, but will be sold across the world", Rajesh Jejurikar, executive director and CEO, auto and farm sectors, said.

This reporter was in Cape Town at the invitation of Mahindra & Mahindra.
In July, goods exports fell by around 16% to $32.3 billion. This is the sixth consecutive month in which goods exports have fallen. Along similar lines, goods imports fell by 17% to $52.9 billion. This is the seventh consecutive month in which goods imports have fallen.

A major reason for this fall is a drop in the price of crude oil. In July 2022, the price of the Indian basket of crude oil had averaged $105.5 per barrel.

View Full Image Graphic: Mint

This year, the price averaged around 24% lower at $80.4 per barrel in July.

India imports a bulk of the crude oil that it consumes.

As per the latest data, the country imported 88.4% of the crude oil that it consumed in April and May. In FY23, the import dependency had stood at 87.3%. Hence, once oil prices fall, the price paid for oil imports also falls. Indias oil imports during July fell by around 37% to $11.8 billion. And this has led to the overall goods imports coming down.

Further, while India produces next to no oil, Indian companies do refine crude oil and export it.

Again, when crude oil prices come down, Indias oil exports also come down significantly. In July, Indias oil exports fell by around 44% to $4.6 billion, mainly led by the drop in oil prices.

So, how are things if we look at non-oil exports and non-oil imports? In this case the situation does seem to be worrying but not as worrying as the overall fall makes it out to be.

In July Indias non-oil goods exports fell by a little over 8% to $27.7 billion. This is primarily on account of a slowdown in global growth. The World Bank expects global growth to slow down to 2.1% in 2023, after growing 3.1% in 2022. The forecast for advanced economies is worse. In 2023, the US and the Euro Area are expected to grow by 1.1% and 0.4%, respectively, after growing 2.1% and 3.5%, respectively, in 2022.

This slowdown in growth already reflects in the slowdown seen in Indian goods exports to the developed world.

Their lack of consumer demand is showing up in Indian exports as well. From April to June, the latest data shows goods exports to the US have fallen by a little over 13% to $18.8 billion.

Exports to the European Union countries have been flattish at around $14.8 billion.

Over and above this, Indias exports to the United Arab Emirates, Indias other big goods exports destination, have fallen by a little under 9% to $7.5 billion.

At the same time, Indias non-oil goods imports fell by around 9% to $41.2 billion. In fact, the non-oil non-gold non-silver imports fell by around 10% to $37.6 billion. The non-oil non-gold non-silver goods imports are a good representation of domestic private consumer demand.

The fall here partly reflects the increasing import restrictions along with some slowdown in consumer demand.

Nonetheless, amid all this, there is a silver lining and heres how it goes. The gross domestic product (GDP)the measure of the size of an economy during a yearis calculated as a sum of private consumption expenditure, investment, government expenditure and net exports.

Net exports is exports minus imports. In the Indian context, this tends to be a negative figure, thus dragging down the overall GDP number.

During April to July the goods exports minus goods imports figure was a negative $77 billion. It was a negative $88.1 billion during the same period last year.

So, the GDP calculation will benefit because of this dynamic.
The flow of investments into equity mutual funds has slowed down to 7,625 in July from 8,367 crore the previous month, according to data from the Association of Mutual Funds of India. It is in this context that Swarup Mohanty, chief executive and director of Mirae Asset Investment Managers, shared some interesting insights on the future prospects of the asset management industry . The question we ask everyone is: What is on your mind: the Sensex climbing to 65,000 or India progressing to become the third largest economy in the world," said the Mirae India chief at Mints Annual Mutual Fund Conclave, 2023, held in Mumbai recently.

Mohanty said those investing lump sum amounts, (also known as lump sum investors) are the ones withdrawing from mutual funds, but individuals with systematic investment plan (SIP) are staying put. He said lump sum investors are blatantly trying to time the market and then exit due to underperformance but they are the same investors who continue with their SIPs.

How many of you really know how much your SIP is yielding," said Mohanty, while stressing the importance of staying invested and not getting swayed by short-term underperformance. Despite the high prices of tomatoes, people are still buying them, signalling that India is not a poor country and that its structurally equipped to grow in the future, he added.

Edited excerpts from his address at the conclave.

Room to expand

Today, Indias asset under management (AUM) of the mutual fund industry as a percentage of the gross domestic product (GDP) is a mere 15%. Contrast this with the global average of 75%-80%. Mohanty noted that the Indian mutual fund industry is just getting warmed up and there is plenty of room for growth.

India has a population of 1.4 billion people, out of which 610 million are PAN card holders and 83 million are registered taxpayers. Yet, the country has only 35 million unique mutual fund folios and this number is growing rapidly. For instance, the industry had 23 million folios prior to the covid pandemic but added another 10 million just one year later.

The Mirae India chief also said India is the only country that has the potential of doubling the size of its economy in the next 8-10 years. When you look at the growth prospects in the next 1-2 years, its probably the first time that Im seeing Indias growth beginning to impact global growth," said Mohanty. He added, You have no idea how Korean investors are warmed up to India"

The amount of money flowing into the mutual fund industry has been growing rapidly. Mohanty pointed out that the last 10 trillion came in just two years. The 10 trillion before that took three years and the one before that took around four years.

Conservative investors

Almost half of the savings of Indians is invested in gold, 15% is kept in the form of cash at home, 14% goes to bank deposits and just 4.7% is allocated to mutual funds, said Mohanty. Out of every 10 that is going into bank fixed deposits, only one rupee comes to SIPs.

Mohanty said that in 2005, India was graded a low-income economy and a vast majority of its population was in the lower income group. But the countrys fortunes have changed vastly. Now, the lower-income group has shrunk to 43% of the population. Mirae forecasted this number to go below 15% in the next seven years. This highlights that Indians are becoming stronger financially. According to Miraes research, one in four households in India today are from the upper and middle class and this will become one in two households by 2030.

When I went to get a suit stitched, I told the tailor who was taking my measurements that I had a paunch and to ensure that the suit is tailored to perfection. The tailor replied that the entire country has this problem," said Mohanty, trying to convince the audience that Indians are becoming prosperous and a paunch is indicative of the growing signs of prosperity.

Rise of passive investments

Mohanty said the first level of investors who join the market will come to own the benchmarks, passive and ETF investments. Thereon, the person will move to rule-based investments like balanced advantage funds, and then into human expertise investments that are purely active in nature.

He said this is not a reflection of the amount of money that will be managed but should be looked at from a number of investors point of view. The number of investments would still be higher at the highest end but the number of investors, to start with, would be more at the bottom," said Mohanty.

He said that passive investment formed just 2.8% of the total industry folios in 2019 but now it is more than 14% already, in a span of less than three years. He said that even with this growth, passives is still not a story in India.

Gen Z crucial for growth

The new set of investors will comprise either the millennials or the Gen Z. Millennials are those born between 1981 and 1996, while the Gen Zs are those born between 1997 and 2012. But Mohanty said these investors do not behave very differently from the rest.

He said that when 100 people were asked by YouGov, a market research and data analytics firm, where they will put their money, 57% of millennials and 54% of Gen Z said that they will still put their money in a savings account. Incidentally, the older millennials are more tuned to mutual funds than Gen Z. We, as mutual funds, have to work really hard to convince the Gen Zs to come our way," said Mohanty.
The official website of Fulton County, Georgia's court briefly displayed a document on Monday that outlined a series of criminal charges against former US President Donald Trump. These charges seemed to be connected to his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the state. However, the document was taken down from the website without any explanation, Reuters reported.

The listed charges in the document encompassed racketeering, a law often used against individuals involved in illicit organisations, as well as allegations of making false statements, submitting false documents, and several conspiracy charges.

Trump's legal team asserted that this incident was "not a simple administrative mistake." Lawyers Drew Findling, Jennifer Little and Marissa Goldberg stated, "This is emblematic of the pervasive and glaring constitutional violations which have plagued this case from its very inception."

The office of Fulton County District Attorney clarified in a statement that no charges had been officially filed against Trump. The document, dated August 14, identified Trump as the subject of an "open" case, but it has since been removed from the court's website. The reason behind its initial posting and subsequent removal remains unclear. A spokesperson from the District Attorney's office stated, The Reuters report that those charges were filed is inaccurate. Beyond that, we cannot comment."

Also read: Atlanta Grand Jury to Hear Trump Case This Week: What to Watch

The Fulton County court clerk's office released a statement indicating that no documents had been submitted on Monday concerning the ongoing grand jury proceedings related to the case. The office referred to a "fictitious document that has been circulated online," although it did not specifically confirm whether it referred to the document containing criminal charges against Trump. The clerk's spokesperson did not provide additional details upon request.

Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis has been investigating whether Trump and his supporters engaged in illegal activities to reverse the outcome of the state's 2020 election. It is expected that she will seek an indictment from a grand jury this week.

Also read: Donald Trump Election Probe: Georgia prosecutor likely to seek indictment next week

Trump, who is the leading contender for the 2024 Republican nomination to challenge President Joe Biden, has already faced three criminal indictments this year, including one by US Special Counsel Jack Smith for his attempts to overturn the election. Trump has consistently dismissed the various investigations and legal actions against him, including multiple impeachment proceedings, as politically motivated "witch hunts."

If charges are indeed brought against Trump in Georgia, it would mark his fourth indictment within a span of less than five months. It would also be the second indictment arising from his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

(With inputs from Reuters)
The death toll in incidents such as landslides, cloudburst and house collapse due to heavy rains since Monday has increased to 52, Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has said. The Chief Minister further added that the death toll might go up. He also said that reopening of schools will also be decided based on the weather conditions in the hilly state.

While speaking to news agency ANI, Around 55 people have lost their lives in the state till now. The death toll might go up. Restoration work being done on a war footing. Chandigarh-Shimla 4-lane highway along with other arterial roads opened."

I spoke to (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah ji yesterday who has assured all help. I also spoke to JP Nadda ji, Kharge ji, Rahul Gandhi ji and Priyanka ji....Reopening of schools will be decided based on weather conditions. One Army helicopter deployed in Shimla for any emergency" CM said.

Meanwhile, the Skymet Vice president Meteorology and climate Change Mahesh Palawat said moderate to heavy rain is expected over Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh during the next two days. Further more, he warned that another heavy spell is possible from 20 August.

With the recovery of one more body from a collapsed Shiv temple in Shimla on Tuesday, the total number of bodies recovered in the twin landslide sites at Summerhill and Fagli increased to 15 while more than 10 people are still feared buried under the debris, officials said as quoted by PTI. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Army along with police and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) resumed rescue operations at Summerhill around 6 am and recovered one body, Deputy Commissioner of Shimla Aditya Negi told PTI.

He further added, in total 15 bodies have been recovered since Monday - 10 at the Shiv temple and five at Fagli. More than 10 people are feared buried at the Shiv temple site according to the local councilor but the number is not verified. The UNESCO world heritage Shimla-Kalka railway line was also damaged near Summer Hill here after a landslide swept away a 50-metre bridge, leaving a portion of the track hanging in the air.

Since the onset of the monsoon season on 24 June, the hilly state suffered losses of 7,171 crore till 14 August, according to the state emergency operation centre. A total of 170 incidents of cloudburst and landslide have been reported in the state this monsoon season and about 9,600 houses partially or completely damaged.

(With inputs from agencies)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver his 10th consecutive Independence Day address to the nation today i.e. on 15 August. He will hoist the national flag from the ramparts of the iconic Red Fort on today morning to a 21-gun salute and then address the nation. This will also be his last before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as a mood of anticipation builds around the annual showpiece event that he has used to present his government's report card, unveil flagship schemes and lay down his vision for the country.

Around 1,800 people from different walks of life and from all across the country have been invited as special guests to the main celebratory event in the national capital.

The flag hoisting ceremony in all state capitals and district headquarters/subdivisions will take place at 9 am, Home Ministry statement had said. PM Modi's speech is planned to commence at 7:30 am, following the flag-raising ceremony.

Here's full schedule of the ceremony at Red fort today:

Upon PM Modi's arrival at the Red Fort, he will be received by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Defence State Minister Ajay Bhatt and Defence Secretary Shri Giridhar Aramane.

The Defence Secretary will introduce the General Officer Commanding (GoC), Delhi Area, Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth to the Prime Minister.

The GoC Delhi Area will then conduct PM Modi to the Saluting Base where a combined Inter-Services and Delhi Police Guard will present general salute to the Prime Minister. Thereafter, the Prime Minister will inspect the Guard of Honour, the Defence Ministry's statement said.

The Guard of Honour contingent for the Prime Minister will consist of one officer and 25 personnel each from the Army, Air Force &Delhi Police and one officer and 24 personnel from Navy.

After inspecting the Guard of Honour, the Prime Minister will proceed to the ramparts of the Red Fort.

At around 7.11 am , PM Modi will arrive at Lahore Gate where Defence Minister, Minister of State for Defence and Defence Secretary will come to receive him.

The GoC, Delhi area will conduct the Prime Minister to the dais on the ramparts to unfurl the National Flag. The national flag unfurling will be synchronised with the 21 Gun Salute by the valiant gunners of the elite 8711 Field Battery (Ceremonial)

After the national flag is unfurled, the Tricolour will receive a Rashtriya Salute.

The Army band, consisting of one JCO and 20 Other Ranks, will play the National Anthem during the unfurling of the National Flag and presenting of the Rashtriya Salute.

The National Flag Guard comprising five officers and 128 Other Ranks from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Delhi Police will present Rashtriya Salute at the time of unfurling of the National Flag by the Prime Minister.

As soon as the National Flag is unfurled by the Prime Minister, flower petals will be showered at the venue by two Advanced Light Helicopters Mark-III Dhruv of the Indian Air Force in the Line Astern Formation.

The captains of the helicopter will be Wing Commander Amber Agarwal and Squadron Leader Himanshu Sharma.

After the showering of flower petals, PM Modi's speech is planned to commence at 7:30 am.

At the conclusion of the speech of the Prime Minister, the cadets of National Cadet Corps (NCC) will sing the National Anthem.

About 1,100 boy and girl NCC cadets (Army, Navy and Air Force) from different schools across the country will take part in this festival of National Fervour.

As per the ministry's statement, Bleachers have been installed at the Gyanpath, on which the cadets would be seated in official white dress.

In addition, NCC cadets in uniform will be seated at the Gyan Path as part of the celebrations. Another highlight would be the G-20 logo, which will be part of the floral decorations at the Red Fort.
Sulabh International founder and social activist Bindeshwar Pathak, a pioneer in building public toilets, died on Tuesday at AIIMS Delhi due to a cardiac arrest, according to a close aide as reported by news agency PTI.

The 80-year-old was the founder of Sulabh International, an India-based social service organisation which works to promote human rights, environmental sanitation, waste management and reforms through education. The aide said that Pathak hoisted the national flag in the morning on the occasion of Independence Day and collapsed soon after that. He was rushed to AIIMS Delhi. A source at the hospital said Pathak was declared brought dead at 1.42 pm. The cause of the death was cardiac arrest, he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled Pathak's demise.

"The passing away of Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak Ji is a profound loss for our nation. He was a visionary who worked extensively for societal progress and empowering the downtrodden.

"Bindeshwar Ji made it his mission to build a cleaner India. He provided monumental support to the Swachh Bharat Mission. During our various conversations, his passion towards Swachhata was always visible," Modi said in a post on X.

"His work will continue to inspire several people. My deepest condolences to his family and loved ones during this difficult time. Om Shanti," he said, sharing two pictures of him with Pathak.

Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak was born in a Brahmin family Rampur Baghel village of district Vaishali, Bihar. His mother was Yogmaya Devi and his father was Ramakant Pathak  a respected member of the community.

After completing his studies, he worked as a teacher for a while before joining the Gandhi Centenary Committee in Patna as a volunteer. This was, however, not his original plan. He wanted to study masters in criminology from Sagar University in Madhya Pradesh. While travelling to Sagar, he was advised by two gentlemen to join the Gandhi Centenary Committee  they said he would be paid well. Since money was the need of the hour, Pathak was convinced. However, when he approached the committee, he learnt that there was no job. Since he had missed the deadline for admission at Sagar, he decided to stay on and work as a volunteer.

As mentioned on the website of Sulabh International Social Service Organisation Bindeshwar Pathak said, One day, whilst working there I witnessed a harrowing incident. I saw a bull attacking a boy in a redshirt. When people rushed to save him, somebody yelled that he was untouchable. The crowd instantly abandoned him and left him to die. Pathak adds, this tragic and unjust incident had shaken my conscience to the core. That day, I took a vow to fulfil the dreams of Mahatma Gandhi, which is to fight for the rights of untouchables but also to champion the cause of human dignity and equality in my country and around the world. This became my mission.

*With Agency Inputs
NEW DELHI : Stiff fees, complex rules and the pandemic have snuffed out many of Indias small but promising craft beer brands, with the remaining shrinking operations and entering adjacent segments.

Makers of Witlinger, Mad King and White Owl craft beers have either shut shop or started new ventures, while owners of Kati Patang, White Rhino and Beor 360 have scaled back their operations.

Kati Patang beer, a runaway hit with its unique small-batch flavours like saffron, turmeric and lemon rind, has shrunk considerably in the six years since its launch. Its only available variant in the Delhi market now is Bareilly Bold, a strong lager, against four variants earlier. The company had to shell out 22 lakh to register the variant, a mandatory fee to sell each liquor brand or variant in the capital.

Co-founder Shantanu Upadhyay said Kati Patang had no choice but to shift gears. While craft brands based in India do have a market, and we, along with our investors, strongly believe in this, the flip-flop in excise policies coupled with covid-19 have affected many businesses. We would love to have more support in India on the regulatory front. But until then, we are focused on cautiously investing in markets where we can gain share, launching our direct-to-consumer (D2C) play with four brew pubs with partners, and expanding to international geographies such as the US and the UK where we see brand pull," he said.

Mad King shut down as its two working partners separated. Its founder Bharat Halwasiya has since launched a new beer named Joes Craft Beer, which is imported.

Kaama Breweries, which once sold the popular Witlinger brand, is trying to make a comeback. We are re-entering the craft market with our new brand IBFIndian Beer Factorywhich is based out of Goa. It will also be launched in Delhi and Haryana, followed by Uttar Pradesh next year. We earlier made Witlinger, which was launched in 2014 in a total of six states. Later, Carlsberg India made a strategic investment in the brand. The beer market has changed tremendously post covid. Companies are now focusing on ensuring product availability and offering better and distinctive products," said Anuj Kushwah, the founder of IBF Beers.

According to Kushwah, beer makers must ensure that their products are always available in the market since the business is a cash-guzzler without sufficient volumes. Mobility restrictions and curbs on the sale of liquor during the pandemic disrupted sales and logistics, and many smaller companies did not get back on their feet ever.

The root of the problem in the craft beer business lies in the fact that many companies cant define their role clearly for themselves: Are they a unique product targeting a small but profitable target consumer, or are they a mass product meant for all? Additionally, beer is a very localized business; it doesnt travel well. So, unless a company has a wide production footprint, its better off focusing on a few closer markets only to ensure a decent product. At the same time, beer is a volume product with high fixed costs. So, businesses which are not selling at least 400,000-500,000 cases a month would likely struggle to be profitable," said Vinod Giri, the director-general of the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies.

The debt burden on many beer businesses also increased during the pandemic, pushing many over the edge. White Rhino Brewing Co.s founder Ishaan Puri said the company has not gone out of business but is not registered in Delhi, its primary market, for a year now. He said the firm is a regional brewery focusing on north India and has had to shift focus to exports since there was an excise policy mess" in the capital.

About 215 beer brands are currently registered for sale in the capital, but many are not available. Beor 360, which was produced in India, has shifted production to Bhutan because of complicated tax structures and a trade treaty allowing duty-free imports from the Himalayan country.

Another challenge for businesses is that consumers arent always ready to pay a premium to such brews at home, said Vikram Achanta, the co-founder and chief executive of Tulleeho, a beverage training and consulting firm.

In terms of value, beer makes up just about a fifth of Indias overall spirits market, less than the global average. One reason is that many states tax beer at the same rate as other alcohols, prompting many consumers to turn to stronger spirits. For instance, if beer has 4% alcohol by volume or ABV, and a spirit like whisky has 40%, beer is taxed on the total volume and not on the amount of alcohol in it. Besides, many craft brands popular in metros find it hard to enter new markets where consumers still pick stronger brews.

The maze of excise rules across a vast country also complicates state-to-state distribution. Given its limited shelf life, beer is at a disadvantage compared to other alcoholic beverages. The product can take typically take several weeks to months to reach the market, and the lockdown and logistics hurdles broke the back of many smaller firms. Time spent on annual excise licences and label renewals also lead to wastage.

Some owners also said craft beer isnt considered a craft at all in India, and the taxation feels like a punishment. A state like Haryana charges 2 crore per annum just for license fee registration.

According to data from drinks consultancy IWSR, Indias beer volumes will grow at a compound annual growth rate of about 3% between 2022 and 2027. Beer is taking its own time to reach the threshold. It is a perishable product to trade, and the business requires immense working capital. Very few brands survive the cash burn," said Rahul Singh, the founder of The Beer Cafe that recently got acquired by Sequoia Capital-backed beer brand Bira 91. The problem could also be that many companies aspire to be a national business but end up being a one or two local markets company because of prohibitive excise policies. Many cannot go beyond their home states usually.

In terms of sales, most of these packaged craft beer businesses put together Singh estimates would not be generating a net revenue of more than 200 crore annually. Packaged craft beer, small batch, is at best 1% of the market share or a few million cases. Overall, the entire market in India sells about 350 million cases, and this number has been stagnant for the last decade.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday forecasted heavy to very heavy rainfall in the next 24 hours in several parts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The Met department has raised red alert" for both the hilly states which will gradually reduce to orange alert".

While speaking to news agency ANI, Dr Charan Singh a meteorological scientist at IMD said, Because of western disturbance and south-westerly winds raising from Arabian Sea will lead to heavy to very heavy rainfall in several parts Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand in next 24 hours which will reduce to heavy rainfall on second day and gradually reduce. In totality, for the next 24 hours, there is a red alert for both the states and an orange alert for the next day." Skymet Vice president Meteorology and climate Change Mahesh Palawat said moderate to heavy rain is expected over Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh during the next two days. Further more , he warned that another heavy spell is possible from 20 August.

Moreover, in Himachal, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu informed that over 51 people have lost their lives within the past 24 hours due to landslides and continuous rainfall in the area. He also expressed concerns that over 20 people are feared to be trapped under debris. According to the state emergency operation centre, 621 roads were closed in the state because of the calamity.

The UNESCO world heritage Shimla-Kalka railway line was damaged near Summer Hill here after a landslide swept away a 50-metre bridge, leaving a portion of the track hanging in the air.
India and China have agreed to resolve the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh in an "expeditious manner" besides maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas, a joint statement said on Tuesday, a day after conclusion of the dialogue.

The 19th round of India- China Corps Commander Level Meeting was held at Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Indian side on 13-14 August.

The two sides had a positive, constructive and in-depth discussion on the resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC in the Western Sector. In line with the guidance provided by the leadership, they exchanged views in an open and forward looking manner," reads a press release by the Ministry of External Affairs.

They agreed to resolve the remaining issues in an expeditious manner and maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiations through military and diplomatic channels. In the interim, the two sides agreed to maintain the peace and tranquility on the ground in the border areas," the statement concludes.

The border talks follow the 18th round of talks which took place in April this year. So far, both sides have disengaged militarily in various points along their disputed border since the crisis began in May 2020. Disengagements have taken place near Gogra, Galwan Hot Springs and Pangong Tso. However, troops remain in a standoff near Depsang and Demchok.

Bilateral relations have been frozen since the outbreak of border tensions in 2020. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has made it clear that restoring normalcy on the border is a precondition for normal ties. During a meeting with Chinas Wang Yi, NSA Ajit Doval stated that the prolonged crisis had eroded strategic trust and the public and political basis of the relationship."

China, for its part, has called the border crisis an issue left over from history" and has urged India to separate discussions on the border from those on the wider bilateral relationship. But India has been unwilling to do so.
Crude oil imports from Russia rose nearly three-fold in the first quarter of this fiscal compared to the same period of FY23, according to government data.

Oil imports from Russia during the three months to June stood at $12.36 billion, 170.66% higher on a year-on-year basis.

During the same period last fiscal, the imports stood at $4.57 billion, showed data from the ministry of commerce and industry.

The rise in imports from Russia coincides a decline in the share of oil imports from West Asia.

The value of imports from Iraq, which has traditionally been the top supplier to India declined 37.96% to $6.55 billion from $10.55 billion during Q1FY23. Imports from Saudi Arabia declined 23.64% to $5.49 billion while those from the UAE slumped 63.11% to $1.71 billion.

During the same period last year, Iraq was Indias top source of crude oil.

India has raised its imports from Russia since last year as the country offered discounted oil amid sanctions from the West in reprisal for its invasion of Ukraine.

In FY22, Russian oil accounted for only 2% of Indias total oil imports; in FY23, it made up around one-fourth of the 235.52 million tonnes of crude oil imported by India.

Total oil imports rose by nearly 11% in FY23 from 212.28 mt in the previous fiscal.

The imports from Russia continue to increase in this fiscal although discounts offered by Russia have shrunk in the past few months.

The rise in imports from Russia also comes at a time when Russia has announced a cut in production by 50,000 barrel per day starting this month.

The war created volatility in the global energy market with prices surging to $130 per barrel last year.

They have however declined from the multi-year highs.

Post the announcement of voluntary cuts by Russia and Saudi Arabia, the market has witnessed some volatility of late, with the October contract of Brent crude on the Intercontinental Exchange at $85.28 per barrel, lower by 1.08% from its previous close.

Data from the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) showed that as of 11 August, the price of the crude basket in India stood at $88.03 per barrel. Although Russian oil now accounts for a significant part of Indias total crude import basket, the lower cost of imports is yet to be reflected in the basket because the basket does not include Russian crude.In another development, Russia plans to raise the export levy paid by its oil producers in September to the highest level this year, in a bid to boost state coffers as the price of the nations crude surges.Moscow plans to increase the oil export duty to $21.40 per tonne next month, up by more than a quarter from August, according to a government notification. That equates to around $2.92 a barrel.
China has decided to suspend the publication of its youth unemployment data, citing the need to review the methodology behind this significant economic indicator . This move comes in the wake of growing concerns about the state of the world's second-largest economy, which has been facing a series of warning signs.

The decision to halt the release of youth jobless figures came shortly after the announcement of factory and retail sales data that fell short of expectations. This decision has triggered an uncommon backlash on social media, reflecting the rising frustration among the public regarding employment prospects in the country.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) spokesperson, Fu Linghui, explained that the data release would be put on hold as authorities seek to enhance the collection methods. There is ongoing debate about whether students seeking employment before graduation should be included in labour force surveys and statistics, given the expanding number of university students.

The age range for defining youth unemployment, currently set at 16-24, is also under scrutiny and is deemed to require further investigation. These considerations highlight China's commitment to refining its data collection processes.

This move follows a pattern of Chinese authorities restricting access to crucial information, which has raised concerns among overseas investors. Ting Lu, chief China economist at Nomura, has noted that this declining data availability might weaken investor confidence, particularly since youth unemployment is anticipated to have risen in July, Reuters reported.

Also Read: India emphasises early disengagement in remaining friction points in military talks with China

While this decision aims to refine data collection methods, it has sparked scepticism among the public. Many young Chinese individuals are currently navigating a challenging job market, and the recent data release suspension has added to the uncertainty they face.

The latest data from the NBS indicated a record high youth unemployment rate of 21.3% in June, stressing on the urgency of addressing this issue. A private-sector survey reported that a significant proportion of graduates returned home within six months of completing their studies, underscoring the impact of these trends on young people's lives.

(With Reuters inputs)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sounak Mukhopadhyay Sounak Mukhopadhyay, who also goes by the name Sounak Mukherjee, has been producing digital news since 2012. He's worked for the International Business Times, The Inquisitr, and Moneycontrol in the past. He's also contributed to Free Press Journal and TheRichest with feature articles. He covers news for a wide range of subjects including business, finance, economy, politics and social media. Before working with digital news publications, he worked as a freelance content writer. Read more from this author
X owner Elon Musk says he will be going to Mark Zuckerberg's house today and the cage match could actually take place if the Meta boss answers the door. Musk said he will ask the Tesla fully self-driving car to drive to Zuckerberg's house, and X users will even be able to watch the duo's adventure via the new X livestream video feature.

Also Read| Musk Vs Mark Cage Match: Zuck is a chicken: Elon Musk replies to Meta chief's time to move on remarks Informing his decision on X (formerly Twitter), Musk said, For the Tesla FSD test drive in Palo Alto tonight, I will ask the car to drive to @finkds house. Will also test latest X livestream video, so you can monitor our adventure in real-time! If we get lucky and Zuck my  actually answers the door, the fight is on!"

(Zuck thread coming soon about how he would of course love to fight anytime, but blah blah UFC something something)" Musk added in an adjoining post.

"There was some hasty bag packing at the Zuckerberg residence today! Traveling my ass." Musk added in reply to a post on X.

In a significant development in the back-and-forth between the two tech leaders, Zuckerberg had said in a Threads post on Sunday that "it's time to move on" from the cage match.

I think we can all agree Elon isnt serious and its time to move on. I offered a real date. Dana White offered to make this a legit competition for charity. Elon wont confirm a date, then says he needs surgery, and now asks to do a practice round in my backyard instead. If Elon ever gets serious about a real date and official event, he knows how to reach me. Otherwise, time to move on. Im going to focus on competing with people who take the sport seriously," Zuckerberg noted in a post on Threads.

Earlier, it was reported that Elon Musk is in touch with the government of Italy for hosting the proposed cage fight. The culture minister in the Italian government Gennaro Sangiuliano confirmed that Elon Musk has approached the government and they are considering the request.
NEW DELHI : India and the Philippines are looking to step up defence ties after the Southeast Asian nations high-profile purchase of a BrahMos missile. Negotiations on a defence line of credit have picked up, according to persons aware of the matter.

While the exact quantum of assistance being offered is under negotiation, officials from the Philippines have visited a number of Indian defence firms including Kalyani Strategic Systems to examine their products.

Replies to a query mailed to the company were awaited.

The offer of a line of credit, which was first made by India in 2018, was reiterated during a June meeting between foreign ministers S. Jaishankar and Enrique Manalo.

On defence cooperation, both ministers expressed keen interest to continue to work together in this sector, including through the regular or upgraded official level interaction among defence agencies, opening of the resident defence attache office in Manila, consideration of Indias offer for concessional line of credit to meet Philippines defence requirements, acquisition of naval assets, and expansion of training and joint exercises on maritime security and disaster response, among others," reads a joint statement released after the two foreign ministers met.

Beyond equipment, India has also offered assistance in hydrography and maritime affairs.

Acknowledging the growing importance of the maritime sector for both countries, both Ministers welcomed the bilateral Maritime Dialogue and the increased cooperation on hydrography," reads the same joint statement.

Both Ministers emphasized the utility of maritime domain awareness, and in this context called for early operationalization of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the White Shipping Agreement between the Indian Navy (IN) and the Philippines Coast Guard (PCG)," it also says.

The Indian Coast Guard and Philippines Coast Guard are also working on an MoU on Enhanced Maritime Cooperation

This comes at a time when the Philippines is facing increasing military pressure from China over disputed islands in the South China Sea. In early August, the Philippines accused Chinese vessels of trespassing into its waters and preventing the resupply of troops stationed in the Spratly islands. This has snowballed into a diplomatic spat with President Marcos of the Philippines publicly stating his concern over Chinese actions.

They underlined that both countries have a shared interest in a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. They underlined the need for peaceful settlement of disputes and for adherence to international law, especially the UNCLOS and the 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea in this regard," the two countries said in their joint statement after the June Foreign Ministers meeting. The 2016 Arbitral Award refers to a ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague in favour of the Philippines which repudiated Chinas expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea.

India has helped a number of regional countries like Vietnam build up their defence capacities in an effort to bolster their ability to stand up to Chinas growing military power. India provided Vietnam a $100 million line of credit (LOC) under which the country purchased high-speed patrol boats from India. The two countries are also in talks for a new $500 million defence LOC.
The BRICS Leaders Summit is set to be held from 22 August to 24 August, with leaders from Brazil, South Africa, India and China expected to meet in Johannesburg. Mint looks at what is the agenda.

 Leaders of the BRICS nations, minus Russian president Vladimir Putin, will meet in later this month in South Africa for the 15th Summit. A source speaking to TASS, the Russian government news agency, said that invitations have also been sent to African heads of state and countries who have applied for BRICS membership.

 The Russias president will be absent from the Summit. This follows speculation that Putin would have to be arrested by South African authorities in accordance with the countrys obligations under the Rome Statute, which established the International Criminal Court. The ICC had issued an arrest warrant for Putin in March, related to alleged war crimes during Russias invasion of Ukraine. Putin will be present virtually.

 The Summit is expected to see some development related to the expansion of BRICS grouping. A number of names have been floating around: Saudi Arabia, Argentina, the UAE and Egypt, among others.

 However, this has been a point of tension between China on the one hand and India and Brazil on the other. Analysts speculate that China is looking to add to the membership of BRICS to onboard more countries who share its West-skeptic worldview.

 However, New Delhi and Brasilia seem unwilling to allow this to happen. While both are active BRICS partners, neither wishes to have the organization turn explicitly anti-Western, given their close ties with Western nations.

 BRICS nations also face larger challenges. When it was was created in the 2000s, the five nations were seen as emerging economic powerhouses. However, Russia and South Africa have had a rough time over the last few years. Brazils economy, which was buoyant when BRICS was conceptualised, has relied on high commodity prices.

 China and India have remained relatively stable in the intervening years although the formers economy is showing telltale signs of stress and slowdown.
The Central Election Committee (CEC) of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to meet tomorrow i.e. on 16 August in order to step up party's preparations ahead of the year-end polls in five states, Economic Times has reported.

As per the report, PM Modi, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh JP Nadda are among the 15 members who will be attending the meet. Apart from the CEC members, the state president and the organisation secretary of the states which will go for elections by year-end will be attending the meet.

The polls of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Mizoram is set to be held by the end of 2023. As per the report, this is the first time that the CEC meeting will be held way ahead. Usually, the meeting is held after the election commission announces the election dates or even around the date of filing nominations.

"The party wants to keep a bird's eye view on the entire election process and address issues needed to be resolved on time," a state leader said as quoted by told ET.

In another report, sources told news agency ANI that there will be deliberations on strengthening the party in the weak seats. The meeting is also likely to discuss the selection of candidates and campaign strategy.

The party has prepared a list of seats that it perceives need more focus, sources said.

Sources further said that the state leadership will give feedback on the work being done at the grassroots including on reaching out to people about the welfare schemes of BJP-led central government, ANI has reported.

In the meeting, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, state party president VD Sharma and other prominent leaders would be present. Of the five states which will go to polls later this year, BJP is in currently in power in Madhya Pradesh.

(With inputs from ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing the nation on Independence Day said that the country is with Manipur.

Speaking from the Red Fort on the 77th Independence Day, PM Modi talked about the violence in the North-Eastern state and said the Central and the state government had been working on maintaining peace.

The women of Manipur have suffered much. The nation is with Manipur. We will find a solution through peace. Path for solution in Manipur will be found through peace; Centre, state government making all efforts for a solution, will continue to do so," said PM Modi.

PM Modi wishes Independence Day to the 140 crore families India - world's biggest democracy. Number 1 nation in terms of population. we all are celebrating independence day today," said Modi.

Modi lauds the contribution of youth, and says those from tier 2, and tier 3 cities also making a lot of impact in various fields, including start-ups.

Earlier on Monday, NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Monday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke less" on Manipur violence during his reply to the motion of no-confidence in Lok Sabha last week.

He said Manipur was a border state and if the Centre is not paying adequate attention to the situation, this is the most serious worrisome thing".

Also Read: Manipur violence: Indian Army seizes ammunition, 3 killed in Bishnupur as clashes continue. 5 updates

The CBI is set to investigate nine more cases related to Manipur violence, which will take the total number of cases probed by the agency to 17, said a PTI report citing officials.

The probe by the central agency would not be limited to these 17 cases. Any other case related to crime against women or sexual assault may also be referred to it on priority, said the PTI report citing officials.

More than 160 people have been killed, and several hundred injured since ethnic violence first broke out in the state on May 3 when a Tribal Solidarity March was organised in the hill districts to protest against the majority Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe status.

Meiteis account for about 53% of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley, while tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40% and reside mostly in the hill districts.

(With inputs from agencies)
During the 77th Independence Day event at the Red Fort, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge was noticeably absent while Prime Minister Modi addressed the nation. The seat reserved for Mallikarjun Kharge, with his name prominently displayed, remained unoccupied.

From the vantage point of the Red Fort's ramparts, PM Modi took the opportunity to criticize Congress's practices of corruption and Pariwarvaad (dynasty politics). Explaining the reason why he did not attend the Independence Day event at Red Fort, the Congress president said that the security is so tight that they don't let anyone else leave before the PM leaves. Speaking to reporters, Kharge said,  The security is so tight that they don't let anyone else leave before the PM leaves...I thought that I will not be able to reach here on time...I thought it better to not go there to the security situation and lack of time."

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday took a jibe at the BJP-led central government and said that some people make it look like the country developed in the past few years. But that is not true.

It is to be further noted that the Congress president delivered a video message wherein, without explicitly mentioning PM Modi, Kharge remarked that certain individuals hold the belief that India's progress has occurred solely in recent years. He asserted, But that perspective is misguided."

Also Read: Independence Day 2023: India will become one of world's top 3 economies in next 5 years', PM Modi at Red Fort

"Some people make it look like the country developed in the past few years. But that is not true. When the British left the country, the situation was as such that not even a needle used to be made in the country. Then Pandit Nehru took major initiatives, set up steel plants, made dams, established institutions like IIT, IIM, AIIMS. Indira Gandhi-Lal Bahadur Shashtri bring in the green revolution, made India self-reliant," Kharge said.

Congress leader Pawan Khera taking to X (formerly known as Twitter) asked, Does the PM realise that his route arrangements would have made it impossible for Kharge Sahib to reach the Party HQ for the Flag hoisting function in time?"
Judged by one measure, Americas new industrial policy is off to a roaring start. Enticed by subsidies, companies are pouring money into semiconductor plants and electric-vehicle factories. With investment in manufacturing facilities running at a record high, President Joe Bidens claim that the future will again be made in America" seems more credible than it once did.

The next step is less certain. America is building factories, but can it find the workers to operate them? With the jobless rate near a five-decade low, firms are already struggling to find staff. As scores of new factories are built, the gaps will grow.

Semiconductors are the most important test case for Americas manufacturing revival. Over the past couple of decades makers of computer chips have largely left America. The country still has world-class semiconductor researchers and designers, but has been denuded of a workforce that turns silicon wafers into electronic circuits at scale. Hoping to reverse that tide, the CHIPS Act passed last year will see the government dole out $50bn over the next half-decade.

A baseline estimate from the Semiconductor Industry Association, a trade body, is that by 2030 Americas chip sector will face a shortage of 67,000 technicians, computer scientists and engineers, and about 1.4m such workers throughout the wider economy. Set this against the total of roughly 70,000 students who complete undergraduate degrees in engineering in America each year, and the scale of the deficit becomes apparent. Whatever the precise gap, it marks the difference between foundries running at full capacity with labour bills under control, or ending up mired in high costs and low productivity.

One of the sites at the centre of Americas ambitions offers an early glimpse of the problem. The Taiwanese Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the worlds largest maker of chips, plans to invest $40bn in two factories in Phoenix, Arizona, greatly boosting Americas ability to craft large volumes of ultra-small semiconductors. If it is successful, it will suggest that America can reclaim a position at the cutting-edge of chip production.

The first of TSMCs factories was due to start production next year. But in July it announced that the launch would be put back to 2025 because it could not find enough workers with the expertise to install equipment at such a high-tech facility. Mark Liu, TSMCs chairman, said the firm would send technicians from its home base in Taiwan to train its American staff.

My nightmare is investing in all of this infrastructure and then not being able to build the workforce," says Shari Liss of SEMI Foundation, a microelectronics lobbying group. The fact that many share her worry is at least a useful spur. A report in January from the Brookings Institution, a think-tank, said America needed a surge of national, state and local actions" to provide enough workers for the chips sector. The outlines of that are taking shape.

The most immediate hole, as illustrated by TSMCs troubles, is in the construction industry. The Commerce Department reckons that about 100,000 builders may be needed for the first phase of investments in semiconductor fabrication plants, or fabs. The government cannot conjure such a labour force out of thin air. But it has made its subsidies contingent on companies explaining the steps they will take to recruit and train construction workers.

An official in the Commerce Department says the government wants companies to collaborate on building up a construction workforce. Workers that are trained for one project will then be beneficial for other fabs that get built," the official says. In this respect TSMCs plan to import Taiwanese trainers is less a bug than a feature, helping to transmit knowledge.

Once the fabs are built, they will need technicians to operate them. Such workers, responsible for tasks like inspecting tools and products, have historically required two years of training at a community college or a vocational school. But companies and educators have started experimenting with much shorter courses.

Most eye-catching are quick-start programmes that promise to churn out technicians in just ten days, offered by Maricopa Corporate College in Arizona and Portland Community College in Oregon. The Portland college, supported by Intel, an American chipmaker, offers students stipends of $500 a week, and the one in Arizona guarantees its students interviews with TSMC. Still, no company is about to put candidates with just ten days of training anywhere near the multi-million-dollar machinery inside their fabs.

The more realistic goal is to whet peoples appetites for a career in semiconductors. Our intent is to reach out to people who may think they lack the skills for this type of job," says Gabriela Cruz Thompson of Intel. She notes that the firm has been more successful at recruiting women and minorities to the quick-start programmes than to traditional two-year courses.

There may soon be more in-between options. This autumn Columbus State Community College in Ohio, where Intel is building two fabs, will offer a first-of-its-kind one-year programme. The aim is for students to finish job-ready" for Intel.

The next rung up the work ladder in fabs are the engineers who run them. Universities near some of the plants under construction, including Arizona State and Ohio State, have expanded their offerings of semiconductor courses as part of degrees in engineering and physical sciences. Leading the charge is Purdue University in Indiana: last year it launched a semiconductor degree programme for both undergraduates and graduates.

The aim of Purdues lab-to-fab" model is to collaborate more closely with companies. As part of a $49m upgrade of its cleanroom" facility, it gives students access to the sorts of conditions and materials they would encounter in commercial enterprises, along with testing their mettle in the head-to-toe bunny suits they must wear to keep chips free of contamination.

This summer Purdue introduced an eight-week course that included a $10,000 stipend for students, funded by companies that hope to attract would-be workers before they are seduced by Silicon Valley. And in an industrial park at the south-west edge of campus, SkyWater, an American chip foundry, will build a $2bn fab. Students will be able to wake up in their dorm, turn right and go to their classes, and then turn left and do an internship," says Mung Chiang, president of Purdue.

Fab opportunities

Ms Cruz Thompson says that Intel expected 100 or so people to register for quick-start courses. But about 900 did. At Purdue enrolment has also been very strong. In May Handshake, a job platform for recent graduates, reported that applications for full-time jobs at semiconductor companies were up by 79% compared with last year, versus 19% in other sectors. Studentsrealise that chips are the new oil," says Vijay Raghunathan, Purdues director of semiconductor education.

Unfortunately, America is limiting its access to one obvious source of talent. Immigrants account for about 40% of highly skilled workers in Americas semiconductor industry. They are funnelled through a couple of visa programmes, with strict caps. Those caps are fixed, meaning that as the industry expands they will become more restrictive. Politicians on the right, including Donald Trump, have floated eliminating the visa openings altogether.

Americas chip firms are already configured for a small but skilled workforce. As they outsourced manufacturing abroad they grew more specialised at home, putting America at the commanding heights of the global industry. Qualcomm, Nvidia and others became world leaders in developing and designing advanced chips. It was a highly profitable division of labour.

Now America is trying to retake a foothold in the industrys lower tiers, relearning basic skills such as cutting wafers into chips and packaging them in hard plastic casing. The political imperative is to guard against excessive reliance on China. For companies there is also a logic in diversifying supply chains and bringing manufacturing closer to research operations.

The welcome news for those wanting to bring about this shift is that colleges and universities are tilting in their direction. But it remains a gargantuan gamble: not so much on the future as on bringing America back to a manufacturing past that it once made commercial sense to leave behind.

Stay on top of American politics with Checks and Balance, our weekly subscriber-only newsletter, which examines the state of American democracy and the issues that matter to voters.

 2023, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com
It is possible that the charges against Trump could lead to civil war in the United States. Trump has a large and fervent following of supporters who believe that he was the rightful winner of the 2020 presidential election. If Trump is convicted of a crime related to his efforts to overturn the election, his supporters may feel that the government is illegitimate and that they must take up arms to defend their leader.

There are already signs that this is happening. In January 2021, a mob of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to prevent Congress from certifying Joe Bidens victory. If Trump is convicted of a crime, it is possible that this type of violence could occur again, on a larger scale.

It is important to note that there is no guarantee that the charges against Trump will lead to civil war. However, the potential for violence is real, and it is something that the American people must take seriously.

Here are some of the factors that could contribute to a civil war in the United States if Trump is convicted of a crime related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election:

The level of support for Trump among his base. If Trump still has a large and passionate following, it is more likely that his supporters will resort to violence if they feel that he is being unjustly targeted.

The level of polarization in the United States. The country is already deeply divided, and the charges against Trump could further polarize the country and make it more difficult for people to find common ground.

The actions of the government. If the government appears to be biased against Trump or his supporters, it could further fuel anger and resentment and make it more likely that violence will occur.

It is important to remember that civil war is not inevitable. The American people have a long history of overcoming challenges and finding common ground. However, the charges against Trump are a serious threat to the countrys democracy, and it is important to be prepared for the possibility of violence.

A Georgia grand jury has indicted former US President Donald Trump on 41 criminal counts, including a felony racketeering charge, for his alleged efforts to question the 2020 presidential race. Trump is accused of conspiring with others to interfere in the election, committing perjury, and soliciting a public official to violate their oath.

The indictment also names 18 other defendants, including Trumps White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. All of the defendants are accused of seeking to invalidate Joe Bidens victory in the 2020 presidential race.

The charges stem from Trumps alleged pressure on Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find 11,780 votes in his favor during a phone call on January 2, 2021. Raffensperger declined to do so, and the Atlanta-area district attorney launched a probe into whether Trumps request amounted to criminal activity.

The indictment is the latest in a series of legal troubles for American Democracy that are laying the base for an all out civil war. He has also been charged with dozens of felony counts in a federal investigation into his handling of classified material after leaving office, and he faces a separate election-interference case in New York.

Trumps lawyers have denied any wrongdoing and have vowed to fight the charges. They have also accused the district attorney of political bias.

The indictment is a major development in the ongoing investigation into Trumps efforts to question the 2020 election. It remains to be seen whether Trump will be convicted of any of the charges, but the indictment is a significant setback for democracy and freedom of speech.

Shayne Heffernan
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
An officer was wounded and a suspect killed in gunfire in Tennessee city, police say

Authorities in a Tennessee city say that an exchange of gunfire near a gas station ended with a police officer being wounded and a suspect shot and killed
More than two in three people in Ireland between the ages of 25 and 29 still live at home with their parents, latest figures show.

The figure has risen to 68pc of Irish adults in this age category who were still living at home in 2022. That figures is significantly higher than the EU average of 42pc.

Figures are slightly lower for women in this age group, 61pc are still living at home, while almost three-quarters (74pc) of men have yet to leave home.

Ten years ago, just 36pc of those aged 25 to 29 were still living with their parents.

Labour leader and housing spokesperson Ivana Bacik said that the housing crisis is having disastrous consequences in the lives of young people, as new figures from 2022 show that more than two in three people in Ireland aged between 25 and 29 (68%) are still living at home with their parents.

Deputy Bacik said: Todays figures reveal the stark social consequences of the housing crisis, which represents a lived reality for too many of our young people.

"Unaffordable rents and skyrocketing house prices have meant that young people are living at home with parents for longer, putting off big life moments like living independently or moving in with friends or a partner. And this generational crisis is getting worse.

There is a hidden cost to this. Young people are putting off making big life decisions and effectively failing to launch their adult lives, because they lack the social structures that the State should be providing, like access to a secure and affordable home, as well as access to other social supports like childcare and affordable healthcare.

Having your own home, a place to call your own is a fundamental human right. It provides a sense of stability and independence which is being denied to this generation of young people. It is impossible to live a fully empowered life as a young person from a childhood bedroom.

Despite record employment levels, too many young adults in Ireland today are barely getting by. They are working hard, paying taxes and contributing to society, yet for far too many, Ireland feels like no country for young people.

In order to address this crisis, we need to see a structural revolution in housing. Government representatives have displayed dismissive attitudes in response to Labours constructive proposals to increase housing supply. It is time for a change of approach, Deputy Bacik said.
Local News

By Chris Boyle Published: August 15 2023

Journey Through Touch encourages visitors to touch the art.

Helen Keller Services (HKS), a national non-profit working with individuals who are blind, have low vision, are DeafBlind and/or have combined hearing-vision loss to live, work and thrive, have partnered with The Art Guild, located in Manhasset, NY, to present Journey Through Touch: A Tactile Art Experience from Friday, August 4 to Friday August 18, 2023 at The Art Guild, located at 200 Port Washington Blvd. in Manhasset, NY 11030.

The exhibition features paint, sculpture and other types of art created by DeafBlind individuals from Helen Keller National Centers art program. The exhbit is sponsored by the Hearts of Port Washington.

We explore what art is besides what it looks like, said Antonia Isnardi, Sr. Instructor, Creative Arts, HKNC. Its the process, exploring different tools with their hands, based on touch or self-expression, instead of what makes art good or bad.

This unique exhibit focuses on the sense of touch, where visitors will be able to feel the shapes and textures that bring these creations to life. Each piece carries a unique narrative.

This is the first of its kind for The Art Guild, said Lisa Grossman, Executive Director, The Art Guild. Weve never had a complete exhibit from one group of artists and certainly not one where the artists are blind or have vision loss.

My parents were musicians since I was born. My mom plays organ at church, my father played guitar. Ive loved music since I was little, when I was a teen, said Antwan Williamson, who created a clay on canvas sculpture of a stage decorated with musical instruments for the show. I bought a guitar and took lessons. The teacher showed me the chords step-by-step, and I learned very fast. Im rusty now, but it is my goal to learn again.

This was the first time I made art with seashells. It was very fun, said Brittany Houghton, whose work Seashells is a 16x20 easel mounted 3D painting. I feel happy and satisfied when I go to the beach with my mom.

I wanted to show my first love, photography, and replicated the experience tactually. I wanted to show my blind friends my photography from my visit to Italy and I wanted others to experience it, said Monica Menier, whose piece When in Verona recounts her travels. I was meticulous and thoughtful when picking my materials for low vision/blind people. Art is new to me and it has taught me patience.

The Art Guild is open on Weekends from 1 to 5 pm and Monday through Thursday from 10am to 5pm. The exhibit runs through Thursday August 17.

About The Art Guild

The Art Guild of Port Washington, Inc., is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization providing encouragement, education and a forum for the appreciation of the visual arts. The Guild seeks to offer residents from local and neighboring communities an avenue to broaden their creative pursuits by striving to:

Encourage . Encouragement to artists and craftspeople through collaboration and interaction

Educate . Educational opportunities, workshops, lectures and discussion groups

Explore . An art facility where residents can come to broaden their creative experiences

Exhibit. A forum in which the community can appreciate the visual arts through exhibits and community projects

It is an organization open to all people with a common goal to advance the visual arts.

About Helen Keller Services:

Helen Keller Services mission is to enable individuals who are blind, deaf-blind and/or have combined hearing-vision loss to live, work and thrive in their community of choice. HKS offers services and programs through two divisions: Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults and Helen Keller Services for the Blind. For more information, please visit www.helenkeller.org. Follow HKS on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and TikTok.
Two years ago on this day, the Taliban marched into Kabul and triumphantly seized back control of Afghanistan. Two weeks later, on Aug. 30, 2021, the last U.S. soldier left the country. Since the U.S. withdrawal, the Taliban has consolidated its power, sheltered and supported numerous regional and global terror groups, crushed armed opposition and rival terror groups, and ruthlessly suppressed the rights of the Afghan people.

President Joe Biden announced on April 14, 2021 that all American soldiers would leave Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 2021, exactly 20 years after that Al Qaeda launched its terror attack on the U.S.

Biden, who as vice president wanted to leave Afghanistan in 2011 after the U.S. killed Osama bin Laden, justified his decision to leave the country by claiming that he was bound by the Doha Agreement, the so-called peace agreement between the U.S. and the Taliban that was negotiated and signed by the Trump administration on Feb. 29, 2020.

The Taliban, which before the signing of the Doha Agreement was slowly gaining control of rural districts throughout Afghanistan, used the time between the signing of the deal and Bidens announcement to lay the groundwork for its final push to take control of Afghanistan. The Taliban softened the support of local Afghan leaders and military commanders by convincing them to surrender or flee once the inevitable announcement of the U.S. withdrawal was made. Those who resisted would be crushed, the Taliban warned.

The Taliban immediately implemented its plan to take control of Afghanistan. First it would expand its control of the rural districts, then it would seize provinces and march into Kabul. On April 13, 2021, the Taliban controlled 77 of Afghanistans 407 districts, and contested another 194, according to a long-term assessment by FDDs Long War Journal.

Within three months, the Taliban controlled 221 districts and contested 113. On Aug. 6, 2021, Nimroz in southwestern Afghanistan was the first province to fall. Nearly all of Afghanistans remaining 33 provinces fell to the Taliban by the time it marched into Kabul nine days later. Panjshir province, the last remaining holdout, collapsed on Sept. 7, 2021.

The Biden administration, and senior U.S. military, intelligence, and State Department officials were stunned by the Talibans swift victory. At the time of the withdrawals announcement, the official assessments indicated that the Afghan government would have a two-year buffer before it would be threatened by the Taliban.

Since the withdrawal, many so-called Afghan experts predicted that the Taliban would swiftly fracture and turn on itself, or that moderates within the group would rise to prominence and usher in a kinder, gentler Taliban that would suddenly respect human rights, create an inclusive government and serve as a viable counterterrorism partner. Two years after the takeover of Afghanistan, nothing could be further from the truth.

Meet the new Taliban, same as the old Taliban: the Permanent Interim Government

On Sept. 8, 2021, the Taliban announced its so-called interim government. Western officials were hopeful that the Taliban would create an inclusive government that integrated leadership from outside of the Talibans command. The Taliban, which always maintained that its Islamic Emirate has not readily embraced this death and destruction for the sake of some silly ministerial posts or a share of the power, had other ideas.

The latest iteration of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan looks much like the previous iteration. Many of the new ministers served in the Talibans government from 1996 to 2001, before the U.S. ousted the group. The new Taliban leaders were serving in the Talibans shadow government during its insurgency from 2002 until Aug. 2021.

Two of the top three leaders are Taliban royalty. Mullah Yacoub, the Talibans minister of defense, is the son of Mullah Omar, the groups founder and first emir. Sirajuddin Haqqani, the minister of interior, is the son of famed Taliban leader Jalaluddin Haqqani. Both served as co-deputy emirs in the shadow government as well as today.

The Talibans government includes Specially Designated Global Terrorists, leaders sanctioned by the United Nations, and former detainees from Guantanamo Bay. Even Al Qaeda leaders hold offices in the Talibans government.

There has been very little turnover within the Talibans government since it was announced two years ago. The Talibans minister of state has been replaced, reportedly due to illness, and its first education minister was fired due to a policy disagreement.

Despite numerous predictions that influential Taliban factions would immediately turn on each other to grab power or due to policy disagreement, there has been zero evidence that this has happened. The Taliban leadership has remained united and followed the directives from its emir, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada.

Crushing the opposition

Immediately after seizing power, the Taliban turned its sights on the last remaining holdouts from the Afghan government and military. Resistance to the Taliban coalesced in the central mountainous province of Panjshir, under the command of Ahmad Masoud, the son of famed anti-Taliban leader Ahmad Shah Massoud, and in southern Baghlan province under Amrullah Salah, the last vice president of Afghanistan.

The Taliban quickly organized thousands of fighters and assaulted the mountainous redoubts of the resistance. Salah and Massouds forces were swiftly routed and forced to go underground.

The resistance to the Taliban flared again in the spring and summer of 2022, but again the Taliban massed its forces and drove Massoud and Salahs forces underground. Today, resistance activity is limited to low scale guerrilla operations that does not seriously threaten the Talibans grip on power. The Afghan resistance has an uphill battle, with little foreign support, limited access to weapons and funds, no territory under its control, and no foreign safe havens where it can organize and strike back.

The Islamic State Khoransan Province (ISKP), an avowed enemy of the Taliban, can launch the occasional terror attack or assassination within Afghanistan, but it does not pose a serious threat to the Talibans primacy. The Taliban holds all of the advantages.

The Taliban can muster hundreds of thousands of troops while ISKP has only several thousands of fighters. The Taliban controls all of the territory of Afghanistan while ISKP operates in the shadows. The Taliban possesses billions of dollars in weapons, ammunition, vehicles, bases and supplies left behind by the U.S., while ISKP is forces to scavenge for war material. The Taliban has the support of foreign states such as Pakistan, as well as a host of terror groups on its side, while ISKP remains isolated as it does not play well with others due to its demands that everyone swear allegiance to its self-styled caliph. The only field where ISKP can match the Taliban is ideological fervor.

The real threat posed by ISKP is its ability to poach the disaffected or more radical members of the Taliban and its allied terror group. As the Taliban established its control of Afghanistan, it has largely worked to keep a lid on regional terror groups in order to placate countries like China (the exception is the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, which is very active in Pakistan). ISKP makes the argument that the Taliban is beholden to foreign powers and it is not waging a pure form of jihad. The Talibans victory has largely tamped down this argument, but this could be a problem for the group over time.

Doubling down on support for Al Qaeda and its allies

A key component of the Doha Agree was that the Taliban would not allow foreign terror groups to use Afghan soil to launch attacks against the U.S. or its allies. The Taliban has made this promise in the past, even before 9/11, but never intended to follow through. The same is true today. Additionally, the Taliban has denied that foreign groups are even operating within Afghanistan.

Since the U.S. withdrawal, the Taliban  Al Qaeda alliance has only strengthened. Al Qaeda was so confident in its relationship with the Taliban that its last leader, Ayman al Zawahiri, was living in a safe house in Kabul that was managed by a lieutenant of Taliban deputy emir and interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani. The U.S. discovered Zawahiris presence and killed him in a drone strike on July 31, 2022.

Zawahiris presence in Kabul wasnt the only piece of evidence that demonstrated the enduring ties between the Taliban and Al Qaeda. On June 9, the United Nations Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, issued a report that noted that Al Qaeda is operating training camps in six of Afghanistans 34 provinces, as well as safe houses and a media center.

Al Qaeda is also operating suicide bomber training camps for the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan. Three dual hatted Al Qaeda and Taliban leaders are serving in the Talibans government, and the Taliban is issuing passports and national identification cards for Al Qaeda members and their families. The Talibans ministry of defense is using Al Qaeda training manuals.

The Talibans grip on Afghanistan remains strong. Any false hopes that the Taliban would evolve into a moderate and peaceful regime that respects the rights of its people while serving as an effective counterterrorism partner should have been dashed the moment it took power.

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.

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(Alliance News) - ITV PLC on Tuesday announced that its investment fund has purchased a stake in Flarin Holdings Ltd, its first investment so far in the consumer healthcare market.

The London-based television broadcaster and content producer said it has agreed to subscribe for GBP2 million of shares in Flarin, a London-based pain relief brand, through its Media for Equity investment fund ITV AdVentures Invest.

ITV also has the option to subscribe for two additional tranches worth GBP1.5 million each.

Shares in ITV were down 0.8% at 72.24 pence on Tuesday in London.

Flarin will receive advertising inventory across ITV's television channels and the ITVX streaming service. ITV said the investment "will help Flarin build mass market brand awareness by bringing the brand to millions of consumers via ITV platforms.

"This will be a step change in the size of the campaign and the approach to scaling the Flarin brand to date."

Flarin is a patent-protected anti-inflammatory painkiller available over the counter in pharmacies and retail stores, and the only lipid formulated oral analgesic available in the UK.

ITV AdVentures Director Sheena Amin said: "It's fantastic to be announcing our latest Media for Equity investment into Flarin. With its innovative and patented lipid technology, Flarin offers many unique benefits to those suffering from joint and muscular pain compared to any other product on the market.

"Flarin is already one of the fastest growing analgesics in the market and I am confident that we will see the company grow to new heights following a brand building campaign across ITV."

Previously this year, ITV invested in pet health and wellness company PitPat and architectural firm Resi Design Ltd.

ITV AdVentures was launched in 2021, to allow ITV to purchase minority stakes in early stage venture capital-funded companies offering digital and direct-to-consumer products.

Its first investment was in location finding application what3words Ltd. This was followed by purchasing stakes in menswear brand Spoke, utility price comparison service ismybillfair.com, nutritional supplements startup Feel and vehicle marketplace carwow.

By Emma Curzon, Alliance News reporter

Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved
At first, Mat Tait was struggling to find about the atua's gender. As he delved in further into the research, he realized the person who reseaerches Maori female deities, Dr Aroha Yates Smith was also his Maori teacher when he was 12 years old.
A 93-year-old woman in the care of a private adult daycare program drowned at Castle Islands Pleasure Bay in South Boston on Monday, Massachusetts State Police said Tuesday.

The woman, who state troopers have not identified, was at the beach with other members from the home with caretakers supervising them, state police said. She entered the water with two friends, all of whom were instructed to stay in shallow waters.

Early findings in the investigation suggest that at around 12 p.m., she moved into deeper water. When she realized the water was deep, she panicked and yelled for help before slipping under the surface.

The womans friends swam to her aid, pulling her to shore, state police said. Lifeguards approached them and also helped get her back to the shoreline. Once on the sand, lifeguards performed CPR.

Read more: Jeremy Cruz of Leominster charged in connection with fatal Fitchburg stabbing

Boston EMS arrived and took her to the Boston Medical Center. After she was taken there, she died.

The Chief Medical Examiners office will determine the exact cause of death, state police said.

MassLive reporter Irene Rotondo contributed to the reporting of this story.
Recovery efforts following Mauis deadly wildfires have poured into the island state from across the globe, with even Massachusetts residents and organizations leading their own personal missions for loved ones in need.

One of those affected is tattoo artist Bob Vanderberg, whose home and business Neptunes Den Tattoo in Lahaina were among the 2,200 structures lost. The business Facebook page said that it was engulfed in flames and flattened along with the rest of Front Street and much of Lahaina town.

Out of Cambridge, one of Amicable Lodge, Ancient Free & Accepted Masons members Micah Sieber of Norwood set up a GoFundMe page to help out Vanderberg. Established in 1805, the oldest Masonic Lodge in Cambridge is comprised of a vital blend of open-minded, experienced and young, enthusiastic Masons, according to its website.

This fundraiser is set up by Amicable Lodge on behalf of our brother Bob Vanderberg who has lost his home and place of employment in the devastating Maui wildfires, Sieber wrote. Donations will go directly to Bob for the immediate needs he has as the recovery from the fires continues.

The fundraiser was set up on Friday, Aug. 11, and as of this writing has received 53 donations raising $8,871  very close to the fundraisers $10,000 goal.

The top three donors submitted $1,000 to help Vanderberg, followed by three donors who gave $500 and five who turned in $200, among others.

Along with the fundraiser supporting Vanderberg, the business shared a GoFundMe organized by Neptunes Den Tattoos co-owner Heidi Tyler. Donations will be divvied up to go to Tylers husband Eric, Vanderberg, Dani Fravega and Shelby Schweitzer, she wrote on GoFundMe

Several of our artists lost their homes, pets, and all their possessions in the fires and we have all suddenly lost our jobs, Tyler wrote. And one of them has a wedding coming up. Tattoo artists are not eligible for unemployment and these people are our ohana (family).

This other fundraiser, with a $12,000 goal, has so far made $10,516 from 100 donations. Thirteen commenters shared their support and images of their ink from Neptunes Den Tattoo.

These people at this shop are amazing!! wrote Kristina Vasquez, who on Aug. 12 donated $50. Genuine, honest loving people. Had the best time and was able to have Bob do an amazing giraffe tattoo on me and Eric did a 14-hour kickass tattoo on my husbands arm as well!! Stay Strong XOXOX.

To support Vanderberg, go to Seibers GoFundMe page at the link here. To help Vanderberg and his colleagues, here is the link to Tylers GoFundMe page.
SPRINGFIELD  Two people are dead and three children under the age of 13 were taken to the hospital following a shooting on Berkshire Avenue Monday afternoon.

Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni declined to call the crime a murder-suicide but called it a homicide and said the suspect is dead.
A GoFundMe has been started to support two young children and cover the cost of a funeral for a 20-year-old Salem mother whose boyfriend has been charged in connection with her killing.

Nayeli Nieves, the mother of a 3-year-old and 18-month-old, would go above and beyond for her children, a GoFundMe campaign organized by Jonathan and Veronica Castillo reads.

Her love for them was limitless and unwavering, embodying selflessness and unconditional care, the campaign continued.

Read More: Vigil held for Nayeli Nieves of Salem as Pablo Vicente faces murder charge

Nieves death has left both children without parents or family to raise them.

I ask that you find it in your heart to help the Nieves family raise the funds they need to get through this tough time, the Castillos wrote. Any amount, small or large, can make a significant impact on our lives. Let us show them that they are not alone and that we are here to support them.

Nieves boyfriend, 33-year-old Pablo Vicente, was held without bail after pleading not guilty to killing Nieves last Tuesday, Aug. 8, according to the office of Essex District Attorney Paul F. Tucker.

He was arraigned in Salem District Court Tuesday on one count of murder in connection with his girlfriends disappearance and killing, Tuckers office said in press release.

Investigators said Vicente confessed to choking the 20-year-old in front of her young children in the couples apartment at 12 Pope St. in Salem before disposing of her body three days later, CBS Boston reported.

Authorities launched a search for Nieves and arrested Vicente Tuesday morning, Tuckers office said. Her body has yet to be found.

Community members gathered alongside Nieves family for a vigil that was held for at Riley Plaza in Salem at 7 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 14.

She was a very great person and she was a great mother, Nayeli Nieves sister, Thalia, said through tears, Boston25 reported. She didnt deserve this. She was an amazing person and she was always funny and she could always light up the room.

I wish I could see you one more time come walking through the door, but I know that is impossible, Nieves other sister Beba said on Facebook. I will hear your voice no more. I know you can feel my tears and you dont want me to cry, yet my heart is broken because I cant understand why someone so precious had to die.

The Department of Children & Families has taken custody of Nieves children and her family plans on trying to get custody of them, CBS Boston reported. People interested in donating to the GoFundMe can click here.
HOLYOKE  The row of ceremonial shovels stacked outside the Veterans Home in Holyoke signaled a standard groundbreaking. The history here is anything but.

More than three years ago, 84 lost their lives as the COVID-19 virus barreled through the nursing home for ailing veterans. Dozens more were sickened, along with many staff members. The outbreak became symbolic of the toll the pandemic took on the most vulnerable.

Gov. Maura T. Healey spoke to family members in a private gathering Monday, then addressed a crowd that drew dozens of veterans, family members who lost loved ones during the outbreak, staff from the facility and leaders in government. They came to mark the start of work that will transform the home.

Healey spoke after Rose Roy, a 100-year-old veteran and resident of the home, led the Pledge of Allegiance. The planned state-of-the-art facility will cost $483 million, paid for by state and federal funding, and will have the capacity to serve 234 residents and offer day health programs for veterans still in their homes.

Theyll be getting the respect they not only need but so richly deserve, Healey said. Thank you for your devotion to our country ... and for inspiring all of us.

The governor delivered formal remarks after introducing herself to veteran residents gathered at the event.

Veterans listen to the guest speakers at the groundbreaking for the new Veterans Home in Holyoke Monday afternoon, Aug. 14, 2023. (Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Republican)

Hi, Im Maura. Whats your name? she asked each as she shook their hands.

The new building represents major changes in medical policy and infrastructure prompted by the shocking number of deaths at the home in the spring of 2020. The crisis spurred an overhaul of governance for the states veteran services arm  including the addition of a cabinet-level secretary of the Executive Office of Veterans Services, Dr. Jon Santiago.

Healey lauded the resilience of the staff who muscled through the crisis, as residents suffered and died.

U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, told the crowd Mondays groundbreaking ushers the local veterans community out of a dark era.

You cant ignore the tragedy of what happened here. But youre here today for a renewal, Neal said. He remarked on obituaries of the veterans who lost their lives.

What [they] did at 18 or 19 or 20 years old  unbelievable, he said, referring to their military service.

The federal government is contributing at least $263 million to the construction, which is estimated to be complete in five years.

State Sen. John C. Velis, D-Westfield, speaks at the groundbreaking for Veterans Home in Holyoke Monday afternoon, Aug. 14, 2023. (Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Republican)

State Sen. John C. Velis, chairman of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs, and a combat veteran with a tour in Afghanistan, joined the speaking program and offered an impassioned look back at the onset of the crisis.

I remember feeling weak, emasculated. I didnt know how to help. I demanded to come in here. I dont know why. I just wanted to enter the fight, Velis said.

The death toll at the home triggered charges of criminal neglect against former Superintendent Bennett Walsh and medical director Dr. David Clinton, as well as a civil lawsuit filed by veterans who fell ill and survivors of those who died.

Cheryl Turgeon, with a picture of her late father Dennis Thresher. Turgeon's father, a Korean War veteran, survived the coronavirus outbreak in 2020 at what was then called the Holyoke Soldiers Home. He died in January 2021. (Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Republican)

Cheryl Turgeon, the daughter of Dennis Thresher, an Air Force veteran who lived at the home before he died in January 2021, was among family members who attended the ceremony.

While she is somewhat embittered over what she calls the pittance her family received in a civil settlement, because of the date of her fathers death, Turgeon said the groundbreaking was a bright spot.

Gov. Healey was so sincere and so authentic. She introduced herself to all of us and she asked me to tell her about my father, Turgeon said after the ceremony. The day actually felt good, to be honest with you. It felt like there was some sense of closure. It gave me some peace and calmness about what happened.
UPDATE: Motorcyclist hit by tractor-trailer in Springfield was driving erratically, police say

A motorcyclist was seriously hurt in a crash between their motorcycle and a tractor-trailer on a major highway in Western Massachusetts Monday evening, Massachusetts State Police spokesperson Dave Procopio told MassLive.

The motorcyclist sustained life-threatening injuries from the crash that happened at Exit 8 on I-91 south in Springfield around 6:45 p.m. Monday, Procopio said.

The crash shut down all southbound lanes of the highway, according to a Tweet from MassDOT. Authorities also closed Exit 1B as well as the exits to Route 5. Traffic was directed off Exit 9, MassDOT added. The roads have since been reopened.

No other information was initially released.
Hawaii officials worked painstakingly to identify the 99 people confirmed killed in wildfires that ravaged Maui and expected to release the first names Tuesday, even as teams intensified the search for more dead in neighborhoods reduced to ash.

A week after a blaze tore through historic Lahaina, many who survived have started moving into hundreds of hotel rooms set aside for displaced locals while donations of food, ice, water and other essentials have poured in.

Crews using cadaver dogs have scoured about 25% of the search area, the police chief said Monday. Gov. Josh Green asked for patience and space to search properly as authorities became overwhelmed with requests to visit the burn area.

For those people who have walked into Lahaina because they really wanted to see, know that theyre very likely walking on iwi, he said at a news conference on Maui, using the Hawaiian word for bones.

Just three bodies have been identified so far and officials will start releasing names on Tuesday, according to Maui Police Chief John Pelletier, who renewed an appeal for families with missing relatives to provide DNA samples.

Green warned that scores more bodies could be found. The wildfires, some of which have not yet been fully contained, are already the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century. Their cause was under investigation.

When asked Tuesday morning by Hawaii News Now if children are among the missing, Green said, tragically, yes ... When the bodies are smaller, we know its a child.

He added that some of the sites being searched are too much to share or see from just a human perspective.

Another complicating factor, Green said, is that stormy weather is forecast for the weekend, prompting discussions on how to handle high winds. Officials are mulling whether to preemptively power down or not for a short period of time, because right now all of the infrastructure is weaker.

The local power utility has already faced criticism for not shutting off power as strong winds buffeted a parched area under high risk for fire. Its not clear whether the utilitys equipment played any role in igniting the flames.

Hawaiian Electric Co. Inc. President and CEO Shelee Kimura said many factors go into a decision to cut power, including the impact on people who rely on specialized medical equipment and concerns that shutting off power in the fire area would have knocked out water pumps.

Green has said the flames on Maui raced as fast as a mile (1.6 kilometers) every minute in one area, fueled by dry grass and propelled by strong winds from a passing hurricane.

And he was conflicted about the anticipated storm.

I want the rain, ironically, but thats why were racing right now to do all the recovery that we can, because winds or heavy rain in that disaster setting, which its showing right now, it will make it even harder to get the final determination of who we lost, Green said.

Authorities have paused a system that had allowed Lahaina residents and others to visit devastated areas with police permits. Kevin Eliason said when he was turned away, the line of cars waiting to get a permit was at least 3 miles (5 kilometers) long.

Its a joke, Eliason said. Its just crazy. They didnt expect, probably, tens of thousands of people to show up there.

The blaze that swept into centuries-old Lahaina last week destroyed nearly every building in the town of 13,000. That fire has been 85% contained, according to the county. Another blaze known as the Upcountry fire has been 65% contained.

Even where the fire has retreated, authorities have warned that toxic byproducts may remain, including in drinking water, after the flames spewed poisonous fumes. That has left many unable to return home.

The Red Cross said 575 evacuees were spread across five shelters on Monday, including the War Memorial Gymnasium in Wailuku. Green said thousands of people will need housing for at least 36 weeks. He said Tuesday that some 450 hotel rooms and 1,000 Airbnb rentals were becoming available.

We want to get everyone out of all of the shelters by weeks end, he told Hawaii News Now.

President Joe Biden said Tuesday he and first lady Jill Biden will visit Hawaii as soon as we can to survey the damage. He said he doesnt want his presence to interrupt recovery and cleanup efforts. During a stop in Milwaukee to highlight his economic agenda, Biden pledged that every asset, every asset they need will be there for them.

More than 3,000 people have registered for federal assistance, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and that number was expected to grow.

FEMA was providing $700 to displaced residents to cover the cost of food, water, first aid and medical supplies, in addition to qualifying coverage for the loss of homes and personal property.

The Biden administration was seeking $12 billion more for the governments disaster relief fund as part of its supplemental funding request to Congress.

Green said leaders all across the board have helped by donating over a million pounds (454,000 kilograms) of food as well as ice, water, diapers and baby formula. Some active duty U.S. Marines have also joined the aid efforts.

When people are hurting, the community steps up and takes care of each other, Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke said Monday.

As firefighters battled the flames last week, a flurry of court actions were lodged over water access.

Read more: Climate change trial in Montana favors young activists in major victory

Some state officials say there is not enough for firefighters in central Maui, and blame a recent ruling by an environmental judge. The ruling by Judge Jeffrey Crabtree did not directly affect water supplies to Lahaina, the attorney generals office said Monday.
AMHERST  A number of Massachusetts groups will receive a portion of $41.3 million in grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The grants are disbursed across the country and support humanities education, preservation, research and public programs.

Organizations in three Western Massachusetts towns and cities are beneficiaries of these grants.

The trustees of Amherst College are receiving two separate grants, totaling $109,992. The smaller of the two grants will go to a preservation needs assessment and purchasing of supplies for the Amherst Center for Russian Culture. This $9,992 grant will help to rehouse and store archival materials and rare books. The project, run by center Director Erica Drennan, will help to preserve these materials for the future.

The $100,000 grant will go to the production of Iapi Oaye  Unlocking a Hidden History of Dakota Language and Culture within The Word Carrier, piloted by Kiara Vigil, associate professor of American studies. The project will go to the preparation for print and digital publication of an annotated translation into English of Iapi Oaye: The Word Carrier.

Iapi Oaye was a Dakota-language newspaper that was published monthly by Dakota missionaries, first in Greenwood, Dakota Territory, and later in Santee, Nebraska. Iapi Oaye was published from May 1871 to March 1939. The Word Carrier was an English-language companion to Iapi Oaye that was first published in 1884 and was also published by the Dakota missionaries.

The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown is receiving $100,000 for a new project called Guillaume Lethiere and his Worlds. The project, directed by Esther Bell, is the implementation of an exhibit about the life and legacy of Lethiere, who was a Guadeloupean-French neoclassical and romantic painter. Some of Lethieres most famous work include The Death of Virginia, which was completed in 1828, four years before his death.

The Worcester Historical Museum is receiving $7,900 in preservation assistance grants. Its project, called General Preservation Assessment of Three-Dimensional Collection and headed by Shelley Cathcart, will go to a preservation assessment of a collection on Worcester history. Staff workshops will be held on a range of topics, including temperature, relative humidity, light level readings and pest monitoring in collection spaces.
SPRINGFIELD  Officials today have identified Victor Nieves as the shooter in a murder-suicide that left a grandmother dead and two children with serious gunshot wounds on Monday.

Nieves, 34, was the upstairs neighbor at 174 Berkshire Ave., where a horrific scene unfolded Monday afternoon. A spokesman for Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni confirmed Nieves shot the children and their grandmother in cold blood before turning the gun on himself.
Mass. Newsmakers: Part of an ongoing series talking to those with unique insight into the issues and concerns Massachusetts communities face.

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Thousands of police disciplinary records are expected to be released to the public as soon as this week, offering a long-awaited glimpse into police misconduct cases across the state.

The records, which will be made available in a database by the states police oversight board, the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, cover more than 4,000 complaints against officers that their employers found to be substantiated.
A vigil for a 20-year-old mother from Salem whose boyfriend is facing a murder charge in connection with her disappearance was held Monday, Aug. 14 as the search for her body entered a second week.

She was a very great person and she was a great mother, Nayeli Nieves sister, Thalia, said through tears, Boston25 reported. She didnt deserve this. She was an amazing person and she was always funny and she could always light up the room.

A vigil for Nieves was held at Riley Plaza in Salem at 7 p.m. on Monday, according to a Facebook post from a domestic violence organization called Healing Abuse Working for Change (HAWC). The organization attended the vigil to send a clear message that what happened to Nieves should never happen again.

We can use this anger and frustration as a driving force to push for reforms and better policies in our community and throughout the state, HAWC said according to Boston25.

Nieves boyfriend, 33-year-old Pablo Vicente, was held without bail after pleading not guilty to killing Nieves last Tuesday, Aug. 8, according to the office of Essex District Attorney Paul F. Tucker.

He was arraigned in Salem District Court Tuesday on one count of murder in connection with his girlfriends disappearance and killing, Tuckers office said in press release.

Investigators said Vicente confessed to choking the 20-year-old in front of her young children in the couples apartment at 12 Pope St. in Salem before disposing of her body three days later, CBS Boston reported.

Authorities launched a search for Nieves and arrested Vicente Tuesday morning, Tuckers office said.

Nieves was the mother of a 3-year-old and 18-month-old, Tuckers office said in a release. The Department of Children & Families has taken custody of the two children.

Nieves family plans on trying to get custody of them, CBS Boston reported.

Salem Police Chief Lucas Miller also said investigators found what they believe to be human remains in a dumpster during a press conference Tuesday afternoon.

John Hughes, who has lived at the complex since 2008, told MassLive on Thursday, Aug. 10, that he saw police searching the dumpster after state troopers arrived at the complex around 5 a.m. Tuesday.

That night that happened, I just heard that there was some arguing going on, he told MassLive Thursday. Its been going on for two weeks. It should have been caught.

Miller said during the press conference that Vicente was arrested before and had a restraining order filed against him years ago. CBS Boston also reported that Vicente had a history of violence against Nieves, and that he was charged with domestic violence against her in 2019.

She was a great mom, she was a great daughter, Nieves mother said through a translator, 7News reported. Were all going to miss her in our hearts.
BOSTON  Last week, the Healey-Driscoll administration announced that nine farms across the commonwealth will be sharing a $710,140 agricultural preservation grant.

These farms, which are protected already by the states Agricultural Preservation Restriction, will be helped with business planning and technical assistance. Five of the nine beneficiaries are based in Western Massachusetts.

Pittsfields Forthill Farm is one of the recipients of the grant and will receive $90,000. The farm will be using the grant to increase the size of its existing farmstand building. This will increase operational efficiency for retail sales, washing and packaging produce, and storage.

Amherst Nurseries in Charlemont will receive $120,000 to build a new barn. The addition will increase its storage capacity of equipment and its bare-root nursery stock, which will expand production and help preserve soil health.

Montagues Brooks Bend Farm will use its $60,000 grant to renovate an existing barn. The new building will speed up the process of washing and packing produce, and ensure a safe space for farm owners and lessees for generations. The barn also will house a farm office, equipment storage and a space for retail sales.

Chase Hill Farm in Warwick will use its $120,000 grant to work on three buildings. The farm will finish constructing a heavy-use area and manure management structure, build an additional hay storage barn, and repair a dairy and hay barn. The dairy herd health and productivity should improve, along with the feed quality and speed of operations.

With its $60,000 grant, the Four Corners Farm in Worthington will build a new building with space for retail sales and storing produce. It will also increase the efficiency of washing and packaging produce.

Other farms in the state will be using their grants to renovate existing buildings, or erect brand new barns and other buildings.

The valuable business and technical assistance provided through (the APR Improvement Program) will help these farms stay in business for many more generations. We thank these farm families for their commitment to preserving our workable farmland in the commonwealth and keeping it sustainable for years to come, said Ashley Randle, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture Resources, in a statement.
A wrong way crash in Williamsburg has led to serious injuries and has blocked the road, according to officials.

At shortly after 2:45 p.m., the Massachusetts Department of Transportation feed for X, formerly known as Twitter, sent out a message to keep clear of the area.

Wrong way driver crash with serious injuries in #Williamsburg on RT-9 at Myrtle Avenue. The road is currently closed in both directions. Seek alternate route in the area, the post read.

Wrong way driver crash with serious injuries in #Williamsburg on RT-9 at Myrtle Avenue. The road is currently closed in both directions. Seek alternate route in the area.  Mass. Transportation (@MassDOT) August 15, 2023

Route 9 is the primary road linking Williamsburg with Northampton as well as Pittsfield to the west.
Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill are pushing the federal government to put an end to college legacy admissions in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Courts decision to end affirmative action, a tool that many schools used to maintain a racially diverse campus.

The courts decision strikes a blow against diversity in higher education while keeping intact harmful practices that advantage the wealthy and well-connected, Bay State Democratic U.S. Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren along with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., wrote in a letter to the U.S. Department of Education.

Specifically, the Democratic trio is urging the federal government to provide support to higher education institutions as they transition away from legacy admissions.

Theyre also calling for thorough investigations into any complaints related to legacy admissions. Lastly, the lawmakers are asking for the department to withhold funds from colleges that use legacy admissions and to commission a comprehensive report on the detrimental effects of the practice.

The letter comes during a momentous time in higher education.

Since the high court struck down the use of affirmative action in higher education earlier this summer, colleges across the country have been restructuring their admissions practices to align with the high-court ruling. At the same time, colleges and universities still claim their commitment to a diverse campus body.

Many of the nations most elite colleges, which have heavily relied on affirmative action to attract students of color, have decided to discontinue their practice of legacy admissions.

As of this summer, the list includes Wesleyan University in Connecticut, the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, and Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania.

The use of legacy admissions had already garnered attention from the Education Departments Office of Civil Rights.

In July, the office announced that it would be conducting an investigation into Harvard Universitys legacy admission practices.

The federal investigation was launched after a legal group filed a federal complaint accusing the school of favoring white applicants, while systematically disadvantaging applicants of color.

The very origin of legacy admissions in the 1920s was to limit the diversification of elite colleges and universities, the letter reads.

Nearly 70% of Harvards donor-related and legacy applicants are white and receive a substantial boost to their application, according to the complaint.

Donor-related applicants are almost seven times more likely to be admitted than non-donor-related applicants, while legacies are nearly six times more likely to be admitted into the school. Combined, these students represent 15% of the admitted students at Harvard University.

Legacy admissions have always been an area of concern for lawmakers on both ends of the political spectrum.

In 1990, former U.S. Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole, R-Kans., asked that the Department of Education review legacy admissions.

Now is the time to take the next logical step on the fairness front. The last thing we need in American education is a caste system, Dole told The Star Press, an Indiana newspaper, at the time. These alumni perks have absolutely nothing to do with an individuals qualifications or merit.

But, to Doles dismay, the department never took up his request, the Harvard Crimson reported.

A little over a decade later, U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., proposed a bill in 2003 that wouldve required colleges and universities to report the socioeconomic and racial demographics of all legacy admits. However, the bill failed to pass.

Now, in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling, lawmakers are renewing efforts to end legacy admissions.

Nearly 40, Democrats from both the U.S. House and Senate, have sponsored the Fair College Admissions for Students Act, a bill that would ban legacy admissions.

While, here in Massachusetts, a pair of state lawmakers have filed a bill that would tax ultra-wealthy schools that use legacy admissions.

For now, colleges across the country will have to adhere to strict federal guidelines on how they consider race in their admissions.

Although schools are not allowed to ask an applicant about their racial background, the high court did say that nothing should discourage universities from considering a students discussion of how race impacted their life in their admission essay.

But, federal guidelines from the Education Department and the U.S. Department of Justice that were released Monday say that nothing in the courts decision prohibits colleges and universities from reviewing which of their policies best reflects their institutional values.

Nothing in the decision prevents an institution from determining whether preferences for legacy students or children of donors, for example, run counter to efforts to promote equal opportunities for all students in the context of college admissions, the departments guidelines read.
Mass. Newsmakers: Part of an ongoing series talking to those with unique insight into the issues and concerns Massachusetts communities face.

_________________

Rural Massachusetts towns enjoy the charm of quaint colonial town centers, rolling hills and a sense of a tight-knit community.

The gentler pace of life and natural scenery that comes with rural living in Massachusetts also comes with its own unique sets of challenges. Town halls are open for limited hours, job opportunities may be limited and costly repairs to roads and bridges can present financial strain on a communitys budget.

To that end, Gov. Maura Healey established a new role within her administration with the specific purpose of advocating for rural communities. She chose Anne Gobi, a former legislator with more than 20 years of experience at the State House, to take on the role and create a stronger bond with historically underserved communities.

There are absolutely different needs that the rural communities have  different challenges, Gobi said in an interview at MassLives office in Worcester. She pointed out that rural communities face many of the same challenges that cities face, such as transportation and housing issues. However, they may not have the same access to state and federal programs available to larger communities.

Massachusetts Director of Rural Affairs Ann Gobi speaks to the MassLive newsroom Friday, August 11, 2023.Dave Thompson | Masslive

Coming into this role, I wanted to be a good conduit for those (rural) communities and to try to be an extra strong voice for them, Gobi said.

Rural communities in Massachusetts are defined by population (less than 7,000) or population density (less than 500 per square mile) based on the 2020 Census. Massachusetts has 181 towns considered rural.

Gobis appointment comes as Healeys administration pushes for more geographic equity across Massachusetts.

In a roundtable discussion with MassLive staff, Gobi discussed her efforts to shape her newly established position in state government. She also shared insights on how her years as a lawmaker, which included involvement in various committees and caucuses addressing rural matters, have influenced her outlook.

Gobi, of Spencer, was first elected to the State House as a state representative in 2001 before being elected as state senator in 2014 when she represented 22 communities in Worcester and Hampshire counties.

Its absolutely an exciting challenge, Gobi said about her appointment as rural affairs director. Its a little different because theres not really a set blueprint to follow.

The first order of business since Gobis official start on June 5 was to get acquainted with more than 100 communities she did not deal with directly in her lawmaker role.

Throughout her discussions across various communities, Gobi said, some issues remain pretty consistent. For example, many communities rely on municipal services working out of aging buildings that need updating.

Almost every community Ive talked with has a fire station that needs to be rebuilt or a police station or highway or even the town hall that theyre working out of because were an older state, Gobi said.

Other issues, such as aging septic systems and a towns water supply, do not always grab headlines but are just as important for residents of rural communities.

A month after Gobi took office, floods devastated farms throughout Western Massachusetts and the state, which led the United State Department of Agriculture to designate seven counties as primary natural disaster areas. This gave farms eligibility for low-interest loans and refinancing of existing loans.

About 110 farms and 2,700 acres were impacted by the severe flooding in mid-July and experts estimated the losses for farms to be around $15 million.

Gobi said legislators are working on securing $20 million for flood relief from farmers in an upcoming supplemental budget.

By the end of the year, Healey will need to put forward an economic development plan that sets out long-term goals and measurable milestones for programs and initiatives.

Nine meetings were held throughout the state to give officials in the Healey administration, lawmakers and business leaders the opportunity to connect with communities.

Gobis role will also be to ensure the needs of rural communities are part of Healeys economic development vision.

My office is basically my car, so Im hoping theyre going to see me around, Gobi said. My first step was really reaching out to various administrators in the communities to get a handle on what some of their priorities are and try to work from there.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis White House aspirations have been dealt another blow, with a new Emerson College poll showing former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie eclipsing him in the key early state of New Hampshire.

And even as his legal problems multiply, former President Donald Trump continues to hold a commanding, double-digit advantage over his Republican challengers in the Granite State, leading the GOP primary field with 49% support among primary voters, according to the poll released Tuesday.

Christie, a former federal prosecutor who has made headlines for his pointed criticisms of the former president, takes 9% support among primary voters, while DeSantis, whose campaign has struggled in recent weeks, faded to 8%, the poll showed.

DeSantis has been the alternative to Trump in Emerson polling this presidential cycle. This is the first time we have seen DeSantis drop out of second place in our polling, and fall back into the pack of candidates, Emerson pollster Spencer Kimball said in a statement.

The poll of 837 registered voters was conducted between Aug. 9 and Aug. 11, just before the top prosecutor in Fulton County, Ga., slapped Trump and 18 allies with a wide-ranging indictment charging that they conspired to overturn the 2020 presidential election results there. The poll had a margin of error of 3.4%.

The rest of the 2024 GOP primary field finished with U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C, in fourth place with 6% support. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley each charted 4% support.

Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy trailed at 3%, businessman Perry Johnson at 2%, former Vice President Mike Pence at 1%, and former U.S. Rep. Will Hurd at 1%. Thirteen percent (13%) of voters remain undecided, according to the poll.

DeSantis has been the alternative to Trump in Emerson polling this presidential cycle. This is the first time we have seen DeSantis drop out of second place in our polling, and fall back into the pack of candidates, Kimball said.

While Trump handily dispensed with his intra-party competition, the poll showed a much tighter race between him and President Joe Biden. The current president leads his predecessor 48%-41% in a hypothetical, head-to-head match-up, with 4% of voters undecided.

Bidens 7-point advantage is an increase since March, when he held a four-point lead over Trump, according to the poll. The president continues to lead the Democratic field, with 65% of New Hampshire party loyalists saying they plan to back him next year.

Twelve percent said they favored Robert Kennedy Jr., while 4% support author Marianne Williamson. Nineteen percent of New Hampshires Democratic primary voters are undecided, according to the poll.
On Monday, the top prosecutor in Fulton County, Georgia hit former President Donald Trump with his fourth criminal indictment in as many months, charging him  along with 18 allies  of trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the Peach State.

The sweeping, nearly 100-page indictment details dozens of acts by Trump or his allies to undo his defeat, including beseeching Georgias Republican secretary of state to find enough votes for him to win the battleground state; harassing a state election worker who faced false claims of fraud; and attempting to persuade Georgia lawmakers to ignore the will of voters and appoint a new slate of electoral college electors favorable to Trump, the Associated Press reported.

In the hours after news of the indictment became public, Massachusetts elected officials in Washington D.C. weighed in on social media.

Heres what some of them had to say.

U.S. Rep. James McGovern, D-2nd District: All I want to do is this: I just want to find 11,780 votes. Donald Trump

This isnt politics. He pressured Georgia election administrators to just make up votes that didnt exist so he could win  even though he lost fair and square. Nobody is above the law, McGovern said.

U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark, D-5th District: Ive said it once, Ill say it a fourth time: No one is above the law. Donald Trumps Big Lie was an attempt to erase the votes and will of the people  the core of our democracy, Clark, a senior U.S. House Democrat wrote on X, formerly Twitter. We must allow the legal process to proceed based on facts and without political interference.

I've said it once, I'll say it a fourth time: No one is above the law.



Donald Trump's Big Lie was an attempt to erase the votes and will of the people  the core of our democracy.



We must allow the legal process to proceed based on facts and without political interference.  Katherine Clark (@WhipKClark) August 15, 2023

U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-6th District: Donald Trump and his group of cronies betrayed the very foundations of our democracy. Trust in free and fair elections is what separates us from autocracies, Moulton wrote.

Donald Trump and his group of cronies betrayed the very foundations of our democracy. Trust in free and fair elections is what separates us from autocracies.



You don't just get to run an election like you're a Corleone. https://t.co/ju7eoHmHBG  Seth Moulton (@sethmoulton) August 15, 2023

U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-7th District: Harassment. Stealing voting equipment. Conspiring to undermine a fair and free election. These charges are damning. Accountability is essential to protecting our democracy, Pressley wrote.
The summer months mark when New England needs to worry about tornadoes forming and striking the ground. Aug. 15 was one of those days many, many years ago.

This day is significant because it is the earliest known outbreak of tornadoes in the regions history, according to the National Weather Service. Seventeen tornadoes were known to strike, with five of them leaving major damage across three states.

The year? 1787.

During this time, the American Revolution was a recent memory, the U.S. Constitution was not yet ratified and the first presidential election had yet to take place. But already, colonists were documenting tornadoes as they hit New England.

The first devastating tornado that day struck New Britain, Connecticut, and traveled to Coventry, killing two people, according to the weather service in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. The second landed in Killingly, Connecticut, before making its way to Mendon, forging a 20-mile path of destruction.

#OTD in Weather History: August 15, 1787.



The earliest known tornado outbreak occurred right here in New England! pic.twitter.com/c92iVIuw8O  NWS Boston (@NWSBoston) August 15, 2023

The third major tornado struck northeastward of East Windsor, Connecticut, and moved for 5 miles. The fourth tornado traveled from Northborough to Framingham, an 8-mile distance. The fifth tornado to leave significant damage hit Rochester, but its path was not recorded.

Along with the states mentioned, New Hampshire and Rhode Island also saw some damage from the other storms recorded across the region.

While there were many injuries, only two fatalities occurred as the tornadoes passed through mainly uninhabited areas, the weather service said. However, tree damage was described as very extensive.
Waking up to dreary weather on Tuesday after Mondays picturesque summer day can be a downer, but it wont be too long before dry and sunny conditions return to the Bay State.

The National Weather Service said rain started moving across the state around 12 a.m. from west to east but expect it to stick around for morning commute.

The overarching concern among forecasters are heavy rain and localized flooding Tuesday morning mostly in southeast Massachusetts and on the Cape, the National Weather Service said.

The weather service issued a flood watch between 2 a.m. and 12 p.m., according to a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. The flood watch covers Connecticut, Rhode Island and south Eastern Massachusetts, which could see pockets of significant street flooding in vulnerable urban areas. The parts of Massachusetts that could be impacted include Taunton, Brockton, Plymouth, Fall River, Mattapoisett, Nantucket and Provincetown, to name some.

Depending on what areas receive the heaviest amounts of rain, forecasters expect 1 to 2 inches of rain with localized areas getting 3-inches in under two hours Tuesday morning.

The rain will lessen in Western Massachusetts after about 10 a.m. but there is still a 30-50% chance of it sticking around throughout the afternoon and evening, mostly tapering off by 8 p.m., according to forecasters.

The same goes for the Worcester area, but forecasters predict a 30-50% chance of rain returning Wednesday morning between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. Rain in the Boston area is expected to lessen after 11 a.m. but chances of it sticking around throughout the day and into tomorrow morning are relatively high as well.

Overall, forecasters anticipate storm conditions to loosen up by around noon Tuesday across the state. Some showers are expected to linger into the afternoon along with fog and cloudy skies, the National Weather Service said.

The dry weather is expected to make a return later Wednesday morning and Thursday before another chance for showers and thunderstorms returns late Thursday night into Friday, the National Weather Service said. The weekend is also looking dry, according to forecasters.
SOUTHWICK  The Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School Committee announced last week it needs to fill a vacancy after Patrick Jubb, who represents Southwick on the committee, resigned.

Im looking for someone who can work collaboratively with the other members [of the committee] in the interests of all the children  and making them the focus of every decision, said Jennifer Willard, the district superintendent.

Jubb was appointed to the seat that represents Southwick on the committee in July 2021 to replace Maria Seddon. In May 2022, he was elected to a three-year term on the committee.
A Leominster man was held without bail after his arraignment on Tuesday in connection with the July stabbing of a Fitchburg man, Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Earlys office said.

Jeremy A. Cruz, 36, was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing bodily injury and armed assault to murder, Earlys office said in a statement. Cruz is accused of stabbing 45-year-old Jesus Maisonet Davila on July 1.

Before 2 p.m. on that day, Davila was stabbed in the area of 199 Main St. in Fitchburg, Earlys office said. He was taken to a Worcester hospital, where he stayed until his death on Aug. 6.

Cruz was found dangerous by a Fitchburg District Court judge after his hearing on July 10, Earlys office said. His arraignment on Tuesday was for the murder charge.

The investigation into the stabbing is ongoing, involving Fitchburg police detectives and Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to Earlys office.

Cruz is expected to be back in court on Sept. 14.
The Taoiseach came to Ballinrobe and Glencorrib to listen and see for himself the type of work going on in rural communities, according to local Fine Gael councillor Michael Burke.

Leo Varadkar met with community groups and organisations on his visit to south Mayo and north Galway last Thursday. During the gtour, he heard about projects taking place or in the pipeline for both Ballinrobe and Glencorrib.

Ballinrobe-based Cllr Burke said he was delighted to welcome Leo Varadkar to south Mayo and show him around the town and to meet local people and businesses.

Cllr Burke told The Mayo News that he hopes Taoiseach Varadkar will bring the feedback he received from local people back to Government buildings.

In fairness he was there as a listener rather than telling the people what they could or could not do. He was there to listen and make adjustments on things they are not getting totally right and maybe things that are not working.That is what the government is there for.

With our TDs and ministers, they should listen to the people and feed back that information into the system through the Civil Service so we get the type of projects that are supported and people want and not what people in offices in Dublin believe is right for the country. You cannot beat going into the towns and villages and finding out what the people require and how you can help them, he said.

Ballinrobe Town Hall

ONE of the projects Mr Varadkar heard about was the development of Ballinrobe Town Hall, which recently benefited from a 4.6 million funding allocation from the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund.

Cllr Burke explained that construction work is expected to start in 2024, and said the Taoiseach was enthusiastic about it.

The Taoiseach was delighted that this is a town centre project that will bring life back into the centre of the town, he said. It will be a town hall, but there will also be a cafe, restaurant, bar and nine-bedroom accommodation. It is a very attractive opportunity for the community, but it is also positive, from the Governments point of view, that the money will have a big impact in the town centre  that is the type of project the Government is looking for, he said.

Dereliction

WHILE in Ballinrobe, Mr Varadkar also visited a former derelict building that has been newly refurbished.

It is the first house refurbished on Main Street for a good number of years, and a couple have moved in to live in it. That was very positive to show the Taoiseach. There is another one on Glebe Street which was also completed which was in very poor condition to say the least.

I am told by the County Council office that there is great interest from Ballinrobe in the new grants for repairing houses, and that is all positive. In Ballinrobe I would be surprised if you do not see the dereliction rate cut by 50 percent in the next 12 to 18 months, he claimed.
THERE are 22 patients waiting on trolleys at Mayo University Hospital (MUH) in Castlebar today (Tuesday) according to the INMO's latest Trolley Watch figures.

Eight of these people are waiting in the Emergency Department while 14 more are waiting in trolley on wards.

This comes as a Mayo TD has sounded an alarm over 'worrying and dangerous' ambulance turnaround times at MUH, where patients are frequently left waiting in ambulances for over an hour.

According to figures obtained by Sinn Fein, more than half of all ambulances have a turnaround time of more than an hour at MUH.

Turnaround time refers to the time between an ambulance's arrival at a hospital and the crew handing over a patient.

The HSE's target turnaround time is less than 30 minutes, but less than 10 percent of turnarounds in MUH are meeting that target.

Mayo Sinn Fein TD Rose Conway-Walsh described the figures as 'dangerous and worrying' and has called on Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, to address the problem.

"This causes real hardship for patients and puts their health at risk. It also has a knock on impact on the ambulance services ability to respond to new emergency calls," stated Deputy Conway-Walsh

"This is being caused by overcrowded Emergency Departments and a lack of hospital beds in the system. Many beds are occupied by patients waiting to be discharged but are unable to leave MUH due to a lack home help assistance and beds in community and district hospitals in Belmullet, Ballina and Swinford.

Describing the figures as 'a wake-up call', the first-time TD called for the expansion of hospital bed capacity in Mayo and the re-opening of community beds.

"There is also a need for urgent action to reform our National Ambulance Service where morale is low and recruitment and retention of key personnel is an identified risk," she added.

"The Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, must publish and fund a multi-annual workforce plan to double the number of paramedics and to increase both training and retention in the service. The solutions are there and change can be delivered."
HEFEI, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- A topic about the scenic spot Huangshan Mountain in east China refusing to provide hot water for hungry tourists to cook instant noodles has recently gone viral on social media. Surprisingly, this action quickly gained understanding and support from the public. Some tourists complained online that they failed to get hot water for cooking instant noodles since it was banned by local authorities. Many internet users thought these regulations were unreasonable. However, their attitude took a U-turn after the management committee of the Huangshan Mountain Scenic Area provided a detailed explanation -- instant noodles are not recommended along the routes on the mountain, as the discarded food and soup could result in soil salinization, environmental pollution, and vegetation damage. Leftovers eaten by wild animals could also have negative impacts. The management committee clarified that tourists can access hot water at rest zones and hotels on the mountain. "This is considerate. We should follow the regulations while enjoying the landscape." "I support these regulations, and we should all attempt to protect the environment." Many internet users shared their understanding online. It is just one of the numerous ecological and environmental protection measures rolled out at this UNESCO World Heritage Site over the past decades. The Guest-Greeting Pine, a must-visit landmark on Huangshan Mountain, has been considered a significant cultural symbol of Chinese hospitality. Its most recognizable feature is a long branch extending like an outstretched arm in a welcoming gesture. Never being a writer, Hu Xiaochun has already written down about 1.4 million characters in 84 volumes of diaries recording the Guest-Greeting Pine over the past decade. In the 1980s, a post to oversee the Guest-Greeting Pine was created, responsible for the daily care and observation of the remarkable millenary tree. As the 19th guardian of the pine, Hu has accompanied the pine for 13 years. His routine involves patrolling around the pine every two hours during the day, and meticulously recording its condition and surroundings. Apart from Hu, the scenic spot has a group of "Spidermen" cleaning garbage from the steep cliffs by hanging themselves by a rope. Sometimes, they also help tourists retrieve mobile phones and wallets that they accidentally dropped down the cliffs. Li Peisheng is one of the members. After professional training, he has been doing this job for over two decades. China has been awarding grassroots heroes as "Good Samaritans of China" since 2008. Li and Hu made the list of awardees in 2012 and 2021, respectively, for their longtime and dedicated efforts in their work. The two workers said that they found positive changes on the mountain. "Over twenty years ago, the scenic area received an annual number of tourists of approximately 800,000, and we had to descend cliffs to collect garbage seven or eight times per day. Nowadays, the tourist influx is over 3 million. However, littering has significantly decreased since the tourists' environmental protection awareness has constantly improved," Li said. Advanced technologies now apply, and protection rules have been tailored to protect ancient trees and wildlife and monitor the climate on the mountain in recent years. Thanks to these efforts, more new wildlife species have been spotted there in recent years. From January to July this year, over 2.5 million tourists visited the Huangshan Mountain Scenic Area, an increase of 29.5 percent over the same period in 2019. More efforts have been made to balance the massive visitor flow with ecological preservation. Ge Xufang, with the Huangshan Mountain Scenic Area management committee, said Huangshan is committed to reducing the environmental burden due to tourism activities. Measures include relocating offices and living facilities, building eco-friendly accommodations, and reducing domestic sewage and garbage. To allow nature to rest and self-repair, Huangshan has adopted a rotational closure system for several famous attractions based on monitored vegetation indicators, which has promoted the recovery of the ecological environment, according to Ge.
AN Bord Pleanala has overturned a decision by Mayo County Council to reduce the number of houses in a Swinford development from three to two.

In March 2022, James Byrne was granted planning permission by Mayo County Council for the construction of two houses on a site at Park Road, Swinford, despite applying to construct three houses on the site.

In their ruling, Mayo County Council planners found that the proposal for three dwellings on the 0.201 hectare site was unacceptable in terms of the proposed high density in a low-density residential area. The council stated that the site is zoned residential low density with five units per hectare, and that the proposed three dwellings would push the site to nearly three times this land-use zoning objective.

Mr Byrne appealed the decision, along with another condition relating to development levies and cash deposit.

Strikes a balance

IN the appeal submitted to An Bord Pleanala (ABP) by Castlebar consultants The Planning Partnership on behalf of Mr Byrne, the appellant claimed that the decision was inappropriate, unnecessary and unsupported by Planning Policy and devoid of context for the particulars of this site.

The appellant claimed that his original proposal is supported by national policy and guidance, including the Rebuilding Ireland and Housing for All programmes, as well as the Sustainable Residential Development in Urban Area Guidelines, which refer to a minimum of 15-20 units per hectare at the edge of small towns and villages.

Mr Byrnes consultants argued that the proposal strikes a balance between achieving an appropriate quantity of development on the site whilst respecting the local pattern of development and having a revitalising effect on the area and ensuring appropriate privacy.

Appropriate densification

IN her planning report, ABP inspector Brid Maxwell stated that she noted that the omission of the dwelling is based on the previous development plan, which assigned a low-density zoning objective to the site. The current Mayo County Development Plan (2022-2028), she noted, assigns an existing residential zoning objective to the site, which seeks to protect the amenity and character of existing residential areas.

She stated that she believes the proposal will enhance the streetscape within this urban context and that the site has capacity for the three dwellings as proposed.

The inspector recommended that ABP remove the condition that only two dwellings be built on the site, as the proposed development would represent an appropriate densification of the site.

Deposit condition remains

MS Maxwell also recommended that the developer pay a financial contribution of 9,201 in respect of public infrastructure and facilities benefiting development in the area, while a condition requiring a cash deposit of 4,000 per dwelling should be removed.

The board of ABP adopted the inspectors recommendation to remove the condition on reducing the number of dwellings to two, but it did not remove the condition regarding the cash deposit.

In giving their reasons for ensuring the cash deposit of 4,000 per dwelling remain in place, the Board stated that it is for the provision of footpaths, roads, public lighting and other services as security to ensure the completion of these services.
A MEETING attended by approximately 70 people has heard that Mayo childcare providers are facing crisis unless urgent action is taken to address funding shortfalls in the sector.

Attendees outline several concerns, mainly pertaining to funding shortfalls under the governments Core Funding scheme.

TDs Alan Dillon (Fine Gael) and Rose Conway-Walsh (Sinn Fein) and county councillors Michael Burke, Tom Connolly (both Fine Gael) and Patsy OBrien (Independent) also attended the meeting in the McWilliam Park Hotel in Claremorris.

Speaking to The Mayo News this afternoon, Frank Keane, owner of Ballinrobe-based Bright Beginnings, said that local representatives were flabbergasted at the testimony given by some attendees.

Mr Keane has accused the government of showing no respect to early childcare providers and said many providers were running low on money heading into the start of the new term.

There was people there that were on their knees. I was talking to one girl there and theyve nothing in the account. And theyre opening up in two weeks timethats not the way to run a business, he said.

The meeting was addressed by Elaine Dunne, founder and Chairperson of the Federation of Early Childhood Providers.

Ms Dunne told The Mayo News that some parents who attended were appalled at the way childcare providers were being treated.

A record of 221 million was allocated to the Core Funding Scheme last year.

However, the government has been accused of adopting a one-size-fits-all approach to the scheme, which has led to the closure of many smaller providers who have been unable to meet running costs.

As of today (Tuesday August 15) 96 providers across the county have announced that they will not be opening for the coming year.

Deputy Alan Dillon has called for an emergency meeting of the Oireachtas Childrens Committee to address the ongoing funding shortfall.

The Fine Gael TD also urged Minister for Children Roderic OGorman to listen to the concerns of childcare providers to avert further business closures.

I think its essential that the minister starts listening and that providers are respected in how they are actually being treated by the department, and that they do get around the table to discuss and negotiate a fairer model that is both a partnership between the providers but also between the government, Deputy Dillon told The Mayo News this afternoon (Tuesday).

As a TD, but also as a parent who has a two-year-old and a two-and-a-half year-old within the ECCE, I know how important as a working parent, and my wife who owns a business, the importance of having a reliable childcare provider. And that provider has discussed the challenges with me and I am acutely aware of them.

There will be further coverage of this issue in next Tuesdays Mayo News.
by Ray Schultz , August 14, 2023

The New York Times has changed its terms of service to forbid the scraping of its content for use in AI training, reports state.

In this update of the terms, the Times prohibits use of robots, spiders, scripts, service, software or any manual or automatic device, tool, or process designed to data mine or scrape its content.

In general, the Times warns that engaging in a prohibited use of its services may result in civil, criminal, and/or administrative penalties, fines, or sanctions against the user and those assisting the user.

This move could be a response to Googles updated privacy policy, allowing it to collect public data from the web to train its AI services, including Bard and Cloud AI, The Verge speculates.

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The Times also does not allow companies to use, access, or collect the Content, data or information from the Services using automated means.

In addition, firms may not use Times content for any software program, including, but not limited to, training a machine learning or artificial intelligence (AI) system.

These rules cover all content including, but not limited to text, photographs, images, illustrations, designs, audio clips, video clips... metadata, data, or compilations, the Times says.

The Times also warns that it may, in its sole discretion, terminate or suspend your access to all or part of the Services for any reason, including, without limitation, breach or assignment of these Terms of Service."



The story first broke in AdWeek.
by Colin Kirkland , August 15, 2023

Iconic beverage company Coca-Cola is reinvesting in Web3 by taking its global Masterpiece campaign, which features branded artworks by classic and contemporary artists, to the blockchain in the form of digital collectibles, also known as NFTs.

Pieces from Coca-Colas Masterpiece collection are being released on Base, a new Layer 2 Ethereum blockchain that is owned and operated by cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase.

Coca-Cola's new digital artworks were announced as part of Coinbases ongoing OnChain Summer campaign, which showcases a series of 50 branded Web3 activations across art, gaming and music.

The Masterpiece collection combines renowned artworks like The Scream by Edvard Munch and Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer, with newer works from emerging artists like Aket and Vikram Kushwah, all of which showcase in some way Coca-Colas iconic bottle.

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By taking it on-chain, Coca-Cola is leading the way for other brands and industries to explore innovative ways of engaging with our new digital age, reads a recent statement. This collection transcends the physical limitations of a traditional art gallery, expanding its reach and impact across the globe.

This is not the soda brand's first metaverse-adjacent launch. In 2021, Coca-Cola dropped an NFT collection to celebrate International Friendship Day, followed by its Piece of Magic NFT collection the next year via crypto exchange Crypto.com.
The PACT Act gives millions of U.S. military veterans the potential to receive Department of Veterans Affairs health-care and disability compensation, based on their presumed exposure to toxins during their time in the service. The law newly deems more than 300 medical conditions connected to military service if the veteran served in a certain place at a certain time.

Unlike past legislation, the PACT Act's "presumptive" aspect "takes the onus off the veteran" to prove that a toxic exposure took place during military service and led to a given condition, Steve Miska, the PACT Act's transitional executive director, told Military.com.

"That is a game changer in terms of how veterans historically have had to file a claim," Miska said. "Not only did they have to prove that those conditions were manifesting, but they also had to prove the service connection."

According to VA officials, the average time to process a PACT Act claim was aout 148 days, and the department was in the process of hiring 15,000 new claims processors when the act reached its first birthday on Aug. 10, 2023.

Here's what potential beneficiaries can expect during the PACT Act application process:

Filing Form 21-526EZ Starts the Process, and the VA Will (Try to) Gather Evidence

The VA "has a duty to assist," explained Kaitlin Richards, assistant director in the VA's Office of Policy and Oversight. That means that once a veteran files the VA's initial Form 21-526EZ for disability compensation, VA processors will then track down the evidence of past toxic exposure.

"Usually the Social Security number is what connects us to be able to access their records," Richards said. The VA will "pull all of their personnel records to show that they served in one of those territories" covered in the PACT Act, as well as service treatment records that show medical care received while in uniform.

If the veteran received medical care outside the military or VA at a non-government hospital or clinic, VA Form 21-4142 authorizes VA workers to go to those providers and try to track down those records as well.

"It does fall back on the veteran to ultimately provide them to us if we're not able to obtain them, but we do go out on their behalf to collect those records," Richards said.

She recommended that veterans just go ahead and "complete their [Form] 21-526EZ" and let the VA do its records search. If anything's missing, the VA will go back to the veterans to ask if they have it.

You Can Provide Records Up Front, but You Don't Have To

Providing evidence isn't required when filing a claim but can be "helpful right up front," Richards said.

"If they want to send to us their medical records, if they want to send a diagnosis, if they have a copy of their DD-214, we'll take that information up front," she explained. "We send it to our scanning vendors, they scan it, we put it in our system, and we'll have it."

You'll Likely Need a VA Medical Exam

Scheduling a VA medical exam was one part of the process that tended to take the longest, VA officials told Military.com in August.

An exam may not be necessary in certain obvious cases, such as "if we see that they have active cancer, we may be able to evaluate it based off of the records that we have," Richards said. But for the most part, veterans will have to present themselves for an exam before the VA will award disability compensation.

"We need them to report to evaluate what that condition looks like" in order to evaluate it in the context of the VA's disability rating system, Richards said.

More Claims Are Being Approved Than in the Past

Veterans and survivors had filed more than 400,000 PACT Act claims as of August 2023, with an approval rate of 78.6%, Miska said.

"That is much higher, historically, than have been granted. Our historic approval rate for burn-pit exposure claims is about 25%," Miska said. "This just shows you how much more flexibility the law has given us to process claims on behalf of veterans that have been exposed to toxic substances."

If You're Still Not Ready to File, Declaring Your Intent Will Hold Your Effective Date

Because the effective date of your benefits likely will be tied to the date you apply, if for some reason you still feel like you're not ready to file, you can formally notify the VA of your intent to do so, and you'll then have a year to get the actual application together.

"It preserves their date," Richards said, "and it gives them the rest of that time to collect any of that additional evidence."

Plan for the Turnaround to Take Half a Year

After a veteran first files a PACT Act claim, the VA sends out a letter within 5-7 business days acknowledging receipt of the application.

Collecting evidence from an outside physician can take as long as 90 days, Richards said.

While the turnaround time ultimately depends on individual circumstances, the average in August was about 148 days from application to determination.

'No Matter What: File'

The VA's primary message is that veterans "don't have to read through those nuances or find those diagnoses," Richards said. "Honestly, the first thing to tell anybody ... is just to say, 'No matter what: File.' That is what we have been telling everybody. ...

"No matter what, they should file for the claim, and when VA has their paperwork in front of us, we can look at the whole record, we can look at the diagnosis, and we can make that determination and give that decision to them," she added. "Just file so that we can look at all of the specifics and help determine if they are service connected or not."

-- Amanda Miller can be reached at amanda.miller@military.com.

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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 Universitys 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. Thats 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 its 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 Departments 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 decadeslong testing and cleaning process.

More than 3,300 lawsuits have been filed over AFFF and PFAS contamination; beyond 3Ms 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 arent 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.

_____

(KFF Health News, formerly known as Kaiser Health News (KHN), is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs of KFF  the independent source for health policy research, polling and journalism.)

___

2023 Kaiser Health News. Visit khn.org. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
A Marine noncommissioned officer -- known as "Sergeant Major Kettlebell" -- was relieved from his position as the top senior enlisted adviser for one of the service's two infantry schools.

Sgt. Maj. Steven Burkett was fired for "loss of trust and confidence" last month by Col. Seth MacCutcheon, the Marine Corps School of Infantry-West commanding officer, according to a service spokesperson.

Burkett was removed on July 13, a spokesperson for Marine Corps Training and Education Command recently told Military.com. It was not immediately clear exactly why Burkett was relieved.

Read Next: Pioneering Study Links Testicular Cancer Among Military Personnel to 'Forever Chemicals'

In April, Burkett won Camp Pendleton's Male Marine Athlete of the Year competition and set a mark recognized by Guinness World Records for the most weight lifted by kettlebell swing in one hour.

He also holds the records for most weight lifted in both one minute and three minutes, according to Guinness' website. All records were recorded while he was serving in the Marine Corps.

Burkett had amassed acclaim and a following because of his record-breaking, earning him the moniker "Sergeant Major Kettlebell," which he used as the handle for his now-unavailable Instagram account.

Marine Corps Times was first to report the firing Monday. Military.com reached out to Burkett through a social media account.

"A preliminary inquiry was conducted into the matter and can be requested through the Freedom of Information Act," Maj. Joshua Pena, a spokesperson for Training and Education Command, told Marine Corps Times. The service's public records office told the publication that it would not release the inquiry, however.

Burkett appears to have been replaced by Sgt. Maj. Joseph Powers. Before taking over after Burkett's firing, Powers had been the top enlisted leader for the infantry school's headquarters and support battalion since March 2022. As of Tuesday, Powers is still listed as the headquarters and support battalion sergeant major.

The Marine Corps School of Infantry has east and west bases. The School of Infantry-West is located in Camp Pendleton, California, and trains fresh-out-of-boot-camp Marines in basic infantry skills and tactics. Riflemen, machine gunners, mortarmen and anti-tank missilemen attend the school.

Prior to his assignment at Pendleton, Burkett served as the command senior enlisted leader for Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, where he started the "Guantanamo Kettlebell Club," according to Marine Corps Times. He was previously in charge of the Marine Corps Embassy Security Group at Quantico, Virginia.

-- Drew F. Lawrence can be reached at drew.lawrence@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @df_lawrence.

Related: Fort Sill Commander Fired After Allegedly Violating Base Hunting Rules
SEOUL, South Korea  South Koreas president called for deeper security cooperation with the U.S. and Japan to address North Korean nuclear threats, saying Tuesday that his upcoming summit with the U.S. and Japanese leaders at Camp David will set a new milestone in trilateral cooperation.

It will be the first time for the leaders of the three countries to gather entirely for a trilateral summit, rather than on the sidelines of international meetings. This suggests they are serious about boosting their ties in the face of North Koreas advancing nuclear arsenal and Chinas increasingly assertive foreign policy.

In their summit Friday at the U.S. presidential retreat in Maryland, President Joe Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are expected to announce plans for expanded military cooperation on ballistic missile defenses and technology development, according to two senior Biden administration officials.

The ROK (Republic of Korea)-U.S.-Japan summit to be held at Camp David in three days will set a new milestone in trilateral cooperation contributing to peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific region, Yoon said in a televised speech in Seoul on Tuesday.

Yoons speech marked the 78th anniversary of Koreas liberation from Japans 35-year colonial rule in 1945. Past South Korean presidents commonly used Liberation Day speeches to ask Japan to make fresh apologies over its colonial wrongdoing. But Yoon, a conservative who has pushed to resolve the historical grievance as a way to boost Seoul-Washington-Tokyo cooperation, didnt do so and rather explained again why improved ties with Japan were needed.

Yoon said the seven rear bases provided to the U.S.-led U.N. Command by Japan serve as the greatest deterrent that keeps North Korea from invading South Korea. He said a North Korean invasion would trigger an immediate, automatic intervention by the U.N. Command and that the bases in Japan have the necessary land, sea and air capabilities.

As partners that cooperate on security and the economy, Korea and Japan will be able to jointly contribute to peace and prosperity across the globe while collaborating and exchanging in a future-oriented manner, Yoon said.

Yoon said the significance of Seoul-Washington-Tokyo security cooperation is growing on the Korean Peninsula and in the region.

In order to fundamentally block North Koreas nuclear and missile threats, the Republic of Korea, the United States and Japan must closely cooperate on reconnaissance assets and share North Koreas nuclear weapons and missiles data in real time, Yoon said.

When they met at the margins of a regional conference in Cambodia in November, Yoon, Biden and Kishida said they intended to share North Korea missile warning data in real time to improve each countrys ability to detect and assess the threat posed by incoming missiles. In June, their defense ministers said they recognized efforts to activate such a data-sharing mechanism before the end of the year.

Worries about North Korea's nuclear program has grown since the North openly threatened to use nuclear weapons in conflicts with its rivals and conducted about 100 missile tests since the start of last year. Many of the missiles tested were nuclear-capable weapons that place both South Korea and Japan within striking distance and could potentially reach the U.S. mainland. South Korea and Japan together host about 80,000 U.S. troops.

In response to North Korea's torrid run of missile tests, the United States and South Korea have expanded their military drills and resuming some trilateral training involving Japan. That has infuriated North Korea, which views U.S.-led military exercises on and near the Korean Peninsula as an invasion rehearsal. North Korean officials say U.S. moves to bolster military cooperation with South Korea and Japan are pushing the North to reinforce its own military capability.

During his recent tour of munitions factories, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered officials to drastically increase production of missiles and build an overwhelming military force to surely annihilate its enemies, state media reported Monday.

South Korea, the U.S. and Japan have held a trilateral leaders meeting a total of 12 times since they had their first such a summit in 1994, but all of them were held on the sidelines of international conferences, according to South Koreas presidential office.

This weeks first stand-alone trilateral summit at Camp David comes as ties between Seoul and Tokyo have eased significantly in recent months. In March, Yoon took a major step toward resolving bilateral wrangling over colonial-era Korean forced laborers, despite vehement opposition at home by some victims and his liberal rivals. Yoon has argued Seoul and Tokyo share challenges like the intensifying U.S.-China strategic rivalry and global supply chain problems as well as the North Korean nuclear program.

__

Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed to this report.
The Government Accountability Office has upheld the Defense Department's selection of TriWest Healthcare Alliance to manage the Tricare health program's western region -- a contract worth $65 billion -- rejecting Health Net Federal Services' second protest over the decision.

The GAO, the federal agency responsible for investigating contract awards and bid protests, made the decision on Aug. 4 to give TriWest the contract covering roughly half of the country, but has published few details. The agency announced on its website that it will review the decision for public release and post a redacted version once that process is complete.

Regardless, Health Net Federal Services, a subsidiary of Centene Corp., plans to mount a legal challenge over the decision in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, a company spokeswoman told Military.com in an email Monday.

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"Health Net Federal Services ... disagrees with the Government Accountability Office's decision to deny our protest of the Tricare West Region Contract for T-5, the next generation of Tricare contracts," Health Net said in a statement.

TriWest, a consortium of nonprofit Blue Cross Blue Shield plans and university hospital systems, is no stranger to the Tricare West Region -- the western half of the continental U.S., as well as Alaska and Hawaii -- having managed the contract from 1996 to 2013. It currently manages the Department of Veterans Affairs Community Care Network in the western U.S. and Hawaii.

The GAO announcement affects health care for 4.5 million Defense Department beneficiaries in 26 states. Under the new contract, 1.5 million beneficiaries in Arkansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas and Wisconsin will shift from the Tricare East Region to the West, and all 4.5 million beneficiaries in the West Region will switch from Health Net to TriWest.

In a statement Monday, David McIntyre, TriWest's co-founder, president and CEO, said he looks forward to implementing the new contract, known as the Tricare Next-Generation, or T-5, contract worth up to $65 billion "once Health Net/Centene has decided it is finished challenging the government's award decision."

"We are humbled to be recognized as a leader in managed care and proud to serve those most deserving of the best quality in health care services," McIntyre said.

It is unclear how the suit will affect the timeline of the contract, which originally was expected to begin Jan. 1, roughly one year after the awards were announced in December 2022.

A spokesman for the Defense Health Agency said Tuesday that the agency is preparing to release a statement regarding the decision.

Meanwhile, Humana Military, which currently oversees the Tricare East Region, will remain as that regional contractor, responsible for nearly 5 million beneficiaries in 24 states. That contract is worth up to nearly $71 billion over nine years.

The Tricare health program provides private health care treatment, referrals, customer service, claims processing and other support services to roughly 9.6 million beneficiaries, including active-duty personnel, some members of the reserve and National Guard, military retirees and family members.

In May, Health Net Federal Services filed a second protest against the DoD's selection of TriWest, having filed one earlier in the year that prompted the Defense Department to withdraw its December decision to reevaluate it.

After examining the contract selection records, the DoD announced April 20 that it had upheld its decision in choosing TriWest, paving the way for Health Net to file a protest with the GAO.

At the time, Health Net officials told Military.com they filed the protest because they believe they have done a good job with their past Tricare contracts and they had concerns about TriWest's business model.

-- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Military.com. Follow her on Twitter and Threads @patriciakime

Related: Plan to Slash Military Medical Billets Based on Faulty Analysis, Federal Watchdog Says
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.

In a timely return to their roots, U.S. Marines are training in the Middle East and preparing to embark on civilian merchant ships to protect them from Irans increasingly predatory behavior.

These specialized Marine units, known as Fleet Anti-terrorism Security Teams, or FASTs, have been deployed in response to over 20 incidents of Iranian Revolutionary Guard maritime forces harassing, firing on, boarding and seizing legitimate merchant traffic in the Arabian Gulf over the past two years. On July 5, Iranian forces opened fire on two tankers in international waters before U.S. forces intervened.

According to news reports, more than 100 Marines and sailors are training in Bahrain, host to the U.S. 5th Fleet, which oversees all maritime operations throughout the Middle East. While the operation doesnt have final approval, it could roll out this month.

What does this plan tell us about U.S. intentions in the region, and how will the Iranians likely respond?

First, it is important to remember that the original role of marines going back centuries was to be a powerful fighting force on sailing ships, often protecting convoys of commercial craft. For centuries, the British Royal Navy valued the marines embarked on massive sailing ships, who fought shoulder to shoulder with those sailors manning the big guns to repel boarders and rain down sniper fire from the masts.

Marines can be very lethal in these roles. For example, the most renowned admiral in history, Horatio Nelson, victor of the epic battle of Trafalgar, was himself shot down at the height of the battle by a marine sniper on a French warship. When I was a young engineer on the carrier USS Forrestal in the Mediterranean in early 1980s, we had a detachment of about 50 Marines on board  commanded by Captain John Kelly, who probably put his combat skills to use decades later as chief of staff in the White House.

Despite the historical roots of the potential Gulf mission, using an embarked Marine detachment on civilian ships is not common these days, and doing so requires refining and developing operational protocols. The units will likely be offered to the merchant ships, not required, with priority probably given to U.S.-owned and flagged civilian vessels first. Next might come foreign ships with significant numbers of U.S. crew, and to those with cargoes coming to or departing U.S. waters.

The FAST squads would be outfitted with small arms, rocket-propelled grenades, and .50 caliber machine guns. Depending on the threat level, they could also be equipped with shoulder-fired surface to air missiles (such as Stingers) and drones to provide surface surveillance.

Most importantly, they would have jam-proof communications to ensure they could contact the Fifth Fleet instantly and guide combat aircraft to attack Iranian surface vessels.

In addition to the small group training in Bahrain, a full amphibious readiness group (typically three major warships) is headed for the region, centered on the large-deck carrier USS Bataan. It will have over 3,000 Marines and sailors and dozens of helicopters (many with significant combat capability). Guided-missile destroyers already stationed in the region will provide escort.

Backing up all the seagoing firepower are new combat aircraft to supplement the current Gulf deployment. These include an additional squadron of fifth-generation fighters, the F-35 Lightning II, and a pair of squadrons of F-16s, which are older but still highly capable aircraft. Venerable A-10 Warthogs are also deployed and bring a powerful air-to-surface punch.

There are plenty of risks in taking this aggressive but necessary stance. A decade ago, when I was the military commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, we tried similar methods using both marines and civilian security forces in counterpiracy operations. Unfortunately, we had several instances of significant collateral damage to fishing vessels and small civilian craft in the area. Two Italian marines mistakenly shot at Indian fishing vessel in 2012, killing two fisherman, and were prosecuted for years until Indias supreme court dropped the charges.

The risk of quick escalation in the Gulf is ever present  just as in South China Sea, where American and Chinese ships have had regular face-offs. U.S. Marines are well-trained, but they are young warriors, not seasoned diplomats. If the mission goes ahead, they will be aggressive in defending the civilian ships entrusted to them, and Iran could easily miscalculate U.S. resolve and find itself on the receiving end of missiles and bombs.

Yet the alternative  continuing to sanction the Iranians, scold them diplomatically and hope their behavior improves  wont work. Almost 30% of the worlds oil comes through the Strait of Hormuz, and allowing Iran to control the Gulf and that vital chokepoint is unacceptable. Putting US Marines on deck of vulnerable civilian merchant ships makes sense, and shows Iran we are deadly serious about freedom of the seas.

______

James Stavridis is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. A retired U.S. Navy admiral, former supreme allied commander of NATO, and dean emeritus of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, he is vice chairman of global affairs at the Carlyle Group. He is on the boards of American Water Works, Fortinet, PreVeil, NFP, Ankura Consulting Group, Titan Holdings, Michael Baker and Neuberger Berman, and has advised Shield Capital, a firm that invests in the cybersecurity sector.

___

2023 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com/opinion. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The Marlins have agreed to a minor league contract with veteran catcher Jorge Alfaro, reports Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). The CAA client will return for a second stint with the Fish, having previously spent the 2019-21 seasons in Miami. Hell be assigned to Triple-A Jacksonville.

Alfaro, 30, originally signed with the Rangers as an amateur out of Colombia but was traded to the Phillies in the Cole Hamels blockbuster and then to the Marlins as part of Miamis return for J.T. Realmuto. Alfaro logged 876 plate appearances in his three seasons with the Marlins, batting a combined .252/.298/.386 before being traded to the Padres in exchange for cash in Dec. 2021.

The 2023 season has seen Alfaro pinball around the league. Alfaro signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox in January but opted out of that deal in June after a big start to his season in Triple-A. He landed with the Rockies on a new minor league deal but was quickly selected to the Majors, where he hit .161/.188/.387 in a tiny sample of 32 plate appearances. Cut loose by Colorado, Alfaro returned to the Red Sox  this time on a big league deal. He went 2-for-17 and lasted just eight games in Boston before being designated for assignment and again electing free agency.

Now back with the Marlins, Alfaro will serve as some experienced catching depth in the upper minors. Hes never really delivered on his longstanding status as a top prospect, batting .252/.303/.393 in 1710 plate appearances at the big league level between five teams. However, Alfaro has a solid track record in Triple-A and is enjoying a big year there in 2023, posting a combined .323/.366/.524 line between the top affiliates for the Rox and Sox.

Catching help has been a perennial need for the Marlins since they traded Realmuto, as neither Alfaro nor his successor (fellow trade acquisition Jacob Stallings) has taken the job and run with it. Stallings is sporting a dismal .188/.290/.250 batting line on the current season, and fellow backstop Nick Fortes has only been marginally better at .221/.270/.312. Both have delivered sound defensive grades  Fortes, in particular, has been strong  but the lack of offense is glaring. Stallings and Fortes have combined for a .207/.280/.288 output at the plate, and the resulting 60 wRC+ (suggesting theyve been 40% below league-average at the plate) ranks 29th in the Majors, leading only the Guardians.
DELHI TOWNSHIP, MI  A kayaker who went missing from his group and then was found dead in the Grand River over the weekend has been identified, police said.

Jeffrey Lynn-Ellis Spade, 30, of Lansing, was found dead just south of Burchfield Park in Delhi Township late Saturday, Aug. 12, the Ingham County Sheriffs Office said in a news release. Sheriffs deputies were called around 11 p.m. by a group of kayakers who said Spade went missing from their group. Police have said the situation is suspicious.

RELATED: Dive team finds body in river after kayakers report person missing

There were no obvious signs of trauma on Spades body; an autopsy is pending, police said. The incident is under investigation.

Anyone with information related to this case is asked to contact the sheriffs office at 517-676-8202.

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FLINT, MI -- A massive redevelopment plan for the old Buick City site has been given its biggest boost to date -- a promise of $72 million in future captured taxes that can be used to prepare building sites in the Flint Commerce Center.

The City Council approved a brownfield tax plan in a 5-0 vote during its meeting on Monday, Aug. 14, but three members of the council abstained from voting, questioning the terms of the deal and donations made by developer Ashley Capital to causes suggested by two council members with ties to the organizations that received the gifts.

Ashley broke ground in June on the first building in the Commerce Center on 20 acres of Buick City that it purchased -- a property that isnt included in the brownfield plan. It is under contract to purchase an additional 273 acres to expand the development with an additional seven buildings and 3.5-million square feet of space for light industrial manufacturing or distribution.

Company officials have said the project would not go forward without the brownfield tax plan approved by the council and without the approval by the state of a materials management plan for the site, spelling out how it can prepare sites that were contaminated by PFAS and other pollution in the decades Buick City built cars for General Motors.

Part of Ashleys plan calls for pulverizing concrete slabs and building foundations and removing underground utilities that were left behind when GM abandoned the property during its 2009 bankruptcy.

A trust established to remediate pollution and prepare Buick City and other former GM properties for redevelopment will continue to own two sections of the Flint site -- in the area of Hamilton Avenue and around a lagoon dug decades ago by GM off James P. Cole Boulevard, which contain the most difficult cleanup challenges.

State law allows for a brownfield designation on land and buildings if they are environmentally contaminated, blighted, or functionally obsolete. As an incentive for redevelopment, the Brownfield Redevelopment Financing Act of 1996 allows for tax increment financing, a method of capturing future taxes to reimburse developers for extra costs incurred due to environmental issues.

In Flint, Ashley proposed a plan that would reimburse it for roughly $72 million in future taxes during its second phase of construction. The plan calls for capturing 80% of incremental taxes instead of 100%, which is allowed by statute.

Although Mondays approval of the plan came without a vote against the resolution, questions continued to be raised about whether two council members should have recused themselves from voting on it.

3rd Ward Councilman Quincy Murphy, who cuts grass at Dewey Park and on vacant and abandoned properties in the area, was given a lawnmower by Genesee County Habitat for Humanity after Ashley donated $11,000 for the purchase to Habitat.

Habitats executive director told MLive-The Flint Journal that the mower was given to Murphy as a part of our neighborhood revitalization work and said Murphy now owns the equipment.

The councilman said on Tuesday, Aug. 15, that the mower is in his possession and that he plans to use it to maintain lots that havent been maintained by the city or the Genesee County Land Bank.

But Murphy said he never agreed to support the brownfield tax break or other resolutions related to the Buick City redevelopment in exchange for the equipment.

Im excited to see some development ... whether they gave or didnt give, Murphy said.

Citing a legal opinion from the Flint City Attorneys Office, Murphy voted for brownfield plan on Monday as did 2nd Ward Councilwoman Ladel Lewis, whose Sarvis Park Neighborhood Association received $1,500 from Ashley for a Halloween program in her ward.

Lewis incorporated the Sarvis Park Neighborhood Association two years ago, according to records filed with the state of Michigan, and she serves as its resident agent and as president of the nonprofits board of directors.

The Journal could not reach Lewis for additional comment on Tuesday but she has said the donation was proper because it was handled through her nonprofit group.

8th Ward Councilman Dennis Pfeiffer abstained from voting on the Ashley brownfield plan Monday because of the donations. He was joined in abstaining from the vote by council members Jerri Winfrey-Carter (Ward 5) and Tonya Burns (Ward 6).

Burns said a community benefits agreement should have been negotiated by the city and Ashley and said council members with ties to the companys donations should have recused themselves from voting and disclosed the gifts.

Flints city charter says public servants must not accept gifts, gratuities, honoraria, or other things of value from any person or company doing business or seeking to do business with the city.

I do support this project .... (but) its my opinion that certain members should abstain from this vote ..., Pfeiffer said Monday. If we go down that road ... Were going down a slippery and muddy road. I will not be a part of this.

In addition to the gifts with ties to council members, Ashley officials have said they have made donations of more than $20,000 in total to the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Flint, Crossover Outreach, and individual Flint families.

The company has said the donations are a part of its charitable giving and is similar to donations it has given in other communities where it does business.

In addition to donations to the groups, Ashley has made contributions of $1,050 to 1st Ward Councilman Eric Mays campaign committee, $3,000 to the campaign committee of Mayor Sheldon Neeley, and $2,500 to Moving Flint Forward, an independent political committee that donated to Neeleys campaign committee earlier this year.

Mays attended Mondays meeting but was not allowed to take his council seat or vote because of a 30-day suspension meted out by his colleagues for conduct unbecoming a council member.

Neeley has advocated for the Ashley project and the city said in a statement issued last week that Ashley has shown itself to be a good corporate neighbor, contributing to enhance the quality of life for Flint residents.

Want more Flint-area news? Bookmark the local Flint news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Flint daily newsletter.

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FLINT, MI  The story of a Flint man imprisoned for more than two decades on drug charges before eventually being granted clemency has been nominated for an Emmy award.

But if you ask Michael Thompson, who was sentenced in 1996 to 42 to 60 years in prison for selling three pounds of cannabis to a close friend turned police informant, the goal of the documentary isnt about awards.

Its about inspiring change in the criminal justice and prison systems in America.

I want some action, said Thompson, 72, in an interview with MLive/The Flint Journal. My thing is, I dont understand why, in America, theyre locking so many people up for so long.

The Sentence of Michael Thompson is a 24-minute film that explores the fallout of the war on drugs. It was previously nominated for an Oscar and is now an Emmy award nominee for Outstanding Short Documentary.

Related: Flint man featured in Oscar-eligible documentary after serving 25 years on drug charge

The documentary follows Thompsons daughter and his lawyer during their fight to have Thompson released from prison.

It explores their appeal to the Michigan Parole Board and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Thompson remained in prison for decades, even after Michigan legalized recreational cannabis. He served the longest prison sentence for a non-violent offender in Michigans history.

Then, in January 2021, Thompson was released from the Charles Egeler Reception And Guidance Center in Jackson. Whitmer granted him clemency, and he has spent most of his time in the free world fighting for those he believes are still incarcerated due to trap sentences like what he faced.

My question is: how many more Michael Thompsons are in there that didnt have the support that I had? he said.

Thompson launched the Michael Thompson Clemency Project upon his release and travels the country sharing his story through the documentary and through his own words.

I traveled all over the country speaking and I touched a lot of people, I know I did, he said.

Want more Flint-area news? Bookmark the local Flint news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Flint daily newsletter.

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WASHINGTON, D.C.  A Michigan man pleaded guilty Tuesday to assaulting police during protests at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Matthew Thomas Krol, of Linden, pleaded guilty Aug. 15 in federal court to one felony count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Grand Rapids police have made an arrest in the April 27 shooting death of a 43-year-old man on Worden Street SE.

Police said they conducted a search warrant in the 2700 block of East Beltline Ave. SE and made an arrest of a 34-year-old man.

He is to be charged with open murder, felony firearm and other weapons charges.

MLive is not naming the man pending arraignment.

Police said the homicide suspect also was wanted on an outstanding warrant on a probation violation.

Edward Antoine Kennedy, 43, was found shot to death about 9:30 p.m. April 27 at a home in the 400 block of Worden Street SE.

I hope this arrest can bring some closure to Edward Kennedys loved ones, Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom said in a prepared statement. When a life is taken, our detectives are committed to bringing accountability and justice for the victim, the family, and the community.

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SAWYER, MI -- A citizen with a drone helped rescue workers spot a man below the surface of Lake Michigan at Warren Dunes State Park Sunday afternoon, Aug. 13.

Rescue crews were called at 4:11 p.m. Sunday, the Baroda-Lake Township Police Department said.
MUSKEGON, MI  A cleanup of Heritage Landing on Muskegon Lake on Wednesday will include a demonstration of a remote-controlled litter collection device.

The Land and Water Stewardship Day on Aug. 16 will provide the public an opportunity to help clean up the festival site, eradicate invasive species, maintain native plants and learn about the Pixie Drone.

The drone is a floating device that collects litter that is later analyzed by the Annis Water Resources Institute operated by Grand Valley State University next to Heritage Landing. Analysis helps determine the sources of litter and their pathways.

The water drone is being deployed at several areas in Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin alongside the BeBot beach cleaning robot. Meijer donated $1 million for both devices.

Related: Watch drones pick up litter on Michigan beaches and waterways

The Stewardship Day begins at 9 a.m. and will include guest speakers from the Water Resources Institute, Chamber of Commerce and Friends of Heritage Landing group.

The event is part of ongoing cleanup and habitat restoration events focused on the Muskegon Lake Watershed. Hands-on instruction will be provided on identifying, tagging and removing invasive plant species.

Participants are advised to bring work gloves and to wear sturdy shoes.

Another cleanup/restoration event will begin at 10 a.m. Sept. 13 at Richards Park, 44 W. Ottawa St.

The events are hosted by the Muskegon Lake Watershed Partnership and Friends of Heritage Landing.

Want more Muskegon area news? Bookmark the local Muskegon news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Muskegon daily newsletter.

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SAGINAW, MI  A Michigan familys celebration in Hawaii of a 47-year wedding anniversary last week ended with a desperate escape through a roadway known colloquially as the Highway of Death.

Ann Haddad, 42, traveled with 14 family members to Lahaina, Hawaii, two days before the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century began to decimate the town.
In the niche but profitable world of selling and maintaining airplanes, one lawmaker says Michigan is at a disadvantage and its costing the state business.

Not every state charges sales and use tax when someone purchases a plane or obtains replacement parts, but Michigan does. And that 6% tax is scaring off plane buyers and owners in need of maintenance, says Rep. Jim Haadsma, D-Battle Creek.

Legislation he introduced last month, House Bills 4898 and 4899, provides an even playing field in comparison to other states, Haadsma told MLive.

One bill would abolish sales tax on replacement parts during servicing of domestic aircraft of at least 6,000 pounds. Think business jets, charter planes and heavier aircraft. Service costs can run well into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, which means tens of thousands more in taxes.

The other bill would get rid of sales tax on plane sales in Michigan. Private sellers, for example, will sometimes fly their planes to another state to complete the sale there and avoid Michigans sales tax.

Duncan Aviation, a company in Battle Creek that claims to be the worlds largest servicer of privately-owned business jets, came to Haadsma with the problem. The company employs more than 700 skilled workers, he said.

Duncan Aviation hangar at Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Thursday, July 27, 2022. (Joel Bissell | MLive.com)Joel Bissell | MLive.com

The legislation takes away a disadvantage that Duncan Aviation and alike facilities doing repair and maintenance on airplanes have in comparison to other states, Haadsma said.

Nixing the tax on replacement parts and incentivizing more plane sales to be completed in Michigan would theoretically spur more business for service companies (and thus more tax revenue from their profits) and create more need for post-sale plane inspectors.

No state that borders Michigan, along with New York, Pennsylvania and Minnesota, taxes these things, explained Greg Schmidt, president and CEO of Pentastar. The Waterford-based company of more than 200 employees manages, maintains and charters business and private aircraft.

We would retain hundreds of thousands of dollars of revenue on an annual basis if we could just correct this inequity that the other states enjoy, Schmidt told MLive.

A similar pair of bills overwhelmingly passed both chambers of the Republican-controlled legislature in 2018, but GOP Gov. Rick Snyder vetoed them because he was worried about lost tax revenue.

Haadsma told MLive he doesnt know if it will be a dollar-for-dollar tradeoff between lost tax revenue and gained economic development. The bills that were vetoed in 2018 estimated a loss of $4 million by getting rid of the taxes.

What it doesnt say, Schmidt said of any estimation of lost tax dollars from Haadsmas bills, is that already a lot of this work has left the state and doesnt come to the state.

Passing the bills, he added, supports highly skilled, good-paying, technical jobs.

Unlike the 2018 versions of these bills, Haadsmas would take the lost tax revenue out of the Michigans general fund instead of the School Aid Fund.

Haadsmas bills are assigned to the Houses Tax Policy committee, and he said he doesnt have a timeline for passage yet or a gauge on support from leaders in the Democratic majority. His bills currently have eight cosponsors, all Democrats.

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Lies about Michigans 2020 election told by former President Donald Trump and his attorney Rudy Giuliani are cited among the charges Trump and 18 associates are facing after being indicted by a grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia Monday.

This is the fourth indictment Trump is facing amid his third campaign for the presidency, and the second indictment directly related to his attempts to remain in office after losing the 2020 election.

From the infamous phone call where Trump asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find 11,780 votes, Trump was charged with making 13 false statements to Raffensperger and two other state officials.

In Michigan, he claimed on the call, a tremendous number of dead people voted on November, 3, 2020 first asserting it was 18,000 before revising to some unbelievably high number.

A 2022 report from Michigans auditor general found 1,616 people who voted were dead on Election Day, mostly absentee voters who died after mailing in their ballots but before the election occurred. They represented 0.03% of the total vote, while the-candidate Joe Biden won the state by more than 154,000 votes. It was similar to the number of those votes found after the 2016 election, when Trump won Michigan.

Trumps campaign issued a statement asserting the charges were nothing more than election interference.

They are taking away President Trumps First Amendment right to free speech, and the right to challenge a rigged and stolen election that the Democrats do all the time, a statement posted to Trumps site Truth Social read. The ones who should be prosecuted are the ones who created the corruption.

His attorneys Drew Findling, Jennifer Little and Marissa Goldberg called the indictment shocking and absurd in a separate statement.

We look forward to a detailed review of this indictment which is undoubtedly just as flawed and unconstitutional as this entire process has been, they said in the statement.

The marquee charge Trump and 18 associate face falls under Georgias Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, known as a RICO statute.

The law is usually applied to organized crime in order to charge groups of individuals who work together toward criminal goals  in this case, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis contended in the 98-page indictment, to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in Georgia. The states RICO law, PBS Newshour notes, requires prosecutors to prove there was a pattern of racketeering activity by the individuals charged.

Two major events in Michigan after the 2020 election are among the 161 actions prosecutors presented as evidence of the conspiracy. The first was a Nov. 10 meeting with then-House Speaker Lee Chatfield and then-Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey in the White Houses Oval Office, where Trump reportedly asked them have some backbone and do the right thing by appointing electors who would support him.

The leaders, both Republicans, rebuffed Trumps requests and later publicly pledged to follow the law. Shirkey later told congressional investigators he endured a pressure campaign to subvert the election results.

Prosecutors also cited an infamous Dec. 2, 2020 Michigan House Oversight Committee hearing where Giuliani and another indicted Trump attorney, Jenna Ellis, brought forward a parade of witnesses to try to convince legislator the elections result was fraudulent and to appoint pro-Trump electors.

Giulianis untrue statement to a state senate panel in Georgia the next day, that a Dominion voting machine in Michigans Antrim County had switched votes from Trump to Biden on election night, was one of two statements prosecutors referenced in charging Giuliani, like Trump, with the crime of false statements and writings.

Trump allies are also facing charges in Michigan stemming from their assistance with Trumps efforts. Sixteen Republicans have been charged for signing documents claiming to be Michigans legitimate electoral college representatives in December 2020, even as the true electors were being appointed in the state Capitol. They have all pleaded not guilty to eight forgery-related charges.

Another three Republicans, including former attorney general candidate Matt DePerno and former state Rep. Daire Rendon, are also facing charges for allegedly illegally taking voting machines from rural townships and tampering with them in a fruitless attempt to uncover fraud.

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CAMP GRAYLING  As Gov. Gretchen Whitmer spoke with reporters on the deck of Observation Post Five, F-16 Falcon fighter jets circled overhead, the muffled sounds of their engines echoing through the clouds.

Whitmer was on hand to witness the Northern Strike military readiness exercise Monday for the first time as governor, as soldiers from national guards throughout the U.S., along with military allies from allied nations, convened at Camp Grayling for the twice yearly training.

This is an opportunity for us to really showcase the unique thing that is Camp Grayling, and you look at all of our installations across Michigan, and the airspace that we boast and the kind of tech savvy  this is really a powerful story, Whitmer said. Michigan is different than any other state, we know that, but weve got to get better at telling our story.

Interviews concluded, the fighters, simulating airstrikes, descended and began swooping low over targets in the idyllic valley below. They made a few passes close to the observation post, perhaps for the benefit of the crowd, eliciting oohs and ahhs.

Synergy was top of mind for Whitmer. For her it was an opportunity to simultaneously tout international ties, entice the private defense industry and express gratitude to the troops.

The National Guard has been at the heart of the work that weve done, whether its vaccinating people, whether it was evacuating people in a flooding situation, the guard has been absolutely the tip of the spear for us, Whitmer said. We got to continue to invest and prioritize the work theyre doing and work closely with the community to make sure that residents feel the benefit of what this what this really has to offer.

In April Whitmers Department of Natural Resources blocked a longstanding proposal to open up an additional 162,000 acres of state land to training for Camp Grayling. It would have doubled the area available for exercises like this.

It had been hotly opposed by area residents, who formed some organized resistance to the idea of the military  and the private defense contractors looking to test their innovations  encroaching on their peace and quiet. Local government and even other administration officials remain resistant to the smaller, restricted expansion that was finalized.

More: Michigan DNR denies expansive Camp Grayling lease proposal

Leonids Kalnins, the Commander of the Joint Headquarters of Latvia  the highest ranking officer in that countrys military  was also on hand to observe the exercises.

This year marks the 30th year of the states military partnership with the country in north eastern Europe, and Kalnins received warm greetings from his counterparts in Michigan. They unveiled a memorial to two fallen Latvian soldiers killed in Afghanistan at Camp Grayling this past weekend and also named a thoroughfare on the base after Latvia.

This is really not just a partnership, its a friendship, and its formed in his blood, Maj. Gen. Paul D. Rogers, the head of Michigan National Guard, said in an interview.

The relationship with Michigan, Kalnins said, is not just shak(ing) hands, but the opportunity to train and share how we are understanding this main threat from the East in Latvia as well, referring to Russia.

He also noted, it was an opportunity for Americans in the private sector to showcase defense technologies to Latvian officials they might not otherwise see,

Whitmer said she absolutely wanted the opportunity to reap economic benefits for the state. A press release after Whitmers visit touted the defense industrys economic impact through Michigan, from around Grayling to the Detroit Arsenal in Warren.

This is where we see private sector and public sector working together to strengthen our homeland, strengthen our economy, and to keep people safe, Whitmer said.

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When you enter underground Heritage Hall at the Michigan Capitol, it feels like youve taken a step back into pivotal moments of state history.

The 40,000 square-foot facility, opened last year, hosts a vast collection of exact replicas or original historical state artifacts  some rescued from the trash or unearthed on the grounds  tied together by large graphics and descriptions.

Whether its architectural salvage thats come off the dome over the years, whether its old iterations of carpeting and chairs that weve used in the legislative chambers, or ... its pieces of furniture that are from an old space like the state library that doesnt exist in the building anymore, said Valerie Marvin, Capitol historian and curator. We had all these wonderful historic treasures... But we didnt have a space to show them off and to share them with our visitors.

As the modern needs of state government began to outgrow the Capitols current location, opened in 1879, the brick-lined vaults once used to store important objects within the building filled up, too.

So when Heritage Hall was being designed, Capitol staff saw an opportunity to bring things out of the ever-multiplying storage spaces and onto display for the public to enjoy.

Marvin, along with Capitol Education Director Matthew VanAcker and Registrar Brian Page, were tasked with bringing the exhibit to life.

Among the displays is an authentic vault door used in an office suite when the building first opened. After some repair to remove cardboard and duct tape residue, the antique is now part of the exhibit showcasing what a Capitol office would have looked like in the 1870s.

This door has probably not been seen in, I would guess, at least 60 to 70 years before this project. Now, its all part of helping people understand, Marvin said on a recent tour.

Related: Crews work to restore heart of Michigan Capitol

And, in some ways, anything becomes historical after a while  even trash, Marvin said.

As we do projects and were in parts of the building and we find old things, we save them, Marvin said. Theres a tomato juice can, weve got some beer bottle caps. But they all become part of the story of the building and of the site over time. So, if its old enough, yes, even a Hershey bar wrapper goes in the collection.

VanAcker recalled a time when he personally dug pieces of sandstone from the ground floor entrance out of a dumpster for the exhibit.

It took three of us to haul it out, VanAcker said.

Occasionally, theyll find more official items, including an 1899 House calendar and an old Supreme Court record. They even came across the spine of a cow when digging in the Capitol lawn.

Marvin joked part of her job has become hearing peoples confessions as they disclose the Capitol relics in their possession.

Sometimes theyll default how they got it, sometimes they wont. And we dont ask questions, Marvin said. If you were smart enough to save something that we were dumb enough to throw out 50 years ago, good for you.

One example? Marble floor tile, donated by descendants of James Appleyard, the superintendent of Capitol construction. According to Marvin, Appleyard first moved his family to Lansing in the 1870s and they remained there for the next three generations. Its unclear how the tiles ended up in Appleyards possession  they may have been extras or rejected due to defects.

One generation used them as cutting boards. Striation lines show where someone cut fruit, vegetables and cheese. It had another life. So now we get to tell that piece of the story in addition to the fact that this was part of... the set of original construction materials that came in in the 1870s.

For Marvin, one of the highlights is telling stories of the individuals who have worked in and out of the Capitol.

Most people have an image of Capitol employees historically being white, male lawyers, but this is inaccurate, Marvin said. Harriet Tenney, for example, became the state librarian in 1869, making her the first woman officer for Michigan. Wilmot Johnson, one of the first African Americans to work in the building, was a clerk for the auditor general around the late 19th century, and Marvin suspects he was born enslaved in Virginia.

VanAcker, who has worked in the Capitol for 30 years, said its a dream come true to see the culmination of years of work by himself and staff come together.

One of the greatest compliments is when you hear somebody say, Oh, I didnt know that, because theyve learned something new, VanAcker said.

VanAcker is leading a Save the Flags project. For the first time ever, a special onsite conservation lab in Heritage Hall is streamlining the process to restore the states 240 battle flags.

About 30 years ago, the original Civil War, Spanish American War, and World War I battle flags carried by Michigan soldiers in combat were removed from the Capitol rotunda for conservation. They were replaced with copies, which remain, while the original flags were moved into archival storage space in the state museum.

Related: Why one Michigan governors official portrait appears forever unfinished

VanAcker said conservation was previously costly and time-consuming. He would make the hours-long drive to a conservator in West Virginia who specializes in flag restoration. Up until recently, he was also responsible for fundraising to restore the flags, as the preservation efforts were not funded by the state.

These days, Heritage Hall visitors will sometimes see two specially trained staff members working on the delicate material in the lab through a viewing window along the exhibit ramp.

Theyre now fixing a flag carried by the first Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment in the Civil War. It was damaged by a New York woman responsible for repairing flags in the 1960s as a commemoration of the wars 100th anniversary. Her sewing machine put thousands of holes in the flag, and conservators must remove netting in danger of becoming embedded into the original flag.

Its very labor intensive, VanAcker said. This is the second flag weve worked on since we opened the hall. The first flag we estimate we spent 165 hours, and they removed over 100,000 stitches. Each one snipped individual.

Since Heritage Hall opened last year, VanAcker said the number of tourists has slowly begun to rise back to its pre-pandemic norm of 100,000 people a year.

Marvin said its always fun to see Lansing residents, specifically, visit the building and reminisce about things they may have witnessed on display.

With an abundance of items still in storage, the plan is to continue to rotate exhibit pieces to give people a reason to not only visit once, but to come back and visit over and over again, Marvin said.

Read more from MLive:

Democrats historic majority threatened by two mayoral races this fall

Michigan education board questions legality of Whitmers new department

Michigan unemployment agency on mission to fix 99 problems

See false information online? Teaching the truth is best remedy
The Detroit Tigers have promoted catching prospect Dillon Dingler to Triple-A Toledo.

Dingler, who turns 25 in September, was the Tigers second-round draft pick out of Ohio State in 2020.

In other moves, the Mud Hens activated right-handed pitcher Garrett Hill from the injured list; sent left-handed pitcher Bryan Sammons to Double-A Erie; and released infielder Joe Rizzo.

Dingler had spent parts of the last three seasons with the Seawolves in Erie. In 51 games this season, he hit .253 with nine homers and an .833 OPS in 219 plate appearances.

Hell be one of three catchers in Toledo, along with Donny Sands and Michael Papierski.

Sands is on the 40-man roster. Dingler will have to be added to the 40-man roster this winter to protect him from being selected in the Rule 5 Draft.

Dingler underwent knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus this spring but is now fully healthy.

Hill had been on the minor-league injured list since July 12 and recently completed a rehab assistant with Class A Lakeland.

Hill, 27, has had three stints at the big-league level this season, posting a 9.88 ERA in 13 2/3 with 14 strikeouts and 13 walks.

Hill was a 26th-round pick in 2018 who made his big-league debut last year. He went 3-3 with a 4.03 ERA in 60 1/3 innings split between the rotation and the bullpen in his rookie season.

He made the Opening Day roster out of spring training this year but was optioned to Toledo on April 15. He then rejoined the club on June 3 and then again on June 28. With the Mud Hens, Hill is 2-1 with a 4.96 ERA in 32 2/3 innings. He has 44 strikeouts and 23 walks.

Rizzo, 25, was acquired from the Miami Marlins in June for cash considerations.

Rizzo was a second-round draft pick of the Seattle Mariners in 2016. He became a minor-league free agent after last season and signed a minor-league deal with the Marlins.

Rizzo hit .299 with six homers and an .876 OPS in 151 plate appearances with the Mud Hens.
Nikeshia Fomby

Photo supplied.

Photo supplied.

Regina Ann Campbell. Photo by Nick Hagen.

David Ponraj
An Islamic wedding ceremony in the Kalpohin Township of Tamale Metropolis, has brought the twon to a standstill.

The lavish wedding, which took place on Sunday, August 13, saw a popular forex trader, Tahidu Sadiq, tie the knot with his longtime girlfriend, Tahidu Rahama. Both are believed to be in their mid or late 20s.

The event was attended by a large crowd of friends, family, and well-wishers of the bride and the groom who is said to be a very popuar forex trader in the Northern Region.

However, what caught most people's attention, was the large convoy in which the bride and his groom rode to and from the venue. The wedding convoy consisted of almost 100 plush cars, including Range Rovers, and Honda CRVs. The long convoy drew crowds as people stood by the roads to have a glimpse at the wedding procession.

In videos circulating on social media, one could see the number of cars on display, and how the amazed viewers cheered them on as they passed by.

According to sources, a day after the wedding also saw a massive display of class, and cars as the newly wedded couple went for thanksgiving. The convoy, on its way to the family house, further pulled another crowed of stunned onlookers.

Plush weddings in Ghana are often characterized by the display of elegance, class, and also wealth. This has been on the rise in recent times.

In March last year, popular Ghanaian businessman and politician, Kojo Jones, tied the knot in similar fashion. Hundreads of plush exotic cars formed the convoy that Mr. Jones and his wife rode in to the engagement and wedding venues.

Same can also be said of the popular wedding involving one of the sons of millionaire, Kwame Despite.

The wedding was dubbed #Kency2020, and was talk of town for several weeks.
Researchers, coordinators and supporters of Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, a presidential hopeful of the New Patriotic Party in the Upper East Region have promised to garner massive votes to win the partys presidential primaries.

They made the promise in the Binduri District during a strategic meeting to discuss ways and means of winning the upcoming presidential elections.

Speaking at the meeting, the regional research coordinator, Seidu Atiraag Kawawa disclosed that the aim was to generate more votes for Kennedy Agyapong to win both the internal election and the 2024 general elections.

He explained that the coordinators in the Kusaug traditional area comprising six administrative districts campaign coordinators are expected to canvass for more support for Kennedy Agyapong.

Seidu Atiraag Kawawa said Kennedy's vision is to break the gap between the North and the South through industrialisation.

According to the team, it is only Kennedy Agyapong who can bring hope to the ordinary Ghanaians in the North.

The coordinators who were drawn from Bolga, Zebilla, Garu, Tempane, Pusiga, Binduri and Bawku municipal stated that Kennedy is the best to lead the party.

Ken Coordinator for Garu constituency, Julius Kariyama said there are too much corruption, injustice and mismanagement in the country and it is only Kennedy Agyapong with the audacity to deal with corrupt officials.

The Upper East Regional Coordinator for Kennedy Agyapong, Denis Amoah said Kennedy Agyapong was the only person in the party who bought over 250 pickups for the NPP when the party was broke in opposition and has nothing to use for the campaign.

Denis Amoah added that it is Kennedy Agyapong who has the heart of the grassroots, and when elected, there will be employment and changes in the lives of the youth.

Eliasu Khalifa, a businessman from Bawku but based in the Ashanti region, donated 80 pieces of customised branded T-shirts and 3 signboards to support the group.
The Vice President of Ghana, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia's campaign has significantly boosted the patronage of the NPP souvenirs during his nationwide tour.

Traders selling New Patriotic Party (NPP) paraphernalia recorded high sales.

Normally, the sale of political paraphernalia shoot up during national congresses or huge party events.

However, the traders who deal in NPP-related merchandise have reported that Dr. Bawumia's tour and his surging popularity is putting money in their pockets.

The Vice President has been visiting the Eastern Region for the past week in a nationwide campaign tour aptly named "Connecting With NPP Delegates has provided an engaging platform to connect with party delegates and supporters.

Traders who are often seen at Dr. Bawumia's regional visits shared their insights about the rapidly flourishing business.

A trader stationed in Suhum revealed, "It is an unexpected opportunity for us because normally, we sell at Congresses or major party events.

We don't set up a sale for such meetings, but we got information from our colleagues in Accra when Dr. Bawumia started his tour that business is always good when he visits and people buy things with his name."

She continued, "So we also got our things ready for his tour in the Eastern Region. What our friends told us is true. He is very popular and when he comes, many people show up and business has been good. We don't regret it."

A trader based in Koforidua echoed similar sentiments, confirming a surge in sales during all of Dr. Bawumia's tour she has attended.

"He is not yet the NPP's candidate but people are really buying things printed in his name. I can't imagine how great sales will be if he becomes the candidate, she said.

In a reaction to the question of why not all traders set up shop at one venue, an explanation was given by another trader.

She said, "We are colleagues and we know ourselves, so there is no need for all of us to set up at one venue since he visits 4 places per day. And also, because of transportation issues, we have shared.

We are here, and others have set up in the other constituencies he will visit. This is how we do it."

Regarding the sales with other aspiring flagbearers, most of the traders admitted that the sales are not as promising like Dr. Bawumia's visits.

"I have tried with two other candidates - Ken when he came and Alan during his tour in Accra, but it wasn't good, so I have stopped setting up," shared one of the traders.

For the predominantly female souvenir traders, they hope Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia is elected as the NPP Presidential candidate to continue to boost their sales.

They believe that this would usher in a significant surge in their business activities.

"We can wait for him to win the NPP Primaries. If we are making as much sales now, then business will even be better for us when he is the NPP's candidate," they expressed optimistically.
Fighting between the forces of Sudan's rival general rocked Monday the capital Khartoum and a major city in the western Darfur region, witnesses told AFP, displacing thousands within days.

Residents of violence-wracked Nyala, Sudan's second city and state capital of South Darfur, awoke to "the sound of artillery strikes", witnesses said

Hundreds had on Sunday fled paramilitary attacks in the city as fighting intensified in recent days in the restive region bordering Chad.

"The violence has displaced an estimated 20,000 people from several neighbourhoods" of Nyala, according to the UN's humanitarian agency OCHA.

It warned that "the clashes are currently hampering any transport of aid into Nyala from East Darfur".

Darfur and the capital Khartoum have been in the throes of nearly four months of fighting between Sudan's army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

"Despite difficulties in accessing the hospital in Nyala due to the bombardments, we received on Sunday 66 injuries and six deceased," a medical source at a local facility told AFP.

Darfur has long been the site of deadly fighting since a war that erupted in 2003 and saw the feared Janjaweed -- precursors of the RSF -- unleashed on ethnic minority rebels.

The vast region has now become a stronghold for RSF fighters, with the city of El-Geneina having been the site of likely "crimes against humanity", according to the United Nations.

Numerous rights groups and witnesses have reported the massacre of civilians and ethnically driven attacks and killings in Darfur, largely by the paramilitaries and their allied Arab tribal militias.

'Inadequate' refugee aid

Since the start of Sudan's conflict on April 15, "more than 358,000 refugees have arrived" in the town of Adre, across Sudan's border with Chad, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

The charity sounded the alarm over refugee accommodation in Adre, saying "shelter and basic facilities available in the camps are wholly inadequate to meet the needs of the incoming people".

As a result, the refugees "are exposed to harsh sun and rain, with insufficient food, water, and even cooking supplies", said Susanna Borges, MSF's emergency coordinator in Chad.

And with the arrival of the rainy season in June, epidemic risks have multiplied, MSF said, with a single clinic in Adre recording "956 malaria cases, nearly three times the previous week's count".

Fighting also continued on Monday across various parts of the Sudanese capital, where residents reported "intense air strikes and powerful explosions".

The conflict has so far killed at least 3,900 people, according to a conservative estimate by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.

More than four million Sudanese have been displaced by the brutal warfare, according to UN figures.

In a rare public address on Monday, Burhan said Sudan "is facing the largest conspiracy in its modern history, targeting the entity, identity, heritage and fate of our people".

He accused Daglo, in a video statement broadcast on state TV and shared on social media, of subjecting the Sudanese people to "the worst of terrorism and war crimes".
Locals in Grande Comore island mobilised to rescue a 10-ton baby humpback whale stranded near the port of Moroni. With rudimentary means but much effort, they managed to keep the baby whale alive until it could move back into the Indian Ocean.

Two humpback whales  a female adult and its calf - were stranded in Kaleweni bay, near the port of Moroni, in Grande Comore island. While the mother managed to swim back offshore, into the Indian Ocean, the calf was left stranded in the bay, at low tide.

Professional divers, coast guards, fishermen, policemen, volunteers, all mobilised efforts throughout Sunday to keep the stressed whale alive.

We only had our arms and will-power to help the calf while it was stranded in the bay, said Nazir Farid, the head of Comores Plongee, a local diving company.

We had to continuously pour water on it to keep it alive because it was low tide in the bay. We used water pumps, buckets, our hands to do so, from early morning till around midday when the tide rose again.

Southern Hemisphere humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) migrate each year from Antarctic feeding grounds to tropical areas where they gather for breeding.

They travel from the South Pole, off the coasts of South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar and swim further north towards our waters to mate and calve.

They usually stay till mid-October before swimming back to the South Pole, Farid told RFI.

Caught in nets

After managing to swim out of the bay, the calf was caught in fishing nets laid out in deep water. Farid and some fishermen undertook another strenuous rescue mission. This time, precariously perched on a small wooden boat which was moving erratically because of the highly stressed mammal, the men attempted to cut the nets while making sure they did not injure the whale or themselves.

The calf was finally disentangled from the fishing nets, only to find itself nearing the shore. The rescue team managed to guide it offshore.

Hurs into the rescue, the whale appeared to be distressed and weak. The local team monitoring its progress observed, at nightfall, two adults humpback whales swimming towards its direction.

We believe that the baby whale is still alive because it surely would have been washed ashore on Monday, if that was not the case, Mzembaba told RFI.

According to the National Geographic, humpback whale numbers were severely reduced before the 1985 ban on commercial whaling, but the numbers in many population groups have since improved.

It says the biggest threats to humpback whales are collisions with ships and entanglement in fishing gear.
Residents of Sandema in the Builsa North Municipality of the Upper East Region on Monday, August 14, took to the streets to protest over the frequent erratic power outages in the area.

The residents have been complaining about the lack of reliable power supply in the area and its associated dire impact on business and household activities over the past months.

The residents who demonstrated were seen holding placards with the inscription, Buluk has suffered for far too long, The people of Buluk deserve better. VRA must listen to our plea. Our gadgets are getting damaged due to power outages.

Some residents were seen carrying their damaged fridges on bicycles.

Others also carried their damaged television sets on their heads.

Officials of the Volta River Authority (VRA) had blamed the dumsor on interferences by bats on the power cables.

But the demonstrators in a petition to the VRA demanded serious measures to be taken to stop the menace within one week, threatening to advise themselves on their next line of action.

The demonstrators moved through the Sandema township and later presented a copy of the petition to the Traditional Council.

The Paramount Chief of the area, Nab Azagsuk Azantilow, expressed concern about the situation in a recent interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), saying, We do not like the frequent power outages. They create problems for us.

The Convenor of the demonstration, Mr Theophilus Awennisiak Akoba, told the GNA that the action was intended to draw the attention of dutybearers to the frustrating power outages in the area.

He said the situation had damaged the electrical appliances of residents, plunged the entire township into darkness, and affected their businesses at night.

At night, we do not get a stable power supply and peoples electrical appliances get damaged. We are determined to make duty-bearers hear our plight and take immediate steps to resolve the problem, he said.

Mr Akoba said one of the reasons given by officials of the Volta River Authority (VRA) in the area for the erratic power supply was interference from bats on the power cables.

I told them that if bats are one of the reasons for this frustrating situation, then the 37 Military Hospital area in Accra should never have power because of the countless number of bats there, he noted.

He said information from the VRA also indicated that one line supplied power to the municipality, the Builsa South District, and the Yagba-Kobore District of the North East Region.

So anytime there is an issue with the line, all these three districts are affected, Mr Akoba said.

- By: citinewsroom.com with additional files from GNA

By Citi Newsroom
Professor Kwasi Torpey, the Dean of the School of Public Health, University of Ghana, has called on African countries to aggressively cut down on HIV new infections to meet the United Nations' 2023 HIV/AIDS target.

The target is to get the diagnoses of 95 per cent of all HIV-positive individuals, provide antiretroviral therapy (ART) for 95 per cent of those diagnosed, and achieve viral suppression for 95 per cent of those treated by 2030.

He said Africa must cut down on new infections through prevention strategies, identify and improve access to treatment, remove all structural barriers to treatment, and strengthen community health systems to respond to the evolving needs.

Prof Torpey made the call during the University of Ghanas sixth Inaugural Lecture for the 2022/2023 academic year on the theme: Ending HIV/AIDS in Africa: Reflections from the Clinic, Field and Classroom.

In 2022, West and Central Africa had 160,000 new HIV infections with 120,000 HIV deaths. In Eastern and Southern Africa, there were 500,000 new infections and 260,000 deaths.

Ghana in 2022 recorded 16, 574 new infections and 9, 359 deaths.

In 2021 Eswatini, Botswana, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe achieved 95-95-95 whilst eight others are on track to reach the target.

Prof Torpey stated that despite the infection rate, Africa recorded the steepest decline of HIV infections between 2010 and 2022 with East and Southern Africa, recording 57 per cent reduction in new infections as Western and Central Africa recorded 49 per cent reduction, scaling the global average of 38 per cent.

There has been a massive reduction in new infections in some countries such as Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Eswatini, Lesotho, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Burundi, and Cameroon, he said.

However, the number of new infections remains unacceptably high, and Africa would not end AIDS if it maintained the current new infection rate.

The Dean, School of Public Health, said despite the new infection rate, several African countries had shown that ending HIV was possible, adding that achieving epidemic control required systematic reduction of new infections in Africa.

We must up our game in prevention, care, and treatment levels in the continent, adding that we must innovate, demonstrate creativity and commitment in this effort and together end AIDS. Prof Torpey stated.

GNA
15.08.2023 LISTEN

Actor cum politician John Dumelo has said the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is fully aware of the scheming that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) engaged in to win the Ayawaso West Wuogon seat in the last general elections in 2020.

He assured the NDC that the NPP would not be allowed to do these same things again in the 2024 general elections.

We are working to ensure that we win the 2024 elections, if you look at Ayawaso West Wuogon we know what the NPP did and we are working. The hardworking execitives will not allow that to happen, Mr Dumelo said on the Ghana Tonght Show on TV3 Monday Augist 14.

The NDC endorsed him as the parliamentary candidate for the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency ahead of the 2024 general elections.

This was after the party said that the two other contestants agreed to quit the race to support Mr Dumelo.

As a result of this harmonious agreement we proudly endorse and present Mr John Dumelo as the official NDC parliamentary candidate for Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency for the upcoming 2024 parliamentary elections, a statement issued by the constituency chairman Bismark Ahorvi Ayitey on Sunday, August 13 said.

It is recalled that movie producer Fred Nuamah withdrew from the Ayawaso West Wuogon NDC parliamentary primaries to throw his support behind his colleague mover maker John Dumelo.

He earlier announced his intention to contest in the primaries after John Dumelo also declared his intention. He also indicated that Dumelo had blessed him to contest in that particular constituency, a claim Dumelo flatly denied.

But announcing is withdrawal from the race, Fred Nuamah said I firmly believe that the NDC must present a unified front for the 2024 general elections. As a dedicated member of the NDC, I prioritize the party's unity and the President John Mahama project aimed at rescuing our country.

He added 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 the Ayawaso West-Wuogon constituency.

He added I urge all my supporters across all levels of the party in the constituency to rally behind John Dumelo and provide him with needed support. Together, with a renewed sense of togetherness, we can secure victory in the 2024 elections and uplift our nation from its current state.

3news.com
The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey, has announced a ban on the use of political party paraphernalia during festivals in the region.

This decision is aimed at promoting unity and cohesion among natives during festive periods.

According to Hon. Quartey, "We have banned the use of any political party paraphernalia at festivals."

He explained that prior to the celebration of some festivals, people would display party colors and symbols which shifts the focus away from the real meaning of the festivals.

"You will see the hoisting of political party paraphernalia and that shifts the focus of these festivals," the Regional Minister said in an interview on Accra-based JoyNews.

The ban is hoped to eliminate divisive partisan politics and prevent tensions during events that are meant to bring Ghanaians together.

Having prohibited party-branded attire, flags, banners and other political symbols, the minister wants to foster an atmosphere of harmony.

The Greater Accra Region is the most populated region in Ghana. The region is known for its annual celebrations like the Homowo festival of the Ga people and other festivities.

These events attract thousands of visitors from across the country.
Joyce Bawa Mogtari, Special Aide to former President John Mahama has criticised the current Akufo-Addo-led NPP government.

She accused government of looting and creating a "mess in the country.

In a tweet on Monday, August 14, she describes the government's performance as disastrous for the country.

The former deputy minister demanded urgent action to end the mess and remedy the situation.

"The government has failed us, the enablers are silent, the damage is done. It's time to stop the looting and clean up the mess. Ghana deserves better!" Mogtari wrote.

She pointed out the growing discontent with the economic hardship and allegations of corruption under President Nana Akufo-Addo.
15.08.2023 LISTEN

Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has condemned the attack on the medical superintendent of Bimbilla Hospital, threatening to withdraw services if the lives of their members cannot be guaranteed.

The warning comes after the medical superintendent of Bimbilla Hospital, Adam Barhama, was chased out of his office on Friday by angry youth who demonstrated against him, demanding that he, the accountant, and the administrator leave the premises.

The police escorted the three men to Yendi for their safety.

On Friday, the medical superintendent returned to the hospital, but the youth went to drive him out again.

The Municipal Chief Executive for Nanumba North, Abdulai Yaqoub, subsequently called for calm and urged the youth to exercise restraint.

Reacting to the development in the hospital, the GMA in a statement said, The GMA strongly condemns the lawless acts of the youth of the town which have put the life of the Medical Superintendent of the hospital and other staff as well as the safety of property in danger. The GMA is closely monitoring the situation in the facility and will advise our members appropriately in due course. However, we would like to emphasize that if the threats and acts that threaten lives and properties persist. We will be left with no choice but to ensure that no doctor returns to the facility either now or in the foreseeable future since their safety cannot be guaranteed. Background

Bimbilla Hospital in the Nanumba North Municipality in the Northern Region has been in the news for the past few days.

The hospital was disconnected from water supply for non-payment of bills. The facility owes over GH240,000 in water bills.

This led to nurses at the facility embarking on a sit-down strike, and patients had to be referred to other hospitals.

The youth in the community became agitated and demonstrated against the management of the hospital.

They accused the medical superintendent of maladministration.

citinewsroom
The recent "firestorm" of public criticism of President Akufo-Addo's plan to rename the University of Ghana after his late uncle J. B. Danquah shows Ghanaians have "clearly had enough of the tribal-supremacist agenda of the president and his kinsmen", Economist Nii Moi Thompson has observed.

Speaking recently at the 75th Anniversary Thanksgiving Service of the university, President Akufo-Addo praised the Big Six member's pivotal role in establishing the institution of higher learning and suggested that such a renaming would be fitting.

"It will be wholly appropriate and not at all far-fetched, to describe Joseph Boakye Dankwa as the founder of this university," Mr Akufo-Addo asserted.

He said it is "a fact, which, on the 75th anniversary of its existence, should be vividly recalled by all of us who have been and are beneficiaries of his work".

"Indeed, in many other jurisdictions where there is less heat in their politics and more attachment to the fact of historical record, it would not have been out of place to have this university named after him," the president observed, hinting: "Who knows, one day it may well happen."

However, Dr Thompson, in an article tittled: 'Beware, the tribal supremacists: Myths of J.B. Danquah and the Big Six', said the "tribal-supremacist agenda" of the president and his kinsmen, is not a latent one.

He said "none of them have articulated the rationale behind this agenda more brazenly than a relative of the president, Mr Samuel Atta Akyea, who, three years ago, said the following on the television programme, Good Evening Ghana: 'If you remove the role of the Akyem people from the history of this country, we wont have a history  The guy who named this country is from Akufo-Addos background. The one who wanted Ghana called Ghana [was] J. B. Danquah.'" Dr Thompson referenced.

He said during that TV programme, "Mr. Akyea went on to cite the Big Six, the leaders of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), who were arrested by the British colonialists after the 1948 riots that accelerated the independence process, and reminded viewers that the presidents father, among the six, 'was one of the individuals who are acclaimed as the pioneers of our independence'".

"With this crude concoction of facts and fiction", Dr Thompson indicated, "they [the president and his kinsmen] tend to believe that they own the country and can do as they please".

Through that agenda, Dr Thompson pointed out that "textbooks, for instence, have been doctored and Danquah given disproportionate prominence in Ghanas history".

"This peasant aristocracy sense of entitlement, especially among people occupying national offices, is a threat to social cohesion and national development", he condemned.

He then went on to demolish some of the "myths" about J.B. Danquah and the Big Six, and tackled "other aspects of Ghanaian history that the tribalists have bastardised to drive this dangerous ideology of tribal supremacy".

In the article, Dr Thompson said despite his aversion to the "tribal-supremacist agenda" of the president and his kinsmen, "I condemn the term 'Akyem mafia' or any term that demonises an entire tribe for the folly of a few".

Source: classfmonline.com
Chiefs and politicians of the Western Region have failed their people, the widow of late Vice President Kwesi Amissah Arthur has observed.

Speaking at the opening of a Western Regional Development Forum organised by the Nana Kobina Nketsia IV Trust at Busua, Matilda Amissah Arthur, a native of Nzemaland said: "We have all known for a long time that our region has been neglected, helpless and that we have no legacy".

"But my question is: has it taken us so long to come together and deliberate on how we can change this narrative?"

"Yes, we might have met in our pockets to talk about this issue before, but have we met as a serious group to deliberate?" she asked.

"Are we happy to let the region deteriorate? Is there something that is preventing us, or are we in denial? Whatever it is, we have let our people down", she insisted.

"The chiefs, clergy, civil society, the media; we have all given the people of Western Region reason not to take us seriously or trust us", she indicated.

"Where have you been as chiefs?" she wondered, asking: "Where have you been when all the lands are being taken over by galamsey?"

"Some say that you have sold our land. Some say that you have fronted for big men in Ghana and from abroad and that some even say that you have been given huge sums of money", she said.

The Western Regional Development Forum, an initiative by the Nana Kobina Nketsia IV Trust, is a week-long initiative that has attracted stakeholders including chiefs, technocrats, civil society, political functionaries, youth leaders, priests, governmental representatives and security officials, among others from the region to discuss the development of that part of Ghana.

Source: classfmonline.com
The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has called on government to review the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme.

The Free SHS is a policy of the government introduced by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and started in 2017.

It seeks to promote education by making secondary school education in public schools free.

Despite the massive relief and benefit it has brought to citizens, it has also been faced with a lot of challenges in the last few years.

According to GNAT, this calls for a review to come up with solutions to improve the policy.

Speaking in an interview with TV3, General Secretary of GNAT, Thomas Musah Tanko raised concern over the funding of the programme, insisting that it is an area that needs attention.

What we are saying is that let us have that particular discussion, let us know how we fund it.

The way of funding it could include donation from old boys, PTA, we can have returns on investments, we can have special levy, lets see whatever we could do, Thomas Musah said.

The GNAT General Secretary continued, So, that particular dialogue will tell us how we intend to finance the Free SHS, and that will help everybody so that we can be able to improve the quality of teaching and learning.

Although Ghana faces an economic crisis, government continues with the implementation of the Free Senior High School Policy and has promised the Ghanaian people that it will not be affected in any way.

Meanwhile, the calls for a review of the policy are supported by the Minority in Parliament.
Military chiefs from the West African bloc ECOWAS will meet in Ghana this week to discuss possible intervention in Niger, military and political sources in the region said Tuesday.

The meeting on Thursday and Friday -- originally scheduled for last weekend but then postponed -- came after ECOWAS leaders last week approved deployment of a "standby force to restore constitutional order" in Niger, whose president was toppled on July 26.

Their summit, held in the Nigerian capital Abuja last Thursday, also reaffirmed the bloc's preference for a diplomatic outcome.

Economic Community of West African States. By Nalini LEPETIT-CHELLA (AFP)

President Mohamed Bazoum's election in 2021 was a landmark in Niger's history, ushering in the country's first peaceful transfer of power since independence from France in 1960.

His ousting unleashed a shock wave around West Africa, where Mali and Burkina Faso -- likewise battered by a jihadist insurgency -- have also suffered military takeovers.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) gave Niger's military rulers a one-week ultimatum on July 30 to restore Bazoum or face the potential use of force, but the deadline expired without action.

Analysts say military intervention would be operationally risky and politically hazardous, given divisions within ECOWAS ranks and domestic criticism.

Defiance and diplomacy

Niger's military regime has sent mixed signals since the crisis erupted.

General Abdourahamane Tiani led Niger's fifth coup since independence in 1960. By - (ORTN - TAlA Sahel/AFP)

At the weekend, the coup leaders said they were open to a diplomatic push after their chief, General Abdourahamane Tiani, met with Nigerian religious mediators.

Those talks came after the ECOWAS military meeting in Ghana was postponed for "technical reasons".

But on Sunday night, Niger's rulers declared they had gathered sufficient evidence to prosecute Bazoum for "high treason and undermining internal and external security".

The legal threat was angrily condemned by ECOWAS, which lashed it as a contradiction of the regime's "reported willingness" to explore peaceful means. Washington said it was "incredibly dismayed".

The row overshadowed talks under African Union (AU) auspices that began on Monday in Addis Ababa, bringing together representatives from the regime and ECOWAS.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called for a "peaceful political and diplomatic" resolution to the crisis in a phone call with Mali's junta leader, Assimi Goita, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

Mali has cemented an alliance with Moscow since its coup in 2020, acquiring Russian planes and helicopters and bringing in paramilitaries that the West says are Wagner mercenaries.

Poor and unstable

A landlocked nation in the heart of the arid Sahel, Niger is one of the world's poorest and most turbulent countries.

Bazoum, 63, survived two attempted coups before being ousted, in the fifth putsch in the country's history.

Supporters of the coup at a rally at a stadium in Niamey on Sunday. By - (AFP)

His ousting deals a huge blow to French and US strategy in the Sahel.

France refocused its anti-jihadist operations on Niger after withdrawing from Mali and Burkina Faso last year following a bust-up with their juntas.

International concern is mounting for the state of Bazoum, his wife and son, who have been held at the president's official residence since the coup.

burx-pid-cma/ri/imm
Religious leaders and politicians in northern Nigeria have opened back-door channels in a frantic attempt to stave off military intervention in coup-stricken Niger.

The crisis has sparked fears for ancient cultural, social and commercial links that bind southern Niger with seven border states in northern Nigeria -- Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, Jigawa, Borno and Yobe.

Many people in the north are shocked by the threat from West Africa's regional bloc ECOWAS, which is chaired by Nigeria, to intervene militarily to restore Niger's elected president, Mohamed Bazoum.

"What we had in the last one thousand years has been lost in a matter of few weeks," Sule Lamido, Nigeria's former foreign minister and ex-governor of Jigawa state, said in an article published on Sunday.

Bazoum, 63, was detained on July 26 by members of the presidential guard, in Niger's fifth coup since independence from France in 1960.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) gave Niger's military rulers a one-week ultimatum on July 30 to restore Bazoum or face the potential use of force, but the deadline expired without action.

The drumbeat of possible intervention sounded again on Thursday, when ECOWAS approved deployment of a "standby force to restore constitutional order" in Niger.

But visits by representatives from northern Nigeria have also helped swing the pendulum back towards diplomacy.

Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the influential former emir of Kano and Nigeria's former central bank governor, travelled to Niger on the eve of the ECOWAS summit for talks with the regime.

His visit was followed at the weekend by that of a delegation of religious clerics.

Pressure on Tinubu

As West Africa's biggest economic and military power, Nigeria wields extensive clout.

President Bola Tinubu, who came to power in May after disputed elections, has taken a hard line on stemming a cascade of coups that have now swept through four ECOWAS countries in three years.

But concern in northern Nigeria of a potentially catastrophic intervention is heaping pressure on him to exercise restraint.

Hundreds of residents in the Rijiyar Lemo neighbourhood of Kano took to the streets last week after Friday prayers in protest against any military operation.

A supporter of Niger's military leaders demonstrates in Niamey after ECOWAS threated military intervention. By - (AFP)

Raising the flags of both Nigeria and Niger, the protesters chanted anti-French slogans and dragged a mock French flag along the dusty road, accusing Niger's former colonial power of prodding Nigeria to go to war with its neighbour.

On August 5, all 58 Nigerian senators across party lines from the north denounced planned military intervention in Niger, warning of dire consequences for seven border states.

On August 9, a group of northern academics, retired senior military officers and politicians wrote to Tinubu, cautioning him of the risks of intervention in an already deeply unstable region.

Nigeria's many security challenges -- from jihadist insurgency and farmer-herder conflict to banditry and kidnapping -- would be inflamed by the flow of arms and spread of violent extremism and banditry, they warned.

Trade ties

Nigeria's closure of its land border with Niger is already costing northern states around 13 billion naira ($13.5 million) every week, according to Arewa Economic Forum (AEF), a northern economic think-tank.

In 2022 the volume of formal trade between Nigeria and Niger stood at $234 million while informal trade, which is mostly in perishable commodities, was $683 million, according to Ibrahim Shehu Dandakata, head of the AEF.

"Nigeriens depend on Nigeria for most of the essential commodities they consume. Nigerian businesses also rely on transit points for importation from Niger Republic," Dandakata said at a conference in Nigeria's capital Abuja on Sunday.

More than 2,000 containers laden with goods belonging to Nigerian traders are stuck at the border

"Our customers from Niger, Benin, up to Central Africa, have stopped coming to buy our goods due to the closure of the border and this is affecting us," said Shamsu Bala, a textile trader at the Kantin Kwari textile market in Kano.

"We want this issue to be resolved amicably. War will only make the situation worse for everyone."
Quinton Akrobeto

15.08.2023 LISTEN

Officials of three companies have been picked up for questioning for allegedly breaching data protection laws of Ghana.

This was captured during the commencement of an enforcement exercise of data laws by the Data Protection Commission.

The companies are Hisense Ghana Limited, Quick Credit and Investment Micro-Credit Limited and Marwako Fast Food.

Quick Credit and Investment Micro-Credit Limited, a prominent company offering loans to customers with interest, was cited for their alleged violation of the Data Protection Act 2012.

The commission's action comes in response to a customer's complaint regarding privacy breaches caused by the company.

The central issue revolves around the company's alleged practice of publishing the names of defaulting customers in the public domain without obtaining proper consent, a violation that is expressly prohibited under the Data Protection Act 2012 (843).

During a press briefing, Quinton Akrobeto, the Director for Regulatory and Compliance at Data Protection Commission, emphasised the gravity of the situation. He revealed that the complaint regarding the company's unlawful practices was lodged with the Data Protection Commission by the lawyer representing one of the company's clients.

We will be expecting them at the Police Headquarters for further interrogation. We received a complaint about their non-compliance, and how they are processing personal data against their customers, so we received a complaint from one lawyer who wrote in respect of their client and it is upon that that we have followed up to this place, he disclosed.

Mr. Akrobeto explained that, What they [the companies] do is harass their customers, go to their homes and churches, and allow the whole world to know that they are owing them, which is against their privacy.

Officials of two other companies were also picked up for questioning over possible privacy breaches.

DGN online
Enrolled Nurses Group, Ghana (ENG-GH) has appealed to government to take into consideration the current hard times and settle all allowances owed trainee nurses.

This was a key message echoed by Prince A.K Anaba, National Chairman of ENG-GH during the group's 2023 Extraordinary Annual General Conference.

According to him, government owes rotational nurses, final-year students, and second and first years students unpaid allowances.

The Conference was held on Monday, August 14, in Sunyani.

Speaking to Modernghana News before the Conference, Prince A.K Anaba appealed to government to also increase the study leave slot for certificate nurses (ENs).

He said the leadership of ENG-GH wants government to improve the condition of services of members by increasing their wages as well.

Meanwhile, ENG-GH National Chairman Prince A.K Anaba has assured members that leadership is in constant engagement with stakeholders to ensure better conditions for all members.

Mondays Extraordinary Annual General Conference was attended by National executives of the group, Regional executives, some selected members, and past executives of the group.

The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye was the special guest of honour.
Authorities on the French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte said they demolished more than 80 illegal dwellings as part of a crackdown on illegal migration and poor housing.

Police and officials were present as bulldozers went to work in the village of Hamouro, in the south-east of island, the Mayotte prefecture said on X (former Twitter).

A total of 81 illegal dwellings were demolished and several families have already accepted an offer of alternative accommodation, the local officials said.

Since April, France has deployed hundreds of police officers in the French overseas department of Mayotte  France's poorest region  to prepare for a slum-clearing initiative called Operation Wuambushu.

Wuambushu (meaning recovery in Mahorais) is the name given to the operation to fight crime, irregular immigration and unsanitary housing that the central government began four months ago.

Tensions with Comoros

After weeks of legal delays and diplomatic tensions with the neighbouring Comoros Islands, which along with Mayotte makes up the archipelago, diggers started destroying sheet-metal shacks in May.

Some organisations have denounced Wuambushu as a brutal measure violating the rights of migrants. But local elected officials and many islanders support it.

This week's action is the biggest clearancein Mayotte since the launch of Operation Wuambushu.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who is also France's Overseas Minister, said the government plans to demolish around 1,250 substandard homes in Mayotte by the end of 2023, including 1,000 tin huts.

Of the estimated 350,000 inhabitants of Mayotte, half do not have French nationality. Only a third of the inhabitants of the slums have French citizenship.

(with AFP)
Search teams were on Tuesday scouring the Channel for a missing person following the deaths of six migrants after their boat capsized and sank during an attempt to cross from France to England.

Possibly one person remained unaccounted for, a spokeswoman from Prefecture maritime de la Manche et de la mer du Nord (Premar) told the French news agency AFP.

Six Afghan men died when the boat thought to have been carrying as many as 66 people sank on Saturday morning.

All of the rescued passengers were men, most of them from Afghanistan, with some Sudanese and a few minors, according to the French coastal authority.

Their identity is being investigated.

On Sunday, around 200 people gathered in the northern French port city of Calais to pay tribute to the victims.

They marched behind a large banner listing the names of the 376 migrants that activists say have died attempting to cross the Channel since 1999.

"Criminal traffickers"

The spokeswoman also said that Premar is expecting a possible surge of Channel crossing attempts and is keeping six patrol boats mobilised in the area.

The French and British governments denounced what they say are criminal traffickers behind the crossings.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak blames the criminal gangs facilitating small boat Channel crossings, his spokesman said on Monday.

"It's a stark reminder of how dangerous these crossings are and how vitally important it is to disrupt these criminal gangs," he added.

"And it is right the government acts urgently and takes all possible steps to close down this route."

The French government promised to fight the smugglers' networks.

The authorities near Calais are also installing a floating dam on the banks of the river Canche. The device is an attempt to save lives and challenge smugglers, according to the prefecture.

Yan Manzi, co-founder of the charity Utopia 56, told RFI that such moves would be likely to push people to take more risks.

Investigation

Prosecutors in the French port of Boulogne initially opened an investigation on Saturday, hours after the tragedy.

But counterparts in Paris assumed control of the inquiry into the deaths on Sunday, as police pursued the traffickers responsible.

The death toll is the highest since November 2021 when 27 migrants lost their lives in the Channel.

That tragedy sparked tension between Britain and France over which country needed to do more to prevent such disasters.

More than 100,000 migrants have crossed the Channel on small boats from France to south-eastern England since Britain began publicly recording the arrivals in 2018, official figures revealed last Friday.

French coastguards have mobilised six patrol boats in the Channel and a helicopter in anticipation of further attempts by migrants to cross as weather and sea conditions improve.

(with AFP)
35-year-old Ahmed Rashid, aka Anaata, who has been accused of allegedly defiling several girls in the Wa Municiplity, appeared before the Wa Circuit Court on Monday, 14th August.

The accused, who has been charged with defilement among other charges, pleaded not guilty.

The court decided to sit daily beginning today, Tuesday, 15 August 2023.

The sitting will, however, be done in-camera.

The accused allegedly defiled over 12 children in the regional capital.

He was arrested on Friday, 4 August 2023 after being on the run for about two months.

On Monday, 7 August 2023, the Circuit Court remanded him after officially charging him with 12 counts of defilement.

His arrest came after a resident of Wa lodged a complaint against him with the Upper West Regional Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID).

The complaint alleged that Ahmed had engaged in acts of defilement involving more than 30 children in Wa, a revelation that has shaken the local community.

Source: classfmonline.com
Social media app, Tik Tok has become the virtual stomping ground for zoomers (Gen Z). But, the environmental downside of using Tick Tok is yet to sink in.

No doubt, it seems pretty far-fetched that social media can contribute to climate change through internet pollution (digital actions emitting green house gases). But the fact is, social media is as pollutive as: fossil fuel, mining, fast fashion, transportation, construction and manufacturing, to name a few.

Indeed, the rapid growth of TikTok lately, has seen the construction of more data centres with immense energy (electricity) consumption which serves as smokestacks for massive carbon emissions. No wonder, research confirms that TikTok is the most pollutive social media platform.

As Bankless Times research makes clear, every Tik Tok user emits 30.72KG of carbon dioxide (Co2) annually and a lifetime on Tik Tok emits the same amount of carbon dioxide as driving from London to Tokyo.

Talking about the age group (generation) that is most responsible for the amount of Co2 emitted from social media- studies reveal Zoomers (born between 1997-2012) are most responsible for carbon (Co2) emitted from TikTok.

In recent years, zoomers are more attracted to TikTok, with users in this age bracket spending about 75 minutes everyday on the video sharing app. Thus, zoomers are the most frequent users of TikTok and the most responsible for the amount of carbon emitted. Out of the 158g of carbon emitted by TikTok every minute, zoomers are responsible for more than a third.

The short, snappy video sharing app, TikTok thus has more adverse impact on the environment as compared to other social media apps.

The need therefore arises for TikTok to take proactive steps to help curb the worsening climate catastrophe.

Bankless Times, recently called the world's attention to the climate anxiety (fear of environmental doom) triggers of social media:

One minute on TikTok produces 2.63g CO2e. Thats more than twice as much as Instagram (1.05g); three times more than Facebook (0.79g); and five times more than Youtube (0.46g).

Facebook boasts the most daily active users - 1.96 billion. The average user spends 30.1 minutes on the platform each day, producing a total of 46,797 tonnes CO2e per day.

TikTok boasts less than half as many users. But their users spend 50% longer on the platform each day - and emit three times more for every minute they use it. As a result, a conservative estimate finds that the platform produces 40,151 tonnes CO2e per day.

Both Facebook and TikTok produce enough CO2e each year to fly the entire population of London to New York and back.
John Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, an aspirant of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer race has expressed strong confidence in his ability to lead Ghana towards a brighter future.

During a series of meetings with delegates from all 47 constituencies in the Ashanti Region ahead of the party's presidential primaries, Mr Kyerematen emphasized his determination to secure victory in the 2024 elections and bring back hope.

With his week-long tour of the Ashanti Region now concluded, Mr Kyerematen is positioning himself as the candidate best suited to challenge former President John Dramani Mahama and his National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2024 elections.

Speaking passionately at various durbars throughout the region, Mr Kyerematen expressed tackle Mahama and urged party delegates to rally behind him to become the NPP's flagbearer.

He promises to pull two million votes from the Ashanti Region alone, in addition to significant support from other regions to win election 2024 for the NPP.

Mr Kyerematen highlighted the critical role delegates play in choosing a capable leader to steer the nation's economy back on track.

He urges delegates to select a competent leader who would shape the country's ability to recover and flourish.

The centrepiece of Kyerematen's campaign is his Great Transformational Plan, a comprehensive strategy he claims will address the current economic challenges and drive Ghana's resurgence.

"I can assure delegates and Ghanaians at large that I will bring hope to Ghana because I will deliver," Mr Kyerematen asserted.
In recent times, global disruptions have laid bare the fragile state of food security in Ghana, a nation blessed with abundant natural resources. Its heavy reliance on imports, even for staple foods, has rendered it vulnerable to the whims and uncertainties of global geopolitics and supply chain hiccups. The situation is akin to a well-fed river that paradoxically thirsts for water.

Statistics bear out this worrying trend. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in 2019 alone, Ghana's food import bill stood at a staggering $2.4 billion. Ghana depends heavily on imported food, including critical staples like wheat, sunflower oil, poultry, and fertilizers from Russia and Ukraine. This is especially alarming considering that agriculture, a sector with immense potential in Ghana, employs over 54% of the country's workforce.

As the distant Russia-Ukraine conflict rages on, Ghana has grappled with soaring prices and shrinking supplies of essentials. With exports from these countries now severely constrained by the war, Ghana faces acute shortages coupled with doubling the prices of some essential food imports. For instance, the price of wheat, an important import from these regions, saw an increase of over 20% in a few months. The economic implications are significant, with Ghana importing tons of wheat annually valued at $246 million. The domino effect on the domestic food industry and households has been palpable, with many finding it increasingly challenging to make ends meet.

The ripples of global unrest aren't the only concern. Closer to home, another supply chain debacle unfolds, highlighting the fragility of the nation's food system. Onions, a staple in many Ghanaian dishes, are primarily imported from neighboring Niger. Yet, recent political instability in Niger, according to an August 9 report by myjoyonline.com, revealed a substantial quantity of these imports finds itself trapped at the borders. Considering that Ghana imports more than 43% of all onions produced in Niger to the tune of about GH502 million or approximately $107 million every year, the immediate impact was felt in local markets. Prices for onions surged in certain regions, causing distress among local consumers and businesses.

It's a stark reminder that food security is not just about producing or purchasing enough food but ensuring its unhindered flow from farms to kitchens. These intertwined crises highlight the pressing need for Ghana to reevaluate its food and agriculture policies. The nation must find a balance between external trade and bolstering domestic production, ensuring that when international supply chains falter, the Ghanaian plate remains full.

Towards a Self-reliant Food Landscape

Ghana's agricultural potential remains vastly untapped. Despite being endowed with fertile lands, freshwater resources, and a climate conducive to diverse agricultural activities, the country spends billions annually importing over half its food requirements. This isn't just an economic issue; it's a ticking time bomb for national security, sustainability, and sovereignty.

The factors hindering the growth of the sector are multi-fold. Many farmers continue to rely on age-old farming methods, which, while rooted in tradition, often result in low yields. The absence of modern irrigation facilities further exposes crops to the vagaries of weather, with climate change only accentuating these inconsistencies. The chain of challenges extends from the farms to the markets. Due to limited mechanization, post-harvest losses remain unacceptably high. Poor road networks and lack of adequate storage facilities further complicate the movement and preservation of produce, leading to waste, increased costs, and decreased profitability for farmers.

Financial barriers present another significant hurdle. Many farmers find it challenging to access credit, insurance, and even markets, leaving them vulnerable to both natural and market-induced volatilities. Over-reliance on imported agricultural inputs, such as fertilizers and seeds, has also stunted the sector's growth, making it cyclically dependent on external factors.

While the government's Planting for Food and Jobs initiative was a commendable step towards addressing some of these challenges, more robust and sustained efforts are needed to bring about transformative change.

A comprehensive strategy needs to be envisioned and executed to steer Ghana towards agricultural self-sufficiency and resilience. At the foundation, there should be an aggressive push to promote the local cultivation of staple crops like rice, maize, and cassava. This could be achieved through a combination of input subsidies and guaranteed procurement mechanisms that assure farmers of a market for their produce. Next, infrastructural investments are essential. From expanding irrigation networks to ensuring the widespread availability of mechanized farming equipment, efforts should be directed to maximize productivity.

Simultaneously, embracing climate-resilient agricultural practices, such as agroforestry and regenerative farming, can future-proof the sector. Upgraded rural road networks and state-of-the-art storage facilities can minimize post-harvest losses and ensure farmers get better value for their produce. Financial interventions, such as customized credit facilities and crop insurance, can mitigate risks and empower farmers to innovate and expand.

The future of farming should be framed not just as an occupation but a lucrative business venture. Young minds need to view it as a viable career choice. This transformation can be catalyzed through dedicated training programs, start-up funding, and creating narratives around the success stories in agriculture.

In conclusion, Ghana's dual challenges posed by the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the onion import disruptions serve as critical inflexion points. They underline the urgency of transitioning from an import-dependent food system to one that is self-sufficient, resilient, and robust. With concerted efforts, collaborative partnerships, and visionary policies, Ghana can harness its agricultural potential to ensure food security for its people while bolstering its economy and resilience against global and regional risks. The journey may be long, but the seeds of change, once sown, can yield a bountiful harvest.
The Member of Parliament for Ofoase Ayirebi Constituency, Honorable Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has thrown his weight behind Vice President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia's bid to become the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) flagbearer for next years elections.

Mr Nkrumah's endorsement of Dr, Bawumia was made public during a local event in his constituency.

The Information Minister expressed his respect for Dr. Bawumia and his significant contributions to the NPP throughout the years.

He said, "Today, I want to share something with you. Ever since I became acquainted with Dr. Bawumia in 2008 when he was at the Bank of Ghana and I was at Joy FM, and throughout our political journey, I have silently learned some invaluable lessons from him.

"Whenever the party finds itself under attack, Dr. Bawumia consistently steps forward to shield it, even at the risk of facing personal criticisms. His commitment to this cause has been unwavering."

Mr Nkrumah emphasized the principle of reciprocating goodwill and the importance of recognizing Bawumia's dedication and contributions to the NPP.

Quoting Proverbs 17:13, Mr Nkrumah said, "Whoever repays evil for good, evil will never depart from their house. So, if Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has been beneficial to us, should we respond with negativity?"

He further announced, "In this month, our Chairman and I will cast our votes for him (Dr. Bawumia), and come November, delegates from Ofoase Ayirebi will wholeheartedly support Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia."
Tras 29 dias de navegacion desde Tahiti al puerto de Guam y con 4,763 millas nauticas, el velero peruano arribo, al mando del Capitan de Navio Jose Luis Arce Corzo, con una tripulacion compuesta de 149 personal naval y 100 cadetes https://t.co/q1tpPSkPI4



Video: @naval_peru pic.twitter.com/b1LJBzjQgk
15.08.2023 LISTEN

ECOWAS has, over the years, faced some problems that seemed at first to be absolutely intractable.

Remember the murderous Charles Taylor/Foday Sankoh insurrectional episodes in Liberia and Sierra Leone in 1991-92? The barbarity experienced by the populace of the two countries during the period was so ugly that many Africans who watched it close at hand were astonished and traumatised by it.

What about the General Robert Guei/Laurent Gbagbo/Alhassan Ouattara confrontations in Cote dIvoire in 2000 and 2010-2011?

Those were days when the Economic Community of West African States [ECOWAS] was politically pushed to take sides in the internal affairs of a member country but managed to work out practicable solutions that eventually brought peace to Cote dIvoire. t By so doing, ECOWAS, through its military organisation, ECOMOG, prevented West Africa crumbling into a polyglot lump of anarchic territories whose disintegration could spread death and hunger all over the Region.

ECOWAS, by bravely putting on its military armour, ECOMOG and stoically working to restore sanity to the politics of its embattled member nations, proved to the world that when chaos threatened to break out within its ranks, it was ready and crafty enough  to prove that contrary to expectations, Africans are capable of settling their own disputes without the need for outside interference.

ECOMOG deserves praise for having risen to the occasion and saving Liberia, Sierra Leone and Cote dIvoire from internecine armageddon. All three countries were helped to resume normal politics after ECOMOG had succeeded in assisting their people to drive out the armed brigands who had terrorised them for years.

That heroic era cannot be far from the memories of West Africas current rulers, as they ponder the military coup that took place in Niger on 26 July 2023.. But alas, conditions have drastically changed in the ECOWAS region. Three members of the organisation  Guinea, Mali and Burkina Faso  are already under military rule. ECOWAS could not prevent that from happening. So, unfortunately, what might be called a knee-jerk reaction to the problem posed by the seizure of power by the military in Niger, is out of the question.

Not only that: Nigeria, the de facto leader of ECOWAS, is in no position to brandish either the financial/political, nor military clout, that could convince the Niger putschists that their best interests lie in reaching some sort of accommodation with ECOWAS.

Politics, it has been said, is the art of the possible. And in this case, the cultural and religious affinities that exist between Niger and many of the people of the northern states of Nigeria, suggest that a military attack on Niger by ECOMOG, is not practicable. President Bola Tinubu, who has been in office for a mere ten weeks or so, and has an election petition hanging over his head, cannot dispatch an ECOMOG punitive expedition to Niger, with Nigerian soldiers at its head, without exposing his own regime to attack by the Nigerian armed forces.

Indeed, some Northern Nigerian politicians have been uttering threats against Tinubu and warning him that military action by ECOWAS against the Niger putschists would constitute an act of civil war by Nigerians against themselves. And they have a point: there are (for instance) people of the Fulani and Kanuri ethnic groups in both Nigeria and Niger, and social and business links between them are legion.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Senate, without whose approval President Tinubu cannot constitutionally dispatch the Nigerian army to fight abroad, had refused to endorse such a military deployment, before it adjourned sitting for its holidays (which it casually embarked upon, as if the countrys situation was normal!)

How the Senate would react, if President Tinubu were to ask it to come back and sit in an emergency session to approve a war resolution, is, of course, a moot question.

Fortunately for President Tinubu, a powerful group of traditional and civil leaders of Northern Nigerian origin, has coalesced together and managed to cross Nigers closed borders, to engage in dialogue with the Niger putschists. That the Niger coupists granted them an audience, when the self-same regime had been issuing defiant statements against ECOWAS, shows just how strong the aforementioned social ties between the two countries are.

The message the self-appointed delegation brought back from Niger to President Tinubu was that ECOWAS had erred in threatening the coupists with military action in the first instance, without pushing the diplomatic discussion angle to its full limit.

President Tinubu modified his utterances against the putschists even before he met the delegation on its return, and it would be a strange occurrence if the military option was not kicked into the long grass to ossify.

But if talks were to open between ECOWAS and the Niger regime, what would be the outcome? Surely, the Niger coupists will stick to their position that in carrying out their coup, they were saving their country from ex-president Mohamed Bazoums reasonable actions against Niger (for which they have threatened to put him on trial?)

No, any negotiations between the coupists and the ECOWAS leadership will not be easy. The coupists have adroitly appointed a 21-member new cabinet already, which includes several civilians. This is an obvious ploy to try and pre-empt any demand by ECOWAS, that the soldiers should return the country to civilian rule

The inclusion of the civilians in the new government is also an ingenuous move to prevent the United States and its Western allies from withdrawing aid from Niger. Such a display of smart political footmanship suggests that the coup leaders are being teleguided by some powerful overseas advisors (drawn from Mali and Burkina Faso, (who faced the same problem of recognition after carrying out their own coups.)

The Niger putschists may also be receiving covert political advice from American sources, because the Niger coup leader, General Abdourahmane Tchiani, is reported to have been trained at Fort Benning, an American war college.

Under an anti-jihadist programme launched across the Sahelian countries by Africom, the US has been training senior military officers from the West African Region in its military educational institutions in the US. In Niger, the US has gone further and constructed a major military base at Agades, where specialists in sophisticated drone warfare, drawn from many of the Sahelian countries, have been receiving training.

In fact, an American publication claims that the US has been involved in no less than nine coups detat in the West African region in recent years, including those that occurred in the two countries that have announced the strongest support for the Niger coup  Mali and Burkina Faso.

Unravelling the foreign element in Nigers current politics is, as a result, a very confusing process. For instance, the Niger coupists  like their counterparts in Mali and Burkina Faso  have been making it unwelcome for French troops and personnel to remain on their territory, sometimes accusing the French of being on the side of, or even using the jihadists against the local authorities. Can that be true, or is it a matter of giving a dog a bad name?

For what is not in doubt is that France is fiercely hated by many of the people in its former colonial empire in Africa. They accuse France of filching their countries wealth away, while leaving their people in dire poverty. For example: although French companies mine uranium in Niger, that country is among the five most impoverished nations in the world. Health and educational facilities in Niger are woeful and unemployment is a major problem there.

Hence, Niger, like Mali and Burkina Faso, are attractive to both military and economic adventurists. For instance, the nebulous Russian mercenary group, Wagner, is reported to be offering military services to all and sundry in the region. Is the Russian Government of Vladmir Putin encouraging this? It is difficult to tell.

That Wagner angle in fact raises the following issue: if the Americans have the influence over the top military personnel in Burkina Faso, Mali (and now Niger) as is supposed, why are they tolerating Wagner mercenary activity in the area?

A second question is this: has France ceased, in all but name, to be a trusted NATO ally of the US in West Africa? Do the interests of the two counties really coincide in West Africa?

ECOWAS would be well advised to investigate and expertly weigh all these complex factors, as it ponders its options in seeking a viable solution to the problem posed to it by the Niger situation.

Of course, the ECOWAS leadership rightly detests any violent changes of government in ECOWAS member countries. But the leadership must be clever in reacting to such changes, because being emotional over them cuts no ice. As the saying goes, If wishes were horses, beggars would ride!
The Ho Teaching Hospital (HTH) has asked all relatives of patients at the health post to vacate the premises.

This is to prevent the relatives of patients from continuously spending the night on the corridors of the Out Patient Department (OPD) and the walkways at the hospital.

Relatives of patients currently on admission at the hospital have, however, bemoaned the action by the hospital.

According to them, they are sometimes called during the night to buy medication for the relatives, and, so, it is just appropriate to be close to them.

The relatives of the patients also noted that the facility behind the hospital where they were directed to stay was too far from the facility and not neat for habitation.

A woman, whose husband is on admission at the hospital but is resident in the Oti Region, complained to Class 91.3 FMs Volta regional correspondent Kingsley Attitsogbui: This evening, I came from the ward. When I came back, I saw everybody packing their things, the securities were there, I also packed my things".

She noted that staying far away from the patient can cause her to lose her patient, especially when they need her to buy drugs and she is not available.

She, therefore, appealed to the hospital authorities to rescind their decision to throw them out.

The Director of Administration at the hospital, George Kofi Tetteh, for his part, said: It is rather unfortunate that the patient relative didnt get the position of the hospital.

He explained that the hospital is meant for treating the patient and not the relative, although in certain instances, the relatives are also needed to support the care that is given to the patient.

According to Mr Tetteh, on Friday, 10 August 2023, the hospital directed the security to drive the relatives away.

At times, they become a nuisance to the environment. They litter the environment and the whole place becomes untidy, he said.

Some of them; we dont even know their background, you can have some unscrupulous people also come in to steal the wares of the relatives, so, for now, the hospital hasnt got a place to house these patient relatives, the hospital administrator revealed.

He further revealed that considering the role that relatives of patients play, they sent proposals to Non-Governmental Organisations and some individuals to come to the hospitals aid to enable them put up a decent place to house them.

He appealed to the public to make use of the visiting hours.

He indicated that there is a facility behind the hospital where they can stay instead of hovering around the hospital.

He stressed that the visitors will not be allowed to hover around the premises for now and urged people with peculiar problems to contact the hospitals head of security or the director of administration.

For now, we dont allow them to hover around for their own safety because if you are not careful, youll leave here and then you go home with another sickness, with another disease, he noted.

In the interim, he appealed to the relatives of the patients to stay away from the facility, stressing they can also pick up diseases.

-classfmonline.com
The people of South Sudan have not exercised the right to choose their leaders since the referendum that secured independence from Sudan in 2011 . Instead, they have suffered through cycles of violent conflict that have prevented the democratic transfer of power.

South Sudan descended into violent conflict less than three years after independence. It signed its first peace agreement in 2015 . This collapsed in less than a year and was followed by another wave of violence. The 2015 peace agreement was resuscitated in 2018 with hope it would lead to a newly elected government in February 2023.

After failing to fully implement the 2018 revitalised peace agreement, the signatories extended its term for 24 months to allow for better preparation for elections in December 2024. The elections, however, may be extended again.

I have studied constitution-making, security governance and post-conflict transitions. I also served as a minister in the Government of Southern Sudan and the Sudan National Government of Unity in 2005. In my view, postponing polls has become a currency in South Sudan, making a democratic transition through elections an elusive quest. However, it's possible to hold elections if there is political will.

A recent public opinion survey showed that the majority of South Sudanese are opposed to any further delays to elections. Church leaders and civil society organisations have also called for elections. These sentiments indicate that the South Sudanese are tired of a status quo where the ruling elite clings to political power through endless power-sharing arrangements rather than through the ballot.

Three key things are needed for a credible poll:

electoral laws to guide the process

voter registration and constituency boundaries

a safe environment to vote in.

Providing what's needed

There are major political and logistical challenges in the way of an election in South Sudan. Resolving them will require hard choices and difficult trade-offs.

Electoral laws: one of the big issues in the political reforms process is whether the elections will be conducted under a permanent constitution  which is still being drafted  or the current constitution . A permanent constitution is one of the prerequisites for the conduct of election under the 2018 peace deal. However, tying a permanent constitution to the conduct of elections was unrealistic. Permanent constitution-making takes time. It requires the effective participation of citizens, and the return of internally displaced persons and refugees to their home areas.

Also, the permanent constitution should be ratified by an elected parliament. Not the current handpicked 650 members of the national legislature who are part of South Sudan's elite power-sharing arrangements.

The amended 2011 transitional constitution , the 2012 elections Act and the 2018 revitalised peace agreement can provide the basis for laws to guide the 2024 elections.

Voter registration: another necessary condition for the conduct of elections is a population census. This is important for voter registration and the drawing of constituency boundaries. However, it would be ideal to conduct such a census when there is relative stability, and displaced persons and refugees can return to their homelands.

A population census will take time, though. So how can South Sudan register voters and draw boundaries without one? Political elites need to make the strategic decision to either use the 2010 constituency boundaries, population estimates or voter registration data. Given rapid demographic shifts  40% of the country's population has been forcefully displaced  projections based on the 2008 census could be used to reflect these changes.

The National Bureau of Statistics and other research centres, such as the public policy think-tank Sudd Institute , could objectively make population projections. Combined, these data sets can provide reasonable estimates for voter registration and drawing boundaries for constituencies.

Security, and political and civic space: violent conflict still plagues South Sudan. Should elections be held when there is greater security? Or be organised under the current conditions in the hope that they will produce a legitimate government that promotes peace? A public perceptions survey found that despite the fear of violence, the majority of South Sudanese want elections. Creating a minimum safe and secure environment, which includes political and civic space for elections, is within the reach of political elites. Especially with the unification and deployment of security forces .

What's going right

South Sudan has put in motion two major laws that could help conduct elections.

The first is the progressive National Elections Bill . It proposes a mixed system that allows geographical representation, as well as special parliamentary quota seats for political parties and marginalised groups, such as women, persons with disabilities and the youth. This is aimed at ensuring inclusivity. It also reduces the risk of a single party holding a monopoly of power.

The elections bill has the potential to achieve political stability that rests on the distribution of power and resources to constituencies, as in the case of Kenya .

The second law is the newly amended Political Parties Act . Elections are only as credible as the parties that contest them. The amended law provides mechanisms for regulating political parties. It aims to ensure internal democratic governance and accountability in party constitutions. However, its implementation remains a challenge. For instance, the Political Parties Council hasn't been formed, affecting the registration of political parties.

Most of South Sudan's political parties are at the embryonic stage with limited or no political experience and resources. Investing in building their institutional capacities and governance will be as urgent as funding the elections.

What next?

South Sudan is at a crossroad. Its ruling elites have to decide between continuing on the endless power-sharing path or heed to the demands of the people and embrace elections for state legitimacy and democratic transition.

The latter provides citizens with hope of a better South Sudan governed by elected leaders. Yet, political elites are becoming increasingly calculating and transactional in meeting the minimum conditions for holding elections.

Providing funding for the elections, and related institutions and activities will test political commitment to the poll. The 2023-2024 budget  expected to be an elections budget  failed to allocate resources for the poll.

The challenges facing the 2024 elections can be surmounted by collective political will. This is currently in short supply.

Luka Kuol is affiliated with the Abyei Community Action for Development and the Rift Vally Institute.

By Luka Kuol, Adjunct Professor, University of Juba
15.08.2023 LISTEN

The Special Prosecutor we are told has filed two applications before the High Court for the confirmation of a freezing Order and an application for confiscation in a matter involving Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaa, former Minister for sanitation.

The application for confirmation of the freezing Order and its brother as stated above reminds me of the remarkable days of Hon. Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin's battle with EOCO on such matters.

Particularly in respect of the action taken by the OSP, one popular decision that comes to mind is the decision of the High Court in *Economic and Organized Crime OfficeApplicant /Respondent v Investments Strategies Enterprise [ Daniel Addo 2nd Respondent*] 

The above case was handled by the Deputy Majority Leader and Member of Parliament for Effutu Constituency, Hon. Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin.

In that case, EOCO had made an application for the confirmation of a freezing Oder on allegation that, the 2nd Respondent was being investigated for money laundering

The contention of the 2nd Respondent/Applicant was that, they were not informed of the basis for the freezing neither were they invited to volunteer any statement. However, upon receipt of that letter(herein referred to as Exhibit DA1), the 2nd Respondent/Applicant went to the Office of the Applicant/Respondent and provided all the necessary documentation/information to facilitate and assist in any investigation by the Respondent/Applicant as to the source of the funds.

It is worth noting that, the application for the de-freezing order was hinged on Article 296(a)&(b) of the 1992 Constitution; section 38(1)(a)(i) of Act 804 and Order 19 r 1(1) of CI 47.

Counsel for the 2nd Respondent/ Applicant in In moving the application, relied on all the averments set out in the affidavit.

He next referred to the affidavit in support of the ex parte application filed by the Applicant/Respondent for the confirmation of the freezing and argued that, E.O.C.O was holding on to the Respondents/ Applicants bank accounts on a mere suspicion that, they are engaged in some offences.

Counsel for the Respondent /Applicant however, argued that, the suspicion ought to be reasonable and not a mere one.

In support, counsel for the Respondent/ Applicant referred the court to The State v Ali Kassena (1962) 1 GLR 144 @ 149 wherein the then Supreme Court adopted and applied the principle established by Lord Wright set out here below in the English case of Caswell v Powell Duffryn Associated Collieries Ltd (1940) AC 152: where the court applied a text for what constitutes reasonable suspicion.

The court held that," There can be no inference unless there are objective facts from

which to infer the other facts which it is sought to establish.

learned Counsel for the Respondent /Applicant, Hon. Alexander Kwamena Afenyo -Markin also referred to the famous decision of the court in Tagor v Republic (2009) 23 MLRG 1  199 p.78 and underscored the principle that the, duty to prove charges against another beyond reasonable doubt was a standard one; it does not change according to the status or disposition of either the Accused or a suspect or the complainant involved; neither do they change according to the charges proffered nor public perception, concern or reaction in respect of the offence or the accused person in question.

Counsel for the Respondent/ Application in cementing his arguement added that, it was not about the reaction of or what the E.O.C.O have said but that the burden still remained that, he who was suspecting money laundering ought to prove it.

According to counsel for the Respondent /Applicant contended that, EOCO had refer charges against the Respondents/Applicants or confront them with any substantial evidence in any offence, and that, the the continued denial of the Respondents/Applicants of the use of the funds in their accounts amounts to an infringement of their right as enshrined in Article 18 of the 1992 Constitution.

After the eloquent submission by counsel for the Respondent /Applicant, he urged on the court to defreeze the account and to grant the Applicants unhindered access to the funds in their accounts..

The High Court after careful consideration of the submissions by the parties took notice of Interpretation section of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2008 (Act 749).

It defines any transaction being suspicious as a matter which is beyond mere speculations and based on some foundation.

In other words, there must be a basis for suspicion that the offence of money laundering has been or is being committed.

According to the court because the banks (relevant institutions) do not have to subject the suspicious transaction to any scientific analysis or any detailed investigations before filing the S.T.Rs , the test applied is subjective and not an objective test.

It is important to understand that, once suspicion has been aroused, the institution must make a report and pass on the investigative process to the Financial Intelligence Centre (F.I.C) and E.O.C.O.

The court held the view that, from a compliance perspective ,the best way to explain a suspicious transaction is a behaviour which to the eye of the observer appears to be unusual or out of context in the circumstances within which it is observed. See: Money Laundering  A Practical Guide to the New Legislation by Rowan Bosworth Davies & Graham Saltmarsh, (Chapman & Hall, London 1994) p. 174.

The court further held that, Indeed ,a reasonable suspicion must be based on specific and obvious facts when all taken together, there could be rational inferences from the facts.

It is Instructive to note that, the United States, like all other common law jurisdictions, reasonable suspicion is a legal standard of proof.

*In TERRY v OHIO, 392 U.S. 1, 29 (1968)* the U.S. Supreme Court held that reasonable suspicion is evaluated using the reasonable person or reasonable officer standard in which said person in the same circumstances could reasonably believe a person has been, is, or is about to be engaged in criminal activity; it depends upon the totality of particular facts, even if each is individually innocuous."

Because, EOCO could not establish the reasonable basis for the suspicion, the court upheld the argument of Learned counsel for the Respondent/Applicant and lifted the freezing Order.

A life style Audit of a Public office Holder is not a justifiable ground for freezing of the person's bank Account neither can same also lead to the confiscation of any form of asset of that person.

The freezing of the Bank Account of the person and confiscation thereof must follow an adverse findings of the life style Audit of the person,

I hold the humble view that, since Madam Cecilia Dapaa is not being investigated for having committed an offence which falls under the mandate and purview of the OSP, the application for the confirmation of a freezing Order and confiscation is misconceived.

We are told that, the OSP is conducting a lifestyle Audit of the Former Minister for Sanitation having regard to the large volumes of" cash" suspected to have been stolen from her house as a Public Office Holder.

The latest steps taken by the OSP could only follow after an adverse findings of the life style Audit. As we speak, the former sanitation Minister has not formally been charged for any offence so what is the basis for confiscation?

In *Nii Nueh Odonkor v Executive Director ( EOCO), & Another* which was also handled by Hon.Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, it was held that, where the court proceeds to make a confiscation order it must be satisfied that, the person against whom the order is being made is either a convict of a serious crime or is on trial for a serious crime.

As it stands now, Madam Cecilia Dapaa is not a convict neither is she standing trial for a serious crime. Therefore the absence of any of the above makes the application for confiscation an abuse of the powers of the OSP.

Something seriously doesn't add up concerning the latest steps taken by the OSP.

Dawda Eric

15th August, 2023
World Vision Ghana W.V.G has held an exit durbar in Atebubu to bring closure to over two decades of service to communities in the Atebubu-Amantin municipality.

Addressing a gathering of staff of the municipal assembly, traditional authorities, partners, beneficiary communities, educational institutions and other government departments, under the theme "Celebrating 23 years of Service to the most Vulnerable," Mr. Joshua Baidoo the Director for Integrated Programmes of W.V.G said the activities of his outfit has directly reached and impacted over 85,000 lives in 160 communities in the municipality.

He said to improve water, sanitation and hygiene, WVG has provided 452 boreholes and wells in beneficiary communities as well as constructed and mechanized 7 high yielding boreholes and 206 improved latrines in schools and health facilities.

In education, Mr. Baidoo said the NGO constructed and furnished 10 school blocks and rehabilitated 8 classroom blocks and teachers quarters in beneficiary communities.

"World Vision Ghana also supported 1980 needy but brilliant students to further their education in addition to the support for adult literacy programmes among others.

"To improve health, WVG built a community health center and three traditional birth and delivery centers as well as supported a number of immunization campaigns," he stated.

The Director for Integrated Programmes said the NGO funded a number of gari processing facilities in addition to the training of community members in bee-keeping, grass cutter rearing and smart agriculture techniques to ensure food security and economic empowerment.

He added that the savings for transformation groups also led to easy access to finance for farming and other entrepreneurial activities thereby improving incomes.

Mr. Baidoo indicated that over 3000 children benefitted from child sponsorships whiles 50 houses were built with about 250 others renovated under the family sponsorship model.

He said through the advocacy of the NGO, societal ills like child abuse, child labor, child marriage and open defecation have reduced drastically.

I will like to urge the municipal assembly, traditional authorities, beneficiary communities and other stakeholders to team up to ensure that the gains made are consolidated for the development of the municipality, Mr. Baidoo emphasised.

The Atebubu-Amantin Municipal Chief Executive Hon. Edward Owusu expressed his gratitude to W.V.G for the immeasurable support to the municipality and urged other development partners to come in and fill the void created in order to boost the development agenda of the municipality.

He assured the NGO that the municipal assembly in collaboration with the traditional authorities will work together to ensure that its legacy is sustained and improved for the betterment of the people.

World Vision Ghana presented plaques and citations to the municipal assembly, the Atebubu Traditional Council, partners and community volunteers.

The function was chaired by Nana Kwabena Kyere III, Adontenhene of the Atebubu traditional area.
15.08.2023 LISTEN

The Management of Kumasi Technical University (KsTU) has granted amnesty to some 648 who had their courses deferred for failing to do their mandated registration on time for the second semester.

The University's management say they have rescinded their decision to defer the students who failed to register for Second Semester for the 2022/2023 Academic Year.

The University after an emergency meeting held on Monday, August 14, 2023 said a special examination shall be organized later for the non-registered students after the ongoing second-semester examination.

This was revealed by the Acting University Relations Officer; Mr Joshua Appiah during an interview with Captain Koda host of the Kumasi-based OTEC 102.9 FM's morning show "Nyansapo" on Tuesday August 15, 2023

The decision according to him followed a passionate appeal from the students who could not register on time to complete their various courses.

Background

Over 600 students of the Kumasi Technical University (KsTU) on Friday trooped to the premises of OTEC FM to plead to the Universitys management to reconsider its decision asking them to defer their programmes following their inability to register for their courses.

A total of 648 students who were not been able to register for their courses were banned from participating in the ongoing end-of-semester examination and will automatically defer their courses.

The affected students although admit their failure to register for the courses, they were appealing to the Universitys management to tamper justice with mercy.

Mr Joshua Appiah has however ever revealed that the affected students have until Tuesday, August 22, 2023 to send their details to their heads of department for the final arrangement of the special examination.

He however noted that the University will not give any window of opportunity for students who will not comply with the new directive.
Some madmen have allegedly been deployed to the township of Akyem Oda in the Birim Central Municipality of the Eastern Region, as the chiefs and residents share their frustration over the incident.

Some drivers who work at dawn in Akyem Oda also alleged that they have been seeing some container vans that come to the town and stop at vantage points to drop those mad people but couldnt identify those vehicles with their registration numbers.

The madmen's presence is causing fear and panic among the residents as they fear their lives are in danger especially school children who walk along the road to their various schools.

However, the Municipal Chief Executive of the area, Victoria Adu who equally expressed worry over the incident explained that the mentally challenged people have invaded the entire streets of the Oda township as they suspect they were being dumped into the town at dawn by unidentified psychiatric hospitals from Accra.

Aside from the MCE's concerns, some of the residents also lamented that the number of mad people has increased tremendously in the Municipal capital which according to them are not indigenes of Akyem Oda.

The MCE, Victoria Adu further expressed that she will consult the security agents in the municipality to stop anyone who tries to dump such people into the town as speculated by the people.

Meanwhile, the Krontihene of Akyem Kotoku traditional area; Obrempong Gyamfi Saforokyere II also appealed to the government to take immediate steps to halt the invasion of the madmen to the town as soon as possible.

-DGN online
15.08.2023 LISTEN

The Minority Chief Whip, Kwame Agbodza has accused Advisory Board member of the Bank of Ghana Prof. Stephen Adei of not having the interest of the country at heart.

According to the MP, the former Board Chairman of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) does not care about saving the Ghanaian economy from collapse.

This comes after Prof. Stephen Adei described as reckless and irresponsible the demand of the Minority asking the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Ernest Addison to resign for supervising the mismanagement of the Central Bank.

In a statement to react, Kwame Agbodza said Prof. Addai is part of the problems of the country.

Time and again, Prof. Adei has demonstrated through his hypocritical and lopsided positions and commentary on critical national issues, that all he cares about is his political affiliation and loyalty to his friends in government.

The likes of Prof. Addai are not interested in saving the collapse of the country, but he is more interested in saving his political party. That is most unfortunate and self-serving, the Minority Chief Whip said.

Below is the response from Kwame Agbodza:

RE: BoG LOSSES - YOU ARE A RECKLESS AND IRRESPONSIBLE OPPOSITION - PROF. ADEI TO NDC

It is rather sad that people like Prof. Stephen Adei have constantly chosen to be part of the problems of our nation and not the solution. Time and again, Prof. Adei has demonstrated through his hypocritical and lopsided positions and commentary on critical national issues, that all he cares about is his political affiliation and loyalty to his friends in government. A short trip down memory lane proves that Prof. Adei is always on the wrong side of history. Not long ago, this same Prof. Adei addressed teachers as criminals.

This same Prof. Adei is on record to have also lauded Ken Ofori-Atta's so-called integrity, despite overwhelming evidence of conflict of interest on the part of the Minister and reckless mishandling of Ghanas economy.

While Prof. Adei agrees entirely with the NDC Minority on our position that it is utterly reckless, unjustified and nation-wrecking for the Bank of Ghana to commit as much as $250 million into an unconscionable new Head Office building at a time the Bank has recorded huge losses amidst all our economic challenges, the good-old Professor shockingly posits that it is "reckless and irresponsible" for the Minority to demand the immediate resignation of the people who have so crassly mismanaged and run down our Central Bank, the economy and the livelihoods of Ghanaians.

Prof. Adei strangely believes that the resignation of the BoG Governor and his team that has caused this bankruptcy and contributed largely to the untold hardships Ghanaians are experiencing, will bring a "gargantuan problem" to our currency and lower confidence in our economy.

For his information, the worse has already happened no thanks to the clueless mis-managers at the Bank of Ghana, led by Governor Addison who have aided and abeted the destruction of the Ghanaian economy by this Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government.

What Prof. Adei fails to address his mind to is the fact that we are already in a gargantuan mess, and the most reckless and irresponsible thing to do is to keep quiet and allow the architects of this crass incompetence and mismanagement to remain at post.

This will be the greatest disservice to our nation! The likes of Prof. Adei are not interested in saving the collapse of the country, but are more interested in saving their political party. That is most unfortunate and self-serving.
15.08.2023 LISTEN

Dennis Miracles Aboagye, the Director of Local Government Services at the Office of the President has slammed the Minority in Parliament for demanding the resignation of Bank of Ghana Governors over mismanagement.

He ridiculed the opposition's stance, highlighting the numerous lives government saved during the global pandemic.

The Minority in Parliament, led by Cassiel Ato Forson, recently voiced their concerns about the financial state of the Bank of Ghana, citing significant losses of GH60.8 billion.

However, Miracles Aboagye in an interview on Peace FMs Kokrokoo morning show challenged the opposition's claims, particularly in light of the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He pointed out that President Akufo-Addo's measures saved millions of lives during the covid-19 pandemic, even though they came at a significant cost to the nation.

Many of these measures he indicated required financial support that had to be sourced from the Bank of Ghana to protect the citizens.

Miracles indicated that government's commitment to safeguarding the lives of Ghanaians during the challenging times of the pandemic would be remembered by Ghanaians.

"In the very near future, within our lifetime, we as a people of Ghana will remember this government on how we saved the lives of millions of Ghanaians during the global pandemic," Miracles stated.

Responding to the criticisms from the Minority, Miracles indicated that Ghanaians were not gullible to fall for the NDC lies and propaganda.

"They [Ghanaians] are not dumb. When the time comes, they know how to make their decisions. Between the NPP and the NDC, they know who in the midst of crises will be willing to stand by them," he asserted.
Dennis Miracles Aboagye, a presidential staffer, has opined on the recent calls by the Minority in Parliament and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the Governors of the Bank of Ghana to resign.

The Minority in Parliament asked the Governors of the Bank of Ghana to step down following a report revealing GH60.8 billion loss incurred by the central bank.

In reaction to this on the Kokrokoo morning show on Peace FM, Mr Aboagye rubbished the action of the Minority.

He highlighted the efforts of President Akufo-Addo during the COVID-19 pandemic, which he stated saved the lives of millions of Ghanaians.

Monitored by ModernGhana News, Mr Aboagye commended the President's efforts and stated that Ghanaians would not abandon the NPP in difficult times.

He stated, "In the very near future, within our lifetime, we as a people of Ghana will remember this government on how we saved the lives of millions of Ghanaians during the global pandemic.

He emphasized that the people of Ghana know who will stand by them during crisis.

"They are not dumb. When the time comes, they know how to make their decisions. Between the NPP and the NDC, they know who in the midst of crises will be willing to stand by them," Aboagye stressed.
Likewise, it highlighted the drive and strength of their people, as well as the tradition, culture, and history of these three regions.

? Feliz aniversario Arequipa, Huanuco y Piura! Destacamos hoy el empuje y la fuerza de su gente, su tradicion, cultura e historia. Renovamos el compromiso del Ejecutivo para seguir trabajando articuladamente en la importante tarea de generar el desarrollo de sus pueblos. pic.twitter.com/tEeFGWyqwx
Kwaku Asante-Boateng, the Deputy Minister for Railway Development has said although Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia ignored him during his campaign visit to Asankare, there is no cause for alarm.

According to Mr. Asante-Boateng, he still holds the Vice President in high regard though he is a known advocate of Alan Kyerematen.

He said the media reports are false and malicious.

When Vice President Dr. Bawumia came to Asankare, we decided to go welcome him and some members of his team, none of them greeted me when I extended a hand. I wish to put on record that I never said the Vice President disrespected me. Rather, I bemoaned the continuous disrespect shown to me by some members of his team.

I wish to state categorically that I have a very good relationship with His Excellency the Vice President, Dr. Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia, and that His Excellency has on no occasion, shown any sign of disrespect to me, both in government and as a member of the NPP, throughout the period of my association with him, spanning from 2007 to date, Kwaku Asante-Boateng clarified.

According to the Deputy Railway Minister, the manner in which some members of Bawumia's camp snubbed him during their visit to constituencies in the Asante Akyem area leaves much to be desired.

On the back of this, the Asante Akim South Constituency Member of Parliament (MP) emphasized that his criticism was directed at certain members of the team and not the vice president himself.

To this end, the Deputy Railway Minister apologized to Dr. Bawumia for any harm caused by the media misrepresentation of his statements and urged fellow New Patriotic Party (NPP) members and Ghanaians to disregard the false reports.
Niger's military-appointed prime minister made an unannounced visit to neighbouring Chad on Tuesday as West African states set talks for mulling possible military intervention to reverse his country's coup and the United States and Russia urged a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, a civilian appointed by the military rulers who ousted Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26, arrived in Chad for a "working visit," the Chadian government said on Facebook.

Niger's military-appointed prime minister, seen here in a 2008 file picture, made an unannounced visit to Chad. By KAREN BLEIER (AFP)

In a statement issued after meeting Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, Zeine said he had brought a message of "good neighbourliness and good fraternity" from the head of Niger's regime.

"We are in a process of transition, we discussed the ins and outs and reiterated our availability to remain open and talk with all parties, but insist on our country's independence," he said.

Deby, a key player in the unstable Sahel, had flown to the Nigerien capital Niamey four days after the coup.

Photos later showed him pictured next to the detained Bazoum and, separately, with one of the regime's leaders, General Salifou Mody.

Diplomacy call

Zeine's unannounced visit came hours after sources in the region said military chiefs from the regional bloc ECOWAS would meet in Ghana on Thursday and Friday to discuss possible intervention in Niger.

The meeting -- originally scheduled for last Saturday but then postponed -- flows from an ECOWAS summit last week which approved deployment of a "standby force to restore constitutional order" in Niger.

Analysts say military intervention would be operationally risky and politically hazardous, given divisions within ECOWAS ranks and fears of worsening the Sahel's chronic instability.

The West African bloc ECOWAS has intervened militarily six times among its members since 1990. By Nipah Dennis (AFP/File)

But the option of force also came with the bloc's insistence that it preferred a diplomatic outcome -- a scenario that Washington strongly backed on Tuesday.

"I believe that there continues to be space for diplomacy in achieving that result," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters.

"The pressure that's been exerted by many countries including through ECOWAS on the military leaders responsible for disrupting the constitutional order in Niger is mounting.

"I think they have to take that into account, as well as the fact that their actions have isolated them from the region and the world."

Russian President Vladimir Putin called for a "peaceful political and diplomatic" resolution to the crisis in a phone call with Mali's junta leader, Assimi Goita, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

Shock wave

Economic Community of West African States. By Nalini LEPETIT-CHELLA (AFP)

President Mohamed Bazoum's election in 2021 was a landmark in Niger's history, ushering in the country's first peaceful transfer of power since independence from France in 1960.

His ousting unleashed a shock wave around West Africa, where Mali and Burkina Faso -- likewise battered by a jihadist insurgency -- have also suffered military takeovers.

ECOWAS -- the Economic Community of West African States -- applied a tough roster of trade and financial sanctions, while France, Germany and the United States suspended their aid programmes.

The regional bloc gave the new regime a one-week ultimatum on July 30 to restore Bazoum or face the potential use of force, but the deadline expired without action.

Niger's military regime has sent mixed signals since the crisis erupted.

At the weekend, the coup leaders said they were open to a diplomatic push after their chief, General Abdourahamane Tiani, met with Nigerian religious mediators.

Those talks came after the ECOWAS military meeting in Ghana was postponed for "technical reasons".

But on Sunday night, Niger's rulers declared they had gathered sufficient evidence to prosecute Bazoum for "high treason and undermining internal and external security".

The legal threat was angrily condemned by ECOWAS, which lashed it as a contradiction of the regime's "reported willingness" to explore peaceful means. Washington said it was "incredibly dismayed".

The row overshadowed talks under African Union (AU) auspices that began on Monday in Addis Ababa, bringing together representatives from the regime and ECOWAS.

Poor and unstable

A landlocked nation in the heart of the arid Sahel, Niger is one of the world's poorest and most turbulent countries.

Bazoum, 63, survived two attempted coups before being ousted, in the fifth putsch in the country's history.

Supporters of the coup at a rally at a stadium in Niamey on Sunday. By - (AFP)

His ousting deals a huge blow to French and US strategy in the Sahel.

France refocused its anti-jihadist operations on Niger after withdrawing from Mali and Burkina Faso last year following a bust-up with their juntas.

International concern is mounting for the state of Bazoum, his wife and son, who have been held at the president's official residence since the coup.

burx-pid-cma/pvh/ri
Niger's junta has no legitimacy to try President Mohamed Bazoum, exiled foreign minister Hassoumi Massoudou told RFI and France 24 in an interview.

Massoudou spoke of Bazoum's legitimacy as Niger's democratically elected leader. Ecowas, the 15-nation regional political and economic bloc has also underlined Bazoum's position.

The military generals, who seized power on 26 July, said on Sunday evening that they plan to prosecute Bazoum for alleged treason and security risks.

Niger's military junta has no right to prosecute the country's deposed leader, Massoudou said in the interview.

"It's a hostage-taking situation and as a ransom of the hostage-taking, the junta asks to stay in power through a transition. The goal of all putsches is a transition.

"Ecowas can no longer accept that the law of arms prevails over the law of the ballot box."

Massoudou called for constitutional order to be restored through negotiations.

"I think there is no choice and that Bazoum will necessarily be free," he added. "I do not see how they can continue in this trajectory."

Since Bazoum was ousted by members of the presidential guard, he has been under house arrest with his wife and son in the presidential compound in the capital, Niamey.

International pressure

The junta has faced mounting international pressure to release and reinstate him.

Immediately after the coup, Ecowas gave the regime seven days to return Bazoum to power and threatened to use military force if that did not happen.

However, the deadline passed with no action taken by either side.

A military intervention is on the Ecowas agenda but can still be avoided, Massoudou insisted.

"There is no situation of conflict between Nigeriens. There is an undemocratic situation that has been created by the junta and Ecowas is determined not to accept this."
The Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu Constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has made fun of the cousin of President Akufo-Addo, Gabby Otchere-Darko during a clash on social media.

This is a continuation of the back-and-forth between the two on the alleged 'Kitchen Scandal' brought to light by the MP.

Lawyer Otchere-Darko in a post on Twitter today argued that if indeed he was Ghanas Prime Minister as he is often tagged then why is he finding it difficult to get Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to agree to even sit to negotiate to pay his client, West Blue.

The post was made in reaction to a story attributed to Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa in which he says government has refused to pay GHS187.3 million judgment debt to West Blue, a client of Mr. Gabby Otchere-Darko.

If there is one thing I am grateful to Okudzeto for is for bursting the bubble of Prime Minister. I am that influential and yet I cannot for over 2yrs get a man I am very, very close to, the Finance Minister, to agree to even sit to negotiate to pay my client even when the words of the contract favour my clients case! Yes, since 2020, Ken Ofori-Atta and his office have never once agreed to sit down with lawyers of the client to negotiate the arrears owed. Not once. He simply refuses to accept liability, Gabby Otchere-Darko said in his post.

Commenting on the post, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa ridiculed Gabby Otchere-Darko saying, Prime Minister in Pains and Tears with the laughing emoji at the end.

According to him, whatever argument Gabby Otchere-Darko makes is not important but what really matters is the incontrovertible fact that the Kitchen Scandal expose he brought out has saved Ghanaians a staggering GHS187.3 million.

Cash-out aborted! We successfully saved the battered public purse, the North Tongu MP said.
FS KKR Capital Corp. (NYSE:FSK  Get Free Report) insider Daniel Pietrzak bought 5,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Friday, August 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $20.12 per share, with a total value of $100,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 32,500 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $653,900. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

FS KKR Capital Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE FSK traded up $0.09 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $20.25. 1,006,076 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,028,995. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.67 billion, a PE ratio of 19.96 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.69 and a current ratio of 1.69. FS KKR Capital Corp. has a 1-year low of $16.70 and a 1-year high of $22.48. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $19.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $19.17.

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FS KKR Capital (NYSE:FSK  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 7th. The company reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $462.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $449.67 million. FS KKR Capital had a return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 15.80%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.67 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that FS KKR Capital Corp. will post 3.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

FS KKR Capital Announces Dividend

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 13th will be paid a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 12th. FS KKR Capitals payout ratio is 253.47%.

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of FS KKR Capital by 0.9% in the second quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 62,906 shares of the companys stock worth $1,207,000 after acquiring an additional 534 shares during the last quarter. Lincoln National Corp grew its stake in shares of FS KKR Capital by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Lincoln National Corp now owns 32,169 shares of the companys stock valued at $617,000 after buying an additional 541 shares during the period. Brookstone Capital Management grew its stake in shares of FS KKR Capital by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 27,630 shares of the companys stock valued at $518,000 after buying an additional 575 shares during the period. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of FS KKR Capital by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 51,135 shares of the companys stock worth $946,000 after buying an additional 585 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. raised its position in shares of FS KKR Capital by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 85,139 shares of the companys stock worth $1,575,000 after buying an additional 624 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 33.66% of the companys stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FSK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. TheStreet cut shares of FS KKR Capital from a b- rating to a c rating in a research note on Thursday. B. Riley initiated coverage on FS KKR Capital in a research report on Thursday, July 27th. They set a buy rating and a $21.00 price target for the company. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price target on FS KKR Capital from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a report on Wednesday, August 9th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $21.36.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on FS KKR Capital

About FS KKR Capital

(Get Free Report)

FS KKR Capital Corp. is a business development company specializing in investments in debt securities. It provides customized credit solutions to private middle market U.S. companies. It invest primarily in the senior secured debt and, to a lesser extent, the subordinated debt of private middle market U.S.

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Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. (NYSE:HLX  Get Free Report) Director John Lovoi sold 15,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.69, for a total value of $145,350.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 340,249 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,297,012.81. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Helix Energy Solutions Group Trading Down 2.3 %

Shares of HLX stock traded down $0.22 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $9.46. The company had a trading volume of 1,359,473 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,780,401. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 1.34. Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $3.57 and a twelve month high of $10.14. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $8.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $7.70.

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Hedge Funds Weigh In On Helix Energy Solutions Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of Helix Energy Solutions Group by 351.8% during the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 4,479,594 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $34,672,000 after purchasing an additional 3,488,194 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in Helix Energy Solutions Group by 107.8% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 5,927,133 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $43,742,000 after buying an additional 3,075,062 shares in the last quarter. Encompass Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Helix Energy Solutions Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $14,665,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Helix Energy Solutions Group by 20.7% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 9,621,561 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $74,471,000 after acquiring an additional 1,649,169 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Helix Energy Solutions Group by 202.6% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,177,004 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $10,406,000 after acquiring an additional 1,457,577 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.52% of the companys stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Helix Energy Solutions Group from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Monday, July 31st. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Helix Energy Solutions Group in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating for the company. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Helix Energy Solutions Group from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, July 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $12.33.

View Our Latest Analysis on HLX

About Helix Energy Solutions Group

(Get Free Report)

Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, an offshore energy services company, provides specialty services to the offshore energy industry in Brazil, the Gulf of Mexico, the East Coast of the United States, North Sea, the Asia Pacific, and West Africa regions. The company operates through Well Intervention, Robotics, Production Facilities, and Shallow Water Abandonment segments.

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ManpowerGroup Inc. (NYSE:MAN  Get Free Report) saw a large drop in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,270,000 shares, a drop of 24.4% from the July 15th total of 1,680,000 shares. Currently, 2.6% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 385,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.3 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MAN has been the topic of a number of research reports. UBS Group started coverage on shares of ManpowerGroup in a research note on Wednesday, May 31st. They issued a neutral rating and a $77.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded ManpowerGroup from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Saturday, June 3rd. Argus cut ManpowerGroup from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Thursday, April 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on ManpowerGroup from $69.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a sell rating in a report on Friday, July 21st. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price objective on ManpowerGroup from $92.00 to $80.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $82.50.

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Read Our Latest Analysis on MAN

Insider Activity

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ManpowerGroup

In other ManpowerGroup news, SVP Donald O. Mondano sold 2,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.40, for a total transaction of $162,800.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 3,440 shares of the companys stock, valued at $280,016. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link . Insiders own 2.40% of the companys stock.

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in ManpowerGroup in the first quarter valued at about $907,000. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC acquired a new stake in ManpowerGroup in the first quarter valued at approximately $267,000. Bank of Montreal Can grew its stake in shares of ManpowerGroup by 104.8% during the first quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 21,293 shares of the business services providers stock worth $2,143,000 after buying an additional 10,894 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of ManpowerGroup by 33.5% during the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 35,079 shares of the business services providers stock worth $3,295,000 after buying an additional 8,794 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS increased its holdings in shares of ManpowerGroup by 10.5% during the first quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 19,878 shares of the business services providers stock worth $1,867,000 after buying an additional 1,895 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.95% of the companys stock.

ManpowerGroup Price Performance

Shares of MAN traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $76.56. 211,336 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 356,423. ManpowerGroup has a fifty-two week low of $64.00 and a fifty-two week high of $92.43. The firms fifty day moving average is $79.06 and its 200 day moving average is $79.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company has a market cap of $3.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.02, a P/E/G ratio of 7.46 and a beta of 1.66.

ManpowerGroup (NYSE:MAN  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 20th. The business services provider reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.62 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $4.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.85 billion. ManpowerGroup had a net margin of 1.58% and a return on equity of 15.66%. ManpowerGroups quarterly revenue was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.33 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that ManpowerGroup will post 5.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About ManpowerGroup

(Get Free Report)

ManpowerGroup Inc provides workforce solutions and services in the Americas, Southern Europe, Northern Europe, and the Asia Pacific Middle East region. The company offers recruitment services, including permanent, temporary, and contract recruitment of professionals, as well as administrative and industrial positions under the Manpower and Experis brands.

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1620 Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK  Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 33,216 shares of the industrial products companys stock, valued at approximately $266,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ROK. New Hampshire Trust bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Neo Ivy Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Clear Street Markets LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Delta Asset Management LLC TN bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, First Manhattan Co. increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 150.0% in the 4th quarter. First Manhattan Co. now owns 125 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.28% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on ROK. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $270.00 in a research report on Friday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $340.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $290.00 in a research note on Monday, July 10th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Tuesday, June 27th. They issued a hold rating and a $335.00 target price for the company. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Rockwell Automation from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 2nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $288.24.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ROK traded down $2.77 on Tuesday, hitting $296.39. The company had a trading volume of 140,130 shares, compared to its average volume of 738,380. The stock has a market cap of $34.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.43. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $321.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $296.83. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $209.27 and a 1-year high of $348.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $3.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $3.19 by ($0.18). The firm had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.33 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 40.33% and a net margin of 16.51%. Rockwell Automations revenue for the quarter was up 13.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.66 EPS. Analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 11.92 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 14th will be paid a $1.18 dividend. This represents a $4.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 11th. Rockwell Automations dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Frank C. Kulaszewicz sold 7,729 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total value of $2,395,990.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 13,660 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,234,600. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Frank C. Kulaszewicz sold 7,729 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total value of $2,395,990.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 13,660 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,234,600. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 677 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $301.18, for a total transaction of $203,898.86. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,880 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $867,398.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 15,338 shares of company stock valued at $4,736,430 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.64% of the companys stock.

Rockwell Automation Company Profile

(Free Report)

Rockwell Automation, Inc provides industrial automation and digital transformation solutions in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The company operates through three segments, Intelligent Devices, Software & Control, and Lifecycle Services. Its solutions include hardware and software products and services.

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1620 Investment Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS  Free Report) by 1.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,725 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 121 shares during the period. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc.s holdings in Novartis were worth $803,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in NVS. BlackRock Inc. increased its stake in shares of Novartis by 18.3% during the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 1,556,539 shares of the companys stock valued at $136,587,000 after buying an additional 240,710 shares during the period. Dakota Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Novartis by 3.9% during the first quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 4,869 shares of the companys stock valued at $427,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Novartis by 42.4% during the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 10,996 shares of the companys stock valued at $965,000 after buying an additional 3,272 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Novartis by 4.5% in the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 95,477 shares of the companys stock valued at $8,379,000 after purchasing an additional 4,122 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zions Bancorporation N.A. grew its stake in Novartis by 22.8% in the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 3,528 shares of the companys stock valued at $309,000 after purchasing an additional 655 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 8.07% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on NVS shares. StockNews.com started coverage on Novartis in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a strong-buy rating on the stock. BTIG Research lifted their target price on Novartis from $75.00 to $85.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. HSBC started coverage on Novartis in a research note on Friday, July 14th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $82.25.

Novartis Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NVS traded down $0.39 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $102.98. 534,052 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,006,932. The business has a 50 day moving average of $101.06 and a 200 day moving average of $95.72. The company has a market capitalization of $218.28 billion, a PE ratio of 28.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.54. Novartis AG has a 1-year low of $74.09 and a 1-year high of $105.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 19th. The company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $13.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.32 million. Novartis had a return on equity of 25.12% and a net margin of 14.76%. Novartiss revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.56 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 6.92 EPS for the current year.

About Novartis

(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.

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Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund bought a new stake in McDonalds Co. (NYSE:MCD  Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 26,061 shares of the fast-food giants stock, valued at approximately $7,287,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MCD. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in McDonalds by 106,340.3% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 19,235,890 shares of the fast-food giants stock valued at $5,069,234,000 after acquiring an additional 19,217,818 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of McDonalds during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,341,360,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in shares of McDonalds by 1,189.7% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,191,692 shares of the fast-food giants stock worth $541,962,000 after purchasing an additional 2,021,754 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its stake in McDonalds by 610.5% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 1,573,100 shares of the fast-food giants stock valued at $414,559,000 after buying an additional 1,351,700 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi grew its holdings in McDonalds by 64.1% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 2,663,063 shares of the fast-food giants stock valued at $715,858,000 after buying an additional 1,039,816 shares during the last quarter. 67.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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McDonalds Price Performance

NYSE MCD traded up $0.03 on Tuesday, reaching $288.84. The company had a trading volume of 864,034 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,542,728. McDonalds Co. has a 1 year low of $230.58 and a 1 year high of $299.35. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $291.97 and a 200-day moving average of $283.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $210.50 billion, a PE ratio of 26.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.64.

McDonalds Dividend Announcement

McDonalds ( NYSE:MCD Get Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The fast-food giant reported $3.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.77 by $0.40. McDonalds had a net margin of 33.06% and a negative return on equity of 139.57%. The business had revenue of $6.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.55 earnings per share. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 13.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that McDonalds Co. will post 11.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 1st will be given a dividend of $1.52 per share. This represents a $6.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 31st. McDonaldss payout ratio is 55.93%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on MCD shares. Guggenheim upped their price objective on McDonalds from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Friday, July 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of McDonalds from $262.00 to $284.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of McDonalds from $315.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, July 17th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on McDonalds from $327.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, July 18th. Finally, Stephens restated an overweight rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of McDonalds in a report on Thursday, July 27th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-three have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $320.55.

Check Out Our Latest Report on McDonalds

Insider Buying and Selling

In other McDonalds news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 3,000 shares of McDonalds stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.52, for a total transaction of $868,560.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,605 shares in the company, valued at approximately $464,679.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other McDonalds news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 2,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.07, for a total transaction of $570,140.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 1,929 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $549,900.03. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 3,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.52, for a total transaction of $868,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,605 shares in the company, valued at approximately $464,679.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 13,974 shares of company stock worth $4,082,530. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About McDonalds

(Free Report)

McDonald's Corporation operates and franchises McDonald's restaurants in the United States and internationally. The company's restaurants offer hamburgers and cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches and nuggets, fries, salads, shakes, frozen desserts, sundaes, soft serve cones, bakery items, soft drinks, coffee, and beverages and other beverages, as well as breakfast menu, including muffins, Sausages, biscuit and bagel sandwiches, oatmeal, hash browns, breakfast burritos and hotcakes.

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Aquila European Renewables Plc (LON:AERS  Get Free Report) announced a dividend on Monday, August 7th, Upcoming.Co.Uk reports. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 17th will be paid a dividend of 0.01 ($0.01) per share on Friday, September 8th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 17th. The official announcement can be viewed at this link.

Aquila European Renewables Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of LON:AERS opened at GBX 75.15 ($0.95) on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of GBX 78.21. Aquila European Renewables has a 1 year low of GBX 73 ($0.93) and a 1 year high of GBX 91 ($1.15).

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StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Argo Group International (NYSE:ARGO  Free Report) in a research report report published on Friday morning. The firm issued a hold rating on the stock.

Separately, TheStreet upgraded Argo Group International from a d+ rating to a c- rating in a research note on Friday, May 26th.

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Read Our Latest Stock Report on Argo Group International

Argo Group International Stock Up 0.0 %

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Argo Group International

Shares of ARGO stock opened at $29.70 on Friday. The firms fifty day moving average price is $29.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $29.53. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Argo Group International has a 1 year low of $19.00 and a 1 year high of $30.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.05 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.20 and a beta of 1.00.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its position in Argo Group International by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 22,288 shares of the companys stock worth $822,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its position in Argo Group International by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 23,984 shares of the companys stock valued at $710,000 after acquiring an additional 530 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 560 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its position in Argo Group International by 17.3% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 4,760 shares of the companys stock valued at $123,000 after acquiring an additional 701 shares during the period. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 713 shares during the period.

About Argo Group International

(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.

Further Reading

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Aryzta Ag (OTCMKTS:ARZTY  Get Free Report) shares dropped 13.4% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $0.75 and last traded at $0.75. Approximately 290 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 95% from the average daily volume of 5,391 shares. The stock had previously closed at $0.86.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on Aryzta in a research note on Monday, June 26th. They issued a buy rating on the stock.

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Aryzta Stock Down 13.4 %

About Aryzta

The business has a 50-day moving average of $0.83 and a 200-day moving average of $0.80.

(Get Free Report)

ARYZTA AG provides frozen B2B baking solutions in Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. It offers pastries, cookies, donuts, muffins, buns, bread rolls and artisan loaves, sweet baked and morning goods, and savory and other products. The company also provides asset management services; and distributes food products.

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Banco Santander S.A. increased its position in shares of Ford Motor (NYSE:F  Free Report) by 97.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 294,196 shares of the auto manufacturers stock after purchasing an additional 145,276 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A.s holdings in Ford Motor were worth $3,707,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in F. Snider Financial Group increased its holdings in Ford Motor by 100,345.2% in the first quarter. Snider Financial Group now owns 219,805,167 shares of the auto manufacturers stock valued at $3,717,000 after buying an additional 219,586,336 shares in the last quarter. Newport Trust Co increased its holdings in Ford Motor by 4.1% in the first quarter. Newport Trust Co now owns 153,594,790 shares of the auto manufacturers stock valued at $1,935,294,000 after buying an additional 6,048,371 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Ford Motor by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 69,911,885 shares of the auto manufacturers stock worth $811,452,000 after purchasing an additional 196,752 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Ford Motor by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 51,251,409 shares of the auto manufacturers stock worth $645,768,000 after purchasing an additional 3,592,076 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Ford Motor during the 4th quarter worth approximately $419,237,000. 53.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on F. TheStreet raised shares of Ford Motor from a c+ rating to a b rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 2nd. Benchmark raised their target price on shares of Ford Motor from $19.00 to $20.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Friday, July 14th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $13.00 to $14.00 in a research note on Monday, July 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $10.00 to $11.00 in a research note on Monday, July 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $15.42.

Ford Motor Stock Up 0.5 %

NYSE F opened at $12.20 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.15, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $14.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $12.88. Ford Motor has a 12 month low of $10.90 and a 12 month high of $16.68. The company has a market capitalization of $48.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.97, a PEG ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.59.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.21. Ford Motor had a net margin of 2.44% and a return on equity of 20.48%. The business had revenue of $44.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $43.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.68 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Ford Motor will post 2.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ford Motor Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 24th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.92%. Ford Motors dividend payout ratio is currently 58.82%.

About Ford Motor

(Free Report)

Ford Motor Company develops, delivers, and services a range of Ford trucks, commercial cars and vans, sport utility vehicles, and Lincoln luxury vehicles worldwide. It operates through Ford Blue, Ford Model e, and Ford Pro; Ford Next; and Ford Credit segments. The company sells Ford and Lincoln vehicles, service parts, and accessories through distributors and dealers, as well as through dealerships to commercial fleet customers, daily rental car companies, and governments.

Further Reading

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OUTFRONT Media (NYSE:OUT  Free Report) had its price objective lowered by Barrington Research from $24.00 to $16.00 in a research note published on Friday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the financial services providers stock.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the company. StockNews.com cut OUTFRONT Media from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Friday, May 12th. Oppenheimer cut OUTFRONT Media from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research report on Friday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut OUTFRONT Media from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $20.00 to $14.00 in a research report on Friday, August 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on OUTFRONT Media from $19.00 to $18.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, OUTFRONT Media has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $16.50.

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OUTFRONT Media Trading Down 3.4 %

OUTFRONT Media Announces Dividend

NYSE OUT opened at $11.24 on Friday. OUTFRONT Media has a twelve month low of $11.11 and a twelve month high of $21.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.21. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $14.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $15.93. The company has a market capitalization of $1.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.43, a PEG ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.69.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 1st will be issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 10.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 31st. OUTFRONT Medias dividend payout ratio is currently -47.24%.

Institutional Trading of OUTFRONT Media

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in OUTFRONT Media by 166.2% in the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,605 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,002 shares during the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in OUTFRONT Media by 116.7% in the 1st quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 1,560 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 840 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in OUTFRONT Media by 223.9% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,629 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,126 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in shares of OUTFRONT Media in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in OUTFRONT Media during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000.

About OUTFRONT Media

(Get Free Report)

OUTFRONT leverages the power of technology, location and creativity to connect brands with consumers outside of their homes through one of the largest and most diverse sets of billboard, transit, and mobile assets in North America. Through its technology platform, OUTFRONT will fundamentally change the ways advertisers engage audiences on-the-go.

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Bell Investment Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of Schwab Fundamental U.S. Small Company Index ETF (NYSEARCA:FNDA  Free Report) by 15.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 285,328 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after acquiring an additional 39,201 shares during the period. Schwab Fundamental U.S. Small Company Index ETF makes up about 3.2% of Bell Investment Advisors Incs investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Bell Investment Advisors Inc owned approximately 0.23% of Schwab Fundamental U.S. Small Company Index ETF worth $13,887,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of FNDA. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Schwab Fundamental U.S. Small Company Index ETF by 20.4% during the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 14,737 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $788,000 after acquiring an additional 2,500 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Schwab Fundamental U.S. Small Company Index ETF by 42.1% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 6,748 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $361,000 after purchasing an additional 1,998 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC increased its stake in Schwab Fundamental U.S. Small Company Index ETF by 38.9% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 5,946 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $318,000 after purchasing an additional 1,666 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management increased its stake in Schwab Fundamental U.S. Small Company Index ETF by 67.6% in the 1st quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 14,113 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $754,000 after purchasing an additional 5,691 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Flow Traders U.S. LLC purchased a new position in Schwab Fundamental U.S. Small Company Index ETF in the 1st quarter worth about $2,364,000.

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Schwab Fundamental U.S. Small Company Index ETF Stock Performance

FNDA traded down $0.62 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $51.26. The company had a trading volume of 149,600 shares, compared to its average volume of 240,917. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $51.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $49.64. The company has a market cap of $6.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.99 and a beta of 1.19. Schwab Fundamental U.S. Small Company Index ETF has a 12-month low of $42.35 and a 12-month high of $53.85.

About Schwab Fundamental U.S. Small Company Index ETF

The Schwab Fundamental U.S. Small Company Index ETF (FNDA) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the Russell RAFI Small Company US index. The fund tracks a fundamentally selected and weighted Russell index of small firms based on adjusted sales, retained operation cash flow, and dividends plus buybacks.

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Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY  Free Report) by 1.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,263,828 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after selling 49,068 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.16% of Bristol-Myers Squibb worth $226,216,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Bristol-Myers Squibb during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,873,696,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 114,228.7% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 21,469,785 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $1,544,751,000 after buying an additional 21,451,006 shares during the period. Boston Partners grew its position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 31.1% during the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 18,080,568 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $1,252,480,000 after buying an additional 4,286,479 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 2,077.2% during the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,049,072 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $280,641,000 after buying an additional 3,863,095 shares during the period. Finally, Mizuho Markets Cayman LP purchased a new position in Bristol-Myers Squibb in the first quarter worth approximately $120,543,000. 74.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Robert M. Plenge sold 732 shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Stock Up 0.6 %

Bristol-Myers Squibb stock opened at $61.61 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $128.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.39, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $63.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.92. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a twelve month low of $59.71 and a twelve month high of $81.43.

Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 27th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.99 by ($0.24). The firm had revenue of $11.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $11.81 billion. Bristol-Myers Squibb had a net margin of 17.62% and a return on equity of 50.51%. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.93 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 7th were issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 6th. Bristol-Myers Squibbs dividend payout ratio is presently 60.64%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on BMY shares. Credit Suisse Group dropped their price objective on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $72.00 to $66.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 12th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an underweight rating and set a $59.00 price objective on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research report on Wednesday, July 19th. 51job reissued a maintains rating on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research report on Friday, April 28th. StockNews.com raised Bristol-Myers Squibb from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Monday, August 7th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a report on Wednesday, June 28th. They set an outperform rating and a $70.00 price objective on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $71.14.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Bristol-Myers Squibb

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Profile

(Free Report)

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company discovers, develops, licenses, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers products for hematology, oncology, cardiovascular, immunology, fibrotic, and neuroscience diseases. The company's products include Eliquis, an oral inhibitor for reduction in risk of stroke/systemic embolism in NVAF, and for the treatment of DVT/PE; Opdivo for anti-cancer indications; Pomalyst/Imnovid indicated for patients with multiple myeloma; Orencia for adult patients with active RA and psoriatic arthritis; and Sprycel for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia.

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CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBRE  Get Free Report) CEO Chandra Dhandapani sold 6,551 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.10, for a total value of $550,939.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 126,644 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $10,650,760.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Chandra Dhandapani also recently made the following trade(s):

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On Tuesday, May 30th, Chandra Dhandapani sold 6,616 shares of CBRE Group stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.38, for a total value of $498,714.08.

CBRE Group Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of CBRE Group stock traded up $0.12 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $84.65. 1,144,882 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,691,514. The company has a market cap of $26.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.02 and a beta of 1.36. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $82.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $79.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.16. CBRE Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $66.31 and a 52 week high of $89.58.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

CBRE Group ( NYSE:CBRE Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $7.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.30 billion. CBRE Group had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 15.42%. CBRE Groups revenue for the quarter was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.83 EPS. Equities analysts expect that CBRE Group, Inc. will post 4.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CBRE. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 376 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of CBRE Group by 64.7% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 8,493 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $618,000 after purchasing an additional 3,335 shares during the last quarter. Korea Investment CORP lifted its position in shares of CBRE Group by 36.1% during the 4th quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 417,604 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $32,139,000 after purchasing an additional 110,783 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its position in CBRE Group by 7.2% during the first quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 279,658 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $20,362,000 after acquiring an additional 18,874 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in CBRE Group by 462.4% during the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 275,311 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $20,045,000 after acquiring an additional 226,356 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.37% of the companys stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on CBRE Group from $85.00 to $84.00 in a report on Friday, June 23rd. Raymond James lowered their price target on shares of CBRE Group from $102.00 to $100.00 and set a strong-buy rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 28th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of CBRE Group in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CBRE Group has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $88.14.

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About CBRE Group

(Get 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.

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AirBoss of America (TSE:BOS  Free Report) had its target price reduced by CIBC from C$7.00 to C$6.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday, BayStreet.CA reports.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Pi Financial cut AirBoss of America from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, July 28th. TD Securities reduced their price objective on AirBoss of America from C$10.50 to C$8.50 and set a speculative buy rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 1st. Cormark boosted their price objective on AirBoss of America from C$5.25 to C$5.50 in a research note on Friday. National Bank Financial restated an outperfrom under weight rating on shares of AirBoss of America in a research note on Thursday, April 13th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group cut AirBoss of America from a buy rating to a hold rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from C$15.00 to C$6.50 in a research note on Friday, July 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of C$8.50.

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AirBoss of America Price Performance

AirBoss of America Announces Dividend

Shares of AirBoss of America stock opened at C$4.94 on Friday. AirBoss of America has a twelve month low of C$4.50 and a twelve month high of C$14.96. The stock has a market capitalization of C$134.02 million, a P/E ratio of -2.52, a PEG ratio of -550.53 and a beta of 1.94. The company has a current ratio of 2.44, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 66.67. The businesss fifty day moving average price is C$6.30 and its 200 day moving average price is C$7.47.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 16th. Investors of record on Friday, September 29th will be paid a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 28th. AirBoss of Americas dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -20.41%.

AirBoss of America Company Profile

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AirBoss of America Corp., together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and markets rubber-based products in Canada, the United States, and internationally. It operates through three segments: AirBoss Defense Group, Rubber Solutions, and Engineered Products. The AirBoss Defense Group segment develops, manufactures, and sells healthcare protective equipment, personal respiratory protective products, rapid deployment negative pressure isolation shelters, and cold weather combat footwear, as well as chemical, biological, radioactive, and nuclear and explosive protective equipment for military, law enforcement, healthcare and industrial providers, and first responders.

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Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its holdings in Canadian Natural Resources Limited (NYSE:CNQ  Free Report) (TSE:CNQ) by 12.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,970,372 shares of the oil and gas producers stock after acquiring an additional 540,209 shares during the period. Canadian Natural Resources comprises approximately 1.5% of Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. owned about 0.45% of Canadian Natural Resources worth $275,038,000 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. Money Concepts Capital Corp purchased a new stake in Canadian Natural Resources during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its stake in Canadian Natural Resources by 57.6% during the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 594 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 217 shares during the period. Delta Asset Management LLC TN purchased a new stake in Canadian Natural Resources during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Natixis bought a new stake in shares of Canadian Natural Resources in the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Glassman Wealth Services increased its position in shares of Canadian Natural Resources by 25.9% in the 4th quarter. Glassman Wealth Services now owns 847 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.24% of the companys stock.

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Canadian Natural Resources Price Performance

Shares of CNQ stock traded down $1.46 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $60.30. 240,574 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,009,550. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.70. The companys 50 day moving average price is $57.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $57.23. Canadian Natural Resources Limited has a 12 month low of $44.45 and a 12 month high of $62.57. The company has a market cap of $65.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.14, a PEG ratio of 11.48 and a beta of 1.58.

Canadian Natural Resources Increases Dividend

Analyst Ratings Changes

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 5th. Investors of record on Friday, September 15th will be issued a $0.6744 dividend. This is an increase from Canadian Natural Resourcess previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $2.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.47%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 14th. Canadian Natural Resourcess payout ratio is presently 52.06%.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Canadian Natural Resources in a research report on Wednesday, July 12th. They issued a buy rating for the company. National Bank Financial downgraded shares of Canadian Natural Resources from an outperform rating to a sector perform rating in a research report on Friday, August 4th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Canadian Natural Resources in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Canadian Natural Resources from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Friday, August 4th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $88.17.

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Canadian Natural Resources Profile

(Free Report)

Canadian Natural Resources Limited acquires, explores for, develops, produces, markets, and sells crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids (NGLs). The company offers light and medium crude oil, primary heavy crude oil, Pelican Lake heavy crude oil, bitumen (thermal oil), and synthetic crude oil (SCO).

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GLG Life Tech (OTCMKTS:GLGLF  Get Free Report) and Bon Natural Life (NYSE:BON  Get Free Report) are both small-cap consumer staples companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, analyst recommendations, risk, profitability, valuation and earnings.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

1.2% of Bon Natural Life shares are held by institutional investors. 26.5% of Bon Natural Life shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

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Earnings & Valuation

This table compares GLG Life Tech and Bon Natural Lifes revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio GLG Life Tech $8.40 million 0.13 -$25.42 million ($0.69) -0.04 Bon Natural Life $29.91 million 0.17 $6.24 million N/A N/A

Profitability

Bon Natural Life has higher revenue and earnings than GLG Life Tech.

This table compares GLG Life Tech and Bon Natural Lifes net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets GLG Life Tech -358.36% N/A -152.28% Bon Natural Life N/A N/A N/A

Risk and Volatility

GLG Life Tech has a beta of 2.1, meaning that its stock price is 110% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Bon Natural Life has a beta of -1.79, meaning that its stock price is 279% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for GLG Life Tech and Bon Natural Life, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score GLG Life Tech 0 0 0 0 N/A Bon Natural Life 0 0 0 0 N/A

Summary

Bon Natural Life beats GLG Life Tech on 7 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About GLG Life Tech

(Get Free Report)

GLG Life Tech Corporation engages in the research, development, growing, refining, and production of natural sweeteners extracted from the stevia plant and monk fruit worldwide. The company also offers P-Pro Plus, a pea protein product; and natural ingredients. It serves in the food and beverage industry. The company was formerly known as GLG Life Tech Limited and changed its name to GLG Life Tech Corporation in March 2007. GLG Life Tech Corporation was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Richmond, Canada.

About Bon Natural Life

(Get Free Report)

Bon Natural Life Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the research and development, manufacture, and sale of functional active ingredients extracted from natural herb plants in the People's Republic of China and internationally. The company provides personal care ingredients, such as plant extracted fragrance compounds to perfume and fragrance manufacturers; natural health supplements comprising powder drinks and bioactive food ingredient products primarily used as food additives; and nutritional supplements. Its products are principally used by manufacturer customers in the functional food, personal care, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. The company was founded in 2006 and is based in Xi'an, the People's Republic of China.

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Deliveroo (OTCMKTS:DROOF  Free Report) had its target price raised by Credit Suisse Group from GBX 159 ($2.02) to GBX 183 ($2.32) in a report published on Friday morning, FlyOnTheWall reports.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on DROOF. BNP Paribas cut shares of Deliveroo from a neutral rating to an underperform rating in a research report on Friday, July 7th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Deliveroo from GBX 135 ($1.71) to GBX 140 ($1.78) in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Deliveroo from GBX 88 ($1.12) to GBX 104 ($1.32) in a report on Friday, July 7th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Deliveroo from GBX 110 ($1.40) to GBX 115 ($1.46) in a research note on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Deliveroo in a research report on Thursday, June 22nd. They set a buy rating for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $137.75.

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Deliveroo Price Performance

About Deliveroo

Shares of DROOF opened at $1.56 on Friday. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $1.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1.26. Deliveroo has a 1-year low of $0.84 and a 1-year high of $1.60.

(Get Free Report)

Deliveroo plc operates an online food delivery platform. It connects local consumers, riders and restaurants, and grocery partners. The company operates in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Italy, Belgium, Hong Kong, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar. Deliveroo plc was founded in 2013 and is based in London, the United Kingdom.

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Dassault Aviation societe anonyme (OTCMKTS:DUAVF  Get Free Report) shares fell 3.1% on Monday . The company traded as low as $191.35 and last traded at $191.35. 79 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 64% from the average session volume of 219 shares. The stock had previously closed at $197.49.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Dassault Aviation societe anonyme in a research note on Tuesday, June 13th. They set an equal weight rating on the stock.

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Dassault Aviation societe anonyme Stock Down 3.1 %

About Dassault Aviation societe anonyme

The companys 50 day moving average price is $193.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $187.44.

(Get Free Report)

Dassault Aviation Societe anonyme designs and builds military aircraft, business jets, and space systems in France, the Americas, and internationally. It offers Rafale, a multirole fighter aircraft; nEUROn, an unmanned combat air vehicle; and Falcon aircraft for maritime surveillance, intelligence, and medical evacuation missions.

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DoubleVerify Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:DV  Get Free Report) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 6,250,000 shares, a drop of 13.1% from the July 15th total of 7,190,000 shares. Approximately 5.8% of the companys stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,700,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.7 days.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Robert Davis Noell sold 12,500,000 shares of DoubleVerify stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.50, for a total value of $406,250,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 260,416 shares in the company, valued at $8,463,520. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other DoubleVerify news, Director Laura Desmond sold 11,002 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.32, for a total value of $443,600.64. Following the sale, the director now owns 179,071 shares in the company, valued at $7,220,142.72. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert Davis Noell sold 12,500,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.50, for a total transaction of $406,250,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 260,416 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $8,463,520. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 25,217,135 shares of company stock worth $820,422,353. Corporate insiders own 3.27% of the companys stock.

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Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Strs Ohio bought a new position in DoubleVerify in the 4th quarter worth approximately $675,000. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of DoubleVerify in the 1st quarter valued at about $543,000. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in shares of DoubleVerify in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,043,000. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC boosted its stake in shares of DoubleVerify by 33.2% in the 1st quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 85,480 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,577,000 after purchasing an additional 21,328 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clear Street Markets LLC bought a new position in shares of DoubleVerify in the 4th quarter valued at about $56,000. Institutional investors own 94.42% of the companys stock.

DoubleVerify Trading Down 0.0 %

DV stock traded down $0.01 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $32.74. The stock had a trading volume of 317,931 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,594,796. DoubleVerify has a 52 week low of $20.38 and a 52 week high of $42.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 109.10 and a beta of 0.89. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $37.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $31.89.

DoubleVerify (NYSE:DV  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 31st. The company reported $0.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.01. DoubleVerify had a net margin of 10.64% and a return on equity of 6.01%. The firm had revenue of $133.74 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $133.39 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.06 EPS. The firms quarterly revenue was up 21.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that DoubleVerify will post 0.36 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on DV. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an outperform rating and issued a $48.00 target price on shares of DoubleVerify in a research report on Tuesday, August 1st. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on DoubleVerify in a report on Tuesday, June 27th. They set an overweight rating and a $44.00 price target on the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on DoubleVerify from $34.00 to $47.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 19th. KeyCorp upped their target price on DoubleVerify from $34.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Monday, July 31st. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of DoubleVerify from $36.00 to $45.00 in a research note on Friday, July 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $43.79.

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DoubleVerify Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

DoubleVerify Holdings, Inc provides a software platform for digital media measurement, and analytics in the United States and internationally. The company provides solutions to advertisers unbiased data analytics that enable advertisers to increase the effectiveness, quality and return on their digital advertising investments.

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Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Louisiana-Pacific Co. (NYSE:LPX  Free Report) by 15.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 56,327 shares of the building manufacturing companys stock after buying an additional 7,623 shares during the quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management owned about 0.08% of Louisiana-Pacific worth $3,053,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Zions Bancorporation N.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Louisiana-Pacific during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Denali Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Louisiana-Pacific by 146.9% during the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 516 shares of the building manufacturing companys stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 307 shares during the period. Belpointe Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Louisiana-Pacific during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in shares of Louisiana-Pacific by 3,494.7% during the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 683 shares of the building manufacturing companys stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 664 shares during the period. Finally, Spire Wealth Management grew its position in shares of Louisiana-Pacific by 32.1% during the 1st quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 799 shares of the building manufacturing companys stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 194 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the companys stock.

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Louisiana-Pacific Trading Up 1.9 %

NYSE LPX opened at $63.87 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.65 and a beta of 1.70. Louisiana-Pacific Co. has a one year low of $48.20 and a one year high of $79.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The businesss fifty day moving average is $70.38 and its 200-day moving average is $63.71.

Louisiana-Pacific Dividend Announcement

Louisiana-Pacific ( NYSE:LPX Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 2nd. The building manufacturing company reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.67 by ($0.12). Louisiana-Pacific had a return on equity of 16.60% and a net margin of 7.96%. The firm had revenue of $611.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $667.04 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.19 EPS. The companys revenue was down 45.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Louisiana-Pacific Co. will post 3.2 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 10th. Louisiana-Pacifics payout ratio is presently 32.54%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on LPX shares. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Louisiana-Pacific from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 3rd. TD Securities reduced their price target on shares of Louisiana-Pacific from $83.00 to $78.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 3rd. DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of Louisiana-Pacific from $65.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 12th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Louisiana-Pacific from $58.00 to $60.00 in a research note on Monday, July 10th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their price objective on Louisiana-Pacific from $82.00 to $79.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $75.60.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on LPX

About Louisiana-Pacific

(Free Report)

Louisiana-Pacific Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides building solutions primarily for use in new home construction, repair and remodeling, and outdoor structure markets. It operates through: Siding, Oriented Strand Board, and South America. The Siding segment offers LP SmartSide trim and siding products, LP SmartSide ExpertFinish trim and siding products, LP BuilderSeries lap siding products, and LP Outdoor Building Solutions; and engineered wood siding, trim, soffit, and fascia products.

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Ethernity Networks Ltd. (LON:ENET  Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The company traded as low as GBX 1.50 ($0.02) and last traded at GBX 1.58 ($0.02), with a volume of 102122 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 1.58 ($0.02).

Ethernity Networks Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 56.32, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a current ratio of 0.75. The firm has a market capitalization of 2.16 million, a P/E ratio of -17.50 and a beta of 1.62. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of GBX 2.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of GBX 4.65.

About Ethernity Networks

(Get Free Report)

Ethernity Networks Ltd. provides technology solutions for telecom, mobile, security, and data center markets in Asia, Europe, Israel, and the United States. The company develops and delivers data processing technology and solutions for carrier Ethernet switching. It provides ENET flow processors for telco/cloud network; ACE-NIC40 SmartNIC, an open flow enabled software acceleration NIC; ACE-NIC50 SmartNIC, which offers 10/25G Ethernet connectivity and field-programmable gate array (FPGA) acceleration; and ACE-NIC100 SmartNIC that provides flexible 10/25/40/100G Ethernet connectivity and programmable FPGA acceleration.

Further Reading

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Hersha Hospitality Trust (NYSE:HT  Get Free Report) saw a significant drop in short interest in July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 823,500 shares, a drop of 13.0% from the July 15th total of 946,200 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 355,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.3 days. Approximately 2.5% of the companys shares are short sold.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hersha Hospitality Trust

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. increased its stake in Hersha Hospitality Trust by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 5,708,933 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $45,556,000 after buying an additional 183,089 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hersha Hospitality Trust by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,823,991 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $22,536,000 after purchasing an additional 122,345 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Hersha Hospitality Trust by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,698,461 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $13,639,000 after purchasing an additional 17,776 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Hersha Hospitality Trust by 1,635.3% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,310,139 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $11,162,000 after purchasing an additional 1,234,641 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hersha Hospitality Trust by 111.3% during the 1st quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 937,107 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $6,297,000 after purchasing an additional 493,550 shares during the last quarter. 62.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on HT. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Hersha Hospitality Trust in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a sell rating on the stock. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Hersha Hospitality Trust from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an underweight rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 27th. Oppenheimer lowered shares of Hersha Hospitality Trust from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and set a $10.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Thursday, July 20th. B. Riley upgraded shares of Hersha Hospitality Trust from a neutral rating to a buy rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $10.00 to $9.00 in a report on Thursday, May 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Hersha Hospitality Trust from $6.50 to $7.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $8.80.

Hersha Hospitality Trust Stock Down 1.4 %

HT stock traded down $0.09 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $6.45. The companys stock had a trading volume of 65,037 shares, compared to its average volume of 500,523. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 1.71 and a quick ratio of 1.71. Hersha Hospitality Trust has a twelve month low of $5.64 and a twelve month high of $12.10. The companys fifty day moving average price is $6.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $6.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $258.65 million, a P/E ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 2.00.

Hersha Hospitality Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 30th were paid a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 29th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.10%. Hersha Hospitality Trusts payout ratio is currently 6.45%.

Hersha Hospitality Trust Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Hersha Hospitality Trust (HT) is a self-advised real estate investment trust in the hospitality sector, which owns and operates luxury and lifestyle hotels in coastal gateway and resort markets. The Company's 25 hotels totaling 3,811 rooms are located in New York, Washington, DC, Boston, Philadelphia, South Florida, and California.

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HF Sinclair Co. (NYSE:DINO  Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 9,360,000 shares, a growth of 10.4% from the July 15th total of 8,480,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,210,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.2 days. Currently, 5.9% of the companys shares are short sold.

HF Sinclair Stock Down 2.4 %

HF Sinclair stock traded down $1.40 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $57.94. 1,492,527 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,353,517. HF Sinclair has a 1 year low of $37.12 and a 1 year high of $66.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 2.32 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The firm has a market cap of $10.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $47.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $47.62.

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HF Sinclair Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 6th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 17th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 16th. HF Sinclairs payout ratio is 15.28%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Campion Asset Management raised its holdings in HF Sinclair by 2.6% in the second quarter. Campion Asset Management now owns 7,985 shares of the companys stock valued at $356,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its stake in shares of HF Sinclair by 9.0% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,484 shares of the companys stock valued at $111,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in shares of HF Sinclair by 9.2% during the first quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,963 shares of the companys stock worth $143,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in shares of HF Sinclair by 1.6% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 16,357 shares of the companys stock worth $730,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI grew its stake in HF Sinclair by 4.5% in the first quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 6,739 shares of the companys stock worth $326,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.82% of the companys stock.

DINO has been the subject of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on HF Sinclair from $56.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, August 8th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of HF Sinclair from $53.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, August 7th. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of HF Sinclair from $50.00 to $44.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 5th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of HF Sinclair from $63.00 to $70.00 in a research report on Friday, August 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an overweight rating and issued a $70.00 price objective on shares of HF Sinclair in a research report on Wednesday, July 19th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $60.91.

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HF Sinclair Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

HF Sinclair Corporation operates as an independent energy company. It produces and markets gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, renewable diesel, specialty lubricant products, specialty chemicals, specialty and modified asphalt, and others. The company also owns and operates refineries located in Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming; and markets its refined products principally in the Southwest United States and Rocky Mountains, Pacific Northwest, and in other neighboring Plains states.

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Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE  Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,520,000 shares, a drop of 28.5% from the July 15th total of 4,920,000 shares. Approximately 0.6% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,280,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.5 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ICE has been the subject of several research reports. Barclays decreased their target price on Intercontinental Exchange from $128.00 to $122.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 4th. Raymond James increased their price target on Intercontinental Exchange from $130.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a strong-buy rating in a research report on Friday, August 4th. Citigroup upgraded Intercontinental Exchange from a neutral rating to a buy rating and increased their price target for the company from $117.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Friday, August 4th. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a buy rating and issued a $168.00 price target on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a research report on Friday, August 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Intercontinental Exchange from $125.00 to $126.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Friday, August 4th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $131.91.

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View Our Latest Research Report on ICE

Insiders Place Their Bets

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

In other news, SVP Douglas Foley sold 1,600 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.48, for a total transaction of $173,568.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 19,881 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,156,690.88. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website . In other news, SVP Douglas Foley sold 1,600 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.48, for a total transaction of $173,568.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 19,881 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,156,690.88. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website . Also, CEO Jeffrey C. Sprecher sold 85,461 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.89, for a total value of $9,220,387.29. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,188,085 shares in the company, valued at $128,182,490.65. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders have sold 97,978 shares of company stock valued at $10,606,289 over the last three months. Company insiders own 1.10% of the companys stock.

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ICE. AXS Investments LLC grew its holdings in Intercontinental Exchange by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. AXS Investments LLC now owns 10,487 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,076,000 after buying an additional 407 shares during the last quarter. Simmons Bank grew its holdings in Intercontinental Exchange by 67.2% in the 1st quarter. Simmons Bank now owns 27,135 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $2,830,000 after buying an additional 10,903 shares during the last quarter. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA grew its holdings in Intercontinental Exchange by 7.6% in the 1st quarter. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA now owns 7,553 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $788,000 after buying an additional 531 shares during the last quarter. Thrive Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Intercontinental Exchange by 11.5% in the 1st quarter. Thrive Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,859 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $611,000 after buying an additional 604 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Steward Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Intercontinental Exchange during the 4th quarter worth approximately $54,000. 87.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Intercontinental Exchange Stock Up 0.8 %

ICE opened at $114.92 on Tuesday. Intercontinental Exchange has a fifty-two week low of $88.60 and a fifty-two week high of $117.85. The business has a 50-day moving average of $113.28 and a 200-day moving average of $108.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The company has a market capitalization of $64.39 billion, a PE ratio of 38.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.94.

Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 3rd. The financial services provider reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.06. Intercontinental Exchange had a return on equity of 13.11% and a net margin of 17.64%. The business had revenue of $1.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.89 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.32 EPS. The firms revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Intercontinental Exchange will post 5.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Intercontinental Exchange Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 29th. Investors of record on Friday, September 15th will be paid a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 14th. Intercontinental Exchanges payout ratio is 55.81%.

Intercontinental Exchange Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Intercontinental Exchange, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of market infrastructure, data services, and technology solutions for financial institutions, corporations, and government entities in the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Singapore, India, Abu Dhabi, Israel, and Canada.

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Invesco Senior Income Trust (NYSE:VVR  Get Free Report) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 365,100 shares, a drop of 29.2% from the July 15th total of 515,500 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 600,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.6 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Invesco Senior Income Trust

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Center for Financial Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in Invesco Senior Income Trust during the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Invesco Senior Income Trust in the second quarter worth about $29,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Invesco Senior Income Trust by 86.4% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 7,456 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 3,456 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Invesco Senior Income Trust in the second quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Equitable Holdings Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Invesco Senior Income Trust in the first quarter worth about $39,000.

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Invesco Senior Income Trust Trading Up 1.5 %

NYSE VVR traded up $0.06 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $3.94. 428,423 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 725,058. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $3.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $3.80. Invesco Senior Income Trust has a 1 year low of $3.55 and a 1 year high of $4.14.

Invesco Senior Income Trust Announces Dividend

Invesco Senior Income Trust Company Profile

The company also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $0.039 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 14th. This represents a $0.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 11.88%.

(Get Free Report)

Invesco Senior Income Trust is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched by Invesco Ltd. It is co-managed by Invesco Advisers, Inc, Invesco Asset Management Deutschland GmbH, Invesco Asset Management Limited, Invesco Asset Management (Japan) Limited, Invesco Australia Limited, Invesco Hong Kong Limited, Invesco Senior Secured Management, Inc, and Invesco Canada Ltd.

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YEREVAN, AUGUST 15, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has congratulated Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Independence Day.

I extend my warmest congratulations to you on Independence Day of the Republic of India. The independence struggle of the people of India waged for centuries attests to the highest value of having a sovereign and democratic state, which is the foundation of the traditionally friendly ties and mutual respect between our two peoples, PM Pashinyan said in a congratulatory telegram addressed to PM Modi.

During our last meeting, we assumed commitment to maximally utilize the existing potential between Armenia and India in the most various areas, and now we can proudly note that the Armenian-Indian age-old friendship has entered a new qualitative phase, attested by the intensification of the bilateral agenda and dialogue between our two countries. We attach importance to the increasing role of India, the bearer of democratic values, in global politics and we support Indias efforts in advancing international institutional reforms. I am convinced that through joint efforts the partnership between our countries in bilateral and multilateral formats will further strengthen, and mutual high-level visits between the sides will significantly contribute to this. I reiterate my invitation to visit Armenia at a time of your convenience. Your Excellency, taking this opportunity, I wish you robust health and new successes, and all the best and welfare to the friendly people of India, Pashinyan added.
Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund purchased a new position in AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T  Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 253,632 shares of the technology companys stock, valued at approximately $4,882,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Great Lakes Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of AT&T by 195.8% in the first quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 416,107 shares of the technology companys stock worth $8,010,000 after purchasing an additional 275,431 shares during the period. Triodos Investment Management BV purchased a new stake in shares of AT&T in the 1st quarter valued at about $14,884,000. Tredje AP fonden boosted its position in shares of AT&T by 328.3% during the 1st quarter. Tredje AP fonden now owns 1,155,548 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $22,244,000 after acquiring an additional 885,759 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its position in shares of AT&T by 1,102.9% in the first quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,976,652 shares of the technology companys stock worth $38,051,000 after purchasing an additional 1,812,323 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust lifted its position in AT&T by 7.3% during the first quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 65,859 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $1,268,000 after purchasing an additional 4,482 shares during the last quarter. 54.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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AT&T Stock Down 0.6 %

AT&T stock traded down $0.08 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $14.18. The stock had a trading volume of 15,932,666 shares, compared to its average volume of 39,451,402. The company has a market capitalization of $101.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -11.69, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.63. AT&T Inc. has a one year low of $13.43 and a one year high of $20.50. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $15.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $17.18.

AT&T Dividend Announcement

AT&T ( NYSE:T Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 26th. The technology company reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $29.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $30.07 billion. AT&T had a negative net margin of 7.22% and a positive return on equity of 15.91%. The firms quarterly revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.65 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that AT&T Inc. will post 2.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 1st. Investors of record on Monday, July 10th were issued a $0.2775 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 7th. This represents a $1.11 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.83%. AT&Ts payout ratio is -90.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of AT&T from $25.00 to $23.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 21st. Barclays dropped their price target on AT&T from $18.00 to $17.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 6th. Argus lowered AT&T from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 19th. Morgan Stanley restated an equal weight rating and issued a $20.00 target price on shares of AT&T in a research report on Thursday, August 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of AT&T from $19.00 to $14.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 10th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $20.00.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on AT&T

About AT&T

(Free Report)

AT&T Inc provides telecommunications and technology services worldwide. The company operates through two segments, Communications and Latin America. The Communications segment offers wireless voice and data communications services; and sells handsets, wireless data cards, wireless computing devices, and carrying cases and hands-free devices through its own company-owned stores, agents, and third-party retail stores.

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Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH  Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 33,246 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock, valued at approximately $15,712,000. UnitedHealth Group comprises about 1.3% of Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Funds holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest holding.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Chesapeake Wealth Management increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 7.0% during the 4th quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 4,992 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock worth $2,647,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares during the last quarter. Westhampton Capital LLC increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Westhampton Capital LLC now owns 2,587 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock worth $1,223,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $87,114,000. Sendero Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 10.8% during the 1st quarter. Sendero Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,210 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock worth $2,935,000 after acquiring an additional 607 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alta Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 335.1% during the 1st quarter. Alta Capital Management LLC now owns 62,712 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock worth $29,637,000 after acquiring an additional 48,300 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.61% of the companys stock.

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Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Andrew Witty sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $506.19, for a total value of $2,024,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 78,573 shares of the companys stock, valued at $39,772,866.87. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.35% of the companys stock.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

UNH traded down $3.41 on Tuesday, reaching $507.52. The stock had a trading volume of 877,610 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,549,031. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $445.68 and a fifty-two week high of $558.10. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $486.80 and a 200-day moving average of $486.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a market capitalization of $470.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.66.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 14th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $5.92 by $0.22. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.72% and a net margin of 6.06%. The business had revenue of $92.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $90.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $5.57 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 15.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 24.83 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 19th were paid a $1.88 dividend. This is a boost from UnitedHealth Groups previous quarterly dividend of $1.65. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 15th. This represents a $7.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.48%. UnitedHealth Groups dividend payout ratio is presently 33.65%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNH has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered UnitedHealth Group from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, June 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. They issued an overweight rating and a $591.00 price target for the company. Stephens restated an overweight rating and issued a $560.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Friday. Truist Financial reduced their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $610.00 to $580.00 in a research note on Wednesday, June 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an overweight rating and issued a $587.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Friday, July 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of Buy and an average target price of $577.53.

Check Out Our Latest Report on UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group Company Profile

(Free Report)

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated operates as a diversified health care company in the United States. It operates through four segments: UnitedHealthcare, Optum Health, Optum Insight, and Optum Rx. The UnitedHealthcare segment offers consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services for national employers, public sector employers, mid-sized employers, small businesses, and individuals; health care coverage, and health and well-being services to individuals age 50 and older addressing their needs; Medicaid plans, children's health insurance and health care programs; and health and dental benefits, and hospital and clinical services, as well as health care benefits products and services to state programs caring for the economically disadvantaged, medically underserved, and those without the benefit of employer-funded health care coverage.

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TimesSquare Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:KEYS  Free Report) by 5.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 349,207 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock after selling 20,620 shares during the period. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC owned 0.20% of Keysight Technologies worth $56,390,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT raised its position in shares of Keysight Technologies by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT now owns 13,421 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $2,296,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems raised its position in shares of Keysight Technologies by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems now owns 14,148 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $2,420,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Glenview Trust Co raised its position in shares of Keysight Technologies by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Glenview Trust Co now owns 1,791 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $306,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. ETF Managers Group LLC raised its position in shares of Keysight Technologies by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. ETF Managers Group LLC now owns 4,569 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $738,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC raised its position in shares of Keysight Technologies by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC now owns 1,600 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $273,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.08% of the companys stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Soon Chai Gooi sold 29,139 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.95, for a total value of $4,719,061.05. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 227,874 shares in the company, valued at $36,904,194.30. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, SVP Soon Chai Gooi sold 29,139 shares of Keysight Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.95, for a total value of $4,719,061.05. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 227,874 shares of the companys stock, valued at $36,904,194.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Kailash Narayanan sold 500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total transaction of $82,500.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 26,169 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,317,885. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Keysight Technologies Trading Down 0.9 %

KEYS stock traded down $1.39 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $155.65. 75,175 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,120,432. The stocks fifty day moving average is $163.82 and its 200-day moving average is $161.19. The company has a current ratio of 3.35, a quick ratio of 2.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The company has a market cap of $27.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.05. Keysight Technologies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $139.63 and a 52-week high of $189.45.

Keysight Technologies (NYSE:KEYS  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 16th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.95 by $0.17. Keysight Technologies had a net margin of 21.11% and a return on equity of 31.75%. The business had revenue of $1.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.68 earnings per share. The firms revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Keysight Technologies, Inc. will post 7.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Keysight Technologies from $218.00 to $205.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Keysight Technologies in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Keysight Technologies from $184.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Monday, April 24th. VNET Group reissued an initiates rating on shares of Keysight Technologies in a research report on Friday, June 30th. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Keysight Technologies in a report on Thursday, June 29th. They issued a buy rating and a $200.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $190.58.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Keysight Technologies

Keysight Technologies Company Profile

(Free Report)

Keysight Technologies, Inc provides electronic design and test solutions to commercial communications, networking, aerospace, defense and government, automotive, energy, semiconductor, electronic, and education industries in the Americas, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. Its Communications Solutions Group segment provides electronic design automation (EDA) software; radio frequency and microwave test solutions, and related software; hardware and virtual network test platforms and software applications, including data center, routing and switching, software defined networking, security, and encryption; oscilloscopes, logic and serial protocol analyzers, logic-signal sources, arbitrary waveform generators, and bit error rate testers; and optical modulation analyzers, optical component analyzers, optical power meters, and optical laser source solutions, as well as resells refurbished used Keysight equipment.

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Laurentian Bank of Canada (OTCMKTS:LRCDF  Get Free Report) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 526,700 shares, a decrease of 21.8% from the July 15th total of 673,200 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 658.4 days.

Laurentian Bank of Canada Price Performance

OTCMKTS:LRCDF opened at $30.00 on Tuesday. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $27.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $25.48. Laurentian Bank of Canada has a twelve month low of $20.50 and a twelve month high of $33.58.

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Laurentian Bank of Canada Company Profile

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Laurentian Bank of Canada, together with its subsidiaries, provides various financial services to personal, business, and institutional customers in Canada and the United States. It operates through three segments: Personal Banking, Commercial Banking, and Capital Markets. The Personal Banking segment offers financial services, such as financial advisory services to financial intermediaries; and operates digital direct-to-customer platform to retail clients.

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Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp increased its stake in Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT  Free Report) by 1.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 184,397 shares of the aerospace companys stock after acquiring an additional 2,321 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp owned approximately 0.07% of Lockheed Martin worth $87,170,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mcdonald Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 1.1% in the first quarter. Mcdonald Partners LLC now owns 1,865 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $882,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Amplius Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Lockheed Martin by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Amplius Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 815 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $385,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Alhambra Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in Lockheed Martin by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Alhambra Investment Partners LLC now owns 476 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $225,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. M Holdings Securities Inc. raised its stake in Lockheed Martin by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. M Holdings Securities Inc. now owns 8,113 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $3,948,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Connecticut Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Lockheed Martin by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC now owns 498 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $235,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.28% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on LMT. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $575.00 to $550.00 and set a positive rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 19th. StockNews.com cut shares of Lockheed Martin from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $478.00 to $496.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $433.00 to $440.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 19th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on Lockheed Martin from $579.00 to $555.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lockheed Martin currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $499.43.

Lockheed Martin Stock Performance

Shares of LMT opened at $447.79 on Tuesday. Lockheed Martin Co. has a 12-month low of $381.55 and a 12-month high of $508.10. The stock has a market cap of $112.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.45, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a 50-day moving average of $456.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $465.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 18th. The aerospace company reported $6.73 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $6.45 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $16.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $15.92 billion. Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 71.67% and a net margin of 10.48%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $6.32 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 27.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lockheed Martin Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, September 1st will be paid a $3.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 31st. This represents a $12.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.68%. Lockheed Martins payout ratio is currently 43.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director John Donovan purchased 548 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 19th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $457.07 per share, with a total value of $250,474.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,378 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,543,982.46. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.

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NIPPON STL & SU/S (OTCMKTS:NSSMY  Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $7.64 and last traded at $7.67, with a volume of 9638 shares. The stock had previously closed at $7.93.

NIPPON STL & SU/S Stock Down 3.2 %

The companys fifty day simple moving average is $7.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $7.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 0.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.29 billion, a PE ratio of 2.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.94 and a beta of 1.35.

NIPPON STL & SU/S Company Profile

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Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation engages in steelmaking and steel fabrication businesses worldwide. It operates in five segments: Steelmaking and Steel Fabrication, Engineering and Construction, Chemicals, New materials, and System Solutions. The company offers steel plates; hot- and cold-rolled steel sheets and coils, coated steel sheets, color coated steel sheets, electrolytic tin plates, and electrical steel sheets; bar and rod materials; and structural steel products.

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Nuveen Preferred & Income Opportunities Fund (NYSE:JPC  Get Free Report) saw a large decline in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 103,500 shares, a decline of 17.1% from the July 15th total of 124,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 334,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.3 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nuveen Preferred & Income Opportunities Fund

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JPC. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its stake in Nuveen Preferred & Income Opportunities Fund by 57.2% in the 2nd quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 1,188,194 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $9,089,000 after acquiring an additional 432,502 shares during the period. Penserra Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Nuveen Preferred & Income Opportunities Fund by 81.1% in the 1st quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 914,543 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $7,846,000 after acquiring an additional 409,486 shares during the period. Rivernorth Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Nuveen Preferred & Income Opportunities Fund in the 1st quarter valued at about $2,674,000. Private Advisor Group LLC bought a new stake in Nuveen Preferred & Income Opportunities Fund in the 1st quarter valued at about $817,000. Finally, Shaker Financial Services LLC raised its stake in Nuveen Preferred & Income Opportunities Fund by 196.1% in the 1st quarter. Shaker Financial Services LLC now owns 161,308 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,069,000 after acquiring an additional 106,835 shares during the period.

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Nuveen Preferred & Income Opportunities Fund Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE JPC traded down $0.04 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $6.54. 285,437 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 359,288. Nuveen Preferred & Income Opportunities Fund has a 52 week low of $5.95 and a 52 week high of $8.39. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $6.48 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $6.66.

Nuveen Preferred & Income Opportunities Fund Announces Dividend

Nuveen Preferred & Income Opportunities Fund Company Profile

The company also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 15th will be paid a $0.044 dividend. This represents a $0.53 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 14th.

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Nuveen Preferred & Income Opportunities Fund is a closed ended balanced mutual fund launched by Nuveen Investments Inc The fund is co-managed by Nuveen Fund Advisors LLC, Nuveen Asset Management, LLC, and NWQ Investment Management Company, LLC. It invests in the public equity and fixed income markets of the United States.

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Palisade Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Hormel Foods Co. (NYSE:HRL  Free Report) by 1.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 236,359 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 2,476 shares during the quarter. Hormel Foods comprises 1.2% of Palisade Asset Management LLCs holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Palisade Asset Management LLCs holdings in Hormel Foods were worth $9,426,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp increased its position in shares of Hormel Foods by 2.6% during the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 533,411 shares of the companys stock worth $21,272,000 after purchasing an additional 13,474 shares in the last quarter. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hormel Foods during the first quarter valued at about $42,000. Banco Santander S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Hormel Foods in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $519,000. Hartford Investment Management Co. boosted its stake in Hormel Foods by 15.7% in the 1st quarter. Hartford Investment Management Co. now owns 24,373 shares of the companys stock worth $972,000 after purchasing an additional 3,310 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hormel Foods by 0.4% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,288,934 shares of the companys stock valued at $210,923,000 after buying an additional 20,418 shares during the last quarter. 40.49% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Hormel Foods Stock Performance

Shares of HRL stock traded down $0.13 on Tuesday, hitting $40.74. The company had a trading volume of 346,367 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,005,654. Hormel Foods Co. has a twelve month low of $37.78 and a twelve month high of $51.69. The firm has a market cap of $22.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.12 and a beta of 0.20. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $40.43 and a 200-day moving average price of $40.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

Hormel Foods Dividend Announcement

Hormel Foods ( NYSE:HRL Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 1st. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.01. Hormel Foods had a return on equity of 12.36% and a net margin of 7.61%. The company had revenue of $2.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.48 EPS. Hormel Foodss quarterly revenue was down 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Hormel Foods Co. will post 1.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.275 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 14th. This represents a $1.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.70%. Hormel Foodss dividend payout ratio is currently 64.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HRL has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com began coverage on Hormel Foods in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating for the company. Barclays decreased their target price on Hormel Foods from $45.00 to $42.00 in a report on Thursday, June 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hormel Foods presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $43.71.

Check Out Our Latest Report on HRL

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hormel Foods news, VP Mark J. Ourada sold 9,200 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.00, for a total transaction of $377,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 20,684 shares in the company, valued at approximately $848,044. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, SVP Kevin L. Myers sold 5,200 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.51, for a total value of $210,652.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 36,190 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,466,056.90. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Mark J. Ourada sold 9,200 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.00, for a total transaction of $377,200.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 20,684 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $848,044. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 45,800 shares of company stock worth $1,859,552 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.81% of the companys stock.

Hormel Foods Profile

(Free Report)

Hormel Foods Corporation develops, processes, and distributes various meat, nuts, and food products to retail, foodservice, deli, and commercial customers in the United States and internationally. The company operates through four segments: Grocery Products, Refrigerated Foods, Jennie-O Turkey Store, and International & Other.

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Perrigo Company plc (NYSE:PRGO  Get Free Report) has received an average rating of Buy from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $48.00.

PRGO has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com downgraded Perrigo from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, July 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Perrigo from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 9th.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

In other news, Director Geoffrey M. Parker bought 10,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $33.06 per share, with a total value of $330,600.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 25,879 shares in the company, valued at $855,559.74. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink . In related news, EVP Svend Andersen acquired 2,900 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $33.41 per share, with a total value of $96,889.00. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,741 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,296,636.81. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink . Also, Director Geoffrey M. Parker acquired 10,000 shares of Perrigo stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $33.06 per share, for a total transaction of $330,600.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 25,879 shares of the companys stock, valued at $855,559.74. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here . Corporate insiders own 0.70% of the companys stock.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PRGO. CWM LLC grew its position in Perrigo by 73.0% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 699 shares of the companys stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 295 shares during the last quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System boosted its position in Perrigo by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 34,258 shares of the companys stock worth $1,168,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its holdings in Perrigo by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 39,617 shares of the companys stock worth $1,351,000 after acquiring an additional 343 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in Perrigo by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 35,300 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,432,000 after acquiring an additional 344 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of Perrigo by 2.0% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 19,708 shares of the companys stock valued at $707,000 after acquiring an additional 384 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.06% of the companys stock.

Perrigo Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE PRGO opened at $38.97 on Thursday. Perrigo has a 1 year low of $30.78 and a 1 year high of $42.21. The firm has a market cap of $5.28 billion, a P/E ratio of -92.79 and a beta of 0.80. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $34.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $35.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a current ratio of 2.62.

Perrigo (NYSE:PRGO  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 8th. The company reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.54 by $0.09. Perrigo had a negative net margin of 1.22% and a positive return on equity of 6.79%. The company had revenue of $1.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.18 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.43 earnings per share. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Perrigo will post 2.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Perrigo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 19th. Investors of record on Friday, September 1st will be given a $0.273 dividend. This represents a $1.09 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.80%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 31st. Perrigos dividend payout ratio is currently -259.52%.

Perrigo Company Profile

(Get Free Report

Perrigo Company plc provides over-the-counter health and wellness solutions to enhance individual well-being in Ireland, the United States, France, Belgium, China, the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Australia, Greece, and Spain. It operates through Consumer Self-Care Americas and Consumer Self-Care International segments.

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Powell Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. (NYSE:BAM  Free Report) (TSE:BAM.A) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 6,555 shares of the financial services providers stock, valued at approximately $214,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BAM. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in Brookfield Asset Management by 0.7% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 38,228 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $2,161,000 after buying an additional 268 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Brookfield Asset Management by 3.9% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 537,451 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $30,404,000 after buying an additional 20,309 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new stake in shares of Brookfield Asset Management in the first quarter worth $22,369,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Brookfield Asset Management in the first quarter worth $340,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Brookfield Asset Management by 2.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 44,050,716 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $2,491,950,000 after purchasing an additional 1,220,298 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.29% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Scotiabank assumed coverage on shares of Brookfield Asset Management in a research report on Thursday, July 13th. They issued an outperform rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Brookfield Asset Management from $34.00 to $35.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered shares of Brookfield Asset Management to an underperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 18th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Brookfield Asset Management from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research report on Thursday, August 10th. Finally, TD Securities boosted their price objective on shares of Brookfield Asset Management from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an action list buy rating in a research report on Thursday, August 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $39.00.

Brookfield Asset Management Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BAM traded down $0.88 on Tuesday, hitting $34.44. The company had a trading volume of 296,876 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,477,272. Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. has a 1-year low of $26.76 and a 1-year high of $36.50. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $32.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $32.67.

Brookfield Asset Management (NYSE:BAM  Get Free Report) (TSE:BAM.A) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 9th. The financial services provider reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.32. The company had revenue of $985.00 million during the quarter. Equities analysts expect that Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. will post 1.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Brookfield Asset Management Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 31st will be given a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 30th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.72%.

About Brookfield Asset Management

(Free Report)

Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. provides alternative asset management services. Its renewable power and transition business includes the ownership, operation, and development of hydroelectric, wind, solar, and energy transition power generating assets. The company's infrastructure business engages in the ownership, operation, and development of utilities, transport, midstream, data and sustainable resource assets.

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YEREVAN, AUGUST 15, ARMENPRESS. Nagorno-Karabakh has denied and condemned the false accusations made by the Azerbaijani government on troops movements and warned that Bakus disinformation campaign seeks to pave the way for future provocations.

In a statement, the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged all international actors, and in particular, the Russian Peacekeeping Contingent, to immediately take appropriate steps to deter the possible provocative actions of Azerbaijan.

Below is the full statement:

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh strongly refutes and condemns the fake news spread by the Azerbaijani mass media that the Defense Army of Artsakh is moving and concentrating various military equipment in different directions of the Line of Contact.



As we have repeatedly made sure, Azerbaijan is paving the way for further provocations by filling the media field with such fake news.



We draw the attention of international actors, and especially the UN Security Council, to the fact that Azerbaijan is escalating the situation just two days after the request of the Republic of Armenia to convene an emergency session of the UN Security Council related to the deteriorating humanitarian situation caused by the complete blockade imposed on the civilian population of Artsakh by Azerbaijani authorities. It is nothing but an attempt to distract the attention of international structures from the humanitarian disaster provoked in the Republic of Artsakh by Azerbaijan's illegal blocking of the Lachin Corridor.



We reiterate that since December 12, 2022, the Republic of Artsakh has been under total siege, resulted from Azerbaijans illegal actions. Moreover, since June 15, 2023, the people of Artsakh has been deprived of the opportunity to import even the least amount of food products, medicines and all other vital goods through the Lachin Corridor via the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Russian Peacekeeping Contingent.



Thus, due to the lack of efficient steps by the international community, Azerbaijan continues to violate the provisions of the Trilateral Statement of November 9, 2020, universal international legal norms, and specific international legal acts related to the Lachin Corridor, including the legally binding decisions of the International Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights on lifting the blockade of the Lachin Corridor.



We urge all international actors, and in particular, the Russian Peacekeeping Contingent, to immediately take appropriate steps to deter the possible provocative actions of Azerbaijan.



In the current situation, we consider it imperative to convene an emergency session of the UN Security Council as soon as possible for passing a decision on taking the necessary and efficient measures aimed at the complete and unconditional unblocking of the Lachin Corridor.
Robinson Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund, Inc. (NYSE:MUJ  Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 72,600 shares of the financial services providers stock, valued at approximately $813,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Fiera Capital Corp purchased a new stake in shares of BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund during the 4th quarter valued at about $7,859,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund by 12.7% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 522,179 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $5,781,000 after purchasing an additional 58,644 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. boosted its position in BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund by 12.9% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 239,211 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $2,739,000 after purchasing an additional 27,285 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its position in BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund by 47.9% during the 2nd quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 186,892 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $2,465,000 after purchasing an additional 60,508 shares during the period. Finally, Logan Stone Capital LLC acquired a new position in BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund during the 4th quarter worth $2,058,000. 10.47% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund Trading Down 0.2 %

MUJ stock traded down $0.02 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $10.93. 65,491 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 110,411. BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund, Inc. has a 1-year low of $10.62 and a 1-year high of $13.54. The companys fifty day moving average price is $11.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $11.23.

BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund Announces Dividend

About BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund

The company also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 15th will be paid a $0.0375 dividend. This represents a $0.45 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 14th.

(Free Report)

BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund, Inc is a close ended fixed income mutual fund launched by BlackRock, Inc The fund is managed by BlackRock Advisors, LLC. It invests in the fixed income markets of United States. The fund invests primarily in long-term, investment grade municipal obligations exempt from federal income taxes and New Jersey personal income taxes.

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Roots Co. (TSE:ROOT  Get Free Report) shares dropped 5.4% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as C$2.81 and last traded at C$2.81. Approximately 14,050 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 37% from the average daily volume of 10,222 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$2.97.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of Roots from C$3.50 to C$3.25 in a report on Friday, June 9th.

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Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Roots

Roots Stock Performance

About Roots

The company has a market capitalization of C$114.96 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.10, a P/E/G ratio of -0.54 and a beta of 2.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 72.13, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 1.27. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of C$3.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of C$3.02.

(Get Free Report)

Roots Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, designs, markets, and sells apparel, leather goods, footwear, and accessories under the Roots brand in Canada and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Direct-To-Consumer, and Partners and Other. The Direct-to-Consumer segment sells products through the company's corporate retail stores and ecommerce.

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Methode Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:MEI  Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 381,500 shares, a decrease of 22.3% from the July 15th total of 491,000 shares. Currently, 1.1% of the companys stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 267,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.4 days.

Methode Electronics Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:MEI opened at $31.91 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.27 and a beta of 1.03. Methode Electronics has a 1-year low of $31.36 and a 1-year high of $51.38. The companys fifty day moving average is $34.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $40.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a current ratio of 2.91.

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Methode Electronics (NYSE:MEI  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, June 22nd. The electronics maker reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.23 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $301.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $301.60 million. Methode Electronics had a return on equity of 8.30% and a net margin of 6.54%. Equities analysts anticipate that Methode Electronics will post 1.55 EPS for the current year.

Methode Electronics Dividend Announcement

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 14th were issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 13th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. Methode Electronicss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.79%.

A number of research analysts have commented on MEI shares. TheStreet downgraded shares of Methode Electronics from a b rating to a c+ rating in a research note on Thursday, June 22nd. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Methode Electronics from $42.00 to $38.00 in a research note on Friday, June 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Methode Electronics from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, May 22nd.

Read Our Latest Report on MEI

Institutional Trading of Methode Electronics

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Tudor Investment Corp Et Al acquired a new stake in shares of Methode Electronics in the 2nd quarter worth about $2,314,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in shares of Methode Electronics by 523.0% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,959 shares of the electronics makers stock worth $166,000 after acquiring an additional 4,163 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Methode Electronics in the 2nd quarter worth about $2,876,000. State of Wisconsin Investment Board increased its holdings in shares of Methode Electronics by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. State of Wisconsin Investment Board now owns 103,738 shares of the electronics makers stock worth $3,477,000 after acquiring an additional 4,939 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Methode Electronics by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 157,964 shares of the electronics makers stock worth $5,295,000 after acquiring an additional 934 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.01% of the companys stock.

About Methode Electronics

(Get Free Report)

Methode Electronics, Inc designs, engineers, and produces mechatronic products worldwide. It operates through four segments: Automotive, Industrial, Interface, and Medical. The Automotive segment supplies electronic and electro-mechanical devices, and related products to automobile original equipment manufacturers directly or through their tiered suppliers.

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SIR Royalty Income Fund (TSE:SRV.UN  Get Free Report) announced a monthly dividend on Wednesday, August 16th, TickerTech reports. Investors of record on Thursday, August 31st will be paid a dividend of 0.095 per share on Thursday, August 31st. This represents a $1.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.52%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 16th.

SIR Royalty Income Fund Stock Performance

Shares of SRV.UN stock opened at C$15.16 on Tuesday. The stocks 50-day moving average is C$16.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is C$17.01. SIR Royalty Income Fund has a 1 year low of C$13.00 and a 1 year high of C$17.95. The firm has a market cap of C$127.04 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 2.54.

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SIR Royalty Income Fund Company Profile

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SIR Royalty Income Fund, through SIR Royalty Limited Partnership, owns SIR's restaurants in Canada. The company operates concept restaurants under the Jack Astor's Bar and Grill, Scaddabush Italian Kitchen & Bar, and Canyon Creek Chop House; and signature restaurant brands under the Reds Wine Tavern, Reds Midtown Tavern, Reds Square One, and The Loose Moose brands.

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Spire Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV  Free Report) in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm purchased 28,578 shares of the auto parts companys stock, valued at approximately $2,668,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Autoliv in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Autoliv in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in Autoliv by 52.5% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 526 shares of the auto parts companys stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in Autoliv by 102.2% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 548 shares of the auto parts companys stock worth $93,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its position in Autoliv by 33.3% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 553 shares of the auto parts companys stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. 57.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

ALV has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Autoliv from $98.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, July 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on Autoliv from $113.00 to $110.00 in a research note on Monday, April 24th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Autoliv from $102.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, July 24th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Autoliv from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, July 28th. Finally, Kepler Capital Markets upgraded Autoliv from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $105.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $103.17.

Autoliv Stock Performance

NYSE:ALV opened at $94.49 on Tuesday. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $91.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $89.96. Autoliv, Inc. has a twelve month low of $65.74 and a twelve month high of $103.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.07 billion, a PE ratio of 21.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 21st. The auto parts company reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.52. Autoliv had a return on equity of 19.67% and a net margin of 3.98%. The firm had revenue of $2.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.55 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.90 earnings per share. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 26.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Autoliv, Inc. will post 6.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Autoliv Profile

(Free Report)

Autoliv, Inc, through its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and supplies passive safety systems to the automotive industry in Europe, the Americas, China, Japan, and rest of Asia. It offers passive safety systems, including modules and components for frontal-impact airbag protection systems, side-impact airbag protection systems, seatbelts, steering wheels, and inflator technologies.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ALV? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE:ALV  Free Report).

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Analysts at StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of American Shared Hospital Services (NYSE:AMS  Get Free Report) in a research report issued on Monday. The brokerage set a hold rating on the stock.

American Shared Hospital Services Stock Performance

About American Shared Hospital Services

(Get Free Report)

American Shared Hospital Services provides radiosurgery and radiation therapy equipment to health care providers. The company offers radiosurgery equipment for the Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery, a non-invasive procedure to treat malignant and benign brain tumors, and arteriovenous malformations, as well as for trigeminal neuralgia.

Further Reading

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StockNews.com lowered shares of Southern (NYSE:SO  Free Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning.

SO has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Mizuho lowered their target price on Southern from $77.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Southern from $73.00 to $69.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 8th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH assumed coverage on Southern in a research report on Wednesday, August 9th. They issued a buy rating and a $72.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised Southern from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $60.00 to $69.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Southern from $75.00 to $74.00 in a research report on Friday, August 4th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $74.07.

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Southern Stock Performance

SO stock opened at $68.83 on Friday. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $70.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $69.79. 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 firm has a market cap of $75.06 billion, a PE ratio of 24.30, a P/E/G ratio of 4.83 and a beta of 0.50. Southern has a 1-year low of $58.85 and a 1-year high of $80.57.

Southern (NYSE:SO  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 3rd. The utilities provider reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $5.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.47 billion. Southern had a return on equity of 9.86% and a net margin of 11.17%. Southerns quarterly revenue was down 20.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.07 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Southern will post 3.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 21st will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 18th. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.07%. Southerns dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 98.94%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Stephen E. Kuczynski sold 5,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.70, for a total value of $348,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 126,284 shares in the company, valued at $8,801,994.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Kimberly S. Greene sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.62, for a total value of $1,452,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 98,659 shares of the companys stock, valued at $7,164,616.58. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Stephen E. Kuczynski sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.70, for a total transaction of $348,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 126,284 shares of the companys stock, valued at $8,801,994.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 143,761 shares of company stock worth $10,152,544 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.37% of the companys stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in SO. Jeppson Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Southern by 1.3% during the first quarter. Jeppson Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,651 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $741,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Southern by 10.2% in the first quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,534 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $107,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Tranquility Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Southern by 3.3% in the first quarter. Tranquility Partners LLC now owns 4,528 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $315,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Calamos Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Southern by 0.5% in the second quarter. Calamos Wealth Management LLC now owns 29,786 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $2,092,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marcum Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Southern by 2.8% in the first quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC now owns 5,327 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $371,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 63.25% of the companys stock.

Southern Company Profile

(Get 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.

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Swiss National Bank lessened its stake in Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN  Free Report) by 2.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,500,600 shares of the information technology services providers stock after selling 70,300 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.40% of Accenture worth $714,696,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ACN. Argent Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Accenture by 0.5% in the first quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 80,310 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $22,953,000 after acquiring an additional 424 shares during the last quarter. Tredje AP fonden raised its position in Accenture by 7.2% in the 1st quarter. Tredje AP fonden now owns 168,346 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $48,115,000 after buying an additional 11,295 shares during the last quarter. Palisade Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Accenture by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Palisade Asset Management LLC now owns 32,790 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $9,372,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the period. Hollow Brook Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Accenture by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Hollow Brook Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,153 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $1,473,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the period. Finally, Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Accenture by 6.4% during the 1st quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 191,631 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $54,747,000 after acquiring an additional 11,605 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.00% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on ACN shares. BMO Capital Markets cut Accenture from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a report on Thursday, August 3rd. StockNews.com cut Accenture from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, July 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Accenture from $292.00 to $377.00 in a report on Friday, June 9th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Accenture from $350.00 to $340.00 in a report on Friday, June 23rd. Finally, Piper Sandler raised Accenture from an underweight rating to a neutral rating and raised their price target for the company from $250.00 to $316.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 14th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $329.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 7,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.60, for a total value of $2,244,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now directly owns 36,034 shares in the company, valued at $11,552,500.40. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 7,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.60, for a total value of $2,244,200.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel now directly owns 36,034 shares in the company, valued at $11,552,500.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Melissa A. Burgum sold 1,344 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $403,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 10,506 shares in the company, valued at $3,151,800. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 25,774 shares of company stock worth $8,138,451. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the companys stock.

Accenture Stock Performance

ACN stock traded down $3.79 on Tuesday, hitting $307.92. 546,350 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,388,182. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $312.59 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $289.80. Accenture plc has a 12-month low of $242.80 and a 12-month high of $327.93. The stock has a market cap of $204.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.23.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 22nd. The information technology services provider reported $3.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.96 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $16.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $16.49 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 30.47% and a net margin of 11.28%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.79 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Accenture plc will post 11.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Profile

(Free Report)

Accenture plc, a professional services company, provides strategy and consulting, interactive, industry X, song, and technology and operation services worldwide. The company offers application services, including agile transformation, DevOps, application modernization, enterprise architecture, software and quality engineering, data management, intelligent automation comprises robotic process automation, natural language processing, and virtual agents, and application management services, as well as software engineering services; strategy and consulting services; data and analytics strategy, data discovery and augmentation, data management and beyond, data democratization, and industrialized solutions comprises turnkey analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions; metaverse; and sustainability services.

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SWS Partners boosted its stake in Block, Inc. (NYSE:SQ  Free Report) by 8.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,883 shares of the technology companys stock after acquiring an additional 905 shares during the quarter. SWS Partners holdings in Block were worth $816,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of SQ. IAG Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Block by 100.0% in the first quarter. IAG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 400 shares of the technology companys stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Block in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Hollencrest Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Block during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Block during the first quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont bought a new stake in shares of Block in the first quarter worth $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.97% of the companys stock.

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Insider Activity at Block

In other Block news, CAO Ajmere Dale sold 629 shares of Block stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.61, for a total value of $37,494.69. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 74,458 shares in the company, valued at $4,438,441.38. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Block news, CAO Ajmere Dale sold 629 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.61, for a total value of $37,494.69. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 74,458 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,438,441.38. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Alyssa Henry sold 2,357 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.61, for a total value of $140,500.77. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 486,262 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,986,077.82. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 37,868 shares of company stock valued at $2,545,857. 10.79% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Block Trading Down 0.7 %

Block stock opened at $60.15 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. Block, Inc. has a 12 month low of $51.34 and a 12 month high of $89.97. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $69.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $68.87. The stock has a market cap of $36.70 billion, a P/E ratio of -136.70 and a beta of 2.34.

Block (NYSE:SQ  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 3rd. The technology company reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.04. Block had a negative return on equity of 0.61% and a negative net margin of 1.38%. The firm had revenue of $5.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($0.19) earnings per share. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 25.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Block, Inc. will post -0.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on SQ. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Block from $103.00 to $95.00 in a report on Sunday, May 7th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Block from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Monday, July 24th. CLSA downgraded Block from a buy rating to an underperform rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $93.00 to $63.00 in a report on Thursday, May 11th. StockNews.com upgraded Block from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Thursday, July 27th. Finally, Stephens reduced their price objective on Block from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twenty-one have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Block presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $89.33.

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Block Profile

(Free Report)

Square, Inc provides payment and point-of-sale solutions in the United States and internationally. The company's commerce ecosystem includes point-of-sale software and hardware that enables sellers to turn mobile and computing devices into payment and point-of-sale solutions. It offers hardware products, including Magstripe reader, which enables swiped transactions of magnetic stripe cards; Contactless and chip reader that accepts EMV chip cards and Near Field Communication payments; Chip card reader, which accepts EMV chip cards and enables swiped transactions of magnetic stripe cards; Square Stand, which enables an iPad to be used as a payment terminal or full point of sale solution; and Square Register that combines its hardware, point-of-sale software, and payments technology, as well as managed payments solutions.

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Shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM  Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of Buy by the five research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $108.33.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on TSM. Needham & Company LLC cut their price objective on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from $118.00 to $115.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 21st. StockNews.com lowered Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, July 21st. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their price objective on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from $128.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a positive rating in a research report on Friday, July 14th.

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Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing stock opened at $93.08 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $100.60 and a 200 day moving average of $93.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 2.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $482.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.36, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.06. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing has a fifty-two week low of $59.43 and a fifty-two week high of $110.69.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE:TSM  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 20th. The semiconductor company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $15.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $15.52 billion. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing had a return on equity of 32.82% and a net margin of 43.31%. As a group, research analysts predict that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing will post 4.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 15th will be given a dividend of $0.4724 per share. This represents a $1.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 14th. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturings dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.94%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in TSM. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 30.0% during the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 1,381,845 shares of the semiconductor companys stock worth $144,071,000 after purchasing an additional 318,570 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation N.A. raised its stake in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 29.2% during the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 597 shares of the semiconductor companys stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its position in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 40.1% in the 1st quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 12,700 shares of the semiconductor companys stock worth $1,324,000 after buying an additional 3,638 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 17.3% in the 1st quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 2,350 shares of the semiconductor companys stock valued at $245,000 after purchasing an additional 346 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ergoteles LLC lifted its position in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 138.6% during the first quarter. Ergoteles LLC now owns 45,497 shares of the semiconductor companys stock valued at $4,744,000 after buying an additional 26,426 shares in the last quarter. 16.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing

(Get Free Report

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, packages, tests, and sells integrated circuits and other semiconductor devices in Taiwan, China, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Japan, the United States, and internationally. It provides complementary metal oxide silicon wafer fabrication processes to manufacture logic, mixed-signal, radio frequency, and embedded memory semiconductors.

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YEREVAN, AUGUST 15, ARMENPRESS. On August 15, the Azerbaijani military opened gunfire at the EU monitors and their vehicle in the direction of Verin Shorzha, in Gegharkunik Province, the Ministry of Defense of Armenia said in a statement.

The EU monitors on patrol came under small arms fire by Azerbaijani Armed Forces, the ministry said.

No one was hurt in the shooting.

On August 15, at around 12:20 p.m., Azerbaijani AF units discharged fire from firearms targeting the EU observers patrolling in the vicinity of Verin Shorzha and their vehicle. There are no casualties, reads a statement issued by the defense ministry.
Tekla Capital Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY  Free Report) by 3.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 663,796 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after selling 23,733 shares during the period. Bristol-Myers Squibb accounts for about 1.8% of Tekla Capital Management LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Tekla Capital Management LLCs holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb were worth $46,008,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb during the 4th quarter worth about $1,873,696,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 114,228.7% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 21,469,785 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $1,544,751,000 after purchasing an additional 21,451,006 shares during the period. Boston Partners raised its position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 31.1% in the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 18,080,568 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $1,252,480,000 after buying an additional 4,286,479 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 7.7% in the 1st quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 12,074,501 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $833,986,000 after buying an additional 863,174 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,207,099 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $806,351,000 after buying an additional 70,887 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.57% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BMY has been the subject of several analyst reports. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $64.00 to $62.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 28th. Morgan Stanley restated an underweight rating and issued a $59.00 target price on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research report on Wednesday, July 19th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $78.00 to $65.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 28th. Daiwa Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research report on Wednesday, June 28th. They set an outperform rating and a $70.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their price objective on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $71.14.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Robert M. Plenge sold 732 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.14, for a total transaction of $44,754.48. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,584 shares of the companys stock, valued at $402,545.76. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.08% of the companys stock.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Trading Up 0.2 %

BMY traded up $0.10 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $61.72. 945,423 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,518,109. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $63.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $66.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a one year low of $59.71 and a one year high of $81.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $128.94 billion, a PE ratio of 16.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.42.

Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 27th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.75 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 firm had revenue of $11.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.93 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 7th were paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 6th. Bristol-Myers Squibbs dividend payout ratio is currently 60.64%.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Profile

(Free Report)

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company discovers, develops, licenses, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers products for hematology, oncology, cardiovascular, immunology, fibrotic, and neuroscience diseases. The company's products include Eliquis, an oral inhibitor for reduction in risk of stroke/systemic embolism in NVAF, and for the treatment of DVT/PE; Opdivo for anti-cancer indications; Pomalyst/Imnovid indicated for patients with multiple myeloma; Orencia for adult patients with active RA and psoriatic arthritis; and Sprycel for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia.

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The Berkeley Group Holdings plc (LON:BKG  Get Free Report) announced a dividend on Thursday, August 10th, Upcoming.Co.Uk reports. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 17th will be given a dividend of GBX 59.30 ($0.75) per share on Friday, September 8th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 17th. The official announcement can be seen at this link.

The Berkeley Group Trading Down 1.7 %

LON:BKG opened at GBX 4,184 ($53.08) on Tuesday. The Berkeley Group has a one year low of GBX 3,120 ($39.58) and a one year high of GBX 4,549 ($57.71). The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 19.96, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 3.43. The firm has a market cap of 4.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 1,009.00, a P/E/G ratio of -0.87 and a beta of 1.14. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 4,080.99 and a 200-day simple moving average of GBX 4,158.89.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Sarah Sands bought 247 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 3,998 ($50.72) per share, with a total value of 9,875.06 ($12,527.03). 5.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BKG has been the subject of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of The Berkeley Group from GBX 4,651 ($59.00) to GBX 4,474 ($56.76) and set a hold rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 22nd. Berenberg Bank restated a buy rating and issued a GBX 5,100 ($64.70) price target on shares of The Berkeley Group in a report on Thursday, June 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of The Berkeley Group from GBX 4,800 ($60.89) to GBX 4,400 ($55.82) and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 4th. Barclays reiterated an overweight rating and set a GBX 4,350 ($55.18) price objective on shares of The Berkeley Group in a research note on Thursday, June 22nd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of The Berkeley Group from GBX 4,450 ($56.45) to GBX 4,580 ($58.10) and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Monday, June 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of GBX 4,494.43 ($57.01).

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About The Berkeley Group

(Get Free Report)

The Berkeley Group Holdings plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the residential-led and mixed-use property development activities in the United Kingdom. The company is also involved in land selling activities. It operates under the Berkeley, St Edward, St George, St James, St Joseph, and St William brand names.

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Shares of Vina Concha y Toro S.A. (OTCMKTS:VCOYY  Get Free Report) were down 0.1% on Monday . The company traded as low as $39.48 and last traded at $39.48. Approximately 700 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 91% from the average daily volume of 8,097 shares. The stock had previously closed at $39.50.

Vina Concha y Toro Stock Performance

The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $39.48 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $39.48.

About Vina Concha y Toro

(Get Free Report)

Vina Concha Y Toro produces, bottles and labels premium wines, varietal and varietal blend wines, all of which are marketed and exported by its susidaries. The Company, together with Hiram Walker, also distributes Hiram Walker whiskey, vodka and gin throughout Chile.

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Wade G W & Inc. raised its stake in shares of iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (NYSEARCA:EEM  Free Report) by 4.5% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 56,706 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after buying an additional 2,449 shares during the quarter. Wade G W & Inc.s holdings in iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF were worth $2,238,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF by 125,500.5% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 144,937,968 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $5,493,149,000 after buying an additional 144,822,572 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF by 20.9% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 39,172,754 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $1,484,647,000 after buying an additional 6,765,030 shares in the last quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co bought a new position in iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF in the 4th quarter worth about $324,358,000. National Bank of Canada FI grew its stake in iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF by 779.9% in the 1st quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 8,239,022 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $325,111,000 after acquiring an additional 7,302,610 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 5,953,347 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $234,919,000 after acquiring an additional 82,710 shares in the last quarter. 82.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF Stock Performance

Shares of EEM stock opened at $39.38 on Tuesday. The companys 50-day simple moving average is $40.26 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $39.60. iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF has a one year low of $33.49 and a one year high of $42.53.

iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF Profile

iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, formerly iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index Fund (the Fund), seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of publicly traded equity securities in global emerging markets, as measured by the MSCI Emerging Markets Index (the Index).

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Electric Vehicle maker, Ola Electric, on Tuesday said that its financial year 2023 revenue and PAT (Profit After Tax) will see significant improvement compared to its FY22 numbers and will turn out to be a 'positive surprise' as the true sales volume of the firm will start reflecting in the books only in FY23.



"FY22 was an investment year for us, we started our sales only in January 2022 and FY23 has been a very strong revenue year for us and the bottom line has improved significantly. This year we may not be able to share a forecast, but it will be positively surprising to see the numbers," said Cofounder and Chief Executive of Ola Electric, Bhavish Aggarwal, in a media roundtable.



Aggarwal's words come even as the firm saw its losses widen around 293 percent to Rs 784 crore in FY22 as against a loss of Rs 199 crore last year as its expenses zoomed to Rs 1,240 crore. The companys expenses have gone up by around 306 percent year-on-year (YoY).



The company started selling its scooters in early January 2022 - it was an investment year and that is why there is such a dip in the bottom lines, Aggarwal added.



However, the company also reported consolidated revenue from operations of Rs 373 crore in FY22, up nearly 400 times year-on-year (YoY) against the revenue reported last financial year at Rs 0.86 crore as it began selling its two-wheeler during December 2021.



"We have a very strong balance sheet and strong investors who continue to back us and our vision. We have a lot of capacity to invest in our future products," Aggarwal said.



Aggarwal spoke to the media on the sidelines of its 'Customer Day' event conducted at the Ola Future Factory at Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu on August 15. The company announced the launching of newer versions of its Ola S1 Scooters called Ola S1 X and Ola S1X+.



While its previous versions Ola S1 Pro and Ola S1 Air range between Rs 1,20,000 - Rs 1,40,000, the new Ola S1X plus is pegged at Rs 1,09,999 and deliveries will start from September. Ola S1X is pegged at Rs 99,999. Reservation starts on August 15, and deliveries begin in December.



Leg up to IPO



Aggarwal said that the firm is expecting a strong top and bottom line in FY23 amid its plans to go public. "I don't have a timeline, and won't be able to share it, but our investors are supportive and continue to back us, and both our top and bottom lines have improved. In manufacturing, as we scale up our top line, the bottom line will improve simultaneously," he added.



The two-wheeler maker plans to hit the IPO market in 2024. Moneycontrol was the first to report that Ola Electric has engaged investment banks Kotak Mahindra Capital and Goldman Sachs for an initial public offering (IPO).



Plans to ramp up manufacturing capacity



Ola Electric, which has a manufacturing capacity of 1 million electric vehicles per annum in Krishnagiri, Tamilnadu, is planning to double its capacity. "In the next six to nine months, our total manufacturing capacity will go up to 2 million from the present 1 million per annum. The capacity we have right now can be expanded up to 10 million per annum and that is our ultimate goal," Aggarwal said.



The firm is also planning to make motorcycles within the same facility and has set up a separate battery manufacturing unit which is in the process of making India's first lithium-ion cells. "We have also set up a plan that is researching and making lithium-ion cells. The plan is to make 5 Gwh of cell capacity in phase 1, and we will slowly expand that," Aggarwal said. During the new bike launch event, Ola Electric also demonstrated its prototype of a working Lithium-ion cell.



"As a country, we need to work towards securing resources for making Lithium-ion cells. We will first utilise the same for our own factory and even make it available for other businesses," Aggarwal said.



Ola Electric's global aspirations



The firm is planning to enter the global markets, especially within the Asia Pacific (APAC) and other neighbouring countries like Nepal by early 2024. "We haven't started any deliveries in the global market, however, we will be launching our first product in a global market next year; we are in talks," Aggarwal said.
India's palm oil imports in July jumped 59% from the previous month to 1.08 million metric tons, the highest in seven months, as refiners took advantage of lower prices to increase purchases, a trade body said on Monday. Higher imports by India, the world's biggest buyer of vegetable oils, would help top producers Malaysia and Indonesia bring down stocks and support Malaysian prices. Imports of soyoil fell by around 22% to 342,270 tons and those of sunflower oil were up 71% at 327,259 tons, the Mumbai-based Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA) said in a statement. India's edible oil imports in July rose to a record 1.76 million tons as refiners built up stocks for upcoming festivals given uncertainty over supplies from the Black Sea, dealers said. The discount of crude palm oil prices to crude soyoil widened to over $150 per ton, prompting refiners to switch to palm oil, said a Mumbai-based dealer with a global trade house. "This trend would continue even in coming months. We are expecting around 1 million tons of imports in September," the dealer said. The country's total edible oil imports in the 2022/23 marketing year ending on Oct. 31 could jump to a record 15.5 million tons, the SEA said in a statement. India buys palm oil mainly from Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, while it imports soyoil and sunflower oil from Argentina, Brazil, Russia and Ukraine.

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Go Fashion (India) Ltd, which owns the popular women's wear brand 'Go Colors', is expecting to sustain the growth achieved last year through expansion of its retail presence. The Chennai-headquartered company currently has a presence in 143 cities and has 630 exclusive brand outlets (EBOs). Company CEO Gautam Saraogi said, "I am pleased to communicate that during the year under review, the company was able to strengthen its brand. This provides our company with the optimism that the company's fundamentals have strengthened and this should translate into attractive sustainable growth." The company, he said, would strengthen the Direct-to-Consumer Channel by marketing products through exclusive brand outlets, primarily managed by the company. "During the last year, we deepened the relevance of our brand through a wider retail presence and introduction of new products, which translated into attractive revenue growth," he said in the company's latest annual report. "We expect to sustain that growth during the current financial year, enhancing value for all those who hold shares in our company." The company reported 29 percent rise in revenue from Rs 189 crore in FY 2017-18 to Rs 665 crore in FY 2022-23 while EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortisation) grew by 43 percent to Rs 212 crore FY2022-23 from Rs 36 crore registered in FY 2017-18, he added.

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Hyderabad-headquartered Nagarjuna Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd (NFCL) on August 14 decided to sell its urea and micro-irrigation businesses to AM Green Ammonia (India) Pvt Ltd, a firm owned by one of Indias largest renewable energy players, Greenko Group, for Rs 1,700 crore on a slump sale basis.



This comes three months after Asset Care and Reconstruction Enterprise Ltd (ACRE), an asset reconstruction company, purchased the debt of the fertiliser company from the lenders and issued a demand notice to NFCL under the provisions of the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest (SARFAESI) Act.



At a board meeting held on August 14, NFCL approved the proposal of AM Green Ammonia, which includes Rs 1,365 crore in cash and a 19.7 percent equity stake in the purchasers company.



With a call option available to the purchaser on the 19.7 percent stake, the purchaser can exercise it within one year for Rs 335 crore with a premium of 12 percent a year, taking the total to Rs 1,700 crore. Of this, NFCL proposes to pay Rs 1,500 crore towards debt resolution under a one-time settlement.



In a communique to the stock exchanges, NFCL said it had objected to the claim of ACRE and requested an opportunity to submit a resolution plan, and that ACRE has advised the company to submit a resolution plan without prejudice to its rights under the SARFAESI Act.



According to NFCL, the proposal to sell its assets and business by way of a slump sale on a going concern basis to AM Green Ammonia will allow the company to realise fair value for its business in the interest of all stakeholders. It will also allow the lenders to realise better value compared to the process under the provisions of the SARFAESI Act or Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).



NFCL, which earns less than half of its revenues from urea and the balance from non-urea business, has been facing financial stress since the 2014 accident at the GAIL pipeline that supplies gas to the company.



The fertiliser company did not receive compensation from the insurance company and GAIL for the losses caused, making it approach the lenders for working capital limits and a working capital term loan. Though the lenders assessed and approved a corrective action plan (CAP) with funding to revive the company in 2015, they did not release the funding, which the company termed a violation of the RBIs statutory guidelines.



The fertiliser company confined itself to the low-margin and controlled urea business owing to the non-availability of CAP funding by the lenders. The low margins did not help it service the debt. The company once again approached the lenders in 2017 and 2018 for a long-term debt resolution to overcome the financial stress and submitted several debt resolution plans based on the input of the lenders, but in vain.



NFCL accuses the lenders of unilaterally freezing the working capital limits and adjusting market receivables of over Rs 700 crore towards loans outstanding in 2018-19, resulting in the stoppage of plants, an increase in losses and unsustainable loans.



In 2020, the secured lenders, including IDBI Bank, State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, Punjab National Bank, UCO Bank, Bank of India, and Indian Overseas Bank, issued notice to NFCL under the provisions of the IBC, which was objected to by the company proposing an amicable settlement.



In 2021, one of the operational creditors, Keytrade AG, approached the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) which admitted the application for an insolvency resolution process in August 2021. Challenging this, the promoters of NFCL moved the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT), which ordered a stay on the NCLT's decision, and the stay is currently in force.



In 2022, the secured lenders of NFCL initiated the sale of debt, and ACRE purchased the debt on March 28 this year, replacing the erstwhile lenders of the company.
India will stay the course of unparalleled growth through the next five years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his last Independence Day address to the nation ahead of the general elections next year.



Next time, on August 15, I will present before you the achievements of the country, he said. "In 2019, on the basis of performance, you blessed me once again... The next five years are for unprecedented development.



Unlike his usual practice of addressing the people as "my beloved brothers and sisters", Modi referred to them as "parivaarjan (family members)" in his tenth I-Day speech.



Modi said the foundation of a developed India by 2047 will be cemented in the next five years. We have to address regional aspirations. India will not be developed if even one part of it lags behind.



Modi said that India will not stop ever again. The next few years will determine the development of the next 1,000 years, he said.



Vowing to keep up his fight against corruption, nepotism and appeasement, Modi said that his government has weeded out 10 crore fake beneficiaries of welfare schemes, while seizure of ill-gotten assets jumped 20 times.



"It is Modis guarantee that India will become the third largest global economy in the next five years," he said. It should be our resolve that when the Tricolour is unfurled in 2047, it will be of a developed India.



On August 15, 2023, Modi became the first non-Congress prime minister of India to address the nation for the tenth year in a row. At a pre-Independence Day event of the Trinamool Congress, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said Modi's speech this year will be his last as the prime minister as the opposition bloc INDIA will soon take the field. "INDIA bloc will decimate the BJP across the country, she said.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 15, ARMENPRESS. A video posted online shows the moment when Azerbaijani forces opened fire in the direction of EU monitors and their vehicles in Armenias Gegharkunik Province.

In the video posted by the Armenian Military Portal telegram channel, an EU monitor is seen taking cover in an Armenian trench and explaining that the shooting is taking place from Azeri positions and they are waiting for more information.

On August 15, the Azerbaijani military opened gunfire at the EU monitors and their vehicle in the direction of Verin Shorzha, in Gegharkunik Province, the Ministry of Defense of Armenia earlier said in a statement.

The EU monitors on patrol came under small arms fire by Azerbaijani Armed Forces, the ministry said.

No one was hurt in the shooting.

On August 15, at around 12:20 p.m., Azerbaijani AF units discharged fire from firearms targeting the EU observers patrolling in the vicinity of Verin Shorzha and their vehicle. There are no casualties, reads a statement issued by the defense ministry.

The EU monitoring mission (EUMA) initially denied in a statement on social media the Armenian Defense Ministrys statement on the shooting, but then removed the denial after the video was posted online.
Retired military veterans are increasingly becoming the new favourites of India Inc as various companies launch initiatives to find, train, and on-board full-time employees across various departments.



In fact, JPMorgan Chase & Co is currently looking for a veteran for its operations department in India and has received over 150 applications on LinkedIn in the last four days. Globally, JPMorgan Chase has hired over 16,000 veterans and service members since 2011.



Employment website Indeeds data shows that roles such as teacher, security officer, security supervisor, and general manager are the top ones in post-military careers. Indeeds platform also showcases roles and cities that veterans want to join.



These roles were similar to the above-mentioned profiles, apart from facilities manager, which is among the top in terms of the roles veterans are interested in. These roles align with the ones that veterans have already transitioned into, indicating that roles involving security, supervision, and management are suitable for ex-servicemen.



Firms like Amazon India, Marsh McLennan, JPMorgan, and Carelon Global Solutions India, among others, have been looking for military veterans ready for another challenge and helping them shift to the corporate culture after serving the nation.



Marsh McLennan



Professional services firm Marsh McLennan established partnerships with veteran-focused organisations via the Marsh Military Network, and job fairs, actively engaging with transitioning service members to showcase the opportunities available within the company. The company maps internal roles vis-a-vis the skills and capabilities veterans offer.



ALSO READ | Why major banks continue to face high attrition



According to Jaspreet Singh Bakshi, HR leader at Marsh McLennan, India, veterans often bring qualities such as leadership, adaptability, and team work, which align with the business requirements. He believes their contributions will enhance the team dynamics and bolster the ability to innovate and deliver high-quality results to clients.



We have recently noticed a shift in the availability of veteran talents. As more organisations recognise the value veterans bring to the table, there is increased attention and efforts to hire them, said Jaspreet Singh Bakshi, Human Resources Leader, Marsh McLennan GIC, India.



JPMorgan Chase & Co



JPMorgans post-military programme hires veterans of all backgrounds, ranks and experiences for roles across the firm, including finance, operations, technology, analytics, project/scrum manager, information security management, and business management.



Globally, JPMorgan Chase has hired over 16,000 veterans and service members since 2011.



The firm said it provides formal training opportunities, on-the-job skills development and sessions on softer skills to make sure candidates are prepared to take on the next role at the firm. Participants have access to a wide range of online learning tools as well as in-person sessions led by senior leaders and industry experts to improve technical, financial and other skills, it said.



In India, the company is currently looking for a veteran for its operations department and has received over 150 applications on LinkedIn in the last four days.



Amazon India



Amazon India launched a dedicated Indian Military Talent Pool website last year -- a step further to its Military Veterans Employment Programme, which came into existence in 2019. Amazon India Operations partnered with the office of the Director General of Resettlement (DGR), Indian Naval Placement Agency (INPA), Indian Air Force Placement Agency (IAFPA), and Army Welfare Placement Organisation (AWPO) to ensure continued work opportunities for military veterans in the country.



ALSO READ | Ghost jobs haunt candidates amid a spooky job market



The affinity group Warriors@Amazon consists of former active military personnel and Amazon employees who provide members with a professional network, organise community outreach programmes, and assist veterans throughout their transition into civilian life within Amazon.



In line with Amazons global vision of hiring 1,00,000 military veterans and military spouses by 2024, this is an opportunity for military veterans to transition to corporate life and contribute to Amazons customer obsession, the company had said in a statement.



Carelon Global Solutions India



Healthcare solution firm Carelon Global Solutions India said veteran hiring is a priority for its business and works with veteran service organisations, outside experts, and job fairs to ensure it is showing up the right way.



We see immense value in the skills and discipline of Indian armed forces, and we hire veterans for leadership and management roles across the company, said Mitun Chakraborty, Director, HR, Carelon Global Solutions India.



The firm hired Sanjeev Tullicherry as director of its facilities and administration. In the armed forces, achieving excellence is never a choice but a necessity. From your early days, you are trained to be disciplined and goal-oriented, flexible and collaborate effectively with a diverse team, he said.



Tullicherry feels these skills certainly help him go a long way in the corporate world today.



Though Moneycontrol asked at least six companies as to how many veterans they have recruited, none of them responded. These

firms were from the finance, e-commerce, healthcare, IT sectors.
Indias imports from Russia doubled to USD 20.45 billion during the April-July period of this fiscal due to increasing inbound shipments of crude oil and fertiliser from that country, according to the commerce ministry data.



With this, Russia has become Indias second-largest import source during the first four months of this fiscal. The imports were USD 10.42 billion in April-July 2022. From a market share of less than 1 per cent in Indias import basket before the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Russias share of Indias oil imports rose to over 40 per cent.



India, the worlds third-largest crude importer after China and the United States, has been buying Russian oil that was available at a discount after some in the West shunned it as a means of punishing Moscow for the invasion of Ukraine. The ministrys data showed that imports from China dipped to USD 32.7 billion during the April-July period as against USD 34.55 billion in the same period last year.



Similarly, imports from the US declined to USD 14.23 billion during the period under review from USD 17.16 billion in April-July 2022. The imports from UAE too contracted to USD 13.39 billion during April-July 2023 as against USD 18.45 billion in the same period last year. On the export front, Indias exports to seven of its top 10 destinations have recorded a negative growth rate during the period.



During the first four months of this fiscal, the countrys merchandise exports to the US, UAE, China, Singapore, Germany, Bangladesh and Italy have dipped. However, exports to the UK, Netherlands, and Saudi Arabia have recorded positive growth. Indias exports contracted by 15.88 per cent, the sixth month in a row, to USD 32.25 billion in July this year due to a global slowdown and a fall in shipments of key sectors like petroleum, gems and jewellery.



Imports during the month also declined by 17 per cent, the eighth month in a row, to USD 52.92 billion from USD 63.77 billion in July 2022. This led to a narrowing of the trade deficit to USD 20.67 billion against USD 25.43 billion in July 2022.
Mahindra & Mahindra's OJA platform, which was launched on August 15, can help double its tractor export volumes over the next three years, company executives have said. The company exported 18,014 tractors in FY23.



After kickstarting its journey in India, the lightweight OJA range will be launched in North America, ASEAN, Brazil, Australia, South Africa, Europe and the SAARC region. Mahindra will also make its debut in the ASEAN region, starting with Thailand in 2024.



The OJA models, which were launched in Cape Town, South Africa, cover a power range of 20HP to 40HP (14.91kW to 29.82kW), offer platform versatility and effectiveness to manage a wide range of agricultural tasks, the Indian vehicle maker has said. OJA tractors will be manufactured in Telanganas Zaheerabad town.



Along with doubling exports, Mahindra also wants to increase its market share in the lightweight tractor segment.



"Currently, our market share in India stands at about 30 percent in this segment, while our national market share in tractors is over 41 percent. We wish to take the lightweight segment market share to the national market share level in the next three years," Hemant Sikka, president  farm equipment sector, Mahindra & Mahindra, said.



While the tractor market in India is growing at 7 percent CAGR, the 20-40 HP category catering to horticulture and paddy segments is growing at a much faster rate, said Sikka.



Also read: Mahindra launches new range of lightweight tractors



The Mahindra OJA 27 HP tractor will be priced at Rs 5.64 lakh against its competitor at Rs 5.82 lakh. The OJA 40HP tractor will be priced at Rs 7.35 lakh, the same as the competition.



"The OJA tractors have three tech stacks  Proja, Myoja, Roboja. These will help farmers enhance efficiency and productivity. For instance, farmers can now track fuel consumption per kilometre, critical service alerts, save fertiliser wastage in headlands and much more," he said.



Farmers were getting these features basically for free, he added.



Along with the OJA range, Mahindra also plans to enhance its network of over 1,100 channel partners. "We plan to add 200 more in the next couple of years," Sikka added.



Farmer acceptability



As connectivity and technology form the core of the OJA tractors, the company plans to carry out on-ground demonstrations for farmers.



One tractor for all farming needs, narrow track for inter-row working, quick turning at headlands, no root damages, live tractor monitoring and spraying during the night were among the needs of farmers. "We have tried to address them all," said Sikka.



The company plans to start sales of OJA tractors by October 2024.



In FY23, Mahindra's farm equipment segment (FES) clocked its highest-ever annual sale crossing 4 lakh units. Domestic sales stood at 3,89,531 units and exports were at 18,014. The annual turnover of FES was around Rs 32,000 crore.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have laid the roadmap for India for the 100th Independence Day and beyond but the customary address from the Red Fort also made a firm pitch for the big prize  the 2024 general elections.



As he reiterated his promise of India emerging as the third biggest economy by 2047, the hundredth year of its independence, Modi on August 15 listed the achievements of his government and said he would come back the next year to give an account of how far India has come. The Lok Sabha polls are due in April-May.



It is the prime minister who delivers the Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort and here is how Modi built his case to do the same in 2024:



Transfer of funds to states



Devolution to state governments has increased from Rs 30 lakh crore to Rs 100 lakh crore over the last decade.



Affordable housing



Earlier, Rs 90,000 crore was spent on building houses for the poor but it has increased to Rs 4 lakh crore now.



Subsidy for farmers



Modi said bags of urea which were sold at Rs 3,000 in some global markets are now given to farmers for not more than Rs 300. Hence the government is providing a subsidy of Rs 10 lakh crore on urea for our farmers, he said.



Mudra loans and MSMEs



The PM said Mudra Yojana has made it possible for many to become entrepreneurs. The Mudra Yojana, with a budget of over Rs 20 lakh crore, has provided opportunities for self-employment, businesses, and ventures for the youth of our country. About eight crore people have started new businesses, Modi said. During Covid-19, loans worth Rs 3 lakh crore were disbursed to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).



New middle class and OROP



It was due to his governments effort that 13.5 crore poor people broke free from the chains of poverty and joined the growing new middle class. Under the One Rank One Pension (OROP scheme), Rs 70,000 crore was given to soldiers.



Loans for upliftment



The PM said loans worth Rs 50,00 crore had been given under the SVANidhi plan to empower street vendors, while Rs 2.5 lakh crore was disbursed under the PM KISAN scheme. A sum of Rs 2 lakh crore has been spent on tap water connections for Har Ghar Jal under the Jal Jeevan Mission.



Fake identities eliminated



Modi stressed the need to eliminate corruption to ensure progress. As many as 10 crore fake identities have been eliminated which fraudulently were taking benefits of government grants. This has led to a reduction in corruption, he said.



Supporting rural women



Drone training would be provided to women from 15,000 self-help groups. They would be provided agri-drones and also train to fly and repair the unmanned aerial vehicles.



Health sector





Modi said over Rs 40,000 crore was spent on providing more than 200 crore covid vaccines. He said Rs 70,000 crore was spent to offer a safety net with the Ayushman Bharat health plan.



The Janaushadhi scheme recorded savings of Rs 20,000 crore with low-cost and high-quality medicines for the poor.



The next five years are for unprecedented development. The biggest golden moment to realise the dream of 2047 is the coming five years, he said.
Dunzo, the stressed quick commerce startup, has discussed using some of the cash lying in the bank to clear pending vendors' dues and staff salary arrears dating back two months as part of its debt-restructuring talks.



The company was in talks with its debt investors about restructuring the terms of its credit, the Economic Times reported sources as saying. People familiar with the matter said negotiations are underway to finalise new terms, including payback timelines, the report added.



Moneycontrol could not independently verify this news development.



Dunzo is also simultaneously seeking new capital from existing and new investors, ET had reported earlier.



"There is cash in the company, but debt obligations with cash flow are relatively stringent compared with equity investors. Dunzo had to take more debt as the April funding round took longer than expected, and it needed capital to run operations," one of the sources mentioned above said, quoting the report. It said, "This is similar to the PharmEasy situation where certain debt covenants, once breached, can restrict a firm's ability to access its available cash."



In November, Dunzo made regulatory filings about closing financing of around $6 million debt from Blacksoil. Sources, however, said the company had raised more debt since then.



"The information on the debt restructuring is inaccurate, and we cannot respond to rumours without specifics. Our business operates with a healthy mix of debt and equity based on the best efficiencies," a spokesperson for Dunzo said, as quoted in ET. The statement said its business has turned 'contribution margin positive' without giving any specifics and that it is seeing 'interest' from investors in 'different forms of capital'.



Also Read | Dunzo slapped with legal notices from seven companies over pending dues



Direct-to-consumer ops



Dunzo Daily has seen its volume of direct-to-consumer transactions fall to almost one-fifth of what it was in June of last year, ET has reported.



In Bengaluru, its home base, the firm operates just seven dark stores now, down from about 150 across the country until at least the middle of last year. Most of Dunzo's operations are now conducted through partner stores.



Also Read | Dunzo promises to pay 12% yearly interest on held-back salaries



There is also a change in the scale of its services. In central Bengaluru, for instance, a number of high population density areas don't have the option of an "instant delivery" that takes between 20 and 35 minutes, meaning users opt for the "no rush" option that can take between 75 and 90 minutes, as per a report by ET.



Earlier, opting for the "no rush" option would earn users a discount of Rs 5 on their orders, whereas "no rush" orders are now charged delivery fees of between Rs 20 and Rs 30 when the order value of the items is less than Rs 349. These charges and timelines vary depending on the pin code.



As part of its plan to internally reduce costs by 30-40 percent, Dunzo laid off up to 200 employees on July 21, having previously deferred employee salary payments from June and July until September 4, according to the report.
Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) has officially been renamed as the Prime Ministers Museum and Library Society with effect from August 14, a senior official said on Tuesday.



The vice chairman of the Prime Ministers Museum and Librarys executive council said this in a post on 'X, formerly Twitter. "Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) is now Prime Ministers Museum and Library (PMML) Society w.e.f August 14, 2023- in tune with the democratisation and diversification of the remit of the society. Happy Independence Day! @narendramodi, @rajnathsingh @MinOfCultureGoI," the post read.



It also had a picture of the Teen Murti House. In mid-June, in a special meeting of the NMML Society, it was resolved to change its name to PMML Society. The renaming had prompted sharp reactions from Congress. The Teen Murti Bhavan had served as the official residence of Indias first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Sources said that some administrative processes were needed to finally put an official stamp on the new name, and the final approval came a few days ago.



It was decided by NMML authorities to make August 14 the date for the renaming to come into effect, they said. The special meeting of the NMML Society in June was presided over by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who is the vice president of the Society, the Culture Ministry had then said. In his address at the meeting, Singh had "welcomed the proposal for change in the name", since in its new form the institution exhibits the contributions of all prime ministers from Jawaharlal Nehru to Narendra Modi and their responses to various challenges faced by them, it had added.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge gave the Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort a miss on August 15, with a chair bearing his name lying vacant as Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation from the ramparts of the 17th-century monument.



The Congress leader, who hoisted the flag at the party headquarters in the heart of New Delhi, greeted the country through a recorded message.



The Congress leader said he had some eye issues. I had to hoist the Tricolour at my residence at 9.20 am as per protocols. Then I had to come to the Congress office and hoist the Tricolour here too. So, I could not have reached here.



The security is so tight that they don't let anyone else leave before the PM leaves...I thought that I would not be able to reach here on time...I thought it better to not go there because of the security situation and lack of time, he said.



In his recorded message, Kharge termed democracy and the constitution as the soul of India. Some people make it look like the country developed in the past few years but that is not true. When the British left the country, the situation was such that not even a needle used to be made in the country. Then Pandit Nehru took major initiatives, set up steel plants, made dams, established institutions like IIT, IIM, AIIMS. Indira Gandhi-Lal Bahadur Shashtri brought in the green revolution, made India self-reliant," Kharge said.



He said great people do not obliterate past history, they create their own. Those who are repeating name-change issues themselves changed the names of existing schemes," Kharge said in a not-so subtle jibe at the government.



The Congress chief ended his message saying the Congress party would establish justice, fight and raise its voice wherever there is injustice.



However, the BJP did not miss the opportunity to take a dig at Kharge. "Sources were saying Kharge ji was unwell hence couldnt come for #IndependenceDay program but Im glad he recovered immediately and started giving speech at AICC HQ where he was able to do flag hoisting," said BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on X formerly known as Twitter.



Addressing the country, Modi urged the people to fight three evils  corruption, dynastic politics and appeasement, which the ruling BJP has often targeted the Congress with. For India to grow, it will have to overcome these three hurdles, the PM said, promising to continue his fight against corruption.



Senior party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, who recently returned as an MP after the Supreme Court stayed his conviction in a defamation case, too, werent seen at the Red Fort.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the policies of the government are providing support to the youth of the country and their strength has helped India become the third largest startup ecosystem in the world. Addressing the nation on the 77th Independence Day, he said the country's exports are growing and experts world over believe India's economy would continue its growth trajectory. "I believe in youth power, youth power is my strength... Our policies are giving more power to youth strength... The youth of the world are getting amazed by seeing the strength of Indian youth," he said from the ramparts of the Red Fort. Their strength has helped India become "the third largest startup ecosystem in the world," Modi added. The government has recognised as many as 98,119 entities as startups as on April 30 this year. These startups are eligible for availing incentives, including tax benefits under the Startup India scheme. Schemes like Fund of Funds for Startups, Startup India Seed Fund Scheme and Credit Guarantee Scheme support these entities at various stages of their business cycle. The government, with an intent to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation and startups in the country, launched the Startup India initiative on January 16, 2016.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the government will soon launch a scheme to provide relief in bank loans to those dreaming of their own house in cities. Addressing the nation on the 77th Independence Day, Modi said his government will soon launch the scheme for middle-class families living in cities but do not own a house. The prime minister launched the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Urban (PMAY-U) -- a flagship Mission of the Central government -- on June 25, 2015. The Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has been implementing the PMAY-U scheme. According to the ministry, around 1.18 crore houses have been sanctioned under PMAY (Urban) till July 31 this year, out of which 76.02 lakh have been delivered to the beneficiaries. (With PTI inputs)

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We are celebrating Indias 76th Independence Day as citizens of one nation. It is an extraordinary feat, almost miraculous in an era when boundaries of nations have often changed and geopolitics is so akin a game of thrones. We have witnessed many nations from Syria to Afghanistan to Ukraine to Albania become shrouded in the clouds of war. If we were to ask those displaced citizens about celebrating independence, we might get a different perspective on how it is a matter of great honour and not merely an extra public holiday. But these questions would seldom cross the mind of an average Indian mostly because of the feeling of security provided by one of the worlds strongest armies  the Indian Army.



Today it is more important than ever to discuss the balidan, sacrifice, of a soldier. Today, our country has economic growth, infrastructural facilities, even space technology. All of it is at the cost of the soldier standing guard in the harshest of weather and in the most treacherous of terrains. These soldiers come equally from the villages of rural India and the most advanced of metropolitan cities. While their heroism is extraordinary, at the end of the day our soldiers are ordinary citizens as well. What makes the difference is that they are the most passionate creed of Indians with a strong sense of duty. My new book, Balidan: Stories of Indias Greatest PARA Special Forces Operatives, provides insights into the lives of many such Indians. These are some of the most legendary names from the world of the PARA Special Forces because they have displayed immense grit, resilience and valour of the highest order against all odds in their lives.



Be it the story of Subedar Major/ Hon. Captain Mahendra Singh KC, SM where the young lad of Jhunjhunu who had seen the worst of poverty and worked in fields even during sandstorms, rose to become the great mountain of 9 PARA (Special Forces)' or the story of Brigadier Saurabh Singh Shekhawat KC, SC, SM, VSM, who spent his childhood running behind camels and sleeping in the arid fields of Rajasthan amongst snakes to eventually summitting 23 mountain peaks across the world along with turning out to be one of the finest paratroopers in India. Be it the story of the late Captain Tushar Mahajan, SC (posthumous), whose family had to bear the brunt of Partition and eventually also had to deal with the immense pain of losing their son in the service of the nation, or Col Santosh Yashwant Mahadik, SM: SC (posthumous), who from the remotest village of Satara district where his family sold milk for a living became a Waghnakh who sacrificed his life leading from the front, these stories highlight the selfless patriotism our soldiers exude so effortlessly even in the face of the fiercest of enemies. This is because nation always comes first, and other identities of caste, creed and religion are subservient to their identities as Indians.



I have only written six of these glorious stories of Indian soldiers but if you look for them, you will find thousands of such stories where the idea of right, freedom, opportunities and growth is assimilated in the motto, Naam, Namak, Nishan, for the Indian soldier. They train hard and stand steadfast at treacherous borders against enemies, bullets, snow, heat or rain in service to their beloved Mother India.



There are two ideas of being an Indian: one that belongs to the rest of India and the other which belongs to her soldiers. These are the soldiers who pay the cost of freedom so that the nation survives, thrives and reaches greater heights, century after century.



So, dear readers, while you celebrate everything about your freedom, dont forget to hold a little gratitude for your soldiers. Dont take your nation for granted and while talking about rights, also remember your duties as Indians.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 15, ARMENPRESS. The EU monitoring mission (EUMA) has confirmed that its monitors were present to what it described as a shooting incident in their area of responsibility.

We confirm that EUMA patrol has been present to the shooting incident in our area of responsibility. No EUMA member was harmed, EUMA said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

CORRECTING STATEMENT:

We confirm that #EUMA patrol has been present to the shooting incident in our area of responsibility.



No #EUMA member was harmed.  European Union Mission in Armenia (@EUmARMENIA) August 15, 2023

On August 15, the Azerbaijani military opened gunfire at the EU monitors and their vehicle in the direction of Verin Shorzha, in Gegharkunik Province, the Ministry of Defense of Armenia earlier said in a statement.

The EU monitors on patrol came under small arms fire by Azerbaijani Armed Forces, the ministry said.

On August 15, at around 12:20 p.m., Azerbaijani AF units discharged fire from firearms targeting the EU observers patrolling in the vicinity of Verin Shorzha and their vehicle. There are no casualties, reads a statement issued by the defense ministry.

The EU monitoring mission (EUMA) initially denied in a statement on social media the Armenian Defense Ministrys statement on the shooting, but then removed the denial after a video was posted online, before eventually releasing a correcting statement confirming the shooting.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the Vishwakarma Yojana with an allocation of Rs 13,000-15,000 crore for people belonging to Other Backward Castes (OBC). The scheme seeks to help workers from the OBC community such as barbers, tanners, and blacksmiths. The scheme will be launched on Vishwakarma Jayanti next month with the objective to drive economic growth and social progress among individuals possessing traditional skills. Addressing the nation in his Independence Day speech, Modi said that India will be among the top three economies in the next five years. When we came to power in 2014, we were at the 10th position in the global economic system. Today, with the efforts of 140 crore Indians, we have reached the fifth position, This did not happen just like that. The demon of corruption that had the country in its clutches. We stopped leakages and created a strong economy, he said. In a switch from addressing the people of India as "my fellow citizens", PM Modi on Wednesday addressed the nation as his "family members" while speaking from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the 77th Independence Day.

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From its eternal stand of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (global family), India has emerged as Vishwamitra (friend of the world), as Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the nation in his Independence Day address on August 15. Over the last few years, India has laid the strong foundation for Vishwamangal (global welfare), he said.



From deep space to deep sea missions, Vande Bharat trains, electric buses, metro, villages connected through internet, semiconductor manufacturing, nano urea - we are working in every sector. India is moving towards its aim. We aim big and far. More than dreaming big, we work towards achieving it, he said.



The prime minister assured India will be among the top three economies in the next five years. He said in 2014, when his government first came to power, India was ranked as the tenth best economy in the world, and today it is the fifth. "By constantly fighting corruption, we have ensured that economic prosperity has come for the common citizens today," he said.



"During this 'Amrit Kaal', we have to work hard to ensure that the dreams of 140 crore Indians become reality and in 2047, when the Tricolour is unfurled, the world is singing praises for a developed India."

This years I-Day celebration was attended by 1,800 people from all walks of life. Also, 75 couples from each state and Union Territory, in their traditional attire, were invited to witness the PM's address to the nation from Red Fort. Upon his arrival at the Red Fort, he was received by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Raksha Rajya Mantri Ajay Bhat, and Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane.



Around 1,000 cameras with facial recognition and video analytic systems were installed in and around the fort and at other strategic locations to ensure security.
India and China have agreed to resolve the pending border row in the Ladakh sector along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in an "expeditious manner", the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on August 15, a day after the two sides held military-level talks.



This was the 19th round of India- China Corps Commander Level Meeting, held at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Indian side. The meeting was held around a week before Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled to attend the BRICS leaders' summit in Johannesburg.



"The two sides had a positive, constructive and in-depth discussion on the resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC in the Western Sector. In line with the guidance provided by the leadership, they exchanged views in an open and forward-looking manner," the MEA said in a release.



"They agreed to resolve the remaining issues in an expeditious manner and maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiations through military and diplomatic channels," it added.



In the interim, the two sides agreed to maintain peace and tranquillity on the ground in the border areas, the ministry further noted.



The stand-off in the Ladakh sector of LAC erupted in April-May 2020 after the Chinese forces had attempted to unilaterally change the status quo in the region.



The tensions had escalated in June 2020, after a clash in Galwan Valley led to 20 Indian soldiers losing their lives. The Chinese side had also suffered casualties but did not release the details.



After several rounds of military and diplomatic-level talks, a partial disengagement was reached in August 2021, when the forces on either side pulled back their troops from the Gogra-Hot Springs sector. However, the stand-off continues to remain in some of the other friction points of the Ladakh region.
India is now well placed to face and address emerging challenges and complexities, both locally and internationally, the country's top diplomat in Washington said on Tuesday.



India's Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu made the remarks after unfurling the national flag at India House at a ceremony attended by a large number of Indian-Americans.



"Since the time of independence, we have overcome great odds, and today, India stands tall as a shining example of democracy, and pluralism, and as a bright spot in the global economic landscape," Sandhu said.



"Our achievements and our global standing are built on the relentless efforts of all our citizens, on the zeal of India's youth, and on determined political leadership. It comes as no surprise that India is now, the world's 5th largest economy, 3rd largest tech startup base, that over 80% Indians have bank accounts, and over 99% have a unique digital identity," he said.



"We're creating a new university every week, and 2 new colleges every day. Be it agriculture, space, healthcare, or defence, India is well placed to face, and address emerging challenges, and complexities, both locally and internationally," Sandhu said.



India, he said, has made huge positive strides, on many fronts. To fulfil the aspirations of the youth, it must continue to work towards next-generation infrastructure, world-class manufacturing, cutting-edge innovation, and new-age technology.



"In this journey, as we scale new heights of prosperity, the United States will be a key partner. Under the leadership of Prime Minister (Narendra)) Modi and President (Joe) Biden, the India-US partnership today is 'one of the most consequential relationships' in the world," he said.



"The Prime Minister's recent State Visit to the US reaffirmed our deep bonds of friendship and provided a new impetus to our cooperation. The range of initiatives, announced during the visit, span all areas of human endeavour, and are a testament, to the mutual trust, between our two countries," Sandhu said.



A key pillar of the India-US relationship is the 4.4 million strong Indian community, including 2,00,000 students, in the US, Sandhu said. "Your talent, entrepreneurial spirit, and innovation contribute to the prosperity of, both India and the United States, and serve to strengthen the relations between our two countries," he said.



His speech was followed by a screening of the speech of India's President.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address on August 15 said the situation in Manipur was improving and peace was the only way to resolve the crisis. Speaking from the Red Fort, the Prime Minister said both the Centre and the state governments are working to restore peace in Manipur. The women of Manipur have suffered much. The nation is with Manipur. We will find a solution through peace. Path for solution in Manipur will be found through peace. The Centre and the state government are making all efforts for a solution, will continue to do so," he said. He unfurled the countrys Tricolour at the Red Fort and paid homage to freedom fighters. Our decisions, sacrifices in this period will impact next 1,000 years as India marches ahead with new confidence and resolve, Modi said.

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Security was intensified outside the Indian Embassy in Washington on Tuesday in view of the protests by pro-Khalistan groups on the occasion of India's Independence Day.



Pro-Khalistan groups have planned to stage protests outside the Indian Embassy in Washington DC where a function was held on the occasion of India's 77th Independence Day.



A small group of separatist Sikhs gathered at the Indian Embassy Tuesday morning, but they were outnumbered by the presence of a large number of security personnel including those from the US Park Police, US Secret Service and Washington DC Police.



The Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit, Singh Sandhu, hoisted the national flag at India House, his official residence. A large number of Indian Americans attended the ceremony.



A group of pro-Khalistani protesters on March 19 attacked and damaged the Indian Consulate in San Francisco, prompting sharp condemnation from Indian Americans who demanded immediate action against those responsible for it.



In the same month, a group of Khalistan supporters held a protest in front of the Indian Embassy here and tried to incite violence and even threatened the country's envoy, but timely intervention by law enforcement agencies prevented them from vandalising the property.



Khalistani activists again attempted to burn down the Indian consulate in San Francisco on July 2.



India has said that in the name of freedom of expression, space should not be given to those advocating violence or legitimising terrorism.



The safety of the diplomats and security of the Indian missions are of utmost priority to the government and New Delhi has taken it up with the countries concerned, Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said last month.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on August 15 urged President Droupadi Murmu to shift education to the state list of the Constitution from the concurrent list, escalating the tussle with the Centre over the all-India test for admission to medical colleges.



In his Independence Day address, Stalin raised the deaths by suicide of National Eligibility cum Entrance Test aspirants and said if education was moved to the state list of the Constitution, exams like NEET would be scrapped.



Tamil Nadu is opposed to NEET, saying it puts the states students at a disadvantage and has passed a bill keeping it out of the ambit of the all-India entrance exam. The governor has refused to give his nod to the bill, worsening the already fractitious ties with the state government.



The Constitution has a provision for central, state and concurrent lists for the division for powers. The subjects in the state list are exclusive to the jurisdiction of states, those in the central list are to be handled by the Centre, while the concurrent list, which includes education, allows a dual jurisdiction.



According to Stalin, subjects with a direct connection to people should be brought under the state list in particular education. Education, originally a state subject, was moved to the concurrent list by the Indira Gandhi government during Emergency.



Stalins raised the issue a day after reports of a teenagers death by suicide and that of his father due to alleged NEET-related stress emerged.



Stalin delivered his Independence Day address from Fort St George in Chennai after unfurling the flag. In his speech, the CM also said 55,000 vacancies would be filled in various government departments soon.
On Independence Day, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday asked the citizens of the country to take a pledge to steer India on the way to becoming a developed nation.



Extending his greetings on the country's 77th Independence Day, the AAP national convener shared a video on social media site X in which he talked about how education for every child and good treatment for everyone will ensure that the tricolour keeps flying high.



The video also featured Kejriwal's speech from last year's Independence Day celebration where he spoke about developed nations such as the US, Norway, and Sweden ensuring free education and good health facilities for their citizens.



"Happy Independence Day to all people of the country. On this glorious occasion, let us all take a pledge that together we will make arrangements for the best education for every child in the country, good treatment for every person and will take the country forward, making it a developed nation. Jai Hind," he posted in Hindi on X, formerly known as Twitter.



Kejriwal will unfurl the national flag at Chhatrasal Stadium in north Delhi later in the day. Senior AAP leader Raghav Chadha asked the people of the country not to turn a blind eye to the challenges that loom over "our democracy today".



"As we turn 77, let us not turn a blind eye to the challenges that loom over our democracy today or to the sufferings of our fellow citizens. The shadows that threaten our democratic fabric and the ailments afflicting our nation must be acknowledged. "However, let us remember that just as our land triumphed over colonial rule, we will eventually overcome these trials too," he posted on X.



Chadha also urged the youth to uphold the values that "our forefathers fought for". "Let us work tirelessly to contribute to the growth, development, and unity of our diverse and vibrant nation. May this Independence Day inspire us to strive for excellence, foster inclusivity, and empower every Indian to realize their potential. Happy Independence Day! Jai Hind!" he added.
The bilateral relationship between the United States and India is deeper and more expansive than ever, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said as the Biden administration joined Indian-Americans in celebrating India's 77th Independence Day on Tuesday.



Blinken said as the world's oldest and largest democracies, the US and India have created a strong bond between our nations that grows ever closer as the two countries work together for a world that is open, prosperous, secure, stable and resilient.



Extending best wishes to the people of India on behalf of the American people on Independence Day, he said, We stand with you in our shared commitment to tackle the most pressing global challenges to ensure the peace and prosperity of our people.



This last year has shown that the US-India relationship is deeper and more expansive than ever, Blinken said in a statement. Sending our warmest wishes to the people of India as they commemorate 77 years of independence, he said.



On this momentous day, we reflect on the depth and breadth of our strategic partnership, and we celebrate the proud history of the Indian people, who are the key to the bright future we are building together, Blinken said.



We stand with you in our shared commitment to tackle the most pressing global challenges to ensure the peace and prosperity of our peoples, he added.



Joining the call to celebrate India's Independence Day, thousands of Indian-Americans over the weekend hoisted the tri-color outside their homes and in many cities like Boston, Jersey City and Chicago and took out parades and cultural rallies. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz proclaimed August 15, 2023, as India Day in the state.



The contributions and heritage of Indian-Americans have played a vital role in helping and continuing to create a better nation and state, he said. The Mayor of Boston too proclaimed August 15 as India Independence Day.



The Indian community, he said, plays a significant role in the ethnic diversity of Boston by incorporating its rich spiritual and cultural traditions. Thousands of Indians gathered at Boston Harbour to celebrate India's Independence Day organized by FIA New England.



This is a proud moment for all Indian-Americans to see the achievements of India in the last 75 years, in particular the remarkable developmental stride of the country under Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the last one decade, said.



Abhishek Singh from FIA New England. India's Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, will hoist the national flag at India House Tuesday morning in the presence of a large number of Indian Americans.



Heads of various diplomatic missions would be unfurling the tricolour at Indian Consulate in Chicago, Houston, San Francisco, and Atlanta. Indian Consul General in New York Randheer Jaiswal would join eminent Indian-Americans in hoisting the tricolour at the iconic Times Square in Mid Town New York Tuesday morning.



Thousands of Indian-Americans are expected to attend the annual India Day Parade' in Downtown Manhatton during the weekend. Hundreds of Indian-American attended Independence Day rally' on the Oak Tree Road in Edison City of New Jersey.



Similarly in Chicago, enthusiastic Indian-Americans gathered in large numbers to celebrate Independence Day.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday exuded confidence that he will address the nation from the Red Fort next year to list out the progress on the promises he had made to the people. "The promise for change brought me here, my performance brought me here once again. The coming five years are of unprecedented development and a golden moment to realise the dream of India as a developed nation by 2047," the Prime Minister said in his speech from the ramparts of Red Fort. "Next year, on August 15 from this same Red Fort I will list out the progress achieved by the nation and sing paeans to your strength, your resolve and your success with greater confidence," Modi said in his last Independence Day address before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The general elections are scheduled for April-May next year. Modi said he had made a promise to the nation to usher in change in 2014. "You reposed your trust in me. I tried to fulfill the trust you reposed in me. The promises I made earned me confidence over the past five years. I had promised you to change through reform, perform and transform. I have worked hard for the nation and I have worked with pride," the Prime Minister said. (With PTI inputs)

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Leaders of various countries on Tuesday greeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi on India's 77th Independence Day with him thanking them for their warm wishes.



PM Modi thanked leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Bhutanese PM Lotay Tshering for their greetings.



"Congratulations to the Indian people on your Independence Day! A month ago in Paris, my friend @narendramodi and I set new Indo-French ambitions all the way to 2047, the centenary year of India's Independence. India can count on France as a trusted friend and partner, always," Macron wrote on 'X', formerly Twitter.



Modi responded by saying, "Thankful for your kind wishes, President @EmmanuelMacron. I fondly recall my visit to Paris and appreciate your passion towards boosting India-France ties." Prachanda extended warm greetings and best wishes to Prime Minister Modi and to the friendly people of India for continued peace, progress and prosperity. x



Tshering said he joins his friends from India in celebrating the remarkable journey of their nation today. Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said as India celebrates its Independence Day, the government and people of Maldives join him in conveying their best wishes to President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Modi and the people of India. "May India always be blessed with lasting freedom and prosperity."



UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said in a post, "As India celebrates its 77th Independence Day, I extend my congratulations to the leadership and the people of this great nation." "On this joyous occasion, the UAE reaffirms its commitment to building a future of shared prosperity and growth, elevating our partnership to new heights, and exploring new horizons of political, economic, and cultural relations. Happy Independence Day, Swatantrata Diwas!" he said.



Responding to his greetings, PM Modi said, "Thank you for your kind wishes, Your Highness @HHShkMohd." Dominica Premier Roosevelt Skerrit said that on this esteemed occasion of India's Independence Day, the government and people of Dominica extend their sincere congratulations and warmest greetings.



"As our nations celebrate the spirit of freedom and sovereignty, we reflect on the shared values that bind us," he said. In his response on X, PM Modi said, "Thank you, Prime Minister @SkerritR for your wishes on our Independence Day."



Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu said, "Dear Prime Minister @narendramodi and the people of India, on behalf of Israel, I extend heartfelt congratulations on your Independence Day." "May our nations continue to grow closer and prosper together," he said. Responding to his post, PM Modi said, "Thank you for your warm wishes, my dear friend PM @netanyahu."



EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen also wished India on Independence Day. "India and the European Union are vibrant democracies, we both support wholeheartedly the rules-based international order and we are close allies in the fight against global warming. Our regions have so much to share. For the European Union, strengthening our strategic relationship with India is a top priority," she said.



Modi thanked her for her wishes. Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said independent India has shown to the world the unmatched resourcefulness, ingenuity and resilience of its people.



"Congratulations to Prime Minister @narendramodi for taking India even further in its stride towards progress. Mauritius is proud of our brotherly ties," he said. Responding to his post, PM Modi said, "Thank you Prime Minister @KumarJugnauth for your heartfelt greetings."
A pertinent question regarding the operation of nuclear reactors is that of civil liability for damages in the event of an accident. It became evident during nuclear incidents such as the Three Mile Island (1979), the Chernobyl (1986), and the Fukushima Daiichi (2011). Now, the discourse is even more relevant considering the geopolitical tensions around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. In this context, the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010 of India (CLND Act) has been a subject matter of discussion in countries investing in India in the nuclear energy field. It would therefore be significant to look at liability provisions under domestic legislations of India, the US, France, Canada and Russia to find points of convergences and divergences.



The international legal regime includes agreements such as the Paris Convention 1960, the Brussels Supplementary Convention 1963, the Vienna Convention 1963, the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage 1997, and so on. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has also recognised general principles of nuclear liability based on the abovementioned treaty regimes. These principles are (a) strict and exclusive liability of operator of nuclear installation; (b) minimum amount of liability; and (c) mandatory financial coverage of operators liability.



Here, it is important to mention that domestic legislations in most countries are, in general, coherent with international obligations. However, some countries have made certain deviations considering their policy objectives and national interests.



Liability of operators



The domestic legislations of all these countries provide for strict liability of operators of nuclear installations in case of a nuclear incident. The liability is based on the no-fault principle  that is, an operator is liable for damages without any fault on its part. However, laws in India and Russia provide for certain exceptions to operators liability due to factors like force majeure, grave natural disasters of an exceptional character, military operations, armed conflict, hostility, civil war, insurrection or terrorism, etc.



The liability is exclusively of operators of nuclear installations. The rationale is to swiftly channelise the liability of the operator for prompt and adequate compensations to victims. In most jurisdictions, operators have the right of recourse where they can shift the liability. However, the scope of right to recourse varies. For example, while the French law and the Canadian law strictly delimit this right, the Indian law provides for a comprehensive right of recourse for operators.



In the Indian context, Section 17 of the CLND Act provides right of recourse to operators in three cases:



 when expressly provided in a written contract;



 nuclear incident is a consequence of the act of supplier; and



 nuclear incident is a consequence of the act of an individual with intent to cause nuclear damage.



Cause for apprehension



Such an unparalleled and extensive provision for right of recourse is causing apprehensions among countries like the US and France that are interested and investing in various nuclear power projects in India. Furthermore, Section 46 of the CLND Act, 2010 keeps the doors open for proceedings, other than that under the Act, to be brought against an operator. Considering the background of the Bhopal gas tragedy in India in 1984 and consequent inadequate compensation to victims, the concerns of India are not misplaced and need to be understood in this context.



Domestic legislation in some countries limits the liability of operators to a certain maximum amount, which is covered through mandatory financial mechanisms such as insurance. For example, the Price-Anderson provisions of the Atomic Energy Act, 1954 of the US comprehensively cover provisions regarding insurance mechanisms. The US aims to progressively increase operators liability, backed by indemnity mechanisms, in order to provide prompt and adequate compensation to victims.



In such a regime, in case damages caused by a nuclear incident extend beyond an operators liability, respective countries are required to provide for compensation. However, under the said US law, the US Congress may take actions including appropriation of funds.



In general, usual country practices are consistent with their obligations under international treaty regime. Any deviations, such as under the Indian law, have a historical background to it and such legitimate concerns should be taken into consideration in future nuclear deals between countries.



Clear ambiguities



However, India needs to address ambiguities around Section 17(b) and Section 46 of the CLND Act. With regard to the latter section, the government rightly mentions that it is a general provision and there is no other civil nuclear liability law in existence in India. Thus, it should not cause apprehension in the minds of investors.



The government also claims that Section 17(b) is consistent with international obligations as its operationalisation depends upon contracts between operators and suppliers. However, a thorough reading of the text implies that Sections 17(a) and 17(b) are separate provisions and the latter doesnt depend upon the former for its implementation.



Thus, India needs to address this ambiguity in order to build trust among relevant stakeholders and continue its journey towards energy security. Additionally, India should build confidence in the India Nuclear Insurance Pool created to cover not only operators liability, but also liability of suppliers.



Pradeep S Mehta is Secretary General and Saloni Mishra is Senior Research Associate, CUTS International, a global public policy research and advocacy group. Views are personal, and do not represent the stand of this publication.




Women are known to be better savers than men, despite the fact their incomes are lower and many women do not have access to paid work. Given their roles in households, women tend to save a higher proportion for the welfare of their families, which leads to direct improvements in health, education, and employment.



A recent report by the Reserve Bank of India, Deposits with Scheduled Commercial Banks  March 2023, corroborates that women in India are saving more as deposits in bank accounts owned by women increased from 19.8 percent last year to 20.5 percent in 2023. As the report reflects a decline in the overall share of individuals in total deposits during the year, the increase in womens share tells its own story.



The report shows per capita deposits by women increased by Rs 4,618 in the period between 2019 and 2023. States like Karnataka and Kerala which have higher participation of women in the workforce had the highest per capita deposits by women while states like Odisha and Madhya Pradesh lagged behind.



Role Of Policies



The increase in the share of bank deposits by women has been enabled by specific policy interventions like the financial inclusion drive under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) which has helped women obtain basic bank accounts and integrated these accounts with unique identity (Aadhaar) and mobile technology. This JAM trinity has accelerated financial inclusion in the country by four decades. Nearly 55 percent of accounts under PMJDY are held by women which has helped India close the gender gap in access to bank accounts.



The increase can also be linked to the impact of the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) programme, which has been scaled up since the pandemic and covers nearly all welfare schemes in India. Under the programme, cash transfers are made by the government directly into bank accounts of citizens. It has driven up the financial inclusion of women in India  there is evidence when beneficiaries receive payments from the government they are likely to save more and to borrow money as well.



One of the schemes covered under DBT is the rural employment guarantee programme. Women constitute more than 50 percent of the workforce under MGNREGA and the wages are transferred directly into their bank accounts. This has contributed to the increase in bank deposits of women according to research by the State Bank of India on the RBI data.



Untapped Banking Potential



Data by RBI also shows an increase in womens share in credit to individuals, which rose from 21.1 percent in 2019 to 22.9 percent in 2023. There has been some progress in addressing the financing gaps faced by women entrepreneurs, by prioritising lending to women through initiatives like the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana, which promotes inclusion of women through collateral-free micro-loans.



If female entrepreneurship could be accelerated in the country, it could create 150170 million jobs until 2030. For that, women need access to credit that is not just limited to microfinance.



Women are a crucial and untapped consumer segment for banks. A report by Womens World Banking, a global network of microfinance institutions, showed how women Jan Dhan customers are more profitable than men, as women are committed savers. A female Jan Dhan customers lifetime revenue is at least 12 percent higher than that of a male.



According to the report, by enabling 100 million low-income women to adopt small-scale savings, 400 million low-income people in their households can be reached. Banks can potentially unlock an estimated inflow of Rs. 25,000 crores (250 billion) in deposits, while disbursing in the region of Rs. 10,000 crore (100 billion) in Overdrafts to 20 million beneficiaries.



Barriers, Opportunities



There are barriers that need to be addressed. One in every five women in India still lacks access to a bank account and there are gender gaps in the usage of bank accounts. According to the Global Findex Database 2021 by the World Bank, 32 percent of women-owned bank accounts in India are inactive or dormant, the highest for any country.



Less than one-fifth of women who have a bank account save formally with the bank as they tend to save in informal systems such as community-based savings groups. For many women, usage of bank accounts is limited to withdrawal for emergencies, withdrawing salary, or availing government benefits.



It is not enough for women to have bank accounts, more women need access to essential financial services like savings, credit and insurance. There is a window of opportunity here, by promoting awareness and behavioural changes among women and ensuring financial services have a gender lens and cater to the specific needs of women, their access can be expanded. This in turn could lead to significant macroeconomic gains for the country and help women build economic resilience.



Sunaina Kumar is a Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation and Executive Director at Think20 India Secretariat. She works on gender and development. Views are personal, and do not represent the stand of this publication
The Delhi Assembly session beginning Wednesday, the first after the enactment of the GNCTD (Amendment) Act 2023 on the control of services in the national capital, is likely to witness noisy scenes involving legislators of the ruling AAP and the opposition BJP.



The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act came into being on Saturday following presidential assent. The law gives the Centre control over bureaucracy in the national capital and seeks to create an authority for the transfer and posting of Group-A officers. In his Independence Day speech at Chhatrasal stadium on Tuesday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the Act has snatched powers of the elected government of Delhi and the AAP dispensation will restore them.



The two-day assembly session will begin at 11 am on Wednesday. The list of business of the House did not specify any particular issue to be raised by the AAP. AAP leaders were tight-lipped about their strategy for the session. The GNCTD (Amendment) Act 2023 is expected to be a prominent debating point. Sources said the AAP may also raise the issue of suspension of its Rajya Sabha MPs Raghav Chadha and Sanjay Singh in the House. In a joint press conference, BJP MLAs accused the AAP of "undermining" democracy in the assembly. The AAP is making noise over the suspension of its members from Parliament, but it is itself responsible for "undermining democracy" in the Delhi Legislative Assembly, the BJP MLAs said.



"In the past three years, BJP legislators have been removed from the assembly 35 times in 16 sessions, revealing a pattern of anti-democratic behaviour," said Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri. The BJP legislators also accused the AAP of "stifling the oppositions voice" by preventing discussions on notices given by them.
A family man greeted his 140-crore-strong Parivarjan from the ramparts of Red Fort as India turned 77 on August 15. Dressed in a off-white kurta and a vibrant Rajasthani headgear, Prime Minister Narendra Modi painted the picture of a New India that would be economically mightier, globally more influential, and politically truly democratised.



Modi's Independence Day address to the nation resonated with the claims of his governments achievements and his vision of a developed India. "India was at the tenth spot in the world when you brought me back in power in 2014. Today, it is the fifth largest economy in the world," he said. "India stays the course to record unparalleled growth over the next five years and the whole world will sing praises for India by 2047."



The prime minister began his speech with Manipur. The unabated violence in the North-Eastern state has roiled power centres away in Delhi. Modi hard-sold joint efforts by the central and state governments to restore peace. "The whole nation is with Manipur," he spoke of solidarity, "We will resolve the crisis soon with our focus on peace."



The ruling BJP-led government has been in duel with the Opposition block INDIA over Manipur. Modi attacked the Congress-led Opposition alliance by calling for an end to dynastic politics.



The mantra of dynastic parties is of the family, by the family, and for the family, said Modi, emphasising that the agenda of such individuals revolves solely around their party and the family. Dynasts are adversaries of talent. They belittle abilities and reject proponents. Eradicating dynastic politics is imperative for bolstering democracy, he said.



He slammed corruption and appeasement practices. Our government has confiscated ill-gotten wealth amassed by corrupt individuals and this amount is 20 times greater than what previous regimes had achieved. The substantial number of submitted charge-sheets indicates stringent provisions in place.



He batted for a strong and steady leadership, which is essential in solving big problems like the economy, making the society better, and getting rid of poverty. He stressed on the the works his government has done like building infrastructure, women empowerment, and Swachh Bharat mission.



In his 90-minite speech, the prime minster touched upon everything to endorse his government ahead of the general elections next year. From record pace of Covid vaccination to rollout of 5G technology and India-made semiconductor to Vande Bharat trains - Modi touched upon all major milestones. He harped on India's commitment to join the global fight against climate change. The government's achievement with electric vehicles and green energy mission featured prominently in his address.



Our government not only lays the groundwork for projects but also puts them on stream. Our goals are ambitious and expansive, Modi said. All our dreams and goals will be accomplished ahead of the scheduled deadlines. From exploring outer space to venturing into the depths of the sea.








In his Independence Day address to the nation from from the ramparts of the Red Fort on August 15, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that the malaise of dynastic politics will never fortify Indias democracy.



The mantra of dynastic parties is of the family, by the family, and for the family, said Modi, emphasising that the agenda of such individuals revolves solely around their party and the family.



Dynasts are adversaries of talent. They belittle abilities and reject proponents. Eradicating dynastic politics is imperative for bolstering democracy, he said.



Modi added that every citizen in the country should be entitled to their rights and social justice, asserting that appeasement has impacted social justice detrimentally.



The parties endorsing appeasement politics have exploited social justice, evident in their government schemes. Both appeasement and corruption stand as formidable obstacles to development.



Sharing his vision of Indias centenary Independence anniversary in 2047, the prime minister underscored the importance of not tolerating corruption, claiming that his government has genuinely fought against it with integrity and dedication.



Our government has confiscated ill-gotten wealth amassed by corrupt individuals and this amount is 20 times greater than what previous regimes had achieved. The substantial number of submitted charge-sheets indicates stringent provisions in place, said PM Modi.



Addressing people as Parvivaarjan (family members), Modi asserted that actions have been taken against those who misappropriated peoples earnings, acknowledging that this might be one reason for peoples discontent.



He stressed that its the responsibility of every citizen to ensure that future generations do not endure hardships. He called for a strong and steadfast nation, in line with the dreams of Mahatma Gandhi and other freedom fighters. In 2014, you placed your trust in me, and I have worked diligently to reform, perform, and transform, Modi said.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day speech will be his last as the PM from the ramparts of the Red Fort in Delhi.



Banerjee, while speaking at a pre-Independence Day programme organised by the TMC at Behala here, also proclaimed that the opposition bloc INDIA will soon take the field, adding "khela hobe (we will play)".



'Khela hobe' was a slogan that the ruling TMC had coined during the 2021 assembly poll campaign.



"Modiji's Independence Day speech tomorrow will be his last speech as prime minister from the ramparts of the Red Fort," Banerjee said.



The chief minister also said she believes that the opposition bloc INDIA, of which her Trinamool Congress is a member, will emerge victorious in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.



"INDIA bloc will decimate the BJP across the country. In Bengal, the TMC will decisively defeat the saffron party," she said.



The TMC supremo indicated that she does not harbour prime ministerial ambitions, stating that "Bengal does not want 'Kursi' (political position), it wants to dislodge the BJP 'Sarkar'".



Banerjee also alleged that there are corruption charges against the BJP government at the Centre, citing the Rafale aircraft purchase and demonetisation of high-value notes among "suspect" deals.



"In Bengal, there have been a few instances of corruption against which we have taken immediate steps. However, there are several corruption allegations against the Centre, be it the Rafale jet deal or demonetisation of Rs 2,000 notes," she said.



The TMC supremo also said, "How are they (the Centre) talking about corruption when they cannot give the details of the account of PM Cares Funds? BJP leaders here keep talking about Rs 5 lakh crore debt. But they should know that CPI(M) had left behind a debt of Rs 3 lakh crore. Everyone knows that the debt will keep on increasing till the loans are not paid off."



She slammed the erstwhile Left Front government for "huge" debt on the state, and said that the current TMC dispensation could have done more for the people, if "we did not have the debt of the former governments".



The chief minister also accused the union government of "holding back" central allocation for food projects in West Bengal.



"You (the Centre) are not giving rice to us. You have stopped allocation though you are funding it from our own money. Don't forget there is a 60:40 allocation ratio for central projects with a 40 per cent state share. If you hold back money to the projects, which is our due, people will seek an answer from you," she said.



Banerjee also accused the Centre of "not clearing" funds for homes and roads in Bengal and "depriving" the people of their wages under the 100-day work scheme.



"Even our women, who were engaged in manual labour, were not paid their dues amounting to Rs 7,000 crore," she said.



"This money is not just given by the Centre but also by state governments through sales tax, excise duty and VAT. The central government imposed one tax called GST in exchange for all. But, they are neither giving us our share nor central funds for welfare schemes. In total, the Centre has blocked Rs 1.15 lakh crore," Banerjee alleged.



The CM also claimed that she had flagged these issues to the prime minister "at least 4-5 times".



"We are not begging for money but for our rights. If the Centre fails to give Bengal its due, our students and youth leaders will protest in front of the Gandhi statue in Delhi on October 2. I will be by their side," Banerjee said.



She also said her government was able to provide work for 28 days to the job card holders in Bengal despite the Centre "holding the state's dues".



"They (Centre) are here to deprive us for the next six months only. After that, nobody knows where they will be," Banerjee claimed, stating that the "BJP will be defeated in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls".



The TMC boss alleged that PM Modi has changed the 'Garibi Hatao' (remove poverty) slogan of Indira Gandhi to 'Garib Hatao' (remove the poor people).



"This shows the true anti-people nature of the Narendra Modi government which does not give the poor people the right to life, the right to livelihood. They only want to crush the dreams of the poor," she said.



Banerjee said in the 76th year of Independence, "We must question whether we are independent. We had enjoyed political freedom earlier but the same is not the case anymore. Today, Pegasus has taken away political freedom." She accused the Centre of "not allowing" democratically-elected state governments to work and "blocking our programmes and money".



Cautioning people to "sustained attempt to change the history of the country", Banerjee claimed that the saffron party wants people to forget history "but we won't allow that to happen".



The CM also asserted that the Modi government has been changing the names of one project after another, rechristening it after the PM.



She claimed that the BJP-ruled Gujarat is flaunted as a model by the saffron ecosystem, but if compared by statistics, West Bengal has got laurels on different parameters and is ahead of the western state.



"...from sanitation to poverty reduction rate, from unemployment rate to child mortality ratio, Bengal's track record is better," she said.



The CM also claimed that she recently got to know that "all helicopters have been booked by BJP for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections".



Speaking on actions by central agencies on opposition leaders, she said, "While Democracy means of the people, by the people, and for the people, opposition-ruled states are being made to deal with ED-CBI and other central agencies to execute political vendetta."



"Hemant Soren (Jharkhand CM) called me saying he was also sent a notice. I asked him to show them the might of the tribal community. Every institution is being used to malign Trinamool and Bengal," she added.
Akshay Kumar is now an Indian citizen. The Bollywood star, who has faced much backlash in the past for holding a Canadian passport, shared proof of his Indian citizenship on social media today. The announcement on his updated citizenship status coincides with Indias 77th Independence Day.



In February this year, Akshay Kumar had vowed to renounce his Canadian citizenship, saying that he had already applied for a change of passport.



He shared proof of his Indian citizenship on social media today. Dil aur citizenship, dono Hindustani (Heart and citizenship, both Indian), Kumar wrote on Twitter while sharing a picture of his certificate of citizenship from the Ministry of Home Affairs.



Happy Independence Day! Jai Hind! the actor added.



Dil aur citizenship, dono Hindustani.

Happy Independence Day!

Jai Hind! pic.twitter.com/DLH0DtbGxk

 Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) August 15, 2023





Kumar's certificate of citizenship lists his real name as Akshay Hariom Bhatia. His previous citizenship is listed as Canadian.



Akshay Kumar's citizenship had became a topic of debate after an interview with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April 2019 just before the Lok Sabha elections. The India-born actor became a naturalised Canadian citizen.



While addressing the controversy around his citizenship at a later date, the Hera Pheri actor had said he applied for Canadian citizenship during a low point of his career.



"I thought that 'bhai, my films are not working and one has to work'. I went there for work. My friend was in Canada and he said, 'come here'. I applied and I got in, said Kumar on an episode of Seedhi Baat on Aajtak.



I had just two films left for release and it is just luck that they both became superhit. My friend said, 'go back, start working again'. I got some more films and I kept getting more work. I forgot that I had the passport. I never thought that I should get this passport changed but now yes, I have applied to get my passport changed and once I get the renounced status from Canada the actor said.



(With inputs from PTI)
A family's celebratory mood turned sour after they were slapped with an unexpected 20-euro charge, over Rs 1,800, for having their birthday cake cut into 20 pieces at an undisclosed restaurant.



Amidst a gathering that had already spent around $130 on pizzas and beverages, the family was met with a bewildering item on their receipt: "20 X Servizio Torta" or "20 x cake service," according to documentation obtained by Newsflash. The unsuspecting diners were left questioning the rationale behind the seemingly exorbitant fee for a basic service.



This incident, however, is not an isolated one. Another diner, from Milan and visiting the upscale Lake Como region, took to TripAdvisor to vent her frustration after being charged an extra 2 euros for having her sandwich cut in half.



The vegetarian sandwich, that came stuffed with french fries, left the woman flabbergasted when the bill arrived. The unexpected surcharge prompted her to later post a scathing review, complete with a snapshot of the receipt, on the travel platform.



The restaurant owner, Cristina Biacchi, had then defended the practice, arguing that the fee was justified due to the use of additional tableware, increased washing time, and extra labour involved in the process.



"To cut it in half took us some time, and work must be paid for," she asserted in an interview with Italian newspaper La Repubblica. Biacchi emphasized that the charge would have been waived had the customer raised the issue.



These instances, while relatively minor, pale in comparison to the sky-high bills that some tourists have encountered in Mykonos, Greece. The DK Oyster Bar has faced repeated accusations of overcharging unsuspecting visitors.



A couple was stunned to find themselves saddled with a jaw-dropping $570 bill for what they considered modest fare. Meanwhile, a pair of travellers lamented an eye-watering $860 tab for what should have been a light bite.
India is celebrating its 77th year of Independence today, and a Google Doodle to mark the occasion pays ode to the countrys skilled artisans. India's Independence Day, celebrated annually on August 15th, commemorates the nation's hard-fought struggle for freedom from British rule. In the decades since India gained independence, it has emerged as a force to reckon with globally. Meanwhile, its traditional arts and crafts have stood as testament to the country's rich cultural heritage and artistic prowess.



One such example is Indias textiles  from the luxurious Banarasi weave of Uttar Pradesh to the vibrant Phulkari embroidery of Punjab, Indias textiles reflect its diverse regions and communities. Todays Google Doodle uses precisely this aspect of Indias heritage to mark the countrys Independence Day.



The Google Doodle on August 15, 2023 features a patchwork ensemble of Indias beautiful textiles  from the Kanjeevaram of Tamil Nadu to the Leheriya dye of Rajasthan, from the Paithani weave of Maharashtra to the Kantha embroidery of West Bengal and more.



The Google Doodle was conceptualised and illustrated by New Delhi-based artist Namrata Kumar, who spoke to Google about her creative process.



Kumar said she wanted her design to cover a broad spectrum of techniques, encompassing embroidery, different weaving styles, printing techniques, resist-dyeing techniques, hand-painted textiles, and more. She also wanted to ensure that it represented the countrys different geographical regions in a balanced way.



To that end, Kumar selected a handful of visually engaging textiles from a long list and composed a patchwork from the selected swatches. This step required thoughtful consideration to achieve a balanced arrangement of textures, colours, and patterns, she explained.



Throughout the creative process, the overarching goal was to honour and celebrate India's textiles and their profound connection to the nation's identity. My hope was that through this artwork, I would be able to shed a light on the rich cultural heritage and artistic brilliance of India's textile traditions and create something that would resonate with audiences through the Google Doodle platform, Kumar said. The artwork is also a testament to Indias skilled artisans, cultivators, weavers, dyers, printers, and embroiderers who work to keep its legacy of rich textiles alive.



A total of 21 examples of Indian textiles were chosen and assembled to create the Independence Day 2023 Google Doodle.
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'".
Three-time Grammy Award winner Ricky Kej released a new instrumental version of the Indian national anthem on the eve of Indias Independence Day. The rendition was created in collaboration with the 100-member Royal Philharmonic Orchestra based in London. He recorded the version at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London and said that it gave him goosebumps.



Kej took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a video of the rendition and it has obviously gone viral online. The clip also caught the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and he was all praise for it.



The 1-minute-long video was shared by Kej on Monday and has already amassed over two million views. In the clip, he can be seen entering Abbey Road Studios and conducting the members of the orchestra.



A few days ago, I conducted a 100-piece British orchestra, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to perform Indias National Anthem at the legendary Abbey Road Studios, London. This is the largest orchestra ever to record India's National Anthem and it is spectacular! The "Jaya He" at the end gave me goosebumps, Kej wrote.



Felt great as an Indian composer. I am sharing this historic recording with every one of you this Independence Day - use it, share it, watch it, but with respect. It is yours now. Jai Hind, he wrote further.



Watch the video here:



A few days ago, I conducted a 100-piece British orchestra, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to perform Indias National Anthem at the legendary Abbey Road Studios, London. This is the largest orchestra ever to record India's National Anthem and it is spectacular! The "Jaya He" at pic.twitter.com/sqJGW8mTDu

 Ricky Kej (@rickykej) August 14, 2023





The video instantly went viral online and garnered praise from PM Modi as well. Retweeting the video, he wrote, Wonderful. It will make every Indian proud.





Wonderful. It will certainly make every Indian proud. https://t.co/IDQZdCFpdQ



 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 14, 2023









Kej also encouraged everyone to feel free to use the rendition for any purpose and no permission will be needed for that. This version of our National Anthem is my gift to the nation. Everyone please feel free to use this recording and video for whatever purposes you want - events, TV, radio, schools, colleges, social media posts, YouTube, whatever. There will be no demand for royalties, money, fee, or even the need to ask permission for use. Just ensure to use it with the respect and dignity that our National Anthem deserves. This version of the National Anthem belongs to you, as much as it belongs to me, he wrote in another tweet.
Indian-American economist Raj Chetty has been awarded Harward University's coveted George Ledlie Prize for wielding big data to break myths about who achieves the American Dream and the obstacles faced by others.



Chetty, a professor of Economics at Harvard University is also director of Opportunity Insights, a group of economists based at Harvard who study inequality. He had also advised US President Joe Biden on economic issues.



Harward University Provost and Chief Academic Officer Alan M. Garber said that Chetty's groundbreaking work on economic mobility and his efforts to share this data with policymakers are making the American Dream more accessible to all.



The award is bestowed every two years to a member of the Harvard community who has made the most valuable contribution to science, or in any way for the benefit of mankind, the university said on August 9 in a press release.



Raj Chetty said he became interested in this work because of his own background coming to the US from India with his parents when he was 9 years old. He said he saw the disparities not only between New Delhi and the US but also between himself and his cousins.



"My parents, who grew up in very low-income families and villages in South India... the opportunities they had were greatly shaped by the fact that they happened to be the ones who were picked to get a higher education in their families," he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. Chetty added it was common at that time in developing countries that a family would pick only one child to get advanced education because they couldn't afford to educate all the kids.



"And it so happened to be that my mom was the one chosen in her family, and my dad was the one chosen in his family," he said." And I could kind of see how that's played out through the generations in my own family, through the opportunities my cousins have had versus what I've had... ending up here at Harvard and the various opportunities I've had, I felt have stemmed from that."



(With inputs from PTI)



Read more: 78-year-old Indian-American engineer fired over 2-minute call to dying relative in Hindi
[Update: In an order passed on 1 June 2021, the Delhi High Courts judgmentdiscussed belowhas been stayed by the Supreme Court. The only reason provided by the Supreme Court in its stay order is that arguable issues have been raised in the appeal...]



IN AN INTERESTING JUDGMENT handed down on 21 May (Gurcharan Singh vs Ministry of Finance, WP (C) 5149/2021 (21 May 2021), the High Court of Delhi struck down the levy of Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST) on oxygen concentrators that had been imported into the country, as a gift or for personal use. The judgment is notable because it is a relatively rare instance of a successful constitutional challenge to a tax levy, and one that succeeded on fundamental rights grounds, rather than on a demonstration that the tax was confiscatory.



The primary basis of the courts judgment was that under Notification 4/2021-Customs, imposition of IGST on oxygen concentrators was exempted as long as they were free and for the purposes of Covid relief, and imported by a state government or by an entity authorized by any state government. This, then, created two categories of persons who were importing oxygen concentrators for Covid reliefthose who were doing it through a government-approved entity (exempted from IGST) and those who were not (IGST leviable), i.e., those who were receiving oxygen concentrators as gifts for their personal use. The court found this distinction to be arbitrary and irrational, and consequently, a violation of Article 14 (paragraph 13).







What is of greater interest, however, is the courts contextualization of the issue within the Covid-19 pandemic. The bench of Shakhder and Talwant Singh JJ noted that while ordinarily, tax  does not recognise equity, it must, however, in our view, bend to the will of equity in times of calamity which causes wholesale degradation in the human ability to contribute to the coffers of the State (paragraph 15). In this case, therefore, the court had to examine the tax on the anvil of the right to health under Article 21 of the Constitution, keeping in mind the global pandemic (paragraph 15.1). This, in turn, required the State to demonstrate that:



[T]he revenue, it would possibly garner, as IGST, in respect of oxygen concentrators which are imported in the circumstances, in which, the petitioner is put, would be appreciably more than the cost incurred to administer the collection of IGST on such transactions. These details need not have borne mathematical precision; a broad-brush approach would have sufficed, so that we could be persuaded to hold that denying relief to the petitioner and persons similarly circumstanced would be in public weal. The counter-affidavit filed by the State gives us no clue whatsoever concerning this vital issue [paragraph 15. 4].



In the absence of any such countervailing justification, the impact of the tax on the right to health under Article 21 was evidently onerous and burdensome. It also breached the States positive obligations under Article 21, which it could have discharged through delaying its collections, granting rebates, or, as in this case, permitting, import of vital medical equipment, drugs, medicines, for a defined period, till such time, normalcy is restored (paragraph 15.7)and which, indeed, the State had done so for other categories involving the import of oxygen concentrators.



Tax law is one of the most potent tools in the hands of the State to shape and direct behaviour... and for that reason, there is no reason why taxation should be given any greater deference by courts when it is subjected to a fundamental rights challenge.



The courts judgment in this case is undoubtedly correct, and its desire to contain the scope of its reasoning to the extraordinary situation generated by the Covid-19 pandemic is understandable, as it is difficult to displace the many decades of established wisdom that requires a judicial hands-off approach when it comes to testing tax law and policy on the touchstone of fundamental rights. However, when we think about it, the Covid-19 pandemic has only revealed particularly starkly what has always been truetax law is one of the most potent tools in the hands of the State to shape and direct behaviour (as potent as criminal law), and for that reason, there is no reason why taxation should be given any greater deference by courts when it is subjected to a fundamental rights challenge. Indeed, as the Colombian Constitutional Courts judgment striking down a tampon tax, and the Canadian Supreme Courts judgment upholding business deductions, both in the context of challenges on the touchstone of gender equality, show us, issues of taxation are deeply intertwined with issues around constitutional guarantees of equality and non-discrimination. The Covid-19 pandemic (to reiterate) has only revealed this truth, rather than create it.



The Delhi High Courts judgment is nonetheless important as it breaks judicial inertia and for the first time puts these questions on the table. Admittedly, the judgment suggests that the more exacting judicial review that it applied to the IGST notificationespecially on the right-to-health groundwas because of the extraordinary circumstances created by the pandemic, and that the normal policy of deference would continue to apply otherwise. That said, it is also clear that the courts analysis is notand indeed, need not beattached to the specific circumstances of the pandemic. Indeed, if we think of the tampon tax challenge, for example, one can easily see how the issue of menstrual hygieneas a continuing concernis as fundamentally important to the right to health and equality as is the issue of importing oxygen concentrators to deal with Covid-19. I would say, therefore, that the high courts reasoning contains the beginnings of a more progressiveand constitutionally more justapproach to the intersection between tax and fundamental rights.



A final point on remedy: The court refrained from touching the notification itself, and instead, granted the petitioner relief by reading the term oxygen concentrator into separate exemption notifications involving tax exemptions for life-saving drugs. However, I am not quite sure why this was necessary. Would not the purpose have been served equally by simply severing the words by a State Government or, any entity, relief agency or statutory body, authorised in this regard by any State Government from the impugned notification? This would ipso facto have extended the benefit of the exemption, then, to goods imported free of cost for the purpose of Covid relief , and would have covered the case of the petitioner.



In any event, the technical quibble aside, the high court ended its judgment by noting that it was traversing over what was, somewhat, new and uneven terrain (paragraph 22). The court ought to be complimented for doing so judiciously and with wisdom; it is now the task of future benches to chart a further path.



Excerpted from Unsealed Covers by Gautam Bhatia, with permission from HarperCollins India.
An intricate web of strings and paper suspended in the air, held up by the wind beneath, was once a common sight on August 15. The strings would emanate from a terrace where an evening soiree would be unfoldingcomplete with music, cross-terrace chit-chat and snacks. In the pre-Internet days, kite flying was a community bonding exercise which fostered a feeling of togetherness. A confluence where members of all age groups met and kite-gazed, it was less an activity and more an adhesive which, much like kite strings that hold kites, held together the neighbourhood.



Young men would often played kite runners while engaging in fierce cross-terrace competition to retrieve the enemys patang. Years later, kite flying seems to have disappeared from Independence Day celebrations. Once a staple across Indian households where children helmed strings, making their kites sail through turbulent winds, the exercise has gone obsolete partly due to the advent of smartphones, partly due to environmental concerns.







Strings of death



The strings which were once symbols of freedom have now become harbingers of death. In the mid-2010s, news reports of bystanders, motorcyclists and even kids being injured by the glass-coated string made the headlines. This left the kite flyers questioning the very purpose of the activity, which is much-romanticized in popular culture.



The music video of Sona Mohapatras 'Ambarsariya', for instance, shows the lead pair sharing an intimate moment while flying kites, a trope commonly explored in Bollywood films. Bollywood numbers like 'Udi Udi Jaaye' from the film Raees (2017) and 'Manja' from Kai Po Che (2013) often grab a spot on yearly Makar Sakranti playlists on Spotify.







At what point does warm, fuzzy turn into a horrific reality that no one can look away from? At what point does reminiscence turn into pain and suffering? On 20 July 2023, 25 days before the Independence Day, a seven-year-old girl in West Delhi died after her throat was slit by manjha, this despite a ban on the sale of the string in Delhi since 2017.



Environmental impact and bird rescue



In Shaunak Sens Oscar-nominated documentary All That Breathes (2022), we see two brothers, Nadeem and Saud, based in North-East Delhi, rescue black kitesmany of whom were injured due to the glass-coated manjha. According to a New York Times report, 90 percent of black kites are injured by manjha, half of these birds die.



Kite flying, despite the community spirit it fostered, has to some extent, disturbed the ecological balance in North India and contributed to the death of several migratory and non-migratory birds. This isnt just limited to Delhi. In 2006, veterinarians were rushed to the International Kite Festival in Gujarat to rescue birds injured by kites. These vets listed helpline numbers for people to call and report an injured bird if they happened to spot one.



It is important to mention here that the National Green Tribunal imposed a ban on the use of nylon or synthetic thread material for kite flying in 2017. Despite this, in some parts of the country, kite flying using manjha continues unabated.



Reconciling tradition with modernity



Since much of our leisure time in the post-pandemic world is spent on smartphones, mourning the loss of an outdoor activity which fostered community spirit is, perhaps, warranted. But as is the case with tradition, we must update it to keep up with modern times or in this case, rising population density, and environmental concerns.



Empowering as the activity was, kite flying often excluded women as mostly men engaged in kite running and retrieving strings. Kite flying has, since time immemorial, been a male-dominated activity. Women were often excluded from these male-only spaces.



Batting for cotton manjhas



Kite-flying enthusiasts in Delhi, for whom kite flying was an integral part of their childhood, are now advocating for use of cotton manjhas. Injuries happen not because of the sport, but because the wrong kind of manjha is used, Hindustan Times quoted Sunny Singh, a product manager from Gurugram, as saying.



The tradition dates back to 1927 when the slogan Simon, go back! was written on kites. Ever since, kite-flying has become a tradition for Indians on Independence Day to celebrate their freedom from the British colonial rule.



Kite flyers are now reinventing tradition to keep up with present times by using cotton manjha. However, contrary to sellers claims, cotton manjha, too, results in death. It is a misconception that only synthetic thread is dangerous. Cotton ones coated with glass are equally sharp, Times of India quoted an anti-manjha activist as saying. Due to the manjha industry being unregulated and sellers finding loopholes in the Green Tribunals 2017 order, deaths caused by manjha continue to be a concern around Independence Day festivities.
A Pakistani career mentor was slammed by the internet after sharing a post questioning the work ethics of female candidates. Sofia Reza, who describes herself as a career mentor and talent developer shared the post on LinkedIn. A screenshot of the same was shared by a cake artist from Islamabad on X (formerly Twitter) as well and it has gone viral online.



In her post, Reza claimed that female candidates show up for interviews about 50% of the time while males show up roughly 80% of the times. She further argued that women use the excuse of family emergency quite often whereas men sort out their issues and show up.



If we are to believe female candidates, it seems half the families across Pakistan are always having a "family emergency". Even senior experienced female professionals have this same problem and use the same excuse. It's an epidemic that even WHO hasn't figured out yet, Reza wrote in her post on LinkedIn.







The post on X was shared by a user account @itsokaybis. "LinkedIn remains undefeated as the worst platform ever. This is a serious post by a person who considers themselves a mentora mentor for misogyny maybe, them and all the HR executives liking the post, the cake artist wrote while sharing a screenshot of Rezas post.



LinkedIn remains undefeated as the worst platform ever this is a serious post by a person who considers themselves a mentor  a mentor for misogyny maybe, them and all the HR executives liking the post pic.twitter.com/RoUfpKfDG7

 bis (@itsokaybis) August 13, 2023





Needless to say that social media users did not agree with Rezas views and blasted her in the comments section on both LinkedIn and X.



Is this simply her wild imagination or there is data behind this? Pakistanis share anything when it's designed in a JPEG. Self-claimed mentor, a user asked.



Another user commented, This is so infuriating. Women dealing with "family emergencies" is what allows men to continue their lives normally. Whether it's related to children/in-laws health, home maintenance and staff issues. Whose career is perceived to able to afford a day off? Obviously the woman's.



Maybe if the men played their part women wouldnt have family emergencies. Also, pick me women annoy me. Youre not competing with women for the spot. Youre competing with everyone. Stop taking down women. Ugh, a third user wrote.



A fourth user remarked, My life will peak the day I find decent HR in an organization in Pakistan.



This is sick, another person quipped.
Wipro chairman Rishad Premji recently shared an unseen black-and-white picture of his grandfather MH Hasham Premji who had founded the customer care business of Wipro before India's Independence. "This is a never-seen-before photograph of my grandfather which was recently discovered. He founded the consumer care business of Wipro in December 1945 before the independence of India," the billionaire wrote on Twitter. In the picture, MH Hasham Premji is seen dressed in a suit with a garland around his neck. This is a never seen before photograph of my grandfather which was recently discovered. He founded the the consumer care business of Wipro in Dec 1945 before the independence of India. pic.twitter.com/W3Iu9QV4qZ  Rishad Premji (@RishadPremji) August 10, 2023 Many Twitter users, including Biocon's executive chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw noted the simalirities between the appearances of both the Premjis. "Strong resemblance!" Shaw wrote. Two years ago, the Premjis penned 'The Story of Wipro' -- a book about the making of the IT major -- to mark the company's incredible journey of 75 years in December 2021. From making vanaspati (ghee made with hydrogenated palm/vegetable oil) to creating a diversified global business, Wipro's journey began in 1945 when MH Hasham Premji registered a company, named Western India Vegetable Products Ltd (now known as Wipro) in a town in Maharashtra. Azim Premji took over the vanaspati business at the age of 21 and headed it for 53 years and turned the company into a global IT firm taking advantage of the technology boom in 1980. Rishad Premji took over as chairman of the IT giant after his father stepped down in 2019. Read more: Wipro chairman Rishad Premji takes 50 percent paycut this year

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The extended weekend with the Independence Day holiday falling on a Tuesday has led to a 2.5-times increase in travel bookings.



"Independence Day is making the weekend longer this year and that has led to a boost in the travel industry," said Nishant Pitti, CEO and Co-Founder, EaseMyTrip. "We have seen a rise of 70 percent in searches on our platform."



Compared to long weekends last seen in May, Rajeev Kale, President and Country Head for Holidays, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook, noted that there has been a three-fold increase in the long August weekend.



Spiritual destinations



"Travellers are opting for a 4-5-day break," said Aloke Bajpai,Group CEO and Co-founder of Ixigo, an online travel aggregator. "Short-haul destinations like Dubai, Singapore, Maldives and Bali are some popular international picks this year."



On the domestic front, many people have chosen spiritual destinations for the extended August 15 holiday. Varanasi saw a 102 percent increase in flight searches, despite a 7 percent rise in flight prices over last year, according to data by travel app Kayak.



Madurai recorded a 97 percent increase in flight searches with a 22 percent price increase from the last year. Varanasi and Madurai emerged as the top trending destinations for the extended August 15 weekend. Other places that saw the largest increase in flight searches as compared to the previous year include Bhubaneswar, Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi.



Demand surge



There has been a 30 percent uptick in individuals booking flights within seven days of the scheduled departure for the Independence Day extended weekend this year as compared to the same weekend in 2022, noted Rajesh Magow, Co-Founder and Group CEO of MakeMyTrip.



Ixigo's Bajpai said that due to high travel demand, spot fares for flights from Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi to Goa, Jaipur and Kochi have gone up. "Fares booked 48 hours in advance for travel have gone up by 15-20 percent. A Mumbai-Jaipur one-way flight is costing around Rs 7,400 for August 11 and 12. Same flight when booked a week or two in advance will cost a traveller Rs 5,490. Spot fares for Bengaluru-Mumbai for the same dates have gone up by more than 100 percent."



Train travel has also seen a surge this year for the extended long weekend. Online train discovery and booking platform ConfirmTkt recorded a 10 percent increase in bookings in August for Independence Day and Raksha Bandan holiday period compared to last year.



The platform has received maximum traction from Mumbai to Pune, Mumbai to Ahmedabad, Bangalore to Chennai, Chennai to Coimbatore, Hyderabad to Visakhapatnam routes.



Hotels sold out



Hotel bookings are also 2.6 times higher than last year during the Independence Day period, said Prahlad Krishnamurthi, Chief Business Officer at Cleartrip.



"Our occupancy levels for the period from August 12 to 15 is very high. This year's booking surge for the Independence Day long weekend has soared by 50 percent over the same period last year," said Vishal Gupta, General Manager, Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach.



"Despite a 50 percent increase in inventory from last year, we are sold out," said Devendra Parulekar , Founder at SaffronStays, a network of private villas. "The average rates are 10 percent higher this year than they were last year."



For premium hotels, the average surge in room rates across destinations is around 20-30 percent, said Indiver Rastogi, President and Group Head for Global Business Travel at Thomas Cook (India) and SOTC Travel.



Rooms that typically go for Rs 5,000 to Rs 15,000 have been sold for Rs 20,000 for the long weekend.



Rastogi said that occupancy levels are estimated to be at 80-100 percent for the Independence Day extended weekend.



Magow pointed out that there has been a 22 percent increase in bookings for premium and luxury properties for the duration compared to the same period last year.



Booking inquiries have recorded a double-digit surge, said Zubin Saxena, Managing Director and Area Senior Vice President for South Asia at Radisson Hotel Group.



"As the luxury travel trend is shaping the industry, there is a significant inclination of consumers who are opting for luxury and upscale accommodations during this period. With travellers keen on making the most out of this extended weekend break, we are anticipating last-minute bookings for drivable destinations from metros. We have recorded strong demand trends for key locations in Western and Southern India like Lonavala, Mamallapuram, Chennai, Goa, among others for the long August 15 weekend, he said.
An Uber driver has been arrested in Bengaluru for assaulting a woman who boarded his car by mistake, according to a report in the Newsroom Post.



Vinita Agarwal, 48, booked an Uber cab on Wednesday to take her son to Manipal Hospital on Old Airport Road. The Bhoganahalli resident walked out of her house and saw a Maruti Suzuki Swift cab parked there. She sat inside the vehicle, assuming it was the cab she had booked.



However, when the driver asked Agarwal for the OTP, she realised she had boarded the wrong Uber cab and started to get off. According to the Newsroom Post report, the driver Basavaraju put the car into drive and started moving, which resulted in an argument between the two.



The Deccan Herlad reported that Agarwal slammed the door while exiting the cab, which upset the Uber driver. Angered by this, he started fighting with Agarwal.



During the altercation, Basavaraju reportedly hit the 48-year-old woman repeatedly on the head. Her son also suffered blows when he tried to come to his mothers aide.



The altercation only ended when locals in the area noticed the commotion and rushed to help Agarwal. The driver tried to flee the spot but was stopped at the gate of the residential community and handed over to the police.



The victims husband, Ajay Agarwal, posted about the incident on Twitter.



Behavior like this is taken seriously on our platform, Ajay. Kindly share your registered details with us via Direct Message. We will investigate further.

 Uber India Support (@UberINSupport) August 9, 2023



Behavior like this is taken seriously on our platform, Ajay. Kindly share your registered details with us via Direct Message. We will investigate further, the Uber Support Twitter account said in response to his video.
Elvish Yadav was declared the winner of Bigg Boss OTT Season 2 by show host Salman Khan on Monday night. He edged out other contestants like Abhishek Malhan, Manisha Rani, Bebika Dhurve and Pooja Bhatt to take home the Bigg Boss OTT Season 2 trophy and a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh. Elvish Yadav had entered the second season of the reality show as a wild card contestant and went on to win it.



Here is all you need to know about Elvish Yadav, the winner of Bigg Boss OTT Season 2:



Elvish Yadav, 25, is a well-known YouTuber and content creator who entered the second season of Bigg Boss OTT as one of its two wild card contestants.



The Gurugram-based YouTuber handles two YouTube channels. His channel Elvish Yadav (@TheSocialFactory) has 12.9 million subscribers, while Elvish Yadav Vlogs (@ElvishYadavVlogs) has 5.94 million subscribers.



Elvish Yadav was born on September 14, 1997 in Rajasthan to Ram Avatar Yadav and Sushma Yadav. His father is a lecturer while his mother is a homemaker.



Elvish Yadavs parents had named him Siddharth Yadav. However, his elder brother wanted to call him Elvish. Till Class 1, he was known as Siddharth Yadav. However, after the untimely death of his brother, Siddharth Yadav changed his name to Elvish in honour of his brother.



The YouTuber also has an elder sister named Komal Yadav.



Elvish Yadav completed his schooling from Amity International School, Gurgaon and went on to study B.Com at Hansraj College, Delhi University.



Apart from running two successful YouTube channels, Yadav is also an entrepreneur  he is the owner of Systumm Clothing. Through this brand, he hopes to make high-end fashion budget-friendly.



On social media, Yadav is famous for his comic sketches and funny videos. He was also a big TikTok star before TikTok was banned in India.



According to various reports, he earns up to Rs 10 lakh a month through YouTube ads and other endorsements. He owns a Porsche 718 Boxster and a Hyundai Verna.
Chinese automaker Geely Holding Group unveiled a premium intelligent technology brand JI YUE, which stems from Geely's cooperation with Baidu Inc on "automotive robotics", and introduced its first model. JI YUE 01, the flagship model under the new brand will be produced by Geely and is expected to debut in the last quarter of this year, the company said. Baidu will provide its know-how in smart cockpits, autonomous driving and artificial intelligence technologies, which will be applied in JI YUE cars, Geely added. "Beyond overseeing sales, services, and marketing for the 01, JI YUE will also build and develop its own charging network in China to meet consumer demand for smart intelligent electric vehicles," according to the statement. Also on Monday, China's industry ministry website showed three electric vehicles under the JI YUE brand were seeking regulatory approvals. Geely had co-funded an electric vehicle venture Jidu with Baidu. The brand in June launched a "robot" concept car, marking the first vehicle co-developed by the automaker and Baidu,as global tech companies scramble to develop smart cars.

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(BBC)

Three UK residents suspected of spying for Russia have been charged by the Met Police as part of a major national security probe.

The three defendants, all Bulgarian nationals, were arrested on February 8 on suspicion of an offence under the Official Secrets Act 1911.

Suspected of working for the Russian security services, they have since been charged with possession of false identity documents with improper intention.

According to the BBC, the documents include passports, identity cards and other documents for the UK, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece, and the Czech Republic.

A 31-year-old man living in west London, and a 29-year-old woman living in north London were also arrested as part of the operation on February 8, but have not been charged.

All three of the suspects charged have lived in the UK for years, according to an investigation by the BBC, working a variety of jobs and living in a number of different properties in the suburbs.

Two of the trio - Katrin Ivanova, 31, and Bizer Dzhambazov, 41 - were living at a property in Harrow, north-west London, when they were arrested in February.

People who previously lived next door to them described them as a couple, and told the BBC they would bring their neighbours gifts of pies and cakes.

Police spent around a week searching their most recent home in High Road, Harrow, neighbours told the BBC.

Ms Ivanova is said to describe herself on LinkedIn as a medical laboratory assistant at a private health firm, while Mr Dzhambazov is reportedly described as a driver for hospitals.

The pair is understood to have moved to the UK around 10 years ago.

The third defendant, 45-year-old Orlin Roussev, lived in Princes Road in Great Yarmouth, on the Norfolk coast, at the time of his arrest.

His Linkedin profile states he once acted as an adviser to Bulgarias ministry of energy.

The trio last appeared at the Old Bailey on July 31. They were remanded in custody, and are next due to appear at the Old Bailey on a date that is yet to be fixed.

Story continues

They are not understood to have yet entered pleas for the charges they face.

Britain has been sharpening its focus on external security threats and last month it passed a new national security law, aiming to deter espionage and foreign interference with updated tools and criminal provisions.

The government labeled Russia the most acute threat to its security when the law was passed.

Police have charged three Russians, who they say are GRU military intelligence officers, with the 2018 attempt to murder former double agent Sergei Skripal with the military-grade nerve agent Novichok. Two were charged in 2018 and the third in 2021.

Last year, Britains domestic spy chief said more than 400 suspected Russian spies had been expelled from Europe.
Donald Trump was indicted Tuesday on charges of racketeering and a string of election crimes after a sprawling, two-year probe into his efforts to overturn his 2020 defeat to Joe Biden in the US state of Georgia.



The case -- relying on laws typically used to bring down mobsters -- is the fourth targeting the 77-year-old Republican this year and could lead to a watershed moment, the first televised trial of a former president in US history.



Prosecutors in Atlanta charged the Republican leader with 13 felony counts -- compounding the legal threats he is facing in multiple jurisdictions as a firestorm of investigations imperils his bid for a second White House term.



With the tycoon already due to go on trial in New York, south Florida and Washington, the latest charges herald the unprecedented scenario of the 2024 presidential election being litigated as much from the courtroom as the ballot box.



The twice-impeached Trump was charged with violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced And Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, as well as six conspiracy counts over alleged efforts to commit forgery, impersonate a public official and submit false statements and documents.



The indictment named a number of co-defendants including Trump's former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who pressured local legislators over the result after the election, and Trump's White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows.



Georgia, which Biden won by fewer than 12,000 votes, presents perhaps the most serious threat to Trump's liberty as he leads the field comfortably for his party's nomination to bid for reelection.



Even if he is returned to the Oval Office, he would have none of the powers that presidents arguably enjoy in the federal system to pardon themselves or have prosecutors drop cases.



- Most serious threat -



RICO statutes are usually used to target organized crime.



Under federal law, anyone who can be connected to a criminal "enterprise" through which offenses were committed can be convicted under RICO. The broader Georgia law doesn't even require the existence of the enterprise.



Atlanta-area authorities launched the probe after Trump called Georgia officials weeks before he was due to leave the White House, pressuring them to "find" the 11,780 votes that would reverse Biden's victory in the Peach State.



District Attorney Fani Willis, Fulton County's chief prosecutor, empaneled a special grand jury that heard from around 75 witnesses before recommending a raft of felony counts in a secret report in February.



She alleges that Trump's team worked with local Republicans on a scheme to replace legitimate slates of "electors" -- the officials who certify a state's results and send them to the US Congress -- with fake pro-Trump stand-ins.



- Criminal intent? -



Trump is already facing dozens of felony charges after being federally indicted over the alleged plot to subvert the election, and further prosecutions over his alleged mishandling of classified documents and keeping allegedly fraudulent business records.



Authorities in Atlanta have installed security barricades outside the downtown courthouse in anticipation of a potential influx of Trump supporters and counter-protesters in the latest case.



Republicans in Congress have largely united behind defending Trump from what they call a politically-motivated "witch hunt" by Democrats pulling the strings at the Justice Department.



It will be up to a jury, however, to decide if the prosecution has shown criminal intent by the billionaire property mogul, who denies all wrongdoing.



Lawmakers investigating Trump's efforts to cling to power heard evidence in a series of congressional hearings last summer that would challenge his potential defense that he genuinely believed he had been cheated of the election.



Several former administration officials -- including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mark Milley and Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide -- described how Trump privately acknowledged he had lost.



And a California-based federal judge presiding last year over a dispute about evidence demanded by Congress ruled that Trump had signed legal documents describing evidence of election fraud that he knew were false.



While federal courthouses generally ban electronic recording, Georgia's courts are more transparent, meaning there is no bar to the proceedings being watched on televisions across the country, from the first preliminary hearing onwards.
A grand jury investigating Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election in the US state of Georgia on Monday returned multiple indictments in what is expected to be a sprawling prosecution.



Atlanta-area prosecutor Fani Willis has led a two-year probe into the alleged conspiracy and was expected to wrap the allegations against Trump and his co-defendants into one case under Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) law.



Paperwork signed before TV news cameras showed the jury had agreed to several indictments sought by prosecutors and rejected none, although the documents were still being processed -- the individuals charged and the counts they faced was not immediately clear.



Any charges would be the fourth case brought against the 77-year-old Republican this year and could lead to the first televised trial of a former president -- a watershed moment in US history -- featuring charges typically used to bring down mobsters.



"There will be multiple co-defendants more likely than not, showing a pattern of unlawful conduct to overturn the election in Georgia: hacking, false statements, harassment, etc," Georgia State University political analyst Anthony Kreis said in a social media post.



The southern state, which President Joe Biden won by fewer than 12,000 votes in 2020, presents perhaps the most serious threat to Trump's liberty as he seeks his party's nomination to bid for reelection in 2024.



Even if he is returned to the Oval Office, he would have none of the powers in Georgia that presidents arguably enjoy in the federal system to self-pardon or have prosecutors drop cases.



- 'Ridiculous' -



Trump posted a number of messages to his Truth Social platform calling the probe "ridiculous" and urging a state official whom he identified by name and called a "loser" not to testify to the grand jury.



"THOSE WHO RIGGED & STOLE THE ELECTION WERE THE ONES DOING THE TAMPERING, & THEY ARE THE SLIME THAT SHOULD BE PROSECUTED," he said.



RICO statutes are usually used to target organized crime, and anyone who can be connected to a criminal "enterprise" can be convicted if there is a pattern of crime committed through that enterprise.



But the broader Georgia law allows prosecutors to string together charges committed by different defendants without proving the existence of a criminal organization.



One incident highly likely to feature among the charges is a now infamous phone call Trump placed to Georgia officials asking them to "find" exactly the number of votes he would have needed to overturn Biden's victory.



Analysts are also expecting individuals -- possibly including the former president -- to face charges over a scheme to send bogus certification of a supposed Trump victory in Georgia to the US Congress.



And the sweeping case could bring in harassment of two Fulton County poll workers and the accessing of sensitive data from an election office in a rural county south of Atlanta, one day after the 2021 Capitol riot.



A separate "special" grand jury heard from 75 witnesses last year and produced a secret report in February that, according to the foreperson, recommended numerous indictments.



- Transparency -



The Georgia case looks on the surface like a narrower version of the Justice Department's election interference case against Trump, which focuses on multiple states -- but it differs in other crucial aspects beyond the RICO element.



The federal case listed six co-conspirators but didn't indict them, sparking speculation that they will likely be dealt with separately, and leaving Trump as the sole defendant.



In Georgia, Willis sent target letters to former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, who pressured local legislators at several committee hearings held after the election, and the 16 bogus electors, half of whom are said to have immunity deals.



CNN reported that Willis is expected to seek charges against more than a dozen people. These could also include former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and other aides who weren't a focus of Trump's federal indictment.



Georgia's courts are also more transparent than the federal system, meaning there is no bar to the case being televised from the first preliminary hearing onwards.



The grand jury in Fulton County meets on Mondays and Tuesdays, and local court-watchers expect Willis to conclude and bring any indictments that the panel approves within two days, her normal timeline for racketeering cases.



Trump's team issued a statement calling Willis' efforts the "latest coordinated strike by a biased prosecutor" that constituted "a grave threat to American democracy."
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday urged Moscow and Pyongyang to deepen ties, in a congratulatory message to the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un marking the country's National Liberation Day. Russia and North Korea -- both increasingly isolated from the West and weighted with sanctions -- have drawn closer since the Kremlin deployed troops to Ukraine and commenced large-scale hostilities last year. "I am sure that we will continue to build up bilateral cooperation in all areas for the benefit of our peoples, in the interests of strengthening stability and security on the Korean Peninsula and in the Northeast Asian region as a whole," Putin said in a statement distributed by the Kremlin. Putin said that it was during Korea's liberation from Japan and "harsh wartime" that groundwork was laid for close cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang. The Russian leader's statement came after his Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu last month hailed his country's partnership with North Korea during a meeting with his counterpart Kang Sun Nam in Pyongyang. Secretary of State Antony Blinken responded to the visit saying that the United States believed Shoigu was in North Korea to secure supplies of weapons to aid Russian forces fighting in Ukraine.

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As we ease toward the tail end of summer, the Auburn Y is busily preparing for the next school year! We eagerly look forward to our school-age child care program for fall, and we are excited to announce our first Camp Y-Owasco alum event. We also take a moment to acknowledge the significance of National Nonprofit Day on Aug. 17.

The YMCA's child care program has been a cornerstone of our mission, providing a safe and supportive environment for children to grow, learn and play. This year, our school-age child care program will be available before and after the school day at Owasco Elementary, the Y at 27 William St. and Weedsport Elementary, and afternoons at Moravia Elementary School. At the Auburn Y, our program will feature clubs, swimming and daily gym time. The programs will offer daily snacks, homework time and outside playtime. Our child care programs are New York state-licensed.

We are also excited to offer a School's Out program when school is not in session. This program will operate at the Auburn Y and is open to all school-age children ages 5 (kindergarten) to 10 years old. We have scheduled 26 days throughout the coming school year. This program offers structured, supervised activities to keep youngsters happy and engaged on school holidays and break days.

Visit our website, auburnymca.net, to learn more.

In the spirit of fostering lifelong connections, the Auburn Y and Camp Y-Owasco are excited to announce our much-awaited camp alumni event on Labor Day weekend. This event is a testament to the enduring bonds forged within the grounds of our beloved camp. For 100 years, camp has provided countless young people with unforgettable experiences, imparting invaluable life lessons and igniting a love for nature and community. Gather up your family and camp friends and get registered! Learn more on our website or by calling the Y at (315) 253-5304. As former campers and counselors gather to share stories, laughter and cherished memories, it reminds us that the camp is more than just a place. Camp is where lifelong friendships form, independence grows, adventure abounds and we all wish we could linger a little longer.

Amidst our excitement, we must pause to acknowledge National Nonprofit Day on Aug. 17. We join hands with other nonprofit organizations across our greater community to honor the hard work and dedication of countless individuals and organizations who tirelessly serve the needs of their community. It is an opportunity for us to acknowledge the collective impact of these organizations in building a better world. Nonprofits and charitable organizations can embody the best of who we are. They often play a crucial role in society by addressing various social, environmental and humanitarian issues. They often bring innovation and creativity, and experiment with new approaches and ideas that can lead to groundbreaking solutions. Nonprofits can bring people together and foster a sense of unity within communities by engaging individuals from different walks of life and creating a shared purpose.

We invite everyone to pause and reflect on all the fantastic organizations that make our community a better place. As we celebrate, it's essential to recognize that supporting these vital organizations goes beyond financial support, although that is important. Volunteering our time and skills, spreading awareness about their causes, and advocating for policies supporting their missions are also important. Every act of support, no matter how small, can make a significant difference.

Thank you to our community partners for your incredible work and for being an indispensable pillar in our community. Together, we will continue to create positive change and a brighter future for all.

As we head toward fall, we eagerly anticipate seeing familiar faces and welcoming new ones into the Y. Whether you're returning from a summer adventure, have been away for a while, or are looking to join us for the very first time, know that our doors are always open wide.
A 19-year-old Red Creek resident has been charged with attempted assault on police after intentionally swerving a car at officers during a high-speed chase through Auburn on Friday, the Auburn Police Department said in a news release. The man, and a juvenile in the vehicle with him, were also charged with second-degree assault for a Wednesday incident on Owasco Street in the city.

The man, Kevin A. Huntington Jr., was charged with several felonies on Friday after the chase ended that afternoon on McMaster Street, near the Arterial. Huntington was apprehended in the parking lot of Curley's Restaurant, and the juvenile was apprehended after entering the Owasco River at the end of McMaster Street, alongside Auburn Correctional Facility.

According to the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office, the chase was initiated by New York State Police in Red Creek. Following reports of a suspicious vehicle on Victory Road in the town of Victory, it was determined the vehicle, a Saturn, had been stolen from Auburn and one of its occupants had been involved in a domestic incident at an address where he forcibly stole property and violated an order of protection, the sheriff's office said in a news release. The vehicle was located after a BOLO, and state police and the sheriff's office pursued it into the city of Auburn.

Auburn police became involved in the chase at about 11 a.m. Friday, and officers apprehended the two men after using spike strips. The Saturn could be seen after the chase crashed into bushes near the railroad tracks in the area. Auburn police said Huntington on several occasions "intentionally swerved at APD officers who were attempting to stop them," but reported no serious injuries.

Police said Huntington was charged with:

 Attempted aggravated assault of a police officer with a deadly weapon, a class C felony

 Second-degree assault with intention to cause physical injury with a weapon, a class D felony

 Fourth degree criminal possession of stolen property: vehicle except motorcycle, a class E felony

 Third-degree robbery, a class D felony

 First-degree criminal contempt: physical contact, a class E felony

The juvenile with Huntington was also charged with second-degree assault with intention to cause physical injury with a weapon for the Wednesday incident at 110 Owasco St., which sent a victim to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse with non-life-threatening injuries, Auburn police told The Citizen that day.

The Cayuga County District Attorney's Office recommended that Huntington be remanded to Cayuga County Jail. The juvenile was brought to Cayuga County Court on an unrelated state probation warrant and was ordered to be held in a juvenile facility at the Oneida County Jail, Auburn police said.

The juvenile is also wanted in Genesee County for a family court violation, and Huntington is also wanted in Wayne County for violating probation.

Gallery: Two apprehended after high-speed chase through Auburn
Two people examine a burned house after an inferno destroyed much of the historic Maui resort town of Lahaina, Hawaii, Aug. 13, 2023.
ROMULUS  After a National Park Service study determined Cayuga County and the Finger Lakes region meets the criteria for a national heritage area, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand will sponsor a bill to formalize the designation.

Gillibrand, D-N.Y., visited Buttonwood Grove Winery in Romulus, Seneca County, on Monday to announce she will introduce the legislation when the U.S. Senate returns to session in September.

The bill is a critical step in the eight-year process to designate the Finger Lakes as a national heritage area.

Gillibrand was the sponsor of the bill that required the National Park Service to conduct a study to examine whether the Finger Lakes region should be designated as a national heritage area. She first introduced the legislation in 2015. It was included a natural resources bill that Congress approved and then-President Donald Trump signed into law in 2019.

There are 62 national heritage areas in the United States, including four in New York.

If the Finger Lakes is designated as a national heritage area, it would not be a National Park Service unit. The agency would provide some funding and other assistance to support the management of the national heritage area.

Gillibrand explained that national heritage areas are "lived-in landscapes."

"This designation would help protect and conserve the region's cultural, historic and natural resources and it would help boost tourism while bringing more funding in support for heritage, conservation and economic development," she said.

The Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance is among the supporters of Gillibrand's legislative effort. The organization was identified as the management entity of the national heritage area if Congress approves the designation.

Meghan Lawton, president and CEO of the Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance, said the group will continue its century-old legacy of "promoting this region, these 14 counties and all that makes this area special." She also praised Gillibrand as a "true steward" of the push to designate the Finger Lakes region as a national heritage area.

"Her tireless and dedicated work has brought us to today," Lawton said.

Gillibrand is hoping the bill will pass in the current Congress, which runs through 2024. She is also seeking bipartisan support for the legislation. The four congressional districts that include at least portions of the Finger Lakes are represented by Republican members of Congress.

When Gillibrand sponsored the legislation to study the national heritage area designation, the bill was introduced in the House by former U.S. Rep. Tom Reed, a Corning Republican.

"I'm optimistic," Gillibrand said.
Indiana teen who shot teacher and student at a middle school in 2018 is ordered to treatment center

Indiana teen who shot teacher and student at a middle school in 2018 is ordered to treatment center View Photo

NOBLESVILLE, Ind. (AP)  A teenager who opened fire at a central Indiana middle school in 2018, wounding another student and a teacher, should go to a residential treatment center, a judge ordered Monday.

Hamilton Superior Court Judge Michael A. Casati ordered that the now-18-year-old be held in the Hamilton County Juvenile Service Center for 120 days while a probation department finds a suitable secure residential facility for him, news outlets reported.

The juvenile is a risk to the community, Casati said in a five-page order.

A hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 4 to determine where he will be placed.

He will be held in the facility for at least a year. The judge ordered him to appear for a permanency hearing in June 2024. Under Indiana law, he can be detained as a juvenile until the day before he turns 22.

The teenager, who was 13 at the time of the shooting, had been detained since shortly after he opened fire at Noblesville West Middle School in May 2018. He shot a seventh-grade science teacher and another 13-year-old student. The teacher, Jason Seaman, tackled and pinned him to the ground.

Seaman was shot three times, and the student, Ella Whistler, was shot seven times. No one was killed.

The teen was preparing to be released to his family when on March 20, prosecutors say, he assaulted a female counselor at the Pendleton Juvenile Correctional Facility by fist-bumping her breast, then joking about it with other juveniles. He was 17 at the time and was charged as a juvenile with battery.
A passenger is charged in Australia with threatening to blow up an airliner

A passenger is charged in Australia with threatening to blow up an airliner View Photo

CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  A 45-year-old man was charged Tuesday with threatening to blow up a plane during a flight from Australia to Malaysia that returned to Sydney.

Police arrested Canberra resident Muhammad Arif and took him from the Airbus A330 on Monday, almost three hours after Malaysia Airlines flight MH122 returned to Sydney Airport.

Police said Arif became disruptive and claimed to have explosives on board.

He was charged with making a false statement about a threat to damage an aircraft and failing to comply with the cabin crews safety instructions.

The charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of more than 15,000 Australian dollars ($7,300) respectively.

Arif refused to leave his police cell to appear before a Sydney court by video link.

Magistrate Greg Grogin ruled out forcing Arif from the cell.

Defense lawyer Mostafa Daoudie told Grogin that Arif had serious mental issues and was not in the right state of mind.

Grogin postponed the listing of Arifs case until late Tuesday to allow Daoudie time to visit the police cell and assess whether his client was fit and able to give instructions.

But Arif never appeared and his case was listed for Wednesday. The magistrate refused to release him on bail.

The airliner left Sydney on Monday with 199 passengers and 12 crew on a scheduled eight-hour flight to Kuala Lumpur.

One of the passengers, Velutha Parambath, said Arif had drawn attention to himself before takeoff by praying aloud.

At that point, we just thought he was praying for everyone. People just generally had a laugh, Parambath, who was seated five rows behind Arif, said Tuesday.

But half an hour into the flight, Arif became louder, stood up and started pushing and shoving passengers, Parambath said.

The man implied that he had explosives in a backpack, Parambath said.

I dont think he specifically said bomb. But he was carrying his bag and he said, Ive got power in my arms, said Parambath, who was traveling with his wife and three children.

Malaysia Airlines said the pilot decided to return to Sydney for safety reasons.

The passengers concerns escalated after they landed and spent almost three hours in the plane on the tarmac.

All we saw were fire engines surrounding us and again people reading the news saying theres potentially a bomb on the plane, Parambath said.

New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb defended the delay between when the plane landed and when two police officers handcuffed Arif.

We can never presume anything and you dont know whether this person was acting alone or he actually had other support on the plane or outside the plane, Webb said.

By ROD McGUIRK

Associated Press
5-year-old buried in Rio after being killed during protest against police violence

5-year-old buried in Rio after being killed during protest against police violence View Photo

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP)  A 5-year-old girl was buried in Rio de Janeiro on Monday, two days after she was fatally shot as shantytown residents protested against alleged police violence.

Eloah Passos died when she was hit by a gunshot at her home in the Morro do Dende, one of Rios most violent areas. Passos neighbors allege the shot that killed her came from one of the policemen who tried to block a local protest against the death of a 17-year-old boy earlier in the day.

Rio police said in a statement they would investigate the girls death.

The childs father, Gilgres dos Santos da Silva, 31, carried her small casket to her grave in a northern Rio cemetery as local residents applauded, cried for justice and released fireworks in respect to the girls death.

I dont know who did it. I just know that my daughters life was taken, da Silva told journalists after the burial.

Wendell Eduardo de Almeida, 17, was killed Saturday after he allegedly refused to stop his motorbike at a police checkpoint in the same shantytown. Rio police said he was taken down during an exchange of gunfire. The teenager was buried Sunday.

Antonio Carlos Costa, a founder of the Rio de Paz human rights non-profit organization, attended the burial showing a Brazilian flag with holes as if it had been showered with gunshots. He said 14 children were killed by stray bullets in Rio state between January of last year and August of this year.

Most of them had their lives ended as police and criminals exchanged gunfire, Costa said. He added that he wants to meet with Rio Gov. Claudio Castro to discuss the states policing strategies.

By DIARLEI RODRIGUES

Associated Press
Frozen, hacked-up bodies of at least 13 people found at houses in Mexicos Veracruz state

MEXICO CITY (AP)  Prosecutors in Mexicos Veracruz state said Monday that they found the frozen, hacked-up bodies of at least 13 people in ice chests and freezers at two houses reportedly used by kidnappers.

Unfortunately there could be more than 13 bodies, and it is probable that there are others in the process of identification, Veronica Hernandez, the chief prosecutor in the Gulf coast state, said of the bags of body parts discovered during a raid.

The prosecutor said six people have been arrested but did not offer a theory for why the gangs believed to be responsible froze the remains of their victims.

Hernandez also did not provide details of the raid. Local media reported that police freed several people who had been abducted from the houses in the city of Poza Rica.

Veracruz Gov. Cuitlahuac Garcia claimed the killings resulted from disputes between rival gangs.

We dont want this type of account settling between criminal gangs to continue this way, Garcia said.

He suggested the gang war involved the kidnapping and potential killing of the children of rival gang members, though he did not directly tie that to the frozen body parts.

Kidnapping gangs in Mexico usually dispose of the bodies of their victims by burying them in shallow, unmarked graves. More than 110,000 people are listed as missing in Mexico.
Tuolumne County Supervisors View Photo

Sonora, CA  While Tuolumne County government has not received official word from FEMA that the federal government will fund storm repairs needed to open Old Priest Grade, the Board of Supervisors is anxious to get the project going.

The supervisors awarded a $387,000 contract this morning to the Fresno contractor Kroeker, Inc. (who had the most affordable bid) to begin the work.

County staff noted that a FEMA inspector was at the site on August 7, and the agency is aware of the importance of getting the road back open. During public comment, one person spoke about fire concerns and needing Old Priest Grade open as a potential evacuation route.

District Five Supervisor Jaron Brandon posed the question to Blossom Scott-Heim, Supervising Engineer with the Public Works Department, Have we had projects that we expected to be FEMA reimbursed, or FEMA to fund the repairs of, that they ended up not coming through on?

Scott-Heim responded, We have not.

Other board members indicated that they had the same question.

Board Chair Kathleen Haff moved to approve the contract, and the vote was 5-0.

If for some reason FEMA does not approve reimbursement, the money would have to be taken from other county road projects that are scheduled for completion this budget year.

A timeline for the Old Priest Grade work was not noted at todays meeting.

To read a story from yesterday about the opening of Tuolumne Road North, following storm damage, click here.
You won't find too many people who agree with Karen Kuhl that COVID-19 was, as she said at a recent Cayuga County Legislature Planning and Economic Development Committee meeting, "very good for us."

But Kuhl, executive director of the Cayuga County Office of Tourism, was speaking about the local tourism industry and the county's ability to attract visitors, despite a global pandemic.

After a brief dip early in the pandemic, Cayuga County's occupancy rates began to recover in late 2020 and were higher than pre-pandemic levels in 2021.

"COVID identified us as a good, safe, open destination," Kuhl said.

With tourists continuing to visit Cayuga County, hotels are doing great, according to Kuhl. But there is a demand for more lodging.

That's why the county tourism office commissioned a study to explore potential sites for a new hotel. REVPAR International, a hospitality advisory firm, sent representatives to the county in June and reviewed five locations for hotel development. Three are near Emerson Park and Owasco Lake, including county-owned properties on White Bridge Road near the traffic circle and East Lake Road behind the Ward O'Hara Agricultural Museum.

The study also considered a property where Sean Lattimore, owner of Springside Inn, planned to build a boutique hotel seven years ago. It was one of the Central New York Regional Economic Development Council's priority projects and the state awarded nearly $1.2 million to support its construction. But Lattimore did not proceed with the project.

REVPAR's draft study included two locations outside of the Auburn area  McDonald Point in Union Springs and Colloca Estate in Fair Haven.

Kuhl explained that REVPAR considered several factors, including proximity to amenities, distance to airports, parking and visibility. Each site received a score, with the White Bridge Road location (89.5) edging East Lake Road (89) for the top mark.

With the White Bridge Road site receiving the highest score, Kuhl said that REVPAR will continue with an in-depth feasibility study focusing on that location. The study, which should be completed within the next four weeks, will include details for potential hotel developers, including costs, financing and market constraints, and an economic impact analysis.

It is not the first time that the county-owned property on White Bridge Road has been identified as a potential site for a hotel. Steve Lynch, director of the Cayuga County Department of Planning and Economic Development, said the county's master plan released in 2015 proposed the property for hotel development. No action was taken, he continued, because of Lattimore's plans to build a hotel on Sand Beach Road.

"These are just studies to say, could something happen here?" Lynch said. "Nobody is obligated to do anything... We thought it was very good to have this study done so we can see what is the economics and do they make sense for this type of location so that it can even be considered in the first place."

David Gould, chairman of the Cayuga County Legislature, endorsed the idea of building a hotel near Owasco Lake.

"We've needed a hotel up there for years, decades," he said. "I think it's a great study and I hope it continues."

Cayuga County Legislator Jim Basile, who represents the village of Fair Haven and town of Sterling, questioned why the Colloca Estate, a privately-owned business, won't be included in the final feasibility study. Kuhl responded that it was a "financial decision" because her agency could only afford an in-depth study of one site.

Once the study is finalized, Kuhl explained that the process of attracting a hotel developer will involve other agencies, namely the Cayuga Economic Development Agency, and the county.

There is a lack of lodging options near Owasco Lake. Springside Inn has seven rooms. Some rentals are available, but the nearest hotels are in the city of Auburn.

Other Finger Lakes communities have hotels or motels on or near the water. Inns of Aurora, for example, overlooks Cayuga Lake. Two cities in the Finger Lakes region, Canandaigua and Geneva, have hotels on the waterfront.
Utah man accused of threatening president pointed gun at agents, FBI says View Photo

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  The Utah man accused of making violent threats against President Joe Biden before a trip to Salt Lake City last week pointed a handgun at FBI agents attempting to arrest him, the agency said on Monday.

Craig Robertson, a 75-year-old Air Force veteran, was killed during a raid on his home in Provo last Wednesday, hours before Biden arrived. FBI agents went to his home early in the morning to arrest him for three felonies, including making threats against the president and agents who had been investigating him for months, according to court records unsealed after the raid.

Robertson resisted arrest and as agents attempted to take him into custody, he pointed a .357 revolver at them, FBI spokesperson Sandra Barker said in a statement Monday.

Two law enforcement sources  who spoke to The Associated Press last week on the condition of anonymity to discuss details of an ongoing investigation  said Robertson was armed at the time of the shooting. Mondays statement provides additional details about Robertsons weapon and that he pointed it at officers. The FBI did not respond to questions about whether Robertson shot at agents or if agents were wearing body cameras while attempting to arrest Robertson.

Robertsons daughter, Shanda Robertson, said she had no comment at this time. In a statement last week, his family rebuffed the idea that he could have hurt anyone.

For months, Robertson had been making threats against high-profile Democrats, including key players in the legal proceedings against former President Donald Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris and Biden. The threats grew more specific in the lead-up to the presidents visit, with Robertson threatening on social media to wear a camouflage ghillie suit and dust off the M24 sniper rifle to welcome the president.

Those threats followed months of Robertson posting photographs on social media of various firearms, which he called eradication tools, along with threats against public officials. The posts painted a markedly different picture of Robertson than how some neighbors described him, as a caring, religious man.

Several neighbors said Robertson  a homebound, overweight man who used a cane to walk  wasnt shy about his right-wing political beliefs. But they questioned whether he posed a credible enough threat to the president to justify the raid.

They said FBI agents arrived early in the morning to attempt an arrest of Robertson. Several who knew Robertson said his home and the two sheds behind it contained large caches of firearms, which he modified as a post-retirement hobby.

Katie Monson, Robertsons next-door neighbor, said last week that she saw agents attempt to breach his front door with a battering ram before driving a tactical vehicle onto his lawn, close enough to pierce his front window.

She subsequently heard an exchange of shots before tactical officers dragged Robertson onto the sidewalk to wait for emergency medical personnel. FBI investigators spent the rest of the day clearing the home and photographing evidence.

The FBI also said on Monday that its inspection division would continue to review the shooting. FBI investigations into shootings involving agents typically take months.

___

Associated Press writers Colleen Slevin in Denver and Lindsay Whitehurst in Washington contributed reporting.

By SAM METZ

Associated Press
Texas sues Shell over May fire at Houston-area petrochemical plant View Photo

AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  Texas is suing Shell and is seeking more than $1 million, alleging a fire at the oil giants Houston-area petrochemical plant damaged the environment.

The May 5 fire at the plant in the suburb of Deer Park resulted in nine workers being treated at and released from a hospital.

The lawsuit, filed Aug. 7 in Travis County by the Texas attorney generals office, alleges air and water contamination and violations of state laws at the plant, including those of the Clean Air Act, the Solid Waste Disposal Act and the Water Code.

A Shell spokesperson said the company is aware of the lawsuit but does not comment on pending litigation.

The Deer Park chemicals facility remains in a recovery phase as we continue to investigate the cause of the fire and rebuild the damaged portion of the plant, spokesperson Natalie Gunnell said.

The lawsuit contends that heavy black smoke contaminated the environment and that millions of gallons of water used to cool the areas and extinguish the flames were later discharged unlawfully into a lake, a stormwater pond and a wastewater treatment facility, making its way into the Houston Ship Channel.

This is a lawsuit to enforce Texas laws enacted to safeguard the states air resources, human health and the environment against pollution and to protect the quality of water in the state, it said.

The fire started during routine maintenance work when oils and gases ignited, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said at the time.
Hillary Clinton says justice is being pursued in Trump Georgia case. Follow live updates

Hillary Clinton says justice is being pursued in Trump Georgia case. Follow live updates View Photo

Follow along for live updates on the indictment of former President Donald Trump over his efforts to overturn the results of his 2020 presidential election loss in Georgia. The charges focus on alleged schemes by Trump and his allies to attempt illegally overturn his loss in the state. Its the fourth criminal case brought against the former president as he seeks to reclaim the White House, and the second to allege that he tried to subvert the results of the vote.

___

WHAT TO KNOW

 Trumps latest indictment may be the most sweeping yet

 Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has overseen the sprawling Georgia case

 A law associated with mobsters and organized crime is central to the Georgia charges

 A closer look a the 18 other people charged alongside Trump in Georgia

 Trump was charged earlier this month by the Justice Department for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election

 A look at all of the investigations currently pending against Trump

 Trump also was indicted in June on charges that he illegally hoarded classified documents

___

HILLARY CLINTON: JUSTICE IS BEING PURSUED IN GEORGIA CASE

In a joint statement issued late Monday, the top two Democrats in Congress  Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries  said the fourth case against former President Donald Trump, just like the three which came before it, portrays a repeated pattern of criminal activity by the former president.

Schumer and Jeffries went on to urge Trump, his supporters, and his critics to allow the legal process to proceed without outside interference.

Appearing on MSNBC on Monday night, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton  who lost the 2016 presidential election to Trump  called it a terrible moment for our country, to have a former president accused of these terribly important crimes.

The only satisfaction may be that the system is working. Justice is being pursued, Clinton added.

TRUMP LAWYERS DECRY ONE-SIDED GRAND JURY PRESENTATION

Former President Donald Trumps legal team said the Georgia indictment resulted from a one-sided grand jury presentation that relied on witnesses who harbor their own personal and political interests  some of whom ran campaigns touting their efforts against the accused and/or profited from book deals and employment opportunities as a result.

Attorneys Drew Findling, Jennifer Little and Marissa Goldberg said they look forward to a detailed review of this indictment which is undoubtedly just as flawed and unconstitutional as this entire process has been.

The trio of attorneys also referenced a document that appeared on the Fulton County Clerks Office website earlier Monday, as grand jury testimony was still ongoing, calling it a major fumble that they said caused Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to force through and rush this 98-page indictment.

TRUMP CALLS GEORGIA CASE ELECTION INTERFERENCE

Former President Donald Trump and his allies were quick to critique the Georgia case against him.

In an email soliciting fundraising for his campaign, sent out shortly after the indictment was made public Monday night, Trump called the Georgia case the FOURTH ACT of Election Interference on behalf of the Democrats in an attempt to keep the White House under Crooked Joes control and JAIL his single greatest opponent of the 2024 election.

Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for a Trump-aligned super PAC, said Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was joining other prosecutors pursuing cases against Trump with their only goal being to arrest Donald Trump and prevent him from being on the ballot against Joe Biden.

The super PAC, Make America Great Again Inc., also sent out an email blasting Willis  who is seeking reelection to her post next year and recently launched a new website  for using the Trump indictment to fundraise and campaign.

Those statements mirrored comments issued ahead of the indictment by Trumps campaign, which also argued Willis strategically stalled her investigation to try and maximally interfere with the 2024 presidential race and damage the dominant Trump campaign.

Officials with Trumps campaign also called the timing of this latest coordinated strike by a biased prosecutor in an overwhelmingly Democrat jurisdiction not only betrays the trust of the American people, but also exposes true motivation driving their fabricated accusations.

TRUMP AND OTHERS CHARGED GIVEN UNTIL AUG. 25 TO SURRENDER

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said former President Donald Trump and 18 others charged alongside him have nearly two weeks to surrender.

I am giving the defendants the opportunity to voluntarily surrender no later than noon on Friday, the 25th day of August, 2023, Willis said in a news conference shortly before midnight Monday.

Willis said she plans to try all 19 defendants together. She said she will ask for a trial to start within six months but added that scheduling decisions will be made by a judge.

She said the defendants are charged with conspiring to allow Trump to seize the presidential term of office beginning on Jan. 20, 2021.

SEVERAL CO-DEFENDANTS CHARGED ON COFFEE COUNTY ACTIONS

Several of the alleged conspirators, including attorney Sidney Powell, were charged for alleged crimes related to their actions in Coffee County, a south Georgia jurisdiction where prosecutors accuse Trump allies of commandeering voting information that was the property of Dominion Voting Systems.

Prosecutors said that Powell was among those who aided that strain of the broader conspiracy through her contract with and payments to a Georgia firm, SullivanStrickler LLC, that carried out the alleged acts as part of the Trump teams efforts to overturn Bidens victory in the state.

Others accused of the Coffee County acts include former elections supervisor Misty Hampton, former Coffee County GOP Chair Cathy Latham and Scott Hall, a bail bondsman.

They are charged related to the alleged Coffee County acts with conspiracy to commit election fraud, conspiracy to defraud the state and conspiracy to commit computer theft, among other charges.

18 PEOPLE INDICTED ALONG WITH TRUMP IN GEORGIA

Eighteen people were indicted alongside former President Donald Trump, including some of his closest advisers and lawyers, as well as Georgia-based attorneys and political operatives.

They include attorneys Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, Sidney Powell, John Eastman, Kenneth Chesebro and Jeffrey Clark, as well as Trumps White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows.

Ray Smith and Robert Cheeley, lawyers working for Trump in Georgia, also were indicted for allegedly lying  Smith to a Georgia Senate committee, and Cheeley to the Georgia Grand Jury.

Three of the 16 people who falsely claimed to be Georgias electoral college voters were indicted: David Shafer, then the state GOP chairman; Shawn Still, who was GOP finance chairman; and Cathleen Alston Latham.

Trump campaign official Michael Roman, who was allegedly involved in the fake electors scheme, also was indicted.

Others who were charged include Stephen Lee, William Floyd, Trevian Kutti, Scott Hall and Misty Hampton.

RACKETEERING AMONG GEORGIA CHARGES BROUGHT AGAINST TRUMP

In total, former President Donald Trump faces a total of 13 felony charges in the Georgia case, according to filings made available late Monday on the Fulton County Clerks Office website.

The first among them is a violation of Georgias Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, law, which is used to charge Trump and his associates for allegedly participating in a wide-ranging conspiracy to overturn the states 2020 election result.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis had been widely expected to use the law to charge Trump.

There are other charges related to allegedly trying to get a public official to violate an oath, conspiracy to impersonate a public officer, conspiracy to commit forgery, and conspiracy to commit false statements and file false documents.

TRUMP INDICTED FOR EFFORTS TO OVERTURN 2020 ELECTION LOSS IN GEORGIA

Donald Trump has been indicted by a grand jury in Fulton County for meddling in the results of the 2020 election, which he lost in the state.

A grand jury voted Monday evening to bring a total of 13 felony charges against the former president, including violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, law, as well as violating his oath of office.

A slate of others were indicted along with Trump, including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani  one of Trumps attorneys  as well as former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.

The process played out live on national television, as cameras inside the courthouse staked out the clerks office, where the indictment paperwork was signed and walked down to the courtroom, where it was presented to Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney.

The criminal case comes as Trump leads the field of Republicans seeking their partys 2024 presidential nomination. Its his fourth indictment this year, following charges in two federal cases, as well as a hush-money case in New York.

Trump famously called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Jan. 2, 2021, and suggested the states top elections official could help find the votes Trump needed to beat Biden. It was the release of a recording of that phone call that prompted Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to open her investigation about a month later.

Trump has repeatedly accused Willis team of haranguing him over what he has described as a perfect phone call. In the day leading up to the indictment, Trump posted to his Truth Social site that Willis is using a potential Indictment of me, and other innocent people, as a campaign and fundraising CON JOB, adding, , all based on a PERFECT PHONE CALL, AS PRESIDENT, CHALLENGING ELECTION FRAUD  MY DUTY & RIGHT!
Georgia clerk says mishap caused erroneous release of list of Trump charges View Photo

The clerk of the Fulton County, Georgia, court system acknowledged Tuesday accidentally releasing what appeared to be a list of criminal charges against Donald Trump before he was actually indicted, and sought to deflect blame amid mounting criticism from Republicans who have seized on the blunder to characterize the case as rigged.

After refusing to explain what happened for more than a day after Reuters posted the document the media outlet said was published on the courts website, clerk Che Alexanders office said she was doing a trial run of the courts filing system on Monday in anticipation of issues that arise with entering a potentially large indictment.

Alexanders office said that led to the docketing of what appeared to be an indictment, but which was, in fact, only a fictitious docket sheet. Reuters found the docket and reported on it Monday afternoon, hours before the grand jury returned the indictment charging Trump and 18 allies over efforts to subvert the 2020 election results.

The docket sheet published by Reuters included a list of 13 counts against Trump, including Georgias Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, solicitation of violation of oath by public officer and false statements and writings. They were the exact same counts the former president was charged with in the indictment handed down late Monday. The erroneous document also included a case number, though it differed from the one on the actual indictment.

The statement comes on the heels of confusing comments from the clerk and her office that have fueled speculation about the document Trump and his allies have pounced on to claim that the charges against him were already decided before grand jurors took a vote. It has given Trump and his legal team an opening to try to undermine the credibility of prosecutors and the clerks office at the very outset of the high-stakes case.

The clerks office said shortly after Reuters posted the document online that the clerk had learned of what it called a fictitious document that has been circulated online. When pressed about it later Monday, Alexander said she didnt know what else to say, adding: I havent seen an indictment, right? So I dont have anything. Alexander also didnt publicly rule out that it could have been the result of a hack when asked Monday.

In the latest statement, however, Alexanders office said that the clerk immediately took down the document upon learning of the mishap.

The Office understands the confusion that this matter caused and the sensitivity of all court filings. We remain committed to operating with an extreme level of efficiency, accuracy and transparency, the clerks office said.

The confusion over the document thrust the newly sworn in Fulton County courts clerk into the spotlight as reporters descended onto the Atlanta courthouse to get a glimpse at the witnesses called in to testify before the grand jury hearing District Attorney Fani Willis sprawling case. Hours later, cameras followed as Alexander handed a stack of indictments  which included the 2020 election case  to Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney.

After the document was posted but before the grand jury handed up the indictment, a spokesperson for Willis said it wasnt accurate that charges had been filed but declined to comment further.

Willis was asked about the document during a news conference Monday evening. She said she couldnt say anything about the matter but explained that the grand jury met and deliberated and returned the indictment around 8 p.m.

I am not an expert on clerks duties or even administrative duties. I wouldnt know how to work that system, and so Im not going to speculate, she said, cutting off any further inquiries on the topic, curtly saying, Next question.

Its the fourth criminal case against the Republican former president, who has characterized all the cases against him as a bid to hurt his 2024 bid to reclaim the White House.

Trump legal team has already suggested it would claim prosecutorial misconduct, saying shortly after the document was posted that this was not a simple administrative mistake, but is emblematic of the pervasive and glaring constitutional violations which have plagued this case from its very inception.

The events that have unfolded today have been shocking and absurd, starting with the leak of a presumed and premature indictment before the witnesses had testified or the grand jurors had deliberated and ending with the District Attorney being unable to offer any explanation, lawyers Drew Findling, Jennifer Little and Marissa Goldberg said in a statement after the indictment was released. In light of this major fumble, the Fulton County District Attorneys Office clearly decided to force through and rush this 98-page indictment.

Trump himself also seized on the issue to raise money for his 2024 presidential campaign, writing in an email before the indictment came down: The Grand Jury testimony has not even FINISHED  but its clear the District Attorney has already decided how this case will end.

Legal experts had said the filing was likely a list of potential charges prosecutors were presenting to the grand jury ahead of Mondays vote.

Prosecutors draft indictments and present them to the grand jury, which meets in secret and ultimately decides whether to hand charges down. Grand juries  made up of people randomly drawn from the community, like juries that decide trials  are designed to safeguard against politically motivated prosecutions, but theyve long been criticized by some as little more than a rubber stamp for prosecutors.

The grand jury doesnt sit around and write indictments, its presented to them, said Clark Cunningham, a Georgia State University law professor. Presumably before this morning, they had drafted an indictment  theres nothing wrong with that.

And experts said that while Trump may use the premature posting in an effort to undermine the integrity of Willis investigation on the campaign trail, its unlikely to ultimately have an impact in the courtroom.

Unfortunately errors happen in todays world with things being done online, said Stanley Twardy, Jr., a former U.S. attorney for Connecticut. I dont think this is something that is going to create issues.

Alexander was sworn in as the courts clerk less than two months ago to replace Tina Robinson, who retired in June after 16 years in the role. Alexander appears to have previously campaigned for Willis in her bid for a judgeship in 2018. Her Instagram page includes multiple photos of Willis and her campaign posters, including one with a caption that said Willis has truly been an inspiration to me and countless others and included #realfriends.

___

Richer reported from Boston. Associated Press writers Kate Brumback, Jeff Martin and Jeff Amy in Atlanta contributed to this report.

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER

Associated Press
MERIDEN  The Guamans, the Ecuadorian family who owns GS Boutique Cafe in downtown Meriden, at 55 West Main St., are hosting a celebration of Ecuadorian culture at the Meriden Midtown Plaza on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Weve seen events like these in Danbury and Waterbury. We see them in Bristol. So, we asked ourselves, Why not make it here? We made it not just for Ecuadorians but for everyone to experience our culture and not have to travel too far. You know, enjoy a festival here right now, Kenny Guaman said.

He said that because there are people in the United States from a multitude of backgrounds, its essential to take the time to learn more about other cultures.

Ive known a lot of people here in America whom I wish to know more about their culture, he said. We want to make sure Americans can learn more about culture, our music, our happiness, and what we have here in Ecuador. And thats why people should come to the festival, to know about what we experience daily and have fun.

The cultural celebration acts as a way for the Meriden community to learn more about the Ecuadorian culture through food, dance and music, he said.

What you can expect from this event is a little bit of Ecuador in Meriden, he said. So here we have the Puerto Rican festival. We have a lot of different festivals here. And so we thought, why not show what our beautiful country is from, right?

The family will serve a special Ecuadorian menu at GS Boutique while guests can enjoy music outside of the restaurant.

Were going to have different dishes from Ecuador, said Angel Guaman, Kennys father and event organizer. All the ingredients we want to use naturally. So when I share our food with people, we want to share our culture. Our food is 100% from Ecuador and traditionally made.

The family plans to serve authentic dishes from Ecuador, like the vegetarian ceviche made with chocho beans, ceviche de chochos, pescado encode, which is fish with coconut sauce, and humitas, a savory, steamed fresh corn cake. In addition, the cafe recently installed a bread oven, so the family will serve authentic Ecuadorian bread. Also, the family will serve cacao, a type of Ecuadorian chocolate.

We want just to share what we experience in our everyday lives, Kenny said. And we want to make it a fun festival for everybody.

While attendees enjoy their authentic Ecuadorian dishes, a live band of various instruments, like the saxophone or trumpet, will play Ecuadorian folk music outside. Furthermore, a dance group will perform while wearing traditional Ecuadorian garments.

This is not just Ecuadorians; we want to share our culture with everybody, Angel Guaman said. We want them to know about our music, culture, traditions and foods. Thats important; we want to share our culture with everybody because many people dont know too much. We have a lot of traditions we want to share with all the communities; thats the mission.

In addition to the GS Boutique Cafe, the family also operates Visionaries USA, located at 89 W. Main St., a small business training group that helps small business owners with finances, job opportunities and advice. Angel Guaman said he invites all entrepreneurs to come and network and promote their businesses at the event. He explained that the family plans to host an event for young entrepreneurs soon.

We are a family of visionaries, Angel Guaman said. We make different events to share a good message about unity, about the community, and that we can work together to share positivity.
SOUTHINGTON  Police will use the proceeds of a lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies to fund access to technology that may make it easier to track drug dealers.

The Town Council approved $18,000 Monday for the Police Department to contract with Cellebrite Premium cellphone forensics, a company that can unlock cell phones. The technology can help police track drug dealers in the case of a fatal overdose.

Lawsuit proceeds

Southington joined other towns and cities in lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies for their opioid marketing. Municipal leaders and others have argued the companies marketing results in the overprescription of addictive painkillers, leading to demand for such medications as well as illegal drugs. One of those cases was settled, resulting in $93,000 for Southingtons efforts to combat opioid addiction.

Town Manager Mark Sciota said another case is pending and may result in more money for Southington. Unsure of how much will ultimately be awarded to the town, hes looking to spend $18,000 to $20,000 per year to stretch out the funds.

The $93,000 is what we have now. I want to see whats coming in, Sciota said.

Evidence from cell phones

Police said they already unlock cell phones, but the process can be lengthy or require the cooperation of another department. While there is currently access to this technology through the State Police or neighboring departments, police said there can be a delay for such work.

That (State Police) process right now takes anywhere from six to eight months. That information is now stale, said James Armack, a police sergeant and detective.

Using other towns tech means asking for a favor, so theres a limit to how often Southington officers can do this, Armack said. Right now cases involving murder, sexual assault or other violent crimes take precedence over overdose deaths.

With its own access to cell phone unlock technology, Armack said the department can more frequently catch those who are providing deadly drugs.

He relayed a case from 2017 to Town Council members where a 31 year-old woman died from an overdose. Unlocking the womans cell phone allowed police to catch the dealer through call and text logs. The dealer was sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison, followed by six years of supervised release.

They definitely are filled with information, Armack said.

The technology approved Monday saves data from those phones in such a way that it can be used in court.

Armack said police only undertake an investigation following a fatal overdose if the family agrees.

I would never force an investigation upon a family who just lost a loved one, he said.

The town has sustained dozens of fatal overdoses in the last few years. Police said that in 2020, there were 11 overdose deaths. The next year saw eight deaths, in 2022 a total of 14 deaths were recorded, and so far there have been eight deaths this year.

There have been hundreds more non-fatal overdoses during those years, according to police, along with the administration of Narcan 205 times to prevent an overdose death. The vast majority of overdoses in town involve fentanyl, according to Armack.

Providing access to and training with Narcan is on the list of things the lawsuit proceeds will fund in future years.

Anybody can come, anybody can get trained, anybody can leave with a kit of Narcan, Megan Albanese, the towns prevention coordinator, said of such training sessions.

jbuchanan@record-journal.com203-317-2230Twitter: @JBuchananRJ
In a heated workshop on elections and the media, the government announced that main opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader, Nelson Chamisa, would not receive equal coverage in public media outlets compared to his rival, President Emmerson Mnangagwa. The reason cited was Mnangagwas position as the Head of State.

CCC has long accused the state media, especially the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC), of neglecting its constitutional duty to provide fair and impartial coverage to all political parties. However, Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting Services deputy minister, Kindness Paradza, urged the opposition party to accept the reality of the situation and wait until they assume power to enjoy public media coverage.

Paradza stated, We cannot equate President Mnangagwa and Mr Chamisa. He is the Head of State and government, and we should not expect ZBC to treat them equally. He further suggested that if Chamisa were to become the next government, the opposition would witness the treatment firsthand.

In the unlikely event that he (Chamisa) will become the next government, you will see what I am talking about. So can you just relax until you are in government and you will see what we are talking about?

Information ministry director for media services, George Chisoko, supported Paradzas statement, emphasizing that coverage would be provided when Mnangagwa was engaged in government affairs. However, he clarified that political matters related to Zanu PF would be treated differently.

The CCC party has repeatedly criticized ZBCs bias in favour of Zanu PF, highlighting the disparity in live coverage between Mnangagwas campaign rallies and Chamisas events. Section 155 of the Constitution mandates equal access to electronic and print media for all political parties and candidates during elections.

Tempers flared during the workshop when Paradza accused the CCC of instigating hate speech, which allegedly led to the denial of airtime by public broadcasters. CCCs deputy secretary for elections, Ellen Shiriyedenga, intervened, dismissing the claims and asserting that the party does not promote hate speech.

While the Constitution safeguards equal media access, the opposition continues to face challenges in receiving fair coverage. The ongoing battle for media impartiality raises concerns about the democratic process and the need for transparent and unbiased reporting during elections.

Breaking News via Email
SEOUL, South Korea  South Koreas president called for deeper security cooperation with the U.S. and Japan to address North Korea's nuclear threat, saying Tuesday that his upcoming summit with the U.S. and Japanese leaders at Camp David will set a new milestone in trilateral cooperation.

It will be the first time for the leaders of the three countries to gather specifically for a trilateral summit, rather than on the sidelines of international meetings. This suggests they are serious about boosting their ties in the midst of complex regional challenges such as North Korea's advancing nuclear arsenal and Washington's strategic rivalry with Beijing.

In their summit Friday at the U.S. presidential retreat in Maryland, President Joe Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are expected to announce plans for expanded military cooperation on ballistic missile defense and technology development, according to two senior Biden administration officials.

The summit will set a new milestone in trilateral cooperation contributing to peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific region, Yoon said in a televised speech in Seoul on Tuesday.

The speech marked the 78th anniversary of Koreas liberation from Japans 35-year colonial rule in 1945. Past South Korean presidents commonly used Liberation Day speeches to ask Japan to make fresh apologies for its colonial actions. But Yoon, a conservative who has pushed to resolve historical grievances as a way to boost Seoul-Washington-Tokyo cooperation, instead explained why improved ties with Japan were needed.

Yoon said the seven rear bases provided to the U.S.-led U.N. Command by Japan serve as the greatest deterrent that keeps North Korea from invading South Korea. He said a North Korean invasion would trigger an immediate, automatic intervention by the U.N. Command and that the bases in Japan have the necessary land, sea and air capabilities.

As partners that cooperate on security and the economy, South Korea and Japan will be able to jointly contribute to peace and prosperity across the globe while collaborating and exchanging in a future-oriented manner, Yoon said.

He said the importance of Seoul-Washington-Tokyo security cooperation is growing on the Korean Peninsula and in the region.

In order to fundamentally block North Koreas nuclear and missile threats, the Republic of Korea, the United States and Japan must closely cooperate on reconnaissance assets and share North Korean nuclear weapon and missile data in real time, Yoon said.

When they met at the margins of a regional conference in Cambodia in November, Yoon, Biden and Kishida said they intended to share North Korea missile warning data to improve each countrys ability to detect and assess the threat posed by incoming missiles. In June, their defense chiefs said they recognized efforts to activate such a data-sharing mechanism before the end of the year.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters after a virtual meeting with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts ahead of the summit that the gathering is intended to mark a new era in cooperation among the three countries.

Youll see some very concrete measures that were taking to enhance our capacity to provide for our security in three countries, and also more broadly, security in the Indo-Pacific region, he said.

The Camp David summit is expected to anger North Korea, which has argued that U.S. moves to bolster military cooperation with South Korea and Japan are pushing it to reinforce its own military capability. North Korea views U.S.-led military drills on and near the Korean Peninsula as an invasion rehearsal.

China, which is intensely sensitive to what it perceives as other countries ganging up on it, denounced the summit.

China opposes relevant countries forming various cliques and their practices of exacerbating confrontation and jeopardizing other countries strategic security, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a briefing Tuesday. We hope the countries concerned will go with the trend of the times and do something conducive to regional peace, stability and prosperity."

South Korea has maintained that its push to strengthen its alliance with the U.S. and participate in U.S.-led regional initiatives wont target China, its biggest trading partner.

Worries about North Korea's nuclear program have grown since the North openly threatened to use nuclear weapons in conflicts with its rivals and conducted about 100 missile tests since the start of last year. Many of the missiles were nuclear-capable weapons that place both South Korea and Japan within striking distance and could potentially reach the U.S. mainland. South Korea and Japan together host about 80,000 U.S. troops.

In response to North Koreas missile tests, the United States and South Korea have expanded their military drills and resumed some trilateral training involving Japan.

Photos: Kim Jong Un's public appearances through the years
Yves here. This article discusses how a possible gas platform worker strike could reduce LNG supplies for a meaningful period of time, with Europe particularly exposed. It quotes a German utility chief recommending more austerity. Cue further de-industrialization.

By Irina Slav, a writer for Oilprice.com with over a decade of experience writing on the oil and gas industry. Originally published at OilPrice

EU natural benchmark prices spiked earlier this year as s result of a potential strike in LNG exporter Australia.

Currently, European gas stocks are at a record high for this time of the year.

Its growing dependence on LNG imports have made the EU vulnerable to supply disruptions and price shocks.

Earlier this month, the price of natural gas in Europe spiked by as much as 40% on the news that gas platform workers in Australia may launch industrial action.

The strike could affect a tenth of global LNG, media reported last week, which would send prices higher. Indeed, the very threat of a strike sent prices higher, and once again highlighted Europes difficult energy security position.

Last year, the EU celebrated the success of its efforts to reduce its dependence on pipeline Russian gas. Indeed, that dependence was greatly reduced, not without the help of Gazprom itself, which significantly reduced the flow of gas to Europe, prompting buyers there to look for alternatives.

The celebrations did not take very long to turn into complaints. Accustomed to cheap pipeline gas, European buyers were finding out that the LNG spot market had very different rules, which ultimately resulted in highermuch higherprices when a new buyer as big as the EU appeared on the stage.

By the end of the year, politicians in Europe were complaining about having to pay through the nose for natural gas on that spot market, and some were already closing long-term deals with Qatar and the United States. Even Germany, a staunch opponent of continued reliance on gas, gave up and signed long-term deals and decided to build a permanent LNG import terminal.

What this did was cement the continents now almost complete dependence on LNG. Bar some pipeline imports from Norway and Azerbaijan, most of the European Unions gas in the years to come will be sourced from the international LNG market. And this means higher prices for longer. And even higher prices and the constant threat of a price shock in case of supply disruption, as evidenced by the Australian strikes news.

The potential for strike action at LNG export plants in Australia once again highlights the fact that we are now clearly in a globalised gas market, ICIS analyst Tom Marzec-Manser told the Financial Times.

Europe has understandably backfilled Russian pipeline supply with versatile LNG. But that versatility leads to increased price volatility.

Currently, European gas stocks are at a record high for this time of the year. In fact, a week ago  days before the news broke that Australian LNG workers are considering a strike  Reuters John Kemp reported that this record-high level of gas stocks was keeping a lid on prices. All it took for the \\cover to blow off was the news of a potential strike in one of the worlds biggest LNG producers.

There are already warnings that the energy crisis in Europe is not over. Indeed, these warnings began as early as last year amid the celebrations of switching from pipeline to liquefied gas and how independent that made Europe.

At the time, few were in the mood to listen to warnings that the show was only beginning, not ending. Now, things are changing. Winter is once again on the way, asmj far as it may seem in August. This means theres a spike in demand for LNG on the horizon. And a spike in demand means a spike in prices, inevitably.

The crisis is not over yet, the chief executive of E.ON, one of Germanys biggest utilities, said earlier this month. We must continue to work on the issue of austerity. This is the best way to ensure affordability for customers and also to achieve competitiveness of our society and our economy.

If the CEO of E.ON is talking about austeritynot exactly a popular idea among regular electricity consumersthen the situation must be serious. It suggests there is no great chance of abundant LNG supply and weak competition from Asia that would make the commodity cheaper. That leaves limiting demand as the only choice.

Indeed, austerity is already in place. The exorbitant prices last year made it a natural choice to curb consumption. Indeed, Reuters reported last month that since last year, Europes gas consumption has fallen by between 10% and 15% compared to the previous decade. The decline is particularly marked among industrial consumers.

Consumption remained lower even as gas prices calmed down. Thats no wonder since even calmer prices have been 35% higher this year than the average for 2018 to 2021. These higher prices have hit especially hard industries that make the backbone of the EUs manufacturing sector, including steel and cement making, fertilizers, and petrochemicals.

Last year, LNG made up 34% of the European Unions gas imports in 2022, the FT reports. This year, this is expected to rise to 40%. That would be virtually the same market share Russian pipeline gas had in the European Union prior to the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine

That means that the EU, for all its self-congratulations on achieving energy independence, has simply replaced one form of dependency for another. This new form goes hand in hand with austerity and loss of competitiveness for some of the most important industries on the continent.

All this suggests some unpleasant facts about the very source of that competitiveness and the EUs economic and social wealththe era of abundance that Emmanuel Macron bid farewell to last year.
COVID jabs linked to 2,500% increased risk of early onset dementia

Investigator Steve Kirsch has dropped another bombshell pertaining to Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) "vaccines," which he says are linked to a 2,500 percent increased risk of early onset dementia.

Kirsch spoke with a charge nurse at a rehabilitation and long-term elderly care facility who has worked in nursing for 32 years. She told him that she has never seen anything like what she is now seeing in terms of the sheer number of new dementia cases cropping up all around her.

Prior to COVID, the charge nurse would rarely see anyone suddenly exhibit dementia-like behaviors like sudden onset hallucinations for no apparent reason. At most, there would be two a year, but more than likely zero  until COVID.

Just in the last 12 months, the charge nurse has seen early onset dementia symptoms appear nearly 50 times, which represents a 25-fold increase in the dementia rate due to Operation Warp Speed.

The death rate at elderly care facilities is also off the charts. In a normal July, there would be maybe seven deaths at the facility where the charge nurse works. This year, however, there were 150 deaths, which has made for an extra busy season at the local funeral home.

"Its very noticeable by people who work at nursing homes, but most are not able to talk about it without losing their jobs," Kirsch writes. "I finally found someone who will talk on video. Stay tuned."

(Related: Did you know that, according to government data, COVID jabs are at least eight times deadlier than SARS-CoV-2 itself?)

2023 is already looking to have the most COVID jab-related deaths on record

Until then, keep in mind that individuals as young as 18 are now developing dementia symptoms. This was never the case prior to Operation Warp Speed, but now that COVID jabs are inside the bodies of hundreds of millions of Americans, dementia cases are soaring like never before in history.

"No other vaccine in the 33-year history of VAERS is doing anything close to this kind of damage," Kirsch writes.

You may recall that Kirsch recently conducted his own survey on death rates at elderly care facilities and geriatric practices. He specifically designed the survey to look for COVID jab-related deaths, learning that each year since the unleashing of COVID-19 "vaccines," the overall death rate has continued to increase.

So far, the year 2023 is looking like it will have the highest death rate on record, surpassing the death rate in 2022 and 2021, the latter year being the year in which most Americans got COVID injected.

"... the responses were that the deaths more than doubled each year in 2021, 2022, 2023 vs. the pre-COVID baseline with 2023 looking like the highest death rate on record," Kirsch notes. "I didn't find this surprising."

Kirsch also included a comment section in his survey asking respondents for further details if they wanted to provide them. One in five respondents commented that they spontaneously noted a huge increase in dementia cases in their facility after the jabs were unleashed via Operation Warp Speed.

"In particular, the new cases were high but also the onset age was much lower than normal," Kirsch explains.

"Because these reports were completely unprompted (there was no mention of dementia anywhere in the survey), I suspect this is happening in every nursing facility and people are just assuming 'that's odd' and thinking it is just a coincidence and not giving it a second thought ... Nope. No coincidence."

In short, COVID jabs are destroying the minds of the elderly, and even the minds of some young people. And the culmination of what will ultimately become of the "fully vaccinated" has only just begun.

There is never a good reason to get injected for COVID. Learn more at ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources for this article include:

KirschSubstack.com

NaturalNews.com
Drinking coffee can help reduce your risk of depression, according to studies

Coffee can help boost alertness and focus. Studies show that drinking coffee can also do wonders for your mental health. In fact, multiple meta-analyses suggest that drinking coffee in moderate amounts could help reduce your risk of depression

Coffee consumption protects against depression

Many of the beneficial effects of coffee are directly linked to caffeine, the bitter-tasting chemical that's naturally present in coffee beans. Because caffeine also occurs in more than 60 plants, such as tea leaves, guarana and cacao, and is added to a wide variety of food products, people often forget the fact that it is actually a psychoactive drug.

Caffeine is a natural stimulant that affects the central nervous system as well as your body's metabolism. Aside from keeping you awake and boosting your energy levels, it also acts as a diuretic, which helps your body get rid of excess salt and water via urine. It can also increase the release of acid in your stomach, which helps improve digestion and encourages bowel movement.

But one of the most studied biological activities of caffeine is its influence on mood. Although often used interchangeably with the word 'emotion,' mood in scientific studies refers to a "relatively long-lasting affective state," while emotion has a shorter duration. The latter also typically includes components such as bodily reactions and motor expressions, which mood tends to lack.

According to a review published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, caffeine indirectly affects mood through its cognitive-enhancing properties. At low doses, caffeine has been found to improve a person's ability to feel pleasure and reduce anxiety. However, at high doses, caffeine can increase tense arousal in consumers, including anxiety, nervousness and jitteriness.

The effect of caffeine on depression risk has been a topic of interest for many researchers. Because about 80 percent of caffeine consumption is in the form of coffee, most studies concerning depression risk involve this popular beverage. Here's a brief summary of what multiple studies have found regarding coffee and caffeine's influence on depression risk:

In a prospective study published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers followed 50,739 American women for 10 years. The women were all depression-free at the start of the study, and their caffeine consumption was measured from completed questionnaires. The researchers found that those who consumed the highest amounts of caffeinated coffee (4 cups/day or more) had the lowest depression risk. They also reported a decreasing trend for depression risk with increasing caffeinated coffee consumption. Decaffeinated coffee did not affect depression risk.

In a study published in the Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, Chinese researchers looked at the relationship between coffee intake and depression risk as well as the relationship between caffeine and depression. They reported a linear association between coffee and depression, with dose-response analysis showing an eight percent decrease in depression risk for each cup per day increment in coffee intake. Meanwhile, a non-linear association was found between caffeine and depression, with the reduction in depression risk becoming significant when caffeine consumption is above 68 milligrams (mg) per day but below 509 mg/day.

In another prospective study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers examined the relationship between coffee and caffeine intake and the risk of death from suicide. Suicide is often caused by mental illness, such as depression, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. The researchers conducted a 10-year follow-up study in an ongoing cohort of 86,626 female registered nurses in the U.S. and found that compared with non-drinkers, the risk of suicide was lower among women who consumed three or more cups of coffee a day. The researchers also found a strong inverse relationship between caffeine intake from various sources and the risk of suicide.

In a study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers investigated the association between coffee consumption and depression in the Korean population. The cross-sectional study involved 10,177 Koreans aged 20 to 97 who took part in the fifth Korean Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The study reported a decreasing trend for both self-reported depression and self-reported clinical depression among Koreans who drank one or more cups of coffee a day, with odds ratios being the lowest among those who drank three or more cups a day. These findings suggest that coffee has a protective effect and regular consumption can substantially lower a person's risk of depression.

In another cross-sectional study published in the journal Public Health Nutrition, researchers examined the association between coffee, green tea and caffeine consumption and depression symptoms in a Japanese working population. The study, which involved 537 men and women aged 20 to 68 years, found that consumption of green tea and coffee was inversely associated with depression symptoms. Individuals who consumed more than two cups of coffee a day had a lower prevalence of depressive symptoms than non-drinkers. A similar trend was observed for those who drank four or more cups of green tea a day.

In a population-based cohort study published in the journal Public Health Nutrition, researchers looked at the association between coffee, tea and caffeine intake and the risk of severe depression in a sample of 2,232 middle-aged Finnish men. Compared with non-drinkers, heavy drinkers of coffee were found to have a lower risk of severe depression. On the other hand, the study found no association between depression risk and the consumption of tea and caffeine from other sources.

In a study published in the journal Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 12 studies involving a total of 346,913 individuals. They found that drinking coffee has a protective effect against depression, effectively lowering depression risk among regular coffee drinkers. Tea, on the other hand, was found to be only partially protective, suggesting that apart from caffeine, some other components of coffee may also contribute to its mental health benefits.

How caffeine and coffee affect mood

Despite hundreds of studies on depression, researchers are still unsure about the exact cause of depression. Of the many theories proposed over the years, the most commonly pinpointed are genetics, neurotransmitter imbalance, emotional trauma and brain inflammation. Although caffeine does not affect all of these likely causes, it is believed to help with depression by altering the activity of two important neurotransmitters, namely, serotonin and dopamine.

According to studies, caffeine can increase brain levels of serotonin, the neurotransmitter that helps regulate your mood. Often dubbed the "feel good" chemical, low levels of serotonin have been linked to depression. (Related: Study: 5-HTP can boost serotonin levels and promote healthy eating habits.)

Caffeine has also been found to increase the availability of dopamine receptors in the brain. Dopamine is a chemical that makes you feel pleasure, so having more available receptors for dopamine can help uplift your mood.

Recent studies suggest that brain inflammation may play a role in the development of depression. In fact, functional MRI studies have found that inflammatory markers can cause aberrant activation patterns and alter functional connectivity in neural circuits involved in emotional regulation in the brains of people with depression.

Drinking coffee can help with depression because it contains plenty of bioactive compounds with known anti-inflammatory properties. These include chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid, caffeic acid, trigonelline, quinolinic acid and pyrogallol, among many others. (Related: Coffee contains hundreds of medicinal compounds that may prevent cognitive decline.)

Coffee is a reliable mood booster that can help lower your depression risk when consumed in moderate amounts. Note that excessive caffeine intake can cause unpleasant side effects, so limit your daily intake to no more than 400 milligrams or about four cups of brewed coffee.

Find out about the other health benefits of coffee at Superfoods.news.

Watch this video to learn about the amazing uses of coffee for the skin.

This video is from the Frozen In Time channel on Brighteon.com.

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Coffee contains hundreds of medicinal compounds that may prevent cognitive decline.

Coffee and other natural remedies that can help you recover from a hangover.

Coffee without the jitters: Heres all you need to know about decaffeinated coffee.

Studies show common prescription medications raise DEPRESSION risk.

Sources include:

BeBrainFit.com

MedlinePlus.gov

CoffeeAndHealth.org

Content.IOSPress.com

JAMANetwork.com 1

Journals.SagePub.com

MentalHealthLiteracy.org

JAMANetwork.com 2

Nature.com 1

Cambridge.org 1

Cambridge.org 2

OnlineLibrary.Wiley.com

Health.Harvard.edu

Cureus.com

Nature.com 2

FrontiersIn.org

TheJCN.com

HSPH.Harvard.edu

Brighteon.com
Extinction Rebellion activist and aspiring human rights lawyer gets life sentence for stabbing fiance to death

An Extinction Rebellion activist who was hoping to become a human rights lawyer was sentenced to life in prison for stabbing her fiance to death on a London street after a drug-fueled argument.

Blaze Lily Wallace, 28, stabbed 34-year-old Samuel Mayo to death using a kitchen knife near their London home as he screamed, Please, Blaze. I love you. Please, Blaze. He bled to death while begging passersby to call him an ambulance.

The incident took place following a fight between the couple while both were under the influence of cocaine, heroin and cannabis. Wallace was pregnant at the time. An upstairs neighbor said they heard Mayo shout, Im done with you. Youre nasty just minutes before the killing took place.

Prosecutor Jane Bickerstaff told the jury that the pair had a volatile relationship and argued frequently, and Mayo had apparently decided he was ready to move on that night. CCTV footage captured much of the incident, and it appeared that Wallace followed him as he left the home with a packed bag with the intention of killing him.

"We say this was intentional and with no lawful reason and the defendant's intention at the time was to kill her boyfriend, or at the very least, to cause him really serious harm.

"She concealed the murder weapon and took it back with her to her home."

After a three-week trial, a jury of eight women and four men convicted her of murder unanimously after just over 10 hours of deliberation. They heard how Wallace and Mayo fought in their yard and then she followed him onto the street with a kitchen knife in her pocket. When she caught up to him outside of a brewery, she stabbed him in the heart.

Police officers who responded at the scene recognized Mayo as a local drug user who regularly begged outside a local grocery store and train station. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Although Wallace said that Mayo was armed using an improvised sharp wooden chopstick and that she carried the knife to protect herself, the jury and judge rejected her claim, and no chopstick was found in the area.

During her sentencing, Judge Rajiv Shetty told her: You stabbed him with sufficient force at a downward angle for the knife to go through his ribcage cartilage and into the heart. He shouted for help and was losing a lot of blood at this time."

Wallace appeared at her sentencing wearing a black sweatshirt featuring Casper the Friendly Ghost and wore her hair in cornrows. Judge Shetty insisted that her actions that night were intentional and that she showed no remorse for what she did.

In contrast to the people who tried to assist [Mr Mayo], you did nothing and left the scene, allowing him to die and showing a complete lack of remorse that you had stabbed him in the chest.

Wallace joined Extinction Rebellion protests

Wallace, who earned a law degree in 2017, was a month shy of finishing a master's in human rights and legal practice. She reportedly hoped to become a human rights lawyer working abroad in Asia, Canada and Germany, but she showed little regard for the human life of her fiance and her child. She gave birth while in custody and her older brother is currently taking care of her daughter.

She was a part of the U.K.-based activist group Extinction Rebellion, attending numerous protests for the group and saying they have great importance. The groups aim, according to its website, is to use non-violent direct action to persuade governments to act justly on the climate and ecological emergency.

Its members are known for using dramatic tactics such as blocking bridges and roads, smashing bank windows, spraying buildings with fake blood, and gluing themselves to trains.

Sources for this article include:

DailyMail.co.uk

LBC.co.uk

CNN.com
US fighter jet pilots report encounters with small unidentified objects in Arizonas air combat training areas

American pilots have reported many encounters with small unidentified objects, sometimes in swarm-like groups. These incidents have occurred in or around military air combat training ranges in Arizona since January 2020

These events are described in reports from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) filed within an estimated three-year period.

Overall, reports point to what are often categorized as drones, but many sightings include unidentified objects, along with objects that appear to be drones, or uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), all of which intrude into these restricted warning areas with alarming regularity.

Marc Cecotti, a contributor to online magazine The War Zone (TWZ), has acquired partially redacted reports about several of these incidents from the U.S. Air Force's Safety Center through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Cecotti, together with fellow TWZ contributor Adam Kehoe, another contributor to the War Zone, first noticed reports of unusual aerial encounters in southwestern Arizona in 2021.

An interactive online tool they created for TWZ that leverages the FAA's public database of drone-related incident reports helped highlight the unusual trend.

Arizona is home to major air combat training areas

Luke Air Force Base (AFB) and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base are both located in Arizona. Luke AFB is a major training hub for U.S. Air Force and foreign F-35 and F-16 pilots, but its work with the F-16 has been steadily diminishing in recent years. Davis-Monthan AFB, on the other hand, currently hosts units flying a variety of aircraft, such as A-10 Warthog ground attack jets and EC-130H Compass Call electronic warfare planes.

Davis-Monthan also has a unit that oversees the military's famous boneyard which is part of the large installation.

Units of the Arizona Air National Guard also operate from different bases in the southern end of the state, such as Morris Air National Guard Base, which is collocated with Tucson International Airport and also hosts the Air National Guard-Air Force Reserve Command Test Center.

Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma, a major test and training base that hosts several F-35 squadrons, along with units flying various other aircraft, is located 140 miles southwest of Luke.

Arizona has several major training ranges with restricted airspace, including significant areas adjacent to Luke AFB and MCAS Yuma. A large swathe of Arizona's border with Mexico sits under these ranges, including the Barry M. Goldwater Range (BMGR).

There are other designated Military Operating Areas (MOA), which can be temporarily closed off for training within the state.

Restricted airspace and MOAs are all included in what the FAA more broadly refers to as Special Use Airspace (SUA).

The reports of unidentified objects, especially those involving groups of them flying together, are interesting because of the surge in interest in what is now often called unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP). UAPs were previously called unidentified flying objects (UFOs). (Related: UFO whistleblower: Federal govt running a long-term program to recover non-human bodies from alien crash sites.)

Members of Congress are pushing for more declassification and general transparency from the military and Intelligence Community on these matters.

These calls from legislators have grown following allegations of a massive coverup from David Grusch, an intelligence official and Air Force veteran turned whistleblower.

Grusch, who served with the now-shuttered Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) Task Force (UAPTF), testified under oath before a House Oversight subcommittee that he has evidence there is a group inside and outside the government involved in ongoing programs working on non-human craft and lifeforms.

Arizona is also the spot of several reports of unusual drone activity and UAP sightings. In 2016, a Tucson Police helicopter encountered a mysterious drone in Arizona. There have also been several reported encounters between military aircraft and what witnesses described as groups of craft flying together in the past three years or so in Arizona.

On March 29, 2021, two pilots flying F-35s near Buckeye, Arizona, claimed they saw at least three to four while eastbound at 17,000 feet, per FAA records.

Fighter jets in the skies over southwestern Arizona have been encountering what seemed like drones with unusual characteristics. Pilots have also encountered strange objects at far higher altitudes than typical consumer-grade types can operate at.

On March 25, 2021, pilots in two F-35s flying near Casa Grande, Arizona, reported a large white UAS at 24,000 feet. The pilots said the object appeared stationary and it was described as a small general aviation (GA) aircraft or a very large UAS.

There have also been instances where the reported encounters involved completely unidentified objects.

On December 13, 2022, FAA records revealed that the pilot of an F-35 flying in the eastern end of R-2301E, a section of restricted airspace within the BMGR complex, made a report about four UAS.

On January 19, 2023, an F-16 Viper fighter jet from an unknown unit flying in R-2301E collided in mid-air with what they claimed was an orange-white UAS. The FAA entry said the drone reportedly struck the fighter's canopy.

UAPs pose national security and flight safety concerns

TWZ has warned that reports about incidents involving UAPs, drones and other objects are being passed through multiple U.S. military reporting streams. This includes classified channels, which makes it difficult to get a sense of the full picture of what's going on.

This was proven by the fallout from the shootdown of a Chinese spy balloon off the eastern coast of the U.S., along with three more still unidentified objects in U.S. and Canadian airspace earlier in 2023.

The publicly available FAA logs and the newly released Air Force data provide undeniable proof of an increasing number of alarming and potentially dangerous encounters with drones and other unidentified aerial objects.

This includes those that can be considered a hazard, as proven by the mid-air collision between the F-16 and the drone this January, in heavily trafficked military airspace in Arizona.

These reports bring up some important questions: What are these objects doing in these training ranges? Where are the objects from? For the objects seen in Arizona, are some of them flying across the Mexican border?

Learn more about UFO and UAP sightings at UFOs.news.

Watch the video below to learn more about UFO technology which is a "potential existential threat" to America.

This video is from the Planet Zedta channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Sen. Marco Rubio, other lawmakers demand answers on UFOs and UAP.

Intelligence officer-turned-whistleblower reveals U.S. government found non-human biologics at crash sites but Pentagon covered it up.

Whistleblower: UFOs an OPEN SECRET in the US military.

Sources include:

TheDrive.com 1

TheDrive.com 2

Brighteon.com
Maui wildfires burn historic town of Lahaina, kill over 90 Hawaiians with hundreds still missing

Terrifying images show the magnitude of the damage in Lahaina , the Maui town that was completely torched by wildfires on August 8. The death toll from the Hawaiian wildfires has reached 93 people with dozens injured and hundreds still missing.

Local officials still do not know the exact origin of the fire, which was spread rapidly by strong winds from Hurricane Dora. Those winds, along with dry conditions and low humidity, spelled disaster for residents  many of whom only had minutes to escape certain death.

As officials evaluate the damage, many residents are still looking for their loved ones. "We woke up and got on our phones to see pictures of our house down to (the) slab. Nothing but smoke and cinders," one stunned local stated.

"We are still in life preservation mode. Search and rescue is still a primary concern," Adam Weintraub, a spokesperson for Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, said on August 10. According to Weintraub, search and rescue teams won't be able to access particular areas until the fire lines are secure and they are sure they can get to those areas safely.

"What we have here is a natural disaster. There may have been questions that need to be examined about whether it was handled in the right way. But we still got people in danger. We still have people who don't have homes. We still have people who can't find their loved ones," Weintraub added.

There are hundreds still missing from Lahaina, which suffered the worst of the fires.

Distressed relatives are sharing a Google document to update one another on the whereabouts of their loved ones. President Joe Biden has already declared a major disaster in the state of Hawaii to release emergency funding for local officials.

Family members have been advised to contact the Red Cross in addition to local hospitals in a bid to locate their relatives after communication lines were damaged because of the degree of destruction by the fire.

State officials are working with hotels and airlines to move thousands of tourists to another island. The Hawaii Department of Transportation has confirmed that Maui's Kahului Airport is open.

Maui wildfires the worst natural disaster in Hawaii

Meanwhile, authorities are still trying to identify several victims of the fires. (Related: Canadian officials warn: Wildfire smoke spreading across North America could last all summer.)

Federal emergency workers are now rummaging through the ashen wasteland left by the fires that demolished the centuries-old town of Lahaina. Teams are marking homes with a bright orange X to signify that they had been searched. Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said crews with cadaver dogs had covered just three percent of the area, with the death toll likely to increase again.

Pelletier said identifying the dead is exceedingly difficult because "remains fall apart" when they pick them up. Pelletier urged those with missing family members to go to the family assistance center. "We need you to do the DNA test. We need to identify your loved ones," he said.

The Wall Street Journal reported on August 12 that fire researchers warned in 2014 that the area was at an exceedingly high risk of burning. Another report in 2020 connected fires to winds from a passing hurricane, comparable to what happened to Lahaina.

The 2014 report warned that Lahaina was among Maui's most fire-prone areas because of its arid grasslands, winds and steep terrain.

A plan was laid out to shield the area around Lahaina from fires, which included thinning vegetation, improving response capabilities and working with landowners.

Hawaii Governor Josh Green visited the historic Front Street of Lahaina on August 12.

"It will certainly be the worst natural disaster that Hawaii ever faced. We can only wait and support those who are living. Our focus now is to reunite people when we can and get them housing and get them healthcare, and then turn to rebuilding," Green said.

Green added that no less than 2,200 buildings were damaged or destroyed in West Maui, of which 86 percent were residential. The damage across the island is assessed at nearly $6 billion.

Follow Disaster.news for more news about natural disasters in America and around the world.

Watch the video below to know more about the devastating Maui wildfires.

This video is from the Heaven Reigns channel on Brighteon.com.

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Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk 1

DailyMail.co.uk 2

WSJ.com

Brighteon.com
Mahindra & Mahindra on Tuesday confirmed that all its existing models with internal combustion engines will eventually also come with an electric twin. While no timeline was assigned, the company confirmed that this plan includes Bolero, Thar and Scorpio.

Mahindra currently offers XUV400 in the Indian market and will have models under its BE range soon as well. But the core ICE or internal combustion engine models too will come with electric powertrain in the times to come. the ICE and EV options of each model will be sold side by side but under different portfolio. The EVs will be under Born Electric Vehicle classification.

The electric versions of the Bolero. Thar, Scorpio and XUV are branded as Bolero.e, Thar.e, Scorpio.e and XUV.e, respectively. These models would eventually cater to the lifestyle buyer who is also environmentally concerned, says the company. Mahindra has also revealed that Oscar-winning music director AR Rahman will design and build sounds that will go into upcoming all-electric models from the carmaker.

In August 2022, Mahindra & Mahindra had offered a glimpse at its upcoming electric vehicles during an event beld in United Kingdom. The carmaker had also showcased the new EV platforms which will underpin the upcoming Thar, XUV, Bolero and Scorpio-based electric SUVs.

Mahindra will showcase the concept version of the upcoming Thar.e, the electric version of its flagship off-road SUV Thar, in Cape Town later today. The carmaker had teased the Thar.e electric SUV ahead of the global debut. The teaser shows a glimpse of the rear tail lamp design which is in line with the current Thar. Considering this, it can be expected that the current design language of the Thar will mostly stay intact but will get a few changes to give some EV signature to the Thar.e.

It is expected that Mahindra will either re-purpose the existing platform of the Thar so that it can be used to fit batteries and electric motors or they will base the Thar.e on an all-new dedicated electric skateboard platform.

First Published Date:
No mas!

Karma is Gods hickory switch, and almost always applied with a cosmic chortle. Things come around when a certain excess cargo of cognitive dissonance breaks the brains of those just struggling to carry on. The country has had enough  enough walking-talking hypocrisies, enough trips laid on it, enough Tik-tok lectures from the nose-rings-for-lunch-bunch. Were at the end of something and the beginning of something new. As in: an ass-beating is coming down.

(Article republished from Kunstler.com)

Cue one Oliver Anthony, southern country boy with a flaming red beard and a new anthem for millions sore-beset by the relentless effronteries of the ruling elites. Rolling Stone Magazine, a ruling elites house organ, played the phenomenon this way:

These things listed above arewhat? Things that Rolling Stone is in favor of? Pet causes? High taxes and obese people on welfare? And Mr. Anthonys song is dissing them? You mean Right-Wing influencers shouldnt mention Jeffrey Epsteins name? Is it just plain rude or does it stir up unappetizing questions that are better off not being asked (in polite company)? Kind of shows you where the battle lines are drawn now, doesnt it?

Perhaps the final insult galvanizing all this sentiment in a song was Merrick Garlands devious Friday afternoon announcement  when, theoretically, no one was paying attention  that he appointed US Attorney David Weiss as Special Counsel in the Hunter Biden matter. This is the same David Weiss, you understand, who oversaw the Hunter Biden investigation for the past five years before ascertaining anything that might be chargeable from a vast inventory of financial crimes with an overlay of documented sex and drug transgressions. The same David Weiss who let the statute of limitations run out on many of those crimes while he dawdled and frittered in Wilmington. The same David Weiss who cooked up a wrist-slap plea agreement on all this, with a hidden Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free clause inserted slyly in the fine print of the so-called diversion agreement that would have immunized Hunter B against any further inquiries  which Judge Maryellen Noreika discovered only by chance at the last moment, scotching the deal. (And yet, the government now claims that the diversion agreement  and Hunter Bs immunity from further charges  stands alone, is in effect and still binding. Hmmmm.)

This sort of in-your-face audacity sums up Mr. Garlands reckless, lawless run as a rogue attorney general. But then who do you appeal to for relief? Anybody wondering why there is actually no justice in America these days need seek no further. By the way, the appointment of Mr. Weiss was patently illegal. The Special Counsel statute states plainly that the post can only be occupied by someone not in the employ of the government. Does Mr. Garland not know how this works?

What the AG also flung in Americas face was the ongoing investigation dodge that supposedly would allow the DOJ to avoid answering any congressional inquiries into Hunter Bidens tangled financial crimes, which, after all, were committed in the service of the Biden family global racketeering operation. Has a cover-up ever been more blatant? And so now the time has come to impeach Merrick Garland for breaking the special counsel law and obstruction of justice. Its pretty cut and dried, and it should be the first order of business when Congress returns from its August recess making the rounds of the county fairs. The second order of business should be the impeachment of Joe Biden, if he hasnt resigned before Labor Day.

Read more at: Kunstler.com
Sen. Rand Paul accuses Anthony Fauci of committing PERJURY, which is a minor offense compared to his other crimes

Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has accused Anthony Fauci of committing perjury when the latter testified that the government never funded the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) gain-of-function research.

"I don't think there's ever been a clearer case of perjury in the history of government testimony, and I don't say that lightly," Paul said.

"We now have the Government Accountability Office, the GAO, admitting that the funding came from the NIH [National Institutes of Health]. We have the acting director [Lawrence Tabak] of the NIH admitting it in writing that it came from the NIH."

NIH is the parent agency of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), where Fauci served as the director for nearly four decades before his retirement last December.

"The smoking gun is Fauci in private saying the opposite of what he was saying in public when he was publicly telling me that absolutely, we do not fund gain-of-function research in China," Paul said.

"He says privately we are suspicious that the virus has been manipulated and we are suspicious because we know they are doing gain-of-function research. He then goes on to describe the research, and its exactly the research that the NIH funded."

But Fauci is not going to lose any sleep over perjury accusations  and Paul knows it.

Paul: Fauci is responsible for millions of deaths

That man is a mass murderer. Paul himself accused Fauci of being directly responsible for funding dangerous research that killed millions of people. (Related: Rand Paul: 'Fauci has the blood of 7 million people on his hands.')

"Likely there is no public health figure who has made a greater error in judgement than Dr. Fauci," Paul said during a Fox News appearance last year. "The error of judgement was to fund gain of function research in a totalitarian country."

Paul, of course, was referring to China.

Fauci funded "research that allowed them to create super viruses, that in all likelihood leaked into the public and caused seven million people to die," Paul added. "This is right up there with decisions, some of them malevolent or military to kill millions of people."

Paul also mentioned during the interview that Fauci has been covering his tracks throughout the pandemic. "For the last two years he's been covering his tracks, but we've caught him red handed and he won't get away," Paul said. "Historically, [Fauci] will be remembered for one of the worst judgments in the history of modern medicine."

But in a separate interview with Fox News just last week, Paul didn't sound confident that Fauci will ever suffer the consequences of his actions.

"We have an incredibly partisan Attorney General [Merrick] Garland, who is refusing to act, so I've taken the extraordinary step of actually going to the local U.S. attorney in D.C. to see if he will act," he said.

"The problem is there are partisans littered throughout the legal system, and people are seeing this. You don't get prosecuted if you're a Democrat under this administration, no matter what you do."

Visit FauciTruth.com for more news about the former NIAID director.

Watch this video about the trial of Anthony Fauci.

This video is from the High Hopes channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Rand Paul: COVID lab leak "one of the greatest coverups in modern medical history."

Sen. Rand Paul: COVID lab leak among the greatest coverups in modern medical history.

Fauci to resign from government after more than five decades of murdering people in the name of "science."

Sen. Rand Paul has Fauci "dead to rights," sends an official criminal referral to DOJ.

Sources include:

InfoWars.com

ThePeoplesVoice.tv

Brighteon.com
Susan Swift: About 98% of abortions in America are just for convenience

Lawyer and activist Susan Swift thinks the vast majority of abortions in America don't have any valid reason.

"What we know is that about 98 percent of pregnancies that have been terminated are really just for convenience. They are not for the life of the mother, they are not rape, they are not incest. So about two percent of all of the abortions are done for some justifiable reason," Swift told host Maria Zeee during a recent episode "Uncensored."

The California lawyer, a staunch conservative and proud pro-life activist, also doesn't believe it is justified to kill a baby simply because it was conceived in rape or for any other reason. "Babies that are healthy or don't have a genetic anomaly should not be aborted, especially if it has nothing that to do with saving the mother's life," she said, adding that delivery generally saves the mother's life since it can be done quickly with a cesarean section (C-section) or other methods.

Swift is currently serving as the vice president of Legal Affairs at a prominent pro-life organization called Right to Life League. She warned that an abortion in the second or third trimester can take days because they have to use laminaria to open up the cervix and allow the "weapons of destruction" into the womb to tear up or suck the baby.

The litigation attorney noted that it actually takes longer to have a second- or third-trimester abortion than having a C-section and delivering a baby to save the mother's life. And for Swift, delivering a baby that may not survive because of preeclampsia or other genetic anomaly is an act of honoring and respecting life.

Abortion is a form of human trafficking

According to Swift, saying that abortion is for the health of the mother is a lie being used to justify the continuing slaughter of babies in the womb. (Related: Susan Swift condemns woke narrative that abortion is "healthcare" and "necessary to save women.")

"And it is wrong. It is the slavery of our generation. And it is a form of human trafficking. Abortion basically makes human trafficking available," Swift said.

The California lawyer also slammed the so-called reproductive health and education bills in her home state. She pointed out it is basically separating the children from their parents, confusing them sexually and encouraging them to be promiscuous.

"So, what we're doing is at younger ages we're encouraging children through our public schools to become sexually active and also to have access to abortion at any time. They want that and that is the ultimate goal. And we're using public money to do it because that's what Californians keep voting for," Swift said.

She noted that Americans have gone through 50 years of indoctrination from the media, the pro-abortion group and the abortion cartel, which is advocating for women to kill a human being conceived in the womb.

"The abortion cartel considers unborn babies as property, objects or things, and their goal is to dehumanize them," she said. "It is also using fear-mongering and other means to convince women to get an abortion."

The pro-life activist also mentioned that the abortion cartel harvests dead or dying babies to use their organs for research. She noted that the vaccine industry partners with the abortion cartel to obtain fetal tissue to be used in developing vaccines against chicken pox, rubella and the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).

Swift said the fetal tissue harvested from the baby's organs like the heart, kidney, skin and pituitary gland has to be very fresh for fetal research. She added that fresh tissues from a stillbirth are needed to make the stem cell lines work.

"That's what an abortion is. You're killing the baby and taking it out. You are depriving it of life at that moment. But nobody seems to be concerned about that. It is horrific to me. But that is the industry of abortion and vaccine."

Follow Abortions.news for more news about abortions in America.

Watch the video below featuring Maria Zeee and Susan Swift's discussion about the abortion agenda.

This video is from the Tanjerea channel on Brighteon.com.

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Brighteon.com

RealSusanSwift.com
Globalist World Bank DEFUNDS Uganda after the country passes anti-LGBT law

The globalist World Bank Group (WBG) has indefinitely paused further funding for Uganda after it passed a law criminalizing homosexuality.

In an Aug. 8 statement, the financial institution confirmed the move, saying that Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 "fundamentally contradicts the WBG's values." The statement continued: "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."

According to the WBG, it sent a team to Uganda after the law was passed in March. The team sought to ensure that the law did not impede the organization's goal to "protect sexual and gender minorities from discrimination and exclusion" in the projects it finances. Its review found that "additional measures" must be put in place for projects "in alignment with our environmental and social standards."

"As a result, 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 WBG said. "Third-party monitoring and grievance redress mechanisms will significantly increase, allowing us to take corrective action as necessary."

Uganda has received over $2.5 billion in aid from the WBG's International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Development Association since 1960. Hundreds of millions of dollars pour into the East African nation every year to fund a wide variety of projects.

Museveni: Let Ugandans decide how they want to shape their society

The Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023, which imposes heavy penalties f0r homosexual acts, had been criticized by the U.S. and many other Western nations. Even U.S. President Joe Biden chimed in, warning that Washington will cut off aid and investment to Kampala unless the law was repealed.

"This shameful act is the latest development in an alarming trend of human rights abuses and corruption in Uganda," Biden said, calling the new law a "tragic violation of universal human rights."

But Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni begged to differ. He told the international community to let Ugandans decide how they want to shape their society.

"We do not need pressure from anybody to know how to solve problems in our society," Museveni said in a statement. "I want to inform everybody, starting with Ugandans, that Uganda will develop with or without loans."

According to the Ugandan leader, he had "patiently explained" that the new law targets those "who recruit or coerce others" into homosexuality. He accused the WBG of using financial pressure to force Ugandans to abandon their values. (Related: World Bank caught funneling cash to sanctioned Chinese companies tied to the CCP, human rights abuses.)

"It is therefore unfortunate that the [WBG] and other actors dare to want to coerce us into abandoning our faith, culture, principles and sovereignty using money. They really underestimate all Africans."

Museveni added that he and Ugandan Information Minister Chris Baryomunsi are negotiating with the WBG to reverse the loan freeze. The minister stressed that the WBG and other parties "should be reminded" of Uganda's sovereignty and that it "takes decisions in the interests of her people" as evidenced by the passing of the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023.

Given the WBG's move, Uganda's Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development warned that government salaries will probably be impacted.

Ugandan Finance Minister Henry Musasizi told lawmakers at the country's unicameral parliament: "I want to prepare your minds that very soon we are going to revise the budget and we shall be coming to you for support. We took the firm decision, and we agreed that we shall face the consequences."

Visit Resist.news for more stories about Uganda resisting the LGBT mafia through the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023.

Watch Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni denouncing gays as "disgusting" below.

This video is from the Puretrauma357 channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Scott Lively looks back on his fight against the LGBT mafia in Uganda  Brighteon.TV.

Globalist UN favors same-sex relationships and transgenderism, objects to Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2023.

Ugandan President Museveni signs anti-LGBT legislation that stipulates DEATH PENALTY for "aggravated homosexuality."

Sources include:

HumanEvents.com

WorldBank.org

Breitbart.com

Brighteon.com
BREAKING: 2020 voter FRAUD exposed  800,000 ballot applications sent to unqualified voters in Michigan

The independent news website Gateway Pundit recently released an exclusive smoking gun report where Michigan law enforcement unveiled a voter fraud incident involving a multiple-swing-states group funded by Joe Biden's 2020 presidential campaign.

According to the news outlet, activists Phil O'Halloran, Chairman of the Michigan Republican Party's Election Integrity Committee, and Lori Skibo, Director of the Michigan GOP's Poll Challenger Program, obtained a copy of the state police report and began investigating the story in June this year.

It all started on October 8, 2020, a month before the 2020 general election, when Muskegon City Clerk Ann Meisch noticed a black female (whose name was redacted initially from the police report), dropping off between 8,000 to 10,000 completed voter registration applications at her office. During the deadline for in-person voter registration applications, the said woman returned to the clerk's office to deliver additional registration forms in person. Meisch estimated that she brought an additional 2500 forms. The city clerk then contacted the Muskegon Police Department and Detective Logan Anderson and Captain Shawn Bride conducted a non-custodial interview with the suspect.

BREAKING? A recently released report from Michigan law enforcement unveils a concerning voter fraud incident involving a group funded by Joe Biden's 2020 presidential campaign. This organization, operating in multiple swing states, is implicated in submitting fraudulent voter pic.twitter.com/X4hxrUzX9R  KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) August 8, 2023

As per Meisch, numerous forms appeared to have been completed by the same writer, and upon initial examination, addresses on multiple forms were invalid or non-existent. They also found that phone numbers on multiple forms were erroneous and signatures on multiple forms didn't appear to match signatures on file with the Department of Secretary of State. (Related: Guns, burner phones and fake registrations  the buried Michigan voter fraud scandal: GBI Strategies Director Gary Bell had 70 organizations operating in 20 states in 2020  TIED TO JOE BIDEN CAMPAIGN.)

The state investigator spoke with the female suspect who explained that she was being paid by GBI Strategies $1150 per week to look for "unregistered voters and provide them with a form so they can get registered to vote or obtain their absentee ballot." But this statement did not make sense as the handwriting on the registrations was the same and many of the addresses were fake.

Michigan Attorney General (AG) Dana Nessel asked the MI State Police to join the Muskegon Police and AG's investigation of the potentially massive, multi-city voter fraud operation. Nessel is currently attempting to prosecute 15 senior citizens and the former MI GOP co-chair for casting an alternate set of electoral votes in the 2020 election.

But it is a wonder to the election integrity activists why the AG seemed to fail to mention the investigation to the public. She is still claiming that there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud in her state. "This is despite the fact that she knew her office and the office of Michigan's Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson were both involved with the state police in a large-scale investigation that took place across the state before it was taken over by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)," GP reported.

Furthermore, MI SOS Analyst Corey Ames confirmed that a quantity of the forms they found in their investigation "are clearly fraudulent." Still, Benson claimed there was no widespread voter fraud in Michigan and neglected to mention the investigation to the public.

"This explosive investigation was covered up and buried from the public, until today," GP further exposed.

Rigging elections: GBI Strategies has been in operation since 2014

The following 2020 police report that GBI Strategies, the Tennessee-based group that is heavily connected to the Biden campaign and various Democrat campaign committees, has been in operation since 2014.

The investigators found that GBI was paid $1,571,386 by Doug Jones for a Senate campaign back in 2018. That was just one race they were involved in. It was also paid $188,000 by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in 2018. The woman involved in the voter's registration fraud in Michigan was paid $1150 per week and given a rental car. She said she was given a "reloadable pay card."

Following a raid, Michigan authorities discovered caches of pre-paid gift cards from "different" companies, firearms equipped with silencers, and disposable burner phones. The police report also noted that there were numerous GBI job openings listed in Flint, Michigan, and Regional Field Manager postings in Washington DC, and Chicago, Illinois. Its employees were being paid $15 an hour or $120 a day.

During their investigation, the police also found partially completed voter registration forms and police found "pelican cases in the room with semi-automatic rifles joined with suppressors and optics and customized pistols." One case had "four rifles and four pistols." However, the police claimed these weapons were legal and lawful after calling in the ATF to inspect the weapons.

Meanwhile, three years later, former President Donald Trump faces legal battles because he "fraudulently" pursued "baseless" claims of voter fraud, mainstream media claimed. It can be noted that Trump won the Michigan vote in 2016 by 15,000 votes but suspiciously lost to Joe Biden by 150,000 votes four years later. Sixteen Trump presidential electors in Michigan are being prosecuted by Nessel, because according to her, they "fraudulently" believed that there was systemic voter fraud that was not being properly investigated.

Follow VoteFraud.news for more news about election fraud.

Sources for this article include:

TheGatewayPundit.com

WZZM13.com
Banks increasingly discriminating against customers based on their political views

We are beginning to see the cancel culture trend hit the banking industry as the finance cartels set their sights on punishing customers deemed guilty of wrongspeak and wrongthink.

The high-profile case of British politician Nigel Farage is a case in point. Farage, who was friendly to Donald Trump and opposes transgender ideology, used to bank at Coutts, a bank that caters to wealthy clients.

Coutts shut down Farage's account, claiming he did not have enough money in it to keep it active. That excuse turned out to be false. Coutts discriminated against Farage because he is probably more responsible than any other politician for the 2016 vote to have the United Kingdom leave the European Union (EU), among other politically correct moves.

"Like most public figures with strong opinions and a strong personality, Mr. Farage is both widely admired and widely detested," one report explains. "If you ask someone about him, he's unlikely to answer, 'On the one hand, on the other ..."

(Related: The IMF is hinting that countries of the world will soon be able to repay debt using the Chinese yuan rather than the U.S. dollar.)

Oppose the globalists, lose your ability to bank

As far as we can tell, Farage has not committed any crimes. Coutts admits that in its past dealings with Farage, he was always friendly, polite, and correct. It appears, based on what has been publicly released, that the only reason Farage's account was closed is because of his political leanings.

Farage commented that the documents he received from Coutts about his account closure read like something from Stasi headquarters. A portion of them reads as follows:

"Given [Nigel Farage's] high profile and the substantial amount of adverse press connected to him, there are significant reputational risks to the bank in being associated with him. While it is accepted that no criminal convictions have resulted, commentary and behaviours that do not align with the bank's purpose and values have been demonstrated ... The comments / articles [on ESG / diversity and inclusion] are not in line with our views or our purpose."

Another document quoted by The Guardian outlines the many moves Farage has taken in recent years that put him in the crosshairs of Coutts' compliance team, as well as that of the left-leaning media, which likewise hates what Farage has done and what he stands for:

"First it was Brexit, followed by a spurt of very successful campaigning to ensure that Britain left Europe on the most stringent and self-harming terms. For a while, Nigel Farage then opposed Covid restrictions. Now, he is reviving his old hostility to action on the climate emergency."

There are some 40 pages' worth of documents about Farage's infringing behavior and stances that led to his being let go as a client of Coutts  and yet not a word about any actual illegal behavior that validates his removal from the bank's account roster.

"It isn't a question of whether Mr. Farage is always right or sometimes horribly wrong; when the bank says that it 'uncovered' something that he said, as if he had recorded saying it by secret microphones, it makes itself ridiculous," wrote Theodore Dalrymple in an op-ed for The Epoch Times.

"Not even his worst enemies, or perhaps his best friends, would accuse him of hiding his light under a bushel."

Coutts, like many other banks, also embraces LGBT perversion, and since Farage is not about all that pride, this is likely another reason he was kicked out of the bank. The pride patrol is likely to start trying the same thing at other banks, so beware.

The latest news about the crumbling global financial system can be found at Collapse.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheEpochTimes.com

NaturalNews.com
ABSURD: Biden administration asks for $3.3B to fund more housing for illegal migrants

President Joe Biden's administration has requested $3.3 billion for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to fund new travel and housing programs for illegal immigrants.

Fortunately, this request is not expected to pass the Republican-dominated Congress. Many Republicans, including Rep. Chip Roy and 14 other Texas lawmakers, are urging the majority to oppose funding for Biden's migration program. They argued that funding a federal agency at war with their state and people goes against their moral obligation to protect the nation.

"There should be no funding without proper border security," they said.

Mark Krikorian, director of the Center for Immigration Studies, vehemently opposed the request. "They want to use it to speed up the arrival of people who have no right to be here," he said. "The August 10 request for $3.3 billion funding is not all designed to promote more illegal immigration, but most of it it seems to be."

He added that there is resistance among Republicans to increase the DHS funding.

"If DHS was using the money to actually stop the flow of illegal aliens, Republicans will be falling all over themselves to vote for it," he said. "But that's not what this administration wants to do with the extra money for DHS  they want to use it to speed up the arrival of people who have no right to be here."

Biden's plans and why GOP opposes them

The president is proposing to create an eight-year path to citizenship for the nation's estimated 10.5 million illegal immigrants.

Republicans view the plan as a massive amnesty for people who entered the U.S. illegally. They argued that this undermines the rule of law and rewards those who have broken immigration laws.

Biden also wants to boost refugee admissions and preserve deportation relief for illegals who came to the U.S. as children.

But the Republicans argued that the plan omits the traditional trade-off of enhanced border security, which has been a key component of previous immigration reform efforts.

Biden also plans to open processing centers in Latin America that would allow qualifying migrants to legally enter the U.S., Canada or Spain. This is one of several policy proposals the Biden administration 'hopes' will reduce the shocking influx of illegal immigrants that have been coming since the public health emergency order known as Title 42 ended in May.

Title 42 was launched by the administration of former President Donald Trump at the start of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic to prevent the spread of communicable diseases in immigrant detention centers.

Number of illegal immigrants up under Biden

Close to five million illegal immigrants have crossed the U.S. borders in Biden's first 18 months as president, according to a report by the Federation for American Immigration Reform. (Related: 4.9 Million illegal aliens blew past the US border in the 18 months since Biden was installed in office.)

By the end of July last year, 4.9 million entered the U.S., including 900,000 "gotaways" who escaped apprehension and have scurried into the American interior, according to Rita Li of the Epoch Times.

"Roughly the equivalent of the entire population of Ireland has illegally entered the United States in the 18 months President Biden has been in office, with many being released into American communities," said anti-immigration advocate Dan Stein.

Stein believes that the Biden administration's rollback of Trump-era immigration restriction policies has triggered the current mass migration surge. "The endless flow of illegal aliens and the incursion of lethal narcotics pouring across our border will not end until this administration demonstrates a willingness to enforce our laws," Stein remarked.

Visit Migrants.news for more stories about illegal immigrants in the United States.

Watch this video about illegal immigrants getting great news from the Biden administration.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

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Sources include:

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PewResearch.org

Brighteon.com
Why didnt Mauis emergency sirens go off as intended to warn residents, tourists about fiery inferno coming their way?

Now that the fires are mostly out and the dust is beginning to settle, pertinent questions are being asked that deserve a simple and honest answer, like why did the emergency sirens in and around Lahaina not go off prior to the disaster reaching city limits so more residents and visitors could escape in time?

According to reports, the sirens, which were installed specifically for the purpose of warning people about natural disasters and other threats coming their way, never went off as intended  why?

"I authorized a comprehensive review this morning to make sure that we know exactly what happened and when," said Hawaii Gov. Josh Green in response to media questions about this issue.

Green's response is underwhelming and typical, and will likely not produce a truthful finding. Strangely, the ugly scenes in and around Lahaina look eerily similar to past directed energy weapons (DEW) attacks in California and elsewhere, with cars burnt to a grey-powder crisp while their plastic hubcaps and other components remained intact.

Is there more to the Maui wildfires story than the media is letting on? Will we ever know the full truth about what happened there and why  and more importantly, why did the region's emergency warning system conveniently fail at a time when it was most needed?

(Related: Were the Maui wildfires a staged false flag attack to advance the "smart" cities and climate change agendas?)

Were DEWs involved in the Maui fire disaster?

As of now, officials have failed to explain in detail which notifications were sent out and to whom. It remains unclear how many people received any warning at all, and whether those warnings came via text message, phone call, or email.

One would think that these details should be easily explicable as a system is designed to function a certain way on command. If the system failed in this instance, then people need to know why and who is at fault so accountability can occur.

"We will do all that we can to find out how to protect our people more going forward," Green promised with lackluster.

Green says multiple factors appear to have contributed to the system's failure, including downed communication lines and firefighters concentrating their efforts on other major wildfires at the time when the greatest threat to Lahaina appeared.

The fire's travel speed made it "nearly impossible" for frontline responders to communicate with emergency management officials, from whom would typically come real-time evacuation orders, said Maui County Fire Chief Bradford Ventura.

"They were basically self-evacuating with fairly little notice," Ventura added, referring to the first neighborhood that was struck by the fires.

Appearing on NBC's "Today" show, County Mayor Richard Bissen said he has no clue whether the sirens went off, adding that he thinks "this was an impossible situation."

Some witnesses told the media that they indeed had very little advance notice when the blaze suddenly appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Many of them had just minutes to safely escape, with some having to leap into the Pacific Ocean for protection.

"This is the nightmare scenario," commented someone named Mr. Rumbach, who used to teach urban planning at the University of Hawaii.

"A fast-moving fire in a densely populated place with difficult communications, and not a lot of good options in terms of evacuations," he added, stating that the evacuation procedure from Lahaina just so happens to be complicated in that, because of its coastal location next to hills, there are only two ways out of the place in the event of an emergency of this massive scale.

More related news about the Maui wildfires can be found at FalseFlag.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheEpochTimes.com

NaturalNews.com
Maui wildfires: Lawsuit accuses Hawaiian Electric of negligence resulting in wrongful deaths, severe injuries and damages to property

The cause of the catastrophic wildfires that leveled Lahania, a popular tourist destination in Hawaii, is still unknown. Investigators are considering all possible sources of fire, including a campfire, lightning, transmission equipment and electrical grid.

But several lawsuits filed on behalf of Lahania residents claim that Hawaiian Electric, Maui's main energy provider, was responsible for the tragic event. One lawsuit states that the electric company ignored forecasts from the National Weather Service, which contributed to Lahania's destruction.

"We'd like to see the people of Maui and Hawaii have a safe, reliable electric company. When there are hurricanes, people will have enough to worry about. They do not need to worry about potential catastrophic fires," said Gerald Singleton, a fire litigation lawyer representing at least 30 residents.

The lawsuit has accused the company of negligence resulting in wrongful deaths, severe injuries and property damages.

Hawaiian Electric allegedly failed to de-energize power lines amid high winds and fire warnings in addition to maintaining the infrastructure to make sure it was safe.

A spokesperson told CNN that the utility firm will cooperate with the state in investigating the cause of the fire.

Authorities are still determining whether more could have been done to warn residents.

The state attorney general is conducting a comprehensive review of events and decisions in the run-up to and during the blaze, but it could take a long time. Hawaii lawmakers have expressed concern over what prevented alarm systems from warning residents.

"Sadly, tragically, in this situation, those sirens, likely did not go off," Rep. Jill Tokuda, a Hawaii Democrat, told CBS. "The warning signals that were on cell phones, we had no cell coverage or electricity in some of these areas."

Maui has several warning sirens to warn about disasters, but they were not activated during the inferno. State officials said it isn't yet known if the county's warning sirens were functioning properly.

Hot spots, toxic fumes hinder search and recovery efforts

Many residents are still unable to return to the site of the fire due to risks posed by possible hot spots and toxic fumes. Residents and volunteers have been told to wear masks outside as the air around the burn scar is toxic.

Only three percent of the affected area has been searched and officials said more cadaver dogs are being brought in to help with the search.

The death toll has risen to 99, making it the deadliest since 453 people perished in the 2018 Cloquet Fire in Minnesota. "There will be more. Our hearts are broken," said Hawaii Gov. Josh Green in a video posted on Monday, Aug. 14.

The search effort is moving slowly and dangerously, identifying victims will be a grim and difficult task.

"There are structures that are partially standing that engineers have to clear first to make sure its safe for the search-and-rescue teams to go into," said Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell at a White House briefing on Monday.

The August 8 inferno destroyed at least 2,700 buildings, 86 percent of them residential, according to Green.

Three transmission lines were destroyed, leaving much of Lahania without power. Cellphone carriers AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile said they are working to restore service on Maui.

The economic impact on the state could reach $10 billion. "This is the largest natural disaster we've ever experienced," Green said. "It's also going to be a natural disaster that takes an incredible amount of time to recover from."

On Monday, AccuWeather estimated the total damage and economic loss to be between $14 billion and $16 billion. Officials said over $5 billion is needed to rebuild from last week's wildfires. (Related: Wildfires are bankrupting western states, accelerating their financial demise.)

The search for missing persons continues. Some 1,130 of 5,200 people have been listed as "not located," according to a crowd-sourced database circulating on social media. It includes names collected from "missing persons" notices posted at shelters as well as information submitted by relatives and friends.

The American Red Cross reported 2,500 calls from people trying to find and reunite with relatives and friends missing from the fire, said Chris Young, senior director for operations and residence.

Visit Disaster.news for more stories about wildfires.

Watch this video to learn more about the tragedies of the Maui wildfires.

This video is from the Son of the Republic channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Maui wildfires burn historic town of Lahaina, kill over 90 Hawaiians with hundreds still missing.

Arson is the likely cause of Quebec wildfires, not carbon emissions.

Wildfires in Greece a result of ARSON, not climate change.

Sources include:

KITV.com

Reuters.com

Bloomberg.com

Brighteon.com
Millions of U.S. tax dollars STILL being sent to 27 different Chinese labs to build bioweapons

It is currently making headlines that, despite all the damning revelations about the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) and United States involvement in the building of it, new bioweapons are still being funded and developed at bioweapons laboratories in communist China  and the corrupt U.S. government is to blame.

Records show that tens of millions of dollars are still being funneled into Chinese labs where gruesome medical experiments are taking place on animals. From 2013 until now, more than $15 million has been spent on these animal experiments, which are also taking place in other foreign countries.

Some of this U.S.-sponsored research includes collecting dangerous avian flu viruses from China's filthy wet markets and deliberately infecting chickens, ducks, and guinea pigs with them in order to "supercharge" the viruses and make them more transmissible and deadly to humans.

While technically not illegal  though, we wonder: if China is our enemy, then why are hard-working Americans having to pay for bioweapons to be built there?  such research tends to be anything goes when conducted in China because there are few ethical and safety protocols in place.

Similarly, the grant money sent to China to conduct this heinous research is also subjected to minimal, if any, oversight. For all we know, all that cash is being funneled into a few people's private bank accounts while Chinese slaves are forced to conduct bioweapons research, or else.

(Related: Did you know that everyone who got "vaccinated" for covid now has an mRNA-damaged immune system that is prone to developing every new disease it encounters?)

Why are American taxpayers always forced to foot the bills of other countries?

You never really know what you are dealing with when it comes to communist China and its "standards." Even so, the U.S. government has decided that China should receive millions upon millions of taxpayer dollars to create new pandemic-potential bioweapons.

Between 2015 and 2023, at least seven different U.S. entities supplied National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant money to Chinese labs performing animal experiments. The amount spent currently totals $3,306,061.

From fiscal years 2021 through 2023, the NIH also awarded 15 grants totaling $3.6 million to various other institutions in China that perform gruesome experiments on animals. In that same time period, the NIH also provided at least 92 sub-awards worth $12.5 million to Chinese institutions.

All in all, the NIH has spent at least $140 million on animal experiments in not just communist China but also 28 other foreign countries. Again, because of lax standards elsewhere, the U.S. government and its private sector partners have offshored these animal experiments as part of a fascist bioweapons enterprise taking place right under the nose of the general population.

For years, the watchdog group White Coat Waste Project has been trying to stop the U.S. government from sending any more taxpayer dollars to China or anywhere else  and how about we stop sending billions to welfare queen Volodymyr Zelensky while we are at it?

The White Coat Waste Project was the first to discover that the NIH had sent millions of dollars to both China and Russia to conduct unmonitored and dangerous medical experiments.

According to the watchdog group, such experiments include implanting electrodes into the spines and muscle tissue of cats while removing certain parts of their brains. The felines were then locked inside prison-like metal frames and forced to walk on treadmills before being killed and dissected.

In another gruesome U.S. taxpayer-funded medical experiment, foxes were subjected to the same type of treatment before being killed and dissected.

The latest news about U.S. money being sent to communist China and other foreign countries to develop deadly new bioweapons can be found at Treason.news.

Sources for this article include:

DailyMail.co.uk

NaturalNews.com
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Suzhou Xizhi Technology Co., Ltd. ("SiPower"), a Chinese third-generation semiconductor high-tech company, announced on August 14 it has successfully concluded its third funding round, amassing nearly 100 million yuan.

The company said this funding infusion is primed to propel its product R&D efforts, facilitate equipment procurement, and meet the swiftly growing demand from clients.

Photo credit: SiPower

SiPower is a forward-looking materials and power electronics application company with comprehensive capabilities spanning product development, manufacturing, and business operations. Its current focus resides in the realm of innovative power and power supply plastic-coating modules for intelligent electric vehicles and clean energy applications. With branch establishments in Suzhou and Shanghai, the company boasts an employee count of nearly 200, including roughly 50 individuals holding master's or higher degrees.

Product lineup of SiPower; photo credit: SiPower

The company said it features one of the most advanced automotive-grade encapsulation production line in China, coupled with performance testing (including system-level), reliability testing, and failure analysis laboratories.

The latest funding round is jointly led by Huaxu Fund and C&D Emerging Investment (an investment firm under Xiamen C&D Group). As of now, within a mere year and a half of official operation, SiPower has successfully secured almost 200 million yuan across three rounds of funding. Its roster of investors includes premier semiconductor industry funds, prominent automakers, starups, as well as core upstream and downstream resource providers.
Gov. Gavin Newsom used taxpayer money to fund Chinese-backed biolab operations in California

Gov. Gavin Newsom funded unlicensed, Chinese-backed biolab operations in California using taxpayer money.

Earlier this month, an illegal biolab in Fresno County was raided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The lab was reportedly engaged in the unlawful production of Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) tests and pregnancy tests.

The laboratory also served as a breeding ground for different infectious diseases, such as coronavirus, malaria, rubella, HIV, chlamydia, E. coli, pneumonia, hepatitis and herpes. Moreover, the federal agents discovered the presence of hazardous materials, medical waste and a population of over 1,000 laboratory mice.

Documents indicate that Universal Meditech, the precursor to Prestige Biotech, was granted its business license under the administration of Newsom.

According to public records, the biolab previously tied to Universal Meditech Inc. (UMI) was awarded $500,000 in taxpayer funding from Newsom's Office of Business and Economic Development. (Related: Chinese-run biolab in California awarded $500,000 in taxpayer dollars to fund ILLICIT ACTIVITIES.)

The biolab disbursed a $149,824 COVID-19-era loan program from the federal government in April 2020 and February 2021. Moreover, the biolab secured another $360,000 income tax credit in Newsom's CalCompetes program in 2018 but failed to disburse the funds.

Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., a vocal critic of the alleged collaboration, said: "Allowing a Chinese company to practice gain-of-function research on our shores is like inviting biological warfare into our backyard."

Biden administration allows China's dirty business in US territory

As investigations continue, new allegations suggest a potential connection between President Joe Biden's administration and the illegal biolab in California.

California Globe Editor-in-Chief Katy Grimes delved into the lab's background and questioned the potential link between the current administration and the lab. Grimes pointed to the suspicious timing of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) recall warning on 54,000 COVID-19 test kits produced by Universal Meditech (UMI), a company linked to Prestige Biotech, the entity behind the illegal lab.

"Colleagues believe that our current government has invited in and is supporting Chinese government-sponsored operations throughout the United States in academia, online data gathering (social media apps), law enforcement and scientific research," she said.

The Class I recall, signaling a high risk of serious harm, occurred long after the FDA had initially approved the products.

Furthermore, Grimes drew attention to the way Newsom handled the situation. The close oversight of COVID-19 policies within the state contrasts sharply with the apparent lack of awareness or action regarding the fraudulent and hazardous test kits. Grimes said that Newsom's administration failed to address potential threats lurking within its own borders.

"Newsom even approved spending $1 billion of taxpayers' funds in April 2020 on masks from Chinese company BYD which had no prior history of making personal protective equipment, and yet days after the FDA approval, it secured a $1 billion deal to supply masks to California," she pointed out.

Visit BiologicalWarfare.com for more stories about biological weapons.

Watch the Stew Peters Show discussing the mysterious Chinese-rub biolab raided by the FBI.

This video is from the KryptoKing187 channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Trouble brewing: Unlicensed Chinese lab in California was stockpiling extremely hazardous materials.

Discovery of illegal laboratory run by a shady Chinese firm heightens suspicions that Biden administration supports CCP-sponsored operations throughout the U.S.

Lawmakers raise concerns about USDA funding Chinese biotech firm blacklisted by the Department of Defense.

900 Mice genetically engineered to be COVID-19 CARRIERS found in believed-to-be-vacant, China-linked Fresno County lab.

Mysterious lab discovered in Fresno, California, "at least 20 potentially infectious agents" detected along with mice engineered to spread pandemics.

Sources include:

BlacklistedNews.com

DailyMail.co.uk

CaliforniaGlobe.com

Brighteon.com
Social media platform Twitter, currently being rebranded as X, has been fined $350,000 for failing to comply with a Department of Justice order to hand over records related to former President Donald Trump's Twitter account.

Special Counsel John "Jack" Smith, who led the investigation against the alleged attempts of Trump to overturn the results of the 2020 election, issued the warrant to Twitter requiring access to records associated with Trump's social media records. However, Twitter objected to the disclosure order, asserting that it would violate the First Amendment rights to free speech of the company.

The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, in a unanimous opinion, upheld the civil contempt sanction of the lower court against Twitter. The ruling stated that Twitter had complied with the warrant, but its failure to meet the indicated deadline resulted in a fine.

Judge Florence Pan, appointed by President Joe Biden, wrote that the reasons presented by prosecutors to keep the existence of the warrant under wraps were "unquestionably compelling" given the nature of the investigation to undermine a national election.

The news received a response from Trump through his Truth Social platform. Trump accused the office of the special counsel of attacking his civil rights and attempting to infringe upon his campaign for president in the 2024 national elections.

Trump faces multiple indictments but remains innocent until proven guilty

Trump, indicted on felony charges of conspiring to obstruct the 2020 presidential election, recently pleaded not guilty to the accusations. He became the first former president to be accused of conspiring to undermine the peaceful transfer of power to his successor.

On August 3, Trump pleaded not guilty in response to charges brought against him by Smith. These charges specifically allege that Trump was involved in a systematic campaign to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The indictment outlines a comprehensive narrative detailing Trump's efforts to cast doubt on the election's legitimacy and retain his hold on the presidency.

According to the indictment, the storming of Trump supporters in the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, culminated his attempts to subvert the election outcome. Meanwhile, in Fulton County, Georgia, there is an ongoing investigation examining whether Trump interfered with the election process. (Related: Here's more PROOF that the January 6 "insurrection" was a staged INSIDE JOB from the very beginning.)

Moreover, a separate federal case alleges that Trump unlawfully retained classified government documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, obstructing the government's efforts to retrieve them. Trump also contends with 34 felony counts from local prosecutors in New York relating to hush-money payments made to a porn star during the final stages of the 2016 election.

Despite the gravity of these charges, Attorney General Merrick Garland has vehemently denied any claims of political bias in the investigations. He has stressed that the Justice Department conducts its inquiries impartially and without influence. Biden has echoed this sentiment, claiming that he is committed to upholding the rule of law and the independence of the justice system.

Read more news stories about former President Donald Trump at Trump.news.

Watch this video from InfoWars with Alex Jones discussing how Trump's indictment has turned into an attack on anyone who dares to question official election results.
A hidden ecosystem with strange creatures was found under a volcanic sea floor, according to an international team of scientists conducting an underwater expedition. The ecosystem contained marine animals never seen before in the history of science, meaning this is the first time that scientists confirm that animals can live under hydrothermal vents.

Hydrothermal vents are crevices located on the sea floor, where water heated by geothermal activities comes out. In the past, scientists have discovered various marine organisms living in waters above these fissures. However, creatures living under volcanic sea floors are often overlooked, apparently for reasons due to their remote location compared to the surface.

Hidden Ecosystem

The hidden ecosystem is located in hydrothermal vents on the East Pacific Rise off the coast of Central America, according to the Schmidt Ocean Institute during a press release on August 8. The discovery was made as part of a 30-day expedition aboard the institute's research vessel named Falkor.

It is spearheaded by Dr. Monika Bright and her team from the United States, the Netherlands, Germany, Costa Rica, France, Germany, and Slovenia.

The institute says the deep ocean habitat is teeming with chemosynthetic bacteria, snails, and worms living in water temperatures of 25 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit). The discovery reportedly adds to our current knowledge that living ecosystems can exist both above and under hydrothermal vents.

The team used an underwater robot in the said part of the Pacific Ocean, where it found cave systems under the volcanic sea floor. These structures were used by the animals as passageways and habitats despite their environment containing relatively high temperatures and toxic materials from the Earth's crust.

Also Read: Underwater Ecosystem at a Great Risk Due to Climate Change

Species Dispersal Theory

One of the remarkable animals found in the hydrothermal vent ecosystem are tubeworm larvae which have been discovered of being capable of seeking new fields and even creating new hydrothermal communities.

The findings confirm the theory of species dispersal, which pertains to an ecological process that allows the movement of individual or multiple members of a species to seek a new area away from the habitat they were born in, based on a study published in the journal Nature Education.

Similar to the migration of ancient terrestrial and other marine species in the past, animals can use a new habitat for their survival, for reasons due to predation and food resources.

With this, the species dispersal theory suggests the possibility that hydrothermal vents, including the cave systems underneath them, could have served as a safe haven for marine animals thousands and millions of years ago, especially during mass extinction events.

The findings also confirm potential ecosystems under volcanic sea floors in different parts of the world waiting to be discovered. After all, humans have only discovered and chartered 5% of the world's oceans, with the rest remaining unknown, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Related Article: Scientists Find Hidden World of Marine Life After Finding "Secret" River Under Antarctic Ice
A new sea species with 20 arms was found in oceans in Antarctica, known as Strawberry Feather Star, belonging to a class of starfish and sea urchins.

Scientists and experts have been trying to discover unknown species in oceans, especially in the deepest waters. According to NOAA Ocean Exploration, about 24.9 percent of the global seafloor was managed to be mapped by experts as of 2023.

The mapping using advanced technology and discovering unknown sea creatures will help scientists conserve their population amidst global warming and climate change threats.

Antarctica strawberry feather stars

A new study published in Invertebrate Systematics discovered an unknown species in Antartica's oceans. The researchers named it the Antarctica strawberry feather stars or the Promachocrinus fragarius.

Researchers explained that DNA assessments of species helped them to uncover new species, with some having weird or cryptic appearances.

While the oceans are full of unique species, the sea creatures have 20 noticeable arms. They named strawberry because it is like the fruit's size or appearance.

The new species is likely related to sea cucumbers and sea urchins. The appearance of Antarctica's strawberry feather stars has feathery parts that assist the new creatures in moving around the oceans.

Mapping the ocean floor requires advanced technology, and it can become costly. The discovery will assist scientists in understanding more of the hidden world of deep ocean waters.

Research in Journal of Experimental Biology recently showed that water salinity changes can affect the population of sea urchins that are vital to coral reef systems.

As climate change causes extreme weather events, the freshwater flowing to the nearshore can impact the sea urchins.

The role of sea urchins is helpful to natural engineers in the ocean ecosystem, especially for coral reefs.

New shark species discovered in Northwestern Australia

Scientists from the Australian National Fish Collection monitored the seabed habitats in the waters of Northwestern Australia. The study was published in the Diversity Journal.

They named the new shark species as Painted Hornshark. The said animal can live in temperature ocean waters, hiding in rocks for possible prey.

Researchers recently found a thriving marine life or ecosystem on the South Wellington and Kapiti Coast.

On the Wellington coast, the area has been rich in biodiversity, discovering new species of fish and hula skirt siphonophores in 2019.

Experts explained that the said marine areas have undiscovered marine species after researchers explored the waters of at least 18 sites.

Researchers highlighted the importance of making the areas protected to avoid possible threats of overfishing.

The protection and conservation of marine animals are crucial to prevent population decline or the brink of extinction.

Aquatic animals are bioindicators that can help scientists to help the health of oceans.

Related Article: Unique Deepwater Corals Reefs, Marine Animals Discovered on Wellington's South, Kapiti Coasts

For more similar stories, don't forget to follow Nature World News.
A month-old and orphaned walrus died due to malnutrition and health issues. The animal was rescued after it was found roaming in Northern Alaska.

How the walrus calf managed to travel near the Beaufort Sea is still unknown.

Before the rare Pacific walrus calf passed away, the animal was given 24/7 care and cuddles that could help him.

The walrus calf was found on August 1. The animal with poor health conditions was immediately brought to the Alaska SeaLife Center. The walrus pup suffered from health concerns, including malnutrition and gastrointestinal issues.

Walrus pup died due to health complications

According to Alaska's Sea Life Center's press release, the arrival of the walrus pup was recorded as the first patient in the center for about four years.

The orphaned walrus calf was estimated to be about 200 pounds.

The center exhausted everything to save the rare Pacific walrus from health complications. As mentioned, the animal suffered from cloudy eyes, malnutrition and dehydration.

The location of the walrus pup was unusual after workers over Alaska's North Slope discovered it. The population of walrus is known to stay over the western coastline.

Young calf requires maternal care for the first two years. The orphaned calf would find it difficult to survive and could likely suffer from malnutrition.

The walrus pup received around-the-clock cuddling to deal with the lack of maternal care.

Also Read: California Endangered Animals: New Pack of Gray Wolves Found in Sierra Nevada

More facts about the Pacific Walrus

The Pacific walrus population can be found in areas in Chukchi, Bering Seas, Beaufort Seas, Russia and Alaska, according to the Alaska Department of Fish.

Female walrus weigh up to a ton, while males can reach two tons. The animal can live up to 40 years.

Walrus also has two noticeable ivory tusks. It helps them to move around and fight possible attackers or predators. Their common predators are polar bears and killer whales.

They may look heavy, but they use impressive whiskers to look for possible food or prey. Walrus can consume sea cucumbers, clams and other small aquatic animals.

Unlike the recently found walrus, they are known for being social animals that come together as groups. In terms of the female walrus, they take care of their calf for about two years.

The following threatens the population of Pacific Walrus:

Lost of sea ice

Pollution

Boat collision

Predation

Fishing gear entanglement

Climate change can affect the sea ice in the areas where the walrus population thrives. Global warming is a culprit in the recession of sea ice. When ice retreats, walrus can travel to farther areas.

During the winter season, walrus can travel to the Bering Sea. They move to the Chukchi Sea in spring to find food or feed.

Related Article: New Species of Mole in Eastern Turkey: Animal Likely Stayed Hidden for About 3 Million Years

For more similar stories, don't forget to follow Nature World News.
According to a recent study, Australia's Deniliquin region may be home to a gigantic meteor crater measuring 520 kilometers in diameter. This is bigger than the greatest impact crater in the world right now, the Vredefort crater.

Andrew Glikson and his colleague Tony Yeates claimed to have discovered the largest known impact structure in the world beneath Deniliquin in southern New South Wales, Australia.

Deniliquin structure, a Crater under Australia 320 miles in diameter?! https://t.co/4nxZJikHnc  Farshid Ketabchi (@farshidk) August 12, 2023

The researchers claimed that the structure is over 200 kilometers wider than the current recognized largest impact structure found in Vredefort, South Africa.

Meteor Craters

Because of erosion, sediment burial, and subduction, the history of asteroid bombardment on Earth is still mostly unknown.

Asteroid impacts produce raised core craters that resemble water drops from a pebble pool.

Identification is made more difficult by the domes' centuries-long erosion. Tectonic subduction and sediment burial make structures even more difficult to see.

However, recent geophysical discoveries reveal significant impact signatures, casting doubt on the concept of Earth's evolution. This trend is furthered by the discovery of impact "ejecta," or expelled materials.

The tail end of the Late Heavy Bombardment of the Earth is suggested by the earliest ejecta strata in global sediments. There is evidence of severe asteroid impacts on Earth and other planets up until 3.2 billion years ago, followed by infrequent events.

The Deniliquin Crater

38 proven and 43 possible impact structures have been found on Australia and its forerunner Gondwana as a result of several asteroid collisions.

Due to elastic rebound in the crust, large asteroid impacts result in a central dome.

Over time, these domes crumble or bury, conserving impact relics like those in Vredefort and Chicxulub that are associated with the demise of dinosaurs.

Tony Yeates postulated magnetic patterns as a subsurface impact structure between 1995 and 2000 in the Murray Basin of New South Wales.

The Deniliquin structure, a 520 kilometer-diameter structure with a seismic dome at its center, was confirmed by updated geophysical data from 2015 to 2020.

The high-temperature impact pressures cause symmetrical crustal rippling to occur around the core, which is an expected impact characteristic.

The core low magnetic zone is slightly shallower than the local mantle at a depth of 30 kilometers above it.

The Vredefort and Sudbury structures include "radial faults" as well as igneous anomalies similar to dikes, which are indicative of significant impacts.

Currently, geophysical data collected from the surface is the main source of supporting evidence for the Deniliquin impact. The only way to obtain physical confirmation of the shock in demonstrating the impact is by drilling deeply into the structure.

Also Read: Colorless Meteorite Bruises French Woman on Her Coffee Break

Late Ordovician Mass Extinction Event

Before Gondwana broke up into distinct continents, including Australia, the Deniliquin structure probably existed on its eastern margin.

The Hirnantian glacier stage, which is a part of the Ordovician-Silurian extinction event, may have begun as a result of this collision, which may have occurred at the same time as the Late Ordovician mass extinction event (around 445.2-443.8 million years ago).

This incident had a much greater impact than the end of the dinosaur era, resulting in an 85% species loss.

The building may have existed as far back as the early Cambrian, or 514 million years ago.

Future phases will require deep drilling into the magnetic core to collect samples, followed by material dating to determine the object's age.

It is hoped that additional research on the Deniliquin impact structure would reveal fresh details about early Paleozoic Earth.

Related Article: Mega Tsunami from Mass Extinction Asteroid 66 Million Years Ago Shown in Simulation by Experts
A massive heat dome will likely grip parts of the Central U.S. this week that can bring record highs and heat-related illnesses, according to the latest forecasts.

August recorded soaring temperatures during the first week in portions of the Southwestern U.S. Increased fire risks and health concerns were reported due to the record-breaking heat.

As heatwaves can become deadly, homeowners are advised to check their family members for signs of heat exhaustion and stress, especially in Arizona, Phoenix, Seattle and Portland.

In addition, the NWS Phoenix said an excessive heat warning is present in the region.

Extreme heat outlook in Central U.S this week

A massive heat dome is forecast to hit Central U.S. this week that can cause the upper 90s to 100 F in parts of the country. Heat dome can help unleash dry conditions and soaring temperatures.

A hotter outlook could be likely in the following areas: Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Kansas and Nebraska. People should keep hydrated amidst the scorching heat in the Central U.S.

In addition, Chicago, Minneapolis and parts of Texas can experience the troublesome heat this week.

Meanwhile, the NWS Weather Prediction Center's latest key message said that dangerous heat could unleash in parts of the Pacific Northwest midweek.

The weather outlook showed that challenging heat will be likely as heat advisories are present in the affected areas. According to the forecast, oppressive heat is possible in the following areas:

Interior California

Idaho

Oregon

Washington

Medford

Eugene

Salem

Portland

Willamette Valley

In the Central U.S., the heat will ease late week until early next week. Relief from hot weather is forecast in Seattle, Reno, Redding, San Francisco and Portland.

Weather advisors in Southern U.S

The southern U.S. is no stranger to extreme heat and severe thunderstorms. The forecast showed that persistent heat will unfold in Southern Florida and Texas portions.

A dangerous outlook can be likely due to a mix of humidity and heat in the region, bringing 110 F.

People without cooling systems could be at risk of the hot weather.

In the Eastern U.S., weather advisories warned of severe thunderstorms and stormy conditions. The poor weather outlook is expected to unleash the following weather risks:

Hail conditions

Isolated tornadoes

Flooding Rain

Damaging winds

Heavy rainfall can result in flooding or flash flood risk. Motorists should regularly check the weather before planning a road trip this week.

Both citizens and tourists can also anticipate possible slower commutes or travel disruptions.

Also Read: US Weather Forecast: Fire Risk, Dry Conditions to Hit Southwestern US Late Week

Keeping safe from record-breaking temperatures

Homeowners should stay alert for heat watches and warnings. Prolonged exposure to hot weather can become deadly, especially for sensitive groups.

Limiting outdoor plans is the best option to keep safe from extreme temperatures. Outdoor workers should bring bottled water to prevent heat exhaustion and heat stress.

Furthermore, parents should never leave their children unattended inside vehicles.

Related Article: US Weather Forecast: Isolated Tornadoes, Heavy Rain Likely to Hit in Eastern US This Week

For more similar stories, don't forget to follow Nature World News.
Heavy rains in the northwestern China's Xi'an city had claimed the lives of at least 21 individuals and affected more than 900 households.

According to the Xi'an City Emergency Management Bureau, six individuals are still missing due to the bad weather.

Incurred damages

The torrential rains also resulted in massive blackouts as well as damaged roads, bridges and communications infrastructure.

Two residences were also reported to be damaged.

So far, around 1,000 workers have been deployed to Xi'an's Weiziping village to conduct search and rescue operations following the devastating landslide and flash flood.

Authorities said a total of 186 people have been evacuated.

The local government also started its relief measures to provide assistance to the victims.

The bad weather resulted in the broken trees and rubble that were seen piling up along muddy roads in the village that lies in a mountainous area.

Aside from the destroyed residences, some restaurants and business establishments were also damaged.

Read Also: 14, Including Vice Mayor, Killed Due To Floods In Chinese City; Repairs Of Damaged Infra Starts

Floods in other parts of China

Various parts of China have experienced record high temperatures and deadly flooding in the recent weeks. Experts expressed belief that the extreme weather could be linked to climate change.

The latest devastation came as major floods on the other side of the country in northeastern China have also been experienced by residents.

Various areas in China were reportedly battered by heavy rains from regional typhoons that began late last month.

Based on official records, the floods had killed at least 29 individuals in the Hebei province as well as 33 others in China's capital, Beijing.

Meanwhile, at least 14 people were also killed in the city of Shulan in Jilin province because the rain had moved towards the northward direction.

The weather also flooded farmlands in the country's grain-producing area.

Authorities had said the northern portion of Heilongjiang, the rivers that irrigate its fertile farmlands overflowed due to the rains. This then resulted in the submerging of rice fields, the destruction of vegetable greenhouses and the damage of factories.

Weather experts said the heavy rains that was brought by Typhoon Doksuri's remnants was one of the strongest storms to hit northern China in years.

Beijing, for its part, had recorded 744.8 millimeters of rain, the largest quantity of precipitation recorded during the downpour.

Local residents earlier described the extreme rainfall that they have encountered as unlike anything that they had ever seen.

To recall, Chinese President Xi Jinping had ordered for an "all-out" search and rescue efforts to minimize casualties amid the bad weather.

The Chinese central government and local governments have ensured that significant resources would be deployed for disaster relief measures.

The Chinese government also provided 100 million yuan or approximately $13.9 million to support emergency recovery and reconstruction.

It also gave 30 million yuan in emergency road repair subsidies to Beijing and Hebei Province to address the aftermath of the typhoon-caused rainstorms.

The Emergency Management Department and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs have also been in charge of controlling flood storage areas and agricultural areas in order to prevent floods and epidemics.

Related Article: Heavy Rains Triggers Highway Bridge To Collapse In China, Two Cars Fall Into The River

Related Video:
Beijing (Gasgoo)- In a significant milestone for the collaborative "Automotive Robot Strategic Cooperation Project" between major Chinese automaker Geely and tech giant Baidu, a new brand called "Jiyue" has been officially unveiled on August 14.

Jiyue 01; photo credit: Jiyue

Positioned as a high-end intelligent automotive robot brand under Geely Holdings, the inaugural model is named the "Jiyue 01."

This announcement raises the question: What becomes of the previous joint venture, JIDU? An examination of the following architectural diagram reveals that JIDU primarily focuses on the output of intelligent development achievements. Leveraging Geely's SEA (Sustainable Experience Architecture), it transforms Baidu's AI capabilities into engineered products, playing a role akin to a solution provider. In contrast, Jiyue concentrates on complete vehicle production, market operations, user services, and the establishment of a charging and energy replenishment system. In essence, JIDU oversees the realization of the overall technological solution, while Jiyue is responsible for bringing the product to market.

The introduction of the Jiyue brand signifies a step closer to mass production of the two companies automotive robots. Notably, the new electric multi-purpose passenger vehicle from the Jiyue brand was included in the 374th batch of newly announced products catalogue by Chinas Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on August 14.

Upon closer inspection of official images, the Jiyue 01 is, in fact, the debut vehicle from JIDU, named ROBO-01. Leveraging JIDU's core technical capabilities in advanced intelligent driving perception, algorithms, and integrated vehicle design, the new vehicle breaks boundaries in exterior and interior design by incorporating cutting-edge AI technology. Externally, the Jiyue 01 eliminates most physical controls such as external door handles and center console buttons, adopting a U-shaped steering wheel, a 3D borderless integrated ultra-clear display, an active retractable rear wing, and empathetic interactive headlights, presenting a highly futuristic design.

In summary, the launch of the Jiyue brand marks a significant leap towards the realization of automotive robots, solidifying the partnership between Geely and Baidu in advancing technological innovation in the automotive industry.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Billionaire Gautam Adani's group will acquire the remaining 51 per cent stake in Quintillion Business Media Pvt Ltd to take full control of the Raghav Bahl-curated digital business news platform.

Adani Enterprises Ltd, the ports-to-energy conglomerate's flagship firm, in a stock exchange filing, said the board of its subsidiary AMG Media Networks Ltd "has approved to enter into a binding memorandum of undertaking (MoU) with Quintillion Media Ltd for the acquisition of remaining 51 per cent stake" in the firm which operates the business and financial news digital media platform BQ Prime.

Quintillion was Adani's first bet in the Indian news industry before taking about 65 per cent stake in broadcaster NDTV in December last year. AMG Media had previously bought a 49 per cent stake in Quintillion Business Media Ltd (QBML) for Rs 47.84 crore.

BQ Prime was earlier known as Bloomberg Quint, a former joint venture between US-based financial news agency Bloomberg Media and Bahl's Quintillion Media.

Bloomberg exited that agreement in March last year.

"QBML will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of AMNL" after the acquisition, it said without disclosing the financial details of the deal.

Adani Group had set up AMG Media Networks for its foray into businesses of "publishing, advertising, broadcasting, distribution of content over different types of media networks."

In May 2022, AMG Media entered into a shareholders' agreement with Quintillion Media Ltd (QML) for the acquisition of QBML.

In September 2021, AMG Media Networks appointed veteran journalist Sanjay Pugalia to lead Adani Media Ventures, its media-focused company.

"The MoU records the terms of agreement and inter-se rights and obligations and other connected matters in respect of the acquisition of remaining 51 per cent equity shares of QBML by AMNL from QML," the latest filing said.

NEW DELHI: Billionaire Gautam Adani's group will acquire the remaining 51 per cent stake in Quintillion Business Media Pvt Ltd to take full control of the Raghav Bahl-curated digital business news platform. Adani Enterprises Ltd, the ports-to-energy conglomerate's flagship firm, in a stock exchange filing, said the board of its subsidiary AMG Media Networks Ltd "has approved to enter into a binding memorandum of undertaking (MoU) with Quintillion Media Ltd for the acquisition of remaining 51 per cent stake" in the firm which operates the business and financial news digital media platform BQ Prime. Quintillion was Adani's first bet in the Indian news industry before taking about 65 per cent stake in broadcaster NDTV in December last year. AMG Media had previously bought a 49 per cent stake in Quintillion Business Media Ltd (QBML) for Rs 47.84 crore.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); BQ Prime was earlier known as Bloomberg Quint, a former joint venture between US-based financial news agency Bloomberg Media and Bahl's Quintillion Media. Bloomberg exited that agreement in March last year. "QBML will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of AMNL" after the acquisition, it said without disclosing the financial details of the deal. Adani Group had set up AMG Media Networks for its foray into businesses of "publishing, advertising, broadcasting, distribution of content over different types of media networks." In May 2022, AMG Media entered into a shareholders' agreement with Quintillion Media Ltd (QML) for the acquisition of QBML. In September 2021, AMG Media Networks appointed veteran journalist Sanjay Pugalia to lead Adani Media Ventures, its media-focused company. "The MoU records the terms of agreement and inter-se rights and obligations and other connected matters in respect of the acquisition of remaining 51 per cent equity shares of QBML by AMNL from QML," the latest filing said.
By Online Desk

CHENNAI: A class IV student returning home on his bicycle after the independence day celebration at his school in Kalpakkam was crushed to death by a speeding bus on Tuesday.

The boy has been identified as Shravan. His mother works as a scientist at the Kalpakkam Atomic Power plant.

He was studying class IV at Atomic Energy Central School in Kalpakkam. He went to school to participate in the independence day celebrations early in the morning. The boy was returning home after the flag hoisting ceremony on a bicycle when he was knocked down and killed by a state transport corporation bus proceeding to Kalpakkam from Chennai. The boy died on the spot.

Following the accident, the boy's parents, relatives and the local people protested demanding action against the driver.

The bus driver has been arrested.

Further investigations are on.

CHENNAI: A class IV student returning home on his bicycle after the independence day celebration at his school in Kalpakkam was crushed to death by a speeding bus on Tuesday. The boy has been identified as Shravan. His mother works as a scientist at the Kalpakkam Atomic Power plant. He was studying class IV at Atomic Energy Central School in Kalpakkam. He went to school to participate in the independence day celebrations early in the morning. The boy was returning home after the flag hoisting ceremony on a bicycle when he was knocked down and killed by a state transport corporation bus proceeding to Kalpakkam from Chennai. The boy died on the spot.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Following the accident, the boy's parents, relatives and the local people protested demanding action against the driver. The bus driver has been arrested. Further investigations are on.
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.

SGMW releases images of first sedan 'Xingguang'

SAIC-GM-Wuling today unveiled the official images of its inaugural sedan, the Wuling Xingguang (translated to "starlight"). Embracing Wuling's fresh design language, the vehicle boasts a wheelbase of 2,800mm and offers both a pure electric version and a plug-in hybrid electric variant.

Wuling Xingguang; photo credit: SGMW

UISEE, Yiwei New Energy Vehicle forge strategic partnership

Chinese autonomous driving solution provider UISEE on August 14 announced a strategic partnership with Yiwei New Energy Vehicle. Leveraging Yiwei New Energy Vehicle's expertise in electrified chassis design, integrated electrical systems, vehicle controls, intelligent connectivity, and UISEE's proficiency in autonomous driving, the collaboration aims to explore market opportunities for self-driving sanitation vehicles.

Photo credit: UISEE

All-new Nissan Qashqai to go on sale in China

The new-generation Nissan Qashqai is set to hit the Chinese market on August 16. This refreshed version features enhancements in exterior design, powertrain options, and interior appointments. Built on the CMF-C platform, the upcoming model will showcase Nissan's latest V-Motion 3.0 design language.

Photo credit: Nissan China

Changan Qiyuan Q05 compact SUV obtains regulatory approval from MIIT

Changan Automobile's Qiyuan new energy vehicle brand saw its Q05 model included in the 374th batch of the "List of Road Motor Vehicle Manufacturers and Products" by Chinas Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Baolong Automotive nabs procurement order for AK2 ultrasonic radar

Baolong Automotive's subsidiary, Baoyou Technology (name in Chinese pinyin), announced that it has been nominated as the supplier for the next-generation AK2 ultrasonic radar sensor project by a Chinese automotive brand.

Baidu Ventures invests in intelligent traffic solution provider SONDIT

Chinese intelligent traffic solution provider SONDIT recently announced the successful completion of a multi-million-yuan Series A+ funding round led by Baidu Ventures (BV).

Tesla said to build local operation team for FSD in China

Tesla is strategically assembling a local operational team of around 20 members in its initial push to bring the Full Self-Drive (FSD) autonomous driving solution to the Chinese market, according to a local media outlet.

Geely, Baidu launch new automotive robot brand 'Jiyue'

In a significant milestone for the collaborative "Automotive Robot Strategic Cooperation Project" between major Chinese automaker Geely and tech giant Baidu, a new brand called "Jiyue" has been officially unveiled on August 14.

China's auto-grade semiconductor firm SiPower closes third funding round

Suzhou Xizhi Technology Co., Ltd. ("SiPower"), a Chinese third-generation semiconductor high-tech company, announced on August 14 it has successfully concluded its third funding round, amassing nearly 100 million yuan.

BYD Song L SUV included catalogue issued by MIIT

The BYD Song L, BYD's B-segment SUV unveiled at the Auto Shanghai 2023, has been included in a catalogue recently issued by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology ("MIIT"), indicating that the model is ready for mass production.

Hyundai Motor partners with Chinas NaaS on EV charging facility construction

On August 14, Hyundai Motor Group (China) announced a strategic collaboration with Newlink NaaS (NaaS), a Chinese electric vehicle (EV) charging service provider. Their combined efforts aim to accelerate the establishment of charging infrastructure and facilitate interconnectivity within the charging network.
By PTI

KOCHI: Six students of a government college here have been suspended for allegedly behaving in an inappropriate manner with a visually impaired professor and circulating a video of the same on social media.

The Maharaja's College, in a statement, said that the action was taken by the college council based on the complaints made by the professor - Priyesh C U - and the Political Science Department of which he is a member.

The council also appointed a three-member commission to look into the complaints and submit a report within seven days, the statement said.

It also said that the council in its meeting also decided to lodge a complaint with the police demanding registering a case under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act.

"Further action will be taken as soon as the inquiry report is received. Strict measures will be taken to prevent repetition of such acts from the students," the college said.

Meanwhile, the professor told a TV channel that he was very hurt by the "unfortunate incident".

"I did not expect it. Being visually impaired I did not realise they were shooting a video or that they posted it on social media platform Instagram," he said.

He said that thousands had seen the video and there were many derogatory and negative comments against him and his situation by those who saw it.

"That was hurting. Only those who suffer a disability would understand the problems associated with it and the obstacles we have to face to get anything.

"I sit in front of a computer for two hours and make notes for taking the one-hour long class. So, in that scenario, such an incident hurts and saddens me," the professor said.

He said that some of the students involved in the incident later told him they regretted what had happened.

"I of course forgive them. At the same time they need to realise the wrong committed by them. It was not just wrong towards me personally, but also against the visually impaired community.

"That needs to be rectified. Another visually impaired teacher or professor should not undergo the same experience. Measures should be taken to ensure such an incident is not repeated," he said.

At the same time, the professor also said that the students should be brought back to the college considering their future and the matter should be dealt with internally in the institution.

One of the students involved in the incident said that he did not do anything to disrespect or mock the professor and that he was 100 per cent innocent.

The student, giving details of what happened, said that he had come late to class and sought permission to enter which was given by professor Priyesh.

"However, as I entered the room, the professor ended the class and got up to leave. At the same time, some students started laughing. I thought they were laughing at my situation and to hide my embarrassment, I smiled too.

"I had no idea that a video was being recorded. That five-second record of the events is what has been misinterpreted and circulated in the public sphere in a harmful manner," he claimed.

The student also claimed that he and the others were suspended without being given a memo or carrying out a preliminary investigation.

The issue also turned into a political row with the student organisations SFI and KSU attacking each other over it.

The Students Federation of India (SFI) alleged that a Kerala Students Union (KSU) unit vice president was involved in the incident and therefore, they were trying to justify the incident and defend the suspended students.

"They should admit their wrongs and try to correct it," an SFI leader said.

The KSU on the other hand said that while they were with the professor and understood his feelings over the incident, the students were suspended very quickly without following principles of natural justice.

KSU, the student organisation of the Congress, claimed that the video circulating on social media was patched together with several separate smaller clips and therefore, the entire video should be found and forensically examined.

It also denied the involvement of its unit vice president in the incident and alleged that KSU was being targeted and dragged into the matter by those associated with the SFI.

KOCHI: Six students of a government college here have been suspended for allegedly behaving in an inappropriate manner with a visually impaired professor and circulating a video of the same on social media. The Maharaja's College, in a statement, said that the action was taken by the college council based on the complaints made by the professor - Priyesh C U - and the Political Science Department of which he is a member. The council also appointed a three-member commission to look into the complaints and submit a report within seven days, the statement said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); It also said that the council in its meeting also decided to lodge a complaint with the police demanding registering a case under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act. "Further action will be taken as soon as the inquiry report is received. Strict measures will be taken to prevent repetition of such acts from the students," the college said. Meanwhile, the professor told a TV channel that he was very hurt by the "unfortunate incident". "I did not expect it. Being visually impaired I did not realise they were shooting a video or that they posted it on social media platform Instagram," he said. He said that thousands had seen the video and there were many derogatory and negative comments against him and his situation by those who saw it. "That was hurting. Only those who suffer a disability would understand the problems associated with it and the obstacles we have to face to get anything. "I sit in front of a computer for two hours and make notes for taking the one-hour long class. So, in that scenario, such an incident hurts and saddens me," the professor said. He said that some of the students involved in the incident later told him they regretted what had happened. "I of course forgive them. At the same time they need to realise the wrong committed by them. It was not just wrong towards me personally, but also against the visually impaired community. "That needs to be rectified. Another visually impaired teacher or professor should not undergo the same experience. Measures should be taken to ensure such an incident is not repeated," he said. At the same time, the professor also said that the students should be brought back to the college considering their future and the matter should be dealt with internally in the institution. One of the students involved in the incident said that he did not do anything to disrespect or mock the professor and that he was 100 per cent innocent. The student, giving details of what happened, said that he had come late to class and sought permission to enter which was given by professor Priyesh. "However, as I entered the room, the professor ended the class and got up to leave. At the same time, some students started laughing. I thought they were laughing at my situation and to hide my embarrassment, I smiled too. "I had no idea that a video was being recorded. That five-second record of the events is what has been misinterpreted and circulated in the public sphere in a harmful manner," he claimed. The student also claimed that he and the others were suspended without being given a memo or carrying out a preliminary investigation. The issue also turned into a political row with the student organisations SFI and KSU attacking each other over it. The Students Federation of India (SFI) alleged that a Kerala Students Union (KSU) unit vice president was involved in the incident and therefore, they were trying to justify the incident and defend the suspended students. "They should admit their wrongs and try to correct it," an SFI leader said. The KSU on the other hand said that while they were with the professor and understood his feelings over the incident, the students were suspended very quickly without following principles of natural justice. KSU, the student organisation of the Congress, claimed that the video circulating on social media was patched together with several separate smaller clips and therefore, the entire video should be found and forensically examined. It also denied the involvement of its unit vice president in the incident and alleged that KSU was being targeted and dragged into the matter by those associated with the SFI.
By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Thiruvananthapuram additional district and sessions court has found two men guilty of murdering radio jockey Rajesh Kumar. The second accused Muhammed Salih and the third accused Appunni were found guilty of hacking Rajesh to death in 2018 at his recording studio in Madavoor.

The first accused, Abdul Sathar, who is an NRI businessman operating from Qatar, is yet to be nabbed.

Meanwhile, nine other accused persons in the case were acquitted citing lack of evidence.

The trial witnessed dramatic scenes as the initial prosecutor made lapses in examining the prime witness Kuttan, which resulted him in changing his statement.

Later, owing to the request of the police, government pleader Geena Kumari appeared for the prosecution. The police investigation revealed that Rajesh, during his stint in Qatar working as a radio jockey, entered into a relationship with Sathars wife. Sathar, who came to know about this, gave a contract to his staff Salih to kill Rajesh.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Thiruvananthapuram additional district and sessions court has found two men guilty of murdering radio jockey Rajesh Kumar. The second accused Muhammed Salih and the third accused Appunni were found guilty of hacking Rajesh to death in 2018 at his recording studio in Madavoor. The first accused, Abdul Sathar, who is an NRI businessman operating from Qatar, is yet to be nabbed. Meanwhile, nine other accused persons in the case were acquitted citing lack of evidence. The trial witnessed dramatic scenes as the initial prosecutor made lapses in examining the prime witness Kuttan, which resulted him in changing his statement.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Later, owing to the request of the police, government pleader Geena Kumari appeared for the prosecution. The police investigation revealed that Rajesh, during his stint in Qatar working as a radio jockey, entered into a relationship with Sathars wife. Sathar, who came to know about this, gave a contract to his staff Salih to kill Rajesh.
By Express News Service

"The nations that in fettered darkness weep Crave thee to lead them where great mornings break."

 SAROJINI NAIDU

These lines aptly, and rightly, capture the spirit of Indias Independence Day. On August 15, 1947, a new era marked the realisation of a long-cherished dream  freedom from colonial rule. Conceived in the hearts of countless fighters, poets, and visionaries, the idea, nurtured through centuries of struggle, culminated in a resounding triumph on this historic day.

The journey from subjugation to sovereignty was arduous. From technological prowess to space exploration to growing bottom lines and rising M&As, from becoming an economic powerhouse to a sporting giant and to a growing stature on the global stage, India has showcased its mettle through remarkable strides. The contemporary challenges on economic, social and geopolitical fronts, however, are testing the countrys resilience in the New World Order.

Seventy-six years later, the day also reminds us to not only critically look within but also come up with honest answers  is patriotism a pretence for domination over sections of our society, does wealth seek to create islands of luxury within our country, and simply, do we have a fellow feeling?

As the tricolour soars high on the 77th Independence Day, it is a continuous journey towards realising the full potential of the worlds largest democracy.

Azadi: hopes & aspirations of the common man

Freedom is the free expression of my thoughts and opinions.

Freedom allows me to speak my mind on all issues, including the clothes I like or the ideals I believe in. As a student, freedom is to be able to have a discourse with my professor over contradictory opinions, says Vaibhavi Bhat from Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru. For Atika Zainab of the same college, freedom means being able to wear whatever I want, go wherever I like, love whoever I want, and think whatever I want to without any fear. Freedom also means equal distribution of wealth, not going to bed hungry, an absence of caste and class, and the absence of misogyny.

 Vaibhavi Bhat, Atika Zainab, Students of Mount Carmel College

Making a choice for oneself is basic, but it is a luxury for many women in the country. The significance of Independence will actually hold true when every woman gets freedom of speech, the right to make decisions and create opportunities for herself and her children. I strongly feel women will truly be independent when they can express themselves fully, study and work without having to wait for anyones approval. For me, freedom is the opportunity to live with dignity and without fear. If we live our life with a sense of purpose, we are free in many ways. Im happy I am able to do that for myself and my daughter despite the absence of my husband who was my biggest strength.

 Itilata Behera, Widow of Pulwama martyr Manoj Behera

Independence Day, for this 55-year-old homemaker, literally personifies freedom. Born a Hindu, Usha B got married to a Christian on Independence Day 37 years ago. For her, freedom means the ultimate right to live without fear as a woman, as a religious individual and as an ordinary homemaker toiling to run her family. Usha lives with her three children and grandchildren at Mukkampalamood on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram. Cant we see the rising number of atrocities and crimes against women? As a homemaker, freedom for her also stands for being able to lead a decently comfortable life and she knows the significance of religious freedom.

 Usha B, Homemaker, Thiruvananthapuram

Concern, commitment and care with compassion will make our nation greater, says Dr S Gopaul, retired former director of the Institute of Child Health and Government Hospital for Children, Egmore, a Chennai neighbourhood. Born in pre-independent India in 1943, he feels proud and fortunate to see technological developments around him. I wish the services of neonatology (treatment and care of newborns) percolate into remote rural communities on par with urban areas. His Independence Day message: Doing ones duty with devotion. He helped set up a raw human breast milk bank and brought down the mortality rate of the neonates.

 Dr S Gopaul, Ex-director of govt hospital, Egmore

His situation brought him to Hyderabad. Sanjay is a labourer from Jharkhand who works at a construction site in Hitech City. Surrounded by tall buildings, his idea of freedom is to be able to work from wherever he wants to. Devlal is from Madhya Pradesh and now lives with his family in Hafeezpet, a rapidly-growing residential area of Hyderabad. On Independence Day, I spend time with my family, he says. I get Rs 500 per day, I am happy, he says. Aasa and Rakhi, daily wagers from MP, have also come to Hyderabad for work. In Hafeezpet, they carry cement and sand on their heads. Do they feel free? Aasa says, Of course. We work and earn; nobody controls us.

 Devlal, Construction worker, Hyderabad

Shabbir, 56, is a farmer whose entire crop was damaged in this seasons flood in Delhi. He has to look after his 7-member family. The family is currently living under a tent alongside the Yamuna Bridge. Our kids are hungry; we are being asked to pay the rent of this place, rues Shabbir. No relief has reached the family. We dont have any food, says Pyarbanu, Shabbirs wife. The familys wait for any relief may get longer as revenue minister Atishi has only evaluated preparation for relief and rescue efforts. Over to Delhis bureaucracy; and there is no knowing about what Shabbir can think about freedom. No one is helping. Thats an SOS from Shabbirs son Imran.

 Shabbir, Displaced by floods in Delhi

Freedom for a small MSME business means doing it without too many restrictions. Sales and profits are just by-products. Limitations not only come from the government but also from the availability of finance to meet expansion programmes. SMEs & MSMEs are the milch cows for the banks. It is true that most revenue (with high margins) comes from big players, and therefore, banks offer better facilities to larger corporates at the cost of smaller businesses. That makes the growth path for small players difficult. So, while the government claims it is providing enough support to the MSME segment, most schemes meant for the sector remain eyewash.

 CA Jai Kabra, Founder of Reshamm Group

Freedom is a universal human right like the air one breathes. But, more than mere enjoyment of rights or the fearless expression and exercise of choices, it implies the conscious, continuing performance of ones duties as a social being. Freedom and eternal vigilance are complementary, for it is our wakefulness that ensures the continuity and reinforcement of Freedom, which forms the core of our democratic life and principles.

 Arif Mohammed Khan, Governor of Kerala

Freedom to acquire knowledge and apply it for societal benefits without the constraints of the government or bureaucrats is the most cherished freedom for me. Freedom to live your lifestyle without harming others is precious. India provides a lot of opportunities for the youngsters. I was educated here and performed my duties without constraints is an invaluable expression of that freedom.

 Madhavan Nair, Former ISRO Chairman

Independence Day is really important to me because it represents freedom and self-dependence. Its a time when I feel like Im not held back by depending on others, both in my personal life and in society as a whole. This freedom gives me the power to chase my dreams with determination and overcome any obstacles in my way. Being independent means I can take care of myself emotionally, physically, and financially.

 Nikhat Zareen, Boxer

Freedom is walking happily in neighbourhoods, mine or anyones, with dignity, self-assurance, respect and without fear, head held high. Freedom is to read, write, be read, and to speak, hear, and be heard, with dignity, self-assurance, in respect and without fear, head held high. Freedom for me is to be and live, let be and let live, with dignity, self-assurance, in respect and without fear, head held high.

 Geetanjali Shree, Author

Freedom for me means not being controlled or limited by rules, or customs that others have formulated for us. What is important in a good society is self-determination and autonomy under our own authority and responsibility. There should be rules and regulations, but only those that we have formulated. In a free, independent society, in a democracy, there should always be space for agreements as well as disagreements.

 Pankaj Tripathi, Actor

On Independence Day, let us remember the sacrifice and contribution of our nations freedom fighters who envisioned a sovereign and prosperous India. As one of the leading global economies, we stand on the cusp of transformation, growth and development, echoing the spirit of a resurgent India. We remain focused on being a catalyst for capital market formation and nationbuilding.

 Ashish Kumar Chauhan, CEO & MD, NSE

"The nations that in fettered darkness weep Crave thee to lead them where great mornings break."  SAROJINI NAIDU These lines aptly, and rightly, capture the spirit of Indias Independence Day. On August 15, 1947, a new era marked the realisation of a long-cherished dream  freedom from colonial rule. Conceived in the hearts of countless fighters, poets, and visionaries, the idea, nurtured through centuries of struggle, culminated in a resounding triumph on this historic day. The journey from subjugation to sovereignty was arduous. From technological prowess to space exploration to growing bottom lines and rising M&As, from becoming an economic powerhouse to a sporting giant and to a growing stature on the global stage, India has showcased its mettle through remarkable strides. The contemporary challenges on economic, social and geopolitical fronts, however, are testing the countrys resilience in the New World Order. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Seventy-six years later, the day also reminds us to not only critically look within but also come up with honest answers  is patriotism a pretence for domination over sections of our society, does wealth seek to create islands of luxury within our country, and simply, do we have a fellow feeling? As the tricolour soars high on the 77th Independence Day, it is a continuous journey towards realising the full potential of the worlds largest democracy. Azadi: hopes & aspirations of the common man Freedom is the free expression of my thoughts and opinions. Freedom allows me to speak my mind on all issues, including the clothes I like or the ideals I believe in. As a student, freedom is to be able to have a discourse with my professor over contradictory opinions, says Vaibhavi Bhat from Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru. For Atika Zainab of the same college, freedom means being able to wear whatever I want, go wherever I like, love whoever I want, and think whatever I want to without any fear. Freedom also means equal distribution of wealth, not going to bed hungry, an absence of caste and class, and the absence of misogyny.  Vaibhavi Bhat, Atika Zainab, Students of Mount Carmel College Making a choice for oneself is basic, but it is a luxury for many women in the country. The significance of Independence will actually hold true when every woman gets freedom of speech, the right to make decisions and create opportunities for herself and her children. I strongly feel women will truly be independent when they can express themselves fully, study and work without having to wait for anyones approval. For me, freedom is the opportunity to live with dignity and without fear. If we live our life with a sense of purpose, we are free in many ways. Im happy I am able to do that for myself and my daughter despite the absence of my husband who was my biggest strength.  Itilata Behera, Widow of Pulwama martyr Manoj Behera Independence Day, for this 55-year-old homemaker, literally personifies freedom. Born a Hindu, Usha B got married to a Christian on Independence Day 37 years ago. For her, freedom means the ultimate right to live without fear as a woman, as a religious individual and as an ordinary homemaker toiling to run her family. Usha lives with her three children and grandchildren at Mukkampalamood on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram. Cant we see the rising number of atrocities and crimes against women? As a homemaker, freedom for her also stands for being able to lead a decently comfortable life and she knows the significance of religious freedom.  Usha B, Homemaker, Thiruvananthapuram Concern, commitment and care with compassion will make our nation greater, says Dr S Gopaul, retired former director of the Institute of Child Health and Government Hospital for Children, Egmore, a Chennai neighbourhood. Born in pre-independent India in 1943, he feels proud and fortunate to see technological developments around him. I wish the services of neonatology (treatment and care of newborns) percolate into remote rural communities on par with urban areas. His Independence Day message: Doing ones duty with devotion. He helped set up a raw human breast milk bank and brought down the mortality rate of the neonates.  Dr S Gopaul, Ex-director of govt hospital, Egmore His situation brought him to Hyderabad. Sanjay is a labourer from Jharkhand who works at a construction site in Hitech City. Surrounded by tall buildings, his idea of freedom is to be able to work from wherever he wants to. Devlal is from Madhya Pradesh and now lives with his family in Hafeezpet, a rapidly-growing residential area of Hyderabad. On Independence Day, I spend time with my family, he says. I get Rs 500 per day, I am happy, he says. Aasa and Rakhi, daily wagers from MP, have also come to Hyderabad for work. In Hafeezpet, they carry cement and sand on their heads. Do they feel free? Aasa says, Of course. We work and earn; nobody controls us.  Devlal, Construction worker, Hyderabad Shabbir, 56, is a farmer whose entire crop was damaged in this seasons flood in Delhi. He has to look after his 7-member family. The family is currently living under a tent alongside the Yamuna Bridge. Our kids are hungry; we are being asked to pay the rent of this place, rues Shabbir. No relief has reached the family. We dont have any food, says Pyarbanu, Shabbirs wife. The familys wait for any relief may get longer as revenue minister Atishi has only evaluated preparation for relief and rescue efforts. Over to Delhis bureaucracy; and there is no knowing about what Shabbir can think about freedom. No one is helping. Thats an SOS from Shabbirs son Imran.  Shabbir, Displaced by floods in Delhi Freedom for a small MSME business means doing it without too many restrictions. Sales and profits are just by-products. Limitations not only come from the government but also from the availability of finance to meet expansion programmes. SMEs & MSMEs are the milch cows for the banks. It is true that most revenue (with high margins) comes from big players, and therefore, banks offer better facilities to larger corporates at the cost of smaller businesses. That makes the growth path for small players difficult. So, while the government claims it is providing enough support to the MSME segment, most schemes meant for the sector remain eyewash.  CA Jai Kabra, Founder of Reshamm Group Freedom is a universal human right like the air one breathes. But, more than mere enjoyment of rights or the fearless expression and exercise of choices, it implies the conscious, continuing performance of ones duties as a social being. Freedom and eternal vigilance are complementary, for it is our wakefulness that ensures the continuity and reinforcement of Freedom, which forms the core of our democratic life and principles.  Arif Mohammed Khan, Governor of Kerala Freedom to acquire knowledge and apply it for societal benefits without the constraints of the government or bureaucrats is the most cherished freedom for me. Freedom to live your lifestyle without harming others is precious. India provides a lot of opportunities for the youngsters. I was educated here and performed my duties without constraints is an invaluable expression of that freedom.  Madhavan Nair, Former ISRO Chairman Independence Day is really important to me because it represents freedom and self-dependence. Its a time when I feel like Im not held back by depending on others, both in my personal life and in society as a whole. This freedom gives me the power to chase my dreams with determination and overcome any obstacles in my way. Being independent means I can take care of myself emotionally, physically, and financially.  Nikhat Zareen, Boxer Freedom is walking happily in neighbourhoods, mine or anyones, with dignity, self-assurance, respect and without fear, head held high. Freedom is to read, write, be read, and to speak, hear, and be heard, with dignity, self-assurance, in respect and without fear, head held high. Freedom for me is to be and live, let be and let live, with dignity, self-assurance, in respect and without fear, head held high.  Geetanjali Shree, Author Freedom for me means not being controlled or limited by rules, or customs that others have formulated for us. What is important in a good society is self-determination and autonomy under our own authority and responsibility. There should be rules and regulations, but only those that we have formulated. In a free, independent society, in a democracy, there should always be space for agreements as well as disagreements.  Pankaj Tripathi, Actor On Independence Day, let us remember the sacrifice and contribution of our nations freedom fighters who envisioned a sovereign and prosperous India. As one of the leading global economies, we stand on the cusp of transformation, growth and development, echoing the spirit of a resurgent India. We remain focused on being a catalyst for capital market formation and nationbuilding.  Ashish Kumar Chauhan, CEO & MD, NSE
Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: Anticipating huge tourist inflows during the grand opening of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the Uttar Pradesh government is contemplating converting ancient monuments, including nine palaces and forts, across the state into star hotels.

According to senior state government officials, the move will not only help restore the rich heritage of UP but also give a boost to the tourism sector and generate new direct and indirect employment opportunities. Steps are being taken to restore heritage properties to their pristine glory through private sector investments, the officials said.

The UP government is establishing the state as a popular destination for heritage tourism on the global map. The move will contribute to the economic transformation of rural tourism, culture, and local areas, said a spokesperson of the government.

The prominent heritage properties to be converted into star hotels include the famous Chhattar Manzil, Kothi Gulistan-e-Iram, Kothi Darshan Vilas and Kothi Roshan in the state capital. Chunar Fort in Mirzapur, Barua Sagar Fort in Jhansi, Barsana Water Palace in Mathura, Shukla Talab in Kanpur and Tikait Rai Baradari in Bithoor are the others on the list.

The government has created three categories of monuments to be restored under the plan with a proposed minimum investment amount of Rs 180 crore. Leading groups in the hospitality industry have expressed keen interest in investing in the sector.

Prominent among those who have expressed interest include group of Leela Hotels, Neemrana Hotels, Indian Hotels Company (Taj Hotels), Mahindra Hotels and Resorts, Oberoi Hotels, The MRS Group and Resort, Lalit Hotels, Hyatt Regency, Sarovar Hotels and Resorts, Accor Group, THF Hotels, Langer Hotels, Royal Orchid Hotels, Ramada Hotel, Clark Hotels, and Bridgman Groups of Hotels.

According to Mukesh Meshram, Principal Secretary and Director General of UP Tourism, the selection of the successful bidder for the project will be based on the quality and cost-based selection method. The criteria and responsibilities for the conservation of heritage buildings have also been defined.

The investor would be expected to maintain the layout of archaeological buildings as they were original, refraining from making any changes in their original form. The buildings would be adapted in accordance with their mythological and historical significance while establishing informative signage by developers.

LUCKNOW: Anticipating huge tourist inflows during the grand opening of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the Uttar Pradesh government is contemplating converting ancient monuments, including nine palaces and forts, across the state into star hotels. According to senior state government officials, the move will not only help restore the rich heritage of UP but also give a boost to the tourism sector and generate new direct and indirect employment opportunities. Steps are being taken to restore heritage properties to their pristine glory through private sector investments, the officials said. The UP government is establishing the state as a popular destination for heritage tourism on the global map. The move will contribute to the economic transformation of rural tourism, culture, and local areas, said a spokesperson of the government.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The prominent heritage properties to be converted into star hotels include the famous Chhattar Manzil, Kothi Gulistan-e-Iram, Kothi Darshan Vilas and Kothi Roshan in the state capital. Chunar Fort in Mirzapur, Barua Sagar Fort in Jhansi, Barsana Water Palace in Mathura, Shukla Talab in Kanpur and Tikait Rai Baradari in Bithoor are the others on the list. The government has created three categories of monuments to be restored under the plan with a proposed minimum investment amount of Rs 180 crore. Leading groups in the hospitality industry have expressed keen interest in investing in the sector. Prominent among those who have expressed interest include group of Leela Hotels, Neemrana Hotels, Indian Hotels Company (Taj Hotels), Mahindra Hotels and Resorts, Oberoi Hotels, The MRS Group and Resort, Lalit Hotels, Hyatt Regency, Sarovar Hotels and Resorts, Accor Group, THF Hotels, Langer Hotels, Royal Orchid Hotels, Ramada Hotel, Clark Hotels, and Bridgman Groups of Hotels. According to Mukesh Meshram, Principal Secretary and Director General of UP Tourism, the selection of the successful bidder for the project will be based on the quality and cost-based selection method. The criteria and responsibilities for the conservation of heritage buildings have also been defined. The investor would be expected to maintain the layout of archaeological buildings as they were original, refraining from making any changes in their original form. The buildings would be adapted in accordance with their mythological and historical significance while establishing informative signage by developers.
By PTI

PATNA: Grandchildren of Batak Mian, a cook who defied the orders of a British officer to poison Mahatma Gandhi during Champaran Satyagraha in 1917, still await the entire land promised later by independent India's first President Rajendra Prasad in 1952.

Mian, who had to endure brutal torture and eviction from his land at the hands of the British for his patriotic act, died in 1957.

According to popular accounts of the 1917 event, the incident took place when Mahatma Gandhi visited Motihari, the then headquarters of undivided Champaran district, to enquire about the appalling condition of indigo farmers.

Erwin (known only by his first name), the British manager of an indigo plantation, had invited Gandhi for dinner and asked his cook, Batak Mian, to serve him milk laced with poison.

However, he refused to carry out the order and exposed the plot, saving Gandhi's life.

The movement of the indigo farmers, which came to be known as Champaran Satyagraha, became a historic event in the Indian freedom struggle and finally, the British were forced to accept the demands of agitating peasants.

"Our grandfather Batak Mian had informed Gandhiji about the plot. But he had to pay heavily for his patriotic act. He was jailed and brutally tortured. He was evicted from his house and forced out of the village along with his family," his grandson, Kalam Ansari (60), told PTI.

"But, it seems people have forgotten my ancestor's sacrifices. We are now living in abject poverty. Promises made by Rajendra Prasad were not fructified," he added.

When Prasad was informed of hardships faced by Mian and his family in 1950, he had ordered the then collector of Tirhut division, which comprises of six districts including East and West Champaran, to provide 50 acres of land to Mian and his sons Rashid Ansari, Sher Mohammed Ansari and Mohammad Jaan Ansari.

"However, we received only six acres of the promised land near a river in Akwa Parsawni village in Dhanaura panchayat in West Champaran district. Of the six acres, five have been lost to the river due to erosion. We urge the government to allot us some land at a safer place in the district," Kalam Ansari, who has run pillar-to-post with applications, said.

West Champaran District Collector Dinesh Kumar Rai said Mian's family has been provided with six acres of land and the district administration will look into issues concerning his family and take appropriate measures.

Sikta assembly constituency's CPI(ML) Liberation MLA Birendra Prasad Gupta said, "The government has constructed a Batak Mian memorial museum and library near Moti Jheel in Motihari but it is not fully functional. The library also does not have books related to Mian or the freedom struggle. I have written several letters to the authorities in this regard. People must know about the person who saved Gandhiji," Gupta, whose party extends support to the Mahagathbandhan government from outside, added.

PATNA: Grandchildren of Batak Mian, a cook who defied the orders of a British officer to poison Mahatma Gandhi during Champaran Satyagraha in 1917, still await the entire land promised later by independent India's first President Rajendra Prasad in 1952. Mian, who had to endure brutal torture and eviction from his land at the hands of the British for his patriotic act, died in 1957. According to popular accounts of the 1917 event, the incident took place when Mahatma Gandhi visited Motihari, the then headquarters of undivided Champaran district, to enquire about the appalling condition of indigo farmers.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Erwin (known only by his first name), the British manager of an indigo plantation, had invited Gandhi for dinner and asked his cook, Batak Mian, to serve him milk laced with poison. However, he refused to carry out the order and exposed the plot, saving Gandhi's life. The movement of the indigo farmers, which came to be known as Champaran Satyagraha, became a historic event in the Indian freedom struggle and finally, the British were forced to accept the demands of agitating peasants. "Our grandfather Batak Mian had informed Gandhiji about the plot. But he had to pay heavily for his patriotic act. He was jailed and brutally tortured. He was evicted from his house and forced out of the village along with his family," his grandson, Kalam Ansari (60), told PTI. "But, it seems people have forgotten my ancestor's sacrifices. We are now living in abject poverty. Promises made by Rajendra Prasad were not fructified," he added. When Prasad was informed of hardships faced by Mian and his family in 1950, he had ordered the then collector of Tirhut division, which comprises of six districts including East and West Champaran, to provide 50 acres of land to Mian and his sons Rashid Ansari, Sher Mohammed Ansari and Mohammad Jaan Ansari. "However, we received only six acres of the promised land near a river in Akwa Parsawni village in Dhanaura panchayat in West Champaran district. Of the six acres, five have been lost to the river due to erosion. We urge the government to allot us some land at a safer place in the district," Kalam Ansari, who has run pillar-to-post with applications, said. West Champaran District Collector Dinesh Kumar Rai said Mian's family has been provided with six acres of land and the district administration will look into issues concerning his family and take appropriate measures. Sikta assembly constituency's CPI(ML) Liberation MLA Birendra Prasad Gupta said, "The government has constructed a Batak Mian memorial museum and library near Moti Jheel in Motihari but it is not fully functional. The library also does not have books related to Mian or the freedom struggle. I have written several letters to the authorities in this regard. People must know about the person who saved Gandhiji," Gupta, whose party extends support to the Mahagathbandhan government from outside, added.
Mukesh Ranjan By

Express News Service

RANCHI: In this age of hi-tech weapons, an MLA from the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has put his trust in traditional weapons by deploying bodyguards armed with bows and arrows as they follow the lawmaker as part of his security detail.

Lobin Hembrom  a firebrand lawmaker from Borio  says he has been raising issues over water, forest and land in the interest of people and believes there is a serious threat to his life. He has alleged that the state govt has cut back his security cover.

The lawmaker says his security cover has not been beefed up amid threats from mining mafias, thereby prompting him to deploy additional bodyguards with bows and arrows.

"Despite repeated requests made to the state government and the DGP, my security was not beefed up as per the standards after it was withdrawn a few weeks back in the name of Shravani Mela. Therefore, I had to deploy two bodyguards, well equipped with bow and arrow, who follow me wherever I go here in my Assembly Constituency," said Hembrom.

Looking at the issues related to fraudulent land grabbing and illegal mining, there is always a threat to his life, he added.

The MLA, however, admitted that he has been given two bodyguards and one more was added after he raised the issue in Assembly, but he does not consider it "sufficient" for the protection of his life.

"Even the newly elected MLAs are having 5-6 bodyguards but despite being a long-time MLA, I have been given only three bodyguards at this point in time which is not sufficient for a person who has been fighting a battle of jal, jungle and zameen for the people of this state," said the MLA.

People are being killed in broad daylight and law and order is deteriorating regularly in this state, therefore, having only three bodyguards is not sufficient for protection of a public representative, he added.

When asked will a bow and arrow would be able to counter the hi-tech sophisticated weapons carried by the criminals, Hembrom said that it has saved the life of our forefathers and would definitely be able to deal with any emergency-like situation. "Even freedom fighters like Siddho Kanu fought their battle for independence with bows and arrows," he added.

The MLA said that it is more convenient for him to keep bodyguards with bow and arrow as no license is required for it. As of now, Hembrom deploys two such bodyguards and has been looking for three more archery experts, who will soon be deployed to his security detail.

Meanwhile, Sahibganj SP Naushad Alam said that Hembrom has been provided with bodyguards as per the rules. "As per the rules, the MLA has been provided two armed bodyguards since 2019 while an additional bodyguard has been provided by the MLA from Godda district," said Sahibganj SP.

Alam added that additional bodyguards can only be provided on the basis of any recommendation made by the special branch

Notably, Hembrom has been at loggerheads with his party since the government was formed in 2019 and has been attacking them over issues like illegal mining, land scam and failed recruitment policies of the state government.

RANCHI: In this age of hi-tech weapons, an MLA from the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has put his trust in traditional weapons by deploying bodyguards armed with bows and arrows as they follow the lawmaker as part of his security detail. Lobin Hembrom  a firebrand lawmaker from Borio  says he has been raising issues over water, forest and land in the interest of people and believes there is a serious threat to his life. He has alleged that the state govt has cut back his security cover. The lawmaker says his security cover has not been beefed up amid threats from mining mafias, thereby prompting him to deploy additional bodyguards with bows and arrows. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "Despite repeated requests made to the state government and the DGP, my security was not beefed up as per the standards after it was withdrawn a few weeks back in the name of Shravani Mela. Therefore, I had to deploy two bodyguards, well equipped with bow and arrow, who follow me wherever I go here in my Assembly Constituency," said Hembrom. Looking at the issues related to fraudulent land grabbing and illegal mining, there is always a threat to his life, he added. The MLA, however, admitted that he has been given two bodyguards and one more was added after he raised the issue in Assembly, but he does not consider it "sufficient" for the protection of his life. "Even the newly elected MLAs are having 5-6 bodyguards but despite being a long-time MLA, I have been given only three bodyguards at this point in time which is not sufficient for a person who has been fighting a battle of jal, jungle and zameen for the people of this state," said the MLA. People are being killed in broad daylight and law and order is deteriorating regularly in this state, therefore, having only three bodyguards is not sufficient for protection of a public representative, he added. When asked will a bow and arrow would be able to counter the hi-tech sophisticated weapons carried by the criminals, Hembrom said that it has saved the life of our forefathers and would definitely be able to deal with any emergency-like situation. "Even freedom fighters like Siddho Kanu fought their battle for independence with bows and arrows," he added. The MLA said that it is more convenient for him to keep bodyguards with bow and arrow as no license is required for it. As of now, Hembrom deploys two such bodyguards and has been looking for three more archery experts, who will soon be deployed to his security detail. Meanwhile, Sahibganj SP Naushad Alam said that Hembrom has been provided with bodyguards as per the rules. "As per the rules, the MLA has been provided two armed bodyguards since 2019 while an additional bodyguard has been provided by the MLA from Godda district," said Sahibganj SP. Alam added that additional bodyguards can only be provided on the basis of any recommendation made by the special branch Notably, Hembrom has been at loggerheads with his party since the government was formed in 2019 and has been attacking them over issues like illegal mining, land scam and failed recruitment policies of the state government.
By Agencies

NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge skipped the Independence Day function at the Red Fort from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation.

A chair reserved for Kharge, who is also the leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, was seen empty during the 77th Independence Day function at the Red Fort.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was among several dignitaries, diplomats and ministers present at the event at the Mughal-era fort.

Kharge, however, unfurled the national flag at his residence and later at the Congress headquarters where the Independence Day function was also attended by Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders.

The Congress president said he has a problem in his eyes and also had to unfurl the national flag at his residence and then at the Congress office.

Asked about his absence from the function at the Red Fort, Kharge said that he could not have reached the Congress office in time from Red Fort. "I did not go there due to paucity of time," he said at the Congress headquarters.

Congress leader Manickam Tagore said they celebrated Independence Day with the people of the country. "When Lok Sabha opposition leader suspended...When MPs are suspended for an indefinite period...When opposition leaders' speeches are expunged if we mention Adani...When mikes are switched off...what else we can do? We celebrate Independence Day with people," he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Party spokesperson Pawan Khera posted on X, "Apparently the BJP is upset that Kharge ji was not present at the prime minister's Red Fort speech."

"Does the prime minister realise that his route arrangements would have made it impossible for Kharge sahib to reach the party headquarters in time for the flag hoisting function? Do we not have the independence of hoisting the flag at our headquarters on Independence Day?" he posed.

'Pledge to uphold freedom of democracy, Constitution'

Meanwhile, Kharge pledged to uphold democracy and the Constitution which he alleged were in danger.

On Independence Day, he saluted the sacrifices of innumerable Indians who gave up their lives during the freedom struggle and said they not only made a contribution to the national movement but also laid a strong foundation for India.

In a post in Hindi on 'X', he said, "Happy Independence Day to all of you and congratulations. Democracy and Constitution are the soul of our country. We take this pledge that we will uphold the freedom of democracy and constitution for the unity and integrity of the country, for love and brotherhood, for harmony and harmony. Jai Hind."

He also lauded the contribution of former prime ministers, including Atal Bihari Vajpayee who, he said, always worked for the country and took many steps for progress and development.

Noting that democracy and the Constitution are the soul of the country, he said on the occasion of this Independence Day, "We take a pledge that we will uphold the freedom of democracy and Constitution for the unity and integrity of the country, for love and brotherhood, for harmony and fraternity."

"With this determination, once again I extend my warmest wishes to all of you on Independence Day. 'Bharat Judega, INDIA Jeetega'," he said, referring to the tagline of the opposition alliance.

'Govt giving new dimensions to dictatorship'

The Congress president also lamented that democracy, Constitution and autonomous institutions were all in "great danger" and lashed out at the BJP for "suppressing the voice" of the opposition.

"New tactics are being adopted to suppress the voice of the opposition. Raids by CBI, ED, Income Tax are happening, Election Commission is being weakened. Efforts are being made to suppress the voice of opposition MPs in Parliament by suspending them. Someone's mic is going off or someone's words are getting expunged. Privilege motions are being brought," the Congress chief said.

In the coming times, people may not believe that there was a time when people from the ruling party used to block proceedings of Parliament, he noted, targeting the current dispensation. "Great people don't erase old history to write new history. They draw their line big, they don't make the already drawn line smaller by cutting or erasing it," Kharge said.

Kharge alleged that the government is claiming credit for schemes of previous governments just by changing their names. "Democracy is being torn to shreds by distorting the old constitutional systems that have been running for decades, giving new dimensions to dictatorship. And now, they are trying to create history by renaming old laws, which provided stability and peace to the country," he said.

Taking a dig at the prime minister, he said, "First, they talked about 'acche din', then, they talked about 'New India', And now they talk about 'Amrit Kaal'. Isn't this a name change to hide his failures?"

Referring to Manipur, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, where there have been incidents of violence in the recent past, he said be it any corner of the country - "wherever there is injustice, the Congress party will establish justice."

For the rights of the youth, for the welfare of the farmers, for the respect of women, for the justice of the underprivileged, for the earnings of small traders, he said, "The Congress is standing. INDIA will rise."

(With inputs from PTI and ANI)

NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge skipped the Independence Day function at the Red Fort from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation. A chair reserved for Kharge, who is also the leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, was seen empty during the 77th Independence Day function at the Red Fort. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was among several dignitaries, diplomats and ministers present at the event at the Mughal-era fort.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Kharge, however, unfurled the national flag at his residence and later at the Congress headquarters where the Independence Day function was also attended by Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders. The Congress president said he has a problem in his eyes and also had to unfurl the national flag at his residence and then at the Congress office. Asked about his absence from the function at the Red Fort, Kharge said that he could not have reached the Congress office in time from Red Fort. "I did not go there due to paucity of time," he said at the Congress headquarters. Congress leader Manickam Tagore said they celebrated Independence Day with the people of the country. "When Lok Sabha opposition leader suspended...When MPs are suspended for an indefinite period...When opposition leaders' speeches are expunged if we mention Adani...When mikes are switched off...what else we can do? We celebrate Independence Day with people," he said on X, formerly known as Twitter. Party spokesperson Pawan Khera posted on X, "Apparently the BJP is upset that Kharge ji was not present at the prime minister's Red Fort speech." "Does the prime minister realise that his route arrangements would have made it impossible for Kharge sahib to reach the party headquarters in time for the flag hoisting function? Do we not have the independence of hoisting the flag at our headquarters on Independence Day?" he posed. 'Pledge to uphold freedom of democracy, Constitution' Meanwhile, Kharge pledged to uphold democracy and the Constitution which he alleged were in danger. On Independence Day, he saluted the sacrifices of innumerable Indians who gave up their lives during the freedom struggle and said they not only made a contribution to the national movement but also laid a strong foundation for India. In a post in Hindi on 'X', he said, "Happy Independence Day to all of you and congratulations. Democracy and Constitution are the soul of our country. We take this pledge that we will uphold the freedom of democracy and constitution for the unity and integrity of the country, for love and brotherhood, for harmony and harmony. Jai Hind." He also lauded the contribution of former prime ministers, including Atal Bihari Vajpayee who, he said, always worked for the country and took many steps for progress and development. Noting that democracy and the Constitution are the soul of the country, he said on the occasion of this Independence Day, "We take a pledge that we will uphold the freedom of democracy and Constitution for the unity and integrity of the country, for love and brotherhood, for harmony and fraternity." "With this determination, once again I extend my warmest wishes to all of you on Independence Day. 'Bharat Judega, INDIA Jeetega'," he said, referring to the tagline of the opposition alliance. 'Govt giving new dimensions to dictatorship' The Congress president also lamented that democracy, Constitution and autonomous institutions were all in "great danger" and lashed out at the BJP for "suppressing the voice" of the opposition. "New tactics are being adopted to suppress the voice of the opposition. Raids by CBI, ED, Income Tax are happening, Election Commission is being weakened. Efforts are being made to suppress the voice of opposition MPs in Parliament by suspending them. Someone's mic is going off or someone's words are getting expunged. Privilege motions are being brought," the Congress chief said. In the coming times, people may not believe that there was a time when people from the ruling party used to block proceedings of Parliament, he noted, targeting the current dispensation. "Great people don't erase old history to write new history. They draw their line big, they don't make the already drawn line smaller by cutting or erasing it," Kharge said. Kharge alleged that the government is claiming credit for schemes of previous governments just by changing their names. "Democracy is being torn to shreds by distorting the old constitutional systems that have been running for decades, giving new dimensions to dictatorship. And now, they are trying to create history by renaming old laws, which provided stability and peace to the country," he said. Taking a dig at the prime minister, he said, "First, they talked about 'acche din', then, they talked about 'New India', And now they talk about 'Amrit Kaal'. Isn't this a name change to hide his failures?" Referring to Manipur, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, where there have been incidents of violence in the recent past, he said be it any corner of the country - "wherever there is injustice, the Congress party will establish justice." For the rights of the youth, for the welfare of the farmers, for the respect of women, for the justice of the underprivileged, for the earnings of small traders, he said, "The Congress is standing. INDIA will rise." (With inputs from PTI and ANI)
sudhir suyawanshi By

Express News Service

MUMBAI: The differences between alliance partners of Maha Vikas Aghadi  the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, Uddhav-led Shiv Sena and the Congress  are public over frequent secret meetings between Sharad Pawar and his nephew Ajit Pawar.

Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress have alleged that such meetings between the Pawars are creating confusion among alliance partners. Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut said when Eknath Shinde broke away, they did not meet regularly nor did they enjoy a cup of tea with him. Raut took a strong stand against "traitors."

Raut said, on the one hand, Sharad Pawar was trying to keep his relationship with the nephew, and on the other, he was adding to the confusion in the already tense political atmosphere. He said such a display of political behaviour by leaders like Sharad Pawar can cause erosion in his credibility.

Raut said Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole had visited Matoshree, the private residence of Uddhav Thackeray, where the two sides discussed several political issues. "The secret meetings involving the Pawars were one of the issues discussed at Matoshree. Patole remained at Matoshree for more than three hours. We hope there should be clarity among the alliance partners," said Raut.

Raut said Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is getting sick with such shenanigans and is frequently flying to his hometown Satara. Shindes unease is also due to Union home minister Amit Shahs recent Pune visit. Shah met Shinde and conveyed to him that there would be a change of guard in Maharashtra, said Raut.

Meanwhile, Sharad Pawar on Monday asked the media not to create confusion by asking the same questions over his meeting with Ajit Pawar. This came at the back of an editorial in the Sena (UBT) mouthpiece 'Saamana', which questioned the frequent meetings between the Pawars and called it "amusing."

"This daily game of creation of confusion has now gone beyond the minds of people. The people have become numb to it because of the current political games," the Marathi daily said.

MUMBAI: The differences between alliance partners of Maha Vikas Aghadi  the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, Uddhav-led Shiv Sena and the Congress  are public over frequent secret meetings between Sharad Pawar and his nephew Ajit Pawar. Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress have alleged that such meetings between the Pawars are creating confusion among alliance partners. Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut said when Eknath Shinde broke away, they did not meet regularly nor did they enjoy a cup of tea with him. Raut took a strong stand against "traitors." Raut said, on the one hand, Sharad Pawar was trying to keep his relationship with the nephew, and on the other, he was adding to the confusion in the already tense political atmosphere. He said such a display of political behaviour by leaders like Sharad Pawar can cause erosion in his credibility.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Raut said Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole had visited Matoshree, the private residence of Uddhav Thackeray, where the two sides discussed several political issues. "The secret meetings involving the Pawars were one of the issues discussed at Matoshree. Patole remained at Matoshree for more than three hours. We hope there should be clarity among the alliance partners," said Raut. Raut said Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is getting sick with such shenanigans and is frequently flying to his hometown Satara. Shindes unease is also due to Union home minister Amit Shahs recent Pune visit. Shah met Shinde and conveyed to him that there would be a change of guard in Maharashtra, said Raut. Meanwhile, Sharad Pawar on Monday asked the media not to create confusion by asking the same questions over his meeting with Ajit Pawar. This came at the back of an editorial in the Sena (UBT) mouthpiece 'Saamana', which questioned the frequent meetings between the Pawars and called it "amusing." "This daily game of creation of confusion has now gone beyond the minds of people. The people have become numb to it because of the current political games," the Marathi daily said.
By PTI

BENGALURU: Politics has become a profession of power and money, and ceased to be a service, former Solicitor General of India Justice N Santosh Hegde rued on the country's independence day.

Speaking to PTI here, the retired Judge of the Supreme Court also said there should be an all-out effort to inculcate two social values -- contentment and humanism -- so that there could be solidarity and peace in society.

Before independence many in the country fought against foreign rule and for independence without any monetary gain; it was because of their love for the country, it was a sacrifice, he recalled.

After independence, people joined politics as a service to the nation and for a few decades elected representatives had no salary. Only their actual expenses were paid, the former Karnataka Lokayukta pointed out.

The role of an elected representative was only to attend the proceedings of their elected bodies like the Parliament or State Assemblies. The elected bodies' proceedings were for a period of 100 days in a year and their role was to make laws and policies.

There was no educational qualification required to become an elected representative and they had no role in administration. Hence, they had to find other legitimate sources for their survival. But in the last 50 years, the whole structure of administration has changed.

The Executive, who under the Constitution were entrusted with the administration have been made subservient to the elected representatives. Consequently today, in reality, the elected representatives have become the masters of administration, which today entrusts so much power on them, he noted.

As the old saying goes "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely" has become the slogan of the day, Justice Hegde said. "Corruption in today's administration is well known. Politics has ceased to be a service, it has become a profession of power and money", he said.

"The last government in Karnataka was accused by the opposition as 40 per cent government which is generally accepted. Consequently, today politics is no more a service; it has become a profession."

In reality, today's elected representatives are not public servants; they are public masters. Privileges they have which are self conferred make them superior to other citizens. The only time they become equal to other citizens is on the eve of elections, he said.

"These are a few of the reasons which make me feel that the foundation of present-day politics should change if democracy should still have the definition 'Government of the people, by the people and for the people'," Justice Hegde said.

He, however, also said that since achieving Independence, the country has progressed substantially on almost all fronts though rural development has not been the same as urban development. As a result, there has been excess rural migration.

"The rural development is dependent on agriculture; hence sufficient monetary development from agriculture should be focused, apart from infrastructural development of the rural areas", the former Advocate General of Karnataka said.

"Our country's international status in the fields of Economics, Medical, and Space Science is appreciated globally," he added.

BENGALURU: Politics has become a profession of power and money, and ceased to be a service, former Solicitor General of India Justice N Santosh Hegde rued on the country's independence day. Speaking to PTI here, the retired Judge of the Supreme Court also said there should be an all-out effort to inculcate two social values -- contentment and humanism -- so that there could be solidarity and peace in society. Before independence many in the country fought against foreign rule and for independence without any monetary gain; it was because of their love for the country, it was a sacrifice, he recalled.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); After independence, people joined politics as a service to the nation and for a few decades elected representatives had no salary. Only their actual expenses were paid, the former Karnataka Lokayukta pointed out. The role of an elected representative was only to attend the proceedings of their elected bodies like the Parliament or State Assemblies. The elected bodies' proceedings were for a period of 100 days in a year and their role was to make laws and policies. There was no educational qualification required to become an elected representative and they had no role in administration. Hence, they had to find other legitimate sources for their survival. But in the last 50 years, the whole structure of administration has changed. The Executive, who under the Constitution were entrusted with the administration have been made subservient to the elected representatives. Consequently today, in reality, the elected representatives have become the masters of administration, which today entrusts so much power on them, he noted. As the old saying goes "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely" has become the slogan of the day, Justice Hegde said. "Corruption in today's administration is well known. Politics has ceased to be a service, it has become a profession of power and money", he said. "The last government in Karnataka was accused by the opposition as 40 per cent government which is generally accepted. Consequently, today politics is no more a service; it has become a profession." In reality, today's elected representatives are not public servants; they are public masters. Privileges they have which are self conferred make them superior to other citizens. The only time they become equal to other citizens is on the eve of elections, he said. "These are a few of the reasons which make me feel that the foundation of present-day politics should change if democracy should still have the definition 'Government of the people, by the people and for the people'," Justice Hegde said. He, however, also said that since achieving Independence, the country has progressed substantially on almost all fronts though rural development has not been the same as urban development. As a result, there has been excess rural migration. "The rural development is dependent on agriculture; hence sufficient monetary development from agriculture should be focused, apart from infrastructural development of the rural areas", the former Advocate General of Karnataka said. "Our country's international status in the fields of Economics, Medical, and Space Science is appreciated globally," he added.
By PTI

MATHURA: Five people died on Tuesday and four more were injured when parts of an old building collapsed on devotees near the Banke Bihari temple here, officials said.

The incident took place in the evening, police said, adding that a big chunk of a balcony collapsed on devotees walking past the house first and as work was underway to rescue those trapped under the debris, a wall of the building collapsed.

Vrindavan SHO Vijay Kumar Singh said a couple of monkeys were fighting among themselves on the balcony when it collapsed.

All those injured were rushed to a hospital, where five, including three women, were declared dead, the official said.

District Pulkit Khare said due compensation will be awarded to the victim's families.

The officials identified the deceased as Geeta Kashyap (50), Arvind Kumar Yadav (35) and Rashmi Gupta (52) from Kanpur, Anju Murgan (51) of Vrindavan and Chandan Rai (28) of Deoria.

The injured are undergoing treatment and their condition was stated to be stable, they said.

MATHURA: Five people died on Tuesday and four more were injured when parts of an old building collapsed on devotees near the Banke Bihari temple here, officials said. The incident took place in the evening, police said, adding that a big chunk of a balcony collapsed on devotees walking past the house first and as work was underway to rescue those trapped under the debris, a wall of the building collapsed. Vrindavan SHO Vijay Kumar Singh said a couple of monkeys were fighting among themselves on the balcony when it collapsed.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); All those injured were rushed to a hospital, where five, including three women, were declared dead, the official said. District Pulkit Khare said due compensation will be awarded to the victim's families. The officials identified the deceased as Geeta Kashyap (50), Arvind Kumar Yadav (35) and Rashmi Gupta (52) from Kanpur, Anju Murgan (51) of Vrindavan and Chandan Rai (28) of Deoria. The injured are undergoing treatment and their condition was stated to be stable, they said.
POMPANO BEACH, Fla.Swiss Navy is bringing awareness to anal play safety in honor of National Anal Health and Awareness Month this August.

Our team as a whole is always looking to increase awareness of overall health and safety, but during August we all tend to focus on anal play and how we can help our retail partners to be prepared for consumers wanting to celebrate and participate in honoring Anal August in all its forms, said Briana Watkins, ACS, vice president of sales and marketing for M.D. Science Lab.

Some anal hygiene information for retail staff to know:

 The anus is self-cleaning, but its recommended to wash it every day with water.

 Using soaps or harsh chemicals can upset the natural oils that the body produces to promote anal health.

 Excessive wiping and over-use of cleansing wipes should be avoided.

While anal health is important, the most common topic consumers bring up with retail staff during August is anal pleasure.

The perianal area contains numerous nerve endings and the skin around the anal area is tender and sensitive. This sensitivity can lead to sensually pleasing sensations. However, the rectum is not self-lubricating, so retailers should always encourage consumers to add personal lubricant to their purchases.

According to research, in 2022 around 40 percent of people in the U.S. reported theyve tried anal sex, said Watkins. And the popularity of anal play continues to grow. Thats why we offer different types of anal lubricants and make sure that were aware of anal safety practices.

Swiss Navy is known for its Premium Anal Lubricant, which is silicone based. To offer another option, the company recently introduced a water-based jelly formula, Swiss Navys Anal Jelly Premium Thick Water-Based Anal Lubricant.

Both Swiss Navy anal lubricant formulas, silicone and water-based, have the addition of eugenia caryophyllus, or clove flower oil.

Clove oil has traditionally been used for a variety of purposes, including:

 As an antimicrobial, to help kill bacteria.

 As a pain reliever for conditions such as muscle pain.

Clove oil is also a natural remedy for moisturizing dry skin, making it beneficial for tender skin in the anal region.

What we want retail staff to keep in mind this month is that consumers encouraged to practice safe anal play leads them to engaging in more pleasurable anal sex. And we also want them to know that Swiss Navy is always here to help, said Watkins.

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Harpreet Bajwa By

Express News Service

A self-proclaimed cow vigilante Raj Kumar alias Bittu Bajrangi has been arrested by Haryana Police from Faridabad in connection with the August 1 communal clashes in the Nuh district of Haryana.

A fresh case has been registered against him for carrying illegal weapons in Jalabhishek Yatra and clashing with police personnel when they seized the weapons.

Sources said Bittu Bajrangi has been arrested by the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) team of Nuh Police on the evening of August 15.

The violence broke out following clashes between the mob and the participants of Jalabhishek Yatra on July 31.

A case was registered against Bajrangi and others on charges of assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging duty, voluntarily causing harm to deter a public worker from doing duties, rioting and Arms Act on a complaint lodged by the Assistant Superintendent of Police Usha Kundu at Sadar Police Station of Nuh.

In her complaint, Kundu stated, "We saw a mob of around 20 people carrying swords and trishuls marching to Nalhar temple. I was on law and order duty and stopped them. I ordered the police personnel to seize their weapons and they started raising slogans against the police. They manhandled the police personnel. As the police tried to leave with their weapons in the police vehicles they blocked the vehicle by lying in front of the vehicles. Another police team came to intervene but they opened the rear gates of the police vehicle and fled with weapons. I was busy with post-clash law and order resumption so lodging a complaint was delayed."

Sources said that Bajrangi who was identified through social media posts and some of his unidentified supporters were carrying swords and trishuls to Nalhar temple when Kundu and her team stopped them.

"He is being questioned by the CIA team regarding the violence," said an official.

A case was earlier also registered against him at Faridabad over one of his social media videos allegedly instigating Nuh clashes under section 295A of IPC at Dabua Police Station he was arrested and released on bail.



A self-proclaimed cow vigilante Raj Kumar alias Bittu Bajrangi has been arrested by Haryana Police from Faridabad in connection with the August 1 communal clashes in the Nuh district of Haryana. A fresh case has been registered against him for carrying illegal weapons in Jalabhishek Yatra and clashing with police personnel when they seized the weapons. Sources said Bittu Bajrangi has been arrested by the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) team of Nuh Police on the evening of August 15.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The violence broke out following clashes between the mob and the participants of Jalabhishek Yatra on July 31. A case was registered against Bajrangi and others on charges of assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging duty, voluntarily causing harm to deter a public worker from doing duties, rioting and Arms Act on a complaint lodged by the Assistant Superintendent of Police Usha Kundu at Sadar Police Station of Nuh. In her complaint, Kundu stated, "We saw a mob of around 20 people carrying swords and trishuls marching to Nalhar temple. I was on law and order duty and stopped them. I ordered the police personnel to seize their weapons and they started raising slogans against the police. They manhandled the police personnel. As the police tried to leave with their weapons in the police vehicles they blocked the vehicle by lying in front of the vehicles. Another police team came to intervene but they opened the rear gates of the police vehicle and fled with weapons. I was busy with post-clash law and order resumption so lodging a complaint was delayed." Sources said that Bajrangi who was identified through social media posts and some of his unidentified supporters were carrying swords and trishuls to Nalhar temple when Kundu and her team stopped them. "He is being questioned by the CIA team regarding the violence," said an official. A case was earlier also registered against him at Faridabad over one of his social media videos allegedly instigating Nuh clashes under section 295A of IPC at Dabua Police Station he was arrested and released on bail.
Mayank Singh By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The 19th round of the disengagement talks between the Corps Commanders of India and China stretched for two continuous days as the two sides had an "elaborate" discussion on the remaining standoff points.

As per the joint statement, 'The two sides had a positive, constructive and in-depth discussion on the resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC in the Western Sector,' it said.

The sources told this newspaper, "The talks were elaborate but there has been no significant outcome."

The two sides 'In line with the guidance provided by the leadership exchanged views in an open and forward-looking manner,' the joint statement added.

The 19th round of India-China Corps Commander-level meeting was held at Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Indian side on August 13-14, it said.

India and China agreed to resolve the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh in an expeditious manner, a joint statement said on Tuesday, a day after the two sides concluded two-day military talks.

Depsang and Demchok are the two remaining standoff points. In Depsang, Chinese troops have blocked Indian access to PP 10, 11, 11A, 12, and 13. As per sources, the total area here that remains out of access for Indian troops is about 952 sq km.

The five PPs are close to the LAC and are located inside the line that marks the Indian Territory. The sub-sector north of which Depsang is a part, is strategically most important. China has multiple roads feeding this area while India has only the DSDBO road.

Demchok is the site of a prolonged standoff at Charding Nilong Nallah (CNN) as there are few tents pitched in this area by the Chinese and they had not moved back. This is close to the through which the LAC Passes. There are grazing grounds on both sides of CNN.

It was for the first time that the high-level military talks on the lingering border row spanned two days.

'They agreed to resolve the remaining issues in an expeditious manner and maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiations through military and diplomatic channels,' the statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs said.

'In the interim, the two sides agreed to maintain the peace and tranquillity on the ground in the border areas,' it said.

The Indian Army, as reported by this Newspaper in May month, had put its foot down over the restoration of patrolling rights up until the traditional patrolling points (PPs). They had insisted with the Chinese side that it be allowed to patrol till the traditional patrolling points in the remaining standoff locations.

As per the sources, "The Indian stance on the standoff points has remained consistent, the restoration of status quo ante as of April 2020. Importantly, this entails the restoration of patrolling rights till the traditional patrolling points,".

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in April had held a bilateral meeting with Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu and conveyed to him that "violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and disengagement at the border will logically be followed with de-escalation,".

The story of clashes in May 2020 was the breaking of this Newspaper and since then Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in an over three-year confrontation in certain friction points in eastern Ladakh. Meanwhile, the two sides also disengaged troops from several areas following extensive diplomatic and military talks.

NEW DELHI: The 19th round of the disengagement talks between the Corps Commanders of India and China stretched for two continuous days as the two sides had an "elaborate" discussion on the remaining standoff points. As per the joint statement, 'The two sides had a positive, constructive and in-depth discussion on the resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC in the Western Sector,' it said. The sources told this newspaper, "The talks were elaborate but there has been no significant outcome."googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The two sides 'In line with the guidance provided by the leadership exchanged views in an open and forward-looking manner,' the joint statement added. The 19th round of India-China Corps Commander-level meeting was held at Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Indian side on August 13-14, it said. India and China agreed to resolve the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh in an expeditious manner, a joint statement said on Tuesday, a day after the two sides concluded two-day military talks. Depsang and Demchok are the two remaining standoff points. In Depsang, Chinese troops have blocked Indian access to PP 10, 11, 11A, 12, and 13. As per sources, the total area here that remains out of access for Indian troops is about 952 sq km. The five PPs are close to the LAC and are located inside the line that marks the Indian Territory. The sub-sector north of which Depsang is a part, is strategically most important. China has multiple roads feeding this area while India has only the DSDBO road. Demchok is the site of a prolonged standoff at Charding Nilong Nallah (CNN) as there are few tents pitched in this area by the Chinese and they had not moved back. This is close to the through which the LAC Passes. There are grazing grounds on both sides of CNN. It was for the first time that the high-level military talks on the lingering border row spanned two days. 'They agreed to resolve the remaining issues in an expeditious manner and maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiations through military and diplomatic channels,' the statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs said. 'In the interim, the two sides agreed to maintain the peace and tranquillity on the ground in the border areas,' it said. The Indian Army, as reported by this Newspaper in May month, had put its foot down over the restoration of patrolling rights up until the traditional patrolling points (PPs). They had insisted with the Chinese side that it be allowed to patrol till the traditional patrolling points in the remaining standoff locations. As per the sources, "The Indian stance on the standoff points has remained consistent, the restoration of status quo ante as of April 2020. Importantly, this entails the restoration of patrolling rights till the traditional patrolling points,". Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in April had held a bilateral meeting with Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu and conveyed to him that "violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and disengagement at the border will logically be followed with de-escalation,". The story of clashes in May 2020 was the breaking of this Newspaper and since then Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in an over three-year confrontation in certain friction points in eastern Ladakh. Meanwhile, the two sides also disengaged troops from several areas following extensive diplomatic and military talks.
Mayank Singh By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Life for the residents of Danna Village at the Line of Control (LoC) in Machhal Sector changed for good on the eve of Independence Day. The Indian Army linked this Last Village on LoC in Machhal Sector, Kupwara District, of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) with 115 Feet Long Bridge.

The Indian Army said on Tuesday, "In the run-up to this year's Independence Day, gifted locals of Danna Village, the last village in Machhal Sector by dedicating a bridge across Machhal Nala.

The 115 feet long Bridge has been named as Bhagat Bridge in memory of Late Major Bhagat Singh, Veer Chakra, who laid down his life defending this sector in the 1965 war. Danna Village is also popularly known as Bhagat Village in memory of the brave son of India.

The bridge was dedicated to the villagers by Sepoy Mian Gul Khan, a ninety-year-old 1971 war veteran and a proud resident of the area in the presence of senior army officials and local dignitaries. The dedication event was also attended by children, women and elders of seven nearby villages.

Impressing the significance of this bridge an officer said that this will give a new lease of life to the people as "they had no place to hide when the firing used to take place as bunkers could not be built because there was no connection to this place."

There is no primary school and during the rainy season, it was not possible to cross the Nala.

"The bridge will provide succour to locals from the difficulties related to lack of connectivity across Machhal Nala, providing them with a means of sending their children to school and facilitating the move of sick and elders. The bridge will also encourage tourists to visit this pristine area." said the Army.

The bridge has been constructed by Indian Army Engineers who persistently toiled for two months in spite of incessant rains and adverse conditions.

#WATCH | Indian Army in the run-up to this year's Independence Day, gifted locals of Danna Village, on LoC in Machhal Sector by dedicating a bridge across Machhal Nala.



The 115 feet long Bridge has been named as Bhagat Bridge in memory of Major Bhagat Singh, Veer Chakra, who pic.twitter.com/XehZd9cI2U  ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2023

The situation was completely different until February 23, 2021, when the Directors General Military Operations of India and Pakistan reiterated their commitment to the 2003 ceasefire agreement and decided to maintain peace at the de facto border.

Things witnessed a change since India and Pakistan decided to cease firing along the LoC and all other sectors, with effect from midnight of February 25, 2021.

Otherwise, the LoC has been active with firing, disturbing the life of the people on both sides. Peace at the LoC has enabled road repair work as large JCB machines are seen moving stones and filling the earth. "The machines would have been absent had the ceasefire agreement not been in place,"

India shares a 3,323 km border with Pakistan of which the length of the LoC is 740 km and runs from parts of Jammu to parts of Leh. The LoC is a ceasefire line which was delineated in the Simla Agreement (July 1972) whereby both sides agreed not to alter it unilaterally.

On this special occasion of the 77th Independence Day, the Army said, the inauguration of the bridge serves as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by the Indian Army to safeguard the sovereignty and integrity of the nation.

NEW DELHI: Life for the residents of Danna Village at the Line of Control (LoC) in Machhal Sector changed for good on the eve of Independence Day. The Indian Army linked this Last Village on LoC in Machhal Sector, Kupwara District, of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) with 115 Feet Long Bridge. The Indian Army said on Tuesday, "In the run-up to this year's Independence Day, gifted locals of Danna Village, the last village in Machhal Sector by dedicating a bridge across Machhal Nala. The 115 feet long Bridge has been named as Bhagat Bridge in memory of Late Major Bhagat Singh, Veer Chakra, who laid down his life defending this sector in the 1965 war. Danna Village is also popularly known as Bhagat Village in memory of the brave son of India.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The bridge was dedicated to the villagers by Sepoy Mian Gul Khan, a ninety-year-old 1971 war veteran and a proud resident of the area in the presence of senior army officials and local dignitaries. The dedication event was also attended by children, women and elders of seven nearby villages. Impressing the significance of this bridge an officer said that this will give a new lease of life to the people as "they had no place to hide when the firing used to take place as bunkers could not be built because there was no connection to this place." There is no primary school and during the rainy season, it was not possible to cross the Nala. "The bridge will provide succour to locals from the difficulties related to lack of connectivity across Machhal Nala, providing them with a means of sending their children to school and facilitating the move of sick and elders. The bridge will also encourage tourists to visit this pristine area." said the Army. The bridge has been constructed by Indian Army Engineers who persistently toiled for two months in spite of incessant rains and adverse conditions. #WATCH | Indian Army in the run-up to this year's Independence Day, gifted locals of Danna Village, on LoC in Machhal Sector by dedicating a bridge across Machhal Nala. The 115 feet long Bridge has been named as Bhagat Bridge in memory of Major Bhagat Singh, Veer Chakra, who pic.twitter.com/XehZd9cI2U  ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2023 The situation was completely different until February 23, 2021, when the Directors General Military Operations of India and Pakistan reiterated their commitment to the 2003 ceasefire agreement and decided to maintain peace at the de facto border. Things witnessed a change since India and Pakistan decided to cease firing along the LoC and all other sectors, with effect from midnight of February 25, 2021. Otherwise, the LoC has been active with firing, disturbing the life of the people on both sides. Peace at the LoC has enabled road repair work as large JCB machines are seen moving stones and filling the earth. "The machines would have been absent had the ceasefire agreement not been in place," India shares a 3,323 km border with Pakistan of which the length of the LoC is 740 km and runs from parts of Jammu to parts of Leh. The LoC is a ceasefire line which was delineated in the Simla Agreement (July 1972) whereby both sides agreed not to alter it unilaterally. On this special occasion of the 77th Independence Day, the Army said, the inauguration of the bridge serves as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by the Indian Army to safeguard the sovereignty and integrity of the nation.
By PTI

KOLKATA: The anti-ragging committee of Jadavpur University has submitted a report to the University Grants Commission (UGC) on preliminary findings of its inquiry into the death of an undergraduate student, an official of the institution said.

The panel members have spoken with hostel, university authorities and students before compiling the report on the death of the 17-year-old boy who died after falling down from the balcony of the main hostel on August 10.

Another internal inquiry committee, formed by the university in the wake of the incident, has also recorded the statements of all stakeholders.

Registrar Snehamanju Basu, who is part of the committee besides dean of student affairs, told reporters, "The boy's death was extremely tragic. Police investigation is underway and we want the guilty to be punished."

"We have zero tolerance towards ragging and will ensure that the university is rid of the menace. We are discussing matters of security and surveillance by taking into confidence all stakeholders," she said.

Jadavpur University Teachers Association (JUTA) on Monday held an emergency meeting on the campus where the professors' body demanded the creation of a post of warden of hostels apart from the superintendent and recommended steps such as monitoring the entry of people into the campus and the hostel compound after 7 pm with mandatory production of ID cards.

"The administration has failed to check certain activities on the campus and in the hostels. We demand that CCTVs be installed at strategic locations like the gates but not everywhere on the campus and in the buildings," JUTA general secretary Partha Pratim Roy told PTI.

He said JUTA will bring out a "silent rally" on Wednesday from the campus to the Jadavpur police station in protest against the incident and submit a deputation to the police.

"We think it is a case of not only ragging but also sexual harassment. We believe the university must have zero tolerance for the offenders," he added. Two students and a former student have been arrested so far in connection with the death.

KOLKATA: The anti-ragging committee of Jadavpur University has submitted a report to the University Grants Commission (UGC) on preliminary findings of its inquiry into the death of an undergraduate student, an official of the institution said. The panel members have spoken with hostel, university authorities and students before compiling the report on the death of the 17-year-old boy who died after falling down from the balcony of the main hostel on August 10. Another internal inquiry committee, formed by the university in the wake of the incident, has also recorded the statements of all stakeholders.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Registrar Snehamanju Basu, who is part of the committee besides dean of student affairs, told reporters, "The boy's death was extremely tragic. Police investigation is underway and we want the guilty to be punished." "We have zero tolerance towards ragging and will ensure that the university is rid of the menace. We are discussing matters of security and surveillance by taking into confidence all stakeholders," she said. Jadavpur University Teachers Association (JUTA) on Monday held an emergency meeting on the campus where the professors' body demanded the creation of a post of warden of hostels apart from the superintendent and recommended steps such as monitoring the entry of people into the campus and the hostel compound after 7 pm with mandatory production of ID cards. "The administration has failed to check certain activities on the campus and in the hostels. We demand that CCTVs be installed at strategic locations like the gates but not everywhere on the campus and in the buildings," JUTA general secretary Partha Pratim Roy told PTI. He said JUTA will bring out a "silent rally" on Wednesday from the campus to the Jadavpur police station in protest against the incident and submit a deputation to the police. "We think it is a case of not only ragging but also sexual harassment. We believe the university must have zero tolerance for the offenders," he added. Two students and a former student have been arrested so far in connection with the death.
By Express News Service

GUWAHATI: Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said the recent ethnic violence in the state was instigated by some vested interests and outside elements.

Addressing a gathering during the celebration of the 77th Independence Day on Tuesday, Singh said these elements wanted to destabilise the state and the country.

He appealed to people of the two warring communities  Meitei and Kuki  to refrain from indulging in violence and forgive and forget whatever happened.

He appealed to them to share their grievances and come to an understanding which would be for the betterment of both communities.

Considering the hardship being faced by the displaced people, the government has taken up steps to resettle them in the places they stayed earlier. For those places where resettlement is not possible now, temporary houses are being constructed for the displaced people, the CM said.

He said the government constituted committees to provide a source of livelihood under One Family One Livelihood to those who have no source of income. The government is taking every effort to rehabilitate the affected people and bring normalcy soon, he said.

Stating that security forces have been deployed to different places to guard the farmers as they take up agricultural activities, Singh said Union home minister Amit Shah had been constantly monitoring the situation and taking various measures.

Talking about the War on Drugs, the CM said the campaign was not against any community. He said it was launched to save the lives of the youth.

He mentioned the ill-effect of drugs and environmental degradation due to mass deforestation for poppy cultivation. He said under such circumstances, the government could not remain a mute spectator.

Seeking peoples support in the fight against drugs, Singh said the government wanted to root out the menace from the state.

Manipur is the gateway to India for trafficking of illegal drugs from the Golden Triangle, he said, adding that the steps taken by the state government helped save the lives of many in mainland India.

He appealed to people to refrain from felling trees and plant trees to preserve forests. He also appealed to them to preserve water bodies.

GUWAHATI: Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said the recent ethnic violence in the state was instigated by some vested interests and outside elements. Addressing a gathering during the celebration of the 77th Independence Day on Tuesday, Singh said these elements wanted to destabilise the state and the country. He appealed to people of the two warring communities  Meitei and Kuki  to refrain from indulging in violence and forgive and forget whatever happened.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); He appealed to them to share their grievances and come to an understanding which would be for the betterment of both communities. Considering the hardship being faced by the displaced people, the government has taken up steps to resettle them in the places they stayed earlier. For those places where resettlement is not possible now, temporary houses are being constructed for the displaced people, the CM said. He said the government constituted committees to provide a source of livelihood under One Family One Livelihood to those who have no source of income. The government is taking every effort to rehabilitate the affected people and bring normalcy soon, he said. Stating that security forces have been deployed to different places to guard the farmers as they take up agricultural activities, Singh said Union home minister Amit Shah had been constantly monitoring the situation and taking various measures. Talking about the War on Drugs, the CM said the campaign was not against any community. He said it was launched to save the lives of the youth. He mentioned the ill-effect of drugs and environmental degradation due to mass deforestation for poppy cultivation. He said under such circumstances, the government could not remain a mute spectator. Seeking peoples support in the fight against drugs, Singh said the government wanted to root out the menace from the state. Manipur is the gateway to India for trafficking of illegal drugs from the Golden Triangle, he said, adding that the steps taken by the state government helped save the lives of many in mainland India. He appealed to people to refrain from felling trees and plant trees to preserve forests. He also appealed to them to preserve water bodies.
Dilip Singh Kshatriya By

Express News Service

AHMEDABAD: In Gujarat, out of 1,82,869 tribal claims for land pattas/rights under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 57,054 claims have been denied by various administrations.

In the forest areas on which tribal claimed their first right, a total of 16,070.58 hectares of land has been diverted to various development purposes under the Forest Conservation Act 1980.

Under Compensatory Afforestation, 10,832.3 hectares of land has been given for forest. That shows a decrease of 5,238.28 hectares in land utilized for forest in Gujarat. On August 8, Congress MP Amee Yagnik raised a question in the Rajya Sabha about tribal claims for land pattas/rights under the Forest Rights Act (FRA).

The government in its response said a total of 1,82,869 individual claims were received up to November 30, 2022, from the state, while 57,054 Individual claims were rejected up to that period. State Congress spokesperson, Parthiv Raj Kathwadia accused the government of depriving 91,183 tribals in the state of forest land rights.

Kathwadia said that it would mean that 49.8 per cent of tribals who applied for benefits under the Jungle Land Act were denied their right. There are 34,129 applications awaiting clearance. The BJP makes huge announcements for tribals but when it comes to actually granting them their rights, the Bharatiya Janata Party government backs down, Kathvadia alleged.

Giving reasons for rejection, the government stated in the Rajya Sabha that general reasons of rejections of claims as reported by the state governments include non-occupation of forest land prior to December 13, 2005, multiple claims and the lack of sufficient documentary evidence.

On August 7, 2023, Bharatiya Janata Party MP Varun Gandhi posed a series of questions in the Lok Sabha about the projects for which forest land was obtained from the Revenue and Forest Department under the Forest Conservation Act 1980. In response, the Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Department provided data for the entire country.

According to it, a total of 16,070.58 hectares of land have been diverted for various categories under Compensatory Afforestation (CA) in the last 15 years. The government has stated that, in comparison to the amount of forest land used, 10,832.3 hectares of land have been given under Compensatory Afforestation from 2008 to 2022-23, indicating that the government has used 16,070.58 hectares of land in Gujarat under the Forest Conservation Act 1980 for various development works in the last 15 years.

Tribals losing land in Gujarat

1,82,869 tribal claims for land rights

57,054 claims rejected by govt

5,238.28 hectares of decline in forestland utilization

AHMEDABAD: In Gujarat, out of 1,82,869 tribal claims for land pattas/rights under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 57,054 claims have been denied by various administrations. In the forest areas on which tribal claimed their first right, a total of 16,070.58 hectares of land has been diverted to various development purposes under the Forest Conservation Act 1980. Under Compensatory Afforestation, 10,832.3 hectares of land has been given for forest. That shows a decrease of 5,238.28 hectares in land utilized for forest in Gujarat. On August 8, Congress MP Amee Yagnik raised a question in the Rajya Sabha about tribal claims for land pattas/rights under the Forest Rights Act (FRA).googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The government in its response said a total of 1,82,869 individual claims were received up to November 30, 2022, from the state, while 57,054 Individual claims were rejected up to that period. State Congress spokesperson, Parthiv Raj Kathwadia accused the government of depriving 91,183 tribals in the state of forest land rights. Kathwadia said that it would mean that 49.8 per cent of tribals who applied for benefits under the Jungle Land Act were denied their right. There are 34,129 applications awaiting clearance. The BJP makes huge announcements for tribals but when it comes to actually granting them their rights, the Bharatiya Janata Party government backs down, Kathvadia alleged. Giving reasons for rejection, the government stated in the Rajya Sabha that general reasons of rejections of claims as reported by the state governments include non-occupation of forest land prior to December 13, 2005, multiple claims and the lack of sufficient documentary evidence. On August 7, 2023, Bharatiya Janata Party MP Varun Gandhi posed a series of questions in the Lok Sabha about the projects for which forest land was obtained from the Revenue and Forest Department under the Forest Conservation Act 1980. In response, the Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Department provided data for the entire country. According to it, a total of 16,070.58 hectares of land have been diverted for various categories under Compensatory Afforestation (CA) in the last 15 years. The government has stated that, in comparison to the amount of forest land used, 10,832.3 hectares of land have been given under Compensatory Afforestation from 2008 to 2022-23, indicating that the government has used 16,070.58 hectares of land in Gujarat under the Forest Conservation Act 1980 for various development works in the last 15 years. Tribals losing land in Gujarat 1,82,869 tribal claims for land rights 57,054 claims rejected by govt 5,238.28 hectares of decline in forestland utilization
Ramashankar By

Express News Service

PATNA: A day after a delegation of BJP leaders met Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and demanded a check on rising crime, a police officer was shot dead by cattle smugglers in Bihars Samastipur district on Tuesday.

The deceased police officer Nand Kishore Yadav was posted at Mohanpur police outpost under Dalsinghsarai police station. The incident took place when the SHO had gone to conduct a raid after picking up three suspects involved in cattle theft in the area.

The cattle thieves opened fire at the police officer during the investigation. He received injuries above his eyes. He was rushed to Dalsinghsarai sub-divisional hospital from where he was later referred to Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) in Patna.

Police sources said that Yadav succumbed to his injuries during treatment. Earlier, police had arrested three cattle thieves and recovered two vehicles which were used in the transportation of stolen cattle from the spot to an unknown destination.

Superintendent of Police (SP), Samastipur, Vijay Kumar Tiwari said that the body of the deceased cop would be handed over to the family after guard of honour at the district police lines. He said those involved in the crime would not be spared.

SP Tiwari said that the slain SHO was alerted after a series of incidents of cattle theft in the area falling under the Mohanpur police outpost. The unfortunate incident happened during cattle theft investigation, he told the media.

Yadav, a native of Araria district, had joined the police department in 2009. Before being transferred to Samastipur, he had served in Kishanganj and Purnea districts. The slain police officers elder brother Narayan Yadav raised questions over the death of the police officer.

He was pressurized to conduct an investigation in cattle theft cases, which cost him dearly and was killed, the slain cops brother alleged and demanded a fair investigation.

PATNA: A day after a delegation of BJP leaders met Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and demanded a check on rising crime, a police officer was shot dead by cattle smugglers in Bihars Samastipur district on Tuesday. The deceased police officer Nand Kishore Yadav was posted at Mohanpur police outpost under Dalsinghsarai police station. The incident took place when the SHO had gone to conduct a raid after picking up three suspects involved in cattle theft in the area. The cattle thieves opened fire at the police officer during the investigation. He received injuries above his eyes. He was rushed to Dalsinghsarai sub-divisional hospital from where he was later referred to Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) in Patna. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Police sources said that Yadav succumbed to his injuries during treatment. Earlier, police had arrested three cattle thieves and recovered two vehicles which were used in the transportation of stolen cattle from the spot to an unknown destination. Superintendent of Police (SP), Samastipur, Vijay Kumar Tiwari said that the body of the deceased cop would be handed over to the family after guard of honour at the district police lines. He said those involved in the crime would not be spared. SP Tiwari said that the slain SHO was alerted after a series of incidents of cattle theft in the area falling under the Mohanpur police outpost. The unfortunate incident happened during cattle theft investigation, he told the media. Yadav, a native of Araria district, had joined the police department in 2009. Before being transferred to Samastipur, he had served in Kishanganj and Purnea districts. The slain police officers elder brother Narayan Yadav raised questions over the death of the police officer. He was pressurized to conduct an investigation in cattle theft cases, which cost him dearly and was killed, the slain cops brother alleged and demanded a fair investigation.
By PTI

HOSHIARPUR: Several villages near the Beas River in Punjab's Hoshiarpur district and the Sutlej River in Rupnagar district were inundated following the release of excess water from the Pong and the Bhakra dams, officials said on Tuesday.

Many villagers were evacuated to safety and the authorities are keeping an eye on the situation, they said.

In Gurdaspur, the district administration has also asked people living in low-lying areas and near the banks of the Beas to move to safer places.

In an advisory on Monday, the Punjab government had asked residents of Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala and Tarn Taran districts not to venture near the Beas after it was decided that water from the Pong dam would be released.

The Bhakra dam on the Sutlej and the Pong dam on the Beas -- both in Himachal Pradesh -- are brimming after heavy rain in their respective catchment areas.

In Hoshiarpur, several farmlands in the Talwara, Hajipur, Dasuya, Tanda and Mukerian villages were flooded due to water discharge from the Pong dam reservoir, said the officials.

Water entered the low-lying villages, fields and some homes located near the Beas river, they said.

The Beal Sariana village in Hajipur block is under two-three feet of water, forcing some villagers to shift to a village gurdwara in Purochak, said the officials.

Farmlands of Patti Naam Nagar, Handowal, Ulaha, Dhade Karwal and Patti Nve Ghar villages in the Hajipur area and Changarhwan, Chakmirpur and Sathwan in Talwara block are inundated, they said.

Water also entered the fields of Mehtabpur, Mauli and Naushehra villages in the Mukerian block, they added.

Talwara SHO Hargurdev Singh said five migrant labourers were rescued after they got trapped near the Shah Nehar barrage in Talwara due to the release of water from the dam.

Another 15 labourers were rescued near Chakmirpur village, the police said.

Nine members of a family in Changharwan village, located near the river, have also been rescued.

Hoshiarpur Deputy Commissioner Komal Mittal said the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force and non-government organisations are being enlisted for relief operations.

Mittal said the evacuation work in about 15 villages is still underway and around 1,000 people have been sent to relief camps.

The relief camps have been set up at Bhangala, Atalgarh, Sariana, Gera, Motka, Mehtabpur and Harse Mansar villages.

The administration has arranged for excavators and tractor-trailers and deputed medical teams in the flood-affected areas.

It has also set up round-the-clock flood control rooms at the district and the tehsil levels, Mittal said.

The situation is being closely monitored, she said and added that no loss of life has been reported from the flood-affected areas so far.

The deputy commissioner said the Mukerian-Gurdaspur Road has been closed for vehicular traffic after getting submerged.

Traffic was diverted to Gurdaspur via Pathankot.

Arun Kumar Sidana, the chief engineer of the Beas dam in Talwara, said the inflow in Pong reservoir is 1.42 lakh cusecs and the water is being discharged in a controlled manner.

The water level in the Pong dam is currently at 1,399.65 feet. The level in the Bhakra dam was around 1,677 feet on Monday.

In Rupnagar district, about half a dozen villages, including Bela Dhyani, Bhanam, Palasi in Nangal area, were inundated following the release of excess water from the Bhakra dam.

Several people were trapped in their homes in Bhanam and Lower Bela villages, located near the Sutlej River, due to a strong current, villagers said.

Education Minister and Anandpur Sahib MLA Harjot Bains said some villages have been affected due to the release of water from the Bhakra dam.

Bains said the people are being evacuated to safer places and urged against any kind of panic.

After heavy rain lashed Himachal Pradesh over the past two days, the excess water had to be released from the Bhakra dam for its safety, Bains said in a video message.

"I am on the ground. Due to the release (of water) from the Bhakra dam, some villages have been severely affected in my constituency. Please don't panic or trust rumours. We are evacuating people in danger zones. The district administration and the NDRF are offering full assistance," Bains said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

In Gurdaspur, the district administration has directed the residents of Chechia Chorian, Pakhowal, Kherha, Dalelpur, Padana, Chhina Bet, Nadala, Jagatpur Kalan, Kohlian and Khariaan villages to move to safety amid a rise in the Beas' water level.

Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Mahajan asked people not to panic and added that the administration is ready to deal with any situation. He said people can also use the helpline to seek assistance.

Punjab Chief Secretary Anurag Verma on Monday held a meeting with all deputy commissioners via videoconferencing to discuss the situation and asked them to be prepared to deal with any situation and set up relief camps, if necessary.

HOSHIARPUR: Several villages near the Beas River in Punjab's Hoshiarpur district and the Sutlej River in Rupnagar district were inundated following the release of excess water from the Pong and the Bhakra dams, officials said on Tuesday. Many villagers were evacuated to safety and the authorities are keeping an eye on the situation, they said. In Gurdaspur, the district administration has also asked people living in low-lying areas and near the banks of the Beas to move to safer places.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); In an advisory on Monday, the Punjab government had asked residents of Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala and Tarn Taran districts not to venture near the Beas after it was decided that water from the Pong dam would be released. The Bhakra dam on the Sutlej and the Pong dam on the Beas -- both in Himachal Pradesh -- are brimming after heavy rain in their respective catchment areas. In Hoshiarpur, several farmlands in the Talwara, Hajipur, Dasuya, Tanda and Mukerian villages were flooded due to water discharge from the Pong dam reservoir, said the officials. Water entered the low-lying villages, fields and some homes located near the Beas river, they said. The Beal Sariana village in Hajipur block is under two-three feet of water, forcing some villagers to shift to a village gurdwara in Purochak, said the officials. Farmlands of Patti Naam Nagar, Handowal, Ulaha, Dhade Karwal and Patti Nve Ghar villages in the Hajipur area and Changarhwan, Chakmirpur and Sathwan in Talwara block are inundated, they said. Water also entered the fields of Mehtabpur, Mauli and Naushehra villages in the Mukerian block, they added. Talwara SHO Hargurdev Singh said five migrant labourers were rescued after they got trapped near the Shah Nehar barrage in Talwara due to the release of water from the dam. Another 15 labourers were rescued near Chakmirpur village, the police said. Nine members of a family in Changharwan village, located near the river, have also been rescued. Hoshiarpur Deputy Commissioner Komal Mittal said the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force and non-government organisations are being enlisted for relief operations. Mittal said the evacuation work in about 15 villages is still underway and around 1,000 people have been sent to relief camps. The relief camps have been set up at Bhangala, Atalgarh, Sariana, Gera, Motka, Mehtabpur and Harse Mansar villages. The administration has arranged for excavators and tractor-trailers and deputed medical teams in the flood-affected areas. It has also set up round-the-clock flood control rooms at the district and the tehsil levels, Mittal said. The situation is being closely monitored, she said and added that no loss of life has been reported from the flood-affected areas so far. The deputy commissioner said the Mukerian-Gurdaspur Road has been closed for vehicular traffic after getting submerged. Traffic was diverted to Gurdaspur via Pathankot. Arun Kumar Sidana, the chief engineer of the Beas dam in Talwara, said the inflow in Pong reservoir is 1.42 lakh cusecs and the water is being discharged in a controlled manner. The water level in the Pong dam is currently at 1,399.65 feet. The level in the Bhakra dam was around 1,677 feet on Monday. In Rupnagar district, about half a dozen villages, including Bela Dhyani, Bhanam, Palasi in Nangal area, were inundated following the release of excess water from the Bhakra dam. Several people were trapped in their homes in Bhanam and Lower Bela villages, located near the Sutlej River, due to a strong current, villagers said. Education Minister and Anandpur Sahib MLA Harjot Bains said some villages have been affected due to the release of water from the Bhakra dam. Bains said the people are being evacuated to safer places and urged against any kind of panic. After heavy rain lashed Himachal Pradesh over the past two days, the excess water had to be released from the Bhakra dam for its safety, Bains said in a video message. "I am on the ground. Due to the release (of water) from the Bhakra dam, some villages have been severely affected in my constituency. Please don't panic or trust rumours. We are evacuating people in danger zones. The district administration and the NDRF are offering full assistance," Bains said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. In Gurdaspur, the district administration has directed the residents of Chechia Chorian, Pakhowal, Kherha, Dalelpur, Padana, Chhina Bet, Nadala, Jagatpur Kalan, Kohlian and Khariaan villages to move to safety amid a rise in the Beas' water level. Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Mahajan asked people not to panic and added that the administration is ready to deal with any situation. He said people can also use the helpline to seek assistance. Punjab Chief Secretary Anurag Verma on Monday held a meeting with all deputy commissioners via videoconferencing to discuss the situation and asked them to be prepared to deal with any situation and set up relief camps, if necessary.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Bindeshwar Pathak, the social activist who revolutionised sanitation practices and was instrumental in providing access to clean and dignified restrooms for millions across the country through his pioneering Sulabh toilets, passed away on Tuesday.

Pathak, the 80-year-old founder of Sulabh International, died due to cardiac arrest at Delhis AIIMS. According to a close aide, he had hoisted the national flag at the Sulabh International headquarters in the morning on Independence Day but collapsed soon after.

Bindeshwar Pathak

2 apr 1943 - 15 Aug 2023



Founder Sulabh Sanitation, Social Reform and Human Rights Movement, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak is no more. He died of cardiac arrest at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, the Sulabh International Social Service Organisation said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

He was rushed to the hospital after he complained of uneasiness in the midst of Independence Day celebrations at the campus of Sulabh, Palam-Dabri Road, New Delhi, the post said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi too took to X to condole his death. The passing away of Dr Bindeshwar Pathak Ji is a profound loss for our nation. He was a visionary who worked extensively for societal progress and empowering the downtrodden.

Bindeshwar Ji made it his mission to build a cleaner India. He provided monumental support to the Swachh Bharat Mission. During our various conversations, his passion towards Swachhata was always visible, Modi posted. His work will continue to inspire several people. My deepest condolences to his family and loved ones during this difficult time. Om Shanti, the Prime Minister said.

Pathak founded Sulabh International in 1970 with a vision to eradicate open defecation and unclean public toilets. The organisations pioneering efforts led to the creation of the revolutionary Sulabh toilet, a low-cost, eco-friendly solution that has revolutionised sanitation practices across the nation.

Pathaks vision extended beyond technology, encompassing a broader mission to eradicate the stigma associated with manual scavenging and uplifting the lives of those who had long been relegated to the fringes of society. Through his determined advocacy and innovative initiatives, he successfully raised awareness about the importance of proper sanitation and hygiene, contributing immensely to disease prevention and improved public health.

NEW DELHI: Bindeshwar Pathak, the social activist who revolutionised sanitation practices and was instrumental in providing access to clean and dignified restrooms for millions across the country through his pioneering Sulabh toilets, passed away on Tuesday. Pathak, the 80-year-old founder of Sulabh International, died due to cardiac arrest at Delhis AIIMS. According to a close aide, he had hoisted the national flag at the Sulabh International headquarters in the morning on Independence Day but collapsed soon after. Bindeshwar Pathak 2 apr 1943 - 15 Aug 2023Founder Sulabh Sanitation, Social Reform and Human Rights Movement, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak is no more. He died of cardiac arrest at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, the Sulabh International Social Service Organisation said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); He was rushed to the hospital after he complained of uneasiness in the midst of Independence Day celebrations at the campus of Sulabh, Palam-Dabri Road, New Delhi, the post said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi too took to X to condole his death. The passing away of Dr Bindeshwar Pathak Ji is a profound loss for our nation. He was a visionary who worked extensively for societal progress and empowering the downtrodden. Bindeshwar Ji made it his mission to build a cleaner India. He provided monumental support to the Swachh Bharat Mission. During our various conversations, his passion towards Swachhata was always visible, Modi posted. His work will continue to inspire several people. My deepest condolences to his family and loved ones during this difficult time. Om Shanti, the Prime Minister said. Pathak founded Sulabh International in 1970 with a vision to eradicate open defecation and unclean public toilets. The organisations pioneering efforts led to the creation of the revolutionary Sulabh toilet, a low-cost, eco-friendly solution that has revolutionised sanitation practices across the nation. Pathaks vision extended beyond technology, encompassing a broader mission to eradicate the stigma associated with manual scavenging and uplifting the lives of those who had long been relegated to the fringes of society. Through his determined advocacy and innovative initiatives, he successfully raised awareness about the importance of proper sanitation and hygiene, contributing immensely to disease prevention and improved public health.
By Agencies

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday exuded confidence that he will address the nation from the Red Fort next year to list out the progress on the promises he had made to the people.

"The promise for change brought me here, my performance brought me here once again. The coming five years are of unprecedented development and a golden moment to realise the dream of India as a developed nation by 2047," the Prime Minister said in his speech from the ramparts of Red Fort.

"Next year, on August 15 from this same Red Fort I will list out the progress achieved by the nation and sing paeans to your strength, your resolve and your success with greater confidence," Modi said in his last Independence Day address before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The general elections are scheduled for April-May next year.

Modi said he had made a promise to the nation to usher in change in 2014.

"You reposed your trust in me. I tried to fulfil the trust you reposed in me. The promises I made earned me confidence over the past five years. I had promised you to change through reform, perform and transform. I have worked hard for the nation and I have worked with pride," the Prime Minister said.

ALSO READ | I-DAY address: PM claims situation in Manipur improving

The prime minister called on the people to get rid of corruption, nepotism and appeasement. He said that corruption and appeasement politics have damaged the country and noted that political parties who believe in dynastic politics have one mantra  party of the family, by the family and for the family.

"'Parivarvaad' and appeasement have caused immense damage to the country. How can a political party have only one family in charge? For them, their life mantra is 'Party of the family, by the family and for the family," PM Modi said in a veiled dig at some opponents of the BJP.

"I firmly believe that when the country will celebrate 100 years of freedom in 2047, the country would be a developed India. I say this on the basis of the capability of my country and available resources. But the need of the hour is to fight three evils - corruption, dynasty and appeasement," he added.

Balloons in the colours of the Tiranga were released at the Red Fort in the national capital after the conclusion of the PMs speech. After his address, PM Modi interacted with cadets of the NCC.

This years Independence Day will culminate the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, which were launched by the Prime Minister from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on March 12, 2021, and will usher the country into the Amrit Kaal.

PM Modi had previously outlined the Centre's commitment to make India a developed country by 2047, which will be the centenary year of the country's independence.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI)

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday exuded confidence that he will address the nation from the Red Fort next year to list out the progress on the promises he had made to the people. "The promise for change brought me here, my performance brought me here once again. The coming five years are of unprecedented development and a golden moment to realise the dream of India as a developed nation by 2047," the Prime Minister said in his speech from the ramparts of Red Fort. "Next year, on August 15 from this same Red Fort I will list out the progress achieved by the nation and sing paeans to your strength, your resolve and your success with greater confidence," Modi said in his last Independence Day address before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The general elections are scheduled for April-May next year. Modi said he had made a promise to the nation to usher in change in 2014. "You reposed your trust in me. I tried to fulfil the trust you reposed in me. The promises I made earned me confidence over the past five years. I had promised you to change through reform, perform and transform. I have worked hard for the nation and I have worked with pride," the Prime Minister said. ALSO READ | I-DAY address: PM claims situation in Manipur improving The prime minister called on the people to get rid of corruption, nepotism and appeasement. He said that corruption and appeasement politics have damaged the country and noted that political parties who believe in dynastic politics have one mantra  party of the family, by the family and for the family. "'Parivarvaad' and appeasement have caused immense damage to the country. How can a political party have only one family in charge? For them, their life mantra is 'Party of the family, by the family and for the family," PM Modi said in a veiled dig at some opponents of the BJP. "I firmly believe that when the country will celebrate 100 years of freedom in 2047, the country would be a developed India. I say this on the basis of the capability of my country and available resources. But the need of the hour is to fight three evils - corruption, dynasty and appeasement," he added. Balloons in the colours of the Tiranga were released at the Red Fort in the national capital after the conclusion of the PMs speech. After his address, PM Modi interacted with cadets of the NCC. This years Independence Day will culminate the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, which were launched by the Prime Minister from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on March 12, 2021, and will usher the country into the Amrit Kaal. PM Modi had previously outlined the Centre's commitment to make India a developed country by 2047, which will be the centenary year of the country's independence. (With inputs from PTI and ANI)
Soon, students will return to classes at Coconino Community College, but last week Flagstaffs first responders took advantage of the mostly empty halls to stage active shooter training.

In 2022 there were 50 active shooter incidents in 25 states across the United States. Those shootings happened in outdoor open spaces, residences, government and educational institutions, healthcare facilities and houses of worship, according to data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Thats why, for the past two years, the Flagstaff Police Department has partnered with CCC to conduct scenario-based training at the Lone Tree Campus. The facility can be used to imitate conditions in a number of places that might be targeted by a shooter.

Last week, simulated gunfire echoed outside the school. Inside, actors played the roles of victims and assailants, allowing first responders to work through possible active shooter situations in as close to a real-life situation as possible.

Well be using simulated weapons and distractions to kind of create the stress for our officers, said Lt. Collin Seay with the Flagstaff Police Department (FPD). We try to make it as realistic as possible while making it extremely safe for our staff.

Outside the building, police tape snapped in the wind as it carried in storm clouds. Behind the tape, two fire engines were staged where an incident command would be set up in the event of a real-life active shooter situation.

The inclusion of the fire department during scenario-based training is crucial, according to FPD. The recent training week was not only meant to prime officers to stop an active shooter, but also provide an opportunity to practice cooperating with other first responders.

With active shooter training, we play a big role in what would actually happen in a real-life scenario, said Flagstaff Fire Department engineer paramedic Josh Crane. We would be responding with Flagstaff Police Department. Our role is definitely to support them in their initial response of taking down a shooter.

Flagstaff police Sgt. Jerry Rintala said depending on the incident, of course, fire or police might take command of the situation. In the event of a flood, fire might be directing police  telling leadership on scene where roadblocks needed to be set up, for example. During an active shooter situation, police would be leading the charge.

We do a lot of staging with PD, whether its for domestic violence, a fight in progress. The one thing that weve found is we communicate really good with each other, whether thats on scene or radio, Crane said.

Seay said because clear communication is crucial between the two agencies, there is value in practicing a unified response  even if the crews work together on smaller incidents.

A mass shooting is a different animal than a fire, flood or fight.

Rintala said the first police officer on site has a first priority of neutralizing a threat. After that, there has to be a coordinated command to make sure every subsequent arriving officer or paramedic knows what to do next.

Our focus would be to stop any type of attack that might happen, but then transition to helping people and saving lives," Seay said. "So we would be working with fire and getting them into a scene that was previously very, very dangerous, and then getting medical staff in there to help the people that are injured and need help."

Crane said firefighters, like police officers, walk into their work not knowing what any given day will bring, so they have to be ready to face any risk or hazard that crops up in the community.

The reality of mass shootings in America is something they have to plan for as much as they plan for a house fire.

I definitely think our world has changed a lot," Crane said. "This is unfortunately becoming more common. Weve worked with the police department and theyve set us up with some tactical gear. Now the firefighters, the engines here in town, have bulletproof vests as well as tactical helmets that are very similar to what the police use. In situations like this, active shooter, thats stuff that we would be donning, and then going in and helping them do those rescues on potential victims."

Rintala, by virtue of his rank, said hes received federal training to set up and run incident commands for emergencies such as mass shootings. At all times, he needs to be primed to respond, despite the fact that most days hes managing the department's Facebook page.

The public information officer is trained to respond to a mass shooting in Flagstaff, but so is the rest of the department.

Seay said the department tries to prepare every officer to respond to an active shooter event  which is why the training takes place over the course of a week. Incorporating firefighters in the scenarios is also something that will continue, he said.

Its important for us because we need to protect our community. We live in a great place, we hope this would never happen, but around the world and around the country it happens far too often and you have to be prepared. Were doing more of a precaution to be safe and be ready in case something like that did happen here, Seay said.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: JDS senior leader HD Kumaraswamy on Monday attacked the two national parties for indulging in mudslinging instead of focusing on development. After returning from his one-week tour of Cambodia, the former CM said he visited the Southeast Asian country at the invitation of his friends there to learn how the country, which was in distress earlier, is making progress now.

I was told by a minister there that Cambodias GDP is 7.7% and there are stringent laws related to the utilisation of public funds. Sadly, we (India) dont have a scarcity of funds, but political parties are looting public money, he said.

Referring to the 50% commission allegation levelled by Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi against the Madhya Pradesh BJP government, he said national parties are more interested in making allegations against each other than focusing on the development of the country and solving the problems being faced by people.

He also attacked Agriculture Minister N Chaluvaraya Swamy for dragging his name into a case where officials of the agriculture department had purportedly written to the governor against the minister. I have not spoken at all about the letter. But why is he (Chaluvaraya Swamy) dragging my name into it? It shows how much he fears me, Kumaraswamy said, questioning why the minister met the governor if the letter was fake. He flayed Chaluvaraya Swamy for his statement that Kumaraswamy should continue staying in foreign countries. Is he suggesting that it will be easy for them to loot if I am not here, he asked.

BENGALURU: JDS senior leader HD Kumaraswamy on Monday attacked the two national parties for indulging in mudslinging instead of focusing on development. After returning from his one-week tour of Cambodia, the former CM said he visited the Southeast Asian country at the invitation of his friends there to learn how the country, which was in distress earlier, is making progress now. I was told by a minister there that Cambodias GDP is 7.7% and there are stringent laws related to the utilisation of public funds. Sadly, we (India) dont have a scarcity of funds, but political parties are looting public money, he said. Referring to the 50% commission allegation levelled by Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi against the Madhya Pradesh BJP government, he said national parties are more interested in making allegations against each other than focusing on the development of the country and solving the problems being faced by people.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); He also attacked Agriculture Minister N Chaluvaraya Swamy for dragging his name into a case where officials of the agriculture department had purportedly written to the governor against the minister. I have not spoken at all about the letter. But why is he (Chaluvaraya Swamy) dragging my name into it? It shows how much he fears me, Kumaraswamy said, questioning why the minister met the governor if the letter was fake. He flayed Chaluvaraya Swamy for his statement that Kumaraswamy should continue staying in foreign countries. Is he suggesting that it will be easy for them to loot if I am not here, he asked.
Aishwarya Prabhakaran By

Express News Service

KOCHI: Burning a big hole in passengers pockets, airlines have hiked their fares to various Gulf destinations, with ticket prices going up from Rs 30,000 to as high as Rs 1 lakh in economy class this holiday season. Travellers to Europe have been similarly impacted. Ticket prices to Dubai during the off-season average around Rs 10,000 (one-way) from Kochi, Rs 11,000 from Thiruvananthapuram, and Rs 11,500 from Kozhikode, which has increased to Rs 35,000, Rs 40,000, and Rs 36,000, respectively, this festive season, travel agents said.

AugustSeptember is peak travel season. Airlines such as Etihad, Qatar and Emirates charge exorbitant fares, starting at Rs 70,000 and going up to Rs 1 lakh for economy. On the other hand, ticket rates of Indian airline companies, such as Air India and IndiGo start at Rs 30,000Rs 35,000, said Nithin Luke, branch manager and tour operations head of Riya Travels.

Interestingly, inbound fares from the Gulf sector remain unchanged. The price of a ticket from Dubai to Kochi stays between Rs 8,000 and Rs 10,000, even during Onam week, said Nithin.

Industry officials said expatriates returning to Gulf countries from Kerala opt for connecting flights to save money. During the off-season, ticket prices range between Rs 8,000 and Rs 10,000 per person. But during peak season (July to September), fares range from Rs 32,000 to Rs 35,000. The only way to travel budget-friendly is to book tickets with connecting flights, said Vineeth Nair, who is travelling to Dubai this week with his wife and son. I saved around Rs 30,000 on tickets by opting for a one-stop layover flight from Kochi, he added.

According to tour operators, fares on domestic routes have also increased. A Bengaluru-Kochi ticket, which is usually priced around Rs 2,500, now costs Rs 5,000, said Thomas Mathew of Kottayam-based Golden Dreams Tours and Travel.

K N Shastri, a travel operator based in Kochi, said that with schools closing for the Onam vacation, there is a holiday rush to the Gulf. This is reflected in the high outbound airfares to the region, he said.

Industry officials point out that airlines follow a demand-based pricing system. Post Covid, companies were ruthless in overcharging passengers during peak season, especially during July-August, when schools re-open after vacations in the Gulf, said Ramesh Mathew, who returned from Doha a couple of years ago. He said the major share of the market is enjoyed by airlines owned by the UAE government -- Emirates and Etihad. Therefore, it will not intervene to introduce a price cap during peak season, he said.

As per the air service agreement (ASA) signed between the UAE and India in January 2014, airlines of both countries are allowed to operate a total of 66,000 seats per week between Dubai and 15 Indian cities. This has restricted the operation of additional flights or chartered flights to the region, as this will affect normal services. Though the state government is keen to operate low-cost chartered flights from the Gulf region during peak season, it is difficult to execute, said a source with the government.

Fares to Europe see spike

Apart from the festive season, AugustSeptember is also the period of student intake in European countries, as well as Australia, and Canada. A huge number of students travel to European countries during this period, and airlines see this as an opportunity. On average, the base fare to Toronto, Canada, which comes in at around Rs 70,000 during the off-season, has now shot up to Rs 2 lakh, said Nithin.

Gulf region is a transit hub for most of the flights operating from Kerala to European and Southeast Asian countries, resulting in the rapid increase in airfares during the season, he added.

KOCHI: Burning a big hole in passengers pockets, airlines have hiked their fares to various Gulf destinations, with ticket prices going up from Rs 30,000 to as high as Rs 1 lakh in economy class this holiday season. Travellers to Europe have been similarly impacted. Ticket prices to Dubai during the off-season average around Rs 10,000 (one-way) from Kochi, Rs 11,000 from Thiruvananthapuram, and Rs 11,500 from Kozhikode, which has increased to Rs 35,000, Rs 40,000, and Rs 36,000, respectively, this festive season, travel agents said. AugustSeptember is peak travel season. Airlines such as Etihad, Qatar and Emirates charge exorbitant fares, starting at Rs 70,000 and going up to Rs 1 lakh for economy. On the other hand, ticket rates of Indian airline companies, such as Air India and IndiGo start at Rs 30,000Rs 35,000, said Nithin Luke, branch manager and tour operations head of Riya Travels. Interestingly, inbound fares from the Gulf sector remain unchanged. The price of a ticket from Dubai to Kochi stays between Rs 8,000 and Rs 10,000, even during Onam week, said Nithin.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Industry officials said expatriates returning to Gulf countries from Kerala opt for connecting flights to save money. During the off-season, ticket prices range between Rs 8,000 and Rs 10,000 per person. But during peak season (July to September), fares range from Rs 32,000 to Rs 35,000. The only way to travel budget-friendly is to book tickets with connecting flights, said Vineeth Nair, who is travelling to Dubai this week with his wife and son. I saved around Rs 30,000 on tickets by opting for a one-stop layover flight from Kochi, he added. According to tour operators, fares on domestic routes have also increased. A Bengaluru-Kochi ticket, which is usually priced around Rs 2,500, now costs Rs 5,000, said Thomas Mathew of Kottayam-based Golden Dreams Tours and Travel. K N Shastri, a travel operator based in Kochi, said that with schools closing for the Onam vacation, there is a holiday rush to the Gulf. This is reflected in the high outbound airfares to the region, he said. Industry officials point out that airlines follow a demand-based pricing system. Post Covid, companies were ruthless in overcharging passengers during peak season, especially during July-August, when schools re-open after vacations in the Gulf, said Ramesh Mathew, who returned from Doha a couple of years ago. He said the major share of the market is enjoyed by airlines owned by the UAE government -- Emirates and Etihad. Therefore, it will not intervene to introduce a price cap during peak season, he said. As per the air service agreement (ASA) signed between the UAE and India in January 2014, airlines of both countries are allowed to operate a total of 66,000 seats per week between Dubai and 15 Indian cities. This has restricted the operation of additional flights or chartered flights to the region, as this will affect normal services. Though the state government is keen to operate low-cost chartered flights from the Gulf region during peak season, it is difficult to execute, said a source with the government. Fares to Europe see spike Apart from the festive season, AugustSeptember is also the period of student intake in European countries, as well as Australia, and Canada. A huge number of students travel to European countries during this period, and airlines see this as an opportunity. On average, the base fare to Toronto, Canada, which comes in at around Rs 70,000 during the off-season, has now shot up to Rs 2 lakh, said Nithin. Gulf region is a transit hub for most of the flights operating from Kerala to European and Southeast Asian countries, resulting in the rapid increase in airfares during the season, he added.
By Express News Service

ALAPPUZHA: In a major boost to the states seafood export sector, multinational conglomerate Lulu Group opened its processing and export hub in Aroor, Alappuzha. Industries Minister P Rajeeve inaugurated the facility on Monday. The venture sets the stage for a revolution in the states seafood sector, by lending a helping hand to fishermen, the minister said. Lulu Group chairman M A Yusuffali said fishermen will be the biggest beneficiary of the mega project. The hub will pave the way for fisherfolk to get a better price and create more job opportunities for skilled workers, he said.

Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) chairman Dodda Venkata Swamy, group executive director Ashraf Ali M A, directors Salim M A and Muhammad Althaf, COO Salim V I, MD and CEO of Lulu Financial Group Adeeb Ahamed, and Lulu Fair Exports CEO Najumudeen Ibrahim spoke at the event.

The state-of-the-art centre was established at a cost of Rs 150 crore and is equipped with the most modern facilities. This is the first fish processing unit of the group in the state.

Apart from processing raw seafood, the facility will produce many value-added products such as squid rings, buttered shrimp and shrimp salad. In the initial phase, 2,500 metric tonnes of processed seafood will be exported every month to over 250 Lulu hypermarkets in the Gulf, Egypt, Indonesia, and Malaysia. In the next phase, new markets such as the US, the UK, Europe, Japan, South Korea, and China will be covered. The centre, which will function 24 hours a day, will provide direct and indirect employment to more than 800 people.

Lulu Groups Fair Exports India division exported fruits, vegetables, spices, fish, and meat worth Rs 6,200 crore in the last fiscal. It aims to hit Rs 10,000 crore in the current financial year.

The group is one of the main exporters of food and consumer goods from India. Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, UAE, it runs its flagship retail chain of Lulu hypermarkets and supermarkets and food processing units in GCC countries, Egypt, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

ALAPPUZHA: In a major boost to the states seafood export sector, multinational conglomerate Lulu Group opened its processing and export hub in Aroor, Alappuzha. Industries Minister P Rajeeve inaugurated the facility on Monday. The venture sets the stage for a revolution in the states seafood sector, by lending a helping hand to fishermen, the minister said. Lulu Group chairman M A Yusuffali said fishermen will be the biggest beneficiary of the mega project. The hub will pave the way for fisherfolk to get a better price and create more job opportunities for skilled workers, he said. Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) chairman Dodda Venkata Swamy, group executive director Ashraf Ali M A, directors Salim M A and Muhammad Althaf, COO Salim V I, MD and CEO of Lulu Financial Group Adeeb Ahamed, and Lulu Fair Exports CEO Najumudeen Ibrahim spoke at the event. The state-of-the-art centre was established at a cost of Rs 150 crore and is equipped with the most modern facilities. This is the first fish processing unit of the group in the state. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Apart from processing raw seafood, the facility will produce many value-added products such as squid rings, buttered shrimp and shrimp salad. In the initial phase, 2,500 metric tonnes of processed seafood will be exported every month to over 250 Lulu hypermarkets in the Gulf, Egypt, Indonesia, and Malaysia. In the next phase, new markets such as the US, the UK, Europe, Japan, South Korea, and China will be covered. The centre, which will function 24 hours a day, will provide direct and indirect employment to more than 800 people. Lulu Groups Fair Exports India division exported fruits, vegetables, spices, fish, and meat worth Rs 6,200 crore in the last fiscal. It aims to hit Rs 10,000 crore in the current financial year. The group is one of the main exporters of food and consumer goods from India. Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, UAE, it runs its flagship retail chain of Lulu hypermarkets and supermarkets and food processing units in GCC countries, Egypt, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
By AFP

GENEVA: Four months into Sudan's conflict, the situation is spiralling out of control, with mass displacement and millions on the verge of famine, humanitarian organisations warned on Tuesday, urging immediate international action.

Since Sudan's conflict erupted on April 15, the country has been plunged into a humanitarian crisis, with more than six million Sudanese people "one step away from famine", the heads of 20 global humanitarian organisations pointed out in a statement.

"There is no excuse for waiting," said the statement, signed by the heads of United Nations agencies, along with organisations including Save the Children and CARE.

The signatories called on the parties to the conflict to "end the fighting" and to "grant us safe and unfettered access".

ALSO READ | Rights group reports war crimes in Sudan, including deliberate attacks on civilians, sexual assault

Darfur and the capital, Khartoum, have been plagued by four months of fighting between Sudan's army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

"The situation is spiralling out of control," the statement said, pointing out that more than 14 million children need humanitarian aid and over four million people have fled the fighting.

At the same time, they warned, "time is running out for farmers to plant the crops that will feed them and their neighbours".

"Our humanitarian appeals can help some 19 million people in Sudan and neighbouring countries. However, the two appeals are just over 27-percent funded," they said.

"Please change that."

The signatories assured the people of Sudan that their organisations would "continue to push for access to all people and in all areas of Sudan to bring humanitarian supplies and essential services".

GENEVA: Four months into Sudan's conflict, the situation is spiralling out of control, with mass displacement and millions on the verge of famine, humanitarian organisations warned on Tuesday, urging immediate international action. Since Sudan's conflict erupted on April 15, the country has been plunged into a humanitarian crisis, with more than six million Sudanese people "one step away from famine", the heads of 20 global humanitarian organisations pointed out in a statement. "There is no excuse for waiting," said the statement, signed by the heads of United Nations agencies, along with organisations including Save the Children and CARE.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The signatories called on the parties to the conflict to "end the fighting" and to "grant us safe and unfettered access". ALSO READ | Rights group reports war crimes in Sudan, including deliberate attacks on civilians, sexual assault Darfur and the capital, Khartoum, have been plagued by four months of fighting between Sudan's army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. "The situation is spiralling out of control," the statement said, pointing out that more than 14 million children need humanitarian aid and over four million people have fled the fighting. At the same time, they warned, "time is running out for farmers to plant the crops that will feed them and their neighbours". "Our humanitarian appeals can help some 19 million people in Sudan and neighbouring countries. However, the two appeals are just over 27-percent funded," they said. "Please change that." The signatories assured the people of Sudan that their organisations would "continue to push for access to all people and in all areas of Sudan to bring humanitarian supplies and essential services".
Recently, a lighting strike was likely the cause of a house fire that consumed a Baderville home. The first responders fighting the flames had to haul water to the scene, delaying efforts to save the structure.

In the end, there were no injuries, but the house was declared a total loss.

Now, Flagstaff and Summit Fire and Medical District Chief Mark Gaillard is looking at the rural water supply and wondering how conditions could be changed to better support firefighting efforts off of Highway 180.

Almost all of the Summit Fire and Medical District, and particularly the west side, has rural water supplies. They dont have municipal water supplies. In fact, we have some areas where there are fire hydrants, but in reality, theyre insufficient for firefighting flows. We dont use them, so we find ourselves hauling water in many of those cases, Gaillard said.

He said hes working with the Coconino County Board of Supervisors, including its chair, Patrice Horstman, to see if there are ways to improve the rural water supply  particularly in Baderville.

We actually had a meeting with the water purveyor (last) week, Gaillard told the Arizona Daily Sun.

Gaillard said rural water access is a long-standing challenge for rural fire districts, and its not clear yet what can be done to make water more available to Summit firefighters. But it's clear that Summit Fire and Medical District is largely strapped for resources.

While the City of Flagstaffs firefighting force operates mostly inside the city limits, Summit services Flagstaffs immediate outlying areas  Doney Park, Timberline and Fernwood on the east side, Baderville on the west.

So far this year, Flagstaff Fire Department has assisted Summit in responding to more than one house fire.

We have an automatic aid agreement with three agencies: Highlands, Summit and Flagstaff, Gaillard said. In that agreement we, every day, operate as if were one entity. The closest available unit goes [to a call]. In a region that is as under-resourced as we are in northern Arizona, I dont know that it would be responsible to do anything else but that. That system works very well.

The number of available trucks ready to respond to a fire at any given time is tied directly to each departments annual revenue.

Flagstaff Fire Department (FFD) benefits from a somewhat diverse revenue stream.

City taxes are a combination of a bunch of different revenue sources, including shared revenues. The sales tax revenues, property tax revenues, theres a much more diversified revenue stream for city fire departments and, yes, Flagstaff Fire Department, Gaillard said.

Summit, on the other hand, is largely reliant on one major source of funding: property taxes.

Summit Fire and Medical District sometimes generates revenues from wildland fire responses, but those are not funds you can count on, Gaillard said.

Following the Schultz Fire in 2010, property values  and property taxes  went down. In 2008, Summit Fire had $4.2 million in tax revenue to cover operating costs. By 2014, the districts tax revenue had dipped to $3.5 million.

In the midst of that, in 2012, Proposition 117 capped all annual property tax increases at 5%.

Summit Fire was struggling to meet the rising costs of fuel, payroll, overhead and firefighter pensions.

By 2015, the Summit Fire Board voted to close one of the rural fire stations off of Highway 180, leaving a single station fully staffed by a three-person crew near Baderville.

This year, another fire station was closed, this time east of Flagstaff.

On the east side, we have two fire stations, Station 31 and 32. Then on the west side we have one fire station and thats Station 37. A total of three, Gaillard said.

For 18 months, the Summit Fire Board looked on as a three-person firefighting company rotated between Station 32 and 33 before voting to staff only one station.

The process might not have taken as long as it did, but leaders like Gaillard were clinging to hope that a new injection of revenue might make it possible to operate all three Summit stations concurrently.

That hope eventually took the form of Proposition 310. The ballot measure, put to voters in November 2022, would have levied a 0.1% sales tax in support of fire districts over the next 10 years.

Proposition 310 was quashed -- at least, for a time.

Prop 310 did not pass. Oddly enough, in Coconino County and in Pima County, voters in both counties supported the measure, Gaillard said. In the aftermath of that in April, we had a meeting with most of the fire districts in Coconino County. We had some conversations with county staff. We were pursuing the idea that if Coconino County voters are supportive of supporting their fire districts, what options might be available in a county-collected sales tax that could then be used to support fire districts?

Here, Gaillard points out that Flagstaffs economy is propelled by tourism, and a local sales tax might help leverage tourist dollars to man more fire stations and improve equipment needed to protect lives, livelihood and property across the county.

We think thats a really good idea, to pursue in particular the sales tax piece, because our county is such a tourism-based economy. Many of those tourists use our services, so it would be nice to fortify, much like Prop 310 was anticipated to do, it would be nice to diversify fire district revenues, he said.

Right now, Gaillard said, the fire districts have stable five-year budgets, but the community needs more.

Flagstaff Fire, if we look at Flagstaff as an entity, it needs more resources every day, Gaillard said. Typically in the smaller agencies, youll see mutual aid requests when they have a larger incident that requires more resources. When Flagstaff is requesting mutual aid, its usually because weve got all our units working and were asking for more assistance.

Flagstaffs growing, he said.

Where the town cant grow out, its growing up, and the fire service will need to rise to the occasion.

Within the city itself, the region is somewhat limited in the context of available lands. So were growing up. Were putting in more high-rise student housing, off-campus student housing, multifamily residential. That density is starting to appear and it does have impacts on our ability to serve. Were trying to work through those issues right now, Gaillard said.

Eventually, FFD will need to invest in ladder trucks.

Departments are also up against the pressures of maintaining a fully staffed fire service in a city with high living and housing costs.

We struggle with a lot of attrition. Weve had some nice conversations with county officials, and we hope that we can create space for conversations on how to support fire districts. Really, we want to be putting them in a spot where they can be better employers, better equipped, Gaillard said. "All the trouble, all the affordable housing and livable wage issues that are so often in discussion in our community, absolutely apply to our firefighters as well.

Gaillard said that based on the latest data hes seen from the county, rural areas arent growing nearly as quickly.

We see the growth rate out in the Fort Valley area, 2% or less, Gaillard said. When we were having conversations about some of these changes, we actually work with county staff. Its about 2%. The recent Doney Park, Timberline, Fernwood area plan that the county folks did such a nice job pulling together, thats going to stay rural. Thats absolutely going to stay rural. Thats what the community wants out there, low density, rural. Thats what it looks like for the indefinite future.

Still, meeting the needs of the countys rural communities takes collaboration, and where water is concern, innovation is needed.

Its just really difficult in the district, maintaining services is really an important and vital part of what we do. We work in a very collaborative way; were going to continue to do that. Were going to work hard to try to find additional resources. Its a difficult path, and we just stay at it, Gaillard said.
Motorola launches 'moto e13' with 8GB RAM & 128GB storage

The moto e13 in 8GB + 128GB will be available at Rs 8,999 starting August 16 on Flipkart, leading retail stores and motorola.in, the company said in a statement.It comes in three colours -- Cosmic Black, Aurora Green and Creamy White."The moto e13 is an epitome of excellence, combining unbeatable technology and seamless performance," the company added.The smartphone is powered by the UNISOC T606 octa-core processor, and comes with a premium acrylic glass (PMMA) body.It features a vibrant 6.5-inch IPS LCD display that delivers an immersive visual experience.Moreover, it comes with Dolby Atmos audio, and features a 5000mAh battery."With its segment-first IP52 water-repellent design, you no longer need to worry about spills and splashes ruining your device when you're on the move," the company said.The smartphone also comes with the support of dual-band Wi-Fi (both 5GHz and 2.4GHz), a convenient USB Type-C 2.0 connector, and Bluetooth 5.0 wireless technology.Additionally, it features a 13MP AI-powered camera system, designed to deliver picture-perfect memories."Intelligent features like Auto Smile Capture recognise smiling faces and snap the perfect shot, while Face Beauty and Portrait mode enhance your photos automatically," the smartphone maker added.aj/prw(IANS | Posted on 14 August 2023, 1692605855 172O70O243O13)
US congressional delegation visits Western Naval Command headquarters in Mumbai

The delegation included Representatives RO Khanna and Deborah Ross accompanied by Vikram Krishnamoorthy, Under Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs, India.According to a statement released by the Indian Navy, the delegation interacted with Vice Admiral Sanjay Bhalla, AVSM, NM, Chief of Staff, Western Naval Command and other Flag and senior officers of the Command.During their visit, the delegation was given a presentation on the roles, responsibilities and activities of WNC and a tour of the indigenous destroyer INS Kochi. The delegation also visited Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd., where they were apprised of the indigenous ship-building capabilities of MDL."India and US are parties to the annually conducted Maritime Security Dialogue and India - US Naval cooperation has grown substantially over the last two decades. The relationship between the two navies is spread over a wide canvas, which includes the annual bilateral exercise 'Malabar', multilateral exercise 'RIMPAC', high-level delegation visits, Subject Matter Expert Exchange and goodwill visits by naval ships. Both navies are committed to ensuring maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region and therefore cooperation in the maritime domain is the most enduring and key facet of engagement between the two countries," the statement read."The current visit by the US Congressional delegation contributes to improving understanding and strengthening the relationship between the two countries," it added.Notably, Khanna and Michael Waltz, who are co-chairs of the House India caucus are all set to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address from Red Fort on Independence Day.Both US lawmakers will visit Red Fort where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address India on August 15, India's Independence Day.Earlier, Khanna met actors Amitabh Bachchan and Anupam Kher.Expressing his excitement over his meeting with Bachchan, Khanna shared a video on X and said, "It was an absolute honor to meet with @SrBachchanBachan. He was proud about India's journey since independence linked with his own life & of the Indian American community. He presented me with a book by his father who knew my grandfather."On Friday, Ro Khanna and Deborah Ross visited veteran actor Anupam Kher's acting school in Mumbai.(ANI | Posted on 14 August 2023, 1692605855 172O70O242O64)
Bonito Designs promises to revolutionise the world of interior design: Extends partnership with Gauri Khan and Manish Malhotra

Following the resounding success of their previous collaboration, the partnership between Bonito Designs and the dynamic duo takes on a new and exciting dimension, promising to revolutionize the world of interior design.In this one-of-a-kind collaboration, Gauri Khan and Manish Malhotra will be actively involved in a design collaboration that transcends boundaries. Both luminaries will share their unparalleled expertise and creativity to craft exquisite interiors for discerning homeowners in Mumbai and Bengaluru. The continuation of this landmark partnership will create an extraordinary opportunity for individuals with a refined taste to transform their homes into iconic living spaces designed by the very best.Speaking on the extension of this collaboration, Amit Parsuramka, CEO - Bonito Designs said, "We are extremely excited to continue our journey with icons like Gauri Khan and Manish Malhotra through this exclusive design collaboration. We at Bonito Designs have always been committed to providing our clients with unmatched design experiences and this partnership is a testament to that decision. The extraordinary vision and creativity of Gauri Khan and Manish Malhotra has opened new avenues for us to create iconic full-homes that have redefined premium living and we looking forward to the next stint of this partnership."Gauri Khan, renowned interior designer, and co-collaborator, expressed her enthusiasm, stating, "I am excited to continue my collaboration with Bonito Designs in this extended venture. Designing interiors has been a deeply fulfilling journey for me, and together with Bonito Designs, we aim to take it to new heights. This unique design collaboration allows us to infuse our distinct creative sensibilities into homes, creating spaces that exude luxury, comfort, and timeless beauty. I am looking forward to working closely with the talented team at Bonito Designs to craft iconic full-homes that reflect the unique personalities of their owners and leave an indelible mark on the world of interior design."Ace designer, Manish Malhotra added, "I am excited to continue my creative journey with Bonito Designs in this extended partnership. I've always been passionate about home interiors. I look forward to bringing a bespoke selection of glamorous interior creations for Bonito Designs."Tanaaz Bhatia, Founder & MD, Bottomline Media, "We have been instrumental in conceiving and driving this extraordinary journey of Gauri Khan and Manish Malhotra with Bonito Designs. This extended partnership signifies a deeper level of design innovation and creativity, as the duo lends their unparalleled vision for discerning homeowners. Gauri and Manish bring their extraordinary expertise to the table, and together with Bonito Designs, they promise to redefine luxury living and set new benchmarks in the world of interior design. Our effort was to bring this vision to life through a compelling and aesthetically conceptualized digital campaign that will leave an indelible mark on the industry."About Bonito DesignsBonito Designs is India's fastest growing home interior brand, which is revolutionizing interior designs market by offering curated and exclusive homes for its customers. Bonito uses 'no catalogue' approach to bring freshness to all the homes they design. The Company which entered Mumbai last year runs four experience centres and has delivered homes spanning across 5mn sqt till date. Backed by Tomorrow Capital, Bonito plans to launch operations in Pune, Hyderabad, NCR and Chennai in the next 18 months.(ANI | Posted on 14 August 2023, 1692605855 162O158O111O203)
50 nurses invited as special guests for I-Day celebrations at Red Fort

A total of 1,800 special guests from various walks of life, ranging from Sarpanches, teachers, farmers, and fishermen, have been invited to participate in the Independence Day celebrations."These special guests will be part of the 1,800 special guests from various walks of life, including over 400 Sarpanches of more than 660 vibrant villages, 250 members from Farmer Producer Organisations scheme, 50 participants each of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme and Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, 50 Shram Yogis (construction workers) of the Central Vista Project, including the New Parliament Building," the Health and Family Welfare Ministry said on Monday.The initiative to invite the people from all walks of life, across India, and be a part of the celebrations has been taken by the Government in line with its vision of 'Jan Bhagidari'.Meanwhile, members of the Nursing community have expressed gratitude for the government for the initiative."I would like to thank the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Government of India from the bottom of my heart for inviting us to participate in the Independence Day celebration in New Delhi. It is recognition of our efforts during Covid," said Anita Tomar, one of the nurses invited.Vandana Kaushik, another invitee said "I express my regards to the government for recognising our efforts and dedication during Covid. I also want to thank the government for its pro-nurse attitude that it has shown through various development schemes."(IANS | Posted on 14 August 2023, 1692605856 162O158O86O225)
Two leopards caught in UP's Bijnor forest

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Anil Kumar said that one of the leopards had entered the Dhampur village on Sunday night in search of a prey.He said that seeing the leopard, the local people became panicky and informed the forest officials.The forest team reached the village and after about four hours, managed to tranquilize the big cat and rescued it.The second leopard got caught in a trap installed in Mehsanpur village in the field of one Saheb Singh.The DFO said that the leopards are male and about eight years old.He said that that after proper medical examination, a decision would be taken about further action.(IANS | Posted on 14 August 2023, 1692605856 162O158O86O171)
PHOENIX -- Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs is declaring a heat state of emergency -- but for only three of Arizona's 15 counties.

And it all has to do with the National Weather Service and how it determines "excessive heat."

The declaration issued Friday for Maricopa, Pinal and Coconino counties is based on the federal agency issued excessive heat warnings for 30 consecutive days. That provided a legal basis for the governor to decide that the situation had reached emergency levels.

What the declaration does is frees up $200,000 that can be used to reimburse local government agencies in those counties for additional costs they have incurred between June 30 and July 30 related to the heat.

According to the National Weather Service, the general rule of thumb for this warning is when the maximum heat index temperature -- what it feels like for the human body -- is expected to be 105 degrees or higher for at least two days, and night time air temperatures will not drop below 75 degrees.

But Sean Benedict, lead meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Phoenix, said a decision to issue an excessive heat warning is based on more than absolute temperatures. He said it also includes factors like what is "normal" for an area.

Benedict also said the Flagstaff area includes the Grand Canyon, not just the rim but also the floor. And Patrice Horstman, who chairs the Coconino County Board of Supervisors, said the mercury there this summer topped 115, "contributing to multiple heat-related hiker deaths and injuries in July."

The rest of the state isn't being entirely left out. Hobbs on Friday issued a separate executive order requiring various state agencies to develop plans for future excessive heat situations.

Most of that, however, involves coming up with proposals and programs that won't be ready for months.

For example, the Governor's Office of Resiliency is charged with developing an "extreme heat response plan" by March, one designed to ensure the state is prepared to respond to -- and recover from -- extreme heat in future years. The same agency is supposed to propose changes in state law designed to protect the elderly, children, medically vulnerable and other impacted communities from extreme heat.

And Hobbs is providing the agency with $13.3 million of federal dollars to prevent power outages and improve the resilience of the grid across the state.

The state health director is supposed to come up with a plan to allocate resources to respond to extreme heat, ranging from emergency room use and heat-related workplace incidents to morgue capacity and and distribution of cooling and heat-relief centers.

But her executive order does include opening two new cooling centers near the Capitol where many homeless gather, one in an existing office building and another in a cooled storage container that is specially equipped to provide short-term heat relief. Neither, however, will be open on a 24-hour basis.

Local officials in the three counties getting the state of emergency praised the move.

"This has been a brutally hot summer so far in Pinal County," said supervisor Jeffrey McClure in a prepared statement released by the governor's office. "We welcome any support that the governor and the state can offer that can help provide relief to our residents."

In Maricopa County, Robert Rowley, director of its division of emergency management, said the county's Human Services Department has been providing additional funds for cooling and respite centers. It also has been spending money in home and air conditioner repair for those who cannot afford it.

Horstman said the record heat in her county "took a toll on our unsheltered population."
Punjab CM dedicates 76 new Aam Aadmi Clinics commemorating Independence

Addressing the gathering here after dedicating the clinics, the Chief Minister said this is the dawn of a new era in health revolution to provide quality health services to people at their doorsteps.He said besides offering free medicines to people, these clinics are also providing service of 41 free clinical tests. "This is aimed at ensuring longevity of the life of the people of the state, besides focusing on quality health."The Chief Minister said his predecessors have never paid attention towards the health of the common man, while his government is laying major thrust on ensuring quality treatment to people.Mann said on their part these leaders got to get their treatment done from foreign shores but the common people were left in lurch without quality treatment.He said these leaders just treated the people as mere vote banks and never bothered about the life and health of people.The Chief Minister said that concerted efforts of the government Punjab is ushering a new era of health revolution. He said that quality cancer treatment is now available due to which the people no longer have to visit the other states for treatment.Mann said that in the coming days, the shortage of the officers in the district will be overcome by posting them from headquarters. He said these officers will be allotted work in the districts so as to ensure the wellbeing of the public. He has already posted those officers as Deputy Commissioners and Senior Superintendent of Police, who are ever ready to work for the wellbeing of masses.Congratulating the people of the state, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said this is a historic initiative for welfare of people.He said Punjab will not stop as the people of state have elected Bhagwant Mann government for a better future.(IANS | Posted on 14 August 2023, 1692605856 172O70O250O22)
Sarvodaya Healthcare's 31 Years of Trust & Legacy, Now in Greater Noida West

The 220-bedded tertiary care hospital functions under the aegis of highly experienced medical and healthcare professionals and encompasses 50 ICU beds, 6 modern OTs, well equipped & 24x7 available ER department, Cath Lab, Dialysis Centre, a dedicated Mother & Child Care Unit along with highly advanced technologies like 128 Slice CT Scan, SMART FGX-52S Digital Radiography System, 65 Ultrasound System and more etc.The hospital has recently installed the first ever Smart FUJIFIM MRI machine Echelon Smart 1.5 Tesla to enhance the imaging process and offer people high-end diagnostic services in the vicinity. With its smart features like low noise, excellent speed for quick brain and spine scans and high-resolution imaging quality, the machine is believed to deliver excellent outcomes for quick diagnosis and offers patients a comfortable experience.Divyanu Gupta, Hospital's Director says, "As a super speciality hospital, we have always looked forward to expanding our care facilities and bringing the best technologies and newer dimensions to enhance the community's healthcare infrastructure. It is very crucial for us to integrate evolving technologies into our system so that patients receive healthcare services of global standards."With our services and advanced technical modalities, the patients living in this area and nearby do not have to travel far to get their advanced imaging tests done and can avail the best-in-class facility near their homes. The high-end scans help doctors in diagnosing problems more precisely and make an accurate diagnosis and prognosis of a treatment process."The hospital offers a wide gamut of treatment services across several specialities such as Cancer Care, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Paediatrics, Orthopaedics and Joint Replacement, Gastroenterology, General & Minimal Access Surgery, Cardiac Sciences etc. along with ENT, Eye Care, Dental Care, Preventive Health Checks and more. The hospital's multidisciplinary team of doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and non-medical professionals are dedicated to tending to people with quality medical services, a transparent treatment system, empathetic care, and a warm home-like atmosphere meeting all safety standards."From minor illnesses & injuries to cases like cardiac arrest, brain stroke, kidney problems, trauma, etc, we stand with our patients throughout their journey from consultation and counselling to treatment and recovery. Whether it is midnight or a busy afternoon, you can count on us in your greatest hour of need. We are committed to offering timely, reliable and outcome-driven experience and care to people while meeting all safety standards," Mr Gupta adds.About Sarvodaya HospitalSarvodaya Hospital, Greater Noida West is a 220-bedded tertiary care hospital that brings a multidisciplinary team of doctors and compassionate staff dedicated to providing people with quality medical facilities and optimum care. We offer a wide gamut of treatment services across several specialities such as Cancer Care, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Paediatrics, Orthopaedics and Joint Replacement, Gastroenterology, General & Minimal Access Surgery, Cardiac Sciences etc. along with ENT, Eye Care, Dental Care, Preventive Health Checks and more.Photo https//mma.prnewswire.com/media/2184893/Sarvodaya_Hospital_facility.jpg(ANI | Posted on 14 August 2023, 1692605857 162O158O94O6)
Independence Day 2023: Get to know history, significance of Indian flagA A

Every country has its own flag symbolising liberty or freedom. The Indian flag holds a magnanimous significance for it represents the diversity the country holds. It symbolizes patriotism, freedom and honour of the country.At the same time, it makes us feel nostalgic about the sacrifice made by our freedom fighters.The Indian flag is a horizontal tricolour of Saffron at the top, white in the middle, and green at the bottom, all in equal proportion. It also consists of the national emblem of the country, Ashok Chakra, in the centre of the white band.The saffron colour of the national flag represents the strength and courage of the country. The white in the middle is a symbol of peace while the green colour symbolizes fertility, prosperity and auspiciousness of the land.The 'Ashok Chakra' signifies that there is life in movement and death in stagnation.The Indian Tricolour was adopted in its present form during the constituent assembly meeting that was held on July 22, 1947, a few days before the country got freedom from the British rule on August 15, 1947.The proposal for the flag was made by Mahatma Gandhi to the Indian National Congress in the year 1921. However, it was designed by Pingali Venkayy.Initially, there was a traditional spinning wheel in the centre of the flag. A modification took place with the inclusion of white strips in the middle.Furthermore, the traditional spinning wheel was replaced by Ashok Chakra in 1947.On January 26, 2002, a modification took place in the Indian Flag Code. Accordingly, the citizens of India were finally permitted to hoist the Tricolour over their homes, or workplaces on any day and not just National days as was the case earlier.Now, Indians can proudly display the national flag.However, there are certain rules associated with hoisting the Tricolour.One must never use the flag as pillow covers, table covers, or bedsheets. One must keep in mind that the flag should always be in the right hand of the speaker, for 'right' represents authority.Whenever the national flag is displayed, it should be totally spread out. It cannot be deliberately allowed to touch the ground.In conclusion, our national flag represents the citizens of the country. It signifies our unity and sovereignty. It must not be disrespected or looked down upon in any way.Ahead of this independence day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the citizens to take part in the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign.Taking to 'X',, PM Modi wrote, "In the spirit of the #HarGharTiranga movement, let us change the DP of our social media accounts and extend support to this unique effort which will deepen the bond between our beloved country and us".PM Narendra Modi is set to lead the Nation in celebrating the 77th Independence Day from the iconic Red Fort in the national capital.As a part of the Independence Day celebrations at Red Fort, around 1,800 people from different vocations, with their spouses, have been invited from across the country as Special Guests, said an official release.The initiative has been taken in line with the Government's vision of 'Jan Bhagidari'.According to the release, 75 couples from each State/Union Territory, in their traditional attire, have also been invited to witness the ceremony at Red Fort.These Special Guests invited to attend the celebrations at Red Fort include over 400 Sarpanches of more than 660 vibrant villages; 250 from Farmer Producer Organisations scheme; 50 participants each of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme and Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana.50 Shram Yogis of the Central Vista Project, including the New Parliament Building; 50 each Khadi workers, those involved in the construction of border roads, making of Amrit Sarovar and Har Ghar Jal Yojana as well as 50 each primary school teachers, nurses and fishermen are also invited.Some of these Special Guests are scheduled to visit the National War Memorial and call on Raksha Rajya Mantri Ajay Bhatt as part of their stay in Delhi.This year's Independence Day will culminate the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' celebrations, which were launched by the Prime Minister from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on March 12, 2021, and will, once again, usher the country into 'Amrit Kaal' with renewed vigour to realise Narendra Modi's dream of making India a developed country by 2047.(ANI | Posted on 14 August 2023, 1692605857 172O69O150O183)
World looks up to India for global economic growth, country has converted challenges into opportunities: President Murmu

Addressing the nation on the eve of 77th Independence Day, she said the government has succeeded in protecting the common people from high inflation while also providing a more extensive security cover to the poor.The President said the nation has been taking great strides on all fronts."India's economy has proven to be not only resilient during turbulent times but is also a beacon of hope for others. The world economy is passing through a delicate stage, as the pandemic has been followed by international events that have added to the air of uncertainty. Yet, the Government has been able to navigate the stormy waters very well. India has converted challenges into opportunities and has recorded high GDP growth. Our Annadata farmers have contributed significantly to our economic growth. The nation feels indebted to them," she said."Inflation at the global level remains a cause for worry. But in India the Government and the Reserve Bank have managed to contain it. The Government has succeeded in protecting the common people from high inflation while also providing a more extensive security cover to the poor. The world looks up to India for global economic growth," she added.The President said the continued economic progress is driven by a two-pronged strategy. "On the one hand, there is a sustained push to unleash the forces of enterprise by making it easier to do business and generate job opportunities. On the other, proactive and expanded welfare initiatives for the needy have been taken in various domains. Giving priority to the deprived remains the focus of our policies and actions that have lifted a large number of people out of poverty in the last decade. Similarly, there are specific programmes to improve the conditions of tribals and encourage them to join the journey of progress. I appeal to our tribal brothers and sisters to enrich their traditions while embracing modernity," she said.The President said that along with economic growth, human-development-concerns have also been accorded high priority."Having been a teacher also, I have realised that education is the greatest tool of social empowerment. The National Education Policy of 2020 has started making a difference. From my interactions with students as well as educationists at various levels, I gather that the learning process has become more flexible. The visionary policy, which aims to merge ancient values with modern skills, will bring in unprecedented changes in the education sector over the years, leading to a great transformation of the nation. India's economic progress is powered by the dreams of its people, particularly the young generation for whom limitless opportunities have opened up. From start-ups to sports, our youth have explored new horizons of excellence," she said."The aspirations of the new India have infinite dimensions. The Indian Space Research Organisation keeps scaling new heights and setting higher benchmarks of excellence. This year, ISRO launched Chandrayaan-3, and its lander named 'Vikram' and its rover named 'Pragyan' are slated to land on the moon in the next few days. It will be a proud moment for all of us and I look forward to it. But the mission to the moon is only a stepping stone for our future space programmes. We have to go far ahead," she added.Referring to the challenge of climate change, she said the country has faced numerous extreme-weather events in recent years."Parts of India have faced extraordinary floods. At the same time, there are places facing drought. These events are also attributed to the phenomenon of global warming."The President also said that the values and lifestyle of tribal communities, who live very close to nature and in harmony with it, offer invaluable lessons for climate action."Extreme weather events affect all. But their impact is far more severe on the poor and the marginalised. Cities and hilly terrains especially need to be made more resilient. The larger point here is that the culture of greed takes the world away from nature. We now realise the dire need to return to our roots. I know that there are still many tribal communities who live very close to nature and in harmony with it. Their values and lifestyle offer invaluable lessons for climate action," she said."The secret of the survival of the tribal communities through ages can be summarised in one word. That single word is 'Empathy'. They have empathy for all Mother Nature's fellow children, flora and fauna alike. Sometimes, however, the world seems to be suffering from a deficit of empathy. But history shows that such periods are only aberrations, and kindness is our fundamental nature. It is my experience that women have empathy in greater measure and they show the way when humanity goes astray," she added.President Murmu said that the Independence Day celebrations remind her of her childhood days. "We could not contain our excitement of participating in the Independence Day celebrations in our village school. When the tricolour was hoisted, we felt an electrifying energy pass through us. With our hearts full of patriotic pride, we saluted the national flag and sang the national anthem. Sweets were distributed and patriotic songs were sung, which kept playing in our minds for many days. I was fortunate in having an opportunity to re-live these experiences when I became a school teacher," she said.She said that there is one identity above all-- that is everyone is a citizen of India."What we celebrate on Independence Day is the fact that we are part of a great democracy. Each of us has many identities - apart from caste, creed, language and region, we are also identified with our families and professions - but there is one identity that is above all. That is our identity as citizens of India. Each one of us is an equal citizen; each one of us has an equal opportunity, equal rights and equal duties, in this land," she said."India is the Mother of Democracy and since ancient times we had democratic institutions functioning at the grassroots. But long years of colonial rule wiped them out. On August 15, 1947, the nation woke up to a new dawn. We not only won freedom from foreign rule, but also the freedom to rewrite our destiny," she said.President Murmu also said that India's shining example, "truth and non-violence" has been successfully employed in many political struggles around the world."With our Independence began the era of foreign rulers withdrawing from many colonies and colonialism drew close to its end. What is special about our freedom struggle is not only the fact that its objective was achieved, but also how it was fought. Under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi and a galaxy of extraordinary visionary leaders, our national movement was animated by a unique set of ideals. Gandhiji and others re-kindled the soul of India and helped the nation rediscover its civilisational values. Following India's shining example, 'truth and non-violence', the cornerstone of our resistance, has been successfully employed in many political struggles around the world," the President said.She recalled sacrifices of freedom fighters."On the eve of Independence Day, I join my fellow citizens in paying grateful tribute to the known and unknown freedom fighters whose sacrifices have made it possible for India to regain its rightful place in the comity of nations. Great women freedom fighters like Matangini Hazra and Kanaklata Baruah laid down their lives for Bharat-Mata. Maa Kasturba matched the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi every step of the way on the difficult path of Satyagraha. Many great women leaders like Sarojini Naidu, Ammu Swaminathan, Rama Devi, Aruna Asaf-Ali and Sucheta Kriplani had set inspiring ideals for all future generations of women, to serve the nation and the society with self-confidence."Today, women are contributing extensively in every field of development and service to the country and are enhancing the nation's pride. Today our women have made their special place in many such fields in which their participation was unimaginable a few decades ago. I am happy to note that the economic empowerment of women is being given special focus in our country. Economic empowerment strengthens the position of women in the family and society. I urge all fellow citizens to give priority to women empowerment. I would like our sisters and daughters to overcome challenges with courage and move ahead in life. Development of women was among the ideals of our freedom struggle."Referring to India's G20 presidency, she said as the G-20 represents two-thirds of the world population, this is a unique opportunity to help shape global discourse in the right direction."With the G-20 presidency, India can nudge decision-making in trade and finance towards equitable progress. Beyond trade and finance, matters of human development too are on the agenda. There are many global issues that concern all humanity and are not limited by geographical boundaries. I am confident that with India's proven leadership in dealing with global issues, member-nations will be able to advance effective action on these fronts.""What is notable in India's presidency of G-20 is the way this diplomatic activity has been taken to the grassroots. There has been a first-of-its-kind campaign to encourage people's participation. It is delightful to see, for example, students enthusiastically participating in diverse contests organised in schools and colleges touching upon the themes of G-20. All the citizens are enthusiastic about events related to G-20," she added.(ANI | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605857 162O158O94O139)
GJM joins hand with two separatist forces demanding separate statehood for North Bengal

GJM spearheads the movement for separate Gorkhaland state proposed to be carved out of the hills of Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong and the plains and Terai and Dooars in North Bengal.The demand is for a separate statehood carved out of the eight north Bengal districts -- Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Cooch Behar, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Malda.A formal announcement on this count was made by the GJM leadership after a meeting with the two other separatist forces in Darjeeling on Monday.The meeting was attended by GJM President Bimal Gurung and General Secretary Roshan Giri, KPP President Adhir Roy and Vice President Budharu Roy, and BBMUS Convenor Kishore Brojo.It has been decided that the joint movement in support of a separate state carved out of the eight North Bengal districts will start before the big battle of 2024 Lok Sabha polls, thus making it a poll issue.Budharu Roy told mediapersons that while the beginning of the movement on this issue will be made by these three parties, constant attempts will be on to rope in other political forces which are also in favour of separate statehood for North Bengal.The demand for separate statehood is not new. In fact, in the recent past, this demand has also been raised by a number of BJP Lok Sabha members and legislators from North Bengal.Now with GJM focusing on widening the ambit of a separate Gorkhaland state, a new dimension in separatist politics seems to be taking shape in the state.(IANS | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605858 162O158O95O6)
Researchers find no evidence that game play time limits for minors in China reduce longer play

Researchers from the UK and Denmark obtained anonymised data from the US game engine developer Unity, which covered 7.04 billion hours of playtime from 2.4 billion mainland Chinese gamer profiles from August 2019 to January 2020, according to the study published in the journal Nature.The researchers noted that those profiles include both children and adults because the data they obtained did not include age information, reports South China Morning Post.According to the researchers, 0.77 per cent of the profiles they observed engaged in "heavy play" between August and October 2019, before China implemented its gaming time mandate.Heavy play is defined as spending at least four hours a day and six days a week gaming.This compares to 0.88 per cent of gamers who did so after the Chinese government limited minors' online gaming time to 90 minutes per day in November 2019.The study also looked at play patterns in 2021, when China limited minors' online gaming time to three hours per week. The new rule had no discernible effect on heavy gaming, as per the researchers.Earlier this month, China's cyberspace regulator proposed rules limiting the smartphone screen time of kids based on their age with a "minor mode".The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) had announced that the age classification design will be divided into five age intervals -- under 3 years old; over 3 years old but under 8 years old; over 8 years old but under 12 years old; over 12 years old but under 16 years old; and over 16 years old but under 18 years old.Kids over the age of 8 but under the age of 16 are limited to one hour of mobile usage.For teens over the age of 16 but under the age of 18, the screen time is limited to two hours.shs/pgh(IANS | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605858 172O69O150O122)
Indian Coast Guard carries out mid-sea medical evacuation of critically ill crew memberA

The medical evacuation was carried out from ICGS 427. An Advance Light Helicopter was launched from Kochi but due to various constraints onboard ship could not recover the patient.The ICGS 427 was on standby to recover and on taking permission from the station commander recovered the patient and brought safely to Vizhinjam harbour, the statement said.The statement further said that further primary medical inspection was carried out by the station medical officer and the patient was handed over to the company agent for further medical treatment at NIMS hospital."The Indian coast guard station Vizhinjam received a call from Merchant vessel Evelyn Maersk's master that one of his crew fell unconscious and his pulse rate is very low," read the Defence statement.The vessel cast off from Colombo and was going to enter the swiz canal but a medical emergency occurred during the passage.The Defence PRO also tweeted about the "swiftly coordinated medical evacuation"."In a swiftly coordinated Medical Evacuation @IndiaCoastGuard saved a critical #Mariner requiring immediate hospitalisation. Mr. Valid Ola Gilbert, 55 yr old #Filipino had collapsed onboard #MVEvelynMaersk heading to #SuezCanal, 110Nm from #Kochi "The patient was unconscious & retrieved by administering #CPR. Further, ICGS C-427 braving extreme weather conditions successfully conducted the #MEDEVAC, stabilised the patient & rushed him ashore rendering timely medical assistance," it tweeted.Earlier, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center, of the Indian Coast Guard rescued a 55-year-old critically ill crew member from a Liberian flag vessel "MT Torgovy Bridge" from Kavaratti Island, said an official release on Thursday.(ANI | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605858 172O70O242O23)
Jan Bhagidari: 1800 special guests from various walks of life to participate in I-Day celebrations at Red Fort

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead the nation in celebrating the 77th Independence Day from the iconic Red Fort in the national capital on Tuesday. He will unfurl the National Flag and deliver the customary address to the nation from the ramparts of the historic monument.Around 1,800 people from different vocations, with their spouses, have been invited from across the country to be a part of the celebrations at Red Fort as special guests. The initiative has been taken in line with the government's vision of 'Jan Bhagidari'.These Special Guests include over 400 Sarpanches of more than 660 vibrant villages; 250 from Farmer Producer Organisations scheme; 50 participants each of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme and Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana; 50 Shram Yogis of the Central Vista Project, including the New Parliament Building; 50 each Khadi workers, those involved in construction of border roads, making of Amrit Sarovar and Har Ghar Jal Yojana as well as 50 each primary school teachers, nurses and fishermen. Some of these Special Guests are also scheduled to visit the National War Memorial and call on Defence MoS Ajay Bhatt as part of their stay in Delhi.Seventy-five couples from each State/Union Territory, in their traditional attire, have also been invited to witness the ceremony at Red Fort.This year's Independence Day will culminate the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' celebrations, which were launched by the Prime Minister from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on March 12, 2021, and will, once again, usher the country into Amrit Kaal with renewed vigour to realise PM Modi's dream of making India a developed country by 2047. A number of new initiatives have been taken to celebrate the 77th Independence Day. A large number of guests have been invited as compared to last year.Selfie points dedicated to different schemes and initiatives of the government have been installed at 12 locations, including National War Memorial, India Gate, Vijay Chowk, New Delhi Railway Station, Pragati Maidan, Raj Ghat, Jama Masjid Metro Station, Rajiv Chowk Metro Station, Delhi Gate Metro Station, ITO Metro Gate, Naubat Khana and Sheesh Ganj Gurudwara.The schemes/initiatives include Global Hope Vaccine and Yoga; Ujjwala Yojana; Space Power; Digital India; Skill India; Start-up India; Swachh Bharat; Sashakt Bharat, Naya Bharat; Powering India; Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission.As part of the celebrations, an online selfie contest will be conducted by the Ministry of Defence on the MyGov portal from August 15-20. People are encouraged to take selfies at one or more of the 12 installations and upload them on the MyGov platform to take part in the contest.Twelve winners, one from each installation, will be selected on the basis of the online selfie contest. The winners would be given prize money of Rs 10,000 each.All official invites have been sent online through aamantran portal . 17,000 e-invitation cards have been issued through the portal.Upon his arrival at the Red Fort, the Prime Minister will be received by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Defence MoS Ajay Bhatt and Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane. The Defence Secretary will introduce the General Officer Commanding, Delhi Area, Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth to the Prime Minister. Thereafter, the Prime Minister will inspect the Guard of Honour.The Guard of Honour contingent for the Prime Minister will consist of one officer and 25 personnel each from the Army, Air Force and Delhi Police and one officer and 24 personnel from the Navy. The Indian Army is the coordinating service this year. The Guard of Honour will be commanded by Major Vikas Sangwan.The Army Contingent in the Prime Minister's Guard will be commanded by Major Indrajeet Sachin, the Naval Contingent by Lieutenant Commander MV Rahul Raman and the Air Force contingent by Squadron Leader Akash Ganghas. The Delhi Police contingent will be commanded by Additional DCP Sandhya Swami.After inspecting the Guard of Honour, the Prime Minister will proceed to the ramparts of the Red Fort where he will be greeted by Rajnath Singh, Ajay Bhatt, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Pande, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar and Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari.The GoC, Delhi area will conduct the Prime Minister to the dais on the ramparts to unfurl the National Flag.After being unfurled, the Tricolour will receive a Rashtriya Salute. The Army band, consisting of one JCO and 20 Other Ranks, will play the National Anthem during the unfurling of the National Flag and presenting of the Rashtriya Salute. The Band will be conducted by Naib Subedar Jatinder Singh.Major Nikita Nair and Major Jasmine Kaur will assist the Prime Minister in unfurling the National Flag. It will be synchronised with the 21 Gun Salute by the valiant gunners of the elite 8711 Field Battery . The ceremonial battery will be commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Vikas Kumar and the Gun Position Officer will be Naib Subedar Anoop Singh.The National Flag Guard comprising five officers and 128 Other Ranks from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Delhi Police will present Rashtriya Salute at the time of the unfurling of the National Flag by the Prime Minister. Major Abhinav Detha from the Army will be in command of this Inter-Services Guard and Police Guard.The Army Contingent in the National Flag Guard will be commanded by Major Mukesh Kumar Singh, the Naval contingent by Lieutenant Commander Harpreet Mann and the Air Force Contingent by Squadron Leader Shrey Chawdhary. The Delhi Police contingent will be commanded by Additional DCP Shashank Jaiswal.As soon as the National Flag is unfurled by the Prime Minister, flower petals will be showered at the venue by two Advanced Light Helicopters Mark-III Dhruv of the Indian Air Force in the Line Astern Formation. The captains of the helicopter will be Wing Commander Amber Agarwal and Squadron Leader Himanshu Sharma.After the showering of flower petals, the Prime Minister will address the Nation. At the conclusion of the speech of the Prime Minister, the cadets of the National Cadet Corps will sing the National Anthem. One thousand one hundred boy and girl NCC cadets from different schools across the country will take part in this festival of National Fervour. Bleachers have been installed at the Gyanpath, on which the cadets would be seated in official white dress.In addition, NCC cadets in uniform will be seated at the Gyan Path as part of the celebrations. Another highlight would be the G-20 logo, which will be part of the floral decorations at the Red Fort.(ANI | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605859 172O71O250O125)
Dry lightning may spark wildfires even under wetter conditions: Study

These cloud-to-ground strikes during little to no rainfall were previously thought to pose wildfire danger only if occurring with less than 2.5 mm of rain in a day . A Washington State University-led study of lightning-ignited wildfires in the U.S. West found the strikes caused wildfires despite up to 7.7 mm of precipitation.While still a low amount of rain, the more accurate estimation could help responders detect fires earlier, especially those known as "holdovers," which can smolder for many days before exploding into full-blown wildfires."The rainfall amounts we quantified should help provide a better understanding of just how much rain can fall and still pose a fire risk," said Dmitri Kalashnikov, a Ph.D. candidate in the WSU School of the Environment and lead author of the study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.The researchers analyzed data on more than 4,600 naturally caused fires compiled by the National Interagency Fire Center across the West from 2015-2020. They matched 3,726 of those to the lightning strikes that likely started them, using the National Lightning Detection Network data.The study found that 15.3% of those were holdover fires, representing over a hundred fires each year. Analyzing radar precipitation data around the time of the lightning strikes showed greater rainfall than previously thought among the earlier detected fires ranging from 1.7 mm-4.6 mm . Holdover fires tended to occur with even higher precipitation of about 3.0 mm-7.7 mm .While humans still cause most fires either by accident or arson, lightning-caused wildfires burn the most acreage. Nearly 70% of the wildfire-burned land in the West were from lightning-sparked fires according to a previous study. For example, the largest wildfire burn area in California history occurred in August 2020 after dry lightning ignited many wildfires at once.Dry lightning can also start wildfires in remote places that are hard for firefighters to reach, Kalashnikov said. Holdovers pose an additional problem because they are so hard to detect in early stages. This study found the highest proportion of holdovers were in the forested mountains of the Southwest as well as the middle and southern Rocky Mountains.Forested areas are particularly vulnerable to these types of fires because lighting might ignite the leaves and twigs on the forest floor that is sheltered from rain--and from view--by the branches above."Holdovers are extra sneaky because lightning can start a fire, and it might just kind of smolder for a day or two or sometimes a week or more until conditions are right for fire to spread," Kalashnikov said. "So the lightning storm may have passed a long time ago, and you might think there's no danger, then all the sudden, the fire blows up."(ANI | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605859 172O70O242O129)
Russia: Sergei Shoigu, Denis Manturov interact with BrahMos Aerospace officials at Army 2023 defence exhibition

India's Ambassador to Russia Pavan Kapoor on Monday inaugurated the India Pavilion at the International Military Technical Forum.Taking to his Twitter handle, Pavan Kapoor stated, "Inaugurated the India Pavilion at the International Military Technical Forum #ARMY2023. Pleased to show Deputy PM Denis Manturov some excellent products on offer from @DRDO_India & our Defence PSU's #BEL, #BEML, #GSL@DefenceMinIndia."The Army 2023 international military-technical forum is being held at the Patriot Congress and Exhibition Center, the Alabino training ground and the Kubinka airfield outside Moscow from August 14-20, TASS reported.On Monday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu inspected various products made by the domestic defence industry which are exhibited at the Army-2023 International Military-Technical Forum which started in Kubinka outside Moscow on Monday.Shoigu examined the Drok 82 mm self-propelled mortar, Kornet-D1 self-propelled anti-tank missile system, the Lotos 120 mm self-propelled artillery system, the Zavet-D automated control system managing airborne mortar teams and the Aistyonok portable radar reconnaissance station, TASS reported.The exhibition stands also included the Oryol round-the-clock, optical-electronic, multifunctional device, Orlan-30 and Orlan-10 unmanned aerial vehicles, the Kub system equipped with guided munitions, the Lancet system equipped with small and medium-sized loitering munitions, the Supercam-S350 drone, the Malva 152 mm self-propelled artillery system, and the Tornado-G 122 mm multiple launch missile system.Sergei Shoigu was also briefed on the capabilities of the Planshet-M-IR artillery battalion fire control system, the Salago-system for integrated intelligence processing and the PRP-5 Mars-2000 mobile reconnaissance vehicle, and the Salaga-O system for integrated intelligence processing, according to TASS report.He met with senior executives from Promsvyazbank and Novikombank, TASS reported. He also saw the goods produced by a number of Russian companies serving the defence sector, including an air-to-air advanced guided airborne missile made by the Kurganpribor research and production facility.The BrahMos missile is a type of supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from various platforms like submarines, ships, aeroplanes, or land. It is currently the fastest supersonic missile in the world and was developed by a partnership between India's Defence Research and Development Organisation and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyeniya, forming BrahMos Aerospace. The missile is named after two rivers, the Brahmaputra in India and the Moskva in Russia.Recently, the Indian Navy successfully test-fired the ship-launched version of the BrahMos missile. The missile test was conducted using an indigenous seeker and booster in the Arabian Sea. Notably, its anti-ship version was jointly test-fired by the Andaman and Nicobar Command and the Navy in April 2022.(ANI | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605859 162O158O87O137)
The Ireland 71 Lakh Scheme 2023 is a program introduced by the government of Ireland to encourage individuals to relocate to the country. Under this scheme, eligible applicants will receive 71 lakh rupees (80,000) as financial assistance to settle in Ireland. The objective of the scheme is to increase the population of Irelands offshore communities and contribute to the overall economic growth of the country.

Registration for the scheme began on July 1, 2023, and will remain open until August 30, 2023. Interested individuals can apply online through the official website of the Government of Ireland. The scheme has specific eligibility criteria, required documents, and terms and conditions that applicants need to fulfill. It is advisable to review the official guidelines and information provided on the governments website for accurate details and to ensure compliance with the schemes requirements.

Ireland 71 Lakh Scheme 2023

The Ireland 71 Lakh Scheme 2023 (80,000) has been launched by the government of Ireland. It is aimed at individuals who want to settle outside their country for specific reasons. The scheme offers financial assistance of 71 lakh rupees to eligible applicants who are shortlisted by the government. Interested individuals must check the eligibility criteria and requirements mentioned on the official portal before applying. It is important to read the terms and conditions of the scheme to ensure a smooth application process.

Name of Scheme Ireland 71 Lakh Scheme Registration Start Date 1st July 2023 Last Date 30th August 2023 Age Applicant should be above 18 years of age Scheme Launched by Ireland Government Amount 71 Lakh (80,000) Eligibility Applicants must adhere to the age limit, have work experience or proper educational certificates, possess an Ireland visa, and have no criminal record Documents Needed Identity cards, Ireland Visa, Education & Experience Certificates, Birth Certificate, and more Is the 71 Lakh Scheme Real or Fake? It is a real scheme for the benefit of individuals

The Ireland 71 Lakh Scheme 2023 is now open for online applications. The scheme offers individuals the opportunity to settle in Ireland and pursue career opportunities. With the aim of increasing the population and developing the island, the government invites eligible candidates to apply. Interested applicants must ensure they meet the eligibility criteria and submit their online application form before the deadline. It is important to review the eligibility details and apply online to avoid rejection of the application by the department.

Purpose of Ireland 71 Lakh Scheme 2023

The purpose of the Ireland 71 Lakh Scheme 2023 is to encourage individuals to relocate to Ireland and contribute to the growth of the countrys population and economy. The scheme aims to attract talented individuals who can bring valuable skills, knowledge, and expertise to Ireland, fostering development and progress.

Ireland 71 Lakh Scheme 2023 How to Apply

To apply for the Ireland 71 Lakh Scheme 2023, follow these steps:

Step 1: Visit the official website dedicated to the scheme, such as https://www.gov.ie/.

Step 2: Look for the registration or application section on the official website.

Step 3: Click on the registration link at Official Site to access the application form.

Step 4: Fill in the required personal information, including your name, contact details, and address.

Step 5: Provide any additional information or documentation required, such as proof of identity, age, educational qualifications, and visa status.

Step 6: Carefully review the terms and conditions of the scheme.

Step 7: Submit the completed application form online.

Step 8: Keep a copy of the submitted application.

Step 9: Wait for further communication from the government regarding the status of your application.

If your application is approved, follow the instructions provided for the next steps, which may include relocation procedures and financial disbursement.

Ireland 71 Lakh Scheme Official Website

official website of Ireland 71 Lakh Govt Scheme such as www.gov.ie

Ireland 71 Lakh Scheme 2023 Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria for the Ireland 71 Lakh Scheme 2023 are as follows:

Age: Applicants must be 18 years of age or older. Visa: Applicants must possess a valid visa to settle in Ireland. Intent: Applicants must have a genuine reason and intention to relocate to Ireland. Skills: Applicants should possess the necessary skills and expertise to contribute to the development of the country. Background check: Applicants should not have any criminal background or history. Other criteria: Additional eligibility requirements may vary and can be specified by the government or the scheme authorities.

Base Articles Home Page for Govt Schemes

Ireland 71 Lakh Scheme: Required Documents

The required documents for the Ireland 71 Lakh Scheme may include:

Passport: A valid passport to establish your identity and citizenship. Visa: Proof of a valid visa or documentation allowing you to settle in Ireland. Age Certificate: A document such as a birth certificate or ID card to verify your age. Education Qualification Certificate: Proof of your educational qualifications and relevant mark sheets. Residential Proof: Documents demonstrating your current residential address. Income Proof: Evidence of your income, such as salary slips or bank statements. Work Experience: Certificates or documents showcasing your work experience and expertise. Origin Country ID Card: Identity card or document verifying your nationality in the origin country. Other Supporting Documents: Any additional documents as specified by the government or scheme authorities.

Ireland 71 Lakh Scheme 2023 Terms and Conditions

Applicants must meet the specified eligibility criteria. Applications must be submitted online within the designated period. Selected candidates will receive financial assistance of 71 lakh rupees. The scheme aims to encourage relocation and population growth in Ireland. Applicants must comply with immigration and employment laws. All provided documents will be subject to verification. Candidates are responsible for their own relocation and settlement arrangements. The scheme may be subject to modifications or termination by the government. False or misleading information may result in disqualification or legal consequences.

Ireland 71 Lakh Scheme 2023 FAQs

How to apply for Ireland 71 lakh relocation scheme 2023?

The application form to apply online will become available on July 1, 2023, and candidates may apply online for Ireland 71 Lakh Relocation Scheme 2023 Before the Deadline of August 30, 2023 Why is Ireland offering Rs 71 lakh?

Ireland is offering Rs.71 lakh for the people who will buy a house or property on one of the idyllic islands Can I apply for Ireland 71 lakh scheme if I dont have a visa?

No, the Ireland 71 Lakh Scheme is only open to individuals who already possess a valid Irish visa How do I apply for the offshore community scheme in Ireland? The objective of the scheme is to increase the population of Irelands offshore communities and contribute to the overall economic growth of the country.
UAE welcomes successful completion of oil unloading operation from tanker FSO Safer

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs commended the efforts of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, and donor countries for the support provided to facilitate the operation to unload oil from the decaying tanker, which safeguarded the region and the world from an environmental and humanitarian catastrophe.(ANI | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605860 172O70O247O73)
Alia Bhatt to appear on 'Bigg Boss OTT 2' finale?

The reality show will have its grand finale tonight. And guess what? As per a source, actress Alia Bhatt is all set to appear during the episode to show her support to her sister Pooja Bhatt, who has been entertaining the audience with her 'Bigg Boss' stint from the start.Recently, Alia dropped a sweet message for Pooja after 'Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani' press conference.One of the shutterbugs asked her about Pooja's presence in the Bigg Boss house. Alia heard the question of the shutterbug and she quickly responded, "Woh waha hai, wohi mere liye jeete . I love her."Also, Pooja and Alia's father and veteran director Mahesh Bhatt entered the house a few days ago and interacted with the 'Bigg Boss OTT' contestants.Mahesh Bhatt shared several anecdotes from his life. He also opened up about how Pooja became the bread earner in his family during tough times. He revealed that during his struggling phase, Pooja stepped up and became the backbone of the family. She took the initiative to pursue a modelling career and auditioned for numerous ads. Her efforts and success in the modelling world played a crucial role in running the household during those difficult days.Pooja is competing against Elvish Yadav, Bebika Dhurve and Manisha Rani in the final race.(ANI | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605860 172O71O246O40)
With 27 deaths in 4 days at Thane hospital, CM orders probe, report by Aug 25

Official sources have confirmed the latest four fatalities  coming a day after 18 patients died on Saturday-Sunday night - at the Thane Municipal Corporation's 500-bed hospital located in the CM's hometown  taking the toll to 27 in just four days.As a major political row erupted over the large number of deaths, Shinde ordered setting up a 9-member committee of medical experts which will investigate the probable causes in detail and submit its report to the government by Aug. 25.Hospital insiders said that another 4 patients, among them two minors, have succumbed since Sunday night at CSMH, after the first six deaths were reported last week, and the 18 fatalities on Sunday.Top Opposition leaders including Congress state President Nana Patole, Leader of Opposition (Assembly) Vijay Wadettiwar, Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule, MP, state President Jayant Patil, General Secretary Dr. Jitendra Awhad, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, Leader of Opposition (Council) Ambadas Danve and others attacked the state government for various lapses leading to the multiple fatalities.Among the reasons cited by the TMC authorities are a sudden surge in the number of patients from far-flung areas, including neighbouring district of Palghar, lower intake capacity owing to shifting of some wards, and some patients admitted who were already critical, had been rushed here from other hospitals.Not convinced, the Opposition has slammed the ruling Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party-NCP (AP) government alleging lapses on various counts, insufficient resources, lack of adequate medical, nursing and para-medical staff at the CSMH and an inept administration as responsible for the tragedy.An agitated Sharad Pawar demanded to know what the government was doing while Danve said the CM is responsible for the multiple deaths of innocent patients in the past few days.(IANS | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605860 162O158O87O69)
WHO, Ayush Ministry to host global summit on traditional medicine

Director General of the WHO, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus will inaugurate the event in the presence of Minister of Health Mansukh Mandaviya and Minister of Ayush Shri Sarbananda Sonowal.G20 Health Ministers, Regional Directors and eminent invitees from countries across WHO's six regions are expected to grace the event along with scientists, practitioners of traditional medicine, health workers and members of civil society organisations.Addressing a press conference, Minister of State for Ayush, Munjpara Mahendrabhai said "It is very natural that after the foundation laying ceremony of the Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in Jamnagar last year, we are going to witness this first global event in India. It testifies to the multi-dimensional strides taken by various traditional medicine systems of our country in the recent past.""By blending traditional practices with contemporary practices aided by visionary policies and digital initiatives, India has demonstrated a path for achieving universal health coverage (UHC) through traditional medicine systems," he said.The Minister informed that the summit's outcome will be a declaration, and this declaration will assist WHO in shaping the future of WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine.(IANS | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605861 172O70O247O94)
Vodafone Idea posts higher loss of Rs 7,840cr

In a regulatory filing, the company said for the period ended 30.6.2023 it had earned a total revenue of Rs 10,655.5 crore (Q1FY23 Rs 10,410.1 crore).The company said its net loss for the period under review was Rs 7,840 crore up from the net loss figure of Rs 7,292.9 crore.(IANS | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605861 172O70O250O147)
Aizawl Bombing: March 5, 1966 - Indira as PM was just 40-day-old 'Goongi Gudiya'

But it ought to be understood that Indira Gandhi was hardly a 40-day old Prime Minister then and 'her image' still was that of 'Goongi Gudiya', or a dumb doll.One version from informed sources is that when the Army/Assam Rifles movement was difficult and Mizo rebels refused to 'move out' from their positions, the bombing on the Mizo rebels hideouts were ordered.The forward advance of 2 Para and 8 Sikh Regiment was also held up prior to that.Indira Gandhi had been dubbed as a 'Goongi Gudiya' by none other than socialist stalwart Ram Manohar Lohia.The fact of the matter is circa 1966 was a tough year for India. On January 11, 1966, India's second Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri expired in a rather controversial circumstances in Tashkent.Gulzari Lal Nanda succeeded him and was in office for 13 days before Indira Gandhi took charge on January 24, 1966. It is also true Indira Gandhi was 'not the natural choice' of the Congress then, and she took oath only as a compromise candidate amid inner-party confabulations.Now in circa 2023, some Mizo intellectuals are aggrieved.Professor J.V. Hluna, a native Mizo historian, said, "Why the national media has given an impression that the Mizos had almost forgotten the AizawlBombing of 1966 and Narendra Modi is making us remember that all over again. We never forgot, nor forgave anyone.""In fact, apology was demanded by the Mizos from the Manmohan Singh government after, as a Sikh Prime Minister, he had tendered an apology for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots," Hluna told IANS.During the UPA stint, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had tendered a public apology for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.It was also hailed in an American diplomatic cable as an "almost Gandhian moment of moral clarity in India's long march to religious harmony".An Aizawl-based social activist, Zodi Sanga, told this journalist last week, "Prime Minister Modi has revived old wounds. As a BJP leader, he might have done his part of politics. But he should have gone a step further and even tender an apology in the House on behalf of theGovernment of India."In terms of 'official version', those in service in multiple ministries and in the possible know of things say "most information about Aizawl Bombing is classified".However, the date of Air Force bombing is 'confirmed' (March 5, 1966), they say, adding, "The Operation took place four days after the Mizo rebel leader on March 1, 1966 announced Mizo independence and made life difficult in more than one place for Assam Rifles."Unlike reported in a section of the media, in the first week of March (1966) or even on the fateful aerial strike day, March 5, Laldenga was in Mizoram only and not in Karachi.Local sources also claim that only after the third week of March, probably after the Indian Army consolidated its position and MNA lost ground, Laldenga left for Dhaka via the Chittagong hill tracks.Laldenga's lieutenant Zorathanga had then appeared for his graduation exam from Manipur and was reportedly "awaiting results".But the source also maintains that "Mizoram was still very much part of greater Assam state and that way there is no question of calling it secession. We can add one more information - the Army operation on the ground to clear Mizo insurgents' held positions was carried out by 61 Mountain Division led by Brig Rustom Zal Kabraji".Even Mizo local experts have heard about "Brigadier Kabraji"."The Army fighters of Mountain Division came from Tripura traversing tough terrains," a senior citizen in Aizawl said.Hluna said, "Travelling required days of trekking and for some time Army soldiers faced hurdles between Silchar (in Assam) and Aizawl at the strategic location of Kolasib."Answering questions, Hluna said, "By March 1, 1966, the Mizo National Army guerrillas were very successful and carried out attacks against Assam Rifles in Lunglei and Champhai...Even in Assam Rifles' local headquarters unit in Aizawl, the soldiers faced water problem and supply of essentials.Mizo cadres prevented them from moving out of the camps."He added, "One problem faced by Delhi could be the fact that there was political uncertainty... Indira Gandhi had taken over as the Prime Minister only on January 24, 1966 and within 40 days, Laldenga made the mega announcement and she had to decide about the Air Force actions."This is a fact of life.On March 5, 2011, while rest of India debated issues such as Lokpal and various corruption scams, a large number Mizos took out a silent procession in Aizawl to mark the 45th year of the Indian Air Force bombardment. Mizos call it 'Zoram Ni' (Mizoram Day) with pain in their hearts.The air raids in Tlabung on the Mizoram-Bangladesh border and Sangau and Hnahlan on the Mizoram-Myanmar boundary besides Aizawl left about 20 people dead.Hluna said, "A Christian missionary later could find 13 bodies at a spot near Aizawl and hence the apology demand made sense for Mizos after Manmohan Singh said sorry to the Sikhs... Either Manmohan Singh or even UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi should have said sorry on the floor ofthe Parliament."It may be mentioned that on January 27, 1998, Sonia Gandhi at a rally in Chandigarh had tendered a veiled apology for the Army storming the Golden Temple in 1984.Among the former military officers, who served in northeast including in the tough terrains of Mizoram and Manipur, there is a general refrain that it was only after the 'aerial attack' that the military could regain control of the vast areas which had fallen into Mizo insurgents' hands.(Nirendra Dev is a New Delhi-based journalist. He is also author of the books 'The Talking Guns North East India', and 'Modi to Moditva An Uncensored Truth'. Views expressed are personal)nirendra/arm(IANS | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605861 172O70O246O36)
'Akelli Anthem': Nushrratt Bharuccha unveils first track from her next film

Taking to Instagram, Nushrratt unveiled the anthem of the movie with a caption, "Your real strength unfolds when you stand alone facing your fears. #kelliAnthem Out Now. Coming only in cinemas....#Akelli, 25th August."https//www.instagram.com/p/Cv7KngqNnIX/Daler Mehndi, known for his powerful and energetic voice, has delivered amazing performances in his signature style.The song not only captures the essence of the film, but also adds an electrifying energy that complements the narrative perfectly.Speaking about his involvement in the project, Daler Mehndi shared, "The theme song of 'Akelli' holds a special place in my heart.The concept and emotions behind the song resonated with me deeply, and I am excited to share this musical masterpiece with all of you. Collaborating with Dashami Studioz has been an incredible journey. I believe the song will leave a lasting impact on listeners, just as the film is expected to do."Producer Ninad Vaidya said, "We thought the ethos of Akelli should be captured positively. Daler Paji's voice resonates with the exact feel of 'Akelli' - strength and commitment. His Powerful voice defines what we are trying to portray through 'Akelli'."Earlier, Nushrratt treated fans with a trailer video.Sharing the video she wrote, "AKELLI - An Ordinary Girl's Battle For Survival. #AkelliTrailer, Out Now. Coming only in cinemas on 18th August....#Akelli.The film is about an Indian girl who is stranded alone in war-torn Iraq and how she struggles for survival against all odds.The trailer showcased Nushrratt's character attempting to flee but is besieged by armed men. It then follows her life, showing how she left Mosul for a career, how she had been working and settling down in a whole new nation until a war breaks out and she is taken alongside other women.Nushrratt Bharuccha in a never-seen-before avatar.'Akelli' is helmed by Pranay Meshram, who has worked as an associate director for various projects and will debutant as a director with this film.The film is produced by Dashami Studioz' Nitin Vaidya, Ninad Vaidya, and Aparna Padgaonkar along with Vicky Sidana & Shashant Shah. Actors Tsahi Halevi and Amir Boutrous, who are known for their performances in the popular Israeli series 'Fauda', are all set to make their Bollywood debut with the film.'Akelli' is all set to release on August, 18.(ANI | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605862 172O69O150O183)
Rupee goes international - Journey of Indian currency since 1947

Keeping other aspects of the economy aside, let us have a glance at how the Indian rupee from being a relatively weak currency started its journey toward internationalisation. The value of a country's currency and its usage for global trade are among the key indicators for gauging its economic stride.Banks from 22 countries have opened special Rupee vostro accounts in Indian banks in order to trade in local currency as part of gradual de-dollarisation plans, the Parliament was informed during the just concluded monsoon session of Parliament.Simply put, vostro accounts enable domestic banks to provide international banking services to clients who have global banking needs.In a written reply in Lok Sabha, Union Minister of State Rajkumar Ranjan Singh listed out the names of the countries. They include Belarus, Botswana, Fiji, Germany, Guyana, Israel, Kenya, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, New Zealand, Oman, Russia, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, Bangladesh, Maldives, Kazakhstan and the United Kingdom.The Reserve Bank of India last year put in place an arrangement, allowing transactions in domestic currencies to promote the growth of global trade with an emphasis on exports from India and to bring in increasing interest towards the rupee.The internationalisation of the rupee gathered steam following the Reserve Bank of India's announcement of a mechanism to settle payments for international trade in rupees, especially for India's exports. The RBI allowed invoicing and payments for international trade in Indian Rupee on July 11, 2022.Experts widely believe if the mechanism fructifies then it may go a long way in internationalizing the Indian currency rupee in the long run.A currency can be termed "international" if it is widely accepted worldwide as a medium of exchange.To examine issues related to the internationalisation of the Rupee and suggest a way forward, the RBI had constituted an Inter-Departmental Group in December 2021.The panel has recently come up with a report, where it made various short-term and long-term recommendations.In the short run, the members of the Group recommended enabling rupee as an additional settlement currency in existing multilateral mechanisms; integrating Indian payment systems with other countries for cross-border transactions; inclusion of G-Secs in global bond indices; and providing equitable incentives to exporters for rupee trade settlement.In the long run, its recommendations included a review of taxes on Masala bonds ; international use of Real Time Gross Settlement for cross-border trade transactions; examining taxation issues in financial markets to harmonise tax regimes of India and other financial centres; and allowing banking services in rupee outside India through off-shore branches of Indian banks.Stating India as one of the fastest-growing countries which showed remarkable resilience even in the face of major headwinds, the IDG said it feels that the rupee has the potential to become an internationalised currency.It is important to note that the US dollar being the reserve currency of almost all countries is detrimental to other currencies, especially in times of sharp volatility in financial markets as it weakens peer currencies.SBI Research in a report last year, however, noted that the share of the US dollar in global foreign exchange reserves, has been shrinking since the start of the twenty-first century, falling close to 59 per cent as of the end of December 2021, from above 70 per cent two decades back.Since the cost of imports becomes higher, domestic inflation may be triggered, which in turn may reduce purchasing power in the economy. Rising costs of imports may also increase the current account deficit .A widening trade deficit is also a contributing factor to the weakening of the rupee.The Indian rupee is currently trading at over 83 per US dollar. The value of the rupee was around 4 during the Independence.A lot has happened on the macroeconomic front ever since 1947 including economic stress in the 1960s led by a slump in food and industrial production. Then came the Indo-China and Indo-Pakistan which widened spending and gave birth to the balance of payments crisis. Faced with high import bills, India was close to default as the foreign exchange reserves had almost dried up.In 1991, India found itself in a serious economic crisis as the country was not in a position to pay for its imports and service its external debt obligations. Again, India was on the verge of default, which necessitated the much-needed reforms which opened the country's economy.To negate the crisis, the Reserve Bank of India reportedly devalued the rupee in two sharp tranches - 9 per cent and 11 per cent, respectively. Post the devaluation, the value of the rupee against the US dollar was around 26.From Rs 4 during Independence against the then benchmark Pound sterling to around Rs 83 against the US dollar now, the rupee has depreciated by Rs 79 in the past 76 years.There is, however, a silver lining. Even though the falling rupee may not benefit the entire economy, a devalued currency certainly has its merits as it aids in boosting exports.(ANI | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605862 162O158O94O58)
You have to enjoy it: Carlos Alcaraz on battle for World No. 1 with Novak Djokovic

"I like those battles. I like to know that I can lose, and I can recover it at the same time. Of course, you have to enjoy it when the battle is against one of the legends of our sport, Novak. I feel that I'm main opponent for him. For me, it's something crazy, and I'm trying to enjoy," Carlos Alcaraz was quoted as saying by ATP.com.The title of World No. 1 is on the line again this week in Cincinnati, where both men are competing in the season's seventh ATP Masters 1000 event. By getting to the title match in Ohio, Alcaraz can ensure his place at the top.Although the 20-year-old is focused on the task at hand, which is to perform well in this event, he is aware of the World No. 1 fight."You have to put goals to yourself during the season, in every tournament. And for me right now the main goal is to stay in the top spot and if I lose it, try to recover it as fast as I can. It's something that helped me a lot to show my best level in the big tournaments," Alcaraz said.Alcaraz fell in the quarterfinals of the Toronto Open to Tommy Paul, his first tournament after winning Wimbledon. The Spaniard is ready to put his performance in Canada behind him this week."It wasn't a good week for me, but a lot of things to improve coming into this tournament. Looking back to last year, first round and then quarter-finals, and then I won the US Open," Alcaraz said. "I have to overcome that week that I had in Toronto, try to play better here and try to do better the things that I did badly in Toronto."The four-time ATP Masters 1000 champion is feeling comfortable in the city and at the venue, and the fans are embracing him, too."A lot of things changed since last year. I think the tournament grew up a lot, and this is my first day here. My first practice I had this morning, so I enjoyed this practice. All the fans were there enjoying the practice as well. So far I'm enjoying my time here in Cincinnati," Alcaraz said.(ANI | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605862 172O69O150O122)
Centre, state govt working to restore peace in Manipur: PM Modi in 10th I-Day address

"The whole country stands with the people of Manipur. Peace is the only way to resolve all disputes. The Centre and the Manipur government are making every effort to ensure that peace returns to the state at the earliest," PM Modi said.He said the largest democracy was now leading the world in terms of population."This is a vast country with endless possibilities. 140 crore members of my family are celebrating Independence Day today," PM Modi added.Paying homage to the heroes of the country's freedom struggle, he added, "I salute all our citizens and those outside the country, who demonstrate their love for their native soil. I extend my heartfelt wishes to them this Independence Day."Earlier on Tuesday, PM Modi hoisted the national flag today as the nation woke up to its 77th Independence Day.He also took to his official handle on 'X', formerly Twitter, to greet countrymen on Independence Day."Best wishes on Independence Day. We pay homage to our great freedom fighters and reaffirm our commitment to fulfilling their vision. Jai Hind!," the Prime Minister wrote.On his arrival at the Red Fort, PM Modi was received by Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, Raksha Rajya Mantri, Ajay Bhatt, and Defence Secretary, Giridhar Aramane.This year's Independence Day will culminate the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' celebrations, which were launched by Prime Minister Modi from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on March 12, 2021, and will usher the country into 'Amrit Kaal'.(ANI | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605863 172O70O251O49)
A 30-year-old Nebraskan and an 8-year-old boy died Wednesday after a semi-truck driven by a 21-year-old man crossed into oncoming traffic and crashed into the family's car near the border of Clay and Adams counties, according to authorities.

Nicole Pavelka of Davenport was driving east with four children in her car on U.S. 6 at about 4:15 p.m. Wednesday when westbound traffic on the highway came to a stop, Nebraska State Patrol spokesman Cody Thomas said in a news release.

Justin Zoerb, of Hazard, was driving west on the highway in a semi-truck when he failed to slow down for the stopped westbound traffic that was waiting for a vehicle to turn from the highway onto Road A, Thomas said.

Zoerb drove into the highway's eastbound lanes and crashed into Pavelka's Buick Enclave, Thomas said.

Pavelka and the 8-year-old boy, Ryker Schlichtman of Davenport, died at the scene.

Three other children in the car  ages 11, 10 and 4  were hospitalized with serious injuries, Thomas said.

The news release described the car's occupants as family members but didn't describe how they are related. Pavelka had been engaged to Ryker's father, Thomas said.

Authorities arrested Zoerb for an active traffic warrant out of Hitchcock County, where court filings indicated the 21-year-old skipped a June court appearance for two misdemeanor charges, including failure to stop and weigh.

Zoerb was taken to the Adams County jail for the warrant. The State Patrol is still investigating the crash.
Natural calamity created unimaginable crisis: PM Modi

"...This time, natural calamity has created unimaginable crises in several parts of the country. I express my sympathies to all families who faced this...." PM Modi said.The prime minister assured that both the Centre and the state will help the affected families during times of crisis so they can start their life again. "I assure you about it".Heavy rainfall has battered the states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, which saw deaths and destruction a day earlier.India Meteorological Department has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall in the next 24 hours in several parts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The Met department has raised "red alert" for both the hilly states which will gradually reduce to "orange alert".Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday informed that over 50 people have lost their lives within the past 24 hours due to landslides and continuous rainfall in the area. He also expressed concerns that over 20 people are feared to be trapped under debris.Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday conducted an aerial survey of flood-affected areas in the state and also reviewed the increasing water level of the Ganga river in Rishikesh district.After the survey, CM Dhami said that several places have been damaged in the last 48 hours due to incessant rains in the state adding that the Kedarnath Yatra has been stopped for the next two days.Uttarakhand's Rishikesh recorded the highest rainfall, across the country, in a span of 24 hours on Monday morning. Heavy rains in the State have triggered landslides and flash floods in several places, officials said.Meanwhile, before addressing the country Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat.This is Prime Minister's 10th consecutive Independence Day speech since assuming office in 2014 and the last one before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.Earlier today, PM Modi hoisted the national flag at the Red Fort. He also took to his official handle on 'X', formerly Twitter, to greet countrymen on Independence Day."Best wishes on Independence Day. We pay homage to our great freedom fighters and reaffirm our commitment to fulfilling their vision. Jai Hind!," the Prime Minister wrote.On his arrival at the Red Fort, PM Modi was received by Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, Raksha Rajya Mantri, Ajay Bhatt, and Defence Secretary, Giridhar Aramane.This year's Independence Day will culminate the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' celebrations, which were launched by Prime Minister Modi from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on March 12, 2021, and will usher the country into 'Amrit Kaal'.Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday informed that over 50 people have lost their lives within the past 24 hours due to landslides and continuous rainfall in the area. He also expressed concerns that over 20 people are feared to be trapped under debris.(ANI | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605863 172O70O250O37)
US announces USD 200 million security aid for UkraineA

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a US State Department statement that the package, which is valued at USD 200 million, includes air defence munitions, artillery rounds, anti-armour capabilities, and additional mine-clearing equipment."It is being executed from previously authorized Presidential Drawdown Authority," the statement added.The US further said that every day, Russia is killing Ukrainian civilians and destroying civilian infrastructure. Additionally, they are weaponizing hunger and are contributing to global food insecurity by destructing Ukraine's civilian ports and grain infrastructure."Russia started this war and could end it at any time by withdrawing its forces from Ukraine and stopping its brutal attacks," the statement said.To extend help, the US further said that along with 5their allies, they will stand united for Ukraine."Until it does, the United States and our allies and partners will stand united with Ukraine, for as long as it takes," the statement added.Earlier last month, The US government announced a 1.3 billion USD military aid package for Ukraine -- during its ongoing conflict with Russia -- including air defence systems and attack drones.According to the US Department of Defence, the package includes four more National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, medium-range air defence batteries that have helped Ukraine withstand ongoing Russian barrages of missiles and drones.Notably, it is the same system that is used to protect Washington DC and the area around the US capital.The package will give Kyiv a total of 12 NASAMS. The US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said last November that the NASAMS had a 100 per cent success rate in intercepting Russian attacks, CNN reported.Lloyd Austin, United States Secretary of Defense on July 18 said following an international meeting of countries providing aid to Ukraine "Make no mistake We are determined to support Ukraine's fight for freedom for as long as it takes."The latest package falls under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which is part of the long-term US commitment to provide aid to Ukraine. Unlike drawdown packages, which are pulled directly from Defence Department stocks and can be sent in relatively quickly, USAI packages are contracted with industry, a process which can take months or more, CNN reported."The United States will continue to work with its Allies and partners to provide Ukraine with capabilities to meet its immediate battlefield needs and longer-term security assistance requirements," the US DoD added.(ANI | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605864 162O158O94O162)
Centre hikes windfall tax on crude, diesel and jet fuel

The windfall tax on crude oil will increase from Rs 4,250 to Rs 7,100 per tonne, according to a gazette notification issued on Monday.It has also increased the levy on diesel from Rs 1 to Rs 5.50 per litre and on jet fuel from nil to Rs 2 per litre.The new rates will be applicable from August 15 onwards, the notification said.India had first imposed windfall profit taxes on July 1, 2022, joining a growing number of nations that tax the supernormal profits of energy companies.The government revises windfall tax imposition on a fortnightly basis.(IANS | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605864 172O70O247O73)
Ayushman Bharat scheme: Rs 1.1 crore paid to 403 'dead' beneficiaries in MP, reveals CAG report

As per the report available with IANS, Madhya Pradesh comes second after Kerala, where Rs 2.60 crore was paid to 966 patients, who were declared dead but continued to avail treatment under the scheme.The report further revealed that a total 8,081 patients were shown to be hospitalised simultaneously at multiple hospitals in different parts of Madhya Pradesh.It also noted that in four states -- Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Tamil Nadu -- excess payment totalling Rs 57.53 crore were made to the Empanelled Health Care Providers (EHCPs)."In Madhya Pradesh, 25 hospitals submitted claims twice in respect of 81 patients (162 claims) for various surgical procedures during the same length of stay. The state health authority (SHA) paid the full amount for both claims as against the prescribed rate of 50 per cent payment on second claim, which resulted in over-payment of Rs 29.61 lakh to EHCPs. The SHA also made a double payment of Rs 3.27 lakh to 13 hospitals which submitted claims twice in respect of 35 patients for caesarean delivery during the same length of stay," the report said.The Congress on Monday hit out at Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led state government, saying every day "new corruption of the BJP was coming to the fore".Former Chief Minister and state Congress chief Kamal Nath said, "Shivraj government has done corruption with people alive. They have not spared even the god and dead persons, which is horrific and shameful for entire Madhya Pradesh."He further said the CAG report has also mentioned about 8,081 cases of 4,590 patients, who simultaneously availed treatment at multiple hospitals, and flagged the involvement of 213 hospitals in it."The BJP government has lodged false cases against the Congress leaders, including me and Priyanka Gandhi following the expose on 50 per cent commission regime. Now, the CAG report on the Ayushman Bharat scheme, has clearly established that the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government is the most corrupt government in the world. Will the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government would also lodge a criminal case against the CAG in the wake of the latest report?" Kamal Nath said.pd/sha(IANS | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605864 172O70O242O210)
LU will not host Indian Science Congress in 2024

The annual conference was earlier scheduled to take place in January 2024.LU vice-chancellor Prof Alok Kumar Rai said "The difficult decision has been taken due to a combination of recent events and the ongoing legal disputes that have made the successful execution of the conference untenable."The LU was entrusted with the responsibility to host the annual conference by the Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) in March this year.In May, the Department of Science & Technology (DST) of the Centre, convened a meeting with the general president of the ISCA and the LU-V-C to discuss the terms and conditions for the ISC conference.On June 5, the department of science and technology (DST) issued a formal letter to the university stipulating that all decisions related to the technical sessions of the conference would be overseen by a high-level committee constituted by the department DST, the university said.Responding to the DST letter, the ISCA general secretary wrote to the LU in July asserting that all decisions regarding the conduct of the conference shall remain under the purview of the ISCA.The legal dispute that subsequently unfolded between the ISCA and the DST led to a court case filed by the former.The ISCA filed a writ petition against DST's intervention in its bylaws and related matters."Given the complexity of the situation and the ongoing legal conflict between ISCA and DST, the University of Lucknow has regrettably opted to withdraw from its role as the organiser of the ISC conference," said the vice-chancellor.The varsity had hosted its first ISC conference, which was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, in 2002.(IANS | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605865 162O158O95O107)
Women scientists are leading Chandrayaan mission, PM Modi emphasises on importance of women-led development

"The one thing that will take the country forward is women-led development. Today, we can proudly say that India has the maximum number of pilots in civil aviation. Women scientists are leading the Chandrayaan mission," PM Modi said."I want to tell the mothers, sisters and daughters that today the country has progressed due to the power of you all," he said.The G20 countries are also recognising the importance of women-led development," he added.With the launch of Chandrayaan-3, the Indian Space Research Organisation is embarking to achieve a successful soft landing on the Moon. India aims to become the fourth country in the world to achieve this feat, joining the ranks of the United States, Russia, and China.Chandrayaan-3 is India's third lunar mission and second attempt at achieving a soft landing on the Moon's surface. It is a follow-on to the unsuccessful 2019 lunar mission - Chandrayaan-2. It will demonstrate India's end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface.The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, which was launched on GSLV Mark 3 heavy-lift launch vehicle successfully from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota on July 14, is scheduled to land on the surface of the moon on August 23.The spacecraft has recently covered about two-thirds of the distance to the Moon and is currently undergoing a series of orbit manoeuvres.(ANI | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605865 172O70O247O162)
I am not prepared for main Bigg Boss: Elvish Yadav

On Monday night, he emerged as the winner of Salman Khan-hosted 'Bigg Boss OTT 2'. He led the voting with 48 per cent of the votes going in his favour and defeated Abhishek Malhan in the final race.https//www.instagram.com/p/Cv75yTEBk6N/After becoming the winner, Elvish spoke to ANI and expressed his happiness."I can't express how I am feeling. This happiness is beyond everything. I am forever grateful to my fans for making me win this show. I did not expect it," he said.Asked if he would like to be a part of the main 'Bigg Boss' reality show in the coming months, the Gugraon boy clearly said "no.""I am not prepared for this year's main 'Bigg Boss' yet. I have lived away from my family for many days due to Bigg Boss OTT stint. Hopefully next year I may like to come if I get the chance," he said.Elvish's journey in 'Bigg Boss OTT 2' would definitely be remembered for his hilarious one-liners especially 'Systumm hang'. Even though he entered the house late, he managed to steal the limelight and hold the attention of the viewers.He took home the Bigg Boss OTT 2 trophy and a cash prize of Rs 25 Lakh.Elvish's family members are on cloud nine. Their hearts have swollen with pride with his historic win.His sister Sana expressed, "I am very proud of him. I had complete faith in him. He has been in this field for a long time and finally, his hard work paid off."(ANI | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605865 172O70O242O133)
Indian-American Ro Khanna awarded for best workplace environment in Congress

The category highlights offices that have established both formal policies and informal cultures that enhance the work-life fit and professional development of their staff.Presented by the Congressional Management Foundation, this is Khanna's second Democracy Award, with his office winning the same honour in the "Constituent Service" category in 2019."It's an honour to receive this award for best workplace environment in Congress. I want to congratulate my incredible staff for working alongside me to create a positive and inclusive work environment," Khanna said in a statement."As a strong supporter of workers' rights, it's important to me to live my values and ensure that all employees in my office have fair wages and benefits and are treated with dignity and respect."Born in 1976 in Philadelphia to Indian immigrants, Khanna represents the 17th District of California, which covers communities in Silicon Valley."I've never worked in a more fun, kind, and people-centered workplace. We celebrate each other's wins and help one another work through challenges. I'm grateful to work, learn and laugh alongside such wonderful colleagues," said Sam Elghanayan, legislative aide in Khanna's office.Citing its reasons for choosing the Indian-American Congressman for the award, the Congressional Management Foundation said that his office appears to be an open and collaborative workplace, with Khanna cultivating an individual relationship with every staff member, encouraging staff to offer their recommendations and to ask him questions directly.At present, Khanna is leading a bipartisan congressional delegation to India along with Congressman Michael Waltz -- both co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans.In his interviews with the local media, Khanna has supported India's position on China as well as Khalistan, adding that India-US ties are stronger than ever and one of the most defining partnerships of the 21st century.The Congressman is expected to discuss issues such as defence ties, economic partnership, pluralism and minority rights.(IANS | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605866 162O158O94O30)
Adivi Sesh shares childhood memories of I-Day: India was only in heart

Born in Hyderabad, Adivi was raised in Berkeley, California, US.Talking about his childhood memory of Independence Day, the 38-year-old actor told IANS "My childhood was filled with Independence Day celebrations in California. Growing up, August 15 was a way for us to connect with our roots. We'd have 'melas'. As children, we'd do dance performances (I even won a couple), and we had our own way of reflecting upon what India meant.""It felt even more special because in America at the time, we weren't surrounded by anything Indian. India was only in the heart," he said.Adivi said "India is forever my motherland that I'm trying to connect with.""In fact, it is this very question that drove me to address concepts like 'What does it mean to be a soldier?' in 'MAJOR'. I've often wondered. Is India in its borders? In its religions? In its villages? What is the real 'India?' ? I realised that India is an emotion," he said.Adivi starred as lead in the 2022 biographical action drama film 'Major' directed by Sashi Kiran Tikka, with the story and screenplay by Adivi Sesh.The film focused on the life of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan who was killed in action in the 2008 Mumbai attacks.It also starred Prakash Raj, Sobhita Dhulipala, Saiee Manjrekar, Revathi, Murali Sharma, and Anish Kuruvilla in pivotal roles.The actor also said he is quite motivated by the historical figures.In a memorable speech, John F Kennedy once asked, "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country". I find that quote fascinating and I've often tried to apply that concept to my days.Adivi, who also starred in 'Baahubali The Beginning', said he is part of many programmes and initiatives that address issues like animal welfare, water scarcity, plastic pollution etc. in the country. "However, our country is so vast, so diverse that No matter what we do, it never feels enough," he added.He was last seen in the 2022 Telugu crime thriller 'HIT The Second Case', written and directed by Sailesh Kolanu.The flick also starred Meenakshi Chaudhary and Rao Ramesh. The plot revolves around Krishna Dev (Sesh) solving a serial murder case in Visakhapatnam.Meanwhile, he next has 'Goodachari 2'.(IANS | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605866 162O158O87O137)
CM Gehlot asks PM Modi to implement social security schemes across the nation

Gehlot hoisted the Tricolour for the 15th time here. While enumerating the schemes and achievements of his government, the Chief Minister said, "Our schemes are being discussed across the country."We have given one by one schemes for public welfare. Minimum Income Scheme Guarantee Act has been implemented for social security. PM Narendra Modi should implement the Social Security Act across the country."The Chief Minister said, "We are also paying attention to women's safety. Those who molest women and girls will not get government jobs. For this we are going to make provisions in the law. Just like the photographs of history-sheeters are posted in the police stations, in the same way, records will be kept of those who molest women."Gehlot said, "The government jobs are being given to the children of those who died during the Covid pandemic. We have paid special attention to social security. Insurance up to Rs 25 lakh is available in Chiranjeevi Yojana. We have given compensation up to Rs 40,000 per cow that died because of Lumpi. The people of the state trusted me and entrusted me with the responsibility of CM, I feel that responsibility. Today the Rajasthan model is being praised all over the world."Making announcements for the state, Gehlot said, "The Ramgarh Dam will be filled under the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) while being connected with the Isarda Dam. Rs 1,250 crore will be spent on it which will enable drinking water supply for Aandhi, Jamwaramgarh, Amer, Chaksu, Govindgarh, Shahpura, Viratnagar, Paota, Kotputli blocks of Jaipur district and Thanagaji and Bansur blocks of Alwar district. 53 dams in Dausa, Sawai Madhopur, Karauli, Bharatpur and Alwar districts will be filled by connecting them with ERCP. This will increase the project cost of ERCP by Rs 1,665 crore and will benefit 11 lakh farmers in 13 Assembly constituencies."The current Chiranjeevi Jeevan Rakshak Yojana is going on in the state, through which Rs 5,000 and a citation are given to the people injured in road accidents who take them to the hospital at the right time. Now in this scheme, the honorarium has been increased to Rs 10,000."With the aim of women empowerment and reducing the digital divide in the state, under the Indira Gandhi Smartphone Yojana, 40 lakh girls and women are being given smartphones in the first phase."In the next phase of this scheme, according to the budget announcement, about one crore more women will be given smartphones," said the CM."All the policemen from the level of constable to the Director General of Police will be given a special 'Rajasthan Police Panchsati Medal' to mark the completion of 75 years of formation of Rajasthan Police. Now the promotion from the post of constable to police inspector in the police department will also be done through a time bound process," said Gehlot.(IANS | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605866 172O69O150O211)
Elsie Arntzen, Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction, is exploring a U.S. House run in Montanas Eastern district, provided incumbent Rep. Matt Rosendale doesnt seek a third term.

The Billings Republican posted her intention on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. Arntzens exploratory committee is also soliciting donations on Win Red, a Republican donation app.

A 2024 candidacy wouldnt be Arntzens first U.S. House campaign. She was a Republican primary candidate for Montanas at-large seat in a crowded 2014 field that included U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, former Secretary of State Corey Stapleton, Drew Turiano and Rosendale. Arntzen finished fourth in the primary, just behind Rosendale. Zinke, who now represents Montanas Western District, won the 2014 general election.

Elsie Arntzen has been a resilient champion for Montanas parents and families throughout her eight years as superintendent of Public Instruction exploratory committee spokesman Sam Rubino said in the announcement. We have been fortunate to have rock-solid conservative representation in Rep. Rosendale; Arntzen is committed to building upon that legacy should Rosendale toss his hat in the ring for U.S. Senate.

The exploratory committee would fold if Rosendale sought reelection to the House.

Meanwhile, Politico reports that Rosendale is prepared to play primary election spoiler to newcomer Tim Sheehy, the U.S. Senate candidate favored by U.S. Sen. Steve Daines and Mitch McConnell. Rosendale has hired a high-profile fundraiser with ties to Donald Trump and losing Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake.

Rosendale was the unsuccessful Republican challenger to Democratic Sen. Jon Tester in 2018. That year, Rosendale had Donald Trump barnstorming for his campaign and the financial backing of the dark money super PAC Club For Growth.

Rosendale's latest Senate plans took a hit when Trump decided to make no endorsement in the Montana Republican primary  this after endorsing Rosendale in the U.S. House primary in 2022. And Club For Growth announced it wouldn't back Rosendale in a primary Senate race, either.

Other Republicans expressing interest in replacing Rosendale include State Auditor Troy Downing and Montana Public Service Commissioner Randy Pinocci.

An elementary school teacher by profession, Arntzen became the first Montana Republican in 28 years to be elected state superintendent of public instruction. Now in her seventh year as superintendent, Arntzen is prevented from reelection by term limits.

Arntzen was previously a state legislator for 12 years.
Tibetans hoist Tricolour to celebrate I-Day

Penpa Tsering, the elected head of the Tibetan people, unfurled the Indian national flag at the Kashag Secretariat here.In his felicitation remark, Tsering said the Tibetan people and the CTA pay respect and admiration to the great nation of India, and pray for India and its people to continue to prosper and flourish.Every year, the CTA, the democratically elected government-in-exile, holds functions at its headquarters to celebrate India's Independence Day and Republic Day functions.India is currently home to around 1,00,000 Tibetans and the government-in-exile, which has never won recognition from any country.(IANS | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605867 172O70O246O88)
Independence Day 2023: Anupam Kher drops video that leaves fans with goosebumps

Taking to Instagram, the 'Kashmir Files' actor treated fans with a motivational video to mark this special day."I am the tricolor...... I often wonder if our tricolor ever gets a chance to express its feelings to the countrymen, what will the tricolor say to us? On the auspicious occasion of Independence Day, I have tried to address the countrymen on behalf of our national flag in this video! Watch out! And share it! Happy Independence Day to all Indians! Hail India! Hail Mother India!," Kher said while sharing the video on the Insta.https//www.instagram.com/p/Cv7w-jxvCeN/Through video, Kher showcased a glimpse of achievements, sacrifices of freedom fights, and struggles the nation has faced. An emotional journey India has gone through.India is celebrating the completion of 76 years of independence.This year's Independence Day will culminate the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' celebrations, which were launched by PM Modi from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on March 12, 2021, and will, once again, usher the country into 'Amrit Kaal' with renewed vigour to realise PM Modi's dream of making India a developed country by 2047.Meanwhile, on the work front, Kher recently shared a look of his character from his 528th film, Telugu drama, 'Tiger Nageswara Rao'.'Tiger Nageswara Rao' is a period film set in the 1970s based on real incidents of a notorious and courageous thief of South India and the people of Stuartpuram.Written and directed by Vamsee, the film is produced by Abhishek Agarwal under the Abhishek Agarwal Arts banner and presented by Tej Narayan Agarwal.The film will be released in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi languages.Apart from this, he will be seen in 'The Vaccine War.''The Vaccine War' revolves around India's contribution to the world with a COVID-19 vaccine during the pandemic.Helmed by Vivek Agnihotri, 'The Vaccine War' is all set to hit the theatres on September 28 in 11 languages.Apart from this, the 'DDLJ' actor will also be seen in Kangana Ranaut's next directorial 'Emergency' and 'The Signature'.(ANI | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605867 172O70O242O127)
EU NAVFOR participates in Indo-Pacific Seminar in Mumbai

Atalanta Deputy Commander, Italian Rear Admiral Giovanni Galoforo, participated in the seminar that was co-organized by the Italian Embassy in India and the National Maritime Foundation, India's first maritime think-tank for the conduct of independent and policy-relevant research on all maritime matters.On behalf of the EU NAVFOR Operation Atalanta Commander, Spanish Vice Admiral Jose M. Nunez Torrente, and the European Union, Atalanta Admiral Galoforo had the opportunity to thank to India and Italy for organizing the seminar at a time of utmost importance, EEAS said in its press statement.The European External Action Service is the European Union's diplomatic service. Since 2011, the EEAS carries out the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy to promote peace, prosperity, security, and the interests of Europeans across the globe.EEAS release further said that India remains one of the most relevant actors and the EU and EU NAVFOR are looking forward to working together "Towards a Sustainable and Prosperous Indo-Pacific RegionRepresenting the European Union and Operation Atalanta, Admiral Galoforo highlighted the relevance of the dedicated EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, a significant commitment, with which the EU is stepping up the strategic engagement in this vital region.Also, the EU Coordinated Maritime Presences concept in the Northwest Indian Ocean was a paramount element of the discussion. CMP NWIO promotes the presence of EU Member States' naval assets, coordination with EU capacity-building initiatives, and interaction with partners in the region, according to EEAS.In addition, Admiral Galoforo presented EU NAVFOR to the distinguished audience, a short background, achievements and the new horizon faced by the Operation in this dynamic and challenging area of operation. Therefore, cooperation with key partners in maritime security, such as India, is principal to ensure the essential freedom of navigation and stability in the Western Indian Ocean.As an example of this cooperation the EU NAVFOR flagship, ITS DURAND DE LA PENNE, conducted recently a joint activity at sea with the Indian Navy destroyer INS VISAKHAPATNAM, off the Omani Coast on 6 August, EEAS said.During the activity, EU NAVFOR Force Commander, Rear Admiral Fabrizio Rutteri, was hosted on board the Indian destroyer by the Flag Officer of the Western Indian Fleet, Rear Admiral Vineet McCarty, who on his part visited ITS DURAND DE LA PENNE.Also, the previous day, Admiral Galoforo met with Vice Admiral Girish Luthra, a distinguished Fellow at Observer Research Foundation; Vice Admiral Sanjay Bhalla, Chief of Staff, Western Naval Command; Manjeet Kriplani, Co-Founder and Director of Gateway House, and Rear Admiral KP Arvindan, Admiral Superintendent, Naval Dockyard Mumbai.In this context, Admiral Galoforo stressed that Atalanta is more than ships, supporting EU initiatives in maritime domain awareness such as the Indo-Pacific Regional Information Sharing tool developed by the Critical Maritime Routes Indo-Pacific project, and keeping in permanent contact with the shipping industry through EU NAVFOR Maritime Security Centre - Horn of Africa, and the international Shared Awareness and De-confliction conference, whose 51st reiteration will be held in Bahrein on 11 and 12 October.(ANI | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605867 172O70O242O72)
Meghalaya committed to resolve inter-state border dispute with Assam : CM

Hoisting the Tricolour in the Independence Day's main function at the Polo Grounds in Shillong, the Chief Minister said that last year, Meghalaya had signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding with Assam in the presence of the Union Home Minister Amit Shah as a first step towards resolving the inter-state border dispute.He said o resolve the dispute in the remaining six areas of difference -- Langpih, Borduar, Nongwah-Mawtamur, Desh Doomreah, Block 1 & Block 2, Psiar-Khanduli -- regional committees were constituted that have already conducted multiple meetings and also met their Assam counterparts to take the talks forward.Sangma said that the formal tripartite peace talks between the outlawed outfit Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), Central and the state governments are making steady progress.Announcing that the Meghalaya government has set a target of creating at least five lakh employment opportunities in the next five years, the Chief Minister said that the government would continue to strengthen the primary sector of the economy comprising agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, sericulture and fisheries."There is a potential to create up to three lakh employment opportunities in the primary sector alone. The high value products of the state like Lakadong turmeric, Khasi mandarin and pineapples are now being exported to overseas markets of Europe and Middle East."In the current pineapple season, our farmers have seen a 50 to 100 per cent increase in prices thanks to our marketing interventions. Pineapples from Meghalaya have been put on shelves in international malls at Abu Dhabi and Kuwait and closer home at Reliance Fresh outlets across Assam," Sangma pointed out.He said that the state's flagship program for supporting farmers, livestock rearers, fish farmers and weavers -- FOCUS -- would benefit all the 6.5 lakh rural households.The program, so far, has supported more than 3.5 lakh farming households organised into 18,000 producer groups.The government provided about Rs 176 crore support to producer groups and individuals over the last two years, he said."Another hugely successful initiative of my government is the women Self Help Group movement. We now have more than 44,000 SHG groups, compared to less than 6,000 in 2018."Noting that border trade is an important component of the state's aspiration to double the economy to $10 billion, the Chief Minister said that the state government has been working with the government of India to strengthen the border infrastructure including border haats, Land Customs Stations and Integrated Check Points.Meghalaya is one of the few states in the country that has a focussed and well-funded Early Childhood Development Mission.Under this mission, the government is expanding the Anganwadi services to about 1,500 villages, which do not have an Anganwadi centre, Sangma stated.Independence Day was also celebrated across the hill state through numerous functions and performances.(IANS | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605868 162O158O87O69)
Sharad Kelkar: I-Day reminder of stories that need to be told to honour our history

Sharad has worked in Marathi, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu movies, and he often does dubbing for Hollywood films.Talking about the importance of Independence Day, Sharad told IANS "It holds immense importance for me as an individual and as an actor. As an individual, it's a day to reflect on the sacrifices made by our freedom fighters and the privilege of living in a free nation. As an actor, it's a reminder of the stories that need to be told to honour our history and inspire future generations."Recalling his childhood memories of August 15, the 'Tanhaji' fame actor said "One of my fondest childhood memories of Independence Day was waking up early to watch the flag hoisting ceremony with my family. The feeling of unity and pride still gives me goosebumps. I remember waking up to the sound of patriotic music and getting excited for the day."The actor said that on this day let's remember that the power to bring positive change lies within each of us."Let's value our freedom by being responsible citizens and contributing to the growth of our nation. Together, we can create a brighter future for all," he shared.Sharad also said he would love to be a part of an initiative that works towards the betterment of India."I am passionate when it comes to helping individuals in any way that I can. That gratification is priceless. Hopefully in the future I'll find the right cause to tie up," he added.On the film front, Sharad was last seen in 'Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga', starring Yami Gautam and Sunny Kaushal.He was also seen as 'Bhavani' in Bellamkonda Sreenivas and Nushrratt Bharuccha starrer 'Chatrapathi'.The actor next has 'Sri', 'Ayalaan', 'Oh My Dog', 'Rainbow', etc.(IANS | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605868 172O69O150O211)
I have many fond memories of Independence Day: Virat Kohli

Kohli would be preparing for the forthcoming Asia Cup, but he took the time to remind everyone about the significance of Independence Day. In a short clip shared by Star Sports, Kohli revealed that his father was born on the same day and therefore a lot of emotions are attached to the day."Independence Day is the most important day in the history of our country. Especially with the way it's celebrated in India and so much happening around it. For me, it's all the more special because it's my father's birthday. It was all the more special because both occasions were celebrated. I have many fond memories of Independence Day," Virat Kohli said on Star Sports.The former India skipper said that it is a really special day for the country and also stated that he has many great recollections of that day.Kohli, a native of Delhi, stated that flying kites on this particular day holds a special place in his heart."I feel proud of what we have achieved as a nation after Independence. On most Independence days, I have been playing matches or hoisting the flag. When the national anthem plays, it is a moment of pride," said the former India captain.In Delhi, there is a culture of flying kites on the day and hence during my growing up years that used to be very special. We used to prepare a lot the night before. Usually on Independence day, it used to be windy in Delhi," Kohli said in the video.Kohli took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to wish the nation on its 77th Independence Day and wrote, "Happy Independence Day to all. Jai Hind."https//twitter.com/imVkohli/status/1691315813142466560Kohli has been left out of the upcoming Ireland series, which begins on August 18.(ANI | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605868 162O158O86O61)
Ashoka University accepts resignation of Sabyasachi Das: V-C

"Das was in the Department of Economics, is currently on leave from Ashoka, serving as visiting faculty at the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (Deemed to be University) in Pune. After making extensive efforts to dissuade him, the University has accepted his resignation," the university vice-chancellor Somak Raychaudhury in an official statement said.He further said that Das's paper on Indian elections was the subject of a widespread controversy after being shared recently on social media, where it was perceived by many to reflect the views of the University.At Ashoka University, members of the faculty have freedom to teach and carry out research in the areas they choose -- the University affords its faculty and students what it believes is the most enabling environment for academic freedom at an institution of higher education in the country, V-C Raychaudhary said."The University does not direct or moderate the research conducted by its faculty and students. This academic freedom also applied to him," V-C said in a release.(IANS | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605869 172O69O150O95)
Education should be moved to State list: Tamil Nadu CM StalinA

In a remark that assumes significance in light of the death of a NEET examinee after failing to clear the exam for a second time, the CM said, "Education should be moved to the State List, as this is the only way NEET could be abolished. Tamil Nadu is contributing to various sectors such as Education. Medicine, economy, agriculture, human resource, and export, among others," he added.Earlier Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin criticised the central government following the death of a father and son over the latter's failure to clear the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, saying that the state will fight against the exams "legally".He added that NEET victimised children and was now driving even their parents to death.He further said the Centre should understand the mental state of Tamil Nadu students and their parents.He further alleged that the reason for such deaths is that the Governor failed his duty to cancel NEET twice in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, adding that he shelved it and sent it back.Claiming that a solution to this problem will only come after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Udayanidhi urged the medical aspirants in the state to be calm and self-confidentAfter hoisting the tricolour on the 77th Independence Day at St George Fort, CM Stalin said, "I feel proud and privileged to hoist our national flag at St George Fort. I also thank the people of Tamil Nadu as they made it possible for me to raise the tricolour here. It was Karunanidhi, who got the sanction for the CMs to raise the national flag in their respective states on Independence Day."He added that past Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam governments also contributed to the national cause on numerous occasions. "Previous DMK governments took many important steps for the welfare of freedom fighters. In 1962, when India faced a threat from China and eventually went to war with the neighbouring country, our Anna stood with then PM Nehru. It was our Karunanidhi, who raised funds worth Rs 25 crore and gave it to PM Indra Gandhi in 1971 when India faced military threats from Pakistan. Even during the 1999 Kargil conflict with Pakistan, we raised Rs 50 crores and gave it to PM Vajpayee. Today's Dravidian model of government also functions in the interest of our freedom fighters," CM Stalin said."Pension for freedom fighters has been increased from Rs 18,000 to Rs 20,000 and the pension for the surviving kin of freedom fighters has been raised from Rs 10,000 to Rs 11,000," the CM added.CM Stalin further announced the setting up of a centenary park and the filling up of vacancies in state government."55,000 vacancies in various government departments will be filled in the current financial year. Kalaignar centenary park will be established on 6.09 acres on Cathedral Road in Chennai. A scheme to provide training to 10000 ex-servicemen will be implemented at a cost of Rs 7 crore," he said.(ANI | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605869 172O70O246O94)
South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol to attend G20 Summit in September, confirms envoy

"Yes, our President is coming to the Summit which is being held on 9-10 September. We strongly support India's G20 presidency this year and we hope that the Summit meeting in September will be the highlight and culmination of the G20 presidency efforts by the Indian Government," the envoy said."During G20 of course we discuss the economic recovery of the world in the world situation but we also discuss regional security affairs. So we hope that India will lead the G 20 members towards the very good outcome of the G 20 for contribution to peace and security of the world and the stable economic situation in the world," he said.G-20 leaders' summit under India's presidency is scheduled to take place in New Delhi this September.South Korea commemorates the 78th anniversary of Liberation Day or Independence Day today."15th of August is the Independence Day for both India and Korea. So, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to India and the people of India," South Korea's Ambassador to India said."Since the end of February, 'Naatu Naatu' dance cover by the Korean Embassy was a big hit and viral. Since then many Indians showed interest in Korean culture...but this has not been the phenomenon now. It has been a big phenomenon by the young generation of India for a couple of years..." the envoy said recalling the success of the Oscar winning song 'Naatu Naatu' from the hit Telugu-language film 'RRR'.Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar wished South Korea on its Independence Day."Warm greetings to @FMParkJin and the Government and the people of the Republic of Korea on their National Day. Confident that our Special Strategic Partnership would keep advancing," Jaishankar said in a tweet.(ANI | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605870 172O70O243O13)
Nora Fatehi gets nostalgic as 'Batla House' clocks 4

Nora took to Instagram and posted a video featuring ACP Sanjeev Kumar Yadav a.k.a John Abraham.Sharing the video, she wrote, "Celebrating 4 years of Batla House and Huma. Heres a few scenes of mine from the film! Feel so proud it was a huge deal for me! Which scene did u guys like the most?"https//www.instagram.com/p/Cv9WXnEA8b1/'Batla House' is a film based on the Batla House encounter in Delhi that took place on September 19, 2008. Helmed by Nikkhil Advani and stars John Abraham, Mrunal Thakur and Nora Fatehi.Nora not only performed a dance number 'O Saki Saki', but also played a pivotal role in the movie.Meanwhile, Nora is all set to make her Telugu film debut opposite Varun Tej in Karuna Kumar's directorial 'Matka'.As per a statement, Nora will be seen in a vital role in the film. She will also do a special dance number.Sharing the excitement, Nora said in a statement, "This is truly an exceptional moment for me. Excited to share screen with Varun Tej. Thank you to my Director Karuna Kumar, the Producers Vyra Entertainment for making me a part of this film. I seek your love and best wishes as I start this exhilarating journey."Recently, makers unveiled the official title, which was tentatively titled as 'VT14'.Titled 'Matka', the film also stars Nora Fatehi and Meenakshi Chowdary. On Thursday, the team attended the film's mahurat shot.Sharing the film's poster, Varun on Thursday took to Instagram and wrote, "My next! Need all your love."The movie is set in the period backdrop of the 1960s in Vizag.(ANI | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605870 172O71O246O138)
A Yellowstone County jury has convicted a man of threatening to shoot a customer at a Billings restaurant last year.

Daniel Wayne Brusard was found guilty in Yellowstone County District Court of assault with a weapon and violating a protection order following a four-day trial. Brusard, 36, was himself shot by a patron after brandishing a firearm at the Montana Club.

In November 2022, Billings police responded to a shooting at the restaurant on Majestic Lane. First responders took Brusard, who had been shot in the chest, to a local hospital. After speaking with witnesses and reviewing surveillance footage, investigators established that Brusard had been threatening staff and patrons at the restaurant prior to the shooting.

An argument over a food order escalated to Brusard going to a vehicle in the parking lot of the restaurant and getting a handgun. When he came back into Montana Club, he drew the pistol and pointed it at a customer. Another patron then shot Brusard.

At the time of the shooting, Brusard had an order of protection barring him from coming within 300 feet of a woman. That same woman was with him the day he was shot.

During the trial, which began Aug. 7, jurors heard testimony from Montana Club employees, from Brusard and the man who shot him. The jury deliberated for about four-and-a-half hours before reaching their guilty verdicts. Brusard entered custody at Yellowstone County Detention Facility on Aug. 10 after the verdict was read.

For assault with a weapon, a felony, Brusard could be sentenced up to 20 years in Montana State Prison. He has a sentencing date scheduled in October of this year.
DDA collaborates with private firm to revitalise housing market approach

According to information, for the first time since its establishment in 1957, the DDA has partnered with a private real estate consultancy to rejuvenate its presence in the city's housing market.Speaking with IANS, a DDA official said that it was being done to simplify the proceess and give it a professional touch which will help the Authority and homebuyers both.In basic terms, the consultant's task will involve examining and assessing the data from the DDA concerning the effectiveness of its housing schemes, housing standards, and pricing methods.The agency will present its discoveries in a report to the DDA, which will encompass vital suggestions for the DDA to contemplate and potentially put into action.According to DDA officials who didn't wish to be named said that the housing market has undergone a transformation, providing homebuyers with alternatives from private entities.Therefore, their conventional approach must be reevaluated, as it no longer remains effective.They said that DDA must embrace modifications to position ourselves as pivotal participants in the housing market.A standard DDA housing scheme entails specific prerequisites for potential buyers to qualify for application, ranging from not possessing a residence or land in Delhi to obtaining their preferred housing option through a randomised selection process.While the DDA was once a significant contributor in Delhi's housing market, entrusted with the responsibility of offering economical housing, the allure of its housing schemes has gradually diminished.Expanding on the deficiencies highlighted by past applicants who relinquished DDA flats, the official again wishing anonymity mentioned that distant locations like Narela and Rohini, elevated costs, insufficient connectivity and quality, as well as undersized accommodations, contributed to the gradual decrease in the appeal of DDA flats.(IANS | Posted on 15 August 2023, 1692605870 172O70O243O67)
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On June 26, 2012, a father and son were out hiking when they came across a plastic bag on the Moulton Reservoir Road. Inside were a pair of human legs, with pants, socks and boots intact.

The gruesome discovery left so many unanswered questions, particularly who was the victim and were there any other body parts found nearby?

More than 11 years later, no other remains of the individual have ever been located but the mans identity has been solved.

The victim, Michael Wayne Canada, was 46 at the time of his death, and believed to be somewhat of a drifter. When he was murdered, he was wearing jeans and Red Wing hiking boots.

Butte-Silver Bow County Sheriff Ed Lester made the announcement in a media release late Monday afternoon.

During the initial investigation, Butte police detectives determined that the victim was a white male and more than likely was killed at another location and his legs brought to the Moulton Reservoir Road site.

Nine months later, all information about the case was turned over to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.

Despite extensive efforts from investigators, the mans identity remained a mystery, said Sheriff Lester.

According to the Butte sheriff, his department partnered with the Montana Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation to assist in the identification of the man. Together, the agencies decided to attempt forensic genetic genealogy to generate new leads in an otherwise cold case.

While no identification had been made, an autopsy performed by Dr. Willy Kemp, a state pathologist, concluded that the victim must have been seriously injured at one time because he had a metal rod in one of his legs.

At some point, forensic evidence was sent to Othrams Laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas, where a comprehensive DNA profile was built.

Working collaboratively, the law enforcement agencies reached out to possible relatives of the unknown man and slowly pieced together the man's probable identity, said Sheriff Lester.

The breakthrough came after comparing a DNA sample from a close relative to Canadas DNA.

Additional reference DNA testing was completed by the Montana State Crime Lab, explained Sheriff Lester, and the man's identity was officially established by Montana State Forensic Science Division Pathologist Dr. Willy Kemp.

Fast forward to August 2023, and local law enforcement officials have now learned that Canada, who was born Aug. 22, 1965, was never reported missing. He was 6-foot-2, weighed about 185 pounds and had brown hair and blue eyes.

It was also verified that some years prior to his death he had, indeed, been involved in a serious motorcycle accident  hence the metal rod.

Canada had not contacted his family for at least two years prior to his death and may have briefly lived in the Mining City and worked at a Butte Safeway.

Sheriff Lester is asking the public for their assistance. If you recognize Canada, had any contact with him, or know someone who has, call Agent Ryan Eamon with the Montana Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation at 406-444-3874; the Butte Field Office at 406-691-7108; Capt. Jeff Williams of the Butte Silver Bow Law Enforcement Department at 406-497-1157; or Butte-Silver Bow Law Enforcement Dispatch at 406-497-1120.
A new fence thats not up to the job near Champaign Central H.S., 50 years of restaurant history at 510 E. John in Champaign, chances of paving over a rough brick street in Champaign, whether theres been an uptick in homeless people frequenting Campustown and much, much more.
The stormwater utility fee in Urbana could be going up substantially in January, and city officials are hoping to get some feedback on that from the public before taking a proposal to the city council this summer.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun. Slight chance of a rain shower. High around 90F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few passing clouds, otherwise generally clear. Low 72F. Winds light and variable.
The pendulum of opioid prescribing for pain has swung sharply in the last decade, as the epidemic of opioid overuse, addiction and overdose led policymakers and health care providers to ratchet back on the prescriptions patients receive.

But for about 5 million Americans who have taken prescription opioids for years to address their chronic pain, that pendulum swing has led to trouble getting refills, finding new providers when their former ones retire or relocate, or getting access to multimodal pain care that goes beyond pills.

In a new paper in the Journal of Pain Research, researchers from the University of Michigan describe the consensus of a wide range of experts about how to help patients with chronic pain get adequate pain care, and coverage for the cost of that care.

Specifically, the experts call for restructuring the insurance models under which health care providers get reimbursed for caring for people with chronic pain, enhancing education of health care providers in chronic pain care as well as identifying and treating opioid use disorder, and addressing racial inequities in care which are often rooted in stigma around pain and opioid use.

The experts, who came from many fields and many areas of Michigan, reviewed research on the issue and brought their own experience to a deliberative process known as a modified Delphi panel.

This allowed them to come to consensus on the most-needed and most-achievable changes, says study senior author Pooja Lagisetty, M.D., M.S., an assistant professor of internal medicine at Michigan Medicine, U-M's academic medical center, and the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.

In addition to the new paper, Lagisetty was recently interviewed about current issues in opioids and care for chronic pain and opioid use disorder for the Michigan Medicine research podcast The Fundamentals.

She, and the experts involved in the newly published paper, emphasize the importance of helping patients who have taken opioids for long periods of time get access to the gold-standard for chronic pain care.

Called multi-modal pain care, it involves not just oral pain medications but physical therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, injected pain therapies and integrative medicine techniques including acupuncture and chiropractic care.

This requires both training and payment for the multiple types of health care professionals  physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychologists, physical therapists, social workers and others  who can team up to provide such care.

"In order to encourage more clinics to offer multimodal pain care and increase access for patients who currently don't receive it, insurance companies and government health coverage programs such as Medicaid need to change how they pay for it," says Lagisetty. "We are starting to see some change, most notably at the VA and in insurance coverage of physical therapy, but more is needed in order for patients and providers to have time to develop individualized approaches, overcome stigma around providing opioid-related care, and for clinics to begin offering non-medication services."

Lagisetty notes that the new physician payment rule proposed for Medicare appears to pave the way for reimbursement for more comprehensive pain management care. But increasing access also requires training more providers in how to provide such care effectively.

Such care is in line with the opioid-related guidelines released last fall by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which emphasize patient-centered care and an individualized, rather than broadly mandated, approach to prescribing opioids to patients.

The prior CDC guidelines were issued in 2016 in reaction to the role of prescription opioids in fueling addiction and overdose. Although intended as guidance rather than rules, they became the basis for policies and clinical practices that inadvertently closed doors to care for chronic pain patients, Lagisetty notes.

Without access to care and medication, patients may seek prescription and non-prescription opioids through unauthorized channels, leading to worsened risks of addiction, overdose and mental health, she adds. The lack of availability of care for opioid use disorder, which traces its roots to stigma and administrative hurdles, makes the issue worse, she says.

In addition to Lagisetty, the study's authors include Adrianne Kehne of the VA Center for Clinical Management Research, of which Lagisetty is a member, and several U-M faculty members who like Lagisetty are members of the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation: Steven J Bernstein, M.D., M.P.H., Mark C Bicket, M.D., Ph.D., and Amy Bohnert, Ph.D., as well as Erin Fanning Madden of Wayne State University, and U-M's Jennifer Thomas and Victoria Powell, M.D.

The expert consensus process was funded by the Michigan Health Endowment Fund, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA047475) and the National Institute on Aging (AG062043).
Only about 10 percent of patients survive as long as five years after a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.

"Pancreatic cancer is very hard to treat," said Irving Coy Allen, professor of inflammatory diseases in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathology at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. "It's one of the top five deadliest cancers in the U.S. And it's deadly because by the time you find out that you have a tumor, it's usually metastasized. You can usually treat the local tumor, but how do you treat the metastatic lesions?"

The National Institutes of Health has awarded $2.6 million to a Virginia Tech team over five years for a study of high frequency irreversible electroporation (H-FIRE) for tumor ablation and immune system activation in cases of pancreatic cancer.

H-FIRE doesn't bring the heat

Despite what its acronym might imply, H-FIRE does not apply destructive heat to cells, which can damage healthy cells while destroying cancer cells. Rather, H-FIRE applies nonthermal electrical pulses, which act to break down the cancer cells and cause them to release tumor antigens.

The antigens, proteins that differentiate tumors from other types of cells, then trigger an immune response that can also target the antigen in metastatic lesions elsewhere in the body, potentially leading to the reduction or elimination of cancer not only in the pancreas but everywhere it has spread.

Clinical trials and parallel study

While the H-FIRE study at Virginia Tech is being conducted in animal models, H-FIRE is being used in clinical trials on humans, targeting various organs. However, the pancreas presents several unique challenges that this study hopes to overcome.

The H-FIRE study is being conducted in parallel toa similar study using histotripsy, also led by Allen with some of the same co-investigators. Histotripsy employs focused ultrasound beams to create "microbubbles" in tumor cells that, when they burst, break down cancer cells and release tumor antigens for the immune system to engage.

Hokies at the helm

The research supported by the grant is a joint effort between the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, performing the animal model research, and the College of Engineering, developing the technology behind H-FIRE.

Allen is the principal investigator. Co-investigators include Sherrie Clark '92, DVM '96, professor of theriogenology and associate department head of Large Animal Clinical Sciences in the veterinary college; Chris Byron, associate professor of large animal surgery and department head of Large Animal Clinical Sciences; and Nick Dervsis, associate professor of oncology with the veterinary college and its Animal Cancer Care and Research Center in Roanoke.

Virginia Tech's expertise

"We are in a prime position to make a difference against cancer because we have the engineers with the College of Engineering and we have the animal expertise here at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine," Allen said. "We have translational capabilities with our collaborations at the Children's National Research & Innovation Campus in Washington, D.C. We have close ties to Wake Forest's medical school and their Comprehensive Cancer Center, and, of course, our own Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. We have collaborations with Carilion Clinic, moving some of these therapies into human trials. So, it's really exciting at Virginia Tech. It gives us a really nice holistic approach because we have so much expertise within our university."
Cervical cancer is the fourth most prevalent cancer among women on a global scale, comprising approximately 604,000 new cases and leading to 342,000 deaths worldwide.

Few diseases demonstrate global disparities as distinctly as cervical cancer. Almost 90% of the fatalities in 2020 transpired in low- and middle-income nations, which face delays in vaccination, screening, and treatment.

In August 2020, the Global Strategy for the elimination of cervical cancer was embraced by the World Health Assembly.

To be realized by the year 2030, the WHO has instituted global objectives denoted as 90-70-90: ensuring a 90% completion rate for HPV vaccination among girls by age 15; screening 70% of women between ages 35 and 45; and providing treatment to 90% of women diagnosed with cervical disease.

To bolster these ambitions, BGI Genomics has introduced a comprehensive global report on cervical cancer awareness.

This report aims to evaluate the degree of knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to cervical cancer screening and the HPV vaccine. Through an examination of these pivotal domains, this survey strives to underscore the accompanying obstacles and possibilities.

This extensive survey encompasses 1,878 women from various regions, including Brazil, the Chinese mainland, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Thailand, and Uruguay. The results have underscored the pressing need to address barriers, enhance awareness, and improve access to screening and vaccination services.

HPV awareness affects cervical cancer screening rates: Globally, a substantial 40.0% of women were not aware that HPV is responsible for over 95 percent of cervical cancer cases. Among those uninformed about the HPV-cervical cancer link, a notable 39.1% had refrained from undergoing cervical cancer screening, surpassing the global average of 31.2%.

More choice, fewer barriers: Among women under 25 years of age, the prevalence of HPV was notably high at 22%. However, a notable 43.5% of women in the surveyed age range of 21 to 25, the highest percentage among the groups, showed reluctance due to the prospect of having a male doctor conduct a pap smear. This underscores the need to provide women, especially the younger ones, with the option of undergoing HPV DNA tests alongside pap smear screenings.

Vaccination and screening form a virtuous cycle: Cervical cancer screening was performed on 82.1% of vaccinated women, compared to 60.6% of unvaccinated women. The HPV vaccination was administered to 45.8% of tested women and 22.1% of unscreened women. Informing those who missed national vaccination programs about vaccination and screening locations and timings is crucial.

Early cervical cancer detection is vital to save lives and eventually eliminate this dreaded disease in line with WHO's global strategy. This study shows increased awareness of women could be the missing link to boost vaccination and screening rates further. Zhang Lin, Senior Product Manager, BGI Genomics

Cervical cancer screening awareness

Early diagnosis and prompt treatment are vital for curing cervical cancer. For women in the general population, the WHO advises that they start screening at age 30 and have routine HPV screening every 5 to 10 years.

Women with HIV should get screened more frequently (every 3 to 5 years) because they have a sixfold greater risk of cervical cancer.

Source: UN Twitter account

Is there a screening awareness gap?

On a global scale, 40.0% of people lack awareness that HPV is responsible for over 95% of cervical cancer cases. Notably, Saudi Arabia (51.2%) and Thailand (47.3%) demonstrate the highest levels of unfamiliarity with this fact.

Image Credit: BGI Genomics

Furthermore, 31.2% of individuals worldwide have never undergone cervical cancer screening. Among women oblivious to the HPV-cervical cancer connection, a substantial 39.1% have never undergone screening, exceeding the global average.

Specifically, Saudi Arabia (55.8%) and Serbia (36.5%) have the highest percentages of women who have never undergone cervical cancer screening. This discrepancy highlights an awareness gap that influences cervical cancer screening rates.

Image Credit: BGI Genomics

What do women know about cervical cancer screening?

Internationally, awareness of the pap smear (81.0%) surpasses that of the HPV DNA test (38.9%) by a factor of two. Concerning pap smears, Serbia (95.1%) and Brazil (91.1%) boast the highest levels of awareness, whereas the Chinese mainland (64.8%) and Thailand (50.5%) take the lead in HPV DNA test awareness.

Image Credit: BGI Genomics

Furthermore, upon learning of its higher accuracy (95% accuracy rate), 88.0% of individuals worldwide are inclined to choose the HPV DNA test over a pap smear (with an accuracy range of 80-90%). The Chinese mainland (92.3%) and Thailand (94.0%) have the highest percentages of those preferring the HPV DNA test.

Image Credit: BGI Genomics

Regarding knowledge of HPV as a sexually transmitted virus, 77.9% of individuals worldwide are aware. This awareness is lowest in Saudi Arabia (55.3%) and the Chinese mainland (72.9%).

What's holding women back from cervical cancer screening?

The absence of symptoms (42.3%), the dread of the findings (40.7%), and the humiliation of meeting a male doctor during a pap smear (39.0%) are the main barriers to women getting screened for cervical cancer.

The countries with the highest opinions on this topic include Uruguay (55.9%), Brazil (51.1%), the Chinese mainland (59.4%), and Saudi Arabia (44.9%), all of which are concerned about the lack of symptoms.

In Saudi Arabia (51.9%) and the Chinese mainland (57.1%), there is a very strong disinclination to see a male doctor administering a pap smear. Among women aged 21-25 years, the highest among surveyed age groups, 43.5% express hesitance due to this reason.

Image Credit: BGI Genomics

Conversely, a doctor's recommendation (75.9%) is the primary motivation for women to undergo cervical cancer screening. Behavior-based factors, like new sexual partners or discovering a lack of sexual monogamy in their partner, rank significantly lower at 25.5%. Doctors can inquire about symptoms and behavior-based factors to provide informed recommendations.

Image Credit: BGI Genomics

Cervical cancer vaccination awareness

The WHO has raised an alarming concern regarding a substantial drop in global HPV vaccination coverage due to the impact of COVID-19.

Between 2019 and 2021, the coverage of the first dose of HPV vaccination experienced a significant decline from 25% to 15%. This resulted in 3.5 million more girls missing out on HPV vaccination in 2021 compared to 2019. To counteract this downward trend, countries must intensify their efforts to enhance HPV vaccination programs.

Source: The Economist's Twitter account

Is there a vaccination awareness gap?

The leading factor deterring women from cervical cancer vaccination is the lack of knowledge about where to receive the vaccine (38.7%). Following closely are the absence of symptoms (36.8%) and fear of side effects (28.6%). Countries like Thailand (50.8%) and Serbia (49.5%) exhibit the highest percentages of individuals unaware of vaccination locations.

Image Credit: BGI Genomics

The HPV vaccination has been given to 38.4% of women globally. The percentages are, however, far lower in Saudi Arabia (29.5%) and Serbia (7.8%). Notably, 46.0% of women between the ages of 21 and 25 have gotten the HPV vaccination, which falls above the global average.

What do women know about cervical cancer vaccination?

HPV vaccinations should be given before exposure to HPV and sexual activity for best results. The WHO advises immunizing girls between the ages of 9 and 14 for increased protection against cervical cancer and details a precise vaccination schedule in its December 2022 position paper.

A one or two-dose schedule for girls aged 9-14 years

A one or two-dose schedule for girls and women aged 15-20 years

Two doses with a 6-month interval for women older than 21 years

Regarding awareness about the WHO-recommended age range (9 to 14 years) to initiate vaccination, only 43.2% of individuals worldwide possess this knowledge. Countries like Saudi Arabia (20.8%) and Thailand (25.4%) exhibit the lowest percentages of awareness of this age range.

Image Credit: BGI Genomics

Merely 17.9% of the global population are familiar with the vaccination schedule for diverse age groups, such as two doses with a 6-month gap for women aged above 21 years. Brazil (10.2%) and Serbia (14.0%) demonstrate the lowest awareness of this relevant vaccination schedule.

The relationship between cervical cancer screening and vaccination awareness

The WHO emphasizes that a coordinated cervical cancer prevention strategy should encompass educating individuals about minimizing behaviors that elevate the risk of HPV infection, along with disseminating information about screening, vaccination, diagnosis, and treatment of precancerous lesions, cancer, and risk factors.

HPV vaccination serves as a primary preventive measure and does not eliminate the need for later-life screening. This is because current vaccines do not offer protection against all high-risk HPV types and exert a limited influence on disease in unvaccinated women and those vaccinated at older ages.

Source: American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Twitter account

Are there synergies between screening and awareness?

Of individuals who received the HPV vaccine, a substantial 82.1% also underwent cervical cancer screening, which is much higher than the unvaccinated group's average of 60.6%. This tendency was much more prominent in Thailand, where 97.7% of immunized women chose the screening vs 61.4% of unimmunized women. Image Credit: BGI Genomics

Since not all women underwent vaccination prior to screening, the study also investigated whether those opting for screening were more likely to be vaccinated. The results indicated that 45.9% of these women had received the HPV vaccine, higher than the 22.1% of unscreened women.

Image Credit: BGI Genomics

About BGI Genomics and SENTIS HPV tests

BGI Genomics, headquartered in Shenzhen, China, is a premier provider of integrated precision medicine solutions globally. In July 2017, it became a subsidiary of BGI Group and was officially listed as BGI Genomics (300676.SZ) on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

The SENTIS HPV test, holding a CE certification, merges self-sampling technology and genotyping assay to detect the 14 most crucial "high-risk" HPV types, which encompass HPV -16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66, and 68, along with 2 "low-risk" virus types, HPV -6 and 11.

Utilizing Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology founded on a large sample volume for each run, HPV genotyping detection reduces the testing cost per individual. In 2021, the WHO endorsed DNA testing as the primary screening method for cervical cancer prevention.

Methodology

This study is established upon an online survey involving 1,878 female participants from Brazil (315), the Chinese mainland (310), Saudi Arabia (312), Serbia (307), Thailand (319), and Uruguay (315).

These participants were situated within their respective countries or regions at the time of the survey in July 2023. Conducted in local languages, the respondents' ages ranged between 21 and 45 years. The survey was executed by Momentive Global under commission.

About BGI Genomics

BGI Genomics is the world's leading integrated solutions provider of precision medicine, now serving customers in more than 100 countries.

They provide academic institutions, pharmaceutical companies, healthcare providers, and other organizations with integrated genomic sequencing, proteomic services, clinical testing, and solutions across a broad range of applications.

They have more than 20 years of genomics experience helping customers and partners achieve their goals by delivering rapid, high-quality results using a broad array of cost-effective, cutting-edge technologies, including their own innovative DNBSEQ sequencing technology.

Sponsored Content Policy: News-Medical.net publishes articles and related content that may be derived from sources where we have existing commercial relationships, provided such content adds value to the core editorial ethos of News-Medical.Net which is to educate and inform site visitors interested in medical research, science, medical devices and treatments.
On July 18th, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between BGI Genomics, Faculty Of Medicine Siriraj Hospital at Mahidol University, Bangkok Genomics Innovation Public Company (the BGI Genomics Thailand Joint Venture Company), and Hemogen Hong Kong Alpha Technology, Ltd.

This agreement focuses on enhancing Thalassemia prevention and treatment initiatives and facilitating collaborative efforts in cellular and gene therapy development.

Prof. Apichat Asavamongkolkul, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University (second from right), Mr. Preecha Laohapongchana, Director of BANGKOK GENOMICS INNOVATION PUBLIC COMPANY (second from left), Dr. Chao Liu, CEO of HEMOGEN HONGKONG ALPHA TECHNOLOGY., LTD (first from left) and Jeremy Cao, General Manager of BGI Genomics Southeast Asia Region (first from right) signed the Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU). Image Credit: BGI Genomics

Thailand faces a significant challenge with the prevalence of Thalassemia and sickle-cell anemia, causing hemoglobinopathies to emerge as a pressing public health issue. Statistical data reveals that 30-40% of the Thai population carries the Thalassemia gene.

The interaction of these genes leads to over 60 genotypes, exhibiting a range of clinical manifestations from asymptomatic to life-threatening. Estimates derived from gene frequencies and annual newborn counts project that roughly 1.2% of infants experience severe Thalassemia each year.

Approximately 1% of the Thai population is affected by Thalassemia, elevating it to a significant national health concern.

The Thalassemia gene testing kit, utilizing high-throughput sequencing technology, can simultaneously identify hemoglobinopathies such as Thalassemia and sickle-cell anemia.

Incorporating this technology presents a more thorough and precise approach to genetic testing in Thailand. High-throughput sequencing is poised to enhance comprehension of patient genotypes and disease susceptibility, thereby furnishing more accurate directives for Thalassemia prevention, screening, and treatment strategies.

Image Credit: BGI Genomics

Professor Apichat Asavamongkolkul, the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, along with fellow team members, engaged in a signing ceremony and a discussion session.

The event was also attended by Associate Professor Prapat Wanitpongpan, Deputy Dean for Corporate Communication and International Relations at Mahidol University, and Professor Dr. Vip Viprakasit from the Division of Hematology & Oncology within the Department of Pediatrics, alongside other esteemed professors.

This Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) outlines the establishment of a long-term strategic partnership among the four parties, aiming to collaborate on the prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment of Thalassemia. Given its high prevalence in Thailand, Thalassemia places significant strain on the national healthcare system.

This collaboration will involve a comparative analysis of the extent, efficiency, outcomes, and health economics of Thalassemia genetic screening through high-throughput sequencing-based technologies versus traditional methodologies. Additionally, joint clinical trials for Thalassemia gene therapy in Thailand will be pursued.

The four parties will also focus on fostering academic and cultural exchanges, actively promoting collaborative educational programs, contributing to the development of pertinent curricula, and offering comprehensive support for the training of both academic and non-academic personnel.

Mahidol University stands as Thailand's oldest institution for higher education, tracing its origins back to 1888 when it emerged as the Royal College of Physicians.

Renowned for its excellence in medicine, public health, and natural sciences, the university was named in honor of Prince Mahidol of Songkhla in 1969. The Prince is widely acknowledged as a pivotal figure in modern Thai medicine and public health. Mahidol University holds membership in the World Association of Universities.

For many years, BGI Genomics has shown dedication to the prevention, control, and alleviation of Thalassemia. Guided by the principle that "prevention trumps cure," BGI Genomics has harnessed cutting-edge sequencing technology to advance Thalassemia genetic screening with many governments and medical entities across various countries.

BGI Genomics has executed several thalassemia genetic screening initiatives within China. Looking ahead, the company envisions deeper collaboration with stakeholders in Thailand, with the shared goal of propelling genetic technology to serve the well-being of the Thai populace.

About BGI Genomics

BGI Genomics is the world's leading integrated solutions provider of precision medicine, now serving customers in more than 100 countries.

They provide academic institutions, pharmaceutical companies, healthcare providers, and other organizations with integrated genomic sequencing, proteomic services, clinical testing, and solutions across a broad range of applications.

They have more than 20 years of genomics experience helping customers and partners achieve their goals by delivering rapid, high-quality results using a broad array of cost-effective, cutting-edge technologies, including their own innovative DNBSEQ sequencing technology.

Sponsored Content Policy: News-Medical.net publishes articles and related content that may be derived from sources where we have existing commercial relationships, provided such content adds value to the core editorial ethos of News-Medical.Net which is to educate and inform site visitors interested in medical research, science, medical devices and treatments.
A coalition of Indigenous tribes is increasing pressure on the Canadian government to respond to their concerns over transboundary water pollution coming from Teck Resources coal mines in British Columbia.

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in Montana, Kootenai Tribe of Idaho and the transboundary Ktunaxa Nation sent reminders on Aug. 11 that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had pledged to meet this summer with U.S. President Joe Bidens administration on reducing and mitigating the impacts of selenium and other mine-related contaminants getting into the Elk and Kootenai rivers. Selenium in particular has been connected to significant declines in fish reproduction in the river system, along with massive fish kills near the mine site itself, although a disputed Teck study concluded that ice, not selenium was responsible for the 2017 die-off.

We continue to see impacts of coal mining more than a hundred kilometers downstream of these coal mines, Vice Chairman of the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho Gary Aitken Jr. wrote in an email on Friday. We see our fish populations declining despite our own hatchery efforts to sustain them. We see our waters becoming worse. While pollution loads continue to increase, we see less than 20% of the selenium load being removed, despite nine years of implementation of a provincial plan to reduce and mitigate water quality concentrations. We are watching our river suffer as the regulators stand by and watch.

The contamination is traced to four mountaintop-removal coal mines and other legacy coal production areas operated to Teck Resources in southern British Columbia north of Eureka. Canadian and U.S. government research found selenium levels more than 100 times levels considered safe for aquatic life in the Fording River downstream of the mines. In 2021, Teck paid a Canadian national-record $60 million (CA) fine for water contamination. It was fined another $2.2 million (CA) in 2023 for releasing effluent into the Columbia River.

On July 20, the Ktunaxa Nation submitted a proposal to officially involve the International Joint Commission to conduct an independent, transparent and accountable scientific assessment of pollution in the watershed and perform ongoing monitoring  implement solutions, restore the waters and address current violations of the Boundary Waters Treaty, the U.S. Clean Water Act and the Canadian Fisheries Act.

Canada and the U.S. created the IJC over a hundred years ago, under the Boundary Waters Treaty, to address transboundary water issues exactly like this one, CSKT Chairman Tom McDonald said in a statement on Friday. Our solution includes this IJC process because it is transparent, inclusive, and accountable. Weve also included an action plan in addition to the IJC process because we recognize there is an immediate need for action to begin restoring these waters that are so central to the Ktunaxa people. Now all we need is for Canada and the U.S. to sign onto the Ktunaxa proposal so we can get to work.

According to a Ktunaxa tribal statement, Canada and the U.S. were poised to refer the mining contamination issue to the IJC, but Canada abruptly halted further engagement, leaving both Ktunaxa and the U.S. hanging.

But new leadership in British Columbia has resulted in a surprising but long overdue turn of events, the statement continued on Friday. Following the transboundary Ktunaxa proposal last month, British Columbia sent a letter to the Canadian federal government indicating that the Province is now receptive to IJC involvement in the Kootenai/y watershed.

Former British Columbia Premier John Horgan joined the board of a spin-off coal company that might have taken over Tecks coal operations shortly after leaving government. BCs Green Party leadership subsequently called for amendments to the provinces conflict of interest rules to prevent such moves, according to the Globe and Mail.

Teck Resources is Canadas largest diversified mining company, and this year has been evaluating a plan to sell off its coal operations from its base metal mines in order to expand copper and zinc activity, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Co. That plan got kinked last spring when Swiss-based Glencore made a $25 billion (CA) hostile takeover bid of Teck.

In a statement released Monday afternoon, Teck spokesman Chris Stannell said the company has spent $1.4 billion (CA) toward water quality research and construction of treatment facilities, and plans to invest another $550 million by the end of 2024. It also claims its treatment system is removing between 95% and 99% of selenium from treated water and that concentrations are decreasing downstream, and that fish populations have been increasing in the Upper Fording River.
The Ministry of Education has invited 50 teachers from across the country to attend the 77th Independence Day celebrations as special guests at the Red Fort today, Ausgust 15. The teachers from the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Kendriya Vidyalaya Sanghathan schools from across the country have been selected based on their commitment to shaping and nurturing the youth.

The teachers are participating in a two-day programme on August 14 and 15. On the first day, the teachers will be taken for a tour to India Gate, War Memorial where they will pay respect to the brave soldiers who have made supreme sacrifice in the line of duty. After that, they will go to Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya at Teen Murti Marg, New Delhi, where they will learn about the contributions and lives of visionary leaders who have moulded the future of the country. The day will come to an end with an interactive discussion with Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, Union Minister of State, Education.

According to the education ministry, on August 15, the group of teachers will take part in the Independence Day celebration at the Red Fort, where the Prime Minister will hoist the tricolour.

Through this two-day programme, the Department of School Education and Literacy wants to pay tribute to the contribution of teachers, whose unshakable dedication is crucial in fostering the nations future. Their role in fostering knowledge, values and skills in the young generation is invaluable and this gesture seeks to express the nations gratitude to them, a press release said.

India will be celebrating the 77th Independence Day with Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort.

During the latest Mann ki Baat broadcast, the Prime Minister announced the Meri Maati Mera Desh campaign for this year. The campaigns objective is to honour the brave freedom fighters who laid their lives for the country. Additionally, PM Modi also urged citizens to participate in the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign by posting a selfie with the tricolour on social media pages. The Har Ghar Tiranga campaign was introduced last year as part of the Azaadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav campaign, commemorating 75 years of Indias independence from British rule.
Banaras Hindu University has issued the round 3 seat allotment results for undergraduate admissions. Candidates who have applied to BHUs undergraduate programs may view the allotment results on the official website. The official notification states that candidates with allotted seats from round 2 have to complete the procedure by paying fees till August 16, 2023.

BHU UG 2023 ADMISSION ROUND 3 SEAT ALLOTMENT RESULT: HERES HOW TO CHECK

Step 1: Go to BHUs official website at bhuonline.in

Step 2: On the homepage, click on the BHU UG round 3 seat allotment result link.

Step 3: On the new window, enter the credentials required and click on submit.

Step 4: The BHU UG Round 3 seat allotment result will appear on the screen.

Step 5: Check and download the PDF file.

Candidates have to visit the official website, bhuonline.in and enter their login information in the candidate login link in order to view the results of BHU round 3 allotment. Candidates who do not accept the provided seat will be dropped from the BHU UG admissions process. Students who are not assigned seats will be placed on a waitlist and considered in subsequent rounds. In addition, students who do not receive an admission offer in the regular allocation process may apply for the Mop-up Round, which will begin after August 15.

To register for the mop-up round, they must pay a cost of Rs 1000. The amounts paid will be altered in the fee payable if candidates are given admission. If they are not admitted because of low merit, the Rs 1,000 paid will be refunded; if they are awarded seats but do not accept them, the Rs 1,000 will be forfeited.

Meanwhile, the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) announced that the result for seat allotment of postgraduate (PG) programmes will release after August 15. The BHU PG seat allotment result will be issued on the official website at bhuonline.in. The BHU PG admissions 2023-24 will be done at the respective departments only after 15.08.2023, reads the official notice. The result of PG programs 2023-24 will be announced after 15.08.2023, it added.
A wave of patriotic enthusiasm has spread throughout India as its people join hands to commemorate the 77th Independence Day today, the day when the shackles of British rule were broken off and an independent nation was formed. Indias Independence Day is a testament to its peoples indomitable spirit and the uphill battle that they travelled in order to obtain their freedom.

Here are some engaging trivia questions that delve into history, exploring the significant events, and intriguing anecdotes that have defined the nations journey to freedom. So, get ready to put your knowledge to the test and know more about Indias momentous celebration of independence

Q.1. When was the National Anthem of India officially adopted?

Answer  At the time of independence, India did not have an official national anthem. Although Rabindranath Tagore penned Jana Gana Mana in 1911, it was formally accepted as the national anthem on January 25, 1950.

Q.2. Why was August 15 chosen by Lord Mountbatten to transfer power to India?

Answer  The British Parliament gave Lord Mountbatten until 30 June 1948 to transfer authority, but he picked 15 August 1947 since it was the second anniversary of Japans surrender to the Allied Force

Q.3. Did Mahatma Gandhi celebrate Indias Independence?

Answer  On August 15, 1947, Mahatma Gandhi did not observe Indias Independence Day. Gandhiji was on a hunger strike in Kolkata on that particular day to put an end to the riots resulting from the partition.

Q.4. Why are the dates of Independence day Different in both India and Pakistan?

Answer  In the Indian Independence Bill, the date of August 15 was specified for both India and Pakistans independence. Mountbatten, however, opted to transfer power to Pakistan on the 14th in order to attend both nations independence celebrations.

Q.5. Where was the first unofficial flag of India hoisted?

Answer  On August 7, 1906, in Calcuttas Parsi Bagan Square, the countrys first unofficial flag was hoisted. Vande Mataram was inscribed in the centre of this flag, which featured three stripes of red, yellow, and green.

Q.6. When was the National Song of India officially adopted?

Answer  Vande Mataram, Indias national anthem, was written in 1882 by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. It was a passage from his book Anandamath. It was designated as Indias national song on January 24, 1950.
The journey to independence was paved by the unwavering efforts of our freedom fighters who dedicated themselves to breaking free from British dominance. This day holds immense significance for all citizens, nurturing a deep sense of patriotism and national pride. Over the years, numerous writers have delved into both fiction and nonfiction to explore and chronicle the pivotal events that led to Indias independence. As we prepare to celebrate the 77th Independence Day this year, here are some novels you might want to read to learn more about what happened back then.

1. Train To Pakistan by Khushwant Singh

The novel is about a picturesque village called Mano Majra, which became entangled in one of the worst riots in Indian history during the countrys war for independence. For many years, the Sikh and Muslim communities in Mano Majra have coexisted peacefully. But things changed one day when a train carrying dead bodies of Hindus arrived from Pakistan, sparking bloodshed.

2. Jallianwala Bagh, 1919: The Real Story by Kishwar Desai

This book was written by Kishwar Desai, based on a real story after the brutal massacre at Jallianwala Bagh, where many people who had gathered to peacefully protest against the British Empire were shot dead. Despite the passage of time, Punjab and its people are still fighting to recover from the awful time. In this book, the author reconstructs the events of that day in Indian history.

3. India Divided by Rajendra Prasad

This book delves into the root causes of the Hindu-Muslim conflict and the subsequent partition, leading to the creation of two separate nations. It analyses the concept of the conflict between the two countries and discovers that the solution lies in the establishment of a secular state with cultural freedom for the communities.

4. Remnants of a Separation by Aanchal Malhotra

This is a one-of-a-kind endeavour to relive the Partition through artefacts brought across the border by refugees. Aanchal Malhotra explores the stories embellishing the artefacts that have been dormant and undisturbed in the memory of a period and place for generations. This novel was nominated for the 2018 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize.

5. An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India by Shashi Tharoor

In the book, Shashi Tharoor, the author skillfully dissects the harsh realities of British colonial rule in India using meticulous research and his signature wit. He investigated the various methods by which colonisers exploited our country, draining all of our national resources and shipping them to Britain.
The central government had invited 50 teachers from across the country to Red Fort to celebrate Independence Day 2023. The teachers were shortlisted by the department of school education and literacy based on their outstanding performance in their fields. These teachers were from the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Kendriya Vidyalaya schools.

The education ministry recently shared the happiness of attending the 77th day along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries. One day before the celebration, shortlisted teachers were taken on a tour of India Gate, the War Memorial, and the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya.

Taking to microblogging site X (former Twitter), the education ministry posted, Every step we take to mould young minds is a building block for a brighter tomorrow. Presence of Special Invitees for this years Independence Day Ceremony, at the National War Memorial, New Delhi, fills our hearts with inspiration and pride. These National Awardee teachers from Kendriya Vidyalaya are among many who have dedicated their lives for shaping the future of our country."(sic)

Some national award-winning teachers, including Rekha Mittapalli, Rajni Baliya, S Bharat Ratna, and DK Singh, were among the teachers invited to the celebrations. Presenting their gratitude to the Education Ministry for the invitation teachers called the initiative a lifetime opportunity.

Rekha Mittapalli, from Kendriya Vidyalaya, Hyderabad in a video message said, It is indeed a great pleasure for us to be invited to the function. It is a proud moment for all of us to interact with teachers and officials."

Smt. Rekha Mittapalli, a National Awardee teacher from Kendriya Vidyalaya, Hyderabad, is one of the Special Invitees for this years Independence Day Ceremony. It reminds us of the contributions of our teachers who are the architects of progress.#IDC2023 #SpecialGuestIDC pic.twitter.com/miVs9IJohX Ministry of Education (@EduMinOfIndia) August 14, 2023

Another teacher from KVS, AA Siddiqui who also attended this years Independence Day ceremony at Red Fort said, I thank authorities from KV and government of India to recognise my works. It reminds us of the profound impact educators have on shaping our nations destiny."

Mr. A.A. Siddiqui, a teacher from Kendriya Vidyalaya, Chhattisgarh, a Special Invitee for this years Independence Day Ceremony for his notable contribution to education. It reminds us of the profound impact educators have on shaping our nations destiny.#SpecialGuestIDC pic.twitter.com/AiZ0bmIOOl Ministry of Education (@EduMinOfIndia) August 14, 2023

Meanwhile, several colleges and universities celebrated the 77th Independence Day with much enthusiasm. JNU students took an oath while IIM Ahmedabad students participated in the Har Ghar Tiranga and Meri Maati, Mera Desh campaigns with patriotic fervour followed by cultural performances and competitions.
Karnatakas chief minister, Siddaramaiah announced that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 will no longer be implemented by the states higher education institutions. However, the decision will be enacted from the next academic session.

The chief minister further stated that NEP has been rejected by a number of stakeholders, including students, parents, lecturers, and instructors, during a meeting at the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office in Bengaluru. In addition, he charged that the previous BJP administration sacrificed student interests by introducing NEP in Karnataka ahead of other states.

The state government plans to create a new education strategy that is in line with its vision, according to deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar. He also said that NEP infringes on state rights, bringing attention to the governments claim that it does so in the area of education.

In August 2021, Karnataka became the first state to embrace NEP in higher education. However, the Congress had pledged to abolish the NEP in its electoral agenda prior to the assembly elections in May. Siddaramaiah had stated at the budget session of the state assembly that it will be replaced with a state education policy (SEP).

When the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the BJPs ideological fulcrum with headquarters in Nagpur, adopted the policy in the southern state, the opposition Congress criticized the action, dubbing it the Nagpur Education Policy" (NEP).

The Union government introduced the NEP on July 29, 2020, with the goal of reforming the educational system and preserving it rooted in Indianness" while bringing it into line with future needs. The NEP suggested a significant overhaul of Indias education system at all levels, from elementary school to higher education, and replaced an education policy that had been in effect since 1986.

The announcement that the NEP would be abolished starting with the following academic year received no instant response from the BJP.
The National Human Rights Commission on Monday said it has sent a notice to the West Bengal government over reports of the death of a first-year Jadavpur University student on campus allegedly after being subjected to ragging.

The commission said in a statement here that it has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that a first-year student of Jadavpur University, Kolkata, West Bengal became a victim of ragging, and died on 10th August 2023, after falling from the second-floor balcony of the varsitys hostel.

Reportedly, the fellow students of the victim had tried to bring the matter to the notice of the Dean but unfortunately, their efforts went in vain, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) statement said.

The commission also said that the media report indicates negligence, lack of supervision and inherent failure of the college administration due to which a young student, reportedly undergoing the trauma of ragging, lost his life.

The content of the media report, if true, amounts to a violation of the human rights of the student, it said.

Accordingly, the NHRC said it has issued a notice to the chief secretary of West Bengal, seeking a report within four weeks. It should include the reasons for the prima facie failure of the institution to take adequate steps to prevent ragging in accordance with the UGC regulation and the steps taken or proposed to punish the perpetrators, the commission added.

The report must also contain the measures being initiated by the state government for spreading awareness about the menace of ragging among the student community and teaching associations, the statement said.

The commission has also noted that the Supreme Court in the University of Kerala vs Council, Principals Colleges, Kerala [(2009) 7 SCC 726] case has held that heads of institutions or members of the administration mandatorily be penalised for not taking timely action against ragging for failure to sensitize teaching or non-teaching staff or employees working in the hostels and messes.

Therefore, a notice has also been issued to the Director General of Police, West Bengal, regarding the status of the criminal case registered against all the responsible students and teaching or non-teaching staff of the college concerned as reported in the news report, it added.

A further notice has been issued to the registrar of Jadavpur University to submit a detailed report regarding the steps taken for effective implementation of the recommendations of the Raghavan Committee report, affirmed by the Supreme Court of India, to solve the problem of ragging in the University, the statement said.

If you or someone you know needs help, call any of these helplines: Aasra (Mumbai) 022-27546669, Sneha (Chennai) 044-24640050, Sumaitri (Delhi) 011-23389090, Cooj (Goa) 0832- 2252525, Jeevan (Jamshedpur) 065-76453841, Pratheeksha (Kochi) 048-42448830, Maithri (Kochi) 0484-2540530, Roshni (Hyderabad) 040-66202000, Lifeline 033-64643267 (Kolkata)
Elvish Yadav created history on Monday night after he emerged as the winner of Bigg Boss OTT 2. The popular YouTuber became the first wildcard contestant in the history of the show to take the trophy home. Soon after the winner was announced, Punjabi heartthrob and Bigg Boss 13 fame Shehnaaz Gill took to her Instagram stories to congratulate Elvish Yadav.

Congratulations @elvish_yadav on winning #BiggBossOTT2. Youve definitely made history todayfirst ever wildcard contestant to win the show," Shehnaaz wrote. Check it out here:

Elvish Yadav entered Bigg Boss OTT 2 house as a wild card contestant and was identified as one of the strongest contenders for the Bigg Boss OTT trophy. He left behind Abhishek Malhan, Pooja Bhatt, Manisha Rani and Bebika Dhurve to take the Bigg Boss OTT 2 trophy home.

Following his victory, Elvish spoke to News18 and said, The feeling is unreal. I had always thought that wildcard entrants dont win, but I have proved everyone wrong. I still feel this is like a dream and I am sitting on my bed inside the house and someone will come and pinch and wake me up and make me do this all over again (Laughs). It was an amazing experience."

Who Is Bigg Boss OTT 2 Winner Elvish Yadav?

Siddharth Yadav, popularly known as Elvish Yadav is an Indian YouTber and social media influencer. He has a YouTube channel by his name which has over 12 million subscribers. Elvish rose to fame with his parodies and roast videos. Evish also has a stock market analysation and a clothing brand page on Instagram. He also has an Instagram handle for his Non-Profit Organisation - Elvish Yadav Foundation.

Elvish was born in a middle-class family in Gurugram, Haryana. He studied at the Amity International School in Gurugram and did his Bachelor of Commerce from the Hansraj College, University of Delhi. It is said that Elvish took inspiration from YouTuber Ashish Chanchlani and started his own YouTube channel in 2016.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hoisted the tricolour and addressed the nation from the Red Fort in Delhi on Indias 77th Independence Day. During his 10th Independence Day speech, the prime minister spoke for 90 minutes on development, problems of corruption, Vishwa Mitra Bharat and other pressing issues.

The tradition of hoisting the tricolour and then addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort has been an old one and was started by Indias first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1947. Nehru delivered his address on August 16, a day after the official hand-over of power.

Over the years, the Red Fort has become an integral part of the Independence Day celebrations, often capturing the mood of the nation and the government in power.

Why is Red Fort Chosen for This Honour?

Red Fort has historical significance in the Indian history since the Mughal history. When the country got its independence Indias first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru chose the monument to hoist the national flag and address the nation back in 1947.

The iconic monument also gets its significance as it is situated in Delhi, which has been the centre for power as early as the thirteenth century.

Delhi became a major capital under the Delhi Sultanate (1206-1506) under the rule of Qutubuddin Aibak, first ruler of the Slave or Mamluk dynasty, who ruled a large part of north India.

Babur (1483-1530), the first ruler of the Mughal dynasty, referred to Delhi as the capital of all Hindustan after he began ruling Delhi in 1526. Though Akbar, the third Mughal ruler, shifted his capital to Agra for some time, Delhi remained as the centre of rule in India.

However, under Shah Jahan (1592-1666), Delhi became the capital of Mughal empire once again and came to be known as Shahjahanabad in 1648 (which is situated in present-day Old Delhi).

The Red Fort became the citadel of Shahjahanabad till 1857 and even when the Mughal rule shrank, Delhi was seen as their source of legitimate sovereign authority, according to The Indian Express.

During the 1857 sepoy mutiny, also referred to as the First War of Independence, the rebels headed to Delhi and declared the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar (1775-1862) as their king at the iconic Red Fort.

Therefore, the monument become the symbol of indigenous authority, around which the authority of the entire country revolved.

Red Fort Under the British

The Britishers after quashing the 1857 rebellion and capturing Delhi, initially planned to raze the whole Shahjahanabad to the ground. Though they destroyed Akbarabadi mosque and the Urdu Bazaar near Daryaganj, they stopped short of completely razing the Red Fort. However, most of the inner structures of the monument (80 percent) were destroyed.

Significance of Red Fort

During the last stages of the Freedom Movement, Subhash Chandra Bose-led Indian National Army (INA) marched towards Delhi from Burmese border with the Japanese effort. When their efforts failed, the senior officers of the INA were publicly tried at the Red Fort.

The trials firmly established the Red Fort as a symbol of power and resistance in the minds of the Indian public. Then in 1947, Nehru decided to hoist the flag over the Red Fort in 1947.

With the coming of Independence, it was necessary that the site of the Red Fort, over which the British colonial government had sought to inscribe its power and might, be symbolically reclaimed for the Indian people, historian Swapna Liddle wrote in The Indian Express.

Thus, the Red Fort was chosen as the site for the Independence Day celebrations for its historical significance.
A group of 10 tourists was rescued on Tuesday after their boat collided with a gate due to heavy water flow in the Narmada river and started sinking in Omkareshwar town of Madhya Pradeshs Khandwa district, an official said.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Satyendra Kumar Shukla said the boat carrying tourists, which included residents of Indore and Rajasthan, collided with a gate constructed in the river near Nagar Ghat in the temple town, which houses one of the 12 sacred jyotirlingas dedicated to Lord Shiva.

He said after hitting the gate, the boat got filled with water and started sinking.

A team of Home Guards and State Disaster Emergency Response Force (SDERF) personnel present at the ghat immediately rescued all the 10 boat occupants, said the SP.

The tourists were wearing life jackets and all are safe, Shukla added.
In separate incidents, two climbers were rescued by the Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue's Heli Team after being injured on Granite Peak, Montana's highest mountain, on Sunday, Aug. 13.

The first call came in at 10:44 a.m. when Gallatin County Dispatch received a request for assistance from the Park County Sheriffs Office. Park County had received a call after an emergency beacon activation reported a climber had fallen and was injured about 200 feet from the 12,807-foot summit.

The injured individual was the climbing guide in a group of four. Due to the injuries, location and experience of the other climbers, Park County was requesting help to extract the group.

After a reconnaissance flight around the area, a paramedic was inserted near the climbers location. The medical assessment found the patients injuries didnt require immobilization, which meant the injured climber was able to be flown to an awaiting Guardian Flight medical helicopter in an emergency evacuation harness, known as a screamer suit. The remaining members were then flown off the mountain and back to the trailhead.

Just as the first mission was wrapping up, a second call for help was received from a different group of climbers who had a member of their party fall and sustain injuries. The injured climber was short hauled off Granite Peak and transported by a private party to the hospital.

Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer took the opportunity to remind recreationists to be prepared with a GPS communication device. "The backcountry is vast and rescues can take hours, so being prepared with proper equipment, extra clothing, food, and water is essential in emergency situations," the agency noted in a press release.
With just a few days left for India to attempt its historic moon landing, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has begun gearing up for its next big missionthe sun. While it took nearly 40 days to reach the moon, the space agency has charted out a four-month-long trajectory for its solar spacecraft set for launch next month.

Indias first space-based observatory, Aditya-L1, has been in the pipeline for more than a decade now. Scientists at Bengalurus Indian Institute of Astrophysics had been painstakingly working to assemble its primary payload a 90-kg Visible Line Emission Coronagraph (VERC) which will drive ISROs first-ever scientific mission to the sun. The final satellite consisting of seven different payloads has now been successfully integrated at UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), Bengaluru. On Monday, it was transported to Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota for its launch next month aboard ISROs old warhorsePSLV.

The rocket would ascend into space from Sriharikota and travel nearly 1.5 million kilometres towards the sunalmost three times the distance of Earth from its closest neighbour moon. Though the sun is about 150 million kilometres from the Earth, the spacecraft would be put into a halo orbit around the Lagrange point (L1)1.5 million km from the Earth, so it can view the mighty sun without any eclipses.

Four-month-long journey

Like all interplanetary missions of ISRO, the spacecraft will initially be placed in a low-earth orbit. Subsequently, the orbit will be made more elliptical to propel the spacecraft towards the L1 point, so it exits the Earths gravitational sphere of influence. Once it exits, the spacecraft will be injected into a large halo orbit around L1. Overall, it will take about four months for the satellite to reach L1.

Due to the limitations of the rocket, only a limited set of instruments with a specific capacity have been chosen for the mission, which explains why it took scientists years to build the payloads. For over 100 years, we have had the historic image of the sun, but it is the first time an instrument built by our scientists will be sent so close to it, that it can possibly capture whats happening on it, Professor Annapurni Subramaniam, director, IIA, Bengaluru, had previously told News18 in an exclusive interview.

What will scientists study?

Out of the seven payloads developed indigenously, four would carry out remote sensing of the sun, while three others are designed to conduct in-situ experiments. They will study the photons and the solar wind ions and electrons emitted by the sun, as well as the interplanetary magnetic field created in space.

The scientific mission will also look to gather more data on understanding the coronal mass ejectionthe powerful radiation storms that erupt suddenly from the suns corona into space, and sometimes even reach the Earth.

Despite years of observations, there are no such tools available which can help scientists to predict these massive clouds of energy. Various spacecraft and communication systems are prone to such disturbances and therefore an early warning of such events is important for taking corrective measures beforehand.

The space scientists from across various institutes had held a meeting at ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru in June to deliberate upon all the final aspects of the two missions, following which they were given a go-ahead. If all goes as planned, the mission could take off next month from Sriharikota.
Bindeshwar Pathak, the man who made toilets a part of public discourse in India, breathed his last in New Delhi on Tuesday following a cardiac arrest.

Pathak founded Sulabh International in 1970 and became synonymous with public toilets and activism against open defecation in no time. He came to be known as Toilet Man of India".

He shared once that his father-in-law ridiculed him for his work saying his daughters life has been ruined as he cannot tell anyone what his son-in-law did for a living. Pathak is survived his wife, two daughters and a son.

Born in a Brahmin family in village Rampur Baghel in Vaishali district of Bihar, Pathak joined the Bhangi-Mukti (scavengers liberation) cell of the Bihar Gandhi Centenary Celebrations Committee in 1968 and he was intimately exposed to the problems of scavengers in India.

He found his calling when he travelled the country and stayed with manual scavengers as part of his PhD thesis.

With an aim to promote human rights, environmental sanitation, non-conventional sources of energy, waste management and social reforms through education, Pathak established the Sulabh International Social Service Organisation in 1970.

Designs pioneered by Pathak three decades ago of creating biogas by linking Sulabh toilets to fermentation plants, has now become a byword for sanitation in developing countries all over the world.

One of the distinctive feature of Pathaks project lies in the fact that besides producing odour-free bio-gas, it also releases clean water rich in phosphorus and other ingredients which are important constituents of organic manure. His sanitation movement ensures cleanliness and prevents greenhouse gas emission. This technology is now being extended to South Africa to bring these facilities to rural communities.

Pathak is a recipient of Padma Bhushan, the Energy Globe Award, the Dubai International Award for Best Practices, the Stockholm Water Prize, the Legend of Planet award from the French senate in Paris, among others.

You are helping the poor," lauded Pope John Paul II while honouring Dr Pathak with International St. Francis Prize for the Environment, in 1992. In 2014, he was honoured by Sardar Patel International Award for Excellence in the field of Social Development.

In April 2016, Bill De Blasio, Mayor of New York City, declared April 14, 2016 as Bindeshwar Pathak Day.

All About Sulabh

With over 9,000 community public complexes in India, Sulabh is operating and maintaining toilets at railway stations and temple towns across the country. These complexes present in 1,600 towns have electricity and 24-hour water supply.

The complexes have separate enclosures for men and women. The users are charged nominal sum for using toilets and bath facilities. Separate spaces have been designated for men and women inside complexes. Some of the Sulabh complexes are also provided with bath with shower facility, cloak-rooms, telephone and primary healthcare. Sulabh reported a turnover of Rs 490 crore in the fiscal 2020.

Sulabh has also set up a number of vocational training institutes where liberated scavengers, their sons and daughters and persons from other weaker sections of society are receive training in various vocations like computer technology, typing and shorthand, electrical trade, woodcraft, leather craft, diesel and petrol engineering, cutting and tailoring, cane furniture making, masonry work, and motor driving.

From setting up an English medium School in Delhi for children of manual scavengers to providing financial assistance to the abandoned widows in Vrindavan or establish a museum of toilets in the national capital, Pathak and his Sulabh have always worked towards the upliftment of the marginalised.

Pathak once said he thought of setting up a museum of toilets after visiting Madam Tussauds. The museum is often listed among one of the weirdest museums around the world, but chronicles his journey that started in 1970s, when he decided to follow the path of Mahatma Gandhi on sanitation and to uplift the people in the lowest strata of society.

(With PTI inputs)
The G20 meeting in Ahmedabad is not just about discussions. It is about collaborative action with participation from countries as diverse as Bangladesh, Singapore, Argentina & Laos. Bringing most of the world together for a concerted action on battling pandemics and ensuring basic healthcare is no easy task. India has already signalled its emergence as the voice of the Global South when it comes to health.

In January, Health Minister Mandaviya made it clear: We will take the voice of the global South to G20 and other international forums as partners in our development journey. Amalgamation of these efforts will ensure health equity at the global level and particularly to Global South.

Indias three health priorities for G20 have been:

(a) One Health, a WHO-backed integrated approach to optimise the health of people, animals and ecosystems.

(b) Pandemic prevention, preparedness and response accord.

(c) Establishing a Medical Countermeasures Platform to ensure equal access to quality and affordable vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics.

(d) And securing consensus for a global digital health initiative.

India a role model

Indias success in the realm of medicine and health has been transformative in the past few decades. India has evolved from being a recipient of global health aid to a frontrunner in providing healthcare solutions.

Pharma powerhouse: Indias pharmaceutical industry has become a major contributor to its global health leadership, and is often called pharmacy of the world. India produces a significant portion of the worlds generic drugs. The World Health Organization says almost 60% of vaccines used worldwide are made in India. This was highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic when India produced and distributed vaccines to almost the entire world.

Skilled talent, affordable healthcare: From advanced surgeries to alternative medicine, Indian doctors have excelled in their fields. The country boasts some of the best hospitals in the world, with state-of-the-art facilities. In most cases, treatment in India is much more affordable. A testament to this is the rise in medical tourism from Africa and West Asia. India has provided training to a large number of medical professionals from third-world countries.

Telemedicine & digital innovations: Rapid growth of technology has enabled India to bridge healthcare gaps. Today, in many remote areas, specialist consultations and follow-up care has been made available through telemedicine. A recent survey says Centres flagship eSanjeevani programme, has been availed by 9% of the rural population. Indias CoWIN app has been such a big success that several countries have shown interest in adopting it for universal healthcare.

Global demand for traditional medicine: Traditional medicine systems like Ayurveda & Siddha have received global recognition. The establishment of a Ministry of AYUSH underscores their gaining importance. Global acceptance and adoption of Yoga also cement Indias position as a health leader.

Medical manufacturing: There has been a big push in making India a manufacturing hub for medical devices. This initiative would make India a significant exporter of such affordable devices to the Global South. India is hosting its first medical technology expo in Gandhinagar on the sidelines of the G20 Health Ministers meeting to showcase the countrys advancements.

Modi sets examples

Under PM Modi, India has witnessed a series of strategies which have become shining examples for the countries of the Global South to emulate.

The government has invested heavily in healthcare infrastructure. 22 new AIIMS have been approved across various parts of the country.

The number of medical colleges has increased by 82% from 387 in 2014 to 704 in 2023.

When the Covid pandemic struck, it was the PM who took the initiative to offer Indias vaccine manufacturing base to the world.

Indias feat of delivering 200 crore Covid doses domestically through primary healthcare centres and private hospitals has been a big example. The entire world has been in awe of Indias vaccination program.

The Heal by India Scheme has been launched with the aim of sending Indian doctors, nurses and paramedics abroad to help with medical treatments.

Indias medical and relief efforts during natural calamities like the Turkey earthquake have been lauded.

Ayushman Bharat provides free or low-cost health insurance to over 100 million poor and vulnerable families. The scheme has emerged as a role model for developing countries to copy.

Indias ascent as a world leader in health has been the result of its humane approach, manufacturing excellence, technological innovations, and robust policy-making. As the country continues to innovate and adapt, its influence in the global health sector is set to grow, benefiting people worldwide.
With less than a month to go for the G20 Summit in the national capital, security agencies have finalised convoy details and movement drills for visiting heads of states. The G20 Leaders Summit will be held on September 9-10 at the Bharat Mandapam convention centre, previously Pragati Maidan, and some other vital locations.

According to sources, the outer security will be provided by the Delhi Police and involve security and movement from the hotel to the venue and back to the hotel. The security drills will cover VVIP movement from the airport to the hotel, hotel to the venue, back to the hotel and finally to the airport.

According to officials, the cavalcade will have the following formation:

Pilot

Protocol car

Escort 1 VVIP car, Escort 2

Escort 3 (behind VVIP)

VVIP Spare car

Car 1

Car 2

Van 1

Van 2

Mission vehicles

Ambulance

Tail car

Additional traffic and security vehicles may be deployed ahead of the pilot. The same formation will be applicable from the venue back to the hotel, except mission cars will leave the venue before the guest, sources said, adding that uncompromised security will be provided to the visiting dignatories.

For each dignitary, a senior DCP level official will supervise the movement. Specific time has been given for each VVIP movement from the hotel to the venue so that the movement does not clash with another VVIP.

Black cat commandos of the National Security Guard, too, have been conducting security drills over the last few weeks to effectively secure the national capital during Independence Day celebrations and the G20 Leaders Summit scheduled next month.

A contingent of about 500 commandos, snipers and VVIP security personnel drawn from various Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) have been stationed in Delhi as part of the overall protection grid being laid by the central security and intelligence setup in view of the two events.

Commandos and VVIP security duty personnel from various CAPFs like the CRPF, ITBP, BSF, CISF and the SSB have been called to Delhi from their various field formations to render protocol and protection" duties during the G20 Leaders Summit.

These special units, including that of the Delhi Police, will function under the central command of the Ministry of Home Affairs till the G20 meet is over and all the premiers and dignitaries leave for their respective destinations, officials said.
Himachal Pradesh Rain Updates: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day speech, said that natural calamity has created unimaginable crisis. The prime ministers statement came a day after at least 52 people were killed as rains wreaked havoc in Himachal Pradesh, triggering landslides that blocked key roads, damaged homes and buried devotees in the rubble of a temple in Shimla.

Fourteen bodies were recovered from the sites of two landslides in the state capital, and officials feared there could be more people trapped under the debris of the Shiva temple in Summer Hill area. The shrine was crowded with devotees, offering prayers on an important day of the holy month of Sawan.

Himachal Pradesh Rain Updates:

 As many as 283 people have been killed in Himachal Pradesh from June 24 till noon of August 14.

 With the recovery of one more body from a collapsed Shiv temple in Shimla on Tuesday, the total number of bodies recovered in the twin landslide sites at Summerhill and Fagli increased to 15 while more than 10 people are still feared buried under the debris, officials said. The death toll in incidents such as landslides, cloudburst and house collapse due to heavy rains since Monday has increased to 52.

 Nineteen people died in rain-related incidents in Mandi district on Monday, Deputy Commissioner Arindam Chaudhary told PTI. In Solan, another badly affected district, 11 people including seven members of a family have been killed.

 The weather office predicted extremely heavy rains in nine out of 12 districts of the state, barring Kullu, Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti, on Monday and issued a yellow warning for Tuesday.

 Shimla SP Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi told PTI that 14 bodies have been pulled out of the rubble at the two landslide sites of Summer Hill and Fagli, while 17 persons rescued.

 The officials said heavy rains are hampering rescue operations in Shimla several parts of which were without electricity since Sunday night as landslides and uprooted trees damaged power lines.

 Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu earlier said nine bodies have been pulled out of the debris from a Shiva temple in the Summer Hill area and the other site in the Fagli area where several houses were buried under mud and slush.

 All schools and colleges in the state were closed on Monday. According to the state emergency operation centre, 621 roads were closed in the state because of the calamity.

 In Hamirpur district, four people have died due to incessant rains. Hamirpur Deputy Commissioner Hemraj Bairwa said that two persons are missing.

 One person was swept away by the flood waters while two others were rescued on Sunday night. In another incident, an elderly woman was buried alive while her son was rescued after their house collapsed due to rains, the officials said.

 In Rangas area of Hamirpur, a woman was killed in a landslide, while an 80-year-old man died in a house collapse incident in Bhagatu panchayat.

 In Solan districts Jadon village, seven members of a family were killed in a cloudburst on Sunday night. Two houses in the district were washed away following the cloudburst. While six people were rescued, seven others were killed, a police official said.

 The dead have been identified as Harnam (38), Kamal Kishore (35), Hemlata (34), Rahul (14), Neha (12), Golu (8) and Raksha (12), Superintendent of Police, Solan, Gaurav Singh said.

 In Balera panchayat of Solan, two children died as their makeshift house collapsed in a landslide. Another woman died in a landslide in Banal village of Ramsheher tehsil, said Deputy Commissioner of Solan Manmohan Sharma, adding a person died in Baddi area.

 In Mandi district, seven members of a family, including a two-year-old, were killed in a landslide late on Sunday night in the Seghli panchayat. Three persons were rescued, Deputy Commissioner Chaudhary said.

 Six bodies have been recovered at Sambhal near Pandoh. The bodies are yet to be identified, the deputy commissioner said, adding two deaths have been reported from Dharampur area. One boy died in Sirmaur district, according to reports. In Kangra, heavy rains claimed lives of two persons, including an 11-year-old boy, District Magistrate Nipun Jindal said.

 The chief minister visited the site of the temple collapse in Shimla and said all efforts are being made to rescue people buried underneath the debris. Distressing news has emerged from Shimla, where the Shiva Mandir collapsed as a result of the heavy rainfall. As of now, nine bodies have been retrieved. The local administration is diligently working to clear the debris in order to rescue individuals who may still be trapped. Om Shanti," he posted on X (formerly Twitter).

 Later, talking to reporters at the site, he said, There was a gathering in the Lord Shiva temple at the time of the incident as it was Monday of the holy month of Sawan. All possible efforts are being made to rescue the people buried under the debris." Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are engaged in relief and rescue operations in the hill state.

 The Unesco world heritage Shimla-Kalka railway line was damaged near Summer Hill here after a landslide swept away a 50-metre bridge, leaving a portion of the track hanging in the air.

 Along with the Army, personnel from the SDRF, NDRF, ITBP, and state police, among others, were involved in relief and rescue works, an official statement said.

 Deputy Commissioner of Shimla Aditya Negi told PTI that many people were feared buried in the two landslides in Summer Hill and Fagli areas.

 Meanwhile, the Shimla-Chandigarh road, which was closed near Chakki Mor in Solan district, opened for light vehicles after almost 12 hours, the officials said.

 The government announced that the Independence Day celebrations across the state would be ceremonial without any cultural programme in the wake of huge loss of life and property. Making the announcement, Chief Minister Sukhu said the state-level I-Day function which was scheduled to be held at Manali has been shifted to Shimla.

Heavy rains battered Himachal Pradesh since Sunday, triggering landslides that blocked several roads. Kangra received 275 mm rainfall since Sunday evening followed by Dharamshala 264 mm, Sundernagar 168 mm, Mandi 167 mm, Berthin 149, Shimla 135 mm, Dhaulakaun 111 mm and Nahan 107 mm. The weather department has predicted a wet spell in the state till August 18.

 So far, the state has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 7,171 crore since the onset of monsoon on June 24, as per the state emergency operation centre.

 A total of 170 incidents of cloudburst and landslide have been reported in the state this monsoon season and about 9,600 houses partially or completely damaged.

(With inputs from PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday praised the Supreme Courts decision to translate the key elements of its judgments into regional languages. The Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, who was among the dignitaries during the PMs speech, acknowledged Modis praise with folded hands.

Addressing the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort on Independence Day, the Prime Minister said: We have given the emphasis on teaching in the mother tongue."

VIDEO | "I also thank the Supreme Court. It has said that the operative part of the judgments will be in one's mother tongue. The significance of the mother tongue is increasing, said PM Modi in his Independence Day speech, earlier today.READ: https://t.co/ZaJqAxrnq5 pic.twitter.com/bduDwYtzyV  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 15, 2023

He observed that Supreme Court has decided to translate the operative part of the judgment in the language spoken by the litigant.

I thank the Supreme Court. It has said that now the operative part of the judgment will be translated in the language the litigant speaks," Modi said. CJI Chandrachud, who was amongst the audience, responded with a namaste gesture.

The relevance of mother tongue is increasing," Modi said. The CJI had recently announced that the Supreme Court would use artificial intelligence to provide judgements, written in English, in regional languages.

CJI Chandrachud also reacted to PM Modis Independence Day speech from Red Fort and said, PM today mentioned in his speech from Red Fort about the initiative of the SC in translating judgments in Indian languages, Ill elaborate and tell you that 9,423 judgments have been translated so far 8,977 judgments in Hindi and we have covered so far Assamese, Bengali, Garo, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Odiya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu."

He added that effort is to ensure that all the 35,000 judgments of the Supreme Court since its inception are available to our citizens in every language.

Earlier, Justice Chandrachud had said that English, used for writing judgements, is not comprehensible, particularly in its legal avatar, to 99.9 per cent of our citizens. He said the top court would initially focus on translating judgments into four languages  Hindi, Tamil, Gujarati, and Odia and gradually, the verdicts will be made available in all scheduled languages.

Some of the high courts have also started providing judgements in regional languages apart from English. Earlier, the top court had decided to provide its judgments in nine regional languages in 2019 and the move was acknowledged and hailed by the then president Ram Nath Kovind.
India and China have agreed to maintain peace and tranquility on the ground in the border areas, said the Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday following the 19th round of Corps Commander Level Meeting between the two countries.

The MEA said the two sides, during the meeting at the Chushul-Moldo border on August 13-14, had a positive, constructive and in-depth discussion on the resolution of the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector.

In line with the guidance provided by the leadership, they exchanged views in an open and forward-looking manner. They agreed to resolve the remaining issues in an expeditious manner and maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiations through military and diplomatic channels. In the interim, the two sides agreed to maintain the peace and tranquility on the ground in the border areas, the MEA said in a statement.

Despite extensive diplomatic and military discussions leading to disengagement in various areas, Indian and Chinese troops remain in a standoff at specific friction points in eastern Ladakh for over three years. During the 18th round of military dialogue on April 23, the Indian side emphasised the urgent need to resolve ongoing issues at Depsang and Demchok.

The meeting also holds significant importance, especially considering the forthcoming BRICS summit, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

PM Modi and the Chinese President had discussed the need to stabilise bilateral relations during a dinner at the G-20 summit in Bali last year. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi on the sidelines of the BRICS meeting in Johannesburg on July 24.
My parents are worried. They want me to return home. I am also scared, but I want to study. I am looking for an option, a first-year student from Kolkatas Jadavpur University, where a 17-year-old undergraduate student died on campus on August 10 after allegedly falling from the main hostel balcony amid reports of ragging, tells News18.

ALSO READ | Humiliating Intro, Asked to Cut Hair: Details of Jadavpur University Students Ragging

Scared, he did not want to mention his name, much like the other first-year students, who have now been transferred from the main hostel to the New Boys Hostel.

The probe into the cause is on. Three students have been arrested so far. Deputy Commissioner Bidisha Kalita on Monday went to the spot to recreate the sequence of events.

News18 went to the campus to check the ground reality.

IS THE ANTI-RAGGING COMMITTEE ACTIVE?

As you cross the famous Milan das canteen in Jadavpur University, a hoarding of an anti-ragging committee greets you. The message on it is: Expel students if found guilty of ragging. It also lists the phone numbers of those in the anti-ragging committee, from the dean to the general secretary, unions and professors.

When News18 asked students if the committee was this active, they said the numbers dont work and if they ever do, the response is never positive.

ALSO READ | Jadavpur University Asked to Submit Anti-Ragging Cells Report to UGC by August 21

Sukhendu Vaidya, a postgraduate student from Joynagar who has been living in the hostel for the past four years, said, People who have no choice stay at the hostel. Ragging in those hostels is an open secret, but nobody says anything. Several complaints have been made to the dean of students, to no avail.

Another second-year student said on condition of anonymity: If we start filing complaints, the rate of ragging will increase further.

WHY ARE ex-STUDENTS STILL STAYING AT THE HOSTEL?

One of the three arrested in the Jadavpur case is an ex-student, Sourav Choudhurybose. He had passed out of the university last year, but still stayed at the hostel and continued his dada raj, say sources from the hostel.

This has led to several questions: Why is this a common practice? Is the dean of students not aware of it, or is it being allowed in exchange for something? Is there a nexus?

WHY NO CCTV CAMERAS?

All renowned universities, except the Jadavpur University, have closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras. The students union is against the installation. According to All India Students Association (AISA) union student representative Varsha Boral: The authorities are responsible for the incident. This does not mean CCTVs will be installed here. CCTVs mean surveillance. There was a time when Vice-Chancellor Abhijit Mukherjee tried to install CCTVs, but most of them are now defunct. There was a huge uproar then too and the process could not be taken forward.

ALSO READ | Jadavpur University Student Death: Police Arrest Ex-Student, to be Presented Before Court on Saturday

According to a section of students, while it may mean surveillance, the absence of CCTVs could make investigation tougher in cases such as these. Free thinking does not mean that basic discipline will be flouted, they say.

WHAT THE AUTHORITIES SAY

After the death, Registrar Snehamanju Basu came to the university for the first time on Monday. She said she was unwell, but was keeping an eye on the goings-on.

After a meeting, Basu ordered all new students to be moved to a separate hostel and the authorities to give requirement for security. She is also likely to put forward the idea of CCTV cameras.

POLITICAL HUES

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee alleged: The boy was wearing an amulet, but he was forced to take that off. These people [Leftists and Marxists] apparently told him that this is a red fort.

ALSO READ | NHRC Notice to WB Govt Over Case of Ragging, Death of First-year Student of Jadavpur University

These people consider the university to be a place they own. They dont allow police on the premises. They dont allow CCTV cameras to be installed. They create an environment of terror in a prestigious institution like the Jadavpur University, she said.

Monday also saw rallies by the Left, TMC, All India Democratic Students Organisation (ADSO).

Speaking to News 18, a second-year student said, We all knew about this [ragging], but when we asked the juniors file a complaint, they didnt.
Seema Haiders neighbour Mithilesh Bhati has landed in legal trouble over her Lappu Sa Sachin remark about the Pakistani nationals husband Sachin Meena. Seemas lawyer warned Bhati of a defamation case, saying such insults" will not be tolerated.

Calling her remark an insult to every husband, Seemas lawyer, AP Singh said he is preparing for legal action against Bhati. In a diverse country like ours, insults based on skin colour and physical attributes will not be tolerated. We are planning to take legal action against the woman, the lawyer said, as reported by India Today.

However, Bhati defended her remark, saying she got angry and those words slipped from her mouth. She also said she did not insult anyone.

In one of her media interactions, Bhati said, SachinKya hai Sachin me. Lappu sa Sachin ha. Bolna use aave na. Bolta vo hai najhingur sa ladka.

The worst she can say is no"She: pic.twitter.com/q1mq8Ui21m   (@RomanaRaza) July 19, 2023

The remark by Bhati turned her into an internet sensation overnight. People across the web have transformed her quirky monologue into an endless series of hilarious memes and jokes, placing her in various absurd scenarios.

Renowned composer Yashraj Mukhate has added his own melodic twist to this womans comical outburst. Mukhate, celebrated for crafting musical renditions from viral videos and dialogues that capture attention on social media, worked his magic on this meme as well. He shared his version of the song on Instagram. The video commences with him weaving a tune from the womans dialogue, with Kya Hai Sachin Mein becoming the cornerstone of his musical arrangement. He even lends his vocals to the tune.

Who is Seema Haider?

30-year-old Seema Haider, who hails from Sindh province in Pakistan, crossed over to India illegally in May to be with her partner Sachin Meena in Greater Noida.

Seema, a mother of four children was married to Ghulam Haider, who currently resides in Saudi Arabia. She left her home country and crossed the border into India illegally along with her four children, all aged below seven years, in a bus via Nepal on May 13.

Haider said she had come to live with his Indian lover Sachin Meena who stays in Rabupura area of Greater Noida.

Seema, left her home and husband for Sachin, and says she wants to spend her whole life with Sachin and does not want to go back to Pakistan.

However, she was arrested on July 4 for illegally entering India without a visa via Nepal while Sachin was put behind bars for sheltering the illegal immigrants.
The Manipur government is racing against time to complete the first batch of prefabricated houses to shelter 3,000 families displaced by the ethnic violence so that they can shift from relief camps. Many of those affected by the strife have been sheltering in the temporary relief camps for more than three months.

Superintendent of Police P Brojendro of Manipur Police Housing Corporation Limited, which is undertaking the project, told PTI, The construction began from June 26 onwards in five different places and we are racing against time to complete the state governments initiative as soon as possible." Noting that 200 houses being built near Sajiwa Jail in Imphal East district is nearing completion, the official said that each house will have two rooms and a toilet and there will be common kitchens, while ten houses will form a row.

Around 160 labourers are working to complete the 200 prefabricated houses, the deadline for which is August 20. Materials used for constructing these houses include puff panel for walls, powder-coated aluminium frame for windows and pre-painted CI sheets for roofs," he said.

The greatest challenge of transporting these materials into Manipur was blockades on the highways of the landlocked state," he said.

He said labourers for assembling the houses were brought in by flights while the foundation was done by local workers. Prefabricated houses for at least 400 families are being built in the Yaithibi Loukol area in Thoubal district, and another 120 at Kwakta in Bishnupur district.

Similar houses are also being built at Sekmai in Imphal West district and Sawombung in Imphal East.

Completion of the houses, particularly at Kwakta, faced setbacks due to consistent exchange of fire between unidentified people and state police," another senior official said.

The prevailing law and order situation in the hill areas proved it extremely difficult to implement the project there," he said.

The internally-displaced people (IDPs), who will be celebrating Independence Day in their makeshift shelters, feel shifting to the newly constructed houses is a good move but yearn to return to their homes from where they had to flee when riots broke out.

Kishorjit P, one of the IDPs who stays at a relief camp in Imphal East district, said, I will not shift to the prefabricated houses. I want to return to Churachandpur from where we had to flee. Of course, proper security arrangements have to be taken. I was born and raised in Churachandpur and have an emotional attachment to my ancestral place." Another IDP, Ranjita S, however, said she was looking forward to shifting to the new place of residence.

We cannot live in relief camps forever. At some point, we need to start afresh. These prefabricated houses will be the first step to a new life," she added.

Notably, more than 160 people lost their lives and several hundred 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 the Meitei communitys demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipurs population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals  Nagas and Kukis  constitute little over 40 per cent and reside in the hill districts.

Kerala CMs Message on Ethnic Divisions

Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said as the nation celebrates its 77th Independence Day instances of caste and ethnic divisions have cast a shadow over the republic and injured its secular nature.

Vijayan contended, in a Facebook post, that even federal values have been subverted. In such a situation, every citizen ought to renew their pledge to preserve the nations secular character and its federal values, he urged.

The CM, in a post on social media platform X, also extended Independence Day wishes to everyone. Our freedom movement wasnt just about breaking chains; it was about forging a diverse and inclusive India.

On this #IndependenceDay, lets uphold our nations secular and democratic ideals, and ensure these values remain at the core of our nationhood. Happy Independence Day!" Vijayan tweeted.

In his Facebook post, the CM said that Indian independence from colonial rule was achieved through the strong united struggle by many patriots, including brave martyrs, regardless of caste, religion, language and dress.

He said that Indias constitutional democracy was a product of this freedom struggle and the anti-imperial democratic views of the independence movement were the ideas that shaped the country.

Vijayan said that both the federal system and linguistic states arose out of the values imparted by the national freedom movement which was based on the firm belief that the cornerstone of independent India would be secularism.

But today, there is a situation where caste and ethnic divisions have cast a dark shadow over the republic in such a way as to injure secularism. Federal principles are also largely subverted.

In this context, each of us is duty bound to preserve the secular character of the country and protect the federal values. We need to renew this pledge on the 77th Independence Day," he added.
Elk hunting has been an emotional topic for some Montana hunters in recent years, with rallies on the Capitol steps, special conferences between differing interest groups and bills introduced in the Legislature.

Yet according to a Fish, Wildlife & Parks press release, 73% of the respondents to a recent survey are satisfied with elk management in Montana. Generally, hunters surveyed were also satisfied with current elk hunting regulations and support the timing of the current general elk hunting season.

In an email, the Montana Outfitters and Guides Association hailed the findings.

These results should inform public discussions and the elk management policies of the (Fish and Wildlife) Commission going forward, said Mac Minard, executive director of MOGA. Montana hunters made it clear that they do not support additional regulations or loss of opportunities and underscored a need to increase hunting on private lands in order to disperse elk to public lands.

Nonresident elk hunters were also questioned. More than 60% of nonresidents said they would prefer having the opportunity to hunt every year in the state, even if it meant a lower probability of killing a mature bull. Yet almost 75% said they were very interested in killing a bull elk.

These surveys are important ways for us to gauge hunter opinion on our elk and mule deer management, said FWP Director Dustin Temple in a statement. Were currently working on regulation proposals for the publics review early this fall. We hope hunters take the time to review the proposals and let us know what they think.

Regulation proposals will be out for public comment in October and will be in front of the Fish and Wildlife Commission for a final decision in December.

Elk emotions

Controversies over elk management in the state have been in part driven by large congregations of elk on private lands where few hunters have access. Its also been compelled by an increasing number of hunters concentrated on fewer publicly accessible acres. FWPs recently released draft elk management plan noted a 73% increase in nonresident archery hunters between 2004 and 2021.

The plan also said the number of days hunters pursued elk climbed about 31% between 2006 and 2016. Despite FWP offering more elk tags and an extended season for elk hunting, the elk harvest peaked in 1994.

Access to hunt bull elk on publicly owned land ranked higher than all other reasons nonresident hunters choose Montana. The regions they are most likely to visit are southwest Montana and in the center of the state. These are also two regions with high concentrations of elk and lots of accessible public land.

The other top reason the surveyed hunters came to Montana was to hunt elk and other species at the same time. In Montana, the elk and deer rifle seasons occur simultaneously. This year, thats Oct. 21 through Nov. 26. The same goes for archery season. Bowhunters can pursue deer or elk from Sept. 2 through Oct. 15.

Survey says

The surveys were mailed to 5,000 randomly selected resident hunters. Less than half responded, despite two prompts. Eight-hundred nonresidents were sent the survey. Again, less than half answered.

For comparison, FWPs data shows there were more than 163,000 resident elk licenses sold in 2021 and 221,600 deer licenses. Nonresident deer and elk licenses in 2021 numbered more than 66,600.

Yet FWP's sampling provided close to a plus or minus 3% margin of error, according to Mike Lewis, FWPs Human Dimension supervisor. He said the sample size of 5,000 was fairly high for the agency because they wanted to get accurate results.

The sampling fraction required to produce accurate estimates at population-level gets smaller the larger the population is, Justin Gude, chief of FWPs Research and Technical Services section, explained in an email. The randomness of the sample is the key.

The return rate for such surveys is getting more and more difficult, Lewis said, which is why FWP reached out twice to try and encourage those involved to respond.

Twenty-five years ago, we expected to get a 60% response rate, he said. People are just saturated.

Even with a lower response rate, the numbers are dependable, Gude said.

They certainly do not reflect the opinion of every hunter or hunters in every local area, which will vary from the overall proportions and themes represented in the general results, he qualified.

Trophies

Another information point noted in the survey is that Montana elk and mule deer hunters like their five-week general rifle season, even if it means giving up the opportunity to hunt more trophy animals.

While important to many, trophy hunting was the least important reason expressed by survey respondents for hunting elk in Montana, FWP noted.

John Sullivan, chairman of the Montana chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, said he thought the way FWP framed its survey questions and analysis regarding hunting mature bull elk were tricky.

"Sure, people who hunt in general areas probably want to retain the ability to hunt there each and every year; but many of those same people are likely supportive of the limited entry opportunities they can take advantage of every decade or so," he said.

"Our worry is that FWP is asking questions in ways that fail to fully take into consideration current season structure and opportunities, and they fail to flesh out a likely hypothesis: that Montanans appreciate our opportunity to hunt elk each year in general units, but we like the opportunities to hunt limited-entry areas too," he added.

More than 60% of residents who responded to the survey said they would rather hunt mule deer bucks every year, even though that might mean less of a chance of taking a mature buck, and they like hunting during the rut. Montana allows hunting for bucks during the annual mating season, called the rut, a time when mature male deer are more vulnerable.

Montana hunters support for hunting in general, rather than trophy hunting opportunities, didnt surprise Jeff Lukas, acting director of conservation for the Montana Wildlife Federation, a sporting advocacy and conservation group.

Most Montanans aren't out for big bucks or big bulls (although we'll take them any chance we get) but for family togetherness and to fill our freezers, Lukas wrote in an email. Many of us eagerly anticipate the weeks spent in the field, preparing for elk camp, deer hunting with family members, or planning the use of our precious vacation days.

Also of note, the responses to FWPs mule deer survey matched fairly closely to one done 12 years earlier. Results from both years also show that 85 percent of survey respondents favorably rate mule deer hunting opportunities in Montana, FWP said.

Pressure

Sixty percent of residents would like to see fewer of their fellow hunters when they do go afield. Thirty-five percent rated the number of hunters they see each day as unacceptable or very unacceptable.

Montana has had an influx of 300,000 people to the state in the last 30 years, and we've doubled the number of nonresident licenses sold for deer and elk, Lukas said. Since 2015, nonresident antlered deer hunting has grown exponentially while antlerless tags have doubled as well. The same goes with antlerless elk licenses. During that time as well, the number of residents taking to the field for deer and elk has grown, albeit at a much smaller pace.

The survey also showed gaining access to hunt elk continues to be a topic of concern, particularly on privately owned property. Also, there are concerns about the numbers of both antlerless elk and bull elk on publicly owned lands in Montana," FWP said.

Lewis said FWP, like many public agencies, often hears from those most critical of its management decisions.

Quite often what Im told is we have a problem, he said. Ultimately, most surveys show things arent as bad as we thought.
Mumbais Andheri Bridge will remain shut for traffic movement from 10.30 pm on Tuesday to 05.00 am Wednesday due to some work.

Mumbai Traffic Police said that the traffic is moving through slip road due to the work of removing the iron arch at the Western Expressway Andheri Bridge.

Andheri Bridge is closed from 10.30 pm to 05.00 Am and the traffic is moving through sleep road due to the work of removing iron arch at Western Expressway Andheri Bridge ascent and descent, Mumbai Traffic Police said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Andheri Bridge is closed from 10.30 pm to 05.00 Am and the traffic is moving through sleep road due to the work of removing iron arch at Western Expressway Andheri Bridge ascent and descent. #MTPTrafficUpadates Mumbai Traffic Police (@MTPHereToHelp) August 15, 2023

Reacting to the update, netizens expressed apprehension if there will be traffic congestion on Wednesday morning on the stretch like that of Monday.

Is it going to be the same thing tomorrow morning too? Just like day before, a user said in a post on X.

Is it going to be the same thing tomorrow morning too? Just like day before Jubin Joshi - VERITAS  (@JoshiJubin) August 15, 2023

Monday, 14th August the time was overshot by 3.5 hours from the one notified here with regards to opening. Hope youll adhere to the time specified to ensure smooth flow of traffic for citizens travelling early, another user wrote on X.

Monday, 14th August the time was overshot by 3.5 hours from the one notified here with regards to opening. Hope youll adhere to the time specified to ensure smooth flow of traffic for citizens travelling early @CMOMaharashtra Viral Desai   (@desaiviral81) August 15, 2023

These were referring to the massive traffic jam which was reported on Mumbais busy Western Express Highway on Monday morning. The heavy congestion was reported due to the work of demolishing the gantry girders on the Andheri flyover.

Netizens shared videos of traffic snarls on the stretch on Tuesday night, saying the information about the closure of Andheri Bridge could have been communicated in advance.

This could have been communicated in advance. Now total traffic chaos.Really pathetic - zero planning and management. India can be independent. But it seems Mumbai never will be - from bad administration.@MumbaiPolice#MumbaiCity #Mumbai #Traffic #IndependenceDay2023 https://t.co/D7Z6vUtiVU pic.twitter.com/d3hbedBMcl Surabhi Upadhyay (@SurabhiUpadhyay) August 15, 2023

ALTERNATIVE ROUTES

In a press note released by Mumbai Traffic Police on August 12, it suggested some alternative routes for the commuters.

Commuters travelling from Vakola towards Borivali can follow the Western

Express Highway North bound Slip Road From Hanuman Nagar Bus Stop via

Bahar Junction - Gold Spot Junction - Andheri Tab Junction  Gundawali, the advisory said.

Those travelling from Jogeshwari towards Bandra are advised to follow the Western Express Highway South bound slip Road from Gundawali - Andheri Tab Junction - Gold Spot Junction - Bahar Junction  Hanuman Nagar.
A 65-year-old man was killed and a woman was injured after a fire broke out at a residential building in suburban Santacruz (West) on Tuesday afternoon. As per Mumbai Fire Brigade, the blaze broke out on the sixth floor of the Hari-Preet building on Tagore Road in Santacruz (West).

The incident was reported at 3.47 pm. It was a level 1 fire incident in the building that was ground plus seven-storey.

A man and a woman were rescued by fire brigade personnel donning special Breathing Apparatus suits from the sixth floor through the staircase, the official said, adding that the man was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.

The woman was treated on-site by 108 ambulance service doctors and discharged.

The fire was brought under control but the cause was yet to be ascertained.

(with inputs from PTI)
The countrys startup ecosystem in many ways symbolises and represents the very changed India that has emerged after nine years of hard work and policymaking by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, in an exclusive conversation with CNN-News18 on Independence Day.

For the first time, young Indians are operating on a global stage, creating innovations and creating start-ups that have grabbed the attention of investors from all over the world, and are doing so at scale and are really making their presence felt in the global innovation ecosystem," he said. The second is, the most important thing in the last 12 months, in particular, is the fact that the diversity and scope of startups which were all around internet and consumer internet for the first years, has now covered space, AI, semiconductors, automotive, EVs, high-performance computing, supercomputing. So it is almost like in the technology and the global innovation ecosystem, there is not any space that does not have Indian startups or young Indians present in innovating and creating technology for the future."

On image and growth of India

For the last 65-70 years, India was seen as a country of great potential, the biggest democracy, great talented people, but having repeated decades of dysfunctional governance, some misguided socialism, crony capitalism, and all of that held India back, said the minister.

Today India is seen as a country with many many young Indians with great potential, great energy, and determination marching forward. And for the first time, it is as if the narrative of governance and the narrative of Indias potential are harmonised and walking in lockstep. And its for the first time that the world looks at India, especially at this new generation of young, confident Indians, and say they are really stepping up to the plate and delivering what Indias promise has been for several decades," he said.

India was a country that was performing under its potential, said Chandrasekhar. Now the United States, the EU, Japan, which have for long dominated the technology space, are looking to partner with India," he added. The old narrative that nahi kar sakte hain, cannot do this, this is beyond our capabilities has all been turned on its head. And the other narrative of the government will trip you up even if you are a smart, young Indian, that has also been changed dramatically, where the government under the leadership of our prime minister is today the most active enabler and so heavily invested in the success of our youngsters that today the confidence and the opportunities that are there that represent the future for our young Indians, nobody is ever going to allow this country to slip back into decades of crony capitalism, and corruption, and misguided socialism, and appeasement, and that type of politics, that held this country and held crores of Indians back all these years. We are on a journey."

Everybody has understood the direction that this country can go in, and the heights that this country and individual Indians can achieve, he said.

On Data Protection Bill

The framework of data protection, which I argued during the UPAs 10 years..they kept fighting saying privacy is not a fundamental right, privacy is not a big issue, and kept blocking every effort to have a discourse on this. It took Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2017 to basically say we will have a data protection bill. And it has taken some time because of the intervening years of Covid. But his view, ideology, philosophy to make sure that at the heart of governance are well-empowered citizens, citizens with rights and with a great sense of their duty to this country, to their communities, to their families is what will take this country forward and take us to the status of Viksit Bharat," said Chandrasekhar.

This is one element of a spectrum of well-defined rights that the prime minister has given to Indian citizens .while always stressing that these rights come with their reciprocal duties, added the minister.

Privacy and data protection is something that is very close to our prime ministers view that as 120 crore Indians become internet users from the current 83 crore, every Indian, every digital naagrik must have the right to a safe and trusted internet, have accountable intermediaries and platforms," he said. So I think the framework of laws that are now being put, at the centre of it is the digital naagrik who will use the internet for his/her business, work, benefits and interactions with the government."

These rights are a very important part of how the prime minister sees the framework and the role of the digital naagrik" and his or her rights, he added.

On Newsclick controversy

Indias rise especially in the past nine years, economically, from a security point of view, from our innovation confidence point of view, our role in the overall community of nations in terms of our own voice that is being heard increasingly with more respect and credibility as the G20 presidency shows or the GPAI chairmanship shows, all of this certainly will cause angst and bitterness among many countries and many people," the minister said. The rise of India, the rise of our economy, the rise of our people will certainly be challenged surreptitiously and/or directly by vested interests."

They will operate through political parties, media surrogates, misinformation, and cross-border actors, he alleged. Every time we are faced either with a political leader who goes and mouths lies about us abroad, or a platform that mouths misinformation about us in India, or indeed a foreign platform that talks about propaganda aimed at India, we should be alert and we should have both policy responses and aware citizenry that responds to that," said the minister.

It is clear that the toxicity, the lies in politics, and the misinformation has been pioneered by one party that is being echoed by their cronies in the UPA, Chandrasekhar said. Our party, our government has been absolutely transparent in what it does, whether it is policymaking through consultation, or creating policies. But we have, of course, an opposition that is increasingly desperate. Their leaders go to the US and cast aspersions, tear down our government, tear down our democracy, spread lies about the prime minister," he said. And they have the gall to turn around and say that the government and the Bharatiya Janata Party is responsible for toxicity."

On 2024 elections

The BJP is confident about the Indian voters because people can see where the country is today compared to before 2014, said Chandrasekhar.

While we may all sit in TV studios and look at disruptions in Parliament, never forget, the real master in Indian democracy is the citizen. And the citizen is clear today on which direction our country should go," he said. This is an awakened IndiaAll of the misinformation, lies, political shenanigans that the rebranded UPA is trying to toss will not change the fundamental truth of what Prime Minister Narendra Modi and how he has transformed our nation in the last nine years, and how he has brought a resurgent new India into the limelight and is creating a much better future for crores of Indians across the country."

We are in the most exciting time of independent India, said the minister. And the reason we are here is simply that in the last nine years, we have had a leader in Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has worked absolutely relentlessly and determinedly to change the course and destiny of our nation that he inherited in 2014. And those nine years of hard work have really made India today a very different India from what we thought was possible and what we certainly saw in the years pre-2014," he said. I wish I were a young Indian today, but unfortunately I am not. But I can certainly work hard with the prime minister to make a better future for all of those young Indians who comprise the majority of our population."
A constable was injured when an absconding history-sheeter opened fire at two policemen when they tried to catch him in Madhya Pradeshs Gwalior district, an official said on Tuesday.

The incident took place on Monday night in Hastinapur police station limits, he said.

Following a tip-off, constables Kapil and Vakeel were sent to nab history-sheeter Pavan Jatav, who had been absconding, Superintendent of Police Rajesh Singh Chandel said.

When the policemen tried to nab Jatav, he fire at them with a gun. Constable Kapil received bullet injury in his stomach, he said.

Even after being injured, Kapil and the other constable continued to hold the criminal and in the meantime a police team reached the spot, the official said.

The injured policeman is undergoing treatment in a hospital and his condition is stable, he said.

Chandel said several criminal cases had been registered against Jatav in different police station limits of the district.
Bindeshwar Pathak, the founder of Sulabh International, passed away on Tuesday due to cardiac arrest. Pathak, a pioneer in building public toilets, breathed his last at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi. His close aide said the 80-year-old social activist hoisted the national flag at the Sulabh International headquarters in the morning on the occasion of Independence Day and collapsed soon after.

While the aide said Pathak breathed his last at AIIMS, a source at the hospital told news agency PTI that he was declared brought dead at 1:42 pm. The cause of death was cardiac arrest, according to Pathaks aide.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, President Droupadi Murmu said Pathak had taken a revolutionary initiative in the field of cleanliness.

                          -                   - President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) August 15, 2023

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled Pathaks demise and recalled how he provided monumental support to the Swachh Bharat Mission.

The passing away of Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak Ji is a profound loss for our nation. He was a visionary who worked extensively for societal progress and empowering the downtrodden. Bindeshwar Ji made it his mission to build a cleaner India. He provided monumental support to the Swachh Bharat Mission. During our various conversations, his passion towards Swachhata was always visible. His work will continue to inspire several people. My deepest condolences to his family and loved ones during this difficult time. Om Shanti," PM Modi posted.

The passing away of Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak Ji is a profound loss for our nation. He was a visionary who worked extensively for societal progress and empowering the downtrodden.Bindeshwar Ji made it his mission to build a cleaner India. He provided monumental support to the pic.twitter.com/z93aqoqXrc  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 15, 2023

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the Sulabh International Social Service Organisation said, Founder Sulabh Sanitation, Social Reform and Human Rights Movement, Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak is no more. He died of cardiac arrest at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. He was rushed to the hospital after he complained of uneasiness in the midst of Independence Day celebrations at the campus of Sulabh, Palam-Dabri Road, New Delhi."

About Bindeshwar Pathak & Sulabh International

Sulabh International is a social service organisation that works to promote human rights, environmental sanitation, waste management, and reforms through education.

Pathak founded Sulabh International in 1970 with a vision to eradicate open defecation and unclean public toilets. The organisations pioneering efforts led to the development of the revolutionary Sulabh toilet, a low-cost, eco-friendly solution that has revolutionised sanitation practices across the nation. Sulabh toilet revolutionised sanitation practices, providing millions with access to clean and dignified restroom facilities.

His vision extended beyond technology, encompassing a broader mission of eradicating the stigma associated with manual scavenging and uplifting the lives of those who had long been relegated to the fringes of society. Through his determined advocacy and innovative initiatives, Pathak successfully raised awareness about the importance of proper sanitation and hygiene, contributing significantly to disease prevention and improved public health. In India, the name Sulabh is synonymous with public restrooms.

Pathak also started the Sulabh initiative for widows which was meant to emancipate them from all kinds of deprivations, restrictions and humiliations. He is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.

(with PTI inputs)
Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud said on Tuesday that an overhaul of court infrastructure is needed to make our courts accessible.

CJI Chandrachud shared that expansion of Supreme Court is on the cards, adding that 27 new courts will be added along with four registrar courts in a new building which will be made.

The expansion will happen in two phases, in the first phase - ANNEXE & MUSEUM building will be demolished to accommodate 15 courtrooms, the SCBA library, SCAORA library, Executive Meeting Rooms, Women Bar Rooms," CJI said.

In the second phase, CJI said some existing courts would be demolished to accommodate 12 more courts.

They say sunshine is the best disinfectant, I say tech is the best tool to destroy the opacity surrounding the judicial system," CJI Chandrachud said.

CJI Chandrachud also recalled PM Modis Independence Day speech from Red Fort and said, PM today mentioned in his speech from Red Fort about the initiative of the SC in translating judgments in Indian languages, Ill elaborate and tell you that 9,423 judgments have been translated so far 8,977 judgments in Hindi and we have covered so far Assamese, Bengali, Garo, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Odiya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu," CJI said.

He added that effort is to ensure that all the 35,000 judgments of the Supreme Court since its inception are available to our citizens in every language.

CJI Chandrachud also said that Supreme Court Bar Association of India (SCBA) is not a Bar for Delhi, but a Bar for the whole nation".
As the monsoon continued to wreak havoc in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday issued a red alert (heavy to very heavy rainfall) for the next 24 hours in several parts of both hill states. Massive landslides, floods, and cloudbursts have resulted in extensive damage in the northern part of the country.

The weather body also predicted heavy rains in Jharkhand and West Bengal on August 16 and August 17. Heavy rainfall is also likely to occur in north-eastern states like Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Odisha, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands till August 17.

Himachal Pradesh is witnessing a series of tragic events triggered by incessant rains and thunderstorms that caused heavy loss of properties and mass evacuation. The IMD further said that the red alert will soon turn into an orange alert as weather conditions are likely to improve soon.

< blockquote class="twitter-tweet" > < p lang="en" dir="ltr" > < a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" > #WATCH < /a > | Indian Army columns have been employed for Flood Relief Operations in Shimla, Fatehpur, Indora and Kangra Districts of Himachal Pradesh to carry out relief and rescue operations. < a href="https://t.co/AxzVlkuE4Q" > pic.twitter.com/AxzVlkuE4Q < /a > < /p >  ANI (@ANI) < a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1691496333293867008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" > August 15, 2023 < /a > < /blockquote > < script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" > < /script >

Heavy rains battered the state as a fresh landslide hit Shimla on Tuesday killing at least two people as several houses collapsed. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu visited the affected region and urged people to vacate their houses if any crack develops in their premises.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Army along with police and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) resumed rescue operations at Summer Hill around 6 am on Tuesday, Deputy Commissioner of Shimla Aditya Negi told news agency PTI.

Here are the key updates on weather conditions across India:

Three more bodies were pulled out of the rubble from the site of the collapsed Shiv temple in Shimla on Tuesday. Rescuers feared more bodies are still trapped. Death toll in rains and landslides-related incidents killed 60 people since Monday in Himachal Pradesh, said Chief Minister Sukhu. Speaking to news agency ANI, he said 51 people were killed on Monday, while 9 lost their lives on Tuesdays landslides incidents in the state.

Citing the intense weather conditions, the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister said all educational institutions will remain closed on Wednesday.

Indian Army columns have been employed for flood relief operations in Shimla, Fatehpur, Indora and Kangra Districts of Himachal Pradesh. The columns are involved in rescue and relief operations, said the Indian Army officials.

As per weather forecasts, the Dehradun, Pauri, Tehri, Nainital, Champawat, and Udham Singh Nagar areas in Uttarakhand are likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall.

Search operations in rain-ravaged areas of Uttarakhand led to the recovery of two more bodies taking the death toll in a series of rain-related incidents in the state since Monday to six while seven people are still missing.

The Badrinath national highway is blocked by debris from landslides at four points, including at Gadora, Tangni, Gulabkoti, and Baldauda. The Chardham yatra remained suspended for the second day on Tuesday.

The IMD has predicted scattered rainfall activity in the next 24 hours for Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

The weather forecast body on Tuesday predicted light to moderate spells of rain in Mumbai and its suburbs. The city is likely to see a cloudy sky with light rainfall on Wednesday.

Parts of Gangetic West Bengal and Jharkhand are very likely to witness heavy rainfall on August 16 and August 17.

Delhi on Tuesday witnessed very light rain or thundershowers. The Yamunas water level crossed the danger mark of 205.33 metres in Delhi following torrential rain in the rivers upper catchment areas over the past two days. According to a Central Water Commission official, the water level at the Old Railway Bridge crossed the warning mark of 204.50 metres at 3 pm on Tuesday and rapidly rose to 205.39 metres at 10 pm.

A warning has been issued for the fishermen in the Andaman Sea Coast for August 15-16 after rainfall in the coastal region. They have been asked to not venture into the sea due to the heavy rains.

Squally weather with gutsy winds is likely to prevail over the southeast Bay of Bengal on Wednesday, as per the IMD bulletin.

Heavy rainfall is also very likely to prevail over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Odisha, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands on August 15, 16 and 17.

(with inputs from PTI)
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY 2023: Indias Independence Day is a day of celebration, pride, and gratitude. It is a day to remember the sacrifices of the freedom fighters who fought for the countrys liberation from the British rule. It is also a day to rejoice in the spirit of unity, diversity, and democracy that defines India as a nation. On this remarkable occasion, expressing your heartfelt sentiments is a cherished tradition.

ALSO READ: Happy Independence Day 2023 Wishes: Spread the Spirit of Patriotism with 77 Quotes, Images, Messages, Slogans, and Greetings

Embrace the spirit of freedom with our curated collection of Top 10 Quotes and Wishes for Indias Independence Day. These messages encapsulate the essence of national pride, reflecting the triumphs and aspirations that have shaped Indias journey. Whether shared with family, friends, or on social media, these eloquent words capture the significance of August 15th and honour the tapestry of Indias heritage.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY 2023: QUOTES

1. Freedom is not something that is given to you. It is something that you have to take." - Mahatma Gandhi

2. We must free ourselves from the heavily negative impact of the past so that we can build a glorious future." - Jawaharlal Nehru

3. India is a dream and idea which never dies." - Rabindranath Tagore

4. The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." - Eleanor Roosevelt

5. Let us resolve to build an India in which every citizen has equal opportunities, an India in which poverty is banished and everyone lives in dignity and prosperity." - Narendra Modi

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY 2023: WISHES

1. Freedom is the breath of life for a nation. Lets celebrate the essence of liberty on this proud Independence Day!"

2. May the tricolor flag always fly high, and the spirit of unity and diversity continue to inspire generations."

3. With gratitude in our hearts and hope for a brighter future, we commemorate the day that ignited the flame of independence."

4. Independence is a gift, and today we unwrap its legacy with gratitude and pride. Happy Independence Day!"

5. Lets remember the heroes who carved our destiny and honor their sacrifice by building a stronger, united India."

Independence Day 2023: A Must-Watch

10 Independence Day Wishes Messages Quotes

Is It 76th Or 77th Independence Day 2023 In India?

Evolution Of The Indian National Flag

5 Fashion Tips For Independence Day

Happy Independence Day 2023!
Britannias legacy in India spans over 106 years, its roots and history firmly rooted in Indian soil. On the 77th anniversary of the countrys Independence, Britannia is bringing alive history innovatively through Augmented Reality using its packs as the medium as part of its 1947% More History campaign.

The campaign is an ode to an entire generation of freedom fighters and to the very few living freedom fighters we have amongst us today. The stories of 5 nonagenarians from across the country- Shrimati Leela tai, Lt. Asha Sahay, Lt. R Madhavan, Lakshmi Krishnan Agvl. & Shri Gour Hari Das are delivered through augmented reality on the packs of its more popular brands like Britannia Breads, Good Day, Marie Gold, Milk Bikis and Winkin Cow beverages

Listen to the stories of the few of Indias last living freedom fighters, as they narrate their journey to independence, brought to you on your favourite Britannia packs. Simply click www.Britannia1947more.com and enjoy the incredible experience through Augmented Reality.

This campaign captures the essence of Britannias commitment to Indias collective history, society, and our rich heritage. The digital film curated uses Generative AI technology to portray rich visuals of the freedom movement and recreate the younger profiles of the 5 protagonist freedom fighters whose stories have been told by themselves. The campaign was conceptualised by Talented Agency and executed in partnership with Rooted Films and Pixel Party.

Talking about the campaign, Amit Doshi, CMO, Britannia Industries Ltd. says, As one of Indias centurion companies, we feel proud of our history that witnessed the birth of Indias freedom and further followed its incredible rise to becoming an economic superpower. As a company with a 106-year-old heritage, it is our privilege to bring alive some incredible stories of how our freedom was won, and we decided to use technology to do so through our packs.

He added, These inspiring stories of Indias few living freedom fighters, come alive through an AR experience that can be triggered with a range of Britannia products found in every home. History is in our fridge, our kitchen shelves, and now well hear it speak to us. By celebrating these heroes, we unite around the power of resilience, compassion, and courage. This campaign is not just about history; its about understanding our identity and cherishing the values that define us as a nation.

About the campaign Sandipan Deb, Creative at Talented says, When we look back at how far India has come, its hard not to feel a sense of absolute awe and pride. But 77 years after the struggle, its natural to take our freedom for granted. Independence Day has been reduced to a day filled with retail offers. Theres no sentimental value anymore. We wanted to change that - and if theres one brand that has the stature and legacy to do this, it is Britannia. Brut India, Rooted Films and Web Dimension have been amazing collaborators to make this campaign come alive. We hope every time we sit down to drink chai with Marie Gold, or make a sandwich, we think of our country, even if its for a second, and the brave people who selflessly fought for us.
After surviving for more than 50 days in the Bigg Boss OTT house, Elvish Yadav became the first wild card entrant in the history of Bigg Boss to emerge as the winner of Bigg Boss OTT season 2, which was hosted by Bollywood superstar Salman Khan. The popular YouTuber defeated co-contestants Abhishek Malhan, Pooja Bhatt, Manisha Rani, and Bebika Dhurve to take the trophy home and a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh.

In an exclusive conversation with News18, Elvish said that he is grateful to be the first wild card winner, The feeling is unreal. I had always thought that wildcard entrants dont win, but I have proved everyone wrong. I still feel this is like a dream and I am sitting on my bed inside the house and someone will come and pinch and wake me up and make me do this all over again (Laughs). It was an amazing experience."

It is already rumoured that Elvish will be a part of Bigg Boss 17 which is expected to begin in a couple of months. Ask him about it and he says, I dont think I would want to enter this season. I was inside the house for more than a month and it was a lot for me. Bigg Boss 17 will go on for three to four months so I am not ready yet but I will surely do it in the future."

While he has truly created history, what has caught the attention of many is the fact that people think this was also done to break the idea that a wild card cant be a winner. Elvish, who has a YouTube channel by his name which has nearly 13 million subscribers denied it and said, I dont think that is true, fans have given me a lot of love and they have voted for me, and hence, I have become the winner. I dedicate my victory to the Elvish army who supported me in huge numbers."

In one of Weekend Ka Vaar episodes, host Salman Khan strongly criticised Elvish for his conduct towards the women in the Bigg Boss OTT 2 house. This led to a wave of disappointment among his supporters, who expressed their discontent on Twitter. Some fans even shared a alleged tweet from Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar, which seemed to contain a veiled threat directed at the Bollywood actor for reprimanding him. Talking about it, he said, I have no idea that my fans threatened Salman bhai. If they have done it, it is wrong. If my fans are doing this in my name, I dont like it. No one should get threats in my name. When I was wrong, Salman bhai explained to me as his younger brother and made me realise my mistake. I accepted it and also tried to improve my behaviour in the house."

Elvish beat his fellow housemate and Yotuber Abhishek Malhan in a nail-biting finale to emerge as the winner. Talking about his relationship with Malhan he said, I had a lot of fights and arguments inside the house with all the contestants except Abhishek. We have always been brothers and what you saw on the show was completely mutual. There is no ill feeling and our strong bond will continue beyond this show."
A 20-year-old male grizzly bear was euthanized on Aug. 11 after killing a cow on private land in the Tom Miner Basin, just north of Yellowstone National Park.

Wildlife Services captured the bear on Aug. 10 and identified the animal as having been captured and relocated previously due to cattle depredations, according to a Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks' press release. It also had significant tooth decay. Bears in this condition will sometimes prey on cattle as an obtainable food source, especially if they have a history of conflicts with livestock, FWP reported.

Considering these factors, and in consultation with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, FWP euthanized the bear.

This is the third management removal of grizzly bears in Montanas portion of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem this year. Two male grizzly bears have been removed due to cattle depredations, and one female grizzly was removed recently after becoming food conditioned to unsecured garbage in Big Sky.

Grizzly bears in the lower 48 states are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

The Tom Miner Basin, located in southern Park County, has become a popular area to view grizzly bears since nonnative caraway plants took root, attracting bears to the calorie-rich food. Livestock operators in the valley have taken a number of precautions to live with grizzlies, including hiring range riders to patrol herds and using camera traps to avoid grizzlies' preferred haunts.
In a recent interview, actor Divya Dutta opened up about the early days of her career when she was made to feel like she wasnt beautiful enough to become a mainstream heroine. She shared that since she was not like the stereotypical tall, very thin, pretty" girls, she was not cast in films opposite action heroes.

Talking to Hauterfly, Divya said, Firstly, I was busty. Then, I wasnt very tall so I wasnt considered to be one of those stereotypical tall beautiful girls. I used to look so young. And at that time, there were mostly action heroes, who were, of course, big. To fit into the mold was a little difficult. To become like those tall, very thin, pretty girls. I never felt like I looked like a heroine, I had to learn how to become one."

Divya shared that as she kept working in the industry, she started acknowledging her assets and gained more confidence in her skill because of the roles she was playing. The things that were first told to me, like shes busty, (now) I myself offer if I should unbutton the top button. I say its okay its fine. It is my asset. I consider myself an asset with everything that I have and I feel men consider me sexy and so do women," she said.

Divya also spoke about doing intimate scenes with her co-stars. Talking about her experience with male actors, she said that women are instinctively aware of a mans intentions when he touches her. She shared that her co-actors have made her feel respected and comfortable, especially Irrfan Khan and Manav Kaul. I have done some beautiful intimate scenes with Irrfan, with Manav Kaul, with lots of heroes but I know I am well taken care of by my director, by my actor," she said.

Divya Dutta became a household name after her role in the 2004 film Veer Zaara starring Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta. Her film, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag wherein Farhan Akhtar played the titular role, recently marked 10 years since its release.
Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone starrer Fighter have been in the news ever since it was announced. Fans are eagerly waiting to see the fresh pairing of two superstars. Helmed by Siddharth Anand, Fighter is considered to be Indias first aerial action film and will also star Anil Kapoor in the lead role. Well, today the makers have increased the excitement level among the fans and dropped the motion poster. Deepika Padukone took to her social media and shared the video.

Taking to her official Instagram handle, Deepika Padukone wrote, A salute to our glorious nation. Happy Independence Day #Fighter in theatres on the eve of Indias 75th Republic Day. #25thJanuary2024. #SpiritOfFighter #SiddharthAnand @hrithikroshan @anilskapoor. The video opens with a runway scene and then Hrithik Roshans look is unveiled. He is looking dapper as he is dressed in an Indian air force pilot uniform. Then Deepika Padukone is seen walking on the runway in uniform. Their look will surely give you goosebumps. Anil Kapoor is also seen in the video. In the background, we can hear the music of Sujlam Suflam.

Watch the video here:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by   (@deepikapadukone)

As soon as the video was out, fans were seen rushing to the comment section. One of the fans wrote, Superstar Deepikas Upcoming Movies with Top Actors of India. Hrithiks Fighter Movie. Prabhas, Amitabh & Kamal Hassans Project K . Ajay & Akshays Singham Again. Shahrukh & Salmans Tiger vs Pathaan. Another wrote, The Next Big Thing.

To note, after WAR and Pathaan, Siddharth Anand is gearing up for yet another grand release with Fighter. Fighter marks Hrithik and Siddharths third film together. The duo previously collaborated on Bang Bang (2014), and War (2019) co-starring Tiger Shroff and Vaani Kapoor.

The fighter is also the second time that Siddharth worked with Deepika Padukone. They previously joined hands for Pathaan (2023), headlined by Shah Rukh Khan and co-starred John Abraham. This will be the first time that Hrithik and Deepika are sharing the screen. Besides this, it also promises to be Indias first-ever aerial action franchise. The film will hit theatres on January 25, 2024.

In April this year, it was reported that the team shot for an epic fight sequence in the movie. Hrithik Roshan and Siddharth Anand know that the stakes are high with Fighter and they are set to shoot their biggest climax till date. The team will be shooting for over 120 hours for this action-packed climax scene, which will take about 25 minute of screen time in the film. The team will be shooting hand-to-hand combats alongside aerial shots for the concluding episode of Fighter. Hrithik, Deepika and Anil will be a part of this epic climax shoot, a source told Pinkvilla.

On the work front, Deepika will be next seen in Jawan with Shah Rukh Khan. It is being reported that she has a cameo in the film. But nothing has been confirmed.
As India celebrates 77 years of Independence this Tuesday, August 15, 2023, many superstars from the South cinema took to social media to express their joy and pride for the country. While Kamal Haasan penned a heartfelt plea to the citizens of India as the countrys tryst with destiny continues", Tamannaah Bhatia attended an Independence Day parade in New Jersey.

Ram Charan took to the micro-blogging site X, formerly known as Twitter to urge netizens to hoist the Indian flag at their homes. He also announced the release of the song The Soul Of Satya, an ode to the unsung warriors of our country". Charans father and superstar Chiranjeevi also sent Independence Day wishes to his fans.

Loves sacrifice, a heros journey bestowed. Her silent strength, a nations ode."Happy to be launching #TheSoulOfSatya, an ode to the unsung warriors of our country. Telugu: https://t.co/wNw85inuJ9 Hindi: https://t.co/bRvGzZV9NO Tamil: https://t.co/9eqjDfwhrA  Ram Charan (@AlwaysRamCharan) August 15, 2023

While Mammootty posted a picture of himself hoisting the national flag, Raashii Khanna took to Instagram to share photos of herself with the Indian flag and tri-colour balloons. Rana Daggubati and Prithviraj Sukumaran also posted photos of the national flag.

Independence Day Wishes to Everyone ! Jai Hind pic.twitter.com/G3s3NV1aV3 Mammootty (@mammukka) August 15, 2023

Mahesh Babu also posted, Celebrating the spirit of united India, today and every day! Wishing you all a happy #IndependenceDay2023!" Rishab Shetty shared adorable photos of his children celebrating Indias freedom. While his baby daughter held the tricolour as she smiled sweetly for the camera, his toddler son dressed up as Netaji Subash Chandra Bose.

Kamal Haasan also penned a note to urge for a special request from his fellow citizens. He wrote, Indias journey has been one filled with highs and lows, pain and joy, love and hate. Yet, our tryst with destiny continues. Today, let us all vow to unite in purpose to make India the country Bapu envisioned. An India where no child is born in poverty or goes to bed hungry. An India whose economic might is a beacon, attracting the world to our shores. An India whose culture and knowledge reign supreme in the global arena. Fellow Indians, I humbly bow my head to this great land and its people - a tapestry of religious, ethnic, linguistic, and cultural diversity. Happy Independence Day to you all."

Indias journey has been one filled with highs and lows, pain and joy, love and hate. Yet, our tryst with destiny continues. Today, let us all vow to unite in purpose to make India the country Bapu envisioned.An India where no child is born in poverty or goes to bed hungry. An  Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) August 15, 2023

Actress Tamannaah Bhatia took to Instagram to share a video of herself attending the Independence Day parade in New Jersey. She captioned the post, From the heart of India to the streets of New Jersey Being a part of the India Day Parade thousands of miles from my own country was exhilarating. Even though oceans separated me from home, the spirit of India resonated within me, shared by the thousands of my fellow Indians who lined the streets, joining me in celebrating everything that embodies the essence of our nation."

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tamannaah Bhatia (@tamannaahspeaks)

Interacting with everyone there was truly heartwarming the unity and energy on display was also so infectious. Thank you for this incredible experience, New Jersey!  No matter where we are, the Tiranga always stands high and strong! On this special day, I would like to wish everyone a Happy Independence Day!  I I," Tamannaah added.
Rana Daggubati recently made a statement regarding a leading actress who wasted Dulquer Salmans time on sets. He did not take anyones name but fans were quick enough to guess that he was referring to actress Sonam Kapoor and that the incident was from the shoot of The Zoya Factor. In no time he was getting trolled. And today, Rana issued a clarification regarding his statement and said that his words have been misinterpreted.

Rana today, took to his X handle to apologise to both Sonam and Dulquer and issue a clarification about the same. He wrote, I am genuinely troubled by the negativity that has been aimed at Sonam due to my comments, that are totally untrue and were meant entirely in a light-hearted manner. As friends, we often exchange playful banter, and I deeply regret that my words have been misinterpreted. I take this opportunity to express my heartfelt apologies to Sonam and Dulquer, both of whom I hold in great esteem. I hope this clarification puts an end to any speculation and misunderstanding. Thank you for your understanding."

Take a look here:

I am genuinely troubled by the negativity that has been aimed at Sonam due to my comments, that are totally untrue and were meant entirely in a light-hearted manner. As friends, we often exchange playful banter, and I deeply regret that my words have been misinterpreted.I take Rana Daggubati (@RanaDaggubati) August 15, 2023

Talking about the incident, actor Rana Daggubati recently attended an event of Dulquer Salmaans upcoming film King of Kotha. A video from the event has gone viral where Rana was heard sharing an incident about Dulquer and a leading Bollywood actress. He revealed how a popular Bollywood actress had wasted Dulquers time on set but the latter chose to remain calm and understanding. Lauding Dulquers patient and calm attitude, Rana recalled that a big Hindi films heroine who was part of the film wasted Dulquers time as she was engrossed in a phone conversation about shopping in London with her husband.

Coming to the exciting trailer of the film King of Kotha was dropped in languages including Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Hindi. The highly anticipated film will be released on August 24. The film revolves around the character Raju, played by Dulquer Salmaan as he aspired to become a gangster like his father.
As Bachna Ae Haseeno clocks 15 years today, actress Minissha Lamba revisited the film and opened up about working with Ranbir Kapoor. The actress shared that her on-screen chemistry with Ranbir Kapoor felt very seamless and effortless. She however also revealed that Ranbir Kapoor was very shy at the sets.

In an interview with Hindustan Times, Minissha shared, When we were shooting, Ranbir was very shy and kept to himself at that point. We didnt interact that much, but the moment the camera turned on, there was a different kind of ease and chemistry. In fact, we required minimal takes, and our shots would be done in maximum third take, and added that her on-screen chemistry with Kapoor was very seamless and effortless.

The actress also shared that she instantly came on board for the Siddharth Anand directorial and revealed that she was unaware of the other characters in the story. I was unaware of the other characters storylines. I broadly knew what the story was, but I only received my script. So, the details, individual scenes, songs, and everything else, I saw for the first time on screen when in the show kept for the cast and crew. The story was unfolding just like the audience for me, she shared.

In the film, Minissha played one of the happy-go-lucky girls, who Ranbir falls in love with. When asked, how she portrayed her, the actress added, More than the young Mahi, the other part of being in a marriage where there was no heart and affection, was difficult to play because I had nothing to draw on. Yet, there had to be a distinct difference between the girl she was and the woman she became. Bachna Ae Haseeno also starred Deepika Padukone and Bipasha Basu. The film was shot in Switzerland, Mumbai and Sydney.

Minissha Lamba made her Bollywood debut in 2005 with Shoojit Sircars film Yahaan and later appeared in movies like Honeymoon Travel Pvt Ltd, Bachna Ae Haseeno, Kidnap and Bheja Fry 2. She made her OTT debut this year with short film Badtameez Dil.
Suriya is one of the biggest superstars in the Tamil film industry. He has had an illustrious career and enjoys a massive fan following in South India. Recently, there have been rumours that the actor will be shifting to Mumbai after he bought a 70-crore property in the city. There have been speculations that he has shifted from Chennai to Mumbai with his family for his sons education and his wife, Jyothika, and his career.

At a Chennai event where he donated blood, the actor opened up on the rumours. He said, You are saying on social media that I have settled in Mumbai. Nothing like that. Both my children are studying in Mumbai. I used to go there just to see them. By the way I am in Chennai."
When Sushmita Sen adopted her first daughter, Renee, in 2010, she said, Shes not born from my stomach but from my heart. And thats one of the many points where Sushmita and transgender activist Shreegauri Sawant, who she stupendously plays in Taali, coincide and become one. While we dont get to learn much about Shreegauris battle for adoptive rights, one cannot stop but keep smiling about the duo being totally bindaas and badass as they moved top courts for bagging adoptive rights and then mothering children. In one scene in Taali, a little girl puts a paper crown on Shreegauris head and her friend asks her the first thing she will do if she becomes a Miss Universe. To this, Sushmita or Shreegauri takes us back to that iconic moment when the former was crowned, that was preceded by her iconic reaction of a big gaped mouth and twinkling eyes.

Taali constantly keeps blurring the lines between the beings of its subject Shreegauri and its vessel Sushmita. Theres not even a single moment that makes you question the makers casting choice. In fact, it goes on to prove that if theres anyone who could play the powerful transgender champion, it is Sushmita herself, inarguably.

The series begins with Ganesh in a classroom, fidgeting as a teacher enlightens her students on a career aptitude test. When Ganesh is asked about what he wants to grow up and become, he says that he dreams of becoming a mother someday. And that evidently shakes up the teacher and makes her uncomfortable with the rest of the class laughing at him. But Ganesh remains undeterred. At home, he dresses up as a woman before the mirror and performs lavani at a local function. But his father reacts to his effeminate ways strongly and gets him to promise to never dance like a woman again. But soon, all hell breaks loose after his mother passes away.

We also get a glimpse of Ganeshs sex reassignment surgery, becoming Gauri and then spreading awareness about transgender rights, which eventually leads her to file a petition in the Supreme Court of India to recognise the third gender as citizens and giving them a legal right, which would enable their inclusion on every official document in India.

Shreegauris life is riddled with thorns and struggle for identity, survival and equality. Hers is a journey for the books. At the same time, it is inspiring, bold and trailblazing. And though the series touches upon all her highs and abysmal lows, it doesnt do justice to her riveting story of challenging the status quo at every step of her life. In all honesty, yes, there are a handful of moments that will choke you and break your heart. But the screenplay is inconsistently paced. At times, you may find yourself disengaged from the narrative. The writing doesnt succeed in keeping you hooked throughout its length. But just when it loses lustre, Sushmita and her charismatic performance step in and come to the rescue. Is that enough though?

The show progresses at a rather languorous pace with no high points. The lack of a cliffhanger at the end of each episode (yes, we are aware that its not a thriller) might become a deterrent in rendering it a binge-worthy quality. Taali feels more like a docu-series. And while it has its heart in the right place and there are ample moments that make you want to sit up and laud for Shreegauri, the overall narrative lacks nuance. Many instances that could have stirred something within you fizzle out without creating a profound impact. The subtle complexities and intricacies of Shreegauris life and the deep friendships she shares arent conveyed with effectuality. So, what could have been a moving and emotionally rich account turns into just another story about the road to acceptance.

Sushmita deserves the loudest round of applause for slipping under the skin of Shreegauri with aplomb. She brilliantly grasps her voice, body language, mannerisms and verbal delivery. Even as Ganesh, Sushmita aces it. Its no cakewalk to play a man. But our Miss Universe proves that theres nothing she cant do. She walks the fine line and makes sure that the character of a transgender woman doesnt border on a caricature. To top that, she brings a little bit of herself to make the part her own. She also brings a lot of grace, strength, dignity and stillness to the table and it is her performance that becomes the beating heart of Taali. In her, one can see the tigress of Aarya and the softness of Miss Chandni. She effortlessly revels in this dichotomy and it is sheer delight watching her light up each frame.

Sheetal Kale who plays Nargis is rather impressive. Her scenes with Shreegauri will stay back with you. Ankur Bhatia plays Navin, a gay activist, but he doesnt contribute much to the storyline solely due to his under-cooked character. Krutika Deo deserves a special mention for playing young Ganesh with a lot of vulnerability like an experienced artist. She underplays Ganeshs effeminate traits, gait and instincts, and delivers a class act. Though Taali in an out-and-out fashion belongs to Sushmita, the rest of the cast (most of them from the Marathi film industry) deftly supports her.

Taali might be a slightly underwhelming experience but kudos to the creators, Arjun Singgh Baran and Kartk D Nishandar, and director Ravi Jadhav for bringing the fascinating story of Shreegauri alive. Hers is a life that deserves to travel far and wide. Maybe this was a missed opportunity and the makers could have cast someone from the transgender community to play the protagonist. But give yourself the chance and watch how Sushmita infuses life and spark to the narrative. And this should also be a reminder on why we need an actor and artist like her to headline more and more such stories that need to be told. Because truth be spoken, it takes truckloads of courage and mettle to take up a role as challenging and complex as this.
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi was addressing the nation on the 77th Independence Day, the chair reserved for Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge was left vacant in the audience at the historic Lal Qila on Tuesday. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi also skipped the grand celebrations at Red Fort.

As per Congress sources, Kharge stayed away from the ceremony at Red Fort due to security reasons. He, however, unfurled the national flag at his residence and later at the Congress headquarters where the Independence Day function was also attended by Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders.

Congress President did not go to Red Fort due to security reasons. He had an event at home and then the party office. But, he will go to the at-home event of the President," sources privy to the development told CNN News18.

Kharges Message On I-Day

Meanwhile, Kharge made his presence felt with a strong recorded message highlighting the contributions of past Prime Ministers and made a veiled attack on the BJP government, accusing it of suppressing the voice of the Opposition.

                              ,     ,                pic.twitter.com/d5EurpcRNM  Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) August 15, 2023

He highlighted the contributions of Indias first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru along with other Congress PMs including Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, PV Narasimha Rao, and Manmohan Singh. He also remembered BJP veteran Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Every Prime Minister has contributed to the progress of the nation. Today some people try to say that India has seen progress only in the past few years," Kharge said in an apparent swipe at PM Modi.

Their thinking is wrong, Kharge asserted as he mentioned that AIIMS, IITs, IIMs, and other institutes were built by former PMs.

The policies of Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi helped India become atma nirbhar (self-reliant)," he said as he mentioned the iconic green and white revolutions, using one of PM Modis key mantras.

Great leaders dont erase past history to create new history," the Congress president asserted as he extended his warm wishes to the countrymen on the occasion of Independence Day,

Kharge further took a dig at the current government and said that today, democracy, constitution, and institutions, all are in great danger.

New tactics are being used to suppress the voice of the Opposition. Raids by the Central Bureau of Investigation, Enforcement Directorate, and Income Tax are carried out. The Election Commission is being weakened, Kharge said.

In an apparent reference to the suspension of Opposition MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, which was restored later following the Supreme Courts judgment staying his conviction in a 2019 defamation case, the Congress chief said, Efforts are being made to suppress the voice of Opposition MPs in the Parliament by suspending them.

Someones mic is turning off or someones words are getting expunged. Privilege motions are being brought, Kharge, who skipped the Independence Day celebrations at the iconic Red Fort here, said in a video message.

He added, Democracy and constitution are the soul of our country."

On this occasion of Independence Day, we take a pledge that we will uphold the freedom of democracy and constitution for the unity and integrity of the country, for love and brotherhood, for harmony," he added.

Unfortunate, Says BJP on Congress Chiefs Absence

The Bharatiya Janata Party hit out at Congress Chief for not attending the historic Red Fort Independence Day ceremony and termed Kharges absence as unfortunate.

It is very unfortunate that Congress leadership boycotted the Independence Day program as per media reports. Bharat se kya dushmani hai? Modi Virodh me desh ka hi virodh?" BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla posted on X (formally Twitter).
As the debate surrounding the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) intensified after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin decided to boycott the Independence Day tea party hosted by Governor R N Ravi, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman On Tuesday said the issue should not be politicized and asserted that students should be counseled not to take the extreme step under the exam pressure.

This comes days after a student in Tamil Nadu ended his life as he was depressed over failing to qualify for NEET after two attempts.

Speaking exclusively to CNN News18, Sitharaman said, Children should be counseled not to take the extreme step. Passing or not passing the exam is not an issue. We do not want students to lose precious lives. I do not want to politicise NEET. Students from rural India have found seats in top institutions because of NEET."

She also advocated for the BJP governments National National Education Policy (NEP) and called it a well-versed policy".

Now, immediately, because a well-versed policy has been brought forward, only because it is brought forward by PM Modi, we like to hate it. NEP is a progressive and robust Education policy," she said during an interview with CNN News18s managing editor Zakka Jacob.

The Minister also came down heavily on Opposition for its criticism of the Bharatiya Janata Patry-led governments handling of ethnic violence in Manipur and accused the I.N.D.I.A bloc of shedding crocodile tears on the matter.

What is all this sympathy for Manipur about which they (Opposition) are talking? They couldnt even support a resolution to support the people of Manipur," Sitharaman said.

Accusing the Opposition of shedding crocodile tears over the Manipur situation, she said, Prime Minister himself assured them, the Home Minister assured on the floor of the house that all wanted peace and harmony in Manipur The opposition walked out when Prime Minister was speaking Rahul Gandhi spoke just one or two lines and just went off."

Further taking a dig at the Opposition over politics on security matters, Sitharaman said that when BJP was in the opposition, the party showed what it is to be a responsible Opposition" and didnt press forth on some matters.

Who was in government when we lost 7000 square meters of landIt is a matter of national securityWe all saw what our brave soldiers did in Galwan and Balakote Talks are going on. There is a procedure to follow. Border issues take time to resolve, as there are levels of discussion On security matters, the BJP has always been very sensibleSecurity issues are sensitive matters," she said.

The Union Minister also rejected the Oppositions claim of parivarvad (family politics) in BJP and asserted the saffron party is against appeasement.

When we talk about parivarvad, into it is also embedded the dynastic-vaad; its the same family that over the generations controls the entire party. That is the parivarvad. The BJP doesnt suffer from it," she said.

She also accused Congress of being over-ambitious" for taking credit for launching schemes and asked if the Opposition partys schemes reached the needy.

Congress wants bit for everything Take the credit for the Common Wealth Games also, which was ridden with everything that could go wrongCongress being over ambitious to take credit for everything that has been in India for years," Sitharaman added.
Delivering his 10th consecutive Independence Day speech, and the last before 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit all the right political notes at the Red Fort on Tuesday.

Donning a Bandhej Safa headgear from Rajasthan, which goes to polls later this year, PM Modis 90-minute speech was peppered with five political messages and a prediction  that he will return to the ruins of the Mughal-era fort same time next year.

Heres a look at the key takeaways from PM Modis Independence Day 2023 speech:

WOMEN-LED DEVELOPMENT & MANIPUR

The Prime Minister opened his speech with an ode to freedom fighters and within minutes touched upon the situation in Manipur. Expressing anguish at the crimes against women in the state, a reference to the viral video of two Kuki women being paraded naked by a mob, the PM said the entire nation stands with Manipur. He assured that peace is returning to the north-eastern state.

Highlighting the importance of women in society, he also pointed at the women-led development witnessed in the country in last five years. He mentioned how girls are outperforming boys academically in STEM and announced the formation of 15,000 women self-help groups in the near future.

He added that it is his dream to empower 2 crore women entrepreneurs. The one thing that will take the country forward is women-led development. Today, we can proudly say that India has the maximum number of pilots in civil aviation. Women scientists are leading the Chandrayaan mission," he said. In last years speech, too, the PM had asked Indians to respect women and support nari Shakti.

BLOW TO TERRORISM

In his speech, PM Modi said the era of serial blasts and terrorism are long gone, referring to a spate of terrorist attacks, including 26/11, that rocked the Congress-led UPA regime.

Referring to 140 crore Indians as his parivarjan, or family members, the PM said: My dear family members, we used to hear about incidents of bomb blasts every now and then. There used to be announcements alerting people about possible bomb scares. There used to be a warning written stating do not touch this bag etc When a country is secure, it makes steadfast progress. The days of serial bombing are now over."

According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), as many as 663 Indians were killed in terror attacks between 2005 and 2008 outside Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and the Northeast. From the 2008 Ahmedabad bomb blast to the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, the UPA regimes timeline is dotted with such incidents. Even during campaigning for the 2014 General Elections, a bomb had exploded just before Narendra Modis rally in Patnas Gandhi Maidan.

CURBING CORRUPTION

A key political message in the Prime Ministers speech was the 180-degree shift from the days of corruption and scams hogging the headlines. It is the commitment of my life to keep fighting against corruption, he announced. Calling it one of the three evils, Modi said it is Indias collective responsibility to promote suchita (probity), pardarshita (transparency), and nishpakshta (objectivity)" to develop India.

He highlighted the steps against corruption taken by his government. My government weeded out 10 crore fake beneficiaries of welfare schemes, and seizure of ill-gotten assets rose by 20 times," he said. This is an India that is full of self-confidence Ye Bharat na rukta hai, na thakta hai, na haanfta hai aur na hi haarta hai (This India doesnt stop, doesnt tire, doesnt pant and doesnt lose)."

OF, BY AND FOR THE FAMILY

The Prime Minister also made a strong pitch against nepotism and dynasty politics, calling it the second evil. Urging India to get rid of dynastic politics, Modi targeted few political parties whose mantra, he said, was party of the family, by the family and for the family".

Today, parivarvaad (dynasty politics) and appeasement have destroyed our country. How can a political party have only one family in charge? he asked.

While PM Modi did not mention any political party by name, he as on numerous occasions pointed to the tight grip the Gandhi family has on the Congress. Interestingly, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge gave the Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort a miss, with the public broadcaster panning to his empty chair.

The PM had made a similar pitch a few days ago on the 81st anniversary of the Quit India movement. Inspired by the Quit India Movement, the entire country is now roaring Quit India against every evil, saying corruption, quit India, dynasty, quit India, appeasement, quit India.

ANTI-APPEASEMENT

Modis final political blow to the opposition this Independence Day was the issue of tushtikaran ki rajneeti or appeasement politics. Calling it the third evil, the PM said: The third evil is appeasement which has left a blot on the national character I firmly believe that when the country will celebrate 100 years of freedom in 2047, the nation would be a developed India. I say this on the basis of the capability of my country and available resources. But the need of the hour is to fight three evils  corruption, dynasty, and appeasement.

The PM ended his last Independence Day speech before General Elections next year with a promise to return to the Red Fort next year to hoist the Tricolour.

Shifting gears, Modi shared a vision for the next 25 years and concluded his speech with a guarantee. It is Modis guarantee that India will be among the top three economies in the world in the next five years," he said.

Summing up his nine years in power, the PM said it was parivartan (change) that drove him in 2014 and performance in 2019, but it is his vision for 2047 that will drive his next tenure, reflecting his confidence at a BJP win next year.
A Mandan man faces a felony trespassing charge after allegedly scaling a fence at the North Dakota National Guard headquarters in Bismarck and entering the secure military facility.

Ruben Garcia, 36, was arrested at Fraine Barracks shortly after 5 a.m. Friday, according to court documents. The installation in west Bismarck is surrounded by a chain-link fence with barbed wire lining the top, with armed security guards at the gate, according to a police affidavit. The document did not say how Garcia allegedly got over the top of the fence.

Garcia allegedly told a responding officer that he had been robbed and was being chased by a man with a gun. The officer stated in the affidavit that he determined Garcia was "severely paranoid and hallucinating" and that Garcia's story about being chased was not substantiated.

"Ruben entered and remained in a highly secured premises, knowing he was not privileged to do so," Officer Brennan Bennington wrote in the affidavit.

Garcia faces a criminal trespass charge that carries a maximum punishment of five years in prison. Court documents do not list an attorney for him. He could enter pleas at a court hearing scheduled for Sept. 11.

A judge set bond at $1,000 cash. Garcia remained at the Burleigh Morton Detention Center on Tuesday afternoon.
It has been almost a month since G Kishan Reddy took over the reins of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unit in Telangana from his predecessor Bandi Sanjay Kumar, and his focus has been popularising schemes of the central government. A Maha Dharna, held on August 13, at Dharna Chowk in Hyderabad is the biggest programme he has organised till now.

The dharna was aimed at mounting pressure on the state government to fulfil its electoral promise of providing two-bedroom houses to the homeless poor in Telangana. Reddy alleged that the BRS promised to construct the houses before the 2014 election, but it remains unfulfilled. The party is now saying that the government would provide funds if the poor want to construct houses in their own plots," Kishan alleged.

He has just started but has managed to launch several programmes across the state. The party will hold protests at the mandal level on August 18, followed by protests at the district collectorates on August 23 and 24. A protest meeting will be held in Hyderabad on September 4. At the dharna, Kishan called the BRS 30 per cent government", pointing to the commission he alleged was being pocketed by ruling party leaders in every scheme.

Compared to Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Kishan Reddy has a calmer demeanour and his attacks on the opposition are more measured.

While Bandi Sanjays words created an immediate Hindu-Muslim binary, the new president seems to shun that angle and focuses on the shortcomings of the government.

At a press conference held recently in New Delhi, Reddy said that a vote for the BRS would equal a vote for the Congress or the MIM, as the three parties are in collusion. He also criticised the MIM for calling itself a secular party.

How can MIM call itself secular when it was responsible for all communal riots in Hyderabad? Their leaders had even declared that they would take care of all Hindus in 15 minutes. Despite this, the party has been labelled secular by the BRS. The pink party must explain how it came to that conclusion," added Reddy.

Besides these, he has been busy taking part in central government drives like Har Ghar Tiranga. At a separate programme, he criticised the BRS for selling government land to private companies at astronomical prices. Referring to the Kokapet land deal where one acre of land was sold for Rs 100 crore, he said that land should be conserved for future generations. The BJP will come to power in the state after four months. We will cancel all land deals by BRS and Congress as they are illegally accumulating them," Reddy asserted.
The recent meeting between Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar and his nephew Ajit Pawar has again fuelled speculation that something is still brewing in the party.

After Shiv Sena, the NCP was the second party which saw a split, when Ajit, along with eight MLAs, joined the CM Eknath Shinde-deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis government and took oath as Maharashtra cabinet ministers on July 2. The August 12 meeting in Pune was not the first, but the fourth post the split.

ALSO READ | Will Never Go With BJP Nothing Wrong With Seeing Family: Sharad Pawar After Meeting Ajit

The agenda was almost the same, to convince Pawar to join the anti-Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) camp and seek his blessings.

The last meeting was at the residence of one of the industrialists, who is close to both the uncle and his nephew. According to sources, the result of this meeting was the same  Pawar was firm on supporting the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) front against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its alliance patterns.

Pawar refused to call this meeting secret. While speaking to the media last Sunday, Pawar said, As a senior member of the family, anyone can meet me. What is wrong in meeting a family member?The original NCP will not join hands with the BJP.

The recent meeting between Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar has again fuelled speculation that something is still brewing in NCP@mayuganapatye shares all the details#Maharashtra #SharadPawar #AjitPawar Read more here: https://t.co/MmEhmtqI47 pic.twitter.com/Wur36xVBR6  News18 (@CNNnews18) August 15, 2023

AJIT SUPPORTS, PAWAR OPPOSES

To keep the flock together before the 2024 general elections, Ajit is continuously making attempts for dialogue with Pawar.

Ajit is of the opinion that Pawar, along with the remaining Members of Legislative Assembly (MLA), Members of Parliament (MP) and leaders, should support the vision of PM Modi and accept his decision to join the Sena-BJP state government.

Ajit has already started work to get PM Modi back in power in 2024, whereas Pawar will be guiding the next INDIA meeting in Mumbai, along with Uddhav Thackeray.

Supriya Sule, Pawars daughter and MP, was recently seen attacking the Modi government during one of the debates on the floor of the house.

ALL QUIET ON SPLIT

Despite all this, both the factions of the NCP are quiet on the split. Leaders from both the sides are not speaking about it or even criticising each other for the stand. Both the factions are running their everyday functions smoothly, as though nothing has changed, say insiders.

According to a source, this has created an element of doubt not only among the alliance partners of the MVA, but also in the Sena-BJP camp.

ALSO READ | Amusing: Frequent Meetings Between Sharad Pawar, Nephew Ajit Tarnishing Image, Says Shiv Sena (UBT)

There is also a discussion in the political corridors of the Maharashtra that both the NCP factions may be playing it safe for now and post the 2024 general elections, they could reunite considering the situation at the time.

Ajit wants Pawar on his side because he doesnt want the split to continue and also wants other MLAs to be part of the government. Ajit has shown his willingness to negotiate ministerial berths for those leaders with Shinde and Fadnavis.

According to local media reports, a Pawar family member has taken the initiative to start dialogue with Ajit camp leader Praful Patel on how the two can sort out the differences.

Media reports also suggest that several meetings have happened between Patel and the family member, which eventually resulted in last weekends meet in Pune.

According to a source within the NCP, a leader close to Pawar has been approached by the BJP on more than two occasions, but he has asked them to convince Pawar first.

Ajit is aware of the power of his uncle. A case in point could be how his one speech turned the entire game for a strong candidate like Udayanraje Bhosale in Satara Lok Sabha bypolls, leading to the victory of Congresss Srinivas Patil.
Union Minister Hardeep Puri on Tuesday hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modis Independence Day speech and slammed Congress and Samajwadi Party over dynasty politics.

In an exclusive interview with CNN-News18, Puri said even when Jawahar Lal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi were not prime ministers, they were controlling the power.

#IndependenceDay2023: The opposition has run away from a discussion on #Manipur. What they want to do is go and do political tourism there." Union Minister @HardeepSPuri slams the oppostion#JaiHind #NationalFlag | @AnchorAnandN pic.twitter.com/iwJOBxwSCk News18 (@CNNnews18) August 15, 2023

10 years ago, when we used the word parivarvaad, the dynasty was then in control of levers of power. Jawahar Lal Nehru, Indira Gandhi ji, Rajiv Gandhi ji even when they were not Prime ministers, they were controlling the power. Today we are talking about dynasties in the context of some people who have not allowed internal democracy in their own parties and those kinds of people are trying to come together. SP is totally parivarvaad and Congress is also parivarvaad. We are talking about those who keep the interests of their family over the nation, he said.

Commenting on the Prime Ministers speech, the Union Minister said it stands out for a variety of reasons. In 2014, PM inherited a situation. We became the 5th Largest economy. Today, the manner in which he prepared the country to become the third largest economy, PM is talking about being a developed countryThere are some fantastic takeaways like making two crore women making Lakhpati, he said.

Puri accused the opposition of running away from discussion in Parliament on Manipur where the violence killed over 150 people since May 3. They kept saying we want under this and that rule. They just want to do political tourism. There is an ethnic issue there, an issue of infiltration there and there are drug-related issues there. When PM spoke on Manipur, they did not want to be part of it, he said.

The Union Minister said PM Modi talks about economic empowerment and government schemes are reaching the needy irrespective of caste and creed. The confidence with which he uses the word guarantee. Millions of people are coming out of poverty now, he said I will make it easier for them to acquire affordable housing, he said.

On the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Puri said there is no arrogance or overconfidence. Here is the PM who is the product of the society where he had valued his youth time experience. He is true peoples prime minister, he said.

Asked to comment on Congress leader Randeep Surjewalas demons remark, the Union Minister said, There are 22.9 crore BJP members, are they all demons? I think its a milder word when PM used it for corruption. To call it Rakshas, I think corruption is more than a rakshas. Even Dynasty and appeasement is also one of the same, he said.
A tale of a Bengaluru techie elaborates on how she rejected a job offer from a total of 13 companies. 21-year-old Riti Kumari received job offers from 13 companies including TCS, Infosys, and Wipro with one of the companies offering her a salary of Rs 17 lakh per annum. However, she followed her heart and took an internship instead. It has been a little over a year since and now Riti earns more than Rs 20 lakh per annum.

Also Read: Indian Flag Displayed At Burj Khalifa Day After Pakistan Snubbed on Independence Day, Video is Viral

Riti spoke to Moneycontrol and elaborated on how the other offers were lucrative and her family really wanted her to accept one of them. However, Riti was inspired by her sister to follow her instincts which is why she eventually chose Walmart.

The internship period was six months. With this, she was promised a stipend of Rs 85,000.

I was happy when I received the Walmart internship offer, I was firm on joining it," she explained. She further said that her parents were not very happy with her decision. This was not because she opted for a role that would pay less but also because the internship would also get over in six months. Riti said that it was a tough decision for her.

Meanwhile, earlier, Sharan Hegde, a finance influencer from Bengaluru, popularly known on Instagram as Finance with Sharan, opened up about his extraordinary journey. In a recent post, Sharan stated that despite earning 98 percentile on the Common Admission Test, he had to give up his dream of attending the Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore three years ago (CAT).

After being turned down for admission at the prestigious institution, Hegde made the decision to finish his degree in the United States. Although he was accepted to Columbia University, he dropped out of it to pursue a career in content creation.

Also Read: Meet Anubhav Singh Bassi: A Lawyer to UPSC Aspirant to Stand-Up Comedian, Hes Done it All

Hegde happens to be Indias most popular financial content creators and talks about personal finance and money management. You must have seen a reel or post from him if you frequently use Instagram. His newfound fame has now propelled him to be welcomed at IIM-Bangalore, though not as a student, as a guest speaker to the prestigious institution.
Afghanistans Taliban government on Tuesday marked the second anniversary of their return to power, with supporters celebrating as critics denounced ever-tightening restrictions on womens rights.

Flags of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan  the Talibans formal name for the country  fluttered across the capital Kabul, which fell on August 15, 2021, after the US-backed government collapsed and its leaders fled into exile.

In the two years since, Taliban authorities have imposed their strict interpretation of Islam, with women bearing the brunt of laws the United Nations has termed gender apartheid".

A statement from the authorities hailed a victory that was able to pave the way for the establishment of the Islamic system in Afghanistan".

The conquest of Kabul proved once again that no one can control the proud nation of Afghanistan" and that no invader will be allowed to threaten the independence and freedom" of the country, it said.

Hundreds of Taliban supporters, from elderly men to young boys, gathered near the abandoned US embassy building, one of the many that now stands empty  the Taliban government is still not formally recognised by any other country.

US-made military vehicles, claimed by the new Taliban rulers when they were left behind by international forces after a weeks-long chaotic withdrawal, rolled past the ajar gates of the fortified embassy walls.

- Security provided -

In the city of Herat in the west, a crowd of Taliban supporters chanted: Death to the Europeans, death to the Westerners, long live the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, death to the Americans."

In Kandahar, the cradle of the Taliban movement and from where reclusive Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada rules by decree, a military parade was cancelled and then moved to a military compound, officials told journalists.

Kandahar resident Agha Sahib praised Akhundzadas leadership, saying he had unified the country.

When he issues a decree from (Kandahar), it is accepted all over the 34 provinces of Afghanistan," said the 24-year-old who works for the interior ministry.

The decrees have not been welcomed equally by all Afghans, however, nor by the international community, which is divided over whether to engage with the Taliban authorities.

Restrictions on the rights of women  squeezed from public spaces, employment and education  have been key obstacles to recognition and aid, which was slashed as foreign nations were wary of dealing with Kabuls new rulers.

The countrys economic and humanitarian crisis is a stark worry for many Afghans, even if, like Herat rickshaw driver Abdulwase Qadri, they express relief at the end of the fighting.

Security has been provided in these two years," the 35-year-old said. But the work environment is not favourable for young people."

Women in particular have seen avenues to work closed, most recently with the shuttering of thousands of beauty parlours across the country.

Non-governmental groups have marked the anniversary by again denouncing the Taliban authorities treatment of women.

We strongly condemn ongoing and escalating gross human rights violations by the Taliban especially against women and girls and the lack of an effective response from the international community," said a joint statement from 10 rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

- Dark future -

Zholia Parsi, one of those who joined in the rare and brief demonstrations by women against Taliban rule ahead of the anniversary, urged more action from the international community.

Afghanistan has fallen into a pit of darkness, and nobody is paying attention to it," she said.

On Tuesday, in the capital of neighbouring Pakistan, more than 100 Afghan women protested, carrying a poster that read: 15 August Black Day in Afghanistan".

For Kabul resident Farah, who had to abandon her medical studies under new laws, the anniversary was also a grim reminder.

I am facing an unknown future and deprived of the right to an education, and at the same time I see the Taliban celebrating their victory today," she told AFP. I see a dark future for myself."

But it was a bright day for her male peer, 21-year-old Mortaza Khairi, who is still studying medicine and attended a celebration at Kabul University on Tuesday hosted by the ministry of higher education.

We need to celebrate today," he said. Today marks the end of the occupation in our country."
A 45-year-old man was charged on Tuesday with allegedly threatening to blow up a plane during a flight from Australia to Malaysia that returned to Sydney.

Police arrested the Canberra resident and took him from the Airbus A330 on Monday, almost three hours after Malaysia Airlines flight MH122 returned to Sydney Airport.

Police allege the man had become disruptive and claimed to have explosives on board.

He was charged with making a false statement about a threat to damage an aircraft and failing to comply with cabin crews safety instructions.

The charges carry a potential maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of more than 15,000 Australian dollars (US$7,300) respectively.

His name will be released after he appears in a Sydney court later on Tuesday.

The airliner with 199 passengers and 12 crew aboard had left Sydney early Monday afternoon for an eight-hour flight to Kuala Lumpur.

One of the passengers, Velutha Parambath, said the man had been drawing attention to himself before takeoff by praying aloud.

At that point, we just thought he was praying for everyone. People just generally had a laugh, Parambath, who was seated five rows behind the man, told Nine Network television on Tuesday.

But half an hour into the flight, the man became louder, stood up and started pushing and shoving passengers, Parambath said.

The man implied that he had explosives in a backpack.

I dont think he specifically said bomb. But he was carrying his bag and he said, Ive got power in my arms, said Parambath, who had been traveling with his wife and three children.

Malaysia Airlines said the pilot decided to return to Sydney for safety reasons.

The passengers concerns escalated after they landed and spent almost three hours in the plane on a tarmac.

All we saw were fire engines surrounding us and again people reading the news saying theres potentially a bomb on the plane, Parambath said.

New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb defended the delay of almost three hours between when the plane landed and when two police officers handcuffed the suspect.

We can never presume anything and we you dont know whether this person was acting alone or he actually had other support on the plane or outside the plane, Webb told Sydney Radio 2GB.

Most of the passengers are expected to continue their journey on a replacement flight MH122D on Tuesday afternoon.
A local politician in Ecuador was killed Monday, less than a week after a presidential front-runner was gunned down at a campaign rally for elections this weekend, party officials said.

Pedro Briones, a member of the Citizen Revolution Party of former president Rafael Correa, and one of the movements leaders in the province of Esmeraldas on the border with Colombia, was killed on Monday, said Luisa Gonzalez, one of the main presidential candidates.

My solidarity with the family of comrade Pedro Briones, new victim of violence," she said on X, the social media platform formerly called Twitter.

Ecuador is going through its bloodiest period," said Gonzalez, a close former associate of Correa. She called the government inept and said the country has been taken over by organized crime gangs.

Neither the police nor the government immediately confirmed the attack but Ecuadoran media, citing a local police source, said the victim was shot at his home in the town of San Mateo by two men on a motorcycle who later fled.

The murder came less than a week after the killing on August 9, in the capital Quito, of one of the presidential favorites, the centrist Fernando Villavicencio.

The 59-year-old journalist was on a crusade against corruption and was in second place in the polls when he was shot as he left a campaign rally in the capital.

One of his main feats as a journalist was to have put the former president Correa, who served from 2007-2017, in the dock thanks to one of his investigations.

Correa, now living in Belgium, was sentenced in absentia to eight years in the case.

Most of Ecuador has been under a state of emergency and President Guillermo Lasso has blamed organized crime for the killing of Villavicencio.

Six Colombians were arrested as part of the probe and one was killed shortly after the attack by the candidates bodyguards.
At least 35 people were killed in an explosion that created a huge fire ball at a fuel station in Russias remote Caucasus republic of Dagestan, spurring condolences from President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.

Dozens of people were killed in Russia's Dagestan region after a fire started at an auto repair shop on a highway and spread to a nearby gas station, officials said https://t.co/u8pA5Iyopa pic.twitter.com/GvHMhlYGMy Reuters (@Reuters) August 15, 2023

Images distributed by the emergencies ministry showed burnt-out cars silhouetted by the massive blaze and rescue workers in helmets attempting to put out the fire and clear rubble.

Government ministries said 35 people had died and 80 had been injured.

The Kremlin issued a statement saying: President Putin expresses his most sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims of the tragedy in Dagestan and wishes a speedy recovery to the victims."

The explosion in the city of Makhachkala happened at a fuel station after a fire broke out, the regional branch of the Investigative Committee, which probes major incidents, announced on social media.

A fire occurred during car maintenance work, followed by a bang, as a result of which people were injured and died," the committee said, adding that nearby buildings and cars were damaged.

A criminal case has been opened to establish the circumstances leading up to the fire, it added.

Couldnt see anything

State-run news agencies TASS and Ria Novosti reported that the fire had been extinguished, citing the ministry.

Makhachkala, a city of over 600,000 on the Caspian Sea, is the capital of Dagestan, a Russian republic bordering Chechnya.

The blast was heard shortly before 10:00 pm (1900 GMT) on Monday, Sergei Melikov, head of the Dagestan administration, announced on social media.

A witness quoted by Russian daily newspaper Izvestia said the fire started in an area where cars were parked and spread to the petrol station.

After the explosion, everything fell on our heads. We couldnt see anything any more," said the witness, who was not named.

Video footage released by Russias emergency situations ministry showed firefighters trying to extinguish huge flames near burnt-out vehicles, as rescue workers examined the rubble of a building with flashlights.

The fire had spread over an area of around 600 square metres (6,450 square feet), the ministry said, adding that 260 firefighters had been deployed ot the blaze.

A government Il-76 aircraft carrying medical equipment had been dispatched to Makhachkala to evacuate the seriously injured to Moscow, it added.

Melikov said that the evacuation operation had since been completed.

The Dagestan government declared August 15 a day of mourning.

State flags will be flown at half mast throughout the country, and cultural institutions and TV channels will be asked to cancel entertainment events and programmes," Melikov said.
French authorities evacuated more than 3,000 people from holiday campsites near the Spanish border on Monday after a fire broke out, officials said.

The villages of Saint-Andre, Sorede and the town of Argeles are at risk," fire authorities said.

The fire had spread over about 500 hectares in the Pyrenees-Orientales region, local officials said.

About 550 firefighters had been deployed, along with several aircraft, they added.

Authorities warned the number of evacuations could increase.

Bordering on Spain, the Pyrenees-Orientales has been hit worse than any other French region by a devastating drought.
An Iranian immigrant to the United States who was jailed in Tehran and his son camping outside the White House have together gone on hunger strikes to win the elders freedom after he was not included in a deal to free US citizens.

Shahab Dalili  who is a US permanent resident but not a citizen  was jailed in 2016 after he said he returned to Iran for his fathers funeral. He was handed 10 years in prison on espionage-related charges he strongly denies.

His 28-year-old son Darian Dalili, who lives in Massachusetts, said he drove to Washington upon hearing about the deal made public Thursday in which five US citizens are expected to be freed, saying it was heartbreaking" his father was not mentioned.

It feels as if my plight and my familys plight apparently dont matter. I dont know how else to put it," said Darian Dalili, who is a US citizen and said his father would have been as well if he hadnt been taken hostage."

Dalili received a phone call from Tehrans Evin prison from his father, who initially tried to change his sons mind about going on a hunger strike but then decided to do the same.

The younger Dalili, who has set himself up in Lafayette Park outside the White House, said he has only been consuming water since Saturday.

What Im hoping to get is a response, an action from the American government," he said Monday. Its just a move of desperation."

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that no more US citizens were known to be imprisoned in Iran following the deal, with the five prisoners moved to house arrest as an initial step.

Abram Paley, the State Departments acting special envoy on Iran, has spoken to the Dalili family but Shahab Dalili has not been formally designated as wrongfully detained, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said.

Theres a process that is ongoing as it relates to actively reviewing and assessing individual cases for indicators for wrongful detention," Patel told reporters.

President Joe Bidens administration has also heard appeals to include in the deal Jamshid Sharmahd, a German citizen who lived in California and who has been sentenced to death.

Patel said Tehrans treatment of Sharmahd has been reprehensible" but that it was for Germany to address his case.

Under the deal for the five Americans, South Korea will unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian oil revenue frozen to comply with US sanctions, sending the funds to an account in Qatar for humanitarian use.
Three more people died in motorcycle crashes over the weekend as the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally ended, bringing the total number of traffic deaths officially and unofficially connected with this years rally to at least 11.

The rally in South Dakota began Aug. 4 and ended Sunday. Traffic counters recorded roughly 458,000 vehicles in Sturgis, which was down about 8% from the previous five-year average, South Dakota Searchlight reported.

Latest deaths

The latest death happened Sunday afternoon when a Harley Davidson three-wheeled trike was traveling south on Neck Yoke Road in Pennington County and left the road for an unknown reason, according to the Highway Patrol. The trike hit the ditch and went airborne. The 66-year-old female passenger was separated from the trike and suffered fatal injuries. The 78-year-old male driver, who was not thrown from the trike, suffered minor injuries. Neither was wearing a helmet.

The Highway Patrol did not officially associate that death with the rally, because the agencys cutoff for its annual Rally Daily Information report was 6 a.m. Sunday, just hours before the accident. The agency also excludes accidents outside western South Dakota; thus, the Patrols official count of rally traffic deaths is only five.

Meanwhile, the two recent fatal accidents that were included in the rally report happened Friday evening, the Highway Patrol said.

A Harley Davidson was traveling west on U.S. Highway 14 when it left the road, entered the ditch and tipped over. The 73-year-old male driver was separated from the motorcycle and was not wearing a helmet. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The other accident happened at a rural intersection about 15 miles west of Rapid City. A 2014 Harley Davidson was traveling north when the driver tried to brake for a deer, locked up the brakes and left the road. The 62-year-old male driver, who was not wearing a helmet, was separated from the motorcycle and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Earlier deaths

The other three deaths officially associated with the rally happened on:

Aug. 10, when a 61-year-old male motorcycle driver went the wrong way on Interstate 90 and collided head-on with an SUV.

Aug. 6, when a 54-year-old female motorcycle passenger was pronounced dead at the scene of a multivehicle collision, and a 41-year-old male motorcycle driver was pronounced dead at the scene after he failed to negotiate a curve and tumbled into a ditch.

At least five more people on motorcycles were killed in the days before the Highway Patrols Rally Daily Information reporting began:

A 64-year-old Sisseton man died Aug. 4 when his motorcycle crashed into a ditch near Midland.

A 70-year-old Nebraska man died Aug. 3 when he failed to negotiate a curve with his Honda motorcycle on U.S. Highway 183 about 20 miles south of Colome.

A 68-year-old Virginia man died Aug. 2 when he failed to maintain his lane of travel on his motorcycle, crossed onto the I-90 median and was separated from his bike.

A 65-year-old Michigan man died July 31 when he failed to negotiate a curve in Custer State Park.

An 18-year-old man from Kansas who was not wearing a helmet died July 30 after he drove off a curve west of Lead and struck an embankment on his Indian Super Chieftain motorcycle.

More stats

The Highway Patrol reported one officer-involved shooting during the rally, in which one person was injured. That shooting is under investigation by the state Division of Criminal Investigation.

U.S. Attorney Alison Ramsdell announced during the rally that the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, Ellsworth Air Force Base Office of Special Investigations, the Pennington County Sheriffs Office, and the Rapid City Police Department conducted a joint sex-trafficking operation. It resulted in five men, all from Rapid City or Box Elder, being arrested and charged for attempted sexual exploitation of a minor or attempted enticement of a minor using the internet.

The Highway Patrol also reported these final 2023 rally statistics:

Drunken-driving arrests: 120 (down from 148 last year).

Drug arrests: 401 (up from 251 last year).

Total citations: 1,479 (up from 1,430 last year).

Total warnings: 4,296 (down from 5,288 last year).

Cash seized: $2,005 (down from $4,335 last year).

Injury accidents: 64 (up from 50 last year).
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday greeted India on its 77th Independence Day, expressing hope that the two nations will continue to grow closer and prosper together".

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Netanyahu wrote, Dear Prime Minister @narendramodi and the people of India, on behalf of Israel, I extend heartfelt congratulations on your Independence Day." May our nations continue to grow closer and prosper together," he said.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog also conveyed his warmest wishes" on the occasion to his Indian counterpart Droupadi Murmu and all the wonderful people of India".

May our strong friendship and cooperation continue to strengthen and prosper," he wrote on X.

Earlier in the day, in the presence of over 300 Indians, Indias Ambassador to Israel, Sanjeev Singla, hoisted the tricolour and highlighted the deepening ties between the two nations.

India has emerged as Israels second-largest trading partner during the last fiscal year, crossing the USD 10 billion mark in bilateral trade for the first time, he underlined.

To this end an MoU on industrial research and development cooperation was also signed between the two countries in May, the Indian envoy noted, stressing enhanced cooperation between the two countries.

Singla also touched upon discussions in the defence sector emphasising Indias priority for indigenous defence manufacturing under Atmanirbhar Bharat and invited Israeli defence industries to deepen their investments in joint ventures.

He mentioned a telephonic conversation between the defence ministers of India and Israel during which they identified areas of collaboration in high end technologies.

Singla noted that there have been several high level visits from Israel to India this year, including that of the Speaker of the Knesset, Amir Ohana, Economy Minister Nir Barkat, and Foreign Minister Eli Cohen.

A framework agreement on the facilitation of temporary employment of workers in specific labour markets in Israel for the recruitment of construction workers and caregivers from India was initialised during Cohens visit in May, Singla noted.

This agreement will allow skilled Indian workers to work in Israel in the sectors of construction and nursing, he stressed.

The Indian Ambassador also acknowledged and appreciated the role of the Indian diaspora and the Jewish community which he described as powerful links in the strengthening Indo-Israel ties.

People from the Indian Jewish community, Indian students and NRIs turned up from all over Israel to celebrate Independence Day despite it being a working day.
Former US President Donald Trump and 18 others were indicted on Monday by a grand jury on charges related to steps to overturn the 2020 election. These charges were levelled against Trump and 18 others following a two-year investigation by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

Willis based her investigation on complaints that Trump pressured state officials in Georgia to intervene and reverse his loss. Trump organised 16 Georgians and told them to serve as fake electors and then claim that Trump won the state.

Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Ken Chesebro and Jeffrey Clark face charges and have been named as co-conspirators. Former US chief of staff Mark Meadows also faces charges.

The indictment lists charges on 41 counts, The Hill said in its report. This is also the fourth criminal case brought against the Republican frontrunner for the 2024 US Presidential Elections.

Here are some key takeaways and reactions from Trumps indictment:
The United States said Tuesday that Russia would be violating UN resolutions if it reaches an arms deal with North Korea, after the two countries leaders called for greater cooperation.

Any kind of security cooperation or arms deal between North Korea and Russia would certainly violate a series of UN Security Council resolutions," State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.

Patel highlighted that Russia was relying on some of the worlds most ostracized nations, North Korea and Iran, to support its war of aggression" against Ukraine.

Our information indicates that Russia is seeking to increase this type of military cooperation with the DPRK," he said, referring to the North by its official name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un both spoke of greater ties in messages Tuesday marking North Koreas National Liberation Day.

The statements follow a visit to Pyongyang by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
Military chiefs from the West African bloc ECOWAS will meet in Ghana this week to discuss possible intervention in Niger, military and political sources in the region said Tuesday.

The meeting on Thursday and Friday  originally scheduled for last weekend but then postponed  came after ECOWAS leaders last week approved deployment of a standby force to restore constitutional order" in Niger, whose president was toppled on July 26.

Their summit, held in the Nigerian capital Abuja last Thursday, also reaffirmed the blocs preference for a diplomatic outcome.

President Mohamed Bazoums election in 2021 was a landmark in Nigers history, ushering in the countrys first peaceful transfer of power since independence from France in 1960.

His ousting unleashed a shock wave around West Africa, where Mali and Burkina Faso  likewise battered by a jihadist insurgency  have also suffered military takeovers.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) gave Nigers military rulers a one-week ultimatum on July 30 to restore Bazoum or face the potential use of force, but the deadline expired without action.

Analysts say military intervention would be operationally risky and politically hazardous, given divisions within ECOWAS ranks and domestic criticism.

In Benin, people living at Malanville  the countrys sole border crossing with Niger  said Tuesday that a shipping container had been placed on the Nigerien side of the border to block the road, apparently to act as a barrier against invasion.

- Defiance and diplomacy -

Nigers military regime has sent mixed signals since the crisis erupted.

At the weekend, the coup leaders said they were open to a diplomatic push after their chief, General Abdourahamane Tiani, met with Nigerian religious mediators.

Those talks came after the ECOWAS military meeting in Ghana was postponed for technical reasons".

But on Sunday night, Nigers rulers declared they had gathered sufficient evidence to prosecute Bazoum for high treason and undermining internal and external security".

The legal threat was angrily condemned by ECOWAS, which lashed it as a contradiction of the regimes reported willingness" to explore peaceful means. Washington said it was incredibly dismayed".

The row overshadowed talks under African Union (AU) auspices that began on Monday in Addis Ababa, bringing together representatives from the regime and ECOWAS.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called for a peaceful political and diplomatic" resolution to the crisis in a phone call with Malis junta leader, Assimi Goita, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

Mali has cemented an alliance with Moscow since its coup in 2020, acquiring Russian planes and helicopters and bringing in paramilitaries that the West says are Wagner mercenaries.

- Poor and unstable -

A landlocked nation in the heart of the arid Sahel, Niger is one of the worlds poorest and most turbulent countries.

Bazoum, 63, survived two attempted coups before being ousted, in the fifth putsch in the countrys history.

His ousting deals a huge blow to French and US strategy in the Sahel.

France refocused its anti-jihadist operations on Niger after withdrawing from Mali and Burkina Faso last year following a bust-up with their juntas.

International concern is mounting for the state of Bazoum, his wife and son, who have been held at the presidents official residence since the coup.

Niger meanwhile is being hit by ECOWAS trade and financial sanctions, while France, Germany and the United States have suspended their aid programmes.

The Sahel Alliance, an international platform to attract development assistance for the region, on Tuesday called for a return to civilian rule and expressed concern for the impact of the coup on vulnerable populations.
Leaders from all over the world extended greetings to Indian citizens on the occasion of Indias 77th Independence Day on Tuesday. World leaders like French President Emmanuel Macron and foreign ministers of Iran, Sri Lanka and Bhutan have extended their greetings to Indians as the worlds largest democracy celebrates its independence after centuries of struggle for freedom.

Congratulations to the Indian people on your Independence Day!A month ago in Paris, my friend @narendramodi and I set new Indo-French ambitions all the way to 2047, the centenary year of Indias Independence. India can count on France as a trusted friend and partner, always. https://t.co/ZBx1QSfSq3  Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 15, 2023

Macron tweeted a video of his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the latters Bastille Day visit as the chief guest and said France can always count on India, hailing the old, friendly ties between Paris and New Delhi.

Congratulations to the Indian people on your Independence Day! A month ago in Paris, my friend Prime Minister Narendra Modi and I set new Indo-French ambitions all the way to 2047, the centenary year of Indias Independence. India can count on France as a trusted friend and partner, always, Macron said in a tweet.

Thankful for your kind wishes, President @EmmanuelMacron. I fondly recall my visit to Paris and appreciate your passion towards boosting India-France ties. https://t.co/hJWqxhcdUx Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 15, 2023

Thankful for your kind wishes, President Emmanuel Macron. I fondly recall my visit to Paris and appreciate your passion towards boosting India-France ties, PM Modi also took to X to respond to his French counterparts greetings.

The leaders of Nepal and Bhutan also extended warm greetings to the people of India on Independence Day.

On the auspicious occasion of the 77th Independence Day of India, I extend warm greetings and best wishes to PM Narendra Modi ji and to the friendly people of India for continued peace, progress and prosperity, Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda said in a tweet.

Gratitude for the wishes on our Independence Day, @PMBhutan Dr. Lotay Tshering. https://t.co/ly6pV3uSjk Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 15, 2023

Bhutan PM Lotay Tshering also wished Indians on Independence Day on Tuesday. I join my friends from India in celebrating the remarkable journey of their nation today, Tshering said.

PM Modi thanked both leaders for their warm greetings.

Thank you for the Independence Day greetings, President @ibusolih. https://t.co/acxUMvadBF Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 15, 2023

PM Modi and his Maldivian counterpart Ibrahim Solih also exchanged pleasantries via X as the latter wished Indians on Independence Day.

Foreign Ministers Extend Greetings

Foreign minister of Sri Lanka Ali Sabry, his Bhutanese counterpart Tandi Dorji, Nepals NP Saud and Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian also extended warm greetings to foreign minister S Jaishankar and Indians on Independence Day.

Warm Greetings, Minister of External Affairs @DrSJaishankar and the Government & people of #India on the occasion of your Independence Day. I am confident that in the years ahead our bilateral ties will be further strengthened between our two nations  @IndiainSL @MFA_SriLanka M U M Ali Sabry (@alisabrypc) August 15, 2023

Congratulations on 76 years of Independence to the brotherly and friendly nation and government of India and my colleague Dr S Jaishankar. Independence is a key factor characterising strategic policy of Iran and India. Development of all-out ties, including economic and regional connectivity is the mutual agenda of two nations, Amir-Abdollahian said in his tweet.

Appreciate your warm wishes FM @Amirabdolahian.Value the   partnership that reflects our shared interests and works for the benefit of our two peoples. https://t.co/YWcr61es0q  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) August 15, 2023

Appreciate your warm wishes foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. Value the India-Iran partnership that reflects our shared interests and works for the benefit of our two peoples, S Jaishankar said.

Jaishankar also thanked Sabry, Dorji and Saud for their warm wishes.

Thank you, FM @npsaudnc. Our close neighborly relationship offers so much for our two countries.   https://t.co/KimnEUE7gd  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) August 15, 2023

The Russian foreign ministry lauded age-old ties between India and Russia as they congratulated Indians on their Independence Day.

 On August 15, India marks the 76th Anniversary of Independence gained in 1947 from the British colonisers. Heartfelt congratulations to our Indian friends on their national holiday. We wish you peace, prosperity & new achievements.  https://t.co/ial4SUBc72 pic.twitter.com/0CTC2HhJEt  MFA Russia  (@mfa_russia) August 15, 2023

On August 15, India marks the 76th Anniversary of Independence gained in 1947 from the British colonizers. Heartfelt congratulations to our Indian friends on their national holiday. We wish you peace, prosperity & new achievements, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a tweet.

Australian foreign minister Penny Wong also extended warm wishes to Indians on Independence Day. 

Happy Independence Day to the people of India including my friend @DrSJaishankar, and the Australian-Indian community. Australia and India's relationship is growing from the foundation of the three 'Ds': democracy, diaspora and dosti - or friendship. pic.twitter.com/uAjzCjIrno  Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) August 15, 2023

Happy Independence Day to the people of India including my friend Dr S Jaishankar, and the Australian-Indian community. Australia and Indias relationship is growing from the foundation of the three Ds: democracy, diaspora and dosti - or friendship, Wong said.
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In March 2022, 17-year-old Jordan DeMay received a message over Instagram from someone threatening to make his nude photo go viral unless the teen coughed up $1,000. DeMay, a high school senior in Michigan, could afford only $300. "I'm kms rn [killing myself right now]. Bc [because] of you," DeMay responded. "Good," read the reply, per USA Today . "Do that fast. Or I'll make you do it." DeMay died within hours of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, per NBC News . Now, in a four-count indictment, the government alleges a Nigerian man is responsible. And in a rare move, that man has now been extradited to the US to face charges of sexual exploitation and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in death, for which he could receive a life sentence.

Prosecutors say Samuel Ogoshi, 22, of Lagos used a hacked account to pose as a young woman and elicit a sexually explicit photo of DeMay before threatening to release it publicly. But DeMay was far from the only victim of this alleged sexual extortion scheme, which involved research into victims' relationships, schools, workplaces, and behaviors. Prosecutors say Ogoshi conspired with his younger brother, 20-year-old Samson Ogoshi, and a third man, Ezekiel Ejehem Robert, in an attempt to sexually extort more than 100 people between February 2021 and May 2022. The FBI warned last year that thousands of teens had been targeted in such "sextortion" schemes, many of which originate overseas. The agency added it was aware of more than a dozen related suicides, per CNN.

The younger Ogoshicharged alongside his brother with conspiracy to sexually exploit minors, conspiracy to distribute child pornography, and conspiracy to commit stalking through the internetwas also extradited Sunday. FBI agents had traveled to Nigeria for a "cooperative investigation" before a Nigerian judge ordered the brothers' extradition last month, according to the US Attorney's Office for the Western District of Michigan. The Nigerian solicitor-general then signed the final surrender order on Aug. 3, per NBC. "I hope it sets an example that the people who are engaging in this type of activity online ... can be caught," DeMay's mother tells WDIV. Like the Ogoshis, Robert was indicted by a federal grand jury in Michigan in May. His extradition is pending. (Read more sextortion stories.)
Genres : Horror, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Starring : Brigitte Lahaie, Vincent Gardere, Dominique Journet, Bernard Papineau, Rachel Mhas, Christiane Farina

Director : Jean Rollin

Plot Synopsis

One of Jean Rollin's least-seen and most underrated works, The Night of the Hunted (La Nuit des traquees) finds the director moving away from his trademark tales of vampirism to explore a nightmarish, dystopian world.

In the dead of night, Elisabeth is rescued from unknown pursuers by Robert and taken to safety. But, after she is kidnapped and taken to an austere clinic whose distressed and abused patients are suffering from progressive memory loss, Robert sets out to find her and discover what is taking place in the clinic.

Shot at night on a shoestring budget, with a cast mostly drawn from France's adult film industry, The Night of the Hunted stars Rollin regulars Brigitte Lahaie (Fascination) and Natalie Perrey (Lips of Blood), and offers a stark and melancholic take on contemporary society.
This will be a jolt for anyone who saw the movie The Blind Side or read the book that preceded it. Michael Oher, the real-life football player at the heart of the story, is suing the couple who famously took him in, reports NBC News . Oher, who went on to play in the NFL, accuses Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy of Tennessee of lying to him about adopting him and of duping him into signing away the financial rights to his name. He says the Tuohys never actually adopted him but instead placed him in a conservatorship at age 18, and he alleges that they misled him into thinking it was a standard part of the process.

"Oher discovered this lie to his chagrin and embarrassment in February of 2023, when he learned that the Conservatorship to which he consented on the basis that doing so would make him a member of the Tuohy family, in fact provided him no familial relationship with the Tuohys," according to the petition filed in Tennessee probate court, per the AP. "Michael did not understand that if the Conservatorship was granted, he was signing away his right to contract for himself." The moviewhich won an Oscar for Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne Tuohytells the story of how Oher grew up in poverty before being taken in as a teenager by the Tuohys. Oher claims the familyincluding the Tuohys' two biological childrenstruck a deal that earned them millions off the 2009 movie while excluding him, per the Guardian.

"The lie of Michael's adoption is one upon which Co-Conservators Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy have enriched themselves at the expense of their Ward, the undersigned Michael Oher," the petition reads. It calls for the conservatorship to be ended and for the Tuohys to pay him what he is due, plus interest. Sean Tuohy tells the Daily Memphian that he and his wife are "devastated" that Oher thinks they wronged him and says the move was made to comply with NCAA rules. He says Oher was toying with the idea of attending Tuohy's alma mater, Ole Miss, at the time. Since Tuohy was a booster of the school, he says Oher could only play there if he was "part of the family," and that they were told a conservatorship was the only way to handle it since Oher was over age 18.

"It's upsetting to think we would make money off any of our children," Tuohy says. "But we're going to love Michael at 37 just like we loved him at 16." The book was written by acclaimed author Michael Lewis, who is described in the petition as a childhood friend of Sean Tuohy's, notes the AP. Lewis has not commented on the controversy yet. (Read more Michael Oher stories.)
As one of the worst heat waves on record rolls through much of the southern United States this summer, authorities and activists in South Texas found themselves embroiled in a mystery in the arid region near the border with Mexico. Barrels of life-saving water that a human rights group had strategically placed for migrants traveling on foot vanished. Usually, they're hard to miss. Labeled with the word "AGUA" painted in white, capital letters, the blue 55-gallon drums stand out against the scrub. The stakes of solving this mystery are high. Summer temperatures can climb to 110 degrees in Texas' sparsely populated Jim Hogg County, notes the AP . Migrantsand sometimes human smugglerstake a route through this county to circumvent a Border Patrol checkpoint on a busier highway about 30 mile east.

More than 60 miles from the US-Mexico border, it can take several days to walk there for migrants who may have already spent weeks crossing mountains and desert and avoiding cartel violence. "We don't have the luxury of losing time in what we do," says Ruben Garza, an investigator with the Jim Hogg Sheriff's Office. Tears streamed down his face as he recalled helping locate a missing migrant man who became overheated, called for help, but died just moments after his rescue. Exact counts of those who die are difficult to determine because deaths often go unreported. The UN International Organization for Migration estimates almost 3,000 migrants have died crossing from Mexico to the US by drowning in Rio Grande, or because of lack of shelter, food, or water.

John Meza volunteers with the South Texas Human Rights Center in Jim Hogg County, which is larger than the state of Rhode Island. He restocks the stations with gallon jugs of water, trims overgrown grass, and ensures GPS coordinates are still visible on the barrel lids. In July, Meza said 12 of the 21 stations he maintains were no longer there. The AP compared images captured by Google Maps over the last two years and confirmed that some barrels that were once there were gone. But to where? Wildfires are common in this part of Texas. Road construction crews frequently move aside obstructions. But as Garza walked a path designated for barrels, there were no signs of melted, blue plastic. And nothing indicated the heavy barrels had been moved.

Garza suspects state road crews moved three barrels along an unpaved road, but the Texas DOT denied it. He also noted a "tremendous amount" of wildfires could be to blame, and is speaking with area ranchers in hopes that the disappearances may be a misunderstanding, not a crime. But in other states along the southern border, missing water stations have been ascribed to spiteful intentions. The group No More Deaths in 2018 released video of Border Patrol agents kicking over and pouring water out of gallon jugs left for people in the desert. For now, the mystery about the barrels' disappearance remains unsolved. But Meza plans to continue his work. "If that was intentional, that's a pretty malicious thing," he says. "You're saying, 'Let these people die.'"

(Read more US-Mexico border stories.)
Algeria has banned the Barbie movie for supposedly "damaging morals," though plenty of Algerians have already had the opportunity to have their morals damaged: The film was released in the North African country more than three weeks ago and 24H Algerie reports that screenings have been selling out in cities including Algiers, Oran, and Constantine. An official source tells Reuters that the movie has been pulled from cinemas because the country's culture ministry has decided it "promotes homosexuality and other Western deviances" and it "does not comply with Algeria's religious and cultural beliefs."

The blockbuster has already been banned Middle Eastern countries including Kuwait, the BBC reports. Last week, Lebanon's culture minister called for a ban, saying the movie "promotes homosexuality and transsexuality" and also "supports rejecting a father's guardianship, undermines and ridicules the role of the mother, and questions the necessity of marriage and having a family." Officials asked the country's censorship committee to review the film but they didn't immediately ban it.

But in Saudi Arabiawhere movie theaters were banned until a few years agothe movie opened last Thursday and it was a big hit, with some cinemas holding 15 showings a day, the New York Times reports. Many had expected it to be banned or heavily censored but few changes were made, with references to the patriarchy left intact in the male-dominated country, the Times notes. Barbie also opened Thursday in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Some Kuwaitis said they were stunned that they would have to travel to Saudi Arabia, a neighbor long considered more conservative, to see the film. (Vietnam banned Barbie because of a map.)
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in Paris, don't do as these two Americans did. As AFP reports, Eiffel Tower security guards making their rounds early Monday before the Parisian icon's 9am opening found a rather unusual and unwelcome surprise in the form of two American tourists, apparently sleeping off a night of some liquid libations. The two men "appear to have got stuck because of how drunk they were," between the Eiffel's second and third levels, per Parisian prosecutors.

Cops say that the men paid for a ticket around 10:40pm on Sunday, then apparently jumped a security fence to make it into an area normally off-limits to tourists. While the pair "did not pose any apparent threat," per tower operator SETE, firefighters were called in to get them down. They were brought to a police station, and a criminal complaint is pending. The stunt delayed the Eiffel Tower's opening on Monday by an hour. AFP further notes that two bomb threats at the site on Saturday had forced its evacuation. (Read more Eiffel Tower stories.)
"We've been operating Val Notre-Dame camp for over 50 years, and our mission is to offer families a vacation," says the chair of the Canadian facility's board of directors. What some families experienced on Monday night was anything but a respite. The provincial police service says a group of five young people entered the Herouxville, Quebec camp's cafeteria and targeted a man with bear spray. CTV News reports 17 people inside were taken to the hospital with eye and respiratory issues after inhaling the airborne spray. Those impacted included kids and adults, but no serious injuries were reported.

Police say the five suspects fled but were later arrested; all are male and between 17 and 21. No motive has been given, though the CBC reports a police sergeant somewhat cryptically said it could be related to a cottage rental. "Social workers were called in to explain that we were dealing with individuals who wanted to attack a single man, and that this was not directed against all the people," a police rep said. Board chair Alain Cote calls the incident "deplorable," adding, "This is the first time this has happened, but it won't stop us from continuing our mission." It was, oddly, one of a trio of attacks involving bear spray in Canada in recent days; the others happened at a British Columbia mall and a Toronto restaurant. (Read more bear spray stories.)
Fairbanks, AK (99701)

Today

Cloudy with periods of rain. High near 55F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 49F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
Fairbanks, AK (99701)

Today

Light rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. High 56F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Overcast with rain showers at times. Low 49F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
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I absolutely adore the Instagram account "Cooking for Levi," which features chef dad Jack Zhang and his 2-year-old son Levi. The videos feature Zhang cooking spectacular dishes for Levi, and then capture Levi thoroughly enjoying the amazing meals. WKBW explains that Zhang, who is based in Buffalo, New York, has worked as a chef for over a decade and sought to share his love of food with his son. On their "Cooking for Levi" website, Zhang further explains the origins of the project:

In the spring of 2023, right when my son Levi turned 2 years old, we started a culinary journey together where I share with him my passion for food. With a decade of cooking professionally, I have learned to make a wide variety of dishes from around the world. Preparing all these different foods has helped young Levi develop a healthy palate.

I just love watching this father and son team. Zhang puts so much energy, time, and love into every dish he makes, and Levi really seems to appreciate all of the efforthe enthusiastically says "thank you," eats pretty much everything on the plate with gusto, and asks numerous questions to better understand what he's eating. It's all really heartwarming. Levi has an incredible palate, and the videos always make me hungry!

To get a sense of the kinds of foods featured on "Cooking for Levi," here are some delicious dishes Levi has eaten: coconut chicken adobo with turmeric rice; mirror glazed blueberry mousse cake with crushed pistachios; watermelon gazpacho with snow crab legs; and black rice, shrimp and avocado filled Belgian endive boats. YUM!

Zhang and his wife Emmy are currently working on a cookbook that will feature Levi's favorite meals. To learn more about this awesome family, check out their Instagram.
, Aug 15 ( News On Japan ) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited the University of Tokyo during his summer break to attend a lecture on generated AI programming.

Under the guidance of Professor Toyohisa Matsumoto, head of the "AI Strategy Council" of the University of Tokyo Graduate School, Kishida experienced creating a series of programs involving training data input for generated AI to improve its accuracy.

They worked on creating a model that produces more accurate speech manuscripts by training on past prime ministerial speeches and statements.

Kishida aims to lead the international rule-making process of the "Hiroshima AI Process," which is being promoted among G7 countries.

The prime minister delved deeper into the topic over the summer vacation by purchasing the book "Understanding ChatGPT & Generated AI".
East Asia Forum - Aug 18

The Japanese stock market has experienced an impressive upswing. Since January 2023, the Nikkei 225 index has risen by around 30 per cent  by far outperforming US and European stocks. The boom is driven by foreign investors, with Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffets Japan visit seen as a stamp of approval for investing in Japan.
A cutting edge innovation in custom haircare is launching exclusively at Sephora

in 300 doors in North America and online

NEW YORK, Aug. 15, 2023 /CNW/ -- Function of Beauty, the pioneer in customized beauty, continues to expand its offerings with the arrival of its new haircare range, Function of Beauty PRO. Launching exclusively at Sephora, the premium and high-performance pro-tested line is designed to take customization to the next level with cutting edge and naturally-derived customizable bond-building formulas based on hair type, hair goals, and now damage level.

Function of Beauty PRO Full Collection PRO Stylist Justine Marjan + Function of Beauty PRO About Function of Beauty PRO

Launching this month at 300 Sephora locations across North America and online, the first-of-its-kind custom haircare features unique active ingredients per hair type developed to combat damage caused to hair bonds from coloring, heat styling and mechanical damage. Powered by Adaptive f3 Bonding Complex, a patented naturally-derived complex obtained via bio-technology, that self-adjusts to each hair's unique damage level to relink broken hair bonds only where hair needs it. The fully customizable collection, tested and validated by professional stylists, makes it easy to achieve healthier-looking, more resilient hair, resulting in 2x smoother hair with 2x less breakage*.

"We're excited to partner with Sephora and be the first brand to introduce haircare customization to the prestige channel," said Alexandra Papazian, Chief Executive Officer, Function of Beauty. "Sephora is a premiere destination for beauty and we're excited to launch a high-quality, highly innovative customized hair care range to address everyone's unique hair needs."

Function of Beauty PRO comprises four collections for the four hair types: straight, wavy, curly and coily. Each collection consists of a sulfate-free Custom Recovery Shampoo and a two-in-one Custom Recovery Conditioner Mask formulated specifically for each hair type and featuring the patented bond-building technology. All products can be further customized at home by choosing up to three Hair Goal Concentrates from a full range of nine. Hair Goal Concentrates are curated to address specific hair needs. The Stylist-inspired Collection includes frizz taming (The Frizz Genius), curl defining (The Curl Executive), volumizing (The Lift Legend) and shine enhancing (The Shine Queen), while the Colorist Inspired and Scalp Collections include brass toning (The Blonde Hero) and color protection (The Color Savior) along with scalp balancing (The Oil Heiress), scalp hydrating (The Hydration Pro) and moisture boosting (The Moisture Shot). To customize, shoppers pick a base by natural hair type, and add up to 3 Hair Goal Concentrates into each product for customized formulas.

Function of Beauty PRO was tested and validated by professional stylists across all hair types to offer a new way to customize hair care at home. The brand has tapped celebrity stylist Justine Marjan to serve as Function of Beauty PRO Ambassador. Justine is lending her expertise in hair care for educational videos across Sephora and Function of Beauty channels, along with her own social presence.

"We are thrilled to partner with Function of Beauty and introduce a completely new range of highly customizable, effective and transformative haircare products to our clients in this new format," said Jennifer Lucchese, VP of Haircare Merchandising at Sephora. "With its mission of empowering individuality, Function of Beauty PRO offers custom formulas that deliver professional-grade results based on each client's unique needs. We look forward to welcoming this exclusive, new to market brand to our Sephora community and are excited to offer a new way to shop for hair care."

The range is designated with the Sephora Clean seal and formulas are naturally-derived in accordance with ISO 16128 global standards, vegan, sulfate-free, cruelty-free, gluten-free and color-safe. Dermatologist-tested and suitable for sensitive skin.

Function of Beauty PRO will be available beginning August 15, 2023 on Sephora.com and Sephora.ca, and at 300 stores beginning August 18, 2023. Prices begin at USD $24.00 for the Custom Recovery Shampoo, USD $28.00 for the Custom Recovery Conditioner Mask and USD $4.00 for each Hair Goal Concentrate. To shop Function of Beauty PRO online at Sephora.com visit: https://www.sephora.com/brand/function-of-beauty-pro . To find at a Sephora location near you, visit: functionofbeauty.com/sephora

*after 5 washes

FUNCTION OF BEAUTY

Function of Beauty is the world leader in customizable beauty, with hair, skin, and body care products made for you (and only you). Founded by a dream team of world-class MIT engineers and a cosmetic scientist, each product is individually formulated and made to order using our proprietary algorithm and cutting edge formulas to help ensure that your formulas are every bit as unique as you. There are literally trillions of possible formulations, and one new custom self-care ritual for you, only.

Function of Beauty pioneered the custom beauty movement back in 2015 with the vision to empower every customer to create their own unique custom formula. Celebrating individuality, the brand offered a disruptive way to customize at scale. To bring this vision to life, a state-of-the-art, first-of-its-kind facility was built from the ground up in Pennsylvania, where all the filling equipment was designed, built and coded in-house for made- to-order products at scale. To this day, there is nothing comparable anywhere else in the world.

For more information, visit www.functionofbeauty.com and @functionofbeauty on Instagram. For media inquiries, please email [email protected] .

Media Contact:

Lauren St. Clair

Autumn Communications

[email protected]

About Sephora Americas

Since its debut in North America 25 years ago, Sephora has been a leader in prestige omni-retail with the mission of creating an inviting beauty shopping experience and inspiring fearlessness in our community. With the goal of delivering unbiased shopping support and a personalized experience, Sephora invites clients to discover thousands of products from more than 360 carefully curated brands, explore online and through our mobile app, enjoy services at the Beauty Studio and engage with expertly trained Beauty Advisors in more than 600 stores across the Americas. And with its new long-term retail strategic partnership, clients can now shop Sephora at Kohl's, a fully immersive, premium beauty destination, with over 600 locations nationwide and 850 locations by 2023. Clients can access the free-to-join Beauty Insider program and digital community, which together enhance the experience of Sephora's passionate clients.

Sephora has been an industry-leading champion of diversity, inclusivity, and empowerment, guided by our longstanding company values. In 2019, Sephora announced a new tagline and manifesto, "We Belong to Something Beautiful," to reinforce its dedication to fostering belonging amongst all clients and employees and to publicly strive for a more inclusive vision for retail in the Americas. Sephora continues to give back to our communities and advance inclusion in our industry through its social impact and equity programming, called the Sephora D&I Heart Journey.

For more information, visit: https://www.sephora.com/about-us and @Sephora on social media. For media inquiries, previous press releases, view media kit, and more, please visit our Sephora Newsroom or email [email protected].

SOURCE Function of Beauty

For further information:
A funeral home in Clayton County, Georgia, received a decapitated baby from a local hospital and now police are investigating the circumstances of the infant's death during or shortly after delivery. The funeral home's manager "knew something wasn't right," reports WAFN there.

In a conversation with the baby's grandmother, Watkins said he immediately knew that the family did not know the baby's head was detached from his body. "They didn't know. They did not know," Watkins said. "And to see the pain and the anguish as if like what really just happened, your heart goes out to them," he said. On Wednesday, the family's attorneys, while announcing a lawsuit against the hospital and medical staff involved in the birth, said that the family was notified of the baby's state by the funeral home, and not the hospital. Watkins said he also called the Clayton County Medical Examiner's Office which sent an investigator to the funeral home to begin a probe into what happened during and following the birth. "I can never recall a time that we have received a phone call from a funeral home saying we need to report this type of death," said Brian Byars, director of the Clayton County Medical Examiner's Office.

Malice? Incompetence? And what else.

According to 2022 state data, there were 12.2 Black infant deaths per 1,000 live births, compared to 5.4 white infant deaths, per 1,000 live births. "When we see systemic issues like that. This is a culture problem," said Kimberly Seals Allers, a maternal and infant health advocate. And these are the things that need to be rooted out not just at this facility but out of health care providers who have grown to dehumanize us and our infants."

The hospital is oddly anonymous in the story, but for a self-exonerating statement described by the author as "refuting" the family's claims. But national media now has further reporting.

According to the complaint, 20-year-old Jessica Ross's water broke at 10 a.m. July 9 and she went to the emergency department at Prime Healthcare Service, Inc. d/b/a Southern Regional Medical Center in Riverdale. At approximately 8:40 p.m., Ross was fully dilated and instructed to begin pushing. The complaint says the baby stopped descending due to shoulder dystocia while being delivered vaginally and Dr. Tracey St. Julian, M.D., reportedly attempted to deliver the baby vaginally using different methods, including applying traction to the baby's head.

In a nutshell: the doctor removed the baby's head during delivery. There are reasons this might have been necessary, but the hospital tried to cover it up.
Phrank Shaibu, the Special Assistant on Public Communications to the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 elections, Atiku Abubakar, has described the destruction of billboards with the inscription, All Eyes on The Judiciary as clear evidence of President Bola Tinubus authoritarianism and assault on freedom of speech.

Shaibu stated this in a statement issued Tuesday while reacting to the directive by the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) to pull down all billboards carrying such an inscription across Nigeria.

He said the entire incident reinforced the argument that election cases in court ought to be completed before beneficiaries of questionable elections are inaugurated.

Shaibu stressed that ARCON had already begun acting like the Lagos State Signage and Advertising Agency (LASAA) which had built a reputation of denying Nigerians the right to carry advertisements, which the Lagos State Government deemed unfavourable.

He noted that it was ironic that Tinubu claimed to be a democrat and even boasted of funding the June 12 struggle, only for him to transform into an intolerant authoritarian after the election.

Atikus aide added that it was hypocritical for the same man to be championing democracy in Niger while at the same time denying Nigerians the most basic form of democracy, which includes freedom of speech and expression.

Shaibu noted: Tinubu has, once again, put his dictatorial tendency on public display. How has a simple message that says all eyes are on the judiciary suddenly become offensive?

This is a clear case of abuse of office and reinforces the argument that court cases ought to be concluded before inauguration so that beneficiaries of fraudulent elections would not be able to manipulate the system in their favour.

He further wondered how a message like: All Eyes on the Judiciary would translate into a threat to society.

Shaibu stressed: The basic principle of social justice is about the people. The advertisers of the billboards only did what the norm is in civilised climes.

It was the agents working to impress an interest that read meanings to that innocuous advert. Otherwise, it is a basic principle that eyes must be on the wheel of justice. Eyes must naturally be on the wheel of justice because when justice is delivered, it must be seen to have been just!

In any case, both Tinubu and the APC are before the same court. It is curious how they find this particular message upsetting. Anyway, even if they pull down the billboards, they can never stop all eyes from being on the judiciary at this historic time.
The court of appeal in Edo state has affirmed Julius Abure as the national chairman of the Labour Party (LP).

Delivering judgment in the appeal marked CA/B/93/2023 and filed by Lucky Shaibu, a chieftain of the party, the appellate court presided over by three justices, unanimously upheld the decision of a high court in the state which affirmed Abures chairmanship.

In March, some members of the Edo chapter of the LP announced the suspension of Abure as the chairman of the party.

Shauibu, who claimed to be a member of the party in Ward 3 in Esan north-east LGA of Edo, spearheaded the suspension of Abure.

But in reaction, Abure backed by other party leaders in Uromi Ward 3, Esan north-east LGA of Edo filed a suit to challenge the suspension.

Emmanuel Aihamoje, a high court judge, while delivering judgment in the suit marked HUC/21/2023, held that the executives in Uromi Ward 3 lacked the power under the Labour Party constitution, particularly acts 13 and 17, and the electoral act 2022 as amended to remove Abure as national chairman.

The judge imposed a perpetual injunction, restraining the defendants from removing or suspending Abure as the chairman until a national convention of the party is convened.

Not satisfied by the judgment, Shaibu on behalf of the Ward 3 executive committee of the LP in Arue Uromi, filed an appeal.

However, in its ruling on Monday, the appellate court affirmed the decision of the high court.

Theresa Abadua, Fatima Akinbami, and Sybil Nwaka-Gbagi, in a unanimous decision, dismissed the appeal of the appellant.




Bandits have attacked a secondary school in the Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau state and killed two teachers.





It was learnt that the victims were a newly married couple who were teaching at the BECO Comprehensive Secondary school in the Kwi community of the council area.





Eyewitnesses said the incident happened on Monday afternoon when the school was holding a meeting to compile results of students for delivery on Friday, 18th August during their Speech and Prize Giving Day in line with the schools calendar.





A youth leader in the community, Moses Gwott who confirmed the killings to newsmen in Jos on Tuesday said that the bandits also wounded other teachers including the Vice Principal of the school.





Gwott said, It was on Monday around 3:00 pm that the bandits came into the school Compound with their cattles, and interrupted the Staff meeting.The staff had asked the bandits who were obviously Fulani to get their cows out of the school environment. But instead of complying, they brought out their arms and opened gunfire at the teachers killing two teachers.





The National Publicity Secretary of the Berom Youths Moulders Association ,Rwang Tengwong also confirmed the attack in a statement on Tuesday ,calling on the authorities implement an open grazing ban in the communities so as forestall further occurrence.





The Berom Youths Moulder-Association-BYM is, again, saddened over the invasion of BECO Comprehensive School Kwi, where two staff, Mr and Mrs Rwang Danladi are reportedly shot dead and one Mr Dalyop Emmanuel Ibrahim, the Vice Principal of the School seriously injured by some known fulani armed men alongside suspected Bandits elements at about 3:00pm of Monday, 14th August, 2023.





This resulted to the death of recently wedded couples, Rwang Danladi and wife, Mrs Sandra Rwang Danladi, who are the staff of the school while Mr Dalyop Emmanuel Ibrahim who is the Vice Principal of the institution sustained serious injury and is receiving medical treatment at the Jos University Teaching Hospital-JUTH.





The Berom Youth Moulder-Association, BYM under the leadership of Solomon Dalyop Mwantiri, Esq notes with concern how these Terrorists from Fass and Mahanga now move freely with arms and graze on farmlands, intimidating locals at nearby Communities.





Fass and Mahanga as well as Guava have become enclaves of terrorists, who carry out all sorts of coordinated attacks on villages and Communities in Barkin Ladi, Riyom, Bokkos, Mangu, Jos South and even beyond the state.





We therefore call on government to ban open grazing in Plateau state since grazing has become a ploy to continue unleashing havock on human lives and property.





We also call on security operatives to, as a matter of urgency, raid the aforementioned settlement formed by way of forceful occupation after uprooting the aboriginals therefrom. This is necessary in order to get rid of both the terrorist and criminal elements that have firmly defied law and order.





BYM calls on Government to declare Fulani Militias as terrorists so as to be treated as such.





The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Alfred Alabo ,could not be reached for comment on his phone line when contacted on the incident by our correspondent as calls out across to it indicated that it was switched off.
The federal government is seeking to withdraw the charge of illegal possession of firearms filed against Godwin Emefiele, suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

On Tuesday, the prosecution approached the federal high court in Ikoyi with an oral application to withdraw the charge.

On July 25, Emefiele was arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on illegal possession of firearms at a federal high court in Ikoyi, Lagos.

Nicholas Oweibo, the presiding 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 premises of the court.

TUESDAYS PROCEEDINGS

During the resumption of hearing, Mohammed Abubakar, the director of public prosecution (DPP) of the federation, said the federal government intended to withdraw the charge against Emefiele.

Abubakar argued that the decision to withdraw the charge is backed by section 174 (1) and (3) of the 1999 constitution and section 108 (1), (2) and (4) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.

The DPP said the application of withdrawal was informed by emerging facts and circumstances of this case that required closer investigation.

In response, Joseph Daudu, lead counsel to Emefiele, argued that there is no application for withdrawal before the court, adding that the power to discontinue or withdraw charges rests on the attorney-general of the federation (AGF).

Daudu added that there is no legally appointed AGF who wields that power or delegates it to other officers.

The counsel argued that the application for withdrawal cannot be done orally but in written format.

He added that the defense team has an application before the court on the disobedience of the DSS to the order granting bail to Emefiele.

In his ruling, Oweibo, the presiding judge, said the application for withdrawal of the charge was coming as a surprise to the court, adding that he would study the details to give an informed decision.

The case was adjourned to August 17.

On June 9, President Bola Tinubu suspended Emefiele and asked him to transfer his responsibilities to Folashodun Adebisi Shonubi, deputy governor, operations directorate.

The day after, the DSS announced that Emefiele was in its custody for some investigative reasons.




The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdulahi Ganduje, has called on Kano House of Assembly members elected on the platform of APC to work with the state governor, Abba Yusuf.





He said irrespective of political parties, Kano people deserve the dividends of democracy, which they must work harmoniously with the governor to achieve.





It was reported that the APC lost Kano governorship election to the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) in the 2023 general election.





However, Ganduje, while receiving 14 members of the Kano State House of Assembly who paid him a courtesy visit at the party secretariat on Monday in Abuja, said they must work for the development of Kano State.





He said: When I see most of you, I see myself because some of you were together 25 years ago. Some of you won elections and were assembly members and lost elections and returned after seven years. You have been in a cycle with me. So, I can call some of you veterans of democracy. I was not surprised when I learned you are here to see me on a congratulatory visit.





Ganduje also commended the lawmakers for their contribution to the development of democracy in Kano State.





His words: The state governor is of a different political party, but I want you to know that the whole essence of politics is the development of the people. I urge you, irrespective of the different political parties, to cooperate with the state governor for the development of Kano State.





That does not prevent you from maintaining your position as members of the State Assembly. It does not stop us from working together to have an APC government in Kano State. What is most important is for the people of Kano State to get the dividends of democracy.





I want you to work peacefully with the government in Kano state and I assure you that we will provide you with all encouragement so that we get more and more members of the State Assembly and also until we get a governor of our party.




The Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has dismissed insinuations that he masterminded the political misfortune of a former governor of the state and immediate past National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Abdullahi Adamu.





The governor also debunked claims that he was against the political aspirations of the immediate past governor of the state, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura.





The governor, on Tuesday, through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Comrade Peter Ahemba, said he is committed to continuing to work with his predecessors towards making Nasarawa State a better place for all of its residents.





He said, The attention of Governor Abdullahi Sule has been drawn to a media publication in one of the national dailies with the headline, How Gov Sule Plotted the Exit of Adamu, Al-Makura in Nasarawa Politics.





It is public knowledge that the governor has remained consistent in the support of his predecessors, Senators Abdullahi Adamu and Tanko Al-Makura.





It is pertinent to state that Governor Sule has no hand in the political squabbles that led to Senator Abdullahi Adamus resignation as National Chairman of the APC.





It is mischievous for anyone to insinuate or accuse the governor of being responsible for the internal disagreement among members of the National Working Committee of the party that led to the voluntary resignation of Senator Abdullahi Adamu. The unfortunate development has nothing absolutely to do with the governor.





It is on record that Governor Sule was the first APC Governor to openly declare support for Nasarawa State to have the position of National Chairman of the ruling party and worked relentlessly for its realisation. How then will the governor turn around to destroy the house he contributed immensely to the building?





Also, recently, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) requested all governors of the APC controlled states to submit three names each for him to consider one out of the names and nominate/appoint as minister, and Senator Tanko Al-Makuras name featured prominently on the list that was submitted.





The appointment of ministers is solely the prerogative of Mr. President to consider and appoint whoever he wants from each state as a member of the Federal Executive Council, and Governor Sules powers to determine who is appointed a minister is limited. This is a fact everyone, including the author of the ill-intended publication, should know.





Governor Sule has continued to accord tremendous respect for the founding fathers of the state, including the duo of Senators Adamu and Al-Makura for their role towards the progress and development of the state and will not look back in this regard.





The former governors should be wary of mischief makers and disregard the said publication in its entirety as it has no iota of truth. It is baseless, unfounded, and a failed attempt by enemies of the state who are bent on causing unnecessary acrimony among political leaders in the state.
The federal government says it will file 20 fresh charges against Godwin Emefiele, suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Mohammed Abubakar, the director of public prosecution (DPP) of the federation, spoke to journalists at the federal high court in Ikoyi, on Tuesday.

Earlier, the federal government made an oral application to withdraw the charge of illegal possession of firearms against Emefiele.

Nicholas Oweibo, the presiding judge, ruled that the application will be heard on August 17.

Speaking with journalists at the end of the court session, Abubakar said the application for withdrawal was made due to emerging facts that require further investigation.

We are withdrawing the charge because of emerging facts that require further investigation, he said.

At the end, we will probably come back with more charges.

Asked why the Department of State Services (DSS) failed to obey the court order granting Emefiele bail, the DPP said pending charges against the suspended CBN governor at the Abuja high court slowed down the process of complying with the court order.

He also denied claims that the DSS is not granting Emefiele access to family members and friends.

The DPP refused to mention the nature of the additional charges that would be filed against the suspended CBN governor.

Asked how many charges the federal government is planning to file, he said twenty.




The Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, has called on the Nigerian Army to expose, arrest and prosecute those who are inciting the military to overthrow President Bola Tinubu.





MURIC stated this in response to the armys revelation that certain factions have been goading it to stage a coup, citing soldiers welfare and the recent coup in Niger as justification.





In a statement on Monday, the Executive Director of MURIC, Prof Ishaq Akintola also commended the army for standing firm against those insidious efforts.





Akintola, said: We hereby commend the officers and men of the Nigerian Army for refusing to succumb to the instigation of coup zealots.





We urge the military to expose, arrest, and prosecute those inciting it to topple the legitimate administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.





Military rule will rob Nigerians of their freedom and dehumanize them.




The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has described as ill-advised, threats by the Nigers military to bring charges of treason against their ousted President Mohamed Bazoum or kill him.





Reacting to the announcement by Nigers military-appointed Prime Minister, in a statement issued Tuesday by its Spokesperson, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, CNG said the plans were ill-timed and condemnable.





He said it was shocking that the military statement came just hours after a group of Nigerian Islamic scholars announced a meeting with Nigers coup leader, Abdourahamane Tchiani in Niamey, saying the general had agreed to hold direct talks.





The northern group warned against any form of international escalation of the conflict and urged the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to continue to play its big brother role in the region by insisting on the exploration of all available diplomatic windows for peace.





It also urged the regional body to impress the imperative of the Niger military allowing all options for negotiations open, without the need for unnecessary threats and grandstanding that in the present circumstance, have very little or no utility value.





It noted: The CNG strongly repudiates the suggestion to try President Bazoum by the military authorities as well as every other move that potentially poses a threat to the peaceful resolution of the crisis and leads to escalation of any form.





Any attempt by the military leadership in Niger to press charges against Bazoum will only likely increase tensions between the military in Niger and the international community.





The group pointed out that war and instability in Niger Republic would be counterproductive with the possibility of spiralling into long-term armed conflicts that will hurt countries of the sub-region with unintended political and socioeconomic consequences.





The CNG said while it does not dispute the fact that restoration of constitutional order in Niger Republic in the shortest possible time is welcomed, democracy can, however, only endure in the country when all parties to the prevailing crisis agree to reasonable terms in bringing about long-term peace.





It added: ECOWAS should therefore desist from creating the impression that genuine diplomacy can go along with threats of military action by way of activation of invading force against the regime in Niger.





In handling this issue, therefore, ECOWAS must take into consideration the interest of the civilian population of Niger, who by all indications and for whatever reasons, appear to support the military leaders.





On their part, the military leaders must recognize the fact that they also owe a responsibility to the population and to the larger African continent and that in the fullness of time, their actions will not go unnoticed and they will be held accountable for any escalation resulting from their utterances and threats,  Suleiman said.
The Nigerian Army says soldiers who died during a firefight with bandits in Kundu, a community near Zungeru in Wushishi LGA of Niger state, were courageous till the end.

Onyema Nwachuckwu, the army spokesperson, who did not specify the number of casualties from the attack, confirmed the killing of some of the troops to TheCable on Tuesday.

I can confirm that there was an incident in Wushishi LGA of Niger state. Our gallant patriots paid the supreme price when they ran into an ambush staged by insurgents, he said.

They were courageous till the end. They stood their ground and defended our great country with their lives.

The focus now is how to console and bring respite to those they left behind. Sadly the incident occurred while the chief of army staff is on an operational tour of the north-west operations theatre for on-the-spot assessment and reinvigoration of ongoing operations.

Nwachukwu added that Toaheed Lagbaja, chief of army staff, has headed to the affected location to encourage the troops.

Recall that a Nigerian Air Force helicopter on an evacuation mission crashed in Niger state on Monday.

Edward Gabkwet, the spokesperson of NAF, who announced the incident in a statement on Monday, said the helicopter crashed at about 1 pm near Chukuba village in Shiroro LGA of the state.

Gabkwet said the aircraft had departed Zungeru Primary School en route to Kaduna, but was later discovered to have crashed near Chukuba village.

The crashed aircraft was believed to be taking the injured troops from the scene of the attack to a military hospital in Kaduna for medical attention.

THE ATTACK

There were reports on Monday that suspected bandits launched attacks on the Kundu community on Sunday during which there were casualties, including some soldiers and members of the local vigilante group.

Speaking with TheCable on Tuesday, Mohammed Kabir, a resident of Zungeru, said the bandits started attacking Kundu and neighbouring communities on Sunday.

Kabir said a large number of troops mobilised to repel the terrorists were killed, adding that many residents were also kidnapped during the invasion.

There were serious casualties, the whole Kundu community near Zungeru were displaced. Many residents ran away. Kundu is in Wushishi LGA of Niger state, he said.

The bandits usually pass through the Kundu axis as there is a border linking Rafi to Wushishi LGA.

Yesterday, there was serious tension in that area. Honestly, as of yesterday, there are about 20 soldiers who died when they engaged the bandits.

About 12 of the soldiers died instantly, while eight others who sustained injuries, those who were taken to the hospital later died. Many residents were also abducted. They (bandits) took away their cows, and the villagers fled the community.

The bandits have passed the community, that place is their route. They usually pass through that route almost every time. They will come from Rafi LGA and cross over to Kundu, Akare, and other villages to Rafi.

About six to five days back, after the bandits invaded, the troops mobilised there but were unfortunately ambushed. The attack started on Sunday at about 5 pm till night.
Defeated by Joe Biden in the 2020 election, then-president Trump illegally tried to tip the scales in Georgia, conspiring with his team to overturn the result, personally calling officials to demand they "find" the votes he needed to win, and even interfering with voting machines. A grand jury in Fulton County there returned a 41-count indictment late Monday, charging Trump and 18 others with conspiracy, racketeering and other crimes related to this effort. With him on the docket are lawyer and lickspittle Rudy Giuliani, former White House chief Mark Meadows and other officials from his administration.

"Trump and the other defendants charged in this indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump," the indictment says. Trump has denied all wrongdoing, as Giuliani did hours before the indictment was made public. Eastman, Meadows, Chesebro, Ellis and Smith all did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said at a late-night news conference that arrest warrants have been issued for all of the defendants and that each has until Aug. 25 to surrender voluntarily.

These are the first state charges related to Trump's election interference, and the sitting president could not pardon him on them: the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles has that job.

Trump appeared to ignore the indictments at first last night, remaining silent for several hours, but eventually managed to wrestle his phone back from whoever had taken it and began attacking witnesses on his website.




The national assembly election petitions tribunal in Umuahia, Abia state, has reserved judgment in the petitions challenging the election of Benjamin Kalu, deputy speaker of the house of representatives.

A three-member panel of judges led by Samson Paul-Gang, on Monday, said the date for judgment would be communicated to parties in the petitions.

At the court session, parties adopted their final written addresses.

Frank Chinasa of the Labour Party (LP) and Ifeanyi Igbokwe of Action Alliance (AA), are challenging the re-election of Kalu, who is the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate representing Bende federal constituency of Abia state.

While adopting his final address, Yunus Usman, counsel to Chinasa, asked the tribunal to set aside all the votes recorded for Kalu.

Usman contended that Kalu was not qualified because he did not possess the requisite educational requirements as provided for in section 65(2)(a) of the 1999 constitution.

He further argued that Kalu used different names in different educational certificates, other than Kalu Benjamin Okezie, which he currently bears.

In his own address, Daniel Anya, counsel to the AA candidate, asked the tribunal to annul Kalus election over the exclusion of the partys name and logo from the ballot during the poll.

However, the deputy speaker through his counsel, Kelvin Nwufo, prayed the court to dismiss the petitions for lacking in merit.

Nwufo argued that the contention that Kalu presented certificates with inconsistent names did not hold water since they all belong to him.

He added that the inconsistencies in Kalus names were validly harmonised through a deed of proof and the federal governments gazette, where the change of name is recorded.

Similarly, counsel for APC, Virgilus Nwankwo, contended that the petitioners allegation that Kalu used different names to suit different situations did not imply fraud.

Nwankwo said that the petitioners failed to prove that Kalu is not the owner of the certificates with different names or that the names do not belong to him.
Two Nigerian brothers have been extradited to the United States to face prosecution over the alleged sexual extortion of numerous young men and teenage boys on social media.

The suspects are Samuel Ogoshi, 22 and Samson Ogoshi, 20. The two brothers are residents of Lagos.

In May, one of the suspects, Samuel, was charged with causing the death of Jordan DeMay, a 17-year-old American.

DeMay was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in March 2022 at Marquette, Michigan.

The US justice department had said the two brothers and Ezekiel Ejehem Robert, 19, allegedly bought hacked social media accounts and used same to pose as young women to lure teenage and young adult males into sexual chats

The department said while the men were in contact with the victims, they searched the internet for information about where the victims lived, where they went to school or worked, and who their family and friends were.

On July 20, Binta Nyako, a judge at the federal high court, ruled that the two brothers should be handed over to US authorities.

In a statement on Sunday, the US justice department announced that the two suspects will be arraigned on Monday afternoon at the federal courthouse in Grand Rapids.

The department said the extradition of Robert, the accomplice, is still pending.

Its anticipated that the extradited defendants initial appearance will take place Monday afternoon at the federal courthouse in Grand Rapids at a time to be determined by the court, the statement reads.

Nigerian authorities arrested Samuel and Samson Ogoshi in Nigeria in January 2023, at the request of the United States.

Nigerian prosecutors managed the extradition proceedings, on behalf of the United States.

On July 20, the Honorable Justice B.F.M. Nyako ordered both Ogoshis to be turned over to the United States to face the charges in the indictment.

On August 3, B.E. Jedy Agba, the solicitor-general of the Nigerian Federation, signed the final surrender order, authorizing the United States to bring the Ogoshis to West Michigan.

Mark Totten, a U.S. Attorney was quoted as saying in the statement that he was pleased about the swiftness of the extradition.

Sextortion is a horrible crime. To those who commit these crimes: we will pursue you around the world. And to those who are victims: please know we stand ready to help you, Totten said.

I am extremely pleased with how swiftly extradition efforts moved forward and am grateful to the FBI and our Nigerian law enforcement partners for their unyielding work to secure justice in this international sexual exploitation investigation.
A chef and former restaurant owner from Bergen County who was jailed last week on charges he sexually assaulted a minor was attacked Friday in a New York City jail, according to his attorneys.

Shalom Sal Yehudiel, 40, of Fair Lawn, was charged last week with second-degree sexual assault and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, according to the Union County Prosecutors Office. The child was between 14 and 15 years old at the time, authorities said.

Yehudiel was arrested Aug. 8 as he tried to board a flight at JFK International Airport after an earlier sexual assault charge against him was dismissed, according to his attorneys, Lee Vartan of Roseland and Zach Intrater of New York City.

On Friday, Yehudiel was attacked at a jail in New York City, where he was awaiting extradition to New Jersey.

He cannot move his arm, and as of Sunday (was) still throwing up blood, the attorneys said in a motion to dismiss the charges.

Notwithstanding his familys and his counsels best efforts, he was not taken for X-rays, the motion says. Even with a note from a doctor, Yehudiels jailers have refused him proper medical care.

A spokeswoman for the New York jail declined to comment Tuesday on the alleged attack, calling it a legal matter.

Yehudiel owned The Humble Toast, a Jewish deli, and La Cucina Di Nava, an Italian restaurant, both in Teaneck. He also appeared on the Food Network series Chopped in 2020, which featured his kosher cooking.

The motion to dismiss the latest criminal case was filed in New Jersey Superior Court. Yehudiels lawyers point out in the 14-page document that the Bergen County Prosecutors Office declined to prosecute Yehudiel in 2019 and again in February for lack of evidence.

(The) investigation resulted in the conclusion that the evidence did not support the issuance of criminal charges, the prosecutors office wrote to the alleged victims attorney in a letter obtained last week by NJ Advance Media.

After the separate sexual assault charge against Yehudiel was dismissed on Aug. 8, the alleged victim in another case filed a citizens complaint against him with the Fair Lawn Police Department and Yehudiel was arrested the next day in New York.

The latest case is being handled by the Union County Prosecutors Office because the victim has sued Bergen County for failure to prosecute, creating a conflict of interest.

Yehudiel first was sued in January 2021 for allegedly sexually assaulting two underage girls  one a fellow congregant at Anshei Lubavitch in Fair Lawn, the other a worker at one of his restaurants.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
A 25-year-old man was charged last week with sexually assaulting a child in Bergen County, authorities said.

Angel Chavix, of North Bergen, was charged with second-degree sexual contact and third-degree endangering, according to the Bergen County Prosecutors Office.

The Hudson County Prosecutors Office notified investigators in Bergen County on July 28 that a child under age 13 had been sexually assaulted in Fairview, authorities said.

Chavix was arrested Friday in Fairview and taken to the Bergen County Jail ahead a first-appearance court hearing.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Posted by Cape May Police Department on Monday, August 14, 2023

Police are searching for a woman who allegedly hit a child when she threw a skee ball at a group of people at a Jersey Shore arcade.

The Cape May Police Department posted a surveillance video of the incident on its social media page on Monday.

In the the clip, a woman can be seen throwing the ball toward a group of people as she is playing skee ball with a child. The group then confronts her before she briefly speaks to them and leaves the area shortly after.

In the video, she is wearing a white dress and has dark shoulder-length hair.

Authorities said the woman was involved in a disagreement with the group prior to the incident and that the ball wound up hitting a child on the back of the head. Police did not comment on the extent of the childs injury, if any.

Police did not say at which Cape May arcade the incident occurred.

The Cape May Police Department is asking anyone who recognizes the suspect to call its detective bureau at 609-884-9507.

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Nicolas Fernandes may be reached at nfernandes@njadvancemedia.com.
Authorities have charged a man in the killing of a Millville resident last month.

Police responded to the 600 block of High Street in Millville for a report of shots fired around 4:45 p.m. on July 25 and found Salmadine Johnson, 40, dead, according to the Cumberland County Prosecutors Office.
Two firefighters were treated for minor injuries fighting a blaze at a historic church in Montclair, an official said in a social media post Tuesday.

The fire at Grace Presbyterian Church on the corner of Grove Street and Tuxedo Road in the Essex County township sent two firefighters to the hospital, Councilman Peter Yacobellis said in a Facebook post.

Neighboring townships helped Montclairs firefighters fight the blaze, he said.

Please send light and love to our firefighters and prayers that this spectacular structure  one of my favorite buildings in Montclair can be saved, he said.

The fire was contained around 11 a.m., ABC7 reported.

Township police and fire officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller and church officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The three-alarm fire broke out in the churchs basement and spread to the first floor, News12 New Jersey reported. It caused extensive damage to the church, including a partial roof collapse, the outlet reported.

The churchs pastor was not inside the building when the fire started, News 12 reported. No one was believed to be inside the building.

Grace Presbyterian Church is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), according to its website.

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Brianna Kudisch may be reached at bkudisch@njadvancemedia.com.
A man admitted Monday that he broke into a Seaside Park home last year and stabbed the owner multiple times, authorities said.

Porfirio Serrano-Cruz, 40, of Seaside Heights, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in connection with the June 30, 2022 home invasion attack, according to a statement from the Ocean County Prosecutors Office.

Seaside Park Police officers were called to the O Street home at 5:15 a.m. that day after a man called them and said someone had broken into his home and tried to kill him, the office said.

Officers arrived and found a 39-year-old man with stab wounds on his arms, chest, abdomen and groin, officials said. He was air-lifted to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune for treatment and was treated and released.

On the same day of the attack, Serrano-Cruz was arrested in Seaside Heights, the office said. He has been held in the Ocean County Jail since his arrest.

Officials have not released a motive for the attack and it was unclear if the two men knew each other.

Shortly after his arrest Serrano-Cruz was indicted on charges of attempted murder, burglary, possession of a controlled dangerous substance and weapons-related offenses, but ultimately pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in exchange for a possible seven-year prison sentence, authorities said.

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Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.
After visiting the site of some of Russias most gruesome atrocities, Chris Christie returned home from Ukraine this month to lace into Donald Trump. And rightly so.

He started by ticking off the horrors: The gouging of eyes, the cutting off of ears of men in Ukraine, before they tie their hands behind their back and shoot them in the back of the head  and then go into those homes and rape the women, Christie recounted last week on Morning Joe.
A Woodbridge man was arrested this weekend after he was accused of sexually assaulting a Rahway woman in her home last week, investigators said.

A woman told police she had been sexually assaulted on Aug. 10 by an unknown man who had entered her residence unlawfully, according to a joint release from the Union County Prosecutors Office and the Rahway Police Department.

On Saturday, 18-year-old Elijah Finis turned himself over to authorities from the New York Police Departments 120th Precinct in Staten Island, the office said.

Finis was charged with second-degree sexual assault and fourth-degree criminal trespass, police said. As of Tuesday, he was still awaiting extradition back to New Jersey.

We are grateful for the extraordinary collaboration with our local law enforcement partners which led to the quick identification and apprehension of Finis, Union County Prosecutor William Daniel said in a statement. The office noted the Garwood Police Department helped investigate the case, as well.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the local news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.
Yesterday, a grand jury in Georgia indicted Trump and 18 others, including Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Jeffrey Clark, and Sidney Powell, on a massive slate of felony charges for being part of a conspiracy to subvert the presidential election.

The latest issue of the Public Notice newsletter unpacks the latest of Trump's four criminal indictments.

From the newsletter:

According to the indictment, Trump and his co-defendants used at least eight methods to try to undermine the election: (1) Making false statements to members of state legislatures, including Florida, Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Georgia; (2) Making false statements to high-ranking state officials in Georgia, such as the secretary of state and the governor; (3) creating a slate of fake electoral voters; (4) harassing and intimidating a Fulton County election worker; (5) soliciting high-ranking members of the United States Department of Justice to make false statements to government officials in Georgia; (6) soliciting Mike Pence to reject electoral college votes properly cast by Georgia's electors; (7) unlawfully accessing voter equipment and voter data; and (8) making false statements and committing perjury to cover up the conspiracy.

***

It's not a crime to make a phone call about an election. But if that phone call is part of a coordinated plan to accomplish something illegal, it can be one of the overt acts. Think about it this way: renting a car is not illegal. However, renting a series of cars as part of a nationwide scheme to rob banks can be an overt act, as can being the person who does all the planning even if they never go on a bank job.

***

Additionally, the Georgia indictment brings home how hard denizens of Trumpland went after Ruby Freeman, a Fulton County poll worker who conservatives fixated upon as having overseen a massive voter fraud enterprise. Giuliani told members of the Georgia House on December 10, long past when it was clear Trump had lost, that Freeman was "quite obviously passing around USB ports as if they're vials of heroin or cocaine" to infiltrate Dominion voting machines. The indictment shows that several of the named defendants Stephen Lee, Harrison Floyd, and Trevian Kutti  all repeatedly called Freeman, called her neighbors, and showed up at her home, telling her she needed "protection" and offering to help. The help they offered was not much help at all, though  only that Trump and his allies would leave Freeman alone if she lied about election night and aligned her story with the fever dreams of Rudy Giuliani and friends.
A former teacher at Lopatcong Elementary School in the Phillipsburg area has been charged with sexually assaulting a child in the town between 1998 and 1999, when the student was 12 and 13 years old, according to the Warren County Prosecutors Office.

Kenneth Lutz, 54, of Phillipsburg, was charged with one count each of aggravated sexual assault and sexual assault by contact, Warren County Prosecutor Jim Pfeiffer said.

Lutz, who has worked at two other New Jersey schools, is being held at Warren County Jail and would face up to 20 years in prison, upon conviction. He is currently the assistant principal at Merriam Avenue Elementary School in Newton, according to the prosecutors office and schools website.

New Jersey does not impose a statute of limitations on criminal cases of sexual assault.

Lutz was a teacher at the victims elementary school in Phillipsburg at the time of the alleged assaults, authorities said without identifying the school. Lutz was also a family friend, authorities said.

Due to the defendants relationship with the (childs) family, the defendant was responsible for driving the victim to and from school, Pfeiffer stated in a news release.

Lutz has also worked at Beloved Community Charter School in Jersey City, as well as New Smyrna Beach High School and Blue Lake Elementary School in Florida, authorities said.

Administrators at Merriam Avenue Elementary School did not immediately respond for a comment about the allegations.

Aggravated sexual assault carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a minimum of 10 years in New Jersey. Sexual assault by contact can include attempted rape and unwanted sexual touching. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years and a minimum five years in prison.

Neither charge is eligible for early release.

The prosecutors office is asking anyone with information about the charged incidents or information regarding Lutz to contact the Warren Prosecutors Office, Special Victims Unit at 908-475-6040 or 908-475-6060.

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Glenn Epps can be reached at gepps@lehighvalleylive.com or glenn_epps_on Twitter.
Former New York Yankees manager Joe Torre has been cleared of any wrongdoing.

MLB umpire Angel Hernandez claimed Torre, who made key decisions over umpires as an MLB executive from 2011-2020, held animosity toward him dating back to his 12-year tenure with the Yankees. This was one of his claims in his racial discrimination lawsuit against MLB that was dismissed on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.

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The federal appeals court denied his request to reinstate the case because he did not prove his claims, including the ones made against Torre.

Hernandez has failed to show that the criteria Torre used in making crew chief promotion decisions caused the existing disparity between white and minority crew chiefs, the panel wrote, via the Associated Press. Hernandez has made no showing that Torre harbors a bias against racial minorities.

Hernandez, who was born in Cuba and hired as an umpire in 1993, first sued in 2017. He believed he was discriminated against because he was not chosen to umpire the World Series since 2005 and never got promoted to full-time crew chief.

The 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals dismissed his claims.

Hernandez has failed to establish a statistically significant disparity between the promotion rates of white and minority umpires, the 2nd Circuit said in an 11-page decision. MLB has provided persuasive expert evidence demonstrating that, during the years at issue, the difference in crew chief promotion rates between white and minority umpires was not statistically significant. Hernandez offers no explanation as to why MLBs statistical evidence is unreliable.

Hernandezs lawyer, Nicholas R. Gregg, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Associated Press. As of now, Hernandez can still ask the full New York-based 2nd Circuit to rehear the case or for the U.S. Supreme Court to review it, according to the Associated Press.

More Sports:

MLB coach who made history is expecting first child

Jets and Dalvin Cook had to do a deal: Heres why

Would Mets want do-over on trade that contributed to downfall?

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Cayden Steele may be reached at CSteele@njadvancemedia.com
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A judge in California ended a disagreement with his wife by shooting her dead. The gentleman had 48 firearms and over 26,000 rounds of ammunition in their home, and his son recalls that his father exhibited temper issues when drinking alcohol. The judge exclaimed in disbelief at having slaughtered his wife and let work know not to expect him,

Easy access to guns creates tragedy.

Jezebel:

Upon arrest, per a transcribed portion of body camera footage, Ferguson remarked to police, "Well, I guess I'm done for a while." Court records note that Ferguson also said, "Oh, my Godmy sonmy son," and, "Oh, man, I can't believe I did this."

The Fergusons' son didn't recall domestic violence in the household when interviewed by investigators but noted that his father showed signs of a temper when under the influence of alcohol. He also made mention of other incidents involving his father's guns in the homeone of which was an accidental discharge, and the other in which his mother had claimed she saw Ferguson with a gun to his head and had to discourage his suicidal ideations.

After Ferguson was taken in custody, a police search of the family's home revealed he owned 48 firearms (rifles, shotguns and handguns) and more than 26,000 rounds of ammunition, according to prosecutors. Ferguson's firearms were all legally owned. He was arrested and swiftly released on $1 million bail, and he's since been charged with three felonies: murder, the discharge of a firearm causing death, and personally using a firearm. If convicted of all three counts, Ferguson faces 40 years to life in prison, according to the DA's office.
Three very different restaurant projects are now in the works around New Orleans, stemming from one partnership between a local restaurant developer and a Denver-based hospitality company thats building on a presence already established here.

First off, Barcadia in the Warehouse District has closed and is now set to become a new restaurant called Mister Oso, with a menu of smoked meat tacos, ceviches and Latin American-inspired cocktails.

Next up, a newly redeveloped downtown apartment building on Carondelet Street will soon be home to A5 Steakhouse, which takes a Japanese steakhouse approach and adds a strong seafood element from its kitchen and raw bar.

Then, Uptown on the Freret Street restaurant row, there is a new concept on the way called Bohemia, which promises to turn a now-vacant lot into whats being called a culinary park, with a trio of food stands, its own bar and a parklike setting in between.
Rudolph N. Coronavirus, AKA Rudy Rona, has lurked across the State of Louisiana and its parishes since the COVID-19 pandemic started in early 2020. Mr. Rona is excited that some of you continue not to be cautious as he moves freely, hospitalizing and killing as many as possible.
Make America Florida? No thanks, says New Hampshire's Republican primary voters in a new survey conducted by Emerson College Polling, in which Chris Christie leapfrogged over Ron DeSantis into second place, behind Donald Trump.

This is a far cry from the days of yesteryear  as in last March  when DeSantis and Trump were tied in New Hampshire at 39%-39%, according to Axios, and DeSantis was considered to be a candidate showing "early state strength."

"This is the first time we have seen DeSantis drop out of second place in our polling, and fall back into the pack of candidates," said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling.

In the poll, conducted between August 911 (before Donald Trump's fourth indictment), 49% of Republican voters said they planned to vote for Trump, while 9% supported Christie, and only 8% for DeSantis. So much for standing in Trump's shadow, shaking in his fancy boots  being Trump's less charismatic MAGA mini-me has proved to be a disastrous strategy that, out of the dozens or so GOP candidates, only the combative Christie seems to grasp.

As the field of candidates has come more into focus since March, Florida Governor DeSantis no longer holds second place with double digits, instead has fallen to 8%. Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie surpassed DeSantis for second-place in the Republican field: 9% of voters support his 2024 bid, while 8% support DeSantis. The Emerson College Polling New Hampshire survey was conducted August 9-11, 2023. The sample of registered voters, n=837, has a credibility interval, similar to a poll's margin of error (MOE), of +/- 3.4 percentage points. The data sets were weighted by gender, education, age, party registration, and region based on 2024 registration modeling. Modeling is based on U.S. Census parameters and New Hampshire voter registration and election data.

Meanwhile, in a hypothetical 2024 race between Trump and Biden, "Biden leads Trump 48% to 41%, while 7% would vote for someone else, and 4% are undecided."
CertainTeeds Buffalo manufacturing operations have a new owner.

Oldcastle APG has acquired CertainTeeds fencing, railing and decking division, including its production at a plant in Lakeside Commerce Park in Buffalo. The deal did not encompass all of CertainTeeds businesses.

In the wake of the deal, CertainTeeds operations will continue as normal at the facility in Buffalo, said Ken ONeill, president of Barrette Outdoor Living, a division of Oldcastle APG.

The site also provides us with a unique opportunity to further our ability to support our customers across the Northeast, Midwest and Canadian regions, ONeill said. The addition of the Buffalo plant to our national network is an important key in safeguarding our position as the top vinyl and aluminum fencing and railing provider in the country.

CertainTeed, a building products company, is based in Pennsylvania. Its parent company is Saint-Gobain, headquartered in France. Atlanta-based Oldcastle is a subsidiary of CRH, a global building products company.

The deal also included CertainTeed manufacturing operations at a plant in Utah. The fencing, decking and railing division generated the equivalent of $65 million in sales in 2022, according to Saint-Gobain.

Oldcastle declined to say how many employees work at the Buffalo plant, but said it did not plan to make any changes in staffing at the facility. Saint-Gobain said the two facilities employed a total of 210 employees, but did not provide a breakdown of employment at the two sites.

The acquisition by Oldcastle did not appear to include the manufacturing facility itself; Oldcastle said it was not in a position to comment on CertainTeed's building ownership or occupancy practices.

As a core asset for our manufacturing operations, the Buffalo facility will continue to serve as a key part of our business for the foreseeable future, the company said.

CertainTeed in 2005 moved its local operations from Cheektowaga to a newly built plant at 231 Ship Canal Parkway, becoming Lakeside Commerce Parks first tenant.

The developer of the building, Krog, sold the facility in 2016 to Cardinal Real Estate of Sherman Oaks, Calif., for $14.5 million. In 2021, Cardinal sold the property to Rochester-based investors for $14.5 million.
Plans to further develop Renaissance Commerce Park in Lackawanna received a $4.75 million boost from New York State.

The state awarded a grant to help cover the cost of moving railroad tracks, bridges and other facilities to support expansion of the business park, which has revitalized former Bethlehem Steel property. The state grant covers about 70% of the estimated $6.8 million cost of moving the infrastructure.

The funds come from the states Focused Attraction of Shovel-Ready Tracts New York, or FAST NY grant program. The program is aimed at opening up additional sites for development.

Renaissance Commerce Park has revitalized a portion of the sprawling former Bethlehem Steel site on the west side of Route 5. The business park has attracted projects including a facility where TMP Technologies produces Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and a warehouse built by Uniland Development. Uniland has a second warehouse under construction in the park, and has proposed building a third warehouse, due to strong demand.

Renaissance Commerce Park has the potential for further development, but the existing rail infrastructure  which dates to when the Bethlehem Steel complex was still operating at the site  effectively serves as a barrier. However, South Buffalo Railway, which owns and maintains the rail facilities, still needs those lines.

And active rail infrastructure can be a selling point to industrial customers to connect with rail carriers and deep-water ports. As a result, plans have been developed to move some of those facilities.

The county has been working to finalize its purchase of an additional 78 acres in the next phase of redevelopment, with 32 acres acquired so far. Moving the tracks is a condition of closing the deal for other 46 acres land. It would also enable the county to use part of the land for a new trailhead for the Shoreline Trail.

Renaissance Commerce Park has reactivated land that was long dormant after Bethlehem Steels shutdown. The site is attracting attention by offering something the region lacks: large parcels of land available for industrial development.

Through this generous FAST NY grant, the emergence of Renaissance Commerce Park as the areas premier commerce park will continue and grow, increasing the potential for creating even more new revenues and jobs for our city and Erie County, said Lackawanna Mayor Annette Iafallo.

Hochul on Tuesday announced a total of seven FAST NY grants for a combined $39.6 million across the state.

This funding from the FAST NY program will prepare seven shovel-ready sites around the state that will one day house the industries of the future, from renewable energy to high-tech manufacturing, Hochul said. Through investments like this, New York State is attracting elite companies that will create good jobs and power our local economies for generations to come.

One of the other seven grants was $63,750 to the Town of Lockport Industrial Development Agency, to expand the 120-acre IDA Park South by an additional 91 acres. The IDA acquired that land from General Motors in an eminent domain proceeding.

The entire cost of the project to expand the Lockport industrial park is $127,500. State officials said the site neighbors a proposed 60-acre industrial park, creating an attractive industrial corridor for the area.
HAMMOND  The 37 gas stations in Hammond will have to close from midnight to 5 a.m. daily starting Nov. 1, after the Hammond Common Council voted Monday to approve an ordinance regulating gas station hours.

The vote was 7 to 2, with council members Mark Kalwinski and Barry Tyler Jr. voting against it.

Councilwoman Katrina Alexander initially made a motion to hold an additional public hearing at a later date. Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. said that was just a delaying tactic.

How many more people have to get shot before we do something about this? McDermott said.

Alexander later said she had asked for a public hearing so the public could better understand the ordinance.

The legislation was read in full and provided additional details, including the factors the Board of Public Works and Safety would consider when providing an exemption from the mandatory closure for a station. These factors include the number of incidents the location has had in the last five years, whether the gas station is part of the Hammond Police Department's Fusus Program and if the station has a security presence.

The ordinance also lays out penalties for gas stations violating the ordinance, which would be a separate citation each day it is in violation of the rule.

Resident George Stoya criticized the council's move to provide just one oral reading of the amended ordinance before the vote for final passage.

Jim Witham, who operates Witham Sales and Services and previously owned four gas stations in Hammond, told the council that independent gas stations were willing to voluntarily close overnight for one year, but the city would have to scrap the additional regulations, and implement the mandatory overnight closure citywide with no exceptions.

Another gas station owner said the council wanted to "pick and choose" which gas station can stay open overnight.

Police Chief Andy Short and former chief Fred Behrens spoke in favor of the ordinance, saying the issues at the gas stations were taking police resources away from the rest of the city.

McDermott told the council members it was their job to make tough decision for the safety of residents, and ensured them if they were sued over the legislation, they would win, citing places like the Village of Oak Park, Illinois. It was sued by gas station owners over its ordinance limiting overnight gas station hours last year, however the lawsuit was dismissed.

The ordinance was first introduced by McDermott in early July. The legislation was drafted weeks after a 33-year-old man from Chicago was killed at the Luke gas station at 5105 State Line Ave.

More recently, at man was carjacked at gunpoint at the same Luke gas station on Sunday, while the Mobil gas station at 1440 Indianapolis Boulevard was robbed on Friday night.

GALLERY: The Times Photos of the Week
CROWN POINT  A man was charged with murder on Saturday in connection to a stabbing at a Merrillville hotel, according to charging documents.

Nelson Alvarez-Godoy, 28, was charged with murder and three counts of battery, according to charging documents.

The victim was identified in a news release from the Lake County Coroner as 32-year-old Ramon Solis. The Coroner ruled Soliss death a homicide, according to a news release emailed on Monday.

Charging documents stated that police were called to the Woodspring Suites Hotel, located at 1500 East 83rd Avenue, on Saturday for an alleged battery in process.

When officers arrived, there were three men running towards him who appeared to be bloodied, battered an in distress, charges stated. One of the men was holding his friend up as the man covered his neck with his right hand.

The man, later determined to be Solis, was bleeding from a stab wound to the neck. Solis was taken to Methodist Hospital Southlake, where he later died from his injuries, according to police.

Officers wrote in charging documents that when they arrived on scene they saw a large pool of what appeared to be blood near the hotel door as well as a large kitchen knife underneath a nearby vehicle.

According to Cmdr. Matt Vasel, police believe Solis was staying at the hotel while working in the area.

One of the men who was seen running towards police later told officers that, prior to the stabbing, he and Solis were drinking beers outside of the hotel and Alvarez-Godoy joined them.

The man said Alvarez-Godoy became very irate, grabbed a glass beer bottle and attempted to strike him in the face with it. He said he and Alvarez-Godoy then started physically fighting, and at one point Alvarez-Godoy bit the man in the right side of his face, which caused him to bleed.

The man said he didnt see Alvarez-Godoy and Solis physically fight because he had blood in his eye, but another witness told police that Alvarez-Godoy stabbed Solis as the 32-year-old was trying to run away.

Police located Alvarez-Godoy shortly after they arrived on scene. When they detained him, officers wrote in charging documents that the man had a bloodied face along with several spots of blood on his clothing and chest area.

Court records indicate that Alvarez-Godoy made his first appearance on Monday in Mag. Kathleen Sullivans courtroom. His next appearance is set for August 24 in Judge Samuel Cappass courtroom, according to court records.

Gallery: Recent arrests booked into Lake County Jail Adam Zagorac Darion Watson Steven Rodriguez Lawrence Schirato Maximo Tejada Anthony Turner Rafael Gonzalez Joey King II Brittany Mathis Kelly Mirabella Kristyn Boskov Alicia Donegan Alison Zwier Joequan Washington Andre Young Demetria Thomas Nicolas Veteto Brian Richmond Aaron Schillo Samuel Napper Alexus Peterson Renee Pleitnel Jonathan Quinton Christopher Moore Heather Hillis Connie Lloyd Lorenzo Cook Morris Cooper Jr. Randy Flowers Arvietta Clark Kylan Wiggins Christina Rangeloff Marylou Vena Rafael Ortiz-Roln Rogelio Manriquez Padilla Jose Hernandez Kaila Henderson Sharika Hampton Darryl Heine Eric Dubois Oscar Gonzalez Jesse Hampton Christopher Adorjan Leroy Allen Victoria Bolden Shyvette Washington Eva Thomas Suelynn Thomas Forest Ruge-Whitacre Jake Rosinko Cameron Rias Aaron Richards Melissa McBride Brooklyn Meeks Antoine Murdock Ryan Pondinas Tony Le Kevin Hobson Crucifix Johnson-Reedus David Laux Jr. Ebony Hamer Elliott Gray Jr. Rashawn Guess Harold Fink Rodney Fowler Theodore Choucalas Leonard Clark Kolby Commodore Vidal Buenrostro Jr. Cydney Burton Tourice Anderson Gabriel Alvarado Tanyada Williams Allen Woods Antoine Whiting Matthew Setlak Ronald Skinner Rachel Uylaki Stephanie Roberts Edward Rushing Jr. Virgil Powell III Richard Reyes Jr. Cathlena Reynoso Luis Marin Jr. Reginald Porter Michael Lulkowski Jr. Todd Lunsford Kentrell Lindsey Keisha Green Lamarcus Griggs Edwin Grosskurth Charles Hefley Jose Gonzales Dennis Cardwell Sr. Jose Galvan Jr. Joseph Baumgartner John Berrill Sr. Stonney Biddings Jr. Brad Boswinkle Aderenle Ademikan Jason Williams Gregory Turner Jr. Keyur Patel Justin Ring Jeremiah Schwanke Dalvin Kimmons Sr. Nathan Hodges Brandon Barksdale Robert Donald Lovie Grace Raymond Steele Ricardo Rodriguez III Tierra Ratcliff Julie Lonngren Eric Lunsford Gerardo Gudino Jacquelyn Ivankovic Lamont Jackson Antonio Ruiz Jr. Scott Strickler Markita Woods Nicolas Rodriguez Susan Ray Tashena Pittman Markus McCoy Shannon Meyer Jerome Payne Teresa Hernandez Donte Hyde-Lynch Rebecca White Edward Yost Brian O'Neill Jason Sanchez Andrew Sherer Armando Horta Jamar Isabell Alfredo Navarro Lawrence Galia II Adriana Corona Steven Erdelles Aaron Albin
HAMMOND  Police are searching for carjackers who attacked a man at a Lukes gas station Sunday evening.

Shortly after 10 p.m., three armed men approached another man at the 5105 State Line Ave. gas station and demanded his wallet and keys, according to a statement released Monday.

The carjackers grabbed the mans keys and wallet, police said.

The waylaid man then got into another customers car and attempted to follow his vehicle but lost sight of it, police said.

Officers later located another stolen vehicle at the 1051 Indianapolis Blvd. Luke gas station and pursued it before breaking off the chase when the car crossed the state line into Illinois, police said.

Those incidents occurred days after another man was held up at the 1440 Indianapolis Blvd. Mobil station.

In an effort to rein in these crimes, Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott introduced a city ordinance in July that would require all gas stations within city limits to close between midnight and 5 a.m.

Less activity at gas stations late at night would allow emergency services to more effectively allocate their resources, police said in the statement.

It also means fewer people gathering at gas stations late at night will reduce the likelihood of altercations, disturbances, and potential conflicts that can escalate into emergency situations, police said in the statement.

Anyone with information on these crimes was asked to contact the Hammond Police Department Detective Bureau at 219-852-2906.
Health care workers at Brickyard Health Cares Terrace Care Center Nursing Home in LaPorte voted to reject a contract proposal from the company and authorize a strike.

Certified Nurse Aides, Certified Medication Technicians and Specialist Central Supply employees organized with Teamsters Local 135 last year. They expressed concerns with the company's health care program, which they found to be low-quality and of such high cost that it's been cost-prohibitive for employees.

Teamsters Local 135 offered the company a union-sponsored health care plan for its employees but Brickyard Health rejected it during negotiations. Local 135 President Dustin T. Roach said the company reject the offer because of concerns that more employees would opt into the insurance plan instead of being on their parents' plans, their spouses' plans and Medicaid.

Health care workers deserve quality health insurance, said Local 135 President Dustin T. Roach. I dont know what is more offensive: the fact that the workers who take care of our loved ones cannot access health insurance to take care of themselves, or that Brickyard openly prefers to shift the cost of employee benefits to other employers and the American taxpayer.

Brickyard Health did not immediately return requests for comment.

The insurance issue is the only one that remains unresolved at the negotiating table, Roach said. Teamsters Local 135 has asked Brickyard to return to contract talks and reached out to the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to help them avoid a work stoppage.

Brickyard has one more chance to do the right thing, said Roach. If Brickyard refuses to address its employees legitimate concerns, our members have made it clear that they will not hesitate to take their fight for a fair contract to the streets.
CROWN POINT  The city of Hammond's long-shot legal effort to prevent Franciscan Alliance from shuttering its downtown Hammond hospital is over.

According to court records, Lake Superior Judge Bruce Parent recently dismissed the city's lawsuit against the Mishawaka-based Catholic health care system  in accordance with a June 30 directive by a unanimous three-judge panel of the Indiana Court of Appeals.

The appellate court said the city lacked legal standing to contest the closing of the former St. Margaret's Hospital, founded in 1898, because the potential impact to the citys business reputation or public safety costs was an insufficient basis to file suit.

Likewise, the appellate judges rejected Hammonds claim that it was acting on behalf of its 80,000 residents who would suffer negative effects from the hospital shutting down.

"The city of Hammond lacks standing to bring this case because any alleged injury is speculative and not directly traceable to Franciscans conduct," the court said.

The appeals court previously cleared the way for the hospital to close at the end of 2022 by halting enforcement of a preliminary injunction issued by Parent directing the hospital to remain open for at least the first nine months of this year.

Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. sought the injunction on behalf of the city. He claimed Franciscan reneged on a promise to maintain an emergency room and eight-bed hospital at its downtown location after Franciscan announced Nov. 3, 2022, it instead would close entirely on Dec. 31 due to its declining patient count and high staffing costs.

The judge's dismissal order firmly closes the book on Hammond using the courts to try to get the hospital reopened.

PHOTOS: Federal Courthouse in Hammond in national pollinator research
Bill Timmer Flags were lowered to half-staff Tuesday at Highland's city buildings in remembrance of Highland Fire Chief Bill Timmer, who died Monday morning.

HIGHLAND  Firefighters and the Highland community are mourning the death of Fire Chief William "Bill" Timmer, who died unexpectedly at his home Monday morning, according to a statement from the Town of Highland.

Timmer served as the department chief for 30 years. Timmer brought both "excellence and distinction" to Highlands team of volunteer firefighters through his "dedication to training and safety" and desire to bring messages about fire safety to the community, the statement said.

We have been both blessed and lucky to have had the dedication of Chief Timmer for these past 30 years. Our town is better because of him, Highland Council President Tom Black said. We extend our prayers and condolences to the entire Timmer family  wife Bonnie, son Matthew and daughters Mellisa and Jessica and the grandchildren he loved so much.

The chiefs body was accompanied to the Lake County coroners office by Highland police, fire and emergency medical service vehicles.

In Timmers honor, flags were lowered to half-staff Tuesday at Highland's city buildings and bunting flags were hung at both fire stations.

Gallery: Recent arrests booked into Lake County Jail Adam Zagorac Darion Watson Steven Rodriguez Lawrence Schirato Maximo Tejada Anthony Turner Rafael Gonzalez Joey King II Brittany Mathis Kelly Mirabella Kristyn Boskov Alicia Donegan Alison Zwier Joequan Washington Andre Young Demetria Thomas Nicolas Veteto Brian Richmond Aaron Schillo Samuel Napper Alexus Peterson Renee Pleitnel Jonathan Quinton Christopher Moore Heather Hillis Connie Lloyd Lorenzo Cook Morris Cooper Jr. Randy Flowers Arvietta Clark Kylan Wiggins Christina Rangeloff Marylou Vena Rafael Ortiz-Roln Rogelio Manriquez Padilla Jose Hernandez Kaila Henderson Sharika Hampton Darryl Heine Eric Dubois Oscar Gonzalez Jesse Hampton Christopher Adorjan Leroy Allen Victoria Bolden Shyvette Washington Eva Thomas Suelynn Thomas Forest Ruge-Whitacre Jake Rosinko Cameron Rias Aaron Richards Melissa McBride Brooklyn Meeks Antoine Murdock Ryan Pondinas Tony Le Kevin Hobson Crucifix Johnson-Reedus David Laux Jr. Ebony Hamer Elliott Gray Jr. Rashawn Guess Harold Fink Rodney Fowler Theodore Choucalas Leonard Clark Kolby Commodore Vidal Buenrostro Jr. Cydney Burton Tourice Anderson Gabriel Alvarado Tanyada Williams Allen Woods Antoine Whiting Matthew Setlak Ronald Skinner Rachel Uylaki Stephanie Roberts Edward Rushing Jr. Virgil Powell III Richard Reyes Jr. Cathlena Reynoso Luis Marin Jr. Reginald Porter Michael Lulkowski Jr. Todd Lunsford Kentrell Lindsey Keisha Green Lamarcus Griggs Edwin Grosskurth Charles Hefley Jose Gonzales Dennis Cardwell Sr. Jose Galvan Jr. Joseph Baumgartner John Berrill Sr. Stonney Biddings Jr. Brad Boswinkle Aderenle Ademikan Jason Williams Gregory Turner Jr. Keyur Patel Justin Ring Jeremiah Schwanke Dalvin Kimmons Sr. Nathan Hodges Brandon Barksdale Robert Donald Lovie Grace Raymond Steele Ricardo Rodriguez III Tierra Ratcliff Julie Lonngren Eric Lunsford Gerardo Gudino Jacquelyn Ivankovic Lamont Jackson Antonio Ruiz Jr. Scott Strickler Markita Woods Nicolas Rodriguez Susan Ray Tashena Pittman Markus McCoy Shannon Meyer Jerome Payne Teresa Hernandez Donte Hyde-Lynch Rebecca White Edward Yost Brian O'Neill Jason Sanchez Andrew Sherer Armando Horta Jamar Isabell Alfredo Navarro Lawrence Galia II Adriana Corona Steven Erdelles Aaron Albin
All four candidates seeking the 2024 Republican nomination for Indiana governor, including the state's former attorney general, are condemning the judicial system following the latest criminal indictment of Donald Trump.

The Republican former president was accused by a grand jury comprised of Georgia citizens Monday of violating multiple state laws as part of a criminal enterprise seeking to reverse Trump's loss in the 2020 presidential election.

The indictment details dozens of acts by Trump or his allies to undo his defeat, including beseeching Georgia's Republican secretary of state to find enough votes for him to win the battleground state; harassing an election worker who faced false claims of fraud; plotting to access voting machines in a rural Georgia county and steal data from a voting machine company; and attempting to persuade Georgia lawmakers to ignore the will of voters and appoint a new slate of electoral college electors favorable to Trump.

Trump separately has been accused of additional felonies in Washington, D.C., Florida and New York in connection with Trump allegedly instigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, illegally hoarding classified documents, and falsifying business records about a hush money payoff to a porn actor before the 2016 election.

Altogether, Trump is facing a total of 91 felony charges approved by grand juries of American citizens who determined it's more likely than not Trump committed the crimes of which he's accused.

Subsequent trials will determine whether Trump is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Rather than waiting for those trials, the Hoosier GOP gubernatorial candidates  who are competing to undertake the constitutional duty of taking care that the laws of Indiana are faithfully executed  instead are alleging something sinister is afoot.

Former Attorney General Curtis Hill, for example, claimed Tuesday "Democrat district attorneys across America" have been commanded to "find something, create something, anything at all to nail Trump," or else lose financial support for their next campaign.

"I want President Trump to know this: Hoosiers stand behind him, and we will fight like hell to defend free speech and the integrity of our justice system from prosecutors who are out for revenge," Hill said.

U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, meanwhile, accused those prosecuting Trump of sacrificing their integrity to benefit Democratic President Joe Biden.

"Another week, another attempt by President Biden and his party's prosecutors to put their leading political rival behind bars and interfere with the 2024 presidential election. President Bidens weaponization of the justice system will cause irreversible damage to our nation and divide us further," Braun said.

Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch went a step further and proclaimed the entire criminal justice system is engaged in a "war on conservatives" that "continues unabated and without shame."

"Regardless of the indictments in Georgia, Hoosier voters know a double standard when they see it. If elected governor, I will never allow our courts to be weaponized against political opponents," Crouch said.

Fort Wayne businessman Eric Doden likewise declared that "using the legal system for political gain degrades both it and our entire election process."

"I've had enough of federal political theater and personality politics  and so have the voters I talk to. We're fed up," Doden said. "Indiana doesnt need more politicians who obsess over political theater and personalities. We need leaders at the state level who will focus on real problems and real solutions for Hoosiers."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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
After years of litigation to hold the pharmaceutical industry accountable for the deadly abuse of prescription painkillers, payments from what could amount to more than $50 billion in court settlements have started to flow to states and communities to address the nations continuing opioid crisis.

But though the payments come with stacks of guidance outlining core strategies for drug prevention and addiction treatment, the first wave of awards is setting off heated debates over the best use of the money, including the role that law enforcement should play in grappling with a public health disaster.

States and local governments are designating millions of dollars for overdose reversal drugs, addiction treatment medication, and wound care vans for people with infections from injecting drugs. But law enforcement departments are receiving opioid settlement money for policing resources like new cruisers, overtime pay for narcotics investigators, phone-hacking equipment, body scanners to detect drugs on inmates and restraint devices.

I have a great deal of ambivalence towards the use of the opioid money for that purpose, said Chester Cedars, chairman of Louisianas advisory opioid task force and president of St. Martin Parish. The states directives say only law enforcement expenditures related to the opioid epidemic, added Mr. Cedars, a retired prosecutor. That is wide open as to what that exactly means.
Prosecutors in the criminal case against Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, on Monday provided the most detailed account to date of the evidence they plan to use to convict him at trial in October.

In a 70-page court filing, the prosecutors said they would draw on testimony from some of Mr. Bankman-Frieds closest advisers, as well as an expert witness and other employees of FTX and Alameda Research, a crypto hedge fund he also founded.

The prosecutors also said they planned to use notes that Caroline Ellison, one of Mr. Bankman-Frieds top lieutenants, took after conversations with him, including a memo titled Things Sam Is Freaking Out About. And they said they would introduce a recording of a meeting in which Ms. Ellison told Alameda employees that she had worked with Mr. Bankman-Fried to siphon funds from FTX customers accounts.

Mr. Bankman-Fried, a onetime crypto mogul who built FTX into one of the worlds largest virtual currency exchanges, was arrested in December and charged with orchestrating a sweeping scheme to use customer deposits to finance real estate purchases, charitable giving and donations to politicians. Ms. Ellison and two other top FTX executives, Gary Wang and Nishad Singh, have pleaded guilty to participating in the effort and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.
MONDAY, Aug. 14, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Psilocybin, the active ingredient in "magic" mushrooms, is getting renewed interest as a potential treatment for various health conditions. Now, a new research review argues that migraines should be added to that list.

Psilocybin mushrooms have long been used recreationally as hallucinogens -- meaning they alter users' perceptions of their surroundings. That can lead to euphoria on one end of the scale, or -- if things go badly -- anxiety, panic or dangerous hallucinations.

Medical research into psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD began in the 1950s, and then famously ended after a surge in recreational use by the 1960s "counterculture."

But recent years have seen a new interest in the drugs as medical therapy. Researchers at institutions such as Johns Hopkins University, New York University and the University of California are studying psilocybin as a treatment for conditions like depression, addiction and eating disorders.

While most of the research is focused on psychiatric conditions, psilocybin has also shown hints of promise against cluster headaches and migraines.

In the new review, published recently in the journal Current Pain and Headache Reports, Dr. Emmanuelle Schindler, an assistant professor of neurology at Yale School of Medicine, describes the research done so far.

That includes her own 2021 pilot trial, where Schindler and her colleagues tested the effects of psilocybin -- given under medical supervision -- in 10 patients with migraines. They found that a single low dose of the drug cut participants' headache frequency in half over the next two weeks, versus a two-week period after they received a placebo.

"This was a preliminary, proof-of-concept study," stressed Schindler. "We wanted to see if we could catch a signal."

So far, that study is the only published clinical trial of a psychedelic drug in treating migraine, according to Schindler. And it was too small and short-term, she said, to draw any firm conclusions.

But the findings spurred her team to start a somewhat larger trial -- of about two dozen migraine patients -- that is ongoing.

In the United States alone, about 39 million people suffer from migraines, according to the American Migraine Foundation. Besides intense head pain, the condition often causes symptoms like nausea, visual disturbances and sensitivity to light and sound.

There are various prescription medications that can stop migraine attacks in their tracks, including classes of drugs known as triptans, ergots and gepants.

"But no one treatment works for everyone," Schindler said. "And a treatment that was effective for someone can stop working over time."

So there is a need for additional options, she said.

The idea of using psilocybin against migraines is not far-fetched. The drug, like other psychedelics, exerts its effects by stimulating certain brain receptors for the chemical serotonin. That makes it similar to many standard migraine medications, which also act on serotonin receptors (albeit differently).

In fact, Schindler said, it's long been known that some people with cluster headaches self-treat with very small doses of psilocybin mushrooms or LSD. Cluster headache, an uncommon disorder, causes severe head pain that can last for weeks to months, followed by a period of remission.

There has been a bit more study of psilocybin for cluster headache, according to Schindler. Again, that includes her own small trial, published in 2022, where three very low doses of psilocybin -- given about five days apart -- reduced headache frequency over eight weeks for some patients, but not all.

When it comes to migraine, Schindler sees psilocybin as a potential "transitional" therapy. That refers to treatments given in a single dose, or for a short period, that have lasting effects.

There are already some transitional therapies for migraine, said Dr. Shae Datta, a neurologist at NYU Langone Health in New York City. Some patients receive nerve block injections, for example, to stop a severe acute attack and bring relief that can last weeks to months.

Datta, who is not involved in the psilocybin research, agreed that new options for migraine treatment are always welcome.

She called the research done so far "a good initial step." But, Datta stressed, there clearly needs to be more study, of larger, more diverse groups of patients, to follow the safety and long-term effectiveness of psilocybin.

In the 2021 trial, Schindler's team treated patients with a psilocybin dose of 10 milligrams per 70 kilograms of body weight -- on par with what's been used in studies of psychiatric conditions.

The ongoing trial, Schindler said, is comparing a single psilocybin dose against two doses, given about a week apart. And it's following patients over two months, rather than two weeks.

To be a practical transitional therapy, Schindler explained, psilocybin would have to show lasting benefits.

Safety, of course, is primary, too. Psilocybin is given under medical supervision so that patients can be monitored. And they do often have a "psychedelic experience" in that period -- including, in Schindler's trial, a feeling of "peace/harmony."

Interestingly, though, there seems to be no correlation between the degree of such psychedelic effects and whether patients get headache relief.

"People don't have to have that psychedelic experience," Schindler said, noting that is different from what's been seen in psychiatric research.

So, why would psilocybin bring lasting relief to some headache sufferers? One theory, Schindler said, is that it creates changes in neural connections in the brain that persist.

But the "how," she added, remains one of the big questions.

More Information

The American Migraine Foundation has more on migraine treatments.

SOURCES: Emmanuelle A.D. Schindler, MD, PhD, assistant professor, neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn.; Shae Datta, MD, co-director, Concussion Center, NYU Langone Health, New York City; Current Pain and Headache Reports, Aug. 4, 2023, online
A Texas woman was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Monday for her role in trying to cover up the killing of Vanessa Guillen, a soldier stationed at Fort Hood, now called Fort Cavazos, whose murder in 2020 drew widespread attention to sexual assault in the military and inspired changes in federal law.

The woman, Cecily Aguilar, was the only person charged in the death of Ms. Guillen. In November, Ms. Aguilar pleaded guilty to one count of accessory to murder after the fact and three counts of making a false statement at a federal court in Waco, Texas, where her sentencing hearing was held on Monday.

Specialist Guillen, 20, disappeared on April 22, 2020, at Fort Hood, the third-largest U.S. Army base, after telling friends that she had been sexually harassed, though officials said she had not made any formal complaints. Months later, on June 30, her remains were found dismembered and burned.

Specialist Guillens family has alleged that she was sexually harassed before she was killed, drawing outrage from many and calls from activists for systematic changes in how the military handles reports of sexual harassment and assault.
In the hunt to determine what caused the fire that consumed Lahaina, the focus has increasingly turned to Hawaiis biggest power utility  and whether the company did enough to prevent a wildfire in the high winds that swept over Maui last week.

Lawyers for Lahaina residents suing the utility, Hawaiian Electric, contend that its power equipment was not strong enough to withstand strong winds, and that the company should have shut down power before the winds came. Wildfire experts who have studied the catastrophic fires in California over the past two decades also see shortcomings in Hawaiian Electrics actions.

Nearly a week after the wildfire tore through the island town of Lahaina, state and local officials have not determined a cause for the blaze that killed at least 99 people. But the explosive conditions were similar to those elsewhere in the country where wildfires were sparked by electrical equipment: dry brush, high winds and aging infrastructure.

Many wildfires in the United States occur when poles owned by utilities or other structures carrying power lines are blown down, or when branches or other objects land on power lines and cause them to produce high-energy flashes of electricity that can start fires. That is why utilities in California and other states have at times shut down power in recent years before strong winds arrive.
We understand that connectivity is still scarce in some areas, Deanne Criswell, the FEMA administrator and one of about 300 agency employees on the ground in Hawaii, told reporters on Monday. The response and recovery efforts, I just want to note, in Hawaii, are going to be a whole-of-government approach.

Residents in Lahaina, the town destroyed by the wildfires, have complained that the government response has been lacking and that survivors crucial needs are going unmet. There are questions about whether wildfire warnings were loud enough and early enough and whether government officials were adequately prepared to deal with the fires.

FEMA is typically the first agency to face intense scrutiny after disasters. It is most often associated with its role responding to hurricanes, particularly because of its history of bungled reactions to previous disasters. Of note are Hurricane Andrew, which slammed Florida in 1992; Hurricane Katrina, which led to catastrophic flooding New Orleans in 2005; and Hurricane Maria in 2017, which wrought destruction across the entire island of Puerto Rico.

While the federal agency plays a critical role in disaster response, it is not meant to be the first on the scene.

FEMAs mission is to support states in responding to disasters, which it does through infusions of funding, expert advice and marshaling resources, including troops, ships, planes and other assets that the Defense Department can provide.
Another grand jury, another indictment. For the fourth time in as many months, former President Donald J. Trump was charged on Monday with serious crimes and what was once unprecedented has now become surreally routine.

The novelty of a former leader of the United States being called a felon has somehow worn off. Not that the sweeping 98-page indictment handed up in Georgia accusing him of corruptly trying to reverse the states 2020 election results was any less momentous. But a country of short attention spans has now seen this three times before and grown oddly accustomed to the spectacle.

Multiple prosecutors have now cumulatively laid out an alleged presidential crime spree of epic proportions, complete with tangled intrigues, mysterious co-conspirators and intersecting subplots. The Georgia indictment went further than previous ones by charging 18 others with joining a criminal enterprise with the former president, including associates like Rudolph W. Giuliani, Mark Meadows, Sidney Powell, Jeffrey Clark and John Eastman.

Yet most Americans made up their minds about Mr. Trump long before prosecutors like Fani T. Willis or Jack Smith weighed in, polls have shown. He is, depending on the perspective, a serial lawbreaker finally being brought to justice or a victim of persecution by partisans intent on keeping him out of office. The Georgia indictment, powerful as it is in its language, has been priced into the market, as the Wall Street types would put it.
Rudolph W. Giuliani, a central figure in the investigation into efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia, was among those charged on Monday night in the case.

A former federal prosecutor and mayor of New York City, Mr. Giuliani served as Mr. Trumps personal lawyer during the waning days of his presidency and led the legal efforts in several states to challenge Mr. Bidens victories and keep Mr. Trump in power.

Prosecutors have scrutinized false allegations of election fraud that Mr. Giuliani made before state legislative committees in December 2020, as well as his role in a plan to send a slate of electors who supported Mr. Trump to Congress  even though Georgia had already certified electors who supported Joseph R. Biden Jr., who won the state by about 10,000 votes.

State prosecutors in Atlanta informed Mr. Giuliani last year that he was a target of their investigation, but he sought to avoid testifying to a special grand jury investigating the matter. He was ordered to do so in August of last year by a judge who told him to come to Atlanta on a train, on a bus or Uber.
The federal prosecutors overseeing the classified documents case against former President Donald J. Trump objected on Monday to his proposal to discuss highly sensitive discovery evidence at a secure location at Mar-a-Lago, his private club and residence in Florida.

Last week, Mr. Trumps lawyers asked Judge Aileen M. Cannon, who is presiding over the case, to let the former president discuss the classified discovery evidence in the secure facility that he once used for such materials when he was in office. That facility, the lawyers said, was at or near his residence, an apparent reference to Mar-a-Lago, which is in West Palm Beach.

But in their own filing to Judge Cannon, prosecutors in the office of the special counsel, Jack Smith, said that Mr. Trump was seeking special treatment that no other criminal defendant would receive by requesting to discuss the classified material at home.

In essence, one of the prosecutors, Jay I. Bratt, wrote, he is asking to be the only defendant ever in a case involving classified information (at least to the governments knowledge) who would be able to discuss classified information in a private residence.
Prosecutors need only show a pattern of racketeering activity, which means crimes that all were used to further the objectives of a corrupt enterprise. And the bar is fairly low. The Georgia courts have concluded that a pattern consists of at least two acts of racketeering activity within a four-year period in furtherance of one or more schemes that have the same or similar intent.

That means the act might allow prosecutors to knit together the myriad efforts by Donald J. Trump and his allies, like Rudolph W. Giuliani, to overturn his narrow loss in Georgia in the 2020 presidential race. Those efforts include the former presidents now infamous phone call in which he pressed Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state, to find him enough votes to win.

At its heart, the statute requires prosecutors to prove the existence of an enterprise and a pattern of racketeering activity. The enterprise does not have to be a purely criminal organization. In Georgia, the law has been used to hold defendants accountable for a host of different schemes, including attempts by candidates to seek or maintain elected office and efforts by school officials to orchestrate cheating on standardized tests.

The sorts of crimes prosecutors could try to pin on Mr. Trump and his allies include solicitation to commit election fraud, intentional interference with performance of election duties, making false statements, criminal solicitation, improperly influencing government officials and even forgery.

The law lays out a list of 40 state crimes or acts that can qualify together as pattern of racketeering activity. It is broader than the federal law in that the attempt, solicitation, coercion, and intimidation of another person to commit one of the offenses can be considered racketeering activity. A number of the crimes Mr. Trump and his allies are accused of are on the list, including making false statements.
Kouoh said that she decided to take the job after many conversations with Black colleagues. There was a feeling that we cannot let this fail, she said. The scale and ambition of Zeitz MOCAA is unique on the continent and someone had to take responsibility and make this museum live up to its rightful ambitions.

When she arrived in May 2019, her first priority was to reorganize the galleries, which were scattered over more than 100 small spaces. She took advantage of an already planned William Kentridge exhibition to break down walls, and create more breathing space, then set about defining a curatorial articulation in terms of what we want to stand for. Her goal, she said, was to create a sense of the museum as a format of public engagement, civic engagement.

During the strict pandemic lockdowns after March 2020, the museum closed for seven months, and Kouoh used the time to restructure its governance and expand the board of trustees, adding influential African collectors and philanthropists, and creating a global council of advisers, which includes the artists Carsten Holler, Wangechi Mutu and Yinka Shonibare. Kouoh has changed how the local community see Zeitz, said the Cape Town-based artist Igshaan Adams, who recently spent eight months in residence there. My artist friends and I hadnt felt any interest from the museum, but Koyo made me feel they cared about us, and about new audiences. Although he was initially resistant to the proposition, the residency, he said, was a brilliant idea, allowing visitors to the museum to seriously engage with an artists process. Sometimes over 1,000 people a day would be there, he said, adding that it was the first time he had experienced that engagement with people who look like me and speak like me.

Since her arrival, Kouoh has emphasized solo retrospectives  Tracey Rose, Johannes Phokela, Mary Evans  which she describes as a pillar of her curatorial vision. My generation of curators were informed and motivated by a strong desire to unearth as many stories as we could, and make them visible, and we all did those group shows, she said. But I believe there is a great lack of studying individual voices and how they speak to each other within and across generations. What influences come from an artist like Issa Samb or Gerard Sekoto to younger artists today? I think we African curators havent done this enough.

This doesnt mean the museum wont put on group shows, Kouoh added, citing When We See Us, as an exhibition which places figuration in a temporality that is longer and more far-reaching than the last 10 years of market frenzy. It premises Black joy as a serious, contentious, political, joyful subject matter, and at the Black experience across geographies, the continent, the diaspora.

Asked whether she saw herself as a bearer of the flame of the influential Nigerian curator Okwui Enwezor, Kouoh looked disapproving. I dont like the idea of there being one person doing this or that, she said. There is a lot of mutual support, of generosity and care across the continent. I am part of that generation of African art professionals who have pride and knowledge about the beauty of African culture, which has often been defined by others in so many wrong ways. I dont believe we need to spend time correcting those narratives. We need to inscribe other perspectives.
As summer moves into its most languorous days, its a perfect time to dive into books about love, obsession and madness.

You would be hard-pressed to find a more unhealthy example of obsession than that of the narrator in Maud Venturas MY HUSBAND (HarperVia, 260 pp., $28.99), a cautionary tale about marital claustrophobia translated from the French by Emma Ramadan.

I think of my husband all the time; I wish I could text him all day, says the woman, a beautiful mother of two who lives in an elegant house in the Parisian suburbs. But she restrains herself. I know I have to control myself in order to love.
MONDAY, Aug. 14, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- A more personalized approach to exercise may be necessary, claims a new study that found fat burning varied widely between individuals.

Even worse, this rate often does not align with the fat-burning zone on commercial exercise machines, the researchers added.

Clinical exercise testing, a diagnostic procedure to measure a persons physiological response to exercise, may be a more useful tool, the study authors said.

People with a goal of weight or fat loss may be interested in exercising at the intensity which allows for the maximal rate of fat burning. Most commercial exercise machines offer a fat-burning zone option, depending upon age, sex and heart rate, said lead study author Hannah Kittrell. She is a PhD candidate at Icahn Mount Sinai in the Augmented Intelligence in Medicine and Science laboratory, in New York City.

However, the typically recommended fat-burning zone has not been validated, thus individuals may be exercising at intensities that are not aligned with their personalized weight-loss goals, Kittrell said in a Mount Sinai news release.

The researchers noted that the term FATmax is sometimes used to represent the exercise intensity and associated heart rate at the time when the body reaches its highest fat-burning rate during aerobic exercise. Fat is a significant fuel source at this point.

For the study, the investigators compared heart rate at FATmax, as measured during a clinical exercise test, to the predicted heart rate at percentages of maximal effort within the typically recommended fat-burning zone.

Working with a sample of 26 people, the team found there was poor agreement between measured and predicted heart rate. The mean difference was 23 beats per minute between the two measures. This suggests that general recommendations for a fat-burning zone may not be accurate.

The findings were published online recently in the journal Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases.

The researchers now plan to study whether people who receive a more personalized exercise prescription have more weight loss and fat loss, as well as whether they improve in health risk areas such as type 2 diabetes, obesity and heart disease.

We hope that this work will inspire more individuals and trainers to utilize clinical exercise testing to prescribe personalized exercise routines tailored to fat loss. It also emphasizes the role that data-driven approaches can have toward precision exercise, said senior study author Dr. Girish Nadkarni, a professor of medicine at Icahn Mount Sinai and director of The Charles Bronfman Institute for Personalized Medicine.

More information

Here's more on what types of exercises can help you lose weight.

SOURCE: Mount Sinai Health System, news release, Aug. 10, 2023
Meant as a sly swipe at the inflated hype around artificial intelligence, a billboard at a construction site in Antwerp, Belgium, in June read Hey ChatGPT, finish this building.

Artificial intelligence, the technology that powers chatbots like ChatGPT, wont be assembling apartments or erecting stadiums any time soon, but in construction  an industry stereotypically known for clipboards and Excel spreadsheets  the rapid embrace of the technology may change how quickly projects are finished.

Drones, cameras, mobile apps and even some robots are increasingly mapping real-time progress on sprawling job sites, giving builders and contractors the ability to track and improve a projects performance.

Forget about robots building a skyscraper, said James Swanston, chief executive of Voyage Control, which makes project management software for construction sites. Its a more fundamental thing, getting the data you need and then using it better.
CBS News has named Wendy McMahon as its next chief executive, overseeing the news division, its network of stations and its TV syndication arm.

Ms. McMahon was previously president of CBS News and its stations, splitting duties with Neeraj Khemlani, who also held that title. Mr. Khemlani stepped down on Sunday, striking a multiyear deal to develop content for the company.

George Cheeks, the chief executive of CBS, said in a note to employees on Monday that Ms. McMahons appointment was part of a broader reorganization of the divisions national and local news businesses.

I firmly believe that Wendy is the ideal leader for these groups at this critical juncture, Mr. Cheeks wrote.
Joan Meyer, who spent nearly 60 years as a reporter, columnist, editor and associate publisher at The Marion County Record in Kansas, died on Saturday at her home, a day after the police searched the newspapers offices. She was 98.

Her son, Eric Meyer, the newspapers publisher, confirmed the death. He said that the cause had not been determined, but that the coroner had concluded that the stress of the searches  at her home, which she shared with him, as well as at the papers offices  was a contributing factor.

The raids came after a local businesswoman accused the newspaper of illegally acquiring a letter from the local government explaining how she could reinstate her drivers license after it had been suspended following a citation for drunken driving in 2008.

The newspaper, which said it had received the document from an anonymous source, verified the information, but Mr. Meyer decided not to publish an article about it. Nevertheless, on Friday morning a judge issued a warrant permitting the police to search the Meyer residence and the newspapers offices for evidence of identity theft and the illegal use of a computer.
The state of Montana has a constitutional obligation to protect its residents from climate change.

That was the stunning ruling from a judge who delivered a landmark decision on Monday. It compels Montana, a major coal and gas producing state, to consider climate change when deciding whether to approve or renew fossil fuel projects.

The state Constitution guarantees residents the right to a clean and healthful environment. In a lawsuit, Held v. Montana, 16 young people argued that the government had violated that right by enabling rampant development of fossil fuels, contributing to climate change and polluting the state.

The case went to trial in June, with the plaintiffs and their expert witnesses making a meticulous case that the states liberal permitting of oil, gas and coal projects, and its lax environmental oversight, were harming its residents.

The young plaintiffs testified about extreme weather events that threaten their families and their health. They also spoke of the anguish they felt as they considered a future dimmed by environmental collapse.
Kevin Foehrkolb was tending bar on a routine Saturday night last September at Kent House Irish Pub in Towson, Md., when he heard a commotion from the corner booth where a group of regular customers were playing the card game Magic: The Gathering.

They were the type to drink beer, not get rowdy or do shots, he said.

When he ran over, he saw that one mans face had turned yellow and his eyes had rolled back in his head. He was overdosing.

From behind the bar, Mr. Foehrkolb grabbed a dose of Narcan  a nasal-spray version of naloxone, a drug that reverses opioid overdose  that had recently been provided to the bar by the nonprofit Love in the Trenches. He tilted the mans head back and pushed the plunger to release the dose. The customer woke up and was taken to the hospital. Mr. Foehrkolb, still jarred from the experience, returned to his shift.

I thought it would be something that happens at the club next door, he said. Not so much at a quiet place where people are just playing games in a corner, casually drinking.
Headliner

Nar

Highlighting one whitewashed, reclaimed wood wall of this new Turkish restaurant is an impressionistic painting by Lia Ali of Rumi, the mystic poet and scholar who lived and is buried in the city of Konya. The fervid scene, also reflected in mirrors across the room, contrasts the light turquoise banquettes that calmly suggest the Aegean coast. The menu covers more of Turkey, emphasizing familiar fare like mezze, dolma, imam bayaldi, sausages, bastirma, kebabs and braised lamb shank. There are also less typical skewered quail, bone marrow and grilled tiger prawns. Its the work of the restaurateur Andy Arkun, who co-owned Anatolia Restaurant; Erhan Bahceci, who co-owns a few locations of Amish Market; and Zeynep Tansug, an expert on Turkish ingredients. They created and oversee the menu, and have brought along two chefs from Turkey, Gozde Boran and Semih Tasdemir to execute their vision. There are a number of Turkish wines on the list (most made with French vinifera), and some cocktails that involve ingredients like raki and Turkish tea. The food is halal-certified, and the name means pomegranate

34 East 20th Street, 917-388-3195, narrestaurant.nyc.

Opening

Pusu

The Chinese name means something along the lines of simple and unadorned. Its the approach taken by this new vegetarian restaurant in a minimalist setting. The executive chef, Owen Liu, whose experience is mostly in hotel kitchens in Xian, China, summons Shanghainese, Cantonese and Northwestern Chinese influences for his diverse menu. Specialties include tricolor cold noodles, sweet and sour beyond pork, spinach stack with mustard oil, mapo tofu pumpkin stew and, as a bar snack, deep-fried mushrooms with salt and pepper.

318 Bedford Avenue (South First Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 347-889-5555, pusuvegetarian.com.

The Tipsy Baker

There are two sides to Pain dAvignons latest project. By day, its a bakery done in traditional boulangerie style with the companys usual loaves, rolls, sandwiches and such. In the evening it morphs into a Mediterranean restaurant, serving wine and dishes like roasted peppers in raspberry vinegar, seared shrimp with romesco sauce, seared cobia with braised runner beans, and crispy pork belly with piquillo peppers and fennel. Its spacious enough to accommodate both cafe and restaurant, with a full bar.

30 Rockefeller Plaza, Rink Level (50th Street), 646-449-0954, cafedavignon.com.

Short Stories

What was originally a bar has been upgraded to restaurant by the chef Raphael Khutorsky and his partners Jeckson Leonardo, Ilan Khutorsky and Thatcher Schultz. The decor has been dressed up with leather, marble and mirrors, and the menu now includes cavatelli with lobster, porchetta for two and Basque cheesecake.
Donnell Drinks woke up one morning to banging on his door in the projects of North Philadelphia. It was the late 1980s, and Mr. Drinks, who was 15 and the oldest of three boys, had nodded off after taking his youngest brother to school. He should have been at school himself, but he had stopped going earlier that year. It wasnt a truant officer at his door, though  no one had ever come knocking about that. Instead, sheriffs deputies were waiting outside. They were there to evict his family.

The officers told him to get out, not bothering to ask if there was an adult around, which there wasnt. Mr. Drinkss dad had abandoned the family a decade earlier, and his mom was in the throes of crack cocaine addiction. For years, Mr. Drinks had been raising his younger brothers, and he had just become a father himself. Hed dropped out of school to support his family by selling drugs, a transition that felt so natural he hardly remembered how it happened.

Groggy and panicked, Mr. Drinks scanned the apartment for essentials, stuffed a shopping cart with clothes for his brothers and wheeled the cart up the road to his grandmothers overcrowded rowhouse. The officers never asked where he was going.

There was not one adult that said, Hold a minute. We need to call somebody, Mr. Drinks said. Not one adult said, Thats a child.
The plea brings the prosecution of Mr. McGonigal in New York to a relatively speedy conclusion after fewer than seven months. He had been arrested by F.B.I. agents in January at John F. Kennedy Airport upon his return from an overseas business trip.

Mr. McGonigal still faces a second indictment brought by federal prosecutors in Washington on charges that accuse him of concealing his acceptance of $225,000 from a businessman and of hiding dealings in Eastern Europe while working for the bureau. Mr. McGonigal has pleaded not guilty to those charges but is in talks to resolve them; his lawyer, Seth D. DuCharme, told the judge overseeing the Washington case that he expected to provide an update on the talks after Labor Day.

Although Mr. McGonigal was privy to highly classified information, a three-year investigation found no evidence that he had passed secrets to foreign adversaries, according to people with knowledge of the case who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing matter. The F.B.I. concluded that Mr. McGonigals misconduct was limited to corruption, the people said.

Mr. Deripaska, who has been called Putins oligarch because of his close relationship with the Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin, is among the best known of the businessmen who became rich as Russian state resources were doled out to friends of the Kremlin after the fall of the Soviet Union. Mr. Deripaska and others were also accused last year by federal prosecutors in New York of violating U.S. sanctions through real-estate deals and other actions, including trying to arrange for the oligarchs girlfriend to give birth to their two children in the United States. Mr. Deripaska, a Russian citizen, is unlikely to be extradited to face the charges in the near future.

The prosecutors in Mr. McGonigals New York case have said that before the U.S. government expanded sanctions in 2018, following Russias interference in the 2016 American presidential election, Mr. McGonigal had reviewed a preliminary sanctions list with Mr. Deripaskas name on it. Around the same time, they suggested, Mr. McGonigal was seeking a connection with Mr. Deripaska by arranging a New York Police Department internship for the daughter of one of the oligarchs aides. (A senior police official has said it was actually a V.I.P.-type tour.)
Armed with only a scalpel, a clamp and a metal probe, Philip L. Sherman would routinely carry out his surgical mission in about 15 seconds, leave in as little as 10 minutes and hotfoot it to his car, which was probably parked illegally but perhaps spared a ticket by the inspired placard on his windshield: Mazel Tov! Bris in progress. Please dont ticket.

Mr. Sherman, whose website (as well as his vanity license plate) was emoil.com, claimed to have performed some 26,000 ritual circumcisions, mostly in the New York metropolitan area, during his 45-year career. He was trained in the Jewish religious practice of brit milah  a profession generally spelled mohel in English and pronounced moil.

His record, he said, was 11 in a single day, including two pairs of twins  a considerable scheduling feat, considering that the ritual is to be performed on the eighth day of the babys life and during daylight.

Mr. Sherman also performed ritual circumcisions on Muslim and Christian infant boys, as well as the son of a man he had circumcised as an infant and the grandsons of two Israeli prime ministers, and in all kinds of places, including Hong Kong, the Cayman Islands and a bar on Third Avenue (for a family who lived upstairs).
In New York City, debates over affordability often center on the proliferation of opulent high-rise developments. But in the boroughs, deep-pocketed investors are buying up hundreds of smaller buildings, prompting a new set of concerns in the citys deepening housing crisis.

Over the past few years, private equity firms have quietly spent hundreds of millions of dollars buying apartments in neighborhoods like Bushwick, Bedford-Stuyvesant and Williamsburg in Brooklyn and Ridgewood in Queens, property records show.

Private equity firms  which typically invest money on behalf of pension funds, endowments or other large sources of wealth  focus on assets, like businesses or housing, that they can buy relatively cheaply but that have big profit potential. Their expansion into the housing market across the nation has prompted scrutiny in Congress about whether the trend is amplifying Americas affordability problems.

In New York, the smaller buildings they zero in on, typically owned by families or local investors, have become attractive to bigger buyers because they have unique features: Rents are typically not regulated, and property taxes are often capped, limiting an owners costs.
In early 2020, a judge approved a wiretap in a drug trafficking case in Buffalo. That gave police and prosecutors the right to listen to private phone calls and track cellphone locations.

An assistant Erie County district attorney then altered the documents that formed the basis for the judges approval of the warrant, but the prosecutor never went back to the judge to show him those changes.

That attorney subsequently told federal prosecutors not to use any evidence or make any arrests based on what information was developed with the warrant.

The prosecutor faced no discipline for his action.

And earlier this year, he was named ethics officer for the Erie County District Attorneys Office.

The state court systems Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics has said the allegations against Paul J. Williams III, if true, call into question his fitness as a lawyer.

The ADAs admitted misconduct here raises serious concerns about their honesty and trustworthiness, their sensitivity to the constitutional rights of the target(s) of the searches and their respect for the role of the judiciary in reviewing and approving such applications, the panel wrote.

The opinion does not identify any party by name, but Williams said in a letter to federal prosecutors that he was the attorney in question.

Erie County Judge Kenneth Case, who signed the wiretap and ping order, reported the matter to the state courts Attorney Grievance Committee, according to several law enforcement sources. The committee investigates complaints against attorneys.

What Williams changed in the affidavits to the court after getting the judges approval remains an open question. Its also unclear what effect the change had, if any, on the investigation and any subsequent arrests and charges.

Two-and-a-half years after altering the documents, Williams, in a letter to federal prosecutors, describes potential issues regarding paperwork. In the letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Buffalo News, he wrote that he doesnt remember what was changed.

District Attorney John J. Flynn said that while what the attorney did was wrong, to him, it didnt amount to a substantive change in what police could access in their investigation.

Flynn said he believes the changes did not expand the scope of the warrant.

Absolutely not, he said.

But Joseph J. Terranova, defense attorney for one of the 14 defendants in the ongoing federal case, described Williams choice of words in his letter  phrases like I have a recollection and I mistakenly forgot  as disturbing.

This is shockingly unprofessional, and he mitigates his unethical conduct with these phrases. I hope the Grievance Committee sees this for what it is, Terranova said. I am surprised that he has not been disciplined or sanctioned by his office for this.

Wiretap obtained near start of investigation

In late 2019, the Erie County Sheriffs Office, Drug Enforcement Administration and the District Attorneys Office started the investigation in which the wiretap was eventually obtained, according to law enforcement sources.

Williams, who began working as a county prosecutor in 1995, was the district attorneys narcotics bureau chief at the time.

The first wiretap was signed in January 2020, according to a law enforcement source.

It was right after that initial judicial approval of the wiretap that the changes to the supporting documentation were made, according to Flynn.

The first defendants in the case were charged federally in April 2021. An indictment of two men was unsealed that October. Since then, 12 others have been accused in an alleged narcotics conspiracy involving the sale of cocaine, heroin and fentanyl at several locations in Buffalo.

Flynn said he only learned about the issue involving Williams approximately a couple of months before Williams letter to federal prosecutors in June 2022.

Williams, who had become the offices chief of appeals in September 2021, initially alerted First Deputy District Attorney Michael J. Keane, Flynn said.

I have a recollection

Flynn said Williams first informed federal prosecutors about what he did during a face-to-face meeting with them.

Flynn said he then told Williams to put it in writing, which he did in a letter to federal prosecutors dated June 16, 2022.

In the letter, Williams said he made changes to at least one affidavit, and possibly two. The affidavits in question were his and that of a DEA task force officer.

I mistakenly forgot to bring the paperwork back to the Judge for his approval, he wrote.

I have a recollection that I added a file number to both affidavits. Additionally, I have a recollection that I looked at a sentence in one or both of the affidavits and made changes, he wrote. I also have a recollection that I may have corrected a misspelled word or a few misspelled words. I no longer remember the word or words, or the sentence or sentences in question.

In his letter, Williams urged federal prosecutors to avoid using evidence obtained through the warrant or make any arrests based on it.

Extent of changes unclear

After Williams got the wiretap signed, he took out the original pages in the affidavits and replaced them with edited versions, according to the Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics opinion.

The judge notes that the ADA kept the original signature pages of the affidavits and only replaced the edited pages,  the panel said in a decision reached in September.

The judge did not keep a copy of the original signed document.

The extent of the changes to the warrant application was unclear, according to the panel.

The ADAs seeming effort to downplay the seriousness of the secret alterations is belied by their urging the federal prosecutors not use or rely on any evidence obtained through the wiretap and ping orders, whether to make arrests or otherwise, the panel wrote.

I take his word for it

Flynn said Williams told him the only changes made to the warrant  which was the first wiretap Williams had sought in his career  were spelling and grammatical fixes.

How does Flynn know what Williams changed?

He said he asked him.

I take his word for it, Flynn said.

As part of its review of the matter, no supervisor in the DAs Office examined Williams computer, Flynn said.

Williams contacted a member of the departments IT staff on his own and went through the computer, but they could not recover past versions of the document, Flynn said.

As for an explanation about why it happened, Williams simply just forgot to go back down and have [the judge] re-sign it, he said.

Flynn objected to the ethics panels description of Williams actions as secretly altering the supporting materials.

Flynn said Williams admission of his own conduct speaks to his character.

After the initial changes, Williams obtained extensions of the wiretap and ping order from the judge, Flynn said. Williams also had the judge subsequently sign off on other changes.

Flynn said he is not sure what happened to make Williams come forward when he did.

Attorney Terrence M. Connors has been asked to represent Williams in the proceeding before the grievance committee.

We are cooperating with the grievance committee and our research concludes that Mr. Williams followed all of the rules of professional responsibility, Connors said.

Defense attorney James Quinn Auricchio, who represents one of the defendants in the drug trafficking case, said this matter could be a problem for federal prosecutors and could be a serious ethical issue for Williams.

I have known Paul for a long time. Hes got a lot of professional integrity and a lot of respect for the law, so I have every reason to believe his account, but the fact remains that the warrant that the agents relied upon and executed was not the warrant the judge signed, Auricchio said. It might not matter if the discrepancies are meaningful. I could see a court throwing out the evidence to make it clear that modifying a courts order, in any way, is not consistent with due process and the Fourth Amendment.

The role of ethics officer for the DAs Office is to review and research when any potential ethics issue comes up in the office, Flynn said. That person also serves as a liaison to the ethics subcommittee of the state District Attorneys Association.

Flynn said he had no concerns about naming Williams to that post, noting that such work has typically always fallen to the appeals bureau chief.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of New York declined to comment for this story.
A majority of Ohio voters support the right to an abortion. The Ohio Legislature  gerrymandered into a seemingly perpetual Republican majority  does not. In many states, this would be the end of the story, but in Ohio, voters have the power to act directly on the state Constitution at the ballot box. With a simple majority, they can protect abortion rights from a legislature that has no interest in honoring the views of most Ohioans on this particular issue.

Eager to pursue their unpopular agenda  and uninterested in trying to persuade Ohio voters of the wisdom of their views  Republican lawmakers tried to change the rules. Last week, in what its Republican sponsors hoped would be a low-turnout election, Ohioans voted on a ballot initiative that would have raised the threshold for change to the state Constitution from a simple majority to a supermajority. They defeated the measure, clearing the path for a November vote on the future of abortion rights in the state.

In his opinion for the court in Dobbs, Justice Samuel Alito cast the decision to overturn Roe and Casey as a victory for democracy. It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the peoples elected representatives, he wrote. Reproductive rights, he continued, quoting Justice Antonin Scalias 1992 dissent in Casey, are to be resolved like most important questions in our democracy: by citizens trying to persuade one another and then voting.

Citizens can persuade one another, and they can vote. But our political system is not designed to turn the aggregate preferences of a majority into direct political power. (If that were true, neither Alito nor his Republican colleagues, save for Clarence Thomas, would be on the Supreme Court.) More important, Alitos vision of voting and representation works only if that legislative majority, whomever it represents, is interested in fair play.

But as the Ohio example illustrates, the assault on bodily autonomy often includes, even rests on, an assault on other rights and privileges. In Idaho, to give another example, the No Public Funds for Abortion Act, which passed before Dobbs was decided, would punish state employees with the termination of employment, require restitution of public funds and possible prison time for counseling in favor of an abortion or referring someone to an abortion clinic. Other legislatures, such as those in Texas and South Carolina, have pushed similar restrictions on speech in pursuit of near-total abortion bans in their states.
Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin are both 70 years old, which offers a ray of hope for those worried about their aggressive efforts to remake the world order. The next decade or two will most likely bring leadership changes in China and Russia that could play a role in resetting their relationships with the West.

But for the foreseeable future, the United States and its allies will face a dire threat: An axis of aging and nuclear-armed leaders who are running out of time to achieve their grandiose ambitions. As Mr. Putins misadventure in Ukraine has made clear, autocratic leaders dont always peacefully fade away.

Aging dictators have less time to reshape the world  and more memories of being obeyed at home and dissed abroad for their conduct. They become increasingly repressive and aggressive as power goes to their heads. Surrounded by sycophants, they make disastrous decisions again and again. They start pondering their legacies and wondering why they havent received the global respect they think they deserve or achieved the glory that would etch their names among historys greats. They may decide that they dont want to go down as a merely transitional figure. Its a combustible combination: an autocrat who is overconfident and aggrieved and in a hurry.

In his first few years in power in China, Mao Zedong envisioned that his plans to overtake the capitalist powers could take 50 to 75 years. But as he entered his mid-60s, he progressively shortened that timetable and in 1958 began the Great Leap Forward, a misguided scheme to quickly transform China into an industrial giant. At least 45 million people died of starvation or other causes as agriculture was neglected in the frenzy to meet his targets. Partly to rally the nation behind the campaign, he instigated an international crisis by shelling islands held by the Chinese Nationalist government on Taiwan. From 1966 to 1976, the aging Maos last-ditch effort to safeguard his rule and legacy resulted in the chaos of the Cultural Revolution.
The best way to think about Georgias sprawling indictment against Donald Trump and his allies is that it is a case about lies. Its about lying, conspiring to lie and attempting to coax, coerce and cajole others into lying. Whereas the attorney general of Michigan just brought a case narrowly focused on the alleged fake electors in her state (Trump is not a defendant in that one), and the special counsel Jack Smith brought an indictment narrowly focused on Trumps efforts to overturn the 2020 election, the Fulton County district attorney, Fani Willis, has brought a case about the entire conspiracy, from start to finish, and targeted each person subject to her jurisdiction for each crime committed in her jurisdiction.

In other words, this indictment is ambitious. But it also answers two related questions: Why bring yet another case against Trump in yet another jurisdiction? Isnt he going to face a federal trial in Washington, D.C., for the same acts outlined in the Georgia indictment?

The answers lie in the distinctions between state and federal law. Georgia law is in many ways both broader and more focused than the federal statutes at issue in Smiths case against Trump. The breadth is evident from the racketeering charges. As Norm Eisen and Amy Lee Copeland wrote in The Times, Georgias racketeering statute allows prosecutors to charge, among other crimes, a number of false statement statutes as part of a generalized criminal scheme. In other words, rather than seeing each actionable lie as its own discrete criminal act, those lies can be aggregated into part of a larger whole: an alleged racketeering enterprise designed to alter the results of the Georgia presidential election.

Yet its the focus of Georgia law thats truly dangerous to Trump. The beating heart of the case is the 22 counts focused on false statements, false documents and forgery, with a particular emphasis on a key statute: Georgia Code Section 16-10-20, which prohibits false statements and writings on matters within jurisdiction of state or political subdivisions. The statute is a state analogue to a federal law, 18 U.S.C. Section 1001, which also prohibits false statements to federal officials on matters within their jurisdiction, but the Georgia statute is even broader.
Lebanon and Israel have two big features in common: They are really small in geography and incredibly diverse in population  religiously diverse, ethnically diverse, politically diverse, linguistically diverse, educationally diverse.

When your democracy is really, really small and really, really diverse, theres only one way to maintain stability: All the diverse actors must respect the principle of live and let live. Or, as the Lebanese described it each time some faction there breached that principle, plunged the country into civil war and then had to re-establish balance among sects, no victor, no vanquished. All have to abide by certain limits on their reach.

Over the last two decades, though, Lebanons pro-Iranian Shiite militia, Hezbollah, whose name means the party of God, trashed that principle. It used its superiority in arms and war fighters, and the backing of Iran, to impose its authority on all the other Lebanese parties and sects. Instead of no victor, no vanquished, Hezbollah imposed the principle often associated with African dictators  its our turn to eat, meaning democracy be damned, its our turn to get more than our fair share of state resources, operating unchecked by any independent authority (such as a judicial system).

For all the many differences between Lebanon and Israel, Netanyahus coalition is its own Party of God, and it decided that this was its turn to eat, even though it won last Novembers election by a mere 30,000 votes out of 4.7 million cast. So it broke the live and let live principle and immediately began transferring unprecedented amounts of new money to ultra-Orthodox religious schools  without requiring them to teach math, science, English or democratic civics  and appointing ministers with criminal records and pouring government resources into expanding Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank in order to unwind the Oslo peace process. This was all done while trying to neuter the Supreme Courts ability to stop any of it.

This sort of resource/power grab is unprecedented in Israeli politics, and it is all the more galling when you consider that it is being done, in part, by ultra-Orthodox parties whose members pay the least amount of taxes and serve the least in the military.
To the Editor:

Re Trump Indictment, Part IV: A Spectacle That Has Become Surreally Routine, by Peter Baker (news analysis, nytimes.com, Aug. 15):

The grand jurys RICO indictment is historic because it rightly accuses the former president and his co-conspirators of a gang-like assault on democracy. It is significant too because it recognizes the courageous refusal of state officeholders, mostly Republican, to violate the law.

Just as important, though, is that this is all happening in Georgia  a state with a storied history about the right to vote, where Donald Trump and Rudolph Giuliani falsely accused honest, patriotic Black women poll workers of manipulating ballots, and where a brave, smart Black female district attorney is standing up for the rule of law.

This is not the first or only time that Americans owe a huge debt of gratitude to our Black women compatriots.

Jan H. Kalicki

Alexandria, Va.

The writer is a public policy fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center.

To the Editor:

Like many who are concerned about the rule of law and equal treatment under the law, I was delighted to see former President Donald Trump and 18 others indicted by a Georgia grand jury. This is a sweeping indictment, accusing Mr. Trump of being the head of a criminal enterprise to overturn the election.
If you asked people in 1981 what they imagined when they heard the word Madonna, nearly everyone would have answered the Virgin Mary or another idealized woman cloaked in modesty  submissive, gentle, embracing, calm. If you asked the same question a decade later, the answer would have been radically different.

By then, the world had discovered a new Madonna, a corset-wearing, ballsy provocateur from Michigan. That Madonna said what she wanted, did what she pleased and dared others to do so, too. That Madonna was a showgirl and most definitely not a virgin.

Madonna turns 65 this week. During her 40 years in the spotlight, she has been loved and loathed in equal measure. It is safe to say no other artist of her renown stirs such passionate debate. At the heart of it lies a basic misconception as to who she is. Though she is most often described as such, Madonna is not merely a blinding blue star in a vast celebrity galaxy. She has accomplished what few artists  and even fewer female artists  have done: She has changed the world. Though you wouldnt know that from her press coverage.
When the Fulton County, Ga., district attorney, Fani Willis, filed criminal charges against Donald Trump and over a dozen of his allies for their attempt to overturn Georgias 2020 presidential election results, she did something ingenious.

In contrast to the special counsel Jack Smiths latest laser-focused federal indictment of Mr. Trump, Ms. Willis charges a wide range of conspirators, from people in the Oval Office to low-level Georgia G.O.P. functionaries, and is the first to plumb the full depths, through a state-focused bathyscaph, of the conspiracy.

Her case also provides other important complements to the federal matter: Unlike Mr. Smiths case, which will almost certainly not be broadcast because of federal standards, hers will almost certainly be televised, and should Mr. Trump or another Republican win the White House, Ms. Williss case cannot be immediately pardoned away. It offers transparency and accountability insurance. As she said in her news conference on Monday night, The states role in this process is essential to the functioning of our democracy.

But the indictment stands out, above all, because Georgia offers uniquely compelling evidence of election interference  and a set of state criminal statutes tailor-made for the sprawling, loosely organized wrongdoing that Mr. Trump and his co-conspirators are accused of engaging in. It is a reminder of the genius of American federalism: When our democracy is threatened, states have an indispensable part to play in protecting it.
With her sweeping indictment of former President Donald Trump and over a dozen co-conspirators, the Fulton County, Ga., district attorney, Fani Willis, is now set to prosecute her case in a court of law. Just as important, it is essential that she and others continue to explain to the American public why the decision serves a critical purpose beyond the courts and for the health of our constitutional order.

The indictment should be situated in the broader arc of American political development, particularly in the South. That history justifies using the criminal justice system to protect the democratic process in Georgia  a critical swing state  for elections now and in the future.

We have the benefit of hindsight to heed the great lesson of the Reconstruction era and the period of redemption that followed: When authoritarians attack democracy and lawbreakers are allowed to walk away from those attacks with impunity, they will try again, believing there are no repercussions.

We should not make those mistakes again.

The period after the American Civil War entrenched many of Americas political ills. Ex-Confederates were welcomed back into the body politic without meaningful penance. There were vanishingly few arrests, trials and lengthy punishments. Suffering minimal political disabilities, they could muster enough power to redeem Southern governments from biracial coalitions that had considerable sway to remake the South.
The researchers also found a spot in the brains temporal lobe that reacted when volunteers heard the 16th notes of the songs guitar groove. They proposed that this particular area might be involved in our perception of rhythm.

The findings offer a first step toward creating more expressive devices to assist people who cant speak. Over the past few years, scientists have made major breakthroughs in extracting words from the electrical signals produced by the brains of people with muscle paralysis when they attempt to speak.

But a significant amount of the information conveyed through speech comes from what linguists call prosodic elements, like tone  the things that make us a lively speaker and not a robot, Dr. Schalk said.

By better understanding how the brain metabolizes music, scientists hope to build new speech prosthetics for people with neurological diseases affecting their vocal production. The aim is for these devices to relay not only what someone is trying to say, but retain some of the musicality, rhythm and emotion of the organic speech.

To collect the data for the study, the researchers recorded from the brains of 29 epilepsy patients at Albany Medical Center in New York State from 2009 to 2015.
Why It Matters: Recurring doubts about blockbuster physics claims.

A superconductor is a material that effortlessly carries electrical current. If such a substance works at everyday temperatures, it could find use in power transmission lines, magnetic resonance imaging machines and almost any device that uses electricity. Current superconductors have to be cooled to temperatures that limit their usefulness.

In the past few weeks, euphoria over LK-99, a different material that scientists in South Korea say is a room-temperature superconductor, swept over social media, although much of that excitement has since calmed after other scientists were unable to confirm the superconductivity observations and came up with plausible alternative explanations.

However, the fundamental laws of physics do not prohibit the possibility of a room-temperature superconductor, and the search for such materials will continue.

Background: Another unverified room-temperature superconductor.

In March in a paper published in the journal Nature, Dr. Dias and his collaborators said they had discovered a material that superconducted at temperatures up to 70 degrees Fahrenheit, although it required squeezing to a pressure of 145,000 pounds per square inch.

Many other scientists greeted the announcement with skepticism because an earlier Nature paper by Dr. Dias describing a different and less practical superconducting material had already been retracted.

Questions had also been raised about the now-retracted Physical Review Letters paper. James Hamlin, a professor of physics at the University of Florida, told the journals editors that the curves in one of the papers figures describing electrical resistance in the chemical compound manganese sulfide looked similar to ones in Dr. Diass doctoral thesis that described the behavior of a different material.

The journal recruited outside experts who produced three independent reports to review the figure and the underlying data. The findings back up the allegations of data fabrication/falsification convincingly, the journals editors wrote in an email to the authors of the paper on July 10.

The latest response from Dr. Dias is both inadequate and disappointing, said one of the reviewers, who asked to remain anonymous because the reviewers have not been publicly identified.

The reviewer said that in the months of back and forth between the authors of the paper, Dr. Hamlin and the editors of Physical Review Letters that had been shared with the reviewers, there was no mention of Adobe Illustrator or what Dr. Dias said was a better graph that was generated by his lab in December 2019.

Both the University of Rochester and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas should conduct open, transparent investigations into what appears to be potential malfeasance, the reviewer said.

Dr. Salamat and Keith V. Lawler, a research professor at UNLV and another key author of the manganese sulfide paper, did not respond to requests for comment.

Whats Next: An investigation and a response.

The University of Rochester has a comprehensive investigation underway into the questions raised about the integrity of all data at issue in this and other studies, a university spokeswoman said in an email.

The university had previously conducted two preliminary inquiries into Dr. Diass research and decided the concerns did not warrant further scrutiny. This time, the university decided to start an investigation, the next step mandated by its policy on research misconduct.

The university does not plan to make public the findings of the investigation, the spokeswoman said.

On Tuesday, Dr. Hamlin said he was pleased that the journal had taken his concerns seriously. He said there were two additional instances of apparent data duplication in Dr. Diass work that he hoped would also be reviewed. One involves a paper in the journal Scientific Reports; the other is what Dr. Hamlin describes as a duplication of data in Dr. Diass thesis.
A New York State report says the risks of using facial recognition technology in schools may outweigh the benefits.

Jim Schultz, a Lockport parent who raised the alarm when he learned the school district was going to use the technology, takes it a step farther.

Youd have to have a hole in your head to think this is a good idea, he told The Buffalo News.

The Lockport City School District turned off its controversial facial recognition program at the end of 2020, when a law prohibiting the technology went into effect.

Assemblywoman Monica Wallace, D-Lancaster, sponsored the law that banned biometric identifying technology in schools until the state prepared a report on the technology and the issues connected with it.

That report was released last week. State Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa is expected to determine in the next few weeks whether to allow the purchase of biometric identifying technology in public schools.

The technology is defined as any tool using an automated or semi-automated process that assists in verifying a persons identity based on a persons biometric information.

That can include fingerprints, retina and iris patterns, voiceprints, DNA sequence, facial characteristics and handwriting.

I feel like the report validated a lot of the concerns I had raised, Wallace said, listing privacy, civil rights, false positives and cybersecurity among her concerns.

The report, by the state Office of Information Technology Services, said the office acknowledges that the risks of the use of FRT (facial recognition technology) in an educational setting may outweigh the benefits.

Risks are likely lower for administrative uses of the technology, and there likely are fewer risks of digital fingerprinting, according to the report.

Given the potentially higher rate of false positives for people of color, non-binary and transgender people, women, the elderly, and children, the use of FRT in schools for security purposes may implicate civil rights laws, according to the report.

There is the potential for enormous invasion of privacy, said Beth Haroules, an attorney with the New York Civil Liberties Union who challenged Lockports program on behalf of several parents.

The language in the report certainly suggests this technology has no place in a school setting and should not be deployed, Haroules said.

If authorized, schools may need to exercise caution with the use of FRT to ensure that vulnerable populations are not disproportionately impacted, the report said.

The Civil Liberties Union took the state Education Department to court in 2020 on behalf of Schultz and three other parents who opposed the system. A State Supreme Court judge ruled in September 2021 that the lawsuit was moot, because state law prohibited the technology.

Lockports system, which included 300 cameras in 10 district buildings, was turned on Jan. 2, 2020, but it was switched off when then-Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed the law Dec. 22, 2020, making facial recognition technology illegal in schools pending the state study.

This to me was just malpractice in terms of the lack of any serious analysis before the expenditure of money, Schultz said of Lockport deploying the system.

Lockport Central Schools Superintendent Mathis Calvin III said the district is reviewing the new report.

At this time, we have no plans to move forward with utilizing biometric identifying technology in our schools, Calvin said.

The state Education Department said in a statement that the state education commissioner will consider the report and its recommendations in determining whether to authorize the purchase or utilization of biometric identifying technology in public schools.
During a recent visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Robyn Schiff pointed to the mezzanine in the grand entrance. The balcony hovers right over the information desk where Ms. Schiff, a noted poet and English professor, worked from 1995 to 2000, greeting and directing museum visitors. My boss would stand up there and look down to make sure we were smiling, Ms. Schiff said.

On Tuesday, Ms. Schiff published her fourth book of poetry, Information Desk: An Epic, about her five years at the museum, off and on. Its a searing yet reverent book-length poem, containing as many jokes as it does social critiques, odes to forgeries and furious passages about goatish colleagues.

Ms. Schiffs work has often referred to her time at the museum, starting in 2002 with her first book, Worth, and its passages about Cartier and the Tiffany Studios, which had exhibitions at the museum during her time there, in 1997 and 1998. Her last book, A Woman of Property, includes the poem Lion Felling a Bull, about a marble fragment from the Met. More recently, the poet wanted to turn her attention to grand institutional power. Where better than the Met?

For Ms. Schiff, who grew up in New Jersey, the Met has always been my sacred place. After graduating from Sarah Lawrence in 1995, she moved to New York City with ambitions to write and work in publishing. She started temping, and in between each gig she would spend her days at the museum. One day, she saw an advertisement that the Met was hiring guards. She applied, interviewed and didnt get the job. But her interviewer gave her a binder of other open positions, and soon she started at the information desk.
To live in a war and be a refugee is a lifelong education, Schumann said of a childhood in which he experienced bombings in Germanys Silesia region, which is now part of Poland. Theres no equivalent to it in the U.S.

The printing press posters, chapbooks and calendars he designs drive his messages home and come from an uncompromising faith in Cheap Art. His manifesto about it states the importance of its unimportance  cheap, lightweight, undermining the sanctity of affluence and in opposition to the money-hungry business of art. For decades, his wife, Elka Schumann, who died in 2021, on a Sunday in August, oversaw the printing press that turns out countless pieces, all drawn with his bold and expressionistic hand and celebrating life while questioning abuses of power. (One poster of an iris reads Resistance to the Empire; a chapbook on courage urges Dig through the dirt.)

But for all the questions firing like flares at society, with Schumanns humor and pathos, there is one  far more insular in focus  on the minds of those around him: What will happen to his company when he is gone?

Its been an ongoing conversation for 15 years, and were still figuring it out, said his son Max Schumann, 59, an artist and the departing executive director of Printed Matter, a nonprofit based in New York City that sells artists books.
On a scorching June day on the Amalfi Coast of Italy, Chloe Madison and her boyfriend, Colin Pinello, stopped to have lunch in Positano, a glamorous town overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

With their refreshing caprese pasta plates and Aperol spritzes, they had one thought on their minds: ice water. But they knew that asking for it would be too American. While the Europeans around them seemed unfazed by the temperatures, she said, they felt parched.

Water was something we consistently had to request, she said, and when they asked for ice it was just a few cubes.
For humans who like to enjoy the outdoors with their canine pals, planning a park visit has gotten easier in recent years thanks to a host of online resources, as well as expanded programs courtesy of the Park Service.

Heres what you need to know about bringing your pup to the parks.

Yes, dogs are allowed in most national parks

First things first: Dogs are, by and large, allowed in national parks. But there are rules intended to conserve the land, protect the wildlife and keep dogs safe. In all parks, dogs must be on leashes no longer than six feet, and picking up and disposing of pet excrement is a must. Then specific destinations may have their own rules. In Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks, dogs are largely restricted to developed car campgrounds and paved roads, while others, like White Sands, in New Mexico, have more areas open to dogs, though they must be leashed.

Whatever your destination, do your research

The Park Service website has a section dedicated to pet visitors, including a map that illustrates which parks allow dogs, and then most individual parks have sites with dedicated pet pages, offering the most reliable and current sources of information.

Danielle LaFleur and her husband, Brodin Ramsey, have been traveling with their dog, Chia, since March. They make a point to speak to park rangers on arrival to get the most up-to-date information and suggestions on which areas to visit.

In Joshua Tree, the rangers directed me to a four-wheel-drive road that no one goes on, Ms. LaFleur said. We were able to do quite a bit of exploring there.
Lets begin with something everyone seems to agree upon: Far too many pedestrians are dying on Californias streets.

Pedestrian deaths have been rising nationwide over the last decade, and last year they reached their highest level in 41 years. In California, an estimated 1,100 pedestrians were killed in 2022, making the fatality rate in the state 25 percent higher than the national average.

But what can be done about it?

Some traffic safety advocates are banking on a bill thats moving through the California Legislature. It would make California the 19th state to install cameras that would automatically issue tickets to the owners of vehicles that are spotted exceeding the speed limit by at least 11 miles an hour. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, speeding is a factor in one-third of traffic fatalities nationwide.

Its not going to solve everything, but we need all the tools we can get, said Damian Kevitt, the executive director of Streets Are For Everyone, a traffic safety nonprofit based in Los Angeles that supports the bill. Its quite truthfully, at this point, a public health crisis.
Mark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff and a former Republican representative from North Carolina, was one of 18 people charged alongside former President Donald J. Trump on Monday night with conspiracy and other counts related to efforts to keep Mr. Trump in power after the 2020 election.

In 2021, congressional hearings into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol revealed that Mr. Meadows had repeatedly pushed the Justice Department to conduct investigations based on Mr. Trumps unfounded conspiracy theories about the election.

In several emails sent at the end of 2020, Mr. Meadows asked Jeffrey A. Rosen, then the acting attorney general, to look into debunked claims of election fraud in New Mexico, as well as an array of baseless theories that Mr. Trump had been the actual winner of the election.

He was also deeply involved in Mr. Trumps efforts in Georgia, prosecutors have said.

According to filings from the office of the Fulton County district attorney, Fani T. Willis, Mr. Meadows acknowledged that he had attended a meeting at the White House on Dec. 21, 2020, with Mr. Trump, members of Congress and others to discuss allegations of voter fraud in the state.
The landmark racketeering case in Atlanta against former President Donald J. Trump and others has been assigned to Scott F. McAfee, a recently appointed Fulton County Superior Court judge who was once supervised by the district attorney overseeing the case.

Judge McAfee, 34, rose quickly in Georgias legal world after graduating from law school a decade ago, and one of his first jobs was in the Fulton County District Attorneys Office. There, he handled early stages of felony cases before being promoted to the complex trial division. The division was led at the time by Fani T. Willis, the prosecutor overseeing the Trump case, according to a former district attorney and another lawyer who worked in the office at the time.

Ms. Willis, who became the district attorney in 2021 after Judge McAfee had left the office, began a wide-ranging investigation of Mr. Trump and his allies regarding the 2020 election that culminated in a grand jury indictment on Monday night.

A spokeswoman for Ms. Williss office did not return requests for comment about Judge McAfees time with the office. A lawyer for Mr. Trump did not immediately return a request for comment on whether the former president might ask the judge, who was randomly assigned to the case, to recuse himself because of his past working relationship with the district attorney.
Former President Donald J. Trump was indicted for a fourth time on Monday, this time over what prosecutors in Atlanta described as his and his allies efforts to unlawfully undo his election loss in Georgia in 2020.

The indictment follows a lengthy investigation by Fani T. Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, and includes 13 charges against Mr. Trump, as well as charges against 18 other Trump allies who Ms. Willis said were part of a criminal enterprise seeking to overturn the Georgia election results.

Heres what to know.

Trump was charged under Georgias RICO Act

Prosecutors charged Mr. Trump and his allies under the states Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act, which allows them to tie together various crimes committed by different people by arguing that they were acting together for a common criminal goal.

Georgias RICO Act is patterned after a federal law that was passed to combat organized crime groups but in recent years has been used effectively in white-collar crime and political corruption cases.
Ms. Willis and Mr. Smith, who have interviewed many of the same witnesses and reviewed much of the same evidence, converged on the same conclusion from different directions  that Mr. Trump and his allies knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election, Fulton County prosecutors wrote in summing up the charges.

Mr. Smiths team described a similar conspiracy, one that he said was fueled by lies.

There is no road map for indicting a former president, much less simultaneously prosecuting one for similar crimes in two jurisdictions. Prosecutors, especially those working for the Justice Department, typically seek to avoid concurrent cases to prevent discrepancies, small or significant, in witness testimony that can be exploited by the defense.

How this will work out remains unclear. Mr. Smith, who was appointed special counsel in November, has a more streamlined case, and is pushing hard for a speedy trial starting in early January. Ms. Willis, speaking to reporters late Monday, said she had no desire to be first or last. But she also suggested her team would request a trial date within six months, which would be by February 2024, even though people involved in the case have said such a short timetable seems highly unlikely.

The federal indictment treats Georgia as one of several states where illegal conduct occurred leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, but both indictments span a broad variety of activities. Those include Mr. Trumps unrelenting effort to pressure Vice President Mike Pence into blocking official certification of Joseph R. Biden Jr.s victory, even as Trump loyalists rampaged through the halls of Congress.

One of the more surprising developments revealed on Monday was how far Ms. Williss investigators roved beyond state borders. Most of the criminal acts outlined in the indictment occurred in state, she told reporters after it was unsealed, but some occurred in other jurisdictions, and are included because the grand jury believes they were part of the illegal effort to overturn the results of Georgias 2020 presidential election.
Fani T. Willis was barely three days into her new job as district attorney of Fulton County, Ga., when a potential case caught her attention.

A recording had emerged of Donald J. Trump, in his waning days as president, telling Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state and a fellow Republican, that he wanted to find nearly 12,000 votes, or enough to reverse his narrow 2020 election loss there. The call fell squarely in Ms. Williss new jurisdiction, since Fulton County includes the State Capitol building in Atlanta where Mr. Raffensperger works.

Ms. Willis had inherited an office with a deep backlog of cases exacerbated by the pandemic, and had limited staff. But she knew almost immediately that she would investigate.

When allegations come about  about anything that would hamper societys ability to believe in fair elections, or if there is even conduct that rises to the level of suspicion, I dont think that I have a choice, Ms. Willis said in February 2021, shortly after announcing that she had opened a criminal inquiry into the matter.
Last week, as The Buffalo News and other media organizations reported on the arrest of a Venezuelan migrant for an alleged sex crime, Republicans began licking their political chops.

They seemed to say I told you so to Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, who in May declared that he would not declare a state of emergency (as some other counties had done) over the hundreds of asylum-seekers from the southern U.S. border who were expected to come to Western New York via New York City.

This problem is at our doorstep because the County Executive welcomed it, the Republican Caucus of the Erie County Legislature stated, echoing comments from County Republican Chairman Michael Kracker and Chrissy Casilio, the Republican challenger to Poloncarz in this years election.

But there was a problem with their logic. Try as they might to drum up outrage against the county executive in an election year, the facts of the allegations were not a perfect fit for a scandal because the alleged crime was not random.

According to Cheektowaga police, Jesus D. Guzman-Bermudez, 26, allegedly raped a woman he knew in a Cheektowaga hotel room. As Brian Nowak, a Cheektowaga Town Board member and Democratic candidate for town supervisor, noted, there was not a concern for the public safety of permanent Cheektowaga residents.

Privately, Democrats made the point that there were more than 500 migrants in Western New York. And unfortunately, rapes and other crimes happen every day, and they are usually committed by people who live here.

However, those political calculations were upended Friday when Cheektowaga police arrested Kindu Jeancy, 22, of the Democratic Republic of Congo, on charges of sexual abuse and unlawful imprisonment. He is accused of attacking an employee of Platinum Community Care. Since last year, the organization founded in 2016 has provided services to asylum-seekers in New York City hotels, according to its website.

Poloncarz then announced that National Guard troops were being sent to the Cheektowaga hotels housing asylum-seekers from New York City to act as a stabilizing presence.

And Cheektowaga Police Chief Brian Gould alluded to potential interference in the investigation into the alleged sexual abuse and false imprisonment of a 27-year-old Buffalo woman who was providing services to asylum-seekers at a Dingens Street hotel.

Poloncarz said DocGo, the company hired by New York City to oversee the transport of asylum-seekers to upstate locations, may have interfered in the Cheektowaga polices investigation of the reported crime Friday.

Suddenly, it really was a full-blown political crisis for Democrats, who are often criticized by Republicans for being too lenient on border security.

Polling consistently shows immigration as a poison pill for Democrats, one local Democratic operative lamented.

What does all of this mean? It means that if the allegations are true, two women suffered a horrific experience that should be prosecuted vigorously. But politically speaking, it means that Casilio and other Republicans in the Legislature may finally have the issue they need to put some spark into the otherwise quiet race for county executive. (If youre just catching up on this issue, read News reporter Sandra Tans well-written synopsis here.)

Poloncarz invited the criticism in May when he declared that failing to welcome asylum-seekers was not only illegal, but morally repugnant. To say the issue has now blown up in his face is an understatement.

It has provided a small opening for Casilio, who ran a relatively quiet campaign during the primaries but has since been all over social media with videos and posts about the migrant arrests in Cheektowaga.

Rep. Nick Langworthy held two news conferences  one on Friday and another on Monday  to blast Democratic sanctuary city policies that he said have made the migrant issue worse. (Gov. Kathy Hochuls office countered that it is New York Citys right to shelter law, which dates back to a 1970s court decision, that exacerbated the current influx of migrants to the Big Apple.)

No one in Erie County asked for this crisis, Langworthy said. Anyone who had any objectivity could have seen this coming a million miles away. This is your own mess, he said of Democrats, and clean it the hell up. (Langworthy deflected when pressed on comprehensive federal immigration reform, referring reporters to an immigration bill that passed the House in May but was a nonstarter in the Senate).

On how this issue could help Casilio in her efforts to unseat the three-term incumbent Poloncarz, WKBW-TV political analyst Bob McCarthy may have said it best in his debut TV appearance.

She now has something to really harp on and to emphasize and to really drive home, McCarthy said. The very nature of these crimes will have people pay some attention to her. It will help in her fundraising, and I think its a huge lift, even though its a very unfortunate situation.
Only three hours before she found herself huddled in the Pacific Ocean, a barrage of embers and ash hurtling above her, Chelsea Denton Fuqua was lounging in bed with a fan, a pristine blue sky outside the window of her home that lies half a mile from the Lahaina waterfront on the Hawaiian island of Maui.

It was moments later when she caught a glimpse of smoke in the distance. At first it was a wisp, but within minutes it had grown thicker, rippling down the hillside on violent winds.

Ms. Denton Fuqua, 32, and her husband were worried. They had received no text alerts, no sirens, no evacuation orders  no sign for her and her neighbors, she said, that Lahaina, a community of 13,000 that was once the capital of the Hawaiian kingdom, was on the cusp of incineration.

But they knew what could happen in a wildfire. They grabbed a few essentials and prepared to leave in their cars. People were just like, Oh, are you heading out? Ms. Denton Fuqua recalled. All right, be safe.
Less than an hour after a grand jury in Atlanta returned indictments in the 2020 election interference case in Georgia, Hillary Clinton on Monday called the developments a terrible moment for our country.

The indictment, released late on Monday evening, charges former President Donald J. Trump in a sprawling case. Before the charges were made public, Mrs. Clinton gave a previously scheduled late-night interview on MSNBC. She said that she felt great profound sadness that the former president had already been indicted on so many other charges that went right to the heart of whether or not our democracy would survive.

Do you feel satisfaction in that you warned the country, essentially, that he was going to try to end democracy? the anchor, Rachel Maddow, asked Mrs. Clinton, a former secretary of state and former first lady.

I dont feel any satisfaction, Mrs. Clinton responded, adding that she did not know whether anybody should be satisfied. The only satisfaction may be that the system is working, that all of the efforts by Donald Trump, his allies and his enablers to try to silence the truth, to try to undermine democracy have been brought into the light.
A week before Republicans visit Milwaukee for their first debate of the 2024 campaign, President Biden traveled to the city on Tuesday and attacked not former President Donald J. Trump or his Republican primary rivals, but Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin.

Mr. Biden spent several minutes contrasting his political record with that of Mr. Johnson, a Republican who has long expressed skepticism about government investment in local manufacturing jobs.

Ron Johnson, he believes outsourcing jobs is a great thing, Mr. Biden said. He doesnt think American workers should manufacture products that require a lot of labor.

Mr. Bidens sustained attack on Mr. Johnson, who won re-election last year to a third term that wont end until 2029, served as a stand-in for an attack on Mr. Trump. The indictment on Monday of Mr. Trump in Georgia, the fourth brought against the former president, loomed heavy over the effort by the White House and the Biden campaign to promote his economic agenda, which they have taken to calling Bidenomics.
The attacks on the election system were so brazen, said Wendy Weiser, the director of the democracy program at the Brennan Center for Justice. Some accountability, she added, would make people think twice before pushing the envelope and trying to break the law.

Despite the flood of criminal charges, election denialism persists in American politics. Many of the 147 Republicans in Congress who voted to overturn the election were re-elected, and Mr. Trump has made false election claims central to his campaign to take back the White House. In a post on his social media site on Tuesday morning, Mr. Trump pledged to unveil a report next week on election fraud in Georgia. (Mr. Trump and Mr. Giuliani, among others, have said they did nothing wrong and have cast the charges as politically motivated.)

It is still far from clear whether Mr. Trump and his allies who face charges will ultimately be convicted. But the legal threat may force Trump allies to think twice in the future about repeating their more drastic actions  tampering with election machines, organizing the fake elector scheme, filing reams of frivolous lawsuits.

In addition to the criminal charges, several lawyers who pushed baseless election claims in court are facing disbarment. And Fox News was forced to pay $787.5 million to settle a defamation suit filed by Dominion Voting Systems over the networks promotion of misinformation about the 2020 election.

One sign that prosecutions can act as a deterrent has already surfaced. More than 1,100 people were arrested after the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, according to Justice Department records. More than 630 have pleaded guilty to various charges, and about 110 have been convicted at trial. Almost 600 have been sentenced and, of those, about 370 have served some amount of time behind bars.
The lawyer who represented Hunter Biden in plea negotiations to end a five-year Justice Department investigation into tax and gun offenses stepped down early Tuesday, saying that he intends to testify as a witness on behalf of the presidents son.

The decision by the lawyer, Christopher J. Clark, is the latest development in the long-running negotiation  which has now devolved into a fight  between the Justice Department and Mr. Biden.

The department has said that a substantial part of the plea agreement no longer stands and suggested in court documents that it could indict Mr. Biden. Mr. Clark is now contending that Mr. Biden will need him as a witness to prove that the department is seeking to back out of a legally binding deal intended to definitively end the federal investigation.

Based on recent developments, it appears that the negotiation and drafting of the plea agreement and diversion agreement will be contested, and Mr. Clark is a percipient witness to those issues, a new lawyer for Mr. Biden said in a motion filed in federal court in Delaware on Tuesday.
Former President Donald J. Trump has until no later than noon on Aug. 25 to voluntarily surrender to authorities in Fulton County, Fani T. Willis, the district attorney, said on Monday.

The script that officials in Atlanta will follow for his arrest and booking is likely to deviate from the standard operating procedure, just as it did when Mr. Trump was arrested on separate charges in New York in April.

In New York, prosecutors contacted a lawyer for Mr. Trump on the evening of March 30 to coordinate his surrender to the Manhattan D.A.s Office for arraignment, according to a post on Twitter by the district attorney, Alvin Bragg. The move was unsurprising, as suspects in white-collar cases are often given a chance to turn themselves in.

A few days later, Mr. Trump was fingerprinted and escorted through a Manhattan courthouse after surrendering to investigators from the district attorneys office. But he was also allowed to forgo certain procedural indignities, including being handcuffed and having his booking photo taken.
An important part of the trial will be whether prosecutors can prove that Mr. Trump had the requisite criminal intent. But a common assertion  that if he truly believed his baseless claims about voter fraud and that he had won the election, he would be not guilty  is oversimplified. While it would clearly be easier to convict if the jury thinks Mr. Trump knew he was lying, ordinary Jan. 6 rioters have already tried to get off by saying they genuinely believed the election had been stolen and that has not worked.

Judges have ruled that corrupt intent can be inferred by the fact that the rioters committed other crimes, like trespassing, destroying property and assaulting the police, regardless of their underlying motives. While Mr. Trump did not storm the Capitol, of course, the other crimes he is accused of committing along the way would seem to function in the same way. Under criminal conspiracy law, moreover, prosecutors can show he had the requisite intent for the other two counts  fraud and voter disenfranchisement  simply by pointing to acts of deceit or dishonesty even if those were not crimes in and of themselves.

Mr. Trumps lawyers have signaled that they intend to argue that their clients First Amendment rights are at stake. Notably, the indictment opens with a preamble that sounds like an opening statement at trial, acknowledging that the president had a right to file lawsuits challenging the election outcome and to say whatever he wanted about it  even to lie to the public. Mr. Smith sought to distinguish that from other illegal conduct he accused Mr. Trump of committing. But the line can be murky. The indictment is suffused with Mr. Trumps false public statements about the election, and Mr. Smith called them integral to what he portrayed as Mr. Trumps criminal plans.

Just as notably, Mr. Smith did not charge Mr. Trump with incitement or a seditious conspiracy, both charges that had been recommended by the House committee that separately investigated Mr. Trumps attempts to overturn the election. The indictment also omitted large amounts of evidence cited in the House report about the specifics of the violent events of Jan. 6, when Mr. Trump delivered an inflammatory speech and his supporters morphed into a mob and attacked the Capitol. By staying away from those issues, Mr. Smith avoided entanglement with tough First Amendment objections that defense lawyers could raise about his speech that day.

Also significant is that the indictment identifies six people as Mr. Trumps co-conspirators yet does not charge any of them. (They remain unnamed, but their described actions appear to correspond with Rudolph W. Giuliani, John Eastman, Sidney Powell, Jeffrey Clark, Kenneth Chesebro, and Boris Epshteyn.) It is an open question whether Mr. Smith intends to charge them later if they do not decide to cooperate, or if he has made a strategic choice to focus on Mr. Trump to increase the chances of getting to trial well before the election.
In the nearly 12 years since a prisoner was charged in the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole warship, eight parents of the 17 fallen American sailors have died waiting for a trial to begin.

In the two decades since the attack, 10 more shipmates have also died.

Early in the case, relatives and survivors would travel to Guantanamo Bay to observe pretrial proceedings, filling the seats in a special section of the court. Late this June, just two members of that group were there  a sailors father and a naval officer who survived the blast.

The bombing of the Cole never garnered the attention of Guantanamos better-known prosecution of the five men who are accused of plotting the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. That case also grinds on in its second decade.

But the Cole attack came first, on Oct. 12, 2000. And as time ticks by, it has become, for many, a forgotten case on a faraway U.S. military base where the notion of justice seems elusive as the war on terrorism recedes from memory and the conflict in Ukraine takes center stage.
For more than 50 years, prosecutors have relied on a powerful tool to take down people as varied as mafia capos, street gangs like the Crips and the Bloods and pharmaceutical executives accused of fueling the opioid crisis.

Now a prosecutor in Georgia is using the states version of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, better known as RICO, to go after former President Donald J. Trump, who along with 18 of his allies was indicted on Monday on charges of participating in a wide-ranging conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia.

One power of RICO is that it often allows a prosecutor to tell a sweeping story  not only laying out a set of criminal acts, but identifying a group of people working toward a common goal, as part of an enterprise, to engage in patterns of illegal activities.

Fani Willis, the district attorney in Fulton County, Ga., is using a RICO indictment to tie together elements of a broad conspiracy that she describes as stretching far outside of her Atlanta-area jurisdiction and into a number of other swing states, a legal move made possible by the racketeering statute. Her investigation also reached into rural parts of Georgia  notably Coffee County, where Trump allies got access to voting machines in January 2021 in search of evidence that the election had been rigged.
A man who told the authorities that he had set fire to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Illinois after being reminded of an ex-girlfriend who he said had an abortion against his wishes was sentenced on Tuesday to 10 years in prison.

The man, Tyler W. Massengill, 33, of Chillicothe, Ill., was also ordered by Judge James E. Shadid in U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois to pay $1.45 million for the damage he caused to the clinic. After he completes his sentence, Mr. Massengill will be on supervised release for three years, according to court records.

The sentencing came about seven months after firefighters and police officers in Peoria responded to a report of a fire at the clinic at 2709 Knoxville Avenue late on Jan. 15, according to a criminal complaint. Surveillance video footage led the police to Mr. Massengill, who initially denied that he had set the fire but later admitted that he had broken a window at the clinic and placed a burning container inside, the complaint said.

Mr. Massengill told investigators that on the day of the fire, something had reminded him about an ex-girlfriend who he said had chosen to have an abortion, which upset him. He told the authorities that if the fire had caused a little delay in someone receiving care at the clinic then it would have been all worth it, the complaint said.
ALBANY  A new law enrolling every New York driver in pricier auto insurance doesnt just apply to individuals car insurance policies.

New law enrolls every NY driver in pricier auto insurance coverage. Half will get no benefit New Yorkers may opt out of the added coverage, which, according to the state Department of Financial Services, costs anywhere from $20 to $84 annually.

Because of the state law, commercial auto insurance policies that protect businesses are also generally automatically enrolled in the expanded coverage.

In many instances, carrying the supplemental spousal liability insurance will not make any sense for businesses, according to insurance industry officials.

In others, a commercial vehicle carrying such coverage would provide a business protection, according to a Buffalo trial lawyer who specializes in insurance law.

Many insurance companies opposed the law. But as The Buffalo News reported last week, the state law that took effect Aug. 1 forces insurance companies to enroll every New Yorker holding a personal car insurance policy in supplemental spousal liability insurance  even those who are unmarried.

If a driver has the coverage and is at fault for an accident causing serious injury to their spouse, the injured spouse may sue their significant other, who was driving, and seek insurance payment from the drivers insurer for non-economic damages. Otherwise, the injured spouse cannot bring a lawsuit and then win payment from their spouses insurance company.

The new law automatically enrolls both married and unmarried New Yorkers in the coverage  even though the coverage provides no possible benefit to an individual who is single.

People or businesses whose policies are automatically enrolled because of the new law may opt out. But first they must know about the law, contact their insurance company and sign a form declining it.

Under prior state law, insurance companies had been required to offer the supplemental coverage to policyholders. But the policyholder had to proactively opt-in to get the coverage.

Commercial policies covered

Commercial auto insurance policies insure businesses against liability stemming from accidents involving vehicles used for business purposes.

Dan Kohane, a trial lawyer who specializes in insurance law at Buffalo-based Hurwitz Fine and an adjunct professor at University at Buffalo School of Law, believes the spousal supplement would provide a benefit to businesses.

If a company employees spouse was seriously injured in a car accident caused by the employee, the spouse could sue the company for damages, he said. The spousal supplemental would provide the company insurance against such a lawsuit, he said, citing a 1991 state appellate court ruling as an example of past case law in the area.

But spousal liability coverage is unlikely to provide a benefit for companies in many instances, according to Douglas Benz, principal and founder of New Buffalo Insurance Agency, an independent insurance agency and brokerage. He said most employers, especially large companies, limit pleasure use of take-home commercial autos, and that their handbooks describe personal use as being prohibited.

Many of our commercial auto fleet clients have all their vehicles locked up at their facility at the end of day, Benz said.

For white-collar companies, personal use of a company car may be more common, Benz said.

In Western New York, the cost of the spousal supplemental could run approximately $100 per year for every vehicle insured by a company, Benz said.

The spousal supplemental cost is generally about 5% of the amount of the larger bodily injury premium, according to the state Department of Financial Services.

The state law that took effect Aug. 1 was signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul in December. When auto insurance is issued, renewed or modified in New York, companies must now add the supplemental coverage to a person or companys plan and provide the consumer written notification of the addition.

Still, insurance companies worry that consumers may not notice, and that insurers will be blamed when customers do eventually notice higher premiums.

For at least one insurance company, the new law has not brought any change to how individuals policies are handled.

According to a spokeswoman for Travelers Insurance, since 2020, the company of its own volition began automatically including the spousal liability coverage in all individuals policies. The added coverage is factored into the customers premium.

Whether or not the customer is married, Travelers automatically includes the coverage in a customers policy.

Political fallout

The chairman of the Senate Insurance Committee, Sen. Neil Breslin, sponsored the supplemental insurance bill in 2022. The Democrat told The News last week, however, that he was potentially open to changing it because he doesnt want people unknowingly paying for coverage that would provide them no benefit.

The bill passed the Democratic-controlled State Assembly last year by a margin of 110-39, and more easily in the Democratic-controlled Senate, 60-3.

While 17 out of 20 members of the Senate Republican conference voted in favor the bill last year  including Senate Minority Leader Robert Ortt  the GOP still sought political gain from the issue last week.

The Senate Republicans Twitter account sent out a link to The News story, and tweeted: #OnePartyRule strikes again, burdening hardworking New Yorkers with higher car insurance costs.

The bill was pushed through last year by two groups representing state trial lawyers, among Albanys most powerful interest groups. Since the beginning of 2021, the State Trial Lawyers Associations political action committee has donated more than $1.5 million to state politicians.

While a significant majority has gone to Democrats that control the levers of power in Albany, Republicans have also received funding. The associations political action committee, LAWPAC, has donated $55,000 during that period to the campaign arm of Senate Republicans, and $50,000 to Assembly Republicans.
The mother of a 6-year-old who shot his first-grade teacher in a Virginia classroom pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a charge of felony child neglect, according to prosecutors and a lawyer for the mother.

The mother, Deja Taylor, 26, appeared in court in Newport News, Va. Prosecutors for the commonwealth agreed to drop a second misdemeanor count of child endangerment involving a loaded weapon, they said in a statement.

Ms. Taylors lawyer, James S. Ellenson, said that while the child neglect charge would carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison, prosecutors had agreed not to deviate from the state recommendation of one to six months imprisonment, given her lack of criminal history.

Shes upset, Mr. Ellenson said Tuesday, noting that Ms. Taylors child, who was undergoing therapy, was now in the full custody of his grandfather. Its a big mess.
Millions of Brazilians grew up watching her on television. Her shows sold out Latin Americas biggest stadiums. She had hit movies and songs, her own dolls and her own amusement park.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Maria da Graca Xuxa Meneghel, known universally as Xuxa (pronounced SHOO-shah), was Brazils biggest television star. Generations of children spent mornings watching her play, sing and dance for hours on her wildly popular variety show.

I was a doll, a babysitter, a friend to these children, Xuxa, 60, said in a wide-ranging interview. A Barbie of that time.

She came with a pink car, she added. I came with a pink spaceship.

Like the famous doll, Xuxa, too, is thin, blond, blue-eyed and white. On her childrens show, she often wore short skirts and thigh-high boots as she stepped out of a spaceship stamped with giant red lips. And like Barbie, she became an idol to her fans, who grew up wanting to be just like Xuxa and her all-white cast of teenage dancers, the Paquitas.
A landslide at a jade mine in northern Myanmar has left more than 30 people missing, according to a local official who was leading a search and rescue operation.

The official spoke Monday on condition of anonymity. He said he feared being arrested by Myanmars brutal military, which ousted the countrys civilian government in a 2021 coup.

The landslide occurred on Sunday in Hpakant, a remote, mountainous town in the northern state of Kachin. The area is the epicenter of the worlds biggest and most lucrative jade mines. Miners toil there in notoriously dangerous conditions, and deadly landslides are common during the monsoon season.

The official said miners had been swept into a lake when the landslide struck at about 3:30 p.m. Sunday. Earth and debris from several nearby mines slid down a cliff into the lake below, striking the miners on the way, he said.
Russian forces fired more than three dozen missiles across Ukraine on Tuesday, Ukrainian officials said, in a wave of assaults that killed at least five people, including in western areas far from the front lines.

Russian cruise and ballistic missiles hit both residential and industrial buildings, said Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, calling them deliberate large-scale attacks on civilians.

One overnight attack hit the factory of the Swedish manufacturer SKF in the city of Lutsk in northwest Ukraine, about 55 miles from the border with Poland. Three employees were killed, the company said. Regional authorities said that another three employees were injured, including one buried by rubble, and that the facility was not part of any military infrastructure.

Also badly hit was the city of Lviv, where a missile landed in the yard of a kindergarten and near apartment blocks, sparking a fire and damaging more than 100 homes, according to the mayor, Andriy Sadovyi. A total of 19 people, many of them elderly, were injured in additional strikes around the region, said Maksym Kozytskyi, the head of the regional military administration.
There is a crisis of wounded psyches, in addition to broken bodies, among Ukrainian soldiers.

Exhausted physically and mentally, some soldiers have seen horrors on a daily basis that most civilians never do.

At a handful of centers, soldiers receive an array of therapies, from talking to swimming to time with animals, to treat the invisible injuries.

But those involved say the mental health needs of Ukraines troops are far greater than the available treatments, and will be around for years.
Britains counterterrorism unit arrested five people months ago on suspicion of spying on British intelligence, the authorities said on Tuesday after a BBC report on the case earlier in the day identified three of the same people as Bulgarian nationals suspected of spying for Russias security services.

A statement from the London Metropolitan Police said that the five people had been arrested in February under the Official Secrets Act 1911, which criminalizes spying against the interests and safety of Britain. Specialist officers from a unit of the force that covers national security policing, carried out the arrests after an investigation, the police statement said, but none of the five have been formally charged with espionage. The statement did not address the BBC report directly.

Three of the people were identified by both the BBC and by the police as Orlin Roussev, 45; Biser Dzambazov, 42; and Katrin Ivanova, 32. The police said they had been separately charged with possessing false identification documents with improper intention. The BBC report said they had been charged with possessing false documents, including passports and identity cards for Britain, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Italy, Spain and Slovenia.

The police said that Mr. Roussev lived in the eastern English county of Norfolk, and that Mr. Dzambazov and Ms. Ivanova lived in the London district of Harrow.
A battered workers van whizzed back and forth along a village road near the front line in southern Ukraine, searching. It screeched to a halt, and three men unloaded heavy equipment and disappeared into the undergrowth.

What they were looking for, dug in and hidden under the trees, were three hulking British-made armored vehicles known as Mastiffs. Supplied to the Ukrainian Army for its attempt to retake Russian-occupied territory in southern Ukraine, the Mastiffs were in need of a service.

They call us the dog handlers, Serhii Ivanov, the leader of the maintenance team, joked, referring to a nickname that came about because many of the armored vehicles they service were named after breeds of dogs: Mastiffs, Huskies, Wolfhounds.

Behind the thousands of Ukrainian troops assembled along the 100-mile front line for the counteroffensive is a small army of mechanics, engineers and weapon technicians responsible for keeping Ukraines growing fleet of Western-made tanks, armored vehicles and other equipment in working order.
Who Has Been Charged in the Election Inquiry in Georgia

The indictment Georgia prosecutors filed Monday in an election interference case targeting former President Donald J. Trump and his associates includes 41 criminal charges against 19 people who are accused of helping him seek to overturn his 2020 election loss.

[Read the annotated indictment.]

Donald J. Trump The former president faces 13 criminal charges in the Georgia election meddling case. Those charges came after he was indicted on dozens of other counts across three separate cases earlier this year. Facing 13 charges 3 counts Solicitation of violation of oath by public officer 2 counts Conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree 2 counts Conspiracy to commit false statements and writings 2 counts False statements and writings 1 count Violation of the Georgia RICO Act 1 count Conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer 1 count Conspiracy to commit filing false documents 1 count Filing false documents

Rudolph W. Giuliani Lawyer The former mayor of New York first made his name as a U.S. attorney who used racketeering charges to pursue organized crime. Now he himself faces a racketeering charge for his central role in the plot to keep Mr. Trump in power. Facing 13 charges 3 counts Solicitation of violation of oath by public officer 3 counts False statements and writings 2 counts Conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree 2 counts Conspiracy to commit false statements and writings 1 count Violation of the Georgia RICO Act 1 count Conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer 1 count Conspiracy to commit filing false documents

John C. Eastman Lawyer A key legal architect of the effort to keep Mr. Trump in power using bogus slates of Trump electors in swing states won by Joseph R. Biden Jr. Facing nine charges 2 counts Conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree 2 counts Conspiracy to commit false statements and writings 1 count Violation of the Georgia RICO Act 1 count Solicitation of violation of oath by public officer 1 count Conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer 1 count Conspiracy to commit filing false documents 1 count Filing false documents

Ray Smith III Lawyer An attorney working with the Trump team who advanced false claims at a legislative hearing in Georgia. Facing 12 charges 3 counts Solicitation of violation of oath by public officer 2 counts False statements and writings 2 counts Conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree 2 counts Conspiracy to commit false statements and writings 1 count Violation of the Georgia RICO Act 1 count Conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer 1 count Conspiracy to commit filing false documents

Sidney Powell Lawyer One of the most prominent lawyers advancing false claims of vote fraud and advising Mr. Trump to fight his election loss. She promised to release the Kraken. Facing seven charges 2 counts Conspiracy to commit election fraud 1 count Violation of the Georgia RICO Act 1 count Conspiracy to commit computer theft 1 count Conspiracy to commit computer trespass 1 count Conspiracy to commit computer invasion of privacy 1 count Conspiracy to defraud the state

Kenneth Chesebro Lawyer One of the lawyers who played a central role in developing the idea of having Trump supporters pretend to be electors from states won by Mr. Biden. Facing seven charges 2 counts Conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree 2 counts Conspiracy to commit false statements and writings 1 count Violation of the Georgia RICO Act 1 count Conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer 1 count Conspiracy to commit filing false documents

Mark Meadows Former White House chief of staff Mr. Meadows was deeply involved in efforts to keep Mr. Trump in power. During a visit to Georgia, he showed up at a vote-counting facility and put Mr. Trump on the phone with a top state elections investigator. Facing two charges 1 count Violation of the Georgia RICO Act 1 count Solicitation of violation of oath by public officer

Michael Roman Trump campaign staff member A senior Trump campaign staff member who played a role in the fake electors plot. Facing seven charges 2 counts Conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree 2 counts Conspiracy to commit false statements and writings 1 count Violation of the Georgia RICO Act 1 count Conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer 1 count Conspiracy to commit filing false documents

Jeffrey Clark Former Justice Department official A former senior Justice Department official who caused outrage among his colleagues by advancing false election fraud claims and seeking to intervene in the presidential election in Georgia. Facing two charges 1 count Violation of the Georgia RICO Act 1 count Criminal attempt to commit false statements and writings

Misty Hampton Coffee County elections supervisor A former election supervisor of Coffee County, Ga., who is suspected of helping Trump supporters access the countys voting equipment. Facing seven charges 2 counts Conspiracy to commit election fraud 1 count Violation of the Georgia RICO Act 1 count Conspiracy to commit computer theft 1 count Conspiracy to commit computer trespass 1 count Conspiracy to commit computer invasion of privacy 1 count Conspiracy to defraud the state

Robert Cheeley Lawyer A longtime Georgia plaintiffs attorney, he has been a lead lawyer in litigation related to the 2020 election. His indictment follows false assertions at a legislative hearing where he claimed election workers were double- and triple-counting votes. Facing 10 charges 2 counts Conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree 2 counts Conspiracy to commit false statements and writings 1 count Violation of the Georgia RICO Act 1 count Conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer 1 count Conspiracy to commit filing false documents 1 count Solicitation of violation of oath by public officer 1 count False statements and writings 1 count Perjury

Jenna Ellis Lawyer Ms. Ellis said she was part of an elite strike force team of lawyers who appeared at public hearings and amplified the presidents false claims of widespread voter fraud. Facing two charges 1 count Violation of the Georgia RICO Act 1 count Solicitation of violation of oath by public officer

Cathy Latham Fake elector Ms. Latham is a former head of the Republican Party in rural Coffee County, where she was involved in an effort by pro-Trump forces to copy sensitive election software in January 2021. Ms. Latham was also one of 16 fake electors in Georgia who cast their electoral votes for Mr. Trump. Facing 11 charges 2 counts Conspiracy to commit election fraud 1 count Violation of the Georgia RICO Act 1 count Impersonating a public officer 1 count Forgery in the first degree 1 count False statements and writings 1 count Criminal attempt to commit filing false documents 1 count Conspiracy to commit computer theft 1 count Conspiracy to commit computer trespass 1 count Conspiracy to commit computer invasion of privacy 1 count Conspiracy to defraud the state

David Shafer Fake elector A former state senator and the former chair of the Georgia Republican Party, Mr. Shafer, portraying himself as the chairperson of the Electoral College of Georgia, filed 16 fake electoral votes for Mr. Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence. Facing eight charges 3 counts False statements and writings 2 counts Forgery in the first degree 1 count Violation of the Georgia RICO Act 1 count Impersonating a public officer 1 count Criminal attempt to commit filing false documents

Shawn Still Fake elector A Georgia state senator who was one of the bogus electors who sought to keep Mr. Trump in power after his loss to Mr. Biden. Facing seven charges 2 counts Forgery in the first degree 2 counts False statements and writings 1 count Violation of the Georgia RICO Act 1 count Impersonating a public officer 1 count Criminal attempt to commit filing false documents

Trevian Kutti Publicist Ms. Kutti used to be publicist for Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. Prosecutors said she took part in a plot to pressure a Fulton County election worker to falsely admit committing fraud on Election Day in 2020. Facing three charges 1 count Violation of the Georgia RICO Act 1 count Conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements and writings 1 count Influencing witnesses

Stephen C. Lee Pastor A Lutheran pastor from Illinois who is among those implicated in efforts to intimidate Atlanta election workers. Facing five charges 2 counts Criminal attempt to commit influencing witnesses 1 count Violation of the Georgia RICO Act 1 count Conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements and writings 1 count Influencing witnesses

Willie Lewis Floyd III Former organizer of pro-Trump group A former mixed martial arts fighter who once led a group called Black Voices for Trump and is among those implicated in efforts to intimidate Atlanta election workers. Facing three charges 1 count Violation of the Georgia RICO Act 1 count Conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements and writings 1 count Influencing witnesses
A grand jury in Fulton County, Ga., on Monday unveiled the fourth criminal indictment of former President Donald J. Trump. Like a federal indictment earlier this month, this one concerns Mr. Trumps efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss. But it differs in that it charges 18 other defendants who are alleged to have taken part in the scheme.

The 41 Counts in the Georgia Indictment 22 counts Related to forgery or false documents and statements 8 counts Related to soliciting or impersonating public officers 3 counts Related to influencing witnesses 3 counts Related to election fraud or defrauding the state 3 counts Related to computer tampering 1 count Related to racketeering 1 count Related to perjury

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In the foothills of Shenyang, an industrial city in northeastern China lies the mysterious State Guest Mansions project, a real-estate complex of more than 250 luxury mansions, all of which are abandoned.

The story of State Guest Mansions began in 2010, when business in the Chinese real estate sector was booming. Property giant Greenland Group bought up hectares of land in the foothills around Shenyang and began work on what was supposed to be a retreat for the regions rich and powerful. 260 European-style villas began rising out of the ground, complete with marble floors and gilded chandeliers hanging from the ceilings, but for some strange reason that has yet to be revealed, development stopped in 2018 and the place has been a ghost town ever since.

Everything here has been left abandoned, a local man recently told AFP. It all feels quite creepy.

The property developer never made an official statement about the State Guest Mansions project and what led to its abandonment, but many of the local people believe it has to do with corruption.

Frankly, it was because of official corruption, a local farmer said. They cut off the funding and cracked down on uncontrolled developments, so it was left half-finished. These would have sold for millions, but the rich havent even bought one of them. They werent built for ordinary people.

The reasons for the projects failure remain unclear, but to many the abandoned luxury village located about 400 km from Beijing is a symbol of the current Chinese housing market, a sector crippled by its own excesses.

Years after being abandoned, the unfinished luxury mansions have slowly been reclaimed by nature and by the ordinary farmers who could have never afforded to buy them. Cattle are being raised among these decaying edifices, sometimes even inside them and their garages, and ghost town enthusiasts often come here to explore.

The luxury ghost town of Sheyang is oddly similar to Burj al Babas, Turkeys famous ghost town of abandoned fairytale castles.
Press Release

August 15, 2023 CHIZ PROPOSES P100-M BUDGET TO BUILD STRUCTURE IN AYUNGIN SHOAL Sen. Chiz Escudero on Tuesday (Aug. 15) said he will propose the allocation of at least P100 million in the 2024 national budget to fund the construction of permanent structures in Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) to strengthen the country's presence in the contested maritime territory. "I will propose the allocation of minimum P100 million to fund the construction of a pier and lodging structures for our soldiers assigned in the area, and for our fishermen who might seek temporary refuge in times of bad weather," Escudero said in a brief statement. "The allocation for Ayungin Shoal will give President Marcos the budget cover should he decide to do (the construction) next year," he said. "So, what will be given is the congressional authority to build more in the Ayungin," he pointed out, adding that under budget rules, the President can augment any item in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) "so he can increase the budget as he deems fit but subject to existing rules." The senator explained that while the structure will serve as "lodging" for soldiers in the rusting BRP Sierra Madre, "its primary use is to be a shelter for fishermen from all nations who will be caught in bad weather." "It will welcome fishermen in distress with warm accommodations and not with a blast of the water cannon. It is there to help and not to harass," he pointed out. Escudero said the building of the structures has to be rushed because "Sierra Madre's greatest enemy is nature, and it will soon be lost to the sea. Kinakalawang na. Our soldiers should not die from tetanus." "Its being beached there was supposed to be an ad hoc measure. After almost one-quarter it is time for a permanent solution," he said, suggesting that parts of the structure can be prefabricated on land and be brought there "so there will be no China style of fortification in which the environment is permanently damaged." Guesting on CNN Philippines' "The Source" later in the day, Escudero elaborated on his proposal, saying the move will give the President some flexibility as the chief architect of the country's foreign policy. "China built a structure even if it is contested by the Philippines. I don't think anything prevents us from at least allocating funds in order to give the president flexibility to make the accommodations in that shoal more acceptable for our soldiers who are there instead of living in a dilapidated old ship," Escudero said. He pointed out that the appropriation is the best companion measure to the recently passed Senate resolution on the WPS as the "allocation makes it no longer a mere sense of the Senate resolution." "This proposal is not designed to anger China or bring us closer to the brink (of war). This is just to give the president flexibility to act as the chief architect of our foreign policy as he deems fit. Otherwise, we will have to wait another year if he decides to do so sometime next year without any budget cover," he said. The Bicolano senator, moreover, proposed that the planned appropriation be under the budget of civilian agencies such as the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) or the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). "Civilian agencies such as DPWH or PCG should build this structure so as not to add to the militarization of the area," Escudero pointed out. "Kung ako ang tatanungin, mas gusto ko sa DPWH dahil hindi naman giyera ang layunin natin dito. Total naman basta infrastructure ang pinag-uusapan, DPWH ang ang iimplement," he added.
News / Local

by Staff reporter

MTHWAKAZI Republic Party (MRP) has implored the European Union Observer Mission to the August 23 general elections to help the party re-establish a Mthwakazi State, separate from Zimbabwe.The party's president Mqondisi Moyo directed part of his address to supporters during a rally at Bulawayo's Stanley Square last week to the EU observers who attended the rally, asking them to assist Matabeleland achieve self-rule.Moyo told the EU observers that his party's its main objective as an organisation was to push for Mthwakazi State restoration and the EU was one of the core institutions they petitioned early this year when they sought 20 000 signatures of people from the Matabeleland region.The 20 000 figure represents the victims of Gukurahundi who were killed between 1982 and 1987 by the national army's North Korea-trained Fifth Brigade."This petition is inspired by standing resolution of the UN (United Nations) with regards to the autonomy and self-determination of all minority groups whose human rights are being denied and their dignity trampled on by their majority ethnic groups anywhere in the world," he said."We are a proud and law-abiding nation that was established by King Mzilikazi Khumalo bringing together many ethnic groups and creating a sense of singular nationhood among them, called Mthwakazi kingdom State."The secessionist party contends that before the merging of Matabeleland and Mashonaland to create the present day Zimbabwe, there existed an Mthwakazi State which bounded the Midlands, Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South provinces along the infamous Jameson line which they say was one of the boundaries signed for by the last paramount Ndebele King Lobengula Khumalo.Moyo said the colonisation of Mthwakazi was separate from Mashonaland or Zimbabwe because it was still a sovereign State at the time southern Africa was colonised in 1890.He said the British Crown also legalised the continued occupation of Mthwakazi illegally by proclaiming the Matabeleland Order-in-Council on July 19, 1894, claiming that the kingdom had been broken down and replaced by a better system.Moyo told the EU observers that through the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council of 1918, this illegal decision was further reinforced."In 1980, using the same Order-in-Council, the British Crown and government decolonised Mashonaland to create the Republic of Zimbabwe, and simultaneously transferred to them the mandate to rule Mthwakazi by conquest to a black majority supremacy regime," Moyo argued."When this regime came into power in 1980 within two years it started to train an army to kill unarmed civilians in Mthwakazi without any provocation or declaration of war, by creating the so called dissidents problem'. The number of people killed was officially reported to be at least 20 000 civilians."He said Matabeleland had suffered 130 years of occupation, dehumanisation and oppression.President Emmerson Mnangagwa has in the past said Zimbabwe will remain a republic and a unitary State and will not be divide by the MRP.
After arguing with his mother about overdue homework, a 10-year-old boy in China ran away from home and straight to the local police station to complain and beg to be put into an orphanage.

Chinese media recently reported a bizarre incident that took place in Chongqing. CCTV footage shows a young boy storming into the Huixing Police Station in Yubei and being approached by two policemen. They start chatting and the 10-year-old boy tells them that he had been reprimanded by his mother for not completing his homework, so he left the family home to join an orphanage. After a bit of convincing work by the officers, the boy gave them his parents contact information, so the police contacted his mother who confirmed their argument about the overdue homework. However, she never imagined that her son would run away from home to join an orphanage because of it.

Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash

My mom scolded me every day for not doing my homework and left the house, the 10-year-old complained. She just nags me to study every day. Id rather go to an orphanage.

After calming the boy down, the police called his father to pick him up, and even though he was reluctant to return home, they manged to persuade him that it was the right choice, much better than going to an orphanage, thats for sure.

The news and CCTV footage went viral in China last week, where people were shocked by the boys reaction. Some saw it as a sign of a lazy generation of spoiled children, while others simply applauded the way the police calmed the boy down and ultimately solved the problem.
Fabien Levy

New York City mayor Eric Adams is in the market for a press secretary after upping Fabien Levy to the first-ever deputy mayor of communications position.

In his new role, Levy is to coordinate communications across the citys agencies to ensure that a unified message goes out to New Yorkers.

Levy has served as press secretary for Adams 19 months in office. Reporting to Levy will be City Halls communications director, press secretary, director of the office of community and ethnic media, research director, and senior advisor for creative communications.

Prior to joining Team Adams, Levy worked on governor Kathy Hochuls successful run for Congress and then served as her communications director.

Levy joined the Obama administration as press secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where he was part of the rapid response team during the Affordable Care Acts first open enrollment period.

He also served as press secretary and senior advisor to New York Attorney General Letitia James.
The third round of the Boylesports Irish Derby dominated the weeks racing. However there was plenty of top class action around the tracks none more so than the first round of the Kasco A1 derby in Cork. Some quality stakes were also at semifinal stages with some at the conclusion end of things. Plenty of prize money was up for grabs. Once again numerous Offaly winners.



Early Week Racing



In Enniscorthy, on Monday, a nine race card all sponsored by local businesses which is a credit to the track's management and supporters club to go out and get these in these difficult times for Greyhound racing. The card's highlights included the four quarterfinals of the Public House Open unraced stake. Jaytee Etienne delivered the fastest run in 29.23 (20 slow) by two lengths at 6/4 fav for Gowran trainer Paul Hennessy.

First Offaly winner of the week was in Shelbourne Park on Thursday, in an A3 contest Coolemount Polly won for Croghan trainer Gerry Merriman in 29.03 by three lengths at 6/4 joint fav.



Friday racing



Two more Offaly winners for Geashill trainer Margaret Bolton in Galway both in the sprint distance of 350 yards. In an ON2 unraced sprint Byrneville Spice won by six lengths in 19.71 (.05 slow) at 4/6 fav. In an S7 350 Ding Dang Sydney won for the North Offaly trainer in 19.48 (.05 slow) by one length at 7/2.

In Kilkenny, the best three races on their card were the semi-finals of the Boylesports A3 bitch stake with two qualifying from each heat for Fridays final. Local trainer Murt Leahy supplied two of these winners with Droopys Beta in 28.93 (10 slow) by four lengths at 4/5 fav and Ballybough Carol in 29.13 (10 slow) by nine lengths at 6/4. The final heat winner was Droopys Have It for Ian Reilly in 28.95 (10 slow) by two lengths at 4/5 fav.

One Offaly winner in Newbridge, in an A5 grade Coolree Best won for Daingean owner Eugene Glennon in 28.96 by two lengths at 4/5 fav.

In Shelbourne Park, in the first round of the Michael Fortune Memorial Derby Plate held for dogs knocked out of the first two rounds of the Derby proper. Six heats with some serious hounds on view. Pat Buckley won two of the heats with Ballymac Run having the fastest run for Liam Dowling in 29.34 by three lengths at 1/1 fav.



Saturday racing



No racing in Mullingar due to Fleadh Cheoil Na hEireann taking place. As this is one of our best meetings weekly for Offaly winners we drew a blank on Saturday.



Curraheen Park in Cork hosted the first round of the Kasco A1 Derby, won last year by Luna Rocket for Hennessy. Ten heats with a treble for local trainer Kieran Lynch and a double for Graham Holland. Fastest of the ten was Peroni Eoiny for Lynch in 28.20 by two lengths at 6/4. Galloping Sydney was next fastest for Holland in 28.28 by four lengths at 6/4 fav.



Limerick staged the semi-finals of the OConnor Julian Vets Cashel A2 Tri-distance stake over the 575 trip. Lemon Magic won the first for Kilkenny owners Tim Lennon and Colin Rafter in 31.13 by ten lengths at 9/4. The second heat went to County Minor for Grerard White and Pat Butler in 31.70 by three lengths at 2/1. Final will be over the 600 yard trip.



Besides the Derby in Shelbourne there was also a very valuable final taking place, the RCETS Open unraced stake which was won last year by Trinity Junior who is performing so well in this years derby for Edenderry owner Timmy Slevin. This year the 10k first prize went to Droopys Mandolin (Laughil Blake - Droopys Curio) in 28.45 by three lengths at 7/2. This Robert Gleeson trained bitch remained unbeaten in the stake and won all heats by an cumulative total of twelve lengths. Bright future ahead of this young pup. Unbeatable was second for Brendan Mathews and received a cheque for 3k.



In Kilcohan Park in Waterford, in the John Fitzgerald Memorial Open Bitch stake, the 5k first prize went to Clogheen Lass (Laughil Duke - Leevalley Dancer) for Graham Holland in 28.28 by three lengths at 5/4 fav. This was Clogheens sixteenth career victory and has now amassed over 17k in winning prize money.



Boylesports Irish Derby



Eight magnificent heats in Headquarters on Saturday night, with forty eight of the country's top dogs going to traps, some shocks, some very fancied dogs beaten with some eliminated plus as usual the cream came to the top in some heats. Murt Leahy won two of the eight races with all the other major trainers with one each. Fastest of the heats was De Lahdedah for Kerry owner and trainer Liam Dowling in 29.15 by three lengths at 10/11 fav. Clonroosk Sydney was second here for Portlaoise owners Ray (Cookie) Conroy and Ollie Dunne and is improving with every run and could turn out to be a major player in this Derby yet. Next fastest on the clock was Mr Chelms for Peter Cronin in 29.21 by three lengths at 9/4. Offaly dog Trinity Junior was second here for Timmy Slevin, also with Cronin training. Another to catch the eye and seems to be coming in under the radar and has won all his three heats so far is Scaglietti for Pat Guilfoyle winning on Saturday in 29.27 by three lengths at 8/13 fav.



Of the twenty four dogs left in this years competition, nine are out of leading stud dog Droopys Sydney, Pestana on three and Ballymac Best with two. Ten other stud dogs have one progeny each.



Graham Holland and Murt Leahy have three dogs left in the stake with two each belonging to Buckley, Guilfoyle, Dowling, Cronin and Jennifer ODonnell. Down to twenty four dogs now and this is where the cream will rise, any dogs with any flaws now will be found out and eliminated. Early pace, speed and stamina are all needed now in order to make the semi-finals Saturday week.



Derby Betting



Coolavanny Hoffa remains strongest in the market with the sponsors Boylesports at 3/1 fav, with De Lahdedah at 5/1. Scagletti holds steady at 8/1 with Bobsleigh Dream and Mr Chelms at 12/1. 14/1 bar. Trinity Junior is still 20/1 for his Offaly connections and seems value at that. Clonroosk Sydney is available at 33/1 for his Portlaoise owners and followers.



Sunday Racing



One Offaly winner at the matinee meeting in Mullingar for Clara owner P.J. Cleary as Lahinch Jake won an A4 race in 29.76 (50 slow) by five lengths at 3/1.



Upcoming Events



Friday, final of the Boylesports A3 bitch stake in Kilkenny and quarterfinals of the Michael Fortune Memorial Derby Plate in Shelbourne. Saturday, quarterfinals of the Boylesports Irish Derby in Shelbourne, second round of the Kasco A1 derby in Cork and final of the OConnor Julian Vets Cashel A2 tri-distance in Limerick. Loads of top class action to look forward to this week.



Tribune Offaly dog of the week



Trinity Junior get the nod this week for getting to the quarter-finals of the Boylesports Irish Derby for Edenderry owner Timmy Slevin, on Saturday in Shelbourne, coming through a most difficult draw to qualify easily. Hoping for continued success.



Offaly Winners



Five Offaly winners this week. Well done to all who contributed to these in any way.
Irish Rail has apologised to customers as the station was left unmanned for part of today Tuesday, August 15.

Councillor Declan Harvey has criticised Irish Rail for the lack of manpower at Tullamore railway station.

He said there were elderly people at the station waiting for the train to Dublin before noon and they were not sure which platform to stand on for their train.

In addition he said the lift wasn't working to allow some older people to access the other platform and they were worried they would have to cross the bridge which is quite steep.

''If anyone needed a ticket they would have been unable to get one at the station as there was nobody there,'' said Cllr Harvey.

Irish Rail has apologised to those affected, in a statement a spokesperson said; ''Unfortunately due to a family emergency, the staff member that was due to be on duty was not available this morning.

The lifts are all in full working order

Id like to apologise to the customers who were inconvenienced by this. A staff member did come on duty this afternoon.''

The current lift at Tullamore railway station was installed in 2021 and replaced one that was constantly out of order.

The new lift is a heavy duty stainless steel electric traction lift. Those using it are required to press a button and wait for an answer before the lift can be put into operation.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Leader of the Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) Mqondisi Moyo, has made sensational claims that the late Insimbi ZeZhwane musicians, ' Mpofu Ma Eli' Mathe and Thembinkosi Maviri' Mpofu were killed by Zanu-PF.The pair died last week in a horrific accident near Fatima in Lupane in Matebeleland North.They were conferred liberation hero status by President Emmerson Mnangagwa and a memorial service was held in their honour at Amphitheatre in Bulawayo last Friday.The government also committed to providing state assistance to the injured Insimbi ZeZhwane band members.However, while addressing a party rally at Stanley Square on Saturday, the MRP leader accused Zanu-PF of orchestrating their death."Insimbi ZeZhwane has a song on Gukurahundi and if you look at it, it is Zanu-PF that killed them. How can they be called to perform in Binga and when they arrive there, the person who called them switches off their phone? They then received a call for someone else who tells them the gala they are to perform in is in Mashonaland,as they make their way there, they are involved in an accident," Moyo alleged.Moyo said the basis for his accusations was that "most people don't understand that Zanu ndeyeropa (a slogan often used by the ruling party, which MRP interpreted to mean a blood party). They rule by killing and shedding people's blood.""We know that Zanu-PF shed the blood of our brothers so that they can strengthen their rule. They can kill us but Mthwakazi will be liberated," said the MRP leader,"Zanu-PF can do what they can to stop the revolution but, in all honesty, our revolution goes on. Their folly is from 1980, Zanu has been using one strategy which is to kill people. That's why we mourn with the families of Insimbi ZeZhwane. We believe that everyone dies when their time has come not to call someone then kill them."He added that MRP was a party that was on a drive to receive the culture of people in Matebeleland and Midlands."MRP will revive all that has been squashed by the dominant Shona system including culture. Open your eyes and as you have been following MRP from the beginning, we are teaching our people to understand their struggle so that they can begin to fight their own battles and defend themselves against the system."
No let up in drone menace from Pakistan this year too: IB sources

Iffco will buy Nimboli directly from farmers across the country

15,000 Women SHGs To Get Agri-Drones: How This Will Help Modernise Farm Sector?

India

oi-PTI

Cooperative major IFFCO and industry players on Tuesday said the government's decision to provide agri-drones to women self help groups will go a long way in modernising the farm sector through use of latest technology.

Addressing the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said 15,000 women self help groups (SHGs) would get agri-drones, as well as training for operating the unmanned aerial vehicles and repairing them.

IFFCO MD U S Awasthi termed the announcement a great example of women empowerment.

He said IFFCO is also purchasing 2,500 agricultural drones as a spray solution for Nano liquid urea and Nano DAP.

Secretary General of industry body Assocham, Deepak Sood said the decision has reaffirmed the government's commitment to women empowerment, ease of living and leveraging the power of technology for holistic development.

Use of drones is catching up among farmers for spraying of pesticides, nano-fertilizer, and crop management.

Boiler explodes at IFFCO unit in Uttar Pradesh, one dead, 4 injured

Agri-drone maker IoTechWorld Avigation co-founder and director Deepak Bhardwaj said the decision will revolutionalise India's agriculture landscape.

"It is likely to speed up adoption of drone technology in the field of agriculture and will lead to substantial employment generation and agri-business opportunities in rural areas," he said.

Anoop Upadhyay, who is also co-founder and director of IoTechWorld, said India is witnessing adoption and promotion of technology like drone in the agriculture sector by agro-chemical companies.

Preet Sandhuu, MD of Gurugram-headquartered AVPL, which is into drone business, also welcomed the announcement saying it will empower women and boost application of drones in the farm sector.

The use of drone has some distinct advantages such as high field capacity and efficiency, less turnaround time and other field operational delays, and wastage reduction of pesticide and fertilizers.

Earlier this year, the government had released crop specific 'Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the Application of Pesticides with Drones.' For purchase of drones on individual ownership basis, the government provides subsidies.

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Story first published: Tuesday, August 15, 2023, 16:08 [IST]
After Anju, Yet Another Woman From Rajasthan Ditches Family For Boyfriend, Converts To Islam

India

oi-Prakash KL

In a case similar to Anju, who went to Pakistan to tie the knot with her Facebook boyfriend, a woman and a mother-of-two eloped to Kuwait with her boyfriend.

The woman identified as Deepika Patidar fled with her friend Irfan Haidar. Her family came to know about it after photos of the woman wearing a burqa were shared on social media, PTI reported citing police.

Patidar Samaj and other Hindu organisations have demanded the action against the man with whom the woman left the country. They have also submitted a memorandum to the collector and the superintendent of police.

On July 15, Mukesh Patidar, the husband of the woman, who is employed in Mumbai, filed a missing person report at Chitri police station. According to him, they have a son and daughter.

Mukesh Patidar informed the media on Monday that Haidar had brainwashed his wife and converted her to Islam. Haidar is a resident of Himmat Nagar in Gujarat, the police said. The woman often visited Khed Brahma in Gujarat's Sabar Kantha to meet Haidar. It was later found that he took her to Kuwait, Chitri SHO Govind Singh said. The matter is being investigated to ascertain how she met Haidar and secured a visa.

Pakistan Extends Visa For Indian Woman Anju After Converting To Islam And Marrying FB Friend

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 married to Arvind, who is in Rajasthan. They have a 15-year-old daughter and a six-year-old son.

Anju, who now goes by the name of Fatima after converting to Islam, on July 25 married her 29-year-old friend Nasrullah. They became friends on Facebook in 2019.

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Story first published: Tuesday, August 15, 2023, 11:51 [IST]
'What has happened to our priorities?': Amit Mishra slams critics who targeted Akshay Kumar over Chadha tweet

'Shame on you': Akshay Kumar gets slammed by netizens for 'walking over India's map' in new video

Akshay Kumar Renounces Canada Citizenship, Gets Back Indian Citizenship

India

oi-Prakash KL

Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar on Tuesday announced that he has got back his Indian citizenship after renouncing Canadian citizenship.

On Twitter, he shared a document with a caption: "Dil aur citizenship, dono Hindustani. Happy Independence Day! Jai Hind! ." It also shows his full name as Akshay Hariom Bhatia.

A section of netizens had often criticised the Bollywood actor for having Canadian citizenship. "Having a Canadian passport does not mean I am any less of an Indian. I am very much Indian. I have been here since last nine years when I got the passport. And I don't want to get into the reason of why, what happened, my films were not working, blah blah blah, chalo woh theek hai," Hindustan Times quoted him as saying at an earlier event.

The Constitution of India does not allow holding Indian citizenship and citizenship of a foreign country simultaneously.

Dil aur citizenship, dono Hindustani.

Happy Independence Day!

Jai Hind!  pic.twitter.com/DLH0DtbGxk  Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) August 15, 2023

Akshay, who is basking in the success of his latest flick 'OMG 2', had applied to renounce his Canada citizenship, but the Covid-19 pandemic delayed the process.

"Yes, I had said it in 2019, I applied for it. Then uske baad pandemic aagaya. Uske 2-2.5 saal sab kuch band hogaya. Renounce ka abhi mera letter aagaya hai (Then the pandemic happened and everything shut down for 2-2.5 years. My renounce letter is here) and very soon my whole passport will be coming." He added, "Main kya karu, maine thodi pandemic laya hai (What do I do. I didn't bring the pandemic)."
CJI Chandrachud Acknowledges PM Modi's Language Remark With Folded Hands

India

oi-Sushmita Halder

Reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's praise for Supreme Court's initiative to provide judgments in regional languages, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, who was among the guests at the Independence Day event, acknowledged the PM's remark with folded hands.

Addressing the Independence Day speech at the iconic Red Fort, PM Modi highlighted the importance of regional language and appreciated the recent move by the Supreme Court to provide judgments in regional languages.

"I also thank the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has said that the operative part of the judgments will be in one's mother tongue. The significance of the mother tongue is increasing," PM Modi said.

CJI Chandrachud has often stressed the need for courts to provide judgments in regional languages. In January, the CJI announced that the judgments delivered by the Supreme Court will be translated into four languages -Hindi, Tamil, Gujarati, and Odia, saying translation of judgments in the regional languages will help in the access to justice for the citizens.

"A very important initiative which we have adopted recently is translation of judgments of the Supreme Court in regional languages. Because we must understand that the language which we use namely English, is a language which is not comprehensible, particularly in its legal avatar, to 99.9% of our citizens," said the CJI.

Later at an event in Mumbai, Chandrachud said the "next step... is to provide translated copies of the judgments of the Supreme Court in every Indian language" and stressed the use of technology to help the courts reach out to citizens across India.

"At a recent function, the honourable CJI Justice DY Chandrachud spoke of the need to work towards making Supreme Court judgments available in regional languages. He also suggested the use of technology for it. This is a laudatory thought, which will help many people, particularly youngsters," the Prime Minister tweeted with a video excerpt of the CJI's speech.

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Story first published: Wednesday, August 16, 2023, 0:50 [IST]
Will PM Modi Address The Nation From Red Fort Next Year? Here's What Times Now ETG Survey Says

I-Day: PM Modi Calls For Collective Fight Against Corruption, Nepotism, Appeasement

India

oi-PTI

Decrying corruption, nepotism and appeasement as the three evils that have harmed the country immensely, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said it is a collective responsibility to promote "suchita (probity), pardarshita (transparency), nishpakshta (objectivity)" to make India developed.

Addressing the 77th Independence Day celebrations from the ramparts of Red Fort, Modi said that corruption has badly affected India's capabilities and the country has to resolve to not tolerate it in any form.

"It is Modi's life-long commitment to keep fighting against corruption...My government weeded out 10 crore fake beneficiaries of welfare schemes, seizure of ill-gotten assets rose by 20 times," he said.

The Nation Is With Manipur: PM Modi On Independence Day

He also said that the politics of appeasement has inflicted the most harm on social justice. Modi, addressing his 10th independence day speech, said that democracy has been affected by the ills of nepotism and alleged that dynastic parties work with the mantra of "party of the family, by the family and for the family".

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Story first published: Tuesday, August 15, 2023, 10:09 [IST]
PM Modi Will Hoist National Flag At His Home In 2024: Kharge

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Independence Day 2023: PM Modi Dons Rajasthani Bandhani Print Turban

India

oi-Prakash KL

On the occasion of Independence Day in 2023, Prime Minister Modi donned a turban reminiscent of the Rajasthani Bandhani pattern, featuring a prominent Ashok Chakra on the front.

He complemented this with a black vest, akin to a Nehru Jacket, and a white ensemble.

Before arriving at the Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra visited the Rajghat in the national capital to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on the country's 77th Independence Day.

From Rajghat, PM Modi reached the Red Fort and hoisted the tricolour on the iconic Red Fort.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is leading the nation as the country marks its 77th Independence Day as the grand stage is all set for celebrations at the iconic Red Fort in the national capital.

Independence Day 2023 LIVE: PM Modi Appeals For Peace In Manipur From Ramparts Of Red Fort

This year's Independence Day will culminate the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' celebrations, which were launched by the Prime Minister from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on March 12, 2021, and will, once again, usher the country into 'Amrit Kaal' with renewed vigour to realise PM Modi's dream of making India a developed country by 2047.

Prime Minister started off his speech by appealing for peace in Manipur.

"The country stands with the people of Manipur...Resolution can be found through peace only. The Centre and the State government is making all efforts to find a resolution," he said.

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Story first published: Tuesday, August 15, 2023, 8:13 [IST]
"Speak up if you want to bring change to the world, says Social Activist Sharad Kumar Yadav

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Nation Mourns The Demise Of Sulabh Founder Bindeshwar Pathak

India

oi-Sushmita Halder

Bindeshwar Pathak, Sulabh International founder and social activist, a pioneer in building public toilets, took his last breath on Tuesday at AIIMS Delhi. According to a close source, Pathak died due to cardiac arrest.

According to the sources, his health had deteriorated in the morning during the Independence Day celebrations and he was later taken to a hospital.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to platform X, formerly Twitter to express his condolence for Pathak. PM Modi called the death of Pathak a "profound loss" for the nation. He praised Pathak for working for "societal progress and empowering the downtrodden."

"The passing away of Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak Ji is a profound loss for our nation. He was a visionary who worked extensively for societal progress and empowering the downtrodden," he said.

The Prime Minister said during his conversations with Bindeshwar Pathak, the latter's "passion towards Swachhata was always visible."

He further added, "Bindeshwar Ji made it his mission to build a cleaner India. He provided monumental support to the Swachh Bharat Mission. During our various conversations, his passion towards Swachhata was always visible."

"His work will continue to inspire several people. My deepest condolences to his family and loved ones during this difficult time. Om Shanti. His organisation has made significant strides in improving public health, advancing social progress, and enhancing human rights in India," he concluded.

The 80-year-old was the founder of Sulabh International, an India-based social service organisation that works to promote human rights, environmental sanitation, waste management, and reforms through education.

Pathak had dedicated his life to promoting non-conventional sources of energy, and waste management through education.

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Story first published: Tuesday, August 15, 2023, 17:32 [IST]
NCP's Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare Meet Nawab Malik

India

oi-PTI

NCP leaders Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare, who support the faction led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, on Tuesday met party MLA Nawab Malik who was recently granted interim bail by the Supreme Court on medical grounds in a money laundering case.

Patel later told reporters that they did not discuss any political issue. Asked about a possible meeting between former state minister Malik and Ajit Pawar, Patel said, "Ajit Pawar will definitely meet Nawab Malik." On Monday, Malik was discharged from a private hospital here, after the Supreme Court last week granted him interim bail for two months on medical grounds in a money laundering case.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Malik in February 2022 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in a case allegedly linked to fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his associates.

The 64-year-old politician has been undergoing treatment at the private hospital since May 2022 for a kidney-related ailment. On Tuesday, Patel and Tatkare went to Malik's residence here to meet him and were seen offering sweets to the NCP legislator. Speaking to reporters, Rajya Sabha member Patel said, "It was a courtesy meeting with Nawab Malik. We enquired about his health and offered him our support. He has spent nearly 16 months in jail."

"It is our duty to go and meet him as we have been together for the last 25-30 years. We did not discuss any political issue. Going by his health condition, I would urge everybody to give Malik some time to recover. He has some kidney-related issues," he said.

SC Grants Interim Bail To Former Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik

To a query on NCP leaders facing ED or I-T probes supporting the Ajit Pawar faction, Patel said, "The political stand we have taken is open and clear to all. There will be no comment from our side over it." Malik's daughter and brother met Ajit Pawar a few days back. On Monday, Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule, a key leader of the NCP faction led by party founder Sharad Pawar, hailed the interim bail granted to Malik as the "victory of truth".

"I came here to receive my brother. Satyamev Jayate!" Sule said outside the hospital, where Malik was admitted.

Sule also said her visit to the hospital did not have any political angle.

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Story first published: Tuesday, August 15, 2023, 15:18 [IST]
News / National

by Staff reporter

Exiled former Ntabazinduna chief Felix Nhlanhlayamangwe Ndiweni says Zanu-PF must be taken to court for coercing schoolchildren to attend its rallies in violation of a 2018 High Court ruling.In 2018, the High Court ruled that school children must not be forced to attend political rallies.The court also said that political parties must not be allowed to use school equipment, including vehicles for political interests.This followed a High Court application by legislative watchdog, Veritas, on behalf of the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (Artuz).Schoolchildren have, however, been seen at Zanu-PF rallies addressed by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in the lead up to the August 23 elections."Zanu-PF should not be going to schools to hold rallies, should not be campaigning on school grounds, should not be coercing school children, should not be disturbing school children in school hours," Ndiweni said in an interview."More important than that, we have domestic legislation in Zimbabwe that prohibits the ministry of education, teachers, and all those involved in school work from getting involved in party politics."In Nkayi recently, some learners clad in school uniforms were forced to chant Zanu-PF slogans denouncing the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).Other reports show that learning was being disrupted, with teachers and learners alike forced to attend party rallies."The only way to deal with this matter is for guardians and parents of the children to take the matter to court," Ndiweni said."The school authorities must also be approached by parents and made to understand that their children are not part of the politics."Bulawayo Zanu-PF spokesperson Archibold Chiponda did not respond to questions sent to him before going to print.In a statement last week, the Artuz condemned the abuse of children and teachers' rights.In 2018, Artuz launched a Safe Schools Campaign aimed at ensuring that the security and safety of teachers and learners is safeguarded before, during and after polls.
PM Modi Erased N And Put P Instead, P For 'Pettiness, Peeve': Cong Slams Nehru Memorial Name Change

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New Scheme For Middle-Class To Own House In Cities: PM Modi's Big Announcement

India

oi-Prakash KL

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the government will soon launch a scheme to provide relief in bank loans to those dreaming of their own house in cities.

Addressing the nation on the 77th Independence Day, PM Modi said his government will soon launch the scheme for middle-class families living in cities but do not own a house.

The Prime Minister launched the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban (PMAY-U) -- a flagship Mission of the Central government -- on June 25, 2015.

I-Day: PM Modi Calls For Collective Fight Against Corruption, Nepotism, Appeasement

The Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has been implementing the PMAY-U scheme. According to the ministry, around 1.18 crore houses have been sanctioned under PMAY (Urban) till July 31 this year, out of which 76.02 lakh have been delivered to the beneficiaries.

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Story first published: Tuesday, August 15, 2023, 10:29 [IST]
Nuh Violence: Cops Catch Accused Bittu Bajrangi Near His Faridabad House

India

oi-Sushmita Halder

Bittu Bajrangi, a Bajrang Dal member and cow vigilante from Haryana, has been arrested nearly 20 days after the communal violence that took place in Haryana's Nuh. The accused has been arrested near his Faridabad house.

CCTV footage from the area showed plainclothes policemen, armed with sticks and guns, catching him after a long chase. He has been accused of rioting, violence, threatening, obstructing government work, stopping a government officer from duty and causing harm with a deadly weapon.

VIDEO | Bittu Bajrangi, a Bajrang Dal member, has been arrested in connection with violence in Haryana's Nuh.



(Source: Third Party) pic.twitter.com/SC04SydgiY  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 15, 2023

A spokesperson of Faridabad police said Bittu Bajrangi's associates are being identified from the available videos. They will also be arrested.

"Whoever obstructs the work of the police will not be spared. Social media is being monitored... The police will also take strict action against those who spread any kind of provocative speech or misleading news," the spokesperson said.

A fruit and vegetables trader at the Gazipur market and Dabua maket in Faridabad, Bittu Bajrangi alias Raj Kumar, has been running a cow vigilante group for the last three years.

In the last month alone, he was booked in three cases of inciting religious sentiments. After the Nuh violence, a case was registered against the Goraksha Bajrang Force chief in Faridabad.

The communal clash last month claimed five lives and several others injured, spreading from Nuh to Gurugram. A mosque was torched post-midnight, and more than a hundred vehicles were set ablaze and vandalised as mobs went on a rampage. The dead include two security personnel and two civilians, one of them a cleric of the mosque.

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Story first published: Wednesday, August 16, 2023, 1:13 [IST]
PM Modi Lauds SC For Delivering Judgments In Regional Languages; CJI Responds With Folded Hands

India

oi-PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday lauded the Supreme Court for its move to translate operative parts of its judgments in regional languages, with Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud acknowledging the praise. Addressing the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort on Independence Day, the Prime Minister said, "We have given emphasis on teaching in mother tongue."

He observed that the Supreme Court has decided to translate operative part of the judgment in language spoken by the litigant. "I thank the Supreme Court. It has said that now the operative part of the judgment will be translated in the language the litigant speaks," PM Modi said.

CJI Chandrachud, who was amongst the audience, responded with a 'namaste' gesture. "The relevance of mother tongue is increasing," Modi said. The CJI had recently announced that the Supreme Court would use artificial intelligence to provide judgements, written in English, in regional languages.

I-Day: PM Modi Calls For Collective Fight Against Corruption, Nepotism, Appeasement

Justice Chandrachud had said that English, used for writing judgements, is not comprehensible, "particularly in its legal avatar, to 99.9 per cent of our citizens". He said the top court would initially focus on translating judgments into four languages -- Hindi, Tamil, Gujarati, and Odia and gradually, the verdicts will be made available in all scheduled languages.

Some of the high courts have also started providing judgements in regional languages apart from English. Earlier, the top court had decided to provide its judgments in nine regional languages in 2019 and the move was acknowledged and hailed by the then president Ram Nath Kovind.

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Story first published: Tuesday, August 15, 2023, 12:42 [IST]
PM Modi Will Hoist National Flag At His Home In 2024: Kharge

India

oi-Prakash KL

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, who skipped Independence Day celebration at Red Fort, slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for indicating that the BJP will come to power in 2024.

"Every person says that they come back again and again after winning. But making you win or lose is in the hands of people, in the hands of voters. To say in 2023, 'I will hoist the flag once again in 2024' is arrogance. If he keeps making comments on Opposition even on Independence Day, how will he build the nation?" he questioned.

A chair reserved for Kharge, who is also the leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, was seen empty during the Independence Day function at the Red Fort.

I-Day: PM Modi Calls For Collective Fight Against Corruption, Nepotism, Appeasement

He, however, unfurled the national flag at his residence and later at the Congress headquarters where the Independence Day function was also attended by Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders.

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Mallikarjun Kharge slams Modi for indicating BJP will come to power in 2024 | Oneindia News

The senior Congress leader said, "He will hoist the National Flag once again next year, he will do that at his home," Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge reacts to PM Modi's "The next 15th August, from this Red Fort, I will present before you the achievements of the country"

In his address from the Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi exuded confidence that he will address the nation from the Red Fort next year to list out the progress on the promises he had made to the people.

"The promise for change brought me here, my performance brought me here once again. The coming five years are of unprecedented development and a golden moment to realise the dream of India as a developed nation by 2047," the Prime Minister said in his speech from the ramparts of Red Fort.

Independence Day 2023: PM Modi's Turbans Since 2014 [Pics]

"Next year, on August 15 from this same Red Fort I will list out the progress achieved by the nation and sing paeans to your strength, your resolve and your success with greater confidence," the PM said in his last Independence Day address before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

On asking the reason why he skipped the Independence Day celebration at Red Fort, Kharge said, "Firstly, I have some eye-related problems. Secondly, I had to hoist the Tricolour at my residence at 9.20 am as per protocols. Then I had to come to the Congress office and hoist the Tricolour here too. So, I could not have reached here. The security is so tight that they don't let anyone else leave before the PM leaves...I thought that I will not be able to reach here on time...I thought it better to not go there to security situation and lack of time."

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Story first published: Tuesday, August 15, 2023, 12:01 [IST]
Matter Will Be Taken Up Further: Cong On HC's Refusal To Stay Rahul's Conviction In Modi Surname Case

How Soon Can Rahul Gandhi Regain His Membership In Parliament? Can He Attend No-Confidence Motion Debate?

Seema Haider Threatens Neighbour With Defamation Case For Calling Her Husband 'Jhingur'

India

oi-Prakash KL

Pakistani woman Seema Haider, who entered India illegally to be with her Noida-based boyfriend Sachin Meena, has threatened to take legal action against her neighbour for making comments on Sachin's physical attributes, India Today reported.

In a recent viral video, Seema Haider's neighbour Mithilesh Bhati was heard calling Sachin "lappu" and "jhingur". Her lawyer has warned her neighbour of filing a defamation case against her.

Mithilesh Bhati will receive a response from every husband for making the aforementioned comments against Sachin, Seema's lawyer, AP Singh said.

Seema Haider Hoists Tricolour At Home In Noida, Chants Pakistan Murdabad, Video Goes viral

In interviews, Mithilesh Bhati used the terms "jhingur sa" and "lappu sa" to address Sachin. "In a diverse country like ours, insults based on skin colour and physical attributes will not be tolerated. We are planning to take legal action against the woman," the advocate said

Responding to this development, Bhati claimed that he did not insult anyone. "I got angry, and those words slipped from my mouth. Such language is commonly used here in our colloquial conversations. People call me 'lappi' but that doesn't mean I will become 'lappi'. I have not insulted anyone," she said.

Seema Haider, a married Muslim woman from Pakistan and mother of four, came across 22-year-old Sachin Meen on PUBG during the pandemic in 2020. After falling in love, she left her country and married him in Nepal. She then went back to her country, sold her property for flight tickets and a Nepal visa from where she illegally entered India with her four children to stay with the man whom she married in May.

The best thing that came out of seema haider n sacchin case is this lady n she's not being appreciated enough, Lappu n jheengarr needs to be added in dictionary fr pic.twitter.com/tDBc4a47b4  Confucius Ki Aatma (@SerotoNiLL) August 10, 2023

She took a bus from Delhi to Noida to meet her lover.

More than one-and-a-half-month later, local police got a whiff of a Pakistani woman and her children's illegal presence in their area. Sachin, Seema and her children tried to evade police arrest and fled, but were caught in Ballabhgarh in Haryana. Police then questioned them and officially arrested them on July 4, the officials said.

Pakistanis Have No Place In Indian Films: MNS On Seema Haider's Bollywood Entry

Seema hailed from Sindh province in Pakistan and was settled in Karachi after her marriage in 2014. She has embraced Hinduism and vowed to not go to Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Seema Haider was seen chanting "Bharat Mata ki Jai" while hoisting the Indian flag ahead of this year's Independence Day.

A video circulating on social media shows Seema Haider chanting "Pakistan murdabad," indicating her vocal disapproval of her country of origin. The video was shared by Ashutosh Dubey, Head of BJP Maharashtra Social Media.
Unfulfilled Promise: Family Of Cook Who Refused To Poison Mahatma Gandhi Yet To Receive Land Promised By Prez

India

oi-Prakash KL

The family of a cook, who had refused to poison Mahatma Gandhi in 1917, is yet to receive the land promised by the first President of India for his patriotic act.

In the said year, a cook named Batan Mian had defied the orders of a British officer to poison Mahatma Gandhi during Champaran Satyagraha, according to a report in PTI. After Independence, India's first President Rajendra Prasad in 1952 promised the family to give land to his family.

Mian, who bore the brunt of severe torture and displacement from his land by the British due to his patriotic act, passed away in 1957. As per widely recounted narratives of the 1917 incident, the event unfolded during Mahatma Gandhi's visit to Motihari, the former central hub of the undivided Champaran district, aimed at investigating the dire circumstances faced by indigo farmers.

Independence Day 2023: PM Modi's Turbans Since 2014 [Pics]

British manager of an indigo plantation named Erwin had invited Gandhi for dinner and asked his cook Batak Mian to serve him milk laced with poison.

However, he disobeyed his orders and exposed the plot to save Gandhi's life. The movement of the indigo farmers, which came to be known as Champaran Satyagraha, became a historic event in the Indian freedom struggle and finally, the British were forced to accept the demands of agitating peasants.

"Our grandfather Batak Mian had informed Gandhiji about the plot. But he had to pay heavily for his patriotic act. He was jailed and brutally tortured. He was evicted from his house and forced out of the village along with his family," his grandson, Kalam Ansari (60), told PTI.

"But, it seems people have forgotten my ancestor's sacrifices. We are now living in abject poverty. Promises made by Rajendra Prasad were not fructified," he stated.

Upon learning about the challenges encountered by Mian and his family in 1950, Prasad issued instructions to the collector of the Tirhut division, encompassing six districts such as East and West Champaran, to allocate 50 acres of land to Mian and his sons Rashid Ansari, Sher Mohammed Ansari, and Mohammad Jaan Ansari.

"However, we received only six acres of the promised land near a river in Akwa Parsawni village in Dhanaura panchayat in West Champaran district. Of the six acres, five have been lost to the river due to erosion. We urge the government to allot us some land at a safer place in the district," Kalam Ansari said.

PM Modi's Independence Day Speech: Top 15 Quotes

According to Dinesh Kumar Rai, the District Collector of West Champaran, six acres of land has been allocated to Mian's family. The district administration will address any concerns related to his family and implement suitable actions, he said.

Sikta assembly constituency's CPI(ML) Liberation MLA Birendra Prasad Gupta said, "The government has constructed a Batak Mian memorial museum and library near Moti Jheel in Motihari but it is not fully functional... the library also does not have books related to Mian or the freedom struggle." "I have written several letters to the authorities in this regard. People must know about the person who saved Gandhiji," Gupta stated.

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Story first published: Tuesday, August 15, 2023, 12:55 [IST]
Georgia Court Website Publishes, Then Takes Down List Of Criminal Charges Against Trump

International

oi-PTI

A list of criminal charges in Georgia against former President Donald Trump briefly appeared Monday on a Fulton County website, but prosecutors said Trump had not been indicted in a long-running investigation of the 2020 presidential election.

A Fulton County grand jury began hearing from witnesses Monday. Shortly after 12 p.m., Reuters reported on a list of several criminal charges to be brought against Trump, including state racketeering counts, conspiracy to commit false statements, and solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer. Reuters, which later published a copy of the document, said the filing was taken down quickly afterward.

A spokesperson for Willis said the report of charges being filed was "inaccurate," but declined to comment further. Prosecutors were widely expected to present those counts to the grand jury. It was unclear why the charges were detailed in a filing while grand jurors were still hearing from witnesses. For two and a half years, Willis has been investigating actions taken by Trump and others in their efforts to overturn his narrow loss in Georgia to Democrat Joe Biden.

Barriers and street closures around the courthouse in downtown Atlanta, as well as statements made by Willis, had indicated that a presentation to a grand jury was likely to begin this week. Former Democratic state Sen. Jen Jordan, who had been subpoenaed to testify before the grand jury, said as she left the Fulton County courthouse late Monday morning that she had been questioned for about 40 minutes.

US: Georgia grand jury returns indictments in Trump probe

Former Democratic state Rep. Bee Nguyen also confirmed that she testified. News outlets reported that Gabriel Sterling, a top official in the secretary of state's office, was seen arriving at the courthouse earlier Monday. "No individual is above the law, and I will continue to fully cooperate with any legal proceedings seeking the truth and protecting our democracy," Nguyen said in a statement.

Nguyen and Jordan both attended legislative hearings in December 2020 during which former New York mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and others made false claims of widespread election fraud in Georgia. Trump lawyer John Eastman also appeared during at least one of those hearings and said the election had not been held in compliance with Georgia law and that lawmakers should appoint a new slate of electors. Sterling and his boss, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger - both Republicans - forcefully pushed back against allegations of widespread problems with Georgia's election.

Trump famously called Raffensperger on January 2, 2021, and suggested the state's top elections official could help "find" the votes Trump needed to beat Biden. It was the release of a recording of that phone call that prompted Willis to open her investigation about a month later.

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Story first published: Tuesday, August 15, 2023, 9:10 [IST]
Russian missile attacks were reported across Ukraine  including in Lviv, far from the front line and close to the border with NATO-member Poland. DW has the latest.
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Three persons killed, 8 injured in accident involving 3 vehicles on A9 Road

Posted by Editor on August 15, 2023 - 8:00 am

Three persons were killed and eight others injured after an accident when a van travelling from Colombo to Jaffna had crashed into the back of a lorry in the Panichchankulam area of Mankulam police division on the A9 Road this morning (August 15).

According to Police, the van collided with the rear of a lorry parked in the same direction and then collided with another lorry in front of it.

The driver of the lorry at the back had gotten out of the vehicle at the time of the accident and had suffered serious injuries due to being stuck between the two lorries.

A person who was in the back of the lorry and a person who was travelling in the front seat of the van had also sustained serious injuries while all three of them had succumbed to injuries after being admitted to the Mankulam Hospital.

Meanwhile three women who were travelling in the van and a male travelling in the lorry were injured and admitted to the Kilinochchi Hospital while three men travelling in the lorry were admitted to Mankulam Hospital with injuries.

The deceased have been identified as residents of Mulleriyawa New Town, Wellampitiya and Jaffna, aged 38, 46 and 58 years.

The van driver has been arrested in connection with the accident.
Charles McGonigal, former special agent in charge of the FBI's counterintelligence division in New York, arrives to Manhattan federal court in New York, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023, in New York. John Minchillo/AP

Charles McGonigal pleaded guilty on Tuesday to working with a sanctioned Russian oligarch.

The former FBI agent was once a top counterintelligence chief.

He admitted to money laundering and violating sanctions.

Charles McGonigal, the FBI's former chief New York City spyhunter, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to working with a sanctioned Russian oligarch.

McGonigal pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering and conspiracy to violate sanctions.

His plea marks what could be the beginning of the end of one of the most embarrassing scandals in FBI history. Sources from within the government have repeatedly denied that McGonigal engaged in any espionage, a crime he was never charged with. But the fact that McGonigal broke the law to do any work for Deripaska is itself hugely embarrassing, given Deripaska's closeness to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the many US secrets that McGonigal was charged with keeping.

McGonigal's co-defendant, Sergey Shestakov, a former Russian diplomat who later became a US citizen and worked as an interpreter in the federal courts, was not present at the Tuesday hearing. Shestakov has pleaded not guilty to the same five counts that McGonigal was initially charged with. His attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

McGonigal faced two indictments  one in New York and one in Washington DC  in January of this year after a secret grand jury investigation into the counterintelligence chief, and specifically, his relationship with a representative of Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch.

Insider previously reported that federal prosecutors charged McGonigal with money laundering and making false statements in his mandatory employee disclosures to the FBI. He was also charged with taking money from a representative of Deripaska, which violated US economic sanctions against Russia.

In court, McGonigal read from a handwritten statement. He admitted that he took money to collect information about Vladimir Potanin, a business competitor of Deripaska's, in order to get him sanctioned.

Story continues

"I never intended to hurt the US, the FBI, my family and friends," he said in court, choking up as he thanked the FBI and prosecutors who he had once worked alongside. He said he was "deeply remorseful" for his actions. He described how he had knowingly routed payments from a Russian Gazprombank account associated with Deripaska through Cyprus to a New Jersey corporation. His purpose, he said, was to conceal the source of the payment which he knew to be in violation of US sanctions.

Prosecutors filed a document today describing the specifics of the crime that McGonigal plead guilty to. In court, they described some of the evidence that would have come to light had McGonigal's case proceeded to trial. It included, they said, electronic messages showing that McGonigal and Shestakov stood to gain as much as $3 million if they succeeded in obtaining records showing Potanin's hidden assets. They also said they had evidence of a meeting that the two men held in Manhattan with an agent of Deripaska's, a man who has been named in earlier court proceedings as Yevgeny Fokin.

On Tuesday, Judge Jennifer Rearden pointed out that McGonigal is also being prosecuted for a separate charge in Washington DC in which he is accused of soliciting a $500,000 bribe to help set up a meeting between the US and the UN. Rearden said McGonigal's sentences could be consecutive.

Outside of the courtroom, McGonigal's attorney, Seth DuCharme, said, "He's had a black cloud hanging over him for a long time. Now, hopefully, the clouds are starting to part a little bit."

When asked whether McGonigal's plea agreement required that he cooperate with the government, DuCharme simply replied "the agreement is the agreement."

McGonigal will be sentenced on December 14.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Police Raid Unlicensed Gambling Dens in Kyiv, Shutting Down Four Underground Operations

Published August 14, 2023 by OCR Editor

Ukrainian law enforcement agency ESBU has conducted raids in Kyiv's districts, dismantling four illegal gambling establishments. The crackdown reveals unlawful activities conducted in the midst of a curfew, signaling a broader effort against tax-revenue-depriving crimes.

Kyiv, Ukraine's bustling capital, saw law enforcement agency Bureau of Economic Security (ESBU) take swift action against illegal gambling, with a series of raids leading to the closure of four underground gambling establishments. These illicit operations were discovered in the Shevchenkivskyi, Solomyanskyi, and Svyatoshynskyi districts of the city.

During these coordinated operations, ESBU detectives seized a significant cache of evidence, including 120 pieces of computer equipment, amounting to an estimated market value of UAH1.5 million (32,000/37,000/$40,000). Subsequent investigations unveiled that the perpetrators, who lacked the necessary licenses, organized gambling activities without adhering to legal requirements.

Notably, the investigation found that the ringleaders of this gambling syndicate were operating without establishing any legal entity, directly contravening the country's laws. The illicit gambling venues were predominantly situated on the ground floors of residential buildings, a clever disguise to avoid detection.

The gambling ring covered its tracks meticulously, operating exclusively for trusted customers and scheduling activities solely after the city's mandated midnight curfew. This curfew, enacted in response to Russia's invasion in February 2022, restricted movement during nighttime hours.

Further security measures included a 24-hour video surveillance system and on-premises guards. As the investigation unfolds, law enforcement is compiling a comprehensive list of individuals implicated in the illicit operations.

The ongoing investigation will proceed based on Part 1 of Art. 203-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine pertains to illegal gambling activities and lotteries. The Territorial Department of the Security Intelligence Service in Kyiv will lead this effort under the guidance of prosecutors from the Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office.

Ukraine's current legislation stipulates that slot machines can only be placed within three to five-star hotels, while casinos are permissible only within four to five-star hotels. Enacted in July 2020, this law imposes a $1.2 million license fee and a 28% revenue tax on slot parlors, while also enforcing a minimum age of 21 for punters.

This crackdown is part of an increased effort to combat crimes that deprive the state of crucial tax revenues, especially considering the country's ongoing conflict with Russia. The actions taken by ESBU serve as a reminder of the government's commitment to maintaining law and order, particularly in gambling and tax compliance.

ESBU has taken action against unlicensed gambling establishments in the Kyiv region, demonstrating a commitment to combatting illegal gambling and supporting the country's regulatory and financial goals.
New Delhi: To celebrate Independence Day, Bollywood icon Akshay Kumar revealed his newly acquired Indian citizenship. In a social media post, Akshay posted an image of his hand clutching the official Indian citizenship documents, featuring a crimson folder adorned with the inscription, 'Certificate of Citizenship, Government of India Ministry of Home Affairs.'

He also gives a sneak peek into the certificate which shows his name as - Akshay Hariom Bhatia. It also has his wife and actress Twinkle Khanna's name on it. The place of birth is mentioned Delhi, and the previous nationality is Canadian.

The certificate read: "This is to certify that the person whose particulars are given below has been registered as a citizen of India under the provision of section 5(1) (g) of the Citizenship Act, 1955."

Akshay captioned the post as: "Dil aur citizenship, dono Hindustani. Happy Independence Day! Jai Hind!"

During or after the 2011 Canadian federal election, the Conservation government there granted Canadian citizenship to Akshay. The actor had received an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada. In a 2010 interview with the Economist, he claimed he had "dual citizenship". In December 2019, he had stated that he has applied for an Indian passport and plans to give up his Canadian citizenship.

The news took the internet by storm, and fans are showering love on Akshay's announcement. They wrote: "Bro showed Indian Citizenship", "Sabki Bolti Band ab", "Bold aur capital mein INDIAN likhenge abse," "Congratulations Akki Sir Aap hindustan ke dilo mein dhadakte hain, ye kagaz toh sirf mohar hain, hindustani aap pehle se hii hain. Jai Hind," "Congratulations akshay ji !! Finally aapne haters ki bolti Band kardi", "Finally.. .. What a Surprise AK Happy Independence day."

On the work front, Akshay was last seen in 'OMG 2'. He has an impressive line up of work including - 'The Great Indian Rescue', 'Bade Miyan Chote Miyan', 'Hera Pheri 3', and an untitled remake of 'Soorarai Pottru'.

(With IANS inputs)
New Delhi: In a rare two-day military talks, India and China agreed to resolve the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh in an "expeditious manner" besides maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas, a joint statement said on Tuesday, a day after conclusion of the dialogue.



The readout on the 19th round of India-China Corps Commander-level meeting did not indicate any immediate breakthrough in disengagement of troops in remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh.

It was for the first time, the high-level military talks on the lingering border row spanned two days, people familiar with the matter said, adding the duration of the discussions totalled around 17 hours over the two days.

The talks were held at Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Indian side of the LAC on August 13 and 14, a week before Prime Minister Narendra Modi travels to Johannesburg to attend a summit of BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) where he is set to come face-to-face with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The statement released in Delhi by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the two sides exchanged views in an "open and forward looking manner" in line with the guidance provided by the leadership.

"The two sides had a positive, constructive and in-depth discussion on the resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC in the Western Sector. In line with the guidance provided by the leadership, they exchanged views in an open and forward looking manner," it said.

"They agreed to resolve the remaining issues in an expeditious manner and maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiations through military and diplomatic channels," it said.

"In the interim, the two sides agreed to maintain the peace and tranquility on the ground in the border areas," the statement added.

It is learnt that the Indian side strongly pressed for resolving the lingering issues at Depsang and Demchok.

A statement issued by the MEA following the 18th round of military talks in April said that "the two sides agreed to stay in close contact and maintain dialogue through military and diplomatic channels and work out a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest."

The government refers to eastern Ladakh as the Western Sector.

The Indian and Chinese troops are locked in an over three-year confrontation in certain friction points in eastern Ladakh even as the two sides completed disengagement from several areas following extensive diplomatic and military talks.

The Indian delegation at the talks was headed by Lt Gen Rashim Bali, the Commander of the Leh-headquartered 14 Corps while the Chinese team was led by the commander of the South Xinjiang military district.

In the 18th round of the military dialogue that was held on April 23, the Indian side had pitched for resolving the lingering issues at Depsang and Demchok at the earliest.

On July 24, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi on the sidelines of a meeting of the five-nation grouping BRICS in Johannesburg.

In its statement on the meeting, the MEA said Doval conveyed that the situation along the LAC in the western sector of the India-China boundary since 2020 had "eroded strategic trust" and the public and political basis of the relationship.

It said the NSA emphasised the importance of continuing efforts to fully resolve the situation and restore peace and tranquillity in the border areas so as to remove impediments to normalcy in bilateral ties.

India has been maintaining that its ties with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas.

The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake area.

The ties between the two countries 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.

As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in 2021 on the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and in the Gogra area.
Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator

The Obama administration began the US military occupation of Syria in November 2015. Obama sold the public on the idea of fighting ISIS, but in reality military personnel of Syria, Russia, Iraq and Iran were already on the group and ultimately defeated ISIS in Syria.

The real reason behind the US invasion and occupation of Syria, now lasting eight years, and with no end in sight, was to prevent the Syrian government, and its citizens, from benefiting from the oil wells in the north east.

Those oil wells had supplied the domestic consumption of gasoline, diesel home-heating fuel, diesel truck fuel, and the production of electricity.

Since then, Syrians have had a chronic shortage of gasoline, diesel and have almost no electricity for homes, offices, businesses, schools and hospitals. The national grid is dependent on converting petroleum into electricity at the various power stations. Syrians are living with just two to three hours of electricity per 24 hours, in three increments.

Due to US sanctions, Syria can't buy energy products easily. The sanctions and occupation are designed to keep the Syrian people deprived of even the most basic daily needs.

Steven Sahiounie of MidEastDiscourse.com interviewed Glenn Diesen, Professor, of the University of South-Eastern Norway.

#1. Steven Sahiounie (SS): Recently, the US military sent reinforcement to east of Syria where they are illegally occupying the largest oil wells in Syria. In your opinion, what is the US planning there?

Glenn Diesen (GD): We have seen growing military pressure against the US in Syria to compel the Americans to end their occupation of Syria. The US will strengthen its position to withstand these efforts. Besides plundering Syria, the US must also ensure that the region recognizes the US as the dominant force in the region. Once states in the region no longer believe that the US will have the final say, then they will start to become more self-reliant by seeking alternative security arrangements, or pursuing peace agreements. The political power of the US derives to a large extent from its ability to demonstrate its military dominance.

#2. SS: In both Ukraine and Syria, Russia and the US are in a military conflict. Recently, the US was complaining about Russian airplanes operating in Syria, where they are targeting the Radical Islamic terrorists such as ISIS and Jabhat Al-Nusra. In your opinion, will this result in open conflict, and where?

GD: Russia is increasing pressure on the American troops to push them out of Syria. This can also be considered to be horizontal escalation to the conflict in Ukraine where the Americans are in a position to kill Russian soldiers, but the Russians do not have any possibility to impose direct costs on the Americans. Neither the Russians nor the Americans want this to escalate into a direct hot war between the two nuclear powers; however, they are both prepared to risk such a war by increasing pressure on the other side. However, the US still prefers to fight Russia through proxies such as Islamic terrorist groups in Syria.

#3. SS: China brokered a deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which took America by surprise. In your view, how do you see the American reaction to this new relationship?

GD: The political influence of the US in the region largely derives from its role as a security provider, and therefore has an interest in perpetuating the conflicts. US hegemony therefore depends on dividing regions of the world into dependent and obedient allies on one side, and weakened adversaries on the other. The US openly expressed its dissatisfaction with the Chinese-brokered deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran as they want the military pressure on Iran to endure and they want to maintain their influence over Saudi Arabia. The US is also very apprehensive about the strength of China, that is displacing US power across the world.

#4. SS: US president Joe Biden has a very strained relationship with Saudi Arabia. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has decided to act decisively on the world stage. In your opinion, will America allow Saudi Arabia to fall from their grasp?

GD: Saudi Arabia is seeking an ideal position in the nascent multipolar world, which is to establish good relations with all the great powers. By diversifying its partnerships, Saudi Arabia can avoid excessive dependence on any one state and thus enjoy greater political autonomy. The US will predictably attempt to restore its control over Saudi Arabia, and therefore push for Saudi Arabia to sever its ties with other great powers such as China and Russia. This can only be achieved by stoking tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran as this will increase Saudi security dependence on the US and it must therefore follow US orders. The US always aims to convert security dependence into economic and political loyalties; thus US power is conditioned on conflict.

#5. SS: The US-Turkish relationship has been strained for years while the US supports the Kurds, whom Turkey considers terrorists. In your view, now that President Erdogan has been re-elected, and has such a big role to play in Ukraine, will the US re-evaluate their support of the Kurds?

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South Jersey Web Design is thrilled to announce its prestigious ranking as #3 among the Best Web Designers in New Jersey by TopDevelopers.co, a leading directory and review platform for IT service providers. This recognition underscores South Jersey Web Design's commitment to excellence, innovation, and delivering top-tier digital solutions to clients across various industries. TopDevelopers.co evaluates web design companies based on rigorous criteria, including technical expertise, client reviews, market presence, 
For Immediate Release Austin, TX, USA Jerodet Music announces its first album release "EDM - Enigmatic Dance Music" Jerodet Music is releasing a collection of artist/composer/producer Jerome Detotto's electronic dance music in the late summer of 2023. The album will be available on streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music and Boomplay. A lifelong musician and music lover, Jerome currently composes music in various styles and genres geared 
Police arrested a suspect in the June shooting that killed two men as they drove through Northeast Portland.

Local law enforcement, accompanied by U.S. Marshals, arrested 24-year-old Bennett Miller in the Mount Tabor neighborhood on Monday. Miller faces unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of first-degree murder charges in the deaths of Fortressen Oriakhi and Isidahomen Ikhuoria.
A new Portland pizzeria coming this fall will specialize in Neapolitan pizza, with portafoglio (wallet-style) folded pizzas sold through a takeout window by day, and more straightforward pies served in the dining room at night.

And travel host Rick Steves is to thank.

Seriously.

Early in the pandemic, marketer Maya Setton and her husband Chris Flanagan were watching TV and brainstorming how they would afford daycare for their second child, who was already on the way.

So were sitting on the couch watching Rick Steves in Italy, and there was this 30-second blip on the screen where you see him show up and get one of these portafoglios, Setton said. And it was like, Thats it, thats brilliant: Its portable. Its made for the common person. We need to bring this to Portland.

One big thing working in the couples favor: Flanagan is a chef with a long resume of cooking experience at Portlands since-closed Ten-01 and Tabla, Oregon wine countrys Dundee Bistro and, more recently, at Mt. Hood Brewings Tilikum Station, a brewpub and pizzeria in Southeast Portland.

Flanagan dove into the idea, eventually flying to Southern California to attend classes through the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, where he says he earned a certification for his Neapolitan pizza skill. Grana  full name: Grana Pizza Napoletana  launched as a pop-up at the Vancouver Farmers Market last year, then snagged a spot at the Saturday market at Portland State University, closer to the duos Southwest Portland home.

(The pair also hosted a fateful one-off at Montelupo, the Northeast 28th Avenue restaurant from Flanagans former Tabla boss Adam Berger, in 2022, when I first heard of Grana. According to Setton, the lines for that event  Granas first Portland pop-up  stretched for blocks, despite Flanagan cooking pizzas as fast as possible in their portable Ooni ovens.)

It was like a Backstreet Boys concert, Setton said. There was a two-hour wait for a three-minute pizza.

When it came time to open a brick-and-mortar, the duo originally had their eyes on a Southwest Portland storefront near their home, but their realtor steered them to the former Pizzicato on East Burnside Street instead. The size felt right, so they signed up.

Now Setton and Flanagan must wait for their Pavesi RPM 120 oven to be delivered and installed before they can complete a remodel on the space, something they hope will be accomplished by October. In the meantime, they will cut back on catering, festivals and other events, while continuing their schedule at the PSU Farmers Market.

Along with Northeast Portlands great Reeva food truck, Portland now has two pizzerias that offer portafoglio pizza, a popular street food in Naples, where  as briefly demonstrated in that Rick Steves Europe clip  outdoor vendors quickly fold and wrap 12-inch pizzas in paper for a handy walking snack. But where Reeva chef Roberto Hernandez Guerreros signature item is a pizza-based spin on Honduran baleadas (he also makes a fantastic margherita), Grana plans to stick to more traditional toppings.

At lunch, Grana will offer two or three folded pizzas from its takeout window, including a classic marinara, a margherita and perhaps a spicy diavola. At dinner, customers ordering and paying through a QR code will choose from five pizzas, including a chalkboard special, each cooked at high heat in around 90 seconds, as well as a few wood-fired small bites, a salad, a dessert and a short list of Italian wines. Despite the modern ordering system, other service elements will be in place at night, Setton said, including a host to seat guests, table-side wine pours and no bussing of dishes required.

When it opens, Grana will join Portlands already impressive  and still evolving  pizza scene, with a location just a short walk from at least five pizzerias, including Kens and its ever-present line.

And it all happened because of a brief snippet of B-roll from a public TV travel show.

We are forever indebted to Rick Steves for that one, Setton said.

Grana PDX plans to open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday starting on Oct. 14 (oven delivery permitting), at 2811 E. Burnside St., granapdx.com

Read more:

Someone said Portland had the best pizza scene in America? Here we go again

Portlands 10 best pandemic-time pizzerias

Reeva, with flavors from Honduras to Peru, ranks among Portlands best wood-fired pizzerias

Portlands 5 best new pizzerias of 2023

 Michael Russell; mrussell@oregonian.com

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Lawmakers set aside an extra $100 million for the Oregon Opportunity Grant for low-income college students this year, boosting funding for the need-based financial aid by about 50%.

The state will use the money  the grant funds now total $308 million  to increase financial aid for low-income college students, for the first time covering up to 75% of the average cost of tuition at Oregons community colleges and universities for the neediest applicants.

The Higher Education Coordinating Commission, which determines financial aid amounts and doles out awards, expects the new funding to cover scholarships to an additional 3,500 students. Typically, around 35,000 students each year receive the Oregon Opportunity Grant. The highest grants go to the lowest-income students.

Our goal is to eventually provide 100% of the tuition, fees, books and supply costs to the lowest income students, regardless of the type of public institution they attend, commission spokesperson Endi Hartigan said in an email. We are pleased to be able to bolster support for the high-need students immediately and move to the 75% of tuition costs starting this fall.

But a change in the way grants are calculated has community college officials concerned. New grant awards will be calculated according to students expected tuition costs, instead of following the total cost of attending college, as they had before. University tuition is more expensive and grants will increase substantially more for university students than for community college students.

For the 2023-24 academic year, the maximum grant for a low-income community college student is $3,900, a $300 increase from the previous year.

The maximum grant for a university student is $7,524, up more than $2,800 from the 2022-23 school year.

John Wykoff, deputy director of the Oregon Community College Association, said that giving less financial aid to community college students reinforces the inequities in higher education.

Oregons public university tuition averages about double the cost of community college tuition. But Wykoff argues that the actual cost of attending a community college and an Oregon public university is more closely aligned, once living costs are taken into account. According to estimations from the schools, the average cost of attending a community college in 2023-24 will be around $25,000 per year. At a public university - not including Oregon Health & Science University which has higher than average costs as a medical school - thats about $31,000.

With about a 20% difference, Wykoff said, community college advocates would understand if the opportunity grant paid 20% more to university students. Now, the maximum grant is nearly double.

Ben Cannon, director of the Higher Education Coordinating Commission, told the full commission in a meeting last week that he thinks the new grant model is equitable. But he told commissioners it had raised a fair amount of concern among community college advocates.

The commission used to calculate the opportunity grants according to average cost of attendance, but switched this year. Hartigan, the commissions spokesperson, said that pinning the awards to percentage of tuition is a strategy to make sure the grants keep up with increasing tuition and follow the lead of states that provide plentiful financial aid, like Washington. Tuition is also a more stable number than the average cost of attendance, which is based on a variety of factors that colleges estimate individually, Cannon said. The 75% threshold also helps with messaging, Cannon said: It makes the impact of the grant clear for families and gives the commission a path to ask lawmakers to fund 100% of tuition or more.

Students can use opportunity grant to pay for more than tuition. Most winners will also qualify for the federal Pell Grant based on financial need. The lowest-income students will qualify for the highest of both awards, which together are expected to cover about 45% of the cost of attending a community college and 47% of the cost of attending a university.

Oregon high school seniors who go straight to a community college can also qualify for the Oregon Promise Grant to cover tuition costs. A student who earns the maximum of all three awards can cover 53% of the cost of attendance at a community college, Hartigan said.

Wykoff said that only a sliver of community college students qualify for Oregon Promise. Adult learners who have been out of high school for more than six months dont qualify and often have higher expenses than the average cost of attendance because they have families to take care of, Wykoff said.

We just dont feel like this move serves those adult students well at all, he said.

The community college association wants the commission to reconsider the funding balance in the second year of the biennium and to put financial aid award amounts to a public vote by the full commission, which is not currently required.

The commission is locked into the current funding model this year, Cannon said, and would be hesitant to change awards next year in a way that would reduce grants for any students. The commission worked with an advisory committee on its changes to the opportunity grant, Cannon said, but is willing to tweak its process in the future.

Were open to anything that makes the process more transparent and public and accessible, he said.

This story was brought to you through a partnership between The Oregonian/OregonLive and Report for America. Learn how to support this crucial work.

Sami Edge covers higher education for The Oregonian. You can reach her at sedge@oregonian.com or (503) 260-3430.
Panther: Blueprint for Black Power is the story of the unexpected birthplace of the Black Panther, a site that changed the course of the nation. But its not where you might expect. Far from Oakland, the Black Panther and its principles came from just outside Selma, Alabama. Lowndes County, Alabama: a county where every single thing Black folks did was an act of rebellion. A county where an all-Black party made it to the ballot in the year 1966. A county that paved the way for revolution. The fourth season of the Murrow Award-winning Reckon Radio examines the first year the Voting Rights Act was put to the test, deep in the heart of the Jim Crow South. Pulitzer Prize finalist Roy S. Johnson and journalist Eunice Elliott tell the story of Lowndes County and the election that shaped politics - and activism - as we know it. Available on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Its a story we think we know well. Its 1965, and the Civil Rights Movement is in full swing. Thousands are marching on Montgomery, protesting the treatment of Black Americans. But what about the people who lived alongside that road? The people who remind after the national cameras and big names left town were the lifeblood of the movement for Black Power.

Its a story we think we know well. Its 1965, and the Civil Rights Movement is in full swing. Thousands are marching on Montgomery, protesting the treatment of Black Americans. But what about the people who lived alongside that road? The people who remained after the national cameras and big names left town were the lifeblood of the movement for Black Power.

How did a county known as Bloody Lowndes become the birthplace of the Black Panther? Because the people of Lowndes met vicious, racist violence with a powerful response.

How did a county known as Bloody Lowndes become the birthplace of the Black Panther? Because the people of Lowndes met vicious, racist violence with a powerful response. In this episode, youll learn more about the history of Lowndes County and just how dangerous the path to progress was for the members of the LCFO.

What did the Lowndes County freedom movement look like? Everything Black folks did in Lowndes was an act of rebellionfrom teaching and organizing, to cooking meals and cutting hair. In this episode youll learn how even the smallest acts could be revolutionaryand dangerous. And youll learn the surprising origin story of the Black Panther symbol.

What did the Lowndes County freedom movement look like? Everything Black folks did in Lowndes was an act of rebellionfrom teaching and organizing, to cooking meals and cutting hair. In this episode youll learn how even the smallest acts could be revolutionaryand dangerous. And youll learn the surprising origin story of the Black Panther symbol.

How will the first election with an all-Black party end? Its Election Day, 1966, and the Voting Rights Act is being put to the test. The Lowndes County Freedom Organizations candidates have canvassed, campaigned and called on Black voters to show up to the polls for the Black Panther - at no small danger to themselves. In the fourth episode of Panther, the ballots are counted. Who will come out on top?

How will the first election with an all-Black party end? Its Election Day, 1966, and the Voting Rights Act is being put to the test. The Lowndes County Freedom Organizations candidates have canvassed, campaigned and called on Black voters to show up to the polls for the Black Panther - at no small danger to themselves. In the fourth episode of Panther, the ballots are counted. Who will come out on top?

In Part 5 of Reckon Radio's "Panther," you'll learn how the long lines Georgians and Arizonans faced in 2020, a 2023 Supreme Court case and a 1966 election in Alabama are all connected.

Election Day for the Lowndes County Freedom Organizations candidates didnt go the way they wanted. But their partys work - and its mascot the Black Panther - has rippled down through the years and across the country. To show what the Lowndes County Freedom Organization means today, journalists Eunice Elliott and Roy S. Johnson go back to the very origins of the Voting Rights Act, and the ways its opponents have tried to tear it down.

TN State Rep. Justin J. Pearson and Woke Vote Founder Dejuana Thompson

In the final episode of Reckon Radios Panther, Woke Vote founder and Birmingham Civil Rights Institute President, DeJuana Thompson, and Tennessee State Rep Justin J. Pearson sit down with hosts Eunice Elliott and Roy S. Johnson. The four discuss the status of the movement for Black Power todaywhats changed, what hasnt and how the strategies of the Lowndes County Freedom Organization (LFCO) hold up today. To Pearson and Thompson, the past isnt the past. Its our toolkit for tomorrow.
A worker at a Nissan factory in Yokohama, Japan.

Japan's economy grew much faster than expected in the three months to the end of June as the country's weak currency boosted exports.

The world's third largest economy saw its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rise by an annualised 6% in the period.

It is about twice the rate of growth forecast by economists and marks the biggest rise in almost three years.

The fall in the value of the yen helped exporters as Japanese-made goods became cheaper for consumers around the world.

Japan's currency has fallen sharply against major currencies in recent months and is down by more 10% versus the US dollar this year.

"The weak yen is behind the positive GDP numbers," Fujitsu's chief economist Martin Schulz told the BBC.

GDP is one of the most important tools for looking at how well, or badly, an economy is doing.It helps businesses judge when to expand and hire more people, and it lets government work out how much to tax and spend.

Profits at the country's car makers - including Toyota, Honda and Nissan - have been boosted in recent months as they saw increased demand for exports.

While a weak currency makes what the country imports more expensive, prices of commodities on global markets, like oil and gas, have fallen in recent months.

That has resulted in a drop in the value of imports, down 4.3% from the previous quarter, which EY's Nobuko Kobayashi called "a major culprit for GDP growth".

Japan's economy has also been helped by a rise in tourist numbers after the government lifted border restrictions at the end of April.

As of June, the number of foreign visitors to Japan had recovered to more than 70% of pre-pandemic levels, according to the country's national tourism authority.

Spending by tourists is also expected to give the country's economy an even bigger boost from this month after China lifted a ban on group travel.

Before the pandemic Chinese visitors accounted for more than a third of tourist spending in Japan.

Story continues

That is helping to offset the impact of the slowing recovery of consumption in the country itself after the pandemic.

"The main difficulty for Japan's second half is, however, that the domestic economy is cooling," Mr Schulz said.

According to Marcel Thieliant of Capital Economics, the details of the data "weren't as impressive as the headline."

He highlighted a number of issues including a fall in private consumption, which makes up more than half of Japan's economy.

Japanese workers have seen their pay go up at the fastest rate in 28 years but with inflation hovering near a four-decade-high wages have been falling in real terms for well over a year.
Research

Report: CIOs Moving Decisively to Adopt Generative AI

Education, corporate, and government chief information officers globally are decisively adopting generative AI as a major part of their tech strategy. That was the conclusion reached in the recent MIT Technology Review Insights report, "The Great Acceleration: CIO Perspectives on Generative AI."

The report, in partnership with Databricks, was compiled from interviews conducted with senior executives and experts in April and May 2023. Executives interviewed were from major corporations, among them DuPont Water & Protection, Shell, and Adobe; universities MIT and the University of California, Berkeley; and government agencies such as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. It also draws from interviews conducted in 2022 with 600 senior data and technology executives. In the 2022, 78% of surveyed executives said that scaling AI successfully was a top priority.

Key findings in the current report are that:

Generative AI and LLMs are going beyond pilot projects and being integrated into organizational operations. AI is in demand, and wide access to it is becoming "democratized."

Organizations want to use open source technology to develop their own LLMs in order to protect their data and IPs from security risks. They also want LLMs customized to their operations and under their control, rather than "one size fits all" solutions.

Executives are not buying into "doom and gloom" AI threat scenarios. Instead, they see AI as a helper that will free up workers to devote their energies to create more business thrive.

Organization CIOs must create "unified and consistent governance frameworks," i.e., ethical and responsible practices to maximize the benefits of AI and minimize risks.

In the executive summary, the report cites a McKinsey Global Institute estimate that "generative AI will add between $2.6 and $4.4 trillion in annual value to the global economy  [and] that AI will automate half of all work between 2040 and 2060."

The MIT report notes that of those interviewed:

78% said that scaling AI and ML for business use is a top priority;

68% said that unifying a data platform for analytics and AI is a crucial data strategy;

72% favor a multi-cloud approach as a flexible AI/ML foundation; and

72% said that data problems are the most likely to jeopardize AI and ML goals.

To download and read the full report, visit this page.
New York, US (PANA) - The United Nations continues to deliver aid in Niger, nearly three weeks since President Mohamed Bazoum was seized by some of his guards in a power grab
Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - After four months of war in Sudan, UN humanitarians on Tuesday called for action to be taken to end the conflict which is having a devastating impact on people's lives, health and well-being
New York, US (PANA) - At the start of the electoral campaign for the presidential, legislative and municipal elections in Gabon scheduled for 26 August 2023, the United Nations is calling on all stakeholders to ensure "a peaceful, inclusive and credible electoral process"
Corrugated Partners Group to Build $52.7 Million Sheet Feeder Plant in Pennsylvania

Aug. 15, 2023 - Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro on Aug. 3 announced that Corrugated Partners Group plans to invest $52.7 million to build a new corrugated sheet feeder plant in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. This investment will create at least 80 new jobs in Franklin County within the next three years.

The Corrugated Partners Group's manufacturing operation will be known as Keystone Sheets, and its first location in Pennsylvania will be a 420,000-square-foot facility at 1465 Nitterhouse Drive in Chambersburg. From this facility, the company will be able to serve customers in the mid-Atlantic region and primarily produce single, double, and triple wall corrugated sheets used to produce boxes.

Governor Shapiro. "I'm thrilled that the Commonwealth won this advanced manufacturing project over other states and am pleased to welcome Corrugated Partners Group to Franklin County," said Governor Shapiro.

Corrugated Partners Group received a funding proposal from the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) for a $400,000 Pennsylvania First grant and a $160,000 workforce development grant to train workers. The company was also encouraged to apply for tax credits through the Manufacturing Tax Credit Program.

"Manufacturing is an integral part of Pennsylvania's economy, and I am proud that the DCED team could assist the Corrugated Partners Group as they establish their first location in Pennsylvania with Keystone Sheets," said DCED Secretary Rick Siger. "This project is creating 80 new jobs and will have a positive economic impact in Franklin County for years to come."

Corrugated Partners Group is a collaborative network of sheet feeders, producing more than 20% of the country's corrugated sheet requirements. The network employs over 1,200 individuals across 15 plants in the United States.

SOURCE: The Office of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro
Photo: (Photo : Angela Compagnone on Unsplash)

Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) is under the scrutiny of a federal civil rights investigation initiated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) following allegations of unauthorized disclosure of medical records belonging to transgender patients. Hospital authorities have confirmed that the investigation comes in the wake of a legal battle in which two patients sued the medical center for the release of their records.

Sensitive Data Compromised: Transgender Patients' Medical Records Released

The controversy began when VUMC turned over the medical records of transgender patients to Tennessee's Attorney General, Jonathan Skrmetti, late last year. This action prompted an outcry from the affected patients, who argue that the hospital failed to protect their personally identifiable information, especially given the hostile stance that Tennessee authorities have taken towards transgender rights.

"We have been contacted by and are working with the Office of Civil Rights," stated VUMC spokesperson John Howser in a recent statement. "We have no further comment since this is an ongoing investigation."

The revelation that personal medical information had been shared without consent emerged when patients were informed months later, in June. VUMC's delayed response fueled concerns among residents of Tennessee, a state with a strong conservative presence that has witnessed ongoing attempts to limit LGBTQ rights and ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth.

Those who are filing lawsuits against VUMC argue that the medical center should have taken measures to de-identify the shared records, especially given their awareness of the antagonistic attitude that Tennessee authorities hold towards transgender rights. The impact of this disclosure was far-reaching, affecting not only VUMC's own patients but also state workers, individuals on TennCare (Tennessee's Medicaid plan), and those who had no connection with VUMC's transgender care clinic.

Attorney Tricia Herzfeld, who represents the affected patients, expressed deep concern over the breach of privacy. "The more we learn about the breadth of the deeply personal information that VUMC disclosed, the more horrified we are," she said. "Our clients are encouraged that the federal government is looking into what happened here."

Read Also: Mississippi Transgender Girl Barred from Graduation; Judge Rules School Can Ban Gender-Identity Clothes

State vs. Federal Rules: Skrmetti's Controversial Legal Stances Under Scrutiny

While VUMC has faced backlash for its handling of sensitive medical data, Attorney General Skrmetti maintains that his request for patient records was part of an investigation into potential medical billing fraud. He insists that he is not targeting patients or their families. Nevertheless, his involvement in opposing federal rules that restrict the collection of medical records for abortion services or transgender healthcare has drawn skepticism from Democratic lawmakers and civil rights advocates.

Skrmetti's ongoing defense of Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth has further intensified the controversy. He has supported a federal appeals court decision allowing the law to be temporarily enforced. Despite these positions, Skrmetti's office claims to be unaware of the ongoing civil rights investigation.

Amidst the complex legal landscape, concerns have arisen about potential retaliation and the politicization of law enforcement. Amy Wilhite, a spokesperson for Skrmetti's office, stated, "Turning a disagreement about the law into a federal investigation would be plainly retaliatory and would reflect a dangerous politicization of federal law enforcement."

As the civil rights investigation unfolds, both the medical center and the patients affected await further developments, hoping for a resolution that upholds the privacy and rights of transgender individuals while addressing concerns over the handling of sensitive medical information.

Related Article: Wisconsin School District's Transgender Bathroom Policy Blocked by Federal Judge
There will be more cranberries available for Thanksgiving tables and to export to countries around the world thanks again to Wisconsin growers.

The U.S. Cranberry Marketing Committee said Tuesday that Wisconsins cranberry farmers are expecting to harvest 4.97 million barrels of cranberries this season, a slight increase over the 4.84 million barrels produced in 2022 but far off the record year of 2013, when 6 million barrels of cranberries were harvested.

And if projections hold, Wisconsin will remain the largest cranberry producer in the world by harvesting 60% of the cranberry crop in the United States.

Wisconsin is a global leader in cranberry production, generating $1 billion in state economic impact and providing thousands of local jobs across the Wisconsin, said Tom Lochner, executive director of the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association.

The forecast is based on grower surveys and marks the 29th year that Wisconsin has led the nation in cranberry production.

Wisconsin produces more than twice as much as Massachusetts, which is projected to produce 1.95 million barrels this season. New Jersey, at 561,000 barrels, is projected to rank third, followed by Oregons 520,000 barrels and Washington at 168,000 barrels.

The total U.S. crop is expected to be 8.17 million barrels, an increase from the 7.4 million barrels produced in 2022 but less than the 9 million barrels harvested in 2018, according to the CMC.

Wisconsin cranberries are grown on 21,000 acres across 20 counties in the central and northern regions of the state, but only about 5% of this years crop will be sold as fresh fruit, according to Lochner, whose organization was founded in 1887. The remaining cranberries will be frozen and stored for longer-term sales as frozen berries, dried cranberries, juices, sauces and other products.

From September 2021 to August 2022, the CMC reported that 53% of U.S. cranberry production volume was exported to countries that include Columbia, the United Kingdom, European Union, China, Mexico and South Korea.

Close South Korean journalist Tae-kyun Park, a writer with one of the country's leading daily newspapers, photographs a dry cranberry bog at the Cranmoor Cranberry Co. in Nekoosa. Park and a number of other South Korean journalists were on hand to learn more about the fruit, which is growing in popularity in their home country. South Korean media colleagues Jin-ju Lee, left, and Jaewon Lim photograph a cranberry bog at the Gottschalk Cranberry Co. in Nekoosa during a tour designed to help the journalists in the country learn more about the fruit. South Korean photographer Tae-shin Park descends the steps of a loading conveyor at the Cranmoor Cranberry Co. in Nekoosa. Exports of cranberries to South Korea are on the rise. During a tour for visiting South Korean journalists at the Cranmoor Cranberry Co. in Nekoosa, co-owner Ben Rezin, second from left, explains the operation of a loading conveyor. Among the journalists attending the demonstration are Jin-ju Lee, right, and Yeon-joo Jung, second from right. At left is Scott Soares, executive director of the U.S. Cranberry Marketing Committee, which is based in Massachusetts. Journalists from South Korea and their guides listen to Cranmoor Cranberry Co. co-owner Ben Rezin describe the company's growing and harvesting operations during a visit to the Nekoosa business. South Korean journalist Tae-kyun Park, left, is guided into a cranberry bog by Ben Rezin, co-owner of the Cranmoor Cranberry Co. in Nekoosa. Wisconsin leads the nation in cranberry production. Visiting South Korean journalists, including Jin-ju Lee, front, guide floating cranberries toward a conveyor during a tour of the growing and harvesting operations of the Cranmoor Cranberry Co. in Nekoosa. Photos: South Korean journalists visit cranberry bogs South Korean journalists visiting Wisconsin in 2013 learned about cranberries with a tour in the Nekoosa area. South Korean journalist Tae-kyun Park, a writer with one of the country's leading daily newspapers, photographs a dry cranberry bog at the Cranmoor Cranberry Co. in Nekoosa. Park and a number of other South Korean journalists were on hand to learn more about the fruit, which is growing in popularity in their home country. South Korean media colleagues Jin-ju Lee, left, and Jaewon Lim photograph a cranberry bog at the Gottschalk Cranberry Co. in Nekoosa during a tour designed to help the journalists in the country learn more about the fruit. South Korean photographer Tae-shin Park descends the steps of a loading conveyor at the Cranmoor Cranberry Co. in Nekoosa. Exports of cranberries to South Korea are on the rise. During a tour for visiting South Korean journalists at the Cranmoor Cranberry Co. in Nekoosa, co-owner Ben Rezin, second from left, explains the operation of a loading conveyor. Among the journalists attending the demonstration are Jin-ju Lee, right, and Yeon-joo Jung, second from right. At left is Scott Soares, executive director of the U.S. Cranberry Marketing Committee, which is based in Massachusetts. Journalists from South Korea and their guides listen to Cranmoor Cranberry Co. co-owner Ben Rezin describe the company's growing and harvesting operations during a visit to the Nekoosa business. South Korean journalist Tae-kyun Park, left, is guided into a cranberry bog by Ben Rezin, co-owner of the Cranmoor Cranberry Co. in Nekoosa. Wisconsin leads the nation in cranberry production. Visiting South Korean journalists, including Jin-ju Lee, front, guide floating cranberries toward a conveyor during a tour of the growing and harvesting operations of the Cranmoor Cranberry Co. in Nekoosa.
Photo: (Photo : Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)

In a major step towards addressing the ongoing student loan crisis, the Biden administration has initiated a comprehensive plan to provide relief to more than 800,000 borrowers burdened by federal student loan debt.

Starting this week, eligible individuals will receive emails from their loan servicers containing the subject line "Your student loans have been forgiven."

This development is part of the administration's efforts to rectify administrative failures that prevented qualified borrowers from receiving debt relief under their repayment plans.

A Respite for Struggling Borrowers: Targeting Income-Driven Repayment Plans

The long-awaited relief program aims to assist 804,000 borrowers who are eligible for debt forgiveness based on their repayment plans but have yet to see any relief due to systemic errors.

The emails, set to be dispatched this week, mark a significant stride towards rectifying these failures.

The Department of Education anticipates notifying more than 800,000 borrowers in the upcoming weeks, with over 200,000 individuals already having their debt wiped out as of the program's launch.

The scope of relief extends to those who have enrolled in income-driven repayment (IDR) plans. These plans allow federal student loan debt to be forgiven after 20 or 25 years of payments, contingent on the specific plan.

Unfortunately, bureaucratic oversights and tracking errors have led many IDR plan participants to continue payments beyond their expected end dates, with no prospect of eventual forgiveness.

This new initiative is designed to rectify this situation and alleviate the financial burden for affected borrowers.

President Biden's Commitment to Reform

President Joe Biden hailed the commencement of this initiative as a pivotal step towards addressing the longstanding problems plaguing the student loan system.

He expressed his determination to rectify the errors that have deprived more than 804,000 borrowers of the relief they were promised.

President Biden stated, "I was determined to right this wrong, and today, because of actions my Administration took, these 804,000 borrowers who have been in repayment for over 20 years will start to see their student debt cancelled."

He emphasized his commitment to correct this injustice and provide much-needed relief to deserving borrowers.

While the exact timeline for the debt relief rollout remains uncertain due to the complexity of reviewing individual loans, the Department of Education is determined to complete the process within the coming weeks.

Read Also: US Safety Commission Warns Parents Not to Use This Inclined Sleeper Due to Increasing Fatalities

Potential Hurdles and Advocates' Praise

While the debt discharge process is in motion, the potential for legal challenges looms.

However, a recent lawsuit challenging the Department of Education's authority was dismissed by a U.S. district court judge, allowing the administration to proceed with the plan.

Advocates for debt relief have celebrated this development as a crucial step towards rectifying the systemic issues that have burdened countless borrowers.

With the Biden administration's decisive action, a sense of hope is emerging for borrowers who have long been ensnared by student loan debt.

The relief program's initiation signifies a significant stride towards rectifying administrative failures and providing overdue justice to more than 800,000 individuals.

As the Department of Education presses forward with its commitment to debt relief, borrowers can anticipate the weight of their student loans being lifted, fostering a brighter financial future for countless Americans.

Related Article: Top 10 Best Water Activities for Kids to Enjoy This Summer
My wife and I will be heading in a couple of hours down to Cedar City, Utah, where well be attending the wonderful Utah Shakespeare Festival, which is one of my adopted states priceless treasures. Weve been attending the Festival annually for something on the order of thirty-five years  except, painfully, last year, when we simply werent in the country long enough to be able to pull it off. I deeply regretted that omission because, during my teaching career at Brigham Young University, attendance at the Festival was something of an end-of-summer ritual for us. It punctuated our year in a meaningful way.

I didnt grow up in a family that cared about Shakespeare or such things more generally. It was when I went with a friend and his family to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, following my mission, that I resolved that I wanted to make that kind of thing a regular practice in my own family, if I could. (Marrying a theater major certainly eased my way into that family tradition! She harbored no objections at all.) We have thoroughly enjoyed our times at the Festival in Cedar City, and weve even made our way back up to Ashland once or twice. (I hope to do it again, sometime.)

Tonight, if all goes according to plan, well be seeing William Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream, which puts me in mind of this 2014 column that I wrote for the Deseret News after a prior Festival production of the play:

Some skeptics, responding (rather defensively, I think) to the accounts given by the witnesses to the Book of Mormon, attempt to dismiss them by citing the fallibility of eyewitnesses and the unreliability of human memory. Not wishing to attack the honesty or the sanity of the witnesses  approaches not easily reconciled with the historical evidence  they still hope to neutralize the witnesses claims.

Both eyewitness errors and false memories are legitimate issues, of course, and scientific and scholarly data exist on each.

I do not believe, though, that either concern applies to the Book of Mormon witnesses. (Im thinking aloud here, and would welcome thoughtful, serious responses.)

Yes, its true that eyewitnesses sometimes get things very wrong. A person mugged at gunpoint, for example, may well have been so focused on the gun that she failed to register her attackers face or, more dangerously, remembers it incorrectly.

And, yes, even less stressful memories can be fallible. Probably all of us have had the experience of discovering that something we clearly remembered didnt actually occur at all the way we recalled. Moreover, the further back the memory lies, the more problematic it can become. With several matters from my childhood and early years, for instance, Im not sure that I actually remember them or whether, instead, I simply remember what I was told about them. Do I really recall my grandmothers, neither of whom I saw very much and both of whom died when I was five, or am I merely remembering images from their photographs?

But these cases seem very different from that of the witnesses to the Book of Mormon.

For one thing, the critics skepticism of eyewitness testimony seems notably selective. Im reasonably confident that, if they saw a neighbor kid climbing over their fence with prize peaches stolen from their tree or watched me vandalizing their car, they would have little doubt about what they had witnessed. Theoretical reservations about eyewitness testimony and the confusions of memory would likely seem rather silly to them under such circumstances. I know what I saw! they would (reasonably) insist.

Additionally, in the case of the witnesses, were considering people whose stories of their encounters with the plates  and, in the cases of Martin Harris, Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer, with several other artifacts, as well as with an angel and the voice of God  were first told, and first reduced to writing, shortly after the encounters took place. These arent vague childhood recollections, dimly remembered after the passage of decades.

And there is the significant fact that their accounts agree. I look, here, to a fictional narrative from the last act of Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream. Theseus, the Duke of Athens, and his soon-to-be bride, Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons, are discussing the amazing story of mix-ups and enchantments in the forest just outside the city that they have just heard from two young Athenian couples (Hermia and Lysander, Helena and Demetrius).

Tis strange my Theseus, observes Hippolyta, that these lovers speak of.

But the skeptical duke credits none of it. He replies, More strange than true. I never may believe these antique fables, nor these fairy toys. Lovers and madmen have such seething brains, such shaping fantasies, that apprehend more than cool reason ever comprehends. The lunatic, the lover and the poet are of imagination all compact.

They were probably just mistaken, he suggests: In the night, imagining some fear, how easy is a bush supposed a bear!

Hippolyta, on the other hand, has been impressed by the consistency of the accounts given by the four young people  which, the audience happens to know, are true (within the overall fiction of Shakespeares story):

But all the story of the night told over, and all their minds transfigured so together, more witnesseth than fancys images and grows to something of great constancy.

And thats among the most impressive aspects of the witness accounts, as well.

Had thousands, hundreds or even dozens of people been given the opportunity to see and heft the plates, and had only eleven of them later claimed to have done so, one might respond that, naturally, a large group will always include a few who were confused or have faulty memories.

In the case of the Book of Mormon witnesses, however, all who had the opportunity to see or to touch did, in fact, see or touch, and all of them told the same story until they died.
In Japan today, the 15th of August, is marked as a time to celebrate the life of the second founder of Soto Zen in that country, Keizan Jokin.

Hes a fascinating figure, one I wish was a bit better known among Zen students in the West. He is, among other things, the author of the best of the ancient Zen meditation manuals.

Keizan was born on the 13th of November, 1264 and died on the 22nd of September, 1325.

His mother was a remarkable figure in her own right. Ekan Daishis mother had been a devotee of Eihei Dogen, and the Zen school was a part of her life. As soon as her child Keizan was born, she ordained as a Zen nun. The child was raised largely by his grandmother Myochi. Although it appears Ekan despite being a nun, she was closely involved in his upbringing as well. Ekans training progressed and she was eventually abbess of Jojuji, a womens training monastery.

At the age of eight Keizan entered the family business as a monk at Eiheiji, the monastery Dogen had founded. He would study with four of Dogens senior disciples, Ejo, Jakuen, Gien, and Gikai.

Keizan received dharma transmission in Dogens lineage from Gikai and eventually succeeded Gikai as head of Daijoji in Kaga province. From there Keizan began to establish training temples including the first Soto convent and Sojiji, which would eventually rival Eiheiji as the center for the Soto school.

Many scholars, perhaps nearly all, believe without Keizan, Soto would never have achieved the prominence it holds within Japanese Buddhism. He preached a more popular form of Soto Zen. He was a visionary and ecstatic. For many years my attention mostly went to Dogen and his adamantine analysis. But in my declining years Keizans visionary Zen brings a level of heart that I think the tradition desperately needs. And probably could use a good dash of here in the West today.

Keizan encouraged both lay practice and the place of women within Zen, whom he held up as equal practitioners with men. The first record of a woman receiving dharma transmission in Japanese Soto occurred when he passed the dharma to his disciple the nun Ekyu.

I think his Zen, his deep insight, offers much to the world and particularly to our emerging Zen in the West.

In conclusion here is a wonderful archive of materials by and about the master.
If youve been using Microsoft Word for years, you probably think you have a pretty good grasp on its capabilities. But you might be missing out on the full extent of its capabilities, or worse, making due with unnecessary minor irritations that could be improved with the right know-how. Dont believe me? Read on to see if any of the following tricks and hidden functions could improve your own workflow.

Finding elements, special characters and formats

Problem: Words search function only finds text. How can elements such as tables, graphics, footnotes, and even formatting be found?

Solution: All this is hidden in Words search dialogue. First call up the search input field with Ctrl+F. Then click on the magnifying glass. Then click on the magnifying glass symbol. Here you will already find the functions with which you can rummage in graphics, tables, comments, formulae, or footnotes. You can go even deeper by clicking on Advanced find and then More >>.

Under Format you can search for fonts or format templates, and under Special you can search for paragraph marks and spaces. Many elements can also be entered as placeholders in the search field. For example, ^p searches for paragraphs. The latest Word 2021 and Microsoft 365 also have a search field above the ribbon.

Emojis like in Whatsapp

Under Insert, Icons to find various images to add to your document. Foundry

Problem: In apps like Whatsapp, for example, you have a wide range of emojis, icons, and symbols at your disposal. Does Word offer something similar?

Solution: Such little pictures are located in the ribbon under Insert > Icons.

Here you can see literally hundreds of little pictures, which can also be searched via the search field. The icon categories ranges from Analysis to Holidays, with the smileys in the Faces section.

Create your own watermark

Foundry

Problem: Watermarks are a common method of making it clear who owns the copyrights to a document or of preventing the unwanted use of copies. Can Word do this too?

Solution: Microsoft has hidden the function for inserting a watermark in its word processor a little: You will find it in the menu bar under the Design tabselect Watermark on the far right. Here the watermark menu offers some ready-made watermarks such as Confidential or Do not copy.

To use your own design, click on Custom watermark and add the logo or text you want.

Templates and designs: Integrated layout aids

In addition to the locally installed Word templates, many more are available online. The illustration shows this using the example of various calendar layouts. Foundry

Problem: With ordinary text, you just start writing, but when it comes to sophisticated layouts such as calendars, invitations, or CVs, designing with Word quickly becomes tedious. Cant you get help so that you dont have to start from scratch every time?

Solution: Word helps on two levels. The first is when you create a new document. In addition to Blank Document, there are numerous templates available, such as letterheads, certificates, and brochures. If the selection is not sufficient, simply enter a keyword for the required template in the search field. The search term calendar, for example, brings up dozens of online templates that can be used as the basis for your own works.

The second level, on the other hand, is more concerned with the appearance of documents. The corresponding function can be found under Design in the Themes menu. Here Microsoft combines coordinated fonts, colors, and font sizes. If you move the mouse pointer over a design, you can see how your document would look with it before you select it with a click.

Microsoft Office 365 Home

Microsoft 365: Insert text content without formatting

Problem: Instead of inserting texts in the font and with the formatting of the target document, Word insists on copying texts in the source format, but this often ruins the layout and results in costly corrections. Is there a way to insert texts without taking over their formatting?

Solution: Windows has actually known a solution to this problem for a long time: The key combination Ctrl-Shift-V copies pure text information in many programs. But Microsofts Office package, of all things, cannot do this. Instead, users have to remove the formatting from texts inserted with Ctrl-V in a second step.

Simply paste your text into the target document using Ctrl+V, then from the little paste menu that appears, choose the third option for text-only.

Protect documents with a password

You can protect Word documents from unauthorized access by entering a password. If they are protected in this way, they cannot be opened, changed, or printed. Foundry

Problem: If you send private or confidential documents by email, for example, you should protect them from prying eyes with a password. How can this be done?

Solution: In the case of secret business documents or personal documents with private information, it makes sense to protect the contents of Word documents with a password. This makes the file worthless to foreign eyes, because without entering the correct password, the file can neither be read nor changed or printed.

To password-protect a document, go to File > Info > Protect document > Encrypt with password. Here you enter the password twice and then save the document to activate the protection. The encryption also applies to alternative programs such as Libre Office.

If you want to remove the password protection, click on Encrypt with password and remove all characters from the password field. After clicking on OK, the password prompt is removed.



Create an automatic directory

Problem: In long documents with numerous graphic elements, it is worthwhile to insert an automatic list of illustrations. How does this work?

Solution: The automatic list of illustrations requires two steps. In the first step, you provide all images with a caption. To do this, click on the first illustration and then go to the menu bar item References at the topin some Word versions it is also called Links. Click on Insert caption and in the dialog window under Options set whether the selected object is an figure, equation, or table.

The Position tab determines whether the caption should appear above or below the image. Enter the caption text in the Caption field at the top and confirm by clicking on OK. Proceed in the same way with the other images. Word automatically recognizes the order of the pictures and assigns them the correct numbers.

In the second step, insert the list of illustrations. To do this, click on the place in the document where you want it to appear later and then click on Insert Table of Figures in the References menu in the Captions section. Here you can again distinguish between figure, equation, and table in the General section and in this way also create an equation or table directory. Under Formats you can choose from several designs for the list of figures. A click on OK completes the process.

If you want to update the list later, for example because new illustrations have been added or the page numbers have changed in the meantime, simply click on it and in the menu on the function Update list of illustrations.

Transcription of audio files into text

The automatic transcription of an audio file into text works quite well in practice, but has limitations with certain dialects and languages. Foundry

Problem: In the age of videoconferencing, it is sometimes quite useful to transfer the content into a document. But listening and typing is tedious. Can such transcription be done automatically with Word?

Solution: The paid version of Microsoft 365 allows you to do just that, it transcribes texts from an audio or video file directly into a Word document. Microsoft 365 allows five hours of transcription per user account per month, whereas the locally installed Word version only offers the dictation function, not the transcription function.

This is how it works: Go to www.office.com in your browser and log in with your Microsoft 365 account. Create an empty document, open the microphone menu in the Home menu and switch to Transcribe.

A new column opens on the right-hand side. At the top, set the language in which the video or audio file is available. At the bottom of the column is the information on how many of the 300 free minutes you have already used in the current month. Then click on Upload audio. Word supports the audio formats WAV, MP4, M4A, and MP3 and file sizes up to 300MB.

The upload and transcription take a while, depending on the internet bandwidth. Word then displays the texts in the right-hand column with speaker number and time stamps. If you move the mouse pointer over one of the entries, a pencil symbol appears for editing. Rough mistakes can be ironed out right here.

If you want to hear a text passage again in the original, simply click on the corresponding timestamp. Word will now play back the recording from this point. To add all paragraphs to the document, click on Add to document. In addition to the pure text, there is also the option to take over the speakers, the time stamps or both.

Faster with text modules

Problem: Frequently used text modules, such as addresses, disclaimers, or greetings, have to be typed in again and again. Cant Word do the work?

Solution: Frequently used text modules can be stored as so-called autotext. For example, instead of typing Yours sincerely over and over again, select the words and press the key combination Alt+F3. The window Create a New Building Block appears. In the Name field, enter an easy-to-remember abbreviation for the text module, such as ys in our example.

To insert the greeting formula later, just enter ys and press the F3 key. Word usually saves the text modules in the file normal.dotm.

This article has been translated from German to English and originally appeared on pcwelt.de.
Chief Executive Officer of the InterCity State Transport Corporation (STC), Nana Akomea has called on the Finance Committee of Parliament to probe the management of the Bank of Ghana on the bank's GH60 billion loss.



"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, Minority Leader, Ato Forson, said during their "Moment of Truth" engagement with the media.



The Minority added; 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" and blamed the incumbent government stating "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 have issued a 21-day ultimatum to the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Ernest Addison and his deputies to resign and threatened to picket the bank if the Governors fail to comply with the order.



"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," the Minority warned.



Speaking on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" show, Nana Akomea requested investigations into the matter stressing "for transparency and accountability, Finance Committee of Parliament should summon the management of the Bank of Ghana to give accounts to the Finance Committee".



He added; "It is good for the Bank of Ghana itself and for our democracy . . . It is even good for the government that a clear investigation is done or a clear justification is offered if it can be justified. If it is not justified, it is good for transparency and accountability."





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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We will resist any attempt by foreign individuals and organisations to impose LGBTQ+ on Ghana, some religious leaders in the country have warned.



According to the religious leaders, they have taken notice of the relentless efforts by some individuals and groups to force down the abominable practice on Ghanaians, and every means possible would be adopted to resist it in the country.



The warning comes in the wake of recent remarks by the United States (US) Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer, on the promotion of Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+).



In her remarks, Ms Palmer cautioned that Ghana could lose LGBTQ+ investors and other American businesses if care was not taken with the proposed anti-LGBTQ+ bill.



The proposed Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill, which is currently at the consideration stage in Parliament seeks to criminalise LGBTQ+ activities, prevent the promotion and advocacy of LGBTQ+ content and provided support and protection for children and individuals associated with LGBTQ+ matters in the country.



Speaking to the Ghanaian Times in separate interviews in Accra last Friday, the Anglican Bishop of Accra, Right Reverend Dr Daniel Sylvanus Mensah Torto, said that the remark by the Ambassador was a threat to the country.



He said every country was independent and any agenda from another country should not be forced on the country.



Rt Rev. Torto said it was important that the state took steps to immediately engage the US on her stance on LGBTQ+ and the threat it posed for the country.



It is like they are forcing their culture on us, he said.



The Moderator of the Global Evangelical Church, Rt Rev. Prosper Samuel Dzomeku, on his part said there was the need to clearly state its stance on the matter, stressing that This is rooted in evangelical faith, cultural values, and the national psyche that define our great nation.



He said the countrys cultural values and national identity play a pivotal role in shaping the fabric of Ghanaian society, adding For centuries, our diverse ethnic communities have coexisted harmoniously, preserving unique customs and traditions that have made our nation a tapestry of beauty and unity,



Rt Rev. Dzomekuwe said even though it was good to promote inclusivity and tolerance, it must be within the bounds of our cultural heritage, saying it is important to note that our stance on this matter does not seek to destroy international relationships or deter foreign investment.



He said as a country We value the friendship and cooperation we share with nations around the world, including the United States of America, however, our commitment to our faith, values, and national identity is unwavering. We firmly believe that these principles contribute to the stability and strength of our nation

Source: Ghanaiantimes.com.gh









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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More than 1,000 houses have been submerged in water and over 6,000 people rendered homeless, following heavy rains that hit the North East Region last Wednesday.



The 12-hour downpour also led to the collapse of the bridge on the major road that links East Mamprusi Municipality and the West Mamprusi Municipality in the region, rendering travellers stranded at Tinguri-Gbane.



The North East Regional Director of the National Disaster Management Organisations (NADMO), Mr Alhassan John Kwaku, disclosed these last Friday during a tour of the area by the Member of Parliament for Walewale Constituency and Minister of Children, Gender and Social Protection, Hajia Lariba Zuweira Abudu and Ghana Highway Authority officials.



He said currently many of the affected were perching with friends and families, whiles other were sleeping in school buildings and churches.



We are still on the field making the assessment, the figures may even be more than these, he stated.



He said many of the affected people were at the overseas and they were yet to reach out to them, assuring that all affected victims would be catered for.



Meanwhile, the Director General of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Mr Eric Nana Agyeman-Prempeh, has presented relief items to the North East Regional Minister, Mr Yidana Zakaria, the Member of Parliament for West Mamprusi Constituency, Hajia Zuweira Lariba Abudu and the MCE for West Mamprusi Municipal Assembly, Mr Aremeyaw Somo Lucky to be distributed to the flood victims in the region.



The items included bags of rice, rubber buckets, plastic cups, plates, boxes of Maggi spices, boxes of salt, cooking oil, boxes of mackerel and bales of used clothing.



Presenting the items last Friday, Mr Agyeman-Prempeh said the gesture was part of the efforts of the Ghana Air Force to get to the aid of the victims as a matter of emergency.



He said many of such items would be delivered to the victims through the government and other benevolent organisations.



When President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo heard of the disaster, he quickly ordered us to mobilise items to get to the aid of the flood victims, he stated.



He added that the disaster had attracted the attention of the President and he personally showed interest for more relief items to be sent to the region to save the victims.



We are doing our possible best as officers of NADMO to ensure that they get to every single disaster victim in this country to make their conditions better, he said.



He said even though disaster was natural, in some cases it could be prevented.



Mr Agyeman-Prempeh sai the North East Region was noted for being a flood-prone area, as a result of building on waterways, wetland areas and called on them to desist from building in such areas to prevent future disasters in the region.



He also called on the officials of the North East Regional Coordinating Council, to cooperate with the officials of NADMO to ensure smooth distribution of the relief items to the victims.



He, however, commended the MP for Walewale Constituency, Hajia Lariba Zuweira Abudu, for quick report of the disaster to the President for his quick intervention.



The North East Regional Minister, Mr Yidana Zakaria, thanked the NADMO boss for the swift response to support the victims.



He said the people of the region were happy upon seeing the arrival of the items, and urged him to do more for the affected people.



Mr Zakaria also called on the NGOs, philanthropists, civil service organisations, natives and indigenes of the area to come to the aid of the victims.

Source: Ghanaiantimes.com.gh









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Renowned legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu, has accused Ghanaian politicians of being the reason why Ghana is not making any progress in its development process.



According to him, the only correct politician, Ghana has had is the late former President, John Evans Atta Mills, who always put the interest of the country first before his.



Kpebu, who made these remarks in an interview on Asempa FM, described the remaining politicians in Ghana as criminals who are only interested in enriching themselves.



Politicians are usually crooks . . . bad boys and girls. NDC, NPP, all of them are crooks. Apart from Atta Mills who did not steal from us, the rest are crooks . . . Atta Mills was an honest man, the rest have been dribbled with corruption.



We must have a special session on politicians and profile them, otherwise they would keep deceiving Ghanaians, these are crooks.



 . . you would be there and your classmate who is not even doing well like you are, gets a position and all of a sudden, he builds a mansion. These guys are causing us headaches, he said in Twi.



He added that politicians would lead Ghana to its end if Ghanaians remain silent on how they have been stealing from the country.



He said that the amounts of money reported to have been found at the home and in bank accounts of the former Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Dapaah, show the kind of mayhem, politicians are causing the country.



The lawyer added that if the homes and bank accounts of Ghanaian politicians are searched, the monies that would be recovered would be enough to transform the country.















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.

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One person in Pennsylvania and another in New York were hospitalized in connection with listeria concerns over ice cream.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported that Real Kosher Ice Cream is recalling its soft serve on-the-go ice cream and sorbet cups because of potential listeria contamination. The cups were sold in grocery and convenience stores in a number of states, including Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, Virginia and New Jersey.

The cups are sold in 8 fluid-ounce packages that looks like a soft-serve cup of ice cream with a spoon attached. Affected flavors are vanilla chocolate, Razzle, caramel, Parve vanilla chocolate, sorbet strawberry mango and peanut butter. For UPC codes, check out the FDAs website at fda.gov. All products produced up to Aug. 4 are being recalled.

Two illnesses have been reported in Pennsylvania and New York, and both people were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture tested samples of the product, and one sample tested positive for listeria.

The FDA said the company has ceased production and distribution as it investigates the cause.

Consumers should return the product to the store of purchase for full credit. For more information, call 845-668-4346.

Listeria contamination was also behind a recall from David Oppenheimer and Co. The company is recalling all of its one-pound Zespri clamshells of organic green kiwifruit.

The fruit was grown in New Zealand and exported to North America for sale in a number of states, including Pennsylvania, Ohio and Virginia. They were shipped to stores between June 14 and July 7. Anything shipped after Aug. 7 is not included in the recall.

The recall was initiated after routine sampling in Kentucky discovered listeria, and the problem was traced back to two grower lots. The company continues to investigate the issue with the FDA.

No illnesses have been reported. Consumers should discard the product. For more information, call 1-866-698-2580.

Other food recalls reported this month include one from Nestle USA, which is recalling its Toll House chocolate chip cookie dough break and bake bar because of the potential presence of wood fragments.

The company said the recall is isolated to two batches that were produced on April 24 and April 25 with best by dates of Aug. 22 and Oct. 23. The 16.5-ounce product can be returned to the place of purchase for a refund.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said no injuries have been reported, and the recall was initiated after a number of consumers contacted the company about the issue.

Extraneous material was also behind a public health alert over raw beef sold at Aldi.

The U.S. Department of Agricultures Food Safety and Inspection Service reported the alert over the 1.5-pound packages of angus beef from Aldi beef for carne picada with a use-by or freeze by date of Aug. 22.

The inspection service said soft, clear plastic was discovered by a retail store in the product. There have been no confirmed injuries due to consumption of the beef.

Consumers who have purchased the beef should discard it or return it to the place of purchase.

Concerns over undeclared allergens were behind two other recalls this month, according to the FDA.

Frito-Lay is recalling fewer than 7,000 bags of its 14.5-ounce and 1-ounce Doritos Nacho Cheese tortilla chips because the packages may contain spicy sweet chili tortilla chips, which have soy and wheat.

The chips were sold at retail stores only in Pennsylvania, including at vending machines, and were available for purchase as early as June 29. No other Frito-Lay or Doritos product is affected.

Consumers can discard the products with guaranteed fresh dates of Sept. 26.

Unilever is recalling select Knorr Sopa soup mix products because they may contain egg, which is not listed on the ingredient label.

The recalled products are the tomato-based star pasta soup mix, tomato-based pasta soup mix and tomato-based alphabet pasta soup mix. The products have best-if-used-by dates of July 6, 2024, and were sold in 3.5-ounce packages. No other product is affected.

Consumers can visit KnorrSoparecall.com to get a refund, and they will be directed to take a picture of the product that clearly shows the UPC and best-if-used-by date.
The CEO of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), Mr Kofi Baah Agyepong, has appealed to the government to increase its annual budget for the agency to roll out more youth-centred programmes to create jobs in Ghana.



The YEAs source of funding was capped at 67.6% in 2022 during the global economic meltdown leaving Ghanas economy in a turbulent state. In 2023, it was capped at 44%, that is, 23.6% below the previous year.



Speaking at the launch of its new module - Youth in Garment and Textiles - in the Ashanti regional capital, Kumasi, on Monday (14 August 2023), Mr Agyepong said, in spite of the cut in funding, the YEA under his leadership still exceeded its 2023 projections by 18%.



I must place on record that for 2023, the Agency projected to engage 71,500 youths throughout its programmes. I am delighted to announce that as of May 2023, the Agency has engaged 84,483 youths who are working and contributing to various sectors of the economy. This means that, the Agency has already exceeded its 2023 projections by 18%, the YEA chief executive stated.



He added: The YEA is poised to introduce other innovative ideas by creating additional 31,600 job opportunities for the youth of Ghana in 2023. But we cannot do this without additional funding.



On behalf of the board, management, and staff of the agency, I would like to make a passionate appeal to our listening government to increase the financial support to YEA to enable us to roll out more youth-centred programmes that would create more jobs and reduce the level of youth unemployment in Ghana, which is now considered a national security issue.



Under the one year tenure of Agyepong, the YEA has been able to recruit 6,000 Community Health Workers; recruitment of 15,000 Community Protection Assistants; recruitment of 1,500 Prisons Service Assistants; recruitment of 800 artisans for the INZAG Project; we still have the 45,000 beneficiaries for the youth in Sanitation Module, recruitment of 4,000 farm workers for the Afarinick Cocoa rehabilitation Programme; recruitment of 6,000 insurance agents, creation of over 11,000 employment opportunities through the YEAs Job Centre.



The YEA has also collaborated with other state institutions like the Building and Road Research Institute of the CSIR to train 1,000 youth in modern building technology, the Ghana Library Authority to train young entrepreneurs across the country under the Entrepreneurship Re-imagined Programme, the Accra Digital Centre to provide ICT training for 2,000 youth in ICT, collaboration with National Labour Commission to sensitise the youth on labour- related issues and collaboration with the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP) to train 5000 young Entrepreneurs (Trade and Vocation). All these collaborations were fully funded by the YEA.



However, Mr Agyepong hinted that the YEA will be reviewing its sanitation module, which began in 2006, in order to give value for money.



I must admit that much has not been achieved under our Sanitation Module. Government on its part has shown enough commitment by investing hugely into this module. We must be asking ourselves: are the cities clean? What about the streets and our markets? Are we getting value for money? What about our beneficiaries? How are they faring? Dispassionate, and patriotic answers to these questions, will help the YEA shape this module as we seek to review it in the coming months, the CEO noted.

Agyepong gave assurance to Ghanaian youth that the government is committed to create more jobs, stressing that the YEA under his watch will strive to achieve the vision of President Nana Akufo-Addo.



Although you can see ice on my face, there is fire running through my veins. I have sleepless nights thinking about that young mother hawking in the scorching heat with a baby at her back and sometimes one on the side. I wake up every day thinking about that frustrated young graduate wasting his talent as a hawker around the market in Kejetia all because of nokofio (Something small). Our youth are resorting to hard drugs and ending up as hardened criminals and call girls because there are no jobs.



We cant fail them. For how long are we going to watch on for the future generation to waste their talents? The YEA has proven to be the most effective agency of the Akufo-Addo government in job creation, especially over the past one year, and we want to challenge ourselves to go a step further to create an estimated 31,600 additional jobs before the end of the year. We pray for a positive outcome from the seat of government after this passionate appeal, Agyepong noted.



The Youth in Garment and Textiles Module is aimed at creating sustainable opportunities for young people interested in dressmaking or industrial sewing.



Under this new module dubbed a game-changer, beneficiaries of the training programme will be equipped with in-depth knowledge and hands-on training in various aspects of tailoring and dressmaking including fabric selection, cutting techniques, sewing, garment construction, pattern making and alterations.



Under the programme, YEA will support about 40 large garment companies with between GHC100, 000 to GHC200, 000 each. The agency will also support 500 micro/small scale seamstresses and tailors with GHC10, 000 each to enable them to train the beneficiaries. The beneficiaries will also be provided with monthly stipends throughout the period of their training, Agyepong said.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumias campaign tour across the country has become a fertile ground for business, traders of NPP paraphernalia disclose.



Selling of paraphernalia is normally associated with national congresses or major outdoor events of political parties but traders selling NPP paraphernalia say the Vice President's nationwide tour and his popularity has opened an unexpected business opportunity.



Dr. Bawumia is on a nationwide campaign tour dubbed "Connecting With NPP Delegates" and has been touring the Eastern Region in the past week.



The traders, who have been conspicuous throughout Dr. Bawumia's tour of the Regions explained what got them to pitch camp with Dr. Bawumia's campaign.



"It is an unexpected opportunity for us because normally, we sell at Congresses or major party events. We don't set up to sell for such meetings, but we got information from our colleagues in Accra when Dr. Bawumia started his tour that business is always good when he visits and people buy things with his name," one of the traders based in Suhum said.



She added; "So we also got our things ready for his tour in the Eastern Region. What our friends told us is true. He is very popular and when he comes many people show up and business has been good. We don't regret it."



Another trader based in Koforidua also confirmed high sales during all of Dr. Bawumia's tours she has attended.



"He is not yet the NPP's candidate but people are really buying things printed in his name. I can't imagine how great sales will be if he becomes the candidate."



"We are colleagues and we know ourselves so there is no need for all of us to set up at one venue, since he visits 4 places per day. And also because of transportation issue, we have shared. We are here, and others have set up at the other constituencies he will visit. This is how we do it," another trader noted.



Asked whether sales are good with the other candidates, almost all the traders admitted sales are not as good as it is with Dr. Bawumia.



"I have tried with two other candidates; Ken when he came and Alan during his tour in Accra, but it wasn't good so I have stopped setting up."



For the souvenir traders, mostly women, they are eager to see Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia officially elected as the NPP Presdiential candidate in anticipation of a business boom.



"We can wait for him to win the NPP Primaries. If we are making as much sales now, then business will even be better for us when he is the NPP's candidate."

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.

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Dennis Miracles Aboagye, Director of Local Government Services at the Office of the President, says Ghanaians will in the future remember President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his government's interventions in saving their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.



According to him, the citizenry seem to have suddenly forgotten the President's sacrifices in safeguarding them against the deadly disease that swept across the world and claimed millions of lives.



He said this in relation to the brouhaha concerning Bank of Ghana (BoG) incurring GH60 billion loss in 2022 and the Minority's call for the resignation of the Governor of the bank, Dr. Ernest Addision and his deputies.



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, Minority leader, Ato Forson told journalists during their event dubbed "Moment of Truth".



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", they added and as well blamed the President for this mess saying "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.



But Dennis Miracles has justified why government relied on the BoG, stating it did so to save the lives of the citizens.



He reminded Ghanaians of many measures that were installed by the government during the COVID-19 pandemic such as government paying allowances to workers during the lockdown, the free provision of water and food, the cost of quarantining people to curtail the disease among others; all of which demanded money.



"Where was the money coming from? What was government supposed to do? Government was supposed to pretend as if once there is no money, there is nothing to do and allow people to die?", he questioned.



He wondered why the bank and government are today being penalized for their good decisions stressing "this basically comes to confirm the long-standing position of government that our economy was doing very, very well and was on the growth path between 2017 and 2019 until COVID came".



Miracles also blasted the Minority and the opposition National Democratic Congress for their position on the matter saying "you can do all the politics and partisanship but the Ghanaians who experienced the situation know that when it comes to the COVID management, this government has done this country a lot of good. And in the future, maybe not today, maybe not 10 years from now; in the future, every single person that lived between 2020 and now will remember Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the NPP government".



He made these comments on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" show Monday 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.

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Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Member of Parliament for Ofoase Ayiribe Constituency, has lent his support to Vice President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia's aspiration to become the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the upcoming 2024 elections.



During an event in his constituency, captured in a Twitter-shared video, Nkrumah expressed his deep admiration for Dr. Bawumia's substantial contributions to the party over the years.



Describing Bawumia as a steadfast pillar of the NPP, Nkrumah highlighted the vice president's unwavering commitment to defending the party whenever it faces challenges. He also commended Bawumia's humility and dedicated approach to party matters.



"Today, I want to share something with you. Ever since I became acquainted with Dr. Bawumia in 2008 when he was at the Bank of Ghana and I was at Joy FM, and throughout our political journey, I have silently learned some invaluable lessons from him."



"Whenever the party finds itself under attack, Dr. Bawumia consistently steps forward to shield it, even at the risk of facing personal criticisms. His commitment to this cause has been unwavering."



Nkrumah went on to underscore the principle of reciprocating good with good, emphasizing the significance of acknowledging Bawumia's dedication and contributions to the NPP. He stressed that Bawumia's devoted service to the party merits support rather than opposition.



Citing Proverbs 17:13, Nkrumah quoted, "Whoever repays evil for good, evil will never depart from their house. So, if Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has been beneficial to us, should we respond with negativity?"



He further stated, "In this month, our Chairman and I will cast our votes for him (Dr. Bawumia), and come November, delegates from Ofoase Ayirebi will wholeheartedly support Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia."



Dr. Bawumia is among ten contenders vying for the flagbearership slot, with prominent figures such as former trade minister Alan Kyerematen and Kennedy Agyapong considered his key rivals.



Following the vetting stage, the NPP will narrow down the ten candidates to five in a preliminary vote scheduled for August. The final contest is set for November 2023, where the party will elect a successor to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as the party's leader.





Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The largest private company in central Pennsylvania has opened a new Canadian operational headquarters and warehouse.

Lower Paxton Township-based electronics distributor, D&H Distributing built the new facility in the Toronto area. The new, 253,331 square-foot headquarters and distribution center became operational on Aug. 8 in Mississauga, Ontario. The new facility is close to three times the capacity of its previous distribution center in Brampton, Ontario.

D&H said that all 90 employees from the previous location were retained.

The company said the new center was built to accommodate significant double-digit growth, including more than 20% commercial growth in recent years including space for white glove services such as laser etching and asset tagging of electronic devices. The location distributes technology products throughout Canada.

Michelle Biase (Photo provided)

Michelle Biase has been the general manager of D&H Canada since 2021.

D&H Distributing now has more than two million square feet of combined warehouse space in total across six facilities in the United States and Canada and has been updating it distribution network in recent years. D&H Canada also moved into a 62,000-square-foot facility in the Vancouver area in September 2022 to serve the western Canadian territories. And the company also moved into a 745,000 square-foot warehouse facility in Lower Swatara Township in March 2022.

D&H Distributing was ranked as the 94th largest private company in the United States and fifth in Pennsylvania by Forbes last year with $5.4 billion in revenue.
The owner of the vacant Chambersburg Mall has announced plans to redevelop the mall.

New York-based Namdar Realty Group, the owner of the mall said its been collaborating with the with Franklin County Area Development Corporation to explore the redevelopment of the mall in Greene Township, Franklin County. Namdar said the two parties are committed to transforming the mall into a dynamic mixed-use development. However, Namdar said it wasnt able to provide many details at this point. but said as the project progresses, it will share further details with the public.
A teen was shot and killed and the car he was a passenger in crashed into an abandoned school bus in West Philadelphia Monday night. Now authorities are looking for the shooters.

The incident took place along the 5500 block of Sansom Street at around 8 p.m., when a blue Buick sedan was found with bullet holes in the rear passenger side window. The car had crashed into an empty yellow school bus.

Seated inside the front passenger seat was a 19-year-old male who had been shot multiple times and was unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene. There was no word on the driver of the sedan, according to reports from Philly Voice and NBC10.

According to a witness, the Buick had been traveling westbound along Sansom Street when two masked gunmen dressed in black clothing opened fire. The Buick was struck by bullets and the 19-year-old was shot in the head while in the passenger seat. The car then crashed into the parked bus, NBC10 reported.

Due to the spent shell casings found, authorities believe the assailants might have used a shotgun and a handgun to fire at the vehicle while it drove by. A weapon was recovered at the scene, according to reports.

So far, no arrests have been made.

Read More:
Update: 82-year-old woman died of neck injuries after granddaughter shoved her: coroner

A 24-year-old is facing murder charges in connection with the death of her grandmother in Lancaster County.

State police in Lancaster were dispatched to Sigman Road in Providence Township on Aug. 11 around 11:30 a.m. for a domestic dispute. During the investigation, police discovered that Mary Sigman, 82, was pushed by her granddaughter, Shasta Sigman.

As a result of the push, Mary Sigman fell to the ground and hit her head against a wall, according to state police. Troopers said the fall caused her to lose consciousness and suffer cardiac arrest. Emergency crews were able to obtain a pulse and transport her to Lancaster General Hospital where she died.

State police said Shasta Sigman was taken into custody and charged with third degree murder, involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault.

READ MORE:

Central Pa. man reported missing might be confused, in danger: police

Ring video shows Pa. house explosion that killed 5
By LEA SKENE, The Associated Press

BALTIMORE (AP)  The suspect in a deadly weekend shooting at an indoor trampoline park in Maryland was visiting his daughter there when he shot his ex-wifes boyfriend and fled, according to court documents.

Quinton Walker, 30, turned himself in to authorities less than two hours after the shooting, which unfolded around 7 p.m. Saturday at the Sky Zone in Timonium, a suburb north of Baltimore. The victim, 32-year-old Marcus Whitehead, died after being rushed to the hospital.

In the moments after gunshots sounded, panic engulfed the busy facility, which is often packed with children and families. No other injuries were reported, and authorities repeatedly told the public it was an isolated incident that posed no ongoing safety threat.

Walker called 911 to turn himself in after initially fleeing the scene, according to charging documents prepared by Baltimore County police. He made the call from an adjacent county and told dispatchers he was driving a U-Haul, police said.

Shortly before 8:30 p.m., officers located the U-Haul and pulled Walker over. They spotted a Glock handgun inside the vehicle, according to the documents.

During an interview with detectives, Walker said he had traveled from Colorado to see his daughter. He said he made plans to meet her and her mother at Sky Zone on Saturday evening, according to police.

Shortly after he arrived and greeted his daughter, Walker noticed his ex-wifes boyfriend staring at him, he told police. Walker said he asked Whitehead if he wanted to talk outside and he responded not to come near him, the charging documents say.

Walker said Whitehead stood up, walked toward him and threatened to slap him, so Walker drew his firearm and fired all rounds that he had loaded into the gun, according to the documents. Walker said he was planning to return his U-Haul before turning himself in.

A witness interviewed by police said the two men exchanged few words before Walker pulled a gun from his waistband and started shooting, the documents say.

He was charged with one count of first-degree murder, which requires prosecutors to prove premeditation.

Walker is being held without bail in Baltimore County jail. His attorney didnt immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Court records list a home address in suburban Denver.

More:

4 wounded in 2 shootings in Harrisburg: police

15-year-old charged in fatal shooting near Harrisburg high school
Its roughly a week before school starts in Albemarle County and parents are furious.

On top of the regular stressors of the back-to-school season, roughly 1,000 students have learned they will not have a bus to school come Aug. 23.

Its the latest chapter in the nations chronic bus driver shortage.

Despite our ongoing improvement efforts, we regret that we will be unable to provide bus transportation to every student in our school system who needs it, Albemarle County Public Schools wrote in a message to parents.

The district is short a dozen drivers. As a result, a dozen routes are vacant and cannot provide service.

We have about 12 vacant routes, and right now, because we dont have drivers, were going to have to have those conversations with their families letting them know that we cant transport, Charmane White, the school divisions director of transportation, told The Daily Progress.

While the division has said that about 90% of Albemarle students will still have access to a bus route, some of those students must deal with stacked routes in which a driver picks up one set of students, drops them off and doubles back  often making students late for class.

For the remaining families, those who live in a walk zone or a private neighborhood where the county has terminated service or who were simply unfortunate enough to be on a cut route, there are really no good options.

And parents let officials know that at last Thursdays school board meeting.

I dont have a job that I need to worry about in the morning, but in the afternoon I have a restaurant, so Im going to have to leave so I can go pick up these kids, Kellie Washington told The Daily Progress. Im going to have to leave early, and Im going to have to pay other people to work, and its very inconvenient, and thats just inconvenient for me. Its impossible for some people.

Washington is not only a parent of Albemarle students but a former bus driver herself.

She said, over the course of her nine-year tenure with the school division, she saw the treatment of bus drivers deteriorate.

Just a lot of discrimination of employees, a lot of where they would punish employees for things, you cant literally punish someone, but you can take the route from them anytime you want to. Its part of the way it works, she said.

It wasnt always like this, according to Washington.

I loved the job. I loved driving the kids. When I first started, I liked working for the county. They got along with everyone. Just a great opportunity. I felt like they really took care of employees, she said.

It was hoped that better access to training and higher salaries would help the school division retain and increase driver numbers

The pay incentive is one of the best in the area, according to White.

We are so excited of the salary increase, last year, up to $21.50 an hour, and then we have what is called a step scale, meaning youre paid by your years of experience, White said. Now this approach with pay has set this county above other counties.

That $21.50 is 50 cents more per hour than what neighboring Louisa County is currently advertising for bus drivers in its district. Louisa, though, has said that for the second consecutive year it has a full bus staff.

The root issue isnt necessarily the pay but the division itself, Washington said.

If they just fix the bus driver issue where theyre treating the bus drivers as humans, instead of treating them as second-class citizens, which is what they do, I think they would have enough bus drivers, she said.

And just as she feels discrimination is why bus drivers left the district, she said she worries the new bus routes will open students up to discrimination.

The decision to provide transportation to select students leaves the door open for discrimination, Washington said.

They told all the parents that the prioritized kids were these specific kids, she said. So now all these kids, the other children and the other parents can say, Well the kids that are on the bus are the poor kids, the kids that are on the bus are the kids that have learning disabilities. And that doesnt mean all the kids will be, but when you say those are the kids youre specifically going to bring thats just a way of discriminating against the children.

The school division did in fact prioritize certain students, but that prioritization was based on a transportation survey sent out earlier this year. Findings from that survey were roughly the same as past years, and what the school division found is that many families request service, say they need service but then students dont ever show up at their stops.

She [White] mentioned in our June survey of all parents, parents requested bus service for nearly 10,000 students even though daily ridership (outside of the pandemic) has consistently been at 6,000, county schools spokesman Phil Giaramita told The Daily Progress via email.This is not new; for years, we have received requests for 10,000 students to be transported and no more than 6,000 to 6,500 actually have shown up each day.

While parents may be concerned about unreliable routes, the county school district is concerned about unreliable riders.

Students not showing up for the bus has contributed to the divisions transportation troubles, according to Giaramita. Just more than half of the amount of students that requested transportation are expected to actually show at their bus stops.

Thats a problem when your transportation system covers 14,000 miles each day (due to the size of the county), has 570 individual bus routes and 3,500 separate bus stops, Giaramita said. In effect, we are planning for 10,000 students even though past history tells us about 4,000 of these students will not show up to ride the bus. All of this complicates planning and contributes to delays.

The division has implemented a strictly enforced limit to curb the amount of students not showing up to their stops.

If a student does not ride a bus for 10 consecutive days, they will be removed from the passenger list, Giaramita said.

In the meantime, with less bus routes available, the county has increased its number of walk zones.

Those zones were introduced in 2021. The scope of the zone in which nearby students are asked to walk to class now extends about a mile for elementary schools and a mile and a half for secondary schools.

We already had walk zones in place, but we have increased our walk zones, White said. So this is going to serve some of the errors, again students that are within close proximity, our elementary children that are within a mile of the school, were asking them to walk, and then our secondary which is 1.5 [miles], were asking the students that they would walk to school. Again, this may not be so favorable for some families, but if youre in close proximity within those walking distance, we, matter of fact, have removed those students from our school buses.

Allison Spillman, who is running for the county school board, has children in the division who are within a walk zone, she said, but its not nearly as bad as it could be  as it is for families farther out who lost their bus routes for the upcoming school year.

My neighborhood is a walking-distance neighborhood that kids can walk safely to school, Spillman said. Sure, its an inconvenience, but its nothing compared to being 20 or 30 miles away, having no other means to get to school.

Should Spillman win her race, she said she would prioritize communication between all the parties involved to bring an end to, or at least ease the impact of, the bus driver shortage in the area.

I think its all about communication, said Spillman, who is running against Meg Bryce, daughter of late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, for the at-large seat on the board. Thats the thing I hear over and over again is that there is a lack of communication coming from the central office and that people dont feel like theyre being heard. So for me, its holding these meetings listening to people, hearing what they have to say and then using that information to make meaningful change.

The school division is already confident it is pursuing that level of communication, especially in the wake of last year.

Last year was a nightmare, according to White, especially when it came to stacked routes. Families and the division were still trying to figure things out.

I know last year it was a nightmare for families trying to predict what time the bus would arrive, and we were struggling trying to find coverage because everybody knows that we have a driver shortage, and because of the shortage we were trying to figure out, maybe sometimes five o'clock to five-thirty in the morning, how are we going to cover a run, White said.

Some students were getting to school over an hour late because of stacked bus routes, according to Giaramita.

We were talking about students getting to school an hour late or later, Giaramita said. So it was a really significant issue and it was really important to eliminate that to the greatest extent possible for this year, not to repeat that experience.

One mother who spoke before the school board Thursday said her child begged her to drive them to and from school to avoid the stacked route.

But for yet another school year, it does appear there will be no avoiding it for many students.
By Jane Harper, The Virginian-Pilot (TNS)

NEWPORT NEWS, Va.  The mother of a 6-year-old boy who garnered national headlines this year when her son shot his first-grade teacher during class pleaded guilty Tuesday to a single count of felony child neglect.

It was the second time in the past two months that Deja Nicole Taylor entered a guilty plea to charges relating to the Jan. 6 shooting of Richneck Elementary School teacher Abby Zwerner. The shot struck the 25-year-old educator in her hand and chest and left her seriously injured.

In June, Taylor pleaded guilty in federal court to having a firearm while also possessing marijuana and lying on a federal gun background check about her drug use. Shes due to be sentenced in that case Oct. 18. Though the federal charges carry up to 25 years combined, prosecutors have agreed to ask for a term within the federal sentencing guidelines  between 18 months and two years.

FILE - Police look on as students return to Richneck Elementary on Jan. 30, 2023, in Newport News, Va., after a teacher was shot by a student. (Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot via AP, File)

The child neglect count Taylor pleaded guilty to on Tuesday carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. In exchange for her plea, prosecutors have agreed to ask for a sentence within the state guidelines  up to six months  but Circuit Judge Christopher Papile has the authority go above the prosecutions recommendation. Sentencing was set for Oct. 27.

The Newport News commonwealths attorneys office also agreed to drop a separate misdemeanor charge accusing Taylor of recklessly leaving a loaded gun where her son could access it.

While Taylor has long maintained through defense attorney James Ellenson that she kept her 9 mm Taurus semiautomatic handgun secured with a trigger lock and stored on a top shelf in a bedroom closet, a statement of facts entered into evidence Tuesday indicated that wasnt the case.

The statement said when police were interviewing the boy and his parents after the shooting, Taylor asked him how he got the gun. The boy replied he stood on a drawer of her dresser, reached into her purse, and took it.

The boy was sitting at his desk when he suddenly pulled the gun from his front hoodie pocket, pointed it at Zwerner  seated at a reading table less than 10 feet away  and fired a single round.

Officers who responded to the shooting found the boy being restrained by a staff member in his classroom, the statement said. The gun was lying on the floor nearby, with the slide open and additional rounds in its magazine. As the officers came into the room, the boy yelled, (Expletive) you! I shot my teacher, then broke free from the staff member and punched her in the face, the statement said.

The boy also told police the gun belonged to his mother and that he stole it because I needed to shoot my teacher, the statement said.

Deja Nicole Taylor, the mother of the 6-year-old shooter at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, is escorted out by her grandfather, Calvin Taylor, following her arraignment at the Newport News Circuit Court on Friday, April 14, 2023. (Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot/TNS, file)TNS

During her interview with detectives, Taylor told them her son had been diagnosed with obstructive defiance disorder and took medication for it. She said he previously had gone into her purse and took her car keys. She said Child Protective Services responded and created a safety plan requiring her to store her keys in a lockbox rather than her purse. After that, she stored her keys in the lockbox but continued to keep her gun in her purse, she said.

In the weeks leading up to the shooting, the school had required one of the boys parents to attend class with him because of his behavior problems. The week that it happened was the first that he was allowed to attend without them.

Two days before the shooting, the boy grabbed Zwerners phone from her, smashed it on the ground and said, Im never coming back to your room again, you (expletive), according to the statement of facts in the case. He was suspended for one day after that. The day of the shooting was his first day back after the suspension.

The boy, now 7, is in the custody of his great-grandfather, Calvin Taylor, at his Newport News home. He said in an interview that his great-grandson is thriving, and doing well at a school thats not part of the Newport News Public Schools system.
A Philadelphia police officer shot and killed a man in the Kensington section of the city on Monday.

The incident started around 12:30 p.m. when officers witnessed a Toyota driving erratically near the intersection of B Street and Erie Avenue.

When police attempted to pull the driver over, he sped off, heading south on Lee Street and then going the wrong way down East Willard Street, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The driver -- later identified as Eddie Jose Irizarry -- eventually pulled over along the 100 block of East Willard Street.

A male stepped out of that vehicle with a weapon, with a knife, Philadelphia Police Cpl. Jasmine Reilly told NBC10. The officers gave multiple commands for him to drop the weapon. The male did not, he actually lunged at the officers.

One of the officers then fired multiple times at Irizarry. He then put Irizarry in his police vehicle and drove him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

None of the officers were injured.

Two officers had Tasers but did not deploy them, the Inquirer said. At least one of the officers had their body camera turned on.

Irizarrys family told both news outlets that his primary language was Spanish and did not speak English well. They also said he suffered from mental health issues, including schizophrenia.

You could taze him, Irizarrys aunt, Zoraida Garcia said to NBC10. But to shoot him six times? They literally told us he got shot six times. What did he have on him that you felt threatened? You know? Was he coming towards you with a knife? You know? If thats the case, but six times? You couldve shot him in his leg. But you shot and killed him.

READ MORE: Girl hit by utility knife that fell off roller coaster at central Pa. theme park: report
Scott Neeley has won dozens of awards for the many meads, hard ciders and wines hes been handcrafting in Pleasant Hills for a little over a decade.

Hes gotten so good at it since selling his first bottle in 2016 that his business, KingView Mead, not only has a 100-acre farm in Grove City with plans for an apiary, but also boasts three tasting rooms across Allegheny and Washington counties, with a fourth opening later this fall in North East near Erie.

Still, never could the University of Pittsburgh grad have imagined hed one day buy the oldest winery in Pennsylvania, and also have the honor of making a limited-edition rose in it to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the states largest wine festival. Its called Pink Catawba Celebration and anyone attending the Seven Springs Wine Festival on Aug. 25-27 can vie for a sample.

Truth be told, Neeley never even visited a winery until he was in his late 20s, and I didnt really drink at all, honestly, he says with a laugh. Yet by his early 30s, hed not only fallen in love with the process of making wine, but decided to leave his job as an IT project manager for PNC Bank and make a career of it.

Thousands of bottles and happy customers later, Neeley has taken the next big step: This spring, he and wife, Hannah, purchased Penn Shore Winery and Vineyards along the Lake Erie shoreline in North East. One of the first two wineries in Pennsylvania to receive a state license to make and sell wine in 1968, and first to open, its been selling reds, whites, roses and sparkling wines made from European and American wine grapes grown nearby since 1970. It made the first Pennsylvania-made Champagne in 1971.

The wine fest is nearly as storied.

While New England claims title to the longest-running wine fest in the U.S.  Chef Daniel Bruce founded the 10-week Boston Wine Festival in 1989  Seven Springs has had almost as long of a run. This August marks three decades for the event, which started as a casual get-together between the main lodge and ski lodges in what is now the resorts skier services circle.

Just 14 wineries participated that first year, according to events manager Kristin Frieri, with one common goal: to replicate the success of a wine festival the Pennsylvania Wine Association was running in the eastern half of the state.

They approached Seven Springs to host the festival to promote Pennsylvania wine, she said. And thats been the primary effort ever since.

While it took a while to get the word out to surrounding regions, the small event at the mountains base has evolved into the largest Pennsylvania-only wine festival in the state. More than two dozen wineries from across the commonwealth will attend, offering tastes of their dry, sweet, semi-sweet and sparkling wines.

In addition to Penn Shore, at least one other original winery will be pouring samples  Heritage Wine Cellars  and its also located in Lake Erie Wine Country, which in one of the largest grape growing regions east of the Rockies, and the fourth-largest Concord grape growing region in the U.S., according to the winery.

The fests footprint has similarly grown well beyond its original setup between the resorts two lodges to also include the beginner bowl area. Since 2015, its also offered a Friday evening event that affords guests the unique experience of sipping amid sunset at the base of the slopes, said Frieri.

As for the beverages themselves, wineries are selected with help from the Pennsylvania Wine Association to assure a diverse selection of red, white, rose and sparkling wines along with local favorites.

The festival runs from 5 to 9 p.m. Aug. 25 and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 26-27. Tickets cost $30-$47, depending on day and method of purchase. They can either be purchased online at showclix.com (search wine fest) or at the door for an additional $5. Admission for adults only includes a souvenir wine glass along with samples from the various wineries.

There also will be live music on multiple stages, food available for purchase (credit card only) and access to wine seminars on Saturday and Sunday. Anyone who buys wine from one of the attending wineries will also will also get a complimentary wine check service.

Armed with a dual degree in finance and management information systems from Pitt Johnstown in 2002, Neeley was 10 years into his business career when he started making his award-winning mead  an alcoholic drink made from honey, water and yeast  and California Italian wines like Cabernet Sauvignon and Alicante in his basement.

While he enjoyed the occasional adult beverage as much as the next guy, It was more about the process that celebrated his northern European background and heritage, he says. He also liked that mead-making supported local beekeepers, which in recent years have struggled with honey bee colony health and survival.

If you ask people Do you like to eat food? and Do you like to drink? everyone raises their hand, he says.

KingView was a company that supported both pursuits, in a fun way.

The opportunity to purchase Penn Shore Winery came almost by chance. While working on the companys Harborview location last summer, he and his wife started looking for property to buy and learned that Jeff and Cheryl Ore, who had purchased the business in 2004, were looking to sell. It took from November 2022 to the end of this June to work out a deal, but the couple couldnt be happier.

Its not every day you get to buy the oldest winery in the state, Neeley says.

While theyre keeping the Penn Shore name, and the winery will remain its own brand using Ores recipes, as a hearken to tradition it will be rebranded with a new logo thats a remake of the original 1970s Penn Shore Winery label. The couple will also slowly introduce some new wines in an effort to expand on to its current lineup of Seyval Blanc, Noiret, Lambrusco, Vignoles, Concord and others.

As a PA-Preferred business, they only use grapes grown in Pennsylvania.

Those who attend the Seven Springs Wine Festival at the end of the month, Neeley says, will not only have lots of fun in a picturesque setting but also be amazed by the sheer number of different wines Pennsylvania wineries are able to offer.

This region can grow quite a bit of variety of grapes, he says, and a lot of hybrids, too, because of the climate. Cabernet Franc, for instance, is really starting to catch fire on a national level.

And for those who might turn their noses up at the thought of local Pennsylvania wines?

You can get some really high-quality product, he says.

For a list of wineries attending the 30th annual Seven Springs Wine Festival and other details, go to 7springs.com (search events).

Gretchen McKay of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote this story.

Gretchen McKay: gmckay@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1419 or on Twitter @gtmckay.

(c)2023 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Visit the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at www.post-gazette.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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A popular, year-old ice cream farm market lying in the geographic center of Pennsylvanias fastest-growing county will keep scooping frozen treats and selling its flavored milks even as a big new development sprouts on a sister farm.

Thats the plan, anyway, as Destiny Dairy Bar founder Amy Brickner is telling her concerned customers.
NEWPORT NEWS, Va.  The mother of a 6-year-old boy who shot his teacher in Virginia pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge of felony child neglect, seven months after her son used her handgun to critically wound the educator in a classroom full of students.

Prosecutors agreed to drop a misdemeanor charge of reckless storage of a firearm against Deja Taylor. As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors said they will not seek a sentence that is longer than state sentencing guidelines, which call for six months in jail or prison.

The crime is punishable by up to five years in prison. A judge will have full discretion when he ultimately decides the length of Taylors sentence. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 27.

The January shooting shocked the nation and roiled this shipbuilding city near the Chesapeake Bay. The case against Taylor is one of three legal efforts seeking accountability, including the teachers $40 million lawsuit that accuses the school system of gross negligence for failing to respond aggressively to multiple warnings the child had brought a gun to school that day.

Police said the first grader intentionally shot teacher Abby Zwerner as she sat at a reading table during a lesson. Zwerner, who was hit in the hand and chest, spent nearly two weeks in the hospital and has endured multiple surgeries.

Moments after the shooting, according to search warrants filed in the case, the child told a reading specialist who restrained him: I shot that (expletive) dead, and I got my moms gun last night.

Police said the student brought the gun to school in his backpack, but it had been unclear exactly how the 6-year-old got the gun.

During Taylors plea hearing Tuesday, prosecutor Joshua Jenkins said the boy told authorities he got the gun by climbing onto a drawer to reach the top of a dresser, where the gun was stored in his mothers purse. Those details were contained in a stipulation of facts, a list of facts that both sides agree are true.

When police arrived at the school that day, they entered the classroom and saw the boy being restrained by the reading specialist, according to the stipulation of facts document Jenkins read aloud in court.

The boy used a profanity and said I shot my teacher, before breaking free and punching the reading specialist in the face, the document states.

The gun was on the floor nearby. My mom had that. ....I stole it because I needed to shoot my teacher, the boy said, according to the document.

The document said the boy had been diagnosed with a defiance disorder. He had previously taken his mothers car keys from her purse, which prompted her to put her keys in a lock box. But she continued to keep her gun in her purse, the document states.

FILE - Signs stand outside Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Va., Jan. 25, 2023. The mother of a 6-year-old boy who shot his teacher at the Virginia school is expected to plead guilty in federal court Monday, June 12, 2023, to using marijuana while possessing a firearm, which is illegal under U.S. law. (AP Photo/Denise Lavoie, File)AP

The stipulation of facts also cited a report from Child Protective Services, which indicated the child had played with a gun at his grandmothers house last year.

When interviewed in reference to that incident, (the boy) reported that he wanted to visit a gun range, according to the stipulation of facts.

After the shooting at Richneck Elementary School, Taylor told police she believed her gun was in her purse, secured with a trigger lock, according to search warrants. She said she kept the gunlock key under her bedroom mattress. But agents with Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said they never found a trigger lock after conducting searches, according to federal court documents. The stipulation of facts also said there was no gun safe or trigger lock found during searches by authorities.

Dressed in a jean jacket and resting her left hand against her hip, Taylor did not speak during the plea hearing except to answer questions from the judge about whether she understood the proceeding. She spoke softly and was asked by the judge to raise her voice.

In June, Taylor pleaded guilty in a separate but related federal case to using marijuana while possessing a firearm, which is illegal under U.S. law.

Taylor was charged in April by prosecutors in Newport News with felony child neglect and a misdemeanor count of recklessly storing of a firearm.

Taylors attorney, James Ellenson, said at the time that there were mitigating circumstances, including her miscarriages and postpartum depression before the shooting. Ellenson said Tuesday he will address depression and anxiety issues at Taylors sentencing hearing.

Taylor told ABCs Good Morning America in May that she feels responsible and apologized to Zwerner.

That is my son, so I am, as a parent, obviously willing to take responsibility for him because he cant take responsibility for himself, Taylor said.

Her son has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and was under a care plan that included a family member accompanying him to class every day, Ellenson said.

The week of the shooting was the first when a parent was not in class with him. The change was made because the boy had started medication and was meeting his goals academically, Taylor said.

Residents of Newport News hold a candlelight vigil in honor of Richneck Elementary School first-grade teacher Abby Zwerner at the School Administration Building in Newport News, Va., Monday, Jan. 9, 2023. Zwerner was shot and wounded by a 6-year-old student while teaching class on Friday, Jan.6. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)AP

I just truly would like to apologize, Taylor said on the show.

Virginias law on felony child neglect says any parent, guardian or other person responsible for the care of a child whose willful act or omission in the care of such child was so gross, wanton, and culpable as to show a reckless disregard for human life is guilty of a Class 6 felony.

Ellenson said in court Tuesday that the boy is now in the care of his great-grandfather.

Ben Finley and Denise Lavoie of The Associated Press wrote this story.

Lavoie reported from Richmond, Virginia.

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By Meg James, Los Angeles Times (TNS)

New Mexico prosecutors overseeing criminal cases in the deadly Rust shooting have received a new firearms report that appears to cast doubt on actor Alec Baldwins account of the tragedy.

Baldwin has long maintained he did not pull the trigger of his prop Colt .45 revolver, firing a bullet that accidentally killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a movie rehearsal nearly three years ago. Baldwin has said he pulled, then released, the guns hammer because Hutchins wanted to get a close-up camera angle of the guns loaded barrel.

Prosecutors initially filed two counts of involuntary manslaughter against Baldwin as well as the films armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed.

Special prosecutors Kari T. Morrissey and Jason J. Lewis took over the case in late March following missteps by previous prosecutors. They dismissed criminal charges against Baldwin.

Morrissey and Lewis said they could not move forward with Baldwins prosecution because new facts were revealed that demand further investigation and forensic analysis.

Sources have said prosecutors were told the gun had been modified before it was delivered to the Rust set near Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Morrissey and Lewis in April left open the option of refiling charges against Baldwin, saying their decision to withdraw the charges did not absolve Mr. Baldwin of criminal culpability.

After special prosecutors dropped the charges, Baldwin reportedly traveled to Montana to resume the filming of Rust. Production of the movie wrapped up in mid-May.

A respected firearms expert was brought in by prosecutors to determine whether the Italian-made Pietta pistol, a replica of a vintage 1873 model, was functional or faulty, which could have contributed to the deadly accident on set.

The firearms expert, Lucien C. Haag, recently completed his report.

Although Alec Baldwin repeatedly denies pulling the trigger, given the tests, findings and observations reported here, the trigger had to be pulled or depressed sufficiently to release the fully cocked or retracted hammer of the evidence revolver, Haag wrote in his Aug. 3 report submitted to Morrissey and Lewis and viewed by The Times.

Its unclear whether prosecutors will use the reports findings to bring new charges in the Oct. 21, 2021, shooting that killed Hutchins and injured the films director, Joel Souza, who has since recovered.

Morrissey has previously said prosecutors would make a determination about Baldwin by mid-August.
The body of Mekenna Reiley  who was born in Cumberland County and attended Cedar Cliff High School  was found by campers in Oregon after a months-long search.

The Lane County Sheriffs Office confirmed Tuesday that the body was identified as Reiley, who was living in Blue River, Oregon, when she went missing April 5, 2023.

Bevin Stepp shared in a Facebook post that her sisters body was found on Aug. 12 in the Blue River Reservoir by campers who were kayaking and that Lane County is now handling the investigation as a homicide not a missing person.

The Oregon State Medical Examiner said Reiley, 40, died due to drowning and listed no indications of foul play.

The Lane County Sheriffs Office is still investigating leads and clues leading up to Reileys disappearance.

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The Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) will hold a veterans resource fair and in-person benefits discussion called Lets Talk, Vet 2 Vet on Monday, Aug. 28, at Penn Colleges Professional Development Center, 1 College Ave., Williamsport.

The resource fair will kick things off from 1 to 3:30 p.m., followed by the panel discussion from 4 to 5:30 p.m. The event is a collaboration between DMVA, the Lycoming\Clinton Veterans Coalition and Penn College. This is the third such event that the DMVA has held across the commonwealth this year, a press release said.

A featured topic during the panel discussion will be on the new federal Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act. The Act expands VA health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances. The discussion will provide veterans and their advocates with a convenient platform to learn and ask questions about eligibility and applying for benefits related to the PACT Act.

Maj. Gen. Mark Schindler, Pennsylvanias adjutant general and head of the DMVA., said, Our expert panelists can answer questions about the PACT Act and any other benefits offered on the federal and state levels. We want to see those who served and currently serving take advantage of everything they earned while in uniform.

This free informational event is meant for former and current members of the U.S. Armed Forces, National Guard and Reserve components, and their family members, survivors, and caregivers. Attendees do not have to register for this in-person event.

Brig. Gen. (PA) Maureen Weigl, DMVA deputy adjutant general, Veterans Affairs, will provide opening remarks. Samantha Cossman, DMVA regional program outreach coordinator, will moderate.

Panelists for this event are:

Mark Askey, Harrisburg Vet Center veteran outreach program specialist,

Jeff Croak, Clinton County veterans service officer,

Chip Gilliland, DMVAs chief of the Division of Reintegration and Outreach,

Ann Kwiatkowski, Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center whole health program manager,

Mike McMunn, Lycoming County director of Veterans Affairs,

Albert Pritchard, Veterans Benefits Legal Administration specialist, and

Lydia Speciale, Pennsylvania National Guard family programs specialist

For more information and to listen to recordings of the previous discussion events, click here: Lets Talk Vet 2 Vet Discussion Events.

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A Philadelphia woman was sentenced Monday to serve between 20 and 40 years in state prison after her pleading guilty to charges connected to plotting a murder.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Joyce Brown Rodriguez, 56, was accused of making a plan to kill Christopher Wilson in the parking lot of his workplace, according to prosecutors. Rodriguez and Wilson had dated for two years.

As part of her plea deal, Brown Rodriguez testified against her son, Khalill Brown, 34, who was on trial in July for the shooting death of Wilson in 2020. Brown was convicted of first-degree murder and faces a life sentence.
Want a say in the news? Email Claudia at todayinpa@pennlive.com to have your thoughts on the stories covered here or on PennLive heard during Listening to Listeners, an original Today in Pa. segment that occurs every other Friday.

You can listen to the latest episode of Today in Pa at this link, or on any of your favorite apps including Alexa, Apple, Spotify, and Stitcher. Episodes are available every weekday on PennLive. Feel free to subscribe, follow or rate Today in Pa. as you see fit!

Today in Pa. Daily Podcast | August 15, 2023

Shootings that occurred in Philadelphia over the weekend left six dead and others injured. U.S. Steel has rejected an unreasonable proposal. Rain starts off this week but wont finish it. Lastly, this power outage was a bit fishy.

Those are the stories we cover in the latest episode of Today in Pa., a daily weekday podcast from PennLive.com and hosted by Claudia Dimuro. Today in Pa. is dedicated to sharing the most important and interesting stories pertaining to Pennsylvania that lets you know, indeed, whats happening today in Pa.

Todays episode refers to the following articles:

If you enjoy Today in Pa., consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or on Amazon. Reviews help others find the show and, besides, wed like to know what you think about the program, too.

As sponsored by Renewal by Anderson of Central PA.
In a rare moment, the Charlottesville Planning Commission was met by a vigorous round of applause on the night of Aug. 8.

The typically poorly attended meeting saw an unusually high number, as some 30 people remained at CitySpace on the Downtown Mall well past 11 p.m.

Many of those that braved the six-hour proceeding did so to give a full-throated endorsement of a proposed mixed-use development with affordable housing units and thousands of square feet of commercial space at 501 Cherry Ave., the former site of Kims supermarket across from Tonsler Park.

We are coming to you today with a development that is 100% affordable housing, including many units of the deeply affordable housing that our community has been begging for, Sarah Malpass, vice president of the Fifeville Neighborhood Association, told commission from the podium.

Were a neighborhood built by Black people, and the people who built this neighborhood and the new generations who continue to build it today, deserve to set a Northstar for what our community should be, Malpass said.

By the end of the night, the commission had voted to recommended that City Council approve a rezoning and special use permit for a development that has been years in the making.

The decision was welcomed by a crowd that had waited hours for the vote. Cheers and applause erupted from the room before many people filed out, excited about the possibility of what could come.

Thank you. We normally dont get applause. Its a nice change, commission Chairman Lyle Solla-Yates told the audience to laughter.

That is not normal, Solla-Yates later told The Daily Progress of the applause. Normally, a lot of angst and a lot of resentment and frustration would be more typical emotions at planning commission meeting.

That was true of the dozens who turned up at the same meeting that night to voice their opposition to the expansion of the Dairy Central mixed-use development, a Stony Point Development Group project.

But the response to the Cherry Avenue project is different. Perhaps because the proposal for the Cherry Avenue project is different.

While neighbors often have fears and doubts when a developer proposes a new building, in this case many of those neighbors  after many discussions between them and developer Woodard Properties  feel like they were included in the conversation.

If all goes well, the proposed structure would include not just 60 to 70 housing units, but a new home for donation-based resale boutique Twice Is Nice, the Music Resource Center nonprofit after-school program and a grocery store that Fifeville residents have wanted since Kims Market closed four years ago.

The final product is to be a unique collaboration between a developer and a neighborhood that many feel could be a model for how housing can be built in the city going forward.

Much will still have to fall into place before that dream is realized, and City Council will not vote on the project for at least one more month.

But Council Member Michael Payne seemed very keen on the project. To him, the proposal is proof that high-density housing can be built in Charlottesville without upsetting the neighborhood in which its built.

You can resolve those tensions, but requires a real partnership with the city and community as well, he told The Daily Progress. Its not something thats going to magically happen on free market.

Malpass and others in the neighborhood association have been reaching out to community members to make sure their input is heard and valued, she said.

We want to hear your concerns, and we would like to partner with you and advocate on your behalf to get your concerns addressed in good faith, she told audience members.

Payne said that originally Woodard had plans to build a mixed-use development that would be taller and have no affordable units. But they met with community members early in the process, learned how important affordable housing was to the neighborhood and made changes to the plans accordingly.

Months and months of work led to what we got last night, Payne said on Wednesday.

But there is reason for caution.

For one thing, federal funding will have to be secured to subsidize the affordable housing. That is no guarantee. And if the city were to experience a budget crisis, it may not be able to afford the units.

The grocery store is the most tenuous portion of the proposal, Solla-Yates said. A grocer would need to be interested in taking the space.

Theres nobody that wants to do it to my knowledge, Solla-Yates said. The Woodard team says theyre talking to people and that there is some interest, but its a challenge.

Still, the commission approved the proposal because it feels theres no harm in allowing it.

If it all does come together, it could mark an important moment in the citys long struggle to build more affordable housing.

Its so much more different when you have a developer working with the neighborhood from the beginning as opposed to saying, This is the plan and were just letting you know, Payne said.
Two Lancaster police officers were justified when they shot and killed a 17-year-old intruder who was recorded on body cameras pointing a gun at them, according to the Lancaster County District Attorneys Office.

Darron Shaw pointed a ghost gun at the two officers, who yelled hands and then immediately fired, according to bodycam recordings played at a 1 p.m. news conference by Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams. Ghost guns are unserialized and untraceable firearms that can be bought online and assembled at home.
The railroad bridge reconstruction project in Port Royal will not be done in time for the 2023 Juniata County Fair.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said today that it will not be able to open the new bridge on Sept. 1 as planned. The fair starts Sept. 2 at the fairgrounds next to Port Royal Speedway.

The bridge over the Norfolk Southern Railroad on Route 74 has been closed since late March.

PennDOT acknowledges the inconvenience this causes the community, particularly with the Juniata County Fair approaching, and thanked everyone for their continued patience as it works with all the stakeholders to mitigate the impact of this delay, PennDOT said.

PennDOT said that Norfolk Southern has identified several safety concerns unique to working over a railroad and recommended additional precautionary measures. Those measures are contributing to the delay.

During fair week, Sept. 2-9, PennDOT said it will provide flaggers at the intersection of Routes 35 and 333 just like it did for events held at Port Royal Speedway this summer. It also will use flaggers at intersections along the detour route and use more message signs.

The detour uses Route 3002 (Old 22 Road/Main Street), Route 35, and Route 333 before returning to Route 75.

The contractor for the $4 million project is HRI of State College. The project includes partial remove of the existing structure, building a replacement, paving and drainage improvements.

READ MORE: Rolling stops planned on I-81 south tomorrow in Cumberland County for blasting.
Update: The Pa. Department of Labor and Industry has fined Shamokin and Friendship Fire Company $1,000 for their part in the teen getting hurt, according to an official.

Shamokin City Council on Monday suspended a father and son, both high-ranking first responders, after a junior firefighter suffered second-degree burns during a training exercise in early July.

Battalion Fire Chief Stephen Jeffery and Friendship Fire Co. Capt. Thomas Jeffery are suspended indefinitely, according to The (Shamokin) News-Item.

An injury report obtained by the News-Item said that 17-year-old James Wood, of Friendship Fire Co., suffered a steam burn to his left wrist while participating in a supervised training where members observed how the fire behaved in an enclosed CONEX box, which is a metal reusable shipping container.

Milbrand, the public safety director and also a councilman, said he learned about the incident from Shamokin Fire Chief Ken Pilkus on July 2, the day of the training exercise at the Selinsgrove Fire Department, and received a copy from Pilkus on July 16 of an injury report issued by Stephen Jeffery to the Shamokin Fire Bureau.

Jeffery, who attended the training with his son and several other members of Friendship Fire Co., said in his report that Wood was wearing full firefighting equipment.

Milbrand responded to the report by putting together a group to investigate the incident, which found that the junior firefighter suffered second-degree burns to both wrists and that his gloves didnt fit properly. Milbrand also said that the fire started at the training wasnt small but rather an extremely hot fire, according to the story, and that the training met none of the criteria under Pennsylvania State Act 155 other than James being 17 years old.

That prompted Milbrand to tell the News-Item on July 18 that disciplinary action might be taken.

Milbrand, Councilwoman Barbara Moyer, Councilwoman Doreen Annis and Mayor Rick Ulrich voted to approve the suspensions.

Councilwoman Tonya Leschinskie voted no, drawing the ire of William Wood, who said his son could have been killed during the session.

Both hands got burned  thankfully, thats all he had, Wood said while offering to show Leschinskie the photos of his childs burns, according to The News-Item story. This is not going to be the end of it.

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Ring video shows Pa. house explosion that killed 5

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HARRISBURG  Researchers in heavily drilled Pennsylvania were preparing Tuesday to release findings from taxpayer-financed studies on possible links between the natural gas industry and pediatric cancer, asthma and poor birth outcomes.

The four-year, $2.5 million project is wrapping up after the states former governor, Democrat Tom Wolf, in 2019 agreed to commission it under pressure from the families of pediatric cancer patients who live amid the nations most prolific natural gas reservoir in western Pennsylvania.

A number of states have strengthened their laws around fracking and waste disposal over the past decade. However, researchers have repeatedly said that regulatory shortcomings leave an incomplete picture of the amount of toxic substances the industry emits into the air, injects into the ground or produces as waste.

The Pennsylvania-funded study involves University of Pittsburgh researchers and comes on the heels of other major studies that are finding higher rates of cancer, asthma, low birth weights and other afflictions among people who live near drilling fields around the country.

Tuesday evenings public meeting to discuss the findings will be hosted by University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health and the state Department of Health, on the campus of state-owned Pennsylvania Western University.

Edward Ketyer, a retired pediatrician who is president of the Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania and who sat on an advisory board for the study, said he expects that the studies will be consistent with previous research showing that the closer you live to fracking activity, the increased risk you have a being sick with a variety of illnesses.

Weve got enough evidence that associates, that links, that correlates fracking activity to poor health  and the biggest question is why is anybody surprised about that? Ketyer said.

The gas industry has maintained that fracking is safe and industry groups in Pennsylvania supported Wolfs initiative to get to the bottom of the pediatric cancer cases.

The studys findings are emerging under new Gov. Josh Shapiro, also a Democrat, whose administration has yet to publish or otherwise release the researchers reports since taking office earlier this year.

The advent of high-volume hydraulic fracturing combined with horizontal drilling miles deep in the ground over the past two decades transformed the United States into a worldwide oil and gas superpower.

But it also brought a torrent of complaints about water and air pollution, and diseases and ailments, as it encroached on exurbs and suburbs in states like Texas, Colorado and Pennsylvania.

One of the most enduring images of gas drilling pollution was residents in a northern Pennsylvania community lighting their tap water on fire. A state grand jury investigation later found that a company had failed to fix its faulty gas wells, which leaked flammable methane into residential water supplies in surrounding communities.

The Pennsylvania-funded study comes on the heels of other major studies, such as one published last year by Harvard University researchers who said they found evidence of higher death rates in more than 15 million Medicare beneficiaries who lived downwind of oil and gas wells in major exploration regions around the U.S.

Yale University researchers last year said they found that children in Pennsylvania living near an oil or gas wellsite had up to two to three times the odds of developing acute lymphocytic leukemia, a common type of cancer in children.

Establishing the cause of health problems is challenging, however. It can be difficult or impossible for researchers to determine exactly how much exposure people had to pollutants in air or water, and scientists often cannot rule out other contributing factors.

Because of that, environmental health researchers try to gather enough data to gauge risk and draw conclusions.

FILE - Workers move a section of well casing into place at a Chesapeake Energy natural gas well site near Burlington, Pa., in Bradford County, on April 23, 2010. A team of that has spent four years studying the health effects of natural gas fracking in southwestern Pennsylvania is set to present its findings Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Ralph Wilson, File)AP

The idea is were collecting evidence in some kind of a systematic way and were looking at that evidence and judging whether causation is a reasonable interpretation to make, said David Ozonoff, a retired environmental health professor who chaired the Department of Environmental Health at Boston University.

Another key piece of evidence is to identify an activity that exposes people to a chemical as part of assembling evidence that fits together in narrative, Ozonoff said.

Follow Marc Levy on Twitter: http://twitter.com/timelywriter

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Pa. house explosion victims included 2 borough officials

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A Republican congressional candidate in eastern Pennsylvania said Tuesday that U.S. Rep. Scott Perry did not encourage him to target a GOP colleague in next years primary.

Punchbowl News, a Washington, D.C.-based political website, published a story that said Mark Houck told it that Perry, the chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, encouraged him to launch a primary challenge to Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a moderate Republican.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis threw some light on Pennsylvania - along with several other political swing states - in her 98-page indictment of former President Donald J. Trump over his efforts to void the 2020 presidential election and cling to power.

That was done, legal experts say, in the interest of helping build a racketeering, or corrupt organization, charge against Trump and 18 co-conspirators by showing that their efforts in Georgia, where she has prosecutorial authority, were part of a larger criminal effort.
By Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News (TNS)

Former President Donald Trump Tuesday blasted Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis as corrupt and vowed to release an irrefutable report countering his sprawling Georgia election interference indictment.

Minutes after Willis unveiled the indictment, Trump trashed the Atlanta prosecutor as out of control and very corrupt.

He later promised to hold a press conference Monday to present a comprehensive response to the indictment of himself and 18 co-defendants on sweeping racketeering charges.

All charges should be dropped against me & others, Trump wrote on his social media platform. There will be a complete EXONERATION!

Trump and the co-defendants were given until Friday, Aug. 25, to surrender to authorities in Atlanta.

The former president is accused of leading a wide-ranging plot to steal the 2020 election and stay in power, starting with a brazen effort to overturn his loss in the battleground state of Georgia.

He now faces four criminal indictments, including 91 counts in two states and two separate federal charges.

Former President Donald Trump arrives to board his plane at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023, in Arlington, Va., after facing a judge on federal conspiracy charges that allege he conspired to subvert the 2020 election. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, file)AP

Despite the charges, Trump remains the dominant front-runner in the Republican presidential race, with most polls showing him at about 50% support.

There was no immediate word on whether Trump will face a separate arraignment or will appear together with all or most of his 18 allies who were also indicted on various aspects of the alleged scheme.

Among the other defendants are big-name Trump allies including Rudy Giuliani, ex-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and right-wing law professor John Eastman.

The case was assigned by random drawing to Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, who was appointed to the bench by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp earlier this year.

The so-called RICO charge that all the defendants face carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years behind bars upon conviction. Neither the U.S. president nor Georgia governor has the authority to pardon those convicted of crimes in the state, raising the potential stakes for Trump and all the other co-defendants.

Some legal analysts believe that could make it more likely that Trumps cronies will turn on him and agree to cooperate with prosecutors in exchange for lenient treatment.
Still in sticker shock over Taylor Swift concert ticket prices? Good news for Springsteen fans! Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are heading to Philly tomorrow and tickets are still available and are surprisingly affordable.

The Boss will be performing August 16 and 18 at Citizens Bank Park for the second leg of his North American tour, and ticket prices are around $100. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will also play at Pittsburgh PPG Paints Arena on September 12 and 14.

Tickets for Springsteens earlier 2023 concert were more expensive - up to thousands of dollars, but this leg of his tour is in stadiums with more seats available making the tickets more reasonably priced. In fact, some tickets are under $100 on the secondary market.

How to buy Bruce Springsteen tickets for Pennsylvania shows

Available tickets for August 16 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia

Available tickets for August 18 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia

Check out Bruce Springsteens tour schedule below:

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Aug. 16)

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Aug. 18)

Foxborough, Massachusetts (Aug. 24)

East Rutherford, New Jersey (Aug. 30)

East Rutherford, New Jersey (Sept. 1)

East Rutherford, New Jersey (Sept. 3)

Syracuse, New York (Sept. 7)

Baltimore, Maryland (Sept. 9)

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Sept. 12)

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Sept. 14)

Phoenix, Arizona (Nov. 30)

Inglewood, California (Dec. 4)

Inglewood, California (Dec. 6)

San Francisco, California (Dec. 8)

San Francisco, California (Dec. 10)

Ashley Dill covers the online shopping industry, writing about commerce. She can be reached at adill@pennlive.com.
Nova Scotia's provincial flag flies on a flagpole in Ottawa, Friday July 3, 2020. The Nova Scotia government is offering up to $1,000 to businesses that promote the Gaelic language and culture. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Mario Dion waits to appear before the Commons estimates committee on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Tuesday December 13, 2011. It's been six months since the federal government has had a permanent ethics commissioner, making it the only jurisdiction in Canada operating without a conflict-of-interest watchdog who can conduct investigations. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Press Release

August 15, 2023 PRIVILEGE SPEECH SENATOR JINGGOY EJERCITO ESTRADA

15 August 2023

SECOND REGULAR SESSION, 19TH CONGRESS

Senate of the Philippines "The Worthiness of BRP Sierra Madre" Mister President, distinguished members, and colleagues of this august chamber: I rise today on a matter of personal and collective privilege. Recent revelations have come to light regarding allegations that a past administration broke a promise made in 1999 to remove the stranded BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal. These allegations put forth by Mr. Rigoberto Tiglao have raised concerns about the integrity of our nation's sovereign rights and our commitment to safeguarding our territorial integrity. Such claims that a former President had promised to remove a vessel that symbolizes our presence and assertion of our rights in the West Philippine Sea is a matter that deserves thorough scrutiny and rigorous analysis. This plot twist in the continuing saga on our country's territorial claims over at West Philippine Sea came two weeks after we adopted Resolution No. 79 strongly condemning China's continuing harassment and its persistent incursions in the West Philippine Sea. But before I address Mr. Tiglao's allegations against my father, former President Joseph Estrada, I believe it is a good opportunity to discuss how our country is asserting its sovereignty and claim its territory. The quest to claim portions of Spratlys as part of Philippine territory can be traced back to the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.'s time in office. He recognized the islands' strategic and economic significance considering that some of these islands have lucrative potential oil and gas deposits. During the 1970s to 1980s, the Marcos government gained control of the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) when we took over Lawak, Pag-asa, Parola, Likas and Kota. And later on Panatag, Panata and Rizal. Those "audacious undertaking" were continued by the Estrada administration. The "grounding tactic," which has significant symbolic and strategic value for the Philippines' territorial claims and sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea, was carried out under my father's leadership. The Estrada maneuvering and the fall of Camp Abubakar, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front's second-largest camp - the culmination of the Estrada administration's all-out war against the MILF - are proof of my father's strong resolve to assure internal and external security. Now, under President Bongbong Marcos Jr., is continuing what his father started, fortifying our stand in defending and protecting the territorial integrity of the Republic. Kaya naman ang sinasabing pangako na tanggalin ang BRP Sierra Madre sa Ayungin ay isang kasinungalingan. Pinaghirapang planuhin nila dating Defense Secretary Orly Mercado at ng Armed Forces of the Philippines ang mga strategy para labanan ang sinasabi nilang "creeping invasion" ng Tsina. Basta na lamang ba natin bibitawan ang pag okupa ng BRP Sierra Madre sa Ayungin? As I have said, it defies logic, Mr. President. At ngayon ay binabaligtad pa tayo at pinapalabas ng Tsina, base sa mga binitawang salita ni Chinese Embassy deputy chief of mission Zhou Zhiyong may basehan ang ginawa nilang agresibong aksyon na pag water cannon sa Philippine Coast Guard na naghahatid lamang ng rasyong pagkain sa mga kababayan nating nakatalaga sa BRP Sierra Madre. Sa akusasyong nagdadala ang PCG ng construction materials, may masama po ba dito? Bakit tayo pagbabawalang makatapak o gumawa ng mga aksyon sa sarili nating teritoryo? In fact, in our submissions to the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), we reported sightings of Chinese government vessels as well as unidentified aircraft in the vicinity of the Ayungin Shoal as evidence of their aggressive actions within our territory. The Arbitral Tribunal in its 2016 ruling declared the Mischief Reef, which is in the Spratly Islands, and the Ayungin Shoal are within the EEZ and continental shelf of the Philippines. The PCA, in its ruling, said China has failed to exhibit due regard for the Philippines' sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone. The decrepit, 80-year-old landing ship tank (LST), a commissioned ship of the Navy, no matter how rotten-looking and unseaworthy, is an extension of the territory of our country. BRP Sierra Madre serves as a symbol of our determination to defend the Philippines' sovereign rights against challenges from other claimants and a reminder of the sacrifices made by the Philippine Navy and military personnel stationed in Ayungin to protect the country's interests. Maaari nating sabihing ang BRP Sierra Madre ay isang pambansang sagisag ng matapang na pantindig at hindi pagyuko ng Pilipinas sa kabila ng pananakot at pang-aapi. Sa kabila ng kalumaan, kawalan ng maayos na suporta, at pagdaan ng maraming delubyo, nananatili itong nakatayo at matatag. For 24 years now, we have not heard of any effort to undertake other measures in continuing and fortifying our country's stronghold in the West Philippine Sea. We have been kept by our neighbor China in various forms of bullying, harassment while they continue to build structures in these disputed areas. Mr. President, let me just ponder more on the assertions of Mr. Tiglao in his several published articles. Mr. Tiglao based his claims on the 2022 book of Gregory Poling, an analyst specializing in Southeast Asian political and security issues, offered no other information. How can we consider a passage in a book that claims former President Estrada vowed to remove BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal at the request of the Chinese government, as unquestionable truth? It was made verbally, allegedly, to who? Can you name names, Mr. Tiglao? Even the confidential memorandum of former Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario addressed to the late Pres. Benigno Aquino III, which Mr. Tiglao mentioned in his piece, was ambiguous as it merely stated that the "Chinese side claimed that Philippine authorities promised China that they would immediately remove the stranded vessel." I am quite certain that my father made no such agreement even verbally to anyone, to any Chinese official during his incumbency. And I can back up my claims as I have earlier said that former Sen. Orly Mercado along with Navy officials, came up with the idea of running aground some of the World War II-era LST or landing ship, tank Sierra Madre to stake Philippine claim and establish a presence in the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) during a command conference of the Armed Forces. Unlike Mr. Tiglao, I could easily and did verify this information from Sen. Mercado himself and he attested that there was no such promise made to China. And if indeed there was such an arrangement, how come there was relative "peace" in the West Philippine Sea during the Arroyo administration that spanned nine years? The Arroyo administration was conspicuously "silent" in asserting our sovereign rights over issues concerning the West Philippine Sea. They could have kept up the momentum gained by the Estrada administration in pursuing a comprehensive strategy or plan of action to reinforce our country's territorial claims. One thing certain was that under the presidency of Mrs. Arroyo, several bilateral talks were held in Shanghai that resulted in the signing of agreements related to tourism and the opening of the country to Chinese investments.[1] As we deliberate on this matter, let us reaffirm the principles that guide our actions as custodians of our nation's interests. Ayungin Shoal is not just a piece of land; it symbolizes our assertions of sovereignty and our dedication to upholding international law, specifically the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Mr. President, distinguished colleagues, the BRP Sierra Madre's presence at the shoal stands as a testament to our unwavering commitment to defending our rightful claims and securing our territorial integrity. As a sovereign nation, we hold dear the principles that our forefathers and heroes fought hard to secure. Any suggestion that goes against this commitment, regardless of whether it happened in the past or present, challenges those principles. We cannot allow mere allegations without substantial evidence to cast aside the efforts and sacrifices made to ensure our current freedoms. Especially not from someone who had been called out not once, but twice by media organizations by making up stuff, with absolutely no evidence to support his attacks. Mr. Tiglao was previously accused by Rappler in 2017 of spreading fake news when he alleged that the online news outlet's supposed funder played a role in the ousting of the Ukrainian president in 2014.[2] In 2022, he repeated his actions by accusing Vera Files, an independent media organization, of being funded by US bankrollers and supporting then Vice President Leni Robredo's presidential campaign.[3] Hindi ko lubos maisip kung bakit kailangang magpakalat ng ganitong kasinungalingan kung kailan paulit-ulit ang pambu-bully sa atin ng bansang itinuturing nating kaibigan. Maliban na lamang kung isa syang Makapili, traydor ng bayan. Ang katagang binitawan ng batikang aktor na si John Arcilla sa kanyang pagganap sa pelikula bilang si Heneral Luna ay tila nababagay kay Mr. Tiglao: ang sabi nya "May mas malaki tayong kalaban...ang ating sarili." Ginoong Pangulo, sa panahong sinusubok ang ating katatagan at pagkakaisa, gamitin nating inspirasyon ang BRP Sierra Madre na patuloy na naglalayag para ipaglaban ang ating kasarinlan. While we may have differing opinions, one thing is undeniable: on July 16, 2016, we successfully fought for our rights and emerged victorious. Thank you, Mr. President. ______________________ [1] https://ncpag.upd.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/2021-Pacho-and-Tabbada-_26Oct22.pdf [2] https://www.rappler.com/voices/185763-rigoberto-tiglao-conspiracy-theories/ [3] https://verafiles.org/articles/omnipresent-lies-rigoberto-tiglao
A Saturday bomb threat from an overseas call led to the evacuation of the Verona Community Center and adjacent businesses.

And after an extensive search of the property at 465 Lee Highway, nothing suspicious was located, according to the Augusta County Sheriff's Office.

"The original call was transferred from the Loudon County Emergency Communications Center," the sheriff's office said in a statement released Monday. "The male callers voice was distorted and he was unable to answer questions regarding the area and location of the bomb."

The caller said the bomb was located in a book bag near the back of the community center sanctuary, authorities said.

Deputies responded at about 5:25 p.m. and the area was evacuated, the sheriff's office said. The Virginia State Police and Rockbridge County Sheriffs Office used bomb detection K-9s to the scene.

But no book bag or bomb were found at the community center or nearby businesses.

The large law enforcement presence was to evacuate and search the area as quickly and efficiently as possible, Augusta County Sheriff Donald L. Smith said in a statement.

Smith said the threat was similar to one to that happened in June 2022 at the Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences in Fishersville. That threat also originated from an overseas call.
A proposed class-action lawsuit has been launched over Toronto police's historic use of "carding" and alleges the practice of randomly stopping people and collecting their information continues to harm marginalized communities. The lawsuit is led by plaintiff Ayaan Farah, shown outside court in Toronto on Jan.11, 2016.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Colin Perkel
A Dundas Street West sign is pictured in Toronto, Wednesday, June 10, 2020. For some people, renaming Toronto's Dundas Street is a necessary step to confront the history of a city built in part by individuals connected to the British Empire's transatlantic slave trade. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Giordano Ciampini
The slow pace of negotiations for a revised state budget is becoming a concern on both sides of a political stalemate that has left Virginia without an updated spending plan for only the second time in 50 years.

House Appropriations Chairman Barry Knight, R-Virginia Beach, promised to respond by Wednesday to a proposal that the Senate delivered late last week, but he wants House and Senate negotiators to come to the table in person to reach a compromise before a scheduled meeting with Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Aug. 23 on revenues available for the next two-year budget that a newly elected General Assembly will consider next year.

The budget adopted a year ago remains in place, but most new spending that Youngkin and the General Assembly proposed remains frozen because of the impasse.

Im ready to go, Knight said Monday.

Senate budget leaders delivered a proposal to the House on Thursday, three weeks after receiving one from Knight. The counteroffer proposes a combination of one-time tax rebates and ongoing cuts, including an increase in deductions on business income, but no change to individual income tax brackets or the age limit on exemption of military retirement income from state taxation, according to Sen. Emmett Hanger, R-Augusta, one of nine budget negotiators (three of them Republicans) for the Senate.

It also includes a smaller increase in the standard deduction for income tax filers than Youngkin and House Republicans sought and a proposed one-time tax rebate that Hanger said is in the same ballpark as the one Knight proposed on July 20  $175 for individual taxpayers and $350 for couples filing jointly.

The moderate Shenandoah Valley Republican, who will retire next year because of political redistricting, says he shares Democratic concerns about the future cost of the $1 billion package of ongoing tax cuts Youngkin is seeking, but he also agrees with Knight that budget negotiators need to sit down together and push for resolution of a dispute that has stranded billions of dollars in proposed spending for crucial government services.

There hasnt been the urgency that needs to be there, said Hanger, who faulted both House and Senate budget leaders for their handling of negotiations.

Knight: Very close on the big issues

The Senate negotiators met on Aug. 7 to fashion a counteroffer that includes 19 pages of detailed proposals on spending as well as a slimmed-down package of mostly one-time tax cuts. but Knight did not receive it until three days later.

Were very, very close on the big issues, Knight said.

He is more concerned about differences between the Senate and House on new spending.

Were not working off the same sheet of music, Knight said.

Senate Finance Co-Chairs Janet Howell and George Barker, both Fairfax County Democrats, could not be reached for comment on Monday, but a spokesperson for Youngkin  who will have a chance to propose amendments to any budget agreement  said a deal is long overdue.

The governor agrees with all Virginians that its past time for the conferees to come together and deliver a budget agreement, said Macaulay Porter, the governors press secretary. We need to reach a resolution for the Commonwealth, Virginians deserve a budget.

Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, said he, too, is frustrated by the slow pace of negotiations, which he blamed in part on an unprecedented turnover in Senate leadership, especially on the Finance & Appropriations Committee that helps shape the budget. Neither Senate budget leader will return next year, Howell because of retirement and Barker because of a Democratic primary defeat in June that also delayed budget negotiations.

There are too many things at risk, said Deeds, who survived a Democratic party challenge for reelection this year. There are too many people who are not going to be involved next year, and they dont have the urgency.

Saslaw: Ultimately, we will get it figured out

Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw, D-Fairfax, who also will retire next year after 48 years in the legislature, said part of the problem is simply logistical, with key legislators off on pre-paid summer vacations or attending conferences, such as the National Conference of State Legislatures, meeting this week in Indianapolis.

If we settle this thing in the first week or two of September, that would probably work, said Saslaw, who noted that a budget is already in place. Ultimately, we will get it figured out. Its not the end of Western civilization.

But the lack of a revised budget has already had an effect. Leaders on both sides of the assembly acknowledged they dropped the ball in passing legislation to ensure a sales tax holiday before students return to school, which Knight promises to remedy in the budget. Without state funding for a reinsurance program to cover the costs of the most expensive patients, insurance companies are poised to raise rates for everyone.

We have to get the budget done, Deeds said. Theres just too much at risk.

Getting a deal will not be any easier with elections looming for all 140 seats and political control of the assembly, warned Bob Holsworth, a veteran political scientist in Richmond.

The challenge is that every day that goes by, it becomes closer to the election and that becomes more of an influence on what theyre doing, he said.

Youre going to have some concerns from constituent groups about the fact that the state just left billions of dollars a year on the table that could go to their services, Holsworth said. When the political system doesnt work, youre never sure how the blame is going to be apportioned.
Aces Over Kings Gives Viorel Gavrila the 888poker LIVE Bucharest Main Event Title

August 15, 2023 David Salituro Live Reporter

It was a moment that usually only happens in dreams. Viorel Gavrila was heads-up for a title at the final table of the 888 888poker LIVE Bucharest Main Event and looked down at two black aces as his opponent, Admir Qinami, moved all in. That magical scenario made Gavrila a champion and kept the 888poker LIVE trophy at home in his native Romania.

Gavrila prevailed over a field of 191 total entries to win the coveted trophy and collect 30,000, the largest tournament cash of his poker career, after beating Qinami with pokers ultimate cooler, aces over kings.

Gavrila has a live tournament resume that dates back to 2015 and more than $200,000 in earnings but had never won a major tournament like this one. He won an event here in the Poker Room Bucharest for 19,238 last month and also finished third in a high roller at the 2019 888poker LIVE Bucharest festival. The top prize from this event will push his career earnings past $250,000.

Qinami was denied the victory in a cruel fashion, but he wrote quite a story for himself over the last five days nonetheless. The Albania native had no live tournament cashes before this event. He earned his way to Bucharest through a freeroll on 888poker and turned that into 19,500. Though the ending may have been bittersweet, he still proved the axiom that anyone can win in this game on any given day.

Final Table results

Place Player Country Prize 1 Viorel Gavrila Romania 30,000 2 Admir Qinami Albania 19,500 3 Marius Gicovanu Romania 14,500 4 Andrii Zaika Ukraine 11,500 5 Razvan Belea Romania 9,200 6 Gheorghe Velcea Romania 6,900 7 Konstantinos Vatseris Greece 5,300 8 Maksims Gorbacs Latvia 4,000 9 Alexandru Marcu Romania 3,500

Final Table action

The final table began shortly past 3 p.m. local time as action went quickly. After doubling up early, Alexandru Marcu got his chips in again with jack-nine but couldnt beat Gavrilas ace-ten, sending the Day 1b chip leader out in ninth place. Maksims Gorbacs, coming off a deep run in the WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas last month, was eliminated in eighth place when he shoved with ten-nine and Marius Gicovanu called with a dominating queen-ten.

Gavrila, who began the final table in second chip position behind Qinami, rivered the nut flush and got paid by Andrii Zaika, then spiked an ace on the turn to crack Konstantinos Vatseris queens to bust him in seventh place. Gavrila then woke up with kings in the big blind after Gheorghe Velcea moved all in from the small blind with ace-queen, flopping top set to leave Velcea drawing dead by the turn and heading off to collect his sixth-place payout.

Razvan Belea, who became a poker hero in his native country when he became the first Romanian to capture an EPT title in Paris in February, moved all in for 605,000 with king-jack but ran into Qinamis jacks. Belea couldnt improve and the 2021 champion of this event had to settle for fifth place this time.

Qinami still led at the start of four-handed play, but Gavrila began to catch up when he called a blind-versus-blind shove for 810,000 from Zaika with king-jack and spiked a jack on the flop to beat ace-eight, eliminating the Ukranian in fourth place.

But for all the hands that Gavrila won at the final table, it was the hands he made incredible laydowns that helped him to the victory. He first folded queens on the river early at the final table when Gicovanu bet 750,000 with trip sixes. He later rivered a full house, kings over aces, but Qinami had aces over kings and Gavrila was able to get away from the cooler.

After a lengthy three-handed battle that lasted more than an hour, Gicovanu four-bet shoved for 2,340,000 with nines but Gavrila snapped him off with jacks. Gavrila led Qinami 10,070,000 to 6,740,000 at the start of heads-up and had a chance to end the tournament early on.

Admir Qinami

Qinami shoved the turn for 4,600,000 with a flush draw and overcards as Gavrila, with two pair, used up all his time bank cards before deciding to fold. Gavrila reopened a sizeable lead when he flopped two pair. Qinami had a pair and flush draw but missed the river and had to fold to a bet of 3,200,000.

Then came the final hand that had the entire poker room buzzing. Gavrila opened on the button to 250,000 before Qinami three-bet to 725,000. Gavrila made it 1,500,000 and Qinami moved in his last 6,135,000. Gavrila instantly shot out of his seat and called as Qinami stood helplessly by the table watching the board seal his fate.

Gavrila got to accept the trophy and pose for the winners photo beside the best hand in poker, two aces. Qinami might have been writing a script worthy of a movie, but it was Gavrila who had the Hollywood ending here in Bucharest.

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Sharelines Gavrila prevailed over a field of 191 total entries to win the coveted trophy and collect 30,000
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Do you know how it feels to have the President Of The United States target you? Ruby Freeman asked. Its a question that demands accountability in this land of the free.

It was Lady Ruby who crystalized for the public how Donald Trump used the power of the presidency to endanger patriotic citizens in his greedy desperation to hold on to an election he had lost.

Ruby Freeman is a grandmother and the mother of 1/6 committee witness Ms. Wandrea ArShaye Shaye Moss, herself a former Georgia election worker. They were both election workers, and both were falsely defamed by Donald Trump, accused without evidence of rigging the November 2020 election for Joe Biden with suitcases of ballots.

They were featured in a video that Rudy Giuliani called a smoking gun for voting fraud.

Lady Rubys testimony was played during Tuesdays hearing. She was asked about fleeing her home, which she said the FBI warned her to do in advance of January 6th, due to threats.

Lady Ruby perfectly sums up Trumps abuse of power,  Do you know how it feels to have the President Of The United States target you? The President Of The United States is supposed to represent every American, not to target one. pic.twitter.com/cvmovBj87B  Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) June 21, 2022

Lady Ruby lost so much due to Trump and his mafias Big Lie. She even lost her name.

Lady Ruby, I have lost my name, and I have lost my reputation. I have lost my sense of security , all because number 45 and his ally Rudy Giuliani decided to scapegoat me and my daughter Shaye, to push their own lies about how the presidential election was stolen. pic.twitter.com/nle0UA66Yi  Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) June 21, 2022

The election was the most secure election in our history.

The election was not stolen, and Donald Trump knew this as he pushed these dangerous lies. The committee established that previously.

Prior to this, Freeman called the police often to report threats (heres a recording of a 911 call) including calls for her hanging and urging Trump supporters to hunt her. Reuters reported in December that the threats had still not been investigated a year later, and no arrests were made.

a year after Donald Trump and his allies falsely accused Freeman  along with her daughter and co-worker Wandrea Shaye Moss  of election fraud, the threats have not been investigated by local police or state authorities, according to a Reuters review of Georgia law enforcement records. Federal agents have monitored some of the threats, but made no arrests.

Its very disturbing how quickly our government moved to protect Brett Kavanaugh, who already was guarded by U.S. Marshals, but did not even move to investigate the intimidation, harassment, and verified threats received by these two women who are just ordinary citizens doing the kind of election job most people had no interest in to prior to Trumps attempted coup.

The two women told Reuters about threats of lynching and racial slurs, along with alarming visits by strangers to the homes of Freeman and her mother. The threats began when the Trump campaign released surveillance video they falsely claimed showed the two women, who are Black, opening suitcases full of phony ballots to rig the vote count in predominantly Black Fulton County, which includes part of Atlanta.

Trump often uses Black people as scapegoats, knowing that his cult is already primed to see Black people as the Enemy and have been falsely told (by Trump and others) for years that Black people cheat at elections. This is the same behavior we saw by Trump thugs in Detroit at a predominantly Black voting location.

If you are not listening to the testimony of Ruby Freemon right now, you are missing the most chilling testimony about the state of our union on # January 6th.This must be what it felt like during the #Nuremberg trials. Any politician who promoted #TheBigLie should be in prison, U.S. House candidate from Texas Kathleen Brown tweeted.

Ruby Freeman loved her name. She was known by Lady Ruby for decades in her community. She cant use it anymore. Not for her business, not at restaurants. She cant hear her own name without panicking. This is the cost of misinformation. They stole Miss Rubys name, NBC reporter Brandy Zadrozny tweeted.

Weve heard throughout these hearings about Donald Trump and his lies targeting various people and their families with violence. It has been heartbreaking each time, from V.P Pence just feet away from a mob that wanted to lynch him to Brad Raffensbergers family dealing with horrific threats.

But there is something profoundly metamorphic about everyday citizens being targeted by these lies, people without power, people who had no means of protection, people just like any of us.

This is what fascism looks like in action. Its what it feels like to be under the thumb of a dictator. It happened in the United States of America and no one with the power to investigate it even cared.

Ruby Freeman is a grandmother, a patriotic citizen doing her bit and during a pandemic no less. Donald Trump targeted her and her daughter, based on a lie, and their lives were turned upside down. They are not safe. They are afraid.

Their story is the story of what it looks like when the President is an abusive, vile person who puts his own greedy needs to save face and steal power above the safety of the people he is supposed to care for. This is what it feels like to be a patriot under Donald Trump and his Republican enablers.
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President Trumps Michigan lawsuit about poll watchers not being given access has already disintegrated as the Detroit Free Press published video of a racist poll challenger who was removed by police for disruptive behavior.

ballot processing in TCF Center in Detroit, police removed two poll challengers, including one man wearing a horror-movie mask who shouted that the ballot processing was crooked, the On the first day of absenteeprocessing in TCF Center in Detroit, police removed two poll challengers, including one man wearing a horror-movie mask who shouted that theprocessing was crooked, the Free Press reported on November 2nd.

An election supervisor reported the man referred to slavery using using racist language as well. He was wearing a horror mask similar to the masks worn by the villains in the movies Halloween and Friday the 13th, which did not properly cover his mouth.

The man can be heard in the video mocking people who asked about the blood on his shirt, shouting in what has become typical Trump troll behavior, Wah, wah, wah!

He did not give his name but claimed he was a poll challenger and had the credentials to back that up.

Watch here:



Both Republican and Democratic poll challengers were allowed to watch the processing of the ballots.

And then along came a Karen by the name of Robin Bozenski, whom police asked to leave after causing a commotion at a ballot processing table and refusing to wear her mask properly. She was asked to cover her nose with the mask. She refused the request, said a Detroit election supervisor.

Additionally on Wednesday, the Detroit Free Press posted a live stream report of a man in a red hat trying to stop the count, which they say was the second time that happened on Wednesday.

Protesters banged on the windows and streamed into the TCF Center shouting, Stop the count!

The video shows a Republican woman claiming that Republicans were banging on the windows and being denied entrance, as someone tries to explain to her that Democrats were also denied entrance as they are at capacity.

Reuters captured video of folks being asked to leave due to the room being over capacity:

Emotions ran high in Detroit, Michigan, as poll watchers, mostly Republicans but also some Democrats, were asked to leave the counting room due to overcapacity https://t.co/MxyP4jRyeN pic.twitter.com/xgWZPLZAFE  Reuters (@Reuters) November 5, 2020

MSNBC identified the window bangers as pro-Trump protesters. They also reported a Facebook group that was previously all about protesting Covid-19 (surprise!) restrictions urging its members to be a presence at the ballot counting facility:

Stand Up Michigan to Unlock Michigan, a Lansing-based private Facebook group of 79,000 members who are passionate about advancing freedom, organized an event with calls to action that garnered nearly 2,000 interactions, such as likes and comments, according to the groups private Facebook page viewed by NBC News.

Donald Trumps campaign has sued Michigan demanding more access for poll watchers at locations where the ballots are being processed and counted. These videos show why some of Trumps people have been removed, but the process is being conducted fairly and transparently. The AP noted that in spite of Trumps claims, However, at one Michigan location in question The Associated Press observed poll watchers from both sides monitoring on Wednesday.

Being asked to follow the rules is not the same thing as being denied access. And no one should show up to such a serious event wearing a Halloween mask that doesnt cover their mouth, shout disruptions, and expect to remain.

The Detroit recount is being conducted as it should be, with every vote being counted. Anyone seeking to undermine that effort or stop it is not upholding the law of this land. No one has the right to disenfranchise other voters.
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A judge in Detroit, MI, has thrown out a lawsuit that would have disqualified tens of thousands of votes in the city.

Fox 2 reported:

A Detroit judge has dismissed a lawsuit that sought to prevent the citys absentee ballots from being counted in the 2022 midterm election, calling the lawsuit by Kristina Karamo a false flag of election law violations and corruption.

In a blistering opinion authored by Judge Timothy Kenny, the chief official said an attorney for Karamo, who is running for secretary of state in Michigan, failed to show any shred of evidence.

No exhibits, no testimony from any of the plaintiffs, no evidenceindicates the procedures for the November 9, 2022 election violate Michigan election laws, read an opinion on the lawsuit, which was filed two weeks ago.

Just in case you thought that Republicans might wait until after the election to try to throw out Democratic votes, the case in Detroit demonstrates that Republicans are attempting to disqualify Democratic voters before the polls.

In 2020, judges stepped up and stopped Republicans from stealing elections, and in 2022 a judge put a halt to Republican plans to disenfranchise tens of thousands of voters in a city that is 80% African-American.

Republicans know that they cant win if Detroit shows up to vote, so they are looking for ways to make sure that those votes never get counted.

Decades of Republican efforts to make the electorate smaller and whiter have failed, so the GOP is now trying to stop the votes that are cast from being counted.

In Michigan, one judge said no.
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Former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan left the Fulton County, GA courthouse and called Donald Trump the worst candidate in the history of the Republican Party.

Duncan said as he left the courthouse, I hope my testimony gets the facts as they are and helps to paint a real; and honest picture, but politically speaking, this is a pivot point for our country to do something more than stew on the 2020 election cycle, right? As Republicans, were either going to take our medicine and realize the election wasnt rigged, Donald Trump was the worst candidate ever, in the history of our party, even worse than Herschel Walker, and now we are going to have to pivot from there. We want to win an election in 2024, it is going to have to be somebody different than Donald Trump.

Video:

I just caught up with Duncan for a quick interview. As Republicans we need to take our medicine and realize the election wasnt rigged, Donald Trump was the worst candidate ever, in the history of our party  and now we are going to have to pivot from there. #gapol pic.twitter.com/FbEq587cZ6  Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) August 14, 2023

Theres the answer to why Trump was trying to tamper with Duncan and prevent him from testifying. The one thing that Donald Trump perhaps fears most in the world is witnesses that will truthfully testify about his behavior.

For months, Trump has been able to pretend that the criminal indictments have been helpful to his campaign. The media has played along with lots of Trump could win stories, but a shift appears to be occurring. Trump getting charged in Georgia, and with so many Republicans speaking out is bringing a sliver of reality to how Trumps indictments are being viewed.

Donald Trump is looking like damaged goods and the more out of control he gets, the harder it is getting to see the former president as a viable presidential candidate.
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House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) busted Chairman James Comers attempt at a Trump indictment distraction by releasing an FBI interview transcript.

Raskin said in a statement provided to PoliticusUSA:

After intentionally withholding it from the American public for four weeks, Chairman Comer has finally released the transcript of the Committees interview with a former FBI supervisory special agent who had been assigned to the Hunter Biden FBI investigation.

The Chairmans release, obviously timed to distract from news of an imminent potential fourth criminal indictment of Donald Trump, features the same selective and distorted parsing of information we have come to expect in service of the Republicans fruitless investigation into President Biden, which has failed to turn up a single shred of evidence of wrongdoing.

The testimony of the Committees star witnesses continues to boomerang against the Majority. Significantly, as todays transcript shows, the former FBI agent stated that he was aware of no political interference in the investigation. He acknowledged that disagreements between prosecutors and investigators are commonplace in this field. He explained that the FBI and prosecutors in this matter followed long-standing and commonsense policies regarding investigative steps.

Todays transcript once again confirms that David Weiss, a Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney, hand-picked by then-Attorney General William Barr, has for years been investigating the Presidents son without any political interference from the Administration, said Ranking Member Raskin.

The release of the transcript was part of a coordinated ploy to distract from Trumps upcoming Georgia indictment. Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) went on Fox Business to wave the Biden impeachment distraction flag by suggesting that House Republicans might skip performing an impeachment investigation and go straight to the final step of voting to impeach the President Of The United States.

Republicans are trying to counterprogram against Trumps Georgia indictment because it looks to be bad, Potentially, very bad for the Republican Party to have their frontrunner for the presidential nomination indicted on RICO charges.

Ranking Member Raskin has been asking Comer for weeks to release the full transcript, and by coincidence, Comer picked today to do it,

Only, it isnt a coincidence, and Raskin busted Comers attempt at a distraction.
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If Donald Trump is indicted in Georgia the statute that the judge must follow states that the defendant can only get bail if they arent a risk to intimidate witnesses or obstruct justice.

Andrew Weissmann explained on MSNBCs Deadline: White House:

Now we have seen the former president get bail in Manhattan, in Florida, and in D.C. We have also seen the former president continue to make statements that at least arguably are obstruction of justice or intimidating witnesses. Why is that important? Because in Georgia, the statute that may apply here depending on what is charged is one where the presumption is one that the defendant has the burden of rebutting. And in other words, it is on the defendant to show that he will not commit crimes and not a risk of flight and let me give you the exact words because this is the provision that the court has to find to release someone on bail in Georgia.

Which is that the defendant poses no risk of intimidating witnesses, or otherwise obstructing the administration of justice. Poses no risk of intimidating witnesses. To me, that is going to be for a judge who is going to treat Donald Trump or anyone else like any other defendant, that could be a problem. Because just today we saw a continuation of attacks on the D.C. federal judge and on Truth Social saying that Geoff Duncan, the former lieutenant governor, should not comply with the grand jury subpoena in Georgia. You cant tell a witness not to comply with a grand jury subpoena unless there is some legal ability to do that. But that is not what the former president did. So, it will be interesting to see how the judge deals with bail.

Video:

Given that Trump tried to intimidate a Georgia witness before breakfast on Monday morning, and Trumps public comments/social media feed is loaded with attempts to intimidate witnesses and obstruct justice, the judge may have to make a decision on bail. Given that Trump is pushing 80 years old and has no criminal convictions yet, seeing him remanded to jail seems like a long shot, but it would be interesting if he was fitted for an ankle bracelet and placed under house arrest until his trial.

Throwing Trump in jail would allow him to play the martyr, but sending him back to Mar-a-Lago with an ankle bracelet would be an appropriate way to keep him in line.

Trump is scared, and as events in Georgia unfold, it is easy to see why.
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Trump has reached the point where he is now blaming Biden, a federal official, for his indictment in a local case in Fulton County, Georgia.

The former president posted on Truth Social, I just hope Republicans, and the people of our now failing Nation, see what is happening to our Democracy and Freedom. A sitting President has INDICTED, in many different forms and locals, his political opponent, who is substantially leading him in the Polls. NOTHING LIKE THIS HAS EVER HAPPENED BEFORE. OUR COUNTRY CAN NEVER LET THIS STAND!

It is a good time to remind everyone that the President Of The United States has no authority to bring criminal indictments. The President cant indict anyone at the local, state, or federal level. Donald Trump tried to overturn an election at the local, state, and federal levels. He was very systematic about it. As his federal cases were rejected, Trump started pressuring state officials and then worked his way down as far as local campaign workers who he smeared with a baseless conspiracy theory.

The one common thread in all of the indictments is the alleged criminal activity of Donald Trump. The indictments arent some massive secret plot against Trump. They are the breadcrumbs left behind a post-2020 election crime wave. It is not a conspiracy. Its Trumps fingerprints all over the scene of the crime.
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Donald Trump Jr. is trying to rationalize his fathers Georgia indictment with an explanation that is total nonsense, as the Trump family cant handle justice coming for them.

Trump Jr. tweeted:

They're criminalizing the 1st Amendment. They're criminalizing routine legal work. They're bulldozing over due process rights. They're openly interfering in an election. These psychopaths would happily destroy everything that makes our nation great just to "get Trump."  Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) August 15, 2023

Lawyers plotting with a defeated president to seize the presidency through unlawful means is not routine legal work. It is a criminal conspiracy. There is a reason why none of the other people to ever occupy the Oval Office have been charged with the crimes that Trump is alleged to have committed. It doesnt happen. Trump refused to peacefully transfer power after he lost to Joe Biden.

The former president has no First Amendment right to order Georgia election officials to find him votes to overturn the lawful result that was a Joe Biden victory. Donald Trump was not engaging in First Amendment speech. He was asking public officials in Georgia to commit a crime.

Contrary to what Donald Trump Jr. thinks, rich people being able to commit crimes with no accountability is not what makes America great. American greatness is derived from the fact that not even someone who allegedly committed crimes from within the Oval Office is above the law.

Donald Trump Jr. is railing because his father is being held accountable.

If Donald Trump can be held accountable, so can Donald Trump Jr.
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After the Georgia indictment, its way past time to acknowledge the silent majority of voters in the United States, all 81,282,916 of them, who waited lawfully and peacefully for any sign of justice after the Trump alleged crime syndicate tried to steal their votes and destroy their country because they didnt like the outcome of the election.

These are the Biden voters. They dont get write ups from diners or long think pieces about how they are behaving horribly because of their anxiety. They deserve recognition for their patience, for their lawfulness, for their steadfastness in the face of grave injustice and wrongdoing against their sacred right to vote.

Biden voters in primarily Black cities were harassed, lied about, intimidated, and maligned publicly and consistently for years by the Trump alleged crime enterprise in an effort to steal an election. They did not respond in kind.

Biden voters watched as their own Representatives in some swing states actively worked to disenfranchise their votes. They did not respond with violence.

Biden voters watched as a mob descended upon the U.S. Capitol trying to seize an election from them. They did not respond in kind.

Biden voters watched as multiple Republican witnesses came forward to prove that Trump and his allegedly criminal enterprise tried to steal an election they knew they had lost and incited the armed mob at the Capitol. Still, they waited patiently for the law to do its job.

The 2020 election went 51.3% for Joe Biden and 46.9% for Donald Trump. There was never a path for Donald Trump to win that election. Nor were he and his allegedly criminal enterprise ever able to prove any of their claims about widespread election fraud. Trumps own handpicked Attorney General William Barr called his claims baseless at the time, saying the DOJ hadnt uncovered evidence of widespread voter fraud.

Still, the Biden voters watched as the Trump team continued trying to overturn the election, to seize an election it had lost, weaponizing the power of the presidency at every turn to undermine democracy and to steal the most sacred right to vote from citizens who often overcame great obstacles during a pandemic to cast their ballot.

Without any sign of justice, they mobilized and organized in the 2022 midterms to show up once again, showing a profound faith in a system that has historically not been their friend.

Until 1870, only white men were allowed to vote in the United States. Minorities and women fought very hard for the right to vote, including dying for it. Still, they remained peaceful as these criminal thugs tried to steal their votes.

First, the Fifteenth Amendment in 1870 gave voting rights to all men on paper, but in reality, many Black Americans were still denied the right to vote in a variety of ways including poll taxes, literacy tests and intimidation, which I can attest was still happening in Georgia in the 2008 election. Americans died for the right for Black people to vote in the 1960s. The poll tax was finally prohibited in federal elections, and then, after the prolonged courageous effort of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., John Lewis, Diane Nash, Ella Baker, and others, we finally got the federal protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. That wasnt even 60 years ago.

There is a racial sickness in this country that is as clear and ugly today as it was in the 1960s and as far back as when we kidnapped the first African American and enslaved them. How can it be missed that the Trump criminal enterprise targeted *these voters* and lied about them so much as to foment their mobs to descend on a Detroit vote counting facility chanting Stop the count!

One of the racists was wearing a horror mask as they intimidated election workers. An election supervisor reported the man referred to slavery using using racist language as well. He was wearing a horror mask similar to the masks worn by the villains in the movies Halloween and Friday the 13th, which did not properly cover his mouth.

In case its not clear yet, Republicans proceeded that attack by asking a judge to toss out tens of thousands of Detroit voters ballots, without a shred of evidence of cause.

Ive been writing about the racism in these attacks since they began. But many in the media seem to have just become aware of this fact, which is discouraging and again, shows a bias against the non-Trump voters stories mattering. I dont write that to condemn, but rather in hopes, as always, of drawing attention to the quiet patriots whose rights have been assaulted repeatedly and consistently.

For decades, women protested to be given the right to vote. Finally, on August 18, 1920, the 19th amendment was ratified and granted women the right to vote. The suffragettes were jailed and sometimes abused in their fight for this most precious right. And still, not all women had the right to vote. Decades of further work went into getting Black women and other minority women the right to vote.

And again, who are the people who were targeted the most by the Trump crime enterprise? Black voters. Black voters and Black women election workers in Georgia like Shaye Moss and Lady Ruby Freeman, whose testimony for the 1/6 Committee was a must watch, as she asked, Do you know how it feels to have the President Of The United States target you?

Donald Trump and his criminal enterprise targeted these voters and election workers knowingly with lies. Now criminally indicted in the Trump plot, Rudy Giulani finally admitted this in court in July.

[perfectpullquote align=full bordertop=false cite= link= color= class= size=]Did the Democratic voters storm the Capitol when Donald Trump barely squeaked out a win with the help of a hostile foreign power? No. They lawfully protested, they organized, they used their sacred right to vote to have their voices heard.[/perfectpullquote]

And still, they are ignored. Their stories are dismissed. Their rights being trampled on is almost expected and they are expected to just go along with this. They have been condemned by some media commentators for being angry, in fact, even as further rights were stolen from them.

Did they, in any organized, national campaign, try to keep others from voting? No. Did they go to election locations and try to intimidate people? No. Did they try to stop vote counting? No. Did they try to get white Republican men tossed off of voting rolls? No.

The media is obsessed with the Trump voter, partly it seems to me because the media is usually located in a liberal city and they are fascinated by what they dont understand and after decades of Republicans gaming the ref by accusing the media of ignoring everyday Americans  which no one ever questions as referencing Republicans only  they feel guilt about being elites and see the white working class men as Real Americans they should worship.

But there are many other Real Americans who also built this country, who spilled blood for this country, who serve this country, who heroically volunteer in our elections and teach our children, but these Americans are ignored. Its ironic that Ive been telling that story for years, from a majority Trump district, although I grew up in suburban and real Detroit, and worked to register voters in Georgia during Obamas first campaign for the presidency.

For years, weve heard that Trump shouldnt be prosecuted because it will help Trump get elected and or his supporters will become violent. This framing is so clueless its risible. When you hear a media commenter giving this weight, it means they dont understand the real world.

In the real world, non-Trump voters have been dealing with the threat of violence in their communities since his first campaign. Many of them are afraid to put up a sign that says Kindness matters, lest it give away their anti-Trump position, and tragically, some have been intimidated by Trump thugs into not casting their votes.

[perfectpullquote align=right bordertop=false cite= link= color= class= size=]In the real world, non-Trump voters have been dealing with the threat of violence in their communities since his first campaign. Many of them are afraid to put up a sign that says Kindness matters, lest it give away their anti-Trump position, and tragically, some have been intimidated by Trump thugs into not casting their votes.[/perfectpullquote]

But also, is this really the argument our media is willing to accept as a viable political position by one of two major political parties  that we should be terrorized into allowing Trump to get away with his attacks on the voting rights of a majority of Americans?  that the rights of a majority of Americans should be ignored because Donald Trump doesnt like to lose?

The Biden voters have been predominantly lawful, they have peacefully endured this specific attack by Trumps alleged criminal enterprise for years. They have not had their stories amplified. Instead, the focus is usually on the entitled supporters of the wealthy, white man who lost an election and tried to destroy the United States because of it. Somehow there is almost an assumption that these folks had a right to try to steal the votes of the majority of Americans. Their right to be heard, their precious free speech, is a common subject of media debate.

We should instead be focusing on the precious right to vote and those who have followed the rules and doubled down to try harder when that wasnt good enough, and keep coming back as patriotic participants in this democracy that they clearly love and want to participate in. They are the fighters for justice and freedom. They deserve our praise, our thanks, and our recognition.

Biden voters waited two and a half years for any show of justice. Justice is simply asking the legal system to acknowledge that the attempt to steal their votes was illegal. Donald John Trump and his alleged criminal enterprise are innocent until proven guilty, but are now being held accountable in some measure for their attempts to disenfranchise 80 million plus voters.

Finally, this is what justice looks like.

Lets raise up the stories of the real heroes of the several years  the voters who have somehow managed, even when all faith in their country was gone and when it seemed like no one was going to even stand up for their basic rights, to hang in there waiting for the legal system to find a hero to do its job.

It is not a surprise that the hero is a Black woman from Georgia.

To the real Silent Majority, we see you. Your patriotism matters. Your faith and loyalty to a country that has not always given back what you deserve are commended. On behalf of our democracy, we thank you and we salute you.
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Rachel Maddow reminded viewers that Hillary Clinton was right in 2016 as she delivered a classic introduction of Clinton on MSNBC.

Maddow said, Throughout her 2016 campaign for president, Hillary Clinton warned Americans about this particular choice as the Republican presidential nominee about what specifically he planned to do to our democracy. He went on to win the election in 2016 and now here we are with a multiple indicted former president Trump and a democracy that frankly has not looked this fragile in will more than a century. All over the country, people are wondering what Hillary Clinton is thinking watching things unfold in Georgia. She is the former Democratic presidential nominee and she has a new essay out in The Atlantic on the well-being of Americans and our democracy. It is called the weaponization of loneliness. Madam Secretary, fancy meeting you here.

Video of Maddows intro:

Rachel #Maddow reminds everyone that Hillary Clinton was right about Trump and democracy as she introduces Clinton who responds, "Yet another set of indictments." pic.twitter.com/cs2ADTluxQ  Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) August 15, 2023

Clinton went on to express no joy over Trumps latest indictment, but she pointed out that the justice system is working:

Hillary Clinton with the karma on Rachel #Maddow "defraud the U.S. And citizens of our nation. He used tactics of harassment, intimidation, made threats. He and his allies went after state officials, local officials responsible for conducting elections." pic.twitter.com/uqm5rkGEiL  Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) August 15, 2023

The threat to democracy and so much that America has gone through as a nation could have been avoided if less than 100,000 people in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin had voted for Clinton instead of Trump. Hillary Clinton did try to warn the nation about what was coming, but after eight years of Obama making the presidency look so easy that anyone could do it, too many Americans opted to test that theory out by voting for someone who definitely could not do the job.

The anti-democracy plague that Trump embodied and unleashed might have been avoided if Hillary Clinton had won the Electoral College.

Clinton would have come with her own problems as president, but those problems would not have involved the attempted destruction of democracy.

It was poetic justice that as Trump was indicted for racketeering, Hillary Clinton was watching it all go down, as Rachel Maddow reminded the nation of what could have been.
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Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) does not have the power or ability to pardon Donald Trump if he is convicted of a crime in Georgia.

Greg Bluestein of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote:

If he wins next years election, Trump cant halt Willis investigation, and he cant rely on a pardon from Gov. Brian Kemp if hes convicted. That power rests in Georgias pardons board, whose secretive process spans years.

Nor can Trump count on Georgia as a bastion of reliable support. Though he leads in recent polls, Republican voters rejected Trumps picks for many of Georgias top offices, and in 2020 he was the first GOP nominee to lose the state in nearly three decades.

Trumps unpopularity in Georgia has been proven repeatedly. Trump lost the state in the presidential race in 2020. He lost control of the Senate for Republicans by costing them two runoff elections also in 2020, and there was the Trump-backed Herschel Walker disaster of 2022. This list doesnt include all of the state-level races where Trump-endorsed candidates lost as the former president tried to exact revenge on Republicans like Gov. Kemp by primarying them in 2022.

Because of the way that the pardon process works in Georgia, Trump could not count on political favors to secure himself a pardon if he is convicted, which is important because if the former president is found guilty of a RICO violation, he is facing mandatory jail time.

If Trump is convicted in Georgia of RICO, it is very likely that he ends up behind bars.
In order to enhance school safety, there will be additional school resource officers at three schools in Aiken.

Aiken City Council approved a $346,513 grant from South Carolina Department of Public Safety Office of Highway Safety and Justice Program to add a new school resource officer at Chukker Creek Elementary School and to continue funding for SRO positions at Minnie B. Kennedy Middle and Schofield Middle schools.

Monies from the grant will be used to fund school resource officer salaries, benefits and equipment, and was approved by city council during its Monday meeting.

An additional $172,015 for funding was awarded for Chukker Creek Elementary School as part of the city's 2023-24 budget. A portion of the grant, $174,498, was approved in the 2023-24 budget.

The amount is broken down into $93,025 for salaries, $7,500 for training, $1,200 for uniforms, $470 for specialized department supplies, $54,820 for vehicles, $9,500 for radios and $5,500 for computers.

Aiken Department of Public Safety now has three school resources officers that are state-funded, said Lt. Jeremy Hembree with the Aiken Department of Public Safety.

He said Aiken High and South Aiken High School have school resources officers, but those positions are funded through the Aiken County Public School District.

The grant that we got this year continues funding for previous middle schools and has allowed us to expand our program to the middle and elementary schools, he said.

Hembree said public safety asked for funding for school resources officers at Schofield Middle in 2019 and Kennedy Middle in 2021.

The school district has school resource officer in every middle and high school, with Chukker Creek becoming the first elementary school to have one.

Hembree said the department will pay the officers a salary and submit paperwork to the state for a reimbursement. He said the state pays 100 percent for the salaries for a year, as well as the vehicles, equipment, body armor and other items needed to do the job.

Its a cost saving for local agencies because we are able to add an officer to the program, but it is not to the city, Hembree said.

Hembree said grants are awarded on a yearly basis, so the department will have to keep applying in order to expand the school resource officer program to a school that doesnt have one.

He said the department starts reapplying for funding in the first quarter of each year and is notified in June of the same year whether they will get funding .

School resource officers

Hembree said there is an initiative from Gov. Henry McMaster in having a full-time school resource officer in every school in the state. Hembree said there is money through the general assembly to fund SRO programs for schools that dont currently have one.

We are taking advantage of that, he said.

In 2018, McMaster began working with the General Assembly to invest in school resource officers in every school in the state.

Since making the investment, 406 full-time and part-time school resource officers were placed in the schools by the end of the 2018-2019 school year.

The General Assembly approved a total of $27.3 million in additional funds for SROs in 2023-24 budget, with funding going to recruit, hire and equip 188 new SROs and annualize the costs of 19 SROs previously approved by the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.

Currently there are 1,170 SROs in the state.

The program is housed at DPS which allows the program to streamline administration of state funds to hire SROs for school districts that would lack the resources to hire their own.

Hembree said the school resource officer positions come from public safety officers at ADPS and the training is similar to regular law enforcement training. He said school resource officers have advanced training in emergency management and specifically related to school functions such as active shooter, juvenile law and procedure, and crisis law.

He said school resource officers are armed law enforcement officers.

The more schools that we can cover with our SRO program, its a safety aspect, but again it also allows us to build positive relationships between law enforcement and the community that we serve, Hembree said.

Aiken City Councilwoman Gail Diggs said a lot of issues with school children start at home and parents have to remind their children they are in school to learn, while teachers are there to teach

We have to put that out there that Aiken Public Safety is not the end all be all to discipline in our schools," said Aiken City District 5 Councilwoman Andrea Gregory.

Gregory said she wants the Aiken County Public School District to help, support and fund more school resource officers to keep our kids safe and under control.

We need to do more on the school level to support teachers and our administrators and with that comes responsibility, she said.
Congressman Joe Wilson, R-S.C., continues to stand by former President Donald Trump.

Wilson, who endorsed Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination in January, said Monday that Trump's indictments are a complete travesty.

A grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia indicted Trump Monday for his actions regarding the reported results of that state's 2020 presidential vote.

A District of Columbia District Court grand jury indicted Trump on Aug. 1 on four charges related to his actions between the conclusion of the 2020 general election and the events of Jan. 6, 2021.

A grand jury in the federal Southern District of Florida indicted Trump June 8 on 37 charges related to the handling of allegedly classified documents after his presidency. On July 27, three more charges were added against Trump.

A Manhattan grand jury indicted Trump March 30 on 34 felony charges of falsifying business records related to an alleged hush money payment made to Stormy Daniels.

"Sadly, they reveal a level of corruption in our government," Wilson said during a bus tour stop at USC Aiken on Monday morning. "The same people who fabricated the Russian hoax are now trying to trying to fabricate other issues against President Trump."

The FBI investigation, Crossfire Hurricane, into collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign team began in July 2016. But, in 2019, Special Counsel Robert Mueller reported there had been no collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.

Wilson said the indictments are political.

Over 86% of Manhattan's voters cast ballots for Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. Over 92% of Washington D.C.'s voters voted for Biden. Fifty-three percent of Miami-Dade County's voters cast Biden ballots And over 72% of Fulton County, Georgia's voters cast ballots for Biden.

"Politics shouldn't be done by way of criminal justice," Wilson said. "It should be done by discussion of issues."

Wilson added one reason prosecutors continue to bring indictments against Trump is that they want to make people forget Trump's successes as president.

"I find that very sad but I have faith in Donald Trump and I have faith in the American people," Wilson said.
Sadly, most Americans make faulty assumptions about Israels history, misled by decades of Israeli propaganda.

Firstly, Israel isnt an innocent party being attacked by violent neighbors who seek to run them out. Israels neighbors launch rockets in reprisal for Israels first attacking them. (I keep hoping that some leader will be mature enough to end the vicious revenge cycle.)

Israel began by driving Palestinians out of their own country. Israel has, since its founding, been intent on forcefully removing all Palestinians from the property. No prime minister has ever intended to allow a Palestinian state. Some claim there is no such people as Palestinians.

Palestine was never a country without a people  over 1 million Palestinians lived there before Israelis immigrated; Israel ethnically cleansed 750,000 of them in 1947 and 1948.

Worse, Israel regularly attacks its neighbors, destroying a dam in Jordan and suspected and actual weapons facilities in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, etc.  all producing civilian casualties.

Ariel Sharon was convicted of aiding the massacre of 3,500 Palestinians in Lebanons Sabra/Shatila refugee camps; Israeli jets killed schoolgirls on a United Nations field trip in clearly marked buses (Donald E. Wagner, Glory to God in the Lowest); the list is endless.

Secondly, its not solely the Palestinian viewpoint; many Jews agree. Righteous Israeli/American Jews recognize the great evil done to Palestinians. Check out The International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network. They are anti-Zionist Jews, not antisemitic.

Israels 1948 founding myths are debunked by Israeli Jew Ilan Pappe in The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine.

More truth from Jewish authors:

Max Blumenthal, Life and Loathing in Greater Israel

Miko Peled, The Generals Son

Phyllis Bennis, Understanding the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

Jeff Halper, Decolonizing Israel, Liberating Palestine

Rabbi Michael Lerner, Healing Israel/Palestine

Adam Keller, The Other Israel

Norman Finkelstein, Image and Reality of the Israel-Palestine Conflict

Benny Morris account of the Deir Yassin massacre of 100 innocents, led by Menachem Begins Irgun paramilitary.

Jeff Halpers War Against the People, detailing Israels weaponry, shows the inequity of calling this a conflict when its the worlds fourth-largest army versus poor people armed with military rifles and Molotov cocktails. Israel is committing ethnic cleansing, genocide and outright terrorism against civilians and youth.

Casualty numbers alone show the inequity  varying by event between five and 15 times more Palestinians killed than Israelis (see BTselem, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International).

I believe Palestinians err in using violence instead of massive peaceful civic disobedience (a method so successful under Mubarak Awad that Israel deported him as a most dangerous man in 1988). Today, Palestinian violence gives Israel cover to claim their violence is merely reprisal when, in fact, Palestinians are avenging Israels cruel oppression.

Israeli journalist Gideon Levy reports that in mid-July, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that Mustafa Sub Laban, 74, a former Israel Police officer, and his wife, Nora Gheith Sub Laban, born 68 years ago in their home in Jerusalems Muslim Quarter, should be forced out of that home by police so Israeli settlers could claim the house. Their daughters rice and chicken casserole was left on the fridges top shelf.

They had to leave all their possessions and furniture for the settlers. Levys outrage is clear:  the renowned Israeli justice system, which is corrupt, rotten and racist  the judges verdict is a proper apartheid response. This cruel violence may generate a violent Palestinian response.

I abhor violence; I support peace with justice, which could be accomplished by both sides recognizing they must share the land, giving everyone citizenship and the vote. See Jonathan Kuttab, Beyond the Two-State Solution, for how to do this.
A global company that works with the pharmaceutical industry is making Charleston its U.S. headquarters, with expansion to the WestEdge complex near the peninsula's medical district.

Novotech entered the market a little more than a year ago by purchasing NCGS  a decades-old clinical trials company that specialized in conducting research for makers of pharmaceutical, biologic, diagnostic and medical device products.

The acquisition was aimed at boosting Australia-based Novotech's presence in the United States. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The two companies had collaborated in the past "so we were a natural fit as they expanded their footprint," said Thomas Hart, a previous NCGS executive who is now in charge of clinical services for Novotech's U.S. headquarters.

The privately held company has experience in more than 5,000 clinical projects, helping companies navigate regulatory requirements and document the safety and effectiveness of vaccines and drugs to fight cancer and infectious diseases.

Novotech, which has 34 offices and 3,000 workers worldwide, primarily operated in the Asia Pacific region before its move to Charleston. It's also opening locations in Europe.

As a contract research organization, the company provides clinical support for a range of medical firms, helping them move new drugs and devices from the development stage to regulatory approval and, ultimately, the marketplace.

Hart said Novotech picked 22 WestEdge  where it occupies space on the fifth floor  because it wanted to be near the medical and research hubs at Medical University of South Carolina, Roper Hospital and the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center. Its 4,200-square-foot office is designed as a hybrid workplace to accommodate a growing number of remote and in-office staff.

About 110 employees report to the peninsula headquarters.

"It's a brand-new building with state-of-the-art facilities," Hart said. "It's a great central location for our staff."

Novotech CEO John Moller called the South Carolina expansion a strategic move to provide U.S.-based expertise and infrastructure for our U.S. clients." The Charleston location, he said, gives customers "seamless service, with a unified approach to systems and standard operating procedures well-developed."

While much of the past focus has been on the Asia-Pacific region, Hart said it's critical for Novotech clients in those countries to have a U.S. presence.

"They're looking for experts that have worked in this market and know how to guide them through the FDA process," he said, referring to U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations. "So, it's really a sweet spot now for Novotech to have that ability in-house, where previously we were using strategic partners, like NCGS."

Drug research ticked up during the pandemic and has continued to grow even as the coronavirus has faded, and that presents opportunities for future expansion of Novotech's U.S. operations, Hart said.

"I can tell you from being part of the U.S. group, the amount of new business and the work we're getting is impressive," he said. "There are a lot of new therapeutic areas that are being targeted and that's a wonderful thing, because we're probably going to see some great products in the next few years to hopefully make a difference in everybody's lives."

The Charleston firm that Novotech bought had operated from a historic residential compound at East Bay, Charlotte and Alexanders streets. Clemson University approved a plan in June to buy the property for $12.1 million for its downtown architecture and urban design program.
North Charleston-based chemical maker Ingevity Corp. has struck a deal to offset the electricity it uses at its U.S. manufacturing sites by buying solar power from one of the nation's largest utilities.

The purchase agreement with NextEra Energy Resources LLC was announced Aug. 15. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Ingevity CEO John Fortson said the deal is part of the global chemical company's plan to reduce its greenhouse-gas emissions and become carbon neutral by 2050.

Under the agreement, the O'Hear Avenue-based manufacturer will buy 85 megawatts from a new solar array that NextEra plans to build in north Texas. In exchange, Ingevity will receive renewable energy credits that will be retired, meaning they can't be resold.

The companies said they expect the new sun-powered site to be fully operational by late 2025. Other details about the project were not immediately available from Juno Beach, Fla.-based NextEra.

The power won't be fed directly into any of Ingevity's U.S. plants. Instead, the agreement will boost the supply of renewable energy available to electricity users in that part of the Lone Star State.

"In terms of reducing carbon emissions, a solar project of this scale is equivalent to the electricity needed to power an average of 14,000 homes per year, with the added benefits of generating new jobs and creating economic impacts for Texas and beyond," said Rebecca Kujawa, CEO of NextEra Energy Resources.

Ingevity spokeswoman Caroline Monahan said the two companies have worked together in the past on other energy-optimization programs. The newly announced agreement is expected to offset "a significant" amount of the conventional fossil-fuel power sources the chemical maker needs to run its U.S. plants, she said.

Ingevity operates 10 domestic manufacturing sites in 10 states. In 2018, it added a 1,500-panel solar array near its Virginia Avenue plant in North Charleston.

The company was formed locally decades ago as a division within Westvaco Corp., now part of the WestRock Co. The specialty chemical group was spun off as an independent publicly traded business in 2016.

One of it top sellers is a charcoal-like substance known as activated carbon. Automakers use the wood-based chemical to reduce gasoline vapor emissions in internal combustion engines.
A new retail destination with a larger Harris Teeter supermarket to serve residents of Kiawah, Seabrook and Johns islands is one step closer to becoming a reality.

The Charleston County Planning Commission voted 7-1 on Aug. 14 to recommend a land-use change from low-density residential to a planned development district for about 50 acres in the Andell West tract next to the Freshfields Village Shopping Center.

The proposal failed to move forward last October when the panel deadlocked 4-4 after questions were raised about the connectivity to Freshfields, the placement of the connections and the architectural blending of the new retail site with businesses in the neighboring center.

Freshfields is owned by Columbia-based Edens. It paid nearly $125 million for the property last year.

The new plan for the project off Kiawah Island Parkway clarifies the points of connection between the two retail sites, puts a 100-foot vegetated buffer between the road and the development and sets aside 20 percent of the land as open space.

Plans call for the existing Harris Teeter supermarket at Freshfields to move to the new location in a larger building of up to 65,000 square feet, according to Chris Corrada, a principal with the development firm Riverstone Properties LLC of Richmond, Va., which owns the 50-acre parcel.

The North Carolina-based grocer also would operate a gas station with seven fuel pumps on the site. A Harris Teeter representative did not immediately respond for comment.

The new retail center would measure about 160,000 square feet, including the grocery store. No other tenants have been lined up yet, and it could be several years before the entire project is completed, Corrada said.

A representative of Edens did not immediately respond for comment on its plans to backfill the grocery store site once it relocates, but Corrada noted the new supermarket probably won't materialize until 2027 since the project still has hurdles to clear.

They include a public hearing on Sept. 12 and subsequent approvals by a County Council committee and the full council.

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After that, the developer would initiate architectural plans and prepare the property, which has been used for parking during the two PGA Championships at the Ocean Course on Kiawah in 2012 and 2021.

Industrial and residential uses are not planned for the property, and the development would allow drive-thrus for a business such as a pharmacy, but not fast-food restaurants.

Several residents told the Planning Commission they favored the project. No one spoke against it.

Warren Lasch, president of Cassique Homeowners Association on Kiawah, had concerns about the proposed development last year. He said he supports the revised plan, saying it no longer appeared as a competing retail site with Freshfields.

"It will be a seamless experience," he said. "It will complement the existing charm and appeal of Freshfields Village."

The town of Kiawah Island, which includes the neighboring Freshfields Village and the parkway, also is in favor of the new venture.

"We extend our support for this venture and believe it will positively impact Kiawah and its community members," Mayor John Labriola wrote in a letter to the county.

A public hearing on the project is set for Sept. 12.
NOTICE OF SALE 2022-CP-10-05204 STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, COUNTY OF CHARLESTON: IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS YACHT HARBOR OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC., Plaintiff, versus GREG A. SWINDELL, et al., Defendants. Upon authority of an Order filed the 13th day of July, 2023, Mikell R. Scarborough, Master-in-Equity for Charleston County, will offer for sale to the highest bidder for cash, at public auction, the real property fully described below, in the COUNTY COUNCIL CHAMBERS, 4045 BRIDGE VIEW DRIVE, NORTH CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA, on the 5th day of September, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. or shortly thereafter. As the Plaintiff waived its right to a deficiency Judgment in the Complaint, the sale will be final. The Quarter Ownership Interest, being Interest 306-B of YACHT HARBOR VILLAS HORIZONTAL PROPERTY REGIME. Said interest consisting of an undivided twenty-five (25%) interest in UNIT 306 as shown on the Plans and Specifications described in the Master Deed to YACHT HARBOR VILLAS HORIZONTAL PROPERTY REGIME, together with the exclusive right to occupy and possess UNIT 306 from 5:00 o'clock p.m. Eastern Standard Time on the first Sunday of each Occupancy Period assigned to the Quarter Ownership Interest in the Master Deed, and amendments and supplements thereto, until 11:00 o'clock a.m Eastern Standard Time on the last Sunday of each Quarter Ownership Occupancy Period. Such Quarter Ownership Interest is more particularly shown and described by reference to the Master Deed of said Horizontal Property Regime, said Master Deed being dated the 24th day of November, 1986, and recorded in the Register's Office for Charleston County, South Carolina ("ROD"), in Deed Book R-159, Page 611, as amended and supplemented. Being the same property conveyed to the Greg A. Swindell, Jacob H. Shiveler and Gloria A. Shiveler by Deed of New Yacht Harbor Developers, a South Carolina General Partnership, dated September 8, 1988, and recorded in the ROD on December 21, 1988, in Book M-180, Page 664. TMS#: 571-08-00-025 The property shall be sold subject to all covenants and restrictions of record, easements, rights-of-way, mortgages, taxes for 2023 and thereafter, The Master Deed for Yacht Harbor Villas Horizontal Property Regime, as amended, and other matters of record in the ROD. The property shall be sold for cash to the highest bidder. The highest bidder, other than the Plaintiff, will be required to deposit with the Master-in-Equity, at the conclusion of the bidding, cash or certified check in the amount of five (5%) percent of the bid: the said deposit to be applied to the purchase price. Should the highest bidder fail to comply with the bid within thirty days from the date of sale, the Special Referee will resell the property at the risk and expense of the defaulting bidder upon the same terms as above set out. The Sheriff of Charleston County may be authorized to put the purchaser into possession of the premises if requested by the purchaser. The property is sold subject to taxes and assessments, existing easements, encumbrances and restrictions of record. Mikell R. Scarborough, Master-in-Equity PLAINTIFFS' ATTORNEY John J. Dodds, III (843) 881-6530 AD# 2050377
COLUMBIA  A Columbia historically Black college has started a campaign to promote free speech on its campus alongside 12 other colleges and universities around the country.

Benedict College announced Aug. 15 that a #perspective campaign will launch during freshman orientation this year, which is currently underway. President Roslyn Clark Artis joined leaders of other private and public colleges, including Ivy League member Cornell University, in the Campus Call for Free Expression.

This initiative from educational nonprofit The Institute for Citizen & Scholars has college presidents create programming around principles for free speech, including critical thinking and open discussion.

The South Carolina HBCU of 1,900 students will spend a year on the #perspective campaign. The college will start by spending $20,000 to $25,000 on marketing materials like t-shirts and mugs to get the community aware, Artis said. Throughout the year Benedict faculty and student leadership will collaborate with the other colleges to create academic programs and campus events that highlight diverse perspectives.

"We may not agree on everything, and that's OK," Artis said. "Because we only get a full picture when everybody's piece of the picture can be seen and expressed freely. My perspective matters. Your perspective matters."

Artis wanted to challenge the idea that having many students with marginalized backgrounds and identities makes Benedict's community monolithic. She hopes students will take initiative in making this campaign impactful.

"They have grown up in an environment of increasing polarization," she said. "They are subjected to 24-hour news cycles and soundbite politics. This is a very difficult moment. So our students are very, very ready for an opportunity to engage."
COLUMBIA  The president of South Carolina's third-largest technical college will retire after eight years leading Midlands Technical College.

Ronald Rhames became the first African American president of Midlands Tech in 2015 after serving in multiple administrative positions at the college for 25 years, including senior vice president and chief operating officer. The technical college served about 8,700 students in 2021, a decline from almost 11,000 students in 2015.

During my time here, weve done some remarkable things, and I am confident that when I retire, the college will continue to do remarkable things on behalf of our students, their families and our community, Rhames said in a press release.

Rhames will step down by June 30 next year, while the college conducts a nationwide search for the next president.

Midlands Tech has six campuses around the state, including two in Columbia, serving students seeking technical training and two-year degrees.

Correction: Midlands Tech President Ronald Rhames announced that he was retiring after eight years.
The interior at Pink Bellies is all oblique angles, wavy lines, and glowing pastel colors. White walls are hung with vertically-mounted planks spaced a few inches apart, the light-stained wood planed into gently undulating waves.

Short sound-muffling panels are suspended from the ceiling in three-tiered groups, accented by glowing lights that shift from blue during daylight to pastel pink, orange, and yellow as darkness falls outside. A half dozen angular wood stools line a low, curving white counter where diners can peer through an array of potted plants at the cooks working in the open kitchen beyond.

The menu at Pink Bellies doesnt play it straight, either. The cocktails (18) outnumber the food dishes (14). Some of those cocktails are quite tasty. The gin-based and brilliantly-named Miss Leading Lady ($16) has a surge of citrus and elderflower beneath a layer of sweet egg-white foam. The Suntory Kiss ($12) balances Japanese malt whiskey with bright fruit and herbs  passionfruit, kalamansi, lemongrass. The menu describes it as reminiscent of youth, though whose youth I have no idea.

I do wish they would double strain the shaken cocktails, though. A sleet storm clouds the bright orange Pho Cocktail ($13), which is billed as unlike any other. I cant argue with that. A single star anise atop a tiny disc of lime rides upon the surface. Shaken in with the gin is pho syrup, lime juice, Sriracha and fish sauce. As an experiment in umami flavors its quite intriguing, though I didnt find myself wanting a second one.

The food follows a similar pattern, with daring stretches and unexpected twists that delight when they land but occasionally tumble off the mat.

In the delightful category are the dumplings. All three varieties swim in bowls of chili oil and pho-spiced smoked dumpling sauce, a combination thats shimmeringly bright and brimming with red chili, sesame and scallions. Beneath a fluffy green blanket of cilantro leaves, the spicy lamb pierogis ($11) are, as promised, very spicy. A few kernels of corn tucked in with the savory minced lamb seem a bit odd, but as a whole its a flavorful bowl.

I particularly enjoyed the triangular sui cao dumplings ($10), which are hand-rolled and filled with a pleasing blend of ground pork and shrimp. Crisp curves of chili bamboo shoots down in the sauce add a wonderfully sharp crunch.

Pink Bellies CUISINE: Vietnamese REPRESENTATIVE DISH: OG Garlic Noodles ADDRESS: 595 King St., downtown Charleston PHONE: 843-640-3132 BAR: Full bar WEB: eatpinkbellies.com DINING ROOM HOURS: 5-9 p.m. Thursday through Sunday PRICE: $$ COSTS: $10-$17 PARKING: Street parking

After he graduated from the MBA program at the College of Charleston, chef/owner Thai Phi launched Pink Bellies as food truck, posting up regularly at the corner of Calhoun and St. Philip streets. In 2017, he advanced to a stall in the Workshop incubator food hall and two years later secured a permanent King Street location on the ground floor of Hoffler Place, a privately-owned student apartment building that casts itself as sophisticated, hip, and aspirational.

Pink Bellies eased into the King Street scene thanks to the pandemic, opening for takeout only in March 2021 and for in-person dining six months later. Now two years in, the restaurant still does a brisk takeout business and has rather limited hours  dinner from 5 to 9 p.m., Thursday through Sunday  though that seems perfectly keeping with our times.

The restaurant seems very contemporary in other ways, too. For both food and decor, Phi drew inspiration from far away  his grandmothers and aunts kitchens in Vietnam, noodle shops and bakeries in San Francisco, ramen bars in Tokyo and Kyoto  and rolled them together with American pop dining culture. (Witness the In-and-Out-inspired Animal Style Burger, $16, and the Nashville Hot Chicken Karaage, $14.)

The OG Garlic Noodles ($17) have been on the menu since the food truck days. Cooked in butter and garlic, the tangles of thick, umami-rich egg noodles by themselves are splendid, and the long strands of pulled pork and pickled red onions mounded on top add tender softness and a sweet crunch. A smear of bright orange Sriracha rings the inside of the large bowl, though oddly it seems to add more color and sweetness than it does heat, even if you dredge the noodles through it. Add the extra umami of a poached egg ($1.50) and you can see why its now the OG.

Much of the fare still exhibits the late night munchie aesthetic of a campus-side food truck. Purple-hued Amarosa fingerlings ($10) are prepared in the style of Da Lat banh trang nuong, a sort of Vietnamese pizza. Instead of grilled rice paper, tender potatoes serve as the base, and theyre perfectly soft, steamy and earthy inside. But the tubers are buried beneath a mound of crumbled pork, wispy shrimp powder and diced scallions, which in turn are obscured by long squiggles of creamy kewpie mayo and orange Sriracha, and in the end its just a lot of flavors clashing in a bowl.

If you upgrade the pho mai burger ($16) by adding a fried egg ($5), the dish is finished tableside. It arrives open-faced, with the fried egg and the top bun on one small plate and everything else on another. The server pierces the egg with a steak knife then drizzles the sunny yolk over the rest of the burger and flips the bun on top. Then comes the coup de grace: stabbing the knife straight through the center to spear all the layers together.

That structural support is needed, for the burger is twice as tall as it is wide. Between two domes of soft milk bun, a pair of cheese-capped beef patties are interspersed with slick pools of aioli and onion jam. Thick-sliced pickles act as shims and tilt the whole tower at a rather precarious angle. Its a sloppy mess of a burger, which isnt necessarily a bad thing. Unfortunately, jalapeno rings make an unbilled cameo, adding an unwelcome blast of heat that should really be warned of on the menu.

The Garlic KFC Wings ($16), though, are true works of late-night genius. I think thats KFC as in Korean Fried Chicken, not Kentucky, but who knows these days. What matters is that theyre delicious in a smack-every-taste-receptor-on-your tongue kind of way. The wings have a crisp starchy crust thats painted with salty, honey-sweet soy glaze and dappled with minced scallions and chives. Alongside is a small bowl of blue cheese dressing for dunking.

Its not just run-of-the-mill blue cheese dressing, either. Our server informed us when we ordered the wings that they didnt ordinarily like blue cheese dressing but that this blue cheese dressing was different. The runner who delivered the wings told us essentially the same thing. Last year, The Post and Couriers Food Editor Parker Milner commented in the Charleston Menu newsletter that he was never a fan of blue cheese dressing but that he cant argue with the river of cream-colored sauce flowing down the mountain of wings.

I had no idea so many people were adverse to blue cheese dressing, and it seems curious that among the riot of flavors in Pink Bellies various bowls, thats the one that so many people single out. Maybe its too 20th century. I agree with them, though, that Pink Bellies version is exceptional  not at all gloppy, with just a few chunks of cheese enrobed in a thin white dressing. Its the perfect pungently cream accompaniment for those sticky-sweet-salty wings  or for your finger, for that matter.

Yes, a bowl of blue cheese dressing is a small detail, but small details add up, and there are plenty of little things to like about Pink Bellies: the squatty pink stoneware cups in which the water is served. The stylized pig logo  round nose, ears akimbo, a noodle bowl inverted on its head  that appear on everything from the menu to the take-out boxes. The little extra bits on the plates, like the chili bamboo inside the dumpling sauce and the chunks of crisp, tart pickled daikon that add a nice zip to the KFC wings.

Its not all upside, though. The colorful lights and all the angles and curves make for a sleek, alluring setting, but as the dining room fills, it can seem a bit loud and cramped. As the evening rolls on, the air grows thick with oily steam rolling over the low divider from the open kitchen, and the temperature begins to creep up and up. Some may find that vibe to be high-energy and exciting, but for others it may seem a bit much.

But dessert seals the deal. If a restaurant is only going to have a single option on the menu, it better be good. Pink Bellies comes through with its blackberry cheesecake ($12), a tall wedge of dense, lemon-tinged sweetness. Instead of a prim scoop of berries, its finished with a torrent of condensed milk foam and fruity blackberry compote that cascades down the sides and pools around the plate. Beyond the delightful disheveled-ness of the presentation, there seems no thematic linkage between that dessert and the rest of the menu, but I dont suppose we really need one.

I feel many things at Pink Bellies go a little over my head, like internet memes that never made it into my feeds. Still, its an exciting place to grab a casual dinner, big on flavor and long on style, especially as the sun goes down and the pastel lights shift to energetic oranges, yellows and magentas.
GREENVILLE  Six more schools within Greenville city limits will have full-time police officers, expanding a program the police chief hopes will eventually host an officer in every school in the city.

The Greenville Police Department will add school resource officers to three public schools and three charter schools using a state grant program, Chief J.H. Howie Thompson told city council Aug. 14.

Thompson said SROs provide an "added layer of security and better communication. A full-time officer can more quickly request the fire department, emergency medical services or additional law enforcement officers.

Currently, 12 SROs cover 10 schools across the city, with two each at J.L. Mann and Greenville high schools, Thompson said.

Greenville County Schools works with police from other cities and the Greenville County Sheriffs Office to staff SROs at schools outside the city of Greenville.

New, full-time SRO positions will be filled at AJ Whittenberg Elementary, Blythe Elementary, Greenville Early College  all public schools  and GREEN Charter School, Lead Academy and Legacy Early College  all charter schools.

Each year, GPD submits joint applications with charter school boards and the Greenville County School District, Thompson told The Post and Courier. The three public schools were chosen based on evaluation from the police department and the school district.

We always look at the data, the number of students, any issues around the area, and then work with the schools to decide. So its a partnership, Thompson said.

City Council members expressed support for the program, voting unanimously for preliminary approval Aug. 14 for GPD to fund the positions using a $1.5 million grant from the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.
SPARTANBURG  The State Law Enforcement Division charged two former state social services workers with intentionally abandoning a teenager in a gas station restroom.

Michelle Lorraine Holmes, 42, of Union was charged with unlawfully placing a child at risk of harm, and Marcus Antonio Hutchins, 26, of Spartanburg was charged with criminal conspiracy to do the same, SLED stated.

Holmes and Hutchins were case managers with the South Carolina Department of Social Services. According to authorities, they were driving a teenager to the Spartanburg DSS office on March 6 when they stopped at a Valero gas station.

Hutchins allegedly took the teenager inside to the restroom while Holmes waited in the car. Once the teenager was in the restroom, Hutchins left the store, and the two drove away, according to the arrest documents.

The teenager, who is from another country and speaks limited English, could not find the pair after exiting the restroom and waited at the store while an employee called 911, according to an arrest affidavit.

Once Hutchins and Holmes arrived at the Spartanburg DSS office, they allegedly led a supervisor to believe that the teenager had walked off from them at the gas station.

The teenager was placed into the care and custody of DSS by the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office prior to the incident, having no known family in South Carolina.

The Post and Courier has reached out to the Department of Social Services for additional information.
While wildfires in South Carolina don't often rage to the extent seen in the western United States, the Palmetto State has had major blazes over the years, including two in recent history. Read moreWildfires in Maui stir bitter memories of destruction for SC residents
A Montana district court judge ruled Monday that a state law barring its agencies from considering the impacts of climate change when issuing permits is a violation of the state Constitutions right to a clean and healthful environment.

The ruling comes two months after the conclusion of a seven-day trial in Helena that attracted national attention as one of the first to challenge a states fossil fuel policies on constitutional grounds. A group of 16 young Montanans filed the lawsuit in 2020, alleging that Montanas laws supporting fossil fuel development are contributing to climate change, the impacts of which are violating the plaintiffs constitutional rights.

Montanas (greenhouse gas) emissions and climate change have been proven to be a substantial factor in causing climate impacts to Montanas environment and harm and injury to the youth plaintiffs, Lewis and Clark County District Court Judge Kathy Seeley wrote in the order.

She continued, Plaintiffs have a fundamental constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment, which includes climate as part of the environmental life-support system.

The state Legislature is specifically tasked with protecting that environmental life-support system under Montanas Constitution. In the legislative session that concluded earlier this year, Republican lawmakers amended the Montana Environmental Policy Act, or MEPA, to prohibit consideration of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change in permitting decisions. MEPA guides the environmental review process for permits, such as those granted for coal mine expansions or new power plants.

That prohibition within MEPA, passed as Senate Bill 557, is now invalid, under Seeleys decision.

The youth plaintiffs were represented by Our Children's Trust, an environmental organization that has filed dozens of similar lawsuits in other states. The lawsuit names Montana, the governor, attorney general and several state agencies as defendants.
Cory Robertson could only watch last October as his 7-week-old son struggled for breath in the intensive care unit, then went on a ventilator.

While Liam Robertson recovered from a highly contagious virus and is now doing well, there is something babies have this year that he didn't have  a vaccine that could protect them from that virus known as respiratory syncytial virus or RSV.

"It's serious and I believe its pretty difficult to keep your child from getting it unless you become a hermit at home," Robertson said. "In babies, its serious and can be life-threatening.

The virus is even harder on seniors where it accounts for thousands of deaths a year, and the Food and Drug Administration recently authorized two new RSV vaccines for that population as well.

Liam was part of a huge outbreak of cases from RSV and other viruses that filled children's hospitals to capacity across the United States last year. It hit earlier than usual in mid-October, along with an unusually early bout of flu. It resulted in children being hospitalized at rates four times higher than the year before and eight times higher than what was normal prior to the pandemic, about twice to four times as high than even the heaviest years, according to a review in the journal Pulmonary Advisor.

By late October, the ICUs in children's hospitals across the state were at "extreme capacity," one Prisma Health official told The Post and Courier then, while others across the nation were desperately seeking more beds.

"It hit hard and fast," said Dr. Stephen Thacker, associate professor of pediatrics and a pediatric infectious disease and vaccine expert at the Medical University of South Carolina. Part of that was likely due to the pandemic, when masks and other preventive measures kept not, only COVID-19, but other seasonal viruses at bay, he said.

"We prevented a lot of kids from getting their very first RSV infection, which ends up usually being your worst RSV infection as a child," Thacker said. But those measures largely ended in 2022 and the viruses returned in full force.

"We had so many at-risk kids getting their very first infection at the same time," Thacker said.

Vaccines for RSV have mostly failed in the past but efforts were ongoing and "we at least knew there was some hope for upcoming seasons," Thacker said.

That hope was realized in nirsevimab, marketed as Beyfortus, which was approved by the FDA on July 17. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending it for infants up to 8 months old and for those ages 8 to 19 months who are at higher risk of severe disease. It is actually a monoclonal antibody, a targeted drug, that can provide protection specifically against the virus.

This new RSV immunization provides parents with a powerful tool to protect their children against the threat of RSV, said CDC Director Mandy Cohen.

RSV is the leading cause of hospitalization for children under age 5, sending up to 80,000 to the hospital each year and killing up to 300. There was a previous antibody medicine called Synagis that was given once a month but it was reserved for those at highest risk, such as premature babies and those with underlying lung or heart disease, and it was not as effective as the new drug in clinical trials. The new vaccine could also be more cost-effective in that it can be given once a season where Synagis was a shot every month or five shots per season, said Dr. Heather Staples, a pediatric pulmonologist at Prisma Health Children's Hospital-Midlands. But also having a vaccine that can cover children outside of that high-risk group would be great, she said, and she recommends parents have a conversation with their provider about it.

"Anything that we can provide our children that would decrease the risk of RSV severity, acquiring RSV, is incredibly beneficial," said Staples, who sees a lot of kids who have long-term issues like wheezing after an infection. "There's a lot of consequences that could be avoided by using this preventive measure."

On the other end of the age spectrum, in May, the FDA approved the first two vaccines to prevent respiratory disease from RSV in those ages 60 and older. CDC is recommending seniors talk to their providers about getting one of the two this season. RSV infections hospitalize up to 160,000 older adults each year and kill up to 10,000, the CDC reported.

RSV, which attacks the cells lining the upper and lower airways, seems to have the worst effects on those on "the extremes of age," both youngest and oldest, Thacker said.

"The adult vaccine is another huge win for that (older) population," he said.

But most think of RSV as a major source of concern for the families of young children, as the Robertsons found out. Liam's sister probably picked it up in daycare and it spread throughout the family but Liam seemed to get the worst of it. His labored breathing prompted his parents to seek help and they eventually landed at MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital. Liam and his parents would spend nine days there, with a week in the ICU and nearly 48 hours on a ventilator as he struggled to breathe.

It's one reason Cory Robertson wants parents to be vigilant. The infection might just look like a bad cold, he said, but "then it can get worse very quickly."

Having a vaccine that could prevent that "definitely sounds promising," Cory Robertson said, and he plans to discuss it with their pediatrician.

Fortunately, Liam seems to have no ill effects from that scary time last fall. He turns a year old on Aug. 24 and is now determined to climb everything, including the entire staircase, under close supervision.

Hes very active and healthy, Cory Robertson said.

Now the plan is to keep him that way.
Cheryl and I grew up around dogs and when we were married, it did not take long for us to bring home our first fur babies, a Scottish Terrier and a Wire Hair Terrier. Over the years weve had Cocker Spaniels, Bostons, Frenchies, and many other wonderful companions that were members of our  Read moreUntil one has loved an animal
Insects seem to be the main pest at the Possums counter this week. Armyworms, chinch bugs, fleas, roaches (hey, it is Charleston, they like the worlds best city also) and mosquitoes have been attacking our Lowcountry homes and yards. Read moreSummer pests at the gate
Former Beaufort attorney Cory Fleming will spend 46 months in prison for helping his law school roommate, the notorious ex-lawyer Alex Murdaugh, steal from the family of Murdaughs late housekeeper.

Before he announced his decision Aug. 15, U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel said Fleming was guilty of "amazingly egregious conduct," but he recognized that the ex-attorney has been remorseful for his actions.

Fleming voluntarily surrendered to custody at the end of the hearing at the federal courthouse in Charleston, making him the only person actively serving a prison sentence for Murdaugh's alleged schemes. Federal defendants are often afforded time to get their affairs in order before going to prison.

Fleming, 54, pleaded guilty in May to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and prosecutors praised him as the only defendant yet to accept culpability for joining Murdaugh.

Dressed in a crisp blue suit and gold tie, he closed his eyes as his name was read and the hearing began. Throughout the two-hour proceeding, a tissue box passed between Fleming and family members seated behind him, as the former attorney held back tears and his college-age son sobbed.

The judge's decision matched the lower end of federal sentencing guidelines and prosecutors' recommendation. Fleming will also have to pay about $102,000 in restitution, plus interest, and he will be subject to supervision for three years after his release.

Fleming was accused of helping Murdaugh divert $4.3 million of insurance money intended for Satterfields sons. Satterfield worked for the Murdaugh family until she died in 2018, weeks after she fell down the brick steps at their remote Colleton County home.

Murdaugh allegedly hatched a scheme to take advantage of her death: He urged Satterfields sons to hire Fleming to sue him, not mentioning they were such close friends that Fleming was the godfather to Murdaugh's son. He pushed his insurance carriers to settle the case, spreading word that the fall was his fault. Murdaugh said his dogs made Satterfield trip, a story he has since recanted. He has said he concocted the story to pressure his insurers pay out.

It worked. When they finally paid, he deposited the proceeds into his personal account.

Pleading guilty to the conspiracy charge, Fleming admitted he knew the arrangement with Murdaugh was not above-board. He told the judge that he knew Murdaugh was going to steal from the Satterfields. But he said he did not know Murdaugh planned to take it all, instead believing he would skim about $100,000 from his attorneys fees.

Satterfields sons, Tony Satterfield and Brian Harriott, did not receive a penny.

Fleming is also accused in state court of diverting money from Pamela Pinckney, who was badly hurt in a car crash with her family. Fleming allegedly sent part of her settlement to Murdaugh and used part to charter a plane to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Limehouse said Fleming was not charged federally for the theft because it fell outside the statute of limitations.

Addressing the court before the sentence was announced, Fleming apologized to his victims. He told Satterfield's sons they had deserved a lawyer "who would not betray your trust." He told Pinckney, "I cannot express how empty I feel when I think of how you must think of me."

"I have no right to expect your forgiveness," Fleming said, speaking softly and sniffling as his voice broke.

Moments later, the victims said they forgave him all the same, drawing on their Christian faith. But Satterfield's sister Ginger Hadwin added that she would not forget how Fleming and Murdaugh sought to profit off her sister's death. She said she believed her sister died for a reason: to shine a light on their thefts.

Federal prosecutors have conceded they dont believe Fleming knew the extent of the scheme in the Satterfield case. But they accused him of filing falsified paperwork to get the settlement approved and overstating his expenses in the case.

Flemings attorney says he has turned in his license to practice law in South Carolina and Georgia for good. At the sentencing, Fleming said he did so because he no longer deserves "the privilege of being a lawyer."

In the two years since his license was initially suspended, court papers show he has volunteered at Habitat for Humanity and taken classes in construction trades, hoping to establish a new career when he is released.

Fleming's supporters, who packed the courtroom, submitted more than 60 letters of support describing him as a dedicated father and generous community member who forgave a tenant's rent to make sure she could afford school supplies for her children and mentored young attorneys. His attorney, Deborah Barbier, said Fleming hadn't read them, finding it too painful to see how many people he had disappointed.

Fleming is the second person to face prison time for participating in Murdaugh's schemes and the first to report to prison. The other, former Hampton banker Russell Laffitte, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison earlier this month. Laffitte was convicted after a three-week trial in November, a verdict he is appealing.

More than 100 state and federal charges related to alleged financial crimes are still pending against Murdaugh, who is already serving two life sentences for the June 2021 murders of his wife and son. Murdaugh is accused of stealing some $9 million from his clients, law partners and others who trusted him.

Flemings plea deal with federal authorities was a bid to get a lighter sentence  and to avoid time in state prison. Limehouse said prosecutors did not object to a shorter prison term, because Fleming deserves credit for cooperating with investigators and accepting culpability. They ensured he got one, in part, by charging him with conspiracy to commit fraud rather than fraud itself, which carries a longer prison term.

Still, Gergel's decision does not resolve the 23 charges state prosecutors brought against him in 2022, including 18 related to the Satterfield case. But Gergel emphasized that he intended his sentence to cover the totality of Fleming's crimes, and he said he was concerned Fleming might be punished twice. He encouraged Barbier to give the state judge a copy of his remarks if he is convicted at the state level.

"We don't tar and feather people anymore," Gergel said.

The S.C. Attorney Generals Office has said Flemings federal conviction does not change its plans. His state case is scheduled to go to trial Sept. 11 in the Beaufort County courthouse where he once practiced.
NORTH CHARLESTON  The Charleston County sheriff's helicopter that crashed Aug. 1 was missing parts that could have rendered the pilot unable to steer the chopper as it flew home from routine maintenance, a preliminary investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board indicates.

The pilot tried for an emergency landing around 3:30 p.m. that day on an airfield near the Charleston International Airport after he could not stabilize the helicopter, a 2012 Bell 407GX, the report states.

Inspectors with the Federal Aviation Administration who responded to the crash site observed one of the two bolts that secure the levers that move the tail rotor was missing, while the other bolt was loose because of a missing pin.

The tail rotor  the blades at the back of a helicopter  stabilize an aircraft and keep it straight.

The preliminary report, released Aug. 14, found that the bolts in question would have been "removed and reinstalled" when the helicopter underwent maintenance June 28.

On both June 28 and Aug. 1, the sheriff's helicopter received maintenance at an undisclosed site in Sumter, according to the agency's records.

The Charleston County Sheriff's Office declined to comment Aug. 14 on federal authorities' preliminary investigative findings.

The missing parts eluded maintenance staff, but the pilot noticed 35 minutes into his returning flight from Sumter the helicopter was malfunctioning, according to the preliminary report.

The pilot reported to Charleston aviation authorities that the pedals controlling the tail rotor were unresponsive, according to the report.

He noticed the problem initially as the nose of the chopper was titling right. The pilot pressed on the left pedal but stated that "it felt as if the pedals were not attached."

He set up for a "straight-in approach landing" on a runway at the airport, according to the report. But as the chopper lowered to just 20 feet above ground level, it started to pull right.

Video footage of the crash that was released by the sheriff's office showed the nose and tail of the helicopter swinging in the air just before it crashed on grass adjacent to the tarmac.

The chopper suffered substantial damage to the fuselage, main rotor system and tail rotor system, according to the report.

CHS Flight School owner Bradley "Kirk" Bray, who has been a flight instructor for a dozen years, said the missing parts could have led to more severe damage.

If you have no control over your rudders it can be catastrophic. You really have no control over the back of the helicopter, he said. If it wouldnt have been for his experience it probably could have turned out a lot worse.

The Charleston County Sheriff's Office identified the pilot as Lt. Scott Martray. He was the only person on board. When the chopper crashed into the airfield near South Aviation Avenue, Martray suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was hospitalized.

The wreck halted commercial flights for several hours at South Carolina's largest airport.
When I attended the Mary McLeod Bethune Festival in Mayesville recently, I knew thered be plenty of good food and wonderful hospitality to enjoy. But the thing I most wanted to taste was the lemonade, because legendary educator Mary McLeod Bethune had a habit of turning lemons into lemonade Read moreWeaver: What Mary McLeod Bethune can teach us about reading and resilience
The Post and Courier provides a forum for our readers to share their opinions, and to hold up a mirror to our community. Publication does not imply endorsement by the newspaper; the editorial staff attempts to select a representative sample of letters because we believe its important to let our readers see the range of opinions their neighbors submit for publication.
LAKE MARION  Construction of the new I-95 bridge, which provides the only crossing over Lake Marion, is planned to start in 2025 if the South Carolina Department of Transportation receives a federal grant funds.

The bridge is a critically important route, handling more than 40,000 vehicle crossings each day, according to Justin Powell, chief of staff for the SCDOT.

The new bridge will be three lanes wide going both ways, up from two. Shoulders on each side of the lanes and a pedestrian walkway will also be added. The walkway will be a part of the statewide Palmetto Trail.

It's very important for movement of national freight and traffic across the entire eastern seaboard, Powell said, noting that people in Santee and Summerton also depend on the span to get to jobs and health care.

No detour is expected to be made during construction. The total cost of the project comes to about $350 million.

The design would allow for a water line from the Orangeburg County side of the lake to the Clarendon County side. A document from the SCDOT said this would provide more economic development opportunities on the north side of the lake.

Construction of the 24-inch water main would be the responsibility of the Lake Marion Regional Water Agency, which serves Berkeley, Calhoun, Dorchester and Orangeburg counties and Santee. Powell said crossing the lake had always been a hurdle for the group.

The project comes as Lake Marion becomes the site of more development. More than 400 houses and a hotel complex with a Charleston-based restaurant are on the way, with state funds being used to support water infrastructure for the latter.

The high volume of commercial and residential projects has led the Planning Commission for Clarendon County to put a statement on its website saying there may be longer than normal wait times for inspections.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a member of one of the countrys most famous political families, is bringing his long-shot Democratic presidential bid to South Carolina, the state that kept Joe Biden's White House dreams alive in 2020.

Kennedy, who is challenging Biden for the '24 Democratic nomination, will take questions from voters during a town hall event in Charleston on Aug. 16 before road-testing his message at five additional stops across the state.

Kennedy's travel plans were announced by his campaign in an Aug. 15 press release.

It will be Kennedy's first visit to South Carolina as a declared presidential candidate. He launched his bid in April.

Kennedy is the nephew of President John F. Kennedy and the son of former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. During the coronavirus pandemic, Kennedy rose to renewed prominence because of his strident opposition to vaccines.

Last month, he was accused of making antisemitic and racist remarks after he was recorded citing a false conspiracy theory that claimed COVID-19 was "ethnically targeted" to spare Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people.

According to his 2024 campaign, Kennedy is planning to "bring a message of economic hope" during his trip, where he will address the rising costs of food and energy as well as the uptick in credit card debt and how to tackle the affordable housing crisis.

Kennedy's first South Carolina town hall, which is also doubling as a "meet and greet," will take place at The Wonderer, 1705 Meeting Street Road, in the Charleston Neck Area.

The town hall is scheduled to last two hours, beginning at 6 p.m. A representative for the campaign said all of the town halls are open to the public, with room permitting.

In a sign that Kennedy is making a play to win over Democrats in the state, his campaign also announced it will be holding a grand opening for its Orangeburg headquarters on Aug. 19 at the former site of Dean's Limited, a men's clothing store, at 1185 Russell St.

The state has newfound political importance this election cycle. Earlier this year, at Biden's request, the Democratic National Committee retooled its presidential nominating calendar, giving South Carolina voters the power to weigh in first on the party's future presidential hopefuls.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison has said he expects South Carolina will hold its inaugural first-in-the-nation presidential primary on Feb. 3, and predicted the turnout will overwhelmingly deliver for Biden.

"Our new primary calendar, with South Carolina leading it off, elevates diverse voices, reflects our values, and will strengthen our party," Harrison told The Post and Courier in a statement earlier this year.

The Orangeburg event will double as a two-hour community town hall, starting at 2 p.m. Later that day, Kennedy will travel to Sumter for a town hall at a private residence. He will then take his message to the Pee Dee, hosting a town hall in Florence on Aug. 20 at Red Bone Alley, 1903 West Palmetto St. That event kicks off at 3 p.m.

On Aug. 21, Kennedy will hold a town hall starting at 6 p.m. at Zen, a Greenville restaurant at 924 Main St. that last month hosted an event with GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley.

His final event will be a town hall at a private residence in Spartanburg on Aug. 22.

In addition to Kennedy, the self-help author Marianne Williamson is also challenging Biden for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination. She unsuccessfully sought the party's nomination in 2020.
South Carolina Republicans lashed out at former President Donald Trump's Georgia indictment, skewering it as "Democrat derangement," a "sham" and "crazy stuff" as they attacked the prosecution in Trump's fourth criminal case filed in four months.

Even U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, one of Trump's two South Carolina rivals for the 2024 Republican nomination, jumped to the defense of the former president.

"We've seen the legal system being weaponized against political opponents, Scott said Aug. 15 while taking questions from reporters at the Iowa State Fair.

"That is un-American and unacceptable," he said. "At the end of the day, we need a better system than that."

Former Gov. Nikki Haley, who also is seeking the GOP presidential nomination and served as Trump's ambassador to the United Nations, had not weighed in on the matter by late afternoon.

Trump is one of 19 people indicted in a multi-count racketeering case over efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia. The allegations in this case brings the number of criminal charges Trump is facing across four separate jurisdictions to 91.

It is the second time this month that he is facing charges that allege that he tried to subvert the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Gov. Henry McMaster, an ardent supporter of the former president, said he had not read the Georgia indictment but said he hadnt seen any "substance" in the prior indictments and that racketeering statutes arent intended for this purpose.

"Usually, its used for the mafia. Its used sometimes for gangs. I dont see how that applies to this at all," he told reporters in Columbia.

McMaster, who served as U.S. attorney for South Carolina in the 1980s and as the state's attorney general from 2003 to 2011, said Trumps political opponents are trying to get rid of him.

Something funny is going on here, and I dont mean funny in the humorous sense, but something, I believe, highly irregular is happening, he said.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, who months ago testified in the Georgia grand jury case investigating Trump, was among the first to push back against the former president's fourth indictment, calling what happened to Trump "unfair" even before the document was handed down.

Speaking on Fox News Aug. 14, Graham  who was not charged in the Fulton County, Georgia, case  said Trump is spending more money on legal fees than on his current 2024 presidential bid.

"The American people can decide whether they want him to be president or not," Graham, R-S.C., said in defense of his ally shortly before the formal charges were announced.

"This should be decided at the ballot box, not a bunch of liberal jurisdictions trying to put the man in jail," he added.

Graham also questioned why the courthouse posted and then quickly deleted a document on its website that detailed several charges against the former president while the grand jury was still voting.

"You know you have a trial after you hang the guy, right?" a sarcastic Graham said, adding, "This is crazy stuff."

Graham's televised defiance struck a much more forceful tone than what he relayed while taking media questions about the probe during a June 20 press conference in Mount Pleasant.

"I went down there, and told the truth as I saw it," Graham told The Post and Courier. "And I dont know what theyll do, but they were very fair to me."

At the time, Graham confirmed he was still paying his own legal bills related to the Georgia investigation. Asked then what he thought would come of the Georgia investigation, he shook his head and replied, "I dont know."

Graham reportedly was called to testify to discuss his role in the days after the 2020 presidential election when he called and asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger if his office had the power to reject certain absentee ballots.

Raffensperger, a Republican, later told The Washington Post he had interpreted Grahams question as a suggestion to toss out legally cast votes.

Graham testified for more than two hours on Nov. 22, 2022, according to a written statement from his office at the time.

He had fought a subpoena that compelled him to testify before Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her team.

Following this latest indictment, other Republicans from the Palmetto State chimed in as well, attacking the filings as politically motivated.

House Speaker Murrell Smith, who recently endorsed Trump ahead of his visit to the state last month, issued a statement where he expressed concerns that the latest indictment would erode confidence in the justice system.

"The prosecution of a presidential candidate and former president is consequential, and the far-reaching implications should not be taken lightly," the Sumter Republican said. "Our justice system is strong because its process relies on a jury of one's peer, and I have great respect for our system. I am confident the process will work as intended and deliver the true and just result."

Upstate U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan posted a social media message in defense of Trump. "The fake Geoff Duncan from Georgia is making the news again," he wrote in reference to Georgia's former lieutenant governor, who is a Republican that testified before the grand jury on Aug. 14.

When he exited the courthouse, the Georgia Republican had sharp words for his party and called Trump "the worst candidate ever in the history of the party."

"If you hear that 'Jeff Duncan' is testifying in Fulton County, know it's not me," South Carolina's Duncan wrote on social media. "Here's how you tell us apart, I'm conservative and support Donald Trump as he faces off against our two-tiered justice system."

Greenville Republican U.S. Rep. William Timmons, who has previously endorsed Trump in the GOP field, called the filing "absolutely absurd."

"This DA should be removed from office and criminally prosecuted," he added. "Georgias Governor and Attorney General should step in immediately and put an end to this sham."

U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson of the Lexington area added that "Democrat derangement" in indicting Trump "is dangerous for democracy as rule of law is undermined by political persecution. This spectacle now can best be corrected by restoring rule of law."

The 2020 results showed Biden earned 306 electoral votes to Trumps 232, the same margin that Trump had when he beat Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016  a win that he repeatedly described as a "landslide."

Alexander Thompson contributed reporting from Columbia.
If you follow pop culture and music, youll know of the latest overnight sensation that is Oliver Anthonys Rich Men North of Richmond. Its up to over 12 million views on YouTube already. Now I dont follow the country music scene at all. As readers know, I go in for esoteric prog rock (or rock and roll that went to college, as Jody Bottum describes it when he is ridiculing me), but I gather Anthonys spontaneous hit is causing another Pauline Kael moment (I dont know who these people are!) among the cultural arbiters of New York, Los Angeles, etc. They are clearly threatened by Anthonys populist message:

Livin in the new world

With an old soul

These rich men north of Richmond

Lord knows they all just wanna have total control

Wanna know what you think, wanna know what you do

And they dont think you know, but I know that you do

Cause your dollar aint shit and its taxed to no end

Cause of rich men north of Richmond

I wish politicians would look out for miners

And not just minors on an island somewhere

Lord, we got folks in the street, aint got nothin to eat

And the obese milkin welfare

As usual, the Babylon Bee cuts to the heart of the matter: Country Music Industry Confused By Man Actually From Country Making Actual Music.

A reader in North Carolina writes in with a first-hand account of seeing the Anthony phenomenon, passed along here slightly edited:

We heard that Oliver Anthony was going to give a free concert about 30 miles away at the Morris Farm Market; so we went and boy was it something else.

First, the market is in the middle of nowhere, basically at a cross roads in rural Currtuck County, NC. It is along the principal road that goes from the Norfolk/Hampton Roads, VA area to the North and Central NC outer banks, so it is heavily traveled in the summer with tourists headed down for weekly vacation rentals in Kitty Hawk, Duck, Corolla, etc. It is an authentic NC rural agricultural community. The market has a wagonesque stage with umbrellaed picnic tables around it its free live Sunday music. Until this weekend, Ive never seen more than maybe twenty people there listening.

The energy at the farm was amazing  it ranged from somewhere between summer tent revival and a summer Luke Bryan concert. Positive, vibrant, earnest, and times a bit edgy.

Despite being in the middle of nowhere by any suburban/elite measure, there was a traffic jam getting on the farm and getting parking in grassy overflow area. I estimated maybe a thousand people. My wife thought possibly 1,200 to 1,500. I talked to one of the cashiers and she said that this has been scheduled for a while and that they didnt expect many people until Olivers video went viral, then they scrambled to order porta potties, get the sheriff on tap to direct traffic, and have the Currituck Co. volunteer fire/EMS to be there too. One unfortunate thing, was they didnt exponentially scale their beer stock in time, so they ran out of beer part way through. But, they had no idea over a thousand people would show up.

People were singing along (for a song that just hit the web a few days earlier). It was authentic fun with a larger point. Oliver has tapped into the frustration of normal people with the centralized federal government that has reached evermore into their daily lives, with of course, negative consequences. At one point he sang   and Republicans and Democrats dont give a damn   and the crowd went absolutely wild (one of many times). There were even shouts of uniparty which totally shocked me. I thought that was a wonky term, but apparently not.

We struck up a conversation with Eva, a book keeper for a family owned construction company, who was in the back of the crowd. She had been politically indifferent until about 2009/2010. Now she is engaged and thinks that there is no representation in DC for normal people like her and the people in her orbit. She feel completely disenfranchised and cut out of all the meaningful decisions on the federal level that directly impacts her and her work and community. Broadly summarizing of course, but she articulately bent our ear for a few minutes while we were enjoying the music and the positive energy at the concert.

Then, Jamey Johnson popped up on stage and it was pandemonium  he did a duet of In Color with Oliver.

Some other impressions and observations  bunch of funny t-shirts  the best one was a Yelp-style one-star review: Government with one filled in star on the 5-star scale, then the comment: Do not recommend.. Not much Trump wear though and that surprised me. Very little of that in fact. There were F**k Biden shirts of various designs mixed in. Lots of 2A themed hats and shirts too. Jesus shirts and work shirts; button down work shirts with a business name (over right pocket) and employee name (over left pocket); lots of families with kids of all ages; young old, tattooed and not. Some look like they came right after church. And, of course, beards of all types!

I talked to a guy with his wife and two kids, one was 4 or 5 and the baby was maybe 18-months old and in a stroller. He worked on one of the other vegetable farms nearby as a diesel mechanic. I asked him and his wife why he came  to have fun and support Oliver. Both of them also identified and agreed with the broad message of disenfranchisement and frustration with Washington. They insisted that they werent political; I took that the mean that it wasnt a day-to-day focus for them. I asked him if he would vote for any Republican or just someone who would act on the things that Oliver was talking about and they both answered, nearly in unison: No! With a twinkle in my eye, I asked if they would vote for Mitt Romney or Paul Ryan. No to Mitt, and a who is that? to Ryan. One of the many highlights.

It was a fun couple of hours. Real people having fun and commiserating over the direction of politics, but with an edgy hope mixed in. It is a real moment. I just dont see anyone on the national stage with the clear-eyed vision to really capture all this ex-urban discontent and nascent centrist populism.
A Fulton County Georgia grand jury handed up an indictment of President Trump and 18 other staffers and lawyers including Mark Meadows, Jenna Ellis, Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, and Sidney Powell in connection with the 2020 election. The sprawling indictment runs to 41 counts and 98 pages in all.

Thirteen of the 41 counts charge Trump. A racketeering charge leads the indictment. Jonathan Turley comments: District Attorney Fani Willis appears to have elected to charge everything and everyone and let God sort them out. Its too much to absorb in one sitting.

The court clerk has posted the indictment here. It is a searchable document. Axios has also posted a searchable version of the indictment on DocumentCloud.

As an innocent bystander, I generally find it hard to take the indictment seriously. It is more of the same, only more so and worse. Our descent into third-world disorder and chaos is picking up speed on the way down.

Shortly after Reuters reported yesterday afternoon that the Case Information had been posted online, the court clerks office released a statement calling the Case Information document fictitious.

Well, perhaps in a sense we have blundered onto the truth.

Here is one disturbing thread reflected in numerous allegedly unlawful Acts set forth in the indictment (summary by Brittany Bernstein/NRO):

On Sunday, CNN reported on text messages and other communications obtained by prosecutors in the Georgia probe that purportedly connect members of the former presidents legal team with a January 2021 voting-systems breach. Just landed back in DC with the Mayor huge things starting to come together! Most immediately, we were just granted access  by written invitation!  to Coffee Countys systems. Yay! reads one message from January 1, 2021, according to CNN. The message was sent in a group chat of colleagues from Sullivan Strickler, a law firm used by Trumps team to review the voting systems in Coffee County, a rural Georgia county that Trump won by 70 percent. The mayor appears to refer to Trumps then-lawyer, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani. That written invitation was reportedly authored by former Coffee County elections official Misty Hampton, who falsely told the Trump team in the days after the election that Dominion voting machines could very easily change votes from one candidate to another. A Trump campaign official asked Hampton in an email to obtain as much information as possible about the voting situation in the county. Hampton and elections official Cathy Latham ultimately appeared to help the Trump team access the Coffee County voting system, according to messages obtained by CNN. Surveillance footage reportedly shows Latham allowing unauthorized visitors to access the voting systems.

Ms. Willis held a brief press conference just before midnight. In response to one of the few questions she took Willis emphatically professed ignorance regarding the posting of the Case Information by the clerk before the grand jury had voted the indictment. I dont believe her.

The late hour of the press conference put me in mind of George McGoverns speech accepting the nomination of the assembled multitude to bear the Democratic standard against Richard Nixon in 1972. You may recall that the theme was Come home, America. It was the preface to an electoral wipeout and we can only hope that Miss Fanis project suffers a similar fate one way or another.

McGoverns theme was essentially isolationist. Now we indeed need to come home. We need to come home to a restoration of America. It could be a powerful theme.

I hesitate to say that Willis and all the rest of the Trump prosecutors dont know the damage they are doing. They just dont care. That much I can tell you.
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Denny's recognized Thornton of Fort Washington, MD., and awarded $354,000 in scholarships during the 2022-2023 Hungry for Education (HFE) scholarship seasonSPARTANBURG, SC / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Jayla Thornton, a junior, political science major at North Carolina A&T State University, has been selected as this year's national winner of Denny's Hungry for Education Scholarship.Denny's LogoDenny's Logo Thornton, a resident of Fort Washington, MD, received the top award out of a field of 2,444 applications, along with a scholarship for $5,000. Denny's, a longtime supporter of education at Historically Black Colleges & Universities, partnered with the Tom Joyner Foundation for this year's award."There were thousands of phenomenal submissions, but Jayla's essay truly rose to the top," said April Kelly Drummond, vice president, diversity, equity and inclusion. "Jayla's creativity, intelligence, and commitment to her community jumped off the page, and we're thrilled to provide her with this award." Thornton's winning essay proposed a major initiative, which envisions Denny's working to combat "food deserts" in her community. A food desert is a geographic area where affordable, nutritious and fresh food is hard to obtain, particularly for those without access to an automobile. As Thornton points out, despite being the third-largest city within the state, Greensboro, NC, has 17 of the 24 food deserts in Guilford County. Thornton, who plans to attend law school, recommends Denny's host an event in a centrally located neighborhood in Greensboro where residents can access fresh food from a farmer's market, mental health counseling from local organizations and receive information from other local social services and social justice organizations."This award means so much to me because it feels like a wonderful validation of my passion and hard work," said Thornton. "Denny's has been such a powerful presence in my community and I am looking forward to working with them for many years to come.Denny's Hungry for Education (HFE) is a scholarship program that recognizes and rewards students who show initiative and creativity in helping Denny's bring communities together. Partnering with 11 leading, nonprofit, minority advocacy organizations, Denny's awarded over $354,000 in scholarships this year to deserving elementary, high school, and college students. Since its launch in 2011, the brand has awarded more than $2 million in scholarships.This year's scholarships open on Sept. 1 and students can apply by going to www.dennys.com/hfe About Denny's:Denny's is one of the largest franchised full-service restaurant brands in the world, based on number of restaurants. As of March 29, 2023, Denny's had 1,594 franchised, licensed and company restaurants, which includes 161 restaurants in Canada, Costa Rica, Curacao, El Salvador, Guam, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.To learn more about Denny's, please visit our brand website at www.dennys.com or the brand's social channels via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn or YouTube.Contact InformationAndy Izquierdoaizquierdo@ dennys.com 347-570-2960SOURCE: Denny's Corporation
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Dermadry is back with its fifth annual edition of the Dermadry Hyperhidrosis Scholarship. The contest is open to students who suffer from hyperhidrosis, a medical condition characterized by excessive sweating that affects approximately 1 in 20 people worldwide. The student with the most compelling story will win a $2,000 Cash Prize.MONTREAL, QC / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Dermadry, the leading provider of hyperhidrosis treatment solutions, is excited to announce the launch of its fifth annual Dermadry Hyperhidrosis Scholarship. This scholarship program aims to support students worldwide who suffer from hyperhidrosis, a medical condition characterized by excessive sweating that affects approximately 1 in 20 people globally.Underarm dry Hyperhidrosis can have a significant impact on a person's quality of life, affecting their confidence, social interactions, and overall well-being. Dermadry is committed to raising awareness about this condition and supporting those who are affected by it."We are thrilled to launch the fifth edition of the Dermadry Hyperhidrosis Scholarship," said Mathieu Mireault, co-founder of Dermadry. "Our goal is to provide financial assistance to students who are dealing with hyperhidrosis, helping them pursue their educational dreams without the burden of excessive sweating holding them back." To apply for the scholarship, students are asked to record themselves discussing their experience with hyperhidrosis and how it impacts their studies and everyday life. The application form can be found at this link. Submissions close on Aug. 20 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. The scholarship is open to students worldwide who are currently enrolled in a post-secondary educational program.The winner of the scholarship will receive a prestigious 1st Prize of $2,000 USD. Additionally, there are other enticing rewards to be won, including a 2nd Prize of $1,000 USD and a 3rd Prize of $500 USD. The top 3 winners will also each receive a Dermadry Total, a hyperhidrosis treatment device. As a special incentive, the seven runner-ups will each receive a Dermadry Total to help them during their academic journey.But that's not all. Dermadry wants to reward every applicant. Each participant will receive an exclusive discount code, granting them a remarkable 70% reduction on their Dermadry order.A panel of experts from Dermadry will select 10 finalists from the submissions. Five finalists' entries will be chosen by members of the Dermadry team, and the remaining five will be determined by public voting on Dermadry's social media platforms.Dermadry is excited to support students with hyperhidrosis through its annual scholarship program. By providing financial assistance and raising awareness about this condition, Dermadry hopes to empower students to pursue their educational goals without the limitations of excessive sweating.About Dermadry: Dermadry is a leading provider of hyperhidrosis treatment solutions. Our innovative iontophoresis machine helps individuals suffering from excessive sweating find relief and regain their confidence. With a commitment to raising awareness and supporting those affected by hyperhidrosis, Dermadry continues to make a positive impact in the lives of many.Contact Information:Mathieu MireaultMarketing Directorm.mireault@ dermadry.com SOURCE: Dermadry
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SALALAH, OMAN / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Exahertz, a Muscat-based start-up, has made significant strides in Oman's blockchain industry as it secures government approval for its massive blockchain data center project in Salalah. With the backing of Axeron Capital Holding Ltd, Moonwalk Systems FZCO, and Shumookh Investment and Services, Exahertz aims to establish Oman as a leading blockchain hub in the Middle East, alongside its neighboring countries.Sam Ferdows, CEO of Moonwalk Systems, & Jad Fredrick Kharma, CEO of Exahertz, with their Honorable Guests during the Grand Opening Ceremony in Salalah Oman. The Ministry of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology, along with the Authority for Public Services Regulations (APSR), are providing support for this ambitious venture, highlighting Oman's commitment to infrastructure development and job creation across various sectors. The government is actively working with Exahertz and other stakeholders to attract foreign investments and leverage submarine cables to propel Oman's digital economy.H.E Eng. Saeed Bin Hamoud Al Mawali, Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology said that the "Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology seeks to build cooperative partnerships with leading local and international private sector entities in the various types of digital technologies, as the Ministry works to attract foreign investments in this ever-developing industry." Moreover, he added that "this effort will fulfil our expectations and goals for bolstering the Sultanate of Oman's Digital economy and making full use of submarine cables that connect the Sultanate of Oman to the rest of the continents digitally." "Through our project, we aspire to shape the future of software-defined data centers, paving the way for flexible applications that seamlessly adapt to the ever-evolving computing landscape," emphasized Jad Kharma, the Founder of Axeron and CEO of Exahertz. "It is with great conviction that I underscore the immense significance of Blockchain computing as the bedrock of the digital economy. This technology empowers us to make further investments in web 3.0, Industry 4.0, and AI infrastructure, propelling us into a new era of innovation and growth." Jad Fredrick Kharma further expressed his pride in Exahertz's collaboration with industry leaders and visionaries, stating, "At Exahertz, we take immense pride in partnering with esteemed individuals who share our vision, as we collectively design the next generation of software and hardware solutions. These advancements will play a pivotal role in supporting Oman's future growth and solidifying its position as a tech-forward nation." Reflecting on the interconnected nature of Blockchain and hyperscale data centers, Jad Fredrick Kharma added, "Blockchain, hyperscale and energy are becoming synonymous. Building an adequate and efficient infrastructure is the key to unlocking success in this convergence. We must prioritize the establishment of a robust framework that harmoniously integrates these elements to drive unparalleled progress." H.E Sheikh Mansour Bin Taleb Bin Ali Al Hinai, Chairman of Oman's Authority for Public Services Regulations, expressed excitement about the commencement of such projects in the Sultanate. Al Hinai emphasized the authority's commitment to modernizing Oman's business diversification and technology industry, showcasing their support for Exahertz and its contribution to future capabilities.Exahertz plans to expand rapidly by investing substantial capital and debt to build a cutting-edge infrastructure sourced from national factories. Their strategic partnerships and focus on hydro and immersion cooling mining technologies will help control power costs and ensure operational efficiency. Notably, Exahertz has garnered support from key industry players, positioning itself as one of the leading Bitcoin mining firms in the region. Renowned blockchain heavyweight Bitmain is collaborating with Exahertz to operate and supply mining equipment.Despite recent fluctuations in Bitcoin prices, Exahertz and Moonwalk Systems are delighted to announce the successful operation of their testing facility in SFZ since March 2023. The facility has provided valuable data and insights that have played a pivotal role in shaping the understanding of challenges and solutions in the blockchain space and the harsh conditions of the region. This achievement has reaffirmed and confirmed Exahertz's ambitious goal of deploying additional 50,000 operational devices and servers across the Sultanate by mid to end 2024, equating to approximately 10 Exahash in computing capabilities across various types of technologies and cooling solutions.District Cooling provider Tabreed-Oman has taken on the critical task of providing sustainable cooling solutions for the data center, ensuring energy-efficient operations. Mr. Abdullah Hiani, CEO of Tabreed Oman, expresses enthusiasm for their role in sustainable cooling infrastructure and the adoption of advanced technologies in the industry.Sam Ferdows serves as the CEO of Moonwalk Systems, a prominent strategic partner and primary supporter of Exahertz. highlights their commitment to creating state-of-the-art blockchain data centers using the latest cutting-edge technology. He states, "We are focused on making our sites in Oman the benchmark for blockchain data centers in the Middle East with enhanced and sustainable solutions." With a strong emphasis on operational efficiency and boosting computational power, Moonwalk Systems aims to optimize performance and contribute to the advancement of blockchain technology. Ferdows adds, "We are determined to drive innovation in the industry and make a lasting impact in the Middle East's blockchain ecosystem." Sam added, "Earlier this year, we embarked on our journey with our pilot project, 'Area 51,' in Salalah. In just three weeks, we managed to develop and bring our first computers online. This accomplishment sets an industry world record for speed of development without compromising on quality and standards. I'm immensely proud of the Moonwalk and Exahertz team for this achievement, but believe me, we are just getting started." Dr. Ali Tabook, CEO of Salalah Free Zone, wholeheartedly supports Exahertz as an early believer in their project and vision, recognizing the positive impact it will bring to various sectors in Salalah, and the sultanate leadership vision 2040 goals. He states, "Blockchain data centers have the potential to drive economic growth, attract foreign investments, create high-value jobs, enhance data security, and establish Salalah not
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TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Galway Metals Inc. (TSXV:GWM)(OTCQB:GAYMF) (the "Company" or "Galway") is pleased to give an update on corporate activities at the flagship Clarence Stream property in New Brunswick, Canada. Galway Metals also has the Estrades gold/ base-metal project in Quebec, Canada.Galway released an updated Mineral Resource for Clarence Stream (the "Resource") in an April 25, 2022 press release (click here to view the full report). This represented a more than doubling of Measured and Indicated, and quadrupling Inferred gold resources at Clarence Stream, consisting of the following resource estimates:Indicated Open Pit resources of 886,000 ounces at 2.27 g/t Au,Inferred Open Pit resources 731,000 ounces at 1.93 g/t Au,Indicated Underground resources of 36,000 ounces at 4.1 g/t Au,Inferred Underground resources of 603,000 ounces at 4.5 g/t Au"The open pit grades at Clarence Stream are very good, indicated grading 2.27 g/t Au. Our focus is on finding more good grade, open pit resources in the undrilled areas in and between the pit shells, where there are significant gaps in drilling," said Robert Hinchcliffe, President of Galway Metals, "In addition to this drilling, we will be exploring the 5 best targets for new gold zones. The Company has been very successful at targeting and discovering many gold zones in the past. Increasing resources with the potential for open pit mining and metallurgical work is part of the program to complete a successful PEA." Galway is undertaking numerous efforts to advance both projects it owns, particularly Clarence Stream:Drilling to improve the open pits at the SW Deposit- particularly drilling open areas outside the resource block models to bring in more resource and reduce waste.Metallurgical Testing- first at the SW Deposit where no MET work has ever been done on this new deposit, and then at Estrades; the Clarence Stream work is designed in 5 different areas to see if conventional cyanide will liberate good recoveries and if gravity recoveries are good. Results are pending (Figure 1)Geologic mapping, structural analyses and prospecting of the 5 highest priority highest soil/till geochemical anomalous linear zones- especially in areas where boulders with high gold were found locallyThere are 11 people currently working at Clarence Stream.Base-line water sampling is proceeding.Structural interpretations are being attained through comparing new and old core from the Adrian/GMZ areas of the SW DepositA second drill is being added this monthThe Top 5 Exploration Targets (Figure 2):The "Triangle" which includes the Stewart Zone east of the felsic intrusive that is related to the SW Deposit; drilling has returned intersections such as 8.0 g/t Au over 9.5m, 3.9 g/t Au over 6.0m, 4.1 g/t Au over 10.25m, and 8.6 g/t Au over 2.0m along 1380 metres -none of which is in the resource and all of which is interpreted to dip towards veins in the SW Deposit that are dipping the same way; the Sawyer Brook fault (the main accretionary structure on the property that controls most mineralization) is located there; the area of the triangle is 180% larger than the SW Deposit (Figure 3)A target within and on the contacts of a multi-phase gabbro complex that likely is the source of gabbro dykes that host mineralization at the South Zone and at Oak Bay (19 km apart) with the gabbro complex in between; soils run as high as 4980, 3210, and 3120 ppb - the 3 highest on the property, plus with the third highest till anomaly on the entire property (86 ppb). (Figure 4)One target is the 4km+ of very high-grade soils that are on strike approximately 2km to the SW of the SW Deposit. This 4km+ long soil anomaly, which hosts 11 soils that returned between 100 and 681 ppb Au, is located along a very strong linear magnetic low. All the known zones are located along magnetic lows, and they are thought to represent structural conduits for gold-bearing fluids. (Figure 4)A target is located parallel to and south of the SW Zone. This 12km+ long soil anomaly that hosts 12 soils that returned between 100 and 1030 ppb Au is located along a very strong linear magnetic low, with 7 anomalous boulders that range up to 16.3 g/t Au and 7.5 g/t Au with gabbro as host - similar to the South Zone, plus with the second highest till anomaly on the entire property (95 ppb). (Figure 4)A target located along a very strong 9 km+ linear magnetic low, with 4 strong till anomalies, a 1 km long soil anomaly located parallel to and NW of the SW Deposit. (Figure 4)Metallurgical Work at Clarence StreamThe Clarence Stream Project will undergo initial metallurgical test work at the southwest deposit (the largest and newest part of the resource) which will be subjected to a cyanidation test to benchmark gold extraction, and testing of chemical and mineralogical characterization will also occur. Galway Metals has engaged Blue Coast Research Ltd., Parksville BC., to perform initial bottle roll cyanidation testing to see if the gold mineralization in the South West Deposit is amenable to cyanide gold extraction, as a first step in determining processing options.Initial metallurgical test work will be conducted on a limited number of variability samples collected from across the South West Zone of the Clarence Stream deposit. Samples are approximately 10 kg of material from  or  core. Test work will include gold and multielement chemical analyses, and mineralogy by QemSCAN to determine gold mineral occurrence, mineral associations, and gold particle size distribution. Samples will be subjected to (bottle roll) cyanidation tests on primary grind pulps for a preliminary test of gold extract.New Brunswick Junior Mining Assistance ProgramGalway would like to acknowledge financial support from the New Brunswick Junior Mining Assistance Program, which partially funded the drilling of the SW DepositClarence Stream Geology and MineralizationClarence Stream deposits can be characterized as intrusion-related, quartz-vein hosted gold deposits. They contain elevated levels of bismuth and arsenopyrite in multiple quartz veins, with significant antimony in the South and North Zones and tungsten in the vicinity. The Zones contain multiple zones of quartz veining with sulfides and sericite alteration. In general, mineralization at Clarence Stream consists of 10-70% quartz stockworks and veins with 1-5% fine pyrite plus pyrrhotite plus arsenopyrite in sericite altered sediments. The South and North Zones also contain stibnite. Locally there is up to 10% sphalerite and semi-massive galena veinlets. The 3.1 km trend that hosts the SW Deposit is associated with a mineralized mafic intrusive locally - similar to the South Zon
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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 14, 2023 / GLG Life Tech Corporation (TSX:GLG) ("GLG" or the "Company"), a global leader in the agricultural and commercial development of high-quality zero-calorie natural sweeteners, announces financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023. The complete set of financial statements and management discussion and analysis are available on SEDAR and on the Company's website at www.glglifetech.com FINANCIAL SUMMARYThe Company reported revenues of $2.0 million in the second quarter of 2023, compared to $2.8 million in revenue for the second quarter of 2022. The Company's gross profit margin was unchanged at 32% for the second quarters of both 2022 and 2023.The Company reported revenues of $3.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023, compared to $5.5 million for the same period last year. The Company's gross profit margin decreased by two percentage points to 29% for the period, compared to 31% for the same period last year.The Company continues its efforts to closely manage its SG&A expenses, lowering these expenses in both the three and six month periods in 2023, compared to the respective prior periods in 2022.For the three months ended June 30, 2023, the Company had a net loss attributable to the Company's shareholders of $2.7 million, a decrease of $2.8 million or 51% over the comparable period in 2022 ($5.5 million). The Company reported a net loss per share of $0.07 for the second quarter of 2023, compared to a net loss per share of $0.14 for the second quarter of 2022.For the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Company had a net loss attributable to the Company's shareholders of $9.1 million, a decrease of $0.6 million or 6% over the comparable period in 2022 ($9.7 million). The Company reported a net loss per share of $0.24 for the first six months of 2023, compared to a net loss per share of $0.25 for the same period in 2022.CORPORATE DEVELOPMENTS2023 AGM Voting ResultsThe Company held its Annual and Special General Meeting on June 16, 2023. The shareholders voted in all nominated directors, with favorable votes for each exceeding 99%. Dr. Luke Zhang continues as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer and Brian Palmieri continues as Vice Chairman of the Board.Company OutlookIn recent quarters, one of the most critical items that management has focused on and continues to focus on is the development and implementation of plans to stem the losses that the Company has suffered in recent years and to ameliorate the Company's financial position. As a result of those sustained losses, the Company lacks the cash necessary to fully fund the business operations and its strategic product initiatives. The Company continues to manage its cash flows carefully to mitigate risk of insolvency. As a result of these efforts, management has been successful in improving the Company's cash flows. Nevertheless, without an infusion of cash in the months ahead, the Company may not be able to realize its strategic plans and could eventually cease to be a going concern.To address that cash need, management has negotiated CAD $1 million revolving loan facilities with a third party for working capital purposes. In 2020, management also realized the sale of one of its two idle assets; the sale of the "Runhao" facility resulted in significant debt reduction and better positions the Company to be able to access additional lines of working capital. Management also continues to explore options for the sale or repurposing of its idle "Runyang" primary processing facility in Jiangsu province to further address its cash needs and/or balance sheet.Another factor that continues to contribute to the Company's financial situation is the competitive price pressure in the stevia market over the last two years that has reduced mainstream "Reb A" products (such as Reb A 80 and Reb A 97) to the lowest price levels in years, although pricing has begun to rise (reflecting the increased cost of raw materials in the most recent harvest). Monk fruit prices have also become highly competitive in the marketplace. To maintain margins at sustainable levels, the Company has focused on improving its production efficiencies, continues to strive for a mix of products that is weighted more heavily on higher margin, specialty products, and has focused more on higher margin direct sales.The Company's focus on maintaining positive cash flow led the Company to take decisive steps in 2021 and 2022 to reduce its SG&A costs as well as its production costs. Both its North American operations and Chinese operations have significantly reduced SG&A costs. For the last several years, the Company's production capacity has been far greater than its projected order levels as it had sought rapid increases in orders for Reb A products. The Company's aim continues to be to "right-size" its Chinese operations - i.e., to optimize its staffing and production planning to meet the Company's projected production requirements while retaining the ability to accommodate growth in future order volumes - and management made significant progress in this area and continues striving to optimize staffing and production plans. As a result, this has enabled the Company to sell its goods at more competitive and/or more profitable prices although the competitive price pressures remain strong.The Company continues to explore options to significantly improve its balance sheet and cash flows, whether through restructuring of debt or other opportunities for infusions of cash to address the debt load. Having closed the idle asset sale in 2020 and having successfully implemented right-sizing efforts to manage costs, having entered into the joint venture, and continuing to optimize production efficiencies, costs, and planning, management is proceeding down the best available path to increased financial stability and improved profitability.SELECTED FINANCIALSAs noted above, the complete set of financial statements and management discussion and analysis for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023, are available on SEDAR and on the Company's website at www.glglifetech.com Results from OperationsThe following results from operations have been derived from and should be read in conjunction with the Company's annual consolidated financial statements for 2022 and the condensed interim consolidated financial statements for the six-month period ended June 30, 2023.3 Months Ended June 30 % Change 6 Months Ended June 30 % Change In thousands Canadian $, except per share amounts 2023 2022 2023 2022 Revenue $2,004 $2,771 (28)% $3,561 %2
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Leading pet product innovator unveils BIONIC toys for pets, showcasing the future of durable and engaging pet play at Mandalay Bay Convention Center.LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / The Hagen Group, an industry trailblazer in pet products and solutions, is thrilled to announce the highly anticipated launch of BIONIC pet toys at SuperZoo 2023. Attendees, including pet enthusiasts and industry professionals, will have an exclusive opportunity to experience and test BIONIC firsthand. Hagen will be returning to BIONIC's founding durability principals with the creation of a new BIONIC material sciences unit, focusing on high-performance and quality BIONIC products.With a longstanding commitment to enhancing the lives of pets and their owners through innovation, the Hagen Group continues to foster the human-animal bond. The launch of BIONIC underscores Hagen's dedication to pushing the boundaries of exceptional pet products."At the Hagen Group, our mission is to enrich the lives of pets and their owners," stated Brad Hamilton, Vice President of Product Development, Dog & Cat. "With BIONIC, we're elevating the concept of pet play, offering unparalleled durability and quality for tail-wagging playtime." BIONIC dog toys are meticulously crafted to cater to the most tenacious chewers. Constructed from durable BIONIC RUBBER, these toys are free from harmful substances such as Lead, BPA, and phthalates, ensuring a safe play experience. Boasting unrivaled durability with patented defensive geometry, BIONIC toys are designed to withstand rigorous play. Many BIONIC shapes also feature treat compartments, adding extra engagement and enjoyment.SuperZoo 2023 attendees, industry professionals, and media representatives are cordially invited to visit the Hagen Group's booth (#4225) at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas from August 16th to 18th to witness the launch of BIONIC. Don't miss this chance to witness the evolution of tail-wagging fun.For additional information about BIONIC, please visit www.bionicdogtoys.com About HAGEN GROUPCaring for pets since 1955, the family company founded by Rolf C. Hagen, with offices and distribution centers in the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, and Asia, services customers on every continent worldwide and has grown to become the world's largest privately owned, multinational pet products manufacturer and distributor. Driven by a common bond of love and compassion for animals, Hagen is dedicated to creating practical and innovative products that enhance the health and welfare of pets worldwide. Led by market-leading brands like BIONIC, Exo Terra, Fluval, and Catit, the Hagen group company will continue to invest in product innovation, pinnacle nutrition, and consumer experience.About BIONIC:Duke effortlessly destroyed yet another new toy! After years of testing, we developed BIONIC - toys that Duke couldn't destroy, and he joyfully wagged his tail. BIONIC is designed for dogs who can demolish ordinary toys in minutes.Media ContactDanny O'Loughlin for Hagen Groupdanny@ hollywoodagency.com SOURCE: Hagen Group
PR-Inside.com: 2023-08-15 19:15:33

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Hagens Berman urges RTX Corporation f/k/a Raytheon Technologies Corporation (NYSE:RTX) investors who suffered substantial losses to submit your losses now. The Firm also encourages persons with knowledge that might assist the investigation to contact its attorneys.Class Period: Feb. 8, 2021 - July 25, 2023Lead Plaintiff Deadline: Oct. 2, 2023Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/rtx Contact An Attorney Now: RTX@ hbsslaw.com 844-916-0895RTX Corporation (RTX) Securities Fraud Class Action:The litigation focuses on RTX's disclosures about its manufacturing quality controls within its Pratt & Whitney engine program.The complaint alleges that RTX made false or misleading statements and failed to disclose that: (1) its engines had been affected from at least 2015 - 2020 by a quality control issue; and (2) this issue would require RTX to recall and reinspect many engines, affecting its customers and harming its business.Investors learned the truth on July 25, 2023, when Reuters reported that contamination in the metal used to manufacture the Pratt & Whitney engine parts meant that 1,200 of the more than 3,000 engines built of the twin-engine Airbus A320neo between 2015 and 2021 must be removed and inspected for micro cracks.The same day, RTX reduced its 2023 free cash flow guidance by about $500 million (or about 10%) and blamed this on "recent" findings of contamination in the metal used to make its Pratt & Whitney engine parts that would require potentially hundreds of accelerated engine inspections.During the earnings call, management revealed "[i]t's going to be expensive" and "[t]his is an issue that we first uncovered back in 2020 when we had an incident with the V2500 turbine disc." This news sent the price of RTX shares sharply lower that day."We're focused on investors' losses and proving RTX misled investors about its manufacturing quality controls and, recently, its claim to have remediated the contamination issue in 2021," said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation.If you invested in RTX Corporation 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 RTX Corporation 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 RTX@ 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 Sobol Shapiro LLP
PR-Inside.com: 2023-08-15 18:47:01

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Hagens Berman urges FMC Corporation (NYSE:FMC) investors who suffered substantial losses to submit your losses now.Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/FMC Contact An Attorney Now: FMC@ hbsslaw.com 844-916-0895FMC Corporation (FMC) Investigation:The investigation focuses on the propriety of FMC's sales and inventory management practices.On May 1, 2023, FMC announced its Q1 2023 financial results, said Q2 2023 revenue would be flat to the prior year quarter, and maintained FY 2023 revenue outlook of $6.08 to $6.22 billion.But, on July 10, 2023, FMC announced updated expectations for its Q2 and FY 2023 outlook. In particular, the company slashed its Q2 2023 revenue outlook by about 30%, reduced its FY 2023 revenue outlook by over 14%, and blamed the reduced guidance on reductions in channel inventory that adversely impacted the company's sales volumes in the quarter.This news sent the price of FMC shares sharply lower that day."We're focused on investors' losses and whether FMC may have engaged in improper channel-stuffing," said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation.If you invested in FMC 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 FMC Corporation 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 FMC@ 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 Sobol Shapiro LLP
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 14, 2023 / Hagens Berman urges Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HE) investors who suffered substantial losses to submit your losses now.Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/HE Contact An Attorney Now: HE@ hbsslaw.com 844-916-0895Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. (NYSE: HE) Investigation:The investigation focuses on Hawaiian Electric's assurances that it has a robust wildfire mitigation and grid resiliency program that includes, among other things, inspecting its infrastructure.When historic wildfires recently broke out in Maui, killing dozens of people and causing billions of dollars of damage, the company's assurances came into question.On August 12, 2023, The Washington Post reported that "[b]efore the Maui wildfires, Hawaiian Electric did not have a plan - adopted widely in California and other states - to shut off power in certain lines in advance of dangerous winds." According to the Post "Hawaiian Electric was aware that a power shut-off was an effective strategy, documents show, but had not adopted it as part of its fire-mitigation plans, according to the company and two former power and energy officials interviewed by The Washington Post." Citing a former member of the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission, the Post reported that the decision to avoid shutting off power "is reflective of the utility's struggles to bolster its aging and vulnerable infrastructure against wildfires[.]"This news drove the price of Hawaiian Electric shares sharply lower on Aug. 14, 2023."We're focused on investors' losses and whether Hawaiian Electric misled investors about its operational safeguards necessary to comply with state safety requirements," said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation.If you invested in Hawaiian Electric 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 Hawaiian Electric 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 HE@ 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 Sobol Shapiro LLP
PR-Inside.com: 2023-08-15 15:31:22

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Victory included a $700,000 verdict for a client injured in a big truck negligence caseBOWLING GREEN, KY / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers is dedicated to helping clients achieve the highest payout possible, as evidenced by the firm winning the largest auto jury verdict case in Kentucky in 2022, as reported by the Kentucky Trial Court Review. Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers won a $700,000 verdict for a 54-year-old woman who suffered injuries in a crash caused by a disabled tractor-trailer that hit a median on a Christian County, Kentucky interstate.On December 16, 2019, Lisa Mayes was a passenger in a car being driven by another woman who encountered a sudden emergency on I-24 and had no time to avoid colliding with a tractor-trailer that was disabled on the interstate. Prior to the wreck, the tractor-trailer had gone off the road into a median and became entangled in guide wire. Rather than remaining in the median with a flat tire, the driver of the semi-truck attempted to continue to drive the damaged tractor-trailer onto the highway. The tractor-trailer became disabled with no power or safety warnings on the darkened interstate, resulting in the collision.As a result of the wreck with the big truck, Mayes sustained significant injuries, including a rotator cuff tear, a broken elbow and a nerve injury to her hand. She has had to undergo multiple surgeries and has sustained permanent scarring and limitations with her right arm, incurring significant medical expenses and impairment."Passengers have rights when traveling on Kentucky roadways, so when someone threatens their safety with negligence or by obstructing the roadway, our clients deserve compensation," said Lee Coleman, founder of Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers. "This tragedy was preventable, but because of another driver's negligence, Lisa's life is forever changed. We are dedicated to getting hard-earned results and fighting every day for clients like Mayes to ensure your story is heard and you are fairly compensated for the negligence of others." Mayes incurred medical bills of $163,555, and once Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers got involved, the team worked to analyze all medical conditions, review the police report, investigate the collision and contact accident experts and doctors to testify on her behalf. Determining that the truck driver pulled back into the roadway in his disabled truck, thereby obstructing traffic, the Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers team promptly filed a lawsuit on Mayes's behalf, winning the jury trialwith a verdict totaling $700,000 - the largest reported auto jury verdict in Kentucky in 2022. The $700,000 jury verdict consisted of $125,000 for her medical bills and $25,000 more for future medical bills, and $200,000 for her impairment. The jury also added $350,000 for the Mayes' pain and suffering.Big truck accidents can be extremely devastating, but drivers and passengers have legal remedies that can help them cope with their injuries and the challenges they are experiencing. The Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers team has the expertise to handle big truck wreck personal injury cases in Kentucky and Tennessee. Cases involving commercial trucking companies are very complex and often involve several different parties, including the truck driver, the trucking company and the truck manufacturer - each with their own lawyers and insurance companies who are looking to payout as little as possible. They will begin their investigations immediately, so it is important to have an experienced truck accident lawyer to handle your case, who knows the tactics these companies use to try and avoid taking responsibility for their negligence.Hughes & Coleman offers a free consultation and can immediately jump into action gathering evidence, sending a letter of preservation to the trucking company to preserve evidence, talking to witnesses, getting police reports and reconstructing the accident in order to build a powerful legal case. The Hughes & Coleman Big Truck Team can explain legal options and provide needed information to help victims make informed decisions about how they want to move forward, including possible compensation for lost wages, medical bills not covered by insurance, permanent injuries, future medical bills and long-term wage loss, pain and suffering and property damage.To learn more about how Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers can help handle big truck and auto personal injury cases in Kentucky and Tennessee, watch What To Do After A Big Truck Accident.Hiring an experienced, passionate and local big truck wreck attorney is vital to your case. Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers is ready to take your call. Read more about cases won by Hughes and Coleman Injury Lawyers. For a free case consultation, contact Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers today at 800-800-4600 or book an appointment online.About Hughes & Coleman:Hughes & Coleman was founded in 1985 and has recovered over a billion dollars for our clients in Kentucky and Tennessee injured from auto accidents, big truck wrecks, motorcycle accidents, defective medical products, nursing home abuse, slip and fall accidents, and wrongful death. Hughes & Coleman operates 10 offices in Kentucky and Tennessee.Contact:Lora Fisher, Brand Development Director270-782-6003 ext. 147lfisher@ hughesandcoleman.com SOURCE: Hughes & Coleman
PR-Inside.com: 2023-08-15 15:45:36

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CLEVELAND, OH / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment (CDLI) provided $20.2 million for the construction of new affordable housing in Anchorage, AK. CDLI provided $9 million in Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) equity, a $10 construction loan and a $1.3 million permanent loan to finance the new construction of Ch'bala Corners II, a 38-unit, family project developed and managed by Cook Inlet Housing Authority (CIHA). (Ch'bala is the Upper Cook Inlet Dena'ina word for spruce.) KeyBanc Capital Markets (KBCM) also sold $10 million of tax- exempt bonds through a public offering, the proceeds of which will be used to support the financing of the project.Ch'bala Corners II consists of three 8-plex buildings, three 4-plex buildings and one duplex. Of the 38 units, 23 units will be restricted at 50% area median income (AMI) and 15 units will be restricted at 60% AMI. Eight units will be set aside for disabled households, and eight units will be set aside for homeless households. Ch'bala Corners will proudly house eligible Alaska Native/Native America families.Ch'bala Corners II also received local support and engagement including soft financing from the following:US Department of Housing and Urban Development Indian Housing Block Grant fundsState of Alaska Supplemental Grants Program (SGP) fundsFederal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines Affordable Housing Program (FHLB AHP) grant fundsMunicipality of Anchorage HOME Investment Partnerships Program grant fundsMunicipality of Anchorage American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant fundsState of Alaska Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) disaster relief funds.Residents at Ch'bala Corners II will have access to a variety of programs and services, provided by CIHA Resident Services and local partners, that support health, wellness, community engagement and financial self-sufficiency."We are grateful for the financial support of KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment and KeyBanc Capital Markets in the development of Ch'bala Corners II. Affordable housing financing is complex and multifaceted," said Gabe Layman, President/CEO, Cook Inlet Housing Authority. "We appreciate the professionals at KeyBank CDLI and KBCM for thoughtfully navigating this process with us, allowing for the addition of 38 units of much needed affordable housing in our community. Affordable housing is the foundation that helps families stabilize and thrive." "We are excited to work with Cook Inlet Housing Authority to invest in Ch'bala Corners II because it is community-based and serves the needs of our most vulnerable neighbors," said Kortney Brown, senior relationship manager with KeyBank CDLI. "Cook Inlet Housing Authority's ability to partner and collaborate with other agencies and providers is representative of how complex affordable housing projects can be successfully completed." Kortney Brown and Brett Sheehan of KeyBank CDLI structured the financing. Ila Afsharipour of KeyBanc Capital Markets Public Finance Group provided the bond underwriting.About Cook Inlet Housing AuthorityCook Inlet Housing Authority's (CIHA) mission is to create housing opportunities that empower our people and build our communities. CIHA develops, owns, and operates affordable housing in the Cook Inlet region of Southcentral Alaska. https://cookinlethousing.org About KeyBank Community Development Lending and InvestmentKeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment (CDLI) finances projects that stabilize and revitalize communities across all 50 states. As one of the top affordable housing capital providers in the country, KeyBank's platform brings together construction, acquisition, bridge-to-re-syndication, and preservation loans, as well as lines of credit, Agency and HUD permanent mortgage executions, and equity investments for low-income housing projects, especially Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) financing. KeyBank has earned 10 consecutive "Outstanding" ratings on the Community Reinvestment Act exam, from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, making it the first U.S. national bank among the 25 largest to do so since the Act's passage in 1977.About KeyBanc Capital MarketsKeyBanc Capital Markets is a leading corporate and investment bank providing capital markets and advisory solutions to dynamic companies capitalizing on opportunities in changing industries. Our deep industry expertise, broad capabilities and unique ideas are seamlessly delivered to companies across the Consumer & Retail, Diversified Industries, Healthcare, Industrial, Oil & Gas, Real Estate, Utilities, Power & Renewables, and Technology verticals. With over 800 professionals across a national platform, KeyBanc Capital Markets has more than $50 billion of capital committed to clients and an award-winning Equity Research team that provides coverage on nearly 600 publicly traded companies. Securities products and services are offered by KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc., member FINRA/SIPC, and its licensed securities representatives, who may also be employees of KeyBank N.A. Banking products and services, are offered by KeyBank N.A.About KeyCorpKeyCorp's roots trace back nearly 200 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation's largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $195 billion at June 30, 2023. Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,000 branches and approximately 1,300 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications, and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/ . KeyBank is Member FDIC.View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from KeyBank on 3 blmedia.com Contact Info:Spokesperson: KeyBankWebsite: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/keybank Email: info@3 blmedia.com SOURCE: KeyBank
PR-Inside.com: 2023-08-15 17:30:29

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La Granja Central Florida, the premier fresh homestyle food dining experience in the heart of the Sunshine State, serves lunch and dinner to students returning for the Fall Semester at UCF.ALAFAYA, FL / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Fall is almost here, and school is ready to begin. La Granja Central Florida offers a truly unique dining experience for UCF students on a budget as they return to UCF campus. The La Granja location is right by UCF campus at 4650 N. Alafaya Trail, Suite 101 Orlando, Florida, 32828. It is the perfect spot for a student date night or a group outing. The beautifully designed space features an open kitchen and outdoor seating.La Granja is known for its fresh ingredients and homestyle food in large portions.The restaurant's presence and fanbase in Alafaya is growing, including another La Granja in South Alafaya at 728 S Alafaya Trail, Orlando, FL 32828. There are now eleven restaurants in the Orlando area where people can go for a delicious lunch or dinner. Go to La Granja Restaurants' Locations page on their website and type in a zip code to find the nearest La Granja.La Granja is loved for its mouthwatering rotisserie chicken. One of their most popular and low-price dishes is their 1/4 Chicken Rice and Beans Special. Add plantains and soda for just a little more.Also enjoy 1/2 lb Steak or 1/2 lb Pork with rice, beans, plantains, and soda for a low price.For those who want dessert afterwards, La Granja has a mouthwatering selection of desserts using only the freshest, highest-quality ingredients. To top off any meal, experience authentic Latin desserts like flan, alfajores, tres leches, and pionono.Also Craving Steak or Seafood? Check out La Granja Restaurant's Menu Here.Call La Granja Restaurant at 407-440-3191 for pick-up orders or use DoorDash or Uber Eats for Delivery.La Granja Central Florida will be open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. Be sure to come early because the restaurant is sure to be a popular spot for many UCF students, locals, and visitors.About La GranjaFor over 25 years, La Granja Restaurants has been known for their excellent and affordable Latin cuisine, including the 1/4 Chicken meal and delectable sides such as white rice, yuca, tostones, black beans or French fries. Their first location opened in Aruba in 1993 before expanding to the United States in 1995.The award-winning restaurant has been recognized as the "Best Peruvian Restaurant of the Year," "Best Family Style Restaurant" and "Best Peruvian Cuisine of Fort Lauderdale." CFO Claudia Bartra was honored with the 2016 Women of Worth Award by Restaurant Review Magazine.La Granja's focus on customer service and commitment to delicious cuisine keeps the restaurant chain growing.Visit www.lagranjarestaurants.com or Call (407) 440-3191. Don't miss out on this unique and exceptional dining experience. Dine-in, order takeout, or use a third-party delivery app service such as DoorDash or Uber Eats.Contact InformationJeffrey BrownP.R.jeffb@ topofgoogle.com SOURCE: La Granja Restaurants
PR-Inside.com: 2023-08-15 05:00:19

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NEW ORLEANS, LA / ACCESSWIRE / August 14, 2023 / 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 RTX Corporation f/k/a Raytheon Technologies Corporation (NYSE:RTX), if they purchased the Company's securities between February 8, 2021 and July 25, 2023, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut.What You May DoIf you purchased securities of RTX 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-rtx/ 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 LawsuitRTX 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's Geared Turbofan (GTF) engine that powers hundreds of aircraft across many airlines had been affected by a quality control issue from at least 2015-2020; (ii) the quality control issue would require the Company to recall and reinspect many of its GTF airplanes, affecting customers and harming its business; and (iii) as a result, RTX's 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 Peneycad v. RTX Corporation f/k/a Raytheon Technologies Corporation, et al., No. 23-cv-01035.About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCKSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients - including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors - in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, California, Louisiana and New Jersey.To learn more about KSF, you may visit http://ksfcounsel.com/ Contact:Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCLewis Kahn, Managing Partner1-877-515-18501100 Poydras St., Suite 960New Orleans, LA 70163SOURCE: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC
PR-Inside.com: 2023-08-15 18:00:50

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A New American Heart Association CPR Certification School Has Just Opened in Brentwood, CA. This School Offers Daily Classes to the Public in CPR, BLS, ACLS, PALS, and CPR and First Aid.BRENTWOOD, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Safety Training Seminars, an official American Heart Association (AHA) Training Center in California, is proud to announce the opening of their newest CPR training center at 380 Carrol Court, Suite G, Brentwood, CA 94513. The new CPR training center is centrally located near Antioch and Discovery Bay, making it easily accessible to healthcare professionals in Contra Costa County. The office is open every day of the week and courses are offered to the public during regular business hours.Safety Training Seminars' new Brentwood CPR Training School offers a comprehensive range of courses for medical professionals, including CPR, BLS, ACLS, and PALS. Each course provides an innovative blend of online learning resources and on-site skills testing, ensuring that participants are fully prepared to handle life-threatening emergencies. After the training, students will immediately receive the official American Heart Association certification card.ACLS Courses offer initial and renewal certification in American Heart Association Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support, providing participants with the skills and knowledge needed to respond to cardiopulmonary arrest or other cardiovascular emergencies.CPR & First Aid Classes are designed for a wide variety of participants, such as teachers, babysitters, childcare care providers (EMSA), supervisors, and more. Students will learn the proper techniques for administering CPR to infants, children, and adults, as well as how to use AEDs, treat bleeding, respond to seizures, and more. After completing the course, all students will receive the official American Heart Association CPR and First Aid certification.BLS CPR courses provide new and renewal certification, helping attendees identify and respond to life-threatening emergencies. After attending this course, students will receive the official American Heart Association BLS certification card, which is valid for two years.PALS Courses are designed to meet the criteria for initial or renewal certification and teach participants how to recognize and respond to emergencies in infants and children. PALS stands for Pediatric Advanced Life Support.Safety Training Seminars has been providing crucial courses for certification and lifesaving training since 1989. The woman-owned company has 45 locations across Northern California, and they offer the most affordable, flexible training, with the latest resources and equipment. With their new Brentwood CPR office, Safety Training Seminars is committed to equipping Contra Costa residents with the skills and confidence to react quickly in emergency situations. To learn more about CPR and First Aid training in Brentwood, Antioch, and other locations across California, visit www.bayareacpr.org Contact InformationDanielle BellGeneral Manageroffice@ safetytrainingseminars.com 415-437-1600SOURCE: Safety Training Seminars
PR-Inside.com: 2023-08-15 16:46:13

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NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / AcreAt Acre, we pride ourselves on networking and building meaningful relationships around the world to help accelerate action where the planet needs it most.It is why we firmly align with our purpose, to create systemic change for our planet and society by activating people's potential.I recently returned from ChangeNOW, the world's largest event of sustainable solutions for the planet, with Jack Malhotra-Mulloy, Acre's Head of Impact Investing (EMEA). We gained first-hand knowledge of the innovations and their immense potential, which has really struck a long-lasting chord with us both.The conference united impactful changemakers and creative innovation solutions for many of the world's most pressing challenges, with business leaders, policy-makers and entrepreneurs discussing ways to tackle the climate crisis together.ChangeNOW was held in the Grand Palais Ephemere exhibition hall in the Champs de Mars, Paris, where 400 visionary speakers (spanning 120 countries) showcased inspiring state-of-the-art solutions for the planet and future change-leaders presented pioneering start-up pitches.The three-day conference attracted a staggering 1,200 investors this year which was indicative of how the event has scaled in size, in just a few years it has evolved from a much smaller event to a large and highly regarded international summit.Networking opportunitiesSummit highlights included an invitation to the Singapore Sustainable Ventures lunch event, organised by our friends at Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) and Singapore Global network.It was great to put faces to names of those who are passionate about the cause, including the honour of meeting ChangeNOW Founder & CEO Santiago Lefebvre, as well as YC Choy, VP and Head of Region, Europe at Singapore EDB, Arnaud Blandin, Mentor, Advisor and Connector - Climate, Sustainability, Strategy & Technology and Jamie (Soon Jia Mei) Soon Kesteloot, Business IP Strategist who is building the bridge to connect R&D, Intellectual Property and Business.During our stay in Paris, Jack and I were also invited to the Embassy of the Netherlands for a networking cocktail, hosted by Michael Pistecky, Head of Economic Section, who made us feel very welcome. It was a very pleasant event where we met with an interesting and highly diverse group of people, including Mert Kumru, Campaigner World's Youth For Climate Justice, LLM Student Public International Law, Merijn Zondag, CSO of Alkemio, Farah Obaidullah, Founder and Director of Women4Oceans and Garance Aulagne, Global Partnerships Manager at ChangeNOW.Looking aheadI would be delighted to return to next year's ChangeNOW edition, potentially joining forces with https://www.transform4c.com/approach/ and considering showing the movie https://beyondzerofilm.com/ Did you attend the ChangeNOW conference this year? What were the key messages you took away with you and what were your favourite solutions to healing our planet?If you didn't attend this year but feel inspired and motivated by the hundreds of like-minded, talented changemakers, we at Acre can utilize our broad global network of highly-skilled individuals to help connect you or your business to the people who are poised to drive change and accelerate decarbonisation efforts for positive impact. Click here for the current job opportunities that we have available across the globe.Elisabeth is a Principal Consultant within Acre's Sustainable Business team, based in Amsterdam. She leads senior searches for Acre across the Professional Services, Industrial Manufacturing, Built Environment/Real Estate/Construction industries, and supports Acre's mission to further build out its practice across Europe. Prior to joining Acre, Elisabeth worked for a reputable Dutch Executive Search firm, where she was responsible for the search of high profile (non-) Executive Board assignments across public and private sector organizations, in a wide array of industries.About AcreAt Acre, we work with the most aspirational businesses with potential to make real change; from those who are just starting out to those who are well on the journey to crafting a legacy.Our 18 years' experience in sustainability recruitment, combined with our extensive global network, enables us to provide talent solutions that are designed to deliver this change.Through our unique behavioural assessment technology, we understand the types of people, skills and behaviours required to create impact. We can develop these qualities within your existing teams too.We find talented people and develop their skills to ensure they make a true impact in ambitious, progressive organisations.Acre. Making companies ready for tomorrow.View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Acre on 3 blmedia.com Contact Info:Spokesperson: AcreWebsite: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/acre Email: info@3 blmedia.com SOURCE: Acre
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ROCK HILL, SC / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Certain nonprofits will have their 990 deadline on the 15th of each month. Today (August 15th) is a major deadline for nonprofit organizations to file their 990 series returns with the IRS. An organization may have an August 15th deadline if they:operate on a fiscal year ending on March 31st, 2023 (or)filed an extension Form 8868 for their deadline by February 15th, 2023.Organizations that have obtained tax-exempt status through the State of California are also required to file CA Form 199.The IRS requires that all tax-exempt organizations file these returns electronically. Using an IRS-authorized e-file provider is vital to ensure that 990 returns are filed with accuracy and security.Tax990 provides a simple and secure 990 e-filing solution! Nonprofit organizations and tax professionals that file on their behalf can easily e-file Form 990, 990-EZ, 990-N, 990-PF, 990-T, CA-199, 8038-CP, and 8868 with Tax990.When e-filing with Tax990, organizations can take advantage of many unique features:Attach required 990 Schedules for free.Form-based or interview-based filing methods.Copy data from previous returns.The ability to add team members to manage filing from a single account.An internal audit feature that reviews returns for errors.Share returns with board members as needed for review and approval.Correct and retransmit rejected returns to the IRS at no additional cost.Live , dedicated customer support is available by phone, email, or live chat.Tax professionals can take advantage of key features designed for efficient filing at any volume. This includes bulk upload options, discounted prepaid credits, and more.As the deadline is quickly approaching, many organizations may opt to file an 8868 extension with the IRS to request additional filing time of up to 6 months. This is an automatic extension that the IRS will approve as long as it is filed with accurate information by the deadline. Tax990 supports the extension Form 8868 and enables their clients to file it easily. Please note that Form 8868 can only be filed by an organization once per tax year.Tax990 also offers a pricing package that allows organizations to purchase both an extension Form 8868 and their 990 return at a discounted rate. The cost of the extension is free when the 990 is purchased up-front. This means when the organization's extension period ends in 6 months, the 990 return is already paid for, and the organization can simply complete and transmit it to the IRS.Additionally, Tax990 provides excellent customer support throughout the filing process. Their team offers extended support hours around major 990 filing deadlines. The team can be reached by phone, email, and live chat.When asked about the upcoming deadline, Agie Sundaram, CEO and Co-founder of SPAN Enterprises (the parent company of Tax990), responded by stating, "The deadline is always a big day for nonprofit organizations that are required to file 990 returns with the IRS. Our team is prepared to assist clients throughout the day to ensure they meet their deadline. We encourage every organization that is still seeking a solution for meeting today's deadline to get started with Tax990 right away. We offer an affordable solution that is both secure and user-friendly, with advanced features that cannot be found elsewhere." Organizations can begin filing their 990 returns now at tax990.com About Tax990Tax 990 is the premier, IRS-authorized e-file provider of nonprofit tax forms. Tax990 provides solutions for nonprofits that are required to file Forms 990-EZ, 990, 990-N, 990-PF, 990-T, California Form CA-199, Extension Form 8868 and 8038-CP with the IRS. With advanced features and affordable pricing, the goal of Tax990 is to help nonprofits file easily, so they can continue to keep doing good.About SPAN EnterprisesBased in Rock Hill, South Carolina, SPAN Enterprises has been developing industry-leading software solutions for IRS e-filing and business management tools for over a decade.The SPAN Enterprises portfolio of products includes TaxBandits, Tax990, ACAwise, ExpressExtension, 123PayStubs, and TruckLogics.For any media inquiries, please reach out to Gerald Withers, Content Writer at gerald@ spanenterprises.com ###SOURCE: Tax990
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THALWIL, SWITZERLAND / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / u-blox (SIX:UBXN), a global provider of leading positioning and wireless communication technology and services, and ORBCOMM, a pioneer in IoT technology that optimizes industrial operations based on data-driven decisions, have announced today their partnership to start developing solutions for the convergence of terrestrial and satellite IoT communications markets.The cellular and satellite IoT communications markets have grown substantially and will continue to do so for years to come. According to the Ericsson Mobility Report (2022), the number of cellular IoT connections was approximately 0.5 billion in 2016, projected to reach around 5.5 billion by 2028. And according to The Satellite IoT Communications Market report by Berg Insights, the market is expected to triple by 2025. Although so far growing independently, the potential of combining these two technologies is highly appealing. Together, gap-free global connectivity for IoT communications, including previously uncovered areas, becomes much more attainable for IoT deployers. This partnership will bring the power of highly-integrated, dual-connectivity solutions to deliver on the promise of these markets' fusion.Internet of Things applications through satellite communicationsWith this partnership, u-blox will directly integrate support for ORBCOMM's satellite communication protocols into its UBX-R52/S52 LPWA (low-power wide-area) modem SoC (system-on-a-chip). The result: a chipset highly optimized, smaller, less complex, and that offers dual connectivity at a lower cost. This chipset will be at the core of future u-blox module products supporting terrestrial LPWA and satellite IoT protocols, thereby enabling connected solutions almost anywhere in the world."The UBX-R52/S52 chipset is a mature technology platform with proven market acceptance among IoT solution providers. Specifically designed for IoT applications with long lifecycle needs, it will further strengthen u-blox's leadership in asset tracking. u-blox partnership with ORBCOMM will integrate satellite protocol support alongside cellular protocols. This integration will expand the addressable market for IoT applications, including remote locations without reliable cellular coverage," says Martin Leach, Head of Product Center Cellular at u-blox."With decades of leadership and experience supporting satellite IoT deployments for some of the world's largest enterprises, we are excited to see the convergence of cellular and satellite technologies into a powerful single device," said David Roscoe, ORBCOMM's Executive Vice President of Satellite Communications and Products. "Pairing ORBCOMM's proven satellite technology with u-blox's innovative UBX-R52/S52 chipset will allow customers deploying IoT solutions in the supply chain, heavy equipment, and agriculture industries to benefit from ubiquitous coverage, device simplicity, along with optimal reliability and longevity." Catering to a variety of use casesThe collaboration between ORBCOMM and u-blox will facilitate the emerging demand from IoT deployers for solutions capable of connecting devices virtually anywhere on Earth, including remote locations, areas with poor cellular coverage, and isolated environments such as in the middle of the ocean.Industrial IoT applications that can benefit from these solutions include asset tracking in logistics, retail, and manufacturing; tracking and telematics equipment for agriculture, construction, and mining; livestock tracking; industrial sensors and more.About ORBCOMMORBCOMM is a pioneer in IoT technology, empowering customers with insight to make data-driven decisions that help them optimize their operations, maximize profitability and build a more sustainable future. With 30 years of experience and the most comprehensive solution portfolio in the industry, ORBCOMM enables the management of over a million assets worldwide for a diverse customer base spanning transportation, supply chain, heavy equipment, maritime, natural resources, and government. For more information about how ORBCOMM is driving the evolution of industry through the power of data, visit www.orbcomm.com ORBCOMM media contacts:For Corporate Relations:For Trade Media:Michelle FerrisLina PaerezVP, Corporate CommunicationsVP, Marketing+1 703.462.3894+1 613.875.1485 Ferris.michelle@orbcomm.compaerez.lina@orbcomm.comAbout ubloxublox (SIX:UBXN) is a global technology leader in positioning and wireless communication in automotive, industrial, and consumer markets. Their smart and reliable solutions, services and products let people, vehicles, and machines determine their precise position and communicate wirelessly over cellular and short range networks. With a broad portfolio of chips, modules, and secure data services and connectivity, ublox is uniquely positioned to empower its customers to develop innovative and reliable solutions for the Internet of Things, quickly and costeffectively. With headquarters in Thalwil, Switzerland, the company is globally present with offices in Europe, Asia, and the USA. ( www.ublox.com) Find us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter @ublox, Instagram and YouTubeublox media contact:Natacha SeitzSenior Manager PR and Content MarketingMobile +41 76 436 0788Additional features:File: Press release (PDF)End of Media ReleaseSOURCE: u-blox AG
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Hagens Berman urges Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) investors who suffered substantial losses to submit your losses now.Class Period: Feb. 4, 2020 - July 26, 2023Lead Plaintiff Deadline: Oct. 2, 2023Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/vz Contact An Attorney Now: VZ@ hbsslaw.com 844-916-0895Verizon Communications, Inc. (VZ) Securities Fraud Class Action:The complaint alleges Verizon made false or misleading statements and failed to disclose that Verizon: (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 Verizon 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 Verizon 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."We're focused on investors' losses and Verizon'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 Verizon 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 Verizon 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 VZ@ 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 Sobol Shapiro LLP
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Allure Esthetic's Mother's Day Drive in Seattle Donates Diapers, Supplies to Mary's PlaceSEATTLE, WA / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / In the lead-up to Mother's Day 2023, Seattle plastic surgeon Dr. Javad Sajan's practice, Allure Esthetic Plastic Surgery, collected donations for mothers experiencing homelessness in the community. This included physical donations in the office and monetary donations directly to the Zera Foundation, the partnering nonprofit organization.Mother's Day Donations From Allure EstheticA photo of a bag of donations from Allure Esthetic's Mother's Day Drive in a bin at Mary's Place in Seattle. With collection boxes at all three locations, Dr. Sajan offered five free units of Botox to anyone who donated two or more items to the drive. Allure Esthetic frequently works with the 501c3 nonprofit, the Zera Foundation to make a difference in the lives of families in transition and underprivileged populations.In a video about the fundraiser, Javad Sajan, MD says, "We're so excited to partner with our community to help people who are going through a difficult transition in life." Allure Esthetic also hosts other fundraising events throughout the year such as a Thanksgiving Food Drive and School Supplies Drive.On July 22nd, Dr. Sajan hand-delivered the donations to Mary's Place, a shelter and organization that supports women and families, in Seattle. The donations consisted of diapers, wipes, and other items necessary for mothers and children of all ages. All donations stay within the community and uplift women and children in need.About Javad Sajan, MD: Javad Sajan, MD is a plastic surgeon in Seattle, Washington. His practice Allure Esthetic Plastic Surgery provides plastic surgery and life-saving gender affirming surgery to patients from all around the world. Allure Esthetic and Javad Sajan, MD regularly participate in the community through item collection drives and fundraisers that benefit families and children in the Great Seattle area. Find Dr. Sajan, Allure Esthetic, and their community service efforts on Instagram @realdrseattle.Contact InformationAllure Estheticcontactus@ allureesthetic.com 206-209-0988SOURCE: Allure Esthetic Plastic Surgery
The federal high court in Lagos has restrained FBN Holdings Plc from holding its Annual General Meeting (AGM) hitherto fixed for Tuesday, while warning against disobedience of the order.

The court order is pending the hearing and determination of the substantive matter filed before it by three aggrieved shareholders of First Bank.

The court order is dated 9 August.

The judge, Nicholas Oweibo, made the order after hearing an ex-parte application moved by Muiz Banire, a senior lawyer representing the three petitioners  Olojede Solomon, Adebayo, Oluwafemi Abayomi, and Ogundiran Adejare.

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That an order of Interim Injunction is hereby made restraining the Respondent (FBN Holdings Plc), whether directly by itself or indirectly through its directors, managers, officers, employees, servants, consultants, attorneys, agents, representatives, privies, however so-called, persons acting under its instructions and control, from holding or taking any step to hold, or proceeding

with the proposed Annual General Meeting of the Respondent scheduled to hold on the 15th day of August, 2023 by virtual means pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice already pending before this Honourable Court, the court order reads.

Contempt of court

On Monday, the court issued the warning to FBN Holdings Plc managing director, Nnamdi Okonkwo, in a Form 48 notice titled Notice of consequences of disobedience to order of court following an application by three aggrieved shareholders of First Bank, owned by FBN Holdings Plc.

Take notice that unless you obey the directions contained in this order attached, you will be guilty of contempt of court and will be liable to be committed to prison, the letter reads.

The lawsuit resumes Wednesday.

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The suspended chairperson of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, has been in the custody of Nigerias domestic intelligence agency, the State Security Service (SSS), for over two months.

President Bola Tinubu suspended Mr Bawa from office on 14 June, and since then, the SSS has kept him in detention without explaining what his offences are and which law permits it to hold him for this long without charge.

On the authority of Mr Tinubu, the SSS has now held Mr Bawa in detention for 76 days  about two months and two weeks  without charge.

Conversely, within that period, Mr Tinubu rewarded former Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State, who was being investigated by the Bawa-led EFCC for allegedly diverting his states N70 billion, with a ministerial appointment. Another former governor, Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State, who helped to launder late Nigerias kleptocratic dictator Sani Abachas loot, will also join Mr Matawalle in Mr Tinubus cabinet as a minister.

While the ministerial screening was going on, Mr Tinubu also made a push for former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, despite his unresolved videoed bribery scandal, to become the chairperson of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). Mr Ganduje is now the face of the change-promising party that came to power in 2015, vowing to fight corruption.

Many Nigerians believe it is a new height of idolising the suspects and vilifying the investigators by the Nigerian government. It began early in the Tinubu administration with the strong support Mr Tinubu gave former Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State to emerge as the Senate President in June despite his long-existing corruption allegations. The immediate-past administration of then President Muhammadu Buhari had overlooked EFCCs ongoing investigation of N108 billion allegations against Mr Akpabio to award him a ministerial appointment. Conversely, instigated by the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, the Buhari administration ended up humiliating then EFCC chairperson, Ibrahim Magu, out of office by subjecting him to a controversial probe, whose report remains a secret to date.

Mr Bawas case is also treading that path: apart from SSSs terse statement announcing that Mr Bawa had surrendered himself for probe, no one is certain of what he is being investigated for after 76 days of his arrest.

The invitation relates to some investigative activities concerning him (Mr Bawa), Peter Afunanya, the spokesperson of SSS, said in a tweet on the night of Mr Bawas detention. And that is all any official source has said about Mr Bawas case for over two months.

When PREMIUM TIMES contacted Mr Afunanya on Monday about Mr Bawas detention and when the former anti-graft chief would be charged to court, the spokesperson asked that our questions be sent as a message. He has yet to respond to the sent questions at the time of this report.

For many Nigerians, it is fast becoming a tall dream to expect Mr Tinubu to rescue the rule of law from the injuries of the devastating attacks it suffered on the watch of his predecessor.

This pattern of arresting, detaining and humiliating anti-graft boss(es) whilst the suspects become ministers and lawmakers will eventually kill the very institution of the EFCC, Daniel Bwala, a lawyer and spokesperson of the 2023 presidential campaigns for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), recently said in a tweet on Mr Tinubus incarceration of Mr Bawa while nominating politically exposed persons for appointments.

Attacks on rule of law continues

Mr Bawas detention for 76 days without charge is a clear breach of Nigerias constitution. Section 35 of the law prohibits the detention of crime suspects for more than 24 hours without trial. His detention has now lasted about 2,000 hours!

His detention fits into a pattern of a chaotic leadership succession history that has made virtually every successive EFCC chair leave office as a villain. Yet, none has been successfully prosecuted for any crime.

So far, the Tinubu administration, through the SSS, has toed the path of its predecessors scant regard for the rule of law  trampling on individuals rights and disobeying court orders at will.

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On Mr Buharis watch, the SSS arrested and detained a former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, for years in flagrant disregard to court orders. The SSS gave Sahara Reporters publisher and pro-democracy activist, Omoyele Sowore, similar treatments, leading to serial violations of court orders issued for his release.

At one of the court hearings in Mr Dasukis case at the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, Lateef Fagbemi, a minister-designate and possible Attorney-General of the Federation, had described SSS disregard for court orders as most unfortunate.

Mr Fagbemi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), during his ministerial screening at the Nigerian Senate recently, tongue-lashed the Nigerian secret police for its penchant for disobeying courts and arresting crime suspects while conducting investigations.

The major areas where we have this disobedience to court orders are between these agencies (EFCC, SSS). My advice will be, in matters of law, the Attorney-General should be involved. SSS cannot be an island onto There is law, Mr Fagbemi told senators during his ministerial screening.

In disobedience to court orders, the spy agency has detained Godwin Emefiele, the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), who was arrested about the same time as Mr Bawa.

Recently, armed SSS operatives engaged prison officials in fisticuffs before rearresting Mr Emefiele at the premises of the Federal High Court in Lagos despite the courts order granting the suspended CBN governor bail.

Like Mr Bawa, Mr Emefiele is being detained by the SSS, although the latter was arraigned before the Federal High Court in Lagos on charges of illegal possession of firearms.

As questions mount over Mr Bawas continued incarceration, constitutional and rights lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, said the suspended EFCC chairman deserves a day in court instead of being held in perpetuity.

Referencing Section 35 of the Nigerian constitution, Mr Ozekhome, a law professor, ssaid that Mr Bawas continued detention is not only illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional; it is also egregious, unconscionable and immoral.

He explained that the law provides that a detainee shall be released within 24 hours where there is a court of competent jurisdiction to try him within 40 miles radius and where there is no such court, within 48 hours.

Mr Ozekhome also dismissed the justification of Mr Bawas detention on account of EFCCs notoriety in arbitrary arrests and detention of crime suspects before fishing for evidence for the alleged crime.

The fact that the EFCC gained notoriety in detaining suspects before doing investigations does not justify the egregious violation of his rights.

Comparing the Nigerian governments rampant disobedience to court decisions and citizens rights violations, Mr Ozekhome asserted that the SSS disregard for court orders under (Mr) Tinubus watch is more of a threat to Nigerias democracy than the junta in Niger Republic.

On 26 July, a band of military officers staged a coup, removing the elected president of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, from power.

But West African regional body ECOWAS, chaired by Mr Tinubu, threatened a military intervention in Niger to restore constitutional order, an action Mr Ozekhome criticised for being a breach of international treaties.

He advised Mr Bawa to seek redress in court by filing a fundamental human rights enforcement suit against the SSS, volunteering to serve as his attorney if need be.

Mr Bawa can go to court but if he doesnt have a lawyer, I can go to court on his behalf and fight it free of charge. So, you cannot put him away like that, the senior lawyer said.

But weighing in on Mr Bawas detention, a Lagos-based constitutional lawyer, Kurtis Adigba, wondered what use a rights enforcement suit would serve owing to the governments history of re-arresting defendants at court premises in disregard to court orders.

Why is Bawa being held?

While the Tinubu administration keeps mum over the detention of Mr Bawa, many have read political undertone and vengeance into it.

Mr Adigba said daring to probe President Tinubu and Mr Matawalle for corruption could have been responsible for his being clamped into unlawful detention.

In June 2022, Mr Bawa disclosed in a newspaper interview that Mr Tinubu who was then the presidential aspirant of the APC, was under probe.

Also in May 2023, the EFCC revealed snippets of how Mr Matawalle allegedly siphoned Zamfaras funds sourced from a commercial bank to provide infrastructure for local communities in the state.

But Mr Matawalle who lost his re-election bid in March on the platform of the APC would later accuse Mr Bawa of demanding a $2 million bribe and harassing only governors who were serving out their terms of office. The EFCC denied the allegations describing Mr Matawalles outburst as the case of a thief saying he must not be touched until other thieves are caught.

The only offence Mr Bawa committed was coming out against Matawalle and the allegation that he was also investigating the president, Mr Adigba said.

Mr Adigba questioned how Mr Matawalle who was being investigated by the EFCC sailed through security clearance to become a minister-designate.

How did the man (Mr Matawalle) he (Bawa) accused of egregious corruption pass security clearance to be a minister but you are holding Bawa in detention?

Mr Matawalle was not the only politically exposed person the Bawa-led EFCC investigated for alleged graft.

Nigerias current Senate President, Mr Akpabio, was being investigated by the EFCC over allegations of stealing N108.1 billion from the Akwa Ibom State coffers while he served as governor between 2007 and 2015.

Shortly after the national elections, Mr Akpabio while vying for the Senate presidency as Mr Tinubus preferred candidate, was invited by the anti-graft agency for interrogation.

Similarly, this newspaper reported how Mr Tinubu nominated the immediate-past governor of Kebbi State, Mr Bagudu, for ministerial appointment, despite evidence of how Mr Bagudu served as late Sani Abachas bagman in fleecing Nigeria of millions of dollars during the deceased dictators regime between 1993 and 1998.

Also, Mr Bawa had last year disclosed that Mr Tinubu was under EFCC investigation, a claim that adds to broader questions about his source of wealth, which have dominated public discourse in Nigeria for decades, despite the explanations provided by the president.

Some Nigerians including Deji Adeyanju, the convener of Concerned Nigerians, in October 2019, petitioned the EFCC to probe Mr Tinubu about the bullion vans (allegedly containing lots of money) delivered to his Ikoyi home on the eve of the 2019 presidential election.

Mr Tinubu while responding to enquiries from journalists over the bullion vans, had said he owed no one any explanation because he never worked for the government since leaving office as Lagos governor in 2007.

Calling on Mr Tinubu to intervene in Mr Bawas prolonged detention, Mr Bwala said there was no justifiable reason to keep the EFCC boss behind bars.

Depleting democratic acclaim

Mr Adigba, the lawyer, while questioning Mr Tinubus pro-democracy credentials, berated the regime for violating Nigerians rights.

He noted that Nigerians have chosen democracy over military rule because it promises to guarantee citizens fundamental human rights.

It is an egregious violation of his (Mr Bawa) rights. This guy (Mr Tinubu) who talks so much about democracy and who was packaged to Nigerians as a true democrat is a dictator.

Tracing the political history of the SSS harassment of opposition political parties when the PDP-led federal government held sway, Mr Adigba added that the Nigerian spy agency has always been a tool of oppression in the hands of the ruling government.

The rights of so many Nigerians are being violated by this government right now and it is sad.

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The Chief of Army Staff, Taoreed Lagbaja, on Monday, said troops will launch a comprehensive military operation in Zamfara State in the coming days to flush out terrorists.

Zamfara, like several other states in the North-west, is witnessing a series of terrorist activities leading to the death and displacement of millions of people for over a decade.

Mr Lagbaja, a Lieutenant-General, pledged when he visited the Zamfara State governor, Dauda Lawal, at the Government House, Gusau.

The army boss was in Zamfara as part of his official tour of states in the North-west, according to the governors Spokesperson, Sulaiman Idris.

Dauda Lawal, during his interaction with the Army Chief, canvassed more military presence and intervention to combat the lingering insecurity situation in Zamfara State. The Chief of Army Staff had a lengthy discussion with the Governor on how to improve synergy and foster ways to combat the menace of banditry in the state, Mr Idris said in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES.

The statement said Messrs Lagbaja and Lawal brainstormed on strategies that will enhance military operations to restore absolute peace in the state.

The visit by the Army Chief is another indication of the Governors commitment towards addressing the lingering insecurity situation in the state. It will also boost the morale of the soldiers who are already on the ground in the state. Lieutenant General Lagbaja assured the Governor that in a few weeks, there will be an aggressive military operation in Zamfara State, he said.

There have been renewed terrorist attacks in Zamfara in the last few months. The army chiefs visit was coming some hours after terrorists invaded Bungudu town, 20 kilometres from the state capital and abducted seven people including a top retired civil servant, first son of the Emir of Bungudu and five women.

Two weeks ago, a divisional police office was attacked in the same town. The assailants killed a policeman, Nura Ibrahim, during the attack.

Other areas that witnessed terrorist attacks in the last few days include an attack on Talata Mafara town where 11 construction company workers were abducted and the killing of seven soldiers in Dansadau emirate.

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Residents of communities in Batsari Local Government of Katsina State said terrorists have continued to launch attacks against them and that on Sunday they abducted 19 people in Madogara village.

Most of the abductees were women, residents said.

Batsari shares boundaries with the dreaded Rugu forest where the terrorists are alleged to have several camps.

In the night attack,16 women and three men were abducted. Residents said many of the abducted where with children some of whom are as young as a year old.

Madogara is gradually becoming a ghost town, a health official who works in Batsari town but from the village told PREMIUM TIMES over the phone. He sought anonymity for security reasons.

Residents with houses in the car edge of the community converge on three houses in the centre of the village every night before moving back to their respective houses in the morning.

The source said when the terrorists struck, they went to one of the houses where the residents, mainly women, meet to spend the night. He said they were careful not to fire shots so as to avoid drawing the attention of security agents stationed in nearby communities, especially Nahuta.

My sister and her two children were abducted in that attack, Sadiq Hamisu said. We had just finished the night prayer (Ishai) so we were caught unawares by the terrorists because they hardly come that early.

Another source, Aminu Lawal, said some of his relatives were among those abducted.

My uncles wife, friends wife and an aunty. All of them were abducted with their children. Weve counted nineteen people that have been taken. They (terrorists) are yet to call us for negotiation, Mr Lawal said through phone.

He lamented that security had compounded their economic woes as most residents cant freely access their farmlands or patronise local markets.

When contacted, the police spokesperson in Katsina State, Abubakar Sadik, asked for some time to verify the information and get back to this reporter but didnt do so for over three hours. A message sent to him as a reminder was not responded to.

Batsari is witnessing a surge in the number of attacks which local residents said are due to the rainy season.

Two weeks ago, several farmers were abducted by terrorists in the area. The farmers taken were from Nahuta, Madogara, Dan Tsuntsu, Zamfarawa and Salihar Dadare villages.

Theyre yet to be released.

Terrorists operating in the North-west, especially Zamfara, Katsina and Sokoto states, are known to intensify attacks during the rainy season which residents believe is to compel local authorities into dialogue with them.

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Administrative processes and pending charges against Godwin Emefiele, the suspended Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor occasioned the delay in obeying court ruling over his custody, the federal government has explained.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) at the Federal Ministry of Justice, Abubakar Mohammed, spoke to journalists after a court session on Tuesday. He was seeking to withdraw the firearms charge against Mr Emefiele at the federal high court in Ikoyi, Lagos.

On 25 July, the federal government arraigned Mr Emefiele on a two-count charge of illegal possession of firearms and live ammunition.

He was then granted bail of N20 million. However, in violation of the court order asking that he be detained at the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), the SSS rearrested him immediately he stepped out of the courtroom.

Mr Emefiele was rearrested after officials of the two federal agencies engaged in fisticuffs over his custody.

Delay

Mr Mohammed said their action in rearresting him did not mean disobedience to court order.

We are not in disobedience of the court ruling, he said.

When the court rendered its ruling granting the defendant bail, it was in two legs. He was granted bail and remanded in the custody of the correctional service pending fulfillment of bail conditions.

You will agree with me that there are administrative processes for handing over a detainee from one agency to the other. And that is what the state services had to do and that was what occasioned the delay.

He also explained that the suspended bank chief is being investigated for other offenses, the outcome of which will determine the charges that will be filed against him.

And if I may say this, there is also another pending charge against him at the high court as we speak. So, all these combined slow down the process of complying with the order of the court, he said.

Speaking on the pending charges, Mr Mohammed said that unlawful possession of firearms may be part of it and perhaps more.

The charges at the FCT high court, conferring unlawful advantage, there are charges that border on procurement of under the ICPC Act. 20 counts.

Watery statement

But Monday Ubani, a human rights lawyer, insisted that the SSS flouted the court order, adding that the charge against Mr Emefiele was a bailable offence.

The lawyer also said the DPPs statement was watery.

No administrative procedure suppercedes the court rulling. The so-called DPP was talking clearly out of point. Thats not the position of what happened in the court. The court made an order that Emefiele should be granted bail, mentioned the bail conditions and the DSS waited in order to abduct him. He was abducted because that was clearly contrary to the court order, Mr Ubani said.

He was no longer supposed to be returned to the custody of the SSS.

On the administrative processes that slowed down the SSS compliance, Mr Ubani queried, where do you have administrative procedures when the court has made an order?

You were with him for almost two months, what were they investigating that they couldnt have completed within that period.

That particular charge is their way of asking Emefiele to go because they have nothing against him or if they have something against him they will not charge him for those offences because many people will go down, including the former President Muhammadu Buhari.

He also said that the continuous detention of Mr Emefiele under a democracy is clearly illegal, shocking and shameful.

He said it shows that President Bola Tinubus administration is building on the legacy of court disobedience and rule of law violation of the previous administration.

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The parliamentary arm of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Monday said it is in support of all the decisions taken by ECOWAS heads of state about the coup in Niger, including the impositions of sanctions.

In an exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES, the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Sidie Tunis, said the parliament is united and supports all the decisions of the authority of heads of state.

We, as a parliament, support all the decisions of the authority of heads of state in both of their summits, he said.

The parliament on Sunday held a virtual meeting with about 65 of its 115 members in attendance. After the meeting, several news articles emerged saying the parliament was divided with some members in support of military action in Niger while others were not.

Mr Tunis told this newspaper that the parliament called on the ECOWAS Commission to prioritise diplomacy to restore constitutional rule in Niger while leaving military intervention as the last option.

I understand that there are varying interpretations of our position at the parliament including that we are divided. Yes, people will have a right to say we are divided, simply because we are not an echo chamber, he said.

Parliament is supposed to be a forum for dialogue, we debate and if you are all on one side, then naturally as representatives of the people, we have to debate issues; we debate military intervention, we debate diplomatic options, we debate sanctions.

In parliaments everywhere in the world, people have different opinions. I believe that is why people say we are divided but we stand united behind our leaders, Mr Tunis added.

He noted that the parliament unequivocally condemned the coup and called for a return to democratic rule as soon as possible and for the immediate and unconditional release of President Mohamed Bazoum and his family.

Sanctions

When asked about the current sanctions imposed on Niger and their effectiveness, the speaker said the sanctions including the power cut by Nigeria, in his opinion, should be catalogued under diplomatic efforts that are being made by ECOWAS.

You cannot separate them at all, he said.

ECOWAS at the first emergency summit held to address the coup in Niger imposed several sanctions on Niger including the closure of land and air borders and freezing of accounts. The bloc also gave a seven days ultimatum to the putschists to reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. The putschists ignored ECOWAS and in defiance of the bloc, formed a government on the eve of a second emergency meeting.

Some experts have said ECOWAS spoke too quickly on the use of force while others argue that it should not be an option. For Mr Tunis, You can never say ECOWAS spoke too quickly, even though the seven days deadline was given, diplomatic overtures were still ongoing. In my opinion, military action is definitely an option on the table and we support them.

Even though sanctions mainly hurt ordinary people, Mr Tunis believes sanctions are a global means of achieving an aim and should be used. He added that targeted sanctions should be the next face of the sanctions as dialogue between ECOWAS and the putschists continues.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the sanctions are already crippling businesses in Nigerian border communities.

Since ECOWAS heads of state resolved to deploy a stand-by force to restore constitutional order in Niger if the putschists remain recalcitrant, many Nigerians have restated their opposition to war and troops deployment to the neighbouring country. President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria has also restated that he as head of ECOWAS supports the continuous use of dialogue to resolve the crisis in Niger.

In the interview with PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Tunis said it is important that members of the public are clear that ECOWAS is not going to war as has been widely perceived. He said the bloc was considering military intervention which could take several other forms and not necessarily going to war.

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The feud between Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State and his deputy, Philip Shaibu, has continued to degenerate, with the governor sending an apparent warning to Mr Shaibu that the emilokan spirit was unacceptable in the states politics.

Emilokan, a Yoruba word which means it is my turn, was made popular by President Bola Tinubu during his campaign for the 2023 election.

The ideology behind the word as used then by Mr Tinubu was that he had worked for President Muhammadu Buhari to become the first opposition leader to be elected Nigerian president, and therefore it was his (Tinubus) turn to be president after Mr Buhari.

The Emilokan syndrome or spirit is not a strategy for winning elections and ruling Edo people, the governor of Edo was quoted as saying on Tuesday, according to a statement forwarded to PREMIUM TIMES by Crusoe Osagie, the special assistant on media project to the Edo State Government.

Mr Obaseki made the remarks when the leaders of the Edo South Senatorial District paid a solidarity visit to him in the Government House, Benin.

The governor said the Edo people would not accept Emilokan as a strategy.

They are not known for that. For us, it is the people that will decide, he said, apparently referring to his deputy, Mr Shaibu, who is said to be nursing the ambition to contest for the 2024 governorship election in the state.

In their days in the All Progressives Congress (APC), during the intense political fights between Mr Obaseki and his erstwhile benefactor, Adams Oshiomhole, Mr Shaibu stood solidly behind Governor Obaseki.

Mr Oshiomhole, who was the APC national chairman then, blocked Mr Obaseki from getting the APC governorship ticket for his reelection bid, forcing him to move to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Mr Shaibu moved with the governor to the PDP, and both of them got a joint ticket and defeated the APC governorship candidate, Ize-Iyamu Osagie, to win the election.

By bringing up the emilokan, Governor Obaseki is probably telling Mr Shaibu not to feel that he is entitled to succeed him.

Mr Shaibu recently asked the court to stop an alleged plot by Governor Obaseki to remove him from office.

The governor, meanwhile, has accused Mr Shaibu of manipulating the youth council election in Edo because of his (Shaibus) political ambition.

What has happened in the last few months is strange, and even if you have ambition, this is not the time to express it. The timetable for the election is not out. You cant be part of a government and also be the one to destabilise the same government, the Tuesday statement quoted Mr Obaseki as saying.

I thought we came together and will leave together and let the people say you have done a great job, and they will now make the decision themselves. They are the ones to say that come rain or sunshine; we must continue.

You are telling the world one thing and yet doing another. You are loyal to your principal, and yet you are in court with your principal. Everybody has the right to be ambitious but do it the right way.

Making Shaibu visible is not a crime

Governor Obaseki said people have been blaming him for allowing his deputy to be visible in the administration.

Elevating a Deputy Governor and making him visible is not a crime. But this I did because I want to build institutions rather than individuals. To mistake that and misuse it is really unfortunate, as you have created the impression that the deputy governor should not be given responsibility.

People are already blaming me now for giving him responsibility and visibility, and its my fault. How can it be my fault when you want to groom young people? I believe when young people work with you, give them opportunities and expose them, preparing them for leadership positions in life, praying they dont abuse the privilege.

I have no regret for exposing my deputy to power and leadership position. I have not made any mistakes, but he is the one that made the mistake. I hope he retraces his steps. He is the one that took me to court; he should be the one to talk to, not me. We are determined and focused to finish well, and with your support, we are sure to finish well, the governor said.

Shaibu reacts

The deputy governor has, however, denied the existence of a rift between him and the governor.

According to a recent report by the Vanguard newspaper, Mr Shaibu said he remained loyal to Mr Obaseki and that political jobbers were trying to create a problem between him and the governor.

Governor Obaseki and myself are committed to the continued development of Edo State.

We are united in our determination to build a prosperous and inclusive society. I call on all well-meaning individuals to reject these divisive narratives and join in the quest to transform Edo State into a model of sustainable development and good governance. Edo State PDP politicians should embrace peace and seek unity to fight the common enemy, Mr Shaibu was quoted as saying.

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A 28-year-old Nigerian man, Ezekiel Eseoghene, allegedly faked his kidnap with the intention to extort his family members.

Mr Eseoghene also masterminded the kidnap of other members of his family in Odovie, a community in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, South-south Nigeria, according to the police.

The police spokesperson in the state, Bright Edafe, who disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, said the suspect has been arrested.

How it happened

Mr Edafe, a deputy superintendent of police, said a woman, Regina Ogana, and her husband were earlier kidnapped on 2 August in the community. The womans husband is an elder brother to the suspect.

The couple was kidnapped alongside other members of their family.

The police spokesperson said while Mrs Ogana was killed by the kidnappers, other members of the family were released after N1.3 million ransom was paid to the kidnappers.

He said the police in the state were already investigating the murder of the woman when her husband contacted operatives to inform that the suspect, Mr Eseoghene, made a suspicious call claiming that he had been kidnapped and that the kidnappers were demanding N500,000 as ransom, which the family swiftly sent via the suspects bank account.

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Mr Edafe said, on receipt of the information, the Commissioner of Police in Delta State, Wale Abass, ordered the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Oreropke Police Headquarters, Paul Oboware, to investigate the matter and ensure arrest of all suspects involved in the kidnap.

Consequently, on 11 August at about 11:45 p.m., acting on technically generated information, operatives of the Divisions Anti-Crime Patrol Team led by Mr Oboware stormed the Odovie Community in Ughelli North LGA and arrested the said Ezekiel Eseoghene Obeje at the same spot where the sum of N1.3 million was earlier paid as ransom for the release of his elder brother, the husband of the deceased, he said.

Investigation revealed that the said Eseoghene, who is a member of Eiye confraternity, faked his own kidnap and is also suspected to have masterminded the kidnap of his brother and other family members which led to the death of Regina Ogana, the police spokesperson stated.

The police are investigating the case, he said.

Abduction for ransom is the prevalent crime in most Nigerian cities.

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The newly appointed Permanent Secretary State House, Olusesan Adebiyi, officially assumed duty on Monday in Abuja, pledging his unwavering commitment to the success of President Bola Ahmed Tinubus administration.

At a handover ceremony held at the State House Administrative block, Mr Adebiyi, who previously held the position of Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Health, expressed gratitude to his predecessor, Tijjani Umar.

He acknowledged Mr Umars dedicated service to the nation and congratulated him on his successful retirement on 10 August.

I sincerely pledge my commitment to my fatherland. I will put forth my best effort for the success of the administration.

I pledge my faithfulness, hard work, honesty, and sincerity of purpose in ensuring that every assignment given to me is carried out to the letter, Mr Adebiyi affirmed.

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The permanent secretary urged State House staff to work as a cohesive team with renewed vigour and dedication to succeed.

In his remarks, Mr Umar said it was an honour to have served two presidents, Muhammadu Buhari and Bola Tinubu, during his three-year tenure as permanent secretary State House, from 5 April 2020 to 10 August 10, 2023.

Driving around the State House today gives me great pleasure because I have seen how much we have impacted the community.

When you look to the left, right and centre, theres something somewhere that people will continue to use and benefit from that we initiated, completed and delivered,  he said.

Mr Umar hinted at a memoir chronicling his career in public service, slated for publication soon.

Although he was born in Kabba, Kogi State, Mr Adebiyi hails from Ekiti State.

Abiodun Oladunjoye

Director, Information

State House

August 14, 2023

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Samuel Inyang, an engineer and a former managing director of Shell Nigeria Gas Ltd, is dead.

He was 74.

Mr Inyangs passing was announced on Monday in a statement from his first son, Itorobong Inyang, who said his father died on 31 July after a brief illness.

The late engineer, who had over three decades of experience in Nigerias oil and gas industry, hailed from Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom State.

He had served previously as the general manager, production, East, in Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd before his appointment as managing director of Shell Nigeria Gas Ltd.

He retired as change manager for globalisation for Africa, Shell E&P International.

Mr Inyang represented oil companies on the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission between 2000 and 2006, and was a founding member of the Nigerian Gas Association (1979-97) and Director, Society of Petroleum Engineers, Lagos section (1997-99). He was a member of the Nigeria Society of Engineers.

Mr Inyang was an Officer of the Order of the Niger, Nigerias national honour bestowed on him in 2012. He was the pro-chancellor of the Akwa Ibom State University, Mkpat Enin, from May 2019 to July 2020.

Until his death, Mr Inyang was the CEO of Seyang Limited, a flourishing civil engineering company in Nigeria.

The late engineer was a devout Catholic who was committed to charity, and was known to have set up endowment funds for the advancement of education in Nigeria, one of which was Isabella Medical Scholarship Fund in honour of his late wife, Isabella Inyang, who was an eye surgeon.

Each beneficiary of the scholarship  medical students who had a minimum of 4.0/5.0 Cumulative Grade Point Average  received N250,000 per year.

Over 30 students who benefited so far from the Isabella Medical Scholarship Fund are now practicing in various branches of medicine within and outside Nigeria.

Mr Inyang also set up a fund at St. Louises Inclusive School, Ikot Ekpene, to support the education of physically challenged people.

Brilliant gentleman

Anietie Usen, a media aide to Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State, described Mr Inyangs passing as shocking and sad.

I worked with him at NDDC when he was the Rep of Oil Companies on the Board of NDDC. He was a very refined, decent, humane, friendly and brilliant gentleman, who was highly respected and loved by all and sundry, Mr Usen said on Facebook.

A resident of Abuja, Celestine Mel, wrote glowingly about the life of the late engineer whom he met while doing his internship at Shell in Port Harcourt in 2000.

He came across as a down-to-earth executive who carried no airs. Twice, I ate with him on the same lunch table at the mess hall, just me and him. We shared jokes and stories.

In the end, we are all nothing. Life comes to naught. Fleeting, said Mr Mel in a Facebook post on Monday.

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A group, OrderPaper Advocacy Initiative (OAI), has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct the presidential and National Assembly elections on different days in the future to avoid a bandwagon effect.

The recommendation was contained in a report on the 2023 general election unveiled by the group on Tuesday in Abuja.

The report, titled; Comprehensive Report on the 2023 General Elections in Nigeria (National and State Assemblies in Focus), was presented by OAI Executive Director, Oke Epia.

INEC has for years held the presidential and National Assembly elections on the same day, while governorship and state assemblies are also conducted on the same day.

According to the report, the practice of lumping the elections together is creating a situation where National Assembly candidates benefit from a top to bottom voting pattern.

The practice of holding elections for legislative and executive positions is most likely to result in choosing lawmakers along the lines of a bandwagon trend instead of adequate knowledge of the capacity, competence and character of those seeking to be legislators, the report states.

This is a result of the predominant attention that the presidential candidates, their political parties, and the process itself generates from the media, local and international observers, as well as other stakeholders.

This trickles down to the voters who are often influenced to switch loyalties in line with the presidential election, hence taking sides with the political party that wins the presidency at the federal level. Consequently, this culture often leads to the emergence of winners who largely did not win on their own personal strengths and merits.

To address the problem, OAI recommended that INEC use its administrative leverage to change the current schedule.

The recent presidential and National Assembly polls were held on 25 February, while the governorship and state assemblies were conducted on 18 March.

The electoral body should deploy its administrative leverage to address scheduling to hold elections on separate days for executive and legislative elections, the group said.

OAI called for the creation of an electoral sequence in the Electoral Act by establishing separate dates for all the elections.

The National Assembly revisits the order and sequence of elections in a way that executive and legislative polls hold on separate dates. This can be done by amending the electoral law, It said.

Mr Epia said the last attempt at imputing the election sequence in the Electoral Act failed because politics tainted the intention.

There was an attempt to do that in the 8th Assembly; that was political gymnastics. If you want to go for a constitutional amendment, that works; if you go for an electoral amendment, that would be a quicker one. We may want to tell INEC; maybe you should take a look at your law. But the question is, do they have the punch? Do they have the will? Mr Epia said.

Past attempts at electoral amendment on election sequence

In the 8th Assembly, the National Assembly passed the Electoral Amendment Bill that included an electoral sequence; however, the bill was rejected by former President Muhammadu Buhari.

The amendment to the sequence of elections in Section 25 of the principal act may infringe upon the constitutionally guaranteed discretion of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to organise, undertake and supervise elections provided in Section 15(A) of the third statute to the Constitution, Mr Buhari had stated in a letter to the two chambers of the National Assembly in 2018.

Sections 76, 178, 132 and other sections in the 1999 constitution as amended gives INEC the power to fix dates for election.

Section 178 provides that An election to the office of Governor of a State shall be held on a date to be appointed by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Also, Section 132 provides that An election to the office of President shall be held on a date to be appointed by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Furthermore, Section 76(1) states that Elections to each House of the National Assembly shall be held on a date to be appointed by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

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A Nigerian academic based in the United States of America, Toyin Falola, has praised the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Is-haq Oloyede, for his probity in running the agency.

Mr Falola, a professor of History at the University of Texas, Austin, USA, spoke on Tuesday at a policy dialogue on corruption in Abuja.

The event was organised by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in conjunction with the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria.

Speaking on the theme of the dialogue, Corruption, Social Norms and Behaviour Change in Nigeria, Mr Falola poured encomium on Mr Oloyede, a professor, for his exemplary leadership at JAMB.

We must show leadership by example. Where is the Registrar of JAMB, Prof Is-haq Oloyede? Mr Falola asked, prompting the JAMB Registrar to stand up in the crowded ICPC auditorium, the venue of the event.

I want to dedicate this lecture to Is-haq Oloyede who is here. We dont have to look for examples. We already have an example, he said, a rare recognition of top government officials in Nigeria.

Contrary to the widely held norm that public office in Nigeria is for personal enrichment, the renowned US academic said Mr Oloyede has done his job without benefitting himself; thinking about the nation.

The scholar added that the JAMB Registrar had endured insults for refusing to abuse his office.

If we have people like him, I am sure we will solve this problem (of corruption), he said.

Earlier in his address, Mr Falola called for a leadership reorientation in Nigeria to tackle graft.

He warned that failure by the political elite to tame political corruption could trigger dire consequences.

The chairperson of ICPC, Bolaji Owasanoye, in his welcome address, stressed the need for change in societal norms that perpetuate corruption.

Mr Owasanoye, a law professor and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said, Achieving the goal of behavioural change in a society with endemic corruption involves a complex and sometimes a long process

He noted that the task before stakeholders is to disentangle the web of issues involving political, social, economic, religious and ethnic factors that fuel corrupt practices.

Mr Owasanoye identified societal expectations from peers, networks, groups and communities as enablers of corruption in public service.

He urged participants at the gathering to dismantle social and cultural norms that pressurise public officials to pilfer public resources.

Background

ICPC investigations had revealed extensive corruption scandals that allegedly took place at JAMB before Mr Oloyede emerged as the head of the examination body.

Mr Oloyedes predecessor, Dibu Ojerinde, and four of his children, alongside companies linked to them, are being prosecuted by the ICPC for stealing.

In June 2023, the anti-graft agency re-arraigned Mr Ojerinde at the Federal High Court in Abuja after plea bargain talks broke down.

Similarly, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2019 arraigned a JAMB official, Philomina Chieshe, in Makurdi, Benue State, after she claimed a snake swallowed JAMBs missing N35 million.

Annually, the agency generates billions of naira as proceeds from conducting entry examinations for high school graduates seeking university admissions in Nigeria.

But before Mr Oloyede emerged as the registrar, only a pittance was being remitted to the government from the revenue generated by the organisation.

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The All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday resumed their dispute over the 2023 governorship election in Ogun State, despite both parties closing their cases last week at the election tribunal in Abeokuta.

Governor Dapo Abiodun of the APC was declared as the winner of the closely fought 18 March election but Ladi Adebutu of the PDP promptly dragged him before the tribunal to challenge the declaration.

On Monday, a police report emerged from the law enforcement agencys investigation of a petition it received from the PDP accusing Governor Abiodun and the APC of electoral violence, ballot box snatching and vote buying in the governorship poll.

The document emerged over a month after the PDP had accused the police of sitting on it, and given them one month to make it public.

The 36-page report, dated 2 August, was signed by the state Deputy Commissioner of Police, Criminal Investigation Department, Mohammed Babakura.

Months earlier, PREMIUM TIMES had exclusively reported how the police revealed a N2 billion alleged vote-buying scheme against Mr Adebutu in the same election.

The APC through a petition, signed by its chairman in Ogun, Yemi Sanusi, had accused the PDP candidate of distributing ATM cards preloaded with N10,000 to induce voters on election day.

The earlier report by the police noted that its officers and officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested five suspects with hundreds of credit cards on election day.

The federal government has arraigned suspects from that investigation before the federal high court in Abeokuta, the state capital.

Another report

The police, in the latest report, said they also arrested some suspected thugs allegedly hired by the APC to cause chaos and disrupt elections at polling units.

One of the suspects, Sanu Jamiu, reportedly told police investigators that he and 15 others were employed by one Efuje, a former councillor and APC member from Iperu-Remo, to cause mayhem at polling units.

Mr Jamiu said his gang was paid N50,000 to disrupt the election processes.

In the month of February 2023, one EFUJE a.k.a Alhaji who was once a councillor in ward 5, Iperu-Remo and an APC member, invited him to work as a political thug for Prince (DR) Dapo Abiodun for the period of election and promised a handsome compensation.

In addition, he states that he was in a group of about sixteen thugs contracted by the said EFUJE and they were all given fifty thousand naira (#50,000:00k) to share before the presidential elections when he first met with EFUJE.

The group of 16 was led by one Kehinde a.k.a ALARA. During the 2023 presidential elections, Efuje, on behalf of Governor Dapo Abiodun instructed the thugs that each polling unit should be manned by three thugs such that there will be no incidence of ballot box snatching.

However, on 18th March 2023, during the gubernatorial elections, Efuje called at about 7 a.m. and instructed the thugs to move around all the polling units and observe the trend of elections.

At about 3 p.m. of the same day, Efuje called back stating that the PDP was winning elections at St. John primary school ward 5 and instructed that they should move there and cause mayhem, snatch the ballot boxes and destroy them which they did immediately.

He states that they arrived at the aforementioned polling unit on a motorcycle, caused violence, snatched the ballot box and took it to Ansarudeen primary school, Powerline area of Iperu-Remo where they emptied the ballot papers from the box and also destroyed the ballot box before they left.

Another Seun Samuel was also said to have claimed that he was hired by Soneye Kayode, a member of the House of Representatives from Obafemi Owode Federal constituency, to snatch ballot boxes during the governorship election.

However, the report said the lawmaker disputed Mr Samuels claim.

He denied sponsoring thugs for the elections neither was there violence whatsoever during the March 18th, 2023 elections in Obafemi Owode Local Government as a whole.

Furthermore, he states that he never armed thugs with weapons before, during and after the elections.

The APC chairman in the state also denied the allegations, according to the police report.

Yemi Sanusi, being the chairman of the party and also mentioned in the petition, that having perused the petition against his person, he doesnt know anything about the allegations levelled against him by the petitioner.

That he voted at Alagbaa village, Orile-ilugun, Odeda Local Government Area where he did not give anyone money, there was no ballot box snatching neither was there crises in all the local governments.

That it was the PDP that used branded credit cards

of #10,000;00k branded in the name of Caroline Adebut memorial scheme to buy votes, that they started to distribute the cards from 17th March 2023 till 18th March 2023 and they also stationed POS around the corners of polling units for voters to cash the money and that the PDP vote buying strategy was going on everywhere in the 5,042 polling units in the state.

In addition, he stated that he wrote a petition to the Attorney-General of the Federation on the PDPs electoral fraud on the 3rd of April 2023 but he is surprised that the PDP who committed the offense wrote a counter petition against him.

Furthermore, he added that he knows none of the thugs listed in the petition, neither does he know anything about the distribution of money before the election and that neither APC nor himself nor Governor Dapo Abiodun committed themselves to the use of any top-up cards to win the election.

Finally, he stated that the election was free and fair.

Vote buying

The police report also said the APC handed over a N5000 top-up card to voters intending to buy votes.

The cards were produced for the state government by a company called Onecard Top Up Services Limited.

This company renders services in the provision of top-up and payment solutions for service providers in the public and private sectors.

The government had contracted the company to produce the cards to the tune of N577, 500,000 and they were delivered between January and May 2023.

Investigators spoke with the general manager of the company, Ogbonna Amaka, and later reported:

In December 2022, OneCard was also contracted by the Ogun State Government for the use of recharge cards for empowerment programme.

Following this, OneCard sold recharge cards in various bits to Ogun state Government between January 2023 and May 2023. Ogun State ordered a total of cards worth #577,500,000:00k (five hundred and seventy-seven million, five hundred thousand naira only) with payments and activation dates stated as follows: 2nd February 2023 (#5000:00k denomination of cards valued at #55,000,000:00k), 13th March 2023 (#2,500, #5000 and #10000 denominations of cards valued at #385,000,000:00k), 14th May 2023 (#5000 denomination of cards valued at #137,500,000:00k. Cards are activated after each tranche of payment and according to demand for its use.

175,000 units of cards are yet to be paid for and activated, broken down as follows: 120,000 pieces of #5000:00k, 10,000 pieces of #10,000:00k, 30,0000 pieces of #20,000:00k, 10,000 pieces of #50,000:00k and 5000 pieces of #100,000:00k.

OneCard activated cards are valid for a period of one year from the date of activation.

Finally, she stated that the contact person and the one who signed the contract on behalf of the Ogun State Government is one Mr. Seyi Ogunseye being the senior special assistant to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Revenue Assurance.

However, reacting to the report Monday evening, APC spokesperson in the state, Tunde Oladujoye, said it did not indict the governor and the party.

He said the report instead indicted the PDP witnesses.

In a statement he said contains his response to inquiries by a journalist, Mr Oladunjoye said:

If you have monitored events dispassionately since after the elections and you have read and digested the report you are talking about, and dutifully covered proceedings at the Tribunal, you will know that there is nothing to the police report and there is no indictment on our party, APC. Even the report states expressly that the allegation of overvoting made against APC by the PDP was not substantiated.

The police report stated specifically under number Eleven of its findings: That contrary to the claims of some of the witnesses brought forward by the PDP, Daniel Obadamilare, Adesina Sakiru, Dauda Kamil and Ogunleye Francis, their claims of vote buying cannot be substantiated as they were unable to mention the POS agents that were alleged to have converted the cards to cash for them.

The Police Report Concluded that:

The APC has denied the allegations levelled against them by presenting evidence such as the Official Gazette and the Executive Order establishing the Ogun State Social Investment Program, presenting Local Government Chairmen as witnesses to its functionality at the grassroots, presenting beneficiaries of the social investment program as witnesses and also a sample of appointment letter given to the SIOs (Social Investment Officers).

Meanwhile, the federal government is prosecuting Mr Adebutu, who has been out of the country since after the elections in March, and nine other suspects arising from the police investigation of the allegations made against them by the APC chairman in Ogun, Mr Sanusi.

The election petition tribunal is expected to soon announce the date for its judgement on Mr Adebutu and the PDPs petition against the reelection of Governor Abiodun.

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The Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, a professor, has said he is yet to submit a copy of the recently launched letter of appeal by Mubarak Bala, who is serving a 24-year prison sentence, to President Bola Tinubu.

Mr Bala, described as the President of the Humanist Association of Nigeria, was sentenced after he reportedly pleaded guilty to an 18-count charge of blasphemy levelled against him by the Kano State Government in 2022.

Before his sentence, Mr Bala was held for two years without charges and with his whereabouts unknown to his family and lawyer. The development reportedly followed a petition by a group of Muslims to the authorities accusing him of posting uncomplimentary messages about Islam on social media.

The atheist had then written an open letter to Mr Tinubu, seeking his intervention on the matter.

At a forum in Lagos on 5 August Mr Soyinka pledged to personally deliver a signed copy of the appeal to the president.

However, more than a week after the engagement in Lagos, friends and associates of Mr Bala have sought to know if the poet has been able to deliver the letter to the president.

But Mr Soyinka, in a short statement issued on Tuesday, said he was yet to meet with the President, even as he said the media misreported his position on the matter.

He said: I have been bombarded by both local and international human rights organisations, with inquiries about the outcome.

I regret to state that some media have completely misreported this, and I have yet to meet the current tenant of Aso Rock.

Soyinka wants efforts intensified

Meanwhile, Mr Soyinka has urged the campaigners not to relent in their efforts to seek justice for Mr Bala, noting that his inability to deliver the letter yet, shouldnt serve as a clog in their wheel.

He, therefore, called on Mr Balas well-wishers and those who he said participated in the launch of the document, to continue and indeed intensify their efforts, to secure the release of this unjustly persecuted youth whose only crime was to insist on his freedom of thought and belief and its expression.

There should be no let-up until this symbol of our times is restored to full freedom and human dignity, he said.

Earlier, at the launch of the letter, Mr Soyinka said Mr Bala raised some charges in his letter about how he was unfairly treated, which he said shouldnt be kept under the carpet. He added that those indicted should be prosecuted and their licenses withdrawn, PM News reports.

Mr Soyinka was said to be referring to unidentified medical practitioners who he noted had allegedly attempted to inject the young man with psychotropic drugs.

He called on the Nigerian Medical Association, the umbrella body of medical doctors in the country, to investigate the matter.

And lets know whether they are going to retain their licenses after that. The security division has a responsibility to revisit this infamous jailbreak when some of the killers, the arsonists, and the kidnappers of Chibok girls and Dapchi girls miraculously blew down the wall and escaped, he said.

Mr Soyinka also enjoined Nigerians not to lose track of Mr Bala and other prisoners of conscience.

Please dont let us lose track of Mubarak now that we have found him. I appeal to all the human rights organisations, and all the pressure groups to look out for the other Mubarak Balas who are imprisoned, isolated, dehumanised, tortured, driven out, he was quoted to have said.

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The Federal Ministry of Education says the latest increment in fees by some federal government-owned universities is not connected with the Student Loans Act.

It said the institutions raised their fees to cover the cost of accommodation and utilities.

The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Andrew Adejo, disclosed this on Tuesday while appearing before an ad hoc committee of the House of Representatives on the implementation of the student loan law.

Some universities run by the federal government recently increased their tuition fees while others indicated plans to do so.

Mr Adejo explained that because of the dissolution of the governing councils of the institutions, the ministry had been in charge of approving fees increment in the absence of the councils.

He stated that the ministry only approved the request by the University of Lagos for fees increment but stopped approving others after President Bola Tinubu said the federal government-owned institutions remained tuition-free.

What they (universities) collect is charges to cover the cost of accommodation, ICT, power, among others. It is the Governing Councils of the Universities that have the power to approve such charges for them.

The only university that increased charges after the signing of the Student Loans Act is the University of Lagos. They came to the ministry with a proposal to Increase their charges because all governing councils were dissolved and we gave them approval.

Immediately that was done, there was a resolution from the House stopping increase of fees and the president also gave a directive stopping any increase in fees and that is where it is, even though several others have brought their proposals, Mr Adejo said.

To buttress the dire financial situation some schools are in, Mr Adejo cited the case of Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, where the ministry had to bail it out of its N1 billion electricity debt.

Hike of charges by universities

Last month, the management of the University of Lagos increased its charges, bringing the fees for the 2023/2024 academic session to as much as N240,250 depending on the courses of study and levels.

Although the federal government insists on tuition-free in its universities, the management of schools have been citing charges to increase fees in their schools.

Earlier in the year, other tertiary institutions in Nigeria including the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Edo State; University of Abuja (UNIABUJA) and the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) had increased their fees.

Mr Tinubu had in June assented to the Act, which supports establishing the Education Loan Fund to provide interestfree loans for indigent Nigerians to fund higher education.

This provision of loans to higher education students is part of Mr Tinubus reforms for education as contained in his Renewed Hope manifesto.

Allocation not sufficientlawmaker

The Chairman of the Committee, Teseer Ugbor, in his speech, expressed reservations on the Student Loan Act signed in June, noting that it is unclear if the statutory provision of one per cent of government revenue is sufficient to fund the scheme.

He stated that the House will consider amendments to the existing Act to increase the allocation to three per cent.

I want to suggest that if there is the need to increase the requirement of one per cent to three per cent. We are ever willing to look at it, Mr Ugbor said.

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A Nigerian academic based in the United States, Toyin Falola, says the political elite in Nigeria must reform the countrys governance to deliver socio-economic prosperity to its citizens.

Mr Falola, a renowned professor of History at the University of Texas at Austin, USA, said the fallouts of governments failure to tackle corruption would be uncontrollable.

He spoke on Tuesday as the keynote speaker at a national policy dialogue on corruption organised by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in Abuja.

Speaking on the topic, Corruption, Social Norms and Behaviour Change in Nigeria, the academic recalled the transformative journey of the Chinese, Malaysians and Japanese in tackling corruption and providing social services for their populace.

If they politicians and political parties are not ready to reform, they will not be able to control the consequences.

If they want a jihad (holy war), the citizens will give them one, Mr Falola said, adding that issues around arising poverty must be addressed through the creation of a middle-class.

He took a swipe at western countries for ignoring the undemocratic governance structures of global bodies like the UN and the IMF, but labelling Africans as corrupt and bad.

Majority of our population are not corrupt, the historian noted, wondering why the majority of the masses tolerate corruption.

How can we ask the silent majority to radicalise their objection to corruption? It is doable, he assured drawing applause from the audience in the packed ICPC auditorium.

Mr Falola explained that corruption in Nigeria is a complex issue deeply rooted in social norms and cultural factors.

These influential forces play a significant role in shaping the prevalence of corruption within the country. The practices of clientelism and godfatherism play a significant role in fostering corruption within societies.

Tackling corruption

Shying away from what the effects of corruption are, Mr Falola said merely increasing workers wages would not combat endemic corruption in public service.

Proffering solutions to the problem of malfeasance, the famous historian said we have to reduce monetary attraction of public office holders.

In the fight against corruption, it is crucial to focus on transforming behaviours and fostering a culture of integrity and accountability. This requires active participation from individuals across different sectors.

He urged the government to build strong institutions and provide social safety nets for the citizens. He suggested that to effectively combat corruption, it is crucial to have ethical leaders who prioritise integrity and international cooperation.

Corruption fuelled by community expectations

The chairperson of the ICPC, Bolaji Owasanoye, said there is a nexus between rampant corruption in Nigeria and community expectations of public office holders.

Mr Owasanoye, a law professor and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), pointed out one of the social norms which expects government officials to donate huge sums of money at public gatherings without considering the legitimate earnings of such officials.

He noted that people pay scant attention to the consequences of such expectations that breed embezzlement and nepotism.

While combating corruption through the criminal justice system, the ICPC boss said it was imperative to adopt anti-corruption social norms.

He recommended that all stakeholders should lead by example to inspire their members and constituents against corruption.

He called for a reward system for those who demonstrate good behavior or who stand against corruption in their constituencies.

Federal and State Ministries of Education should develop and implement behavior change programmes in primary and secondary schools for the youths.

Mr Owasanoye said Tuesdays event was the 6th in the series of policy dialogues on fighting corruption which began in 2019.

In a goodwill message, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, said, addressing corruption requires not only legal and institutional reforms but also a transformation of social norms and behaviours.

Represented by a member of the House of Representatives from Osun State, Busayo Oluwole-Oke, the Speaker called for improved welfare of workers.

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, was represented at the occasion.

Other dignitaries who graced the event were the Emir of Keffi, His Royal Highness, Shehu Yamusa; Kole Shettima of MacArthur Foundation; Is-haq Oloyede, Registrar of JAMB; George Ehusani, a Catholic priest and Executive Director, Lux Terra Leadership Foundation; Etannibi Alemika, a professor at University of Jos and Yakubu Maikyau, President, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

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The Federal Ministry of Education has said it bailed out the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, from its N1 billion electricity debt because of the inability of the institutions to pay the bill.

Andrew Adejo, the permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, said this on Tuesday while appearing before the House of Representatives Committee investigating the implementation of the student loan scheme.

While responding to questions from the committee members on the hike in charges by the federal universities, he said the institutions grapple with providing utilities in schools.

For example, we had to bail out Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, with about N1 billion to pay its electricity bill. The school just resumed academic sessions because they were in darkness.

They were supposed to build theatres, and we told them you cannot build theatre when you are in the dark because you need power to operate, he said.

Funding of federal universities has become a major issue confronting the education sector lately.

President Bola Tinubu, in his manifesto, promised student loans to give institutions the ability to charge more cost-reflective tuition fees.

In June, Mr Tinubu signed the Student Loan bill into law.

According to Mr Adejo, the scheme will commence in the 2023/2024 academic session.

No provision for student loan in 2023 budget  CBN Director

Meanwhile, the Director of Legal Services of CBN, Kofo Alada, has asked the National Assembly to consider a supplementary budget to allow the take-off of the student loan.

He noted that the scheme is set to start by September, but there is no provision for It in the 2023 budget.

What I will request or recommend to this committee is the funding requirement of this project. This body (parliament) has the power to convene and say we want to give a supplementary budget for this particular project; it is within your power, Mr Alada said while making a presentation before the committee.

Speaking on the loan scheme, the Chairman of the Committee, Teseer Ugbor, said the government must ensure that students in state universities also benefit from the scheme.

There is the possibility that students from state- owned tertiary institutions will not be able to access the loan because if the states will not contribute to the funds, it would mean that students from state universities will not be able to participate in the scheme, Mr Ugbor said.

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The police in Kano State have arrested six persons who allegedly booed the Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado-Bayero, on Sunday.

The force also said it was on the trail of other suspects.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Muhammad Gumel, stated this on Monday while briefing journalists on the incident.

Mr Gumel said the suspects constituted a public nuisance during the inauguration of Hasiya Bayero Paediatric Hospital at Kofar Kudu opposite the emirs palace in the Kano Municipal Local Government Area of the state.

The hospital was renovated and inaugurated by the governor, Abba Yusuf.

The police commissioner said the suspects disturbed the peaceful gathering by chanting derogatory remarks against the emir and calling on the governor to dethrone and replace him with his predecessor, Muhammadu Sanusi.

He said the suspects were chanting slogans such as New governor, new emir, meaning that the governor should remove the emir and reinstall Mr Sanusi, who former governor Abdullahi Ganduje controversially removed.

Mr Sanusi was dethroned in 2020.

Mr Gumel then said that the police used technology to identify those involved, adding that an investigation was ongoing to identify more suspects and their sponsors.

That group of people were not invited to the event. They were intruders who came on their own, and they must have been sponsored by somebody or a group of persons.

Six persons have been identified. We used technology to track them down. We are still analysing the video footage, and we are making efforts to arrest all those involved.

We are also making efforts to get the sponsors.

Traditional institution is a respectable institution, and anybody who messes around with the traditional institution is an enemy of the police, the commissioner said.

Similar incident

On 29 May, when Mr Yusuf was inaugurated as governor, some NNPP supporters wearing red caps and dressed in turban booed and stoned the Emir of Kano and his younger brother, the Emir of Bichi, Nasiru Bayero, who were at the event, with sachets and bottled water.

The event, which eventually turned rowdy, took the intervention of the former governor of the state, Rabiu Kwankwaso, who smuggled the emirs out of the venue, apparently to avoid further attacks on them.

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has praised the solidarity of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) on the political impasse in the Republic of Niger.

The president spoke when he received the Special Envoy of President Ali Bongo Ondimba and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Gabon, Hermann Immongault, at the State House in Abuja on Tuesday.

The President said the special message of support and solidarity from President Bongo, who doubles as the Chairman of ECCAS, expressing the full support of ECOWAS resolutions on the unconstitutional takeover of government in Niger, proved once more that military interference in democratic governance is not acceptable anywhere, and certainly, no longer so on the African continent.

I appreciate the solidarity and support of President Bongo on the situation in Niger. We are working not to compound the problem. We have well-meaning people who have intervened. I understand the fear of our people on any form of military action. We are working to keep the sanctions in place, and we are following them to the letter. We are happy to know that ECCAS is with us on this. Interference in democratic governance is not acceptable to ECOWAS.

President Tinubu, also chairperson of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, has promised to work with President Bongo and ECCAS to restore constitutional order in Niger.

He reinforced the position of the regional body not to accept any attempt by the military junta in Niger to intimidate and harass President Mohamed Bazoum.

We will work with ECCAS and keep President Bongo informed on our actions, and we will continue to collaborate, President Tinubu assured.

In his remarks, the Special Envoy commended the leadership of ECOWAS and President Tinubu for the steps taken so far to restore democracy in Niger, adding that President Bongo and ECCAS fully support all ECOWAS resolutions.

President Bongo has been following your efforts and those of other ECOWAS leaders on the situation in Niger. President Bongo and ECCAS strongly condemn the coup in Niger. He sent me here to tell you that he supports ECOWAS and your leadership in what you are doing to ensure democratic governance is restored in Niger. With Boko Haram attacks in Cameroon, piracy in the Gulf of Guinea and the refugee situation in Chad, whatever happens in West Africa affects Central Africa. My President joins efforts with you and ECOWAS to find a solution to the crisis in ECOWAS, he said.

The Special Envoy noted that he will communicate the firm solidarity between ECCAS and ECOWAS to the military authorities in Niger as they meet in the coming days.

Ajuri Ngelale

Special Adviser to President

(Media & Publicity)

August 15, 2023

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The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is set to showcase achievements so far recorded in the promotion of indigenous content in the telecommunications sector at the second edition of the Nigerian Telecommunications Indigenous Content Expo (NTICE 2023). The Expo holds in Lagos from 22-24 August, 2023, at Landmark Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The theme of the Expo is Harnessing Indigenous Content for Economic Growth: Networking to Boost Investment. The Commission said it is mobilising stakeholders for a remarkable outing, following a very impressive showing at the maiden edition of the event last year.

A statement issued by Mr Reuben Muoka, Director, Public Affairs of NCC on Monday said the NTICE is being coordinated by the Commissions Nigeria Office for Developing the Indigenous Telecom Sector (NODITS), which superintends over efforts for effective implementation of the National Policy on the Promotion and Implementation of Indigenous Contents in the Telecommunications Sector, (NPPIC).

The Expo is open to multi-sectoral participants, including indigenous telecom operators, manufacturers, regulators, government agencies, policymakers, innovators, industry leaders, startups, other actors in the telecom ecosystem, academia and global experts to showcase their products and services, innovative solutions and new technologies.

The Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003 empowers the NCC to encourage local and foreign investments in the Nigerian communications industry, introduce innovative services and practices as well as promote the participation of Nigerians in the ownership, control and management of communications companies and development of communications manufacturing and supply sectors.

Therefore, NTICE 2023 is being organised in keeping with the extant provisions of the NCA 2003, and to promote the four focus areas of the NPPIC, which are Manufacturing, Service, People as well as Research and Development for innovation in line with the Federal Governments drive to diversify the economy.

The event has continued to serve as a rare assemblage of stakeholders where diverse thoughts can be shared in contexts that advance utilization of indigenous contents in the nations telecommunications industry.

Participation at the event requires mandatory formal registration ahead of the day of the event and the Commission has created the link: www.ntice.ncc.gov.ng for this purpose, and intending participants are advised to register before August 22, 2023.

In an interaction with the NCCs in-house media recently, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Prof. Umar Danbatta, reiterated that NTICE is Nigerias largest annual indigenous telecoms, tech and startups, manufacturing and innovative event that brings to stakeholders the powerful connections and valuable new relationships that highlights the achievements and vast potentials of a tech-driven digital economy.

The 2023 Expo is billed to project the achievements of indigenous content by the government for the sector and afford participants the platform to showcase their products and services, innovative solutions and new technologies.

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Press Release

August 15, 2023 Bong Go scores commitment of healthcare workers during the Southern Philippines Medical Center Service Awards; vows to continue advocating for their welfare Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, attended on Friday, August 11, the annual Service Awards of the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Davao City. The event is part of SPMC's National Hospital Week celebration, which is observed from August 5 to 12. One of the events that week is the annual Service Awards, which serves as a platform to recognize and express gratitude to the dedicated employees and retirees who have devoted many years to the hospital's mission of providing top-quality healthcare. During his speech, Go praised the SPMC for its unwavering commitment to public health and lauded the institution's significant role in the lives of the people it serves especially in Mindanao. "To the service awardees who are being honored today, your achievements reflect the commitment to excellence that the SPMC stands for. Your dedication and perseverance have been instrumental in making this institution a beacon of hope for those seeking quality healthcare. You have not only met the challenges head-on but have also surpassed them with your exceptional skills and unwavering commitment," Go said. "Today, we also honor SPMC's posthumous awardees. Let us also pay tribute to their enduring legacy that continues to inspire us. It is with a heavy heart that I stand before you as we remember these exceptional individuals who dedicated their lives to the service of others and left an indelible mark on our hearts," he added. He commended the hospital for organizing the Service Awards as a way to acknowledge the dedication and hard work of its employees, who have played a vital role in ensuring the well-being of the community. "To the retirees who are bidding farewell to the SPMC after years of hard work, dedication, and service, I extend my heartfelt gratitude. Your contributions have left a lasting impact on the lives of countless individuals and families. Your expertise, your compassion, and your commitment to excellence have undoubtedly touched the lives of those you have cared for. As you embark on this new chapter of your lives, remember that your legacy lives on within the walls of this institution and in the hearts of those you have served," said Go. "You deserve it po. Ibigay n'yo po sa inyong pamilya 'yung panahon at sa inyong sarili. Alam mo mabilis lang po ang buhay natin. Masarap pong mabuhay. Karamihan po sa inyo ay nasa public service. Karamihan po sa inyo dedicated many years to public service. Pero masarap naman po ang pakiramdam na makatulong ka sa mga kababayan natin lalong-lalo na po sa mga mahihirap. But, ibigay n'yo na lang po, regalo n'yo na lang po sa inyong sarili 'yung mga natitirang taon ninyo rin po. Enjoy life with your family," he continued. Go likewise highlighted the accomplishments of the Malasakit Center within the SPMC. The Malasakit Center serves as a one-stop shop for medical assistance, streamlining the process for particularly poor and indigent patients seeking aid. The center's presence within the hospital premises has been a boon for the local community, ensuring that medical care remains accessible to all, regardless of their financial circumstances, Go stressed. "It's a testament to our commitment to alleviate the financial burden of our patients and ensure that healthcare remains accessible to all, regardless of their economic status. I am glad that according to the DOH, SPMC has successfully served more than 212,000 patients from 2019 to mid-2023," Go shared. Go also highlighted his unwavering efforts in advocating for increased funding for the hospital, emphasizing the critical importance of providing ample resources to ensure the seamless delivery of accessible and high-quality healthcare. Additionally, the senator also mentioned his recent support for pivotal projects, including the construction of a robust 300-bed infectious disease building and the acquisition of a fully-equipped ambulance. Recognizing the need for a more robust response to public health crises, Go earlier refiled twin bills that seek to establish the Philippine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (PCDCP) as well as the Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines (VSTIP). If passed into law, Senate Bill No. 195 shall mandate the creation of the PCDCP to serve as the lead agency for developing communicable disease control and prevention initiatives. It will be primarily responsible for controlling the introduction and spread of infectious diseases in the Philippines. The lawmaker also filed SBN 196 which seeks to establish the VSTIP, an institute that will serve as the country's principal laboratory for virology research, laboratory investigations, and technical coordination of the nationwide network of virology laboratories. "I will do my best to continue advocating for more health programs, for the modernization of facilities, and for the enhancement of healthcare services across the country. We owe it to our constituents to provide them with the best healthcare possible," said Go. "Thank you for your commitment to the Southern Philippines Medical Center, and more importantly, to the Filipino people. Let us continue to work together for the betterment of our healthcare system, ensuring that every Filipino receives the care they deserve," he concluded. On the same day, Go went to Catbalogan City, Samar where he attended the oath-taking of Barangay Health Workers Federation Samar and checked the operations of the Malasakit Center at Samar Provincial Hospital. Furthermore, he also joined the Adlaw han Barangay 2023 Samar Day Celebration.
Reliance Jio completed a nationwide rollout of 5G services ahead of schedule across 22 regions in India tapping into multiple spectrum bands, before the end of December as initially expected.

In a statement, the operator detailed that it conducted its rollout programme since being allocated spectrum bands on August 17, 2022.

On July 19, this year, Jio completed phase one of its minimum deployment obligation with the Department of Telecommunications, in all 22 regions by August 11.

Reliance Industries Mukesh Ambani hailed the benefits of mmWave spectrum, of which the operator holds 1,000MHz in the 26MHz band. This can give enterprises looking to deploy emerging and innovative applications faster speeds and less delay than previous wireless networking technologies, he said.

mmWave business solutions will expand the market for leased lines by providing equally dependable fixed-wireless services, thereby digitizing millions of small and medium enterprises with enterprise-grade connectivity and business solutions. This spectrum is capable of providing ultra-high-speed broadband of up to 2Gbps.

Ambani said the operator aims to deliver 5G to every town in India in less than 18 months, its 5G footprint has so far reached 2,300 cities and towns.
A human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, says the Faculty of Law at the University of Calabar has been riddled with scandals over the years.

Mr Effiong stated this in a Twitter post, on Monday, while reacting to the allegation of sexual harassment made by female students against the Dean of the faculty, Cyril Ndifon.

Some female students held a peaceful rally on Monday on campus to protest against Mr Ndifon, a professor.

The professor, in an exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES, on Monday, denied the allegation. He said the protesting students were manipulated against him by some lecturers who were uncomfortable with his leadership style.

Most oppressed set of undergraduates

I didnt attend University of Calabar, but I know that this particular institution and its faculty of law have been riddled with scandals over the years, Mr Effiong said on Twitter.

He expressed the fear that the law students who protested against their dean may be unduly punished for it.

The truth is that law students in Nigeria are among the most oppressed set of undergraduates.

Law students are constantly threatened that they will not be cleared to go to law school if they protest or engage in activism or any form of unionism.

The system in our law faculties is such that protest is seen as treason, he said.

The lawyer, however, hoped that the scandal at the University of Calabars Law Faculty would lead to reforms in Nigerian universities.

Universities are becoming more and more totalitarian in Nigeria and we need to speak up, Mr Effiong added.

ASUU has failed in this regard. Student associations have been crippled. NUC is not bothered. Nigerians should speak up against the culture of repression that has pervaded our ivory towers.

The dean of the University of Calabars Law Faculty, Mr Ndifon was previously suspended by the school authority in 2015 after he was accused of raping a 20-year-old law student in his office, an allegation the professor challenged in court.

READ ALSO: Nigerian university students protest against alleged sexual harassment by top official

His suspension was lifted about a year later, under unclear circumstances  our reporters could not find evidence that the court exonerated the professor.

The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Florence Obi, told PREMIUM TIMES, Monday, that the school would investigate the allegations against the professor but she said those making the allegation would be expected to come forward with evidence.

When you are talking about sexual harassment, you need more than accusation, she said.

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Some yet-to-be-identified soldiers on Monday beat up a member of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) in Ojota, in what looks to be a reprisal attack.

In a viral video which was shared on X (formerly Twitter), more than four masked soldiers punched and repeatedly hit the LASTMA official to the ground. Three men that appeared to be civilians also joined them.

Despite his plea for leniency, one of the soldiers was seen kicking him with his boot as other LASTMA officers fled the area.

In another viral video that appeared last week, an army officer who had just alighted from a commercial minibus Korope was seen fighting with a LASTMA officer, it is unclear what led to the brawl between the two law enforcement officers.

The video showed the traffic officer striking the soldier with his club and some civilians trying to intervene.

It appeared that the two officers might have had a verbal exchange which made the soldier alight from the bus. The cause of the altercation is unclear.

Contacted, Adebayo Taofiq, LASTMA spokesperson telephone number was switched off.

A spokesperson for the Nigerian Army, Onyema Nwachukwu, did not answer calls seeking comment on the clash.

However, speaking with The Punch newspaper, Mr Nwachukwu described the clash as disturbing and one too many.

READ ALSO:

The authorities of the Nigerian Army are genuinely concerned and are embarking on a vigorous sensitisation campaign to educate our personnel on the need to ensure compliance with traffic rules and promote synergy and interagency cooperation in Lagos State and around the country, he was quoted as saying.

To rein in our personnel, the military police have also been mandated to conduct Operation Checkmate by carrying out intermittent surveillance to identify and arrest personnel who violate traffic rules or are found engaging in any untoward activity.

The altercations are pointing to the fact that there is a need to strengthen interagency cooperation amongst the security agencies in Lagos.

Those enforcing the rules must equally be sensitised not to take laws into their hands by physically assaulting or battering offenders. This, more often than not, escalates the situation and results in a violent confrontation.

On his part, the spokesperson for the 81 Division of the Nigerian Army, Olabisi Ayeni, said that the clash was being investigated.

There are many instances of military personnel and Nigerian police officers attacking officials of paramilitary agencies for enforcing the mandate they were constitutionally set up to enforce.

And so far, no measure has effectively stemmed the menace.

In November 2022, soldiers of the Nigerian Army beat up police and traffic officers along the Eko Bridge in Lagos.

According to the information gathered, the soldiers were driving on a one-way when the two officers stopped their vehicle and ordered them to turn back and take the right lane.

Reacting to the incident at the time, Benjamin Hundeyin, the police spokesperson, said Everything is fine now and our man is undergoing treatment at a hospital.

Both parties have apologised to each other and there is no cause for alarm. The situation is under control.

The Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Police Force in Lagos State will continue to coexist in harmony.

In January 2022, overzealous police officers allegedly manhandled, harassed and handcuffed a LASTMA officer Odugbemi Eyitayo, in the Yaba area of the state over the enforcement of traffic offences.

Again in December 2021, a female LASTMA official was attacked by some police officers who violated traffic rules.

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DUBLIN, Aug. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Tobacco Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Smokeless Tobacco, Cigarettes, Cigars & Cigarillos, NGPs, Kretek), By Distribution Channel (Supermarket/Hypermarket, Online), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global tobacco market size is expected to reach USD 1049.9 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 2.1%

The growing demand from developing nations, coupled with the rising proliferation of Next-generation Products (NGPs) across the globe is driving the market growth.

Furthermore, the high expenditure on the marketing and discounting of products undertaken by major tobacco companies is further driving the industry growth. Consumption of tobacco through cigarettes has been the predominant factor driving market growth. According to the WHO's 2022 report, there are more than a billion smokers globally and more than 80% of the smokers live in middle-income countries.



Government cessation policies have also not been able to cut down smoking rates. The tobacco demand is inelastic and therefore, a major factor driving the market growth. Furthermore, the introduction of NGPs by major companies is another factor expected to fuel the market growth during the forecast period.

The industry, segmented on the basis of products, was dominated by cigarettes. However, NGP is projected to be the fastest-growing segment during the forecast period. Products, such as oral nicotine products, e-cigarettes and vape, are witnessing an increased proliferation, especially among youths and millennials. Furthermore, major tobacco companies are stepping up their strategies to incorporate the growing trend of NGPs.



For instance, in November 2022, Philip Morris International introduced a tobacco heating system known as BONDS by IQOS, which utilizes heat instead of combustion to release the flavors of tobacco. This innovative technology significantly reduces the emission of harmful chemicals, boasting a remarkable 95% reduction when compared to traditional cigarettes.

The product is now available in the Philippines and is specifically designed to cater to adult smokers, offering them a range of tobacco tastes to choose from. The supermarket/hypermarket segment accounted for the largest share in 2022 and is expected to maintain its dominance over the forecast period to a high number of stores across the world, as well as the convenience they offer.



Tobacco Market Report Highlights

The NGP segment is projected to register the fastest CAGR of 4.5% from 2023 to 2030 due to all the major companies diversifying their product portfolios to include more smoke-free and heated tobacco offerings

The supermarket/hypermarket segment held the largest revenue share of 50.4% in 2022. Consumers prefer these stores as they offer considerable discounts and offers and are present in close proximities to the users

Asia Pacific dominated the global market in 2022 on account of the presence of a large target population

dominated the global market in 2022 on account of the presence of a large target population Furthermore, the incremental growth of the working class and the stress associated with their jobs are driving the tobacco consumption

The global market is characterized by the presence of major global players and a few small-scale regional players

Competitive Landscape

Recent developments & impact analysis, by key market participants

Company Categorization

Participant's Overview

Financial Performance

Product Benchmarking

Company Market Share Analysis, 2022 (%)

Company Heat Map Analysis

Strategy Mapping

Company Profiles

Scandinavian Tobacco Group A/S

Swedish Match AB

Altria Group, Inc.

KT&G Corp.

Imperial Brands

Philip Morris Products S.A.

British American Tobacco

Japan Tobacco Inc.

China Tobacco .

. ITC Limited

Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1. Methodology and Scope



Chapter 2. Executive Summary

2.1. Market Outlook

2.2. Product Outlook

2.3. Distribution Channel Outlook



Chapter 3. Tobacco Market Variables, Trends & Scope

3.1. Market Lineage Outlook

3.2. Industry Value Chain Analysis

3.2.1. Raw Material Outlook

3.2.2. Manufacturing and Technology Outlook

3.2.3. Profit Margin Analysis

3.3. Market Dynamics

3.3.1. Market Driver Analysis

3.3.2. Market Restraint Analysis

3.3.3. Market Opportunities

3.3.4. Market Challenges

3.4. Industry Analysis - Porter's Five Forces Analysis

3.5. Market Entry Strategies



Chapter 4. Buyer Behavior Analysis

4.1. Buyer Trends and Preferences

4.2. Factors Affecting Buying Decision

4.3. Buyer Product Adoption

4.4. Observations & Recommendations



Chapter 5. Tobacco Market: Product Estimates & Trend Analysis

5.1. Product Movement Analysis & Market Share, 2022 & 2030

5.2. Smokeless

5.3. Cigarettes

5.4. Cigars & Cigarillos

5.5. Next Generation Products

5.6. Kretek



Chapter 6. Tobacco Market: Distribution Channel Estimates & Trend Analysis

6.1. Distribution Channel Movement Analysis & Market Share, 2022 & 2030

6.1.1. Supermarket/Hypermarket

6.1.2. Convenience Stores

6.1.3. Tobacco Shops

6.1.4. Online



Chapter 7. Tobacco Market: Regional Estimates & Trend Analysis

7.1. Regional Movement Analysis & Market Share, 2022 & 2030



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/e07k3i

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

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SOURCE Research and Markets
TAMPA, Fla., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A-LIGN, the leading cybersecurity compliance solutions provider, announced today that the company ranks No. 48 in the security category on the 2023 Inc. 5000 annual list of the fastest-growing private companies in America. The prestigious ranking highlights the most successful companies today and is calculated based on exceptional three-year revenue growth from 2019 to 2022.

"I'm delighted that A-LIGN joins an elite group of companies that have secured their place on the Inc. 5000 list for a seventh year in a row, " said Scott Price, CEO at A-LIGN. "Our consistent growth is fueled by the demand for our unique compliance offerings that combine automation with decades of audit experience to power the world's most efficient and high-quality compliance programs. There's no greater currency than trust, and it's an honor to be recognized for helping companies build trust with their customers."

This achievement comes just weeks after A-LIGN announced the groundbreaking offer of access to A-SCEND, the company's award-winning compliance automation platform, to all existing and new customers. Businesses can now streamline and accelerate their compliance journey with A-SCEND's automation and readiness capabilities with no cost or commitment.

In 2023, A-LIGN has demonstrated significant growth and has focused on serving its growing customer base with best-in-class compliance solutions. Additionally, A-LIGN welcomed new executive leaders, expanded its ISO certification services, won an award for innovation in compliance, and was recognized as one of the best places to work. A-LIGN was ranked No. 3848 on the overall Inc. 5000 list.

The Inc. 5000 class of 2023 showcases companies that have achieved remarkable revenue growth. The top 500 companies witnessed an impressive average median three-year revenue growth rate of over 2,000% and contributed over 1.1 million jobs to the economy in the past three years. For more comprehensive results, visit www.inc.com/inc5000.

"Running a business has only gotten harder since the end of the pandemic," says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. "To make the Inc. 5000with the fast growth that requiresis truly an accomplishment. Inc. is thrilled to honor the companies that are building our future."

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Methodology

Companies on the 2023 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2019 to 2022. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2019. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2022. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2019 is $100,000; the minimum for 2022 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to four decimal places.

About A-LIGN

A-LIGN is the only end-to-end cybersecurity compliance solutions provider with readiness to report compliance automation software paired with professional audit services, trusted by more than 4,000 global organizations to help mitigate cybersecurity risks. A-LIGN uniquely delivers a single-provider holistic approach as a licensed CPA firm to SOC 1 and SOC 2 Audit services, accredited ISO 27001, ISO 27701 and ISO 22301 Certification Body, HITRUST CSF Assessor firm, accredited FedRAMP 3PAO, authorized CMMC C3PAO, PCI Qualified Security Assessor Company, and PCI SSC registered Secure Software Assessor Company. Working with growing businesses to global enterprises, A-LIGN's experts and its compliance automation platform, A-SCEND, are transforming the compliance experience.

CONTACT:

Abigail Rodrigues

abigail.rodrigues@a-lign.com

SOURCE A-LIGN
In his justification of his actions that went down in history for his statement that "History will absolve me," during the trial against him for his failed attacks on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Cespedes barracks, on 26 July, 1953, Fidel Castro cited the "terrible tragedy" that Cuba was experiencing, identifying six key problems: land, industrialization, housing, unemployment, education and public health.

Seven decades later, the regime has not been able to provide a lasting solution to any of them, and the country's current reality is triggering an unprecedented migration crisis, which, in turn, gives rise to other problems, like a waning and aging population.

One of Castro's promises was to put land in the hands of those who worked it. After his two agrarian reform laws, however, most of it ended up in the hands of the State. The subsequent handover of land in usufruct has not resulted in true autonomy for farmers and ranchers. The regime remains the main owner and, whenever it deems fit, expropriates lands and maintains control over their production.

The result is that the fields do not produce, and crops rot while Cubans go hungry, despite legislation like the Food Sovereignty Law.

Last May Cuba's Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Alejandro Gil Fernandez acknowledged a drop in available food levels: vegetables eggs, milk, rice, and beans, among others.

In the same month, the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI) published figures indicating that between January and March of this year, despite the regime investing in Agriculture somewhat more than in the same period in 2022, this outlay item only received 2.9% of total investments, compared to the 23% allotted to Business and Real Estate and Rental Services, which includes buildings for tourism.

Cuba does have a national Agri-Food Program, but the regime's investment scheme, in addition to its control over the land and producers, prevents compliance with it.

Industry, cited by Fidel Castro 70 years ago as among those issues that had to be resolved in Cuba, today exhibits remarkable inefficiency, forcing recourse to foreign investment and the private sector, once demonized by the late dictator.

In April Economy Minister Alejandro Gil asked: "what is our (industrial) potential, and how can we exploit it? "We cannot have Cuban industry idle with the high rates of unsatisfied demand that exist in the country," he said.

Gil asked for "an inventory of industry, one defining its potential" and admitted the failure of the State's control policies: "In the face of what we cannot do at the State level, that for which financing is not arriving, (we must seek) productive ties to other forms of economic management on the island," he suggested.

He insisted on "the need to link up with micro, small and medium enterprises, as these are important investors that, through cooperative production agreements, can help revitalize national industry."

In April analyst Rafaela Cruz pointed out in DIARIO DE CUBA that "from 2018 to 2021 the remuneration of workers in the sector plunged by 25%, which may be behind the fact that the industrial percentage within the country's total labor force fell, with the production of intermediate goods dropping by 20%, and that of final goods by 16%."

"Although there is no data yet for 2022, taking into account the linear relationship between industrial production and electricity consumption, the historic (in their intensity) blackouts that occurred last year certainly had an impact on industrial production's steady suicidal trend."

Housing is one of the most chronic problems in Cuba. On July 19, a week before the 70th anniversary of the assault on the Moncada Barracks, the National Assembly of Popular Power reported the existence of almost 60,000 houses with dirt floors detected in Cuba, and 9,000 tenements, while also announcing that the housing construction plan would not be implemented in 2023 either.

Moreover, the question of employment cannot be considered solved in Cuba after six decades of "Revolution" and seven after Castros famous "History will absolve me."

The results of the 2022 National Employment Survey conducted by the Government indicate that employment was down by almost a quarter of a million people compared to 2020.

According to the survey's official report, "employment in 2022 was at 4,680,928. With respect to 2020, it was down 4.71%, which represents a decrease of 231,364 employees."

The main problem with employment in Cuba, however, is that workers cannot meet their basic needs with their wages, and many, despite having formal jobs, have to engage in illegal activities to survive.

Meanwhile, the high employment figures that Cuba has posted with respect to other countries have been achieved thanks to inflated staffs and the threat of "pre-criminal dangerousness" charges, which, before being struck from the current Criminal Procedure Law, was used to send hundreds of unemployed Cubans to prison.

For a long time Education and Health were the crown jewels of the dictatorship, which used them to justify, from their point of view, the lack of political freedoms on the island.

In the case of Education, indoctrination was portrayed as a fair price to pay in exchange for receiving quality education, free of charge.

Today, not only has it been proven that Cubans pay for education, but that it ceased to be of high quality a long time ago.

The lack of teachers, which the regime has struggled to resolve for years with stopgap solutions like such as trainee teachers, the training of comprehensive, general teachers, and televised classes, has resulted in a progressive loss of quality in classes and graduates' educations.

The humanitarian crisis that Cuba is enduring, prompting requests for help to obtain basic medicines and treatments abroad, and the lack of medical resources and personnel, expose the current situation as regards health, portrayed as free by the regime's propaganda with the aim of turning Cubans into eternal debtors of the Revolution.

The sad state of each of the problems cited by Fidel Castro to defend himself in 1953 forces us to ask what exactly Cubans were celebrating on July 26, and what they will celebrate when the country marks 70 years since "History will absolve me" and 65 since the "Revolution."

What social triumphs are left for Cuba to uphold?
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Achronix Semiconductor Corporation, a leader in high-performance FPGAs and embedded FPGA (eFPGA) IP, today announced that President and CEO, Robert Blake, will participate at the Jefferies Semiconductor, IT Hardware & Communications Technology Summit on August 29, 2023, to be held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago, IL. Mr. Blake will be available throughout the day to meet with investors attending the conference.

Portfolio managers and analysts who would like to request a meeting with management should contact their Jefferies representative.

About Achronix Semiconductor Corporation

Achronix Semiconductor Corporation is a fabless semiconductor corporation based in Santa Clara, California, offering high-end FPGA-based data acceleration solutions, designed to address high-performance, compute-intensive and real-time processing applications. Achronix is the only supplier to have both high-performance and high-density standalone FPGAs and licensed eFPGA IP solutions. Achronix Speedster7t FPGA and SpeedcoreTM eFPGA IP offerings are further enhanced by ready-to-use VectorPathTM accelerator cards targeting AI, machine learning, networking and data center applications. All Achronix products are fully supported by the Achronix Tool Suite which enables customers to quickly develop their own custom applications. Achronix has a global footprint, with sales and design teams across the U.S., Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit www.achronix.com.

Follow Achronix

Website: www.achronix.com

The Achronix Blog: /blogs/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/57668/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/AchronixCorp

Contact

Joel Achramowicz, Managing Director

Shelton Group

T: 415-845-9964

[email protected]

Achronix, Speedster and VectorPath are registered trademarks, and Speedcore and Speedchip are trademarks of Achronix Semiconductor Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Achronix
VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Alchemist Mining Incorporated (the "Company" or "LiTHOS") (CSE: LITS) is pleased to announce a name change from "Alchemist Mining Incorporated" to "Lithos Energy Ltd." (the "Name Change) effective today. Trading of the Company's common shares shall be under the new name and under the ticker symbol "LITS" on the Canadian Securities Exchange as of market open on August 15, 2023. In connection with the Name Change, the Company's new CUSIP will be 536876105 and the new ISIN will be CA5368761055. There is no consolidation of shares associated with the Name Change. Co-incident with the name change LiTHOS is also pleased to announce an updated website available at www.lithostechnology.com

EnerCom Denver PRESENTATION

Scott Taylor, CEO of LiTHOS will present at The Energy Transition and Emerging Technology Session at EnerCom Denver on Wednesday, August 16, 2023 at 8:50 at the Westin Denver Downtown. This session features companies focused on energy-related technology, alternative energy and traditional oil and gas technology start-up ventures.

EnerCom Denver is the largest independent energy conference. The go-to conference for the energy industry, EnerCom Denver regularly hosts over 1,500 worldwide attendees, including institutional and retail investors, high net-worth individuals, family offices, venture capital private equity funds, sell-side analysts, and investment bankers. Energy industry professionals gather in Denver each year for the unique opportunity to meet and discuss future industry plans, growth opportunities, and economic trends impacting oil and natural gas exploration and production.

About LiTHOS

LiTHOS mission is to deliver sustainable lithium production without the use of evaporation ponds. Our wholly owned subsidiary Aqueous Resources is a US Department of Energy FAST TRACK grant Winner and a Colorado Advanced Industries grant winner. AcQUA is our patent-pending electro-pressure membrane process and method for recovery and concentration of lithium chloride from aqueous sources. This process spans the pre-treatment of raw brines through the DLE concentration of lithium chloride. We have a fully commissioned brine processing facility in Denver, Colorado. LiTHOS is currently focused on processing continental brines from several strategic resource owners located in the United States, Argentina, and Chile.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Scott Taylor - CEO

The Canadian Securities Exchange (operated by CNSX Markets Inc.) has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release.

SOURCE Lithos Energy Ltd.
Healthcare Workforce Management Platform Proves Demand Is Here to Stay

NEW YORK, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Apploi , the leading workforce management platform built for healthcare employers, has been included on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing American companies for the fourth consecutive year. Apploi has maintained a strong rate of growth since 2018 when the company officially unveiled its focus on the healthcare market.

Inclusion on the Inc. 5000 list is a prestigious honor, recognizing the most successful companies in America. Other companies that have been honored on this list include Microsoft, LinkedIn, Zillow, and Intuit.

Inc 5000 Logo

"The most rewarding thing is seeing Apploi growing in a stable, sustainable way," says Apploi founder and CEO Adam Lewis. "We're growing quickly, but a lot of thought and caution has gone into that. I have to thank both the Apploi team and our incredible community of customers for helping ensure that we're prioritizing correctly to meet our industry's needs."

Apploi has earned numerous accolades in recent years, including being named one of Inc.'s Best Workplaces of 2023 and a top ATS partner for Indeed . In the past year, CEO Adam Lewis has been recognized by Crain's New York as a top HR tech leader and was named a finalist by the prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year award . Apploi has also substantially expanded its offerings to customers, with more in-platform credentialing tools , new partnerships with tax credit service WOTC.com and background check software Accurate , and healthcare shift management through Apploi OnCall .

"Running a business has only gotten harder since the end of the pandemic," says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. "To make the Inc. 5000with the fast growth that requiresis truly an accomplishment. Inc. is thrilled to honor the companies that are building our future."

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including full company profiles, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Apploi

Apploi is the leading workforce management platform specializing in high-volume hiring for healthcare. Working with over 8,000 healthcare organizations across the US today, Apploi simplifies the hiring process to reduce days-to-hire and get more healthcare workers into roles faster. To learn more about Apploi, visit: www.apploi.com.

SOURCE Apploi
NEW YORK, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ariela & Associates International (AAi), the largest women-owned intimates company in the U.S., announced today the acquisition of inclusive, disruptive intimates brand Parade. As a division of AAi, Parade will maintain its unique identity and creative vision while leveraging AAi's best-in-class sourcing, design and forecasting capabilities to scale in the U.S and globally, setting the stage for an exciting new chapter.

Ariela & Associates International acquires intimates brand Parade.

Since launching in 2019, Parade has established itself as a trailblazing force in the intimate apparel industry, setting new standards for inclusivity, body positivity and self-expression. The digitally native brand's use of sustainably sourced materials and its trendsetting designs have quickly garnered a loyal customer base of young women who seek more from their intimate wear  not just in terms of style, but also in terms of values. With a wide range of products and sizes that cater to all body types, the brand is committed to empowering the next generation of women while supporting sustainable practices.

"We admire the extraordinary impact Parade has had in such a short time and are thrilled to bring a brand that shares our values of authenticity, inclusivity, and sustainability to the AAi portfolio," said Ariela Esquenazi, CEO and President of Ariela & Associates International. "Parade's commitment to inclusive fast fashion which doesn't compromise on its sustainable mission aligns seamlessly with our core principles and we believe that this union will allow us to create powerful synergies."

Parade will become a lifestyle brand in AAi's portfolio which includes plus-size lingerie brand Curvy Couture (acquired in 2019), affordable intimates brand Smart&Sexy, and Fruit of the Loom, where AAi has held the master license in the bra category for 20 years.

About Ariela & Associates International LLC

Founded by CEO Ariela Esquenazi, Ariela & Associates International (AAi) has been a leader in intimates for more than 25 years. As the largest privately held women-owned lingerie company in the U.S., AAi is committed to creating products that are functional, beautiful and affordable, regardless of age, size or income. AAi's portfolio of brands includes Fruit of the Loom, Smart&Sexy, Curvy Couture and Parade. For more about Ariela & Associates International visit: www.aai-llc.com.

SOURCE Ariela & Associates International
MIAMI, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Arrington Capital, a thesis-driven firm investing in digital assets and Web3 since 2017, announced today that Taryn Naidu has joined the firm, bringing decades of entrepreneur and executive experience to his role of Chief Operating Officer. Naidu has led organizations across multiple technology-based industries where he has served as both CEO and COO. He joins Arrington Capital from his most recent role as COO of Rigetti Computing, a full stack quantum computing company, where he was instrumental in the operations and multiple financing rounds for the company including leading the public offering.

Taryn Naidu joins Arrington Capital

"The combination of industry momentum, the great portfolio companies and the team's overall track record makes joining the group of crypto-native leaders at Arrington Capital an incredible opportunity," said Naidu. "Bringing experiences from other industries and organizations to provide operational excellence across both the digital asset management and venture investments is paramount to continue delivering value to our investors and the community."

Arrington Capital is diversifying the talent of the team as the industry grows. In February 2023, the firm appointed Bhavik Patel as its Chief Investment Officer.

"Coming on the heels of Bhavik bringing mature and sophisticated leadership to our trading strategy, I am thrilled to have Taryn join us and elevate the overall operations of the fund," said Michael Arrington, co-founder of Arrington Capital. "Taryn's deep experience as both CEO and COO of regulated public operating companies working with cutting edge technologies like full stack quantum computing brings much needed operational expertise to the fund."

Previously, Naidu served as CEO of the public company Rightside Group, where he led the company from a spinout transaction through a successful exit. Naidu has a B.Sc. in computer science from the University of Regina.

Naidu joins the fund as Heather Harde transitions from full-time Partner to Strategic Advisor. Harde is a cofounder of Arrington Capital and her general-management, finance and start-up skills have been instrumental in the success so far today.

About Arrington Capital

Arrington Capital is a digital asset management firm primarily focused on blockchain-based capital markets. The firm, founded in 2017 by TechCrunch and CrunchBase founder Michael Arrington, TechCrunch CEO Heather Harde and Geoffrey Arone, has invested in hundreds of startups around the world. Arrington Capital is a seasoned, international team composed of Silicon Valley veterans and operators with deep venture capital experience and crypto native roots. Arrington Capital's first fund was Arrington XRP Capital, and has expanded to multiple funds over time, including the Arrington Algo Growth Fund and the Arrington Moonbeam Growth Fund. For more information on Arrington Capital, visit https://www.arringtoncapital.com/.

SOURCE Arrington Capital
Scaled connected commerce operations signal a new era of growth and transformation in the region

LONDON, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Global media agency Assembly announces the launch of its European Retail Media Division to meet booming retail media demand in the region.

The launch comes with expanded products and capabilities to deliver end-to-end connected commerce solutions that help retail and direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands scale, automate and improve margins at all stages of the consumer journey. The retail media division, led by Ada Wachowska, will start with a team of 25 dedicated practitioners and clients across fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), luxury, retail, and consumer electronics verticals  brought into Assembly from fellow Stagwell Brand X Performance Network and e-commerce specialist agency Brand New Galaxy. The new division will further scale Assembly's award-winning global retail media expertise, operated in region across partners like Amazon, Bol.com, Sephora and Douglas.

"Retail Media is the fastest-growing channel for media spend, and client demand for innovation within the retail landscape is at an all-time high," says Matt Adams, Assembly Europe CEO. "Being able to offer clients an integrated team of specialists who are experts across the European retail media landscape is perfect for clients who want to be able to look across channels, through advanced measurement, and use retail media as a connected part of a consumer journey."

With a robust retail portfolio and proven track record across the globe, Assembly's global business works to improve and scale digital performance for retail and DTC brands  boasting return-on-investment (ROI) increases upwards of 30% on same media spend when clients transition from another agency or in-house team to Assembly.

The retail media division launch follows a series of new client wins and leadership hires under Assembly Europe CEO Matt Adams, who joined the agency in March 2023.

ABOUT ASSEMBLY

Assembly is the modern global omnichannel media agency, bringing data, talent, and technology together to find the change that fuels growth for the best brands on the planet. Our approach connects big, bold brand stories with integrated, global media capabilities that deliver performance and drive large-scale business growth. Our work is powered by our proprietary, in-house technology solution, STAGE, and led by our global talent base of over 1,600 people around the world. We're purpose-driven at our core and pioneers in social and environmental impact in the agency world. Assembly is a proud member of Stagwell, the challenger network built to transform marketing. For more information, visit assemblyglobal.com.

ABOUT STAGWELL BRAND X PERFORMANCE NETWORK

Stagwell's Brand X Performance Network is a group of leading creative, media, and commerce agencies home to more than 6,000 experts with an expansive global footprint across 60 offices in 20 countries, managing $5 billion in media. The network includes creative agencies GALE, Forsman & Bodenfors, Crispin Porter Bogusky (CP+B), media agencies Assembly, Goodstuff and Grason, B2B specialists Multiview, multi-lingual content agency Locaria, travel and media experts Ink, and commerce experts Brand New Galaxy. The network offers marketers a more dynamic partner for global B2B and B2C connected solutions spanning data, technology, media, and creativity aimed at accelerating business growth for brands worldwide.

PRESS CONTACT:

Jess Santini

[email protected]

SOURCE Stagwell Inc.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- basys.ai, a healthcare technology company co-founded by Harvard alumni Amber Nigam and Jie Sun in 2022 at Harvard University, is excited to announce the successful completion of its latest funding round, securing a total of $2.4 million in investments. This funding will enable basys.ai to further its mission of empowering payers to streamline processes like prior authorization and utilization management.

basys.ai uses Generative AI to Transform Prior Authorization, a Process Under Fire from Congress and CMS Tweet this CEO Amber Nigam (right) and COO Jie Sun (left)

The funding round was led by Nina Capital, a specialized venture capital firm with deep expertise at the intersection of healthcare and technology. Notable investors who also participated in the round include Eli Lilly & Co., Mayo Clinic, Two Lanterns Venture Fund, Asset Management Ventures, and Chaac Ventures.

basys.ai's platform engine, trained on over 10 million patient records and claims, automates payer policy encoding through generative AI, which allows basys.ai to achieve target savings with partners up to nine months faster than its competitors. The engine personalizes care approvals to automate up to 90% of prior authorization requests and expedite care delivery. This drives savings on both administrative and medical expenditures for health plans, flattening the cost curve for members. Additionally, to facilitate transparency and explainability, the platform automates answering member and provider queries with its generative AI chat feature.

"Streamlining prior authorization is fundamental to achieving optimal care delivery," said Mr. Nigam. "basys.ai is assisting health plans in reducing administrative burden and expenditures while improving transparency for members and providers. Our solution's dual focus on efficiency and transparency ensures health plan compliance with pending CMS, Congress, and State legislation regulating prior authorization. This funding round positions us to facilitate positive change for health plans nationwide."

By implementing objective, data-driven approvals, basys.ai aligns the incentives of key stakeholders in the prior authorization process to prioritize member interest. basys.ai plans to leverage its funding to expand strategic partnerships with health plans.

About basys.ai:

basys.ai is a healthcare platform that leverages generative AI to streamline prior authorization and utilization management. Through its platform, basys.ai enables greater transparency and fosters collaboration among healthcare insurers, providers, and other key stakeholders, with the ultimate aim of driving positive change, reducing administrative and medical costs, and improving healthcare outcomes. For more information, please visit our website and watch our TEDx Talk.

SOURCE basys.ai
eTip's digital tipping solution provides a seamless guest experience while enhancing satisfaction and retention among Baywood Hotels' 5,000+ employees

COLUMBIA, Md., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Baywood Hotels, one of the nation's fastest-growing, privately owned hotel companies, announces today that it chooses eTip, a leader in cashless tipping, as its partner in offering a digital tipping solution at its properties. The new solution, powered by eTip and offered through the Visa network, creates a digital tipping experience allowing guests to easily and securely express gratitude to hotel associates. eTip will be available at properties within the Baywood Hotels portfolio  including Hilton, Marriott, IHG, and Choice branded hotels.

With the growth of digital payment technologies, fewer Americans carry cash, particularly when they visit hotels. Now, 40 percent of guests at US hotels report carrying significantly less cash than they did five years ago. And while some tipping solutions exist today, they often come with frictions and complexities that diminish the overall guest experience. eTip solves this problem with a digital platform that is designed to be user-friendly, fast, and integrated with a hotel's overall brand.

Baywood Hotels Selects eTip to Power Digital Tipping at its Properties Tweet this

"We pride ourselves on seeking innovative solutions to best serve the needs of our employees," says Ryan Lee, Chief Operating Officer, Baywood Hotels. "With eTip's solution, we're proud to not only modernize a time-honored tradition of allowing guests to express their appreciation but also thrilled to offer a method for employees to more quickly and efficiently enjoy the benefits of their dedicated work."

eTip requires no mobile app download or login credentials. All guests need to do is scan a QR code using the camera on their mobile phone, tap the banner that appears on their screen, and then securely tip using their preferred payment method. eTip also offers "tap to tip," which gives users the ability to pay through an NFC-enabled QR-code. The feature is activated by a user tapping their smartphone on the QR code, automatically opening the profile of the associate or department the guest wishes to tip. Once the guest leaves a tip electronically, associates can quickly receive the tip in their bank account through Visa Direct, eliminating the need to wait for a tip to be paid through the weekly or bi-weekly payroll process. eTip makes digital tipping easier and faster for guests and associates.

"We are seeing an increase in market demand for a fast, reliable, and fully digitized tipping experience for hotel guests and employees in the hospitality industry," said Yanilsa Gonzalez-Ore, Senior Vice President of Visa Direct. "eTip now offers a digital tipping solution, enabled by Visa Direct, to Baywood Hotels, helping to modernize that process for their guests and employees."

Key Capabilities of eTip:

No app required . Guests don't need to download yet another app on their phone. eTip opens directly in their phone's browser.

. Guests don't need to download yet another app on their phone. eTip opens directly in their phone's browser. Flexible and secure payment options . Guests can tip with their preferred payment method such as debit/credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and more.

. Guests can tip with their preferred payment method such as debit/credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and more. Automatic tip disbursements. eTip's collaboration with Visa allows tip disbursement in real-time* to any bank account with an eligible Visa card via Visa Direct.

eTip's collaboration with Visa allows tip disbursement in real-time* to any bank account with an eligible Visa card via Visa Direct. Individual and/or pooled tipping . Managers can allocate tips to individual associates or pool tips by team/department.

. Managers can allocate tips to individual associates or pool tips by team/department. White labeling. The white label design enables Baywood Hotels to easily integrate the system with their brand image.

The white label design enables Baywood Hotels to easily integrate the system with their brand image. Easy to use. eTip does all the heavy lifting, including onboarding, payment processing, tip payouts and reporting.

We're thrilled Baywood Hotels sees the value in our mission of revolutionizing the 160-year-old cash tradition with digital tipping," says Nicolas Cassis, cofounder and CEO of eTip. "Together, we address pain points from every side: the hoteliers, the associates, and the guests. We look forward to continuing to offer cutting-edge technology simplifying the guest experience and financial reconciliation while also helping to deliver the high-touch, personalized experience guests have come to expect when they stay at one of these properties."

About eTip

eTip is a digital tipping and financial benefits platform tailored to service sector businesses, including hotels, restaurants, gaming, and more. eTip is trusted by global hospitality, leisure, and retail brands to drive operational efficiency, foster customer loyalty, and engage workers with digital financial benefits. eTip leverages technology, payments innovations, and the power of gratitude to build solutions to solve customers' service-level challenges and address industry-specific needs. eTip's mission is to empower the services economy with a holistic platform that digitizes cash-heavy operations, centralizes on-bill and off-bill tipping, and offers workers financial wellness tools, including emergency savings, credit building, and now, on-demand payout of tips to achieve their long-term financial goals.

About Baywood Hotels

Established in 1975, Baywood Hotels, Inc. is a fast-growing hospitality management and development company, operating over $1 billion in assets and employing over 5,000 associates nationwide. The company is headquartered in Columbia, MD and has regional offices in Denver, CO; Miami, FL; Rochester, NY, San Antonio, TX and Northern VA. In each of its regions, the private hotel ownership company is consistently recognized as an innovative leader in the hotel industry, focusing on product concept and development and the outstanding management of its assets. The focused vision, strong values, and aggressive long-range strategy of Baywood Hotels has helped the company develop reputable and well-branded hotels in areas where Baywood has competitive expertise and partnerships. Baywood Hotels' portfolio includes well-known brands, such as Marriott, Hilton, and InterContinental Hotels Group, as well as several independent brands.

About Visa

Visa is the world's leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable, and secure payment network - enabling individuals, businesses, and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company's relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of digital commerce on any device for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network, and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information, visit About Visa , visa.com/blog and @VisaNews .

Media Contact:

Nicholas Cassis,

[email protected]

SOURCE eTip
With exciting new upgrades, the company brings readers more of what they love.

DUBUQUE, Iowa, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Books-A-Million Dubuque has relocated to a fresh new space just doors away from its longtime location inside Kennedy Mall. Serving the community since 2012, the company looks forward to many more years, just a few steps away.

To celebrate the move, Books-A-Million Dubuque will hold a Grand Opening Celebration at the new store on Saturday, August 26, featuring valuable giveaways and fun activities. The first 100 guests will receive a free flat-bottom tote bag adorned with Books-A-Million's logo, while all attendees have a chance to win a $500 gift card!

Bring your kids early for exciting book-themed activities from 10:30 AM - 5 PM, including Bluey storytime and crafts, Dr. Seuss-themed face painting, and a balloon artist specializing in favorite kids characters! Stay refreshed with cookies and popcorn as you explore the new space and mingle with neighbors and booksellers.

Conveniently located next to HuHot Mongolian Grill, the updated and modern space is an inspired new home for Books-A-Million's characteristic assortment, offering a bright, convenient, and curated shopping experience.

Team members are eager to serve their customers in the new location, according to bookseller Arlo Tilton. "All of us here are very excited for this new move. We think it will freshen up the customer base, bringing in new faces and some that haven't been in for a while," he says.

Returning customers will be happy to see the friendly, familiar faces of their favorite associates, including Arlo, who are just as thrilled to welcome customersnew and oldinto the new store.

ABOUT BOOKS-A-MILLION

Books-A-Million operates more than 200 stores in 32 states as well as its e-commerce site, Booksamillion.com. A leading retailer of books, toys, games, and collectibles since 1917, the company has grown to be the nation's second-largest bookstore chain.

CONTACT

Olivia Anderson McDaniel

Vice President of Marketing, Omnichannel

205.909.3563

[email protected]

SOURCE Books-A-Million, Inc.
Strategic acquisition closes to enable in-house marketing and development.

MELBOURNE, Fla., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Branded Legacy, a holdings company focused on biotechnology, is pleased to announce that it has completed the acquisition of Rocket Web Development and Design (RWDD). This significant milestone underscores Branded Legacy's commitment to expanding its digital capabilities and providing cutting-edge web solutions to it's subsidiaries and clients.

RWDD is a respected full-service web development and online marketing firm with a successful track record spanning over seven years. The company is poised to leverage RWDD's expertise to enhance its online presence and support the growth of its web-based services.

Doug Holladay, Chief Executive Officer of Rocket Web Development and Design, expressed his excitement about the acquisition, stating, "We are thrilled to be a part of Branded Legacy's journey. This acquisition signifies a pivotal step in expanding our operations and reaching larger marketing and production targets. We look forward to joining forces and combining our strengths to provide innovative digital solutions that align with Branded Legacy's vision."

David Oswald, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Branded Legacy, also commented on the closure of the RWDD acquisition, saying, "The acquisition of Rocket Web Development and Design reflects our strategic focus on enhancing our digital capabilities. We are pleased to have completed the final stages of this acquisition and welcome RWDD into the Branded Legacy family. This collaboration will enable us to further support our clients and solidify our position as a prominent player in both the biotechnology and digital sectors."

As the RWDD acquisition progresses toward completion, Branded Legacy remains dedicated to advancing scientific innovation, improving patient care, and delivering exceptional value to its stakeholders.

Additionally, Branded Legacy would like to announce that the acquisition of MycoEnlighten LLC has been suspended due to issues uncovered during due diligence. We are exploring options to continue working together as corporate partners to bring their exciting products to market. For further updates on RWDD and other developments at Branded Legacy, please visit the company's website at brandedlegacy.com or contact them at [email protected]

About Branded Legacy

Branded Legacy Inc. (OTC.PK:BLEG), is a forward-thinking biotechnology company committed to driving innovation in plant-derived medicines and biotechnological breakthroughs. The company's strategic partnerships and milestone achievements highlight its dedication to transforming patient care and contributing to the advancement of healthcare solutions.

Media Contact

Joe Holladay

Branded Legacy

Phone: 321-345-3565

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://brandedlegacy.com/

Safe Harbor Statement:

The information posted in this release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these statements by the use of the words "may," "will," "should," "plans," "expects," "anticipates," "continue," "estimate," "project," "intend," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, general economic and business conditions, effects of continued geopolitical unrest and regional conflicts, competition, changes in technology and methods of marketing, delays in completing various engineering and manufacturing programs, changes in customer order patterns, changes in product mix, continued success in technological advances and delivering technological innovations, shortages in components, production delays due to performance quality issues with outsourced components, and various other factors beyond the Company's control.

SOURCE Branded Legacy, Inc.
LexisNexis Risk Solutions Report Highlights 183% Increase in Bot Attacks for Canadian Ecommerce Industry

ATLANTA, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- LexisNexis Risk Solutions published its Canadian Cybercrime and Fraud Trends Report, which provides an overview on Canadian transactions and attacks detected by the LexisNexis Digital Identity Network between January-December 2022. Canadian transactions processed by the Digital Identity Network totaled approximately 8 billion in 2022, a 32% increase year over year (YOY). Based on the report's findings, Canada experienced a 30% increase in human initiated attacks and a 52% increase in bot attacks.

The study found that digital transactions increased significantly in Canada YOY with 80% of transactions occurring via mobile devices. Notably, the Canadian mobile browser attack rate increased to 5.1% YOY and was substantially higher than the worldwide average of 2.7% during the same period.

Canadian financial services organizations experienced one of the highest overall attack rates globally, second only to LATAM financial services organizations. The highest attack rates across Canadian financial services occurred at new account opening (5.2%) and payments (5.8%). Notably, the Canadian ecommerce industry experienced a significant 183% increase in bot attacks.

"This study shows that Canadian organizations experience unique fraud trends compared to global and U.S. averages. The growth in bot volume in Canada was substantial and certain industries such as financial services experienced some of the highest attack rates globally," said Alanna Shuh, director, fraud and identity strategy for Canada, LexisNexis Risk Solutions. "It's clear that organizations utilizing a global intelligence consortium and layering solutions at each consumer touchpoint are better equipped to stop fraud in its tracks, especially given the increasing size and complexity of global fraud networks."

Key takeaways from The LexisNexis Risk Solutions Canadian Cybercrime and Fraud Trends Report:

Growth in Digital Transactions : At the time of the report, digital transactions in the Digital Identity Network grew 32% YOY.

: At the time of the report, digital transactions in the Digital Identity Network grew 32% YOY. Mobile Channels at High Risk : Canada is consistently a highly mobile country relative to other global regions with 80% of transactions occurring via the mobile channel. Canada also experienced an especially high mobile browser attack rate of 5.1% compared to the global mobile browser attack rate of 2.7%.

: is consistently a highly mobile country relative to other global regions with 80% of transactions occurring via the mobile channel. also experienced an especially high mobile browser attack rate of 5.1% compared to the global mobile browser attack rate of 2.7%. Different Industries, Different Attack Trends: Canada experienced a 30% increase in human-initiated attacks and a 52% increase in bot attacks YOY. The ecommerce industry saw a 183% increase in bot attacks, while financial services experienced a 31% increase in human initiated attacks.

Access the Canadian Cybercrime and Fraud Trends Report.

Methodology

The study analyzed 79.8B global transactions between January  December 2022 across industries and use cases utilizing digital identity intelligence to distinguish good users from fraudsters. The Digital Identity Network uses device, location, behavior and threat data to help verify legitimacy of transactions while reporting attacks. The study focused on interactions with digital services, not network intrusion attacks.

About LexisNexis Risk Solutions

LexisNexis Risk Solutions includes seven brands that span multiple industries and sectors. We harness the power of data, sophisticated analytics platforms and technology solutions to provide insights that help businesses and governmental entities reduce risk and improve decisions to benefit people around the globe. Headquartered in metro Atlanta, Georgia, we have offices throughout the world and are part of RELX (LSE: REL/NYSE: RELX), a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. For more information, please visit LexisNexis Risk Solutions and RELX.

Media Contact:

Marcy Theobald

678.860.3639

[email protected]

SOURCE LexisNexis Risk Solutions
Adds video engagement tool to personalize car dealership interactions

CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- TradePending, a sales enablement and consumer experience software platform for car dealerships, announced today that it has acquired Snapcell, a SaaS automotive video marketing platform that helps car dealerships build trust and improve customer engagement through personalized video solutions. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. TradePending is backed by Capstreet, a Houston-based lower middle market private equity firm.

Founded in the U.K. in 2016, with U.S. headquarters in Tampa, FL, Snapcell provides a dynamic suite of visual solutions to automotive dealers worldwide to deliver a more efficient and effective purchase experience to their customers. Snapcell's communications platform offers a robust set of products to boost user engagement and support dealerships' sales, service and BDC departments.

"We believe Snapcell's solutions fit perfectly into our mission of 'simple automotive' by bringing dealers and consumers together," said Brice Englert, CEO of TradePending. "TradePending has always strived to bridge the information divide between consumers and dealers with easy-to-understand data about trade-ins and vehicles of interest. Now with Snapcell, we will be able to bring people together through personal video communication and genuine human interaction. We believe the addition of Snapcell will change the automotive sales and service experience for our dealers and improve trust, transparency, sales, and overall customer loyalty."

"The team at TradePending understands the importance of inspiring trust in automotive consumers, and we look forward to working together and leveraging their strong reputation in the auto industry," said Brent Williams, CEO and Founder of Snapcell. "Snapcell's solutions complement TradePending's existing tools, and by combining forces, we expect our customers to be better positioned to improve sales and operations across their dealerships."

"When it comes to an automobile purchase, 'seeing is believing,' and a real-time, personal video interaction is the next best thing to visiting a dealership in person," said Adrian Guerra, Partner at Capstreet. "We welcome the Snapcell team and look forward to continuing to support TradePending's growth."

Presidio Technology Partners acted as financial advisor to Snapcell in this transaction.

About TradePending

TradePending's mission is "simple automotive," bringing dealers and consumers together across North America. Over 4,000- dealerships across the United States and Canada utilize the company's sales enablement and website conversion platform to educate and inform their customers, to simplify and shorten the sales process, and to convert their website traffic into new opportunities. The platform includes integrated solutions for trade-in valuations and offers, monthly payment calculators, personalized video communications, creative inventory merchandising, and detailed vehicle reports. The TradePending API provides industry partners with proprietary market data to power their own products and services. https://www.tradepending.com

About Capstreet

Founded in 1990, Capstreet invests in lower middle market software, tech-enabled services, and industrial business services companies. With over 45 platform investments and over 200 add-on acquisitions since inception, Capstreet's investment strategy is focused on utilizing its Capvalue Framework to help accelerate growth and profitability, and help create long term sustainable businesses. The majority of Capstreet's investments have been with founder- or entrepreneur-owned businesses. For more information, visit the Capstreet website, www.capstreet.com.

Contact:

Lambert

Jennifer Hurson, 845-507-0571, [email protected]

Joanne Lessner, 212-222-7436, jlessner@lambert.com

SOURCE TradePending
PORTLAND, Ore., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The following statement is being issued by Kroll Settlement Administration regarding the Toyota Airbag Control Unit Settlement.

Toyota has agreed to a class action settlement (the "Settlement") to resolve claims that certain Toyota vehicles ("Subject Vehicles") contain a defective airbag control unit.

WHAT IS THIS LAWSUIT ABOUT?

Plaintiffs allege that the airbag control unit equipped in the Subject Vehicles are vulnerable to a condition called electrical overstress, which may cause the vehicles' airbags and other safety features to fail during a collision. Toyota denies the allegations brought against it in the lawsuit but has agreed to the Settlement to resolve the case. The Court has not decided who is right.

WHO IS INCLUDED IN THE SETTLEMENT?

You may be included in the Settlement if you currently own, lease, or previously owned or leased a Subject Vehicle, subject to certain exclusions. Certain Subject Vehicles were recalled by Toyota on January 17, 2020 ("Recalled Vehicles"), to address issues with the airbag control unit (NHTSA Recall No. 20V-024, the "Recall"). If you have not completed the Recall, it remains available. Other Subject Vehicles that are not part of the Recall ("Unrecalled Vehicles") are still included for benefits in the Settlement. Please visit www.AirbagControlUnitSettlement.com or call 1-833-747-5737 for a complete list of Subject Vehicles.

WHAT ARE THE SETTLEMENT BENEFITS?

The Settlement provides $78.5 million in cash and credits in addition to an Extended New Parts Warranty and other benefits. The proposed Settlement provides:

Reimbursement for certain out-of-pocket expenses related to the Recall;

Potential payment of up to $250 from funds remaining after all eligible out-of-pocket expenses and other settlement costs have been paid;

from funds remaining after all eligible out-of-pocket expenses and other settlement costs have been paid; An extended warranty for Recalled Vehicles that complete the Recall;

A robust vehicle inspection program;

An outreach program for Subject Vehicles that are part of the Recall; and

A potential rental car reimbursement, loaner vehicle, and outreach program if there is a future airbag control unit recall for Subject Vehicles that are not currently part of the Recall.

WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS?

File A Claim: If you incurred certain out-of-pocket expenses to complete the Recall for your Subject Vehicle, you may submit a claim for reimbursement. The deadline to submit a claim is to be determined, but will not be before December 16, 2026 . Please visit www.AirbagControlUnitSettlement.com or call 1-833-747-5737 for more information about how to submit a claim.

If you incurred certain out-of-pocket expenses to complete the Recall for your Subject Vehicle, you may submit a claim for reimbursement. The deadline to submit a claim is to be determined, but will not be before . Please visit or call for more information about how to submit a claim. Register For a Potential Residual Payment: You may register for a potential payment of up to $250 from funds remaining after all eligible out-of-pocket expenses and other settlement costs have been paid. The deadline to register is to be determined, but will not be before December 16, 2026 . Please visit www.AirbagControlUnitSettlement.com or call 1-833-747-5737 for more information about how to register for a Residual Distribution Payment.

You may register for a potential payment of up to from funds remaining after all eligible out-of-pocket expenses and other settlement costs have been paid. The deadline to register is to be determined, but will not be before . Please visit or call for more information about how to register for a Residual Distribution Payment. Complete The Recall And Receive The Extended New Parts Warranty: Recalled Vehicles that have already completed the Recall will receive the Extended New Parts Warranty. Recalled Vehicles that have not yet completed the Recall will receive the Extended New Parts Warranty once the Recall is completed.

Recalled Vehicles that have already completed the Recall will receive the Extended New Parts Warranty. Recalled Vehicles that have not yet completed the Recall will receive the Extended New Parts Warranty once the Recall is completed. Object: You may write to the Court to explain why you do not like the Settlement. If you object to the Settlement, you will remain a member of the Class (if you are otherwise eligible) and you will still release the claims covered by this Settlement. If you make an objection, you must still submit a claim to receive compensation under the Settlement. The deadline to Object is October 20, 2023 .

You may write to the Court to explain why you do not like the Settlement. If you object to the Settlement, you will remain a member of the Class (if you are otherwise eligible) and you will still release the claims covered by this Settlement. If you make an objection, you must still submit a claim to receive compensation under the Settlement. The deadline to Object is Exclude: If you wish to exclude yourself from the Settlement and not receive settlement benefits, you must submit a request to exclude yourself from, or "opt out" of, the Settlement. If you do so, you will preserve your rights to sue Toyota. The deadline to Exclude yourself is October 20, 2023 .

If you wish to exclude yourself from the Settlement and not receive settlement benefits, you must submit a request to exclude yourself from, or "opt out" of, the Settlement. If you do so, you will preserve your rights to sue Toyota. The deadline to Exclude yourself is Go To The Fairness Hearing: The Court will hold a hearing on November 16, 2023 , at 11:00 a.m. , to consider whether to grant final approval to the Settlement and counsel's request for fees and expenses. The hearing date may change, so please check the Settlement website regularly for updates. You do not need to attend, but are welcome to at your own expense.

The Court will hold a hearing on , to consider whether to grant final approval to the Settlement and counsel's request for fees and expenses. The hearing date may change, so please check the Settlement website regularly for updates. You do not need to attend, but are welcome to at your own expense. Do Nothing: If you are a member of the Class and do nothing, you will not receive the benefits provided under the Settlement, and you will give up the right to sue Toyota about the issues in the lawsuit.

For more information, visit www.AirbagControlUnitSettlement.com or call 1-833-747-5737. Please do not contact the Court.

SOURCE Kroll Settlement Administration
With Comprehensive and Personalizable Search Tools, Travelers Will Spend LESS and get MORE on their Next Beach Vacation

NEW YORK, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CheapCaribbean Vacations , the online booking engine specializing in the "best in beach" travel deals, is announcing the launch of its Budget Beach Finder , a brand new trip planning tool that will help travelers save time and money booking their perfect beach escape. The tool holds three features including the deal calendar, the deal map and a customizable search option with budget filters, providing a unique and easy way for beach lovers to compare and book all-inclusive vacation packages across a variety of destinations where they'll have their best "woohoo moments" at the best values possible.

"CheapCaribbean is known as the place to find a vacation deal, and we understand that travelers today are even more keen on seeking out vacation packages that offer good value. We want to continue to offer our customers the best prices. With the release of the new Budget Beach Finder we're helping to simplify the search process and help travelers find some amazing deals across a variety of destinations in one quick search," said Michael Lowery, Head of Global Consumer Business, Apple Leisure Group Vacations.

Designed to fit the needs of any traveler, the Budget Beach Finder tool has three distinct features that help travelers easily find prices that won't compare to anywhere else. By boasting several different features all geared towards helping travelers find affordable vacation packages, users are able to find prices within their budget without having to do much work.

The World is Your Oyster: Travelers who just want to see what the best options are with the best prices from their nearest major airport should look no further than the "Browse Everything" tool. Start by applying the budget filter to see trips in your price range. Avoid the headache of having to conduct individual searches for each destination you are considering and just search all destination deals at once. From there, searches can be narrowed down based on resort star rating, number of nights and more.

Today's Hottest Deal Calendar: Travelers that are flexible on the timing of their vacation with a priority of finding the best-in-beach deals possible can search vacation options via a price calendar. The ideal tool for those looking to snag a last minute deal, the calendar will show the best deals within the next 90 days. Results are displayed in a price calendar so one can quickly and easily spot the best deal available. Additional features allow one to narrow down the results by destination, hotel class, length of stay and theme filters.

Map it Out: This interactive map showcases the various destinations travelers can visit with CheapCaribbean Vacations and the total vacation package pricing to featured resorts that will give them more sand for their dollar. Applying the various filters helps narrow the search to find the best resort deal specific to what they are looking for. Exploring the map gives travelers the opportunity to picture themselves tanning along the blue water beaches and become inspired to find the deal that suits them best.

"Vacation planning can be stressful, so it's our goal to help travelers plan that well-deserved trip in the easiest way possible," said Dana Studebaker, Vice President of Marketing, Consumer Brands at Apple Leisure Group Vacations. "We hope that this tool and our prices will inspire travelers to book more trips and see new places for endless 'woohoo' moments."

For more information on CheapCaribbean Vacations and the Budget Beach Finder, please visit https://beachfinder.cheapcaribbean.com/

About CheapCaribbean Vacations

Since 2000, CheapCaribbean Vacations has served as an award-winning online travel site for in-the-know travelers searching for the best vacation deals to the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America. Its mission is to provide travelers with life-changing, unforgettable vacation packages specializing in delivering "woohoo moments" at a great value. CheapCaribbean Vacations supplies in-depth content on hotel properties and destinations, and provides knowledgeable sales agents for assistance in coordinating, planning and personalizing trips. The online travel site has grown dramatically since its inception 22 years ago and is part of the broader Apple Leisure Group, a leading North American resort brand-management, travel and hospitality company.

SOURCE CheapCaribbean
- Boston-based companies will collaborate on in vivo studies testing delivery modules harnessing transferrin and CD98 receptors -

BOSTON, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Chiesi Global Rare Diseases, a business unit of the Chiesi Group established to deliver innovative therapies and solutions for people living with rare diseases, today announced a co-development agreement with Aliada Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing a novel blood-brain barrier (BBB)-crossing platform technology to address challenging disease areas with high unmet need.

The research collaboration will focus on multiple enzyme cargoes modified with Aliada's Modular Delivery (MODEL) platform, which harnesses endogenous brain endothelial cell transport mechanisms to efficiently move large molecule therapeutics across the BBB. Beyond enabling high therapeutic exposure in the brain, the MODEL platform demonstrates advantages over competing approaches with a broad design landscape that confers the ability to optimize therapeutics for both central nervous system (CNS) delivery and downstream functionality.

"Our commitment to the development of new treatment options for people living with lysosomal storage disorders (LSD) is global, as evidenced by recent regulatory approvals," said Giacomo Chiesi, head of Chiesi Global Rare Diseases. "Many LSDs have CNS involvement. With this collaboration, we are expanding our strategy and presence in BBB-crossing technologies and hope to leverage our know-how in LSDs to support the development of an effective and differentiated drug delivery platform. We are especially proud to advance this important research with Aliada, a partner with vast experience in neuro drug development and biologics delivery."

Founded in 2021, Aliada leverages its MODEL platform to research and develop differentiated large molecule therapeutics for patients with neurological disorders and systemic disorders with CNS involvement. Its leadership team brings deep experience and a successful track record across neuroscience and biologics discovery and development. Aliada is backed by leading life sciences investors, and plans to both advance proprietary programs and also collaborate with other companies to progress programs across multiple therapeutic areas.

"We are excited to partner with Chiesi to develop improved therapeutics for patients living with LSDs, who currently lack treatments that can readily access the brain," said Adam Rosenberg, Chief Executive Officer, Aliada Therapeutics. "We admire Chiesi's continued commitment to patients, exemplified by their two recent FDA approvals. This collaboration will allow Aliada to demonstrate the diverse capabilities of our MODEL platform, which enables us to efficiently transport a diverse range of therapeutic cargoes into the brain."

About Chiesi Global Rare Diseases

Chiesi Global Rare Diseases is a business unit of the Chiesi Group established to deliver innovative therapies and solutions for people affected by rare diseases. As a family business, Chiesi Group strives to create a world where it is common to have a therapy for all diseases and acts as a force for good, for society and the planet. The goal of the Global Rare Diseases unit is to ensure equal access so as many people as possible can experience their most fulfilling life. The unit collaborates with the rare disease community around the globe to bring voice to underserved people in the health care system.

For more information visit www.chiesirarediseases.com.

About Chiesi Group

Chiesi is an international, research-focused biopharmaceuticals group that develops and markets innovative therapeutic solutions in respiratory health, rare diseases, and specialty care. The company's mission is to improve people's quality of life and act responsibly towards both the community and the environment.

By changing its legal status to a Benefit Corporation in Italy, the US, and France, Chiesi's commitment to create shared value for society as a whole is legally binding and central to company-wide decision-making. As a certified B Corp since 2019, we're part of a global community of businesses that meet high standards of social and environmental impact. The company aims to reach Net-Zero greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions by 2035.

With over 85 years of experience, Chiesi is headquartered in Parma (Italy), operates in 31 countries, and counts more than 6,500 employees. The Group's research and development centre in Parma works alongside 6 other important R&D hubs in France, the US, Canada, China, the UK, and Sweden.

For further information please visit www.chiesi.com.

About Aliada Therapeutics

Aliada Therapeutics is a neuroscience-focused company working towards overcoming the delivery hurdle in large molecule drug development. Aliada is advancing a generation of CNS therapeutics using its novel BBB crossing platform technology, which can efficiently transport a diverse array of therapeutic cargoes into the brain, resulting in enhanced downstream effectiveness.

Chiesi Global Rare Diseases Media Contact

Adam Daley

Berry & Company Public Relations

Tel: +1 212 253 8881

Email: [email protected]

Aliada Therapeutics Media Contact

Matt Crenson

Ten Bridge Communications

Tel: 917-640-7930

Email: [email protected]

PP-G-1247 V1.0

SOURCE Chiesi Global Rare Diseases
"I invested in Cilantro because I was inspired by Temoc and Gerardo Morfin's stories of struggle and stride for a slice of the American pie," said Perez. "I relate to those with an underdog mentality because I am also a person who fights and works hard for the American Dream."

"Armando and I had been searching to find a Latin-owned restaurant with an incredible business model that we could help grow when we were introduced to Cilantro Taco Grill," said Fransmart CEO Dan Rowe. "What Temoc and his family have built is not only the American dream, it's a franchisee's dream  just look at their FDD. Their stores averaged $1.4 million and $1,180 per square foot. Those numbers are huge. This is the next generation of Mexican food franchises."

Cilantro Taco Grill was founded in 2013 by Temoc Morfin, who was inspired to bring the family's treasured flavors and recipes to the masses by his father, 'Don Javi' Morfin. The family's patriarch, his wife and 11 children immigrated to the USA despite all the dangers of travel, weather elements, and language barriers. The brand has been thriving since the first location opened in 2013, expanding to 15 total locations in the competitive Chicagoland market.

"We started the restaurant as a tribute to the dedication and love my father had for us and for food," said Temoc Morfin, founder of Cilantro Taco Grill. "We started with recipes and flavors we've loved since we were kids and have built a brand that our customers trust as a source of authentic Mexican flavors. We know franchisees will love being a part of the family too, as we've worked tirelessly to build a business model that's replicable and scalable in any major market."

Cilantro Taco Grill is currently vetting qualified multi-unit owners to bring the authentic Mexican brand to their local market. Ideal franchisees have prior franchise experience and a passion for serving the classic, craveable flavors of Jalisco. Franchisees receive expert training and guidance from the Cilantro Taco Grill team, in addition to a high-end tech stack that features digital menu boards and a highly popular rewards program. Cilantro Taco Grill also features multiple revenue streams for franchisees with a popular catering program and bottles of their ultra-popular house salsa consistently flying off shelves.

Interested franchisees may submit inquiries and applications online at www.fransmart.com/cilantro-taco-grill.

About Cilantro Taco Grill

Cilantro Taco Grill's story begins with 'Don Javi' Morfin, who immigrated from Guadalajara, Jalisco to Chicago with his wife, Alicia, and 11 children. His son, Temoc Morfin, Cilantro Taco Grill's founder, realized that sharing his ancestors' recipes, flavors, and spices through culinary arts was his true passion. And this way, he would be able to contribute to creating jobs and help others to be successful. Thanks to the collaborative effort of Temoc's family, Cilantro Taco Grill was born as a fast-casual restaurant fueled by the authentic flavors of Mexico, the heart of Don Javi, and the vision of Temoc.

The first Cilantro Taco Grill opened in 2013 in the Stone Park neighborhood of Chicago. Since then, the Morfin family has opened 15 total locations across the greater Chicagoland area. The brand focuses on authentic Mexican recipes that showcase the flavors they brought with them from the heart of Jalisco. The brand's exceptional unit economics and advanced tech-stack attracted the attention of Grammy Award winner Armando Christian Perez (Pitbull), who's partnered with Fransmart's CEO Dan Rowe to launch the nationwide franchising efforts for the brand. For more information, visit www.cilantrotacogrill.com.

About Fransmart

As the leading franchise development firm in the country, Fransmart turns emerging restaurant concepts into successful national and global brands. Founded by Dan Rowe, the man who identified and grew brands such as Five Guys Burgers & Fries and QDOBA Mexican Grill from single unit businesses to the powerhouse chains they are today. Fransmart's current and past franchise development portfolio brands have opened more than 5,000 restaurants worldwide and facilitated franchise investments that have cumulatively generated 1 billion dollars in revenue to date. For more information, visit www.fransmart.com .

Media Contact:

Greg Avdoian

[email protected]

SOURCE Fransmart
Locator Allows Parents to Learn About Afterschool Programs for their Children

DENVER, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Denver Public Schools start next week, so many Denver parents are searching for afterschool activities for their children. The Youth Program Locator is a great website for parents to explore as they look for quality afterschool options.

According to the Afterschool Alliance , demand for afterschool programs surges as parents understand the benefits of these offerings. "These programs keep kids safe while helping them learn and grow," said Melissa Janisweski, Executive Director, Office of Children's Affairs. "The programs provide peace of mind for working parents who want their children to learn life skills while developing confidence and good decision-making skills. These building blocks are essential for kids' healthy development."

Youth Program Locator benefits to parents include:

Up to date information for parents to easily search, by their child's school or which programs are available close to their home

A variety of programs are listed

Many programs listed in the Locator are FREE to the community

The Locator is available in multiple languages

The Afterschool Alliance reports that 81 percent of parents agree that afterschool programs help children develop social skills. In addition, 80 percent of parents agree that afterschool programs provide children with opportunities to learn life skills, like the ability to communicate and work with others.

About The Youth Program Locator

The Youth Program Locator is sponsored by the Denver Afterschool Alliance, a program of the City & County of Denver Office of Children's Affairs. Families can use the Youth Program Locator to search for a variety of programs that keep youth safe, engaged, and active. Locator users can also find additional resources that support the whole family, not just the kids. Professionals who serve the youth population in Denver can access the Partner Directory to connect and explore ways to work together to expand programs and services.

For More Information Contact:

Maxine Quintana, Director of Out-of-School Time Initiatives

[email protected] , 303.349.5356

SOURCE City and County of Denver
LONDON, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CityBee, the UK office joint venture between Europi Property Group and Trinova Real Estate, is delighted to announce three new occupiers at Windmill Green, Manchester.

Situated in the heart of the city centre, Windmill Green was Manchester's first BREEAM `Outstanding' rated office building upon completion of a significant retrofit in in 2019. The property benefits from a range of high quality occupier amenities, including a rooftop pavilion, event space and unique communal roof terrace.

The largest of the lettings is to Clancy Consulting, a specialist engineering consulting firm, who have taken c.7,700 sq ft of Cat A refurbished space on the fourth floor of the building on a 10-year lease.

Also on the fourth floor, commercial property advisors Lambert Smith Hampton have taken c. 4,700 sq ft of bespoke fully-fitted space, again on a 10-year lease.

Finally, Hempsons, a leading health and social care law firm, has acquired c. 4,700 sq ft of high quality fully-fitted space on the third floor of the building on a 10-year lease.

This trio of completions within July reflects strong leasing momentum for the building and brings three high quality additions to the already diverse occupier lineup. Only one suite now remains within the building.

Savills and Avison Young acted for CityBee on all three lettings.

Mike McCarrick, leading the asset management for Trinova, commented:

"Windmill Green is a leading example of what a modern workspace needs to deliver, with a fantastic location, engaging tenant amenity provision and environmental credentials allowing occupiers to thrive within the building. This vision is shared by the incoming tenants who we are delighted to welcome into the building on long term commitments."

James Tootell, Asset Management Director at Europi Property Group, added:

"The focus for the CityBee strategy is to invest in well located and highly sustainable workplaces in key European innovation cities. Alongside the building fundamentals, we believe the provision of high quality amenities and a strong community feel will continue to appeal to modern office occupiers. We are delighted with the recent lettings at Windmill Green, which we consider to be a clear validation of that approach."

CONTACT:

For further information please contact:



Mike McCarrick, Head of Asset Management, Trinova Real Estate, E-mail: [email protected]

James Tootell, Asset Management Director, Europi Property Group, E-mail: [email protected]

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Public/22182/3817897/bfdc9549d1093873_org.jpg Windmill Green

SOURCE Europi Property Group
Collaboration brings the next generation of cutting-edge ECG technology to trial participants' homes, enabling accurate cardiac safety trial measurements with fewer site visits.

Clario and AliveCor provide a new trial-participant-friendly solution for cutting-edge, at-home data collection with privacy protection, instrumental in situations where traditional 12-lead ECG cannot be collected.

The KardiaRx app is the next-generation, comprehensive and customized solution that allows trial participants to easily collect medical-grade six-lead ECG readings from their own homes, helping facilitate recruitment and improve retention rates.

The KardiaRx app resolves PII issues and associated sponsor risk with the commercial-use Kardia app and features a simplified user workflow to help avoid protocol deviations.

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Clario, a healthcare research technology company that delivers leading endpoint technology solutions for clinical trials, today announced an expansion to its collaboration with AliveCor, the global leader in FDA-cleared personal electrocardiogram (ECG) technology. This collaboration will enable trial participants to collect medical-grade six-lead ECG readings in the comfort of their own homes through KardiaRx, a clinical-trial-focused app. This technology enables pharmaceutical and biotech customers to consider decentralized and hybrid clinical trial strategies in study protocols that would have otherwise been limited to on-site evaluations.

KardiaMobile 6L 6-lead EKG view AliveCor

AliveCor's KardiaRx app works with their FDA-cleared KardiaMobile 6L, the most clinically validated personal ECG solution in the world, a wireless and user-friendly device that requires minimal training to learn how to use. The companion KardiaRx app has been integrated into Clario's clinical trial platform, which allows site personnel to provide trial participants with a secure connection code for initial setup and login. This ensures high-quality ECG data is collected seamlessly from the trial participants, while also protecting trial-participant data and eliminating the need for participants to create a new account or provide personally identifiable information.

"Our partnership with AliveCor is a game-changer for at-home ECG data collection," said Ellen Street, EVP Cardiac Safety & Respiratory at Clario. "Combining Clario's scientific expertise and 50 years of experience in cardiac safety with AliveCor's focus on customizable app functionality will mean pharmaceutical and biotech customers now have new opportunities to incorporate decentralized or hybrid strategies into their study protocol. This not only enables high-quality data collection but also offers a more diverse pool for recruitment and reduced site visits, and ultimately leads to more successful trials."

"Putting FDA-cleared ECG measurement technology in participants' hands has helped make decentralized clinical trials a reality, and our partnership with Clario brings this capability to even more companies developing the innovative and life-saving therapies of tomorrow," said Patti Baran, SVP of AliveCor. "Applying our remote monitoring solutions to clinical research advances our vision of becoming the premier provider of end-to-end care for participants when they are not in front of a physician."

For more information about AliveCor's KardiaRx app capabilities, please go to Clario.com.

About Clario

Clario is a leading healthcare research and technology company that generates the richest clinical evidence in the industry for our pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device partners. Across decentralized, hybrid and site-based trials, our deep scientific expertise, global scale and the broadest endpoint technology platform in the industry allows our partners to transform lives. Clario has the only technology platform that combines eCOA, cardiac safety, medical imaging, precision motion, and respiratory endpoints. Clario's global team of science, technology and operational experts have helped deliver over 24,000 trials and contributed to over 500 FDA and EMEA new drug approvals involving more than five million participants in 120 countries. Our innovation has been transforming clinical trials for 50 years.

For more information, visit Clario.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About AliveCor

AliveCor, Inc. is transforming cardiological care using deep learning. The FDA-cleared KardiaMobile device is the most clinically-validated personal ECG solution in the world. KardiaMobile 6L provides instant detection of Atrial Fibrillation, Bradycardia, Tachycardia, Sinus Rhythm with Supraventricular Ectopy, Sinus Rhythm with Premature Ventricular Contractions, Sinus Rhythm with Wide QRS, and Normal Sinus Rhythm in an ECG. Kardia is the first AI-enabled platform to aid participants and clinicians in the efficient detection of atrial fibrillation, the most common arrhythmia and one associated with a highly-elevated risk of stroke. AliveCor's enterprise platform allows third-party providers to manage their participants' and customers' heart conditions simply using state-of-the-art tools that provide easy front-end and back-end integration to AliveCor technologies. AliveCor protects its customers with stringent data security and compliance practices, achieving HIPAA compliance and SOC2 Type 1 and Type 2 attestations. AliveCor is a privately-held company headquartered in Mountain View, Calif. "Consumer" or "Personal" ECGs are ECG devices available for direct sale to consumers. For more information, visit alivecor.com.

Clario Media Contact

Duncan Cantor

[email protected]

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1677749/Clario_Logo.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2185049/KardiaMobile_6L_6_lead_EKG_view__002.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2185050/AC_logo_for_press_release_linkedin_preview.jpg

SOURCE Clario
NEW YORK, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Cleancult today announced that its Laundry Detergent Refills were awarded Good Housekeeping's prestigious 2023 Best Cleaning & Organizing Award. Selected winners can be found in the September 2023 issue of Good Housekeeping, on stands August 15th and the full list is available online at: goodhousekeeping.com/home-products/a44372491/cleaning-and-organizing-awards-2023/

Cleancult Detergents

Founded with the promise to redefine clean, Cleancult is on a mission to help people switch from a bad plastic habit to a cleaner refill ritual. Cleancult is the first company in the world to package soap and detergents in patented, 100% recyclable paper-based cartons with unique reusable glass bottles as sustainable alternatives to plastic. When paired together, 90% of plastic waste is cut out of the cycle, meeting the demands of their growing wave of no-plastic fanatics.

Available in Wild Lavender, Juniper Sandalwood, and Fragrance-Free, Cleancult's detergents are packed with three powerful enzymes that defeat stains and odors and deliver fresh, clean clothes no matter what temperature of water or type of machine is used.

"At Cleancult, a clean home should not come at the cost of a clean planet. Through our paper-based carton model and uncompromising dedication to getting the formula right, we have bridged the gap between creating a product that's as good for us and the environment as it is efficacious," said Ryan Lupberger, Co-Founder and CEO of Cleancult. "To be recognized with Good Housekeeping's 2023 Best Cleaning & Organizing Awards is a proud feat for us that testifies to our Laundry Detergent Refill's capacity to powerfully clean while ridding plastic from the never-ending laundry ritual."

Cleancult's award-winning 32 fl. oz Laundry Detergent Refills can be shopped at www.cleancult.com , Walmart, Walmart.com, Walgreens, Harris Teeter, Giant, Cub, and www.amazon.com .

To learn more about Cleancult's full suite of sustainable home care cleaning products, visit the website or follow us at @Cleancult.

About Cleancult

Launched in 2019, Cleancult is tackling the household cleaning industry's dirtiest secret, plastic waste. Cleancult is the first company in the world to successfully package soaps and detergents in patented 100% recyclable paper-based cartons. This innovative refillable system prioritizes refilling over landfilling and features paper-based cartons and reusable glass bottles to reduce plastic waste created from home cleaning routines by 90%.

Featuring heaven-scented essential oils and clean and biodegradable ingredients, Cleancult is creating a wave of no-plastic fanatics by making sustainability easy and accessible. Beyond the box, Cleancult's entire product portfolio is Plastic Neutral Certified by rePurpose Global and is a proud partner of U.S. Plastic Pacts, How2Recycle and Sustainable Packaging Coalition. Crowned a Giga-Guru by Walmart, the accolade recognizes the brand's sustainable impact and contribution to Project Gigaton. In addition to recognition for its efforts to protect the planet, Good Housekeeping confirms the effective power inside the cartons, with its Laundry Detergent Refills winning the 2023 Best Cleaning & Organizing Award.

With over 60,000 points of distribution, Cleancult is available online and at Walmart, Kroger, Walgreens, Harris Teeter, Amazon and more. Discover more about Cleancult at www.cleancult.com . Some cults are toxic. Not us. Follow us @ Cleancult .

Media Contact:

Matt Kovacs

Blaze PR

[email protected]

SOURCE Cleancult
Aviation industry veteran Robbie Bourke joins Clermont Group as Head of Aerospace

joins Clermont Group as Head of Aerospace Bourke will oversee Clermont's mission to lead the sustainable aviation revolution, which includes the pioneer in electric propulsion, magniX, and Eviation, the maker of the Alice all-electric commuter aircraft

Bourke has more than 20 years of industry experience, including senior roles at Oliver Wyman, Virgin Atlantic Airways and Airbus

SINGAPORE, Aug. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Clermont Group ("Clermont"), an international business group headquartered in Singapore, today announces that Robbie Bourke, an aviation industry veteran, is joining as Head of Aerospace. With more than 20 years' experience in the aerospace industry, Bourke will use his expertise to drive Clermont's mission to lead the sustainable aviation revolution.

Bourke was most recently Partner, Transport and Services at consulting firm Oliver Wyman. In that role, he advised clients across the aviation, aerospace and rail sectors on strategy, operations and sustainability. He was also responsible for establishing its aviation climate capability and technical consultancy division in the EMEA region. Previously, Bourke held senior technical positions at Virgin Atlantic Airways and engineering positions at Airbus.

Leading the Transition to Sustainable Aviation

Clermont's subsidiary, magniX, is the industry leader in electric propulsion systems, having now powered groundbreaking flights by five different aircraft, including Eviation's Alice. magniX was selected by NASA as its partner under its Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) project, which aims to demonstrate the viability of electric propulsion systems and accelerate the industry's transition to sustainable aviation.

Clermont is majority shareholder in Eviation, which developed the nine-passenger Alice  the only flight-proven all-electric commuter aircraft of its size. Built from a clean-sheet design integrating magniX's electric propulsion system, Alice produces zero carbon emissions and features lower operating costs per flight hour compared to light jets or high-end turboprops. Eviation was also named one of TIME Magazine's "100 Most Influential Companies 2023."

"Business has a critical role to play in catalysing the innovative solutions necessary to address climate change, including in the aviation sector," said Richard Chandler, Chairman of Clermont Group. "Bringing Robbie on board at Clermont as Head of Aerospace strengthens our mission to bring our new technologies to market and deepens our commitment to leading the transition to a sustainable aviation industry."

"Clermont Group has demonstrated its vision and leadership in making sustainable aviation a reality," said Robbie Bourke, incoming Head of Aerospace at Clermont Group. "I am excited to be joining Clermont in its pursuit of transforming aviation and to work with the talented teams at magniX and Eviation to build on the remarkable foundations they have laid down as they move to the next critical steps toward certification."

About The Clermont Group

The Clermont Group is an international business group headquartered in Singapore. Founded in 1986 by New Zealand-born entrepreneur, Richard Chandler, the Clermont Group is passionate about the role that business and innovation plays in advancing human progress and inclusive prosperity. The Clermont Group is focused on building businesses that lead industry and shape culture. Clermont builds businesses in healthcare, financial services and aerospace. These businesses contribute to the prosperity and well-being of the communities they serve and employ more than 8,000 people around the world. Clermont believes in creating a sustainable, healthier planet for future generations, and has been carbon-neutral since 2008. Further information can be found at www.clermont.com.

About magniX

Headquartered in Everett, Washington State, U.S., magniX is dedicated to leading an era of environmentally-friendly and sustainable aviation. magniX has developed a family of flight-proven electric propulsion units (EPUs) and is fast maturing its energy storage systems (ESS) for commercial aviation. With high levels of reliability, unparalleled performance and operational practicality, magniX is leading the aviation industry into a sustainable future. For further information, please visit www.magnix.aero.

About Eviation Aircraft

Based in Washington State, Eviation Aircraft Inc. develops and manufactures electric aircraft to delight operators and passengers with green, cost efficient and convenient regional transportation. Its electric propulsion units, high-energy-density batteries, mission-driven energy management, and innovative airframe are designed from the ground up for electric flight. Please visit us at www.eviation.com.

SOURCE The Clermont Group
Provides more than NFT backup, takes collecting to the next level

BOSTON, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ClubNFT's hallmark backup service, introduced in late 2021, enables NFT collectors to download a backup of their NFTs to their own computer, protecting the NFTs from marketplace dependency and ensuring their safety and longevity no matter what may happen in the future.

Today, ClubNFT announced a new set of premium tools to help collectors navigate the complicated and confusing process of not only preserving NFTs, but also managing and expanding their collections.

"The NFT space isn't dying, on the contrary, it's maturing," said Jason Bailey, aka Artnome , co-founder of ClubNFT. "With the hype gone, serious collectors need a suite of tools to manage, preserve, and expand their collections and ClubNFT is proud to build and deliver these solutions for them."

Beyond Backup

ClubNFT now offers the following automated set of services:

Analysis - identifies which NFTs in a collection are at risk of breaking, and shows which can and should be backed up and pinned for long-term protection and preservation.





- identifies which NFTs in a collection are at risk of breaking, and shows which can and should be backed up and pinned for long-term protection and preservation. Backup - cloud hosted and provides backup of associated files for IPFS restoration, enabling self custody and eliminating third-party dependency for NFT value preservation.





- cloud hosted and provides backup of associated files for IPFS restoration, enabling self custody and eliminating third-party dependency for NFT value preservation. Pinning - secures the future of a collection by keeping off-chain files accessible and permanently associated with the NFTs, even if the original hosting service or IPFS node goes down.





- secures the future of a collection by keeping off-chain files accessible and permanently associated with the NFTs, even if the original hosting service or IPFS node goes down. Discovery - using an advanced algorithm, recommends artists and NFTs tailored to each collector's unique preferences, making it easy to expand a collection, discover new talent.





- using an advanced algorithm, recommends artists and NFTs tailored to each collector's unique preferences, making it easy to expand a collection, discover new talent. Valuation - delivers accurate and reliable insights for an NFT collection through extensive coverage of Ethereum and Tezos-based NFTs to help make informed investment decisions

For a unified view, ClubNFT provides a dashboard for real-time monitoring of a collection's overall size, valuation, safety, and growth over time.

"The fact that my NFTs could be safely stored in a cold wallet, yet still end up worthless is a trojan horse everyone should be aware of," said Cozomo de' Medici . "With ClubNFT, I backed up and protected my entire collection with one click."

Availability and Pricing

The full set of automated services is now available via an annual $200.00 or monthly $20.00 subscription plan. ClubNFT also offers a limited, free set-of-services plan, giving collectors the ability to choose the option that best fits their needs.

About ClubNFT

ClubNFT is a technology company pioneering the next generation of NFT solutions to help collectors analyze, monitor, and protect their NFTs. They provide both paid and free services to protect NFT collections from marketplace shutdowns, censorship, and bankruptcies by giving collectors the ability to self-custody the artwork and metadata for their NFT collection. The company's trusted tools are endorsed by partners like LEDGER , fx(hash) and KnownOrigin and are relied upon by some of the world's top NFT collectors. ClubNFT is led by a team of seasoned professionals with expertise in technology, finance, and the art world. For more information, please visit www.clubnft.com

SOURCE ClubNFT
COLUMBIA, S.C., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Colonial Life has expanded its group accident coverage to help employers offer more choices and new benefits for their employees. There is more financial protection, and the wellbeing assistance option includes annual physicals and immunizations.

"People are not one-size-fits-all, and their accident coverage shouldn't be either," said Tom Dupuis, Vice President of Products at Colonial Life. "Employers want to offer flexible voluntary benefits that meet the needs of their workers and their families."

Colonial Life Group Accident Plans Cover Pet Boarding (PRNewsfoto/Colonial Life)

Colonial Life Group Accident Insurance has the following Enhanced Coverage Options:

Flexible accident hospitalization benefits and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) benefits

Family care and pet boarding benefits to help care for all family members, including four-legged ones, while a worker is hospitalized or recovering from surgery due to a covered accident.

A personal safety benefit designed to help prevent accidents by completing a personal safety course such as defensive driving or swim lessons.

An active lifestyles benefit provides a 20% increase above the policyholder's existing coverage for 18 eligible benefits such as concussions, fractures, dislocations and x-rays.

A healthcare employee benefit for employers and employees in hospital groups

An optional gunshot wound benefit for professions such as law enforcement officers, healthcare workers and educators

A Recovery Plus benefits package, which can provide employees with support during recovery from accidents includes:

Behavioral health therapy



Chiropractic, acupuncture and alternative therapy



Treatment for Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)



Injuries due to felony or sexual assault



Prescription drug benefits

To learn more about Colonial Life's expanded group accident coverage, please visit www.coloniallife.com.

THIS INSURANCE PROVIDES LIMITED BENEFITS. The insurance or its provisions may vary or be unavailable in some states. The insurance has exclusions and limitations which may affect any benefits payable. Applicable to policy forms underwritten by Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company, Columbia, SC.

Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company , a subsidiary of Unum Group, provides financial protection benefits to America's workers and their families when the unexpected happens. The company offers workplace benefits, including disability, life, accident, dental, cancer, critical illness and hospital confinement indemnity insurance. Colonial Life's benefit services, education and innovative enrollment technology supports over 87,000 businesses and 4 million workers. In 2022, Colonial Life paid more than $700 million in benefits to policyholders.

Connect with Colonial Life on Facebook , LinkedIn , and Instagram .

SOURCE Colonial Life
COVINGTON, Ky., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Commonwealth Hotels announced today that Joshua Gentry has been appointed the director of sales and marketing of the Hampton Inn I-75 Lexington Hamburg. Mr. Gentry brings over 15 years of hospitality experience to his new role as director of sales and marketing, having previously served as the director of sales for the Hyatt Place Airport Cincinnati/Florence.

Joshua Gentry Director of Sales & Marketing

"We are delighted to have Joshua join Commonwealth." Said Jennifer Porter, chief operating officer for Commonwealth Hotels. "We are confident that with his strategic sales approach and knowledge of the market; he will be a strong asset to the team in Lexington."

Most recently prior to joining the Hampton Inn Lexington, Mr. Gentry served in various hospitality leadership roles including the dual director of sales for Aimbridge Hospitality, the sales and marketing manager for Musselman Hotels at the Holiday Inn Louisville, Kentucky, and the assistant general manager for MKP Management at the Holiday Inn Express and Suites in Lexington, Kentucky. An experienced leader in both sales and operations, Mr. Gentry built his career by inspiring vision and generating best-in-class hospitality. Ms. Gentry holds an associate degree in business administration from Eastern Kentucky University.

About Commonwealth Hotels, LLC

Commonwealth Hotels, LLC was founded in 1986 and is a proven partner in providing hotel management services with superior financial results. The company has extensive experience managing premium branded full-service and select-service hotels. Commonwealth Hotels currently manages 61 properties with nearly 7,600 rooms. Additional information may be found at www.commonwealthhotels.com.

Contact

Barbara E. Willen

Commonwealth Hotels, LLC

[email protected]

859.392-2254

SOURCE Commonwealth Hotels, Inc.
Firm moves up over 2,600 spots in 2023 Inc. 5000 list appearance

NEW YORK, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- COMPLY, the global market leader of compliance software, consulting and education resources for the financial services sector, today announced that Inc. magazine has ranked the firm as No. 2,095 on its annual Inc. 5000 list of the nation's fastest-growing companies.

"We are honored that Inc. has recognized our work in delivering dynamic regulatory compliance solutions for broker-dealers, private equity firms, hedge funds, RIAs and others across the financial services sector," said Amy Kadomatsu, COMPLY's CEO. "There are many impressive companies on the Inc. 5000 list, and we're proud to be among them. We earned our place on this year's list because of the passion, dedication and incredible work of our organization's team members."

COMPLY was launched in November 2022 to unify ComplySci, RIA in a Box, National Regulatory Services (NRS) and illumis under one corporate umbrella with an integrated senior leadership team, solidifying its position as the leading compliance solutions provider for the financial services sector. More than 7,000 customers, including some of the world's largest financial institutions, rely on COMPLY's scalable and sophisticated platform to stay ahead of risk and unlock the strategic potential of their compliance data.

"Our mission, from day one, has been to be the first call for chief compliance officers (CCOs)," said Nate Remmes, COMPLY's Chief Growth Officer. "The power of the COMPLY brand comes from the unique talent and expertise which each member of our team brings to the table. The growth and success we have seen is a direct result of our team dedicating their talent and time towards our mission. And we are thrilled that this dedication has culminated in being ranked 2,095 on the Inc. 5000 list."

Companies on the 2023 Inc. 5000 were ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2019 to 2022. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2019. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit and independent  not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies  as of December 31, 2022. The minimum required revenue for 2019 was $100,000 and the minimum for 2022 was $2 million. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to four decimal places.

About COMPLY

As the global market leader in regulatory compliance solutions, COMPLY combines the power of regulatory technology, services and education to empower CCOs and compliance professionals to easily navigate the regulatory landscape. COMPLY enables firms to scale their growth, while remaining vigilant in their compliance efforts, by providing solutions designed to manage the burden of complex compliance tasks. Our deep bench of industry expertise  which includes expansive knowledge in technology enablement and regulatory compliance protocols and processes from our product portfolio offerings ComplySci, RIA in a Box and NRS  supports more than 7,000 clients, including private equity firms, hedge funds, broker-dealers, registered investment advisers and other financial service sector participants.

COMPLY continually supports clients in their work to proactively address core compliance challenges  minimizing risk, addressing critical priorities and meeting new demands as the industry evolves and the firm scales.

About Inc.

Inc. Business Media is the leading multimedia brand for entrepreneurs. Through its journalism, Inc. aims to inform, educate, and elevate the profile of our community: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters who are creating our future. Inc.'s award-winning work reaches more than 50 million people across a variety of channels, including events, print, digital, video, podcasts, newsletters, and social media. Its proprietary Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to rank the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The recognition that comes with inclusion on this and other prestigious Inc. lists, such as Female Founders and Power Partners, gives the founders of top businesses the opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. For more information, visit www.inc.com .

For more information on the Inc. 5000 Conference & Gala, slated for October 31 - November 2 in San Antonio, visit http://conference.inc.com/ .

SOURCE COMPLY
MENLO PARK, Calif., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Confidencial, an innovator in data privacy and protection solutions for distributed enterprises, today announced the appointment of Stewart Walchli as the company's new Chief Executive Officer. Razmik Abnous will remain a strategic advisor to the company, having successfully guided Confidencial through its formative stages.

Stewart is an accomplished industry veteran known for his visionary leadership and strategic acumen. With over 30 years of experience in the technology sector, Stewart has demonstrated a remarkable ability to drive innovation and lead teams to deliver exceptional results. Prior to Confidencial, Stewart was the co-founder and chief revenue officer of Introhive, a top 50 North American growth SaaS start up according to Deloitte's Fast 50 annual awards and was named EY Entrepreneur of the Year, Atlantic Region. Prior to Introhive, Stewart was CEO of Chalk Media, whose proprietary software securely delivered multimedia messages to BlackBerry handheld devices and was acquired by RIM (now Blackberry) in 2009. He currently sits on several startup boards and is also the founder and general partner at Airstream Venture Partners.

"I would like to express my gratitude to the board for entrusting me with this leadership role. I am very excited to join Confidencial as CEO and lead this exceptional team in our mission to provide top-tier cyber security and data encryption solutions. In today's digital landscape, the need to safeguard sensitive data and information across the business has never been more critical. I will be focused on further advancing Confidential's position as a trusted partner in helping our customers and the market at large deliver sensitive information in a secure, and easy way." - Stewart Walchli

"The whole Confidencial team is excited to work with Stewart during this rapid growth phase of Confidencial. We are looking forward to benefiting from Stewart's deep experience in leading and growing companies at our stage. Our focus remains on serving our expanding customer base and ensuring we deliver the highest levels of protection for their unstructured data and documents, wherever they are stored or transmitted. We all, and especially me, extend our deepest gratitude and appreciation for Razmik for co-founding Confidencial and leading us to this point, and we are looking forward to continuing to benefit from his advisory role."  Karim Eldefrawy, co-founder and CTO

"The Board of Directors is pleased to introduce Stewart as our new CEO. Stewart was the clear choice, given his impressive track record, strategic vision, leadership, and working knowledge of the company, to enhance Confidencial's growth going forward. Throughout his career, Stewart has consistently demonstrated a deep commitment to driving innovation, fostering collaboration, and achieving exceptional results. We are confident that, under his guidance, Confidencial will continue to thrive and make a positive impact on our business, customers, and employees. The board and Stewart also want to acknowledge the remarkable work of Razmik Abnous who laid a strong foundation for the company's success. Over the last several months, Razmik and Stewart have worked closely together to ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities." - Kiichiro DeLuca, Confidencial Inc Board of Directors.

The importance of data security has been underscored by the recent surge in cyber-attacks and data breaches across industries. Confidencial has consistently demonstrated its commitment to staying ahead of these threats with its innovative self-protecting and self-certifying content protections via its automated and selective encryption-based protections, other distributed cryptographic technologies, and proactive security measures. As businesses continue to navigate the complexities of the digital age, Confidencial remains at the forefront, offering comprehensive solutions that mitigate risks and protect sensitive information.

About Confidencial Inc.

Confidencial is a Menlo Park, California-based provider of privacy enhancing technologies for securing sensitive information and collaboration for modern distributed enterprises. Its core technology integrates with existing business applications and enables zero-trust sharing of documents on a need-to-know basis inside and outside the enterprise. Confidencial, was originally developed under Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) programs and is a spinout of SRI International. Its founding team is composed of leading business software executives and cybersecurity and cryptography experts.

For more information, please visit www.confidencial.io.

SOURCE Confidencial
Nationwide Lender Ranked in America's Fastest Growing Private Companies List for the Tenth Time

CLEVELAND, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CrossCountry Mortgage (CCM), the nation's third largest retail mortgage lender, has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest growing private companies for its tenth year. CCM's ranking is based on strong revenue growth over the last three years.

"Since CCM's founding in 2003, our team has worked incredibly hard to help customers achieve the dream of homeownership," said CrossCountry Mortgage Founder and CEO Ron Leonhardt, Jr. "Being recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest growing companies for a decade speaks to our commitment to providing the best customer experience and making every mortgage feel like a win."

In addition to its spot on the Inc. 5000 list, CCM is consistently recognized for its exceptional workplace culture and leading talent. The company was named a 2023 Scotsman Guide Top Mortgage Lender, and more than 200 loan officers appeared on the latest Scotsman Guide Top Originators list, a leading performance benchmark for mortgage industry organizations and professionals.

The company also has received a Smart Business Smart Culture Award, been awarded a Top Workplaces Award from Cleveland.com and Ohio's largest newspaper, The Plain Dealer, and earned many other awards and accolades.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and a searchable database, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000.

About CrossCountry Mortgage

CrossCountry Mortgage (CCM) is the nation's number three retail mortgage lender, with more than 7,000 employees operating nearly 600 branches across all 50 states. Our company has been recognized nine times on the Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private businesses and has received many awards for our standout culture. We offer more than 120 mortgage, refinance and home equity solutions  ranging from conventional and jumbo mortgages to government-insured programs for Veterans and rural homebuyers  and we are a direct lender and approved seller and servicer by Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and Ginnie Mae. Through our dedication to getting it done, we make every mortgage feel like a win. Visit ccm.com.

Contact: Brynn Pennell

Senior Communications Specialist

(440) 650-1487

brynn.pennell@ccm.com

SOURCE CrossCountry Mortgage
VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Deans Knight Income Corporation (the "Company") is pleased to release its Interim Management Report of Fund Performance and Financial Statements for the period ended June 30, 2023.

These documents can be found on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and the Company's website: www.dkincomecorp.com.

SOURCE Deans Knight Income Corporation
Mavrck publishes the third annual compensation report detailing creator rates across sponsored content and other income types.

BOSTON, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mavrck, the all-in-one enterprise influencer marketing platform, releases its new report covering creator compensation and detailing the changes in the creator economy in the last year. This report is Mavrck's third annual deep dive into the topic of creator pay and discusses how the rise of influencer marketing has impacted creators and their rates, in addition to the nuanced drivers of creator income.

"The way creators generate revenue is becoming more diverse as the creator economy matures," says Lyle Stevens, CEO and Co-Founder of Mavrck. "Previously, creators relied heavily on sponsored content to make money. However, the growth of the creator economy and the macroeconomic environment have introduced new revenue streams and opportunities for creators to monetize their passions and creativity."

"The way creators generate revenue is becoming more diverse as the creator economy matures," says Lyle Stevens. Tweet this

Content creators generate revenue from several key sources, including sponsored content, affiliate links, ads, creator funds, paid content subscriptions, and merchandise sales. As the creator economy changes, so too do the revenue opportunities - the report finds affiliate revenue has increased, with 56% of creators generating revenue from the source, compared to 47% in 2021.

"As marketing budgets tighten, CMOs invest in channels, creators, and content types that drive measurable impact on business goals whether that's reach and awareness, engagement or sales," says long-time industry expert and DePaul University's Influencer Marketing Professor Jenny Heinrich. "As a result, we are seeing a shift in how brands partner with and compensate creators. Additionally, pay disparity amongst diverse creators is prevalent in today's influencer landscape and has become a key focus area for brands and agencies."

Several factors, including the workload for a single fee, brand partnerships' variations, and the dynamic economic landscape, determine if a content creator can earn a substantial full-time income or if their work remains a part-time endeavor.

Despite challenges in the macroeconomic environment, the creator economy is still thriving, especially for full-time creators. The report finds nearly 53% of full-time creators saw increased income in the past year compared to 2022.

Download the full Creator Compensation Report for more insights on creator revenue.

ABOUT MAVRCK

Mavrck is the all-in-one enterprise influencer marketing platform that enables brands to grow their business with authentic content consumers trust. With Mavrck, marketers can easily identify creators, oversee campaigns, evaluate return on investment, and amplify their programs - all from a single platform. Trusted by world-renowned brands, including P&G, General Mills, Lyft, and Sephora, Mavrck empowers marketers to achieve and scale their influencer marketing goals.

Mavrck acquired Later, a market-leading self-service social media planning platform in 2022 with an investment from Summit Partners. Later's platform includes Linkin.bio, the first ever bio link solution, built to help brands streamline and optimize their social media tasks. Later and Mavrck offer a comprehensive suite of products and services that empower customers to achieve their social media marketing goals.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Rachael Cihlar

VP, Corporate Communications & PR

[email protected]

SOURCE Mavrck
IT organization will move to report to Yazdi Bagli, executive vice president, Enterprise Business Services

OAKLAND, Calif., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaiser Permanente has announced that Diane Comer , chief information and technology officer, will retire in early January 2024.

Diane Comer to Retire as Kaiser Permanente's Chief Information Technology Officer Tweet this Diane Comer will retire as Kaiser Permanente's Chief Information Technology Officer in early January, 2024. Yazdi Bagli, Kaiser Permanente's executive vice president, Enterprise Business Services, will assume responsibilities for the IT organization upon Comer's retirement.

Comer has served as CITO since 2020 and her leadership has been critical as Kaiser Permanente met the extraordinary technology requirements of the pandemic for members, physicians, employees, and customers. During this challenging time, technology accelerated Kaiser Permanente's shift to a digital-first organization with an incredible ramp-up of virtual care, increase in self-service capabilities, and transition of thousands of employees to remote work.

"From the moment Diane took the helm as CITO, she has led with expertise, tenacity, and commitment to our technology end users and our IT professionals," said Greg A. Adams, chief executive officer and chair for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals. "Her strategy to simplify, modernize, and secure our technology resulted in a more resilient organization powered by innovative technology, from cloud-based to artificial intelligence to digital solutions."

During Comer's tenure, Kaiser Permanente's IT organization has consistently been named by Computerworld magazine as one of the Best Places to Work in IT. Her reputation for driving large-scale technology transformations has been recognized by being named among Becker's Hospital Review's Top CIOs to Know from 2021 to 2023.

Comer joined Kaiser Permanente in 2007 to deliver technology solutions supporting all marketing, sales, service, and administration functions. She led the implementation of the telephony infrastructure that now supports millions of calls a month to Kaiser Permanente's multiple contact centers. She has partnered on the implementation of the technology needed to support the Affordable Care Act and health insurance exchanges, and the delivery of our enterprisewide claims platform.

With Comer's retirement, Kaiser Permanente announced that the IT organization will move to report to Yazdi Bagli, executive vice president, Enterprise Business Services. The Enterprise Business Services function is comprised of key shared services and operations that support the Kaiser Permanente enterprise. The objective of the move is to leverage technology, systems, process, and people capabilities across the groups to increase the quality, speed, and productivity of the services provided across Kaiser Permanente.

A search for Kaiser Permanente's next chief information and technology officer, reporting to Bagli, will be initiated in late 2023.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.7 million members in 8 states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health. For more information, go to about.kp.org.

For more information, contact:

[email protected]

SOURCE Kaiser Permanente
Significant year-over-year growth combined with impactful social initiatives propels brand into prestigious award categories

CHICAGO, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Double Good , a company that combines virtual fundraising with the sale of gourmet, small batch popcorn to raise joy for America's youth, was recognized by Inc. Magazine today on the publication's annual Inc. 5000 list . The brand ranked No. 1494 on the list this year, marking the 17th time Double Good has been named by Inc. as one of the fastest growing companies in the U.S.

This news comes after a slew of other award nominations and wins for the company in 2023. Most recently, Double Good earned a spot as a Social Impact Award finalist from 1871's Momentum Awards and was recognized by Crain's Chicago Business in this year's Crain's Fast 50 list (No. 18) for Chicago's fastest growing companies.

The company has been on an incredible growth journey since 2017 when founder and CEO Tim Heitmann evolved his traditional popcorn business into a reimagined, digital fundraising platform to support America's youth. The shift in business strategy culminated in significant organic growth for the company.

Heitmann expressed his pride and excitement over the recent award nominations and wins, which he attributes greatly to the support and impact of Double Good's community partners, organizers, sellers and customers.

"This has been an incredible year for the Double Good brand and we are all so honored to be recognized by these prestigious awards and organizations," said Heitmann. "To be included alongside so many successful high-growth companies is a privilege that only fuels our passion for creating joy and empowering youth."

Double Good's mission to support America's youth has helped customers nationwide fulfill dreams and achieve their fundraising goals with ease, leading to the brand's recognition as one of the fastest growing companies in the U.S.

For more information on Double Good and its mission, visit www.doublegood.com .

About Double Good

Double Good is a brand on a mission to raise joy for America's youth. Founded in 1998, Double Good was born out of a love for delicious popcorn and grew into a passion for positively impacting the community. Double Good combines an easy-to-use virtual fundraising platform with award-winning popcorn to help create opportunities for children and teens to realize their dreams. In 2022, Double Good was honored with Inc.'s Best in Business award for its popcorn donation program, which has enabled users to donate millions of dollars worth of popcorn to health care workers and youth advocates across the country. In addition to its fundraising platform and donation program, the company amplifies inspiring stories and social issues facing today's youth through its content production arm, Double Good Studios, and the Double Good Kids Foundation dedicated to providing equitable experiences for children with special needs. To learn more on how Double Good can create joy for you, visit www.doublegood.com .

Media Contact:

Isabel Meier

[email protected]

616-901-1343

SOURCE Double Good
LONDON, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Anthony Nicholas Group (ANG), acclaimed for high quality jewellery, watches, diamonds and award-winning customer service, has chosen Proximity to deliver a clienteling solution to transform customer engagement for their brands Fraser Hart and Fields. The partnership reflects the shared vision of both organisations to provide clients with an unparalleled level of service and personalisation.

"We are honoured to have been chosen as the preferred partner for Fraser Hart and Fields the Jewellers," said Cathy McCabe, CEO, Proximity. "This partnership underpins our dedication to redefining customer engagement through digital innovation. We look forward to working closely with these iconic brands to create memorable shopping experiences for their customers."

Proximity's award winning Retail Super-App is designed to seamlessly blend the physical and digital realms of shopping, providing a unique and tailored experience for each customer. With its suite of clienteling modules including appointment booking, virtual consultations, event management, and more, Proximity provides sales associates with the tools to forge deeper customer connections, resulting in increased brand loyalty.

ANG has recently invested in Salesforce CRM functionality. Because Proximity's tool is built natively on Salesforce and is the number one clienteling tool on the AppExchange, Proximity is best placed to provide the expertise required to enhance customer engagement for these brands.

''As a result of major investment across our digital platform and capabilities, including a new website, CRM and clienteling we now have a much stronger customer experience and ability to serve our customers seamlessly across every channel" said Noel Coyle, CEO, ANG. "We're excited to continue this journey with Proximity and ensure we empower our teams to make every customer feel special''.

About Proximity:

Proximity's award winning Retail Super-App is designed to transform how brands connect with their customers. With its innovative all-in-one clienteling and experience platform, brands will deliver efficient personalisation with every interaction.

About Fraser Hart:

Fraser Hart was founded in 1936 in Glasgow and now stands as one of the UK's leading jewellers with 28 stores nationwide. Recognised for exceptional customer service, they are stockists for leading brands including Breitling, OMEGA, TAG Heuer and more.

About Fields:

Fields have been offering exceptional customer service for over 40 years. Synonymous in Ireland with fine jewellery, quality watches and giftware, this award winning brand is a go-to store for milestone moments as well as everyday luxury.

SOURCE Proximity
MEMPHIS, Tenn., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Duncan Williams Asset Management (DWAM) proudly announces it has been ranked the 17th fastest-growing Registered Investment Advisory (RIA) firm in the nation by FA Magazine.

The RIA Ranking showcases the leading RIA firms in the country, determined by the percentage of assets under management (AUM) added in the past year.

In addition to the firm's national ranking, DWAM earned the distinguished #1 ranking in its home state of Tennessee with a 150% growth in AUM, surpassing all other Tennessee-based RIAs.

Founder and Chairman of DWAM, Duncan F. Williams, expressed his pride in the recognition, stating, "We are honored to be acknowledged by Financial Advisor Magazine in their 2023 RIA ranking. This achievement underscores our continued growth, driven by our dedication to helping our clients and community achieve their financial aspirations."

David Scully, President at DWAM, credited the firm's success to its dedicated team, saying, "Our talented team's hard work, passion, and diligence have been the driving force behind this accomplishment. The faith and trust bestowed upon us by the greater Memphis community are genuinely humbling."

ABOUT THE RESEARCH PROCESS

RIA firms applied for consideration in the 2023 Financial Advisor RIA Rankings. To be eligible for the ranking, firms must be independent RIAs that file their own Form ADV statement with the SEC and provide financial planning and related services to individual clients. No fees or other considerations are required of RIAs included in the FA 2023 RIA Ranking.

ABOUT Duncan Williams Asset Management

Duncan Williams Asset Management, headquartered in Memphis, TN, was founded in 2015 and advises approximately $750 million in assets. DWAM provides customized financial planning and comprehensive wealth management services to high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and non-profit organizations. As a fee-only, personal financial advisory firm, DWAM offers financial advice tailored to client's specific goals, risk tolerance, and lifestyle needs.

DISCLOSURES:

 Approximately $750 million of regulatory assets under management (AUM) as of 08/31/2022.

The FA's RIA Ranking is an independent listing produced annually by Financial Advisor magazine (July 2023).

FA 2023 RIA Survey & Ranking methodology: FA's RIA survey is based on assets under management at the year-end of independent RIA firms that file their own ADV form with the SEC. FA's RIA ranking orders firms from largest to smallest, based on AUM reported to FA by firms that voluntarily complete and submit FA's survey by the deadline. FA verifies AUM by reviewing ADV forms.

FA 2023 RIA Survey & Ranking Eligibility: To be eligible for the ranking, firms must be independent registered investment advisors and file their own ADV statement with the SEC and provide financial planning and related services to individual clients. Corporate RIA firms and investment advisor representatives (IARs) are not eligible for this survey. A corporate RIA is a registered investment advisor, most often formed by a broker-dealer that files an ADV with the SEC. Advisors who are affiliated with the broker-dealer or other entities' corporate RIA may offer investment advice. They are considered Investment Advisor Representatives (IARs) of the corporate RIA. All the assets under management of the IARs are included in the corporate RIA's ADV filed with the SEC.

Rankings and/or recognition by unaffiliated rating services and/or publications should not be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if Duncan Williams Asset Management is engaged or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services, nor should it be construed as a current or past endorsement of Duncan Williams Asset Management by any of its clients. Rankings published by magazines, and others, generally base their selections exclusively on information prepared and/or submitted by the recognized adviser. Rankings are generally limited to participating advisers. Duncan Williams Asset Management does not pay fees to be considered for any ranking or recognition.

SOURCE Duncan Williams Asset Management
Public dashboards also show how school districts are using federal funds

CARY, N.C., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The State of Mississippi has been widely lauded for its transformative education efforts, which many have dubbed the "Mississippi Miracle." Those efforts include a new tool, created by analytics leader SAS, that shows the pandemic's effects on student achievement and progress, and how school districts are allocating federal funds to support student learning.

"This dashboard provides a great opportunity for the public to...analyze education data." - Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves Tweet this Mississippi is using dashboards from SAS to measure the pandemics effects on student achievement and progress, and how school districts are allocating federal funds to support student learning.

"This new dashboard provides a great opportunity for the public to access and analyze education data and better understand the work being done to continue improving Mississippi's education system," said Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves.

The online, interactive dashboard is the product of a joint effort between the Mississippi Department of Education, the Mississippi State University Research & Curriculum Unit and SAS, and offers insights into how different student groups fared during the pandemic. The analysis isolates the impact of the pandemic on student groups and provides results to educators and school leaders to help guide recovery.

The dashboard also enables users to see how each school district is investing federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds. These pandemic-relief funds are intended to help students accelerate learning and can be used to improve school facilities.

Partnering with an education innovator

The State of Mississippi is a national education success story. Its students have seen the largest gains in the nation in fourth grade reading and fourth grade math, as measured by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (the Nation's Report Card). Recently, the National Institute for Early Education Research recognized Mississippi as one of the top five states for high-quality pre-K, and Mississippi's high school graduation rate is currently at an all-time high and above the national average.

The state is also embracing data as a strategic asset to help students and teachers, and to track how federal funds are being used to drive learning recovery.

"It's been an honor to work alongside an innovator like Mississippi," said Dr. Melody Schopp, former South Dakota Secretary of Education and current Director of Education Industry Consulting at SAS. "Forward-thinking states are not just using data to recover from the pandemic but to come out of it stronger than before. Mississippi is on that path."

Learn more about Mississippi's Learning Setback and Recovery Analysis here: https://mdeschools.ondemand.sas.com/learning-setback-and-recovery-analysis/state

Mississippi joins many other states teaming with SAS to measure COVID-19 learning loss using statistical approaches proven over decades. In these approaches, students are compared to themselves. The analyses predict how students would have scored on assessments absent the pandemic. By comparing their results to the expected scores and assessing how students performed versus how they were expected to perform, one can aggregate results at the school, district and student group levels.

The Mississippi dashboards are built on SAS Viya, the company's cloud-based AI, machine learning, analytics and data management platform. For more information on how SAS works to combat learning loss and drive recovery, visit SAS' learning loss page at sas.com/learningloss .

About SAS

SAS is the leader in analytics. Through innovative software and services, SAS empowers and inspires customers around the world to transform data into intelligence. SAS gives you THE POWER TO KNOW.

SAS and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and other countries.  indicates USA registration. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies. Copyright  2023 SAS Institute Inc. All rights reserved.

Editorial Contact:

Trent Smith

[email protected]

919-531-4726

sas.com/news

SOURCE SAS
Financial Statements for Q2 2023

DALLAS, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Elah Holdings, Inc. (OTC:ELLH) announces that it has released its interim unaudited financial statements and disclosure report for the second quarter of 2023. This report and additional company information can be found at www.elahholdings.com under the Financial Releases section of the website.

About Elah Holdings

Elah Holdings, Inc. (formerly known as Real Industry, Inc.) is a reorganized holding company led by experienced business leaders that is seeking to acquire profitable businesses in the commercial and industrial markets to generate sustainable profitability and cash flows, unlock the value of our considerable tax assets, and use creative deal structures that reduce risk and ultimately create long-term value for our shareholders. For more information, visit www.elahholdings.com. Elah Holdings' stock trades on the OTC Pink Market, which is operated by OTC Markets Group, a centralized electronic quotation service for over-the-counter securities under the symbol "ELLH."

Contact:

Michael Hobey

Elah Holdings, Inc.

+1 (805) 435-1255

@elah_inc

www.linkedin.com/company/elah-holdings-inc/

SOURCE Elah Holdings, Inc.
New Epson DS-C330, DS-C480W and DS-C490 Compact Desktop Scanners Save Up to 60 Percent of Desk Space for Efficient Workspaces

LOS ALAMITOS, Calif., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- To ensure success, business tools must not only deliver fast speeds and the right functionality but fit seamlessly into any environment. Epson America, a global leader in imaging technology, today introduced the DS-C330, DS-C480W and DS-C490 compact desktop document scanners for efficient workspaces. Featuring a vertical paper feed system, the small and lightweight scanners save up to 60 percent of desk space,1 enabling businesses from a wide range of industries to stay productive and keep workflow moving even when space is limited.

Epson unveils DS-C330, DS-C480W and DS-C490 compact desktop document scanners for efficient workspaces. Tweet this Epson America, a global leader in imaging technology, today introduced the DS-C330, DS-C480W and DS-C490 compact desktop document scanners for efficient workspaces.

"Epson is committed to meeting the evolving needs of customers. Businesses working in healthcare, finance, government, and more require scanning technology that offers fast, efficient performance without taking up a lot of valuable space," said Haol Yao, product manager, Epson America, Inc. "Designed for productivity and reliability without sacrificing features or functionality, the new DS-C330, DS-C480W and DS-C490 document scanners leverage a compact, space-saving design ideal for any work environment."

Delivering fast performance, the DS-C330 and DS-C480W quickly scan two-sided documents at speeds up to 30 ppm/60 ipm,2 and the powerful DS-C490 delivers brilliant images at higher speeds, scanning two-sided documents at up to 40 ppm/80 ipm.2 Featuring wireless connectivity and offering a robust solution for managing workflow, the DS-C480W features ScanWay standalone scanning that enables users to scan to a USB flash drive,3 e-mail or the cloud4 using the scanner's large 2.4" LCD touchscreen, no computer needed.

These remarkably versatile scanners include a 20-page Auto Document Feeder, making it easy for users to scan in batches. The DS-C330 scans papers of varying sizes up to 8.5" x 120"5, and the DS-C480W and DS-C490 scan documents of varying sizes up to 8.5" x 220".6 With a flexible scan path, the scanners allow users to scan documents, receipts, cards, and more up to 8.5" x 11" in the vertical position and handle longer documents or thicker media including ID cards and passports7 in the reclined, straight-through position.. The scanners include intelligent image adjustments8 such as automatic cropping and dirt detection to allow for incredible image quality. They come equipped with powerful Epson Document Capture Pro software9, and TWAIN and ISIS drivers for seamless integration with most document management systems.

Additional Scanner Features



DS-C330 DS-C480W DS-C490 Scanning Speeds 30 ppm/60 ipm2 30 ppm/60 ipm2 40 ppm/80 ipm2 Built For Reliability; Peak

Daily Duty Cycle 5,000 pages10 5,000 pages10 6,500 pages10 20-Page Auto Document

Feeder    Remarkable Media

Versatility    Powerful Software and

Seamless Integration Using

TWAIN and ISIS Drivers    Connectivity USB 2.0 USB 2.0, Wi-Fi

(2.4/5 GHz) USB 2.0 Scan To N/A Email,4 Cloud,4

USB Drive3 N/A 2.4 Color LCD Control Panel

and ScanWay PC-Free N/A  N/A

Pricing, Availability and Support

The DS-C330 (MSRP $329), DS-C480W (MSRP $419) and DS-C490 (MSRP $519) are available now through authorized CaptureProSM resellers. They include a 1-year limited warranty. For more information and availability, please visit https://epson.com/document-scanners.

About Epson

Epson is a global technology leader whose philosophy of efficient, compact and precise innovation enriches lives and helps create a better world. The company is focused on solving societal issues through innovations in home and office printing, commercial and industrial printing, manufacturing, visual and lifestyle. Epson's goal is to become carbon negative and eliminate use of exhaustible underground resources such as oil and metal by 2050.

Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the worldwide Epson Group generates annual sales of more than JPY 1 trillion. global.epson.com/

Epson America, Inc., based in Los Alamitos, Calif., is Epson's regional headquarters for the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. To learn more about Epson, please visit: epson.com. You may also connect with Epson America on Facebook (facebook.com/Epson), Twitter (twitter.com/EpsonAmerica), YouTube (youtube.com/epsonamerica), and Instagram (instagram.com/EpsonAmerica).

1 In vertical path scanning position compared to Epson DS-530 II with trays extended.

2 Based on letter-sized scans at 300 dpi.

3 USB device maximum capacity of 2TB (formatted in FAT, FAT32 or exFAT). Devices with security settings (such as password) cannot be used.

4 Wirelessly scan to smartphones or tablets (Android/iOS devices) via the Epson Smart Panel app; download required. Data usage fees may apply. Wirelessly scan to the cloud, PCs or Macs with Epson Document Capture software installed on the connected Windows PC or Mac. Internet connection is required.

5 At 300 dpi. Maximum scan length will vary by resolution.

6 At 200 dpi. Maximum scan length will vary by resolution.

7 Optional carrier sheet required for the DS-C330.

8 See User's Guide for details.

9 Epson Document Capture Pro software for Windows only; Epson Document Capture for Mac only.

10 Peak daily duty cycle is the highest recommended number of scanned sheets per day. For best results, do not exceed the peak daily duty cycle. Calculations based on maximum scanning speed and an assumed daily use time.

EPSON, Epson Smart Panel and ScanWay are registered trademarks of Seiko Epson Corporation. CapturePro is a registered servicemark of Epson America, Inc. Mac is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Android and Google Drive are trademarks of Google LLC. exFAT, FAT, OneDrive and Windows are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. Wi-Fi is a registered trademark of Wi-Fi Alliance. All other product and brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these marks. Copyright 2023 Epson America, Inc.

SOURCE Epson America, Inc.
DUBLIN, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Europe Remote Patient Monitoring Devices Market, By Product, By Application, By End User, By Country, Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Europe's remote patient monitoring devices market is poised for remarkable growth throughout the forecast period 2024-2028.

This expansion is underpinned by a convergence of factors that collectively shape a transformative landscape in healthcare. The pervasive prevalence of lifestyle disorders, intertwined with the relentless progression of technological advancements in the realm of medical devices, is catalyzing the ascent of the Europe remote patient monitoring devices market.

At its core, remote patient monitoring devices usher in a paradigm shift in healthcare delivery. These devices empower healthcare providers to continuously monitor, report, and analyze real-time insights into a patient's disease state, enabling them to deliver efficient care remotely. These devices hold the capability to continually track vital metrics such as blood pressure, heart activity, body temperature, and pulse rate, among others. Moreover, they serve as invaluable tools in the ongoing assessment and management of chronic ailments.

The landscape is further fueled by a multifaceted tapestry of factors that collectively propels market growth. Increasing public awareness is cultivating a receptive environment for the adoption of remote patient monitoring devices. This is augmented by a robust expansion of the geriatric population, a segment inherently susceptible to an array of diseases and conditions.

For instance, in the United Kingdom, statistics from the dementia hub illuminate that two in 100 individuals between the ages of 65 and 69 grapple with dementia, with the ratio escalating to one in five for those aged 85 to 89. Notably, Alzheimer's disease, accounting for 60% to 80% of cases in Europe, resonates as a poignant concern.

Bolstering this trajectory is the rapid stride of technological advancement across Europe. The integration of cutting-edge technologies is propelling the elevation of healthcare quality and efficacy, while simultaneously reducing hospital admissions. The trajectory aligns with a broader objective of tracking and managing complex medical conditions from the comfort of patients' homes. With a steadfast commitment to innovation, Europe's remote patient monitoring devices market is poised to embrace the horizon of possibilities.

The palpable synergy of these factors is expected to shape a transformative landscape within Europe's healthcare arena. As technology continues to weave a tapestry of innovation, healthcare delivery stands at the cusp of an evolution. The confluence of lifestyle disorder prevalence, technological innovation, and an aging demographic paints a compelling picture of progress within the Europe remote patient monitoring devices market. This landscape is poised to undergo a profound shift, ultimately enhancing the quality of care and the well-being of patients across Europe.

Competitive Landscape

Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present Europe Remote Patient Monitoring Devices market

Koninklijke Philips N.V

Medtronic Plc

OMRON Healthcare Europe B.V.

Masimo Europe Limited

Abbott Laboratories Limited

Dragerwerk AG & Co. KGaA

Dexcom, Inc.

Baxter International Inc.

iRhythm Technologies, Inc.

Hill-Rom Holdings Inc. (Welch Allyn)

Report Scope:



Europe Remote Patient Monitoring Devices Market, By Product:

Special Monitors

Blood Glucose Monitors

Cardiac Rhythm Monitors

Respiratory Monitors

Anesthesia Monitors

Vital Sign Monitors

Blood Pressure Monitors

Pulse Oximeters

Heart Rate Monitor (ECG)

Temperature Monitor

Others

Europe Remote Patient Monitoring Devices Market, By Application:

Diabetes

Hypertension

Cardiovascular Diseases

Weight Management & Fitness Monitoring

Others

Europe Remote Patient Monitoring Devices Market, By End User:

Hospital Based Patients

Ambulatory Patients

Home Healthcare

Europe Remote Patient Monitoring Devices Market, By Region:

France

Germany

United Kingdom

Italy

Spain

Finland

Greece

Portugal

Bulgaria

Croatia

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/r3q75y

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.

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SOURCE Research and Markets
SHANGHAI, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Everest Medicines (HKEX 1952.HK)'s partner Venatorx Pharmaceuticals announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the company's New Drug Application (NDA) for cefepime-taniborbactam, an investigational beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor (BL/BLI) antibiotic for the potential treatment of adult patients with complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI), including pyelonephritis. The FDA has granted Priority Review of the NDA with a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) target action date of Feb. 22, 2024.

"We congratulate our partner for achieving this important milestone and bringing cefepime-taniborbactam a step closer to reaching patients confronted with antibacterial resistant infections. As multi-drug resistant infections increasingly pose significant challenges to global public health, the FDA's acceptance of the NDA for priority review is a positive step toward review and potential approval of cefepime-taniborbactam, which was developed to address evolving critical unmet needs in AMR," said Rogers Yongqing Luo, Chief Executive Officer of Everest Medicines. "In Asia, the challenges we are facing from MDR infections are more urgent and severe. Everest is proud to be part of the global Phase 3 clinical study, and is working closely with regulatory authorities and partner Venatorx to advance the drug candidate to NDA filings in China and other Asian territories as quickly as possible."

The FDA previously granted Qualified Infectious Disease Product and Fast Track designations to cefepime-taniborbactam. The cefepime-taniborbactam NDA filing is supported by results from the pivotal Phase 3 study, CERTAIN-1, evaluating the efficacy and safety of cefepime-taniborbactam compared to meropenem in adults with cUTI, including acute pyelonephritis. Cefepime-taniborbactam was superior to meropenem for the primary efficacy endpoint of composite microbiologic and clinical success at the Test of Cure (TOC) visit (Day 19-23) in the microbiological intent-to-treat (microITT) population. Cefepime-taniborbactam was well-tolerated and no new safety findings were identified.

Infectious disease is one of Everest's key therapeutic areas, led by XERAVA which was commercially launched in mainland China in July 2023. The company is also actively developing other important antibacterial drug candidates for combating the increasing MDR infections in China and the rest of Asia.

About Cefepime-Taniborbactam

Cefepime, a fourth-generation cephalosporin, is a widely used beta-lactam (BL) antibiotic with more than two decades of proven safety and clinical utility against susceptible gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. Taniborbactam is a beta-lactamase inhibitor (BLI) that, in combination with cefepime, is being studied as a potential treatment option for patients with serious bacterial infections caused by antibiotic resistant gram-negative bacteria, most notably extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-expressing Enterobacterales, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE), and multidrug-resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MDR-PA), which can include carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa (CRPA).

About the CERTAIN-1 Phase 3 Clinical Trial

CERTAIN-1 (Cefepime Rescue with Taniborbactam in cUTI) was a global, randomized, double-blind, active-controlled non-inferiority Phase 3 study evaluating the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of cefepime-taniborbactam compared to meropenem in adults with cUTI, including acute pyelonephritis.The trial enrolled 661 adult patients who were randomized 2:1 to receive cefepime-taniborbactam 2.5g q8h or meropenem 1g q8h for 7 days (up to 14 days for patients with bacteremia). The primary efficacy endpoint evaluated the composite clinical and microbiologic response (i.e., bacterial eradication) at the Test of Cure (TOC) visit (Day 19-23) in the microbiological intent-to-treat (microITT) population.

Cefepime-taniborbactam met the primary efficacy endpoint of statistical noninferiority (NI) to meropenem in the microITT population at TOC with composite microbiologic and clinical success occurring in 70.6% of cefepime-taniborbactam treated patients and 58.0% of meropenem treated patients (treatment difference 12.6; 95% CI, 3.1, 22.2). A prespecified superiority assessment was conducted following confirmation of NI. Superiority was concluded as the lower bound of the 95% CI for noninferiority was greater than zero. The pre-specified superiority test (two-sided p-value = 0.0088) demonstrated the strength of evidence associated with the superiority conclusion. The efficacy of cefepime-taniborbactam was sustained for the composite microbiologic and clinical response at the Late-Follow-Up (Day 28-35) visit.

Rates of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were 35.5% for cefepime-taniborbactam and 29.0% for meropenem. Serious TEAEs occurred in 2.0% and 1.8% of cefepime-taniborbactam and meropenem treated patients, respectively. Treatment discontinuations due to TEAEs occurred in 3.0% of cefepime-taniborbactam patients and 0.9% of meropenem treated patients. There was one death in the cefepime-taniborbactam treatment group, which was unrelated to study treatment as assessed by the investigator.

About Everest Medicines

Everest Medicines is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing transformative pharmaceutical products 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 of high-quality clinical development, regulatory affairs, CMC, business development and operations both in China and with leading global pharmaceutical companies. Everest Medicines has built a portfolio of eleven 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 oncology, autoimmune disorders, cardio-renal diseases, and infectious diseases. For more information, please visit its website at www.everestmedicines.com.

About Venatorx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Venatorx is a private, pre-commercial pharmaceutical company focused on improving health outcomes for patients with difficult-to-treat drug resistant gram-negative bacterial infections and viral infections. Venatorx's lead asset, cefepime-taniborbactam, is an investigational antibiotic that completed a Phase 3 study (NCT03840148) in adults with complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI), including pyelonephritis and is under FDA review with a PDUFA action date of February 22, 2024. In September 2018, Venatorx entered into an exclusive license agreement with Everest Medicines to support the development, registration, and commercialization of cefepime-taniborbactam in Mainland China, Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, and select countries in Southeast Asia (the "Territory"). For more information about Venatorx and its anti-infectives portfolio, please visit www.venatorx.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.

SOURCE Everest Medicines
VERONA, Wis., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Everlight Solar is thrilled to be awarded Minnesota's Best 2023 Gold in the Solar Energy Provider category. Each year, Minnesota's largest media company, the Star Tribune, organizes Minnesota's Best, a best-of contest where businesses are nominated and voted on by community members.

This recognition marks Everlight's third consecutive Minnesota's Best Gold award in the Solar Energy Provider category. Tweet this This recognition marks Everlight Solar's third consecutive Minnesota's Best Gold award in the Solar Energy Provider category.

Minnesota's Best is an audience-driven contest. Businesses can be nominated to one of over 350 categories, and all nominees are vetted to verify services and locations. Winners are voted on by members of the community, with each category having three winners (Gold, Silver, and Bronze).

Everlight Solar is proud to handle everything entirely in-house, providing Minnesotans with effortless solar solutions. Partnered with local realtors and sponsoring numerous local organizations, Everlight is an active clean energy ambassador in Minnesota and the entire Midwest.

Everlight Solar's relationship with customers extends far beyond the installation phase. From the time customers initially sign up for solar and long after being installed with their custom solar system, Everlight seeks feedback, using it as a compass to refine and improve their processes. In addition, the company proactively tracks each solar installation, monitoring them every step of the way. They are ready at a moment's notice for troubleshooting if ever needed.

"It's an incredible honor to be recognized as Minnesota's Best Solar Energy Provider for the third year in a row," said Everlight Solar's President and CEO, Will Creech. "This award reflects the relentless effort and pride our team puts into everything we do, working toward a more sustainable future for us all."

Everlight Solar would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to the Minnesota community for their support and recognition as they continue the journey toward a cleaner, greener future. Sustainable energy is a cumulative effort, and Everlight Solar is proud to be a community leader in clean energy, providing affordable, high-quality solar solutions.

This recognition marks Everlight Solar's third consecutive Minnesota's Best Gold award in the Solar Energy Provider category. To learn more about previous Minnesota's Best Awards and other Everlight Solar awards, visit everlightsolar.com. Why Everlight Solar? See what makes Everlight an amazing company to work for.

About Everlight Solar

Everlight Solar is the fastest-growing solar company in the Midwest, with operations in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Idaho, Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming. In their first year of eligibility, Everlight Solar was ranked number 632 on the 2023 Inc. 5000 list with a staggering 930% growth rate. To learn more about open jobs or about going solar for your own home, visit www.everlightsolar.com.

SOURCE Everlight Solar
Transparency in government has been the cornerstone of the Enterprise City Councils focus since being elected, Council President Turner Townsend told those attending the recent Enterprise Rotary Club meeting. Striving for transparency in government is a big part of the platform I ran for election on, he said.

Our city council board packets are posted online so you can have access to them at the same time that the council has access to them, Townsend said. All city council work sessions and voting meetings are open to the public but are also livestreamed when they happen on the first and third Tuesday of each month and available for viewing on the citys website www.enterpriseal.gov.

City water works, streets, public transportation, business licensing, and municipal infrastructure were among the topics discussed by Townsend at the recent Enterprise Rotary Club meeting.

Townsend said that each year the council and mayor meet to strategically plan for the upcoming year and objectives formulated are reviewed at quarterly meetings. Weve laid a lot of groundwork and I think producing a more professionally run city, he said. I think weve come a long way in the seven years since Ive been on the council and we certainly have a lot way to go.

Improvements to the citys water works system and city streets has been ongoing for several years. In the past two and one half years, about 25% of the citys streets have been repaved. Repaving on some has been held pending improvements to water mains running beneath them. This major water main replacement projects has been going on for several years and will be ongoing for several more years, he said.

Public transportation is coming to the city through a partnership with the Wiregrass Transit Authority by October of this year, Townsend said. Public transportation within city limits for a nominal fee will be able to be scheduled in advance.

The business license fee structure has been revised for the first time since the 1970s, Townsend said. Also revised and updated are some city positions. The creation of the city administrator position is one of the initiatives of this council, Townsend said. We also created a position of city engineer/director of public works by combining our building departments and public works department under one department. The former treasurer position is now named the chief financial officer. Those changes realign the citys organization structure, which is what we needed as a growing progressive city.

The Enterprise City hall was built in the mid-1960s. And it has had very little attention since then, Townsend said. Renovation will begin soon, to include complete modernization and upgrade to the police department which will occupy the entire lower level of the building when complete. Townsend said that hope is that the new police station, combined with the new central fire station built several years ago, both departments can be brought to full staffing.

Blight reduction is another priority for the council, Townsend said. With assistance of a Community Development Block Grant, 59 abandoned dilapidated buildings have been demolished. And well be tearing more down in the near future, he said.

The council devised a 10-year plan and initiated and operates off of a one year plan that is reviewed quarterly. We refresh it every year to paint a picture of what we want and what we need to be working on, he said.

I may be a little biased but I think we have a very good council in place, Townsend said. We trust each other and work well with each other because, at the end of the day, we all want the same thing and that is for the city to continue to move forward.
OTTAWA, ON, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Field Effect, a global cybersecurity solutions and services provider with clients across the US, Canada, UK, and Australia has secured a $30 million debt facility for strategic acquisitions and global expansion through Scotiabank's Technology Innovation and Banking Group.

Founded in 2016 by former intelligence experts, Field Effect remains laser-focused on protecting small and mid-sized businesses around the world from increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks.

"We've invested nearly a decade perfecting our flagship cybersecurity solution, Covalence. Now it's time to show the world great cybersecurity and build the type of brand awareness our solution deserves," said Matt Holland, Founder and CEO of Field Effect. "For too long, small and mid-sized businesses and the managed service providers that support them have been stuck using inefficient, incomplete, and expensive cybersecurity tools. We are ferocious in our pursuit to get our holistic cybersecurity solution into the hands of those who need it most."

Field Effect has been on a rapid path to growth since closing its US$34.5 million Series A funding in late 2022, led by Edison Partners (Princeton, New Jersey). Bootstrapped from inception, Field Effect has focused primarily on product development prior to 2022. The combined funding will help the company transform from a high-growth startup to a renowned industry leader.

"Our practice supports innovative founders and companies with high-growth potential, and we're continuously looking for business opportunities in this space," said Karim Antonious, Managing Director of Scotiabank's Technology Innovation and Banking Group. "We're thrilled at every opportunity we have to help our clients across technology and innovation sectors meet, and exceed, their business potential."

Cybersecurity is one of the fastest-growing industries and, despite the variety of tools on the market, over half of security leaders are not confident in the effectiveness of their defenses against common cyber threats. Unfortunately, small and mid-sized businesses often struggle more with cybersecurity, as they face the same attacks as large corporations but with less resources to put toward protection.

"Businesses shouldn't be paying for a cybersecurity solution just to keep worrying whether their defense is strong enough," said Holland. "We're proud to say our clients sleep soundly."

About Field Effect

Field Effect, a global cybersecurity company, is revolutionizing the industry by bringing advanced cybersecurity solutions and services to businesses of all sizes. After years of research and development by the brightest in the business, we pioneered a holistic approach to cybersecurity. Our complete Managed Detection and Response (MDR) solution, flexible simulation-based training platform, and expert-led professional services form a unified defense that results in superior security, less complexity, and immediate value. We build solutions that are sophisticated, yet easy to use and manage, so every business owner can get the hands-free cybersecurity they expect and the sleep-filled nights they deserve.

SOURCE Field Effect
Acquisition of third A350 to help expand network

NADI, Fiji, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Fiji Airways has today taken delivery of its newest Airbus A350-900XWB (A350) as part of a journey to modernise the National Carrier's fleet.

Named the Island of Beqa, the brand new aircraft, is the third A350 to join the Fiji Airways fleet. It is considered the world leader in long-range flights.

The Island of Beqa will add more capacity to Fiji Airways' leading source markets of Australia and New Zealand, as well as increase capacity for long haul flights to San Francisco and Vancouver, and Hong Kong which is the airline's current gateway to China.

Company Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Mr Andre Viljoen says one of the airline's 5 'Game Changer' Strategies they have relentlessly pursued since 2017 has been the modernization of its fleet, with 'new generation' aircraft such as the Airbus A350.

"The A350 with its superior cabin, significant fuel savings and substantial cargo capacity has fast become the pride of our airline and the joy of our passengers.

"The Island of Beqa is brand new, having been put into storage immediately after manufacturing. We were able to negotiate a lucrative deal to acquire it."

"It combines the very latest aerodynamics, new generation engines and use of lightweight materials, to bring a 25% advantage in fuel burn, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and operating costs compared to previous generation aircraft."

Mr Viljoen adds the airline is now in a stronger position to explore new destinations.

"Fiji Airways brings in 70 percent of all visitors to Fiji. We are crucial to the long term sustainable growth of the tourism industry which is 45 percent of our Gross Domestic Product and the largest employer in the country.

As the National Airline we recognize our role is not just to be the bridge to and from the world but to support the growth of tourism, one of the ways we can do this is by introducing new destinations with potential for high tourism opportunities."

These modern, state-of-the-art aircraft also enables Fiji Airways to explore new destinations much further than its current network. For example, the A350 XWBs are capable of flying much deeper into the United States or Canada.

Some possibilities the airline is continually exploring for the future include Dallas, Seattle, Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul and also Noumea, Wallis, Rarotonga, Port Moresby and several additional destinations in Australia.

To celebrate the arrival of its latest A350 aircraft, Fiji Airways is offering huge discounts on return economy airfares to Fiji and beyond until 31st August 2023, for select travel dates (conditions apply). Visit fijiairways.com for more information.

About Fiji Airways: Founded in 1951, Fiji Airways Group comprises of Fiji Airways, Fiji's National Airline and its subsidiaries: Fiji Link, its domestic and regional carrier, Pacific Call Comm Ltd, and a 38.75% stake in the Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa on Denarau Island, Nadi. From its hubs at Nadi and Suva International Airports, Fiji Airways and Fiji Link serve 108 destinations in over 15 countries (including code-share). Destinations include Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada, the UK, Hong Kong (SAR China), Singapore, India, Japan, China, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands. The Fiji Airways Group brings in 70 percent of all visitors who fly to Fiji, employs over 1000 employees, and is targeting to earn revenues of over FJD$1.5 billion (USD $680m) in 2023. Fiji Airways rebranded from Air Pacific in June 2013. Visit www.fijiairways.com for more information

Images can be downloaded from here.

SOURCE Fiji Airways
Largest School Transportation Company in the Country Announces Key Projections for Student Transportation, Electric School Bus Deployment, Services for Special Needs Students and Consulting Services

CINCINNATI, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- First Student, the largest school transportation company in North America, today announced key projections for the 2023/2024 school year that support safety, learning and providing an exceptional experience for student passengers. The company expects to:

Complete one billion trips

Transport 450 M students

students Drive 473 M miles

miles Serve 1,250 customers

Maintain presence in 41 states

Employ 40,000 drivers

"We are excited about the new school year and look forward to delivering on our commitment to provide an exceptional experience to the school districts, students and families we serve," said First Student CEO and President John Kenning. "First Student is driving the future with safety, innovation and operational excellence. Our proven, industry-leading solutions in electrification, alternative transportation and fleet management are ensuring students receive the best possible ride to and from school. We are proud to be making a real difference in thousands of communities across North America."

First Student is also the largest operator of electric school buses in the country and has committed to transitioning 30,000 diesel buses to electric by 2035. In the 2023/2024 school year, First Student expects to:

Complete 125,000 trips on 458 electric buses

Drive 4.3 M miles with electric buses

Reduce carbon emissions by 7,600 tons

Deploy 226 additional electric buses in 26 school districts

"First Student is leading the way in sustainable transportation with school bus electrification," said Kevin Matthews, Head of Electrification at First Student. "We are thrilled with our progress this past year, but we are just getting started. We will continue to move toward our goal of transitioning 30,000 diesel buses to electric by 2035, allowing us to improve health outcomes for the students we serve and deliver more efficiencies for our school district partners."

FirstAlt, First Student's innovative alternative transportation service, also expects tremendous growth in the 2023/2024 school year. FirstAlt, which allows school districts to operate more efficiently and ensures the safe and reliable transport of students with special transportation needs and students experiencing homelessness, expects to:

Complete 250,000+ alternative transportation trips

Serve 1,600+ students with special needs

Serve 800+ students experiencing homelessness

Train 1,800 drivers with FirstServes, First Student's premier driver training program focused on best serving students with special transportation needs

"We are doing something really unique and meaningful with FirstAlt," said Gregg Prettyman, Vice President, FirstAlt at First Student. "Our service allows school districts to seamlessly incorporate alternative transportation into their fleets and routes, improving efficiencies while delivering best-in-class service for our most vulnerable students."

First Consulting, First Student's custom solutions provider, is ready to grow and expand as well for the 2023/2024 school year. First Consulting offers a unique consulting process and evaluation for school districts to improve in areas including electrification, routing, maintenance, management and training. First Consulting expects to:

Assist school districts with reducing the impact of driver shortage

Identity cost savings and create efficiencies through routing and maintenance

Improve student experience through research-based programs and providing consistency from the bus to the classroom

Support school districts in navigating fleet electrification and implementation to ensure a successful deployment

"At First Consulting, we leverage First Student's expertise, scale and technology to help school districts solve operational challenges, offering proven solutions that ensure students receive the best possible ride to and from school every day," said Leslie Norgren, Vice President, Consulting at First Student. "We are thrilled to continue expanding our consulting services with school districts in the coming year."

About First Student

As a leading school transportation solutions provider in North America, First Student strives to provide the best start and finish to every school day. With a team of highly trained drivers and the industry's strongest safety record, First Student delivers reliable, quality services, including full-service transportation and management, special-needs transportation, fleet electrification, route optimization, and scheduling, maintenance, and charter services with a fleet of more than 46,000 buses.

Contact:

Liza Joenler

[email protected]

202-499-5242

SOURCE First Student
"The CEC is playing a huge role to transition the state of California, and the world, away from fossil fuels. It's truly an honor to continue our partnership with the CEC to make zero emissions transportation a reality," said Joel Ewanick, Founder and Chief Executive officer of FEF.

FEF's manufacturing facility in Santa Ana currently produces critical high tech components and systems for hydrogen refueling stations, including liquid hydrogen cryopump systems. The scale-up of the Santa Ana, CA FirstElement Fuel Innovation Center, partially funded by the CEC, will increase local jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by enabling more zero-emissions transportation. FEF was awarded the grant through the CEC's Zero-Emission Transportation Manufacturing competitive grant solicitation. FEF will also contribute at least $14M to the project.

Hydrogen-powered vehicles have the capacity to transform modern transportation by eliminating tailpipe emissions, slashing carbon emissions, and more than doubling driving efficiency as compared to traditional internal combustion engine vehicles. California State government policy has for decades supported a transition to hydrogen in the transportation sector as part of its zero-emission vehicle strategy, placing the State in a leadership position for hydrogen-related development. California's policies have also laid the foundation for FEF's success in becoming the world's leading hydrogen refueling station company. Setting up adequate supply chains and manufacturing of hydrogen refueling station equipment to supply the development of a hydrogen refueling network is critical to the successful scale-up of hydrogen-powered vehicles.

"FirstElement is a true California story  the company could not have been born anywhere else," said Dee Dee Myers, Senior Advisor to Governor Newsom and Director of the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development. "They are emblematic of California's role in creating new markets and expanding clean energy manufacturing, building on the foundation of our world-class workforce and ongoing commitment to a carbon-free economy."

Patty Monahan, the CEC lead Commissioner for the Clean Transportation Program, commented, "The CEC is proud to fund FirstElement Fuel's expansion into manufacturing hydrogen refueling components here in California. This will not only provide jobs for the local community, but also help the state transition to zero-emission transportation."

"FirstElement's initiative will help grow jobs of the future here locally, which are exactly the kind of jobs that we want to see more of in Santa Ana," Mayor Valerie Amezcua said. "We are honored that FirstElement chose Santa Ana as its manufacturing location, and we will continue to foster a business-friendly environment in our city."

FEF's manufacturing expansion project will extend through March 2026 and enable FEF to increase by a factor of 10 the number of liquid hydrogen pumps built per year. FEF will also increase its pump testing capability at its hydrogen logistics hub and field-testing facility located in Livermore, CA as part of this project.

About FirstElement Fuel Inc.

FirstElement Fuel Inc is a California-based company established in 2013 to provide safe, reliable, retail hydrogen to customers of fuel cell electric vehicles. The Company is the leading hydrogen refueling station provider in California, and the world, with facilities in Irvine, Santa Ana and Livermore, CA. FEF has 40 retail light-duty stations throughout California and is developing a network of stations to serve Heavy Duty Trucks powered by hydrogen, starting with the first-ever high-flow refueling station in Oakland, CA as part of a joint project with the California Air Resources Board and the CEC. Over the past 10 years since FEF's founding, the Company has partnered with public organizations including the California Energy Commission, the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and the Sacramento Municipal Air Quality Management District which have also provided funding. Private partnerships include those with Mitsui & Co, Air Water Inc., Honda Motor Company, Toyota Motor Corporation, MUFG, the Japan Bank of International Cooperation, Nikisso Company, and Air Liquide, all of which have provided funds in pursuit of the vision of a zero emissions transportation future.

Learn about FirstElement Fuel Inc. at FirstElementFuel.com

Learn about our True Zero Network at truezero.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2185170/FEF_CEC.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/788388/FirstElement_Fuel_Logo.jpg

SOURCE FirstElement Fuel
CHICAGO, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Forward Solutions, a leading provider of outsourced sales and marketing services and a portfolio company of Osceola Capital, announced the completion of four acquisitions today: ElectroRep Inc., R/B Sales Corporation, Madigan McCune & Associates, and Upper Midwest Utility Sales. Forward Solutions has closed 22 acquisitions since the platform's inception five years ago.

ElectroRep was founded in 1960 and services electrical supplies manufacturers on the West Coast. R/B Sales was founded in 1977 and services electrical supplies manufacturers in the Midwest and Great Plains. These two companies will merge to form a new division within Forward Solutions focused on manufacturers, distributors, installers, and maintenance providers within the electrical supplies space. Its product offering includes wiring, cabling, semiconductors, relays, fasteners, fuses, boxes, safety products, anti-corrosion, lighting, anchors and assemblies, among others.

Madigan McCune was founded in 1971 and services utility, telecom and power manufacturers in the Southeast. Upper Midwest Utility Sales was founded in 1992 and services utility, telecom and power manufacturers in the Southeast. These companies will merge into StruXur, Forward Solutions' existing utility, telecom and power division. Combined, StruXur will now have geographic coverage across the East Coast, Southeast and Midwest, and its product offering includes network testing equipment, cables, transformers, grips, switches, personal tools, safety products, and cable installation, repair, identification and locating equipment, among others.

Joe Orednick, President & CEO of Forward Solutions, noted, "We are incredibly excited to welcome ElectroRep and R/B Sales into the Forward Solutions portfolio. These mergers represent a pivotal moment for our organization as we strategically invest in the electrical channel. Additionally, to be able to welcome Madigan, McCune & Associates and Upper Midwest Utility Sales into the Forward Solutions portfolio is a win for us all, and their merger with StruXur represents exciting growth opportunities as we strategically invest and expand our presence in the telecom and power utility channels."

Patrick Watkins, Partner at Osceola Capital, said, "Forward Solutions has shown a differentiated ability to expand each of its existing product categories to national footprints while simultaneously establishing new product categories through M&A. The Company's acquisition strategy paired with its impressive organic growth playbook allow Forward to continue building the best outsourced sales and marketing business in the U.S."

About Forward Solutions

Forward Solutions provides advanced services for evolving markets. The company's portfolio includes Avision, Curate, OneSolution, RelyPak, StruXur, and Integrated Access Corporation. Each of these divisions offer outsourced sales, marketing, customer support and data analytics services for manufacturers who want to grow their businesses more effectively. 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. Allynt Solutions and C3Consulting offer consulting services for manufacturers, distributors, and commercial end-users. Forward Solutions brings focused expertise to facility maintenance, cleaning, hygiene, foodservice disposables, foodservice equipment, packaging, industrial/MRO, safety, construction, utilities, telecom, power, and electrical supply channels. For more information, please email [email protected].

About Osceola Capital

Osceola Capital is a Tampa-based private equity firm that invests in lower middle-market services companies, typically with EBITDA of $2 million to $10 million. Osceola partners with growing high-quality companies in the professional, facility and healthcare services industries. Osceola has extensive experience partnering with management teams to execute buy-and-build strategies and drive long-term value creation, and the Osceola team seeks to bring value-added expertise in M&A, operations, strategy, and finance to small companies and together help the company achieve their full potential. Target investments include control positions in entrepreneur and family-owned businesses with revenue between $5 million and $75 million or EBITDA between $2 million and $10 million. Visit www.osceola.com to learn more. For additional information about Forward Solutions, please contact Patrick Watkins at Osceola Capital.

Contact: Chris Tofalli

Chris Tofalli Public Relations, LLC

914-834-4334

SOURCE Forward Solutions
Multiplicity: Blackness in Contemporary American Collage September 15December 31, 2023

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Frist Art Museum presents Multiplicity: Blackness in Contemporary American Collage, the first major museum exhibition devoted to the rich yet understudied subject. Featuring approximately 80 collage works, Multiplicity explores the breadth and complexity of Black identity and experiences in the United States. Conceived and organized by Frist Art Museum senior curator Katie Delmez, the exhibition will be on view in the museum's Ingram Gallery from September 15 through December 31, 2023, before traveling to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and an additional venue to be announced.

Jamea Richmond-Edwards. Archetype of a 5 Star, 2018. Acrylic, spray paint, glitter, ink, and cut paper on canvas; 60 x 48 in. Rubell Museum, Miami.  Jamea Richmond-Edwards

With an intergenerational group of 52 living artists, Multiplicity examines how concepts such as cultural hybridity, notions of beauty, gender fluidity, and historical memory are expressed in the practice of collage. By assembling pieces of paper, fabric, and other often-salvaged or repurposed materials, the artists in this exhibition create unified compositions that express the endless possibilities of Black-constructed narratives despite our fragmented society. The artists range from established luminaries to emerging and midcareer figures, including Mark Bradford, Lauren Halsey, Rashid Johnson, Kerry James Marshall, Wangechi Mutu, Jamea Richmond-Edwards, Deborah Roberts, Tschabalala Self, Lorna Simpson, Devan Shimoyama, and Mickalene Thomas.

Multiplicity is structured broadly around seven themes that foreground personal and collective history, regional or national heritage, and gender and sexual orientation, in addition to racial constructs. "Although it is a nearly ubiquitous art form used by elementary school students to the biggest names in modern art historyPablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Hannah Hoch, Max Ernst, and Robert Rauschenbergtwenty-first century collage is an arguably understudied and undervalued medium, especially in museum exhibitions," notes Delmez in her exhibition catalogue introduction. "Multiplicity is an opportunity to spotlight the formal complexity and vibrancy of the technique and to assert its contributions to the field through the lens of some of today's leading artists."

Like the exhibition itself, the broader project layers together many different participants. Contributors to the accompanying catalogue range from senior scholars to honors students at Fisk University. Collaborators such as Tennessee State University, Fisk University, William Edmondson Park in Historic Edgehill Neighborhood, and Artville in Wedgewood-Houston are featuring reproductions of work by exhibited artists outside the museum walls. Related exhibitions will be held across Nashville at places like Fisk's Carl Van Vechten Art Gallery, Tinney Contemporary, and Julia Martin Gallery.

The artists featured in Multiplicity build upon the rich legacy of African American artists such as Romare Bearden, who received considerable critical attention as he experimented with collage in the 1960s to inspire collaboration and community. "Although Bearden is the most well-known, other African American artists making collages in the mid-twentieth century include David C. Driskell, Lois Mailou Jones, Jacob Lawrence, Sam Middleton, Faith Ringgold, Betye Saar, and many more," writes Delmez. Drawing upon the work these foundational figures, contemporary artists are making collages in an array of different ways, from traditional cutting and pasting to complexly layering materials, to creating works digitally. For some, collage is their principal strategy; for others, it represents a branch or chapter in their wider practice.

In the opening section of the exhibition, titled "Fragmentation and Reconstruction," guests are introduced to a range of materials and techniques used in collage today. Many artists gather existing materialsmagazines, photographs, books, newspapers, and mapsto form their compositions. Other artists use "new" paper, as is the case with Nina Chanel Abney; Yashua Klos, who makes his own woodblock prints; and YoYo Lander, who stains and washes watercolor paper to create her portraits.

The following section, "Excavating History and Memory," examines the ways artists like Radcliffe Bailey, Jamal Cyrus, and Tomashi Jackson use historic photographs and publication clippings to highlight overlooked or lost narratives and link them to the present. Derek Fordjour, an alumnus of Morehouse College, celebrates the tradition and vitality of the HBCU marching band experience through his multilayered works.

In the section "Notions of Beauty and Power," Jamea Richmond-Edwards, Tschabalala Self, Mickalene Thomas, and others challenge white ideals of feminine beauty historically espoused in popular culture and art history by inserting bold Black women into their compositions. Queer artists including Rashaad Newsome and Devan Shimoyama express the fluid nature of gender in an increasingly nonbinary world, while Lovie Olivia and Wardell Milan remind us of the value of safe havens for LQBTQIA+ people, from Harlem Renaissance house party venues to gay dance clubs, in the section "Gender Fluidity and Queer Spaces."

The exhibition concludes by expanding the definition of collage beyond analog practices to include digital stitchesa seemingly inevitable evolution in today's digitally saturated environment. For his large-scale wallpaper installations, Kahlil Robert Irving pieces together hundreds of digital images to evoke the continual feed of smartphones and laptops. Taking digital collage a step further, Arthur Jafa gathers the highs and lows of Black experiences in the United States into his poignant video montage Love is the Message, The Message is Death.

Exhibition Credit

Organized by the Frist Art Museum

Supporter Acknowledgment

Platinum Sponsor: HCA Healthcare/TriStar Health

Supported by a major grant from Henry Luce Foundation

Leadership support provide by Drs. Turner and Pylanice Nashe

This project is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, Nissan Foundation, and Ameriprise Financial

Hospitality Sponsors: The Union Station Nashville Yards and Grand Hyatt Nashville

Spanish Translation Sponsor: Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies at Vanderbilt University

Education and Community Engagement supporter: Windgate Foundation

The Frist Art Museum is supported in part by The Frist Foundation, Metro Arts, the Tennessee Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

About the Frist Art Museum

Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the Frist Art Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit art exhibition center in Nashville, Tenn. center dedicated to presenting and originating exhibitions with related educational programs and community outreach activities. For additional information, visit FristArtMuseum.org.

SOURCE Frist Art Museum
Paul Kerr appointed as CEO of both companies

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Gallant Capital Partners ("Gallant"), a Los Angeles-based investment firm, announced that it has completed a strategic growth investment in DynTek, Inc. ("DynTek"), a US-based professional IT services, cybersecurity, and risk management organization, and rSolutions Corporation ("rSolutions"), a Canadian-based cybersecurity firm. Gallant's investment in both companies will support accretive growth through further innovation and development of technical offerings and cybersecurity services, operational enhancements that drive customer experience, and strategic acquisitions. Gallant's investment was made in partnership with DynTek CEO Tim Montgomery, rSolutions CEO Richard Baker, and additional sellers and members of both executive leadership teams who collectively will remain material owners of the combined business. This represents the first investment made out of Gallant's second fund, Gallant Capital Partners II.

As part of the investment, Gallant will unify both organizations under a single leadership structure and investment umbrella. The combined entities also announced that Paul Kerr has joined to serve as Chief Executive Officer to execute the combined strategic business goals. Kerr is a dynamic and seasoned executive with over 25+ years of experience in the information technology industry. Paul founded Scalar Decisions in 2004 and grew Scalar to over C$250M revenue before it was acquired by CDW in 2019. "I'm looking forward to embarking on this new chapter as CEO and working with the teams at DynTek, rSolutions, and Gallant" stated Mr. Kerr.

"With decades of experience, both DynTek and rSolutions have firmly established themselves as market leaders, underlined by enduring client relationships, strategic top-tier partnerships, and an unparalleled team of technical professionals," stated Jon Gimbel, Partner at Gallant. "We are excited to partner with them and Paul to help foster the next phase of accelerated growth for which they are well positioned. Both organizations have developed a distinct market differentiation with state-of-the-art Security Operations Centers, which fortify clients across diverse industries against security threats, enabling them to detect, contain, and swiftly eradicate potential risks. Together, we are set to unlock new opportunities, further market expansion, and continue to drive growth in the high-demand cybersecurity market," added Anthony Guagliano, Partner at Gallant.

"We are thrilled to join forces with Gallant in this transformative partnership, setting the stage for unparalleled growth, development, and an extended footprint in serving our valued clients," said Mr. Montgomery. "The Gallant team brings a tremendous amount of industry, operational, and strategic expertise that will significantly bolster our ability to accelerate our already strong growth trajectory."

"We've been working on this for the past several months and with every passing day the sense of optimism surrounding our team has only grown," said Mr. Baker, CEO and Founder of rSolutions. "We are excited for the opportunities to provide cybersecurity solutions for a broader set of end markets, businesses and individuals through our services, leveraging the great strength of our partners to become a leading Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) in North America."

DC Advisory served as exclusive financial advisor to Gallant. B. Riley Securities, Inc. served as exclusive financial advisor to DynTek. Royal Bank of Canada, Mid-Market M&A served as exclusive financial advisor to rSolutions.

About DynTek

As a national systems integrator and risk management partner, DynTek delivers exceptional, cost-effective professional IT consulting services, end-to-end IT solutions, managed IT services, and IT product sales to state and local government, educational, healthcare and enterprise customers in the largest IT markets nationwide. Our broad range of technical expertise and vendor partnerships allow us to deliver solutions that support digital business transformation including IT Security, Managed Security Services, Microsoft, Digital Infrastructure, Modern Workplace, Data Center and Cloud solutions. With a team of certified experts, DynTek empowers organizations to achieve their IT goals, drive innovation, and maximize their technology investments. For more information, visit http://www.dyntek.com.

About rSolutions

rSolutions delivers managed cybersecurity services, product sales and cybersecurity professional services to clients in many industry sectors including financial services, telecommunications, energy, government and retail from its owned and operated Security Operations Centres (SOCs) in Canada. rSolutions SOC offers a 24/7/365 fully Managed Security Services including Extended Detection and Response (XDR), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), managed Security Information & Event Monitoring (SIEM), Vulnerability Management Program services Security Awareness Training Services. For more information please visit: https://rSolutions.com

About Gallant Capital Partners

Gallant Capital Partners is a private equity firm that invests in technology, business services, and industrial companies. Gallant executes on an operationally focused investment strategy with a priority on partnering closely with companies that can benefit from its extensive industry relationships and operating expertise. The firm partners with owners, founders, and management teams to maximize value and drive long-term, sustainable growth for its portfolio companies. Gallant was founded in 2018 and is headquartered in Los Angeles. For more information, visit www.gallantcapital.com.

SOURCE rSolutions Corporation
SAN DIEGO, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- EverHive, the world's premier provider of cutting-edge contingent workforce solutions, is proud to announce its 9th place rank on the Inc. 5000 roster for 2023 and its rank as #1 for the Human Resources industry. The prestigious ranking provides a data-driven look at the most successful companies in America. Inc. 5000 honors EverHive's phenomenal expansion and commitment to innovative practices reshaping the landscape of contingent workforce management. The honor is made even more meaningful, as it measures growth over a three-year period, which covers the entirety of the global coronavirus pandemic. View the full list at inc.com/inc5000.

This recognition stands as a testament to our team's resolute efforts and our clientele's unwavering trust. Tweet this Contingent Workforce solutions firm, EverHive ranks #9 on Inc 5000

Inc. magazine launched the Inc. 500 list in 1982 to recognize the fastest-growing private companies in the United States. The list expanded to 5,000 in 2007 and has featured titans like Pandora, Microsoft, Intuit, and Zappos.com.

According to EverHive president Brandon Moreno, the honor represents EverHive's commitment to helping its customers adapt and pivot in an ever-evolving marketplace. This includes the widespread adoption of EverHive's novel hybrid MSP model and VMS design services.

"Securing the 9th spot on the Inc. 5000 list is a momentous milestone," says EverHive president Brandon Moreno. "This recognition stands as a testament to our team's resolute efforts and our clientele's unwavering trust. EverHive remains committed to fostering innovation, delivering excellence, and driving transformative growth within our industry."

EverHive's ascent is a manifestation of its corporate ethos, which places excellence as its core value. It also exemplifies EverHive's relentless pursuit of strong, committed partnerships with enterprise customers. As EverHive expands its global footprint and service offerings, it remains equally committed to driving innovation across the contingent workforce domain.

About EverHive

EverHive stands as the world's vanguard provider of global contingent workforce solutions. With a focus on innovation and client gratification, EverHive has proved itself as a trusted ally for enterprises across the globe. EverHive currently has locations in the United States, Ireland, and soon in the APAC region. It manages worker assignments in more than 20 countries, and its extensive network of EOR/AOR payrolling/staffing partners allows clients to hire nearly anywhere in the world.

EverHive has also been named one of Inc. Magazine's Best Workplaces and Inc. Magazine's fastest-growing companies in the Pacific Region. It also won the "All Money Is Green" award recognizing minority-owned companies doing the most work with other MBE firms. To learn more visit everhive.com.

Media Contact: Brianne Garner, [email protected]

SOURCE EverHive Corp
DUBLIN, Aug. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Food Packaging Industry Trends, Opportunities and Growth Analysis by Region, Country, Pack Material (Rigid Plastics, Rigid Metal, Paper and Board, Glass and Flexible Packaging) and Forecast to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global food packaging industry has demonstrated remarkable growth, recording a substantial 2,071.4 billion units in 2022, and the momentum is set to persist as projections indicate a rise to 2,337.8 billion units by 2027, reflecting a notable CAGR of 2.4% during the period from 2022 to 2027.

This comprehensive report serves as a consolidation of diverse data sources, offering an all-encompassing insight into the global food packaging market. Covering various facets, the report encompasses a market overview, growth analysis based on pack materials and industries, material-specific growth analysis across industries and sectors, as well as detailed analyses of pack materials, trends, illuminating case studies, and a forward-looking outlook.

The prominence of the Asia-Pacific region is evident as it led the pack in 2022, boasting a volume share of 47.9%, closely followed by the Americas with a volume share of 25.4%. The dominant player in the realm of pack materials was flexible packaging, commanding a lion's share of 53.1% globally.

Rigid plastics and paper & board followed suit with shares of 25.1% and 13.2%, respectively, in 2022. Leading the charge in terms of industry sectors, the dairy & soy food sector was at the forefront, capturing an impressive 31.5% volume share in 2022. Following closely was the bakery and cereals sector, contributing a substantial 13.5% share in the same year.

Key Highlights

Manufacturing and retailers seek latest information on how the market is evolving to formulate their sales and marketing strategies. There is also demand for authentic market data with a high level of detail. This report has been created to provide its readers with up-to-date information and analysis to uncover emerging opportunities of growth within the industry

The report provides a detailed analysis of the countries in the region, covering the key challenges and growth analysis, that can help companies gain insight into the country specific nuances.

The analysts have also placed a significant emphasis on the key trends that drive consumer choice and the future opportunities that can be explored in the region, than can help companies in revenue expansion

Scope

Country Deep Dive: Provides an overview of the pack materials across the sectors in the food industry in select countries in each region.

Market overview: Provides an overview of the usage of different pack materials across food industry in terms of the number of units, packaging share and growth rates during 2017-27, in addition to key packaging innovations for pack materials analyzed. The report also provides an overview of the shift in the utilization of various pack materials across sectors during 2022-27.

Key pack materials: Includes data and analysis - number of units (millions), growth rates - for five pack materials viz. rigid plastics, rigid metal, glass, paper & board, flexible packaging and others (other than the afore mentioned five types) during 2022-27.

Reasons to Buy

Manufacturers and retailers seek latest information on how the market is evolving to formulate their sales and marketing strategies. There is also demand for authentic market data with a high level of detail.

This report has been created to provide its readers with up-to-date information and analysis to uncover emerging opportunities of growth within the industry globally.

The report provides a detailed analysis of the countries in specific regions, covering the key challenges, and future growth opportunities that can help companies gain insight into the country/region specific nuances.

The analysts have also placed a significant emphasis on the key trends that drive consumer choice and the future opportunities that can be explored in the region, which can help companies in revenue expansion.

Key Topics Covered:

Market Environment

Global Packaging Overview

Market Environment - Global Takeaways

External Packaging Influences

Packaging Innovations in 2022

Packaging Share Change by Material and Food Sectors - Global Overview

Pack Material Market in Food Industry - Global Overview

Pack Materials Market Size and Growth Analysis - Global Overview

Change in share in the Overall Packaging Industry by Regions, 2017-27

Change in Consumption Levels: Regions, 2017-27

Cross Sector Comparison by Pack Material - Global

Pack Material Growth Contribution by Sector (1/2)

Market Environment - Regional Overview

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/i0nf41



Source: GlobalData

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DUBLIN, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global School Furniture Market Outlook 2023-2029 report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global school furniture market is projected to reach $5.7 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 5.8% during the forecast period. A significant trend in school furniture is the adoption of active seating options, such as balance balls, rocking chairs, and wobbling stools, which has been shown to enhance student focus and concentration.

Market Dynamics

Active Seating: Active seating options like balance balls and rocking chairs are gaining popularity due to their positive impact on student focus and concentration.

Active seating options like balance balls and rocking chairs are gaining popularity due to their positive impact on student focus and concentration. Customization: Schools are seeking customizable furniture solutions to meet unique requirements. Adjustable tables, desks, and chairs with features like lumbar support are being favored.

Schools are seeking customizable furniture solutions to meet unique requirements. Adjustable tables, desks, and chairs with features like lumbar support are being favored. Outdoor Learning Spaces: Schools are incorporating outdoor learning areas, utilizing picnic tables, benches, and tree stumps as alternative classrooms. Outdoor environments provide a refreshing change for students.

Schools are incorporating outdoor learning areas, utilizing picnic tables, benches, and tree stumps as alternative classrooms. Outdoor environments provide a refreshing change for students. Ergonomics and Health: Schools are recognizing the importance of ergonomic and comfortable furniture in promoting student health and well-being. Furniture facilitating proper posture and reducing musculoskeletal disorders is in high demand.

COVID-19 Impact

The pandemic had a dual impact on the school furniture market. Increased demand for ergonomic furniture for remote learning boosted sales. However, budget constraints and disruptions in supply chains negatively affected the market.

Market Growth Factors

Global School Enrollments: The growing number of students globally has driven the demand for classroom furniture. Schools are replacing outdated furniture with visually appealing materials to create better learning environments.

The growing number of students globally has driven the demand for classroom furniture. Schools are replacing outdated furniture with visually appealing materials to create better learning environments. Environmentally Friendly Furniture: As schools adopt student-centered learning approaches, demand for adaptable and modular furniture has risen. Schools want furniture that can be easily rearranged for various learning activities.

Market Restraints

Lack of Awareness and Funds: Schools, especially those with limited resources, face challenges in adopting new furniture. Lack of awareness about suitable furniture and its benefits hampers market growth.

Product Categories

Storage Units: Dominated the market in 2022 as schools shift from traditional lockers to more space-saving and individualized storage solutions.

Dominated the market in 2022 as schools shift from traditional lockers to more space-saving and individualized storage solutions. Seating Furniture: Includes active seating options that promote student focus.

Includes active seating options that promote student focus. Lab Furniture: Demand rises due to increased emphasis on STEM education, requiring specialized furniture for labs.

Application Segments

Classroom: Core demand area for school furniture due to increasing student enrollments.

Core demand area for school furniture due to increasing student enrollments. Library & Labs: Rising emphasis on STEM education has led to dedicated spaces, driving demand for specialized furniture.

Regional Outlook

North America : Largest revenue share in 2022, driven by the U.S. with a significant student population and demand for quality school furniture.

Largest revenue share in 2022, driven by the U.S. with a significant student population and demand for quality school furniture. Europe : Increasing use of unusual raw materials and visually appealing designs to improve classroom environments.

Increasing use of unusual raw materials and visually appealing designs to improve classroom environments. Asia Pacific : Demand boosted by rising school constructions and adoption of adaptable furniture.

Demand boosted by rising school constructions and adoption of adaptable furniture. LAMEA: Focus on promoting collaboration and interactive learning environments, boosting the need for flexible furniture solutions.

Key Companies Profiled

MillerKnoll, Inc.

Virco Mfg. Corporation

The HON Company (HNI Corporation)

Smith System

Hertz Furniture

VS America, Inc.

Paragon Furniture, Inc.

Haskell Education

Marco Group, Inc.

Fleetwood Group

Conclusion

The global school furniture market is witnessing growth due to factors like active seating adoption, customization, and the importance of ergonomic furniture. While challenges exist, the rising demand for quality education environments is driving the market forward. Key companies are innovating to meet the diverse needs of schools worldwide.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/whwd9h

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:

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Laura Wood, Senior Manager

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SOURCE Research and Markets
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey visited a local elementary school Tuesday to motivate students as the new school year gets underway.

Although I have a lot of responsibilities, the thing Im most focused on is making sure every student in the state has the best education possible, Ivey said. Youre not alone on this journey of learning; your teachers, parents, and your governor are here to support you every step of the way.

Iveys stop at Jerry Lee Faine Elementary in Dothan was part of her Back to School Tour, in which she visited five schools throughout the state to give remarks.

The schools chosen were just a few of the 15 elementary schools selected to participate in the governors Turnaround Schools Initiative. Launched late last year, the program is designed to transform low-performing schools and the surrounding communities.

Each school received additional funding and support from agencies such as the Office of School Improvement, the Department of Human Resources, the Department of Mental Health, and the Alabama Arts Alliance. This initiative uses school leadership, teacher growth and development, better classroom practices, and a strong school climate to improve student performance in the classroom.

Iveys advice to the students was to make sure you become a strong student first because no matter what job you might want to have in the future, the journey to reaching your dreams starts in the classroom.

You have to be a hardworking student first, Ivey said. When you face challenges, no matter if its a hard math problem or a new word that seems a bit tricky, remember those are opportunities disguised as challenges. Never forget that youre the future of Alabama, and together well prove that with strong students, we have a strong Alabama.

Dr. Dennis Coe, Dothan City Schools superintendent, has been pleased with the progress hes already seen at Jerry Lee Faine Elementary.

Weve received over half a million dollars in additional funds for Faine Elementary, Coe said. With those funds, were already seeing dramatic academic improvement thanks to Gov. Iveys vision, ambition, and dedication to our students.
Full heart into exchanges

BEIJING, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As ancient China's central institution of higher learning, Guozijian, established in the Sui Dynasty (581-618), received a large number of international students from neighboring kingdoms and regions, which are present-day Ryukyu Islands of Japan, the Korean Peninsula, and Vietnam.

Official students from the Ryukyu Kingdom even had their own "Ryukyu Academy" at Guozijian.

Today, when the Global Times reporter walked on the site of the Ryukyu Academy located in what would have been the backyard of Guozijian, the memory of the rich history of those close official and academic exchanges centuries ago was still fresh. It was where Siye, an education officer and one of the highest-ranking scholars at Guozijian, was based. It also served as a dormitory and school for foreign students who arrived from Ryukyu.

Well treated

The Guansheng or official students were sent by the Ryukyu Kingdom to study in China as they were both special envoys and students who camefrom the upper-class of Ryukyu society. Most of them would become government officials in Ryukyu after completing their studies and would play an important role in China-Ryukyu exchanges, according to a staff member of Guozijian.

The ancient Ryukyu Kingdom began to send official students to China from 1392 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Until 1579, over 80 students in 23 batches had been sent to China. After the establishment of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), from 1688 to the 12th 1873, a total of 49 official students in nine batches had been sent to China.

A section of the Guozijian exhibition area not only shows the existence of the Ryukyu Academy, but also its miniature replica based on historical records. The miniature replica includes three lecture rooms and five dormitory quarters.

During the Ming dynasty, learners spent a total of six years at the academy, which was halved during the Qing Dynasty, according to staff at Guozijian.

It was only in the Qing Dynasty that Guozijian, selected full-time teachers or jiaoxi, as Ryukyu official students. In the 27-year reign of Kangxi, the first batch of Ryukyu official students arrived in China. After they entered Guozijian, the Qing Dynasty issued an order to "choose the right teachers for them" and instructed that the learning materials must include"mainly classics and history." There were also special officials who helped the Ryukyu students to strike a study-life balance with study and life, which is evidence of the excellent treatment extended to the foreign students.

Historical records show that, not only did students from Ryukyu attend school for free, but they were also provided with food and supplies such as rice, chicken, pork and fresh vegetable as well as clothing and boots.

"They even received pocket money every month," said Liu Jiangyong, vice dean of the Institute of Modern International Relations at Tsinghua University.

According to the living standards of China and the Ryukyu Kingdom at that time, "that was a life that only the upper class could live."

In addition to providing lectures and lessons, instructors at the Ryukyu Academy often organized outings for their students. While enjoying the scenery of the capital and experiencing the local customs, the students could also relieve the pain of homesicknessquickly.

Ryukyu students studied hard, with some attaining the same level of education as their Chinese counterparts. Many also volunteered to participate in certain major activities. In the 16th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign, the Ryukyu students presented poems to celebrate the Dowager Empress' 70th birthday, also participating in a welcoming ceremony for Qianlong to Xizhimen Gate, where the students were personally greeted by Emperor Qianlong.

Need for restoration

After the opening of Guozijian to the outside world in recent years, Japanese tourists, experts, and scholars from Okinawa visited the site in a bid to retrace the footprints of their ancestors who studied there centuries ago.

In 2006, Chinese archaeologists conducted archaeological excavations on the site and found foundations of three houses, which were believed to have been "the student dormitory of the Ryukyu Academy."

As they were demolished and replaced with modern buildings, the archaeologists only excavated the foundation of the front and rear walls of the Ryukyu Academy.

According to experts, there are detailed records of the Ryukyu Academy in the "Guozijian Chronicles" of the Qing Dynasty. The architectural layout and structure of the entire Ryukyu Academy Guozijian was also captured in a painting done during the Qing Dynasty.

Scholars and archaeologists from home and aboard have actively been working toward the restoration and rebuilding of the Ryukyu Academy.

In order to fully explore and demonstrate the historical value and significance of the Imperial College, it is very necessary to rebuild the Ryukyu Academy; from the perspective of cultural relics protection, the reconstruction of the Ryukyu Academy is also conducive to maintaining the integrity and authenticity of the historical buildings of Guozijian, said the late Chinese scholar Luo Zhewen, former head of the ancient construction expert group of the National Cultural Heritage Administration.

Liu also said that in order to allow more people to know how the students from Ryukyu studied and lived in China and contributed to China-Ryukyu cultural exchanges, the site will provide more answers and play a more important role.

SOURCE Global Times
KARNES CITY, Texas, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Elite Supply Partners is proud to announce the grand opening of their new facility in Karnes City, Texas. On Thursday, August 24th, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM, the community and key partners will come together to celebrate this occasion.

The new store and warehouse are located at 1234 N State Highway 123 in Karnes City, TX and will provide a wide range of quality products and services designed specifically to serve the needs of the Eagleford.

The Karnes City store and warehouse.

"We are thrilled to be opening our new location in Karnes City," said President Chris Wimberley. "We strive to provide excellent customer service and quality products that meet the needs of our customers. We look forward to continuing to build relationships with the local community."

At Elite Supply Partners, we believe in building relationships with our customers that last for years. Our team is dedicated to providing outstanding customer service and finding solutions tailored to each company's needs. We value our customers' time and seek to offer them competitive pricing and timely delivery of products. We believe in continuing to invest in this community and are proud to host this event in our new building.

Karnes City Store Manager, Roy Beaver, says "This location proves our commitment to service the increasing demand in South Texas. With increased warehouse space, we will be able to carry more inventory and serve all of our customer needs."

This new location boasts an impressive 12,000 square feet of warehouse space and a 3.8-acre pipe yard.

Come join us on Thursday, August 24th at 2:00 PM for refreshments and a true Texas BBQ as we celebrate the grand opening of Elite Supply Partners new location in Karnes City! We look forward to continuing to support our customers in the Eagleford and provide them with exceptional service for many years to come.

Elite Supply Partners is headquartered in Odessa, Texas with 11 locations throughout the Southern Central US (Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico). Elite Supply is owned by Russel Metals, one of the largest metals distribution and processing companies in North America, as part of its Energy Field Stores. Russel Metals is traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "RUS". For more information on Russel Metals and its subsidiaries, please visit www.russelmetals.com.

The Karnes City store and warehouse.

Media Contact:

Ashley Hyche

Elite Supply Partners Marketing Director

[email protected]

+1 307-331-4858

SOURCE Elite Supply Partners
Collaboration Enables Pod Foods to Seamlessly Expand and Optimize Tri-Temp Distribution Services Nationwide

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pod Foods , the leading grocery B2B marketplace platform , together with Flowspace , the software platform and distribution network powering independent fulfillment, today announced a national partnership to power logistics and fulfillment orchestration for grocery retailers and brands.

Pod Foods leverages Flowspace's leading-edge software and its expansive network to better serve retailers of all sizes and formats across the country.

The partnership spans not only ambient fulfillment, but also cold chain, enabling Pod Foods to connect retailers with more emerging, local and innovative consumer packaged products brands, including those requiring refrigeration.

Pod Foods, which announced nationwide expansion with Sprouts Farmers Market in the second half of 2022, as well as recent team expansion with industry leader Mike Schall in April 2023, is creating an alternative model to incumbent wholesale distribution, enabling brands and retailers to transact directly, transparently, and affordably, with full-service logistics and analytics.

Flowspace maintains a flexible, asset-light network of more than 150 locations nationwide, including more than temperature-controlled facilities operated by Fresh Del Monte. Powered by leading-edge warehouse and inventory management software, Flowspace enables centralized facility management and fulfillment orchestration for suppliers and operators.

"We're thrilled to be expanding our national strategic partnership with Flowspace," said Peter Gialantzis, SVP of Sales and Operations at Pod Foods. "With our accelerating growth from coast-to-coast, we need a partner with the best warehousing capabilities in the most sought-after retail grocery markets in the United States." Gialantzis brings over twenty-five years of industry experience, most recently leading Fresh and Exclusive Brands at KeHE Distributors, one of the largest natural and specialty food distributors in North America.

The Pod Foods and Flowspace collaboration began in 2022 with Pod Foods' initial location in Ocala, Florida, and has expanded to include facilities in Atlanta, Georgia; Denver, Colorado; and Sacramento, California. Additional locations are planned in conjunction with new account expansion plans.

"Pod Foods is a like-minded strategic partner looking to enable customer growth with logistics," said Ben Eachus, CEO at Flowspace. "Our flexible, distributed network model gives Pod Foods the flexibility needed to keep up with growth as distribution scales both locally and nationwide."

The Pod Foods logistics optimization has unlocked the ability for Pod to deliver products to retailers nationally in an expedited fashion. "Set up and fulfillment on Pod is easy  we were able to roll out a nationwide promotion from first conversation to the shelf in less than 4 weeks," said Erik Lucas from LIFEAID Beverage Co.

"The opening of the Denver, Atlanta, and Sacramento warehouses this summer are just the beginning," said Gialantzis. "With this flexible capacity, we are able to expand our distribution footprint into key new geographies to keep pace with all of the new brands and retailers joining the Pod Foods supply chain."

To help their suppliers access the new facilities affordably, Pod Foods has also introduced an inbound freight program for qualified brands (Pod Freight) as well as a working capital, embedded lending solution (Pod Capital), making the offering a complete, end-to-end solution. To learn more about Pod Foods and how the company is reinventing wholesale distribution for retailers and brands please visit: https://podfoods.co/ .

About Pod Foods

Pod Foods is a tech-enabled, data-driven full-service distribution solution, reaching retailers and brands via a B2B wholesale marketplace. With the platform, grocery retailers can easily procure from emerging brands and receive orders in a consolidated fashion via an optimized logistics network. Food manufacturers can grow their retail businesses with higher margins, streamlined logistics, and transparency. In-store marketing support, data analytics, and online recommendations bring visibility to emerging brands, accelerating sales so retailers and manufacturers alike can sell more, more easily. Follow @podfoodsco or say [email protected] for better distribution.

About Flowspace

Flowspace powers independent fulfillment. Its OmniFlow software provides brands with the real-time visibility and insights needed to orchestrate and optimize fulfillment across multiple locations.

Centralizing omnichannel visibility and reporting in a single dashboard, Flowspace empowers brands operating any configuration of locations with the data needed to manage fulfillment from anywhere. Its flexible, distributed network of +150 fulfillment locations enable merchants to expand or enhance existing networks, while ensuring best-in-class fulfillment execution.

Launched out of the Y Combinator technology accelerator program in 2017, Flowspace was recognized by Fast Company as one of the World's Most Innovative Companies in 2020. Recognized for its ability to reduce retailers' environmental impacts, Flowspace was awarded the SEAL Environmental Initiatives Award and named Sustainability Service of the Year . The company's dedication to customer service and support led to its recognition as Organization of the Year within the 2022 Excellence in Customer Service awards program.

More information on Flowspace can be found at www.flow.space .

SOURCE Pod Foods
TEMPE, Ariz., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Arizona Bioindustry Association, Inc. (AZBio) announced that GT Medical Technologies, Inc. (GT MedTech) will be honored as the Arizona Bioscience Company of the Year at the 2023 AZBio Awards and 20th Anniversary Celebration on Sept. 27 in Phoenix, Arizona.

"We are honored to be named the Arizona Bioscience Company of the Year." Tweet this CEO, GT Medical Technologies, Inc. AZBio President and CEO Joan Koerber-Walker

Driven to improve the lives of patients with brain tumors, a group of brain tumor specialists and medical device experts joined forces to reimagine brain brachytherapy for operable glioblastomas (GBMs), meningiomas, and brain metastases. Their innovation is GammaTile Therapy, the first medical device advancement for treating brain tumors in over a decade and one of only seven FDA-cleared/approved new treatments for treating these tumors in the past 50 years.

For patients with operable brain tumors, neurosurgeons seek a "maximal safe resection" of the tumor, which means they remove as much of the tumor as possible while preserving healthy brain tissue. However, resecting all the brain tissue that may harbor cancer cells is limited because of the location in the brain. Consequently, residual tumor cells remain following resection.

Compared to external beam radiation therapy (EBRT), GammaTile Therapy allows radiation to start immediately since it is inserted right after the tumor is removed. This Surgically Targeted Radiation Therapy (STaRT) is a one-and-done radiation treatment that allows patients to get back to their daily lives sooner.

About the size of postage stamps, GammaTiles are made of bioresorbable collagen. Each tile contains four radiation seeds, equal distance from one another. For maximum safety, GammaTiles are designed so that the radioactive seeds do not directly contact the brain tissue.

"We are honored to be named the Arizona Bioscience Company of the Year," stated GT MedTech CEO Matthew Likens. "This award recognizes how tirelessly our teams have worked to improve the current standard of care for patients with brain tumors. We are all committed to advancing treatment and preserving patients' quality of life."

"The Arizona Bioscience Company of the Year honor is awarded to the for-profit bioscience company whose Arizona-based operations have done the most to transform the world over the last 12 months," said AZBio President and CEO Joan Koerber-Walker. "Our independent judges unanimously agreed that GT Medical Technologies was the perfect choice. Thanks to the company's development and delivery of GammaTile technology, people facing a brain tumor diagnosis have more hope for a healthier future than ever before."

Since its initial FDA clearance in 2018 for recurrent brain tumors and subsequent FDA clearance in 2020 for newly diagnosed brain tumors, GammaTile Therapy has helped more than 1,000 patients.

About GT Medical Technologies, Inc. (GT MedTech)

Driven to raise the standard of care and improve the lives of patients with brain tumors, a team of brain tumor specialists formed GT Medical Technologies. FDA-cleared GammaTile Therapy is a Surgically Targeted Radiation Therapy (STaRT) for patients undergoing brain tumor removal surgery of newly diagnosed malignant and recurrent brain tumors. This "one-and-done" treatment eliminates the need for one to six weeks of daily external beam radiation therapy, allowing patients to go about their daily lives without the burden of additional trips to the hospital or clinic for ongoing treatment. Since its full market release in the United States in March 2020, GammaTile has been offered in more than 95 hospitals, with more centers being added each month. For more information, visit www.gtmedtech.com and follow @GammaTile on Twitter and LinkedIn.

GT Medical Technologies Media Contact:

Lori Kagan

[email protected]

About The Arizona Bioindustry Association, Inc. (AZBio)

For 20 years, the Arizona Bioindustry Association has supported life science innovation and life science innovators in Arizona. A key component in Arizona's life science ecosystem, AZBio is the only statewide organization exclusively focused on Arizona's bioscience and medical technology industry. AZBio membership includes patient advocacy organizations, life science innovators, educators, healthcare partners, and leading business organizations. AZBio and its members work to advance health innovation and to ensure that the value delivered by our community's life-changing and lifesaving innovations benefits people in Arizona and around the world. For more information on AZBio, visit www.AZBio.org. For more information on the AZBio Awards, visit www.AZBioAwards.com.

AZBio Media Contact:

Joan Koerber-Walker

[email protected] 480-332-9636

SOURCE GT Medical Technologies
In prestigious role, Mr. Garrett will lead a committee of global CEOs and sets the agenda for the community

EDISON, N.J., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hackensack Meridian Health, New Jersey's largest and most integrated health network, is proud to announce that CEO Robert C. Garrett has been named Chair of the World Economic Forum's (Forum) Health and Healthcare Governor's Community.

"We learned in the COVID-19 pandemic that healthcare is more global than ever and I am honored to serve in this role with the World Economic Forum and help address some of the world's most challenging healthcare issues,'' said Robert C. Garrett, FACHE, chief executive officer of Hackensack Meridian Health. "Together we can improve outcomes and help to transform healthcare globally.''

In this two-year term, Mr. Garrett will help define the industry agenda and drive change with the Forum to improve access to healthcare and outcomes and to drive more efficiency in the industry.

"We are delighted to have Mr. Garrett chair our Health & Healthcare Governor's Community,'' said Dr. Shyam Bishen, Head of the Centre for Health & Healthcare at the World Economic Forum. "We believe with him at the helm, during this period, the community will make significant strides in solving the pressing challenges of the healthcare industry and drive much needed impact especially in areas of health outcomes and access. We look forward to working closely with him. ''

Potential global agenda items include digital technologies to make care more accessible while protecting patient privacy, addressing health equity and the impact of climate change on personal health.

Mr. Garrett has participated at the Forum's annual meeting in Davos for the last several years, including most recently in January when the Forum launched a new report, Global Health and Healthcare Strategic Outlook, which addresses misinformation, funding challenges, mental health, inequities, workforce shortages, supply chains, climate impacts and macroeconomic instability. The report also offers business and policy-makers a blueprint for more sustainable, resilient healthcare systems.

Mr. Garrett also signed the Zero Health Gaps Pledge in Davos in January, the world's first, multisector health equity pledge, along with 39 other leaders from eight countries. It is a commitment to ensure that people in all communities have access to high-quality healthcare.

ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH

Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the largest, most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care.

Hackensack Meridian Health comprises 17 hospitals from Bergen to Ocean counties, which includes three academic medical centers  Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, JFK Medical Center in Edison; two children's hospitals - Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital in Hackensack, K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital in Neptune; nine community hospitals  Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair, Ocean Medical Center in Brick, Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, Pascack Valley Medical Center in Westwood, Old Bridge Medical Center in Old Bridge, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, and Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin; a behavioral health hospital  Carrier Clinic in Belle Mead; and two rehabilitation hospitals - JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Edison and Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Brick.

Additionally, the network has more than 500 patient care locations throughout the state which include ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, fitness and wellness centers, rehabilitation centers, urgent care centers and physician practice locations. Hackensack Meridian Health has more than 36,000 team members, and 7,000 physicians and is a distinguished leader in health care philanthropy, committed to the health and well-being of the communities it serves.

The network's notable distinctions include having more top-ranked hospitals than anyone in New Jersey, as recognized by U.S. News & World Report. Hackensack University Medical Center is the only hospital in New Jersey with the #1 adult and children's hospital rankings.

The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, the first private medical school in New Jersey in more than 50 years, welcomed its first class of students in 2018 to its campus in Nutley and Clifton. The Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI), housed in a fully renovated state-of-the-art facility, seeks to translate current innovations in science to improve clinical outcomes for patients with cancer, infectious diseases and other life-threatening and disabling conditions.

Additionally, the network partnered with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to find more cures for cancer faster while ensuring that patients have access to the highest quality, most individualized cancer care when and where they need it.

Hackensack Meridian Health is a member of AllSpire Health Partners, an interstate consortium of leading health systems, to focus on the sharing of best practices in clinical care and achieving efficiencies. To learn more, visit www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org .

SOURCE Hackensack Meridian Health
BEL AIR, Md., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Harford Mutual Insurance Group ("Harford Mutual"), a Ward's 50 top performing commercial property and casualty insurance company headquartered in Maryland, today announced that it has received final approval from the Maryland Insurance Administration of the Merger Agreement with ClearPath Mutual Insurance Company ("ClearPath Mutual"), a monoline workers' compensation carrier headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, ClearPath Mutual merged into Harford Mutual Insurance Group and converted to a stock insurer. Post-merger it will be renamed Clearpath Insurance Company marketed as "Clearpath Specialty". All policyholders of ClearPath Mutual will obtain membership rights in Harford Mutual as policyholders of the newly formed Clearpath Specialty. The merger is effective August 4, 2023.

"This is an exciting step forward in Harford Mutual's nearly 181-year-old history," said Steve Linkous, President & CEO of Harford Mutual. "There is a natural synergy between Harford Mutual and Clearpath. Both companies share similar values and missions, and this merger helps both companies achieve their strategic goals of continued state expansion and accelerated growth."

Linkous added, "We are thrilled to welcome the Clearpath team, agency partners, and policyholders to Harford Mutual and to partner with a successful carrier to broaden our workers' compensation line and deliver our shared vision of being a regional carrier of choice."

ClearPath Mutual, formerly KESA of Kentucky for over 40 years, was formed in 2018 and currently provides monoline workers' compensation coverage in Indiana, Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee, and West Virginia. ClearPath Mutual writes over $52 million in direct written premium across nearly 7,000 policies.

As part of the Merger Agreement, which was approved by the boards of directors and policyholders of both companies, ClearPath Mutual's current home office in Louisville will remain in place and serve as Harford Mutual's Midwest Office. Harford Mutual will retain all ClearPath Mutual employees and plans to merge efficiencies. The newly formed Clearpath Specialty has re-domesticated to Maryland.

Under the terms of the agreement, ClearPath Mutual's current President & CEO, Jeff Borkowski, will become a vice president of Harford Mutual and remain President of Clearpath Specialty with Steve Linkous becoming CEO. ClearPath Mutual's Board of Directors will remain intact for two years, with Linkous joining the board as a director. ClearPath Mutual board chair, Sean Garber, will remain on Clearpath Specialty's board as chair and will join Harford Mutual's Board of Directors.

"We look forward to joining the talented Harford Mutual team," said Borkowski. "This merger was a strategic decision for ClearPath Mutual. It unites two purpose-led organizations and allows us to leverage Harford Mutual's expertise, systems, and successful track record in the multi-line carrier field. We recognized that together we could provide the enhanced service and opportunities to our policyholders, agency partners, employees, and community partners and support ClearPath's continued growth."

About Harford Mutual Insurance Group

Harford Mutual Insurance Group, founded in 1842 in Harford County, Maryland, provides commercial property and casualty insurance products and services to a regional market. Harford Mutual, a Ward's 50 top performing insurance company in 2021 & 2022, that ended 2022 with $327 million in direct written premium sold through independent agents in ten states and Washington, D.C. Harford Mutual is rated A (Excellent) by A.M. Best. For more information, visit www.HarfordMutual.com.

SOURCE Harford Mutual Insurance Group
Highview Capital partners with road safety leader, Safety Marking, to continue expansion and fuel future growth

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Highview Capital, LLC ("Highview") today announced a partnership with Safety Marking ("SMC" or "the Company"), a leading full-service highway and roadway marking company serving the Northeastern United States.

Safety Marking, headquartered in Bridgeport, Connecticut, is one of the nation's largest independent pavement marking providers with operations across Connecticut, New York, and Rhode Island. Founder-owned and operated by Mark Kelly since 1973, SMC provides best-in-class service to a wide range of customers and end markets, including states, municipalities, airports, and private businesses.

Following the close of Highview's investment, Mr. Kelly will retain a significant stake in the business and continue to serve as the Company's President.

"Safety Marking has been a trusted road safety partner in the Northeast for 50 years and I am extremely proud of the culture and team that have driven our success," said Mark Kelly, Founder and President of SMC. "This partnership positions us extremely well for future growth and we look forward to working with the Highview team."

"We are extremely excited to partner with the SMC team to support their continued expansion," said P.J. Gilbert, Managing Director at Highview Capital. "Mark has built a first-class operation with a stellar reputation, and we look forward to investing in the next chapter."

About Safety Marking

Safety Marking was founded in 1973 by Mark Kelly as a full-service highway and roadway marking provider. Today, SMC is an industry leader with expertise across every aspect of pavement marking and is utilizing the latest technology to provide superior service to its customers. For more information, visit www.safetymarking.net.

About Highview Capital, LLC

Highview Capital, LLC is an LA-based private equity fund backed by a multi-billion dollar family office. The fund employs a flexible mandate and takes a long-term perspective on middle market businesses at an inflection point. Highview takes pride in our ability to partner closely with founders and management teams over the long term. For more information, visit www.highviewcapital.com.

SOURCE Highview Capital
PHOENIX, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Home Builders Care, the 501(c)(3) charitable arm of the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona ("HBACA"), is proud to announce the grand opening of the Home Building Academy located at 3100 E Broadway, Suite 100 in Phoenix Arizona. The Academy is a new educational facility in Phoenix, AZ for training in skilled trades for residential construction.

At the Academy, students participate in a 9-week rapid worker training, resulting in industry-recognized certificates in either carpentry or electrical. The first four weeks of the training provide basic construction knowledge such as reading a tape measure, using hand and power tools, and safe work practices including an OSHA 10-hour certificate. The remaining five weeks are trade-specific training.

The Academy is tuition free for qualified students and students maintaining satisfactory academic progress will receive a weekly stipend for living expenses. In addition, successful graduates will leave with a set of tools, boots, work clothes, and personal protective equipment. Given the severe labor shortage in Arizona and throughout the country, the academy aims to teach residential construction trade skills to qualified applicants seeking a new career path and place them into well-paying jobs.

"In creating the Academy, we wanted to ensure that we removed as many obstacles to getting training and going to work in the residential construction industry as we could" said Home Builders Care Board member Connie Wilhelm. "We want students who graduate on a Friday to be able to go to work the following Monday, that's why we provide tools students need to go to work."

The Academy is funded primarily by a workforce development grant through Maricopa County and an industry investment through the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona. "One of the major challenges in the residential construction industry is the shortage of skilled workers" said Brad Schoenberg, Chairman of the HBACA Board of Directors. "We are excited about growing the Academy, growing our industry, and helping individuals find well-paying careers in the residential construction industry."

The Academy is also supported by The Home Depot Foundation through the Home Builders Institute ("HBI").

HBI provides the curriculum, instructors, and staff through an operating agreement. The curriculum is designed to transform students with no previous construction experience into trained, pre-apprentices in this high demand industry. HBI's curriculum is developed in conjunction with members of the National Association of Home Builders and approved by the U.S. Department of Labor. In addition, students have access to career counseling, job-placement support, and networking opportunities with top industry employers through the HBACA's members.

"Older workers are retiring and not being replaced because the U.S. has not produced an adequate supply of construction labor for several generations," said HBI CEO Ed Brady. "By partnering with the HBACA, we have a great opportunity to help solve this problem for the industry in Arizona and, at the same time, provide a great opportunity for individuals to find promising careers in the residential construction industry."

Over time, the Home Building Academy anticipates adding additional training programs in various residential construction trades.

To learn more about the Home Building Academy, or apply for one of its programs, visit homebuilding.academy.

CONTACT:

Stratton Hickcox

[email protected]

(602) 274-6545

Lauren Sullivan

[email protected]

(202) 672-3651

SOURCE The Home Builders Institute
TORONTO, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Hydro One Inc. (Hydro One) and the Society of United Professionals are pleased to announce a tentative settlement of a collective agreement covering employees in engineering, supervisory and professional roles across the company's operations in Ontario.

"The employees represented by the Society of United Professionals play an important part in energizing life for our customers and communities across the province," said David Lebeter, Hydro One President and CEO. "We are pleased to reach a tentative settlement and want to thank the respective bargaining teams for negotiating to reach this outcome."

"The Society of United Professionals prides itself on working collaboratively with our employers to negotiate top-flight collective agreements that are fair for everyone," said Michelle Johnston, President of the Society. "I want to congratulate the leadership of both parties for reaching a tentative deal that addresses our members' concerns at the bargaining table. We look forward to the ratification of the agreement so that we can get back to the work of electrifying Ontario together."

Union members will vote on the tentative agreement with the outcome anticipated later this fall. Once ratified, the agreement will be in effect until September 30, 2025.

Hydro One Limited (TSX: H)

Hydro One Limited, through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, is Ontario's largest electricity transmission and distribution provider with approximately 1.5 million valued customers, approximately $31.5 billion in assets as at December 31, 2022, and annual revenues in 2022 of approximately $7.8 billion.

Our team of approximately 9,300 skilled and dedicated employees proudly build and maintain a safe and reliable electricity system which is essential to supporting strong and successful communities. In 2022, Hydro One invested approximately $2.1 billion in its transmission and distribution networks, and supported the economy through buying approximately $1.9 billion of goods and services.

We are committed to the communities where we live and work through community investment, sustainability and diversity initiatives. We are designated as a Sustainable Electricity Leader by Electricity Canada.

Hydro One Limited's common shares are listed on the TSX and certain of Hydro One Inc.'s medium term notes are listed on the NYSE. Additional information can be accessed at www.hydroone.com, www.sedarplus.com or www.sec.gov.

About the Society

Founded more than 70 years ago by engineers who wanted better working conditions, the Society of United Professionals is the union of choice for more than 9,000 professionals in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors, including more than 2,000 members proudly working at Hydro One. Society members are professionals of many stripes, including engineers, scientists, lawyers and supervisors.

The Society of United Professionals is Local 160 of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers . They are based in Washington, D.C. with 80,000 members across North America. Additionally, United Professionals is affiliated to the Canadian Labour Congress, the Ontario Federation of Labour and many local labour councils.

Forward-Looking Statements and Information:

This press release and the application and investment plan to which it refers may contain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Words such as "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "attempt", "may", "plan", "will", "can", "believe", "seek", "estimate", and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking information. These statements are not guarantees of future performance or actions and involve assumptions and risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed, implied or forecasted in such forward-looking information. Some of the factors that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from the results expressed, implied or forecasted by such forward-looking information, including some of the assumptions used in making such statements, are discussed more fully in Hydro One's filings with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada, which are available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.com. Hydro One does not intend, and it disclaims any obligation, to update any forward-looking information, except as required by law.

SOURCE Hydro One Limited
Energy transition specialists, Partners in Performance, stress the impending impact of mandatory non-financial climate reporting on investors, financial institutions, corporations, and trusts.

As the deadline approaches, organizations are urged to assess their readiness and establish a solid roadmap.

With the release of the Climate-related Financial Disclosure consultation paper by the Australian Treasury in June, a pivotal step towards implementing a new reporting framework is taken. This shift focuses on non-financial data such as sustainability and climate metrics. The government aims to integrate this information with existing financial structures, requiring timely action from affected entities.

Rob Fowler, Partner at Partners in Performance, emphasizes proactive measures as international frameworks accelerate. Australias commitment to global momentum and the imminent reporting period for listed companies necessitate timely preparation. Fowler outlines three key considerations for businesses:

Capability: Evaluate expertise, skills, and technology for effective data collection and analysis. Capacity: Assess resource availability, including human, financial, and technological support. Credibility: Establish robust processes and governance to ensure trustworthy data. Third-party audits enhance credibility.

Fowler underscores the urgency due to the risks of greenwashing in Australias corporate landscape. Transparency and data-backed narratives are crucial defenses. Partners in Performance notes the potential value in emphasizing non-financial indicators, unlocking improvements in production, energy conservation, labor productivity, and asset uptime.

In the updated reporting regime, larger Australian companies must disclose annual data including carbon emissions, scenario analysis, and transition plans. Company boards will sign off on these alongside audited financial statements.

Enhancing capability, capacity, and credibility offers benefits beyond compliance. Strategic decisions can manage risks while driving performance improvements.

The path to success lies in a proactive approach by all stakeholders, who must embrace this transformative change with foresight and preparation. By adapting to the evolving requirements, businesses will not only fulfill compliance mandates and minimise risk, but will also unlock opportunities for sustainable growth and global alignment.

In Australia, taking early action is becoming more urgent due to the current risks of greenwashing. This concept has recently graduated from being a reputational risk to a regulatory issue across Australias corporate, financial and consumer ecosystems. Empty narratives hold no ground anymore if companies need to access capital markets or bank finance.

Greenwash risk management has now become a considerable focus. The best defence is through transparency and disclosure. The best offence is to have rich stories backed up by solid data. However, both these strategies are unattainable unless the right internal infrastructure and processes can support and validate those narratives. This is where external support can accelerate your progress, says Rob.

Keep up to date with our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Insurance Provider Now Offers DI Coverage to Starting Professionals

PEORIA, Ill., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Illinois Mutual Life Insurance Company has announced the new offering of disability income insurance (DI) coverage to individuals beginning their careers.

Why DI?

Our new DI offering can help prospective middle market clients take the first step to secure their financial future. Tweet this

New professionals entering the workforce should consider the following questions when considering DI:

How long could you go without a paycheck?

Do you need your paycheck to pay for life's necessities? If yes, you need DI.

Who is Eligible?

Individuals who may be eligible for coverage would be near completion of apprenticeships, licensing or accredited certification programs.

Some examples of occupations now eligible for DI coverage prior to securing employment include:

Carpenters

Cosmetologists

Dental hygienists

Electricians

Registered nurses

To learn more about the program, contact the DI Sales department for Illinois Mutual at (800) 437-7355, Option 2 or visit www.illinoismutual.com/DI.

"Our new DI offering for Starting Professionals is a way to help prospective clients in middle market occupations take their first step to securing their financial future," says Assistant Vice President of Disability Income Sales Andrea Schaidle. "This is such an exciting opportunity for our agents as a new way for them to expand and grow their business."

Illinois Mutual prioritizes delivering financial products to hardworking Americans in the middle market as well as providing exceptional customer service, agent support and product innovation.

About Illinois Mutual

Illinois Mutual is an experienced provider of life insurance, disability income insurance and voluntary worksite insurance products. Founded by the same family that leads the Company today, Illinois Mutual has demonstrated a strong commitment to employees, agents and policyowners for more than 110 years.

Contact information:

Isaac Ambrose, Digital Marketing Coordinator

[email protected]

SOURCE Illinois Mutual Life Insurance Company
With 175% multi-year growth rate and more than 7 million nights of booked travel under the hood, Outdoorsy is recognized by Inc. as one of America's Fastest-Growing Private Companies

Things to know:

Outdoorsy's total transactions surged past $3 billion , a milestone hit just 10 months after crossing the $2 billion mark in October 2022 . This growth was driven by more than 40 million guests who searched outdoorsy.com for their next outdoor vacation.

, a milestone hit just 10 months after crossing the mark in . This growth was driven by more than 40 million guests who searched outdoorsy.com for their next outdoor vacation. This year's momentum is bolstered by Outdoorsy's insurtech Roamly hitting 100% YoY growth.

Outdoorsy achieved profitability in 2023.

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Inc. Magazine has recognized Outdoorsy , the leading outdoor travel marketplace, as one of the top Travel & Hospitality companies in the 2023 Inc. 5000, an annual list of the fastest-growing private companies in America.

Today's ranking comes on the heels of the company achieving profitability and surpassing 1 million booked trips in June. Tweet this "We consistently seek ways to make outdoor experiences easier and inclusive for all, which means innovating new ways for individuals to restore their connection with both nature and one another," said Outdoorsy's Co-founder and CEO Jeff Cavins.

Today's ranking comes on the heels of the company achieving profitability and surpassing 1 million booked trips, or 7 million nights of booked travel, in June. On Aug. 1, Outdoorsy exceeded $3 billion in total transactions  up from the most recent milestone of $2 billion in total transactions hit in October 2022  effectively doubling its growth rate from 2021 to 2022. The majority of these increased earnings go straight into the pockets of Outdoorsy hosts and their households.

The Outdoorsy marketplace has seen bookings jump by 100% from 2019 to 2022  the time period assessed by Inc.  with 76% of those bookings attributed to first-time visitors to Outdoorsy.com. Another key to Outdoorsy's growth in that time can be attributed to its insurtech, Roamly , which underpins the Outdoorsy marketplace and is currently growing faster than 100% YoY.

"We are honored to be recognized in this year's Inc. 5000," said Outdoorsy's Co-founder and CEO Jeff Cavins. "We consistently seek ways to make outdoor experiences easier and inclusive for all, which means innovating new ways for individuals to restore their connection with both nature and one another." In 2023 alone, Outdoorsy expanded to include new ventures in the outdoor hospitality and accommodations space with the launch of Outdoorsy Stays in California which is expanding nationwide in 2024.

"The company's steadfast dedication to prioritizing customer delight has led to the introduction of our proprietary branded campground destinations. Pioneering this initiative, we proudly present Outdoorsy Bayfield in Colorado and Outdoorsy Yosemite in California  the first destinations in our campground portfolio. This fall, we will also debut our highly-anticipated Texas-based glamping retreat, Outdoorsy Hill Country ," said Cindy Strong VP of People. "One of our core company values is to 'relentlessly serve our guests and partners.' This commitment guides and inspires all of us and underpins our culture of success. I couldn't be more proud of today's recognition and the positive reflection this has on our team."

As a marketplace brand, Outdoorsy is motivated to provide profitable benefits for hosts who are building businesses on our platform. Most recently, Outdoorsy launched its Oasis Fund  a $30 million initiative designed specifically to offer financing support for qualified entrepreneurs aiming to join the glamping movement by acquiring luxury glamping tents.

"One of the keys to Outdoorsy's success since Day 1 has been a dedication to innovation and 2023 was a year of record results; however, in 2024, you'll see us implementing new solutions that lead to growth and transformation in outdoor hospitality," said Cavins.

This morning's Inc. 5000 ranking provides a data-driven look at the most successful companies within the economy's most dynamic segment  its independent, entrepreneurial businesses. "Running a business has only gotten harder since the end of the pandemic," says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. "To make the Inc. 5000  with the fast growth that requires  is truly an accomplishment. Inc. is thrilled to honor the companies that are building our future."

The news follows Outdoorsy being named to Fast Company's prestigious annual list of the World's Most Innovative Companies for 2023 in March, landing the No. 4 spot in the Travel and Hospitality sector and joining the ranks of global companies such as OpenAI, Airbnb, and Canva. This came in the same month as Outdoorsy was recognized for the fourth year in a row as one of the largest and fastest-growing independently operated marketplaces on the 2023 a16z Marketplace 100 list , placing it alongside other notable brands like Instacart, Turo and Valve.

For complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, location, and other criteria, visit inc.com/inc5000 .

About Outdoorsy

In 2015, Outdoorsy transformed access to the outdoors with its RV and campervan rental marketplace across 4,800 cities throughout the U.S. and Canada. Today, Outdoorsy is a vibrant outdoor travel marketplace providing guests with more ways to get outdoors including outdoor Stays accommodations and its destinations in Outdoorsy Yosemite , Outdoorsy Bayfield and Outdoorsy Hill Country . Outdoorsy provides hosts with life-changing financial benefits and offers guests the trust and guidance they need to create memorable outdoor travel experiences. Outdoorsy's team is inspired by a mission to restore our relationship with the outdoors and each other by inviting guests to #liveoutdoorsy.

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Methodology

Companies on the 2023 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2019 to 2022. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2019. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2022. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2019 is $100,000; the minimum for 2022 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to four decimal places.

About Inc.

Inc. Business Media is the leading multimedia brand for entrepreneurs. Through its journalism, Inc. aims to inform, educate, and elevate the profile of our community: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters who are creating our future. Inc.'s award-winning work reaches more than 50 million people across a variety of channels, including events, print, digital, video, podcasts, newsletters, and social media. Its proprietary Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to rank the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The recognition that comes with inclusion on this and other prestigious Inc. lists, such as Female Founders and Power Partners, gives the founders of top businesses the opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. For more information, visit www.inc.com .

SOURCE Outdoorsy
SAN DIEGO, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Cymbiotika , a leading nutritional supplement brand known for creating clean, science-backed supplements, was today named on the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Company List.

Beyond this accomplishment, Cymbiotika also excelled in distinct categories. Within California, it secured an impressive #37 position, establishing itself as a prominent player in the state's business landscape. Its impact in the consumer products sector was equally impressive, securing the distinguished #13 spot. At the local level, Cymbiotika's attained the #8 position in the San Diego area, affirming its contribution to the region's economic growth.

"Cymbiotika's consecutive placement on the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies list is a testament to our team's dedication, innovation, and resilience," said Shahab Elmi, CEO and co-founder of Cymbiotika. "We are incredibly proud to be in the top 3% of the list."

The Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies list is an exclusive ranking that celebrates the remarkable achievements of high-growth, privately-owned businesses across the United States. For the 2023 rankings, companies submitted their revenue growth from 2019 to 2022.

About Cymbiotika

Cymbiotika is a San Diego-based health and wellness brand that empowers individuals to take ownership of their health. Since 2018, Cymbiotika has emerged as a trailblazing leader in the industry, creating clean, science-backed supplements and products to help address specific nutritional deficiencies and support healthy aging, immunity, longevity, and more. Their products are free from synthetic ingredients, harmful fillers, and toxins, sourced only from the highest quality, plant-based ingredients. To start your journey toward optimal health, visit https://cymbiotika.com

SOURCE Cymbiotika
Poplar is among the top 13 fastest-growing companies in the San Jose, Calif., metro and top 31 in real estate

CUPERTINO, Calif., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. revealed today that Poplar Homes is No. 865 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in America. In addition to making its debut on the Inc. 5000 in the top third of the overall list, Poplar Homes ranked as the 13th fastest-growing company headquartered in the San Jose, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Calif. MSA and the 31st fastest-growing real estate company in the country.

The ranking provides a data-driven look at the most successful companies within the economy's most dynamic segmentits independent, entrepreneurial businesses. Facebook, Chobani, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other household name brands gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.

In the past two years, Poplar has grown rapidly, completing 19 acquisitions that have expanded its presence to 17 states Tweet this

"We are honored to be included on the 2023 Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing public companies," Poplar Co-Founder and CEO Greg Toschi said. "This recognition is a testament to the incredible work our team has done to change the way millions of independent owners of single-family and multifamily properties manage their rental properties."

Poplar Homes was founded in 2014 by Toschi, Rico Mok, Chief Technology Officer, and Chuck Hattemer, Chief Marketing Officer, to help solve for their own housing needs while students at Santa Clara University. Since that time, by combining its proprietary tech-enabled property management platform with the expertise of local property management teams Poplar has evolved its services to help both owners and renters. With Poplar, individual property investors, who comprise two-thirds of the $85 billion SFR market, have access to the tools and services typically only available to large institutional investors, while renters have the ability to tour, get approved and rent properties online while earning credit to achieve their homeownership goals.

"Running a business has only gotten harder since the end of the pandemic," said Inc. Editor-In-Chief Scott Omelianuk. "To make the Inc. 5000with the fast growth that requiresis truly an accomplishment. Inc. is thrilled to honor the companies that are building our future."

In the past two years, Poplar has grown rapidly, completing 19 acquisitions that have expanded its presence to over 25 markets in 17 states and 15,000 doors under management. The company is on track to be in 18 new markets and grow to 25,000 doors in 2023.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, location, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000 .

Inc. 5000 Methodology

Companies on the 2023 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2019 to 2022. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2019. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2022. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2019 is $100,000; the minimum for 2022 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to four decimal places.

About Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Inc. Business Media is the leading multimedia brand for entrepreneurs. Through its journalism, Inc. aims to inform, educate, and elevate the profile of our community: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters who are creating our future. Inc.'s award-winning work reaches more than 50 million people across a variety of channels, including events, print, digital, video, podcasts, newsletters, and social media. Its proprietary Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to rank the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The recognition that comes with inclusion on this and other prestigious Inc. lists, such as Female Founders and Power Partners, gives the founders of top businesses the opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. For more information, visit www.inc.com .

About Poplar Homes

Poplar Homes is a national technology-enabled property management company that empowers both property owners and residents throughout their lifetime real estate journey. With remote staffing and a proprietary full-stack platform, Poplar offers zero-fuss leasing, managing, and maintenance services to over 15,000 doors across 17 states and over 25 major markets. For renters entering the market, Poplar rebalances the power dynamic and makes it easy to get approved, view available properties, and rent a home online. For property owners, Poplar Homes makes maintaining a rental home as easy as managing a stock portfolio online. Poplar's coast-to-coast expansion is bringing national tools to local teams, empowering investors to manage and monetize residential rental property across disparate locations while increasing efficiencies by 5x and saving thousands in operating costs.

Contact:

Janice McDill

Poplar Homes PR

[email protected]

312.307.3134

SOURCE Poplar Homes
Secured financing advances Instylla's clinical trials and commercialization readiness

BEDFORD, Mass., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Instylla, Inc., a privately held company developing next-generation liquid embolics for peripheral vascular embolotherapy, today announced the closing of a $30 million financing round. This financing round was led by new investor, Delos Capital, with continued participation from the investor syndicate of Excelestar Ventures, Ascension Ventures, Catalyst Health Ventures, Amed Ventures, Sparta Group, and Incept, LLC. The funds from this financing are anticipated to see Instylla through the ongoing prospective clinical trials and early commercialization.

"At Instylla, we are executing two large pivotal clinical trials in North America in pursuit of our two initial indications for the embolization of hypervascular tumors and peripheral arterial bleeds. The funds will allow us to complete the clinical trials and prepare for the commercialization of Embrace HES. We are excited to have Delos Capital join our strong group of healthcare investors who share our values," said Amar Sawhney, CEO of Instylla, Inc. and Managing Director of Incept, LLC.

We are honored and thrilled to support Instylla as it continues developing breakthrough solutions Tweet this

The Instylla HES Hypervascular Tumor Pivotal Study is currently enrolling patients in the US and Canada to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Instylla Hydrogel Embolic System (HES) compared with standard of care transcatheter arterial embolization or transcatheter arterial chemoembolization for the vascular occlusion of hypervascular tumors. The "HALT" Study was recently launched in the US and is continuing to enroll patients to study the safety and effectiveness of Embrace HES for the embolization of arterial bleeding in solid organs and peripheral arteries.

As part of this round of financing, Henry Chen, Managing Partner, Delos Capital has joined the Instylla Board of Directors. "Instylla has demonstrated impressive progress, having already advanced its next-generation liquid embolic technology to human clinical studies. We are honored and thrilled to support Instylla as it continues developing breakthrough solutions that will meaningfully improve patient outcomes," said Henry Chen.

About Embrace Hydrogel Embolic System:

Embrace HES is an investigational device intended to be used to embolize hypervascular tumors in vessels  5 mm or peripheral arterial bleeds in vessels  6 mm. Embrace HES consists of two injectable liquid precursors that solidify when simultaneously delivered into blood vessels, forming a soft hydrogel that fills the vessel lumens during embolization. The Embrace HES embolization uses no organic solvents, does not need sizing to the vessel diameter, and eliminates the possibility of catheter entrapment. Its main components are water and polyethylene glycol (PEG).

About Instylla:

Instylla, Inc. is a privately held company based in Bedford, MA, focused on developing next-generation liquid embolics for interventional radiology, with initial clinical applications in interventional oncology and peripheral hemostasis. The company's first product, Embrace HES, is designed for controlled, complete, and persistent embolization in these clinical conditions. Instylla was founded in 2017 by Incept LLC and is funded by several leading venture capital groups.

To learn more, please visit https://www.instylla.com/

SOURCE Instylla, Inc.
SHANGHAI, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Shanghai Electric (SEHK:2727, SSE:601727) ("the Company") announced that over 700 employees, who recently graduated from top-notch universities around the world, have joined the Company in a new recruitment season.

College Students Jointly Built A Future City At the 2023 Onboarding Ceremony of Shanghai Electric.

The new young professionals will offer their unique skills and creative ideas to help drive the development of new research projects across the fields of intelligent energy, intelligent manufacturing, and digital intelligence integration, injecting vitality into Shanghai Electric's long-standing effort to catalyze innovation in the new energy sector and empower the global economy to accelerate towards zero-net targets. As of now, young employees at Shanghai Electric account for 40% of the total workforce, with half being highly skilled technical workers.

"Shanghai Electric is an innovation hub where engineering graduates will be equipped with the latest industry skills and insights that enable them to build a solid foundation for their professional careers. This is a place that empowers the best and brightest young professionals to unlock their potential, joining projects that allow them to solve challenges at the forefront of the industry and meeting mentors that bridge academic theory with industry reality. I believe our new members will explore and achieve great things together with Shanghai Electric in the fields of energy, engineering, and digitalization as they bring fresh thinking that inspires transformation for the industry," said Liu Ping, Director, President of Shanghai Electric Group.

The 2023 hiring initiative has seen Shanghai Electric take onboard high-achieving graduates from prestigious institutions such as Cambridge University, New York University, University of London, and Nagoya University. The intake also comprises exceptional graduates hailing from renowned universities in China and Europe, including those with outstanding qualifications such as Tsinghua University's Materials major, Peking University's Chemistry major, Glasgow University's Electronic Engineering major, and Berlin Institute of Technology's Electrical Engineering major.

As Shanghai Electric provides a variety of global career opportunities for the new employees, the new hires, whose fields of study are aligned with the Company's business areas and directions, will bring additional brain power that bolsters Shanghai Electric's R&B capability in the realm of intelligent energy, intelligent manufacturing, and digital integration solutions. As Shanghai Electric is building leadership in these three fields, the Company is the platform for passionate and ambitious engineers and technicians to learn, grow, and thrive, as well as for true problem solvers who challenge themselves to find the innovative, smart, and green solutions that drive values for clients while building a sustainable future for all.

A global technological leader and innovator, Shanghai Electric has developed products and solutions that set industry standards and pave the way for numerous pioneering achievements both within China and on the global stage. Since its inception, Shanghai Electric has been spearheading projects that break new ground in China and beyond, with milestones including China's first thermal power generation unit, the world's first electric motor with a dual internal cooling system, China's first 10,000-ton water press, and China's first set of nuclear power generation units.

With its world-leading technological prowess, Shanghai Electric has become a leading force that drives China to accelerate toward the country's carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals. As it works to strengthen the industrial synergy to enable its partners across value chains to achieve a low-carbon transition, Shanghai Electric has also released an action plan that details its short- and long-term strategy and practices to trim down carbon footprints in both new energy and traditional energy businesses.

For more information about Shanghai Electric, please visit: https://www.shanghai-electric.com/group_en/

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2185866/image_1.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1800747/logo_new_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Shanghai Electric
DALLAS, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. revealed today that Ironside HR ranks No. 239 on the 2023 Inc. 5000, its annual list of the fastest-growing private companies in America. The prestigious ranking provides a data-driven look at the most successful companies within the economy's most dynamic segmentits independent, entrepreneurial businesses.

Doug Carter, Ironside HR's CEO provided a statement commemorating Ironside ranking on the list for the second time. "It is encouraging to see that our dedication to customer service and personalized staffing solutions has helped elevate our firm to heights we always knew were possible. Together, Ironside HR has conquered many tribulations, and the passion that is poured in by each of our team members is seen through the quality of service provided. It is truly an inspiration to see the mission and impact of Ironside being felt and advocated by so many, when just a little over a decade ago, Ironside was merely a dream of an entrepreneur. Congrats to all the other Inc. 5000 winners and their teams."

For complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, location, and other criteria, go to www.inc.com/inc5000.

"Running a business has only gotten harder since the end of the pandemic," says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. "To make the Inc. 5000with the fast growth that requiresis truly an accomplishment. Inc. is thrilled to honor the companies that are building our future."

About Ironside HR

Ironside HR's mission is "not to be the biggest healthcare staffing firm, just the best." The best for one another, their candidates, and their clients.

Ranking as No. 239 on this year's Inc. 5000 list is truly an exceptional accomplishment by the Dallas based firm, as they moved up over 500 slots from their previous year's ranking as No. 765.

Earlier this year, Ironside also placed as No. 38 on the Inc. 5000 Regionals Southwest list, moving up over 30 slots from their 2022 ranking as No. 71. In February 2023, Ironside also received a 4.8/5 stars rating by Clearly Rated for Best of Staffing  Client. The firm was also recognized by the Financial Times in March 2023, as No. 94 on their "The Americas' Fastest Growing Companies" list.

Inc. 5000 Methodology

Companies on the 2023 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2019 to 2022. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2019. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2022. The minimum revenue required for 2019 is $100,000; the minimum for 2022 is $2 million.

Contact:

***@ironsidehr.com

Photo(s):

https://www.prlog.org/12979243

Press release distributed by PRLog

SOURCE Ironside Human Resources
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas offers tips to access vital resources, to ready for the unpredictable

RICHARDSON, Texas, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center (CPC) recently released its midseason hurricane outlook with the new forecasts suggesting increased chances of hurricanes making landfall on the Texas Gulf Coast. While it's unpredictable when a natural disaster will strike, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) is urging Texans to be prepared, stay connected and stay safe to protect their physical and mental well-being.

In times of distress, helping BCBSTX members to find nearby doctors, refill prescriptions and access mental health services is critical. To be prepared ahead of natural disasters, here are other safeguarding tips:

Review insurance coverage: Familiarize yourself with the details of your health insurance policy, including coverage for emergency medical services, hospitalization and mental health services.

Familiarize yourself with the details of your health insurance policy, including coverage for emergency medical services, hospitalization and mental health services. This also includes keeping updated insurance information on you and having a BCBSTX member ID card.



Temporary cards are available on Blue Access for Members, or you can call your plan's customer service number.

Manage medications and health conditions: If you have chronic health conditions, ensure there is an adequate supply of medications and medical equipment to last you through the emergency period.

If you have chronic health conditions, ensure there is an adequate supply of medications and medical equipment to last you through the emergency period. Keep a list of your medications, allergies and important medical information, such as your health care coverage and ID card, in your emergency kit or in a safe place.



Always reach out to your health care provider before a disaster strikes to discuss any specific needs or concerns related to your health condition.

Follow safety guidelines: Stay alert to safety guidelines issued by local authorities and health officials.

Stay alert to safety guidelines issued by local authorities and health officials. Adhere to evacuation orders or shelter-in-place instructions to prioritize your safety and minimize potential health risks.



Natural disaster resources are often provided on your local county's website.

Practice self-care and stress management: Natural disasters can be emotionally overwhelming.

Natural disasters can be emotionally overwhelming. Take time to care for your mental health and practice stress-management techniques, including deep breathing exercises, meditation or safe activities that bring you joy.



Stay connected with loved ones, seek support from community resources and reach out for professional help through services, such as telehealth.

Save important phone numbers: Having emergency phone numbers on you in a natural disaster can help you get the help you need quickly. You may not have access to the internet or other communications.

Having emergency phone numbers on you in a natural disaster can help you get the help you need quickly. You may not have access to the internet or other communications. Regularly update your phone's contact information to include the most recent emergency service numbers.



BCBSTX has a list of recommended numbers to have on file.

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX)  the only statewide, customer-owned health insurer in Texas  is the largest provider of health benefits in the state, working with more than 140,000 physicians and health care practitioners, and 520 hospitals to serve more than 7 million members in all 254 counties. BCBSTX is a Division of Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) (which operates Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in Texas, Illinois, Montana, Oklahoma and New Mexico). Health Care Service Corporation is a Mutual Legal Reserve Company and an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

BCBSTX.com | Twitter.com/BCBSTX | Facebook.com/BlueCrossBlueShieldOfTexas | YouTube.com/BCBSTX | BCBSTX Community Highlights

SOURCE Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas
Total Q2'23 revenue of $70.8 million , a YoY increase of 45%, with core Life360 Subscription revenue 1 of $47.6 million , up 57% YoY

Annualized Monthly Revenue 2 (AMR) of $248.7 million , up 43% YoY

Q2'23 net loss of $4.4 million ; positive Adjusted EBITDA 3 of $5.7 million , the second consecutive quarter of positive Adjusted EBITDA; positive Operating Cash Flow of $3.7 million

Paying Circles up 17% YoY, with net quarterly additions of 62 thousand versus 73 thousand in Q1'23 despite the impact of Android price increases rolled out in April 2023

U.S. Average Revenue Per Paying Circle (ARPPC) of $140.78 increased 42% YoY reflecting the benefits of higher pricing

Quarter-end cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash of $64.2 million following the Q2'23 final payment associated with the Tile acquisition

CY23 guidance reiterated for more than 50% YoY growth for core Life360 subscription revenue, consolidated revenue of $300 million - $310 million and positive Operating Cash Flow of $5 million - $10 million

CY23 guidance for positive Adjusted EBITDA3 increased to $9 million - $14 million from $5 million - $10 million .

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- San Francisco area-based Life360, Inc. (Life360 or the Company) (ASX: 360) today reported unaudited financial results for the quarter and half year ended June 30, 2023. Life360 Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Chris Hulls said: "The Life360 business has maintained growth momentum through Q2, with Global MAUs up 29% YoY and AMR up 43% to $248.7 million. We saw good growth in Paying Circles despite the price increase for existing U.S. Android subscribers implemented in April. We added 62 thousand global net subscribers during Q2'23 compared with 73 thousand in Q1'23. The 17% year-on-year uplift in Paying Circles was supported by international Paying Circles increasing 44% YoY, with international net adds remaining at close to all-time record levels.

"We are seeing particularly encouraging results from predominantly English speaking countries (Canada, U.K., Australia) which saw Paying Circles increase 54% YoY. The launch of triple tier Membership in the U.K. is on track for early Q4'23. Our investment in the international user experience is paying off with significant gains in MAUs, Paying Circles and Revenue, and retention metrics which are closing the gap to U.S. levels.

"The April price increase for existing U.S. Android subscribers supported further gains in global ARPPC which increased 31% YoY. Android churn was largely in line with our expectations and is returning to baseline levels.

"We are seeing early promising results from Tile Membership bundling, with a greater than 10% uplift in Month 1 and Month 2 relative retention rates for subscribers who have redeemed Tile hardware. While our strategic focus with Tile remains on driving subscription revenue rather than stand-alone retail sales, we are encouraged with the 70% YoY uplift in Tile's hardware revenue from the depressed levels of a year ago, along with margin improvements. This reflects the success of our strategic initiatives to clear channel inventory and prioritize higher margin sales channels.

"Our strategy of balancing fiscal responsibility with prudent investment has underpinned the significant progress we have demonstrated in managing our cost base. Q2'23 non-GAAP operating expenses of $48.6 million decreased 2% YoY, and 5% compared with Q1'23. Our second consecutive quarter of positive Adjusted EBITDA of $5.7 million delivered a $24.4 million turnaround in Adjusted EBITDA YoY. As a result of this cost management we have increased guidance to positive Adjusted EBITDA of $9 million to $14 million for CY23.

Our balance sheet remains strong following the final payment associated with the Tile acquisition. The cash, restricted cash and cash equivalents balance was $64.2 million at the end of Q2'23, with positive Operating Cash flow expected for the remainder of CY23."

____________________________ 1 Core Life360 subscription revenue is defined as subscription revenue derived from the Life360 mobile application, excluding certain revenue adjustments related to bundled Life360 subscription and hardware offerings, for the reported period.





2 We use Annualized Monthly Revenue ("AMR") to identify the annualized monthly value of active customer agreements for a particular period. AMR includes the annualized monthly value of subscription, data and partnership agreements. All components of these agreements that are not expected to recur are excluded





3 Adjusted EBITDA is a Non-GAAP measure. For the definition of Adjusted EBITDA and the use of this Non-GAAP measure, as well as a reconciliation of Net Loss to Adjusted EBITDA, refer to the Non-GAAP Financial Measures section below

Key Performance Indicators

(in millions, except ARPPC, ARPPS, and ASP) Q2 2023 Q1 2023 Q2 2022 % QoQ % YoY Life360 Core4









Monthly Active Users (MAU) - Global 54.0 50.8 42.0 6 % 29 % U.S. 33.6 31.7 27.0 6 % 24 % International 20.4 19.1 14.9 7 % 36 % Australia 1.6 1.5 1.1 8 % 42 % Paying Circles - Total 1.63 1.57 1.39 4 % 17 % U.S. 1.23 1.20 1.12 2 % 10 % International 0.40 0.36 0.27 9 % 44 % Average Revenue per Paying Circle (ARPPC) $ 119.25 $ 120.70 $ 90.88 (1) % 31 %











Life360 Consolidated (Adjusted for 2022)5









Subscriptions 2.2 2.1 1.9 3 % 14 % Average Revenue per Paying Subscription (ARPPS) $ 97.83 $ 97.98 $ 76.38  % 28 % Net hardware units shipped (standalone) 0.7 0.6 0.5 15 % 42 % Average Sale Price (ASP) $ 15.76 $ 17.22 $ 14.48 (8) % 9 % Annualized Monthly Revenue (AMR)6 $ 248.7 $ 239.5 $ 174.4 4 % 43 %

_______________________________ 4 Life360 Core metrics relate solely to the Life360 mobile application





5 With the exception of AMR, metrics presented for the three months ended March 31, 2022 are adjusted to include pre-acquisition data for Tile related to periods before the acquisition of Tile on January 5, 2022.





6 We use Annualized Monthly Revenue ("AMR") to identify the annualized monthly value of active customer agreements at the end of a reporting period. AMR includes the annualized monthly value of subscription, data and partnership agreements. All components of these agreements that are not expected to recur are excluded.

Global MAU increased 29% YoY to 54.0 million, with Q2'23 net additions of 3.2 million. U.S. MAU increased 24% YoY, with net adds of 1.9 million. International MAU increased 36% with net adds of 1.3 million. Australian MAU increased 42% YoY to 1.6 million.

Paying Circle growth maintained strong momentum in Q2'23 despite the impact of Android price increases which were implemented in April. Net additions of 62 thousand were achieved in Q2'23, with U.S. Paying Circles increasing 10% YoY despite the price increases. International Paying Circles continued to grow strongly, up 44% YoY. Our U.S. Membership plan subscribers comprise Silver 16%, Gold 80% and Platinum 4% of total.

Global ARPPC increased 31% YoY with the benefit of U.S. price increases implemented during Q4'22. International ARPPC increased 2% YoY. The marginal QoQ decline in Global and International ARPPC was largely the result of foreign exchange impacts on international revenue.

Net Hardware Units Shipped increased 15% from the prior quarter and 42% YoY reflecting a decreased number of returns in the current period, and backdrop of weaker consumer electronics demand in Q2'22. The Company's strategy to improve retail economics and reduce promotions supported ASP which increased 9% YoY.

Operating Results

Revenue



Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,

2023

2022

2023

2022 ($ millions) (unaudited) Subscription revenue $ 52.7

$ 36.0

$ 104.4

$ 69.1 Hardware revenue 11.6

6.8

21.6

16.5 Other revenue 6.5

6.0

13.0

14.3 Total revenue $ 70.8

$ 48.8

$ 138.9

$ 99.8 Annualized Monthly Revenue - June $ 248.7

$ 174.4

$ 248.7

$ 174.4

Q2'23 Consolidated subscription revenue increased 46% YoY (including hardware subscription) to $52.7 million . Life360 core subscription revenue increased 57% YoY supported by the 17% YoY uplift in Paying Circles, and 31% higher ARPPC.

. Life360 core subscription revenue increased 57% YoY supported by the 17% YoY uplift in Paying Circles, and 31% higher ARPPC. Q2'23 Hardware revenue increased 70% YoY due to an increase in the number of units shipped and higher ASP.

Q2'23 Other revenue increased 8% YoY reflecting the strategic shift to a single data partnership from January 2022 , and the terms associated with the arrangement.

, and the terms associated with the arrangement. June AMR increased 43% YoY reflecting strong subscription revenue momentum.

Gross Profit



Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,

2023

2022

2023

2022 ($ millions, except percentages) (unaudited) Gross Profit $ 54.8

$ 29.3

$ 104.6

$ 64.4 Gross Margin 77 %

60 %

75 %

65 % Gross Margin (Subscription Only) 88 %

78 %

86 %

78 %

Q2'23 gross profit margin increased to 77% from 60% in the prior year period, reflecting the uplift in subscription only margins to 88% due to higher pricing, and the benefit from a one-time adjustment which reduced product costs recorded to cost of revenue in connection with the discontinuation of certain battery-related membership benefits. Hardware gross margins increased due to higher average sales price and a one-time adjustment in connection with the discontinuation of certain battery related membership benefits.

Operating expenses



Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,

2023

2022

2023

2022 ($ millions) (unaudited) Research and development $ 23.2

$ 27.0

$ 50.4

$ 52.8 Sales and marketing 23.3

22.9

47.7

46.1 Paid acquisition & TV 6.6

7.0

13.0

13.6 Commissions 10.5

6.4

20.8

14.7 Other sales and marketing 6.2

9.5

13.9

17.8 General and administrative 12.5

12.8

25.7

26.1 Total operating expenses $ 59.0

$ 62.8

$ 123.7

$ 125.0

Q2'23 YoY operating expenses decreased 6% from the prior period, largely due to lower research and development costs resulting from reduced headcount. Commissions were higher YoY in line with the growth in subscription revenue, however were largely offset by lower other sales and marketing expenses and paid acquisition.

EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA7



Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,

2023

2022

2023

2022 ($ millions) (unaudited) Net Loss $ (4.4)

$ (33.0)

$ (18.5)

$ (58.2) EBITDA (2.0)

(31.2)

(14.6)

(56.1) Non-GAAP Adjustments 7.7

12.4

20.8

23.8 Adjusted EBITDA $ 5.7

$ (18.7)

$ 6.2

$ (32.3)

Q2'23 delivered a positive Adjusted EBITDA contribution of $5.7 million versus an Adjusted EBITDA loss of $18.7 million in the prior corresponding period as a result of continued strong subscription revenue growth and the impact of additional cost efficiencies implemented in January.

____________________________ 7 EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP measures. For definitions of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA, a description of these non-GAAP measures' use, and a reconciliation of Net Loss to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA, refer to the Non-GAAP Financial Measures section below.

Balance Sheet and Cash Flow



Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,

2023

2022

2023

2022 ($ millions) (unaudited) Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities $ 3.7

$ (16.9)

$ (5.5)

$ (38.5) Net cash used in investing activities (0.5)

(1.4)

(0.9)

(113.8) Net cash provided by/(used in) financing activities (15.1)

(0.6)

(19.8)

0.3 Net Decrease in Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash (11.9)

(18.9)

(26.2)

(152.0) Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash at the End of the Period $ 64.2

$ 79.3

$ 64.2

$ 79.3

Life360 ended Q2'23 with cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash of $64.2 million , with unrestricted cash increasing by $1 million from Q1'23.

, with unrestricted cash increasing by from Q1'23. Q2'23 net cash provided by operating activities was $3.7 million . The differential to Adjusted EBITDA of $5.7 million was due to non-recurring workplace restructuring costs, adjustments relating to an inventory write-off and membership changes, and timing of manufacturing payments.

. The differential to Adjusted EBITDA of was due to non-recurring workplace restructuring costs, adjustments relating to an inventory write-off and membership changes, and timing of manufacturing payments. Q2'23 net cash used in investing activities was $0.5 million which related to payments for internally developed software.

which related to payments for internally developed software. Q2'23 net cash used in financing activities of $15.1 million relates to final payments associated with the acquisition of Tile, taxes paid for the net settlement of equity awards offset by proceeds from the exercise of options.

Earnings Guidance8

For CY23, Life360 expects to deliver:

Core Life360 subscription revenue growth in excess of 50% YoY;

Hardware revenue growth of 0% to 5%;

Other revenue of approximately $26 million ;

; Consolidated revenue of $300 million - $310 million ;

- ; Positive Adjusted EBITDA of $9 million - $14 million ;

- ; Positive Operating Cash Flow of $5 million - $10 million ; and

- ; and Positive Adjusted EBITDA and Operating Cash Flow for the remaining quarters of CY23.9

____________________________ 8 With respect to forward looking non-GAAP guidance, we are not able to reconcile the forward-looking non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA measure to the closest corresponding GAAP measure without unreasonable efforts because we are unable to predict the ultimate outcome of certain significant items, which are fluid and unpredictable in nature. In addition, the Company believes such a reconciliation would imply a degree of precision that may be confusing or misleading to investors. These items include, but are not limited to, litigation costs, convertible notes and derivative liability fair value adjustments, and gains/losses on revaluation of contingent consideration. These items may be material to our results calculated in accordance with GAAP.





9 Adjusted EBITDA was previously referred to as Underlying EBITDA. For definitions of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA and the use of these non-GAAP measures, as well as a reconciliation of Net Loss to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA, refer to the Non-GAAP Financial Measures section below.

Investor Conference Call

A conference call will be held today at 9.30am AEST, Tuesday 15 August 2023 (Monday 14 August U.S. PT at 4.30pm). The call will be held as a Zoom audio webinar.

Participants wishing to ask a question should register and join via their browser here. Participants joining via telephone will be in listen only mode.

Dial in details

Australia: +61 2 8015 6011

U.S.: +1 669 444 9171

Other countries: details

Meeting ID: 934 1063 7470

A replay will be available after the call at https://investors.life360.com

Authorization

Chris Hulls, Director, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Life360 authorized this announcement being given to ASX.

About Life360

Life360 operates a platform for today's busy families, bringing them closer together by helping them better know, communicate with, and protect the pets, people and things they care about most. The Company's core offering, the Life360 mobile app, is a market leading app for families, with features that range from communications to driving safety and location sharing. Life360 is based in San Mateo and had approximately 54 million monthly active users (MAU) as of June 30, 2023 located in more than 150 countries. For more information, please visit life360.com.

Tile, a Life360 company, locates millions of unique items every day by giving everything the power of smart location. Leveraging its superior nearby finding features and vast community that spans over 150 countries, Tile's cloud-based finding platform helps people find the things that matter to them most. In addition to trackers in multiple form factors for a variety of use cases, Tile's finding technology is embedded in over 55 partner products across audio, travel, wearables, smart home, and PC categories. For more information, please visit Tile.com.

Life360's CDIs are issued in reliance on the exemption from registration contained in Regulation S of the US Securities Act of 1933 (Securities Act) for offers of securities which are made outside the US. Accordingly, the CDIs have not been, and will not be, registered under the Securities Act or the laws of any state or other jurisdiction in the US. As a result of relying on the Regulation S exemption, the CDIs are 'restricted securities' under Rule 144 of the Securities Act. This means that you are unable to sell the CDIs into the US or to a US person who is not a QIB for the foreseeable future except in very limited circumstances until after the end of the restricted period, unless the re-sale of the CDIs is registered under the Securities Act or an exemption is available. To enforce the above transfer restrictions, all CDIs issued bear a FOR Financial Product designation on the ASX. This designation restricts any CDIs from being sold on ASX to US persons excluding QIBs. However, you are still able to freely transfer your CDIs on ASX to any person other than a US person who is not a QIB. In addition, hedging transactions with regard to the CDIs may only be conducted in accordance with the Securities Act.

Forward-looking statements

This announcement and the accompanying conference call contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Life360 intends such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements regarding Life360's intentions, objectives, plans, expectations, assumptions and beliefs about future events, including Life360's expectations with respect to the financial and operating performance of its business, including subscription revenue, hardware revenue, consolidated revenue, Adjusted EBITDA, and operating cash flow; its capital position; future growth; and the impact of past price increases on future results of operations and churn; and the impact of past price increases on future results of operations and churn; user engagement, conversion and retention and subscriber churn; the strategic value and opportunities for Tile; operating cost savings, including through reduced commissions as well as Life360's expectations of any changes to the information disclosed herein. The words "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "project", "predict", "will", "forecast", "estimate", "likely", "intend", "outlook", "should", "could", "may", "target", "plan" and other similar expressions can generally be used to identify forward-looking statements. Indications of, and guidance or outlook on, future earnings or financial position or performance are also forward-looking statements. Investors and prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements as they involve inherent risk and uncertainty (both general and specific) and should note that they are provided as a general guide only and should not be relied on as an indication or guarantee of future performance. There is a risk that such predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not be achieved. Subject to any continuing obligations under applicable law, Life360 does not undertake any obligation to publicly release the result of any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this announcement, to reflect any change in expectations in relation to any forward-looking statements or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based.

Although Life360 believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements and the assumptions upon which they are based are reasonable, Life360 can give no assurance that such expectations and assumptions will prove to be correct and, actual results may vary in a materially positive or negative manner. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainty, assumptions and contingencies, many of which are outside Life360's control, and are based on estimates and assumptions that are subject to change and may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include risks related to the preliminary nature of financial results, risks related to Life360's business, market risks, Life360's need for additional capital, and the risk that Life360's products and services may not perform as expected, as described in greater detail under the heading "Risk Factors" in Life360's ASX filings, including its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 15, 2023 and other reports filed with the SEC. To the maximum extent permitted by law, responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise is disclaimed. This announcement should not be relied upon as a recommendation or forecast by Life360. Past performance information given in this document is given for illustrative purposes only and is not necessarily a guide to future performance and no representation or warranty is made by any person as to the likelihood of achievement or reasonableness of any forward-looking statements, forecast financial information, future share price performance or any underlying assumptions. Nothing contained in this document nor any information made available to you is, or shall be relied upon as, a promise, representation, warranty or guarantee as to the past, present or the future performance of Life360.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss (Dollars in U.S. $, in thousands, except share and per share data) (unaudited)



Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,

2023

2022

2023

2022 Subscription revenue $ 52,727

$ 36,006

$ 104,391

$ 69,068 Hardware revenue 11,585

6,816

21,569

16,463 Other revenue 6,476

6,022

12,971

14,283 Total revenue 70,788

48,844

138,931

99,814 Cost of subscription revenue 6,388

7,903

14,433

14,974 Cost of hardware revenue 8,736

10,773

18,162

18,579 Cost of other revenue 881

880

1,723

1,855 Total cost of revenue 16,005

19,556

34,318

35,408 Gross Profit 54,783

29,288

104,613

64,406 Operating expenses:













Research and development 23,182

27,031

50,379

52,768 Sales and marketing 23,347

22,895

47,663

46,137 General and administrative 12,497

12,830

25,706

26,076 Total operating expenses 59,026

62,756

123,748

124,981 Loss from operations (4,243)

(33,468)

(19,135)

(60,575) Other income (expense):













Convertible notes fair value adjustment (266)

532

(194)

2,107 Derivative liability fair value adjustment (254)

415

(240)

1,328 Other income (expense), net 617

(511)

1,460

(1,056) Total other income, net 97

436

1,026

2,379 Loss before income taxes (4,146)

(33,032)

(18,109)

(58,196) Provision for (benefit from) income taxes 267

(47)

375

11 Net loss (4,413)  (32,985)

(18,484)

(58,207) Net loss per share, basic and diluted $ (0.07)

$ (0.53)

$ (0.28)

$ (0.95) Weighted-average shares used in computing net loss per share, basic and diluted 66,467,200

61,883,022

66,032,405

61,540,024 Comprehensive loss













Net loss (4,413)

(32,985)

(18,484)

(58,207) Change in foreign currency translation adjustment 2

(14)

26

15 Total comprehensive loss $ (4,411)

$ (32,999)

$ (18,458)

$ (58,192)

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Dollars in U.S. $, in thousands) (unaudited)



June 30,

2023

December 31,

2022 Assets





Current Assets:





Cash and cash equivalents $ 62,404

$ 75,444 Restricted cash, current 

13,274 Accounts receivable, net 33,468

33,125 Inventory 10,390

10,826 Costs capitalized to obtain contracts, net 1,348

1,438 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 9,896

8,548 Total current assets 117,506

142,655 Restricted cash, noncurrent 1,746

1,647 Property and equipment, net 829

393 Costs capitalized to obtain contracts, noncurrent 846

626 Prepaid expenses and other assets, noncurrent 6,718

7,134 Operating lease right-of-use asset 1,396

802 Intangible assets, net 49,092

52,699 Goodwill 133,674

133,674 Total Assets $ 311,807

$ 339,630 Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity





Current Liabilities:





Accounts payable 7,111

$ 13,791 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 24,394

27,015 Escrow liability 

13,274 Convertible notes, current 6,129

3,513 Deferred revenue, current 31,065

30,056 Total current liabilities 68,699

87,649 Convertible notes, noncurrent 1,918

4,060 Derivative liability, noncurrent 341

101 Deferred revenue, noncurrent 1,759

2,706 Other liabilities, noncurrent 1,377

576 Total Liabilities $ 74,094

$ 95,092 Commitments and Contingencies





Stockholders' Equity





Common Stock 68

67 Additional paid-in capital 513,081

501,763 Notes due from affiliates 

(314) Accumulated deficit (275,456)

(256,972) Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) 20

(6) Total stockholders' equity 237,713

244,538 Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity $ 311,807

$ 339,630

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Dollars in U.S. $, in thousands) (unaudited)



Six Months Ended June 30,

2023

2022 Cash Flows from Operating Activities:





Net loss $ (18,484)

$ (58,207) Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:





Depreciation and amortization 4,549

4,502 Amortization of costs capitalized to obtain contracts 864

1,671 Amortization of operating lease right-of-use asset 460

 Stock-based compensation expense 18,224

16,524 Compensation expense in connection with revesting notes 73

(114) Non-cash interest expense, net 295

239 Convertible notes fair value adjustment 194

(2,107) Derivative liability fair value adjustment 240

(1,328) Gain on revaluation of contingent consideration 

(5,279) Non-cash revenue from affiliate (993)

(511) Inventory write-off 916

 Adjustment in connection with membership benefit (2,094)

 Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of acquisitions:





Accounts receivable, net (343)

20,054 Prepaid expenses and other assets (932)

6,597 Inventory (480)

(1,605) Costs capitalized to obtain contracts, net (994)

(1,799) Accounts payable (6,680)

(15,016) Accrued expenses and other liabilities (1,356)

(3,062) Deferred revenue 1,055

507 Other liabilities, noncurrent (42)

406 Net cash used in operating activities (5,528)

(38,528) Cash Flows from Investing Activities:





Cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired 

(113,401) Internal use software (865)

(396) Purchase of property and equipment (26)

 Net cash used in investing activities (891)

(113,797) Cash Flows from Financing Activities:





Indemnity escrow payment in connection with an acquisition (13,128)

 Proceeds from the exercise of options 1,569

1,766 Taxes paid related to net settlement of equity awards (8,551)

(1,494) Proceeds from repayment of notes due from affiliates 314

648 Issuance of common stock 

85 Cash paid for deferred offering costs 

(705) Net cash (used in)/provided by financing activities (19,796)

300 Net Decrease in Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash (26,215)

(152,025) Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash at the Beginning of the Period 90,365

231,345 Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash at the End of the Period $ 64,150

$ 79,320 Supplemental disclosure:





Cash paid during the period for taxes $ 250

$  Non-cash investing and financing activities:





Fair value of stock issued in connection with an acquisition $ 

$ 15,409 Fair value of warrants held as investment in affiliate 

5,474 Fair value of stock issued in settlement of contingent consideration 

4,221 Right of use asset recognized in connection with lease modification 1,054

 Operating lease liability recognized in connection with lease modification 1,054

 Total non-cash investing and financing activities $ 2,108

$ 25,104

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We collect and analyze operating and financial data to evaluate the health of our business, allocate our resources and assess our performance.



EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA

In addition to total revenue, net loss and other results under GAAP, we utilize non-GAAP calculations of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA") and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("Adjusted EBITDA"). EBITDA is defined as net loss, excluding (i) convertible notes and derivative liability fair value adjustments, (ii) provision (benefit) for income taxes, (iii) depreciation and amortization and (iv) other income (expense). Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net loss, excluding (i) convertible notes and derivative liability fair value adjustments, (ii) provision (benefit) for income taxes, (iii) depreciation and amortization, (iv) other income (expense), (v) stock-based compensation, (vi) Form 10 transaction costs, (vii) acquisition and integration costs, (viii) non-recurring workplace restructuring costs, (ix) inventory write-offs, (x) adjustment in connection with membership benefit, and (xi) gain on revaluation of contingent consideration.



The above items are excluded from EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA because these items are non-cash in nature, or because the amount and timing of these items are unpredictable, are not driven by core results of operations and render comparisons with prior periods and competitors less meaningful. We believe EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA provide useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our results of operations, as well as providing useful measures for period-to-period comparisons of our business performance. Moreover, we have included EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA in this media release because they are key measurements used by our management team internally to make operating decisions, including those related to operating expenses, evaluate performance, and perform strategic planning and annual budgeting. However, these non-GAAP financial measures are presented for supplemental informational purposes only, should not be considered a substitute for or superior to financial information presented in accordance with GAAP, and may be different from similarly titled non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. As such, you should consider these non-GAAP financial measures in addition to other financial performance measures presented in accordance with GAAP, including various cash flow metrics, net loss and our other GAAP results.



The following table presents a reconciliation of net loss, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA:



Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,

2023

2022

2023

2022 (in thousands)









Net loss $ (4,413)

$ (32,985)

$ (18,484)

$ (58,207) Add (deduct):













Convertible notes fair value adjustment 266

(532)

194

(2,107) Derivative liability fair value adjustment10 254

(415)

240

(1,328) Provision for (benefit from) income taxes 267

(47)

375

11 Depreciation and amortization11 2,276

2,301

4,549

4,502 Other (income) expense, net (617)

511

(1,460)

1,056 EBITDA $ (1,967)

$ (31,167)

$ (14,586)

$ (56,073) Stock-based compensation 9,269

10,429

18,224

16,524 Form 10 transaction costs 

2,138



2,138 Acquisition and integration costs 

1,136



10,394 Non-recurring workplace restructuring costs12 478



3,732

 Inventory write-off13 



916

 Adjustment in connection with membership benefit14 (2,094)



(2,094)

 Gain on revaluation of contingent consideration 

(1,279)



(5,279) Adjusted EBITDA $ 5,686

$ (18,743)

$ 6,192

$ (32,296)

____________________________ 10 To reflect the change in value of the derivative liability associated with the July 2021 Convertible Notes. 11 Includes depreciation on fixed assets and amortization of acquired intangible assets. 12 Relates to non-recurring personnel and severance related expenses in connection with the workplace restructure announced on January 12, 2023. 13 Relates to the write-off of raw materials that have no alternative use to the Company following the decision to halt development. 14 Relates to an adjustment recorded in the current period to reduce product costs recorded to cost of revenue in connection with the discontinuation of certain battery related membership benefits.

Key Financial Metrics:



Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,

2023

2022

2023

2022 (in millions)









Revenue













U.S. subscription revenue $ 47.0

$ 31.8

$ 92.7

$ 61.0 International subscription revenue 5.7

4.1

11.7

8.1 Subscription revenue 52.7

36.0

104.4

69.1 Hardware revenue 11.6

6.8

21.6

16.5 Other revenue 6.5

6.0

13.0

14.3 Total revenue 70.8

48.8

138.9

99.8















Non-GAAP Gross Margin15 54.3

30.8

105.8

66.5 Non-GAAP Gross Margin % 77 %

63 %

76 %

67 % Non-GAAP Subscription Gross Margin % 85 %

79 %

85 %

80 %















Research and Development (Non-GAAP) 17.9

21.4

37.5

43.5 Sales and Marketing (Non-GAAP)













User acquisition and TV costs 6.6

7.0

13.0

13.6 Other Sales and Marketing 4.5

6.7

9.6

13.3 Commissions 10.5

6.4

20.8

14.7 General & Administrative (Non-GAAP) 9.1

8.2

18.8

14.7 Non-GAAP Operating Expenses16 48.6

49.7

99.6

99.8















Net loss (4.4)

(33.0)

(18.5)

(58.2)















Adjusted EBITDA17 5.7

(18.7)

6.2

(32.3) Adjusted EBITDA Margin % 8 %

(38) %

4 %

(32) % Stock-based Compensation (9.3)

(10.4)

(18.2)

(16.5) Other Non-GAAP Adjustments 1.6

(2.0)

(2.6)

(7.3) EBITDA $ (2.0)

$ (31.0)

$ (14.6)

$ (56.1)

____________________________ 15 Non-GAAP Gross Margin is calculated using Cost of revenue, Non-GAAP. For a reconciliation between Total Cost of revenue, GAAP and Total Cost of revenue, Non-GAAP, refer to the Cost of Revenue (GAAP to Non-GAAP reconciliation) section below.





16 Non-GAAP operating expenses are calculated using Research and Development, Non-GAAP, Sales and Marketing, Non-GAAP and General & Administrative, Non-GAAP expenses. For a reconciliation between Total operating expenses, GAAP and Total operating expenses, Non-GAAP, refer to the Operating expenses (GAAP to Non-GAAP reconciliation) section below.

17 Includes non-recurring costs reflecting the alignment of accounting policies attributable to the integration with Tile. As these adjustments are not deemed to be non-routine or one time in nature, they have not been added back to EBITDA or Adjusted EBITDA.

Cost of Revenue (GAAP to Non-GAAP reconciliation):



Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,

2023

2022

2023

2022 (in millions)





Cost of subscription revenue, GAAP $ 6.4

$ 7.9

$ 14.4

$ 15.0 Less: Depreciation and amortization (0.3)

(0.2)

(0.6)

(0.5) Less: Stock-based compensation (0.2)

(0.2)

(0.3)

(0.4) Less: Severance and other 



(0.1)

 Less: Adjustment in connection with membership benefit 1.8



1.8

 Total Cost of subscription revenue, Non-GAAP $ 7.7

$ 7.4

$ 15.3

$ 14.1















Cost of hardware revenue, GAAP $ 8.7

$ 10.8

$ 18.2

$ 18.6 Less: Depreciation and amortization (0.9)

(0.9)

(1.8)

(1.8) Less: Stock-based compensation (0.2)

(0.2)

(0.4)

(0.3) Less: Severance and other 



(0.1)

 Less: Adjustment in connection with membership benefit 0.3



0.3

 Non-GAAP Cost of hardware revenue included in Adjusted EBITDA $ 7.9

$ 9.7

$ 16.2

$ 16.5 Less: Alignment of accounting policies17 





1.0 Total Cost of hardware revenue, Non-GAAP $ 7.9

$ 9.7

$ 16.2

$ 17.5















Cost of other revenue, GAAP $ 0.9

$ 0.9

$ 1.7

$ 1.9 Less: Stock-based compensation 





(0.1) Total Cost of other revenue, Non-GAAP $ 0.9

$ 0.9

$ 1.7

$ 1.8















Cost of revenue, GAAP $ 16.0

$ 19.6

$ 34.3

$ 35.4 Less: Depreciation and amortization (1.2)

(1.1)

(2.4)

(2.3) Less: Stock-based compensation (0.4)

(0.4)

(0.7)

(0.7) Less: Severance and other 



(0.2)

 Less: Adjustment in connection with membership benefit 2.1



2.1

 Non-GAAP Cost of revenue included in Adjusted EBITDA $ 16.5

$ 18.1

$ 33.1

$ 32.4 Less: Alignment of accounting policies17 





1.0 Total Cost of revenue, Non-GAAP $ 16.5

$ 18.0

$ 33.1

$ 33.4



17 Includes non-recurring costs reflecting the alignment of accounting policies attributable to the integration with Tile. As these adjustments are not deemed to be non-routine or one time in nature, they have not been added back to EBITDA or Adjusted EBITDA.



Operating expenses (GAAP to Non-GAAP reconciliation):



Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,

2023

2022

2023

2022 (in millions)









Research and development expense, GAAP $ 23.2

$ 27.0

$ 50.4

$ 52.8 Less: Stock-based compensation (5.3)

(5.3)

(10.1)

(8.9) Less: Severance and other 

(0.3)

(2.8)

(0.3) Total Research and development, Non-GAAP $ 17.9

$ 21.4

$ 37.5

$ 43.5















Sales and marketing expense, GAAP $ 23.3

$ 22.9

$ 47.7

$ 46.1 Less: Depreciation and amortization (1.1)

(1.1)

(2.1)

(2.1) Less: Stock-based compensation (0.6)

(1.3)

(1.5)

(2.2) Less: Severance and other (0.1)

(0.4)

(0.8)

(0.4) Less: User acquisition and TV costs (6.6)

(7.0)

(13.0)

(13.6) Less: Commissions (10.5)

(6.4)

(20.8)

(14.7) Total Sales and marketing expense, Non-GAAP $ 4.5

$ 6.7

$ 9.6

$ 13.3















General and administrative expense, GAAP $ 12.5

$ 12.8

$ 25.7

$ 26.1 Less: Depreciation and amortization 

(0.1)



(0.2) Less: Stock-based compensation (3.0)

(3.3)

(5.9)

(4.7) Less: Severance and other (0.4)

(1.2)

(0.9)

(6.5) Total General and administrative expense, Non-GAAP $ 9.1

$ 8.2

$ 18.8

$ 14.7















Total Operating expenses, GAAP $ 59.0

$ 62.8

$ 123.7

$ 125.0 Less: Depreciation and amortization (1.1)

(1.2)

(2.2)

(2.3) Less: Stock-based compensation (8.9)

(9.9)

(17.5)

(15.7) Less: Severance and other (0.5)

(2.0)

(4.5)

(7.3) Total Operating expenses, Non-GAAP $ 48.6

$ 49.7

$ 99.6

$ 99.8

Note: The financial information in this announcement is unaudited and may not add or recalculate due to rounding. All references to $ are to U.S. $.

SOURCE Life360
NEW YORK, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- L'Oreal Professionnel's haircare products are now available on Sephora.com and will be available in select stores nationwide starting August 18th, 2023.

L'Oreal Professionnel Metal Detox Collection

Throughout L'Oreal Professionnel's distinguished 110+ year history, the brand has forged enduring connections with hair stylists, colorists, and the consumers they service. Built upon innovation and efficacy, the brand's product portfolio offers best-in-class haircare and hair color through a vast network of trusted professional partners. This heritage will remain strong as the brand continues to grow its in-salon presence and expands beyond through a partnership with Sephora.

"We are very excited to partner with such an iconic retailer and extend the accessibility of our professional grade products. Sephora is the perfect partner, as they are already known for carrying the most innovative brands and products in the industry. Their clientele is savvy and seeks out cutting-edge formulas that address their needs. Sephora's team of beauty advisors are also extremely knowledgeable and will be invaluable in educating and sharing the L'Oreal Professionnel tech-driven product benefits and professional point of difference. Our new Sephora partnership will help drive awareness for this trusted professional brand in a new consumer channel and within our vast network of valued salons" says Mounia Tahiri, L'Oreal Professionnel General Manager.

"We are thrilled to partner with L'Oreal Professionnel and continue bringing our clients innovative, effective products that support all their unique haircare needs," said Jennifer Lucchese, VP Haircare Merchandising at Sephora. "We know our clients are looking for high-tech products that deliver results, and L'Oreal Professionnel's powerful product line-up will be a wonderful addition to our growing assortment."

L'Oreal Professionnel will launch with a 6-collection assortment including Metal Detox, Vitamino Color, Absolut Repair, Pro Longer, Curl Expression, and Silver providing the consumer a wide variety of options that promote healthy hair, maintain color, and repair damage.

L'Oreal Professionnel products will be sold on Sephora.com and throughout the US at locations in New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, San Francisco, San Diego, Denver, and Minneapolis.

For more information on the full range of L'Oreal Professionnel products please visit https://us.lorealprofessionnel.com/, www.sephora.com/brand/l-oreal-professionnel, or speak with your most trusted salon professional.

About L'Oreal Professionnel

L'Oreal Professionnel offers professional beauty expertise by drawing on over 110 years of knowledge and support for the hairdressing sector. The world's historical leading professional brand for hairstylists partners with 1.5 million stylists, and through over 300,000 salons. Its complementary broad portfolio is made of complete haircare ranges addressing all hair types, professional coloration & highlights, as well as augmented beauty tech accessories.

Acting under ambitious sustainability commitments following the L'Oreal for the Future program, L'Oreal Professionnel offers through 66 countries around the world the best in terms of science, quality, efficacy, and responsibility.

About Sephora Americas

Since its debut in North America 25 years ago, Sephora has been a leader in prestige omni-retail with the mission of creating an inviting beauty shopping experience and inspiring fearlessness in our community. With the goal of delivering unbiased shopping support and a personalized experience, Sephora invites clients to discover thousands of products from more than 360 carefully curated brands, explore online and through our mobile app, enjoy services at the Beauty Studio and engage with expertly trained Beauty Advisors in more than 600 stores across the Americas. And with its new long-term retail strategic partnership, clients can now shop Sephora at Kohl's, a fully immersive, premium beauty destination, with over 600 locations nationwide and 850 locations by 2023. Clients can access the free-to-join Beauty Insider program and digital community, which together enhance the experience of Sephora's passionate clients.

Sephora has been an industry-leading champion of diversity, inclusivity, and empowerment, guided by our longstanding company values. In 2019, Sephora announced a new tagline and manifesto, "We Belong to Something Beautiful," to reinforce its dedication to fostering belonging amongst all clients and employees and to publicly strive for a more inclusive vision for retail in the Americas. Sephora continues to give back to our communities and advance inclusion in our industry through its social impact and equity programming, called the Sephora D&I Heart Journey.

For more information, visit: https://www.sephora.com/about-us and @Sephora on social media. For media inquiries, previous press releases, view media kit, and more, please visit our Sephora Newsroom.

SOURCE L'Oreal Professionnel
Vietravel Airlines, which has leased one aircraft from Cambodia Airways, has asked the carrier for three more this year.

In June, Vietravel Airlines took delivery of an Airbus A319 to increase its fleet to four. It will get an Airbus A320 from the Cambodian carrier next month.

If it can lease three more planes from Cambodia Airways before the end of this year, it will expand its network to South Korea and Japan, and better serve the travel boom during the Lunar New Year holidays early next year.

The deal will also help start more services to tourist destinations in Vietnam and Cambodia.

The carrier, launched in early 2021, hopes to increase its fleet to 25 aircraft by 2025 and to 50 by 2030.
MOORESVILLE, N.C., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW) announced today that it will hold its Second Quarter 2023 Earnings Conference Call at 9 a.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, Aug. 22. A webcast will be available by visiting the Quarterly Earnings section of the Lowe's Investor Relations website, ir.lowes.com. Supplemental materials will be available 15 minutes before the start of the conference call.

What: Second Quarter 2023 Earnings Conference Call

When: 9 a.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, Aug. 22

Where: Visit the Quarterly Earnings section of the Lowe's Investor Relations website, ir.lowes.com

How: Listen live online and view the supplemental materials by following the directions above

A webcast replay of the call can be accessed from noon EST on Aug. 22, 2023 through Aug. 21, 2024 by visiting Events & Presentations on our Investor Relations website and clicking on Q2 2023 Lowe's Companies, Inc. Earnings Conference Call.

About Lowe's

Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW) is a FORTUNE 50 home improvement company serving approximately 17 million customer transactions a week in the United States. With total fiscal year 2022 sales of over $97 billion, approximately $92 billion of sales were generated in the United States, where Lowe's operates over 1,700 home improvement stores and employs approximately 300,000 associates. Based in Mooresville, N.C., Lowe's supports the communities it serves through programs focused on creating safe, affordable housing and helping to develop the next generation of skilled trade experts. For more information, visit Lowes.com.

LOW-IR

SOURCE Lowe's Companies, Inc.
Frontline associates providing essential supplies and support as Lowe's offers critical relief to affected communities

MOORESVILLE, N.C., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Lowe's today announced it will donate $1 million to continue to support relief and recovery efforts across Maui after deadly wildfires caused catastrophic destruction to homes and businesses on the island. The donation will assist Lowe's disaster relief partners including the American Red Cross and Lowe's nonprofit Pro customers, helping these organizations provide food, emergency shelter, relief supplies and comfort to those affected by the wildfires.

"The scope of the devastation in Maui is heartbreaking. We continue to send our thoughts and prayers to the people of Hawaii who have lost loved ones, have been displaced and all who have been impacted by this tragedy, including our associates," said Marvin Ellison, Lowe's chairman and CEO. "We are grateful for the tireless efforts of first responders and community members who have been on the ground helping since last week, and we will continue standing by them and our frontline associate to support the recovery of our neighbors, friends and family on the island."

In immediate response to the wildfires, associates from Lowe's of Kahului in Maui assisted local police, fire department and community members with donations of water, propane, barbecue grills, popup tents, tarps and many other essential supplies to help residents. Lowe's Emergency Command Center continues to expedite generators and additional emergency supplies to assist with immediate needs and support long-term recovery.

Lowe's Command Center has also deployed a 20-person Emergency Response Team to Lowe's store in Kahului to help with recovery efforts over the next two weeks. These specially trained store associates and district leaders are voluntarily leaving their home stores from Oahu and the Big Island to provide additional customer and associate support.

The company is also expanding financial assistance provided to associates through the Lowe's Employee Relief Fund. Lowe's is doubling the company's match, contributing $2 for every dollar an employee donates. Additionally, Lowe's has provided hotels for displaced store associates and meals for all associates and their families in Kahului. The store in Kahului is also hiring additional associates to support ongoing community needs and help Maui rebuild. Anyone who is interested can go to joinlowes.com to apply.

Individuals can team with Lowe's and the American Red Cross to provide assistance by donating at Lowe's American Red Cross Online Donation Site. Visit Lowe's Newsroom for updates on Lowe's relief efforts and continued community support.

About Lowe's

Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW) is a FORTUNE 50 home improvement company serving approximately 17 million customer transactions a week in the United States. With total fiscal year 2022 sales of over $97 billion, approximately $92 billion of sales were generated in the United States, where Lowe's operates over 1,700 home improvement stores and employs approximately 300,000 associates. Based in Mooresville, N.C., Lowe's supports the communities it serves through programs focused on creating safe, affordable housing and helping to develop the next generation of skilled trade experts. For more information, visit Lowes.com.

Media Contact

Steve Salazar

Lowe's Companies, Inc.

[email protected]

SOURCE Lowe's Companies, Inc.
SHANGHAI, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Lufax Holding Ltd ("Lufax" or the "Company") (NYSE: LU), a leading financial services enabler for small business owners in China, today announced that it plans to release its second quarter 2023 financial results after the market closes on Monday, August 21, 2023 U.S. Eastern Time.

The Company's management will hold an earnings conference call at 9:00 P.M. U.S. Eastern Time on Monday, August 21, 2023 (9:00 A.M. Beijing Time on Tuesday, August 22, 2023) to discuss the financial results. For participants who wish to join the call, please complete online registration using the link provided below in advance of the conference call. Upon registering, each participant will receive a participant dial-in number, the Direct Event passcode, and a unique access PIN, which can be used to join the conference call.

Registration Link: https://www.netroadshow.com/events/login?show=b1fbb5ad&confId=53994

A replay of the conference call will be accessible through August 28, 2023 (dial-in numbers: +1 (866) 813-9403 or +1 (929) 458-6194; replay access code: 308687). A live and archived webcast of the conference call will also be available at the Company's investor relations website at https://ir.lufaxholding.com.

About Lufax

Lufax is a leading financial services enabler for small business owners in China. The Company offers financing products designed principally to address the needs of small business owners. In doing so, the Company has established relationships with over 550 financial institutions in China, many of which have worked with the Company for over three years. These financial institutions provide funding and credit enhancement for the loans the Company enables as well as other products to enrich the small business owner ecosystem that the Company is creating.

Investor Relations Contact

Lufax Holding Ltd

Email: [email protected]

ICR, LLC

Robin Yang

Tel: +1 (646) 308-0546

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Lufax Holding Ltd
Costco's Kirkland Brand Frozen Strawberries Sicken Customers

SEATTLE, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The hepatitis A attorneys at Marler Clark, a Seattle based law firm, filed lawsuits against Scenic Fruit Company, LLC (berry grower) and Californica Splendor, Inc. (berry distributor), on behalf of Tanna Mosalsky and Ryan Darrow. Costco sold Kirkland Signature frozen organic strawberries linked to a multi-state hepatitis A outbreak that is responsible for Ms. Mosalsky's and Mr. Darrow's illnesses and injuries. The plaintiffs are represented by Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm . Complaint # 2:23-cv-00516-RSM and 2:23-cv-01235.

After eating Kirkland Signature organic frozen strawberries, Ms. Mosalsky developed symptoms consistent with hepatitis A which included nausea, shortness of breath, abdominal and torso pain and extreme fatigue. When Ms. Mosalsky sought medical treatment, she was hospitalized for four days and eventually diagnosed with hepatitis A. Testing revealed severely elevated liver enzyme levels. She continues to suffer complications of hepatitis A and will need to have her gallbladder removed.

Mr. Darrow purchased Costco organic strawberries in December 2022, consumed them in February 2023 and became ill in April 2023. Because a hepatitis A infection can incubate and occur 15 to 50 days after consumption, this illness fell well within the time frame. His symptoms included nausea, abdominal pain, dark urine fatigue and jaundice. He sought medical care and tests showed elevated liver enzymes, and an inflamed liver. A diagnosis of hepatitis A has left Mr. Darrow with lifelong complications and symptoms which include significant fatigue, pain and other physical discomforts.

As of July 18, 2023, 10 outbreak-associated cases of hepatitis A had been reported, from four states (California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington). Illness dates ranged from November 24, 2022, to June 4, 2023, with four people requiring hospitalization. Interviews with those sickened about foods they ate 2 to 7 weeks prior revealed that 100% reported eating organic frozen strawberries.

Epidemiologic and traceback evidence collected by investigations by the CDC, FDA, Washington state and local health departments indicated that frozen organic strawberries imported fresh from certain farms in Baja California, Mexico, in 2022 are the likely source of the outbreak.

The hepatitis A virus strain causing illnesses in this outbreak is genetically identical to the strain that caused a 2022 hepatitis A outbreak linked to fresh strawberries imported from Baja California and sold at various retailers. In response to this investigation, Defendant Scenic Fruit Company, LLC, recalled frozen organic strawberries, including those sold to Costco in Washington.

Hepatitis A: Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm , is the nation's leading law firm representing victims of Hepatitis A outbreaks. The Hepatitis A lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of Hepatitis A and other foodborne illness outbreaks and have recovered over $700 million for clients. Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation. Our Hepatitis A lawyers have litigated Hepatitis A cases stemming from outbreaks traced to a variety of sources, such as green onions, lettuce, and restaurant food. The law firm has brought Hepatitis A lawsuits against such companies as Costco, Subway, McDonald's, Red Robin, Chipotle, Quiznos and Carl's Jr.

If you or a family member became ill with a Hepatitis A infection after consuming food and you are interested in pursuing a legal claim, contact Marler Clark, Inc., PS for a free case evaluation at ( 866) 768-6846.

Bill Marler's work as a lawyer and food safety advocate is highlighted in the Netflix Documentary "Poisoned" now streaming. See: "Poisoned": The Dirty Truth About Your Food - Netflix https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZcyMgdWmPg.

SOURCE Marler Clark, The Nation's Food Safety Law Firm
Governor Green Urges Visitors to Forego Travel Plans to West Maui

HONOLULU, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Wildfires have resulted in the evacuations of thousands of residents and visitors, and multiple closures of major roadways on Maui.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) is in continuous communication with state and county emergency management officials, as well as our Global Marketing Team and visitor industry partners, to monitor this situation and will provide updates.

GOVERNOR GREEN URGES VISITORS TO FOREGO TRAVEL PLANS TO WEST MAUI

All non-essential travel to West Maui (including Lahaina, Napili, Kaanapali, and Kapalua) is strongly discouraged through the month of August, Governor Josh Green said in his latest emergency proclamation.

Visitors largely heeded the call to leave Maui in the early days of this unprecedented disaster. In the weeks ahead, the collective resources and attention of the federal, state and county government, the West Maui community, and the travel industry must be focused on the recovery of residents who lost loved ones, homes, their belongings, and businesses.

Hotels in West Maui have temporarily stopped accepting bookings of future reservations. While efforts are underway to fully restore electrical power, municipal water and communications, visitors are encouraged to refrain from attempting to reach West Maui accommodations for reservation adjustments until the situation stabilizes.

Visitors with travel plans to other parts of Maui (including Kahului, Wailuku, Kihei, Wailea, and Makena) should reach out to their accommodations to ensure they can still be hosted.

Travel to the other Hawaiian Islands, like Kauai, Oahu, Lanai, and Hawaii Island, is not affected at this time.

WEST MAUI HOTELS TO HOUSE EVACUEES, DISASTER WORKERS

Hotels in West Maui have temporarily stopped accepting bookings of future reservations. At this time, hotels are housing their employees and families, evacuees, and first responders working on disaster recovery  well over 1,000 people so far with more to come. More information on efforts to house evacuees can be found at mauistrong.hawaii.gov.

VACATION RENTAL OWNERS AND OPERATORS, PROPERTY OWNERS WITH AVAILABLE SPACE URGED TO LIST UNITS FOR EVACUEES

Vacation rental owners, as well as anyone with available space, are encouraged to make these accommodations available to temporarily house displaced West Maui residents. Starting today, the state has set up a referral program to make those connections possible to support West Maui residents in need of housing. Learn more, offer your space, or look for housing at the Fire Relief Housing Program website. A call center is also available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily at 808-587-0469, or email [email protected].

Airbnb.org has also announced an initiative to provide free, temporary stays to 1,000 people through its network of hosts. Details of that program will be announced in the coming days.

ACCESS RESTRICTIONS IN WEST MAUI

The devastation in Lahaina is immense and unprecedented. The extent of the damage affecting residents, families and area businesses has yet to be fully understood. Experts have warned that hazardous materials are likely present. The area most affected by the wildfires is off limits to the public, and vehicular access is restricted to the region. For updates, visit the County of Maui website: www.mauicounty.gov.

ASSISTANCE CENTER RELOCATED TO KE'EHI LAGOON

The Assistance Center at the Hawai'i Convention Center has been relocated to the Keehi Lagoon Memorial Hall at 2685 N. Nimitz Highway in Honolulu.

Operated in partnership with the American Red Cross to support those evacuated from Maui due to the wildfires, the Assistance Center has served nearly 300 visitors and residents since the facility opened on August 9. Evacuees are provided with temporary accommodations until they are able to board flights to return home or secure their own lodging. Water and food are provided to the evacuees, as well as showers, toiletries and clothes, if needed, all free of charge.

Shuttles offering free transportation from the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport to the Keehi Lagoon Memorial Hall are running throughout the day and can be found outside of baggage claim 9 and baggage claim 20 at the airport.

AIRLINE CANCELLATION & CHANGE POLICIES

Due to the wildfires and their impact on people's travel plans, the major U.S. airlines serving Kahului Airport have implemented flexible travel policies for changing or canceling flights. For specific information check with your airline. The U.S. Department of Transportation has posted a page with links to the major carriers serving Kahului Airport.

HOW TO HELP

Anyone wanting to make donations to help communities and families recover on Maui can do so through the Maui Strong Fund established by the Hawaii Community Foundation. The link can be accessed here.

Due to capacity limitations in the system, please consider making financial rather than physical donations.

About the Hawai'i Tourism Authority

The Hawaii Tourism Authority is the state agency responsible for representing The Hawaiian Islands around the world, and for holistically managing tourism in a sustainable manner consistent with community desires, economic goals, cultural values, preservation of natural resources, and visitor industry needs. HTA works with the community and industry to Malama Kuu Home  care for our beloved home. For more information about HTA, visit www.hawaiitourismauthority.org or follow @HawaiiHTA on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

SOURCE Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau
First Half Same Store Sales Increased 3.0%

First Half Net Income (attributable to shareholders) increased 48 . 4 %

. Second Quarter Gross Margin Increased 190 Basis Points to 41.2%

Second Quarter Net Income (attributable to shareholders) increased 46.5%

CAESAREA, Israel, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Max Stock Limited (TASE: MAXO) (the "Company") today reported financial results for second quarter ended June 30, 2023 and first half fiscal 2023 results.

First Half 2023 Summary

Revenue increased 5.7%.

Comparable store sales increased 3.0%

Net income (attributable to shareholders) increased 48.4% to ILS 37.5 million.

Adjusted EPS 1 (attributable to shareholders) increased 14.3% to ILS 0.27.

(attributable to shareholders) increased 14.3% to ILS 0.27. Adjusted EBITDA2 increased 9.3% to ILS 66.9 million.

Second Quarter 2023 Summary

Revenue was ILS 252.8 million compared to ILS 252.7 million.

Gross profit increased 4.9% to ILS 104.0 million.

Comparable store sales decreased 2.8%

Comparable store sales for the combined May- June 2023 period increased 3.9%

period increased 3.9% Net income (attributable to shareholders) increased 46.5% to ILS 16.6 million.

Adjusted EPS 1 (attributable to shareholders) increased 7.2% to ILS 0.11.

(attributable to shareholders) increased 7.2% to ILS 0.11. Adjusted EBITDA2 increased 2.6% to ILS 30.1 million.

Ori Max, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "We delivered a strong first half performance highlighted by a 3% increase in same store sales and a 48% gain in net income (attributable to shareholders). Our recent results underscore the positive consumer response to our product offering and shopping experience, our growing store footprint, and great execution by our teams."

1 As used throughout this release, adjusted EPS (attributable to shareholders) defined as Net Income + Share-based payment, multiplied by the portion attributable to shareholders and divided by the number of shares.

2 As used throughout this release, adjusted EBITDA Pre IFRS 16 defined as Net Income + Income Tax Expenses + Net Interest Expenses + D&A + Other Expenses  the impact of IFRS 16 + Share-based payment  IFRS 16.

First Half 2023 Results

Revenue for the first half of 2023 increased 5.7% to ILS 532.4 million, compared with revenue of ILS 503.6 million in the first half of 2022. The increase in revenue over the period reflected an approximately 3% gain in same store sales, fueled by an increase in store traffic and higher seasonal sales compared with the prior year period. Revenue in the period also benefited from the addition of 4,500 net square meters and 4 franchised stores. During the LTM period, we opened 2 owned stores, closed one owned Max store and sold one owned Mini Max store to a franchisee.

Gross profit increased 11.6% to ILS 219.8 million in the first half of 2023 from ILS 197.0 million a year ago. Gross margin was ~41.3% as compared to ~39.1% in the prior year period. The 220-basis point improvement in gross margin year-over-year was driven primarily by a decrease in logistical expenses as a result of more efficient inventory management and a decline in global shipping costs.

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased to ILS 152.0 million in the first half of 2023 from ILS 144.6 million in the first half of 2022. The increase in operating expenses primarily included municipal expenses and amortization of right-of-use assets costs (IFRS 16) related to new stores, as well as ILS 3.3 million of expenses to support the start-up of the Company's operations in Portugal; partially offset by a ILS 8.4 million decrease in stock-based-compensation. As a percentage of sales, selling, general and administrative expenses were 28.6% in H1 2023 compared with 28.7% in H1 2022.

Net income (attributable to shareholders) increased 48.4% to ILS 37.5 million.

Adjusted net income (attributable to shareholders) increased 11.8% to ILS 36.9 million.

Adjusted EPS1(attributable to shareholders) increased 14.3% to ILS 0.27 in the first half of 2023 as compared with adjusted EPS1(attributable to shareholders) of ILS 0.23 per share, in the first half of 2022.

Adjusted EBITDA2 increased 9.3% to ILS 66.9 million in the first half 2023 from ILS 61.2 million in the first half of 2022. The Company's joint venture in Portugal negatively contributed ILS 2.6 million to Adjusted EBITDA2 in the first half 2023.

Second Quarter 2023 Results

Revenue was ILS 252.8 million in the second quarter 2023 as compared with revenue of ILS 252.7 million in the second quarter 2022. Revenue in the second quarter of this year was adversely impacted by the timing of the Passover festival, which primarily affected March demand and contributed to the 2.8% decline in sale store sales. Same store sales growth for the combined May-June 2023 period, that had no impact from the timing of holidays, was 3.9%.

Gross profit increased 4.9% to ILS 104.0 million in the second quarter 2023 from ILS 99.2 million in the second quarter 2022. Gross margin was ~41.2% as compared to ~39.3% in the prior year period. The 190-basis point improvement in gross margin year-over-year was driven primarily by a decrease in logistical expenses as a result of more efficient inventory management and by a decline in global shipping costs.

Selling, general and administrative expenses decreased to ILS 73.3 million in the second quarter 2023 from ILS 74.5 million in the second quarter 2022. As a percentage of sales, selling, general and administrative expenses were 29.0% in Q2 2023 compared with 29.5% in Q2 2022. The decrease in selling, general and administrative expenses primarily reflected a ILS 4.5 million decline in stock-based-compensation; partially offset by an increase in municipal expenses and amortization of right-of-use assets costs (IFRS 16) related to new stores, and by ILS 1.7 million expenses to support the start-up of the Company's operations in Portugal.

Net income (attributable to shareholders) increased 46.5% to ILS 16.6 million.

Adjusted net income (attributable to shareholders) increased 4.9% to ILS 15.9 million.

Adjusted EPS1(attributable to shareholders) increased 7.2% to ILS 0.11, in the second quarter of 2023 as compared with adjusted EPS1(attributable to shareholders) of ILS 0.11 per share, in the second quarter of 2022.

Adjusted EBITDA2 increased 2.6% to ILS 30.1 million in the second quarter fiscal 2023 from ILS 29.3 million in the second quarter 2022. The Company's joint venture in Portugal negatively contributed ILS 1.7 million to Adjusted EBITDA2 in the second quarter of 2023.

Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Highlights

The Company's cash and cash equivalents balance at June 30, 2023 was ILS 65.2 million compared with ILS 80.5 million at December 31, 2022 and ILS 83.8 million at June 30, 2022. The Company ended the second quarter of 2023 with total debt of ILS 34.4 million compared with total debt of ILS 47.6 million at the end of fiscal 2022.

Inventories at June 30, 2023 were ILS 156.3 million, down 1.9% compared with ILS 159.4 million at December 31, 2022 and down 17.9% compared with ILS 190.3 million at June 30, 2022.

Conference Call Information

The Company will host a conference call on August 15, 2023 at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time to discuss second quarter fiscal 2023 results (Link).The conference call will also be accessible at https://ir.maxstock.co.il/en/event-en/.There will be a slide presentation that accompanies the call. The slides will be accessible at https://ir.maxstock.co.il/en/presentation-en/. An archived webcast of the conference call will be available at https://ir.maxstock.co.il/en/presentation-en/.

About Max Stock

Max Stock is Israel's leading extreme value retailer, currently present in 59 locations throughout Israel and 2 locations in Portugal that opened in 2023. We offer a broad assortment of quality products for customers' everyday needs at affordable prices, helping customers "Dream Big, Pay Small". For more information, please visit https://ir.maxstock.co.il

Forward-Looking Statements

It should be emphasized that this report includes forward-looking information as defined under the Securities Law, 5728-1968. Forward-looking information is uncertain information regarding the future, including forecasts, projections, estimates or other information which refer to a future event or matter, the eventuation of which is uncertain and/or not within the Company's control. The forward-looking information included in this report is based on the current information held by the Company or its current assessments, as of the publication date of this report.

Company Contacts:

Talia Sessler,

Chief Corporate Development and IR Officer

[email protected]

SOURCE Max Stock Limited
Pravibismane is the first of a new class of drugs with broad-spectrum potency against a wide range of pathogens, including NTM species

Poster presentation highlighted the results from pravibismane in vitro and in vivo studies against M. abscessus that demonstrated better performance than amikacin

BOZEMAN, Mont., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Microbion Corporation today announced that the company presented a poster highlighting the results from a series of in vitro and in vivo studies characterizing pravibismane's effect against Mycobacteroides abscessus at the recent 6th World Bronchiectasis & NTM Conference held in New York, NY. The studies were conducted by Dr. Luiz Bermudez at Oregon State University and financial support was provided by CARB-X.

Poster details:

Title: Antibacterial activity of pravibismane against Mycobateroides abscessus (#206-B)

Authors: Jeffrey Millard1, Amy Leestemaker-Palmer2, Luiz E. Bermudez2,3, Brett Baker1

1Microbion Corporation, Bozeman, MT, USA; 2Department of Biomedical Sciences, Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine, Corvallis, OR, USA; 3Department of Microbiology, College of Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA.

Poster Highlights:

Pravibismane exhibited 16- to 32-fold lower MICs compared to amikacin in three M. abscessus strains tested (standard lab and cystic fibrosis patient isolates).





strains tested (standard lab and cystic fibrosis patient isolates). In THP-1 human macrophage cells intracellularly infected with M. abscessus , treatment with pravibismane alone or in combination with amikacin resulted in lower CFUs compared to vehicle control.





, treatment with pravibismane alone or in combination with amikacin resulted in lower CFUs compared to vehicle control. In a chronic M. abscessus lung infection mouse model, unlike inhaled amikacin, inhaled pravibismane exhibited a statistically significant reduction in bacteria in lung homogenates when compared to vehicle control with an 18-fold reduction in CFU counts.

"We are excited to be sharing these new pravibismane in vitro and in vivo data," said Dr. Luiz Bermudez, Distinguished Professor, Department of Microbiology at Oregon State University, and co-author of the poster. "The data demonstrate that pravibismane can be efficaciously delivered to mice by aerosol inhalation, providing statistically significant reduction in a human pathogenic strain of M. abscessus with no toxicity, even when delivered in high doses. Effective therapies for the treatment of non-tuberculous mycobacteria pulmonary disease are lacking, particularly against Mycobacteroides abscessus, and the findings from this study demonstrate that inhaled pravibismane is a promising agent that could potentially address several unmet needs for patients suffering from this debilitating lung infection and warrants further investigation."

Disclaimer: Research reported in this press release is supported by the Cooperative Agreement Number IDSEP160030 from ASPR/BARDA and by awards from Wellcome Trust and Germany's Federal Ministry of Education and Research, as administrated by CARB-X. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, CARB-X, or other funders.

About Microbion

Microbion is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing a new class of therapeutic compounds to improve the lives of patients with rare and serious diseases. Microbion's lead drug candidate, pravibismane, is the first product in this new class and has multiple novel modes of action, including potent broad spectrum anti-infective and antibiofilm activity, offering unique potential to address the unmet needs of chronic and severe health conditions. The Company is advancing inhaled pravibismane in Phase 1 clinical development for the treatment of chronic lung diseases, including non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) and cystic fibrosis-related lung infections. Topical/local pravibismane is in Phase 2 development for the treatment of chronic wounds and orthopedic infections. Pravibismane has received backing from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, NIH, US DoD, and CARB-X with over $21 million in grants. The FDA has granted pravibismane Orphan Drug, Fast Track, and QIDP designations.

For more information visit: www.microbioncorp.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain of the statements made in this press release are forward-looking, such as those, among others, relating to the success of clinical development of pravibismane and preparation for potential commercialization. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those anticipated, including, but not limited to, risks and uncertainties related to: our ability to enroll patients in our clinical trials at the pace that we project; the size and growth of the potential markets for pravibismane or any future product candidates and our ability to serve those markets; our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval of pravibismane or any future product candidates; and our expectations regarding the potential safety, efficacy or clinical utility of pravibismane or any future product candidates. Actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected or implied in these forward-looking statements. Microbion Corporation 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 Microbion Corporation
Leading Residential Cleaning Company Invites Moms and Dads of Children or Pets Chance to Win $500 Gift Card in National Contest Kicking off August 15th

WACO, Texas, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Molly Maid, a Neighborly company, and the leading residential cleaning franchise, is excited to announce the launch of its second annual contest aimed at finding the nation's messiest kids and pets. As a company that understands the challenges parents face in maintaining a clean home with little ones and furry companions around, Molly Maid offers a fun opportunity for parents across the nation to win a $500 Molly Maid gift card for submitting photos of a housecleaning disaster caused by their little ones or pets.

Molly Maid's "Messiest Kids & Pets" contest will select five lucky winners to receive a Molly Maid gift certificate, redeemable for home cleaning services at their local Molly Maid branch. Starting August 15,, participants can visit the official entry page and submit their names and photos for the drawing. The contest will run until August 31,, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. CT.

"Children and pets bring endless joy, love, and messes to our lives, and there is still no deeper bond than that between a parent and their child or pet. But dealing with the chaos can be overwhelming," said Marla Mock, president of Molly Maid, a Neighborly company. "This national contest is our way of giving parents a chance to take a load off, enjoy their clean space and spend precious time with their children and pets."

To learn more about the Messiest Kids & Pets contest, please visit mollymaid.com on the initiative.

For those looking to give the special person in their life some time off and a spotless home any time of the year, Molly Maid gift certificates are available for purchase at https://www.mollymaid.com/gift-certificates/.

About Molly Maid

Molly Maid is a residential cleaning franchise who's independently owned and operated franchises collectively clean more than 1.7 million U.S. homes annually. Franchising since 1984, there are more than 475 Molly Maid units operating in the United States. Acquired in 2015, Molly Maid is part of Neighborly, the world's largest home services franchisor of 26 service brands including Neighborly umbrella service brand and 5,000 franchise owners serving 10 million+ customers in nine countries, focused on repairing, maintaining, and enhancing homes and businesses. Molly Maid established the Ms. Molly Foundation in 1996 to raise awareness and support for victims of domestic violence. Neighborly brands are found at www.neighborly.com or on the Neighborly App. For more information about Molly Maid, visit www.mollymaid.com. To learn about franchising opportunities with Neighborly, visit franchise.neighborly.com.

Media Contact: Ali Molina, Fishman PR, 847-987-2199 or [email protected]

SOURCE Molly Maid
PHOENIX, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In a groundbreaking move towards promoting mental well-being, MoodConnect , an Artificial Intelligence-driven mental health tech company, announced today its strategic partnership with Storj , the leader in enterprise-grade, globally distributed cloud object storage. This alliance is set to unveil a state-of-the-art mental health tracker designed to help individuals and corporations capture, store, and share sentiment data securely.

"I'm excited to be a part of MoodConnect's journey," said Scoble. "Mental health is a crucial aspect of human well-being." Tweet this MoodConnect and Storj are excited to announce their partnership and welcome Robert Scoble as AI advisor on MoodConnect's team.

MoodConnect empowers users to track, store and share their own emotion data from conversations and to securely possess this data for personal introspection, to share with healthcare professionals, with friends and family, or to gauge organizational sentiment within a company.

MoodConnect's AI-backed system coupled with Storj's distributed storage ensures robust data protection. Storj's distributed architecture encrypts files end-to-end and distributes them across tens of thousands of points of presence. This zero-trust security model helps protect against outages, ransomware, and data compromise while boosting global performance and reliability. Given the sensitive nature of mental health data, this collaboration reinforces the commitment both companies have towards maintaining user privacy.

"We're thrilled to fuse our AI Mental Health tracker with Storj's distributed storage solutions," said MoodConnect's CEO Amy Ouzoonian. "Our primary aim is to make mental health tracking as commonplace as any health tracking while ensuring users have utmost confidence in the safety of their data."

"In its pursuit of expanding mental health tracking, MoodConnect will be procuring large amounts of sensitive data," said Storj CEO Ben Golub. "Using our enterprise-grade distributed architecture, which encrypts and then splits files into pieces that are stored across tens of thousands of uncorrelated nodes around the globe, MoodConnect can ensure that its user's valuable data is secured at the highest level."

In addition to this partnership, MoodConnect is welcoming a new member to their team. Robert Scoble, a name synonymous with cutting-edge technology and innovation, joins as AI Advisor. He will be bringing his extensive knowledge in AI/AR/VR to further enhance MoodConnect's offerings.

"I'm excited to be a part of MoodConnect's journey," remarked Scoble. "Mental health is a crucial aspect of human well-being, and using AI to aid this cause is not just innovative but deeply impactful."

MoodConnect's collaboration with Storj and the addition of Robert Scoble to their team signals a paradigm shift in how mental health can be approached, tracked, and managed in the digital age.

For more about MoodConnect:

https://moodconnect.com

For more about Storj:

https://storj.io

About MoodConnect:

MoodConnect is an AI-first company dedicated to revolutionizing mental health monitoring and well-being. With state-of-the-art technology and a user-centric approach, MoodConnect aims to bring mental health tracking to the forefront of personal and organizational well-being.

About Storj:

Storj is a leader in decentralized cloud object storage. Built for enterprise storage workloads, Storj delivers blazingly fast, CDN-like performance at cold storage prices, enterprise-grade durability, and zero-trust security with no vendor lock-in and no single points of failure. Storj meets the leading-edge privacy and sustainability demands for traditional use cases, Web3, and dApps. Easily integrated into any existing stack with S3 compatibility, Storj is architected as a trustless globally distributed network that utilizes existing excess storage capacity making performance, privacy, and resiliency available to any size organization, at 1/5 to 1/20 the price of hyperscalers. Storj serves petabyte-scale enterprise and Web3 customers and partners like Adobe, Acronis, GB Labs, Ankr, Atempo, iXsystems, Matter Labs, Gabb Wireless, and the University of Edinburgh. STORJ is an ERC-20 token used across the Storj network.

SOURCE MoodConnect
87% of parents of children under 18 say the back-to-school season causes them stress and anxiety.

Parents of neurodivergent children are more likely to feel stressed, unprepared, scared, and lonely about back-to-school season.

NEW YORK, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Understood.org , the nonprofit dedicated to serving the 70 million people in the U.S. with learning and thinking differences like ADHD and dyslexia , released findings from its "Back-To-School Stress Study," conducted online by The Harris Poll, among over 550 U.S. parents of children under age 18. It reveals that the back-to-school season is often the most stressful time of year for parents across the country. Notably, nearly 9 in 10 (87%) parents of children under 18 report that back-to-school season causes them stress or anxiety. And parents of children who have learning and thinking differences  i.e., are neurodivergent or have been diagnosed with ADHD, dyslexia, or dyscalculia  are more likely than other parents to say they feel stressed (39% vs. 28%, respectively), unprepared (19% vs. 12%), scared (17% vs. 9%), and/or lonely (10% vs. 3%) when it comes to back-to-school season.

As children around the country return to school in coming months, new research from Understood.org highlights how the enthusiasm for the back-to-school season differs significantly between parents.

"The reality is that, contrary to what we see in popular culture, back-to-school season is often a challenging time for most parents," said Dr. Andrew Kahn, Understood.org's associate director of behavior change and expertise. "Back-to-school season presents a series of stressors for every parent, and for parents of a child with learning and thinking differences, it can be extremely isolating. When it comes to education, these parents often feel that their children are trying to navigate an obstacle course rather than the usual playing field of neurotypical children, and they need support."

Additionally, Understood.org's new survey found:

Over half (53%) of parents of children under 18 agree that back-to-school season is the most stressful time of year.

Over 4 in 5 (81%) parents of children under 18 agree that not all parents are excited to send their kids back to school.

Nearly half (48%) of parents of children under 18 say that the stigma surrounding neurodiversity is stronger than ever.

More than 9 in 10 (94%) parents of neurodivergent children say that something about back-to-school season causes them stress or anxiety, including nearly 1 in 4 (23%) who report stress or anxiety about managing their child's IEP (Individualized Education Program).

While 43% of parents of children under 18 say they are excited about the back-to-school season, about 1 in 3 report being stressed (33%) or anxious (30%).

According to our new survey, 2 in 5 parents of children under 18 (42%) have at least one child who is neurodivergent, has learning and thinking differences, and/or has been diagnosed with ADHD, dyslexia, or dyscalculia. And while 1 in 5 children in the U.S. have learning and thinking differences, finding reliable and accurate sources to help navigate back-to-school challenges can be difficult for parents. It can be especially hard to find an accessible, supportive community that fits parents' individual needs.

"Parents of children with learning and thinking differences can easily feel alone. That is why it is so important that they feel that they have a voice, community, and safe space to connect with other parents and experts who understand what they are going through," said Co-President and Chief Product Officer Jenny Wu. "That is why we created Wunder by Understood . Having access to this type of personalized, judgment-free experience that's accessible anytime allows parents the chance to make connections and feel the assurance of a support system."

Wunder is a free, first-of-its-kind community app designed for parents raising kids with learning and thinking differences. It helps them get support from each other, experts, and credible resources on everyday life and education-related topics. The community app has thousands of parents and caregivers in 20 different community groups; over 100 curated articles, videos, activities, and tips; and sparks over 700 conversations among users every month.

Wunder is available on both Android and iOS devices. For more information about Wunder, visit https://www.understood.org/en/wunder , or download it directly from the App Store . For more information about Understood.org, visit u.org and https://mediacenter.understood.org/ .

About Understood.org

Understood.org is a nonprofit focused on shaping the world for difference. We raise awareness of the challenges, skills, and strengths of people who learn and think differently. Our resources help people navigate challenges, gain confidence, and find support and community so they can thrive. Together, we can build a world where everyone can reach their full potential. Understood.org is a 501(c)(3) organization headquartered in New York. For more information, to donate, or to partner, visit u.org/media and follow us @UnderstoodOrg.

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Understood.org from June 2830, 2023, among 2,061 adults ages 18-plus, among whom 563 were parents of children under 18. 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 +/- 2.8 percentage points using a 95% confidence level.

SOURCE Understood
Workers process fish at a factory in southern An Giang Province. Photo by VnExpress/Thi Ha

Vietnams billion-dollar export industries such as cashew nuts, wood and seafood have all lowered their shipment targets for this year amid global economic challenges.

The Vietnam Cashew Association has lowered its exports target twice this year to $3.05 billion, down nearly 20% from its original goal of $3.8 billion.

The wood export industry has also brought down its target from $18 billion to $14 billion, a 22% drop.

The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers has recently said that under the unfavorable situation of the last five months, exports could fetch $8.7 billion this year at most, down 21% from a record of $11 billion last year.

The lower targets reflect the difficulties that exporters are facing amid declining global demands.

Exports of agriculture, forestry and seafood in the first seven months fell 9.1% on-year to $29.13 billion. Seafood and forestry exports plunged 25%.

Nguyen Chanh Phuong, deputy chairman of the Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of Ho Chi Minh City, said that demand for wood products and furniture in the U.S. and the E.U. were low in autumn this year.

The strengthening euro is also causing disadvantages for exporters, he added.

Cashew exporters also say that demand for their products are falling. African buyers have been cutting their purchases from Vietnam as this country has been increasing its production capability.

Seafood buyers from the U.S. and China have been lowering their orders by 20-30% year-on-year.

This has brought down prices and some farmers have shut down all activities due to fear of further losses, which consequently resulted in a supply decline, exporters said.

VASEP expects marginal increases in demand from Japan, South Korea and China in the last quarter.

In the U.S., the holiday season might help boost purchases, it added.

The agriculture ministry has said that exports can reach its target of $55 billion this year if the forestry and seafood sectors can achieve growth in the second half of the year.

There is rising demand for Vietnamese agricultural produce in China, it added.

Analysts of SSI Securities Corporation expect an improvement in profits for exporters, especially those who ship to the U.S., in the last six months this year, thanks to declining costs of transportation and ingredients.
This milestone reflects MPOWER's continued commitment to socio-economic mobility for bright minds across the globe

WASHINGTON, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- MPOWER Financing ("MPOWER"), a mission-driven fintech firm and a leading provider of scholarships and no-cosigner loans to promising students from around the world, announced today that it has completed a 2-year process to become a Certified B Corporation (" B Corp "), another key milestone in its long-term commitment to making a positive social impact on a global scale.

Many brilliant students can see their dreams of studying abroad become a reality thanks to [MPOWER's] support Tweet this B Corporation Certification reflects MPOWERs continued commitment to socio-economic mobility for bright minds across the globe

Certified B Corps are leaders in the worldwide movement to drive an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy, according to B Lab , the nonprofit organization that verifies and credentials B Corp applicants. B Lab performed a comprehensive review of MPOWER's social and environmental policies and processes across five categories: governance, workers, community, environment and customers. Notable B Corps include Patagonia, Toms Shoes, Etsy, and Ben & Jerry's on the retail side, Laureate Education and Coursera in the Education space, and Lemonade Insurance and Aspiration Bank in financial services.

"This certification is a testament to MPOWER's continued commitment to democratizing access to education for millions of promising students from around the world," said Manu Smadja, CEO and Co-Founder of MPOWER Financing. "We were incorporated in Delaware as a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC) nearly a decade ago, we've been GIIRS -rated multiple years, we measure and publish our impact according to UN metrics yearly, and we continue to positively change the lives of bright minds around the world with each and every loan we make. We're impacting 10,000 students this year alone."

MPOWER publishes an annual Social Impact Report that analyzes the role that its financing plays in helping international students obtain a high-quality education and the many positive outcomes these students achieve when they are empowered to follow their dreams. As one MPOWER student recently wrote, "Many brilliant students can see their dreams of studying abroad become a reality thanks to [MPOWER's] support." The report also serves to encourage higher-education institutions, policymakers, and the private sector to collectively further remove barriers that these students face when pursuing higher education.

The B certification comes on top of several other impact distinctions that MPOWER received this year, including being a Certified Great Place to Work, topping the Washington Business Journal's Corporate Diversity Index, and Fintech Futures Banking For Good.

About MPOWER Financing

MPOWER Financing , co-headquartered in Washington, D.C. and Bengaluru, India, is a mission-driven fintech company and the leading provider of global education loans. Its proprietary algorithm analyzes overseas and domestic credit data as well as the future earning potential to serve promising international and DACA students. MPOWER works with over 400 top universities across the U.S. and Canada to provide financing to students from over 200 countries. The MPOWER team consists of former international students and provides students with personal financial education and career support to prepare them for life after school.

MPOWER is a Certified B Corp and Great Place To Work , one of the best fintechs to work for , and the best tech workplace for diversity . The company is hiring for positions worldwide.

SOURCE MPOWER Financing
STOCKHOLM, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- MasterExchange, a platform enabling individuals to invest in music in the form of royalty shares sold out its first offering in the song `Sofia' by Alvaro Soler, sold by the co-producer T.I Jakke. This unprecedented feat underscores the platform's position at the forefront of innovative music investment opportunities in Europe.

'Sofia,' released on July 15th, 2016 has streamed over 2 billion streams across platforms and gone platinum eight times in Italy and two in Spain. Its steady stream of streams over the past seven years translates into an average historical yearly yield of over 10%, providing investors cash flow in the form of future music royalties.

"The response to this IMO has been overwhelming, showcasing the resounding appetite for music-based investments. Demand was so high that the offering was oversubscribed, attesting to the fan- and market appetite of investing in music." Alexander Fred-Ojala, CEO at MasterExchange.

As the offering was oversubscribed, for those who didn't secure shares in this IMO, the Exchange - the secondary market on MasterExchange - is an opportunity to buy shares traded between users. This platform allows users to buy and sell shares among themselves, fostering a dynamic and vibrant community of music enthusiasts and investors.

MasterExchange is now gearing up for several more releases and IMOs during the fall, and the team is truly excited about the music investment opportunities that they'll soon bring to the world!

For media inquiries, please reach out to:

[email protected]

+1 310 861 4560

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/22693/3817766/2228830.pdf Press Release (PDF) https://news.cision.com/masterexchange/i/mx-desktop-whitebg,c3205936 MX desktop whitebg https://news.cision.com/masterexchange/i/mx-desktop,c3205937 MX desktop https://news.cision.com/masterexchange/i/mx-mobile,c3205938 MX mobile https://news.cision.com/masterexchange/i/mx-mobile-whitebg,c3205939 MX mobile whitebg

SOURCE MasterExchange
MyFBAPrep Makes Debut as the Highest Ranked Company in the Logistics & Transportation Category

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- MyFBAPrep , an eCommerce warehouse and logistics network, announced today that it has ranked within the top 50 on the prestigious Inc. 5000 list, featuring the fastest-growing private companies in America.

Landing in the #44 spot, MyFBAPrep achieved an 8,773% revenue growth rate - making it the highest ranked company in the logistics and transportation category and the fourth-highest ranked company in Florida overall. This aggressive growth streak comes on the back of adding an additional 70-million-square-feet of warehouse space to its existing eCommerce network in the last year, bringing the total to 85-million-square-feet of warehouse space globally. The company also ranked ninth on the Inc. Regionals 2023: Southeast list earlier this year.

To earn a top 50 ranking on the Inc. 5000 list in our first year of eligibility is great validation for all of us. Tweet this

"MyFBAPrep has been on a rocketship ride since day one, which is a testament to our team's hard work, dedication and unwavering commitment to customer service. To earn a top 50 ranking on the Inc. 5000 in our first year of eligibility is great validation for all of us," said Tom Wicky, Co-Founder & CEO of MyFBAPrep. "We've been lucky to have such an incredible customer base that trusts us with their brands. We've built a powerful one-stop shop for enterprise-level eCommerce brands that is really resonating with the market. We handle everything from port to porch by leveraging our proprietary Saas-based technology, Preptopia. With more than 100 warehouses and 85-million-square-feet of warehouse space globally, we are well positioned to continue this trajectory."

For more information about MyFBAPrep, visit MyFBAPrep.com . Be sure to subscribe to the weekly "Seller Insights" newsletter and follow @MyFBAPrep on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000 .

About MyFBAPrep

MyFBAPrep is the leading eCommerce warehouse and logistics network for enterprise-level brands, and top Amazon sellers and aggregators. Operating a global network of more than 100 warehouses and 85-million-square-feet of warehouse space, MyFBAPrep offers a full suite of eCommerce 3PL services including Amazon wholesale and private label, direct-to-consumer (DTC) fulfillment, and B2B retail. Powered by its SaaS technology platform Preptopia, sellers get access to unified billing, analytics, business intelligence reporting tools, and real-time inventory views across multiple warehouses in the network. Operating in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe and the United Kingdom, the company provides FBA Prep and marketplace automation, modern robotics item picking, and a dedicated account management team. Based in Coral Springs, Florida, MyFBAPrep moves over $1 billion in Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) and processes over 10 million units annually.

For more information, contact:

Courtney Dennis

Director of Communications

[email protected]

619-952-1856

SOURCE MyFBAPrep
MyForexFunds has won the 'Fastest Growing Proprietary Trading Platform, Global' for the year 2023

LONDON, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Prestigious Global Brand Awards, a revered yearly occasion orchestrated by Global Brands Magazine (GBM) in the United Kingdom, strives to honour worldwide brands that distinguish themselves across diverse industries, all the while ensuring that readers are abreast of pivotal trends in the realm of branding. Amidst this distinguished exhibition of accomplishment, MyForexFunds has taken a leading position, undergoing a comprehensive evaluation by an external evaluation agency. MyForexFunds underwent a thorough assessment encompassing various criteria, including customer service, customer satisfaction, innovative digital strategies, strategic affiliations, and new business advancement.

Commenting on MyForexFunds winning the awards, Jay Reddy, Director of Global Brands Magazine, said, "Congratulations to MyForexFunds for their remarkable achievement as the Fastest Growing Proprietary Trading Platform on a global scale. This recognition is a testament to their unwavering commitment to excellence, innovation, and dedication to empowering traders worldwide. We, at Global Brands Magazine, applaud their outstanding efforts and contributions to the financial industry, setting new standards for growth and success."

Commenting on winning the awards, Murtuza Kazmi, Chairman, and CEO of MyForexFunds commented, "MyForexFunds strives to be the standard of excellence in all we do. We're pleased that another external organization has recognized MyForexFunds for our services. This award underlines our establishment as a world-leading prop trading firm and fuels our passion to work even harder for our continuous development, where our traders' success is listed first."

About MyForexFunds

MyForexFunds, a leading Forex Prop Trading Firm, is committed to empowering traders in the FOREX, CFDs, and commodities markets, enabling them to achieve greater profitability, self-sustainability, and expertise in their trading pursuits.

At the heart of MyForexFunds lies a deep sense of community and mutual growth. The company warmly embraces all traders, affectionately referring to them as the MFF Family, irrespective of whether they have joined their programs or not. This inclusive approach fosters open dialogue, collaboration, and unwavering support as traders embark on their path to becoming proficient professionals.

The primary mission of MyForexFunds is to support individuals in their trading endeavors, providing them with the necessary tools and guidance to excel in their financial journey. With a dedicated team of over 300 staff worldwide and serving more than 2000 customers, daily, from across the globe, MyForexFunds has solidified its position as a market leader.

About Global Brands Magazine (England)

Global Brands Magazine (GBM) has been at the forefront, bringing news, views, and opinions on brands shaping the future of their industry. The magazine covers a wide range of industries, including fashion, beauty, technology, and more. It is targeted towards business executives and marketing professionals, offering insights and analysis on brand building and management. With over 9.5 million monthly visitors and 14 million page views, GBM is one of the most esteemed online magazines globally. The magazine also maintains a strong presence on social media, boasting over 20k+ Facebook likes, 10k+ Instagram followers, 25k+ Twitter followers, and 3k+ LinkedIn followers.

About the Global Brand Awards

The Global Brand Awards is an annual event that celebrates the accomplishments of the world's leading brands. These awards honour brands across various categories, including innovation, sustainability, customer experience, and more. The aim is to showcase best practices in branding, marketing, and customer engagement while providing recognition and exposure for the winning brands. To learn more about the awards, please visit the Brand Awards Winners section on the GBM website.

To nominate your company or business leader for the Global Brand Awards 2023, please click on the following link:

https://www.globalbrandsmagazine.com/nomination-form/

Checkout these social media shout outs from the links below:

Facebook: https://rebrand.ly/xqjn3ry

Linkedin: https://rebrand.ly/n7813ik

Instagram: https://rebrand.ly/b3cgd9v

Twitter: https://rebrand.ly/7b1a2f

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2080309/4043105/GBM_AWARDS_2023_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Global Brands Publications Limited
LIMERICK, Ireland, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NAC Aviation 29 Designated Activity Company (the "Company") today announced the early tender results for its previously announced offer to purchase an amount up to the Tender Cap (as defined below) of its 4.75% Senior Secured Notes due June 30, 2026 (the "Notes") at a purchase price per $1,000 principal amount of Notes for cash (the "Notes Offer") as set forth in the Company's Offer to Purchase dated July 25, 2023, as amended by the supplement dated July 28, 2023 (the ''Offer to Purchase''). Concurrently with the Notes Offer, the Company is seeking to purchase, by way of assignment from lenders (the "TLB Lenders"), loans (the "TLB Loans") under its term loan B credit agreement dated as of June 1, 2022 between, among others, the Company as a borrower, the financial institutions named therein as original lenders and Wilmington Trust (London) Limited as agent for the lenders (as amended from time to time, the "Term Loan B Credit Agreement" and, together with the Notes, the "NAC 29 Debt"), on substantially the same economic terms as the Notes Offer (the "TLB Offer" and, together with the Notes Offer, the "Debt Purchase Transactions"). The maximum aggregate amount (at face value) of NAC 29 Debt to be purchased by the Company pursuant to the Debt Purchase Transactions is $80,000,000 (the "Tender Cap"). The accepted bid price range is $875.00 to $905.00 per $1,000.00 principal amount of NAC 29 Debt.

As of the previously announced early tender deadline of 5:00 p.m. New York City time on August 10, 2023, the Company has been advised by Global Bondholder Services Corporation, as tender agent and information agent for the Notes Offer, that $80,242,872 in aggregate principal amount, or approximately 10.04%, of the outstanding Notes had been validly tendered and not withdrawn in the Notes Offer. The withdrawal deadline relating to the Notes Offer occurred at 5:00 p.m. New York City time on August 10, 2023. The Notes Offer is scheduled to expire at 5:00 p.m. New York City time on August 22, 2023, unless extended or earlier terminated. The Company has also been advised by Wilmington Trust (London) Limited as agent for the TLB Lenders that as of today's date, no outstanding TLB Loan interests have been validly tendered and not withdrawn in the TLB Offer. The TLB Offer is scheduled to expire at 5:00 p.m. New York City time on August 22, 2023, unless extended or earlier terminated.

The complete terms and conditions of the Notes Offer are described in the Offer to Purchase, a copy of which may be obtained from Global Bondholder Services Corporation, the tender agent and information agent (the "Tender and Information Agent") for the Notes Offer, by telephone at +1 (855) 654-2014 (U.S. toll free) or +1 (212) 430-3774 (collect) or in writing at 65 Broadway  Suite 404, New York, New York 10006, Attention: Corporate Actions.

The complete terms of the TLB Offer are described in the Amended Auction Notice dated July 28, 2023 (the ''TLB Auction Notice''), a copy of which may be obtained from Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. as purchase agent (the "Purchase Agent") for the TLB Offer by telephone at +1 (855) 287-1922 (toll-free) or +1 (212) 250-7527 (collect) or in writing at One Columbus Circle, New York, New York 10019, Attention: Liability Management Group.

The Company has engaged Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. to act as the dealer manager (the "Dealer Manager") in connection with the Notes Offer and as Purchase Agent in connection with the TLB Offer. Questions regarding the terms of the Debt Purchase Transactions may be directed to the Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. by telephone at +1 (855) 287-1922 (toll-free) or +1 (212) 250-7527 (collect).

Cautionary Statement

None of the Company, the Dealer Manager, the Purchase Agent, the Tender and Information Agent or the trustee for the Notes, or any of their respective affiliates, is making any recommendation as to whether holders and/or lenders should or should not tender any NAC 29 Debt in response to the Debt Purchase Transactions or expressing any opinion as to whether the terms of the Debt Purchase Transactions are fair to any holder or lender. Holders and/or lenders must make their own decision as to whether to tender any of their NAC 29 Debt and, if so, the principal amount of NAC 29 Debt to tender and the bid price at which to tender. Holders of Notes should refer to the Offer to Purchase for a description of the offer terms, conditions, disclaimers and other information applicable to the Notes Offer, and TLB Lenders should refer to the TLB Auction Notice for a description of the offer terms, conditions, disclaimers and other information applicable to the TLB Offer.

This press release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to purchase or the solicitation of an offer to sell any securities. The Notes Offer is being made solely by means of the Offer to Purchase. The Debt Purchase Transactions are not being made to holders of securities in any jurisdiction in which the making or acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities, blue sky or other laws of such jurisdiction. In those jurisdictions where the securities, blue sky or other laws require any Debt Purchase Transactions to be made by a licensed broker or dealer, the Debt Purchase Transactions will be deemed to be made on behalf of the Company by the Dealer Manager or Purchase Agent (as applicable) or one or more registered brokers or dealers licensed under the laws of such jurisdiction.

About Nordic Aviation Capital

NAC is a global leader in regional aircraft leasing and is expanding into larger narrowbody aircraft leveraging its world-class asset management platform. The firm is based in Ireland and currently has offices also in Singapore, Denmark, Toronto and Beijing.

Forward-Looking Information Disclaimer

Some of the statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements include statements regarding the Company's intent and belief or current expectations and may be identified by the use of words like "anticipate", "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "will," "should," "seek," the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include, without limitation, the Company's ability to consummate the Debt Purchase Transactions, as well as matters beyond the Company's control. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, results or events.

Contacts:

Nordic Aviation Capital:

Media contact: [email protected]

Global Bondholder Services Corporation:

65 Broadway  Suite 404

New York, NY 10006

United States

Attn: Corporate Actions

Banks and Brokers call: +1 (212) 430-3774

Toll free +1 (855) 654-2014

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE NAC Aviation 29 Designated Activity Company
WASHINGTON, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Following is a statement from Eileen O'Reilly, president of the National Press Club, and Gil Klein, president of the National Press Club Journalism Institute, on the murders of Edin Alonso and Hugo Gutierrez, operators of Noticas Caballo Blanco (White Horse News), in Guatemala on August 11.

"We are outraged by the murders of Guatemalan journalists Edin Alonso and Hugo Gutierrez, operators of the Facebook news site Noticias Caballo Blanco, in the town of Retalhuleu. These are the third and fourth murders of Guatemalan journalists and the 14th and 15th murder of Latin American journalists in 2023.

We are exceedingly concerned about these murders taking place on the eve of Guatemala's controversial presidential election. We call on the Guatemalan government to fully investigate these murders and bring the killers to justice."

Founded in 1908, the National Press Club is the world's leading professional organization for journalists. The Club has 3,000 members representing nearly every major news organization and is a leading voice for press freedom in the U.S. and worldwide.

The National Press Club Journalism Institute promotes an engaged, global citizenry through an independent and free press and equips journalists with the skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire a more representative democracy. The NPCJI is the nonprofit affiliate of the National Press Club.

Contact: Bill McCarren, 202-662-7534 for The National Press Club

SOURCE National Press Club
Premium pet food brands reinforce their commitments to the highest quality nutrition

BROWNWOOD, Texas, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ethos Pet Brands, the new parent company created by the merger of industry-leading brands Natural Balance Pet Foods, Inc., and Canidae Pet Food Company, was unveiled today. The combination will leverage both companies' shared passion for improving the well-being and lives of pets through simple nutrition, responsibly sourced ingredients, and protein-rich products.

"Ethos," the original and long-standing name of Canidae's manufacturing facility in Brownwood, Texas, reflects both companies' character, honesty and integrity while representing their commitment to providing high-quality nutrition and premium ingredients.

Natural Balance, known for its Limited Ingredient recipes and Original Ultra product lines for dogs and cats, and Canidae's Pure, Goodness, and All Life Stages products developed for dogs and cats of all ages, offer complementary yet differentiated comprehensive food solutions sold through the pet specialty, independent and ecommerce channels. The state-of-the-art Brownwood facility, opened in 2012, will now manufacture products for both brands.

"Ethos Pet Brands marks the collaboration between two exceptional companies recognized for their best-in-class offerings for pet parents and their beloved pets," said Greg Shearson, chairman of the board, Ethos Pet Brands. "The Ethos Pet Brands leadership team was thoughtfully assembled and represents deep experience in the pet specialty space. I am confident they will build upon this strong foundation and guide this new company into a promising future."

Natural Balance and Canidae first announced plans to merge in March 2023. Natural Balance has a 30-year history of developing premium products with high-quality, protein-forward ingredients spanning dog food, cat food, and treats. For the past 25 years, Canidae has offered dog and cat food products focusing on goodness for pets and the planet through regenerative agriculture and sustainable operations.

As part of the transaction, L Catterton, a leading global consumer-focused investment firm and majority shareholder of Canidae, and Nexus Capital Management, an alternative asset investment company and majority shareholder of Natural Balance, each contributed new growth capital to support the successful integration and strategic long-term expansion of the combined company.

To stay updated with Ethos Pet Brands, follow along on LinkedIn.

About Natural Balance

Founded in 1989, Natural Balance Pet Foods, Inc. is a premium pet specialty brand with a complete offering of pet foods for both dogs and cats. The Natural Balance product line comprises over 100 dog and cat food and treat varieties, including Limited Ingredient, Original Ultra, and REWARDS. Natural Balance delivers quality, safety-tested food in every bag. Their Feed with Confidence Program provides comprehensive, on-demand safety testing data to help eliminate wonder or worry. Their team of Registered Veterinary Technicians is available via online chat and phone to answer questions and ease concerns. Visit naturalbalanceinc.com for more information.

About Canidae Pet Food Company

From the first truckload of food delivered to the latest batch of pet food cooked in their pet nutrition plant in Brownwood, Texas, Canidae's story is one to be proud of. Canidae was founded in 1996 by two pet owners who knew they could make pet food better. Better nutrients. Better flavor. Better for our dogs and cats and better for us all. They've been committed to quality ever since. That commitment is upheld today in more than just their nutrient-rich, premium pet food. It inspires everything they do, from the land they harvest and the farmers they work with, to the people they employ and the local pet food stores they partner with. All of Canidae's products are vet-reviewed high-quality and perfectly balanced for optimal health at an affordable price point with no fillers, artificial flavors or artificial preservatives. Canidae is partnering with US farmers and green technology companies to bring new, sustainable practices to pet food including lowering pesticide use, reducing runoff and adopting regenerative farming practices. For more information on Canidae, please visit www.canidae.com .

About L Catterton

L Catterton is a market-leading consumer-focused investment firm, managing approximately $34 billion of capital and three multi-product platforms: private equity, credit, and real estate. Leveraging deep category insight, operational excellence, and a broad network of strategic relationships, L Catterton's team of more than 200 investment and operating professionals across 17 offices partners with management teams to drive differentiated value creation across its portfolio. Founded in 1989, the firm has made over 250 investments in some of the world's most iconic consumer brands. For more information about L Catterton, please visit www.lcatterton.com .

About Nexus Capital Management LP

Nexus is an alternative asset investment management company based in Los Angeles, California that was founded in 2013. Nexus employs a flexible investment mandate that focuses on long-term value creation by partnering with leading management teams and businesses across the consumer, education, business services and industrials sectors. For more information on Nexus, please visit www.nexuslp.com .

MEDIA CONTACT: Haley McGraw | [email protected] | M: 704.619.9108

SOURCE Ethos Pet Brands
DUBLIN, Aug. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "North America Oxygen Concentrators Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Portable, Fixed), By Technology (Continuous Flow, Pulse Flow), By Application, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The North American oxygen concentrators market size is projected to reach USD 1.94 billion by 2030 and is anticipated to witness a CAGR of 5.4% from 2023 to 2030

The market's growth is driven by various factors, such as advanced product offerings, expanding business operations, increasing respiratory disease incidence, and a rising preference for home-based oxygen therapy. Moreover, the market is poised to benefit from the growing demand for portable oxygen concentrators, which have seen a significant increase in adoption.



From 2015 to 2021, the U.S. market witnessed a rise in portable oxygen concentrator penetration from 8% to 22%, as per U.S. Medicare claims data. This trend is expected to drive market growth in the forecast period. The COVID-19 pandemic had a limited positive impact on the regional market.

Due to the surge in hospitalizations, medical facilities faced challenges in providing respiratory support to critically ill patients due to the limited availability of ventilators. As a result, the demand for oxygen concentrators as an alternative solution increased. In addition, government initiatives to raise patient awareness have contributed to market growth. For instance, in June 2021, the U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), donated 50 oxygen concentrators to Haiti to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.



This contribution aligns with broader initiatives to enhance the medical infrastructure and provide advanced technology and oxygen equipment to support healthcare in Haiti. Furthermore, government funding for healthcare infrastructure development is expected to fuel the demand for advanced and cost-effective devices.

Integrating Internet of Things (IoT) technology has revolutionized the medical device industry, providing significant benefits compared to traditional methods. IoT-enabled oxygen concentrators enable remote monitoring and management, allowing healthcare providers to monitor oxygen levels in real time and adjust the flow rate for better patient outcomes.



This integration is projected to drive market growth in the forecast period. Prominent players in the industry, including Respironics, Inogen, and Caire Medical, are implementing strategic initiatives to expand their product offerings and reach.

These initiatives include acquisitions, collaborations, expansions, and new product launches. For instance, Inogen announced in a press release in January 2023 that the company received clearance from the U.S. FDA for their new portable oxygen concentrator, Rove 4, on December 9, 2022. This advancement would further solidify Inogen's position in the portable oxygen concentrators market.



North America Oxygen Concentrators Market Report Highlights

In the product segment, the Portable Medical Oxygen Concentrators (POCs) segment held the largest market share of 53.8% in terms of revenue in 2022. This dominance is owing to the large number of benefits associated with POCs

In the application segment, the home care segment dominated the market and accounted for 66.1% of the revenue share in the market in 2022. The key factors responsible for the dominance are the increasing demand for home healthcare therapies and changing patients' preferences for comfortable and convenient therapy

On the basis of technology, the continuous flow technology segment dominated the market with a revenue share of 61.7% in 2022. The segment growth was attributed to rapid technological advancements and a high number of patients suffering from respiratory disorders

Industry players are focusing on developing innovative products and adopting advanced technologies

Competitive Landscape

Recent Developments & Impact Analysis, By Key Market Participants

Company/Competition Categorization

Company Market Position and Market Share Analysis

Company Profiles

Inogen, Inc.

Respironics (a subsidiary of Koninklijke Philips N.V.)

Invacare Corporation

Caire Medical (a subsidiary of NGK Spark Plug)

DeVilbiss Healthcare (a subsidiary of Drive Medical)

O2 Concepts

Nidek Medical Products, Inc.

Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1. Methodology and Scope



Chapter 2. Executive Summary

2.1. Market Outlook

2.2. Product and Technology Outlook

2.3. SApplication Outlook

2.4. Competitive Insights



Chapter 3. North America Oxygen Concentrators Market Variables, Trends, & Scope

3.1. Oxygen Concentrators Market Lineage Outlook

3.1.1. Parent Market Outlook

3.1.2. Ancillary Market Outlook

3.2. Market Dynamics

3.3. North America Oxygen Concentrators Market Analysis Tools

3.3.1. Industry Analysis - Porter's

3.3.2. PEST Analysis

3.3.3. Regulatory and Reimbursement Framework

3.3.4. COVID-19 Impact Analysis

3.3.5. Estimated Prevalence of Key Conditions, by Country (2018 to 2030)

3.3.5.1. COPD

3.3.5.2. Interstitial Lung Disease



Chapter 4. North America Oxygen Concentrators Market: Product Estimates & Trend Analysis

4.1. Definitions and Scope

4.2. North America Oxygen Concentrators Market: Product Movement Analysis, 2022 & 2030 (USD Million)

4.3. Portable Medical Oxygen Concentrators

4.4. Fixed Medical Oxygen Concentrators



Chapter 5. Chapter 5 North America Oxygen Concentrators Market: Technology Estimates & Trend Analysis

5.1. Definitions & Scope

5.2. North America Oxygen Concentrators Market: Technology Movement Analysis, 2022 & 2030 (USD Million)

5.3. Continuous Flow

5.4. Pulse Flow



Chapter 6. North America Oxygen Concentrators Market: Application Estimates & Trend Analysis

6.1. Definitions & Scope

6.2. North America Oxygen Concentrators Market: Application Movement Analysis, 2022 & 2030 (USD Million)

6.3. Home Care

6.4. Non-home Care



Chapter 7. North America Oxygen Concentrators Market: Regional Estimates & Trend Analysis

7.1. North America market share analysis, 2022 & 2030

7.2. North America Market Dashboard

7.3. North America Market Snapshot

7.4. North America Market Share and Leading Players, 2022

7.5. Market Size, & Forecasts, Volume and Trend Analysis, 2018 to 2030



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/v575lm

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.

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SOURCE Research and Markets
Leading revenue intelligence platform named to the Inc. 5000 list for the second time

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- People.ai , the enterprise revenue intelligence leader, has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies for the second consecutive year.

The Inc. 5000 award marks another milestone for People.ai in a year that has included multiple new product innovations for its customers including AI-powered account plans with Account GPT, more robust Engagement Dashboards providing complete visibility into account health and methodology adherence, and new visualizations and board design features to help sales leaders easily adhere to sales rituals and workflows. Also this year, Microsoft selected People.ai as an integration partner to deliver AI-driven insights into Microsoft Sales Copilot , making generative AI-driven insights available right inside the Microsoft productivity tools sellers are already using.

"Since our founding almost eight years ago, we have been maniacally focused on creating a data foundation collected from sales teams' emails, calendars and calls. We believed that the AI of the future would rely on this data to improve sales productivity and ultimately win more revenue for large enterprises" said Oleg Rogynskyy , founder and CEO at People.ai. "Given the recent advances in AI innovation, our thesis has been proven right and we're now perfectly positioned to lead the GenAI revolution in go-to-market productivity, catalyzed by the improvements in Large Language Models. We're thrilled to be recognized by Inc. as a frontrunner in this fast growing space."

Innovation and growth are the heart of any company named to the Inc. 5000 list. A complete list of results, including company profiles and an interactive database sorted by industry, region and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000 . The top 500 companies are featured in the September issue of Inc. magazine, available on newsstands beginning Tuesday, August 23.

"Running a business has only gotten harder since the end of the pandemic," says Inc. editor in chief Scott Omelianuk. "To make the Inc. 5000 with the fast growth that requires is truly an accomplishment. Inc. is thrilled to honor the companies that are building our future."

To learn more about People.ai, please visit www.people.ai .

About People.ai

People.ai is an AI-powered revenue intelligence platform that helps customers win more revenue by providing sales, RevOps, marketing, enablement, and customer success teams with valuable insights. Companies such as Verizon, IBM Red Hat, Snowflake, Zoom, and Palo Alto Networks rely on our enterprise-grade, patented AI technology.

People.ai's unique dataset, consisting of trillions of sales activities, millions of deals, 160 million business contacts, and 69 approved patents related to AI-based business insights, sets us apart. We use this specialized GTM data to train our models and provide our customers with tailored business predictions and unique buyer insights.

People.ai has also received validation via Gartner Market Guide for Revenue Intelligence Platforms, the 5000 fastest-growing companies list, named a strong performer and the only enterprise-grade data management platform by Forrester Revenue Operations and Intelligence Wave, listed on the Y Combinator Top Companies List, and the Forbes AI 50 list in 2022.

Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, People.ai is backed by Y Combinator and Silicon Valley's top investors, including ICONIQ Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Akkadian Ventures, and Mubadala Capital. To learn more, please visit www.people.ai

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Methodology

Companies on the 2023 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2019 to 2022. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2019. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independent  not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies  as of December 31, 2022. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2019 is $100,000; the minimum for 2022 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to four decimal places.

About Inc.

Inc Business Media is the leading multimedia brand for entrepreneurs. Through its journalism,

Inc. aims to inform, educate, and elevate the profile of our community: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters who are creating our future. Inc.'s award-winning work reaches more than 50 million people across a variety of channels, including events, print, digital, video, podcasts, newsletters, and social media. Its proprietary Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to rank the fastest growing privately held businesses in the United States. The recognition that comes with inclusion on this and other prestigious Inc. lists, such as Female Founders and Power Partners, gives the founders of top businesses the opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. For more information, visit www.inc.com .

For more information on the Inc. 5000 Conference & Gala, slated for October 31, 2023 - November 2 in San Antonio, visit http://conference.inc.com/

Media Contacts

BLASTmedia for People.ai

Spencer Hotz

[email protected]

SOURCE People.ai
On the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the war in Abkhazia, the Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Gharibashvili issued a statement in which he stated that the "unjustified conflict has resulted in the loss of many lives among citizens on both sides" and that the challenges of "temporary occupation and displacement" confront the state and society, requiring a commitment to maintaining peace."31 years have passed since the commencement of one of the most tragic events in our history - the Abkhazia war.This unwarranted confrontation has exacted a heavy toll in terms of lives lost among our citizens - encompassing both soldiers and civilians - on either side. In unison with our entire community, I once again pay tribute to the vivid memory of each one of them.The territorial disputes and their aftermath - the temporary occupation of our ancestral lands, the uprooting of hundreds of thousands of individuals from their homeland, and our interactions with both Abkhazians and Ossetians - continue to represent the principal challenge confronting our state and society. This challenge can only be met through an unwavering commitment to maintaining peace, the re-establishment of trust, and the comprehensive and universal advancement of our nation.Fostering a peaceful, robust, and flourishing nation jointly with Abkhazians and Ossetians constitutes the most promising outlook for all of us. Consequently, it represents a collective undertaking for us all.I firmly believe that the judicious peace policy, centered on rebuilding trust, which we have been diligently pursuing since assuming power, will steadily bring us closer to achieving this objective," affirmed Gharibashvili.In an extensive interview with the German public broadcaster, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz voiced his support for granting safe country status to Georgia and Moldova. Scholz's statement comes in response to a question posed by a journalist about Minister of Internal Affairs Nancy Faeser's proposal to tighten deportation rules, to which Scholz responded positively.Scholz emphasized the importance of taking measures to establish safe country status for both Georgia and Moldova. This designation holds significant significance in the process of granting asylum to foreign nationals. Safe country status is attributed to nations whose citizens face low chances of receiving asylum. To qualify as a safe country, specific criteria must be met, including a sound legal framework, adherence to the rule of law, stable political conditions, and the provision of adequate protection against persecution and violence.It is worth noting that in January 2019, the Bundestag, the lower house of Germany's parliament, passed a resolution to designate Georgia as a safe country. However, this decision did not receive approval from the Bundesrat, the upper house.
Four Australian tourists missing after boat loses contact off Indonesia's Aceh

Indonesian rescue team (BASARNAS) members carry out a search operation following a deadly ferry sinking off Indonesian island, Muna Island, Indonesia seen in this handout picture released July 24, 2023. Photo by BASARNAS via Reuters

Four Australian tourists and three Indonesian crew were missing off the eastern coast of Indonesia's Aceh province on Monday after their wooden speedboat lost contact in bad weather, the national rescue agency said.

The 10-meter vessel was travelling from North Nias Island to Aceh's Banyak Island.

The boat lost contact at around 6 p.m. on Sunday.A search was under way on Monday but the operation was called off as night fell.

A search was under way on Monday but the operation was called off as night fell.

"We will continue the search operation on Tuesday morning," the head of Nias's rescue agency, Oktavianto, told Reuters.

The four tourists were among a group of 12 Australians travelling to Banyak Island. The other eight were in another boat.

Accidents involving boats are common in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, as lax safety standards often allow vessels to be overloaded without adequate life-saving equipment.
FORT WORTH, Texas, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- PHX MINERALS INC., "PHX" or the "Company" (NYSE: PHX), today confirmed that its board of directors (the "Board") previously received, thoroughly reviewed and rejected an unsolicited, non-binding proposal from WhiteHawk Income Corporation ("WhiteHawk") to combine with PHX in a stock-for-stock transaction.

The Board reiterates that it is open to and regularly evaluates opportunities to enhance stockholder value. Using a consistent process and valuation methodology that PHX has utilized to evaluate over 150 potential acquisitions since 2020, the Board carefully considered WhiteHawk's offer. Following this comprehensive review, the Board unanimously determined that the proposal: (1) is grossly inadequate in terms of the value offered to PHX and its stockholders; (2) overstates the value of WhiteHawk's assets; and (3) is highly dilutive to PHX stockholders. As such, the Board determined that the WhiteHawk proposal is not an appropriate basis for engagement and is not in the best interest of stockholders.

"Our Board is committed to driving value for all stockholders and evaluates all opportunities that can help achieve that goal," said Mark T. Behrman, Chairman of the Board. "We recognize the time and effort WhiteHawk dedicated to presenting its proposal, but after a very thorough evaluation we do not believe it would be in the best interests of our stockholders to explore this opportunity further."

The full text of PHX's letter to WhiteHawk, transmitted at 9:00 am ET on Aug. 15, 2023, is as follows:

August 15, 2023

WhiteHawk Income Corporation

Attn: Daniel C. Herz, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

2000 Market Street, Suite 910

Philadelphia, PA 19103

Re: Proposal from WhiteHawk Income Corporation

Dear Mr. Herz:

The Board of Directors (the "Board") of PHX Minerals Inc. ("PHX") received the letter dated August 9, 2023 sent on behalf of WhiteHawk Income Corporation ("WhiteHawk"). The letter proposed a stock-for-stock exchange to form WhiteHawk Minerals Corporation, the ownership of which would be held approximately 39% by WhiteHawk and 61% by PHX stockholders. This proposal remains materially unchanged from the initial unsolicited proposal sent to the Board on May 31, 2023 and the revised proposal sent on June 20, 2023 (collectively referred to herein as the "Proposal"). After extensive review, including technical and business analysis of both the Proposal and the diligence materials WhiteHawk provided and after numerous meetings and discussions with the Board, the Board unanimously concluded that the Proposal: (1) is grossly inadequate in terms of the value offered to PHX and its stockholders; (2) overstates the value of WhiteHawk's assets; and (3) is highly dilutive to and not in the best interests of PHX and its stockholders. PHX expressed these conclusions to WhiteHawk management via a letter dated July 27, 2023. The Board continues to firmly hold this view.

Following receipt of your initial proposal, PHX requested additional technical information from WhiteHawk, including reserve reports, shape files with the locations of WhiteHawk's assets, and WhiteHawk's financial models, which you made available. PHX's management and technical teams then conducted a thorough evaluation of the materials provided from a geologic, engineering, and financial standpoint, utilizing the same evaluation process and methodology that PHX has applied in evaluating over 150 potential acquisitions since 2020, resulting in 66 transactions on which PHX has closed during this period for an aggregate consideration of $114 million.

Since the beginning of 2020, PHX's stated strategy has been focused on growing royalty reserves and production volumes on an accretive basis, while steadily increasing its dividend rate. During this timeframe, PHX has grown royalty reserves by over 130%, annual royalty production volumes by over 145% and increased its dividend to stockholders by 125%. This is a direct result of PHX's stated strategy, which is supported by our internal rigorous acquisition evaluation process and in which the board believes management is executing successfully.

PHX's methodology focuses on the quality of any potential mineral acquisition from a geologic and engineering standpoint to determine value potential while minimizing development timing risk, taking into account the geographic locations and the development pace of the operators controlling the assets, in order to develop a risk-adjusted rate of return profile. PHX's evaluation of the WhiteHawk assets yielded a valuation substantially below the value you asserted in the Proposal. In reaching this conclusion, PHX applied consistent valuation techniques in analyzing both the WhiteHawk assets and the PHX assets. Based on relative asset values, the 61%/39% ownership split contained in the Proposal significantly understates the value of the PHX assets and overstates the value of the WhiteHawk assets. Even taking into account the proposed one-time $0.20 per share special cash dividend to PHX stockholders, the Proposal significantly undervalues PHX and its future prospects. This is especially true when considering that the proposed dividend would be funded using PHX's own available liquidity.

Importantly and for context, PHX had already methodically evaluated the WhiteHawk assets in 2021 and 2022, when these asset packages were being widely marketed for sale. After careful evaluation using the same process and methodology that PHX applies to all potential acquisitions, PHX elected not to bid on most of these assets, submitting a bid on only a small percentage that PHX had an interest in acquiring, but which were ultimately sold to a higher bidder. The conclusion to be drawn is that based on PHX's rigorous methodology for valuing mineral assets, the majority of the assets that WhiteHawk acquired did not meet PHX's criteria in 2021 and 2022, even in a significantly higher commodity price environment.

Despite our prior evaluation, as prompted by your Proposal, PHX went through the process of thoroughly evaluating these assets again. Based on these results, the Board has determined that your Proposal significantly overstates the value of the WhiteHawk assets and assigns a grossly insufficient value to PHX. Notably, PHX's acquisition track record and annual royalty reserve and production volume growth demonstrate that assets PHX acquires convert to production relatively quickly. Management and the Board believe the majority of the WhiteHawk assets will not be developed and convert to production at the same rate, adding risk and uncertainty in a combined portfolio of PHX and WhiteHawk assets.

The PHX Board has carefully considered your Proposal, utilized PHX's extensive technical capabilities and dedicated significant time and efforts to evaluate the WhiteHawk assets. The Board and PHX management are aligned with our PHX stockholders and focused on their best interests. The Board recognizes the time and effort WhiteHawk has dedicated to presenting this Proposal. However, there is a wide disparity between management's valuation, which the Board fully agrees with, and the valuation of WhiteHawk's assets that you have asserted in the Proposal. Given the current environment and the availability of high-quality assets at practical valuations in our target regions that would be accretive to PHX's existing asset base, the Board remains focused on our stated strategy. Therefore, continuing discussions with WhiteHawk would be unproductive and without merit.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, By: /s/ Mark T. Behrman Name: Mark T. Behrman Title: Chairman

PHX Minerals Inc. (NYSE: PHX) Fort Worth-based, PHX Minerals Inc. is a natural gas and oil mineral company with a strategy to proactively grow its mineral position in its core focus areas. PHX owns mineral acreage principally located in Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, North Dakota and Arkansas. Additional information on the Company can be found at www.phxmin.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Words such as "anticipates," "plans," "estimates," "believes," "expects," "intends," "will," "should," "may" and similar expressions may be used to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not statements of historical fact and reflect PHX's current views about future events. Forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements relating to: the Company's ability to execute its business strategies; the volatility of realized natural gas and oil prices; the level of production on the Company's properties; estimates of quantities of natural gas, oil and NGL reserves and their values; general economic or industry conditions; legislation or regulatory requirements; conditions of the securities markets; the Company's ability to raise capital; changes in accounting principles, policies or guidelines; financial or political instability; acts of war or terrorism; title defects in the properties in which the Company invests; and other economic, competitive, governmental, regulatory or technical factors affecting properties, operations or prices. Although the Company believes expectations reflected in these and other forward-looking statements are reasonable, the Company can give no assurance such expectations will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. These forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause the results to differ materially from those expected by the Company's management. Information concerning these risks and other factors can be found in the Company's filings with the SEC, including its Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, available on the Company's website or the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date hereof, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update the forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE PHX MINERALS INC.
Veteran franchisees Jay and Michael Taylor spearhead the expansion of the iconic Port of Subs brand in Utah.

RENO, Nev., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In a strategic move to catapult the 50-year legacy Port of Subs brand into new and existing markets, Area 15 Ventures, LLC, a dynamic private equity firm headquartered in Castle Rock, Colorado, acquired Port of Subs earlier this year. One of the pivotal objectives of this acquisition was to rapidly expand the brand's presence through an innovative Regional Developer model. Brothers Jay and Michael Taylor, seasoned Port of Subs franchisees who own established locations in Draper and Salt Lake City, seized the opportunity to become Port of Subs' first Regional Developers.

Port of Subs Inks 40-Unit Deal with Company's First Regional Developers to Spearhead the Brand's Expansion in Utah. Tweet this Michael and Jay Taylor, Port of Subs' first Regional Developers, are spearheading the brand's growth in Northern Utah.

"We've dreamed about growing Port of Subs' presence in Northern Utah since we opened our first Port of Subs restaurant in 2010. As Regional Developers, we're turning this dream into reality. We'll be able to share our passion for Port of Subs with communities by spearheading new locations throughout the market under this franchise business model," said Jay Taylor. "We plan to open new locations in our region that span from Ogden to Provo, including Salt Lake, Weaver, and Utah Counties. Michael and I will open our own locations and accelerate growth by aligning with both single-unit and multi-unit franchisees." Michael Taylor affirmed, "With our extensive entrepreneurial background, along with Jay's deep experience in business operations and my construction expertise, our roles as Regional Developers merge experience and innovation, ensuring a seamless opening process that sets the stage for success from day one."

The Taylors are actively seeking potential franchisees who want to shape their own future. "Northern Utah's population and business growth trends are solid, and Port of Subs aligns perfectly with the market. Our turnkey business model makes it easy for multi-unit operators or first-time franchisees to open and operate their Port of Subs locations," said Jay Taylor. "Entrepreneurs interested in launching their own neighborhood sandwich shop in Northern Utah, we invite you to connect with us!"

As the first Regional Developers, the Taylors are the inaugural members of Port of Subs' Twenty Club, an exclusive counsel within the brand. By invitation only, these privileged collaborators will connect for dynamic discussions and the exchange of innovative ideas, allowing visionary minds like the Taylors to shape Port of Subs' future. "We've been a part of the Port of Subs family for over a decade, and Jay and I bring the unique perspective of day-to-day operations combined with high-level vision to the brand's planning and growth process," said Michael Taylor.

President of Port of Subs, Healey Mendicino, expressed her confidence in the Taylor brothers' leadership: "Their competence, dedication, and genuine love for the Port of Subs brand are a sure-fire recipe for success." For more information on becoming a Port of Subs Regional Developer or franchisee, please contact Dr. Ben Litalien at [email protected]

About Port of Subs

Customers have enjoyed the great taste of Port of Subs sandwiches for over 50 years. The Port of Subs brand has become synonymous with quality sandwich making and superior customer service. Known for its premium meats and cheeses, Port of Subs offers customizable and made-to-order menu offerings, a hallmark of the brand's mission to become every guest's favorite neighborhood sandwich shop. For more information, please visit www.portofsubs.com .

About Area 15 Ventures, LLC

Area 15 Ventures is a Colorado-based private equity business owned by the Liniger family and highly skilled friends and employees. The private ownership allows for quick decisions and provides personal support and development. The focus is on emerging franchisors and high-growth businesses that require an investment to scale their opportunity to the next level and benefit from the team's experience in franchising RE/MAX and Motto Mortgage. The Area 15 Ventures team brings vast experience in business development, marketing, franchise sales, Zee/Zor relationships, training, and international expansion. For more information, please visit www.area15ventures.com.

CONTACT: Meghan Capello, Senior Director/Marketing

Port of Subs

[email protected]

SOURCE Port of Subs
10 recipients will receive funds for use toward the purchase of a commercial vehicle for their business

MAYFIELD VILLAGE, Ohio, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Progressive Insurance, the leading commercial auto insurer in the United States, has announced the 10 recipients of its 2023 Driving Small Business Forward grant with Hello Alice in support of Black entrepreneurs. Each small business owner has been awarded a $25,000 grant for use toward the purchase of a commercial vehicle for their business.

While 20 percent of Black Americans start businesses, only 4 percent of Black American businesses survive the start-up stage, as they disproportionately struggle with debt and raising capital in addition to challenges such as a lack of helpful relationships in the business community, according to McKinsey & Company. Progressive is stepping in to provide funding to Black entrepreneurs to help navigate their small business journey.

"At Progressive, we celebrate all business owners, yet we understand Black business owners still face unique challenges," said Karen Bailo, Commercial Lines President at Progressive Insurance. "For the last two years, the Driving Small Business Forward grant program is one of the ways we've been supporting entrepreneurs on their small business journey, and we look forward to seeing how this grant helps these deserving recipients continue their work serving the community."

The full list of recipients for the 2023 Driving Small Business Forward grant program include:

Meet our grant recipients.

Recipients were selected, in part, due to their strong applications showcasing the impact their business has on the local community. Elizabeth Abunaw, owner of Forty Acres Fresh Market in Chicago, IL, provides affordable, healthy food that is accessible to all people through citywide delivery service, pop-up produce markets at community spaces, and a pending brick and mortar store.

"I founded Forty Acres Fresh Market after witnessing the large disparity in resources and infrastructure in predominantly Black communities," said Elizabeth Abunaw. "My vision was to provide convenient and healthy shopping options and increase healthy food equity and access in areas that needed them."

Another applicant, Shenicia Barnes, owner of Kidz on Wheelz LLC in Mansfield, TX, developed a door-to-door transportation service for children four to 18 years of age to help parents by providing a safe and reliable means of transportation.

"Being raised by a single parent, I was familiar with the challenges of not having access to transportation to school or extra-curricular activities," said Shenicia Barnes. "I started an in-home childcare and transportation service to help local moms with transporting their children to and from school and offer support to single parents."

To administrate the grant program, Progressive worked with business accelerator Hello Alice, the financial technology organization helping over one million small businesses access capital.

"Hello Alice fights for financial equity among small businesses and we are in awe of the hard work and passion displayed by entrepreneurs across the country. We are proud to partner with Progressive and support Black-owned small businesses. These businesses are critical to our economy and the future of our country. "Hello Alice Founder and CEO Carolyn Rodz.

To learn more about each recipient, visit https://helloalice.com/grants/progressive/.

In addition to the Driving Small Business Forward Grant Program, earlier this year, Progressive announced that its Commercial Lines business was expanding its financial support to entrepreneurs with Hello Alice .

Progressive is contributing $100,000 throughout 2023 to the Hello Alice Small Business Growth Fund, which is managed by Hello Alice in cooperation with the Global Entrepreneurship Network. This fund offers financial support to business owners of all backgrounds with grants of varying amounts awarded from the fund three times a year.

About Progressive

Progressive Insurance makes it easy to understand, buy and use car insurance, home insurance, and other protection needs. Progressive offers choices so consumers can reach us however it's most convenient for them  online at progressive.com, by phone at 1-800-PROGRESSIVE, via the Progressive mobile app, or in-person with a local agent.

Progressive provides insurance for personal and commercial autos and trucks, motorcycles, boats, recreational vehicles, and homes; it is the second largest auto insurer in the country, a leading seller of commercial auto, motorcycle, and boat insurance, and one of the top 15 homeowners insurance carriers.

Founded in 1937, Progressive continues its long history of offering shopping tools and services that save customers time and money, like Name Your Price, Snapshot, and HomeQuote Explorer.

The Common Shares of The Progressive Corporation, the Mayfield Village, Ohio-based holding company, trade publicly atNYSE: PGR.

About Hello Alice

Hello Alice, a financial technology organization, provides credit, loans and grants, is a free platform serving more than one million small business owners across the United States. Committed to equitable access to capital for the New Majority - women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, veterans, and entrepreneurs with disabilities, Hello Alice offers funding, education, tools, and curated opportunities. Working with enterprise business services, ecosystem partners, affiliates, and government agencies, Hello Alice provides its growing community with everything they need to grow their businesses. Hello Alice serves a diverse community of business owners across the country. Approximately 68% of owners are BIPOC, 63% are female, and 17% are military-affiliated. For small business owners interested in joining the Hello Alice community, they can sign up for free at www.helloalice.com. To learn more, visit www.helloalice.com, as well as Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.

SOURCE Progressive Insurance
ATLANTA, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pye-Barker Fire & Safety  the largest fully integrated fire protection, life safety and security services provider in the United States  has acquired AAA Fire Safety & Alarm, a Utah-based fire protection and alarm company serving customers throughout the Intermountain West. Located north of Salt Lake City, AAA plays an important role in Pye-Barker's full-service offerings in Utah, where it dominates the market in fire sprinklers, fire suppression and alarms. Thanks to an aggressive acquisition strategy, Pye-Barker is well on its way to being the nation's preferred single-source provider of fire protection, life safety and security services.

"This partnership with Pye-Barker opens new avenues for innovation and greater value for our clients and partners." Tweet this Eric Garner, President of Pye-Barker's Alarm Division, and Chuck Reimel, VP of Business Development, with Melissa Shriber and Scott Shriber of AAA Fire Safety & Alarm.

AAA Fire Safety & Alarm  based in Layton, Utah  provides 24-hour emergency service, inspection, maintenance, repair, design and installation of fire alarm, sprinkler, suppression and security systems. The company also offers emergency lighting, exit signs and fire extinguishers to keep businesses code-compliant and occupants protected.

"After 45 years in business, I'm thrilled to join forces with Pye-Barker, a recognized leader in our industry. Their track record of fostering growth and unwavering customer service aligns perfectly with our values at AAA Fire Safety & Alarm, Inc.," said Scott Shriber, President and Owner at AAA Fire Safety & Alarm. "This partnership opens new avenues for innovation and allows us to leverage our collective strengths to provide even greater value to our clients and partners. I am excited about the opportunities ahead for our team members and look forward to continued success with Pye-Barker."

"AAA and the Shriber family have created a well-respected business with foundational principles that mirror our own Core Values  Customer Bias, Trust, Respect and Commitment," said Bart Proctor, CEO at Pye-Barker. "We're honored to have them join the Pye-Barker family as we enhance service in Utah."

AAA's highly skilled technicians will continue to serve customers in Utah.

About Pye-Barker Fire & Safety

Pye-Barker Fire & Safety is the U.S. leader in fire protection, life safety and security systems. Founded in 1946, Pye-Barker is the largest fully integrated provider of testing, maintenance and installation of fire detection systems, fire alarms, extinguishers, fire suppression and sprinkler systems, security and monitoring services for businesses nationwide. The company operates over 165 locations and puts significant focus on customer experience and training, competitive benefits and a caring work environment for its 5,000 team members.

Contact:

Chuck Reimel

Vice President, Business Development

(910) 612-6252

chuck.reimel@pyebarkerfs.com

SOURCE Pye-Barker Fire & Safety
Representing former Fox News employee and workplace sexual abuse survivor Laura Luhn , national trial firm Reid Collins & Tsai LLP has defeated Defendants' motions to dismiss her sex abuse and discrimination lawsuit.

Luhn is victim of decades-long manipulation and sexual and psychological abuse by former Fox News Chief Roger Ailes , enabled by the network and its former executive, Bill Shine .

Claims in the case, based in part on 2022 New York laws protecting survivors of abuse, can now move forward.

NEW YORK, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday, the Honorable Lyle Frank of New York Supreme Court denied the Defendants' Motions to Dismiss in a groundbreaking employment discrimination and sexual abuse complaint against the Fox News Network, LLC, Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc., and former Fox News Co-President Bill Shine. The action, filed by leading national trial boutique Reid Collins & Tsai LLP ("Reid Collins") on behalf of former Fox News employee Laura Luhn, was brought under the 2022 New York State Adult Survivors Act ("ASA") and related New York City statutes. It alleges a decades-long campaign of discrimination, manipulation, threats, and sexual assaults by former Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes. The pervasive sexual abuse at Fox News has been the subject of multiple films, exposes, and news coverage.

Judge Frank found that a settlement agreement with Fox that Luhn signed previously may not be enforceable because she may have signed the deal under duress:

"Plaintiff's complaint is replete with factual allegations regarding duress and her inability to report the alleged sexual abuse and misconduct while it was occurring," states the order. "At this stage of the litigation, the duress that is alleged to have occurred prior to the negotiation of the agreement between the parties is enough for this case to not be dismissed."

Likewise, the Court declined to dismiss claims against Bill Shine, finding that:

"[T]here are certainly a myriad of allegations that he was aware of the conduct, did nothing to stop it, and helped cover up the abuse and was involved in the duress that allegedly made the plaintiff sign the release in question."

Reid Collins partner Barbara Whiten Balliette, counsel for Ms. Luhn, emphasized the firm's commitment to vindicating her saying: "The abuse and assaults that Ms. Luhn suffered were some of the worst imaginable. People knew, but no one at Fox News stepped in to stop it. Ultimately, her career and her life were destroyed. The Adult Survivors Act was created to redress wrongs exactly like these. We are gratified that the Court sees the need for this case to be properly adjudicated and has denied Defendants' dismissal motions."

The case, captioned Laura W. Luhn v. Fox News Network, LLC, Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. & William Shine, Index No. 950003/2023 (N.Y. Sup. Ct.), has received extensive coverage in the major media.

To view the Court's August 14, 2023 decision denying Defendants' motions to dismiss, click here.

To view the complaint, click here.

About Reid Collins

Reid Collins & Tsai LLP is one of the nation's leading plaintiffs' trial firms, litigating complex business disputes and achieving billions of dollars in settlements and judgments for its clients. Its team is comprised of accomplished trial lawyers who have extensive experience prosecuting financial fraud, corporate wrongdoing, employment and partnership disputes, bankruptcy and insolvency related litigation, professional liability claims, and cross-border disputes. The firm represents fund managers, investor groups, trustees, receivers, liquidators, international banks, companies, governmental entities, and individuals in federal and state courts across the country.

For more information visit www.reidcollins.com

Austin | Dallas | New York | Washington D.C. | Wilmington

Contact:

Alexander Coxe

212.365.4792

[email protected]

SOURCE Reid Collins & Tsai LLP
PEORIA, Ill., Aug. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- OSF HealthCare and academic partners working on a new virtual reality platform say Iowa was the only state where opioid-related deaths did not increase last year. And, there's mounting evidence of the need for better awareness and interventions. The American Medical Association says more than 105,000 opioid overdose deaths were reported in the United States between December 2021 and December 2022.

Federal health officials blame the steep increase in opioid overdose deaths, in part, to the rapid growth of highly potent and often deadly fentanyl that can be added to look-alike opioid drugs. The surgeon general recommends more individuals, including family, friends and those personally at risk for opioid overdose, keep on hand and know how to use naloxone, a safe antidote to a suspected overdose. When given in time, naloxone can save a life.

Scott Barrows, director of the OSF Innovation Design Lab at Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center, is working on an Illinois Innovation Network-funded education project called Virtual Reality Embedded Naloxone Training (VENT). It includes researchers at Illinois State University (ISU) in Normal and Southern Illinois University (SIU) in Carbondale, Illinois. The work centers around developing mixed-use or augmented reality education for an immersive, engaging approach to train people on how to give someone naloxone, often sold as a nasal spray under the name Narcan.

Barrows says the research will make use of cutting-edge technology, which blends the virtual and physical worlds.

"The mixed-reality portion of this being physical and virtual, will combine the actual spray device and a manikin so that people can practice the actual physical spraying with a manikin as well as having this virtual world that is valuable at the same time."

The opioid epidemic is affecting all demographics, but Barrows points out underserved populations have the least access to resources for prevention, education and treatment. So, the training will be designed with input from a variety of stakeholders.

Keeping it simple and realistic

"It has to be simple. It has to be easy to use. It has to be intuitive, but it also needs to be sensitive to the community experience whether it's rural, urban, suburban, no matter what age, so that's going to be the trick of the design process," Barrows stresses.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration made naloxone nasal spray available over the counter in March. It's part of a strategy that includes harm reduction through innovation and education.

Joanna Willett, MSN, RN, a certified nurse educator who directs the nursing simulation lab at ISU's Mennonite College of Nursing, believes research and development of innovative training can result in education that an average citizen, using a virtual reality headset, could use fairly easily.

"I've seen dozens of adults of all ages, parents, grandparents, sim lab visitors, etc. navigate our current nursing VR software without issue, and without nurses' training, take lifesaving steps to save a patient with respiratory distress," Willett says. "I personally have no doubt that the intended audience of non-medical adults of all ages will benefit from this experience."

Virtual reality training has an advantage because it can be easily accessible and repeatable without significant setup or cost. Willett believes once it is developed, the simulation training will be easy to maintain as an educational program. A prototype will be field-tested in community settings and at the Illinois State University simulation lab using 15 average citizens and five experts with diverse backgrounds.

Roy Magnuson, an assistant professor of Creative Technologies at ISU, will work with graduate students to design a prototype and make adjustments based on feedback. Magnuson has already developed music composition and conducting software for virtual reality. He'll work with graduate students to create an immersive world, swapping out medical variables for ones he's used for his other software development.

Magnuson is thrilled to take on the challenge.

"The immediacy and quantitative nature of working on a project like this is thrilling, humbling and inspiring in a completely new way. To say I am excited to spend my creative energy to have a chance to literally save a life is an understatement."-Roy Magnuson, assistant professor Creative Technologies, Illinois State University

Barrows believes the more immersive training will help people recall important best practices while in a high-stress, opioid overdose situation in real life.

"Providing as realistic a situation as possible, we think is more effective than certainly a classroom situation or watching a video or something that doesn't really provide that as-close-to-reality experience that we think we're doing."

The second phase of research would seek additional funding to conduct a randomized, controlled trial to determine if VENT is more effective than traditional education approaches, in addition to examining whether the training is easier to use and accessible to the target audience.

But during the initial development phase, Wasantha Jayawardene, MD, PhD, will tap resources at the Social Perception Lab at SIU to assess the degree to which an individual's subconscious bias against people with drug addiction influences how they would respond when someone suffers an overdose. Individuals trying the new education prototype will be given an evaluation called an Implicit Association Test (IAT) that can reveal their implicit bias before they test-drive the VENT prototype.

According to Jayawardene, "Based on the IAT results, the VENT will include a model that addresses implicit bias, which can help the layperson responders to become more conscious of their own biases and their potential impact on helping a victim in a real-life scenario."

There is $54 billion available in lawsuit settlement money tied to companies for their role in fueling the opioid crisis through actions such as downplaying the risks of prescription opioids and promoting the use of the drugs. States are required to spend 85% of settlement funds on opioid remediation and Barrows hopes to explore the potential of tapping that source in the future to make training available using VENT.

Additional assets including video, audios and photos are available on the OSF Newsroom.

OSF HealthCare is an integrated health system owned and operated by The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, headquartered in Peoria, Illinois. OSF HealthCare has 15 hospitals  10 acute care, five critical access - with 2,084 licensed beds throughout Illinois and Michigan. OSF employs nearly 24,000 Mission Partners throughout 150+ locations; has two colleges of nursing; operates OSF Home Care Services, an extensive network of home health and hospice services; owns Pointcore, Inc., comprised of health care-related businesses; OSF HealthCare Foundation, the philanthropic arm for the organization; and OSF Ventures, which provides investment capital for promising health care innovation startups. OSF OnCall, a digital health operating unit, was established in 2020 to improve patient experience, using digital tools for 24/7 communication, on-demand care, remote patient monitoring, and offers the largest hospital-at-home program in Illinois. OSF HealthCare has been recognized by Fortune as one of the most innovative companies in the country. More at osfhealthcare.org.

Jump Simulation, a part of OSF Innovation, is a collaboration between University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria and OSF HealthCare. The center replicates a variety of patient care settings to ensure novice and seasoned clinicians can practice handling medical situations in a life-like environment. Boasting six floors and 168,000 square feet, the center is one of the largest of its kind and provides space for conferences, anatomic training, virtual reality and innovation. For more information, visit jumpsimulation.org/.

OSF Innovation is a collaborative network of different disciplines that inspires, mentors and partners to transform care for patients and providers. With expertise in everything from ideation to commercialization, the division designs bold, strategic solutions, connecting everyday needs with inventive approaches and bold advances. More at osfinnovation.org/.

Contact: Colleen Reynolds | Media Relations Coordinator  OSF HealthCare | (309) 825-7255

SOURCE OSF HealthCare
DUBLIN, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "RF Gallium Nitride Market by Device, Wafer Size, End-user, and Region - Global Forecast to 2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global RF gallium nitride (GaN) market was valued at USD 1.3 billion in 2022 and is anticipated to reach USD 2.8 billion by 2028, with a CAGR of 12.9% during the forecast period. Several factors are driving this growth, including the advantages of GaN over traditional silicon (SI), increased demand from consumers, enterprises, and the automotive sector for power electronics devices, continuous technological advancements in the GaN ecosystem, suitability of GaN for RF applications, and growing adoption of GaN RF semiconductor devices in military, defense, and aerospace applications. However, competition from alternatives like Silicon Carbide (SiC) for high-voltage semiconductor applications is limiting the growth of the RF GaN market.

Integrated RF Device Segment

The Integrated RF device segment is expected to exhibit a higher CAGR during the forecast period. Integrated RF devices based on GaN have revolutionized RF and microwave electronics, providing benefits like improved power density, efficiency, and linearity. They are used across industries such as wireless communications, radar systems, satellite communications, and defense. These integrated devices are smaller and lighter as they combine gate drivers, protection circuitry, and auxiliary functions, reducing the need for separate components. The demand for RF GaN integrated devices is projected to rise significantly due to these advantages.

200 and Above Wafer Size Segment

The 200 and above wafer size segment is anticipated to experience higher growth during the forecast period. Larger wafer sizes, such as 200 mm and above, offer faster and more efficient processing compared to smaller sizes. This results in higher yields and cost savings. Moreover, larger wafers can accommodate bigger devices with higher current ratings, making them ideal for the production of high-power RF GaN devices. This trend is expected to drive growth in this segment.

Satellite Communication Segment

The satellite communication segment is likely to exhibit the highest CAGR during the forecast period. RF GaN technology is scalable and adaptable to future satellite communication systems. It supports emerging standards such as higher-frequency bands for increased data rates and system capacities. The versatility of RF GaN devices allows for easy adaptation to new communication protocols and technologies, ensuring long-term compatibility and future-proofing of satellite networks.

North America Region

North America is projected to witness the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Government initiatives in the region are promoting the growth of the RF GaN market. For example, funding by US Senator Patrick Leahy and GlobalFoundries aims to advance the development and production of next-generation GaN. Such initiatives are increasing the demand for RF GaN devices in North America.

Research Coverage

The report segments the RF GaN market by device type, wafer size, end-use, and region. It analyzes the drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges in the market. The report covers North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and RoW regions. It includes a supply chain analysis, competitive analysis of key players, and their profiles, recent developments, and market strategies. Key players in the RF GaN market include Sumitomo Electric Device Innovations, Qorvo, WOLFSPEED, NXP Semiconductors, and MACOM.

Conclusion

The global RF GaN market is poised for substantial growth due to advantages over traditional SI, increased demand from various sectors, technological advancements, and the suitability of GaN for RF applications. The integrated RF device segment, larger wafer sizes, and satellite communication applications are expected to drive this growth. Government initiatives and funding in regions like North America further contribute to market expansion. The RF GaN market presents significant opportunities for key players to innovate and capture the growing demand for advanced RF semiconductor devices.

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Various Advantages of Gallium Nitride Over Traditional Silicon



Increased Demand from Consumers, Enterprises, and Automotive Vertical for Power Electronic Devices



Effective Development of Technologies in Gallium Nitride Ecosystem



Suitability of Gallium Nitride in RF Applications



Increased Adoption of Gallium Nitride RF Semiconductor Devices in Military, Defense, and Aerospace Applications

Restraints

Higher Efficacy of Alternatives Such as Silicon Carbide for High-Voltage Semiconductor Applications

Opportunities

Evolving Renewable Energy Applications of Gallium Nitride



Applications of Gallium Nitride in Electric and Hybrid Electric Vehicles



Potential Use of Gallium Nitride in 6G Infrastructure Development



Consolidating Trend of Smart Manufacturing

Challenges

High Material and Fabrication Costs



Complexities Associated with Designing Electrical Layout of Gallium Nitride Devices

Premium Insights

Growing Adoption of 5G to Drive RF Gallium Nitride Market Growth

Integrated RF Devices Segment to Record Higher CAGR in RF Gallium Nitride Market During Forecast Period

Market in Asia-Pacific for Telecom Infrastructure Segment to Hold Largest Share During Forecast Period

for Telecom Infrastructure Segment to Hold Largest Share During Forecast Period Satellite Communications to Register Highest CAGR in RF Gallium Nitride Market in Asia-Pacific from 2023 to 2028

from 2023 to 2028 Asia-Pacific to Hold Largest Share of RF Gallium Nitride Market, in Terms of Value, in 2028

to Hold Largest Share of RF Gallium Nitride Market, in Terms of Value, in 2028 China to Record Highest CAGR in RF Gallium Nitride Market During Forecast Period

Other Key Insights

Value Chain Analysis

RF Gallium Nitride Market Ecosystem

Average Selling Price Analysis

Key Stakeholders and Buying Criteria

Porter's Five Forces Analysis

Case Studies

Technology Analysis

Trade Analysis

Patent Analysis

Key Conferences and Events, 2023-2024

Standards and Regulatory Landscape

Tariff Analysis

Key Topics Covered

1 Introduction

2 Research Methodology

3 Executive Summary

4 Premium Insights

5 Market Overview

6 RF Gallium Nitride Market, by Device Type

7 RF Gallium Nitride Market, by Wafer Size

8 RF Gallium Nitride Market, by End-user

9 RF Gallium Nitride Market, by Region

10 Competitive Landscape

11 Company Profiles

12 Appendix

Companies Mentioned

Aethercomm

Ampleon

Coherent Corp. (now II-VI Incorporated)

Efficient Power Conversion Corporation, Inc.

Epistar Corporation

GaN Systems

Integra Technologies Inc.

Microsemi Corporation

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Mercury Systems, Inc.

RFHIC Corporation

Texas Instruments Incorporated

Toshiba Corporation

Transphorm Inc.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/fjajpt

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SOURCE Research and Markets
TORONTO, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Global lifestyle brand Roots Corporation ("Roots," or the "Company") (TSX: ROOT) celebrates its landmark 50th anniversary with several limited edition collection launches and collaborations as well as a new content series called, Roots Stories.

"At the heart of Roots 50-year legacy lies an unwavering commitment to quality, authenticity, and innovation. As we mark this milestone, we remain inspired by our rich heritage and continue to drive forward with a dynamic vision of creative leadership and a dedication to crafting meaningful connections with our global community. The Founders and I are immensely grateful to the team at Roots (past and present) who continue to support this incredible journey," commented President & CEO of Roots Corporation, Meghan Roach.

Roots formal beginning was marked by the opening of its first store on August 15, 1973, but the Brand was born in a small Algonquin Park cabin out of an enduring love of the great Canadian outdoors from its Founders, Michael Budman and Don Green.

"We would like to thank the Canadian public and our supporters worldwide for bringing Roots into their hearts and allowing us to celebrate the first 50 years of Roots. We want to give our thanks and gratitude to our wives, Diane and Denyse, who have been essential to every step of the journey and to Karl Kowalewski and his family for being there from the beginning. The Roots Brand is 50 years young. We are thrilled to have created a solid foundation and are excited to see the growth continue so Canada and the rest of the world can experience the authentic Roots lifestyle," added Michael Budman and Don Green.

Today, although core elements of the brand have moved forward into the future, its mission to do the right thing for people and the planet, while honouring its values rooted in community, authenticity, integrity, and freedom, remain steadfast.

Tapping into the deep emotional connections the Brand and its Founders have built over the last 50 years, Roots will be pulling from its rich archives for its limited-edition anniversary collections, resurrecting past favourites all the way from the 70s, 80s, and 90s, and releasing future-forward designs that honour its rich heritage as well as the Canadian environment that serves as a consistent thread of inspiration. Throughout the year and until July 2024, a carefully curated assortment of must-have commemorative products with limited runs alongside capsule collections will excite long-time Roots loyalists and garner fanfare from a new consumer base. The first product drop will be the Roots Sporting Goods Collection and the Golden Beaver collection, an update on Roots core classics with a 50th anniversary spin

In the lead-up to the 50th Anniversary, Roots strategically invested in its preferred fibres and materials initiative, which now represent over 85% of its collection, including moving its highest volume Cooper Collection to organic and recycled materials. Continuing these efforts into its milestone year, the heritage brand has committed to extending sustainable updates to more consumer-favoured product categories, investing in earth-forward materials, as well as upcycled and circular initiatives that extend a product's lifecycle.

As a way of honouring the role Roots has played in generations of Roots customers' lives over the last 50 years, Roots will be releasing Roots Stories on its website. This anthology, produced by Emily Spivack, author of the New York Times bestselling turned Netflix series Worn Stories, will chronicle the intersection of generations of Roots customers, and the part Roots pieces have played in their lives as told by Roots customers - from everyday folks to notable personalities. Closely following Roots Stories, a Roots 50th anniversary commemorative print magazine, an echo of Budman and Green's 1980's magazine, Paris Passion, that honoured arts, culture, design, fashion, and more, will launch. The first limited edition issue, 50 Years of Roots, will be released in-store in September.

Integrating the celebrations into the in-store and online shopping experience, Roots is offering customers making purchases the opportunity to participate in a Spin-the-Wheel activation between August 15, 2023 and September 4, 2023. By 'spinning the wheel', customers will have a chance to win prizes ranging from a grand prize gift card valued at $5,000 CAD to exclusive promotions, and other product incentives.

To learn more about Roots 50th anniversary, please visit roots.com and join the brand in celebrating on August 15, 2023.

ABOUT ROOTS

Established in 1973, Roots is a global lifestyle brand. Starting from a small cabin in northern Canada, Roots has become a global brand with over 100 corporate retail stores in Canada, two stores in the United States, and an eCommerce platform, roots.com. We have more than 100 partner-operated stores in Asia, and we also operate a dedicated Roots-branded storefront on Tmall.com in China. We design, market, and sell a broad selection of products in different departments, including women's men's, children's, and gender-free apparel, leather goods, footwear, and accessories. Our products are built with uncompromising comfort, quality, and style that allows you to feel At Home With Nature. We offer products designed to meet life's everyday adventures and provide you with the versatility to live your life to the fullest. We also wholesale through business-to-business channels and license the brand to a select group of licensees selling products to major retailers. Roots Corporation is a Canadian corporation doing business as "Roots" and "Roots Canada".

SOURCE Roots
LAMEL Makeup was selected as the retailer's 2023 Cultivate Accelerator Program winner, an incubator program that supports emerging beauty brands.

DENTON, Texas, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sally Beauty , a long-standing supporter of emerging brands, is proud to announce the winner of its 2023 Cultivate Accelerator Program  Ukrainian-born brand LAMEL Makeup. Since 2018, Cultivate has focused on supporting entrepreneurs while simultaneously offering the beauty community the latest innovation across a multitude of beauty categories.

Dedicated to shaping the next generation of beauty by giving up-and-coming founders highly coveted retail distribution, Sally Beauty understands entrepreneurs wear many hats above and beyond being a founder. They need support and resources to grow and sustain a brand. This year, Sally Beauty partnered with a leading online platform, RangeMe, to streamline the application process and connect with a more diverse range of brands. This partnership helped drive an 85% growth in 2023 applicants, underscoring the community's strong desire for assistance and support to achieve their endeavors.

Sally Beauty has a well-established history of supporting emerging entrepreneurs and incubating brands that have become national sensations. It was the first retail distributor for well-known brands, such as Mielle Organics, The Mane Choice, and Arctic Fox, to name a few. Through the Cultivate Accelerator Program, Sally Beauty confronts entrepreneurs' need for support head-on by offering game-changing resources so new brands can successfully break into the beauty industry and bring their business plans to life.

For LAMEL Makeup, this means access to the retailer's store footprint and e-commerce platforms to grow and scale their business in the US. The cosmetics brand recently faced challenges, including losing its warehouse due to the war in Ukraine; however, they have remained agile, working with partners in Europe and now the US. LAMEL Makeup serves beauty enthusiasts of all ages and backgrounds by offering a variety of multifunctional, affordable, cruelty-free makeup products. Their best-selling Tinted Lip Plumping Oil and Ultra Creamy Long-Lasting Eye and Lip Liners are just two of the items that will be added to Sally Beauty's shelves next Spring.

"It's been an honor to get to know such an incredible group of driven and motivated entrepreneurs within the beauty space through the Cultivate Accelerator Program," said Maryann Herskowitz, Group Vice President of Merchandising at Sally Beauty. "We look forward to working with Natalia Iaromenko at LAMEL Makeup to support the brand's growth in the US while providing our consumers with quality, versatile cosmetics."

Natalia Iaromenko founded LAMEL Makeup in 2012 out of the need for exceptional beauty products that could be accessible to everyone. "Partnering with Sally Beauty offers us an incredible opportunity to extend our reach to a wider, broader audience and share our unique beauty vision with individuals throughout the US," shared Iaromenko. "Sally Beauty's unparalleled industry expertise and expansive network of retail stores grant us an exceptional platform to engage with beauty enthusiasts, inspiring and empowering people through our products. We are thrilled to be under the mentorship of such a powerful team of experts, who undoubtedly will contribute to the elevation of our business."

As the 2023 Cultivate winner, LAMEL Makeup will receive $15,000 in funding along with online and in-store distribution so they can reach Sally Beauty's loyal consumer base in the US. Additionally, LAMEL Makeup will be guided through a 12-month mentorship program with Sally Beauty Holdings executives, ensuring they are set up for success. Consumers will be able to shop LAMEL Makeup in select Sally Beauty stores and on SallyBeauty.com in Spring of 2024.

To learn more about the 2023 Cultivate Accelerator Program winner, LAMEL Makeup, visit https://www.sallybeauty.com/cultivate/ .

About Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc.

Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SBH), as the leader in professional hair color, sells and distributes professional beauty supplies globally through its Sally Beauty Supply and Beauty Systems Group businesses. Sally Beauty Supply stores offer up to 7,000 products for hair color, hair care, nails, and skin care through proprietary brands such as Ion, Strawberry Leopard, Generic Value Products, Beyond the Zone and Silk Elements as well as professional lines such as Wella, Clairol, OPI, Conair and L'Oreal. Beauty Systems Group stores, branded as CosmoProf or Armstrong McCall stores, along with its outside sales consultants, sell up to 8,000 professionally branded products including Paul Mitchell, Wella, Matrix, Schwarzkopf, Kenra, Goldwell, Joico and Olaplex, intended for use in salons and for resale by salons to retail consumers. For more information about Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc., please visit https://www.sallybeautyholdings.com/ .

SOURCE Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc.
OTTAWA, ON, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Satcom Direct Avionics, the Canadian division of Satcom Direct (SD), has won a competitive bid to deliver multi-band aeronautical connectivity services for Shared Services Canada (SSC) and its clients for a period of up to seven years. This represents the first signing of such an agreement between the two entities, which will see SD Avionics provide appropriately secured high-speed broadband and datalink services, hardware, hosting, and infrastructure services to support global aeronautical missions for SSC and other federal Canadian government bodies. The deal will be supported by value-added services, including training and customer support, as well as regular upgrades of the technology.

SD Avionics supports Canadian government connectivity including Canada Royal Air Force A330 MRTT

Through SSC, Canadian government users will benefit from easy ordering access to quickly establish worldwide connectivity delivered through multiple band airtime services, including Ka, Ku, and L-band options.

As an Inmarsat Tier 1 Distribution Partner and Value-Added Reseller, SD will support the full range of Inmarsat aviation services including Global Xpress (GX) airtime powered by the Ka-band Global Xpress constellation, SwiftBroadband and Classic Aeronautical services; Ku-band services will be powered by the Intelsat FlexAir network. As an approved Tier 1 Value Added Reseller for Iridium SD will also support Iridium Airtime, Voice and Low Data Throughput services as well as Iridium Short Burst and Short Message Service (SMS) services and Iridium Certus Airtime services. The aggregated group of services and optimization of multi-orbit capabilities will ensure SD facilitates enhanced high-speed broadband connectivity solutions to provide airborne users with seamless, continuous, and reliable worldwide mobile connectivity.

The aeronautical services will be supported by SD's comprehensive terrestrial network to ensure appropriately secured transmission of all SSC customers' data from aircraft to the Canadian federal government specified locations. Combined, the services will ensure always-on global connectivity, even in the most geographically challenging environments.

"We have an extensive understanding of how connectivity is used by these customers, who are often operating critical missions in extreme environments. With an agnostic approach to technology and partners, we already deliver multi-orbit connectivity services that optimize the combination of GEO, LEO and HEO satellites. This in-depth knowledge, expertise, and proven capability of managing requirements and exceeding expectations, even in the most difficult of circumstances, has enabled SD to win this contract. Our team worked extremely hard to win this contract, and we are looking forward to developing our relationship with the Canadian government," said Joanne Walker, general manager for Satcom Direct Avionics.

The contract is confirmed for an initial period of three years with four additional one-year options. SD Avionics is responsible for fulfilling the acquisition requests, delivering consistent connectivity, and providing customer support as and when needed by SSC representatives and clients.

The SSC mandate is to provide modern, appropriately secured, and reliable information technology (IT) services to government entities. It also supports Canadian citizens' access to government benefits and services from anywhere, at any time, from any device.

About Satcom Direct

Satcom Direct (SD) is founded on a core belief in understanding the value of time and the importance of maximizing it. The company mobilizes the most cutting-edge technologies to enable connection wherever you might be. SD's proprietary technologies span business aviation, marine, and government sectors, with the singular goal of leading connectivity industry standards.

Harnessing a powerful combination of tools, SD delivers consistent, reliable connectivity across the globe. Proprietary software, hardware, terrestrial infrastructure, cybersecurity solutions and award-winning customer support create tailored data services for each individual customer mission. The aim is to enhance the passenger and ownership experience, improve efficiencies and give back precious time by providing connectivity beyond all expectations.

About Satcom Direct Avionics

SD Avionics, the Canadian headquarters for Satcom Direct, is based in the high-tech Kanata district of Ottawa, Canada, and is responsible for the research, design, development, manufacturing, maintenance and certification of aerospace connectivity hardware including routers, handsets and antennas.

The AS9100-certified facility enables the Satcom Direct commitment to delivering connectivity beyond all expectations through its advanced technology, repair capabilities and production output. The expert team supports the Satcom Direct global offices in all areas of hardware and software evolution and development.

SD World Headquarters is located at the heart of the Space Coast in Melbourne, Florida, with 14 additional locations in 11 countries, including the UK, UAE, Switzerland, Singapore, Australia and Brazil, plus a hardware development and manufacturing base in Ottawa, Canada. For more information regarding SD, visit www.satcomdirect.com, e-mail [email protected], or call U.S. +1.321.777.3000 or UK +44.1252.554.460.

For further information follow us on: Facebook| X | YouTube | LinkedIn

Media Contact

Satcom Direct

Arena Group

Jane Stanbury

[email protected]

+44 7803 296 046

SOURCE Satcom Direct
Ten years ago, early in the morning of August 21, the regime of Bashar al-Assad released deadly sarin gas on Syrian civilians in the Ghouta district of Damascus.

This brutal attack killed more than 1,400 people  sadly, many of them children, detailed U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield:

 The world saw toddlers struggling to breathe, and besieged first responders desperately trying to decontaminate their neighbors. Piles and piles of bodies lined the streets. This attack was a sickening milestone in the regimes campaign of terror against the people of Syria.

Less than a month after the attack, and after broad international condemnation, the Assad regime joined the Chemical Weapons Convention.

We now know that the regime never planned to comply with the [Chemical Weapons Convention], said Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield, and that it willfully hid chemical weapons from the [Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.] Indeed, Syria used chemical weapons against its own people in nine subsequent attacks. The Assad regime has repeatedly lied to the international community and the investigators examining these incidents, said Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield:

Syria has never provided a full accounting of its chemical weapons program. And, despite its obligations under Resolution 2118 to fully cooperate with the [Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons], it has repeatedly obstructed the OPCWs work.

The Security Council cannot allow Assad and his henchmen, who have killed thousands of people, to get away with these atrocities, declared Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield.  To do so would endanger all of us. It would mean turning a blind eye to regimes that choose to manufacture, stockpile, and use chemical weapons.

The Assad regime will not escape accountability. Syria has a duty to implement its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and Resolution 2118. Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield urged Syria to stop delaying, obfuscating, and spreading disinformation.

The United States remains committed to pursuing justice for the victims of Ghouta and other chemical weapons attacks, declared Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield:

 We must never forget the victims and survivors of these attacks. Their loved ones deserve justice. The Syrian people deserve justice.

And this Council must come together to demand justice  and, at long last, real steps to end Syrias chemical weapons threat.
NEW YORK, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Schweiger Dermatology Group, the leading dermatology practice on the East Coast, was named to the 2023 Inc. 5000, the annual list of the fastest-growing private companies in America. The distinguished ranking provides a data-driven look at the most successful independent, entrepreneurial businesses in the country.

"It's an honor to be recognized on the Inc. 5000 list for the seventh year in a row," says Dr. Eric Schweiger, the founder, and C.E.O. of Schweiger Dermatology Group. "Our growth can be attributed to our steadfast teamwork around our mission of delivering high quality dermatology care to regions around the East Coast, which now includes Florida. We are thankful to Inc. for once again naming us to this very prestigious list."

To qualify for the 2023 Inc. 5000 list, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2019. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2022. The minimum revenue required for 2019 is $100,000; the minimum for 2022 is $2 million. Facebook, Chobani, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, are among the well-known name brands who have gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000 list.

Schweiger Dermatology Group, with office locations in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Florida, is home to over 300 healthcare providers, including over 50 Castle Connolly Top Doctors for 2023. The providers at Schweiger Dermatology Group represent a wide range of backgrounds and specialties, including Mohs surgery, skin cancer, hair restoration, medical dermatology, aesthetics, and pathology.

CONTACT:

Melissa Schweiger Kleinman

Schweiger Dermatology Group

[email protected]

About Schweiger Dermatology Group

Schweiger Dermatology Group is one of the leading dermatology practices in the country, with over 90 offices on the East Coast. Schweiger Dermatology Group provides medical, cosmetic, and surgical dermatology services with over 1,000,000 patient visits annually. To learn more, visit schweigerderm.com.

SOURCE Schweiger Dermatology Group
SAN DIMAS, Calif., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sensible Diagnostics, Inc., a diagnostics company that has developed a real-time PCR point-of-care (POC) diagnostic platform which yields lab-grade results in approximately 10 minutes, has announced it has been selected by the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) Tech program launched by the National Institutes of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The program aims to speed innovation in the development, commercialization and implementation of technologies for COVID-19 testing.

RADx

The first phase of the initiative will provide Sensible with up to $1M in non-dilutive milestone-based funding disbursed over the next 3-4 months to speed up the development of a multiplexed PCR respiratory viral panel for use at point-of-care. If Sensible successfully completes its deliverables in the first phase, Sensible will be able to request a larger second round of non-dilutive funding under the same program. Sensible's technology was previously developed by Curative Inc., one of the country's largest COVID-19 testing providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The engineers and scientists who developed the platform were the same people who ran over 200,000 COVID-19 tests per day during the height of the pandemic. The company says that puts it in a unique position to know the kind of accuracy, speed, and cost required by busy clinics and doctors' offices in the US and around the world.

"We are proud and excited to have been selected for such a prestigious program," said Ernest Templin, CEO of Sensible. "As the only point-of-care system that was designed by people who have actually run point-of-care tests in the field, these funds will be put to use to further our mission of developing and commercializing one of the world's most affordable, accessible, and accurate point-of-care PCR testing platforms."

Sensible is aiming to give providers something that has been missing in point-of-care testing; a PCR test that can be performed in 10 to 15 minutes at a cost that is on par or less than not only the current molecular tests on the market, but also professional CLIA-waived antigen tests. With two tests currently in development, the RADx Tech program-funded panel that includes influenza A, influenza B, and SARS-CoV-2, and an independently funded test for group A strep, and plans to develop tests in the field of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HCV and HIV, and a panel for neonatal infectious disease screening, Sensible plans to be a one-stop solution for molecular POC testing.

CLIA-waived POC testing has been identified as crucial not only as a tool during a pandemic, but also in routine clinical and emergent care. Sensible intends to develop and manufacture a suite of infectious disease tests that will provide clinicians with a highly accurate PCR result in 10-15 minutes. Historically, this kind of speed has been relegated to less accurate and more error-prone "rapid" antigen tests. With Sensible's "molecular in a box," utilizing all required steps to run a molecular test inside a small CLIA-waived system, physician offices and urgent care clinics can get laboratory quality molecular results in the same or less time than less accurate antigen testing, with higher reimbursement, at less cost.

This project has been funded in part with Federal funds from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. 75N92023D00001.

About Sensible Diagnostics

Sensible Diagnostics is a diagnostics company that has developed a real-time PCR point-of-care diagnostic platform which yields results in under 10 minutes. As the world's only true point-of-care system designed by providers for providers, accuracy, ease-of-use, and affordability have been at the center of its design from day one. With a full suite of multiplexed infectious disease tests in the pipeline, Sensible is poised to become the turnkey solution for providers looking for highly accurate PCR point-of-care tests at rapid antigen prices. For more information, please visit www.sensibledx.com .

Commercial and Partnering Contact:

Russ Peloquin

russ@sensibledx.com

Corporate Contact:

Chief Executive Officer

Ernest Templin

ernest@sensibledx.com

SOURCE Sensible Diagnostics
DUBLIN, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Self-Healing Engineering Materials, Markets, Technology 2024-2044" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The report features a concise 48-page Executive Summary, encompassing foundational insights, 10 pivotal conclusions, 9 SWOT analyses, and 19 illustrative infographics and pie charts.

Maturity curves projecting self-healing products in 2024, 2034, and 2044, along with an intricate roadmap detailing 5 categories spanning 2024 to 2044, form the navigational core. Forecasts extending from 2024 to 2044 are distilled into 31 succinct lines, providing a strategic overview of this evolving landscape.

Self-healing materials for engineering are exponentially growing in both research and sales. Over 70% of the self-healing market can be described as engineering with projections showing the total market having a CAGR of 21% to reach over $100 billion in 2044.

Polyurethanes, siloxanes and hydrogels will be most widely employed followed by epoxies, Diels-Alder compounds and fluoropolymers. There is, literally, a supporting role for structures in self-healing material - the microcapsules, vascular systems and later scaffolds for Engineered Living Materials ELM. Your silicas and polyureas will be much in demand for these. Bottom line - many billion-dollar businesses will be created for added-value materials.

Report Overview

The 48-page Executive summary and conclusions is sufficient as a brief industry overview. It has basics, 10 key conclusions, 9 SWOT analyses, 19 new infograms and pie charts, maturity curves for SH products 2024, 2034, 2044, detailed roadmap for 5 categories by year 2024-2044, forecasts by year 2024-2044 in 31 lines.

Chapter 2 introduces definitions, needs, the challenge of self-healing metrics and regulation and technology trends including biomimetics and beyond. That is 17 pages which are followed by the longest chapter at 87 pages covering the self-healing toolkit in the light of latest research and opinion including PhD level interpretation. Here is intrinsic vs extrinsic, autonomous or not then options - operational, physical, chemical, formulation, format.

See the importance of nanomaterials, physical vs chemical approaches and self-healing when wet. Understand chemical families typically involved and the atomic toolkit for self-healing materials. See some of the important self-healing materials by application likely to be commercialised 2024-2044 with sections on a comparison table, hydrogels, polyurethanes, silicones, fluoropolymers. Mechanisms and promising research routes are explained with many examples.

Here are recent breakthroughs in super-strong self-healing hydrogel for soft robotics, bioelectronics, cartilage, use of silica, Diels Alder materials, ionomers, supramolecular bonding and MSA, vitrimers and proteins such as polypeptides all in self-healing form with pros and cons. Learn why self-healing metals are proving so difficult

Next comes a careful explanation of latest extrinsic self-healing by microcapsules and vascular systems. What materials? Why? What next?

The author surfaces geometrical design and challenges, fibers that strengthen and emit healant in engineering structures and vascular-like self-healing.

The chapter ends with analysis of latest shape memory assisted self-healing SMASH technologies - capabilities, markets, technologies including hydrogel, polyolefin and polyurethane versions. Understand close-then-heal and fiber dispersion options and finally Engineered Living Materials ELM for growing a house or a load-bearing body part. There are many new infograms and SWOT analyses throughout.

Armed with that toolkit we then address the main engineering applicational sectors in the 41 pages of Chapter 4. With many latest research achievements presented, we here cover the closely related topics of aerospace, land and water transport, military and robotics then buildings and construction including making the new cooling layers self-healing, cementitious materials, asphalt, structural polymers and ceramics.

Self-healing in energy: harvesting, storage and transmission comes next including the new self-healing perovskite photovoltaics and the new self-healing solid-state electrolytes in batteries and self-healing structural supercapacitors, for example.

Lastly come information, computing and telecommunications ICT including massive areas of 6G reconfigurable intelligent surfaces and satcoms that need to be self-healing because, like so many other things covered, they will be massively expensive maintain and replace. Other needs end this chapter.

So what will you actually supply? That is answered by the next chapters with 42-page Chapter 5, "Self-healing adhesives, elastomers, coatings, e-skin, fibers: prospects 2024-2044", 43-page Chapter 6, "Self-healing membranes and film: prospects 2024-2044" and 52 pages for Chapter 7, "Self-healing concrete, structural polymers, ceramics, asphalt: prospects 2024-2044". The report then ends with the 23-page Chapter 8, "Self-healing companies compared".

It explains the value chain and the manufacturer percentages by application. Then comes a table comparing the activities in self-healing materials of 62 companies with eight columns for each including comments. Lastly, the self-healing activity of 12 of those companies are described and appraised in more detail.

The report is full of latest facts-based analysis, gaps in the market, quantified potential and detailed materials science. It is essential support for you to profitably participate in this very rapidly growing new business.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/4g1n0j

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

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SOURCE Research and Markets
Shimasaki to become a strategic advisor and board member at Simpleview after her upcoming retirement

TUCSON, Ariz., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Simpleview has big news  Christine "Shimo'' Shimasaki has announced her upcoming retirement from the role of managing director of 2Synergize , LLC, a Simpleview consulting company. Shimasaki will be passing the torch to Simpleview's newest strategic hire, Vail Ross.

Shimasaki, an industry veteran, will retire at the end of 2023 and transition into the role of a strategic advisor and board member at Simpleview. In this role, she will continue to counsel Simpleview to advocate and support destinations in meetings and group sales markets.

Christine "Shimo" Shimasaki has announced her upcoming retirement and will be passing the torch to Vail Ross. Tweet this

Since 1983, Shimasaki has provided unparalleled leadership and guidance to hoteliers, destination marketing organizations (DMOs), and convention and visitor bureaus (CVBs), contributing to the creation, evolution, and advancement of the destination organization industry. In July 2022, her efforts were recognized with induction into the Destinations International Hall of Fame as an industry contributor. Shimasaki was instrumental in the creation of FuturePace , ICCA Business Intelligence , the Event Scoring Profile, MINT+ , and the recent launch of Simpleview Data Engine .

"From Marriott to the San Diego Tourism Authority, to my consulting at Destinations International, and then joining Simpleview, this journey has been amazing  I couldn't have scripted it any better," said Shimasaki. "This year marks my 40th anniversary in the industry; I have a lot to be grateful for, including having people around me who believed in me."

Simpleview, the leading provider of CRM, CMS, and marketing solutions for destinations worldwide, is excited to announce the hiring of Vail Ross  former senior vice president of global business development & marketing at STR. Ross is a travel industry leader and sits on a number of association and non-profit boards; she was named one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Global Hospitality in 2022 by the International Hospitality Institute and one of Hotel Management's Influential Women In Hospitality in 2019. Ross will begin her role as co-director of 2Synergize in September 2023 before transitioning to managing director in the new year.

"I am excited to continue the transformative work that Shimo and her team at 2Synergize have brought to the destination marketing community," said Ross. "Our goal is to expand on that extensive advisory work, from marketing to destination development, to help in accomplishing the goals of our customers."

Ross's industry expertise will further empower 2Synergize to provide customer research, sales strategy consulting, sales intel, and data services for Simpleview customers, as well as fuel Simpleview Data Engine  a data aggregation and analysis platform built for the future of DMOs.

About Simpleview

Simpleview is a worldwide leading provider of CRM, CMS, website design, digital marketing services, and data insights for convention bureaus, venues, tourism boards, destination marketing organizations (DMOs), and attractions. The company employs staff across the globe, serving clients of all sizes, including small towns, world capitals, top meeting destinations, and countries across multiple continents.

About 2Synergize

2Synergize, LLC is a Simpleview consulting company specializing in the convention and visitors (CVB) industry, with a laser focus on helping destinations and partner organizations gain a competitive edge in the meetings and events market. 2Synergize understands the complexities of the organization's roles and responsibilities and the importance of optimizing stakeholder relationships.

SOURCE SIMPLEVIEW
HOUSTON, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SkillGigs, Inc. , an ecommerce talent marketplace that pairs skilled healthcare and technology job seekers with AI-matched work opportunities, has been named to the prestigious Inc. 5000 list for the first time in the company's history, ranking at #1,405. Notably, SkillGigs also earned a number of other distinctions: the company is #143 on the list from Texas #28 in the Houston areaand #196 out of all the software companies ranked.

SkillGigs is ranked #1,405 on the 2023 Inc. 5000 list, which ranks the fastest-growing companies in America.

"We are thrilled to be named to the Inc. 5000 list for the first time," said Kashif Aftab, founder and CEO of SkillGigs. "This recognition validates our unwavering commitment to driving the future of hiring through our AI-based bidding and matching technology. Our revolutionary e-commerce marketplace platform, leveraging cutting-edge AI, empowers travel nurses and tech workers to secure contract or travel assignments quickly and easily. Our platform has spurred unprecedented growth in just three years, thanks to our relentless focus on delivering a seamless, intuitive, and intelligent end-to-end experience for our users."

For four decades, Inc. has celebrated the fastest-growing private companies in America, with companies such as Microsoft, Under Armour, and Patagonia gaining their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000. Companies on the 2023 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2019 to 2022.

SkillGigs is a "job matchmaker" that uses AI to bring employers and top talent together 24/7. Job seekers with SkillGigs profiles utilize the company's patented AI-powered 3D Resume tool to accurately and effectively present themselves and match their skills to potential employers. Employers, including traditional staffing companies, partner with SkillGigs to list their jobs in the SkillGigs Talent Marketplace and receive AI-matched candidates from a constantly refreshed, rigorously screened talent pool.

To learn more about SkillGigs, please visit: skillgigs.com .

About SkillGigs, Inc.

SkillGigs, Inc. is an ecommerce talent marketplace that pairs skilled healthcare and technology job seekers with AI-matched work opportunities. Founded in 2017 on the belief that companies and talent should be able to interact seamlessly, SkillGigs is dedicated to empowering the users. SkillGigs elevates and maximizes the hiring process by removing traditional barriers. The company's patented AI software matches talent with jobs tailored to their skills, while giving companies with open positions strong candidates who are ready to workall without a single recruiter. Learn more at skillgigs.com .

CONTACT

Sarah Flocken

[email protected]

SOURCE Skillgigs
DUBLIN, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Speech Therapy Services Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2023-2028)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global speech therapy services market is projected to experience growth at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 5.9% during the forecast period.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant effect on the market, impacting the neurorehabilitation and speech and language therapy (SLT) services. However, with the pandemic subsiding, speech therapy services are being provided normally, leading to stable growth in the market.

Factors such as increasing screening for speech and hearing impairment in newborns and the rising geriatric population are expected to drive market growth in the coming years. The prevalence of neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, among the geriatric population may boost the demand for speech therapy services. Additionally, early hearing detection and intervention programs are contributing to the market's growth.

Key Market Trends:

The geriatric segment is expected to hold a significant market share during the forecast period, driven by growing research and development for neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's. The increasing geriatric population worldwide is expected to enhance the segment's growth.

North America is expected to hold a significant share in the market due to factors such as the rising geriatric population, increasing prevalence of Alzheimer's disease, positive reimbursement policies, and early hearing detection and intervention programs.

Competitive Landscape:

The speech therapy services market is moderately fragmented, with major players like Smart Speech Therapy, Speech Therapy Services London Ltd, John McGivney Children's Centre, Speechpathway.net, and Speech Plus leading the industry.

The global speech therapy services market shows promising growth opportunities, driven by increasing awareness about speech and language therapy and efforts to address speech disorders in both newborns and the geriatric population.

A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes

Benchmark Therapies Inc.

CHEO

Humanus Corporation

John McGivney Children's Centre

Reliant Medical Group

Smart Speech Therapy

Speech Plus

Speech Therapy Services London Ltd

SPEECH THERAPY SOLUTIONS INC.

Speech Therapy Talk Services LLC

Speechpathway.net

Talk About Speech Pathology

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/gmvf5

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

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SOURCE Research and Markets
"Work That Matters" episode eight delves deep into Lesley Israel's impactful work with Jewish causes worldwide, combatting antisemitism and promoting understanding.

EASTON, Md., Aug. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In the latest episode of the acclaimed podcast "Work That Matters," host Lesley Israel opens up about her profound involvement with Jewish communities worldwide. In a candid and heartfelt interview, Lesley shares her experiences, challenges, and triumphs while advocating for Jewish causes and preserving American heritage abroad. As an esteemed political consultant, entrepreneur, and devoted family woman, Lesley's journey has been nothing short of extraordinary, with a track record of contributing to high-profile political campaigns, including multiple US presidential campaigns. Throughout the series, Lesley Israel has reflected on how these experiences shaped her understanding of politics and government, but now she discusses the importance of faith. Her advocacy and activity in promoting Jewish causes are second to none, and even in retirement, Lesley still finds ways to make a difference.

"As we continue to move forward in this day and age, it is imperative that we stand united in our efforts to combat antisemitism," explains Lesley Israel. "It's hard to believe antisemitism still exists in 2023, but it does. Hatred and prejudice have no place in our society, and we must work tirelessly to foster understanding and tolerance among all communities."

Lesley's impactful work has left an indelible mark on the promotion of democracy and human rights in countries with Jewish communities, as well as safeguarding Jewish heritage sites globally. Her involvement with diverse organizations, such as Bosnian Handicrafts, Inc., Save a Child's Heart, and Talbot Humane, demonstrates her dedication to causes that align with her values and passions. Additionally, her role in the Anti-Defamation League's National Executive Committee highlights her commitment to combating antisemitism and promoting understanding and tolerance. The "Work That Matters" podcast, hosted by Lesley Israel, empowers aspiring individuals, especially young women, to pursue careers in politics or related fields, leaving a lasting impact on their journey.

Lesley Israel adds: "On 'Work That Matters', I typically engage in discussions about politics and government, but this time, I feel compelled to shed light on Jewish advocacy matters. I really hope my words resonate with people, fostering greater understanding and inspiring positive change in our world."

Tune into the eighth episode of "Work That Matters", streaming globally right now at www.WorkThatMatters.net. All past episodes are archived there as well.

For more information about Lesley Israel, please visit www.LesleyIsrael.com.

This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com.

SOURCE Lesley Israel
Aurisco Pharmaceutical today announced that its cGMP manufacturing plant in Yangzhou has successfully passed a USFDA inspection.

YANGZHOU, China, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Aurisco Pharmaceutical announced today that its API and FDF plant in Yangzhou, China has successfully passed a cGMP inspection by the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA).

Front view of Yangzhou Aurisco Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd A view from the QC Lab of Yangzhou Aurisco Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd

The inspection, carried out by the FDA Consumer Safety Officer, Mrs. Michele Glendenning, lasted 5 days (711.Aug.2023) as initially planned. The FDA inspection confirmed the site to be compliant with the principles and guidelines of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and no Form 483 observations were issued. At the closing meeting the inspector informed that she was satisfied with the workshops and labs she had seen and complimented Aurisco on its GMP system and documents, inspection organization and the knowledge of its team members.

Dr. Wang Guoping, General Manager of the Yangzhou site, said "This successful FDA inspection is very important for our customers, as it confirms the cGMP status of this site, where we offer CDMO services, manufacture generic APIs like Dydrogesterone, Brivaracetam, Bempedoic acid, Dolutegravir sodium, Rimegepant, Vibegron and will soon produce peptides such as Semaglutide. This site also manufactures Auxiton, the first NMPA approved generic dydrogesterone tablets, with a Marketing Authorization for the Chinese Market".

Dr. Li Jinliang, Board Director of Aurisco, said "We are pleased to have another successful FDA inspection. Quality is very important for us, and this inspection demonstrates the safety of our products and cGMP compliance of our quality system. This successful result is a team effort and I congratulate the entire team for being so committed."

About Aurisco. Aurisco serves global markets with over 25 years' experience in the development and cGMP manufacture of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients. With 6 R&D centers, 3 FDA inspected sites and building its 4th site in China, and sales offices in USA, Portugal and Brazil, the company focuses on complex products for the most demanding customers in the most regulated markets. With a broad portfolio of complex generic APIs, the company is broadening its offer from small molecules to peptides and oligonucleotides and offering innovators an IP safe and cGMP and ESG compliant environment for research, development and manufacturing of their innovative molecules. With over 80 patents filled worldwide and 250 scientists, the company pays special attention to IP, innovation and sustainability. Being Ecovadis ranked, Aurisco has joined the SBTi, M2030 and the sustainable procurement pledge. Aurisco was the first pharmaceutical company in China to pass a RX360 supply chain security inspection and has been audited by the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative (PSCI), a group of pharmaceutical and healthcare companies who share a vision of better social, health, safety and environmental outcomes in the communities where they buy.

For further information, please contact:

Rafael Antunes

Vice-President Business Development  Europe

[email protected]

M. +351 919 387 143

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2185151/Yangzhou_site.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2185186/QC_Lab_Yangzhou.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2016821/Aurisco_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Aurisco Pharmaceutical
WASHINGTON, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Supernal LLC (the Company), Hyundai Motor Group's (HMG) Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) company, announced today the opening of its policy and commercial hub in Washington, D.C. This is one of three permanent facilities Supernal is opening this year, which include its engineering headquarters in Irvine, Calif. and a R&D facility in Fremont, Calif., close to Silicon Valley.

Supernals new corporate headquarters in Washington DC opened in summer 2023 with 60 employees and room to expand in support of Hyundai Motor Groups Advanced Air Mobility vision.

Supernal's 28,000-square-foot office is located at 16th and L Streets N.W. and will include a 5,000-square-foot innovation center upon completion of construction later this year. The Company employs more than 60 people in the market across policy, strategic planning, legal, commercial, product, finance and HR disciplines. Supernal plans to hire an additional 20 employees in Washington, D.C. this year, bringing the Company's total headcount to more than 500.

"The decision to open a three-story office in downtown Washington, D.C. reflects Supernal's earnest commitment to serving as an industry resource to regulators and policymakers as they shape AAM," said Jaiwon Shin, president of Hyundai Motor Group and CEO of Supernal. "We are also pleased to draw on the region's growing tech and commercial talent pool."

Established in 2020 as the Urban Air Mobility Division of Hyundai Motor Group, Supernal is developing an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle and the integrated ground-to-air ecosystem to support the emerging AAM industry. As part of HMG, Supernal is working to integrate the automotive giant's manufacturing technologies, supply chain capabilities and automation into AAM to make electric air travel an everyday transportation option in the coming decades.

"Government and industry's collaboration is a main reason why commercial aviation has become the safest form of transportation and routine in daily life for many  and we want nothing less for AAM," said Shin. "Supernal is working with agencies and policymakers to facilitate a cycle of proactive planning and policymaking that will maximize AAM's benefit to communities when integrated locally."

Washington, D.C. Facility Design

Supernal spent more than a year building out the three-story office space with the mantra of "design facilities that inspire and exceed the comfort of employees' homes." The interior design pays homage to the Company's aerospace identity with metal work throughout that mirrors aircraft parts and shapes, conference rooms named after renowned aviators and even flight path markings on the floors to guide employees throughout the space. Relatedly, the design draws from the swarm dynamics of birds to create seamless traffic flows among spaces  promoting fluidity and movement  and the on-site arboretum provides a serene environment that fosters a sense of tranquility and connection to nature.

Supernal also designed the space with employee well-being and collaboration in mind. Meticulously planned amenity spaces offer opportunities for employees to cultivate balance amid work schedules with wellness features that promote relaxation, stress-reduction, creativity and mental clarity. To foster community and collaboration, Supernal chose flexible furniture and round, soft architectural elements to create adaptable spaces that meet the diverse needs of employees. In addition to these spaces, the office boasts ergonomically designed workstations and an eco-cafe that serves as a vibrant hub for socializing and collaboration.

Photos of Supernal's office space are located here. More information on Supernal job opportunities in Washington, D.C., is shared here.

About Supernal

Supernal (Supernal) is a U.S.-based mobility service provider on a mission to redefine how people move, connect, and live. We are developing an Advanced Air Mobility eVTOL vehicle and working to responsibly co-create the supporting ecosystem and integrate it into existing transit options. As part of Hyundai Motor Group, we are both a new business and an established company, with plans to harness our automotive manufacturing heritage to make Advanced Air Mobility accessible to the masses. Visit www.supernal.aero for more information and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Contacts:

Jennifer Darland

Supernal

[email protected]

SOURCE Supernal
Beverage Industry Leader Adopts Microsoft ERP Platform to Optimize Processes and Performance

SEATTLE, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Talking Rain Beverage Company, the leading beverage company and makers of Sparkling Ice, Sparkling Ice +Caffeine, Talking Rain AQA and more, today announced their decision to embark on a strategic Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) transformation program with Microsoft and Infosys. This strategic initiative represents a significant milestone in Talking Rain's journey towards enhancing its core business capabilities, creating a focused organizational workflow, and achieving true business transformation.

Infosys

Talking Rain is embarking on this business transformation program to revolutionize its operations and enable scalability to meet customer and consumer demands. The chosen ERP solution, Microsoft's Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management, combined with Infosys' expertise as the implementation partner, provides Talking Rain with the tools necessary to optimize customer service, improve core finance processes, enhance supply chain capabilities, and drive overall efficiency improvements across its organization value chain.

This modern, cloud-based solution will unlock increased capabilities, propel the company to new heights and allow for long-term scalability. With enhanced access to real-time data and robust process, Talking Rain will be able to make informed decisions benefiting the brand's network, customers and partners while ensuring accurate reporting.

"By integrating with Microsoft and Infosys, we are aligning ourselves with leading technology and expertise in the industry," said Luke Fisher, Chief Financial Officer at Talking Rain Beverage Company. "This collaboration ensures we can continually enhance our capabilities to overdeliver on our customer and consumer expectations. This ERP transformation program will help take Talking Rain to a whole new level, enabling us to operate effectively on real-time data, make smarter decisions and scale for years to come."

"Every company right now is looking at the enterprise and analyzing how to take advantage of AI," said Dave Horner, Vice President of Technology at Talking Rain. "It is critically important to have a solid ERP as the foundation for transformation and to partner with technology providers that have AI embedded in their roadmaps. Being able to leverage the combined Research and Development investments of Microsoft and Infosys was a key factor in our decision making process."

Karmesh Vaswani, EVP and Head of Consumer, Retail and Logistics, Infosys, said, "The beverages industry is undergoing positive and disruptive transformation with new consumer connections and renewed enterprise execution that play at the intersection of business process capabilities, consumer and channel insights and actionable AI. Through this integration, we are committed to accelerate the transformation at Talking Rain and pave their path to leapfrog on business performance management and speed of innovation."

Swamy Narayana, General Manager at Microsoft, and head of Customer Experience Programs for Dynamics 365 added, "Talking Rain's integration of Dynamics 365 to manage their operations will unlock the immense AI-powered features designed to help Talking Rain achieve its digital transformation goals."

Talking Rain's commitment to implementing the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management ERP platform reflects its dedication to leverage technology and strategic collaborations to optimize its operations and provide superior experiences for its customers.

For more information on Talking Rain Beverage Company, please visit https://www.talkingrain.com/.

About Talking Rain Beverage Company

Talking Rain is a Washington-based beverage company that has been an industry leader in the beverage space for 35 years. The company's portfolio of brands includes the bestselling sparkling water, Sparkling Ice, Sparkling Ice +Caffeine, and Talking Rain AQA, all of which offer better-for-you beverage options in a variety of flavors. With a commitment to developing best-in-class brands and driving meaningful community engagement, Talking Rain is creating connections with every sip.

Talking Rain is building a sustainable future in an ever-changing market space. The company is committed to connecting with like-minded partners who prioritize corporate, social, and environmental responsibility so together, they can educate and inspire the continuous work that supports these efforts. Talking Rain aims to create a lasting impact in the community through innovative carbon reduction initiatives, positive social programs, and philanthropic support.

About Infosys

Infosys 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 the cloud. We enable them with an AI-powered 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.

SOURCE Talking Rain Beverage Company
The United States stands with our Philippine allies in the face of dangerous actions by the Coast Guard and maritime militia of the Peoples Republic of China, said State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller in a written statement.

The State Department reaffirmed its support for the Philippines after the PRC Coast Guard on August 5th used a water cannon to block the progress of a Philippine vessel in the South China Sea. The Philippine boat was part of a flotilla carrying supplies to Filipino solders on Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands.

This is not the first time the PRC has carried out such dangerous actions. In November 2021 the PRC also used a water cannon against a Philippine boat, and it has repeatedly conducted maneuvers which came dangerously close to Philippine vessels. In February 2023 the Philippine Coast Guard accused the PRC of directing a military grade laser at one of its boats, temporarily blinding the crew on the bridge.

Referencing the August 5th incident, State Department Spokesperson Miller said, Firing water cannon and employing unsafe blocking maneuvers, PRC ships interfered with the Philippines lawful exercise of high seas freedom of navigation and jeopardized the safety of the Philippine vessels and crew. Such actions by the PRC are inconsistent with international law and are the latest in repeated threats to the status quo in the South China Sea, directly threatening regional peace and stability.

The PRC continues to make large territorial claims to the South China Sea and to the islands within it, despite the legally binding ruling of an international tribunal in 2016 that found the PRC has no lawful claim to the maritime area around Second Thomas Shoal. The United States calls upon the PRC to abide by the arbitral ruling as well as to respect the freedom of navigation  a right to which all states are entitled, said Spokesperson Miller.

He also underscored that the United States would meet its obligations to its ally. The United States, Spokesperson Miller declared, 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 U.S. mutual defense commitments under Article IV of the 1951 U.S. Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty.
More than $83 million deployed for criminal justice reform and community safety efforts in The Just Trust's first eighteen months

DURHAM, N.C., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Just Trust , an organization that is 100 percent dedicated to criminal justice reform and community safety  and is comprised of The Just Trust for Education, a 501(c)(3), and The Just Trust for Action, an independent 501(c)(4)  announced today the release of its first annual report, available online at thejusttrust.org/2023-report .

Founded in 2021 by Ana Zamora, formerly the Director of Criminal Justice Reform at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and the Criminal Justice Director at the ACLU of Northern California, The Just Trust funds and collaborates across the political spectrum and state lines to advance the hard work of advocates, build creative alliances, center the work of directly-impacted individuals, and sustain calls for reform and safety among the mainstream. It became operational and began supporting the field in 2022.

More than $83 million deployed for criminal justice reform and community safety efforts in The Just Trust's first 18 months. Tweet this

With an initial five-year investment of $350 million from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, The Just Trust focuses on powering policy advocacy and implementation, public education, narrative shift work, and new and proven community safety solutions across the country.

Key highlights from The Just Trust Annual Report:

In the eighteen months following March, 2022, The Just Trust awarded 202 individual grants to more than 150 organizations working at the state and national level. It powers 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) work and strategies in nearly every state, focusing largely on the South and Appalachia.

to more than 150 organizations working at the state and national level. It powers 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) work and strategies in nearly every state, focusing largely on the South and Appalachia. The Just Trust has deployed more than $83 million to date to support advocacy infrastructure, community safety solutions, narrative change, and rapid response. It also leads first-party messaging research and polling.

to date to support advocacy infrastructure, community safety solutions, narrative change, and rapid response. It also leads first-party messaging research and polling. The group supports organizations working across the full political spectrum, and also seeded the first independent 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to advancing conservative criminal justice reform  The Adams Project.

To date, The Just Trust has supported the passage, blockage, and implementation of over 230 pieces of legislation and narrative campaigns in 39 states.

"I want people to understand that criminal justice reform is a lot more than ending mass incarceration," said Ana Zamora, The Just Trust Founder & CEO. "It's a strategy to create safer, stronger communities by helping our institutions prioritize prevention, accountability, rehabilitation, and healing  rather than simply reacting to crime. If incarceration alone lived up to its promise of safety, we'd be the safest country in the world."

"At The Just Trust, we want to help usher in the next chapter of the criminal justice system in the United States," Zamora added. "That's why we're giving it everything we've got  grants, narrative work, real time polling data and message development, research tools, convenings, and coalition building  to power change. This is why we're moving this scale of resources, diversifying and leveraging capital, building unlikely alliances, filling gaps, and ensuring we never let momentum slip, slow down, or get sidelined."

The Just Trust Annual Report HERE .

More info on The Just Trust HERE .

Media Contacts:

Paul + Williams: Katie Alexander, [email protected]

The Just Trust: Jenna LeDoux, [email protected]

About Ana Zamora, Founder and CEO of The Just Trust:

Ana Zamora is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Just Trust, an organization 100 percent dedicated to scaling, aligning, and deploying resources to criminal justice reform across the country. Prior to The Just Trust, Ana served as the Director of Criminal Justice Reform at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, where she incubated her investment strategy to make durable change in the criminal justice system and shift away from punishment and incapacitation to accountability, dignity, and redemption. Ana later transitioned the program into a fully independent organization, launching The Just Trust for Education and The Just Trust for Action with a $350 million seed investment from CZI. Prior to her work in philanthropy, Ana worked on the frontlines of criminal justice reform in various roles as an organizer, advocate, and campaigner. She brings 15 years of work in the criminal justice reform space, including at the ACLU, and a lifetime of knowing the pain and stigma of having a loved one impacted by the justice system.

About The Just Trust:

The Just Trust  made up of The Just Trust for Education and The Just Trust for Action  exists to shrink the footprint of the criminal justice system in the lives of everyday Americans, and to build a much more humane engine of justice and safety that makes our communities stronger. The Just Trust funds and collaborates with advocacy organizations working across political and ideological spectrums  in red, blue, and purple states  to ensure there is a path to reform everywhere regardless of who is in the White House or governors' mansions. The Just Trust has deployed more than $83 million to more than 150 organizations, including advocacy groups, media organizations and narrative projects, and real-time community safety strategies. A list of The Just Trust partners can be found here .

SOURCE The Just Trust
NEW YORK, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The web application firewall market is to grow by USD 6,895.11 million from 2022 to 2027 and register a CAGR of 18.76%, according to Technavio's latest market research report estimates. With a focus on identifying dominant industry influencers, Technavio's reports present a detailed study by way of synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. This report offers an up-to-date analysis of the current market scenario, the latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. The report is segmented by Deployment, End-user, and Geography. North America is estimated to contribute 33% to the growth of the global market during the forecast period. The growth in the region is due to the increasing demand for cybersecurity solutions and the rising adoption of the BYOD policy. The region's market expansion is also driven by an increase in cyberattacks and enterprise data breaches. In addition, strict government regulations on data security and consumer privacy are enforced to prevent such attacks in the future. Hence, these factors are expected to drive segment growth during the forecast period. Technavio offers in-depth market insights that assist global businesses to obtain growth opportunities. Read Sample Report

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Web Application Firewall Market

The report also covers the following areas:

Web Application Firewall Market 2023-2027: Segmentation

Deployment

On-premises



Cloud

End-user

E-Commerce



BFSI



Government



Others

Geography

North America



Europe



APAC



Middle East and Africa

and

South America

The market share growth in the on-premises segment will be significant during the forecast period. Large enterprises globally adopt on-premises web application firewalls for enhanced security and control. This deployment model provides complete governance of application software functionality. Unlike a cloud-based approach, on-premises limits resource access to a dedicated network, which reduces security risks. Furthermore, governments are enforcing regulations globally, especially in the healthcare and BFSI sectors, with a focus on data security. Hence, these factors are expected to drive segment growth during the forecast period.

Web Application Firewall Market 2023-2027: Company Analysis and Scope

To help businesses improve their market position, the web application firewall market provides a detailed analysis of around 15+ companies operating in the market. Some of these companies include A10 Networks Inc., Akamai Technologies Inc., Barracuda Networks Inc., Citrix Systems Inc., Cloudflare Inc., F5 Networks Inc., Fortinet Inc., Imperva Inc., International Business Machines Corp., Juniper Networks Inc., NSFOCUS Inc., Penta Security Systems Inc., Positive Technologies, Qualys Inc., Radware Ltd., Sangfor Technologies Inc., Singapore Telecommunications Ltd., Sophos Ltd., UBIKA, and Venustech Group Inc.

Company Offering

A10 Networks Inc.- The company offers web application firewall solutions such as A10 Thunder Application Delivery Controllers.

The company offers web application firewall solutions such as A10 Thunder Application Delivery Controllers. Akamai Technologies Inc. - The company offers web application firewall solutions for DDoS protection solutions.

The company offers web application firewall solutions for DDoS protection solutions. Citrix Systems Inc. - The company offers web application firewalls such as ADC VPX for Cookies, HTTP Headers, and Forms.

Web Application Firewall Market 2023-2027: Market Dynamics

Key Driver

The growing number of cyber threats is a key factor driving market growth. The rapid increase in cyber theft by hackers and cybercriminals is cause for concern, with a global increase in stolen data and compromised files. For example, incidents such as the theft of 9,000 government account credentials in Canada and the leak of World Health Organization (WHO) employee credentials highlight the severity. As a result, companies use web application firewall solutions to assess vulnerable areas, better understand, and effectively defend against these attacks. Hence, these factors are expected to drive market growth during the forecast period.

Major Trends

The increasing adoption of the Bring your own Device (BYOD) market concept among enterprises is a major trend in the market. This is due to the convenience of employees using a single device to manage their personal and work tasks, which reinforces the need for data protection. In addition, insufficient mobile device security has allowed hackers to break into corporate networks through mobile web applications. Therefore, recognizing the importance of BYOD for data security, some companies offer enterprise application security solutions. Hence, such benefits are expected to drive market growth during the forecast period.

Significant challenges

The threat from substitutes is a significant challenge restricting the market growth. The market may face significant challenges related to open-source web application firewall solutions, which are accessible on a variety of platforms and are attracting attention, especially in emerging economies such as India and China. Additionally, due to budget constraints, many small businesses in these regions prefer open-source options over expensive on-premises and cloud-based security solutions. These open-source alternatives require lower capital costs, which proves cost-effective for organizations with limited resources and expertise. Hence, the threat from substitutes is expected to restrict the market growth during the forecast period.

Drivers, Trends, and challenges have an impact on market dynamics, which can impact businesses. Find more insights in a sample report!

Web Application Firewall Market 2023-2027: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2023-2027

Detailed information on factors that will assist web application firewall market growth during the next five years.

Estimation of the web application firewall market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the web application firewall market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on companies

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of web application firewall market companies.

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The network access control (NAC) market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 27.79% between 2022 and 2027. The market size is forecast to increase by USD 21,532.61 million. Furthermore, this report extensively covers market segmentation by deployment (on-premises and cloud), product (hardware, software, and services), and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, Middle East and Africa, and South America). Penetration of wireless network infrastructure is the key factor driving the growth of the market.

The aviation cyber security market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 9.4% between 2022 and 2027. The market size is forecast to increase by USD 38.08 billion. Furthermore, this report extensively covers market segmentation by type (network security, wireless security, cloud security, and content and application security), deployment (on-premises and cloud-based), and geography (North America, APAC, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and South America).

Web Application Firewall Market Scope Report Coverage Details Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 18.76% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 6,895.11 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023(%) 18.34 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, Middle East and Africa, and South America Performing market contribution North America at 33% Key countries US, Canada, China, Germany, and the UK Competitive landscape Leading Companies, Market Positioning of Companies, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled A10 Networks Inc., Akamai Technologies Inc., Barracuda Networks Inc., Citrix Systems Inc., Cloudflare Inc., F5 Networks Inc., Fortinet Inc., Imperva Inc., International Business Machines Corp., Juniper Networks Inc., NSFOCUS Inc., Penta Security Systems Inc., Positive Technologies, Qualys Inc., Radware Ltd., Sangfor Technologies Inc., Singapore Telecommunications Ltd., Sophos Ltd., UBIKA, and Venustech Group Inc. Market dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, and Market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get customized segments.

Table of Contents

1 Executive Summary

2 Market Landscape

3 Market Sizing

4 Historic Market Size

5 Five Forces Analysis

6 Market Segmentation by Deployment

7 Market Segmentation by End-user

8 Customer Landscape

9 Geographic Landscape

10 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

11 Company Landscape

12 Company Analysis

13 Appendix

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Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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Technavio Research

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SOURCE Technavio
PLANO, Texas, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota Financial Services (TFS) announced it is offering payment relief options to its customers affected by the recent wildfires in Hawaii. This broad outreach includes any Toyota Financial Services (TFS) or Lexus Financial Services (LFS) customer in the designated disaster areas.

Toyota Financial Services cares about the safety and well-being of its customers and wants to help those suffering from this natural disaster. Impacted lease and finance customers residing in the affected area may be eligible to take advantage of several payment relief options, some of which include:

extensions and lease deferred payments;

redirecting billing statements; and

arranging phone or online payments.

Customers who would like to discuss their account options are encouraged to contact TFS or LFS:

Toyota Financial Services customers may call 800-874-8822 or contact TFS via email using the Mail Center function after logging into ToyotaFinancial.com.

Lexus Financial Services customers may call 800-874-7050 or contact LFS via email using the Mail Center function after logging into LexusFinancial.com.

We extend our heartfelt thoughts to those affected by the devastating fires.

About Toyota Financial Services

Toyota Financial Services (TFS) is the brand for finance and related products for Toyota in the United States, offering retail auto financing and leasing through Toyota Motor Credit Corporation (TMCC) and Toyota Lease Trust. TFS also offers vehicle and payment protection products through Toyota Motor Insurance Services (TMIS). The company services Lexus dealers and customers using the Lexus Financial Services brand.

As of March 31, 2023, TFS employed approximately 3,800 team members nationwide, and had assets totaling over $137 billion. It is part of a worldwide network of comprehensive financial services offered by Toyota Financial Services Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation.

We announce material financial information using the investor relations section of our website ( www.toyotafinancial.com ) and SEC filings. We use these channels, press releases, and social media to communicate about our company, our services and other issues. While not all information we post on social media is of a material nature, some information could be material. Therefore, we encourage those interested in our company to review our messages on Twitter at www.twitter.com/toyotafinancial and posts on Facebook at www.facebook.com/toyotafinancial/ .

Media Contact

Derrick Brown

(469) 486-9065

SOURCE Toyota Financial Services
With a three-year revenue growth of 1751%, Tractor ranks 352 on the 2023 list

HAYDEN, Idaho, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tractor Beverage Company, the first and only Certified Organic, Non-GMO beverage company dedicated to food service, has been named for the second year in a row to the Inc. 5000 list which recognizes the top 1% of burgeoning private companies in the nation.

The list, which ranks companies by revenue, has a history of identifying emerging startups during their early years such as Chobani, Microsoft, and Patagonia.

Inc. 5000

Tractor has grown 1751% in the last three years and is ranked #18 in the food and beverage industry. Farmer-founded and employee-owned, Tractor's thoughtfully crafted drinks are served in over 6,000 food service locations across all 50 states, including Chipotle Mexican Grill, PLNT Burger, Kevin Hart's Hart House, WOWorks, CoreLife Eatery, Roti and many of the quickserve restaurants, as well as college, university, corporate, and medical campuses you know and love.

"I am so proud of what we are building here at Tractor," said Kevin Sherman, Tractor Beverage CEO. "The idea behind Tractor is simple. Organic options didn't exist in food service, so we created them. We have quickly progressed from an industry underdog to a formidable brand that is revolutionizing the beverage industry. The honor of being named to Inc. 5000 for the second consecutive year is just another step along the way on our path to disrupting food service by making great tasting organic beverages available and accessible to all."

The Inc. 5000 list, published by Inc. magazine, has become a symbol of entrepreneurial success in identifying the most dynamic and innovative companies in the country. Companies featured on this list have shown uncommon growth and success, often overcoming challenges and making a significant impact in their respective industries.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at https://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Tractor Beverage Company

Tractor Beverage Company is revolutionizing the beverage station as the first and only USDA Organic Certified, Non-GMO full-line beverage solution for food service. Farmer-founded and employee-owned, the team is on a mission to create a cleaner, healthier planet, one drink at a time. 136 million+ Tractor drinks are served annually in more than 6,000 locations across 50 states, with a portfolio of 25 uniquely flavored Certified Organic and Non-GMO craft refreshers, lemonades, and premium craft sodas as well as organic frozen and organic mixology. Tractor's thoughtfully crafted drinks feature clean ingredients that deliver on taste, functionality, and experience, without any of the bad stuff. Tractor is the first beverage brand to track and disclose impact data about its ingredients through the Organic Impact Tracker , quantifying the benefit of sourcing organic versus conventional ingredients. The company was included on the 2023 and 2022 Inc. 5000 lists of America's fastest-growing private companies, and on Fast Company's 2021 list of the world's Most Innovative Companies. For more information, visit drinktractor.com or follow along on Instagram at @drinktractor.

About Inc.

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com .

Media Relations:

Jennifer Rumble

Cercone Brown for Tractor

704-923-6378

363825@email4pr.com

SOURCE Tractor Beverage Co.
TutorMe has qualified for inclusion in the state's tutoring initiative aimed at supporting students disproportionately affected by the pandemic

TRENTON, N.J., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- TutorMe, a one-to-one, online tutoring solution from leading digital learning company GoGuardian, today announced it has been selected by the State of New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) as a qualified vendor for their new high-impact tutoring program. The Learning Acceleration: High-Impact Tutoring initiative, launching for the 2023-24 academic school year, will provide targeted funding to local education agencies (LEAs) for high-dosage, intensive tutoring for students, with a priority of students in grades three and four. The NJDOE is supporting LEAs' efforts to respond to students' increased academic needs and the necessity to accelerate learning by launching a state-supported tutoring initiative.

To apply for the program, school districts must use the Electronic Web-Enabled Grant System (EWEG) online application system on the NJDOE's Homeroom web page . Grant applications must be submitted by Sept. 20, 2023. Districts that receive the grant will then be given a list of pre-approved tutoring providers, including TutorMe, which will be available to support the tutoring services offered through the grant program.

"High-dosage tutoring is proven to be an incredibly effective educational strategy for improving student learning outcomes, and we commend the State of New Jersey for implementing this critical grant program," said Luke Harris, Chief Revenue Officer at GoGuardian. "TutorMe is proud to be a part of this initiative that will not only support students, but also deliver added in-classroom support to teachers working diligently to provide personalized learning experiences."

The NJDOE is the latest state education agency to partner with TutorMe for state-wide tutoring initiatives. In 2022 the Texas Education Agency included TutorMe as an approved provider for their Vetted Texas Tutoring Corps Program.

TutorMe, which has completed more than one million live tutoring sessions , offers high-impact, personalized tutoring for learners across the country. TutorMe's platform allows students to connect with a tutor to collaborate in real-time during live sessions, with the option to engage face-to-face in a safe digital environment.

TutorMe's platform is further enhanced by the company's unique RAISE Approach , which translates the learning methodologies in TutorMe's evidence-based logic model into a framework for tutors to support student engagement. The RAISE Approach is centered on the guiding principles of asking questions and providing feedback, followed by rapport-building, assessment of prior knowledge, individualized instruction, structured practice, and encouragement. This approach results in more engaged students, leading to positive learning outcomes.

To learn more about how TutorMe supports schools and districts, visit tutorme.com/k-12-schools-districts .

About GoGuardian

GoGuardian aims to help all learners feel ready and inspired to solve the world's greatest challenges by combining the best in learning and science technology across every part of the learning journey. Our award-winning system of educational tools, which includes Giant Steps, Pear Deck, and GoGuardian Teacher for learning engagement; Edulastic for formative assessments; TutorMe for virtual on-demand tutoring; and GoGuardian Admin and Beacon to support student safety, is purpose-built for K-12 and trusted by school leaders to promote effective teaching and equitable engagement while empowering educators to help keep students safe. Learn more at goguardian.com .

Contact

[email protected]

SOURCE GoGuardian
ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands, Aug. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- "Timeless: A Virgin Islands Love Story," a captivating feature-length movie, will be available for streaming on Amazon Prime starting September 6, 2023. The date holds special significance as it marks the anniversary of Hurricane Irma's devastating impact on the Virgin Islands. This hurricane deeply affected the lives of many, including the film's writer, producer, and director, Edward La Borde, Jr.

The film was entirely produced and shot in the Virgin Islands, and it proudly showcases the talents of Virgin Islanders both in front of and behind the camera. This remarkable production caught the attention of multi-platinum recording artist and music producer, D'Wayne Wiggins of Tony Toni Tone, who lent his expertise to elevate the movie's soundtrack and secure a distribution channel. As a result, "Timeless" finds its way to the global audience through Amazon Prime Video, courtesy of the "Oakland Film and TV Company."

Director and story writer, Edward La Borde Jr, breathes life into "Timeless" with two enthralling love stories, each set in different eras but intriguingly connected. The film follows the tale of Ajuwa, a young Ghanaian warrior who loses her soul mate to the slave trade. Their souls reunite in the present as Malinda Benjamin, a Senator in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Alphonse Walcott, a gifted writer returning home from New York. However, their relationship takes a tumultuous turn when Alphonse falls in love with Bianca, an illegal immigrant from the Dominican Republic. As the past and present intertwine, the true nature of their spiritual connection in this transcendental love triangle is revealed. "Timeless" paints a vivid picture of the Virgin Islands' beautiful colors, emotions, and culture, with Carnival serving as a significant backdrop that showcases the history and heritage of the island nation and the Caribbean region, linked to the African Diaspora.

Featuring a stellar cast including K'misha-Victoria Counts, Brummell Germain, Monai Greene, Julien Baa, Sulay Penalo, Elaine Jacobs, Bianca Castillo, Shanaka Harris, Margarite Aqustine, Laurel Samuel, and Americo Cabrera, "Timeless" promises to leave audiences with a profound appetite for more of Director La Borde's artistry.

Edward La Borde Jr., the visionary behind "Timeless," shares, "The story started with visions of life in Africa in the 1800s, the true history of slavery, and a slave girl running from the storm. Then I became passionate about telling a love story between a regular guy and a girl who felt ashamed of her circumstances. Inspired by the movie 'Black Orpheus,' I created my own tale and connected the parallels through a storyteller and lucid dreams."

The making of "Timeless" was a three-year-long journey, filmed across 26 locations in the U.S. Virgin Islands, including St. Thomas and St. Croix. The breathtaking natural beauty of America's Paradise provided the backdrop for the modern-day love story set during the Carnival on St. Thomas. Capturing the essence of the Virgin Islands' culture, the movie incorporates music, dance, folklore, and colloquial expressions.

The cast, comprising local actors, breathed life into their characters, ensuring cultural authenticity and sensitivity throughout the production. The film's locations, such as the Whim Museum on St. Croix and the Legislature Building, added depth and production value to the narrative. Notably, the beach scenes were shot at the picturesque Lindquist Beach on St. Thomas, bringing a touch of realism to the story.

The movie's soundtrack, meticulously crafted by D'Wayne Wiggins, adds soulfulness and emotion to the unfolding love story. The film's music also features an original song titled "Can't Fight the Feeling," created by D'Wayne specifically for the film.

"Timeless: A Virgin Islands Love Story" is a heartfelt tribute to the resilience and rich cultural heritage of the Virgin Islands. Audiences worldwide are invited to experience this poignant tale of love and connection when it streams on Amazon Prime starting September 6, 2023.

Commissioner of Tourism, Joseph Boschulte, expressed his excitement about the film, stating, "We are thrilled to see the Virgin Islands showcased in such a captivating production. 'Timeless' captures the essence of our islands' history, culture, and natural beauty, and we look forward to sharing this story with the world."

For more information about the U.S. Virgin Islands, visit https://www.visitusvi.com/.

About the U.S. Virgin Islands

About 40 miles east of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands comprise a United States territory located in the northeastern Caribbean Sea. The three islands are St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas, where the capital of Charlotte Amalie is located. Perfect for leisure or business travel, the U.S. Virgin Islands features breathtaking, world-renowned beaches, an international marine industry, European architecture, and a burgeoning restaurant industry. No passports are required from U.S. citizens traveling from the U.S. mainland or Puerto Rico. Entry requirements for non-U.S. citizens are equivalent to entering the United States from any international country. Upon departure, a passport is required for non-U.S. citizens. For more information about the United States Virgin Islands, go to www.VisitUSVI.com, follow us on Instagram (@visitusvi) and Twitter (@usvitourism), and become a fan on Facebook (www.facebook.com/VisitUSVI).

SOURCE U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism
More than 800 guests are expected for the organization's biggest fundraiser of the year

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- USA Cares, a national nonprofit that provides financial assistance to military veterans in crisis, is celebrating its 20th anniversary with its We Salute You Gala on Saturday, Aug. 19. The gala sold out earlier this month with a record number of more than 800 guests expected. The event comes as the demand for the organization's services continues to increase.

The Galt House, a historic venue in downtown Louisville, Kentucky will host the evening's events and festivities, which will include both a silent and live auction, cocktail reception, and formal dinner. Guest speaker, retired US Army Major General Julie Bentz, will deliver the program's keynote. Congressman Morgan McGarvey will be in attendance from 5:30  6:30 p.m. The event is expected to be the organization's biggest fundraiser of the year.

"We are proud of the work USA Cares has done over the last two decades and are thrilled to have the chance to celebrate this milestone," said President and CEO of USA Cares, Trace Chesser. "This is also an opportunity to highlight how many military families are still in need of our assistance and why we rely so heavily on the generosity of our community."

Registration and cocktail hour will begin at 5:30 pm Saturday, Aug.19 in the Grand Ballroom at the Galt House in downtown Louisville.

About USA Cares

Originally dubbed Kentuckiana Cares, USA Cares began with a goal of raising funds to help military families in financial crises through the sale of "Support Our Troops" yard signs following the 9/11 attacks in 2001. In October 2003, in response to the increasing number of requests for assistance, Kentuckiana Cares evolved into what is now USA Cares, a 501(c)(3) national nonprofit organization that has assisted thousands of veterans and military families facing hardships related to service.

SOURCE USA Cares
HOUSTON, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Veriforce, the industry's fastest-growing provider of supply chain risk and compliance management solutions, and SiteDocs, an innovative provider of leading-edge safety management systems, proudly announce their partnership to redefine workplace safety practices and compliance worldwide.

This partnership is a game-changer in the safety industry. By combining Veriforce's expertise in workforce compliance with SiteDocs' user-friendly safety management platform, businesses can now achieve unparalleled safety efficiency, accuracy, and accessibility.

Now, Veriforce customers can effortlessly keep track of compliance by assigning specific safety forms to workers with defined completion dates. This promotes adherence to safety requirements, helps them avoid costly fines, and reduces the risk of incidents. Plus, Companies can create customized automation to meet their unique safety requirements, which results in increased safety efficiency and accuracy.

Veriforce CEO Colby Lane remarks, "We are thrilled to join hands with SiteDocs to execute our mission to bring home workers safe. This partnership is a testament to our shared commitment to making safety compliance more accessible and hassle-free for businesses of all sizes. Together, we aim to streamline safety processes and empower companies to create a culture of safety excellence."

Veriforce and SiteDocs' partnership empowers businesses to easily distribute, engage with, and collect safety forms and resources, ensuring improved accuracy, accessibility, and consistent safety practices across projects. Companies can efficiently monitor, evaluate, and maintain oversight of on-site contractor safety performance, ensuring compliance with safety standards and reducing project risks.

"I am incredibly excited to announce our integrated partnership with Veriforce," says Thomas Andres, Chief Innovation Officer, SiteDocs. "This collaboration represents an essential evolution in our joint product offerings and our journey toward enhancing job site safety. This partnership signifies not only a step towards the growth of our network but also our shared commitment to creating safer workplaces worldwide. Together, we're moving beyond compliance to proactive safety management."

Veriforce and SiteDocs share a common vision of fostering safer work environments and simplifying safety management processes. This partnership represents a significant milestone in their ongoing commitment to making workplaces safer, more compliant, and more productive.

The media is invited to join an informative webinar hosted by Veriforce and SiteDocs on August 16, as they take businesses through the features and benefits of this exciting new partnership.

About Veriforce

Veriforce is a recognized leader in delivering comprehensive, integrated supply chain risk management solutions that help bring workers home safely and optimize business performance. The company's SaaS safety and compliance platform, data integrity and verification practices, and standardized safety training programs empower leading organizations to drive safety and compliance into their supply chains and down to the worker level.

As the world's largest supply chain risk management network, Veriforce partners with over 3,200 hiring companies in over 130 countries, serving more than 80,000 contractors, over 7,000 authorized instructors and evaluators, and millions of individual workers. This network makes Veriforce the preferred partner for companies that strive to ensure a safe, qualified third-party workforce. Company offices are in the U.S., Canada, South Africa, the U.K., and Australia. For more information, visit veriforce.com.

About SiteDocs

SiteDocs is a leading provider of cloud-based safety management software that allows companies to streamline and digitize their safety procedures. With features like real-time safety monitoring, digital form signatures, and comprehensive safety document management, SiteDocs helps businesses of all sizes maintain compliance and enhance safety on every job site. For more information visit www.sitedocs.com

SOURCE Veriforce, LLC
TAMPA, Fla., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Viking Mergers and Acquisitions announces the successful acquisition of a longstanding supplier, manufacturer, and installer of residential, commercial, and municipal fencing and outdoor living spaces by a strategic buyer based out of Miami, Florida.

This Company has serviced over 100,000 families in Florida as well as the nation's top home builders both nationally and regionally. In addition, the Company's impressive customer base extends to well-known hotels and theme parks. Over the years, the Company has contributed significantly to the evolution of the fencing industry and its products.

During the process, the sellers emphasized the need to find a buyer who possesses a deep understanding of the fencing industry and is fully dedicated to embracing the Company's customer-centric approach. Over the years, the Company has established its business by offering top-notch fencing and outdoor living products. Through the due diligence process, it became evident to both the buyer and sellers that Viking Mergers and Acquisitions found a seamless match.

The Company was acquired by a strategic buyer based out of Miami, Florida. The buyer is recognized by various brands in the South Florida market as the leader in fencing and outdoor enclosures. The acquisition of the Company will allow the buyer to expand its customer base, increase market share, and gain new vendor relationships. The buyer plans to maintain the Company's organizational structure while making investments to improve internal computing infrastructure, processes, and procedures, leveraging automation, growing its sales team and expertise, and diversifying the support and services offered to match its various other businesses.

Alan Misale, Andrew Hakkarainen and Jacob Middleton of Viking Mergers and Acquisitions were the advisors on the transaction.

About Viking Mergers and Acquisitions

Viking provides exit strategies and M&A services to middle-market business owners. In business since 1996, 50% of Viking's brokers are former business owners. Viking has an 85% close rate, representing over 800 successful transactions and is the leading advisory firm of its type in the Southeast United States.

SOURCE Viking Mergers & Acquisitions
On July 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin withdrew from the Black Sea Grain initiative, which enabled Ukraine to ship its agricultural products unmolested through its Black Sea ports. As part of the deal, United Nations officials agreed to help Russia with its own food and fertilizer exports. In justifying his decision, Putin claimed that the West reneged on this pledge.

But there is a problem with Russias argument, said James OBrien, Head of the State Departments Sanctions Office. Russia is exporting record amounts of grain. This past year, the Russian grain association said that the exports had reached 61.8 million tons of grain, which I believe is 10 to 15 percent higher than any year before. So if the measurement is food for the globe, then the process we are undertaking with the UN and with Turkiye to help Russia export is working, and Russias complaints amount to minor allegations about a system that is working very well.

Additionally, Russia makes comments about sanctions, said Ambassador OBrien. I have to emphasize the U.S. has no sanctions on Russian food and fertilizer.

So, whats really going on? Ambassador OBrien proposes that The goal is to reduce the amount of food and fertilizer available so that prices go up and Russia gets attention to some of its demands."

About 10 percent of certain kinds of grains entered the global market from Ukraine. It also delivered as much as half of the food the World Food Program provided for the worlds poorest countries. After Russia invaded Ukraine, those exports stopped, and prices increased. But with the signing of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, prices dropped again. So that was the situation when Russia decided to do two things, said Ambassador OBrien.

It terminated the Black Sea Grain Initiative, announced a blockade of shipping out of the Ukrainian ports, said that it would regard any ship going in and out of Ukraine as a subject of military action, and it also began to bombard the food storage facilities, he said.

So thats what Russia is doing, and a consequence is not just the reduction in quantity of food, but prices have jumped substantially, said Ambassador OBrien. Nonetheless, he said, Im optimistic that Ukrainian grain will reach global markets. It will take us some time. Its going to involve some costs, but we cannot allow Russia to have a stranglehold over the Black Sea.
CANTON, Mich., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Vitan Equipment, a material handling equipment and solutions provider headquartered in Michigan, announces today their holding company, Material Handling Group USA (MH Group USA) has partnered with Matthai Material Handling as a new dealer/location on the East Coast. Matthai is a proud dealer for Linde Material Handling, Big Joe, Combi Lift, Aisle Master, Columbia Industrial Vehicles and Genie Aerial Lifts.

Matthai Material Handling, headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, will continue operating as Matthai Material Handling, but the team of 70 employees is now under the leadership of Runyan along with Founder Randy Matthai.

Vitan Equipment and MH Group USA CEO and Owner Roger Runyan said, "Our partnership with Matthai Material Handling aligns with our mission to be the best service organization, period. We will be able to strengthen our relationships with key vendors and provide a greater support network to our East Coast customers with Matthai on board."

The dealership, headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, will continue operating as Matthai Material Handling, but the team of 70 employees is now under the leadership of Runyan along with Matthai Material Handling Founder Randy Matthai.

"The Matthai Material Handling team offers exceptional support to our customers, and we're looking forward to having a more robust service and product offering as part of the Vitan Equipment team," said Matthai. "We're excited to see continued growth for our business."

With 37 years in business, Matthai Material Handling's foundation and diverse customer base makes the organization a vital partner for MH Group USA's long-term growth strategy as a comprehensive, full-service material handling solutions provider.

About Vitan

Vitan Equipment is affiliated with southeast Michigan's fastest growing material handling solutions provider, Fraza. They carry new and used equipment, parts and service for a variety of makes and models of material handling equipment, rentals, dock and door equipment, battery solutions, related warehouse and industrial supplies, and operator training. Vitan has locations in Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware.

Vitan Media Contact:

Donnie Andrick

Sr. Marketing Specialist

734-455-5150 x 1234

SOURCE Vitan Equipment
BENTON HARBOR, Mich., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the board of directors of Whirlpool Corporation (the "Company") declared a quarterly dividend of $1.75 per share on the company's common stock. The dividend is payable on September 15, 2023, to stockholders of record at the close of business on August 25, 2023.

About Whirlpool Corporation

Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) is committed to being the best global kitchen and laundry company, in constant pursuit of improving life at home. In an increasingly digital world, the company is driving purposeful innovation to meet the evolving needs of consumers through its iconic brand portfolio, including Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, Consul, Brastemp, Amana, Bauknecht, JennAir, Indesit, Yummly and InSinkErator. In 2022, the company reported approximately $20 billion in annual sales, 61,000 employees and 56 manufacturing and technology research centers. Additional information about the company can be found at WhirlpoolCorp.com.

Website Disclosure

We routinely post important information for investors on our website, whirlpoolcorp.com, in the "Investors" section. We also intend to update the Hot Topics Q&A portion of this webpage as a means of disclosing material, non-public information and for complying with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Accordingly, investors should monitor the Investors section of our website, in addition to following our press releases, SEC filings, public conference calls, presentations and webcasts. The information contained on, or that may be accessed through, our webpage is not incorporated by reference into, and is not a part of, this document.

SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation
National Firm Now in 41 Offices across the United States

NEW YORK, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- National law firm Wilson Elser announced today that it has opened a new office in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The Indianapolis office together with the firm's Merrillville, Indiana, location will service clients across the entire state. Wilson Elser has 41 offices in the United States.

Heading up the new office is Joseph V. Macha, an experienced trial attorney and former managing partner of the Indianapolis office of Foley Mansfield. Joining him from the same firm is associate Thomas J. Flynn. Justin Hazlett, a 20-year veteran of the Office of the Indiana Attorney General will join the office on August 21 as Of Counsel.

"We're expanding our Midwest presence at the request of our clients," said David Holmes, the firm's Midwest Region Managing Partner. "The new Indianapolis office will expand the presence of Wilson Elser's best-in-class national network of defense litigators and nationally recognized trial bench to serve our clients in this region."

"The firm's enhanced presence in Indiana headed by Joe is a double win for Wilson Elser. Together with the Merrillville office, Indianapolis will command a generous share of business in Indiana and serve as a strategic extension of our nearby Chicago office," said Wilson Elser Chair Daniel J. McMahon.

Macha said he was excited to join Wilson Elser for its national stature and size. "It is good for my team to be with a firm that is growing in Indiana and nationwide. We look forward to using our years of trial experience and knowledge of Indianapolis to better serve the firm and its clients."

The attorneys primarily will handle complex environmental liability, general liability and product liability matters.

About the Indianapolis Team

Joseph V. Macha

Joseph Macha is an experienced trial attorney with a practice focused in civil litigation, including product liability, toxic tort, environmental law, and drug and medical device litigation. He has been first chair for more than 20 jury trials in state and federal courts and handles bench trials and arbitrations as well.

Macha has represented clients before regulatory agencies and in litigation on issues pertaining to the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). His product liability work includes cases relating to drugs and medical devices, heavy equipment and a range of defect cases. Macha also has been involved in multidistrict litigation (MDL) and mass tort cases.

A National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) Board Certified Trial Specialist, Macha is one of fewer than 2,000 attorneys in the United States to hold this certification. He also is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocacy, an esteemed invitation-only group.

Macha earned his J.D. degree in 1994 from Western State University College of Law, his B.A. degree in 1987 from Loyola Marymount University, and a B.S. degree in 1984 from Santa Clara University.

Thomas Flynn

Thomas Flynn has represented numerous high-profile Fortune 500 companies in various class action suits, with a focus on asbestos and talc claims. He has defended dozens of suits in various areas of law, including but not limited to toxic tort/mass tort, complex litigation (including multi-forum litigation), environmental law, product liability and general civil litigation.

Flynn earned his J.D. degree in 2019 from the University of Notre Dame Law School and his B.A. degree in 2015 from Indiana University Bloomington.

Indianapolis Office Practice Areas

Environmental  Service  Wilson Elser

Complex Tort & General Casualty  Service  Wilson Elser

Product Liability, Prevention & Government Compliance  Service  Wilson Elser

About the Firm's Offices

Offices  Wilson Elser

About Wilson Elser

Wilson Elser is the preeminent defense litigation firm in the United States. At any given time, our more than 1,000 attorneys are engaged in some 100,000 defense and coverage matters, with many defending clients in various local, state and federal courts. Indeed, over more than four decades, our litigation, coverage and trial lawyers have gained a reputation for taking on and prevailing in the most challenging and technical cases, frequently "parachuting in" to assume unresolved matters from other law firms. Our success also derives from winning on our clients' terms and rigorously adhering to their guidelines. We are ranked 107th in the Am Law 200 and 57th in the National Law Journal's NLJ 500. For more information, go to www.wilsonelser.com.

PR Contact: Andrew Blum, AJB Communications

[email protected] | 917.783.1680

SOURCE Wilson Elser
Jessica Balsam joins ZRS as Head of Climate Solutions; Elise White appointed Director of Workforce Resilience Services.

SCHAUMBURG, Ill., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Zurich Resilience Solutions (ZRS), a global provider of Risk Engineering, mitigation and resilience-building services, has expanded its Sustainability Services team in the United States, adding expertise and capacity to help customers identify and manage environmental, social and governance (ESG)-related risks.

Jessica Balsam joined Zurich in the newly created role of Head of Climate Solutions on Aug. 7, 2023 .

joined in the newly created role of Head of Climate Solutions on . Elise White was recently appointed Director of Workforce Resilience Services on July 1, 2023 .

We've expanded our team with climate adaptation, climate mitigation and workforce resilience specialists. Tweet this Elise White appointed Director of Workforce Resilience Services; Jessica Balsam joins ZRS as Head of Climate Solutions.

Both Balsam and White report to Lisa Leftwich, Head of Sustainability Services for ZRS.

"Companies are dealing with a dynamic risk environment  just look at how climate change and talent have become material business risks," said Leftwich. "To help customers address these emerging risks, we've expanded our team with climate adaptation, climate mitigation and workforce resilience specialists to support customers in their ESG-related resilience journeys, at their own pace."

ZRS Sustainability Services team expansion

Balsam most recently worked with Ernst & Young Climate Change and Sustainability Services, where she led global engagements focused on sustainability, social impact and decarbonization. She also worked at APL Logistics as Head of Global Sustainability + ESG, at Nike as Global Sustainability Director and at the U.S. Department of Energy as a Program and Policy Adviser. Balsam earned an MBA from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, and a BA in sociology and gender studies from Linfield University in McMinnville, Oregon.

White's new Director of Workforce Resilience Services role expands on ZRS' DEI consulting service with additional social-related services that help companies attract and retain talent. She previously served as Project Leader of Claims Strategy and Innovation for Zurich North America and has extensive experience in Workers' Compensation and strengthening claims outcomes. White holds Inclusion Score's certification in the ISO Diversity and Inclusion standard, which provides a framework for evaluating DEI maturity and action planning. In addition, White is a board member of Girls on the Run Atlanta and the Diversity and Talent Alliance, which develops career pipelines for diverse talent. White holds a BA in criminal justice from Temple University and an MBA in organizational leadership from Wilmington University.

ZRS Sustainability Services helps manage ESG concerns

ZRS' Sustainability Services addresses business risks related to ESG concerns. In addition to traditional Risk Engineering services such as property and safety assessments, ZRS services include climate resilience (both adaptation and mitigation), workforce resilience (including DEI), business continuity, supply chain and cyber risk services.

"Building on Zurich's strong Risk Engineering and technical expertise, we created ZRS to help companies become more resilient amid a dynamic risk environment," said Tom Fioretti, Head of North America Zurich Resilience Solutions. "Zurich has been delivering Risk Engineering for 75 years, and we will continue to invest in innovative risk services that also reflect Zurich's sustainability commitment."

The ZRS Sustainability Services team also provides support to companies in the U.S. seeking to utilize ZRS' global Climate Resilience service, which helps customers understand climate change-related impacts to their facilities over future time horizons and take action now to build resilience.

About Zurich North America

Zurich North America is one of the largest providers of insurance solutions and services to businesses and individuals. Our customers represent industries ranging from agriculture to technology. Zurich North America is part of Zurich Insurance Group (Zurich), a leading multi-line insurer serving people and businesses in more than 200 countries and territories. Founded 150 years ago, Zurich is transforming insurance. In addition to providing insurance protection, Zurich is increasingly offering prevention services such as those that promote wellbeing and enhance climate resilience.

Reflecting its purpose to "create a brighter future together," Zurich aspires to be one of the most responsible and impactful businesses in the world. It is targeting net-zero emissions by 2050 and has the highest-possible ESG rating from MSCI. In 2020, Zurich launched the Zurich Forest project to support reforestation and biodiversity restoration in Brazil.

The Group has about 60,000 employees and is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd (ZURN), is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and has a level I American Depositary Receipt (ZURVY) program, which is traded over-the-counter on OTCQX. Further information is available at http://www.zurich.com/ and http://www.zurichna.com/.

In the United States, Zurich Resilience Solutions' services are provided by The Zurich Services Corporation and SpearTip, LLC. For more information about the products and services Zurich Resilience Solutions offers in the United States, go to www.zurichna.com/risk.

Visit us on social media: LinkedIn and Twitter

SOURCE Zurich North America
Highlights

Net Earnings up from Q2-2022, operating income and EBITDA(A) 2 down on a Consolidated basis but up on a Combined 1 basis In the second quarter of 2022, financial results and cash flows included an amount of $14 million attributable to certain contracts for which Boralex had to record a provision in Q3-2022 following the publication of the 2022 Supplementary Budget Act in France. This amount should be taken into consideration when comparing to Q2-2022. Net earnings of $22 million, up $8 million from Q2-2022. Operating income of $38 million ($57 million) in Q2-2023, down $7 million (up $4 million) from Q2-2022. EBITDA(A) 2 of $119 million ($143 million on a Combined basis) 3 in Q2-2023, down $2 million (up $10 million) from Q2-2022. Discretionary cash flows 1 of $3 million in Q2-2023, down $10 million from Q2-2022. Cash flows from operations 1 of $76 million in Q2-2023, down $10 million from Q2-2022.



Sustained financial flexibility Over $300 million in available cash resources and authorized financing 1 at June 30, 2023.

Total production up 4% (28%) compared to Q2-2022 production but 6% (8%) below anticipated production 4 Production on a Consolidated basis up from Q2-2022 owing to commissioning in France. Production on a Combined basis also showed a positive impact of the integration of wind farms acquired in the United States in late 2022, with wind power production up 9% (42%), hydroelectric power production down 3% and solar power production down 12% due to a curtailment request at the Five Points solar farm in California. Highly unfavourable weather conditions in North America in June following good conditions in April and May led to lower-than-anticipated production: 4% (6%) lower for wind, 8% lower for hydroelectric and 18% lower for solar.

420 MW of projects selected under requests for proposals Two storage projects totalling 380 MW in Ontario, Canada. Two wind power projects totalling 40 MW in France.

Addition of 369 MW of projects to the early stage of the project portfolio in the second quarter of 2023 Projects totalling 80 MW in wind, 149 MW in solar and 140 MW in storage in Europe and North America.



Boralex Inc. ("Boralex" or the "Company") (TSX: BLX) is pleased to report the addition of new projects to its portfolio and significant progress made on certain development projects in the second quarter of 2023.

"The increase in combined operating income and combined EBITDA(A) in the second quarter is attributable to the commissioning of assets and to high electricity prices in France as well as to the contribution of the acquisition of wind assets in the United States. These elements more than offset the pressure on results due to unfavorable weather conditions in North America at the end of the quarter. The second quarter also saw the selection of two energy storage projects totalling 380 MW under the Ontario request for proposals," said Patrick Decostre, President and Chief Executive Officer of Boralex. "This announcement marks a very important milestone for Boralex as we aim to expand our energy storage portfolio and achieve the growth and diversification objectives of our 2025 Strategic Plan."

1The terms "Combined", "cash flows from operations", "discretionary cash flows" and "available cash resources and authorized financing" designate non-GAAP financial measures and do not have a standardized meaning under IFRS. Accordingly, such measures may not be comparable to similarly named measures used by other companies. For more details, see the Non-IFRS and other financial measures section of this press release. 2EBITDA(A) is a total of segment measures. For more details, see the Non-IFRS and other financial measures section of this press release. 3Figures in brackets indicate results on a Combined basis as opposed to those on a Consolidated basis. 4Anticipated production" is an additional financial measure. For more details, see the Non-IFRS and other financial measures section of this press release.

With respect to Boralex's prospects for the coming quarters, Mr. Decostre added: "We added 369 MW of projects to our portfolio, which now represents over 6.2 GW of capacity, and continued to integrate the American wind farms with a total capacity of 894 MW that we acquired in late 2022. There are numerous development opportunities in the markets where we have a presence, as evidenced by the many requests for proposals planned for the next six months: Hydro-Quebec's request for proposals for 1,500 MW, Ontario's second request for proposals for energy storage, and the NYSERDA solar solicitation for North America. A 500 MW technology-neutral tender and two 925 MW onshore wind tender are also expected in France. Our teams are working very hard to prepare high-quality projects in order to provide sustainable renewable energy supply solutions in our target markets. We are continuing with these multiple development initiatives, as well as with project construction and the search for strategic acquisitions, while maintaining our financial discipline and flexibility."

Read the full press release.
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
Lakhimpur Kheri, Aug 15 : Nearly a year after two minor Dalit sisters were gang-raped and murdered in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri district, a POCSO court has sentenced two of the convicts to life imprisonment and two others to six years in jail.

Additional District Judge (ADJ) Rahul Singh has convicted the four on various charges in connection with the killing of the two siblings whose bodies were found hanging from a tree in a sugarcane field near a village in Nighasan.

On Monday, the judge sentenced Sunil and Zunaid to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs. 46,000 each, Special Public Prosecutor, POCSO cases, Brijesh Pandey said.

The court held Junaid and Sunil alias Chhotu guilty under IPC sections 363 (kidnapping), 376D (A) (gangrape of a woman under 16 years of age), 302 (murder) and 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) among others and relevant sections of the POCSO Act.

The court sentenced the other two convicts namely Karimuddin and Arif to six years rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 5000 each on charges after holding them guilty under Section 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) of IPC, Pandey said.

The incident occurred on September 14, 2022, when the two minor Dalit sisters in Nighasan area here were kidnapped and brutally murdered after gang rape.

An FIR for murder, rape and several other sections of the IPC, POCSO Act and SC/ST Act was lodged and a special investigation team (SIT) was formed to work out the case.

The SIT arrested six accused in connection with the crime. Two of the accused were found to be minors.

The SIT completed its investigation and filed a charge sheet in the special POCSO court on September 28, 2022.

Pandey further said that judgment on a minor accused, whose trial was also held in the POCSO court owing to his age between 16 to 18 years, would be pronounced later by the court.

He added that the trial of the sixth teenager accused is in progress in the juvenile justice board.
New Delhi, Aug 15 : Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the national capital amid speculations about her role in the upcoming Rajasthan Assembly elections.

Raje's meeting with Sitharaman came on Monday, which was also arttended by her son and Lok Sabha MP Dushyant Singh.

As the polls are drawing nearer, the political tussle between the Congress and the BJP has intensified in the state.

For BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is frequently visiting the state and targeting the Ashok Gehlot government, while Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has sharpened his attacks on BJP leaders and even the Prime Minister to strengthen the Congress' position in the state.

Amid various speculations, it is yet not clear what role would be assigned to Raje in the state by the BJP leadership. However, the saffron party has made it clear that it will contest the state elections under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, without declaring the party's chief ministerial candidate.

Raje's supporters are now demanding that she be handed over the command of the election campaign committee.

The former Chief Minister, contrary to her image, is frequently meeting top BJP leaders and even she attended Prime Minister Modi's recent meeting with Rajasthan NDA MPs -- despite not being an MP.

BJP President J.P. Nadda and General Secretary (Organisation) B.L. Santhosh have advised Rajasthan BJP leaders to give full consideration to Raje.

The party high command keeps making it clear that Raje is an important leader of the party. However, despite this, the party leadership has not yet made any announcement regarding her role in the elections.

The party is well aware that it cannot win the Assembly polls by isolating Raje, but if she is given a leadership role, then the party's intention of promoting young and new leadership in the party can get a big blow.

If BJP sources are to be believed, the party high command may soon make a big announcement regarding Rajasthan.
12 killed in inferno at petrol station in Russia. Image Source: IANS News

Moscow, Aug 15 : At least 12 people, including two children, have been killed while 60 others were reportedly injured in an explosion at a petrol station in Dagestan in southern Russia.

The blast occurred in regional capital Makhachkala, which sits on the coast of the Caspian Sea, at 21:40 local time on Monday, the BBC reported.

According to an unconfirmed Russian report quoting doctors, the death toll could be as high as 25.

The cause of the explosion which started the fire is not yet clear.

Pictures showed a large fire lighting up the night sky and a number of fire engines at the scene.

According to officials, some 260 emergency workers have been deployed at the spot.

The fire had reportedly spread over an area of 600 sq m.

An unnamed witness quoted by Russian newspaper Izvestia said that the fire had started on a car lot opposite the petrol station.

"After the explosion, everything fell on our heads. We couldn't see anything anymore," the witness said.

The Republic of Dagestan is one of 83 constituent parts of the Russian Federation and is the southernmost part of the country. Makhachkala sits around 1,600 km from Moscow.
New Delhi, Aug 15 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday greeted people on the occasion of the country's 77th Independence Day.

Earlier, the Prime Minister paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat. He then went towards the Red Fort, from where the Prime Minister will address the nation after unfurling the national flag.

"Best wishes on Independence Day. We pay homage to our great freedom fighters and reaffirm our commitment to fulfilling their vision. Jai Hind!," Modi wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah along with other ministers arrived at the Red Fort to attend Independence Day celebrations.
New Delhi, Aug 15 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hoisted the national flag at the iconic Red Fort here on the occasion of 77th Independence Day.

He inspected the Tri-Services guard of honour.

On his arrival at the Red Fort, the Prime Minister was welcomed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt.

Earlier, before heading towards the Red Fort, Prime Minister Modi paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.

"Best wishes on Independence Day. We pay homage to our great freedom fighters and reaffirm our commitment to fulfilling their vision. Jai Hind!," the Prime Minister wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

--IANS

std/sha
New Delhi, Aug 15 : In his address to the nation on Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that the country is with the people of Manipur and peace will be achieved in the violence-hit northeastern state via dialogue.

Speaking from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Modi said that despite the continued violence, news of peace is coming continuously from the state.

He also reitereted that there was a need to find solutions to ensure long-lasting peace.

"Together, the state and the Central government are trying hard to solve those problems and will continue to do so," he added.

The violence first broke out in Manipuron May 3, which has led to the death of more than 150 people while thousands of people have been displaced.

The opposition has consistently criticised the Prime Minister for his silence on Manipur and the recently concluded monsoon session of Parliament saw protests and disruptions from it on the issue, leading to the initiation of a no-confidence motion against the government.

Modi had said during his reply to the motion that the violence is unpardonable, however all those guilty would be punished, adding that the nation was with the people of Manipur.

--IANS

ans-stp/ksk

--IANS

ans/ksk
The new Voltalia office, located in the building known as the European Trade Center in Tirana, currently holds 23 employees. The team is mainly composed of Albanians but it also includes profiles from other European countries.

Voltalia benefits from experience acquired over more than five years in the country, first as a builder of solar power plants owned by Albanian customers, then also as a developer of photovoltaic and wind power sites for its own account, with 140 megawatts of solar plant under construction and 100 additional solar megawatts of secured contracts.

Today, with over a hundred subcontractor partners spread across various projects and a deep understanding of the country and the sector, Voltalia has a strong foundation to continue its growth in the country.

Albania, with growing energy needs and an already essentially renewable energy mix, continues to diversify its production by turning mainly to solar and wind power.

Next appointment: First-half 2023 results, September 27 (before market-opening).

Voltalia in Albania, a continuous presence since 2018

A construction and maintenance service provider

Voltalia has been present in Albania for over five years, delivering turnkey construction contracts for third-party clients involving three photovoltaic power plants (7.5 megawatts) as part of its operations. As an example, in 2019, Voltalia provided construction services for a 2.5-megawatt solar power plant located in the Fier region, in the southwest of the country. This solar power plant has been operational since the third quarter of 2019. The Voltalia Greek teams played a major role in this project, leveraging their geographical proximity and valuable knowledge of the region.

A renewable energy producer

The Karavasta Power Plant

In 2020, Voltalia secured a thirty-year concession contract for a 140-megawatt photovoltaic power plant, the largest solar plant in the Western Balkans. The construction of the plant started in July 2022, and when completed will cover the annual electricity consumption of 220,000 residents, equivalent to twice the consumption of Albanian cities like Vlora or Kamza. Moreover, it will prevent the emission of over 29,165 tonnes of CO2 annually, approximately 7% of the industrial sector emissions in Albania. Gradual commissioning is scheduled for the last quarter of 2023.

The Spitalla Project

In May 2021, Voltalia secured a second solar project called Spitalla with a potential capacity of up to 100 megawatts, located in the Durres region on the Adriatic coast. Similar to Karavasta, Voltalia will develop, build and operate the project.

Deployment of innovative projects and promising growth prospects

The Albanian government continues its energy transition and is launching several wind energy tenders. For many of these projects, Voltalia is actively engaged in the prospection phase. The company is also involved in agrivoltaic projects, where agricultural activities and electricity production are combined to maximize land use. This innovative synergy aims to create a useful and efficient solution for a growing rural economy.

About Voltalia (www.voltalia.com)

Voltalia is an international player in the renewable energy sector. The Group produces and sells electricity generated from wind, solar, hydraulic, biomass and storage facilities that it owns and operates. Voltalia has generating capacity in operation and under construction of more than 2.7 GW and a portfolio of projects under development representing total capacity of 14.2 GW.

Voltalia is also a service provider and supports its investor clients in renewable energy projects during all phases, from design to operation and maintenance.

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Varanasi : , Aug 15 (IANS) The Vishwa Vedic Sanatan Sangh (VVSS) international president Jitendra Singh Visen, a pleader for plaintiff number 1 Rakhi Singh in the Shringar Gauri-Gyanvapi case, has written an open letter, inviting the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee (AIMC) to hold a discussion for a peaceful out-of-court settlement of the Gyanvapi case with mutual consent.

The letter is addressed to the president, manager and the joint secretary of the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, which looks after the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi.

Visen's open letter reads, "It is known to all that the Hindu side and the Muslim side are contesting a legal battle in the court regarding the Gyanvapi campus to prove their respective stand right. Some anti-social elements want to take advantage of this legal fight between the both the parties (Hindu side and Muslim side) for their personal gains, which can prove to be harmful for both the country and the society."

"In such a situation, it becomes the duty of all of us to set an example by settling this legal matter peacefully through mutual negotiations, taking care of the safety and security of our country and society," Visen said.

"Therefore, I request all of you to accept this invitation with an open and pious mind and come forward for talks to settle the above issue (the Gyanvapi matter). It is possible that a peaceful solution can be found outside the court of the above matter by mutual discussion. We welcome all of you to this talk with an open and pure heart," Visen said.

Confirming the letter, Visen said, "I have written this open letter and released it through the media to invite the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee for a discussion for peaceful out of court settlement of the Gyanvapi case with mutual consent."

Reacting to the development, Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee's joint secretary SM Yasin said, "I have not received the letter yet. Let the letter come, after seeing it, we will make any comment on it."

Five women -- Rakhi Singh, Rekha Pathak, Sita Sahu, Lakshmi Devi and Manju Vyas -- had filed a suit in the court of civil judge senior division, Varanasi in August 2021, seeking the right to daily worship at Shringar Gauri Sthal in the Gyanvapi complex.

The matter was transferred to the court of the Varanasi district judge in May last year. The matter is pending before the Varanasi district court and the next hearing is on August 17.

Subhash Nandan Chaturvedi, counsel for Rekha Pathak, Sita Sahu, Lakshmi Devi and Manju Vyas, said, "I don't want to comment on the letter as I haven't seen it yet. Our stand is clear that we will follow the legal way, which we followed in this matter since the beginning. In May this year, we filed an application in the Varanasi district court, seeking an order for the ASI survey in Gyanvapi. After hearing both sides, the court on July 21 ordered a survey by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in the barricaded area of Gyanvapi, excluding its sealed area."
10 to 20 more wildfire victims could be found per day: Hawaii Guv. Image Source: IANS News

Honolulu, Aug 15 : As the death toll rose due to the wildfires in Hawaii's Maui Island has incrased to 96, the US state's Governor Josh Green warned that 10 to 20 more wildfire victims could be found per day as search crews continue to comb through the scorched ruins.

These wildfires are the deadliest in more than a century in modern US history, surpassing the Camp Fire that erupted on November 8, 2018 in California that killed at least 85 people, reports Xinhua news agency.

The wildfires have nearly completely destroyed the historic town of Lahaina, a popular tourist spot on Maui and once the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

It's home to around 13,000 residents.

In an interview with CBS News on Monday, Green said that there was a grim expectation of further casualties.

"There are more fatalities that will come. 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 recognise anybody," he said.

All residents of Lahaina have either escaped or perished in the fire, but it could take 10 days for a full death toll to be determined as crews could find "10 to 20 people per day probably until they finish", the Governor told CBS News.

Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said at a news conference that canines had searched only 3 per cent of impacted areas.

The Lahaina fire, the devastating wildfire that leveled Lahaina, was 85 per cent contained as of Sunday night, the Maui County said in an update on Monday.

More than 2,200 structures were damaged or destroyed and 2,170 acres have burned as a result of the Lahaina fire, according to the assessment of the Pacific Disaster Center, an applied research center managed by the University of Hawaii, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The assessment showed that the estimated cost to rebuild could reach $5.52 billion.

Meanwhile,a lawsuit has been filed against Hawaiian Electric, alleging a downed power line on Maui caused the deadly wildfire.

The cause of the fires has not been determined, but plaintiffs said in the 37-page document that the utility company's equipment could be a possible source of ignition.

Hawaiian Electric, which operates the utility that serves Maui, had come under scrutiny for not turning off power despite weather forecasters' warnings that dry, gusty winds could create critical fire conditions.

The plaintiffs said the destruction "could have been avoided" if the utility company shut down its power lines before the high winds hit the island.

"By failing to shut off the power during these dangerous fire conditions, defendants caused loss of life, serious injuries, destruction of hundreds of homes and businesses, displacement of thousands of people, and damage to many of Hawaii's historic and cultural sites," said the complaint.

Hawaiian Electric spokesperson Jim Kelly told NBC News and other news outlets that the company would not comment on pending litigation, saying its immediate focus is supporting emergency response efforts and restoring power.

Shares of Hawaiian Electric plunged 39 per cent on Monday amid Wall Street concerns over the company's potential liability in the Maui wildfires.

Last year, California's largest utility Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) reached a $117 million settlement agreement in connection with the 2017 North Bay fires and the 2018 Camp Fire.

The 2017 fires were sparked by downed power lines owned by PG&E, and the Camp Fire was sparked by faulty electrical equipment operated by the same company, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

PG&E was driven into bankruptcy in 2019 and since then, power companies in California, Oregon and Nevada have decided to preemptively shut off power when high, dry winds could spark catastrophic fires.
Washington, August 15 : Former US President Donald Trump was charged along with 18 alleged accomplices in connection with attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election count in the state of Georgia.

Late Monday night, Trump was charged with 13 counts, including violating Georgia state's racketeering act.

The other charges were about soliciting a public officer, conspiring to impersonate a public officer, conspiring to commit forgery in the first degree and conspiring to file false documents.

Besides Trump, the others who were indicted included the former President personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and many members of his legal team who led efforts to overturn the 2020 election outcome not only in Georgia but also other states, which are not included in the Monday indictment, such as Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan.

Those indicted, including the former president, have until Friday to surrender.

These charges emerged from an investigation launched by Georgia's Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis into a phone call from Trump to Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in January 2020.

"What I want to do is this," Trump said in the call with Raffensperger, according to the recording.

"I just want to find, uh, 11,780 votes, which is one more than (the 11,779 vote margin of defeat) we have, because we won the state."

The Fulsome County indictment is the fourth for the former president, following, in the order listed, charges of paying off an adult film star to keep quiet about an affair (filed by New York City), mishandling official papers from his presidency (filed by Justice Department), conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election (filed by the Justice Department).

The former president has countered these indictments by calling them politically motivated, to prevent him, the leading candidate for the Republican nomination for the 2024 president election.

Trump has already been charged by federal prosecutors in Washington D.C. with conspiring to overturn the 2020 election, which he lost to incumbent President Joe Biden.

The former President has pleaded not guilty in all the cases.
Amazon's devices chief confirms he is stepping down after almost 14 years. Image Source: IANS News

San Francisco, Aug 15 : Dave Limp, head of Amazon devices and services who has been with the company for nearly 14 years has confirmed he is stepping down, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced on Tuesday.

Jassy said that after almost 14 years with Amazon and countless contributions to the company, Limp has decided to retire from the company.

"Under Limp's leadership, Amazon has become one of the world's leading innovators in building devices and underlying services that customers love. From Kindle readers to Fire TV to Alexa and Echo, over the past decade and a half we've been able to invent and keep improving experiences that help make our customers' lives better every day," said the Amazon chief.

Limp will remain in his role for the next few months, and the company will announce his successor in the coming weeks.

His departure comes Amod reports that Amazon's costly bet on smart home devices has not paid off well.

Amazon has also slashed nearly 27,000 roles as cost cutting measures amid the economic downturn.

Limp said in a blog post that he has made the tough decision after almost 14 years to leave Amazon in a few months.

"The obvious question is why? It might be easier to explain why not. It's not because of our team, this team is SO good and some of you I have worked with for decades. You're all masters of your craft," Limp said.

"It's not because I am done with Amazon. It's time. I have been doing a version of this job (building and shipping consumer electronics) on and off for 30+ years. I love it, but I also want look into the future through a different lens," Limp added.

Limp is not sure what that future is right now, "with the notable exception that it won't be in the consumer electronics space".

--IANS

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Washington, Aug 15 : The US will provide an additional package of military equipment to Ukraine worth $200 million, days after the White House requested further funding from Congress to bolster Kiev in its ongoing war with Russia.

In a statement on Monday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that items in the latest package include air defence munitions, artillery rounds, anti-armor capabilities, and additional mine-clearing equipment, reports Xinhua news agency.

In a press release containing a detailed list of equipment to be sent to Ukraine, the Pentagon said this is the 44th tranche of equipment for Ukraine that's going to be extracted from Department of Defense inventories since August 2021.

The latest assistance, the release said, will utilise assistance previously authorised by Biden under Presidential Drawdown Authority for Ukraine that remained after a revaluation process concluded in June to determine what went wrong in an inconsistency in calculating the value of military equipment sent to Ukraine.

The Pentagon admitted that an accounting error resulted in an overestimation of $6.2 billion in the value of weapons packages provided to Ukraine during a two-year period ending September 30 this year.

Adding Monday's announced assistance to the sum, the Biden administration has committed $43.7 billion in security assistance for Ukraine since it came to office in January 2021, including $43 billion since Russia launched its war against Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the Pentagon said in a separate statement.

In another development, the Biden administration on August 10 asked Congress to approve $24 billion for Ukraine.

The request was contained in a spending package totaling about $40 billion that also included $4 billion for border security and $12 billion related to disaster relief.

Biden has vowed to assist Ukraine "as long as it takes", but his administration's relentless spending on Ukraine has faced opposition in Congress, especially from far-right Republicans who argued against aiding Ukraine indefinitely.

Pressure is mounting on the Biden administration to ensure transparency in the taxpayer-supported Ukraine aid money, with Republicans -- and even some progressive Democrats -- urging stringent audit.

In a sign of sharp partisan divide on the issue, though, Senate Democrats last month blocked an amendment to the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act that would create a new office conducting oversight into U. military assistance for Ukraine.
New York, Aug 15 : Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna, who is leading a delegation to India on Independence Day, has been honored in the US with a Democracy Award for outstanding achievement for the category of "Life in Congress"-Workplace Environment.

The category highlights offices that have established both formal policies and informal cultures that enhance the work-life fit and professional development of their staff.

Presented by the Congressional Management Foundation, this is Khanna's second Democracy Award, with his office winning the same honour in the "Constituent Service" category in 2019.

"It's an honour to receive this award for best workplace environment in Congress. I want to congratulate my incredible staff for working alongside me to create a positive and inclusive work environment," Khanna said in a statement.

"As a strong supporter of workers' rights, it's important to me to live my values and ensure that all employees in my office have fair wages and benefits and are treated with dignity and respect."

Born in 1976 in Philadelphia to Indian immigrants, Khanna represents the 17th District of California, which covers communities in Silicon Valley.

"I've never worked in a more fun, kind, and people-centered workplace. We celebrate each other's wins and help one another work through challenges. I'm grateful to work, learn and laugh alongside such wonderful colleagues," said Sam Elghanayan, legislative aide in Khanna's office.

Citing its reasons for choosing the Indian-American Congressman for the award, the Congressional Management Foundation said that his office appears to be an open and collaborative workplace, with Khanna cultivating an individual relationship with every staff member, encouraging staff to offer their recommendations and to ask him questions directly.

At present, Khanna is leading a bipartisan congressional delegation to India along with Congressman Michael Waltz -- both co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans.

In his interviews with the local media, Khanna has supported India's position on China as well as Khalistan, adding that India-US ties are stronger than ever and one of the most defining partnerships of the 21st century.

The Congressman is expected to discuss issues such as defence ties, economic partnership, pluralism and minority rights.

--IANS

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Patna, Aug 15 : RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Tuesday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hoisting the flag from ramparts of Red Fort for the last time as the country is miffed with his "jumlebaji".

While hoisting the National Flag at 10 circular road residence of his wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi in Patna to celebrate 77th Independence Day, Lalu Prasad said that a large number of people sacrificed their lives to get Independence.

"We want to keep the history intact. However, the BJP is trying to change the history. Due to our great freedom fighters, we have achieved Independence. Today is a day to salute them," Lalu Prasad said.

"Narendra Modi is hoisting the National Flag from the ramparts of Red Fort for the last time. We will form next government at the Centre. We are hoping that Modi would do right thing in his last speech from Red Fort. The country is miffed with the jumlebaji of the Narendra Modi government," he said.
New Delhi, Aug 15 : Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday skipped the 77th Independence Day celebrations at the iconic Red Fort, from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation.

The senior Congress leader, however, extended warm wishes to the people of the country through a video message.

On the occasion, the Congress chief in a veiled attack on the BJP-led Central government, accused it of suppressing the voice of the Opposition.

"Happy Independence Day to all of you. Today, democracy and constitution are the soul of our country. We take a pledge that we will uphold the freedom of democracy and constitution for the unity and integrity of the country, for love and brotherhood, for harmony," Kharge said.

Attacking the BJP, the Congress chief said: "Today,democracy,constitution and institutions, all are in great danger. New tactics are being used to suppress the voice of the Opposition. Raids by Central Bureau of Investigation, Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax are carried out. The Election Commission is being weakened."

In an apparent reference to suspension of Opposition MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, which was restored later following the Supreme Court's judgement staying his conviction in a 2019 defamation case, Kharge said: "Efforts are being made to suppress the voice of Opposition MPs in the Parliament by suspending them. Someone's mic is turning off or someone's words are getting expunged.Privilege motions are being brought."

On the occasion, he also highlighted the works of the former Prime Ministers, including Jawaharlal Nehru.

"These days some people express that India's progress has happened only in the last few years (of the BJP government). Their thinking is wrong," Kharge said as he mentioned that AIIMS, IIT, IIM and other institutes were built by Nehru.

Meanwhile, Congress MP Manickam Tagore while referring to Kharge skipping the Independence Day celebrations said in a tweet: "When Lok Sabha Opposition leader suspended..When MPs are suspended for indefinite periodWhen Opposition leaders speeches expunged if we mention Adani .When Mikes are switched off ..What's else we can do ?We celebrate Independence Day with people."
Kolkata, Aug 15 : At least 15 people, including five women and three children, were injured following a shootout in Nakashipara in West Bengal's Nadia district, said officials on Tuesday.

The incident happened late Monday night. The injured persons, currently under treatment at a local hospital, reportedly belonged to two families with political affiliations to the Congress. The needle of suspicion has been pointed towards Trinamool Congress, which the local leadership of the state's ruling party has vehemently denied.

Local police sources said that the condition of five of the 15 injured was extremely critical. The shootout, as claimed by the local people, was continuation of the political enmity which surfaced in the region over the recently concluded polls for the three- tier panchayat system.

The local Additional Superintendent of Police, Krishanu Roy said that there had been a clash between two groups of people in the area. "A police contingent has been deputed there. The matter is under investigation," he said.

The Congress's district president of Nadia Asim Saha alleged that those whose houses were attacked were associated with Trinamool Congress till the recent past until they shifted to the Congress before the recently concluded panchayat polls.

"This shifting created a grudge among the ruling party leadership, the fallout of which was the shootout on late Monday night. The goons resorted to indiscriminate firing in which 15 persons, including women and children were injured. The police acted like mute spectators and they reached the spot much after the shootout phase was over and the miscreants had escaped from the place," Saha said.

On the other hand, the Nadia district chairman of Trinamool Congress Nashiruddin Ahmed denied the involvement of his party supporters behind the incident. "It was the fallout of rivalry between two groups on a local issue. We are in no way involved in the matter," he claimed.
Islamabad, Aug 15 : Two people were killed and 85 others injured in separate incidents of celebratory aerial firing in Karachi to mark Pakistan's 77th Independence Day on August 14, police said.

The victims comprised a man and woman who were hit stray bullets which were fired in the air by unknown residents as a part of the celebration on Monday, Xinhua news agency quoted city police as saying to the media.

The woman was traveling on a motorbike when she got hit by the bullet whereas the man was sleeping on the roof of his home when the stray bullet struck him, the police said.

The injured people are being treated at three major hospitals in the city, and some of them who got bullet injuries in the head are in critical condition.

The Karachi police have imposed a ban on firing bullets in the air, warning the public of consequences if the order is not followed.

DSP Karachi, Syed Husnain Haider told mediapersons said that a special squad had been formed to prevent one-wheeling, display of weapons and aerial firing, adding that law violators would be treated with iron hands.

An investigation into the firing incidents is underway, the Karachi police told media.
SENMC will work closely with DOE and WIPP to design and provide education and training programs for current and future employees who reside in the Carlsbad and adjacent communities. The training programs will help address the current worker shortage and increase interest in jobs at WIPP while building a pipeline of well trained and qualified workers for the future.

"The communities of Southeast New Mexico have long been the backbone of the WIPP workforce and their contributions to the success of the WIPP mission cannot be understated. The Carlsbad Field Office is excited by this opportunity to team up with SENMC to educate and train members of our community here in Southeast New Mexico. This new cooperative agreement represents a landmark investment that will further strengthen the New Mexico economy by helping prepare students at Southeast New Mexico College for great careers for years to come," said Mark Bollinger, Manager, Carlsbad Field Office.

The total estimated value of the Cooperative Agreement is $11,724,598 with a period of performance of five years from August 15, 2023, through August 14, 2028.

For more than 30 years, EM has remained focused on addressing the environmental legacy of nuclear weapons development and nuclear energy research that helped end World War II, win the Cold War, and position the United States as a leader in clean nuclear energy. Collectively, EM is delivering results that are protecting the environment, supporting communities and enabling a concerted focus on safely completing the mission sooner and more efficiently.

Additional information regarding the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Site is available at: /em/waste-isolation-pilot-plant-wipp.
Bengaluru, Aug 15 : On the occasion of the 77th Independence Day, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah during his speech objected to the lesser share of returns to the state in terms of GST tax, and underlined that Karnataka has stood against the divide and rule policy.

Siddaramaiah hoisted the national flag at the Field Marshal Manekshaw Parade Ground here, and also delivered his first Independence Day speech as Karnatakaas chief minister during his second stint in the seat.

He said that Karnataka is the second highest tax paying state in the country.

"We are paying over Rs 4 lakh crore in form of taxes and duties to the Centre. However, we are just getting Rs 50,000 crore in return from the Centre. Karnataka will be the richest state if we get what actually we deserve naturally," he stated.

Siddaramaiah maintained that, "despite this challenging situation, we are complying with fiscal discipline. We are committed to a comprehensive development of the state. True patriots are aware of our efforts."

"People of Karnataka have stood against the efforts of divide and rule policy. aAll inclusivea is our policy and hence people have chosen us for power. This promise of strengthening the new Karnataka Development Model which ensures inclusive growth and yearns for development of everyone, is the most important promise that I make on the occasion of the Independence Day.

"The country has been facing a crisis in the last few years. Hatred, violence, suspicion, revenge and intolerance are growing. Rather, there are efforts to fuel these traits. Some sections of the society are producing these traits and are projecting that these have acceptance too.

"There is a need to defeat these efforts as they are aimed to create negativity. As a civilised society we will doom if such efforts are not thwarted. Only peace and harmony can ensure development. Any society marred by violence, chaos, lack of law and order situation nurtures poverty. Lakhs of young talented and skilled youths are leaving the country and its citizenship. Our institutions of higher learning and universities should create highly talented and skilled students with a scientific bent of mind," he said.

Invoking Jawaharlal Nehru in his speech, CM Siddaramaiah said, "As Pandit Nehru remarked, let us work with unity. Let us herald a new dawn of development. Let peace, happiness and harmony thrive in our land. Let us be grateful to our army who are protecting us, to youth who are increasing the landas wealth; to the farmers who are producing food for us.

"Citizens of Karnataka are convinced that peace in society is inevitable for development and hence have rejected deliberate efforts of negative forces.

"In our society, only about 10 per cent of people have established their ownership over 78 per cent of resources. The British administration looted the countryas resources during the colonial era. However, today only a few people have accumulated wealth. Does this situation lead us to development?

"In this background, we are implementing policies that are aimed at ensuring social justice in terms of accumulation of resources and their redistribution. This is the idea behind the introduction of five guarantee schemes such as Shakti, Gruha Jyothi, Anna Bhagya, Gruha Lakshmi and Yuva Nidhi. We strongly believe in the premise of economist Amartya Sen that 'development is real freedom' and hence have introduced the five guarantee schemes," he said.

"We are working under the guidance of aGandhijias Talismana. Whenever implementing a scheme, whether it benefits the last person and whether social justice has been achieved are the guiding principles of our administration.

"People were in distress due to price rise, unemployment, corruption and discrimination due to caste and religion. Per capita income in several districts has not increased when compared to our previous tenure and there has been an increase in poverty. Considering this, our government followed Universal Basic Income policy and introduced the five guarantee schemes to boost the economic and social energy of the people.

"We are mooting the 'Brand Bengaluru' initiative. The objective is to transform Bengaluru to international standards. Much focus has been laid to ensure smooth traffic flow, management of solid wastes, proper utilisation of public places, proper health of livestock and citizens, introduction of citizen-friendly e-administration, water security and management of challenges arising out of natural calamities.

"We dream of transforming Karnataka into the number one state in Asia in terms of modern technology. We want the state to be the number one manufacturing hub in Asia too. In the last 10 years, the industrial sector of the state has registered a 9.3 per cent growth rate. We have set a goal of achieving 15 per cent and 16 per cent growth rate in the coming days. This requires an investment of about Rs 1.4 lakh crore every year and generation of 14 lakh new jobs," CM Siddaramaiah stated.
New Delhi, Aug 15 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday thanked the Supreme Court for its decision to provide the operative part of their judgements in regional languages and underlined that the government was taking several steps to promote the mother languages.

Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort here, PM Modi highlighted how the Supreme Court has decided to make its judgments available in regional languages.

"We have emphasised in the direction that the students can study in their mother languages," he said underlining the importance of the regional languages.

"I even want to thank the Supreme Court for deciding that now the operative part of its judgments will be available in one's mother tongue. The significance of regional languages is increasing," the Prime Minister said.

Following the remarks of the Prime Minister, Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, who was among the guests at the Independence Day event at the Red Fort, acknowledged PM Modi's remarks with folded hands.Notably, this year the Supreme Court under the leadership of CJI DY Chandrachud released translation of over 1,200 judgments in different Indian languages.

The translated versions of Judgments were made available in 13 Indian languages, i.e., Assamese, Garo, Hindi, Kannada, Khasi, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu at the e-SCR portal.

The portal is the repository of the electronic version of Supreme Court Reports (SCR), the official publication of the Supreme Court of India.

The Apex Court in 2019 launched a neural translation tool called SUVAS (Supreme Court Vidhik Anuvaad Software), a machine learning based software for translating judgments into vernacular languages.

The tool trained by Artificial Intelligence has the capacity and capability of translating English Judicial documents, Orders or Judgments into vernacular languages scripts and vice versa.

The work of translation of Supreme Court judgments in Indian language is a continuous process and the translated versions are uploaded on a regular basis for the benefit of the litigants and other stakeholders.
Adivi Sesh shares childhood memories of I-Day: India was only in the heart. Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Aug 15 : Telugu actor Adivi Sesh recalled his childhood memories of Independence Day, and how he celebrated it in California, US, saying they had their own way of reflecting upon what India meant.

Born in Hyderabad, Adivi was raised in Berkeley, California, US.

Talking about his childhood memory of Independence Day, the 38-year-old actor told IANS: "My childhood was filled with Independence Day celebrations in California. Growing up, August 15 was a way for us to connect with our roots. We'd have 'melas'. As children, we'd do dance performances (I even won a couple), and we had our own way of reflecting upon what India meant."

"It felt even more special because in America at the time, we weren't surrounded by anything Indian. India was only in the heart," he said.

Adivi said: "India is forever my motherland that I'm trying to connect with."

"In fact, it is this very question that drove me to address concepts like 'What does it mean to be a soldier?' in 'MAJOR'. I've often wondered. Is India in its borders? In its religions? In its villages? What is the real 'India?' ? I realised that India is an emotion," he said.

Adivi starred as lead in the 2022 biographical action drama film 'Major' directed by Sashi Kiran Tikka, with the story and screenplay by Adivi Sesh.

The film focused on the life of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan who was killed in action in the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

It also starred Prakash Raj, Sobhita Dhulipala, Saiee Manjrekar, Revathi, Murali Sharma, and Anish Kuruvilla in pivotal roles.

The actor also said he is quite motivated by the historical figures.

In a memorable speech, John F Kennedy once asked, "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country". I find that quote fascinating and I've often tried to apply that concept to my days.

Adivi, who also starred in 'Baahubali: The Beginning', said he is part of many programmes and initiatives that address issues like animal welfare, water scarcity, plastic pollution etc. in the country. "However, our country is so vast, so diverse that No matter what we do, it never feels enough," he added.

He was last seen in the 2022 Telugu crime thriller 'HIT: The Second Case', written and directed by Sailesh Kolanu.

The flick also starred Meenakshi Chaudhary and Rao Ramesh. The plot revolves around Krishna Dev (Sesh) solving a serial murder case in Visakhapatnam.

Meanwhile, he next has 'Goodachari 2'.
Mumbai, Aug 15 : Actors Prem, Adah Sharma and Vaibhav Tatwawadi, who are currently seen in Vipul Amrutlal Shah's action-thriller series 'Commando', celebrated Independence Day in style, by flagging off a bike rally, here.

With over 250 bikers, Prem, Adah and Vaibhav were super enthusiastic and enjoyed the spirit of patriotism on this celebrated day.

Talking about this Prem, who plays the lead in the series 'Commando' said: "I am super elated to have been an integral part of this bike rally on Independence Day. Just like my character Commando Virat, I thoroughly enjoyed basking in the spirit of brotherhood and patriotism."

Adah said: "Kicking off this bike rally was a fun experience and to witness a group of over 200 plus passionate bikers felt incredible. Just like Bhavna Reddy and Commando Virat's camaraderie in the series, I enjoyed being a part of the hustle and unity among the biker community here, on Independence day."

Vaibhav said that playing the role of a Commando has been an honour.

"The spirit of patriotism in my character, Commando Kshitij, was soaring high till the very end and being here today makes me nostalgic. Flagging off this bike rally with Prem and Adah was a fun-filled experience," he added.

The 'Commando' franchise started in 2013 with 'Commando: A One Man Army' which starred Vidyut Jammwal in the titular role. Over the years, the franchise has become a favourite of the enthusiasts of the action genre.

The series is touted to bring forth the tale of valour, patriotism, high-octane action and the journey of the titular character. Torn between a nefarious plan and a bio-war, Commando Prem devises an extraction mission to protect his nation and his brother Commando. Will he be able to succeed?

The action-thriller also stars Shreya Singh Chaudhry, Amit Sial, Mukesh Chhabra and Ishteyak Khan in pivotal roles.

Produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah and Sunshine Pictures Pvt Ltd and directed and created by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, the series is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
Los Angeles, Aug 15 : Actress Millie Bobby Brown, best known for her role as Eleven in 'Stranger Things', is now gearing up for a life outside the town of Hawkins and the dark realm of the Upside Down after the end of Season 5.

According to E News/ E online, the British actress told Women's Wear Daily in an interview: "I think I'm ready. It's been such a huge factor in part of my life, but it's like graduating high school, it's like senior year. You're ready to go and blossom and flourish and you're grateful for the time you've had, but it's time to create your own message and live your own life."

Millie was only 11 years old when she became a household name thanks to The Duffer Brothers' sci-fi horror series. Her role as Eleven, a powerful psychic who can fight the monstrosities of the Upside Down with her powers established her career, making her a prominent actress since then.

After her tenure in 'Stranger Things', Millie Bobby Brown has gone on to become one of the highest grossing stars in Hollywood and has done films such as 'Enola Holmes' along with two 'Godzilla' films.

She's not the only one though, as earlier actor David Harbour who essays the role of Hawkins police officer Hopper, and later adoptive father of Eleven had also earlier stated his intentions of backing down from the show after Season 5 is done.

The fourth installment of the show debuted in the middle of 2022 in two parts, and was a massive success which has only heightened the curiousity of fans regarding Season 5.

But due to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, the Duffer Brothers are unsure of when to release the next season as everything has been delayed.
Addis Ababa, Aug 15 : The Ethiopian House of People's Representatives (HoPR) has ratified a six-month state of emergency in the conflict-hit Amhara region where a suspected airstrike killed 26 people over the weekend.

In its extraordinary session late Monday night, the HoPR, or lower house of Parliament, examined and ratified the rule following Ethiopian Council of Ministers' announcement of a state of emergency on August 4, pending endorsement by the HoPR, reports Xinhua news agency.

While explaining the necessity of the rule to members of the parliament, Chief Government Whip Tesfaye Beljige said that the armed illegal activities in Amhara have become impossible to control through the regular law enforcement system.

The armed confrontation has greatly threatened the constitutional order of the East African country and disrupted the overall economic and social activities of the residents in the region, he said.

The Council of Ministers said it is necessary to take emergency measures to maintain public peace and security and enforce law and order.

It also disclosed that the move followed the formal request by the Amhara regional government, calling on the federal government to "take appropriate measures" in response to the expanding clashes.

On Sunday, the strike in Finote Selam was among the most deadly in the region, where the army has been fighting Fano, a local paramilitary force.

The fighting has been fuelled by Fano accusations that the federal government is trying to weaken Amhara's defences.

It is Ethiopia's worst crisis since a civil war in the northern Tigray region ended in November 2022.

Fano had backed federal forces during the Tigray war, the BBC reported.

They have refused to disarm, prompting the federal government to deploy the army.
Gurugram, Aug 15 : After the relaxation of curfew timings and restoration of Internet services, Haryana's Nuh district on Tuesday celebrated Independence Day under drone surveillance and heavy police security.

Following the July 31 violent communal clashes in the district, Nuh is gradually limping back to normalcy.

As a result of the violence, law agencies have beefed up security across the district during the Independence Day celebrations, with state minister Mool Chand Sharma hoisting the Tricolour.

Hundreds of police personnel, including Rapid Action Forces, have been stationed at sensitive areas of the district, while security was also heightened at areas bordering Rajasthan.

Meanwhile, police have used drone to monitor suspicious activities.

"Security has been increased due to the recent clashes, but the situation is completely normal. Police teams are patrolling the district. Security has also been stepped up at borders and vehicles entering Nuh are being thoroughly checked. There will be 24-hour drone surveillance," SP Narender Bijarnia told IANS.

"Internet services were restored on Sunday and curfew hours have been relaxed for 14 hours. Schools, banks, ATMs and markets are all functioning normally," he added.

As the Internet services were restored, a team of crime cyber experts are constantly keeping an eye on different social media accounts to curb misinformation, according to the police.

The cyber cell of the police is also keeping tab on different social media to ensure no inflammatory messages or videos are shared related to recent communal clashes or the proposed resumption of the Brajmandal Jalanhishek Yatra which was earlier stopped by a mob on July 31.
Srinagar, Aug 15 : J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha said on Tuesday that the dividends of peace and development are becoming visible in the UT through the change in the mindset of the common citizen.

Addressing an impressive, largely attended function to mark the 77th Independence Day, Sinha said at Bakshi Stadium, the venue of the main I-Day function in Kashmir, on Tuesday, "An era of peace and development has dawned on J&K.

"This is visible in the change of mindset of the common citizen who has been pro-actively contributing towards peace and development in the UT.

"The days of hartals and shutdowns are a thing of the past. Tourism has picked up in a big way and this is contributing to the local economy. Development is going on across J&K and people are getting their share of the progress in a transparent and equitable manner," the Lt. Governor said.

All the functions passed off peacefully across J&K as no report of any untoward incident came from anywhere.

For the first time, the general public had been invited to attend the main function at the Bakshi Stadium without any special entry passes.

There were no restrictions of any kind anywhere in the Valley on Tuesday.

The Lt. Governor unfurled the national flag and took salute at an impressive parade at Bakshi Stadium in which smartly turned out contingents of police, Border Security Forces (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Home Guards and school children took part.

A cultural programme highlighting the unity in diversity across J&K was also held at the stadium after the parade.

Senior officers of administration, police, Army and paramilitary forces attended the function in addition to a large number of civilians who turned out to be part of the main function.

Hoisting of the Tricolour and ceremonial parades were also held at each district headquarter of the UT where the concerned district development commissioners took salute after hoisting the Tricolour.

Flag hoisting functions also took place at all various schools and government offices across J&K in which children, teachers and government officials participated.

--IANSsq/dpb
Mumbai, Aug 15 : The motion poster of the much awaited Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone-starrer 'Fighter' was unveiled on Tuesday on the occasion of Independence Day, and it packs a solid punch raising the curiosity bar for the film.

The motion poster begins with aerial shots of three F/A-18E in a formation before it cuts to the ground track shot leading up to the revelation of Hrithik's character sporting a pair of sunglasses and donning the aviators' uniform. This is followed by the character cards of Deepika and Anil Kapoor.

Directed by Siddharth Anand and Starring Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone, and Anil Kapoor 'Fighter' to release on the eve of India's 75th Republic Day, on January 25, 2024

'Fighter' is designed for a gig-screen cinematic experience and the cinematic background score of Vande Mataram in the motion posters promises an unparalleled cinematic affair. The film being directed by the superstar director Siddharth Anand, who has delivered blockbuster hattrick with 'Bang Bang!', 'War' and 'Pathaan' only cements the fact.

The film has been shot at multiple real locations and has used the latest cinematic technology to achieve a spectacle for global screens.

Actual Indian Air Force cadets have worked for the film, and its soundtrack album composed by the duo Vishala"Shekhar consists of five songs, with Satchith Paulose as the cinematographer. 'Fighter' was originally scheduled for a theatrical release on 30 September 2022 but was delayed due to the production delays owing to COVID-19 pandemic.

Presented by Viacom18 Studios in association with Marflix Pictures, 'Fighter' also stars Akshay Oberoi. The film is set to release across cinemas on January 25, 2024, exactly a year after Siddharth Anand's 'Pathaan'.
Cincinnati : , Aug 15 (IANS) Former World No. 1 Andy Murray withdrew from the Cincinnati Masters late Monday night due to an abdominal strain.

The Brit, who last week withdrew ahead of his third-round match in Toronto against Jannik Sinner because of the same injury, will not take the court against 11th seed Karen Khachanov. He will be replaced in the draw by a lucky loser on Tuesday.

The 36-year-old showed his fighting spirit in Canada when he won a two-hour, 47-minute battle in the second round against Max Purcell. After withdrawing at that event, he travelled to Cincinnati, but is not ready to compete.

Khachanov has not competed since losing in the Roland Garros quarter-finals to Novak Djokovic. The 27-year-old, who will now play a lucky loser instead of Murray, has been out because of a groin injury.
Winecup Gamble Ranch in Elko County is proposing a massive land swap with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to counter checkerboard land ownership and improve ranch operations, but sportsmen and county officials have several concerns.

Elko County Commissioners will talk about the possible land exchange during their 7 a.m. meeting Wednesday at the Nannini Administration Building before they hit the road for Midas and Tuscarora.

The land exchange would help us to manage the ranch more efficiently, said Winecup Gamble and Kroenke Ranches representative Wyatt Anthony, who appeared before the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners in Fallon along with Western Land Group Inc. consultants.

The 1.2-million-acre Winecup Gamble Ranch in eastern Elko County includes grazing allotments and the Independence Valley Ranch. It is largely in checkboard ownership, he said. The term refers to lands where every other acre was granted to private railroad companies for developing lines connecting eastern and western states.

Anthony told the board the plan is to seek congressional action on the proposed land exchange.

This would be the largest land exchange the BLM has ever done, said Andy Wiessner of Western Land Group. Its too big to happen administratively. An EIS (environmental impact statement) would run thousands of pages.

Winecup Gamble Ranch wants to exchange private land for public land and is proposing conservation easements that would be written into law and still allow for livestock operations.

Although people are talking about 85,000 private acres being traded for 235,000 public acres, Melissa Sherburne of Western Land Group said in an Aug. 14 text that there is no proposed acreage at this time, as the proposal is still in conceptual stages.

Anthony said tools to be considered for the proposal, in addition to the conservation easements, could include deed restrictions, memos of understanding, and third-party agreements.

He said the steps include obtaining feedback from the Nevada Department of Wildlife, pursuing public and stakeholder engagement, finalizing a proposal, and then seeking legislation.

We hope to develop a proposal in 2024, Anthony said. He later told wildlife commissioners in answer to a question that the lengthy land exchange effort could cost the ranch $1 million from the start of the process in 2020 to the finish line.

He said Nevadas congressional delegation hasnt been contacted yet because there isnt a final proposal. The Elko BLM Districts Wells Field Office manager, Melanie Mitchell, said in an email that this is not a BLM project or action at this time.

Public concerns

In public comments during the Aug. 11 wildlife board meeting, speakers voiced concerns before hearing the presentation from representatives of the sprawling ranch that extends to the Utah border.

Elko County is really prickly about public access so that is something we will be watching to see what guarantees there are for public access and which areas, Curtis Moore, natural resources director and assistant county manager, told the board via Zoom.

He said the economic impact of hunting in 2022 in Elko County totaled $9.3 million, so this is kind of an important economic base for Elko County, and thats also something we will take a look at, adding that the county also will look at NDOWs thoughts on how this will affect habitat and quality of game in the proposed land exchange areas.

Historic Winecup Gamble ranch for sale ELKO  The historic Winecup Gamble Ranch in northeastern Elko County is on the market for $77 million, which buys nearly 1 million acres.

Justin French of Elko County said that from what I can gather and what has leaked out and been circulating is that there would be 235,000 public acres  367 square miles  traded for 85,000 acres of private land for a net loss to the public of 150,000 acres, 234 square miles.

I just dont see where the values are equal, what the public gains versus the ranch gains, said outfitter Cary Jellison.

Josh Vittori, who described himself as an avid Elko County sportsman, a resident of Washoe County and a member of Bighorns Unlimited Reno, said initially we do support multi-use management, including responsible agricultural practices and the concept of consolidating checkerboard land.

He said, however, that our concerns are definitely about the valuation of acreage in this exchange as well as what the potential risks for land development, sportsmens access, impacts to wildlife and habitat and especially the loss of the public process, i.e., no NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) analysis required ...

Tom Glass of the Western Land Group said the land exchange will be on fair market value, not acre for acre, and the proposed exchange would require appraisals under the direction of the BLM. He said BLM would be getting live streams and wetlands that are worth more per acre.

The public will receive more valuable wetlands, Glass said.

Anthony said the land exchange would be just surface to surface, so water rights would remain with the ranch and mineral rights would remain as they are now.

Sherburne said in the presentation that there is a lot of interest in this land exchange, and we are looking at such a broad landscape. As the wildlife board viewed maps, she emphasized that these are not proposals. These are discussion items, so nothing has been formally introduced.

Highlighting a couple of locations, Sherburne said that Loomis Creek is an outstanding area, mostly checkerboard. It has outstanding wildlife habitat, as well as recreation, but there is no clear access. There are not necessarily clear conservation mechanisms, so that is one area we think is great public benefit potential.

North Pequop is an almost perfect checkboard yet a very important migration corridor for mule deer and other species, she said, telling wildlife commissioners that this is an area that could be put into a conservation easement into perpetuity.

Sherburne said the ranch is also planning to put a concentrated area of sage grouse leks in public ownership.

Next steps

As final maps are put together, they will include new ideas and concepts and concerns from the public and NDOW, Sherburne said.

We want to hear from NDOW with a thumbs up or thumbs down before the final plan, she said.

NDOW Director Allen Jenne said the agency is dead square in the middle of trying to assess this, and pieces will include determining recreation access and understanding the needs of conservationists and the needs of wildlife.

The presentation showed proposed contiguous public access north of Thousand Springs Road and non-motorized public access at Loomis Creek, along with public ownership of Warm Springs.

Anthony said he would be hesitant to grant public access over wide areas of the ranch operation because there have been problems with gates left open and trash strewn around, and a lot of employees call this home, but I realize we have to have some sort of public access.

He told commissioners there are just a lot of moving pieces.

Western Land Group gave a formal presentation to NDOW in the spring about the proposed exchange, which would have to be in the public interest according to federal law, but indicated there also have been informal talks with individuals from NDOW and BLM.

Commissioner David McNinch told Anthony that this commission is three years behind you, and there are only two more wildlife commission meetings before January, so if you intend to take action (in 2024), time is really short for us to get a handle on this.

Wildlife Commissioner Tom Barnes said he was concerned about the effects of the land exchange on sportsmen, elk management and neighboring ranches.

Representatives of county wildlife advisory boards also reported to commissioners they had issues with the Winecup Gamble proposal, including Jim Cooney, chairman of the Elko County Wildlife Advisory Board. He said his board will keep the land exchange on future meeting agendas.

In the combination of in-person public and Zoom appearances, others also spoke to the board about the land exchange proposal, with one speaker suggesting the exchange would lead to a private game preserve, one saying dont touch Nevada, others expressing concern about elk tags, and another expressing worry about the loss of hunting and recreation opportunities.

Winecup Gamble Ranch is owned by Ruby Land & Cattle Co., according to Elko County Assessor Janet Iribarne. Ruby Land & Cattle Co. LLC is a division of Kroenke Ranches headed by Stanley Kroenke.
New Delhi, August 15 : The speed at which Afghanistan fell to the Taliban on this day two years ago exposed the faulty intelligence of both the US and Pakistani intelligence communities.

It was not just the Kabul fall where Pakistan's assessment went wrong, Islamabad could not foresee the dangers of the Talibanas return to power and the ensuing threats to its security, The Express Tribune reported.

Pakistan at the time of Talibanas victory thought it would help the country.

The first and foremost expectation of Pakistan was that the Taliban would deal with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorist group.

Two years on, the number of cross border attacks by the TTP has been on the rise.

The Taliban have refused to take action against the TTP, something that compelled Pakistani officials now to admit that the TTP and the regime in Kabul are "ideological cousins'', The Express Tribune reported.

The TTP problem has threatened to unravel the relationship between Pakistan and the Taliban.

In February 2021, the top US general was on a visit to Pakistan.

General Frank McKenzie, the Centcom chief, was visiting just months before the withdrawal of the US-led foreign forces as part of the Doha deal signed between the administration of former President Donald Trump and the Taliban, The Express Tribune reported.

At the GHQ, his meeting with then Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa focused on Afghanistan particularly the post-US withdrawal scenario.

The US general was keen to have Pakistan's assessment on one key question: How long would it take for the Afghan Taliban to take control of Kabul after the US withdrawal?

Gen Bajwa, as per the assessment of Pakistan's security agencies, had informed Gen Mackenzie that the Taliban might make inroads capturing other parts of the country but taking control of Kabul wouldn't be a cakewalk, The Express Tribune reported.

According to the then Pakistani army chief, the Taliban forces would be met with stiff resistance from the Afghan National Army (ANA) when they would try to capture Kabul.

Gen Bajwa believed that it could take a year or more for the Taliban to regain power in Kabul after the US withdrawal.

When US President Joe Biden finally announced the withdrawal date, the American intelligence community too came with their own assessment.

Initially, the US intelligence claimed that it could take nine months for the Taliban to take control of Kabul.

That assessment was later revised as the US security agencies predicted the fall of Kabul within three months of the US withdrawal.

The revised intelligence assessment was based on the rapid capitulation of provinces after provinces to the Taliban as the US-led foreign forces began their withdrawal.

However, even as the last batches of US forces were preparing to leave the war-torn country, the Taliban were at the gates of Kabul and the ANA had vanished.

The embattled President Ashraf Ghani flew out of the country in a hurry, leaving the Taliban to take control of Kabul without shedding any blood on the streets of the Afghan capital.
Los Angeles, Aug 15 : For his part, actor Aaron Taylor Johnson has been pretty open about his relationship with his wife Sam Taylor Johnson, but the actor has barely ever reacted to criticism of his relationship with his wife as he had not considered it important enough. The actor in a rare case has come out to face the increasing backlash he's been facing for his marriage.

According to E News, the actor addressed the criticism he has been facing and also spoke on why he keeps his relationship out of the spotlight. "I'm trying to be as honest as possible," Aaron, (33) told Esquire magazine in an interview.

"I've probably talked to you more about my kids and Sam than I have with anybody. I've got really nothing to hide, and I'm secure in what we have. But I'm not going to unlock things that are actually precious to me", he added.

The 'Kick Ass' and 'Bullet Train' actor married his wife in 2012 and hasn't kept his relationship a secret since then. The criticism is coming due to their massive age gap, as Aaron is over 23 years younger than his partner as his wife whom when he got engaged to, was 42, and is currently 56 years old.

The 'Fifty Shades of Grey' director noted that she shared a "connection" with Aaron while they worked on the film 'Nowhere Boy' which was their first meeting and project together. She added: "He was very intense and absolutely mind made-up (about us dating)."

In 2017, Aaron slammed the "intrusive" response when he and Sam first took their relationship public. "But having to deal with that early in my career probably got me to a place where I can more quickly just go, 'Oh, f*** it' instead of wanting to rip someone's head off for asking questions I don't like," he shared during an interview with New York Magazine.

Sam detailing their relationship back in 2017 said, "I literally found my soulmate. I feel so blessed: every day I wake up happy. We spend every minute of the day together."

Aaron Taylor Johnson will next be seen in the film 'Kraven The Hunter' portraying the powerful and bloodthirsty killer who is one of Spiderman's biggest enemies.
New Delhi, Aug 15 : World leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, greeted India on Tuesday on the occasion of the nation's 77th Independence Day.

In a tweet in Hindi, the French leader said: "Hearty congratulations to the people of India on Independence Day. A month ago in Paris, my friend (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi and I set new Indo-French ambitions for 2047, the centenary year of India's independence. India can count on France as a reliable friend and partner, always."

He also shared a short video which showed Modi's visit to France in July.

Macron captioned the video: "Trust and friendship towards the Indian people."

Also extending his wishes, the Nepal Prime Minister said in a tweet: "On the auspicious occasion of the 77th Independence Day of India, I extend warm greetings and best wishes to PM @narendramodi ji and to the friendly people of India for continued peace, progress and prosperity @PMOIndia."

Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar was also greeted on the occassion by his counterparts from Iran, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Australia.

Extending his wishes, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said in a tweet that "independence is a key factor characterising strategic policy of Iran and India".

He went on to say that "deveploment, all-out ties, including economic and regional connectivity is the mutual agenda of two nations".

In his message, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry said he was "confident that in the years ahead our bilateral ties will be further strengthened between our two nations".

While Bhutan's Foreign Minister Tandi Dorji wished for "greater prosperity, happiness and well-being", Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the two countries' "relationship is growing from the foundation of the three 'Ds: democracy, diaspora and dosti or friendship".

Nepal's Foreign Minister N.P. Saud also "convey warm greetings and felicitations" to Jaishankar and also wished the people and the government of India.

--IANS

ans-ksk
Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 15 : A week after Income Tax authorities pointed out that Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's daughter Veena Vijayan and her company got suspicious payments, her husband and State Tourism Minister P. A. Mohammed Riyas on Tuesday expressed his displeasure by attacking the media.

"Though today is Independence Day, the fact is you (media) are not free as you are all forced to follow the agenda of those who own your media organisation and I can feel that," said Riyas.

Veena has been facing the heat after a news report on alleged payment reportedly received by Veena Vijayan from CMRL, a mining company surfaced in Malayala Manorama, a leading vernacular daily.

The report said that CMRL paid Veena and her IT firm Exalogic a sum of Rs 1.72 crore during 2017-2020 for IT services rendered.

It said that the Income Tax Appellate Board, while examining the tax returns of CMRL, stumbled upon payments made to Veena and her IT firm. It was also found based on the information provided by a few CMRL officials that no services were rendered by her firm to the company.

When the media parried questions on this, a peeved Riyas said he has nothing more to add as everything has been said by the CPI(M) state secretary.

"Our secretary has already reacted on this and so did the party.... and hence whichever way you ask, I have only this answer to give," said Riyas.

Meanwhile, reports have come out that Riyas has not disclosed this receipt of money in his election affidavit also.

The silence of Riyas came under heavy attack from Union Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan who pointed out that it's surprising as the former is known for reacting on anything and everything.
New Delhi, Aug 15 : Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founder of Bangladesh, was assassinated at his home in Dhanmondi 32 on August 15, 1975, following which military dictator Major General Ziaur Rahman assumed power. Incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Mujib's eldest daughter, was in Germany then and hence she survived.

Mujib was to visit Dhaka University and a grand ceremonious welcome awaited him. Even a'citation' in Bangla was prepared.Addressing the Bangabandhu, as Mujib was popularly known, the citation read: "You've said you want to turn Dhaka University into the National University. We want your kind sympathy, goodwill and consideration in this regard."

But that was never read out because the nascent country's national hero never visited the university.

The then Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) vice president, Mujahidul Islam Selim, in the early morning of August 15, 1975, received a phone call from the dean office of the arts faculty, "which informed him that Dhanmondi 32 was under attack", the country's leading newspaper The Daily Star reported.

On August 15, several Bangladesh newspapers published special supplements to mark Bangabandhu's visit to the DU.

Bangabandhu was supposed to arrive at the university at 9.55 a.m. Upon entering the premises from the Curzon Hall area, he was supposed to visit different faculties and departments, pay tribute to martyredintellectuals and freedom fighters before delivering a speech at the Teacher-Student Centre around 11.40 a.m., the daily says.

Paradoxically, Mujib had enrolled himself in the university in December 1947 but varsityauthority in 1949 had expelled him and several other students on charges of "instigating" a movementlaunched by class-four employees, demanding increase of salaries and allowances.

While Mujib did not live to visit Dhaka University on Aug 15, 1975; it was many years later only in 2010, the university authority withdrew the expulsion order, terming it "undemocratic and unjust", says The Daily Star.

"The Dhaka University authority will award Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman an honourarydegree of 'Doctor of Laws' posthumously at a special convocation, which is likely to take place on October 26," the newspaper says.

Of course, the bolstering Bangladesh-India ties and enhanced relationship of mutual trust ties owes it to history around 1970-71 -- five decades back. Perhaps it also relates to India's undilutedrivalry with Pakistan.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in June this year sent mangoes for her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi.

The Dhanmondi House is now a tourist attraction with hundreds including from overseas visiting the spot to pay homage to Asia's one of the greatest crusaders of liberty and free speech.

Bloodstains on the walls and on the peeling green plaster certainly will bring to the fore the story of one of the most horrific killings of political stars and the family members in the sub-continent.

A sense of chill runs through the spine as three Indian journalists in 2017 December encountered the'bullet marks' at the House.This was the place where Sheikh Mujibar Rahman and his 18 family members, including three sons anda young grandson was assassinated in a ruthless exercise by the 'right-wing' military officers.

Among those killed were Mujib, his wife Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib, their three sons Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and minor Sheikh Russel; the newly married brides of Kamal and JamalSulatana and Rosy and Bangabandhu's brother Sheikh Abu Naser.

A gentleman standing nearby and a staffer at the Memorial spoke softly: "It was the witness to hours ofdeliberations among Mujib's close associates. Today, sadly though -- this house has become an enduringsymbol of love and admiration people feel for Bangabandhu."

Of course, sociologists will agree this is the place today where hundreds of Bangladeshis -- young and old --feel they can renew their commitment to nation building.

In 2015, it was reported that at least seven months before the 'Bangabandhu' was assassinated along withhis family members, a former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) official had met him here and warned against the conspirators.

"These are my own children and they will not harm me," Mujib had reportedly told Rameshwar Nath Kao,who met him in December 1974 with the approval of the then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Mujib's two daughters, Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana, were in West Germany in August 1975 andso they survived.

(Nirendra Dev is a New Delhi-based journalist. He is also author of the books aThe Talking Guns: North East Indiaa, and aModi to Moditva: An Uncensored Trutha. Views expressed are personal)--IANS

nirendra/ksk
New Delhi, August 15 : China has stopped releasing youth unemployment figures, which were seen by some as a key indication of the country's slowdown.

The decision is due to changes in the world's second largest economy and its society, a government spokesman said.

In June, China's jobless rate for 16 to 24 year olds in urban areashit a record high of more than 20 per cent.

The country's central bank also cut the cost of borrowing on Tuesday in an attempt to help boost growth.

Official figures published on Tuesday showed China's overall unemployment rate had risen to 5.3 per cent in July.

At the same time the government said it would temporarily suspend publishing youth joblessness data but gave no timeline for the suspension, the BBC reported.

A spokesman for the National Bureau of Statistics said the method of calculating unemployment among young people needed to be reconsidered.

"The economy and society are constantly developing and changing. Statistical work needs continuous improvement", Fu Linghui told a news conference in Beijing.

Fu hinted that the growth in the number of students between 16 and 24 years of age had affected unemployment figures, but China has never counted those in education as unemployed.

China started publishing youth unemployment figures in 2018. However, it does not currently release data on the employment status of young people in rural areas.

The announcement came as the country's post-pandemic economic recovery is slowing, the BBC reported.
New Delhi, Aug 15 : Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founder of Bangladesh, was assassinated at his home in Dhanmondi 32 on August 15, 1975, following which military dictator Major General Ziaur Rahman assumed power. Incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Mujib's eldest daughter, was in Germany then and hence she survived.

Mujib was to visit Dhaka University and a grand ceremonious welcome awaited him. Even a 'citation' in Bangla was prepared.

Addressing the Bangabandhu, as Mujib was popularly known, the citation read: "You've said you want to turn Dhaka University into the National University. We want your kind sympathy, goodwill and consideration in this regard."

But that was never read out because the nascent country's national hero never visited the university.

The then Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) vice president, Mujahidul Islam Selim, in the early morning of August 15, 1975, received a phone call from the dean office of the arts faculty, "which informed him that Dhanmondi 32 was under attack", the country's leading newspaper The Daily Star reported.

On August 15, several Bangladesh newspapers published special supplements to mark Bangabandhu's visit to the DU.

Bangabandhu was supposed to arrive at the university at 9.55 a.m. Upon entering the premises from the Curzon Hall area, he was supposed to visit different faculties and departments, pay tribute to martyred intellectuals and freedom fighters before delivering a speech at the Teacher-Student Centre around 11.40 a.m., the daily says.

Paradoxically, Mujib had enrolled himself in the university in December 1947 but varsity authority in 1949 had expelled him and several other students on charges of "instigating" a movement launched by class-four employees, demanding increase of salaries and allowances.

While Mujib did not live to visit Dhaka University on Aug 15, 1975; it was many years later only in 2010, the university authority withdrew the expulsion order, terming it "undemocratic and unjust", says The Daily Star.

"The Dhaka University authority will award Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman an honourary degree of 'Doctor of Laws' posthumously at a special convocation, which is likely to take place on October 26," the newspaper says.

Of course, the bolstering Bangladesh-India ties and enhanced relationship of mutual trust ties owes it to history around 1970-71 -- five decades back. Perhaps it also relates to India's undiluted rivalry with Pakistan.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in June this year sent mangoes for her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi.

The Dhanmondi House is now a tourist attraction with hundreds including from overseas visiting the spot to pay homage to Asia's one of the greatest crusaders of liberty and free speech.

Bloodstains on the walls and on the peeling green plaster certainly will bring to the fore the story of one of the most horrific killings of political stars and the family members in the sub-continent.

A sense of chill runs through the spine as three Indian journalists in 2017 December encountered the 'bullet marks' at the House. This was the place where Sheikh Mujibar Rahman and his 18 family members, including three sons and a young grandson was assassinated in a ruthless exercise by the 'right-wing' military officers.

Among those killed were Mujib, his wife Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib, their three sons Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and minor Sheikh Russel; the newly married brides of Kamal and Jamal Sulatana and Rosy and Bangabandhu's brother Sheikh Abu Naser.

A gentleman standing nearby and a staffer at the Memorial spoke softly: "It was the witness to hours of deliberations among Mujib's close associates. Today, sadly though -- this house has become an enduring symbol of love and admiration people feel for Bangabandhu."

Of course, sociologists will agree this is the place today where hundreds of Bangladeshis -- young and old -- feel they can renew their commitment to nation building.

In 2015, it was reported that at least seven months before the 'Bangabandhu' was assassinated along with his family members, a former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) official had met him here and warned against the conspirators.

"These are my own children and they will not harm me," Mujib had reportedly told Rameshwar Nath Kao, who met him in December 1974 with the approval of the then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Mujib's two daughters, Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana, were in West Germany in August 1975 and so they survived.

(Nirendra Dev is a New Delhi-based journalist. He is also author of the books aThe Talking Guns: North East Indiaa, and aModi to Moditva: An Uncensored Trutha. Views expressed are personal)
New Delhi, Aug 15: Beneath the 13th August fidayeen attack on Pakistani armed forces carrying Chinese engineers is a larger target of the insurgent group Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). It has given 90-day ultimatum to Chinese for leaving the province that the group deems a state independent of Pakistan and is waging "armed freedom struggle" for its sake. The BLA warning coincides with the preparation for the upcoming Pakistan election and the winding up of the key airport project of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Even though there were no confirmed reports of Chinese nationals and Pakistani security personnel getting killed, a BLA spokesman said that before two of their suicide attackers were killed, they managed to kill 4 Chinese and 11 Pakistani soldiers.

Both the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) and Chinese embassy in Pakistan denied casualties, though there was an admission that the convoy was ambushed by bombs and gunshots.

In a threat letter issued on Monday via portals that publish details of its activities, the BLA said that it has announced the completion of the third phase of its "Operation Zir Pehazag" and that its next phase will be in the next 90 days.

The BLA's statement also conveyed a clear message to China, emphasising their view of Balochistan as an "occupied territory" and voicing their opposition to Beijing's projects, like the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in the region.

"We have cautioned China repeatedly to reconsider its activities in Balochistan," the statement read. BLA views such endeavors as acts of exploitation, stating that any foreign investments in the region should only proceed after Balochistan achieves independence.

Ending on a firm note, the BLA has issued China a 90-day ultimatum to withdraw from Balochistan or prepare for intensified attacks on its "key interests" in the region.

Meanwhile, Chinese have reportedly proposed to send their personnel to conduct joint investigation into the attack and all the personnel concerned have been properly relocated, according to the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan.

China and Baloch Matrix

China's entry in Balochistan dates to 2007 when Beijing was granted a 40-year lease of Gwadar port to the Chinese by the Pervez Musharraf establishment. Ever since, the Chinese nationals, mostly engineers and logistics personnel, have been arriving in Pakistan. In Balochistan, they have been living in cantonments-type enclaves. Some of them even bought luxury houses in cities like Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, where the safety has relatively better. However, as their number increased and it was found that China is involved in major mining and infrastructure projects in the resource-rich province, apart from building the deep-water Gwadar port, all part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), locals began to resent their presence and long-term business interests.

A senior columnist of Dawn newspaper who recently visited Balochistan wrote that locals see Chinese as mythical yajooj-majooj (gog and magog) that are out to devour their land and resources.

BLA and the Balochistan Liberation Front, another militant outfit waging war against Pakistan Army for secession, started targeting Chinese 2018 onwards.

In 2018, the BLA attacked the Chinese Consulate-General in Karachi in south Pakistan, during which two police officers were killed. In May 2017, 10 workers were killed by two gunmen on motorbikes, which the BLA claimed was a response to the development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

In April 2021, a deadly car bomb explosion that rocked a hotel which was hosting the Chinese ambassador in Quetta, Balochistan province killed five people, for which Pakistan Taliban claimed responsibility.

In July 2021, a shuttle bus blast in Pakistan that killed nine Chinese and four Pakistanis was confirmed to be a terrorist attack.

In August 2021, two children were killed and three were wounded in an attack targeting Chinese nationals in Gwadar.

In April 2022, a terror attack against the shuttle bus used by Karachi's Confucius Institute killed three Chinese teachers and their local driver, for which the BLA took responsibility.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

--indianarrative

--IANS
New Delhi, Aug 15 : Ashoka University has confirmed that assistant professor Sabyasachi Das, whose paper suggesting voter manipulation in 2019 elections sparked a controversy, has resigned from his post.

"Das was in the Department of Economics, is currently on leave from Ashoka, serving as visiting faculty at the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (Deemed to be University) in Pune. After making extensive efforts to dissuade him, the University has accepted his resignation," the university vice-chancellor Somak Raychaudhury in an official statement said.

He further said that Dasas paper on Indian elections was the subject of a widespread controversy after being shared recently on social media, where it was perceived by many to reflect the views of the University.

At Ashoka University, members of the faculty have freedom to teach and carry out research in the areas they choose -- the University affords its faculty and students what it believes is the most enabling environment for academic freedom at an institution of higher education in the country, V-C Raychaudhary said.

"The University does not direct or moderate the research conducted by its faculty and students. This academic freedom also applied to him," V-C said in a release.
New Delhi, Aug 15: Punjab Police in joint operation with Central agencies has busted yet another terror module on eve of Independence Day by nabbing five terror operatives associated with Pakistan-based Harvinder Rinda and US based gangster Goldy Brar. Police has recovered two foreign-made 9mm pistols along with ammunition from their possession.

The arrested accused have been identified as Gurinder Singh, Gurpinder Singh, Lovepreet Singh, Narinder Singh and Sukhmanpreet Singh.

Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav said that the accused were planning to disrupt peace and harmony in the state through target killings in Punjab. This module was being operated by US based gangster Harpreet Happy on behalf of Rinda and Brar. The arrests come a day after Punjab Police busted a terror module being operated by Czech Republic based Gurdev Singh alias Jaisal. The police had yesterday arrested its three associates after recovering three pistols along with ammunition from Tarn Taran.

According to DGP Yadav, police acted on inputs Rind and Brar operatives were planning to target prominent political and socio-religious leaders in the state through his newly formed gang.

"Counter Intelligence in coordination with Central agencies carried out a special operation. We got an input that the armed operatives are meeting in Amritsar. A special team of SSOC Amritsar immediately rushed to the area and cordoned it off in a planned manner resulting in the arrest of five operatives of this module with recovery of weapons. We have registered FIR under UAPA," said AIG SSOC, Amritsar Sukhminder Singh Mann. Sharing preliminary investigation details, the AIG said that the arrested persons has recently received a drone-delivered weapon consignment through the Indo-Pak Border arranged by gangster Happy with the help of Harwinder Rinda.

The accused persons have also been receiving financial aid sent by Happy through various channels, he said, while adding that it has also come to light that they have conducted a recce of Punjab-based targets defined by Happy. Further investigations are being carried out to unearth the entire terror network and to trace the channels via which Happy arranged weapons consignment as well as financial aid for his associates, he added.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

--indianarrative

--IANS
At the recent national convention of the Oregon-California Trails Association in Gering, Nebraska, Helen Hankins of Spring Creek was elected vice-president.

Hankins, a native of Idaho, has been involved with national historic trails since the mid-1990s. Her initial involvement (1995-2007) was as the district manager for the Bureau of Land Managements Elko office. During this period, she was the primary BLM official working with local stakeholders and the congressional delegation to make the dream of the California Trail Interpretive Center in Elko a reality. This involved significant work with the local leaders who conceived, promoted and obtained much of the funding for the project. She also worked internally with BLM staff and contractors in the design and construction of the center and its exhibits.

Subsequent to her retirement in 2013, Hankins has served as president of the California Trail Heritage Alliance which was originally established by the founders of the Trail Center to continue advocacy and support of it. In this role, she has worked with a board of directors that includes many OCTA members on education and trail preservation projects.

She has obtained permits from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and the BLM Nevada State Office for MET mapping on the Hastings Cutoff. Hankins and her husband Mike Mauser have participated on several MET mapping crews in recent years.

She has overseen efforts to obtain marketing grants for the Trail Center which have totaled nearly a half million dollars in the last 10 years. Other grants submitted during her presidency have supported the purchase of five educational trunks containing replica pioneer tools and clothing for use in northern Nevada classrooms and at the Trail Center.

Additionally, infrastructure grants have been obtained to increase lighting in the Trail Center plaza and to install safety fencing and interpretive panels at the Elko Hot Hole. The latter was a favorite nooning stop for the emigrants.

Hankins has volunteered hundreds of hours at the Trail Center presenting programs to children and adults and has been a longtime participant at the annual Trail Days and Pioneer Christmas activities. She has provided support to John Winner and OCTA in the effort to establish a Conservation Easement at Gravelly Ford and part of the California Trail near Beowawe and to see the completion of a virtual tour. Most recently, CTHA has worked cooperatively with the City of Elko and the National Park Service to place directional signs for motorists pointing the way to the Hot Hole.

Hankins co-chaired the successful OCTA convention in Elko with Duane Jones in 2021, which included multiple bus tours, a hike on the Greenhorn, private vehicle tours, and many outstanding speakers.

She has served on the OCTA national board since 2018 and is a lifetime member of OCTA and member of the Legacy Society.

In her 42-year career with the BLM, Hankins worked as a geologist and later as a manager and leader in several western states, Alaska and Washington, D.C. She retired from the BLM in 2013 after serving as the BLM Colorado state director.

Hankins said, I am looking forward to serving as vice-president of OCTA and working to promote education about the trail and the people who traveled it and preservation of the trail and the many historic diaries, journals, maps and other documents associated with it.

Helen and her husband Mike who now reside near Elko, Nevada, have hosted 11 Rotary Youth Exchange students and raised two dogs and many cats. In addition to OCTA, Rotary and Toastmasters, Helen is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Bengaluru, Aug 15 : Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday asked people to be careful about those who 'humiliate true freedom fighters', and called them British agents.

"We are the ones who handed over freedom fighter from Karnataka Sangolli Rayanna to the British, and even now there are agents of the British. They insult our true freedom fighters."

He spoke at the 226th birth anniversary of Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna organised jointly by Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna Foundation and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Corporation, and garlanded the statue of Rayanna.

"August 15 is the Independence Day of the country. This day is also martyr Sangolli Rayanna's birthday. This was also the aspiration of freedom fighter Sangolli Rayanna too. August 15 is Rayanna's birthday, while January 26 is the day when the British hanged Rayanna. Both these days are important days in the history of the country," said the CM.

He said that only if everyone gets social, political, economic and religious freedom, the sacrifice of freedom fighter martyrs will be worth it.

The CM said that he had granted Rs 280 crore for the development of the Sainik school in the name of Rayanna and also for the development of the Nandagad, where Rayanna was hanged, during his first tenure as CM. He said that he would inaugurate the Sainik School himself shortly.

"Guerrilla fighter Sangollirayanna's wish was to build a democratic country. Strengthening democracy means preserving our constitution. We should not allow the evil forces to grow so that they will change our constitution," the chief minister said.

Deputy Chief Minister D.K Shivakumar, Veerabhadra Channamalla Maha Swamiji of Nidumamadi Mutt, Legislative Council Member Nagaraj Yadav, Chief Minister's Political Adviser Govindaraj, former Minister H.M. Revanna, former Mayor Ramachandrappa and many other dignitaries were present during the function.
'Big salute to our heroes': B-Town extends greetings on 76th Independence Day. Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Aug 15 : Celebrities from Bollywood and southern film industries on Tuesday extended their greetings on the 76th Independence Day, remembering the contributions of heroes who fought for our freedom.

Deepika Padukone changed her Instagram display picture to the Indian flag. Rakul Preet Singh wrote: "Happy Independence Day."

Kangana Ranaut shared a picture of Subhas Chandra Bose on Instagram Stories and said: "Happy Independence Day."

Mahesh Babu said: "Celebrating the spirit of united India, today and every day! Wishing you all a happy #IndependenceDay2023!"

Ayushmann Khurrana shared a Reel video with the Tricolour and wrote: "On this historic day, let's come together and proudly wave our tricolor. Upload your selfies with our beloved Tiranga on harghartiranga.com @amritmahotsav." He has been roped in by the Ministry of Culture to celebrate Independence Day. The initiative is aimed to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of India's Independence and the glorious history of its people, culture and achievements.

Rajkummar Rao uploaded a photo with the Indian Flag and said: "Happy Independence Day. Bharat Mata ko shat shat Naman #harghartiranga."

Yami Gautam said: "Happy Independence Day to everyone and a big salute to our heroes who have always strived hard to protect Us!"

Shraddha Kapoor dropped a beautiful picture of herself in a white and pink coloured floral suit, and holding the Tricolour. She captioned it as : "Vande Mataram #HarGharTiranga."

Sara Ali Khan shared a picture of herself in a white plain kurta, matching sharara and a dupatta in the shade of the Indian flag. Along with the click she wrote: "On this Independence Day, let's commemorate the unwavering contributions of our brave heroes and heroines who valiantly fought for our freedom. Let us salute the unbreakable determination and vigor of those who continue to safeguard our nation with unflinching strength."

Anushka Sharma took to Instagram Stories and wrote: "Happy Independence Day."

Sapthami Gowda wrote: "Happy Independence Day."

Filmmaker Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri said: "Happy Independence Day friends."

Emraan Hashmi shared a photo of the national flag and wrote: "Happy Independence Day."

Disha Patani shared a video of the national flag on her Instagram Stories.
Moscow, Aug 15 : Governor Oleg Kozhemyako on Tuesday declared a regional state of emergency in the Primorsky Territory located in the Russian Far East, due to the extensive damage caused by severe flooding.

"A regional emergency regime is being introduced in Primorye. The damage from the disaster is such that the resources of the municipalities cannot cope with it," Xinhua news agency quoted the Governor as saying in a social media post.

"The regional emergency regime will allow to increase the measures of support for the population affected by the flooding," he added.

The flooding, triggered by heavy rains brought by typhoon Khanun and a polar front, wreaked havoc in Primorye.

Several municipalities of this region have declared a state of emergency in the past few days.

According to the regional centre of the Ministry of Civil Defense and Emergency Situations, the number of submerged houses had risen to 4,620 by Monday.

Additionally, 32 settlements are left isolated, and 58 road segments are disrupted.

Over 2,500 individuals have been evacuated due to the dire situation.

Kozhemyako emphasised that the regional state of emergency empowers authorities to manage the crisis effectively on-site as well as to request federal assistance as needed.
Hyderabad, 15 Aug : On the occasion of Independence Day, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday paid glorious tributes to the fallen soldiers by laying a wreath at the Army War Memorial in Secunderabad Parade Grounds.

KCR, as the Chief Minister is popularly known, remembered the sacrifices of martyred heroes of the country.

He also signed the visitorsa register.

The wreath laying ceremony was organised as part of nationwide Independence Day celebrations.

According to a defence statement, the occasion was a spectacular event, with the presence of Military Band and all the officers and soldiers attired in full ceremonial dress adorning glittering medals depicting their various achievements in the service of the nation while paying due homage to the martyrs, their brethren in uniform who laid their life for the independence of India.

The sequence of events started with fanfare and laying of Wreath by the junior most soldier followed by Air Vice Marshal Chandrashekhar, Commandant Air Force Academy, Major General Rakesh Manocha, GOC Telangana and Andhra Sub Area and other senior officers of the station.

Finally, the wreath was laid by Telangana Chief Minister Telangana, who was the chief guest for the occasion.

--IANS

ms/ksk
Honolulu, Aug 15 : The death toll from the devastating wildfires in the US state of Hawaii's Maui Island has increased to 99, authorities said on Tuesday.

Addressing reporters, Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said that "there are 99 so far", and about 25 per cent of the affected area has been searched, reports Xinhua news agency.

"The scale of destruction is incredible," said Hawaii Governor Josh Green.

More than 2,200 structures have been destroyed by the blaze, with roughly 86 per cent of them being residential buildings, according to the governor.

In an interview on Monday, the Governor warned that 10 to 20 more wildfire victims could be found daily as search crews continued combing through scorched ruins on the island .

The wildfire is now the deadliest in more than a century in modern US history, surpassing the Camp Fire that erupted on November 8, 2018, in California and killed at least 85 people.

The Lahaina fire, which has burned 2,170 acres, was 85 per cent contained as of Monday evening, Maui County officials said in its latest update.

The wildfires have nearly completely destroyed the historic town of Lahaina, a popular tourist spot on Maui and once the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

It's home to around 13,000 residents.

Meanwhile,a lawsuit has been filed against Hawaiian Electric, alleging a downed power line on Maui caused the deadly wildfire.

The cause of the fires has not been determined, but plaintiffs said in the 37-page document that the utility company's equipment could be a possible source of ignition.

Hawaiian Electric, which operates the utility that serves Maui, had come under scrutiny for not turning off power despite weather forecasters' warnings that dry, gusty winds could create critical fire conditions.

The plaintiffs said the destruction "could have been avoided" if the utility company shut down its power lines before the high winds hit the island.

"By failing to shut off the power during these dangerous fire conditions, defendants caused loss of life, serious injuries, destruction of hundreds of homes and businesses, displacement of thousands of people, and damage to many of Hawaii's historic and cultural sites," said the complaint.
Patiala, Aug 15 : Announcing to realise the dreams of great freedom fighters, martyrs and national heroes by making Punjab a frontrunner in the country, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Tuesday said every single drop of his blood is committed for this noble cause.

Addressing a gathering after unfurling the national flag during the state-level function to mark Independence Day, the Chief Minister said Punjabis are born leaders and they can't lag behind in any field but the need of hour is to channelise their unbounded energy for which the government is making concerted efforts.

He said the day is not far when due to these persistent efforts, the state will lead the country. "Once Punjab leads the nation, India will guide the world."

Mann said every effort is being made by the government in this regard and no stone will be left unturned for this noble cause as a humble tribute to the national heroes.

The Chief Minister said the role played by Punjabis in the national freedom struggle stands out as a story of courage and sacrifice with no parallel anywhere in the world.

He said more than 80 per cent of great warriors and patriots who laid down their lives or were subjected to British tyranny in one form or another were Punjabis.

Mann said the heroic gems like Baba Ram Singh, Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev, Lala Lajpat Rai, Shaheed Udham Singh, Kartar Singh Sarabha, Diwan Singh Kalepani and several others shed every drop of their blood to achieve the ultimate goal of Independence.

The Chief Minister said every village of Punjab has the footprint of one or another martyr who had sacrificed their lives for the country.

He said that even today the youths of state are valiantly safeguarding the borders of the country whether from the side of Pakistan, Bangladesh or China.

The Chief Minister exhorted the younger generations to acquaint themselves with their rich cultural heritage.

He said though Punjab played a key role in the freedom struggle, it also had to bear the brunt of the Partition as one million people migrated from the country.

Mann said the line drawn by Britishers gave deep wounds to the countrymen in general and Punjabis in particular.

The Chief Minister said his government is taking path-breaking initiatives to realise the dreams of the great freedom fighters.

He said 117 Schools of Eminence are being constructed across the state for imparting quality education to the students.

Mann said equipped with ultra modern infrastructure these schools will provide the best quality education to the students with the aim of grooming the students for professional and competitive courses.

Likewise, the Chief Minister said in order to provide best healthcare facilities to the people the government has opened 659 Aam Aadmi Clinics, including 76 such clinics that have been dedicated to people on this Independence Day.

He said these clinics have revolutionised the healthcare sector as more than 95 per cent of patients visiting these clinics daily recover from their ailments.

Mann said the Aam Aadmi Clinics are acting as a cornerstone in the revamping of the healthcare system in Punjab as ever since the starting of the clinics from August 15, 2022, these clinics have witnessed a footfall of more than 43.74 lakh patients, who have been provided the facility of free medicines, diagnose and clinical tests.

Earlier, the Chief Minister took the salute during an impressive march past by the contingents of ITBP, Punjab Police (men and women), Himachal Police, Punjab Home Guards, NCC, Saint John Ambulance Brigade of Red Cross, Scouts and Guides and PAP Pipe and Brass Band led by the parade Commander Jasroop Kaur Bath.

He also honoured three freedom fighters -- Mohkam Singh, Avtar Singh and Charan Singh along with members of Freedom Fighters Association Patiala.
New Delhi, Aug 15 : In an effort to address the challenge of more than 40,000 vacant flats within its inventory, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has taken the help of a private consultancy firm to revitalise the housing market approach.

According to information, for the first time since its establishment in 1957, the DDA has partnered with a private real estate consultancy to rejuvenate its presence in the city's housing market.

Speaking with IANS, a DDA official said that it was being done to simplify the proceess and give it a professional touch which will help the Authority and homebuyers both.

In basic terms, the consultant's task will involve examining and assessing the data from the DDA concerning the effectiveness of its housing schemes, housing standards, and pricing methods.

The agency will present its discoveries in a report to the DDA, which will encompass vital suggestions for the DDA to contemplate and potentially put into action.

According to DDA officials who didn't wish to be named said that the housing market has undergone a transformation, providing homebuyers with alternatives from private entities.

Therefore, their conventional approach must be reevaluated, as it no longer remains effective.

They said that DDA must embrace modifications to position ourselves as pivotal participants in the housing market.

A standard DDA housing scheme entails specific prerequisites for potential buyers to qualify for application, ranging from not possessing a residence or land in Delhi to obtaining their preferred housing option through a randomised selection process.

While the DDA was once a significant contributor in Delhi's housing market, entrusted with the responsibility of offering economical housing, the allure of its housing schemes has gradually diminished.

Expanding on the deficiencies highlighted by past applicants who relinquished DDA flats, the official again wishing anonymity mentioned that distant locations like Narela and Rohini, elevated costs, insufficient connectivity and quality, as well as undersized accommodations, contributed to the gradual decrease in the appeal of DDA flats.

--IANS

atk/ksk
Mumbai, Aug 15 : Actress Rashmika Mandanna, who swayed the nation as Srivalli in the Allu Arjun-starrer 'Pushpa: The Rise', is celebrating the fifth anniversary of her Telugu superhit film 'Geetha Govindam'. She said that she feels overwhelmed when even today she is often addressed as 'Geetha madam' owing to her performance.

The actress was paired opposite Telugu star Vijay Deverakonda in the film which was helmed by Parasuram. The song 'Inkem Inkem Kavale' from the film was a chartbuster.

Expressing gratitude, Rashmika said: "It's already been 5 years? Wow. I still can't believe it.. Thank you everyone for accepting our film and showering it with so much love.. Till date I've been called 'Geetha madam'. It feels so amazing and I am extremely grateful."

In the film, Rashmika and Vijay portrayed the characters who eventually fall in love after a series of accidents that don't really go in their favour.

She further mentioned: "And of course it wouldn't have been possible without my co-star Vijay and I am forever extremely grateful to Parasuram sir and the Geetha arts team for giving me and trusting me with the character of 'Geetha'. Thank you."

The family entertainer is one of the biggest hits of both the lead actors' careers, and still continues to entertain audiences all along. It also helped Rashmika carve a niche for herself in the Telugu markets.

On the work front, Rashmika will be next seen in the much awaited 'Animal', opposite Ranbir Kapoor. She also has 'Pushpa: The Rulea, 'Rainbow' and 'D51' opposite Dhanush in the pipeline.
Hyderabad, Aug 15 : Patriotic fervor marked 77th Independence Day celebrations across Telangana on Tuesday.

Hoisting of the national flag at government and private offices, impressive parades by police personnel, cultural performances by school students, and the playing of patriotic songs marked the festivities.

The main official function was held at at the historic Golconda Fort, where Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao hoisted the national flag

After paying tributes to martyrs at Army War Memorial at Parade Ground in Secunderabad, KCR drove to Golconda fort for the main event.

Before hoisting the tricolour, KCR was presented a guard of honour by police contingents at Rani Mahal lawns.

The ancient fort wore a festive look as the celebrations highlighted the rich culture of the state. Drummers, tribal and other artistes performed to add colour to the festivities.

Addressing the gathering, KCR highlighted the achievements of his government during the last one decade.

KCR's cabinet colleagues, Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari, Director General of Police Anjani Kumari and other top civil, police and military officials attended the ceremony.

The chief minister presented awards to policemen and other government employees who played a key role in rescue of people during heavy rains and floods last month.

After formation of the state in 2014, KCR had broken over five-decade-old tradition of Independence Day celebrations at the Parade Ground to choose the ancient fort as the venue to showcase the rich legacy of Telangana.

Earlier, the chief minister hoisted the national flag at his official residence Pragati Bhavan.

The Independence Day celebrations were also held at the State Assembly, State Secretariat Hyderabad High Court and offices of all political parties.

Chief Secretary Santi Kumari led the celebrations at newly constructed Secretariat Complex by unfurling the national flag.

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (TRS) general secretary K. Keshav Rao unfurled the national flag at Telangana Bhavan, the headquarters of the ruling party.

Patriotic fervour marked the celebrations at the government offices and educational institutions.

The Independence Day was also celebrated with gaiety in the nine other districts of Telangana. State ministers hoisted the national flag at official functions held in district headquarters.
San Francisco, Aug 15 : Apple's much-awaited $500 million lawsuit over the iPhone 'batterygate' issue is nearing an end as according to reports, a judge in the US has given final nod to allow payments to affected iPhone users to begin in a class-action lawsuit.

Each affected iPhone user that filed a claim is likely to receive around $65.

Two iPhone owners who objected to the settlement have lost their appeal in the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals over its terms, removing the final obstacle to the deal, reports The Mercury News.

The iPhone maker in 2020 agreed to pay up to $500 million to resolve the lawsuit.

According to the 2018 lawsuit, consumers complained their phones were shutting off even though the batteries showed a charge of more than 30 per cent.

The devices at issue were iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, and SE devices running operating systems iOS 10.2.1 or later before December 21, 2017, and iPhone 7 and 7 Plus phones running iOS 11.2 or later before that date.

Apple was yet to comment on the development.

The law firm Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy representing Apple customers, said that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed an appeal challenging the historic agreement with Apple to settle a nationwide class-action.

After years of litigation, the team at CPM, along with co-lead counsel, Kaplan Fox, successfully negotiated the settlement -- the largest all-cash recovery in a computer intrusion case in history -- on behalf of a class of approximately 100 million iPhone users.

"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," said Mark C. Molumphy, a partner at Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy.
Catch gold fever in the canyon

ELKO  Try your hand at gold panning. Maybe you can strike it rich!

The second Cool Canyon Evening will have staff from the California Trail Interpretive Center describe how 250,000 people traveled the California Trail in the gold rush of 1849. Participants will then get to pan for gold.

Come out on Saturday, Aug. 19, at 6 p.m. to the Powerhouse Group Picnic Area in Lamoille Canyon. This free family event includes a campfire and Smores.

One option is the group picnic area gate opens at 5 pm, so bring a picnic supper to enjoy in the pavilion before the program.

Cool Canyon Evenings are brought to you by the Friends of the Ruby Mountains, the Lamoille Womens Club, and the U.S. Forest Service. Call 385-8870 for more information.

Back to School Resource Fair at Adobe

ELKO  The Elko County School Districts Family & Community Engagement Center and Communities in Schools are hosting a Back to School Resource Fair from 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 16, at Adobe Middle School.

The event was created as an opportunity for families in need to pick up school supplies and backpacks, and to learn about available resources for students both at school and in the community, ranging from mental health, child care, food, immunizations and more.

Elko Federal Credit Union will be on site handing out haircut vouchers, and ECSD staff will be on site to answer questions about the upcoming school year.

Have fun at the Elko Pop Con

ELKO  The first Elko Pop Con will take place Aug. 18-19 at the Elko Convention Center.

Participants in cosplay and other competitions will have a chance to win a total of $3,000 in prizes.

Special guests include Leonora Scelfo, who appeared in Scream and other horror films; and Evil Ted, who worked in the movie industry doing visual effects, prop and model making for 30 years.

Come dressed in different costumes  from your favorite actor to your favorite anime character, invited ECVA Marketing and Sales Manager Tom Lester.

Rummage sale on Aug. 26

ELKO  The Presbyterian Women 65th Annual Rummage Sale will be Saturday, August 26, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 1559 Sewell Drive (next to Northside School).

Theres something for everyone from A to Z  Animals (stuffed and lovable) and art to Zillions of used books (paper and audio).

All proceeds go to local church missions. Come get a new-to-you treasure you cant live without.

Tragedy of Macbeth at GBC

ELKO  Great Basin College Theatre will hold auditions for its fall production of The Tragedy of Macbeth on Sept. 5, 6 and 7, at 6:30 p.m. in the Great Basin College Theatre.

The production is open to GBC students and community members. Actors should prepare a one-to-two-minute Shakespearean monologue for the audition. Readings will be done from the script as well.

The Tragedy of Macbeth will be a multi-media production of Shakespeares dark look at ambition and power. Actors will perform live on stage and in filmed sequences integrated into the live production. It is a unique opportunity for student actors. The rehearsal process will also utilize devised theatre techniques which will bring new and original ideas to a story that has stood the test of time.

The production will be directed by GBCs John Patrick Rice. For more information contact Rice at john.rice@gbcnv.edu or 775-327-2249.

Amateur Radio Club invite

ELKO  The Elko Amateur Radio Club (EARC) is an organization devoted to all aspects of Amateur Radio Operations.

EARC has a net on Wednesday nights at 7:30 p.m. at 444.500Mhz.

There is also a club breakfast every Saturday morning.

All persons interested in amateur radio and who support the goals of the Elko Amateur Radio Club are eligible to join.

For further information and schedules check out the website at www.W7LKO.org.

Swing your partner

ELKO  Ruby Mountain Square Dance Club is now offering lessons and dances weekly at the Girl Scout House, 561 VFW Drive, from 6-8 p.m. on Thursdays.

For information call Dixie Starbuck at 775-934-6225.
New Delhi, Aug 15 : More top-level employees at global smartphone brand realme have quit in India to join Madhav Sheth's new venture HonorTech, with the latest addition being Nisar Naikoo, Director Sales and Head of Offline Business, distributor sources told IANS on Tuesday.

Naikoo worked with realme for nearly four years and was previously director, sales operations and planning, India, Europe, Africa & LATAM at the company.

According to sources, his team has also left realme, like other senior-level exits at the company last month.

Dipesh Punamiya, who was offline sales director at realme, joined HonorTech as assistant vice president (AVP), and Sanjeev Kumar, online sales director at realme, joined Sheth in a senior position last month.

Punamiya and Kumar worked at realme for close to five years. With Naikoo, Punamiya and Kumar, the entire core team has apparently left realme and joined Sheth.

Sources told IANS that more than 20 realme employees from various departments have moved on and joined HonorTech under Sheth, who is set to launch a new Honor device later this month.

Honor 90 is all set to be launched in India in mid-September for around Rs 40,000-45,000 in the premium segment, according to industry sources.

The 6.7-inch smartphone will be available both offline and online. It will house industry-leading 200MP triple rear camera with AI mode.

There will be a 50MP selfie camera in Honor 40 device. The battery is expected to be around 4900mAh. The device will also offer 4K video recording with 10X digital zoom.

Sheth served in multiple roles at realme, which included CEO of Realme India, VP, Realme and President, Realme International Business Group, before moving on to HonorTech.

"Exciting news alert! Honor Smartphones will be launched soon in India. Join us on this incredible journey as we empower the future with Honor Tech," he posted on X on Tuesday.

"Amazing features you haven't seen before. Get ready as HonorTech prepares to reveal game-changing news," he had posted earlier.

--IANS

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Bengaluru, Aug 15 : A man was held at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru with 30 gold biscuits weighing 600 gm, Customs officers said on Tuesday.

A senior Customs officer said that the man was held on Tuesday based on some specific inputs after he arrived at the airport from Kolkata.

"The accused was found carrying 30 gold biscuits weighing 600 gm. He has been arrested," the officer said.

Further probe into the matter is underway.
New Delhi, Aug 15 : The proposed Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Bill 2023 has formally defined terrorism as a distinct offense, marking a significant stride in India's fight against threats to its unity, integrity, and security.

Bill's new section 111, which encompasses the "offense of a terrorist act," outlines a comprehensive range of actions that constitute terrorism within the nation's legal framework.

As per the drafted legislation, the core focus of section 111 is to safeguard the nation from acts that endanger the public's safety, create fear, and disrupt public order. The bill explicitly includes a broad spectrum of actions, from wielding lethal weapons to deploying life-threatening substances, in its definition of terrorism. It also extends its purview to acts of hijacking and abduction, especially when carried out to coerce government bodies.

Notably, the bill recognises any act listed in the second schedule of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act as a terrorist act. This inclusion emphasises the intention to curtail all activities with potential ties to terrorism, irrespective of the specific label they might bear.

The BNS Bill establishes a strict protocol for identifying individuals involved, either directly or indirectly, in terrorist acts. Such individuals will be designated as terrorists under section 111, regardless of the scale of their involvement.

The legislation further extends this classification to encompass entities owned or managed by individuals or groups linked to terrorism, effectively branding them as terrorist organisations.

"A person is said to have committed a terrorist act if he commits any act in India or in any foreign country with the intention to threaten the unity, integrity and security of India, to intimidate the general public or a segment thereof, or to disturb public order by doing an act, (i) using bombs, dynamite or any other explosive substance or inflammable material or firearms or other lethal weapons or poison or noxious gases or other chemicals or any other substance (whether biological or otherwise) hazardous in nature in such a manner so as to create an atmosphere or spread a message of fear, to cause death or serious bodily harm to any person, or endangers a person's life," the bill reads.

The clause II of the section 111 stated that to cause damage or loss due to damage or destruction of property or disruption of any supplies or services essential to the life of the community, destruction of a Government or public facility, public place or private property will also be considered as a terrorist act.

The act further read that extensive interference with, damage or destruction to critical infrastructure and to provoke or influence by intimidation the government or its organisation, in such a manner so as to cause or likely to cause death or injury to any public functionary or any person or an act of detaining any person and threatening to kill or injure such person in order to compel the government to do or abstain from doing any act, or destabilise or destroy the political, economic, or social structures of the country, or create a public emergency or undermine public safety will also be terrorist act.

To ensure deterrence, the bill introduces severe penalties for those found guilty of terrorism-related offenses. The most severe penalty -- death or life imprisonment -- applies to cases where a terrorist act leads to loss of life. Additionally, a minimum fine of Rs 10 lakh rupees is mandated in such instances. In cases without loss of life, a minimum sentence of five years (extendable to life imprisonment) is stipulated.

Section 111 also addresses acts committed in preparation for terrorist acts, imposing a minimum punishment of five years (extendable to life imprisonment) on those involved.

"Previously, the Indian Penal Code (IPC) did not have dedicated sections for organised crime and terrorist acts. The issue arose when syndicate crimes were committed, and such definitions used to get derived from special enactment acts. This posed challenges for prosecution due to the absence of corresponding sections in the IPC," said Siddharth Malkania, a Criminal Lawyer based in Delhi.

"Now, In BNS 2023, provisions with detailed explanations have been proposed for Organised Crime Syndicate involving gang/mafia, Continuing Unlawful Activities in which more than one charge-sheets have been filed, Economic Offenses including hawala transactions, and Terrorist Acts including preparation, participation and promotion of terrorism. This change is expected to increase the likelihood of convictions to prove its case by the prosecution," explained Malkania.

It is essential to highlight that while the BNS Bill defines terrorism for the first time, it does not nullify the application of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), which specialises in dealing with terrorist activities.

The significance of this legislative stride is underlined by the BNS Bill's intention to replace the Indian Penal Code, 1860, with a more comprehensive framework that aligns with contemporary challenges. It is important to note, however, that this transition will not impact other special enactment acts such as the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), 1999.

(Shekhar Singh can be reached at shekhar.s@ians.in)
New Delhi, Aug 15 : As the nation is celebrating Independence Day on Tuesday, actor Rishab Shetty also celebrated the auspicious day with his family and kids in his own way.

Despite his fame as a filmmaker and actor, Rishab is known to be a humble and down-to-earth man who loves and respects his country, and celebrates every occasion with his family.

The master storyteller has shown this over and again today by wishing everyone on the special occasion of Independence Day.

Rishab posted two different pictures on his social media account where he is seen celebrating Independence Day.

In the first picture, the aKantaraa star is seen holding India's flag in his hand and conveying Independence Day wishes to the people, while in the other picture, he presents his kid Ranvit in the uniform of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, while in another picture, his daughter Radhya is seen holding the Flag.

He captioned the post as "Happy Independence day to all the people of the state".

While sharing the other pictures he captioned - "On this 77th Independence Day, Ranvit and Radhya send greetings and smiles your way! Let's celebrate with pride".

These pictures are proof that Rishab is a man of values and always celebrates every occasion with his family and has prioritised the nation above everything.

Meanwhile, Rishab is looking forward to taking the audience back to the roots and culture with the prequel of his globally hit aKantaraa in the making.
Dhanbad, Aug 15 : Three people of a family got trapped inside the cracks after the land caved in with a loud sound on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday in No. 11 township of Jogta police station area of aaDhanbad in Jharkhand.

They were rescued by the local people with great difficulty. However, they have been admitted to the hospital in critical condition.

Occurrences of land cracks due to underground fires are common in the coalfields of Dhanbad.

It was told about the incident of Monday-Tuesday night that when people were in deep sleep, then suddenly the land caved in and cracks appeared within a radius of 200 meters. Due to this, Shyam Bhuiyan, his son and another member got trapped inside the cracks.

A nearby temple also collapsed. Apart from this, five houses of the township also got damaged.

Many local people showed courage and pulled out the three persons who were buried deep in the ground. Smokes were seen emanating from the area where the cracks appeared in the ground.

After the incident, there is a situation of panic in the entire area. It has been said that the houses of some nearby people have been completely damaged.
London, Aug 15 : An Indian-origin owner of a food company in England has been ordered to pay more than 7,000 pound after mice droppings were found on cake packets during an inspection by health officials.

Mandeep Singh (37) of Bradley-based Chatha Fresh Food Limited pleaded guilty this month to an offence of failing to protect food against contamination and failing to comply with EU provisions concerning food safety and hygiene, the Express & Star newspaper reported.

An inspection of the premises, carried out by Wolverhampton City Council last year, found 'ready to eat' food contaminated with mouse droppings in a chiller room.

"The inspection found clear and obvious evidence of mouse droppings on the floor and around the room. The droppings were seen on 'sealed' packaging for cakes which could have contaminated the contents once opened," Jane Sarginson, prosecuting on behalf of Wolverhampton City Council, said.

Following this, an emergency prohibition notice was issued for the site and further checks were carried out, the prosecution told the Wolverhampton Crown Court.

Sarginson said the defendant filled up a hole in the brickwork, but further "less pronounced" droppings were discovered in a second chiller room and on a mezzanine floor.

Singh, whose Chatha Fresh Food supplies pre-packaged products including cakes to retailers, blamed the infestation on damage caused to the building during a previous burglary at the site.

Mitigating barrister Stephen Jackson told the court that a Chatha employee responsible for checking for rodents had left shortly before the inspection.

The court was told that a pest control contractor was on the books of the company.

"This was a purpose-built premises which was inspected annually. It is not possible to say what occurred to allow mice to get in the chiller. There is a possibility that the building fabric was affected by two burglaries including when the safe was taken," Jackson told the court.

Singh was fined 667 pound and ordered to pay 6638 pound costs, along with a victim surcharge, all to be paid within three months.
Gurugram, Aug 15 : "My family does not want money. They only want me to return back to the village," said Imran Ali, a migrant worker from Bihar. He had fled Gurugram in fear during the violence on July 31.

Ali (25) had returned to Gurugram two weeks after violence only to collect his belongings.

"My family strictly told me not to work in Gurugram and to return immediately. Even after much persuasion, they did not agree and asked me to return back immediately," Ali told IANS.

On July 31, religious riots erupted in Nuh in which six people were killed while 88 were grievously injured.

The religious riots erupted following stone pelting during a religious procession which was organised by VHP in the Nuh district.

A Muslim resident of Nuh, whose house was razed by the authorities during demolition drive against "illegal construction" drive, told IANS that he had long expected that BJP's religious rhetoric will cause riots in their area which will target Muslims.

"Majority of Hindus have come to believe that people in Nuh were involved in the riots, which is not true. Just like Hindus we Muslims are equally Indians," he said on condition of anonymity.

He recalled how Hindus during Yatra used abusive language against Muslims.

The Nuh violence had spread to Gurugram, as mobs rampaged through the streets, chanting Hindu nationalist slogans and targeting Muslim shanties and businesses. The Gurugram police had failed to stop the riots.

So far, 230 people have been detained by the Nuh Police while 79 people have been arrested by the Gurugram Police in connection with religious riots.

"Hindu groups are openly spreading hate against us. Among hundreds of people, the Hindu groups are announcing to boycott Muslims, not buying anything from our shops, and not renting out houses, etc. They ruin our business and hundreds of Muslims have left Gurugram.

"However, few of them will return after the situation gets back to normal. Police and administration completely failed to protect Muslims in their own country," said Ahmad Khan, while leaving the city.

"Hindus think everything in this country belongs to them: the police, the administration, and now even the roads. It is as if we Muslims have no rights in this country," Khan said.

After riots erupted shanties and scrap shops belonging to Muslims were set ablaze in Gurugram.

In Gurugram's Sector-57, a mob also targeted an under-construction Mosque and attacked five people in which an Imam (cleric) was killed while others received injuries.
New Delhi, Aug 15 : On the occasion of Independence Day, actors Gurmeet Choudhary, Mithila Palkar, Saiee Manjrekar, Gaurav Chopra and Abhimanyu Singh have opened up about their childhood memories of the auspicious day, and what importance it hold in their lives.

Gurmeet is best known for his portrayal of Rama in 'Ramayana', Maan Singh Khurana in 'Geet- Hui Sabse Parayi', and Yash Suraj Pratap Sindhina in 'Punar Vivaah- Zindagi Milegi Dobara'. He was also seen in J P Dutta's action war film 'Paltan'.

Talking about the childhood memories of Independence Day, Gurmeet told IANS: "Independence Day was a big affair during our school time wherein we used to dress up as leaders or army officials. I remember I used to always dress up as a soldier because I used to look up to my dad who was in the Army, and it used to give me so much pride and excitement that just for one day I get to be like him."

The 39-year-old actor said Independence Day plays an important role in his personal life since his childhood because he used to see his dad leaving no stone unturned to do his duties.

"As an actor I have played the role of a soldier in 'Paltan' and that was one of my most memorable experiences. There were many war scenes in the movie which were so intense and it made me realise the struggle they have every day and it's truly commendable," he shared.

Best known for his roles in 'Uttaran', 'Sadda Haq', 'Left Right Left', Gaurav Chopra told IANS: "Independence Day for me has always been about the flag. As a child you would make flags with your own hands. And I would take extra pride in that when I made the best flag."

"As I grew up, I realised it was symbolic for me, it represented different cultures and the country to me. As a child it was not clear to me that why we used to salute the flag, but while I grew up, when we start to understand the world, the politics, history, then you begin to understand its an amalgamation of so many things, from your nation, in one symbol that is the flag," he shared.

Gaurav, who was a part of 'Bachchan Pandey', said: "It is a day of gratitude for me. As an actor, I can play Hindu, Muslim, negative, positive characters, I have my own creative choices to make. This is the day to feel India."

Actor Abhimanyu Singh, who has entertained in movies like 'Sooryavanshi', 'Selfiee', 'Bachchan Pandey' and many more, will now be seen in Jr NTR's upcoming film 'Devara'.

Talking about the importance of Independence Day, he told IANS: "Since childhood I have been waking up early in the morning and after putting a flag at my house would eat jalebis and till date my wife continues the same tradition."

"It holds a lot of importance for me as an actor and as an individual. It's a great feeling to be an Indian. My heart is delighted whenever I realise that I am an Indian," he shared.

Known for her characters in the TV series 'Girl in the City' and the series 'Little Things' Mithila Palkar told IANS about her favourite childhood memory.

"My favourite childhood memory is preparing for Independence Day at school. Flag hoisting and snacks, there would be performances which I would obviously participate in. We'd also sing patriotic songs," she said.

Mithila said: "Independence is a privilege that enables us to enjoy the many aspects of freedom. The freedom to be able to be a woman who has a voice is one of the privileges that I practice and enjoy and hopefully I am able to in the future as well - as an individual and as an actor."

"One of the good fortunes of being in a country like India is to be able to revel in the richness of her diversity. I am grateful to my motherland for that and I hope that we can get together as a unit to save her grace," she added.

Actress Saiee Manjrekar, who is known for her stint in 'Major' told IANS: "The childhood memory has to be one that we celebrated in school, where all of us would come together and put up a skit, dance, sing. It used to be very culturally immersive."

"It is one of the most important days in the history of our country, and I feel it fills you up with so much pride as a person. We hear the stories of the days gone by, and what people did to give us the life and the independence we have today. It's really inspiring and you can hold your head high and be proud of your country," she added.

Saiee will next be seen in 'Auron Mein Kaha Dum Tha'.
Guwahati, Aug 15 : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that the report on delimitation by the Election Commission (EC) is a reality which everyone should accept.

The BJP leader's remarks came amid murmurs of discontent and displeasure among the allies of the saffron party in the northeastern state over the issue.

Last week, the EC published the final delimitation proposal wherein the boundaries of many assembly and Parliamentary constituencies were altered.

Although the total number of seats has been kept constant, a few seats were scrapped. Also, the poll body has proposed some new seats.

This has caused disappointment among many leaders including a few Asom Gana Parishad legislators who have lost their seats in the delimitation exercise.

Prodip Hazarika, a five-time MLA from Amguri in upper Assam's Sivasagar district has quit the party posts in order to protest against the delimitation.

On the sidelines of the 77th Independence Day programme in Guwahati, Sarma said: "The delimitation has become a reality now. Everybody must accept it. The President of India will issue a notification in this regard within 2-3 days."

Meanwhile, AIUDF leader Badruddin Ajmal said that the BJP has hatched a controversy through the delimitation process to reduce the number of Muslim MLAs in the state.
Jaipur, Aug 15 : Close on the heels of Anju eloping to Pakistan from Rajasthan, a mother of two kids, from Dungarpur, has reportedly eloped to Kuwait with her boyfriend from another community.

The family members came to know about this after the photo of the woman wearing a burqa was shared on social media.

Patidar Samaj and Hindu organisations have demanded action in this regard by handing over a memorandum to the Collector and SP.

Chitri (Dungarpur) police station officer Govind Singh said: "Mukesh Patidar had lodged a missing complaint of his wife Deepika (35) on July 15. Mukesh told the police that he had been married for 14 years and the couple is blessed with a 13-year-old daughter and an eight-year-old son. He himself works in Mumbai. On July 10, his wife went to Gujarat on the pretext of ill health. She often used to come and go to a religious place saying that she was ill. On August 11, he was told that she has been admitted to the hospital."

Mukesh told police that on August 12, he spoke to Deepika several times during which she informed him that she is admitted to the hospital.

On August 13, Deepika made a WhatsApp call to Mukesh and said: "You are upset with me. That's why I have come out. Mukesh left for Dungarpur from Mumbai.

Meanwhile, Deepika's photo with a young man wearing a burqa went viral.

The young man seen with Deepika in the photo was Irfan Haider, a resident of Navanagar, Himmatnagar (Gujarat).

Mukesh said: Irfan Haider first brainwashed his wife, then took her away. Dipika's religion has been converted by taking her to Kuwait. The accused tricked Deepika by hiding her real name, religion and address. Despite being married, he has taken her away. Hindu organisations and Patidar Samaj have demanded the arrest of the accused and strict action against him as well as return of his wife.
US President Joe Biden described China as a "ticking time bomb" at a political fundraiser in Utah on Thursday. But is it China or the United States that is a "ticking time bomb" as far as the world economy is concerned?

It is inappropriate for Joe Biden, the president of the US, to talk about China in such a manner, not to say that he got the basic facts about China's growth rate and the number of working age people and the number in retirement wrong.

It is even more outrageous for him to claim that because China has these spurious problems "it's not good because when bad folks have problems, they do bad things".

"Bad folks". That is such an affront to the Chinese people. It is unbecoming for the leader of the US to talk about the Chinese people in such a disrespectful manner.

This is not the first time US politicians have suggested that the Chinese economy is about to collapse, only to have to eat their words. China-bashing has become an important ingredient for political campaigns before an election. So it becomes a competition to see who can talk the most nonsense about China just to attract public attention.

However, if the "ticking time bomb" is intended to be a meme for Biden's reelection bid then he will only embarrass himself by showing how out of touch with reality he is.

All economies are facing challenges of different kinds to recover from the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic. China is no exception. However, the Chinese economy has shown its resilience and is doing pretty well despite the fact that it has to overcome some difficulties including creating jobs for its young people and further expand domestic demand. That does not make it a "ticking time bomb". The US on the other hand is.

When it comes to the US economy, Fitch Ratings downgraded its debt rating from the highest AAA to AA+, citing a "steady deterioration in standards of governance". Fitch said that the decision wasn't just prompted by the latest debt ceiling standoff but rather "a steady deterioration in standards of governance over the last 20 years" regarding "fiscal and debt matters". So the US economy has a chronic problem, not just temporary difficulties.

In addition, it is the US that has advocated unilateralism and protectionism in its trade with the rest of the world, which has seriously disrupted the global industry and supply chains and done a disservice to the growth of the global economy.

It is the US' geopolitical games that are the biggest drag and threat to the global economy.

So if Biden wants to talk about a "ticking time bomb", it is his own country he should be speaking of.
New York, Aug 15 : A group of scientists has identified genes linked to high production of a key antibody, which has the potential to advance manufacturing of antibody-based therapies for diseases such as cancer and arthritis.

A collaboration led by University of California-Los Angeles and the Seattle Children's Research Institute yielded new knowledge about the genes responsible for the production and release of immunoglobulin G, the most common type of antibody in the human body.

Immunoglobulin G, or IgG, stores memories of past infections and tags dangerous microbes to be eliminated by immune cells. Mothers' IgG is also vital for their newborns' immune defense.

Scientists have known for decades that a population of white blood cells, called plasma B cells, make IgG. But the molecular mechanisms that enable plasma cells to secrete antibodies into the bloodstream are still not fully understood.

In order to learn more about those mechanisms, the researchers captured thousands of single plasma B cells as well as their individual secretions, and then connected the amount of proteins each individual cell released to an atlas mapping tens of thousands of genes expressed by that same cell.

To collect the cells and their secretions, the researchers used microscopic, bowl-shaped hydrogel containers called nanovials, which were developed in prior UCLA research.

Their analysis, detailed in the journal Nature Communications, found that genes involved with producing energy and eliminating abnormal proteins were even more important for high IgG secretion than the genes containing instructions for making the antibody itself.

They also discovered that the presence of CD59, a gene that had not previously been linked to IgG secretion, is a better predictor of high-producing plasma cells than other genetic markers already associated with this cell type.

"These processes in cells are like an assembly line for making proteins, and there are lots of places where you could see bottlenecks," said Dino Di Carlo from UCLA's Samueli School of Engineering and a co-corresponding author of the study.

"If a cell is making a lot of proteins, it's using a lot of energy and needs a way to correct the proteins that get messed up."

Knowing which genes are associated with higher secretion of an antibody could be used by pharmaceutical makers to engineer cells that secrete large volumes of the antibody.

That knowledge could also be applied to an emerging strategy that introduces engineered cells directly to patients' bodies, such as the potential cell therapies under development by University of Washington immunologist Richard James, a co-corresponding author of the paper.

In future studies, the researchers hope to identify all of the genes that affect plasma cells' production and secretion of IgG.
New Delhi, Aug 15 : Showing his insane dedication to fitness, former India captain Virat Kohli on Tuesday shared a video, on Independence Day, in which he is seen working out on the treadmill, running on it while sweating profusely.

Kohli, who has been given a break as part of the workload management, took to Instagram and shared a video of himself running on the treadmill along with an inspirational yet witty caption as he was spotted in the gym even on a holiday.

"Chutti hai fir bhi bhaagna toh padega," read the caption along the video.

The video, which captures Kohli and showcases his extraordinary speed on a treadmill, went viral and garnered 1 million likes and more than a thousand comments in a very short duration.

The 34-year-old batter was not part of India's recently-concluded five-match T20I series against West Indies and he will play no part in the upcoming three T20Is against Ireland.

The Delhi-born batter will now return to action against Pakistan in India's Asia Cup 2023 opener on September 2 in Kandy. The Asia Cup this year will be organised on a hybrid model with matches hosted by both Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Patna, Aug 15 : After Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day speech, Bihar's Mahagathbandhan on Tuesday targeted the Prime Minister for doing 'politics' during Independence Day celebration saying that 'No king is permanent'.

"He should not have done politics on Independence Day. No king is permanent. The Prime Minister's saying that he will again win the election again reflects his arrogance. He has also given a wrong statement on Darbhanga AIIMS. He is not giving value to anyone is actually his mistake," Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav said..

He said that the Prime Minister talks about corruption but then greets Ajit Pawar as well.

JD-U President Lalan Singh also slammed the Prime Minister for talking about dynastic politics and corruption.

"He talks about dynastic politics of opposition parties but he is not looking at his own party. Several BJP leaders also come from dynastic families. Why has he kept mum about them?" Lalan Singh asked.

He said that the Prime Minister always boasts about a non-corrupt government but why is he not looking at the corruption of Yeddyurappa.

"He was talking about Rs 70 thousand crore corruption of NCP and now he is silent after NCP leaders joined NDA and became part of Maharashtra government," Singh said.
Guwahati, August 15 : A recently-expelled BJP leader of Assam has been arrested for allegedly abetting the suicide of Indrani Tahbildar, who was a key leader of the saffron party's Kishan Morcha wing.

The expelled BJP leader -- Anurag Chaliha -- was detained on Monday night in Sivasagar district by a team of Guwahati Police, officials said on Tuesday.

Tahbildar was found dead at her Guwahati home on August 11; a medical test revealed that she had taken over 60 sleeping pills, which the police believe to be the key reason for her demise.

Members of her party had told the media that she killed herself because her private photos with Chaliha were leaked online which became viral.

The Assam BJP had expelled Chaliha from the primary membership of the party the day after Tahbildar died.

Chaliha was untraceable after the woman leader's death.According to a top Assam police officer, Tahbildar's family members filed a police complaint against Chaliha at the Chandmari police station in Guwahati.

A search operation was launched after the police filed a case against Chaliha under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 306 (abetting suicide), and 384 (extortion) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

"We monitored his social media and cellphone activities, and were able to locate him in Sivasagar. We detained him from the Demow region on Monday night with the assistance of the local police," the officer said.

According to their close aides, Tahbildar and Anurag both hailed from Golaghat district and had moved to Guwahati because of their political involvement.

Both of them became part of the party's Kisan Morcha, and some BJP workers claimed that Tahbildar at one point had an illicit relationship with Chaliha. After a recent altercation, he allegedly intimidated Tahbildar by threatening to post her private photos online.

Days after the altercation, her photos appeared on social media, and Chaliha was suspected of leaking them.

Chaliha has been brought to Guwahati for additional proceedings, according to the police, after being taken into custody from Sivasagar.

He will be produced in the court on Wednesday.
New Delhi : President Droupadi Murmu addresses the nation on the eve of the 77th Independence Day. Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Aug 15 : President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday expressed grief over the death of social worker and founder of Sulabh International Bindeshwar Pathak.

In a tweet in Hindi, she said that the news of Pathak's death is extremely sad. He took a revolutionary step towards ensuring cleanliness by building toilets, the president said, adding that Pathak was honoured with Padma Bhushan and several other awards.

"I express by condolences to his family and members of Sulabh International," the president said further.

Pathak, who built community toilets as a step against open defecation, died due to cardiac arrest on Tuesday.

He was the founder of Sulabh International, a social organisation which works to promote human rights, environmental sanitation, waste management and reforms through education.

--IANS

ans/svn
New Delhi, Aug 15 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday condoled the demise of founder of Sulabh International and noted social worker Bindeshwar Pathak.

"The passing away of Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak Ji is a profound loss for our nation. He was a visionary who worked extensively for societal progress and empowering the downtrodden. Bindeshwar Ji made it his mission to build a cleaner India. He provided monumental support to the Swachh Bharat Mission. During our various conversations, his passion towards Swachhata was always visible," Modi said in a tweet.

Modi further said that "His work will continue to inspire several people. My deepest condolences to his family and loved ones during this difficult time".

Pathak, who built community toilets in war against open defecation, died due to cardiac arrest on Tuesday.

He was the founder of Sulabh International, a social organisation, which works to promote human rights, environmental sanitation, waste management and reforms through education.
'Haryana will surpass other states in development by 2047': CM Khattar. Image Source: IANS News

Faridabad, Aug 15 : Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday expressed confidence in the state's potential to surpass all other states in terms of development by 2047.

Addressing the state-level Independence Day function here, he said the heroes of Haryana had also participated enthusiastically in the Freedom Movement.

He said even after Independence, "our soldiers kept showcasing unparalleled examples of bravery during the foreign intrusion in 1962, 1965, and 1971 as well during the Kargil War".

Expressing gratitude to the great freedom fighters, the Chief Minister said he paid heartfelt tributes to the martyrs and unsung heroes of the freedom movement who laid down their lives for the better tomorrow.

Remembering the martyrs, he recited the lines of national poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar.

As he raised the Tricolour in celebration of Independence Day for

the ninth time, the Chief Minister said: "I feel happy and proud."

"This auspicious festival of Independence is also a day to celebrate achievements of the nation. Today, India is launching missions like Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan on the strength of its advanced technology and unique talent."

Describing Narendra Modi as a Prime Minister with far-reaching vision, Khattar said "Narendra Modi is capable of resolving challenging situations in very less time".

"By abrogation of Article 370 and Section 35-A from Jammu and Kashmir, the dream of united India from Kashmir to Kanyakumari has been materialised in true sense. By beginning the construction of the grand temple of Lord Ram in Ayodhya, which is on the verge of completion, he has strengthened the faith of millions of citizens," he said.

Recalling the Freedom struggle, the Chief Minister said: "We are proud that the first spark of the freedom movement was ignited on May 10, 1857, from Ambala. That spark later transformed into a mass movement, due to which we were able to gain freedom from British rule in 1947."
Shimla, Aug 15 : Now you can visit the historic Barnes' Court, which houses the Governor's House, in Shimla on weekends.

Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla on Tuesday formally dedicated the Raj Bhavan to the public. It will now be open for visitors from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on every Saturday and Sunday, an official statement said.

The Governor said the Barnes' Court is a heritage building of the British-era constructed in 1832. Indian skilled craftsmen made an important contribution to its construction. It has a special importance as it has been witness to many historical events.

Shukla said the building should not be limited to ceremonies, so it is his endeavor to open it for the public in 'Amrit Kaal' so that they too could see this heritage building and get information about its history.

Entry to the Raj Bhavan will be free for school students of the state and all children below the age of 10 years. For availing the facility, they have to show their identity card. Students of universities and colleges, visitors from the state and outside will be given entry to the Raj Bhavan on paying a fee of Rs 30. The entry fee for foreign tourists will be Rs 60. Admission will be free for persons with disabilities, awardees at national and state level.

Soft copies of a maximum of six photographs and a Raj Bhavan brochure will be given free of cost during admission.

The visitors will also be shown a short film describing the brief historical and archaeological significance of Barnes' Court. At one time, 15 people from any group will be able to enter the Raj Bhavan, while for school students the number has been fixed at 30.

The elegant building was the residence of the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab during British rule, with Sir Louis Dane being its first occupant.

The historic Simla agreement between India and Pakistan was inked in this building after the 1971 war on July 2, 1972.

Author E.J. Buck wrote in his book 'Simla Past and Present' that Barnes' Court is partly a single and partly a double-storey building.

It has been built in a way to have good views on three sides -- the west, south and east. The front portion of the house is raised on a masonry terrace and there is a level lawn to the west between the house and a hill.

Shimla has 91 British-era heritage buildings in typical Tudor style -- all wooden frames and shingled eaves -- but most are in bad shape.
Valsad : , Aug 15 (IANS) Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel unfurled the national flag amid the state-level celebration of the 77th Independence Day at Dhamdachi in Valsad.

During the event, he announced a substantial Rs 866 crore bulk pipeline water supply scheme during the ceremony.

This initiative targets a daily water provision of 38 million litres for the tribal-dominated Dang district's population of 3.71 lakh.

Addressing the gathering, CM Patel said: "Valsad, a land that warmly welcomed the Parsis from Iran, also holds a significant role in the struggle for independence. Gujarat bestowed upon us Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel. The Adivasi and Vanvasi communities of Gujarat were active participants in the fight for freedom."

CM Patel also highlighted achievements such as the provision of over 11.50 lakh houses to those in need under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

He noted that more than 1.75 crore individuals in Gujarat possess the Ayushman Bharat card, with the spending limit elevated to Rs 10 lakh from Rs 5 lakh through collaboration with the MA card.

The state is pioneering a semiconductor policy and constructing the nation's first semiconductor chip-making plant in Sanand GIDC with a hefty investment of Rs 22,500 crore.

Additionally, over 85,000 e-vehicle users have benefited from a state subsidy exceeding Rs 215 crore under the e-vehicles policy.
New Delhi : PM Modi Addresses The Nation From The Ramparts Of Red Fort. Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Aug 15 : Around 600 Pradhans (village chiefs) of border villages were invited as 'special guests' to witness the 76th Independence Day celebrations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said while addressing the nation.

PM Modi, during his address from Red Fort: "Earlier, border villages were considered as the last villages of the country but that perception has changed. These villages are now considered not the last villages but the first villages at the border."

Modi said that the government started Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP). Border villages were known as the country's last village but the BJP government has changed this mindset.

"The villages you see on the border are my country's first village. When the sun rises, the first ray falls on the first village on this side (east), and when the sun sets, the last ray falls on the first village on that side (west). These are my first villages," PM Modi said.

The Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP) was announced in the Finance Minister's Budget Speech in 2022. It covers the border areas of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Ladakh.

PM Modi said that he is happy that around 600 pradhans of border villages were invited as special guests to witness the Independence Day celebrations.

He said that these special guests have come this far for the first time with new determination and strength.
At the signing ceremony (Photo: VNA)

According to Sunrise Material CEO Song Jian Xin, the project will be build an areas of 4ha at the My Thuan Industrial Park. Its construction will be carried out in five years, starting in 2024. The factory is expected to manufacture the first products after 15 months.

Chairman of the Nam Dinh Peoples Committee Pham Dinh Nghi said this is a big project demonstrating the provinces success in investment attraction, especially in high technology and environmentally friendly sectors.

He pledged that Nam Dinh will create the best possible conditions to help the businesses solve any obstacles to the construction and operation of the project, he added.

Established in 2004, Sunrise Material is specialised in researching, producing, and supply hi-tech polymer wrap film, especially for food packaging. Its production is sold in over 60 countries around the world./.
Everyone must move together to make India a developed nation: Law Minister. Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Aug 15 : Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, while attending the Supreme Court Bar Association's event celebrating the 77th Independence Day on Saturday, stressed on the necessity of a roadmap to transform India into a developed nation by 2047.

Chief Justice of India, D.Y. Chandrachud, hoisted the national flag on the apex court's lawns to mark the occasion.

Mehwal underscored the rule of law as the bedrock of democracy, noting that a nation's progress is contingent upon adhering to this fundamental principle.

Delivering his speech, he said that while 75 years of Independence was commemorated as 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav', it also provided an opportunity for introspection about India's journey and its current status.

Meghwal said it helped in analysing the progress to ascertain whether the nation has achieved its goals.

Citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement from the Red Fort, Meghwal stressed on the significance of setting a destination for India's growth by 2047.

He urged the creation of a comprehensive roadmap, highlighting the collective effort needed to realise India's transformation into a developed nation.

"Everyone has to move together in the process of making India a developed nation," the minister said.

Meghwal said a nation cannot not exist without the five essentials -- a distinct geographical area, sovereignty, flag, currency, and language.

Drawing from India's history, Meghwal referred to the democratic traditions evident in the 'sabhas' during Gautam Buddha's time, as well as the teachings of Sant Ravidas and others. He assured the advocates that their concerns, including those related to the Advocate Protection Act and lawyers' chambers, are being addressed by the ministry.

Meghwal also acknowledged Chief Justice Chandrachud's efforts in implementing changes, such as e-courts, artificial intelligence integration, and strengthening the alternative dispute resolution mechanism.
Mumbai, Aug 15 : Maharashtra celebrated India's 77th Independence with patriotic fervour, singing the National Anthem, hoisting and saluting the Tricolour amid a nationalistic spirit, at many events here on Tuesday.

The stateas official function was held in Pune where Governor Ramesh Bais hoisted the Flag and took a salute, while Chief Minister Eknath Shinde did the I-Day honours in Mumbai at his official residence.

The Bombay High Court Chief Justice Devendrakumar Upadhyay hoisted the Tricolour in the presence of Shinde and other judges at the high court building in south Mumbai.

Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar led the I-Day celebrations in Nagpur and Kolhapur respectively, hoisting the Tricolour, taking the salute and interacting with the people.

All Ministers were also present in different districts for the I-Day events, besides Collectors, top civil and uniformed officers across Mumbai and the state.

Government and private organisations, schools, colleges, housing societies and complexes, public and social groups also organised their own I-Day festivities which attracted enthusiastic participation.

Central Railway General Manager Naresh Lalwani, Western Railway General Manager Ashok Kumar Misra and Konkan Railway Chairman-cum-Managing Director Sanjay Gupta led the I-Day celebrations at their headquarters in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Churchgate and Navi Mumbai, respectively.

All political parties also celebrated the I-Day with great fanfare and participation of top leaders, workers and activists at their party headquarters.

The Congress celebrations were led by state party President Nana Patole, with senior leaders like Hussain Dalwai, Wajahat Mirza, Vilas Autade, Sandhya Savvalakhe, and others.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) President and ex-CM Uddhav Thackeray, his son Aditya Thackeray, Arvind Sawant, Sanjay Raut, and other top leaders along with many activists joined the celebrations.

The Nationalist Congress Party (SP) held its celebrations with senior leaders like Supriya Sule, Dr. Jitendra Awhad, Jayant Patil, Naseem Siddiqui, Vidya Chavan and other leaders and workers at the party headquarters in south Mumbai.

The breakaway NCP (AP) faction also celebrated I-Day with its Working President Praful Patel hoisting the flag and taking the salute with a large number of activists.

Most colleges, schools, universities and other academic institutions celebrated I-Day with the participation of many students in Mumbai and other parts of the state.

The All India Professionals Congress organised a aBhaichara Marcha (Brotherhood March) from Mazagaon to Maharana Pratap Chowk in which professionals, intellectuals and others joined to express concerns over the communal-casteist divides and ethnic unrest in different parts of India.

Thousands of housing complexes, society, slum-dwellers and tenements celebrated I-Day, singing the National Anthem, hoisting the Tricolour and then distributing sweets to each other, homes, offices and shops had the flag fluttering atop masts or poles.

The city and state police had maintained tight security all over to ensure the celebrations passed off without any untoward incidents.
New Delhi: Congress Party leader Jairam Ramesh addresses during a press conference at Aicc Headquarter in New Delhi on Monday, Feb. 20, 2023. (Photo: Anupam Gautam/IANS). Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Aug 15 : The Congress on Tuesday warned the country saying that the Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sounded bugle for junking the Constitution which has always been the agenda of the Sangh Parivar.

In a tweet, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said: "On this 77th Independence Day, the Chairman of Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister has sounded the bugle for junking the Constitution - of which Dr. (BR) Ambedkar was a prime architect."

"He wants the country to embrace a brand new one. This has always been the agenda of the Sangh Parivar. Be warned, India," Ramesh, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP said attaching an article written by Bibek Debroy.

Debroy is Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council (EAC-PM) chairman.
Hyderabad, Aug 15 : Police have booked Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president A. Revanth Reddy for allegedly making some objectionable comments against police officers.

Police in Bhoothpur and Jadcherla in Mahabubnagar district and in Nagarkurnool registered cases against him on the complaints of police officers' association.

He has been booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 153, 504, 505 (2) and 506 Nagarkurnool district police officers' association president Gunavardhan lodged a complaint with District Superintendent of Police against Revanth Reddy, who allegedly threatened police officers.

On the direction of the Superintendent of Police, a case was booked at Nagarkurnool police station against Revanth Reddy and two other Congress leaders, Vamshichand Reddy and Sampath Kumar.

Addressing a meeting on Monday, the TPCC chief had warned Mahabubnagar police.

He told the police officers of the district that after the formation of Congress government in 100 days, everyone will be taken to task.

Stating that names of some police officers were written in diary, he said the next government would 'repay them with interest'.

He made the remarks at Congress headquarters Gandhi Bhavan while welcoming some leaders from Mahabubnagar district into the party.

Police officers' associations in various parts of the state have taken exception to the remarks made by Revanth Reddy, who is also a Member of Parliament.

Condemning the Congress leader's remarks, the police officers' association in Suryapet said that this will affect the morale of the police force.

Association president Ramachandra Goud demanded Revanth Reddy apologise for his remarks. He said that irrespective of the party in power, police officers discharge their duties as per the law of the land.

Meanwhile, BRS leader Dasoju Sravan reacted sharply to Revanth Reddy's remarks.

He called the TPCC chief 'perverted, frustrated, and mentally sick'.

He said Revanth Reddy stooped to a deplorable depths, using foul and insulting language and criminal intimidation that flagrantly violates any political decorum.

"Revanth Reddy, has not only exceeded all limits with his reprehensible verbal attack on fellow politicians and now even on policemen, audaciously issuing threats to law enforcement policemen, vowing to publicly humiliate that he will strip and assault them," he said.

Sravan urged the Director General of Police to take immediate cognisance and initiate suo moto criminal proceedings against Revanth Reddy and ensure that he faces justice for his irresponsible and criminal actions of offending law.

"Revanth Reddy is demonstrating anti social and criminal attitude and am sure it doesn't reflect the guiding principles of the 125-year-old Indian National Congress," he said and wondered why he is still allowed to go scot free.
Vijayawada, Aug 15 : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has asserted that social justice has become a reality in the state besides empowerment of weaker sections and implementation of welfare measures with transparency.

In his Independence Day address at the IGM Stadium here on Tuesday, the Chief Minister listed out welfare and development achievements of the government.

After hoisting the national flag and taking salute, he said that the

government has been striving to usher in 'Grama Swaraj' visualised by Mahatma Gandhi by changing the face of agriculture, industry and services.

Andhra Pradesh is the only state that has brought in major changes in the rural administrative system through 15,000 village and ward secretariats, digital libraries, RBKs and the volunteer system to extend quick civic services to the people in full transparency, he said.

The changes have helped reverse the decades-old corrupt administrative system.

The government had transferred Rs 2,31,000 crore through DBT in the last 50 months in full transparency, he said.

Jagan Mohan Reddy said the government has also displayed its commitment to decentralisation of administration by increasing the number of districts to 26 from 13 to fulfill the wishes of three regions of the state.

Lashing out at the opposition parties, the Chief Minister said that the government has been waging a war on untouchability which has assumed new garb.

"Opposition to introduction of English medium in schools, allotment of house sites, and construction of houses for the poor is also untouchability. The war will continue till justice is done," he said

Implementation of a slew of welfare schemes as part of Navaratnalu has proved that social justice could be a reality. The Chief Minister listed out the changes brought in Andhra Pradesh in six sectors after YSRCP came to power.

"Agriculture has been thriving with the introduction of 10,778 RBKs which have been handholding the farmers from purchasing seeds to marketing their agricultural produce. Facilities of free crop insurance, e-crop, 9-hour quality power to farmers during day time, resurvey of lands after 100 years, bestowing ownership of assigned lands and resolution of dotted lands' issues besides completing irrigation projects on priority basis had redefined agriculture in the state.

"Educational sector is being revolutionized with implementation of Amma Vodi, Nadu-Nedu, Vidya deevena, Vasathi Deevena and Videshi Vidya Deevena, distribution of bi-lingual textbooks, TOEFL training for students of class 3, digitization of class rooms from class 6 and plans to introduce IB-standard curriculum and AI in higher education. These changes will help our students become globally competitive," he added.

The Chief Minister stated that Medical and health sector is upbeat with 17 new medical colleges coming up, recruitment of 53,126 new medical staff including all specialist doctor posts, availability of 104 and 108 ambulances in all Mandals, strengthening of preventive health care with 10,032 village health clinics serving the rural people and 3,255 procedures being brought under the YSR Aarogyasri.

Multiple programmes like Kalyana Mastu-Shadi Tohfa, YSR Aasara, Kapu Nestham, EBC Nestham, distribution of 30 lakh house site pattas with 22 lakh houses under construction, Disha App and Disha police stations besides women police manning the village and ward secretariats have resulted in social and economic empowerment of women, he averred.

The Chief Minister said that AP is the only state which has enacted law to reserve 50 per cent of the nominated posts and contracts to SCs, STs, BCs and minorities for rendering social justice to the weaker sections.

On the industrial front also, the State is marching ahead by standing first in the country in the ease of doing business (EoDB), attracting Rs 13,42,000 crore investments in the global investors meet at Visakhapatnam, he said, adding that 127 heavy industries were established in Andhra Pradersh in the last four years with Rs 67,196 crore investment providing employment to 84,607 people.

The Chief Minister gave away police medals to several IPS and other police officers for their meritorious services.
Patna, Aug 15 : A sub-inspector of Samastipur Police who was injured while chasing cattle smugglers succumbed to injuries in hospital on Tuesday.

Nand Kishore Yadav, the incharge of Mohanpur outpost in Samastipur district sustained gunshot injury on his forehead after buffalos smugglers open fired on the police team.

"We are conducting raids to nab animal smugglers in the region. The matter is under investigation and we are making efforts to identify the gang responsible for the attack," said Vinay Tiwari, SP of Samastipur district.

Tiwari said that the complaints about cattle theft were reported before Nand Kishore Yadav in Mohanpur outpost and he was investigating the matter.

"He had received a tip-off that some cattle smugglers were transporting buffaloes in a vehicle and immediately constituted a team and chased them. He managed to release the buffalos but the smugglers opened fire on the police team and one of the bullets hit him on his forehead," Tiwari said.

The injured sub-inspector was taken to a private hospital where the doctors had referred him to PMCH for better treatment, where he succumbed.
Bengaluru, Aug 15 : After tomato and coffee, it is the turn of bananas, especially Elachi bananas, to affect middle and lower middle class households. The prices have crossed Rs 100 and it is more likely to increase as a series of festivals are lined up.

Elakkibananaprices in Channapatna wholesale market near Bengaluru per quintal are sold from Rs 4,300 to Rs 7,000. Pachcha bale (robustabanana) is sold between Rs 700 and Rs 2,100 per quintal. The first quality Elaishi popularly known as Yelakkibananais sold for Rs 112 to Rs 120 per kilogram in malls.Bananarobusta is sold from Rs 38 to Rs 50 per kilogram.

Recently, the prices which would be around Rs 30 to Rs 40 were between Rs 60 to Rs 80 per kg for Elakkibananafrom mid July. Now the prices have become much dearer and the market sources explain that the prices wonat come down till September end.

The most auspicious actual Shravana Masa or Nija Shravana Masa, celebrated with all the festivals and pujas begins from Aug 17 and ends by Sept 15. The festivals Nagara Panchami, Vara Mahalaxmi are lined up and Ganesh chaturthi is celebrated in September. Besides, Onam is celebrated between Aug 28 to Aug 31.

The market sources confirmed that the prices will go upwards until the Ganesh chaturthi festival, which is going to be celebrated in the whole of the September month. Elakki bananas are preferred over robusta for preparing sweet dishes and for making offerings to god. The prices ofElaichibananas having crossed Rs 100 per kilogram has been a concern.
Imphal, Aug 15 : The tribals on Manipur, comprising Chin, Kuki, Zomi, Mizo and Hmar tribes, celebrated the 77th Independence Day with a ceremonial march past and singing of national anthem at a mega event in Churachandpur on Tuesday.

Veteran tribal leaders reviewed the parade and took salute from 23 march past contingents commanded by their respective group leaders.

The national flag was hoisted by Pi Nengzahoih, the wife of Pastor Sehkhohao, one of the first known victims from the Zo Community in the ethnic violence that broke out in the state on May 3.

Organised by the Zomi Council Steering Committee, over 2,000 Village Defence Force (VDF) personnel, youth and students took part in the ceremonial march past while thousands of men and women of all ages witnessed the mega event at the Lamka Public Ground in Churachandpur.

Members of the Zomi Mothers Association led the 40-minute long march past.

Later, all the participants took oath expressing their allegiance to the Indian nation, its Constitution and the Tricolour.

They also swore to defend the Indian territory and its people while fighting against all internal and external enemies.

The participants, wearing VDF uniform and traditional attires, observed a minute's silence to pay their tribute to those killed in the ethnic violence in the state.

The tribal leaders said the main objective of organising the Independence Day event was to give a message to the world that they are also Indians, and they are indeed the genuine citizens of the country, and not illegal immigrants.

"It was organised with a purpose and intention to send across a message to the world that Chin, Kuki, Zomi, Mizo and Hmar tribes are living in their own lands which have been inherited by them from their ancestors since time immemorial.

"The Independence Day programme was also organised to prove various accusations levelled against the tribals wrong," a tribal leader told the media.

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister and incumbent state President of the BJP, Babulal Marandi, appreciated the tribals for celebrating Independence Day in Manipur.

The veteran tribal leader tweeted: "People of Kuki community celebrate Independence Day in Manipur's Churachandpur... The violence since May 3 has killed nearly 150 people on both sides and displaced over 50,000... We are all one, under one Tricolor of one India... Our goal is to build a better India."
Patna Aug 15 : After the murder of a sub-inspector in Samastipur district, Bihar BJP President Samrat Chaudhary claimed that Nitish Kumar has established Gunda Raj in the state and the murder of sub-inspector is an example of it.

"The murder of Samastipur's sub-inspector is an extremely unfortunate incident. Nitish Kumar is sick now and so is his party. Now, he is making Bihar a sick state. Criminals, sand mafias, liquor mafias, land mafias are openly roaming in the state and cops are becoming targets of it," Chaudhary said.

"The good governance has ended in Bihar. Nitish Kumar is killing democracy. He should resign from the post of chief minister," he said.

Nand Kishore Yadav, a sub-inspector and the in-charge of Mohanpur outpost in Samastipur district, sustained gunshot injury in his forehead on Tuesday around 3 a.m. after around buffalo smugglers opened fired on the police team.

Yadav, who was injured while chasing cattle smugglers, succumbed to the injuries in the hospital.
New Delhi, Aug 15 : The Congress on Tuesday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort on the occasion of 77th Independence Day, saying the PM gave an "election speech filled with distortions, lies, exaggerations and vague promises".

"On August 15, rather than reporting to the people what his government had achieved in the past nine years, Prime Minister Modi gave a crass election speech filled with distortions, lies, exaggerations and vague promises.

"Instead of bringing the country together, to celebrate our journey so far, acknowledge the pain and anguish of those suffering, and accept the challenges ahead, he made it all about himself and his image," Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications, Jairam Ramesh, said in statement.

He added, "Prime Minister Modias failures in the last nine years can be categorised under 'durniti' (wrong policies), 'anyay' (injustice) and 'badniyat' (ill intention). Rhetoric and bluster can no longer cover up this truth which is now evident to the entire country."

Referring to the Manipur situation, the Congress Rajya Sabha MP said, "The Prime Minister barely addressed the devastation caused by the violence in Manipur, casually comparing it to incidents in other parts of the country. He showed no sorrow or acknowledgment of the abject failures which have led to Manipur turning into a war zone."

"He brazenly claimed that Bharat Mata is being rejuvenated in Amrit Kaal - when the whole nation has witnessed her fate in Manipur where women are being brutally violated," Ramesh said.

The Congress and other Opposition parties have been blaming the BJP-led government in Manipur for the current situation there, and demanding the resignation of Chief Minister N. Biren Singh.

"The Prime Minister claimed that a new world order has been ushered in as the world saw India's capability during the Covid-19 pandemic. He deliberately failed to mention that as a direct result of inadequate oxygen supplies and the PM's failure to order adequate vaccines in a timely manner, India ended up with 40 lakh Covid deaths - the world's highest death toll - according to the World Health Organization (WHO)," he said.

Ramesh added, "He played a cruel joke on the Anganwadi and ASHA workers by thanking them for delivering 200 crore vaccines, especially when the families of many of these essential workers were denied compensation after they had died fighting the pandemic, and those living were not even paid their wages."

On India-China border situation, Ramesh said, "It takes particular audacity to claim that our borders are safer than before when Chinese troops continue to block Indian access to 2,000 square km of Indian territory in Depsang and Demchok, more than three years after they intruded. There is no bigger insult to our armed forces than lying about national security from the Red Fort.

"The Prime Minister said the trinity of demography, democracy and diversity will help India become a developed country. But he has failed on all three fronts in the last nine years."
by Xinhua writer Ma Qian

BEIJING, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- In the wake of disillusionment with their "de-coupling" scheme, Washington's elites have come under a delusion that by building "a small yard, high fence" and "de-risking" relationships with strong competitors, America's supremacy could be guaranteed.

They are actually, if not knowingly, making a mockery of themselves.

Investment curbs, export controls, financial sanctions ... Now China is in the crosshairs of these hackneyed U.S. approaches. Ostensibly punitive, they are indeed cost-ineffective and counterproductive, exposing Washington's forcible-feeble policy-making, which would lead to dampened innovation, rockier trade, and spiraling instability.

The United States is backtracking on free trade by choking U.S. enterprises' freedom of investing, when President Joe Biden signed an executive order last week to block U.S. investments in such advanced technologies in China as semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information technologies, and artificial intelligence (AI).

The new constraints were slapped following three top U.S. officials' Beijing visits, as part of Washington's publicly-voiced efforts to pursue a detente with China, and a repeated claim that it is not severing trade with China.

Little wonder the U.S. flip-flop on China goes in line with the Biden administration's established China containment strategy, which boils down to three words -- invest, align, compete.

However, by blowing hot and cold, Washington only exposed its duplicity and rapacity in international relations, and its policy-setting toward China is shown as fragmented, incoherent and unprincipled.

Washington's decision-makers do not treat the China-U.S. relationship as a whole, but break it into different parts to seek strategic advantages and self-serving interests. Those politicians preferred a more narrow "de-risking" of ties with a "small yard, high fence." It, however, turns out to be exploiting the concept of national security to stymie China's efforts to develop its own microelectronic and supercomputing capabilities.

The U.S. attempts to weaponize its market dominance in the high-tech sector to contain China's technology ambitions, as the Foreign Affairs magazine has pointed out, are an "illusion of controls," and America will not succeed in slowing China's indigenous technology advances.

For U.S. companies, the new executive order would be costly, since Washington deliberately ignores the ensuing costs they have to incur. For U.S. entrepreneurs, the "small yard, high fence" appear to be highly insecure and even suffocating, as they are forced to shoulder extra political burdens, only to pay for Washington's defective foreign policy and potential electoral gains.

Since making investments requires forward-looking judgments, U.S. investors tend to adapt to the changing cross-border business conditions by being more prudent with investments in the designated "sensitive" sectors in China. That will inevitably put them on the back foot.

As the 2024 presidential election has started to approach, politicians on both sides of the aisle would get tougher on China by exploiting measures to suppress the country to their advantage. In this case, Washington would pass over the aftershock of such measures.

The U.S. business community has pushed back against what it considers to be "the politicization of private markets," Claire Chu, a senior China analyst at Janes, a defense intelligence company, told The New York Times.

During a recent White House meeting, U.S. semiconductor giants weighed in with opposition. The chief executive officers of Intel, Nvidia and Qualcomm criticized Washington's relentless approach, saying the restrictions would surely backfire, stripping them of a big revenue source.

The Semiconductor Industry Association said China is the world's largest single semiconductor market, accounting for 180 billion U.S. dollars in chip purchases last year, or more than a third of the world's total.

More importantly, such U.S. "national security" restrictions have had little effect on blocking China's technological progress nor boosting their own. From a practical perspective, they are counterproductive.

Despite Washington's attempt to de-risk economic relationship with China, trade links between America and China, instead of being slashed, are enduring -- "just in more tangled forms," The Economist has pointed out.

The problem, the British weekly said, is that trade between U.S. allies and China is rising, "suggesting that they are often acting as packaging hubs for what, in effect, remain Chinese goods."

Apart from posing more harm than good to U.S. enterprises, U.S. "de-risking" moves, in turn, have made China more self-reliant and capable to resist external suppression.

China's breakout success in emerging strategic sectors like 5G and AI, strong high-tech manufacturing, as well as extensive telecom infrastructure and related applications have all made it stand out in the global high-tech arena with sustainable competitive edges.

Washington won't succeed in choking off capital to Chinese high-tech startups, as a more isolated China also may struggle to replicate the sheer size of the U.S. funding ecosystem, the Wall Street Journal said in a recent report.

In this regard, Victor Shih, a political science professor at the University of California San Diego, told Xinhua that the segmentation of the global market will create very capable Chinese chip competitors, since Chinese buyers now have no choice but to buy from domestic chips makers, giving them a large captive market.

Cutting others off won't bolster one's own growth, while healthy competition may well make it. Washington's "de-risking" move, seemingly vigorous, is in effect frail and insipid.

Such a forcible-feeble delusion won't make the United States better equipped to maintain its global technological supremacy, only to pull it further away from the global trading system of its own dynamics.

Editor: WXL
Kolkata, Aug 15 : The police investigating the mysterious death of a first year student on the campus of Jadavpur University on August 10 have sent the cellphones of the three accused arrested in this connection to the forensic laboratory for deciphering the detailed data stored in them.

Swapnadip Kundu, a first year student of Bengali honours, died under mysterious circumstances after falling from the balcony of a studentsa hostel on the JU campus on August 10. It is suspected that Swapnadip became a victim of ragging.

The investigating officers believe that the data stored in the cellphones of the three accused might lead to some important clues relating to the death of the fresher.

Of the three arrested in this case, one is a former M.Sc student of JU, while the other two are second year students of the same university.

All three of them have been remanded to police custody till August 22.

Sources said the accused are being interrogated in phases and their statements are being corroborated with the statements given by different witnesses questioned by the police.

The cook of the studentsa hostel where the mishap took place has told the police that the freshers were unwilling to go through the psychologically humiliating exercises as ordered by the seniors. They were often forced to walk on the cornice of the hostel building as punishment.

The accused former student, identified as Sourav Chowdhury, was reportedly the mastermind behind running the ragging racket. He was also the final word in accommodation-related administrative affairs at the students' hostel.
New Delhi, Aug 15 : Delhi High Court Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma on Tuesday spoke about the role of technology in shaping the future of justice during an Independence Day event where he inaugurated three significant IT projects.

The ceremony took place at the high court premises, following the national flag unfurling. The projects include a web accessibility compliant cause list, ensuring specially-abled individuals can access court information online.

Justice Sharma highlighted that the court is embracing technology to enhance the justice delivery system, streamlining processes for litigants and lawyers.

The judge unveiled three projects: Secure, Scalable and Sugamya Website as a Service (S3WaaS) for the Delhi District Courts, a Digital Platform for Sharing Trial Court Record with the High Court, and the Web Accessibility Compliant Cause List of the High Court.

Justice Sharma underlined that technology facilitates not only decision-making but also the myriad sub-processes integral to court functioning.

He stressed the importance of making the judicial system accessible and transparent, citing the positive impact of a digital platform for sharing trial court records.

The introduction of the Web Accessibility Compliant Cause List was heralded as a significant leap in accessibility initiatives by the high court.

This initiative aligns with the e-Committee of the Supreme Court's Standard Operating Procedure for generating documents accessible to the disabled.

Justice Rajiv Shakdher, chairperson of the Information Technology Committee of the high court, expressed hope that the chief justice would approve the accessibility committee.

Justice Shakdher announced the creation of accessibility committees in all district courts and their publication on court websites.

Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, a member of the IT committee, acknowledged the collaborative effort of judges, IT team members, registry officials, lawyers, and other stakeholders in achieving these advancements.

He said that shared dedication strengthens the institution.

It was also revealed that the Delhi Judicial Academy would conduct training programmes to create accessible documents and address the needs of individuals with disabilities.

The event showcased the high court's commitment to utilising technology to make the justice system more efficient and accessible to all, marking a step toward a more inclusive legal environment.
New Delhi, Aug 15 : Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena hoisted the National Flag at Rajniwas on the occasion of 76th Independence Day and interacted with R Madavan, a 98-year-old veteran freedom fighter based in Delhi.

The L-G honored and felicitated him.

Madavan was born in Rangoon, Burma (now Myanmar). His father and grandfather originally hailed from Sivagangai district in Tamil Nadu. He joined the Azad Hind Fauj at the age of 18 on November 1, 1943 and served as the Recruitment Officer and fundraiser for Azad Hind Fauj.

L-G remembered the martyrs and heroes of Indiaas freedom struggle saying that it is due to their supreme sacrifices that our generation enjoys the gift of freedom.

He also emphasised that during the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' period, an action plan has been formulated for the next 25 years, aimed at building India @100 by 2047.

The L-G urged everyone to renew their pledge to serve the nation with even greater vigor, sincerity, and commitment.
New Delhi, Aug 15 : A second professor in the Economics Department of Ashoka University Pulapre Balakrishnan has resigned in protest over the acceptance of resignation of Assistant Professor Sabyasachi Das, whose paper suggested voter manipulation in 2019 elections sparked a controversy.

Sources said that Balakrishnan also put in his papers on Tuesday over the acceptance of resignation of Das by the varsity.

However, his resignation is yet to be accepted by the University, the source added.

Earlier, the University Vice-Chancellor Somak Raychaudhury in an official statement said: "Das was in the Department of Economics, is currently on leave from Ashoka, serving as visiting faculty at the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (Deemed to be University) in Pune. After making extensive efforts to dissuade him, the University has accepted his resignation."

He further said that Das's paper on Indian elections was the subject of a widespread controversy after being shared recently on social media, where it was perceived by many to reflect the views of the University.

At Ashoka University, members of the faculty have freedom to teach and carry out research in the areas they choose -- the University affords its faculty and students what it believes is the most enabling environment for academic freedom at an institution of higher education in the country, V-C Raychaudhary said.

"The University does not direct or moderate the research conducted by its faculty and students. This academic freedom also applied to him," the V-C said in a release.
Jaipur, Aug 15 : Sachin Pilot on Tuesday took a dig at BJP IT cell in-charge Amit Malviya over the latter's tweet claiming that the Congress leader's father late Rajesh Pilot was rewarded for 'dropping bombs' in Mizoram capital Aizawl in 1966.

"Rajesh Pilot and Suresh Kalmadi were flying the Indian Air Force planes which dropped bombs on Mizoram's capital Aizawl on March 5, 1966. Later, both of them became Congress MPs and later ministers. It is clear that Indira Gandhi gave a place in politics to those who carried out air raids on their own people in the Northeast and gave them respect," Malviya had posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Responding to Malviya, Pilot wrote on X: "You have the wrong dates, wrong facts. Yes, as an Indian Air Force pilot, my late father did drop bombs. But that was on erstwhile East Pakistan during the 1971 Indo-Pak war, and not, as you claim, on Mizoram on the March 5, 1966."

The former Rajasthan Deputy CM also attached his father's certificate mentioning his joining dates, saying his father was commissioned into the Indian Air Force only on October 29, 1966.

On the last day of the Monsoon Session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing the Lok Sabha had raked up the Aizawl bombing issue, saying:"On March 5, 1966, Congress had its Air Force attack the helpless citizens in Mizoram. Congress should answer if it was the Air Force of any other country. Were the people of Mizoram not the citizens of my country? Was their security not the responsibility of the Government of India?"

Responding to PM Modi, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh had defended the late Prime Minister, saying, "His criticism of Indira Gandhi's extraordinarily tough decision of March 1966 in Mizoram to deal with secessionist forces that drew support from Pakistan and China was particularly pathetic.

"She saved Mizoram, started negotiations with those fighting the Indian state and finally a Peace Accord was signed on June 30, 1986. The manner in which the Accord came about is a remarkable story that reinforces the idea of India in Mizoram today."
London, Aug 15 : British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Tuesday graced the spiritually enlightening event of renowned spiritual leader Morari Bapu's Ram Katha, which is currently taking place on the esteemed campus of Cambridge University.

This marks a significant moment as Morari Bapu conducts his 921st recital, titled 'Manas Vishwavidyalay,' on the grounds of Cambridge University, making it the pioneering instance of a Hindu programme held at a British university.

A practitioner of Hinduism and the first Prime Minister of Indian descent in Britain, Rishi Sunak made a floral offering to Morari Bapu's Vyas Peeth, making a salutation of "Jai Siya Ram".

Opening his speech, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: "It is truly an honour and pleasure to be here today at Morari Bapuas Ram Katha at the University of Cambridge on Indian Independence Day. Bapu, I am here today not as a prime minister but as a Hindu! For me faith is very personal.

"It guides me in every aspect of my life. Being Prime Minister is a great honour, but it is not an easy job. There are difficult decisions to make, hard choices to confront and our faith gives me courage, strength, and resilience to do the best that I can for our country.

"For me, it was a wonderful and special moment to light diyas for Diwali outside 11 Downing Street back when I was Chancellor. And just like Bapu has a Golden Hanuman in his background, I am proud that a Golden Ganesha sits gleefully on my desk at 10 Downing Street," he said, commenting on Lord Hanuman's image behind Vyaspeetha, adding: "It is a constant reminder to me about listening and reflecting on issues before acting!"

Rishi Sunak said that he was proud to be British and proud to be Hindu.

He recalled his childhood and growing up years in South Hampton where he visited his neighbourhood temple with his siblings and participated in rituals like havans, pujas, aartis, and distribution of prasad with his family.

"Our values and what I see Bapu does each day of his life are the values of selfless service, devotion and keeping faith. But perhaps the greatest value is duty or seva, as we know it. These Hindu values are very much shared British values.

"I leave here today remembering the Ramayana that Bapu speaks on, but also the Bhagavad Gita and the Hanuman Chalisa. And for me, Lord Ram will always be an inspirational figure to face life's challenges with courage, to govern with humility and to work selflessly.

"Bapu, with your blessings, I aspire to lead in accordance with how our scriptures have taught leaders to lead," he said emphatically.

"Thank you Bapu for everything that you do. Your teaching of truth, love and compassion are more relevant now than they have ever been," Rishi Sunak stated.

PM Rishi Sunak concluded by lauding Bapu's inspiring work and limitless stamina and devotion, citing the recently concluded Jyotirlinga Ram Katha Yatra that covered over 12,000 km.

Later, the PM participated in the Aarti on stage.

In extending a warm welcome to the British Prime Minister, Morari Bapu invoked the blessings of Lord Hanuman, seeking boundless strength to facilitate his devoted service to the people of Britain.

Bapu expressed his earnest desire that every citizen of the nation may reap the benefits and rewards stemming from the Prime Minister's visionary leadership.

In his opening remarks of the Katha, Morari Bapu had hailed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak not merely as the head of the nation, but as an individual of Indian descent.

Bapu also shared that Rishi Sunak's name is derived from the revered sage Rishi Shaunak, and this connection to an esteemed sage resonates deeply with Indians who find great joy in witnessing a leader with such roots occupy the prime ministerial role.

The spiritual luminary also commended Rishi Sunak's gesture of offering food as prasad to 50-100 volunteers before attending the event, highlighting its alignment with intrinsic Indian traditions.

Bapu acknowledged that while Prime Minister Rishi Sunak typically refrains from accepting gifts, he chose to present a consecrated Shivlinga from Somnath as a token, a sacred offering from the Jyotirlinga Ram Katha Yatra.

In the morning before the Katha, Morari Bapu had unfurled the Indian Tricolour at Cambridge University, symbolising 76 years of Indian Independence as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations.

Morari Bapu's enlightening Katha commenced on August 12 with a warm reception by Sonita Alleyne OBE, the 41st Master and the first woman to lead Jesus College since its inception in 1496, along with Lord Dolar Popat, a distinguished Conservative peer at the House of Lords, representing the organising family.
New Delhi, Aug 15 : India and China held the 19th round of corp commander level meeting at Chushul-Moldo border meeting point.

During the meeting, which was held on the Indian side on August 13-14, both the sides had a positive, constructive and in-depth discussion on the resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC in the Western Sector, a government statement said on Tuesday.

"In line with the guidance provided by the leadership, they exchanged views in an open and forward looking manner. They have agreed to resolve the remaining issues in an expeditious manner and maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiations through military and diplomatic channels," the statement added.

In the interim, the two sides agreed to maintain the peace and tranquility on the ground in the border areas.
Mumbai, Aug 15 : Noted filmmaker Anees Bazmee, who attended the launch of the teaser of the upcoming web series 'The Ghost of Gandhi', feels that debutante director Manish Kishore has clarity of thought and will certainly find success with his project.

Bazmee along with Manish Kishore and the cast of 'The Ghost of Gandhi', including Sharib Hashmi, Sharman Joshi, Daisy Shah, Deepak Kalra and Sajid, graced the launch of the teaser in Mumbai.

Talking about the series, Bazmee, who is known for hits like 'Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha', 'Singh Is Kinng', 'Welcome' and 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2', said, "From the time Manish Kishore narrated the script to me, I was sure that it is going to be something great.

"But if I tell you the truth, it exceeded my expectations. This web series is so good that sometimes I wonder why nothing like this came to my mind. So I want to congratulate Manish for this beautiful thought."

Manishi Kishore is making his directorial debut with the series, and Bazmee is certain that it will be a huge success.

"All films are important, but the first one we make is super important, because your first project gives you an identification, and sort of sets the bar... I think Manish will find success with his first project, because he has absolute clarity of what he wants to convey," he said.

Backed by Three Arrows Production and Seeta Films, the series will stream soon.
New Delhi, Aug 15 : A second faculty in the Economics Department of Ashoka University, Pulapre Balakrishnan, has resigned in protest over the acceptance of the resignation of assistant professor Sabyasachi Das, whose paper suggested voter manipulation in 2019 elections sparked a controversy.

Sources said that Balakrishnan also put in his papers on Tuesday over the acceptance of resignation of Das by the varsity.

However, his resignation is yet to be accepted by the University, the source added.

Earlier, the University Vice-Chancellor Somak Raychaudhury in an official statement said: "Das was in the Department of Economics, is currently on leave from Ashoka, serving as visiting faculty at the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (Deemed to be University) in Pune. After making extensive efforts to dissuade him, the University has accepted his resignation."

He further said that Das's paper on Indian elections was the subject of a widespread controversy after being shared recently on social media, where it was perceived by many to reflect the views of the University.

At Ashoka University, members of the faculty have freedom to teach and carry out research in the areas they choose -- the University affords its faculty and students what it believes is the most enabling environment for academic freedom at an institution of higher education in the country, V-C Raychaudhary said.

"The University does not direct or moderate the research conducted by its faculty and students. This academic freedom also applied to him," the V-C said in a release.
WASHINGTON, April 26, 2019 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump is pictured at the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, on April 26, 2019. Trump announced on Friday that the United States is withdrawing from an international arms tra. Image Source: IANS News

Washington, Aug 15 : Former US President Donald Trump woke up this morning to a rude shock hitting his campaign trail for 2024 presidential polls, as the Fulton County jury in Georgia dealt him a severe blow with 41 counts of felony, thus indicting him in the efforts to overturn the 2020 election verdict, charging him under the RICO act.

Trump had already been indicted by a federal jury here some days ago on four major counts of conspiracy to undermine the election process and suppress the voters' rights as part of a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election verdict to let him stay in White House and keep Joe Biden out.

The Georgia grand jury has indicted former President Donald Trump, charging him with felony, racketeering and numerous conspiracy charges as part of a sweeping investigation into the efforts by him and his allies to overturn the 2020 election verdict.

The 41-count indictment also names lawyers Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Kenneth Chesebro, Jenna Ellis and Ray Smith and several other people associated with Trump at that time in 2021, NBC reported.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis had enlisted a special jury last year that heard testimonies from as many as 75 witnesses. Among the best known moments in Trump's pressure campaign against Georgia officials was a call in which he asked Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" the votes he needed to beat Joe Biden.

DA Fani Willis said she wanted to take Trump to trial within the next six months, but other cases in the same jurisdiction that involved violations of the state's racketeering law have taken much longer to go to trial.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has reacted to last night's indictment with a brief statement early this morning: "The most basic principles of a strong democracy are accountability and respect for the Constitution and rule of law. You either have it, or you don't."

Trump's phone call to Raffensperger, a Republican, on January 2, 2021, to "find" the votes needed to overturn Joe Biden's victory in the battleground state is primary among the events listed in the new indictment. The former President stood by his stance saying the phone call was "perfect".

Jenna Ellis, among the group of Trump lawyers charged with violating Georgia's RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization) Act, accused Democrats and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis of "criminalising the practice of law" the morning after Trump's fourth indictment.

"The Democrats and the Fulton County DA are criminalising the practice of law," she said in a tweet on X.

"I am resolved to trust the Lord and I will simply continue to honor, praise, and serve Him. I deeply appreciate all of my friends who have reached out offering encouragement and support."
HARBIN, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong has called for efforts to strengthen agricultural disaster relief and mitigation as well as epidemic prevention.

Liu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during his inspection tour in Heilongjiang Province from Sunday to Monday.

Liu urged efforts to stabilize and increase grain production, and ensure that there are no epidemics after disasters and that there is no return to poverty on a large scale.

During his tour, Liu went to Wuchang City and Shangzhi City, which were seriously affected by the floods, to inspect the agricultural disaster relief and the damage to water conservancy facilities.

Liu also walked into farmland and toured a science park in Suihua City, and visited farmers affected by flooding.

Editor: WXL
Kolkata, Aug 15 : As many as 19 persons were injured in a shootout between two factions of Trinamool Congress at Chopra in West Bengal's North Dinajpur district late on Tuesday evening.

The shootout took place less than 24 hours after 15 persons, including five women and three children, were injured following an exchange of fire at Nakashipara in Nadia district late on Monday night.

According to local sources, the latest incident took place at Sujali village under Chopra Assembly constituency. The sources said the shootout was a fallout of factionalism between two camps of the local Trinamool Congress, one led by the Chopra MLA Hamidul Islam, and the other by his rival Jahedul Haque.

As per the latest information available, the injured persons are mainly the members of the Jahedul camp who were allegedly attacked by the followers of Hamidul Islam.

The injured have been shifted to the Islampur sub-divisional hospital where the condition of some is stated to be critical.

One of injured persons, Fajijul Jobbi, reportedly a member of Jahedul camp, told mediapersons they were attacked all of a sudden by the members of the Hamidul camp at the end of a party meeting.
Bengaluru, Aug 15 : Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K Shivakumar on Tuesday said that direction has been given to release around 10 Thousand Million Cubic (TMC) water to the neighbouring state -- Tamil Nadu.

"I am again requesting for the construction of the Mekedatu project which is in the interest of both -- Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Tamil Nadu government is not agreeing to take up the project. The project is in the interest of both the states," Shivakumar said.

Shivakumar, who is also Minister for Major and Minor Irrigation, had earlier said that Tamil Nadu should not have gone to the Supreme Court over release of Cauvery River water. "We are going to honor the court's verdict on sharing water under distress period over River Cauvery water," he said.

"We have to work unitedly to safeguard the interests of the two states," he said while answering a question on Tamil Nadu approaching the Supreme Court demanding the release from the River Cauvery from dams of Karnataka.

Meanwhile, former Karnataka chief minister Basavaraja Bommai had urged the Congress government not to release water from River Cauvery to Tamil Nadu. He alleged that the neighboring state has violated the verdict of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) in the Cauvery basin.

Bommai has written a letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and demanded him to initiate legal proceedings against the move of Tamil Nadu to approach the Supreme Court.

As per the provisions in CWDT, Tamil Nadu can grow 1.80 lakh acres of Kuruvai crop and utilise 32 TMC water but, Tamil Nadu by Aug 7, 2023 has utilised 60.97 TMC water for Kuruvai crop which is double the proportion stipulated by the CWDT.

Bommai said that without taking into consideration the water shortage in the Cauvery River catchment area had provided four times more water than stipulated for Kuruvai crop.

During the recently held state assembly election, the Congress had said that it will implement the Mekedatu project for providing drinking water to Bengaluru and surrounding areas.

Shivakumar had also repeatedly said that implementation of the Mekedatu project is inevitable and as soon as Congress comes to power it will implement it without any delay.
Hindi film - 'Uri: The Surgical Strike'- screened in Manipur after 23 years on I-Day. Image Source: IANS News

Imphal, Aug 15 : For the first time in more than 23 years, a Hindi film -- 'Uri: The Surgical Strike' -- was screened in Manipur on the occasion of Independence Day on Tuesday.

The Hmar Students' Association (HSA), a tribal students' body, screened the 2019 movie directed by Aditya Dhar and starring Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal and Mohit Raina, at Rengkai (Lamka) in Churachandpur on Tuesday evening.

The HSA is likely to screen a total of four Hindi films, including Karan Johar's 1998 hit 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai'.

The HSA said in a statement that they publicly screened the Hindi film to mark the country's 77th Independence Day.

"This is to show our defiance and opposition to terror groups and pro-Meitei Manipur state government, which have subjugated the tribals for decades," the statement said.

It claimed that over 20 Hmar women, including some minors, were raped by cadres of rival "terror" group United National Liberation Front/Kangleipak Communist Party in 2006 in order to teach the villagers "a lesson" for supporting the Indian Army's efforts in restoring law and order in the Hmar Hills (now Pherzawl District).

"Join us in taking a pledge to continue our fight for freedom and justice," the statement added.

The HSA also noted that Hindi films have been banned in Manipur for over 23 years now.

The last film that was publicly screened, as we understand, was 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' in 2000, the organisation said.

"We would be declaring our 'freedom' from the anti-national terror groups who have boycotted Tuesday's Independence Day celebrations," the statement added.

The CorCom, an apex body of seven militant outfits, earlier gave calls to boycott Independence Day and for a 17-hour general shutdown in Manipur.

Meanwhile, the tribals of Manipur, comprising Chin, Kuki, Zomi, Mizo and Hmar tribes, separately celebrated the 77th Independence Day with a ceremonial march past and singing of national anthem at a mega event in Churachandpur on Tuesday.

Veteran tribal leaders reviewed the parade and took salute from 23 march past contingents commanded by their respective group leaders.

The national flag was hoisted by Pi Nengzahoih, the wife of Pastor Sehkhohao, one of the first known victims from the Zo Community in the ethnic violence that broke out in the state on May 3.

Organised by the Zomi Council Steering Committee, over 2,000 Village Defence Force (VDF) personnel, youth and students took part in the ceremonial march past while thousands of men and women of all ages witnessed the mega event at the Lamka Public Ground in Churachandpur
Ranchi, Aug 15 : A man in Jharkhand has been arrested for allegedly killing his wife by chopping her body with an axe as she was unable to conceive, an official said on Tuesday.

The incident happened on Sunday at Jopno village in Jharkhand's Khunti district.

The accused, Dorma Munda, however, filed a police complaint against "unknown persons" on Monday, claiming his wife was killed by them.

During the investigation, the police, however, suspected Dorma of being involved in the murder and grilled him. The man, during questioning, eventually confessed to the crime.

The weapon used in the crime has also been recovered.

Dorma told the police that even as he was married to Birang Devi for several years, the couple had no child.

Disturbed due to that, he killed his wife late on Sunday night. He told the police that he wanted to marry someone else after killing Birang Devi.

Also, while filing an FIR against 'unknown persons', he claimed that "many people in the village considered his wife a 'witch', and that could be one of the reasons behind the murder".
New Delhi, Aug 15 : Senior leaders of Congress will visit the financial capital to take stock of the preparations ahead of the third crucial meeting of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) meeting in Mumbai later this month.

Sources said that the Congress senior leader will visit Mumbai and hold meeting with Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders and also discuss preparations for the third meeting of INDIA.

INDIA allianceas crucial third meeting is scheduled to take place on August 31 and September 1 in Mumbai.

During the INDIA meeting, discussions on how to take on BJP-led NDA in 2024 Lok Sabha election will take place.

Meanwhile, Congress President and party leader Rahul Gandhi will hold a meeting with the leaders of Delhi and Jharkhand at the party headquarters to discuss the 2024 Lok Sabha poll preparations.
Patna, Aug 15 : Three persons have died at a village in Bihar's Bhagalpur district after they jumped into a well to save a man but accidentally inhaled toxic gas emitted from it, locals claimed.

The incident happened in Milki village at around 5 p.m. on Monday when one Aashish Kumar Yadav received electric shocks while repairing an electric wire and fell into a nearby well, an official said on Tuesday.

Even as the police said that they were waiting for the post-mortem report to ascertain the cause of death, the residents of Milki village claimed that the deaths happened as toxic gas had accumulated overtime in the well as it was not in use.

An eyewitness recalled that in an attempt to save Aashish, his uncle Horil Yadav, and brothers Jirendra Yadav and Mithun Yadav also jumped into the well but soon, everyone became unconscious.

The villagers, however, managed to rescue them and were taken to a hospital in Shahkund.

Jitendra died on the way to the hospital, while Horil and Mithun died during treatment.

Aashish, who is fortunately alive, is undergoing treatment in the hospital.

"We are waiting for the postmortem report. Once it comes, we will say the actual cause of their deaths," said Pankaj Kumar Jha, SHO of Shahkund Police Station.
Patna, Aug 15 : Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is expected to visit Delhi to meet Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday.

Besides meeting the Delhi Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar will also meet other opposition leaders in the capital-city.

Nitish Kumar will also visit the 'Samadhi' of late prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) held its first meeting in Bihar while the second meeting took place in Bengaluru.

INDIA allianceas crucial third meeting is scheduled to take place on August 31 and September 1 in Mumbai.

During the meeting, discussions on how to take on the BJP-led NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha election will take place. A threadbare discussion will also take place on seat sharing formula and will also unanimously choose the convener of INDIA.
New Delhi, Aug 16 : Faculty members at the Haryana-based Ashoka University have written a letter to the varsity administration flagging concerns over the academic freedom in the institution.

Though the letter, dated August 13, surfaced after varsity's Economics Department Professor Pulapre Balakrishnan offered to quit the institution in protest over the acceptance of the resignation of assistant professor Sabyasachi Das, faculty members have claimed that it was drafted and circulated for signature before the resignations of Das and Balakrishnan were known.

Das's paper suggesting voter manipulation in the 2019 elections sparked controversy.

Faculty members, in the letter addressed to the Vice Chancellor and the Dean, said: "Free thought within universities in India is in crisis today, largely because of the near-absolute intolerance of critique."

"What is critique? it is legitimate disagreement, and comprises the raising of questions that are inextricable, at any given point, from the fabric of a free and healthy society," reads the letter signed by 13 named faculty members and 69 others.

"It is to be distinguished, firmly, from defamation or incitement to hatred or all categories of expression that will not stand up in a court of law or which do not abide by the Constitution," it adds.

"To stifle critique is to poison the life-blood of pedagogy; consequently, it is to damage whatever future our students might have as serious thinkers," the faculty members said in the letter.

Highlighting the controversy over the research paper published by Das, they said: "Recent events around a paper published by Professor Sabyasachi Das are a reminder that the crisis is an ongoing and deep one, with implications for every academic working at Ashoka University and, for that matter, in India."

The faculty members noted that it is not a crisis that will "go away by wishing that papers like Professor Das's will not be written in the future, because that is not a realistic possibility in a working institution".

"It will not be solved by apologies and resignations. It has to be addressed with academic freedom constituting the core of our position with regard to the crisis," the letter reads.

The letter also highlighted that "absence of the adopted document for academic freedom and committee on the same" and demanded that decisions on matters related to academic freedom should be put on hold until the committee is in place

"It has been bewildering to witness events unfold in the last two weeks that are directly related to academic freedom in a way that makes no reference to this document and behaves, to all purposes, as if it does not exist. We ask that all responses to the matter of what may or may not be admissible in research and academic practice at Ashoka University proceed from now on according to the guidelines set out in this document, which, rather than any tweet or individual opinion, expresses the university's position on this all-important subject," it reads.

"...We ask, too, that the Committee for Academic Freedom, which the document (adopted by the varsity in 2021) had proposed be set up soon, be created immediately as it will bring much-needed transparency and procedural fairness whenever such issues arise," faculty members demanded.

"The absence of both are being felt acutely at this moment. It would also prevent, on such occasions, public pronouncements that claim to speak on behalf of Ashoka University of whose provenance almost no one at the university is aware," they added.

"All such pronouncements and decisions about actions to be taken in such circumstances should emanate, after deliberation, from the Committee for Academic Freedom. Decisions on matters related to academic freedom should be put on hold until the committee is in place," the letter added.

Meanwhile, the varsity's student government (union) also said that academic freedom is the cornerstone of a liberal arts education.

"Without institutional mechanisms to safeguard it, there are grave implications to the protection of stakeholders' integrity," the student government of the undergraduate students said on its Instagram page.

"We see time and time again that professors at this University are left with no option but to resign or step down from their position, due to a lack of upstanding support from the administration. Professor Das and allegedly Professor Balakrishnan-two esteemed members of our faculty- assessed the need to resign, clearly denoting the University's unwillingness to protect academic expression and autonomy," the student body said.

They pointed out that this has fabricated an environment that restricts scholars to flourish in their pedagogical research and exploration.

"The student body has been steered away from the complete process. Moreover, the administration has shown resistance to explicitly communicate with students, despite numerous attempts to engage. Regrettably, we were made aware of decisions surrounding our University's matters through acclaimed news websites," they alleged.

The students demanded that Professor Das and Professor Balakrishnan should be unconditionally offered their jobs back as faculty members and the administration must hold an open town hall with the entire student body where clear answers are provided as to the process that was internally followed regarding recent events and the proposed way forward.

They also demanded that the student body should be diligently informed about the constitution, scope, and functioning of the proposed committee on academic freedom.

"The University maintains complete transparency when discussing and implementing any changes relevant to policies going forward and ensures that student input is accounted for in such instances. This should occur through mechanisms such as the Student Government's observer status in the Board of Management, open town halls with the student body, and student-facing surveys on changes," the students added.
Bhopal, Aug 16 : With bare few months left for the state Assembly elections, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan made several lucrative promises on the occasion of the 77th Independence Day on Tuesday.

The Chief Minister promised to ensure economic growth, connectivity improvement, employment in the public sector, urbanisation and a lot more by 2030.

Chouhan led the BJP government has set over 25 points resolutions to achieve the targets to ensure and to fulfil the promises made to the people of the state till Independence Day in 2030.

Addressing the people of the state at Lal Pared Ground in Bhopal, Chouhan said his government would make all possible efforts to expand the size of Madhya Pradesh's economy to Rs 45 lakh crore by 2030.

Besides making more than 6,000 well-equipped "CM Rise" schools operational by 2030, efforts would be made to bring more than one crore people of Madhya Pradesh above the poverty line, he added.

The Chief Minister asserted that there will be at least one government college in each development block so that students can get the facility of higher education near their homes.

The list of Shivraj governmentas resolutions for 2030 also includes providing employment opportunities for five lakh youths in the field of IT and 5-G network services in the state.

"We will double the per capita income of the state. It will be taken up to Rs 2.8 lakh from the current Rs 1.4 lakh. To increase the total agricultural production of the state to the level of 10 crore metric tonnes, full irrigation facilities will be made available in every corner of every farmer's field. Irrigation potential will be increased to 65 lakh hectares," the resolutions added.

It also promised to expand the road network of one lakh km and to ensure that every district headquarters are connected by four-lane roads besides connecting all urban bodies with two-lane roads. "At least 30-bedded fully equipped hospital facilities will be available at every development block headquarters. There will be at least one government college in each development block so that students can get the facility of higher education near their homes," it said.

Further to encourage 'Make in Madhya Pradesh', the state government promised growth in the state's exports up to Rs 1 lakh crore and a new greenfield airport.

The resolutions also said that an industrial corridor will also be built between the state's capital city Bhopal and the economic city Indore.
New Delhi, Aug 16 : The BJP has called a meeting of its Central Election Committee (CEC) at the party headquarters here on Wednesday in view of the upcoming Assembly elections.

The meeting will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP National President J.P. Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, along with all the CEC members.

According to sources, the party high command may take some major decisions regarding the Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh Assembly elections to be held by the end of the year.

In general, the party CEC meeting is called to discuss the names of the probable candidates for the Legislative Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. Such meetings are usually called only after the election dates are announced by the Election Commission, but surprisingly this time the party has called the CEC meeting at a time when the election dates are yet to be disclosed.

However, sources said that during the CEC meeting, there will be a brainstorm over the seats on which the party is in a weaker position in these two states.

Sources added that the party wants to finalise the names of candidates for these vulnerable seats in advance. However, their names would not be revealed publicly immediately.

As per the sources, these selected candidates will be informed by the party about the finalisation of their names and would be instructed to commence their poll campaign so that by the time election schedules are announced, they would have a lead over the candidates of rival parties.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and state BJP chief V.D. Sharma, along with Chhattisgarh BJP chief Arun Sao and other party leaders from these two states associated with election campaigns may also attend the CEC meeting.
Swedish bearing manufacturer SKF has reported that a missile hit its plant in Lutsk, killing three employees, Reuters reported on Tuesday.

"Last night there was an attack on the city of Lutsk in Ukraine and our factory has been hit in that attack. We are very sad to confirm that three of our colleagues have been killed," SKF's spokesperson Carl Bjernstam said.

Earlier, representatives of the Ukrainian authorities reported that as a result of Russian airstrikes in several regions of Ukraine on Tuesday, in particular, a missile hit an enterprise in Lutsk.

"Volyn. Unfortunately, as a result of a missile attack, three employees of the enterprise were killed, three more were injured. Elimination of the consequences continues, all the necessary assistance is being provided to people," Oleksiy Kuleba, deputy head of the President's Office, said.

According to Reuters, Bjernstam said the company would look at the consequences of the attack and damage to the factory, but added that its primary focus was on its employees and their safety.

According to the company's latest financial report, SKF has about 1,000 employees in Ukraine. Sales in Ukraine in 2022 accounted for less than 0.1% of total SKF sales, and the Lutsk plant produces about 0.5% of total SKF production in 2022.
Embry-Riddle's commitment to excellence in education and workforce development makes it a wise investment of my time, which is my most valuable asset. - Rudy R. Miller, Chairman, President and CEO of The Miller Group of entities Tweet this

"I am approached by numerous organizations, and I choose my volunteer opportunities carefully," Miller stated. "The leadership role of Embry-Riddle's Prescott Campus Chancellor Dr. Anette Karlsson was an important item in my decision process. Another key issue was Embry-Riddle's support for veterans. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott was ranked No. 1 by U.S. News & World Report as `Best College for Veterans' across the Western region in 2023."

Miller added: "Embry-Riddle's commitment to excellence in education and workforce development makes it a wise investment of my time, which is my most valuable asset. It is my privilege to work with the world's largest institution of higher education focused on aviation and aerospace. Embry-Riddle is developing new technology collaborations, resulting in expedited hiring initiatives with leading aviation and aerospace industries."

In addition to joining Embry-Riddle's COA and CBSI advisory boards, Miller has generously established scholarships for students, both veterans and non-veterans, at both colleges. He is also set to create a fund to support simulator training to improve commercial pilot safety.

Embry-Riddle President P. Barry Butler, Ph.D., noted that Miller has been a champion for higher education and Embry-Riddle students. "We are grateful for and continuously inspired by his insights and his good deeds in support of our school and our community," Butler said.

Dr. Thomas Drape, dean of the College of Business, Security and Intelligence, said that Miller's appointment elevates its accomplished and dedicated board to the next level.

"Rudy's lifetime commitment to excellence, his variety of businesses, military background and security experiences, and his competitive spirit are a perfect match for focusing our efforts on the next generation of industry professionals," Drape added.

Dr. Timothy Holt, dean of the Prescott Campus College of Aviation, also lauded the appointment, saying that Miller will be integral to the board's goal of bringing new ideas and fresh viewpoints.

"This board of aviation professionals has gained a strong supporter in Rudy Miller," Holt said, "and we look forward to having his expertise and knowledge in helping bridge that path for our students from college to industry."

About The Miller Group

The Miller Group, established in 1972, is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, and is comprised of several affiliated companies including Miller Capital Corporation, Miller Investments, Inc., and Miller Management Corporation. The Miller Group offers a broad range of services, including venture capital and private equity investing, debt financing, financial advisory, and management consulting to public and private middle-market companies throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. A select group of current and past clients include: America West Airlines, Bowlin Travel Centers, Inc., Capital Title Group, Inc., Comprehensive Care Corporation, DELSTAR Companies, Inc., Legal Broadcast Network, LLC, Magma, McMurry, Inc., Regent Communications, Inc., Ritz Carlton Magazine, ServRx, Inc., Sunshine Minting, Inc., Telgian Holdings, Inc., and US Air Express.

About Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Reporters worldwide contact Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for content experts in all aspects of aviation, aviation business, aerospace, engineering and STEM-related fields. Our faculty experts specialize in uncrewed and autonomous systems, security and intelligence, air traffic and airport management, astronomy, human factors psychology, meteorology, spaceflight operations, urban air mobility and much more. Visit the Embry-Riddle Newsroom for story ideas.

Embry-Riddle educates 31,000+ students at its residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Florida and Prescott, Arizona, at approximately 110 Worldwide Campus locations and through online degree programs. In 2023, U.S. News & World Report named Embry-Riddle Worldwide the nation's No. 2 provider of online bachelor's degree programs. The university has ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 in this category every year since 2016. Our residential campuses hold multiple Top 10 rankings. All of our campuses have been ranked Best for Veterans.

Media Contact

Mike Cavaliere, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, 386-226-4838, [email protected], https://www.erau.edu

SOURCE Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
As we observe the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights in 2023, Winnie's work mirrors the declaration's principles of equality and respect for diversity. We are honoured to present her with this accolade in recognition of her vital contributions to these pressing issues. Tweet this

The ethos of a Global Citizen extends beyond the realms of diplomacy or philanthropy. It rests on the understanding that actions and decisions, while capable of yielding short-term benefits, can significantly elevate the condition of humanity in the long run. Each laureate has contributed to their community, country, and the world, exhibiting the courage and resolve necessary to uplift others.

Winnie Harlow, celebrated for shattering norms in the fashion industry and her profound advocacy for diversity and female empowerment, is an exemplar of these values. Her staunch stand against all forms of discrimination and her unwavering dedication to the upliftment of women of colour worldwide makes her a remarkable Global Citizen.

As we observe the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights in 2023, Winnie's work mirrors the declaration's principles of equality and respect for diversity. We are honoured to present her with this accolade in recognition of her vital contributions to these pressing issues.

The award will be conferred on October 26th, 2023 at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto, Canada. This celebratory event will include a welcome reception and a sit-down dinner, with diplomats, business leaders, philanthropists and UNA-Canada programme participants. The gala, held with the kind support of our Official Hotel sponsor, the Fairmont Royal York, will also feature speeches from Winnie Harlow and the President & CEO of UNA-Canada, Ms. Jaime Webbe.

We are excited to announce that the proceeds from this event will directly benefit UNA-Canada's programmes to connect those in Canada to the United Nations, and support the implementation of Canada's commitments under the United Nations here at home. Our initiatives promote diversity, foster empathy-based learning, and devise solutions for shared global challenges. This event will serve as a catalyst for future engagements, helping us to expand our reach and impact across Canada and beyond.

UNA-Canada is hopeful that by honouring Ms. Harlow's monumental work, Canadians will feel inspired to further engage with the United Nations' mission and commit to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Media Contact

Erica Mongiat, United Nations Association in Canada, 1 236-334-3837, [email protected], www.unac.org

SOURCE United Nations Association in Canada
As result of enemy attack in Lutsk, three people killed, three wounded  administration

As a result of an enemy attack in Lutsk, three people were killed, three more were injured, Head of Volyn Regional Military Administration Yuriy Pohuliaiko said.

"I am at the scene of the incident. Unfortunately, there are casualties as a result of the hit. As of now, three people have died. Several more victims are in the hospital," he said on his Telegram channel.

As of 08:00, the administration's head also reported three casualties.

Pohuliaiko said two enemy cruise missiles hit an industrial missile.

Details will be later later, now rescuers are working on the spot.
According to the Secretary-General of the National Committee for hosting Expo 2023 Doha, Mohammed Ali Al Khouri, Hayya card is now activated on the application for visitors to allow them to attend the activities of Expo 2023 in Doha. He announced this during an interview with Al Rayyan TV.

Read More: All You Need to Know About the Hayya Service Centers

Read More: Hayya Platform to Become a Portal for All Visas to Qatar

Al Khouri explained that there will be specific conditions to be implemented in activating the Hayya card, which will be announced soon, and must be reviewed before visiting Qatar.

Qatar is currently doing preparations to host the Expo, which will start from October 2023 to March 2024.
My 9-year-old daughter still remembers August 2021 as a horrible time.

After the fall of Kabul that month, my husband and I, both Air Force officers who had served in Afghanistan, found ourselves pulled into a complex, unofficial operation to help evacuate U.S. citizens and Afghan allies. There were endless sleepless nights spent frantically sending messages over Signal and compiling enormous spreadsheets of passenger manifests. We worked as if it were a matter of life and deathbecause it was.

Two years later, those long days are a memory for me. But for the hundreds of thousands of our allies still left behind, the horrors continue.

As of April 2023, about 152,000 Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants remain trapped in Afghanistan. These people, who served side-by-side with U.S. forces during the long war, face years of danger, severe economic hardship, and increasingly onerous restrictionsparticularly on women and girlswhile applying for their SIVs through a complicated, Kafkaesque process.

A Daunting List of Obstacles

As of April 2023, about 152,000 Special Immigrant Visa applicants remain trapped in Afghanistan Share on Twitter

To create a snapshot of the absurd gantlet our former friends and allies have to run, I gathered quotations from text messages and emails that they sent to my organization, No One Left Behind, seeking help. They have been edited for clarity, and names are being withheld for the writers' safety.

Proof of employment. To start an SIV application, applicants must submit a slew of documents through the U.S. State Department's website. This requires access to the internetnot a given when one is hiding from the Taliban. The required documents ( PDF ) include proof of employment for the U.S. government for at least one year and a letter of recommendation from a former supervisor. But the companies often kept poor HR records, and former supervisors are difficult to reachand may not even remember their former employees.

Agonizing choices. Once the documents are submitted, applicants wait almost a year for Chief of Mission approval to proceed to the next step. During this time, they must come to terms with leaving behind members of their extended families, many of whom are also in danger for being related to a former U.S. employee. SIV applicants can take only their spouses and unmarried children younger than 21. And because the application process takes so long, many children age past 21 by the time the SIV is issued.

Reaching a U.S. Embassyoutside Afghanistan. With chief of mission approval in hand, applicants will wait several more months for an interview at an American embassy. Since the United States no longer has a diplomatic presence in Afghanistan, this puts applicantswho were relying on the SIV to help them escape Afghanistanin the paradoxical position of having to get out of Afghanistan to get the SIV.

At this point, the applicant must wait for the United States to help them get to a third country, or self-fund their travel to a nearby country with a U.S. Embassy. The first option is fraught, as the United States' ability to move candidates out of Afghanistan is extremely limited. Those who can afford the second option are faced with another daunting obstacle: Every single person traveling must have a passport. Many do not.

Getting a passport in Afghanistan. Passports cost about $70 at government passport offices, which can be closed for months at a time. The waitlists are long, and rumors suggest that the Taliban are detaining applicants who worked for the United States. It can be faster and safer to use a passport broker, but this costs $1,700 to $2,200 per person and comes with the risk that the passport is fake.

Finding a way to survive abroad. Once out of Afghanistan, SIV candidates must subsist in a foreign country with no income as they wait to be processed, sometimes for months. In Pakistan, local police forces are increasingly hostile to Afghans, arresting or deporting them with little provocation. Applicants will also need to pay for a medical exam, an often-overlooked SIV requirement.

Obtaining a ticket to the United States. For the extremely lucky who overcome all the hurdles and get their SIVs, the primary way to the United States is through the United Nations' International Organization for Migration, which will buy them commercial airline tickets (as a loan) and assign them to a resettlement agency.

Getting a flight can take months, and in that time the third-country visa, medical exam, or the Special Immigrant Visa itself might expire, resulting in additional fees or months of delay.

It could all get worse. If everything goes perfectly, the process takes more than two years. But there are so many ways something can go wrong. The birth of a child requires updating the SIV application and obtaining a passport. A chance encounter with police abroad could end in arrest and detention, necessitating the payment of bribes and fines. Flights to third countries are sometimes suspended for months at a time. Applicants who are single women are often not allowed to travel, even with the proper documentation. Through all of this, applicants struggle to feed and shelter themselves and their families while fearing for their lives. Depression and suicide are common.

A Moral Obligation for the United States

Despite many recommendations and bipartisan support for reforming the SIV program, only minor tweaks have been made. Share on Twitter

Despite many recommendations ( PDF ) and bipartisan support for reforming the SIV program, only minor tweakseliminating one form, reducing the minimum length of service from two years to onehave been made.

Meanwhile, the dangerously slow SIV process has become practically a death sentence. No One Left Behind has documented hundreds of SIV applicants who were murdered while waiting for their visas; details will be released in a forthcoming report.

It doesn't have to be this way. The U.S. government can make life immeasurably better for tens of thousands of Afghan allies and their families. It can grant categorical parole to SIV applicants who are ready for their interviews and fly them to the United States to finish the process in safety. It can dedicate more State Department resources to speeding up SIV applications ( PDF ). And it can establish a permanent SIV program to ensure this doesn't happen to future allies.

The United States must do better.

Annie Yu Kleiman is a senior technical analyst at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation and an 18-year Air Force reservist. She serves on the board of directors for No One Left Behind, an organization working to help evacuate, resettle, and advocate for Afghan Special Immigrant Visa recipients.

This commentary originally appeared on The Washington Post on August 14, 2023. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the headquarters of brigades in the vicinity of Soledar, Donetsk region, the press service of the Office of the President of Ukraine has said.

"The head of state visited the command centers of the 5th separate assault brigade, 22nd separate mechanized brigade, 80th separate airborne assault brigade, 57th separate motorized infantry brigade named after Kish Otaman Kost Hordiienko, 92nd separate mechanized brigade named after Kish Otaman Ivan Sirko, 26th artillery brigade named after Brigadier General Roman Dashkevych, 3rd separate assault brigade and 24th separate mechanized brigade named after King Danylo," it said.

Zelenskyy heard reports on the operational situation in the areas of responsibility of the brigades and the peculiarities of the use of various types of weapons. The president also discussed with the brigade commanders and battalion commanders the problematic issues faced by the military and ways to solve them.

"I receive general information on a daily basis, which gives me a broad understanding of the situation, and this is also very important. However, I wanted to visit all the brigades individually to understand the problems of each of them. This is an open conversation, we can discuss any issues," he said.

The brigade commanders and battalion commanders outlined the needs for weapons, ammunition and equipment, including frontline air defense systems and various types of UAVs.

In addition, the participants discussed the issues of enhancing the training of soldiers, sergeants and officers, expanding the capabilities of commanders to manage personnel, simplifying bureaucratic procedures in the army, in particular in the process of manning units, as well as improving the work of territorial recruitment and social support centers and military medical commissions. Solutions were proposed to address the existing problems, in particular, in terms of commanders' capabilities and increasing the motivation of military personnel.
With F-16 fighter jets expected to be provided to Ukraine over the coming months, opinions of their usefulness span from a gamechanger in the war with Russia to a total waste of resources. But there is one way that these aircraft will harm Russia even if they never shoot down a missile, fighter jet, or helicopter: They will cost the Russian Aerospace Forces precious aircraft life.

The remainder of this commentary is available at defensenews.com.

Michael Bohnert is an engineer at the RAND Corporation. He previously worked as an engineer at a naval nuclear laboratory.

This commentary originally appeared on Defense News on August 14, 2023. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.
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After pumping in close to $20 billion in the preceding five months, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) have yanked out $220 million from domestic stocks this month.

The selling by overseas funds has led to turbulence in the domestic markets, with benchmark indices swinging wildly recently.

The yield on the 10-year US government security rose as much as 27 basis points this week to hit a nine-month high of 4.19 per cent before cooling off a bit on August 4.

Analysts dont rule out further selling by FPIs if US bond yields stay at elevated levels as the threshold risk-free rate for investing in equities turns unattractive.

Inflows from domestic funds have helped India reduce its dependence on overseas investors.

However, during bouts of FPI selling, the domestic markets tend to underperform.

This has been demonstrated in the past two weeks.

From its peak on July 20, the benchmark National Stock Exchange Nifty is down 2.3 per cent, even as the Morgan Stanley Capital International Emerging Markets (EMs) Index has remained flat.

During the last seven trading sessions, FPIs have sold stocks worth Rs 8,545 crore in the cash market.

A sharp spike in the US 10-year bond yield above 4 per cent is a near-term negative for capital flows into EMs.

If the US bond yields remain high, FPIs are likely to continue selling or at least refrain from buying, observes V K Vijayakumar, chief investment strategist, Geojit Financial Services.






Tata Steel has built an iron ore chest of nearly 600 million tonnes (mt) and will look for more as it prepares for life beyond 2030 when its legacy captive mines come up for auction.

Photograph: Andrew Yates/Reuters

The lease for four of its existing iron ore mines -- Joda East, Noamundi, Katamati, and Khondbond -- that feed the domestic operation with low-cost iron ore is going to expire in 2030, following changes in mining regulations.

The year will also coincide with Tata Steels ambitious target of doubling steelmaking capacity in India to 40 mt, increasing the need for iron ore.

The company is pushing the pedal to ensure that it has enough resources to meet enhanced needs.

T V Narendran, managing director and chief executive officer, explained that Tata Steel has amassed 550-600 mt of iron ore reserves, which will be available to the company beyond 2030.

We bid for Gandhalpada mine, which is a greenfield mine and has reserves of about 300-350 mt.

"We will develop this mine, so that it comes into production closer to 2030, he told Business Standard.

Some mines came with the acquisition of steel assets over the past few years.

Tata Steel acquired Neelachal Ispat Nigam (NINL) last year, an asset owned by state and central public sector undertakings (PSUs).

That came with an iron ore mine having reserves of around 110 mt, apart from a large plot of land.

The mine is at zero premium, pointed out Narendran, adding that its one of the reasons for Tata Steel paying Rs 12,100 crore for the acquisition.

Also, 110 mt is the known reserves, we are exploring to see if its more than that, he said.

In 2019, Tata Sponge Iron, a subsidiary of Tata Steel, acquired the steel business of Usha Martin (Tata Sponge was renamed Tata Steel Long Products).

It had a mine with reserves of 25 mt. With the Bhushan Steel acquisition under the insolvency law, the steel major got another mine with reserves of 100 mt.

But the company is not going to sit tight with just the mining assets acquired so far.

Between now and 2030, we will participate in more auctions in Odisha and Jharkhand and see if we can get more mines at a reasonable price.

In 2030, we have the option to bid for our own mines.

"If we dont get anything by then, we can bid aggressively for those mines, he further said.

The expiry of mining licence is in line with a change in mining law.

In 2015, the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act was amended and leaseholders of minerals, including iron ore for captive use, were allowed to continue with the licence until March 31, 2030.

Coal and lignite were kept out of the purview of this amendment, said Jayanta Roy, senior vice-president, ICRA.

Iron ore and coking coal are two key raw materials for steelmaking. And 100 per cent of Tata Steels requirements for India operations are met from captive sources, insulating it from price volatility and delivering strong steel spread.

About 1.6 tonnes of iron ore are required to produce a tonne of steel.

As Tata Steel increases its steelmaking capacity to 40 mt, iron ore production will also be stepped up.

The companys current steelmaking domestic capacity is 21.6 mt.

Production of coking coal will also be stepped up from 6 mt to 10 mt.

But Narendran said that Tata Steel would largely be a buyer of coking coal.

About 22 per cent of coking coal requirements for India operations were met from captive blocks at Jharia and West Bokaro in FY23.

While coking coal is mostly imported by steel players, its the lower priced iron ore in India that is giving them an edge.

Both China and India buy coking coal.

"But Indian iron ore is priced much lower than international markets which is working in favour of Indian steel players in terms of margins, ICRAs Roy added.

Steeling the future:

Mining lease for legacy mines  Noamundi, Katamati, Joda East, Khondbond  expire in 2030

Tata Steel has iron ore reserves of 550-600 mt beyond 2030

Mines that came with steel acquisitions:

Vijaya II - Usha Martin steel business

Koida  Neelachal Ispat Nigam Ltd

Kalamang - Bhushan Steel

Auction:
German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said that the German government has included support for Ukraine, in particular military assistance, in budget planning until 2027.

"For the next few years, we have already firmly planned further support for Ukraine in our budget planning. The government already agreed on this a few weeks ago, and I have no doubt that this will also be confirmed by our parliament in the coming months," Lindner said at a joint press conference with Finance Minister of Ukraine Serhiy Marchenko.

He noted that the planned EUR 5 billion of military assistance is bilateral assistance. In addition, as Lindner added, Germany makes various financial contributions to the EU, provides humanitarian support to Ukraine and Ukrainians fleeing the war in Germany.

"You know that Germany is the largest contributor to the European budget. We also have a correspondingly high share of the future financial assistance that the European Union has promised to Ukraine. In our state budget, we have allocated large funds for the military sector until 2027 so that Ukraine can continue to rely on our contributions in the coming years," Lindner said.

The Minister of Finance also stressed that Germany's support for Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion is EUR 22 billion, of which EUR 12 billion is military assistance.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday said nothing much happened during his meeting with his uncle and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar in Pune last week.

IMAGE: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde along with Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar pay tribute at the Gandhi Smriti Stambh on the 81st anniversary of Quit India Movement, at August Kranti Maidan, in Mumbai on August 9, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

Speaking to reporters in Kolhapur, he said there was no need to think too much about the meeting.

"Pawar Saheb (Sharad Pawar) has already clarified. The media is giving different kinds of publicity to a meeting that took place between family members, leading to confusion. There is no reason to think that anything unusual transpired at the meeting," he said.

On Saturday, political circles were abuzz after a 'secret' meeting took place between Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar at a businessman's residence in Pune. Senior Nationalist Congress Party leader Jayant Patil was also present.

Asked about him leaving the premises 'hiding' in a car, Ajit Pawar said he was not there in the car.

"I did not leave surreptitiously. I am someone who roams around openly. There was no reason for me to hide....I was not there in that car," he said.

Visuals aired by regional news channels showed Sharad Pawar arriving at the residence of businessman Atul Chordiya in the Koregaon Park area around 1 pm on August 12 and leaving around 5 pm.

Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar was purportedly seen leaving the premises in a car at 6.45 pm.

Ajit Pawar, who split the NCP in July this year and joined the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state, said he accepted that he met Pawar senior.

The Pawar family had an association with businessman Atul Chordiya for two generations, he said.

"Chordiya had invited Pawar Saheb for lunch. He was supposed to go there after a program at the Vasantdada Sugar Institute and as Jayant Patil was with him, he also went along. I reached there after completing the Chandni Chowk bridge inauguration," Ajit Pawar said.

The deputy CM was in Kolhapur to attend Independence Day celebrations.

In his speech on the occasion, Ajit Pawar said Kolhapur is a progressive district which also boasts of signs of ancient traditions. The state government is committed to the development of all sections of society including the farmers, women and youth in the state as well as in the district.

He was fortunate to get an opportunity to hoist the flag in the historical city which has the legacy of social reformist ruler Shahu Maharaj and Maharani Tarabai, he said.

India made a lot of progress in the last 76 years and is now among the first five economies in the world, Pawar said.

If the GDP growth continues at the same pace, India will surpass Germany and Japan and become the third largest economy in the world, he added.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge Tuesday skipped the Independence Day function at the Red Fort from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation and after facing flak from the Bharatiya Janata Party said he did not attend as he would have missed other I-Day functions lined up due to security restrictions.

IMAGE: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge unfurls the national flag at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi. Photograph: @INCIndia/Twitter

A chair reserved for Kharge, who is also the leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha, was seen empty during the 77th Independence Day function at the Red Fort.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was among several dignitaries, diplomats and ministers present at the event at the Mughal-era fort.

Kharge, however, unfurled the national flag at his residence and later at the Congress headquarters where the Independence Day function was also attended by Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders.

The BJP hit out at Kharge saying it shows the party's "mindset" and that it cannot think beyond "dynasty".

The Congress president said he has a problem in his eyes and also had to unfurl the national flag at his residence and then at the Congress office.

Asked about his absence from the function at the Red Fort, Kharge said he could not have reached the Congress office in time from Red Fort. "I did not go there due to paucity of time," he said at the Congress headquarters.

Kharge said if he was present at Red Fort, he would not be allowed to leave the venue till the prime minister, the Speaker and the defence minister left and then he could not have reached his residence where he had to unfurl the national flag out of protocol at 9.20 AM and then at the AICC headquarters.

Congress leader Manickam Tagore said they celebrated Independence Day with the people of the country.

"When Lok Sabha opposition leader suspended... When MPs are suspended for an indefinite period... When opposition leaders' speeches are expunged if we mention Adani... When mikes are switched off... what else we can do? We celebrate Independence Day with people," he posted on X.

Party spokesperson Pawan Khera said in a post, "Apparently the BJP is upset that Kharge ji was not present at the prime minister's Red Fort speech."

"Does the prime minister realise that his route arrangements would have made it impossible for Kharge sahib to reach the party headquarters in time for the flag hoisting function? Do we not have the independence of hoisting the flag at our headquarters on Independence Day?" he said.
Cow vigilante Bittu Bajrangi was arrested on Tuesday in connection with communal clashes that erupted in Haryana's Nuh district on July 31, police said.

IMAGE: Policemen patrol on streets after violence in Nuh, on July 31, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

Bajrangi alias Rajkumar was questioned in connection with a fresh first information report (FIR) registered against him and 15-20 others at Nuh's Sadar police station based on a complaint filed by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Usha Kundu, they said.

Police said Bajrangi, the president of an outfit called the Goraksha Bajrang Force, was taken initially detained by a Crime Investigation Agency team of Tauru from Faridabad and taken for questioning.

A spokesperson of Nuh Police later said he was arrested after the questioning and will be produced in a Gurugram court on Wednesday.

The FIR against Bajrangi and the others has been registered under Indian Penal Code sections 148 (riots), 149 (unlawful assembly), 332 (causing hurt), 353, 186 (obstructing a public servant from discharging duty), 395, 397 (armed robbery), and 506 (criminal intimidation) and provisions of the Arms Act, police said.

The officials said efforts are underway to arrest the others and social media is being monitored as well.

Strict action will be taken against those who make provocative speeches or spread misleading news, they added.

A senior police officer said Bajrangi and his associates wielded illegal weapons during the VHP procession that came under attack in Muslim-majority Nuh on July 31.

During the violence that ensued, Bajrangi and his associates were brandishing their weapons in the air.

ASP Kundu confiscated the weapons but they snatched them from a police vehicle, the official said, alleging that they also threatened the police.

Earlier, Bajrangi was accused of posting inflammatory remarks on social media.

Six people, including two home guards and a cleric, had died in the recent clashes that erupted in Nuh over an attempt to stop a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession and spread to Gurugram.
From the trifecta of demography, democracy and diversity to the three ills of corruption, nepotism and appeasement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech on Tuesday used several catchy phrases to drive home his government's achievements, his vision for the future and criticism of the opposition.

Here are some of the key points highlighted by the prime minister in his speech.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation during Independence Day celebrations at the historic Red Fort in New Delhi. Photograph: Altaf Hussain/Reuters

-- Demography, democracy and diversity: "This trifecta of demography, democracy and diversity has the potential to fulfil every dream of India. Today, while countries around the world are witnessing an age structure that is growing old, India is moving energetically towards a younger demography. It is a period of great pride because today India has the highest population under the age of 30. This is what we have in my country, the youth below the age of 30; my country has crores of hands, crores of brains, crores of dreams, crores of resolutions! So, my brothers and sisters, my family members, we can get the desired results."

-- At the crossroads: "We are at the milestone between 1,000 years of slavery and 1,000 years of a grand future that is about to come. We are at this crossroads and hence we cannot stop, nor shall we live in a dilemma anymore. Taking pride in the heritage that was once lost, gaining back the lost prosperity, let us once again believe that whatever we do, whatever step we take, whatever decision we make, will determine our direction for the next 1,000 years and will write the fate of India."

-- Developed India by 2047: "During the 'Amrit Kaal' of independence, when the nation celebrates 100 years of freedom in 2047, at that time, the Tricolour should be of a developed India in the world. We must not pause even for a moment, nor should we step back. For this, awareness, transparency and impartiality are the necessary strengths. We have to provide as much nourishment to this strength as possible.

"It should be our collective responsibility to ensure that we can provide it through institutions as a citizen and as a family. And that's why if we look at the history of the last 75 years, India did not have a dearth of potential. And why can't this country, which was once called the 'golden bird', rise again with that same potential? Friends, my dear family members, I have an unwavering belief that in 2047, when the country celebrates 100 years of independence, my country will be a developed India."

-- Three ills of corruption, nepotism and appeasement: "If the dreams are to be fulfilled, the resolutions are to be achieved, then it is the need of the hour to fight the three evils by grabbing the bull by its horns. Corruption is at the root of all the problems of our country. Like a termite, it has completely eaten away all the systems of the country, and all the capabilities of the country.

"Secondly, dynastic politics has destroyed our country. This dynastic system had gripped the country and snatched away the rights of the people of the country. The third evil is appeasement. This appeasement has also stained the original thinking of the country and our harmonious national character.

-- Modi's commitment: "My dear family members, this is Modi's commitment; it is my personal commitment that I will continue to fight against corruption. These evils (corruption, nepotism and appeasement) rob our country of whatever abilities some people have. These are the things that put a question mark on the hopes and aspirations of our people. Be it our poor, be it Dalit, be it backward, be it Pasmanda communities, be it our tribal brothers and sisters, or be it our mothers or sisters, we all have to get rid of these three evils for their rights."

-- Modi's guarantee: "When poverty reduces in the country, the power of the middle-class section of the country increases manifold. And I assure you that in the coming five years, Modi guarantees that the country will be among the top three world economies; it certainly will be. Today the 13.5 crore people who have come out of poverty have in a way become the middle-class."

-- Party of the family, by the family and for the family: "How can this happen in a democracy that a political party, and I am giving special emphasis on 'political party', has brought such a distortion in the democracy of my country. It can never strengthen India's democracy. What is that disease? Dynastic politics. And what is their mantra? Party of the family, by the family and for the family. For the strengthening of the democracy of this country, we must liberate ourselves from nepotism."
India has gained new strategic strength in recent years and its borders are now more secure than ever, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday even as he highlighted efforts to modernise the military and make it 'young and battle ready' to confront future challenges.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort on the occasion of 77th Independence Day, in New Delhi on Tuesday. Photograph: Jitender Gupta/ANI Photo

In his Independence Day address from the ramparts of Red Fort, Modi also reiterated his government's unwavering resolve to ensure national security amid the current global security scenario.

"India has gained a new strategic strength in recent years and today our borders are more secure than ever," Modi said.

He said a number of military reforms are being undertaken to modernise the armed forces and make them young and battle ready to deal with the future challenges.

The government last year rolled out the Agnipath recruitment scheme for the short-term induction of soldiers.

The scheme is aimed at bringing down the age profile of the three services.

Under the Agnipath scheme, announced on June 14 last year, the three services are recruiting youths between the age bracket of 17-and-half years and 21 for four years with a provision to retain 25 per cent of them for 15 more years.

For 2022, the upper age limit was extended to 23 years.

The prime minister also emphasised that the people of the country feel safe today as there has been a drastic decline in the number of terrorist attacks.

When the country is peaceful and secure, new goals of development are achieved, he said.

The prime minister also referred to the 'One Rank One Pension' scheme and said it was implemented by his government as soon as it came to power.

"The OROP was a matter of respect for the soldiers of our country. We implemented it when we came to power. Rs 70,000 crore have reached the ex-servicemen and their families today," he added.

Modi extended the Independence Day wishes to the Armed Forces personnel at the borders, who ensure that the country is secured and its interests are safeguarded.

In the last few years, the government has taken a series of measures to bolster the combat capabilities of the armed forces.

A series of initiatives were taken to enhance the country's military prowess following the border row with China in eastern Ladakh.

The government has also been focusing on strengthening the border infrastructure in the last few years.

On Monday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said India has always been a peace-loving nation, but that does not mean that it would spare those who cast an evil eye on it.

In his address, Modi also referred to the Vibrant village programme.

"We have started a program of Vibrant Border Village in the border villages of our country. Till now the vibrant border village was said to be the last village of the country," he said.

"We have changed the whole thinking. It is not the last village of the country, the one visible on the border is the first village of my country," he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said peace was returning to ethnic violence-hit Manipur and urged the people of the state to build on it to find a solution to the problems there.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort on the occasion of 77th Independence Day, in New Delhi. Photograph: Jitender Gupta/ANI Photo

In his Independence Day address, the prime minister said that for the past few days reports of peace have been coming from Manipur regularly and the Centre and the state government were making every effort to find a solution to the problems there.

"The nation is with the people of Manipur. The country should take forward the peace process which has been set in motion by the people of Manipur for the past few days. Only peace can lead to a solution," the prime minister said.

More than 150 people have been killed in the ethnic violence in Manipur since May 3.

The prime minister said that for the past few weeks the northeast, particularly Manipur, and other parts of the country have witnessed a cycle of violence in which several lives were lost and mothers and sisters had to face loss of dignity.

"But in the last few days, there are reports of peace. The nation is with Manipur," he said at the outset of his 10th consecutive address from the Red Fort.

Modi said when he speaks of unity then if an incident takes place in Manipur, Maharashtra feels the pain, if Assam experiences flood, then Kerala feels restless.

The Centre has deployed paramilitary forces in Manipur as part of efforts to quell the violence.
The 77th Independence Day on Tuesday was a low-key affair in Himachal Pradesh with the traditional cultural programmes missing from official and district-level functions as the state mourns the deaths and destruction caused by incessant rains.

IMAGE: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu inspects the parade at Independence Day celebrations in Shimla on Tuesday. Photograph: Kind courtesy @CMOFFICEHP/Twitter

The official state function was shifted from Manali to Shimla and it was presided over by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who hoisted the tricolour and inspected the parade.

Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla hoisted the national flag at the Raj Bhavan campus.

Heavy rains have battered Himachal Pradesh over the past three days, triggering landslides and cloudbursts that blocked several roads and led to house collapse incidents.

At least 53 people have died in the incidents.

Police and State Disaster Response Force which are engaged in rescue operations did not take part in the parade.

The chief announced to raise the honorarium for martyrs from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 30 lakh, an increase in daily wages of MNREGA workers from Rs 224 to Rs 240 and from Rs 280 to Rs 294 in tribal areas.

He also announced a scheme with an outlay of Rs 50 crores to provide nutritious food to pregnant women, lactating mothers and children up to the age of six years.

Sukhu further announced an increase in the procurement prices of apple, mango and litchi by Rs 1.50 to Rs 12 from Rs 10.50 under the market intervention scheme (MIS).

He said the honorarium given by the state government to the freedom fighters would be increased from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000 per month. Sukhu added that the honorarium of widows of freedom fighters would be increased from Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 per month.

The chief minister said more than 300 people have died this monsoon season, since June 24 till date and assured of all possible help from the state government.

He said the government has responded boldly and with determination to the challenges posed by heavy rains, floods, landslides and damage to infrastructure.

The Himachal Pradesh government has prepared a long-term plan for disaster preparedness on which Rs 800 crore would be spent so that the side effects of such disasters could be reduced in the future, the chief minister added.

"The loss and damage were grave and we are looking forward to liberal assistance from the Union government," he said, urging the Union government to immediately release relief funds.
'We were children and could not distinguish freedom from bondage, but we could understand that a momentous and happy event was imminent.'

IMAGE: The Tiranga at retired Professor Ajit D Masih's home in Bihar. All Photographs: Kind courtesy Professor Ajit D Masih

How did little children celebrate the first Independence Day in a village school in Bihar? Professor Ajit D Masih, 84, a retired professor, remembers the momentous day when he first saw the Tiranga raised up a bamboo pole in the school ground.

The boys got half a glass of a sweet drink [sugar dissolved in water] and a laddoo.

"Since Jana Gana Mana was adopted as the National Anthem only in 1950, we sang Jhanda Ucha Rahe Hamara," remembers Professor Masih who attends the flag hoisting ceremony on Independence Day and Republic Day in the college from where he retired 24 years ago.

On our first Independence Day, August 15, 1947, I was in Class IV in the Middle School in Chanpatia which is now in the west Champaran district of Bihar.

The school was under the jurisdiction of the district board. The school was built during the British period and exists even today.

There were about 20-25 students in my class. There were no girls. Female literacy was very low at the time of Independence; girl students could be seen in the schools of the big cities, but not in the villages and kasbas.

From the beginning of 1947, my teachers had been telling us that India would be free in a few months and our days of captivity under the British Raj were nearly over.

We were children and could not distinguish freedom from bondage, but we could understand that a momentous and happy event was imminent.

IMAGE: Professor Masih at the site where Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose hoisted the Tricolour for the first time on Indian soil in Port Blair.

When we came to know that August 15, 1947 was chosen as the day India would have Independence, we were told that the Indian flag would be hoisted that day.

'India will be free. The British will leave India,' the school teacher told us.

As the day came closer, the school was filled with anticipation and excitement.

All students were told to wear a white pajama, kurta, Gandhi topi. We reached school in the morning, stood in in line and the teacher told us that Pandit Nehru had given a speech the previous night in the Constituent Assembly.

We came to know that the Union Jack had been lowered, our Tiranga had been hoisted and that Pandit Nehru would give an address from the Lal Qila in Delhi.

The headmaster hoisted the flag. The flag was slowly raised up a bamboo pole and we all clapped. Since the National Anthem came into being only in 1950, we sang Jhanda Uccha Rahe Hamara, Vijayi Vishwa, Tiranga Pyara [written by Kanpur native Shyamlal Gupta. The song was adopted at the 1938 session of the Congress].

We all got a laddoo each from the school.

Then we all went in a procession to the sugar factory. We were given a sweet drink of sugar dissolved in water. We got half a glass each.

There was a radio in the sugar factory club which was used by the British and Europeans. I went there again in the evening and heard Nehru's 'Tryst With Destiny speech' which was played on the radio.

I did not understand it then, but I have read and heard that speech many times since. It is one of the best speeches delivered in Parliament.

I got a taste of freedom in my own small way at that time in 1947 when we could go near the bungalow of the British supervisor of the sugar factory without any fear. Previously, we could not venture near the premises and would be shooed away by the staff.

I later saw Dr Rajendra Prasad, Jayaprakash Narayan, who were both from Bihar, Nehru and Lal Bahadur Shastri when I was in high school and college.

Nehru had come for the convocation ceremony at Allahabad University, which was the best university in north India at that time. Later as a BA student at the university, I was in the crowd when he came for the election campaign at the railway ground near Allahabad station.

IMAGE: The professor hoists the Tricolour at his flooded home on Independence Day 2020.

I have attended almost all Independence Day and Republic Day flag hoisting/unfurling functions since 1947. I have always liked being a part of it; it is a day which always fills me with pride and I like being a part of it.

In 1950, when the National Anthem was introduced, I was in Class VI in Siwan, Bihar. I was among the students selected to sing it on Republic Day.

A teacher first learnt the tune on his harmonium and taught it to us. I feel happy that on the first Republic Day, I was among those chosen to sing the National Anthem at the sub divisional officer's court premises.

This year too, like every year, I will be participating in the flag hoisting ceremony.

Happy Independence Day to all of you who are reading this. Jhanda Uccha Rahe Hamara...

Watch: The Tiranga flies high at Professor Masih's home in Bihar.

My father, Professor Masih, like he does every year, is preparing to attend the flag hoisting ceremony on Independence Day.

If you have parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, relatives, family friends who witnessed India's first Independence Day, August 15, 1947, please do tell us about their eyewitness accounts and mail it to news1995@rediffmail.com

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
I suggest we build a Vigyan Mandir (Temple of Science) with the ambience of a place of worship, so that it becomes a destination for pilgrims.

We should embed on its walls bronze plaques describing each scientist mentioned here along with about a dozen of our ancient mathematicians, recommends Professor Kalyan Singhal, historian of science and technology.

IMAGE: Does Dr Homi J Bhabha, right, not deserve a Bharat Ratna like A P J Abdul Kalam, left, Sir C V Raman, bottom, left, and M Visvesvaraya, bottom, right?

Outstanding scientific contributions have shaped our history and our future. By recognising these contributions, the Government of India brings them to the attention of the general public and of future generations.

Unfortunately, there have been some glaring oversights. For example, Dr Homi J Bhabha, the pioneer of India's nuclear programme, was never awarded the Bharat Ratna. Not even the Padma Vibhushan although several of his mentees have been so honored!

In this article, the term science includes natural sciences, mathematics, engineering sciences, economic sciences, and management sciences.

I propose that it is past time to honour at least 42 scientists born after 1856.

Five of them -- the late A P J Abdul Kalam, the late C V Raman, the late M Visvesvaraya, and two living scientists -- have been honored with the Bharat Ratna.

Furthermore, 28 scientists listed below deserve to be honored posthumously. With their names, I have noted whether they have received a Padma award.

I suggest that we build a Vigyan Mandir (Temple of Science) with the ambience of a place of worship, so that it becomes a destination for pilgrims.

We should embed on its walls bronze plaques describing each scientist mentioned here along with about a dozen of our ancient mathematicians.

We should publish a booklet on India's rich history of scientific and technological achievement to coincide with the inauguration of the Vigyan Mandir.

Ancient India invented the zero, algebra, and trigonometry. She pioneered experimental science in developing dyes for cotton manufacturing, identifying particular times of day for the ideal temperature and humidity for manufacturing muslin, and inventing steel (then called wootz) and refining its quality to an extraordinary extent.

On August 15 of this year, the concluding day of our celebration of 75 years of Independence, we should honour people like Dr Bhabha and Srinivasa Ramanujan with the Bharat Ratna and the scientists in the list below with the Padma Vibhushan if they have not already been so honored.

Anil Kumar Agarwal (1947-2002)

(Conferred Padma Bhushan)

IMAGE: Anil Kumar Agarwal. Photograph: Kind courtesy Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur

An environmental scientist, came up with the great insight that water harvesting systems were the key to India's economic and social development, natural resources management, population control, and gender equality. He cited Kerala and Sri Lanka as examples.

Homi J Bhabha (1909-1966)

(Conferred Padma Bhushan)

IMAGE: Dr Homi J Bhabha, left, with J K Galbraith, the economist who served as the US ambassador to India during the Kennedy administration, right. Centre: Dr M G K Menon. Photograph: Kind courtesy TIFRScience/Twitter

The founder of the Indian nuclear programme, served as the first chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India.

In the 1930s, he was part of the European network of scientists that included more than a dozen future Nobel Laureates and developed modern nuclear science.

His scientific contributions included what is known as Bhabha Scattering.

Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar (1894-1955)

(Conferred Padma Bhushan)

IMAGE: Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar. Photograph: Kind courtesy Indian Academy of Sciences

Served as the first director-general of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.

He improved the procedure for drilling crude oil and developed the process for converting sugarcane peelings into food-cake for cattle.

Norman E Borlaug (1914-2009)

(Nobel Laureate, Conferred Padma Vibhushan)

IMAGE: Norman E Borlaug. Photograph: Kind courtesy Ben Zinner, USAID/Wikimedia

Born of Norwegian immigrants to the United States.

When the British began their occupation of India in 1757, about half of her agricultural output was surplus, yet when they departed in 1947, about a third of her population was near starvation and another third suffering from malnutrition.

Borlaug led India's Green Revolution that doubled wheat yields and began to repair this harm.

Jagadish Chandra Bose (1858-1937)

Invented the crescograph to measure plant responses to various stimuli, proving that a parallel existed between animal and plant tissues.

S N Bose, P C Mahalanobis, and Meghnad Saha, who are on this list, were his students.

Satyendra Nath Bose (1894-1974)

(Conferred Padma Vibhushan)

Corresponded with Albert Einstein to develop the Bose-Einstein Statistics.

The elementary particles Bosons are named after him. He also had interests in mineralogy, philosophy, arts, and music.

IMAGE: Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar receives the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physics from Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf.

Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (1910-1995)

(Nobel Laureate, Conferred Padma Vibhushan)

Worked on the structure and evolution of stars and black holes.

The Chandrasekhar Limit and the Chandra X-Ray Observatory are named for him.

Satish Dhawan (1920-2002)

(Conferred Padma Vibhushan)

IMAGE: Satish Dhawan. Photograph: Kind courtesy isro.gov.in

Served as chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

He led the development of the telecommunications satellite INSAT and the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, placing India among leading spacefaring nations.

Coluthur Gopalan (1918-2019)

(Conferred Padma Bhushan)

IMAGE: Coluthur Gopalan. Photograph: Kind courtesy Indian Academy of Sciences

A pioneer of nutrition research in India and the midday meal scheme for school children, served as director of Indian Council of Medical Research and contributed to goiter prevention.

He identified the Grierson-Gopalan syndrome which causes severe burning and aching of the feet.

Padmanabhan K Iyengar (1931-2011)

(Conferred Padma Bhushan)

Served as the fourth director of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and chairman of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India.

His work was key to the development of India's first nuclear device, tested in 1974.

Narayan R Kamath (1914-1983)

IMAGE: Narayan R Kamath. Photograph: Kind courtesy Fundamtics/Wikimedia

A chemical engineering scientist, advocated the use of scientific research to develop India's resources with a focus on low-energy consumption rather than importing materials from the West.

As deputy director of IIT-Bombay, he pioneered the design of the IITs' Joint Entrance Examination in 1963.

Har Gobind Khorana (1922-2011)

(Nobel Laureate, Conferred Padma Vibhushan)

IMAGE: Har Gobind Khorana, left, Robert W Holley, Luis W Alvarez, Marshall W Nirenberg, Lars Onsager and Yasunari Kawabata at the Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm in 1968. Photograph: Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images from the Rediff Archives

Was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his research on the order of nucleotides in nucleic acids.

J C Kumarappa (1892-1960)

Argued for the efficacy of small-scale dam and irrigation projects, the use of organic manure, and the management of forests in service of water conservation.

He was the founder of modern environmentalism in India.

Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis (1893-1972)

(Conferred Padma Vibhushan)

IMAGE: Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis. Photograph: Kind courtesy isical.ac.in/content/the-professor

Founded the Indian Statistical Institute.

His contributions include large-scale sample surveys and pioneering studies in anthropometry in India.

He played an influential role in India's planning for agriculture and industry.

M G K Menon (1928-2016)

(Conferred Padma Vibhushan)

IMAGE: MGK Menon. Photograph: Kind courtesy Ramesh lalwani/Wikimedia

Undertook deep underground experiments with cosmic ray neutrinos in the mines at Kolar Gold Fields.

He served as chairman of the ISRO.

Basanti Dulal Nagchaudhuri (1917-2006)

(Conferred Padma Vibhushan)

IMAGE: Basanti Dulal Nagchaudhuri. Photograph: Kind courtesy drdo.gov.in/dr-bd-nagchaudhuri

A physicist, built India's first cyclotron at the University of Kolkata.

His work laid the foundation of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme.

Vulimiri Ramalingaswami (1921-2001)

(Conferred Padma Vibhushan)

IMAGE: Vulimiri Ramalingaswami. Photograph: Kind courtesy royalsocietypublishing.org

Did pioneering research on vitamin deficiencies, protein malnutrition, goiter, and hepatitis.

He served as director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research.

Raja Ramanna (1925-2004)

(Conferred Padma Vibhushan)

IMAGE: Raja Ramanna. Photograph: Kind courtesy drdo.gov.in/dr-raja-ramanna

Served as the fourth chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India.

He founded the Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore.

Srinivasa Ramanujan (1887-1920)

IMAGE: Srinivasa Ramanujan. Photograph: Kind courtesy wikimedia.org

Is widely regarded as the greatest mathematician who ever lived, or as one of the three greatest mathematicians, along with Leonhard Euler and Isaac Newton.

With no substantial formal training, he made breathtaking contributions to number theory, mathematical analysis, continued fractions, and infinite series.

N. Srinivasa Ramaswamy (1926-2012)

(Conferred Padma Bhushan)

Was the founding director of IIM-Bangalore.

He promoted public sector management, development of the non-organized sector, and technology for the poor, including the bullock cart.

V K R V Rao (1908-1991)

(Conferred Padma Vibhushan)

IMAGE: V K R V Rao. Photograph: Kind courtesy isec.ac.in

Established the Delhi School of Economics, the Institute of Economic Growth, and the Institute for Social and Economic Change.

He was the first to estimate India's national income (before Independence), and he set up the system of collection of national accounts.

Amulya K N Reddy (1930-2006)

IMAGE: Amulya K N Reddy. Photograph: Kind courtesy amulya-reddy.org.in

An electrochemist, founded at the Indian Institute of Science what is now called the Centre for Sustainable Technologies.

He, Thomas Johansson, Jose Goldemberg, and Robert Williams -- scientists from four continents working at the UN-- established that for the environment and the health of the cook, gaseous fuels were far superior to liquid fuels which were far superior to solid fuels.

Ronald Ross (1857-1932)

IMAGE: Sir Ronald Ross, winner of the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1902, sitting at a microscope in his laboratory, February 1927. Photograph: Keystone Features/Hulton Archive/Getty Images from the Rediff Archives

The forgotten first 'Indian' Nobel laureate, born in Almora to British parents, did his research on malaria in India.

He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1902 for discovering the malaria parasite in the gastrointestinal tract of a mosquito and thus proving that malaria was transmitted by mosquitoes.

His discovery laid the foundation for preventing the disease.

Meghnad Saha (1893-1956)

IMAGE: Meghnad Saha. Photograph: Kind courtesy AshLin/Wikimedia.org

Accurately related the spectral classes of stars to their actual temperature.

He founded the National Academy of Sciences, India in 1930.

A vocal critic of the Gandhian economics, Saha was an influential supporter of heavy industry after independence.

Vikram A Sarabhai (1919-1971)

(Conferred Padma Vibhushan)

IMAGE: Dr Vikram Sarabhai, right, with A P J Abdul Kalam during the early years of India's space programme. Photograph: Kind courtesy isro.gov.in

Was the founder of the Indian space programme.

He served as the second chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India.

He founded the Physical Research Laboratory.

Homi N Sethna (1923-2010)

(Conferred Padma Vibhushan)

Served as the third chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India.

He also led the design team for India's first nuclear reactor Apsara and was the central figure in India's civilian nuclear programme.

Obaid Siddiqi (1932-2013)

(Conferred Padma Vibhushan)

A researcher in behavioural neurogenetics, was the founding director of the TIFR's National Centre for Biological Sciences in Bengaluru.

He was elected as a member of the US National Academy of Sciences.

Deen Dayal Upadhyay (1916-1968)

Head of the Jan Sangh party (precursor of BJP) from 1953 to 1968, used party manifestos to advocate guaranteed employment for all, universal basic income (30,000 rupees per month per family, adjusted to the present per capita GDP), an upper limit to family incomes, free medical aid for all, elimination of the distinction between the state and private schools, home ownership for every family, land to the tiller, and a focus on small scale industries and irrigation.

He opposed Nehru's emphasis on heavy industries and large dams.

At least nine other outstanding Indian scientists over 84 should be honored in the Vigyan Mandir.

The nine are: Jagdish Bhagwati, Rajagopala Chidambaram, J V Narlikar, C R Rao, Nilakanth Rath, Raj Reddy, M M Sharma, M R Srinivasan, and M S Swaminathan.

Rath, the first economic scientist to study poverty, has never been honoUred by the Government of India; Raj Reddy has been honored with the Padma Bhushan; and the others with the Padma Vibhushan.

If an enterprising author wrote a book of profiles on the 42 scientists mentioned here, it would surely inspire all Indians, and particularly students at every level.

I cannot say if this article will ever reach Prime Minister Modi, but its very publication accomplishes my goal by bringing to the public's attention some of our outstanding scientists and their breathtaking contributions.

I hope that this article contains some information that will surprise and intrigue each reader. I welcome readers' feedback.

Dr Dan Mayur and Dr Papiya Sengupta Nandy, my college classmates and friends for over 50 years, contributed to this article. My literary ally Ms Molly Haight edited it.

Copyright Kalyan Singhal. Any publication is free to reprint this article in any language after informing the author at Ksinghal@ubalt.edu

Kalyan Singhal is an engineering and economics scientist and a historian of science and technology.

He is a 1967 graduate of IIT-Bombay at Mumbai; a former professor at IIM-Bangalore; a Fellow of INFORMS, along with several Nobel Laureates; lifetime editor of Production and Operations Management; lifetime co-editor of Management and Business Review.

He can be reached at Ksinghal@ubalt.edu

Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
Fire breaks out at enterprise in Dnipro due to Russian missile attack, at least one casualty  administration

A fire broke out at an enterprise in Dnipro as a result of a nighttime missile attack by Russia, there is a victim, Head of the regional military administration Serhiy Lysak said.

"Russian terrorists have committed another crime. At 04:20 at one of the enterprises of Dnipro. A fire broke out. Previously, one victim," he said in the Telegram channel.

Lysak urged to wait for official information.

"I warn bloggers who will post photos of responsibility," he said.
The In-Sight Photography crew is ready for Trick or Treaters on Main Street in Brattleboro in 2022.
The Brattleboro Police Department hosted a "Coffee with a Cop" event at the Collective Lounge in Brattleboro on June 26, 2023. The next Coffee with a Cop will be Aug. 28 at The Porch Cafe.
Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.

Bob Galvin, of Richmond, is the Vermont state director for the nonprofits Animal Wellness Action and Center for a Humane Economy. The opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of Vermont News & Media.
Ukrainian air defense has eliminated 16 missiles that attacked Ukraine at night, the press service of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) said.

"As a result of anti-aircraft combat, the forces and means of the Air Force, in cooperation with units of other components of the Defense Forces, destroyed 16 Kh-101 / Kh-555, Kaliber cruise missiles," the AFU said in the statement.

In addition, eight launches of enemy S-300S-400 anti-aircraft guided missiles were recorded in Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia regions.

It is reported that launches of at least 28 cruise missiles of various types were recorded. In particular, 4 X-22 cruise missiles - from six Tu-22M3 long-range aircraft (airfields based in Soltsy, Shaykovka).

Some 20 X-101/X-555 cruise missiles from 11 strategic aviation aircraft (airfields based at Engels, Olenegorsk) and four Kalibr cruise missiles from a frigate from the Black Sea (Yalta region).

The Air Force said an air alert was declared throughout Ukraine. Air defense worked in many regions, namely, anti-aircraft missile units, mobile fire groups, fighter aircraft, and close cover units.

Local military administrations will report on the consequences of the missile strike, destruction and casualties, the AFU Air Force said.
TBN Announces New Fall 2023 Program Lineup

America's faith and family broadcast leader hopes to reignite hope and inspire viewers.



NEWS PROVIDED BY

TBN

Aug. 15, 2023



LOS ANGELES, Aug. 15, 2023 /Standard Newswire/ -- TBN, America's faith-and-family broadcast leader, has announced a lineup of new, informative and inspirational programming for its upcoming fall broadcast schedule. The exclusive TBN shows offer inspirational Bible teachings  all designed to inform, encourage, and change hearts and lives.



Launching Thursday, August 31 at 9:30pm ET, God's Appointed Times with Rabbi Jason Sobel will explore the many different Jewish Holidays and what they mean for viewers today.



Airing Monday, September 11 at 10pm ET, The Daniel Dilemma with Chris Hodges will show viewers how to hold firmly to our biblical beliefs without losing our witness. Pastor Hodges will teach viewers to respond to today's hard questions without compromising truth or grace, all while standing firm and loving well. Inspired by the book of Daniel, this ten-part series will offer hope for Christians in a world that seems to reject everything faith based.



Dr. Robert Jeffress is back this fall with an all new show that is sure to bring hope and encouragement to viewers across the world. Premiering Saturday, September 23 at 7:30pm ET, 18 minutes with Jesus with Dr. Robert Jeffress will break down Jesus's Sermon on the Mount while sharing biblical truths that are often misunderstood in this famous sermon. While unpacking each verse, Dr. Jeffress will encourage viewers to take their Christian walk to the next level.



With this fresh batch of shows, TBN hopes to expand their reach into more households while focusing on content viewers care about most.



"TBN is committed to excellence in programming with content that encourages and inspires, while continuing to be a place viewers can trust," said TBN president Matt Crouch. "Our new lineup of shows offers engaging and relevant content to a wide range of viewers, and we are excited to share that with our audience this upcoming season." Find out more about TBN's new programming at tbn.org/programs.



About the Trinity Broadcasting Network

TBN is the world's most-watched faith-and-family network, reaching over 175 nations with inspirational programming in 17 languages on over 30 global networks. The original pioneer of faith-based television, TBN is expanding its reach to other markets, including publishing and innovative digital content  all for the purpose of reaching every viewer demographic with the life-changing message of hope and grace. Find out more at tbn.org.



SOURCE TBN



CONTACT: Jessica Brown Kramer, 404-545-8944, jessicar@epic.inc


The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) has removed from his post the head of the State Judicial Administration of Ukraine, who is suspected of inciting bribes to judges of the Supreme Court, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) said.

"On August 11, 2023, the investigating judge of the High Anti-Corruption Court partially granted the petition of the NABU detective, approved by the SAPO prosecutor, and removed the chairman of the State Judicial Administration of Ukraine, suspected of inciting to provide undue benefits to judges of the Supreme Court for ruling in favor of a commercial enterprise... from his position until September 24, 2023," SAPO said on its Telegram channel on Tuesday.

Earlier, a preventive measure in the form of UAH 805,200 bail was applied to the suspect.

Pretrial investigation in criminal proceedings continues.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Tuesday stressed on the importance of good law and order situation to take forward the economic and social activities in the state.

Addressing the 77th Independence Day celebrations after hoisting the national flag at the Polo ground here he said that three formal peace talks between the HNLC, Government of India and the state government are making steady progress.

The CM said Assam and Meghalaya are resolving the disputed interstate border and a historic Memorandum of Understanding was signed with Assam as a first step towards resolving the dispute.

He said his government has set a target to make the state a 10 billion US dollar economy by 2028.

"India is on the verge of becoming the world's third largest economy and growing to a size of 5 trillion US Dollar in the next five years. In resonance with that prediction, the Government of Meghalaya has set a target of making the state a 10 billion US Dollar economy by 2028, thereby doubling our GDP." The CM said this period of 2023-28 is a watershed period for all of us, consolidating the good work in the last five years and redoubling our efforts to build a model hill state in governance, ease of living and citizen happiness- a 'Magnificent Meghalaya'.

He said the state government has set a target to create five lakh employment opportunities in the next five years.

Highlighting how agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, sericulture and fisheries have the potential to create three lakh employment opportunities, the chief minister said high-value products - Lakadong Turmeric, Khasi Mandarin and Pineapples are now being exported to overseas markets of Europe and the Middle East.

"Pineapples from Meghalaya have been put on shelves in international malls at Abu Dhabi and Kuwait and closer home at Reliance Fresh outlets across Assam," he said, crediting the success to the continuous handholding and support provided to farmers collectives.

He also highlighted the creation of 44,000 Self-Help Groups (SHG) that helped women set up successful businesses and improve the well-being of their families and communities.

"The government will further strengthen the SHGs and village organisations and empower the 4 lakh women who are part of this collective," he said.

Sangma said his government's goal is to transform Meghalaya into India's most preferred tourist destination.

"We now have one of the most attractive Homestay Schemes in the country, providing a subsidy of up to 7 lakh rupees per homestay," he said, adding that 300 homestays were sanctioned in the last year and another 2,000 homestays in the next five years.

"Large accommodation units, experiential centres, amusement parks and viewing galleries in about 100 new villages to expand tourism beyond the established clusters," he said.

The chief minister also said that the state government is working with the Centre to strengthen infrastructure at the Indo-Bangladesh border like border haats, Land Customs Stations and Integrated Check Points to improve trade and make it part of the initiatives to double the economy.
A 35-year-old mother-of-two from Rajasthan's Dungarpur district to Kuwait 'eloped' with another man, police said Monday.

Deepika Patidar (35) fled with her friend Irfan Haidar. Her family came to know about it after photos of the woman wearing a burqa were shared on social media, the police said.

As news of her eloping became public, Patidar Samaj and other Hindu organisations demanded action and handed over a memorandum to the collector and the superintendent of police.

The woman's husband Mukesh Patidar, who works in Mumbai, lodged a missing person's complaint at Chitri police station on July 15.

Mukesh Patidar, who shared a son and a daughter with Deepika Patidar, told reporters on Monday that Haidar brainwashed his wife and converted her to Islam.

Haidar is a resident of Himmat Nagar in Gujarat, the police said.

The woman often visited Khed Brahma in Gujarat's Sabar Kantha to meet Haidar. It was later found that he took her to Kuwait, Chitri SHO Govind Singh said.

The matter is being investigated to ascertain how she met Haidar and secured a visa.
The Indian Embassy in Nepal celebrated the 77th Independence Day on Tuesday by felicitating widows and next of kin of deceased Gorkha soldiers of the Indian Armed Forces and disbursing their dues worth NPR 53.3 million.

The celebrations began at the embassy premises in Kathmandu with the hoisting of the Indian national flag by the Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Navin Srivastava.

The ambassador also conveyed his greetings on the occasion to diaspora members in Nepal and video clips of President Droupadi Murmu's speech to the nation broadcast overnight were shown.

Widows and next of kin of deceased Gorkha soldiers of the Indian Armed Forces were felicitated by the embassy by disbursing their dues worth NPR 53.3 million (NPR 5.33 crore).

The celebrations witnessed renditions of patriotic songs and performances by the students of Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre of the embassy and Kendriya Vidyalaya, Kathmandu.

Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda" took to social media platform X, formerly Twitter, and extended warm greetings and best wishes to PM Narendra Modi and the "friendly people of India for continued peace, progress and prosperity".

Taking to X, Foreign Minister N P Saud wrote, "As India celebrates its 77th Independence Day, I would like to convey warm greetings and felicitations to H.E. @DrSJaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India. Wish Happy Independence Day to the people and Government of India!" Officials from the Indian Embassy, along with representatives from the government of Nepal and Chandragiri municipality, jointly inaugurated the Shree Bishnudevi Secondary School's new building on the occasion. The school has been built with the Indian government's grant of NPR 69 million under a post-earthquake reconstruction in the education sector.

This was followed by the inauguration of Shilaphalakam - a memorial plaque dedicated to the spirit of sacrifices of veer, the Indian Embassy posted on X.

A Mitti Ki Yadein session was also held, wherein a video was showcased depicting unique facets of village life in India and Deputy Chief of Mission, Prasanna Shrivastava, administered the PanchPran Pledge to the Indian diaspora and the embassys officials.

The Panch Pran includes -- resolve to move the country ahead as a developed India, erase all traces of servitude, be proud of India's heritage and legacy, the strength of unity and solidarity and duties of citizens towards the nation. PTI SBP GRS AKJ GRS GRS
On Tuesday, India's External Affairs Minister, Dr. S Jaishankar, conveyed his warm wishes to South Korea on the occasion of its National Liberation Day and also extended greetings to Liechtenstein on its National Day. Using microblogging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, Jaishankar sent his best regards to his counterparts in Korea and Liechtenstein, as well as to the citizens of both countries, expressing anticipation of enhancing collaborative partnerships.

"Felicitations to FM Dominique Hasler and Government and people of Liechtenstein on their National Day. Look forward to further broaden & deepen our friendly ties," tweeted Jaishankar.

Felicitations to FM @DominiqueHasler and Government and people of Liechtenstein on their National Day.



Look forward to further broaden & deepen our friendly ties.  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) August 15, 2023

Wishing South Korea on their National Liberation Day, Jaishankar wrote, "Warm greetings to FM Park Jin and the Government and the people of the Republic of Korea on their National Day. Confident that our Special Strategic Partnership would keep advancing."

Warm greetings to @FMParkJin and the Government and the people of the Republic of Korea on their National Day.



Confident that our Special Strategic Partnership would keep advancing.  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) August 15, 2023

Apart from India, several other nations also commemorate their Independence Day on August 15. These include North Korea, South Korea, Congo, Bahrain, and Liechtenstein, as they all celebrate this day to honour the establishment of their respective independent nations.

North Korea & South Korea

The solitary public holiday that both North and South Korea share is the National Liberation Day of Korea, commonly referred to as Independence Day. This occasion traces its origins back to August 15, 1945, when the combined efforts of American and Soviet forces brought an end to Japan's occupation of the Korean peninsula during World War II. Subsequently, Korea underwent a division into North and South Korea after a span of three years.

In South Korea, this day is denoted as 'Gwangbokjeol,' signifying "the day the light returned," while in North Korea, it is acknowledged as 'Chogukhaebangui nal,' translating to "Liberation of the Fatherland Day."

Bahrain

August 15, 1971, marked the end of British colonial rule over Bahrain, more than two decades after India gained its independence. Bahrain's transition to independence followed a UN census of its population.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Independence Day was celebrated by Congo on August 15, 1960. This day is observed as Congo National Day by its citizens. The occasion commemorates the end of 80 years of French colonial rule and the country's attainment of independence.

Liechtenstein

August 15 holds significance for Liechtenstein as its National Day. This small European nation, situated between Austria and Switzerland in the European Alps, gained liberation from German rule in 1866. The choice of August 15 for this celebration has dual significance: it coincides with Assumption of Mary Day, an existing bank holiday, and is also close to the birthdate of the reigning ruler, Prince Franz Josef II, who was born on August 16.
On India's Independence Day, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai was illuminated with the colours of India's national flag, symbolising the tricolour. A video circulating on social media captures the moment when the world's tallest building was adorned with the Indian flag's hues, accompanied by the playing of the Indian National Anthem, 'Jana Gana Mana,' in the background.

The video was shared by multiple users on the microblogging platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

This incident occurred merely a day after a commotion caused by Pakistanis. A widely circulated video from Dubai captured the scene of numerous Pakistanis expressing their frustration when the Burj Khalifa did not illuminate with the Pakistan flag on the occassion of their Independence Day on August 14.

The video depicts large gatherings of Pakistani citizens gathering around the Burj Khalifa at midnight, anticipating the display of their national flag's colors. Regrettably, their hopes were dashed as the anticipated illumination did not take place.

Fact Check: The Pakistan flag was displayed at the Burj Khalifa

It is important to highlight that contrary to the previous events, the Pakistan flag was indeed showcased at the Burj Khalifa. A video capturing this moment was shared across various social media platforms, including Meta's Instagram, by the official pages of the iconic structure itself.

The video's caption read, #BurjKhalifa lights up to celebrate The Islamic Republic of Pakistans Independence Day. Wishing the people of Pakistan a day filled with pride, unity and prosperity as you celebrate the rich heritage and achievements of your great nation. May the future hold even greater success and happiness for all Pakistanis. Happy Independence Day!"

On Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a national address from the Red Fort to commemorate India's 77th Independence Day. The Prime Minister commenced his speech by addressing the citizens as "parivarjan," signifying a familial connection. He emphasised that India is observing the festival of democracy. Early in his address, the Prime Minister addressed the issue of violence in Manipur. He also delved into discussions about the country's economy and paid respects to various individuals.
The Government of Sweden decided on the next 13th package of military assistance for Ukraine for a total amount of almost $314 million; it will include, in particular, ammunition for air defense systems and combat vehicles, which the country has already transferred to Ukraine earlier, the Swedish government said.

"The government has decided on a new support package for Ukraine. The support includes ammunition and spare parts for several equipment systems that Sweden donated to Ukraine earlier," according to a press release posted on the Swedish government official website on Tuesday.

Sweden is also reportedly donating vehicles, rescue equipment and demining equipment. As noted, the government is currently receiving permission to sell the hunting robot RB 99 (AMRAAM) in the United States, which will then be donated to Ukraine.

"The total cost of the thirteenth support package is approximately SEK 3.4 billion. The support package also includes compensation to the Swedish Armed Forces, for example, transport and security costs," the press service said.
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the main Tamil political party in Sri Lanka, has renewed its demand for a federal system with self-determination rights, amidst President Ranil Wickremesinghe's efforts to implement the 13th amendment to the Constitution.

Last week, President Wickremesinghe made a special address to Parliament, urging all political parties to collaborate in the implementation of the 13A while excluding police powers.

However, TNA leader R Sampanthan in a letter addressed to the President on Monday reiterated the party's commitment to a federal solution.

We have repeatedly obtained a mandate from the Tamil populace in the north and east to work towards a political solution based on a federal structure consonant, with the right of self-determination in the area of our historical habitation, the letter stated.

Recalling India's pivotal role in 1987 on 13A, the veteran Tamil leader reminded Wickremesinghe that, despite the devolution of powers to the provinces envisioned by the amendment, the constitution's unitary nature has at times led to the central government reclaiming the devolved powers.

"India offered its good offices in 1983, which were accepted by the Sri Lankan government, culminating in the signing of the Indo-Lanka accord on July 29, 1987," he said in the letter.

The TNA urged Wickremesinghe to expeditiously implement all the powers granted to the provinces in the Constitution and hold the long-delayed provincial council elections.

The 13A was brought in after the India-Sri Lanka agreement of 1987. It created nine provinces as devolved units with a temporary merger of the Northern and Eastern provinces.

The elections for the nine provinces have been on hold since 2018 following a move to introduce electoral reforms. It now needs a parliamentary amendment to enable the elections to be held under the existing proportional representation system.

President Wickremesinghe has been reiterating that he would bring in the 13A amendment to make the system of provincial councils more meaningful by reducing the central government's powers to curb their functioning.

He has said the stalled provincial council elections could be held after the Parliaments agreement on their powers.

Wickremesinghe's actions have drawn criticism from hardline Sinhala majority groups and influential Buddhist clergy members. Several prominent monks have issued statements expressing their intent to challenge the president, alleging that his approach could pave the way for the establishment of a separate Tamil state in the northern and eastern regions.

Critics accuse Wickremesinghe of relying on the support of the Tamil minority to secure victory in the presidential election, scheduled for the last quarter of 2024.

Sri Lanka has had a long history of failed negotiations to end the Tamil claim of discrimination by allowing some form of political autonomy.

The Tamils put forward their demand for autonomy after gaining independence from Britain in 1948, which from the mid-70s turned into a bloody armed conflict.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) ran a military campaign for a separate Tamil homeland in the Northern and Eastern provinces of the island nation for nearly 30 years before its collapse in 2009 after the Sri Lankan Army killed its supreme leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.

According to Sri Lankan government figures, over 20,000 people are missing due to various conflicts, including the three-decade brutal war with Lankan Tamils in the north and east, which claimed at least 100,000 lives.
As India celebrates its 76th Independence Day, French President Emmanuel took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express France's solidarity with New Delhi. In his special post to mark the historic day, Macron shared some glimpses of Prime Minister Modis visit to France last month, where he took part in the Bastille Day Parade. In his tweet, Macron assured that India can count on France as a trusted friend and partner.

The visuals shared by Macron start off with Prime Minister Modi receiving the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour. Congratulations to the Indian people on your Independence Day! A month ago in Paris, my friend @narendramodi and I set new Indo-French ambitions all the way to 2047, the centenary year of Indias Independence, Macron wrote on Twitter. India can count on France as a trusted friend and partner, always, he added.

After receiving the highest civilian honour in France, PM Modi expressed gratitude to the French President. Its not just an honour for me, but it is also an honour for 1.4 billion of my fellow Indians, PM Modi said after receiving the honour.

Congratulations to the Indian people on your Independence Day!



A month ago in Paris, my friend @narendramodi and I set new Indo-French ambitions all the way to 2047, the centenary year of Indias Independence. India can count on France as a trusted friend and partner, always. https://t.co/ZBx1QSfSq3  Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 15, 2023

From the Bastille Day parade to the grand dinner at Louvre

Last Month, Prime Minister Modi received a grand welcome in France, making sure that the European nation felt the Modi magic. The Prime Minister made history after becoming the second Indian Prime Minister to take part in Frances Bastille Day Parade. Before PM Modi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had attended the ceremony in 2009.

During PM Modis visit, the grand Champs-Elysees in Paris witnessed the prowess of Indian might after a 241-member tri-Service Indian armed forces contingent led by a military band also participated in Europe's oldest and most significant military parade. Prime Minister Modi was also honoured with the famous Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, the highest civilian award in France. After concluding a grand dinner reception at Louvre, both Macron and PM Modi pledged to strengthen the Indo-French ties, all the way to 2047.

Nepal PM extends warm greetings

As wishes from leaders around the world poured in, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' extended warm greetings to PM Modi and the people of Nepal. On the auspicious occasion of the 77th Independence Day of India, I extend warm greetings and best wishes to PM @narendramodi ji and the friendly people of India for continued peace, progress and prosperity @PMOIndia, the Nepalese Prime Minister wrote on X.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his gratitude to global leaders for their messages and well-wishes on the occasion of the 77th Independence Day.

In response to a tweet by the President of the Republic of Maldives, the Prime Minister said, Thank you for the Independence Day greetings, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

Thank you for the Independence Day greetings, President @ibusolih. https://t.co/acxUMvadBF  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 15, 2023

Replying to a tweet by the Prime Minister of Bhutan, the PM Modi said, Gratitude for the wishes on our Independence Day, PM Bhutan Dr Lotay Tshering.

Gratitude for the wishes on our Independence Day, @PMBhutan Dr. Lotay Tshering. https://t.co/ly6pV3uSjk  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 15, 2023

In response to a tweet by the Prime Ministers Office of Nepal, the PM Modi wrote, Thank you, PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda for your warm wishes.

While thanking French President Emmanuel Macron, the PM Modi recalled his recent visit to Paris and said, Thankful for your kind wishes, President Emmanuel Macron. I fondly recall my visit to Paris and appreciate your passion towards boosting India-France ties.

Thankful for your kind wishes, President @EmmanuelMacron. I fondly recall my visit to Paris and appreciate your passion towards boosting India-France ties. https://t.co/hJWqxhcdUx  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 15, 2023

He also thanked his PM of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth for heartfelt greetings.

Thank you Prime Minister @KumarJugnauth for your heartfelt greetings. https://t.co/t5exnUvoQ1  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 15, 2023

'India will be a developed nation in 2047': PM Modi

During his address on the 77th Independence Day, PM Narendra Modi conveyed that as India commemorates its 100th year of freedom in 2047, it will have attained the status of a developed nation. He passionately urged the nation's 1.4 billion citizens to persistently pursue this vision without faltering. Speaking from the historic Red Fort, Modi emphasised that the country is resolutely advancing towards the goal of achieving a developed India by 2047.

"It's not just a dream but a resolve of 1.4 billion citizens. To fulfil that resolve, hard work is essential, but our national character is the most significant force. The countries that have progressed, the ones that have overcome challenges, all of them have had a crucial catalyst  their national character. We must further strengthen our national character and move forward," he said.

Furthermore, he highlighted that India stands as a nurturer of democracy and an exemplar of diversity. PM Modi underlined that despite the multitude of languages, dialects, and diverse attires, the nation must progress unitedly, incorporating the essence of all these facets.

"The dreams are many, the resolution is clear, the policies are clear. There is no question mark on intention. But we have to accept some realities and address them...my dear family members, today I have come to seek your help from the Red Fort, I have come to seek your blessings from the Red Fort.

"In the Amrit Kaal, in 2047, when the country will celebrate 100 years of independence, then the tricolour should be that of a developed India.

"We don't have to stop, we don't have to back down and for this, suchita (probity), pardarshita (transparency), nishpakshta (impartiality) are needed," he said.

In his speech lasting almost 90 minutes, the Prime Minister highlighted that India's power emanates from its citizens.
Twenty United Nations and other international organizations on Tuesday called for peace, access to humanitarian support and respect for human rights in Sudan at the four-month mark of a war that has led to food shortages, death and injury, and sexual violence, among other troubles.

Spokeswoman Margaret Harris of the World Health Organization appealed to the global community to do more, saying at a U.N. briefing in Geneva: The world is ignoring the dire needs.

Sudan was plunged into chaos in April when months of simmering tensions between the military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, exploded into open fighting in Khartoum and elsewhere. Since then, the U.N and rights groups have accused both the military and the RSF of numerous human rights violations, although both forces have rejected these accusations.

In Darfur, the scene of genocidal war in the early 2000s, the fighting has morphed into ethnic violence, with the RSF and allied Arab militias targeting African communities in the western region, U.N. officials say.

Meanwhile Sudans capital, Khartoum, has been reduced to an urban battlefield. Across the city, RSF forces have commandeered homes and turned them into operational bases, residents and doctors groups say. The army, in turn, has struck residential areas from the air and ground with artillery fire.

A host of U.N. organizations specializing in health, migration, refugees, human rights and food were among those who joined the call, saying that their two appeals for financial support  for a total of more than $3 billion  are less than 27% funded.

At least 4,000 people are estimated to have been killed, said Liz Throssell, a spokeswoman for the U.N. human rights office. Activists and doctors on the ground say the death toll is likely far higher.

The war has displaced more than 4.3 million people, including some 3.2 million within the country, said William Spindler, a spokesman for the UNHCR refugee agency.

Throssell said the U.N. has documented at least 28 incidents of rape, but that is believed to be fewer than the actual number.

Earlier this month, Amnesty International accused both sides of committing extensive war crimes, including deliberate killings of civilians and mass sexual assault. The group said almost all rape cases were blamed on the RSF and its allied Arab militias.

The U.N. humanitarian aid coordinator said its appeal for $2.57 billion for aid into Sudan has received only $651 million, while UNHCR said its appeal for $566 million has brought in just under $175 million.

For four gruesome months, the people of Sudan have been engulfed in a war that is destroying their lives and their homeland and violating their basic human rights, leaders of the organizations said in a joint statement.

People are dying because they cannot access health care services and medicine. And now, because of the war, Sudans children are wasting away for lack of food and nutrition, it said.

Each day the fighting continues, the Sudanese are being robbed of the peace they cherish, the lives they are entitled to, and the future they deserve, it added.

Previous attempts to halt the violence failed. There have been at least nine cease-fire agreements between the warring parties, brokered largely by Washington and Riyadh in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah during May and June, but all foundered.
The 10 activists from a coastal province were given one-year jail terms amid a lengthy land dispute.

Police prevent community members in Koh Kong province from traveling to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to submit a petition to the Ministry of Justice on June 29, 2023.

A provincial court on Tuesday sentenced 10 activists to one year in jail in a case that stems from several long-running land disputes that have triggered protests in Cambodias southwestern Koh Kong province.

The activists were arrested in late June after they tried to travel to Phnom Penh to submit a petition to the Ministry of Justice.

The Koh Kong Provincial Court convicted them of malicious denunciation and incitement to provoke chaos. They were ordered to pay 10 million riel (about US$2,400) to tycoon Heng Huy, whose company is involved in one of the land conflicts in the coastal province near the Thai border.

Illegal land grabs by developers or individuals are not uncommon in Cambodia, where officials and bureaucrats can be bribed to provide bogus land titles. Disputes over land are one of the major causes of social disturbances throughout Southeast Asia.

The activists have endured numerous disputes dating back as far as 2006, after companies linked to tycoons Ly Yong Phat and Heng Huy established sugar plantations on community land, the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights, or Licadho, said in a statement.

However, the activists efforts to protect their land have been continually met with authority-led harassment, it said.

Police threatened other community members who gathered in front of the provincial police station on June 30 after the arrests. They later prevented people from gathering in front of the provincial court.

But on Tuesday, about 100 people were able to demonstrate in front of the provincial court to show support for the defendants, activists told Radio Free Asia.

One defendants sentence was fully suspended, while the remaining nine intend to appeal, activists told RFA.

Other recent decisions

One of the defendants, Kert Nov, told RFA that she is worried about how her family will be affected if she is jailed.

I wont accept the one-year jail conviction because I didnt breach any law, she said. I will appeal the decision.

Radio Free Asia was unable to reach court spokesman Sou Sovannara and provincial Gov. Mithona Phuthong for comment on the sentences.

Several other court decisions were issued this month related to Koh Kong land disputes.

The Supreme Court on Aug. 4 upheld additional convictions of malicious denunciation and defamation against Det Huor, a representative of Koh Kong villagers who has led demonstrations in Phnom Penh.

On Aug. 2, the provincial court found two women activists, Phav Nheung and Seng Lin, guilty of defamation and incitement to provoke chaos. Both were sentenced to one years imprisonment and ordered to pay 40 million riel (approximately US$9,600) in compensation.

In Koh Kong, hundreds of villagers have also accused Ly Yong Phat, a senator from the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party and casino tycoon with business interests in the province, and the Chinese-backed Union Development Group, UDG, of encroaching on their land.

UDG is building a US$3.8 billion project that includes a seaport, resorts and casinos in Koh Kong.

Translated by Yun Samean. Edited by Matt Reed.
The long silence on Gao Zhisheng highlights the enforced 'disappearance' to target critics of Beijing

A solidarity rally is held in front of the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco on Sunday, Aug. 13, 2023, the sixth anniversary of the disappearance of Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng.

Six years after prominent human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng disappeared from his cave-dwelling home in the northern Chinese province of Shaanxi, rights groups and his family are still calling for his release.

Gao's wife Geng He said she has had no communication from him, nor any update about him from the authorities since he went missing, believed detained one year after he published a memoir about being tortured in prison.

"In the past six years that we have been looking for Gao Zhisheng, every day has truly felt like a year," Geng, who escaped to the United States with her son and daughter in January 2009, told a rally for his release in San Francisco at the weekend.

"Every time I look at my phone, I am reminded that ... when other people look at their phones, they can swipe through photos and videos of their loved ones," she said. "But our family has none of that."

"We don't have any photos or video of him, nor his phone number," Geng said on the Aug. 13 anniversary of her husband's disappearance.

"We don't know where he is, or if he's still alive," she said.

Fang Zheng, who heads the U.S.-based Chinese Democracy Education Foundation, told Radio Free Asia at the rally: "We'd like to shout out to Xi Jinping to free Gao Zhisheng."

"We want to know where Gao Zhisheng is, she said.

Utterly terrified

Jie Lijian, who heads the youth wing of the overseas-based China Democracy Party, said the government fears Gao and everything he stands for.

"They are utterly terrified of Gao Zhisheng," Jie said. "They're afraid that he will shine his light across the whole of China, and the Chinese Communist Party ... fears that more than anything."

Gao Zhisheng listens to journalists in his cave home while sitting near photos of his son and one of his daughter with former U.S. President George Bush, during an interview in northwestern China's Shaanxi province in early 2015. Credit: Paul Traynor/AP





Gao disappeared on Aug. 13, 2017, from a remote cave dwelling in Shaanxi where he was being held under house arrest following his release from prison in August 2014. Local police denied holding him when contacted by the family.

The Gao Zhisheng Lawyers' Concern Group headed by rights activist Ai Ming said in December 2017 that it had tracked him down, publishing a brief audio clip of Gao saying he was being held "in darkness" in conditions far worse than prison.

"Things weren't so bad in Shaya Prison," Gao says in the undated audio sent to RFA by Ai. "During my time there, I got to leave the closed cell at times. I also got to leave the prison building twice during those three years."

Gao said he was locked up in total darkness, in a room where the windows have been blacked out to prevent any natural light from coming in. He said it felt like being confined in an "infinite darkness."

Officials told Radio Free Asia at that time that his case was being managed by the local "stability maintenance" team.

Defending the vulnerable

Once a prominent lawyer feted by the government, Gao began to be targeted by the authorities after he defended some of Chinas most vulnerable people, including Christians, coal miners and followers of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement.

In a memoir published in 2016, Gao detailed the torture he later endured at the hands of the authorities during his time in prison, as well as three years of solitary confinement, during which he said he was sustained by his Christian faith and his hopes for China.

China's six-year silence on his whereabouts highlights the use of "disappearances" to silence critics of the ruling Communist Party, rights groups said in a call for his release.

"We ... call on the Chinese authorities to immediately and unconditionally release prominent human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng," an open letter signed by dozens of rights groups including Chinese Human Rights Defenders, Humanitarian China and Freedom House said.

"We also condemn the Chinese governments use of enforced disappearances as a tactic to silence and control activists, religious practitioners, Uyghurs and Tibetans, and even high-profile celebrities, entrepreneurs, and government officials," it said.

Geng He, the wife of Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng, is seen at a protest in this undated photo. She says she has had no communication from him, nor any update about him from the authorities since he went missing. Credit: Chinese Human Rights Defenders





U.S.-based Shandong legal scholar Chen Guangcheng said the government has repeatedly refused to give any explanation for Gao's disappearance.

"These responses from the Chinese Communist Party give the impression to the rest of the world that they are refusing to face the issue," Chen wrote in a recent blog post for RFA Mandarin.

"Yet this isn't the case  the Chinese Communist Party has never stopped its persecution and suppression of Gao Zhisheng."

Forced disappearances

In 2020, the Chinese government responded to a letter from six UN Special Rapporteurs enquiring after news of Gao: "In August 2014 Mr. Gao was released, having served his sentence. Since his release, the public security authorities have not taken any coercive measures against him."

Gao Zhishengs case falls under the humanitarian mandate of the U.N. Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, while the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued an opinion in 2010 stating that Gaos detention was arbitrary under international law.

The rights groups cited several other cases of rights lawyers and activists currently subjected to enforced disappearance in China, including rights lawyer Yu Wensheng and his wife Xu Yan, who were detained on their way to attend an event at the European Delegation in Beijing, "Bridge Man" banner protester Peng Lifa and Guangxi-based rights activist Jia Pin.

They said hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs remain in arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance in the northwestern region of Xinjiang, while similar tactics have been deployed in Tibet against the Panchen Lam, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, and rights activists Anya Sengdra, Dorjee Daktal, Kelsang Choklang, Dhongye, Rinchen Namdol, Tsultrim Gonpo, Jangchup Ngodup, Sogru Abhu and Namesy.

They also cited the disappearance from public view of former Foreign Minister Qin Gang, adding: "Even powerful and famous people in China are not immune to becoming victims of disappearances."

Translated with additional reporting by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.
Residents complain of being shortchanged on compensation for land lost to the project.

The Sino-Agri International Potash Co., Ltd. potash mine in Nong Bok district, Khammouane province, Laos, is seen in this May 28, 2023, satellite photo.

A Chinese company that operates a potash mine in central Laos will extend its exploration and excavation operations to a further 48 square kilometers (18.6 square miles) in Khammouane province on land used by villagers to make a living.

Some of the villagers have complained that Sino-Agri International Potash Co., Ltd. did not compensate them fairly or pay them anything at all. The firm is a subsidiary of Asia Potash International Investment (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd., which is linked to entities directed by Chinas governing State Council.

The company has completed a feasibility study on the extension and is waiting for Lao government officials to approve it, Chu Xiengli, Sino-Agris deputy director, told officials from the Ministry of Energy and Mines at a July 17 meeting.

Khao Phone Souklaphane, deputy director of the mineralogy sector of the Ministry of Energy and Mines, told attendees at the meeting that Sino-Agri completed the feasibility study in only 106 days, even though Lao officials believed it would take three to five years.

Much of the potash  a soluble form of potassium used for crop fertilizer  is exported to China, which has made acquiring more of the mineral a priority.

An affected villager in Nong Bok district told Radio Free Asia that the feasibility study indicated the expansion would encroach on land used by many Lao families, and that the company offered to pay them 30,000 kip (US$1.50) per square meter.

Some accepted, but others did not, and two or three villages were excluded from the project, he said.

It affected villagers rice fields, land for crop growing and houses, said the villager who declined to be named.

Most of the affected residents accepted the offer, though the amounts they were offered were low, said a villager in Tha Khek district.

The villagers had to accept because many had only one rice field and they could not ignore the government's order, he said.

To make matters worse, the government measured the land in 20-square-meter (215-square-foot) parcels but shortchanged the villagers by paying them only for 10-square-meter (108-square-foot) parcels, he said.

Little attention to environment, livelihoods

The mine company is now recruiting new laborers skilled in tunnel digging and welding for the expansion project, one worker told RFA.

Most Lao workers are from Khammouane province, but some are from other provinces, he said.

RFA reported in July that an influx of Chinese laborers at the potash mine pushed their number to about 3,000, far higher than that of Lao workers, who numbered about 100  despite an agreement that mine operators must hire more domestic workers than Chinese.

In recent months, some 1,000 Chinese workers have gone to the mine, prompting layoffs of Lao workers, many of whom have not been able to find jobs, residents and government officials said at the time.

The Khammouane provincial government and the Lao Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare set up a committee to determine the negative impacts of the project, said an official who declined to be identified because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

Right now, the company is not digging yet, but it is building the infrastructure to the mine and the factory, he said.

The mining area originally covered 35 square kilometers (13.5 square miles) when Sino-Agri began operations in Khammoune province in 2021. The company kept expanding the excavation area, and its operations now cover more than 214 square kilometers (83 square miles).

When the Lao government grants mining concessions to foreign companies  mostly Chinese firms  they pay little if any attention to the impact of their operations on the environment and livelihoods of locals, said a Lao mining expert.

Gold mine in Savannakhet

The Chinese also are involved in the mining and extraction of other valuable metals in Laos.

A gold mine in Sepon district of Savannakhet province has produced about six tons of gold  more than expected  this year, though villagers said they have not reaped any financial benefits and that the mining operations have destroyed forests and rivers that they and their animals use as water sources.

In 2018, Chinas Chifeng Jilong Gold Mining Co. bought a 90% stake in the mines operator, Lane Xang Minerals, for US$275 million from MMG Ltd., with the concession period extended to 2033.

Since a Chinese company bought this mine from Lane Xang Minerals, it has extended into digging in more areas, destroying more forestland, [and] polluting rivers with chemicals, said the resident who declined to be named for fear of retribution for speaking publicly.

In addition, the company has not developed local infrastructure, and residents have had difficulty getting food and generating income so they can feed their families, he added.

Translated by Sidney Khotpanya for RFA Lao. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.
Lao authorities have arrested two Chinese nationals [shown] on allegations they hired underage Lao girls to perform live-stream dances on social media. Blurring in the photo is from source.

Lao authorities have arrested two Chinese men for alleged human trafficking after they were found to have hired underage girls to perform in provocative videos on their TikTok channel, according to officials.

A joint force of police officers and the Lao governments anti-human trafficking unit conducted the arrest in Xayaburi province on Sunday after determining that at least eight girls had been paid by the men to produce the sexually explicit content.

The two Chinese men admitted to police that they had used social media to recruit girls who would perform on camera at their rented guesthouse with offers of 1-1.5 million kip (US$50-75) per month, said an official with the anti-human trafficking unit who, like others interviewed for this report, declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak with the media.

The men allegedly earned around 100 million kip (US$5,200) per month by running advertisements on their TikTok channel, depending on how many paying viewers it attracted.

Were not sure what kind of sentence authorities are pursuing, as the handling of the case is up to the police, an official with the public safety sector in Xayaburi province told RFA Lao. We know they were detained by police, but we dont know where.

The public safety official said that investigation into the extent of the operation is currently underway.

An official from the Lao Women Federation in Xayaburi province said they are concerned by the case and will follow up closely to prevent other underaged Lao girls from becoming victims of human trafficking.

We run a project to educate young men and women not to become victims of human trafficking  especially those who are unemployed, the official said.

Sending a message

RFA spoke with a guest house owner in Xayaburi who said that he believes the men rented their lodging from a Chinese national.

I dont know where the Chinese men were running their operation, but we all heard about the arrest, he said. The authorities have asked us to do background checks on Chinese renters. If they are real tourists, there wont be any problems, but there will be if they come here trying to do something else.

Another guest house owner told RFA that all proprietors in town are being cautious about renting to Chinese nationals after news about the arrest went public.

But we dont rent to Chinese here as our guest houses are too small, she said. Most Chinese nationals want to rent big houses to accommodate groups.

A resident of Xayaburi said that he wants the authorities to jail the two Chinese men to send a message to others who might want to set up a similar operation.

This kind of thing goes against Lao culture and will damage our dignity, he said. The authorities should crack down on this Chinese group and put them in jail.

The arrest follows a similar one on July 19, in which authorities detained Chinese nationals who paid Lao underaged girls to perform in a show on TikTok in an area nightclub. Requests by RFA to authorities for information on the status of the suspects went unanswered.

Human traffickers regularly lure people in with offers of high pay in glitzy casino towns around Southeast Asia  many built with the backing of Chinese criminal syndicates that operate in poorly policed borderlands difficult to reach.

Translated by Sidney Khotpanya. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.
Other inmates, including female prisoners, who participated were placed in solitary confinement.

The entrance of Tharyarwaddy Prison in Tharrawaddy, Bago region, Myanmar, is seen in this undated photo.

Two Burmese political prisoners beaten by the ruling military juntas prison authorities for participating in a ceremony marking Martyrs Day have died of their injuries, sources with knowledge of the situation said.

They were among four inmates authorities physically assaulted in Tharrawaddy Prison in Bago region on July 19 for marking the national holiday, RFA reported earlier.

The holiday marks the memory of renowned fallen figures within Burmas independence movement, including Gen. Aung San, father of deposed and jailed former State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, seven other independence leaders, and one bodyguard who were gunned down by a group of armed men in uniform while holding a cabinet meeting in Yangon on July 19, 1947.

The holiday is marked annually by both pro-democracy groups and the military junta, which seized control of the elected government in a February 2021 coup and later sentenced Suu Kyi to 33 years in prison following trials that rights groups have condemned as shams.

The two inmates  Than Toe Aung, organizer of the National League for Democracy's youth group in Yangons Thanlyin township, and Hla Soe from the town of Thone Sal in Bagos Tharrawaddy (Tharyarwady) district  died after they were taken to the prison hospital, sources close to the prison told RFA on Monday.

The other two beaten inmates also received treatment in the prison hospital.

They were among the inmates in the mens section of the detention center who held a saluting ceremony and discussion to commemorate Martyrs Day, while female prisoners in the womens section wore black ribbons.

Solitary confinement

Because of these activities, prison guards placed 16 male inmates and 15 females to solitary confinement. Four of them were severely tortured and had required medical treatment in prison since July 21.

Prison authorities have not notified the victims families about their deaths, Nyo Tun, a former political prisoner and a friend of Than Toe Aung, told Radio Free Asia.

The news that the two political prisoners have died came from not just one source, but from two or three from the prison, he said.

Than Toe Aung, serving six years in prison for violating the Explosive Substances Act, died on Aug. 5 from severe head injuries.

Hla Soe, serving 20 years for violating the Counter-terrorism Law, died on Aug. 8.

Thaik Tun Oo of the Myanmar Political Prisoners Network said he was able to confirm the death of the two prisoners.

RFA could not reach the spokesman of Myanmars Prison Department for comment.

Prison guards have allowed some of the female inmates who participated in commemorating the holiday to return to their cells, while the situation of the mens section remains unknown, said people close to the prison.

As of Aug. 14, more than 19,700 pro-democracy activists and civilians had been detained by authorities under the military junta since the February 2021 coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a Thailand-based rights group.

Translated by Myo Min Aung for RFA Burmese. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.
They are trying to use their last strategy of causing people direct mental pain, said one observer.

Residents in Chin state said that the bombing of two Christian churches in recent days were deliberate attacks by the military junta.

On Saturday, a Baptist church and a residential home were destroyed and seven people were injured after junta troops bombarded Ramthlo village in Falam township, a local resident and several pastors said.

And on Monday, four civilian homes  including one used as a Baptist church  were destroyed by the juntas aerial bombardment of Khuafo village in Thantlang township. A pastors home was also destroyed when two artillery shells were fired into the courtyard of the Baptist church in Hakha city Monday evening, they said.

Salai Dokhar, an observer of Chin issues, told Radio Free Asia that the junta is trying to cause mental anguish with the deliberate attacks on holy places valued by Chin people.

Churches are some of the things that these people revere most, said Dokhar, who is also the founder of India for Myanmar, an India-based pro-democracy group.

We assume that the junta choosing to attack such holy churches indicates that they are trying to use their last strategy of causing people direct mental pain in this situation of crisis when they are losing.

An airstrike by Myanmar junta forces destroyed this house in Khuafo village, Thantlang, Chin state on Aug. 14, 2023. Credit: Citizen journalist





A flagrant war crime

The churches were targeted without any provocation, according to a Hakha resident, who spoke to RFA on condition of anonymity for security reasons. No one was harmed in the attacks.

Targeting religious compounds and buildings is definitely against the will of God. It would be a different story if some armed groups were present but this is just an innocent church, said a Hakha Baptist Church bishop, who also refused to be named for security reasons.

It is purely a religious compound. They should have never done damage to such holy places. This should never happen in the future either, the bishop said.

The military junta hasnt released any news about the damage to the Christian churches. Junta spokesman and Chin state social minister Thant Zin didnt respond to RFAs attempt to reach him for comment.

Separately, a Christian temple in Set Kant village, south of Kale township in Sagaing region, was damaged by junta artillery on Friday, residents said.

A total of 85 religious buildings, including eight Christian churches, have been destroyed by junta airstrikes and arson in Chin state since the February 2021 military coup, according to the Chin Human Rights Organization.

Deliberately attacking religious buildings, churches, and hospitals is not only a clear neglect but also a flagrant war crime, the organizations executive officer, Salai Mang Hre Lian, told RFA.

Translated by Myo Min Aung. Edited by Matt Reed.
During a working trip to Zaporizhia region, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the locations of brigades leading offensive operations in Melitopol direction.

As reported on the website of the head of state on Tuesday, the president listened to the reports of commanders on the course of hostilities in the sectors of the front that are in their area of responsibility, and together with the brigade commanders and battalion commanders discussed the most problematic issues of their units.

In particular, the military noted the need for electronic warfare and front-line air defense systems to counter enemy aircraft and UAVs. There is also a need for unmanned aerial vehicles, since they are quickly consumed in the conditions of offensive operations.

Zelenskyy and the commanders of military formations discussed the issues of professional selection of people, equipping brigades with special equipment, the need for armored evacuation vehicles.

The President instructed to systematize the requests of the military, taking into account also the information voiced during the visit to Soledar operative-tactical group on Monday, to submit them to the Supreme Commander's Headquarters for consideration and to transfer them to Ukraine's foreign partners.

Zelenskyy met with commander of the operational-strategic grouping of troops Tavria Oleksandr Tarnavsky and visited the locations of the 3rd operational Brigade named after Colonel Petro Bolbochan of the National Guard of Ukraine, the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade (OMBr) Mahura, the 117th separate brigade, the 15th operational brigade named after the Hero of Ukraine Lieutenant Bohdan Zavada of the National Guard of Ukraine, the 65th OMBr, the 116th OMBr, as well as at the forward control points of the 46th separate Airmobile Brigade of the Airborne Assault Troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the 118th OMBr.
More than 50 officers and their family members deserted Myanmars military and joined the anti-junta Civil Disobedience Movement in the first two weeks of August, according to an official with the shadow National Unity Government, or NUG.

Among the defectors were two officers holding the rank of major, three captains and 10 servicemen holding various other ranks, said Maung Maung Swe, the spokesman for the NUGs Ministry of Defense.

Approximately 14 people tried to connect with us through the Peoples Embrace, he said, referring to a group that works with military deserters. According to the list we received from all over the country, more than 50 people have joined us in two weeks.

Several of the deserters came from units based in northwestern Myanmars Chin state and Kayah state in the countrys east, Maung Maung Swe said.

Just yesterday, two junta soldiers involved in attacking Let Khat Taung Hill in Myawaddy joined us and brought their weapons, he said, referring to a township in Kayin state on the border with Thailand.

Sergeant Zey Ya of the Peoples Goal, a group assisting CDM employees, told RFA that while 50 officers and their families switched sides in the past two weeks, more deserters left junta bases and are hiding on their own without connecting with the armed resistance.

Zey Ya said that the deserters may have been prompted to leave ahead of a junta plan to upgrade national registration cards to smart cards that would make it harder for them to do so because they will be linked to a computer network.

The junta is planning to upgrade national registration cards to smart cards nationwide so that those who are planning to desert wont be able to run, he said. Those familiar with the juntas plan knew it would begin with military service members and started fleeing because once these smart cards are in use, they wont be able to get through the juntas checkpoints.

The desertions come amid increased military offensives that include airstrikes and mortars in Myanmars Sagaing, Magway and Tanintharyi regions, as well as in Chin, Kachin, Shan, Kayah and Kayin states.

However, reports from armed ethnic groups claim that the junta has lost military camps in Kayah, Kayin and Kachin state, despite the reported spike in offensives. The junta does not typically publish information about the status of its military bases, and RFA was unable to independently verify the claims.

Troops have lost heart and confidence

Officers who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement, or CDM, of government employees who have left their jobs in protest of the militarys Feb. 1, 2021, coup detat, said that the morale among service members is flagging as soldiers have lost heart.

Myanmar army troops patrol in the sub-township of Kawng Hkar in Kutkai, northern Shan State, March 6, 2020. Credit: RFA

A deserter captain from Chin state who joined the CDM told RFA that junta authorities no longer trust soldiers enough to post them on individual guard duty anymore.

Despite the shortage of personnel, they post two guards on sentry but allow them only one rifle, said the deserter, who gave his name as Captain Block, citing security concerns. This means that if they choose to desert, the military would lose only one rifle.

Attempts by RFA to contact junta Deputy Information Minister Major Gen. Zaw Min Tun for comment went unanswered Tuesday. RFA was also unable to contact Thant Zin, the junta spokesman for Chin state.

Maung Maung Swe, of the NUGs Ministry of Defense, said there are two main reasons he sees for the increase in desertions.

The first one is that service members have come to realize that, as the war escalates, their lives have no guarantee if they continue to stand with the junta, he said. The second reason is that theyve lost trust in their fellow troops.

He noted an increase in reports from the CDM of dismissals and killings within the militarys own ranks, including one recent incident that led to the dismissal of more than 60 servicemen.

One officer was promoted to the rank of general one day and disappeared the next day, and similar incidents like that are increasingly happening within the military, he said. When the soldiers dismiss and kill each other like that, it shows that the military is disintegrating and its troops no longer have confidence.

Translated by Myo Min Aung. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.
The men were fleeing fighting on the other side of the Ayeyarwady river.

The remains of homes burned down by junta troops in Mu Mandalay village, Myinmu township Sagaing region on July 18, 2023.

Junta troops killed four civilians in a raid on a village in Sagaing regions Myinmu township, residents told RFA Tuesday.

More than 40 soldiers took part in Mondays raid on Ywar Thar Lay, burning down three of the villages 50 homes.

A resident, who didnt want to be named for security reasons, told RFA a 30-year old man and three men in their 40s were shot dead by the troops.

They had crossed the Ayeyarwady river to escape the fighting, the local said.

Four displaced people were killed and two were injured when the junta troops in Myinmu township raided Ywar Thar Lay village where those people were staying.

Locals said the column has now left the village but junta raids continue on the other side of the river in Mandalay region.

On August 5, troops killed a 60-year-old man in Yae Lel Thaung, sending villagers fleeing across the Ayeyarwady, thinking it was safer in Myinmu township.

The junta hasnt released a statement on the fighting.

RFA called the junta spokesperson for Sagaing region, Saw Naing and the spokesperson for Mandalay region, Thein Htay, but they did not answer.

Nearly 4,000 civilians have been killed by the junta since it seized power in a February 2021 coup according to independent monitoring group the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Mike Firn and Taejun Kang.
The education of girls and women is universally accepted in more than 200 countries and territories, including nearly 50 Muslim-majority nations.

But Afghanistans hard-line Islamist Taliban rulers have banned teenage girls from attending school after the sixth grade since they returned to power two years ago. The ban was extended in December to women in universities.

Countless protests by Afghans inside the country, pressure from the international community, and lobbying by Muslim scholars and clerics have failed to convince the fundamentalist Taliban leaders to reopen schools.



Experts are divided over whether the ban is rooted in how the Talibans interpretation of Islam is shaped by conservative Pashtun tribal customs and cultural practices or if it is prompted by how senior Taliban ideologues interpret Islamic teachings.



Most Taliban leaders are ethnic Pashtun, Sunni Muslim clerics. Many were educated in Deobandi madrasahs in neighboring Pakistan. Deobandism emerged as a puritanical Islamic revivalist movement in 19-century British Colonial India. Based on the Sunni Hanafi school of jurisprudence, it is a prominent strain among Islamists in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Tribal Influences

Sami Yousafzai, a veteran Afghan journalist and commentator, argues that the Taliban restrictions against women are linked to social customs and cultural practices in eastern and southern Afghanistan.

Most Taliban leaders come from various Pashtun rural tribal communities in these regions bordering Pakistan.

"They believe that a woman's place is either inside a house or in a grave," Yousafzai said of the basic Taliban belief influenced by the status of women in the families of clerics and religious leaders in these Pashtun regions.

Women living in the households of the current Taliban policymakers were never educated and never left their homes, said Yousafzai, who has tracked the Islamist group since it emerged as a ragtag militia in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar in late 1994. These women never performed any government or nongovernmental jobs.

Yousafzai says the Taliban backs policies shaped by this worldview by leaning on Islamic teachings supporting such ideas. He says Taliban leaders rely on sayings attributed to the Prophet Muhammad that discourage women from leaving their homes.

Their primary belief is that pubescent girls should not leave home under any circumstance, he said. This is why they view women leaving home for education or work as engaging in moral corruption.

In Afghanistan, a Muslim nation of some 40 million people, activists and rights advocates accuse the Taliban of implementing "gender apartheid" by denying women education, work, freedom of movement, and deciding how they can appear in public.

Most Muslims agree that Islam allows women to get an education. Yet the Taliban publicly says that it will allow girls access to education only after ensuring complete gender segregation and other unspecified conditions.

Almost all Afghan secondary schools were gender segregated and universities imposed a strict separation between men and women after the Taliban takeover.



Yousafzai says in conservative and traditional Muslim societies around the world, some clerics also favor restrictions on women's education, work, and their role in public life. But the governments in those countries usually oppose or limit such ideas.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia -- one of the most conservative Sunni Muslim nations -- has allowed women to drive and granted them freedom of movement without a male guardian. These steps are part of a reform and modernity drive by Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman.

The Taliban ban on education has invited universal condemnation from Muslims globally.

The Taliban's ban on women's education is not rooted in [the Islamic] Sharia law but rather reflects cultural biases that contradict the teachings of Islam, said Salam al-Marayati, president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council in the United States.

He said that contrary to Taliban practices, Islam emphasizes the importance of seeking knowledge and encourages all individuals, regardless of gender, to acquire an education.

Historical Conflict

But Islamic scholars and those who have attempted to convince the Taliban about reopening girls schools offer a different explanation.

John Mohammad Butt, an Islamic scholar and former BBC broadcaster who is the only Westerner to graduate from Indias Darul Uloom Deoband, argues that the Taliban's policy on girls' education is not tribal but shaped by the century-old conflict over modern education.

The problem is that girls' education in Afghanistan -- indeed, contemporary education in general -- has generally been introduced in Afghanistan in line with a secular agenda, he said.



In the 1920s, a coalition of conservative clerics and tribal and community leaders deposed reformist King Amanullah Khan. He wanted to modernize Afghanistan along Turkish leader Kamal Ataturk's secular lines and championed modern education and rights for women.

This opposition to modernity and secularism continued, and conservative clerics opposed women's education and work. It became a key part of the Islamist opposition to the pro-Soviet Afghan communist governments after the April 1978 military coup that ended the Afghan monarchy. The mujahedin accused the communists of spreading immorality by promoting womens education and empowerment.

This has led to particular wariness on the part of conservative circles in Afghanistan with regard to girls' education, Butt said.

'Deep Ideological Conviction'

Obaidullah Baheer, a political science lecturer at the American University of Afghanistan, became part of an effort to rescind the ban by talking to the Taliban last year.

But he says the effort failed because the ban is a matter of deep ideological conviction for the current supreme leader of the Taliban, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada.

Baheer says that the most prominent Taliban leaders have studied in Pakistani madrasahs and were thus disconnected from village and tribal life.

They have been indoctrinated by the Deobandi school of thought so that they now enforce the strictest version of Islam on the Afghan population, he said.

He argues that the ban on girls schools is a deliberate policy championed by Akhundzada, who he says has endorsed Taliban Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani's Arabic language book The Islamic Emirate And Its System. In this book, Haqqani supports a fringe Islamic opinion of preferring the choice of one of the Prophet Muhammad's wives, Sawdah Bint Zam'ah, who chose to stay at home until her death.

Baheer says Haqqani ignores his other wives and other female companions that played an active role in many sectors of society and how they served as students and teachers for men.

This fringe opinion is not held by all Taliban leaders but is one that the current absolute sovereign, the Taliban emir, seems to be convinced of, he said.

Butt says that even Haqqani has acknowledged the principle that if there is something that women need to act upon, then that is also something that women need to learn about.

I hope the Taliban authorities will come to realize in the not-too-distant future that education for women will make Afghan women into better Muslims, he says. It will enable them to make a stronger contribution to the well-being of their country.



Two years after grappling with the issue, Western diplomats appear to be encouraging Afghan conservative and clerical circles to find ways to end the ban.

Tom West, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan, recently tweeted that Afghan women must be educated and contribute to the economy to help their country stand on its own two feet.

If change to policies is made, it will be because Afghans have asked for it, not a result of foreign requests, he wrote.
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
ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- New Uzbekistan, New Kazakhstan, NewKyrgyzstan?



In Central Asia, leaders are talking up fresh pages, new chapters -- even new countries.



In Uzbekistan, President Shavkat Mirziyoev made New Uzbekistan the catchphrase of his 2021 reelection campaign, five years after he became the countrys second head of state.



Next door, Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev caught the bug a few months later.



He coined New Kazakhstan some three years after he ascended to the presidency, and after the worst violence in the oil-rich republics years of independence finally left his meddlesome predecessor, Nursultan Nazarbaev, out in the political cold.



Now Kyrgyzstans leader, Sadyr Japarov, is at it, too.



At the beginning of this month, Kyrgyz media reported on the publication of a new book authored by the president titled The Path To Building A New Kyrgyzstan, in which Japarov lays out his vision for the development of the impoverished country.



But in any of these cases, how new is new, really?



Assel Tutumlu, a lecturer at the International Relations and Political Science Department at the Near East University in Cyprus, noted that the strategies of the five former Soviet countries of Central Asia are remarkably consistent.

Central Asian states have been very much engaged in trying to ensure the stability of their regimes while retaining a framework of political economy, whereby most of the economic benefit goes through a very small clique, Tutumlu said in a recent episode of RFE/RLs Majlis Podcast, which was titled Exploring Central Asias Present And Future.



At the same time we see that populations are changing. That, to me, is what is new about Central Asia, Tutumlu added in the discussion.



The Long March To New Kyrgyzstan



Given that Kyrgyzstan is the Central Asian country that has seen the most change in terms of leadership -- six presidents, of whom three were forced from power -- it is perhaps ironic that Japarov, unlike Mirziyoev and Toqaev, is not claiming that Kyrgyz are already living in their new country.



To the contrary, it will take at least 20-30 years to build a new Kyrgyzstan, Japarov wrote in his new book, calling on the multinational people of Kyrgyzstan to begin building Kyrgyzstan together.

This is the second book attributed to Japarov, with more than 40,000 copies printed.

An earlier tome released in 2015 -- when Japarov was still in opposition sitting in a jail -- saw him fire broadsides at his political rivals, chiefly then-President Almazbek Atambaev.



This work is far more statesmanlike, targeting big concepts like poverty, justice, and the green economy, even if Japarovs prescriptions for Kyrgyzstans success in these fields are vague.



One thing that is clear is that Japarov the president no longer looks favorably on the Kyrgyz street-protest culture that propelled Japarov the opposition figure from a prison cell to the presidency in less than two weeks in 2020.



In the book he notes that democracy depends on the observance of the rule of law by both ordinary citizens, people, and the authorities.



Democracy must not be allowed to turn into anarchy! he warns.



Few would deny that Japarov has changed Kyrgyzstan at some level.



The 2021 constitution passed by referendum strengthened his office at parliaments expense while doing away with a clause preventing incumbents from running for a second term.



Yet in many ways that has simply reset the political system to the one that existed under the authoritarian administration of second President Kurmanbek Bakiev, in which Japarov headed an agency charged with fighting corruption prior to a 2010 revolution.



Japarov acknowledges there is a long way to go in continuing that fight, citing the example of police reform in his book.



Let's be honest, in most cases ordinary citizens do not receive proper protection from law enforcement agencies, he wrote. On the contrary, they become victims of the actions of individual representatives of law enforcement agencies.



But is Kyrgyzstans head of state a long-term solution to the problem or just a part of it?

Among the achievements that Japarov listed as putting Kyrgyzstan on its path to newness is the state takeover of the Kumtor gold mine -- a move that boosted the new presidents appeal early in his term.



Since then, however, at least two prominent figures formerly known as allies of the president have been either dismissed or jailed in connection with alleged corruption schemes linked to the mine.



And there is plenty of evidence that nefarious figures, who enjoyed the protection of previous presidents -- from drug kingpins to former customs officials -- continue to enjoy impunity while critics of the president face pressure and jail.



I'm Newer Than You



Anyone waiting for new versions of two other Central Asian states, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, might be waiting a long time.



The reason for that is simple enough.

Veteran leaders Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan and Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov are still running the shows in their respective republics, even if Turkmenistans Berdymukhamedov has allowed his son, Serdar, to take the presidential hot seat.



But in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan -- Central Asias two largest countries by population and economy -- new rulers have found it convenient to put distance between themselves and long-sitting first presidents who came to be associated with everything wrong in the country.



That necessity has only grown as demand for change in both nations heats up.



Speaking on June 17, Toqaev called Kazakhstan, the only country in our wider region that has carried out such substantial changes in the political system in such a short time.



We have formed a qualitatively different configuration of key institutions of power, significantly expanded the participation of citizens in decision-making, and comprehensively strengthened the system for protecting human rights and freedoms, Toqaev claimed, calling the current system more fair, open, and competitive.

Those boasts are certainly questionable for anyone on the ground in Kazakhstan.



Although this years parliamentary elections did feature opposition candidates, not one of them won a seat in the legislature.



Meanwhile, several of them presented video evidence that they claimed showed ballot-rigging in favor of more palatable candidates to the state.



Uzbekistan can make a stronger claim to an overhaul, in part due to the very low bar set by the ultra-authoritarian administration of Mirziyoevs former boss and Uzbekistans first president, Islam Karimov.



As noted by Columbia Universitys Alexander Cooley, another political scientist who took part in the Majlis podcast discussion, Karimovs was a government that almost as a badge of honor didnt care what [its] international image was.



Mirziyoevs administration has proven more sensitive to foreign perceptions, not to mention hungry for credit and investors.

The former prime ministers first term, therefore, saw the country lavished with praise as his government cracked down on systemic forced labor, permitted some freedom of speech, and made its national currency fully convertible.



Those reforms, which earned Uzbekistan The Economists country of the year honor in 2019, have lost momentum since then.



What hasnt, according to several investigations carried out by RFE/RLs Uzbek Service, are the business empires of key members of the ruling family -- a regional tradition almost as old as Central Asias ex-Soviet independence.

Still, it is perhaps unrealistic to expect politicians from any country to pass up branding opportunities, according to Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili, founding director of the Center for Governance and Markets at the University of Pittsburgh.



Compared to some of the extravagant political branding seen in many Western democracies, New Kyrgyzstan and New Uzbekistan are pretty milquetoast, she told RFE/RL.



The use of the title new is clever because it implies [something] different, but is so generic that it doesnt provide a lot of insight into what direction these countries are going. That seems intentional, Murtazashvili said.



After initiating constitutional-reform drives, Central Asian leaders want to help people understand the impact of the changes with their own branding. This speaks to the fact that leaders, even in authoritarian states, face public constraints on their power, she added.
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
4 In May 2022, the Taliban decreed that women in public must wear all-encompassing robes and cover their faces except for their eyes. It also told them to stay at home unless they have important work outside the house.
Talks about Ukraine's accession to NATO in exchange for giving away part of Ukrainian territories absolutely unacceptable  MFA

Spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine Oleh Nikolenko has said, commenting on recent statement by Director of the Private Office of the NATO Secretary General Stian Jenssen, that talks on Ukraine's accession to NATO in exchange for a refusal from part of its territories are absolutely unacceptable.

"We always assumed that the Alliance, just like Ukraine, does not trade its territories. Conscious or unconscious engagement of NATO officials in forming a narrative about Ukraine's refusal from its territories plays into the hands of Russia. It is for the benefit of Euro-Atlantic security to discuss ways of speeding up Ukraine's victory and gaining full membership in NATO," he said on Facebook on Tuesday.

The ministry also emphasized that Ukraine is committed to further fruitful cooperation with NATO Secretariat for achieving these goals.

As reported, Jenssen admitted that Ukraine could become a member of NATO in case of territorial concessions to Russia. He also stressed that it is only Kyiv that should make such a decision.
Russia launched a major air attack using cruise missiles on western Ukraine early on August 15, with officials reporting at least three people dead and many others injured. Ukraine's air force said it shot down 16 of the 28 cruise missiles launched from both air and sea, but others hit areas in the Lviv and Volyn regions, which lie near the border with NATO-member Poland.
Ukraine calls on partners to impose sanctions against the owner and designer of the company - the manufacturer of Russian Lancet and Orlan drones.

"Lancet is one of the main combat units that the enemy uses at the front against our armored vehicles, air defense systems, radars, and more. Just like other Zala Aero products. Orlan is a reconnaissance aircraft that detects positions and corrects fire," Andriy Yermak, head of the President's Office of Ukraine, wrote on his Telegram channel on Tuesday.

Yermak noted that "sanctions have already been imposed against the owner and designer of ZALA AERO, Alexander Zakharov. Now they are Ukrainian, but we are working to ensure that it falls under the sanctions of our partners."

"In addition, Ukrainian, European, American and Australian restrictions have been introduced against CST LLC, the main legal entity of ZALA AERO. There will be other Ukrainian sanctions," he wrote.

Also, Yermak noted, "we know that the Lancet UAV contains at least 19 foreign electronic components, in particular Western ones. The Orlan UAV also has a lot."

"The McFaul-Yermak group will soon submit a document with specific sanctions proposals to exclude the entry of microelectronics, machine tools and other equipment necessary for the production of UAVs, as well as chemicals and other materials. In addition, we are also working in the direction of Russian electronic warfare and radar stations, the production of which depends on foreign components. This is important for the offensive," he wrote.
A RELAPSED paedophile caught after accessing sickening images  including one of a toddler being raped  escaped a jail sentence by the skin of his teeth.

David Hall (57) was given a ten-year sexual harm prevention order  the maximum allowed  and sentenced to two years in prison suspended for two years after a judge heard how he had breached a previous order by viewing child sexual abuse images and those depicting bestiality.

Hall, of Walnut Grove, Mexborough, was told it was his last chance to avoid going to jail by Judge Michael Slater, who warned him: Any breaches of this order will be brought before me.

There's simply no way you will escape entering custody should that occur.

Sheffield Crown Court heard on Monday that Hall was subject to a seven-year SHPO imposed in 2018 for previous offences of accessing indecent images and extreme pornography.

Mr Ben Whittingham said police had received intelligence in September 2021 that illegal material had been accessed from Halls address.

When they searched the property, he said, they found a previously wiped laptop with evidence he had accessed seven Category A images  the most extreme class  plus three and seven in Categories B and C and three more depicting bestiality.

Mr Whittingham added: There was evidence of deliberate searching for this material and bookmarking of this material.

Police had also found clear signs Hall had used peer-to-peer file-sharing software and searched for child abuse images as recently as the previous month.

Hall made no comment to police but later admitted breaching an SHPO, possessing extreme pornography and indecent images of children.

Mr Richard Adams, mitigating, said Halls marriage had broken up following an absence of intimacy and his previous rehabilitation course had been cut short by the Covid pandemic.

Following the death of his mother and increased stress at work after taking on a more senior role without any choice, he had effectively relapsed, said the barrister.

Hall had been in a relationship for two years with a new partner for whom he acted as a carer and had attempted to prevent further offending by having no laptop and only using a simple mobile phone, said Mr Adams.

He added: He has made a particular effort to avert the circumstances within which temptation tends to occur.

This is a man, at his core a good upstanding citizen, who has, through emotional pressure, sadly committed a repeat offence.

The judge told Hall he would be sentenced to the maximum the law permits me to impose without him immediately going to jail.

He noted the defendant had not had the chance to complete an accredited rehabilitation course before, with the Covid pandemic putting paid to group therapy sessions, and said he would be given that opportunity, ordering him to complete up to 40 sessions of a programme recommended by probation officers as well as up to 35 rehabilitation activity days.

I'm giving you an opportunity, said the judge. Should you not take it, you know what the consequences will be.
PM Modi at Red Fort, Delhi

Prime Minister was greeted by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh

NEW-DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi graced the Red Fort with his presence on Tuesday morning to mark the 76th Independence Day celebration. With unwavering dedication, he unfurled the tricolor for the remarkable 10th consecutive time against the historic backdrop of the fort. The ceremony was further amplified by a ceremonial 21-gun salute that echoed the nation's respect and reverence.

Upon his arrival at the Red Fort, the Prime Minister was greeted by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and the Chiefs of the three armed forces. Their warm reception set the tone for the eventful day, as the nation came together to honor its heritage and progress. As tradition dictates, Prime Minister Modi conducted an inspection of the Salute Guard, acknowledging the valiant soldiers who stand at the forefront of safeguarding the nation's sovereignty.

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The subsequent moments carried a sense of camaraderie and unity as Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, along with Minister of State for Defense Ajay Bhatt, Chief of Defense Staff General Anil Chauhan, Army Chief General Manoj Pandey, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar, and Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhary, extended their warm welcomes. With the tricolor billowing majestically above, two advanced light helicopters Mark-III Dhruva of the Indian Air Force executed a graceful flower shower, adding a touch of spectacle to the proceedings.

Notably, The Red Fort, a monument resonating with historical significance, witnessed yet another chapter of India's march towards progress under his leadership. As the nation celebrated its hard-fought freedom and resilience, the Prime Minister's address to the nation was highly anticipated, expected to encapsulate the spirit of the occasion and outline the path ahead.
PM Modi

Collective Spirit of India stands beside Manipur's People: PM Modi

NEW-DELHI: Marking the 76th anniversary of India's independence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered his heartfelt address from the iconic Red Fort. His 10th speech from this historic venue was characterized by a message of solidarity and progress, where he invoked the spirit of familial togetherness that binds the nation as one.

In a poignant opening, Prime Minister Modi turned his attention towards Manipur, a state that has grappled with violence and unrest for several months. Expressing optimism, he shared, "There was a period of turmoil in Manipur, where precious lives were lost and the dignity of mothers and daughters was compromised. However, we now witness a consistent stream of news reporting peace emerging from the region." This encouraging shift, he attributed to the collaborative efforts of both state and central governments in resolving the issues at hand.

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Underscoring his commitment to the well-being of the people of Manipur, the Prime Minister assured them that the entire nation stands in unwavering support. Emphasizing that lasting solutions can only be attained through peaceful means, he called upon the citizens of Manipur to embrace this path towards reconciliation.

Reflecting on the tumultuous year that various states across the nation have endured, the Prime Minister extended his heartfelt condolences to all those impacted by unforeseen crises. He assured the affected families that the government stands committed to collaborative efforts aimed at surmounting these challenges. The 76th Independence Day celebration echoed the sentiment of unity that has fueled India's journey for decades.
Adviser to head of the Presidents Office, Mykhailo Podoliak, sharply criticized the idea of Ukraine's membership in NATO when it renounced part of its territory.

Earlier, according to the Danish edition of VG, the possibility of this was stated by chief of staff of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels, Stian Jenssen.

"I think a possible solution for Ukraine could be to give up the territory in exhcange for NATO membership" Jenssen said during a group debate in Arendal on Tuesday morning.

Trading territory for a NATO umbrella? It is ridiculous. That means deliberately choosing the defeat of democracy, encouraging a global criminal, preserving the Russian regime, destroying international law, and passing the war on to other generations, Podoliak said on Twitter.

Obviously, if Putin does not suffer a crushing defeat, the political regime in Russia does not change, and war criminals are not punished, the war will definitely return with Russia's appetite for more, he believes.

According to Podoliak, attempts to preserve the world order and establish a "bad peace" through, let's be honest, Putin's triumph will not bring peace to the world, but will bring both dishonour and war.

This applies to any format of a new "division of Europe": including under the NATO umbrella. Then why propose the scenario of a freeze, so desired by Russia, instead of speeding up the supply of weapons? he said.
Independence Day Celebrations at Attari Border

Senior Officers of the BSF presented traditional sweets to the Pakistani Rangers

AMRITSAR: Marking the 76th year of its independence, India commemorated its Independence Day with a heartwarming display of goodwill at the Attari-Wagah border in Amritsar. In a gesture that fosters amity between the neighboring nations, India extended its felicitations to the Pakistan Rangers on Monday, highlighting the spirit of camaraderie that transcends boundaries.

Amidst a backdrop of historical significance, the Attari border became a platform for the exchange of warm greetings and gestures of friendship. On this occasion, the gates between India and Pakistan were temporarily opened during the afternoon hours, and senior officials from both sides convened at the Zero Line, symbolizing a bridge of unity.

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Diplomacy intertwined with symbolism as senior officers of the Border Security Force (BSF) presented traditional sweets to their counterparts from the Pakistani Rangers. In a heartening reciprocity, the Pakistani Rangers expressed their gratitude by also offering sweets to the BSF officers. This exchange of confectionery reflected not only mutual respect but a shared desire for harmonious relations between the two nations.

Beyond the formalities of official representatives, the soldiers stationed at the border enthusiastically joined in the celebration of camaraderie. They exchanged sweets, shared handshakes, and wished each other peace and prosperity. The occasion carried a message of unity that reverberated throughout the region, transcending political differences and emphasizing the humanity that binds all people.


CM Bhagwant Mann

CM Bhagwant Mann Pays Homage to Freedom Fighters

PATIALA: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann unfurled the national flag in Patiala to commemorate the 76th Independence Day. Following the flag hoisting ceremony, he conducted a parade inspection. In his address to the people of Punjab, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann paid tribute to the freedom fighters whose indomitable spirit contributed significantly to the nation's liberation.

Highlighting the remarkable dedication of Punjabis towards the cause of freedom, the Chief Minister noted that 80 percent of those who faced retribution for the sake of independence were from Punjab. He emphasized that not only did Punjabis play a crucial role in securing the country's freedom, but they also possess the fortitude to safeguard it. In the face of adversity, be it from Pakistan, China, or any other source, Punjabis stand resolutely in defense of the nation.

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Addressing the significance of freedom to Punjabis, Chief Minister Mann stated, "While freedom is important for the entire country, its meaning holds a distinct weight for those born on the soil of Punjab. Punjab's contribution to attaining and preserving independence has been substantial, whether it's the farmers or the youth."

Reflecting on the historical lineage of resistance against oppression, Chief Minister Mann drew inspiration from Sikh Gurus. He noted that the legacy of fighting against injustice began with Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, who referred to Babur as a "Jabar." The sacrifices of Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji and Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji were instrumental in the freedom struggle. The valiant stand of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji and the unwavering sacrifice of the younger Sahibzades also left an indelible mark on Punjab's journey to freedom.

Recounting the pain of the partition of 1947, Chief Minister Mann acknowledged the wounds that still remain unhealed. He lamented the loss of lives and the division of people that this tragic event brought. The cherished freedom came at a heavy cost for Punjab, with over a million lives lost during the partition.

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In a significant announcement, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann outlined plans to combat drug abuse. He revealed that a comprehensive strategy is ready for implementation to eradicate this menace. Asserting that those who indulge in drug consumption will receive medical attention while smugglers will face legal consequences, he expressed optimism that Punjab would cleanse itself from the stigma associated with drug abuse by the next Independence Day.

Moreover, CM Bhagwant Mann initiated the registration of "Khedan Watan Punjab Ki," a scheme aimed at promoting the welfare of the state. In the run-up to the Panchayat elections, he also announced a special grant of Rs 5 lakh for villages that elect Sarpanchs through unanimous decisions, encouraging grassroots participation and development.
Bunzl plc (BNZL.L) an international distribution and services company, announced on Tuesday that it has acquired three businesses and signed an agreement to acquire further businesses across a variety of sectors in Spain, Brazil, Netherlands and Canada.

The company acquired La Cartuja Complementos Hosteleria, a foodservice and hospitality equipment distributor in June in Spain for an undisclosed sum. The generated a revenue of 4 million pounds last year.

The company also signed an agreement to acquire the Brazilian company Grupo Lanlimp, a distributor of cleaning and hygiene products in July. The financial details are not divulged. The business generated a revenue of 33 million pounds last year. Bunzl believes this acquisition will strengthen their position in the fragmented market of Bazil.

The company acquired two businesses for undisclosed sum in the month of August. Groveko, a distributor of cleaning and hygiene products based in the Netherlands that generated a revenue of 20 million pounds. PackPro, a provider of packaging solutions in Canada that generated a revenue of 20 million pounds last year.

Additionally, the company also confirmed that it concluded the acquisition of Leal Equipamentos de Protecao, a specialized safety distributor in Brazil that generated a revenue of 34 million pounds previous year. It has not given the financial details of the transaction.

On Monday, shares of Bunzl closed at 2795 pence down 0.46% on the London Stock Exchange

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

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Casey's General Stores, Inc. (CASY) Tuesday announced an agreement to acquire 63 convenience stores from EG America, LLC, a subsidiary of EG Group Ltd. The deal will close later this year.

The stores are located in Kentucky and Tennessee and currently operate under the Minit Mart and Certified Oil banners.

Casey's said it is expected to retain the impacted employees at each store, and EG America is cooperating to make their transition as seamless as possible.

Darren Rebelez, President and Chief Executive Officer at Casey's, said: "This opportunity is an excellent strategic fit as we look to add locations in Kentucky and Tennessee, which are both within our existing distribution footprint."

Earlier in June end, Casey's had announced its plan to grow its footprint by 350 stores by the end of fiscal 2026, through organic growth and acquisitions.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

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Former University of Cape Town Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng talking to Rhodes University students. Photo cred: Vusumzi Tshekema.

By Nizole Qete

The topic of women in leadership holds personal significance to many due to the pervasive patriarchal norms affecting societies worldwide. These conversations empower women and girls, providing a voice to the previously silenced. In Women's Month (August), we honour those who have struggled for women's rights and celebrate women's strength.

Rhodes University embraces gender diversity and respects all identities. Rhodes University Registrar Professor Adele Moodly expressed these sentiments at the recent SRC Leadership Week event.

Former Cape Town University Vice-Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng delivered a thought-provoking address on the dynamics of masculine power and the underestimated potential of Black women in leadership within higher education.

As Prof Phakeng explored this theme, it became clear that any comprehensive discussion on women's journey to leadership cannot disregard the influence of masculinity. Throughout history, the leadership narrative has been closely interwoven with the concept of masculinity, underscoring the need for an open analysis of how traditional notions of masculinity have played a pivotal role in shaping power dynamics. "The masculinity of power has led us in this world. When masculinity and the coloniality of power fail, men will want to capture women and get them to agree with what the men want. The masculinity and the coloniality of power got us into the mess we are in today. The masculinity of power wants us to believe that there can only be one style of leader. Anyone different is expected to assimilate into the roles that the masculinity of power has created. Women leaders are expected to become 'one of the boys' and men from the marginalised groups, including those who are gay or non-binary, are expected to conform as much as possible to the same model," said Prof Phakeng.

Her discourse extended to the injustices women in leadership often face  a scenario where they are considered only when a business falters. Still, as soon as stability is restored, they are replaced by men. Prof Phakeng remarked, "As a woman leader on this continent and in the world, I am very aware that often when the ship sinks, a woman is thrown in to catch it. Women come in to save the situation, and when they have swept, and the situation settles, a man is appointed to that position."

Prof Phakeng explained how creating fairer opportunities for women in Africa goes beyond simply giving them chances to lead. "It is one thing to open the opportunity for women to lead, but we must give them the space to lead in their own way, not in the way that a male leads. Africa will need different leadership to help us escape the mess our past leaders have put us in. In creating leadership, there needs to arise a magnitude of factors that label women for who they are. Being a woman is important, but it is not all who we are; it is not the whole story. Yes, it's an important part of the story but not the whole story," she said.

Prof Phakeng emphasised the importance of understanding intersectionality acknowledging the diverse value systems within the female narrative is vital for fostering inclusive leadership.

Steering the conversation, Prof Phakeng explored the complex nature of power, mainly its association with masculine qualities. She highlighted the challenges Black women face in leadership positions within higher education. "I want to talk about the masculinity of power, invisibility, and underestimation of Black women in higher education leadership. This world is masculine, and the masculinity of power marginalises women. The number of women enrolled in undergraduate studies in South African universities outstrips that of their male counterparts. But it's the opposite regarding postgraduate studies and on the professional and senior academic levels. We know the shortage of women professors is one of the many issues in this country," she said.

The challenge of being a woman in leadership extends beyond professional responsibilities, encompassing the burden of dispelling gender-based scepticism and challenging deeply ingrained biases. "Any woman in leadership position has a burden to prove that women can do it. When a woman has ticked all the boxes, they start saying she slept her way up. Every time a Black woman fails, they conclude that all women are the same  but they don't judge men the same way. We have got to know that the fight is harder, but we are fighting because if we do not, the next generation will find itself in the same position. I am not saying women should just be promoted; I am saying we have got to understand the stance of women and ask difficult questions," she stated.

Prof Phakeng lambasted the insidious impact of power dynamics, wherein success is sometimes misconstrued as arising from inappropriate means and failures of Black women are generalised and absent in the context of men.

While representation is a significant stride, Prof Phakeng stressed its insufficiency in achieving true gender equality. "Representation is important, but it is not sufficient for gender equality. Appointing women is one thing, but it does not mean we have achieved gender equality because they may be underestimated and made invisible," she said.

In closing, she called upon students to be resolute and committed to pursuing leadership roles, particularly for young Black women. Despite the arduous journey, she urged them to retain their authenticity as it holds the potential for victory. "If you are in the room and looking into getting into a leadership position, I am challenging you to stay determined and to commit to doing difficult things - it is hard to take a leadership position as a Black woman. You can do anything. Don't lose who you are because sometimes it is who you are that will make you win. Who you are is important, so own it, face the future with it, and don't expect it to be easy," she said. A panel discussion, including the former Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi, followed Prof Phakeng's address.

Departing from the discourse's focus on masculinity's impact on leadership, Miss Tunzi commenced her speech by acknowledging the debt owed to the women who paved the way for progress. She aptly noted, "While celebrating Women's Day is a source of pride, it's also a reminder of the unchanging aspects of our struggle. You and I wouldn't be standing where we are today if not for the women who came before us and ensured that we are cementing ourselves in this moment and space. But it also hurts in the same breath because the more things change, the more they stay the same," she said.

In conclusion, Miss Tunzi invoked the legacy of pioneering women as an unceasing source of inspiration. "These extraordinary women that have come before us have paved the way for change, embodying the spirit of determination and unwavering commitment. I want us to let the legacy of these women be a timeless reminder of the unbreakable spirit that resides in each and every one of us. May we draw inspiration from their remarkable commitment and continue to stand up to injustice, knowing that our collective power knows no limits. Together we can defy any obstacle and create a future for ourselves and generations to come," she said.

As Women's Month continues, Professors Moodly and Phakeng, Miss Tunzi, and countless others remind us that empowering women in leadership isn't just about breaking glass ceilings. It's about reshaping the foundations of leadership to encompass diverse perspectives and experiences.
Mahindra has unveiled their upcoming Scorpio N Pikup today  Launch is planned for 2025

In an exciting development in the automotive world, Mahindra has unveiled their all new Global Pik Up  Scorpio N Pik Up. This cutting-edge concept, designed in Mumbai, showcases a fusion of innovation, practicality, and global appeal. Despite being a concept, the Mahindra Scorpio N Pik Ups design is both compelling and feasible, a testament to the companys dedication to producing forward-looking vehicles that cater to a diverse range of markets.

Mahindra Scorpio N Pikup is based on the Scorpio N platform. It is a promising addition to Mahindras lineup. This pickup has a longer wheelbase compared to its SUV counterpart, enabling a larger load bed for versatile cargo hauling. At launch, it is likely to be available in both single- and double-cab configurations. Its integration of a tray-back bed option makes it particularly appealing to specific export markets, aligning with Mahindras global strategy.

Mahindra Scorpio N Pikup Design

As opposed to previous pickup truck iterations with identical fascia to its SUV counterpart, this one has design differences. At least with the prototype showcased at the recent event. For starters, Scorpio Ns silhouette is unmistakable. But Mahindra has taken efforts to offer a different flavour of design.

Front is redesigned with a gloss black grille with Twin Peaks logo, a proper metallic bash plate, new LED DRLs, new headlights with unique LED signature, There are new alloy wheels and new metallic rock sliders with integrated foot steps. There are orange highlights around the pickup truck and they contrast the trucks pale camo green shade in matte finish.

ORVMs and door frames get gloss black treatment, and there are new LED tail lights that look smart and tidy. Flared wheel arches accommodate chunky tyres and the bash plate extends towards the rear as well. There are a couple of accessories on this concept like a roof rack with flood light and a rear roll cage. The two spare tyres on the deck are likely for presentation only.

Feature Highlights

The Mahindra Scoprio N PikUp is set to deliver an array of exciting features that make it stand out in the competitive pickup segment:

Gen 2 MHawk Engine: Scorpio Pik Up will be equipped with the next-generation MHawk engine, providing powerful performance and efficiency.

6-Speed Automatic Transmission: A 6-speed automatic transmission enhances the driving experience, ensuring seamless gear shifts.

4WD with Low Range: With 4WD capability and a low-range mode, the new Pik Up is ready to tackle various terrains with confidence.

All-Terrain Modes: The inclusion of all-terrain modes empowers the driver to optimize vehicle settings for different road conditions.

Drive Modes: Multiple drive modes allow for customized driving experiences, from fuel-efficient cruising to spirited performance.

5G Connectivity: Cutting-edge 5G connectivity ensures passengers remain connected and entertained on the go.

Semi-Automatic Parking: The semi-automatic parking feature simplifies parking maneuvers, making urban driving hassle-free.

Sunroof: A sunroof brings an airy and open feel to the cabin, enhancing the overall driving experience.

Launch of the Scorpio N Pikup is expected in 2025. It will be powered by new gen engine options, delivering improved performance as well as fuel efficiency.

Global Appeal with Indian Ingenuity

As the Indian automotive industry continues to evolve, homegrown carmakers are increasingly making their mark on the global stage. Mahindra, with its wide presence across the Americas, Europe, Africa, Middle East, and Asia Pacific, exemplifies this trend. The new Mahindra Scorpio Pik Up is a striking representation of Indias capacity to create world-class designs that resonate across international markets.

With its ability to deliver high-quality vehicles at affordable prices, India is rapidly emerging as a key exporter of passenger vehicles. Mahindras global aspirations are underscored by its expansive reach, with a strong presence in diverse markets. This years annual event is taking take place in South Africa, an important market for Mahindra since 1996.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 15. Azerbaijan has consistently shown its willingness to boost gas supplies and provide assistance to Europe during times of crisis. Through President Ilham Aliyev's well-defined energy strategy, the country has established itself as a dependable and trustworthy energy partner for Europe. The EU countries are progressively reinforcing their energy alliances with Azerbaijan and actively endorsing all related initiatives.

Given the worldwide energy crisis and the imperative for genuine diversification of gas sources and transportation paths, the EU countries have consistently shown keenness in increasing gas imports from Azerbaijan. The present focus revolves around expanding the capacity of the Southern Gas Corridor.

In 2021, Azerbaijan's gas supplies to Europe amounted to 8 bcm. By 2022, this figure had risen to 11 bcm. The country's aim for this year is to elevate its gas exports to the region to 12 bcm. In the initial 7 months of the current year, Azerbaijan has already supplied 6.6 bcm of gas to the European partners. Altogether, the global market is projected to receive 24.5 bcm of Azerbaijani gas in 2023.

The realization of the Southern Gas Corridor project was made possible through the political determination and foreign policy of President Ilham Aliyev. Right from its inception, the project, initiated by Azerbaijan, was designed with a focus on long-term prospects, evident from the outset as discussions about its expansion began.

In this regard, the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline, which aims to connect Turkmenistans Turkmenbashi and Baku through a subsea pipeline, is an ambitious project that seeks to transport natural gas from Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan to the EU countries, bypassing Russia and Iran. By integrating with the Southern Gas Corridor, the pipeline could tap into substantial Turkmen gas reserves and supply Turkiye and Europe, making it a highly intriguing initiative.

As of today, Turkmenistan does not remove the construction of this pipeline from its agenda. For instance, a few days back, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov stated that Turkmenistan is ready to continue cooperation with European partners on the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline project.

Turkmenistan, being committed to the strategy of diversifying energy flows, expresses its readiness to continue cooperation with European partners on the implementation of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline project. The idea of its construction, initiated by Turkmenistan, was initially considered by Turkmenistan not only as an economically and commercially viable project, but also as a key condition for ensuring global energy security and sustainability based on equal consideration of the interests and benefits of energy producers, transit countries and energy consumers, he said.

Needless to say that the project directly involves active cooperation with Azerbaijan, however, as President Ilham Aliyev previously stated repeatedly, this project as an idea is based on the gas resources of Turkmenistan, therefore, it's not up to Azerbaijan to initiate it or to invest in it.

For additional gas from eastern shores of the Caspian  first, the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline must be built under the sea, and second from Baku to the European destination, another something like the Southern Gas Corridor must be built. And the main question is who will finance these important projects? And we don't have an answer, said President Ilham Aliyev, as he addressed the Shusha Global Media Forum.

As John Roberts, Energy Security Specialist and nonresident senior fellow at Atlantic Councils Global Energy Center, told Trend, laying the Trans-Caspian pipeline is, indeed, somewhat like building a new SGC.

Under current circumstances, it is impossible to imagine that International Financial Institutions would be prepared to finance such a project. The original SGC's infrastructure  the SCP-X, TANAP and TAP pipelines and their compressor stations  cost around $18 billion for the initial system designed to deliver 16 bcm per annum to Turkiye, and 10 bcm per annum - to Italy. The cost of replicating such a system today, when you consider that it would be double the size of the original SGC and that it would have to include a 30 bcm per annum Trans-Caspian pipeline, would amount to much, much more than that. I would suggest $30 billion at the very least and possibly a lot more, he said.

As the expert suggests, to bring this project to life, there is in fact a much more limited option designed to make use of existing energy infrastructure on the Caspian.

That would require construction of a 78-km Connector pipeline between the Petronas-operated Magtymguly field in Turkmen waters and the bp-operated oil and gas gathering facilities at the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) field in Azerbaijani waters. Such a system could convey around 5 bcm per annum to Azerbaijans existing gas processing facilities at Sangachal at a cost of around $400-600 million. Moreover, at present there appears to be perhaps as much as 4 bcm per annum in spare capacity in the pipelines connecting Azerbaijan to Turkiye, Roberts added.

Turkmenistan firmly believes that no political, economic, or financial obstacles stand in the way of building this gas pipeline. Conversely, the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline is a genuinely viable undertaking, economically sound, and poised to significantly enhance energy security in the Eurasian region. Why is it that no substantial strides have been taken, even though discussions about the project were initiated back in 2007?

Ashgabat stated that the construction of the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline is directly related to the delimitation of the seabed between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan.

Nevertheless, all opinions boil down to the fact that Turkmenistan does not have much time to make the Trans-Caspian project viable, and needs to act extremely fast in order to put this pipeline in operation. Turkmenistan ought to grasp this chance promptly, as the window of potential for drawing foreign investment in fossil-fuel endeavors, regardless of their scale, is gradually narrowing. At the same time, since the EU still has to substitute those volumes of Russian gas that are no longer there, the alliance would probably consider supporting this investment. However, the transition from hydrocarbons to renewable sources significantly influences the backing from international financial institutions. Currently, any funding for the connector will need to be sourced from either the private sector or the participating governments.

Azerbaijan, in turn, has firmly expressed its stance on the project, emphasizing that while it isn't a primary sponsor of the gas pipeline's construction, it remains consistently prepared to offer its territory and assist in gas transit. Through its visionary oil and gas strategy, Azerbaijan has solidified its standing as a globally acknowledged, dependable energy partner. As the country continues to adhere to this approach, its position will only grow stronger.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 14. After touring Azerbaijan's Zangilan, Turkish media representatives who are visiting the Azerbaijani lands freed from occupation arrived in Lachin, Trend reports.

First they started by going to the Lachin border crossing.

Additionally, journalists they visited the city of Lachin in Azerbaijan after watching the Armenians cross the border.

The above journalists monitored every step of how Armenians cross the border at the Lachin border crossing. In fact, Armenians are allowed to cross the border crossing after being verified and in compliance with the procedures. Twenty Armenians passed past the Lachin checkpoint during the day in the direction of Armenia.

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 signed by Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian leaders following the second Karabakh war), 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.
Part of a 40-acre property where the Escondido City Council voted to allow a 55-unit development to the east of Bear Valley Parkway.

A 40-acre plot of land along the east side of Bear Valley Parkway in Escondido, vacant for the past 30 years since being retired as a citrus and avocado grove, will become a 55-unit housing development.

The Escondido City Council unanimously Wednesday approved the project which also calls for the developer to build a northbound lane of traffic  something badly needed along that section of the road.

All but roughly 1.5 miles of the busy six-mile-long road is four lanes but narrows to two lanes south of San Pasqual Valley Road (state Route 78). The result is a backup of traffic every workday morning and night as commuters funnel into and out of the area on their way from eastern Escondido to Interstate 15 and Valley Center.

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In the planning stages for four years, the project will be built across from Encino Drive and between Sunset/Ranchito Drive and Choya Canyon Road on property that is in Escondido but is mostly surrounded by unincorporated county land, much of which is already developed. The homes will be clustered on about half the land with the rest of the property being kept as open space.

The property has been in the Wohlford family for many generations, family spokeswoman Elizabeth Wohlford told the council, and was an active farm for many decades dating back to the beginning of the 20th century. About 30 years ago the fruit trees were cut down and ever since commuters have been looking at the empty property as they drive by.

I think its a great project, said Councilman Mike Morasco. I drive by it every single day. I cant wait for it to get started. I think its going to benefit everyone in the area in particular once we get the county on board to get the completion of that bottleneck actually on their radar.

Because most of the two-lane portion of Bear Valley Parkway lies within the countys jurisdiction, the city and the county will need to work together to eventually widen the road to four lanes.

Speaking of the bottleneck, Morasco called it horrendous on a daily basis.

Councilman Ed Gallo said the property has a great history and I think (the project) will be a great addition for the city and will help out our housing stock.

No public opposition to the development was expressed at the meeting.

When houses might be built, and who the developer might be, was not addressed.

Mayor Sam Abed said the project will compliment another housing development called Rancho Palomar, which is being built less than a mile to the north on county land at the northwest corner of the intersection of Bear Valley and San Pasqual Valley Road.

Indeed, eastern Escondido, like much of the city, is seeing a housing boom. Next year the council will decide whether Safari Highlands Ranch, a 550-luxury home project which would be built in the mountains north of the San Diego Zoos Safari Park, should be allowed.

Many homeowners in the development would undoubtedly use Bear Valley Parkway for their commutes as well.

Im very pleased to have Bear Valley Parkway widened, at least part of it, Abed said.

jharry.jones@sduniontribune.com; 760/529-4931; Twitter: @jharryjones
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 14. The Western Azerbaijan Community claimed that on August 14, 2023, the EU mission in Armenia issued a hasty statement, almost before the Armenian Foreign Ministry, in response to claims made by the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry that Armenia had gathered military personnel and equipment near the conditional border, Trend reports.

Additionally, those who for 30 years turned a blind eye to Armenia's occupation of Azerbaijani territory and the deportation of hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis from their homes raced to assist Armenia, which is now obsessed with retaliation, and the EU delegation has arrived to serve as Armenia's spokesperson.

The majority of the areas the EU mission patrols are areas where Azerbaijanis had resided before being violently driven out, according to the Western Azerbaijan Community.

The EU essentially ignores the community's requests in most cases, which suggests that the EU has a different perspective on international law, human values, and principles.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 15. The Western Azerbaijan Community strongly condemns the position of Spain directed against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, encouraging separatism, and demands from Madrid to stop the policy of double standards and not interfere in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan, Trend reports.

"The community calls on Spain to support the peaceful, safe, and dignified return to their homes of Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia," said the statement.
Gloo Makes Texting Free to Churches

NEWS PROVIDED BY Gloo

Aug. 15, 2023BOULDER, Colo., Aug. 15, 2023 / Standard Newswire / -- Gloo, the leading technology platform dedicated to connecting the faith ecosystem and releasing its collective might, announced that it is offering free texting to churches and faith-based organizations. Ministry leaders can sign up on Gloo to begin communicating with their congregations and communities."The Church should have all the capabilities that Fortune 500 companies have at their fingertips to communicate and engage with their people," said Scott Beck, CEO of Gloo. "When tens of thousands of churches leverage a common platform, texting costs go down, and some donors even step in to help cover the costs. That's collective might at work."Texting is one of the most prevalent forms of communication today. Texting is not only widespread, but it is one of the most effective forms of at-scale communication. According to Gartner , text messages have a 98% open rate and 45% response rate, compared to emails, which have only a 20% open rate and a 6% response rate."In today's digital-first world, ministry leaders need easy ways to meet people where they are," said Dillon Wilson, director of the Gloo Communications Platform. "Our goal at Gloo is to support the growth that happens in the context of relationships. Communication is the foundation of that, and texting makes that easier."In addition to texting capabilities, the Gloo Communications Platform equips ministries with ready-made workflows like series templates that can be used to follow up with new visitors, ready-made responses to phrases like "prayer request" and "new here," and broadcast presets that help pastors stay engaged with members throughout the week. The growing platform environment of more than 40,000 churches has attracted a variety of partnering organizations looking to serve churches with their content and expertise, including Cru, American Bible Society, The Chosen, Outreach Magazine, and He Gets Us, to name a few.In serving tens of thousands of churches and processing more than 16 million text messages, Gloo has observed that ministries using free texting see increased participation in prayer, deeper engagement with members throughout the week, and more reliable follow-up with first-time visitors."Having texting at no cost is a huge benefit to us," said Dillon Kimmel, pastor of Salt Community Church in Maiden, North Carolina, who is an enthusiastic early adopter of the Gloo free text messaging platform. "It almost pays us because we have an opportunity to save money we would normally be spending on texting. Not everybody checks their emailit gets pushed into the junk folder or shoved to the side. But everybody has the time to quickly check their phone. This level of engagement really helps us reach and connect with our people."Ministry leaders can sign up for free texting on Gloo at https://www.gloo.us/engage Gloo is the trusted platform that releases the collective might of the faith ecosystem. As a leading technology innovator, Gloo connects people, partners, world-class content, funding opportunities and more to help ministries achieve their goals and change more lives. Gloo is based in Boulder, Colorado, employing a team of more than 150 people.SOURCE GlooCONTACT: Sarah Bunyea, 571-205-1931, sarah.bunyea@pinkston.co
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 15. As a result of the interaction of the forces and means of the Coast Guard of the State Border Service of Azerbaijan (SBS), the smuggling of drugs from the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Republic of Azerbaijan in the southern direction of the Caspian Sea was prevented on August 12, the State Border Service of Azerbaijan told Trend.

The border ship, which serves as a border patrol agent for the Caspian Sea's southernmost state, proceeded in the prescribed path. Coast Guard personnel have improved coastal zone protection.

Alizade Nuraddin, a 1992-born resident of Azerbaijan's Godman village in Masalli district, and Eduard Aliev, a 1993-born resident of Sumgayit, were also detained as a result of the operational measures implemented on the grounds of Azerbaijan's Narimanabad settlement in Lankaran district.

Moreover, drugs with a total weight of 11.6 kilograms (7.4 kg of marijuana, 1.8 kg of heroin, 662.44 grams of methamphetamine, and 1.7 kg of methadone M40) were seized from them.

Operational and investigative measures are continuing.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 15. The UN Security Council will hold a meeting on the situation in Azerbaijan's Karabakh, Trend reports.

This information was published by the US Mission to the UN.

Commenting on the issue, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Spokesman Aykhan Hajizada said that Azerbaijan's Permanent Representative to the UN Yashar Aliyev will attend this meeting in New York.

Previously, Spokesperson of Armenia's Foreign Ministry Ani Badalyan said that the country's Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan will visit New York to participate in the meeting.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 15. The Azerbaijani Health Ministry will determine requirements for proper manufacturing practices, Trend reports.

This issue was reflected in the amendment to the law "On medicines" approved by the decree of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

According to the decree, the Azerbaijani Health Ministry must determine the above requirements within three months.

Besides, the ministry must approve the form of permission for the import of medicines and medicinal substances and inform the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan about this within three months.
La junte rappelle l'ambassadeur du Niger a Abidjan apres des propos du president Ouattara

Le regime militaire qui a pris le pouvoir a Niamey a annonce lundi dans un communique qu'il rappelait "pour consultation" l'ambassadeur du Niger a Abidjan, apres des propos du president ivoirien Alassane Ouattara, accuse d'avoir fait "l'apologie de l'action armee contre" le pays.





En reference au feu vert donne par des voisins ouest-africains du Niger a une possible intervention armee pour retablir l'ordre constitutionnel, le regime militaire denonce l'"empressement" de M. Ouattara a "voir se realiser cette agression en tout point illegale et insensee contre le Niger".





A son retour jeudi d'un sommet de la Communaute economique des Etats d'Afrique de l'Ouest (Cedeao) a Abuja, le president Ouattara avait declare que les chefs d'Etat avaient donne leur accord pour qu'une operation militaire "demarre dans les plus brefs delais" afin de retablir dans ses fonctions le president Mohamed Bazoum renverse par un coup d'Etat le 26 juillet.





Il avait annonce que la Cote d'Ivoire fournirait "un bataillon" de 850 a 1.100 hommes, aux cotes du Nigeria et du Benin notamment.





"Les putschistes peuvent decider de partir des demain matin et il ny aura pas dintervention militaire, tout depend deux", avait-il martele, ajoutant: "Nous sommes determines a reinstaller le president Bazoum dans ses fonctions".





Le communique du Conseil national pour la sauvegarde de la patrie (CNSP) qui a pris le pouvoir a Niamey estime que cette "precipitation (...) atteste de la manipulation orchestree par certaines puissances exterieures", qu'il ne cite pas.





"C'est pourquoi le CNSP et le gouvernement du Niger expriment leur rejet total des propos tenus" par Alassane Ouattara "qui vont au-dela de la position commune de l'organisation sous-regionale (Cedeao) elle-meme deniee de fondement legal, et decident du rappel de l'ambasadeur du Niger a Abidjan pour consultation".




BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 15. The information spread in Armenian media resources that on August 15, at about 12:20 (GMT+4), Azerbaijan Army Units allegedly opened fire in the direction of the European Union observers and their car in the Yukhari Shorzha settlement of the Basarkechar region, does not correspond to reality, but is another disinformation disseminated by the opposing side, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan said, Trend reports.

"We inform that the time of the European Union observers' visits in the direction of the conditional border in Armenia, their movement route, coordinates in the area, as well as the brand and vehicle registration plates of the cars, are presented to the Azerbaijani side in advance.

For this reason, it is theoretically and practically impossible for such a situation to occur as claimed by the Armenian Ministry of Defense," the ministry said.
Construction firm Galliford Try confirmed its latest major project on Tuesday, with both its investments and building units securing contracts with a significant build-to-rent operator for a development in Cardiff valued at 52m.

The London-listed firm said the ambitious development was set to rise at Guildford Crescent, close to Cardiff's city centre.

Once completed, the tower would house a total of 272 units, comprising both one- and two-bedroom apartments spread across 30 floors.

Alongside the residential apartments, plans for the project included augmenting the existing public realm, offering both residents and the broader community improved public spaces.

Furthermore, the ground floor of the tower was set to feature retail spaces.

Build to rent is a key area for growth within our business's sustainable growth strategy, said chief executive officer Bill Hocking.

The Guildford Crescent scheme is the first of a number of similar schemes we are taking on in this space and we look forward to creating fantastic new living spaces for the community in Cardiff alongside our partners.

At 0926 BST, shares in Galliford Try Holdings were up 2.28% at 201.5p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.
Donald Trump and several allies were indicted in Georgia last night, charged with launching a criminal enterprise to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election in the state, after demanding that officials find the extra votes to reverse President Bidens victory. In the indictment issued by district attorney Fani Willis in Fulton County after a two-year investigation, Trump, 77, was accused of racketeering, forgery and a string of other election crimes as he and associates pressured Georgia officials to overturn his narrow defeat to Biden. The indictment, which hinges on laws originally designed to prosecute the mafia, could prompt the first televised criminal trial of a former president in US history. - The Times

The chief executive of Harvey Nichols has quit abruptly following a clash with the luxury retailers Chinese owner over her plans for the business. Manju Malhotra is to step down after just over three years in the role and will be replaced by the son of Sir Dickson Poon, the tycoon who has owned Harvey Nichols through his company Dickson Concepts since 1991. - Telegraph

The governments levelling up plans for England are being hampered by a funding system that is not fit for purpose and deprives the poorest areas of the financial support to match their needs, a leading think tank has said. The Institute for Fiscal Studies said that the method for allocating money to pay for public services is out of date, based on inadequate data and skewed in favour of the better-off south-east. - Guardian

Two more big London-listed companies have joined the roll call of those considering a listing in New York, a trend that threatens to undermine Britains standing as a financial centre. Plus500, the financial trading platform whose headquarters are in the UK, said it was looking at the possibility of securing a dual listing, while YouGov, the polling firm, said it was thinking about moving its listing from the Aim market to Wall Street. - The Times

The collapse of Wilko is bad news for staff, customers and Britains high streets  but not everyone will be commiserating. For the billionaire brothers behind rival B&M Value Retail, the collapse of their 93 year-old rival is an opportunity. The Wilko administration offers further opportunity for B&M to take market share, analysts at Deutsche Bank predicted this week, forecasting a 200m sales boost. The note helped B&M end the Monday at the top of the FTSE 100. - Telegraph

The daily usage of Threads, Metas answer to Twitter, continues to slump after a strong start in its first weeks of existence. Engagement with the social media app is down 79% from a high of 2.3 million active users in early July to 576,000 as of 7 August, according to Similarweb, a digital intelligence platform. - Guardian
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  The New York State Department of Civil Service (DCS) has released its August application schedule for New Yorks entry-level civil service exams.

The open-competitive exams are an opportunity to start a career with New York State. These tests are open to anyone who meets the qualifications listed on the examination announcement.

The application period opened for the following exams: budget examiner; campus safety specialist; employment counselor; employment counselor (Spanish language); fire & safety representative; Medicaid eligibility examiner 2; medical assistant specialist 2; nutrition services administrator 1; nutrition services administrator 2; principal laboratory animal caretaker; recreation program leader 1; senior laboratory animal caretaker; social work assistant 3; social work assistant 3 (Chinese language); social work assistant 3 (Spanish language); utility analyst 2 (environmental).

Interested applicants can apply online for budget examiner, Medicaid eligibility examiner 2 and medical assistant specialist 2 by Aug. 23. All other exams have a deadline to apply online by Sept. 6.

Additionally, exams that opened last month have a deadline of Aug. 14: assistant workers compensation examiner; assistant workers compensation examiner (Spanish language); business services center representative 1; employee insurance examiner 1; workers compensation examiner; workers compensation examiner (Spanish language).

Visit www.cs.ny.gov/examannouncements/types/oc to apply for exams.

Some careers offer an additional annual downstate adjustment if they work in the five boroughs of New York City or in Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland, or Westchester Counties.

According to the state, an application must be submitted online or postmarked by the last date to apply. An application will not be accepted after the application filing deadline has passed. There are no application fees for the exams this month.

To be considered for appointment, you must pass the written test.

If approved for a written test, you will receive an admission notice which will indicate your assigned test date and the way your test will be administered. Your test may be administered with paper and pencil or online at a state test site using a state-provided Chromebook. You cannot request to change your scheduled day or request a specific type of test administration.

All positions offer benefits, including paid leave, health benefits and retirement plans. In addition, telecommuting options may be available to employees who meet certain criteria. The salaries for each position vary.

To learn more about working for the State of New York, visit the Department of Civil Service website and follow the department on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

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A Virginia mother of a 6-year-old boy who shot his first-grade teacher earlier this year has pleaded guilty to a charge of felony child neglect Tuesday, according to multiple media reports.

Deja Taylors child allegedly used her gun to shoot his teacher, Abigail Zwerner, on Jan. 6 at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, CNN reported. The incident left the teacher with wounds to her hand and chest.

My mom had that gun,' the 6 year old told authorities after the shooting. I stole it because I needed to shoot my teacher.

Taylors attorney, James Ellenson, said Taylor purchased the gun and kept it on the top shelf of her bedroom closet, secured by a trigger lock.

Authorities said no trigger lock and no key to a trigger lock were found in their search of her home, according to a report.

The child allegedly stood on the dresser and took the gun from his mothers purse, police said. He kept the gun in his backpack.

The felony child neglect charge has a maximum statutory sentence of five years in prison.

However, due to a plea agreement, prosecutors have said they will not seek a punishment beyond the sentencing guidelines of six months.

As part of a plea deal, Taylor previously pleaded guilty to federal gun charges and will be sentenced on those charges on Oct. 18, CNN reported.

Taylors sentencing on the state charge is scheduled for Oct. 27.

The boy is not expected to be criminally charged.

The child has extreme emotional issues,' is in therapy, and is showing improvement, Ellenson told CNN.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 15. A ban on the sale of medicines not included in the state register is being introduced in Azerbaijan, Trend reports.

This is reflected in the amendment to the law "On Medicines" approved by the decree of President Ilham Aliyev.

According to the decree, the wholesale and retail sale of medicines not included in the state register is prohibited on the territory of the country, with the exception of medicines intended for the specific treatment of rare diseases under Article 6.5.8.

Azerbaijan's Cabinet of Ministers must, within a four-month period, in coordination with the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, approve the rules for state registration of medicines and medical supplies, as well as medicinal substances, their inclusion in the State Register, and the maintenance of the State Register.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  New York City public school students may need to change their morning routine, as some schools will start earlier, or later, than they did the year prior.

Some schools  including on Staten Island  have changed their arrival and dismissal times for the 2023-2024 school year, according to a recent report by Gothamist. The length of the school day remains the same, with schools in session for six hours and 20 minutes.

The city Department of Education (DOE) told Gothamist that changes were made due to the new teachers contract, ratified by the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) union.

Under the contract, the school day for elementary and middle schools can start no earlier than 8 a.m. and end no later than 3:45 p.m. In high schools, as well as K-12 and 6-12 schools, the day can start no earlier than 8 a.m. and no later than 4:20 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays and 3:45 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

These changes to start and end times may have resulted in schools being forced to change their arrival and dismissal times for the new school year. However, school officials have historically had the discretion to adjust arrival and dismissal times within limits set by the UFT contract, according to Gothamist.

Schools will typically notify students and families about any changes in the school schedule, and some may even post modifications on the schools website, such as PS 13 in Rosebank. The school will now start its day at 8:05 a.m. and dismiss students at 2:25 p.m., according to a recent posting.

Its unclear how many other Staten Island schools may have changed their bell schedules for the upcoming school year  so be sure to check with your school for any potential adjustments.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), tiny pollutants a fraction of the width of a human hair, is linked to an elevated risk of dementia for older adults, a new study found.

The research, conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and published Monday in JAMA Network, adds to a growing body of evidence tying pollution to a wide range of health risks, including cognitive problems.

Pollution from wildfires and other sources, like agriculture, had the greatest connection to dementia development, according to the study, underscoring the persistent dangers posed by unhealthy environmental conditions.

As we experience the effects of air pollution from wildfires and other emissions locally and internationally, these findings contribute to the strong evidence needed to best inform health and policy decisions, Dr. Richard J. Hodes, director of the NIHs National Institute on Aging (NIA), said in a release. These results are an example of effectively using federally funded research data to help address critical health risks.

Researchers at the University of Michigan tracked 27,857 adults 50 and older who were enrolled in a large-scale study between 1998 and 2016. The participants were interviewed every two years about their health, behaviors and cognitive ability.

Air quality measurements were included in the study, factoring in transportation, emission sources, vegetation and other variables to create a prediction model that estimated the presence of PM2.5 at the individual addresses of each participant.

The model then multiplied the concentration of PM2.5 for nine separate emission sources  agriculture, road traffic, non-road traffic, coal combustion for energy production, other energy production, coal combustion for industry, other industry, open fires and windblown dust.

This level of specificity is new and useful, said Dr. Jonathan King, NIA project scientist for the study. As NIA continues to conduct and fund studies on risk factors for dementia, these results will help inform future research, and potentially, policy interventions.

Past studies have demonstrated smoke from wildfires, which has been a persistent problem this year and is expected to worsen due to the impacts of human-induced climate change, could be far worse than pollution from car tailpipes.

Both particulate matter and high ozone levels, another common pollutant, are associated with serious health impacts, including premature death, asthma attacks and cardiovascular harm. A growing body of research has found PM2.5 disproportionately affects minority and low-income populations in the United States.

Over the course of the latest study, about 15% of participants developed dementia during an average follow-up of 10 years.

Compared to people who did not develop dementia, those who did suffer cognitive decline were more likely to be non-white, have less wealth, less formal education and have higher levels of PM2.5 at their address, said the study authors.

The study suggests focusing on key forms of pollution may provide the greatest overall benefit and enable decision makers to create policies targeting certain sources of bad air quality.

Given that the development of dementia could take a long time, this study mainly aimed to provide evidence for policymakers to reduce exposures to these sources of emissions, said Dr. Boya Zhang, a research fellow at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, in a release. With the knowledge of which sources are more toxic than others, it may be possible to design interventions for specific sources as a more effective way to decrease the burden of dementia.

Wildfires are specifically becoming a greater risk across the United States. While wildfire smoke occurs most often on the West Coast, researchers said greater frequency of these events could exacerbate health problems nationwide.

New York City got a taste of the effects of wildfire smoke earlier this summer when wildfires from Canada sent plumes of smoke hovering over the five boroughs, drastically dropping air quality for multiple days.

While individual wildfires may be short-lived, these events are becoming more frequent in our communities due to warmer temperatures, drier conditions, and longer fire seasons, said Dr. Sara Dubowsky Adar, associate chair of epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. As weve seen, wildfire smoke can also travel very far distances.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A police chase involving two juvenile suspects early Monday wiped out a Concord monument that has stood for the last 30 years honoring those whove died in the line of duty.

The Firefighters Memorial, which sits at the intersection of Clove Road, Richmond Road, Targee Street and Narrows Road South, was hit by a stolen vehicle, representatives from both FDNY and NYPD confirmed.

Deputy Chief Joe Harris, of Division 8, which houses Rescue Co. 5 and Engine Co. 16, across the street from the memorial, said its disheartening to see the monument damaged.

Police told the Staten Island Advance/SILive.com that the incident unfolded when officers were notified of a stolen vehicle crossing the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge towards Staten Island shortly around 3:30 a.m.

After a very brief pursuit, the driver lost control of the vehicle, crashed into the monument and continued on before the individuals were apprehended on Rhine Avenue.

A wild police chase Monday morning involving two juvenile suspects wiped out a Concord monument that has stood for the last 30 years honoring those who've died in the line of duty. (Staten Island Advance/Kayla Simas)

Two 16-year-old males were arrested and charged with one count of grand larceny, one count of criminal mischief, one count of stolen property and one count of unauthorized use of a vehicle, the spokesperson said.

One other individual fled the scene, the spokesperson said.

At the location of the monument, tire tracks and small pieces of automobile debris could be seen on the grass and area surrounding the memorial. The 6-foot tall stone statue that stood at the center of the memorial, inscribed with names of the fallen and the Firefighters Prayer, was knocked to the ground, with a portion of it in pieces.

Along with the monument, the flagpole that stood beside it was down, as well as a piece of steel from the World Trade Center.

An additional monument that stands in honor of 9/11 was untouched, as was the statue of a firefighter hugging Jesus Christ.

According to Staten Island Advance archives, the Firefighters Memorial was erected by retired firefighters to honor anyone from Staten Island who has died on the line of duty.

A wild police chase Monday involving two juvenile suspects wiped out a Concord monument that has stood for the last 30 years honoring individuals who've died in the line of duty. (Staten Island Advance/Kayla Simas)

Harris told the Advance that a group of retired firefighters maintains the propertys grounds.

Its disheartening to see, and especially for the retirees who helped to put it up and even continue to maintain it, said Harris. For all they do for the memorial, its sad to see this happen. Its also a place many firefighters stop by before heading out to the Sept. 11 ceremony in Manhattan.

Harris noted that this is a tough time for this incident to occur, when next month will mark the 22nd anniversary of 9/11.

According to Advance archives, then-Rescue Co. 5s Lt. John Ferry told the Advance the monument will give us a place where we can go as Staten Islanders and show the respect that these men deserve.

Harris said the next step would be to repair or replace the monument.

A wild police chase Monday morning involving two juvenile suspects wiped out a Concord monument that has stood for the last 30 years honoring those who've died in the line of duty. (Staten Island Advance/Kayla Simas)

A wild police chase Monday morning involving two juvenile suspects wiped out a Concord monument that has stood for the last 30 years honoring those who've died in the line of duty. (Staten Island Advance/Kayla Simas)
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Local elected officials presented a united front this week against a proposed migrant shelter at Fort Wadsworth, and one said Tuesday hed like to see migrants housed in the heart of the nations capital before any more make their way to Staten Island.

Borough President Vito Fossella held a one-man press conference Tuesday morning outside the historic site to call for migrant housing on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., before any more sites are brought to the five boroughs.

We will be asking our congressional delegation from New York to introduce legislation to mandate and compel the federal government to put and build tents on the National Mall before any other federal property is used to accommodate migrants, he said. We think that crystalizes the issue as a federal one.

Since April 2022, nearly 100,000 migrants have made their way to the five boroughs, costing an estimated $12 billion in the coming years.

Mayor Eric Adams has said throughout the crisis that the immigration problem is a federal issue that deserves a federal solution, and Fossella said Tuesday that to drive that point home, new arrivals should be housed on the National Mall instead of places like Fort Wadsworth.

10 1 / 10 BP Fossella press conference protesting potential Fort Wadsworth migrant shelter

The borough president held his Tuesday press conference alone, but every other Staten Island elected official joined him Monday in a letter to city, state and federal governments to speak out against the idea of housing migrants at Fort Wadsworth.

In the letter, the elected officials, led by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/South Brooklyn), pointed out the sites historic and current importance to Staten Island and the nation as part of the National Park Services Gateway National Recreation Area and the main staff base for the U.S. Coast Guard.

Preserving this significant place, not just for civilians, but for those who have served in the military and their loved ones, should be prioritized first and foremost. The audacity to even consider transforming such a culturally significant and operationally strategic National Historic Landmark into a migrant shelter is an affront to service members and local residents, Malliotakis, Fossella, District Attorney Michael McMahon, State Sen. Andrew Lanza (R-South Shore), State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (D-North Shore/Southern Brooklyn), Assemblyman Charles Fall (D-North Shore/Brooklyn/lower Manhattan), Assemblyman Michael Reilly (R-South Shore), Assemblyman Michael Tannousis (R-East Shore/South Brooklyn), Assemblyman Sam Pirrozzolo (R-Mid-Island), City Councilman Joseph Borelli (R-South Shore), City Councilwoman Kamillah Hanks (D-North Shore) and City Councilman David Carr (R-Mid-Island) wrote in their letter.

We are deeply troubled that such a plan would have been conceived in private and without consultation of local elected officials and the surrounding community that relies on this open space for personal use and enjoyment. This shortsighted decision has far-reaching implications that threaten the very balance of our local economy, quality of life and public safety, the bipartisan group continued. Our national security and immigration challenges are pressing concerns, but they cannot and should not come at the expense of our history, values and community well-being. We implore you to act responsibly and consider the significance of this site militarily, recreationally and historically. Anything less is a disservice to Staten Islanders and the American people.

The group sent the letter to Adams, Gov. Kathy Hochul, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. In their role, Mayorkas and Haaland oversee the Coast Guard, and National Parks Service, respectively.

Only Adams and Mayorkas representatives responded to requests for comment by the time of publication.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security pointed to the $140 million in aid that the Biden administration has sent to the city, and continued coordination, including an expert assessment team the federal government sent to the five boroughs.

Like all rumored migrant sites, a City Hall spokesperson would only say that all options remain on the table as the city works to address the issue.

[Our] teams have worked tirelessly to ensure that these men, women, and children have a place to rest their heads. However, as weve reiterated time and time again, the system is reaching its limits, the spokesperson said. We are rapidly running out of space, and we must keep all options on the table. We continue to call upon our state and federal partners to assist us not only in locating additional space but also in developing a comprehensive decompression strategy.

So many migrants have made their way to the city that theyve more-than doubled the citys homeless shelter population, prompting the need for emergency shelters around the five boroughs, including at hotels, city-owned buildings and large tent facilities housing thousands.

Before Fort Wadsworth, a former assisted living facility in Midland Beach had become the latest rumored migrant site, and elected representatives for the area held a massive rally Saturday against the idea.

While its unclear if Fossellas idea of housing migrants on the National Mall will come to fruition, Malliotakis is working on legislation that would ban shelters at current or former military facilities, like Fort Wadsworth.

Never did the Congresswoman imagine that shed have to draft legislation to prohibit former and current military installations from being used to house citizens of other countries in a post 9/11 world, but thats what she now plans to do, Malliotakis spokesperson Natalie Baldassare said. While weve been working to improve housing for our Coast Guard at Fort Wadsworth, the Biden and Adams Administrations are planning this and its a slap in the face to taxpayers and our military personnel.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  For the osprey pairs at Freshkills Park, Staten Islands landfill-turned-burgeoning ecological gem, 2023 was a wildly successful mating year, with each nest fledging at least two young, a researcher at the 2,200-acre expanse told the Advance/SILive.com.

The findings, which will be compiled to later be reviewed and published, occur after the species endured widespread reproductive failure at the park last year, said Jose Ramirez-Garofalo, manager of science and research development for the Freshkills Park Alliance. This year, a total of 25 young fledged from 12 nests within the park.

At Freshkills, we see that every single pair that we have fledged at least two young and two pairs fledged three young, said Ramirez-Garofalo.

The species endured devastating losses through the middle of the 20th century as pesticides infiltrated ospreys food sources and caused fertility to decrease. Their eggs had shells so thin they would crumble under the weight of their parents.

The United States banned the use of the pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, or DDT, in 1972. The result: A triumphant return of the osprey  serving as a prominent symbol of conservation success and the tangible manifestation of what environmental policy can accomplish.

As a scientist, it tells me that these hard issues that were working on, they mean something, said Ramirez-Garofalo. We have an opportunity to restore populations to what they once were before human disturbance essentially decimated their population.

First making a presence on Staten Island in the 1990s, ospreys and their nearly-six-foot wingspans have grown in numbers on the borough in recent years while making Freshkills Park a hotbed for the raptor.

They are remarkable predators, diving into bodies of water to catch fish and coming up successful on at least one of every four attempts. Some studies found their execution rate could approach 80%.

The raptors make use of any materials that surround their environment to make their nests  requiring researchers to keep an eye out for hazardous materials. Ospreys lay their eggs for about 40 days during spring, typically hatching one to two young. The male osprey usually provides food for the nest, though the female osprey will also hunt as the chicks grow.

Uniquely, the birds are nesting closer to one another at Freshkills than they have been typically observed to do, giving future visitors the potential to have plenty of opportunities to catch a glimpse of them diving into the waters spread throughout the park. During a visit earlier this year, the Advance/SILive.com observed one osprey holding a fish in its talons as it approached its nest.

After some delays, the city Parks Department said it expects the first phase of Freshkills Park, the 22-acre North Park, to open by the end of the summer. That location will include a bird observation deck that will deliver pristine views over a wide swath of the green space.

It is not certain that the newly-fledged ospreys will return to Freshkills Park, though birds that experience fertility success are known to return annually, known as site fidelity, said Ramirez-Garofalo. Birds at Freshkills Park are not yet banded, he said, but its an effort he expects to eventually be undertaken at the park to better understand the bird population.



RELATED COVERAGE: Freshkills Park

>> A wildlife boom at former landfill: A look at species making Freshkills Park their home

>> Photos show bird of prey making Staten Island comeback at Freshkills Park

>> On anniversary of landfill closure, Freshkills Park continues to transform the dump, as wildlife and people return

>> Nets in hand, students at Staten Island high school take to Freshkills Park to study wildlife

>> What would Staten Island be like today if the Fresh Kills landfill never closed?
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  The new permanent head of the Metropolitan Transportation Authoritys (MTA) Triborough Bridges and Tunnels Authority (TBTA) said Tuesday that cracking down on toll evaders will be a central focus in her role.

Cathy Sheridan, with the MTA since 2019, had served as interim president of the TBTA since March, but the agency announced Tuesday that she would become the official head of TBTA going forward.

Sheridan said during an exclusive interview with the Advance/SILive.com that under her leadership, the agency will be focused on capital projects and ensuring everyone using its nine inter-borough crossings is paying their fair share.

It shouldnt be a portion of people paying their fair share. We all have to pay our fair share. Weve really put a big focus on that in the last five months, she said. The public needs to know that there are consequences for not paying tolls, and were going to seize vehicles and keep that effort going to make sure everybody is paying.

With the advent of cashless tolling, scofflaws have found various ways around the systems, including covering and defacing their license plates or simply refusing to pay tolls and fines associated with their crossings.

The Staten Island side of the Verrazzno-Narrows Bridge is shown Friday, June 10, 2022. (Staten Island Advance/Paul Liotta)

Drivers who repeatedly fail to pay their tolls and associated fines, despite repeated warnings, have their vehicle registration suspended by the state, allowing officers to quickly identify such vehicles when they make their way over the bridge.

The MTAs Bridge and Tunnel officers use a combination of technology and keen observational skills to identify and intercept toll evaders as they attempt to cross the bridge.

When vehicles with a suspended registration for unpaid tolls pass under the cashless tolling gantries, officers receive an alert and immediately move to interdict the vehicle.

The Advance/SILive.com reported in late July that the MTA had ramped up its enforcement of toll evasion last year, with even greater success catching persistent toll evaders in 2023.

In 2022, the MTA suspended the registration of roughly 15,000 vehicles for unpaid tolls, impounding about 1,800 vehicles and recovering approximately $21 million in tolls and fees owed, all of which represented single-year records for the agency.

Picture taken Friday, June 10, 2022 shows one of two cars seized in the past two days that had amassed almost $110,000 in unpaid tolls. (Staten Island Advance/Paul Liotta)

Sheridan said Tuesday that through the end of July there had been nearly 2,021 vehicles impounded for persistent toll violation, which is about a 7.5% increase compared to all the vehicles impounded in 2022.

Differently than what you see in the subway system [fare evasion] where it may be more opportunistic, toll evasion on bridges and tunnels is really intentional, and thats not fair, she said. Its about enforcement and making sure that we are all in this as New Yorkers together.

In addition to the agencys work around toll enforcement, Sheridan said she hopes a series of capital projects, particularly around improved roadways and traffic flows, will improve commutes for New Yorkers trying to get around the city.

Sheridan, a professional engineer joined the MTA as senior vice president of construction and development and was the agencys incident commander through the COVID-19 pandemic.

She started her career with the New York State Department of Transportation working her way up to chief engineer of the New York State Thruway Authority and New York State Canal Corporation.

In her new role with TBTA  named for the span connecting Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx, and most famously associated with controversial urban planner Robert Moses  Sheridan said shes looking forward to permanently taking the reins.

As a career governmental employee, its really sort of like the pinnacle, she said of the new role. You dont necessarily know where youre going to go and how your career is going to have twists and turns, [but] I think this is just a huge honor to lead this agency.

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UPDATE: Hylan Boulevard has since been re-opened to traffic.



STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Traffic was diverted from Hylan Boulevard in Grasmere for a period of time Monday night due to a large NYPD response.

Emergency vehicles blocked traffic on Hylan from Narrows Road South to Steuben Street.

Police officers could be seen looking in wooded areas along Hylan with flashlights.

According to an NYPD spokesman, the response stemmed from the search for individuals sought for questioning in connection with a stolen car in New Jersey.

Several individuals were taken into custody at the location, the NYPD spokesman said.

The response was at least the second notable police activity on the borough on Monday.

A chase involving two juvenile suspects early Monday wiped out a Concord monument that has stood for the last 30 years honoring firefighters whove died in the line of duty.

Emergency officials respond to Hylan Boulevard and Narrows Road South in Grasmere on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023. (Kayla Simas for the Staten Island Advance)
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  In honor of those who have passed away, here is a compilation of obituaries posted on SILive.com. Viewing times and guest books can be seen here.

Kimberley Paige Weintraub, 56, of Staten Island, passed away Saturday, August 12, 2023, surrounded by her family. Her passing marks the end of her courageously fought battle with Adenocarcinoma, Lung Cancer. Born in West Palm Beach, Fla., the family moved to Staten Island in 1972. Kim attended PS 26, Rocco Laurie Intermediate School, and Tottenville High School. In 1990, Kim earned her Bachelors Degree at The College of Staten Island. From there she went on to work as a C.A.S.A.C., Certified Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselor and Psychiatric Counselor, Advanced Addiction Counselor at The Sisters of Charity, St. Vincents Medical Center and Richmond University Medical Center. She also worked at the South Beach ATC, Addiction Treatment Center, and at the YMCA for The Little Steps Program as an Addiction Specialist for Children. Additionally, she was also a member of the RUMC Mobile Crisis Team, checking in with people and providing counseling services to them in their homes. Kim was also committed to the wellbeing of all animals, as seen through the care of her owner babies: AJ, Tyler, Lucy and Callie. For the full obituary, click here.

Theresa Marie Savastano, the family matriarch, passed away peacefully on Saturday morning August 12, 2023, surrounded by her family. Theresa was born and raised on Staten Islander to Sal and Mary Foti, owners of Piazza Bakery & Catering in Port Richmond. She was the eldest of four daughters and is survived by her youngest sister. She married Dominick Savastano Jr. in 1956 and has three children. Both of her sons Dominick and Thomas opened their first restaurant named Bella Mama after Theresa on Morningstar Road. Theresa retired from the Department of Environmental Protection in 1989 and enjoyed trips to Atlantic City, Delaware and Florida with her sisters and cousins. For the full obituary, click here.

Rosa Ragone, 98, passed away peacefully at home on Sunday, August 13, 2023. Born in Mola di Bari, a small coastal town in Southern Italy, Rosa was the middle child in a family of three children. She met her husband, Alfredo, following his return to Italy after serving in the Italian Army in World War II and his discharge from a German concentration camp. In 1955, Rosa, Alfredo, and their two eldest children boarded the USS Constitution to immigrate to the United States of America. They settled on 69th Street in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, before moving to Staten Island in 1983. She loved to visit casinos, cook, do embroidery, paint and crochet; her greatest pride and joy was her family. For the full obituary, click here.

Jane Ann Sefcik, 91, a devout woman of faith who served as a church pianist and Sunday school teacher, went home to her Lord Jesus peacefully surrounded by her family on August 12, 2023. Born in St. George, she lived in Richmond Valley for 27 years before retiring in Seaview. Together with her husband, Donald E. Sefcik Sr, she raised two sons and three daughters. After graduating from St. Peters High School in 1948, she attended Fordham University Secretarial School before beginning a career as a secretary at the city Health and Hospitals Corp. in Manhattan, overseeing grants management for funding. A devout Christian, Jane was a member of Faith Assembly of God in Tottenville before she joined Calvary Chapel in Mariners Harbor later in life. For the full obituary, click here.

YESTERDAYS OBITUARIES:

Rose Ann (Episcopia) Villani, age 89, passed away Friday, August 11, 2023. Rose Ann is a native Staten Islander, born September 21, 1933. She passed away in her Florida home, where shes been a resident for the past 10 years. She loved celebrating holidays, birthdays and never missed an opportunity to go to the casino. She was the wife of the late Emilio Villani. She was the mother of five, grandmother to five grandchildren, and is known as GG to nine great-grand children and one great-great-grandchild. For the full obituary, click here.
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BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 15. Rodney Dixon KC has been assigned to provide an expert legal assessment of the situation in Karabakh, Trend reports.

Following the release of an anti-Azerbaijani reported prepared by Luis Ocampo, former first Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Azerbaijan has requested Rodney Dixon KC to provide an expert legal assessment of this opinion.

Rodney Dixon combines a practice at the national and international levels in public law, human rights and criminal law. He has expertise in international criminal law, humanitarian law, and public international law acting on behalf of governments, political leaders, military officers, international organizations, companies, NGOs, and victims. He regularly appears in cases before the ICC.

Rodney Dixon's preliminary assessment of the situation has been published already, and the full report will be available shortly.

Meanwhile, on August 7, Luis Moreno Ocampo released a legal opinion claiming that a genocide is unfolding in Azerbaijan's Karabakh. He had been commissioned to do so by the Armenian separatist regime in Karabakh.
Global wine giant Treasury Wine Estates is planning for the potential end of Chinas hefty wine tariffs, adjusting the global shipments of its flagship Penfolds brand and driving higher brand recognition among younger consumers in China.

Chief executive Tim Ford said the company would wait and see if Beijing would remove its tariffs on wine, as it did with barley two weeks ago, and is leaving its options open if import duties are dropped later this year.

Normally, what we would do with Penfolds, on an annual basis, is our first half shipments will be slightly ahead of our second half shipments, Ford said.

Were going to plan to ship more in the second half in totality, just to give us the flexibility should the situation change with China over the next four or five months ... Its about giving ourselves the flexibility about how we allocate over the course of the full year.
Qantas boss Alan Joyce is no stranger to being out on an issues ledge. But the airlines muscular support for the Yes campaign on the Voice to parliament prises open another, wider debate  should companies take a stand on social issues?

A rising chorus within the community says businesses should butt out and stick to their own lane  in particular, making a profit.

Qantas chief Alan Joyce and comedian Magda Szubanski celebrate the Yes vote on marriage equality in 2017. Credit: Jessica Hromas

But for years people have been encouraging business to evolve as institutions and consider broader social issues  such as the environment, gender equality, or ensuring their supply chains are free from slavery.

It is called ESG  environmental, social and governance  and companies get ranked on their compliance with broader objectives beyond balance sheets and profits.
The kids were involved in love triangles. The parents were involved in love triangles. As soon as one love triangle was resolved, another would pop up in its place  an old flame would return to town, a charming but unhinged stalker would make themselves known in a psychiatrists office, a teen would hook up with their ex-girlfriends mother, but the mother is already dating another teens grandfather. You know the drill. Off the top of my head, I can think of at least eight love triangles in the first season alone.

The love triangle, an absolute classic teen romance trope, has always been irresistible viewing to me. It doesnt seem to matter how far-fetched the storyline is or how obvious the right choice may be. If there are three people mired in romantic crisis, I am watching. I might blame Joey, Dawson and Pacey, but honestly, who knows what caused it. All I know is that for a show called Dawsons Creek, I sure wasnt rooting for Dawson to win.

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The latest show to scratch this narrative itch is Primes The Summer I Turned Pretty, which is currently in its second season. Based on a trilogy of novels by American YA author Jenny Han, the story follows Belly (Lola Tung), a teenager whose year revolves around her familys annual summer trip to their family friends beach house.

She has been in love with the floppy-haired eldest son of that family, Conrad (Christopher Briney), for her whole life  will this be the summer that he notices her? Unfortunately, Conrad is more distracted and colder towards Belly than he ever has been before  which is when she starts to notice his more charming brother, curly-haired Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno). The rest of the season has Belly fall in and out of love with two beautiful boys she has known her whole life, while she lounges in beds of American beachgrass, a lush Taylor Swift song playing in the background.

Season two tackles serious subject matter  grief, trauma, feeling the people close to you slip away. But the hum of that love triangle still powers the show, a steady heartbeat that provides the backing track for everything that happens around it. While to me it seems like there is an obvious choice for Belly (Jeremiah! Of course! Conrad is too tortured!) the reason that The Summer I Turned Pretty works so well is that there is a solid case for either boy. If Belly focuses on Conrad, is she just setting herself up for misery? If she chooses Jeremiah, is she only doing so because she cant have his brother? And if she messes both of these boys around, will their families ever be able to holiday together the same way again?
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Review Eating outBurwood Its like a coffee degustation: This minimalist spot in Burwood offers a bevy of curated brews, cakes and creative cafe classics Devotees of the bean can order trays featuring four kinds of coffee, alongside counter sweets and snacks. Lenny Ann Low August 15, 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

1 / 9 Pillar has a calming, minimalist design. Janie Barrett 2 / 9 A flight of coffees at Pillar. Janie Barrett 3 / 9 Holy Psalmon, a mix of salmon rillettes, sour cream, green apple, dill, and chives on shokupan. Janie Barrett 4 / 9 Chashu Mashu, Pillars reinvention of an egg and bacon roll. Janie Barrett 5 / 9 A sculptural slice of 15cenchi Basque cheesecake. Janie Barrett 6 / 9 Cappuccino. Janie Barrett 7 / 9 Dirty matcha latte. Janie Barrett 8 / 9 Janie Barrett 9 / 9 Janie Barrett Previous Slide Next Slide Cafe$$$ Burwood cafe Pillars focus is specialty coffee, one of the foundations of its three owners life passions, but you might first be struck by its interior. Set like a wedge of concrete cut with a giants bread knife, its interior seats are essentially two giant light grey wall steps near a smattering of black stools. People sit on the giant ledges like theyre hanging in space or visiting The Matrix. The front wall is entirely glass so theyre not far off artworks, especially as this is a cafe bereft of plump cushions or rustic wooden chairs or walls stuck with theatre posters up to the ceiling.

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A flight of coffees at Pillar. Janie Barrett Co-owner Edwin Luo, who opened Pillar with Uel Lim and Nathaniel Tong in October 2022, says the minimal design is a casual, deregulated space that welcomes all. I dont blame you if you look at it and think it doesnt look warm and inviting, he says. But we really want people to feel part of the family when they come inside. He also wants them to try the cafes bevy of curated brews, each selected from established and micro roasters and filling the air with a fragrant coffee aroma. Menus and shelves feature beans from Newav Coffee, Brenda Coffee and Path from Melbourne, alongside Eastwoods Block Coffee and more established Sydney bean boffins Skittle Lane and Haven Specialty Coffee.

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Haven is the reason Luo decided coffee was his focus. While studying at the Australian Institute of Musics Surry Hills campus, he spent breaks searching for above-average brews. Then this new cafe opened, he says. Haven Specialty Coffee. I didnt realise coffee could be a taste that was more than just bitterness. Tastes of different fruits, different chocolates, different levels of acidity and body. I didnt realise coffee could go that deep. Luo tried different roasts, explored single origins and sampled every coffee-making process. He brought friends, got them hooked and a coffee club of sorts began. Holy Psalmon, a mix of salmon rillettes, sour cream, green apple, dill, and chives on shokupan. Janie Barrett

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Thats how Pillar started, he says. A lot of good friendships bonded over coffee. Thats what we want to continue with people visiting us. On a drizzly Saturday afternoon, a few metres from the crowds and packed shops of Burwood Plaza, Pillar is a mix of serenity and baristas and cafe staff ribbing each other over the coffee machine. They explain various roasts, batch and cold brews, citrusy house-made midnight fizz and a mighty hot chocolate made with single origin chocolate from Silver Street chocolatiers in Arncliffe. On the front counter are sculptural slices of 15cenchi Basque cheesecake, with flavours swinging from plain to Earl Grey, matcha and Hojicha milk tea, ready to serve. The cake, which is gluten-free, is presented on 1616/arita Japan porcelain plates. Coffee comes in matching, handle-free porcelain vessels which retain a hot drinks heat and come with saucers resembling unfolded origami paper.

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Coffee devotees, or the curious, can order flights  trays featuring four kinds of coffee. Its like a coffee degustation, Luo says. If you dont know what to order, its a small version of different brews. A sculptural slice of 15cenchi Basque cheesecake. Janie Barrett Theres also tea, ranging from Cascaras Bolivian dried coffee cherry to oolong, green and white, and house-made sodas. Theres also food that may come from a kitchen Luo describes as really just a sandwich press and an oven but includes four excellent savoury dishes, some a nifty take on cafe regulars. The best is Chashu Mashu, Pillars reinvention of an egg and bacon roll. Pillowy shokupan, or Japanese milk bread, holds tender braised pork belly, egg salad, sweet and salty pork floss topped with nutty furikake, red chilli yuzu kosho mayonnaise, chilli honey and chives.

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Another is Holy Psalmon, a light and lolling mix of salmon rillettes, sour cream, green apple, dill, chives on fat shokupan, spritzed with lemon. Things feel calm in Pillars exacting surrounds. Even the name and signage outside, featuring three black lines, two taller than the other, is carefully thought through. Pillar is named after the first thing we saw when we walked in here, Luo says. A pillar. It also represents support for others. And, one of the three of us is shorter than the others. The low-down Vibe: Geometric and unadorned gallery-like space run by passionate coffee lovers spotlighting small and emerging food and drink suppliers. Go-to dish: Chashu Mashu, Pillars take on an egg and bacon roll, with braised pork belly, egg salad, pork floss, furikake, red chilli yuzu kosho mayonnaise, chilli honey and chives on Japanese milk bread.

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New York: The rent is too damn high. The iconic and endlessly memeable phrase that went viral in 2010 is proving timeless, as New York faces the worst housing affordability crisis in more than two decades.

Despite having the largest rent control scheme in the nation, rental prices soared to record highs in July, with the average rent in Manhattan hitting $US5588 ($8596)  a 9 per cent increase year-on-year and a 30 per cent increase compared to pre-pandemic levels.

Apartments overlooking Central Park have fetched in excess of $US50 million. Credit: iStock

For metropolitan New York, the rent-to-income ratio (the percentage of income that goes towards rent) is a staggering 67 per cent, more than double the threshold of 30 per cent that we would consider rental stressed in Australia, according to Moodys.

Back home, Australian rents are also skyrocketing, rising 6.7 per cent annually in the June quarter, the largest increase since 2009. Rent remains the primary driver of the housing cost component of the CPI, our main measure of inflation.
Critical testing of driverless trains is taking place deep beneath central city streets amid feverish debate about the fate of the fourth stage of Sydneys $64 billion metro rail network. It will determine whether an underground rail line will open to passengers early next year.

If all goes to plan, driverless trains will start carrying thousands of passengers every four minutes through twin tunnels under Sydney Harbour and the CBD within eight months.

Premier Chris Minns, left, on one of the driverless trains undergoing testing on the new line between Sydenham and Chatswood. Credit: Nick Moir

The opening as early as April of the main section of the $21.6 billion Metro City and Southwest line, the second stage of the metro rail network, hinges on the testing of the computer-driven trains and complex systems.

Since the first single-deck train snaked through tunnels under the harbour in April, trains have clocked up about 2000 kilometres travelling between Chatswood and Sydenham  or about 500 hours of low-speed dynamic testing.
A Sydney English teacher joked about putting a schoolgirl in the boot of his car, commented on her body and once pushed her against a wall, the former student has told a court.

Vasilious Bill Kafataris, 55, is on trial in Parramatta District Court after pleading not guilty to 17 charges including grooming and sexual intercourse without consent. The charges relate to four female students at three different schools in Sydneys west and south-west between 2000 and 2021.

Former English teacher Vasilious Kafataris leaves Parramatta District Court on the first day of his trial. Credit: AAP/Miklos Bolza

One of the four complainants, who is the subject of a charge of common assault, gave evidence on Tuesday that Kafataris would ask, Why dont you have a boyfriend? and she would reply, Have you seen the boys in this school?

The now 20-year-old woman said her teachers replies would differ but included talking about how special I am or complimenting her thighs, chest and ankles.
A terrified mother has described the moment she was allegedly carjacked by a blood-covered inmate who escaped from Sydneys Long Bay Correctional Complex, and revealed how she got away.

Jason Neil Melbon, 43, faced court on Tuesday after escaping from the jail in Sydneys east on Monday afternoon and allegedly attacking two women.

I was just very scared, very scared: Rachelle has recounted her alleged carjacking by prison escapee. Credit: Nine News

Police say Melbon assaulted the first woman in her home on Esperance Close in Little Bay, tying her up with power cords, before running up to a second woman a few doors down.

That second woman, a nurse known only as Rachelle to preserve her safety, said she was unpacking groceries in her Little Bay driveway when Melbon allegedly approached.
The truth will set you free is surely one of the most quoted of all Bible verses, often cited by people who have no idea where it comes from. But it is also one of the most misunderstood.

It is found in the Gospel of John, chapter eight, where Jesus is speaking to both supporters and opponents. The full verse reads: To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

The truth will set you free is a misunderstood bible verse. Credit: AP

The non-believing members of his audience say they have never been slaves; what does Jesus mean by free? They are slaves to sin, he tells them  that is why they are looking to kill him.

Jesus is not endorsing the 21st century interpretation of freedom, which is understood mostly as personal autonomy. Today freedom is chiefly described as the power to choose, whether between 142 brands of washing powder, to watch Netflix or Amazon, or to do what we want with our own bodies.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size In his 40-year career as a journalist, Western Australias Gary Adshead has pursued the truth  no matter how ugly, how dangerous or how ridiculous. Whether on crooks, crimes, state secrets or heroic rescues, we take you behind the headlines of the biggest stories of his career. See all 9 stories . Laurence Bernhard Marquet  or Laurie to his vast and eclectic circle of friends  was a powerful servant of the West Australian parliament. For 23 years, Marquet had been a trusted sounding board, confidante and troubleshooter to hundreds of members of parliament as they negotiated their way through the labyrinth of rules, standing orders, protocols, procedures and pitfalls that are part and parcel of being a legislator. He was the clerk of the Legislative Council, also referred to as the upper house. The role carried with it the official title of clerk of parliaments. It is a position integral to reviewing and passing laws with royal assent. Marquet was also a secret drug addict and a fraudster. With a daily need for amphetamines sourced from criminals, Marquet had become the most compromised senior public servant in the country. At certain points of my career I have used the term small town, big connections to describe surprising links between elements of Perths establishment, corporate sector, and organised crime.

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Back in the mid-2000s the citys population was 1.4 million and the separation between power and corruption was becoming wafer-thin. It would not be long before a newly formed corruption and crime commission would rock politics in Western Australia to its core. In 2006-2007, four ministers in the then Alan Carpenter-led Labor government were sacked or forced to resign over a suite of revelations made possible by a CCC probes telephone taps, hidden microphones and visual surveillance. Tony McRae, John DOrazio, John Bowler and Norm Marlborough all lost their ministerial jobs over CCC findings. Credit: Erin Jonasson In 2005, a year before that scandal began playing out publicly, the CCC was already focusing its crosshairs on Marquet. But it was T3, the secret operative Id met two years earlier in a Como hotel for the interview described in part one of this story, who closed the net. On Monday, August 8, 2005, I was sitting at my desk in The West Australians Osborne Park office when colleague Sean Cowan came walking towards me excitedly waving a media release from the Corruption and Crime Commission.

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CCC charges senior state parliamentary officer, it read. A senior officer of the parliament is to appear on 55 charges including corruption, stealing and drug offences. My blood was rushing and Cowan knew why. One night over a few beers  or in Cowans case, Scotch and Coke with no ice  I relayed the tantalising tale shared with me about Marquet before swearing my workmate to secrecy. Keeping it to myself had been agonising. I had to tell someone just in case the seemingly far-fetched allegation of a speed junkie running parliament became a fact. Laurie Marquet in Parliament. Without naming Marquet, the media statement said the public officer was charged with stealing more than $227,000 as a servant. The kicker was that Marquet was charged with having methamphetamine in his possession after being arrested by the CCC. This was a truly sensational story and Cowan and I knew The Sunday Times would be sifting through the information provided by T3 to me almost two years earlier, which at the time I had been forced to relinquish and unable to report.

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After wrestling with how to get myself back in the story before the weekend, I went and told my editor what I had known about Marquet. We decided the best approach was to track down T3 fast and interview him all over again. Yes, I had kept the mobile phone number he gave me at the Broadwater in 2003, but I was fearful the on the run informant had ditched it long ago. The first time I dialled there was no answer and I decided not to leave a message. The placid view we enjoyed of the Esperance foreshore was a world away from the subjects of our conversation. Credit: Google Who is this? read a text to my phone soon after. Gary Adshead. I met you in 2003, was my reply. T3 was not only aware of the charges levelled against Marquet, but he also claimed to have been crucial in the three-week CCC operation.

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He agreed to meet once more, but this time I would have to go further than Como. I hung up and quickly headed home to pack for the airport. T3 was almost 700 kilometres from Perth, working on a cattle farm on the outskirts of the southern coastal town of Esperance. There was an early evening flight and I didnt want to miss it. When I came face-to-face with T3 for the second time in as many years, the ex-soldier had more grey hair and was close to being a chain-smoker. Sitting in a drab motel room located on the Esplanade facing the Southern Ocean, T3 began. A staff member of parliament had suspected the clerk of signing off on bogus invoices. A secret audit in mid-2005 confirmed something was amiss, and the CCC was informed. According to T3, some of the fake invoices were in the name of a fictitious law firm and were supposedly issued by a partner of the bogus business. That phantom partner had T3s real name. When the CCC showed him proof of the fraud being carried out using his identity, T3 was furious. The Zimbabwean-born former Selous Scout in the Rhodesian Bush War was adamant he had not played any role in the scam and agreed to help the CCC, which at that time included an investigator he knew well from the royal commissions investigation into Gary Fagg.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 15. The EU mission in Yerevan has refuted the absurd statements of the Armenian side about the alleged shelling of EU observers on the border by the Azerbaijani side, Trend reports.

As the EU Mission in Armenia wrote on its X (Twitter), no patrol of the mission has been the target of shooting.

"We patrol alongside the Armenian-Azerbaijani border areas and report to Brussels on military developments, including shooting incidents in our area of responsibility," the publication noted.

Meanwhile, earlier, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan has also refuted absurd statements of the Armenian sides about the alleged shelling.

"The information spread in Armenian media resources that on August 15, at about 12:20 (GMT+4), Azerbaijan Army Units allegedly opened fire in the direction of the European Union observers and their car in the Yukhari Shorzha settlement of the Basarkechar region, does not correspond to reality, but is another disinformation disseminated by the opposing side.

We inform that the time of the European Union observers' visits in the direction of the conditional border in Armenia, their movement route, coordinates in the area, as well as the brand and vehicle registration plates of the cars, are presented to the Azerbaijani side in advance.

For this reason, it is theoretically and practically impossible for such a situation to occur as claimed by the Armenian Ministry of Defense," the ministry said.
Voters are split on whether the federal stoush over housing policy is important enough to trigger a double-dissolution election, but a clear majority has rejected the idea of going to the polls before 2025 even if the deadlock continues.

An exclusive survey shows that 54 per cent of voters want Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to serve a full term and only 20 per cent support an early election next year, despite the fight over the governments $10 billion housing fund that is stalled in the Senate.

Greens housing spokesman Max Chandler-Mather (right) has mobilised volunteers in door-knocking campaigns to win over the community, while Anthony Albanese has accused him of seeking political gain when he should vote for the $10 billion fund. Credit: David Crosling/Pool, Alex Ellinghausen

While urging the Greens to vote for the housing bill when it is put to parliament again, Albanese is also seeking a deal on housing with premiers and chief ministers at a national cabinet meeting in Brisbane on Wednesday.

The government is aiming for a set of national principles on renters rights without banning rent hikes, while states and territories are also expected to commit to planning and zoning changes they say could speed up approvals as the nation faces a shortfall of new homes over the next four years.
One Nation in NSW has fractured after founder Pauline Hanson forcibly removed Mark Latham as parliamentary leader and disbanded the partys organisational wing, leaving the loyalties of the partys three state MPs divided.

The rupture has emerged amid allegations Hanson stacked the NSW divisions state executive with allies as part of an ongoing power struggle between two of the nations most polarising political identities.

One Nation MPs Rod Roberts, Mark Latham and Tania Mihailuk

The partys national executive last week voted to disband the NSW state executive  in a move Latham described as a bizarre takeover  replacing the body with new members, including perennial aspiring politician Steve Mav Mavrigiannakis as treasurer, and one-time Senate candidate Kate McCulloch.

While Latham insists he remains leader of the parliamentary team, the loyalties of the partys two other MPs  former Bankstown Labor MP Tania Mihailuk and MLC Rod Roberts  have splintered, raising questions about the future of the party in NSW.
A Labor Party member who had his membership renewed multiple times after he died was also repeatedly enrolled in the party in the final years of his life  after he had been diagnosed with dementia.

Premier Daniel Andrews fiercely defended his factional ally Lily DAmbrosio on Tuesday after revelations a Lalor South branch that regularly met in her electorate office was accused of forging the signatures of deceased people on membership forms.

Tom Donatos dad Antonio was signed up to be a Labor branch member even though he had dementia. Credit: Joe Armao

At least two people on the branchs member list, Antonio Donato and Celstino Negro, died in 2017 but had their annual memberships renewed for two years through to 2020.

Branch memberships are a point of influence within the Labor Party, with larger member rolls providing factional leaders with more votes at state conferences to shape party policy, control internal leadership positions and influence which MPs are preselected as candidates.
Have you heard the way Rick Stein pronounces paella? He does it the way you would expect any rando Englishman from a village in Cornwall to pronounce it: Pay-el-la.

Except, Stein isnt just any rando Englishman from a village in Cornwall. Hes a star chef, author and TV presenter. Hes incredibly well travelled. Hes spent a lot of time in Spain. And yet still. Pay-el-la.

Rick Stein enjoying a beer on Long Weekends ... watching him is also like enjoying a beer at your local pub.

This is the sort of thing you need to know about Rick Stein, the unlikely travel genius who provides what might just be the best escapism on TV today: hes daggy. Hes sweaty. He gets things wrong. His pronunciation of foreign words is almost wilfully appalling.

And for all those reasons and many more, we have to doff our chefs hats to one of the greats.
London: Three Bulgarian citizens living in England who were arrested in February on suspicion of espionage offences have been charged with possessing false identity documents, the Metropolitan Police said Tuesday.

Orlin Roussev, 45, Bizer Dzhambazov, 42, and Katrin Ivanova, 32, were taken into custody after they appeared last month in the Central Criminal Court in London.

Suspects: (from left) Katrin Ivanova, Orlin Roussev and Bizer Dzhambazov.

The trio is suspected of working for Russian security services, British media reported.

The charges allege the three had false documents among 34 pieces of identification in their possession. The BBC said documents, including passports and identity cards, were from the UK, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece and the Czech Republic.
PHILIPSBURG:--- President of the NAPB, Rogerrel Mauricia, has responded to a recent article circulating on social media and in newspapers in Sint-Maarten. The article highlights the concerns raised by customs officers regarding their working conditions and salaries. The president of NAPB Sint-Maarten was also contacted by his counterpart from Curacaos union S.T.R.A.F.F., which represents customs officers and police when the news broke.

During the meetings held by NAPB Sint-Maarten in early August 2023, this union leader visited the customs office and observed that the current structure of the customs department is problematic, potentially leading to issues. This prediction came true as one of the grievances surfaced on social media. The union leader emphasized that the salaries of these workers are barely above the minimum wage, putting them in a difficult situation. He expressed a willingness to provide support to the workers in Sint-Maarten, offering advice and technical assistance to address these concerns.

Mauricia expressed disappointment at the amount of time spent explaining processes and procedures, rather than focusing on the dedicated men and women who leave their homes daily to protect the people of Sint Maarten.

He noted the unfortunate situation where workers must express their frustrations publicly to gain the attention of both their employers and the unions representing them, including NAPB Sint-Maarten. Despite being a smaller group, NAPB Sint-Maartens members pay their dues. This is why the president of NAPB Sint-Maarten reached out to the other union with representation. Collectively, they decided to engage with the affected members, understand their grievances, and present those demands to the employer. The decisions made by these members will be respected by their respective unions.

Mauricia emphasized that its time to recognize the dedication of these hardworking individuals. They are not asking for trivial sums but rather seek a secure future. He urges all Justice workers and their families to maintain faith.
PHILIPSBURG:--- This Saturday, August 12, 2023, Ms. Tefari Prevoo Francisco, returned from a five-week summer intensive music program at the prestigious Berklee College of Music. She successfully completed this preliminary course to the Bachelor program and received a glowing introductory letter from Mr. Witness Matlou, a South African Jazz Pianist and a music theory professor at Berklee. Ms. Tefari Prevoo Franciscos participation in the course was made possible through assistance by the Division of Study Financing, the Department of Culture, and the Cabinet of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth, and Sport (MECYS).

It is very clear that Tefari has plans to go places. She is very much within the learning process of her instrument(s) to a high professional level and her teacher, Mr. Paul Emmanuel, himself a Berklee College of Music alumni (Boston, USA) introduced Tefari to the idea of her attending the summer intensive to furthering her jazz skills at university level. MECYS and the Department Division of Study Financing of St. Maarten made this dream possible. They provided a talent scholarship for her to attend the prestigious school for the 5-week summer program, the preliminary program to the bachelors in music. She attended music theory, musicianship, solfege, string styles survey class, sight reading, jazz improvisation, and music therapy classes and was placed in the Jazz Ensemble and the string orchestra.

I met so many other talented young people dedicated to music. It was a fantastic experience to have this musical exchange at a very high professional level. The professors were amazing. I am so grateful to Mr. Witness Matlou, my music theory professor, a South African Jazz Pianist for writing me a glowing reference for my Berklee Bachelor audition which I did last Saturday. Ms. Mimi Rabson, my Jazz improvisation teacher and one of Bostons elite on the Jazz fusion scene gave these inspiring classes which took my violin playing to the next level. It definitely was an intensive program. My days started at 9am and on some days I did not finish until 8 pm. Blisters on my fingers from playing often more than 6 hours a day. I was challenged every minute of the day and I loved it. Being at Berklee College of Music confirmed and strengthened my goal of becoming a professional musician. It was also very exciting that there was a focus on teaching music and music as therapy as these are areas in which I am very much interested to study for my Bachelors or Masters. Playing music has been very healing for myself in periods of anxiety and stress and I think there are many possibilities for the youth of St. Maarten in this field.



BIO

At age 9, Tefari Prevoo Francisco, a Sister Regina Primary school student at the time decided to study violin and was steadfast in her choice of instrument. Thanks to the generous donation of Ann Fernandez, a regular visitor to the island, Tefari held an antique handmade violin, with superb acoustics, in her arms, barely 3 months later. Mr. Paul Emmanuel from the Emannuel School of Music started teaching her when she was 10 and he has been her consistent musical teacher since that time. He has taught her to play several instruments, foremost the violin but also the bass guitar and the saxophone. He initiated her to Jazz and fusion and taught her the foundation of performance, jazz improvisation, musical theory, and foremost the joy of playing an instrument to a high level.

Tefari being a disciplined student both at school (St. Dominic High School) and within her musical development joined the National Institute of Art Youth Orchestra, directed by Neville Fats James, and has played and performed with the chamber music section of the Orchestra under Mr. Dennis Amajan. Also, she has participated at the Art saves lives Caribbean Youth Orchestra Program under the direction of the American conductor Marlon Daniel. At the string section of the orchestra, she was introduced to classical music, and this inspired her to start online private lessons with Ms. Henriette de Vrijer, director of Pro-Amstrings violin school in Norwhich, UK with the support of the Prins Bernhard Culture Fund Caribbean.

In her short career as a musician, Tefari has acquired many awards and recognition from local and international artists and dignitaries. As a solo violinist, Tefari performed at the Heineken Regatta in 2018 at Fete de la Music, for Malaika Maxwell at the Vision and Voice Red Carpet Event 2019, the 10th Anniversary 10-10-10 Commemoration 2020, Memorial Day 2020 and 2022 for Sint Maarten Government and the Honourable Governor Mr. Baly, and his predecessor Mr. Eugene Holiday, for Kings Day Government celebration Royal Decoration in 2020 and 2021 as well as St. Maartens Day 2021 and 2022. Other events include Toastmasters Club (2021), Voices Cultural Ancestral Emancipation Day Celebration 2021, the Reggae Love Festival (2021), and Saint Martin International Women's Day in Marigot (2021). Tefari performs at the St. Maartens Medical Centre during the Christmas Period to uplift the spirits of the patients. She also performs with varied groups including the Remo and the Barbwire band in 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022 and Bushman and the Freedom Fighters (2020/2021), and freelance musicians namely DreadI, Connis Vanterpool, Paul Emmanuel, Leonardo Richardson, and Fred York. Her pinnacle in that period was a surprise performance with Cat Coore from Third World in 2021.

Despite her achievements at a young age, she had to deal with health issues and adversity within her small family unit of her mother and herself. During these difficult times, Tefari has remained upbeat and positive, determined to follow her dreams. Tefari focused on overcoming the issues with a clear purpose to achieving success at the highest level which contributed to her earning the title of St. Maarten Governor's Youth Excellence Award 2021. When St. Dominic High School was forced to take music out of the program during COVID, Tefari embarked on the very intensive music curriculum as a private student as an extra subject outside of school hours, in one year instead of two, with teacher Mrs. Daphne Jacobs Richardson from Anguilla and ongoing support from Mr. Paul Emmanuel assisted by MECYS and received the highest level distinction for her CSEC Advanced Music exams in 2022.

Tefari is very grateful to have been one of the youth persons supported by the Department of Culture under the direction of Ms. Clara Reyes and she has been able to showcase her skills at events like Culture and Emancipation Days alongside other talented youngsters. 2023 brought an amazing start of the year with a solo performance for the Royal Family from the Netherlands on the Boardwalk as well that the American/Anguillan band British Dependency has adopted Tefari to be part of their musical family. Now, two Soggy Dollar gigs later, future plans are being made for recording and performing.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The United People's Party (UP Party) has expressed heartfelt gratitude to the general public and the more than seven hundred attendees who made the UP Party's 2023 Convention an unparalleled success. Held on Sunday, August 13, at the esteemed Aleeze Convention Center, the event was a remarkable display of unity, strength, and meticulous organization.

Distinguished by an impressive parade, the convention saw the dynamic leadership duo of Member of Parliament, the Honorable Rolando Brison, securing his reelection as the UP Party leader, and Minister Omar Ottley officially being elected as the Deputy Leader. The resounding parade reflected the party's unwavering dedication to the advancement of St. Maarten and its people. It featured dozens of motorcycles, vehicles, and a drum band to bring the group to the Convention Center.

A pivotal moment during the convention was the election of a new board, with Eugene Heyliger taking the helm as the new President of the UP Party. Heyliger will be joined by a team of accomplished individuals, including Natasha Manuela-Gumbs, Marc Kenly, Kimberly Blair, Cresburk Browne, Francisco Lacroes, and Franklin Patrick. This collaborative leadership is poised to guide the UP Party toward an era of progress and prosperity.

The convention also featured a heartfelt salute to six local associations for their outstanding contributions to St. Maarten. The Indian Merchants IMA Association, Dominica Foundation Sint. Maarten DFD, the United Haitian Council SXM, the Haitian Association of Sint-Maarten HASMA, the Foundation Semana Dominicana, and the St. Maarten Guyanese Association SMGA were honored for their instrumental roles in fostering economic growth and enhancing social development. Each association received a plaque with the inscription: "The United People's Party proudly recognizes (each foundation) for their outstanding contributions to advancing the St. Maarten economy and enhancing social development. Your unwavering commitment has played a pivotal role in fostering an inclusive and thriving community. Sincere appreciation for your invaluable dedication."

Special recognition was also bestowed upon the three Founding Members of the UP Party: Mr. Theodore Heyliger, Mrs. Brenda Wathey, and former Member of Parliament for the UP Party, Mr. Franklin Meyers. Franklin Meyers, who also delivered an insightful keynote speech during the congress, articulated the challenges and responsibilities that lie ahead for the new government and the imperative role each new UP Party candidate will play in the betterment of St. Maarten. The plaque for the founding members read, "As a founding member of the United People's Party on St. Maarten since 2010, your visionary leadership has shaped our core values of democracy and inclusion, setting the blueprint for present and future members. Your dedication to a strong, united, and prosperous society is greatly appreciated."

Several other prominent figures were also honored for their dedication and commitment to the party's mission. The UP Party acknowledged the vital contributions of past board members, presidents, and supporters, presenting plaques to Sylvia Meyers, Earl Wyatt, Gina Illidge, Micheal Maghiro, Alston Laurence, Tatana Arrindell, Solange Apon, Stuart Johnson, and Rosina Romeo. Gina Illidge, in particular, is known for her extensive contributions to the party's campaign strategy over the years. Their plaque commended their "unwavering dedication as a board member, organizer, and executor of events" and acknowledged their valuable role in the party's success.

A touching moment of remembrance was observed as over seven hundred attendees stood in silence to honor the late Joseph Richardson, credited with the creation of the United People's Party and his years of offering guidance to its leadership.

Deputy leader of the UP Party, Minister Ottley, outlined his accomplishments during his short term in office, including progress on the construction of the new General Hospital and plans for a Living Wage. In his speech, MP Brison shared personal growth experiences and underscored his commitment to introducing a pay-to-stay immigration policy to protect the local working class.

A highlight of the event was a motivational speech by Terrence Drew Jr., son of St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr Drew. He encouraged youth involvement in shaping their future, emphasizing positive contributions to society, business development, and addressing environmental concerns, amongst others. The UP Next faction of the United People's Party presented him with a T-Shirt and Cap reading "I am UP NEXT."

Susie Camille Roma was a notable figure in the political landscape of the former Netherlands Antilles. Serving as Prime Minister on two separate occasions, her dedication to her country and her commitment to progress was evident throughout her career. She was scheduled to speak at the Congress in person, but a prior engagement kept her away in Holland.

Still, she sat with a camera crew in Holland to record a message, part of which was played during the Congress. The entire message can be viewed on the UP Party's new Facebook page. In this message, Roma highlighted the importance of St. Maarten and other former islands of the Netherlands Antilles to assert their self-sufficiency. Her message underscored the need for these islands to forge their distinct paths in the global arena. Her legacy inspires those striving for self-determination and effective governance within diverse and evolving political landscapes.

The United People's Party extends its sincerest thanks to all attendees, honorees, and participants for making the 2023 Convention a memorable and impactful event, marking a significant step toward a brighter future for St. Maarten. At the end of his address, party leader MP Brison brought the candidates in attendance on stage one by one while commenting briefly on their unique abilities, which will be invaluable to the voters when they go to the polls in 2024. Notably, a special acknowledgment was extended to the President of Parliament, Sidharth 'Cookie' Bijlani, and Lyndon Lewis. Both are candidates on the UP slate but were off-island during the congress.

MP Brison elaborated on the circumstances, highlighting that Bijlani recently underwent significant surgery abroad, and thankfully, he is making a positive recovery, displaying resilience and enthusiasm to participate in the upcoming 2024 Parliamentary Election. Lewis, also a former candidate, is returning to engage in the elections but has been attending to personal family matters abroad.

Despite their physical absence, both Bijlani and Lewis conveyed their support and regrets for missing the congress through video messages. They underscored their unwavering commitment to the UP Party, its board, and its leadership, reinforcing their dedication to its vision and goals.
BONAIRE:--- Since June 2023, Mr. Arno Willems has been serving as the Royal Representative of Patroness Her Royal Highness (H.R.H.) Princess Beatrix for the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA). He succeeds Mr. Jaap van Leeuwenburg, who held the position from 2009-2023 and has recently retired. The DCNA is a non-profit organization established to protect nature and promote sustainable management of natural resources on the six Dutch Caribbean islands.

Mr. Arno Willems (1959) studied forestry at the Agricultural College in Wageningen. He has worked at the Wageningen University of applied sciences, at Staatsbosbeheer (Dutch government organization for forestry and the management of nature reserves), at the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, and in Mali for the Dutch Volunteer Foundation. He has also performed consultancy work in the Balkans, the Caucasus, and in several African countries. His field of activity includes forestry, nature conservation, and agriculture. Since 2013, he has been Steward of Kroondomein Het Loo, a royal estate of more than 10,000 hectares. According to him, nature management is mainly human work, and being careful with nature is very sensible: We only have one!

We are extremely proud of DCNA's Patroness HRH Princess Beatrix. HRH Princess Beatrix has a special bond with the Dutch Caribbean and has always supported our work to protect the beautiful tropical nature. We are also very grateful for her support and the pleasant cooperation with her former representative Mr. Jaap van Leeuwenburg. We look forward to continuing the work with Mr. Arno Willems, said Hellen van der Wal, Chairlady of DCNA.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 15. Armenia refuses to provide detailed information on the location of mass-casualty burials, Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Head of Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmat Hajiyev, said, Trend reports.

"Another mass-casualty burials of 4,000 missing Azerbaijanis was identified next to Shusha prison, where civilians and POWs were kept, treated inhumanly, tortured, killed, and buried in mass graves. Armenia, to evade responsibilities, refuses to provide detailed information about the location of mass graves," said Hikmet Hajiyev in the publication on the social network X (Twitter).

Previously, in June this year, a mass-casualty burials was discovered on the territory of the Shusha prison. As a result of excavations conducted from August 1 to August 15, the remains of 17 people were found there in June.

Additionally, the mass-casualty burials were previously discovered in the liberated villages of Sarijali (Aghdam district), Dashalti (Shusha district), Edilli (Khojavand district), Farrukh (Khojaly district), Yukhari Seyidahmadli (Fuzuli district), as well as Kalbajar, Aghdam, and other communities.
SHUSHA, Azerbaijan, August 15. The remains of more than 480 persons and about 300 forensic examinations to identify them with persons, who went missing in the first Karabakh war, were carried out in the liberated territories after the 2020 second Karabakh war, Head of the Department of Special Investigations of the Azerbaijani Military Prosecutor's Office Emil Taghiyev told Trend.

"Here, on the territory of the former Shusha prison, remains of at least 31 people have been found as a result of search operations going on since May. These remains are assumed to belong to people who were taken prisoner and hostages during the first Karabakh war and were kept here. These Azerbaijanis were brutally killed and buried in the prison," he added.

As a result of excavations carried out on August 1-15, the remains of 17 people were found on the territory of the former Shusha prison.

Previously, a mass grave was discovered on the former prison's territory in June of this year.

Additionally, the mass graves were previously discovered in the liberated villages of Sarijali (Aghdam district), Dashalti (Shusha district), Edilli (Khojavand district), Farrukh (Khojaly district), Yukhari Seyidahmadli (Fuzuli district), as well as Kalbajar, Aghdam, and other settlements.




First of all, I want to apologize for not being able to post this review sooner but here we go.

- Harvest

Episode five starts at the hospital, as Nick Fury drops President Ritson there, trying to save him from an imminent death, and guarding him.

At the Skrulls compound, Gravik fights with the Skrulls because he didnt kill Fury, didnt do what he was supposed to do, and didnt get the Avengers' DNA as he said he would. Full of this fight, Gravik killed one of his mates, blaming them for his failure. After that, he ordered them to kill Varra at her own house, and calls Skrull!Rhodey ordered him to kill President Ritson.

As Sonya meets the MI6 director, she points a gun at him, implying hes a Skrull, and asking for Dr. Rosa Daltons location. As she shoots him, we learn hes actually a Skrull.

At the compound, a group of skulls believes Gravik is now out of control and tries to kill him, but he manages to free himself and starts attacking all the Skrulls who went after him and kills poor Beto (who was the one leading the attack.)

In the next scene, we see Fury going back to the old Skrulls safe house to meet Giah. He starts telling her Talos didnt lose, he died fighting. He asks her what Gravik stole, and Giah tells him Gravik stole a few DNA samples and hes searching for the Harvest.

In the end, Sonya managed to find Rosa Dalton and infiltrate her and Victors house, and, after observing her samples, asks her about the work their persuing with the Superpowered-Skrulls device. As she confiscates her documents, Victor tries to kill Dr Dalton saying she wouldve been punished for betraying Gravikand Sonya kills him.

At the hospital, in an attempt to start WWIII, Skrull!Rhodey tells President Ritson that the Russians are protecting and financing the Skrulls and they were the ones who tried to kill him.

Fury gets a call from Gravik, asking for a deal. Asking for the Harvest in exchange for the stop of possible WWIII. As Fury gets on a plane we see Rick Manson (from the Black Widow movie) is the one bringing him out of the country, to Finland.

In the next scene, back at the Furys mansion, Varra, and Giah are performing a ritual/funeral for Talos, just like in the Skrulls tradition. As they burn his body and recite a traditional prayer, Giah wishes him peace. As Giah and Varra talk about their regrets, and Giah feels guilty for calling her father a failure, and Varra tells her about her moments and her life with Fury, they get attacked by the Skrulls, as ordered by Gravik. They get armed and shoot them all down.

At the airport, Fury manages to bypass security wearing one of the masks who change voice and appearance and meets with Sonya to go to a graveyard, where a tomb with his name on it hides a vial with the famous Harvest, containing the Avengers blood and DNA, who was collected by few selected Skrulls, after the battle from Endgame. And that team of Skrulls was led by Gravik. At the grave, Fury takes the vial with him and changes to his older self (back to the leather jacket and the eye patch.)









 Home

Episode six starts with Fury calling Varra, and saying he tried to call this number many times but never dared to do it. She asks him if hes gonna come back and he says she should take care of herself. In the next scene, we see Fury heading for the Skrulls compound, ready to fight.

After this, at the hospital, President Ritson and Skrull!Rhodey are discussing with an US official, the course of action on the Skrulls compound and the Russians. And as Rhodey gets aggressive and insists they should strike and attack the Russians, President Ritson starts getting suspicious. Sonya calls Rhodey saying he should move the President and get him out.

Back at the compound, Fury starts feeling sick from the radioactivity air hes breathing just by standing there, but he moves on, to meet Gravik. They meet in the laboratory, inside the Superskrulls machinery. And, as they discuss everything and nothing, Gravik says his face is the one he got from the first man he killed, and Fury ordered him to do it. And admits he killed so many people, and every people he killed took a little bit of his soul. He accused Fury of using the Skrulls when he needed them and then throwing them away (I kinda stand his point on this). Gravik blames Fury for everything, the bombs, and the killings like he didnt have control (wtf?? makes no sense). Fury responds hes right, and admits he gave up on them because its easier to save 8 billion people than to change their heart in something.

As Fury talks to Gravik, we see scenes from the hospital, as Sonya neutralizes all of Rhodeys security, and back and forth at the compound, we see Fury giving Carol and the Avengers DNA to Gravik, asking him to disappear after taking it.

As Gravik activates the machine, were back at the hospital again, and we see President Ritson realizing Rhodey is a Skrull and asking for a gun from one of the security men. Sonya captures Rhodey, as she and President Ritson point a gun at him. After this, we switch back to the compound again, and the machine is activated, where we see the machine activate with Gravik and Fury in it. As the lights from the machine fade, we see Gravik has turned into a powerful super-skull, and Fury stands there unscathed. Gravik starts to fight and hurts Fury, but at one point Fury manages to stop him and fights back, making Gravik jump out of the compound. Thanks to this, we learn its not Fury, but Giah disguising as him, who got all of the superpowers too and turned into a Superskrull. And shes ready to get revenge on her parents and finally kill Gravik.

In the next scene, we briefly see the REAL Fury at the hospital, leading the operation to free the President. And tries to convince him hes not there to hurt him, but Skrull!Rhodey is. He asks him to call off the strike, to save thousands of US and worldwide officials who have been kidnapped by Gravik, including the real Rhodey.









Back at the compound, as Giah almost gets killed by Gravik, she uses Mantis powers to put Gravik to sleep and finish him one and for all. As the brutal fight goes on, Gravik tells her shes weak like her father and the rest of the Skrulls, and with that, she kills him once and for all. After freeing herself, she free the humans from the machines and helps the real Rhodey and Everett Ross to get away. As Everett asks Rhodey how much time he spent there, Giah said he was captured a long time ago.

Back at the hospital, President Ritson declares war on the Skrulls (and I think ALL NOT-HUMAN SPECIES), saying he knows who they are, where they are, and that he will find them and kill them all.

Fury goes back to the mansion and asks Varra for one last chance. Shes reluctant at first, she asks him if he was serious about it and if he would love her even in her skin. He says he loves her the way she is.

In the next scene, Giah is going around town, followed by a suspicious vehicle, which turns out to be Sonya. She was following Giah to get a deal, they could help each other, and she would help the Skrulls against President Ritson, saying Giah should be a leader to the Skrulls. Giah is reluctant at first, but she gets on board. Sonya and Giah start to collaborate soon enough, and they found a compound full of humans controlled by the Skrulls. As President Ritsons agenda start to be unveiled, officials and common humans start creating chaos and killing every person they think could be undercover Skrulls. Even innocent humans. On the phone, Fury asks him to call off the war, and President Ritson insists Fury has to get the Skrulls out of the planet.

At the end of the episode, as Fury is going back to space, Varra reunites with him and accepts to go with him to S.A.B.E.R., as he tells her she could help him to manage a peace treat between Skrulls and the Krees. She turns into her Skrull form and tells him she loves him as she is, and they go back to SABER together.

What did you think of these episodes? Did you like it? Let me know in the comments!
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 15. The Charge d'affaires of Spain in Azerbaijan Patricia Serrano Sanchez has been summoned to Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry, the latter told Trend.

Sanchez was summoned in connection with the spreading of provocative information by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, EU Affairs and Cooperation of Spain on X (Twitter) in support of the separatist regime created as a result of the occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia.

The Charge d'affaires was informed that the publication of the Spanish MFA promoting the illegal separatist regime established by Armenia on the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan is unacceptable.

During the meeting, the ministry also highlighted that this step on the part of Spain, which is fighting separatism on its territory, is incomprehensible.

Moreover, the ministry pointed out that this unconstructive approach is not acceptable for Azerbaijani-Spanish relations and is strongly condemned by Azerbaijan.

Sanchez said that Spain constantly supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, and this position hasn't changed.

The Spanish diplomat also said that this publication was a technical error, and immediately after the Azerbaijani side expressed concern, it was removed.

The Azerbaijani side noted the importance of taking appropriate measures to prevent the recurrence of such cases.
The search for 2023s most exciting new businesses is complete. The AXA Startup Angel competition, from AXA Business Insurance in partnership with the Evening Standard, can now reveal this years winners who are getting the chance to make their dreams a reality.

After much deliberation, this years most inspiring startups have been selected by judges Katie Ingram, Evening Standard trade marketing and insights director; AXA small business champion Julie White; and the AXA Startup Angels  Sharmadean Reid MBE, founder and CEO of The Stack World; Raphael Sofoluke, founder and CEO of UK Black Business Week and UK Black Business Show; and Henry Firth and Ian Theasby, co-founders of vegan food brand BOSH!

The competition is really important because we need to see more entrepreneurs  and more entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds. I think its really difficult to get that first cash injection in the business if you dont come from a pre-existing network, says Sharmadean.

The winners and judges of the AXA Startup Angel competition 2023 / Scott Kershaw

The 20 shortlisted entrants gathered at the Evening Standard offices while the judges revealed the recipients of the cash prizes and mentoring. The two most impressive ventures are receiving the top prize of 25,000 of funding and mentoring from all of the AXA Startup Angels, and business insurance for a year thanks to AXA. The runners-up will receive prizes which include a 10,000 digital advertising campaign with the Evening Standard.

Meet the winning entrepreneurs with big creative ideas that are problem-solving and fuelled by passion and the potential for good for the world.

Winner: Sistren

Olivia Hylton, Sistren / Scott Kershaw

Its life-changing, Olivia Hylton, 26, says about winning first prize for Sistren, the community-building app she launched to create more equal outcomes for Black women. When we think about the impact of friendships in our lives and the power that community can have, it was a no-brainer to start something that brought that to life in a way that felt reflective of the digital age that we live in, she says.

As sole founder, Olivia built the app and has been running it the past year with her own money. Thats becoming ever harder as the business grows. The prize will help us to keep going, she says. Currently, its the cost of a weekend getaway in Europe to run the platform each month. And thats obviously not sustainable bootstrapping.

Since going viral on TikTok, the company has seen huge growth over the past few weeks, increasing the need for resources to serve the influx of people joining the platform.

In three months their users shot from 500 people in seven countries, to more than 2,900 from 32 countries. Thats just in the space of a short period of time, she says. So this funding will allow us to grow more sustainably and serve people all over the world who clearly feel a demand for whats been built.

Crucially, the prize money will enable her to expand the team. Last week, Olivia was joined by an intern. Id love to grow the team more long-term, she says. It will be great to have some fresh ideas, perspective, and energy. She adds: With this funding, Im really excited to go out to the US and activate the communities out there.

Olivia is also looking forward to incredible mentoring. This is definitely a high. Im excited to gain as many insights as I can. Im grateful to be part of this new community I can learn from  and, hopefully, give back to as it grows Sistren into even greater heights.

Winner: Intotum

Hanan Tantush, Intotum / Scott Kershaw

Hanan Tantush, 21, was inspired to launch the business after her grandfather underwent his third round of cancer treatment.

He became way more reclusive and I could see hed lost his spark, the London College of Fashion graduate recalls of her once smartly dressed relative who played bowls and socialised before he had to be fitted with a stoma post-surgery.

I realised it was impacting the way he dressed and how comfortable he felt in himself, she adds. He was complaining about his waistband, and just wanting to wear jogging bottoms. It was a huge problem.

Unable to find clothing that would improve his comfort, she realised this was a large-scale problem affecting the whole disabled community, who make up 22 per cent of the UK population. I decided this is a problem Im going to tackle, Hanan says.

She set out to create her own range catering to the needs of people with all disabilities, from sensory to learning, and wheelchair-users.

I want to create a product that is customisable, she explains. Thats my big aspiration for Intotum: something that you can chop and change depending on your specific needs.

The 25,000 prize fund will enable Hanan to reach her next goal of taking her current sample range into production, with a launch for pre-order. The money gives me the building blocks to start working towards that, she says. Its provided an opportunity to make massive changes for the disabled community and have their voices heard, and have options for them so that they can feel seen within fashion.

She is also planning a fashion show in February as part of London Represents, about differences in disability. The prize will give her the freedom to dedicate more time to the business.

Before, I was thinking How am I going to fund this? So Im feeling much more optimistic about the future and about how I can achieve this much sooner.

Hanan is also looking forward to the expert business advice and experience that the mentors can offer. Everything Ive been doing has been instinct and what I learnt in GCSE Business Studies. I cant wait to learn from them.

Runner-up: Lylo

Paramveer Bhachu, Lylo / Scott Kershaw

Product design graduates Paramveer Bhachu, pictured, and Joanna Power  the 24-year-old co-founders of eco-startup Lylo  say that the prize will support their ongoing battle to educate people about the growing problem of water shortage and help them to make a change, with Lylo.

[We are] on a mission to help create a sustainable future by solving one of the worlds most significant environmental issues, Paramveer explains. We have designed a product which helps students wash their laundry using less water than a normal washing machine.

The duo have completed a rough prototype, and they now have a grant to progress it to a finished working unit for testing. The marketing package offered by the Evening Standard will help them to further their reach. It will be immeasurably helpful so we can find people to connect with for partnerships, or pilot the product, Joanna says.

Runner-up: Blute

Aira Gucilatar, Blute / Scott Kershaw

I feel incredibly empowered to take Blute to the next level, says Aira Gucilatar, who founded the digital platform to tackle high healthcare-student dropout rates and curb future staff shortages.

The 29-year-old from Luton had experienced feeling very unsupported in the training she undertook to become a therapeutic radiographer, and as a result she quit the frontline and became an account manager.

I was burnt out, stressed and anxious, Aira recalls. I dont want our prospective healthcare workforce to experience the same things.

Winning an AXA Startup Angel prize, she notes, goes to show that other people recognise that this is a real world problem that needs to be addressed. And to have that recognised is an amazing feeling.

The prize will help to support Blute in establishing more relationships with customers and enabling more opportunities, while validating the concept and its efficacy in helping students on their placements.

It will definitely support us in getting the word out there in terms of how big an issue it is and how urgently we need to solve this, she says. Getting awareness is key.

Runner-up: In the Air

Falilat Omodudu, In the Air / Scott Kershaw

Its an amazing opportunity, says Falilat Omodudu. Im delighted and grateful for the recognition this project has received.

The 34-year-old from London has been working on In the Air, which improves air quality by making pollution-absorbing ceramic plant pots, outdoor planters and tiles, alongside experts for almost two years. The support from AXA and the Evening Standard validates all my dedication. This prize motivates me to bring my products to market as quickly as possible. Being recognised by the judges has elevated Falilats confidence as an entrepreneur. Knowing others see the potential has further fuelled me to scale the business.

The fashion designer and creative director says the prize will raise awareness and attract like-minded investors and collaborators passionate about reducing air pollution. She adds: Im excited about the products potential and even more eager to work with local communities for piloting my work.

Peoples Choice: Donna Forte

Caroline Hill, Donna Forte / Scott Kershaw

After suffering from breast cancer, Caroline Hill saw a gap in the market for comfortable and high-quality underwear for women post-surgery. [Winning] has given me the opportunity, motivation, self-determination and confidence to take it to the next level, she says. My next goals are to fully launch the business and turn my dream into a reality.

The 48-year-old from Essex, who has more than 20 years experience in fashion, says that Donna Forte  strong woman in Italian  aims to ease the search for suitable underwear at a time when everything is difficult. She adds: The aim is to help the women going through this journey even in a small way. The prize will help the brand gain invaluable exposure, she says, and Caroline is especially pleased that it was voted for by Evening Standard readers. I am so grateful for the opportunities it will open for the business which will in turn help women on their breast cancer journey.

Feeling inspired? If youre thinking about starting your own business, discover key advice and news from Business Guardian Angel and AXA Business Insurance here
A health minister has dismissed nanny state calls to put cereals high in sugar into more plain packaging.

Will Quince said more emphasis should be placed on educating parents and viewing the products as a treat over the packaging itself.

It comes as the health group Action on Sugar called for the removal of all packaging that appeals to children on breakfast cereals and yoghurts graded as high or medium for sugars, salt or saturated fat.

This includes packaging that has cartoon characters, animations, vibrant colours and familiar characters intentionally designed to attract the attention of a child.

Research by the group found 47% of cereals and 65% of yogurts contained a third of the maximum sugar recommendation for a four to six-year-old per 100g.

Speaking to Times Radio on Tuesday, Mr Quince said: Im not in favour of those kinds of nanny state interventions because as a parent, its my responsibility to educate my child as to what is and isnt appropriate for daily consumption and as a treat.

I like Krave cereal as much as the next person its very nice, but would I have it every day? No, because I know the implications of that. I want to educate my children about that.

So what it means is we need to empower people to make healthier life choices.

Given the soaring numbers of under-18s suffering weight-related health problems and tooth decay being the leading cause of child hospitalisation, now is the time for companies to be forced to remove child-appealing packaging from products that are misleading parents and making our children unhealthy and sick

Mr Quince said plain packaging for the products was certainly a step too far as they were enjoyable when had in moderation, and should be had every now and then as a treat.

He confirmed when asked that he lost six stone in just over a year during the Covid-19 lockdowns.

Breakfast cereals and yoghurts saw significant reductions in sugar levels between 2015 and 2020, at 14.9% and 13.5% respectively.

But the Sugar Reduction Programme announced in the Governments obesity plan in 2016 set a target of 20% in that timeframe.

Dr Kawther Hashem, campaign lead at Action on Sugar, said: Its ludicrous that whilst breakfast cereals and yogurts celebrate the largest reductions in sugars during the Sugar Reduction Programme, those same products with child-appealing packaging still have excessive amounts of sugars, unsuitable for regular intake by children.

Given the soaring numbers of under-18s suffering weight-related health problems and tooth decay being the leading cause of child hospitalisation, now is the time for companies to be forced to remove child-appealing packaging from products that are misleading parents and making our children unhealthy and sick.
Rishi Sunaks strategy to house migrants and asylum seekers on the Bibby Stockholm barge has certainly made headlines -- for all the wrong reasons. Fallout from this botched plan has sparked debate on how best to house asylum seekers, but thats a secondary concern. More importantly, we should focus on what they do when theyre here.

I do not wish to rehash the arguments around the pros and cons of immigration. However I would point out that immigration is economically beneficial to the UK, the objections and concerns raised against it are misplaced, and attempting to reduce it will cause further damage to the UK economy.

Instead I want to discuss asylum seekers. While it is right that the government wants to deter people from making the perilous journey across the Channel in small boats and also take power away from people smugglers, its proposals simply will not work. Schemes such as deporting people to Rwanda will not only be incredibly costly (if its even allowed to go ahead) but will also not act as a deterrent. The reason why people are so determined to reach our shores is because they often have family links or speak English. As such, the pull to the UK will continue to remain too strong and we wont see a fall in numbers.

If the government is serious about stopping the boats then it should increase the number of safe and legal routes to the UK. The UK should establish processing centres in the EU, the Middle East, and Africa in order to allow those seeking asylum to have their claims processed in an efficient and safe way.

We are currently in a tight labour market with lots of vacancies which businesses are unable to fill. Lifting the ban would allow employers to find the workers they need, improve productivity, and increase GDP

Just as importantly we need to change the way that asylum seekers are treated when they arrive in the UK. The most effective policy to improve things for asylum seekers, taxpayers, and local communities that the government could introduce would be to abolish the ban on asylum seekers being allowed to work.

First of all, such a move would be hugely beneficial to the asylum seekers themselves. Many of them have experienced horrors too terrible to imagine as they have fled war, oppression, and torture. The current system condemns them to be alone with their own thoughts where they have very little to do in order to pass the time. Allowing them to work will give them a sense of purpose. It would also provide them with a stable wage and allow them to integrate with their local community.

On a related note it would also be a positive development for the host communities. These are areas which are often already struggling and experienced decades of decline. An influx of asylum seekers has increased pressure on public services and in some cases as led to resentment and unrest. Allowing asylum seekers will allow them to make a positive contribution economically and socially to their new area.

We would expect to see wider benefits from lifting the ban. For example, allowing asylum seekers to work would reduce the burden on taxpayers as fewer of them would be in need of direct cash payments or housing support. It is estimated that the annual saving for taxpayers would be around 6.7 billion.

There would also be benefits for other areas of the economy. We are currently in a tight labour market with lots of vacancies which businesses are unable to fill. Lifting the ban would allow employers to find the workers they need, improve productivity, and increase GDP by approximately 1.6 billion each year.

Finally, more people in work means more people paying taxes. It is estimated that scrapping the ban and allowing asylum seekers to work would increase tax revenue by 1.3 billion every year. This boost to the Treasurys coffers would give the government more money to spend on essential public services such as schools and the NHS.

The government should lift the restrictions on the right-to-work for asylum seekers. Not only would it be the right thing to do for some of the most vulnerable people it would also bring significant social and economic benefits to the UK.
I watched the repeal of Roe vs Wade last year in wide-eyed horror as a womans right to an abortion in the United States vanished overnight. My friends in the US were in pieces  there was heartbreak and disbelief as they watched the erosion of their human rights in real time. I sent them my commiserations and listened to their fears. It was awful but this was a country which voted for Donald Trump and believes in the right to bear arms while children are slaughtered in classrooms on a monthly basis. This is a deep-set American culture war, not a British one, I thought.

But then came the upsetting case of Carla Foster over here. The vulnerable mother-of-three was jailed for two years for illegally obtaining abortion pills when she was between 32 and 34 weeks pregnant. The circumstances were desperately sad: the 44-year-old had been at a loss, having moved back in with an ex-partner at the beginning of lockdown while carrying another mans baby. Her anxiety was sky-high and her mental health was unstable. She has said she is haunted by her dead childs face. In prison she wasnt allowed any contact with her three children, one of whom is autistic. Its harrowing stuff. Thankfully, sense eventually prevailed, her sentence was reduced and she was released. The Court of Appeal judge stated that Foster needed compassion not punishment. Yet, this woman will always have a criminal record.

Today another woman will appear in a UK court accused of carrying out her own abortion. She will come before a judge today and is charged with child destruction and procuring her own miscarriage. The abortion is alleged to have happened during the first Covid lockdown when she was 19. The maximum penalty for each charge is life in prison.

In the last eight months four women have been prosecuted under a law from 1861  compared to only three in the last 160 years

Fast forward to a few months time, in November, when yet another woman is due to stand trial, this time for inducing her own miscarriage. She has pleaded not guilty.

In the last eight months, four women have been prosecuted under an archaic law from 1861. Four may not sound like that many, but compare that to the last 160 years during which only three women were prosecuted  and none of them brought to trial. Cut to 2023 and one has to ask if this acceleration in arrests of women suspected of illegal abortions seems markedly aggressive? It feels like something has shifted  in the wrong direction. Lest we forget that just last year a Tory MP (Danny Kruger) said in Parliament that he doesnt believe women have the absolute right to bodily autonomy.

In America, during the run-up to the Roe v Wade reversal, there had been an alarming upward trend in women being prosecuted for pregnancy loss, including miscarriage and stillbirth. One woman was even charged and accused of attempting an abortion after she became lightheaded and fell down the stairs. In 2021, another was convicted of manslaughter for a miscarriage at between 15-17 weeks and sentenced to four years in prison.

It sounds like a dystopian scene from The Handmaids Tale. But in the UK too, women who have endured miscarriages and stillbirths are also being subjected to invasive police investigations under the unfit-for-purpose 1861 act (which makes it illegal for women to procure their own abortion  a crime which carries a life sentence). Dozens of probes have been launched in the last 10 years; perhaps most upsetting was the case of a 15-year-old who was subjected to a year-long investigation after a stillbirth. The case was dropped after a coroner declared the loss was caused by natural causes. I cant think of many situations more callous or cruel.

Just as in the US, were seeing a worrying trajectory in the stigmatisation of women. In Britain in 2012, eight women were recorded as having illegal abortions, in 2021 there were 40 investigations under way. Dr Jonathan Lord, a gynaecologist and medical director at MSI Reproductive Choices UK, has described the increase as very disturbing and chilling. We look at the situation in the States with a detached disbelief but the rights of women here are not a given. The 1861 law was designed to protect women from backstreet abortions  its outdated and out of step with society. It urgently needs repealing.

No matter the circumstances, women shouldnt be subjected to a criminal investigation for accessing healthcare. Very few women would terminate a late-stage pregnancy, so instead of words like prosecution and unlawful, Id suggest safeguarding and support would be more humane.

Suzannah Ramsdale is lifestyle director of the Evening Standard
I n London we dont merely tolerate diversity, we celebrate it. Thats why the homophobic attack outside Claphams gay bar the Two Brewers is so shocking and strikes at the heart of what our city is and stands for.

Yet the facts are that this was not an isolated incident. More than 3,500 homophobic-flagged hate crimes were recorded in the capital last year. That represents a two-fold increase from 2015. Some of the rise may be attributed to more reporting, but it would be criminally complacent to ignore such trends, not least when many, in particular young people, are unwilling to go to the police.

Homophobic hate crime extends well beyond violence on our streets, to mistreatment and intimidation as people go about their daily lives. That is why Pride is a protest, and the fight for equality goes on. We will never allow LGBTQ+ people to be pushed back into the closet.

Trump looms large

For casual observers, it may be confusing to keep up with the various charges, indictments and prosecutions against Donald Trump. That task grew yet more challenging yesterday, when the former US president and 18 of his one-time aides were charged with an alleged criminal conspiracy over attempts to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.

Such is the partisan nature of US politics, and the lie sown by Trump that the election was stolen, that he remains the heavy favourite to secure the Republican Partys nomination in 2024. Furthermore, polling indicates he would be in a competitive race with Joe Biden.

The rule of law, that most precious of ideals, endures in the US. But Trump has tested it to its limits. A second term is both unthinkable and a distinct possibility.

Short cuts in court

A 78-year-old woman was prosecuted for not paying her car insurance. After pleading guilty, she was fined 40, 100 in costs and a 16 victim surcharge. Yet her daughter had written to the court: her mother had schizophrenia, dementia and Alzheimers and had broken her ankle, before ending up in care.

This is by no means a unique example. The case was dealt with under the Single Justice Procedure, behind closed doors, and at speed. Such are the risks of conveyor belt justice. People are not immune to the law because they are old. But by removing a level of scrutiny and checks within the legal system, we have ended up with unfair and unjust outcomes.
I was about to start work on this commission, when in came an email from Twitter. Theyd received a complaint that the following tweet violated their standards.

Sex is not the same as gender.

But its not your gender that gives you the physique to tower over woman athletes & break their swimming records. Its your sex. Its not your undressed gender that upsets women in changing rooms. Its your sex. You cant eat your cake & have it.

Twitter sensibly over-ruled the complaint and cleared me of the proscribed sins that they helpfully listed for me:

Violent speech, violent and hateful entities, child sexual exploitation, abuse/harassment, hateful conduct, perpetrators of violent attacks, suicide, sensitive media, illegal, private information, non-consensual nudity, account compromise, plus various legal technicalities.

Im sure the complainant was sincere. And thats my point. A certain type of activist has a level of paranoid hypersensitivity that almost literally warps their hearing. You can say ,I disagree with you for the following reasons. But all they actually hear is Hate hate hate! So instead of putting a counter-argument (which I would be interested to hear), they resort to censorship. All too often it goes further, and they boil over in virulent abuse: Transphobe! TERF!

At least the above tweet was partisan. But so hair-trigger is the hypersensitivity, a mere invitation to discuss something is enough to set it off.

In 2015, Rachel Dolezal, a white chapter president of NAACP, was vilified for identifying as Black. Some men choose to identify as women, and some women choose to identify as men. You will be vilified if you deny that they literally are what they identify as. Discuss.

That 2021 tweet caused the American Humanist Association to withdraw my title as 1996 Humanist of the Year. A 25-year retrospective swipe, which cost them the loss of several major donors. Once again, I have no doubt they were sincere.

On July 26, I interviewed Helen Joyce about her book Trans. The interview is being very well received on YouTube. As it should be, for Joyce is extremely well-informed in her subject and she spoke cogently, soberly, reasonably.

But one of YouTubes in-house judges heard only hate. And tried to censor the interview.

Short of an outright ban, YouTube has a variety of punishments at its disposal. In this case we got a minor slap on the wrist, a restriction on our videos licence to advertise. But the real point is, yet again, the ludicrous hypersensitivity of the complainant. Those warped ears heard not reasonable argument deserving a reply, but hateful and derogatory content, and hate or harassment towards individuals or groups.

Obviously I cant disprove that here. The interview runs to more than 10,000 words. But judge for yourself, its still up on YouTube. I earnestly challenge Evening Standard readers to search diligently for literally anything that a reasonable speaker of the English language could fairly call hateful. Enter it, labelled Challenge, in the comments section under the video, and I promise to respond.

I just said a reasonable speaker of the English language, and maybe here lies the key: language. If we want a fruitful argument, wed better speak the same language. In todays overheated sparring over sex and gender, both sides may appear to be speaking English, but is it the same English? Does hate mean to you what hate means to everyone else?

Or theres violence. The Oxford Dictionary defines it as the deliberate exercise of physical force against a person, property, etc, and that is certainly the meaning I understand. Advocates of free speech often invoke, as a sensible exception, incitement to violence, where physical force is normally implied. But that sensible exception would mean something very different if you redefine violence to include the non-physical. If someone calls you she when you prefer they, I might see it as a mild discourtesy. But if you see it as a violent threat to your very existence, then our interpretations of incitement to violence  and hence of freedom of speech  are going to diverge sharply.

As a textbook example of incitement to real violence, you could hardly do better than Sarah Jane Bakers speech at London Pride this year, where she told the cheering crowd: If you see a TERF, punch them in the fucking face. Or Sky News (January 23) has a picture of two SNP politicians grinning in front of a large, colourful sign depicting a guillotine and the slogan DECAPITATE TERFS. They claimed they didnt know the sign was there, and I sympathise. You shouldnt be blamed for the company you keep. No doubt I shall be labelled right-wing for writing this article  and thats the most unkindest cut of all.

The Guardian (February 14, 2020) reported that police officers turned up at Harry Millers workplace to warn him about his allegedly transphobic tweets, such as the obviously satirical, I was assigned Mammal at Birth, but my orientation is Fish. Dont mis-species me. One of them told Miller that he had not committed a crime, but his tweeting was being recorded as a hate incident.

Well, if Millers light-hearted satire is a hate incident, why not go after Monty Python, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, Rowan Atkinson, Private Eyes royal romances of Sylvie Krin, the early novels of Evelyn Waugh, Lady Addle Remembers, Tom Lehrer, even the benign PG Wodehouse? Satire is satire. Thats what satirists do, they get good-natured laughs and perform a valuable service to society.

Assigned Mammal at Birth satirises the trans-speak evasion of the biological fact that our sex is determined at conception by an X or a Y sperm. What I didnt know, and learned from Joyce in our interview, is that small children are being taught, using a series of colourful little books and videos, that their assigned sex is just a doctors best guess, looking at them when they were born.

A provisional guess, pending the childs own decision (which is what really counts).

Joyces comment is: And what are you meant to make of this if youre eight? First off, that youre very boring if you simply go along with what you were assigned at birth. Her book quotes the boast of a mother of eight children, without a single boring cis child in the whole bunch! I recently received a moving letter from a highly intelligent American 12-year-old, worried that at her school it was not cool to retain your assigned gender. Yesterday I chanced to meet an American teacher whose school rules compel her to go along with a childs declared gender and not tell the parents.

Millers case came up before Mr Justice Knowles, who thankfully didnt mince words when it came to freedom of speech: In this country we have never had a Cheka, a Gestapo or a Stasi. We have never lived in an Orwellian society. 1984s Appendix lays out the principles of Newspeak, the nascent language of Orwells dark dystopia. Newspeak was designed to make unorthodox thoughts impossible. There would be no words to express them.

OBrien, Big Brothers enforcer, holds up four fingers, and tortures Winston Smith until he really believes that 2+2= 5 if the Party wills it. Is that realistic? Could political power ever make you really believe a logical contradiction? The Times (January 18) reported that a transgender woman has denied raping two women with her penis. If with her penis is not quite 2+2= 5, its getting close. 2+2= 4.5? Joyces book quotes Orwell in an epigraph: Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows. Are we approaching that point?

But shouldnt we just indulge the harmless whims of an oppressed minority? Maybe, were it not for a strain of aggressive bossiness which insists, not so very harmlessly and not sounding very oppressed, that the rest of us must humour those whims and join in. This compulsion even has the force of law in some states. And alas, we often zip our lips in abject self-censorship because we arent as brave as JK Rowling, and dont fancy becoming a target of Twittermob vitriol. No, we dont fear Big Brother or the Stasi. We fear each other.
 Have these idiots never heard of Gary Hart? Such was the exasperated response of a veteran One Nation Conservative yesterday to the failure of small boats week.

The idiots in question, of course, were Rishi Sunak and his ministerial colleagues. Hart was the front-runner for the 1988 US Democratic presidential nomination who famously invited the press to follow me around in May 1987 in search of evidence of his alleged womanising  and was forced to stand down as a candidate only five days later, following the disclosure that he had taken an overnight trip with a younger woman on a luxury yacht called Monkey Business.

By referring to Hart, this Tory grandee was making a basic point about politics: dont draw attention to your idiocies or your weaknesses. In this case, ministers were sent out to champion a policy strategy that has proved an embarrassing failure to date  and is getting worse in real time.

Even as they boasted about the Prime Ministers determination to thwart illegal migration generally and the cross-Channel boats full of refugees specifically, the burning timbers of his plan were crashing down all around them.

The polls show that on migration the public isnt buying what Sunak and Braverman are selling

Last Tuesday, Lee Anderson, the Conservative deputy chair, told Nigel Farage on GB News that we have failed on this, theres no doubt about it. As if to prove the point, on Friday the Bibby Stockholm  the barge docked off Portland Port in Dorset to house 500 asylum seekers  was evacuated after traces of legionella bacteria were detected in the water supply. It appears, unbelievably, that the Home Office was made aware of the test findings on Tuesday but that ministers did not transfer the 39 migrants already on board until three days later.

Much worse, six people died early on Saturday morning after a boat carrying Afghan migrants sank in the Channel. Last night, The Times reported that the European Union has rejected a new migrant returns agreement proposed by the UK government.

In June, the court of appeal declared unlawful its plan to send refugees to Rwanda, forcing Sunak and Home Secretary Suella Braverman to consider deportations to other unsuitable locations such as Ascension Island.

On the Conservative backbenches, meanwhile, pressure is mounting for the partys general election manifesto to include a commitment to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights; widely perceived as the legal text doing most to thwart the small boats plan. But this is still a remote prospect.

In briefings to the weekend press, the PMs allies claimed that successful policy was, in fact, less important than the voters supposed belief that the Government was on their side. This is delusion of a high order. In the first place, poll after poll shows that when it comes to migration the public isnt buying what Sunak and Braverman are selling.

Second: it is truly extraordinary for a party that has been in office for more than 13 years to claim that this (alleged) alignment of its values with the electorates is more significant than its practical achievements  or lack thereof.

This is the mentality of a pressure group, not a government seeking a fifth term. On migration, Sunaks strategy is uncannily reminiscent of Michael Howards dog-whistling campaign  Are you thinking what were thinking?  before the 2005 election. But Howard was leader of the Opposition, struggling to save a party that had already suffered two landslide defeats. He was unable to prevent Tony Blair from winning yet again.

Is this really a sensible model for Sunak to follow today? Yes, Boris Johnson was able to win a thumping 80-seat majority in 2019 with a campaign that led on culture and values. But his primary political objective was to get Brexit done; and his opponent was Jeremy Corbyn, whose patriotism was questioned by a great many traditional Labour voters.

In contrast, Sunak will be up against Keir Starmer: a very different proposition. And, this time, the voters are overwhelmingly preoccupied by practical problems: the cost-of-living crisis, the intense strain on public services, the continuing wave of strikes. In such a context, petty culture wars and macho slogans just arent going to cut it.

It is odd that the PM should think otherwise; odder still that he should devote a week to an area of policy that is marked by abject failure. The answer to the puzzle is as clear as it is harsh: that Rishi Sunak is a truly terrible politician.

Matthew dAncona is a columnist
S anditon, the show adapted from an unfinished Jane Austen novel that was cancelled after one series only to be uncancelled after mass fan protest, is finally coming to an end  on its own terms.

After building on the incomplete manuscript Austen was writing when she died, the third and final season will look to draw together the plot strands first teased by Austen all the way back in 1817.

Telling the story of Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams), a spirited young woman who moves from her rural home to the tiny seaside resort of Sanditon, the unfinished novel only runs to 24,000 words  leaving ample room for improvisation.

Austens fragment took us to halfway through episode one of season one. So everything after that we had to make up, lead writer and executive producer Justin Young says. Part of the Sanditon scriptwriting team since the beginning, he and Andrew Davies (hailed as the undisputed master of Austen adaptations) worked on first adapting the book, and then writing the shows new storylines.

On one level, it is fanfiction. But on another level, you have to sort of be a little bit irreverent, he says. So you have to just go, You know what, were going to take her box of crayons, were going to take her toolbox, and were going to play with it. And were not saying in any way, this is the definitive conclusion to the story. Were saying this is our version. And were going to have fun.

In this version of the Sanditon tale, the shows original hero Sidney Parker (Theo James) is no longer on the scene. After James announced he would not be returning for season two, he was killed off brutally in the opening moments of season two, says Young, to stop the fans waiting for him to come back.

Georgiana Lambe (Crystal Clarke), Arthur Parker (Turlough Convery) / Red Planet (Sanditon 3) Ltd/Rob Youngson

In his place, we have Ben Lloyd-Hughes Darcy-esque recluse Alexander Colbourne. A father to two young girls, he hires Charlotte as a governess to his children, before inevitably developing feelings for her. However, by the end of season two, its all gone drastically wrong.

We had this classic Jane Austen[-style] romantic, but crushing, misunderstanding. Charlotte Heywood and Alexander Colbourne have broken each others hearts, Lloyd-Hughes says.

At the end of series two, the pair went their separate ways  so separate, in fact, that Charlotte announced her engagement to childhood best friend Ralph, and Colbourne departed Sanditon in fury.

Series three picks up the action some months later. Hes Alexander Colbourne 2.0. Hes freshly rested, and he has become a better father, thanks to all his months of interaction with Miss Heywood and he is determined to carry on his life without her, Lloyd-Hughes says. He genuinely is planning on continuing his life as a single father until he finds out that [Charlotte is] back in Sanditon and supposedly is upset about the way it ended.

Will they get back together or not? What people love about Jane Austen is happy ever afters. That was our destination point. We had to get our characters who have become very beloved, to that point of an HEA, Belinda Campbell, Sanditons producer, says.

But Sanditon isnt all about the search for true love. We also felt really strongly that Jane Austen was a radical at the time of writing her books, that they werent just rom-coms she was writing about, satirising the time that she lived in. So it was important to us as well to have a degree of social commentary.

To that end, this season of Sanditon is also looking to wrap up another story: that of Georgiana (Crystal Clarke). First introduced all the way back in season one, she stands out in the Austen canon as the only person of colour (she is described in the original manuscript as half mulatto), who also happens to be an heiress.

At a time where colourblind casting in shows like Bridgerton have become popular, Georgianas story stands out, based as it is on the real-life stories of people of colour in Georgian England at the time.

Top quality brooding: Ben Lloyd-Hughes as Alexander Colbourne / Red Planet (Sanditon 3) Ltd/Rob Youngson

As Clarke explains, the shows director Charles Sturridge spent a lot of time looking at the history books to find those stories and see how they could inform Georgianas character arc. There were so many possibilities and potentialities of where Georgianas story could go, based on the history of people of colour, and the history of free people of colour in England [who were] rich... people just assume it doesnt exist but theres so much to show.

Youngs adds, I think we went on a bit of a journey with that character across the three seasons, and I think it coincided with a real awakening for all of us  to the extent that ITV went onto hire historical advisors and experts in black history to help flesh out Georgianas character for seasons two and three.

That any of these storylines had the chance to happen is thanks to the shows dedicated fanbase. Hailing from all around the world, the Sanditon Sisterhood was instrumental in bringing the show back from the dead after its original one-season run in 2019  and the cast and crew are at pains to say how grateful they are for the support.

Lloyd-Hughes talks about the sacks of birthday cards he received in recent months, as well as a dedicated fridge magnet celebrating the Ben Lloyd-Hoes; Alice Orr-Ewing says they are just so supportive  but there is a flip side.

In my audition, I was warned about them: really be careful about what you say about this, and what you post, she laughs. Even before they announced that I was in it, there was some photo. Theres a sort of blurry picture of me, in the background... its proper MI5 stuff, they zoomed in and sort of tracked me down. And I didnt know how they did it. They found out who I was off the back of the picture.

Orr-Ewing has the daunting task of making her Sanditon debut as a complete newcomer to the show: she describes her character, Lydia Montrose, as a woman sort of ahead of her time, who rejects societal pressure to settle down and marry.

This being Austen, there are of course gorgeous sets and costumes  which, as Lloyd-Hughes says, were as lush and detailed as they seem.

Orr-Ewing adds, The costumes are so colourful, and it itself away from the other period dramas because theyre not trying to be sort of sexy, or, you know, bodice ripping. Its like, No, this is the real outfit, colours and frills and hats, and  what are they called?  reticules?

Its like going to a theme park. One minute, youre in an aircraft hangar, then you turn a corner and theres just the streets of Sanditon. Its quite creepy to go up to one of the houses. It looks absolutely like were back in Regency England, and then you walk in, and then theres just sort of nothing inside. But all the outside stalls, the food and stuff, its all preserved. They go into such detail, the props department.

With the show coming to an end, the pressure to achieve those elusive HEAs is high, but Campbell doesnt seem worried. After all, people love Sanditon. It has the sensibility of an Austen story [and] amazing female characters, she says. I think that the joy that's in there is also really important for audiences. It's a really, it's a really fun and really entertaining watch. It makes you feel better about the world. It's beautiful to look at.

As we wrap up, I ask Campbell, would Austen approve of the ending the show has created for her last-ever characters? She laughs. I hope that she would have approved, while also probably saying, I would have done it totally differently. But we tried very hard to be faithful to her spirit.

Sanditon will be airing on ITVX from August 17
Students of the Faculty of Electrical and Electric Power Engineering presented by ADA University jointly with George Washington University (USA) met with the President of AzerEnergy Open Joint Stock Company Baba Rzayev, Azernews reports.

The teaching staff of ADA University and employees of Azerenerji participated in the meeting with the students who had just returned from Washington.

Students who just finished the academic year at George Washington University shared the knowledge and skills they acquired there with AzerEnergy OJSC.

Later, Baba Rzayev congratulated the students who had just returned to Azerbaijan and gave them detailed information about the dynamic activities and initiatives of Azerenergy OJSC. He emphasized the commitment of Azerenerji OJSC to the training of young talents in the energy sector and expressed his satisfaction with supporting this dual program presented by ADA University.

"Cooperation with ADA University provides opportunities for closer analysis of international experience in electrical engineering and energy issues and its application in our country," he added.

Baba Rzayev, who shared his professional career advice with the students, also offered expert opinion on the master's dissertations to be presented by the students on topics covering modern trends in electrical power engineering.

It should be noted that in 2019, a memorandum of understanding was signed between ADA University and AzerEnergy OJSC, and it is planned to organize high-level personnel training in the field of electrical engineering and to implement joint measures to expand the potential of this field in general.

Students of the master's program funded by AzerEnergy OJSC complete their master's education in a total of five semesters, including three semesters at ADA University and two semesters at George Washington University, USA.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 15. The EU Mission in Yerevan has responded to previously released information, refuting claims that any of its patrols were targeted by alleged Azerbaijani shelling along the border with Armenia.

"We affirm that our EU mission patrol was present during the incident involving gunfire within our designated area. No members of our mission sustained injuries," the updated report clarifies.

In a previous statement, the EU delegation refuted Armenia's unfounded accusations against Azerbaijan, reiterating that the mission is still actively involved in border monitoring between the two countries and informed Brussels of any military occurrences, including gunshot situations that fall under its purview.

Evidently, Armenian pressure forced the EU to give in in the end, necessitating the need for this "observation". This political show is only an effort to stay current. However, these unfounded accusations leveled against Azerbaijan have no beneficial effects and simply serve to hinder the country's attempts to bring about peace in the region.

Meanwhile, earlier, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan also refuted the absurd statements of the Armenian sides about the alleged shelling.

"The information spread in Armenian media resources that on August 15, at about 12:20 (GMT+4), Azerbaijan Army Units allegedly opened fire in the direction of the European Union observers and their car in the Yukhari Shorzha settlement of the Basarkechar region does not correspond to reality but is another disinformation disseminated by the opposing side.

We inform you that the time of the European Union observers' visits in the direction of the conditional border in Armenia, their movement route, coordinates in the area, as well as the brand and vehicle registration plates of the cars, are presented to the Azerbaijani side in advance.

For this reason, it is theoretically and practically impossible for such a situation to occur, as claimed by the Armenian Ministry of Defense," the ministry said.
The one to help you sleep at night

Marbella Club, Spain

Its 3am, you are wide awake and your brain is whirring. If that sounds familiar, it might be time to give your sleeping patterns an overhaul. The first step? Get yourself to Marbella Club, a celebrity favourite, where you will find chilled vibes and, more importantly, a tranquillity and sleep-enhancing retreat. Whether you opt for two, four or seven nights, all three programmes feature a sleep-inducing ritual as well as nutritional and lifestyle consultations, yoga and meditation. Youll work with the hotels experts to find routines and tips that will help you sleep soundly long after you get home.

From 1,290 (not including accommodation), marbellaclub.com

The Wim Hof experience at Beaverbrook in Surrey / Beaverbrook hotel

The Wim Hof one

Beaverbook Spa, Surrey

Already tried the whole cold shower thing? Take it to the next level and book yourself in for a Wim Hof Method spa day at Beaverbrook Spa, a gorgeous country house hotel in a 400-acre estate in Surrey. For the unfamiliar, Wim Hof  also known as the Iceman  is a Dutch athlete and wellness guru whose methods revolve around breathing techniques and cold exposure. On this one-day retreat led by a certified Wim Hof Method instructor, youll start by learning breathing techniques for managing tension, stress, fitness and health. In the afternoon, you will get to grips with ice breathing techniques and then its onto the main event: a guided six-minute ice bath. If it sounds unbearable, just remember: its good for you.

From 250, beaverbrook.co.uk

High tech wellness at Palazzo Fiuggi in Italy / Palazzo Fiuggi

The immune-boosting one

Palazzo Fiuggi, Italy

A wellness hotel in the Italian hills about an hours drive from Rome, Palazzo Fiuggi offers a package called the Full Immuno Boost. The minimum stay is seven nights but if you really need some TLC, you can opt for the 21-night break. The programme includes a health check, an ECG, blood analysis and a whole-body scan. As well as the medical side of things you will have cryotherapy sessions, an infrared body detox, hydrotherapy, massages and group movement classes. The food is cooked by a Michelin-starred chef so meals will be both healthy and delicious. Heres to your immune system being well and truly boosted.

From 6,050 for seven nights, palazzofiuggi.com

The Body Camp hosts week-long fitness retreats in Mallorca / The Body Camp

The fitness one

The Body Camp, Mallorca

If your fitness routine has become non-existent over the summer and you are keen to get reacquainted with working out, a week at The Body Camp should get you back on track. It is a holistic retreat that aims to get you exercising both body and mind. Held at a guesthouse in rural Mallorca, its week-long retreats welcome people of all abilities. No two days are the same, but your day could include everything from team games and weight training to yoga and chilling by the pool. On the food front, theres a plant-based menu from the in-house chef. All you have to do is turn up and embrace the jam-packed schedule.

Prices from 1,650 for a week, thebodycamp.com

Park Igls Physio-Fit retreat focuses on muscular-skeletal pain / Park Igls

The one to fix your back pain

Park Igls, Austria

Whether your back has never quite recovered from working on the sofa in lockdown, or you have got a niggling pain in your joints that you cant seem to shake, this physio-focused retreat aims to fix your aching body. Located in the Austrian Alps, Park Igls is a health retreat and medical spa thats all about getting your health back on track through an evidence-based approach.

The Physio-Fit retreat focuses on muscular-skeletal pain, with a programme that includes a health check, physio sessions, gait analysis, electrotherapeutics and full-body massages. You will also have a personalised food plan and access to group fitness sessions, the pool, sauna and spa. Get ready for the tension in your body to melt away.

From 3,689 for seven nights, park-igls.at

Euphoria Retreat offers three-day, five or seven-day retreats / Euphoria Retreat

The one for stressed-out city dwellers

Euphoria Retreat, Greece

A few hours from Athens, Euphoria Retreat is already an incredibly relaxing spot thanks to its position in a delicious-smelling pine forest on the Peloponnese peninsula. But if youre really frazzled you should book onto its relax and de-stress retreat. Available as a three-day, five or seven-day retreat, the programme aims to help you relax your body and mind through a combination of techniques including meditation, reflexology, hammam rituals and more. One of the spas USPs is its 3GL test, a pin-prick blood test that measures how well your body is metabolising food. The results are used to create a customised food plan of regionally-inspired dishes for your stay. You will be feeling zen in no time.

From 866 for three days, euphoriaretreat.com
A t just 194sq ft, this poky north London flat is less than half the size required for new dwellings under current rules.

In fact it is smaller than many budget hotel rooms and just over three times the minimum area the Red Cross advises for a prison cell.

The first-floor apartment is located in a converted terrace house, walking distance from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and doesn't appear to have an oven, a bath or a wardrobe.

However, images on the property listing show four kitchen cupboards, a small fridge, a narrow shower space and a separate toilet.

Crammed: the multi-functional room has clothes and plants hanging from the walls / Kings Group / Rightmove

Clothes hang on a rail at the foot of a bed, while a television sits on a chest of drawers. As an existing dwelling, it can house two people and still not fall foul of the governments statutory overcrowding rules.

Offered leasehold, the flat is on the market for 100,000, well below the 481,851 average for properties in the N17 postcode.

Opportunity knocks?

The agents describe the Willoughby Lane flat as cosy and well arranged, highlighting its favourable location "minutes away from Northumberland Park Overground Station".

Only available to cash buyers, it comes with a 91-year lease and a 250 per year ground rent.

Perhaps most likely to be bought to let on London's overheated rental market, the property is described as an ideal opportunity for an investor.

Squeaky clean: the narrow shower space / Kings Group / Rightmove

Rightmove data suggests a flat in the same house sold for 105,000 last year, while another went for 222,000 in 2017.

The situation for London renters

A spokesperson for the London Renters Union said: While rents are rising, the amount of space renters are expected to live in seems to be shrinking year on year.

Its not right that somebody could be forced to pay as much as half of their income for a space not much bigger than the average hotel room.

The spokesperson added: We need the government to invest in social housing and bring rents under control to create a fairer, safer housing system that meets everyones needs.

Amid a major housing crisis, ever more unlikely spaces are hitting the market in the capital.

It emerged earlier this month that a tiny west London flat with just one window was up for sale for 160,000.
A man has been charged with murder after a 40-year-old man was stabbed to death in a house in west London.

Sufian Choudry, 38, is due to appear at Uxbridge Magistrates Court on Tuesday over the death of Krzysztof Baran, Metropolitan Police said.

The victim was found unresponsive at a multi-occupancy house on Nine Acres Close in Hayes at 11am on Saturday.

Officers, with paramedics from the London Ambulance Service, attended but Mr Baran was pronounced dead at the scene.

He died of a stab wound, a post-mortem examination carried out on Sunday determined.

Mr Barans family has been informed and are being supported by officers.

Detective Chief Inspector Sal Minhas, who is leading the investigation, said on Monday: My thoughts are with the family of the man who has died and we will do all we can to support them as our investigation progresses.

Based on our initial enquiries, we believe this was an isolated incident and there is nothing to suggest there being any wider risk to the community.
T he sister of a man who has been missing for three weeks has made a desperate appeal for more information as police continue to scour areas in east London.

Joe Warren, 46, who shared a house in Hackney with his sister Rosie for more than a decade, was last seen around 9.30am on Tuesday July 25 near Marsh Gate Bridge in Hackney Marshes.

In a statement released by the Metropolitan Police on Tuesday, Rosie pleaded for anyone with information to ugently contact the Met or the charity Missing People.

She said: All of Joes family and friends are desperate to know where he is. He is so loved by so many people and we all want him to come home.

Ive shared a house in Hackney with my brother Joe for over 10 years so every day not seeing him and not knowing where he is, if he is safe or needs help, is agonising.

The police have been amazing and continue to do so much trying to find him. So many friends have helped us either putting up appeal posters or sharing Joes appeal on social media, but sadly we still havent found him.

Officers are continuing to search for Joe in Hackney Marshes or Epping Forest.

Joe is described as 6ft 3ins tall, of slim build, with short brown hair which is thinning on top. He was last seen wearing a green camouflage jacket, green trousers and black trainers with white soles.

via Metropolitan Police

Detective Inspector Gavin Jay, said: It has been three weeks since Joe was last seen, and we continue to have concerns for his wellbeing.

I am asking for the public to support us in this investigation, and to come forward with any information which could assist in locating him safely. This continues to be a difficult time for Joes family.

The Met said earlier this month that Joe has recently been stressed and his family and officers are increasingly concerned for his safety.

There was a potential sighting of him on August 1 near the Lincolns Lane carpark in Epping Forest.

Any witnesses, or those with any information, are asked to call Police on 101 quoting 23MIS025447.
A former Labour councillor in Hackney caught with sadistic images of children being sexually abused as well as a cache of violent pornographic photos has been spared jail.

Thomas Dewey, 36, was caught by the National Crime Agency after he uploaded some of the illegal images to an online storage platform.

He was arrested at his then-home in north London on April 29 last year, but went on a week later to be elected for Labour to sit on Hackney council.

Labour were notified on May 16 by the councils Chief Executive that he had been arrested and he was suspended from the party. Dewey resigned as a councillor the same day, triggering a by-election last July.

At Wood Green crown court on Tuesday, Dewey was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years, with 150 hours of community service and 40 days in rehab.

Recorder Jonathan Ashley-Norman KC said Dewey had taken commendable steps since your arrest to demonstrate your efforts to address your offending behaviour.

Your actions have had a devastating impact on your life, and on the lives of your closest family, he added.

I recognise the steps you have taken in order to turn your life around.

Prosecutor Margia Mostafa told the court: On April 29, 2022, NCA officers received four cyber tipline reports identifying the user of an online Google account.

The user had uploaded indecent prohibited images of children to his online storage.

NCA officers went to his home in north London and seized two laptops, two tablets and a hard drive containing 249 indecent images of children, including five in the most serious category involving sadistic abuse.

Dewey had also downloaded 78 extreme pornographic images involving violence and graphic injuries as well as sex with animals, and 1523 CGI and cartoon images involving the sexual abuse of children.

The court heard the images had been downloaded between 2008 and April 2022, with the last ones being saved two days before his arrest.

Full details of the abuse pictures were not revealed in court, but Ms Mostafa told the judge he could read a report which detailed sadism, penetration, and the ages of the children involved.

A report also concluded that Dewey posed a medium risk to teenage boys.

Dewey, wearing a brightly patterned tie, blue suit, and with his hair tied in a bun, spoke only to confirm his name during the sentencing hearing.

Rhiannon Sadler, mitigating for Dewey, said he sought treatment and therapy shortly after being arrested, long before he was charged earlier this year.

He is addressing the problem he has as pro-actively as he possibly can, she said.

He has also taken responsibility personally, by speaking with his family which we can all accept wouldnt have been an easy conversation.

He did that immediately, as he did with his employer, and having difficult conversations as well with the Labour party.

Character references were offered to the court from Deweys mother and sister, while Dewey himself wrote a letter to the court which was not read aloud.

Mr Dewey is one of those people who has clearly got to the point where theres a huge problem, added Ms Sadler.

Rather than sticking his head in the sand, post-police involvement he has been proactive.

Despite knowing it was going to destroy his life, which some people may say it should, he has continued to do whats right in the sense of informing those he should.

Dewey, now living in a cottage in Petersfield in Hampshire, pleaded guilty to three charges of making indecent images of children, possessing extreme pornographic images, and possessing prohibited images of children.

He will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
S ix former Metropolitan Police officers have been charged with sending grossly offensive racist messages on WhatsApp, the force said on Tuesday.

The officers, who retired between 2001 and 2015, were charged by post with offences under the Communications Act 2003 following a BBC investigation in October last year.

Peter Booth, Robert Lewis, Anthony Elsom, Alan Hall, Michael Chadwell and Trevor Lewton will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on September 7.

Mr Lewis, who allegedly started the group, was also a former immigration official at the Home Office, the BBC reported in October, before he was suspended following the investigation.

In a statement, the Met said: As a result of the investigation, it was established that from August 2018 until September 2022, inappropriate communications were shared within a closed WhatsApp group.

The six men charged were not serving at any point during their participation in the group.

They served in various parts of the Met throughout their careers but all spent time in the Diplomatic Protection Group, now known as the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command.

The group is a specialist operations branch of the Met that guards the Houses of Parliament and protects ministers.

The force said the first arrest was made within hours of the allegations being passed to the Met by the BBC following its Newsnight programme.

The BBC said some posts referenced the Governments Rwanda policy, recent flooding in Pakistan which left almost 1,700 people dead, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex featured in several images.

The messages were given to the BBC by a former member of the group, Dave Eden, who previously told the BBC: There are references to black politicians which are extremely unpleasant.

Commander James Harman, who leads the Mets Anti-Corruption and Abuse Command, said: We are working relentlessly to rebuild the trust of the public which has understandably been dented by a number of high profile incidents and investigations in recent years which have involved officers or former officers.

The honest majority of Met officers are fully behind this work. They are tired of being let down by a minority in policing and they are aware of the damage poor behaviour can do to our relationship with the communities we serve.

I recognise announcements about the outcome of our investigations may have the potential to cause further public concern, but I hope it demonstrates our absolute commitment to investigate behaviour from the Met.

I hope the public will recognise that we are determined to take the necessary measures to investigate wherever we find it.

Peter Booth, 66, of Carmarthenshire, has been charged with four counts of sending by public communication grossly offensive racist messages. He retired from the Met in April 2001.

Surrey man Robert Lewis, 62, who retired from the force in May 2015, has been charged with eight counts of sending by public communication grossly offensive racist messages.

Anthony Elsom, 67, of Bournemouth, has been charged with three counts of sending by public communication grossly offensive racist messages. He retired from the Met in May 2012.

Alan Hall, 65, of Suffolk, has been charged with three counts of sending by public communication grossly offensive racist messages after retiring from the Met in June 2015.

Michael Chadwell, 62, of Hampshire, has been charged with one count of sending by public communication grossly offensive racist messages. He retired from the Met in November 2015.

Trevor Lewton, 65, of Swansea, has been charged with one count of sending by public communication grossly offensive racist messages. He retired from the Met in August 2009.
P olice have made two arrests after discovering a large haul of knives at a suspected brothel in south east London.

Officers discovered a large collection of knives, multiple mobile phones and counterfeit money after raiding a property in Plumstead on Monday.

Police said that poor living conditions and other evidence discovered in the property showed it was clearly being used as a brothel.

Police conducting the raid at the property in Plumstead / MPS Greenwich

One male was arrested for Keeping a Brothel for Prostitution, police said, while another male was arrested for Possession of Counterfeit Notes.

The women at the property have been safeguarded by officers and partnership agencies.

All occupants were removed from the property and a Closure Notice has been served on the address, police said.
P olice are investigating after a woman was stabbed as she left a boat party in east London.

The victim, 36, is understood to have been leaving a gathering on board a vessel in the River Lea Canal in Stratford around 5am on Sunday, July 16 when the attack happened.

She reportedly walked past a group of men on the canal footpath when she felt a sharp pain in her leg.

Police and paramedics were called to the scene, and she was taken to hospital where her condition was assessed as not life threatening.

The suspect is described as black, 6ft 2in tall, with dreadlocks.

No arrests have yet been made and Scotland Yard on Tuesday issued an appeal urging anyone with information to get in touch.

Detective Constable Ben Taylor said: We believe the victim was leaving a party that had been held on a boat when she walked past a group of men and then felt a sharp pain in her leg.

She realised she had been stabbed but the suspect had left the scene. Our enquiries are ongoing but I urge anyone who was there, especially at the event, and may have captured images and video, to make contact with us immediately.

Anyone with information that could assist police is asked to call 101 or @MetCC and quote CAD1536/16Jul. You can also provide information anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
A n elderly couple have condemned Ryanair after they were forced to pay 110 to print their outbound boarding passes.

Ruth Jaffe, 79, and her husband Peter, 80, mistakenly downloaded their return boarding pass instead of the outgoing one on the first leg of their journey from Stansted Airport to Bergerac, France, last Friday.

Mrs Jaffe, from Ealing, said she only realised she had printed the wrong tickets after arriving at the airport.

I was then told that I had to go to the Ryanair desk to get a boarding card, and there they charged me 55 per person," she told the BBCs Radio 4 Today programme.

[I was] horrified.

It comes after Mr and Mrs Jaffes daughter hit out at the airline on social media for charging her parents over an honest mistake.

110 for 2 pieces of paper which took 1 minute. Shame on you, she wrote on social media site X.

She said her parents also had to pay extra to sit next to each other, despite her father being disabled.

The post, which sparked a huge backlash against the airline, has been viewed more than 13 million times.

Asked about the social media reaction, Mrs Jaffe said: People hate Ryanair, I think.

She added: If youre elderly and havent been brought up using computers from day one, it can be very difficult.

Mr Jaffe chimed in: Its also the money-making aspect, like the fact we had to pay extra to sit together.

A spokesperson for Ryanair said in a statement: All passengers travelling with Ryanair agree to check-in online before arriving at their departure airport and all passengers are sent an email/SMS, reminding them to do so 24hrs before departure.

We regret that these passengers ignored their email reminder and failed to check-in online.
A centuries-old sweet chestnut in Londons Greenwich Park is among 12 specimens in the running to be crowned the UKs Tree of the Year 2023.

An oak that survived a wartime bomb, and a tree that shaded Queen Elizabeth I on summer picnics have also made the shortlist in the annual competition organised by the Woodland Trust.

This years contest shines a spotlight on ancient trees in urban locations that are accessible to the public.

The sweet chestnut in Greenwich Park is the only London nomination. Thought to be around 360 years old, the twisted specimen was planted at the request of King Charles II, as part of his Grand Plan for Greenwich Park which included an ambitious redesign of the grounds that can still be enjoyed today.

An oak tree in Addlestone, Surrey, beneath which Queen Elizabeth I is said to have picnicked / The Woodland Trust/Tessa Chan

Hundreds of trees were planted in formal avenues to mimic the French style admired by Charles, and many of them are still standing.

Now approaching 400 years old, their contorted, decomposing trunks offer important wildlife habitats including invertebrates and fungi, said The Woodland Trust.

The Woodland Trusts panel of tree experts shortlisted 12 urban contenders from across the UK for Tree of the Year 2023  with one additional tree voted for by the public.

Among the nominees are an oak in an Exeter churchyard that miraculously survived a bombing in the Blitz that destroyed the church beside it.

Another oak on the list is in Surrey and older than 800 years, that Queen Elizabeth I is said to have dined beneath, and which survived a fire in 2007 when arsonists set the inside of its trunk ablaze.

Also on the list is a majestic walnut tree in the car park of a Perth retail park, where it provides shade amid all the concrete, an oak in Grantham, Lincolnshire, that at more than 500 years old is described as Granthams oldest resident, predating the surrounding houses by several centuries.

The shortlisted elm tree in Chelsea Road, Sheffield / The Woodland Trust/Phil Formby

An elm tree in a Sheffield street that avoided being felled on several occasions  notably during the city councils infamous 2017 felling programme, when local campaigners spied a rare white-letter hairstreak butterfly laying eggs on it  is also shortlisted.

Naomi Tilley, lead campaigner at the Woodland Trust, said: Ancient trees in towns and cities are vital for the health of nature, people and planet.

They give thousands of urban wildlife species essential life support, boost the UKs biodiversity and bring countless health and wellbeing benefits to communities.

But most ancient trees arent protected by law, and those in urban areas are particularly vulnerable, like one of this years nominees  which narrowly escaped being cut down by Sheffield City Council in 2017.

Trees like those in the shortlist are remarkable and deserve celebration  and protection.

A sweet chestnut tree in Acton Park, Wrexham, has made the shortlist / The Woodland Trust/Kyle Jones Mattock

This years contenders are located in city parks, busy town centres and residential streets.

Each one has an amazing story to tell and is loved by locals, as well as providing vital habitat for wildlife, helping to reduce flooding, screen out noise, provide shade, filter air pollution, increase property values and bring cultural capital to our streets and parks.

Members of the public can vote in the 2023 Tree of the Year compeition until October 15, at woodlandtrust.org.uk/treeoftheyear.

The winner will be announced on October 19, and will represent the UK in the European Tree of the Year competition.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 15. Claims of "ethnic cleansing" against Armenian residents of Azerbaijan's Karabakh are unfounded, Ambassador to Israel Mukhtar Mammadov wrote on his page on X (Twitter), Trend reports.

According to Mammadov, the Armenian residents of Karabakh have repeatedly refused to use the rebuilt Aghdam-Khankendi road, and the road was even blocked on the order of their 'leaders'.

Moreover, a proposal by Baku to have supplies convoyed by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) using the Aghdam-Khankendi road was rejected, the ambassador emphasized.

"Even proposals just to have a dialogue about it were rejected," he added.

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 signed by Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian leaders following the second Karabakh war), 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 Azerbaijan ensuring the passage of Armenian citizens, ICRC representatives, and the Russian peacekeeping contingent through the border crossing (temporarily stationed in Azerbaijan under the trilateral statement), the Armenian side spread rumors about the alleged "tense humanitarian situation" in the area in order to carry out its illegal activities in Azerbaijani territory.

At the same time, the Armenian side engaged in provocations, including shelling Azerbaijani border guards on June 15 and attempting to smuggle vehicles into Azerbaijani territory without authorization on July 26.
T he Government has been accused of neglecting thousands of people in Afghanistan who supported British efforts before the fall of Kabul two years ago - as campaigners calls for 6,500 eligible Afghans to be resettled.

In August 2021 Britains largest evacuation effort since the Second World War saw more than 15,000 people taken from Afghanistan to the UK in just over 16 days.

But, in a letter to Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick on Tuesday, 10 MPs said Afghans left behind face since the evacuation increasing limitations on their basic human rights, especially women and girls.

Agencies are reporting that individuals temporary visas are running out while they wait, leaving some people too scared to leave their accommodation for fear of repercussions for overstaying. For those still in Afghanistan, the risk is only growing.

Mr Jenrick was urged to honour the Governments pledge to offer up to 20,000 Afghans resettlement in the UK, over five years, via the ACRS route.

Around 6,500 of the 20,000 ACRS places were given to people who had already been evacuated to the UK under Operation Pitting in 2021, leaving those places technically unfulfilled, the letter suggested.

These places should be filled by evacuating more Afghans to the UK, MPs urge, and Afghan family members left behind should be reunited with their family in the UK, they said.

The letter has been signed by co-chair of the Afghan Women and Girls APPG and MP for North East Fife, Wendy Chamberlain, and Conservative Sir Julian Lewis, chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee, among others MPs.

It comes as former diplomat Sir Lauri Bristow said the Government didnt finish the job when evacuating people in Operation Pitting two years ago.

I think we certainly have a responsibility to the Afghans who worked for us and with us during those 20 years, the former UK ambassador to Afghanistan told BBC Radio 4s Today programme.

There are people in Afghanistan and in refugee camps who worked for us and worked with us and whose lives are in danger as a result of doing so, and I think we have an obligation to those people, he said.

They were people we depended on to achieve what we were in Afghanistan to do.

He agreed that some of them might arrive on small boats. Afghans were among six people that died after a boat bound for the UK sank off the coast of France on Saturday, according to multiple reports.

Some 59 people were rescued by British and French coastguards on Saturday after an overloaded vessel carrying migrants got into difficulty near Sangatte.

In the year ending March 2023, 20 per cent of small boat arrivals were Afghans, with 8,429 arriving in that time. The number of Afghans arriving on small boats has been increasing since summer 2021, the Home Office has said.

The UK initially pledged to help Afghans through the ACRS and the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP).

Up to 20,000 places over five years were initially pledged via the ACRS, and more than a quarter of those places were allocated to people rescued during the initial evacuations in August 2021, the letter stated.

Since then, the delivery of the remaining pledges has been slow. Just 281 Afghans were brought to the UK via ACRS in the year ending March 2023.

Up to the end of March, only 14 people have arrived in the UK via ACRS Pathway 3 since it was set up in June 2022, despite 1,500 places being available in the first year.

The letter said: Not only has delivery been slow, but the remaining places simply do not match up to the number of Afghans eligible for UK protection, leaving thousands of Afghans who supported the allied efforts or have connections to the UK trapped in the country or neighboring countries.

There is currently no safe route for Afghan women and girls or members of oppressed minority groups, nor is there a mechanism to reunite families who were separated during evacuations.

A Home Office spokesperson said: We made one of the largest commitments of any country to support Afghanistan, and so far we have brought around 24,600 individuals to safety to the UK, including thousands under our Afghan resettlement schemes. There is no need for Afghans to risk their lives by taking dangerous and illegal journeys.

Between 2015 and 2022, we have offered a place to over half a million people seeking safety through our safe and legal humanitarian routes. Those in need of protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach, which is often close to the region or in a neighbouring country.
A sylum seekers could return to the Bibby Stockholm barge in Dorset within days, a minister said on Tuesday, after a Legionella scare forced its evacuation last week.

All 39 migrants who had been shifted out of costly hotels and on to the vessel were removed after traces of the potentially fatal bacteria were detected, plunging the Governments asylum policy deeper into trouble as six more migrants died at sea off France.

But after days of accusations over whether the Home Office neglected to act quickly enough, Health Minister Will Quince indicated that the barge moored off Portland was being made ready to take in the migrants again.

Of course public health and safety is key, but we hope in the next few days we will be able to start getting people on to the Bibby Stockholm, he told LBC Radio.

It is absolutely the right thing to do but public health and safety is always our paramount concern.

The minister added that the Government remains committed to the plan to use the barge and similar vessels.

I think with Bibby Stockholm there was certainly a teething issue there. But we are absolutely determined to stick to the plan because we know that deterrence is working, he told TalkTV .

Mr Quince also fended off reports that the European Union has rebuffed the Governments bid to restore cooperation on migration after it was broken off with Brexit.

He declined to comment on the leaks in the Times and Mail newspapers, but stressed existing cooperation agreements with other countries, while playing down Cabinet divisions over whether Britain should quit the European Convention on Human Rights.

I understand there are always going to be different points of view. We understand the frustration. But we urge people to stick with us, he said.

If you look at the arrangements that we do have with Turkey, with Albania, and indeed with the French, they are starting to bear fruit and then, more widely, if you look at the deterrent factor, again that is making a difference.

Citing leaked Cabinet Office notes, The Times said a senior aide to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen had rejected negotiations on fresh terms for a migrants pact after Mr Sunak tried to make headway at a European summit in Iceland in May.

The Times suggested any EU deal would likely hinge on Britain agreeing to share in Europes effort to resettle hundreds of thousands of migrants coming to the bloc, including migrants arriving by boat to Italy or Greece.

A UK Government spokeswoman said: We remain open to working with the EU to take forward negotiations on a UK-EU returns deal, as part of our international efforts to tackle illegal migration and to crack down on these exploitative gangs.

We are in regular conversations with our European counterparts on a range of issues relating to migration and asylum.
L ieutenant General Roly Walker is set to become the next head of the British Army, according to reports.

The Ministry of Defence declined to comment on reports that the former Special Forces director will replace General Sir Patrick Sanders.

He is expected to step down as Chief of the General Staff next year, despite only taking up the post at the top of the Army in 2022.

Lt Gen Walker, who the Telegraph reports will take on the top army job, had been among those tipped as a possible successor.

The current Deputy Chief of Defence Staff, he was deployed in Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan.

If appointed, he will take on the role amid debates about the future funding of the British army and concerns over troop cuts.
S NP depute leader Keith Brown has said he has been subjected to abuse for his views on the gender recognition reforms passed by the Scottish Parliament last year.

Speaking to BBC Radio Scotlands Good Morning Scotland programme on Tuesday, Mr Brown condemned personal abuse that has been directed at politicians throughout the debate surrounding the Gender Recognition Act.

He was asked about comments made by SNP deputy Westminster leader Mhairi Black at an Edinburgh Fringe show which compared gender critical activists to white supremacists, but Mr Brown said he had not heard them.

He told the programme: I have always tried to take a very straightforward approach and Im not involved in abusing or calling anybody names in what I understand is a controversial issue.

People should have the right to have their say without having to suffer that kind of personal abuse

It was voted on by a vast majority of people in the Scottish Parliament and I stand by that vote.

I do agree there should be no place for personal abuse. I have been subjected to abuse for my own views but I dont agree its right to indulge in personal abuse. People should have the right to have their say without having to suffer that kind of personal abuse.

Mr Brown was removed from his role as justice secretary in March in First Minister Humza Yousafs Cabinet reshuffle.

He had held Government positions since 2009.

Asked if the SNP is not a happy ship, Mr Brown said there is no question the party has challenges.

He added: Thats probably no different from any other party at any given time.

Mr Brown also said he would support a debate on the Bute House Agreement between the SNP and Scottish Greens at his partys upcoming conference  though he still backs the deal.

He said: If thats the case and people want to have that discussion, then if that gets on to the agenda then of course I would support that debate, but that is a process that has to be gone through.

My own personal view is that we had a very comprehensive vote in favour of that Bute House Agreement and I remain very strongly in favour of that Bute House Agreement.

SNP MSP Fergus Ewing has previously called the Greens hard left extremists, but Mr Brown said that was an absurd characterisation.

He added: The SNP wouldnt be in coalition with anyone described as extremists.
A British man living in the south of France has said a fire on Monday night in the Pyrenees was the biggest he has seen and it was unbelievable there were no lives lost.

Steven Brady, who is originally from Wigan but now lives in the Roussillon region, said he felt terrified as he saw the blaze accelerate when it came over the Pyrenees towards his home.

The wildfire erupted between Saint-Andre near the Spanish border and the resort of Argeles-sur-Mer along the Mediterranean coast where it was reported that more than 3,000 tourists were evacuated from holiday homes and campsites.

The fire reportedly burned more than 500 hectares of land, but was brought under control by firefighters on Tuesday morning and there have been no reports of casualties.

Mr Brady, 57, told the PA news agency: The (fire) last night was the biggest one Ive seen here and it was very scary because instead of having strong winds from the east, it came from the south  just a hot, dry blast.

It accelerated when it came over the Pyrenees, hit the flat Roussillon plain heading straight for us and were all terrified because it was going to incinerate the village and all the campsites around it.

Mr Brady has lived in the French region for six years, but described the fire as different and very rare.

The Briton captured footage of the smoke billowing around 6km away from his home from Alberes hills, which look over to Sorede, Saint-Andre and Argeles-sur-Mer.

He said: Normally fire rises up and climbs the hill This was different.

It started halfway down the hill in Saint-Andre, right near us. Thankfully for us, but not for the people there, it headed towards the sea, which is very rare.

It was terrifying. Most of the residents of this village all went out to climb the hill last night and got the cameras out  theyve probably never seen that phenomenon.

Mr Brady added that it was unbelievable that no-one was killed.

He said: It came on like a mini hurricane. The flames were whipping up it was horrific.

Your average fires happen quite a lot around here, but that was something that could have been an absolute catastrophe.

Mr Brady has praised local firefighters for swiftly and effectively containing the fire, which provided him with reassurance.

He said: (The firefighters) have done a brilliant job.

I think they prepare well for it, but those particularly climatic conditions last night, theres not a lot you can do. You can prepare and train for it, but I havent seen that before.

The winds, because were surrounded by mountains in the Pyrenees, can suddenly change that takes a special kind of bravery to tackle that.

On Tuesday, Frances minister of ecological transition, Christophe Bechu, visited Les Chenes Rouges campsite and took to social media to describe what he saw.

Translated from French into English, Mr Bechu tweeted: These striking images testify to the intensity of the fire. I am committed to supporting tourism stakeholders in the reconstruction and restoration of devastated natural areas.
I rish premier Leo Varadkar has said he and his partner have pulled back from being as public about their relationship out of a desire for privacy.

The Taoiseach has opened up about his upbringing, his sexuality and personal moments in his life.

Speaking to the Irish Examiners The Ciara Phelan Podcast, he said he believes his relationship with doctor Matt Barrett is treated differently than that of other political leaders because he is gay and not married.

I do think to a certain extent though, as well, at least for a couple of years, we were quite public in our relationship. We have pulled back from that a bit, he said.

He said this was done out of a desire for a certain degree of privacy, describing being a public figure in Ireland as like the fish in the fishbowl.

Homophobia has become a little bit more acceptable again, I'm not sure why

He also said that in the last year or two, there has been a snap back in Ireland in relation to homophobia.

He said: Homophobia has become a little bit more acceptable again, Im not sure why, I think the debate around trans issues might be part of that, its become a gateway for some people to become homophobic again, he said.

When asked about his sexuality, he said that from a young age he knew he was different.

I would have known early on that I was probably gay, maybe as young as seven or eight or nine, certainly in teenage years, but probably kind of thought it was probably a phase that might pass, he said.

In my 20s I was a very serious person, was really into politics and was a councillor, very involved in Fine Gael, and then as well, was a junior doctor, so very busy with work.

For my age group, were often in our mid-20s or 30s, and a lot of us say the same thing: we became very committed and interested in career, or other interests, in part to convince ourselves that we were too busy for relationships.

He said that when he told his parents he is gay, his father wasnt surprised at all but his mother was, and was afraid his sexuality would be used against him in his career.

I had a lot of concerns that people would see me differently and treat me differently, and that didnt really happen, he said.

He said his parents GP clinic, based in what would have been our converted garage in Dublin, gave him a good start in life and meant he was well known in the community when he ran for a council seat.

He said he sometimes gets pigeonholed as being posh, but he does not think he is any posher than Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald, Labour leader Ivana Bacik or Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns.

He also said it is not fair to characterise him as gaffe-prone, but admitted his willingness to speak his mind sometimes gets him into trouble.
R ecent headlines have revealed that two people have turned down being on former prime minister Liz Trusss resignation honours list.

Of course, the resignation honours list isnt the only way you can receive a decoration. In fact, most honours are given out on the monarchs official birthday and to mark the new year, with the monarch deciding on who to award based on recommendations from the Government and the public.

Contrary to popular belief, an honour being rejected isnt as rare as one might think. Throughout history, a number of people have turned down the recognition.

But why do people turn awards down and who are some of the most prominent people that have turned down honours?

Why do people turn them down?

When the monarch has informally approved to give a person an honour, the recipient in question will receive a formal letter.

This letter will ask them if they would like to accept the honour the monarch would like to bestow upon them. The recipient then has the right to decide whether they would like to accept it or not.

While many decide to go ahead and accept the honour, a number of people over the years have rejected it. Their reasonings for it have ranged from political stances to believing they didnt deserve the title.

List of notable names who rejected honours

Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl / PA Media

The beloved childrens author, known for books like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, reportedly turned down a knighthood in 1986.

The information was revealed by a Freedom of Information Act submission by the Telegraph. However, the reason for Dahl turning down the honour wasnt included.

Nigella Lawson

Nigella Lawson / Getty Images

Famous TV chef Nigella Lawson once revealed that she turned down an OBE from the Queen in 2001.

As for her reasoning, she explained: Im not saving lives and Im not doing anything other than something I absolutely love.

Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders

Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French / Danny Lawson / PA

The comedy duo, known for their work on Absolutely Fabulous among many other well-known films and television series, turned down OBEs back in 2001.

Talking about it to Source Magazine in 2008, Saunders confessed: If I felt I deserved a Damehood, Id accept it.

At the time, we felt that we were being paid very well to have a lot of fun. It didnt seem right somehow It felt a bit fake to stand alongside people who devoted their lives to truly worthy causes, she added.

David Bowie

David Bowie / Yui Mok / PA

The iconic performer has turned down honours from the Queen twice: once in 2000 when he was offered a CBE and later, in 2003, when he was offered a knighthood.

The musician explained why he made those decisions, saying: I would never have any intention of accepting anything like that. I seriously dont know what its for. Its not what I spent my life working for.

Stephen Hawking

Professor Stephen Hawking / Bruno Vincent / Getty Images

The legendary scientist was apparently offered a knighthood back in the 1990s but he decided to turn it down.

His decision was reported to be due to the UK Governments science-funding decisions.

Jon Snow

Jon Snow / Jonathan Brady / PA

The news anchor and journalist who made a name for himself in the world of news with a decades-long career was offered an OBE in the past, but rejected it.

Talking to the New York Times about it, Snow explained that he believed journalists shouldnt take honours from the Government and added: I tried to find out why Id been given it and was unable to get a clear answer or, indeed, to find out who had proposed me.

LS Lowry

Laurence Stephen Lowry / Frank Martin / BIPs / Getty Images

The famed painter is believed to hold the record for the most refusals, having reportedly turned down five honours, including a knighthood, a CBE, and an OBE.

His close friend Harold Riley later revealed that the artist was a private and guarded person who would not have wanted to change his name, which contributed to his decision not to accept the honours.

John Lennon

John Lennon / PA Archive

The Beatle initially accepted an MBE, however later, in 1969, he decided to return it in protest of Britains foreign policies.

In a letter, he explained: Your Majesty, I am returning this in protest against Britains involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam, and against Cold Turkey slipping down the charts.

With Love, John Lennon of Bag.
M etal plates from the hull of the Cutty Sark folded into the shape of origami boats are among the dozen of artworks shortlisted for the Evening Standard Art Prize.

Entries include sculpture, stained glass and an installation made from old telephone bills.

The 12 shortlisted artists were chosen from hundreds who applied and include sculptor Joseph Ijoyemi, whose work Revival Boats uses the metal taken from the ship.

He said the work was his response to the experiences of second-generation migrants from Africa who choose to return to their ancestral land to rebuild and reconnect with their roots.

He said: The origami fleet of boats explores the theme of revival, symbolising the resurgence of cultural identity, heritage, and community bonds. Each represents a personal journey of rediscovery and renewal. These boats serve as powerful symbols of resilience and determination, embodying the spirit of those who embark on this transformative return.

The former Central Saint Martins student said being shortlisted was a milestone in my career. He said: As a black artist, this recognition reinforces my newfound confidence in navigating the art world, amplifying underrepresented voices.

The theme of this years prize, launched with perfume brand Editions de Parfum Frederic Malle, was a portrait of you and artists were asked to submit work celebrating self-expression and the way individuality is shown through their artform.

The competition was open to all artists over the age of 18, excluding those who have had a solo exhibition in a public institution.

Other shortlisted work includes SaeRi Seos version of a traditional Korean moon jar which is smashed open with a ceramic flower growing inside, and Iman Sidonie-Samuelss sculpture 3049 Calls, 19,401 Minutes made from 81 phone bills collected from her grandmothers house in St Lucia.

She said it documented the relationship between her grandmother, who lived on the Caribbean island, and herself in London.

She said: Each phone call, number and number of minutes is written, allowing me to pinpoint and recall regular conversations.

The winner will be chosen on September 6 with London-based ceramicist Bisila Noha, fellow artist Aowen Jin, ES Magazine editor Ben Cobb, author and Editeur de Parfum Frederic Malle and gallery CEO Helen Nisbet on the jury to help decide who wins the 5,000 prize.

All 12 shortlisted artists will see their work go on show at Cromwell Place gallery.
I ts just more than halfway through the summer holidays  although it may not feel like it!

However, in Scotland, the long, not-so-hot summer is now over (and maybe not just for the children).

Rainy days and the cost of living may have parents wondering when it is time for their children to return to school, or start a new one.

It can be challenging for parents to remember when their children need to attend school because term times are always changing. Despite the challenge, it's crucial to be aware of all the important dates of their academic calendar.

When did schools break up for summer?

This year, most schools broke up for summer on Friday, July 21.

Schools have slightly different holiday dates, so it is always worth double-checking your childs individual school on the Governments website, or your local council website.

When does the autumn 2023 term start for schools?

Depending on their local government, students in England and Wales will return to class on either Monday, September 4, or Tuesday, September 5, 2023.

While in Scotland, classes begin on August 16 and, in Northern Ireland, students return to class on September 1.

Scotland pupils go back in mid-August because of the earlier break-up for summer holidays.

Since independent school students typically have a longer summer break, they can anticipate their return to classes to coincide with that of state students in England and Wales during the first week of September.

The autumn term starts on September 4, and runs until Friday, October 20, 2023. The terms half-term holiday falls on Monday, October 23, to Friday, October 28, 2023.

Christmas break starts on December 21.

Check with your school for its exact dates  some schools may organise teacher-training days to take place at the beginning or end of term.

How long are the summer holidays?

The last day of the summer holiday is Sunday, September 3.

Pupils typically get around a month-and-a-half off for the summer break.
T he mother of a girl, 10, who was found dead at a house in Woking has said she was happy and always laughing in an emotional tribute as detectives hunt three people in an ongoing murder investigation.

The girl, who has been named locally as Sara Sharif, was discovered by police at a house on Hammond Road in the quiet village of Horsell on Thursday morning. No one else was present.

Surrey Police want to speak with three people who they believe fled the country last Wednesday.

Her grief-stricken mother, Olga Sharif, said she cant believe shes dead.

In a heartbreaking tribute to her only daughter, she told The Sun: Sara was so beautiful. She was artsy, she loved building and making things.

Sara always stayed close to me. Shes the only daughter that I have, and I always wanted a daughter.

Ms Sharif, 36, described how her daughter had many friends at school, was learning to ride a bike and bonded with her mother over a shared love of crafts and visits to Marwell Zoo.

The Polish national aded: My life will never be the same again. Sara should be with me right now. She was too young.

PA

Ms Sharif said she was on her way to Poland when she received the devestating call from police, and it took six hours to return to the UK.

Surrey Police confirmed no one else was at the house when they attended just before 3am on Thursday and found the girl dead.

No arrests have been made. Officers remain at the house while the murder probe continues.

On Friday, Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Debbie White, said: We have identified three people we would like to speak to in connection with our investigation and from our enquiries, we believe that they left the country on Wednesday, 9 August.

We are working with our partners, including international authorities, to locate them.

Officers have been in the local area today carrying out house to house enquiries and we expect a police presence to remain around the scene over the coming week.

Floral tributes outside the house on Hammond Road / PA

Inspector Sandra Carlier, Borough Commander for Woking, said on Friday: I know that the community are shocked and saddened...we stand with them in their grief. Officers will remain in the area carrying out patrols, and enquiries as part of the investigation, over the weekend.

I would like to reiterate that we do not believe there to be any risk to the wider public at this time. We will continue to provide updates as and when we are able to.

Loved ones have laid floral tributes near the police cordon. One message read: Sweet girl. Im so sorry that your sparkle was put out too soon. Rest in peace.

A post-mortem examination is due to take place on Tuesday afternoon.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 15. Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has held phone talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, Trend reports.

This information was spread by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

According to the ministry, the parties exchanged views on the most pressing international and regional issues.

Previously, Bayramov held a bilateral meeting with Lavrov in Moscow on July 25.

During the meeting, the ministers discussed bilateral and regional issues, including normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
F our Australian surfers have been found alive after surviving two days in the waters of Indonesia when a trip to celebrate a 30th birthday took a dramatic turn.

Elliot Foote, his partner Steph Weisse and friends Will Teagle and Jordan Short, along with two Indonesians, were rescued on Tuesday morning off the Aceh province after a wooden speed boat they were travelling in ran into bad weather on Sunday.

Three of the Australian tourists and the two locals had been clinging to their surfboards in a group when help arrived, an emotional video posted by one of their friends to Instagram showed.

The group was found by their two friends along with a surf guide, captain and deckhand, an update posted by friend Ben Cradock said.

The fourth Australian surfer, Mr Foote, was reportedly rescued by a local fisherman more than 20 miles away after being lost at sea by himself. He was dropped at a nearby surf camp.

One Indonesian remains missing, according to the head of the local rescue agency.

Three Australians and two Indonesians were found together on Tuesday / @bennycradock

They were part of a group of 12 tourists and five Indonesians who were travelling to Pinang Island on two wooden boats when the weather turned.

The boats left Nias island, which is located around 93 miles from Indonesias Sumatra island, on Sunday afternoon and experienced very heavy rain during the trip.

Ten of them decided to stay and shelter on Sarang Alu island, while the others continued the trip.

The resort on Pinang Island later reported that the boat with 10 passengers had safely arrived later on Sunday, but the boat that had left earlier had not been seen.

The father of Elliot Foote said his son had travelled to Indonesia to celebrate his 30th birthday with friends.

Elliot Foote after his rescue / @bennycradock

Peter Foote had been speaking to Australian reporters on Tuesday when he found out the group was safe via a message from his son.

"It says: Hey Dad, Elliot here. Im alive. Safe now. Love you. Chat later, Peter Foote said at a news conference in Sydney.

"Its great, its good news. Ill have to talk to him and want to see photos and see what he looks like. Its all good."

The details of how the group of Australian surfers and Indonesians ended up in the sea remain unclear.

Peter Foote was told his son had paddled his surfboard to an island to raise the alarm, and that the other three Australians were found clinging to their boards at sea.

It is not clear how the two Indonesians survived.

The six who were rescued were taken to Pinang island for further medical assistance.

Peter Foote said he expected his son and friends would continue the final eight days of their surfing vacation. Pinang Island is known for its pristine beach and good waves for surfing.

Indonesia is an archipelago with more than 17,000 islands, and ferries and boats are a common form of transportation. With lax safety standards and problems with overcrowding, accidents occur frequently.

In July, an overloaded passenger boat capsized off Indonesias Sulawesi island, killing 15 people.

In 2018, an overcrowded ferry with about 200 people on board sank in a lake in North Sumatra province, killing 167 people.

In one of the countrys worst recorded disasters, an overcrowded passenger ship sank in February 1999 with 332 people aboard. Only 20 people survived.
B ritish visitors to France were on Tuesday warned to stay on maximum alert as ferocious wildfires led to the emergency evacuation of more than 2,000 terrified people including holidaymakers.

The worst blaze was in the southern Pyrenees region close to the seaside resort of Argeles-sur-Mer.

By the time it was extinguished on Tuesday morning it had destroyed 30 houses, a warehouse, and an entire campsite, while also leaving a firefighter in a critical condition in hospital.

Many of those were escaped were reportedly still in their swimsuits and shorts as they headed for temporary accommodation in gyms and other public buildings.

French regional authorities said on Tuesday that 2,000 people were evacuated during the night,

No residents or tourists were injured and most of the evacuees have been able to return to their accommodation, authorities said.

France Wildfires | August 2023 1 / 12 France Wildfires | August 2023 AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images

The blaze tore through a tourist area in the Pyrenees-Orientales region near the Spanish border, which was vulnerable due to intense heat, dryness and tumultuous winds of up to 180km/h, authorities said.

French interior minister Gerald Darmanin said on Twitter that 800 campers would need to be rehoused.

As an investigation into the infernos was launched, Mr Darmanin said there could be worse to come.

I call on the population and holidaymakers to be extremely vigilant, he added.

He said 650 firefighters supported by water-dropping aircraft fought the flames throughout the night between Monday and Tuesday.

A spokesman for the local emergency services meanwhile confirmed that campsites full of British people were in the disaster zone.

All need to follow official instructions and remain on maximum alert at all times, he said.

Temperatures are rising, and there is no sign that these wildfires will stop.

Regional official Rodrigue Furcy added: The fire has been contained, but the area remains under close surveillance.

Families who had quickly packed their belongings and fled the devastated area were told to be particularly cautious when they returned to their incinerated cars and holiday accommodation.

A camping site destroyed by a wildfire in Saint-Andre, near Argeles-sur-Mer, southern France / AFP via Getty Images

Laetitia Richard, 39, said she was lucky to escape from the Chenes Rouges (Red Oaks) campsite with her husband and two children.

We loaded up what we could and left, she said. Were alive, and thats the main thing.

The blaze spread exceptionally quickly due to temperatures approaching 40C and winds reaching up to 100mph.

Seventeen firefighters were wounded while fighting the flames, and one was admitted to hospital.

Roads were blocked and trains between the French city of Perpignan and the Spanish border were suspended.

The entire Pyrenees-Orientales department, which borders Spain, has been hit by a devastating drought.

Last week, firefighters battled another wildfire near the southwestern city of Bordeaux that forced around 8,000 people to flee.

France is in the middle of its fourth heat wave of the year, while blazes have also devastated large parts of Greece, Italy, Algeria and Tunisia.
A round 200 flights to and from Sicily were disrupted after the eruption of Mount Etna forced nearby Catania airport to close.

Flight operations were suspended until 6am on Tuesday at the airport, around a 30 mile drive south of Europes tallest and most active volcano.

The airport said the disruption had been caused by eruptive activity and fallout of volcanic ash. Catania serves eastern Sicily and is the islands second-largest airport.

There were 235 flights scheduled to arrive and depart from Catania airport on Monday, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. There were seven return flights scheduled from the UK, including easyJet services.

Passengers have been advised to check with airlines before heading to the airport on Tuesday.

The eruption began overnight on Sunday, spewing lava and ash high over the island. Although the lava flow subsided before dawn, Catania is carpeted in ash.

Seven Ryanair flights due to land at Catania on Monday morning were diverted to Trapani airport at the far west of Sicily.

The carrier told travellers: Due to the eruption of Mount Etna, we would like to advise all passengers traveling to and from Catania on 14 August of possible delays, diversion or cancellations to flights.

Affected passengers will be notified as soon as possible..Ryanair understands the disruptions to passengers resulting from delays, diversions, or cancellations; the situation is unfortunately outside of our control, and we thank you for your patience.

EasyJet customers affected can transfer to another flight or opt to receive a refund, the company said.

British Airways said it was monitoring the situation and that passengers could rebook or take a refund.
N etflixs new drama Painkiller tells the story of how Richard Sackler took advantage of a broken healthcare system to build a vast pharmaceutical empire, launching OxyContin, a small white pill that is up to twice as powerful as morphine.

The series has enlivened the conversations around opioids, including Oxycontin.

Tom Petty, Mac Miller and Juice WRLD are among the celebrities whose deaths have been linked to opioids in recent years.

These prescription painkillers - which also cause euphoria - have led to particular problems in America, where 70,000 people died in 2018 due to the drugs.

From a medicine first derived from poppies, the opioid business is now worth tens of billions of pounds, and there are now chemically synthesised forms of these drugs.

What are opioids?

Opioids are a type of powerful painkiller used to treat a range of pains, including post-surgery, acute and cancer pains.

They include oxycodone - also known as Oxycontin - fentanyl, morphine, methadone, codeine and diamorphine, also known as heroin.

The name opioid comes from the word opium, as the first versions of the drug came from opium poppies.

When scientists discovered the part of the brain affected by these drugs, they named them the opioid receptors.

Newer, synthesized, versions of the drugs such as fentanyl do not come from a poppy but use the same name because they affect the same part of the brain.

As well as being a painkiller, opioids can be used recreationally and can also cause addiction.

What are they prescribed for?

According to the NHS, opioids can help with a range of different types of pain.

Advice from the health service says: Opioids can be used for a short time after surgery or trauma (acute pain). This type of pain will ease as you heal. The dose will be reduced until you no longer need it. Opioids can also help with increased pain caused by other conditions.

For example, they are effective for cancer pain, where it is common to start at a low dose and gradually increase until the pain is controlled.

With cancer pain, it is common to use a long-acting medicine twice daily.

Opioids have also been prescribed for chronic pain in the past.

However, they are less useful for this and this is where the addictive nature of the drugs can cause an issue.

The NHS advice adds that for chronic conditions it is better to use the smallest dose for the shortest time, ideally only using the medication when you need it, rather than regularly.

Opioids have also been prescribed for chronic pain in the past. / PA Archive

Are they legal?

Yes, certain opioids are legal in the UK. Most of them require a prescription from a doctor if people need them.

Some over-the-counter medicines from pharmacies contain small amounts of codeine in combination with milder painkillers such as ibuprofen and paracetamol.

However, heroin is a Class A restricted drug and being caught with it could land a person in prison for up to seven years.

Methadone, which is used in the treatment of opioid addiction is also Class A.

Codeine is Class B and carries a five-year jail term for possession.

What are the dangers of opioids?

As opioids are addictive, they can lead to a significant disruption in a persons life.

While they are mainly prescribed to treat pain, they can cause a raft of side effects.

These include constipation, nausea, excessive sleeping, and poor concentration.

But more seriously ,opioids can cause the respiratory system to not work properly which, when matched with a person being asleep, can lead to death.

Opioids such as morphine, fentanyl and codeine are super-strength medications for pain which can be highly addictive (Lauren Hurley/PA) / PA Archive

The opioid epidemic in the UK and the USA

During the 1990s, opioids were widely prescribed for chronic pain - something they have now been found to be not very good at treating.

Patients constantly taking the medicines lead to massive addiction problems and prompted President Donald Trump to declare a public health emergency in 2017.

At least 200,000 people are thought to have died from prescription opioid problems in the US between 1999 and 2016.

The numbers are still rising, with 70,237 deaths from the drugs in 2017 - up 9.6 per cent from the year before.

In the UK, the number of deaths is nowhere near as high but the country is still facing some problems. The number of opioid overdose cases admitted to hospitals in 2018 was 20,130 - a rise of 85 per cent in a decade.

Synthetic drugs like fentanyl have seen a particular uptick, with poisonings from the simulated strand of opioids rising 550 per cent to 2018 with 5,486 admissions over 10 years.
D onald Trump and 18 of his allies have been charged with racketeering for their alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.

Trump was announced as a suspect by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who said the former president had been charged with racketeering, making this the fourth set of criminal charges brought against him in recent months.

Announcing the charges, she said: The indictment alleges that rather than abide by Georgias legal process for election challenges, the defendants engaged in a criminal, racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgias presidential election results.

It will be the first time a former American president faces charges once used to convict mob bosses like John Gotti and Vincent Gigante.

Trump has so far denied all charges against him.

Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis first launched an investigation in February 2021 into allegations of election meddling against Trump and his associates. In the 98-page indictment made public on Monday, prosecutors listed 41 charges against the 19 defendants.

Ms Willis announced she was giving defendants the opportunity to voluntarily surrender no later than noon on Friday, August 25 with the plan in motion to try all 19 accused together.

The list of alleged co-conspirators includes former Trump lawyer, Rudy Giuliani.

Others to be charged include John Eastman, a constitutional scholar who developed the theory that Mr Trumps vice-President Mike Pence could stop the election result from being formally certified, Trumps former chief of staff Mark Meadows, and Trevian Kutti, a former publicist for Kanye West and R-Kelly.

The indictment says the defendants knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favour of Trump.

But what does it all mean?

What is racketeering?

In the US, racketeering is considered a federal crime and is seen as a white collar crime which typically involves committing fraud. US law experts say the charge is typically associated with organised crime and can include various activities, from narcotics trafficking to money laundering.

Racketeering can include criminal activities involving extortion and a racket, which is the official name for an organised scheme to extract illegal profits or change the outcome of an event.

The most common types of racketeering are related to organised crime syndicates such as drug cartels or mob families. However, racketeering can also occur in legitimate businesses through fraudulent activity or corruption.

Under US federal law, the government can prosecute individuals who have committed or attempted to commit any predicate act as part of an ongoing criminal enterprise.

A predicate act is any criminal activity considered part of a larger scheme or plan for committing fraud or other illegal activity for financial gain. This can include mail fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, securities fraud, and more.

What are the consequences if found guilty of racketeering?

If found guilty, the sentences vary depending on the type and severity of the offences committed in the eye of the judge.

However, if convicted on serious charges - such as the ones Trump is facing - offenders can be given up to 20 years in prison and hefty fines of up to $250,000 per count charged against them.

Additionally, those convicted may be required to pay restitution costs if they caused any victims financial harm as part of their illegal activities.

Why has Trump been charged?

Donald Trump and 18 of his former aides have been charged with an alleged criminal conspiracy over attempts to overturn the 2020 US Presidential election result in Georgia.

The former Republican president now faces the fourth indictment brought against him in the last five months and the prospect of yet another criminal trial in the run-up to next Novembers presidential election. Trump is currently the frontrunner in the Republican Partys race to pick its next candidate for the White House.

Charges have been brought under Georgias Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, utilising a law which was originally aimed at tackling mafia activities and organised crime groups.

Mr Giuliani himself famously used RICO powers to take on mobsters when he was a prosecutor in New York in the mid-80s.

Trump won the state of Georgia in his 2016 victory, but narrowly lost it to Joe Biden four years later.

As he and his team made frantic efforts to overturn the 2020 election result, Trump called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and told him: I just want to find 11,780 votes.

That leaked phone call sparked a criminal investigation which ended with the current indictment.

Mr Trump swiftly denounced the charges last night, insisting: Justice and the rule of law are officially dead in America.

He added: This marks the fourth act of election Interference on behalf of the Democrats in an attempt to keep the White House under Crooked Joes control and jail his single greatest opponent of the 2024 election.

Mr Trump was first charged with criminal offences over money paid in the lead-up to the 2016 election to two women who said they had sexual encounters with him.

He is accused of illegally retaining boxes of classified and sensitive documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida after his presidential term ended.

Mr Trump also faces charges over the January 6 riot at the Capitol building in Washington DC and wider efforts to overturn his election defeat.
A grooming product nearly every man will use on a daily basis is body wash. For those looking to elevate their morning shower experience, were here with a handy guide to the best bottles that are a step above those you can find on supermarket shelves.

Things to look out for are fragrance, ingredients and lather potential. If aroma is your main concern, look to perfumiers like Le Labo, Jo Malone and Byredo, all of which will surround you in swathes of deliciously smelling steam whilst youre showering - a scent that will also stick with your skin even once youre dry.

When it comes to ingredients, those that are nourishing and moisturising will leave you feeling baby smooth, so oatmeal extract, shea butter and vitamin E should be at the top of your wishlist. Whilst naturally-sourced cleansers are often great for your skin, theyre not always great in terms of lather, so its a fine balancing act to find one that works for you.

If youre looking to use it every day, wed suggest avoiding anything thats too harsh or exfoliating, and instead stick to the softer, gentler formulas that are better for your skin. If youre partial to a deep cleanse, you could also invest in a body scrub that you use a couple of times a week.

Whichever of our top picks you choose, its sure to take your morning routine up a notch, so youre left feeling great every day.

Keep scrolling for the best.
I nternet usage and screen time is sky-high.

From working at our computers all day without much movement and scrolling through our social feeds, to Netflix, Prime or Disney+ streaming the latest must-see, we spend most of our time immersed online.

But with this increase in digital consumption comes the inevitable eye strain caused by the blue light emitted from our devices. The British Medical Journal describes this syndrome as encompass[ing] a range of ocular and visual symptoms, and estimates suggest its prevalence maybe 50 per cent or more among computer users. High Energy Visible (HEV) blue light can cause migraines, fatigue, blurred vision, dry eyes, and can even interrupt your eight hours by interfering with sleep-inducing melatonin.

There is no real end in sight to sitting in front of screens all day - be it your computer, laptop, tablet or phone. In fact, it is likely that we will all be having more and more exposure. So what is the solution?

Skincare brands everywhere have launched speciality products that can help block the harmful free radicals from causing oxidative stress on your skin, thus weakening its barrier and causing premature ageing and hyperpigmentation. Similarly, there are glasses that can protect your eyes from screen damage.

The protective eyewear acts as a barrier for better visual comfort, enhanced clarity and for a precautionary measure, which is always easier than looking for a cure. The modern age necessity filters out the blue light with anti-glare lenses to shield the fibres in your eyes - and are offered in a range of stylish silhouettes.

Best blue light glasses at a glance

Shop our favourites now.

Foxmans Blue Light Blocking Computer Glasses Amazon Best for: Style and function Protect your eyes and look good while doing it with these stylish tortoiseshell round frame glasses from Foxmans. The lenses are designed to block out 30 per cent of HEV light to lessen the symptoms and side effects that it can cause. They are set in a premium plastic frame that is hard-wearing but lightweight. Buy now  16.48 , Amazon {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Silhouette Dynamics Colorwave Core Accent Rings Silhouette Best for: A quality product Austrian luxury eyewear brand Silhouette use built-in lens technology to protect your eyes from the harmful effects of blue light rays. They can be worn with or without prescription lenses and are coated with UV Plus glazing. The glasses come in a variety of shapes including this stand-out hexagonal design. Silhouettes USP is its almost infinite range of designs. The ultralight full-rim design looks as light and airy as they feel  they rest gently and comfortably against your nose without leaving marks and will look just as great paired up with your favourite evening outfit as they do with your WFH pyjamas. Buy now  309 , Vision Express Cyxus Blue Light Filter Computer Glasses Amazon Best for: Classic, clean and elegant The Cyxus blue light specs form a shield to minimise headaches and eye fatigue when worn. They are fitted with a clear lens without a colour tint to ensure your vision is crystal clear with a slight magnification for a sharper image. The frames themselves are designed to give you the utmost comfort with a wider nose pad and more durable five hinge construction. The square frames are also universally flattering. Buy now  16.99 , Amazon {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Finlay & Co Blue Light Glasses Finlay & Co Best for: to cue the compliments on Zoom Finding a pair of stylish blue light glasses is a far more challenging task than it seems but for office workers, you want a silhouette that wont look out of place. Enter Finlay & Co who can add a blue light coating to any of its extensive selection of specs - whether you have a prescription or not - and for just 35 additional. Buy now  135 , Finlay & Co ATTCL Unisex Blue Light Blocking Glasses Amazon Best for: Retro vibes Available in a range of colours, these specs have a timeless 50s inspired design in tortoiseshell, black, and pink with silver or gold framing. They are designed to be ultra-lightweight so that they are comfortable to wear all day. The lenses have both blue light and UV protection. Buy now  18.89 , Amazon {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} COOLOO Blue Light Blocking Glasses Amazon Best for: Home to office If you are becoming increasingly concerned about the condition of your eyes, this label has got you covered with these glasses that have a specialised anti-blue light lens that will put less strain on your eyes. The frames have a lightweight construction and are offered in a black hue as well as a huge range of other colours. Buy now  8.99 , Amazon {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Pallas Anti-Blue Light Glasses Ambre Glasses Best for: Granny chic Tapping into the retro-chic glasses trend with an aviator-inspired design, these fashion-forward, unisex and titanium frames are fitted with a blue light filter that you can adapt to your prescription. The lenses have an anti-reflection coating and are not tinted. Buy now  55 , Ambr Eyewear Neil Satin Gold Tiger Wood Blue Light Glasses Ace + Tate Best for: On-screen style This Amsterdam-born glasses brand is offering these effortlessly cool screen glasses with a thin round frame in a variety of colours. You can opt for prescription lenses or just make the most of the blue light filter to give your eyes a rest. The super thin frames also have a scratch-proof coating. Buy now  98 , Ace + Tate Quay Jezabell Anti-Blue Light Glasses Quay Best for: Trend-led frames Quay are on hand with trend driven silhouettes in order to shield your eyes from blue light with the utmost style. The specs brand has an extensive collection of frames but the Jezabell is our favourite with a retro-feel and oversized round shape. They are fitted with a clear blue light-blocking lens to eliminate symptoms like headaches and others relating to digital eye strain. Buy now  49 , Quay
 Rise and grind, everyone has the same twenty-four hours, and nobody wants to work anymore, are all supposedly inspirational mindset phrases weve seen circulating social media over the last few years.

Yet the harsh reality many of us must face is that post-lockdown life has created an unhealthy vortex of toxic positivity and productivity masking as entrepreneurial innovation. Its entirely understandable how such a tumultuous period of staying indoors and feeling as though we were achieving very little has led to such a counterproductive mindset  especially in comparison to those who were showcasing the best versions of themselves and their lockdown-initiated small businesses via TikTok and Instagram.

Now, thats not to diminish the achievements of those who did indeed manage successful enterprises and complete exciting projects before, during or after the Great Pause. However, many of us have struggled with, and continue to run into problems with staying on top of life admin, work responsibilities and social arrangements  all while getting a full eight hours of sleep.

The advent of the bullet journal back in 2013 rolled daily, monthly and yearly planning into one neat personal organisation system. However neurodiverse folk who live with diagnoses such as ADHD and OCD can sometimes find catch-all planners like these to be overwhelming  leading to an ultimate shunning of the organisational process entirely. Though some find the bulleted system helps to make sense of a crowded or hyper-sensitive brain, others find it makes more sense to take things day by day, thereby training our brains to slow down ever so slightly.

Rather than looking deep into the future, making five-year plans and sketching down personal goals, sometimes all we need to improve our mental health and mindset is to simplify our lives. After all, in the inevitable case that we dont realise all our hopes and dreams, we wont feel that overarching sense of disappointment.

Now that weve successfully made a case for the mighty day planner, weve rounded up a selection of the best on the market. Enjoy life one day at a time.

Shop now
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 15. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov held phone talks with his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry wrote on its page on X (Twitter), Trend reports.

The parties discussed the possibilities for further expansion of bilateral and multilateral relations between the countries, as well as the regional situation.

According to the statistics of the Office of the Minister of State for Foreign Trade of UAE, the non-oil trade turnover between Azerbaijan and the UAE has increased three-fold over the last five years, totaling $2.77 billion, which is an increase of 270 percent, compared to 2018 levels.

The non-oil trade turnover between the two countries in 2022 increased by 36 percent year-on-year to $980.2 million. At the same time, $8.8 million accounted for imports from Azerbaijan, $95.8 million - for exports to Azerbaijan, and $953 million - for re-exports.
The success of any solar photovoltaic (PV) plant comes down to reliable, efficient and long-term performance. With Staubli Renewable Energy as your partner, you benefit from our high precision solutions and decades of experience harnessing solar energy.

Staubli connectors offer an impressive track record, connecting over 615 GW globally  more than half the worlds cumulative PV capacity. Our Original MC4 connectors and tailor-made solutions for electrical balance of systems (eBOS) applications enable PV profitability for sustainable success.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 15. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov have held a telephone conversation, Trend reports.

The agenda of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Russia, the process of normalizing relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as the current situation in the region were discussed during the conversation.

Jeyhun Bayramov noted that the intensification, contrary to the norms and principles of international law, of Armenia's military-political provocations against Azerbaijan dealt a serious blow to the normalization process between the two countries. By continuing to manipulate the alleged "tense humanitarian situation" and the "blockade" in the region, instead of following the agreements reached on resolving issues related to the use of the Lachin road and other alternative routes to meet the needs of the Armenian residents of Karabakh, Armenia impedes the peace process.

Sergey Lavrov noted the importance of adherence to the commitments enshrined in the tripartite statement dated November 10, 2020, signed by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia.

During the telephone conversation, the sides exchanged views on other issues of mutual interest.
Approximately 391,100 people, Romanian and foreign nationals, and over 97,950 means of transport underwent border checks at all of Romania's crossing points in the last 24 hours, on both the inbound and the outbound, the General Border Police Inspectorate (IGPF) reports on Tuesday.

As many as 177,767 travelers of whom 17,324 Ukrainian nationals entered Romania on August 14, the IGPF said.

The number of Ukrainians who crossed into Romania since the pre-war date of February 10 is 5,571,304, agerpres reports.

As part of the specific activities at crossing points and the green border, the border police found 73 illegal acts (30 crimes and 43 misdemeanors) committed by both Romanian and foreign citizens. The value of the seized undeclared goods amounts to approximately RON 494,400.Fines worth roughly RON 39,700 were also issued.As many as 18 foreign citizens who did not meet the legal requirements were denied entry to the country, and 19 Romanian citizens were also not allowed to leave the country for various legal reasons.
The living exhibition "Flori de ie" (Flowers of the Romanian blouse 'ie') was opened on Tuesday in the Clock Tower of the Saschiz fortified church in order to promote the intangible heritage and traditional Romanian values, as part of the International Camp of Art Residency - "Legaturi" (Ties) of the project carrying the same name, implemented by the Saschiz Volunteer Center in partnership with the municipality and the University of Arts Targu Mures.

The exhibition-event "Flori de ie" includes exhibits from the collection of the brand "Flori de ie" and from the personal collection of Cristina Chiriac, which will be presented to visitors, starting with 15:00 hrs, by the actors and dancers participating in the Camp "Legaturi", in a performance choreographed by Victor Daniel Pop.

"Opened in the presence of Mrs. Oana Zaharia, manager of the National Heritage Institute, as keynote speaker, the living exhibition "Flori de ie" is part of the series of artistic events dedicated to the community of Saschiz, organized within the International Camp of Artistic Residents - 'Legaturi' under the project 'Legaturi', implemented by the Saschiz Volunteer Center in partnership with the town hall of Saschiz, Mures, and the University of Arts Targu Mures. Through this meeting we intend to present to the local community members, artists and the general public the heritage value of the Romanian blouse 'ie', as well as the possibilities of valorization of this symbol of the Romanian traditional culture, through the creation of clothing design products, which place its aesthetics and symbolism in a contemporary, coherent and articulated context," reads the Facebook page of the International Camp of Art Residency - "Legaturi".

According to the organizers, Cristina Chiriac is the founding president of the National Confederation for Women's Entrepreneurship (CONAF), and of the brand "Flori de ie", stances in which she harmoniously combines all the moral, personal and professional values that guide her: family, tradition, Romanian values, entrepreneurship and education through and in support of traditional and contemporary art.

"I want a future tailored on the aspirations of this nation, a future built on the bridges between us and not on the ruins of our indifference," said Cristina Chiriac.

The "Legaturi" camp is part of the "Legaturi" Project, implemented by the Saschiz Volunteer Center and funded by the European Union - Next Generation EU (NextGenerationEU), within the framework of Romania's National Recovery and Resilience Plan: "Funds for a modern and reformed Romania".
Romania sent a specialized forest fire-fighting unit to Corsica on Tuesday, with 20 firefighters with the emergency inspectorates.

According to a press release issued by the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU), the firefighters will travel by air, with aircraft from the Ministry of National Defence, and the mission will last 15 days, agerpres reports.

"The 20 firefighters will replace colleagues from Slovenia, whose return to their home country was necessary for the management of the floods that have occurred recently. Our colleagues will leave with 3 mobility vehicles and will use the host country's intervention equipment for any missions assigned by their French counterparts," says IGSU.

A decision of the National Committee for Emergency Situations (CNSU) was also adopted in this regard, in view of the request of the authorities of the French Republic, transmitted through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, for international assistance in the context of prepositioning of intervention teams during the summer season prone to forest fires, due to the shortfall caused by the impossibility of mobilising the specialised forest fire-fighting module from the Republic of Slovenia, which was to be deployed in the Corsica Region of the French Republic, with President Klaus Iohannis having been informed in advance.Romania's intention to provide support was transmitted on August 11 to the EU Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC), through CECIS, by the Department for Emergency Situations, through the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations.
More than 4,000 spectators watched the national premiere of the film "Kidnapped", directed by Marco Belloccio, which opened the 20th edition of the Anonimul International Independent Film Festival, scheduled for August 14-20.

The film "Kidnapped" had its international premiere in the official competition of the Cannes Film Festival, the organisers said in a press release on Tuesday.

The festival director at Anonimul International Film Festival, Miruna Berescu, stressed, at the opening gala on Monday evening, the importance of the constant support of the public, but also of the community of Sfantu Gheorghe, represented again this year by the vocal group "Ciornii Morii" which sang songs in Romanian and Ukrainian.

"It's hard to run a cultural event for 20 years uninterrupted, there's a lot of work behind it, which is why we are happy when we see the joy, support and, let me say, love coming from people who have been to the Festival at least once. We are happy to feel the warmth of the people in Sfantu Gheorghe and to welcome them all again this year with films brought to Romania for the first time right after the Cannes or Locarno Festival," said Miruna Berescu.

According to the organisers, the workshop "My vocation, film" for teenagers from the Danube Delta's villages has reached its second edition. The social-cultural project of non-formal education among pupils in the Danube Delta area consists this year in a series of activities to stimulate and facilitate access to cultural education. This year participants will also benefit from meetings with several personalities from the film industry, among them Emanuel Parvu (actor and director), film critic Ionut Mares and the famous actor Vlad Ivanov. "My vocation, film" will take place from August 15-20 within the ANONIMUL Festival and is a programme organised by FAMart Association, with the support of E-ON Romania.

The Anonimul 2023 programme also includes other related events. On Wednesday, August 16, at 11:00, the festival tent set up in the campsite will host a meeting of the Anonimul Talks series with actors Vlad Ivanov and Ilinca Manolache, directors Alexandru Solomon and Emanuel Parvu, producers Ada Solomon and Miruna Berescu, selectors Ludmila Cvikova, Ionut Mares and filmmaker Laurentiu Damian - president of the Romanian Filmmakers Union, where they will discuss Romanian film, under the title "Audience expectations vs. filmmakers' expectations".

The audience in Sfantu Gheorghe will also be able to enjoy the hybrid show of the band Dl Goe, based on the "Fata Morgana" album, whose music is illustrated by a series of clips that form a film that can be seen on Wednesday, August 16, in Green Dolphin Camping.

On Thursday, August 17, OTP Bank Romania will organise, together with the festival team, the "Vreau o Delta ca-n filme" (I want a Delta like in the movies) greening action, which will collect waste from the Danube Delta with the help of the Association Ape Fara Plastic (Waters without Plastic) and volunteers who can sign up at: https://bit.ly/vreauodeltacanfilme.

On 19 August, at the closing gala, Japanese-born director Naomi Kawase will receive the Anonimul Trophy for her contribution to the beauty of universal cinema, and the evening will be closed by the first-time screening of the "Official Film of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, Side A" and a concert by the famous band Suie Paparude.

The festival programme includes two competitions of Romanian and international short films, a competition of feature films and screenings outside the competition. All of them will take place in the presence of members of the production teams and will be shown both in the cinema set up in the campsite and in the Green Village.

The ANONIMUL programme can be found at https://bit.ly/Anonimul2023, and zero-value tickets for the screenings can be purchased at https://eventbook.ro/festival/festivalul-international-de-film-independent-anonimul, the organisers add.
Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Christian Orthodox Church (BOR) said on Tuesday, in a sermon delivered at the chapel of Saint George inside the Patriarchal Residence that, although the Mother of God was moved to heaven by the love and power of her Son, She remains present in the world through Her prayers, through which she delivers from death the souls of those who pray to her, being called on the day of death and on the day of judgment.

"She is the intercessor, together with St. John the Baptist, on the day of the Universal Judgment, for those who have sinned but have not lived to show the deeds of repentance. (...) The Mother of God does not forsake the world, because this is the world that Her Son loved and saved. And, because the Son wants humanity to be saved, His Mother also wants all people to enjoy eternal happiness in the Kingdom of the Most Holy Trinity," said the Primate of the Romanian Christian Orthodox Church, according to the Basilica News Agency of the Romanian Patriarchate.

His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel said that "the Mother of God went through death like all men", "but She no longer awaits the universal resurrection, as Christ the Lord, Her Son, did not want to leave the body of His Mother to decay and took Her with Him to heaven".

The Orthodox hierarch explained that the Church has called this feast by two names: "dormition" - to show that the death of the Mother of God was real and "the moving to heaven", into the glory of Her Son.

"This feast is called neither resurrection - for no one has seen her risen as Christ was seen, nor ascension - as some wrongly say out of ignorance, because She did not ascend to heaven by Her own power as Christ rose. She was taken up to heaven, moved," said Patriarch Daniel, detailing that this movement of the Virgin Mary "is not a simple spatial displacement from earth to heaven, but a spiritual-existential mutation".

"The Mother of God's movement is the entrance to another mode of existence, that of heavenly everlasting life, a move into the glory of the kingdom of heaven (...) It is a move to heavenly everlasting life and a glorification of the soul and body of the Mother of God, Her move into the glory of the kingdom of heaven," pointed out the Patriarch.

The Patriarch recalled that the Dormition of the Mother of God is the feast day of many churches, especially the voivodal churches, which have become the burial place for rulers and kings, mentioning: Bistrita Monastery (in Neamt), where the ruler Alexander the Good is buried, Putna Monastery, where Saint Stephen the Great is buried, etc.

***

According to Church tradition, the Mother of God lived several years after the ascension of Her Son and our Lord Jesus Christ. Three days before Her death, She was told by the Archangel Gabriel that she would pass from this world to eternal life.

Although the Apostles were scattered throughout the world to preach the Gospel to all nations, they were present at the event, brought by the power of God, the Blessed Virgin informing them of what was to happen.

After bidding farewell to all those present - notes St. John of Damascus - there followed the moment when the Lord Himself descended to receive Her holy soul into His hands (a moment which is richly represented in the Orthodox Church's iconography). Then She said: "My Son, into Your hands I commend my spirit". Having said this, She breathed her last, as if She had fallen asleep. It was like falling asleep, not a death, namely without the pain of death, hence the name of the feast.

The apostles then picked up the death bed with the body of the Mother of God, carrying it to the tomb. Tradition also notes that a large crowd of people had gathered there, amazed at the sight of Her falling asleep and the arrival of the apostles. The procession went to Gethsemane, where a new stone tomb had been prepared for Her. There are two versions of this tradition: one version has it that the body was in the tomb for three days, after which it was lifted in a mysterious manner to the heavenly places; the other version has it that the body of the Mother of God was taken up to heaven from the hands of the Apostles Peter and Paul as they were preparing to place it in the tomb, with only the cloth in which it was wrapped remaining in their hands. The differences may also be due to the fact that a long period of terrible persecution against the Church soon followed, which did not allow a more thorough investigation of events and dates.

The Dormition of the Mother of God and the bodily ascension to heaven represent the last mystery in the work of human salvation. After the Resurrection of Christ, His Ascension to heaven and the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, the Dormition of the Mother of God concludes the work of salvation accomplished by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
President Iohannis: We will continue our efforts to consolidate NATO structures on Romania's territory

President Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday that Romania's security has been strengthened and that efforts to consolidate NATO structures on Romanian territory will continue, told Agerpres.

"We have strengthened Romania's security and we will continue our efforts to consolidate NATO structures on Romania's territory, especially the NATO battle group established in Cincu in 2022, which is an important component of the extensive and constant process of strengthening the Allied deterrence and defence posture on the Eastern Flank and in the Black Sea region in the long term," the president said at the celebrations organised on the occasion of the Romanian Navy Day, on the esplanade in front of the Fleet Command in Constanta Port.

He said the war of aggression waged by the Russian Federation in Ukraine poses "significant risks" to security in the Black Sea.

"We are in the vicinity of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, and the recent escalations, including the attack on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure on the Danube, near our country's territorial waters too, pose significant security risks in the Black Sea," the head of state said.

President Iohannis argued that this context underlines the challenges facing Europe but also Romania's relevance as a pillar of regional stability.

"The strategic importance of the Black Sea region for the security of the Euro-Atlantic area is today indisputable, as was also underlined at the recent NATO Summit in Vilnius," he added.

The Romanian president stressed that Romania is an "important centre of gravity of NATO's strengthened deterrence and defence posture, and the presence and activity of 5,000 allied military personnel in our country fully demonstrates our unity, solidarity and unwavering commitment, as allies, to the provisions of the North Atlantic Treaty, including in terms of collective defence".

He pointed out that the Romanian and allied militaries are training and strengthening their capacity for fully compatible joint military action in the Black Sea.

"We are thus demonstrating that we are determined to supporting and defending each other within NATO," the head of state added, thanking the military from the US, France, Poland, Portugal, Belgium, Italy, the UK, the Netherlands, Spain, North Macedonia and Luxembourg for their presence in our country.

He pointed out that Romania, as a member of NATO, currently enjoys the most solid security guarantees, from our country's dual position as a beneficiary and, at the same time, an important contributor to improving regional and Euro-Atlantic security.

The head of state reiterated that, together with its other NATO allies, Romania will continue to support Ukraine, as long as necessary, in its fight for peace and freedom.

"We will offer - as we have done so far - multidimensional political and practical support to Kyiv, both bilaterally and by contributing to NATO projects dedicated to Ukraine. We will participate in the training of Ukrainian military within the framework of the European Union military assistance mission and we will host the future regional training hub for F-16 pilots, a centre that will equally serve Romanian, allied and Ukrainian pilots. In parallel, we will continue to coordinate within the European Union to effectively manage the multiple consequences of the war in Ukraine. We will maintain our support for Kyiv's European course and advocate for substantial European assistance to Ukraine on all levels," Iohannis added.

President Iohannis also deemed as heartwarming the presence of so many people at the ceremonies occasioned by he Romanian Navy Day.

"August 15 has become (...) an occasion to remember the symbols of our nation, which inspire us to be closer to each other and to understand, once again, how strong we can be together to build a better future," was the message of the head of state.

He told the sailors attending the ceremonies that they have the admiration and gratitude of all for the devotion and dignity with which they carry Romania's flag on the seas and oceans of the world.

"Dear sailors, you are the expression of professionalism and dedication in a difficult but essential military career for the defence of our country. The Romanian Naval Forces contribute significantly to improving regional, European and Euro-Atlantic security. The missions carried out together with our allies and partners in NATO and the European Union to make our territorial and world waters safer are ample proof of this," Iohannis said.

The head of state also paid tribute to those who dedicated their lives and made the supreme sacrifice under the national flag.

President Klaus Iohannis came to Constanta accompanied by his wife, Carmen Iohannis.
The Romanian Naval Forces and the Romanian Army are a security provider in both the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, on which our partners can rely, said the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Mihai Panait, at the celebrations held at the Fleet Command in Constanta Port on the occasion of the Romanian Navy Day.

"It is a great honour for us, the people of the sea, to have you today as distinguished guests at this event, which, since August 15 1902, has become part of our country's spiritual heritage. As every year, in these moments charged with respect and gratitude, we pay a pious homage to the sailor heroes, military or civilian, who, over the years, have given their lives to defend Romania's waterfronts and sacrificed themselves for the glory of the tricolor flag. On account of the complex security situation in the Black Sea region, generated by the war started last February by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, the effort of the Romanian Naval Forces has focused on the surveillance of the maritime and river space in our area of responsibility, as well as on the operation to fight against sea mines, which we have been carrying out systematically since the danger of drifting sea mines to navigation and economic activities," said Mihai Panait, agerpres reports.

He recalled that, this year, the Naval Forces resumed the Romanian military presence in the Mediterranean Sea, after a two-year interruption, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and generated by the war in Ukraine.

"This year we participated with the frigate 'King Ferdinand', with a helicopter on board, in the European Union operation EUNAVFOR MED IRINI and we will participate in three weeks in the NATO operation 'Sea Guardian' with the frigate 'Regina Maria'. We are thus demonstrating that the Romanian Naval Forces and the Romanian Army are a security provider in both the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, on which our partners can rely," Panait added.According to him, Romanian sailors prove, through everything they have done and everything they continue doing, that they are up to the demands of the profession they have chosen."We are at the service of every Romanian citizen and we carry out our constitutional missions with dignity and professionalism to strengthen collective security and defence in the Black Sea region, being a credible and stable partner, a security provider for our international partners," Panait stressed.He pointed out that investing in the future is for the Romanian Naval Forces an anchor of stability in the national education system and an important investment in the future of the institution."We have permanently adapted our educational offer to the challenges of the current security environment, and through the international marches of the training ship "Mircea", our pride, of the seamen, we have continued to develop Romanian naval diplomacy in the ports in which the honourable sailing ship had made stopovers", Panait said.In this context, he thanked the National Defence Ministry (MApN) leadership for the constant support given during the last year to achieve the objectives assumed, as well as all the Romanian Naval Forces personnel for the efforts made to achieve the planned objectives and the missions received."I convey my thanks to your families for their understanding and for the support they are constantly giving you. I wish all the crew members of the Romanian Naval Forces to remain the same reliable people, dedicated to their job, who will transmit to the next generations the devotion to the profession of sailor, the pride of being Romanian and the feeling of patriotism. I invite the youngest fellows to find the necessary energy to carry on the noble tradition of the defenders of Romania's waterfronts. May the Blessed Virgin Mary continue to protect Romania's naval forces and its people, and be with them in their hour of need, as well as in their hours of celebration and joy! (...) Many happy returns! Good watch forward," said Vice Admiral Panait
Cory Finley knew he wanted to make a movie of M.T. Andersons National Book Award-winning teen novel Landscape With Invisible Hand as soon as he read it.

I loved that the book was so bold and out there and bizarre, the writer-director says from his apartment in New York. I loved that it had this central idea of a kid growing up, falling in love under an alien invasion, with the twist being that the alien invasion is a capitalist, free-market invasion and not a military one.

I thought that was very subversive and funny.

Landscape With Invisible Hand is not a typical young-adult book or movie. It does feature two teens who fall in love  though Finley adds a racial element not found in the novel by making the boy Black and on a higher social scale than the girl, who is white.

But thats as traditional as the film gets. The young lovers decide to make money from their romance by livestreaming it to their alien overlords, who, though increasingly tyrannical in their rule, are also funny looking and kind of squishy.

Finley, 34, is originally from Clayton (I still try to go back when I can and get some Ted Drewes, he says). He attended John Burroughs High School, where his mother taught before going into the schools administration. His parents now live in Pittsburgh, but he says they plan to return when his mother retires from her job as headmistress at an all-girls school.

Like his first film, Thoroughbreds, and to a lesser degree his second film, Bad Education, Landscape With Invisible Hand includes elements of satire  though Finley may disagree with the terminology.

I think of it more as a dark comedy, as a cousin of satire. Satire is more about its social aim. Dark comedy is just more a pure tonal description, he says.

In other words, the humor isnt there to serve the social commentary; the commentary is there to serve the humor.

The new film is his first time working in science fiction. Also a playwright  his thriller The Feast was produced off-off-Broadway  Finley says the two genres he knows he cannot do are dead-serious prestige drama and really, really funny, laugh-every-30-seconds comedy.

I thrive on the tension between the comedy and the seriousness, the comedy and the tragedy, or the comedy and the social commentary, he says. Im drawn to the stuff that lives in the middle ground and require some tightrope-walking to pull off.

That may be why he downplays the importance of the satirical elements in the film. The movie appears to satirize American devotion to pure capitalism (thats where the invisible hand part of the title comes from), racial assumptions, class distinctions, artistic censorship and even television sitcoms of the 1950s through the 70s.

Finley says he does not want the audience to feel as if it is being preached to. The storys over-the-top situation and humor help to soften the blow, he says. 

Im all about those in-betweens, Finley says. I wouldnt make a movie that has absolutely nothing to say about the culture we live in, but I also would not want to make a movie that exists solely to make a point.

I like stuff that opens up a dialogue that asks questions but isnt purely oriented toward driving home a singular thesis.

'Landscape With Invisible Hand' has a great premise but tries too hard to say too much The director takes a clever idea and tries to do and say too much with it. The result is an eventual disappointment, especially considering the films deliciously promising first act.

Much of the humor comes from the physical representation of the aliens themselves. They are small and compact, with boxlike bodies, crab eyes on the ends of antennae, and four flipper appendages.

They almost look real, like especially well-rendered puppets, but they are computer-generated imagery.

You watch E.T. or An American Werewolf in Paris, those practical-effects creatures  puppets  hold up real well. The T. rex in Jurassic Park is shockingly real. But either you have an astronomical budget or you have some degree that youre aware that its a puppet, he says.

Its a different suspension of disbelief. With CGI, youre aware, at some level, that they didnt go out and find an alien.

The film was shot during the omicron wave of the pandemic, which actually had a benefit, Finley says. With masks and other measures taken to staunch the diseases spread, the production was difficult on a practical level.

However, the pandemic delayed the productions initial start. The extra time gave Finley and visual effects designer Erik-Jan de Boer a chance to refine the way the aliens would look and move. It also allowed Finley to draw more storyboards than he had for his previous films, giving him a head start when filming began.

At the moment, work on nearly all film and TV productions is shut down because of strikes by the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild. Finley is a member both of the WGA and the Directors Guild of America, which recently reached a deal with the studios.

Im joining you today only as a director; my writer side is striking, he says with a smile. Im very in favor, very supportive of the unions doing this.

I think the unions have done a lot for me and have been a real force for good in Hollywood. Its unfortunate that nothing is being made now, but its a necessary part of the struggle. I hope it gets resolved as soon as it can, he says.

Which brings up an interesting point: Landscape With Invisible Hand, especially the book, is specifically opposed to unfettered capitalism. Yet Finley is forging a career in Hollywood, which he acknowledges is one of the most capitalist places on Earth.

I have mixed feelings, to be honest. I think America is a country that puts excessive faith in the invisible hand of the market. But look, here I am working in Hollywood, he says.

I have not dedicated my life to bringing down the system. I do hope my movies have something to say and help change that conversation and have some sort of political effect.

But without trying to sound cliched about it, I am distrustful of a lot of the effects of multinational capitalism and corporate consolidation. I like that the book, and hopefully the movie, speak to those dangers in a playful and irreverent way.
MONDAY, May 22, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, when shelter-in-place orders were ongoing, new moms tended to breastfeed their babies about two weeks longer than usual, new research shows.

Stay-at-home policies enabled parents to continue breastfeeding at home instead of returning to the workplace, said study co-author Dr. Rita Hamad, an associate professor in family and community medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.

This suggests a pent-up demand for breastfeeding, which may be stymied by the lack of a national paid family leave policy in the U.S.," Hamad said in a university news release.

The pandemics workplace closures in March and April 2020 created a natural experiment for whether the ability for parents of newborns to stay home led to changes in breastfeeding patterns, according to the study.

Using national survey and birth certificate data from 2017 to 2020 for more than 118,000 postpartum women, the researchers examined whether the infants were breastfed and for how long. They studied breastfeeding initiation and duration for babies born both prior to and after shelter-in-place policies.

The investigators found that rates of women who started breastfeeding their infants didnt change. Yet length of breastfeeding for women who did initiate it went from less than 13 weeks to nearly 15 weeks, an increase of 18%.

Race and income affected the outcome. White women had the biggest increase in duration at 19%. Hispanic women experienced the smallest increase at about 10%, the findings showed.

While women with high incomes also had length of breastfeeding increase by about 19%, those with low incomes increased by less than 17%.

The gains for white and high-income women were likely because these groups had jobs that could be done at home more easily, the study authors suggested. Hispanic parents were more likely to have lower-wage jobs that required them to work in person.

Once again, the pandemic served to highlight an area of health inequity  differences in workplaces that facilitate breastfeeding, Hamad said.

Women continued to breastfeed their children for a longer duration through at least August 2020. Then levels dropped to what they were before the pandemic.

Our study suggests that breastfeeding duration in the U.S. would be higher and more comparable to peer countries if working parents were paid while staying home to care for their newborns, particularly parents of color and those with lower-income jobs who cant afford to take unpaid time off work, Hamad said.

Initiation of breastfeeding for Black and low-income families dipped during the pandemic, which suggests less access to breastfeeding support during shelter-in-place orders, according to the study authors.

The United States is the only high-income country without a national paid leave policy for new parents, the researchers noted. Just 25% of people who work in private industry have access to paid family leave.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends six months of exclusive breastfeeding.

President Joe Biden said in March that he plans to allocate $325 billion in his 2024 budget proposal for a permanent paid family leave program.

The study was published online May 18 in the American Journal of Public Health.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on the benefits of breastfeeding for baby and mom.

SOURCE: University of California, San Francisco, news release, May 18, 2023
SUNDAY, May 21, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Men and women can experience a variety of issues related to problems in whats called the pelvic floor, the network of muscles and ligaments around the pelvis.

Fortunately, strengthening therapy can get these problems under control.

A urologist from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston explains how this works.

Like physical therapy is helpful for a knee or shoulder injury, pelvic floor therapy works the muscles in the pelvic floor to rehabilitate those muscles from injury or destruction, Dr. Rotimi Nettey, an assistant professor in the department of urology, said in a school news release.

The pelvis is bordered by the hip bone and pubic symphysis -- the joint between your left and right pelvic bones. It supports internal organs, including the intestines, bladder and rectum. In women, it also supports the uterus and vagina; in men, the prostate. This network is important for urination, bowel movements, supporting sexual function and childbirth.

Urinary and fecal incontinence, constipation, pelvic organ prolapse, pain with intercourse and sexual dysfunction are conditions that can be treated with pelvic floor therapy. For women, this can be helpful after childbirth or during pregnancy. Men may seek out therapy after prostate surgery, Nettey said.

Pregnancy is the most common cause of injury to the pelvic floor because the uterus can compress various muscles and nerve groups, straining them as they are relied upon for more support. Vaginal delivery can bring trauma to the pelvic floor ligaments and muscles, causing lacerations or tears.

Pelvic floor therapists use a variety of techniques. These can include relaxation and "down" training exercises for those with an overactive bladder or a tense, high tone pelvic floor. Myofascial release -- a type of gentle massage -- can be helpful for patients with pelvic floor pain. Biofeedback therapy is another option.

Pelvic floor therapy helps empower patients because they can do it on their own once they see a therapist who can extend those lessons they learn in therapy, Nettey said. Its beneficial and harmless to patients and is pretty noninvasive compared to other therapies offered. Patients who are interested in learning more about pelvic floor therapy should consult their urologist or gynecologist.

More information

The U.S. National Institutes of Health has more on pelvic floor disorders.

SOURCE: Baylor College of Medicine, news release, May 17, 2023
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 15. On August 15, the International Military Cooperation Department of the Defense Ministry hosted a briefing for representatives of international organizations and foreign military attaches accredited to Azerbaijan, Trend reports citing Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

At the briefing, the foreign military representatives were given detailed information on the facts regarding the latest activity of illegal Armenian armed detachments and the remains of the Armenian armed forces in the territory of Azerbaijan, where the Russian peacekeeping contingent is temporarily deployed.

It was noted that the use of Lachin road for illegal military transportation is inacceptable. The Aghdam-Khankendi road proposed by the Azerbaijani side as an alternative will accelerate the timely delivery of necessary goods to the Armenian residents living in the Karabakh economic region, as well as their reintegration into the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Also it was noted that the fact of Armenian side's strengthening the combat positions of illegal armed detachments stationed in the Karabakh economic region as well as massively arming the civilian population by deploying various combat equipment, especially air defense and radio electronic means of struggle in several residential areas in order to provoke new provocations were observed by the Azerbaijani side.

It was brought to attention that such provocative actions, accompanied by the concentration of combat equipment in the direction of the conditional border between Azerbaijan and Armenia led to an increase in tension in the region.

The inadmissibility of such actions by the opposing side, who is trying to use the EU mission in Armenia as a tool to disguise its illegal actions aimed at forming a false opinion in the international community, was particularly emphasized.

In the end, video materials regarding the mentioned facts were demonstrated and questions of representatives were answered.
ST. LOUIS  Faulty locks and understaffing at the citys downtown jail are partially to blame for a beating two years ago in which three men were punched, kicked and stomped in the head by fellow inmates while corrections officers failed to intervene for hours, according to a lawsuit filed last week.

Throughout 2021, inmates at the City Justice Center repeatedly took advantage of faulty locks to break out of their cells and shatter windows, destroy equipment and set fires at the jail. And because of those faulty locks, the lawsuit claims, inmates who were not supposed to be in the recreation area broke out of their cells one night in mid-August and beat their fellow detainees, which was captured in a widely circulated video.

Now, Stanley Miller, Robert Childs and Zachary Kearnes are seeking compensation from the city, jail leadership and unnamed employees in a federal lawsuit in which they claim their rights were violated when they were left unprotected from other detainees with violent histories.

Its a big problem beyond these three folks, said local attorney Elad Gross, who sued on behalf of the men who were beaten. Gross has previously filed other lawsuits over public records and conditions at the jail.

A city spokesman did not respond to a request for comment about the lawsuit.

Issues have plagued the downtown jail since 2021, when detainees first began escaping their cells by jamming them with trash and debris. Inmates on several occasions destroyed parts of the jail in protest of conditions at the facility and court shutdowns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Video of the Aug. 13, 2021, beating showed officers standing outside the door of the recreation room during the beatings. Maj. Tonya Henry, the jails security chief, said at the time that another situation was happening at the same time and my staff was pretty much spread thin.

She said the handful of officers shown in the video didnt have the equipment necessary to stop the fight.

Around 11:30 p.m. that night, the fight broke out when an inmate began punching Kearnes in the face. Several corrections officers locked the doors and stood by as detainees attacked Childs, then Miller, the suit says.

Additional backup officers arrived, but they continued to watch as beatings continued. At 11:51 p.m., an employee spoke to the inmates through a window and said, Well be in there in a minute, but it took them roughly 25 minutes to extract Kearnes. Childs and Miller were left inside, according to court documents.

At around 2:15 a.m., officers entered the recreation area again and used pepper spray as detainees rushed toward the officers, the suit says. Childs and Miller were finally taken from the recreation area and transported to University Hospital.

Kearnes was diagnosed with a traumatic head injury, damaged teeth and swelling around his eyes. He required additional dental work and still experiences anxiety and other mental health problems, according to court documents.

Childs had injuries to his face, back and head and continues to suffer from back pain, inflammation, nerve pain, loss of feeling in his legs, and urination and bowel issues. Miller likely had a concussion.

In September 2022, Gross sued the city for Missouri Sunshine Law violations alleging officials failed to provide him requested emails, texts and reports as he tried to research the assaults on the three men. That lawsuit is ongoing.

But Gross said Monday he hopes the new litigation will convince the city to correct ongoing dangerous conditions at the jail. The city is still working on repairing the locks roughly two years after the attacks. An official said in May they hoped to be finished by the end of 2023.

Certainly we hope the city will be making changes and this hopefully will benefit other people, Gross said.

A hearing has not yet been set in the case.
ST. LOUIS  A man was killed in a double shooting Tuesday afternoon near St. Louis University.

Jaylen French, 25, of the 2800 block of Wellington Drive in St. Louis County, was identified as the victim who died, according to police.

Officials responded around 2 p.m. to Lindell Boulevard and North Spring Avenue, near the edge of the city's Midtown neighborhood, for a report of a shooting. French was pronounced dead at the scene, and another person, who police believe may have shot him, was also taken to a hospital with a gunshot wound.

About a half-dozen evidence markers lay on the ground Tuesday afternoon, and investigators appeared focused on a Jaguar car in the middle of the taped-off crime scene.

This article was updated on Wednesday at 9:40 a.m. with the identity of the victim.
JEFFERSON CITY  The Missouri Supreme Court gave local health departments a boost Tuesday in their bid to restore their ability to impose health restrictions during contagious disease outbreaks.

In a rebuke of the current and former attorney generals, the high court sided with local governments in a St. Louis County case involving businesses affected by COVID-19 restrictions.

Under the ruling, local officials will be able to move forward with an appeal of a Cole County judges decision to invalidate the health powers of local governments. The original suit came as former Attorney General Eric Schmitt, in a successful run for the U.S. Senate, pushed back against mask mandates and business closures.

Schmitt, a Republican, chose not to appeal a case in which Cole County Judge Daniel Green stripped local health departments of their ability to issue health orders.

In the 16-page ruling, the Supreme Court sided with local governments, whose employees were on the front lines trying to keep people safe from the deadly respiratory disease.

The circuit court erred in overruling St. Louis and Jackson counties motion to intervene as a matter of right, the court wrote.

Schmitts successor, Republican Andrew Bailey, an appointee of Gov. Mike Parson, argued the case should be tossed out because the counties were late in attempting to intervene in the case.

But the Supreme Court said the counties should be able to challenge Greens decision, writing that the attorney generals office is no longer adequately representing the counties interest.

St. Louis County Executive Sam Page, who faced significant pushback for backing health restrictions, praised the decision.

Were pleased the Missouri Supreme Court validated our position with this unanimous ruling. St. Louis County will continue to ensure that local health departments have the ability to make the decisions necessary to protect our communities and save lives, Page said in a statement.

The original lawsuit challenged whether regulations issued by state health officials unconstitutionally authorized local medical directors to issue rules, such as quarantines and business closures to address concerns about the spread of the virus.

The fight over public health orders during the pandemic became political fodder for Schmitt, who railed against masks in schools and business closures.

Following Greens decision, Schmitt issued threats and filed lawsuits against school districts calling for them to stop enforcing health orders.

Among those involved in the initial lawsuit was Ben Brown, owner of Satchmos Bar and Grill in Chesterfield, who fought with St. Louis County officials over his ability to stay open during the pandemic.

Brown used the notoriety gained from the case, as well as support from other conservatives opposed to health orders, to win a seat in the state Senate last year.

Schmitts office did not have an immediate response to the decision.
JEFFERSON CITY  Parents who dont send their kids to school on a regular basis could be sentenced to jail, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

Acting on a case involving two parents from Lebanon, the court said school officials were within their rights to take two single mothers to court after their children missed more days of school than was allowed under district policy.

In deciding the case, the court said school attendance laws are not unconstitutionally vague and that evidence existed that the parents knowingly failed to cause their children to attend school on a regular basis after their children were enrolled.

When measured by common understanding and practices, no Missouri parent would conclude attendance on a regular basis means anything less than having their child go to school on those days the school is in session, the court wrote.

The case involves parents Caitlyn Williams and Tamarae LaRue, parents of a kindergartener and a first grader, respectively, in the Lebanon R-II School District.

Williams daughter missed 16 days of school in the 2021-22 school year. The school district filed suit and she was sentenced to seven days in jail.

LaRues son was absent 13 days. She was sentenced to 15 days in jail by a Laclede County judge, but the sentence was changed to two years of probation.

In both cases, the parents notified the school of some absences due to illness but not all of them.

During testimony before the court, an attorney for the women said they didnt know they were violating school rules because the handbook didnt state that absences without doctors notes are unexcused.

The attorney, Ellen Flottman, argued that attendance laws are vague. The state argues that regular means every day school is scheduled, while the Lebanon district says it means 90% of the days school is scheduled.

Flottman said other districts set other standards for attendance.

But Supreme Court Judge Robin Ransom, writing for the majority, said the parents had sufficient warning that their children needed to go to school each day.

Given the notice provided to each parent and that each parent was in control of their young child, evidence existed to support the inference that each parent knowingly failed to cause their child to attend school on a regular basis, Ransom said.
PHOENIX  A man on the run for six years was arrested last week for a 2017 bank robbery in St. Louis.

Daniel Harris, 65, was caught in Phoenix by the FBI after evading capture for more than a half-decade.

Harris is accused of robbing the St. Louis Community Credit Union on March 15, 2017. A warrant for his arrest was issued later that year.

It may take years, and it may not be a high-profile crime, but the FBI never gives up on bringing fugitives to justice, said special agent Jay Greenberg of the FBI St. Louis Division.
JEFFERSON CITY  Missouri cannabis regulators on Monday issued a recall for products sold by a Robertsville manufacturer that is under state investigation.

The Division of Cannabis Regulation posted a list of the recalled products on its website.

Regulators said the products, sold by Franklin County-based Delta Extraction, were not compliantly tracked so the state could verify they were derived from Missouri-grown marijuana and passed required testing.

The advisory directs consumers to return the products to the dispensary where they purchased them or discard them.

The state said adverse reactions should be reported to CannabisComplaints@health.mo.gov but said none had been reported.

State regulators said the affected products would not count against a medical marijuana patients monthly purchase limit.

Mondays recall notice followed an hourslong hearing at the Administrative Hearing Commission in which Delta Extraction challenged the states immediate suspension of its license.

The state said earlier this month that three marijuana facilities had been suspended pending investigation, but didnt name the companies.

But on Monday, a manager for Delta Extraction said the company partnered with the company Conte for the manufacture of Conte-branded products at Deltas Robertsville facility.

Jack Maritz, the manager, testified that during the distillation process, hemp-derived THCa may be used from out-of-state sources.

THCa turns into THC, which gets you high when heated.

Delta argued previous state regulations allowed the out-of-state hemp product to be used; the state argued that this was not allowed and that more recent regulations clarified that.

The Administrative Hearing Commission, which handles disputes between businesses and regulators, did not issue any decision Monday on whether to reinstate Deltas license.

Rachael Herndon, Deltas chief operational officer, said the companys reputation had been harmed by the suspension.

Our reputation was damaged, and we had over $10 million in product on our site immediately locked up, she said.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY  St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann is urging Gov. Mike Parson to call legislators back to Jefferson City to fix what he says is unclear language in a law that would allow the county to give senior-citizen homeowners a property tax break.

The St. Charles County Council is considering the tax break, allowed under the recently signed Senate Bill 190. But Ehlmann, who said he supports the tax break, said its unclear if the bill allows the county to freeze only its own property taxes or if it can freeze taxes in other taxing districts in the county, such as public schools, fire and ambulance districts, and the library district.

It is a half-baked pie.  Who is going to bake the rest of it? Ehlmann said after a county council meeting Monday night where the potential tax break came up for discussion for the first time. Is it up to the county to finish baking it and risk the judge throwing it out, or does the state go back and finish baking it?

All council members were supportive of the tax break, but they disagreed on implementation. Mondays meeting on several occasions turned into a shouting match between Ehlmann and councilmen Mike Elam and Joe Brazil.

Brazil criticized County Counselor Rory OSullivan for attempting to sway council members away from supporting the tax break during a presentation, which outlined inconsistent guidelines for the bill and the cost of implementation. Elam and Ehlmann defended the presentation and countered that OSullivan was not taking a side.

All Rory was doing was bringing up the questions that are undefined in the bill, Elam said.

St. Charles County joins St. Louis County in discussing a freeze on property taxes for seniors. The St. Louis County Council was expected to reconsider on Tuesday night a proposal that would implement the tax freeze after members voted it down in July. Under Senate Bill 190, counties can adopt a measure by ordinance or voter approval that gives a tax break to seniors who are eligible for Social Security retirement benefits and are required to make tax payments on a home they own.

Terry Hollander, who chairs the St. Charles County Council, said he was shocked by St. Louis Countys decision to bring it up in May even with all these questions that were still out there.

So they voted it down, and I did not want that to happen here, Hollander said. If we vote, when we vote, we need to be knowing exactly what we are voting on and what it means.

Ehlmann said he has asked the countys legal counsel to draft a proposal to enact the tax freeze, and he plans to submit the proposal for review in advance of the councils Aug. 28 meeting.

The proposal, which will use the most broad interpretation of the law, will likely be challenged in court if enacted by the council, Ehlmann said. A broad interpretation would allow the county to freeze property taxes for all districts, while a narrow interpretation would limit council members to freezing only the countys property taxes.

I fully expect at least one school district will sue us, and we will go to court to make our best arguments as to why we think we are right, Ehlmann said. It will ultimately be left to a judge to decide. Courts are a terrible place for laws to be made  which is why the Legislature should have written a better bill.

Ehlmann said he will meet with St. Charles County school administrators in September, and the bill will be the main point of that meeting.

Were just 2% of the property taxes that people pay. To give the kind of relief that people are hoping for, then we need to interpret this bill broadly, said Ehlmann, who has written a second letter to Parson requesting the special session during the upcoming veto session in September.

Ehlmann will also meet with the countys legislative delegation on Aug. 28 in hopes of getting some clarification on the law.

Elam said he recently talked with three St. Charles County-area state representatives, all of whom voted for Senate Bill 190, and each representative gave him different answers for what, specifically, the bill allows.

That gave me pause, Elam said. I know there are a lot of folks who are saying to hurry up and vote for this. But thats why we are hitting the pause button on this to make sure that we write a good bill for St. Charles County.
Kansas City Star. August 11, 2023.

Editorial: Missouri Supreme Court, look at new evidence in Nathan Hawkins murder conviction

We dont know if Nathan Hawkins is innocent of the first-degree murder conviction that remanded the Missouri man to prison for life without the possibility of parole. His culpability in the fatal shooting of Eric Cooper 25 years ago is for the courts to decide.

Hawkins attorney Kevin Schriener recently filed a legal motion requesting the Missouri Supreme Court to appoint a special master to weigh new evidence in Hawkins long-standing claims of innocence.

The states highest court has the authority to appoint the special master to hear testimony and pore over information that was not available during Hawkins initial trial in Monroe County in 1999. It should.

After hearing arguments from defense attorneys and the state, the appointee would rule on the merits of new evidence introduced in the case and offer recommendations for post-conviction relief, if any at all.

This is a hard road to go, Schriener said. Its difficult to get relief.

In the name of justice, we encourage the Missouri Supreme Court to consider:

1. In a 2019 sworn affidavit, Donald Uncle Mo Smith, the states only eyewitness to the shooting, contradicted his trial testimony, and that could absolve Hawkins of wrongdoing. 2. Forensic analysis questions the validity of the states argument that Hawkins ambushed an unsuspecting Cooper as he sat helplessly in a vehicle.

If Hawkins claims of constitutional error were substantiated by the Missouri Supreme Court, the body could declare manifest injustice and order Hawkins immediate release from prison, according to Schriener. That scenario is highly unlikely, legal experts told us.

In this case, a fair and impartial evidentiary hearing in front of a judge appointed by the state Supreme Court is the best recourse.

Eyewitness testimony error-prone, studies show

Last year, we wrote about Hawkins, an inmate at Crossroads Correctional Center in Cameron. He was sentenced to life in prison for killing Cooper, of Monroe County. For the last 25 years, he has sat behind bars. From the time he was arrested, Hawkins has maintained he fatally shot Cooper in self-defense.

We implored the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District to hear fuller testimony of the lone witness, as sworn to in the 2019 affidavit. In October, and without explanation, the states appellate court declined to hear the case.

Credible claims of innocence deserve to be heard in open court, we said then. We strongly believed evidence discovered after Hawkins conviction for first-degree murder and armed criminal action should be enough to warrant an evidentiary hearing.

New testimony from Smith and new blood spatter analysis could support Hawkins claim that he fired one round at Cooper, and did so out of fear for his life.

After closely examining recent legal filings in this case, we stand by our initial assessment: Hawkins has legal grounds for post-conviction relief, as Schriener argues again in court documents. The attorney isnt wrong.

But is the Missouri Supreme Court willing to right this possible injustice?

Smith was the only eyewitness to the shooting. Thanks in large part to his testimony, a Monroe County jury rejected Hawkins claims of self-defense and found him guilty. He has fought for his freedom since.

Its worth repeating: Eyewitness testimony is error-prone and often flawed, studies have shown. Perjury and false accusations  found in 57% of exoneration cases, according to the National Registry of Exonerations  often send innocent folks to prison.

For years, Missouri lawmakers have failed to protect innocent people from faulty eyewitness testimony. In Illinois, a prison review board examines claims of wrongful convictions. Missouri should consider a similar setup.

And Smiths unwillingness to come forward sooner with what he witnessed, and his role in the aftermath of the shooting, are important to note.

After Cooper was shot, Smith hid a gun belonging to Cooper and later sold it, Schriener claimed in legal documents.

Forensic evidence paints different picture of crime scene

Retractions from witnesses dont guarantee a defendant a new trial, defense attorneys told us. But forensic evidence not available at trial counters the states long-held theory that Hawkins executed Cooper.

In court documents, Monroe County prosecutors described the shooting as a hit. It wasnt, Hawkins contends. He shot out of fear for his life, he said.

At trial, Hawkins testified that he fired one shot at Cooper from the front porch of a trailer park home as Cooper sat in the passenger seat of a vehicle driven by Smith. The weapon was capable of firing more rounds, Hawkins told us during a phone conversation from Crossroads Correctional Center.

He was 19 and scared, he said. On occasions prior to the shooting, Cooper had threatened him, he testified in court.

At trial, Smith, the only eyewitness, claimed he was unaware of what the victim was doing immediately before he was shot. But the sworn affidavit Smith signed in 2019 provides the missing pieces that verify the only difference that has ever been in question: the position Cooper was in as he was shot.

In the affidavit, Smith  who has since died  included a potentially important detail omitted during testimony.

The victim Eric Cooper was turned around in the seat with his body angled towards the back seat when he was shot by Nathan Hawkins, he wrote. When the victim was shot he slumped over leaning sideways.

Two years prior, a forensic scientist hired by Hawkins concluded it was possible Cooper was in the passenger seat turned toward the back seat when he was shot. The analysis refutes the states theory that Cooper sat face forward in Smiths vehicle. There was no ambush, Hawkins says.

Claims of self-defense unsuccessful after conviction

In legalese, one theory supports lawful self-defense while the other supports murder. The state Supreme Court must appoint a neutral arbiter to settle the matter.

Cooper died from a bullet wound to the head. Before he was shot, Cooper made aggressive hand gestures  gang signals, court records state  at Hawkins. Cooper then reached into the back seat of the vehicle Smith drove as if he was retrieving a weapon, Hawkins testified.

Hawkins actions, he claims, were lawful.

How is that not self-defense? he argued. It is a legitimate question the Missouri Supreme Court must seek to answer.

In Missouri, no inmate claiming self-defense as innocence has been granted post-conviction relief, according to Hawkins. His arguments could set a state precedent for wrongful convictions being overturned by legitimate self-defense claims.

He has a unique case, Schriener, the attorney, said. He gives credit to private investigator Latahra Smith of Kansas City for her work to uncover the truth.

Leaving Nathan Hawkins in prison without consideration of newly discovered evidence would be a grave injustice, Schriener argues in legal filings. We dont disagree.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch. August 14, 2023.

Editorial: Missouri still allows corporal punishment in schools. Its tax-funded child abuse.

Even as Missouri lawmakers have been busily working to ensure that public school children get whitewashed versions of American history in class and girded reading choices in school libraries  all based on fabricated culture-war controversies  they remain uninterested in addressing an actual scourge that threatens those kids: corporal punishment in public schools.

As was humiliatingly highlighted in a Washington Post analysis last week, Missouri is one of fewer than 20 states that still allow this barbaric practice. Far from being an unintended statutory oversight, its the deliberate policy of the state. This is clear because, just last year, a new Missouri state law went into effect requiring permission slips from parents before schools can physically inflict pain upon their children.

Were sorry, but what century is this?

Parental permission slips dont make this OK. Missouri lawmakers should, as soon as possible, take a break from trying to protect school kids from knowledge, and finally protect them from what is, in the end, tax-funded child abuse.

The spare the rod, spoil the child trope is, according to most psychologists today, bunk.

Corporal punishment, notes the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, signals to the child that a way to settle interpersonal conflicts is to use physical force and inflict pain. Multiple studies have shown that corporal punishment of children is not only ineffective in addressing antisocial behavior beyond the immediate moment, but that it can lead to long-term behavioral and mental health problems.

Of course, how parents choose to discipline their own children in the home is one thing  though its worth noting that even a quick disciplinary smack administered by a parent against a child would, if inflicted upon that parent by another adult, be actionable in both civil and criminal court. Kids dont have the same virtually ironclad legal protection that adults do when it comes to being intentionally subjected to pain.

The socially complicated issue of parental discipline at home aside, its astonishing that in the 2020s, were still debating the notion that physical violence against a child by an educator is ever acceptable.

Its not like there arent other disciplinary options. Everything from detention to expulsion is available to deal with behavioral problems by students.

To the credit of some Missouri legislators, they have tried, repeatedly, over the years to outlaw corporal punishment in public schools. But the closest they got was last years measure requiring a parental signature before imposing the paddle. Which almost qualifies as dark humor.

Think about it: I hereby grant the school district permission to beat my kid 

What about public-school parents who believe that corporal punishment is intrinsically abusive? Even if their own kids arent in danger, thanks to the permission-slip rule, those parents (and all other taxpayers in the state) are still funding each of those paddle smacks via taxes used for education.

Why should those who dont think that hitting children should be part of the states educational experience be paying (literally) to help make it happen?

Defenders of the current statute point out that, in practice, corporal punishment reportedly happens very rarely in Missouri schools. This is irrelevant. Were talking here about a specific state statute  which, like all state statutes, contributes to the narrative of what a state stands for.

Missouri, it seems, stands for hitting kids.

Its outlandish that the closest the Legislature has yet come to confronting this tax-funded child abuse is to specify the circumstances under which it can legally happen. Every constituent should remember that the next time one of these legislators warns about the dangers of library books or history curriculum.

St. Joseph News-Press. August 10, 2023.

Editorial: Drug revenue should go to drug problems

At first glance, little has changed since Missouri legalized recreational marijuana.

The sky hasnt fallen in. Cheech and Chong arent teaching your children.

But it works both ways. The jails arent suddenly empty. The schools arent suddenly flush with money. Theres still a drug problem out there.

Ours is a society that resorts to hyperbole and extreme views. The issue of marijuana is no exception, but now might be the time to acknowledge that both sides got it a bit wrong.

After Amendment 3s passage in 2022, Missouri exists in a state of purgatory between the gloomy predictions of those who wanted marijuana to remain illegal and the promises of rainbows and lollipops from those supporting decriminalization.

represent less than 1% of statewide revenue.

This means that tax revenue from marijuana sales should be put to good use because theres not as much as proponents promised. Thats especially true in a state like Missouri where the industry gave itself a real sweetheart deal.

Buchanan County voters, or at least those who bothered to show up at the polls Tuesday, overwhelmingly approved a 3% tax on recreational marijuana sold at the local level. This is on top of the 6% state tax and a 3% tax that St. Joseph voters approved this year.

At this point, the city and the county have not articulated a clear vision for how this revenue will be spent. While this caution is understandable, in the long term neither entity should interpret voter support as a blank check.

There is plenty this revenue could be used for, whether thats dealing with impaired drivers, getting drugs out of schools, anti-drug education, buying new drug dogs for law enforcement or just dealing with the broader issues of addiction in society.

Going forward, both local government entities should view a marijuana tax not as an opportunity to patch up budget holes but as a necessary component for dealing with the unintended consequences of legalization.

END
If there has been one overarching theme to the tumultuous politics of this era, it is the repeated reminders of just how fragile Americas democratic institutions truly are. The specter of a sitting president and his supporters attempting to overthrow a valid election is the clearest example but by no means the only one.

Missouri has recently seen such dystopian situations as state censorship of public libraries, private medical decisions regarding reproduction and gender being outlawed, and a governor demanding a criminal investigation against a newspaper reporter for exposing a state recordkeeping failure. These arent things that are supposed to happen in America.

Even against that increasingly ominous backdrop, though, the story out of Kansas this week stands out as a unique Orwellian outrage that demands a forceful rebuke.

Police and sheriffs deputies in tiny Marion, Kansas, on Friday raided the office of the Marion County Record, the local weekly newspaper, confiscating computers, cellphones, the newspapers file server and other records. They also raided the home of publisher Eric Meyer, which the newspaper claims contributed to the death of Meyers 98-year-old mother, veteran journalist Joan Meyer, possibly from a heart attack.

The raids were authorized by a search warrant seeking information about a relatively minor (and apparently untrue) allegation that the newspaper had improperly obtained personal records regarding a local businessperson.

Marion County Magistrate Laura Viar hasnt explained the justification for issuing the intrusive search warrant instead of a standard subpoena, which would be the norm in such a situation. A certain ex-president, recall, dodged and defied a subpoena for about three months before a court finally authorized the kind of invasive search that the newspaper was subjected to immediately.

If none of this has yet spawned that uncomfortable tingling of the spine, consider this: The raid was led by newly hired Marion police Chief Gideon Cody, whose professional past the newspaper was in the process of investigating even as he and his officers stormed in. Cody reportedly injured a reporters finger during the raid when he personally snatched a cellphone from her hand.

Did we mention that this all happened not in some banana-republic military dictatorship but in a Kansas town that is not far from (literally) the geographic center of America?

At least as troubling as the obvious abuse of authority by police and the judge is the muted initial reaction of Kansas state officials. The top law enforcement officer in the state, Kansas Bureau of Investigation Director Tony Mattivi, released a statement defending the raid and declaring, No one is above the law.

This is true. Journalists are required to adhere to the law like anyone else. But the special constitutional protection of Americas free press requires an abundance of caution and restraint when it comes to police interaction with journalists. This appears to have been exactly the opposite of that, for no legitimate reason that anyone involved has articulated.

It is important not to draw conclusions before all the facts are in, but the available information alone makes it difficult to see how this could be anything other than a blatant abuse of power to punish and silence a local newspaper.

The stated trigger for the raid  a reporters computer search seeking information about a local businesspersons DUI  doesnt even sound like a crime, let alone one that could possibly justify the wholesale hauling of computers and cellphones out of a newsroom by police. Again, why didnt the judge simply issue a subpoena for the information?

Perhaps the local officials who instigated this chilling attack on the free press thought their community was small and remote enough that it wouldnt end up on anyones media radar. They were, thankfully, wrong. More than 30 news organizations, including The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, joined press advocates in formally protesting the raid to local officials and, more importantly, publicizing it nationally.

Given the aggressive pushback by the publisher, its almost certain the higher courts will ultimately review the judges incomprehensible decision to authorize these raids. That decision should be forcefully overturned, the evidence obtained should be returned to the newspaper and rendered inadmissible in court  and city officials should get a new police chief.

And every American who hears of this and other stories about those in power seeking to undermine the nations constitutional protections should resist the urge to let it become some kind of new normal. It isnt, and it must never be.
Columnist Henry Olsens defense of the Republican party ("It was Republicans who saved American democracy in 2020," Aug. 10, print edition) rings wholly hollow. Olsen fails to acknowledge that it was Republicans that put American democracy in danger in the first place: It was Republicans who nominated and then elected Donald Trump. It was Republicans in the Senate that then refused to hold him accountable in two impeachment trials. And finally, it is Republicans like our own Missouri Sens. Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt that continue to assert the big lie that the 2020 election was stolen.

Olsen also commits an egregious sin of commission by asserting that those who joined the suit, "and perhaps even those who brought it," likely knew that "they were demagogically playing to the base rather than engaging in a realistic effort to undermine the election."

In other words, what the likes of Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz, Sen. Tom Cotton and others did that day was merely political grandstanding. As Olsen put it: They knew the vote would fail, and thus they could throw red meat to the base.

Im sure the families of officers Brian Sicknick, Jeffrey Smith, and Howard Liebengood  let alone the families of protestors Ashli Babbitt, Kevin Greeson, Roseanne Boyland and Benjamin Phillips  feel much comforted knowing their loved ones were the red meat.

Thomas Goss  St. Louis
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 15. The National Interest has published an article by Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Head of Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmat Hajiyev headlined Does Armenia Want to Derail Peace in the South Caucasus?. Trend presents the article.

For more than thirty years Armenia occupied some 20 percent of the internationally recognized sovereign territory of Azerbaijan. Close to a million Azerbaijanis who were living there were forced to flee their homes, becoming internally displaced persons within their own country.

The land won back after a 44-day war in 2020 was one wrought with the unprecedented destruction of the public, private, cultural, and religious heritage of Azerbaijan. Aghdam aloneonce one of the largest cities in the regionwas obliterated to such an extent it is now known as the Hiroshima of the Caucasus. It was as if the occupiers had sought to remove any trace of Azerbaijan whatsoever.

Even though international law, every country in the world, and four separate UN Security Council resolutions recognize Karabakhthe lands in questionas Azerbaijans sovereign territory, for three decades Armenian politicians fantasized over the creation of either an independent ethnic Armenian territory or unification with Armenia by annexing those seized lands.

When the current prime minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, came to power in 2018, Azerbaijan expected he might pursue a different path for a peaceful settlement of the conflict. But his statement only a year later that [Karabakh] is Armenia, and thats it ended hopes for the negotiation process. After the 2020 conflict, that statement met with hard reality, and the obligation to admit earlier this year that Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan.

If only peace was so simple. But when it comes to the Armenian leadership talking about peace while playing for time through campaigns of obfuscation is all too familiar. So when this week Armenia, together with the subordinated leadership of the separatist regime in Karabakh, launched the latest international campaign to scupper peace negotiations, it was unsurprising. The raison detre of this separatist entity is contingent upon prolonging fantasies while avoiding the hard, geopolitical facts.

But the reality on the ground has changed, and Azerbaijan invites representatives of the Armenian residents of its Karabakh region for open and genuine dialogue about reintegration. On multiple occasions Azerbaijan has stated that their rights, security, but also obligations as an ethnic minority in Karabakh will be provided under the Constitution of Azerbaijan. This includes their religious, linguistic, and municipal rights, which are respected.

What is critical now is that any reintegration process must include the demobilization and disarmament of all illegal military groups and the complete withdrawal of elements of the armed forces of Armenia that remain. To halt the flow of arms to such groupswhich has continued even as peace talks have proceededthe Lachin Road which connects Armenia to Khankendi was recently, briefly, closed. Now it is reopened.

Azerbaijan has also offered to supply the region with food and medicine itself, through another additional, shorter road with a much greater daily capacity of over 17,000 vehicles. Both the European Union and the International Committee of the Red Cross have acknowledged this route can be used.

Yet this four-lane rebuilt Aghdam-Khankendi Road has, incomprehensively, been repeatedly refused by the Karabakh separatists, the road was even barricaded with concrete on the order of their leaders. A proposal by Baku to have supplies convoyed by the Red Crossnot Azerbaijanusing the Aghdam-Khankendi Road was rejected. Even proposals just to have a dialogue about it were rejected. The same leadership has, theatrically, even moved trucks to the Azerbaijani border on the Lachin Road checkpoint. Yet they say Armenians in Karabakh are facing ethnic cleansing at the hand of Azerbaijan.

To bolster this false claim their leadership has hired the former, controversial prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo, to write a reckless report that alleges Karabakh is under blockade, its residents are starving, and claiming genocide is being committed.

In Azerbaijan, we are used to hearing such disinformation, but for the international community and particularly the media it is important to see that the use of such emotive, shocking terms is intended to obscure what is really happening from their view.

Claiming they are under threat while engineering a crisis to galvanize the international communitys support is intended to convince the world that Azerbaijanis and Armenians cannot live together, as we once did.

The paradoxical claim Azerbaijan is starving a population that is refusing its food was captured by the so-called leader of separatists, Arayik Harutyunian, who stated It (Azerbaijan) is using one hand to strangle us and the other hand to feed us. It should instead be put in the correct legal framing: an administration of occupation is blocking the Azerbaijani governments provision of food and medicine to an Azerbaijani region. Tellingly, nowhere in the Ocampo report is this mentioned.

Meanwhile, the Armenian residents of Karabakh continue to suffer. Having been reduced to living off handouts from Armenia (itself one of the poorest post-Soviet countries). Economically, the region has been left behind the rest of Azerbaijan, whose GDP is today over 100 times its size at independence from the Soviet Union.

Instead of engaging in campaigns and diplomatic games, Armenia should commit itself to peace negotiations and the normalization of relations between our two countries. Instead, this weeks cynical and ultimately counter-productive attempt to make an appeal to the UN Security Council is another example that runs counter to such a commitment in every way.

Territorial integrity and sovereignty of every and each country is sacrosanct. A selective approach to separatism cannot be acceptable. Verbal statements from the Armenian leadership on supporting Azerbaijans territorial integrity should be inked within a peace treaty. Armenia should also finally cease all its territorial claims against Azerbaijan and pull out all elements of its armed forces from Azerbaijans territory. There is no other way forward. Azerbaijan has taken the first steps to map out the road to peace. The ball is now in Armenias court, with its political leadership.
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey and Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft are trying to take away your right to vote in the so-called Show-Me State. They dont want to be shown how you feel about the abortion ban because they are afraid that you dont like it.

The U.S. Supreme Court last year said the right to abortion should be decided by the states, not the courts. Some Republican-led states put the issue to the voters which, as the Supreme Court intended, spoke: They decided they wanted choice to be permitted. States like Kentucky, Montana and Kansas voted to allow womens health care, including abortion.

The Republican legislature in Ohio saw what had happened in other states and thought they would just change the rules. Instead of a simple majority to change the state constitution, they would require a 60% majority to change them. When that was put to the voters, they rejected it resoundingly.

In Missouri, Bailey and Ashcroft dont want you, the people of Missouri, to vote on this issue. They are doing their best to put up enough roadblocks to prevent enough time for the petitions to be signed by the number of people needed. They are preventing your ability to choose choice on womens health care and abortion services in this state.

They are preventing your ability to vote because they have seen the results of choice on ballots across the country. They are afraid you will vote for choice. Wouldnt you like to know how the people of Missouri feel about this issue? Wouldnt you like the Show-Me State to show Missouri and the country where we stand?

Stephanie Tranen  Clayton
The Ukrainian military plans to obtain and use 200,000 UAVs in 2023. Average cost for each UAV is $2,500, with some UAV types costing less than $1,000 while a smaller number cost over $10,000 each. The majority of these UAVs are basically loitering munitions that are sent out to areas where surveillance UAVs have spotted a lot of targets, usually enemy troops and vehicles. These UAVs have video cameras and a link to operators who view the video on a tablet or via goggles containing small video screens while the operators have a form of handheld game controller to maneuver the UAV and select a target for the UAV to collide with and explode.

While many of these have already been used in a variety of effective ways, loitering munitions have one tremendous advantage over earlier forms of firepower. Compared to bullets or artillery shells, a single loitering munition is much more likely to hit a target. In wartime it takes hundreds of artillery shells to cause one casualty. For rifle and machine-gun bullets, the number of bullets fired per casualty caused can be up to 100,000. Loitering munitions are much more effective because the operator scans the terrain below looking for a target. When one is found, the loitering munition attacks and almost always kills or wounds at least one soldier. Loitering munitions can be lost to enemy action. While small targets for riflemen or machine-gunners on the ground, they can be hi by ground fire. A more effective, and increasingly common way to defeat loitering munitions is EW (Electronic Warfare), specifically electronic jamming of the munitions control signal. As is common in combat, a jammer is not always available when you need it.

In some ways, loitering munitions are not as useful as artillery or bullets. Many artillery shells and bullets are not fired at a specific target or with the intent of causing casualties. This is what happens with suppressive fire, artillery or rifle fire is directed at an area to discourage the enemy from entering or moving into position to fire at your troops. You can consider a loitering munition overhead as a form of suppressive fire on the troops below. In that respect a loitering munitions does what snipers have been doing for over a century, forcing troops to stay out of sight or the known sniper will get you. This was common during World War I, when trench warfare made snipers useful for keeping enemy troops from observing the terrain between the trenches of opponents. In the 21st century more troops had access to affordable and very effective scopes for their rifles or even machine-guns. The American marines officially recognized this as a combat specialty and designated most snipers as scout-snipers' ' because their more useful skills involved observing as well as accurate shooting.

In armies with a lot of well-trained troops, about ten percent are designated and equipped to be snipers or sharpshooters. The latter is a soldier with a talent for accurate shooting but is not trained and equipped as a sniper. Professional soldiers in general are more likely to use individual, well aimed shots versus automatic fire, also known as spray and pray (that you hit something).

You can see how this works in Ukraine, where the Ukrainian troops are better trained in the accurate use of rifle fire. It was Ukrainian troops who frequently used commercial quadcopters equipped with grenade or small bomb carry and release mechanisms. The Ukrainian soldiers often bought commercial UAVs for this and spent hours at a time sending out their quadcopter to search for targets. The quadcopter would have to frequently land to recharge. That demonstrates another 21st century development; the proliferation of electronic devices an infantryman can and often will take with him into combat.

NATO nations learned from these Ukrainian experiences and have sent Ukraine what the Ukrainian say they need. For example, a month after the Russians invaded, the United States agreed to send Ukraine a large quantity of weapons, many of them specifically requested. One of these was called Phoenix Ghost, a system that was rapidly developed and built in the United States by Aevex Aerospace for the U.S. Air Force from specifications supplied by Ukraine. The air force revealed that the Phoenix Ghost was a project already in development before the Russians invaded. Ukrainians had already developed and built some innovative new weapons or modifications for existing ones the Americans were working on. The air force does not develop ground-based loitering munitions but does develop ones carried by aircraft. The Ukrainians made some suggestions which were included in the existing air force design and that resulted in the Phoenix Ghost, which went into production immediately.

In other words, Phoenix Ghost is a bespoke (custom made to user specifications) UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) developed and manufactured in record time. The primary new feature of this loitering munition was its longer (six hour) flight endurance. The U.S. sent Ukraine over 1,200 of these loitering munitions in the first year of the war. For a long time, all the public knew about Phoenix Ghost was that it was similar to the American Switchblade loitering munition that was also being sent to Ukraine. The input from Ukrainian engineers was essential because many of the most effective Soviet-era weapons engineers were Ukrainian. That meant Ukraine had a tradition of pragmatic and innovative weapons development that was mobilized after the 2014 Russian seizure of Crimea and part of Donbas. The capabilities of the Ukrainian engineers were not exactly a state secret, it just wasnt newsworthy. Foreigners familiar with weapons development knew about the Ukrainian skills and those who visited Ukraine for whatever reason, like American and other NATO military advisors, got a closer look at what those Ukrainian engineers could do. Those skills became even more important after the invasion began and suddenly engineers and scientists in other fields began applying their skills to rapidly develop new weapons and equipment to protect Ukraine from the Russians. After the invasion began the capabilities of the Ukrainian engineers became part of the reporting on how the Ukrainians stopped and turned back the Russian attack. That enabled the Ukrainian proposal for Phoenix Ghost to be taken seriously and rapidly implemented. The Ukrainian specified COTS (Commercial Off the Shelf) components and kept in touch via the high-speed Internet links provided by Starlink. The rumors of Phoenix Ghost indicate it is an improvement over Switchblade and mainly meant to be a more effective loitering munition. The Russians eventually experienced what the Ghost could do by examining the damage and reports from their troops.

Aevex Aerospace, the firm that developed and built Phoenix Ghost is itself a recent development, founded in 2017 and specializing in projects very similar to the Phoenix Ghost. Another American firm, AeroVironment, developed the Switchblade loitering munition and similar systems. Aevex is similar to AeroVironment, which has been around since 1971 and created many innovative commercial and military UAV designs.

Switchblade is little-known to the general public but extremely popular with American troops fighting in small units, especially in remote areas. Switchblade was first revealed in 2005 and the Ukrainians are receiving at least a hundred of the Switchblade 300 plus some of the larger Switchblade 600s, which appears to be closer in weight-class and performance as Phoenix Ghost.

Switchblade 300 is a small UAV fired from its storage container. Switchblade was sent to Afghanistan in 2009 for secret field testing. This was very successful and the troops demanded more, and more, and more. Switchblade completed development later in 2009 and was initially thought useful only for special operations troops. In 2011, after a year of successful field testing, the army ordered over a hundred Switchblades for troop use and since then has ordered a lot more.

While Switchblade was developed for the army, the marines apparently noted the success that soldiers and SOCOM (Special Operations Command) had with this system and ordered them as well. Switchblade was very popular with troops in Afghanistan and with SOCOM in all sorts of places they wont discuss in detail. Switchblade is still used and thousands have been ordered and many of them used. There have been several upgrades

The original 2009 Switchblade was a lightweight and expendable (used only once) UAV that could also be equipped with explosives. The Switchblade is launched from its shipping and storage tube, at which point wings flip out, a battery-powered propeller starts spinning and a vidcam begins broadcasting images to the controller. The Switchblade is operated using the same controller as the larger (two kg) Raven UAV. A complete Switchblade system (missile, container, and controller) weighed 5.5 kg (12.1 pounds).

Moving at up to a kilometer a minute, the original Switchblade can stay in the air for 20-40 minutes, depending on whether or not it was armed with explosives. Switchblade can operate up to ten kilometers from the operator. The armed version can be flown to a target and detonated, having about the same explosive effect as a hand grenade. Thus, Switchblade enables ground troops to get at an enemy taking cover in a hard to see location.

Technically a guided missile, the use of Switchblade as a reconnaissance tool encouraged developers to refer to it as a UAV. But because of the warhead option, and its slow speed, Switchblade also functions like a rather small cruise missile. The troops were particularly enthusiastic about the armed version because it allowed them to more quickly take out snipers or a few enemy gunmen in a compound full of civilians.

Switchblade has been so successful that the army ordered several upgrades and the updated original Switchblade was renamed Switchblade 300. The new version appeared in 2016. It is heavier (2.7 kg) with 15 minutes endurance and a 10-kilometer range. The sensor has night vision and is stabilized. The 300 can lock onto a target and track it. The 300 comes with optional accessories, like a six-pack launcher that is used as part of base defense. This was first used for base protection in 2019 and proved effective. One or more of these six packs are placed near the base perimeter and power is maintained with a solar panel. The base security commander can order a Switchblade to be launched from the six-pack and then control it in search for potential targets. Switchblade 300 is also capable of being used from a helicopter or larger UAV and controlled from the helicopter or by the operator of the larger UAV (like a Reaper).

In 2020 AeroVironment, the company that developed the unlikely, but popular, Switchblade loitering munition, introduced a third version; Switchblade 600. While the original Switchblade weighed one kilogram (2.2 pounds), the latest Switchblade is ten times heavier at 23 kg (50 pounds), can stay in the air for 40 minutes and be controlled up to 80 kilometers from the operator. Top speed is 180 kilometers an hour and more economical cruise speed is closer to 150 kilometers an hour. The heavier warhead can destroy most tanks, although some modern tank designs include protection from top attack.

Switchblade 600 was requested by the U.S. Army for longer range surveillance missions and the option to hit specific small targets, like a building or enemy position. Unlike the earlier Switchblades, the 600 uses a tablet controller with more options, including manipulating the more powerful vidcam. Video transmitted back to the operator can be saved and passed on. The operator also has a wave off feature in which a quick tap on the controller screen can cause the 600 to abort an attack and be available for another try. The 600 can also be programmed to carry out a mission without operator control. This means there is no control signal for enemy electronic warning systems to detect or jam. In this case when time is up the 600 self-destructs. The 600 can be carried into a remote area and used quickly. Its most likely use in the Ukraine is against the locomotives of Russian military supply and troop transport trains operating near the border or inside Ukraine.

The U.S. Navy also requested a version of Switchblade, for reconnaissance only, that could be launched from ships or submerged (at periscope depth) submarines. In this case the sub would have a communications mast on the surface to receive data from what was called the Blackwing. This version is a little heavier, at 1.8 kg (four pounds). The size of the Blackwing is designed to fit into existing navy countermeasure launchers. Without a warhead Blackwing has endurance of about an hour and uses encrypted digital communications compatible with current navy systems. When released from a submarine countermeasures launcher, the Blackwing container pops to the surface and the Blackwing is ejected into flight like the other Switchblades. The U.S. Navy has bought at least 150 Blackwings, starting in 2016. Armed versions of Blackwing are available but these have shorter endurance. For subs, reconnaissance is the most important item.

Switchblade is not a unique concept, as these loitering munitions have been around for decades. What Switchblade provided was a design that met the needs of combat troops, especially special operations personnel or small groups of Ukrainians seeking to halt Russian supply trucks. Since Switchblade entered service and its popularity became widely known, similar systems have appeared, trying to provide features that Switchblade lacked but the troops would appreciate.

Ukraine had already developed a loitering munition of its own, but these are not as efficient as Switchblade. The Ukrainians ended up developing and building many different loitering munitions, a process that continues.

At the same time Ukrainian neighbor and ally Poland also developed the Warmate loitering munition and sent them off to Ukraine. Warmate is a 5.3 kg (12 pound) conventional UAV that carries a 1.4 kg (three-pound warhead). Warmate has an endurance of 70 minutes and top speed of 150 kilometers an hour and can be controlled 15 kilometers from the operator. While portable, Warmate requires five minutes to assemble and needs a road or catapult device to be launched.

Ukraine developed its own loitering munition, Silent Thunder, in 2019. This is a 9.5 kg (28 pound) UAV with a variety of different 3.5 kg (7.7 pound) warheads. It takes fifteen minutes to ready Silent Thunder for use and it has a duration of 60 minutes and top speed of 150 kilometers an hour. It can be controlled up to 30 kilometers from the operator. Silent Thunder is reusable if no warhead is carried. Silent Thunder is a complex system to use and that limits its effectiveness.

In 2019 an Israeli firm introduced the Firefly, a loitering munition UAV, which is portable enough for infantry to carry and continually reuse. There is also the option to replace one of the two batteries with an explosive warhead and turn Firefly into a guided weapon. Another major advantage of Firefly is that it operates like a helicopter, not a fixed-wing aircraft. Being able to hover is a major advantage for loitering munitions used by infantry. Firefly seems to have addressed all (or most) of the user criticisms of earlier lightweight loitering munition systems.

Firefly was developed by Rafael, the same firm that developed and builds the Spike family of ATGMs (anti-tank guided missiles). Much of the tech in Firefly was based on what is already used in Spike systems. In particular, Firefly has a guidance system that can track and attack a moving target. This can be critical for infantry using such a weapon because these targets are elusive in the first place and, without a UAV, the infantry would not have spotted dangers like snipers or moving troops at all.

Firefly is a dual rotor miniature helicopter and those dual (on top of each other) rotors make it stable in winds that would make a similar-sized fixed-wing or quad-copter UAV unusable. The .4 kg (one pound) warhead replaces the second battery to halve the normal 30 minutes of flight time. The operator uses a small tablet device that is mostly a touch screen and a Firefly controller. Firefly can be controlled up to 500 meters in a built-up (or forested) area or up to 1,500 meters in line-of-sight (nothing between Firefly and operator) mode. Firefly returns to the operator and explosives are deactivated if the control signal is lost. The operator can press an icon on the screen to get Firefly to return immediately, abort an attack or carry out a high speed (19 meters/62 feet a second) attack on a target. The target can be moving, as in a sniper changing firing positions out of sight of the operator. This is accomplished using the ability of the Firefly guidance system to remember the shape of a target and follow it. The Firefly warhead would be most often used against troublesome targets like snipers or hidden machine-guns. Even without the warhead Firefly would be able to locate such lethal adversaries and enable the infantry to avoid them. Firefly can also be launched and operated from a moving vehicle.

The big advantage Firefly has over similar loitering munitions like the 40mm Pike and GLAUS, as well as Switchblade, is reusability. Carry one Firefly and just use it as a UAV for a dozen or more times. The relative simplicity of Firefly compared to Switchblade, and to similar designs like GLAUS and Pike based on 40mm grenade shells, makes it a better system that is also cheaper when you take into account the reusability.

Russia is also using its new Zala loitering munition in Ukraine. Zala carries a two kg (4.4 pound) explosive charge. Zala is a delta shaped (1.2 meter/3.8 feet wingspan) UAV with a three kg (6.6 pound) payload that is used mainly for explosives plus a vidcam to locate the targets and dive on it. It is carried and launched from a catapult on a truck. Endurance is 30 minutes and top speed is 130 kilometers an hour. Zala has been available since 2017 and has apparently been tested in Syria.

With the recent history of loitering munitions, the appearance of Phoenix Ghost is not surprising. As the Israelis have discovered, when you are facing constant threat of attack, innovative and rapidly developed weapons are a necessity.
Israel continues to discover more offshore natural gas deposits and is pumping more of it into pipelines to Israel and then to export customers like Egypt and Jordan. European countries are looking for more natural gas suppliers because the war in Ukraine has cut off Russian oil and gas exports to Europe. Building a pipeline to Europe would be time-consuming and expensive but the European nations need the energy and are willing to invest in pipeline bringing Israeli natural gas to Europe. More natural gas deposits are found off the Israeli coast each year means more revenue for the Israeli economy. Israel expects these natural gas deposits to continue making Israel independent of any other oil or natural gas suppliers. This is expected to last several decades and that is a major plus for the Israeli economy.

In the West Bank, two Palestinian gunmen who opened fire on Israelis troops, were shot dead by Israeli forces who were there to arrest a Palestinian suspect and search his home for weapons.

August 14, 2023: In Germany, the first of three Israeli Drakon-class submarines was launched. This is a new class of submarine with a larger sail that can hold two or more ballistic missiles. Drakon is a slightly larger version of Israels current Dolphin-class submarines. The first Drakon wont be ready for service until 2027.

August 13, 2023: In southern Syria (near Damascus) an Israeli airstrike was carried out against Iranian (Hezbollah) targets. No casualties were reported. Large fires could be seen and explosions heard for several hours. These attacks are a regular occurrence because Iran continues to try and get enough missiles into Syria so they can launch regular missile attacks on Israel. Such attacks must involve lots of missiles to get past the Israeli missile defenses and so far these Israeli air strikes on Iranian missile shipments have delayed the Iranian attacks. Today's Israeli airstrike was the 22nd so far this year.

August 12, 2023: The United States provides Israel with $3.3 billion dollars a year in military aid. Most of this is spent on purchasing American military equipment and services. In return Israel shares military technology and intelligence with the United States as well as details on Israeli upgrades to American weapons. Because of this American and Israeli cooperation both nations benefit from improved military systems. Israeli improvements are often based on combat experience, which Israel has plenty of because it has many enemies in the region and few allies. Israel has the most powerful military in the region even though it has only 165,000 troops on active duty, with 465,000 trained reserves who can be called up on short notice. Some reservists are called on regularly for short periods. Israeli troops have better training, weapons and equipment than their adversaries and that includes superior information. Israeli intelligence operations use modern equipment, some of it developed in Israel as well as a large number of reliable informants who simply report on what is going on in their area. Israeli espionage is a separate operation that relies more on technical means to monitor what hostile nations are up to. Israel also has a unique problem with some of its neighbors. For example, Palestinian Arabs in the West Bank and Gaza want Israel destroyed and all Jews out of the Middle East. That is what is reported in Arab-language media. In their English language media Arabs are more accommodating. Many Israelis understand Arabic and need only tune into Arabic-language radio or television to monitor the current state of Arab attitudes towards Israel. Arabs have been hostile towards Christians, Jews and other non-Moslems in the region for centuries. Arab leaders often encourage this, often as cover for the widespread corruption found in Arab ruled states. Arab leaders in the West Bank and Gaza are currently dealing with another outbreak of popular anger at this corruption. Whenever there is a corruption scandal in Israel, some observe that Israel is turning into a Middle Eastern country. Israelis attribute their larger and more successful economy and better educated population to Israel being more Western and less Middle Eastern.

August 11, 2023: In the West Bank an army search in a refugee camp was met by Palestinian gunfire. The soldiers fired back and that left one Palestinian dead and four wounded. This sort of violence has increased in the last year, mainly because Hamas and some other radical groups have established themselves in the West bank. That has meant more violence and 160 West Bank Palestinians have died so far in 2023, most of them while attacking Israeli security forces. The Palestinians insist the number of dead is 2014, but that includes casualties from Palestinian groups fighting each other.

At Ben Gurion airport an Iranian Jew was sent back to Iran after he admitted that Iranian intelligence only allowed him out of Iran to visit family in Israel if he agreed to collect some information and make a report when he returned to Iran. Israeli airport screening is unique in that it is more thorough but less time consuming than in other nations. Israel keeps track of known or suspected hostile foreigners who might try to enter the country.

August 10, 2023: In the West Bank a Palestinian gunman was shot dead during a brief gunbattle before dawn. Israeli troops were seeking to arrest him. Meanwhile, Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the West Bank government, fired most of the local Palestinian leaders because the Palestinian government is increasingly unpopular because of the growing corruption.

Elsewhere in the West Bank a Palestinian man stabbed two Israelis at a bus stop then dropped his knife and fled in his car.

August 9, 2023: At an Israeli crossing into Gaza, border guards found ten quadcopters a Palestinian worker in Israel was trying to smuggle into Gaza for terror groups to use for scouting locations before attacks. This discovery could lead to another cancellation of Palestinian work permits. In early 2022 Israel blocked the 12,000 Gaza Palestinians with Israeli work permits from entering Israel. This was an extreme measure but given the recent resumption of attacks on Israel from Gaza, and Hamas denying responsibility, Israel was using economic and political pressure as well as retaliatory attacks on Hamas military facilities after each new attack from Gaza. Hamas insists these attacks are the work of rogue Islamic terror groups. Thats a lie for foreign journalists because Gazans and Israelis know that Hamas runs a police state where rouge actions by armed groups are not allowed and Hamas will respond quickly, violently and aggressively against those who dare to ignore Hamas rules.

At the start of 2022 Israel agreed to issue work permits for up to 10,000 Gazans, in addition to several thousand permits already issued. When Gazans took part in a terrorist campaign against Israel in 2000 the number of work permits was reduced became some of the permit holders agreed to join terror groups and try to kill Israelis inside Israel. Hamas was already in Gaza and took control of Gaza in 2007 by promising less corruption and more attacks on Israel. Eventually only a handful of entry permits were provided to Gazans.

Hamas no longer wants to use a work permit system to organize terror attacks inside Israel because the unemployment rate in Gaza reached 50 percent in 2021 and many Hamas leaders realized that most unemployed Gazans blame Hamas for the lack of Israeli work permits. In response Israel agreed to take a chance and again issue more work permits. Since 2000 Israel has brought in West Bank and foreign workers to replace the Gazans. The foreigners were non-Moslems from distant countries and the West Bank workers knew that they could be replaced by the more expensive workers, who were also more difficult to work with because few understood Arabic or Hebrew, although many understood English. The foreign workers are in Israel for specified terms and as those contracts end and are not renewed more jobs can be offered to Gazans. The Gaza and West Bank economies have stagnated and more Palestinians have become dependent on foreign aid just to survive, all because of the Hamas and Fatah policy that Israel must be destroyed. By 2006 Israel had defeated the terror campaigns and kept subsequent terrorist efforts out of Israel, where the economy grew faster than any other in the region. Israel needs workers, Gazans want jobs and Hamas does not want a revolt led by the unemployed. Current unemployment in Israel has been between three and four percent. Despite the risks, terror groups in Gaza will use threats to Palestinians to persuade Palestinians with permits to work in Israel to assist in smuggling items for the terror groups.

August 6, 2023: In northwestern Syria (Hama province) an Israeli air-strike against the SSRC (Scientific Studies and Research Center) facility at Masyaf. This attack killed a Syrian scientist who specialized in developing precision weapons. Israel has been monitoring and occasionally attacking Masyaf for years. Since 2017 Iran has been actively assisting Syria in expanding the Masyaf operation, resuming the manufacture of chemical weapons and moving more of that to underground bunkers that are resistant to airstrikes. The recent attacks destroyed all the entrances to the underground facilities and apparently collapsed some or all of the underground spaces. Israel makes it clear that such attacks will continue as long as Syria and its patron Iran try to attack Israel and openly call for the destruction of Israel.

August 5, 2023: In Tel Aviv, two local Arabs who had been recruited and armed by a radical Gaza group Hamas, opened fire on two security guards who appeared to suspect the Arabs were looking for trouble. The Arab gunmen wounded one of the security guards before the other one opened fire and killed one of the attackers. The second Arab gunman fled and is being sought by local police. This incident was related to recent clashes between Israeli settlers and Palestinians in the West Bank. That incident left one Palestinian dead. That was followed by Palestinian calls for attacks inside Israel. Israel security forces are seeking to reduce the tension between Jewish settlers and local Palestinians in the West Bank. Palestinian radical groups, like Hamas in Gaza, have established a presence in the West Bank and are distributing guns to local Palestinians willing to attack Israelis. Israeli intelligence has informants in the West Bank who provide details of the Hamas efforts and Israeli troops carry out raids on locations where the guns are stored. This sometimes results in a gunbattle between the Israeli troops and the armed Palestinians.

August 4, 2023: In Gaza, Hamas mobilized hundreds of armed personnel to confront and suppress widespread demonstrations protesting the growing economic problems in Gaza and the inability of Hamas to do anything about it. The reduced the number of protests but did not prevent some from taking place. Continuing rocket attacks against southern Israel have resulted in Israel blocking supplies from entering Gaza. The problem is that Hamas is more concerned about attacking Israel than looking after the welfare of Gaza residents.

August 3, 2023: In southern Syria (near Damascus) an Israeli airstrike hit Hezbollah targets. The warehouses containing Iranian munitions exploded and lit up the night sky. Four Syrian soldiers were killed and four wounded. Two members of an Iran-backed militia were also killed. The was the 21st Israeli airstrike in Syria this year.

August 2, 2023: The United States army purchased two Iron Dome batteries and were pleased with their performance in tests. As a result the Americans was to begin production of the Iron Dome Tamir missile in the United States. The Americans have developed a truck-mounted mobile Iron dome system to provide protection for army units wherever they are.

July 31, 2023: In the Black Sea, an Israeli cargo ship defied the Russian naval blockade and entered Ukrainian waters, followed by four other cargo ships. An American P8 maritime surveillance aircraft flew overhead searching for any Russian naval activity. The Russian threat was not backed up by the presence of any warships, because doing so would make the Russian ships targets for Ukrainian anti-ship missiles or small, fast unmanned bomb boats.

July 30, 2023: In the north, across the border in Lebanon there is increasing violence in Palestinian refugee camps s Palestinian radicals seek to establish themselves in the camps and often use guns to get their way. This is opposed by other armed Palestinians opposed to radicals operating in the camps. This has led to gunfire and some civilians have been wounded, including two children. Outside the camps, the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia has been more active on the Israeli border, demanding that Israelis leave some border areas. Hezbollah threatens to use force if the Israelis dont comply. This could start another war between Hezbollah and Israel. Lebanon does not want that because another war would be Israeli artillery and airstrikes against Hezbollah forces on or near the border. This would endanger Lebanese civilians living near the border.

July 17, 2023: In southern Syria (near Damascus) an Israeli airstrike was carried out against Iranian (Hezbollah) targets. One Syrian militiaman and two Iranians were killed. Fires could be seen and explosions heard for several hours.

July 12, 2023: Police in Azerbaijan foiled a plot to attack the Israeli embassy, and arrested two Afghan men involved in the plot. Ten days later Mossad (Israeli foreign intelligence) uncovered an Iranian plot to murder Israelis working in Cyprus. This was accomplished by identifying and capturing the Iranian assassin. When interrogated by Mossad, the Iranian man revealed that he was part of a network the Iranian IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) Quds Force was seeking to form in Cyprus. Quds is the section of the IRGC that specializes in foreign operations involving espionage and assassinations. Mossad and Quds have confronted each other in several foreign nations over the last few decades. Quds is usually the loser because Quds is usually engaged in schemes to kill Israelis and the local police will act if the foreign killers are pointed out. When Mossad discovered this plot, they sent agents into Iran to capture and extract the Iranian who organized this Quds effort. Israeli interrogators discovered that the Iranian effort in Cyprus was extensive, but now they had names of the people involved and had them arrested by Cypriot authorities.

The Quds operation in neighboring Azerbaijan was about Israel and Azerbaijan establishing formal diplomatic relations and opening embassies in both nations. Azerbaijan has other reasons to prefer dealing with Israel rather than Iran. About a quarter of Iran's population is Azeri (a Turkic people). Persia and its successor Iran controlled almost all Azeri-populated territory until Russia seized part of it in the 19th century. For a while after World War I, and since the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Russian Azeris were independent. While the Iranian Azeris are generally loyal to Iran, they are still Turks and speak a different language than the ethnic Iranians. Seeing Azerbaijan allying itself with Israel, for whatever reason, does not sit well with Iran, but there's not a lot it can do about this. Iran was not able to provide the weapons or other military assistance the Azeris needed to overcome the Armenian threat, so the Israelis were called in, and later Turkey as well. The Azeris have proved to be good allies. They have detected and destroyed Iran sponsored terrorism efforts, like one that was planning to attack Israelis in Azerbaijan. Iran was believed behind this plot, and Azerbaijan did not appreciate it. Azerbaijan has bought several billion dollars worth of Israeli weapons over the last fifteen years.

Iran might try again in Cyprus, because thats what Quds Force does. Quds is often successful if their local efforts do not involve killing Israelis. Even in those cases the Quds operation may be compromised by Mossad, which will tell local police about what Quds is up to. The IRGC is not pleased with all this Mossad interference, especially when it involves Mossad agents operating inside Iran. Quds is also dismayed at their inability to operate inside Israel. The best Quds can do is get some operatives into nations bordering Israel, including the Palestinian West Bank. Quds supporters in the West Bank dont last long because Israeli police and soldiers often stage raids in the West Bank to capture Palestinians planning attacks against Israel. Quds is safer in Lebanon or Syria, but not in Jordan or Egypt. Iran is not on good terms with Egypt or Jordan. Mossad will often warn Jordan or Egypt if there is new Iranian activity in their countries.

Despite all these setbacks, Iran has increased its efforts to carry out attacks inside Israel. The IRGC is taking the lead with its Quds Force, which specializes in attacks against foreign enemies. Shin Bet, the Israeli domestic intelligence service, recently arrested two West Bank Palestinians who had been recruited, via the Internet, by Quds Force as part of an effort to establish a network of Palestinians in the West Bank who had been trained and organized by Quds to carry out attacks against Israelis using rockets launched from the West Bank. This Quds network would also provide Iran with information on the West Bank. Such a network has not yet been established, in large part because Shin Bet detects Quds activities and often monitors them rather than immediately shutting them down. That was the case with the two recently arrested Palestinians, who had been sent to Turkey where Quds could provide training. Shin Bet waited until it had identified other Palestinians working for Quds.
15 Leading Institutions Recognized for Making Quality MBA Education Accessible and Affordable Without GMAT Requirements, Paving the Way for Working Professionals.

SEATTLE, WA / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / In a bid to support aspiring business leaders in their educational pursuits, DiscoverBusiness.us is thrilled to unveil a comprehensive guide to 15 Affordable Online MBA Programs that require no GMAT scores for admission.

Award Badge for 2024 Affordable Online MBA No GMAT

Starting with an initial list of 370 online MBA programs, the research team meticulously filtered schools to ensure full accreditation and non-profit status. After extensive review and consideration of GMAT exemptions and cost-per-credit, the final ranking presents 15 standout programs that deliver quality education without breaking the bank.

The article provides detailed insights into each program, including faculty qualifications, specializations, application requirements, average debt, and veteran support. It gives prospective students an invaluable resource in their search for an affordable and flexible MBA education.

DiscoverBusiness.us commends these 15 institutions for making their programs more accessible to working professionals. Their commitment to affordability and flexibility is a beacon of innovation in higher education, and it's our sincere hope that more schools take after their lead.

Fitchburg State University

Rogers State University

Northern Kentucky University

Arkansas State University-Jonesboro

The University of South Dakota

Marshall University

Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

Bowling Green State University

Texas A&M University-Commerce

The University of Northern Colorado

Ferris State University

Kennesaw State University

Georgia Southern University

The University of North Carolina-Greensboro

The University of Nevada-Reno

"Financial barriers or rigid admission requirements should not hinder educational advancement. These 15 online MBA programs exemplify a commitment to affordability, accessibility, and academic excellence, paving the way for working professionals to thrive in their careers. We hope to inspire others to follow suit by spotlighting these schools, unlocking opportunities for aspiring business leaders nationwide." - DiscoverBusiness.us Editorial Team

This definitive guide is a must-read for anyone looking to advance their career with an MBA while avoiding unnecessary expenses and admissions hurdles. The full article is now available at: https://www.discoverbusiness.us/education/online-mba/no-gmat/

Contact Information:

Mark Koning

Marketing Manager, DiscoverBusiness.us

[email protected]

SOURCE: DiscoverBusiness.us

View source version on accesswire.com:
Evergreen Podcasts, a premier podcast production network, is excited to announce its partnership with Osiris Media, the leading storyteller in music. This strategic collaboration aims to combine the intimacy of podcasts with the power of music, creating a unique and immersive experience for music enthusiasts worldwide.

CLEVELAND, OH / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Evergreen Podcasts, a premier podcast production network, is excited to announce its partnership with Osiris Media, the leading storyteller in music. This strategic collaboration aims to combine the intimacy of podcasts with the power of music, creating a unique and immersive experience for music enthusiasts worldwide.

Evergreen Podcasts Partners with Osiris Media, Amplifying Music Storytelling through Podcasts

Osiris Media has established itself as a pioneer in the podcasting industry by delivering engaging and informative content that captivates music fans. With a diverse portfolio of podcasts, Osiris showcases its expertise in collaborating with leading artists, uncovering untold stories, and crafting compelling narratives in partnership with brands to bring music to life.

Osiris Media has collaborated with several notable artists and music companies to produce podcasts, including David Crosby, Trey Anastasio, Audacy, Rhett Miller, Maggie Rose, and Eric Krasno. They have also covered events such as the Newport Folk Festival. These podcasts have resonated with audiences, providing an in-depth exploration of artists' journeys, behind-the-scenes experiences, and profound insights into the music industry.

Moreover, Osiris Media celebrates the vibrant and dedicated fan communities by producing podcasts focused on iconic bands like Phish, The Grateful Dead, Goose, and more. By delving into these artists' musical legacies, live performances, and cultural impact, Osiris fosters a sense of camaraderie and connection among fans worldwide.

Through this partnership, Evergreen Podcasts and Osiris Media aim to enhance the podcasting landscape by offering compelling, high-quality content that entertains, educates, and inspires music lovers. By leveraging their respective strengths and expertise, both networks will collaborate on creating new shows, exploring fresh narratives, and delivering captivating storytelling experiences to a global audience.

"We are thrilled to join forces with Osiris Media," said Michael DeAloia, CEO of Evergreen Podcasts. "Their passion for music and ability to create interesting podcasts aligns perfectly with our mission to produce exceptional content. Together, we will expand the boundaries of podcasting and provide audiences with an extraordinary listening experience."

"We're excited to partner with Evergreen Podcasts, a trusted name in the podcast industry," said RJ Bee, CEO of Osiris Media. "Our shared commitment to creating immersive storytelling experiences will undoubtedly result in unique content that resonates with music enthusiasts worldwide. This collaboration opens up exciting possibilities for us to connect with new audiences and further elevate the art of music podcasting."

The partnership between Evergreen Podcasts and Osiris Media signifies a significant step forward in the evolution of music storytelling through podcasting. Together, they will continue to push boundaries, captivate audiences, and bring the magic of music to listeners everywhere.

###

About Evergreen Podcasts

Evergreen Podcasts is an established podcast production network with a catalog of entertaining and thought-provoking shows rooted in high production quality and artistic integrity. With a diverse range of podcasts spanning genres such as true crime, pop culture, comedy, and beyond, Evergreen Podcasts connects listeners with engaging content that informs, entertains, and inspires. For more information, visit evergreenpodcasts.com.

About Osiris Media

Osiris Media is the leading storyteller in music, offering captivating podcasts that combine the power of music with the intimacy of podcasting. With a focus on creating immersive experiences, Osiris collaborates with leading artists, uncovers untold stories, and partners with brands to craft compelling narratives that bring music to life. Osiris produces various podcasts that inform and delight music fans worldwide. To explore their podcast offerings, visit osirispod.com.

Contact Information

David Allen Moss

Chief Creative Officer

[email protected]

216-544-7942

RJ Bee

Co-Founder

[email protected]

571-438-2162

SOURCE: Evergreen Podcasts

View source version on accesswire.com:
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Cisco Systems Inc.:

Founded more than 25 years ago, Cisco Networking Academy continues to be one of the longest-standing IT skills-to-jobs programs of its kind, in the world. But how can a 25-year-old program address today's digital skills hiring trends?

Now, more than ever, disruption' is at the top of mind for businesses around the globe. A program such as Networking Academy, which was set up at its foundation to provide learners with the most up-to-date and in-demand technical skills, is well-placed to address the needs of the current and future global digital skills market.

Change has always been at the core of the Networking Academy program's offerings.

A recent WEF Future of Jobs Report found that more than 85 percent of organizations surveyed said that transformation of their organization will be driven by increased adoption of new and frontier technologies and broadening digital access.

Networking Academy, through it's extensive ecosystem of education partners and flexible learning options, is training those change agents, today.

About the Be the Bridge and Golden Bridge Awards

Cisco Networking Academy's Be the Bridge Awards were launched during Networking Academy's first-ever virtual Global Partner Conference in May 2021 (fiscal 2020) to recognize the exemplary efforts of Networking Academy partners who lead in their dedication to achieving student success. Every Be the Bridge Award winner has excelled in one or more of the following categories: Inclusive Futures, Global Reach, Impacting Lives, Learning Innovation, and Partnerships.

Additionally, in each of Cisco Networking Academy's geographic regions, a prestigious Golden Bridge Award is presented to the individual or institution that showed exceptional commitment to prioritizing student success over the previous year.

The success of Cisco Networking Academy is powered by the dedication and passion of people who work towards providing equitable access to education for all. Our united purpose remains the same: to impact the lives of learners, educators, and communities through the power of technology, education, and career opportunities.

It was my absolute pleasure to present the majority of our Golden Bridge Award winners for 2023 in-person at various Partner Conferences held from May to June. Each Be the Bridge winner in each region received a certificate of achievement, a trophy, and were entered as finalists in the annual Golden Bridge Awards, with an opportunity to celebrate their achievement through blogs and other social marketing materials. In addition, Golden Bridge Award winners receive a trophy and publicity on Cisco.com.

I am thrilled to share the five Cisco Networking Academy Golden Bridge Award Winners for 2023.

2023 Golden Bridge Award winners

University of Information Technology and Management , Poland

This award recognizes the outstanding response and partnership to support Ukrainian refugees in building their digital skills and employability through the Start IT educational program Cisco4Ukraine. University of Information Technology and Management's (UITM) ability to scale at speed from 700 people in the pilot phase to 5,000 new registrations with the official launch of the program on February 1, 2023, shows how the partnerships with Networking Academy are impacting lives. Thank you to everyone behind this initiative.

Learn more in this video.

As a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022, millions of Ukrainian civilians were forced to flee to other countries, mainly to Poland. According to figures from the UN refugee agency, 90 percent of these refugees were women and children. Poles opened hearts and homes to host Ukrainian refugees and help them to overcome many challenges and establish a new life.

UITM is based in Rzeszw, a city in southeastern Poland and close to the Ukrainian border. As an educational institution, UITM already had long-standing relations with Ukraine. And as a Cisco Networking Academy Support Center and Instructor Training Center, UITM was well experienced in developing and delivery of educational projects for different types of learners. With the Networking Academy partnership and a Cisco Foundation training grant, UITM was able to transform the initial humanitarian support provided to the refugees into a more programmable approach, addressing the need to build digital skills, upskilling, and reskilling newcomers, and to open new opportunities for displaced Ukrainians. UITM started with a pilot program, hiring Ukrainian Networking Academy instructors to deliver the courses, and adjusted the project to the specific requirements of the Ukrainian refugees.

UITM used a range of communication channels to reach the refugees, including social media, PR activities, partnerships with local governments in Poland and Ukraine, and collaboration with non-government organizations that support Ukrainian citizens.

"So far, over 4,300 refugees from Ukraine have taken part in various trainings. We expect the first graduates of the full pathway in September 2023. They will then be offered the opportunity to participate in advanced training, which will last for the next few months. Meantime many learners complete the short courses and collect the digital badges offered on the Skills for All platform.

The employment process is very individual and depends on many factors. Start IT Cisco4Ukraine not only gives an opportunity to learn new tech skills, reskill, upskill, and prepare for their first tech jobs but also empowers learners and creates a pipeline of talent who want to develop and achieve more. We invite the course graduates to enroll in Cisco Talent Bridge Matching Engine platform to access the opportunities advertised by the Cisco ecosystem and we provide the resources to prepare for the recruitment processes and job market demand.

We are proud that the Cisco Networking Academy community appreciated our commitment to supporting refugees from Ukraine. We feel honored, but at the same time, this distinction strengthens our motivation for further action. We are very happy that the first results of this project are already visible - although the training is ongoing and the full path of training has not been completed yet, we observe that thanks to the Start IT Cisco4Ukraine project individuals are open to new opportunities and better equipped with skills critical in the digital economy. We believe that granting this award to our university will also help in the further promotion of the project and convince new learners to join our free training in the field of cybersecurity and programming."

~Lucjan Hajder, IT Director, UITM

National Information Technology Development Agency , Nigeria

This award recognizes National Information Technology Development Agency's (NITDA) partnership, under the Ministry Communications Technology and Digital Economy, in championing digital skills implementation and digital literacy and skills development programs, with the aim of reaching a 95 percent digital literacy level in the Federal Government of Nigeria by 2030. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to the success of these initiatives. We would particularly like to highlight your partnership with Cisco Networking Academy to train over 2,000 students in Cisco Certified Networking Associate (CCNA) towards industry certification, and over 10,000 service providers in Cybersecurity. Your support, engagement with Networking Academy instructors, and free internet data for the students engaged in the training is positively impacting lives.

"It is always a delight to receive awards in recognition of our efforts as they inspire us to do more. It offers the next level of motivation which could have profound impacts on us and the society at large. This award in particular serves as a confidence booster as it helps us track the success of our desired trajectory in trying to achieve a digital Nigeria. Not only did receiving this award feel gratifying by validating our efforts and the digital transformation agenda, it is also a testimony that we are on the right track towards transforming Nigeria into a leading digital economy, providing quality life and economic prosperity for all."

~Muhammad Kabir Salihu (MNSE, COREN), Deputy Director, IT Infrastructure Solutions Department, Information Solutions Department (ITIS), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)

Read more about NITDA.

Fundacion Omar Dengo , Costa Rica

The Fundacion Omar Dengo (FOD) is credited with this well-deserved recognition by celebrating its impact through the Cisco Networking Academy program on young people and adults from different provinces of the country. As a key partner of the program in Costa Rica, FOD demonstrates its excellence in its areas of performance, overcoming challenges and barriers that they have encountered along the way and creating their own routes to success, in an innovative and autonomous way. As part of its management, the FOD collaborates in the creation of complementary content designed specifically for its audiences, developing programs for the community and for the underserved.

In fiscal 2023, FOD receives the Golden Bridge Award for contributing to the acceleration of learning digital skills in the local ecosystem by closing the digital divide and promoting employability programs in topics such as programming, cybersecurity, networks and Internet of Things, among others. Congratulations to all involved.

"The Omar Dengo Foundation has promoted workforce development for 35 years through educational proposals that are based on the use of new technologies. It is an honor for us to receive this award, which recognizes the role we have played in closing digital gaps, mainly in promoting employability programs in areas such as programming, cybersecurity, networks, and the Internet of Things."

~Elena Carreras, Director, Innova Educational Development, Fundacion Omar Dengo

EdCreate Foundation, India

This award recognizes a significant milestone for EdCreate of reaching more than 100,000 students in India, making EdCreate our largest Networking Academy partner in India. We are in awe of how many underserved communities EdCreate serves in their educational focus - up to 70 or 80 percent! We are also excited to see employer partnerships in India successfully placing students in IT companies, to further create career opportunities for them.

You can read more from a recent blog.

"The challenges to educate underserved students in rural Indian areas are many and include infrastructure in the colleges, lack of well-equipped laboratories, workshops, and classrooms, which hinders the effective delivery of any technical education program. Regulatory challenges such as compliance with regulatory frameworks, accreditation processes, and frequent policy changes can also be a challenge for technical education institutions. Navigating these requirements while ensuring quality education becomes very demanding. We are constantly juggling the quality of the faculty, industry/academia gaps, lack of research and innovation, access and affordability, as well as the rural/urban divide.

When we began our partnership with Cisco, we underestimated the magnitude of impact Cisco Networking Academy program can bring in people's lives. There is a profound effect on millions of students and their families when we create a world-class, employable, digital workforce, far beyond what the individuals, themselves, had originally anticipated, too. The journey so far has been very transformative."

Thanks to Cisco India Team and the global leadership for this continued support and their belief in our work. We are truly honored and humbled to receive the Golden Bridge Award for the second year in a row. It is a validation of the hard work and dedication that went into developing our organization as the largest Cisco Networking Academy partner in the world today. Looking to the future, EdCreate Foundation aims to expand in all Indian geographies, as it plans to "go global". "With the help of our wonderful team, tech adoption and our strategic alliances with multiple governments, we will scale faster in our commitment to create a digital and employable workforce."

~Manas Deep, co-founder, EdCreate Foundation

Ivy Tech Community College , Indiana, United States

Through the Ivy Tech's Valparaiso campus Routing Switching Certificate program, Ivy Tech Community College participates in the State Earn and Learn (SEAL) Program. This ten-month program is a part of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. It is an industry-driven, high-quality career pathway where employers can develop and prepare their future workforce. Individuals can obtain paid work experience and receive progressive wage increases, classroom instruction, and a portable, nationally-recognized credential. SEAL programs are certified by the State of Indiana. Applicants work in collaboration with employers to achieve certification.

The Golden Bridge Award recognizes Ivy Tech for providing students with the skills needed to work in the IT field and the ability to earn industry-recognized certifications. We're also excited to see apprenticeship opportunities expanding with local business community partnerships, impacting the lives of students and the organizations they will ultimately work for.

"Ivy Tech Community College is honored to be a recipient of the Cisco Networking Academy Golden Bridge Award for 2023. Ivy Tech's vision is that our students will earn 50,000 high-quality credentials each year aligned with the needs of Indiana's workforce and communities. Our partnership with Cisco and the Cisco Networking Academy is vital in reaching this vision and our commitment to our students. This also aligns with one of the goals of the Cisco Networking Academy, to "provide skills training through strong public-private partnerships, high-quality curriculum, and inclusive workforce development programs."

~Ben Marrero - Cisco Academy Support Center, Interim Dean, School of IT, Valparaiso Campus

"Internships are crucial to the student's learning process and eventual success. Within internships, classroom concepts suddenly become fundamental tools of the trade as you interact and learn in a professional setting. Our Routing and Switching SEAL program gives our students real-world experiences. Also, internships help build resumes and teach instrumental, career-developing qualities. Internships help develop your professionalism and encourage character growth and characteristics like integrity, commitment, and self-motivation, which are several traits learned through an internship." says Mr. Marrero.

This is the first Ivy Tech School of IT program to be credited by the Indiana SEAL program, with future plans to expand to other IT programs, such as Cybersecurity and Programming.

"I have been attending Ivy Tech for three years to obtain my Associated Degree in Network Infrastructure. Throughout my studies, I have taken many of the networking courses that Ivy Tech provides through Cisco, and they have all helped me get the current job I have. The most beneficial course Ivy Tech has from Cisco was the Infrastructure Design - Logical and Physical (SEAL program), it has helped me with my current job where I have had to build labs and make my own cables. I have said to Ben Marrero multiple times that I would be happy to take the class again because learning about fiber optic cabling and making those cables was fun and interesting to learn about."

~Lawrence De Rozairo, Student at Ivy Tech Community College

2023 Be the Bridge Award winners

Europe-CIS

IFOA, Italy

Universidad Miguel Hernandez, Spain

Middle East and Africa

Department of Higher Education South Africa

African Advanced Level Telecommunications Institute, Kenya

Latin America

Edutek, Guatemala

SENAI - SP, Brazil

Asia Pacific, Japan, and China

Bachkhoa Academy, Vietnam

Electrical and Information Engineering, Universitas Gadjah Mada, India

United States and Canada

Montgomery County Community College

Western Academy Support and Training Center

Previous Be the Bridge Awards winners

2022 Cisco Networking Academy announces Golden Bridge Award winners while celebrating 25 years of impact - Cisco Blogs

2021 Cisco Networking Academy recognizes top partners and instructors - Cisco Blogs

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View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Cisco Systems Inc. on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Cisco Systems Inc.

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/cisco-systems-inc

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE: Cisco Systems Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 14, 2023 / GLG Life Tech Corporation (TSX:GLG) ("GLG" or the "Company"), a global leader in the agricultural and commercial development of high-quality zero-calorie natural sweeteners, announces financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023. The complete set of financial statements and management discussion and analysis are available on SEDAR and on the Company's website at www.glglifetech.com.

FINANCIAL SUMMARY

The Company reported revenues of $2.0 million in the second quarter of 2023, compared to $2.8 million in revenue for the second quarter of 2022. The Company's gross profit margin was unchanged at 32% for the second quarters of both 2022 and 2023.

The Company reported revenues of $3.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023, compared to $5.5 million for the same period last year. The Company's gross profit margin decreased by two percentage points to 29% for the period, compared to 31% for the same period last year.

The Company continues its efforts to closely manage its SG&A expenses, lowering these expenses in both the three and six month periods in 2023, compared to the respective prior periods in 2022.

For the three months ended June 30, 2023, the Company had a net loss attributable to the Company's shareholders of $2.7 million, a decrease of $2.8 million or 51% over the comparable period in 2022 ($5.5 million). The Company reported a net loss per share of $0.07 for the second quarter of 2023, compared to a net loss per share of $0.14 for the second quarter of 2022.

For the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Company had a net loss attributable to the Company's shareholders of $9.1 million, a decrease of $0.6 million or 6% over the comparable period in 2022 ($9.7 million). The Company reported a net loss per share of $0.24 for the first six months of 2023, compared to a net loss per share of $0.25 for the same period in 2022.

CORPORATE DEVELOPMENTS

2023 AGM Voting Results

The Company held its Annual and Special General Meeting on June 16, 2023. The shareholders voted in all nominated directors, with favorable votes for each exceeding 99%. Dr. Luke Zhang continues as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer and Brian Palmieri continues as Vice Chairman of the Board.

Company Outlook

In recent quarters, one of the most critical items that management has focused on and continues to focus on is the development and implementation of plans to stem the losses that the Company has suffered in recent years and to ameliorate the Company's financial position. As a result of those sustained losses, the Company lacks the cash necessary to fully fund the business operations and its strategic product initiatives. The Company continues to manage its cash flows carefully to mitigate risk of insolvency. As a result of these efforts, management has been successful in improving the Company's cash flows. Nevertheless, without an infusion of cash in the months ahead, the Company may not be able to realize its strategic plans and could eventually cease to be a going concern.

To address that cash need, management has negotiated CAD $1 million revolving loan facilities with a third party for working capital purposes. In 2020, management also realized the sale of one of its two idle assets; the sale of the "Runhao" facility resulted in significant debt reduction and better positions the Company to be able to access additional lines of working capital. Management also continues to explore options for the sale or repurposing of its idle "Runyang" primary processing facility in Jiangsu province to further address its cash needs and/or balance sheet.

Another factor that continues to contribute to the Company's financial situation is the competitive price pressure in the stevia market over the last two years that has reduced mainstream "Reb A" products (such as Reb A 80 and Reb A 97) to the lowest price levels in years, although pricing has begun to rise (reflecting the increased cost of raw materials in the most recent harvest). Monk fruit prices have also become highly competitive in the marketplace. To maintain margins at sustainable levels, the Company has focused on improving its production efficiencies, continues to strive for a mix of products that is weighted more heavily on higher margin, specialty products, and has focused more on higher margin direct sales.

The Company's focus on maintaining positive cash flow led the Company to take decisive steps in 2021 and 2022 to reduce its SG&A costs as well as its production costs. Both its North American operations and Chinese operations have significantly reduced SG&A costs. For the last several years, the Company's production capacity has been far greater than its projected order levels as it had sought rapid increases in orders for Reb A products. The Company's aim continues to be to "right-size" its Chinese operations - i.e., to optimize its staffing and production planning to meet the Company's projected production requirements while retaining the ability to accommodate growth in future order volumes - and management made significant progress in this area and continues striving to optimize staffing and production plans. As a result, this has enabled the Company to sell its goods at more competitive and/or more profitable prices although the competitive price pressures remain strong.

The Company continues to explore options to significantly improve its balance sheet and cash flows, whether through restructuring of debt or other opportunities for infusions of cash to address the debt load. Having closed the idle asset sale in 2020 and having successfully implemented right-sizing efforts to manage costs, having entered into the joint venture, and continuing to optimize production efficiencies, costs, and planning, management is proceeding down the best available path to increased financial stability and improved profitability.

SELECTED FINANCIALS

As noted above, the complete set of financial statements and management discussion and analysis for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023, are available on SEDAR and on the Company's website at www.glglifetech.com.

Results from Operations

The following results from operations have been derived from and should be read in conjunction with the Company's annual consolidated financial statements for 2022 and the condensed interim consolidated financial statements for the six-month period ended June 30, 2023.

3 Months Ended June 30 % Change 6 Months Ended June 30 % Change In thousands Canadian $, except per share amounts 2023 2022 2023 2022 Revenue $ 2,004 $ 2,771 (28) % $ 3,561 $ 5,514 (35) % Cost of Sales $ (1,355) $ (1,887) 28 % $ (2,518) $ (3,830) 34 % % of Revenue (68) % (68) % 0 % (71) % (69) % (1) % Gross Profit $ 650 $ 884 (26) % $ 1,043 $ 1,685 (38) % % of Revenue 32 % 32 % 1 % 29 % 31 % (1) % Expenses $ (1,020) $ (1,031) (1) % $ (2,052) $ (2,115) (3) % % of Revenue (51) % (37) % (14) % (58) % (38) % (20) % Loss from Operations $ (370) $ (147) (152) % $ (1,009) $ (430) (135) % % of Revenue (18) % (5) % (13) % (28) % (8) % (21) % Other Expenses $ (2,350) $ (5,335) 56 % $ (8,160) $ (9,336) 13 % % of Revenue (117) % (193) % 75 % (229) % (169) % (60) % Net Loss before Income Taxes $ (2,720) $ (5,482) 50 % $ (9,169) $ (9,766) 6 % % of Revenue (136) % (198) % 62 % (257) % (177) % (80) % Net Loss $ (2,720) $ (5,482) 50 % $ (9,169) $ (9,766) 6 % % of Revenue (136) % (198) % 62 % (257) % (177) % (80) % Net Loss Attributable to Non-Controlling Interest (NCI) $ (37) $ (32) (16) % $ (78) $ (64) (22) % Net Loss Attributable to GLG $ (2,683) $ (5,450) 51 % $ (9,091) $ (9,702) 6 % % of Revenue (134) % (197) % 63 % (255) % (176) % (79) % Net Loss per share (LPS, Basic & Diluted) $ (0.07) $ (0.14) 51 % $ (0.24) $ (0.25) 5 % Other Comprehensive Income $ 7,551 $ 1,758 330 % $ 7,529 $ 2,739 175 % % of Revenue 377 % 63 % 313 % 211 % 50 % 162 % Comprehensive Net Income (Loss) $ 4,831 $ (3,724) 230 % $ (1,640) $ (7,027) 77 % Comprehensive Income (Loss) Attributable to NCI $ 51 $ (11) 564 % $ 6 $ (32) 119 % Comprehensive Income (Loss) Attributable to GLG $ 4,780 $ (3,713) 229 % $ (1,646) $ (6,995) 76 % % of Revenue 239 % (134) % 373 % (46) % (127) % 81 %

Revenue

Revenue for the three months ended June 30, 2023, was $2.0 million compared to $2.8 million in revenue for the same period last year. Sales decreased by 28% or $0.8 million for the period ending June 30, 2023, compared to the prior period. The decrease in sales is primarily attributable to decreases in stevia sales both domestically in China and internationally, and to a lesser degree a decrease in monk fruit sales. International sales continue to predominate, making up over 99% of the Company's revenues in the second quarter of 2023 (91% in second quarter of 2022).

Revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2023, was $3.6 million compared to $5.5 million in revenue for the same period last year. Sales decreased by 35% or $2.0 million for the six months ending June 30, 2023, compared to the prior period. The sales decrease of $2.0 million was driven primarily by a decrease in international stevia and monk fruit sales, with an additional decrease in domestic (China) stevia sales contributing to the overall decrease. The decrease in stevia sales was driven in part by a temporary slow-down in orders in the first quarter from one of the Company's largest customers and the reduction in monk fruit sales and other stevia revenues was driven by increasingly competitive market pricing for these products. International sales made up over 99% of the Company's revenues in the first six months of 2023 (90% in the first six months of 2022).

Cost of Sales

For the quarter ended June 30, 2023, the cost of sales was $1.4 million compared to $1.9 million in cost of sales for the same period last year ($0.5 million or 28% decrease). Cost of sales as a percentage of revenues was 68% for the second quarters in both 2022 and 2023.

For the six months ended June 30, 2023, the cost of sales was $2.5 million compared to $3.8 million for the same period last year ($1.3 million or 34% decrease). Cost of sales as a percentage of revenues was 71% for the first six months of 2023, compared to 69% in the comparable period in 2022, an increase of 2 percentage points. The increase in cost of sales as a percentage of revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2023, compared to the prior comparable period, is primarily attributable to an increase in idle capacity charges.

Capacity charges charged to the cost of sales ordinarily would flow to inventory and are a significant component of the cost of sales. Only two of GLG's manufacturing facilities were operating during the first six months of 2023, and capacity charges of $0.4 million were charged to cost of sales (representing 16% of cost of sales) compared to $0.4 million charged to cost of sales in the same period of 2022 (representing 9% of cost of sales).

Gross Profit (Loss)

Gross profit for the three months ended June 30, 2023, was $0.6 million, compared to a gross profit of $0.9 million for the comparable period in 2022. The gross profit margin was 32% in the second quarters of both 2022 and 2023.

Gross profit for the six months ended June 30, 2023, was $1.0 million, compared to a gross profit of $1.7 million for the comparable period in 2022. The gross profit margin was 29% in the first six months of 2023 compared to 31% for the same period in 2022, a decrease of 2 percentage points. This 2 percentage point decrease in gross profit margin for the first six months of 2023, relative to the comparable period in 2022, is primarily attributable to an increase in idle capacity charges.

Selling, General and Administration Expenses

Selling, General and Administration ("SG&A") expenses include sales, marketing, general and administration costs ("G&A"), stock-based compensation, and depreciation and amortization expenses on G&A fixed assets. A breakdown of SG&A expenses into these components is presented below:

3 Months Ended June 30 % Change 6 Months Ended June 30 % Change In thousands Canadian $ 2023 2022 2023 2022 G&A Expenses $ 827 $ 863 (4) % $ 1,656 $ 1,676 (1) % Depreciation Expenses $ 193 $ 168 15 % $ 396 $ 439 (10) % Total $ 1,020 $ 1,031 (1) % $ 2,052 $ 2,115 (3) %

G&A expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2023, were $0.8 million, a decrease of $nil compared to $0.9 million in the same period in 2022. G&A-related depreciation and amortization expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2023, were $0.2 million compared with $0.2 million for the same quarter of 2022.

G&A expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2023, were $1.7 million, a decrease of $nil compared to $1.7 million in the same period in 2022. G&A-related depreciation and amortization expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2023, were $0.4 million compared with $0.4 million for the same period in 2022.

Net Loss Attributable to the Company

3 Months Ended June 30 % Change 6 Months Ended June 30 % Change In thousands Canadian $ 2023 2022 2023 2022 Net Loss $ (2,720) $ (5,482) 50 % $ (9,169) $ (9,766) 6 % Net Loss Attributable to NCI $ (37) $ (32) (16) % $ (78) $ (64) (22) % % of Revenue (2) % (1) % (1) % (2) % (1) % (1) % Net Loss Attributable to GLG $ (2,683) $ (5,450) 51 % $ (9,091) $ (9,702) 6 % % of Revenue (134) % (197) % 63 % (255) % (176) % (79) %

For the three months ended June 30, 2023, the Company had a net loss attributable to the Company of $2.7 million, a decrease in net loss of $2.8 million over the comparable period in 2022 (net loss of $5.5 million). The $2.8 million decrease in net loss attributable to the Company was driven by (1) a decrease in other expenses ($3.0 million), which was offset by (2) an increase in loss from operations ($0.2 million).

For the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Company had a net loss attributable to the Company of $9.1 million, a decrease in net loss of $0.6 million over the comparable period in 2022 (net loss of $9.7 million). The $0.6 million decrease in net loss attributable to the Company was driven by (1) a decrease in other expenses ($1.2 million), which was offset by (2) an increase in loss from operations ($0.6 million).

Quarterly Basic and Diluted Loss per Share

The basic and diluted net loss per share from operations was $0.07 for the three months ended June 30, 2023, compared with a basic and diluted net loss per share of $0.14 for the comparable period in 2022.

The basic and diluted net loss per share from operations was $0.24 for the six months ended June 30, 2023, compared with a basic and diluted net loss per share of $0.25 for the comparable period in 2022.

Additional Information

Additional information relating to the Company, including our Annual Information Form, is available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com). Additional information relating to the Company is also available on our website (www.glglifetech.com).

For further information, please contact:

Simon Springett, Investor Relations

Phone: +1 (604) 669-2602 ext. 101

Fax: +1 (604) 662-8858

Email: [email protected]

About GLG Life Tech Corporation

GLG Life Tech Corporation is a global leader in the supply of high-purity zero calorie natural sweeteners including stevia and monk fruit extracts used in food and beverages. GLG's vertically integrated operations, which incorporate our Fairness to Farmers program and emphasize sustainability throughout, cover each step in the stevia and monk fruit supply chains including non-GMO seed and seedling breeding, natural propagation, growth and harvest, proprietary extraction and refining, marketing and distribution of the finished products. Additionally, to further meet the varied needs of the food and beverage industry, GLG, through its Naturals+ product line, supplies a host of complementary ingredients reliably sourced through its supplier network in China. For further information, please visit www.glglifetech.com.

Forward-looking statements: This press release may contain certain information that may constitute "forward-looking statements" and "forward looking information" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes" or variations of such words and phrases or words and phrases that state or indicate that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved.

While the Company has based these forward-looking statements on its current expectations about future events, the statements are not guarantees of the Company's future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include amongst others the effects of general economic conditions, consumer demand for our products and new orders from our customers and distributors, changing foreign exchange rates and actions by government authorities, uncertainties associated with legal proceedings and negotiations, industry supply levels, competitive pricing pressures and misjudgments in the course of preparing forward-looking statements. Specific reference is made to the risks set forth under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Information Form for the financial year ended December 31, 2022. In light of these factors, the forward-looking events discussed in this press release might not occur.

Further, although the Company has attempted to identify factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

As there can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

SOURCE: GLG Life Tech Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:
CLEVELAND, OH / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment (CDLI) provided $20.2 million for the construction of new affordable housing in Anchorage, AK. CDLI provided $9 million in Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) equity, a $10 construction loan and a $1.3 million permanent loan to finance the new construction of Ch'bala Corners II, a 38-unit, family project developed and managed by Cook Inlet Housing Authority (CIHA). (Ch'bala is the Upper Cook Inlet Dena'ina word for spruce.) KeyBanc Capital Markets (KBCM) also sold $10 million of tax- exempt bonds through a public offering, the proceeds of which will be used to support the financing of the project.

Ch'bala Corners II consists of three 8-plex buildings, three 4-plex buildings and one duplex. Of the 38 units, 23 units will be restricted at 50% area median income (AMI) and 15 units will be restricted at 60% AMI. Eight units will be set aside for disabled households, and eight units will be set aside for homeless households. Ch'bala Corners will proudly house eligible Alaska Native/Native America families.

Ch'bala Corners II also received local support and engagement including soft financing from the following:

US Department of Housing and Urban Development Indian Housing Block Grant funds

State of Alaska Supplemental Grants Program (SGP) funds

Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines Affordable Housing Program (FHLB AHP) grant funds

Municipality of Anchorage HOME Investment Partnerships Program grant funds

Municipality of Anchorage American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant funds

State of Alaska Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) disaster relief funds.

Residents at Ch'bala Corners II will have access to a variety of programs and services, provided by CIHA Resident Services and local partners, that support health, wellness, community engagement and financial self-sufficiency.

"We are grateful for the financial support of KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment and KeyBanc Capital Markets in the development of Ch'bala Corners II. Affordable housing financing is complex and multifaceted," said Gabe Layman, President/CEO, Cook Inlet Housing Authority. "We appreciate the professionals at KeyBank CDLI and KBCM for thoughtfully navigating this process with us, allowing for the addition of 38 units of much needed affordable housing in our community. Affordable housing is the foundation that helps families stabilize and thrive."

"We are excited to work with Cook Inlet Housing Authority to invest in Ch'bala Corners II because it is community-based and serves the needs of our most vulnerable neighbors," said Kortney Brown, senior relationship manager with KeyBank CDLI. "Cook Inlet Housing Authority's ability to partner and collaborate with other agencies and providers is representative of how complex affordable housing projects can be successfully completed."

Kortney Brown and Brett Sheehan of KeyBank CDLI structured the financing. Ila Afsharipour of KeyBanc Capital Markets Public Finance Group provided the bond underwriting.

About Cook Inlet Housing Authority

Cook Inlet Housing Authority's (CIHA) mission is to create housing opportunities that empower our people and build our communities. CIHA develops, owns, and operates affordable housing in the Cook Inlet region of Southcentral Alaska. https://cookinlethousing.org

About KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment

KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment (CDLI) finances projects that stabilize and revitalize communities across all 50 states. As one of the top affordable housing capital providers in the country, KeyBank's platform brings together construction, acquisition, bridge-to-re-syndication, and preservation loans, as well as lines of credit, Agency and HUD permanent mortgage executions, and equity investments for low-income housing projects, especially Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) financing. KeyBank has earned 10 consecutive "Outstanding" ratings on the Community Reinvestment Act exam, from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, making it the first U.S. national bank among the 25 largest to do so since the Act's passage in 1977.

About KeyBanc Capital Markets

KeyBanc Capital Markets is a leading corporate and investment bank providing capital markets and advisory solutions to dynamic companies capitalizing on opportunities in changing industries. Our deep industry expertise, broad capabilities and unique ideas are seamlessly delivered to companies across the Consumer & Retail, Diversified Industries, Healthcare, Industrial, Oil & Gas, Real Estate, Utilities, Power & Renewables, and Technology verticals. With over 800 professionals across a national platform, KeyBanc Capital Markets has more than $50 billion of capital committed to clients and an award-winning Equity Research team that provides coverage on nearly 600 publicly traded companies. Securities products and services are offered by KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc., member FINRA/SIPC, and its licensed securities representatives, who may also be employees of KeyBank N.A. Banking products and services, are offered by KeyBank N.A.

About KeyCorp

KeyCorp's roots trace back nearly 200 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation's largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $195 billion at June 30, 2023. Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,000 branches and approximately 1,300 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications, and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank is Member FDIC.





View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from KeyBank on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: KeyBank

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/keybank

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE: KeyBank

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As part of the partnership, Propelus will join The DAISY Foundation to recognize compassionate and skilled nurses and collaborate to extend support for nursing career advancement.

JACKSONVILLE, FL / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Propelus, a leader in workforce compliance management and continuing education, announced the company has joined forces with The DAISY Foundation, the international leader in meaningful recognition of nurses, to spotlight the compassion and positive impact within the nursing profession.

Championing healthcare professionals has long been central to Propelus. The values-driven, innovation-focused company created the first compliance management software for healthcare professionals and their licensure boards in 2003, since expanding to support healthcare organizations. For over 20 years, Propelus has been dedicated to serving the industry with innovative workforce and talent management, safety, and compliance solutions, empowering millions of professionals to advance their careers.

In the U.S., more than 5.2 million nurses play a crucial role in protecting the health and safety of patients and their families, while delivering comfort and support across the continuum of care. They often commit long hours, sacrifice precious time with loved ones, and provide unwavering optimism during difficult times.

The DAISY Foundation was established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes in 1999, who experienced an eight-week hospitalization while coping with the autoimmune disease Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura (ITP). While Barnes passed soon after his diagnosis, the family was humbled and impressed by the kindness and compassion shown to him by staff nurses during a very difficult time.

Recognizing that nurses often serve as the unsung heroes of healthcare, they created The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses to honor nurses who provide extraordinary compassionate care. Since then, more than 210,000 nurses around the world have been honored with the award in recognition of their dedication and the profound difference they make in the lives of their patients, families and colleagues.

"Partnering with The DAISY Foundation was a natural extension of Propelus's commitment to supporting nurses and highlighting genuine collective appreciation," said Propelus CEO Julie Walker.

"Nurses are the heart of healthcare. Each day their hard work and devotion are a testament to the vital role they play in promoting the well-being and resilience of our communities," Walker added. "We are honored to partner with The DAISY Foundation and celebrate the contributions of the nursing profession and look forward to providing new opportunities to help and inspire nurses as they progress throughout their career journeys."

DAISY Award Honorees are eligible to receive a host of benefits, including tuition assistance, ANCC certifications, continuing education, professional engagement, and more. In addition to providing ongoing recognition of nursing excellence, Propelus and the DAISY Foundation will collaborate on a benefits program to further celebrate DAISY award recipients.

"The DAISY Foundation is delighted to partner with Propelus and promote our shared values around celebrating nurses who are making a difference in patients' lives," said Deb Zimmermann, DAISY Foundation CEO. "We were impressed by the company's technology and connections with licensing boards, education providers, and licensed professionals to ease the workload burden for nurses. We are excited to work with Propelus to uncover even more opportunities to say, 'thank you' to nurses and help them renew their commitment to the profession."

Learn more about The DAISY Foundation's partnership with Propelus here.

About Propelus

Propelus is modernizing how professionals, their employers, regulators, and partners work better together. For over 20 years, Propelus solutions - CE Broker, EverCheck, and Immuware - have propelled the progress of millions of dedicated professionals. Our market-leading workforce compliance management technology, full-lifecycle continuing education management software, and vital data simplify total professional management for a happier workforce, better operations, and safer communities.

We power professionals.

Learn more at www.propelus.com.

Contact Information

Jean Chen

CMO, Propelus

[email protected]

720.445.5537

SOURCE: Propelus

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Sierra Madre Gold and Silver Ltd. (TSXV:SM)(OTCQX:SMDRF) ("Sierra Madre" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the results of six additional diamond drill holes from the Phase 2 drilling program at its Tepic Silver Gold Project in the State of Nayarit, Mexico. The results for holes TDH0017 through TDH022 are tabulated below:

Area Drill Hole From

(m) To

(m) Interval

(m) Silver g/t Gold

g/t AgEq

g/t Taunas TDH017 6.50 9.00 2.50 209 1.15 296 and 23.80 24.40 0.60 111 2.06 266 TDH018 24.85 25.50 0.65 66 0.55 108 Veta Tomas TDH019 154.50 159.35 4.85 84 0.24 101 and 161.40 164.00 2.60 49 0.36 76 and 167.50 177.55 10.05 158 0.46 193 includes 167.50 171.85 4.35 258 0.68 309 includes 173.85 177.55 3.70 108 0.40 138 TDH020 122.00 123.00 1.00 92 0.36 119 TDH021 54.35 55.50 1.15 8 1.39 112 TDH022 46.65 48.95 2.30 24 1.35 125

Length-weighted averages from uncut assays Intervals reported are hole lengths with true width estimated to be 90% or greater *Gold silver ratio used to calculate AgEq is 75 g/t Ag to 1 g/t Au 75 g/t AgEq external cut off

Gregory K. Liller, Executive Chairman and Chief Operating Officer commented, "The drilling program at Tepic continues to deliver strong drill intercepts. The Veta Tomas vein continues to be extended and I am especially pleased with the Taunas holes. These are the first 2 holes on a previously unrecognized target and are located approximately 2km north east of the historic resource area."

There is no record of the previous operator having conducted work on the eastern side of the Project and much of the area is covered by a thin layer of colluvium. First pass mapping and reconnaissance sampling by the Company's geologic team has resulted in the delineation of the Taunas structure.

Taunas has a strike length in excess of one kilometre and consists of a core quartz vein/breccia structure, with widths of up to 15 metres, surrounded by a silicified and stockwork zone with argillic alteration.

The following map shows the locations of the holes.

The Phase 2 drill program has been designed to test extensions of the previously defined breccia/vein structures, test newly defined targets and infill the existing drill pattern in order to facilitate the estimation of an updated NI 43-101 compliant resource. The Tepic Project is a +2,600-hectare project where the previous operator completed 149 core holes totaling more than 31,000 meters.

About Sierra Madre

Sierra Madre Gold & Silver (TSX.V:SM, OTCQX:SMDRF) is a precious metals development and exploration company, focused on evaluating the potential of restarting the La Guitarra Mine in the Temascaltepec mining district, Mexico, and the exploration and development of its Tepic and La Tigra properties in Nayarit, Mexico. The La Guitarra Mine is a permitted, past-producing underground mine which includes a 550 t/d processing facility that operated until mid-2018.

The +2,600 ha Tepic Project hosts low-sulphidation epithermal gold and silver mineralization with an existing historic resource. La Tigra, located 148 km north of Tepic, has been mined historically; Sierra Madres maiden 2022 drill program at the site intercepted shallow mineralization.

Sierra Madres management has played key roles for managing exploration and development of more than 22Moz gold and 600Moz silver in combined reserves and resources. Sierra Madres team of professionals has collectively raised over $1B for mining companies.

On behalf of the board of directors of Sierra Madre Gold and Silver Ltd.,

"Alexander Langer"

Alexander Langer

President, Chief Executive Officer and Director

Contact:

[email protected]

Sierra Madre Gold and Silver Best Practice

Sierra Madre is committed to best practice standards for all exploration and sampling activities. The Companys exploration programs have been conducted following CIM Exploration Best Practice Guidelines which are incorporated by reference in NI 43-101. Analytical quality assurance and quality control procedures include the systematic insertion of blanks, standards and duplicates into the sample strings. Samples are placed in sealed bags and shipped directly to Bureau Veritas Lab located in Durango, Mexico or ALS Chemex in Guadalajara, Mexico for 30 gram gold fire assay, Aqua Regia digestion for silver and multi-element analyses by four acid digestion.

Qualified Person

Mr. Gregory Smith, P. Geo, Director of Sierra Madre, is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, and has reviewed and approved the technical data and information contained in this news release. Mr. Smith has verified the technical and scientific data disclosed herein.

Cautionary Note

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.

This press release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. The forward-looking statements herein are made as of the date of this press release only, and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new information, estimates or opinions, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budgets", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "predicts", "projects", "intends", "targets", "aims", "anticipates" or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases or may be identified by statements to the effect that certain actions "may", "could", "should", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking information in this press release includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the completion of the Transaction on the terms set out in the definitive agreement (or at all) and the ability of the Company to obtain requisite corporate and regulatory approvals for the Transaction, including but not limited to the approval of the Exchange, Mexican antitrust approval and other governmental approvals as currently anticipated.

In making the forward-looking statements included in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including that the Company will be able to receive all required regulatory approvals by the timelines currently anticipated (or at all); and that the Company will be able to complete the Transaction on the terms of the definitive agreement. Forward-looking statements and information are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the ability of the Company to control or predict, that may cause the Companys actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied thereby, and are developed based on assumptions about such risks, uncertainties and other factors set out herein, including, but not limited to, the risk that the Company is not able to complete Transaction on the terms set out in the definitive agreement (or at all) and the risk that the Company is unable to obtain requisite corporate and regulatory approvals, including but not limited to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange, the Mexican antitrust approval and governmental approval as currently anticipated.

Such forward-looking information represents managements best judgment based on information currently available. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual future results may vary materially. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information.

SOURCE: Sierra Madre Gold and Silver Ltd.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 15. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan has expressed condolences to Russias Dagestan in connection with the explosion at a gas station in Makhachkala that has entailed human victims, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan said in a statement, Trend reports.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of life and many injuries caused by an explosion at the gas station in Makhachkala, Dagestan. We express our most heartfelt sympathy and deepest condolences to families and friends who have lost their loved ones in this devastating tragedy," said the publication of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry on the social network X (Twitter).

The explosion occurred at a gas station in Makhachkala in the evening of August 14. The area of the fire at the explosion site was 500 square meters, and there are victims.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Spark Energy Minerals Inc., ("Spark" or the "Company" (CSE:EMIN)(Frankfurt:J8V)(OTC:MTEHD), has entered into a mineral claims purchase agreement dated August 10, 2023, with Talisman Venture Partners, Ltd. ("Talisman" ), pursuant to which the Company will acquire from Talisman a 100 percent ownership interest in 9 (nine) exploration permits, known as the "CE Property", comprising approximately 16,245.60 hectares (16.2k ha) of surface area in Ceara State, Brazil.

Peter Wilson, Chief Executive Officer of Spark stated, "This land package being acquired, along with the approximately 35,000 hectares already held by Spark, are highly prospective properties that offer excellent potential." Wilson added, "Spark is one of the largest land holders in "Lithium Valley" holding almost 35k hectares and now adding this additional 16k hectares in Ceara State".

The transaction

Pursuant to the terms of the agreement and in order to complete the transaction, Spark shall pay to Talisman:

$150,000 CDN on closing of the agreement,

Issue Talisman 4,500,000 shares of the Company,

Talisman shall retain a 1% N.S.R. The Company can purchase 0.5 % from Talisman at any time for $1,000,000 CDN.

Completion of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including, among others, the Company being satisfied with the results of its due diligence review. The Company has 30 calendar days from the date of execution of the agreement to complete.

The transaction is arm's length, and the Company is not paying any finders' fees in connection therewith.

About Spark Energy Minerals Inc.

Spark Energy Minerals, Inc., is a Canadian company pursuing battery metals and mineral assets with newly acquired interests in Brazil and Canada. The Company has acquired assets in some of the world's most prolific mining jurisdictions, Brazil's growing lithium areas and in the Newfoundland, Canada region, which is also gaining recognition as a world hot spot for lithium and rare earth mineral exploration.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION SEE THE COMPANY'S WEB SITE AT

https://sparkenergyminerals.com

Email to [email protected]

Contact: Peter Wilson, CEO, Tel. +1-604-200-2785

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Further information about the Company is available on www.SEDAR.com under the Company's profile.

Certain statements contained in this release may constitute "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" (collectively "forward-looking information") as those terms are used in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and similar Canadian laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words "could", "intend", "expect", "believe", "will", "projected", "estimated", "anticipates" and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on the Company's current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. Actual future results may differ materially. In particular, this release contains forward-looking information relating to the business of the Company, the Property, financing and certain corporate changes. The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date hereof and the Company is not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Certain statements contained in this release may constitute "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" (collectively "forward-looking information") as those terms are used in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and similar Canadian laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words "could", "intend", "expect", "believe", "will", "projected", "estimated", "anticipates" and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on the Company's current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. Actual future results may differ materially. In particular, this release contains forward-looking information relating to the business of the Company, the Property, financing and certain corporate changes. The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date hereof and the Company is not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

SOURCE: Spark Energy Minerals Inc.

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WHITE ROCK, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / TDG Gold Corp. (TSXV:TDG) (the "Company" or "TDG") is pleased to announce assay results from two more historical drill holes, both of which appear to support the concept that the Baker1 area of its Toodoggone properties may represent a bulk-tonnage, porphyry-style copper-gold target1 that was later overprinted by a high-grade epithermal gold-silver system. Historical drill holes BK86-10 and BK87-04 were drilled in 1986 and 1987 respectively, targeting high-grade gold-silver ("Au-Ag") mineralization associated with the Baker B-Vein (Figure 1). As a result, both holes were only selectively sampled at the time, based on that target model.

TDG's relogging and resampling of the full length of these holes has not only confirmed the historical high-grade Au-Ag epithermal-style mineralization, extending this style of mineralization to depth, but has also identified porphyry-style copper-gold ("Cu-Au") veining, alteration and sulphide mineralization comprised of pyrite, chalcopyrite, molybdenite and minor bornite over more than 100 metres of core length starting from near surface and ending in mineralization in both historical drillholes1.

The broad length weighted average grade intercept for diamond drillhole BK86-10 comprises 0.1 % Cu, 1.07 grams per tonne ("g/t") Au and 4 g/t Ag over 100.26 m from 40.2 m down hole, including 0.2 % Cu and 2.7 g/t Au over 37.4 m from 84.5 m down hole (Table 1).

Diamond drillhole BK87-04 tested the B-Vein from the northwest to southeast, opposite the dominant drill trend and intercepted the epithermal, Au-Ag overprint at 135.0 m down hole. It also encountered a previously unrecorded 132.4 m interval of Cu-Au porphyry-style mineralization from 14.6 m depth, ending in mineralization at 147.0 m down hole.

Steven Kramar, TDG's VP Exploration, commented: "These latest assay results from hole BK86-10 indicate that Baker hosts broad, shallow, copper-gold mineralization that was not historically mined. We interpret the broad mineralized intercept in BK87-04 as showing the presence of previously unrecognized shallow copper-gold halo that extends the footprint of this exploration target and helps with our vectoring."

Figure 1. Historical Drillholes BK86-10 and BK87-04, in the Baker B-Vein Exploration Zone.

Table 1. Re-sample assay results from historical Baker B-Vein drillhole BK86-10 & BK87-04.

Drillhole From To Length Au Ag Cu Cu AuEq4 CuEq4 (m) (m) (m) (g/t) (g/t) (ppm) (wt. %) (g/t) (wt. %) BK86-10 40.2 140.5 100.3 1.07 4 959 0.10 1.23 0.99 incl. 84.5 121.9 37.4 2.69 5 1911 0.19 3.00 2.42 and incl. 95.6 121.9 26.3 3.73 6 2591 0.26 4.13 3.34 incl. 96.6 100.8 4.3 12.05 24 8510 0.85 13.40 10.82 incl. 116.4 121.9 5.5 7.39 7 4521 0.45 8.03 6.49 BK87-04 14.6 147.0 132.4 0.13 3 385 0.04 0.21 0.17 incl. 91.0 142.7 51.6 0.22 3 358 0.04 0.30 0.24 incl. 134.3 139.3 5.0 1.24 6 485 0.05 1.38 1.11

*Intervals are core-length weighted. True width is estimated between 40-60 % of core length, and recovery is unknown.

**Composite results were built using 0.1 g/t Au and/or 250 ppm Cu cut-off, although there may be intervals within the composite below 0.1 g/t Au and/or 250 ppm Cu.

***Calculated composites are truncated to significant 2 digits for Au/AuEq/CuEq and the nearest whole number for Ag/Cu (ppm).

****Calculated composites may not sum due to rounding.

4Gold Equivalent (AuEq) & Copper Equivalent (CuEq): Gold Equivalent and Copper Equivalent calculations reflect total gross metal content using US$ of $1,800/Oz Gold (Au), $22.50/Oz Silver (Ag) and $3.25/lb Copper (Cu) and have not been adjusted to reflect metallurgical recoveries. The above metal prices are approximately in line with the LME 3-year trailing average metal price. Gold Equivalent and Copper Equivalent is used for illustrative purposes to express the combined value of Au, Ag and Cu as a percentage of Au or Cu on an in-situ basis. Calculations are uncut, and actual prices and recoveries (following metallurgical test work may differ from these assumptions which would change the equivalent value).

TDG's 2023 Exploration Program at Baker

As reported in our July 25, 2023 news release, TDG is approaching Baker1 as a "back to basics" project with potential to host a bulk tonnage porphyry-style copper-gold deposit that is most likely located deeper than historically drilled holes1. TDG has a relogging, resampling and assaying program underway that aims to use the new information to help identify vectors to potential porphyry targets for drill testing in 2024.

TDG has also completed an extensive and intensive stream sediment sampling program across the Baker footprint focused on the potential for a porphyry target. Results are anticipated by early September 2023.

TDG's historical core relogging, resampling and assaying program is low cost and aims to recover and resample as much as possible of the ~30,000 m of diamond drilling known to have been completed in 342 drillholes across the 15 square kilometre ("sq.km") Baker project. The Baker historical core inventory is located at the Baker camp and mill site. So far, TDG has identified 91 complete/nearly complete drillholes for relogging, of which 41 are restacked and ready for logging, 10 have been fully relogged; and 10 have been submitted for assaying and results have been received from 3 (reported herein and July 25, 2023).

During the historical drilling that took place between 1974-2006, only ~15% of the drill core length is estimated to have been assayed for gold-silver5 and virtually none for any other elements, including copper5. TDG has noted the presence of porphyry-style veining and alteration and the occurrence of bornite (Cu 5 FeS 4 ), chalcopyrite (CuFeS 2 ) and molybdenite (MoS 2 ) throughout the 10 drillholes logged so far. TDG has also noted a significant increase gold grades in resampled core from hole BK86-10 as compared to historical recorded results for the same hole. Comparable results for BK87-04 are within the historically reported range - see Results Comparison section below.

By systematically relogging the historical core, including drill holes where mining is known to have taken place, followed by resampling where appropriate, TDG is aiming to assemble the first comprehensive copper-focused drill database for Baker and to select drill-ready targets for 2024.

Alteration/Mineralization

BK87-04 and BK86-10 intersected porphyry style veining, alteration, and mineralization. Volcanic rocks were consistently propylitic and phyllic altered and demonstrated multi-generational stockwork style veining throughout, with pyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite and bornite, often associated with or within veins and their selvages and with potassic alteration and flooding. These drillholes support the structural break observed in BK87-16 (see TDG news release July 25, 2023) where Au-Cu mineralization increases abruptly, with both drillholes ending in weak/moderate Au-Cu mineralization. Based on available relogging and geochemical data acquired to date, the thickness of the east-northeast striking, steeply dipping altered and mineralized zone appears to be a minimum of approximately 120 m and open at depth.

Re-assay of the historical intersection of the B-Vein confirmed the Au-Ag grades (see Results Comparison section below) and widths historically reported. Both drillholes continued to support the concept that the Baker B-Vein is surrounded by a lower grade halo of Cu-Au mineralization and the Cu mineralization is likely a function of metal scavenging from a larger porphyry system at depth.

Figure 2 presents dacite volcanic host rock with pervasive moderate potassic/silicic alteration, weak sericite alteration with an array of multi-generational anastomosing quartz/carbonate veins with fracture hosted pyrite and chalcopyrite.

Figure 2 - BK86-10 from approximately 105 m - 109 m (field of view). Altered dacite hosting multi-generational quartz/carbonate veining with pyrite/chalcopyrite.

Figure 3 presents an example of the level of detail of scientific study of the vein paragenesis underway, the key to unlocking the porphyry understanding of the Baker porphyry Au-Cu system. The host dacite volcanic is pervasively strongly potassic and sericite altered, with disseminated and vein hosted pyrite, chalcopyrite and trace sphalerite and molybdenite. This illustrates the cross-cutting relationship between a series of three orientations and generations of vein structures; (i) early barren quartz veining, (ii) subsequent quartz veining with epidote and sulphides and, (iii) late epidote veining.

Figure 3 - BK86-10 from 66.0-66.07 m. Strong potassic altered dacite with multi-generational quartz/quartz carbonate and epidote veining.

Results Comparison: 2023 assays from re-sampling versus historical recorded assays

Historically recorded results for the diamond drillholes (BK86-10 & BK87-04) are presented in Table 2.

Table 2. Historically Recorded Results for Baker B-Vein Drillhole BK86-10 & BK87-042.

Drillhole From To Length Au Ag BK86-10 (m) (m) (m) (g/t) (g/t) 84.5 121.9 37.4 1.77 3 incl 97.1 100.8 3.8 6.88 18 and incl 115.5 121.9 6.4 5.99 4 BK87-04 14.6 147.0 Historical Assay Incomplete 91.0 141.7 50.7 0.23 2

*Intervals are core-length weighted. True width is estimated between 40-60 % of core length, and recovery is unknown.

**Composite results were built using the same assay intervals as Table 1.

***Calculated composites are truncated to significant 2 digits for Au and the nearest whole number for Ag.

****Calculated composites may not sum due to rounding errors.

Historically selected sample intervals may differ from assayed intervals of resampled core for logistical and scientific reasons.

The modern assay results for drillhole BK86-10 indicate significantly higher grade for Au than the historically recorded grade with an average increase in Au of +52 % over the same 37.4 m interval, and with positive variability of +23 % Au and +75 % Au compared to historically recorded results across two nearly identical higher-grade composites. These differences could be due to a combination of historical effects including sample selection methodology, nugget effect, and/or laboratory methodology particularly for assay results generated by the historical Baker mill laboratory2,3.

The historically2,3 published results for drillhole BK87-04 indicate the broader lower grade mineralized halo surrounding the high-grade B-vein system reconciles with modern results; variability is within 0.004 ppm and 0.3 ppm for Au and Ag, respectively. This suggests that historical results are not subject to any bias in methodology and could be validated in the creation of a potential bulk tonnage low grade resource surrounding the historical high-grade Baker vein system1.

QA/QC

Samples for the Baker 2023 core relogging program were handled via rigorous chain of custody, between collection, processing, and delivery to the ALS laboratory in North Vancouver, B.C. The historic drill cores were stored by previous operators in a core storage yard near the Baker Mill. TDG staff recovered and inventoried the historic core and compared and validated the recovered core against historic core logs, box labels and core blocks. The core was subsequently relogged, photographed and sampled at TDG's Baker Mine site and processed by geologists and technicians. Quality assurance and control ("QAQC") materials were inserted into the sampling sequence during geological sample selection. The drill core was selected for sampling and placed in zip-tied polyurethane bags, then in security-sealed rice bags before being delivered directly from the Baker Mine site, to Bandstra Transportation Systems in Prince George, B.C., and transported to ALS' preparation facility in Kamloops, B.C., and ultimately to the ALS laboratory in North Vancouver, B.C. Samples were prepared and analyzed following procedures Au-GRA21 for Au and ME-MS61 for trace elements. Overlimit concentrations of precious or base metals were analyzed (where applicable) by Au-GRA22, Ag-GRA22, and Cu-OG21 for Au, Ag and Cu respectively. Information about methodology can be found on the ALS Global website, in the analytical guide (here).

QAQC is maintained internally at the lab through rigorous use of internal certified reference materials, blanks, and duplicates. An additional QAQC program was administered by TDG through the verification of lab results via use of certified reference materials ("CRMs") and blank (unmineralized) samples that were blindly inserted into the sample batch. If a QAQC sample returns an unacceptable value an investigation into the results is triggered and when deemed necessary, the samples that were tested in the batch with the failed QAQC sample are re-tested.

BK86-10 & BK87-04 utilized NQ size for drill core. During the resampling process, the entire remaining drill core was consumed (either the second half of the remaining material, or the entire remaining unsampled material) due to the small diameter of the core. The historical collar location was verified by handheld GPS and will be sited utilizing a more precise RTK in due course. Table 3 presents the drillhole particulars.

Table 3. BK86-10 & BK87-04 Drillhole Particulars

HOLE UTME (NAD83) UTMN (NAD83) Azimuth() Dip() Final Depth (m) BK86-10 614,239 6,350,998 320 -62 140.5 BK87-04 614,188 6,351,098 140 -58 146.9

Qualified Persons

The geologically related technical content of this new release has been reviewed and approved by Steven Kramar, P.Geo., Vice President, Exploration for TDG and a Qualified Person, as defined under National Instrument 43-101.

1Mineral Exploration/Exploration Target Area(s): TDG is a mineral exploration focused company and the Company's Projects are in the mineral exploration stage only. The degree of risk increases substantially where an issuer's properties are in the mineral exploration stage as opposed to the development or operational stage. Exploration Targets and/or Exploration zones are speculative and there is no certainty that any future work or evaluation will lead to the definition of a mineral resource.

2Historical Data: This news release includes historical information that has been reviewed by TDG's qualified person (QP). TDG's review of the historical records and information reasonably substantiate the validity of the information presented in this news release; however, TDG cannot directly verify the accuracy of the historical data, including (but not limited to) the procedures used for sample collection and analysis. Therefore, any conclusions or interpretations borne from use of this data should be considered too speculative to suggest that additional exploration will result in mineral resource delineation. TDG encourages readers to exercise appropriate caution when evaluating these data and/or results.

3Historical Drill Core Sampling & Assay Methodology: Historical core was geologically logged with lithologies identified and notable geological features recorded. Historical core was split in half (and in rare cases sawn in half) along sample intervals (lithology and mineralization dependant) generally less than 3 m. Chemical analysis was performed dominantly for precious metal analysis (Au, and Ag), and infrequently for base metals (Pb, Zn, Cu), and rarely for major elements and trace elements. Historically, different commercial laboratories were utilized in addition to an assay lab at Baker Mine Site. These lab facilities may or may not have had accreditation and in all cases accreditation (if applicable) pre-dated current ISO standards. Over that period, a variety of digestion and assay methods were used, including atomic absorption, fire assay atomic absorption, aqua regia atomic absorption and aqua regia ICP with varying detection limits. Reference materials (if any) were inserted at the analytical level and thus were unblind to the facility processing the samples.

4Gold Equivalent (AuEq) & Copper Equivalent (CuEq): Gold Equivalent and Copper Equivalent calculations reflect total gross metal content using US$ of $1,800/Oz Gold (Au), $22.50/Oz Silver (Ag) and $3.25/lb Copper (lb) and have not been adjusted to reflect metallurgical recoveries. The above metal prices are approximately in line with the LME 3-year trailing average metal price. Gold Equivalent and Copper Equivalent is used for illustrative purposes to express the combined value of Au, Ag and Cu as a percentage of Au or Cu on an in-situ basis. Calculations are uncut, and actual prices and recoveries (following metallurgical test work may differ from these assumptions which would change the equivalent value.

5Unassayed Historical Drill Core: Historical drill core intersections, lengths or intervals referenced for re-assay or geological analysis may not be available or suitable for sampling. Historical drill cores were inherited with the project and TDG provides no guarantees or warranties that these drill cores are part of the historical inventory, are available and/or have not degraded to a state that would render them wholly unusable for the purposes of scientific investigation. TDG provides no warranties/guarantees that these historical un-assayed drill cores host precious or base metal mineralization.

About TDG Gold Corp.

TDG is a major mineral and placer tenure holder in the historical Toodoggone Production Corridor of north-central British Columbia, Canada, with over 23,000 hectares of brownfield and greenfield exploration opportunities under direct ownership or earn-in agreement. TDG's flagship projects are the former producing, high-grade gold-silver Shasta and Baker mines, which produced intermittently between 1981-2012, and the high-grade gold-silver Mets development project, all which are all road accessible, and have over 65,000 m of historical4,5 drilling. The projects have been advanced through compilation of historical4 data, new geological mapping, geochemical and geophysical surveys and, at Shasta, 13,250 m of modern HQ drill testing of the known mineralization occurrences and their potential extensions. In May 2023, TDG published an updated Mineral Resource Estimate for Shasta (see TDG news release May 01, 2023) and which remains open at depth and along strike. In January 2023, TDG defined a larger exploration target area adjacent to Shasta (Greater Shasta-Newberry; see TDG news release January 25, 2023) with drill-ready targets where TDG aims to undertake follow-up exploration activities in 2023.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Fletcher Morgan

Chief Executive Officer

For further information contact:

TDG Gold Corp.,

Telephone: +1.604.536.2711

Email: [email protected]

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on the Company's current expectations and estimates. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "concept","represent", "interpret", "potential", "aim", "suggest", "support", "vector", "significant", "indicate", "presence", "identify", and variations of these words as well as other similar words or statements that certain events or conditions "could", "may", "would" or "will" occur. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from estimated or anticipated events or results implied or expressed in such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others: the actual results of current and planned exploration activities; the potential for a discovery of a porphyry Cu +/- Au or other style of mineral deposit with economic grade; results from future exploration programs; that geological and/or geophysical anomalies remain open (in any direction); conclusions of future economic evaluations; changes in project parameters as plans to continue to be refined; possible variations in grades of mineralization and/or future actual recovery rates; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; the availability of sufficient funding on terms acceptable to the company to complete the planned work programs; delays in obtaining governmental approvals or financing; and fluctuations in metal prices. There may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.

SOURCE: TDG Gold Corp.

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NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / August 14, 2023 / Texas Capital Bank

The Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum launched a new special exhibit, Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow, supported by Texas Capital, on July 20, 2023. Organized by the New-York Historical Society, this exhibition takes visitors from the end of the Civil War to the end of World War I and examines how Black Americans advocated for equal rights in a hostile system. It showcases artifacts, photographs, and media to illustrate these transformative decades in American history and their continued relevance.

This exhibit explores the life of Black Americans in the 50 years that unfolded after the Civil War and the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. "Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow provides visitors with valuable insights into the difficult circumstances faced by African Americans in the post-slavery era as the nation struggled to make emancipation and true equality a reality," said Mary Pat Higgins, Museum President and CEO.

Texas Capital also sponsored the exhibit's opening night on July 19, 2023. The evening included a discussion on Texas freedom colonies, which explained their history, significance, and how these settlements are being identified and protected today. Patrons had the opportunity to enjoy a reception and view the exhibit before the program, which featured various speakers.

"Texas Capital is honored to sponsor this incredible exhibit that takes us on this journey and history lesson on the struggle for full citizenship and racial equality for Black citizens for 50 years after the Civil War," says Effie Dennison, Managing Director and Head of Community Development. "Remembering our past provides a wealth of knowledge about ourselves, how far we have come and work we need to continue to do as we strive for racial equity in this country today."

This exhibition will remain open to the public until December 31, 2023. Click here to learn more about the exhibit and Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum.

About Texas Capital

Texas Capital Bank (individually and collectively with all affiliates and subsidiaries, "Texas Capital"), is a full-service financial services firm that delivers customized solutions to businesses, entrepreneurs, and individual customers. Founded in 1998, the institution is headquartered in Dallas with offices in Austin, Houston, San Antonio and Fort Worth, and has built a network of clients across the country. With the ability to service clients through their entire lifecycles, Texas Capital has established commercial banking, consumer banking, investment banking and wealth management capabilities.

About the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum

The mission of the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum is to teach the history of the Holocaust and advance human rights to combat prejudice, hatred, and indifference. Founded in 1984 by local Holocaust survivors, the institution now resides in a new building in downtown Dallas where visitors experience a deeper immersion into the history of the Holocaust, human and civil rights, their centrality to our democracy, and their vital importance in preventing events like those of the Holocaust from happening again. The 55,000-square-foot permanent home covers three floors, and the main exhibition includes four wings that teach about the Holocaust, the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights after World War II, historical and contemporary genocides, and America's civil rights journey. Please visit DHHRM.org or call (214) 741-7500 for more information.





View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Texas Capital Bank on 3blmedia.com.



Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Texas Capital Bank

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/texas-capital-bank

Email: [email protected]



SOURCE: Texas Capital Bank

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Velosio Takes Home Two Top Solver Awards for 2022

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2023 / Solver, an award-winning global leader in cloud-based Corporate Performance Management (CPM) software, including Budgeting, Forecasting, Reporting, Consolidations, and Dashboard solutions for mid-market ERPs, today announced that Velosio has been named Solver's 2022 Top Cloud Volume Partner and Top Cloud Migration Partner.

Top Solver Cloud Volume Partner Award

Velosio has received this award for remarkable performance in closing new cloud deals.

The Top Solver Cloud Volume Partner Award recognizes a Solver partner for their remarkable performance in terms of new cloud deals sold. The Top Cloud Migration Partner Award is given to the Solver Partner that has migrated the most customers from on-premises to the Solver Cloud.

"Thank you for a great partnership," said Eric Forgo, Director - Data Platform Services, Velosio. "Solver and the Solver Community provide constant collaboration as we support our customers along their cloud journey. We have good success in terms of deployment and our customers certainly see the value in the Solver Suite and Solver Cloud."

The 2022 awards for Top Solver Cloud Volume Partner and Top Cloud Migration Partner are two of six partner awards that will be presented at this year's Solver Ascend conference, happening August 14-17 in San Diego.

"Through strong collaboration, the team at Velosio has helped their clients modernize the Office of Finance with the most cloud migrations and new cloud deals of any Solver partner," said Terry Ginley, Vice President of Partnership Development, Solver. "Velosio has consistently delivered outstanding service and solution levels to their clients, and these awards recognize that dedication."

Solver is always looking to add more dedicated teams to our global partner ecosystem. If you would like to learn more about Solver and the Solver Suite, explore the links below or contact us.

About Solver

Founded in 1996, Solver has won countless awards for its Corporate Performance Management solution that delivers FP&A solutions to meet midsize business needs. The CPM solution provider has been repeatedly named a CPM Leader by G2. Solver integrates with leading ERPs and is sold through our global offices and worldwide network of partners. Please visit www.solverglobal.com or contact [email protected] to learn more.

Contact Information

Tad Remington

Chief Commercial Officer

[email protected]

(310) 691-5300

Related Images

Top Solver Cloud Volume Partner Award

Velosio has received this award for remarkable performance in closing new cloud deals. Solver Top Cloud Migration Partner Award

Velosio has received this award for migrating the most customers from on-premises to the Solver Cloud during 2022.

SOURCE: Solver Inc.

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The Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) board of directors has appointed Rudy Wilson , president of global consumer brands at SC Johnson, to the board, effective August 14, 2023 . Wilson will serve on the audit committee and the finance committee.

Wilson, 48, was named president of global consumer brands at SC Johnson in 2021, after serving as chief marketing officer for the consumer brands division and as a regional senior vice president. Previously, Wilson held brand, marketing and general management roles at AT&T Corporation and PepsiCo, Inc.

Wilson graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration from Arizona State University and a masters in business administration from the University of Michigan.
Revenue Growth of Almost 800% Over Three-Year Period Lands Company in Top 50 Fastest-Growing Financial Services Firms in U.S. and in Top 50 Fastest-Growing Companies in Los Angeles

WEST HILLS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Allegiance Gold proudly announces that it has been awarded the 749th ranking on Inc. 5000s highly prestigious list of the fastest-growing, privately-held, for-profit companies in the U.S. The 2023 Inc. 5000 list also names Allegiance Gold as the 46th fastest growing financial services firm in the U.S., the 109th fastest growing firm in California, and 44th fastest growing firm in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim area.

Guided by its mission to help individuals protect their wealth and retirement accounts by diversifying and investing in physical precious metals such as gold and silver, Allegiance Gold witnessed a remarkable 800% growth rate between 2019 and 2022.

Allegiance Gold CEO Mark Naaman says, From a modest dream to a remarkable reality, our journey over the past decade has been a truly astonishing success worth celebrating. None of this would have been possible without our employees. A reliable and committed employee is the best gift that any business owner can ask for and this is what our employees are.

Naaman continues, And, to our clients, we appreciate your support and trust. We thank you for making our firm your number one choice for your wealth protection needs. You have been an integral part of our journey.

COO Alex Ebkarian reiterates the importance of Allegiance Golds employees, Great people build great companies. From day one, we set out to build a company with strong core values and a commitment to fostering meaningful relationships with both our employees and clients.

The Inc. 5000 ranks companies by overall revenue growth over a three-year period2019 to 2022 for this years listusing the first year as the base year for growth. For more details about the Inc. 5000, visit here. To learn more about Allegiance Gold, visit AllegianceGold.com.

About Allegiance Gold

Founded by Mark Naaman and Alex Ebkarian, Allegiance Gold, a full-service physical precious metals dealer, educates individuals on the importance of protecting their wealth and retirement accounts through diversification and investment in physical precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. Allegiance Golds uncirculated selection of coins and bars are also available through direct purchase.

The company values its reputation for reliability and integrity, which has earned them the highest possible ratings from reputable consumer protection agencies and esteemed industry watchdog groups: 5-stars with TrustLink, AAA rating with the Business Consumer Alliance, and an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.

Allegiance Gold is a member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA), Industry Council for Tangible Assets (ICTA), and U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Allegiance Golds unwavering commitment to its clients and the pursuit of their financial freedom remain the sole focus.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815209703/en/

Carolyn Kamii PR

[email protected]

310-251-0550

Source: Allegiance Gold
BURLINGTON, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Anaergia Inc. (Anaergia or the Company) (TSX: ANRG) today announced its financial results for the three- and six-month periods ended June 30, 2023 (Q2 2023), and the related managements discussion and analysis (MD&A) for the period. Certain highlights from these financial results and from the MD&A follow. All financial results are reported in Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated.

Rialto Bioenergy Facility Update

As previously disclosed, the Rialto Bioenergy Facility, LLC (the RBF) voluntarily entered into Chapter 11. The facility is facing a shortfall in feedstock supply primarily due to delayed implementation and enforcement of laws requiring organic waste diversion from landfills by the City of Los Angeles as required under the citys contracts with private waste management companies as well as under California State law SB1383. Anaergia anticipates that if and when regulation is enforced, future feedstock for the RBF will increase, and with additional time and relief from debt service and other payments provided under a Chapter 11 restructuring to allow ramp up, the long-term value will be improved for all stakeholders.

As part of the ongoing restructuring process, a key milestone is the outcome of the court proceedings in August 2023 concerning a dispute over valuation. The result of this court process will clarify potential outcomes of the restructuring.

The Company has ceased control of the RBF from an accounting perspective during the restructuring process and is no longer consolidating the RBF on its consolidated financial statements. As previously disclosed, Anaergia had been supporting the RBF with loans or equity contributions to address liquidity challenges but will no longer be providing financial support to the RBF during the restructuring process.

Other Notable Developments

Anaergia is currently undergoing a strategic review of the Company's options to maximize shareholder value.

As further discussed in the MD&A, the Company notes the possible implications of a lender option relating to the loan for the Build-Own-Operate assets in Italy, which allows the lender to require purchase of the loan by Anaergia, if certain conditions are not met.

The Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with IFRS, which contemplates continuation of the Company as a going concern. However, the Companys operating performance has not generated the positive cash flows required to maintain its business as a going concern without access to external sources of capital.

Financial Results for the First Half of Fiscal 2023

Six-month financial highlights:

Revenues increased 1.5%, or $1.2 million, to $79.1 million compared to the same period in Fiscal 2022 (Q2 2022: $77.9 million). The increase was driven mainly by increased revenue in the Build-Own-Operate segment, offset by a decline in our Capital Sales segment.

increased 1.5%, or $1.2 million, to $79.1 million compared to the same period in Fiscal 2022 (Q2 2022: $77.9 million). The increase was driven mainly by increased revenue in the Build-Own-Operate segment, offset by a decline in our Capital Sales segment. Net loss of $131.0 million increased 299.6%, or $98.2 million, compared to the same period in Fiscal 2022 (Q2 2022: net loss of $32.8 million). The increase was mainly due to a loss of $37.9 million related to the deconsolidation of the RBF during Q2 2023 and a total estimated credit loss expense taken during the quarter of $59.4 million, which included a loss of $54.6 million on certain loans that were no longer deemed recoverable during the Companys ongoing strategic review, including discussions with lenders.

of $131.0 million increased 299.6%, or $98.2 million, compared to the same period in Fiscal 2022 (Q2 2022: net loss of $32.8 million). The increase was mainly due to a loss of $37.9 million related to the deconsolidation of the RBF during Q2 2023 and a total estimated credit loss expense taken during the quarter of $59.4 million, which included a loss of $54.6 million on certain loans that were no longer deemed recoverable during the Companys ongoing strategic review, including discussions with lenders. Adjusted EBITDA1 decreased 232.9%, or $13.2 million, to a loss of $18.9 million compared to the same period in Fiscal 2022 (Q2 2022: loss of $5.7 million). The decrease was due to a decline in gross profit and increased operating expenses.

Three months ended: 30-Jun-23 30-Jun-22 (Restated) % Change (In millions of Canadian dollars) Revenue 42.5 42.3 0% Gross profit 3.8 7.9 -52% Gross profit % 9% 19% Income (loss) from operations (22.4) (4.9) Net loss (119.8) (16.4) Adjusted EBITDA1 (19.4) (3.4)

Six months ended: 30-Jun-23 30-Jun-22 (Restated) % Change (In millions of Canadian dollars) Revenue 79.1 77.9 2% Gross profit 7.0 15.3 -54% Gross profit % 9% 19% Loss from operations (36.1) (8.9) Net loss (131.0) (32.8) Adjusted EBITDA1 (18.9) (5.7)

Statement of Financial Position 30-Jun-23 31-Dec-22 (In millions of Canadian dollars) Total Assets 510.4 935.1 Total Liabilities 362.2 593.0 Equity 148.2 342.1

For a more detailed discussion of Anaergias results for Q2 2023, please see the Companys financial statements for Q2 2023 and related MD&A, which are available at and on the Companys SEDAR+ page at www.sedarplus.ca.

Fiscal 2023 Guidance Withdrawn

Anaergia, in prior periods, has provided guidance regarding its projected revenue and Adjusted EBITDA for Fiscal 2023, which was based on it having adequate liquidity and access to capital in order to execute its plans. In light of a number of factors, including the continued deterioration of the Companys financial performance (as reflected in the reported net losses and negative operating cash flows), weakened liquidity position, recent changes to senior management, and the ongoing strategic review, the Company now believes it will not achieve the estimates included in previous guidance and expects such measures of revenue and Adjusted EBITDA to be lower than previously guided. Accordingly, management has withdrawn the Companys previously disclosed Fiscal 2023 guidance.

Management will not be able to provide any updates regarding guidance, including projected revenue and Adjusted EBITDA, until the completion of the Companys strategic review and a reassessment of assumptions related thereto.

Non-IFRS Measures

This press release makes reference to certain non-IFRS measures. These measures are not recognized measures under IFRS and do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and are therefore unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. Rather, these measures are provided as additional information to complement IFRS measures by providing further understanding of our results of operations from managements perspective. Accordingly, these measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our financial information reported under IFRS. We use non-IFRS measures to provide investors with supplemental measures. Management also uses non-IFRS measures internally in order to facilitate operating performance comparisons from period to period, prepare annual operating budgets and assess our ability to meet our future debt service, capital expenditure and working capital requirements. Management believes these non-IFRS measures and industry metrics are important supplemental measures of operating performance because they eliminate items that have less bearing on operating performance and highlight trends in the core business that may not otherwise be apparent when relying solely on IFRS financial measures. Management believes such measures allow for assessment of our operating performance and financial condition on a basis that is more consistent and comparable between reporting periods. We also believe that securities analysts, investors and other interested parties frequently use non-IFRS measures in the evaluation of public companies.

Definitions of non-IFRS measures and industry metrics used in this press release are provided below. A reconciliation of the non-IFRS measures used in this press release to the most comparable IFRS measure can be found below under Reconciliation of Non-IFRS Measures.

Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net earnings before finance costs, taxes and depreciation and amortization adjusted for our normalized proportionate interest in our BOO assets and one-time or non-recurring items, stock-based compensation expense, asset impairment charges and write downs, gains and losses for equity-accounted investees, foreign exchange gains or losses, restructuring costs, ERP customization and configuration costs, litigation and other claims settlements, gains and losses resulting from changes in certain balance sheet valuations (such as derivatives and warrants), acquisition costs and costs related to our initial public offering, including estimated incremental auditing and professional services costs incurred in connection with our initial public offering. For further details, refer to Reconciliation of Non-IFRS Measures below.

Conference Call and Webcast Details

A conference call to review the Companys financial results will take place at 9:00 a.m. (ET) on Tuesday, August 15, 2023. It will be hosted by management of Anaergia. An accompanying slide presentation will be posted to the Investor Relations section of the Companys website shortly before the call.

To participate on the call, please sign up using the following pre-registration link to receive details on how to access the conference call:

Conference Call Pre-registration:

https://www.netroadshow.com/events/login?show=689562e4&confId=51402

You will receive your access details via email.

To listen to the webcast live:

https://events.q4inc.com/attendee/128700757

The webcast will be archived and available in the Investor Relations section of our website following the call.

About Anaergia

Anaergia was created to eliminate a major source of greenhouse gases by cost effectively turning organic waste into renewable natural gas (RNG), fertilizer and water, using proprietary technologies. With a proven track record from delivering world-leading projects on four continents, Anaergia is uniquely positioned to provide end-to-end solutions for extracting organics from waste, implementing high efficiency anaerobic digestion, upgrading biogas, producing fertilizer and cleaning water. Our customers are in the municipal solid waste, municipal wastewater, agriculture, and food processing industries. In each of these markets Anaergia has built many successful plants including some of the largest in the world. Anaergia owns and operates some of the plants it builds, and it also operates plants that are owned by its customers.

Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, which reflects the Companys current expectations regarding future events, including statements regarding its financial position, business strategy, growth strategy, milestones, budgets, operations, financial results, plans and objectives . In some cases, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as may, will, could, expects, anticipates, believes, estimates, likely, potential, continue, or future or the negative or other variations of these words or other comparable words or phrases.

Forward-looking information is based on a number of assumptions including, without limitation, the Companys ability to meet its financing and liquidity requirements on a continuing basis; its inability to achieve estimates in previous guidance; its ability to provide projected revenue and Adjusted EBITDA (as defined above) upon completion of the strategic review; its ability to enter into feedstock and offtake arrangements on acceptable terms; statements regarding the Companys ongoing strategic review, including the potential options to maximize shareholder value; its ability to obtain or maintain existing financing on acceptable terms; and its ability to continue as a going concern. The Company is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Companys control. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the factors discussed under Risk Factors in the Companys annual information form dated April 10, 2023 for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 and under Risks and Uncertainties in the MD&A. Actual results could differ materially from those projected herein. Anaergia does not undertake any obligation to update such forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required under applicable securities laws.

Reconciliation of Non-IFRS Financial Measures

Three months ended: 30-Jun-23 30-Jun-22 (Restated) (In thousands of Canadian dollars) Net income (loss) (119,765) (16,403) Finance income (cost) (956) 142 Depreciation and amortization 1,650 895 Income tax expense (5,408) 325 EBITDA (124,479) (15,041) Rialto  Non controlling interest -EBITDA 767 - Share-based compensation expense 423 340 Gain on control of Bioener - (3,324) (Gain) loss on embedded derivative 2,847 12,742 Expected credit loss on loans receivable from related parties 59,373 - Share of loss in equity accounted investees 889 1,584 Loss due to deconsolidation of Rialto 37,905 - Impairment loss 3,391 - Provision for customer claim - - Other (gains) losses 889 (32) ERP customization and configuration costs 192 246 Costs related to the Offering - - Foreign exchange (gain) loss (1,563) 107 Adjusted EBITDA (19,366) (3,378) Six months ended: 30-Jun-23 30-Jun-22 (Restated) (In thousands of Canadian dollars) Net income (loss) (131,042) (32,793) Finance income (cost) (1,151) 7 Depreciation and amortization 3,355 1,803 Income tax expense (4,582) 3,550 EBITDA (133,420) (27,433) Rialto  Non controlling interest -EBITDA 1,544 - Share-based compensation expense 751 581 Gain on control of Bioener - (3,324) (Gain) loss on embedded derivative 7,953 19,807 Expected credit loss on loans receivable from related parties 59,373 - Share of loss in equity accounted investees 1,724 3,465 Loss due to deconsolidation of Rialto 37,905 - Impairment loss 3,391 - Provision for customer claim 1,002 - Other (gains) losses 1,934 (8) ERP customization and configuration costs 377 587 Costs related to the Offering - 263 Foreign exchange (gain) loss (1,402) 395 Adjusted EBITDA (18,868) (5,667)

For further information please see: www.anaergia.com

__________________________

1 See Non-IFRS Measures.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230814122656/en/

For media relations: Melissa Bailey, Director, Marketing & Corporate Communications, [email protected]

For investor relations: [email protected]

Source: Anaergia Inc.
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- BNY Mellon Alcentra Global Multi-Strategy Credit Fund, Inc. (the "Fund") today announced the final results of its quarterly tender offer (the "Tender Offer") for up to 2.5% of the Fund's issued and outstanding shares of common stock (the "Shares").

The Tender Offer, which expired at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on August 14, 2023, was oversubscribed.

Therefore, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Tender Offer, the Fund will purchase Shares from all tendering shareholders on a pro rata basis, after disregarding fractions, based on the number of Shares properly tendered ("Pro-Ration Factor"). The final results of the Tender Offer are provided in the table below.

Number of Shares

Tendered Number of Tendered

Shares to Be

Purchased Pro-Ration Factor Purchase Price* 464,130 50,202 0.10861 $86.57 *Purchase Price is equal to 100% of the Fund's net asset value per Share as of June 30, 2023.

If you have questions about the Tender Offer and hold Shares through a broker or other nominee holder, you can call your broker or other nominee holder directly. You may also call Georgeson LLC ("Georgeson"), the Fund's Tender Offer information agent, toll free at (877) 278-9670, with any questions.

The terms and conditions of the Tender Offer were set forth in the Fund's Offer to Purchase, the related Letter of Transmittal and other related documents. The Fund filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") a tender offer statement on Schedule TO and related exhibits, including an Offer to Purchase, a related Letter of Transmittal and other related documents (the "Offer Documents"). Shareholders may obtain copies of the Offer Documents, without charge, by contacting Georgeson toll free at (877) 278-9670. Shareholders can also obtain the Offer Documents free of charge on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

BNY Mellon Alcentra Global Multi-Strategy Credit Fund, Inc. is a diversified, closed-end management investment company. BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc., the investment adviser for the Fund, is part of BNY Mellon Investment Management. BNY Mellon Investment Management is one of the world's largest asset managers, with $1.9 trillion in assets under management as of June 30, 2023. Through an investor-first approach, BNY Mellon Investment Management brings to clients the best of both worlds: specialist expertise from seven investment firms offering solutions across every major asset class, backed by the strength, stability, and global presence of BNY Mellon. Additional information on BNY Mellon Investment Management is available on www.bnymellonim.com.

BNY Mellon Investment Management is a division of BNY Mellon, which has $46.9 trillion in assets under custody and/or administration as of June 30, 2023. BNY Mellon can act as a single point of contact for clients looking to create, trade, hold, manage, service, distribute or restructure investments. BNY Mellon is the corporate brand of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (NYSE: BK). Additional information is available on www.bnymellon.com. Follow us on Twitter @BNYMellon or visit our newsroom at www.bnymellon.com/newsroom for the latest company news.

BNY Mellon Investment Management's website is intended to allow investors public access to information regarding the Fund and does not, and is not intended to, incorporate the website in this release.

The Fund's investment returns and principal values will fluctuate so that an investor's shares may be worth more or less than the original cost. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815634378/en/

For Press Inquiries:

BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc.

Sue Watt

(212) 815-3757

For Other Inquiries:

BNY Mellon Securities Corporation

The National Marketing Desk

240 Greenwich Street

New York, New York 10286

1-800-334-6899

Source: BNY Mellon Alcentra Global Multi-Strategy Credit Fund, Inc.
The investment will accelerate growth and deployment of Advanced Ionics Symbion electrolyzer technology for heavy industry

MILWAUKEE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Advanced Ionics, the developer of a new category of hydrogen electrolyzers useful for expanding green hydrogen production, closed a $12.5 million Series A financing led by bp ventures, with additional investors including Clean Energy Ventures, GVP Climate, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230814889563/en/

The new capital will help catalyze Advanced Ionics growth and facilitate the initial deployment of its Symbion water vapor electrolyzer technology for heavy industry. Water vapor electrolyzers address two of the biggest obstacles to expanding green hydrogen production: cost and electricity requirements.

bp ventures investment in Advanced Ionics is a powerful backing of our technologys potential to help accelerate green hydrogens future and heavy industrys shift towards decarbonization, said Chad Mason, CEO of Advanced Ionics. The results weve achieved in our testing, along with early customer interest, have indicated that we are an ideal technology provider for industrial customers looking to augment, expand or replace their existing hydrogen production facilities with green hydrogen.

The companys water vapor electrolyzer helps reduce the cost and electricity requirements for green hydrogen production by symbiotically integrating with standard industrial processes to harness available heat. The system is made of widely available steels and other simple materials rather than expensive metals or materials common in other electrolyzers.

Electricity use accounts for more than 70% of green hydrogen production costs. Advanced Ionics electrolyzer stack requires less than 35 kWh per kilogram of produced hydrogen compared to more than 50 kWh per kilogram for typical electrolyzers. This lower electricity requirement could make green hydrogen accessible for less than $1 per kilogram at scale.

Advanced Ionics technology has the potential to drive down cost and disrupt the hydrogen market, said Gareth Burns, vice president of bp ventures. bp has a global portfolio of hydrogen projects, and as the world transitions to a net zero future, its important to us to be investing in these technologies and advance the track to deploying green hydrogen. We look forward to working with Advanced Ionics on the next stage of its growth.

Advanced Ionics will use the funds to expand its team and deliver its next-generation electrolyzer systems to early customers. The company is already demonstrating the efficacy of its product through a pilot program with global energy company Repsol Foundation. In addition to bp Ventures investment, bp will also be exploring pilot opportunities with Advanced Ionics. Other investors in Advanced Ionics include Aster, and angel investor collectives Clean Energy Venture Group and SWAN Impact Network.

Hydrogen is one of bps five transition growth engines, which also include bioenergy, convenience, electric vehicle charging, and renewables & power. bp plans to increase its investments in those businesses through this decade, while at the same time investing in todays energy system, as it delivers its strategy of becoming an integrated energy company.

About Advanced Ionics

Advanced Ionics is a technology provider for the production of green hydrogen, committed to accelerating global decarbonization. Through its water vapor electrolyzer technology, the company seeks to enable the large-scale production of green hydrogen for heavy industry at a low-cost. Advanced Ionics has been recognized for its technology as a finalist in Bloomberg NEF Pioneers Awards and TechCrunch Disrupt. For more information, visit https://advanced-ionics.com/.

About bp ventures

bp ventures was set up more than 10 years ago as bps corporate venture capital arm. Since then, bp has invested over $1bn in technology companies and is actively managing 40 investments today. bp ventures makes equity investments in private, high growth businesses accelerating innovation across bps transition growth engines: renewables, EV charging, convenience, bioenergy and hydrogen.

For more information, visit bp.com/ventures.

Cautionary statement:

In order to utilize the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the PSLRA), bp is providing the following cautionary statement. This press release contains certain forward-looking statements  that is, statements related to future, not past events and circumstances  which may relate to one or more of the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of bp and certain of the plans and objectives of bp with respect to these items. These statements are generally, but not always, identified by the use of words such as will, expects, is expected to, aims, should, may, objective, is likely to, intends, believes, anticipates, plans, we see or similar expressions. Actual results may differ from those expressed in such statements, depending on a variety of factors including the risk factors set forth in our most recent Annual Report and Form 20-F under Risk factors and in any of our more recent public reports.

Our most recent Annual Report and Form 20-F and other period filings are available on our website at www.bp.com, or can be obtained from the SEC by calling 1-800-SEC-0330 or on its website at www.sec.gov.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230814889563/en/

Advanced Ionics

Josh Sweetin

Silverline

(702) 574-5398

[email protected]

bp

bp press office, London: +44(0)7831 095541, +44(0)7919 217511, [email protected]

Kekst CNC, London: +44 (0)20 3755 1630, [email protected]

Source: Advanced Ionics
Leading Experts Discuss Cyber Threats in 40+ Sessions on Sept. 5-8

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The 14th Annual Billington CyberSecurity Summit will feature more than 40 sessions with 200 speakers discussing cyber issues that threaten national security and how the public and private sectors are working to address these threats. Being held September 5-8 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C., the event convenes government and industry cyber executives to explore the theme: Advancing Cybersecurity's Impact in an Age of Heightened Risk.

Cyber risks are real time and so are the topics that we explore during the summit. These pertain to events happening around the world that impact cyber security and our national security, said Thomas K. Billington, CEO and Founder, Billington CyberSecurity, a leading cyber education company for executives founded in 2010. The summit brings together government and industrys best and brightest to share and learn as a way to protect our nation against cyberattacks and cybercriminals.

Designed to address the nations pressing cyber needs, the summit includes panel discussions, breakout sessions, and awards and has five tracks: Zero Trust & Data, Critical Infrastructure, Zero Trust & Identity, Cyber Workforce, and Emerging Tech. Top tech leaders participate sessions that deal with the hottest cyber topics, including:

9/5: Where does cybersecurity currently stack up with the cyber threat? Examines the changing nature of the cyber threat and how to proactively get ahead of changes given world events.

Examines the changing nature of the cyber threat and how to proactively get ahead of changes given world events. 9/6: Implications of Cyber on AI & ChatGPT . Explores pros and cons of leveraging these large natural language models for cybersecurity and potential use by bad cyber actors.

. Explores pros and cons of leveraging these large natural language models for cybersecurity and potential use by bad cyber actors. 9/6: Future of Cyber Threat. Discusses what the next cyber threats look like as world increasingly relies on machines and programs to operate without human intervention.

Discusses what the next cyber threats look like as world increasingly relies on machines and programs to operate without human intervention. 9/6: Ensuring the Automated Supply Chain. Highlights the latest regarding securing automated supply in light of the SolarWinds incident.

Highlights the latest regarding securing automated supply in light of the SolarWinds incident. 9/7: Addressing the New Quantum Computing Threat. Examines the issues of moving towards quantum resistant encryption and why it is so important.

Examines the issues of moving towards quantum resistant encryption and why it is so important. 9/8: Building a National Strategy to Protect our Nation's Critical Sectors. Focuses on how the U.S. should work to ensure that the infrastructure will support the nations future as a vibrant and sustainable entity.

The four-day event is expected to draw nearly 2,000 attendees and over 200 speakers. Speakers span government, military, nonprofits, industry, and academia and discuss the biggest cyber trends and issues. Headliners include:

Gen. Paul M. Nakasone, USA Commander, U.S. Cyber Command; Director, National Security Agency; Chief, Central Security Service

Hon. Jen Easterly, Director, CISA

Hon. Avril Haines, Director of National Intelligence

Hon. Anne Neuberger, Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technologies, National Security Council, The White House

Hon. Kemba Walden, Acting National Cyber Director, Executive Office of the President

Lt. Gen. Robert Skinner, Director, DISA, Commander, JFHQ-DODIN

Hon. John Sherman, CIO, U.S. Department of Defense

Ambassador-at-Large Nathaniel Fick, Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy, U.S. Department of State

Attendees can receive continuing education credit from CompTIA and (ISC)2. Learn more or register at https://billingtoncybersummit.com/. Presented by over 70 sponsors, led by Lead Underwriters: Amazon Web Services, CISCO, Raytheon Intelligence & Space, Knowledge Partner Booz Allen, Cyber Innovation Partner Leidos, Cyber Strategy Partner GDIT, Identity and Zero Trust Partner Microsoft, and Government IT Solutions Partner Carahsoft Technology Corp.

| The full agenda is listed here. |

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815889821/en/

Shawn Flaherty, 703-554-3609

Source: Billington CyberSecurity
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 15. Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ali Asadov expressed condolences to the Head of Russia's Dagestan Sergey Melikov on August 15 in connection with the explosion at a gas station in Makhachkala, which caused numerous casualties, the press service of the Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers told Trend.

In addition, Ali Asadov expressed his deep condolences to the relatives of the victims and wished speedy healing to the injured.

In the capital of Russia's Dagestan, the city of Makhachkala, an explosion occurred at a gas station yesterday at 21:50 local time. As a result of the incident, 30 people were killed, and more than 100 received various injuries. There are children among the victims.
SYDNEY, Nova Scotia--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Despite ample evidence from across Canada that the privatization of garbage collection is not a cost-effective alternative to publicly managed services, the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) has recently begun accepting pre-qualification submissions from private companies without first notifying CUPE, who currently handles their garbage collection.

They didnt notify us that the contract was being offered to private companies even though our collective agreement requires it, said CUPE Local 759 president Kevin Ivey. When we looked through the Councils minutes to understand what happened, there was no mention of it either. Considering the mayor campaigned on transparency, the secrecy surrounding this decision is disappointing.

When asked, Councillor Cyril MacDonald suggested that the CBRM is following a trend of municipalities contracting out garbage collection to cut costs; however, many are bringing these services in-house for the same reason. For example, both Paradise and Conception Bay South in Newfoundland and Labrador have returned to the publicly managed model, saving $1,000,000 and $230,000 (annually) respectively. In fact, when looking at the 15 most cited examples of garbage collection privatization in Canadian municipalities, all but 2 were brought back in house following the end of the privately held contract.

Councillor Cyril MacDonald says contracting out will save the CBRM money, but theres just no proof thats whats going to happen, said Ivey. What we do know is that complaints have already gone up in the areas that are covered by private contractors because the work isnt up to par and the contracts that went private in the 2000s are now worth over $100,000 more than a few years ago. Something stinks in the CBRM, and its not the garbage our people collect.

:sm/cope 491

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815833313/en/

For more information, please contact:

Kevin Ivey

President, CUPE Local 759

902-578-9557 (c)

Kathy MacLeod

CUPE National Representative

902-578-3304 (c)

Source: Canadian Union of Public Employees
ALEXANDRIA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Dignari is honored to announce its inclusion for the fifth time in the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies. This recognition is a testament to Dignari's exceptional growth, evolving industry impact, and unwavering commitment to excellence, innovation, and client success.

The Inc. 5000 list, compiled annually by Inc. magazine, is a prestigious recognition of the top 5% of private companies in the United States and showcases the nation's most dynamic and successful companies across various industries.

"Dignari's inclusion in the Inc. 5000 list is a proud moment for the company, and it reflects the remarkable contributions of our Dignarians and the trust our clients place in us," said Gena Alexa, Dignari Founder & CEO. "We remain committed to delivering best-in-class services that drive innovation, efficiency, and security for our federal government clients."

Dignari is a privately held company based in the National Capital Region. The company was founded in 2013 and has since become a leading provider of emerging technology and management consulting services to the federal government. Dignari's clients include many federal agencies, such as the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Customs & Border Protection, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services, and more.

With a deep understanding of the federal government's evolving technology and cybersecurity needs, Dignari consistently tailors its services to meet each client's mission-critical requirements, ensuring successful outcomes while building long-lasting partnerships. Dignari's success reflects the company's intentional focus on employee development and retention, which has helped to attract and retain top talent. These effortscoupled with a foundational approach that prioritizes collaboration across teams, customer satisfaction, and staying at the forefront of emerging technologyhave been essential elements to the companys continued growth.

As Dignari continues its upward trajectory, it remains steadfast in its commitment to continuous improvement, delivery of white-glove service, and creating value for its clients and partners. The recognition on the Inc. 5000 list is a testament to the company's determination and vision for the future.

View This Release Online

ABOUT DIGNARI: Dignari is a forward-thinking Woman-Owned Business located in the Washington, D.C. metro area that builds solutions to help clients transform their business. Dignari provides program strategy, emerging technology, human-centered design, and data analytics solutions to advance its clients mission. For more information, visit www.dignari.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815308529/en/

Nicole Williams

[email protected]

Source: Dignari
Potential to treat chronic pain without risks associated with traditional opioids by exclusively targeting peripheral pain receptors

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- DIMERx, Inc., a mid-stage biopharmaceutical company, today announced that it will present data at PAINWeek 2023, the 17th Annual National Conference on Pain for Healthcare Providers, being held September 5-8, 2023, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Nikhilesh N. Singh, Ph.D., inventor and Chief Executive Officer of DIMERx, will present the evidence of safety, efficacy and target engagement to support development of DMX-101 as a non-addictive opioid for treatment of chronic pain.

DMX-101 has been designed to exclusively engage the peripheral  and  opioid receptors, which account for 60-80% of all opioid receptors in the body, at the source to control pain without penetrating the brain, and consequently without producing central nervous system-related side effects such as drowsiness, euphoria, and addiction.

I am delighted to have the opportunity to present our data to academia and a peer group of specialists and practitioners focused on pain management, stated Dr. Singh. DMX-101 is proving to be a transformative molecule which could potentially manage chronic pain and also various gastrointestinal functional disorders.

Details of the presentation are below:

Title: Novel, Non-Addictive Opioid Dimer DMX-101 Targets Peripheral Opioid Receptors for Treatment of Chronic Pain without Risks Associated with Traditional Opioids

Date: Thursday, September 7

Time: 5:30-6:30 p.m. PDT

Location: The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Belmont Ballroom

General poster viewing sessions: September 6, 6:00-8:00 p.m.; September 7, 10:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.; September 8, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. PDT.

Following presentation at the conference, the poster will be available at www.dimerx.com.

About DIMERx, Inc.

DIMERx is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of innovative and de-risked first-in-class dimer therapeutics. Leveraging its proprietary dimer platform technology engineered by founder Nikhilesh Singh, Ph.D., DIMERx is advancing DMX-101 and a pipeline of additional dimer conjugates. DIMERx is currently raising Series A financing to see DMX-101 through clinical proof of concept for chronic pain and advance at least one additional dimer to the point of filing an Investigational New Drug submission with the FDA. DMX-101 is also Phase 2b/3a ready for chronic treatment of IBS-D in patients with and without gallbladder.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, which reflect our current views and expectations with respect to future outcomes or events. When used in this press release, the words could, believe, anticipate, intend, estimate, expect, project and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. Because these statements are based on current estimates and assumptions, they are inherently subject to risks that could cause the actual outcomes to differ materially from what we currently expect. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including, among others, the facts that we are substantially dependent on our ability to successfully develop and commercialize our products; the commercial adoption of our products and any other product candidates we develop will depend on the degree of their market acceptance; we have only limited assets and will need to raise additional capital before we can expect to generate revenue or become profitable; and we have never generated any revenue and may never be profitable. Forward-looking statements in this presentation apply only as of the date made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815893159/en/

Investor Relations

[email protected]

Source: DIMERx, Inc.
Euna Procures new integration with Pavilions search platform will provide public procurement managers access to North Americas most robust network of cooperative contracts

CHICAGO & TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Euna Solutions, a leading provider of purpose-built, cloud-based solutions for the public sector, today announced a new technology partnership with Pavilion, the leading search platform across the largest network of cooperative contracts for the public sector. Under the partnership, Euna Procure, powered by Bonfire, will be integrated with the Pavilion platform, delivering a seamless experience to find, use, and share cooperative contracts and fast-track the procurement process.

Euna Procure is a complete set of eProcurement solutions for the public sector. It features the largest and fastest growing supplier network consisting of more than 700,000 suppliers. By integrating with the Pavilion platform, public sector procurement teams will now have access to more than 100,000 shareable contracts from over 400+ national and regional purchasing cooperatives, states, and local public entities. Access to this robust database will make the process of finding cooperative and piggybackable contracts substantially more efficient by allowing users to quickly identify existing contracts they can use to purchase compliantly without a new solicitation process.

Other benefits of the Euna/Pavilion integration include:

Time and money savings: Within Euna Procure, users can seamlessly access shareable contracts. Piggybacking on a competitively solicited contract from a peer public entity reduces the administrative costs of running a new solicitation, which for some public entities can be more than $80,000. Shareable contracts can also provide access to more competitive pricing.

Within Euna Procure, users can seamlessly access shareable contracts. Piggybacking on a competitively solicited contract from a peer public entity reduces the administrative costs of running a new solicitation, which for some public entities can be more than $80,000. Shareable contracts can also provide access to more competitive pricing. Internal and external collaboration: The integration allows agencies to more easily share contracts with other members within their agency, as well as with other agencies around the country. This provides procurement professionals greater access to public contracts, improving both internal and external collaboration.

The integration allows agencies to more easily share contracts with other members within their agency, as well as with other agencies around the country. This provides procurement professionals greater access to public contracts, improving both internal and external collaboration. Integrated workflows: Once procurement managers have identified the right contracts in the database, they will be able to easily reference them and invite suppliers to participate in new solicitations.

We are very excited about our integration with Pavilion as it will empower our customers to leverage their peers experience by accessing the nations largest network of shareable contracts, said James Ha, Chief Growth Officer at Euna Solutions. Partnerships like this help our customers promote responsible sourcing and efficient outcomes that improve communities.

As public entities look to do more with less, were developing new ways to support procurement professionals in doing their most critical work, said Mariel Reed, co-founder and CEO at Pavilion. This partnership creates a more seamless experience for Euna Procure users to find, use and share contracts with other public entities so they can deliver better, faster services and drive greater impact for their communities.

A live demo of the new Euna/Pavilion integration will be presented at the NIGP Forum 2023 on Aug. 19-23, at Booth #402. Additionally, Mitchell Shim, manager, implementations & professional services at Euna Procure, will host a case study session, along with several Euna customers, titled Forging the Path Ahead: The Future of Procurement on Aug. 23, 2023, at 9:45 a.m. ET. To learn more about the session, visit https://www.nigp.org/events/annual-forum-and-products-exposition/sessions-2023.

Learn more about the benefits of sharing contracts with Pavilion here.

About Euna Solutions

Euna Solutions is a leading provider of purpose-built, cloud-based solutions that power critical administrative functions and financial operations for the public sector. Formerly GTY Technology, Euna Solutions offers easy-to-use solutions for procurement, payments, grant management, budgeting, permitting and K-12 administration that are proven to increase operational efficiency, transparency, collaboration, and compliance. Euna Solutions is a trusted partner to more than 2,000 government and public sector organizations across North America, empowering digital transformation and streamlining business processes while enabling higher levels of citizen access, engagement and satisfaction. To learn more, visit www.eunasolutions.com.

About Pavilion

Pavilion is purpose-built to help you work smarter by providing access to the largest network of shareable contracts from across the country  for free  with one simple search. Find the right contract for you, whether its from your neighbors filing cabinet or a national purchasing cooperative. Expedite your due diligence and connect with the right supplier to get a fast response and hands-on support. Start your search: withpavilion.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815055654/en/

Jodie Booras

Gabriel Marketing Group (for Euna Solutions)

Phone: (619)564-9306

Email: [email protected]

Tiffany Chen

Head of Product Marketing, Pavilion

Phone: (617) 894-1783

Email: [email protected]

Source: Euna Solutions
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- KBRA releases its second-quarter 2023 U.S. Bank Compendium, providing the latest view of the U.S. banking industry and analysis of 2Q23 results for U.S. banks with KBRA long-term ratings.

The vast majority of KBRA-rated banks continue to have Stable Outlooks. We strive to produce durable long-term ratings that encompass the ability of banks to manage through more difficult economic environments. We expect most banks to be able to manage through the upcoming uncertainties with their ratings unchanged. That said, we have taken select rating actions and will continue to take rating actions on banks that significantly underperform rating expectations. Most banks will continue to adapt to the changing financial and economic landscape. In addition, there remains a compelling role for relationship-focused community and regional banks that serve local customers. These banks can continue to prudently manage risk while generating profitable operations over time.

This edition of the Compendium delves into the key topics discussed during our KBRA-Rated Banks 2Q23 Update Webinar hosted earlier this month, including the following key topics: (i) an update on deposit funding costs and resiliency; (ii) net interest margin and earnings trends/expectations; (iii) whether we are seeing signs of emerging problems in loan portfolios; (vi) capital management trends/expectations; and (v) our financial and credit outlook for the remainder of 2023. The report also examines other key topics and trends relevant to the banking sector. In addition, the Compendium includes our quarterly environmental, social, and governance (ESG) bulletin, which provides a regulatory recap and, this quarter, features Byline Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE: BY or Byline; KBRA Senior BHC Rating: BBB/Positive Outlook).

The Compendium includes 2Q23 summaries on all publicly traded U.S. banks in KBRAs rated universe, focusing on key performance and credit metrics, along with medians of key ratios. The Compendium also includes the top 10 lowest cost deposit franchises, highest reserves to loans, and largest sequential changes in return on assets, net interest margin, net charge-offs, and nonperforming asset ratios. Further, we provide a supplement with 150 debt issuesalong with rating, amount issued, coupon, and maturityamong KBRA-rated banks.

Click here to view the report.

Related Publications

About KBRA

KBRA is a full-service credit rating agency registered in the U.S., the EU and the UK, and is designated to provide structured finance ratings in Canada. KBRAs ratings can be used by investors for regulatory capital purposes in multiple jurisdictions.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815352248/en/

Leah Hallfors, Senior Director

+1 301-969-3242

[email protected]



John Rempe, Director

+1 301-969-3045

[email protected]



Steven Yates, CFA, Director

+1 646-731-1243

[email protected]



Bryan So, Director

+1 301-969-3246

[email protected]



Brian Ropp, Managing Director

+1 301-969-3244

[email protected]



Shannon Servaes, CFA, CPA Managing Director

+1 301-969-3247

[email protected]



Ian Jaffe, Senior Managing Director

+1 646-731-3302

[email protected]



Joe Scott, Senior Managing Director

+1 646-731-2438

[email protected]

Source: KBRA
DOVER, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

To help keep up with population growth and record-setting development, the City of Nanaimo, B.C., has selected Claritis Community Development Software to replace its current system. Implementation of the new platform is underway, led by trusted Clariti partner Avocette Technologies.

The second largest city on Vancouver Island, Nanaimo is home to over 100,000 people and growing, documenting its second busiest year on record for development activity in 2022, with total building permit values surpassing $410 million.

Currently, the city relies on a 20-year-old land management system that Claritis centralized community development platform will replace, enabling a fully online experience for customers and staff.

Were thrilled to partner with Nanaimo to provide an easy-to-use system that will help the city meet its performance targets and development goals.

- Cyrus Symoom, Co-CEO, Clariti

With Clariti, the city will provide customers easy access to services online via the Portal, and staff access to all of the tools they need from one screen, whether theyre in office, at home, or in the field.

Overall, the citys goals for the project are to:

Simplify and accelerate the permit application process for customers.

Increase staffs visibility into the approval and review process with real-time reports and dashboards to help stay on target and clearly display areas of responsibility.

Streamline the plan review and approval process to reduce the time between submission, acceptance, and approval, and help the city meet its performance targets.

Modernize the inspections process using a mobile application that allows inspectors to take their office into the field.

Once live, the citys planning, building, engineering and GIS departments will use the system to better manage development activities.

About Clariti

Claritis government software helps North Americas largest and fastest growing communities deliver exceptional community development, permitting, and licensing experiences online.

Founded in 2008, Clariti is built as an alternative to code-heavy, non-configurable systems that create technology barriers for governments to meet their communitys evolving needs. Our software is trusted by government agencies that serve over 150 million people across North America.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815985173/en/

Jeremy Bosch

VP, Marketing

Clariti

[email protected]

Source: Clariti
BRISBANE, Australia--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- TenCate Protective Fabrics, a global leader in protective textile technology, has announced the Asia-Pacific (APAC) launch of its groundbreaking fire service outer shell, PBI Peak5, at the AFAC emergency response conference in Brisbane on 22 August 2023.

Recognized as a must-see event for the Australian / New Zealand fire and emergency services industry, the 2023 AFAC conference serves as the ideal platform for the flame-resistant textile maker to introduce PBI Peak5 to key stakeholders, experts, and industry professionals in the APAC region.

The primary highlight of PBI Peak5 is its lightweight 180gsm (5.3osy) construction which delivers increased levels of comfort and maneuverability for firefighters. Moreover, the integration of patented Enforce technology enhances its strength, making PBI Peak5 extremely durable.

TenCate Protective Fabrics representatives will be present at the Brisbane conference to showcase the new outer shell and provide insights into the advanced technology behind its development.

Michael Laton, VP of Global Strategy and Innovation at TenCate Protective Fabrics, expressed his enthusiasm for the launch, stating, "PBI Peak5 represents a significant leap in protective fabric technology for the fire service industry. We are thrilled to launch this groundbreaking outer shell in the APAC region, where the demand for high-performance firefighting gear is ever present.

Engineered to meet the specific needs of emergency response professionals, PBI Peak5 sets new benchmarks for lightweight comfort, flexibility, and unparalleled durability. Visit TenCate Protective Fabrics during the 2023 AFAC conference in Brisbane to experience PBI Peak5 fabric in person, or learn more at the companys website.

About TenCate Protective Fabrics

As the leading global producer of protective fabrics, TenCate Protective Fabrics enables millions of people worldwide to be great at what they do. Generations of industry professionals throughout industrial safety, fire, healthcare, military, and police rely on our fabrics for safety, comfort, and confidence. To learn more, visit tencatefabrics.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815231848/en/

Media inquiries: John Stoehr, Head of Global Communications, [email protected]

Source: TenCate Protective Fabrics
HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NRG) announced that Alexander Funding Trust II, a newly-formed Delaware statutory trust (the Trust), has priced its private offering of pre-capitalized trust securities redeemable July 31, 2028 (the P-Caps) to certain qualified institutional buyers for an initial purchase price of $500.0 million. The P-Caps will have a Distribution Rate of 7.467% per annum, which equals a spread of 3.100% to the five-year US treasury yield at the time of pricing of 4.367%. The P-Caps are intended to replace NRGs existing pre-capitalized trust securities redeemable 2023 issued by Alexander Funding Trust, which mature on November 15, 2023.

The Trust will initially invest the proceeds from the sale of the P-Caps in a portfolio of principal and/or interest strips of U.S. Treasury securities (the Eligible Assets) and will enter into a facility agreement with NRG, pursuant to which NRG will pay a facility fee to the Trust, and NRG will agree to issue 7.467% senior secured notes due 2028 (the Secured Notes and, together with the P-Caps, the P-Caps Securities) to the Trust under certain circumstances. The Eligible Assets held by the Trust will be pledged as collateral for the benefit of certain banks that have agreed to provide letters of credit for NRGs account to support NRGs existing and future collateral obligations. NRG will not receive any proceeds directly from the offering of the P-Caps. The offering of the P-Caps is expected to close on August 29, 2023, subject to customary closing conditions.

Any Secured Notes will be guaranteed on a first-priority basis by each of NRGs current and future subsidiaries that guarantee indebtedness under its credit agreement and will be secured by a first priority security interest in the same collateral that is pledged for the benefit of the lenders under NRGs credit agreement, which consists of a substantial portion of the property and assets owned by NRG and the guarantors. The collateral securing any Secured Notes will be released if NRG obtains an investment grade rating from two out of the three credit rating agencies, subject to reversion if such credit rating agencies withdraw NRGs investment grade rating or downgrade NRGs rating below investment grade.

The P-Caps Securities are being offered only to qualified institutional buyers in reliance on Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), and who are also qualified purchasers as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. The P-Caps Securities have not been registered under the Securities Act or the securities laws of any other jurisdiction and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell any security, including the P-Caps Securities, nor a solicitation for an offer to purchase any security, including the P-Caps Securities.

About NRG

NRG is a leading energy and home services company powered by people and our passion for a smarter, cleaner, and more connected future. A Fortune 500 company operating in the United States and Canada, NRG delivers innovative solutions that help people, organizations, and businesses achieve their goals while also advocating for competitive energy markets and customer choice.

Forward-Looking Statements

This communication contains forward-looking statements that may state NRGs or its managements intentions, beliefs, expectations or predictions for the future. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, and typically can be identified by the use of words such as will, expect, estimate, anticipate, forecast, plan, believe and similar terms. Although NRG believes that its expectations are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these expectations will prove to have been correct, and actual results may vary materially. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated above include, among others, risks and uncertainties related to the capital markets generally and whether the offering of P-Caps will be consummated and the anticipated terms of the P-Caps.

The foregoing review of factors that could cause NRGs actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in the forward-looking statements included herein should be considered in connection with information regarding risks and uncertainties that may affect NRGs future results included in NRGs filings with the SEC at www.sec.gov.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815537713/en/

Investors:

Brendan Mulhern

609.524.4767

[email protected]

Media:

Laura Avant

713.537.5437

[email protected]

Source: NRG Energy, Inc.
Deadline to apply is November 16, 2023

OAK RIDGE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Are you a K-12 STEM educator wanting to make a real difference? If yes, then you are invited to apply to become an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow in Washington, DC, where you can make an impact on STEM education efforts at the national level.

Applications are open now for the 2024-2025 cohort of the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship (AEF) Program. The AEF Program provides unique opportunities for accomplished K-12 STEM educators to serve 11 months in a federal agency or U.S. Congressional office. AEF Fellows bring their extensive classroom knowledge and experiences to their host offices to inform federal education policy, programs, and initiatives.

To be eligible, applicants must be U.S. citizens who currently are employed full time in a U.S. public or private elementary or secondary school, or school district. Applicants must have been teaching full time in a public or private elementary or secondary school for at least five of the last seven years in a STEM discipline.

Einstein Fellows gain knowledge, resources, and broader perspectives on national educational issues that can then be brought back to the classroom or to leadership positions in their districts or elsewhere. Einstein Fellows bring their expertise, practical insights, and real-world experience as classroom teachers to Congress and to branches of federal government to contribute to the educational outcomes of research, award, and instructional programs at the sponsoring agencies. Program applications must be submitted by November 16, 2023, at 8 p.m. EST, through the online application system.

AEF Fellows receive a living stipend of $8,200 a month, along with other allowances, that enables them to spend 11 months in Washington, DC. Additional information about the program, including eligibility requirements, program benefits, application requirements and access to the online application system may be found at https://science.osti.gov/wdts/einstein.

The Einstein Fellowship program is administered by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science and coordinated by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE). Current sponsoring agencies include DOE, Department of Defense, Library of Congress, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Science Foundation, United States Geological Survey, and Department of Homeland Security. In addition to sponsoring placements at DOE headquarters, DOE sponsors up to five placements in U.S. Congressional offices.

Professional development opportunities for Einstein Fellows include opportunities to attend hearings and briefings on Capitol Hill and to attend and participate in panel discussions held at national organizations. Fellows also participate in other activities, including engaging with resources from the Smithsonian Institution, National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and the Library of Congress.

Outstanding contributions of current and past Einstein Fellows include:

Implementing major components of national STEM education programs;

Initiating collaborations and partnerships among Federal agencies;

Advising on policies that seek to improve K-12 education in the United States;

Creating web-based science education tools; and

Establishing and evaluating national and regional programs centered on diversity and equity reform and teacher retention and preparation in STEM.

About ORISE

The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education is a U.S. Department of Energy asset that is dedicated to enabling critical scientific, research, and health initiatives of the department and its laboratory system by providing world-class expertise in STEM workforce development, scientific and technical reviews, and the evaluation of radiation exposure and environmental contamination. ORISE is managed by ORAU, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation and federal contractor, for the U.S. Department of Energys Office of Science.

The U.S. Department of Energys Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science

Like us on Facebook: ORISE Facebook

Follow us on Twitter: ORISE Twitter

Connect with us on LinkedIn: ORISE LinkedIn

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oriseconnect/

Visit our website: https://orise.orau.gov

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815417671/en/

Michael Holtz, 865-466-0701, [email protected]

Source: Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE)
The rapidly expanding sustainable startup announces a new even more eco-friendly sneaker style featuring up to 85% recycled content

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Sustainable, slip-on sneaker brand PSUDO is excited to announce the launch of its newest style, PSUDO blu, today. For its new category, the brand has partnered with Blumaka, a manufacturer of the most sustainable foam on the market, allowing brands to develop foam parts that have up to 85% recycled content.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815692981/en/

PSUDO blu sneakers (Photo: Business Wire)

PSUDO blu sneakers will be produced near-shore at the Blumaka solar-powered factory in El Salvador, and even though these styles are the first PSUDO products to be made outside of the US, it will contain more recycled content than the current sneaker. The addition of the new PSUDO blu style puts the brand one step closer to its goal of contributing to and creating a circular economy.

Sustainability, comfort and local manufacturing are PSUDOs core pillars. The eco-friendly aspect of the business is very important to who we are and what we do, and the Blumaka technology wasnt available in the US. We wanted to provide a more eco-friendly product as new technology arises, and we wanted to jump on the Blumaka partnership, as its equally as important as the made in USA styles, says Michael Rich, PSUDO co-founder.

PSUDO blu styles will feature a more low profile sole and are priced at $94.

In addition to selling on psudo.com, PSUDO blu is also being distributed into independent stores & boutiques, department stores, and specialty retailers.

For more information on PSUDO, visit psudo.com or follow on Instagram @shoppsudo

ABOUT PSUDO

Founded in 2020 by industry veterans Michael and Kortney Rich, LA-based PSUDO is hacking the $70B+ sneaker market with its ethical, small-batch, and on-demand sneaker manufacturing process. Made from recycled water bottles and designed using sublimation printing with zero-waste, PSUDO plans to solve the decades-old sustainability issue within the footwear industry. For every PSUDO sneaker produced, 7.2 single-use plastic bottles are saved from entering the world's oceans and landfills. To date, PSUDO has saved over 130,000 bottles and counting from our landfills and oceans.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815692981/en/

Media:

Sable Massingill

[email protected]

Source: PSUDO
Baku, Azerbaijan, August 15. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has attended the inauguration of Diamed medicines manufacturing plant in the district of Pirallahi, Baku, Trend reports.

Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov and founder of Diamed Development Group LLC Ayten Guliyeva briefed the head of state on the works done.

A video highlighting the importance of the project was screened.

The drug manufacturing plant opened by Diamed Development Group LLC in the Pirallahi Industrial Park covers the total area of 1 hectare including the 3 thousand square meter production site.

The Azerbaijan Investment Company OJSC has a 20% participating interest in the plant, which has a total value of 15.6 million manats.

The Entrepreneurshp Development Fund of the Economy Ministry also provided a 6 million manats soft loan to the drug manufacturer.

President Ilham Aliyev launched the plant.

The head of state viewed the production process. The plant is to manufacture a wide assortment of medicines (NaCl 0.9%, Ringer, Ringer Lactate, Glucose etc) and intravenous fluids. The plants yearly production capacity is 20 million liters. Given the countrys yearly demand of 15 million liters, the company is scheduled to export its products to Russia, Georgia and Central Asian countries.

Diamed medicines manufacturing plant employs 100 people.
Spiff debuts at number 23 among Americas fastest-growing private companies

SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Spiff, the leading sales commission software for forward-thinking revenue and sales organizations, announced today that it is ranked number 23 on the Inc. 5000 list, Inc.s annual list of the fastest-growing private companies in America. It is Spiffs first time on the Inc. 5000. In addition to landing in the top 25 in its Inc. 5000 debut, Spiff ranked number one among companies based in Utah and number two among software companies.

Id like to thank our customers for this recognition because they are the backbone of our success. We listen to them, regularly taking their feedback and implement it into our platform, Jeron Paul, co-founder and CEO, Spiff, said. We saw a need in the finance and sales technology market to deliver an easier way to manage commissions. We took that opportunity - and now have a very exciting future in front of us. The Inc. 5000 reveal is a day nearly every private company eagerly awaits. We are humbled by this honor.

The Inc. 5000 ranking provides a data-driven look at the most successful companies within the economys most dynamic segmentits independent, entrepreneurial businesses. Facebook, Chobani, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other household name brands gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.

Running a business has only gotten harder since the end of the pandemic, said Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. To make the Inc. 5000with the fast growth that requiresis truly an accomplishment. Inc. is thrilled to honor the companies that are building our future.

In May, Spiff announced a $50M Series C funding round to expand upon its industry-leading sales commissions platform to focus on other complex financial applications. At that time, it also announced the availability of Spiff Designer, its newest model builder, which revolutionizes commission automation for Finance and Revenue teams. Spiff Designer represents the last major mental-model gap that keeps spreadsheet-centric users from embracing financial automation by pairing the familiarity and ease of use of a spreadsheet with the scale, power, and speed of automation.

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Methodology

Companies on the 2023 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2019 to 2022. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2019. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2022. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2019 is $100,000; the minimum for 2022 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to four decimal places.

About Inc.

Inc. Business Media is the leading multimedia brand for entrepreneurs. Through its journalism, Inc. aims to inform, educate, and elevate the profile of our community: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters who are creating our future. Inc.s award-winning work reaches more than 50 million people across a variety of channels, including events, print, digital, video, podcasts, newsletters, and social media. Its proprietary Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to rank the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The recognition that comes with inclusion on this and other prestigious Inc. lists, such as Female Founders and Power Partners, gives the founders of top businesses the opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815248393/en/

Phil LeClare

Spiff

[email protected]

617-209-9406

Source: Spiff
Combination Creates a Leading, Integrated Provider of Drug Development and Regulatory Consulting Services Serving a Complementary Client Base

PARSIPPANY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- SSI Strategy (SSI or the Company) a leading Life Sciences consultancy, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire NDA Group AB (NDA Group), a leading regulatory affairs and drug development consultancy.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230814176406/en/

This strategic combination will create a premier consultancy, specializing in guiding drug development companies from concept to commercialization, helping optimize the development process and maximize the therapeutic value of complex and novel treatments.

The merger marks an exciting milestone following years of successful collaboration across numerous clients, resulting in the launch of the most innovative therapies available in the world today.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

SSI is a premier Life Sciences consultancy that has been working with clients to accelerate all stages of drug development since 2007. SSIs core competencies include clinical development, translational medicine, clinical operations, medical affairs, pharmacovigilance, health economics and outcomes research (HEOR), and real-world evidence (RWE) services. With a team of experts spanning the U.S. and Europe, the Company works closely with drug development clients to provide an innovative and bespoke support model including embedding fully functional teams. SSIs R&D experts and clinicians partner with clients to close gaps and achieve objectives across the drug development landscape. In December 2020, SSI partnered with Amulet Capital Partners, a middle-market private equity investment firm focused exclusively on the healthcare sector, to fuel its expansion and grow its capabilities in adjacent Life Sciences functions.

Founded in 1997, NDA Group has an extensive presence across the EU, UK, Switzerland, and the U.S. For over 25 years, NDA Group has provided the life science industry with unmatched regulatory expertise, ensuring that they meet the rigorous demands of the regulatory agencies. The team at NDA Group comprises over 100 ex-regulators, industry experts and highly experienced consultants dedicated to helping drug developers make the right decisions to secure the safest and most efficient pathway to approval for their products.

NDA Group is regarded as the premier regulatory consultancy for Life Sciences companies across the U.S. and Europe, and were delighted to build upon our longstanding partnership with this combination, said Doug Locke, Chief Executive Officer of SSI Strategy. This transaction brings together two highly regarded consultancies to create an integrated, end-to-end provider of drug development and regulatory consulting services. Combined, we will provide our common client base with best-in-class clinical development and regulatory expertise. Over years of collaboration between our businesses, we have proven our ability to execute together and are confident the success we have shared on prior partnerships will translate into more value for our clients from day one.

Johan Stromquist, CEO of NDA Group, commented, SSIs unparalleled combination of business acumen and medical expertise has formed a unique space in the Life Sciences market. We are excited to join forces with them to expand upon this platform together. While NDA Group has been a world leading regulatory development consultancy for the past 25 years, there are still challenges that biotechs face that we have not been able to fully address. Together with SSI, we can not only optimize the regulatory path, but now also partner with our clients to execute the entire development program. For our clients, this will mean reduced risk, reduced costs, increased success rates and faster time to market. For the patient, this means higher quality treatments without unnecessary delay.

Avi Uttamchandani, Principal at Amulet added, Together, SSI and NDA will create a leading Life Sciences and drug development consultancy positioned to support both emerging and established biotechnology companies at every stage of the drug development and approval process. This combination will significantly enhance SSIs regulatory support services and grow its industry leading team of experts while positioning the Company to grow its geographic footprint and expand its presence serving clients across the U.S. and Europe.

Following the close of the transaction, NDA will operate as a strategic business unit (SBU) under SSI. SSI Strategy President Adam Schwartz will continue to lead SSIs operations while the NDA management team will continue leading the NDA SBU under the guidance of President Johan Stromquist.

Interested in partnering with SSI? Contact [email protected].

About SSI Strategy

SSI Strategy combines business acumen with medical, clinical, pharmacovigilance and regulatory domain expertise to provide best-in-class support for our clients. Our staff of ex-chief medical officers, former heads of medical affairs, clinical, safety, regulatory, and health authority leaders will work to ensure the right balance of scientific and commercial focus to drive unparalleled client outcomes. SSI Strategy is headquartered in Parsippany, NJ, with offices in Boston, London, Munich, New York, San Francisco, Stockholm, and Zurich. Learn more at www.ssistrategy.com.

About NDA Group

NDA Group is a world-leading regulatory and drug development consultancy company, with 25 years of unparalleled expertise and an extensive portfolio of services through all phases of drug development. Our dedicated team of over 150 consultants combined with the unique NDA Advisory Board provide drug developers with unmatched regulatory expertise, ensuring the safe development of complex & innovative treatments that meet the rigorous requirements of the regulatory agencies. Over the last three years, NDA Group has supported a quarter of the new medicinal products approved in the US and Europe. www.ndareg.com

About Amulet Capital

Amulet Capital Partners is a middle-market private equity investment firm that focuses exclusively on creating long-term value for market leaders in the healthcare sector. The experienced principals at Amulet currently manage over $1.8 billion in healthcare investments. With over 50 years of deep industry experience and strategic relationships, Amulet helps solve complex and dynamic challenges in a wide range of healthcare segments. www.amuletcapital.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230814176406/en/

SSI Strategy / Amulet

Jon Keehner / Erik Carlson

Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher

(212) 355-4449

NDA Group

Denise Stromquist

Global Head of Marketing & Communications, NDA Group

[email protected]

Source: SSI Strategy, LLC
Broad labor movement support raises possibility of prolonged conflict

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- California unions announced their pledge of financial support for hotel workers who have been leading the largest wave of hotel strikes in modern history. Collectively, the unions pledging support represent 2.1 million workers.

At this moment when workers of practically every industry are coming together to take a stand, we as union leaders can do no less, said Yvonne Wheeler, the President of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. I am proud that our union sisters and brothers have come together to pool our resources to back each other up.

The coalition of unions includes the California Federation of Labor, California Teachers Association, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, UFCW 770, UFCW Local 324, SEIU USWW, California State Firefighters Association, and IBEW Local 11. All of them have pledged the following:

We will back UNITE HERE Local 11s strikes financially and otherwise until they win. Securing living wages and financial security for working people remains forever and always our number one priority. When we fight together, we win for everyone.

Lorena Fletcher Gonzalez, the Executive Secretary Treasurer of the California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, stated: "The labor movement membership in California is one of the largest in the world, and when we stand together we can match the strength and resources of any corporation. This is how we win strikes - through the power of our solidarity."

UNITE HERE Local 11 Co-President Kurt Petersen praised the move, stating: We hear from the hotel companies that they think striking workers will have to cave because they dont have the same financial resources as the multi-billion dollar companies who are enjoying record profits. The pledge to back us up takes that power away from them. The bosses always underestimate the power of their workers and the labor movement.

UNITE HERE Local 11 is a labor union representing more than 32,000 hospitality workers in Southern California and Arizona that work in hotels, restaurants, universities, convention centers and airports

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815428185/en/

Luis Santoyo | (619) 947-1810 | [email protected]

Source: UNITE HERE LOCAL 11
Boycott comes after weeks of strikes and picket lines

LONG BEACH, Calif. & SANTA MONICA, Calif. & DANA POINT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Hotel workers at the Hotel Maya in Long Beach, Laguna Cliffs Marriott Dana Point, and Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica are calling for a boycott because of managements use or condoning of violence during the largest hotel strike in U.S. history. The boycott announcement comes as conventions, such as the American Political Science Association, arrive in the region.

I was punched in the face while peacefully protesting for a living wage, and hotel security and management not only did nothing to stop the violence, but actually participated in it by trying to forcibly relocate our picket line using a chain link fence. I dont have health insurance and now on top of worrying about my bills, I have to figure out how to pay my medical expenses, said Carlos Cheverri Canales. I ask the public to not spend a single penny at the Hotel Maya until they commit to paying a fair wage and ending violence against strikers.

For 38 years I have welcomed guests into Santa Monica, but the moment I stood up for a better life for me and my family, security tackled me to the ground while we were trying to establish a picket line in front of the hotel, said German Martinez, dishwasher at Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica. My legs and arms may be bruised, but my will to keep going is not. Thats why I am calling for a boycott.

While picketing, Emilse Pineda was punched in the head by a guest at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Dana Point. I was in shock as the punch came out of the blue, recalls the housekeeper. I reported the incident to hotel security, but they did nothing to help identify the man or remove him. I felt almost drunk and woozy and had headaches over the next several days. The day after the punch, I passed out and the paramedics were called. As far as I know, the hotel has done nothing about this incident.

Last week, UNITE HERE Local 11 filed a federal unfair labor practice charge against these hotels and the hotel industrys bargaining group, the Coordinated Bargaining Group, alleging that the group of employers have interfered with their employees right to organize by unlawfully committing and/or condoning violence against employees in response to strike and picket activity, in particular at the Hotel Maya, the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica, and the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa in Dana Point. The Westin Bonaventure has come to an agreement, leaving 60 hotels with open contracts.

Kurt Petersen, Co-President of UNITE HERE Local 11 adds, Our members have taken the step to ask the public not to eat, sleep, or meet at the three hotels  Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica, Maya Hotel in Long Beach and Laguna Cliffs Marriott  where hotels used or condoned violence to stop workers from fighting for wages that will enable them to live in the community where they work. We will not be intimidated at the bargaining table or the picket line.

UNITE HERE Local 11 is a labor union representing more than 32,000 hospitality workers in Southern California and Arizona that work in hotels, restaurants, universities, convention centers and airports.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815551799/en/

Maria Hernandez | 623-340-8047 | [email protected]

Source: UNITE HERE Local 11
Just ahead of Labor Day travel, Walmart+ is teaming up with about 12,000 Exxon and Mobil stations to double the gas benefit for members

BENTONVILLE, Ark.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Walmart+ is helping steer members toward some serious savings on fuel, just in time for the busy travel holiday weekend. The retailer is joining forces with Exxon Mobil to double the discount Walmart+ members currently receive at Exxon and Mobil stations nationwide, from 10 cents to 20 cents off every gallon of gas. The 2x discount will begin August 15 at about 12,000 participating stations and will continue to pump savings into members wallets through September 15.

We know that fuel savings is a huge benefit for our Walmart+ members, one that really adds up, said Venessa Yates, SVP and general manager of Walmart+. As gas prices have fluctuated over the last few months, we wanted to do something special to give our members a break, whether theyre hitting the road for the holiday, or just getting back into the busy back-to-school shuttling season.

Last year, Walmart+ expanded the footprint of its savings benefit sixfold with the addition of about 12,000 Exxon and Mobil stations nationwide. Since that time, Walmart+ members have benefitted from millions of dollars collectively in fuel savings alone.

We are excited to continue to grow our collaboration with Walmart+ members by offering them 20 cents off per gallon at about 12,000 Exxon and Mobil stations across the country, said Troy Simms, US Consumer Marketing Director Retail Fuels at ExxonMobil. We understand the importance of helping families stay budget conscious, while still getting the opportunity to fill up with our Synergy fuel technology that not only helps improve fuel economy, but also protect car engines and enables better vehicle responsiveness.

A trip to the pump is just one of the many ways Walmart+ is a pathway to savings. From unlimited free deliveries to their door, the recently launched Walmart+ Travel, which gives members Walmart Cash on vacation getaways, or Paramount+ at no extra cost, Walmart+ is consistently evolving to deliver whats most important for members.

More details about how the savings work for Walmart+ members can be found here. For more information about how to become a Walmart+ member, please visit https://www.walmart.com/plus.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) is a people-led, tech-powered omnichannel retailer helping people save money and live better - anytime and anywhere - in stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, approximately 240 million customers and members visit more than 10,500 stores and numerous eCommerce websites in 20 countries. With fiscal year 2023 revenue of $611 billion, Walmart employs approximately 2.1 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy, and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/walmart, on Twitter at twitter.com/walmart, and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/walmart.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815961572/en/

Rebecca Thomason

[email protected]

Source: Walmart Inc.
This partnership seamlessly connects Sure Underwritings low-code capabilities and self-service configuration tools to the core London market platforms and repositories, enabling London market carriers & brokers to increase operational efficiency through a true straight-through-process

HARTFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Insurity, a leading provider of cloud-based software for insurance carriers, brokers, and MGAs, today announced that it has partnered with Web Connectivity Limited (WCL), a Zywave company, a provider of ACORD standards-based solutions for the commercial insurance industry. This partnership will empower carriers, brokers, and syndicates to leverage Insurity's Sure Underwriting platform while expanding access to tools related to London Market insurance operations by adding a London Market messaging function.

WCL aims to make it easier for insurance organisations to exchange critical information and simplify workflows to improve accuracy, accelerate business, and reduce risks. As a longtime ACORD Messaging Gateway provider to the London Market, WCL allows organisations to streamline processes by automating the electronic transfer of data and documents between brokers and insurers and central services to improve client service, increase process efficiency, and decrease cost.

Insurity is the largest provider of cloud-based insurance software solutions, with over 400 of its 500 customers deployed successfully in the cloud. Sure Underwriting recently became available for insurance organisations in the London Market. The cloud-native solution enables insurers to gain 50% faster risk assessment with real-time insights to increase underwriting accuracy and efficiency.

"Our partnership with Insurity allows us to offer a variety of interconnected solutions through collaborations and integrations," said James Willison, Managing Director at Web Connectivity Limited. "By delivering solutions like Insurity's Sure Underwriting to our clients, we can speed up implementations and help our clients achieve significant operational efficiencies."

"Through this partnership, Insurity customers can take advantage of WCL's integrated products, including rapid deployment of ACORD standard-based London Market messaging," said Sylvester Mathis, Chief Insurance Officer at Insurity. "This partnership marks a significant milestone for the London insurance market and solidifies our commitment to providing cutting-edge software for London Market carriers, MGAs, and brokers to capitalise on new opportunities quickly."

To learn more about Insurity's partnership with Web Connectivity Limited, please contact Elizabeth Hutchinson at [email protected].

About Insurity

Insurity is a leading provider of cloud-based software for insurance carriers, brokers, and MGAs. Insurity is trusted by 22 of the top 25 P&C carriers and 7 of the top 10 MGAs in the US and has over 400 cloud-based deployments. Through its best-in-class digital platform and with unrivaled industry experience and the industry's most robust analytics offerings, Insurity is uniquely positioned to deliver exceptional value, empowering customers to focus on their core businesses, optimize their operations, and provide superior policyholder experiences. Insurity is a portfolio company of GI Partners and TA Associates. For more information, visit www.insurity.com.

About Web Connectivity Limited, a Zywave Company

WCL is a wholly owned subsidiary of Zywave, Inc. Zywave leads the insurance tech industry, fueling business growth for its partners with cloud-based sales management, client delivery, content and analytics solutions. Offering a technology platform embedded with robust data and the most comprehensive content portfolio available, we empower smarter business decisions throughout the entire customer lifecycle. More than 6,000 carriers, HCM service providers, agencies and brokerages worldwideincluding all of the top 100 U.S. insurance firmsuse Zywave solutions to enhance client services, achieve business growth and promote greater health, wellness and safety. For more information about Web Connectivity Limited, visit www.webconnectivityltd.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815055978/en/

Elizabeth Hutchinson

[email protected]

Source: Insurity
On August 10, 2023, John C. Geist informed Boston Beer Co. (NYSE: SAM) that he intends to retire from his role as Chief Sales Officer in 2024. Mr. Geist joined the Company in 1997 from a large alcohol beverage distributor where he had been a sales manager. He was promoted to Vice President of Sales in 2007 and then Chief Sales Officer in 2016. Mr. Geist intends to remain in his role as Chief Sales Officer through December 31, 2023, at which point he will transition to a senior adviser role until he fully retires at a yet-to-be determined date in 2024.

On August 15, 2023, the Company announced that it intends to appoint Senior Sales Director Michael J. Crowley, 54, as Chief Sales Officer effective January 1, 2024. Mr. Crowley and Mr. Geist will commence working together on the transition starting in September 2023.
CAVA Group, Inc. (NYSE: CAVA) today announced financial results for its fiscal second quarter ended July 9, 2023.

Our results in the second quarter demonstrated the power of our restaurant operating model and the growing appeal of the Mediterranean category, which we are defining. Revenue and profitability reached record levels, with 18.2% CAVA Same Restaurant Sales Growth, Net Income of $6.5 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $21.6 million. Our dominant leadership position and proven portability create meaningful opportunity for growth in new and existing markets, as evidenced by our 16 Net New CAVA Restaurant Openings during the quarter" said Brett Schulman, Co-Founder and CEO. "Our performance is representative of the momentum we've gained and continued focus on execution as we grow."

Fiscal Second Quarter 2023 Highlights:

CAVA Revenue grew 62.4% to $171.1 million as compared to $105.3 million in the prior year quarter.

grew 62.4% to $171.1 million as compared to $105.3 million in the prior year quarter. Net New CAVA Restaurant Openings of 16, bringing total CAVA Restaurants to 279, a 43.1% increase in total CAVA Restaurants year over year.

of 16, bringing total CAVA Restaurants to 279, a 43.1% increase in total CAVA Restaurants year over year. CAVA Same Restaurant Sales Growth of 18.2%.

of 18.2%. CAVA AUV of $2.6 million as compared to $2.4 million in the prior year quarter.

of $2.6 million as compared to $2.4 million in the prior year quarter. CAVA Restaurant-Level Profit of $44.6 million or growth of 91.9% over the prior year quarter, with CAVA Restaurant-Level Profit Margin of 26.1%, a 400 basis point increase over the prior year quarter.

of $44.6 million or growth of 91.9% over the prior year quarter, with of 26.1%, a 400 basis point increase over the prior year quarter. CAVA Digital Revenue Mix was 36.1%

was 36.1% CAVA Group Net Income of $6.5 million compared to net loss of $8.2 million in the prior year quarter.

of $6.5 million compared to net loss of $8.2 million in the prior year quarter. CAVA Group Adjusted EBITDA of $21.6 million compared to $5.9 million in the prior year quarter.

CAVA Fiscal Second Quarter 2023 Review:

CAVA Revenue was $171.1 million, an increase of 62.4% compared to the fiscal second quarter of 2022. The increase was driven by 102 Net New CAVA Restaurant Openings during or subsequent to the fiscal second quarter of 2022 and CAVA Same Restaurant Sales Growth of 18.2%. CAVA Same Restaurant Sales Growth consists of 10.3% from guest traffic and 7.9% from menu price and product mix.

CAVA Restaurant-Level Profit Margin was 26.1%, an increase of 400 basis points compared to the fiscal second quarter of 2022. CAVA Restaurant-Level Profit Margin increased due to sales leverage on labor and occupancy as well as lower food, beverage, and packaging as a percentage of revenue, driven by lower input costs and higher incidence of premium menu items driving favorable product mix.

CAVA Group Fiscal Second Quarter 2023 Review:

General and administrative expenses were $23.3 million, or 13.5% of revenue, as compared to $16.3 million, or 12.0% of revenue, in the fiscal second quarter of 2022. General and administrative expenses, excluding equity-based compensation and certain non-recurring public company costs1, were $20.4 million, or 11.8% of revenue, as compared to $15.3 million, or 11.2% of revenue, in the fiscal second quarter of 2022. The increase of 60 basis points was primarily due to higher performance based accruals, partially offset by leverage from higher sales.

Net income was $6.5 million, or 3.8% of revenue, as compared to net loss of $8.2 million in the fiscal second quarter of 2022.

Adjusted EBITDA(1) was $21.6 million, or 12.5% of revenue, an increase of $15.7 million compared to the fiscal second quarter of 2022. The increase was primarily driven by CAVA Same Restaurant Sales Growth, improved CAVA Restaurant-Level Profit Margin, and the continued conversion of Zoes Kitchen locations, which have achieved significantly stronger post-conversion results. These increases were partially offset by increased general and administrative expenses in the second quarter of 2023 compared with the prior year quarter.

__________________ (1) General and administrative expenses, excluding equity-based compensation and certain non-recurring public company costs, and Adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP financial measures. Reconciliations to the most directly comparable financial measures presented in accordance with GAAP are set forth in the tables at the end of this press release.

Fiscal Full-Year 2023 Outlook:

For fiscal full-year 2023, CAVA Group anticipates the following:

Net New CAVA Restaurant Openings 65 to 70 CAVA Same Restaurant Sales Growth 13.0% to 15.0% CAVA Restaurant-Level Profit Margin At least 23.0% Pre-opening costs $13.5 to $14.5 million Adjusted EBITDA $62.0 to $67.0 million

Actual results may differ materially from CAVA Group's fiscal full-year 2023 guidance as a result of, among other things, the factors described under "Forward-Looking Statements" below.

A reconciliation of the forward-looking fiscal 2023 Adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss) cannot be provided without unreasonable effort because of the inherent difficulty of accurately forecasting the occurrence and financial impact of the various adjusting items necessary for such reconciliation that have not yet occurred, are out of our control, or cannot be reasonably predicted.

About CAVA Group:

CAVA is the category-defining Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant brand, bringing together healthful food and bold, satisfying flavors at scale. Our brand and our opportunity transcend the Mediterranean category to compete in the large and growing limited-service restaurant sector as well as the health and wellness food category. CAVA serves guests across gender lines, age groups, and income levels and benefits from generational tailwinds created by consumer demand for healthy living and a demographic shift towards greater ethnic diversity. We meet consumers desires to engage with convenient, authentic, purpose-driven brands that view food as a source of self-expression. The broad appeal of our food combined with these favorable industry trends drive our vast opportunity for continued growth.

Earnings Conference Call:

The Company will host a conference call, August 15, 2023, at 5:00 PM Eastern Time to discuss second quarter 2023 financial results as well as provide a business update. Investors will have the opportunity to listen to the conference call live through the webcast from the company's website on the investor relations page at investor.cava.com. A recorded webcast will be available on CAVA's investor relations website shortly after the call and available for up to one year.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

This press release contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that reflect our current views with respect to, among other things, our operations and financial performance. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts. These forward-looking statements relate to matters such as our industry, business strategy, goals, and expectations concerning our market position, future operations, margins, profitability, capital expenditures, liquidity and capital resources, and other financial and operating information. These statements may include words such as anticipate, assume, believe, continue, could, estimate, expect, intend, may, plan, potential, predict, project, future, will, seek, foreseeable, "outlook," the negative version of these words or similar terms and phrases to identify forward-looking statements in this press release.

The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on managements current expectations and are not guarantees of future performance. The forward-looking statements are subject to various risks, uncertainties, assumptions, or changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict or quantify. Our expectations, beliefs, and projections are expressed in good faith, and we believe there is a reasonable basis for them. However, there can be no assurance that managements expectations, beliefs, and projections will result or be achieved. Actual results may differ materially from these expectations due to changes in global, regional, or local economic, business, competitive, market, regulatory, and other factors, many of which are beyond our control. We believe that these factors include but are not limited to the following: our operation in a highly competitive industry; our ability to open new restaurants while managing our growth effectively and maintaining our culture; our ability to successfully identify appropriate locations and develop and expand our operations in existing and new markets; the profitability of new restaurants, and any impact to sales at our existing locations; the impact of changes in guest perception of our brand; our ability to successfully market our restaurants and brand; the impact of food safety and food-borne illness concerns, including at our manufacturing facilities; our ability to maintain or increase prices; our ability to accurately predict guest trends and demand and successfully introduce new menu offerings and improve our existing menu offerings; the risks associated with leasing property; our ability to successfully expand our digital and delivery business; our ability to utilize, recognize, respond to, and effectively manage the immediacy of social media; our ability to achieve or maintain profitability in the future, especially if we continue to grow at an accelerated rate; our ability to realize the anticipated benefits from past and potential future acquisitions, investments or other strategic initiatives; our ability to manage our manufacturing and supply chain effectively; the impact of shortages, delays, or interruptions in the delivery of food items and other products; our ability to successfully optimize, operate, and manage our production facilities; the risks associated with our reliance on third parties; the impact of increases in food, commodity, energy, and other costs; the impact of increases in labor costs, labor shortages, and our ability to identify, hire, train, motivate and retain the right team members; our ability to attract, develop, and retain our management team and key team members; the impact of any cybersecurity breaches; the impact of failures, or interruptions in, or our inability to effectively scale and adapt, our information technology systems; our ability to comply with, or changes in, the extensive laws or regulations requirements to which we are subject, including those relating to privacy; the impact of economic factors and guest behavior trends; the impact of evolving rules and regulations with respect to environmental, social and governance matters; and the impact of climate change and volatile adverse weather conditions; and each of the other factors set forth under the heading Risk Factors in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date hereof. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this press release speaks only as of the date of this press release and are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements included in this press release. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures:

In addition to our consolidated financial statements, which are prepared in accordance with GAAP, we present Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA Margin, and general and administrative expenses, excluding equity-based compensation and certain non-recurring public company costs, in this press release as supplemental measures of financial performance that are not required by, or presented in accordance with, GAAP. We believe they assist investors and analysts in comparing our operating performance across reporting periods on a consistent basis by excluding items that we do not believe are indicative of our operating performance. Management believes Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA Margin, and general and administrative expenses, excluding equity-based compensation and certain non-recurring public company costs, are useful to investors in highlighting trends in our operating performance, while other measures can differ significantly depending on long-term strategic decisions regarding capital structure, the tax jurisdictions in which we operate, and capital investments. Management uses Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA Margin, and general and administrative expenses, excluding equity-based compensation and certain non-recurring public company costs, to supplement GAAP measures of performance in the evaluation of the effectiveness of our business strategies, to make budgeting decisions, and to compare our performance against that of other peer companies using similar measures. Management supplements GAAP results with non-GAAP financial measures to provide a more complete understanding of the factors and trends affecting the business than GAAP results alone provide.

Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA Margin, and general and administrative expenses, excluding equity-based compensation and certain non-recurring public company costs, are not recognized terms under GAAP and should not be considered as alternatives to net income (loss), net income (loss) margin, or general and administrative expenses, as applicable, as measures of financial performance or cash provided by operating activities as measures of liquidity, or any other performance measure derived in accordance with GAAP. Additionally, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin are not intended to be measures of free cash flow available for managements discretionary use, as they do not consider certain cash requirements such as interest payments, tax payments, and debt service requirements. Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin should not be considered as measures of discretionary cash available to invest in the business growth or to reduce indebtedness. Our non-GAAP measures have limitations as analytical tools, and you should not consider them in isolation, or as substitutes for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. Some of these limitations are:

Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect our cash expenditures or future requirements for capital expenditures or contractual commitments;

Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, our working capital needs;

Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect the interest expense, or the cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments, on our debts;

Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect period to period changes in taxes, income tax expense, or the cash necessary to pay income taxes;

Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect the impact of earnings or cash charges resulting from matters we consider not to be indicative of our ongoing operations;

although depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated and amortized will often have to be replaced in the future, and Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect any cash requirements for such replacements; and

other companies in our industry may calculate Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA Margin and general and administrative expenses, excluding equity-based compensation and certain non-recurring public company costs, differently than we do, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures.

CAVA GROUP, INC. UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS Twelve Weeks

Ended Twenty-Eight Weeks

Ended (in thousands, except per share amounts) July 9,

2023 July 10,

2022 July 9,

2023 July 10,

2022 Revenue $ 172,894 $ 135,915 $ 375,977 $ 294,926 Operating expenses: Restaurant operating costs (excluding depreciation and amortization) Food, beverage, and packaging 51,000 43,741 110,118 94,645 Labor 42,417 37,731 94,571 84,753 Occupancy 13,400 12,214 29,999 28,954 Other operating expenses 20,646 16,624 45,294 38,825 Total restaurant operating expenses 127,463 110,310 279,982 247,177 General and administrative expenses 23,321 16,284 52,345 37,221 Depreciation and amortization 10,709 8,946 23,568 21,765 Restructuring and other costs 1,853 1,650 4,068 2,934 Pre-opening costs 3,400 4,484 9,399 8,050 Impairment and asset disposal costs 386 2,579 3,105 6,010 Total operating expenses 167,132 144,253 372,467 323,157 Income (loss) from operations 5,762 (8,338 ) 3,510 (28,231 ) Interest (income) expense, net (699 ) 34 (674 ) 377 Other income, net (118 ) (198 ) (292 ) (456 ) Income (loss) before income taxes 6,579 (8,174 ) 4,476 (28,152 ) Provision for income taxes 40 56 78 96 Net income (loss) $ 6,539 $ (8,230 ) $ 4,398 $ (28,248 ) Earnings (loss) per common share: Net income (loss) per share, basic $ 0.23 $ (6.23 ) $ 0.34 $ (21.58 ) Net income (loss) per share, diluted $ 0.21 $ (6.23 ) $ 0.29 $ (21.58 ) Weighted average shares outstanding, basic 28,366 1,322 13,098 1,309 Weighted average shares outstanding, diluted 31,279 1,322 15,212 1,309

Financial information for the Companys reportable segments was as follows for the periods presented:

Twelve Weeks

Ended Twenty-Eight Weeks

Ended ($ in thousands) July 9,

2023 July 10,

2022 July 9,

2023 July 10,

2022 Revenue CAVA $ 171,089 $ 105,327 $ 367,850 $ 217,333 Zoes Kitchen  28,823 3,867 73,564 Other 1,805 1,765 4,260 4,029 Total revenue 172,894 135,915 375,977 294,926 Restaurant-Level operating expenses (1) CAVA 126,473 82,074 273,251 174,488 Zoes Kitchen  26,602 4,044 69,234 Other 990 1,634 2,687 3,455 Total Restaurant-level operating expenses 127,463 110,310 279,982 247,177 Restaurant-Level profit CAVA 44,616 23,253 94,599 42,845 Zoes Kitchen  2,221 (177 ) 4,330 Other 815 131 1,573 574 Total Restaurant-Level profit 45,431 25,605 95,995 47,749 Reconciliation of Restaurant-Level profit to income (loss) before income taxes: General and administrative expenses 23,321 16,284 52,345 37,221 Depreciation and amortization 10,709 8,946 23,568 21,765 Restructuring and other costs 1,853 1,650 4,068 2,934 Pre-opening costs 3,400 4,484 9,399 8,050 Impairment and asset disposal costs 386 2,579 3,105 6,010 Interest (income) expense, net (699 ) 34 (674 ) 377 Other (income) expense, net (118 ) (198 ) (292 ) (456 ) Income (loss) before income taxes $ 6,579 $ (8,174 ) $ 4,476 $ (28,152 ) __________________ (1) Restaurant-level operating expenses consist of food, beverage and packaging (excluding depreciation and amortization), labor, occupancy and other operating expenses.

CAVA is now our single operating brand for our operations as we convert and wind down our Zoes Kitchen operations over the course of 2023. As a result, we highlight the CAVA segment distinctly from CAVA Group results throughout this press release. The following table presents selected quarterly financial and other data as of the periods indicated:

Twelve Weeks

Ended Sixteen Weeks

Ended Twelve Weeks

Ended Twelve Weeks

Ended Twelve Weeks

Ended July 9,

2023 April 16,

2023 December 25,

2022 October 2,

2022 July 10,

2022 (Q2 2023) (Q1 2023) (Q4 2022) (Q3 2022) (Q2 2022) Net New CAVA Restaurant Openings 16 26 23 19 18 CAVA Restaurants, end of period 279 263 237 214 195 CAVA Same Restaurant Sales Growth 18.2 % 28.4 % 14.8 % 9.2 % 13.3 % CAVA AUV(1) $ 2,599 $ 2,547 $ 2,398 $ 2,383 $ 2,399 CAVA Restaurant-Level Profit $ 44,616 $ 49,983 $ 23,027 $ 25,221 $ 23,253 CAVA Restaurant-Level Profit Margin 26.1 % 25.4 % 20.0 % 21.7 % 22.1 % __________________ (1) For purposes of calculating CAVA AUV for Q2 2022, Q3 2022, Q4 2022, Q1 2023, and Q2 2023 the applicable measurement period is the entire trailing thirteen periods ended July 10, 2022, October 2, 2022, December 25, 2022, April 16, 2023, and July 9, 2023, respectively.

The following table presents the Companys selected balance sheet and cash flow data as of the periods indicated:

($ in thousands) July 9,

2023 December 25,

2022 SELECTED BALANCE SHEET DATA Cash and cash equivalents $ 352,845 $ 39,125 Total assets 970,375 583,883 Total liabilities 414,566 370,078 Redeemable preferred stock  662,308 Total stockholders equity 555,809 (448,503 ) Total liabilities, preferred stock and stockholders' equity 970,375 583,883

Twenty-Eight Weeks Ended ($ in thousands) July 9,

2023 July 10,

2022 SELECTED CASH FLOW DATA Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities $ 47,110 $ (1,432 ) Net cash used in investing activities (72,478 ) (45,612 ) Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities 339,088 (1,630 ) Net change in cash and cash equivalents $ 313,720 $ (48,674 )

The following table shows the growth in our company-owned CAVA restaurant base:

Twelve Weeks

Ended Twenty-Eight Weeks

Ended July 9,

2023 July 10,

2022 July 9,

2023 July 10,

2022 CAVA Restaurants Beginning of period 263 177 237 164 New CAVA restaurant openings, including converted Zoes Kitchen locations 16 19 43 32 Permanent closure  (1 ) (1 ) (1 ) End of period 279 195 279 195

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The following table reconciles net income (loss) to Adjusted EBITDA for the periods indicated:

Twelve Weeks

Ended Twenty-Eight Weeks

Ended ($ in thousands) July 9,

2023 July 10,

2022 July 9,

2023 July 10,

2022 Net income (loss) $ 6,539 $ (8,230 ) $ 4,398 $ (28,248 ) Non-GAAP Adjustments Interest (income) expense, net (699 ) 34 (674 ) 377 Provision for income taxes 40 56 78 96 Depreciation and amortization 10,709 8,946 23,568 21,765 Equity-based compensation 1,778 1,029 2,983 1,812 Other income, net (118 ) (198 ) (292 ) (456 ) Impairment and asset disposal costs 386 2,579 3,105 6,010 Restructuring and other costs 1,853 1,650 4,068 2,934 Certain non-recurring public company costs 1,113  1,113  Adjusted EBITDA $ 21,601 $ 5,866 $ 38,347 $ 4,290 Revenue $ 172,894 $ 135,915 $ 375,977 $ 294,926 Net income (loss) margin 3.8 % (6.1 )% 1.2 % (9.6 )% Adjusted EBITDA margin 12.5 % 4.3 % 10.2 % 1.5 %

The following table reconciles general and administrative expenses to general and administrative expenses, excluding equity-based compensation and certain non-recurring public company costs for the periods indicated:

Twelve Weeks

Ended Twenty-Eight Weeks

Ended ($ in thousands) July 9,

2023 July 10,

2022 July 9,

2023 July 10,

2022 General and administrative expenses $ 23,321 $ 16,284 $ 52,345 $ 37,221 Equity-based compensation 1,778 1,029 2,983 1,812 Certain non-recurring public company costs 1,113  1,113  General and administrative expenses, excluding equity-based compensation and certain non-recurring public company costs $ 20,430 $ 15,255 $ 48,249 $ 35,409 Revenue $ 172,894 $ 135,915 $ 375,977 $ 294,926 General and administrative expenses, as a percentage of revenue 13.5 % 12.0 % 13.9 % 12.6 % General and administrative expenses, excluding equity-based compensation and certain non-recurring public company costs, as a percentage of revenue 11.8 % 11.2 % 12.8 % 12.0 %

Glossary:

The following definitions apply to these terms as used in this press release:

Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income (loss) adjusted to exclude interest expense (income), net, provision for income taxes, and depreciation and amortization, further adjusted to exclude equity-based compensation, other income, net, impairment and asset disposal costs, restructuring and other costs, and certain non-recurring public company costs;

Adjusted EBITDA Margin is defined as Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of revenue;

CAVA Average Unit Volume or CAVA AUV represents total revenue of operating CAVA Restaurants that were open for the entire trailing thirteen periods, and digital kitchens sales for such period, divided by the number of operating CAVA Restaurants that were open for the entire trailing thirteen periods;

CAVA Digital Revenue Mix represents the portion of CAVA revenue related to digital orders as a percentage of total CAVA revenue;

CAVA Restaurant-Level Profit, a segment measure of profit and loss, represents CAVA Revenue in the specified period less food, beverage, and packaging, labor expenses, occupancy expenses, and other operating expenses, excluding depreciation and amortization, in the period. CAVA Restaurant-Level Profit excludes pre-opening costs;

CAVA Restaurant-Level Profit Margin represents CAVA Restaurant-Level Profit as a percentage of CAVA Revenue;

CAVA Restaurants is defined to include all CAVA restaurants, including converted Zoes Kitchen locations and CAVA hybrid kitchens, that are open as of the end of the specific period. CAVA Restaurants exclude one restaurants operating under a license agreement and CAVA digital kitchens;

CAVA Revenue is defined to include all revenue attributable to CAVA restaurants in the specified period, excluding one restaurant operating under a license agreement;

CAVA Same Restaurant Sales Growth is defined as the period-over-period sales comparison for CAVA restaurants that have been open for 365 days or longer (including converted Zoes Kitchen locations that have been open for 365 days or longer after the completion of the conversion to a CAVA restaurant);

digital orders means orders made through catering, digital channels, such as the CAVA app and the CAVA website. Digital orders include orders fulfilled through third-party marketplace and native delivery and digital order pick-up;

guest traffic means the number of entrees ordered in-restaurant and through digital orders; and

Net New CAVA Restaurant Openings is defined as new CAVA restaurant openings (including CAVA restaurants converted from a Zoes Kitchen location) during a specified reporting period, net of any permanent CAVA restaurant closures during the same period.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815461992/en/

Investor Relations



Matt Milanovich, SVP of Finance



(202) 984-2558



[email protected]

Media Relations:



Lynne Boschee, VP, Communications



[email protected]

Source: CAVA Group, Inc.
Cboe Global Markets, Inc. (Cboe: CBOE), the world's leading derivatives and securities exchange network, today announced Mandy Xu has joined the company as Vice President and Head of Derivatives Market Intelligence. In this role, Xu is planning to produce high-level insights and analysis on derivatives market themes and flows, with a focus on furthering client education on Cboe's markets and its leading suite of derivatives products.

"Being a trusted derivatives marketplace and information provider is part of Cboe's DNA, and we are thrilled to have Mandy join our team to help deliver best-in-class market intelligence to our clients around the globe," said Arianne Adams , Senior Vice President and Head of Derivatives and Global Client Services at Cboe Global Markets. "Mandy is a widely recognized expert on the financial markets and brings extensive industry knowledge that will help deepen our engagement and dialogue with clients, as well as provide impactful insights to help them harness the full potential of our products and services."

Prior to joining Cboe, Xu was Managing Director and Head of Equity Derivatives Strategy at Credit Suisse, specializing in index and ETF volatility research. Before Credit Suisse, she worked as a cross-border M&A analyst at E.J. McKay, a boutique investment bank in Shanghai . Xu graduated with honors from Harvard University with a B.A. in Economics and is a CFA charterholder.

Part of Xu's content strategy at Cboe is expected to include creating a weekly series of market commentary highlighting themes and opportunities in the cross-asset derivatives market, as well as hosting a monthly webinar series geared for financial professionals. The webinar series is planned to be on a broad range of topics and bring together leading industry experts to discuss their perspectives on the market landscape and options and futures strategies. The series is slated to launch on Wednesday, September 20 .

"For 50 years, Cboe has been the leading authority in the options and volatility space, widely recognized for its track record of innovation, education and advocacy efforts to drive the industry forward," said Mandy Xu , Vice President and Head of Derivatives Market Intelligence. "Market data and market intelligence have long been valuable tools for investors, and as demand for Cboe's proprietary products has grown among retail and institutional investors alike, I'm excited to play a critical role to help provide actionable insights to help our clients develop smart and efficient trading strategies."

About Cboe Global Markets, Inc.

Cboe Global Markets (Cboe: CBOE), the world's leading derivatives and securities exchange network, delivers cutting-edge trading, clearing and investment solutions to people around the world. Cboe provides trading solutions and products in multiple asset classes, including equities, derivatives, FX, and digital assets, across North America , Europe and Asia Pacific . Above all, we are committed to building a trusted, inclusive global marketplace that enables people to pursue a sustainable financial future. To learn more about the Exchange for the World Stage, visit www.cboe.com.

CBOE-C

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Cboe and Cboe Global Markets are registered trademarks of Cboe Exchange, Inc. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.

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SOURCE Cboe Global Markets
Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) today announced that the Discover Board of Directors and Roger Hochschild have agreed that Hochschild will step down as Chief Executive Officer and President and as a member of the Board. Hochschild will serve in an advisory role at the Company through the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition. John Owen, a member of the Board, has been appointed Interim CEO and President. These changes are effective immediately.

The Board has engaged a leading global executive search firm to commence a process to identify a permanent CEO and President.

Tom Maheras, Chair of the Board, said, The Board and Roger have agreed that now is the right time to transition leadership, and we thank Roger for his 25 years of service to the Company. The Board is continuously focused on Discover reaching its full potential across the business, including our commitment to enhancing compliance, risk management and corporate governance. We will continue to take actions to advance Discovers strategic priorities and generate high returns and capital.

Owen said, Since joining the Board in 2022, I have been impressed by Discovers dedicated employee base and all the potential that lies ahead for the business. I look forward to working alongside the management executive committee and Board throughout this transition to continue driving organization-wide excellence and sustainable, long-term performance.

Hochschild said, It has been a privilege to spend 25 years with the people of Discover at this amazing company. I know that the Company will enjoy continued success.

About John Owen

John Owen joined the Discover Board of Directors in June 2022. Owen brings 38 years of experience in consumer banking and information technology that spans multiple industries, including banking, insurance, airlines and the defense industry. He retired from Regions Financial Corp., one of the nations largest full-service providers of consumer and commercial banking, wealth management and mortgage products and services, in March 2021, where he had been Chief Operating Officer since 2018. Previously, Owen served in various senior management roles at the bank, including Head of Operations and Technology, Head of Consumer Services Group, Head of Regional Banking group, and Head of Enterprise Services and Consumer Banking.

Prior to joining Regions Financial, Owen was CEO of Assurant Specialty Property, a Fortune 500 company based in Atlanta. Prior to that, Owen was Senior Vice President of Global Systems Development for Citicorp Credit Services, Chief Information Officer of North American Operations for Arrow Electronics and Senior Vice President of Technology for American Airlines. He began his career in information systems with McDonnell-Douglas.
Moscow will host the 1st International Children's and Youth Book Forum "In the language of children's literature: cooperation of CIS countries and Georgia in the field of children's literature and reading" from August 30 to September 1.

The forum is jointly organized by the Russian State Children's Library with the support of the Russian Culture Ministry as well as the Fund for Interstate Humanitarian Cooperation of the CIS countries and Raising Readers Association, Azernews reports.

The program of the forum is dedicated to children's literature, translation, illustrations and book design, as well as the main role of the Russian language as interethnic communication.

The forum is expected to gather children's writers, artists-illustrators, designers of children's books, librarians, experts in the field of children's literature from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Georgia and other countries.

Deputy Director of the Firudin Bay Kocharli Republic Children's Library Zahira Dadashova will represent Azerbaijan at the international forum.

Speakers from countries will share the most interesting educational projects and experiences in the field of reading for children and young people.
SHUSHA, Azerbaijan, August 15. The process of searching for mass-casualty burials in Azerbaijani lands liberated from Armenian occupation as a result of the 2020 second Karabakh war was launched at the instruction of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Head of the Department of Special Investigations of the Azerbaijani Military Prosecutor's Office Emil Taghiyev told Trend.

"More than 480 people's remains have been discovered recently in the villages of Farrukh (Khojaly district), Edilli (Khojavand district), Yukhari Seyidahmadli (Fuzuli district), Dashalti (Shusha district), as well as Kalbajar, Aghdam, and other localities," Taghiyev said.

"On the grounds of the Shusha prison, Azerbaijanis were mercilessly tortured, beaten, had their hair cut, were subjected to canine attacks, had their wounds and exhaustion given to pigs, were killed using a variety of barbarous techniques, and were subsequently buried here" he added.

Previously, a mass grave was discovered on the territory of the Shusha prison in June of this year.
Invitae (NYSE: NVTA), a leading medical genetics company, today announced findings from its PROCLAIM trial , published in European Urology Oncology , showing that almost half of prostate cancer patients with clinically actionable pathogenic/likely pathogenic germline variants (PGVs) could be missing out on genetics-informed care due to restrictive criteria for genetic testing.

In this prospective, observational study, nearly 1,000 men with prostate cancer unselected for family history of cancer, age at diagnosis or stage of disease, underwent germline genetic testing of 84 cancer predisposition genes under the care of urologists across the U.S. , primarily in community clinics. In this study, 51% of patients with prostate cancer met National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines and 49% did not. The diagnostic yield of germline genetic testing between these two patient groups was compared.

"Real world evidence suggests that less than 15% of prostate cancer patients who could benefit from genetics-informed care undergo genetic testing, in part due to complicated and prohibitive testing guidelines," said Neal Shore , M.D., F.A.C.S., from the Carolina Urologic Research Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina , and the principal investigator of the study. "We found no statistically significant difference in the diagnostic yield of PGVs between those who met NCCN guidelines and those who did not, suggesting there are a significant number of patients with PGVs, many of which are targets for precision therapies, who are being missed when adhering to current NCCN guidelines for genetic testing."

Among nearly 1,000 patients (median age at diagnosis was 65 years), 65% had low-or intermediate-risk disease. A total of 77 PGVs in 17 genes were identified in 7.7% of the cohort. No significant difference was found in the prevalence of PGVs (8.8%) among the 51% of patients who met 2019 NCCN prostate criteria versus the remaining 49% who did not (6.6%), indicating that these criteria would miss 41.9% of patients with PGVs.

The data show nearly 80% of men with PGVs had potentially clinically actionable variants, including those in genes with eligibility for approved precision therapies or clinical treatment trials. When stratified by self-reported ethnicity, non-white (predominantly Black) men who were out-of-criteria had a higher number of PGVs than those who were in-criteria, suggesting current criteria disproportionately disadvantage historically underrepresented populations from obtaining critical genetic information. This disparity is particularly disturbing given Black men with prostate cancer are known to present with more aggressive disease.

" According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in American men. Considering how common this diagnosis is, it's critical that individuals are offered the proper screenings and access to necessary preventive measures to assess their risk and detect cancer as early as possible," said W. Michael Korn , M.D., chief medical officer for oncology at Invitae. "Through this study, we are seeing how genetic testing can play a vital role in understanding a prostate cancer diagnosis, as it can inform different types of treatment that might work best for a patient's individual needs."

The findings support broadening the current guidelines and offering germline genetic testing to all patients with prostate cancer. This could change the standard of medical care for these patients, expanding access to precision therapies, clinical trial treatments and enhanced screening.
(Updated - August 15, 2023 1:58 PM EDT)

Mallinckrodt (NYSE: MNK) disclosed:

Item 1.01. Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.

As previously disclosed, on July 16, 2023, Mallinckrodt plc (the Company) and/or certain of its subsidiaries entered into certain forbearance agreements with (a) the holders of more than 75% in principal amount of the outstanding 11.50% first lien senior secured notes due 2028 issued by certain of its subsidiaries (2028 First Lien Notes), (b) the holders of a majority in principal amount of each of (i) the outstanding 10.00% second lien senior secured notes due 2029 issued by certain of its subsidiaries (2029 Second Lien Notes) and (ii) the first lien senior secured term loans due 2027 (Term Loans) (and the administrative agent in respect of the Term Loans) borrowed by certain of its subsidiaries pursuant to the credit agreement, dated as of June 16, 2022, by and among the Company, certain of its subsidiaries, the lenders party thereto, Acquiom Agency Services LLC and Seaport Loan Products LLC, as co-administrative agents, and Deutsche Bank AG New York Branch, as collateral agent (Term Loan Credit Agreement), and (c) the lenders and agents under the ABL Credit Agreement, dated as of June 16, 2022, by and among ST US AR Finance LLC, the lenders party thereto, the L/C Issuers (as defined in the ABL Credit Agreement) party thereto and Barclays Bank plc, as administrative agent and collateral agent (ABL Credit Agreement) (collectively, the Forbearance Agreement Counterparties), pursuant to which the applicable creditors and agents, as applicable, have agreed to forbear from exercising any rights or remedies until August 15, 2023 with respect to the events of default arising from the Companys failure to make interest payments on the 2028 First Lien Notes and 2029 Second Lien Notes, unless such forbearance agreements (which contain customary termination events) are earlier terminated in accordance with the terms thereof. For further information regarding the Companys discussions with various stakeholders and other significant developments with respect to the Companys funded debt obligations, see the Companys Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2023 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on August 9, 2023.

On August 15, 2023, the Company entered into certain extensions to the aforementioned forbearance agreements (Forbearance Extension Agreements) with each of the Forbearance Agreement Counterparties, pursuant to which the applicable creditors and agents thereunder, as applicable, have agreed to forbear from exercising any rights or remedies with respect to the events of default arising from the Companys failure to make interest payments on the 2028 First Lien Senior Notes and the 2029 Second Lien Senior Notes that were due on June 15, 2023 until August 22, 2023, unless such forbearance agreements (which contain customary termination events), as amended, are earlier terminated in accordance with the terms thereof.

Pursuant to the Forbearance Extension Agreement entered into with holders of the 2028 First Lien Notes, the Company has agreed to pay approximately $19 million, plus accrued interest thereon, representing 50% of the interest payment originally due on June 15, 2023 on the 2028 First Lien Notes (the First Installment of the 2028 First Lien Notes Interest Payment). The Company expects to pay the remaining amount of such interest payment, including accrued interest thereon, in connection with signing a potential restructuring support agreement. Failure by the Company to the pay the First Installment of the 2028 First Lien Notes Interest Payment to the applicable paying agent on or before August 16, 2023 is an event of termination for the related forbearance agreement under the terms of the applicable Forbearance Extension Agreement.

The Board of Directors continues to actively evaluate the Companys financial situation and consider options, and the Company is actively engaged in advanced discussions with various stakeholders. These discussions contemplate entering into a restructuring support agreement with various stakeholders that would include, among other things, the Companys initiating Chapter 11 proceedings under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code or analogous foreign bankruptcy or insolvency laws. The contemplated Chapter 11 proceedings would cause the Companys ordinary shares to be canceled, which would result in no recovery for holders of its ordinary shares. There can be no assurance the Company will reach an agreement in a timely manner, or at all, on terms of a restructuring support agreement that the Board of Directors would support. 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.

The foregoing summary of the Forbearance Extension Agreements does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to each of the Forbearance Extension Agreements, which are filed as exhibits 10.1, 10.2, 10.3 and 10.4 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated herein by reference.

Item 8.01. Other Events.

On August 15, 2023, the Opioid Master Disbursement Trust II (Trust) provided written notice that it was further extending the due date of the $200.0 million installment payment originally due on June 16, 2023 (Opioid Deferred Cash Payment) pursuant to the opioid deferred cash payments agreement from August 15, 2023 to August 22, 2023. The Company recognizes the important role of the Trust in helping to address the nations opioid crisis and fund addiction treatment and related efforts. Under the opioid deferred cash payments agreement, which was originally entered into by the Company and the Trust upon the Companys emergence from bankruptcy on June 16, 2022 (Effective Date), the Company and certain of its subsidiaries agreed to make certain deferred payments to the Trust, including a $450 million payment that was paid on the Effective Date. For further information regarding the Companys opioid-related litigation settlement obligations, see the Companys Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2023 filed with the SEC on August 9, 2023.
HERNDON, Va., Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Avint LLC, an innovative federal cybersecurity and management consulting firm, today announced that it has been recognized as one of Americas fastest-growing private companies on the coveted 2023 Inc. 5000 list for the first time. The prestigious award is a prime signal of the companys success and continued growth.

Its beyond rewarding to earn a place on the Inc. 5000 list, as it demonstrates our commitment to growing while we support our federal customers on their vital mission to protect our national security, said Marcie Nagel, founder and CEO of Avint. I want to thank our customers for their trust and our teams dedication to going above and beyond. Without them, this achievement wouldnt have been possible.

The Inc. 5000 list highlights private U.S. companies that have demonstrated consistent, successful revenue growth over the last three years.

This recognition follows the recent launch of the companys first-in-market cybersecurity product, the Avint Risk Enumeration Algorithm (AREA), a cutting-edge tool that helps federal agencies pinpoint and prioritize their cyber vulnerabilities.

Avint is ranked 2,996 among the 2023 Inc. 5000 honorees. The full list can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Avint LLCAvint delivers innovative cybersecurity and digital transformation solutions to achieve government mission success. As a fast-growing, service-disabled veteran-owned and women-owned small business, Avint offers defense, intelligence and national security customers better options for securing systems anywhere at any time. Through proven past performance in delivering advanced cybersecurity solutions within classified technology environments, the Avint team is recognized for ensuring excellent outcomes. Avint was founded by CEO Marcie Nagel, a nationally respected cybersecurity and zero trust expert, U.S. Air Force and FBI veteran, and former principal and Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program leader at Booz Allen Hamilton. Learn more at www.avintllc.com.

About Inc.The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference & Gala is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

Joyce BoscOn behalf of Avint[email protected]301-717-9529

Source: Avint
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ceylon Graphite Corp. ("Ceylon" or the Company) (TSX-V: CYL) (OTC: CYLYF) (FSE: CCY) announces today that, further to the Companys press release dated August 1, 2023, the Companys audited financial statements and management discussion and analysis (the Annual Filings) for the year ended March 31, 2023 have now been released and filed under the Companys profile on www.sedarplus.ca.

While the preparation of the Annual Filings took longer than expected, the Company does not anticipate such delays with future filings.

About Ceylon Graphite Corp.

Ceylon is a public company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange, that is in the business of mining for graphite, and developing and commercializing innovative graphene and graphite applications and products. Graphite mined in Sri Lanka is known to be some of the highest grade in the world and has been confirmed to be suitable to be easily upgradable for a range of applications including the high-growth electric vehicle and battery storage markets as well as construction, healthcare and paints and coatings sectors. The Government of Sri Lanka has granted Ceylons wholly owned subsidiary Sarcon Development (Pvt) Ltd. an IML Category A license for its K1 mine and exploration rights in a land package of over 120km. These exploration grids (each one square kilometer in area) cover areas of historic graphite production from the early twentieth century and represent a majority of the known graphite occurrences in Sri Lanka.

Further information regarding Ceylon is available at www.ceylongraphite.com

Sasha Jacob, Chief Executive Officer and Rita Thiel, Chair of the Board of Directors

[email protected]

Corporate Communications

+1(604) 924-8695

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 information as such term is defined in applicable securities laws, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. The forward-looking information includes the Companys expectations related to future annual filings. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to Ceylon, including the assumption that will be no material adverse changes effecting development and production at the K1 mine or on other properties, there will be no material adverse change in graphite and metal prices, there will be continued demand for graphite powered batteries, all necessary consents, licenses, permits and approvals will be obtained, including various Local Government Licenses, and all information required to complete the Companys audit will be obtained by the Company and its auditors in a timely manner. Investors are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected. Risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the forward-looking information include, among other things, failure to obtain all information required to complete the Companys audit, failure of the Companys auditor to complete its audit of the Company before the expected date of filing, failure to obtain or maintain patents and proprietary technology, loss or failure to acquire available high quality graphite, any failures to obtain or delays in obtaining required regulatory licenses, permits, approvals and consents, an inability to access financing as needed, a general economic downturn, a volatile stock price, labour strikes, political unrest, changes in the mining regulatory regime governing Ceylon, a failure to comply with environmental regulations and a weakening of market and industry reliance on high quality graphite. Ceylon cautions the reader that the above list of risk factors is not exhaustive.

Source: Ceylon Graphite Corp.
CALGARY, Alberta, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rolls, brownies, cookies, gluten-free options  oh, my! Cinnaholic, the gourmet cinnamon roll bakery, is opening a new location in southeast Calgary on Friday, August 18. The franchises third bakery is located in Township Shopping Centre (80 Longview Common SE), Calgarys popular new shopping destination.

Cinnaholic is the original, gourmet cinnamon roll bakery, acclaimed for serving create your own cinnamon rolls and other sweet treats like made from scratch brownies, cookies and edible cookie dough. Cinnaholic offers something to satisfy every sweet tooth, with products that are fresh baked and 100% vegan, dairy & lactose free, egg-free and cholesterol-free.

Both of our Cinnaholic locations in Calgary have experienced overwhelming support since opening, said Robby Teja, president, Cinnaholic Calgary. We are thrilled to be opening our third location in the Township Shopping Centre to conveniently serve our loyal customers with more mouth-watering cinnamon rolls and other sweet treats, made with the highest quality, animal-free ingredients.

Cinnaholic is inviting Calgarians to quench their cravings and visit the new location at a grand opening event on Friday, August 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. At the event, Cinnaholic will be serving up $2 cinnamon rolls* and the chance to win some amazing prizes, including FREE cinnamon rolls for a year, Apple AirPods, a 55-inch TV or a gift card voucher from Leela Eco Spa**!

The franchise will follow this exciting opening with two more Cinnaholic locations, including one in Airdrie.

For more information on Cinnaholic Township Shopping Centres grand opening on August 18, visit the event page. To enter for a chance to win FREE cinnamon rolls for a year, click here!

*Limit ONE $2 Roll per customer, per visit. All additional orders are regular price. Must be present at the time of purchase, ages 3 and up. No call-in orders. Offer not valid with any other discounts or offers.

**Maximum of one prize ballot per purchase on August 18, 2023.

About Cinnaholic

Cinnaholic s mission is to solve everyones dessert cravings, serving create-your-own cinnamon rolls and other sweet treats like made from scratch brownies, cookies, and edible cookie dough. Select from over 20 unique frosting flavors and a variety of fresh and decadent toppings for your cinnamon roll. Mix and match flavors to create a new experience every visit! Cinnaholic believes in using the highest quality ingredients. All products are fresh-baked and 100% vegan, dairy & lactose-free, egg-free, and cholesterol-free. Cinnaholic has over 80 locations across Canada and the U.S. Visit www.cinnaholic.ca to learn more.

Media Contact

Kelsey WilsonBrookline Public Relations, Inc. C: 403.471.1284E: [email protected]

Source: Cinnaholic Calgary
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CloudMD Software & Services Inc. (TSXV: DOC, OTCQX: DOCRF, Frankfurt: 6PH) (the Company or CloudMD), an innovative health services company transforming the delivery of care, is pleased to announce that the Company will release its financial results for the second quarter of 2023 on Monday, August 28, 2023, before market.



CloudMD will hold its Q2 2023 earnings conference call and webinar on Monday, August 28, 2023, at 9:30 am ET (6:30 am PT).

Second Quarter Earnings Conference Call and Webinar Details:

Date and Time: Monday, August 28, 2023, at 9:30 am Eastern Time (6:30 am Pacific Time)

Webcast link: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/d2o59vic

Upcoming Investor Day Call and Webinar Details:

The Company has spent the last year transforming the business with a focus on profitability and long-term growth of its core business. Now that the process is largely complete, the executive management team will provide an overview of the Company's services, competitive advantages, ongoing innovation and discuss the strategic plan for growth.

Date and Time: Thursday, October 5, 2023

Pre-register: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8192318635144140127

About CloudMD Software & Services

CloudMD is an innovative North American healthcare service provider focused on empowering healthier living by combining leading edge technology with an exceptional national network of healthcare professionals. Every day, our employees and health care providers live our values of delivering excellence, collaboration, connected communication and accountability to solve complex health problems. CloudMD s industry leading workplace health and wellbeing solution, Kii, supports members and their families with a personalized and connected healthcare experience across mental, physical and occupation health. Kii delivers superior clinical health outcomes, consistent high engagement, and measurable ROI for payers such as employers, educational institutions, associations, government, and insurers. CloudMD is also a market leader in workplace absence management through data-driven prevention, intervention and return to work programs.

In addition, the Company sells health and productivity tools to hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare service providers to empower them to deliver better care. Visit www.cloudmd.ca to learn more about the Companys comprehensive healthcare offerings.

Karen Adams

Chief Executive Officer

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Investor Relations

[email protected]

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws, including statements about the Companys growth strategy and profitability. These statements are based upon information currently available to CloudMDs management. All information that is not clearly historical in nature may constitute forwardlooking statements. In some cases, forwardlooking statements may be identified by the use of terms such as forecast, assumption and other similar expressions or future or conditional terms such as anticipate, believe, could, estimate, expect, intend, may, plan, predict, project, will, would, and should. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based on certain factors and assumptions made by management of CloudMD based on their current expectations, estimates, projections, assumptions and beliefs regarding their business and CloudMD does not provide any assurance that actual results will meet managements expectations. While management considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to them, they may prove to be incorrect. Such forwardlooking statements are not guarantees of future events or performance and by their nature involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including those risks described in the Companys MD&A (which is filed under the Companys issuer profile on SEDAR and can be accessed at www.sedar.com), that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forwardlooking statements. Although CloudMD has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forwardlooking statements, other factors may cause actions, events or results to be different than anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could vary or differ materially from those anticipated in such forwardlooking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forwardlooking information. CloudMD does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information or future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities laws.
IRVINE, Calif, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kdan Mobile Software, Ltd., a global SaaS company, recently announced that its e-signature solution, DottedSign, assisted CHIMEI Corporation, a world-leading performance materials company, in digitizing its document signing operations. CHIMEI has deployed DottedSign to eliminate printing, faxing and overnighting documents to complete transactions. This adoption of DottedSign enables CHIMEI to expedite deal closures, reduce costs and delight partners with a 100% digital experience that's trusted around the globe.

"At CHIMEI, we are dedicated to driving sustainable transformation, said Denis Chen, Vice President of CHIMEI Corporation. In addition to enhancing the energy practices to align with this goal, CHIMEI also integrated DottedSign to boost the efficiency.

CHIMEI conducted a comprehensive evaluation of various e-signature solutions, and DottedSign is best-suited to CHIMEI's requirements in terms of a user-friendly interface and legal compliance. CHIMEI seamlessly integrated the DottedSign API solution into its internal system, resulting in cost savings for training and accelerated operation processes.

CHIMEI previously took 2-4 weeks to sign contracts with foreign manufacturers, but now it only takes one day. DottedSign has also assisted the finance and legal departments, reducing the time required to receive and archive files. Thanks to DottedSign, CHIMEI not only became more efficient but also enabled us to deliver a superior signing process to more than 70 partners within our industrial chain," said Chen. "Our vision is to build an environment with a paperless vision, and we believe DottedSign will be the trusted foundation for growth."

CHIMEI has been a leader in the global performance material market for decades now," said Wei-Chung Wang, Kdans VP of global marketing and GM of North America. "We're thrilled to bring the digital power of DottedSign's industry-leading e-signature solution to CHIMEI and its partners, empowering their continued success."

DottedSign is the most comprehensive solution for e-signatures. Its best suited for those organizations looking to adopt digital transformation strategy, especially in the manufacturing field. said Kenny Su, CEO of Kdan Mobile. The solution has been recognized as a "Leader and High Performer across Europe and Asia in the e-signatures category on G2, based on its easy-to-use user experience and widely accessible plans, including SaaS, API and customized options. Businesses interested in exploring more about DottedSign are encouraged to visit: https://www.dottedsign.com/solutions/manufacturing

About DottedSign

DottedSign is the most comprehensive and easy-to-adopt e-signature solution, offering enterprise-level security standards for businesses. The solution lets users effortlessly sign documents and get signatures from others with a low learning curve.

DottedSign provides widely accessible, integrated and adaptable plans, including SaaS, API and customized plans. The solution endeavors to help businesses not only effectively reduce the effort in the paper-signing process, but also assist businesses to implement sustainable strategies.

For more information about DottedSign visit: DottedSign.

Media Contact: Roger Hsu

[email protected]

Source: CHIMEI Corporation
HAMPSTEAD, Md. , Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mrs. Emily Bollinger Miller has accepted a position on the Boards of Directors of Farmers and Merchants Bancshares, Inc. and its primary subsidiary, Farmers and Merchants Bank (the Bank). Mrs. Miller is currently an owner/partner and the Secretary and Treasurer of Barnes-Bollinger Insurance Services, Inc. serving in various roles since 2008, most recently as a Risk Advisor. She is very active in her local community, serving on many local boards and assisting with many community events. Gary A. Harris, President and CEO, commented, We are excited to have someone with such strong business connections and community involvement join our Board of Directors.

Farmers and Merchants Bancshares, Inc. is a financial holding company and the parent of the Bank. The Bank was chartered in Maryland in 1919 and has over 100 years of service to the community. The Bank serves the deposit and financing needs of both consumers and businesses in Carroll and Baltimore Counties along the Route 30, Route 795, Route 140, and Route 26 corridors. The main office is located in Upperco, Maryland, with seven additional branches in Owings Mills, Hampstead, Greenmount, Reisterstown, Westminster, and Eldersburg. Certain broker-dealers make a market in the common stock of Farmers and Merchants Bancshares, Inc., and trades are reported through the OTC Markets Groups Pink Market under the symbol FMFG.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Gary A. Harris President and CEO (410) 374-1510, ext. 1104

Source: Farmers and Merchants Bancshares, Inc.
TORONTO, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- European Residential Real Estate Investment Trust (TSX: ERE.UN, ERES) is pleased to announce that the trustees of ERES have declared the August 2023 monthly cash distribution of 0.01 per Unit and Class B LP Unit (the August Distribution), being equivalent to 0.12 per Unit annualized. The distribution will be payable to holders of the Units and Class B LP Units (the Unitholders) of record on August 31, 2023, with payment on September 15, 2023.

The Euro-denominated distribution will be paid in Canadian dollars based on the exchange rate on the date of payment (estimated C$0.01462 per Unit and Class B LP Unit). Registered Unitholders will be provided with an option to elect to receive such distribution in Euros rather than Canadian dollars. If no such election is made, registered Unitholders will be paid the distribution in Canadian dollars based on the above exchange rate mechanism. Beneficial Unitholders will not have an option to elect to receive the distribution in Euros. The final cash distribution in respect of July 2023 was C$0.01462 per Unit and Class B LP Unit.

To encourage participation and reward our loyal Unitholders, investors registered in our Distribution Reinvestment Plan will continue to receive an additional amount equal to 5% of their distributions paid in the form of additional Units.

ERES intends to continue to make regular monthly distributions, subject to the discretion of the ERES Board of Trustees. ERES continues to target a long-term AFFO payout ratio in the range of 80% to 90%. ERES Limited Partnership will make corresponding cash distributions to holders of Class B LP Units.

About ERES

ERES is an unincorporated, open-ended real estate investment trust. ERESs Units are listed on the TSX under the symbol ERE.UN. ERES is Canadas only European-focused multi-residential REIT, with a current initial focus on investing in high-quality, multi-residential real estate properties in the Netherlands. As at June 30, 2023, ERES owns a portfolio of 158 multi-residential properties, comprised of approximately 6,900 suites and ancillary retail space located in the Netherlands, and owns one office property in Germany and one office property in Belgium.

ERESs registered and principal business office is located at 11 Church Street, Suite 401, Toronto, Ontario M5E 1W1.

For more information, please visit our website at www.eresreit.com.

For further information

ERES ERES Mr. Mark Kenney Ms. Jenny Chou Chief Executive Officer Chief Financial Officer 416.861.9404 416.354.0188 [email protected] [email protected]

Source: European Residential Real Estate Investment Trust
With an Incredible Three-Year Revenue Growth, fullthrottle.ai Ranks Among Americas Fastest-Growing Private Companies

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FullThrottle Technologies, LLC, an end-to-end, first-party data-powered technology company that helps marketers identify, curate, and target audiences, is delighted to announce its inclusion in the 2023 Inc. 5000 list. Securing a ranking of No. 3510 on the definitive roster of the most rapidly expanding private companies in America demonstrates fullthrottle.ai's relentless innovation, adaptability, and dedication to revolutionizing the advertising technology industry.



Running a business has only gotten harder since the end of the pandemic, says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. To make the Inc. 5000with the fast growth that requiresis truly an accomplishment. Inc. is thrilled to honor the companies that are building our future.

fullthrottle.ai owns U.S. Patent No. 11,556,947, which protects its core technologies. This powers the ability to transform the first-party data gathered from website visitors into real, in-market, addressable households. With this technology, fullthrottle.ai is able to provide businesses with audience insights that go unreported by traditional cookie-dependent data platforms. Businesses can market to net-new audiences instantly and use these first-party datasets to measure true sales attribution  a powerful tool in the age of cookie deprecation and increasing privacy regulations.

Being named to the Inc. 5000 list is a testament to the hard work, ingenuity, and passion of our team. We began fullthrottle.ai with a vision to reshape advertising in a world that was gradually moving away from cookies. Today, this recognition not only validates our efforts but also fuels our motivation to push boundaries and offer unparalleled solutions to our clients. We're grateful for this acknowledgment and are excited for the journey ahead," remarked Dave Regn, CEO of fullthrottle.ai.

In 2023, fullthrottle.ai launched several key innovations, including a unified platform within fullthrottle.app, a Return on Audience feature, and Custom Journey Segments. These features offer comprehensive insights into the customer journey and help clients transform their data into actionable marketing strategies.

fullthrottle.ai's innovative approach and the subsequent success are reflected in their increasing customer base and growing revenue. In a single month in 2023, the fullthrottle.ai platform transformed, made available, and delivered 6.8 million households for marketing opportunities.

Looking ahead, fullthrottle.ai remains committed to helping businesses navigate a cookieless world, while upholding consumer privacy. Its technology is set to have a transformative impact on the advertising industry and the broader digital landscape in the coming years.

Contact:

[email protected]

About fullthrottle.ai

fullthrottle.ai is an end-to-end, first-party data-powered technology company whose proprietary platform and technologies facilitate audience identification, marketing, and measurement across all mediums. As the fastest-growing household-based marketing platform in the industry, fullthrottle.ai is dedicated to helping clients identify and resolve website visitors into first-party addressable households of real, in-market leads.

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Methodology

Companies on the 2023 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2019 to 2022. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2019. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2022. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2019 is $100,000; the minimum for 2022 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to four decimal places.

About Inc.

Inc. Business Media is the leading multimedia brand for entrepreneurs. Through its journalism, Inc. aims to inform, educate, and elevate the profile of our community: the risk takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters who are creating our future. Inc.s award-winning work reaches more than 50 million people across a variety of channels, including events, print, digital, video, podcasts, newsletters, and social media. Its proprietary Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to rank the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The recognition that comes with inclusion on this and other prestigious Inc. lists, such as Female Founders and Power Partners, gives the founders of top businesses the opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. For more information, visit www.inc.com.


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Washington, D.C., Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Diesel Technology Forum (DTF) welcomes Innospec Inc. as a new member. The Forum is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness about the current and future role of diesel engines, equipment, and fuels. Members are leaders in advanced diesel technology, emissions controls, as well as petroleum and renewable biofuels.

Innospec is a global specialty chemical company with employees in 25 countries around the world. With technologies that enable premium performance, lower carbon footprint and improved operational efficiency, Innospec serves a diverse set of markets including transportation, personal care, agriculture, construction, mining, energy, and more. It is committed to industry-leading innovation, highly responsive customer support, and corporate social responsibility.

The future for internal combustion engines depends on innovations in combustion and the quality and performance of the fuels that they use. Innospecs Fuel Specialties fuel additives deliver a wide range of solutions designed to enhance fuel quality. As the industry leader and pioneer in the design, development and production of innovative fuel additive technology, our team focuses on the high-performance premium diesel, biodiesel, and gasoline markets," said Andrew McKnight, Vice President of Technical Services. Innospec is pleased to join other industry leaders in the DTF working to advance the future for clean diesel and other advanced internal combustion engines.

DTFs Executive Director Allen Schaeffer extended a warm welcome. He said, Were looking forward to having a global technology and fuel performance leader like Innospec providing valuable insights to our evolving Forum. Innospec is a key player in all diesel applications  marine, rail and land transport. Everything about internal combustion engines depends on the fuels that they use. To deliver maximum performance, modern diesel and gasoline powered engines need the very best fuels. Low quality fuels can compromise vehicle operations. They impact power, increase engine noise, and affect fuel economy.

Schaeffer says, Going forward, both renewable and conventional liquid fuels for advanced internal combustion engines must be high-performing and enable achieving even lower emission levels as well as greater efficiency over a wide variety of operating conditions. Whether traditional petroleum fuels or renewable biodiesel fuels, having the right fuel performance will ensure a bright future for internal combustion engines.

Innospec Inc.s US operations are based in Englewood, Colorado.

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About Innospec Inc.

About Innospec Inc. Innospec Inc. is an international specialty chemicals company with approximately 2,100 employees in 25 countries. Innospec manufactures and supplies a wide range of specialty chemicals to markets in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific. The Performance Chemicals business creates innovative technology-based solutions for our customers in the Personal Care, Home Care, Agrochemical, Mining, and Industrial markets. The Fuel Specialties business specializes in manufacturing and supplying fuel additives that improve fuel efficiency, boost engine performance, and reduce harmful emissions. Oilfield Services provides specialty chemicals to all elements of the oil and gas exploration and production industry.

About Diesel Technology Forum

The Diesel Technology Forum is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness about the current and future role of diesel engines, equipment, and fuels. Forum members are leaders in advanced diesel technology, emissions controls, as well as petroleum-based and renewable biofuels. For more information, please explore our website.

Connect with Us

For the latest insights and information from the leaders in advanced diesel technology, join us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn or YouTube. To get a weekly wrap-up of clean diesel news, policy analysis and more sent straight to your inbox please subscribe to our Diesel Direct newsletter.

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WICHITA, Kan., Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Legend Senior Living, a nationally recognized senior living provider which operates nearly fifty residences in six states, has expanded its management team by adding two new Vice President positions at the company's Wichita headquarters. Jenn Fast has been named VP of People, while Sarah Hobbs, BSN, is the company's new VP of Clinical Services.

Fast will be an integral part of the senior management team as she will direct all aspects of the company's people initiatives and programs while managing the corporate human resources function. This includes hiring, retention, policies and compliance, compensation planning, and developing programs that support Legend's mission, vision, and culture.

"Jenn's depth of experience in human resources, mergers and acquisitions, and healthcare is a valuable combination and were excited to welcome her to the Legend family," said Legend Executive VP Matt Buchanan in announcing the position.

Fast comes from Eyecare Partners of Ballwin (MO), a privately held M&A-focused healthcare organization, where she has been Director of Human Resources Business Partnerships since October 2020. Fast was most recently Human Resources Manager for Masterbrand Cabinets in Newton (KS), and before that, spent 18 years at Koch Industries companies in human resources positions, the last seven as Human Resources Leader. Her B.S. in Finance is from Culver-Stockton College, Canton (MO).

Sarah Hobbs, BSN, has assumed the role of VP of Clinical Services. Hobbs began as Assistant Director of Nursing at the Catholic Care Center, Wichita (KS), and since 2013 has been Director of Clinical Informatics and Regional Director of MDs at Ascension Living before becoming VP of Clinical Transformation/Clinical Services, where she has served since October 2020. In her role at Legend Senior Living, Hobbs will provide complete direction, oversight, and leadership of the company's clinical team, including five regional healthcare directors, to ensure quality care is delivered to residents while maintaining compliance with state agencies.

"We look forward to Sarah's direction, ingenuity, and input. Her strategic vision for delivering care in our assisted living and memory care residences and expanding our industry-leading policies and procedures will be invaluable as we strive to provide residents with a vibrant, independent lifestyle," said Chris Mahen, Chief Operating Officer. "Legend is very fortunate to find a qualified professional with such depth of experience in our field."

"I've spent most of my professional life serving seniors," said Hobbs. "It's what I love, and to join a mission-driven leader in senior living like Legend is my ideal. My other passion is using technology and management strategy to streamline and standardize operations to ensure proper compliance and better resident service. Legend's recent growth is so exciting. My goal is to see that Legend's level of care keeps pace with its expanding mission."

ABOUT LEGEND SENIOR LIVINGLegend Senior Living is a privately held senior housing and services company based in Wichita, Kansas, and owns and operates nearly 50 independent living, assisted living, memory care, and personal care residences in Florida, Colorado, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania. Legend has been certified as a Great Place to Work for the fifth time and recognized as one of Fortune Magazine's Top 25 Senior Living companies in the country and is a Top 50 senior living provider.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:Paul Hansen Vice President, MarketingLegend Senior Living316-616-6288[email protected]

Source: Legend Senior Living
WASHINGTON, D.C., Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As part of our efforts to accelerate minority business growth and advance economic equity the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) and the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) are collaborating to bring this years NMSDC Annual Conference & Exchange and MBDA National Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week to Baltimore October 22- 25. The conferences will be held in the same space to maximize attendance opportunities and will include MBDA-contributed federal government programming focused on creating greater opportunity for the minority business community.

This collaboration reflects the important role nonprofits, private corporations, and the federal government plays in promoting business diversity. It will enable NMSDC and MBDA to convene high-level federal partners to engage in important policy discussions focused on accelerating growth for minority businesses. It will also provide a more effective platform to educate companies and minority business enterprises (MBEs) on business development and contracting opportunities in emerging industries and federal programs/services that support business growth.

This collaboration embodies NMSDCs and MBDAs shared goal of promoting minority business growth to create a more equitable economy that works for all. By fostering access to contracts, capital, and more diverse networks, we hope to close the equity gap and unlock infinite opportunities for NMSDC certified MBEs to soar past our goal of $1 trillion in annual revenue and build long lasting generational wealth for communities of color, said NMSDC CEO and President Ying McGuire.

The Minority Business Development Agency is excited to work with NMSDC to commemorate the 40th Annual National Minority Enterprise Development Week, a historic milestone for the minority business community, said Donald R. Cravins, Jr., Under Secretary of Commerce for Minority Business Development. MBDA and NMSDC share a mission to create an equitable business ecosystem in order to unlock our Nations economic potential. With historic investments across sectors and industries, the opportunity is here. MBDA and NMSDC have the tools and the reach to make this moment count by expanding access to capital, contracts, networks, and opportunities that every American entrepreneur deserves.

This year marks MBDAs 40th Anniversary of National MED Week, and this collaboration recognizes the desire to work more closely together as we embark upon the next 40 years of minority business development.

Interested in attending the 2023 NMSDC Annual Conference & Exchange? Visit https://www.nmsdcconference.org/2023/ to register today!

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RALEIGH, N.C., Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PayBright, a leading merchant services provider, announces today it has been named to Inc. Magazine's annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in America. The Inc. 5000 list is ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2019 to 2022, during which time PayBright grew at an 891% clip, landing it as the No. 657 overall in the country and No. 5 in the Raleigh, North Carolina, area. This is the second consecutive year that PayBright has been recognized for this honor.

PayBright has separated itself from competitors in the space by partnering with some of the most experienced agents in the industry to sell merchant services, which has enabled the company to reach markets across the country and sign merchants from all types of industries. Over the three-year span for the list, PayBright grew its sales team from 100+ agents to include more than 600 active agents now. PayBright expects to surpass 1,000 active agents before the end of 2024.

"Weve remained agile and knowledgeable within the industry to know when it is time to expand the team and offer new services, said Dustin Magaziner, Founder and CEO of PayBright. Our team excels at providing unparalleled support for our agents, ISOs and merchants alike. Were honored to be named among Inc.s fastest-growing companies, and we would not be here without the hard work and dedication of our entire team.

The merchant services industry is a rapidly expanding field, as credit and debit cards have grown more popular in everyday use. Nearly every business has a need to accept card payments, and a report from Grand View Research states the growth wont slow down, as the global merchant banking services market size was valued at USD 41.44 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.4% from 2023 to 2030.

The news of being named a fastest-growing company comes on the heels of PayBrights recent launch of its POS Desk, which provides support to agents in the field who need help selling and connecting merchants POS and payments software. This will enable PayBright to continue providing top-tier support and growing its 1099 agent team.

To learn more about PayBright, visit: https://www.gopaybright.com/.

About PayBright PayBright is a merchant services provider that works with independent agents, ISOs, banks and other strategic partners to provide payment solutions to businesses. By focusing on a 'merchant services done right' model, PayBright has become an industry leader by ensuring transparency, affordability and simplicity for agents and their local merchants.

About Inc. The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference & Gala is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

Media ContactMatt GreenfieldUproar PR for PayBright[email protected]

Source: PayBright
NEW YORK, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of securities of Sea Limited (NYSE: SE) between April 23, 2022 and May 15, 2023, both dates inclusive (the Class Period), of the important September 19, 2023 lead plaintiff deadline.

SO WHAT: If you purchased Sea securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.

WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Sea class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=17863 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than September 19, 2023. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.

WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs Bar. Many of the firms attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Sea overstated its ability to manage the growth of its user base and loan book while enhancing its profitability; (2) Seas expansion to a broader user base and growing loan book rendered the Company significantly more vulnerable to higher credit losses; (3) as a result, the Company was likely to book a significant increase in loan loss reserves; (4) the foregoing was likely to have a significant negative impact on Seas earnings; and (5) as a result, the Companys public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.

To join the Sea class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=17863 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action.

No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investors ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

-------------------------------

Contact Information:

Laurence Rosen, Esq.

Phillip Kim, Esq.

The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.

275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor

New York, NY 10016

Tel: (212) 686-1060

Toll Free: (866) 767-3653

Fax: (212) 202-3827

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

www.rosenlegal.com
Advocacy Engagements Across Washington D.C., Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Atlanta Solidify North America as South Africas Fastest Growing Market

WASHINGTON, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As South Africa continues to make tremendous strides towards its 2024 global recovery goal, the North American team from South African Tourism reinforced the destinations commitment to its fastest growing market through a series of advocacy engagements in key American cities including Washington D.C., Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Atlanta. Delegates reiterated the destinations welcoming invitation to North American travelers by showcasing their uniquely South African brand of warmth and hospitality to trade, media, and stakeholders in this important market.



In the first half of 2023 weve exceeded expectations for tourism arrivals to South Africa from the U.S., almost reaching pre-pandemic levels, said Jerry Mpufane, President of South African Tourism North America. Were placing a strong emphasis on continuing to attract U.S. travelers by engaging with key partners and stakeholders in gateway and feeder markets. Our efforts, in particular, are focused on strengthening potent growing markets like the Black American traveler, a segment of the U.S. traveler market that is keen to explore South Africas culture and history.

In Washington D.C., the South African Tourism delegates joined representatives from the Embassy of South Africa and Future of Black Tourism for the inaugural E3 Leadership Conclave. The team hosted a lively evening at the Embassy of South Africa where attendees gathered to amplify the message of equity, economics and education required to fuel the future of Black tourism, a growing billion-dollar market segment for the tourism industry. Recent years have seen an awakening of Black Americans to the possibilities of travel to Africa, reflecting a deep affinity between Black Americans and the ancestral homeland.

The work of Future of Black Tourism is of paramount importance to not only South Africa but the tourism industry as a whole, said Stephanie M. Jones, Founder and CEO of the Cultural Heritage Economic Alliance, Inc. (CHEA) and Blacks in Travel & Tourism. We are grateful for the opportunity to work alongside our South African friends to shed light on the importance of advocating for this underserved market in the travel industry. In 2019, Black American leisure travelers spent $109.4 billion on travel, 13.1 percent of the U.S. leisure travel market and its growth potential is even more impressive due to the growing appetite amongst Black travelers to reconnect with their cultural roots. Now, more than ever, Black American travelers have become intentional in choosing to experience South Africa over other destinations.

The participating founders, CEOs and industry leaders met with members of the South African Tourism delegation to learn more about South Africas rich cultural heritage and exceptional tourism offerings. Throughout the evening, attendees advanced the conversation of economic opportunities for Black-led travel and tourism businesses, and the targeted investment and cross-sector collaboration that is imperative to ensure that Black travel and tourism experts continue to build on their share of voice in the industry. Data from MMGY Global indicates that Black travelers from the US spent over $100 billion in 2019 and with tourism rebounding, the evenings conversations largely focused on the trends that are influencing the growth in this market.

In May I had the pleasure to travel out to Durban, South Africa for Africas Travel Indaba and the experience left a lasting impression, said Dianna Ward, a member of the inaugural E3 Leadership Conclave. I felt an almost overwhelming sense of connection to the country and its people. It was on a spiritual level and since that visit I've been encouraging my clients and friends to set their sights towards South Africa.

While in Los Angeles meeting with media and stakeholders, Jerry Mpufane, President of South African Tourism North America, shared that arrival figures for 2023 continue to surpass expectations, with over 350,000 Americans having already visited South Africa as of May 2023 representing 94% of arrivals in the same period in 2019. Demand from the U.S. has grown significantly from 2019, with the U.S. now outpacing the United Kingdom on traveler spend in-destination at restaurants, shopping, wildlife, and visiting natural attractions.

Following, the delegation joined fellow leading luxury tourism professionals at Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas to engage in a week of one-on-one appointments with travel advisors, and to meet and network with tour operators and media representatives to share destination updates.

At Virtuoso Travel Week, the South African Tourism delegation joined a collection of African products and suppliers to present an Africa Lunch, this exclusive event was attended by top travel advisors who specialize in Africa and have exhibited expertise in successfully selling travel to the continent. Participants engaged in a spirited discussion, learning more about the offerings available from South Africa in particular to grow their current business.

From Las Vegas the delegation traveled back to the east coast to the city of Atlanta, a key market for South Africa. Delta Air Lines increased its capacity to South Africa by 67% last year as demand for the destination grew. Today, Delta Air Lines operates several direct routes to South Africa and even launched a triangle route from Atlanta to Johannesburg to Cape Town that now operates four times a week.

South Africa continues to grow in its appeal to U.S. travelers as it is truly a destination that offers up a plethora of unique experiences. Adventurous travelers can dive with Great Whites or spot the Big-5 on safaris in Kruger National Park, history buffs can visit the home of Nelson Mandela, one of the most famous freedom fighters in history, and culture vultures can visit world-class museums to learn about South African art, music, history and more. A visit to South Africa is truly the trip of a lifetime and thats a message thats resonating with U.S. travelers.

ABOUT SOUTH AFRICAN TOURISM

South African Tourism is the national agency responsible for marketing South Africa as a preferred leisure and business events destination. From breathtaking beauty and sun-soaked coasts to wildlife and adventure to vibrant urban energy and the incredible warmth and cultural diversity of its people  South Africa is a travelers dream! Destination South Africa offers a wide variety of experiences including safaris in 19 national parks, breathtaking diverse scenic outdoor spaces, vibrant modern designer cities, an amazing 2,500-kilometer coastline with Blue Flag beaches, inspiring heritage and cultural journeys as well as active adventure experiences and vacation offering impressive value for time and money at any budget.

ABOUT FUTURE OF BLACK TOURISM

Future of Black Tourism brings together Black travel, tourism and hospitality leaders and allies to work collaboratively to identify, share and create collective economic opportunities for its members to actively participate and profit in the global travel and tourism industry, and to build capacity to sustain, grow and invest in Black-led travel, tourism and hospitality organizations and businesses. Learn more at www.futureofblacktourism.com .

Contact:

Justin Barnette, Head: Marketing & Comms North America, South African Tourism

[email protected]

Margot Delville, Account Director, MMGY NJF

[email protected]



A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c2f95d4d-5924-4b56-823f-bf9f10cf8963

The photo is also available at Newscom, www.newscom.com, and via AP PhotoExpress.
HOUSTON, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Targa Resources Corp. (NYSE: TRGP) ("Targa" or the "Company") announced today that representatives from the Company will participate in investor meetings at the following investor conferences:

Seaport Research Partners Annual Summer Investor Conference on Wednesday, August 16, 2023, via video conference; and

Citi One-on-One Midstream / Energy Infrastructure Conference on Tuesday, August 22 and Wednesday, August 23, 2023, in Las Vegas, NV.

A copy of the slides used for the conference meetings will be available in the Investors section of the Company's website at www.targaresources.com, or by going to https://www.targaresources.com/investors/events.

About Targa Resources Corp.

Targa Resources Corp. is a leading provider of midstream services and is one of the largest independent midstream infrastructure companies in North America. The Company owns, operates, acquires and develops a diversified portfolio of complementary domestic midstream infrastructure assets and its operations are critical to the efficient, safe and reliable delivery of energy across the United States and increasingly to the world. The Companys assets connect natural gas and NGLs to domestic and international markets with growing demand for cleaner fuels and feedstocks. The Company is primarily engaged in the business of: gathering, compressing, treating, processing, transporting, and purchasing and selling natural gas; transporting, storing, fractionating, treating, and purchasing and selling NGLs and NGL products, including services to LPG exporters; and gathering, storing, terminaling, and purchasing and selling crude oil.

Targa is a FORTUNE 500 company and is included in the S&P 500.

For more information, please visit the Companys website at www.targaresources.com.

Regulation FD Disclosures

We use any of the following to comply with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD: press releases, SEC filings, public conference calls, or our website. We routinely post important information on our website at www.targaresources.com, including information that may be deemed to be material. We encourage investors and others interested in the company to monitor these distribution channels for material disclosures.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this release that address activities, events or developments that the Company expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future, are forward-looking statements, including statements regarding our projected financial performance and capital spending. These forward-looking statements rely on a number of assumptions concerning future events and are subject to a number of uncertainties, factors and risks, many of which are outside the Companys control, which could cause results to differ materially from those expected by management of the Company. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, weather, political, economic and market conditions, including a decline in the price and market demand for natural gas, natural gas liquids and crude oil, the impact of pandemics or any other public health crises, commodity price volatility due to ongoing or new global conflicts, actions by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC oil producing countries, the impact of disruptions in the bank and capital markets, including those resulting from lack of access to liquidity for banking and financial services firms, the timing and success of business development efforts and other uncertainties. These and other applicable uncertainties, factors and risks are described more fully in the Companys filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, and any subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. The Company does not undertake an obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact the Company's investor relations department by email at [email protected] or by phone at (713) 584-1133.

Sanjay LadVice President, Finance & Investor Relations

Jennifer KnealeChief Financial Officer

Source: Targa Resources Corp.
Enhanced capabilities will allow maverick community bank to expand its cannabis clientele across California

BONITA SPRINGS, FL, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Green Check (GC), the leading fintech connector and technology and insights provider in the emerging cannabis market, today announced its partnership with TASI Bank, which serves an extensive array of local businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area. This partnership empowers the community bank, a division of the Bank of Guam, to expand its cannabis banking offering for communities across nine Bay Area counties and add to the formidable clientele it has amassed in the past five years.

At TASI Bank, were proud of our reputation as a maverick of community banking and our track record of serving industry segments that larger financial institutions may shun, said Dave Jones, president of TASI Bank. Our partnership with Green Check adds another tool to our cannabis banking arsenal as we continue to reinvent modern-day banking. With GCs user-friendly platform and superb service, we can keep growing our client base with local cannabis businesses  all while monitoring the performance of our cannabis portfolio and ensuring compliance with evolving regulations.

A Minority Depository Institution (MDI) and a U.S. Small Business Administration Preferred Lender, TASI Bank tailors its services to meet the specific financing needs of local businesses. TASI Bank also offers its customers a wide range of innovative products and services that combine the traditional offerings of a bank with online and fintech capabilities, such as deposit accounts, loans, online and mobile banking, and remote deposit capture.

TASI Bank doesnt shy away from serving the underbanked, including the many local businesses bolstering Californias cannabis market, said Kevin Hart, CEO of GC. Green Check is proud to partner with TASI to help propel its mission of offering the most innovative, reliable and compliant banking solutions to current and future customers  especially cannabis operators in dire need of better banking solutions. Together, were helping open up more doors for legal cannabis businesses throughout San Francisco and beyond.

Green Check, which continues to broaden its footprint across the U.S., has now onboarded nearly 150 financial institutions and more than 7,000 cannabis-related businesses on its industry-leading platform.

About TASI Bank:

TASI Bank, located in San Franciscos Financial District, has served a broad community of business and commercial customers in the nine Bay Area counties since 1983. A maverick in community banking, it builds value for its client base by being flexible and adaptive and providing the traditional services of a bank combined with online, fintech capabilities. A division of the Bank of Guam, TASI encourages its staff to create and provide innovative products and services that meet customer needs. It defines its own success by the level of success that customers achieve. As a Minority Depository Institution (MDI) and an SBA Preferred Lender, it has the regulatory flexibility and the expertise to say, yes, for customers who may have been denied at other institutions.

About Green Check

Green Check (GC) is modernizing the way cannabis businesses and financial institutions work together. Founded in 2017 by a team of technology, banking, and regulatory experts, GC provides industry-leading technology and advisory services to more than 140 financial institutions and over 7,000 cannabis-related businesses. Green Check was included in the 2023 Forbes Cannabis 42.0 and named one of 50 game-changers in the cannabis industry in the 4th annual The Cannabis 50. It has been repeatedly recognized as Top Compliance Company and Top Compliance Leader at the PBC Awards, the premier cannabis industry honors. In addition, it has been recognized as the Top Financial Technology by the Green Market Report, and was also named as one of top Best Places to Work in Fintech in 2022 and 2023 by American Banker. To learn more about Green Check, visit www.greencheckverified.com and follow it on LinkedIn.
The Chattanooga-based business text messaging platform was once again honored as one of the fastest growing companies in America, coming in at #1,341.

CHATTANOOGA, TENN., Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Text Request , the industry leading business text messaging platform, has been named to the 2023 Inc. 5000 List of Fastest Growing Companies. This is the third consecutive year Text Request has been recognized by Inc., coming in at #1,341 with a 3-year growth rate of 441%.

To be able to sustain this kind of triple-digit growth for so long is a huge testament to our team, said Text Request CEO Brian Elrod. Over the past few years, the markets have been way up and way down. It hasnt been easy, yet every person on this team has shown up every day to serve customers and help them move their businesses forward.

The Inc. 5000 list is published annually, with rankings of private businesses in America based on revenue metrics achieved throughout the previous three calendar years. In addition to this recognition, Text Request has received a steady string of awards, including Best Places to Work designations and other Fastest Growing Companies recognitions. The company also continues to release new product features and improvements, including a review management platform, an automated Zipwhip migration tool , and text-to-pay feature.

View the full list of Inc. 5000 honorees at: inc.com/inc5000/2023

Learn more about Text Request at: textrequest.com
TOWSON, Md., Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vistant, a Maryland-based firm that delivers international development, advanced healthcare solutions, and mission support services to federal and state government clients, today announced it made the annual Inc. 5000 list for the fifth consecutive year.

Vistant, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary today, ranks at 1,877 on the 2023 list of the countrys 5,000 fastest growing private companies.

Its an absolute honor to make the Inc. 5000 list for the fifth straight year, said Walter Barnes, III, Vistants president. Weve had an incredible streak of success, and its a privilege to work with such amazing and dedicated team members. They are truly committed to ensuring the success of our clients missions.

According to Inc., only 3.4 percent of all companies to earn a spot on the list have made it five times.

Over its 15-year history, Vistant has grown from a single-office operation into an organization with more than 35 offices across four continents. The firm supports a variety of government agencies and U.S. Agency for International Development missions.

Running a business has only gotten harder since the end of the pandemic, says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. To make the Inc. 5000with the fast growth that requiresis truly an accomplishment. Inc. is thrilled to honor the companies that are building our future.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Vistant Vistant is a Maryland-based firm that specializes in international development, advanced healthcare solutions, and mission support services. Visit Vistant at www.VistantCo.com.

Vistant contracting vehicles: OASIS SB/8a Pool 1 (47QRAD20D1060/47QRAD20D8121); GSA 8a STARS III (47QTCB22D0222); and GSA MAS (GS-00F-166GA). Online at VistantCo.com.

Contact:James GallagherSpire Communications for Vistant[email protected]919-308-0738

Source: Vistant
FILE PHOTO: Pigeons are seen resting on signage for Walgreens, owned by the Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc., in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., November 26, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo

By Jonathan Stempel

(Reuters) -A federal appeals court on Tuesday revived a lawsuit in which the United States and Virginia accused Walgreens Boots Alliance of defrauding Virginia's Medicaid program by falsely representing that some patients were eligible for expensive hepatitis C drugs.

In a 3-0 decision, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, cleared the way for the nation's largest pharmacy chain to face claims it violated the federal False Claims Act and Virginia state law.

The case arose from alleged misconduct by a clinical pharmacy manager at a Walgreens in Kingsport, Tennessee.

She was accused of falsifying patient records, including lab results, between January 2015 and June 2016 to obtain prior authorization from Virginia Medicaid for reimbursement for the drugs Sovaldi, Harvoni and Daklinza.

Revenue from the Kingsport store grew by 321% during that time, court records showed.

Walgreens began an investigation, but did not repay money it received for 12 Virginia Medicaid patients, even after the manager pleaded guilty to a similar scheme in Tennessee.

In December 2021, a trial judge dismissed the lawsuit, saying Walgreens' misrepresentations were immaterial because Virginia's prior authorization requirements violated federal law.

But in Tuesday's decision, Circuit Judge Albert Diaz said Walgreens' alleged misrepresentations were material under the False Claims Act because they "did, in fact, influence the decisionmakers" at Virginia Medicaid.

He also said Walgreens could not escape liability by attacking Virginia's eligibility requirements as illegal.

"Allowing Walgreens to avoid liability by challenging Virginia's eligibility criteria only after getting caught would hinder the act's purpose of holding fraudsters accountable," Diaz wrote.

Walgreens declined to comment.

The U.S. Department of Justice also declined to comment, while the office of Virginia Attorney general Jason Miyares did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The case is U.S. et al v Walgreen Co, 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 22-1491.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Jonathan Oatis)
15 innovative proposals exploring the two categories of "Inspiration for People" and "Inspiration for the Planet" qualified for the Global Final Demo Event where they will compete for the top 5 places and the chance to bring their ideas to life with support from OPPO and its partners.

The poll for People's Choice Award will start at 2PM on August 15th (GMT+8). Click here to vote for your favorite proposal in each of the two categorieswith the chance to win an OPPO Find N2 Flip phone.

Shenzhen, China--(Newsfile Corp. - August 15, 2023) - OPPO today announced the 15 tech start-ups shortlisted for the Global Final Demo Event of the 2023 OPPO Inspiration Challenge following the successful completion of regional demo events in Boston, Shenzhen, and Bangkok earlier this month. The 15 start-ups and their innovations will meet in Singapore in October where they will compete for a spot in the global top 5.





OPPO Inspiration Challenge Global Top 15 Proposals

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The 2023 OPPO Inspiration Challenge received a total of 687 innovative proposals from 66 different countries and regions focusing on the two entry categories of "Inspiration for People" and "Inspiration for the Planet". Following a thorough evaluation process, the top 15 solutions in each region were selected to take part in three regional demo events in Boston, Shenzhen, and Bangkok.

Industry Experts Inspire Further Innovation

Hosted by OPPO Research Institute in partnership with the Harvard GSAS Entrepreneur Community, the first regional demo event of 2023 OPPO Inspiration Challenge was held at the Harvard Club of Boston on July 27. During the event, 15 selected start-ups from Europe, the United States, and Israel pitched their solutions to the judging panel. Following their pitches, entrants also had the opportunity to engage in in-depth technical discussions with Jason Liao, Head of OPPO Research Institute, and executives from Harvard Business School and investment institutions.

The Award Ceremony of the 2023 OPPO Inspiration Challenge Regional Demo Event in Boston

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On July 31, the second regional demo event took place in Shenzhen in partnership with the China University-Enterprise Collaboration Innovation Alliance (CUEC). OPPO Vice President and President of China Market, Bobee Liu, and the Head of OPPO Health Lab, Leo Zeng, both attended the event, where they were joined by other judges from Qualcomm Ventures, Amazon Web Services, GSMA 5G IN, and Beihang Investment. During the event, attending media and guests also voted for the winners of the "Media Choice" and the "Virtuous Innovation" awards.

The Award Ceremony of the 2023 OPPO Inspiration Challenge Regional Demo Event in Shenzhen

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The last regional demo event took place in Bangkok on August 7. In partnership with one of the APAC region's most influential universities - Chulalongkorn University - OPPO also invited experts from Amazon Web Services and Deloitte to participate in the judging process. Professor Kaywalee Chatdarong, Vice President of Chulalongkorn University said in her closing remark that "Chulalongkorn University is honored to be OPPO's regional partner. Together, we envision a future full of possibilities and innovations for our nations and the global society."





The Award Ceremony of the 2023 OPPO Inspiration Challenge Regional Demo Event in Bangkok

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15 Innovative Solutions Shortlisted for Global Final Demo Event

Based on the four criteria of feasibility, innovation and originality, long-term potential, and social value, the professional judging panels from each of the three regional demo events have now selected their top 5 respective proposals to make up the shortlist of 15 entrants that will compete in the global final of 2023 OPPO Inspiration Challenge. Together, these solutions and the start-ups behind them are leveraging the power of digital health, accessible technology, and sustainability to build a better world for all.

For more information about the 15 finalists and join People's Choice Award to vote for your favorite innovative proposals, please visit https://www.oppo.com/en/proposal/finalists-2023/.

To further facilitate the development of the proposals via internal and external collaboration, OPPO will partner with KPMG to hold the Acceleration Camp prior to the Global Final Demo Event. During the camp, senior executives from OPPO will join technology experts, investors, and industry partners to provide assistance to the top 15 global start-ups. Following this, the top 5 winning solutions will be selected at the Global Final Demo Event. Each winning start-up will be awarded a prize of US$50,000 along with opportunities to help further build their ideas, including productization and commercialization opportunities, strategic partnerships, investment, and exposure at global technology events. Together with its partners, OPPO aims to empower global entrepreneurs and technology professionals to bring innovative solutions to life.

For more details about the Global Final Demo Event and the 2023 OPPO Inspiration Challenge, please visit https://www.oppo.com/en/proposal/.

Hashtag: #OPPO

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

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 X 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.

Media Contact:

[email protected]

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/177295
New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - August 15, 2023) - BeeSeen Solutions announces target lead generation, helping companies and professionals speed up sales cycles and increase revenues. The service begins with an in-depth analysis of existing marketing efforts, so the agency can align with clients' in-house teams and create a more unified, efficient system. The company can assist in both the development of marketing strategies and staffing growth.

More information can be found at https://beeseensolutions.com/.





BeeSeen Solutions Announces Targeted Lead Gen For Huntington SMB Brand Growth



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BeeSeen Solutions highlights the importance of expert-led content creation in today's digital landscape - with 69% of businesses planning to expand their output throughout 2023, according to a recent report published bySemrush.

Many small business owners struggle to dedicate the time and effort needed to implement digital marketing strategies on their own, explains the agency. Without outsourcing these critical functions, they miss out on leads, lack visibility among local customers, and fail to rank competitively in Google searches. The new service from BeeSeen Solutions addresses these challenges by managing key digital marketing initiatives.

Branding and creative content development are central components of the service. The agency works closely with clients to establish and express their unique brand identity online through logo design, website creation, blogging, social media, and video.

Fully managed search engine optimization campaigns are also included in the update. Applying proven SEO best practices, the agency optimizes clients' websites and online content to achieve higher rankings in Google and other search engines - improving visibility and trust.

BeeSeen Solutions can develop social media strategies aligned with the client's target market and brand voice. This includes creating and managing accounts, developing engaging content, running ads, and analyzing performance. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram are leveraged to target highly specific, qualified customers in the local area.

This is combined with targeted lead-generation services. Utilizing tools like conversion-optimized landing pages and lead magnets, the agency generates and nurtures qualified leads - laying the foundations for more personalized communication that can foster consumer loyalty over time.

Patrick Pinto CMO shared: "As a comprehensive provider of digital marketing outsourcing and staffing solutions, we have the capacity to handle even the most significant challenges while remaining nimble enough to cater to individual projects. Through a global footprint, access to next generation technologies and a team of professionals operating as an extension of client's internal teams, the success clients continue to see is a direct reflection of the dedication the entire team at BeeSeen Solutions takes tremendous pride in."

Interested parties can learn more at https://beeseensolutions.com/.

Contact Info:

Name: Patrick Pinto

Email: [email protected]

Phone:+1-631-777-8811

Organization: BeeSeen Solutions

Address: 50 Stewart Ave Huntington , NY, New York 11743, United States

Website: https://beeseensolutions.com/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/177029
Las Vegas, Nevada--(Newsfile Corp. - August 15, 2023) - , 8/15/2023 Boardsi, a pioneering platform connecting top executives with organizations seeking board members and advisors, proudly announces its inclusion in the prestigious Inc. 5000 list for the year 2023. Placing the company at an impressive 640th position overall in the United States, 8th in Nevada, and a remarkable 29th in the Human Resources sector, this recognition underscores the company's exceptional growth and dedication to excellence.





Image 1



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Boardsi's transformational journey, under the direction of CEO Martin Rowinski, has resulted in a remarkable ranking on the Inc. 5000 list, highlighting the company's exponential growth, innovation, and influence in the business landscape. Martin Rowinski shared, "We are thrilled and humbled by this incredible achievement. It's a testament to the relentless dedication of the entire Boardsi team and the collaborative spirit that fuels our success."

The Inc. 5000 list, widely regarded as a premier recognition for the fastest-growing private companies in the United States, evaluates companies based on their revenue growth over a three-year period. Boardsi's impressive placement demonstrates its consistent and significant expansion, which is a result of its dedication to offering top-notch services to its clients and partners.

Boardsi has emerged as a game-changer in the board advisory and executive recruitment space, offering a platform that bridges the gap between top executives and organizations seeking their expertise. This recognition on the Inc. 5000 list reflects the company's strategic approach, innovative solutions, and exceptional leadership in the industry.

With this recognition, Boardsi reaffirms its commitment to empowering businesses and executives to achieve their highest potential. The company's impact continues to resonate in the boardroom, fostering meaningful connections and driving impactful collaborations.

For more information about Boardsi and its services, please visit https://boardsi.com.

About Boardsi

Boardsi is a pioneering platform that connects accomplished executives with organizations seeking advisory board members and senior advisors. Through its innovative approach, Boardsi empowers businesses to tap into a diverse pool of seasoned professionals who bring their expertise to drive growth and innovation. With a commitment to excellence and a track record of success, Boardsi has established itself as a trusted partner for businesses seeking impactful advisory board members.

Media Contact: Lisa Williams

Marketing Director

[email protected]

(707) 327-6599

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/177337
Kelowna, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 14, 2023) - F3 Uranium Corp. (TSXV: FUU) (OTCQB: FUUFF) ("F3 Uranium" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement with Red Cloud Securities Inc., as lead underwriter and sole bookrunner, on behalf of a syndicate of underwriters (collectively, the "Underwriters"), pursuant to which the Underwriters have agreed to purchase for resale 30,927,835 flow-through units of the Company (each, a "FT Unit") at a price of C$0.485 per FT Unit (the "Offering Price") on a "bought deal" basis in a private placement for gross proceeds of C$15,000,000 (the "Underwritten Offering").

Each FT Unit will consist of one common share of the Company (each, a "Common Share") to be issued as a "flow-through share" within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (each, a "FT Share") and one half of one Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each whole Warrant shall entitle the holder to purchase one Common Share at a price of C$0.485 at any time on or before that date which is 24 months after the Closing Date (as herein defined). The FT Shares will be issued as charitable flow-through common shares of the Company.

The Company will grant to the Underwriters an option, exercisable up to 48 hours prior to the Closing Date (as defined below), to purchase for resale up to an additional 4,639,175 FT Units at the Offering Price for additional gross proceeds of up to C$2,250,000 (the "Over-Allotment Option", and together with the Underwritten Offering, the "Offering").

The FT Units to be sold under the Offering will be offered by way of the "accredited investor" and minimum amount investment" exemptions under National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions in all of the provinces of Canada. The Common Shares issuable from the sale of the FT Units will be subject to a restricted period in Canada ending on the date that is four months plus one day following the closing of the Offering as defined in Subsection 2.5(2) of Multilateral Instrument 45-102 - Resale of Securities.

The Offering is expected to close on September 12, 2023 (the "Closing Date"). The Company will pay to the Underwriters a cash commission of 5.5% of the gross proceeds raised in respect of the Offering (the "Underwriters' Commission"). In addition, the Company will issue to the Underwriters warrants of the Company (each warrant, a "Broker Warrant"), exercisable for a period of 24 months following the Closing Date, to acquire in aggregate that number of Common Shares which is equal to 5.5% of the number of FT Units sold under the Offering at an exercise price equal to C$0.485 per Common Share.

The proceeds of the Offering will be used by the Company to fund exploration of the Company's projects in the Athabasca Basin.

About F3 Uranium Corp.

F3 Uranium is a uranium project generator and exploration company, focusing on projects in the Athabasca Basin, home to some of the world's largest high grade uranium discovery. F3 Uranium currently has 18 projects in the Athabasca Basin. Several of F3's projects are near large uranium discoveries including Triple R, Arrow and Hurricane.

The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this press release, and do not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

F3 Uranium Corp.

750-1620 Dickson Avenue

Kelowna, BC V1Y9Y2

Contact Information

Investor Relations

Telephone: 778 484 8030

Email: [email protected]

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Dev Randhawa"

Dev Randhawa, CEO

Cautionary Statement: F3 Uranium Corp.

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities laws, which is based upon the Company's current internal expectations, estimates, projections, assumptions and beliefs. The forward-looking information included in this press release are made only as of the date of this press release. Such forward-looking statements and forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, statements concerning the Company's expectations with respect to the Offering; the use of proceeds of the Offering; completion of the Offering and the date of such completion. Forward-looking statements or forward-looking information relate to future events and future performance and include statements regarding the expectations and beliefs of management based on information currently available to the Company. Such forward-looking statements and forward-looking information often, but not always, can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "potential", "is expected", "anticipated", "is targeted", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or the negatives thereof or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved.

Forward-looking statements or forward-looking information are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, including, without limitation, risks and uncertainties relating to: general business and economic conditions; regulatory approval for the Offering; completion of the Offering; changes in commodity prices; the supply and demand for, deliveries of, and the level and volatility of the price of uranium and other metals; changes in project parameters as exploration plans continue to be refined; costs of exploration including labour and equipment costs; risks and uncertainties related to the ability to obtain or maintain necessary licenses, permits or surface rights; changes in credit market conditions and conditions in financial markets generally; the ability to procure equipment and operating supplies in sufficient quantities and on a timely basis; the availability of qualified employees and contractors; the impact of value of the Canadian dollar and U.S. dollar, foreign exchange rates on costs and financial results; market competition; exploration results not being consistent with the Company's expectations; changes in taxation rates or policies; technical difficulties in connection with mining activities; changes in environmental regulation; environmental compliance issues; other risks of the mining industry; and risks related to the effects of COVID-19. 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 or forward-looking information. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that could cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. For more information on the Company and the risks and challenges of its business, investors should review the Company's annual filings that are available at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and F3 Uranium Corp. disclaim 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 securities legislation.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/177232
New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - August 15, 2023) - The prestigious Miss Chinese Beauty Pageant reached a momentous milestone with its 20th edition, culminating in a captivating grand finale at the Mohegan Sun Convention Center on July 29, 2023. Ms. Faye Liu was crowned the deserving winner of the coveted title, and Ms. Rose Zhang claimed the honorable position of first runner-up.

Image: From Left - Rose Zhang, Faye Liu, and Kang Lai



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Founded by Mr. Eric Yuen, Mr. Jason Kong, and Mr. William Yip, this remarkable pageant continues to serve as prestigious platform for selecting New York City's representative for the acclaimed Miss Chinese International beauty pageant, held annually in Hong Kong.

Mr. Eric Yuen, the visionary founder, expressed profound pride in the pageant's evolution over two decades, asserting that the Miss Chinese Beauty Pageant transcends mere beauty, empowering young women to shine as inspirations and drivers of positive change in society.

Image: A Glorious Gathering of Miss Chinese Beauty Pageant Winners Commemorating the 20th Anniversary



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Jason Sun, the co-founder of the Sunshine Box Media Group, expressed his delight in sponsoring the event for the second consecutive year. He extended warm congratulations to Ms. Faye Liu for her remarkable victory, stating, "Being part of this event as a sponsor and presenting the award of Miss Photogenic, who also happens to be this year's winner, has been an incredible experience. I wish her the best of luck as she represents New York in the upcoming Miss Chinese International pageant in Hong Kong."

Final Results of the 2023 Miss Chinese Beauty Pageant:

Winner: Faye Liu

First Runner-up: Rose Zhang

Second Runner-up: Kang Lai

Miss Photogenic: Faye Liu

Miss Congeniality: Candice Liang

Miss Internet Popularity: Wanting Zhang

Miss Fitness: Rose Zhang

Miss QiPao: Rose Zhang

Best In Evening Gown: Kang Lai

Miss Best Talent: Kang Lai

For media inquiries and further information, please contact:

Mr. Jason Sun

America Time Media

Email: [email protected]

###

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/177178
Road Town, British Virgin Islands--(Newsfile Corp. - August 15, 2023) - LBank Exchange, a global digital asset trading platform, will list XRP Healthcare (XRPH) on August 16, 2023. For all users of LBank Exchange, the XRPH/USDT trading pair will be officially available for trading at 11:00 UTC on August 16, 2023.





XRPH Listing Banner

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XRPH is an innovative, scalable solutions company utilizing Web3 technology to revolutionize the way people access and afford healthcare services globally.

Introducing XRP Healthcare

LBank Exchange is thrilled to announce the upcoming listing of XRP Healthcare (XRPH), an innovative, scalable solutions company utilizing Web3 technology to revolutionize the way people access and afford healthcare services globally.

XRP Healthcare (XRPH) is at the forefront of healthcare innovation, utilizing Web3 technology to create a decentralized marketplace for pharmaceuticals and healthcare services on the XRP Ledger. This revolutionary approach aims to reshape global healthcare accessibility and affordability. XRPH's mission extends to bridging healthcare gaps in emerging economies such as China, India, and Brazil, where rising chronic diseases and growing populations require innovative solutions. By offering faster cross-border payment transactions through a mobile app, XRPH empowers individuals in underserved regions to access quality medical services.

Through its native cryptocurrency token (XRPH), XRPH enhances transparency and security in transactions, enabling seamless purchases of medications and healthcare products. The XRPH mobile app not only facilitates swift transactions but also empowers medical distribution in regions with limited healthcare infrastructure. Additionally, XRP Healthcare Africa, a subsidiary, focuses on merging and acquiring healthcare entities across the African continent, with plans to leverage the XRPH token for payments within its integrated healthcare system. The token's role extends to the XRPH Prescription Savings Card, offering savings on prescriptions and rewarding users with XRPH tokens. XRPH's choice of the XRP Ledger underscores its commitment to efficiency and scalability. In collaboration with media partner Cision, XRPH seeks to promote its vision through strategic media engagement. With a capped token supply and a diverse team of experts, XRP Healthcare is poised to drive transformative change in healthcare accessibility globally.

About XRPH Token

Based on XRP, XRPH has a total supply of 100 million (i.e. 100,000,000) and a circulating supply of 34.9 million (34,945,000). The tokenomics distribution comprises 4.44% for partnerships, 10.0% for the token sale, 33.0% allocated for exchanges, 15.0% for the team, 17.6% for liquidity, and 20.0% for eco-system incentives. It will be listed on LBank Exchange at 11:00 UTC on August 16, 2023, investors who are interested in XRPH can easily buy and sell it on LBank Exchange by then.

Learn More about XRPH Token:

Official Website: https://xrphealthcare.com/

Contract: https://xrpscan.com/account/rM8hNqA3jRJ5Zgp3Xf3xzdZcx2G37guiZk

Telegram: https://t.me/XRPHealthcare

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/3ykhjxGMpG

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/XRPHealthcare/comments/xast47/rxrphealthcare_lounge/

Medium: https://medium.com/@XRPHealthcare

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@xrphealthcare

About LBank

LBank is one of the top crypto exchanges, established in 2015. It offers specialized financial derivatives, expert asset management services, and safe crypto trading to its users. The platform holds over 9 million users from more than 210 regions across the world. LBank is a cutting-edge growing platform that ensures the integrity of users' funds and aims to contribute to the global adoption of cryptocurrencies.

Start Trading Now: lbank.com

Community & Social Media:

l Telegram

l Twitter

l Facebook

l LinkedIn

l Instagram

l YouTube

Press contact:

[email protected]

Business Contact:

LBK Blockchain Co. Limited

LBank Exchange

[email protected]

[email protected]

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/177330
Alexandria, Virginia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 15, 2023) - Mscoco Hair, a leading brand in virgin human hair, has launched two new products that offer glueless and breathable wigs for customers who want natural and comfortable hairstyles. The new products are Airy Cap Glueless Straight HD Wig and Pre-bleached Glueless Straight HD Lace Front Wig.



Airy Cap Glueless Straight HD Wig

This product is for customers who want a wig without glue or extra work. The wig has a pre-cut HD lace that matches the skin and an airy cap that lets the scalp breathe. The wig is easy to wear and go, and it has a straight hairstyle with 180% density. Customers can choose different lengths.

Pre-bleached Glueless Straight HD Lace Front Wig

This product is another option for customers who want a glueless wig with a natural hairline. The wig has pre-bleached invisible knots that make the hair look realistic and a HD lace that is soft and strong. The wig also has a straight hairstyle with natural black color and 180% density. Customers can select different sizes and lengths.

"We are thrilled to introduce our new products that offer glueless and breathable wigs for our customers," said Jack Wang, the CEO of Mscoco Hair.

"We know how important it is to have natural and comfortable hair styles that suit your personality and lifestyle. Our new products are made with top quality 100% human hair and HD lace that blend seamlessly with your skin. We hope you will love them as much as we do," Wang added.

About Mscoco Hair

Mscoco Hair is one of the top manufacturers of hair products in China, founded in 2005. The company focuses on top quality 100% human hair productions such as hair weaving, closure, frontal, lace wig and etc. The products have been sold to the USA, Europe, and Africa with good reputations and feedback. Mscoco Hair's concept is "Natural is more comfortable, Quality is the first". Mscoco Hair aims to provide people with more comfortable and top-quality hair products.

For more information, please visit the company's website at: https://www.mscocohair.com/.

Media Contact:

Jack Wang

CEO

Call Us: +8617734783976

WhatsApp: +8617734783976

[email protected]

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/177282
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 15, 2023) - Pegmatite One Lithium and Gold Corp.(CSE: PGA) (formerly Madi Minerals Ltd.) ("Pegmatite One" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has entered into an amending agreement (the "Amending Agreement"), to substantial expand the land package optioned pursuant to the option agreement announced on August 10, 2023 (the "Option Agreement"). The parties to the Option Agreement agreed to include an additional 304 claims (for a total of 383 claims) and extend the option payment date from the 1st anniversary to the 3rd anniversary.

The Amending Agreement significantly expands Pegmatite One's exploration area, which was obtained by the Company at no additional cost. This strategic advancement bolsters the Company's dedication to maximizing the potential of its exploration efforts in the vicinity of the Frazer Lake Mound Property, located in northwestern Ontario, Canada.

Kelly Abbott, CEO of Pegmatite One, commented, "Expanding our land package at no cost showcases our commitment to maximizing the potential of our exploration while maintaining fiscal responsibility. Our renewed approach to the previous acquisition highlights our dedication to transparent and value-driven practices."

Pegmatite One is committed to offering transparency regarding the previous Option Agreement announced on August 10, 2023. With careful financial prudence, the Company was able to secure the option for those claims, and now expanded to a total of 383 claims without any up-front costs to the Company, avoiding work commitments, yearly payments and safeguarding shareholders from dilution by leaving the option with the Company if it chooses to exercise the option on these claims in the next three years. Importantly, no funds were spent, and no shares were issued for acquiring the option, only in the event the Company chooses to exercise this option in the future. The Option Agreement also does not mandate any minimum expenditure on the property for the duration of the option.

Pegmatite One extends its appreciation to the supporting landowners recognizing their pivotal role in our exploration ventures. We value your contribution to our mission and the potential it holds for both our project and our shareholders.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors,

Pegmatite One Lithium and Gold Corp

"Kelly Abbott"

Email:[email protected]

The Canadian Securities Exchange and its Regulation Services Provider do not take responsibility for the accuracy of the content of this news release.

About Pegmatite One Lithium and Gold Corp.

Pegmatite One is a publicly traded company exploring for lithium and gold. The company is committed to responsible mining practices and operates two mineral exploration properties in Northwestern Ontario and a third mineral exploration property on Vancouver Island. The Morrison River property consists of 222 claims and 335 cell claim units in the Morrison River area, Muskrat Dam Lake, Northwestern Ontario. The Morrison River property is Pegmatite One's flagship lithium asset; the company sees its potential lithium production to be part of the world's continued shift toward electric vehicles and green technologies. The Georgina property, a gold prospect located in the Nanaimo mining division, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, consists of one mineral claim covering an area of 2,069 hectares.

Forward-Looking Information and Cautionary Statements

Forward-Looking Information and Cautionary Statements Certain information in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "may", "should", "anticipate", "expect", "potential", "believe", "intend" or the negative of these terms and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements relating to: the Morrison River Property potential in lithium production; and the world's shift towards electric vehicles and green technologies.

Forward-looking information in this press release are based on certain assumptions and expected future events, namely: the Company's ability to manage and meet the timing and costs of future activities on the Company's Properties; the Company's ability to maintain its mineral tenures and concessions in good standing; the Company's ability to manage the economic conditions or financial markets; the Company's ability to manage the inherent hazards associates with mineral exploration and mining operations; future prices of metals; changes in general economic conditions; the potential for new discoveries; the ability of the Company to obtain the necessary permits and consents required to explore, drill and develop the its projects located on its Properties, and if obtained, to obtain such permits and consents in a timely fashion relative to the Company's plans and business objectives for such projects; the general ability of the Company to monetize its mineral resources; and changes in environmental and other laws or regulations that could have an impact on the Company's operations, compliance with environmental laws and regulations, dependence on key management personnel and general competition in the mining industry.

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, including but not limited to: the Company's inability to manage and meet the timing and costs of future activities on the Company's properties; the Company's inability to maintain its mineral tenures and concessions in good standing; the Company's inability to manage the economic conditions or financial markets; the Company's inability to manage the inherent hazards associates with mineral exploration and mining operations; adverse changes to future prices of metals; adverse changes in general economic conditions; the lack of new discoveries; the inability of the Company to obtain the necessary permits and consents required to explore, drill and develop the its projects located on its properties, and if obtained, its inability to obtain such permits and consents in a timely fashion relative to the Company's plans and business objectives for such projects; the inability of the Company to monetize its mineral resources; and adverse changes in environmental and other laws or regulations that will have an impact on the Company's operations, the Company's inability to maintain compliance with environmental laws and regulations, the adverse effects resulting from its dependence on key management personnel and adverse changes due to the general competition in the mining industry.

Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement and reflect the Company's expectations as of the date hereof and are subject to change thereafter. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, estimates or opinions, future events or results or otherwise or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/177236
Highlights



New porphyry mineralization found in upper East Bear Creek of up to 0.42% Cu and 0.44% Au

IP geophysical survey to expand on five anomalies revealed in 2022 program

IP to enhance and define large IP anomaly and cover new mineralized zones in East Bear Creek

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 15, 2023) - Sanatana Resources Inc. (TSXV: STA) ("Sanatana", the "Company") is mobilizing field crews to return to the highly prospective Oweegee porphyry copper / epithermal gold prospect that straddles Highway 37 in BC's Golden Triangle.

The focus will be to conduct a 3-D IP survey on the Delta prospect and newly discovered East Bear Creek zones (see Figure 1). In 2022 the Company's 3-D IP survey revealed five separate IP anomalies (see Figure 2). The IP anomalies represent zones of chargeability interpreted to be pyrite / sulphide haloes around distinct and separate, porphyry copper systems. To date, Sanatana has only drill tested one IP chargeability system where the Company encountered significant copper, gold and molybdenum mineralization.

Buddy Doyle, President of Sanatana, stated, "The discovery of the East Bear Creek area was a significant addition to our knowledge of the Oweegee Dome project, unveiling new copper, precious metal and base metal mineralization as well as expanding the mineralized footprint to some 4.5km in extent."

The Snowpatch (upper and lower), Jack, Junction and Dome anomalies remain untested high-priority drill targets. The IP survey is designed to expand and further define the Junction anomaly which remains open to the east and to explore the mineralized and altered outcrops recently found at East Bear Creek.

Figure 1.



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2534/177255_b7a0990854457be9_001full.jpg

Figure 2. Plan view of the 3-D IP chargeability anomalies from the 2022 survey, redlines show proposed 2023 survey extension, green lines are current to date, drill hole traces.



To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2534/177255_b7a0990854457be9_002full.jpg

The East Bear Creek zone, discovered in the last weeks of the 2022 season is a new area of significant mineralization and alteration hosted in intrusive The IP survey will test the concept that the Delta Ridge and Bear Creek could in fact be connected. These new systems, the Upper East Bear Creek area and the Lower East Bear Creek area, increase the mineralized footprint of the Delta Prospect 1km to the east and 1km to the north. Figures 3 and 4 depict the Upper and Lower Bear Creek zones respectively.

The well-mineralized monzonite porphyry at the Upper East Bear Valley has similar alteration (potassic  albite / chlorite-sericite) and veinlet style (dark quartz  banded texture with chalcopyrite  pyrite  magnetite  bornite) as other shallow-level emplaced, high-K calc-alkalic, porphyry Cu-Au deposits, in the Golden Triangle. Table 1 summarizes list the mineralized rock chips and float samples from the Upper East Bear Creek area.

Table 1: Rock chip samples from the Upper Bear Valley

Sample No Cu Au Ag Mo Pb Zn J000219 0.42% 0.44 g/t 2 g/t 2 ppm 8 ppm 255 ppm J000318 0.29% 0.55 g/t 1 g/t 1 ppm 7 ppm 168 ppm S848630 0.24% 0.30 g/t 4 g/t 4 ppm 9 ppm 30 ppm J000179 0.21% 0.21 g/t 2 g/t 2 ppm 3 ppm 34 ppm J000315 0.14% 0.21 g/t 2 g/t 2 ppm 6 ppm 219 ppm J000045 0.12% 0.16 g/t 2 g/t 2 ppm 9 ppm 365 ppm J000046 0.12% 0.10 g/t 2 g/t 2 ppm 6 ppm 238 ppm J000050 0.10% 0.09 g/t 2 g/t 2 ppm 5 ppm 286 ppm

Table 2: Rock chip sample results from the Lower Bear Valley

Sample Number Cu Au Ag Mo Pb Zn J000042 0.68% 3.03 g/t 25 g/t 1 ppm 313 ppm 8.72% J000055 0.07% 0.86 g/t 3 g/t 11 ppm 74 ppm 2.64% J000040 0.05% 1.00 g/t 3 g/t 21 ppm 77 ppm 2.04% J000041 0.02% 0.30 g/t 1 g/t 2 ppm 77 ppm 0.56%

In the lower Bear Valley the presence of high zinc polymetallic veins, as highlighted in Table 2, is a characteristic of the periphery of a porphyry system. Soil sampling, anomalous in copper and white mica alteration highlighted by infrared spectrometer studies suggest another mineralization centre. As shown in Figure 4, the Lower Bear Creek zone is an extensive area of alteration and previously unmapped intrusive, the alteration is dominantly QSP.

Figure 3: Location of the Upper East Bear Creek zone with geology sketched in.



To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2534/177255_b7a0990854457be9_003full.jpg

Figure 4: North Looking view of Lower Bear Creek zone, with geology sketched in, note the trace of the polymetallic vein and the porphyry dyke.



To view an enhanced version of Figure 4, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2534/177255_b7a0990854457be9_004full.jpg

The technical information in this news release was prepared under the supervision of Buddy Doyle B.App Sc Geology, MAUSIMM. Mr. Doyle is a Qualified Person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and has reviewed and approved the technical information disclosed in this news release.

About the Company

Sanatana Resources Inc. is a mineral exploration and development company focused on high-impact properties in Canada. With an award-winning technical team and experienced management and board of directors, Sanatana is based in Vancouver and is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV: STA).

About Oweegee Dome

Oweegee Copper-Gold project is located in northern BC's Golden Triangle and is transected by Highway 37 and the Northwest Transmission line. Neighbouring projects include Seabridge Gold's KSM supergiant porphyry Cu-Au cluster, Newcrest's Brucejack gold-silver mine and Tudor Gold's Treaty Creek project. The Oweegee Cu-Au project is hosted in a geologic environment only recently recognized as similar to other known large copper-gold porphyry deposits in British Columbia.

The 2022 drilling program consisted of 3,679m in 12 holes which tested a variety of geochemical, geological and geophysical targets within a broad 2 by 4.5 km area.

SANATANA RESOURCES INC.

"Peter Miles "



Peter Miles

Chief Executive Officer

For additional information on the Company, please contact Mr. Peter Miles, Chief Executive Officer at (604) 408-6680 or email [email protected] .

To be added to the email distribution list, please email [email protected] with "Sanatana" in the subject line.

Cautionary Statement Regarding "Forward-Looking" Information

This news release includes "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. All statements included in this news release, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements including, without limitation, statements related to the Company's exploration program for Oweegee.

Forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "intends", "is expected", "potential", "suggests" or variations of such words or phrases, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements and information are not historical facts and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties beyond Sanatana's control. Actual results and developments are likely to differ, and may differ materially, from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this news release. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements, except as may be required by law.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulations Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/177255
Halifax, Nova Scotia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 15, 2023) - Zephyr Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: ZFR) ("Zephyr" or the "Company") announces that it has closed a second tranche (the "Second Tranche") of its previously announced non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") through the issuance of 494,000 (the "Units") at a price of $0.09 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one (1) common share (each, a "Share") and one (1) transferable Share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one (1) additional Share of the Company at a price of $0.13 per Share for a period of twelve (12) months. The expiry date of the Warrants may be accelerated by Zephyr at any time if the volume-weighted average trading price of the common shares is greater than or equal to $0.26 for any twenty (20) consecutive trading days. If this occurs, the Company may accelerate the expiry date of the warrants by issuing a news release announcing the reduced Warrant term whereupon the Warrants will expire on the 30th calendar day after the date of such news release.

Net proceeds from the Private Placement will be used for mineral exploration programs in Zimbabwe (see news release July 26, 2023) and for general corporate purposes.

The executive chairman and a director of the Company subscribed for an aggregate of 194,000 Units for gross proceeds of $17,460 in the Private Placement. Such participation is considered to be a "related party transaction" as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 ("MI 61-101"). The Company is relying on the exemptions from valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 contained in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, as the fair market value of the participation in the Private Placement by insiders does not exceed twenty-five percent (25%) of the market capitalization of the Company as determined in accordance with MI 61-101.

Under the Second Tranche closing, the Company paid a cash finder's fee $1,575 and issued 17,500 finder's warrants to PI Financial Corp. Each finder's warrant entitles the holder to acquire one common share of the Company at $0.13 per share at any time on or before August 15, 2024. The expiry date of the finder's warrants are also subject to the same acceleration clause as the Unit warrants.

The Private Placement is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary approvals including the approval and acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange. All securities issued under the Private Placement are subject to a statutory hold period of four (4) months and a day expiring on December 16, 2023.

About Zephyr Minerals Ltd.

Zephyr Minerals Ltd. is conducting ongoing evaluations of gold properties for potential acquisition and/or joint venture throughout Zimbabwe. The Company is concentrating on projects with obvious gold potential as demonstrated through active, shallow, small scale mining operations or previous exploration work and favorable geology. In addition, the property should be of sufficient areal extent to host a target potential of at least one million ounces of gold. To this extent, the Company has signed multiple property joint venture agreements and has applied for two Exclusive Prospecting Orders covering 124,000 hectares. The Company is also actively reviewing lithium opportunities generated through in house research and property submittals by third parties. Zimbabwe boasts favorable foreign ownership rules for mineral properties as well as prospective, underexplored Archean greenstone belts.

In Colorado Zephyr has been focused on mine permitting activities at its 100% owned Dawson gold property, which is presently in hiatus pending the collection and submission of additional water well data and satisfying certain other environmental related questions. The additional required water wells are still in the planning stage and will be drilled once available funds are in hand. Upon collection of the additional data the Company plans to reapply for a mining permit at Dawson.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Zephyr Minerals Ltd.

David Felderhof, Chief Financial Officer

[email protected]

T: 902 706-0222

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. The forward-looking statements contained in this document are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the Company. The forward-looking statements contained in this document 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.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/177342
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JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla., Aug. 15, 2023 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) SalesLeads announced today the July 2023 results for the new planned capital project spending report for the Industrial Manufacturing industry. The Firm tracks North American planned industrial capital project activity; including facility expansions, new plant construction and significant equipment modernization projects. Research confirms 140 new projects in July as compared to 141 in June, unchanged for the Industrial Sector.

The following are selected highlights on new Industrial Manufacturing industry construction news.

Industrial Manufacturing By Project Type

Manufacturing/Production Facilities 129 New Projects

Distribution and Industrial Warehouse 82 New Projects

Industrial Manufacturing By Project Scope/Activity

New Construction 44 New Projects

Expansion 48 New Projects

Renovations/Equipment Upgrades 57 New Projects

Plant Closings 13 New Projects

Industrial Manufacturing By Project Location (Top 10 States)

California 10

New York 9

Texas 9

Indiana 8

Ohio 8

Michigan 7

Georgia 6

Minnesota 6

Tennessee 6

South Carolina 5

Largest Planned Project

During the month of July, our research team identified 16 new Industrial Manufacturing facility construction projects with an estimated value of $100 million or more.

The largest project is owned by Formosa Plastics Corporation, who is planning to invest $12 billion for the construction of a processing facility in ST. JAMES, LA. They are currently seeking approval for the project. Construction is expected to start in Summer 2024.

Top 10 Tracked Industrial Manufacturing Projects

CALIFORNIA:

Semiconductor mfr. is planning to invest $2 billion for the expansion, renovation, and equipment upgrades on their manufacturing facility at 7501 Foothills Blvd. in ROSEVILLE, CA. They are currently seeking approval for the project. Completion is slated for 2026.

TENNESSEE:

Automotive component mfr. is planning to invest $790 million for the construction of two manufacturing and warehouse facilities totaling 940,000 sf in STANTON, TN. The project includes the construction of a 400,000 sf manufacturing facility in LAWRENCEBURG, TN. Completion is slated for 2025.

TEXAS:

Tissue paper mfr. is planning to invest $400 million for the construction of a manufacturing and warehouse facility on Gene Campbell Rd. in NEW CANEY, TX. They are currently seeking approval for the project. They will relocate their operations upon completion.

INDIANA:

Plumbing equipment mfr. is expanding and planning to invest $300 million for the construction of a 300,000 sf manufacturing facility adjacent to their existing plant in WABASH, IN. Construction is expected to start in early Fall 2023.

ARIZONA:

Semiconductor equipment mfr. is planning to invest $270 million for the construction of a laboratory and manufacturing facility on the Arizona State University campus in TEMPE, AZ. They are currently seeking approval for the project.

FLORIDA:

Building materials mfr. is planning to invest $235 million for the expansion and equipment upgrades on their manufacturing facility in PALATKA, FL. They are currently seeking approval for the project.

GEORGIA:

Automobile mfr. is planning to invest $200 million for the renovation and equipment upgrades on their manufacturing facility in WEST POINT, GA. Completion is slated for Spring 2024.

OHIO:

Tissue paper mfr. is planning to invest $185 million for a 500,000 sf expansion of their manufacturing facility in CIRCLEVILLE, OH. They are currently seeking approval for the project. Completion is slated for 2025.

SOUTH DAKOTA:

Industrial supplies mfr. is planning to invest $158 million for a 200,000 sf expansion of their manufacturing and warehouse facility in BROOKINGS, SD. They are currently seeking approval for the project.

KENTUCKY:

Automotive components mfr. is planning to invest $153 million for a 752,000 sf expansion and equipment upgrades on their manufacturing facility in BEREA, KY. They are currently seeking approval for the project.

About IMI SalesLeads, Inc.

Since 1959, IMI SalesLeads, based in Jacksonville, FL is a leader in delivering industrial capital project intelligence and prospecting services for sales and marketing teams to ensure a predictable and scalable pipeline. Our Industrial Market Intelligence, IMI identifies timely insights on companies planning significant capital investments such as new construction, expansion, relocation, equipment modernization and plant closings in industrial facilities. The Outsourced Prospecting Services, an extension to your sales team, is designed to drive growth with qualified meetings and appointments for your internal sales team.

Visit us at https://www.salesleadsinc.com/

Each month, our team provides hundreds of industrial reports within a variety of industries, including:

Learn more: https://www.salesleadsinc.com/industry/industrial-manufacturing/

NEWS SOURCE: IMI SalesLeads Inc



This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (IMI SalesLeads Inc), who is solely responsible for its accuracy, by Send2Press Newswire.

To view the original story, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/140-new-industrial-manufacturing-planned-projects-for-july-remain-steady-for-second-month/

Copr.  2023 Send2Press Newswire, a service of NEOTROPE, Calif., USA. -- REF: S2P STORY ID: 92617SI.04
Paid press release content from The Financial Capital. The StreetInsider.com news staff was not involved in its creation.

Elemental is now elevating its game with another pioneering creation in the drinkware market with the release of the Iconic Charms Bottle. This latest innovation, another first in the market, promises to add a touch of magic to everyones hydration experience.



Elemental is now elevating its game with another pioneering creation with the release of the Iconic Charms Bottle which is followed by their previous release of the Iconic Pop Fidget Bottle, the worlds first-ever Fidget Water Bottle. This latest innovation, another first in the market, promises to enhance everyones hydration experience.

Elemental has found a new way to revolutionize the way people accessorize and personalize their favorite bottles. The Iconic Charms Bottle comes with a detachable silicone handle with standard charm holes on it which fits most of the charms in the market. Along with every bottle comes three free charms with two additional slots, to allow customers the freedom to customize their bottle with other charms of their choice.

We wanted to create a product that not only looks fashionable but also serves a practical use beyond just carrying your drink, explained Seth Inyang, Co-founder of Elemental. Our goal is to make hydration fun and functional, and the charm bottle serves that purpose. It allows people to express their personality in a charming way while keeping their drink at its best.

The popularity of charms today, especially in the footwear market, is self-evident. This new bottle offers a new product for the placement of charms thereby keeping them even more presentable and chic. The bottle is crafted from premium 18/8 stainless steel which makes it durable. It is BPA-free ensuring drinks remain free from harmful chemicals and is outfitted with antimicrobial spout, which prevents the growth of bacteria. This product, like all Elemental products, was created with the goal of encouraging our customers to maintain a healthy life style while protecting the environment by choosing reusable drinkware.

About Elemental:

Elemental, founded in 2016 by Vinh Lieu and Seth Inyang, is a company deeply committed to sustainability and prioritizing the production of eco-friendly drinkware. With a strong focus on environmental responsibility, the company takes great pride in minimizing its ecological footprint throughout the manufacturing process. By utilizing sustainable materials and innovative practices, Elemental ensures their drinkware products are not only durable and functional but also aligned with its environmental values.

Elemental has consistently led the way in creating imaginative and environmentally friendly drinkware, elevating peoples hydration experience with style and practicality. Last year, the Company released the Iconic Pop Fidget Bottle, the worlds first-ever Fidget Water Bottle. This bottle was designed with a fidget pop-it strap handle to help both kids and adults stay focused, relieve stress and lessen anxiety.

The Iconic Charms Bottle is now available for purchase at elementalbottles/iconic charms

For media inquiries, please contact:

Gwen Nguyen



Marketing Director



[email protected]



6577774179

For more information, please visit www.elementalbottles.com

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Release ID: 89104894

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With LiveCoupons Back to School Event, customers can enjoy the latest discounts and never feel guilty about spending.



Livecoupons.net is an online platform offering wise customers many savings tips to shop more yet pay less for online purchases. As of August 2023, LiveCoupons announces to kick off the Back To School Event with thousands of valid coupons to help customers prepare well for the new school year.

Now that the Back to School for 2023 event is running on LiveCoupons. Coupon lovers at Livecoupons.net are rushing to find and update all valid and verified coupon codes and promotional programs so that they can help customers save more and spend less. Coupons are shared daily to meet the higher shopping demand during the period helping all customers, especially students, teachers, and parents looking to purchase school supplies, uniforms, etc.



Customers are able to access the "Back To School" section from LiveCoupons to buy desired items from favorite brands without paying entire bills. Popular brands available on Livecoupons.net, such as Discount School Supply, Puma, or FiveStar, release Up to 50%-90% coupon codes on certain items during the days leading up to the new school year.



In addition to Back To School 2023, LiveCoupons often refreshes the coupons list by updating exclusive offers on special occasions, including Halloween, Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and so on.

During these events, LiveCoupons searches evaluates, and revises individual coupons/promotional codes in order to help save customers' budgets. Similar to Back to School coupons, other codes are fully distributed across various items, like apparel, automotive, travel, games, and many more. Some refer to specific dollars or percent off, and other perks offer free shipping, making shopping online during peak periods easier and more affordable.



About LiveCoupons.net

Livecoupons.net is a specialized online platform dedicated to offering users coupon codes. With an extensive background spanning nearly a decade within the coupons industry, Live Coupons offers customers comprehensive and top-notch coupons, including Back to School Coupons 2023. Interacting directly with an expansive network of over 30,000 brands spanning diverse industries, ranging from beauty and wellness to technology, LiveCoupons provides a daily updated and refreshed list of discount codes.

At LiveCoupons, numerous coupon codes remain discreetly tailored for distinct groups, such as loyal customers, newcomers, or individuals with specific requests, rather than being publicly accessible to all.

Live Coupons recently embarked upon a novel avenue involving partnering with influencers and bloggers. Many of these influential figures and content creators collaborate with brands to extend exclusive coupons to their respective followings.

The Back to School coupons and other perks provided via Live Coupons undergo a meticulous verification process by the team to ensure safety and precision, affording customers the confidence to harness them effectively.

Customers can reach the website https://livecoupons.net/ to be the first person to update all the newest coupons for all upcoming events.

For updates, follow Live Coupons on Social Media:

Facebook @livecouponsnet

Twitter @livecouponsnet

Pinterest @Livecouponsnet

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Name: Ho Lee

Email: Send Email

Organization: Live Coupons

Website: https://livecoupons.net



Release ID: 89104921

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Awardco honors the ten winners of this year's Recognize Awards for their incredible success in building a culture of recognition for all their employees.

LEHI, Utah , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Awardco proudly announces the winners of the 2023 Recognize Awards, a prestigious accolade that celebrates organizations driving exceptional workplace cultures through strategic employee recognition efforts.

Winning one of these awards requires a strategy and execution that goes above and beyond in creating a culture of appreciation for every employee. Each winner goes through a rigorous nomination and selection process that highlights the success of each organization. This year's winners are:

Awardco proudly announces the winners of the 2023 Recognize Awards.

Best Incentive Program: Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System

Best Recognition Strategy: Children's Medical Center of Omaha

Best Milestone Program: Universal Orlando Resort

Best Reward Program: America First Credit Union

Best Employee Engagement: Brooks Running

Best Change Management: Beckman Coulter

Best Offline Program: All Access Staging

Best Launch: Rush University Medical

Best Life Event Program: BNY Mellon

Best Global Strategy: Okta

Awardco proudly announces the winners of the 2023 Recognize Awards.

Steve Sonnenberg , CEO of Awardco, commended the winners, stating, "These organizations exemplify the transformative impact of effective recognition strategies in nurturing engaged and motivated workforces. Their achievements stand as a testament to the power of recognizing and valuing employees."

Awardco is proud to recognize these exemplary organizations for their unwavering commitment to fostering thriving workplace environments through rewarding employee recognition.

For more information on the Recognize Awards and Awardco, visit www.awardco.com .

About Awardco

Awardco boosts productivity, reduces spend, and builds culture through value-driven recognition and rewards. It's the only employee recognition and total rewards platform to be a featured partner with Amazon Business. Awardco provides the largest reward network on the planet  all with zero markups. Coupled with the flexibility to build any number of recognition, incentive, milestone, or behaviorally driven programs, Awardco's platform drives employee loyalty. For more information, visit awardco.com.

Media Contact:

Bronson Dameron

Email: [email protected]

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/2023-recognize-awards-honor-outstanding-workplace-cultures-301897326.html

SOURCE Awardco
The Civil 20 (C20) Policy Pack urges the G20 Heads of State to put aside self-interests and address the deep inequalities that have increased after the pandemic.

NEW DELHI , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Civil 20, an official Engagement Group of India's G20 Presidency, has submitted its policy recommendations to the G20 Secretariat. The Civil 20 Policy Pack is the result of an unprecedented number of C20 eventsover 1,300 meetings, both online and offline, with more than 5,400 civil society organizations (CSOs) from 154 countries. Through mass outreach campaigns, including in vulnerable communities, C20 also connected to more than 4.5 million people worldwide.

India's G20 Secretariat is now reviewing the policies in advance of the G20 Summit where its Heads of State will meet in New Delhi in September. The G20 (Group of Twenty) comprises 19 countries and the European Union. Its members represent around 85% of the global GDP, over 75% of global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.

The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified deep inequalities furthered by a global economic recession and increasing natural disasters. C20 specifically calls upon the world leaders to put aside their own self-interests and power struggles and shift their focus to cooperation and collaboration to build a better, stronger, and more inclusive world based upon compassion, mutual respect, and sustainability.

Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma) is a world-renowned spiritual leader and humanitarian who is Chair of this year's C20 Engagement Group. She is the first spiritual leader to hold the position which represents volunteers with the world's CSOs and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). It is their work that addresses on a first-person basis the needs of the world's most vulnerable communities and the impact of environmental destruction.

Amma said: "One of the key insights that arose from the deliberations was that in order to ensure the long-term existence and safety of humanity, it is necessary to embrace certain overarching values and principles, and work together as a unified whole. Indeed, the emergence of such a sentiment can be seen as a positive sign, opening the path for hope. Humanity's intentions and actions must reflect a degree of this shared sense of unity."

Amma added: "If not, our greed will reach such a pinnacle that it will threaten our very existence. Nature has been giving us strong warnings over the past several years that this is the direction in which we are headed. If we do not heed these warnings, human beings will very soon be added to this planet's list of extinct creatures."

Amma emphasized that everyone deserves respect and dignity regardless of background, setting the stage for ethical and sustainable policies. The Indian approach to public service has traditionally been founded upon selfless service and community participation. This is possible because there is a collective faith in self-reliance and sustainability, where economic growth, ecological health, personal enlightenment, and social well-being go hand in hand.

Amma said: "There will always be some people who will discourage us and obstruct our progress. We should never allow them to shake our confidence or conviction in fulfilling our personal duty. Only if we have self-confidence can we benefit society through our efforts."

Mr Vijay Nambiar Principal Coordinator for C20 India said, "C20 India calls on the UN and the G20 to take bold action, including through substantial financial commitments, to help achieve the UN's critical Sustainable Development Goals. Civil society around the world should have sufficient space to play a fitting role in the implementation of this agenda."

The Civil 20 Policy Pack is founded upon on G20 India's themeOne Earth, One Family, One Future. The motto is inspired by an ancient Sanskrit phrase, vasudhaiva kutumbakam, which is so valued that it is engraved in the entry to India's parliament building. It means the whole world is one family.

After a successful conclusion of the C20 India Summit , Amma officially handed over the leadership to representatives from Brazil , the next country to hold the G20 Presidency.

For more information, please contact: [email protected]

Or visit: civil20.net

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SOURCE MA CENTER
Systemwide Pro Forma Revenue of $35.2 million in Q2 2023

Matteson Facility on track to open in 2H 2023 and grew Illinois revenue by ~8% QoQ with broadening of product offering

Expanded Massachusetts and Illinois wholesale revenue by 9% sequentially following cultivation quality enhancements and robust product launch pipeline

Progressed operational efficiency improvement plan with ~$9 million reduction in annualized cost structure

PHOENIX , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - 4Front Ventures Corp. (CSE: FFNT) (OTCQX: FFNTF) ("4Front" or the "Company"), a vertically integrated, multi-state cannabis operator and retailer, today announced its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2023 ("Q2 2023"). All financial information is presented in U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated.

Q2 2023 Highlights

Systemwide Pro Forma Revenue totaled $35.2 million , compared to $34.8 million in the second quarter ended June 30, 2022 ("Q2 2022")

, compared to in the second quarter ended ("Q2 2022") GAAP revenue increased 8% year-over-year to $30.7 million

Adjusted EBITDA of $2.0 million compared to $3.5 million in the first quarter ended March 31, 2023 ("Q1 2023")

*Systemwide Pro Forma Revenue and Adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP measures. See "Note Regarding Non-GAAP Measures, Reconciliation, and Discussion."



Management Commentary

"I am pleased with the progress we have made furthering our strategy of driving profitable growth as we continue to prudently optimize our business model," said Leo Gontmakher , Chief Executive Officer of 4Front. "With our ongoing operational improvements and aggressive cost-cutting measures, we have reduced our annualized cost structure by approximately $9 million . This keeps us on track to generate topline growth and position 4Front for further execution and profitability improvements while upholding self-sustainability as a core strategy for the Company."

Gontmakher continued, "We have built a strong foundation of valuable assets across our strategically focused footprint, which has enabled 4Front to remain resilient within state markets that we believe will unlock the greatest long-term growth opportunities  specifically Illinois and Massachusetts . As mentioned last quarter, we are not willing to sustain prolonged profitless revenue in any market in which we operate. With this mindset, we have made the decision to aggressively scale back our California operations to reduce the drag this market has had on our margins and cash flow generation. Our incremental capital is now focused on executing our growth plans in Illinois ."

Gontmakher continued, "In our view, Illinois is one of the nation's most promising markets to capitalize on our best-in-class platform and breadth of cultivation and processing capabilities. With our Matteson Facility anticipated to come online in the second half of the year and our strategy to establish eight more retail dispensaries in the state, we are positioned to effectively double the size of our Company within the next 12 to 18 months while expanding margins and generating cash flow."

Gontmakher concluded, "I am excited for what the future has in store for 4Front. Our platform is optimized and efficient and achieving operational cash flow emphasizes the significance of only pursuing projects that add cash to our balance sheet. There is a tremendous amount of long-term growth potential in our core markets, and we are confident that our robust operational discipline and focused strategic vision will strongly benefit us toward generating significant value for our shareholders and building our presence as a leading cannabis CPG company."

Q2 2023 and Recent Operational Highlights

Maintaining a strong vertical presence in Illinois with sequential revenue growth of approximately 8% in the state , enabling 4Front's retail operations to outperform the market average retail store by approximately 11% with two operational retail stores out of over 120 statewide dispensaries. Following the acquisition of a third retail dispensary license in Illinois in Q1 2023, the Company continues to engage in advanced discussions regarding the acquisition of additional retail licenses, as well as funding opportunities to facilitate additional expansion efforts in Illinois .





, enabling 4Front's retail operations to outperform the market average retail store by approximately 11% with two operational retail stores out of over 120 statewide dispensaries. Following the acquisition of a third retail dispensary license in in Q1 2023, the Company continues to engage in advanced discussions regarding the acquisition of additional retail licenses, as well as funding opportunities to facilitate additional expansion efforts in . On track to launch operations at 4Front's cultivation and production facility in Matteson, IL (the "Matteson Facility") in the second half of 2023, providing over ~43,000 square feet of the total ~67,000 square feet of flowering canopy and ~70,000 square feet of manufacturing space, with a total of ~250,000 square feet. The Matteson Facility will be the largest cannabis cultivation and production facility in Illinois and will house the widest breadth of extraction and manufacturing capabilities designed to support 4Front's growing retail and wholesale presence.





providing over ~43,000 square feet of the total ~67,000 square feet of flowering canopy and ~70,000 square feet of manufacturing space, with a total of ~250,000 square feet. The Matteson Facility will be the largest cannabis cultivation and production facility in and will house the widest breadth of extraction and manufacturing capabilities designed to support 4Front's growing retail and wholesale presence. Appointed Mark Maze to Vice President of Operations in Illinois , bolstering the Company's strategic oversight and expertise within its deepening footprint in the state. Mark joins 4Front with a wealth of cannabis industry experience and a successful track record of launching, scaling, and optimizing large cultivation and manufacturing facilities with some of the industry's largest multi-state operators. Prior to working in the cannabis industry, Mark spent nearly a decade in progressively advancing roles as a Project Engineer and Plant Manager in the automotive and packaging industries, respectively.





bolstering the Company's strategic oversight and expertise within its deepening footprint in the state. Mark joins 4Front with a wealth of cannabis industry experience and a successful track record of launching, scaling, and optimizing large cultivation and manufacturing facilities with some of the industry's largest multi-state operators. Prior to working in the cannabis industry, Mark spent nearly a decade in progressively advancing roles as a Project Engineer and Plant Manager in the automotive and packaging industries, respectively. Expanded offering and maintained market share in Massachusetts with the launch of a comprehensive product suite across three of 4Front's award-winning flagship brands , including Island, Crystal Clear , and Marmas . The anticipated lineup of newly launched products includes Island live resin disposable cartridges and vapes, limited-edition Marmas marmalade bites gummy variety pack, and Crystal Clear cartridges and disposable vapes, now available at Mission stores and partner dispensaries across the state.





, including Island, , and Marmas The anticipated lineup of newly launched products includes Island live resin disposable cartridges and vapes, limited-edition Marmas marmalade bites gummy variety pack, and cartridges and disposable vapes, now available at Mission stores and partner dispensaries across the state. Diversified the 1988 brand's offering with the debut of infused pre-rolls, featuring 1-gram infused blunts available in four new exclusive strains. The newly debuted pre-rolls are available at Mission stores and partner dispensaries in Illinois and Massachusetts .





Q2 2023 Financial Overview

Systemwide Pro Forma Revenue was $35.2 million for Q2 2023 compared to $34.8 million in Q2 2022. GAAP revenue was $30.7 million for Q1 2023, up 8% from Q2 2022. The revenue growth can be attributed to increased production activity and expanded retail and wholesale sales in Illinois and Massachusetts and was offset by seasonality and market price compression in various markets.

Adjusted EBITDA was $2.0 million for Q2 2023 compared to $3.5 million in Q1 2023. The Company anticipates Adjusted EBITDA improvements as the benefits of its cost-savings measures and optimization initiatives are realized and drive meaningful profitability improvements.

As of June 30, 2023 , the Company held cash of $5.4 million and $50.1 million of related party long-term debt not due until May 2026 .

The Company has 648,583,519 subordinate voting shares outstanding as of August 15, 2023 .

Conference Call

The Company will host a conference call and webcast today, Tuesday, August 15, 2023 , at 5:00 p.m. ET to review its financial and operating results and provide an update on current business trends.

Date: Tuesday, August 15, 2023



Time: 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time



Webcast: Register



Dial-in: 1-888-664-6392 (North America Toll-Free)



The conference call will be available for replay by phone until August 29, 2023 , at 1-888-390-0541, replay code: 267747#. Additionally, the webcast will be archived for approximately 90 days following the call and can be accessed via 4Front's Investor Relations website . For assistance, please contact [email protected] .

About 4Front Ventures Corp.

4Front Ventures Corp. ("4Front" or the "Company") (CSE: FFNT) (OTCQX: FFNTF) is a national, vertically integrated multi-state cannabis operator that owns or manages operations and facilities in strategic medical and adult-use cannabis markets, including California , Illinois , Massachusetts , Michigan , and Washington . Since its founding in 2011, 4Front has built a strong reputation for its high standards and low-cost cultivation and production methodologies earned through a track record of success in facility design, cultivation, genetics, growing processes, manufacturing, purchasing, distribution, and retail. To date, 4Front has successfully brought to market more than 20 different cannabis brands and over 1800 products, which are strategically distributed through its fully owned and operated Mission dispensaries and retail outlets in its core markets. As the Company continues to drive value for its shareholders, its team is applying its decade of expertise in the sector across the cannabis industry value chain and ecosystem. For more information, visit https://4frontventures.com/ .

4FRONT VENTURES CORP.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(Amounts expressed in thousands of U.S. dollars except for share and per share data)





June 30 ,

2023

December 31 ,

2022 ASSETS







Current assets:







Cash

$5,350

$15,190 Accounts receivable, net

10,141

7,391 Other receivables

245

77 Current portion of lease receivables

3,900

3,810 Inventory

25,365

25,592 Prepaid expenses and other assets

2,442

1,207 Total current assets

47,443

53,267 Property, plant, and equipment, net

55,482

56,906 Lease receivables

4,851

5,611 Intangible assets, net

29,531

30,927 Goodwill

53,926

53,955 Right-of-use assets

135,577

138,451 Deposits

3,696

5,615 TOTAL ASSETS

$330,506

$344,732 LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY







LIABILITIES







Current liabilities:







Accounts payable

$14,724

$12,701 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

13,069

14,265 Taxes payable

41,194

36,577 Current portion of contract liabilities

639

369 Current portion of lease liability

3,638

4,479 Current portion of notes payable and accrued interest

7,946

9,059 Total current liabilities

81,210

77,450 Convertible notes

15,398

14,843 Notes payable and accrued interest from related party

50,451

49,807 Long term notes payable

10,744

10,456 Long term accounts payable

1,733

1,362 Contract liabilities

2,000

2,000 Construction finance liability

16,000

16,000 Deferred tax liability

7,614

8,278 Lease liability

137,530

136,185 TOTAL LIABILITIES

322,680

316,381 SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY







Subordinate Voting Shares (no par value, unlimited shares authorized, 649,859,727 and

643,416,275 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 ,

respectively)

305,699

304,602 Additional paid-in capital

60,645

59,411 Deficit

(358,621)

(335,755) Equity attributable to 4Front Ventures Corp.

7,723

28,258 Non-controlling interest

103

93 TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

7,826

28,351 TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

$330,506

$344,732



4FRONT VENTURES CORP.

Consolidated Statements of Operations

Amounts expressed in thousands of U.S. dollars except for share and per share data)





Three Months Ended

June 30 ,

Six Months Ended

June 30 ,



2023

2022

2023

2022 REVENUE















Revenue from sale of goods

$27,696

$25,488

$55,066

$48,571 Real estate income

3,000

2,951

6,006

5,916 Total revenues

30,696

28,439

61,072

54,487 Cost of goods sold

(21,100)

(16,123)

(40,488)

(28,717) Gross profit

9,596

12,316

20,584

25,770 OPERATING EXPENSES















Selling and marketing expenses

6,748

6,384

13,786

11,493 General and administrative expenses

7,533

6,556

15,389

14,210 Depreciation and amortization

866

1,123

1,736

1,970 Share-based compensation

214

390

1,234

1,428 Transaction and restructuring related expenses

17

2,009

17

2,009 Total operating expenses

15,378

16,462

32,162

31,110 Loss from operations

(5,782)

(4,146)

(11,578)

(5,340) Other income (expense)















Interest income

7



21

2 Interest expense

(3,075)

(3,418)

(6,271)

(6,038) Change in fair value of derivative liability



1,774



3,074 Gain on contingent consideration payable



2,393



2,393 Loss on litigation settlement





(3)

 Other

(663)

(107)

(8)

(51) Total other income (expense), net

(3,731)

642

(6,261)

(620) Net loss before income taxes

(9,513)

(3,504)

(17,839)

(5,960) Income tax expense

(1,951)

(3,042)

(5,017)

(6,480) Net loss

(11,464)

(6,546)

(22,856)

(12,440) Net income attributable to non-controlling interest

5

5

10

10 Net loss attributable to shareholders

$(11,469)

$(6,551)

$(22,866)

$(12,450) Basic and diluted loss per share

$(0.02)

$(0.01)

$(0.04)

$(0.02) Weighted average number of shares outstanding, basic and diluted

646,690,827

636,653,975

644,415,447

628,175,765



Note Regarding Non-GAAP Measures, Reconciliation, and Discussion

In this press release, 4Front refers to certain non-GAAP financial measures such as Systemwide Pro Forma Revenue and Adjusted EBITDA. These measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by GAAP and may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. 4Front defines Systemwide Pro Forma Revenue as total revenue plus revenue from entities with which the Company has a consulting contract or effectively similar relationship (net of any consulting fee or effectively similar revenue) but does not consolidate the financial results of per U.S. GAAP ASC 810. 4Front considers this measure to be an appropriate indicator of the growth and scope of the business.

Adjusted EBITDA is defined by the Company as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization less share-based compensation expense and one-time charges related to acquisition, financing-related costs, and other non-recurring expenses. 4Front considers these measures to be an important indicator of the financial strength and performance of our business.



Systemwide Pro Forma Revenue Reconciliation for the Second Quarter Ended June 30, 2023

($ in 000's)

Revenue (GAAP) $30,696 Less: Managed Asset Income $2,873 Plus: Systemwide Revenue Adjustment $7,334 Systemwide Pro Forma Revenue (non-GAAP) $35,158



Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this news release that are forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties concerning the specific factors disclosed here and elsewhere in 4Front's' periodic filings with securities regulators. When used in this news release, words such as "will, could, plan, estimate, expect, intend, may, potential, believe, should," and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, statements related to future developments and the business and operations of 4Front, statements regarding when or if transactions will close or if and when required conditions to closing are attained, the completion of construction projects, the Company's ability to increase revenue and market share and become cash-flow positive, the impact of transactions on the business of 4Front, and other statements regarding future developments of the business. Although 4Front has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that could cause results, performance, or achievements not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended, including but not limited to closing conditions, regulatory and permitting approvals, performance of third-party vendors, changes in laws or enforcement of existing laws, limited operating history, reliance on management, requirements for additional financing, competition, limits on market growth and state adoption due to inconsistent public opinion and perception of the medical-use and adult-use marijuana industry, and political change.

There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate or that management's expectations or estimates of future developments, circumstances, or results will materialize. As a result of these risks and uncertainties, the results or events predicted in these forward-looking statements may differ materially from actual results or events.

Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this news release are made as of the date of this release. 4Front disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise such information, except as required by applicable law.

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SOURCE 4Front Ventures Corp.
The firm's research suggests organizations scale their business automation by focusing on the people, processes, and values that matter.

TORONTO , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - As organizations navigate the complex landscape of the new digital economy, the emphasis on effective business process automation (BPA) has never been more critical. Info-Tech Research Group reports in a new industry resource that stakeholders are actively looking to invest in process automation solutions, recognizing the potential for transformative growth. However, this enthusiasm must be tampered with strategic insight and alignment with the organization's overarching goals. To address this need, the global research and advisory firm Info-Tech Research Group has released its latest blueprint Develop Your Value-First Business Process Automation Strategy. This comprehensive blueprint is intended to help organizations develop a strategy to justify the scaling and maturing of BPA practices and capabilities to fulfill business priorities.

"Aggressively scaling BPA with the latest concepts and leading-edge technologies is an attractive ambition for many organizations. However, the costs of automating many processes as quickly as possible often outweigh the benefits and may introduce risks and changes for which the stakeholders have no appetite," says Andrew Kum-Seun , research director at Info-Tech Research Group. "The lagging development of a good BPA practice can further hamper the future returns of today's investments."

Info-Tech's research highlights that the shift from small pilot automation to more complex, large-scale implementations can introduce new challenges and barriers. Many organizations exhibit limited motivation or willingness to modify their existing business operations, preventing them from fully capitalizing on the potential benefits of BPA. This reluctance is compounded by the difficulty in identifying new BPA opportunities that align with the broader business strategy and meet specific stakeholder needs, risk profiles, and change requirements. Additionally, the transition to scaled BPA implementations often exposes inadequately equipped teams struggling to handle the increased demands and intricacies, hindering the full realization of automation's potential advantages.

"Organizations should automate smarter, not faster, by piloting BPA with the intent to scale. Pilots are safe starting points to establish foundational governance and management practices and build the necessary relationships and collaborations for you to be successful," explains Kum-Seun. "These factors will then allow you to explore more sophisticated, complicated, and innovative opportunities to drive new value to the team, department, and organization."

The research also shows that as businesses integrate more tools and technologies in response to industrial evolution, their operational models inevitably become more complex. Therefore, the firm advises that importance lies in establishing attainable objectives that promote business value and fulfill principal corporate priorities, which can be achieved by enhancing and streamlining key strategic business capabilities and operations. It's also crucial that organizations customize an escalation strategy to align with the capacity for seamless BPA execution, widespread adoption, and minimized constraints.

To mature and scale a BPA practice, the Info-Tech suggests that organizations assess, build, and strengthen the following BPA foundations by focusing on the capabilities that support their vision. These capabilities, outlined in the newly released research, include:

- Risk & Change Management: Continuous process to analyze, evaluate, control, and address the probably negative impacts of risks and changes.

- Governance: Defined BPA roles and responsibilities, processes, and technology controls.

- Vision & Objectives: Clear direction and goals of the business process automation practice.

- Business Process Automation Platform Management: The capabilities to manage a BPA platform and ensure it supports the growing needs of the business.

- Business Process Management & Optimization: The tactics to document, analyze, optimize, and monitor business processes.

- Business Process Automation Delivery: The tactics to review the fit of automation solutions and deliver and support them according to end-user needs and preferences.

The firm's blueprint underscores the importance of setting up and tracking metrics. These metrics can powerfully influence behavior and catalyze strategic shifts within the organization. To highlight the worth of BPA endeavors, Info-Tech suggests aligning metrics with business aims, value drivers, BPA objectives, and specific non-functional requirements.

To learn more about business process automation strategies, download the complete Develop Your Value-First Business Process Automation Strategy blueprint.

For media inquiries on the topic or to get exclusive, timely commentary from Andrew Kum-Seun , an expert in agile development, DevOps, lean development, and other best practices within the software development lifecycle (SDLC), please contact [email protected].

About Info-Tech Research Group

Info-Tech Research Group is one of the world's leading information technology research and advisory firms, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals. The company produces unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. For 25 years, Info-Tech has partnered closely with IT teams to provide them with everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.

Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to research across IT, HR, and software and over 200 IT and industry analysts through the firm's Media Insiders program. To gain access, contact [email protected].

For more information about Info-Tech Research Group or to access the latest research, visit infotech.com and connect via LinkedIn and Twitter.

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SOURCE Info-Tech Research Group
Award-winning staffing & consulting firm returns on the renowned Inc. 5000 list for the seventh time.

RICHMOND, Va. , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Astyra Corporation was once again named a top private company on the Inc. 5000 list, an honor reserved for the fastest-growing private companies in the nation. Astyra's 101% growth rate over the past 3 years earned a place on the prestigious list yet again.

"This is your seventh time on the Inc. 5000, which is a remarkable accomplishment," remarks Scott Omelianuk , Editor-in-Chief of Inc. Media. "Of the tens of thousands of companies that have appliedonly a fraction have made the list more than once. Only 1.5% have made the list 7 times."

The leadership and team at Astyra are ecstatic to have been recognized for this esteemed honor. In 2009, Astyra earned its first recognition on the Inc. 5000 list, a distinction that continued for four years straight. Since its return to the list in 2021, Astyra is ecstatic to be recognized as one of the fastest-growing companies in the nation for the third year in a row.

"We embrace this moment enthusiastically, knowing that our dedication and determination have positioned us among the best." President Sam Young says, "Thank you to our incredible team and loyal clients who have contributed to this remarkable journey."

Headquartered in downtown Richmond, VA , Astyra provides talent-based solutions in Information Technology, Healthcare, Professional Services, and Call Center Operations. As a pillar in our community, Astyra has achieved excellent results by matching talented people to high-profile clients nationwide for more than 25 years.

"This achievement affirms that hard work truly pays off. With each recognition, our commitment to success increases, propelling us to achieve even greater milestones," says CEO Ken Ampy .

Results of the 2023 Inc. 5000 list can be viewed at: https://www.inc.com/inc5000/2023

About Astyra

Established in 1997, Astyra Corporation is an award-winning staffing and consulting firm located in Richmond, Virginia . They are experts in matching highly skilled consultants to innovative business solutions. Their clients range from government agencies and financial institutions to major systems integrators. For more information, visit https://astyra.com/about-us/.

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SOURCE Astyra Corporation
eTip's digital tipping solution provides a seamless guest experience while enhancing satisfaction and retention among Baywood Hotels' 5,000+ employees

COLUMBIA, Md. , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Baywood Hotels, one of the nation's fastest-growing, privately owned hotel companies, announces today that it chooses eTip, a leader in cashless tipping, as its partner in offering a digital tipping solution at its properties. The new solution, powered by eTip and offered through the Visa network, creates a digital tipping experience allowing guests to easily and securely express gratitude to hotel associates. eTip will be available at properties within the Baywood Hotels portfolio  including Hilton, Marriott, IHG, and Choice branded hotels.

Baywood Hotels Selects eTip to Power Digital Tipping at its Properties

With the growth of digital payment technologies, fewer Americans carry cash, particularly when they visit hotels. Now, 40 percent of guests at US hotels report carrying significantly less cash than they did five years ago. And while some tipping solutions exist today, they often come with frictions and complexities that diminish the overall guest experience. eTip solves this problem with a digital platform that is designed to be user-friendly, fast, and integrated with a hotel's overall brand.

"We pride ourselves on seeking innovative solutions to best serve the needs of our employees," says Ryan Lee , Chief Operating Officer, Baywood Hotels. "With eTip's solution, we're proud to not only modernize a time-honored tradition of allowing guests to express their appreciation but also thrilled to offer a method for employees to more quickly and efficiently enjoy the benefits of their dedicated work."

eTip requires no mobile app download or login credentials. All guests need to do is scan a QR code using the camera on their mobile phone, tap the banner that appears on their screen, and then securely tip using their preferred payment method. eTip also offers "tap to tip," which gives users the ability to pay through an NFC-enabled QR-code. The feature is activated by a user tapping their smartphone on the QR code, automatically opening the profile of the associate or department the guest wishes to tip. Once the guest leaves a tip electronically, associates can quickly receive the tip in their bank account through Visa Direct, eliminating the need to wait for a tip to be paid through the weekly or bi-weekly payroll process. eTip makes digital tipping easier and faster for guests and associates.

"We are seeing an increase in market demand for a fast, reliable, and fully digitized tipping experience for hotel guests and employees in the hospitality industry," said Yanilsa Gonzalez-Ore , Senior Vice President of Visa Direct. "eTip now offers a digital tipping solution, enabled by Visa Direct, to Baywood Hotels, helping to modernize that process for their guests and employees."

Key Capabilities of eTip:

No app required . Guests don't need to download yet another app on their phone. eTip opens directly in their phone's browser.

. Guests don't need to download yet another app on their phone. eTip opens directly in their phone's browser. Flexible and secure payment options . Guests can tip with their preferred payment method such as debit/credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and more.

. Guests can tip with their preferred payment method such as debit/credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and more. Automatic tip disbursements. eTip's collaboration with Visa allows tip disbursement in real-time* to any bank account with an eligible Visa card via Visa Direct.

eTip's collaboration with allows tip disbursement in real-time* to any bank account with an eligible card via Visa Direct. Individual and/or pooled tipping . Managers can allocate tips to individual associates or pool tips by team/department.

. Managers can allocate tips to individual associates or pool tips by team/department. White labeling. The white label design enables Baywood Hotels to easily integrate the system with their brand image.

The white label design enables to easily integrate the system with their brand image. Easy to use. eTip does all the heavy lifting, including onboarding, payment processing, tip payouts and reporting.

We're thrilled Baywood Hotels sees the value in our mission of revolutionizing the 160-year-old cash tradition with digital tipping," says Nicolas Cassis, cofounder and CEO of eTip. "Together, we address pain points from every side: the hoteliers, the associates, and the guests. We look forward to continuing to offer cutting-edge technology simplifying the guest experience and financial reconciliation while also helping to deliver the high-touch, personalized experience guests have come to expect when they stay at one of these properties."

About eTip

eTip is a digital tipping and financial benefits platform tailored to service sector businesses, including hotels, restaurants, gaming, and more. eTip is trusted by global hospitality, leisure, and retail brands to drive operational efficiency, foster customer loyalty, and engage workers with digital financial benefits. eTip leverages technology, payments innovations, and the power of gratitude to build solutions to solve customers' service-level challenges and address industry-specific needs. eTip's mission is to empower the services economy with a holistic platform that digitizes cash-heavy operations, centralizes on-bill and off-bill tipping, and offers workers financial wellness tools, including emergency savings, credit building, and now, on-demand payout of tips to achieve their long-term financial goals.

About Baywood Hotels

Established in 1975, Baywood Hotels, Inc. is a fast-growing hospitality management and development company, operating over $1 billion in assets and employing over 5,000 associates nationwide. The company is headquartered in Columbia, MD and has regional offices in Denver, CO ; Miami, FL ; Rochester, NY , San Antonio, TX and Northern VA. In each of its regions, the private hotel ownership company is consistently recognized as an innovative leader in the hotel industry, focusing on product concept and development and the outstanding management of its assets. The focused vision, strong values, and aggressive long-range strategy of Baywood Hotels has helped the company develop reputable and well-branded hotels in areas where Baywood has competitive expertise and partnerships. Baywood Hotels' portfolio includes well-known brands, such as Marriott, Hilton, and InterContinental Hotels Group, as well as several independent brands.

About Visa

Visa is the world's leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable, and secure payment network - enabling individuals, businesses, and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company's relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of digital commerce on any device for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network, and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information, visit About Visa , visa.com/blog and @VisaNews .

Media Contact:

Nicholas Cassis ,

[email protected]

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SOURCE eTip
ARLINGTON, Va. , Aug. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] is committing $500,000 to assist with disaster recovery and relief efforts in Hawaii following deadly wildfires that have devastated Maui communities.

"The Boeing family sends our deepest condolences to the people of Hawaii in the wake of the tragic wildfires there," said Ziad Ojakli, executive vice president of Government Operations. "Through support to our nonprofit partners on the ground, we will help affected Maui residents meet their most immediate needs and assist with this beautiful community's rebuilding."

Funding from the Boeing Charitable Trust will support the following organizations:

$250,000 for American Red Cross to maintain shelters for those seeking refuge and provide comfort kits, clean-up kits, nourishing meals, information and other resources.

to maintain shelters for those seeking refuge and provide comfort kits, clean-up kits, nourishing meals, information and other resources. $250,000 for Hawai'i Community Foundation's Maui Strong Fund to provide rapid response and recovery including shelter, food, grief support and more to impacted communities.

"Our thoughts are with those in need after the devastating wildfires swept through Hawaii ," said Anne McKeough , chief development officer at the American Red Cross. "We are so grateful for partners like Boeing as we work together to provide help and hope for communities in the wake of these catastrophic wildfires."

"Our focus with the Maui Strong Fund at this stage is to bring relief to Maui residents as quickly and effectively as possible. Funding is going directly to partners on the ground who are providing shelter, food, showers, animal care, grief support and other services as they arise," said Micah Kane, CEO and president of Hawai'i Community Foundation. "A heartfelt mahalo (thank you) to Boeing and other donors who have stepped up to support our community in the times we need it mostthe level of generosity we've seen in the past few days has been truly unprecedented."

In addition to corporate charitable investments, Boeing employees give to their local communities by participating in volunteer and charitable gift match programs. Consistent with Boeing employee gift match programs, the company will match qualifying employee contributions made in support of wildfire relief efforts.

Disaster recovery and relief efforts align with Boeing's ongoing commitment to the communities where our colleagues live and work. Boeing employs 151 people in Hawaii .

Boeing is active and engaged in Hawaii communities, contributing more than $760,000 to charitable causes over the last five years. Boeing donated more than $6 million to disaster relief and humanitarian efforts globally in 2022.

As a leading global aerospace company, Boeing develops, manufactures and services commercial airplanes, defense products and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries. As a top U.S. exporter, the company leverages the talents of a global supplier base to advance economic opportunity, sustainability and community impact. Boeing's diverse team is committed to innovating for the future and living the company's core values of safety, quality and integrity. Learn more at www.boeing.com.

Contact:

Boeing Communications

[email protected]

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SOURCE Boeing
CHICAGO , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Cboe Global Markets, Inc. (Cboe: CBOE), the world's leading derivatives and securities exchange network, today announced Mandy Xu has joined the company as Vice President and Head of Derivatives Market Intelligence. In this role, Xu is planning to produce high-level insights and analysis on derivatives market themes and flows, with a focus on furthering client education on Cboe's markets and its leading suite of derivatives products.

"Being a trusted derivatives marketplace and information provider is part of Cboe's DNA, and we are thrilled to have Mandy join our team to help deliver best-in-class market intelligence to our clients around the globe," said Arianne Adams , Senior Vice President and Head of Derivatives and Global Client Services at Cboe Global Markets. "Mandy is a widely recognized expert on the financial markets and brings extensive industry knowledge that will help deepen our engagement and dialogue with clients, as well as provide impactful insights to help them harness the full potential of our products and services."

Prior to joining Cboe, Xu was Managing Director and Head of Equity Derivatives Strategy at Credit Suisse, specializing in index and ETF volatility research. Before Credit Suisse, she worked as a cross-border M&A analyst at E.J. McKay, a boutique investment bank in Shanghai . Xu graduated with honors from Harvard University with a B.A. in Economics and is a CFA charterholder.

Part of Xu's content strategy at Cboe is expected to include creating a weekly series of market commentary highlighting themes and opportunities in the cross-asset derivatives market, as well as hosting a monthly webinar series geared for financial professionals. The webinar series is planned to be on a broad range of topics and bring together leading industry experts to discuss their perspectives on the market landscape and options and futures strategies. The series is slated to launch on Wednesday, September 20 .

"For 50 years, Cboe has been the leading authority in the options and volatility space, widely recognized for its track record of innovation, education and advocacy efforts to drive the industry forward," said Mandy Xu , Vice President and Head of Derivatives Market Intelligence. "Market data and market intelligence have long been valuable tools for investors, and as demand for Cboe's proprietary products has grown among retail and institutional investors alike, I'm excited to play a critical role to help provide actionable insights to help our clients develop smart and efficient trading strategies."

About Cboe Global Markets, Inc.

Cboe Global Markets (Cboe: CBOE), the world's leading derivatives and securities exchange network, delivers cutting-edge trading, clearing and investment solutions to people around the world. Cboe provides trading solutions and products in multiple asset classes, including equities, derivatives, FX, and digital assets, across North America , Europe and Asia Pacific . Above all, we are committed to building a trusted, inclusive global marketplace that enables people to pursue a sustainable financial future. To learn more about the Exchange for the World Stage, visit www.cboe.com.

CBOE-C

CBOE-OE

Cboe and Cboe Global Markets are registered trademarks of Cboe Exchange, Inc. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.

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SOURCE Cboe Global Markets
-Fast casual concept celebrates grand opening Aug. 29th with free chicken salad for a year-

ATLANTA , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Chicken Salad Chick , the nation's only fast casual chicken salad restaurant concept, announced today the debut of its 29th Alabama location with an opening in Fairhope . Situated at 19690 Greeno Road , Chicken Salad Chick Fairhope will welcome guests with a spacious patio and convenient drive-thru. This is the sixth Chick for local owners Misty and Peter Whitehead , who have spent the past 10 years spreading joy, enriching lives and serving others with the beloved Alabama -born brand throughout Mobile and surrounding Baldwin Counties. The Fairhope community is invited to celebrate this grand opening on Tuesday, Aug. 29 . The first 100 guests that morning will win free chicken salad for a year.

During grand opening week, Fairhope guests can expect to experience the Southern hospitality that Chicken Salad Chick is known for with specials and giveaways that include:

Tuesday, Aug. 29  Free Chicken Salad for a Year to the first 100 Guests  The first guest in line will receive one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per week for an entire year. The next 99 guests in line receive one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per month for a year.* Guests should arrive early to secure a place in line.

  The first guest in line will receive one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per week for an entire year. The next 99 guests in line receive one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per month for a year.* Guests should arrive early to secure a place in line. Wednesday, Aug. 30  The first 50 guests to purchase a Chick Trio receive a free 40-oz Chick Tumbler with handle and straw.**

 The first 50 guests to purchase a receive a free 40-oz Chick Tumbler with handle and straw.** Thursday, Aug. 31  The first 50 guests to purchase a Chick Trio receive a free Chicken Salad Chick Tote Bag.**

 The first 50 guests to purchase a receive a free Chicken Salad Chick Tote Bag.** Friday, Sept. 1  The first 50 guests to purchase a Chick Trio receive a free Chick Tervis Tumbler.**

 The first 50 guests to purchase a receive a free Chick Tervis Tumbler.** Saturday, Sept. 2  The first 50 guests to purchase a Chick meal receive a free Chick meal on their next visit.**

Misty Whitehead opened her first Mobile -area Chicken Salad Chick in Hillcrest in 2013, followed by locations on Old Shell Road and in Government Plaza , as well as in Daphne . She partnered with her husband, Peter, to expand into Gulf Shores and Saraland , and now the couple is thrilled to bring the Chick's flavorful, made-from-scratch chicken salad favorites to Fairhope.

"Peter and I love being part of the day-to-day of our restaurants, getting to know our guests and helping to put smiles on their faces," said Misty Whitehead . "We have really been looking forward to opening in Fairhope , with its Southern charm, beauty and hospitality. It's a perfect fit for Chicken Salad Chick's focus on service from the heart."

The Whiteheads and their local restaurant teams enjoy giving back to important causes. With the Fairhope opening, they will be supporting Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of Mobile as part of their pre-opening Friends & Family events. RMHC of Mobile is a safe haven for families whose children are receiving life-saving medical treatment in nearby hospitals. Misty has served on the board of directors of the organization for many years, donating her time and talents as well as making donations through fundraisers with the Chicken Salad Chick Foundation.

Chicken Salad Chick in Fairhope will be open Monday  Saturday from 10 a.m.  8 p.m. For more information, visit www.chickensaladchick.com . Follow Chicken Salad Chick on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news and trends.

For more information on giveaways and specials, visit https://www.facebook.com/ChickenSaladChickFairhopeAL.

*Guests should arrive early to secure a place in line. The first 100 guests must remain in line and download the Craving Credits app. Wi-Fi will not be available on site. Once the restaurant opens, guests will make a purchase of "The Chick" or anything of greater value and enter a code in the Craving Credits app to officially secure their spot. If you leave the line for any reason, your spot will be awarded to the next guest in line. Guests will receive their first free Large Quick Chick electronically to their app the Monday following Grand Opening Day.

**Must download the CSC App and be 16 years or older to purchase. Not valid with any other offers. Limit 1 reward per guest present."

About Chicken Salad Chick

Chicken Salad Chick serves full-flavored, Southern-style chicken salad made from scratch and served from the heart. With more than a dozen original chicken salad flavors as well as fresh side salads, gourmet soups, signature sandwiches and delicious desserts, Chicken Salad Chick's robust menu is a perfect fit for any guest. Founded in Auburn, Alabama , by Stacy and Kevin Brown , in 2008, Chicken Salad Chick has grown to more than 225 restaurants in 17 states. Today, under the leadership of Scott Deviney and the Chicken Salad Chick team, the brand is continuing its rapid expansion with both franchise and company locations. Chicken Salad Chick has received numerous accolades including rankings in the 2023 Entrepreneur Franchise 500, Franchise Times' Fast & Serious for the third consecutive year, Fast Casual.com's top Movers and Shakers from 2018 to 2023, QSR's Best Franchise Deals in 2019, 2020 and 2022, and Franchise Business Review's Top Food Franchises in 2020. See www.chickensaladchick.com for additional information.

Contact:

Nicole Hunnicutt

Fish Consulting

404-558-4108

[email protected]

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Aviation industry veteran Robbie Bourke joins Clermont Group as Head of Aerospace

joins as Head of Aerospace Bourke will oversee Clermont's mission to lead the sustainable aviation revolution, which includes the pioneer in electric propulsion, magniX, and Eviation, the maker of the Alice all-electric commuter aircraft

Bourke has more than 20 years of industry experience, including senior roles at Oliver Wyman, Virgin Atlantic Airways and Airbus

SINGAPORE , Aug. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Clermont Group ("Clermont"), an international business group headquartered in Singapore , today announces that Robbie Bourke , an aviation industry veteran, is joining as Head of Aerospace. With more than 20 years' experience in the aerospace industry, Bourke will use his expertise to drive Clermont's mission to lead the sustainable aviation revolution.

Bourke was most recently Partner, Transport and Services at consulting firm Oliver Wyman. In that role, he advised clients across the aviation, aerospace and rail sectors on strategy, operations and sustainability. He was also responsible for establishing its aviation climate capability and technical consultancy division in the EMEA region. Previously, Bourke held senior technical positions at Virgin Atlantic Airways and engineering positions at Airbus.

Leading the Transition to Sustainable Aviation

Clermont's subsidiary, magniX, is the industry leader in electric propulsion systems, having now powered groundbreaking flights by five different aircraft, including Eviation's Alice. magniX was selected by NASA as its partner under its Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) project, which aims to demonstrate the viability of electric propulsion systems and accelerate the industry's transition to sustainable aviation.

Clermont is majority shareholder in Eviation, which developed the nine-passenger Alice  the only flight-proven all-electric commuter aircraft of its size. Built from a clean-sheet design integrating magniX's electric propulsion system, Alice produces zero carbon emissions and features lower operating costs per flight hour compared to light jets or high-end turboprops. Eviation was also named one of TIME Magazine's "100 Most Influential Companies 2023."

"Business has a critical role to play in catalysing the innovative solutions necessary to address climate change, including in the aviation sector," said Richard Chandler , Chairman of Clermont Group. "Bringing Robbie on board at Clermont as Head of Aerospace strengthens our mission to bring our new technologies to market and deepens our commitment to leading the transition to a sustainable aviation industry."

"Clermont Group has demonstrated its vision and leadership in making sustainable aviation a reality," said Robbie Bourke , incoming Head of Aerospace at Clermont Group. "I am excited to be joining Clermont in its pursuit of transforming aviation and to work with the talented teams at magniX and Eviation to build on the remarkable foundations they have laid down as they move to the next critical steps toward certification."

About The Clermont Group

The Clermont Group is an international business group headquartered in Singapore . Founded in 1986 by New Zealand -born entrepreneur, Richard Chandler , the Clermont Group is passionate about the role that business and innovation plays in advancing human progress and inclusive prosperity. The Clermont Group is focused on building businesses that lead industry and shape culture. Clermont builds businesses in healthcare, financial services and aerospace. These businesses contribute to the prosperity and well-being of the communities they serve and employ more than 8,000 people around the world. Clermont believes in creating a sustainable, healthier planet for future generations, and has been carbon-neutral since 2008. Further information can be found at www.clermont.com.

About magniX

Headquartered in Everett, Washington State, U.S. , magniX is dedicated to leading an era of environmentally-friendly and sustainable aviation. magniX has developed a family of flight-proven electric propulsion units (EPUs) and is fast maturing its energy storage systems (ESS) for commercial aviation. With high levels of reliability, unparalleled performance and operational practicality, magniX is leading the aviation industry into a sustainable future. For further information, please visit www.magnix.aero.

About Eviation Aircraft

Based in Washington State , Eviation Aircraft Inc. develops and manufactures electric aircraft to delight operators and passengers with green, cost efficient and convenient regional transportation. Its electric propulsion units, high-energy-density batteries, mission-driven energy management, and innovative airframe are designed from the ground up for electric flight. Please visit us at www.eviation.com.

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SOURCE The Clermont Group
Duality partnered with Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, MIT and additional leading research organizations to analyze Oncological Real-World Data while protecting privacy and confidentiality to enable safer, quicker, and more effective data collaboration in healthcare.

HOBOKEN, N.J. , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Several of the world's most prestigious medical research organizations have partnered with Duality Technologies , the leader in secure data collaboration for enterprises and government agencies, to deliver a major breakthrough in sharing Real-World patient data securely and efficiently to advance medical research and improve oncological patient outcomes.

The ability to reliably, safely, and quickly collaborate on sensitive data enables major medical research breakthroughs.

Leading medical and computer science research teams, together with Duality's experts in privacy-enhanced technologies, worked together to achieve this major innovation in the pursuit of better health care, including:

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center

University of California, San Diego, CA

Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing , at UC Berkeley

, at MIT

Poor data collaboration slows down progress in oncology research

Real-world data (RWD) is routinely collected from patients and captured in electronic health records, medical claims, disease registries, and more. This data is used to generate Real-World Evidence (RWE), which is essential in the development and success of treatments. To reach sufficiently large cohorts of patients for research, and to enrich the data by linking data sets, medical centers must often collaborate with other organizations. Without guaranteed patient privacy and regulatory compliance, however, stakeholders are often reluctant to do so. This data collaboration challenge hinders progress in medical research, negatively affecting the pace at which new potentially life-saving cancer treatments are introduced to the public.

More efficient, privacy-preserving healthcare collaboration is possible

The result of the joint work between Duality and its partners was recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), in a paper titled 'Collaborative Privacy-Preserving Analysis of Oncological Data using Multiparty Homomorphic Encryption'. The paper proves that secure collaboration on Real-World Data in healthcare is now feasible and efficient. By using a combination of Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs), all regulatory, computation accuracy, and performance requirements were met. This solution developed by Duality satisfies security and privacy compliance by design, making it easier and faster to attain and analyze previously hard-to-access, but necessary, clinical and genomic RWD.

Prof. Alexander Gusev from Dana Farber Cancer Institute, commented, "Cancer research is increasingly driven by large-scale data, but the discoveries are only as good as the data we can actually use. This ability to reliably, safely, and quickly collaborate on sensitive data enables major medical research breakthroughs both for oncology and for data-driven research more broadly."

Dr. Ravit Geva , deputy director of the Oncology Division and head of the Clinical Research & Innovation unit of the oncology division at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, said: "There is always a gap between promise and reality with big data. We need to be able to combine data from different centers while protecting the privacy-related interests of individuals whose data we are using and to preserve data ownership as well. Our joint study with Duality aimed and verified the accuracy of statistical oncology endpoints when done through encrypted data. The secure analysis yields accurate results compared with the currently used conventional data management and analysis methods on Collaborative Real-world Oncological analyses without revealing patients' protected health information."

Creating a data privacy platform that fights cancer

PETs are cryptographic and hardware-based tools that address data privacy challenges by enabling the analysis of sensitive data while protecting it by encryption or by hardware during the analysis.

Dr. Yuriy Polyakov , Ph.D., Vice President of Cryptography at Duality, explains, "Our toolset supports survival analyses, logistic regression training, and common descriptive statistics. Using Real-World oncological data sets, we demonstrate that the toolset achieves high accuracy and practical performance, which scales well to larger data sets. The toolset we offer is general-purpose and can be applied to other collaborative medical and healthcare application domains." The approach enables multiple new analyses of clinical and genetic data using both federated and private join modalities of collaboration. This proof marks a significant milestone in healthcare research as previous methods were found to be out of compliance while accurate, or in compliance but without the necessary accuracy for such use cases.

Dr. Polyakov continues to say, "Using these advanced technologies on their own is quite complicated as it is. Overcoming technical challenges by combining these technologies will clearly have a deeply meaningful impact on the world, and I'm very proud of our team for what they have accomplished."

Read the full PNAS paper here.

About Duality Technologies

Duality is the leader in privacy enhanced secure data collaboration, empowering organizations worldwide to maximize the value of their data without compromising on privacy or regulatory compliance. Founded and led by world-renowned cryptographers and data scientists, Duality operationalizes privacy enhancing technologies (PETs) to accelerate data insights by enabling analysis and AI on sensitive data while protecting data privacy, compliance, and protecting valuable IP. A World Economic Forum (WEF) Tech Pioneer and a Gartner Cool Vendor, Duality is recognized by numerous industry awards, including Fast Company 2023 World Changing Ideas award, 2023 CyberTech 100 Most Innovative Companies list, 2022 CB Insights' AI 100, the 2022 RegTech 100 Awards, and the AIFinTech100 2022 Awards. Learn more.

About the Partners

Since its founding in 1947, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts has been committed to providing cancer patients with the best treatment available today while developing tomorrow's cures through cutting-edge research.

Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (TASMC) is a leading academic medical center in Israel with a long history of innovation in healthcare. The center is home to several world-renowned research programs, including the BRCA1/2 Hereditary Cancer Center and the Center for Personalized Medicine. TASMC is also a major clinical trial site for pharmaceutical companies and other research organizations. Read more about their efforts to accelerate breakthroughs in oncological research.

CONTACT: Derek Wood , [email protected], +1 917-310-1175, [email protected]

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SOURCE Duality Technologies, Inc.
Plan calls for an "all of the above" approach to future energy generation

Includes doubling peak hourly capacity of Oconee County's Bad Creek pumped storage facility

Reflects rigorous stakeholder outreach and feedback

GREENVILLE, S.C. , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As strong economic development successes and population growth power South Carolina's energy needs, Duke Energy's goal is to ensure energy reliability for its customers.

To that end, Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress today filed their Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) with the Public Service Commission of South Carolina (PSCSC).

"Over the next 15 years, electric use by Duke Energy customers in the Carolinas is projected to surge by around 35,000 gigawatt-hours  more than the annual electric generation of Delaware , Maine and New Hampshire combined," said Mike Callahan , Duke Energy's South Carolina state president. "We're preparing for this extraordinary growth in energy demand by prioritizing grid reliability, energy affordability and the deployment of a diverse range of energy options that support the sustainability goals of our South Carolina customers."

The IRP includes three energy portfolios presented to the PSCSC that provide a range of generation options, reflecting the companies' "all of the above" approach to powering the energy needs of a growing region. The plan recommends Portfolio 3 as the most prudent path forward to comply with South Carolina and other applicable law, as it provides for a reliable, affordable and smart clean energy transition that supports the Palmetto State's economic prosperity. In the plan, the company also recommends a near-term action plan based on this most reasonable and prudent plan for South Carolina .

"This disciplined plan presents a path to build upon the tremendous economic development activity in our state that will contribute to the long-term vibrancy and prosperity of South Carolina , while leveraging tax incentives and credits and operational efficiencies to help keep costs for the state's energy future lower than they would otherwise be," Callahan said.

Benefits of the recommended portfolio

The recommended portfolio accounts for dramatic recent growth in the Carolinas and the accelerating transition to electric transportation by residential and nonresidential customers alike. At the same time, this pathway helps reliably exit coal by 2035, protecting customers from increasing risks and costs as the coal industry declines.

It also makes the most of the companies' existing system resources by extending the lives of Duke Energy's nuclear plants and extending the license of the Bad Creek pumped hydro storage facility in Oconee County  while doubling the peak hourly capacity of that carbon-free "marvel in the mountain." Expanding operations at Bad Creek also provides significant economic benefits of $7.3 billion to South Carolina , as the state benefits from construction and general infrastructure activity by 2033.

Portfolio 3 takes an "all of the above" approach with a diverse and reliable set of solutions, including new hydrogen-capable natural gas resources, energy storage, small modular nuclear reactors complemented by fuel-free renewable energy, and shrinks the challenges of growth and the transition from coal toward a lower carbon future by expanding the companies' industry-leading energy efficiency (EE) and demand response options.

Stakeholder input critical to the process

Earlier this year, Duke Energy continued engagement with stakeholders to discuss the development of these resource plans, which represent an evolution from prior plans filed with the PSCSC and shared with stakeholders. The information gathered throughout the stakeholder process was an important step to informing these plans.

Over the course of four months, the companies held five engagement meetings on technical, complex issues involving resource planning. More than 100 individuals, representing a diverse group of attendees that included customers, environmental advocates, community leaders and other industry representatives, attended these virtual sessions.

"We appreciate the significant input we received from everyone that helped inform these plans," Callahan said. "Preparing for a successful energy future for South Carolina will take coordination and cooperation among many varied interests, and we look forward to continuing this dialogue on issues that are critically important to our state's continued economic prosperity."

The presentation materials and Q&A from these engagement sessions as well as additional documents and links related to the IRP process can be viewed on the IRP website.

Next steps

Today's filing in South Carolina begins a public regulatory process at the PSCSC that involves the evaluation of thousands of pages of testimony and data from the company, other parties to the proceeding and customers. A hearing will be scheduled where this information is thoroughly evaluated and ultimately the PSCSC will order a path forward, likely in mid-2024.

The resource plan will also be submitted to the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) in the coming days, where a similar but separate regulatory process will take place. These plans are checked and adjusted every two to three years with updates filed in both states.

Duke Energy Carolinas/Duke Energy Progress

Duke Energy serves about 830,000 households and businesses in South Carolina through two utilities, Duke Energy Carolinas  serving primarily the Upstate including Greenville , Spartanburg and Anderson counties  and Duke Energy Progress, with customers in the northeastern part of the state including Florence , Darlington and Sumter counties.

Duke Energy Carolinas owns 19,500 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 2.8 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 24,000-square-mile service area in North Carolina and South Carolina . Duke Energy Progress owns 12,500 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 1.7 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 29,000-square-mile service area in North Carolina and South Carolina .

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C. , is one of America's largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina , South Carolina , Florida , Indiana , Ohio and Kentucky , and collectively own 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina , South Carolina , Tennessee , Ohio and Kentucky . The company employs 27,600 people.

Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2023 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' "World's Best Employers" list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

24-Hour media line: 800.559.3853

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SOURCE Duke Energy
New Offering Accelerates Delivery of Criminal Background Checks When Required by Background Screeners, Employers and Government Agencies

ATLANTA , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Equifax (NYSE: EFX) has launched Smart Screen  , a new portfolio of consumer reports. Leveraging the Equifax Cloud and the TotalVerify  data hub, Smart Screen accelerates the delivery of criminal background checks when required by background screeners, employers and government agencies as part of their established hiring and background screening processes.

"While criminal background checks are a component of many background screening processes, they can often take days or weeks to complete," said Brian Kelly , Senior Vice President, Insights, Equifax Workforce Solutions. "Smart Screen consumer reports can help move this process forward faster than ever. Smart Screen leverages an expansive, proprietary U.S. incarceration network covering approximately 185 million incarceration records from more than 1,900 county jails and 30 state prison systems, with data updated as frequently as every 15 minutes."

Smart Screen reports instantly inform a background screener, employer or government agency when an applicant has no records within a proprietary U.S. incarceration data network. Available to credentialed users through web-based interfaces, Smart Screen 'no incarceration records found' reports are consumer reports as defined by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and can only be used by organizations with a permissible purpose. When a Smart Screen report is not available, the system provides a 'more research is needed' output, which is not a consumer report and may not be used for a permissible purpose.

"Criminal background checks are one component of our clients' comprehensive background screening processes, and Equifax Workforce Solutions has several solutions and tools that can help with this process. We believe that data-driven decisions can encourage practices like fair chance hiring , an opportunity for organizations to expand their candidate pools and increase employment opportunities for people with criminal histories," continued Kelly.

Smart Screen joins the extensive Equifax Workforce Solutions portfolio of data-driven solutions that support pre-employment, government, lending and other use cases. The TotalVerify data hub is comprised of proprietary Equifax and partner-sourced data types, including employment and income information from The Work Number as well as data covering education, professional certifications, identity, incarceration, sanctions and more. More information on the Smart Screen portfolio of consumer reports can be found here .

ABOUT EQUIFAX INC.

At Equifax (NYSE: EFX), we believe knowledge drives progress. As a global data, analytics, and technology company, we play an essential role in the global economy by helping financial institutions, companies, employers, and government agencies make critical decisions with greater confidence. Our unique blend of differentiated data, analytics, and cloud technology drives insights to power decisions to move people forward. Headquartered in Atlanta and supported by 14,000 employees worldwide, Equifax operates or has investments in 24 countries in North America , Central and South America , Europe , and the Asia Pacific region. For more information, visit Equifax.com .

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Daniel Jenkins for Equifax

[email protected]

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SOURCE Equifax Inc.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Evergreen Nephrology and Nephrology Associates of Central Florida announce a partnership to raise the standard of kidney care in the Orlando area. The new partnership will offer a multi-dimensional approach for people living with kidney disease, caring for the whole person beyond their physical health.

Evergreen Nephrology and Nephrology Associates of Central Florida will offer a patient-centered approach to CKD.

With an estimated 37 million adults in the US living with kidney disease, Evergreen and partners like Nephrology Associate of Central Florida have many opportunities to positively impact the lives of people like Max Wood . At the time Evergreen started working with Max's nephrologist, Max had been suffering from chronic kidney disease for over nine years. Evergreen's care team met with Max and worked with him to create a care plan specific to his needs and lifestyle.

"The Evergreen program can make a huge difference in the lives of all of us patients," Max explained. "I believe this program can substantially impact the lives of us with [chronic kidney disease] with earlier intervention and added support. The bottom line: I am a huge fan of this program."

"Kidney disease is a significant, life-altering event that impacts all aspects of a person's life  and that of their loved ones," explains Craig Goguen , CEO at Evergreen Nephrology. "Working as a team, Evergreen Nephrology and Nephrology Associates of Central Florida will offer a new, patient-centered approach to caring for those living with chronic kidney disease in Central Florida , ensuring that each patient receives care that is tailored to their specific needs."

"Our team at Nephrology Associates of Central Florida is excited to partner with Evergreen Nephrology to provide care and support in an effort to change the outlook for patients in their kidney care journey," said Uday Ranjit , MD. "We believe this partnership will provide unprecedented support and resources to our nephrology team and value to our patients' care."

About Evergreen Nephrology

Evergreen Nephrology takes a patient-centric approach to kidney care. In collaboration with nephrologist and payor partners, Evergreen is fostering a holistic-care experience for individuals living with chronic kidney disease by empowering them through shared decision making to take an active role in their own health. With over 700 provider partners across 17 states, Evergreen is making personalized, physician-led care the national standard for kidney care. Learn more at EvergreenNephrology.com

Nephrology Associates of Central Florida

Nephrology Associates of Central Florida is a full-service nephrology practice serving residents throughout Central Florida . Since 1974, we have been offering progressive care for our patients - being among the first practices in the state to perform vascular access for dialysis patients and providing transplant support for over twenty years. Our team of 16 physicians and staff strives to provide our patients with optimal care, as well as respect and compassion. Learn more at NACFLA.com

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SOURCE Evergreen Nephrology
VERONA, Wis. , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Everlight Solar is thrilled to be awarded Minnesota's Best 2023 Gold in the Solar Energy Provider category. Each year, Minnesota's largest media company, the Star Tribune, organizes Minnesota's Best, a best-of contest where businesses are nominated and voted on by community members.

This recognition marks Everlight's third consecutive Minnesota's Best Gold award in the Solar Energy Provider category.

Minnesota's Best is an audience-driven contest. Businesses can be nominated to one of over 350 categories, and all nominees are vetted to verify services and locations. Winners are voted on by members of the community, with each category having three winners (Gold, Silver, and Bronze).

Everlight Solar is proud to handle everything entirely in-house, providing Minnesotans with effortless solar solutions. Partnered with local realtors and sponsoring numerous local organizations, Everlight is an active clean energy ambassador in Minnesota and the entire Midwest.

Everlight Solar's relationship with customers extends far beyond the installation phase. From the time customers initially sign up for solar and long after being installed with their custom solar system, Everlight seeks feedback, using it as a compass to refine and improve their processes. In addition, the company proactively tracks each solar installation, monitoring them every step of the way. They are ready at a moment's notice for troubleshooting if ever needed.

"It's an incredible honor to be recognized as Minnesota's Best Solar Energy Provider for the third year in a row," said Everlight Solar's President and CEO, Will Creech . "This award reflects the relentless effort and pride our team puts into everything we do, working toward a more sustainable future for us all."

Everlight Solar would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to the Minnesota community for their support and recognition as they continue the journey toward a cleaner, greener future. Sustainable energy is a cumulative effort, and Everlight Solar is proud to be a community leader in clean energy, providing affordable, high-quality solar solutions.

This recognition marks Everlight Solar's third consecutive Minnesota's Best Gold award in the Solar Energy Provider category. To learn more about previous Minnesota's Best Awards and other Everlight Solar awards, visit everlightsolar.com. Why Everlight Solar? See what makes Everlight an amazing company to work for.

About Everlight Solar

Everlight Solar is the fastest-growing solar company in the Midwest, with operations in Wisconsin , Minnesota , Idaho , Nebraska , Nevada , Oregon , Utah , and Wyoming . In their first year of eligibility, Everlight Solar was ranked number 632 on the 2023 Inc. 5000 list with a staggering 930% growth rate. To learn more about open jobs or about going solar for your own home, visit www.everlightsolar.com.

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SOURCE Everlight Solar
The grant award will help expand FirstElement Fuel's Santa Ana, CA Manufacturing Facility output by more than 10 times, increasing local jobs, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by enabling more zero-emission transportation.

IRVINE, Calif. , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstElement Fuel Inc. ("FEF" or the "Company"), today announced that it has received a $7.7 million grant from the California Energy Commission ("CEC") to increase the Company's Santa Ana, CA manufacturing facility output by more than 10 times. FEF, a California -based company, is the world leader in hydrogen refueling solutions, currently operating the world's largest network of hydrogen refueling stations comprised of 85 dispensers across 40 station locations and serving hydrogen-powered vehicles across California .

"Continuing our CEC partnership to make zero emissions transportation a reality," said FEF CEO Joel Ewanick .

"The CEC is playing a huge role to transition the state of California , and the world, away from fossil fuels. It's truly an honor to continue our partnership with the CEC to make zero emissions transportation a reality," said Joel Ewanick , Founder and Chief Executive officer of FEF.

FEF's manufacturing facility in Santa Ana currently produces critical high tech components and systems for hydrogen refueling stations, including liquid hydrogen cryopump systems. The scale-up of the Santa Ana , CA FirstElement Fuel Innovation Center, partially funded by the CEC, will increase local jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by enabling more zero-emissions transportation. FEF was awarded the grant through the CEC's Zero-Emission Transportation Manufacturing competitive grant solicitation. FEF will also contribute at least $14M to the project.

Hydrogen-powered vehicles have the capacity to transform modern transportation by eliminating tailpipe emissions, slashing carbon emissions, and more than doubling driving efficiency as compared to traditional internal combustion engine vehicles. California State government policy has for decades supported a transition to hydrogen in the transportation sector as part of its zero-emission vehicle strategy, placing the State in a leadership position for hydrogen-related development. California's policies have also laid the foundation for FEF's success in becoming the world's leading hydrogen refueling station company. Setting up adequate supply chains and manufacturing of hydrogen refueling station equipment to supply the development of a hydrogen refueling network is critical to the successful scale-up of hydrogen-powered vehicles.

"FirstElement is a true California story  the company could not have been born anywhere else," said Dee Dee Myers , Senior Advisor to Governor Newsom and Director of the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development. "They are emblematic of California's role in creating new markets and expanding clean energy manufacturing, building on the foundation of our world-class workforce and ongoing commitment to a carbon-free economy."

Patty Monahan, the CEC lead Commissioner for the Clean Transportation Program, commented, "The CEC is proud to fund FirstElement Fuel's expansion into manufacturing hydrogen refueling components here in California . This will not only provide jobs for the local community, but also help the state transition to zero-emission transportation."

"FirstElement's initiative will help grow jobs of the future here locally, which are exactly the kind of jobs that we want to see more of in Santa Ana ," Mayor Valerie Amezcua said. "We are honored that FirstElement chose Santa Ana as its manufacturing location, and we will continue to foster a business-friendly environment in our city."

FEF's manufacturing expansion project will extend through March 2026 and enable FEF to increase by a factor of 10 the number of liquid hydrogen pumps built per year. FEF will also increase its pump testing capability at its hydrogen logistics hub and field-testing facility located in Livermore, CA as part of this project.

About FirstElement Fuel Inc.

FirstElement Fuel Inc is a California-based company established in 2013 to provide safe, reliable, retail hydrogen to customers of fuel cell electric vehicles. The Company is the leading hydrogen refueling station provider in California , and the world, with facilities in Irvine , Santa Ana and Livermore, CA. FEF has 40 retail light-duty stations throughout California and is developing a network of stations to serve Heavy Duty Trucks powered by hydrogen, starting with the first-ever high-flow refueling station in Oakland, CA as part of a joint project with the California Air Resources Board and the CEC. Over the past 10 years since FEF's founding, the Company has partnered with public organizations including the California Energy Commission, the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District , and the Sacramento Municipal Air Quality Management District which have also provided funding. Private partnerships include those with Mitsui & Co, Air Water Inc., Honda Motor Company, Toyota Motor Corporation, MUFG, the Japan Bank of International Cooperation, Nikisso Company, and Air Liquide, all of which have provided funds in pursuit of the vision of a zero emissions transportation future.

Learn about FirstElement Fuel Inc. at FirstElementFuel.com

Learn about our True Zero Network at truezero.com

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SOURCE FirstElement Fuel
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 15. In the near future, 386 million manat ($227 million) is expected to be invested in the Sumgayit Chemical Industrial Park, Trend reports.

According to the Azerbaijan Economic Zones Development Agency, more than 2,000 permanent jobs will be created as a result of this.

Four more residents plan to start their activities in the industrial park this year. Today, 37 entities with a total investment of more than 5.7 billion manat ($3.35 billion) have the status of residents of the industrial park. 20 of them are already doing business.

The products of the residents of the Sumgayit Chemical Industrial Park are exported to the markets of 60 countries of the world. In total, residents sold products worth more than 8.67 billion manat ($5.10 billion), and more than 3.12 billion manat ($1.84 billion) accounted for exports.

Products manufactured in the industrial park are exported to Turkiye, Japan, USA, Canada, Italy, China, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Taiwan, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Finland, the Netherlands, Macedonia, Lithuania, Austria, Estonia, Denmark, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Brazil, Egypt, UAE, Lebanon, Iraq and other countries.
Multiplicity: Blackness in Contemporary American Collage September 15December 31, 2023

NASHVILLE, Tenn. , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Frist Art Museum presents Multiplicity: Blackness in Contemporary American Collage, the first major museum exhibition devoted to the rich yet understudied subject. Featuring approximately 80 collage works, Multiplicity explores the breadth and complexity of Black identity and experiences in the United States . Conceived and organized by Frist Art Museum senior curator Katie Delmez , the exhibition will be on view in the museum's Ingram Gallery from September 15 through December 31, 2023 , before traveling to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and an additional venue to be announced.

With an intergenerational group of 52 living artists, Multiplicity examines how concepts such as cultural hybridity, notions of beauty, gender fluidity, and historical memory are expressed in the practice of collage. By assembling pieces of paper, fabric, and other often-salvaged or repurposed materials, the artists in this exhibition create unified compositions that express the endless possibilities of Black-constructed narratives despite our fragmented society. The artists range from established luminaries to emerging and midcareer figures, including Mark Bradford , Lauren Halsey , Rashid Johnson , Kerry James Marshall , Wangechi Mutu , Jamea Richmond-Edwards , Deborah Roberts , Tschabalala Self, Lorna Simpson , Devan Shimoyama , and Mickalene Thomas .

Multiplicity is structured broadly around seven themes that foreground personal and collective history, regional or national heritage, and gender and sexual orientation, in addition to racial constructs. "Although it is a nearly ubiquitous art form used by elementary school students to the biggest names in modern art historyPablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Hannah Hoch, Max Ernst , and Robert Rauschenbergtwenty-first century collage is an arguably understudied and undervalued medium, especially in museum exhibitions," notes Delmez in her exhibition catalogue introduction. "Multiplicity is an opportunity to spotlight the formal complexity and vibrancy of the technique and to assert its contributions to the field through the lens of some of today's leading artists."

Like the exhibition itself, the broader project layers together many different participants. Contributors to the accompanying catalogue range from senior scholars to honors students at Fisk University. Collaborators such as Tennessee State University, Fisk University, William Edmondson Park in Historic Edgehill Neighborhood, and Artville in Wedgewood- Houston are featuring reproductions of work by exhibited artists outside the museum walls. Related exhibitions will be held across Nashville at places like Fisk's Carl Van Vechten Art Gallery, Tinney Contemporary, and Julia Martin Gallery.

The artists featured in Multiplicity build upon the rich legacy of African American artists such as Romare Bearden, who received considerable critical attention as he experimented with collage in the 1960s to inspire collaboration and community. "Although Bearden is the most well-known, other African American artists making collages in the mid-twentieth century include David C. Driskell , Lois Mailou Jones , Jacob Lawrence , Sam Middleton , Faith Ringgold , Betye Saar , and many more," writes Delmez. Drawing upon the work these foundational figures, contemporary artists are making collages in an array of different ways, from traditional cutting and pasting to complexly layering materials, to creating works digitally. For some, collage is their principal strategy; for others, it represents a branch or chapter in their wider practice.

In the opening section of the exhibition, titled "Fragmentation and Reconstruction," guests are introduced to a range of materials and techniques used in collage today. Many artists gather existing materialsmagazines, photographs, books, newspapers, and mapsto form their compositions. Other artists use "new" paper, as is the case with Nina Chanel Abney ; Yashua Klos , who makes his own woodblock prints; and YoYo Lander, who stains and washes watercolor paper to create her portraits.

The following section, "Excavating History and Memory," examines the ways artists like Radcliffe Bailey , Jamal Cyrus , and Tomashi Jackson use historic photographs and publication clippings to highlight overlooked or lost narratives and link them to the present. Derek Fordjour , an alumnus of Morehouse College, celebrates the tradition and vitality of the HBCU marching band experience through his multilayered works.

In the section "Notions of Beauty and Power," Jamea Richmond-Edwards , Tschabalala Self, Mickalene Thomas , and others challenge white ideals of feminine beauty historically espoused in popular culture and art history by inserting bold Black women into their compositions. Queer artists including Rashaad Newsome and Devan Shimoyama express the fluid nature of gender in an increasingly nonbinary world, while Lovie Olivia and Wardell Milan remind us of the value of safe havens for LQBTQIA+ people, from Harlem Renaissance house party venues to gay dance clubs, in the section "Gender Fluidity and Queer Spaces."

The exhibition concludes by expanding the definition of collage beyond analog practices to include digital stitchesa seemingly inevitable evolution in today's digitally saturated environment. For his large-scale wallpaper installations, Kahlil Robert Irving pieces together hundreds of digital images to evoke the continual feed of smartphones and laptops. Taking digital collage a step further, Arthur Jafa gathers the highs and lows of Black experiences in the United States into his poignant video montage Love is the Message, The Message is Death.

Exhibition Credit

Organized by the Frist Art Museum

Supporter Acknowledgment

Platinum Sponsor: HCA Healthcare/TriStar Health

Supported by a major grant from Henry Luce Foundation

Leadership support provide by Drs. Turner and Pylanice Nashe

This project is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, Nissan Foundation, and Ameriprise Financial

Hospitality Sponsors: The Union Station Nashville Yards and Grand Hyatt Nashville

Spanish Translation Sponsor: Center for Latin American, Caribbean , and Latinx Studies at Vanderbilt University

Education and Community Engagement supporter: Windgate Foundation

The Frist Art Museum is supported in part by The Frist Foundation, Metro Arts, the Tennessee Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

About the Frist Art Museum

Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the Frist Art Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit art exhibition center in Nashville, Tenn. center dedicated to presenting and originating exhibitions with related educational programs and community outreach activities. For additional information, visit FristArtMuseum.org.

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SOURCE Frist Art Museum
VANCOUVER, BC , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Generative AI Solutions Corp. ("GenAI" or the "Company") (CSE: AICO) (OTCQB: AICOF) announces that it has entered into an asset purchase agreement (the "Purchase Agreement") to acquire certain intellectual property assets (the "Transaction").

The Company is pleased to announce that it's subsidiary, 1431885 B.C. Ltd. ("Company Subco"), has entered into the Purchase Agreement dated August 14, 2023 with Metachain Technologies Inc. ("Metachain") to acquire certain intellectual property assets (the "IP Assets") from Metachain, which include all intellectual property rights, source code, interface and other elements of a software package required to operate an artificial intelligence ("AI") asset which will function as a virtual assistant mobile application (the "App") expected to be marketed under the name "SpeakGPT". In particular, the IP Assets will include:

App Light Paper : The detailed documentation, commonly known as the light paper, provides an overview of the App's features, functionality, and technical specifications, serving as a valuable resource for understanding the conceptualization and design of SpeakGPT.

Text-to-Speech Implementation: A robust text-to-speech functionality has been built into the SpeakGPT prototype using an open-source library, ensuring flexibility, accessibility, and compatibility with multiple languages. This implementation involves a text-to-speech model that is expected to run on the Company's and Metachain's servers, providing several benefits, including cost savings. By utilizing in-house solutions, the Company expects to avoid additional expenses associated with paying for third-party services for text-to-speech functionality.

Source Code - GitHub Repository: The complete source code for SpeakGPT, including all code modules and files necessary for building, modifying, and enhancing the application, will be transferred to the Company Subco via a GitHub repository. With access to the source code, Company Subco will have full control and ownership of the technology powering SpeakGPT.

Prototype App for iOS and Android: The prototype version of SpeakGPT is fully functional and compatible with both iOS and Android platforms. It demonstrates the core features, including the ChatGPT API integration, animated visual interactions, and the text-to-speech functionality. The prototype serves as a solid foundation for further development and refinement.

Among other things, the App is expected to enable users to export materials in various formats (PDF files, images, text files) through voice commands, enhancing convenience and productivity, and will have multilingual voice support and voice options to cater to a global user base, promoting inclusivity and user satisfaction.

Pursuant to the terms of the Purchase Agreement, the total consideration payable by the Company is $60,000 USD , which will be settled through the payment on closing by the Company Subco of $50,000 USD in cash and 300 common shares of the Company Subco at a deemed price of USD$33.33 per common share, representing 30% of the issued and outstanding equity securities of the Company Subco.

The Company Subco was formed as a special purpose vehicle for the purpose of acquiring the IP Assets from Metachain. Prior to the closing of the acquisition of the IP Assets, the Company Subco will at all times be a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, and following the closing of the acquisition of the IP Assets, the Company will hold 70% of the equity interest of the Company Subco.

It is expected that the acquisition of the IP Assets will close on or about August 21, 2023 .

On Behalf of the Board,

Ryan Selby

CEO, Director, and Chairman of the Board

Generative AI Solutions Corp.

Toll-free North America: +1-833-879-7632

Outside North America: +1-406-879-7632

[email protected]

www.genai-solutions.com

ABOUT GENERATIVE AI SOLUTIONS CORP.

GenAI is a pioneering artificial intelligence company focused on developing a vertically integrated AI solutions business through its proprietary MAI Cloud platform, with the development and commercialization of AI-powered tools and solutions for businesses and consumers across multiple industries. At GenAI, our mission is to harness the power of AI to create transformative products and services that benefit business and consumers across various sectors. Our team of talented AI professionals and engineers are dedicated to developing state-of-the-art AI-based solutions that have broad applicability and can be seamlessly integrated into diverse workflows. By leveraging our MAI Cloud platform and our expertise in machine learning, natural language processing, and data analytics, we build versatile high-performance tools that redefine efficiency, productivity, and user experience.

For more information on GenAI, please visit www.genai-solutions.com.

Trading in the securities of the Company should be considered highly speculative.

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws (the "forward-looking statements"), within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation, including statements relating to the completion of the Transaction, the conditions to completing the Transaction, the future integration of the IP Assets into the business of the Company, the benefits from the App, the satisfaction of closing conditions, the terms and conditions of the Transaction, the business plans, competitive strategy and objectives of the Company upon completion of the Transaction, the opportunities and growth in the use of the IP Assets, market conditions, maintenance and/or expansion of the book of business, and the potential benefits of the Transaction. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, although not always, identified by words such as "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "project," "target," "potential," "schedule," "forecast," "budget," "estimate," "intend" or "believe" and similar expressions or their negative connotations, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "could," "should" or "might" occur. All such forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the future circumstances, outcomes or results anticipated in or implied by such forward-looking statements will occur or that plans, intentions or expectations upon which the forward-looking statements are based will occur.

While we have based these forward-looking statements on our expectations about future events as at the date that such statements were prepared, the statements are not a guarantee that such future events will occur and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors which could cause events or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors and assumptions include, among others, the conditions required for the completion of the Transaction, that the conditions for the Transaction will be fulfilled, the Company's ability to integrate the IP Assets and its technology into the business of the Company, the maintenance and expansion of existing services and uses for users of the IP Assets of the Company, and the benefits of the App, market acceptance and demand of the Company's technology and related products, the effects of general economic conditions, changing foreign exchange rates and actions by government and regulatory authorities, the effects of COVID-19, both positive and negative, the future of the market for Company's programs and misjudgments in the course of preparing forward-looking statements. In addition, there are known and unknown risk factors which could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Known risk factors include risks associated with the impact of general business and economic conditions; the ability of the Company to successfully integrate the IP Assets into its existing operations; unexpected changes in market and technological trends and governmental policies and regulations affecting the Company, the risk that a closing condition to the Transaction is not satisfied or is not satisfied on a timely basis, including, without limitation, the parties' ability to satisfy closing conditions and receive necessary approvals; the Company's ability to continue onboarding clients; risks related to global pandemics; influence of macroeconomic developments; business opportunities that become available to, or are pursued by the Company; reduced access to debt and equity capital; litigation; the volatility of the stock market; competition; future sales or issuances of debt or equity securities; use of proceeds; dividend policy and future payment of dividends; liquidity; and the market for the Company's securities. Although we have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. 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, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. We are under no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking statements except as required under applicable securities laws. For the reasons set forth above, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements.

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SOURCE GENERATIVE AI SOLUTIONS CORP.
CHICAGO , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of the strategy to modernize Puerto Rico's power grid, U.S. Energy Sec. Jennifer Granholm recently announced new funding initiatives aimed at bringing solar panels to disadvantaged residents of Puerto Rico .

The announcement came during the Hispanics in Energy Reception in San Juan, Puerto Rico on July 31 , which marked a significant step forward in addressing energy disparities and advancing clean energy accessibility for Puerto Rico residents.

Executives from Great Lakes Solex PR, LLC., an Illinois , minority-owned, solar energy company were particularly keen on the announcement as the company has made a commitment to providing solar solutions to underserved communities, particularly in Puerto Rico and the U.S. mainland.

"We are honored to have been part of the Hispanics in Energy Reception and to witness Secretary Granholm's announcement of new funding initiatives," stated Sam Sanchez , President and Co-Founder of Great Lakes Solex. "Our participation underscores our commitment to driving positive change through sustainable renewable energy solutions. We are excited about the prospect of contributing to Puerto Rico's renewable energy landscape."

Great Lakes Solex plans to open a solar panel facility in Aguadilla, PR that will produce 6 Gigawatts of solar panels annually, create more than 800 new jobs, and partner with post-secondary education institutions to create workforce development pipeline training programs.

In addition, Great Lakes Solex's leadership met with Mayor Julio Roldan Concepcion of Aguadilla to discuss the establishment of a state-of-the-art solar manufacturing facility in the municipality. The plant will bolster local direct and indirect employment opportunities and also contribute significantly to the growth of renewable energy generation in the region.

Joining Great Lakes Solex in Puerto Rico was Jaime di Paulo , President and CEO of the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (IHCC).

"The IHCC supports member companies such as Great Lakes that look to expand business growth and development in Puerto Rico ," stated di Paulo . "IHCC will actively seek to identify other Illinois -based companies that may be ripe for business opportunities on the island and look forward to hosting Mayor Roldan Concepcion in Chicago in the coming weeks."

Great Lakes Solex has also strategically partnered with Invest Puerto Rico (IPR), the island's business attraction organization. IPR helps companies interested in getting established on the island by assisting them in navigating incentives, connecting them to resources for real estate selection and access to talent, and providing introductions to key stakeholders like sector experts and industry associations.

With the support of Hispanics in Energy, the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and Invest Puerto Rico, Great Lakes Solex will continue to innovate and collaborate toward a cleaner and more inclusive energy future. The company remains steadfast in its dedication to creating lasting impacts in communities and driving progress in the realm of solar energy.

About Great Lakes Solex PR, LLC.

Great Lakes Solex is a leading sustainable energy solutions provider specializing in solar technology and innovation. With a mission to promote accessibility to clean energy and contribute to a more sustainable future, Great Lakes Solex is committed to driving positive change in communities and advancing renewable energy infrastructure.

About Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

IHCC's mission is to cultivate knowledge, connections, and collaboration to effect transformational social change and achieve sustainable economic impact through entrepreneurship. IHCC is a community of business owners, entrepreneurs, and professionals with a membership base of over 100,000. We are committed to helping entrepreneurs grow by equipping them with the tools and resources they need to be competitive in today's economy.

About Invest Puerto Rico

Invest Puerto Rico is the economic development organization created by law with the purpose of promoting Puerto Rico abroad as a competitive jurisdiction for investment, focused on attracting new businesses and capital to foster economic growth on the Island. Our vision is to be an entity focused on results that accelerates Puerto Rico's transformation and generates more and better jobs on the island.

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SOURCE Great Lakes Solex PR, LLC.
In prestigious role, Mr. Garrett will lead a committee of global CEOs and sets the agenda for the community

EDISON, N.J. , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hackensack Meridian Health, New Jersey's largest and most integrated health network, is proud to announce that CEO Robert C. Garrett has been named Chair of the World Economic Forum's (Forum) Health and Healthcare Governor's Community.

"We learned in the COVID-19 pandemic that healthcare is more global than ever and I am honored to serve in this role with the World Economic Forum and help address some of the world's most challenging healthcare issues,'' said Robert C. Garrett , FACHE, chief executive officer of Hackensack Meridian Health. "Together we can improve outcomes and help to transform healthcare globally.''

In this two-year term, Mr. Garrett will help define the industry agenda and drive change with the Forum to improve access to healthcare and outcomes and to drive more efficiency in the industry.

"We are delighted to have Mr. Garrett chair our Health & Healthcare Governor's Community,'' said Dr. Shyam Bishen, Head of the Centre for Health & Healthcare at the World Economic Forum. "We believe with him at the helm, during this period, the community will make significant strides in solving the pressing challenges of the healthcare industry and drive much needed impact especially in areas of health outcomes and access. We look forward to working closely with him. ''

Potential global agenda items include digital technologies to make care more accessible while protecting patient privacy, addressing health equity and the impact of climate change on personal health.

Mr. Garrett has participated at the Forum's annual meeting in Davos for the last several years, including most recently in January when the Forum launched a new report, Global Health and Healthcare Strategic Outlook, which addresses misinformation, funding challenges, mental health, inequities, workforce shortages, supply chains, climate impacts and macroeconomic instability. The report also offers business and policy-makers a blueprint for more sustainable, resilient healthcare systems.

Mr. Garrett also signed the Zero Health Gaps Pledge in Davos in January, the world's first, multisector health equity pledge, along with 39 other leaders from eight countries. It is a commitment to ensure that people in all communities have access to high-quality healthcare.

ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH

Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the largest, most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey , offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care.

Hackensack Meridian Health comprises 17 hospitals from Bergen to Ocean counties, which includes three academic medical centers  Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune , JFK Medical Center in Edison ; two children's hospitals - Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital in Hackensack, K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital in Neptune ; nine community hospitals  Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel , Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair , Ocean Medical Center in Brick, Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen , Pascack Valley Medical Center in Westwood , Old Bridge Medical Center in Old Bridge , Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy , Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank , and Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin ; a behavioral health hospital  Carrier Clinic in Belle Mead ; and two rehabilitation hospitals - JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Edison and Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Brick.

Additionally, the network has more than 500 patient care locations throughout the state which include ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, fitness and wellness centers, rehabilitation centers, urgent care centers and physician practice locations. Hackensack Meridian Health has more than 36,000 team members, and 7,000 physicians and is a distinguished leader in health care philanthropy, committed to the health and well-being of the communities it serves.

The network's notable distinctions include having more top-ranked hospitals than anyone in New Jersey , as recognized by U.S. News & World Report. Hackensack University Medical Center is the only hospital in New Jersey with the #1 adult and children's hospital rankings.

The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, the first private medical school in New Jersey in more than 50 years, welcomed its first class of students in 2018 to its campus in Nutley and Clifton. The Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI), housed in a fully renovated state-of-the-art facility, seeks to translate current innovations in science to improve clinical outcomes for patients with cancer, infectious diseases and other life-threatening and disabling conditions.

Additionally, the network partnered with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to find more cures for cancer faster while ensuring that patients have access to the highest quality, most individualized cancer care when and where they need it.

Hackensack Meridian Health is a member of AllSpire Health Partners, an interstate consortium of leading health systems, to focus on the sharing of best practices in clinical care and achieving efficiencies. To learn more, visit www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org .

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SOURCE Hackensack Meridian Health
Fort Worth -based Insurance Brokerage Doubles Houston Presence with Local Firm

FORT WORTH, Texas , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The team from Houston's Iscential, a premier independent insurance agency, risk management and financial services firm, has joined forces with Fort Worth's Higginbotham , the largest independent insurance, financial and HR services firm headquartered in Texas and one of the top firms in the country. This strategic move allows access to enhanced services for Iscential clients and adds a second Houston team to the Higginbotham roster.

The deal allows access to enhanced services for Iscential clients, adds a second Houston team to Higginbotham roster.

As Higginbotham celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, Chairman and CEO Rusty Reid continues looking toward the next milestone. Reid champions strategic growth for the company by bringing aboard agencies and teams that enjoy strong reputations in their local markets and share the same energy, culture, values, and commitment to service as Higginbotham .

"Iscential fits perfectly into our national network of firms," Reid declared. "I could not be more pleased to bring them into the fold. They are a firm with impressive growth and an incredible reputation for client service. Our partnership with Iscential will allow both of us to better provide enhanced services to our clients for years to come."

Warren Barhorst , CEO of Iscential, also looked to the future as he searched for a company that could bring long-term organizational continuity to the business he founded 30 years ago. But his search was complicated by what he found in the marketplace.

"There were a lot of agencies to choose from," said Barhorst. "But when we started taking a closer look, we realized that so many companies are driven by stock price rather than customer and employee care, and they're not run by insurance people.

"Then we looked at Higginbotham ," Barhorst continued. "Not only do they have the long-term, proven performance we needed, but they also have the right culture. They're employee-owned. They're sales-driven and customer-focused. And best of all  they're run by insurance people. With Higginbotham , we found a partner that values what we've built, values our culture and associates, and wants more than a financial transaction."

Barhorst noted that he was particularly excited to now be able to offer Higginbotham's wide array of services to Iscential clients: "When we looked at the Higginbotham services, there was no question  they've done what we were trying to do on a smaller scale, and they've done it right."

Reid elaborated, "At Higginbotham, we've strategically and diligently built the in-house services for risk management, benefit plan administration, HR services, and more, and we're looking forward to offering these solutions to Iscential clients."

"Despite the obvious benefits, the decision to team up with Higginbotham was surprisingly emotional," Barhorst concluded. " Higginbotham kept telling us it'll be business as usual, and they were right. Except they're enabling me to refocus on the parts of the business I love most. If you're a baker and you like to bake, you want to make cookies. You don't want to sit at your desk alone doing paperwork. Today, I got to make the insurance version of cookies: I got to be back with clients all day long."

Dowling Hales acted as exclusive financial advisor to the sellers in this transaction.

ABOUT ISCENTIAL

Iscential is an independent insurance agency, risk management and financial services firm dedicated to helping individuals, families and businesses protect their most valuable assets. One of the largest writers of Nationwide property and casualty insurance in the country, Iscential was founded in 1993 by current CEO Warren Barhorst and his wife. With roots planted in Houston , Iscential has grown to encompass over 140 associates and is licensed in over 38 states. Visit iscential.com for more information.

ABOUT HIGGINBOTHAM

Employee owned and customer inspired, Higginbotham is a single source solution for insurance, financial and HR services. The firm was established in 1948 and ranks by revenue as the nation's 21st largest independent insurance firm. Serving thousands of businesses and individuals through locations coast-to-coast, Higginbotham's approach to finding insurance, employee benefit and risk management solutions is more individual and less institutional. By understanding customer priorities, eliminating inefficiencies and committing to transparency, Higginbotham is a place that leads with values so value leads. Visit higginbotham.com for more information.

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RICHMOND, Va. , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hilb Group announced today that it has acquired a Florida -based property and casualty business, building on the company's presence in the Southeast region and continuing to grow its offerings of commercial property and casualty coverage to those in the medical, construction, and real estate industries. The acquisition took effect August 1, 2023 .

About Hilb Group: The Hilb Group is a leading property and casualty and employee benefits insurance brokerage and advisory firm headquartered in Richmond, Virginia . Hilb Group is a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group, a global investment firm. Hilb Group seeks to grow through strategic acquisitions and by leveraging its resources and expertise to drive organic growth in its acquired agencies. The company has completed more than 150 acquisitions with over 125 offices in 27 states. Hilb Group is rated as one of the Fastest Growing Brokers by Business Insurance, a Top P/C Agency by Insurance Journal, and one of America's Fastest Growing Private Companies in the Inc. 5000. For more information on Hilb Group's growth as well as career opportunities, please visit our website at http://hilbgroup.com.

Media Contact:

Peter Lobred

804.548.4629

[email protected]

M&A Contact:

Ryan Havermann

804.414.6508

[email protected]

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SOURCE The Hilb Group, LLC
TORONTO , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Hydro One Inc. (Hydro One) and the Society of United Professionals are pleased to announce a tentative settlement of a collective agreement covering employees in engineering, supervisory and professional roles across the company's operations in Ontario .

"The employees represented by the Society of United Professionals play an important part in energizing life for our customers and communities across the province," said David Lebeter , Hydro One President and CEO. "We are pleased to reach a tentative settlement and want to thank the respective bargaining teams for negotiating to reach this outcome."

"The Society of United Professionals prides itself on working collaboratively with our employers to negotiate top-flight collective agreements that are fair for everyone," said Michelle Johnston , President of the Society. "I want to congratulate the leadership of both parties for reaching a tentative deal that addresses our members' concerns at the bargaining table. We look forward to the ratification of the agreement so that we can get back to the work of electrifying Ontario together."

Union members will vote on the tentative agreement with the outcome anticipated later this fall. Once ratified, the agreement will be in effect until September 30, 2025 .

Hydro One Limited (TSX: H)

Hydro One Limited, through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, is Ontario 's largest electricity transmission and distribution provider with approximately 1.5 million valued customers, approximately $31.5 billion in assets as at December 31, 2022 , and annual revenues in 2022 of approximately $7.8 billion .

Our team of approximately 9,300 skilled and dedicated employees proudly build and maintain a safe and reliable electricity system which is essential to supporting strong and successful communities. In 2022, Hydro One invested approximately $2.1 billion in its transmission and distribution networks, and supported the economy through buying approximately $1.9 billion of goods and services.

We are committed to the communities where we live and work through community investment, sustainability and diversity initiatives. We are designated as a Sustainable Electricity Leader by Electricity Canada.

Hydro One Limited's common shares are listed on the TSX and certain of Hydro One Inc.'s medium term notes are listed on the NYSE. Additional information can be accessed at www.hydroone.com, www.sedarplus.com or www.sec.gov.

About the Society

Founded more than 70 years ago by engineers who wanted better working conditions, the Society of United Professionals is the union of choice for more than 9,000 professionals in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors, including more than 2,000 members proudly working at Hydro One. Society members are professionals of many stripes, including engineers, scientists, lawyers and supervisors.

The Society of United Professionals is Local 160 of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers . They are based in Washington, D.C. with 80,000 members across North America . Additionally, United Professionals is affiliated to the Canadian Labour Congress, the Ontario Federation of Labour and many local labour councils.

Forward-Looking Statements and Information:

This press release and the application and investment plan to which it refers may contain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Words such as "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "attempt", "may", "plan", "will", "can", "believe", "seek", "estimate", and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking information. These statements are not guarantees of future performance or actions and involve assumptions and risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed, implied or forecasted in such forward-looking information. Some of the factors that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from the results expressed, implied or forecasted by such forward-looking information, including some of the assumptions used in making such statements, are discussed more fully in Hydro One's filings with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada , which are available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.com. Hydro One does not intend, and it disclaims any obligation, to update any forward-looking information, except as required by law.

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SOURCE Hydro One Limited
DENVER , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- WellBiz Brands Inc. , the pre-eminent beauty and wellness franchise portfolio, ranked No. 4,782 on the Inc. 5000, a unique and prestigious list of the fastest-growing private companies in America. The WellBiz Brands portfolio features category leaders including Drybar, Amazing Lash Studio , Radiant Waxing, Elements Massage and Fitness Together , with nearly 900 franchise locations open globally and more than 300 in development.

WellBiz Brands Inc. ranked No. 4,782 on the Inc. 5000, a list of the fastest-growing private companies in America.

"WellBiz Brands is one of the most resilient and successful beauty and wellness portfolio companies in the nation, as evidenced by our fourth time on the Inc. 5000 list," said Jeremy Morgan , CEO of WellBiz Brands. "This recognition is such an honor and is a true testament to the commitment of the franchise owners, service providers and support center team in creating best-in-class personalized experiences for every single guest, every single time."

WellBiz Brands grew 82% between 2019 and 2022, the period measured in the new Inc. 5000. Although those years encompassed one of the most disruptive economic periods in U.S. history, WellBiz Brands demonstrated remarkable growth. In 2021, WellBiz Brands acquired two new brands, including the franchise rights to the Drybar and the Radiant Waxing brands. Further, in 2021 and 2022, the WellBiz Brands portfolio reported consecutive record-breaking years for systemwide sales, as well as the number of franchise agreements signed.

With a portfolio of beauty and wellness brands, WellBiz Brands offers opportunities to experienced and prospective entrepreneurs that fit their passions and goals. For more information, please visit: WellBizBrands.com.

About WellBiz Brands Inc.:

WellBiz Brands Inc. is the pre-eminent beauty and wellness franchise platform catering to the needs of the affluent female consumer. The WellBiz Brands' portfolio features category leaders including Drybar, Amazing Lash Studio , Radiant Waxing, Elements Massage and Fitness Together. The company's cross-brand digital marketing program drives effective member acquisition strategies, creating a world-class membership ecosystem. WellBizONE, a proprietary technology platform, enhances studio operations for franchisees, fueling member engagement and retention. With expertise in supply chain management, e-commerce and product innovation, WellBiz Brands provides franchisees with a leading edge. The company has received national recognition on lists such as the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies, Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 and Franchise Times Fast & Serious, among others. For more information, visit WellBizBrands.com.

Contact: Sandra Dimsdale Horan , APR

[email protected]

863.646.2488

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SOURCE WellBiz Brands
MISSOULA, Mont. , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Loss Run Pro , a leading software solution for managing the loss run process, announced that it has partnered with The Iroquois Group, a national network of independent insurance agencies to bring its software service to their retail agency force. By working with Loss Run Pro , Iroquois members across the country will be able to simplify their workflows and spend less time with paperwork, so they have more time to focus on what matters: growing their agency and helping their customers.

The relationship between Loss Run Pro and Iroquois is a natural fit because both companies are committed to helping their retail agents grow their commercial books of business. "The LRP tool will fit seamlessly into our members' workflows simplifying the process of obtaining loss run data," said Christian Rebello , regional manager in Iroquois' Midwest region.

"We look forward to being a resource for Iroquois members to help them grow their commercial book of business," said Brenden Corr , Director of Business Director at Loss Run Pro . "Our software will allow their agents to spend less time on tedious tasks like data entry/collection and more time serving their clients' needs."

About Loss Run Pro

LRP is a simple and easy-to-use subscription software service. LRP simplifies the loss run process by automatically generating and delivering loss run requests. LRP also provides tracking and other useful tools to improve this process. LRP's innovative technology allows loss runs to be generated, signed, and delivered electronically, via a computer or mobile device. LRP stated that its goal is to eliminate the antiquated practice of processing loss runs manually. LRP has provided additional information about its staff and products at https://lossrunpro.com/.

About Iroquois

The Iroquois Group is one of the oldest and largest networks of independent P&C agencies in the country. Iroquois has over 2,500 members and focuses on agencies with premiums from $2 million to more than $200 million . We specialize in helping strong, professional agencies increase their revenues, profits and agency value. The Iroquois mission is to develop meaningful, productive, and mutually profitable partnerships with our Member Agencies and Carrier-Partners. Iroquois has provided additional information about its staff and products at https://iroquoisgroup.com/.

Media Contact:

Reghan Brandt

206-686-3408

[email protected]

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Costco's Kirkland Brand Frozen Strawberries Sicken Customers

SEATTLE , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The hepatitis A attorneys at Marler Clark, a Seattle based law firm, filed lawsuits against Scenic Fruit Company, LLC (berry grower) and Californica Splendor, Inc. (berry distributor), on behalf of Tanna Mosalsky and Ryan Darrow. Costco sold Kirkland Signature frozen organic strawberries linked to a multi-state hepatitis A outbreak that is responsible for Ms. Mosalsky's and Mr. Darrow's illnesses and injuries. The plaintiffs are represented by Marler Clark , The Food Safety Law Firm . Complaint # 2:23-cv-00516-RSM and 2:23-cv-01235.

After eating Kirkland Signature organic frozen strawberries, Ms. Mosalsky developed symptoms consistent with hepatitis A which included nausea, shortness of breath, abdominal and torso pain and extreme fatigue. When Ms. Mosalsky sought medical treatment, she was hospitalized for four days and eventually diagnosed with hepatitis A. Testing revealed severely elevated liver enzyme levels. She continues to suffer complications of hepatitis A and will need to have her gallbladder removed.

Mr. Darrow purchased Costco organic strawberries in December 2022 , consumed them in February 2023 and became ill in April 2023 . Because a hepatitis A infection can incubate and occur 15 to 50 days after consumption, this illness fell well within the time frame. His symptoms included nausea, abdominal pain, dark urine fatigue and jaundice. He sought medical care and tests showed elevated liver enzymes, and an inflamed liver. A diagnosis of hepatitis A has left Mr. Darrow with lifelong complications and symptoms which include significant fatigue, pain and other physical discomforts.

As of July 18, 2023 , 10 outbreak-associated cases of hepatitis A had been reported, from four states ( California , Hawaii , Oregon , and Washington ). Illness dates ranged from November 24, 2022 , to June 4, 2023 , with four people requiring hospitalization. Interviews with those sickened about foods they ate 2 to 7 weeks prior revealed that 100% reported eating organic frozen strawberries.

Epidemiologic and traceback evidence collected by investigations by the CDC, FDA, Washington state and local health departments indicated that frozen organic strawberries imported fresh from certain farms in Baja California, Mexico , in 2022 are the likely source of the outbreak.

The hepatitis A virus strain causing illnesses in this outbreak is genetically identical to the strain that caused a 2022 hepatitis A outbreak linked to fresh strawberries imported from Baja California and sold at various retailers. In response to this investigation, Defendant Scenic Fruit Company, LLC, recalled frozen organic strawberries, including those sold to Costco in Washington.

Hepatitis A: Marler Clark , The Food Safety Law Firm , is the nation's leading law firm representing victims of Hepatitis A outbreaks. The Hepatitis A lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of Hepatitis A and other foodborne illness outbreaks and have recovered over $700 million for clients. Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation. Our Hepatitis A lawyers have litigated Hepatitis A cases stemming from outbreaks traced to a variety of sources, such as green onions, lettuce, and restaurant food. The law firm has brought Hepatitis A lawsuits against such companies as Costco, Subway, McDonald's, Red Robin, Chipotle, Quiznos and Carl's Jr.

If you or a family member became ill with a Hepatitis A infection after consuming food and you are interested in pursuing a legal claim, contact Marler Clark, Inc., PS for a free case evaluation at ( 866) 768-6846.

Bill Marler's work as a lawyer and food safety advocate is highlighted in the Netflix Documentary "Poisoned" now streaming. See: "Poisoned": The Dirty Truth About Your Food - Netflix https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZcyMgdWmPg.

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SOURCE Marler Clark, The Nation's Food Safety Law Firm
First Half Same Store Sales Increased 3.0%

First Half Net Income (attributable to shareholders) increased 48 . 4 %

. Second Quarter Gross Margin Increased 190 Basis Points to 41.2%

Second Quarter Net Income (attributable to shareholders) increased 46.5%

CAESAREA, Israel , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Max Stock Limited (TASE: MAXO) (the "Company") today reported financial results for second quarter ended June 30, 2023 and first half fiscal 2023 results.

First Half 2023 Summary

Revenue increased 5.7%.

Comparable store sales increased 3.0%

Net income (attributable to shareholders) increased 48.4% to ILS 37.5 million.

Adjusted EPS 1 (attributable to shareholders) increased 14.3% to ILS 0.27.

(attributable to shareholders) increased 14.3% to ILS 0.27. Adjusted EBITDA2 increased 9.3% to ILS 66.9 million.

Second Quarter 2023 Summary

Revenue was ILS 252.8 million compared to ILS 252.7 million.

Gross profit increased 4.9% to ILS 104.0 million.

Comparable store sales decreased 2.8%

Comparable store sales for the combined May- June 2023 period increased 3.9%

period increased 3.9% Net income (attributable to shareholders) increased 46.5% to ILS 16.6 million.

Adjusted EPS 1 (attributable to shareholders) increased 7.2% to ILS 0.11.

(attributable to shareholders) increased 7.2% to ILS 0.11. Adjusted EBITDA2 increased 2.6% to ILS 30.1 million.

Ori Max , Founder and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "We delivered a strong first half performance highlighted by a 3% increase in same store sales and a 48% gain in net income (attributable to shareholders). Our recent results underscore the positive consumer response to our product offering and shopping experience, our growing store footprint, and great execution by our teams."

1 As used throughout this release, adjusted EPS (attributable to shareholders) defined as Net Income + Share-based payment, multiplied by the portion attributable to shareholders and divided by the number of shares.

2 As used throughout this release, adjusted EBITDA Pre IFRS 16 defined as Net Income + Income Tax Expenses + Net Interest Expenses + D&A + Other Expenses  the impact of IFRS 16 + Share-based payment  IFRS 16.

First Half 2023 Results

Revenue for the first half of 2023 increased 5.7% to ILS 532.4 million, compared with revenue of ILS 503.6 million in the first half of 2022. The increase in revenue over the period reflected an approximately 3% gain in same store sales, fueled by an increase in store traffic and higher seasonal sales compared with the prior year period. Revenue in the period also benefited from the addition of 4,500 net square meters and 4 franchised stores. During the LTM period, we opened 2 owned stores, closed one owned Max store and sold one owned Mini Max store to a franchisee.

Gross profit increased 11.6% to ILS 219.8 million in the first half of 2023 from ILS 197.0 million a year ago. Gross margin was ~41.3% as compared to ~39.1% in the prior year period. The 220-basis point improvement in gross margin year-over-year was driven primarily by a decrease in logistical expenses as a result of more efficient inventory management and a decline in global shipping costs.

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased to ILS 152.0 million in the first half of 2023 from ILS 144.6 million in the first half of 2022. The increase in operating expenses primarily included municipal expenses and amortization of right-of-use assets costs (IFRS 16) related to new stores, as well as ILS 3.3 million of expenses to support the start-up of the Company's operations in Portugal ; partially offset by a ILS 8.4 million decrease in stock-based-compensation. As a percentage of sales, selling, general and administrative expenses were 28.6% in H1 2023 compared with 28.7% in H1 2022.

Net income (attributable to shareholders) increased 48.4% to ILS 37.5 million.

Adjusted net income (attributable to shareholders) increased 11.8% to ILS 36.9 million.

Adjusted EPS1(attributable to shareholders) increased 14.3% to ILS 0.27 in the first half of 2023 as compared with adjusted EPS1(attributable to shareholders) of ILS 0.23 per share, in the first half of 2022.

Adjusted EBITDA2 increased 9.3% to ILS 66.9 million in the first half 2023 from ILS 61.2 million in the first half of 2022. The Company's joint venture in Portugal negatively contributed ILS 2.6 million to Adjusted EBITDA2 in the first half 2023.

Second Quarter 2023 Results

Revenue was ILS 252.8 million in the second quarter 2023 as compared with revenue of ILS 252.7 million in the second quarter 2022. Revenue in the second quarter of this year was adversely impacted by the timing of the Passover festival, which primarily affected March demand and contributed to the 2.8% decline in sale store sales. Same store sales growth for the combined May- June 2023 period, that had no impact from the timing of holidays, was 3.9%.

Gross profit increased 4.9% to ILS 104.0 million in the second quarter 2023 from ILS 99.2 million in the second quarter 2022. Gross margin was ~41.2% as compared to ~39.3% in the prior year period. The 190-basis point improvement in gross margin year-over-year was driven primarily by a decrease in logistical expenses as a result of more efficient inventory management and by a decline in global shipping costs.

Selling, general and administrative expenses decreased to ILS 73.3 million in the second quarter 2023 from ILS 74.5 million in the second quarter 2022. As a percentage of sales, selling, general and administrative expenses were 29.0% in Q2 2023 compared with 29.5% in Q2 2022. The decrease in selling, general and administrative expenses primarily reflected a ILS 4.5 million decline in stock-based-compensation; partially offset by an increase in municipal expenses and amortization of right-of-use assets costs (IFRS 16) related to new stores, and by ILS 1.7 million expenses to support the start-up of the Company's operations in Portugal .

Net income (attributable to shareholders) increased 46.5% to ILS 16.6 million.

Adjusted net income (attributable to shareholders) increased 4.9% to ILS 15.9 million.

Adjusted EPS1(attributable to shareholders) increased 7.2% to ILS 0.11, in the second quarter of 2023 as compared with adjusted EPS1(attributable to shareholders) of ILS 0.11 per share, in the second quarter of 2022.

Adjusted EBITDA2 increased 2.6% to ILS 30.1 million in the second quarter fiscal 2023 from ILS 29.3 million in the second quarter 2022. The Company's joint venture in Portugal negatively contributed ILS 1.7 million to Adjusted EBITDA2 in the second quarter of 2023.

Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Highlights

The Company's cash and cash equivalents balance at June 30, 2023 was ILS 65.2 million compared with ILS 80.5 million at December 31, 2022 and ILS 83.8 million at June 30, 2022 . The Company ended the second quarter of 2023 with total debt of ILS 34.4 million compared with total debt of ILS 47.6 million at the end of fiscal 2022.

Inventories at June 30, 2023 were ILS 156.3 million, down 1.9% compared with ILS 159.4 million at December 31, 2022 and down 17.9% compared with ILS 190.3 million at June 30, 2022 .

Conference Call Information

The Company will host a conference call on August 15, 2023 at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time to discuss second quarter fiscal 2023 results (Link).The conference call will also be accessible at https://ir.maxstock.co.il/en/event-en/.There will be a slide presentation that accompanies the call. The slides will be accessible at https://ir.maxstock.co.il/en/presentation-en/. An archived webcast of the conference call will be available at https://ir.maxstock.co.il/en/presentation-en/.

About Max Stock

Max Stock is Israel's leading extreme value retailer, currently present in 59 locations throughout Israel and 2 locations in Portugal that opened in 2023. We offer a broad assortment of quality products for customers' everyday needs at affordable prices, helping customers "Dream Big, Pay Small". For more information, please visit https://ir.maxstock.co.il

Forward-Looking Statements

It should be emphasized that this report includes forward-looking information as defined under the Securities Law, 5728-1968. Forward-looking information is uncertain information regarding the future, including forecasts, projections, estimates or other information which refer to a future event or matter, the eventuation of which is uncertain and/or not within the Company's control. The forward-looking information included in this report is based on the current information held by the Company or its current assessments, as of the publication date of this report.

Company Contacts:

Talia Sessler ,

Chief Corporate Development and IR Officer

[email protected]

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SOURCE Max Stock Limited
Premium pet food brands reinforce their commitments to the highest quality nutrition

BROWNWOOD, Texas , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ethos Pet Brands, the new parent company created by the merger of industry-leading brands Natural Balance Pet Foods, Inc., and Canidae Pet Food Company, was unveiled today. The combination will leverage both companies' shared passion for improving the well-being and lives of pets through simple nutrition, responsibly sourced ingredients, and protein-rich products.

"Ethos," the original and long-standing name of Canidae's manufacturing facility in Brownwood, Texas , reflects both companies' character, honesty and integrity while representing their commitment to providing high-quality nutrition and premium ingredients.

Natural Balance, known for its Limited Ingredient recipes and Original Ultra product lines for dogs and cats, and Canidae's Pure, Goodness, and All Life Stages products developed for dogs and cats of all ages, offer complementary yet differentiated comprehensive food solutions sold through the pet specialty, independent and ecommerce channels. The state-of-the-art Brownwood facility, opened in 2012, will now manufacture products for both brands.

"Ethos Pet Brands marks the collaboration between two exceptional companies recognized for their best-in-class offerings for pet parents and their beloved pets," said Greg Shearson, chairman of the board, Ethos Pet Brands. "The Ethos Pet Brands leadership team was thoughtfully assembled and represents deep experience in the pet specialty space. I am confident they will build upon this strong foundation and guide this new company into a promising future."

Natural Balance and Canidae first announced plans to merge in March 2023 . Natural Balance has a 30-year history of developing premium products with high-quality, protein-forward ingredients spanning dog food, cat food, and treats. For the past 25 years, Canidae has offered dog and cat food products focusing on goodness for pets and the planet through regenerative agriculture and sustainable operations.

As part of the transaction, L Catterton, a leading global consumer-focused investment firm and majority shareholder of Canidae, and Nexus Capital Management, an alternative asset investment company and majority shareholder of Natural Balance, each contributed new growth capital to support the successful integration and strategic long-term expansion of the combined company.

To stay updated with Ethos Pet Brands, follow along on LinkedIn.

About Natural Balance

Founded in 1989, Natural BalancePet Foods, Inc. is a premium pet specialty brand with a complete offering of pet foods for both dogs and cats. The Natural Balance product line comprises over 100 dog and cat food and treat varieties, including Limited Ingredient, Original Ultra, and REWARDS. Natural Balance delivers quality, safety-tested food in every bag. Their Feed with Confidence Program provides comprehensive, on-demand safety testing data to help eliminate wonder or worry. Their team of Registered Veterinary Technicians is available via online chat and phone to answer questions and ease concerns. Visit naturalbalanceinc.com for more information.

About CanidaePet Food Company

From the first truckload of food delivered to the latest batch of pet food cooked in their pet nutrition plant in Brownwood, Texas , Canidae's story is one to be proud of. Canidae was founded in 1996 by two pet owners who knew they could make pet food better. Better nutrients. Better flavor. Better for our dogs and cats and better for us all. They've been committed to quality ever since. That commitment is upheld today in more than just their nutrient-rich, premium pet food. It inspires everything they do, from the land they harvest and the farmers they work with, to the people they employ and the local pet food stores they partner with. All of Canidae's products are vet-reviewed high-quality and perfectly balanced for optimal health at an affordable price point with no fillers, artificial flavors or artificial preservatives. Canidae is partnering with US farmers and green technology companies to bring new, sustainable practices to pet food including lowering pesticide use, reducing runoff and adopting regenerative farming practices. For more information on Canidae, please visit www.canidae.com .

About L Catterton

L Catterton is a market-leading consumer-focused investment firm, managing approximately $34 billion of capital and three multi-product platforms: private equity, credit, and real estate. Leveraging deep category insight, operational excellence, and a broad network of strategic relationships, L Catterton's team of more than 200 investment and operating professionals across 17 offices partners with management teams to drive differentiated value creation across its portfolio. Founded in 1989, the firm has made over 250 investments in some of the world's most iconic consumer brands. For more information about L Catterton, please visit www.lcatterton.com .

About Nexus Capital Management LP

Nexus is an alternative asset investment management company based in Los Angeles, California that was founded in 2013. Nexus employs a flexible investment mandate that focuses on long-term value creation by partnering with leading management teams and businesses across the consumer, education, business services and industrials sectors. For more information on Nexus, please visit www.nexuslp.com .

MEDIA CONTACT: Haley McGraw | [email protected] | M: 704.619.9108

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SOURCE Ethos Pet Brands
PLANO, Texas , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Community Hospital Corporation (CHC) and North Texas Medical Center, a CHC-managed acute care hospital in Gainesville , proudly announced that NTMC has received the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) 5-Star Overall Rating and 5-Star Patient Survey Rating.

This ranks NTMC one of only nine other hospitals in Texas to earn the highest mark in both categories in 2023. Zooming in for a closer comparison, NTMC is one of only two acute care, non-specialty hospitals that garnered 5-star ratings in both categories. The rating measured the community hospital's performance on key metrics such as mortality, safety of care, readmission rates, patient experience and timely and effective care.

NTMC CEO Tom Sledge commented on CMS' recognition of the hospital's performance: "Achieving this overall 5-star rating signifies an amazing achievement for our hospital. This award validates that we are working together to meet our mission of providing excellent patient-centered care."

CHC President and CEO Jim Kendrick added: "NTMC fosters a culture that openly discusses opportunities for improvement. This prestigious award serves as a real testament to the hospital's commitment of offering the highest quality of care possible for its patients and total team effort to achieve desired results."

Faced with strong population growth in the region, NTMC's focus on continuous quality improvement has enabled it to meet residents' current and future healthcare needs. "Even though we are considered rural, northern Dallas-Fort Worth's growth is rapidly expanding our way," Sledge said. "Our patient volumes have grown steadily over the past few years, resulting in the need to continue improving and adding services, in order to be fully prepared for the region's growth."

How NTMC Attained Its Top-Ranked Rural Hospital Status

NTMC made it a top priority to work closely with its staff to drive improvement in the hospital's operations. Some of the key steps that led to NTMC receiving the award included:

Applying a methodology to identify and prioritize areas for improvement. This allowed the hospital to concentrate its efforts on outliers that required the most attention.

Conducting hospital leadership visits to each of the hospital's departments regularly to ensure employee needs are met.

Creating multidisciplinary teams to resolve issues and make sure day-to-day operations stay on track.

Fostering a culture that encourages front-line staff to discuss any issues before they become problematic. This requires constant evaluation and monitoring to ensure the desired outcome is achieved.

Relocating the primary care clinics to a larger and more attractive space on the hospital's campus. As a result, NTMC expanded patient visits, averaging over 2,000 per month compared to less than 1,000 visits per month prior to the relocation.

Implementing new electronic medical record (EMR) systems in both the hospital and clinics in the past year to help meet the ever-increasing technological needs in healthcare.

Providing new services and hiring staff to meet the community's healthcare needs. This included recruiting three new physicians this year, adding a rapidly growing wound care clinic and other vital medical services, and ongoing investment in technology such as plans to offer a new cardiac CT scanner this year.

About Community Hospital Corporation  HELP WHERE HOSPITALS NEED IT

Community Hospital Corporation owns, manages and consults with hospitals through CHC Hospitals, CHC Consulting and CHC ContinueCARE. Visit http://communityhospitalcorp.com .

Media contact:

Anne Block

[email protected]

972-943-6400

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SOURCE Community Hospital Corporation
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pavlov Media announces founder and CEO Mark Scifres has decided to step down as CEO after 30 years of leading the day-to-day operations of the company, effective August 8th . Mark Scifres will remain on as a member of the Board of Directors for Pavlov Media. Cory Douglas , President of Operations for Pavlov Media, has been named as the successor for CEO.

Cory Douglas has been with Pavlov Media since 2017, first joining as Vice President of Business Development. Through his time at Pavlov Media, Cory Douglas rose through career ladders, gaining experience in several different leadership positions, providing him with a unique insight inside all the departments within Pavlov Media. In his latest role as President of Operations, Cory Douglas was tasked with executing Pavlov Media's business strategy, expanding Pavlov Media's infrastructure, and ensuring operational excellence across the organization.

"I want to thank Mark Scifres for being an illustrious leader and a visionary for Pavlov Media since he founded the company in 1994", said Cory Douglas , CEO of Pavlov Media. "I have developed a sincere admiration for what Mark has built with this company and I am honored to be entrusted to lead this company moving forward."

Cory Douglas added, "Pavlov Media still aligns itself with the same vision and expectations as before. Constantly engineering the future of the Internet and always delivering the best customer experience possible. While Pavlov Media has experienced remarkable success up to this point, the sky is the limit for the potential of this company."

About Pavlov Media:

Pavlov Media is a nationwide Internet and Media company with offerings of broadband, voice, and television services. The company operates municipal fiber networks connected to its national backbone network. Pavlov Media specializes in private networks designed, constructed, and operated by a team of dedicated professionals from the multifamily real estate industry.

For more information visit www.pavlovmedia.com .

Contact: Chris Hunt , President of Emerging Markets

Phone: 217.531.9031 email: [email protected]

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SOURCE Pavlov Media, Inc.
FORT WORTH, Texas , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- PHX MINERALS INC., "PHX" or the "Company" (NYSE: PHX), today confirmed that its board of directors (the "Board") previously received, thoroughly reviewed and rejected an unsolicited, non-binding proposal from WhiteHawk Income Corporation ("WhiteHawk") to combine with PHX in a stock-for-stock transaction.

The Board reiterates that it is open to and regularly evaluates opportunities to enhance stockholder value. Using a consistent process and valuation methodology that PHX has utilized to evaluate over 150 potential acquisitions since 2020, the Board carefully considered WhiteHawk's offer. Following this comprehensive review, the Board unanimously determined that the proposal: (1) is grossly inadequate in terms of the value offered to PHX and its stockholders; (2) overstates the value of WhiteHawk's assets; and (3) is highly dilutive to PHX stockholders. As such, the Board determined that the WhiteHawk proposal is not an appropriate basis for engagement and is not in the best interest of stockholders.

"Our Board is committed to driving value for all stockholders and evaluates all opportunities that can help achieve that goal," said Mark T. Behrman , Chairman of the Board. "We recognize the time and effort WhiteHawk dedicated to presenting its proposal, but after a very thorough evaluation we do not believe it would be in the best interests of our stockholders to explore this opportunity further."

The full text of PHX's letter to WhiteHawk, transmitted at 9:00 am ET on Aug. 15, 2023 , is as follows:

August 15, 2023

WhiteHawk Income Corporation

Attn: Daniel C. Herz , Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

2000 Market Street , Suite 910

Philadelphia, PA 19103

Re: Proposal from WhiteHawk Income Corporation

Dear Mr. Herz:

The Board of Directors (the "Board") of PHX Minerals Inc. ("PHX") received the letter dated August 9, 2023 sent on behalf of WhiteHawk Income Corporation ("WhiteHawk"). The letter proposed a stock-for-stock exchange to form WhiteHawk Minerals Corporation, the ownership of which would be held approximately 39% by WhiteHawk and 61% by PHX stockholders. This proposal remains materially unchanged from the initial unsolicited proposal sent to the Board on May 31, 2023 and the revised proposal sent on June 20, 2023 (collectively referred to herein as the "Proposal"). After extensive review, including technical and business analysis of both the Proposal and the diligence materials WhiteHawk provided and after numerous meetings and discussions with the Board, the Board unanimously concluded that the Proposal: (1) is grossly inadequate in terms of the value offered to PHX and its stockholders; (2) overstates the value of WhiteHawk's assets; and (3) is highly dilutive to and not in the best interests of PHX and its stockholders. PHX expressed these conclusions to WhiteHawk management via a letter dated July 27, 2023 . The Board continues to firmly hold this view.

Following receipt of your initial proposal, PHX requested additional technical information from WhiteHawk, including reserve reports, shape files with the locations of WhiteHawk's assets, and WhiteHawk's financial models, which you made available. PHX's management and technical teams then conducted a thorough evaluation of the materials provided from a geologic, engineering, and financial standpoint, utilizing the same evaluation process and methodology that PHX has applied in evaluating over 150 potential acquisitions since 2020, resulting in 66 transactions on which PHX has closed during this period for an aggregate consideration of $114 million .

Since the beginning of 2020, PHX's stated strategy has been focused on growing royalty reserves and production volumes on an accretive basis, while steadily increasing its dividend rate. During this timeframe, PHX has grown royalty reserves by over 130%, annual royalty production volumes by over 145% and increased its dividend to stockholders by 125%. This is a direct result of PHX's stated strategy, which is supported by our internal rigorous acquisition evaluation process and in which the board believes management is executing successfully.

PHX's methodology focuses on the quality of any potential mineral acquisition from a geologic and engineering standpoint to determine value potential while minimizing development timing risk, taking into account the geographic locations and the development pace of the operators controlling the assets, in order to develop a risk-adjusted rate of return profile. PHX's evaluation of the WhiteHawk assets yielded a valuation substantially below the value you asserted in the Proposal. In reaching this conclusion, PHX applied consistent valuation techniques in analyzing both the WhiteHawk assets and the PHX assets. Based on relative asset values, the 61%/39% ownership split contained in the Proposal significantly understates the value of the PHX assets and overstates the value of the WhiteHawk assets. Even taking into account the proposed one-time $0.20 per share special cash dividend to PHX stockholders, the Proposal significantly undervalues PHX and its future prospects. This is especially true when considering that the proposed dividend would be funded using PHX's own available liquidity.

Importantly and for context, PHX had already methodically evaluated the WhiteHawk assets in 2021 and 2022, when these asset packages were being widely marketed for sale. After careful evaluation using the same process and methodology that PHX applies to all potential acquisitions, PHX elected not to bid on most of these assets, submitting a bid on only a small percentage that PHX had an interest in acquiring, but which were ultimately sold to a higher bidder. The conclusion to be drawn is that based on PHX's rigorous methodology for valuing mineral assets, the majority of the assets that WhiteHawk acquired did not meet PHX's criteria in 2021 and 2022, even in a significantly higher commodity price environment.

Despite our prior evaluation, as prompted by your Proposal, PHX went through the process of thoroughly evaluating these assets again. Based on these results, the Board has determined that your Proposal significantly overstates the value of the WhiteHawk assets and assigns a grossly insufficient value to PHX. Notably, PHX's acquisition track record and annual royalty reserve and production volume growth demonstrate that assets PHX acquires convert to production relatively quickly. Management and the Board believe the majority of the WhiteHawk assets will not be developed and convert to production at the same rate, adding risk and uncertainty in a combined portfolio of PHX and WhiteHawk assets.

The PHX Board has carefully considered your Proposal, utilized PHX's extensive technical capabilities and dedicated significant time and efforts to evaluate the WhiteHawk assets. The Board and PHX management are aligned with our PHX stockholders and focused on their best interests. The Board recognizes the time and effort WhiteHawk has dedicated to presenting this Proposal. However, there is a wide disparity between management's valuation, which the Board fully agrees with, and the valuation of WhiteHawk's assets that you have asserted in the Proposal. Given the current environment and the availability of high-quality assets at practical valuations in our target regions that would be accretive to PHX's existing asset base, the Board remains focused on our stated strategy. Therefore, continuing discussions with WhiteHawk would be unproductive and without merit.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, By: /s/ Mark T. Behrman Name: Mark T. Behrman Title: Chairman

PHX Minerals Inc. (NYSE: PHX) Fort Worth-based, PHX Minerals Inc. is a natural gas and oil mineral company with a strategy to proactively grow its mineral position in its core focus areas. PHX owns mineral acreage principally located in Oklahoma , Texas , Louisiana , North Dakota and Arkansas . Additional information on the Company can be found at www.phxmin.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Words such as "anticipates," "plans," "estimates," "believes," "expects," "intends," "will," "should," "may" and similar expressions may be used to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not statements of historical fact and reflect PHX's current views about future events. Forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements relating to: the Company's ability to execute its business strategies; the volatility of realized natural gas and oil prices; the level of production on the Company's properties; estimates of quantities of natural gas, oil and NGL reserves and their values; general economic or industry conditions; legislation or regulatory requirements; conditions of the securities markets; the Company's ability to raise capital; changes in accounting principles, policies or guidelines; financial or political instability; acts of war or terrorism; title defects in the properties in which the Company invests; and other economic, competitive, governmental, regulatory or technical factors affecting properties, operations or prices. Although the Company believes expectations reflected in these and other forward-looking statements are reasonable, the Company can give no assurance such expectations will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. These forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause the results to differ materially from those expected by the Company's management. Information concerning these risks and other factors can be found in the Company's filings with the SEC, including its Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, available on the Company's website or the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date hereof, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update the forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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SOURCE PHX MINERALS INC.
Veteran franchisees Jay and Michael Taylor spearhead the expansion of the iconic Port of Subs brand in Utah .

RENO, Nev. , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In a strategic move to catapult the 50-year legacy Port of Subs brand into new and existing markets, Area 15 Ventures, LLC, a dynamic private equity firm headquartered in Castle Rock, Colorado , acquired Port of Subs earlier this year. One of the pivotal objectives of this acquisition was to rapidly expand the brand's presence through an innovative Regional Developer model. Brothers Jay and Michael Taylor , seasoned Port of Subs franchisees who own established locations in Draper and Salt Lake City , seized the opportunity to become Port of Subs' first Regional Developers.

Port of Subs Inks 40-Unit Deal with Company's First Regional Developers to Spearhead the Brand's Expansion in Utah .

"We've dreamed about growing Port of Subs' presence in Northern Utah since we opened our first Port of Subs restaurant in 2010. As Regional Developers, we're turning this dream into reality. We'll be able to share our passion for Port of Subs with communities by spearheading new locations throughout the market under this franchise business model," said Jay Taylor . "We plan to open new locations in our region that span from Ogden to Provo , including Salt Lake , Weaver, and Utah Counties. Michael and I will open our own locations and accelerate growth by aligning with both single-unit and multi-unit franchisees." Michael Taylor affirmed, "With our extensive entrepreneurial background, along with Jay's deep experience in business operations and my construction expertise, our roles as Regional Developers merge experience and innovation, ensuring a seamless opening process that sets the stage for success from day one."

The Taylors are actively seeking potential franchisees who want to shape their own future. " Northern Utah's population and business growth trends are solid, and Port of Subs aligns perfectly with the market. Our turnkey business model makes it easy for multi-unit operators or first-time franchisees to open and operate their Port of Subs locations," said Jay Taylor . "Entrepreneurs interested in launching their own neighborhood sandwich shop in Northern Utah , we invite you to connect with us!"

As the first Regional Developers, the Taylors are the inaugural members of Port of Subs' Twenty Club, an exclusive counsel within the brand. By invitation only, these privileged collaborators will connect for dynamic discussions and the exchange of innovative ideas, allowing visionary minds like the Taylors to shape Port of Subs' future. "We've been a part of the Port of Subs family for over a decade, and Jay and I bring the unique perspective of day-to-day operations combined with high-level vision to the brand's planning and growth process," said Michael Taylor .

President of Port of Subs, Healey Mendicino , expressed her confidence in the Taylor brothers' leadership: "Their competence, dedication, and genuine love for the Port of Subs brand are a sure-fire recipe for success." For more information on becoming a Port of Subs Regional Developer or franchisee, please contact Dr. Ben Litalien at [email protected]

About Port of Subs

Customers have enjoyed the great taste of Port of Subs sandwiches for over 50 years. The Port of Subs brand has become synonymous with quality sandwich making and superior customer service. Known for its premium meats and cheeses, Port of Subs offers customizable and made-to-order menu offerings, a hallmark of the brand's mission to become every guest's favorite neighborhood sandwich shop. For more information, please visit www.portofsubs.com .

About Area 15 Ventures, LLC

Area 15 Ventures is a Colorado -based private equity business owned by the Liniger family and highly skilled friends and employees. The private ownership allows for quick decisions and provides personal support and development. The focus is on emerging franchisors and high-growth businesses that require an investment to scale their opportunity to the next level and benefit from the team's experience in franchising RE/MAX and Motto Mortgage. The Area 15 Ventures team brings vast experience in business development, marketing, franchise sales, Zee/Zor relationships, training, and international expansion. For more information, please visit www.area15ventures.com.

CONTACT: Meghan Capello , Senior Director/Marketing

Port of Subs

[email protected]

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SOURCE Port of Subs
SMITHFIELD, Va. , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Smithfield Foods, in partnership with Kroger, donated 30,000 pounds of protein to Gleaners Food Bank to help fight hunger in central Indiana . The donation, which included Smithfield bacon and ham, will provide 120,000 servings to food insecure individuals in Gleaners' 21-county service area.

Aric Almirola , driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing, was on hand at the event prior to Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race in Indianapolis to help raise awareness of hunger and food insecurity.

"I'm proud to stand with Smithfield and Kroger in the fight against hunger," Almirola said. "This donation will provide access to high-quality, nutritious food for people who need assistance. With so much energy and excitement during race weekend, it's important for us to take a step back and remember these important issues in our community."

" Smithfield is keenly aware of the issues of hunger and food insecurity, and the role we can play as part of the solution," said Jonathan Toms , senior community development manager for Smithfield . "On behalf of our hundreds of employees in Indiana , we're joining together with our incredible partners Gleaners and Kroger to make a real impact for those experiencing hunger."

"As a member of the Gleaners board, I'm grateful for this donation from our friends at Smithfield ," said Colleen Juergensen , president of Kroger's central division. "It will mean so much to the thousands of Hoosiers the food bank serves across central Indiana and is a perfect partnership for Kroger's Zero Hunger | Zero Waste hunger relief plan. We thank Smithfield for making such a difference in the lives of the people we serve."

"Protein is greatly desired by the neighbors we serve," said Fred Glass , president and CEO of Gleaners. "Protein donations like these, along with bulk fresh and frozen protein that we process in our USDA certified protein repack room, provide neighbors with needed servings of highly nutritious foods. With need increasing and food costs still very high, this donation will allow our neighbors to create balanced meals for their families."

Helping Hungry Homes, Smithfield's signature hunger relief program, has provided hundreds of millions of servings of protein in all 50 U.S. states, as well as in Poland , Romania and Mexico , since 2008. In 2022, the company donated nearly 25 million servings of protein to food banks, disaster relief efforts and community outreach programs across the U.S. To reflect its continued commitment to fighting food insecurity, Smithfield has pledged to donate 200 million servings of protein by 2025.

Kroger's Zero Hunger | Zero Waste initiative reflects the company's commitment to build a more resilient, equitable and sustainable food system that improves access to affordable, fresh food for everyone  for generations to come. Kroger donated 94 million pounds of surplus food to Feeding America's network of food banks and agency partners in 2021 and is committed to creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025.

About Smithfield Foods, Inc.

Headquartered in Smithfield, Virginia, since 1936, Smithfield Foods, Inc. is a U.S. food company that employs nearly 60,000 people in seven countries and partners with thousands of American farmers. As one of the world's leading vertically integrated protein companies, we are dedicated to producing "Good food. Responsibly." to feed a growing world population. We have pioneered sustainability standards for more than two decades, including our industry-leading commitments to become carbon negative in our U.S. company-owned operations and reduce GHG emissions 30% across our entire U.S. value chain by 2030. We believe in the power of protein to end food insecurity and have donated hundreds of millions of food servings to food banks, disaster relief efforts and community outreach programs in all 50 U.S. states. Smithfield boasts a portfolio of high-quality iconic brands, such as Smithfield, Eckrich, Gwaltney and Nathan's Famous, among many others. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

About Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, Inc.

Gleaners was founded in 1980 and is a respected leader within Feeding America, the nation's food bank network. Since that time, Gleaners has distributed more than 800 million pounds of food and critical grocery products through nearly 250 hunger relief agencies, schools and community partners serving needy Hoosiers. In addition to food distribution to agencies, we serve our most vulnerable populations, seniors and children, through specialty programs such as Gleaners2Go, Home Delivery, School-Based Pantries, Mobile Pantries, Summer Meals for Kids, and Senior Hunger Initiative programs. Fresh Connect Central, operated by Gleaners and serving the Feeding America network of food banks, sources and distributes fresh produce, protein, dairy, and dry goods too hunger-relief organizations throughout the Midwest and beyond. Charity Navigator has recognized Gleaners as a 4-Star organization, the highest rating for charity demonstrating fiscal management and accountability. In addition, Gleaners is an accredited charity with the Better Business Bureau and has earned a Platinum Seal of Transparency from GuideStar. To learn more, visit www.gleaners.org.

About The Kroger Co.

At The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), we are Fresh for Everyone and dedicated to our Purpose: To Feed the Human Spirit. We are, across our family of companies, nearly half a million associates who serve over 11 million customers daily through a seamless shopping experience under a variety of banner names. We are committed to creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025.

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SOURCE Smithfield Foods, Inc.
Location to employ 300 workers by 2026, joining CGI's talent ecosystem driving digital transformation, harnessing new technologies on behalf of regional, global clients

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CGI (NYSE: GIB) (TSX: GIB.A) executives today were joined by state and local leaders in Knoxville, Tennessee , to celebrate the grand opening of its newest U.S. onshore delivery center, an expansion of its Knoxville presence that meets the growing demand for IT services, creates a new hub for the area's growing tech community, and expands a dynamic ecosystem for the delivery of innovative IT services and solutions to government and commercial clients in Tennessee , across the country and around the world.

"We are thrilled that CGI continues to invest here in our great City and sees the value of our workforce," said Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon . "This expansion goes hand-in-hand with our continued efforts to attract and retain young professionals here in Knoxville ."

Since 2021, CGI has employed more than 100 professionals in Knoxville who currently serve clients in the financial services, retail, healthcare, life sciences and government sectors. By 2026, CGI plans to create 300 high quality jobs that will help support the growing client digital transformation demand.

"CGI is contributing to our state's thriving tech ecosystem, while also providing high-quality job opportunities to those in East Tennessee ," said Stuart C. McWhorter , Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. "I applaud CGI for collaborating with the University of Tennessee and regional entrepreneurship partners to promote workforce development opportunities and build the talent pipeline that will support the work being done at this onshore delivery center."

As part of its onshore delivery strategy, CGI continually assesses U.S. locations that offer access to a quality workforce, strong economics and partnerships with state and local governments, academia, and industry. Since 2021, CGI has partnered with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville to engage students for internships and research projects across interdisciplinary programs in colleges such as the Haslam College of Business and the Tickle College of Engineering. CGI also supports regional workforce development and tech entrepreneurship through partnerships with the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center, innov865 Alliance, TechStars and the Knoxville Technology Council.

"The strength of local partnerships and Knoxville's talent pool is driving growth and innovation on behalf of our clients in Tennessee and around the country," said Stephanie Mango , President, CGI Federal. "This dedicated collaboration space will allow our members, clients and partners to work together in a dynamic environment to innovate. This collaboration is central to our proximity approach, and unlike purely remote work models, offers greater opportunities for professional development and building a workforce that celebrates diverse voices, experiences and perspectives."

As a core element of its global best-fit delivery approach, CGI's U.S. onshore delivery centers offer IT services and solutions that balance security with innovation for government and commercial clients. For critical missions, CGI delivers a balanced talent approach  extending client onsite teams  by engaging CGI professionals at locations across the country who integrate seamlessly to reduce risk, increase efficiency, and drive transformation.

"With the opening of our Knoxville onshore delivery center's permanent office, we have expanded our delivery options of in-demand technology capabilities and resources to help clients thrive in an evolving, digital world," said Tim Hurlebaus , President of U.S. Commercial and State Governments Operations, CGI. "Our onshore center provides proximity to clients to unlock lasting innovation at pace and scale."

"CGI's new location in Knoxville is proof positive of the community's ability to attract 21st century businesses committed to communities in East Tennessee ," said Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs . "I applaud CGI for recognizing the amazing potential of the area's workforce, educators and partners and look forward to celebrating our future successes in terms of job growth, economic development and innovation."

As CGI's eighth IT delivery center in the U.S. , employees in Knoxville join more than 2,000 similar professionals at seven delivery center locations in Belton, TX ; Lafayette, LA ; Lebanon, VA ; Mobile and Troy, AL ; Waterville, ME and Wausau, WI.

With expertise spanning 21 global industries, CGI professionals are trusted partners for clients engaging in the most complex, mission-critical business initiatives. Harnessing global insights, the latest technologies and a large, global delivery network, CGI's experts stay on the cutting-edge of the digital transformation, generating innovative and proactive solutions that bring meaningful results  all while supporting and connecting with local communities where they live and work. To learn more about careers at CGI, visit careers in the United States .

About CGI

Founded in 1976, CGI is among the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world. With 91,500 consultants and professionals across the globe, CGI delivers an end-to-end portfolio of capabilities, from strategic IT and business consulting to systems integration, managed IT and business process services and intellectual property solutions. CGI works with clients through a local relationship model complemented by a global delivery network that helps clients digitally transform their organizations and accelerate results. CGI Fiscal 2022 reported revenue is $12.87 billion and CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB). Learn more at cgi.com.

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SOURCE CGI Inc.
LEXINGTON, Mass. , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A new independent survey of more than 4,000 undergraduate and graduate students at nearly 60 institutions conducted by the Office of Planning and Evaluation at the University of Maryland School of Public Health (UMDSPH) reveals that 84% of students who received services say Christie Campus Health's services helped them remain enrolled in school. The survey also demonstrates consistently high approval of the 24/7 Clinical Support Line, with an almost 90% satisfaction rate of the service.

The survey, which was conducted in the spring of 2023, was commissioned by Christie Campus Health as part of its ongoing effort to measure the impact of and satisfaction with the mental health and well-being services it provides to colleges and universities. More than 4,000 undergraduate and graduate students at 59 institutions were surveyed, representing large and small public, private, research, HBCU, religious-affiliated, and military-affiliated institutions.

"It is crucial for companies that provide student mental health services to assess student perspectives on their offerings," says Dr. Amelia Arria , Senior Advisor to Christie Campus Health and the Director of the Center on Young Adult Health and Development in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health at the University of Maryland School of Public Health.

"We are proud to continuously receive strong satisfaction ratings. It is important to us that students confirm that our services are helpful to them and can play a role in improving their mental health and well-being," says Kaitlin Gallo , Ph.D., Christie Campus Health's Chief Clinical Officer.

Additional findings from the survey include:

96% of students report satisfaction with the psychiatric prescribing services provided through Christie's virtual psychiatric prescribing clinics. Many students say that Christie's psychiatric prescribing clinic offers access to medication and support that they would not have otherwise been able to access.

Many students say that Christie's psychiatric prescribing clinic offers access to medication and support that they would not have otherwise been able to access. Mindfulness and Meditation tools, offered through an exclusive partnership with Headspace, continue to have high adoption rates and a very strong satisfaction rate of 97% among students. Students say they were sleeping better, feeling calmer, and more focused because of the app.

Students say they were sleeping better, feeling calmer, and more focused because of the app. 90% find the Navigator program (remote care coordinators) helpful in seeking and accessing needed mental health services and other social support such as housing, food, or other academic support services.

such as housing, food, or other academic support services. 92% of students report they were satisfied with the mental health provider from Christie's counseling network who supported them.

Christie Campus Health's complete continuum of care meets students wherever they are on their mental health journey, whether they are interested in self-assessments and self-guided apps or speaking to a clinician immediately. The services appeal to students who may be reluctant to access existing on-campus counseling services due to concerns about stigma, or who are seeking additional counselor diversity. Christie Campus Health's offerings are free to all students, increasing access for underserved or lower income students, a critical benefit given growing concerns about income and health inequities.

About Christie Campus Health

Christie Campus Health is dedicated to improving the mental health and well-being of college students by helping colleges and universities expand the way they reach and support students. Christie's services include a 24/7 Clinical Support Line, face-to-face and virtual counseling visits, clinically validated self-care resources, and student care Navigators. Partnering with colleges to deliver innovative, equitable and high-quality mental health services to students, Christie currently offers our comprehensive mental health platform to over 100 colleges and universities, supporting over 750,000 students nationally and internationally.

Contact: Teresa Verity at [email protected]

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SOURCE Christie Campus Health
Crop Nutrition Leader Adds Portfolio of Biological Technologies

TAMPA, Fla. , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Mosaic Company (NYSE: MOS) announced today the formation of the Mosaic Biosciences platform, a global initiative to bring the latest science and innovation to the agriculture market. The technologies from Mosaic Biosciences enhance crop health and support the natural biology in plants and soil, ultimately maximizing the yield potential of every field.

Analysts suggest the market for agricultural biologicals could reach nearly $30 billion by 2029, and Mosaic continues to invest in biological technologies to bring best-in-class technology to growers. An established leader in crop nutrition, Mosaic's growing portfolio of proven biological products complements and enhances the performance of traditional crop nutrients.

"Mosaic Biosciences is a natural extension of our strong crop nutrition portfolio," said Floris Bielders, Vice President, Strategy and New Business Platforms at The Mosaic Company. "Rooted in science and proven in the field, our portfolio of biological technologies supports the existing biology in plants and soil to deliver healthier, stronger crops."

The Mosaic Biosciences portfolio includes biological fertilizer complements, PowerCoat and BioPath, which improve nutrient use efficiency and enhance plant growth and vigor. Additional products help mitigate abiotic stress from drought, heat and salinity. With a global team of scientists, Mosaic Biosciences is building a pipeline of new biologic products to drive improvements in plant health, stress management, nutrient uptake, and crop yield.

"Our portfolio of nutrient use enhancement technologies is just the start for Mosaic Biosciences," said Bielders. "In the coming months and years, we expect to bring additional biological products to the market  all of which will be backed by science and in-field experience. Biologicals are crucial in the evolution of crop nutrition and will elevate the potential in every field."

To learn more about Mosaic Biosciences, visit www.biologicalswork.com.

ABOUT THE MOSAIC COMPANY

The Mosaic Company is one of the world's leading producers and marketers of concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrients. Mosaic is a single source provider of phosphate and potash fertilizers and feed ingredients for the global agriculture industry. More information on the company is available at www.mosaicco.com.

Contacts:

Media:

Natali Archibee

The Mosaic Company

813-775-4208

[email protected]

Investors:

Paul Massoud

The Mosaic Company

813-775-4260

[email protected]

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SOURCE The Mosaic Company
Revolutionary Move Aims to Enhance Accessibility and Inclusivity in Yearbook Design

SAN MATEO, Calif., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Treering, a leader in customizable yearbooks, proudly introduces a dyslexia-friendly font to its collection, marking a significant stride towards inclusivity in design. Recognizing the power of typography in storytelling, Treering unveils 44 new fonts that empower users to share their narratives with style and clarity.

Treering yearbooks introduce a dyslexia-friendly font, marking a significant stride towards inclusivity in design.

Allison Vecchio , Treering's Director of Design, notes, "Typography evolves with design trends, impacting message perception. We value user input and have responded to requests for diverse fonts."

Inspired by the Dyslexia Friendly Font Collection, Treering embarked on the journey to incorporate a dyslexia-friendly font, resulting in the integration of OpenDyslexic. Designed by Abelardo "Abbie" Gonzalez, OpenDyslexic addresses challenges faced by dyslexic readers with features like enhanced letter weight, distinct shapes, and consistent baseline.

OpenDyslexic's open-source nature enhances its accessibility. Treering recommends its use in headlines and captions, augmenting inclusivity through thoughtful design. For optimal readability, Treering advocates for adhering to the Dyslexia-Friendly Style Guides endorsed by the British Dyslexia Association and the UX Movement. These guides emphasize modular design, single-color backgrounds, contrast, left-aligned text, and font sizes between 12 and 14 point.

While dyslexia-friendly fonts benefit many, Treering acknowledges personalized needs. Stakeholder involvement during design ensures ongoing inclusivity. With dyslexic-friendly fonts, Treering sets a new industry standard, reaffirming its commitment to celebrating every student's story.

For more information, visit www.treering.com.

Treering is a company that specializes in the design, creation, and printing of quality yearbooks. The traditional yearbook only includes a few photos of each student. In today's smartphone world, students have thousands of pictures of themselves and their friends. This makes the traditional yearbook a lot less relevant. Treering brings the yearbook into the internet generation with custom pages, online signatures, and more while operating at zero cost to schools, only printing books parents decide to purchase.

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SOURCE TreeRing
WASHINGTON , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Truth Initiative, the nation's largest public health organization dedicated to achieving a culture where all young people reject smoking, vaping, and nicotine, has named Kathy Crosby as its new CEO and President effective October 2, 2023 . Crosby is succeeding Robin Koval , who has served as CEO and President since 2013 and is retiring after a decade of transformative leadership and significant advancement of the organization's lifesaving mission. In making the announcement, Truth Initiative Board Chair Mike Moore said, "Kathy's impressive background, extensive experience and passion for public health make her an exceptional choice to lead our organization."

Kathy Crosby joins Truth Initiative from the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) where she served as Director of the Office of Health Communication and Education for the past 12 years. In this role, she spearheaded impactful public education, research and evaluation, and regulatory communication programs that have been instrumental in advancing the successful implementation of the Tobacco Control Act. With a distinguished 25-year career in behavior change marketing and advertising, Crosby brings a wealth of experience from both private and non-profit sectors where she held various senior leadership roles; prior to her tenure at FDA, she served as Senior Vice President, Group Campaign Director of the Washington office of the Ad Council and as Vice President of Strategic Planning at Arnold Worldwide, where she helped launch Truth Initiative's iconic truth campaign.

Crosby's illustrious career at the FDA includes pivotal roles within the executive leadership team responsible for shaping national policies aimed at reducing tobacco-related disease and death. Her contributions encompass diverse areas such as policy development, cutting-edge social science research, regulatory actions, communications, and strategic outreach. Notable accomplishments under her guidance include her involvement in the formulation of health warnings for cigarette packages and advertisements, groundbreaking research on health equity, regulations for emerging tobacco products, and the implementation of stringent marketing restrictions on newly authorized tobacco products.

As the first Director of Health Communication and Education at FDA's CTP, Crosby oversaw vital initiatives that contributed significantly to reducing tobacco use. These include the creation of a comprehensive communication office, development of tailored advertising campaigns targeting at-risk populations, establishment of the Tobacco Education Resource Library, execution of a robust conference exhibit program, and the launch of FDA's Vaping Prevention & Education Resource Center.

"I've dedicated the last 25 years to using public education communications as a means of creating behavior changes that will help people live healthier lives  a passion that began when I worked on the first truth campaign," said incoming CEO Kathy Crosby . "Leading Truth Initiative feels like I'm coming home, and I can't think of a better time or place to continue advocating for positive change. The opportunity has never been greater to help people leave tobacco behind, and I eagerly look forward to the work ahead."

Robin Koval , outgoing CEO, and President, expressed her confidence in the leadership transition, stating, "Kathy is an exceptional leader with a proven track record in public health communication, social science research, and tobacco prevention. With her highly relevant experience and accomplishments, Kathy is well-poised to lead Truth Initiative into the future, build on the organization's lifesaving legacy and continue to make a significant impact on the health and well-being of our nation's youth."

On behalf of the Truth Initiative board, Moore expressed gratitude for Robin Koval's exemplary leadership during her tenure and shared his enthusiasm for the future with Crosby at the helm. He stated, "Robin's dedication and vision have propelled Truth Initiative to unparalleled success in achieving our mission. We thank her for her immense contributions and look forward to Kathy's leadership over many years to come.

About Truth Initiative

Truth Initiative is the nation's largest public health organization dedicated to achieving a culture where all young people reject smoking, vaping and nicotine and a future where commercial tobacco and nicotine addiction are a thing of the past. Our impact has helped drive youth smoking rates down from 23% in 2000 to a historic low of 2% in 2022. The truth about tobacco and the tobacco industry are at the heart of our proven-effective and nationally recognized truth public education campaign. As youth e-cigarette use threatens to put a new generation at risk, we are leading the fight against tobacco and nicotine addiction in all forms. Our first-of-its-kind, text message quit vaping nicotine program This Is Quitting has enrolled more than 600,000 young people nationwide and our youth e-cigarette prevention curriculum Vaping: Know the truth is being used in more than 9,000 schools nationwide. Our rigorous scientific research and policy studies, community and youth engagement programs supporting populations at high risk of using tobacco, and innovation in tobacco dependence treatment for youth and adults are helping to end one of the most critical public health battles of our time. Based in Washington D.C. , our organization, formerly known as the American Legacy Foundation, was established and funded through the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement between attorneys general from 46 states, five U.S. territories and the tobacco industry. To learn more, visit truthinitiative.org.

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SOURCE Truth Initiative
A new partnership between the UTS Transdisciplinary School (TD School) and the University of Arizona (UA) in the USA will see the award-winning UTS Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation delivered at UA, opening exciting new opportunities for students and staff at both universities.

SYDNEY, Australia , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The world-first, award-winning UTS Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation (BCII) sees undergraduate students from across 26 different disciplines come together to collaborate and work with industry partners on real-world briefs to solve complex problems, start businesses, and get ready for a future where they will have, on average, seventeen different employers across five different careers[1].

It's not surprising, then, that the University of Arizona W.A. Franke Honors College is enthusiastic to equip their students with similar skills for success, with the BCII degree now available to UA students.

Students of the BCII are introduced to unique ways of thinking, learning, collaborating, and problem-solving, which founding Course Director, Professor Bem Le Hunte describes as "future-proofing" their careers. These skills are highly sought after in today's employment marketplace, often skyrocketing graduates of the BCII to success in a range of industries.

UTS has a longstanding connection with UA; the latter is an established Key Technology Partner (KTP), with both institutions working together on a broad range of collaborations. But this is the first time a degree conceptualised and developed by UTS will delivered in the US in partnership with a local university, and Professor Martin Tomitsch , Head of TD School, is excited about the possibilities such a partnership will create.

"The TD School and the W.A. Franke Honors College, which is the home for the BCII at UA, have a lot in common," Professor Tomitsch says. "They both engage in research and transformative programs that are driven by creativity and a commitment to impact."

A unique combined degree, the BCII has seen exponential growth since its inception at UTS in 2014. Professor Le Hunte describes the program as follows: "The BCII has become something of a distinctive, homegrown capability of UTS," she says. "It has really served to put UTS on a global stage in terms of its transdisciplinary curriculum delivery and research, and with more than 800 industry partners on board we've also developed a deep understanding of work integrated learning for the innovation economy."

"We want to create the same passion and contagion  the same secret sauce at the University of Arizona that we have here in Sydney . I think I speak for every staff member at TD School when I say that's our main agenda  to create more impact and transformation in the lives of students globally."

The pioneering BCII cohort at UA Franke Honors will begin their first subject of the course during their upcoming Summer School, beginning in August. The first few sessions of teaching will be delivered by UTS' TD School staff, but Professor Le Hunte is excited to equip UA staff with the skills to not only teach their students but simultaneously contribute to further collaboration and growth of the unique transdisciplinary pedagogy on an international scale.

And this partnership will see benefits for both UA and UTS students and staff across the board, from student exchanges to creative industry collaborations on an international level. With this partnership, the Franke Honors College will distinguish itself as the top destination for the best student scholars who want to benefit from the learning experiences BCII at UA Franke will offer.

"It's wonderful to be able to extend the BCII program overseas and to work with such brilliant collaborators at the University of Arizona to expand our network and multiply possibilities for students all over the world," UTS Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Andrew Parfitt says. "We know that innovation is not bound to one single country or continent: it's a global concern. And so, creating global citizens is an important part of our remit."

Professor Le Hunte agrees. "We know that this course changes students' lives," she says, "And we need to change students' lives faster in order to change the world they're living in quicker, and for the better."

The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) is one of Australia's leading universities of technology. It is known for fusing innovation, creativity, technology and industry in its teaching and research. UTS has a total enrolment of over 40,000 students and is among the top 100 universities in the world. Find out more about transdisciplinary innovation on the UTS website.

[1] Foundation for Young Australians, New Work Order Report, 2015: https://www.fya.org.au/resource/new-work-order-research/

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SOURCE University of Technology Sydney
SHANGHAI , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Organised by RX (Reed Exhibitions), WEPACK series exhibitions, including SinoCorrugated 2023, SinoFoldingCarton 2023, DPrint 2023, SinoPaper 2023, Food Pack & Tech 2023 and PACKCON 2023, has been successfully held at the National Convention & Exhibition Center ( Shanghai ) from 12-14 July 2023 . The area of the show exceeded 100,000 square metres for the first time, and 1,200+ brand exhibitors gathered, bringing more than 1,800 brand-new equipment and nearly 1,000 kinds of consumables. During the three days of WEPACK, a total of 52,936 domestic and overseas professional visitors visited the exhibition and had business negotiation, among which there were 4,432 overseas visitors from more than 110 countries and regions.

WEPACK 2023 has been well received, giving full play to the information and resource advantages of the organiser, RX, with its rich exhibition experience, perfect organisation, precise services, effective publicity, and integration of resources from various parties, which has resulted in stronger communication and exchanges, rich harvests for all parties involved in the show, a burst of audience professionalism and purchasing power.

As a global industry event covering the entire packaging industry chain, WEPACK 2023 showcases a wide range of processes and equipment technologies for the entire packaging industry, from raw paper and raw materials to corrugated manufacturing equipment, folding carton manufacturing equipment, digital printing equipment, as well as packaging processes and finished packaging products. In particular, SinoCorrugated, a subsidiary of WEPACK, has developed into a renowned super event for the global carton industry with a 22-year history.

Gathering high-quality exhibitors, one-stop service platform to help enterprises expand diversified business

More and more manufacturers are moving towards the road of diversification, from cartons to colour boxes, soft packs, pulp moulding and plastic, to food and beverage take-away packaging, constantly broadening their own business areas, as well as adjusting their industries and order patterns to meet the current market demand.

WEPACK 2023 showcases various processes and equipment technologies across the packaging industry, including raw paper and raw materials, corrugated manufacturing equipment, folding carton manufacturing equipment, digital printing equipment, as well as demonstrations of packaging processes and finished packaging products. It provides a one-stop selection and contact platform for enterprises to expand into new areas and order processing partners.

Keeping up with the industry trend and sharing the experience of digitisation and intelligence in the packaging industry

On site, corrugated box, folding carton, digital printing, packaging containers, paper, food and beverage packaging, six plates are almost all covered with digital and intelligent supporting the new technology and equipment, but also for the digital, intelligent factories to provide a perfect solution and on-site demonstration.

More than 30 forums to create a global packaging industry communication platform

As an important part of the exhibition, over 30 summit forums organised by the six thematic exhibitions on site and new product launches, signing ceremonies and other activities organised by many exhibitors fill the atmosphere on site, where industry leaders and professionals meet face-to-face to exchange views and collide sparks of wisdom.

World Corrugated Forum, World Corrugated Awards, Southeast Asia and India National Day , China Paper Packaging Digital Intelligent Manufacturing Summit Forum, Digital and Intelligent Green Packaging Development Forum and so on. The forums have closely discussed the hot topics of the moment and help enterprises to expand new ideas for development.

RX also organised visits to benchmarking factories and close-up field trips into digital factories alongside with WEPACK 2023. Coupled with a wealth of cutting-edge industry forums and activities, the exhibition will comprehensively help accelerate the process of digitisation and intelligence in the packaging industry.

WEPACK, has always been committed to promoting exchanges and cooperation between the global packaging industry. 2023 WEPACK makes full use of the industry chain effect, empowers the global packaging industry with the exhibition's global, prospective and innovative advantages, and once again lifts a new trend of innovation and development in the global packaging industry. It has once again set off a new trend of innovation and development in the global packaging industry and provided a powerful fulcrum for prying the industry into a new round of growth.

WEPACK ASEAN is ready to go in November!

The success of WEPACK Shanghai is just the first appearance of the year for WEPACK, which will be travelling to South East Asia , a region where the packaging industry is booming in four months' time. From 22-24 November this year, RX will be hosting WEPACK ASEAN in Malaysia , which will have over 10,000 square metres of exhibition area and is expected to attract more than 200 renowned global exhibitors, 3,000+ professional buyers from Southeast Asia , and more than 20 on-site industry events. The exhibition transplanted WEPACK "through the entire packaging and printing industry chain" concept, focusing on raw materials to processing boards to packaging products and the end market, through the upstream and downstream of the industry, around the Southeast Asian packaging and printing industry market characteristics to carry out a very influential industry event.

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SOURCE RX (China) Investment Co., Ltd.
BENTON HARBOR, Mich. , Aug. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Whirlpool Corporation board of directors has appointed Rudy Wilson , president of global consumer brands at SC Johnson, to the board, effective August 14, 2023 . Wilson will serve on the audit committee and the finance committee.

Wilson, 48, was named president of global consumer brands at SC Johnson in 2021, after serving as chief marketing officer for the consumer brands division and as a regional senior vice president. Previously, Wilson held brand, marketing and general management roles at AT&T Corporation and PepsiCo, Inc.

Wilson graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration from Arizona State University and a masters in business administration from the University of Michigan.

" Rudy Wilson's experience as a leader in marketing consumer products makes him an excellent addition to our board," said Marc Bitzer , chairman and CEO of Whirlpool Corporation. "We know his experience nurturing successful brands will allow him to bring a valuable perspective to both our board of directors and Whirlpool Corporation."

About Whirlpool Corporation

Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) is committed to being the best global kitchen and laundry company, in constant pursuit of improving life at home. In an increasingly digital world, the company is driving purposeful innovation to meet the evolving needs of consumers through its iconic brand portfolio, including Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, Consul, Brastemp, Amana, Bauknecht, JennAir, Indesit, Yummly and InSinkErator. In 2022, the company reported approximately $20 billion in annual sales, 61,000 employees and 56 manufacturing and technology research centers. Additional information about the company can be found at WhirlpoolCorp.com.

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SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation
Three-year revenue growth earns ZestyAI a top-quartile performance rank on the prestigious annual list

SAN FRANCISCO , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - ZestyAI , the leading provider of climate and property risk analytics solutions powered by artificial intelligence (AI), has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing private companies by Inc. Magazine. Ranking in the top 15 percent on the highly respected Inc. 5000 list of the Fastest Growing Private Companies in America, ZestyAI has joined the ranks of the most successful companies in the country.

"ZestyAI's growth is fueled by being at the intersection of two current megatrends: AI and Climate. We solve immense problems on how to protect society from the impact of climate change," said Attila Toth , Founder and CEO of ZestyAI. "ZestyAI helps protect more than $3 trillion in property value across the country. We are humbled to have most of the country's top insurers as customers."

"Running a business has only gotten harder since the end of the pandemic," says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk . "To make the Inc. 5000with the fast growth that requiresis truly an accomplishment. Inc. is thrilled to honor the companies that are building our future."

The annual Inc. 5000 list is widely regarded as the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in America. It provides unique insight into independent businesses and industries that are driving our economy. ZestyAI's inclusion on the Inc. 5000 list is not only an indication of the need for innovative solutions to manage climate risk, but it also puts ZestyAI in the distinguished company of past honorees such as Facebook, Intuit, Oracle, and Microsoft, who gained national recognition from this prestigious platform.

ZestyAI's remarkable growth is exemplified by its three-year revenue increase of 571 percent, placing it in the top 15 percent of all companies on the Inc. 5000 list. ZestyAI's growth can be attributed to the value it brings to the insurance and real estate markets by revolutionizing the world's understanding of property vulnerability. ZestyAI applies artificial intelligence to over 200 billion data points from aerial imagery, permits, real estate transactions, climatology, and historic loss data to identify risk and assess exposure, including the impact of catastrophic events like wildfires, hail, and wind storms. ZestyAI delivers comprehensive data-driven insights to assist clients in navigating climate and property risks effectively.

ZestyAI's recognition by Inc. 5000 showcases its industry leadership and dedication to revolutionizing property risk analytics. ZestyAI continues to grow its client base, partnerships, and its climate risk models, driving innovation and shaping the future of the insurance and real estate markets.

About ZestyAI

ZestyAI delivers precise intelligence on every property in North America to insurers and real estate companies. The company uses AI, including computer vision, to build a digital twin for every building across the country, encompassing 200 billion property insights accounting for all details that could impact a property's value and associated risks, including the potential impact of natural disasters. Visit zesty.ai for more information.

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SOURCE ZestyAI
Trusted Name in Drain and Sewer Services Set to Support Local Property Managers, Contractors, Plumbers & Homeowners with 24/7, 365 Drainage Solutions

AUSTIN, Texas , Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Zoom Drain  a leading operator of drain and sewer services  opened its newest franchise in Central Texas on August 15 . Located at 1220 Satterwhite Rd. Suite 1104 in Buda, Texas , Zoom Drain of Central Texas will proudly serve Austin and the surrounding areas. This is the fourth Zoom Drain franchise in Texas , with 50 total locations nationwide.

The owners of the new location are local entrepreneurs Ernst and Amanda Cajuste , who are originally from the Midwest but moved to Austin 13 years ago. The pair brings a diverse professional background to Zoom Drain. Ernst has experience in sales, customer satisfaction, and business development, while Amanda brings a robust skill set in team management, leadership, and problem-solving to Zoom Drain. The couple wanted to invest in an essential, resilient business, even during times of recession, with a strong franchisee support network. Zoom Drain immediately stood out. In the coming years, the Cajustes hope to grow into more markets and involve their three children in the business.

"As we celebrate the opening of our second Zoom Drain location in Austin , we look forward to providing the community with essential drain services," said the Cajustes, Owners of Zoom Drain's Central Texas location. "Opening a business has always been something we wanted to do, and we are thrilled to have the opportunity with Zoom Drain. Since moving to Texas 13 years ago, we have fallen in love with everything the area has to offer, and we are proud to be able to help the community through our new business. "

Zoom Drain provides around-the-clock residential and commercial services centering on drain and sewer cleaning, sewer pipe video inspections, grease trap maintenance, and much more. From clogged sinks and bathtubs to main sewer line blockages, Zoom Drain utilizes five different drain cleaning machines and a custom hydro-jetter to tackle any sewage issue that arises. Customers include commercial property managers, contractors, plumbers, and homeowners needing immediate solutions to drain and sewage issues.

Zoom Drain prides itself on consistently providing swift, dependable service by expertly-trained specialists for emergency and planned maintenance service needs  everything that has to do with wastewater management. Zoom Drain is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, and there's never any additional cost for "off-hours" service such as nights, weekends, or even holidays.

"We are thrilled to see Ernst and Amanda continue to grow and thrive with the Zoom Drain team and bring their expert services to Central Texas and the surrounding areas," said Jim Criniti , CEO of Zoom Drain. "Drain and sewer emergencies are a nightmare for anyone, so offering skilled and reliable services to the Central Texas community is our priority. We look forward to growing our brand in the area and beyond."

To learn more about Zoom Drain, visit https://www.zoomdrain.com/

About ZOOM DRAIN:

Zoom Drain is an operator and franchisor of drain and sewer services, focusing on the repair, maintenance, and installation of everything "below the drain." Zoom Drain provides expertly trained wastewater specialists for emergencies and planned maintenance of drains and sewers. Headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , Zoom Drain currently has 35 locations across the U.S. and continues to grow. For more information about Zoom Drain, please visit zoomdrain.com or email [email protected].

Media Contact: Maddie LaPorta , Fishman Public Relations, [email protected] or 847-945-1300

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SOURCE Zoom Drain
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian police on Tuesday charged a man after he allegedly claimed to have explosives on board a Malaysia Airlines flight from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur, forcing it to return to Sydney.

The man, 45, was charged with making a false statement about a threat to damage a plane and not complying with cabin crew's safety instructions, the Australian Federal Police said in a statement.

The offences carry a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment and a fine of over A$15,000 ($9,730).

Flight MH122 left Sydney on Monday afternoon for Malaysia and returned to Sydney about three hours later after the passenger "allegedly became disruptive" during the flight, police said.

Passengers and crew were evacuated from the plane once it was deemed safe and the man was arrested without incident. He is expected to appear in court on Tuesday.

Police did not specify the nationality of the man though they said he is a resident of Canberra.

Thirty-two domestic flights were cancelled and other domestic flights delayed by up to 90 minutes due to the incident, Sydney Airport said. There were no international flight cancellations.

($1 = 1.5415 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Stephen Coates)
FILE PHOTO: Lordstown Motors and Foxconn logo is seen in this illustration taken, May 2, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

(Reuters) - Lordstown Motors said on Tuesday it had reached a $40-million settlement with Karma Automotive over a 2020 lawsuit in which the now-bankrupt electric vehicle firm was accused of stealing proprietary technology.

The settlement, placed with the bankruptcy court for approval, involves $5 million to be paid as royalty for the use of Karma's intellectual property, which Lordstown was accused of having misappropriated.

California-based Karma had sued Lordstown for allegedly poaching its employees and stealing technology used in vehicles' infotainment systems. That case is scheduled for trial in September.

In June, electric truck company Lordstown filed for bankruptcy protection and put itself up for sale after failing to resolve a dispute over a promised investment from Taiwan's Foxconn.

According to a filing, Lordstown's debtors have requested the settlement to be approved by the bankruptcy court on or before August 28, but a hearing has not been scheduled so far.

In case the settlement is not approved and the case goes to trial, Lordstown will continue to defend against Karma's claims, the filing added.

(This story has been corrected to remove the reference to Lordstown-Karma trial being placed on hold in paragraph 3)

(Reporting by Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru; Editing by Shweta Agarwal)
FILE PHOTO: Solar photovoltaic array is seen at a solar power field of the company Celsia, in Yumbo, Colombia, February 6, 2019. Picture taken February 6, 2019. REUTERS/Julia Symmes Cobb/File Photo

By Nelson Bocanegra

BOGOTA (Reuters) - In May, a forum bringing together leaders debating wind and solar development in Colombia's La Guajira province was disrupted by a chorus of passionate opposition.

"La Guajira is not for sale!" exclaimed one attendee, a member of the area's Wayuu Indigenous community, who led the chant with others as the then-energy minister and local officials looked on.

The protest at the University of La Guajira event illustrates the challenges for over a dozen multinationals and the government of leftist President Gustavo Petro, as they seek to turn Colombia away from oil and coal even as a nascent renewables industry faces environmental licensing delays and determined opposition by some Wayuu communities.

More than 50 possible wind and solar projects by companies, including EDP Renewables, Energi, Brookfield Asset Management, AES and Enerfin have been announced in Colombia since 2019, with planned generation of 2.43 gigawatts in wind energy and 0.1 gigawatts in solar.

Though many were meant to be operating this year or last, none are. The companies did not respond to questions.

The tensions come as drought brought by the El Nino weather phenomenon looks set to deplete the production capacity of the hydropower-dependent country, leading to possible shortages and higher charges.

La Guajira - a coastal desert province in Colombia's far northeast - offers high-velocity wind, with few natural obstacles to turbines, as well as an often-blazing equatorial sun.

Some companies - including Italy's Enel - have indefinitely delayed projects, blaming local protests for hampering billions in investments.

A week-long visit by Petro and his cabinet to the traditionally poor province in late June failed to convince many Wayuu community members, who say companies and officials are not considering how proposed projects could affect their spiritual traditions, livelihoods and property rights - as well as the environment.

"They are projects done behind the backs of the community," said Jose Silva, the director of Nacion Wayuu, a group of 600 Wayuu leaders.

"Authorities, politicians and businessmen sit down to negotiate, not the ancestral owners of the land," he said.

Petro has promised to ensure communities benefit from projects and in some cases even participate in running them.

Silva said his group did not manage to meet with Petro and his cabinet during the visit but that those Wayuu who did were left with "more doubts than certainties."

Enel indefinitely halted construction of its Windpeshi wind park, which was to generate enough energy to power 500,000 homes, in May because of protests it said caused three years of delays and cost overruns of more than $250 million.

Members of a Wayuu group blocked roads, preventing workers from accessing the project for about half of the last three years, Enel said.

But Wayuu groups say they have no choice but to use blockades to stop projects on their lands that they have not approved and that protests are the result of a lack of communication.

"We have managed to unblock some and we want to move all of them ahead," said Petro in July, though he said a goal to bring 6 gigawatts of renewable production online during his term "could have difficulties."

Denmark's ambassador to Colombia Erik Hoeg told Reuters there was "considerable interest" from Danish companies and others from Europe but added: "We are waiting a bit in some cases for clear regulation, for example for offshore wind."

Dialogue must take place with Indigenous communities, Hoeg said, and Colombia should not lose the chance to become an exporter of renewable energy.

REGIONAL CONFLICTS GROW

The situation in La Guajira echoes challenges in Chile, where Indigenous communities are resisting lithium developments, and Mexico, where dozens of projects in wind, solar and other renewables are awaiting environmental permitting.

Wayuu community members say construction threatens trees and wildlife and has damaged grazing areas for hundreds of goats, killing off a top human food source, and violated sacred territory where their ancestors are buried.

Conflicts over projects have caused at least 10 deaths in the communities he represents, Silva added, as fraudulent landowners negotiate with companies instead of actual property holders, sparking violence.

Joanna Barney, a researcher at non-governmental organization Indepaz said she was aware of the deaths associated with conflicts over renewables projects.

Renewables - even if ostensibly more environmentally-friendly - are facing hurdles similar to those confronted by oil and mining companies, long Colombia's top sources of income.

Problems with environmental licensing have also stopped projects debuting on expected timelines, said Alexandra Hernandez, president of the Colombian Renewable Energy Association (SER).

Licenses for two wind farms belonging to Portugal's EDP Renewables were denied by Colombia's environmental authority because it said the company failed to identify potential impacts in each area of the project, including road access, and failed to properly demarcate protected zones.

Wind and solar provide less than 1% - about 300 megawatts - of Colombia's current energy generation. Hydroelectric generation accounts for 70%.

Planned renewable projects could eventually produce 20,000 megawatts, enough electricity for 11 million people, nearly a fourth of the population, says SER, which represents more than 90 companies.

Each megawatt would require between $700,000 and $1 million in investment by companies, taking potential spending on renewables to up to $20 billion nationally. About 65% have pending legal processes and some have been delayed for years.

"The projects aren't operating and it doesn't seem like they will start in the next two years," said Alejandro Lucio of Optima Consultores, which advises renewables companies. "Investors are tired of waiting."

(Reporting by Nelson Bocanegra; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Christian Plumb and Julia Symmes Cobb)
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 Nate Raymond

(Reuters) - A judicial reform advocacy group on Tuesday filed a complaint accusing a Texas federal judge of engaging in misconduct by taking the "strange" step of requiring three attorneys for Southwest Airlines to attend "religious liberty training" by a prominent conservative Christian legal group.

The head of the group Fix the Court in a judicial misconduct complaint filed with the 5th Circuit Judicial Council accused U.S. District Judge Brantley Starr in Dallas of violating the judicial code of conduct by assigning a sectarian organization to carry out the attorney sanctions he ordered in a religious bias case brought by a flight attendant against the airline.

That organization, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), is a well-known conservative legal group previously not involved in the case that advocates for religious liberty and has brought cases challenging LGBTQ rights and the ability of women to secure abortions.

Jim Campbell, ADF's chief legal counsel, in a statement called it "baseless and intolerant to suggest that people of faith cannot provide legal instruction simply because their religious beliefs might differ from their audience's."

Starr, a former assistant Texas attorney general, was appointed to the bench in 2019 by former Republican President Donald Trump.

He is the nephew of Kenneth Starr, who spearheaded the investigation that led to the impeachment of former Democratic President Bill Clinton in 1998 and was a member of ADF's Supreme Court Advisory Council before his death in September 2022.

Starr did not respond to requests for comment.

Southwest, which declined comment, is appealing Starr's order, which tasked ADF with training its lawyers after he determined they undermined an earlier decision he made in the case.

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 company civility policies that led it to terminate flight attendant Charlene Carter.

She had alleged she was fired for criticizing her union's decision to participate in the 2017 Women's March, a nationwide protest following Trump's inauguration, because Planned Parenthood was a sponsor. Carter says she is a Christian who opposes abortion. Southwest denied the allegations.

ADF has led efforts to restrict the availability of the abortion pill mifepristone and helped draft a Mississippi law at the center of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling last year overturning the national right to abortion.

In Tuesday's complaint, Gabe Roth, the executive director of Fix the Court, said that while training can at times be a fair sanction to impose on a lawyer, Starr's order "sets a dangerous precedent."

He said such a religious-based sanction was "unprecedented" and inconsistent with Canon 3 of the Code of Conduct for U.S. Judges, which holds that "a judge should perform the duties of the office fairly, impartially and diligently."

Starr in imposing the sanction had cited past cases where lawyers were ordered to attend ethics training.

But Roth argued that unlike legal ethics, which have generally agreed upon precepts for training curriculums, religious liberty means different things under different faiths. No sectarian organization of any faith should be allowed to carry out such a court-ordered sanction as a result, he said.

Judicial misconduct complaints are subject to dismissal if they directly relate to the merits of a decision.

Roth said should the circuit's chief judge determine his complaint should be dismissed under that rule, he requested a "limited inquiry" at least be undertaken to determine if ADF and Starr communicated privately beforehand.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Marguerita Choy)
By Andrew Goudsward

(Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday revived part of a lawsuit claiming that the District of Columbia enforced an anti-graffiti law against anti-abortion protesters in Washington but not racial justice demonstrators in 2020.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, in a unanimous 3-0 decision, found that two anti-abortion groups had plausibly alleged that the D.C. government discriminated on the basis of viewpoint in the selective enforcement of its defacement ordinance.

The groups, the Frederick Douglass Foundation and Students for Life of America, sued the D.C. government in 2021 after local police arrested two protesters who wrote Black Pre-Born Lives Matter on a public sidewalk during an August 2020 demonstration.

The foundation claimed D.C. authorities abandoned enforcement of the anti-graffiti law during widespread protests in the city following the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis. Yet that same summer, the group claimed, the restriction was vigorously enforced against them.

Washington officials cant censor messages they disagree with," Erin Hawley, a lawyer for the organizations with the conservative legal group Alliance Defending Freedom, said in a statement.

The district argued that it focused police resources on other priorities during large demonstrations that followed Floyd's death. A spokesperson for the D.C. attorney general did not immediately return a request for comment.

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg dismissed the lawsuit in 2021, finding that the groups did not produce evidence of discriminatory intent by the D.C. government.

The appeals court found that the organizations only had to show that the two sets of protesters were in similar situations and that enforcement of the law violated the anti-abortion groups right to freedom of speech under the U.S. Constitution.

It is fundamental to our free speech rights that the government cannot pick and choose between speakers, not when regulating and not when enforcing the laws, the court said.

(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward; Editing by David Bario and Jonathan Oatis)
A document briefly posted on and then taken down from the official Fulton County, Georgia court website shows a list of potential felony charges against former President Donald Trump, after being downloaded by Reuters shortly before the court took the doc

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Fulton County Georgia court clerk on Tuesday acknowledged the early release on its website of a document about former President Donald Trump being criminally charged, as Reuters reported on Monday after seeing the document on the court's public website.

A statement from the court clerk said the system was being tested before the grand jury voted later in the day on whether to indict Trump on charges of trying to overturn his election defeat.

Later on Tuesday, Che Alexander, the Fulton County Clerk of Courts, acknowledged to Atlanta's WSB-TV that she made a mistake as she was under pressure to make sure the release went smoothly, and that she hit send instead of pressing save. She added the document released earlier on Monday was not official and was simply a "work sample" and a "dry run."

"I did a work sample in the system. And when I hit save, it went to the press queue," she said in the interview.

She also said her office has received calls and emails with threats. It was not clear if she meant the threats were because of the mistaken release or the indictment of the former president.

On Monday, the court released a statement saying a media outlet had obtained a "fictitious" document.

But the statement from the court clerk on Tuesday did not use that word, saying: "While it may have appeared that something official had occurred because the document bore a case number and filing date, it did not include a signed 'true' or 'no' bill nor an official stamp with Clerk Alexanders name, thereby making the document unofficial and a test sample only."

In the interview with WSB-TV, Alexander clarified that she and her team decided to use "fictitious" to describe the mistakenly released document as a way to show that it was not the actual court document.

In its statement, the court said a media outlet utilizing "the Fulton County Press" queue obtained a docket sheet on Monday. The document obtained by Reuters was publicly available on the website the court uses to disseminate public records.

A Reuters spokesperson said: "Reuters accessed a document on the website the court uses to publicly post information relating to court proceedings. The document had a case number; said the case was open; referred directly to former President Donald Trump; and cited criminal charges that pertained to the grand jury investigation. At no point did Reuters have access to any information that was not available publicly."

The 13 felony charges that the grand jury brought late on Monday against Trump matched those listed on the document that was posted on the court website earlier in the day and reported by Reuters before it disappeared.

The Georgia grand jury used a law developed to take down organized crime gangs to charge Republican Trump for trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden.

The charges, brought on Monday by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, name Trump, the front-runner in the race for the 2024 Republican nomination, and 18 associates.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Jasper Ward; Editing by Scott Malone, Mary Milliken, Grant McCool and Christian Schmollinger)
FILE PHOTO: SAG-AFTRA actors and Writers Guild of America (WGA) writers walk the picket line during their ongoing strike outside Sunset Bronson studios and Netflix offices in Los Angeles, California, U.S., August 11, 2023. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo

(Reuters) -Hollywood studios have made a new offer to striking screenwriters that includes concessions on issues such as the use of artificial intelligence and access to viewer data, Bloomberg News reported on Monday citing people familiar with the discussions.

The Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers has agreed to ensure humans are credited as writers of screenplays, instead of replacing them with AI, the report said, adding that the companies would also share data on the number of hours viewed on streaming services.

Other parts of the offer include a better-than-20% increase in residual payments to writers when their shows appear on networks other than the one they were made for, Bloomberg said.

Netflix Co-Chief Executive Officer Ted Sarandos has emerged as a strong force and Walt Disney Co CEO Bob Iger, in recent weeks, has joined him in seeking to reach a deal with the writers, the report added.

The union representing striking Hollywood writers said on Friday it had received a counterproposal from the studios that it would consider, an apparent sign of progress in the more than 100-day-old strike.

The strike by Hollywood writers began on May 2 after talks between the WGA and the major studios reached an impasse over compensation, minimum staffing of writers' rooms and residual payments in the streaming era, among other issues.

The Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers and Writers Guild of America didn't immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

(Reporting by Kanjyik Ghosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Kim Coghill and Cynthia Osterman)
FILE PHOTO: Miniatures of people with computers are seen in front of binary codes and words 'Cyber attack' in this illustration taken July 19, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

By Carolina Pulice

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Gabriella Batalha didn't think much when she noticed she had been logged out of Instagram - until the next day when she found her account overrun with sensational posts touting high-yield cryptocurrency investments.

To recover her account, the 27-year-old lawyer from Rio de Janeiro had to pay 200 reais ($40) to a "consultant" she found on YouTube, a man she says could have been a scammer himself.

"It took me two days to recover my account, and I was under a lot of stress," she said.

Batalha is not alone. Online scams in Brazil jumped 65% last year to over 200,000, according to data from the Brazilian Public Security Yearbook published last month.

And across Latin America, online frauds and cyberattacks are at an "all-time high," says cybersecurity company Tenable, posing an urgent problem for a well-connected region.

Latin America's recent progress on technological inclusion has created new opportunities for scams, experts say, with the pandemic fueling a trend toward mobile banking and shopping using payment systems like Brazil's hugely popular PIX.

The region is increasingly online. In 2022, 77.9% of the population in Latin America and the Caribbean used the internet, up from 74.8% the year before and above the global rate of 66.3%, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

And nearly half of Latin American internet users spend an average of six hours a day on social media, according to a report by cybersecurity company Kaspersky.

"The increasing reliance on new technology has made it easier for cybercriminals to attack more frequently," said Kerry-Ann Barrett, a cybersecurity specialist at the Organization of American States (OAS).

The threats are increasingly complex and costly, costing the region billions annually, Barrett said.

In Peru, for example, a gang scammed a construction company out of over $62,000 by pretending to be a bank with a fake website, according to the attorney general's office.

In Mexico, scammers have targeted unsuspecting victims with fake job offers via text message, only to entice victims to share sensitive personal data, according to media reports.

"Latin America is a priority target because it has a very connected population, which means that they are always exposed," said Claudio Martinelli, managing director for Latin America for Kaspersky.

Institutions and governments are also more vulnerable than in other parts of the world. In a ranking of 93 countries on cyberthreat risks compiled by fraud prevention software SEON, nine of the 10 Latin American countries were ranked in the bottom half.

Three Latin American countries - Honduras, Nicaragua and Venezuela - were seen among the 10 countries with the highest risks for cyberthreats.

The region, meanwhile, had the highest share of unprotected data in the world in 2022, Tenable said, making companies vulnerable to threats like ransomware, a kind of attack that locks a computer and then demands money for its release.

Ransomware was responsible for six of every 10 attacks in 2022, including an attack on Costa Rica's finance ministry by Russian hackers, who demanded $10 million.

Latin America's ability to safeguard against future attacks is handicapped by a lack of regulation and judicial investigations, said Marcos Simplicio, a professor specializing in cybersecurity at the University of Sao Paulo.

"Virtual crime is no different from physical crime," he said. "As long as it's making a profit, and if there is little chance of punishment, it will continue."

(Reporting by Carolina Pulice; Additional reporting by Brendan O'Boyle; Editing by Brendan O'Boyle and Nick Macfie)
Latvian special unit Border Guard officer patrols along the fence at Latvia-Belarus border near Robeznieki, Latvia August 8, 2023. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins/File Photo

VILNIUS (Reuters) -Latvia's defence minister ordered the army to help guard the Baltic country's border with Russian ally Belarus on Tuesday, after 96 attempts by illegal immigrants to cross in 24 hours.

Border Guard officers have also been recalled from their holidays to help with patrols.

Latvia has "information about a possible increase in hybrid threats", the Border Guard said in a statement. Belarusian authorities were increasingly involved in organising the flow of illegal immigrants, it said.

EU members Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, which share a border with Belarus, have worried increasingly about border crossings since hundreds of Russian battle-hardened Wagner mercenaries arrived Belarus last month at the invitation of President Alexander Lukashenko.

Lukashenko has said several times that he has been 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.

Poland is planning to move up to 10,000 additional troops to the border with Belarus to support the Border Guard, Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said on Thursday.

In 2021, Latvia, Poland and Lithuania faced an immigration crisis when thousands of people, mostly from the Middle East and Africa, sought to cross into Poland from Belarus but were pushed back.

(Reporting by Andrius Sytas in Vilnius and Janis Laizans in Stockholm; Editing by Alison Williams and Nick Macfie)
Malaysian opposition leader and former premier Muhyiddin Yassin speaks during an interview at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia July 27, 2023. REUTERS/Hasnoor Hussain/File Photo

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A Malaysian court on Tuesday threw out charges of abuse of power against opposition leader and former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, describing them as "vague, flawed and unfounded", state news agency Bernama reported.

Muhyiddin, who led Malaysia for 17 months between 2020 and 2021, was charged in March with four counts of abuse of power. A Kuala Lumpur high court ruled those charges failed to specify details of the offences allegedly committed, Bernama reported.

"With this, the applicant is acquitted and discharged," judge Muhammad Jamil Hussin said, according to Bernama.

Muhyiddin, 76, is also charged with two counts of money laundering in the same case for receiving bribes worth 232.5 million ringgit ($50.24 million), which he denies.

Muhyiddin told reporters the court's decision proved the allegations against him were false and he had committed no wrongdoing.

His lawyer, Hisyam Teh, said he was confident that the other charges would not hold ground based on Tuesday's court decision.

Muhyiddin and his party have faced graft investigations since losing a national election in November, with its bank accounts frozen by the anti-graft body and two leaders charged with bribery.

The former premier, who is currently banned from leaving the country, has accused Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of political vendetta - an allegation Anwar has denied.

Muhyiddin leads Malaysia's opposition bloc, a conservative alliance that is becoming increasingly popular in a challenge for Anwar's coalition government.

In regional elections held on Saturday, his Perikatan Nasional alliance made inroads in states that Anwar's coalition has typically dominated.

($1 = 4.6280 ringgit)

(Reporting by A. Ananthalakshmi; Editing by Martin Petty)
Mali's President Assimi Goita attends a meeting with Russia's President Vladimir Putin following the Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia, July 29, 2023. Alexander Ryumin/TASS Host Photo Agency via REUTERS/File Photo

By Felix Onuah

(Reuters) -Niger's junta on Tuesday said that it was open to talks to resolve a regional crisis caused by last month's military coup, while Russia and the United States called for a peaceful resolution.

Western powers and democratic African governments have called for the coup leaders to reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, who they have detained since July 26, but the military leaders have refused and rejected attempts at negotiation.

West African army chiefs will meet on Thursday and Friday in Ghana to prepare for a possible military intervention, which the main regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has threatened to launch if diplomacy fails.

Any military intervention could further destabilise the impoverished Sahel, where an insurgency by groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State has displaced millions over the past decade and fuelled a hunger crisis.

"We are in a process of transition. We have explained the ins and outs, reiterated our willingness to remain open and to talk to all parties, but we have insisted on the need for the country to be independent," said Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine, who was appointed prime minister by the military last week.

He spoke after a trip to meet Chad's President Mahamat Deby, who staged his own coup in 2021. Niger's takeover is the seventh in West and Central Africa in three years.

The coup and its aftermath have sucked in international powers with strategic interests in the region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to Mali's military leader about the recent coup in neighbouring Niger on Tuesday, a call likely to cause concern among Western governments that fear growing Russian influence in West Africa's Sahel region.

Putin "stressed the importance of a peaceful resolution of the situation for a more stable Sahel," Mali's interim President Assimi Goita said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said U.S. President Joe Biden's administration was committed to a diplomatic resolution, and said Niger was a partner it did not want to lose.

Singh declined to call the takeover a coup but said it "certainly looks like an attempted coup."

Meanwhile, ECOWAS has the support of Central Africa's regional bloc ECCAS in efforts to overturn Niger's coup and restore constitutional order, Nigerian President and ECOWAS Chairman Bola Tinubu said on Tuesday.

"I understand the fear of our people on any form of military action. We are working to keep the sanctions in place and we are following them to the letter," he said in a statement.

Russian influence in West Africa has grown while the West's has waned since a string of coups began. Military leaders in Mali and Burkina Faso have kicked out troops from former colonial power France and strengthened ties with Moscow.

In Mali, the army government also brought in mercenaries from Russia's Wagner group, who have been accused of executing civilians and committing other grave human rights abuses.

Under Bazoum, Niger remained a Western ally. The U.S., France, Germany and Italy have troops stationed there under agreements with the now-deposed civilian government.

Putin has called for a return to constitutional order in Niger, while Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin welcomed the army takeover and offered his services.

Support for Russia has appeared to surge in Niger since the coup, with junta supporters waving Russian flags at rallies and calling for France to disengage.

Niger's coup leaders have revoked a raft of military agreements with France, although Paris shrugged this off by saying that it did not recognise them as legitimate authorities.

(Reporting by Felix Onuah in Abuja; Additional reporting by Mahamat Ramadane in Chad and Idrees Ali in Washington; writing by Nellie Peyton; editing by John Stonestreet, Estelle Shirbon, Alexandra Hudson and Jonathan Oatis)
By Diane Bartz

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Moderate Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives have formed a working group on artificial intelligence aimed at tackling the issue of what restrictions, if any, should be put on the technology.

The New Democrat Coalition announced the formation of the group on Tuesday, saying it would work with the Biden administration, companies and other lawmakers to develop "sensible, bipartisan policies to address this emerging technology."

While artificial intelligence has been used for several years, it surged in popularity earlier this year with the rise of ChatGPT because of generative AI's ability to use data to create human-seeming prose. Lawmakers are assessing ways to mitigate the potential harms - particularly to national security - while taking advantage of its strengths.

The group is to be headed by Representative Derek Kilmer, a Democrat from Washington state.

Vice chairs are Representatives Don Beyer of Virginia, Jeff Jackson from North Carolina, Sara Jacobs of California, Susie Lee of Nevada and Haley Stevens from Michigan.

In July, the White House announced that AI companies including OpenAI, Alphabet and Meta Platforms had made voluntary commitments to implement measures such as watermarking AI-generated content to help make the technology safer.

In the Senate, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said last month that lawmakers would hear from developers, executives and experts later this year on possible legislative safeguards.

(Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Nick Macfie)
FILE PHOTO: Nigeria's Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele briefs the media during the MPC meeting in Abuja, Nigeria January 24, 2020. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde/File Photo

By Camillus Eboh and Elisha Bala-Gbogbo

ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigerian prosecutors filed a 20-count indictment against suspended and detained central bank governor Godwin Emefiele on Tuesday, one of them accusing him of "conferring unlawful advantages", a government lawyer said.

President Bola Tinubu, who is embarking on the boldest reforms in Africa's biggest economy in more than a decade, has launched a probe of the central bank under Emefiele after criticising its policies at his inauguration in May, especially moves to prop up the naira currency.

It was not immediately clear what the new charges were. But court documents deposed by the Attorney General's Office last month showed that Emefiele faced criminal breach of trust and criminal misappropriation of funds charges, among others, which carry long jail terms.

Emefiele, who was detained on June 10, a day after Tinubu suspended him, pleaded not guilty to a charge of possessing a firearm. A judge granted him bail following his plea on July 25 but he was immediately rearrested.

"We have filed a matter with comprehensive charges" and "we are withdrawing the (firearm) case at the Federal High Court in Lagos," a government lawyer told Reuters.

Emefiele has challenged his detention and filed an application for bail. He could not immediately be reached for comment.

Emefiele introduced a multiple exchange rate policy to keep the currency artificially strong, which former President Muhammadu Buhari had viewed as a matter of national pride.

Buhari appointed Emefiele for a second five-year term in 2019. He was due to retire next year.

(Reporting by Camillus Eboh and Elisha Bala-Gbogbo; Editing by Nick Macfie)
FILE PHOTO: Norway wealth fund CEO Nicolai Tangen poses for a picture before a news conference held at the Norwegian central bank in Oslo, Norway January 31, 2023. REUTERS/Victoria Klesty/File Photo

By Gwladys Fouche

OSLO (Reuters) - Norway's $1.4 trillion wealth fund, the world's single largest stock market investor, is urging firms it invests in to engage with artificial intelligence as a way to drive profits, but to do so responsibly, top officials told Reuters.

Fund CEO Nicolai Tangen said it was crucial for all firms in its portfolio to engage with AI, as it is "potentially a massive driver for productivity and efficiency" that is becoming an everyday business tool like power, computers or the internet.

"We of course expect them to use AI for the best possible benefit of the business," Tangen said in an interview. "AI is a huge opportunity for companies and for society, but we need to make sure that it is used in the right way."

Tangen said a company that would not engage with AI "would disqualify themselves as being complete morons".

The fund invests in 9,200 firms worldwide, for which it sets expectations on a range of issues, from children's rights to climate change.

Its latest document, to be published Wednesday, is on consumers' interests, with a heavy focus on AI.

When talking to firms about responsible AI, the fund will concentrate particularly on the healthcare, finance and large tech sectors, because their use of the technology will have an especially strong impact on consumers.

Companies must be able to explain why they are developing particular AI systems and how they have been designed, trained and tested, according to the document. There should also be effective human oversight and control.

That is so "people (who) are affected by the outcomes can actually go back to the company and ask 'how does your algorithm work? Why did I not get the loan?'", said Carine Smith Ihenacho, the fund's chief governance and compliance officer.

Among other expectations set in the document, the fund said companies must be proactive in their management of AI-related risks, and have systems in place if or when things go wrong.

Special responsibility lies with the top tech companies that develop AI technology since they are driving the change, said the fund, a top ten investor in Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet and Nvidia.

"They have to take responsibility for their development and use of AI," said Smith Ihenacho, adding the fund had already discussed AI with the large U.S. tech companies in its portfolio.

"We have done it and we will continue to do it," she said.

She welcomed recent self-regulation moves by U.S. tech giants as "a good start", but noted that there were "no proper regulations in place yet" and that more was needed.

In July, U.S. AI companies made voluntary commitments to the White House to implement measures such as watermarking AI-generated content to make the technology safer.

"That is where there is room for investors like us to come in and fill the gap," said Smith Ihenacho.

Tech is the largest sector in the fund's equity investments, representing 11.9% of the its total value at end-2022, its data showed.

Dialogue with companies and voting at annual general meetings is the focus of its environment, social and governance (ESG) approach, but the fund can, and does, divest from companies that do not comply with its requirements. Last year it divested from 74 firms on those grounds.

(Reporting by Gwladys Fouche; Editing by Terje Solsvik and Jan Harvey)
FILE PHOTO: A VLCC oil tanker is seen at a crude oil terminal in Ningbo Zhoushan port, Zhejiang province, China May 16, 2017. Picture taken May 16, 2017. REUTERS/Stringer /File Photo

By Stephanie Kelly

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices fell over 1% on Tuesday on sluggish Chinese economic data coupled with fears that Beijing's unexpected cut in key policy rates was not sufficiently substantial to rejuvenate the country's sputtering post-pandemic recovery.

Brent crude futures fell $1.32, or 1.5%, to settle at $84.89 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) dropped $1.52, or 1.8% to $80.99.

Supply cuts by Saudi Arabia and Russia, part of the OPEC+ group comprising the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies, have helped to galvanise a rally in prices over the past seven weeks.

Both Brent and WTI, however, have fallen for two consecutive sessions as the oil market takes a breath, said Andrew Lipow, president at Lipow Oil Associates in Houston.

Weighing on sentiment, China's industrial output and retail sales data showed the economy slowed further last month, intensifying pressure on already faltering growth and prompting authorities to cut key policy rates to bolster economic activity.

When the oil market appears to be comfortable, it is often the case that China is the number one fire douser, throwing a wet blanket over those dreaming of prices north of $90, said John Evans of oil broker PVM. China is the world's biggest oil importer.

China's central bank lowered interest rates marginally after the data that highlighted intensifying pressure on the economy, mainly from the property sector, though analysts say the cut was too small to make a meaningful difference.

There are concerns China could struggle to meet its growth target of about 5% for the year without more fiscal stimulus.

Barclays cut its forecast for China's 2023 growth in gross domestic product to 4.5%, citing a faster-than-expected deterioration in the housing market.

Also adding to risk-off sentiment, an analyst at Fitch Ratings warned that U.S. banks, including JPMorgan Chase, could be downgraded if the agency further cuts its assessment of the operating environment for the industry, according to a report from CNBC.

"When the banking sector is shaky, oil gets shakier because it is so sensitive to interest rates, loans and the general health of the economy," said Phil Flynn, an analyst at Price Futures Group.

On a brighter note, refinery throughput in China rose in July 17.4% from a year earlier as refiners kept output elevated to meet demand for domestic summer travel and to cash in on high regional profit margins by exporting fuel.

In U.S. supply, crude stocks dropped by about 6.2 million barrels last week, according to market sources citing American Petroleum Institute figures released late Tuesday. [API/S]

Ahead of weekly government data due on Wednesday, analysts polled by Reuters estimated on average that crude inventories fell by about 2.3 million barrels last week. [EIA/S]

(Reporting by Stephanie Kelly; additional repoting by Natalie Grover, Muyu Xu and Katya Golubkova; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Deepa Babington)
(Reuters) - Reuters journalist Adriano Machado testified on Tuesday before a Brazilian congressional inquiry into riots in the capital Brasilia on Jan. 8, when his photographs for the news agency showed vandals ransacking the inside of the presidential palace.

Machado, summoned as a witness in the inquiry, gave a first-hand account of that Sunday afternoon, describing how a peaceful protest against the result of an October election devolved into the chaotic storming of Congress, the Supreme Court and the presidential offices. Hundreds of supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro were arrested over the riots, just a week after the inauguration of his rival, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Brazils Congress into the matter, which will eventually produce a written report and may suggest that prosecutors bring criminal charges.

The committee has called former Bolsonaro aides to testify about an alleged conspiracy to overturn electoral results which they have denied. Opposition lawmakers have sought to turn up evidence that the government was to blame for the rioting because it failed to provide adequate security in the capital.

Machado was one of a few photojournalists to take pictures inside the Planalto presidential palace as invaders smashed its doors, windows and furnishings. Some opposition lawmakers have focused on a portion of security footage showing him taking pictures to suggest the scenes were staged.

Reuters News issued a public statement on Tuesday reiterating its support for Machado. The news agency said: We stand by his coverage, which was unbiased and in the public interest. Journalists must be free to report the news without fear of harassment or harm, wherever they are.

I carried out my work correctly, with integrity, independence and freedom from bias, Machado told the committee, after replaying footage from closed-circuit cameras made public by the presidents security advisers.

In the sequence captured on security footage, in which demonstrators pointed at him, encircled him and examined his camera, Machado described the intimidation he faced at the time. To diffuse tensions, he said he complied with a demonstrators demand to delete some photographs and then shook the mans outstretched hand.

I dont know that person and, in that situation, all I could do was respond to his greeting, considering the fear for my safety, Machado said. The images released make clear that I was just doing my job, taking pictures.

Several opposition lawmakers who had called for Machado to testify said they understood he was there as a journalist doing his job. But some still called him complicit in the vandalism.

What we can clearly see is that you assisted, influenced, participated in and even directed a scene damaging public patrimony, said opposition lawmaker Alexandre Ramagem, who ran Brazilian spy agency ABIN during Bolsonaros presidency.

Other lawmakers dismissed that notion and questioned why Machado had been called to testify.

Were here today at an anti-climax, listening to a working journalist who was taking photographs, said pro-government lawmaker Rogerio Correia. You know how it looks to me? The world is in flames, you go there and take a picture of the fire  and youre held responsible because you took the picture of the fire, instead of the one who set the world on fire.

Reuters published more than 100 photographs taken by Machado in and around the Planalto palace on Jan. 8.

(Editing by Edward Tobin)
A view shows a building damaged during a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Lviv, Ukraine August 15, 2023. Head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration Maksym Kozytskyi/Handout via REUTERS

By Andriy Perun

LVIV, Ukraine (Reuters) - Russian air strikes hit two western regions of Ukraine bordering NATO member Poland and other areas on Tuesday, killing three people in a factory and wounding more than a dozen, Ukrainian officials said.

Local media said the attacks were the largest air assault on the Lviv region since the Russian invasion in February 2022.

The fatalities were reported in the northwestern region of Volyn. Officials said an industrial enterprise in the regional capital Lutsk was struck in the overnight attack. Several people were also hospitalised, Governor Yuriy Pohulyaiko said.

Swedish industrial bearings maker SKF said its factory in Lutsk was hit by a missile overnight, killing three employees.

Footage released by Ukraine's state emergency service showed rescuers pulling a man from the rubble. Reuters was able to confirm the location as the SKF factory.

Fifteen people were also wounded in the Lviv region, Governor Maksym Kozytskyi said. Six missiles damaged dozens of buildings and a kindergarten playground in and around the regional capital. Kozytskyi said the youngest victim was 10 years-old.

Both Volyn and Lviv border Poland and are hundreds of miles from the front line, where Ukraine's military is fending off Russian troops in the nearly 18-month-old war.

"The children are very scared. They were hysterical, they were shaking. One of them even vomited from fear," said Lviv resident Dmytro Ivaschyshyn outside an apartment block as firemen dug through debris. "Thank God we are all alive."

National grid operator Ukrenergo said power lines in the region were also damaged but that electricity was being restored to those affected.

Lviv city had been spared much of Russia's air attacks until July, when seven people were killed by a missile that slammed into a residential building near the historic centre.

The city has generally been seen as a safe haven from the conflict, with some government offices moving there and international NGOs using it as a base. It has also been a transit point for Ukrainian refugees en route to Poland and beyond.

"These are the parts of the country where millions of people are seeking safety and refuge after fleeing the horrors of Russia's invasion," Denise Brown, the United Nations resident coordinator in Ukraine, said in a statement condemning the attacks.

"Russia's persistent attacks hitting essential infrastructure in populated areas cause immense human suffering."

At least two people were also wounded in the southeastern city of Dnipro, where Governor Serhiy Lysak said a business enterprise and a sports complex had been hit.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said civilian infrastructure including schools and a hospital had been damaged in a total of eight regions in Tuesday's attacks. Part of the central town of Smila was left without water after two missiles struck the Cherkassy region, the governor said.

"The daily terror of the Russians has a single goal: to break us, our spirit for fighting," Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine's presidential administration, wrote on Telegram."This will not happen."

The air force said the strikes involved at least 28 cruise missiles and that 16 had been shot down. Spokesman Yuriy Ihnat told Ukrainian television that incoming missiles constantly changed course to make it harder for air defences to operate.

He said Ukraine would have a 100% kill rate if Kyiv was given the F-16 fighter jets it has long sought from its Western partners. A coalition of 11 nations is expected to start training Ukrainian pilots on the aircraft this month.

(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Warsaw, Maria Tsvetkova in New York, Dan Peleschuk in Kyiv and Andriy Perun in Lviv; Additional reporting by Marie Mannes in Stockholm; Editing by Angus MacSwan, Alexandra Hudson)
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers a speech during a ceremony to celebrate the 78th anniversary of the Korean Liberation Day from Japanese colonial rule in 1945, in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023. Lee Jin-man/Pool via REUTERS

By Hyonhee Shin

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Tuesday that this week's summit with the leaders of the United States and Japan will set a new milestone in trilateral cooperation in the face of North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats.

In a speech marking the anniversary of his country's liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule, Yoon emphasised a need to step up security cooperation with Washington and Tokyo, through reconnaissance assets and real-time sharing of data on the North's nuclear weapons and missiles.

The summit "will set a new milestone in trilateral cooperation contributing to peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo Pacific region", Yoon said.

Yoon is set to join U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland on Friday, where they will launch a series of joint initiatives on technology, education and defence, senior U.S. officials said.

Since taking office in May 2022, Yoon has sought to improve relations with Tokyo, frayed by a stalemate in feuds over compensation suits raised by victims of Japan's forced labour during its colonial rule.

Japan says the issue was resolved under a 1965 treaty that normalised relations, but the strained ties have hindered U.S.-led efforts to bolster trilateral cooperation to curb North Korea's weapons programs.

Yoon has taken steps to compensate the victims with South Korean money, instead of Japanese funds, and visited Tokyo in March in the first such trip by a South Korean leader in 12 years.

"Korea and Japan are now partners who share universal values and pursue common interests," Yoon said in the speech, pledging to boost exchanges on security and economic issues.

The speech made no mention of security concerns related to other major powers in the region including China and Russia.

Washington has formal collective defence arrangements in place with both Tokyo and Seoul separately, but it wants those two countries to work closer together given growing concerns about China's mounting power and worries about its intentions.

Separately, South Korea's foreign ministry expressed regret after Kishida sent offerings to the Yasukuni shrine, seen as a symbol of wartime legacy as it honours World War II criminals.

Meanwhile, North Korea leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanged letters on Tuesday pledging to develop ties into what Kim called a "long-standing strategic relationship", Pyongyang's state media KCNA said.

The United States has accused North Korea of providing weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine, including artillery shells, shoulder-fired rockets and missiles. Pyongyang and Moscow have denied any arms transactions.

(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Ed Davies and Ed Osmond)
FILE PHOTO: SAG-AFTRA actors and Writers Guild of America (WGA) writers walk the picket line during their ongoing strike outside Sunset Bronson studios and Netflix offices in Los Angeles, California, U.S., August 11, 2023. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo

By Dawn Chmielewski

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - In what would be a sign of progress in a months-long labor dispute, striking Hollywood writers were expected to respond this week to the latest contract proposal from the major studios, according to two sources with knowledge of the talks.

One of the sources said the negotiating team for the Writers' Guild of America (WGA) spent the weekend reviewing the proposal from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the trade group representing Walt Disney, Netflix, Warner Bros Discovery and the other major studios and streaming services.

The parties may return to the bargaining table this week, said the sources, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations. The two sides had gone about 100 days without talks.

Another source told Reuters that the studios offered a concession on one area of concern, the use of artificial intelligence, agreeing to have human writers credited on scripts. Bloomberg also reported, citing anonymous sources, that companies agreed to share access to viewer data, which would allow writers to gauge the popularity of their series.

The WGA did not respond to a request for comment on Monday, and the AMPTP declined comment.

"More progress can be made in negotiations when they are conducted without a blow-by-blow description of the moves on each side and a subsequent public dissection of the meaning of the moves," the WGA's negotiating committee told its 11,500 members in an email late Friday.

Writers went on strike May 2 over an impasse on compensation, minimum staffing in writers' rooms, residual payments and other issues. They were joined on the picket lines on July 16 by members of the Screen Actors Guild, effectively halting much of film and television production.

Officials familiar with the specifics of the studios' proposal declined to provide details.

The AMPTP had rejected as a "hiring quota" the WGA's demand for minimum staffing of writers' rooms. Writers have proposed curbs on the generative artificial intelligence, a complex topic the studios saw as requiring "a lot more discussion."

On recent corporate earnings calls, studio executives expressed a desire for a rapid conclusion to the labor unrest.

(Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski in Los Angeles; Editing by Mary Milliken, Cynthia Osterman and Gerry Doyle)
FILE PHOTO: A security man guards in front of a currency exchange bureau advertisement showing image of the U.S. dollar in Cairo, Egypt January 17, 2023. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh/File Photo

By Patrick Werr

CAIRO (Reuters) -Egypt is offering a minimum $5,000 fee for Egyptians living abroad who wish to clear their military service obligations and a U.S. dollar pension plan also aimed at its citizens abroad, in a series of fresh measures designed to boost foreign currency inflows.

Over the past few months, state-owned banks have begun selling high-interest dollar-denominated bonds, and from May, a new law has granted temporary residence to foreigners who buy property for at least $50,000 or deposit $50,000 in state-owned banks.

Those initiatives follow a 2022 scheme to give Egyptian expatriates tax rebates for paying fees on car imports in hard currency, and other measures to attract foreign currency investments in land and industry.

Egypt has been drawing down its foreign currency assets for the last two years after a foreign borrowing spree, following the twin shocks of the coronavirus pandemic and the Ukraine crisis. Remittances, by far Egypt's biggest source of foreign currency inflows, dropped sharply in January to March, compared to the same period in 2022, central bank data shows.

The pension plan lets Egyptians living abroad set up pension funds for a minimum $500 that would guarantee monthly payments in dollars for 10 to 15 years from the age of 50, according to a statement on Monday from the Financial Regulatory Authority.

The government will also raise foreign currency by allowing Egyptians living abroad, who are delinquent in their military service, to make good on their status permanently by paying either $5,000 or 5,000 euros during a one-month window, which started on Monday.

The foreign ministry on Tuesday announced a WhatsApp number and email address for enquiries about the scheme, which it said would be monitored around the clock, and urged applicants to register quickly.

Most Egyptian men between the ages of 19 and 30 are required to serve in the military. Many received temporary exemptions to travel for education, medical treatment or work, but end up remaining abroad. Those who do not comply with the service requirement would not be able to renew their passports.

The government has asked applicants to pay into a specially created account at the Abu Dhabi branch, in the United Arab Emirates, of Egypt's state-owned Banque Misr, which itself is headquartered in Egypt's capital Cairo.

The proposed military amnesty will also be available to men over 30 who fail to complete their service.

In the past, the government has allowed military service exemptions with payment of 3,000 Egyptian pounds ($97), provided the men return to Egypt and appear before a military panel to plead their case, said Mahmoud Salem, an Egyptian analyst living in Berlin. But the pound's value has diminished sharply in recent years.

In 2018, 8.9 million Egyptians lived abroad and 97.1 million in Egypt, according to the most recent figures from the central bank. Since then, the number of Egyptians living in Egypt has risen to 105 million.

Official data shows external debt rose to $165.4 billion by the end of March from under $40 billion in 2015. At least $50 billion in repayments will be due over the next few years, according to the central bank.

($1 = 30.9000 Egyptian pounds)

(Reporting by Patrick Werr, Nadine Awadalla and Nayera Abdallah; Editing by Aidan Lewis, Bernadette Baum and Marguerita Choy)
FILE PHOTO: Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Windham, New Hampshire, U.S., August 8, 2023. REUTERS/Reba Saldanha/File Photo

By Tom Hals

WILMINGTON, Delaware (Reuters) - The criminal case against former U.S. President Donald Trump for attempting to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia will be handled by the newest judge on the court, a former prosecutor who once worked in the same office as Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

Fulton County Superior Court records show Judge Scott McAfee will oversee the case against Trump, which alleges the Republican was part of a scheme to overturn his loss in the state to Democrat Joe Biden. Judges are randomly assigned to cases.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing and accused Willis, an elected Democrat, of being politically motivated.

McAfee was appointed to the court in February by the state's Republican Governor Brian Kemp, according to the court's website. McAfee is seeking election next year to retain his position as judge.

On his campaign website, McAfee pledges to clear the backlog of cases, hold violent offenders accountable and provide alternatives for non-violent offenders. "True justice isn't about locking people up and throwing away the key," his website said.

"He's fair, intelligent," said Brian Steel, a criminal defense lawyer in Georgia who said he knows McAfee professionally. Steel is not involved in the Trump case.

Trump, frontrunner for the Republican 2024 presidential nomination, was indicted on Monday as one of 19 defendants charged with racketeering and other crimes.

McAfee will set the schedule for the trial and will likely have to sort through numerous unsettled legal questions raised by prosecuting a case that covers acts that occurred while Trump was president. The judge may be asked by Trump's legal team to move the case out of Fulton County, where Biden won easily in 2020, or to federal court.

McAfee joined the court after a serving since 2021 as inspector general, investigating the executive branch of Georgia's government for allegations of fraud and waste. His office uncovered a scheme to defraud the state of $1.3 million by creating fake educational records and obtained a conviction of a former state worker who faked pregnancies, according to the inspector general's website.

Prior to serving as inspector general, McAfee worked as an assistant U.S. attorney and as an assistant district attorney, overlapping with Willis, although it unknown if they worked together.

He specialized in major drug trafficking organizations in the U.S. attorney's office and handled hundreds of felony cases, including armed robbery and murder, while working for the district attorney, according to the governor's statement announcing McAfee's appointment to the bench.

McAfee earned his undergraduate degree from Emory University where he majored in music and received a scholarship to play cello in the university symphony. He graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law and passed the state bar in 2013, according to the Georgia Bar Association website.

(Reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Alistair Bell)
Ukrainian servicemen attend an exercise near the border with Belarus, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Rivne region, Ukraine April 28, 2023. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich/File Photo

KYIV (Reuters) - The Ukrainian government is to build new fortifications and military infrastructure in northeast regions that border Russia and Belarus at a cost of nearly $35 million, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Tuesday.

"At the request of Kharkiv and Chernihiv...we are allocating 911.5 million hryvnias ($24.7 million) for Kharkiv and 363 million ($9.8 million) for Chernihiv to build military engineering and fortification structures," Shmyhal said on Telegram.

The Chernihiv region that borders Russia and Belarus was partially occupied at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, but it was later liberated.

Belarus, the Kremlin's closest ally, initially supported the Russian invasion, opening its borders to Russian troops marching on Ukraine's capital Kyiv.

Minsk also provided its territory to fighters from the Wagner mercenary group whose move to Belarus was part of a deal that ended their attempted mutiny in June. The eastern Kharkiv region, which borders the Russian region of Belgorod, is still partially occupied and has been the site of active fighting in recent weeks.

Since the liberation of its territories, Ukraine has been actively building defences on its borders to prevent being invaded again. It maintains a significant force in the north.

Moscow's forces control a swathe of southern and eastern Ukraine. ($1 = 36.9290 hryvnias)

($1 = 36.9290 hryvnias)

(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; editing by Tom Balmforth and Angus MacSwan)
KYIV (Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia and met troops fighting in the counteroffensive against Russian forces in the south, the president's office said on Tuesday.

Zelenskiy was shown in a video with senior Ukrainian soldiers examining a battlefield map at what the president's office said was the frontline command point of the 46th separate airmobile brigade near the town of Orikhiv.

"The president listened to reports by the commanders on the course of combat actions in frontline areas ... and discussed the most problematic issues of their units together with the brigades and combatants," it said in a statement.

Ukraine launched a counter-offensive against Russian forces in the south and southeast at the start of June, hoping to cut Russian forces in half by advancing south towards the Sea of Azov.

More than two months into the operation, Kyiv has retaken a string of villages but no major settlements, acknowledging that its progress has been slower than desired because of prepared Russian defences and what it says is a shortage of weapons.

"Step by step, they are resolutely moving towards the necessary result," Zelenskiy said of brigades trying to make headway towards the southern, occupied city of Melitopol.

Kyiv has repeatedly said that it needs more Western armoured vehicles, tanks and new aircraft.

"The military emphasised the need for electronic warfare and frontline air defence systems to counter enemy aircraft and drones. There is also a need for drones, as they are quickly consumed in offensive operations," the office said.

(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; editing by Tom Balmforth and Nick Macfie)
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev expressed his condolences to President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin in connection with the explosion at a gas station in Makhachkala, which caused numerous casualties, Azernews reports.

The letter reads:

"Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich,

I was very saddened by the news of multiple casualties as a result of an explosion at a gas station in Makhachkala.

On behalf of the people of Azerbaijan and on my own behalf, I extend my deepest condolences to you, the relatives and loved ones of those who died, and wish all the injured a recovery."
0001140859 false 0001140859 2023-08-09 2023-08-09





UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549





_________________________________









FORM 8-K

_________________________________





CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934





Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):

_________________________________

AmerisourceBergen Corp oration

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

_________________________________

Commission File Number: 1-16671

Delaware 23-3079390 (State or other jurisdiction of (I.R.S. Employer incorporation or organization) Identification No.) 1 West First Avenue Conshohocken PA 19428-1800 (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

( 610 ) 727-7000

(Registrants telephone number, including area code)

Not Applicable

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of exchange on which registered Common stock ABC New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)

_________________________________





Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:





 Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)





 Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)





 Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))





 Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))





Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (240.12b-2 of this chapter).





Emerging growth company 





If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. o





















Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.





On August 9, 2023, the Board of Directors (the Board) of AmerisourceBergen Corporation (the Company) elected Werner Baumann, 60, and Lauren Tyler, 61, to serve on the Board, effective October 1, 2023.





Prior to his retirement in May 2023, Mr. Baumann served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Management of Bayer AG, a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition, since May 2016, and as Chief Sustainability Officer since January 2020. Mr. Baumann joined Bayer in 1988 and held numerous positions of increasing responsibility at the company, including serving as Chief Financial Officer from 2010 to 2014 and Chief Strategy and Portfolio Officer from 2014 to 2016. Mr. Baumann also served as an Executive Director on the Board of Management of Bayer from 2010 to 2016. Mr. Baumann earned his B.A. from the University of Cologne and an M.A. from RWTH Aachen University.





Ms. Tyler has served as Executive Vice President and Global Head of Human Resources at J.P. Morgan Asset & Wealth Management, a global leader in investment management, since 2015. Prior to this role, Ms. Tyler served in various leadership roles at JPMorgan Chase & Co., including as Global Chief Auditor and Global Head of Investor Relations. Ms. Tyler is a seasoned financial executive with 35 years of experience in private equity, investment banking and finance. Ms. Tyler previously served on the Board of Directors of Alleghany Corporation from January 2019 until its acquisition by Berkshire Hathaway in October 2022. Ms. Tyler earned her B.A. from Yale University and an M.B.A. from Harvard University.





The Board determined that each of Mr. Baumann and Ms. Tyler is an independent director under the standards established by the New York Stock Exchange and the Board. Effective October 1, 2023, the Board will increase from ten to twelve members in accordance with the Companys Bylaws.





As non-employee directors of the Company, Mr. Baumann and Ms. Tyler will each be compensated for service to the Company in accordance with the Companys Compensation Policy for Non-Employee Directors, including an annual cash retainer of $100,000 and an annual equity award having a value of $200,000 on the date of grant.





There are no related party transactions between either Mr. Baumann or Ms. Tyler and the Company that would require disclosure under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K.









Item 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosure.





On August 15, 2023, the Company issued a news release announcing the elections of Mr. Baumann and Ms. Tyler to the Board. A copy of the news release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1.





The information in this item, including Exhibit 99.1, is being furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission and shall not be deemed filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section. This information shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such a filing.









Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.





(d) Exhibits. Exhibit Number Description of Exhibit 99.1 News Release, dated August 15, 2023, AmerisourceBergen Corporation. 104 Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as inline XBRL)













SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

AMERISOURCEBERGEN CORPORATION Date: August 15, 2023 By: /s/ Elizabeth S. Campbell Name: Elizabeth S. Campbell Title: Executive Vice President & Chief Legal Officer





















ATTACHMENTS / EXHIBITS

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The Securities and Exchange Commission has not necessarily reviewed the information in this filing and has not determined if it is accurate and complete.

The reader should not assume that the information is accurate and complete. UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM D



Notice of Exempt Offering of Securities



OMB APPROVAL OMB Number: 3235-0076 Expires: August 31, 2015 Estimated average burden hours per response: 4.00

1. Issuer's Identity

CIK (Filer ID Number) Previous Names X None Entity Type 0001989287 Corporation X Limited Partnership Limited Liability Company General Partnership Business Trust Other (Specify)

Name of Issuer iCapital-Clearlake Capital Partners VIII (Offshore) Access Fund, L.P. Jurisdiction of Incorporation/Organization CAYMAN ISLANDS Year of Incorporation/Organization Over Five Years Ago X Within Last Five Years (Specify Year) 2023 Yet to Be Formed

2. Principal Place of Business and Contact Information

Name of Issuer iCapital-Clearlake Capital Partners VIII (Offshore) Access Fund, L.P. Street Address 1 Street Address 2 C/O ICAPITAL PE GP, LLC 60 EAST 42ND STREET, 26TH FLOOR City State/Province/Country ZIP/PostalCode Phone Number of Issuer NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10165 (212) 994-7400

3. Related Persons

Last Name First Name Middle Name iCapital PE GP, LLC -- Street Address 1 Street Address 2 60 East 42nd Street, 26th Floor City State/Province/Country ZIP/PostalCode New York NEW YORK 10165

Relationship: Executive Officer Director X Promoter

Clarification of Response (if Necessary):

General Partner of the Issuer

Last Name First Name Middle Name Stanton Michael Street Address 1 Street Address 2 c/o iCapital PE GP, LLC 60 East 42nd Street, 26th Floor City State/Province/Country ZIP/PostalCode New York NEW YORK 10165

Relationship: X Executive Officer Director Promoter

Clarification of Response (if Necessary):

Authorized Signatory of the General Partner

4. Industry Group

Agriculture Banking & Financial Services Commercial Banking Insurance Investing Investment Banking X Pooled Investment Fund Hedge Fund X Private Equity Fund Venture Capital Fund Other Investment Fund Is the issuer registered as

an investment company under

the Investment Company

Act of 1940? Yes X No Other Banking & Financial Services Business Services Energy Coal Mining Electric Utilities Energy Conservation Environmental Services Oil & Gas Other Energy Health Care Biotechnology Health Insurance Hospitals & Physicians Pharmaceuticals Other Health Care Manufacturing Real Estate Commercial Construction REITS & Finance Residential Other Real Estate Retailing Restaurants Technology Computers Telecommunications Other Technology Travel Airlines & Airports Lodging & Conventions Tourism & Travel Services Other Travel Other

5. Issuer Size

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Rule 504(b)(1) (not (i), (ii) or (iii)) X Investment Company Act Section 3(c) Section 3(c)(1) Section 3(c)(9) Section 3(c)(2) Section 3(c)(10) Section 3(c)(3) Section 3(c)(11) Section 3(c)(4) Section 3(c)(12) Section 3(c)(5) Section 3(c)(13) Section 3(c)(6) Section 3(c)(14) X Section 3(c)(7) Rule 504 (b)(1)(i) Rule 504 (b)(1)(ii) Rule 504 (b)(1)(iii) Rule 505 X Rule 506(b) Rule 506(c) Securities Act Section 4(a)(5)

7. Type of Filing

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8. Duration of Offering

Does the Issuer intend this offering to last more than one year? Yes X No

9. Type(s) of Securities Offered (select all that apply)

X Equity X Pooled Investment Fund Interests Debt Tenant-in-Common Securities Option, Warrant or Other Right to Acquire Another Security Mineral Property Securities Security to be Acquired Upon Exercise of Option, Warrant or Other Right to Acquire Security Other (describe)

10. Business Combination Transaction

Is this offering being made in connection with a business combination transaction, such as a merger, acquisition or exchange offer? Yes X No

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11. Minimum Investment

Minimum investment accepted from any outside investor $ 0 USD

12. Sales Compensation

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14. Investors

Select if securities in the offering have been or may be sold to persons who do not qualify as accredited investors, and enter the number of such non-accredited investors who already have invested in the offering. Regardless of whether securities in the offering have been or may be sold to persons who do not qualify as accredited investors, enter the total number of investors who already have invested in the offering: 0

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Signature and Submission

Please verify the information you have entered and review the Terms of Submission below before signing and clicking SUBMIT below to file this notice.

Terms of Submission

In submitting this notice, each issuer named above is: Notifying the SEC and/or each State in which this notice is filed of the offering of securities described and undertaking to furnish them, upon written request, in the accordance with applicable law, the information furnished to offerees.* Irrevocably appointing each of the Secretary of the SEC and, the Securities Administrator or other legally designated officer of the State in which the issuer maintains its principal place of business and any State in which this notice is filed, as its agents for service of process, and agreeing that these persons may accept service on its behalf, of any notice, process or pleading, and further agreeing that such service may be made by registered or certified mail, in any Federal or state action, administrative proceeding, or arbitration brought against it in any place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, if the action, proceeding or arbitration (a) arises out of any activity in connection with the offering of securities that is the subject of this notice, and (b) is founded, directly or indirectly, upon the provisions of: (i) the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, the Investment Company Act of 1940, or the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, or any rule or regulation under any of these statutes, or (ii) the laws of the State in which the issuer maintains its principal place of business or any State in which this notice is filed. Certifying that, if the issuer is claiming a Rule 505 exemption, the issuer is not disqualified from relying on Rule 505 for one of the reasons stated in Rule 505(b)(2)(iii) or Rule 506(d).

Each Issuer identified above has read this notice, knows the contents to be true, and has duly caused this notice to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned duly authorized person.

For signature, type in the signer's name or other letters or characters adopted or authorized as the signer's signature.

Issuer Signature Name of Signer Title Date iCapital-Clearlake Capital Partners VIII (Offshore) Access Fund, L.P. /s/ Michael Stanton Michael Stanton Authorized Signatory of the General Partner 2023-08-15

Persons who respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB number.

* This undertaking does not affect any limits Section 102(a) of the National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996 ("NSMIA") [Pub. L. No. 104-290, 110 Stat. 3416 (Oct. 11, 1996)] imposes on the ability of States to require information. As a result, if the securities that are the subject of this Form D are "covered securities" for purposes of NSMIA, whether in all instances or due to the nature of the offering that is the subject of this Form D, States cannot routinely require offering materials under this undertaking or otherwise and can require offering materials only to the extent NSMIA permits them to do so under NSMIA's preservation of their anti-fraud authority.
Risks Relating To The Terms And Structure Of The Securities  I f The Securities Are Not Automatically Called And The Ending Level Is Less Than The Threshold Level, You Will Lose More Than 25.00%, And Possibly All, Of The Face Amount Of Your Securities At Maturity.  No Periodic Interest Will Be Paid On The Securities.  The Potential Return On The Securities Is Limited To The Call Premium And May Be Lower Than The Return On A Direct Investment In the Index.  Higher Call Premiums Are Associated With Greater Risk.  You Will Be Subject To Reinvestment Risk.  A Call Settlement Date And The Stated Maturity Date May Be Postponed If A Call Date Is Postponed.  The Securities Are Subject To Credit Risk.  Significant Aspects Of The Tax Treatment Of The Securities Are Uncertain . Risks Relating To The Estimated Value Of The Securities And Any Secondary Market  The Estimated Value Of The Securities On The Pricing Date, Based On Our Proprietary Pricing Models, Will Be Less Than The Original Offering Price.  The Terms Of The Securities Are Not Determined By Reference To The Credit Spreads For Our Conventional Fixed-Rate Debt.  The Estimated Value Of The Securities Is Not An Indication Of The Price, If Any, At Which WFS Or Any Other Person May Be Willing To Buy The Securities From You In The Secondary Market.

 The Value Of The Securities Prior To Stated Maturity Will Be Affected By Numerous Factors, Some Of Which Are Related In Complex Ways.  The Securities Will Not Be Listed On Any Securities Exchange And We Do Not Expect A Trading Market For The Securities To Develop. Risks Relating To The Index  Investing In The Securities Is Not The Same As Investing In The Index.  Historical Levels Of The Index Should Not Be Taken As An Indication Of The Future Performance Of The Index During The Term Of The Securities.  Changes That Affect The Index May Adversely Affect The Value Of The Securities And Any Payments On The Securities.  We Cannot Control Actions By Any Of The Unaffiliated Companies Whose Securities Are Included In The Index.  We And Our Affiliates Have No Affiliation With The Index Sponsor And Have Not Independently Verified Its Public Disclosure Of Information. Risks Relating To Conflicts Of Interest  Our Economic Interests And Those Of Any Dealer Participating In The Offering Are Potentially Adverse To Your Interests.
After-Hours Stock Movers:

The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AREN) 23% HIGHER; signed a binding letter of intent with Simplify Inventions, LLC and its founder, Manoj Bhargava, founder of 5-hour ENERGY, to acquire certain assets of its subsidiary Bridge Media Networks. Simplify Inventions to Invest $50 Million in Cash, Contribute its Bridge Media Network Business and Certain Other Assets and Commit to a Guaranteed Advertising Commitment of $60 Million.

Getty Images Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: GETY) 15% LOWER; reported Q2 EPS of ($0.01), $0.05 worse than the analyst estimate of $0.04. Revenue for the quarter came in at $225.7 million versus the consensus estimate of $236.26 million.

LL Flooring Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: LL) 14% HIGHER; announced that its Board of Directors has initiated an exploration of strategic alternatives in response to receipt of multiple inbound expressions of interest regarding a potential transaction with the Company.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) 4% LOWER; announced that the Discover Board of Directors and Roger Hochschild have agreed that Hochschild will step down as Chief Executive Officer and President and as a member of the Board. Hochschild will serve in an advisory role at the Company through the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition. John Owen, a member of the Board, has been appointed Interim CEO and President. These changes are effective immediately.

D.R. Horton, Inc. (NYSE: DHI) 2% HIGHER; Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway disclosed a new stake.

Lennar Corp. (NYSE: LEN) 2% HIGHER; Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway disclosed a new stake.

NVR, Inc. (NYSE: NVR) 1% HIGHER; Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway disclosed a new stake.
(Tribune News Service)  Anchorage police arrested the husband of a 21-year-old woman missing since Aug. 6 and charged him with her murder after discovering her body more than four days later.

Saria Barney Hildabrand was found dead Thursday evening near the Anchorage apartment the two shared, according to a criminal complaint filed Friday.

Someone in the area reported hearing a gunshot around 2:45 a.m. Sunday, but nothing appeared suspicious when officers arrived, according to a sworn complaint filed with an arrest warrant by Anchorage police detective Troy Clark. Police on Thursday located Saria Hildabrand's body in a concealed location along a trail near the apartment complex, the complaint said.

Her husband, Zarrius Hildabrand, 21, was taken into custody and remanded at the Anchorage jail on charges of first- and second-degree murder as well as tampering with evidence, the Anchorage Police Department said Friday. At the time of his arrest, Hildabrand was a soldier with the U.S. Army in Anchorage.

The first-degree murder charge carries a maximum penalty of 99 years in prison.

Saria Hildabrand, a combat medic with the Alaska National Guard who worked at a Midtown restaurant, was last seen Aug. 6 in the area of the couple's apartment complex northeast of the Seward Highway and Dowling Road. She wasn't reported missing until Aug. 7, police said.

Police said they had been investigating her disappearance since then. Friends and family circulated a missing poster. Scores of volunteers combed the path between her home at the Mockingbird Drive and Alpenhorn Avenue complex and her work, as well as the dog park at University Lake she frequented.

Zarrius Hildabrand, a soldier based at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, told a different story than the one that emerged through the investigation, according to the criminal complaint.

He several times told officers that his wife left between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. Aug. 6 to walk to work about a mile from their apartment, Clark wrote.

On the night of Aug. 5, Hildabrand told police, the couple had been out drinking with friends to celebrate his birthday and they all arrived back at Mockingbird Drive early Aug. 6. Later that morning, he and his wife were hungover and didn't feel up to driving, Hildabrand said, according to the complaint. Interviewed separately, however, a friend with them the night of Aug. 5 said Saria told her she did not plan to work the next day.

Hildabrand said during a police interview Aug. 7 that his wife forgot to take her phone when she left for work, though she did take her purse and wallet, according to the complaint. Employees at her workplace received a text from her phone at 10:45 a.m. Aug. 6 saying she was calling off work, the complaint said. A coworker responded, saying Hildabrand needed to check in with her boss. She did not call, the complaint said. Her husband denied sending the text.

Zarrius Hildabrand told police he didn't realize his wife was missing until he went to pick her up at work Aug. 6.

Hildabrand originally told police he "vegetated" the day his wife went missing, but later said he ran errands, according to the complaint. He said he didn't worry until 10 p.m. that night, which is when he said he started looking for her. He told police he didn't report her missing until Monday afternoon "because he thought he might find his wife and find it was a misunderstanding," Clark wrote.

Hildabrand refused to let police search the bed in the apartment after officers saw what appeared to be a missing sheet and a new sheet set on the kitchen table, according to the complaint. On Tuesday, police determined that Hildabrand went to the Fred Meyer in Midtown three separate times and bought the sheets found on the table, a mattress cover, hydrogen peroxide and other items, it said.

They served a search warrant on Wednesday and found the mattress soaked in blood, Clark wrote. Officers also recovered two handguns, one missing a bullet from the magazine, the complaint said.

On Thursday, detectives tracked Hildabrand's phone to a Lowe's store where they learned he bought a large wheeled garbage can, according to the complaint. A detective spotted a similar can in the back of a landscaping truck north of the complex, in the area of a trail, and "took custody" of it, the document said.

An officer using a drone spotted evidence leading to the discovery of Hildebrand's body, the complaint said.

It wasn't immediately clear when or where Zarrius Hildabrand was arrested before being taken to the Anchorage jail. A judge set his bail at $500,000 and appointed a public defender during Hildabrand's first court hearing Friday afternoon.

Saria Hildabrand's mother, Meredith Barney, gave a statement during the Friday arraignment, calling her son-in-law's actions this week "terrifying." Barney flew up to Alaska on Tuesday after Zarrius Hildabrand called her the previous night with the news that Saria was missing.

"He walked around for hours with me searching for my daughter knowing that she was dead," Barney said. "He lied to me multiple times, and tried to play it off like he was a concerned husband."

Zarrius Hildabrand is a cannon crew member assigned to the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 11th Airborne Division, according to U.S. Army Alaska. He joined the Army in September 2021 and arrived in Alaska in April 2022.

Saria Hildabrand was assigned to the Alaska Army National Guard's Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 297th Infantry Regiment, according to Guard spokesman Alan Brown. She joined in April 2023.

Before she moved to Alaska this year, Saria Hildabrand served in the Utah National Guard as a field artillery fire finder radar operator, Brown said. She originally enlisted there in May 2021.

In interviews Friday, friends and family described Saria Hildabrand as warm, loyal and hardworking, with a strong sense of purpose and close ties with her family.

Kylee Clark became friends with her while they were both working at a sushi restaurant in Utah, before Hildabrand moved to Alaska. "She worked her butt off," Clark said. "If she was invited to anything, she would be there no matter what." Hildabrand was adventurous and seemed excited about her move to Alaska, especially the chance to see the northern lights, Clark said.

Zarrius and Saria Hildabrand met during basic training last summer and were married in December, according to Saria's mother. Clark said her understanding was that the couple wanted to be stationed together, adding: "They seemed really happy."

Friends and family interviewed for this article said that the couple's relationship from the outside seemed normal. It wasn't until this week that anything seemed off, Saria's aunt Brittany Monson said.

To Clark, what stood out to her was the report from Zarrius Hildabrand that Saria had left her phone at home. "The story just didn't make sense," Clark said. "She never puts her phone down. She's 21, that thing is glued to her hand."

After Saria Hildabrand's disappearance, family, friends and colleagues distributed flyers, posted social media alerts and launched search efforts. About 40 members of her Guard unit helped look for her on Thursday, Guard spokesman Brown said. "She's on our team. We're going to do everything we can to try to locate her," he said.

Brown read aloud a statement the Guard issued Friday morning: "The entire Alaska National Guard team is deeply saddened to learn of the death of Specialist Saria Hildabrand. Our most sincere condolences go out to her family and friends in the wake of this terrible tragedy."

Her family initially set up a Gofundme to help cover expenses in their search, and said Friday that funds would be used to offset the cost of transporting her body back to Utah.

Her family in a statement Saturday thanked everyone involved in the search and investigation. They described the loss of "a genuine, caring woman" who was "independent, courageous, and brave," asked for privacy in the coming days as they processed their grief.

A remembrance for Saria Hildabrand is planned for 6:30 p.m. Monday at University Lake Dog Park.

(c)2023 the Alaska Dispatch News (Anchorage, Alaska)

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AUSTIN, Texas  A Texas woman was sentenced Monday to 30 years in prison for helping dispose of the body of a U.S. soldier, whose 2020 killing sparked a movement of women speaking out about sexual abuse in the military and led to changes in how they can report it.

Cecily Aguilar is the only suspect arrested in the death of Vanessa Guillen, who was killed at Fort Cavazos, formerly known as Fort Hood, near Killeen, Texas. Aguilar was 24 years old when she pleaded guilty in November at a federal court in Waco, Texas, to one count of accessory to murder after the fact and three counts of making a false statement.

The sentence came after hours of testimony from attorneys, experts and Guillen's family. It was the maximum punishment Aguilar could receive, said Jaime Esparza, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas.

"Our hope is that today's sentence brings a sense of relief and justice to the Guillen family, who have endured such pain throughout these past few years," Esparza said.

Aguilar aided boyfriend Army Spc. Aaron Robinson, 20, of Calumet City, Illinois, in dismembering and disposing of Guillen's body in a rural, wooded area near the base, according to federal and state authorities. Robinson died by suicide on July 1, 2020, the day Guillen's remains were found.

"We finally have closure in this case," said attorney Natalie Khawam, who represents Guillen's family.

A psychologist called as a witness for the defense testified Monday that Aguilar has reactive attachment disorder, meaning she did not form healthy emotional bonds with her parents or caregivers. Dr. Jon Matthew Fabian said the condition wouldn't keep Aguilar from knowing right or wrong.

Attorney Lewis Gainor, who represents Aguilar, did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

Guillen was declared missing in April 2020, when her family said they did not hear from her for an unusual amount of time after she was called in for a shift in the military base's armory room.

According to a criminal complaint, Aguilar said she and Robinson  who authorities accuse of bludgeoning Guillen to death at the base  disposed of her body by mutilating it and hiding the remains in nearby woods.

Two weeks after Guillen's body was found, Aguilar pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges. Later, a judge dismissed her legal team's attempt to throw out her confession because she said she had not been read her Miranda rights at the time her statement was taken.

Guillen's family has said they believe she was sexually harassed during her time at the Texas military base. While Army officials have said they do not believe Robinson harassed Guillen, they admitted in a report a year later that Guillen was harassed by another soldier at the base.

Following Guillen's death, her family's claims that she was harassed and assaulted at the Texas base ignited a movement on social media of former and active service members who shared their experiences at military bases throughout the country using the hashtag #IAmVanessaGuillen.

Then-U.S. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said during a visit to the Texas base that it had one of the highest rates of murder, sexual assault and harassment in the Army, later adding that the patterns of violence were a direct result of " leadership failures. "

State and federal lawmakers passed legislation in 2021 honoring Guillen that removed some authority from commanders and gave survivors more options to report abuse and harassment. Army officials disciplined 21 commissioned and non-commissioned officers in connection with Guillen's death.
CAMP GRAYLING, Mich. (Tribune News Service)  As Gov. Gretchen Whitmer spoke with reporters on the deck of Observation Post Five, F-16 Falcon fighter jets circled overhead, the muffled sounds of their engines echoing through the clouds.

Whitmer was on hand to witness the Northern Strike military readiness exercise Monday for the first time as governor, as soldiers from national guards throughout the U.S., along with military allies from allied nations, convened at Camp Grayling for the twice yearly training.

This is an opportunity for us to really showcase the unique thing that is Camp Grayling, and you look at all of our installations across Michigan, and the airspace that we boast and the kind of tech savvy  this is really a powerful story, Whitmer said. Michigan is different than any other state, we know that, but weve got to get better at telling our story.

Interviews concluded, the fighters, simulating airstrikes, descended and began swooping low over targets in the idyllic valley below. They made a few passes close to the observation post, perhaps for the benefit of the crowd, eliciting oohs and ahhs.

Synergy was top of mind for Whitmer. For her it was an opportunity to simultaneously tout international ties, entice the private defense industry and express gratitude to the troops.

The National Guard has been at the heart of the work that weve done, whether its vaccinating people, whether it was evacuating people in a flooding situation, the guard has been absolutely the tip of the spear for us, Whitmer said. We got to continue to invest and prioritize the work theyre doing and work closely with the community to make sure that residents feel the benefit of what this what this really has to offer.

In April Whitmers Department of Natural Resources blocked a longstanding proposal to open up an additional 162,000 acres of state land to training for Camp Grayling. It would have doubled the area available for exercises like this.

It had been hotly opposed by area residents, who formed some organized resistance to the idea of the military  and the private defense contractors looking to test their innovations  encroaching on their peace and quiet. Local government and even other administration officials remain resistant to the smaller, restricted expansion that was finalized.

Leonids Kalnins, the commander of the Joint Headquarters of Latvia  the highest ranking officer in that countrys military  was also on hand to observe the exercises.

This year marks the 30th year of the states military partnership with the country in north eastern Europe, and Kalnins received warm greetings from his counterparts in Michigan. They unveiled a memorial to two fallen Latvian soldiers killed in Afghanistan at Camp Grayling this past weekend and also named a thoroughfare on the base after Latvia.

This is really not just a partnership, its a friendship, and its formed in his blood, Maj. Gen. Paul D. Rogers, the head of Michigan National Guard, said in an interview.

The relationship with Michigan, Kalnins said, is not just shak(ing) hands, but the opportunity to train and share how we are understanding this main threat from the East in Latvia as well, referring to Russia.

He also noted, it was an opportunity for Americans in the private sector to showcase defense technologies to Latvian officials they might not otherwise see,

Whitmer said she absolutely wanted the opportunity to reap economic benefits for the state. A press release after Whitmers visit touted the defense industrys economic impact through Michigan, from around Grayling to the Detroit Arsenal in Warren.

This is where we see private sector and public sector working together to strengthen our homeland, strengthen our economy, and to keep people safe, Whitmer said.

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The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a boater who was reported missing after he launched a vessel from Nicks Park in Port Richey, Fla., on Sunday morning.

Coast Guard officials posted on Facebook that they had found Andre Nolascos boat about 8 miles west of Hudson but there was no one on board. Nolasco, 57, had launched from Nicks Park on Sunday morning but did not return and was reported missing.

Crews are now searching for a person in the water and will continue searching through the night, the Coast Guard posted late Monday.

The agency updated its post Tuesday morning saying: U. S. Coast Guard air and surface crews will continue searching throughout the day.

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Adm. Lisa Franchetti assumed responsibilities of the Navys top officer this week, giving the service a stopgap while her appointment and hundreds of other military promotions languish in a political feud over abortion.

Franchetti became interim chief of naval operations as Adm. Michael Gilday departed the role in a ceremony Monday. She will provisionally remain in the position until someone can be formally appointed, the Navy said in a statement the same day.

The work of our Navy continues undisrupted and unabated, Franchetti said in a message to the fleet Monday. We continue to operate our ships, submarines and aircraft at the point of friction with our competitors and at the point of friendship with our allies and partners.

In July, President Joe Biden nominated Franchetti to be the 33rd chief of naval operations and the first woman to lead the service.

But hundreds of promotions across the military are being stalled by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., who opposes Pentagon policies that grant service members leave for abortion and pay their travel costs associated with the procedure.

As a result, three branches of the military are without a Senate-confirmed leader for the first time in the Defense Departments history, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at Mondays ceremony at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.

This is unprecedented. It is unnecessary. And it is unsafe, Austin said.

He added that the Senates inability to confirm the promotions of Franchetti and other military officers was undermining preparedness and hurting the services ability to keep good leaders.

It also is unfair to service members and their families, Austin said.

The chief of naval operations is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and advises the president, the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council and the secretary of defense. The role also includes command of naval forces and shore activities.

Franchetti is the appointed vice chief of naval operations and is therefore required by federal law to serve in the chiefs role when the position is vacated or the Navys top officer is absent or disabled, the service said.

Gilday became the 32nd chief of naval operations in August 2019, the Navy said. He is retiring after a 38-year military career.

During that time, he commanded two destroyers and a destroyer squadron and had stints as director of operations for NATOs Joint Force Command Lisbon and chief of staff for Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO, according to his DOD biography.

Austin and Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro praised Gilday during the ceremony for his leadership and focus on readiness.

They also credited Gilday with improving the maintenance of ships, submarines and aircraft, modernizing the fleet and strengthening its capabilities.
(Tribune News Service)  Supporters of a plan to build a museum to honor the Navajo Code Talkers are still about $40 million from making the project a reality.

Though the state put $6.4 million in capital outlay funds toward the project this year, the museum's organizers face a significant financial climb before doors could open, the CEO of the Navajo Code Talkers Museum said last week.

"Our capacity is severely limited," Regan Hawthorne told members of the interim Indian Affairs Committee. "We're still fledgling, we're still gaining momentum in finding our identity."

The Code Talkers were U.S. Marines who conveyed military orders, maneuvers and plans in their own language, bewildering the Japanese during World War II and helping American forces gain ground and victories in the Pacific.

Hawthorne is the son of the late Roy Hawthorne, a Navajo Marine veteran who served as a Code Talker on various South Pacific islands from 1942 to 1945.

The project, budgeted at more than $46 million, has been in the works since 2019, when the late John Pinto, a code talker and Democratic state senator from Gallup, first managed to acquire more than $1.2 million from funding controlled by fellow lawmakers and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

Pinto, who served as a Code Talker, had unsuccessfully worked for years to get the funding for the museum. In 2009, Chevron Mining Co. donated more than 200 acres in McKinley County for the project. The site, close to the Arizona border, is in the area most of the Code Talkers called home.

But the museum initiative has not gained much momentum since then for a number of reasons, Hawthorne told lawmakers.

Among other challenges, the museum's leaders have to finalize a deal with the Navajo Nation regarding the land for the museum. Hawthorne said to avoid a problem with the state's anti-donation clause, museum leaders are working on a deal to gift or sell the land to the Navajo Nation. He said he hopes that plan is finalized within a few months.

Meanwhile, finding funding has been challenging, in part because of the confusion over the land and the fact the museum's organizers do not have an administrative office where they can meet people and solicit financial support, Hawthorne told the committee members.

"We're not yet capable of operating a museum," he said during the hearing.

Several lawmakers, including Rep. Eliseo Alcon, D- Milan, and Rep. Anthony Allison, D-Fruitland,suggested Hawthorne seek federal funding since the Code Talkers served for the U.S. military.

"This project should not be handled locally. The Navajo language is what saved America during World War II," Allison said, adding it should be the federal government "we hold responsible for the building of this museum."

He noted there are only three Navajo Code Talkers still living.

Hawthorne and Sen. Shannon Pinto, D- Gallup  granddaughter of John Pinto  said the problem with that plan is it would cede oversight of the museum to the federal government, and not the state or the Navajo Nation.

"If the feds did it, it would not be the Navajo Code Talker Museum, it would be about all national code talkers," she said in an interview after the hearing.

Hawthorne told committee members he thinks the Navajo Nation would put some money into the project, though he could not say how much. He said in the interview he hopes leaders there would at least match the roughly $7.5 million New Mexico has invested in the project.

He said the money raised will serve as a "leveraging point" for the board to go to corporations and foundations for additional support.

To date, the museum board has raised about $50,000 in donations, he said.

The work of the Navajo Code Talkers has been heralded because the Japanese military proved adept at breaking American codes on troop movements in the South Pacific before the Navajos' arrival.

The Navajos' Dine language was unwritten, and few non-Navajos knew it. Strategists created a code of more than 200 Dine words conveyed by Navajos serving in the Marines. Not only did the code baffle the Japanese, but also the Allied forces and even Navajos who did not know the code.

"The enemy never understood what we were saying," John Pinto said years ago during one legislative hearing on the initiative.

(c)2023 The Santa Fe New Mexican (Santa Fe, N.M.)

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ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, August 15. Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan wish to launch the Dashoguz-Shavat joint trade zone as soon as possible, Trend reports.

According to an official source, this topic was discussed by President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov and President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev during their visit to Ashgabat.

During the meeting, the heads of state noted the growth of mutual trade and the expansion of cooperation in various sectors of the economy.

Furthermore, the parties also stressed the importance of further promoting joint cooperation projects and the development of interregional exchanges.

Meanwhile, the construction of the Turkmen-Uzbek border trade zone began in October 2022, during the visit of Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Turkmenistan. It is planned to create a modern infrastructure at the facility, including trade pavilions, warehouses, container sites, and workspaces for entrepreneurs.
Seoul, South Korea, May 1965: More than 10,000 Koreans heard the Fleet Marine Force Pacific Drum and Bugle Team during performances at Republic of Korea Armed Forces installations and schools and universities. The Marine group, stationed at Camp Smith, Hawaii, traveled a half-million miles throughout the free world, and was on a three-day goodwill visit to the ROK as part of the people-to-people program. The 25-man group conducted by Staff Sgt. Richard A. Edinger left for the Philippines before returning to Hawaii.

Pictured here is a scan of the original 1960 print created by Stars and Stripes Pacifics photo department to run in the print newspaper. The red marks indicate the crop lines. Only the middle part of the image would appear in the newspaper. As all pre-1964 Stars and Stripes Pacific negatives and slides were unwittingly destroyed by poor temporary storage in 1963, the prints developed from the late 1940s through 1963 are the only images left of Stripes news photography from those decades. Stars and Stripes archives team is scanning these prints to ensure their preservation.

Looking for Stars and Stripes historic coverage? Subscribe to Stars and Stripes historic newspaper archive! We have digitized our 1948-1999 European and Pacific editions, as well as several of our WWII editions and made them available online through https://starsandstripes.newspaperarchive.com/
NAIROBI, Kenya  A Kenyan parliamentary committee has launched an inquiry into alleged human rights violations and ethical breaches by a British Army training unit active for decades in what the UK calls "our defense partner of choice in East Africa."

Britain's Ministry of Defense didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

The British have roughly 200 military personnel permanently based in Kenya, most of them training more than 1,000 Kenyan soldiers a year before their deployment to neighboring Somalia to combat al-Qaida's longtime East Africa affiliate, al-Shabab. The British government invests more than $9.6 million every year into the partnership.

But some Kenyans have raised concerns about the way British forces treat locals as well as the environment during the military training in arid, bandit-plagued areas north of Mt. Kenya. In late 2021, Kenyan police said they were reopening the case of a local woman, Agnes Wanjiru, allegedly killed by a British soldier in 2012 and found in a septic tank.

And in 2021, a local advocacy group and residents went to court alleging that a devastating fire at a wildlife conservancy had been started by a British Army training exercise. More than 15 square miles were destroyed.

Kenyan lawmakers in April ratified a new five-year defense cooperation agreement with Britain and voted to recommend that British soldiers be tried locally for murder. The British government has said it has been cooperating on the Wanjiru case.

The parliamentary committee chair, Nelson Koech, earlier this year said the inquiry "would provide an opportunity for aggrieved Kenyans to finally get justice, and that this would be a critical pillar to the committee's resolve to ensure Kenya can hold to account visiting troops that flout the law on Kenyan soil," according to a Parliament statement.

The parliamentary committee on defense, intelligence and foreign relations has asked the public to submit materials for its inquiry by Oct. 6.

AP writer Danica Kirka in London contributed.
NIAMEY, Niger  Human rights activists in Niger say they have been unable to gain access to top political officials who were detained after mutinous soldiers ousted the African country's democratically elected president nearly three weeks ago.

The military officers who carried out a coup against President Mohamed Bazoum also arrested several former government ministers and other political leaders, according to Ali Idrissa, executive secretary of the Network of Organizations for Transparency and Analysis of Budgets, a local human rights group. Requests to see them and check on their well-being have gone unanswered, he said.

The junta that seized power has held Bazoum, his wife and son under house arrest in their compound in the capital since July 26. It says it plans to prosecute Bazoum for "high treason" and undermining state security, crimes that are eligible for the death penalty in Niger.

Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane, a spokesperson for the junta, said in a Sunday evening TV broadcast that the detained officials were being treated humanely and had not raised any health concerns. Representatives of the coup leaders did not immediately respond to questions about whether rights organizations would be allowed to visit or communicate with Bazoum and the others.

Niger, an impoverished country of some 25 million people, was seen by many Western nations as the last democratic partner in the Sahel region south of the Sahara desert that countries could work with to beat back a growing jihadi insurgency linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.

The United States and France have approximately 2,500 military personnel in Niger to train the country's forces and in the case of France, to conduct joint operations. The junta cited the alleged failure of Bazoum's administration to stem extremist violence with Western support.

Coups are rampant in Sahel, and neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali each had two apiece since 2020, but they didn't incur the same international condemnation and pressure as the one in Niger.

"For ECOWAS and Western countries, this coup was seen as one too many," Hannah Rae Armstrong, an independent consultant on the Sahel, said. "So far, however, the hard-line response seems to be having the opposite effect, and further entrenching the military regime,"

In recent days the junta has sent mixed signals about its willingness to negotiate a peaceful resolution to the crisis over Niger's leadership.

The West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS has threatened to use military force if Bazoum is not reinstated to office and has activated a standby force to restore order in Niger. The junta, which refused to allow an ECOWAS mediation team into the country, said late Sunday that it was open to speaking with the bloc.

But in another statement on state television, spokesperson Abdramane said the new government installed by the junta was recalling the Nigerien ambassador from neighboring Ivory Coast, one of the bloc's 15 members.

The move was a response to Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara's "eagerness" for a military intervention "with the aim of preserving interests that no longer correspond to those of present-day Niger," Abdramane said.

West Africa's defense chiefs plan to meet on Thursday and Friday to discuss the coup, an ECOWAS spokesperson told The Associated Press. It will be the first such meeting since the bloc ordered the deployment of the standby force.

A standby force would likely have several thousand soldiers from countries that include Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Benin and Senegal. It's unclear, though, when or if the troops will get sent to Niger.

"The amount of time needed to organize all the elements of the ECOWAS standby force will be shaped by the resources available for the individual countries and the regional body," said Murtala Abdullahi, a Humangle reporter and defense and security analyst focused on Nigeria and the Lake Chad region.

The African Union's Peace and Security Council met Monday to discuss the situation in Niger but did not announce any decisions. The council could overrule the West African bloc if it thought a military intervention threatened continental peace and security.

The junta leader in neighboring Mali, Col. Assimi Goita, said Tuesday on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, that he had a telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin in which they discussed Niger's situation and stressed the importance of finding a peaceful solution.

In Niger's capital, Niamey, pro-junta demonstrations take place almost every day. People wave Nigerien and Russian flags. Children sell Russian flags to drivers stuck in traffic, and many cars have the emblems stuck to their windshields.

Russian mercenaries from the private Wagner group already operate in a handful of African countries, including Mali, where human rights groups have accused its forces of deadly abuses. Niger's junta asked Wagner for help earlier this month during a trip by some of its leaders to Mali.

The new U.S. ambassador to Niger, Kathleen FitzGibbon, is expected to arrive in Niamey at the end of the week, according to a U.S. official. The United States hasn't had an ambassador in the country for nearly two years, which some Sahel experts say has given Washington less access to key players and information.

"Having one, especially one with the deep knowledge and experience of Ambassador Kathleen FitzGibbon, is a definite advantage to providing leadership within the mission and to serve as an on-the-ground focus for coordinating a whole-of-government approach to the situation," Peter Pham, a former U.S. special envoy for the Sahel region and now a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council.

Chinedu Asadu in Abuja, Nigeria, and Matthew Lee in Washington D.C., contributed.
GENEVA  Twenty United Nations agencies and other international organizations called Tuesday for peace, access to humanitarian support and respect for human rights in Sudan, where a war that has led to deaths, sexual violence and food shortages reached the four-month mark.

Sudan was plunged into chaos in April when months of simmering tensions between the military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, exploded into open fighting in Khartoum and elsewhere.

Since then, the U.N and rights groups have accused both the military and the RSF of numerous human rights violations. The warring parties have rejected the accusations.

World Health Organization spokesperson Margaret Harris appealed to the global community to do more to ease the suffering of Darfur's people, saying at a U.N. briefing in Geneva: "The world is ignoring the dire needs."

In western Sudan's Darfur region, the scene of a genocidal war in the early 2000s, the latest fighting has also morphed into ethnic violence, with the RSF and allied Arab militias targeting African communities, U.N. officials say.

Sudan's capital, Khartoum, has been reduced to an urban battlefield. Across the city, RSF forces have commandeered homes and turned them into operational bases, residents and doctors' groups say. The army, in turn, has struck residential areas from the air and ground with artillery fire.

U.N. agencies specializing in health, migration, refugees, human rights and food were among the organizations highlighting the crisis in Sudan, saying their two appeals for financial support totaling more than $3 billion were less than 27% funded.

The war is estimated to have killed at least 4,000 people, according to Liz Throssell, a spokesperson for the U.N. human rights office. Activists and doctors on the ground say the death toll is likely far higher.

The war has displaced more than 4.3 million people, including some 3.2 million within the country, said William Spindler, a spokesperson for the UNHCR refugee agency.

The U.N. has documented at least 28 incidents of rape, Throssel said, but that is believed to be fewer than the actual number.

Earlier this month, Amnesty International accused both sides of committing extensive war crimes, including deliberate killings of civilians and mass sexual assault. The group said almost all rape cases were blamed on the RSF and its allied Arab militias.

The U.N. humanitarian aid coordinator said its appeal for $2.57 billion for aid into Sudan has received only $651 million, while UNHCR said its appeal for $566 million has brought in just under $175 million.

"For four gruesome months, the people of Sudan have been engulfed in a war that is destroying their lives and their homeland and violating their basic human rights," leaders of the organizations said in a joint statement.

"People are dying because they cannot access health care services and medicine. And now, because of the war, Sudan's children are wasting away for lack of food and nutrition," it said.

A recent uptick in violence in South Darfur state has made aid deliveries to the remote area difficult, said David MacDonald, aid group Care International's regional director for east and southern Africa.

Dozens were killed in the Kubum area of the state last week during a raid by Arab tribesmen in RSF vehicles, a Sudanese legal group said.

Previous attempts to halt the violence failed. There have been at least nine cease-fire agreements between the warring parties, brokered largely by Washington and Riyadh in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah during May and June, but all foundered.

Jeffery reported from Cairo.
National Guard and active-duty troops are providing security and searching for remains at Lahaina, the historic town in Hawaii nearly destroyed by wildfire a week ago, according to Hawaii Guard Brig. Gen. Stephen Logan.

Gen. Charles Flynn, commander of U.S. Army Pacific, is expected to visit the affected area on Tuesday with Hawaiis adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara, Logan said.

Gen. Flynns visit is to see firsthand the damage and what may be needed that he can leverage as support, Jeff Hickman, spokesman for the Hawaii Department of Defense, said by email Tuesday.

The death toll from the wildfire that gutted the town Aug. 8 reached 99 on Monday, state Gov. Josh Green told reporters at a news conference Monday on Maui. That toll is expected to climb as further remains are recovered, Hawaii authorities said.

The search goes on, Green said.

Flynns command coordinates all federal defense support to civil authorities across the Pacific in the event of a disaster, U.S. Army Pacific spokesman Jonathan Riley said by email Tuesday.

Logan, commander of Joint Task Force 50, at the same press conference said 254 people from the U.S. Army, and Air and Army National Guard are on duty at Lahaina. Logan has dual status authority over active and Guard troops in the zone.

Many of them are involved in the security operations in support of the chief of police, Logan said. Most of that is at a shelter center or the impact zone of Lahaina to help the recovery through this phase.

Another 47 troops are fatality search-and-recovery experts, doing hard, emotional-type work, Logan said.

They are working with Maui first responders and with dog teams from the FBI and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Hickman said.

Federal agencies brought 90 personnel and 20 cadaver dogs to search the burned-over zone, Maui Mayor Richard Bissen told reporters.

Hickman said 42 guard members are patrolling outside the impact zone with the Maui Police Department. Another 62 guard members are working with Maui police on traffic control.

One hundred guard members will help run the Hawaii National Guard joint task force on Maui, Hickman said. Twenty-five troops are already assigned to command-and-control duties, he said.

The additional force will augment the command-and-control element and assist Maui County as they plan and begin recovery efforts, Hickman said.

Logan said he expects two more groups of security personnel over the coming two days.

The Hawaii National Guard provided two CH-47 Chinooks for two days to assist Maui with fire suppression and also transported about 40 Honolulu Fire Department personnel to the fire scene, Hickman said.

The troops flown in for security will help enforce entry restrictions in the devastated town, where 2,200 structures, mostly residential, were lost, Green said.

The scale of destruction is incredible, he said.

Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said the need for sensitivity during the search means open access to the area will come slowly.

Its not just ash on your clothing when you take it off, its our loved ones, Pelletier told reporters. Thats the reverence. Thats why we cant have you walking down there.
UNITED NATIONS  North Korea on Tuesday denounced U.S.-led plans for an open Security Council meeting on its human rights record as "despicable" and only aimed at achieving Washington's geopolitical ambitions.

Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son Gyong called the United States a "declining" power and said if the council dealt with any country's human rights, the U.S. should be the first "as it is the anti-people empire of evils, totally depraved due to all sorts of social evils."

The United States, which holds the Security Council presidency this month, scheduled the meeting on human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name, for Thursday.

It will be the first open council meeting on the DPRK rights issue since 2017. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters last week that U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk and Elizabeth Salmon, the U.N.'s independent investigator on human rights in the reclusive northeast Asia country, would brief council members.

The Security Council "must address the horrors, the abuses and crimes being perpetrated" by North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's regime against its own people as well as the people of Japan and South Korea, Thomas-Greenfield, flanked by the ambassadors from Albania, Japan and South Korea, said when making the announcement.

Nate Evans, the spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, responded to Kim Son Gyong's remarks by reiterating that North Korea's ongoing human rights violations and abuses "go against the very principles of the U.N Charter and are directly linked to Pyongyang's unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs."

"North Koreans are suffering while the DPRK regime diverts a large share of its budget and resources to weapons development," Evans said in a statement to The Associated Press.

Russia and China, which have close ties to North Korea, have blocked any Security Council action since vetoing a U.S.-sponsored resolution in May 2022 that would have imposed new sanctions over the North's spate of intercontinental ballistic missile launches. The council therefore is not expected to take any action at Thursday's meeting.

China and Russia could protest holding an open meeting, which requires support from at least nine of the 15 council members, but U.S. officials have said the meeting will take place.

Kim, the DPRK's vice minister for international organizations, warned countries "blindly following the U.S." to "behave themselves properly." And he called on all council members "to take a correct stand and attitude," and said they should understand that the real U.S. intention "has nothing to do with the universal conception of human rights protection and it is only for realizing its narrow-minded and hegemonic geopolitical purpose."

Kim also warned that North Korea would "resolutely counter any hostile act of the U.S. threatening peace and security on the Korean peninsula and the rest of the world and absolutely defend the sovereignty of the state, the supreme human rights, and the interests of the popular masses."
TOKYO  The U.S. and Japan already have a high-flying interceptor they can improve to shoot down advanced weapons like hypersonic missiles, according to a missile-defense advocate.

The Pacific allies are working on an agreement to jointly develop a new kind of missile interceptor to defend against hypersonic weapons, Japans national broadcaster NHK reported Sunday.

U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio may agree on a missile defense plan during Kishidas visit to the U.S. that begins on Thursday, The Associated Press reported Tuesday.

Cooperation on hypersonic missile defense is a natural progression for the two allies, Riki Ellison, chairman of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, based in Virginia, said by email Monday. The alliance lobbies for missile defense, deployment and development.

Japan already builds the SM3 Block IIA (missile) with the United States in partnership and the defense against hypersonic glide will be launched off the SM3 Block IIA stages, he said.

The U.S. and Japan jointly developed SM-3 Block IIA guided missiles between 2006 and 2017, a spokesperson for Japans Ministry of Defense said in an e-mail to Stars and Stripes on Monday.

The SM-3 is the next generation of the Aegis Weapon System and intercepts ballistic missiles midway in their flight path, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. SM-3s are unique due to being the only Standard Missile designed to operate in the vacuum of space, according to the center in Washington, D.C.

In the U.S.-Japan 2-plus-2 meeting held in January of this year, we agreed to start discussions on the possibility of joint development of interceptors in the future in order to counter hypersonic technology and we are currently discussing the specifics, the ministry spokesperson said.

China and Russia have already fielded hypersonic missiles. Russian forces have used them in battle during its war in Ukraine, the Pentagon has said.

Some Japanese government officials are required to speak to the press only on condition of anonymity.

In any case, we will continue to consider the issue so that we can come to a conclusion as soon as possible, the official wrote.

Japans defense budget this fiscal year totaling 6.82 trillion yen, or $51.4 billion, the nations largest ever, includes 211.3 billion yen, or $1.59 billion, to acquire U.S. Tomahawk missiles and 127.7 billion yen, about $963 million, to develop and manufacture improved surface-to-ship guided missiles.

Combining technological and financial resources is a good thing, said Grant Newsham, a retired Marine colonel and senior researcher with the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies in Tokyo.

There is the problem that one or both sides may be reluctant to fully share what its got technology-wise, or it just might be slowed by bureaucratic or legal requirements - or even political obstacles, he said by email Monday.

Cooperation on hypersonic missile defense would change the relationship between the U.S. and Japan, he said.

You tend to view the other guy as a full ally whose doing his part, he said. Thatll be helpful in further building some more equality into the US-Japan defense relationship - that for too long had the Japanese pathologically dependent on the Americans.

The project requires deeper linkages to US-Japan missile defense systems and command and control networks, he added.

Both sides ought to join together for self-preservation if nothing else, he said.
SEOUL, South Korea  South Korea's president called for deeper security cooperation with the U.S. and Japan to address North Korea's nuclear threat, saying Tuesday that his upcoming summit with the U.S. and Japanese leaders at Camp David will "set a new milestone in trilateral cooperation."

It will be the first time for the leaders of the three countries to gather specifically for a trilateral summit, rather than on the sidelines of international meetings. This suggests they are serious about boosting their ties in the midst of complex regional challenges such as North Korea's advancing nuclear arsenal and Washington's strategic rivalry with Beijing.

In their summit Friday at the U.S. presidential retreat in Maryland, President Joe Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are expected to announce plans for expanded military cooperation on ballistic missile defense and technology development, according to two senior Biden administration officials.

The summit "will set a new milestone in trilateral cooperation contributing to peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific region," Yoon said in a televised speech in Seoul on Tuesday.

The speech marked the 78th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's 35-year colonial rule in 1945. Past South Korean presidents commonly used Liberation Day speeches to ask Japan to make fresh apologies for its colonial actions. But Yoon, a conservative who has pushed to resolve historical grievances as a way to boost Seoul-Washington-Tokyo cooperation, instead explained why improved ties with Japan were needed.

Yoon said the seven rear bases provided to the U.S.-led U.N. Command by Japan serve as "the greatest deterrent" that keeps North Korea from invading South Korea. He said a North Korean invasion would trigger an immediate, automatic intervention by the U.N. Command and that the bases in Japan have the necessary land, sea and air capabilities.

"As partners that cooperate on security and the economy, South Korea and Japan will be able to jointly contribute to peace and prosperity across the globe while collaborating and exchanging in a future-oriented manner," Yoon said.

He said the importance of Seoul-Washington-Tokyo security cooperation is growing on the Korean Peninsula and in the region.

"In order to fundamentally block North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, the Republic of Korea, the United States and Japan must closely cooperate on reconnaissance assets and share North Korean nuclear weapon and missile data in real time," Yoon said.

When they met at the margins of a regional conference in Cambodia in November, Yoon, Biden and Kishida said they intended to share North Korea missile warning data to improve each country's ability to detect and assess the threat posed by incoming missiles. In June, their defense chiefs said they recognized efforts to activate such a data-sharing mechanism before the end of the year.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters after a virtual meeting with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts ahead of the summit that the gathering is intended to mark a new era in cooperation among the three countries.

"You'll see some very concrete measures that we're taking to enhance our capacity to provide for our security in three countries, and also more broadly, security in the Indo-Pacific region," he said.

The Camp David summit is expected to anger North Korea, which has argued that U.S. moves to bolster military cooperation with South Korea and Japan are pushing it to reinforce its own military capability. North Korea views U.S.-led military drills on and near the Korean Peninsula as an invasion rehearsal.

China, which is intensely sensitive to what it perceives as other countries ganging up on it, denounced the summit.

"China opposes relevant countries forming various cliques and their practices of exacerbating confrontation and jeopardizing other countries' strategic security," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a briefing Tuesday. "We hope the countries concerned will go with the trend of the times and do something conducive to regional peace, stability and prosperity."

South Korea has maintained that its push to strengthen its alliance with the U.S. and participate in U.S.-led regional initiatives won't target China, its biggest trading partner.

Worries about North Korea's nuclear program have grown since the North openly threatened to use nuclear weapons in conflicts with its rivals and conducted about 100 missile tests since the start of last year. Many of the missiles were nuclear-capable weapons that place both South Korea and Japan within striking distance and could potentially reach the U.S. mainland. South Korea and Japan together host about 80,000 U.S. troops.

In response to North Korea's missile tests, the United States and South Korea have expanded their military drills and resumed some trilateral training involving Japan.

South Korea, the U.S. and Japan have held a trilateral leaders' meeting a total of 12 times since 1994, but all were on the sidelines of international conferences, according to South Korea's presidential office.

This week's trilateral summit comes as ties between Seoul and Tokyo have eased significantly in recent months. In March, Yoon took a major step toward resolving bilateral wrangling over colonial-era Korean forced laborers, despite vehement opposition at home by some victims and his liberal rivals. Yoon has argued that Seoul and Tokyo share challenges such as the intensifying U.S.-China competition and global supply chain problems as well as North Korea's nuclear program.

Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.
MOSCOW  U.S. Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy on Monday made her third visit to Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been jailed in Russia since March on charges of espionage.

Tracy last visited Gershkovich in early July.

"Ambassador Tracy said that Evan appears in good health and remains strong, despite his very challenging circumstances. Embassy officials will continue to provide all appropriate support to Evan and his family. And we expect Russian authorities to provide continued consular access," said State Department spokesman Vedant Patel.

"Once again, we call on the Russian Federation to immediately release Evan Gershkovich, as well as fellow, wrongfully detained, US citizen, Paul Whelan," he said. Whelan was arrested in 2018 and in 2020 was sentenced to 16 years in prison for espionage.

A 31-year-old U.S. citizen, Gershkovich was arrested in the city of Yekaterinburg while on a reporting trip to Russia.

He and his employer denied the allegations, and the U.S. government declared him to be wrongfully detained. His arrest rattled journalists in Russia, where authorities have not provided any evidence to support the espionage charges.

Gershkovich is being held at Moscow's Lefortovo prison, notorious for its harsh conditions.

He is the first American reporter to face espionage charges in Russia since September 1986, when Nicholas Daniloff, a Moscow correspondent for U.S. News and World Report, was arrested by the KGB. Daniloff was released 20 days later in a swap for an employee of the Soviet Union's U.N. mission who was arrested by the FBI, also on spying charges.
KYIV, Ukraine  Victor Tsvyk harvested 4,800 tons of wheat this month, but after Russia exited a wartime deal that allowed Ukraine to ship grain to the world, he has no idea where his produce will go. Or how his beloved farm will survive.

Tsvyk, who normally exported up to 90% of his harvest from the southern port of Odesa, faces a crisis: His yield is 20% higher compared with last year, which would have been a boon in times of peace, but in war, exorbitant logistics costs and Russia's blockage of the ports has made shipping grain too expensive for him.

Tsvyk is one of thousands of Ukrainian farmers facing a similar dilemma.

"It's too painful to talk about," the 67-year-old said when asked how he envisions the future.

Last month, Russia pulled out of the deal that the U.N. and Turkey brokered to provide protection for ships carrying Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea. Moscow has since stepped up attacks on Ukrainian ports and grain infrastructure while Ukraine has hit one of Russia's own ports, leading wheat and corn prices to zigzag on global markets.

While countries worldwide press for a restoration of the grain deal and fighting intensifies in the Black Sea, Ukraine's farmers are left wondering how they will stay in business and provide the food that is critical to people in developing nations struggling with hunger.

Tsvyk doesn't know what he will do with his harvest or how he will keep paying his 77 workers.

"What could I feel in this situation? It is a great sorrow for everyone," he said.

His vast farm in Shurivka, 75 miles from Kyiv, produces not only wheat but also fine goat's cheeses and juices. Goats munch on hay, and workers toil around the clock, turning milk into cheese, kefir and yogurt drinks that are bottled and sent off to be sold across Ukraine.

While four of Tsvyk's employees have left to join the fight, the ones that remain have harvested and stored his wheat and are now seeding his many acres of land, preparing for the next season.

The tinge of uncertainty hangs heavy. Grain is the farm's main source of income, and the now-blocked Odesa port was the key gateway to trade with the world.

Tsvyk's products went as far as India and poverty-stricken countries in North Africa, he says. Now, with the only other options being more costly road, rail and river routes through Europe that have stirred pushback from neighboring countries, his grain will likely sit in storage depots, costing him tens of thousands of dollars in losses.

Last year, Tsvyk was left with 1,500 tons of grain he was unable to sell. This year, he is scared he may not be able to sell any.

It means many farmers are simply not planting as much: corn and wheat production in agriculture-dependent Ukraine is down nearly 40% this year from prewar levels, analysts say.

The soaring cost to transport wheat eroded Tsvyk's income last year. Every step in the supply chain has increased in price because of the risks associated with the war, leading some farmers to turn to other products, such as sunflower oil, to squeeze out some profit.

Oleksandr Sivogorlo, Tsvyk's trusted agronomist, said that profit or no profit, the land can't be neglected.

"There are some limited routes (for export) through the Danube (River), but it's very limited," Sivogorlo said. Plus, Russia has targeted Ukrainian ports on the Danube, raising uncertainty about their use.

The farm is conducting barter schemes with suppliers, where some of their crop is exchanged for better fertilizer to produce higher-quality wheat next year, he said.

Tsvyk also will produce different products he knows he can sell without incurring exorbitant costs, such as sunflower and rapeseed oil, and lessen his reliance on grain exports.

"We cover our losses with these products," Sivogorlo said. "And what will be with our wheat crops  hard to say at this point, it all depends on export."

These are strategies Tsvyk has resorted to in times of desperation to keep the farm afloat. But he doesn't expect to make a profit  breaking even is the best he can hope for.

Even that's better than other farmers he knows who are losing money this year.
As a media partner of the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show, GMT XXL World 2023 contributes to the visitor experience of this not-to-be-missed event

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As an international event, FLIBS attracts attendees and exhibitors from all corners of the globe. Its role as a marketplace for buyers and sellers elevates the global marine industry, fostering sales and collaborations. From boat builders to marine equipment manufacturers, the show generates a flurry of economic activity, stimulating industries catering to recreational boating.

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Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show  Flibs.com

FLIBS 2023 invites attendees to immerse themselves in a sensory voyage, where cutting-edge design, state-of-the-art technology, and sustainable initiatives converge to redefine the future of boating, said Andrew Doole, President of U.S. Boat Shows with Informa Markets, who produces the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. With a legacy spanning over six decades, FLIBS continues to set new standards for excellence, becoming an unrivaled platform for marine enthusiasts, industry professionals, and luxury aficionados.

Among key highlights for the 2023 show, attendees can expect:

Expanded Show Footprint: FLIBS returns to its iconic seven show locations! From the Broward County Convention Center, Bahia Mar Yachting Center and Las Olas Marina to the Hall of Fame Marina, SuperYacht Village at Pier 66 South and the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina, each site will host thousands of displays of boats and marine products. To fully immerse themselves in the splendor of FLIBS, visitors are encouraged to purchase a 2-day pass, allowing them to explore all seven show locations and enjoy the extravaganza.

Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show  Flibs.com

Broward County Convention Center Returns as Transportation Hub: Visitors will not want to miss out on the incredible products and activations on display at the Broward County Convention Center. In addition to the unique transportation perks that make the guest experience seamless and enjoyable for all, the convention center will serve as the FLIBS Transportation Hub, providing over 3,000 parking spots and linking guests to the shows shuttle and water taxi services that conveniently connect visitors to the seven show sites.

Cutting-Edge Technology: Advancements in marine technology are reshaping the boating landscape. FLIBS 2023 will showcase the latest in navigation systems, propulsion technology, and digital innovations, revealing the future of boating.

Superyacht Village Expansion: The show's Superyacht Village, where luxury yachts command the spotlight will offer visitors the chance to marvel at an even more extensive collection of mega yachts and enjoy an enhanced VIP experience.

Interactive Workshops: The Broward County Convention Center will offer interactive workshops and seminars conducted by industry experts. Attendees can gain insights into enriching their boating experiences under the tutelage of boating, conservation and fishing experts.

Don't miss the opportunity to be part of this historic event, to secure your tickets visit, www.flibs.com and prepare to set sail into a world of wonders and innovation!
WARSAW, Poland  Poland is deploying thousands of troops to its border with Belarus, calling it a deterrent move as tensions between the two neighbors ratchet up.

Those tensions between Poland  a NATO and European Union country  and Belarus, which is Russia's ally in its war on Ukraine, have been building up in recent months on the border. Here is why:

ORIGINS OF THE TENSIONS

Poland has been backing the Belarusian opposition ever since the 2020 presidential elections, where pro-Russian Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko won a sixth term in a vote that Poland and the wider Western community saw as rigged.

In 2021, Belarus began organizing and pushing thousands of migrants from the Middle East and Africa across the border into Poland. The move is seen by Poland and the EU as planned with the Kremlin and intended to cause instability in Europe. Poland's right-wing government, hostile to the idea of accepting migrants, built a $400,000 wall that substantially reduced the inflow.

After Russia's Feb. 24, 2022, invasion of Ukraine, Poland condemned the attack and has been supporting Kyiv with military equipment, political backing, and humanitarian aid, including hosting more than 1.2 million refugees. Belarus is on Russia's side in the conflict, and Poland is participating in international economic sanctions on both countries.

RECENT ACTIONS BY BELARUS AND RUSSIA

Belarusian state officials and pro-government activists have formed a group called the Patriotic Force Command, which Minsk uses as a political tool. In a recent address to the Polish nation the group alleged that Polish politicians are "igniting the fire of war with their actions and rhetoric" and are being "driven by the frenzy of chauvinism."

Meanwhile, officials in Moscow have repeatedly voiced groundless allegations that Poland intends on annexing western regions of Ukraine. Moscow also says it has moved some of its short-range nuclear weapons into Belarus, close to the NATO eastern frontier.

Poland is also concerned over the presence in Belarus of thousands of Russian Wagner mercenaries who were recently said to have taken part in training near the border. Two Russian men were arrested last week in Poland accused of having spread the Wagner group's ideology. More than half of Poles questioned recently by the IBRIS survey center said they considered the Russian mercenaries in Belarus as a threat.

Two Belarusian military helicopters flew at low altitude over the Polish village of Bialowieza, near the border, for a few minutes last week before returning to Belarus, an action that Poland said was a provocation.

WHY IS THE REGION SO STRATEGICALLY IMPORTANT?

Beside being NATO's and the EU's frontier, Poland's eastern border includes a strategic spot, the so-called Suwalki Gap  60 miles of border with Lithuania that links the three Baltic states, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, to the rest of the NATO alliance and the EU. The narrow gap also separates Belarus from Kaliningrad, a heavily militarized Russian exclave that has no land connection to Russia.

Military analysts in the West have long viewed the Suwalki Gap as a potential flashpoint in any confrontation between Russia and NATO. They worry that Russia might try to seize the gap and cut off the three Baltic states.

The area is heavily protected by Polish and U.S. troops on the Polish side and Canadian and German troops on the Lithuanian side.

POLAND IS BEEFING UP THE BORDER

Poland's government says it will not be intimidated and is building up its defense and deterrence potential and moving troops and modern equipment east, to beef up the border with Belarus and with Kaliningrad.

"There is no doubt that the Belarus regime is cooperating with the Kremlin and that this action is aimed against Poland in order to destabilize our country," Poland's defense minister, Mariusz Blaszczak, said last week.

Poland increased its spending on defense to more than 2.5% of GDP last year and the amount is to rise again this year. It spent more than $16 billion on weapons, including Abrams tanks, Patriot missile systems, jet fighters, tanks and howitzers. Some of them will replace Soviet and Russian-made equipment offered to Ukraine.

POLAND'S ELECTION ADDS TO THE MILITARY DEFENSE DRIVE

Poland is to hold crucial parliamentary elections Oct. 15. The populist Law and Justice party, which has been in power since 2015, is intent on winning an unprecedented third term.

The party is tapping into the public's security concerns and stressing its efforts to beef up defense, seeking to rally voters around its policies and discredit the opposition and its main leader, former prime minister Donald Tusk.

Karmanau reported from Berlin.
LONDON  Three Bulgarian nationals suspected of spying for Russia while living in Britain have been arrested and charged following a major national security investigation, the Metropolitan Police said Tuesday.

The police said in a statement that five people, three men and two women, were arrested under the Official Secrets Act by counterterrorism detectives in February. Police confirmed the investigation relates to Russia.

Police also charged three of them under the Identity Documents Act with possessing "false identity documents with improper intention."

Authorities did not specify what the alleged fake documents were, but the BBC, which first reported the story, said that the people were working for Russian security services and they had passports, identity cards and other documents for Britain, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece and the Czech Republic.

The police identified the three people as Orlin Roussev, 45, Bizer Dzhambazov, 41, and Katrin Ivanova, 31. Dzhambazov and Ivanova share the same address.

Roussev's LinkedIn profile says that he once worked as a strategic adviser to the Bulgarian Ministry of Energy and that his most recent work was as owner of NewGenTech, a company involved in artificial intelligence and signals intelligence.

Ivanova worked as a medical laboratory assistant, according to her LinkedIn profile, and Dzhambazov's profession was described by the BBC as a driver for hospitals.

The BBC said that the trio, who have not entered pleas to the charges, are set to stand trial at London's Old Bailey court in January.

Britain is no stranger to high-profile incidents involving Russian intelligence operations. In 2018, former Russian double-agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned by a military-grade nerve agent in Salisbury. The British government said it was "highly likely" that Moscow was behind the attack.

In 2006, Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian-intelligence officer, died in London after drinking tea laced with poison. British authorities pointed the finger at two former KGB officers.
The desperate evacuations from Afghanistan two years ago amid the collapse of the U.S.-backed government sent tens of thousands of refugees on journeys across the world, many of whom turned to the country whose forces they had helped.

For them and the U.S. veterans and advocates seeking to resettle them, the past two years have been filled with fear and uncertainty as well as with rare but cherished victories.

Niyam Alami still remembers the chaos in Afghanistan in August 2021, when he and his family rushed to the Kabul airport in search of a flight out as the Taliban overran the country with an alarming speed that caught Washington unaware.

At the airport, they could not find their way through a crowd of thousands, so they retreated. In October of that year, Alami was separated from his family, he said.

He took a flight out of the country and into Iraq, thinking his stay there would be a temporary stop and that he could finish his education. His family found another flight, which brought them to Kansas.

But an indefinite wait for a decision on his U.S. visa has prevented him from being reunited. He said he speaks regularly with other Afghans scattered across the world: a friend in Qatar, another in Kyrgyzstan, a few dozen who are with him in Iraq.

These conversations often start with wistful nostalgia for their homeland before delving into their present circumstances.

The issue on our minds these days, the thing that takes over discussions and conversation is whats going to happen to us, Alami said.

One of his friends told him recently, The uncertainty is killing me, he said.

Like many other Afghans, he fears retribution for working with the U.S. military and civil society organizations during the failed 20-year-long American project to fight terrorist groups and develop democracy in Afghanistan.

He was a student at the American University of Afghanistan and worked as a researcher documenting the war between the Taliban and the countrys U.S.-backed military.

The Taliban have imposed harsh restrictions on the rights of women and girls and have increased detention of journalists and other critics since returning to power in 2021, a statement last week by Human Rights Watch said.

Their security forces also have detained, tortured or executed former members of the U.S.-backed security forces, as well as suspected members of armed resistance movements, the New York-based advocacy group said.

Veterans still feel it vividly

These acts of violence often show up in the email and social media accounts of U.S. military veterans.

You wake up day after day and you start out in the morning by looking at your inbox, and its filled with messages like, Please help me, Im going to die, said Alex Plitsas, a veteran who volunteered with an effort called Digital Dunkirk.

Plitsas is one of the thousands of veterans who participated in the ad hoc volunteer campaign to resettle Afghan allies after the Taliban took over.

He said he felt a sense of moral obligation not to abandon people who worked with him and the U.S. military.

But like other veterans and civilian resettlement advocates, he expressed deep frustration about what they say is the slow pace of finding visas for Afghans who need them.

Im exhausted, Plitsas said. I think everybody else is, too. You know, we were hoping to not still be doing it at this point, but unfortunately, we are.

Burnout among veterans and resettlement advocates has been common, he said.

The reasons range from lack of time to volunteer to lack of money to donate to loss of hope in trying to navigate a byzantine immigration process on behalf of people halfway across the globe, Plitsas and other veterans said.

It feels like a brick wall that you cant get through, said Pete Lucier, who worked with a group known as the #AfghanEvac coalition.

Lucier said one of the groups he worked with once had 200 volunteers but since has shrunk to a core of 15 to 20 people.

What keeps them going after two years is the rare triumph, Lucier said.

The small victories include helping an Afghan translator progress on a visa application or finding out that an Afghan in need is on a plane to the U.S. or meeting a family that has settled into a new home, veterans and advocates said.

Seeing those stories is one of the ways that we are able to prevent burnout, Lucier said. It reminds us that all this work is this incredible privilege.

Refugee perspective

Some of the Afghans who made it to the United States shared a similar sentiment, with seemingly mundane achievements buoying their spirits.

Taqwa Kandahary, once a doctor in the Afghan military, said she recently learned to drive. Her journey two years ago took her from the chaos of the Kabul airport to Qatar, Germany and finally Virginia.

The happiest day of her life was the day she arrived in America, Kandahary said. But in July, she also experienced one of the lowest points stateside, when she was hospitalized.

With her family still in thousands of miles away in Afghanistan, she felt the loneliness.

The drivers education class she took was provided by the resettlement group Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area. In addition to the driving instruction, it helps refugees develop entrepreneurship and learn about American culture.

Kandahary said she never learned to drive in Afghanistan because of cultural restrictions on women there. But she soon felt more confident being able to move around on her own.

After passing the course, she even went a step further, obtaining a commercial drivers license.

I knew that being a truck driver was going to be difficult, but I wanted to put myself in a difficult situation, Kandahary said, adding that she hopes to be a full-time truck driver soon.

In the meantime, she also faces uncertainty and fears as she waits on her asylum case. But she believes that the travails of the past two years will pay off.

Now things step by step are becoming better, Kandahary said.
JERUSALEM  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to reassure the Israeli public and army Tuesday of his full support for the military following recent rhetorical attacks on senior security officials by his far-right political allies and divisive son.

Thousands of military pilots and soldiers have vowed not to turn up for reserve duty in protest of Netanyahu's contentious plan to overhaul the country's judiciary, sparking a backlash from the Israeli leader's coalition allies and other ultranationalists.

"The prime minister and defense minister reject any attack on senior security establishment officials and fully back the commanders and soldiers of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), who are working day and night for the security of Israel," Netanyahu's office said.

Growing opposition within the Israeli military to government plans to weaken the Supreme Court poses perhaps the most serious threat to the legislation, which has already spurred unrelenting street demonstrations and fury from former Israeli officials and top business leaders.

Since its founding, the relatively tiny Israeli army has relied on reservists to maintain its operational readiness in a historically hostile region.

Netanyahu's allies have pushed back against the military's warnings and criticism of the proposed judicial changes. David Amsalem, a minister in Netanyahu's government and a member of his right-wing Likud party, attacked chief of staff Gen. Herzi Halevi and air force chief Tomer Bar on Tuesday over the reservist protests.

Halevi and other army officials have warned that turmoil in the military could affect Israel's preparedness.

In a scathing rant, Amsalem blamed Halevi and Bar for the anti-government protests roiling their ranks and asked they be punished for undermining Israel's security. "In any normal army, you treat rebels like rebels should be treated," Amsalem told Israel's Army Radio.

Amsalem also berated prominent judicial figures and former military officials backing the protest movement, demanding that they "rot in prison until the end of their lives."

Meanwhile Netanyahu's son Yair, long a strident voice on radio and social media, called chief of staff Halevi "the most failing and destructive chief of staff in the history of the IDF and the State of Israel." The post he shared was originally written by a far-right activist on X, formerly known as Twitter, and was later deleted.

In their joint statement, Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said they "give full backing" to the military's chief of staff and other officers "to ensure the security of the state its citizens."

Netanyahu and his allies say the changes limit the authority of unelected judges and give elected officials more powers over decision-making. Critics say the move would endanger Israel's democratic ideals and upend the country's system of checks and balances by concentrating too much power in the hands of politicians.

The deepening social divisions over the plan have plunged Israel into its gravest domestic crisis.
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan  The Taliban view their rule of Afghanistan as open-ended, drawing legitimacy from Islamic law and facing no significant threat, their chief spokesman said in an interview marking the second anniversary of the Taliban takeover of the country. He also indicated a ban on female education will remain in place.

Zabihullah Mujahid brushed aside any questions from The Associated Press about restrictions on girls and women, saying the status quo will remain. The ban on girls attending school beyond sixth grade was the first of what became a flurry of restrictions that now keep Afghan women from classrooms, most jobs and much of public life.

The Taliban seized power on Aug. 15, 2021, as U.S. and NATO forces withdrew from the country after two decades of war. To mark the anniversary, Tuesday was declared a public holiday. Women, largely barred from public life, didn't take part in the festivities.

In the southern city of Kandahar, the spiritual birthplace of the Taliban, military personnel posed with armored vehicles. Young men rode through the city on bicycles, motorcycles and cars, waving flags and brandishing weapons. Toddlers clutched small white Taliban flags bearing a photo of Defense Minister Maulvi Mohammad Yaqoob on the bottom right corner.

In the capital, Kabul, pick-up trucks crammed with men and boys wound their way through the city. Men swarmed Martyrs Square, taking selfies and clambering onto a monument. Boys posed with rifles.

Over the past two years, it has become increasingly apparent that the seat of power is in Kandahar, the home of supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, rather than the Taliban-led government in Kabul.

The interview with Mujahid took place late Monday in a TV studio on a rundown former military compound in Kandahar. The U.N. Mission in Afghanistan and local government departments are located nearby.

The Taliban spokesman arrived in a white SUV, accompanied by a guard and a driver. He spoke calmly and politely, falling back on Taliban talking points on issues like women's rights and international recognition.

"There is no fixed term for the Islamic government," he said of Taliban rule, which he claimed draws legitimacy from Islamic law, or Sharia. "It will serve for as long as it can and as long as the emir (the supreme leader) isn't removed for doing something that goes against Sharia."

Taking stock after two years, Mujahid said Taliban rule faces no threats from inside or outside the country. He claimed the current government is acting responsibly, and that Afghans crave consensus and unity. "There is no need for anyone to rebel," Mujahid said.

In a statement Tuesday, the Taliban government listed what it considered its accomplishments, including restoring a sense of personal safety and national pride.

The statement made no mention of the tens of thousands of Afghans who fled in the aftermath of the takeover or the severe economic downturn and deepening poverty as international aid dried up. At the same time, the Taliban appear to have settled in, avoiding internal divisions and even keeping their struggling economy afloat, in part by holding investment talks with capital-rich regional countries.

Mujahid was reluctant to discuss the restrictions on girls and women, brushing aside questions about the issue as repetitive and saying there was no point talking about it unless there were updates. He did suggest change was unlikely.

In conversations with foreign diplomats and aid officials, the Taliban typically avoid saying they oppose female education on principle, arguing instead that they need more resources and time to allow for gender segregation in classrooms and university campuses, in line with their interpretation of Sharia.

Mujahid presented this argument in the interview, noting that "everything will be under the influence of Sharia."

Asked why the Taliban aren't enlisting Muslim-majority countries with Sharia-based systems to restart female education, he said the Taliban don't need the help of others.

Akhundzada, the supreme leader, is seen as the leading force behind the classroom ban which was issued unexpectedly in March 2022, just as Kabul-based government ministers said they were preparing to allow girls from seventh grade and up to return to school.

Mujahid said there was disagreement among religious scholars on female education, and suggested that maintaining harmony among them was more important than getting girls and women back into classrooms.

Speaking to reporters in Washington, Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisted the path to a more normal relationship between the Taliban and other countries will be blocked "unless and until" the rights of women and girls were supported.

The prospect of international isolation and the lack of recognition as Afghanistan's legitimate government because of restrictions on women and girls isn't a pressing concern for the Taliban leadership, Mujahid said.

"Our interaction with China, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Pakistan and other countries in the region is official," he said. "We have embassies, travel, consulates. We have businesses. Traders come and go and transfer goods. These are all the things that mean the recognition of officialdom."

Aid agencies, rights groups and the U.N. this week issued statements condemning the Taliban's rule and warning of the humanitarian crisis gripping the Afghan population.

World Vision said the number of people in need of assistance has increased by around 5 million. It said 15 million people will face "crisis" levels of food insecurity this year, with 2.8 million in the "emergency" category, the fourth highest in the world.

An alliance of rights groups, including Amnesty International, said the Taliban should be pressured to end violations and repression and should be investigated for alleged crimes under international law, including gender persecution against women and girls.

In Geneva, the World Health Organization expressed concern about Afghans' lack of access to basic health services. Spokeswoman Dr. Margaret Harris said 20% of the population suffer from mental health problems and 4 million from drug addiction and associated disorders.

"Most health facilities have poor infrastructure, and there are fewer qualified health care workers due to immigration, limits on women's movement and employment, and reduced funds to pay salaries and keep facilities open," Harris said.

Associated Press writers Matt Lee in Washington and Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON  The United States, Japan and South Korea are expected to announce plans for expanded military cooperation on ballistic missile defenses and technology development in the face of growing concern about North Korea's nuclear program when the countries' leaders gather at Camp David for a summit Friday, according to two senior Biden administration officials.

The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss planning for the summit, said the announcements will be part of a broad set of initiatives that will be unveiled as President Joe Biden hosts Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for the one-day gathering at the presidential retreat in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains.

The summit is the first Biden has held during his presidency at Camp David and comes amid a thaw in the historically complicated relationship between Japan and South Korea. Japan colonized the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945.

The White House is looking to build on the recent diplomatic momentum and aims to use the summit for "institutionalizing, deepening and thickening the habits of cooperation" between the three countries as they face an increasingly complicated Pacific, one official said.

Earlier Monday, North Korea state media reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered a drastic increase in production of missiles and other weapons. Kim's push to produce more weapons comes as U.S. officials believe Russia's defense minister recently talked with North Korea about selling more weapons to Russia for its war with Ukraine.

Japan and South Korea have been rapidly mending their ties as they deepen three-way security cooperation with Washington in response to growing regional threats from North Korea and an increasingly assertive China.

The ties have improved rapidly since March after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's government announced an initiative to resolve disputes stemming from compensation for wartime Korean forced laborers.

Last month, Japan reinstated South Korea as a preferred nation with fast-track trade status, ending a four-year economic row that was further strained during their bitter historic disputes. The three countries also announced in June that they would begin to share in real-time early warning threat data of North Korean missile launches by the end of the year.

Biden plans to take Kishida and Yoon on a walk of the Camp David grounds and will host the leaders for an intimate lunch, the officials said. While Biden will hold one-on-one conversations with both leaders, the three leaders will spend the bulk of the visit together, the officials said.

One official said the gathering at Camp David is meant to drive home that the progress made between South Korea and Japan is a "big deal" and that it's critical that the relationship "only move forward."

The leaders are expected to be dressed in shirtsleeves without ties for the private portions of Friday's Camp David meetings. The leaders are also expected to take part in a joint news conference at the end of the summit.

Camp David has been the site of significant moments of diplomacy.

In the midst of World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met at the retreat  then known as Shangri-La  for planning of the Italian campaign that would knock Benito Mussolini out of the war.

President Jimmy Carter hosted Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin in September 1978 for talks that established a framework for a historic peace treaty between Israel and Egypt in March 1979.

President Bill Clinton in 2000 brought then-Palestinian Liberation Organization chairman Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak to Camp David in an unsuccessful bid for a conflict-ending accord.
CAMP GRAYLING, Mich.  Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Monday made her first observation of Michigan National Guard members practicing battlefield scenarios at Operation Northern Strike, an annual joint-training exercise for National Guard troops and allied soldiers from around the world.

More than 7,000 troops are slated to participate in two weeks of exercises at Camp Grayling that conclude Saturday, including units from 25 other states and four other countries.

The two weeks of exercises present a unique training opportunity, Whitmer said ahead of observing an F-16 flyover and A-10 munitions demonstration at the camp with a group of lawmakers, Michigan National Guard leaders and Latvias chief of defense.

You cant displace the real world challenges, Whitmer said. You can only replicate and go through the process of making sure everyones prepared when theyre there.

This year marks the 30th year Latvian troops are training at Camp Grayling, but the operations importance is heightened this year in light of the ongoing war between the neighboring nations of Russia and Ukraine. Latvias new president, Edgars Rinkevics, is the nations long-serving foreign minister and is known for his strong support for Ukraine.

At Camp Grayling, Latvias Chief of Defense, Lt. Gen. Leonids Kalnins, praised the training his roughly 50 troops receive at the location. He said the annual training is one of the largest his troops participate in each year. This year, it is an added tool to develop expertise and understanding of the modern war in Ukraine, he said.

We have this absolutely open door, Kalnins said of Camp Grayling. And we are able to choose which kind of capabilities we are able (to focus on) for training.

The 148,000-acre Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center has recently come under some scrutiny after the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs proposed a plan that would roughly double the size of the camp by entering a 20-year lease for forested land currently owned and managed by the Department of Natural Resources.

Grayling residents and Au Sable River anglers protested the plan, arguing that the expansion would encroach on the areas natural charm and that the property was being used increasingly for testing of unknown defense tools from independent contractors.

The DNR in April declined the request to expand the camps size and, instead, said it would require the Department of Military and Veteran Affairs to apply for limited-use permits to use up to 52,000 acres of DNR land. The permits would allow for low-impact training on land that would remain open to the public at all times.

There have been no limited-use permit requests submitted to the DNR in the nearly four months since the decision was announced, according to the DNR.

Michigan National Guard Adjutant General Paul Rogers, director for the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, said the National Guard is interested in continuing an open and transparent dialog with the community about operations at the camp.

We have a professional obligation to ensure the women and men who wear our uniform are ready for the complex battlefield that they face in the future, Rogers said.

(c)2023 The Detroit News

Visit The Detroit News at www.detnews.com

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SCRANTON, Pa. (Tribune News Service)  Sgt. Don Wilmot began noticing negative health effects from the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune several years after leaving the base.

During a question-and-answer session at the Marine Corps League Northeast Detachment on Alder Street Sunday afternoon, attorney Scott Schermerhorn, a former officer in the Marine Corps Judge Advocate Division, offered advice to Wilmot and other veterans and their families about filing claims for compensation through the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022.

The act allows people to sue to recover damages for harm suffered by exposure to water contaminated by toxic substances at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina between Aug. 1, 1953, and Dec. 31, 1987. Anyone who was exposed for at least 30 days is eligible.

U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-8, Moosic, wrote the bill, which was folded into the Sgt. First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, or PACT Act, President Joe Biden signed into law on Aug. 10, 2022.

Those affected by the contamination have until Aug. 10, 2024 to file a claim and Schermerhorn recommends consulting with an attorney before starting the process.

In 1982, the Marine Corps discovered specific volatile organic compounds in the drinking water provided by two of the eight water treatment plants at Camp Lejeune, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Up to one million military and civilian staff and their families may have been exposed to the contaminated drinking water, the agency found.

For decades, many Camp Lejeune trainees who suffered cancer and other maladies from the contamination couldnt get compensated for medical bills or other costs.

Wilmot, 79, of Sterling Twp., served with the Marines at Camp Lejeune for 42 days in 1962 and four months in 1965.

He feels the passing of the PACT Act last year was long overdue.

I started seeing symptoms when I came home from Vietnam in 1967, but at that time nobody acknowledged there was any kind of problem, Wilmot said. This should have happened years and years ago.

More than 60,000 claims have been filed with the Department of the Navy since last August, but nobody has received payment, Schermerhorn said. He noted about 1,100 claims are pending in court in the Eastern District of North Carolina.

Not one claim has been paid by the government, which is kind of a travesty to think about, but they started from scratch and theyre building the infrastructure, he said.

He expects payments to begin being doled out by the end of 2023. As many as 1 million to 1.2 million claims are expected to be filed with payouts awarded through 2033, Schermerhorn said.

Most people think its all veterans, but there are children and spouses, and civilian employees working on the base, who were consuming the water, he said.

Schermerhorn has worked on veterans claims for about 28 years and his daughter, Madison, also an attorney, specializes in Camp Lejeune claims for his Scranton firm.

Veterans work is the most satisfying aspect of my law practice because it changes lives for all the right reasons, he said. There is no better feeling than when I get a decision after a hard fight, and somebody gets a rating that is going to make a difference in their life.

He estimates the firm receives a minimum of one to two new requests per week.

Paul Carachilo, 74, of Carbondale, who served at Camp Lejeune with the Marines in 1966 and 1967, was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2010 and underwent radiation. He believes the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 is a positive step but noted it should be easier for veterans and their families to receive help.

I think everybody should be compensated that was there and not have to jump through hoops, Carachilo said.

(c)2023 The Times-Tribune (Scranton, Pa.)

Visit The Times-Tribune (Scranton, Pa.) at thetimes-tribune.com

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FORT PIERCE, Fla.  Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to scheming with Donald Trump to try to delete security footage sought by investigators probing the former president's hoarding of classified documents.

An attorney for De Oliveira entered the plea on his behalf during a brief hearing in the Fort Pierce, Fla., federal court, where Trump is charged with illegally holding onto top-secret records at his Palm Beach club and thwarting government efforts to retrieve them.

It's the third court appearance for De Oliveira, who twice before had his arraignment postponed because he hadn't yet finalized a Florida-based attorney, which is required under court rules.

De Oliveira spoke only to answer the magistrate judge's questions, such as whether he understood the charges against him. De Oliveira and his new attorney, Donnie Murrell of West Palm Beach, walked out of the courthouse without speaking to reporters.

De Oliveira's arraignment comes a day after Trump was charged in a fourth criminal case. Monday night Trump and 18 allies were indicted in a case out of Fulton County, Ga., over alleged efforts by him and his supporters to illegally meddle in the 2020 election in that state.

In the Mar-a-Lago case, Trump and his valet, Walt Nauta, were originally charged in June in one of two cases brought by special counsel Jack Smith. Smith has also charged Republican Trump in Washington with illegally conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

An updated indictment unsealed late last month brought more charges against Trump and Nauta, and added De Oliveira to the Florida case. Trump is facing dozens of felony counts in the classified documents case, and Smith's new indictment included additional counts of obstruction and willful retention of national defense information.

Trump and Nauta have also pleaded not guilty. The former president has denied any wrongdoing.

De Oliveira, Trump and Nauta are facing charges that include conspiracy to obstruct justice in the case stemming from secret government documents found at Mar-a-Lago after Trump's presidency ended in 2021. De Oliveira is also charged with lying to investigators. Prosecutors allege he falsely claimed he hadn't even seen boxes moved into Mar-a-Lago after Trump left the White House.

The trial is scheduled to begin in May in front of U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon. If the date holds, it would follow close on the heels of a separate New York trial for Trump on dozens of state charges of falsifying business records in connection with an alleged hush money payment to a porn actor.

The allegations in the latest indictment focus on security footage prosecutors say Trump tried to have deleted after investigators sent a subpoena for it in June 2022. Prosecutors have not alleged the footage was actually deleted.

Prosecutors say De Oliveira asked an information technology staffer how long the server retained footage and told the employee "the boss" wanted it deleted. When the employee said he didn't believe he was able to do that, De Oliveira insisted the "boss" wanted it done, asking, "What are we going to do?"

Video from Mar-a-Lago could ultimately become vital to the government's case because, prosecutors said, it shows Nauta moving boxes in and out of a storage room  an act alleged to have been done at Trump's direction and in effort to hide records not only only from investigators but also from Trump's own lawyers.

Richer reported from Boston. Associated Press reporter Freida Frisaro contributed from Fort Lauderdale.
(Tribune News Service)  A South Carolina man is going to prison for his role in a health care scheme that targeted veterans and active members of the military among others, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Travis Anthony Mason, a 52-year-old Aiken resident, was sentenced to 2 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to health care fraud, where nearly $2 million was illegally taken from the federal government, the U.S. Attorneys Office said in a news release.

Masons criminal acts jeopardized the health and well-being of unsuspecting victims, many of whom have served or continue to serve our country in the military, Steve Jensen, special agent in charge of the Columbia Field Office of the FBI, said in the release. Along with the FBI, the case was also investigated by the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General  Defense Criminal Investigative Service.

Through his company, M3 Medical LLC, Mason was involved in the marketing and sale of prescription compounded medications, which included various pain creams, according to the release.

Mason and his co-conspirators targeted individuals with federally funded health insurance plans, including TRICARE, that provided benefits for the compounded prescriptions, the U.S. Attorneys Office said. TRICARE is the health care program for uniformed service members, retirees, and their families thats managed by the Department of Defense.

Aware that the compounded medication would yield a high reimbursement, Mason and his co-conspirators would get prescriptions for them  many of which were medically unnecessary  from a physician, and would then direct the prescriptions to be filled by specific compounding pharmacies, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

For every compounded prescription that was filled, Mason was paid a percentage of the reimbursement amount, according to the release. Over two years, Mason and his co-conspirators caused $1,966,194 in loss to TRICARE, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

Information about how much money was lost from any other health care programs that might have been targeted in the scheme was not available.

Travis Mason thought TRICARE and other federal health care programs were easy targets for fraud; he was sorely mistaken, said Christopher Dillard, special agent in charge of the Department of Defense investigation. Nationwide fraud schemes like this degrade our health care system. They also put the public and the military at risk.

Masons 31-month sentence in federal prison will be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision, the U.S. Attorneys Office said. There is no parole in the federal system.

Mason also was ordered to pay $1,966,194 in restitution, according to the release.

Fraud of health care programs steals resources from people who need care and, in this case, from men and women who have bravely served our nation, U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs said. We stand ready to prosecute those who steal from government programs to enrich themselves.

2023 The State.

Visit thestate.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Russian gymnast Alina Kabayeva, known as the mistress of the bloody dictator Vladimir Putin, shocked the public during her recent appearance in Minsk with a face that was changed beyond recognition. According to plastic surgeon Dmitriy Slosser, the athlete and alleged mother of the Kremlin leader's sons tried to preserve her youth with hyaluronic acid, but in the end, she only disfigured her own appearance.

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According to the expert, such "beauty injections", which Kabayeva apparently abused, do not always lead to the desired result, but very often have many negative effects. All of them were reflected in the face of Putin's passion. Slosser spoke about this in the Argumenty programme.

"Let's start with the fact that she looked like all gymnasts, rather childish. We are not surprised, because there is an assumption that the dictator is not indifferent to children. However, in Kabayeva's case, of course, I think she had operations. But these are injectable surgeries, she uses hyaluronic acid," the plastic surgeon shared his expert opinion.

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In the latest footage taken in Minsk, Kabayeva's face is noticeably "swollen" and puffy. Internet users have even nicknamed her a "clone" of her fiance and "Putin in a skirt". Slosser notes that the gymnast has a naturally wide face, and the injections administered by the occupying president's mistress, combined with age-related changes, played a cruel joke on her.

"She has the genetics of people who have a broad bone and a broad face, so I think there are some age-related changes. Unfortunately, we all don't stay in the same shape we were in when we were 13. Bone structure and other tissues change. And so, if you add a little bit of hyaluronic acid, about half a kilogram, you will get a moon-faced beauty," the plastic surgeon commented.

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He also noted that Kabayeva probably did not undergo any serious plastic surgery, but only abused "harmless" injections. However, they turned out to be not so much effective as harmful, irrevocably disfiguring the Olympic champion's appearance.

Earlier, OBOZREVATEL wrote that the Russian president does not recognise his own children, and the Kremlin denies any information about the dictator's heirs. According to foreign and Russian journalists, in addition to two daughters from his first marriage and one daughter born out of wedlock, Putin has sons from Alina Kabayeva. Read more about them in our article.

Only verified information is available on our Obozrevatel Telegram channel, Threads and Viber. Don't fall for fakes!
The complex story stretched across three continents

Lawyer and PacNet executive Paul Robert Davis has always denied any wrongdoing

One of Irelands longest running courtroom battles  over a multi-million cash payments firm and a $90m (82m) international mail fraud  has finally come to an end.

The Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) last month told the High Court they had settled for 600,000 frozen in Irish bank accounts linked to payments firm PacNet, with offices in Ireland.

The complex story stretched across three continents, involving pilots on private aircraft delivering bags of cash amid accusations of massive fraud by the US State Department.

High-flier Paul Robert Davis, who lived in Co. Limerick at the time, was an executive of the firm which was caught up in processing payments for a major fraud operation mostly targeting US citizens up until 2016.

The Oxford-educated lawyer and pilot who now lives on Isle of Man has always denied any wrongdoing.

The settlement in the Irish High Court came just a week before two men were sentenced to prison in New York for running a mail fraud which targeted vulnerable elderly people with promises of cash prizes.

While CAB brought cases in 2018 and 2019 connected to PacNet, the Irish authorities involvement first started when a pilot arrived in Shannon on a private plane with 210,000 in bags in 2010.

Pilot and PacNet director Gerry Humphreys landed at Shannon Airport from the Netherlands with two holdall bags and four FedEx parcels.

Customs officers found the bags and parcels contained cash equivalent in value to about 210,000, made up in a variety of different currencies. That cash seizure also became the subject of a lengthy legal battle that wasnt resolved until a 2019 judgment in favour of PacNet, Mr Humphreys and Mr Davis.

But the same year Mr Davis had been indicted, along with three other executives of PacNet, by the US Department of Justice, in which he was accused of running a scheme to launder tens of millions of euro made from mass mail fraud campaigns.

The indictment came in 2019 even though PacNet lawyers had successfully argued to have the firm taken off the US Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctions list in 2017.

Behind the accusations of money-laundering lay the activities of two of PacNets clients, who were sentenced to prison in New York last week.

Sean Novis (53) and Gary Denkberg (59) were convicted of having mailed millions of bogus prize notices and of stealing $92.7m (84.5m)from more than 700,000 victims between 2003 and September 2016.

The letters misled victims into believing theyd receive a large amount of money or a valuable prize such as a luxury car upon payment of a fee.

A federal jury convicted the pair in May 2022 and last week Novis was given seven and a half years and Denkberg was given five and a half.

During the hearing it emerged how PacNet had sounded warnings in 2008 that high volumes of cheques were coming in from elderly individuals.

However, at the Proceeds of Crime hearing in the High Court last month it was heard that PacNet had denied any wrongdoing and the case was settled for 600,000.
A man had entered the shop on Marsfield Avenue at approximately 6.40pm armed with a knife

A man is due in court following the armed robbery of a shop in North Dublin last week.

The man, in his 20s was arrested and charged in connection with the incident in Dublin 13 on August 8.

A man had entered the store on Marsfield Avenue at approximately 6.40pm armed with a knife.

He left the scene in a vehicle which was subject to an unauthorised taking in Dublin 13 days earlier on August 5.

The male was arrested by gardai in connection with these incidents and detained at a garda station in Dublin under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984, a garda spokesperson said.

He has since been charged and expected to appear this morning at the Criminal Courts of Justice, Dublin, Court 2 today, Tuesday, August 15. Investigations are ongoing.
A quantity of Alprazolam tablets were found in the canister of a Kinder surprise toy

A thief stole a gardas cap as he was being released from custody after being charged with another offence, a court heard.

Thomas ODriscoll (40) immediately took the cap and tried to hide it among his own belongings but was caught leaving the station.

Separately, he was found with sedative drugs in a childs Kinder surprise egg when gardai encountered him in a car on a city street.

Judge Bryan Smyth gave him a six-month suspended sentence when he appeared in Dublin District Court.

ODriscoll, a father-of-one of St Marys Road, East Wall, pleaded guilty to theft and possession of drugs for sale or supply.

Garda Sergeant Michelle Lynch said an officer was on duty at Store Street station on September 26, 2020, when ODriscoll was charged with another offence.

Immediately after he was released from custody, while he was retrieving his own property, ODriscoll took the gardas cap and tried to conceal it among his own belongings.

He was stopped after he left the station and the cap was recovered.

Separately, gardai encountered ODriscoll, who was in a car at Ossory Road, Dublin 1, on August 26, 2020.

A quantity of Alprazolam tablets were found in the canister of a Kinder surprise toy, while the accused also had a small bag of cannabis worth 20.

On August 17, gardai saw the accused in a suspicious transaction at Connolly Station. When stopped and searched, he had 140 worth of heroin.

ODriscoll had 255 previous convictions for offences including theft. He was already serving another, 21-month sentence when he appeared in court, with a release date next March.

ODriscoll suffered a tragic incident at the age of 11 when he witnessed his father being stabbed to death, his solicitor Roy ONeill said.

He subsequently turned to drugs and spent most of his adult life addicted. The accused also had significant mental health issues, Mr ONeill said.

He had taken a pragmatic approach to the charges and pleaded guilty without asking for any disclosure of prosecution evidence.

He put his hands up and accepted responsibility, Mr ONeill said.

Judge Smyth said the accused had a substantial number of previous convictions and a prison sentence was warranted. However, he suspended it for two years.
James Cull (64( is accused of trying to kill the other man in a knife attack outside their homes

A 64-year-old man allegedly stabbed his neighbour up to five times as part of an escalating dispute in north Belfast, a court heard today.

James Cull is accused of trying to kill the other man in a knife attack outside their homes on the Whitewell Road early on Monday morning.

He appeared at Belfast Magistrates Court to face charges of attempted murder and possessing an offensive weapon with intent.

Police attended the scene after Cull made a 999 call to claim the stab victim sustained injuries while attacking him.

The other man, also in his sixties, was discovered lying on the footpath between their houses, surrounded by members of the public providing first aid.

An investigating detective disclosed: He had suffered four to five stab wounds, with his insides protruding from his chest.

The victim remains in hospital, although his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

He has penetrating wounds to his liver and spleen, the detective added.

When Cull was arrested he claimed the encounter was part of a wider series of incidents.

The court heard he told police: Its not every day that I stab someone.

I have been tortured for two and a half years by the guy next door, he just drove me to it tonight.

He also made three previous reports to police, alleging that he had been subjected to harassing behaviour and threats.

Opposing his application for bail, the detective claimed: This is a clear escalation in a dispute (between neighbours).

A defence barrister stressed that Cull claims he was attacked immediately before the alleged stabbing.

In the course of that the knife fell on the ground, he picked it up and it ended up going into the complainant, he said.

In response, District Judge Steven Keown queried: Four or five times?

He was told that Cull also phoned for an ambulance and directed police to the location of the blade.

At interview he said that he did not intend to stab the complainant, counsel insisted.

The judge rejected suggestions that Cull could live with a relative one mile from the scene of the incident.

He will be released on bail, however, if an address approved by police is identified.

Adjourning the case to September 12, Mr Keown prohibited Cull from any contact with the complainant and imposed an exclusion zone.

He added: For the avoidance of doubt, that should be at least a ten-mile radius of (the victims) home.
This money came from victims of mainly smishing frauds in Ireland

The search was carried out as part of the Interpol-led Operation Jackal

The Range Rover is taken away

Two men have been arrested and a high-end Range Rover seized as gardai raided a house in Dublin yesterday amid a global crackdown on the international Black Axe crime gang.

One man, in his early 20s, was identified by the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) as a suspected money mule herder who had been recruiting money mules and managing their bank accounts.

Gardai say that as many as 50 different money mules have been identified as having laundered over 196,000 through his bank accounts in Ireland, Germany and Belgium.

This money came from victims of mainly smishing frauds in Ireland, was initially laundered through these 50 money mule accounts and then forwarded by the money mules to the suspects three bank accounts, a garda spokesperson said.

The search was conducted as part of a larger investigation into incidents of fraud in Norway, Germany, the USA, Hawaii, and Ireland and the subsequent laundering of money through money mule accounts, businesses and trade-based money laundering operations.

The search was carried out as part of the Interpol-led Operation Jackal

During the search in Tallaght, gardai seized a Range Rover, which is suspected to have been purchased with the proceeds of crime, as well as a number of passports and cash in euros and dollars.

Bank cards in family names and names of suspected money mules as well as bank account details and details of registered companies and businesses were also seized alongside a cash counting machine, 30 mobile phones and a desktop computer and laptop

A man in his early 20s was arrested for an offence contrary to the Criminal Justice Act 2006 and is currently detained at a garda station in Dublin, gardai said.

This male was identified as being a suspected money mule herder recruiting money mules and managing their bank accounts.

Another man, in his 50s, was also arrested during the search for immigration offences and was later refused leave to land. He is being detained pending his removal from this jurisdiction.

Investigations are ongoing.

The Garda search was carried out as part of Operation Skein which is the Irish arm of Operation Jackal, the Interpol-led international police operation targeting the infamous Black Axe gang.

Some of the people taken down in Ireland as part of the operation range from high-ranking lieutenants to those foolish enough to let the mob use their accounts to launder cash.

Ireland became a stronghold for the gang, which originated in Africa in the 1970s but has tentacles around the world, and gardai have been at the forefront of a major crackdown on their operations.

Black Axe is the main cyber-crime gang operating in Ireland and is involved in a large number of frauds, such as business email compromise (BEC) scams, romance frauds and fake e-retailer schemes.

Gardai and Interpol announced this week how authorities around the world were involved in a period of joint international law enforcement action against Black Axe, which mostly took place April and May.

The operation led to dozens of raids and arrests in counties across Ireland.

Among those arrested was a 40-year-old woman based in Clondalkin in Dublin who is considered to be one of the main players in the gang in Ireland.

The woman is suspected of running a large Irish network, which includes a bank employee who was also arrested as part of Operation Skein.

The operation began with a request for assistance from another EU country via EUROPOL in early 2020 after 1.1m was stolen in a BEC fraud and laundered through Asia. The fake emails originated from Ireland.

Ireland has also been a key location where the gang recruit money mules who allow the gang to use their accounts to transfer the stolen funds.

Numerous Irish businesses have been victims of the scams.

However, gardai have had major success against Black Axe and similar gangs operating here in recent years.

While the online world is where the gang commits fraud, there have been a number of violent incidents linked to Black Axe in Ireland, including petrol bomb attacks.

A man arrested and convicted last year told gardai how another person above him received a threat to his life from the gang.
Muhamed Alievski (28), from Macedonia, was arrested by NCA officers in Kent on Saturday 5 August.

A man has been charged with people smuggling offences in the UK as part of a major National Crime Agency investigation.

Muhamed Alievski (28), from Macedonia, was arrested by NCA officers in Kent on Saturday 5 August as part of an operation targeting a network suspected of moving migrants out of the UK.

He was found alongside a 22-year-old Albanian man wanted for breaching a court order imposed after his conviction for drug offences. He was also arrested and taken into custody.

After being questioned, Alievski was charged with participating in the activities of a people smuggling organised crime group.

He appeared before Folkestone Magistrates on Monday, 7 August, where he was remanded in custody until his next hearing at Canterbury Crown Court on 4 September.

NCA Branch Commander Matt Rivers 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.

"Weve 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.
Widely praised in guest reviews for the comfort and the quality of its food, Avalon House is a member of the Original Irish Hotels collection, comprising traditional and boutique properties dotted around the country.

Have you noticed how its increasingly hard to find the much-flagged hidden Ireland?

Former off-the-beaten-track treasures are ever more crowded, thanks to GPS and other navigational aids, as well as the countrys improved road infrastructure.

Remember those childhood family car journeys  some of us folks of a certain age do  hopelessly lost on deserted country roads looking for our final destination?

Recently I drove cross-country, having missed the Durrow, Co Laois turn-off, crossing the Kilkenny border with a dead phone battery and no sense of direction.

At moments like this, we ask ourselves what wed do without that satellite shepherd who normally guides us. After a vain effort to flag down a slurry tractor driver, a signpost announces that the end goal is only 10km away.

The leafy facade

Entering Castlecomer (where the stationed Crown force would march up and down the wide main square asserting dominance over the Irish) the vibe is certainly one of hidden Ireland, with its imposing old buildings like the former bank, monumental courthouse and period shop fronts.

From the town squares Lime Tree cafe, a grand stop-off after a long journey for coffee and a snack, I drive on down the hill to the towns leafy outskirts.

Widely praised in guest reviews for the comfort and the quality of its food, Avalon House is a member of the Original Irish Hotels collection, comprising traditional and boutique properties dotted around the country.

Here, the Georgian frontage, sash windows and Virginia creeper define low-key grandeur. A spacious car park, the suntrap terrace and carved lions guarding the entrance provide a friendly calling card.

The four-star property, in days gone by a renowned guesthouse run by a popular local family, was taken over some years back by the younger generation, who set about renovating this terrace of 18th-century stone buildings.

A multi-million euro investment to extend and upgrade the interior and increase the amenities was happily achieved without losing the original character. According to general manager Peter Wilson, plans are afoot to develop adjoining Georgian-era properties for future expansion, which may also include a spa.

A plush bedroom

My stylish bedroom, one of 30 decorated in shades of aquamarine, gold and cream, features a free-standing bathtub, Rituals toiletries and a large picture of swans with intertwined necks on the wall.

I suspect, laying into the chocolate-covered strawberries and Prosecco, that I may have strayed inside the honeymoon suite!

A boutique wedding venue, Avalon House boasts a 150-seater ballroom and adjoining courtyard bar with a retractable roof, which used to be the town fire station.

Lils, the formal restaurant on the first floor, is not open but theres a good menu in the spill-over Larks Bar area downstairs, hung with old photographs of Wandesforde Estate, whose owners earned a fortune coal mining after opening seams in the hinterland from the mid-17th century.

Excellent seasonal cuisine, featuring food from local producers, dominates the dinner choices.

Breakfast the following morning is served in Lils, and the traditional Irish breakfast  free-range eggs, delicious bacon, sausages, and sublime black and white pudding sourced from Country Style in Waterford, together with superb home-baked brown bread  is reason enough for a return visit, served by a charming, helpful waitress.

No wonder the Avalon breakfast was recently singled out by top Irish food writers for special mention.

After all that overindulgence, its time to visit nearby Castlecomer Discovery Park, spread over 80 acres of stunning natural woodland and lakes, to try adventures including Irelands longest zip line. It was unfortunately not open during my visit.

But I tentatively climbed the first of the skywalk challenge levels, whose scary heights filled me with a new respect for contestants of Im a Celebrity.

Following the closure of the coal mines, the park was created as a community project, today an outstanding national amenity for children and adults.

The onsite Coal Mining Museum takes visitors through 300 years of local coal mining history in a fascinating 45-minute interactive multi-media experience.

And dont forget, to check out the craft design studios  housed in the former stable yard  that host workshops and events throughout the year, and also offer collections of jewellery and crafts from a range of local designers.

TRAVEL FACTFILE

KILKENNY See visitkilkenny.ie  BASED in Castlecomer, the four-star Avalon House Hotel has a one-night package, with dinner and B&B, starting from 124 per room.  ACTIVITIES at Castlecomer Discovery Park include a bouncing net (5), archery (16 per target), boating (16), and zipline and octagon high ropes course (27).
Hands in the air if youve got big news, the Donate4Daithi twitter account posted

Daithi Mac Gabhann is celebrating after receiving confirmation that he is back on the heart transplant list.

It comes after the six-year-old boy, who was removed from the waiting list earlier this year, enjoyed a dream trip to Disneyland Paris.

Hands in the air if youve got big news, the Donate4Daithi twitter account posted on Tuesday.

Daithi has brought a little magic of hope home from Paris; with the news weve all been waiting for.

Daithi is BACK and ACTIVE on the transplant waiting list!

Last month the young boy was pictured smiling after he returned to Belfast following heart surgery in England.

HANDS IN THE AIR IF YOUVE GOT BIG NEWS



Daithi has brought a little magic of hope home from Paris; with the news weve all been waiting for:



Daithi is BACK and ACTIVE on the transplant waiting list! #Hope #OrganDonation pic.twitter.com/VLIO9gnaOB  Donate4Daithi (@Donate4Daithi) August 15, 2023

He travelled to Newcastle for cardiac surgery in the hope it would allow him to get back on the waiting list.

Upon his return to the Cark Clinic at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, Daithis family declared: The Freeman is back in his own city!

The medical procedure comes a month after he was removed from the donor list due to issues that made an operation too high risk at that stage.

Daithi was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and is increasingly reliant on a wheelchair and oxygen as his long wait for a donor continues.

He has been on the heart transplant waiting list since 2018.

His story has touched people across Ireland - and prompted a change in Northern Ireland law.

In 2021 the Northern Ireland Executive approved a soft opt-out legislation drawn up by Robin Swann when he was Health Minister.

Despite being allowed to proceed, Daithis Law was delayed after the collapse of the Executive, before being cleared in Westminster.

The legislation took effect in June.

Just last week Daithi was snapped at the iconic Disneyland castle as his family announced DAITHI HAS MADE IT. describing it as a miracle.

The young campaigners grandfather had been fundraising to give his family a summer to remember following the devastating news, with over 10,000 raised for the family by kind hearted members of the public in order to make his Disneyland dream a reality.
At the bottom of the ocean off the coast of New South Wales (Australia) is hidden the largest impact crater in the world, formed about 445 million years ago, when a giant asteroid probably hit the Earth. This crater extends almost 520 kilometers and is the largest impact structure on the planet.

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About their discovery told in an article for the scientific journal Tectonophysics adjunct professor from the University of Sydney Andrew Glickson and his colleague Tony Yates. They named the discovered crater Denilikin.

Previously, the Vredefort crater in South Africa was considered the largest impact structure on Earth. Its diameter, according to various estimates, is 250-300 kilometers.

Scientists suggest that Denilikin was formed about 445 million years ago and since then has been hidden from people under the ocean. Scientists also say that it is increasingly difficult to identify such craters on the surface of the Earth, as such structures over time are subject to erosion and become almost invisible.

"The history of asteroid bombardment of Earth is largely hidden," Glickson wrote in The Conversation article.

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He explains that when an asteroid hits, it creates a crater that can erode over millions of years, becoming less visible. It could also be swallowed up by a collision between Earth's tectonic plates, when one plate overlaps the other.

The existence of the Denilikin structure was first hypothesized in the late 1990s by Yates based on magnetic patterns. Further analysis, completed in 2020, confirmed that a large structure does indeed exist beneath a region in southern New South Wales, although without definitive evidence that it was caused by a collision.

However, there is some strong evidence that the structure is an asteroid crater, such as symmetrical ripples in the Earth's crust that could be caused by the extreme temperatures of the impact, and "radial faults" that are often found in other impact structures.

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So far, researchers have been able to produce detailed maps that show exactly where the asteroid might have fallen. Now they are studying geologic findings to better understand what happened then. To do this, they are examining ecta - material that bounces off the Earth when it collides with a space "alien" and may be far from the impact site.

Scientists recognize that officially call the crater discovered by them the largest in the world will only be possible when further research will be conducted to confirm its size.

It should be noted that the discovered crater is not only larger than its African "relative", but also larger than the infamous Chicxulub - the crater formed as a result of the fall of an asteroid that killed all the dinosaurs on Earth. So it's scary to imagine what was on the planet when the rock that formed Denilikina fell.

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Scientists note that the date of the asteroid fall, in their opinion, coincides with the Ordovician extinction, which occurred about 445 million years ago and wiped out 85% of all life on Earth.

Earlier OBOZREVATEL also told about the fact that scientists believe that the ancient meteorite 2.29 billion years ago replaced the Earth and could have contributed to the emergence of life.

Subscribe to OBOZREVATEL channels in Telegram and Viber to be aware of the latest events.
The shocking incident took place in Dublins Liberties.

Nine people were rescued this morning by Dublin Fire Brigade (DFB) after a fire at a city centre apartment block.

The blaze, which happened in the early hours of Tuesday, is believed to have been caused by an an e-bike battery, it has been revealed.

The incident took place just off Hanover Lane in the Liberties, Dublin 8.

People in dressing gowns are seen in images posted to social media this afternoon, as they watched on in shock.

Dramatic rescue

Read more Fire crews battle massive blaze at Kildare McDonalds after car bursts into flames

Other photos show the flooded stairwell involved after water was used to douse the flames as well as a collection of bicycles.

Worryingly, the battery in question was not being charged when it caught fire.

A statement from DFB said: This morning nine people were taken to safety following a fire off Francis Street.

Damaged stairwell

An e-bike battery (not on charge) in a stairwell is believed to be the source of the fire

Firefighters are reminding residents to keep staircases clear as they are a primary escape route #BeSafe, they added.

E-bike battery fires appear to be on the increase right across Europe, with the BBC reporting that one goes up in flames in London every two days.

Bicycles at scene

Some tips to prevent battery fires include:

Try to use the original battery and charger. If you need an extra, stick to the same brand. Check the battery and battery plug for damage, do not use if there is wear and tear.

Also, people are advised not to leave charging e-bikes or batteries unattended. Finally, do not keep your bike near flammable materials, such as house paint.
Jenny made the announcement on Instagram where she shared the news with their followers

Ireland AM star Martin King and wife Jenny McCarthy have excitedly revealed that they have come together to launch a new podcast called An Audience with the King and his Queen.

Jenny made the announcement on Instagram where she shared the news with their followers.

Alongside a snap of the couple who are both wearing crowns on their heads, Jenny wrote: "Coming in SEPTEMBER. We are BEYOND excited to launch our very own podcast.

"Were two big messers who love having the giggles about 'anything' but we dont agree on everything, as you will find out!

"Sometimes we need a mediator to stop the rows about the dishwasher!

"Well be inviting all of you into The Throne Room to have your say and we will also be joined by some special guests!

"An audience with the King and his Queen is coming soon! Sponsored by @tankardstownhouse."

She also included a link to the podcasts new Instagram page martinandjenny An Audience with the King & his Queen, which adds: which adds: We love having the chats and giggles about anything including Love Island, home life, parenting and grand parenting.

In January, Jenny laid on a surprise big birthday bash for her TV host husband who revealed that she was looking forward to spoiling him rotten.

Not only did she trick him into thinking they were going to Kildare Village for a spot of shopping, while they were actually on the way to Adare Manor, she also unveiled a surprise trip to Disneyland Paris with their family too.

Sharing a video from their bedroom at the five-star venue the popular presenter joked that she had been lying to him for two-and-a-half months.

Jenny posted a sweet snap of the couple of the grounds of the luxury Limerick hotel, adding: What an incredible overnight stay @theadaremanor for Martin's birthday.

Sharing a picture of them clinking glasses of bubbly, she said that they were having the best weekend!!!

She said: "Hello everybody, we have had a great couple of days.

"It's Martin's birthday and I always try to spoil him rotten because he deserves every bit of it.

"Yesterday, we had a lovely day with our children and he got lots of surprises.

"And today, I told him as we were leaving the hotel that we were going to Kildare Village."

Celebrity wedding photographer Jenny McCarthy, pictured with her husband Martin King at the walled garden in Marlay Park.Picture Credit:Frank McGrath 14/6/23

Martin said that he had thought they were just going on a shopping trip.

Jenny continued: "So, I drove past the Kildare Village exit and we drove to?"

Martin replied: "Adare Manor."

The pair were delighted to be away on their luxurious getaway.

Jenny said: "And here we are, like the cheek of us."

The couple who share five children between them are also on their way to Disneyland Paris after the broadcaster was seen opening a box of balloons with a large Mickey Mouse balloon floating up into the air.

Proud mum Jenny declared: Our beautiful children treating Martin to a trip to Disney Paris! They felt after all the trips we have given them, it was time to give back! Our amazing kids.

The wedding photographer explained that she had to keep the trip under wraps from Martin for over two months.

She said: "I've known about this since November, I've been plotting loads of lies."

Jenny said: "I've just been lying the whole time but that's it now, I'm exhausted from all the lies I have had to tell.

She then said they were on their way to grab something to eat but Martin made one more joke about all of his family keeping the surprise from him.

Jenny said: "So we are going to go down and have a little bit of lunch now."

The Ireland AM presenter added: "She's had my children lying to me for the past two and a half months."

Jenny said: "It's been amazing."

Jenny shared some snaps of the pair's getaway as they enjoyed everything the five star hotel has to offer.

She posted a snap of the two clinking champagne glasses as they enjoyed the view.

Martin and Jenny have had plenty to celebrate recently as their second eldest son James announced his engagement at Christmas.

Just before Christmas, Jenny also received the wonderful news that her brain scan was clear.

She had been operated on to have a brain tumour removed back in February 2022.
In May 2022, Kelly announced her engagement to boyfriend, Alex Hermann in New York

Tallafornias Kelly Donegan has announced she is pregnant with her first child.

The 34-year-old Irish reality star shared the news on Instagram on Monday in. a post showing off her baby bump.

She wrote: MIA. Sorry been busy growing life.

In May 2022, Kelly announced her engagement to boyfriend, Alex Hermann in New York.

During a trip to Central Park Alex asked the big question to which Kelly delightedly said yes.

At the time, she wrote on Instagram: Were getting married! We have been through so much together as a couple & as individuals; and grown into such a beautiful team. The yin to my yang, the spicy to my icy, the moon to my sun.

I couldnt imagine my life without my best friend. I love you Mr Hermann, an easy yes !! Lets design this marriage thing 100% our way..

The cutest engagement ever BTW !!!! After a romantic day of picnicking, sipping rose & renting boats on Central Park lake.

He picked the cutest tree with grey squirrels & American robins jumping around us, he was literally shaking like mad.

To top it all off the most beautiful @chupi engagement ring EVERRRRRRRRRRRRR. 100000% me. He did good! she added.

In March of this year, Kelly announced her move to Drimnagh in Dublin 12 after viewing 150 properties last year.

"Just got a life changing email from my solicitor today, we are officially homeowners and the keys are ready to be collected on our return to Ireland.

"Moving on from Tallaght to Drimnagh Head (hello D12), she tweeted.

"Viewed almost 150 homes between Feb  Dec 22. FINALLY.

Kelly shared a snap of a champagne bottle for the house-warming celebrations.

Taking to Instagram, she said: Well its official, were homeowners!

"Through all the challenges, its actually happened. Plenty of moments we wanted to give up, viewing almost 150 houses between February and December 2022  spending all evenings and weekends viewing.

"Constantly knocked out in the first month of bidding.

"The housing market really is a disgrace and Im shocked its actually happened for us.

"Toasting here in Hungary with a bottle of Torley and ordering pizza.
Playcentres throughout New Zealand are inviting families with children aged 0-6 years to visit during Playcentre Messy Play Week from August 21-25.

The free event is designed to give young children a chance to explore messy play activities that spark creativity and unlock learning, without the mess at home.

According to Playcentre Aotearoa Chief Executive David Moger messy play is essential for early childhood development".

With opportunities to explore different sensory materials, young children learn about their world, discover new ways to express themselves and develop confidence in and control of their bodies, all while having loads of fun, says David.

There will be a variety of messy play activities offered, such as painting, playdough, sand, clay, slime, gloop and more.

Playcentre is a nationwide charity with more than 400 centres, where parents play and learn alongside their children and make connections with other parents in their community.

You can make a booking to visit your local Playcentre at www.playcentre.org.nz
An Indian man who was paralysed after a car and forklift toppled on him while he was working in New Zealand illegally has been allowed to remain in the country, a tribunal has decided.

The 31-year-old successfully appealed a deportation order against him, claiming exceptional circumstances of a humanitarian nature to the New Zealand Immigration and Protection Tribunal.

In 2017, the man broke his spine when a car and a forklift toppled over him while he was trying to remove a drive shaft from underneath the vehicle at a car-dismantling yard.

His entire body below his ribcage became paralysed.

The man first arrived in the country in 2012 on a student visa, and was studying while working part-time at the car yard.

After his visa expired in 2014, he continued working to save up for a new visa and pay off a debt.

His employer tried to cover up the workplace injury by driving the man to his house to claim he was injured at home. An ambulance was called from the home, to hide the fact he was illegally working for the car yard, the tribunal report said.

A police investigation confirmed the accident occurred at the car yard.

In 2017, after being served with a deportation order from Immigration NZ, the man discharged himself from a spinal unit rehab centre and fled to Rotorua.

His former employer housed him at a car yard, in a house that had no power, running water or heater.

By mid-2018, the man had developed severe pressure wounds, sepsis and skin ulcers because he couldnt care for himself properly, and was scared of using health services because of his immigration status.

A church member alerted Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) and the man was taken to a hospital where he underwent surgery, blood transfusions and more than 19 months of recovery.

Michael Wood, alongside Tourism Aotearoa CEO Rebecca Ingram, announced changes to immigration settings to help ease a worker shortage. Video first published August 21 2022.

In 2022, following a request for ministerial intervention, the associate immigration minister cancelled the deportation order and granted a one-day visa to allow the man to file an appeal with the tribunal.

The man appealed that while he suffered a traumatic spinal injury while he was in the country illegally, his former employer was negligent and attempted to cover up the workplace accident.

If he was deported, he would not receive the ACC-funded attendant care and nursing treatment outside New Zealand.

In its decision, the tribunal ruled that the paraplegic mans need for ongoing care, rehabilitative and vocational support, and the potential risks to his health and safety were exceptional humanitarian circumstances.

The tribunal acknowledged the mans ongoing care and medical needs would place demands and costs on the public healthcare system, but his spinal injury was in a New Zealand workplace and ACC had accepted to cover the costs.

He was granted a resident visa.
Professor Chris Battershill has discovered new sea sponge species, led environmental recovery research around major ocean oil spills, spearheaded international initiatives for marine drug discovery, and taught hundreds of students amongst many other achievements.

He now has another feather for his cap - the world-renowned marine scientist has been honoured for his significant contributions to marine science with a prestigious New Zealand Marine Science Society Life Achievement Award.

This honour was totally unexpected, I mean totally. I am humbled to say the least, and yet there is still so much more to achieve, especially as our coasts and oceans are under unprecedented stress, the University of Waikato Professor and BOPRC Chair of Coastal Science says.

Professor Battershills biodiscovery work to find new and useful biological compounds for medicines has provided new hope in the fight against many devastating diseases. The work has also brought attention to the urgent need to conserve the very marine biodiversity that is the source of these novel compounds.

He discovered a rare sponge Lissodendoryx, which led to the creation of the late phase breast cancer drug Halaven.

With funding from the United States National Cancer Institute, he led discovery and supply-side teams that contributed multiple antitumor drug leads and the identification of a protein from a New Zealand species of red algae, Griffithsia.

The protein has proved to be a highly effective antiviral for HIV/AIDS and SARS-CoV treatment.

Being part of an international collective to progress drug leads is an absolute high, as is having one of the sponges named after me by Dame Professor Pat Bergquist (Tedania battershilli), well, that is until I learnt its common name was red slimy.

In 2011 Professor Battershill became the public face of the Maritime Response Team responding to the Rena Oil spill off the coast of Tauranga. He coordinated the response and environmental recovery monitoring, notably preventing the large-scale use of dispersants which he knew to be disastrous on marine ecosystems, especially along shorelines. He said of the experience:

The New Zealand Marine Sciences Society (NZMSS) Award is a bronze sculpture in the form of the internal spire of a gastropod shell (designed and manufactured by Wellington artist Nick Dryden) that comes with an engraved plaque normally presented at the NZMSS annual conference. It carries with it lifetime membership of the Society.

A positive result was the close relationship that developed with Moana a Toi hapu and iwi. It has opened up so many opportunities, including stepping stones for rangatahi into higher education and importantly marine science.

Professor Battershill has worked tirelessly with iwi, to understand and support their aspirations around coastal management in the Bay of Plenty.

Personally, the growth experience from being nurtured by mana whenua in matauranga Maori has added depth to my understanding of marine systems and how they work, I can only be profoundly grateful.

Recently, alongside mana whenua, he set up a seawater system and algal culturing facility in Raukokore near East Cape. The centre is working with iwi to generate knowledge and jobs in an often-neglected region and will become an important research hub for the region.

He also currently co-leads the MBIE-funded programme Toka Akau Toitu Kaitiakitanga - Building a sustainable future for coastal reef ecosystems. The programme has a Matauranga-Science focus on coastal impacts and sustainable management.

Beyond research, Professor Battershill remains at heart an educator who has had a positive influence on hundreds of students, many who speak of him fondly. He supervises post graduate students and continues to teach at undergraduate level.

Professor Battershill accepts his award from Ms Anna Madarasz-Smith  President of the NZMSS.

He established the Coastal Marine Research Station in Tauranga and now as Director he continues to shape its evolution. Today the Research Station is host to many postgraduate students from across the world.

Over 50 of the early post graduate students were engaged through the 10-year INTERCOAST programme led by Professor Battershill. The programme was established by the University of Waikato and Bremen University in Germany to create a major centre of marine research excellence in the Bay of Plenty.

With Professor Rocky de Nys in Australia, he led the establishment of the Entrepreneurial University Algal Platform, and is a foundation leader of the Tauranga Moana Biosecurity Capital.

This award is wonderful recognition of the stellar contributions by Professor Battershill to marine science research, teaching, and community engagement over many years, says University of Waikato Dean of Science, Professor Margaret Barbour.

His development of new courses, teaching in lectures, labs and field courses, and understanding of the values of Matauranga and science, are a model of what a top scientist, teacher and scholar should be. Te Aka Matuatua - School of Science warmly congratulates Chris on the award.
New Zealand-based internet companies have been caught up in an Interpol operation targetting child sex abuse websites from the global police agencies worst of list.

From December 2021 to July 2023, Operation Narsil targetted criminals behind chid sex abuse websites designed to generate profits from advertising.

A spokesperson from the Department of Internal Affairs says their Digital Child Exploitation Team has been working with Interpol as part of the operation.

DECT sought information via production orders from three different New Zealand-based entities identified by Interpol.

The spokesperson says that at present no-one in New Zealand had been arrested, and that the entities in New Zealand are two internet service providers and one hosting provider.

All (are) private companies who were unknowingly involved.

They also say this operation highlights the importance of global law enforcement cooperation against online child exploitation.

Interpol general secretary Jurgen Stock says the operation used Interpols "worst of list", sharing intelligence, pinpointing suspects and coordinating the arrest of people managing the websites.

Created in 2010, Interpols "worst of list" contains a watchlist of websites containing extreme child abuse material.

Operation Narsil sends a strong message to the criminals making money from these websites that Interpol, and its alliance of police forces in 195 member countries, know where they are, what they are doing, and how to find them.

Every time a person clicks on these images, they are effectively entering a crime scene. Identifying and removing these websites reduces the availability and potential normalisation of online child abuse material, and, most importantly, reduces the re0victimisation of the children abused.

Interpol says it has been monitoring websites disseminating child abuse imagery for more than 13 years and, in collaboration with law enforcement partners across the globe, has seized more than 20,000 domains.

As well as New Zealand authorities, Operation Narsil involved investigations in 27 countries.

-Benn Bathgate/Stuff.
Bay of Plenty mayors, chairs and councils are taking a collaborative approach to climate risk mitigation.

On Friday, the Bay of Plenty Mayoral Forum discussed current and planned work across local government in the region in response to climate risk.

Across the board, councils are implementing climate action plans, investing to ensure infrastructure is resilient and reliable, identifying areas of vulnerability and options for intervention, ensuring growth plans reflect the impact of climate change, and future-proofing communities through the inclusion of climate adaptation actions in upcoming long-term plans.

The Bay of Plenty Regional Climate Change Risk Assessment was presented to the Mayoral Forum and released publicly in April this year.

The risk assessment provides a regional overview of current and future climate risks with the aim of identifying and highlighting areas where a focused effort is needed to manage these risks.

The outputs from the assessment establish a common baseline for the region and help to raise community awareness of risk, and support subsequent local risk assessments.

A Technical Working Group, established through the risk assessment project, updated the forum on work underway across the region.

The update included the main areas of focus for each council and relevant sectors.

Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Regional Council Climate Change Programme Manager, Nic Newman, says the risks identified across the region are varied and complex and unless we start addressing them now, theyre only going to compound in the future.

The discussion held at the Mayoral Forum highlighted the breadth of projects that are already underway in this climate adaptation space, right across the region. Regardless of their size, no council is sitting on their hands waiting for central Government to offer solutions and are simply cracking on with taking a closer look at risks specific to their city and factoring this into their planning.

There is huge value in this joined up approach, not only in the opportunities to collaborate but in ensuring there is no duplication of work. The Technical Working Group will continue to keep the Mayoral Forum updated of progress across all councils.

Rotorua mayor and chair of the Mayoral Forum, Tania Tapsell, says Its not enough to just talk about climate change, our communities need to see action and solutions.

Sharing information across the region helps us to plan and prepare for investment and changes needed to address the impacts of severe weather and climate events.

This approach will help deliver better outcomes for our Bay of Plenty communities as we support each other in our future climate planning.

The full agenda for the Mayoral Forum is available to view here.

Parts of this meeting were livestreamed and you can watch the recording of the meeting here.
Political candidate for Vision New Zealand, Tauranga church pastor Leon Samuels is contesting the Tauranga electorate in Octobers 2023 General Election.

Matakana Island born and bred, from Ngaiterangi iwi, the deputy head boy of Tauranga Boys College in 1996 met his wife Lynda over 18 years ago. The couple have three children and the family lives in Bethlehem.

Tauranga has always been a huge part of my life, and I always wanted to raise my family here, says Leon.

He and Lynda believe society is a reflection of the home and are embracing the Vision New Zealand slogan Empowering families and businesses.

We strongly believe if we can help individuals be successful in their personal life, it will impact on society.

He says whilst education, law and order and democracy are key issues within society, we must also address the foundation which health, wealth and wellbeing is built upon and that is the family unit.

Families are the cornerstone of society and businesses are the heartbeat of our economy. So lets empower them both and make our country both morally and economically great again.

Leon and Lynda Samuels with two of their three children at the campaign launch on Saturday. Photo: Supplied.

As well as a commitment to empower families, Leon is passionate about business, and has been talking with local business owners about the economic challenges they face. His eldest daughter has already started her own small business.

Our children attended Bethlehem School, then Otumoetai Intermediate and College, but after lockdown we decided to continue schooling with Destiny Online College. Its very entrepreneurial.

He says with the escalating crime rate, the safety of everyday Kiwis is paramount.

Having worked alongside the NZ Police, the Department of Corrections and being a facilitator for the successful Man Up programme, I believe we have the answers to reduce crime and recidivist offending.

Leon has assisted getting men back into employment, transitioning them to help get back on their feet and helping men turn their lives around.

I believe I can offer skills that can help them.

Leons interest in politics has grown over the last decade, while working in the social sector.

Ive noticed peoples struggles with my work on the ground, as theyve tried to afford basic needs.

His previous work with Get Smart Tauranga has enabled him to help empower and mentor youth. Prior to this he was youth pastoring for four years in Hamilton. Before that rugby was my god says Leon.

I lived for it.

He played rugby for Tauranga Boys College First XV before moving to the Waikato and trialling in the NZ Under19s. From there he went to Vancouver, Canada to play rugby for a few seasons.

After returning to NZ, his father suddenly died from a heart attack, turning his world up-side-down.

That was the decision maker for me and I looked at life from a different viewpoint after that.

Part of that different viewpoint led him to working with Police through the Awhi programme and pastoring.

Leon Samuels speaking at the campaign launch in Tauranga. Photo: Supplied.

In 2022, Leon organised rallies that failed to comply with a Covid-19 Public Health Response Act order, including a gathering at Coronation Park in Mount Maunganui. At the time there was a 100-person limit on outdoor gatherings, but around 400 attended, most not wearing masks.

Judge Louis Bidois granted his application for a discharge without conviction, saying he was a first offender and had made a huge contribution to the church and wider community.

Your motive is obviously to help people.

Leons party Vision New Zealand registered as a political party with the Electoral Commission on December 4, 2019, and purports itself to be The Party for all Kiwis.

Led by Hannah Tamaki, Vision New Zealand has policies outlined on their website addressing moral issues such as abortion, cannabis and euthansasia; and Lets Get NZ back which addresses keeping Kiwi land in Kiwi hands, citizenship and immigration. The partys flagship policy is about empowering families.

His campaign launch at Chapel St Cafe on Saturday was attended by around 60 family, friends and supporters.

Im excited to let you know that I will be standing as a candidate for Vision NZ in the Tauranga Electorate for the 2023 General Election.

Its time for change Tauranga. Your vote counts. Candidate vote Leon Samuels for Vision NZ and party vote Freedoms NZ.

I look forward to seeing you in our communities over the coming weeks.

Tauranga candidates for the 2023 General Election:

ACT: Christine Young

Greens: Justin Crooks

Labour: Jan Tinetti

National: Sam Uffindell

New Conservative: Jonathan Langridge

NZ First: Erika Harvey

Vision NZ: Leon Samuels

General Elections 2023

The regulated period for election advertising expenses began on Friday, July 14.

Nominations close for candidates at noon on Friday, September 15.

Overseas voting starts on Wednesday, September 27.

Advance voting starts on Monday, October 2.

Advance voting ends on Friday October 13. The regulated period for election advertising expenses also ends on this date and all election advertising must end. Signs must be taken down by midnight.

Election Day is on Saturday, October 14, with voting places open from 9am  7pm.

Official results for the 2023 General Election are declared on Friday, November 3.
During a nighttime Russian attack on Ukraine, an enemy missile in Lutsk hit the Swedish SKF plant, the world's largest manufacturer of industrial bearings. The Russian terrorist strike killed three employees of the plant and injured others.

ADVERTISIMENT

This was reported by the company on Tuesday, 15 August, Reuters reports. SKF spokesman Carl Bjernstam confirmed the deaths of his employees during a Russian missile strike on Lutsk.

"There was an attack on the city of Lutsk in Ukraine at night, and our plant was damaged as a result of this attack. We are very sad to confirm that three of our colleagues have been killed," said the SKF representative.

Bjernstam also noted that the company will review the consequences of the attack and damage to the plant, but added that the main focus is on its employees and their safety.

According to local authorities, three other people were injured and one person was rescued from the rubble.

ADVERTISIMENT

According to the Volyn Regional Prosecutor's Office, three workers - men aged 27, 52 and 55 - were killed in the missile attack on the SKF plant. All of them were residents of Lutsk.

The prosecutor's office has launched an investigation into the deaths. Criminal proceedings have been opened over violations of the laws and customs of war (Article 438 (2) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

"Prosecutors are taking all possible and appropriate measures to document war crimes committed by representatives of the Russian armed forces," the statement said.

As reported by OBOZREVATEL:

The aggressor country Russia during a massive missile attack on Ukraine on the morning of 15 August struck Lutsk. It hit an enterprise that produced car components. The hit destroyed structures and started a fire. Rescuers unblocked one victim from the rubble and recovered the bodies of three people.

ADVERTISIMENT

Almost simultaneously with Volyn, on the morning of 15 August, Russian missiles attacked the Lviv region. The falling debris damaged residential buildings and destroyed a kindergarten, causing fires and injuring several people.

Only verified information is available on our Obozrevatel Telegram channel, Threads and Viber. Don't fall for fakes!
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Syracuse, N.Y.  The state Attorney Generals Office has determined there was no criminal wrong doing in the death of a man who Syracuse police said shot himself after he was chased by officers on the citys North Side.

The AGs Office concluded that the facts and circumstances of the case did not meet its requirements to further investigate the death of Matao Herrera, according to a letter it sent to Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick on Aug. 8. The Syracuse police released the letter Monday.

This decision was reached following a preliminary assessment by the AGs Office to determine whether there was reason to believe officers caused Matao Herreras death and whether there were grounds to prosecute officers.

On Monday, the Syracuse police also announced it had completed its own investigtion, ruling Herrera died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The department said it was closing the case without charges against anyone.

Herrera, 20, was chased by police officers on July 4 after they saw him shoot at someone with a handgun around Park and Oberst streets, Syracuse Police Chief Joe Cecile has said. Herrera was chased through Oberst Street onto Carbon Street, he said.

The police chief has said that Herrera shot himself at the end of the foot pursuit. He said officers never fired any shots.

Onondaga County 911 Center dispatches with police officers captured the foot chase just before 8 p.m. that day. Officers can be heard reporting he was running and then reporting he shot himself in the head.

Four officers involved in the chase were put on paid administrative leave, but have since returned to work, police said.

In July, family and friends protested Herreras death during the encounter with police with a caravan of cars honking horns, holding signs out car windows in downtown Syracuse. The protesters briefly blocked traffic in front of the Public Safety Building at 511 S. State St. before gathering outside the building on the sidewalk.

About 15-20 people protestors went to the Public Safety Building to maKe their feelings known about the death of Matao Herrera in Syracuse. Heather Rendino Herreras mom (right). July 10, 2023. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com

Contacted Monday night, a family member said the family does not agree with the AGs decision. The family member said Syracuse police are not telling the truth and that the department is leaving out details involving the case. The family, as far as they are concerned, believe the case isnt closed and it will be ongoing, she said.

The AGs office was notified as required by state law. As of April 2021, the AGs office was ordered to take over investigations of all fatal incidents involving police officers.

***

Matao Herreras obituary

***

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
Baldwinsville, N.Y.  Baldwinsville Central School District buildings will have additional security measures Tuesday after the district received anonymous threats on Monday, according to the superintendent.

A threatening voicemail was left on Friday that a staff member listened to on Monday, Baldwinsville Police Chief Michael Lefancheck said. The threat, which he described as generic, was not directed at a specific school or person, he said.

On Monday a second threat was received, according to the district website.
Geneva, N.Y.  Two people were arrested Sunday in the Finger Lakes for animal cruelty after a dog named Nina had to be put down due to her condition, deputies said.

The Ontario County Humane Society received a report of animal abuse at 58 Wadsworth St. in Geneva, according to a news release from the Ontario County Sheriffs Office.

The report said an emaciated dog was in the backyard crying and whimpering while Anthony DeMarco, 61, kicked her, deputies said.

The dog was Nina, a 12-year-old black and gray mixed breed dog, deputies said.

Ninas owner, Urania Warona, 49, knew about the dogs condition for months and did not get her help, deputies said.

Nina was taken to the Humane Society and examined by a local vet. It was determined she had advanced cancer as well as a flea infestation that led to her losing fur, deputies said. She also had multiple untreated sores and growths, deputies said. Due to her condition she had to be euthanized, deputies said.

Both Warona and DeMarco were arrested and charged with animal cruelty, deputies said. Both were issued an appearance ticket.
Join NY Cannabis Insider at our next industry networking event on Aug. 15 at Madame Mikettes in NYC. Tickets will sell out.

This guest column is from Hal McCabe, mayor of the Village of Homer, interim executive director & director of government relations for the Cannabis Association of New York. 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.

Talk is cheap. We need action.

New York has our state cannabis rollout barely treading water, and after last Fridays court hearing and this new injunction, Gov. Kathy Hochul needs to call for an extraordinary session of the New York State legislature this week to codify the Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) license into law.

And I can hear them say already  That will never happen, They cant do that, We know what we are doing.

It can happen, and it needs to happen now. Why? Because Wall Street Big Cannabis is about to run the table and get everything they want, leaving our small farms and Main Street small businesses to wither on the vine.



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There is precedent. On Aug. 24, 2021, Gov. Hochul was sworn in as governor. A week later, she called for an extraordinary session so the legislature could confirm the Cannabis Control Board and Office of Cannabis Management appointments of Chris Alexander and Assemblymember Tremaine Wright, which took place on Sept. 1, 2021. Two years later, we write as the leading cannabis advocacy organization in New York State, built of 550+ members, desperately begging for intervention into the Seeding Opportunity Initiative from the governor and the legislature before the OCM hits the iceberg that is painfully visible to the rest of us.

Our members and every New Yorker were delivered a bold declaration by Gov. Hochul  that 20 CAURD dispensaries would be open by the end of 2022, and twenty would open every month thereafter. That would have been 160 dispensaries. There are only 24 in operation, making the original promise feel like false hope. Not only is this a travesty in terms of getting a new market up and running, but it is a stark failing of those whom New York promised to promote: individuals disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition .

The way we see it, this is a clear identity issue for members of the legislature: Do you stand with the folks most disproportionately impacted by drug laws that targeted Black, brown, and low-income communities for decades? Will you now stand up for the underrepresented groups you claim you want to make whole through social and economic equity initiatives?

The OCM is speeding up the entrance of corporate cannabis companies into the New York State legal cannabis market. Behemoth billion-dollar corporations that operate in 10-20 other states are on the doorstep of operating here. That will just create another economic disadvantage for those who played by the states rules, those who were supposed to be prioritized, those who are true social equity operators, and New York-based small business owners in the legal cannabis market.

We need champions who will stand up for underrepresented communities. Sen. Jeremy Cooney had the right idea of codifying the CAURD license into law like Adult-Use Conditional Cultivators (AUCCs) and Adult-Use Conditional Processors (AUCPs). There is more to be done. We at CANY urge our state leaders to act on these two steps to rectify the situation immediately.

First, we need to press pause on the entrance of Wall Street Big Cannabis companies into New York until further notice, and if this means the regulations need to be revised, then revise them. The Cannabis Control Board should have its own emergency meeting and pass the emergency regulations. They gave the ROs an inch by moving up their entry into the market, and naturally, these giant corporate cannabis operations are trying to take a mile, suing New York State twice at the same time, to ensure they get their way and block entry into the market for everyone but themselves, while our legislators and governor sit back and do nothing.

Second, leadership must call for an extraordinary session of the legislature to codify the CAURD license as they did with the conditional cultivator and conditional processor licenses. In this way, the OCM must invest in and prioritize the small and New York-based businesses in the industry: locally owned, based, and propagated means better outcomes for our local economy. Our elected officials must be loyal to the people of New York State, not rich Wall Street Big Cannabis companies chomping at the bit to stomp all over our social and economic equity owners.

If the governor and legislature fail to do so, they will once again fail the Black and brown communities this law was supposed to help. For this reason, we call on the leadership of the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus to weigh in with state leadership and let them know that this is a top priority.

CANY is offering solutions to avoid any further nationwide embarrassment to this program. We need to stop pretending like this is a friendly state or industry for small businesses or a socially or economically equitable process. Wall Street Big Cannabis companies only answer to their shareholders, which unfortunately doesnt align with promoting an equitable market. Our state must be the check on their market power. Our leaders must protect us. There is enormous demand for cannabis in New York State, and we cannot allow all that demand to go into the illegal market and the Wall Street Big Cannabis corporations, especially after creating all this hope for these conditional cultivators, processors, and dispensaries  all backed with grand talks of correcting the harms, reinvesting in the community, and standing behind underrepresented groups.

This is a hill we will happily die on, fighting for our members.
Clay, N.Y. -- Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday announced a $325,000 state grant to help begin development of an industrial park off Caughdenoy Road in Clay to host supply chain companies associated with a semiconductor plant Micron Technology plans to build nearby.

The grant will go to the Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency to assist with its efforts to develop White Pine South, an industrial park at the southeast corner of Caughdenoy Road and Route 31.
By Roger Hannigan Gilson | Times Union, Albany

Albany, N.Y.  Thirty-one counties in upstate New York are asking the federal government for disaster relief after crop damage from last Mays deep freeze recently came into full focus.

Crops from the Hudson Valley to the Finger Lakes suffered extensive damage after temperatures plunged below 32 degrees on the early morning of May 18. Initial reports from farmers suggested grapes and apples were hit the worst, with the president of a regional grape association saying it was the most damaging freeze in at least 60 years.

But the full extent of the damage has only become clear as farmers have attempted to harvest their crops. In the worst-hit areas, 95 percent of certain crops were totally destroyed from the freeze, according to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, who spoke with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack last week about the disaster and getting farmers federal relief.

Thirty percent of a crop must be lost for a county to request federal disaster relief, and nearly all of the 31 counties reported 30 percent losses on multiple crops. In Columbia County, for example, apples, blueberries, cherries, peaches, plums and strawberries reached this threshold, according to the New York State Farm Service Agency, which is requesting disaster relief from the USDA on behalf of the farmers.

New Yorks two senators, Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, wrote Vilsack urging the USDA to approve the designation so farmers can get financial relief.

With New Yorks disaster application now submitted for 31 counties  exactly half of the counties in the state  I am urging the USDA to swiftly provide the vineyards, orchards, and farms now facing detrimental damage with a Secretarial Disaster Designation to unlock emergency relief funds, Schumer said in a statement. We cant leave New Yorks beautiful orchards and renowned wine country out in the cold right as harvest season begins.

With farmers still suffering from the staggering crop losses from the May freeze, it is imperative USDA expeditiously approve a Secretarial Disaster Declaration for the 31 impacted counties, Gillibrand said in a statement. I will continue to fight for our farmers to get the assistance they need.

If Vilsack approves the request, low-interest USDA emergency loans become available to farmers in each county where a disaster is declared, allowing them to borrow up to 100 percent of the cost of production or physical losses due to the freeze, with loans topping off at $500,000 per producer.

Vineyards and apple farms, which were badly affected by the freeze, make up a large chunk of the states agricultural sector. As of 2017, New York was the third-largest wine producer in the U.S., behind only California and Washington. The industry employs close to 100,000 New Yorkers, according to the New York Wine and Grape Foundation. Apples are a $2.1 billion industry in the state.

___

(c)2023 the Times Union (Albany, N.Y.)

Visit the Times Union (Albany, N.Y.) at www.timesunion.com
The Russians may be planning a provocation at the Kursk NPP. They are currently making preparations to evacuate the population from the zone of probable radioactive contamination in case of "use of conventional means of destruction by a probable enemy": local authorities have obliged to create a transportation register.

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At the same time, up to 57 thousand people are planned to be evacuated in case of provocation, while in Kursk alone there are at least 435 thousand residents. The corresponding documents were at the disposal of the Center for National Resistance.

The CNR claims that Russia is planning a provocation at the Kursk nuclear power plant. This may be evidenced by the preparation of the region for the evacuation of the local population.

"According to the underground, the Kursk region continues to prepare for evacuation from the zone of probable radioactive contamination, in case of an accident at the nuclear power plant. For this purpose, local authorities have been tasked with creating a transportation registry. The relevant documents have fallen into the hands of the Center for National Resistance," the report says.

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At the same time, if the provocation is carried out, most of the inhabitants of the region Russia will throw to the mercy of fate: to rescue the occupants are going to save only a few percent of the population of the Kursk region.

"In total, they plan to evacuate from 21 to 57 thousand people, while the population of the region is more than 1 million people, and Kursk itself 435 thousand. That is, we are talking about 5% of the population of the regions, which indicates the selectivity of those who got on the list," - said the Center for National Resistance.

"Lucky" people who will be on the evacuation lists in case the Russians carry out a provocation at the Kursk NPP will be taken to the north of the region, in particular, to the settlements of Zheleznogorsky, Bolshoye Soldatskoye, Shchegry, Gorshechnoye.

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"Note that the Ukrainian Defense Forces are operating exclusively on the territory of Ukraine and are not planning any attacks on nuclear power plants. This provocation is necessary for the Russians themselves to distract the world from the seizure of ZNPP," the CNS summarized.

The distance from the Kursk nuclear power plant to the border town of Glukhov in Sumy Region is more than 100 km.

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Recall, August 10, Belarus said about the fire at Mozyr oil refinery. At the refinery, 15 km from Mazyr, Homel voblast, rescuers eliminated flaring burning from the gate valve of the gasoline production unit within an hour.

Earlier, the Security Service of Ukraine warned that, according to intelligence, the mercenaries of PMC "Wagner," massively moved to Belarus from the Russian Federation, could provoke the involvement of soldiers of Belarus in the war against Ukraine. It is for this purpose they can conduct sabotage at such a strategic facility, as Mozyr oil refinery.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz told New York City officials to stop sending migrants to the county over the weekend, according to multiple news reports.

Poloncarz said during a news conference Saturday that he demanded [New York City] Mayor [Eric] Adams pause all further transportation of asylum seekers to our community until such time as we can resolve all security issues, according to Spectrum News. Poloncarz said Adams agreed and the two also discussed the need for a new security plan.

About 540 migrants have been bused from New York City to three different hotels in Cheektowaga since mid-June, according to The Buffalo News. Initially, officials said the transfers werent a problem and few problems have been reported.

But two migrants have been charged in sexual assaults in recent days. One asylum seeker from Venezuela was accused of raping a woman in front of a 3-year-old child and another from the Democratic Republic of Congo was charged with sex abuse and unlawful imprisonment after allegedly attacking an employee inside a hotel, according to Spectrum.

When Adams first announced he would begin sending migrants from New York City to some Upstate locations, Poloncarz said Erie County would welcome them. Saturday, he said the system needs improvements, according to City and State.

Erie County opened its arms to try to welcome these new Americans, Poloncarz said during a press conference Saturday, City and State said. Unfortunately we believe we cant make the program, as it is presently run, sustainable without significant changes.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced she would deploy National Guard troops to the county to help stabilize the situation, according to City and State.

The troops will be stationed at the hotels where migrants are currently staying, according to The Buffalo News.

Statewide, about 1,800 National Guard members are working on issues related to the migrant crisis, Spectrum News said.

Sexual assault is a horrific crime, a spokesperson for Hochul said in a statement, according to Spectrum. The governor is grateful to Erie County law enforcement for their work in this matter and has directed State personnel to provide all necessary support.

New York City has been struggling to respond to a crush of migrants that have been arriving there over the last year or so. Nearly 100,000 migrants have arrived in the city since 2022, according to The New York Times.

The city is legally obligated to provide shelter to anyone who asks, but officials have said theyre running out of space, according to the Times.

That prompted Adams to begin trying to send some of the migrants to locations outside New York City, including Upstate New York counties.

Multiple Upstate officials, including Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon, have attempted to block such transfers.

Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598
By Tim Balk | New York Daily News

Dozens of advocacy groups have joined in a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul demanding the state force towns to accept migrants from New York City, pressuring the governor to take a more aggressive approach to the citys deepening asylum seeker crisis.

Hochul should take executive action overruling county-level orders meant to block the movement of migrants, according to the Monday letter, which was led by the Coalition for the Homeless and the Legal Aid Society.

The groups said in the letter that Hochul should deploy executive powers to invalidate executive orders in counties that have refused to accept new arrivals or alternatively, have the State intervene in pending cases to overturn the obstructive executive orders.

The letter also asked Hochul to personally pressure mayors and county executives to accept migrants; to help coordinate relocation efforts; and to identify more state-run spaces to house people.

Gov. Hochul has gone above and beyond to help the City meet their legal obligation to shelter asylum seekers, Avi Small, a Hochul spokesman, said in a statement. Gov. Hochul will continue this hands-on approach, working closely with federal, State and local officials to provide additional support.

The sort of executive action urged by the groups could swiftly invite lawsuits. The state is already a party to a flurry of legal proceedings around the treatment of migrants and the citys efforts to bus arrivals upstate.

The letter, which was sent to the governors office Monday morning, carried about 100 signatories. But the count of supporters behind the letter was still growing, said Dave Giffen, executive director of the Coalition for the Homeless.

Giffen said he was grateful that Hochul had secured $1 billion for the citys support of asylum seekers, but that the Democratic governor still needs to take a more aggressive posture.

Shes allowed this complete chaos to fester, he said, where you have dozens of counties and municipalities issuing executive orders that are precluding New York City from sheltering people  who are desperately in need of shelter  in their counties.

Giffen argued the governor would be on strong legal footing to force counties to take asylum seekers, citing a public relief and care clause in the state Constitution.

We need to make sure that people arent sleeping on the streets, he said.

The city has been strained by the arrival of about 100,000 asylum seekers since 2022, a historic influx. The number of people sleeping in the citys shelter system has doubled since last summer.

In June, New York City sued more than 30 localities over efforts to block the relocation of migrants.

Hochul has said regions of the state have employed bigoted policies based on fear and intimidation.

But she has sometimes seemed reluctant to push upstate communities on the issue, perhaps concerned about alienating areas that could be pivotal in 2024 House races, as noted by political observers.

In recent days, she has vocally defended her record, insisting that she has brought enormous resources to the table.

Her office issued a statement on Saturday outlining its investments, including National Guard deployments to asylum seeker sites.

This week, a migrant shelter is set to open at the state-run Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens Village, Queens, according to the governors office. The state is expected to reimburse the city for costs associated with the center.

In May, Hochul issued an emergency declaration to unlock equipment and logistical resources.

We will continue our efforts to provide financial support, personnel and equipment, and continued advocacy for federal assistance, Hochul said in the Saturday statement.

But the letter highlighted steps Hochul has so far shied away from, saying that while the groups appreciate her efforts, much more is needed.

-------

2023 New York Daily News. Visit at nydailynews.com.
Brandon, Miss.  Six white former Mississippi law officers pleaded guilty on Monday to state charges for torturing two Black men in a racist assault. All six had recently admitted their guilt in a connected federal civil rights case.

In the gruesome crimes committed by men tasked with enforcing the law, federal prosecutors saw echoes of Mississippis dark history, including the 1964 killing of three civil rights workers after a deputy handed them off to the Ku Klux Klan. Locally, the sheriff whose deputies committed the crimes this year called it the worst case of police brutality he had ever seen.

Prosecutors say some of the officers nicknamed themselves the Goon Squad because of their willingness to use excessive force and cover up attacks including the assault that ended with a deputy shooting one victim in the mouth.

In January, the officers entered a house without a warrant and handcuffed and assaulted the two men with stun guns, a sex toy and other objects. The officers mocked them with racial slurs throughout a 90-minute torture session, then devised a cover-up that included planting drugs and a gun, leading to false charges that stood against the victims for months.

Their conspiracy unraveled after one officer told the sheriff he had lied, leading to confessions from the others. The charges against the victims werent dropped until June after federal and state investigators got involved, according to their attorney.

The men include five former Rankin County sheriffs deputies  Brett McAlpin, Hunter Elward, Christian Dedmon, Jeffrey Middleton and Daniel Opdyke  and a former police officer from the city of Richland, Joshua Hartfield, who was off duty during the assault.

Elward pleaded guilty to aggravated assault for shooting his handgun in the victims mouth in what authorities called a mock execution, thinking the weapon would dry fire without a bullet in the chamber.

They appeared Monday in jumpsuits with the names of the jails covered by tape.

They agreed to sentences recommended by state prosecutors ranging from five to 30 years, although the judge isnt bound by that. Time served for the state convictions will run concurrently with the potentially longer federal sentences theyll receive in November.

The victims  Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker  arrived together to Mondays hearing and sat in the front row, just feet from their attackers families. They were embraced by Monica Lee, the mother of Damien Cameron, a Black man who died in Elwards custody in 2021.

I enjoyed the view of seeing the walk of shame. Head down, the disgust everybody felt for them and that they feel for themselves, Parker said after the officers were led away in shackles. I hope this is a lesson to everybody out there: Justice will be served.

The charges followed an Associated Press investigation in March that linked some of the officers to at least four violent encounters since 2019 that left two Black men dead. In addition to Jenkins lasting injuries, another Black man also accused them of shoving a gun inside his mouth. The Justice Department launched a civil rights probe in February.

All six of the former officers pleaded guilty to state charges of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to hinder prosecution. Dedmon and Elward, who kicked in a door, also admitted to home invasion.

After details of the case became public, some residents pointed to a police culture they said gives officers carte blanche to abuse their power.

Rankin Countys majority-white suburbs have been a destination for white flight out of the capital, Jackson, which is home to one of the highest percentages of Black residents of any major U.S. city.

The officers warned Jenkins and Parker to go back to Jackson or their side of the Pearl River, the federal charging documents say.

Jenkins and Parker were targeted because a white neighbor complained that two Black men were staying at the home with a white woman, court documents show.

Parker was a childhood friend of the homeowner, Kristi Walley, who was at the hospital at the time. Shes been paralyzed since she was 15, and Parker was helping care for her.

Hes a blessing. Every time Ive needed him hes been here, Walley said in a February interview. There were times Ive been living here by myself and I didnt know what I was going to do.

Parker and Jenkins have left Mississippi and arent sure they will ever return for a long stay.

Jenkins still has difficulty speaking because of his injuries. The gunshot lacerated his tongue and broke his jaw before exiting his neck. He can only eat soft foods easily and has recurrent nightmares.

As far as justice, I knew we were going to get it, Jenkins has said. But I thought it was maybe going to take longer.

Other consequences remain to be determined.

Lee claims Elward and a current deputy not linked to the Jenkins assault killed her son. A grand jury declined to indict Elward after he punched Cameron and shocked him with a stun gun, but a Rankin County judge ruled Wednesday that Lees claims of excessive force could move forward against him, and Lee said the FBI told her theyre reviewing the case.

Separately, Carvis Johnson, the Black man who said another deputy pointed a gun into his mouth, filed a federal lawsuit from behind bars alleging that McAlpin beat him during an arrest and told him to stay out of Rankin County.

Jenkins and Parker, meanwhile, are seeking $400 million in damages in their federal civil rights lawsuit against Rankin County.

Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey applauded the investigations that led to the guilty pleas.

I believe todays guilty pleas show the community that our system of checks and balances is effective, Bailey said in a statement after the hearing. An unbiased and impartial investigation into these former officers uncovered their criminal actions.

Bailey had acknowledged his lax body camera policy failed. After the officers pleaded guilty, he promised to change it.

Malik Shabazz, one of Jenkins and Parkers attorneys, said Bailey is directly responsible for the vicious acts of his subordinates.

Court documents unsealed by federal prosecutors suggest only some members of the Goon Squad participated in the illegal raid. There are other Rankin County deputies known to the United States Attorney, the documents say.

We would certainly hope that they continue to investigate the Goon Squad and other outstanding claims that may exist against these officers, as well as other officers, said Trent Walker, another attorney for Jenkins and Parker.
This autumn, a uniquely spectacular celestial phenomenon will be observed over the Earth - an annular solar eclipse. It occurs when the Moon at its peak covers the solar disc so that it turns into a ring of fire. This will happen on the day when Ukrainians have been celebrating the Intercession for many years, and in recent years, the Day of Defenders of Ukraine on 14 October (this year, both holidays were moved to 1 October due to the church's transition to a new calendar).

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According to the Live Science portal, the eclipse will be fully visible in North America. Residents of Oregon will be the first to see it, and then it will move through Northern California, Nevada, Utah, northeastern Arizona, southwestern Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. And then it will be possible to admire it on the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula, in Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and Colombia. The phenomenon will be available in Ukraine only online. (To access the video, please scroll down to the end of the news story)

In total, scientists estimate that the eclipse will last about three hours. However, its most spectacular phase - the transformation of the Sun into a ring of fire - will be visible only within the narrow zone described above, and only for a few minutes.

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An annular solar eclipse is different from a total solar eclipse. It does not cause dusk in the middle of the day and a drop in air temperature. In addition, it can only be observed through protective devices. But the beauty of such an eclipse is unforgettable.

This type of phenomenon occurs because the Moon passes in front of the Sun, being at a greater distance from the Earth in its elliptical orbit. Thus, it visually appears smaller than our star and covers it only partially. At some point, the centres of the celestial bodies coincide and a ring of fire appears in the sky. During this eclipse, the Moon will cover up to 91% of the Sun, meaning that the ring will be quite distinct.

The peak phase in the narrow band where the phenomenon will be fully visible will last only from 4 minutes 29 seconds to 4 minutes 52 seconds. The longest "ring of fire" will be visible from Padre Island on the Texas coast. Estimates show that the path of the eclipse will pass through remote areas of the south-west of the United States, where national and state parks are located. The largest cities in the path of the phenomenon will be Albuquerque in New Mexico and San Antonio in Texas.

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Those who will not be able to see the phenomenon with their own eyes will have several options for online broadcasting. The Exploratorium Science Museum in San Francisco and the website www.timeanddate.com will host it. It has already launched a subscription option to watch the eclipse using astronomical devices.

Earlier, OBOZREVATEL reported that solar activity may peak earlier than scientists expected and how this threatens humanity.

Subscribe to OBOZREVATEL's Telegram, Viber and Threads channels to keep up with the latest developments.
Poten's Weekly Opinion - Transatlantic Balancing Act

Did the Ukraine war change transatlantic product flows?
Experienced tourists know the secrets about which the administration of hotels usually keeps silent. It is about services and things that are included in the price of accommodation. For example, dry cleaning, clothes, electrical appliances, cosmetics and transportation.

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Staying in hotels can be an unforgettable experience if you do not hesitate to ask about all the possibilities at the reception. OBOZREVATEL tells about everything you can get for free.

Chargers

People often forget to bring a charger with them, but even in 3-star hotels you can get one at the reception.

When traveling long distances, tourists may face the problem of incompatibility of their electrical appliances with local sockets or voltages. In such cases, special adapters and adaptors are needed. Hotels have several in their arsenal and provide them free of charge to guests from other countries.

Clothing

Rain can be a frequent occurrence in many popular destinations. Although not all hotels milk umbrellas for guests, it is worth asking at reception to avoid spending extra money on buying rain protection. In the mountains, where the weather can be unpredictable, hotels provide their clients with raincoats or even jackets.

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Food and snacks

Free food in hotels is not a myth. One way to get it is to check to see if breakfast is included, if there are cocktail hours or access to a lounge with snacks. Sometimes they allow you to take some snacks to your room for later. Travelers with experience often plan a daily routine, including meals.

Other complimentary dining options at hotels may include snacks, drinks at the spa, or frozen desserts and apetizers served regularly by the pool.

Cosmetics

Hotels usually provide appropriate cosmetics. In addition to the basics such as soap and shampoo, five-star hotels often provide exquisite body lotions, facials and hair care products. Other hygiene products such as toothpaste, deodorant, razors and slippers are also available free of charge.

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Facilities for pets

Some pet owners cannot travel without their pets. Most luxury hotels present themselves as "pets friendly" and provide some services for pets. For example, food bowls, dog or cat meals, a place to sleep or toys in the room. These amenities allow tourists along with their pets to enjoy their stay in the hotel without worries.

Transportation

Many hotels have free transportation for guests. It is not about private cars, but about bicycles or scooters, on which guests can ride around the territory. If the hotel is near a lake or the sea, the administration can provide canoes and kayaks.

Stationery

Notepad, pencil and other stationery can be found on the desk in the hotel room. In addition, the housekeeping staff provides writing sets, pens and postcards upon request. Travelers recommend checking the drawers by the bed, usually these supplies are put there.

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Bathrobes and slippers

Bathrobes and slippers are compulsory in mid-range hotels and above. If you don't find these in your room, it's worth asking for them.

Laundry bags

If guests stay in a hotel for a long time, they need to wash their clothes or send them to the dry cleaners. For this purpose, they put empty bags in the closet in the room where they need to put things. Tourists also use these bags to store dirty clothes in their suitcases when they go home.

Travel guides

Most hotels have local maps and guidebooks in the lobbies. Guests can usually borrow a map for free. You can also ask the staff, they will be happy to give insider tips, point out their favorite spots and answer any questions about the area.

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Earlier OBOZREVATEL wrote how to visit Rome on a budget. Travelers told about ways to save money.

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Re: What Scooter for a large guy beginning his career? Quote: raptor_diwan Originally Posted by First of all, congratulations on your career and the decision to purchase a scooter!



Since you have a preference for the Honda Activa 125, you're already on the right track. Speaking of reliability, you can confidently opt for the Activa 125; it's known for its dependability. Additionally, considering your stature, I recommend looking into the Suzuki Burgman Street 125 for its comfort. If budget allows, the Yamaha Aerox 155 is worth considering as well. It offers sufficient power for your weekend-long rides.



Thanks a lot! I truly want to look towards Aerox but since it is literally the beginning of my career I can't afford it if that makes sense. I have used 125 for like 7 years so that is high up on my list



Have you also considered exploring motorcycles? A Bullet would be a fantastic choice.



Quote: ani_meher Originally Posted by You haven't specified how 'large' you are. If you are above average, then Burgman 125 is the biggest 125cc scooter. Activa 125 too is a good choice, especially the newly launched H smart version with keyless entry looks good. It is bot smaller than Burgman. I have latest Burgman 125 e20 version, and feel that Activa 125 is more smooth and more advanced in features. Bit the size advantage of Burgman is undeniable.



Quote: shashant Originally Posted by I am a big advocate of ABS on two wheelers. Your options are limited to Aprilia/ Vespa and Aerox.



Used Aprilia would be a good choice. You can get less run scooter in 70-80K range.



Fuel efficiency though would hover around 25-35 kmpl.



Quote: shankar.balan Originally Posted by May I suggest for overall safety, all weather comfort and general peace of mind, that you consider a relatively inexpensive, used small hatchback instead.

I too started my career in Chennai long ago and even then, I really couldnt wait to graduate from my bike to a car. In todays world with the traffic and grime and smoke and heat and humidity etc, I feel youd be happier in a car.



Quote: Boringrider Originally Posted by Riding a Honda Aviator from the last 8 years, I can confirm that Honda knows how to make scooters. Still don't get bored of riding it, it's the best for zipping around and making your way in tight traffic smoothly. Maintenance and reliability is top notch - take care of the basics and you'll never have to worry about anything ever again.



I resonate with you, I too have been riding my Activa 125 in Delhi for past 7 years. The mid range punch is truly exceptional. Honda despite being pricey is the best bet when one wants no non sense machinery! Cheers to you!



Being a larger guy myself at 6'3, I had no choice in maxi scooters even though I wanted them when I was buying but today there are at least 2 alternates I would suggest you to take a casual test ride at least as they might change your opinions.



Suzuki Burgman - I have ridden this extensively as one of my close friend bought it on my suggestion and is extremely happy with it, despite being skeptical of its dimensions. It's mostly plastic anyway and weight is on par with normal scooters so no big deal. Performance is surprisingly good, refined engine for city usage and can hold decent highway speeds too for long-ish rides. Wouldn't recommend touring on scooters though. We're not there yet. Only downside is puny tires do not inspire much confidence, but that can be an acceptable compromise if purely used majorly for city and comfort oriented usage. Those headlamps are brilliant as well.



Aprilia SXR 125/160 - Haven't ridden it yet but I get tempted to check it out. I don't want to because I'm afraid a new upgrade itch will begin when the Aviator is running just fine. Visually, it looked smaller to me in person than in photos however has high performing engine, although on the pricier side. Also, reviews keep mentioning that the ride is hard. However, since it has 125cc option as well, you can consider that too depending on your budget.



Coming to your original pick, the Activa 125 is an excellent pick, no doubt and I won't discourage you from buying it however I would like you to form your opinions after sampling these two as well.



Quote: shancz Originally Posted by Size is something you'll have to check for each specific scooter and so is the ride comfort.



Some points are :

- Honda Activa 125 : you know better

- Suzuki Access/Burgman/Avenis : better performance and acceleration, probably better headlights

- TVS Jupiter 125 : largest storage and adjustable rear suspension

- TVS NTorq : excellent performance, stiffer/sportier suspension, check for comfort

- Yamaha Aerox : excellent performance, stiff rear, check for comfort



If into EVs do check out the Ather and iQube.



Quote: Cyborg Originally Posted by



I believe the above two should fit you better than the Activa or any other scooter. You could be cramped on the Aerox. Of course do check out all options and take a test ride before finalising anything.



Thanks for the suggestion my hear wants the SXR but surely wallet differs



Cheers Since you mentioned you are a large person I feel the Suzuki Burgman 125 EX will fit you the best. The new EX version has 12 wheels at both ends. The normal Burgman has a 12 front and 10 rear. The Aprilia SXR 160 may also fit you well, not SR, the SXR.I believe the above two should fit you better than the Activa or any other scooter. You could be cramped on the Aerox. Of course do check out all options and take a test ride before finalising anything.Thanks for the suggestion my hear wants the SXR but surely wallet differsCheers Quote: Vtach Originally Posted by Whatever product you choose, take an independent quote from any online insurance aggregators like policybazar/coverfox etc. The dealer provided insurance quote is invariably inflated, and you can easily shave off 10-15% or more from it by getting the insurance yourself or asking the dealer to match the lower quote. I sure want to but my dad is highly against bikes. I sure will take that up in my next upgrade. Thanks for the suggestion though, that is the need my heart has for the future.I am a bit confused whether to go for the H smart since the difference is like 5k but all I get is a type of central locking, was thinking for the regular alloy plus disc combo. Do you feel H smart is worth the money?Trust me I am a big safety first advocate. Back in 2017 when my dad wanted a Creta I was a firm believer of Ecosport only because of the safety. I sure will consider your opinion its just Vespa's long term reliability I ain't sure about. Plus the limited service centers and the lack of any Vespa's around my locality is putting me off.I am more of a driver than a rider, and nothing will give me pure joy than a 2014 ivtech City. But since this is my kind of first corporate stint, I want to stay away from a car as you may never know when I have to pack my bags and head home and a 2014 vehicle would be obsolete in the capital. Thanks for the suggestion!I am looking towards Burgman but not the top variant, that gets me to SXR range and I honestly not that confident to take that big of a plunge right at the beginning of the career. My heart desires a Aprilia but wallet gets the better of meI am not a fan of TVS, probably the perception in my mind ain't right. Still will look towards since you mentioned. What harm a test drive can doSure I will keep the point in mind, in today's age dealers are known to quote exorbitant insurance numbers. Thanks for the advise!
What just happened? Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are just two of the countries to have joined the AI arms race, buying up thousands of Nvidia chips, including the H100, with the aim of becoming global leaders in the field. But, as with China, there are concerns about the Middle-Eastern nations potentially misusing the technology.

The Financial Times reports that Saudi Arabia has bought at least 3,000 Nvidia H100 GPUs, which Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang calls the first chip designed for generative AI. With its 14,592 CUDA cores, 80GB of HBM3 capacity, and 5,120-bit memory bus, it's priced at a massive $40,000.

The UAE has also purchased thousands of Nvidia chips and already developed its own open-source large language model, called Falcon, at the state-owned Technology Innovation Institute in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi.

Sources say Nvidia will ship about 550,000 H100 GPUs globally this year, most of which are heading to US tech companies. Saudi Arabia's public research institution King Abdullah University of Science and Technology will receive 3,000 of them, worth about $120 million, by the end of 2023. For comparison, OpenAI trained ChatGPT on 1,024 A100 chips.

The Saudi university is using the chips to build its own supercomputer, Shaheen III. It will pack 700 Grace Hopper super chips, which combine a Grace CPU and an H100 Tensor Core GPU. The chips are also being used to create an LLM, developed by Chinese researchers who can't study or work in the US after graduating from Chinese universities on America's entity list.

The UAE's Falcon LLM, meanwhile, was trained on 384 A100 chips over two months. The country has bought a new batch of Nvidia chips for more AI/LLM-related applications.

Both Gulf countries don't have the best reputations when it comes to human rights and freedom of the press, but unlike China, there are no US restrictions on AI chip exports to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Utilizing AI for purposes such as surveillance is a concerning prospect for many, and their systems may lack the ethical guardrails found in Western versions.

While some believe generative AI systems are nothing more than "glorified tape recorders," countries around the world are pouring millions into the industry in the hope of becoming world leaders. Even China and Russia said they are aiming for this accolade, though that will be difficult with all the sanctions and limitations - Nvidia makes less powerful versions of its top AI chips for the Chinese market
What just happened? Reddit has joined Apple and Wikipedia on the list of Western companies fined by Russia this month for not deleting what the country deems to be "banned" and "fake" content relating to its invasion of Ukraine.

The Interfax news agency reported in July that Reddit was facing its first-ever fine from Russia after it failed to remove content that Moscow said discredits the Russian army.

Reddit was faced with a 4 million ruble fine ($43,895) for not deleting the "knowingly false information" about the Soviet Union's actions during World War Two, content that discredits the Russian Federation's armed forces, and other "extremist information," writes Reuters.

That fine arrived today, though at 2 million roubles ($20,365), it was half the maximum amount.

Reddit isn't the only tech company fined by Russia this month. Apple and Wikipedia were also charged for not deleting so-called fake news. In Cupertino's case, it related to material on Apple Podcasts that Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor said was aimed at destabilizing the political situation in the country. Apple was fined 400,000 roubles, about $4,077, for failing to act.

While the fines against Reddit and Apple were the companies' first to come from Russia, Wikipedia owner the Wikimedia Foundation's 3-million-rouble fine (~$30,581) was the latest of many. The organization was fined for the seventh time in April for not removing "banned" content relating to the Russian military, writes Politico. The foundation said it has two active appeals with a Moscow court for fines related to content on the war in Ukraine.

Days after the invasion of Ukraine, Russia introduced a law that prohibited the spreading of "fake" news about what it has long claimed is a "special military operation" designed to demilitarize and "denazify" Ukraine while protecting its Russian speakers. Those convicted of breaking this law face up to 15 years in prison. It can also fine platforms that fail to remove the content.

Last week saw Dmitry Glukhovsky, the Russian science fiction writer who penned the Metro series and collaborated with 4A Games on the video game versions, sentenced to eight years in prison after a Moscow court found him guilty of deliberately spreading false information about Russia's military. Glukhovsky was sentenced in absentia as he no longer lives in Russia.
PayPal has officially named Alex Chriss as the new CEO of the company. As the current executive of Intuit, Chriss is expected to lead the fintech firm by next month. Meanwhile, Dan Schulman, the longtime CEO of PayPal will still be the company's director until May 2024.

Alex Chriss is PayPal's New CEO

PayPal Holdings. Inc. officially appointed Alex Chriss as the President and CEO of the company. He will take over Schulman on Sep. 27, according to CNBC.

Earlier this year, Schulman already announced that he won't be staying at PayPal for too long. Back in February, the 65-year-old executive confirmed his retirement in late 2023.

Since 2014, Schulman has been in charge of leading PayPal. It was in the time of the pandemic when the company found its groove, especially with the launch of the new online payment systems.

Between 2015 and 2022, PayPal saw its payment volume skyrocket five times. It ballooned to $1.36 trillion at that time. Last year, the company managed to hit $27.5 billion in revenue which is equivalent to three times its revenue a year before.

Unfortunately, PayPal's shares did not translate well this year. In fact, it plunged to 60% as more fintech firms struggled in the industry.

PayPal began to apply cost-cutting strategies to save about $1.3 billion for this year alone. Additionally, it previously laid off nearly 2,000 workers which instantly gave the company a $600 million boost.

Related Article: PayPal Cuts 32% of Pay for Outgoing CEO Dan Schulman to Meet Financial Targets

Who Was Alex Chriss Before He Became PayPal CEO?

Per Business Insider, Chriss has been running Intuit for the past 19 years. His LinkedIn suggests that one of his most significant achievements in Intuit is the delivery of Mailchimp and QuickBooks to both small and medium-sized business customers. He handled a division composed of 8,000 persons for this task.

Another legacy that Chriss left on Intuit is the acquisition of Mailchimp which cost $12 billion. With this, the company saw its much-need expansion of customers and platform features.

According to the chair of the PayPal Board of Directors, John Donahoe, Alex is the perfect leader who can manage PayPal and boost its growth for the next years to come.

"With his depth of experience in product development, his passion for serving customers and his longstanding commitment to empowering and enabling small businesses, and his proven track record of developing and inspiring his team, Alex is the perfect leader to take PayPal forward and accelerate the company's growth opportunities," Donahoe says.

The arrival of Alex as the new PayPal President does not mean that Schulman will leave soon. He will stay until the next annual meeting of stockholders as one of PayPal's board of directors in May 2024.

In other news, PayPal has graced the crypto market after launching PayPal USD, its very own US dollar stablecoin.

Read Also: Paypal's Longtime CEO Dan Schulman to Retire After a 9-Year Run

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One brain circuit may regulate male sexual urges, according to a recent mouse study. Researchers found a mouse brain region that controls sexual desire, pleasure, mating, and attractiveness.



This study may affect the understanding of sexual behavior, leading to the development of libido and sexual desire treatments.



The research was headed by Stanford University School of Medicine psychiatry and neuroscience professor Nirao Shah, US News reported. He clarified that the preoptic area of the hypothalamus (POA), a part of the brain, analyzes sensory data from the environment to ascertain the sex of possible mates. The urge to mate is subsequently sparked by this acknowledgment, which also starts the behavior's enjoyable component.



Shah pointed out that while the research was done on mice, comparable brain areas may exist in other species, such as humans. The purpose of these brain regions in humans is still unknown, but the research provides fascinating new information about the intricate processes that underpin sexual behavior.

What Did The Researchers Find Out?

The study team carefully mapped the brain cells and connections that comprise the POA circuit via their tests. They found that the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), a particular group of neurons in the amygdala, is essential for signal transmission to the POA. Substance P, a slow-acting signaling protein, is secreted in response to these signals.

Read Also: Artificial Intelligence Revolutionizes Wildlife Monitoring for Biodiversity Preservation



The POA neurons were more active when the BNST neurons produced substance P and interacted with them. The male mice eventually displayed a series of mating behaviors, including mounting, penetration, and ejaculation, resulting from increased activity. Substance P increases the POA neurons' sensitivity, increasing their receptivity to stimulus.

Promising Results

Additional tests showed that Substance P administered directly to the POA area enhanced male mouse mating behavior. Astonishingly, the stimulus even prompted mating with inanimate things, per IFL Science. Additionally, the scientists discovered that turning on the POA circuit significantly shortened the time male mice needed to restart sexual behavior after ejaculation.



However, regardless of favorable circumstances, blocking the POA circuit stopped male mice from feeling the need to mate.



Researchers are investigating if female mice have neurological links to male sexual behavior. This study might lead to new sexual desire therapies for men and women, according to Stanford Medicine News Center.



Columbia, Stanford, and the Allen Institute for Neural Dynamics collaborated.

Related Article: Alpha-gal Syndrome: Lone Star Tick Linked to Unusual Allergic Reactions to Meat, Dairy

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Hackers took advantage of a zero-day weakness in the widely used MOVEit file transfer software to access systems run by computer giant IBM, resulting in a catastrophic data breach that shocked the healthcare industry.



The incident exposed millions of Americans' sensitive medical and health information, raising worries about medical data security and privacy in the digital era.

Colorado's Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF), overseeing the state's Medicaid program, disclosed the alarming MOVEit hack last Friday. More than four million personal and medical information has been exposed, according to a report from TechCrunch.

A data breach notice to the impacted people by HCPF revealed the issue.

What Were The Data Stolen?

The breach allegedly happened because IBM, one of the state's suppliers, used the MOVEit tool to transmit HCPF data files. The HCPF and state government systems in Colorado were unaffected. However, unauthorized hackers could access specific data on IBM's MOVEit program.

The stolen files included confidential patient data, including complete names, dates of birth, home addresses, Social Security numbers, Medicaid and Medicare ID numbers, income data, clinical and medical records, test results, prescriptions, and health insurance information.



The recent MOVEit hack has affected around 4.1 million people, raising questions about exploiting their sensitive health information. However, IBM hasn't yet officially acknowledged the breach's effect on its systems.

Read Also: CryptoWatch: Sam Bankman-Fried Is Going to Jail, Bitcoin Price and Effects, Bybit's Elite Wealth Management



The MOVEit hack incident had repercussions that reached Missouri's Department of Social Services (DSS). However, it is still unclear how many people were specifically impacted.

The population of Missouri is above six million. A data breach notice mentioning the DSS breach indicated that the department's data had been compromised due to a flaw in IBM's MOVEit systems.

Authorities Expect More Cyberattacks

Although neither Missouri's DSS nor Colorado's HCPF was found on the dark web leak site of the Clop ransomware gang, which took credit for the widespread attacks, the breach raises questions about the security of private medical information and the possibility of further cyberattacks on hospitals.



The latest MOVEit data breach followed a Colorado state government ransomware assault that disclosed 16 years of data from the Department of Higher Education, per Bleeping Computer. Colorado State University also revealed a data breach using the insecure MOVEit Transfer program that affected thousands of students and academic staff members.

Organizations often utilize the MOVEit program to transmit massive volumes of sensitive data, such as medical records, financial data, and social security numbers, according to Gadgets 360.

The incident shows how linked corporations are when managing sensitive data and the possibility of massive data leakage due to flaws in otherwise harmless software.



The latest massive medical data breach incident has highlighted the significance of cybersecurity across several industries and shown the flaws in healthcare data management.

Moreover, the MOVEit hack raises worries about the healthcare industry's data security standards and the privacy of impacted individuals.

Related Article: Google's Med-PaLM 2 Deployment Draws Scrutiny from US Senate Over Healthcare AI Risks

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The sophisticated BMPT Terminator tank support vehicle used by the Russian army, renowned for its impressive capabilities, has encountered a fresh obstacle in combat.

In a video published by the Ukrainian special forces' Group Alpha, one of the Russian army's Terminator vehicles is being pursued by racing drones armed with explosives in Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. The video of Ukrainian drones attacking the Russian Terminator Tank shows how susceptible even well-protected military equipment is to cutting-edge drone assaults.

How Powerful is Russia's Terminator?

The 53-ton BMPT Terminator is a hybrid vehicle featuring a T-72 tank's sturdy shell and an unmanned turret containing twin 30-millimeter autocannons and launchers for four anti-tank missiles. The Terminator is prepared to tackle enemy positions alongside tanks and defeat swiftly moving infantry troops. The Russian military vehicle is designed to be both well-armored and nimble.

Russian combat journalists Dmitry Kul'ko and Pervyi Kanal broadcast throughout all 11 time zones of Russia that the Terminator was an invincible weapon system that the Ukrainians had little chance against, according to Kyiv Post.

Kul'ko passionately claimed that the Terminator's grenade launchers, missiles, cannons, and machine guns were not for show. Instead, this tremendous weaponry was essential for major forest assaults.

The fast rate of fire and sophisticated optical sensors of the BMPT, according to Russian weapons dealer Rosoboronexport, enable it to target airborne enemies, Forbes reported. The most recent drone assault, however, calls into question this claim.

Read Also: CryptoWatch: Sam Bankman-Fried Is Going to Jail, Bitcoin Price and Effects, Bybit's Elite Wealth Management

Terminator Tank Got Terminated

In February, a precise artillery attack in eastern Ukraine cost the Russian army one of its BMPT Terminators. The latest FPV drone assault may have resulted in the death of another Terminator. In a video released by the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), the Terminator can be seen moving across a field before being hit from above by drones. The vehicle looked to be being removed from the scene by a T-80 tank after sustaining substantial damage.

According to the tweet by the SBU, the sophisticated Russian Terminator tank "burned down after only a few hits from kamikaze drones." The Ukrainian drone assault shows the possible susceptibility of cutting-edge military equipment to unconventional strategies.

Russian BMPT "Terminator" AFV and T-80 tank which was trying to evacuate it targeted by the Security Service of Ukrainehttps://t.co/XXosxrT8wj pic.twitter.com/6DtAkqJQsG  Special Kherson Cat  (@bayraktar_1love) August 12, 2023

The dual 30 mm cannons, high-speed Ataka anti-tank missiles, AG-17D grenade launchers, and a coaxial 7.62 mm PKTM machine gun are just a few of the armaments the Terminator is equipped with, per Business Insider. However, based on the video, it struggled against tiny FPV racing drones indicating that the Russian tank, despite its advanced armament, faces a new danger, demonstrating how contemporary combat constantly develops.

The recent Russian-Ukraine war video raises concerns about the efficacy of cutting-edge military technology in combating new threats, yet there is still disagreement over the BMPT Terminator's capabilities and limits. Drones in warfare have added a dynamic aspect that forces military strategists to modify their tactics and defenses in order to successfully resist these changing threats.

Related Article: MOVEit Hack: Massive Medical Data Breach Exposes Millions of Americans' Sensitive Health Info

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According to research from the University of Montana, AI's creative thinking is incredible, outperforming the top 1% of humans on a recognized creativity test, as shown by ChatGPT.

The Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) were used by a study team led by Dr. Erik Guzik, an assistant clinical professor at the University of Michigan's College of Business, to examine the inventive potential of AI.

(Photo: JOEL SAGET/AFP via Getty Images) This illustration photograph taken with a macro lens shows The OpenAI company logo reflected in a human eye at a studio in Paris on June 6, 2023.

Human vs. Artificial Thinking

ChatGPT, an AI-driven tool, compared the replies of 24 University of Michigan students taking entrepreneurship and personal finance classes to those of a control group. 2,700 college students who had the TTCT examination in 2016 were used to compare the outcomes.

The role of AI in the process was unknown to Scholastic Testing Service, the unbiased adjudicator.

ChatGPT excelled at coming up with lots of ideas and ranked in the top percentile for originality. Despite a little decline in its ability to generate a variety of ideas (97th percentile), it still performed admirably, ranking among the most gifted creative thinkers.

Read Also: ChatGPT Timeline: Evolution and Rise of AI, Impact, Threat, and Opportunities

Commencing the Study

At the Southern Oregon University Creativity Conference, the studyled by Guzik with assistance from Gilde and Byrgedisplayed AI's advancing creative capabilities. The researchers stressed the value of emphasizing evidence over in-depth interpretation.

Guzik spoke with ChatGPT about TTCT's achievements, and the AI provided a perceptive response, admitting that people might not completely comprehend creativity.

Guzik accepted this and suggested the creation of sophisticated evaluation tools to distinguish between ideas produced by humans and those produced by AI.

Guzik's Creative Obsession

This study was influenced by Guzik's creative enthusiasm, which she discovered while participating in a talented student program.

His interest in brainstorming and the power of the human imagination expanded when psychologist Ellis Paul Torrance introduced him to the Future Problem Solving method. Interactions with ChatGPT, an AI that displayed creative replies, served as inspiration for the study.

To evaluate ChatGPT's capacity for creativity, researchers put it through a rigorous testing process.

AI's Creative Potential

According to research, ChatGPT couldn't come up with novel solutions to problems, but GPT-4 improvements elevated it to the top 1% of human replies.

Guzik expects that as AI technologies advance, they will be used as essential tools in business, fostering local and national creativity. He stressed how AI has the power to alter business by merging creative thinking with entrepreneurship and innovation.

Related Article: Will Google Bard, Microsoft Bing ChatGPT End SEO? Here's How They Could Change Marketing

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Xiaomi has long been known to offer high-end smartphones at intensely affordable prices making it a budget option for most buyers. Recently, the company's CEO explained that this was essential for its survival.

Xiaomi CEO Gives Statement on the Company's Plans Moving Forward

According to the story by Gizmo China, the flagship smartphones of Xiaomi don't really have the same popularity when it comes to being compared to their budget and mid-range options. So far, the company has a reputation for being able to produce affordable phones while also struggling when it comes to flagship devices.

The company CEO announced that this is the only way for the company to be able to compete with massive smartphone manufacturers. The Xiaomi CEO, Lei Jun, gave a statement during his annual speech regarding how high-end smartphones are important for the company to be able to succeed.

Xiaomi Plans to Focus More on High-End Models

It was noted that he also highlighted that it was a "do-or-die" situation for the company, highlighting other competitors that it is competing against, including Huawei. It was noted that Xiaomi can only be able to secure the needed technological advancements to push forward against its competition by focusing its efforts on high-end offerings.

According to the report by Phone CNMO, it was then noted that Lei Jun believes that the sole viable path for the company moving forward is for it to pursue the high-end market. With that, the executive isn't necessarily wrong when it comes to the high-end market, since this is where most of its profits come from.

High-End Market is Where Most Cutting-Edge Tech Comes from

The high-end market is reportedly also where a lot of the most cutting-edge technology comes from. So far, the company has been making massive pushes in order to be able to compete in the higher tier devices.

An example of this is the recent Xiaomi 13 Ultra, which packs everything a user might need when it comes to a smartphone. The device was described as a point-and-shoot camera as it comes with incredible Leica-tuned sensors.

Read Also: Xiaomi Mix Fold 3 Specs Confirmed: Here's How the Company's Folding Smartphone Competes with Competitors

Xiaomi is Known by Many Buyers as a Budget Brand

It was then highlighted that the Xiaomi Mix Fold 3 comes as the latest example of the company's dedication when it comes to flagship devices. The smartphone comes as what was described as the "thinnest" foldable smartphone ever created, which even surpasses the Honor Magic V2 when it comes to sleekness.

The device also adds a brand new hinge, which allows the device to become more robust compared to before. The new smartphone also comes with a quad-camera setup which makes it clear that the technology as well as quality of the Xiaomi phones aren't the main reason why it's lagging behind when it comes to the smartphone high-end market.

It was also noted that the brand's reputation when it comes to becoming an affordable smartphone maker is one major factor that's pushing its consumers away from purchasing the brand's more expensive flagships.

Related Article: OnePlus Ace 2 Pro Features 'Rain Water Touch' That Works Reliably Despite Wet Hands or Screen

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Archaeologists have made a significant discovery in Israel, unearthing the oldest known gate, dating back 5,500 years, at the ancient city of Tel Erani.

According to the Times of Israel, the impressive stone and mud-brick entrance near Kiryat Gat has challenged existing perceptions of urbanization in the region, suggesting it began much earlier than previously thought.

Oldest Gate in Israel: A Glimpse Into Early Societies

This monumental gate, constructed during the Early Bronze IB period, sheds light on the development of early societies. Emily Bischoff, Israel Antiquities Authority's (IAA) excavation director, noted that the gate's unique composition-featuring both mud bricks and monolithic stones-set it apart.

Tel Erani, spanning 150 dunams (approximately 150,000 square meters), offers insight into urbanization during the Early Bronze Period, from around 3,300 BCE to 2,500 BCE.

The site reveals evidence of urban planning, including public structures, streets, fortification walls, and even indications of social hierarchies based on housing quality.

Previously, experts believed that urbanization began around 5,200 years ago, with the oldest known gate in Israel at Tel Arad. However, the discovery at Tel Erani predates this, pushing back the timeline of urban development by several centuries to 5,500 years ago.

The gate's significance extends beyond defense. It conveyed the message of a well-organized and influential settlement. Martin-David Pasternak, an IAA researcher specializing in the Bronze Age, noted that the gate's presence showed a strong settlement that was "well-organized politically, socially and economically."

Bischoff emphasized that constructing the gate and fortifications necessitated collaboration, implying the emergence of social organization and marking the start of urbanization. This development is evident in the shift from scattered settlements to life within city walls.

The excavation yielded more than just the gate. It also included a complete alabaster jar, various juglets, and red-colored bowls. The 7 to 8-meter-thick fortification wall, built during a period of Egyptian influence, provided additional insights into the region's historical context.

Read Also: Archaeologists May Have Discovered the Earliest Known Narrative Scene Carved in an 11,000-year-old Neolithic Bench

Historical Value of Tel Erani in Israel

Tel Erani's historical value is not new. It has hosted multiple archaeological efforts since the mid-1950s. These studies, undertaken by various institutions, including the Israel Antiquities Authority, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, and the University of Krakow, have provided crucial insights into ancient Canaanite life and culture.

The recent excavation coincided with plans to build a new water line by Mekorot, Israel's National Water Carrier. The line aims to increase water supply to Kiryat Gat, benefiting both its current needs and the forthcoming Intel chip manufacturing plant, a $25 billion investment projected to begin production in 2027.

The excavation area was backfilled to preserve the delicate mud brick structures. This discovery not only highlights the architectural achievements of an ancient civilization but also underscores the value of continued archaeological research in providing fresh perspectives on human history.

Related Article: Archaeologists Find an Extremely Rare 1,300-year-old Gold and Gemstone Necklace From a Medieval Woman in England

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The head of the NATO Secretary General's Office, Stian Jenssen, said that Ukraine could become a full-fledged NATO member, but that it would have to give up some of its territory in favour of Russia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs commented on his words, noting that such talk is unacceptable.

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Jensen said this during a debate in Norway, VG reports. A representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Oleh Nikolenko, responded to his words.

According to Jensen, such an agreement could be a harbinger of the end of a full-scale war.

"I think that the solution may be for Ukraine to give up its territory and become a member of NATO," he said.

At the same time, according to the media, negotiations on Ukraine's status after the conflict is resolved have allegedly already begun. Moreover, it is not only Jenssen who is allegedly raising the issue of giving up some territories.

"It is important that we discuss how to get through this. I am not saying that this is the way it should be. But it could be a possible solution. There have been significant developments in the issue of Ukraine's future membership in NATO," the Alliance representative added.

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For his part, Nikolenko noted that the participation of individual NATO representatives in shaping such narratives "plays into Russia's hands."

"Talks about Ukraine joining NATO in exchange for giving up some Ukrainian territories are absolutely unacceptable. We have always assumed that the Alliance, like Ukraine, does not trade territories. The conscious or unconscious involvement of NATO officials in shaping the narrative about the possibility of Ukraine giving up its territories plays into Russia's hands," he stressed.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman added that the ministry is committed to further cooperation with the NATO secretariat to ensure Ukraine's victory and full membership in the Alliance as soon as possible.

On 13 July, on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius, the leaders of the G7 countries agreed on a joint declaration in support of Ukraine with guarantees of Ukraine's security. They provide for a number of bilateral security commitments to Kyiv aimed at "building a Ukraine that can defend its territorial integrity now and in the future".

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The full text of the declaration is published on the website of the President of Ukraine.

As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said that Ukraine's future lies in NATO, and this is not up for discussion. And although it is impossible to include a country that is waging a domestic war against invaders in the North Atlantic Alliance, the result will be the same.

Only verified information is available on our Obozrevatel Telegram channel, Threads and Viber. Don't fall for fakes!
NASA has reached an impressive milestone that brings us closer to understanding the secrets of the Red Planet. IFLScience reports that they have done successful tests on rockets that will be the first ever to launch from a different planet.

These rockets are an important part of the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV). They are going to be a big deal in the Mars Sample Return mission - a project that aims to uncover how Mars has changed over time and find possible hints of past life.

Bringing Mars Samples to Earth

Scheduled for a launch in June 2028, the Mars Sample Return mission is a collaboration between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), aiming to bring carefully selected samples from Mars back to Earth for comprehensive study.

The MAV's role is pivotal in this ambitious venture, as it is tasked with launching samples from the Martian surface and positioning them for the journey back home.

The MAV's journey is a complex yet fascinating one. Upon collecting samples from NASA's Perseverance rover, a Sample Transfer Arm will deftly load these precious specimens into a container within the MAV's nose.

Once secured, the MAV will embark on a voyage from Mars, aiming to rendezvous with the Earth Returner Orbiter - a spacecraft meticulously designed for this exact purpose.

Launching from Mars

A critical aspect of the MAV's success lies in its propulsion, facilitated by state-of-the-art solid rocket motors (SRMs) known as SRM1 and SRM2.

These motors were recently put through their paces, undergoing rigorous testing to ensure their functionality and durability in the harsh Martian environment.



One remarkable innovation in this development is the supersonic splitline nozzle - an engineering marvel that has achieved a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 6, indicating successful vacuum bench and hot fire testing.

The nozzle's significance cannot be understated. Designed to withstand the extreme cold of Mars, the nozzle marks a significant advancement over conventional rocket nozzles.

Read Also: Curiosity Rover Discovers Mud Cracks on Mars, Hints Ancient Wet-Dry Cycles





The Tests

SRM1's test, conducted in a vacuum chamber cooled to a chilling minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit), demonstrated the nozzle's prowess in handling Mars-like conditions.

Benjamin Davis, MAV Propulsion Manager at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, expressed optimism: "This test demonstrates our nation has the capacity to develop a launch vehicle that can successfully be lightweight enough to get to Mars and robust enough to put a set of samples into orbit to bring back to Earth. The hardware is telling us that our technology is ready to proceed with development."

The success of the nozzle's testing places it on the brink of becoming a critical component in MAV's journey. As MAV's launch date approaches, further tests will determine its resilience against the vibrations of liftoff, the vacuum of space, and the extreme temperatures it will encounter as it hurtles Mars' samples back to Earth.

Stay posted here at Tech Times.

Related Article: Rocket Lab to Launch 2 NASA Satellites to Enhance Arctic Climate Understanding

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On Tuesday, Singapore's financial regulatory body disclosed that it had approved stablecoin legislation, making it one of the world's first to do so. Digital currencies, known as stablecoins, often backed by tangible assets like cash or government bonds, are designed to keep a steady value in relation to a fiat currency.



Two leading firms, Tether's USDT, and Circle's USDC, dominate over 90% of the stablecoin industry, estimated to be worth about $125 billion.



According to the recently created Singapore policies, stablecoin issuers must maintain a minimum base capital of $1 million Singapore dollars ($740,000) and must make redemption requests within five working days, Nikkei Asia reported.



In June, the Singapore branch of stablecoin issuer Circle received a license for digital payment token services from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), demonstrating the nation's dedication to regulation and advancement in the cryptocurrency industry.

Bolstering Safeguards for Investors

Over the last year, Singapore has gradually tightened its control over the cryptocurrency industry to safeguard investors as more people participate in the risky asset class.



The MAS limited the placement of crypto service advertisements in public places as part of this initiative. According to cryptocurrency payment processor Triple-A, approximately 640,000 individuals in Singapore, or an estimated 11% of the population, invest in cryptocurrencies.



The movement for stricter regulation was aided by the failure of illegal stablecoin businesses like TerraUSD and Luna. Singapore responded by announcing intentions to impose stronger regulations on cryptocurrency businesses, including requirements for client asset protection via trusts and restrictions on lending and "staking" digital payment tokens.

Read Also: Beat the Heat 2023: Essential Tips to Keeping Your Smartphone Cool This Summer



Despite heightened restrictions, Singapore acknowledges stablecoins' promise as a critical technology for the digital economy. Stablecoin issuers must assure value stability, maintain a portfolio of low-risk reserve assets equal to at least 100% of the outstanding stablecoins in circulation, and follow strict disclosure and audit result criteria per MAS-prescribed laws.

Singapore's Measure Lauded

Tether and Circle, two stablecoin companies, commended Singapore's new crypto guidelines, according to CNBC.



Yam Ki Chan, Vice President of Strategy and Policy for APAC at Circle, remarked that the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is included in the forward-thinking global regulators in establishing a transparent and comprehensive stablecoin regulatory framework.

Chief Technology Officer of Tether, Paolo Ardoino, said that the framework offers a well-defined structure and a straightforward approach for carrying out stablecoin activities in Singapore while guaranteeing transparency and responsibility.



The passage of a measure by the US House Financial Services Committee last month, intending to build a thorough federal regulatory system, demonstrates that the United States is also pursuing the regulation of these currencies, per Reuters. While Hong Kong and the United Kingdom seek to create stablecoin legal frameworks, Singapore is emerging as a leader in stablecoin regulation.

Related Article: Optimizing the Bitcoin Revolution: 3 Vital Tips

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Google Photos has a new feature called 'Memories View' that makes it fun and easy to look back at your favorite memories. This cool addition changes how you choose, personalize, and show your important life moments.

In a time when we take lots of pictures and videos, Google Photos knows we want a simple way to remember the special times in our lives.

Our photo collections can be messy with copies and quick looks, but the Memories View helps fix that.

From Memories Carousel

TechCrunch notes in a report that the foundation for the Memories View was laid by Google's four-year-old Memories feature, which showcased a carousel of favored photos from the past.

Similar to a blend of Stories and Facebook Memories, this feature found popularity among over half a billion monthly users.

Building upon this, the Memories View adds a dynamic layer of creativity, enabling users to take control and craft their own curated timeline.

AI-Powered Titles and Personalization

Diving deeper into Memories View, Google Photos unveils AI-generated titles, making each memory stand out with personalized captions.

While users can rename their Memories, the generative AI offers title suggestions that reflect the essence of the moment.

This experimental feature leverages user feedback to refine its suggestions over time, promising a developing and enhanced experience.

Photos now offer personalized title ideas made with advanced AI. Just find the "Help me title" button on specific memories. If you do not like what you get, change the suggested titles or request more options.

Read Also: Pixel Watch 2 is Coming After Appearing at the FCC, New Bands and One Missing Feature

Collaboration and Sharing

Recognizing that memories are often shared and celebrated with loved ones, Google Photos takes the collaborative route.

Memories View allows users to invite friends and family to co-author their memory collections, akin to the familiar concept of shared albums.

This collaborative approach ensures that the timeline becomes a canvas for collective storytelling, deepening connections through shared experiences.

Navigating Memories with Ease

Accessing the Memories View is designed to be intuitive. The updated navigation menu, conveniently located at the bottom of the Google Photos app, is the gateway to reliving cherished memories.

Users can dive into their curated timeline with a single tap, effortlessly navigating through the past while embracing the present.

User Control, Customization, and MORE

The Memories View empowers users to sculpt their timelines with unparalleled precision. Whether preserving favorite moments or creating fresh ones, the feature grants complete control.

Adding, removing, or hiding specific photos and videos allows users to curate their memories, fostering a sense of ownership over their digital memories.

The feature is set to debut in the United States before expanding its reach to global markets in the forthcoming months.

Stay posted here at Tech Times.

Related Article: Google Rolls Out Default End-to-End Encryption for Google Messages, Also Securing Group RCS Chats

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
New privacy-focused restrictions from the US government are curbing the data broker sector. These rules safeguard millions of Americans' private data against data breaches, criminals, and AI chatbots.



The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which leads the project, aims to include the "surveillance industry" under rules that control credit reports and criminal records. Numerous companies working with increasingly digitalized personal data make up this market.



The CFPB intends to prohibit data brokers from selling specified categories of consumer information, such as income, criminal history, and payment histories, unless certain conditions are met. However, the possible restrictions' precise wording has yet to be approved and made public.



Another plan goal is the implementation of new restrictions on selling sensitive personal information, including Social Security numbers, names, and addresses. Data brokers from major credit reporting agencies regularly obtain these kinds of details to create their own consumer profiles.



These Fair Credit Reporting Act-issued restrictions ensure that data brokers only sell private information for legitimate business needs, including job background checks or credit assessments. This tries to stop data from being misused for training chatbots or artificial intelligence systems.

Sensitive Information Being Used in AI Development

The government announced these measures after a thorough review earlier this year found broad concerns about consumer data collection, use, and sharing. The implications of uncontrolled data sharing on vulnerable populations, including minorities, elders, immigrants, and victims of domestic abuse, were underlined in public comments made throughout the investigation.



CFPB Director Rohit Chopra said, "Reports about monetization of sensitive information are particularly worrisome when data is powering 'artificial intelligence' and other automated decision-making about our lives," as per a CNN report. He reiterated the CFPB's commitment to ensuring contemporary data brokers follow lawful data gathering and sharing methods.



Before it is officially released as a regulation, the CFPB's plan will be discussed with a group of small companies to solicit comments.

Read Also: Amazon Introduces AI-Generated Product Reviews: How Is It Helping Shoppers?



The CFPB's action is consistent with recent initiatives made by the US government to control the massive data sector. Last year, the Federal Trade Commission made extensive proposals that may change how all firms gather and use customer data. The emphasis on data privacy draws attention to the overall need for a comprehensive national consumer privacy law, which has been discussed and negotiated for years but has yet to be passed.

How Do Data Brokers Gather Personal Info?

A Georgetown Law attorney, Lauren Harriman, cautions that data brokers' practices are concerning as they circumvent the Fair Credit Report Act and prioritize profit over data accuracy," per Wired. She emphasizes that data brokers buy people's personal information, combine it with other data without verifying its correctness, and then sell the resulting bundle for a healthy profit.



According to a Slate article, US data brokers stealthily gather and exchange personal information, such as health problems, credit ratings, and other details. One example is the broker Acxiom in Arkansas, with data on 2.5 billion individuals, which supports profiling by insurance, marketers, law enforcement, and criminals.



Three primary techniques are used by data brokers: direct accumulation via the acquisition of applications and businesses, indirect collection through the scraping of public information, and inference using algorithms to forecast user data. Getting information on a person's beliefs can be done by detecting installed applications to infer a person's sexual orientation or religion. In order to get further insights, data brokers create models employing data points.

Related Article: MOVEit Hack: Massive Medical Data Breach Exposes Millions of Americans' Sensitive Health Info

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Netflix is now cracking down on password sharing, you no longer can use your someone elses Netflix account who stays away from you.

The highlight of this update is the introduction of Netflix Household, a group of devices or individuals that can use a single Netflix account as long as they are still in the Household or the main location the account is used and are connected to the primary WiFi/internet at that location.

Now, if youve moved or Netflix did not set the correct location for your Netflix Household, you may want to manually update your Netflix Household location so that you can access Netflix in your current location with issues.

This is a simple process, and this post will walk you through the procedures to upgrade a Netflix Household. Keep reading!

What Is Netflix Household?

The term Netflix Household refers to a collection of devices that can use a certain Netflix account in the accounts primary locationthe location registered on Netflix.

This is in accordance with Netflixs policy to limit account usage to a single location registered for each Netflix account.

Also, these devices are identified by Netflix based on their IP addresses and other parameters, but one factor used to ensure a device is part of a Netflix Household is whether they connect to the same WiFi (the home WiFi).

So, if a TV isnt part of an accounts Netflix Household and you try to open Netflix on it with that account, the TV will most likely be presented with the This TV Isnt part of your Netflix Household issue and will be blocked from accessing the Netflix account.

However, if the problem is caused by Netflix setting an incorrect location for Household, a possible fix is to Update Netflix Household.

So, in the following section, well go over how to update Netflix Household on your TV.

If Netflix has not registered the correct Netflix Household, or if you need to update your Netflix Household because you are relocating, please follow the instructions below:

Step 1: Make sure your TV is connected to your home internet router. This will be the network Netflix will use to manage household devices, so you must be connected to a network you primarily use.

Step 2: On the Netflix home screen on your TV, press the left option on your remote to open the menu.

Step 3: Now select Get Help, then click on Manage Netflix Household.

Step 4: Click Confirm Netflix Household or Update My Netflix Household. If you have been prompted with the This TV Isnt part of your Netflix Household error and you are in your primary location, you can simply select Update Netflix Household from the error page.

Step 5: Select Send Email or Send Text and wait for the verification link to your email or phone number.

Step 6: Follow the verification prompts on the email or text by clicking the link, then select Confirm Netflix Household or Update Netflix Household to continue.

Step 7: You will get a confirmation on your TV screen and receive a confirmation email. Click Continue to Netflix to get past the Netflix Household issue and start watching.

FAQs

If youre watching Netflix on a TV, its ideal to update your Netflix Household on the same screen by following the procedures outlined above.

Netflix specifically stated that if you dont have a TV or use Netflix on it, you dont need to set up or update Netflix Household on mobile devices.

Does Netflix automatically determine Households?

Yes, Netflix detects and sets a Household for you based on where you use your Netflix account the most.

However, you can follow the technique described in this article to change the Netflix Household if the one automatically selected by Netflix is not the correct primary location where you use your account.

Can 2 Households use a Netflix account?

No, two households can not use the same Netflix account.

The major goal of the Netflix Household is to confine the use of each Netflix account to the owners primary residence, hence limiting the number of people who can use a single Netflix account.

Wrap Up

The procedures for updating a Netflix Household on TV are described above, along with some other relevant information related to Netflix Household.

You should know that there is no limit on the number of times you can update Netflix Household for your Netflix account, so as long as you can receive the Netflix verification email or text, you can keep updating the Household.
Elnur Enveroglu

The Armenian society, which is used to be cossetted and to hear always pleasant words in its favour, even if it's a lie, was shocked this time. In addition, the direction of the object, which shocked the Armenians, was from a completely different place. The issue is related to the European Commission, which poured salt onto the Armenians' wounds...

Armenia believes that all diplomatic representatives of the European Union should be at their disposal, and when they start spreading some lies, those officials whom they have bribed should say an Amen to every new idea. However, yesterday, a group of ill-minded Armenians was disturbed by the posting of high-ranking diplomat of the European Commission, Lawrence Meredith, on his official X (former Twitter) page promoting tourism in Azerbaijan. His posts caused some rumours and even Lawrence Meredith was unfairly criticized by some pro-Armenian officials.

It is not a secret that today many legal institutions of Europe are being manipulated by the Armenian diaspora. International laws are just a piece of paper for Armenia.

Armenia knows very well that raising a ruckus by appealing to international institutions regarding the issue of Lachin is just a show. In reality, Yerevan has long accepted that it is a defeated party.

Even Armenia has not been able to accept itself as an independent state. If that were the case, it would not have interpreted its humiliated defeat in the Patriotic War in different ways.

For example, the fact that Armenia often associates its big defeat in 2020 with Turkiye is due to its helplessness. This reminds us of a confused and illogical argument of the former defence minister of the puppet state, David Tonoyan - "During the second Karabakh war, the level of the Armenian army was 4 times lower than the Azerbaijani Army. Our military aviation and air defence system was non-existent. However, if Turkiye had not defended them, we would have defeated Azerbaijan."

This illogicality is actually a stain absorbed into the way of thinking of the Armenian society. Dressing up the defeat in different modes and comforting oneself senselessly is a typical act of Armenians. If you accept that the military potential of the Azerbaijani Army is superior, the rest is a load of baloney.

As for the next Armenian provocation around Lachin, it can be called a step without thinking about the consequences. We know every step you take, we know how to predict your every manoeuvre in advance. You don't want to shout to the world, you want to arrange your military junk that you bought from India or something left from the Soviet era around Lachin. This does not make any difference for Azerbaijan. Although European international organizations serve for you, international laws are the same for us, and you yourself have acknowledged our military power. You claim that Garabagh is in "blockade", but again it is impossible to see your logic here. If what you say is true, then how logical is it for a country to blockade its own territory?

If we talk about the blockade, then let's talk about the fact that Nakhchivan has been under blockade for more than 30 years. Why did Armenia cause the territory of one country divided into two parts and prevent movement in between? If you and your patrons had the slightest sense of justice and logic, international laws would not become a toy in your hands.

If you wanted peace, you would not hinder the integration process, if you wanted development in the region, you would be aware of who is a builder and who is a destroyer, and finally, if you loved the people of Karabakh, you would agree to the humanitarian aid allocated for them passing through the Aghdam-Khankendi road. Your goal is different. Your problem is not Garabagh, it's just jealousy and grudge burning inside you.
Ludmila Imshenitskaya, a collaborator from the Kozachi Laheri in Kherson region, complained that the Russian occupants "ditched" her evacuation. Now the traitor fears the revenge of Ukrainian patriots and does not know how to get out of the still occupied village.

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According to the Telegram channel"Base of traitors of Kherson", the woman was unemployed before the occupation. Now Imshenitskaya is the director of the House of Culture.

The collaborator shared her complaints in one of the local chat rooms. She lamented that she had been cooperating with the "administration" for a long time and hoped for some kind of "gratitude".

"But as soon as the mess started - all the phones are silent," the traitor said.

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She also said that she had received threats from local residents expecting the arrival of the AFU.

We will remind, earlier the American Institute for the Study of War said that the AFU made another raid on the temporarily occupied left bank of the Kherson region. In particular, in the area of the settlement of Kozachi Laheri was blown up to 7 boats, each with 6-7 people.

However, the General Staff of the AFU did not confirm the information about the raid and defense breakthrough by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the left bank of the Dnieper River in the Kherson region.

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"The Armed Forces and the General Staff do not confirm this information as of now. We ask and appeal to everyone once again to trust only official sources," Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine Anna Malyar said on the air of the national telethon.

As reported by OBOZREVATEL:

- The SSU detained a collaborator in Kherson, who during the occupation of the city swore "allegiance to Russia", helped the enemy to carry out mass repression and participated in the torture of Ukrainians. Now he himself faces up to 15 years in prison;

- the SSU also detained an ex-officer of the defense department of the Kherson Regional State Administration. The collaborator was caught in the process of stabilization measures in the liberated Kherson.

Only verified information from us in Telegram-channel Obozrevatel and in Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
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

Climate: what are the effects and consequences of the El Nino phenomenon?

The China Consumer Association carried out social supervision to clarify the responsibilities of the compacting online ride-hailing aggregation platform

More than 1 million Chinese users are willing to pay for "music": the industry is moving towards standardization and health

The 6th International Symposium on Turpan Studies was opened and "Huang Wenbi's Documents of the Western Regions" was first released

The Third Regiment of the Xinjiang Corps held the first Walnut Love Cultural Tourism Festival

Li Kyle made his home debut, and the Chinese men's basketball team warmed up before the World Cup

Hangzhou Asian Games viewing demand is strong, multi-event tickets are sold out as soon as they go online

The Chinese men's basketball team warms up before the end of the game The preparation for the World Cup has mixed results

Here are the participants of the Masters of Champions 2024

Four-hour battle between Djokovic and Alcaraz: "One of the most exciting matches I've ever played"

The new king of the men's 9m at the World Championships was born American Lyles won in 83.<> seconds

Evseev's victory over Yuran, the fiasco of Rostov in Sochi and Berisha's bisiclet: what the 5th round of the RPL was remembered for

After the World Cup warm-up, has the Chinese men's basketball team found a way to win?

The final screening day of "Slam Dunk" is over, do you have any regrets?

In the first seven months, China's imports and exports to other BRICS countries increased by 7.19% year-on-year

In the first seven months, the export value of cross-border e-commerce at Shanghai Airport and Port increased by 7.2 times year-on-year

Three years after the pandemic, some companies want to reduce remote work

The total scale of China's computing power has grown at an average annual rate of nearly 30% in the past five years (new data, new highlights)

"Summer Tea Harvesting" Fragrant Floats Across the Strait Zhejiang and Taiwan use tea as a medium to join hands to promote common prosperity

Price slide in the Dax, shares in the red, nervousness on the stock market

The 2023 CIFTIS will be held from September 9 to 2, with more than 6,2200 enterprises participating offline

China cuts a key interest rate to try to stimulate credit but does not touch mortgages

The France still under the "heat dome", half the country in orange vigilance

China: The Japanese government's forced plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water into the sea is a serious breach of trust

The numbers are staggering! There have been 33 mass killings in the United States this year

The drones disrupt air traffic in Moscow and Kiev announces the advance of its forces near Bakhamout

The deputy did not consider participation in the line a valid reason for absence from work

Three assault groups of the Armed Forces of Ukraine made an unsuccessful attempt to attack the village of Verbove

The Chinese Foreign Ministry's criticism of Lai Qingde's fallacy is that "Taiwan independence" elements will never succeed in "relying on the United States to seek independence."

Sumar seeks the "legal formula" to decriminalize the 1-O without being "prisoners of the word amnesty"

Laura Escanes denounces that they have used her image to take her naked in photos manipulated with Artificial Intelligence

Rubiales kisses Jenni Hermoso on the mouth during the celebration: "I didn't like it"

Imani-Lara Lansiquot made a false start at the World Athletics Championships  but protested and was still allowed to run

The president of the Canary Islands believes that "the worst is over" of the Tenerife fire

 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.
There can be no "lease" of Ukrainian Crimea to the occupiers. Otherwise, Russia will soon demand to become the owner.

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Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council Oleksiy Danilov said this in an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica. He recalled that Russia had already been a "tenant".

"They have already been our tenants: very soon they will demand to become the owners of what they rent," Danilov said.

The NSDC Secretary also spoke about the status of Donbas. In an interview, he was asked whether the autonomy of the demilitarised Donbas is possible with UN guarantees and Ukrainian sovereignty. Danilov replied that Crimea's autonomy was enough for Ukraine.

"Do you remember what was in the Budapest Memorandum? The best guarantee of territorial integrity will be the full and unconditional return of all occupied territories, including Donetsk and Luhansk, under the control of the Ukrainian authorities," the NSDC Secretary stressed.

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Danilov also said he was confident that Ukraine would win the war with Russia and that terrorists would be defeated on Ukrainian soil. And our country will return its territories to the internationally recognised borders of 1991.

"Anything that prevents the liberation of our territories to the 1991 borders, especially in Crimea, will be destroyed," Danilov said.

By the way, in the same interview, Danilov stated that there is no alternative to the Ukrainian peace plan, which is based on the demand to withdraw Russian troops to the 1991 border. The only concessions that Ukraine can make are to change the sequence of points.

He also denied reports that the West was allegedly beginning to put pressure on Ukraine to enter into negotiations with Russia.

As OBOZREVATEL previously reported:

Head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak said that as of 11 August, 58 countries had already supported the Ukrainian Peace Formula. 10 groups have already been set up to implement each point of the formula;

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Earlier, a meeting on the implementation of the Ukrainian Peace Formula was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on 5-6 August. The New York Times believes that this summit was the beginning of a broad diplomatic campaign by Ukraine to isolate and weaken Russia;

After the summit, a fake news story appeared on the Internet that Ukraine's representatives in Saudi Arabia allegedly agreed to start peace talks without the mandatory requirement to withdraw the occupiers from the occupied territories. This is fictitious information that has nothing to do with reality.

Only verified information is available on our Obozrevatel Telegram channel, Threads and Viber. Don't fall for fakes!
As a result of the "bavovna" in temporarily occupied Yuriivka near Mariupol on August 14, the Russian occupants suffered significant losses in manpower and equipment. Some of them were liquidated on the spot, some of the invaders died in hospitals in Mariupol and Mangush before morning.

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The invaders also lost fuel tankers, trucks and two IFWs. Details about the consequences of the "bavovna" on the hellish for Russians "resort" reported the adviser to the mayor of Mariupol Petro Andryushchenko.

According to him, the number of those liquidated as a result of the strike on the base of the occupiers in the camp "Wave" in Yuriivka, struck the day before, increased by at least two dozen by morning.

"Of the 50 brought to the intensive care hospital in Mariupol the occupants died by morning already 13. In Mangush the hospital is packed, regarding the dead - it is known about 5 occupants," - said Andryushchenko.

The night was not easy for the occupants in the resort town of Yuriivka: they were carrying the wounded and corpses and stretching the battered equipment until morning. The number of wounded, Andryushchenko claims, passed well over a hundred.

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"All night long they were dismantling the aftermath and carrying out the wounded, corpses and pulling out the broken equipment. According to the number of buses and trucks marked "300", the number of affected is about 123-140 non-humans. Plus burned trucks, fuel tankers and two IFWs", - wrote the adviser to the mayor of Mariupol.

At the same time, he noted that it is still impossible to neither confirm nor deny the information about the liquidation of Russian Colonel Viktor Kovalev reported by Russian propagandists and occupiers.

"Mariupol Yuriivka is a hellish resort of the Russians. Unambiguously," Andryushchenko summarized.

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We will remind, the day before, August 14, explosions went off near occupied Mariupol. Subsequently, it became known that the AFU hit the command center of the occupiers in the camp "Wave". Dozens of occupants who were there at the time of the explosion were liquidated. Civilians were not injured.

Also, obituaries started appearing in z-publics, saying that another Russian colonel, Viktor Kovalev, was among those liquidated in Yuriivka. According to the occupiers, the strike was allegedly carried out by Storm Shadow missiles.
Fake pill bottles with messages about Purdue Pharma are displayed during a protest outside the courthouse where the bankruptcy of the company is taking place in White Plains, N.Y., Monday, Aug. 9, 2021. Purdue Pharma's quest to settle thousands of lawsuits over the toll of OxyContin is entering its final phase with the grudging acceptance of most of those with claims against the company. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) ORG XMIT: NYSW105
The defenders of Ukraine on the morning of August 15 shot down 16 Russian cruise missiles in the sky above a number of regional centers. In total, the aggressor country Russia attacked 28 targets, some of which resulted in arrivals.

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In particular, Zaporizhzhya, Dnipro, Cherkasy region, Lviv and Lutsk came under attack. On the work of air defense reported in the air forces of the AFU.

It is noted that the massive attack began around 04:00 Tuesday. There were recorded launches of at least 28 cruise missiles of various types, among which:

- four X-22 cruise missiles - from six Tu-22M3 long-range aircraft (Soltsy, Shaikovka airfields);

- 20 Kh-101/X-555 cruise missiles from 11 strategic aviation aircraft (Engels, Olenegorsk airfields);

- four Kalibr cruise missiles from a frigate from the waters of the Black Sea (Yalta area).

An air alert was declared throughout Ukraine. Air defense worked in many regions: anti-aircraft missile units, mobile firing groups, fighter aviation, direct cover units . Destroyed 16 cruise missiles Kh-101 / Kh-555 in the AFU AFU.

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According to the military also recorded eight launches of enemy anti-aircraft guided missiles S-300 / S-400 on the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhya regions.

"The consequences of the missile strike, destruction and casualties will be reported by local military administrations. Holding the sky! Total - to victory!" - reads the message.

As reported by OBOZREVATEL, the defenders of the Ukrainian sky repelled a massive attack of the Russian Federation on the night of August 14, which the latter carried out in several waves with missiles and attack UAVs. Eight Kalibr and 15 Shahed kamikaze drones were shot down.

Only verified information from us in Telegram channel Obozrevatel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
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Review Eating outMelbourne A hearty welcome back to one of our all-time Melbourne favourites, French Saloon Besha Rodell August 15, 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

1 / 8 Big windows, a red vaulted ceiling and white floorboards give French Saloon a timeless quality. Wayn Taylor 2 / 8 The go-to dish: raw scallops with black garlic, mandarin and chicken skin. Wayne Taylor 3 / 8 Smoked eel is layered with diagonal strips of crunchy apple and pickled kohlrabi. Wayne Taylor 4 / 8 Feuille de brick, thin pastry tubes filled with whipped Brillat-Savarin cheese and topped with caviar. Wayne Taylor 5 / 8 Gnocchi with cauliflower and a shower of aged goats cheese. Wayne Taylor 6 / 8 Porterhouse comes with a potato carved into the shape of a marrow bone. Wayne Taylor 7 / 8 French Saloons small covered balcony. Wayne Taylor 8 / 8 The French Saloon dining room by day. Kristoffer Paulsen Previous Slide Next Slide Good Food hat 15.5 / 20 How we score European$$$ Dont call it a comeback; its been here for years. OK, OK, maybe it is fair to call it a comeback. Because while its true that French Saloon, the Hardware Lane stalwart from Con Christopoulos and chef Ian Curley, has been quietly operating as a function space since 2021, those of us who had no wedding or retirement party to throw have missed the place. There is a long list of people who told me that, before its events-only era, French Saloon was their favourite Melbourne restaurant. (This list includes Good Foods former chief reviewer.) Its easy to see why. Were back: Beloved Hardware Lane restaurant French Saloon reopens for the first time since 2021

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In the first place, it is so very, very Melbourne. Off a bustling laneway, up a wonky staircase, through a vintage wooden and glass doorway, the room feels like an artists loft turned pared-back brasserie, the huge windows creating a romantic moonlit feel, the red-painted timber ceiling, white-painted floorboards, and zinc and marble bar exuding timeless elegance. It reminds me of other great rooms around the world that dont try too hard and become iconic as a result: Saint John in London; Peter Luger in New York. (Yes, of course the food helps at these spots, but it does here, too  more on that shortly.) When the restaurant first opened in 2016, it was met with excitement, if not outright jubilation. I get the feeling its one of those places that needed to sink into itself, its assurance, its sense of elegant ease. It is so very, very Melbourne. Off a bustling laneway, up a wonky staircase ... the room feels like an artists loft turned pared-back brasserie. Today, that ease is front and centre, not least in the service, which is charming and warm and knowledgeable without the slightest hint of pomp or snobbery. Go ahead and ask for a wine recommendation from the impressive list, stocked with European and Australian bottles  both times Ive done so Ive discovered something new to love at a price I could handle.

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The menu, a collaboration between Curley and head chef Luke Fraser (who also holds that title at sibling venue downstairs, Kirks Wine Bar), retains its focus on local ingredients and French technique, with mostly stunning results. A special of sweet, juicy yabby tails ($33) came swimming in a sauce so green, so packed with fresh herby goodness, it tasted like pure photosynthesis. Smoked eel is plated as a perfect square and topped with apple and pickled kohlrabi. Wayne Taylor Dish composition is detailed and charming  smoked eel ($28) is arranged precisely on the plate in a square, layered with diagonal strips of crunchy apple and pickled kohlrabi, and a dollop of Chantilly cream imbued with horseradish. Raw scallop ($28) has its purity and sweetness bolstered by black garlic and mandarin, then tempered by the salty umami of chicken skin. That same crumbled chicken skin goodness found its way onto a generous dollop of chicken liver parfait ($20), an exceedingly loose and creamy version, served with fluffy brioche and candied kumquats.

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Would that more kitchens might give up the ubiquitous soft Italian gnocchi preparation in favour of the Parisian version ($38), lighter, fluffier, seared to give it delightfully crispy edges, and served here with cauliflower and a shower of aged goats cheese. My dining companion one evening rolled his eyes when I insisted on ordering the dish  What will gnocchi possibly tell you about the cooking in a place like this?  and then couldnt stop exclaiming how glad he was to have eaten it. Porterhouse with a faux marrow bone, a carved potato filled with mushroom persillade. Wayne Taylor While the restaurant is known for its steaks, my porterhouse ($52) was the only dish with which I found any fault. The steak itself was slightly over-salted, and perhaps a tad more medium than the requested (and suggested) medium-rare. But it was the side of faux marrow potato that didnt quite work. A potato carved into the shape of a marrow bone then filled with smoked mushroom persillade, the whole thing was a little too clever for its own good, the potato needing to be slightly undercooked to hold its hollowed-out-bone trick. Id have preferred a real marrow bone, or a simpler, better-cooked potato.

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To me, the kitchens greatest strength is in seafood, in the aforementioned entrees and in the fish of the day, which recently has been a gorgeous hapuka ($44), white-fleshed and meaty, served with sweet clams. Desserts are another strong suit, particularly the decadent chocolate marquis ($18), and the tarte au citron ($18), its pastry buttery and restrained, its sweet/sour filling silky and dusted with freeze-dried raspberries. For the sweet-averse, however, the cheese selection ($18 for one cheese; $25 for three; $42 for five) is fantastic, which is no surprise  the cheeses are supplied by Spring Street Grocer (another Christopoulos business), which famously has one of the best collections in town. This is Christopoulos particular gift  to conjure venues that are bests, favourites, paragons of whatever form he and his teams are attempting and achieving. French Saloon has a formula that the city loved in the past and is likely to love well into the future. A hearty welcome back to one of our all-time favourites. The low-down Vibe: Artists loft meets pared-back brasserie Go-to dish: Raw scallop, $28 Drinks: Classic cocktails and nice wine list that is calibrated extremely well to the food Cost: About $180 for two, plus drinks

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A 45-year-old man who allegedly told passengers on a Malaysia Airlines flight from Sydney that he was carrying a bomb has refused to come out of his cell to face court.

Flight MH122 bound for Kuala Lumpur departed just after 1pm on Monday but turned back after Muhammad Arif allegedly become aggressive towards other passengers and crew.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH122 sits on the runway at Sydney Airport and Muhammad Arif, who allegedly made the threats. Credit: Nine News, Supplied

The plane carrying 194 passengers landed at 3.47pm, and was stuck on the tarmac for three hours as Australian Federal Police responded.

The Canberra man was set to appear before Downing Centre Local Court after being charged with one count of making a false statement about a threat to damage a division three aircraft, and one count of a passenger not complying with cabin crews safety instructions on Tuesday morning.
A man has been charged with murder after mother-of-four Drew Douglas was stabbed to death at a home in Sydneys West.

Police are investigating a rambling phone call they allegedly received from Shaun King, 35, nearly 10 hours before his partner, Douglas, was killed, sources close to the investigation say.

Drew Douglas was stabbed to death at a house in St Marys. Credit: Facebook/TNV

King rang police about 8.40pm on Tuesday rambling incoherently, a police source not authorised to speak publicly confirmed, but the call did not contain any threats against Douglas.

The call sparked a concern for welfare listing, where police log and check up on people in the community who could be at risk of harm by themselves or others.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size A common refrain among those from the Deep South of Australia (i.e. Sydney and Melbourne) is that Brisbane lacks the kind of distinct, vibrant neighbourhoods that are so ubiquitous in the southern capitals. Think Lygon Street in Carlton and Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, in Melbourne; Oxford Street in Darlinghurst, and King Street, Newtown, in Sydney. Further out from their respective city centres, High Street in Armadale, south-east Melbourne, and Haldon Street, Lakemba, in Sydneys west. That refrain is, of course, not entirely correct. But there is a kernel of truth to the perception; while high streets are not uncommon in Brisbane, they are certainly not as prevalent  or of the same scale  as those in the southern capitals. Brunswick Street in Melbournes Fitzroy. Credit: Wayne Taylor And experts have laid the blame at the feet  well, the tyres  of the family car. Professor Matthew Burke, a deputy director for Griffith Universitys Cities Research Institute, says Brisbanes divergent evolution was a matter of timing, its growth coinciding with the rise of the automobile. The southern capitals were both much larger cities by the 1920s when streetcar [tram] systems started their decline in Australia, he says.

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As such, more of their inner and middle suburbs have an urban fabric built before the invention of the freeway. They enjoy small street setbacks and little porches out front. These suburbs tend to have a footpath on both sides of every street, something missing in mid-suburban Brisbane. Melbourne kept its trams running, which meant they retained their more vibrant high-street shopping streets. Brisbanes neighbourhoods just 10 kilometres from the city centre have good cafes and craft breweries but arent within cooee of a high street. That lack of suburban vibrancy is something that makes Ross Elliott a very busy man. Ross Elliott, chairman of the Lord Mayors Better Suburbs Initiative. Credit: Tony Moore Elliott, chairman of the Lord Mayors Better Suburbs Initiative, says more established Australian cities head starts led to not-so-subtle differences in their suburban sprawls. By the time the motor car became widely available, if you had taken an aerial shot of Sydney and Melbourne at the same time as Brisbane, they had developed much more during the interwar period and in the early postwar period, he said.

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All three cities were doing the same thing at the same time. Sydney and Melbourne had already developed in the interwar and postwar period, but then in about 1960, all cities saw the explosive growth of suburbia. That was driven not just by the car, but a desire back then to escape crowded inner-city living. The end result? The spatial logic of new suburbs became very different from their older counterparts. And, in that postwar era, those big yards, fences and Hills Hoists in the new suburbs were enticing. It became the Australian dream. Im reminded of [former NSW premier] Neville Wran, who grew up in Balmain and said Balmain boys dont cry, Elliott says. Balmain is a classic example of what was a very working-class, very tough, very congested, low socio-economic profile area. In that postwar period, people left the moment they could afford to leave. They left for new suburban homes because the lifestyle was simply better.

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They got more space, they got a yard  yes, it required a car in most cases to get there, but it was a vast improvement on what they left behind. Elliott says the irony now is that Balmain has become completely off-the-charts expensive and one of Sydneys most sought-after suburbs. Weve got the same example here, he says. If you think about New Farm and look at the numbers, 25 years ago, it did not even feature on the top-25 list of median house price suburbs in Brisbane. I was actually back at the [Real Estate Institute of Queensland] doing research back then in one of my first jobs, and the number two suburb on the list was Mount Ommaney. New Farm is now a vibrant and desirable inner-city community. Credit: Michelle Smith If you fast-forward 25 years, Mount Ommaney has fallen right off  its down at number 35 or something  and New Farms now number one.

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Elliott says those inner-city vibrant neighbourhoods are driving that renaissance. It is the access to a third place  such as bars, libraries, restaurants and other places people can socialise  that are so intrinsic to suburban high streets. A third place for people to belong  the first being home and the second work. University of Queensland urban sociologist Peter Walters has a particular interest in third places, having studied the evolution and homogenisation of Australian suburbia. Walters says one of the biggest losses for Brisbane has been the lack of obvious third places in many parts of the city, built within walking distance of the people they serve. I lived in London for about six years and the corner pub is a real institution there  its almost an extension of peoples lounge rooms, whereas we just dont have that here, Walters says.

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Meanwhile, Mornington Peninsula Shire, which provides facilities for 28 sessional kindergarten services, is also assessing its operations in light of the governments free kinder program. A spokesman for the council said its kindergarten facilities needed $53.6 million in upgrades and  with an annual capital works budget of $50 million  it could not fund that itself. Mayor Steve Holland said the council was obligated to allocate funds in its budget equitably to benefit the whole community, including facilities for seniors, sporting groups and community groups. Right now, the future of some local kindergartens is in jeopardy due to the impact of an expanded kindergarten program and lack of appropriate funding, he said.

Municipal Association of Victoria president David Clark said he expected more councils would exit kindergartens, just as many had stopped providing in-home aged care. It is really just not a core bit of business for councils to manage, and it does not fit very well in what the provisions of councils are, he said. I think councils role will lessen ... in the next three to five years, where it will go to specialist providers if it hasnt already. Victoria last year became the first state or territory to give children access to two years of funded kindergarten before school. It is not compulsory in Victoria, but it is strongly encouraged that children attend two years of preschool to prepare for school. The government is rolling out five to 15 hours of free kindergarten for three-year-olds across the state and 15 hours for four-year-olds. Over a 10-year period, four-year-old kinder will increase to 30 hours. The government has said services will progressively increase hours as the infrastructure and workforce capacity grows, which will be reviewed each year. But some providers have already been overwhelmed with interest, leaving parents at risk of being turned away as kindergartens reach capacity and forcing some centres to trial Saturday programs for three- and four-year-old kinder.

The Age reported in September last year that some of Victorias most expensive community not-for-profit kindergartens were yet to sign up for the free kinder program because they feared it would send them broke. Knox is now looking for alternative operators  including in the private sector  to take over its kindergartens. Timmers-Leitch said Knox would make its buildings available to other sessional kindergarten operators from January 2025, and would continue providing sessional kindergarten at the Knox Children and Family Centres in Bayswater and Wantirna. Kindergarten enrolments in Knox for 2024 will not be affected. Council has an important role to play in planning and supporting services for our youngest residents and their families, and the best way to do this is not always by being a direct service provider, Timmers-Leitch said. A Victorian government spokesperson said Knoxs decision to pull out was disappointing.

The Department of Education will work with Knox City Council as they work to appoint a new provider to ensure local families can continue to access a high-quality kindergarten program, the spokesperson said. Loading State opposition education spokesman Matthew Bach said free kinder was a cruel hoax and warned there was a shortfall of millions of dollars needed to upgrade kindergarten facilities to meet the influx of new children. The state government simply released a thought bubble in the context of the election, he said. We have learnt that none of the important planning was done. The state government spokesperson said it was providing support for local governments to deliver high-quality kindergarten services.

Knox council includes the suburbs of Ferntree Gully, Boronia, Bayswater, Wantirna, Scoresby, The Basin, Lysterfield and Rowville. It spent $3.3 million last year on kindergarten services, excluding corporate overheads and capital works. Vanessa Roys three-year-old daughter, Phoebe Austin, is enrolled to start her first year of kindergarten at Knox councils West Gully kindergarten next year. I am absolutely devastated, Roy said. Long day care does not suit me or my child or my family. The waiting list to get into long day care is huge, and I would be paying more money than council-run kinder. Long day care is all-day or part-time care for children, whereas council-run care is often sessional and for shorter periods of time.

Roy said she was concerned her daughter would not be able to attend kindergarten in the area near where they lived and was worried about the quality of care provided. These are sessional kinder teachers with the qualifications, experiences and resources to help teach our children, she said. Meredith Peace, Victorian branch president of the Australian Education Union, accused the council of walking away from the provision of essential kinder services despite overwhelming community demand. She said the decision was a significant blow to local families and children, and the teachers and educators that educate and support them. This shows a complete lack of respect for the staff, families and the local community, and our members who work for City of Knox are deeply despondent today, she said.

A spokeswoman for Knox said it would not know the full impact on staff until the expression-of-interest process was complete. Peace said the council was not elected with a mandate to withdraw from providing kindergarten services. Early Childhood Australia chief executive Sam Page said she did not understand why councils were looking to pull out of kindergartens as there was enormous growth predicted in the sector with the free kindergarten program. The trajectory is lots more funded hours for a lot more children, she said. It is perplexing to wonder why it would create sustainability concerns. Page said standalone kindergartens  such as the council-run kindergartens  tended to perform well on the quality standards set by the Australian Childrens Education and Care Quality Authority.
After a four-year row over his dying wishes, a gravely ill Lang Hancock penned a letter to his daughter Gina Rinehart pleading for her to leave him alone to live the rest of his life in peace, a court has been told.

The 1989 letter, aired by lawyers for Rineharts eldest children Bianca Rinehart and John Hancock in the multibillion-dollar civil dispute over ownership of Hancock Prospectings Hope Downs iron ore mines, came after an attempt by Lang to set out assets she and her children were set to inherit.

Gina Rinehart with her father, Lang Hancock. Credit: Susan Debra Windmiller

In it, Lang told his only daughter she would gain a majority shareholding in the family company Hancock Prospecting upon his death, with her children to control the trust housing his mining assets, including Hope Downs, under a fresh agreement inked in 1988.

Now that the dividends have started to flow, and the arrangement itself is being executed, I would appreciate it if you would leave me alone and let me live the rest of my life in peace, he wrote.
The attorney-general, though, said an accused could not go magistrate shopping to make continuous bail applications because she said they would be known within the court system. Loading Symes disputed that it could clog up the courts and suggested it could have the opposite effect by disincentivising an accused from making rushed bail applications without a lawyer. Dan Nicholson, the executive director of criminal law at Victoria Legal Aid, said any suggestion it would busy the courts was unfounded. He noted the overall impact of the reforms would reduce the number of people presenting to the courts. Giving people a second application for bail ... will mean fewer unrepresented bail applications.

As first revealed by The Age last month, bail-specific offences will be repealed under the proposal. Bail could be revoked, or stricter conditions could still be applied, as a consequence of repeat alleged offences while on bail. The government tightened bail laws after James Gargasoulas killed six people in the 2017 Bourke Street massacre while on bail. The 2018 changes also expanded the reverse onus test, which required people who were accused of a wide range of offences to prove compelling reasons and exceptional circumstances to be granted bail. Tributes to Veronica Nelson inside the Coroners Court during her inquest last year. Credit: Eddie Jim The bill will abolish the double uplift provision for people accused of committing low-level offences while already on bail under the unacceptable risk test. The test will remain for other offences and cumulative low-level offences could still result in a person being remanded. While the government will not scrap the reverse onus test, it will effectively limit it to those charged with more serious offences by removing the uplift clause for low-level offences.

We dont want a situation where you can just go and hit the same small business 20 times in shoplifting and not be remanded. You are not necessarily posing an unacceptable risk to hurting someone, but you are posing an unacceptable risk to that small business for instance, Symes said. She said the vast majority of cases involved people accused of two or three low-level offences, unlikely to be sentenced if found guilty, and that they should be spared under the proposal. Loading Ali Besiroglu, principal lawyer at Robinson Gill, the firm representing Nelsons mother Aunty Donna Nelson, said it had been an arduous and painful journey and called on the government to implement the coroners recommendations in full to stop putting First Nations people at risk. Aunty Donna Nelson welcomes these long-overdue reforms to the Bail Act. However, she holds serious concerns that the amendments do not go far enough, Besiroglu said.

Nelsons family in March outlined their vision for change, referred to as Poccums Law, named after Nelsons nickname as a child. Nerita Waight, chief executive of the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service, was concerned the Bail Act would become more complicated and only tinkered with the reverse onus provision. She said the government should commit to reviewing the legislation once it is implemented, after getting it wrong in the past. The Victorian Aboriginal Legal Services Nerita Waight says the government should commit to routinely reviewing the Bail Act. The Law Institute of Victoria, the Human Rights Law Centre and the Federation of Community Legal Centres all said the proposal did not go far enough. The Police Association of Victoria, which has warned against watering down the law too much but agreed there was a legitimate case for reform, called on the government to release more detail.

[Tuesdays] announcement by the Victorian government on bail reform tries to encapsulate in a few short paragraphs what is arguably some of the most complex legislation within the criminal justice space, the association said in a statement. The association said it supported some elements of the reform it was consulted on, but urged careful consideration of other prospective changes it worried could compromise community safety. Loading Symes said the government had struck the right balance and that she was proud to deliver the reform. [This is] what good governments should do, and that is admit that you didnt get it right and do the best you can to make it better, she said. Opposition Leader John Pesutto said he would review the detail, but said that shadow attorney-general Michael OBrien had been working productively with Symes.

We all want a bail system that keeps the community safe but doesnt see people on remand who dont represent a risk to the community, Pesutto said. The Victorian Greens  which has called for wholesale change  said the party would work constructively with the government once they have seen the bill but echoed concerns it did not go far enough. The bail system was thrown into the spotlight in January when the coroner handed down damning findings into the death in custody of Nelson and found the hardened reverse onus provision breached human rights. Nelson, a 37-year-old Gunditjmara, Dja Dja Wurrung, Wiradjuri and Yorta Yorta woman whose death was found to have been preventable, died alone in a cell at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre in January 2020 with a rare gastrointestinal condition, opiate withdrawal and malnutrition. She had been arrested for shoplifting and failing to appear on bail. Images contained in this story were released to the media with permission from the family. For crisis support run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, contact 13YARN (13 92 76).
Theterrorist state Russia launched a massive missile attack on Ukraine on Tuesday morning, August 15: explosions went off in several regional centers from the south to the west. So far, we know of arrivals in Lviv, Lutsk, Dnipro and Cherkasy region - with fires, casualties and victims.

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An air alert has been declared across the country. Before that, the AFU Air Force warned residents of the regions about the missile danger and urged them to stay in shelters (to view the photo, scroll to the end of the news).

Dnipro

OBOZREVATEL correspondent reported that around 04:00 at least eight loud explosions were heard in the city. The Air Force at the same time claimed enemy missiles in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

Monitoring channels indicated that the enemy probably launched ballistic weapons along Dnipro.

Dnipro residents reported a fire in one of the city districts - rescuers and all necessary services went there. Also residents found rocket debris in the streets.

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The head of the regional military administration Serhiy Lysak confirmed the arrival in Dnipro: the hit occurred in one of the enterprises, where the fire covered more than 800 square meters - it was promptly localized. As a result of the attack suffered two people: a 59-year-old woman suffered minor injuries and will be treated at home, a 70-year-old man was hospitalized in a state of average severity.

"I thank the rescuers for their well-coordinated work. Big thanks also to the defenders of the sky. During the morning massive attack defenders from the air command "East" shot down over Dnipropetrovsk region seven cruise missiles X-101/555", - he said.

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Zaporizhzhia

At around 04.30 the sounds of explosions were also heard in Zaporizhzhya and Zaporizhzhya district. Russian troops shelled the region with S-300 missiles, the Telegram channel Radar Ukraine wrote.

Khmelnytsky region

The first deputy head of Khmelnytsky regional military administration Serhiy Tyurin confirmed the explosions in the region.

"We hear explosions in Khmelnitsky region. Works air defense. Stay in shelters! Take care of yourself and your loved ones!" - is said in the message.

Volyn

The aggressor country Russia launched a missile strike on Lutsk on Tuesday morning. It came to one of the industrial enterprises. City mayor Igor Polishchuk emphasized that all emergency services are working at the scene.

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For his part, the head of the regional military administration Yuriy Pogulyayko specified that during the attack in Volyn worked air defense forces, but, unfortunately, there is an influx in the regional center.

"So far we know about two victims. Their condition will be reported later. All relevant services are working on the spot. Please do not spread information anywhere about the details of the incident," he added.

Later pointed out that the terrorist act of the Russian Federation led to victims. In particular, three people died. Three victims were treated by medics.

Lviv region

Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovy noted that during the attack, air defense forces shot down many Russian missiles over the region, but "there is a hit in the regional center."

According to him, residential houses were hit by the enemy - a fire broke out there. All services were working at the site. People began to be evacuated from their homes.

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As of 07:00, the head of the regional military administration Maxim Kozitsky said that in Lvivshchyna we are talking about destruction as a result of falling debris of downed missiles.

In particular, in Lviv they fell on apartment buildings on Patona and Kakhovska streets: there was a fire, there is destruction and victims. People were evacuated.

Small fires were also recorded in other parts of Lviv - rescuers promptly put them out. In addition, in one of the hypermarkets in the city due to the fall of debris from the missile collapsed ceiling. It is also known about the damage to vehicles.

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At the same time, ten houses were damaged inStavchany, people were slightly injured. Houses were also damaged in Suhovol - no casualties.

In total, in Lvivshchyna, this Russian attack damaged more than a hundred dwellings, smashed more than 500 windows and destroyed a kindergarten. In particular, the missile flew into the yard of the kindergarten. Fortunately, there were no casualties, and four victims received the necessary medical care.

Cherkasy region

In the morning, the enemy launched missile strikes in Cherkasy region. In particular, a missile hit the territory of a private enterprise in Smela. Another one hit the territory of a medical institution.

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"Fortunately, did without casualties. At the same time, water and heat supply networks were damaged. Part of the city is without water. Law enforcement and utility services are working on the site," - said the head of the regional military administration Igor Taburets.

As reported by OBOZREVATEL, at night on August 15 in all regions of Ukraine was declared an air alert. It is associated with the fact that the Russian occupiers launched cruise missiles from strategic bombers Tu-95MS from the Caspian Sea area.

Only verified information from us in Telegram-channel Obozrevatel and in Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Victorias parliament has been sitting on a plan to make it safer for MPs and staff for more than two years, meaning a proposed independent commissioner to examine complaints levelled at MPs wont be established until later this year at the earliest.

The wait comes as the Andrews government prepares to name the new chair of parliaments electoral review committee after passing a motion on Tuesday to remove existing chair Will Fowles. The Ringwood MP resigned from the parliamentary Labor Party earlier this month following a serious assault allegation he strongly denies.

Will Fowles has denied an assault allegation against him. Credit: AAP

Fowles was not seen at parliament for the start of the parliamentary sitting week, but remains hopeful he will eventually clear his name and return from the crossbench to the Labor fold.

Upper house president Shaun Leane confirmed on Tuesday that the alleged incident did not occur at the parliamentary precinct. But he said more could always be done to improve complaint-handling processes.
The company formerly known as Twitter has begun slowing the speed with which users can access links to The New York Times, Facebook and other news organisations and online competitors, a move that appears targeted at companies that have drawn the ire of owner Elon Musk.

Users who clicked a link on Musks website, now called X, for one of the targeted websites were made to wait about five seconds before seeing the page, according to tests conducted by The Washington Post.

Elon Musk rebranded Twitter as X last month. Credit: AP

The delayed websites included Xs online rivals Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky and Substack, as well as the Reuters wire service and the Times. All of them have previously been singled out by Musk for ridicule or attack.

The delay affects the t.co domain, a link-shortening service that X uses to process every link posted to the website. Traffic is routed through the domain, allowing X to track - and, in this case, throttle - activity to the target website, potentially taking away traffic and ad revenue from businesses Musk personally dislikes.
London: Charles Darwins father once told his son that the idea of sailing around the world on some wild scheme was reckless, dangerous and unfitting for a future clergyman.

But his dad, physician Robert Darwin, left one ray of hope.

The Oosterschelde, launched by the planetary conservation mission DARWIN200, will set sail from Plymouth, Britain, on August 15. Credit: Reuters

If you can find any man of common sense who advises you to go, I will give my consent, history records him as saying. It was young Darwins uncle, noted potter Josiah Wedgwood, who sided with his nephew to help change his fathers mind. It would ultimately ignite a scientific revolution.

On Tuesday morning (UK time), the historic 1917 Dutch tall ship, Oosterschelde, will set sail from Plymouth, a port city in south-west England, on a remarkable two-year global voyage which, almost two centuries on, will retrace the journey of Darwin and the HMS Beagle.
But after a 2-year investigation, Trump and his allies have been accused of a sweeping scheme that included setting up phony electors to produce fake votes, making false representations to the courts, tampering with electronic voting machines, misusing the power of the Justice Department and pressuring state and federal officials not to certify Bidens win. Willis, a Democrat, began her investigation in January 2021 after Trump made his now-infamous phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a fellow Republican, urging him to find the votes he needed to put him ahead of Biden. All I want to do is this: I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have, an insistent Trump is heard saying on a leaked recording of the call. Because we won the state. But the probe has also embroiled key members of Trumps orbit, as well as lesser-known state Republicans accused of conspiring with them to keep Trump in power.

Some of those allies signed a certificate falsely stating that Trump had won and declaring themselves the states duly elected and qualified electors. They then sent that certificate to the US Congress, using it as the basis for pressuring the then vice president, Mike Pence, to delay or block certification of Bidens election victory. Prosecutors also had evidence tying Trumps legal team to a security breach relating to voting machines in Coffee County, a conservative rural area about 300 kilometres from Atlanta, which is mostly Democrat-leaning. Trump has also been charged over his role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Credit: AP However, the plan to subvert the election was foiled when Pence refused to introduce the fake votes  even as furious Trump supporters attacked the Capitol building on January 6, 2021, in an insurrection that resulted in several people dying and about 150 police being injured. President Trump was wrong then, and hes wrong now. I had no right to overturn the election, said Pence, who is now competing against his former boss for the Republican nomination to run as president next year.

The Georgia indictment is the fourth Trump has faced in five months, putting him on a collision course with the court system as his campaign to return to the White House intensifies. But it is also significant because it would be much harder for Trump to pardon himself over Georgias state-based charges than it would be at the federal level, if he is convicted and becomes president. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis announces the charges against Donald Trump and his co-conspirators. Credit: AP Georgias pardon system is far more stringent than presidential pardons, which can be made somewhat arbitrarily with limited legal restraints. To get a pardon in Georgia, Trump would have to apply to the five-member Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles. He could only apply after a conviction, and only after five years have passed since completion of his sentence.

The former president, however, insists he is innocent, and spent the day flooding his Truth Social online forum attacking Willis and some of her witnesses. He also sent a message to the grand jury, writing: Would someone please tell the Fulton County Grand Jury that I did not tamper with the election. The people that tampered with it were the ones that rigged it, and sadly phony Fani Willis. After the indictment was unsealed, he issued a statement saying that justice and the rule of law are officially DEAD in America. This marks the fourth act of Election Interference on behalf of the Democrats in an attempt to keep the White House under Crooked Joes control and jail his single greatest opponent of the 2024 election, Trump wrote. With 15 months until the presidential election, Trump is currently the overwhelming frontrunner to win the Republican nomination to run for the White House again.

The twice impeached president is well ahead of his nearest closest rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and is so confident of his lead that he is considering not turning up to the first Republican debate, in Milwaukee next week. But his campaigning calendar next year is starting to get clogged with court cases. In April, Trump was charged in New York by the Manhattan District Attorney over alleged hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, with whom he had an affair shortly after his wife, Melania, gave birth to their son, Barron. Loading In June, he was charged again, this time federally, by special counsel Jack Smith over his alleged mishandling of classified documents. And last week he was charged by Smith a second time, for attempting to overturn the 2020 election. In that particular case he will also argue at trial that he is protected by Americas right to free speech, and that he genuinely believed that the 2020 election was rigged.
The Ukrainian armed forces have liquidated another Russian colonel. Viktor Kovalyov was at the occupants' base in the temporarily seized Yuriivka near Mariupol when missiles flew there.

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This was reported by Russian z-publics. The occupiers assure that the strike was carried out by British Storm Shadow missiles.

"On August 14, 2023, as a result of an air strike by the AFU with Storm Shadow missiles on the village of Yuriivka, Mangushka district of the "DPR", our dear friend Colonel Viktor Anatolievich Kovalev died. A man of his word, a true officer and professional. You will always remain in our hearts. Your work will be continued, Victory will be behind us!" - radiates excessive optimism about the prospects of the Russian army in Ukraine one of the obituaries.

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Recall, the day before, August 14, it became known that under the temporarily occupied Mariupol, in the village of Yuriivka, explosions. Later it became known about the defeat of the camp of the occupants, which they arranged on the captured recreation center "Wave".

The next day details of the defeat appeared: the Russians have many dead, the number of wounded may reach 140 people, some of them died in hospitals before morning.

Also damaged or destroyed Russian equipment, in particular trucks, fuel tankers and armored infantry vehicles.
Sweden plans to provide Ukraine with a new military support package worth SEK 3.4 billion ($313.5 million). It will consist mainly of ammunition and spare parts for previously supplied weapons systems.

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The announcement was made by Defence Secretary Pal Johnson on Tuesday, 15 August. It was reported by the international news agency Reuters.

"We have to prepare for the fact that this could be a protracted war, and we also have a long-term perspective so that we can maintain the platforms we send to Ukraine on an ongoing basis," Johnson said at a press conference.

The new package of military aid from Sweden will be the 13th for Ukraine since the start of the large-scale war.

As a reminder, Ukraine has started receiving Swedish Satcube satellite internet terminals, which are an alternative to the American Starlink from Elon Musk's SpaceX company. Starlink offers higher connection speeds than Satcube (100 Mbps vs. 70 Mbps), but the latter has an important advantage: their signal will be harder for the enemy to block thanks to geostationary satellites.

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As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, the Swedish government has announced the allocation of $584 million to restore Ukraine and implement reforms in our country that will help pave the way for EU membership. First of all, the funds will be used to build Ukrainian infrastructure and healthcare facilities.

Only verified information is available on our Obozrevatel Telegram channel, Threads and Viber. Don't fall for fakes!
Russian occupiers stationed in the temporarily occupied part of the Kherson region burned their own Msta-S self-propelled artillery system. The incident took place in July this year.

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In order not to be punished, they claimed that the howitzer allegedly caught fire on its own. This was reported by the Telegram channel "Spy Dossier".

"How to burn your own self-propelled howitzer and not get hit on the head for it. The photo shows a burnt-out 2S19 Msta-S self-propelled artillery system belonging to the 205th separate motorised rifle brigade (military unit 74814, Stavropol Territory). The 205th Separate Motorised Rifle Brigade are the same guys who are rumoured to be responsible for the dam explosion at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station. They are currently stationed in the village of Nova Kakhovka," the message says.

According to the channel's author, Msta-S was undergoing maintenance. The fire was caused by a thrown cigarette butt, which led to the complete burnout of the weapon.

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In order to avoid further investigation and, as a result, punishment, the brigade's deputy commander for weapons, Lieutenant Colonel Yevhen Kysil, ordered that the cause of the loss be stated as "internal spontaneous combustion of the power cable".

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As a reminder, soldiers of the Russian Guards Air Assault Regiment fighting against Ukraine for the village of Staromayorske in Donetsk Oblast are extremely horrified by the massive losses in their ranks as a result of the effective work of the Defence Forces. They accuse their own commander of cowardice, whose orders and disorderly behaviour led to the elimination of dozens of invaders.

Earlier, OBOZREVATEL reported that a Russian woman suddenly realised that her son had been sent to war as "cannon fodder" and tried to remove him from the list of conscripts. In response, she was simply sent away, so she called for help from public figures.

Only verified information is available on our Obozrevatel Telegram channel, Threads and Viber. Don't fall for fakes!
Batavia, NY (14020)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies. High 71F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Considerable clouds this evening. Some decrease in clouds late. Low 53F. Winds light and variable.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney receives documents from County Court Clerk Che Alexander on Aug. 14, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia. District Attorney Fani Willis has been bringing evidence before a grand jury, which today handed up indictments on alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in the state, though it wasnt immediately clear if former President Donald Trump was named. (Megan Varner/Getty Images/TNS)
Batavia, NY (14020)

Today

Sun and clouds mixed. High 81F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low around 65F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph.
Russia continues to shell Ukrainian cities, including Lviv, Dnipro, Lutsk, Khmelnytsky, Zaporizhzhia and Smila on the night of 15 August. Air defence forces managed to shoot down 16 targets. However, missile defence forces have never managed to shoot down an X-22 hypersonic missile.

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This was announced by the spokesman for the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel Yuriy Ihnat, during the United News telethon. Thus, on the night of 15 August, the occupiers attacked Ukraine using missiles of various types, including the X-22. However, they can only be destroyed by Patriot air defence systems.

Ihnat noted that despite the fact that the X-22 missiles are cruise missiles, they are also supersonic and travel at a speed of about 4,000 kilometres per hour. Additionally, the X-22s follow a ballistic trajectory, making them difficult to destroy.

"None of the X-22 missiles have ever been destroyed, not just today," Ihnat said.

He noted that today Russia launched a missile attack on the Donetsk region using this type of missile. Four X-22 missiles were launched from six Tu-22M3 fighters. A total of 24 missiles were launched, and missile defence systems managed to destroy 16 of them.

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"Yes, we would like to shoot down more missiles, to achieve the result we had the day before, when the Operational Command "South" had a 100% success rate. But 16 out of 24 is also a pretty good result," said Ihnat.

Residents of Dnipro also spoke about a nighttime missile attack by Russian terrorist forces on 15 August. They said it was very scary, the missile whistled loudly and an explosion followed, causing the surrounding buildings to shake.

In Lviv, the missile attack caused significant damage. In the regional centre, the falling debris damaged residential buildings and destroyed a kindergarten, causing fires and injuring several people;

Only verified information is available on our Obozrevatel Telegram channel, Threads and Viber. Don't fall for fakes!
Glen Scotia unveils limited-edition 48 year old

Glen Scotia has unveiled a limited-edition 48 year old single malt, drawn from the distillerys oldest and rarest reserves. Only 250 individually numbered bottles are available worldwide at an RRP of 11,000.

Aged for 43 years in a combination of refill and first-fill bourbon barrels, the liquid was then re-casked into a first-fill Oloroso Hogshead for a further five years, before a final six month finish in a second-fill ex-Pedro Ximenez Hogshead.

The process was overseen by Glen Scotias master blender Michael Henry and is bottled at 40.8% ABV.

The bottle is presented in a handmade oak display case, inspired by the Spanish Azulejo tile designs once found in the bodegas of Seville and further afield around Spain and Portugal in the 18th and 19th centuries. The bottle itself has gold metal decoration to the body and shoulder. A plaque accompanies any purchase of the bottling, with the individual bottle number, tasting notes and a story of the single malt.

Distillery manager Iain McAlister commented: , The 48-Year-Old is an exceptional release with a remarkable heritage. It is so intriguing to me to think that different generations of distillery managers and their teams, who would have been testing their casks over time, opted to hold this particular liquid back time and time again, allowing it to continue its journey. What we have inherited today is therefore a real journey through time and a celebration of Glen Scotias rich heritage and craftsmanship, which continues to thrive. This is a collector's must-have, a chance to reflect upon a time in history and be transported to a bygone era of one of Scotlands most enduring distilleries.

Master blender Henry added: This expression is a testament to Glen Scotias commitment to excellence and preserving the Campbeltown style, handed down by past generations of local distillery workers. It is the first time Glen Scotia has used a combination of oloroso and PX sherry casks on a liquid of such a remarkable age, which has resulted in a Spanish symphony of flavour married with Glen Scotias coastal nuances. The result is a whisky quite unlike anything weve had the pleasure of crafting to date  it is one that exemplifies luxury and rarity for a very fortunate few and is a true window into the distillerys past. I have no doubt it will leave an impression that will be as enduring as the distillery itself has been.

16 August 2023 - Bradley Weir
CARE Hospitals, Nagpur performed three unique medical cases with successful outcomes





Business Bureau

CARE Hospitals, one of the leading multi-specialty hospitals in Nagpur recently performed three unique and challenging medical cases with remarkable success. Dr Prashant Bhowate, General Surgeon, CARE Hospitals, Nagpur along with his team shared the details about the cases in a press conference at the hospital.

The three rare emergency cases included post renal transplant patient - traumatic peritonitis with abdominal wall involvement, second case of patient suffering from hyperhidrosis - excessive sweating and third case of flail chest - rib fixation in a critical flail chest traumatic injury. Dr Akhil Jain, HCOO, CARE Hospitals, Nagpur, expressed profound satisfaction with the successful treatment outcomes of all three cases and acknowledged the dedication of the entire medical team at CARE Hospitals, Nagpur.
Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft achieves near-circular orbit around Moon





BENGALURU :

ISRO gears up for mission to Sun, satellite ADITYA-L1 arrives at Sriharikota for launch

INDIAS ambitious third Moon missions spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 on Monday underwent another manoeuvre, bringing it even closer to the Lunar surface, ISRO said. The national space agency said that the spacecraft has now achieved a near-circular orbit around the Moon. Post its launch on July 14, Chandrayaan-3 entered into the lunar orbit on August 5, following which two orbit reduction manoeuvres were carried out on August 6 and 9. Orbit circularisation phase commences. Precise manoeuvre performed today has achieved a near-circular orbit of 150 km x 177 km, ISRO said in a tweet. The next operation is planned for August 16, around 8:30 am, it said. As the mission progresses, a series of manoeuvres is being conducted by ISRO to gradually reduce Chandrayaan-3s orbit and position it over the lunar poles. According to ISRO sources, one more manoeuvre will be performed on the spacecraft on August 16 to reach 100 km orbit, following which the landing module, comprising the lander and rover will break away from the propulsion module.

After this, the lander is expected to undergo a deboost (the process of slowing down) and make a soft landing on the south polar region of the Moon on August 23. ISRO gears up for mission to Sun, satellite arrives at Sriharikota for launch: ADITYA-L1, the first space-based Indian observatory to study the Sun, is getting ready for its launch soon, ISRO said on Monday. The satellite, realised at U R Rao Satellite Centre here, has arrived at the ISROs spaceport in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, the Bengaluru-headquartered national space agency said in an update on the mission. Mostly September first week, an ISRO official told PTI when asked about the date of the launch. The spacecraft is expected to be placed in a halo orbit around the Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system, which is about 1.5 million kilometres from the Earth. A satellite placed in the halo orbit around the L1 point has a major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without any occultation/eclipses, ISRO noted. This will provide a greater advantage of observing the solar activities and its effect on space weather in real time, it said. The spacecraft carries seven payloads to observe the photosphere, chromosphere and the outermost layers of the Sun (the corona) using electromagnetic and particle and magnetic field detectors. Using the special vantage point L1, four payloads will directly view the Sun and the remaining three payloads would carry out in-situ studies of particles and fields at the L1, thus providing important scientific studies of the propagatory effect of solar dynamics in the interplanetary medium.

The suits of Aditya L1 payloads are expected to provide most crucial information to understand the problem of coronal heating, coronal mass ejection, pre-flare and flare activities and their characteristics, dynamics of space weather, propagation of particle and fields etc., ISRO said. The major science objectives of the Aditya-L1 mission are: study of solar upper atmospheric (chromosphere and corona) dynamics; study of chromospheric and coronal heating, physics of the partially ionised plasma, initiation of the coronal mass ejections, and flares; observe the in-situ particle and plasma environment providing data for the study of particle dynamics from the Sun; physics of solar corona and its heating mechanism; diagnostics of the coronal and coronal loops plasma: temperature, velocity and density; development, dynamics and origin of coronal mass ejections; identify the sequence of processes that occur at multiple layers (chromosphere, base and extended corona) which eventually leads to solar eruptive events; magnetic field topology and magnetic field measurements in the solar corona; drivers for space weather (origin, composition and dynamics of solar wind).

The instruments of Aditya-L1 are tuned to observe the solar atmosphere, mainly the chromosphere and corona, while the in-situ instruments will observe the local environment at L1. Last week, ISRO Chairman S Somnath had said the most critical part of the landing is the process of bringing the velocity of the lander from 30 km height to the final landing, and that the ability to transfer the spacecraft from horizontal to vertical direction is the trick we have to play here. Over five moves in the three weeks since the July 14 launch, ISRO had lifted the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft into orbits farther and farther away from the Earth. Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 to demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface.
Dehradun Defence Academy building collapses, Char Dham Yatra suspended





DEHRADUN :

TORRENTIAL rains ravaged Uttarakhand on Monday, destroying buildings and causing landslides which breached the national highways to Badrinath, Kedarnath and Gangotri shrines and left 3 people dead and 5 others missing. A private defence training academy on the outskirts of Dehradun also collapsed amid the incessant rains. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami held a meeting with senior officials to review situation and suspend the Char Dham Yatra for two days. Rudraprayag district disaster management officer Nandan Singh Rajwar said, a landslide hit a camp at Lincholi near Kedarnath, killing one person identified as 26-year-old Kalu Bahadur from Nepal. Two bodies were also recovered from rain-fed streams near Shiv Mandir and Miranagar areas in Rishikesh. One of them has been identified as 35-year-old Dinesh Panwar, a resident of Amit Gram.

The other body is being identified, an official at AIIMS, Rishikesh where the bodies have been kept said. Four-five people were missing after a landslide in Laxmanjhula area of Pauri district. Heavy rains triggered the landslide whose debris fell on a resort in the area trapping four-five people under it, Senior Superintendent of Police, Pauri, Shweta Choubey told PTI over phone. Located on the banks of Song river near Lalpul, the building of the Dehradun Defence Academy caved in on Monday morning, Tehri Sub Divisional Magistrate Ashish Ghildiyal said.

Rescue and relief teams have reached the spot and a search operation has been started, she said. Dhami, in a Facebook post, said heavy casualties have been reported due to rains in Pauri which is extremely sad. Most of the rivers were overflowing due to the rain with the Ganga flowing above the danger mark in Tehri, Haridwar and Rishikesh. River Ganga is flowing at the danger mark in Rishikesh, Junior Engineer, Central Water Commission, Sunny Vishnoi said.
Each Indian has equal opportunity, rights, duties: President to nation





NEW DELHI :

Each Indian has many identities like caste,creed,language but identity as Indian citizen is above all: President Murmu

India enhanced its standing in international order, said the President

IN HER address to the nation on the eve of the 77th Independence Day celebrations, President Droupadi Murmu on Monday said that each one of us is an equal citizen, each one of us has an equal opportunity, equal rights and equal duties in this land. The President asserted that there is one identity above all-- that is everyone is a citizen of India. In her address to the nation, President Murmu said, My heartiest greetings to all of you on our 77th Independence Day! It is a glorious and auspicious occasion for all of us. I am overjoyed to see that festivity is in the air. It is a matter of delight as well as pride for us to see how everyone  children, youth and the elderly, in cities and villages, everywhere in India  is excited and preparing to celebrate this festival of our freedom. The people have been celebrating Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav with great enthusiasm.

She said that the Independence Day celebrations remind her of her childhood days. What we celebrate on Independence Day is the fact that we are part of a great democracy. Each of us has many identities  apart from caste, creed, language and region, we are also identified with our families and professions  but there is one identity that is above all. That is our identity as citizens of India. Each one of us is an equal citizen; each one of us has an equal opportunity, equal rights and equal duties, in this land, she said. The President said that India has not only regained its rightful place on the world stage but it has also enhances its standing in the international order. In her second speech as President of India, Murmu said that during her visits and interactions with members of the Indian diaspora, she has observed a new confidence in the India story. India is playing a crucial role in promoting developmental and humanitarian goals around the world. It has also assumed leadership of international forums, especially the presidency of G-20, the President said. As the G-20 represents two-thirds of the world population, this is a unique opportunity to help shape global discourse in the right direction.

With the G-20 presidency, India can nudge decision-making in trade and finance towards equitable progress, the President said in her address. She said that beyond trade and finance, matters of human development too are on the agenda. There are many global issues that concern all humanity and are not limited by geographical boundaries. I am confident that with Indias proven leadership in dealing with global issues, member nations will be able to advance effective action on these fronts, the President said. Speaking further on Indias G20 Presidency, President Murmu said, What is notable in Indias presidency of G-20 is the way this diplomatic activity has been taken to the grassroots. There has been a first-of-its-kind campaign to encourage peoples participation.

It is delightful to see, for example, students enthusiastically participating in diverse contests organised in schools and colleges touching upon the themes of G-20. All the citizens are enthusiastic about events related to G-20, she said. In her address to the country, President Murmu said, Independence Day is an occasion to reconnect with our history. It is also an occasion to assess our present and reflect about our way forward. Looking at the present, we see that India has not only regained its rightful place on the world stage, but it has also enhanced its standing in the international order, she added.
Freedom Fighter Jain inaugurates photo expo





Freedom fighter, Komalchand Jain inaugurating the exhibition at Jabalpur Railway Station.

Staff Reporter :

Freedom Fighter Komalchand Jain inaugurated the photo exhibition Desh Vibhajan Vibhishika Smriti Diwas organized during the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsava at Jabalpur Railway Station Platform No-1, on Monday. The exhibition is being organized simultaneously at Jabalpur, Bhopal and Kota divisions on the historic occasion of 76th year of independence and remembering the contribution of freedom fighters in independence of the nation. On the occasion, DRM Jabalpur, Vivek Sheel, ADRM, Pradeep Kumar, other senior officers of Jabalpur division along with eminent residents, students of scout and guide, RPF personnel and railway Freedom Fighter Dr Krishna Modi is the pride of Waraseoni town as at a small age of just 12 years he actively participated in the freedom movement. Dr Modi proudly shares his memories of freedom struggle. It is a rare opportunity to get first hand account of situations, emotions running in the country during the freedom movement.

Waraseoni town has maximum number of freedom fighters who participated in the freedom movement. 94-year-old Dr Krishna Modi laments as his other collegaues of freedom struggle have left for heavenly abode. Though he belongs to Waraseoni, at present, he is staying in Pathakheda of Sarni district. He informed the gathering about the incidents occurred during freedom movement. He said at the age of 12, he was inspired by Harishankar Bansiwale, Motilala Nayak, C K Naidu, Dharmchand Solanki and others to participate in the freedom movement. He participated in the Satyagrah staged in the area in the year 1941. As he was just a child, his friends sent him back to home. Then on August 8, 1942, during Quit India Movement, he actively participated in the protest.

The police then started to arrest the protestors. On August 20, police opened fire on the freedom fighters and postman Dasharam Dakia was martyred. In memory of that incident, that spot is still known as Golibaar chowk. Freedom fighter Amar Singh and some other torched the Tihli Bai School and then he was left to his maternal place in Balaghat as police was searching for him. But he was missing home and so he ran away and midway was caught by the police. After interrogation, he was warned for not participating in the any other protests. He also shared his memories of grand celebration that was observed when India attained freedom. Each nook and corner of the town wore a festive look and people were beaming with happiness, he cncluded.
The five hundred and thirty-eighth day of Russia's large-scale armed aggression against our country continues. There were 23 combat engagements over the last day. The enemy is advancing unsuccessfully in three areas of the Donetsk front: the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled the occupiers' attacks in the Kupyansk, Avdiivka and Shakhtarsk sectors.

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This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in a traditional evening update on Tuesday, 15 August. It is noted that during the day, Ukrainian missile and artillery units hit two artillery pieces at firing positions, one anti-aircraft missile system and another important enemy object.

In the Kupyansk sector, the enemy conducted unsuccessful offensives in the areas southeast of Vilshany and east of Petropavlivka in the Kharkiv region.

In the Lyman sector, the enemy conducted air strikes in the areas of Bilohorivka in the Luhansk region and Siverske, Spirne, and Vesele in the Donetsk region.

In the Bakhmut sector, the enemy conducted air strikes in the areas of Vasyukivka, Klishchiyivka, Andriivka and Severne in the Donetsk region.

In the Avdiivka sector, the invaders conducted unsuccessful offensive actions in the area south of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region.

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In the Maryinka sector, Ukrainian defence forces continue to hold back the Russian offensive near the towns of Maryinka and Krasnohorivka in Donetsk region.

In the Shakhtarsk sector, the enemy made unsuccessful attempts to regain the lost ground near Urozhayne in Donetsk region.

In the Zaporizhzhia sector, the Russian army carried out air strikes in the areas of Omelnyk, Mala Tokmachka, Novodanylivka and Robotyne in Zaporizhzhia region. More than 20 localities suffered from Russian artillery shelling. Among them: Novodarivka, Poltavka, Zaliznychne, Charivne, Novoandriivka, Stepove in Zaporizhzhia region.

In the Kherson sector, the enemy conducted air strikes in the areas of Mykolaivka and Sadove in the Kherson region. The Russian army shelled such localities as Kherson, Poniativka in Kherson region and Ochakiv in Mykolaiv region.

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The Ukrainian defence forces continue to conduct offensive operations in the Melitopol and Berdiansk directions, consolidating their positions and carrying out counter-battery operations.

Over the course of the day, the defence forces' aviation carried out seven strikes on areas where enemy personnel, weapons and military equipment were concentrated.

As reported by OBOZREVATEL:

Soldiers from the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade repelled an attack by the occupiers near Andriivka in the Bakhmut direction. During the attack, the defenders destroyed a platoon of modern Russian T-90M tanks.

During the fighting on 14 August, Ukraine's defenders eliminated another 540 occupants and destroyed 118 pieces of Russian military equipment and weapons, including another enemy helicopter.

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GMCH to get facelift; bhoomipujan of works worth Rs 172 crore performed





Staff Reporter :

With a thought that Nagpurs Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in its 75th year should wear a new look, we are ready to give the required funds. While developing good infrastructure facilities, the hospital should be able to provide quality treatment to poor and needy, stated Maharashtras Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Fadnavis was speaking at a ceremony held to perform digital bhoomipujan of works worth Rs 172 crore.

District Collector Dr Vipin Itankar had prepared a proposal of modernisation of GMCH and Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital (IGGMCH). Of the total plan of Rs 550 crore, Fadnavis performed the bhoomipujan of the works worth Rs 172 crore. Maharashtra State Assembly Speaker Dr Rahul Narvekar, South Nagpur MLA Mohan Mate, East Nagpur MLA Krishna Khopde, MLC Pravin Datke, ex-Mayor Sandip Joshi, Dean of GMCH Dr Raj Gajbhiye, Head, Department of Neurosurgery at Super Speciality Hospital Dr Pramod Giri were seated on the dais. Announcing that the platinum jubilee function would be conducted in a grand manner, Fadnavis said, This hospital treats 5 lakh patients every year. Now it is high time that we need to improve the working style and level of treatment. We are already contemplating change in the new plan.

He also reiterated that modern facilities would be made available for treating sicklecell patients. The works of which bhoomipujan was performed include Cancer department, new hostel of 250 capacity for residents, girls hostel, protection wall, skywalk to go from trauma care centre to main building, new paying wards, upgradation of auditorium, renovation of guest house. Dr Rahul Narvekar, Mohan Mate also spoke on the occasion. Dr Raj Gajbhiye gave introductory remarks.





I am emotionally attached to GMCH

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis revealed, I am born at GMCH so I have special attachment to this institute. I want this institute to become world class. GMCH should attain the level of Delhis All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). We have to erase the general concept about government hospitals where poor get just-for-the-sake services. He also expressed that he would try President of India to grace the platinum jubilee celebrations of GMCH to be held in December this year.
It is right presidency at right time: UK Minister

NEW DELHI :

INDIAS G20 presidency has been incredibly important as it offered effective leadership in addressing various global challenges including that of food security, British Security Minister Tom Tugendhat said. Its quite clear to me that this is the right presidency at the right time, Tugendhat said. Under its G20 presidency, India has been flagging concerns of the Global South including in areas of food, fuel and fertiliser besides focusing on ensuring inclusive global growth, speedy implementation of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and green development among others. The British Security Minister was in India on a three-day visit primarily to attend the G20 anti-corruption ministerial meeting in Kolkata last week. In an interview to PTI, Tugendhat, delving into India-UK bilateral ties, said there is no debate in his country about New Delhi being an essential ally of London. At the same time, the minister criticised Russia for violating its grain deal with Kyiv that would prevent crucial grain exports from Ukraine reaching the world markets. In his remarks, the minister especially complimented Indias global initiative to encourage the consumption and production of millet and elaborated on how it can contribute to dealing with the problem of food insecurity.

Were talking about different ways of seeing food security in many countries around the world. Now thats increasingly important, Tugendhat said. Weve seen, sadly, Russias violation of the grain deal with Ukraine and that will have callous implications that the Kremlin is taking on poorer countries around the world, he said. Its a brutal decision by (President Vladimir) Putin and it is completely wrong. So having India chairing the presidency, having the presidency of the G20 right now is incredibly important, the minister noted. Tugendhat said India is providing leadership to the G-20 at a time when the world is facing a plethora of challenges. We are very focused on what we need to do as partners, which is to make sure that were offering the leadership to our own people, but also the support to many others around the world, he said. And thats exactly what the Indian presidency of the G20 is doing. So I must say Im very, very grateful to your government for all that it is doing, he said. Asked about India facing the uphill task of building consensus on the text to refer to the Ukraine crisis in the leaders declaration to be adopted at the upcoming Summit of the grouping, the British minister chose not to comment. India is finding it difficult to build consensus on the issue in view of sharp differences between the West and Russia-China combine. Both Russia and China had agreed to the two paragraphs on the Ukraine conflict in the Bali declaration, but they backtracked from it this year creating difficulties for India.

The G20 operates under the principle of consensus. Almost all key meetings held under Indias G20 presidency, including those of finance and foreign ministers, could not come out with consensus documents due to opposition from Russia and China to any text referring to the Ukraine conflict. However, Indian negotiators are confident of finding consensus on the text relating to Ukraine for the leaders declaration. Asked what kind of security cooperation India and the UK are looking at in the backdrop of the global geopolitical upheaval, Tugendhat did not give a direct reply but said both the countries see the world very similarly. On the ambitious India-UK trade deal, the minister said he was confident that both sides will be able to conclude it. Im very hopeful. And I can tell you that officials are working on it right now. Look, weve got to get a deal that works for the Indian people, works for the British people, he said. Tugendhat said the UK is trying to get the best deal for its people and the Indian government is doing exactly the same for the Indian citizens.

And what we need to do is make sure that we get a deal that works for all of us. But Im confident that we can come to an agreement that does that, he said. Declining to give a timeline for the deal, he said: I am confident that we can come to an agreement. In April last year, the two sides had set a Diwali deadline for concluding the free trade agreement but the deal could not be finalised in view of differences over certain issues as well as political developments in the UK. The India-UK relationship was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during the India-UK virtual summit held between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his then British counterpart Boris Johnson in May 2021. At the summit, the two sides adopted a 10-year roadmap to expand ties in the key areas of trade and economy, defence and security, climate change and people-to-people connections among others.
Swatantryaveer Vinayak Damodar Savarkars cell in the Andaman prison.

By Vijay Phanshikar :

Anaadi mee anant mee,

avadhya mee bhalaa

(No beginning or end do I have, I the immortal)

Maaril ripu jagati

asaa kavan janmala!

(Yet to be born is the enemy that can kill me)

- Opening lines of a Marathi poem by

Swatantryaveer

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar

THESE immortal lines form an integral part of the Indian literature that depicts the epic struggle for Independence. This poem -- Anaadi mee anant mee .. has inspired generations of people who consider Swatantryaveer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar their icon.

The spiritual message of this poem is unmistakable. It communicates the core principle of Indian philosophy of

immortality of soul -- the Atman. Both the stanzas of the epic poem take the reader to the ancient belief of Aham Brahmasmi -- I am the Brahman! I am the immortal. For, I have no beginning and no end. I am the eternal being.

This poem has a very special importance in the patriotic thought-process of India. When Swatantryaveer Savarkar was languishing in the Andaman prison, going through rigorous punishment day in and day out, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, his body started wilting, pushing him to the brink of death. All the time, he fought hard to keep himself awake, let alone alive. Yet, there was no respite from the rigours and

cruelty and isolation. Every moment appeared to bring him closer to dying. Swatantryaveer Savarkar was sure, he would perish any moment, falling dead -- having been killed by the merciless jailors in what could be called an official homicide.

And then came a moment -- divine in every sense. There, lying on the stone floor of his prison cell in the Cellular Jail in the Andaman isles, the young Savarkar suddenly realised that he was immortal and nothing could kill him -- Amrutasya Putrah (Child of the Immortal)! In that spiritual flash of self-realisation, all the sanskaar of his lifetime, all the ancient wisdom that often marked the great and ageless Indian discourse came up from the

deepest depth of his mind. The young barrister who was jailed by the alien British rulers for his masterminding of

revolutionary activities suddenly felt that nothing -- no enemy, no weapon -- could kill him:

avadhya mee bhalaa !

May anything happen, may there be much more hardship, may there be more misery ... come what may, I will endure all this. For, I am the child of the Immortal -- Amrutasya Putrah!

Didnt Lord Krishna tell Arjuna in the epic advice of Geeta, Savarkar must have exclaimed to himself:

Hato vaa prapyasi swargam, jitva vaa bhokshase mahim/ (Perish if you do in the battle, you would attain Heaven, live if you do through the battle, you would rule the earth)

Tasmaduttishtha Kaunteya uddhay krutanischaya//

(So Kaunteya -- son of Kunti -- rise and resolve to fight) ...!

That was the moment when the spirit triumphed over the body. That was the moment that would some day in the future win for Savarkar the iconic epithet Mrityunjay - the one who conquers death!

Later, may be years later, Savarkar penned the iconic poem that has become an integral part of the Indian

consciousness of freedom:

Anaadi mee anant mee, avadhya mee bhalaa ....!
Armenian residents of Garabagh today crossed the border in the direction of Armenia without hindrance. A total of 10 patients with accompanying people, as well as the mediation and escorting by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), passed through the Lachin border checkpoint, Azernews reports, citing Armenian media outlets.

It should be noted that Azerbaijani citizens of Armenian origin can safely cross the Lachin border checkpoint at any time of the day. All conditions have been created by the Azerbaijani side for their unimpeded crossing of the checkpoint.

This once again proves that there are no barriers on the part of Azerbaijan to crossing the checkpoint at the state border. Armenia's statements and actions regarding the border are purely provocative.
Madison County Financial, Inc. (OTCMKTS:MCBK  Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 300 shares, a decrease of 25.0% from the July 15th total of 400 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.0 days.

Madison County Financial Stock Performance

OTCMKTS:MCBK remained flat at $21.60 during trading on Monday. The businesss fifty day moving average is $24.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. Madison County Financial has a 1-year low of $21.00 and a 1-year high of $32.50.

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Madison County Financial, Inc operates as the holding company for Madison County Bank that provides banking and financial services to individual and corporate customers in Nebraska, the United States. It offers deposits, such as checking, money market savings, savings, and individual retirement accounts, as well as certificates of deposit; credit and debit cards; home loans; and consumer loans, including home equity lines of credit, second mortgage, home improvement, recreational vehicle, personal, and overdraft protection loans, as well as loans for automobiles, trucks, and vans.

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AmerisourceBergen Co. (NYSE:ABC  Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of Moderate Buy from the fourteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $189.36.

ABC has been the topic of a number of research reports. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of AmerisourceBergen from $205.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, August 7th. 888 reaffirmed a maintains rating on shares of AmerisourceBergen in a research note on Friday, May 26th. Bank of America raised their price target on AmerisourceBergen from $200.00 to $212.00 in a research report on Monday, July 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on AmerisourceBergen from $174.00 to $182.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 3rd. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of AmerisourceBergen from $182.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, May 3rd.

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AmerisourceBergen Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:ABC opened at $187.63 on Tuesday. AmerisourceBergen has a fifty-two week low of $135.14 and a fifty-two week high of $194.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.51. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $187.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $171.27. The company has a market cap of $37.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.85, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.56.

AmerisourceBergen (NYSE:ABC  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 2nd. The company reported $2.92 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.83 by $0.09. AmerisourceBergen had a net margin of 0.66% and a return on equity of 612.69%. The firm had revenue of $66.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $63.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.62 earnings per share. The firms revenue was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that AmerisourceBergen will post 11.92 earnings per share for the current year.

AmerisourceBergen Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 28th. Investors of record on Friday, August 11th will be given a $0.485 dividend. This represents a $1.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 10th. AmerisourceBergens dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.63%.

Insider Activity at AmerisourceBergen

In related news, CEO Steven H. Collis sold 10,499 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $186.19, for a total transaction of $1,954,808.81. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 257,967 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $48,030,875.73. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Steven H. Collis sold 10,499 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $186.19, for a total transaction of $1,954,808.81. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 257,967 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $48,030,875.73. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. sold 275,984 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.17, for a total transaction of $50,000,021.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 33,090,404 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,994,988,492.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,655,881 shares of company stock worth $310,997,955. Company insiders own 20.10% of the companys stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AmerisourceBergen

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ABC. Callan Family Office LLC bought a new stake in AmerisourceBergen in the second quarter valued at about $208,000. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC grew its stake in shares of AmerisourceBergen by 85.2% in the second quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 12,178 shares of the companys stock worth $2,343,000 after purchasing an additional 5,603 shares in the last quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI increased its holdings in shares of AmerisourceBergen by 2,547.4% during the second quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI now owns 246,205 shares of the companys stock valued at $47,377,000 after purchasing an additional 236,905 shares during the period. Ergoteles LLC bought a new stake in shares of AmerisourceBergen during the second quarter valued at about $5,199,000. Finally, Sowell Financial Services LLC increased its stake in AmerisourceBergen by 200.1% during the 2nd quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 18,676 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,594,000 after buying an additional 12,452 shares during the period. 92.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AmerisourceBergen Company Profile

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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.

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Bell Investment Advisors Inc decreased its position in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX  Free Report) by 31.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 512 shares of the companys stock after selling 232 shares during the period. Bell Investment Advisors Incs holdings in Clorox were worth $81,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund acquired a new stake in shares of Clorox during the 1st quarter worth approximately $695,000. Pictet Asset Management SA raised its stake in Clorox by 14.2% during the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management SA now owns 65,807 shares of the companys stock worth $10,413,000 after buying an additional 8,162 shares during the last quarter. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Clorox during the first quarter worth $2,375,000. Keybank National Association OH grew its holdings in Clorox by 5.5% in the first quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 19,942 shares of the companys stock worth $3,156,000 after purchasing an additional 1,046 shares during the period. Finally, Tredje AP fonden grew its holdings in Clorox by 5.1% in the first quarter. Tredje AP fonden now owns 26,163 shares of the companys stock worth $4,140,000 after purchasing an additional 1,265 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.37% of the companys stock.

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Clorox Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of Clorox stock traded down $2.06 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $158.11. The companys stock had a trading volume of 625,981 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,211,244. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.38, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.95. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $156.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $157.51. The company has a market capitalization of $19.58 billion, a PE ratio of 132.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.29. The Clorox Company has a 52 week low of $124.58 and a 52 week high of $178.21.

Clorox Increases Dividend

Clorox ( NYSE:CLX Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 2nd. The company reported $1.67 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.48. The company had revenue of $2.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.88 billion. Clorox had a net margin of 2.02% and a return on equity of 163.56%. Cloroxs revenue for the quarter was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.93 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that The Clorox Company will post 5.9 earnings per share for the current year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 9th will be paid a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.04%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 8th. This is a boost from Cloroxs previous quarterly dividend of $1.18. Cloroxs dividend payout ratio is 403.36%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on CLX. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Clorox from $130.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 3rd. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Clorox from $117.00 to $127.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a report on Friday, August 4th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Clorox from $137.00 to $151.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Clorox from $145.00 to $150.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Clorox from $147.00 to $149.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 18th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $150.38.

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Clorox Company Profile

(Free Report)

The Clorox Company manufactures and markets consumer and professional products worldwide. It operates through four segments: Health and Wellness, Household, Lifestyle, and International. The Health and Wellness segment offers cleaning products, such as laundry additives and home care products primarily under the Clorox, Clorox2, Scentiva, Pine-Sol, Liquid-Plumr, Tilex, and Formula 409 brands; professional cleaning and disinfecting products under the CloroxPro and Clorox Healthcare brands; professional food service products under the Hidden Valley brand; and vitamins, minerals and supplement products under the RenewLife, Natural Vitality, NeoCell, and Rainbow Light brands in the United States.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CLX? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX  Free Report).

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Clough Global Opportunities Fund (NYSEAMERICAN:GLO  Get Free Report) announced a monthly dividend on Tuesday, July 11th, Wall Street Journal reports. Investors of record on Friday, August 18th will be given a dividend of 0.0483 per share by the investment management company on Thursday, August 31st. This represents a $0.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.69%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 17th.

Clough Global Opportunities Fund has raised its dividend by an average of 2.5% annually over the last three years.

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Clough Global Opportunities Fund Stock Performance

NYSEAMERICAN:GLO opened at $4.96 on Tuesday. Clough Global Opportunities Fund has a one year low of $4.54 and a one year high of $7.72.

Insider Transactions at Clough Global Opportunities Fund

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Clough Global Opportunities Fund

In other news, insider Charles Clough, Jr. bought 20,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 15th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $4.94 per share, for a total transaction of $98,800.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now owns 255,445 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,261,898.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website . In other news, insider Charles Clough, Jr. bought 20,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 15th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $4.94 per share, for a total transaction of $98,800.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now owns 255,445 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,261,898.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website . Also, insider Charles Clough, Jr. bought 15,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 9th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $5.04 per share, for a total transaction of $75,600.00. Following the purchase, the insider now owns 260,445 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,312,642.80. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bank of Montreal Can bought a new position in shares of Clough Global Opportunities Fund during the 1st quarter valued at $507,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Clough Global Opportunities Fund by 34.5% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 44,951 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $423,000 after buying an additional 11,540 shares during the period. Centaurus Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Clough Global Opportunities Fund by 96.3% during the 1st quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 259,182 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $2,439,000 after buying an additional 127,121 shares during the period. Guggenheim Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Clough Global Opportunities Fund by 10.2% during the 1st quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 203,063 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $1,911,000 after buying an additional 18,726 shares during the period. Finally, LPL Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Clough Global Opportunities Fund by 9.9% during the 2nd quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 14,833 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $109,000 after buying an additional 1,333 shares during the period.

Clough Global Opportunities Fund Company Profile

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Clough Global Opportunities Fund is a closed ended balanced mutual fund launched and managed by Clough Capital Partners L.P. It invests in public equity and fixed income markets across the globe. The fund invests in securities of companies operating across diversified sectors. For its fixed income portion, the fund invests in both investment grade and non-investment grade issues.

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CONSOL Energy Inc. (NYSE:CEIX  Get Free Report) General Counsel Martha A. Wiegand sold 10,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.33, for a total value of $803,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel now owns 38,843 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,120,258.19. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

CONSOL Energy Price Performance

NYSE CEIX traded up $0.08 on Monday, reaching $80.01. The companys stock had a trading volume of 466,838 shares, compared to its average volume of 738,597. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $68.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $61.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The firm has a market cap of $2.56 billion, a PE ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.86. CONSOL Energy Inc. has a 52 week low of $49.35 and a 52 week high of $84.21.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, B. Riley cut their target price on CONSOL Energy from $84.00 to $81.00 in a research note on Monday, June 26th.

Institutional Trading of CONSOL Energy

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. boosted its stake in CONSOL Energy by 4.8% in the second quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 2,806 shares of the companys stock worth $190,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC increased its stake in shares of CONSOL Energy by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 7,663 shares of the companys stock valued at $520,000 after buying an additional 199 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its stake in shares of CONSOL Energy by 7.0% in the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 3,093 shares of the companys stock valued at $153,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of CONSOL Energy by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 17,525 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,188,000 after buying an additional 213 shares during the period. Finally, Amalgamated Bank increased its stake in shares of CONSOL Energy by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 16,293 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,059,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.29% of the companys stock.

About CONSOL Energy

(Get Free Report)

CONSOL Energy Inc produces and exports bituminous coal in the United States. It operates through Pennsylvania Mining Complex and CONSOL Marine Terminal segment. The company's Pennsylvania Mining Complex segment engages in mining, preparation, and marketing of bituminous coal to power generators, industrial end-users, and metallurgical end-users.

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Victoria Gold (TSE:VGCX  Free Report) had its price objective reduced by Cormark from C$19.00 to C$17.50 in a research report sent to investors on Friday, BayStreet.CA reports.

VGCX has been the topic of several other reports. HC Wainwright increased their target price on shares of Victoria Gold from C$20.00 to C$24.00 in a research note on Friday. CIBC increased their price objective on shares of Victoria Gold from C$10.50 to C$11.50 in a research report on Monday, April 17th.

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Victoria Gold Price Performance

Victoria Gold Company Profile

Victoria Gold stock opened at C$7.16 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of C$476.35 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.38 and a beta of 1.63. Victoria Gold has a 52-week low of C$6.56 and a 52-week high of C$11.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 49.43, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 1.83. The stocks 50 day moving average price is C$8.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is C$8.92.

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Victoria Gold Corp. acquires, explores, and operates mineral properties in Canada and the United States. The company primarily explores for gold deposits. Its flagship property is 100% owned Dublin Gulch property, which hosts the Eagle and Olive-Shamrock Gold deposit covering an area of approximately 555 square kilometers located in central Yukon, Canada.

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Davide Campari-Milano (OTCMKTS:DVDCF  Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,836,300 shares, a growth of 20.5% from the July 15th total of 4,845,100 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 8,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 711.7 days.

Davide Campari-Milano Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of DVDCF stock traded up $0.05 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $13.35. The company had a trading volume of 62,281 shares, compared to its average volume of 75,549. Davide Campari-Milano has a 52-week low of $8.55 and a 52-week high of $14.45. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $13.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $12.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 2.00 and a quick ratio of 0.91.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on DVDCF. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Davide Campari-Milano to 13.00 ($14.13) in a research report on Tuesday, April 18th. Credit Suisse Group lifted their price target on shares of Davide Campari-Milano to 13.00 ($14.13) in a report on Wednesday, July 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Davide Campari-Milano to 13.80 ($15.00) in a report on Friday, July 7th. Finally, Citigroup downgraded shares of Davide Campari-Milano from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, July 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $11.75.

Davide Campari-Milano Company Profile

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Davide Campari-Milano N.V., together with its subsidiaries, markets and distributes alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages in the Americas, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific. It offers a range of spirits categories, including aperitif, vodka, liqueurs, bitters, whisky, tequila, rum, gin, and cognac, as well as champagne and non-alcoholic aperitif under various brands, such as Aperol, Campari, SKYY, Wild Turkey, Grand Marnier, Appleton Estate, Wray & Nephew Overproof, and other brands.

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Devon Energy Co. (NYSE:DVN  Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of Moderate Buy from the seventeen research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $65.21.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on DVN shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Devon Energy from a neutral rating to a buy rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $63.00 to $58.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 13th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Devon Energy from $71.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, July 24th. Bank of America reduced their price target on Devon Energy from $67.00 to $60.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Devon Energy from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 18th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on Devon Energy from $63.00 to $60.00 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 13th.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Devon Energy

In other Devon Energy news, EVP Dennis C. Cameron sold 7,870 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.13, for a total transaction of $402,393.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 210,548 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,765,319.24. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink . Corporate insiders own 0.63% of the companys stock.

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its stake in shares of Devon Energy by 58.5% in the 2nd quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 185,517 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $8,968,000 after purchasing an additional 68,486 shares during the last quarter. Perritt Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Devon Energy by 42.8% in the 2nd quarter. Perritt Capital Management Inc. now owns 9,370 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $453,000 after purchasing an additional 2,810 shares during the last quarter. Slagle Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Devon Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,383,000. Lumature Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Devon Energy by 35.6% in the 2nd quarter. Lumature Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,050 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $147,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ergoteles LLC increased its stake in shares of Devon Energy by 444.5% in the 2nd quarter. Ergoteles LLC now owns 119,740 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $5,788,000 after purchasing an additional 97,751 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.00% of the companys stock.

Devon Energy Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of Devon Energy stock opened at $50.29 on Tuesday. Devon Energy has a 1 year low of $44.03 and a 1 year high of $78.82. The business has a 50-day moving average of $50.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $51.81. The company has a market capitalization of $32.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.18 and a beta of 2.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.90.

Devon Energy (NYSE:DVN  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 company had revenue of $3.45 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.26 billion. Devon Energy had a return on equity of 37.89% and a net margin of 28.10%. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 38.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.59 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Devon Energy will post 5.47 EPS for the current year.

Devon Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 14th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.90%. Devon Energys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.94%.

About Devon Energy

(Get 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.

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Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO  Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of Hold from the nine brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $3,893.33.

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley lowered Diageo from an equal weight rating to an underweight rating in a report on Thursday, July 20th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Diageo from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, May 12th. Credit Suisse Group reduced their target price on shares of Diageo from GBX 3,850 ($48.84) to GBX 3,800 ($48.20) in a research report on Wednesday, August 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Diageo from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 14th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Diageo from GBX 2,650 ($33.62) to GBX 2,920 ($37.04) in a research report on Wednesday, August 2nd.

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Diageo Stock Performance

Diageo Increases Dividend

Diageo stock opened at $173.20 on Tuesday. Diageo has a 52 week low of $160.09 and a 52 week high of $191.93. The companys 50 day moving average price is $172.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $176.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 0.62.

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 17th. Investors of record on Friday, August 25th will be paid a dividend of $2.5089 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 2.4%. This is a positive change from Diageos previous semi-annual dividend of $1.43. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 24th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Diageo

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Diageo by 6.4% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,187,272 shares of the companys stock worth $939,830,000 after acquiring an additional 313,378 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its position in Diageo by 13.2% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 3,725,502 shares of the companys stock worth $663,848,000 after purchasing an additional 433,105 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Diageo by 5.8% in the first quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,437,932 shares of the companys stock worth $622,885,000 after purchasing an additional 188,795 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its position in Diageo by 56.9% during the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 2,384,684 shares of the companys stock valued at $432,057,000 after buying an additional 864,824 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Diageo by 1.3% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,039,735 shares of the companys stock valued at $353,217,000 after buying an additional 25,594 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.72% of the companys stock.

About Diageo

(Get Free Report

Diageo plc, together with its subsidiaries, produces, markets, and sells alcoholic beverages. The company offers scotch, whisky, gin, vodka, rum, ready to drink products, raki, liqueur, wine, tequila, Canadian whisky, American whiskey, cachaca, and brandy, as well as beer, including cider and non-alcoholic products.

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DXC Technology (NYSE:DXC  Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of Reduce from the ten research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and nine have issued a hold recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $27.09.

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lowered shares of DXC Technology from an outperform rating to a sector perform rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $34.00 to $29.00 in a report on Thursday, August 3rd. TheStreet lowered DXC Technology from a b- rating to a c- rating in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. TD Cowen reiterated a market perform rating and issued a $25.00 price objective (down previously from $34.00) on shares of DXC Technology in a report on Thursday, August 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of DXC Technology from $30.00 to $25.00 in a report on Friday, May 19th. Finally, Citigroup lowered shares of DXC Technology from a buy rating to a neutral rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $25.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 3rd.

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Read Our Latest Stock Report on DXC Technology

DXC Technology Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE DXC opened at $20.53 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $4.21 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.94. DXC Technology has a fifty-two week low of $18.61 and a fifty-two week high of $30.27. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $26.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $25.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14.

DXC Technology (NYSE:DXC  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 2nd. The company reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.82 by ($0.19). DXC Technology had a negative net margin of 4.47% and a positive return on equity of 17.63%. The company had revenue of $3.45 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.56 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.75 EPS. The businesss revenue was down 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that DXC Technology will post 3.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of DXC. North Star Investment Management Corp. grew its stake in shares of DXC Technology by 3,054.8% in the first quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 978 shares of the companys stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 947 shares during the period. Cornerstone Management Inc. purchased a new stake in DXC Technology during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Bartlett & Co. LLC bought a new position in shares of DXC Technology during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Belpointe Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of DXC Technology by 656.6% in the 1st quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 1,150 shares of the companys stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 998 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of DXC Technology by 186.4% in the first quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 1,283 shares of the companys stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 835 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.42% of the companys stock.

DXC Technology Company Profile

(Get Free Report

DXC Technology Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides information technology services and solutions primarily in the United States, the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, Australia, and internationally. It operates in two segments, Global Business Services (GBS) and Global Infrastructure Services (GIS).

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Eaton Vance Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund (NYSE:EVT  Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decline in short interest during the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 32,600 shares, a decline of 16.8% from the July 15th total of 39,200 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 102,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.3 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sowell Financial Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Eaton Vance Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund by 6.7% in the second quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 46,901 shares of the closed-end funds stock worth $1,067,000 after purchasing an additional 2,951 shares during the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC lifted its stake in Eaton Vance Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 47,732 shares of the closed-end funds stock valued at $1,086,000 after acquiring an additional 745 shares during the period. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Eaton Vance Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund by 9.5% during the 2nd quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC now owns 41,305 shares of the closed-end funds stock valued at $940,000 after acquiring an additional 3,588 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Eaton Vance Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund in the second quarter worth approximately $5,285,000. Finally, Karpus Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Eaton Vance Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund by 1,077.3% during the second quarter. Karpus Management Inc. now owns 122,205 shares of the closed-end funds stock valued at $2,780,000 after purchasing an additional 111,825 shares during the last quarter.

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Eaton Vance Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EVT traded up $0.04 on Monday, hitting $23.08. 57,016 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 104,546. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $22.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $22.75. Eaton Vance Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund has a 52 week low of $21.20 and a 52 week high of $26.75.

Eaton Vance Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund Increases Dividend

About Eaton Vance Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 22nd will be issued a $0.149 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 21st. This is a boost from Eaton Vance Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Funds previous monthly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $1.79 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.75%.

(Get Free Report)

Eaton Vance Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by Eaton Vance Management. The fund invests in public equity markets across the globe. It seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating across the diversified sectors. The fund primarily invests in dividend paying value stocks of companies that qualify for favorable federal income tax treatment.

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EDP  Energias de Portugal, S.A. (OTCMKTS:EDPFY  Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest in July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,800 shares, a drop of 30.9% from the July 15th total of 5,500 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 33,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.1 days.

EDP  Energias de Portugal Trading Down 0.9 %

OTCMKTS:EDPFY traded down $0.42 on Monday, hitting $45.38. 25,235 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 23,576. EDP  Energias de Portugal has a 1 year low of $38.87 and a 1 year high of $57.63. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $48.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $50.70.

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About EDP  Energias de Portugal

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Further Reading

EDP  Energias de Portugal, SA engages in the generation, transmission, distribution, and supply of electricity in Portugal, Spain, France, Poland, Romania, Italy, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Greece, Colombia, Brazil, North America, and internationally. It operates through Renewables, Networks, and Client Solutions & Energy Management segments.

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Embraer S.A. (NYSE:ERJ  Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,340,000 shares, a growth of 36.0% from the July 15th total of 1,720,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,440,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.6 days. Currently, 1.3% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Embraer Stock Performance

Shares of ERJ traded down $0.28 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $14.69. The stock had a trading volume of 3,349,668 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,537,981. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $15.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $14.71. Embraer has a one year low of $8.52 and a one year high of $17.14. The firm has a market cap of $2.70 billion, a PE ratio of -489.50, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10.

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Institutional Trading of Embraer

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. boosted its holdings in Embraer by 3,990.8% in the 2nd quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 845,032 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $12,480,000 after purchasing an additional 824,375 shares during the period. Ergoteles LLC bought a new stake in Embraer in the 2nd quarter valued at about $900,000. Thomas White International Ltd. boosted its holdings in Embraer by 10.0% in the 2nd quarter. Thomas White International Ltd. now owns 331,084 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $5,119,000 after purchasing an additional 30,002 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in Embraer in the 2nd quarter valued at about $361,000. Finally, Shay Capital LLC bought a new stake in Embraer in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,596,000. Institutional investors own 36.15% of the companys stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ERJ has been the topic of a number of research reports. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Embraer from $15.75 to $16.50 in a research report on Tuesday, June 13th. StockNews.com raised shares of Embraer from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, June 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $19.17.

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Embraer Company Profile

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Embraer SA designs, develops, manufactures, and sells aircraft and systems in North America, Latin America, the Asia Pacific, Brazil, Europe, and internationally. The company operates through Commercial Aviation; Defense & Security; Executive Aviation; Services & Support; and Other segments. The Commercial Aviation segment designs, develops, manufactures, and sells commercial jets, as well as leases aircraft.

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Enzo Biochem, Inc. (NYSE:ENZ  Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,450,000 shares, a growth of 40.8% from the July 15th total of 1,030,000 shares. Currently, 3.8% of the companys shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 276,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.2 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Enzo Biochem

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ENZ. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Enzo Biochem in the first quarter worth $49,000. Prudential Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Enzo Biochem in the second quarter valued at about $38,000. Potomac Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Enzo Biochem by 34.5% during the 2nd quarter. Potomac Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,049,900 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $1,932,000 after purchasing an additional 269,391 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Lane Capital LP raised its stake in shares of Enzo Biochem by 54.9% during the 2nd quarter. Fifth Lane Capital LP now owns 85,000 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $156,000 after purchasing an additional 30,139 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of Enzo Biochem by 138.6% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 181,862 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $335,000 after purchasing an additional 105,642 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 59.00% of the companys stock.

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Enzo Biochem Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:ENZ traded down $0.02 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $1.60. The stock had a trading volume of 418,578 shares, compared to its average volume of 500,925. The companys 50 day moving average is $1.72 and its 200-day moving average is $1.88. Enzo Biochem has a 12-month low of $1.00 and a 12-month high of $2.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.76. The company has a market cap of $79.46 million, a PE ratio of -1.72 and a beta of 0.96.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Enzo Biochem ( NYSE:ENZ Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, June 14th. The medical research company reported ($0.31) earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $16.11 million for the quarter. Enzo Biochem had a negative net margin of 64.19% and a negative return on equity of 116.13%.

Separately, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Enzo Biochem in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They set a sell rating for the company.

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Enzo Biochem Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Enzo Biochem, Inc, an integrated diagnostics, clinical lab, and life sciences company, researches, develops, manufactures, and markets diagnostic and research products based on genetic engineering, biotechnology, and molecular biology. It operates through three segments: Life Sciences Products, Clinical Laboratory Services, and Therapeutics.

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Forestar Group Inc. (NYSE:FOR  Get Free Report) saw a significant decrease in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 399,300 shares, a decrease of 13.5% from the July 15th total of 461,600 shares. Approximately 2.2% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 188,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.1 days.

Forestar Group Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of Forestar Group stock opened at $30.48 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.47 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a quick ratio of 1.88, a current ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Forestar Group has a 12-month low of $10.28 and a 12-month high of $31.43. The firms 50-day moving average price is $24.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.38.

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Forestar Group (NYSE:FOR  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 20th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.29. Forestar Group had a net margin of 11.45% and a return on equity of 11.70%. The company had revenue of $368.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $290.40 million. On average, analysts forecast that Forestar Group will post 2.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FOR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Forestar Group from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, July 24th. TheStreet raised shares of Forestar Group from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a research report on Monday, April 17th. BTIG Research raised shares of Forestar Group from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $32.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 21st. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Forestar Group from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Monday, July 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $25.83.

View Our Latest Analysis on Forestar Group

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Forestar Group

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Forestar Group by 159.7% in the 1st quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 20,055 shares of the oil and gas exploration companys stock valued at $297,000 after purchasing an additional 12,333 shares in the last quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Forestar Group by 29.0% during the 1st quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 59,088 shares of the oil and gas exploration companys stock worth $919,000 after buying an additional 13,270 shares during the period. Palogic Value Management L.P. boosted its position in Forestar Group by 6.0% during the 1st quarter. Palogic Value Management L.P. now owns 132,500 shares of the oil and gas exploration companys stock worth $2,062,000 after buying an additional 7,500 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Forestar Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $160,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in Forestar Group by 1,065.5% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,634 shares of the oil and gas exploration companys stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 2,408 shares during the period. 35.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Forestar Group

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Forestar Group Inc operates as a residential lot development company in the United States. The acquires land and develops infrastructure for single-family residential communities. It sells its residential single-family finished lots to local, regional, and national homebuilders. The company is headquartered in Arlington, Texas.

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StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Greenhill & Co., Inc. (NYSE:GHL  Get Free Report) in a report released on Sunday. The firm set a hold rating on the financial services providers stock.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. TheStreet cut shares of Greenhill & Co., Inc. from a c rating to a d+ rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Greenhill & Co., Inc. from an underperform rating to a market perform rating in a research note on Monday, May 22nd. Finally, JMP Securities cut shares of Greenhill & Co., Inc. from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and three have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $11.83.

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Greenhill & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Greenhill & Co., Inc.

Shares of NYSE GHL opened at $14.74 on Friday. Greenhill & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $5.64 and a 52-week high of $14.97. The company has a market cap of $277.11 million, a P/E ratio of 26.32 and a beta of 1.12. The firms fifty day moving average is $14.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $11.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.64, a quick ratio of 2.24 and a current ratio of 2.24.

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ergoteles LLC purchased a new position in shares of Greenhill & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth about $3,526,000. Tudor Investment Corp Et Al purchased a new position in shares of Greenhill & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth about $6,258,000. EHP Funds Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Greenhill & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth about $661,000. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Greenhill & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at about $620,000. Finally, Prelude Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Greenhill & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at about $5,265,000. 63.50% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Greenhill & Co., Inc.

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Greenhill & Co, Inc, an independent investment bank, provides financial and strategic advisory services to corporations, partnerships, institutional investors, and governments worldwide. The company offers advisory services related to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, restructurings, financings, private capital raising, and other similar transactions.

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Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund purchased a new stake in Chevron Co. (NYSE:CVX  Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 63,299 shares of the oil and gas companys stock, valued at approximately $10,328,000. Chevron accounts for approximately 0.8% of Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Funds holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest holding.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in CVX. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Chevron during the first quarter worth $1,199,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Chevron by 1.1% during the first quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 7,897 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $1,289,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. King Wealth boosted its holdings in Chevron by 6.6% during the first quarter. King Wealth now owns 3,040 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $496,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH boosted its holdings in Chevron by 4.6% during the first quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 873,070 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $142,450,000 after purchasing an additional 38,166 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC boosted its holdings in Chevron by 64.7% during the first quarter. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 2,313 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $377,000 after purchasing an additional 909 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.65% of the companys stock.

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Chevron Stock Performance

NYSE:CVX traded down $3.55 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $160.48. 3,972,274 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,087,934. Chevron Co. has a one year low of $140.46 and a one year high of $189.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $299.65 billion, a PE ratio of 10.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.17. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $157.68 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $161.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.43.

Chevron Dividend Announcement

Chevron ( NYSE:CVX Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 28th. The oil and gas company reported $3.08 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.95 by $0.13. Chevron had a net margin of 13.54% and a return on equity of 19.48%. The business had revenue of $48.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $48 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $5.82 earnings per share. Chevrons revenue for the quarter was down 28.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Chevron Co. will post 13.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 11th. Investors of record on Friday, August 18th will be given a dividend of $1.51 per share. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.76%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 17th. Chevrons dividend payout ratio is 38.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Chevron news, VP Jeff B. Gustavson sold 3,750 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.88, for a total value of $603,300.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,718 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $276,391.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CVX has been the subject of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Chevron from an underweight rating to a neutral rating and increased their target price for the stock from $161.00 to $170.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 31st. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Chevron from $180.00 to $170.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 11th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an equal weight rating and issued a $197.00 price target on shares of Chevron in a research note on Tuesday, July 25th. HSBC increased their price target on shares of Chevron from $180.00 to $184.00 in a research note on Wednesday, August 9th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on shares of Chevron in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. They issued a buy rating and a $212.00 price target for the company. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Chevron presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $190.17.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Chevron

Chevron Profile

(Free Report)

Chevron Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in the integrated energy and chemicals operations in the United States and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Upstream and Downstream. The Upstream segment is involved in the exploration, development, production, and transportation of crude oil and natural gas; liquefaction, transportation, and regasification associated with liquefied natural gas; transportation of crude oil through pipelines; and processing, transportation, storage, and marketing of natural gas, as well as a gas-to-liquids plant.

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Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonima (NYSE:LOMA  Get Free Report) saw a significant decrease in short interest in July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 277,600 shares, a decrease of 32.1% from the July 15th total of 409,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 302,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.9 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonima

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Simplex Trading LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonima during the second quarter worth about $34,000. UBS Group AG boosted its stake in shares of Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonima by 103.2% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 5,632 shares of the companys stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 2,860 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonima during the third quarter worth about $69,000. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC acquired a new stake in shares of Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonima during the second quarter worth about $72,000. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP acquired a new stake in shares of Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonima during the third quarter worth about $73,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 19.07% of the companys stock.

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Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonima Stock Performance

Shares of LOMA traded down $0.31 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $6.26. 588,078 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 264,400. Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonima has a fifty-two week low of $5.82 and a fifty-two week high of $7.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $732.92 million, a P/E ratio of -156.50, a P/E/G ratio of 0.14 and a beta of 1.27. The businesss 50 day moving average is $6.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $6.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonima Dividend Announcement

About Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonima

The firm also recently announced a Variable dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.4648 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 30th. Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonimas dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -1,375.00%.

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Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonima, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells cement and its derivatives in Argentina. The company operates through Cement, Masonry Cement and Lime; Concrete; Railroad; Aggregates; and Others segments. It offers masonry cement, aggregates, ready-mix concrete, concrete, and lime to wholesale distributors, concrete producers, industrial customers, and others for use in the construction.

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Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL  Get Free Report) saw a large decrease in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 78,000 shares, a decrease of 27.7% from the July 15th total of 107,900 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 32,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.4 days. Currently, 0.6% of the companys shares are short sold.

Markel Group Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:MKL traded down $1.42 during trading on Monday, hitting $1,504.78. The stock had a trading volume of 36,120 shares, compared to its average volume of 35,744. Markel Group has a 12 month low of $1,064.09 and a 12 month high of $1,519.96. The company has a market capitalization of $19.95 billion, a PE ratio of 10.76 and a beta of 0.78. The firms fifty day moving average is $1,396.14 and its 200 day moving average is $1,349.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

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Insider Activity at Markel Group

In related news, Director Lawrence A. Cunningham bought 50 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 24th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $1,336.25 per share, for a total transaction of $66,812.50. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 347 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $463,678.75. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner bought 100 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 4th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $1,479.47 per share, for a total transaction of $147,947.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 44,885 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $66,406,010.95. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Lawrence A. Cunningham bought 50 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 24th. The shares were bought at an average price of $1,336.25 per share, with a total value of $66,812.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 347 shares in the company, valued at $463,678.75. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.75% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MKL. Fairfield Bush & CO. bought a new position in shares of Markel Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $148,000. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Markel Group by 11.9% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 628 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $926,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Markel Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $549,000. Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in shares of Markel Group by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 11,913 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $17,575,000 after buying an additional 308 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Markel Group by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 332 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $490,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.61% of the companys stock.

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com raised Markel Group from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 30th. Truist Financial upped their price target on Markel Group from $1,400.00 to $1,550.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Friday, August 4th.

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About Markel Group

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Markel Group Inc, a diverse financial holding company, engages in marketing and underwriting specialty insurance products in the United States, Bermuda, the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, Canada, the Asia Pacific, and the Middle East. The company offers general and professional liability, personal lines, marine and energy, specialty programs, and workers' compensation insurance products; and property coverages that include fire, allied lines, and other specialized property coverages, including catastrophe-exposed property risks, such as earthquake and wind.

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Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel LLC lowered its holdings in Meritage Homes Co. (NYSE:MTH  Free Report) by 31.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 173,670 shares of the construction companys stock after selling 79,530 shares during the period. Meritage Homes comprises 1.9% of Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel LLCs holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel LLCs holdings in Meritage Homes were worth $20,278,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Meritage Homes by 137.5% during the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 12,550 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $994,000 after acquiring an additional 7,266 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its position in Meritage Homes by 43.7% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 3,740 shares of the construction companys stock worth $296,000 after purchasing an additional 1,138 shares in the last quarter. AlphaCrest Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Meritage Homes during the 1st quarter worth approximately $464,000. Bank of Montreal Can grew its position in Meritage Homes by 7.0% during the 1st quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 14,632 shares of the construction companys stock worth $1,227,000 after purchasing an additional 962 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its position in Meritage Homes by 49.3% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 19,463 shares of the construction companys stock worth $1,542,000 after purchasing an additional 6,431 shares in the last quarter. 98.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Alison Sasser sold 481 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $72,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 6,547 shares of the companys stock, valued at $982,050. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Director Peter L. Ax sold 3,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.50, for a total value of $448,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 15,029 shares in the company, valued at $2,246,835.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Alison Sasser sold 481 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $72,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 6,547 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $982,050. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,831 shares of company stock valued at $721,841. Insiders own 1.80% of the companys stock.

Meritage Homes Stock Performance

Meritage Homes stock traded up $2.55 on Tuesday, reaching $147.91. 6,170 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 404,480. The stock has a market cap of $5.44 billion, a PE ratio of 6.39 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a current ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. Meritage Homes Co. has a twelve month low of $65.40 and a twelve month high of $152.55. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $139.59 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $124.39.

Meritage Homes (NYSE:MTH  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The construction company reported $5.02 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $3.49 by $1.53. Meritage Homes had a return on equity of 21.15% and a net margin of 13.10%. The company had revenue of $1.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.31 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $6.77 earnings per share. The companys quarterly revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Meritage Homes Co. will post 19.52 EPS for the current year.

Meritage Homes Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 15th were issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.73%. Meritage Homess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.75%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Meritage Homes from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Saturday, August 5th. Wedbush lifted their target price on Meritage Homes from $137.00 to $141.00 in a research note on Friday, July 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Meritage Homes in a report on Wednesday, May 31st. They set a buy rating on the stock. Seaport Res Ptn restated a neutral rating on shares of Meritage Homes in a report on Wednesday, June 14th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a market perform rating on shares of Meritage Homes in a research note on Wednesday, May 3rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Meritage Homes has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $136.33.

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Meritage Homes Profile

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Meritage Homes Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, designs and builds single-family attached and detached homes in the United States. The company operates through two segments, Homebuilding and Financial Services. It acquires and develops land; and constructs, markets, and sells homes for first-time and first move-up buyers in Texas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee.

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Molina Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:MOH  Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,770,000 shares, a decline of 25.9% from the July 15th total of 2,390,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 502,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.5 days. Approximately 3.1% of the companys stock are short sold.

Molina Healthcare Stock Up 1.2 %

MOH traded up $3.89 on Monday, reaching $319.63. 416,959 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 516,114. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $298.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $289.79. Molina Healthcare has a 52-week low of $256.19 and a 52-week high of $374.00. The company has a market cap of $18.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.26, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 1.52.

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Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 26th. The company reported $5.65 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $5.05 by $0.60. Molina Healthcare had a net margin of 2.81% and a return on equity of 35.87%. The firm had revenue of $8.33 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.32 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.55 earnings per share. The firms revenue was up 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Molina Healthcare will post 20.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

Institutional Trading of Molina Healthcare

In other Molina Healthcare news, Director Steven J. Orlando sold 723 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $301.25, for a total transaction of $217,803.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 20,265 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,104,831.25. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink . In other Molina Healthcare news, Director Barbara L. Brasier sold 1,500 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.89, for a total transaction of $455,835.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,232 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $982,172.48. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink . Also, Director Steven J. Orlando sold 723 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $301.25, for a total transaction of $217,803.75. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 20,265 shares of the companys stock, valued at $6,104,831.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders have sold 17,246 shares of company stock valued at $5,247,256 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.10% of the companys stock.

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in Molina Healthcare in the first quarter worth approximately $251,000. Westpac Banking Corp grew its position in Molina Healthcare by 520.8% in the first quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 28,348 shares of the companys stock worth $7,583,000 after acquiring an additional 23,782 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Molina Healthcare by 114.0% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 17,040 shares of the companys stock worth $4,558,000 after acquiring an additional 9,077 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its position in Molina Healthcare by 1.1% in the first quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 11,686 shares of the companys stock worth $3,126,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Community Capital Management LLC grew its position in Molina Healthcare by 233.3% in the first quarter. Community Capital Management LLC now owns 3,500 shares of the companys stock worth $936,000 after acquiring an additional 2,450 shares in the last quarter. 95.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on MOH. Truist Financial decreased their price target on shares of Molina Healthcare from $380.00 to $365.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 20th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Molina Healthcare from $340.00 to $350.00 in a report on Thursday, July 27th. Morgan Stanley reissued an overweight rating and set a $365.00 target price on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research note on Friday, July 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Molina Healthcare from $348.00 to $341.00 in a research note on Friday, July 7th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of Molina Healthcare from $365.00 to $335.00 in a research note on Monday, May 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Molina Healthcare currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $350.92.

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Molina Healthcare Company Profile

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Molina Healthcare, Inc provides managed healthcare services to low-income families and individuals under the Medicaid and Medicare programs and through the state insurance marketplaces. It operates in four segments, Medicaid, Medicare, Marketplace, and Other. The company served in across 19 states. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Long Beach, California.

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Hengan International Group Company Limited (OTCMKTS:HEGIF  Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 851,200 shares, an increase of 22.2% from the July 15th total of 696,700 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 7,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 115.0 days.

Hengan International Group Stock Performance

OTCMKTS:HEGIF remained flat at $4.22 on Tuesday. Hengan International Group has a 52 week low of $3.90 and a 52 week high of $5.20. The businesss fifty day moving average is $4.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $4.52.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Hengan International Group from a neutral rating to an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 17th.

About Hengan International Group

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Hengan International Group Company Limited, an investment holding company, manufactures, distributes, and sells personal hygiene products in the People's Republic of China and internationally. The company offers pocket handkerchiefs, box and soft tissue papers, kitchen towels/papers, toilet rolls, first-aid products, enema, garbage and food bags, preservation papers, table cloths and disposable toilet brush, sanitary napkins, pantiliners, overnight pants, wet tissues, maternal and child care products, adult and baby diapers, and cleansing products.

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The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS  Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,270,000 shares, a growth of 10.8% from the July 15th total of 2,950,000 shares. Approximately 1.0% of the companys shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 2,300,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.4 days.

The Goldman Sachs Group Price Performance

GS stock traded down $2.99 during trading on Monday, hitting $337.74. 1,303,686 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,557,589. The Goldman Sachs Group has a 52 week low of $287.75 and a 52 week high of $389.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $335.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $337.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $111.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.39.

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The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 19th. The investment management company reported $3.08 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.25 by ($0.17). The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 9.74% and a return on equity of 8.27%. The business had revenue of $10.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.61 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $7.73 EPS. The Goldman Sachs Groups revenue for the quarter was down 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that The Goldman Sachs Group will post 25.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Increases Dividend

Insiders Place Their Bets

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 31st will be issued a $2.75 dividend. This represents a $11.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 30th. This is a positive change from The Goldman Sachs Groups previous quarterly dividend of $2.50. The Goldman Sachs Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.93%.

In other The Goldman Sachs Group news, major shareholder Goldman Sachs Group Inc sold 1,145,486 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Friday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.73, for a total value of $13,436,550.78. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 50,099,392 shares of the companys stock, valued at $587,665,868.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other The Goldman Sachs Group news, major shareholder Goldman Sachs Group Inc sold 1,145,486 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Friday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.73, for a total value of $13,436,550.78. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 50,099,392 shares of the companys stock, valued at $587,665,868.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO David M. Solomon sold 4,200 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.28, for a total transaction of $1,496,376.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 124,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,457,330.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 10,159,686 shares of company stock valued at $123,960,027 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.54% of the companys stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Goldman Sachs Group

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Tower View Investment Management & Research LLC bought a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 224.0% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 81 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Elequin Securities LLC bought a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Pacific Center for Financial Services bought a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Institutional investors own 76.90% of the companys stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on GS shares. Morgan Stanley reiterated an equal weight rating and set a $347.00 price target (up previously from $337.00) on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research report on Friday, July 21st. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $433.00 to $483.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 20th. Odeon Capital Group upgraded shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $355.75 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 13th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $339.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. Finally, Atlantic Securities upgraded shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from an underweight rating to a neutral rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $330.00 to $351.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 1st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Goldman Sachs Group has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $396.93.

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The Goldman Sachs Group Company Profile

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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.

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The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG  Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,970,000 shares, an increase of 10.0% from the July 15th total of 2,700,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,580,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.9 days. Currently, 1.0% of the companys shares are short sold.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In related news, EVP Stephanie C. Bush sold 3,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.40, for a total value of $253,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,090,561.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,172 shares of company stock valued at $302,012. Company insiders own 2.00% of the companys stock.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Hartford Financial Services Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 7.2% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 17,704 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $1,271,000 after acquiring an additional 1,185 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 9.1% in the first quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 3,952 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $284,000 after purchasing an additional 330 shares during the period. Prudential PLC bought a new position in The Hartford Financial Services Group during the 1st quarter worth $674,000. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 88.6% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 11,238 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $807,000 after buying an additional 5,278 shares during the period. Finally, Zions Bancorporation N.A. grew its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 235.4% in the 1st quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 1,070 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $77,000 after buying an additional 751 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.24% of the companys stock.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Price Performance

Shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock traded down $0.33 during trading on Monday, reaching $73.27. 1,415,630 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,875,097. The firms 50-day moving average price is $72.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $71.95. The company has a market cap of $22.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.78, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.31. The Hartford Financial Services Group has a 1-year low of $60.17 and a 1-year high of $79.44.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The insurance provider reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.03. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 17.54% and a net margin of 8.53%. The firm had revenue of $4.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.09 billion. As a group, research analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group will post 7.8 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 1st will be paid a $0.425 dividend. This represents a $1.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 31st. The Hartford Financial Services Groups payout ratio is 27.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays dropped their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $87.00 to $83.00 in a research report on Friday, July 28th. 888 reaffirmed a reiterates rating on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Monday, May 1st. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a sector perform rating and set a $77.00 price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group in a research report on Monday, July 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $86.00 to $94.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $85.46.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on HIG

The Hartford Financial Services Group Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc provides insurance and financial services to individual and business customers in the United States, the United Kingdom, and internationally. Its Commercial Lines segment offers insurance coverages, including workers' compensation, property, automobile, general and professional liability, package business, umbrella, fidelity and surety, marine, livestock, and reinsurance through regional offices, branches, sales and policyholder service centers, independent retail agents and brokers, wholesale agents, and reinsurance brokers.

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Xinyi Solar Holdings Limited (OTCMKTS:XNYIF  Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest in July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,928,600 shares, an increase of 18.1% from the July 15th total of 1,633,100 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1,377.6 days.

Xinyi Solar Stock Performance

Shares of OTCMKTS XNYIF opened at $1.03 on Tuesday. Xinyi Solar has a 12 month low of $0.94 and a 12 month high of $1.63. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $1.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1.10.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on XNYIF. Daiwa Capital Markets lowered shares of Xinyi Solar from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Monday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xinyi Solar from a neutral rating to an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, June 15th.

About Xinyi Solar

(Get Free Report)

Xinyi Solar Holdings Limited, an investment holding company, produces and sells solar glass products in the People's Republic of China, rest of Asia, North America, Europe, and internationally. It operates in two segments, Sales of Solar Glass and Solar Farm Business. The company offers ultra-clear patterned solar glasses, back glasses, and anti-reflective coating solar glasses to photovoltaic module manufacturers.

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Till Capital (OTCMKTS:TILCF  Get Free Report) and Progressive (NYSE:PGR  Get Free Report) are both finance companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, analyst recommendations, risk, profitability, dividends and valuation.

Volatility and Risk

Till Capital has a beta of -0.43, meaning that its share price is 143% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Progressive has a beta of 0.49, meaning that its share price is 51% less volatile than the S&P 500.

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Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Till Capital and Progressives revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Till Capital $6.76 million N/A -$4.20 million ($1.12) -2.15 Progressive $49.61 billion 1.47 $721.50 million $2.92 42.71

Insider & Institutional Ownership

Progressive has higher revenue and earnings than Till Capital. Till Capital is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Progressive, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

83.7% of Progressive shares are owned by institutional investors. 27.5% of Till Capital shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of Progressive shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Till Capital and Progressives net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Till Capital N/A -7.34% -2.51% Progressive 3.12% 12.02% 2.38%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings for Till Capital and Progressive, as provided by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Till Capital 0 0 0 0 N/A Progressive 3 5 8 0 2.31

Progressive has a consensus target price of $141.33, indicating a potential upside of 13.32%. Given Progressives higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Progressive is more favorable than Till Capital.

Summary

Progressive beats Till Capital on 11 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Till Capital

(Get Free Report)

Till Capital Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the mineral exploration activities. The company explores for silver, gold, copper, and other deposits. It owns various mineral royalties and exploration property option agreements. The company also holds an interest in the Copper King property. The company was incorporated in 2012 and is based in Vancouver, Canada.

About Progressive

(Get Free Report)

The Progressive Corporation, an insurance holding company, provides personal and commercial auto, personal residential and commercial property, general liability, and other specialty property-casualty insurance products and related services in the United States. It operates in three segments: Personal Lines, Commercial Lines, and Property. The Personal Lines segment writes insurance for personal autos and recreational vehicles (RV). This segment's products include personal auto insurance; and special lines products, including insurance for motorcycles, ATVs, RVs, watercrafts, snowmobiles, and related products. The Commercial Lines segment provides auto-related liability and physical damage insurance, and business-related general liability and property insurance for autos, vans, pick-up trucks, and dump trucks used by small businesses; tractors, trailers, and straight trucks primarily used by regional general freight and expeditor-type businesses, and long-haul operators; dump trucks, log trucks, and garbage trucks used by dirt, sand and gravel, logging, garbage/debris removal, and coal-type businesses; and tow trucks and wreckers used in towing services and gas/service station businesses; as well as non-fleet and airport taxis, and black-car services. The Property segment writes residential property insurance for homeowners, other property owners, and renters, as well as offers manufactured homes, personal umbrella insurance, and primary and excess flood insurance. The company offers policy issuance and claims adjusting services; and acts as an agent to homeowners, general liability, workers' compensation insurance, and other products. It also provides reinsurance services. The company sells its products through independent insurance agencies, as well as through mobile applications and over the phone. The Progressive Corporation was founded in 1937 and is headquartered in Mayfield Village, Ohio.

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Two Harbors Investment Corp. (NYSE:TWO  Get Free Report) was the target of a large decrease in short interest during the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,910,000 shares, a decrease of 27.4% from the July 15th total of 2,630,000 shares. Currently, 2.0% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 972,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.0 days.

Insider Buying and Selling at Two Harbors Investment

In other news, General Counsel Rebecca B. Sandberg sold 4,175 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.33, for a total transaction of $51,477.75. Following the transaction, the general counsel now owns 93,691 shares in the company, valued at $1,155,210.03. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, General Counsel Rebecca B. Sandberg sold 4,175 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.33, for a total value of $51,477.75. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now directly owns 93,691 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,155,210.03. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO William Ross Greenberg sold 8,741 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.33, for a total value of $107,776.53. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 169,561 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,090,687.13. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 23,534 shares of company stock valued at $289,831 in the last three months. 0.45% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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Hedge Funds Weigh In On Two Harbors Investment

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of TWO. Balyasny Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Two Harbors Investment in the 3rd quarter worth about $6,267,000. BlackRock Inc. increased its stake in shares of Two Harbors Investment by 10.8% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 16,693,244 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $245,558,000 after buying an additional 1,624,206 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Two Harbors Investment by 181.5% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,056,378 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $11,372,000 after buying an additional 1,325,838 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Two Harbors Investment in the second quarter valued at about $17,907,000. Finally, State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Two Harbors Investment by 9.4% in the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 12,732,371 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $70,410,000 after buying an additional 1,092,401 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.46% of the companys stock.

Two Harbors Investment Price Performance

Two Harbors Investment Cuts Dividend

Shares of Two Harbors Investment stock traded down $0.23 during trading on Monday, reaching $13.21. 635,536 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,131,623. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.07. Two Harbors Investment has a 1-year low of $11.57 and a 1-year high of $20.88. The company has a market cap of $1.27 billion, a P/E ratio of -25.90 and a beta of 1.77. The firms 50-day moving average price is $13.51 and its 200 day moving average price is $14.14.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 5th were issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 3rd. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 13.63%. Two Harbors Investments payout ratio is presently -352.94%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays cut their target price on Two Harbors Investment from $16.00 to $14.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Two Harbors Investment from $15.00 to $13.50 in a research report on Monday, July 24th. Citigroup upped their target price on Two Harbors Investment from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 8th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Two Harbors Investment from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a market outperform rating and set a $14.50 target price on shares of Two Harbors Investment in a research report on Friday, July 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Two Harbors Investment presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $15.19.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on TWO

About Two Harbors Investment

(Get Free Report)

Two Harbors Investment Corp. operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT) that focuses on investing in, financing, and managing residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS), mortgage servicing rights, and other financial assets in the United States. Its target assets include agency RMBS collateralized by fixed rate mortgage loans, adjustable rate mortgage loans, and hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage (ARMs); and other assets, such as financial and mortgage-related assets, including non-agency securities and non-hedging transactions.

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The Nancy Jazz Pulsations tour with "Agoro" is an exciting musical event that is scheduled to kick off in September in France. It aims to promote the N'kabom Project, which is made up of by the talented Belgium-based Ghanaian artiste, Kwame MulZz and His Musical Friends (Lobo EL ,Cotchie,Lil Fyve and Kofi Koojan). This project focuses on collaboration and cultural exchange, bringing together artists from different backgrounds to create unique and captivating music on stage.It all started when Kwame came to Ghana with Lobo EL(world rap freestyle champion)Cotchie,Kiss Saint Rose and made music with local artistes in Accra and Kumasi .

The tour will happen mostly in France and 1 in Belgium . Ncy Milky Band will power the sound on this tour. Each artist brings their own distinct style and energy to the stage, promising an unforgettable experience for music lovers.

Kwame MulZz has been making waves in the music industry, Hosting The Afrobeats Night in the Gentse Festival in Belgium.Kwame is involved with different Projects .Have you heard the Single "No Bullshit" by "Agoro". This song is the first single from the group Agoro, who also released an EP called N'kabom. The EP was funded by Alliance Francais Kumasi and features collaborations with talented rappers from Kumasi, including Lil Fyve, Kofi Koojan, Oko Ahwe, and Lucky born star,Oko Ahwe and many more.

The Nancy Jazz Pulsations tour is not limited to France; it will also travel to other parts of Europe, including Belgium and many other places. The tour aims to bring the vibrant sounds of jazz to different cities and venues, spreading the joy of music and cultural exchange with rap as a focal point.

It's worth noting that No Bullshit has gained significant airplay on France Radio One, further showcasing the growing popularity of Kwame MulZz and The Group "Agoro".

In conclusion, the Nancy Jazz Pulsations tour is an exciting opportunity to experience the fusion of jazz and cultural exchange. With Kwame MulZz and an incredible lineup of artists, this tour promises to be a musical journey that you won't want to miss. So mark your calendar for September and get ready to groove to the rhythm of the N'kabom Project

Story: Brainstorm Promotions


Jackson Ude, notorious blackmailer and well-known merchant of fake news and weaving conjectures without a shred of evidence, is at his trade again.

His smear tools are the social media platforms, especially the Twitter, his unpopular website, pointblanknews.com is unrelentless and ever resolute to go to any length to hunt down his victims whom he may have approached through his Nigerian proxies for extortion.

Ude who works as unqualified/non-registered caregiver (N-R C) in New York, has through the emergence of the social media become a self-acclaimed investigative journalist, focusing his mischievous trade on only the wealthy and influential in the society.

The chief blackmailer has churned out many spurious, unfounded allegations in the past about innocent Nigerians.

In his wild, weird and preternatural apparition, he concocted an allegation that some Islamic clerics who embarked on a mission of peace to the Republic of Niger for dialogue with the junta were given $10,000 each by Malam Mele Kyari, the group chief executive officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL). He claimed that the NNPCL boss gave the clerics the sums in his bid to warm his way into the heart of President Bola Tinubu to retain his job.

Ude who knows no boundaries while plying his dirty trade has mischievously contrived falsehood into a religious obligation by the clerics. His lie against the clerics is, however, a pointer to the fact that the end to his evil business is near as he has only succeeded in inviting curse and wrath of the Almighty Allah to himself.

How shameful and distasteful can it be for a man like Ude to bury his parents in absentia, not because duty called, but for reason that he could not return to his home country due to many atrocities he has committed. The blackmailer, the first son of his family, could not return to Nigeria to attend the funerals of his late parents in Abia State due to several lies he has peddled against top personalities in the country.

It is also interesting to note that all his bank accounts in Nigeria have been frozen over multiple judgements against him and his companies.

Udes attention-seeking endless escapades have had several victims who have refused to yield to his blackmail for money.

Some of the prominent personalities who have been victims of his blackmail are Chief Timipre Sylva, (former minister of state for Petroleum Resources), Teins Jack-Rich, (former presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress and a wealthy Nigerian), Olukayode Ariwoola (chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), Babatunde Fashola, (former minister of Works and Housing), Late Prof Charles Quaker Dokubo (former Presidential Amnesty boss), Mrs Oyindamola Amuka(Vanguard publishers wife), , Simbi Wabote (executive secretary of the Nigerian Content Development & Monitoring Board), Governor Yahaya Bello (Kogi State governor) and Hamza Ibrahim Jamo (retired employee of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), amongst others.

Recall that the former minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, recently petitioned the Department of State Service (DSS) to investigate, arrest and prosecute Ude and his co-travelers after conjurng another wicked lie that the former minister and some APC lawyers were drafting the judgement of the 2023 in favour of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT).

Jackson is a big pollution in the respected journalism profession who should not be allowed to continue to bring ridicule to respected members of the fourth estate of the realm.

Ude cannot continue to hide in the United States of America to perpetrate his evil, shameful, and disgusting trade. Its time the security agencies do the needful by extraditing him to the country to defend his many lies and face the wrath of the law.

Idowu, a public commentator, writes from Lagos, Nigeria.
Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has commended the State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists for its constructiveness in reporting the emanant challenges in the State.

Nwifuru gave the commendation Tuesday when the union paid him a courtesy visit in his office, Government House Abakaliki.

The Governor noted that the current situation in the country which has thrown up a lot of challenges in governance was enough to elicit many injurious reactions from journalists.

He however, appreciated the union for its understanding which has brought stability to the Socio-political environment of State, adding that the gesture was a testimony of healthy partnership between the union and the government.

Nwifuru said: "Let me sincerely thank you people very much for your cooperation and understanding.

"This is a very great challenging period that ordinarily you could have been writing a lot of things in pages of Newspapers.

"But you decided to be more constructive and to respect us more than ever.

"The great reportage that we get gives us a lot of encouragement that you are seeing yourself as part and parcel of this administration and great partners in the development of our State."

"We are not perfect as government and as individuals, but we have never recorded any challenge from the Nigeria Union of Journalists in this side.

Stating their mission, the State Chairman of the Union, Samson Nwafor, said they were in the Governor's office to congratulate him on his polls' victory and his assumption of office.

Nwafor expressed satisfaction with the administartive steps taken so far by the Governor in addressing the enormous challenges of the State especially in the areas of employment, youth inclusion in governance, water supply as well as education and healthcare.

Nwafor said: " Your victory is not only well-deserved but an affirmation of the popular choice of the majority of Ebonyi people who believe strongly in equity, fairness and justice.

"We are pleased with the steps you've taken since assumption of office.

" One of the greatest thing you have done Your Excellency, was making the Youths the major fulcrum of your administration.

"We thank you for rejigging our Health sector through employment of health personnel.

"We commend you for lifting embargo for employment of more workers into our civil service to fill existing vacancies.

"We can't thank you enough for remembering the agonies of our brothers and sisters displaced in some parts of the State whom you have commenced construction of low cost houses for..."

While commending the Governor for appointing some her members into his cabinet, including the immediate past Chairman, Tony Nwizi, who was appointed Special Assistant on Information and Communication Technology, the Chairman solicited for more appointments from the Governor.

"Let me particularly thank your Excellency for accommodating the NUJ in your appointments through the appointment of five of our members into their professional roles.

"This is an indication of your preparedness to partner with the Fourth Estate of the Realm.

"We want to strongly assure Your Excellency of our firm resolve to fully support and partner your administration.

"We, however, plead with Your Excellency to accommodate more of our members in subsequent appointments" Nwafor added.

The Chairman also seized the opportunity to present to the Governor some of the challenges of the Union in the State, including a functional Vehicle and other logistics to facilitate their job.

The Chairman was accompanied in the visit by members of the State Executive Committee as well as some past State Council chairmen.
It is not an exaggeration to say that it has become traditional for Edolites, from one political dispensation to the other, since Nigeria transited from military rule to civil rule, to resolutely look forward to a gubernatorial election that will usher in a good governor that would demonstrate a high sense of leadership. In their expectations, people tend to be optimistic of seeing a leader that is people-oriented, and readily committed to serve but the emergence of such a l eader is usually beyond the people as the opportunity of flying a party ticket typically lies within the party which a gubernatorial aspirant is affiliated to in the spirit of internal democracy.

For the sake of clarity, candidate selection within any given party is the process by which members decide who will be on the ballot paper as their recommended candidate. The way in which they make that choice is mainly determined by their own internal rules and procedures. In a similar vein, nomination is the legal process by which election authorities screen the candidates recommended by the party, approve their candidacy, and print their names on the ballot paper.

Being a legal luminary of repute, Barrister Dele Igbinedion, who seeks the Labour Party (LP) Gubernatorial ticket ahead of the gubernatorial election in Edo State come 2024, has urged his followers and supporters alike, particularly his friends and leaders to be steadfast as by Gods grace, he will clinch the ticket.

He stated in one of his campaign moves, I can report that we have been making great progress in our quest to get the ticket of the Labour Party. In the past week, we advanced our position strategically and strongly. We give thanks to God for his help.

All the successes that we have recorded so far were due to God and you. We give you thanks for your support, advice, input, and endorsement. Some of you have contributed time, money, energy, shared contacts, etc., to ensure that we are where we are today. Thank you very much.

Please keep up the great work. It is not yet uhuru, so more serious work is still required, but we will surely achieve our objective of securing the Labour party ticket.

Please do not be alarmed when you hear that this or that person has joined the labour party to seek the Governorship ticket. For many are called, but only we will be chosen, to fulfill scripture and gladden the heart of Edo people.

Let us focus on our plans and programmes, which have been expertly designed to help us achieve success in our project.

By the grace of God, none of the current or incoming aspirants can compare with us in terms of our programmes for Edo people, our being based in Edo State (not diaspora politicians), our political experience, our track record of service to Edo people, etc

In a similar vein, Igbinedion has urged his supporters to keep up the good work of working for him and the party ahead of the election come next year, 2024.

At this juncture, it is expedient to say that ahead of a gubernatorial election such as been expected, it is traditional for people to resolve to vote for the best aspirant or candidate, unfortunately, these resolutions are more often honored in their breach than their fulfillment, but they are nonetheless a useful tool that could have being used to elect the best candidate among the lots.

That notwithstanding, and so, as a state among the 36 states that made up Nigeria, it is incumbent on all Edolites to plod forward with hope for improvement, as we now have another opportunity in Barrister Dele Igbinedion to elect a people-oriented governor with developmental-mindset.

To the view of this writer, here is a brief roadmap of how things could get better if we just face the truth about Igbinedion without pandering to sentiments which other aspirants are exhibiting as if leading a state is a turn-by-turn affair. In fact, it is too simplistic for anyone to think that the affairs of Edo, particularly its economy, should be managed on the basis of turn-by-turn.

Given his love for Edo State which he has always shown without airs at any given opportunity, it is expedient for Edolites to root for Igbinedions victory at both the primary and at the polling booths as he has what it takes to govern the state in the next political dispensation. Did I hear you ask what he has in stock for Edo State when he becomes the governor? The answer to your question cannot be farfetched as he has reiteratively promised to make Edo work for all, particularly as he is poised to construct roads and flyovers to ease linkages to communities for the sake of ease of doing business, provides qualitative and affordable education as well as provide accessible and affordable health facilities for all Edolites, and welfarepackage for children in the State.

Not only has he made the foregoing promises and demonstrated high sense of service to the people through his humanitarian involvements over the years, Igbinedion looks forward to a government he has tagged Small government, big Edo people, and has in that vein promised to run the government at a reduced cost.

Besides, he has one thing clear, and that is that there is no South, East or West agenda in Edo 2024, but only how "Edo can work for all.

Let us give Igbinedion the victory he deserves to restore law and order in Edo State. You can either start at the top or the bottom. First, let us recognize that our communities have not been safe, particularly as our laws have over the years favor criminals over victims, and that the justice system has been perverted by undemocratic political leaders that have been holding Edo State in the jugular. It is high time we elect a governor that has the capacity and moral rectitude to cage looters and killers. In fact, Igbinedion has what it takes to make prosecutors act in line with the spirit of the law. And as for corruption at the top, he has what it takes to clean up every institutions of Justice.

With Igbinedion Edo can have a Governor that would not be advised by his aides to demolish critical institutions in the state to pave way for projects of less importance as done by the incumbent governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki who demolished the expansive Benin City Central Hospital complex and turned it into a museum. Igbinedion, as a leader and legal luminary has the discretion to compares projects in terms of utility and value to Edo people.

In his reaction to the foregoing, Igbinedion once wondered, This is utterly preposterous to me. I cannot understand the rationale behind the decision. It is so unlike Governor Godwin Obaseki. I appeal to Governor Godwin Obaseki to reverse the decision. No museum can take the place of a functional hospital for Edo people.

But if the Central Hospital is not immediately rebuilt, I have decided that it will be a priority project come 2024. Within 100 days in office of a labour party government in Edo State, the Central Hospital, Benin City, will be reconstructed and commissioned.

At this juncture, it is expedient to say that having seen the sterling leadership qualities which he possesses that it will be expedient to urge fellow Edolites; both at home and abroad to resolve to give Igbinedion the Labour Party Gubernatorial Ticket which he aspires to get, and then vote for him in the much expected gubernatorial election as doing that would translate to voting for a better Edo State.
In Oregon, several cities have recognized the numerous benefits of allowing backyard chickens and have implemented regulations to accommodate this growing trend. These cities understand that raising chickens in a residential setting not only promotes sustainable living but also provides residents with access to fresh eggs and an opportunity to reconnect with nature.





The regulations set by these cities prioritize public health and safety by outlining guidelines for coop construction, waste management, and proximity to neighboring properties. This progressive approach showcases how Oregon's urban areas are adapting to changing lifestyles while embracing environmentally-friendly practices that foster a sense of community resilience.





Portland, OR

four chickens, ducks, or pigeons. For lots measuring 10,000 square feet or larger, up to six chickens may be kept. Additionally, individuals are allowed to keep up to four chicks under 12 weeks of age. There is no maximum limit on the number of chickens allowed on lots measuring 20,000 square feet or more. In Portland, Oregon, residents are permitted to keep backyard chickens, with the number of chickens allowed depending on the size of their property. On any lot, individuals are allowed to keep up to, ducks, or pigeons. For lots measuring 10,000 square feet or larger, up tomay be kept. Additionally, individuals are allowed to keep up tounder 12 weeks of age. There is no maximum limit on the number of chickens allowed on lots measuring 20,000 square feet or more.

To ensure proper containment, chicken enclosures must be situated at least three feet away from side and rear property lines, as well as at least ten feet away from the front property line.





Eugene, OR

six chickens over six months of age and six under six months of age on properties that are less than 20,000 square feet in area. Additionally, the keeping of quails, pheasants, ducks, pigeons, and doves is also allowed within the city limits of Eugene, Oregon. However, it is important to note that roosters, geese, peacocks, and turkeys are not permitted. In the City of Eugene, residents are permitted to keep a maximum ofover six months of age and six under six months of age on properties that are less than 20,000 square feet in area. Additionally, the keeping of quails, pheasants, ducks, pigeons, and doves is also allowed within the city limits of Eugene, Oregon. However, it is important to note that roosters, geese, peacocks, and turkeys are not permitted.

For those interested in constructing an enclosure for their poultry or birds, it is worth mentioning that a building permit is not required if the enclosure is 200 square feet or smaller in area and does not exceed a height of 10 feet. However, it is advisable to check if any other permits, such as electrical or plumbing permits, are necessary depending on the extent of the work being undertaken.





Salem, OR

In Salem, Oregon, residents have the privilege of keeping up to six hens or ducks for personal use without the need for a permit or license, as long as they adhere to the city's guidelines. To ensure the well-being of these feathered companions, it is mandatory for chicken coops to be situated at least three feet away from any other structure on the property. Additionally, a distance of 25 feet must be maintained between the coop and any neighboring residences on adjacent land units.

Moreover, the city of Salem extends its generosity to include the keeping of guinea fowl, pheasants, pigeons, quails, partridges, doves, or similar avian species for personal use. This allows residents to enjoy a diverse range of bird species while still abiding by the city's regulations





Gresham, OR

three adult chickens, with roosters being excluded, on any given lot or parcel. This regulation applies specifically to individuals residing in single-family dwellings on the designated lot or parcel. In order to keep chickens within the City of Gresham, residents are required to obtain a permit from the City beforehand. This permit carries a fee of $50 and remains valid for a period of two years. However, residents are only allowed to keep a maximum of, with roosters being excluded, on any given lot or parcel. This regulation applies specifically to individuals residing in single-family dwellings on the designated lot or parcel.

To ensure the well-being of the community, chicken coops must be situated at a minimum distance of 25 feet from any residences located on a different lot or parcel. Additionally, they must be positioned at least 10 feet away from the property line. Furthermore, it is imperative that the coop provides a minimum of two square feet of floor space per adult chicken.





Hillsboro, OR

3 chickens is allowed. If your property exceeds 10,000 square feet up to 1 acre, you may keep up to 6 chickens. Furthermore, if your property surpasses 1 acre in size, you are entitled to have up to 9 chickens. However, in order to keep chickens in Hillsboro, you must obtain an approved If you reside in Hillsboro, Oregon, the number of chickens permitted in your backyard is contingent upon the size of your property. For properties ranging from 7,000 to 10,000 square feet, a maximum ofis allowed. If your property exceeds 10,000 square feet up to 1 acre, you may keep up to. Furthermore, if your property surpasses 1 acre in size, you are entitled to have up to. However, in order to keep chickens in Hillsboro, you must obtain an approved City Animal Permit





Bend, OR

In the City of Bend, it is allowed to keep a maximum of four hens (no roosters) on parcels and lots that are 5,000 square feet or larger. However, the accumulation of waste and any resulting odors from chicken keeping are strictly prohibited beyond property lines. Additionally, any structures used to house chickens must be situated at least 25 feet away from any existing adjacent residences, and a minimum of 15 feet from any interior or rear lot line.

In order to maintain a clean and pleasant environment for all residents, it is crucial to adhere to these regulations





Beaverton, OR

four hens at single-family homes and duplexes on lots that are at least 5,000 square feet or larger. However, roosters are not allowed within the city limits of If you reside in the City of Beaverton, Oregon, you are permitted to keep up toat single-family homes and duplexes on lots that are at least 5,000 square feet or larger. However, roosters are not allowed within the city limits of Beaverton





Medford, OR

In the city of Medford, residents are granted the privilege of maintaining chickens in their backyard solely for personal purposes. However, roosters are strictly prohibited within the city limits of Medford. To ensure the safety and well-being of the community, it is required by law that chickens remain confined within the boundaries of the property at all times. Additionally, any enclosure or structure related to poultry must be situated at a minimum distance of 4 feet from the property lines of neighboring parcels.





Other Oregon Cities That Allow Backyard Chickens
Navy calls in DSI to resurrect Bang Khanun encroachment probe

PHUKET: Pol Capt Piya Raksakul, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Special Investigation (DSi) arrived in Phuket today (Aug 15) to inspect firsthand areas in the Bang Khanun Protected Forest Reserve that are occupied by farmers and to speak with senior Navy figures about their plans to build military installations there.



By The Phuket News

Tuesday 15 August 2023 05:37 PM

DSI Director-General Pol Maj Suriya Singhakamol had instructed Capt Piya to carry out the inspection, reported the Phuket Info Center today.

Joining the inspection were officers representing the Department of Air Defense and Coastal Defense Naval Police Department and a representative of Rear Adm Arpakorn Yookongkaew, Commander of the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command, which is based on Cape Panwa, on Phukets east coast.

The inspection was carried out in the forest reserves hills located in Moo 5, Sakhu, located just a handful of kilometres south of Phuket International Airport.

According to the report, the inspection confirmed many areas where the forest had been replaced with plantations of rubber trees, and areas completely cleared of natural forestation to make way for durian plantations.

Permanent buildings were found on the hills, which were described as more like vacation homes, built to take advantage of the high sea views overlooking Nai Yang Beach. The panorama also offered views of aircraft taking off and landing at the nearby airport, which was pointed out as an area of aviation security.

It was also found that the buildings had been constructed without any permits issued by Sakhu Tambon Administrative Organisation (OrBorTor), the nearest local government authority for the area. However, the report did not recognise that the land was previously under the protection of the Royal Forest Department (RFD), and it was not confirmed whether or not the RFD had allowed the homes to be built.

Photos that accompanied the report posted today showed modest structures, including a shack, that would provide for nothing more than simple living needs only. However, more elaborate homes have already been found within the forest reserve, and have been ordered to be removed.

Capt Piya explained that the DSI had accepted to investigate as a special case (No. 59/2564) a complaint of encroachment into the forest following the attempts by Thalang Technical College to extends its campus on land within the forest that the Royal Forest Department had already given its express permission to use.

Not specifically pointed out in the report today was that complaint  filed by Jamroon Kerddam, Chairman of the Gulf of Thailand - Andaman Area Conservation Network, was filed and accepted two years ago, with the result of that investigation never reported by the DSI. Today, it was resurrected, in coordination with Navy personnel present for the inspection.

According to the report by Phuket Info Center today, the investigation is to resume with focus on individuals illegally occupying areas within the forest for personal gain.

The Department of Special Investigation is a law enforcement agency. When investigating, it was found that there were violations of various laws. according to the powers and duties entered into the Special Case Investigation Act. Therefore, it is necessary to enforce the law fairly and equally, the report said today, without citing the source of the quote.

Vice Admiral Apakorn, Commander of the Third Navy Area, said today he met with a representative from the Department of Special Investigation, thus providing in-depth evidence about individuals and groups, the Phuket Info Center report said.

It is likely to be an offence to destroy natural resources for trade and enter the base of money laundering. Following this, in the investigation and prosecution of offenders, it should be the Department of Special Investigation.

As for the Third Area Command, it will serve to support the Special Investigation Officers of the Department of Special Investigation. As for the use of the area, it will strictly follow the conditions of the Royal Forest Department and try to grow native forests to diversify in the deforested areas of monocultures, the report said.

Of note, in the initial investigation into illegal encroachment of the Bang Khanun Protected Forest Reserve area located behind Thalang Technical College, the DSI noted, From the preliminary examination of the documents it is believed that the land use record of persons in the forest area (Form TorPor 4) prepared do not comply with the laws and regulations of the Royal Forest Department, and [the DSI] believes that such documentation is likely to have been made arbitrarily Also found that there is a complex process which may be unlawful to occupy the area of Pa Bang Khanun National Forest Reserve.

The TorPor 4 document cited is the basis of the claim by farmers that they have rights to continue to use the land in the forest, which has now been handed over to the Royal Thai Navy to build military installations.

A TorPor 4 is a tax receipt which serves as evidence of possession of land, but does not confer ownership rights. However, it is useful when applying for a Certificate of Possession (SorKor 1).

Once a SorKor 1 has been issued for a parcel of land, the occupier can then start the process to elevate the document for land possession status, over time and step by step, all through way through to full ownership through a Chanote.

Meanwhile, the Royal Thai Navy is continuing with its push to build three military installations in the forest, which covers more than 3,700 rai.

The Royal Thai Navy plans to use the forest land to create a new home for the 22nd Anti-Aircraft Battalion, the 2nd Anti-Aircraft Regiment, the Anti-Aircraft Command Unit, an Air Defense and Coastal Defense Center and the 4th Naval Police Battalion of the Naval Police Department.

V/Adm Arpakorn in June said, People in the area come to make a living in the forest. We can confirm that no villagers have been pushed out of the area. You can still cut the rubber. But when those rubber trees expire, it must be stopped. Do not plant new trees..

V/Adm Arpkorn recognised that 265 cases had been approved use of areas within the forest, which has been officially classified as degraded forest.

However, there are many others with no such legal right to occupy areas in the forest. Such people will be forced to vacate the area, he said.

After clearing the forest and planting rubber plantations in this area, we have to cooperate with local conservation groups on how to help the forest recover, he added.
PPAO councillor dies in post-funeral accident

PHUKET: A 51-year-old councillor of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation (PPAO) died after the pickup he was driving slammed into a roadside ditch in Thalang early this morning (Aug 15).

transportaccidentsdeathpolice

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Tuesday 15 August 2023 02:55 PM

Lt Col Noppadol Tonemanee of the Thalang Police was informed of the accident, in Moo 2, Thepkrasattri, at 2:50am.

Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers and an EMS Advance Unit from Thalang Hospital rushed to the scene to find the Phuket-registered, grey, four-door Mitsubishi pickup in a ditch beside the road.

The driver, Paisarn Utouchkul, Councillor for PPAO District 4, in Thalang, was dead in the drivers seat.

Mr Paisarn, the only person in the vehicle at the time of the accident, had suffered a wound to the left side of his head.

Friends of Mr Paisarn told police that the accident had happened while Mr Paisarn was returning home after he had dropped off friends at their home in Baan Khuan.

They had all attended a funeral together at Wat Khanaen.

Mr Paisarn may have fallen asleep at the wheel, leading to the accident, police said.

His body was taken to Thalang Hospital for further examination, with a forensic physician from Vachira Phuket Hospital to join the post-mortem examination.

The police report made no mention of any checks for intoxication that may have led to the accident, or whether Mr Paisarn was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee urged the student community to uphold the longcherished tradition of peace and harmony in Bengal. She was addressing a gathering of students assembled to celebrate 10 years of Kanyashreeat Dhana Dhanya stadium this afternoon.

Chief secretary HK Dwivedi, home secretary BP Gopalika, ministers Firhad Hakim, Chandrima Bhattacharya, Pradip Mazumdar were present at the function along with Dr Shashi Panja, state minister for women and child development and social welfare, the department that looks after Kanyashree. Senior officials of the department were also present at the function. Miss Banerjee said, A girl child feels secure in Bengal. Kanyashreehas helped lakhs of girl students to pursue education up to the university level by getting scholarships. Miss Banerjee had mooted the project which has got global recognition by the United Nations.

The chief minister added, Bengal was the seat of the freedom movement in India. If you go to the Cellular Jail in Andaman you will find 90 per cent of the revolutionaries were from Bengal. On the eve of Independence Day, we should pay respects to those who laid down their lives to make India free. Miss Banerjee urged the school, college and university authorities to take their students to Alipore Jail Museum to pay respect to the revolutionaries.

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Miss Banerjee read out two poems penned by her in Kabita Bitan, namely Amar Thikana and Matir Ghare. The former was composed when she was observing fast during the Singur movement. Miss Banerjee also composed a song for her pet project Kanyashree which was later sung by Lopamudra Mitra.

Mr Dwivedi, chief secretary said the scheme was introduced in 2013 and during the past one decade it has helped students to be selfreliant. It has stopped early marriage of girls on many occasions.Five districts were awarded for implementing Kanyashree programme successfully. Hooghly district got the first award followed by Howrah and East Midnapore. Nadia and North 24-Parganas got special prizes.

Three schools, namely Adarsha Balika Bidyalaya, Bagbazar Multipurpose Government Sponsored School and Gangapuri Siksha Sadan Girls School got the awards. Three colleges, namely Dinabandhu College, Maharani Kasiswari College and Shivnath Shastri College got awards for implementing the schemes successfully. Chief minister wished the girls every success in life and believed that they would become worlds best someday
In a bid to provide proper training of drivers on highways, Kolkata on Wheels, a magazine set up to promote motoring, has organized a long-distance driving from the city to Ranchi. Twenty five owner drivers are taking part in the long distance driving venture. The programme has been powered by HPCL and the event partner is Saini Toyota.

The main purpose of the event is to provide a proper sense of driving to the owner drivers. The cars moved in a convoy so that the drivers get training on lane driving and control of speed on highways. Accidents have become rampant on highways because of speed mania. Also, many drivers fall asleep when the cars meet with accidents.

Through the event the message of Safe Drive Save Life will be spread. The drivers will be given a crash course on emergency medical attention by Dr Tanmay Das. It is good to have an idea to combat sudden collapse of a driving partner during a tour.

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The drivers will be taught to provide basic relief till medical assistance comes. For every Indian, little training to combat an emergency situation particularly while travelling or on airport and railway stations is a must. The drivers will visit Chinnamasta Mandir where noted film director Satyajit Ray had penned a detective story Chinnamastar Abhisap.
From now, registered doctors in the country will have to refrain from inviting likes, views, posting their success stories in connection with treatment of patients etc on social media platforms. In a bid to streamline doctors conducts, the National Medical Commission (NMC), the sole body monitoring medical education in India, has for the first time issued a set of guidelines for practicing physicians on how to restrain them from social media posts. The commission wants to govern the conduct of Registered Medical Practitioners (RMP) in its set of guidelines issued on 11 August.

It felt that a section of doctors, being involved in a noble profession, are eager for self-promotion or glorifications by posting their success stories in different platforms of social media to woo more patients for professional gain by earning more in the private practice system. The guidelines would streamline these errant doctors, it feels. The broader principle of medical ethics should guide the use of social media by RMPs, the highest medical regulator in the country stated. Several important guidelines like the registered doctors should avoid discussing treatment of patients and prescribing medicines to their patients using social media platforms. They should share medical advice to patients through telemedicine consultancy instead of using social media if the latter approach the former seeking treatment.

Doctors can provide information and announcements on social media but it should be authentic and verified thoroughly before sharing them on public platforms. The information should not be misleading, exploiting patients ignorance or lack of knowledge. They should not also post patients photographs or scan images of investigation reports like CT/Pet CT/ X-ray on social media. Their behaviour on social media towards their professional colleagues should be guided by general principles of medical ethics.

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They should not also directly or indirectly indulge in the practice of inviting likes, views, followers or paying money so that search algorithms can lead to names being listed in the top in software programmes as well as apps that charge fees for higher ratings or soliciting patients. The NMC move has created resentments among the medical fraternity in the city.

Some points of the guidelines that prevent doctors from indulging in the practice of inviting likes or followers are positive but rest others like sharing photos of a cured patient or videos of surgical procedure in the social media look negative, said Dr Yogiraj Roy, infection specialist associated with the SSKM Hospital. I always share my treatment procedures on some critical cases with international specialists through my X handle seeking their advice so that my patient could be cured, he added
In 2008, Shreegauri Sawant embarked on a meaningful personal journey by adopting a girl named Gayatri. Her influence extended beyond personal realms when she became a central figure in a widely circulated Vicks advertising campaign, leaving an indelible mark. Adding to her achievements, she graced the stage of the popular show Kaun Banega Crorepati, sharing the spotlight with Usha Uthup, an individual Sawant admires deeply. This connection was notably exemplified by Sawants adoption of Uthups signature large bindis as her own.

Shreegauri Sawant stands as a distinguished figure in the realm of transgender rights advocacy and social work, with her base situated in Mumbai. The year 2014 marked a pivotal moment in her journey, as she emerged as a petitioner in a historic ruling by the Supreme Court, a decision that granted legal recognition to transgender individuals while bestowing upon them an array of civil rights and protective measures. Anchoring her efforts is the Sakhi Char Chowghi Trust, a non-profit organization that has remained actively engaged for numerous decades.

Sreegauri Sawant Vicks Campaign:

Vicks campaign, entitled Touch of Care, artfully combines two contentious subjects  adoption and transgender rights  to craft a poignant narrative that leaves a lasting impact, transcending its concise 3-minute duration.

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This is the chronicle of Gauri Sawant, a transgender activist who embraces the role of a parent by adopting the orphaned Gayatri, while valiantly confronting societal prejudices to raise her as her own.

Based on actual events, the video commences with Gayatris journey to a boarding school, offering a glimpse into the heartwarming encounter that led to her adoption by Gauri. Under the skillful direction of Neeraj Ghaywan, renowned for his work in the film Masaan, the advertisement subtly underscores the poignant reality that prompts Gauri to separate from her daughter, sparing her the painful ordeals she endures daily.

In a poignant moment, Gayatri questions, My Civics book asserts that everyone is entitled to fundamental rights. So, why is my mother denied them? This is why I aspire to become a lawyer, not a doctor  for my mother.

Crafted by Publicis Singapore on behalf of Procter & Gamble, the video traces the life of Gayatri, who, at the tender age of 6, loses her biological mother, a sex worker, to HIV AIDS.

The narrative reaches its culmination with Gayatris resolute pledge to grow into a lawyer, dedicated to securing equal rights for her mother and all transgender individuals in India. The story of Gayatri and Gauri remains an enduring testament. Here are some Twitter responses:

Released on Vicks Indias official YouTube channel on March 30, 2017, and has garnered more than 11 Million views.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced a series of initiatives aimed at enhancing the well-being and progress of the state.

The event, held in Jaipur, witnessed enthusiastic participation from citizens, officials and dignitaries, all gathered to witness the unveiling of these measures.

Highlighting the importance of preserving Rajasthans cultural heritage and bolstering the states infrastructure, Gehlot first addressed the issue of the Ramgarh Dam in Jaipur.

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Cognizant of the vital role the dam plays in Jaipurs identity, he revealed plans to revive and replenish the Ramgarh Dam through the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP).

A substantial sum of Rs 1,250 crore will be invested to ensure the dams restoration and to develop a comprehensive drinking water scheme for multiple districts, including Jaipur and Alwar.

Building upon the commitment to agricultural development, CM announced a significant expansion of the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) by incorporating 53 additional dams across various districts.

This ambitious endeavor, involving an increase of Rs 1665 crore in the projects budget, is poised to benefit 11 lakh farmers residing in 13 assembly constituencies.

Recognizing the challenges faced by vulnerable families, especially during the pandemic, Gehlot emphasized the importance of comprehensive social support.

He highlighted the expansion of the Annapurna Ration Kit scheme to encompass not only National Food Security Act (NFSA) beneficiaries but also non-NFSA families who received financial assistance during the pandemic.

This move underscores Rajasthans dedication to addressing food security and ensuring the well-being of its citizens.

A move towards recognizing and rewarding community service came with the announcement of an enhanced Chiranjeevi Jeevan Rakshak Yojana.

This program, which already has commendably saved numerous lives by incentivizing timely assistance to road accident victims, will now provide increased honorarium of Rs 10,000.

Additionally, a similar scheme is in the works to acknowledge individuals who contribute to maintaining law and order by assisting the police force.

In a bid to promote gender equality and bridge the digital divide, CM Gehlot unveiled the Indira Gandhi Smartphone Yojana, which aims to provide smartphones to 40 lakh girls and women in the first phase.

Notably, a promise was made to extend this initiative to a total of approximately 1 crore women, ensuring access to digital resources for empowerment.

Acknowledging the valor and dedication of the Rajasthan Police Force on the occasion of the states 75th year of independence, Chief Minister Gehlot introduced the Rajasthan Police Panchsati Medal.

This honor will be bestowed upon all police personnel, from constables to the Director General of Police, to commemorate the 75 years of Rajasthan Polices formation.

Addressing long-standing concerns within the police department, Chief Minister Gehlot announced a fundamental shift in the promotion system.

Replacing the existing examination-based promotion process, he unveiled plans to institute a time-bound Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) approach for elevating constables to police inspectors, streamlining the progression within the police force
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday addressed fellow countrymen as parivarjan (family members) on the 77th Independence Day.

For his 10th Independence Day address from the ramparts of the iconic Red Fort, PM Modi carried forward a custom  of wearing colourful turbans  that has become his style statement on this day.

Continuing with his tradition from 2014, PM Modi donned a multicolour Rajasthani bandhani print turban with an off-white kurta and churidar for the Independence Day celebrations.

PM Modi was received by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other dignitaries as he arrived at the Red Fort and began his customary address to the nation after raising the tricolour at the iconic monument.

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This years Independence Day will culminate the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, which were launched by the Prime Minister from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on March 12, 2021, and will usher the country into the Amrit Kaal (golden era).

PM Modi had previously outlined the Centres commitment to make India a developed country by 2047, which will be the centenary year of the countrys independence.

The Guard of Honour to PM Modi was commanded by Major Vikas Sangwan. The Army Contingent in the Prime Ministers Guard was commanded by Major Indrajeet Sachin, the Naval contingent by Lieutenant Commander MV Rahul Raman and the Air Force contingent by Squadron Leader Akash Ganghas. The Delhi Police contingent was commanded by Additional DCP Sandhya Swami.

After inspecting the Guard of Honour, PM Modi proceeded to the ramparts of the Red Fort where he was greeted by Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh, Raksha Rajya Mantri Ajay Bhatt, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Pande, Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral R Hari Kumar, and Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, the Ministry said.

The GoC, Delhi area escorted Prime Minister Modi to the ramparts of the Red Fort to hoist the national flag.

The Army band, comprising one JCO and 20 other ranks, played the National Anthem during the hoisting of the national flag and the presenting of the Rashtriya Salute.

The Band was conducted by Naib Subedar Jatinder Singh.

Major Nikita Nair and Major Jasmine Kaur assisted PM Modi in hoisting the national flag.

The flag hoisting was followed by a synchronised 21 Gun Salute by the gunners of the elite 8711 Field Battery (Ceremonial). The ceremonial battery was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Vikas Kumar and the Gun Position Officer will be Naib Subedar (AIG) Anoop Singh.

The National Flag Guard, comprising five officers and 128 other ranks from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Delhi Police, presented the Rashtriya Salute at the time of the hoisting of the tricolour by PM Modi. Major Abhinav Detha from the Army was in command of this Inter-Services Guard and Police Guard.

As the national flag was hoisted by the Prime Minister, two Advanced Light Helicopters Mark-III Dhruv of the Indian Air Force, in the Line Astern Formation, showered petals on the Red Fort.

The chopper was commandeered by Wing Commander Amber Agarwal and Squadron Leader Himanshu Sharma.
A man breached the security of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and tried to reach stage from where the former was delivering speech in Patnas Gandhi Maidan on the occasion of Independence day.

The security personnel spotted him as soon as he approached zone D of Chief Ministers security and shouted slogans against him.

The chief minister paused his speech for few seconds and resumed it after security forces overpowered the accused and took him out of the premises.

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He is currently under the custody of Gandhi Maidan police station.

Patna police did not disclose the identify and motive of accused.

Nitish Kumar has hoisted the national flag for the 17 time in Patnas Gandhi Maidan. Earlier, Bihars first Chief Minister Shri Krishna Sinha had done it 16 times.
Addressing countrymen from the ramparts of the Red Fort for the 10th time since taking the countrys highest office in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the borders were far more secure than ever before.

He also underlined the need for mega reforms in the Indian armed forces.

Today our borders are far more secure. I extend my heartfelt wishes to my jawans, who are patrolling, keeping vigil, and securing our borders, as well as other security forces on our 77th Independence Day, PM Modi said.

Underlining the need to usher in urgent reforms in the armed forces in view of evolving security challenges, PM Modi said, Our armed forces should be young and battle-ready. They should be skilled and equipped to wage wars. The process to bring in reforms in the armed forces is already underway.

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The remarks assume significance as India has been locked in a protracted military standoff with China since May 2020 when troopers of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) allegedly tried to alter the status quo of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at Galwan Valley in Arunachal Pradesh.

Indian troops thwarted a similar alleged misadventure by the Chinese forces at Yang Tse near Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh in December 2022.

Before addressing fellow countrymen on the 77th Independence Day, PM Modi paid floral tributes at the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat.

Earlier, on Tuesday, PM Modi was received by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other dignitaries on his arrival at the Red Fort and he began his customary address to the nation after raising the tricolour.

Best wishes on Independence Day. We pay homage to our great freedom fighters and reaffirm our commitment to fulfilling their vision. Jai Hind!, Prime Minister Modi posted on X, formerly Twitter, before arriving at the Red Fort.

This years Independence Day will culminate the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, which were launched by Prime Minister Modi from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on March 12, 2021, and will usher the country into Amrit Kaal.
Bindeshwar Pathak, the founder of Sulabh International Social Service Organisation, passed away in Delhi at 80 on suffering a cardiac arrest.

Dr Bindeshwar Pathak is well-known in India and throughout the world for dedicated his life to creating a national sanitation campaign that has lasted for more than 50 years.

He worked tirelessly to improve the situation of manual scavengers.

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Using inexpensive two-pit technology, Sulabh has built 54 million public restrooms and over 1.3 million residential restrooms.

Also Read: Toilets the most talked-about issue

Dr Pathak was a prolific author and public speaker who has written numerous books, the most well-known of which being The Road to Freedom. He was a part of conferences on global sanitation, health, and social advancement.

He served as the brand ambassador for Indian Railways Swachh Rail Mission. In 1991, he received the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian honor in India.

He received the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for Excellence in Public Administration, Academics, and Management for the Year 2017.

The organisation spearheaded a campaign to oppose hand cleaning of human waste in addition to building toilets.

More about Bindeshwar Pathak:

Mahatma Gandhi served as a source of inspiration for Dr Pathak, and as a result, his work and way of life have directly influenced the goals and tenets of the United Nations.

Born at Vaishali in Bihar, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak was raised in a Brahmin family in the village of Rampur Baghel.

Pathak was close to and heavily influencd by his mother. My mother always taught me to help people. She never refused anyone who requested assistance. She taught me to contribute without anticipating anything in return. A man is supposedly born for others, not for himself, he once said.

Pathak completed his schooling in the village where he spent his whole childhood and adolescence. Later, he relocated to the state capital of Patna, where he enrolled at B.N. College and earned a sociology degree.

In 1964, Bindeshwar Pathak graduated from Banaras Hindu University with a degree in sociology. He received his masters degree in 1980 and his PhD in 1985 from the University of Patna.
Japan-Taiwan relations became big news in Northeast Asia when former Prime Minister of Japan, Taro Aso, currently Vice-President of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, paid a three-day visit to Taiwan from 7 to 9 August and held separate meetings with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and Vice President Lai Ching-te with the aim of reinforcing relations with the island. Lai is a major candidate from Taiwans ruling Democratic Progressive Party in the Presidential election scheduled for January 2024.

When this news broke out, it immediately triggered a backlash from China. Aso, 82, became the highest-ranking LDP member to visit Taiwan, a selfruled democratic island that Communist-led China regards as its own territory, since Tokyo switched diplomatic ties from Taipei to Beijing in 1972. Taiwan and mainland China have been governed separately since they split due to a civil war in 1949.

Ever since, China has resolutely opposed Japanese politicians visits to Taiwan. China continues to put military pressure on Taiwan and also opposes any official contact between Taipei and other countries. It has made efforts systematically to internationally isolate Taiwan by luring many smaller nations to switch allegiance by offering monetary benefits liberally, leaving Taiwan with only a dozen diplomatic allies. Aso also met the leaders of the main opposition Nationalist Party and Taiwan Peoples Party.

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The leaders of these two parties had visited Japan in early 2023. Aso also became the secondhighest ranking LDP official after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to visit the grave of former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui. Asos visit not only highlighted the solid friendship between Taiwan and Japan but is expected to deepen cooperation between the two sides in various fields.

It may be recalled that when then US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi made a trip to Taiwan in August 2022 and held talks with Tsai, China responded by conducting large-scale drills around Taiwan. Japan is aware of the US-China geographical rivalry but seeks to cooperate with Taiwan, which is the worlds leading chip supplier, and on economic security issues, such as diversifying semiconductor supply chains.

While in Taiwan and speaking at the Ketagalan Forum security dialogue, Aso made an observation that the Taiwan Strait is gradually tilting toward a time of emergency which expectedly irked China. Asos remarks were in the wake of China conducting military exercises around Taiwan in August 2022 and April 2023, both of which were interpreted by experts as Chinas preparation of invasion of the self-ruled island.

China views Taiwans status as a core issue and considers Taiwan as a renegade province that must be brought back into the fold, by force if necessary. Beijing has been heaping diplomatic and military pressure on the island, routinely sending warplanes and warships across the median line of the Taiwan Strait. It was for this reason Aso assured Taiwan that Japan along with its allies and partners would not hesitate to use their growing defence capabilities to deter war and maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

What was significant to note is that Japans annual Defence Ministry White Paper released in July 2023 and the three key security documents released in December 2022 had clearly expressed concern that Chinese military assertiveness around the democratic island could erupt into a conflict.

These observations were not off the mark as China had been sending fighter jets, bombers and spy aircraft into Taiwans air defence identification zone near the island on a near-daily basis, including 24 warplanes in August, 12 of which crossed the median line, a move that had been rare. Taiwan is a major semiconductor-maker and sits astride key shipping lanes that provide Japan with much of its energy.

Any disruption owing to a Chinese attack on Taiwan would present an existential crisis for Japan. Japan is concerned that a conflict akin to the war in Ukraine could be replicated in East Asia because of Chinas aggressive postures, which is why Japan has been pushed to bolster its defences, including the introduction of a so-called counter-strike capability and a plan to spend 2 per cent of the GNP on defence by 2027.

Japan has disputes with China over the Senkaku Islands. Although Japan and Taiwan do not have formal diplomatic ties, the two sides have long maintained a robust relationship that includes economic and cultural exchanges. This relationship has assumed greater salience in recent months amid concerns over Chinese military moves. The statement issued in May 2023 at the G-7 leaders summit in Hiroshima reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. It may be recalled that in July 2022, Taiwanese vice-president William Lai attended the funeral of the slain Prime Minister of Japan, Abe Shinzo.

The fact that Japan allowed Lai to visit Japan to attend the funeral event reflected Kishidas willingness to support Abes political stance towards the island. As expected, Beijing protested to Tokyo saying Lais visit was against the one China policy Japan had committed to when the two sides established formal ties in 1972. Subsequently seven legislators from Japan belonging to a cross-party parliamentary security group visited Taiwan to discuss security issues. The purpose of the group to visit Taiwan was to discuss how to prepare for conflict, if it breaks out. Beijings piling up pressure on Taipei and warning to take forceful measures on a regular basis has led other stakeholders to be in preparedness to meet the situation if it turns grave.

The United States, on its side, has been addressing Taiwans security. In late July 2023, the Biden administration announced $345 million in military aid for Taiwan. This was the first major package drawing on its own stockpiles to help Taiwan counter China. This did not deter China from accusing the US of turning Taiwan into a powder keg through the billions of dollars of weapons sales it has pledged. The situation in the Taiwan Strait is destined to remain volatile for quite some time.

(The writer is former Senior Fellow, both at NMML and MP-IDSA, and ICCR Chair Professor at Reitaku University, Japan)
The 19th round of India-China Corps Commander level meeting was held at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Indian side on 13-14 August 2023, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a press statement.

The two sides had a positive, constructive and in-depth discussion on the resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC (Line of Actual Control) in the Western Sector. In line with the guidance provided by the leadership, they exchanged views in an open and forward-looking manner, the press statement said further.

They agreed to resolve the remaining issues in an expeditious manner and maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiations through military and diplomatic channels.

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In the interim, the two sides agreed to maintain peace and tranquillity on the ground in the border areas.

The 18th round of the India-China Corps Commander Level Meeting was also held at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Chinese side on 23rd April 2023.

The two sides had a frank and in-depth discussion on the resolution of the relevant issues along the LAC in the Western Sector so as to restore peace and tranquillity in the border areas, which will enable progress in bilateral relations.

In line with the guidance provided by the State Leaders and further to the meeting between the two Foreign Ministers in March 2023, they had an exchange of views in an open and candid manner.

In the interim, the two sides agreed to maintain security and stability on the ground in the Western Sector. The two sides agreed to stay in close contact and maintain dialogue through military and diplomatic channels and work out a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest.

The two countries started holding military talks on disengagement and de-escalation of the situation along the LAC in eastern Ladakh soon after the confrontation started between the two militaries.

The two sides have since then disengaged from multiple confrontation points and moved to new positions to avoid clashes and resolve the issues peacefully.

Sources said the Indian side is keen to resolve the dispute amicably securing all Indian interests in the region and has deployed over 50,000 troops to match the Chinese deployments in the areas opposite eastern Ladakh.

The two sides have been heavily deployed but have resisted direct conflicts even though the Indian side does not rule out the possibility of any misadventure by the adversary along the LAC.

India thwarted one such misadventure by the Chinese Army in December 2022 in Yang Tse near Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.
Governor Oleg Kozhemyako on Tuesday declared a regional state of emergency in the Primorsky Territory located in the Russian Far East, due to the extensive damage caused by severe flooding.

A regional emergency regime is being introduced in Primorye. The damage from the disaster is such that the resources of the municipalities cannot cope with it, Xinhua news agency quoted the Governor as saying in a social media post.

The regional emergency regime will allow to increase the measures of support for the population affected by the flooding, he added.

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The flooding, triggered by heavy rains brought by typhoon Khanun and a polar front, wreaked havoc in Primorye.

Several municipalities of this region have declared a state of emergency in the past few days.

According to the regional centre of the Ministry of Civil Defense and Emergency Situations, the number of submerged houses had risen to 4,620 by Monday.

Additionally, 32 settlements are left isolated, and 58 road segments are disrupted.

Over 2,500 individuals have been evacuated due to the dire situation.

Kozhemyako emphasised that the regional state of emergency empowers authorities to manage the crisis effectively on-site as well as to request federal assistance as needed.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founder of Bangladesh, was assassinated at his home in Dhanmondi 32 on August 15, 1975, following which military dictator Major General Ziaur Rahman assumed power. Incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Mujibs eldest daughter, was in Germany then and hence she survived. Bangladesh observes it as a Day of Mourning.

Mujib was to visit Dhaka University and a grand ceremonious welcome awaited him. Even a citation in Bangla was prepared.

Addressing the Bangabandhu, as Mujib was popularly known, the citation read: Youve said you want to turn Dhaka University into the National University. We want your kind sympathy, goodwill and consideration in this regard.

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But that was never read out because the nascent countrys national hero never visited the university.

The then Dhaka University Central Students Union (DUCSU) vice president, Mujahidul Islam Selim, in the early morning of August 15, 1975, received a phone call from the dean office of the arts faculty, which informed him that Dhanmondi 32 was under attack, the countrys leading newspaper The Daily Star reported.

On August 15, several Bangladesh newspapers published special supplements to mark Bangabandhus visit to the DU.

Bangabandhu was supposed to arrive at the university at 9.55 a.m. Upon entering the premises from the Curzon Hall area, he was supposed to visit different faculties and departments, pay tribute to martyred intellectuals and freedom fighters before delivering a speech at the Teacher-Student Centre around 11.40 a.m., the daily says.

Paradoxically, Mujib had enrolled himself in the university in December 1947 but varsity authority in 1949 had expelled him and several other students on charges of instigating a movement launched by class-four employees, demanding increase of salaries and allowances.

While Mujib did not live to visit Dhaka University on Aug 15, 1975; it was many years later only in 2010, the university authority withdrew the expulsion order, terming it undemocratic and unjust, says The Daily Star.

The Dhaka University authority will award Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman an honourary degree of Doctor of Laws posthumously at a special convocation, which is likely to take place on October 26, the newspaper says.

Of course, the bolstering Bangladesh-India ties and enhanced relationship of mutual trust ties owes it to history around 1970-71  five decades back. Perhaps it also relates to Indias undiluted rivalry with Pakistan.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in June this year sent mangoes for her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi.

The Dhanmondi House is now a tourist attraction with hundreds including from overseas visiting the spot to pay homage to Asias one of the greatest crusaders of liberty and free speech.

Bloodstains on the walls and on the peeling green plaster certainly will bring to the fore the story of one of the most horrific killings of political stars and the family members in the sub-continent.

A sense of chill runs through the spine as three Indian journalists in 2017 December encountered the bullet marks at the House. This was the place where Sheikh Mujibar Rahman and his 18 family members, including three sons and a young grandson was assassinated in a ruthless exercise by the right-wing military officers.

Among those killed were Mujib, his wife Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib, their three sons Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and minor Sheikh Russel; the newly married brides of Kamal and Jamal Sulatana and Rosy and Bangabandhus brother Sheikh Abu Naser.

A gentleman standing nearby and a staffer at the Memorial spoke softly: It was the witness to hours of deliberations among Mujibs close associates. Today, sadly though  this house has become an enduring symbol of love and admiration people feel for Bangabandhu.

Of course, sociologists will agree this is the place today where hundreds of Bangladeshis  young and old  feel they can renew their commitment to nation building.

In 2015, it was reported that at least seven months before the Bangabandhu was assassinated along with his family members, a former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) official had met him here and warned against the conspirators.

These are my own children and they will not harm me, Mujib had reportedly told Rameshwar Nath Kao, who met him in December 1974 with the approval of the then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Mujibs two daughters, Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana, were in West Germany in August 1975 and so they survived.

(Nirendra Dev is a New Delhi-based journalist. He is also author of the books The Talking Guns: North East India, and Modi to Moditva: An Uncensored Truth. Views expressed are personal)
World leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, greeted India on Tuesday on the occasion of the nations 77th Independence Day.

In a tweet in Hindi, the French leader said: Hearty congratulations to the people of India on Independence Day. A month ago in Paris, my friend (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi and I set new Indo-French ambitions for 2047, the centenary year of Indias independence. India can count on France as a reliable friend and partner, always.

He also shared a short video which showed Modis visit to France in July.

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Macron captioned the video: Trust and friendship towards the Indian people.

Also extending his wishes, the Nepal Prime Minister said in a tweet: On the auspicious occasion of the 77th Independence Day of India, I extend warm greetings and best wishes to PM @narendramodi ji and to the friendly people of India for continued peace, progress and prosperity @PMOIndia.

Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar was also greeted on the occassion by his counterparts from Iran, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Australia.

Extending his wishes, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said in a tweet that independence is a key factor characterising strategic policy of Iran and India.

He went on to say that deveploment, all-out ties, including economic and regional connectivity is the mutual agenda of two nations.

In his message, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry said he was confident that in the years ahead our bilateral ties will be further strengthened between our two nations.

While Bhutans Foreign Minister Tandi Dorji wished for greater prosperity, happiness and well-being, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the two countries relationship is growing from the foundation of the three Ds: democracy, diaspora and dosti or friendship.

Nepals Foreign Minister N.P. Saud also convey warm greetings and felicitations to Jaishankar and also wished the people and the government of India.
The party event of the year is set to take place on Saturday, Aug. 26 at Complexe Pointe-Claire, featuring some outstanding musical talent and an endless array of gourmet food.

The 19th annual Strangers in the Night gala, voted as The Suburbans Best of Montreal 2022 event winner, will benefit three charities: the West Island Womens Shelter, the Shriners Hospitals for Children, and The West Island Black Community Association (WIBCA). More than 5,000 people will party under a 65,000-square-foot tent, transforming a regular parking lot into a virtual hall under the stars. Headline performers are Gloria Gaynor, Kool & the Gang, Technotronic, Crystal Waters, Freddie James, DJ Majess, Old Soul, Ford Miller and Jordyn Sugar.

Presented by Nadia Saputo Events, the Strangers in the Night Foundation (SITN) is headed by actor Larry Day. The COVID-19 pandemic put these large scale events on hold, but Day and his team still found a way to keep the party going. In 2020 there were two drive-in shows at The Royalmount Drive-in Event Theatre with bands like Boogie Wonderband performing after the movies.

People stayed around their cars and were a safe distance away from each other but had a fun time, said Day. Of course, the COVID years were on a much smaller scale, but it was felt we still had to do something in those years.

In 2021, the SITN Foundation had local bands, including The Box, at the Les Jardins Royalmount site. Instead of 4,000 guests we had 400, but at least we did something, said Day, whose smile grows a mile long when he talks about last summers return to normalcy, with the Jacksons as the headliners and Nadia Saputo and her husband, former Montreal Canadiens defenceman Patrice Brisebois, as honorary chairs.

It was like a big reunion, with people and companies we had not seen or dealt with in three years, he noted. We knew we had to come out strong and I think we accomplished that goal. We were at a new location at Complexe Pointe-Claire, thanks to the Westcliff Group, which people seemed to like. Each of the selected charities for 2022 received $100,000 each at a cheque presentation we had in October of last year.

Day acknowledges that a big part of the success of Strangers in the Night are the restaurants that participate year in and year out at their own expense  and last year was no exception. COVID had been hard on, as everyone knows, and yet we still had over 50 on site serving samples of their dishes, Day says. We lost quite a few of our normal establishments due to the staffing shortage, and also even had last minute cancellations due to COVID cases in staff, but overall, the ones that did participate took up the slack and guests comments were that it was one of the best years from a food standpoint. This year things seem to be back to normal with many more restaurants returning to keep our guests full of amazing food choices.

The goal this year is to raise enough to allocate $125,000 to $150,000 to each charity so they can all continue the great work that they do in the communities they serve.

We are honoured and excited to be part of the SITN event, said WIBCA President Joan Lee. WIBCA has existed for over 40 years empowering the Black community to live full and prosperous lives through the development and delivery of high-impact programs and resources that are open to everyone, regardless of ethnic origin, colour, gender, religion, or race. The funds from this event will be used to deliver free valuable programs and services to youth, adults and seniors, while celebrating diversity and promoting inclusion.

The SITN Foundation Board accepts applications from various charities that would like to partner with it and selects three to four to work with each year. They must have a mandate that helps children and families in need and a local footprint in the community.

Day wishes to make it clear that the success of Strangers in the Night is 100 per cent due to the team that has been assembled over the years. From official ambassadors Saputo and Brisebois, Day tips his cap to a core group of dedicated department heads, including Ken Doran, Steve Traynor, Ellen Coplan, Sandra Bracken, Peter Del Rizzo, David Braunstein, Stephanie St. Pierre, Michael Netto, Steve Lee, Robbie Cohen, Andre Menard and his wife Jayne Heitmeyer.

There are also many suppliers who make the whole event come together. Dedicated sponsors include Traffic Tech, The Air Canada Foundation, Playground, CIBC, United Auto Alfa Romeo, Genesis de LOuest, Mercedes Benz West Island, Chevrolet, GMC, Buick Cadillac West Island and 3D Financial.

Most important though are the hundreds of dedicated volunteers who help out year in year out donating their time and sweat, Day says. They are the true unsung heroes of Strangers in the Night without which the event would not be possible.

For tickets, call Ellen Coplan

at 514-233-7535, email

ellen@strangersinthenight.ca, or

log on to www.strangersinthenight.ca
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. This was first published in The Los Angeles Times.
Poland has purchased long-range radar detection aircraft from Sweden, Polish Armament Agency spokesman Grzegorz Polak told PAP news agency, Azernews reports, citing the Polish Ministry's press information.

"The agency has ordered Saab 340 AEW long-range radar detection aircraft based on the Armed Forces' needs in the field of electronic reconnaissance of the lower atmosphere," he said.

"Additionally, Bayraktar TB2 drones, among others, have been purchased, and a contract is also planned to be signed soon for the delivery of balloons, which will significantly increase the capabilities of the Armed Forces and expand the radar reconnaissance area," Polyak added.

He also said that "last month the construction of the Delfin electronic reconnaissance ship was laid down, which will be handed over to the Polish Navy in 2027."

"This is another ship that will be able to conduct radar reconnaissance in maritime waters. It is the most modern solution of this type, which will allow closing the maritime border," Polak emphasized.

Poland has recently taken steps to strengthen its defense capabilities by acquiring long-range radar detection aircraft from Sweden. On May 22, 2023, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Mariusz Blaszczak revealed that Poland is currently engaged in discussions with Sweden regarding the procurement of airborne early-warning aircraft.

The most likely platform being considered for purchase is the GlobalEye, developed and delivered by the Swedish company Saab. This solution combines Erieye extended-range radar and other sensors with the ultra-long-range Global 6000 aircraft from Bombardier, which adds over 11 hours of operational endurance. The aircraft's multi-role capabilities allow it to detect and track a wide range of targets, including airborne, maritime, and ground-based threats, enabling better-informed decision-making.

The GlobalEye AEW&C aircraft features a suite of modern active and passive sensors, providing long-range detection and identification of objects across multiple domains. It is equipped with Erieye Extended Range radar, which has a maximum detection range of 550 kilometers (341.7 miles) and prevents electronic clutter and jamming by enemy forces. The aircraft's Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar also allows the military to focus on specific areas or targets of interest. Additionally, GlobalEye provides real-time information to military units, increasing their situational awareness and threat detection capability.

The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration has ordered the GlobalEye AEW&C aircraft from local aerospace firm Saab. Valued at 7.3 billion Swedish Krona ($711 million), the agreement requires the company to deliver two GlobalEye aircraft by 2027. If Poland decides to acquire GlobalEye, it would join the ranks as the third operator of the aircraft. Currently, Saab is in the process of delivering GlobalEye units to Sweden and the United Arab Emirates.

By acquiring the GlobalEye from Sweden, Poland is taking an important step in strengthening its defense capabilities and increasing its situational awareness. This aircraft will enable Poland to better detect and track a wide range of targets, including airborne, maritime, and ground-based threats, and provide real-time information to military units.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day speech, said that the path for solution in Manipur will be found through peace and assured the people that the Union and state governments are making all efforts to restore peace.

Addressing the nation from the historic Red Fort in his last Independence Day speech before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Modi spoke about the cycle of violence in Manipur, which resulted in killings and atrocities against women. He assured the people that the country stands with Manipur and that normalcy is returning to the state.

After unfurling the national flag at the Red Fort, PM Modi, in his Independence Day speech, paid tribute to freedom fighters for their sacrifices. He talked about India's "enslavement", which started 1,000-1,200 years ago due to a "small incident".

"Back then, we didn't know that a small incident could enslave us for a 1,000 years... whoever came, looted us," he said. "In 1947, the country became independent... after 1,000 years, we were free."

Modi said India is now the biggest democracy in the world, and is lucky to have demography, democracy and diversity. He added that he believed in the power of India's youth to bring about revolutionary changes, and that the youth has made the country proud by excelling in the startup ecosystem.

Recalling the G20 Summit in Bali last year, Modi said that the leaders of major developed nations of the world wanted to know in detail about Digital India.

He also said that a new world order emerged after the Covid-19 pandemic. "India has become voice of global South. Its prosperity is becoming an opportunity for the world. We are bringing the promise of stability to the world," he said.

The government has invited around 1,800 special guests from across the country to attend the programme. Seventy-five couples from each state and Union Territory, in their traditional attire, have been invited to witness the ceremony.

Sarpanches of vibrant villages, nurses, fisherfolk and labourers engaged in the construction of the Central Vista project are also among the special invitees.
The death toll in the Himachal Pradesh monsoon mayhem touched 52 as of Tuesday morning. The worst-hit areas include the districts of Mandi and Solan, where over 19 and 11 died, respectively.

Heavy rains wreaked havoc in Shimla and Sirmaur districts too, reported local media.



Landslides triggered by the downpour blocked key roads and damaged homes and buildings. Over 11 people, including a child, are said to have died after the Shiva temple in the Summer Hill area collapsed. Officials said rescue work continues as more are feared dead.



The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Army along with police and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) resumed rescue operations at Summerhill around 6 am and recovered one body, Deputy Commissioner of Shimla Aditya Negi told PTI.

The shrine was crowded with devotees, offering prayers on an important day of the holy month of Sawan.



Meanwhile, the Pong Dam on the Beas River in Himachal Pradesh has recorded the highest-ever inflow since it became operational in 1974. As per local reports, over 300 people have been stranded in the Indora sub-division of Kangra district and officials have sought the help of the Indian Air Force for help to rescue the stranded people.



The Bhakra Beas Management Board officials said the water level at Pong touched 1,395.31 feet on Monday afternoon, compared to the upper limit of 1,390 feet, hinting that the present storage is 107 per cent of its designed capacity.



The situation has prompted Punjab authorities to prepare for a potential flood situation in Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala and Tarn Taran districts.



Heritage rail line damaged

The Unesco world heritage Shimla-Kalka railway line was also damaged near Summer Hill here after a landslide swept away a 50-metre bridge, leaving a portion of the track hanging in the air.



The concrete bridge near Summer Hill, 6 km from Shimla, got completely destroyed and the heritage track has suffered damage at five or six places and the most affected stretch is between Shimla and Shoghi, station master Joginder Singh said.



#WATCH | Soil underneath Kalka-Shimla railway line washed away following heavy rainfall in the area#HimachalPradesh pic.twitter.com/0UHvMDcnRw  ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2023

As many as 857 roads were blocked for vehicular traffic and 4,285 transformers and 889 water supply schemes are disrupted in 11 out of 12 districts in the state. Details of Kullu districts are still awaited.



Muted celebrations

In the wake of the damages and weather, Independence Day celebrations across the state were just ceremonial without any cultural programme.



Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Saturday that the state-level I-Day function scheduled to be held at Manali has been shifted to Shimla.



The local police and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel did not participate in the function. "The first priority of the government is to remove the problems faced by the people due to heavy rains and the parade is also being scaled down. Maximum number of jawans will be deployed in relief and rescue operations and the work of providing relief to the people will continue on a war footing," Sukhu said on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.



Yellow alert in place



The weather office predicted extremely heavy rains in nine out of 12 districts of the state, barring Kullu, Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti, on Monday and issued a yellow warning for Tuesday.



(With inputs from PTI)
Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh, who hoisted the national flag as part of the Independence Day celebrations in the state, blamed the ethnic strife in the state on "certain misunderstandings, actions of vested interests and foreign plot to destabilise the country."

Adding that the government was working to bring back normalcy in the state, he mourned the loss of precious lives and properties in the state. The I-Day celebrations were held at the 1st Manipur Rifles parade ground.



He urged all to stop the violence and bring back the rapid progress the state had witnessed earlier. "The government is working consistently to bring back normalcy and the affected people will be resettled soon. Those who cannot be shifted to the original places immediately will be shifted temporarily to pre-fabricated houses which are under construction," he added.



"To err is human so we must learn to forgive and forget", he said.



The CM said a committee has been constituted to provide a project of "one family one livelihood" and rehabilitate the people. "The government has never done anything against the provisions of the Constitution and will never do such as act," he said.



Earlier in the day, Singh had appealed to the people to live together peacefully. "I wish you a very happy 77th Independence Day. I convey my message to the people of the state to restore peace and normalcy. I appeal to all to end violence and live together peacefully as before."



Interestingly, besides Singh, other leaders too mentioned the state in their Independence Day speeches. Delhi chief minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal expressed sadness at the events that have unfolded in Manipur while hoisting the flag at Chhatrasal Stadium in north Delhi.



"I am a bit sad today. Manipur is burning, people of one community are killing those from another and vice-versa. In Haryana also, people from one community fighting with the other. How will we become vishwaguru if we keep fighting amongst ourselves? If we have to become vishwaguru and become the number one country we will have to live like a family," he said.



Kejriwal said 150 students from the violence-hit northeastern state were provided admission to schools run by the Delhi government and were also being counselled.



In his speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi too said peace was returning to ethnic violence-hit Manipur and urged the people of the state to build on it to find a solution to the problems there.



"The nation is with the people of Manipur. The country should take forward the peace process which has been set in motion by the people of Manipur for the past few days. Only peace can lead to a solution," the prime minister said.


Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday said 10 TMC of Cauvery river water will be released to the neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

He, however, said Karnataka does not have adequate water in its reservoir.

"We don't have sufficient water but we are going to release 10 TMC water," Shivakumar said while addressing mediapersons.

Asked when the water would be released, he said already the Karnataka government is on the job.

Meanwhile, former Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said Karnataka should not release the Cauvery water because Tamil Nadu has overused the water on its crops.

Tamil Nadu was supposed to use 32 TMC on 1.8 lakh hectares but it increased the cropping area by four times, Bommai said adding that the Karnataka government officials did not protest.
Opposition leaders took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi remark that he will be back in the Red Fort in 2024, with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge calling him "arrogant".

Kharge, who skipped the PM's I-Day address, hoisted the tricolour from the AICC headquarters in New Delhi on Tuesday.



Following the ceremony, Kharge said, "Every person says that they come back again and again after winning. But making you win or lose is in the hands of people, in the hands of voters. To say in 2023, 'I will hoist the flag once again in 2024' is arrogance. If he keeps making comments on Opposition even on Independence Day, how will he build the nation?"

'Go to Manipur'

Modi was also slammed by Congress after he addressed the violence against women in Manipur in his Independence Day speech on Tuesday. "If peace has returned to Manipur, then instead of addressing from Red Fort, the PM should go to Manipur and speak from there..." said Bhakta Charan Das, Congress in-charge Manipur.

Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the 77th Independence Day, PM Modi said the situation in Manipur was improving and urged the people in the state to build on the peace restored there.



In his 10th Independence Day speech, the PM said the entire country is with Manipur, and the central and state governments were making efforts to find a solution.



"In the past few weeks, during the period of violence in the North East, especially in Manipur, many people lost their lives, and the honor of mothers and daughters suffered a lot, but in the last few days, there are reports of peace. The nation is with Manipur, the PM said.



"The people of Manipur should build on the peace that has been restored over the past few days. The path for a solution will be found through peace in Manipur," Modi added.

Kharge praises Vajpayee

Revealing why he did not attend the Red Fort event, Kharge said, "Firstly, I have some eye-related problems. Secondly, I had to hoist the tricolour at my residence at 9.20 am as per protocols. Then I had to come to the Congress office and hoist the Tricolour here too. So, I could not have reached here."

Pledging to uphold democracy and the Constitution which he alleged were in danger, Kharge saluted the sacrifices of innumerable Indians who gave up their lives during the freedom struggle, and said they not only made contribution to the national movement but also laid a strong foundation of India.



He also praised former prime ministers, including Atal Bihari Vajpayee who, he said, always worked for the country. "It pains me to say that today, democracy, Constitution and autonomous institutions - all three are in great danger," he said, referring to the Modi government's policies.



"With this determination, once again I extend my warmest wishes to all of you on Independence Day. 'Bharat judega, INDIA jeetega'," he said, referring to the tagline of the INDIA alliance.

Slamming Modi, he said, "First, they talked about acche din', then, they talked about New India', And now they talk about 'Amrit Kaal'. Isn't this a name change to hide his failures."



Referring to Manipur, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, which reported violence in recent months, he said, "wherever there is injustice, the Congress party will establish justice."



"Great people don't erase old history to write new history. They draw their line big, they don't make the already drawn line smaller by cutting or erasing it," Kharge added.

 with inputs from agencies


Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday said nothing much happened during his meeting with his uncle and NCP chief Sharad Pawar in Pune last week.

Speaking to reporters in Kolhapur, he said there was no need to think too much about the meeting.

"Pawar Saheb (Sharad Pawar) has already clarified. The media is giving different kinds of publicity to a meeting that took place between family members, leading to confusion. There is no reason to think that anything unusual transpired at the meeting," he said.

On Saturday, political circles were abuzz after a "secret" meeting took place between Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar at a businessman's residence in Pune. Senior Nationalist Congress Party leader Jayant Patil was also present.

Asked about him leaving the premises 'hiding' in a car, Ajit Pawar said he was not there in the car. "I did not leave surreptitiously. I am someone who roams around openly. There was no reason for me to hide....I was not there in that car," he said.

Visuals aired by regional news channels showed Sharad Pawar arriving at the residence of businessman Atul Chordiya in the Koregaon Park area around 1 pm on August 12 and leaving around 5 pm.

Ajit Pawar was purportedly seen leaving the premises in a car at 6:45 pm.

Ajit Pawar, who split the NCP in July this year and joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government in the state, said he accepted that he met Pawar senior.

The Pawar family had an association with businessman Atul Chordiya for two generations, he said.

"Chordiya had invited Pawar Saheb for lunch. He was supposed to go there after a program at the Vasantdada Sugar Institute and as Jayant Patil was with him, he also went along. I reached there after completing the Chandni Chowk bridge inauguration," Ajit Pawar said.

The deputy CM was in Kolhapur to attend Independence Day celebrations. In his speech on the occasion, Ajit Pawar said Kolhapur is a progressive district which also boasts of signs of ancient traditions. The state government is committed to the development of all sections of society including the farmers, women and youth in the state as well as in the district.

He was fortunate to get an opportunity to hoist the flag in the historical city which has the legacy of social reformist ruler Shahu Maharaj and Maharani Tarabai, he said.

India made a lot of progress in the last 76 years and is now among the first five economies in the world, Pawar said. If the GDP growth continues at the same pace, India will surpass Germany and Japan and become the third largest economy in the world, he added.
India is celebrating its 77th Independence Day. To commemorate this event, the tricolour was hoisted onboard the Indian Naval Warships, INS Sahyadri and INS Kolkata at Sydney, Australia. The ships are in Australia to participate in Exercise-Malabar 2023, ANI tweeted. The ships will take part in the 10-day Malabar exercise alongside the navies of the US, Japan and Australia.



#WATCH | The Indian Tricolour was hoisted onboard the Indian Naval Warships, INS Sahyadri and INS Kolkata at Sydney, Australia to commemorate the 77th Independence Day.



The ships are in Australia to participate in Exercise-Malabar 2023



(Video source: Indian Navy) pic.twitter.com/fwtiGSg3X6  ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2023

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) in the meantime, hoisted the Indian flag underwater near Tamil Nadu's Rameswaram. The video posted on the social media platform X, shows the coast guard officials waving the flag underwater.

#WATCH | Underwater hoisting of national flag by Indian Coast Guard personnel near Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu on Independence Day



(Video source: Indian Coast Guard) pic.twitter.com/SPGsU3HxDj  ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2023

Then, of course, Independence Day was celebrated with much grandeur at the Wagah-Attari border, where after flag hoisting, the Indian Army, reportedly roared at the Pakistani Rangers for about two hours.

#WATCH | Border Security Force (BSF) celebrates Independence Day at the Attari-Wagah Border in Punjab's Amritsar. pic.twitter.com/yvUC7rEYBd  ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2023

Vayu Bhawan, the Indian Air Force headquarters in Delhi was illuminated in the colours of the flag, on the night of August 14. It will be illuminated in tricolours on Independence Day as well.

Indian Air Force headquarters Vayu Bhawan in the national capital illuminated in tricolour last evening.



It will be illuminated in the same colours today also on Independence Day pic.twitter.com/BfoND8a0f0  ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2023

At the Red Fort ceremony in Delhi, for the first time on Independence Day, 105 mm Light Field Guns were fired as part of the ceremonial salute today.
Former US President Donald Trump has been indicted in a fourth case with Gerogia charging him over attempts to overturn his 2020 election debacle in the state.

Trump, along with 18 others, have been indicted in a 41-charge document issued by a Fulton County grand jury. Other defendants indicted on Monday include Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, former White House lawyer John Eastman and former justice department official Jeffrey Clark.

Trump is charged with 13 counts in the indictment, including a racketeering charge for allegedly attempting to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in Georgia in 2020 and allegedly making false statements to and soliciting the Georgia house speaker and the Georgia secretary of state to violate their oaths of office in December 2020 and January 2021, reported CNN.

Trump is also facing six counts for conspiring with several others around his campaign for the use of fake electors in Georgia.

The probe into election meddling allegations was initiated by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in February 2021 after the recording of a January 2021 phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was released.

In the call, the ex-president suggested that Raffensperger could find 11,780 votes just enough to overtake current US President Joe Biden.

According to the indictment, the alleged co-conspirators "knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump".

However, Trump, who is campaigning for the 2024 Republican nomination, has denied all the accusations and said the politically motivated prosecution by the "rabid partisan" Democratic district attorney is aimed at "damaging the dominant Trump campaign".

"This latest co-ordinated strike by a biased prosecutor in an overwhelmingly Democrat jurisdiction not only betrays the trust of the American people, but also exposes the true motivation driving their fabricated accusations," said a statement by the Trump campaign.

 with inputs from AP
Tuesday, August 15, marks two years since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan. Taliban returned to power after the US troops withdrew from Afghanistan, 20 years after an inconclusive war; the group said they were going to restore security in the country under an Islamic system.



Women, however, seem to be paying a heavy price since the militant group took over. "We are going to allow women to study and work within our framework. Women are going to be very active in our society," the Taliban announced in their first press conference shortly after seizing power. They have far from kept their promise.

In September 2021, secondary schools opened for boys. The official announcement made no mention of girls. Reportedly, the girls were told locally not to attend school. The same week, women working at the Kabul city administration were told to stay home. Only women with jobs that could not be done by men were allowed to continue.

In December 2021, the Virtue and vice ministry issued an order stating that women need to be accompanied by a male relative if they are travelling distances longer than 72km (45 miles). In the meanwhile women took to the streets protesting restrictions on working and studying. They were dealt with violently by the Taliban.

In January 2022, at least four female activists were detained; held for weeks and beaten in custody. On 21 March 2023, the Taliban education department announced "all students" would be able to return to school at the start of the new academic term, a BBC report reads. And several Taliban officials had said that girls' schools would reopen.

On May 7 2022, the government announced a decree that mandated head-to-toe clothing for women. The move was endorsed by the Taliban's supreme leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada. Under the decree, women must also cover their faces, except for their eyes. Family members were asked to ensure that women followed the dress code, or they would face action. Women started wearing loose black abayas (gowns) and hijab.

Around October 2022, it was announced that girls, including those who had not completed their last year of school, could give university entrance exams. In November, a Vice and virtue ministry spokesman said that women had been banned from Kabul parks because they were not following Sharia (Islamic law). Women were also banned from going to gyms, swimming pools and public baths.

On 20 December 2022, the Taliban higher education minister ordered that education be suspended for women students in all public and private universities. The Taliban's Ministry of Economy said that local and international NGOs operating in the country should ask their female employees to stop coming to work.

In July 2023, the Taliban government announced that beauty parlours and salons be shut down, taking away the source of income for several women.
A Philadelphia teen was taken into custody by the FBI SWAT officers, for plotting a potentially catastrophic terrorist attack. The 17-year-old was taken into custody on August 11 after authorities discovered that he had allegedly been communicating with an Al Qaeda-affiliated terror group and gathering bomb-making material.



The arrest was made after an investigation headed by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force. According to authorities, the teen's Instagram account had communicated with an account affiliated with Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad (KTJ), a group the State Department named a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist" last March.

The group is suspected to be behind the April 2017 metro attack in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and an August 2016 suicide car bombing outside the Chinese Embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. It is primarily said to operate from Syrias Idlib Province.

According to the FBI agents, the teen bought bomb-making materials and outdoor or tactical gear and was getting guidance from KTJ on how to make improvised explosive devices.

The work of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force potentially thwarted a catastrophic terrorist attack in the name of a perverted ideology that in no way, shape, or form represents the beliefs of the overwhelming majority of peace-seeking people of faith, including Muslims, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner told New York Post. The juvenile will avoid federal charges for now, due to him being underage.

A motion will be filed to prosecute the suspect, who has been charged with weapons of mass destruction, criminal conspiracy, arson, causing/risking catastrophe, and attempt to commit criminal mischief among others, as an adult. The FBI had also attained from the US Customs and Border Protection evidence which revealed 14 international shipments of military and tactical gear had been ordered to the juveniles address.
Patna, Aug 14 (PTI) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday asserted that the state government has provided the best available land for the construction of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Darbhanga and it is well connected.

He also wondered whether the Centre wants to delay the project.

The chief ministers statement came two days after Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya alleged that the land provided by the state government is not suitable for the construction of the premier hospital.

When the Centre decided to construct AIIMS in Darbhanga in 2015, the state government provided land near Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital (DMCH). We proposed that the DMCH be converted into AIIMS. Initially, they accepted it, but later raised some objections.

The land which the state government provided later for AIIMS is the best available land and well connected, Kumar told reporters.

The state government has decided to expand the DMCH on the lines of Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH).

The land provided by the state government for AIIMS is close to the Darbhanga airport also. God knows why they (the central government) refused the land. It seems they want to delay it. Their intention is doubtful, said the chief minister.

If the Centre wants to construct an AIIMS in Darbhanga, it will have to be constructed on the same land given by the state, he asserted.

Otherwise, they are free to do whatever they want. We are building medical colleges everywhere in the state. The AIIMS first came to Patna and the next AIIMS should be in Darbhanga, this is what we want, said the CM.

Whatever development is coming up in Bihar, it is being done by the state government without any contribution by the Centre, Kumar asserted.

He said that his government is building roads, bridges, colleges and institutions on its own.

Kumar also dismissed speculation that he plans to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh.

These are all rubbish. My only wish is to unite the maximum number of (non-BJP) parties before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Let me tell you that many more political parties will join the INDIA group, he said.

Kumar also asserted that several parties are with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) only out of fear.
Jaipur, Aug 14 (PTI) Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday greeted people on the eve of the nation's 77th Independence Day.

Governor Mishra called upon the people of Rajasthan to take the country and the state to new heights of progress on the strength of their hardwork, dedication and innovation, according to a statement issued by the Raj Bhavan. He will hoist the national flag at the Raj Bhavan on August 15.

Chief Minister Gehlot extended greetings to the people for Independence Day and said this day gives "us an opportunity to express our gratitude to the freedom fighters and martyrs, who gave freedom to the country by sacrificing everything in the freedom struggle".

Gehlot, a senior Congress leader, said that it is the duty of "all of us to firmly face the challenges facing the democratic and constitutional values in the present circumstances and remain united against the forces that harm them".

In another development, the Union Home Ministry has announced President's Police Medal to two senior women police officers of Rajasthan and Police Medal to 16 police officers and employees.

Director General of Police Umesh Mishra congratulated the officers.




Six white former Mississippi law officers pleaded guilty to state charges on Monday for torturing two Black men in a racist assault. All six had recently admitted their guilt in a connected federal civil rights case.

Prosecutors say some of the officers nicknamed themselves the Goon Squad because of their willingness to use excessive force and cover it up, including the attack that ended with a deputy shooting one victim in the mouth.

In January, the officers entered a house without a warrant and handcuffed and assaulted the two men with stun guns, a sex toy and other objects. The officers mocked them with racial slurs throughout a 90-minute torture session, then devised a cover-up that included planting drugs and a gun, leading to false charges that could have sent one victim to prison for years.

Their conspiracy unraveled months later, after one of them told the sheriff he had lied, leading to confessions from the others.

Each one agreed to sentences recommended by state prosecutors ranging from five to 30 years, although the judge isnt bound by that. Time served for the state charges will run concurrently with federal sentences they are scheduled to receive. Each could get longer prison sentences in federal court in November.

The men include five former Rankin County sheriffs deputies  Brett McAlpin, Hunter Elward, Christian Dedmon, Jeffrey Middleton and Daniel Opdyke  and a police officer from the city of Richland, Joshua Hartfield.

All six pleaded guilty to state charges of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to hinder prosecution.

Dedmon and Elward, who kicked in a door, pleaded guilty to additional charges of home invasion. Elward also pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, for shoving a gun into the mouth of one of the victims and pulling the trigger, in what authorities called a mock execution.

The victims  Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker  arrived together. They sat in the front row, feet away from their attackers families. Monica Lee, the mother of Damien Cameron, another Black man who died in 2021 after Elward punched and tased him during an arrest, embraced both men.

After the brazen acts of police violence in Rankin County came to light, some residents pointed to a police culture they said gave officers carte blanche to abuse their power.

The civil rights charges followed an Associated Press investigation linking some of the officers to at least four violent encounters with Black men since 2019, which left two dead and another with lasting injuries. The Justice Department launched a civil rights probe in February.

Rankin Countys majority-white suburbs have been a destination for white flight out of the capital, Jackson, which is home to one of the highest percentages of Black residents of any major U.S. city.

The officers warned Jenkins and Parker to go back to Jackson or their side of the Pearl River, the documents say.

Jenkins and Parker were targeted because a white neighbor complained that two Black men were staying at the home with a white woman, court documents show.

Parker was a childhood friend of the homeowner, Kristi Walley. Shes been paralyzed since she was 15, and Parker was helping care for her.

Hes a blessing. Every time Ive needed him hes been here, Walley said in a February interview. There were times Ive been living here by myself and I didnt know what I was going to do.

Parker and Jenkins have left Mississippi and arent sure they will ever return to the state for an extended period. They took solace that at least one part of the justice system appears to have worked.

With a little fight, with a lot of fight, you can come out with the truth, Parker said a day after the guilty pleas were announced. And the truth always prevails over any lie or story you make up.

Jenkins still has difficulty speaking because of his injuries. The gunshot lacerated his tongue and broke his jaw before exiting his neck.

As far as justice, I knew we were going to get it, Jenkins said. But I thought it was maybe going to take longer.

Kristen Clarke, who heads the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division, said the officers fomented distrust within the community they were supposed to serve. Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said the abuse of power would not be tolerated.

(AP)




Attorneys for Hunter Biden are pushing to keep part of a plea deal they reached with the prosecutor whose new status as special counsel intensified the tax investigation into the presidents son ahead of the 2024 election.

Bidens attorney argued in court documents late Sunday that an agreement sparing him prosecution on a felony gun charge still is in place even though the plea agreement on misdemeanor tax offenses largely unraveled during a court appearance last month.

His lawyer argues the Justice Department decided to renege on its end of the deal on tax charges. The agreement on the gun charge also contains an immunity clause against federal prosecutions for some other potential crimes.

Biden plans to abide by the terms of that agreement, including not using drugs or alcohol, attorney Christopher Clark said in court filings. He said prosecutors invited them to begin plea negotiations in May, largely dictated the language of the agreement and signed it, so should also be bound by it.

Its unclear whether prosecutors agree that the gun agreement remains valid. U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika ordered them to respond by Tuesday. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

The two-part deal on tax and gun charges was supposed to have largely wrapped up the long-running investigation run by Delaware U.S. attorney David Weiss. But it hit the skids after a judge raised questions about its terms and appeared to have fallen apart completely when prosecutors said the case was instead headed toward trial in court papers Friday.

Prosecutors revealed the impasse as Attorney General Merrick Garland named Weiss as special counsel, a status that confers broad powers to investigate and report out his findings.

The government said plea negotiations had broken down and filed to dismiss the tax charges against Hunter Biden in Delaware and indicated they could charge him instead in another court, like Washington D.C., or California.

Hunter Bidens history of drug use and financial dealings have trailed his fathers political career and Republicans are pursuing their own congressional investigations into nearly every facet of Hunter Bidens business dealings, including foreign payments.

Republicans also denounced the plea agreement in the Hunter Biden case as a sweetheart deal. It had called for him to plead guilty to failing to pay taxes on over $1.5 million in income in both 2017 and 2018, and get probation rather than jail on the misdemeanor counts. A separate agreement was to spare him prosecution on the felony crime of being a drug user in possession of a gun in 2018.

The surprise appointment about Weiss as special counsel raised fresh questions about the case. Garland said Weiss had asked to be named special counsel.

It comes against the backdrop of the Justice Departments unprecedented indictments against former President Donald Trump, who is President Joe Bidens chief rival in next years election.

The cases differ significantly: Trump has been indicted and is awaiting trial in two separate cases brought by special prosecutor Jack Smith. One is over Trumps refusal to turn over classified documents stored at his Mar-a-Lago estate. The other involves charges of fraud and conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

In the case of Hunter Biden, prosecutors have not made any accusations or charges against the president in probing the affairs of his son. House Republicans have been trying to connect Hunter Bidens work to his father, but have not been able to produce evidence to show any wrongdoing.

(AP)




Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on Monday will introduce Larry Snelling, the police departments counterterrorism head, as his choice for police superintendent of the nations third-largest city.

The introduction comes after Johnson named Snelling on Sunday after a monthslong search led by the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability. The selection of Snelling, 54, to head the department is subject to City Council approval.

Snelling will succeed David Brown, who in March announced that he would step down the day after Chicagos mayoral primary election in which crime was a central issue. Then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot lost that primary, and Johnson went on to win the mayoral race in April.

Today, a new chapter begins in our journey to create a better, stronger and safer Chicago, Johnson said in a news release Sunday. Chief Snelling is a proven leader who has the experience and the respect of his peers to help ensure the safety and well-being of city residents, and address the complex challenges we all face related to community safety.

Snelling was raised on the citys South Side and attended its public schools. He has a bachelors degree in adult education from DePaul University and joined the department in 1992 as a patrol officer.

It is a tremendous honor to answer the call to serve my hometown and the people of Chicago as superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, Snelling said in a statement. It is also a tremendous responsibility, and one that I do not take lightly.

In order to continue to make progress as a department, we must embrace innovation, continue to strengthen morale, and go further in strengthening bonds of trust between police and community, Snelling said.

He has been chief of the departments bureau of counterterrorism, which coordinates with the Office of Emergency Management and Communication and other city agencies, since 2022.

While crime in Chicago often focuses on murders and shootings, the numbers so far in 2023 are down in both categories by 5% and 10%, respectively, according to the most recent department crime statistics. However, overall major crime rates are up 35% so far this year over 2022.

Snelling was one of three finalists nominated by the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability. The other two finalists were Shon Barnes, the police chief in Madison, Wisconsin; and Angel Novalez, Chicago police chief of constitutional policing and reform.

(AP)




Donald Trump is assailing the federal judge overseeing the election conspiracy case against him, days after she warned him not to make inflammatory statements about the case.

The former president made posts Monday on his social media network calling U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan highly partisan and  VERY BIASED & UNFAIR! because of her past comments in a separate case overseeing the sentencing of one of the defendants charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Chutkan in a hearing Friday imposed a protective order in the case limiting what evidence handed over by prosecutors the former president and his legal team can publicly disclose. She warned Trumps lawyers that his defense should be mounted in the courtroom and not on the internet.

Trump posted about the case online anyway, firing off about the judge.

A spokesperson for special counsel Jack Smith declined to comment Monday.

Prosecutors sought the protective order after calling attention to another earlier post on Trumps social media platform, in which he said he would be coming after those who go after him. The prosecutors said improper of sharing evidence could have a harmful chilling effect on witnesses.

Chutkan said that if anyone makes inflammatory statements about the case, she would be inclined to move more quickly to trial to prevent any intimidation of witnesses or contamination of the jury pool.

The judge agreed with Trumps defense team on a looser version of a protective order barring the public release only of materials deemed sensitive, like grand jury material. But prosecutors consider most of the evidence in the case to be sensitive, and she largely sided with the government on what will get that label and protections.

Protective orders are standard in criminal cases to protect the disclosure of sensitive information that could impact the trial.

In his social media post Monday, Trump quoted from remarks Chutkan made in a 2022 sentencing hearing for Christine Priola, an Ohio woman who pleaded guilty last year to obstructing Congress certification of Bidens electoral victory  one of the same charges Trump is facing.

The people who mobbed that Capitol were there in fealty, in loyalty, to one man  not to the Constitution, of which most of the people who come before me seem woefully ignorant; not to the ideals of this country, and not to the principles of democracy, Chutkan said, according to a transcript of the October 2022 hearing. Its a blind loyalty to one person who, by the way, remains free to this day.

Trump has indicated his legal team will ask Chutkan to recuse herself from the case, which judges are supposed to do when their impartiality might reasonably be questioned.

But David Weinstein, a former federal prosecutor, said Chutkans comment wont help Trumps case that he needs a new judge.

I understand why hes trying to twist her words and use them against her, but I dont think it crosses the line, said Weinstein, now a white collar criminal defense attorney.

Weinstein said Trump appears to be trying to egg her on into doing something thats going to give him the grounds to file a motion to recuse.

She has to careful not to take the bait, he said.

Prosecutors with special counsel Smiths team have asked the judge to set a Jan. 2 trial date, which is less than two weeks before Iowas first-in-the-nation caucuses. That prompted other angry posts online from Trump last week.

Trump and his lawyers claimed prosecutors proposed protective order that sought to prevent the public release of all evidence they provide the defense would violate his First Amendment rights of free speech. And the Republican has vowed to keep talking about the case and his other legal challenges as he campaigns again for the White House.

Trump spoke about the case while he was campaigning at the Iowa State Fair over the weekend, declining to tell reporters whether he would comply with the protective order. He said, The whole thing is a fake  it was put out by Biden, because they cant win an election the fair way.

Trump, in another post Monday, wrote of Chutkan: She obviously wants me behind bars. VERY BIASED & UNFAIR!

Chutkan, a former assistant public defender who was nominated to the bench by President Barack Obama, was confirmed to the bench with Republican support in a 95-0 vote in the Senate in 2014.

She has been one of the toughest punishers of rioters who stormed the Capitol. federal judges in Washington have sentenced nearly 600 defendants for their roles in the attack, which was fueled by Trumps baseless claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen by fraud.

The case cited in Trumps post, however, is one where Chutkan actually imposed a sentence that was lighter than prosecutors sought. She sentenced Priola to 15 months in prison. Federal prosecutors had asked for 18 months.

(AP)




Startling revelations have emerged from a transcribed interview under oath conducted by the House Oversight Committee, as a retired FBI supervisory special agent disclosed that the Biden transition team and Secret Service headquarters were informed about an impending interview with Hunter Biden in December 2020. This revelation ultimately resulted in the cancellation of the interview with the son of then-President-elect Joe Biden, even as he remained the prime subject of a long-running federal investigation, according to a report from Fox News.

The veteran agent, who had served in the FBI for over two decades and retired last year, provided his testimony behind closed doors to congressional investigators. This testimony comes against the backdrop of whistleblower claims that the decision-making process during the investigation into Hunter Biden, led by U.S. attorney David Weiss, had been influenced by political considerations. Notably, IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley asserted that the Biden transition team and the Secret Service had been tipped off regarding the intended interview of Hunter Biden, a statement that the FBI agent corroborated.

These revelations further compound the scrutiny around the investigation into President Bidens son, who had faced two misdemeanor tax charges and a felony gun charge. A negotiated plea deal with the Justice Department had fallen apart in federal court due to constitutional concerns, leading to a cloud of controversy around the case.

Addressing these concerns, Attorney General Merrick Garland recently appointed David Weiss as a special counsel to oversee the Hunter Biden investigation and any related matters. This decision, however, has ignited criticism from Republicans and other critics of Garland, who question how the same prosecutor accused of permitting political influence on the investigation for over four years could suddenly lead the probe with newfound independence from the Biden Justice Department.

According to transcripts obtained by Fox News Digital, the investigation, initiated in November 2018, had reached a juncture where it was time to interview Hunter Biden. The agent outlined that the initial plan had been to approach multiple witnesses, including Hunter Biden, on December 8th, 2020  several weeks after the presidential election.

However, on the eve of the planned interview, December 7, 2020, the agent received a notification that FBI headquarters had contacted Secret Service headquarters about the planned interview.

Then, on the day of the proposed interview, the agent testified that he was informed by his assistant special agent in charge that their team was barred from approaching Hunter Bidens residence. Instead, the plan involved passing the agents information to the Secret Service, without specifying the recipient. He was explicitly instructed to keep his distance from the house and to wait for further instructions.

The interview never happened.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)




UBS will pay U.S. authorities $1.44 billion to settle the last lingering legal case over Wall Streets role in the housing bubble of the early 2000s, which ultimately led to the 2008 financial crisis and Great Recession.

The Swiss bank agreed to pay a civil penalty over how it handled the sale of 40 mortgage-backed securities issued in 2006 and 2007. The settlement argues that UBS bankers gave false and misleading statements about the health of the mortgages in those bonds to the buyers in violation of federal securities law.

For example, UBS bankers knew that the underlying mortgages in these bonds were poorly underwritten or violated consumer protection laws. The bonds in question ended up with substantial losses for investors.

With the UBS settlement, the last remaining outstanding legal case from the Great Recession has now come to a close, the Justice Department said. Banks paid collectively more than $36 billion in civil penalties for their conduct related to the mortgage crisis, but that does not include other settlements that banks have made to state and local authorities as well.

The financial crisis and subsequent recession is still being felt today in many parts of the country in depressed housing values. It also was a seismic shift politically, leading to the rise of populist candidates both here in the U.S. and internationally.

UBS said that it already had set aside funds for the settlement, so it will not impact its financial results.

Separately Monday, Swiss media reported that two groups acting on behalf of Credit Suisse shareholders filed suit in Swiss courts to argue that the sale price to UBS  around $3.25 billion  far undervalued the bank, and that UBS was able to unjustly profit from the deal.

The Swiss government hastily arranged the takeover in March of Credit Suisse, which had been facing years of turmoil and an exodus of shareholders, by longtime rival UBS to help avert a global financial crisis.

(AP)




Police video released Monday shows U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas being taken to the ground by officers, profanely berating them and threatening to report them to the governor during an altercation at a rodeo last month.

In body camera video, the former White House physician can be seen approaching a group of people surrounding a 15-year-old girl who authorities have said was having seizures. The two-term Republican congressman later has what looks like an argument with one of the people attending to the teenager before she is put on a stretcher.

Shortly afterward, Jackson is wrestled to the ground by at least two officers. The 31-minute video, which has sound in only some portions, shows officers turning Jackson facedown and putting him in handcuffs before helping him to his feet.

Im going to call the governor tomorrow and Im going to talk to him about this (expletive), because this is (expletive) ridiculous, Jackson can later be heard telling a state trooper, his voice raised.

State police released the video footage days after Jackson defended his actions in a post on social media. Kate Lair, a spokesperson for Jackson, reiterated the congressmans comments in a statement Monday in which she said he was prevented from providing medical care to the teenager due to overly aggressive and incompetent actions by officers.

Congressman Jackson, as a trained ER physician, will not apologize for sparing no effort to help in a medical emergency, especially when the circumstances were chaotic and the local authorities refused to help the situation, Lair said.

Shortly after the encounter, Carson County Sheriff Tam Terry talked with Jackson by phone. According to the sheriffs written report, Jackson repeatedly told Terry that there needed to be consequences for the deputies who had handcuffed him. After Terry responded that he didnt need to be threatened, Jackson said that he would pull hell and high water and come and bury me in the next election, the sheriff wrote.

Jackson was elected in 2020 after gaining notoriety for his over-the-top pronouncements about then-President Donald Trumps health while serving as a top White House physician. A year later, the Department of Defense inspector general released a scathing report about Jacksons conduct while on the job at the White House.

The report concluded that Jackson made sexual and denigrating comments about a female subordinate, violated the policy on drinking alcohol on a presidential trip and took prescription-strength sleeping medication that prompted worries from his colleagues about his ability to provide proper medical care.

Jackson denied the allegations and said at the time that the report was a political hit job.

(AP)




Like Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, Deranged Jack Smith, and New York AG Letitia James, Fulton County, GAs radical Democrat District Attorney Fani Willis is a rabid partisan who is campaigning and fundraising on a platform of prosecuting President Trump through these bogus indictments. Ripping a page from Crooked Joe Bidens playbook, Willis has strategically stalled her investigation to try and maximally interfere with the 2024 presidential race and damage the dominant Trump campaign. All of these corrupt Democrat attempts will fail.

Combined with the intentionally slow-walked investigations by the Biden-Smith goon squads and the false charges in New York, the timing of this latest coordinated strike by a biased prosecutor in an overwhelmingly Democrat jurisdiction not only betrays the trust of the American people, but also exposes true motivation driving their fabricated accusations.

They could have brought this two and half years ago, yet they chose to do this for election interference reasons in the middle of President Trumps successful campaign. He is not only leading all Republicans by a lot but he is leading against Joe Biden in almost every poll. President Trump represents the greatest threat to these Democrats political futures (and the greatest hope for America).

The legal double-standard set against President Trump must end. Under the Crooked Biden Cartel, there are no rules for Democrats, while Republicans face criminal charges for exercising their First Amendment rights.

These activities by Democrat leaders constitute a grave threat to American democracy and are direct attempts to deprive the American people of their rightful choice to cast their vote for President. Call it election interference or election manipulationit is a dangerous effort by the ruling class to suppress the choice of the people. It is un-American and wrong.

They are taking away President Trumps First Amendment right to free speech, and the right to challenge a rigged and stolen election that the Democrats do all the time. The ones who should be prosecuted are the ones who created the corruption.

President Trump will never give up and will never stop fighting for you, as we all work to Make America Great Again in 2024.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)




A group of five secular teenagers, including three secular teenage girls dressed for the beach, purposely boarded a Chareidi bus line near Ashdod on Sunday, with one of the girls confirming with the bus driver that it was the Chareidi bus line before boarding.

The bus driver told the girls to cover themselves up with their towels and asked them to sit in the back in order to show respect to the Chareidi bus passengers.

The girls reported the incident to the press who blew up the story in a Israel is turning into Iran incident. The girls told the press that the Chareidim on the bus did not make any negative statements to them and were even friendly to them when the bus stopped at a rest stop. However, they said that they felt harassed because some of the Chareidi men lowered their eyes when they passed instead of looking at them!

Following the reports about the incident, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Monday issued a statement saying: The State of Israel is a free country in which no one will restrict who may use public transportation or dictate who sits where. Whoever does so is violating the law and must answer for it.

The bus company, Nateev Express, issued a statement condemning all types of discrimination and said it is reviewing the incident.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
With nine out of ten of us using social media, we are just a swipe away from a run-in with criminals.

But tricksters are using increasingly clever techniques to hide their motives and appear genuine, making use of brand logos, fake T&Cs and copycat website links to lure you in.

They typically use links for you to enter your details. But clicking on these can send your personal information to third parties and, occasionally, share the post with your friends and family, according to consumer group Which?.

Friends and family might then fall for the scam because they are likely to see the message and regard it as an endorsement.

Here are five ways to spot the scams and beat the scammers...

Scheming: Scam artists prey on their victims' financial vulnerabilities and try to manipulate their needs

1. Too good to be true

Scam artists prey on financial vulnerabilities and try to manipulate your desire to solve problems you may have.

They will typically make an enticing offer that is too good to be true, for example, by selling goods at a huge discount, or an investment that pays a guaranteed high return.

The first thing you should do is a quick search for the promotion online, says Which?. If the company or brand is promoting a deal on social media, they are likely to be also promoting it on their legitimate websites homepage.

This applies to all types of scams, says Nicola Harding of scams awareness taskforce We Fight Fraud.

Dr Harding, who is also a criminology professor at Lancaster University, says: Whether you are buying clothes or a console on social media, these things dont come easy, so if the offer looks too good, it probably is.

2. You are sent a link

Be on the lookout for fake links, and inspect any you arent sure about before clicking on them.

Bogus links can contain malware which allows the scammer to gain access to a Facebook users log-in details and personal information.

Users who click on the scam can, in some circumstances, be locked out of their account, with the hacker taking it over, and then is able to send the same message to people on their friends list.

In many cases you might not ever realise the link was fraudulent, Dr Harding says. You might receive an email from Facebook warning you that there has been a new log in from an unrecognised address, never click on any links.

Go straight to the application and check your security from there, she explains.

If you click on a link from an email and it turns out to be fraudulent, you are likely to be directed to a page that looks like Facebooks log-in website, asking you to enter your email and password. It will then redirect you to Facebooks genuine homepage.

Red light: Facebook Marketplace scammers will typically make an offer that is too good to be true - offering goods at a huge discount

Its very easy for them to set up a website that looks like Facebooks log-in page, but in that moment, they have captured your details, including your password.

Scammers can then steal any personal data linked to the Facebook account, including email addresses, phone numbers and birth dates  which can be used to break into any of your non-Facebook accounts.

With this information, criminals can take credit out in your name or change your address with the DVLA, apply for a driving licence and use that to commit identity fraud, Dr Harding says.

More importantly, if the account has bank details or financial information linked to it, hackers can also steal a users money, too.

Do not click on any links in messages that seem suspicious. Fraudulent websites often use a domain name that references a well-known brand or product name to look legitimate.

Look for a padlock next to a websites URL. This means the site is encrypted, so anything you do on it, such as browse or make payments, cant be intercepted.Most websites now have this feature, so if a site doesnt have one it could be a red flag.

However, scammers can forge or buy these padlocks, so seeing one doesnt always mean a website is safe, Which? warns.

3. The brand looks fake

Scammers use sophisticated tricks to pose as genuine companies. Check the post for branding inconsistencies and look closely to see if they are using the right logo, or if the presentation is up to the usual corporate standard.

If its a brand youve never heard of, go to its profile page and have a proper look at how its presenting itself, Which? advises. Does it look professional or sloppy? Read reviews for extra peace of mind.

Rogue websites: Be on the lookout for fake links, and inspect any you aren't sure about before clicking on them

4. Post keeps popping up

If you are seeing a recurring post shared by several friends on your timeline, this may be a red flag.

Your friends may not realise they have shared a scam link or advert. Send a private message to your friend or family member asking them if they posted the status.

Trust your instincts and remain suspicious. Its better to miss out on one deal than give away your personal details for scammers.

If you are buying something on an online marketplace, think about whether you know this person in real life. If you do, then call to verify its them. If you dont, you can suggest dropping the money off at their house.

5. Bank transfer request

If you are asked to pay for something online by making a bank transfer, dont do it unless you know the seller personally.

If you buy an item that turns out to be fake or non-existent with a credit or debit card, you do have some rights to get your money back. But if you pay by bank transfer, theres very little you can do to get your cash back.

j.beard@dailymail.co.uk
Shares in LOccitane International soared after its billionaire chairman set out proposals to take it private.

Reinold Geiger, who is already the controlling shareholder owning more than 70 per cent of the beauty business, said he was considering an offer for the rest of the company.

Shares rose 8.8 per cent on the stock market in Hong Kong.

The company began in 1976 in a truck, selling cosmetics in the markets of Provence in France and now is known for its high-end creams and oils.

Humble beginnings: LOccitane began in 1976 in a truck, selling cosmetics in the markets of Provence in France and now is known for its high-end creams and oils

Geiger, an Austrian businessman, bought a third of the company in 1994 and went on to build his stake and become chief executive and chairman.

It was reported the deal could value the business at around 5billion  though LOccitane said that lofty price was false and without basis.

The business posted profits of 206million and sales of 1.84billion in the year to March 31.

Talk of going private comes amid consolidation in the luxury beauty sector, with posh soap brand Aesop sold by Brazils Natura & Co to beauty giant LOreal for 2billion earlier this summer.
The Oscar-winning composer of scores to The Lion King and Dune has teamed up with the producers of Love Actually to buy the historic Maida Vale music studios for 10.5million.

Hans Zimmer has joined forces with Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner of Working Title to purchase the studio  which has hosted stars from the Beatles and David Bowie to Beyonce and Adele  from the BBC.

The two-time Oscar winning composer  who also wrote the music to films such as Top Gun: Maverick, Gladiator and Pirates Of The Caribbean  plans to turn the site into a school for aspiring musicians.

Paying tribute to the venues history, Zimmer, 65, said he wanted to close the circle after first working at Maida Vale 45 years ago.

Maida Vale has hosted stars from the Beatles and David Bowie to Beyonce (pictured) and Adele  from the BBC

I was just a kid, in awe, honoured to be booked to play on one of my first sessions, he said.

I still remember the strong pull, the desire to touch the walls, as if that would somehow allow me to connect to the artists whose extraordinary music had resonated against these walls on a daily basis.

Zimmer, who is working alongside his business partner Steven Kofsky as well as film producers Bevan and Fellner to refurbish the site, said he wanted to make Maida Vale a place that inspires, teaches, technologically serves the arts and humanity, and gives the next generation the same opportunities I was given: to create and to never give up.

The Grade II listed building was home to the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the BBCs Radiophonic Workshop, best known for creating the theme tune of Doctor Who.

A close neighbour to legendary Abbey Road, Maida Vale has hosted performances by rock and pop royalty as well as John Peels famous sessions and Radio 1s Live Lounge recordings.

Other standout moments in the studios history include hosting the teatime radio show by The Beatles in 1963 and Bing Crosbys last ever recording session in 1977.

The complex was originally built in 1909 as a roller skating venue before it was bought by the public service broadcaster in 1933 and turned into studios.

Historic recordings: The BBC's historic Maida Vale music studios - originally a roller skating rink, has been sold for 10.5m

During the Second World War it was a stand-by centre of the BBC radio news service, which made it a target in the blitz.

The site was completely renovated after taking a direct hit during a raid.

In 2007, the BBC said that the facility was wholly unsuitable for the 21st Century with problems including asbestos.

Stardust: Maida Vale has hosted stars including David Bowie (pictured)

Five years ago, the broadcaster said it would close the site by 2025. It was eventually put on the market last year.

Before selling to Zimmer, the BBC reportedly snubbed bids from Sir Len Blavatnik, a major investor in Warner Music Group and one of the richest people in the UK.

The building will be leased back to the BBC until the end of 2025 before Zimmer and his partners kick off refurbishment plans, which will keep the historic outside of the building but modernise the inside.

Bevan and Fellner, who made British classics such as Love Actually, Notting Hill and Bridget Joness Diary through Working Title, said: Collectively we are determined to continue the BBCs legacy at Maida Vale by attracting global talent to the UK.

Through our redevelopment plans we will future proof the historic site, continuing its presence in the local community with a new education facility, whilst creating a world class studio space for the next generation of composers, producers, editors and engineers.

Vision: Film score composer Hans Zimmer said he wanted to make Maida Vale a place that inspires, teaches, technologically serves the arts and humanity

Lorna Clarke, the director of music at the BBC, said: Maida Vale has played such an important part in the BBCs history, and its significance in popular culture is huge.

We are so pleased to secure a sale which looks to continue the bright, vibrant future of music making in this iconic building  not only providing new studio spaces but jobs and an education facility.

The BBC plans to open a studios in East Bank in Stratford in late 2025.
YouGov has insisted it is not abandoning London after its boss suggested it could be eyeing a US listing.

Co-founder and chairman Stephan Shakespeare sparked speculation it was about to jump ship by saying the US felt like a natural base for the company.

He suggested the polling firm, which he set up in 2000 with ex-Conservative Party chairman Nadhim Zahawi, was big enough to float across the Atlantic after it acquired German market research group GfK for 271million earlier this year.

American dreams: YouGov chairman Stephan Shakespeare (pictured) sparked speculation the firm was about to jump ship by saying the US felt like a natural base for the company

He told the Financial Times: The US spends the most on marketing data. They are the most savvy. It is a natural base.

Shakespeare also said that US markets were better at supporting companies than the UK was. But the company insisted a move is not on the cards.

A spokesman for YouGov said: The board routinely considers all its listing options, including a premium listing on the LSE. No decision has been made and a US listing is not being considered in the near term.

YouGovs departure from the London market would be another blow to the City.
Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Free Report)  Equities researchers at Zacks Research lifted their FY2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Abbott Laboratories in a note issued to investors on Thursday, August 10th. Zacks Research analyst M. Mondal now forecasts that the healthcare product maker will earn $4.58 per share for the year, up from their prior estimate of $4.55. The consensus estimate for Abbott Laboratories current full-year earnings is $4.40 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Abbott Laboratories Q4 2024 earnings at $1.28 EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at $1.28 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $5.08 EPS.

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Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 20th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.03. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 20.50% and a net margin of 12.83%. The firm had revenue of $9.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $9.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.43 earnings per share. The firms quarterly revenue was down 11.4% on a year-over-year basis.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on ABT. Barclays boosted their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $127.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, July 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $132.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, April 20th. BTIG Research boosted their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, April 17th. Wolfe Research raised Abbott Laboratories from an underperform rating to a peer perform rating in a research report on Friday, July 21st. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $120.82.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Abbott Laboratories

Abbott Laboratories Trading Up 0.8 %

ABT opened at $106.12 on Monday. Abbott Laboratories has a one year low of $93.25 and a one year high of $115.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $184.16 billion, a PE ratio of 36.22, a P/E/G ratio of 4.70 and a beta of 0.67. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $107.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $105.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.64.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Abbott Laboratories

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich boosted its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 97,996.2% during the second quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 2,101,555,797 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $229,111,613,000 after buying an additional 2,099,413,455 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 1.2% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 137,153,545 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $14,952,480,000 after buying an additional 1,584,552 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 1.1% during the second quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 77,225,258 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $8,419,032,000 after buying an additional 820,369 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 1.9% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 74,817,109 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $8,156,561,000 after buying an additional 1,362,889 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Investors boosted its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 4.9% during the second quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 59,178,607 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $6,451,127,000 after buying an additional 2,747,652 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.08% of the companys stock.

Insider Activity at Abbott Laboratories

In related news, Director Daniel J. Starks sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.76, for a total value of $5,688,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,775,316 shares of the companys stock, valued at $770,759,948.16. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Abbott Laboratories news, EVP Andrea F. Wainer sold 10,400 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.03, for a total value of $1,092,312.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 65,027 shares in the company, valued at $6,829,785.81. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daniel J. Starks sold 50,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.76, for a total transaction of $5,688,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,775,316 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $770,759,948.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 15th. Investors of record on Friday, July 14th will be issued a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 13th. Abbott Laboratoriess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.62%.

About Abbott Laboratories

(Get 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.

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CAE Inc. (TSE:CAE  Free Report) (NYSE:CAE)  Investment analysts at Desjardins lifted their Q4 2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for CAE in a research report issued on Thursday, August 10th. Desjardins analyst B. Poirier now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $0.40 for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $0.38. The consensus estimate for CAEs current full-year earnings is $1.18 per share.

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Other analysts have also issued reports about the company. TD Securities raised their price target on CAE from C$37.00 to C$39.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, August 10th. CIBC raised their price target on CAE from C$37.00 to C$38.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 10th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on CAE from C$35.00 to C$37.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 10th. National Bankshares raised their price target on CAE from C$37.00 to C$38.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on CAE from C$35.00 to C$37.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, August 10th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Buy and an average target price of C$37.38.

CAE Stock Up 0.3 %

CAE opened at C$31.76 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 72.45. The firm has a market cap of C$10.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.73, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.99. CAE has a 52 week low of C$20.90 and a 52 week high of C$32.68. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is C$29.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is C$29.84.

CAE (TSE:CAE  Get Free Report) (NYSE:CAE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 31st. The company reported C$0.35 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts consensus estimates of C$0.35. The business had revenue of C$1.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of C$1.21 billion. CAE had a return on equity of 6.78% and a net margin of 6.62%.

CAE Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

CAE Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides simulation training and critical operations support solutions in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, Oceania and Africa, and Rest of Americas. It operates through three segments: Civil Aviation, Defense and Security, and Healthcare.

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Wolverine Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Kayne Anderson Energy Infrastructure Fund, Inc. (NYSE:KYN  Free Report) by 206.4% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 35,400 shares of the financial services providers stock after acquiring an additional 23,846 shares during the quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLCs holdings in Kayne Anderson Energy Infrastructure Fund were worth $306,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. grew its stake in Kayne Anderson Energy Infrastructure Fund by 87.5% in the first quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 6,429 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 3,000 shares in the last quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in Kayne Anderson Energy Infrastructure Fund by 19.4% in the first quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC now owns 204,439 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,766,000 after purchasing an additional 33,265 shares in the last quarter. Beck Bode LLC bought a new position in Kayne Anderson Energy Infrastructure Fund in the first quarter valued at approximately $492,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Kayne Anderson Energy Infrastructure Fund in the first quarter valued at approximately $76,000. Finally, WNY Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Kayne Anderson Energy Infrastructure Fund by 6.7% in the first quarter. WNY Asset Management LLC now owns 345,585 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $2,986,000 after purchasing an additional 21,605 shares in the last quarter.

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Kayne Anderson Energy Infrastructure Fund Price Performance

KYN opened at $8.77 on Tuesday. Kayne Anderson Energy Infrastructure Fund, Inc. has a 12-month low of $7.84 and a 12-month high of $9.66. The business has a 50 day moving average of $8.38 and a 200-day moving average of $8.46.

Kayne Anderson Energy Infrastructure Fund Announces Dividend

Kayne Anderson Energy Infrastructure Fund Company Profile

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 26th were given a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 23rd. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.58%.

(Free Report)

Kayne Anderson MLP Investment Company is a closed ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by KA Fund Advisors, LLC. It is co-managed by Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, L.P. The fund invests in the public equity markets of the United States. It invests in stocks of companies operating in the energy sector.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding KYN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Kayne Anderson Energy Infrastructure Fund, Inc. (NYSE:KYN  Free Report).

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Par Pacific Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:PARR  Get Free Report) CEO William Pate sold 115,099 shares of Par Pacific stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.85, for a total value of $4,011,200.15. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 483,019 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,833,212.15. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Par Pacific Trading Down 4.7 %

Shares of Par Pacific stock opened at $35.29 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 2.11. Par Pacific Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $14.42 and a 12-month high of $37.49. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $28.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $26.38.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on PARR shares. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Par Pacific from $32.00 to $28.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 5th. StockNews.com raised shares of Par Pacific from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Thursday, August 3rd. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Par Pacific from $36.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Friday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $32.14.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Par Pacific

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Par Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. West Tower Group LLC acquired a new stake in Par Pacific in the 2nd quarter valued at about $41,000. National Bank of Canada FI bought a new position in shares of Par Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $58,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Par Pacific in the 1st quarter valued at about $60,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its stake in shares of Par Pacific by 53.3% in the 1st quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 5,181 shares of the companys stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 1,801 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.23% of the companys stock.

Par Pacific Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Par Pacific Holdings, Inc owns and operates energy and infrastructure businesses. The company operates through three segments: Refining, Retail, and Logistics. The Refining segment owns and operates three refineries that produces ultra-low sulfur diesel, gasoline, jet fuel, marine fuel, distillate, asphalt, low sulfur fuel oil, and other associated refined products primarily for consumption in Hawaii, Pacific Northwest, Wyoming, and South Dakota.

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ING Groep NV reduced its stake in shares of HF Sinclair Co. (NYSE:DINO  Free Report) by 57.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,698 shares of the companys stock after selling 38,400 shares during the period. ING Groep NVs holdings in HF Sinclair were worth $1,388,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. AdvisorShares Investments LLC increased its position in HF Sinclair by 21.5% in the first quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC now owns 7,992 shares of the companys stock worth $387,000 after buying an additional 1,412 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in HF Sinclair by 54.8% in the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 13,136 shares of the companys stock worth $636,000 after acquiring an additional 4,652 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in HF Sinclair in the 1st quarter valued at about $227,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its holdings in HF Sinclair by 10.1% during the first quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 31,583 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,528,000 after purchasing an additional 2,903 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its holdings in HF Sinclair by 51.2% during the first quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 6,127 shares of the companys stock valued at $296,000 after purchasing an additional 2,074 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.82% of the companys stock.

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HF Sinclair Stock Performance

HF Sinclair stock opened at $57.94 on Tuesday. The firms fifty day moving average price is $48.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $47.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 2.32. The stock has a market cap of $10.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.40. HF Sinclair Co. has a fifty-two week low of $37.12 and a fifty-two week high of $66.19.

HF Sinclair Dividend Announcement

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 6th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 17th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 16th. HF Sinclairs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.28%.

DINO has been the topic of several research reports. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of HF Sinclair from $63.00 to $70.00 in a research report on Friday, August 4th. Mizuho reduced their price target on HF Sinclair from $69.00 to $56.00 in a research report on Friday, May 19th. Morgan Stanley reissued an overweight rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of HF Sinclair in a report on Wednesday, July 19th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on HF Sinclair from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Friday, August 4th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price target on HF Sinclair from $50.00 to $44.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 5th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, HF Sinclair has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $60.91.

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About HF Sinclair

(Free Report)

HF Sinclair Corporation operates as an independent energy company. It produces and markets gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, renewable diesel, specialty lubricant products, specialty chemicals, specialty and modified asphalt, and others. The company also owns and operates refineries located in Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming; and markets its refined products principally in the Southwest United States and Rocky Mountains, Pacific Northwest, and in other neighboring Plains states.

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ING Groep NV reduced its position in Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW  Free Report) by 74.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,074 shares of the industrial products companys stock after selling 28,655 shares during the quarter. ING Groep NVs holdings in Illinois Tool Works were worth $2,453,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Biondo Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Illinois Tool Works by 1.3% during the first quarter. Biondo Investment Advisors LLC now owns 34,626 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $8,430,000 after buying an additional 440 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 5.4% in the first quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 5,866 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $1,428,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Todd Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Illinois Tool Works by 2.5% in the first quarter. Todd Asset Management LLC now owns 3,387 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $825,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. White Pine Capital LLC lifted its position in Illinois Tool Works by 2.0% during the first quarter. White Pine Capital LLC now owns 7,832 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $1,907,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Altshuler Shaham Ltd grew its stake in Illinois Tool Works by 372.0% in the 1st quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd now owns 439 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $107,000 after buying an additional 346 shares in the last quarter. 79.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Insider Activity at Illinois Tool Works

In other Illinois Tool Works news, CAO Randall J. Scheuneman sold 5,425 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.23, for a total transaction of $1,297,822.75. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 8,870 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,121,970.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.78% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Illinois Tool Works Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE ITW opened at $238.89 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $72.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.63, a PEG ratio of 4.23 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25. The firms fifty day moving average is $247.78 and its 200 day moving average is $238.24. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a 52 week low of $180.27 and a 52 week high of $264.19.

Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $2.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.39 by $0.02. Illinois Tool Works had a net margin of 19.30% and a return on equity of 94.14%. The company had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.14 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.37 earnings per share. Illinois Tool Workss revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Illinois Tool Works Inc. will post 9.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Illinois Tool Works Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 29th will be paid a dividend of $1.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 28th. This is a boost from Illinois Tool Workss previous quarterly dividend of $1.31. This represents a $5.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.34%. Illinois Tool Workss payout ratio is 51.83%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ITW has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Credit Suisse Group lifted their price objective on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $281.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Illinois Tool Works from $230.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a report on Thursday, August 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Illinois Tool Works from $236.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 19th. StockNews.com upgraded Illinois Tool Works from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Monday, July 24th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $256.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $236.75.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on ITW

About Illinois Tool Works

(Free Report)

Illinois Tool Works Inc manufactures and sells industrial products and equipment worldwide. It operates through seven segments: Automotive OEM; Food Equipment; Test & Measurement and Electronics; Welding; Polymers & Fluids; Construction Products; and Specialty Products. The Automotive OEM segment offers plastic and metal components, fasteners, and assemblies for automobiles, light trucks, and other industrial uses.

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By Andy Sullivan, Jacqueline Thomsen and Joseph Ax Reuters

Former U.S. President Donald Trump was hit with a fourth set of criminal charges when a Georgia grand jury issued a sweeping indictment accusing him of trying to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

The charges, brought late on Monday by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, add to the legal woes facing Trump, the front-runner in the race for the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential election.

The sprawling 98-page indictment listed 19 defendants and 41 criminal counts in all. All of the defendants were charged with racketeering, which is used to target members of organized crime groups and carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

Mark Meadows, Trumps former White House chief of staff, and lawyers Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman were among those charged.

Rather than abide by Georgias legal process for election challenges, the defendants engaged in a criminal, racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgias presidential election result, Willis said at a press conference.

Trump and the other defendants have until noon EDT (1600 GMT) on Friday, Aug. 25, to surrender voluntarily, rather than face arrest, Willis said. She said she intends to try all 19 defendants together.

This one-sided grand jury presentation relied on witnesses who harbor their own personal and political interests, Trump lawyers Drew Findling, Jennifer Little and Marissa Goldberg said in a statement.

We look forward to a detailed review of this indictment, which is undoubtedly just as flawed and unconstitutional as this entire process has been, Trump lawyers added.

The 13 felony charges against Trump matched those listed on a document that was briefly posted on the court website earlier in the day and reported by Reuters before it disappeared.

Lawyers for those named either declined to comment or did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call, Trump urged Georgias top election official, Brad Raffensperger, to find enough votes to reverse his narrow loss in the state. Raffensperger declined to do so.

Trumps supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol four days later in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent lawmakers from certifying Bidens victory.

The indictment cites a number of crimes that Trump or his associates allegedly committed from before the Nov. 3, 2020, election until September 2022, including falsely testifying to lawmakers that election fraud had occurred and urging state officials to alter the results.

It says the defendants tried to subvert the U.S. electoral process by submitting false slates of electors, people who make up the Electoral College that elects the president and vice president.

BREACHING VOTING MACHINES, HARASSING ELECTION WORKERS

It alleges that defendants breached voting equipment in a rural Georgia county, including personal voter information and images of ballots.

Prosecutors also said the defendants harassed an election worker who became the focus of conspiracy theories.

The indictment reaches across state lines, saying that Giuliani, Meadows and others called officials in Arizona, Pennsylvania and elsewhere to urge them to change the outcome in those states.

The indictment mentions 30 other co-conspirators, though they were not named or charged.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing. In a statement before the indictment was released, his campaign accused Willis, an elected Democrat, of being a rabid partisan who was trying to undermine his reelection bid.

It is a dangerous effort by the ruling class to suppress the choice of the people, the statement said.

Trump has already pleaded not guilty in three criminal cases.

He faces a New York state trial in March 2024 involving a hush money payment to a porn star, and a federal trial beginning in May in Florida for allegedly mishandling federal classified documents. In both cases Trump pleaded not guilty.

A third indictment, in Washington federal court, accuses him of illegally seeking to overturn his 2020 election defeat. Trump denies wrongdoing in this case as well, and a trial date has yet to be set.

Georgia, once reliably Republican, has emerged as one of a handful of politically competitive states that can determine the outcome of presidential elections.

Trump persists in falsely claiming he won the November 2020 election although dozens of court cases and state probes have found no evidence to support his claim.

NOT HURTING HIS CAMPAIGN

Strategists said that while the indictments could bolster Republican support for Trump, they may hurt him in the November 2024 general election, when he will have to win over more independent-minded voters.

In a July Reuters/Ipsos poll, 37% of independents said the criminal cases made them less likely to vote for him.

Williss investigation drew on testimony from Trump advisers including Giuliani, who urged state lawmakers in December 2020 not to certify the election, and Republican state officials like Raffensperger and Governor Brian Kemp, who refused to echo Trumps false election claims.

While many Republican officials have echoed Trumps false election claims, Kemp and Raffensperger have refused to do so.

Raffensperger has said there was no factual basis for Trumps objections, while Kemp certified the election results despite pressure from within his party.

Trump has been mired in legal trouble since leaving office.

Apart from the criminal cases, a New York jury in May found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming the writer E. Jean Carroll and awarded her $5 million in a civil case. A second defamation lawsuit scheduled for January seeks $10 million in damages. Trump denies wrongdoing.

Trump is due to face trial in October in a civil case in New York that accuses him and his family business of fraud to obtain better terms from lenders and insurers.

Trumps company was fined $1.6 million after being convicted of tax fraud in a New York court in December.

SOURCE: REUTERS
Russia launched a large-scale air attack on Ukraines western region of Lviv and the northwestern region of Volyn, killing at least three people and wounding scores of others, officials said.

Three people were killed and several hospitalised in Lutsk after a business enterprise was hit, Yuriy Pohulyaiko, governor the Volyn region of which Lutsk is the administrative centre, said on the Telegram messaging app.

The Volyn region borders NATO-member Poland to its west.

There were no casualties in Russias air attack on the western region of Lviv, according to preliminary information, but more than 100 residential houses were damaged, 500 windows broken and a kindergarten playground was destroyed.

Many missiles were shot down, but there were also hits in Lviv, city mayor Andriy Sadovyi said on the Telegram messaging app, adding that orders were given to evacuate at least one burning apartment building.

Sadovyi posted a video standing at a crater in front of a multi-storey building with all windows blasted out and scattered debris from what appearted to be a playground.

Ukraines Air Force said that its forces had destroyed 16 of at least 28 Russia-launched air and sea-based missiles. It was not immediately clear how many missiles were launched at Lviv and Volyn.

Earlier, the Lviv regions governor, Maxim Kozitsky, said that groups of Russian missiles were headed towards the region.

Until July, the Lviv region which is far from the front lines and which borders Poland to its west, had been spared most Russias air attacks. But in July seven people were killed when a missile slammed into a residential building.

Ukrainian media reported that according to preliminary information, Tuesdays attack was the largest air assault on the Lviv region since the start of Russias invasion in Ukraine in February 2022.

Reuters could not immediately confirm the reports and the attacks on the region.

Air raid alerts were issued for entire Ukraine for about two hours, staring at around 2 a.m. (2300 GMT).

At least one person was also wounded as a result of Russias attack on Ukraines southwestern region of Dnipropetrovsk, where an enterprise was hit and a fire broke out, Serhiy Lisak, the governor of the region said on the Telegram.

SOURCE: REUTERS AND AGENCIES
[August 15, 2023] ACP Secures New Platform with Investment in Global Guardian Tweet

Align Capital Partners ("ACP") is pleased to announce it has made a growth capital investment in Global Guardian (or the "Company"), a comprehensive provider of security, medical and travel-related services to a global base of clients. The Company's integrated suite of services help clients fulfill Duty of Care ("DoC") obligations and address the risks of traveling and doing business globally. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Global Guardian was established to provide an integrated, "one-button" DoC solution that extends from planning and intelligence to active response execution, in over 130 countries. These efforts are supported by a 24-hour operations center and a global network of on-the-ground security and response teams. ACP is partnering with Global Guardian's existing management team, comprised of highly experienced former military, federal security personnel and seasoned business professionals, who will remain in their roles to support the Company's continued growth. "Global Guardian's differentiated model has led to strong client adoption and driven tremendous growth over the past decade," said Dale Buckner, Co-Founder and CEO of Global Guardian. "As we planned for future expansion, it was the right time in our Company's evolution to find a strategic growth investor. Our partnership with ACP will allow for on-goin investment in the resources and technology needed to support our clients with the highest degree of care to safeguard their assets from continually evolving global threats."



"The team at Global Guardian is providing truly mission-critical services to its customers and is gaining share in the market based on the Company's relentless dedication to providing a highly reliable, full-service model," said ACP Managing Partner Chris Jones. "We're eager to build upon this strong foundation by leveraging ACP's operating and growth resources, including the evaluation of add-on acquisitions early in our partnership." Senior Operating Partner Dave Tiley, Vice President James Moss and Senior Associate Sarah Whitney worked alongside Mr. Jones on the transaction. Global Guardian was advised on the transaction by Piper Sandler and Skadden, while ACP was advised by Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP.

About Global Guardian Global Guardian is a leading provider of security solutions, custom-tailored to the individual needs of a global client base. The Company offers an integrated suite of best-in-class security, medical and travel-related services that help clients fulfill Duty of Care obligations and address the risks of traveling and doing business globally. The Company's services include personnel tracking, emergency response, security and transportation support, intelligence and due diligence medical support, emergency and custom aviation, cyber security and video surveillance monitoring. For more information, visit globalguardian.com. About Align Capital Partners Align Capital Partners is a growth-oriented private equity firm that partners with business owners and management teams to create shared success. ACP manages $1.5 billion in committed capital with investment teams in Cleveland and Dallas. ACP brings experience and resources to help lower-middle market companies accelerate their growth, to the benefit of management, employees and the firm's investors. ACP makes control investments in differentiated companies within the business services, technology, specialty manufacturing and distribution sectors. For more information, visit aligncp.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815729981/en/

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[August 14, 2023] Karbon-X and Laconic Sign Letter of Intent to Develop Innovative Biochar Verification Methodology Tweet

-- Laconic's SADAR platform and Karbon-X's carbon offset expertise leveraged to create verification methodology -- CALGARY, AB and CHICAGO, Aug. 14, 2023 /CNW/ -- Karbon-X, a pioneering organization committed to addressing climate change at the local level and Laconic Infrastructure Partners Inc. (Laconic), a leading global provider of environmental intelligence services, have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to develop a cutting-edge Biochar Verification Methodology. The novel methodology aims to ensure the accuracy and transparency of Karbon-X's reforestation project in the Chiquitania Region of Bolivia, and subsequently, it will be applied to verify other Biochar projects worldwide. Under this agreement, Karbon-X will hold a 65% ownership stake in the developed methodology, while Laconic will own the remaining 35%. The partnership combines Laconic's state-of-the-art SADAR Environmental Intelligence Platform with Karbon-X's expertise in carbon offset projects and reforestation initiatives. "Charcoal production is seen as a contributor to climate change. At Karbon-X we can fundamentally make sustainable charcoal and the resulting Biochar fertilizers are not just a part of the solution, but a leading contributor to addressing climate change. Collaborating with Laconic and building out this methodology, we can achieve just that," said Chad Clovis, CEO of Karbon-X. The use of charcoal extends beyond a summer BBQ. Many countries rely on charcoal as the primary fuel for cooking and utilities. A 2-hour grill session emits as much CO 2 as a car driven for twenty-six miles. "Applying sustainable practices to creating charcoal and Biochar fertilizers, such as using waste nut husks or wood waste from sawmills allowforests to stay standing and provides a reason to plant more trees and reduce commercial logging pressures. This could be a key solution to reducing emissions and providing a financial model to landowners to rethink their land management practices."



The Biochar Verification Methodology will leverage Laconic's advanced SADAR geospatial informatics platform to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of data collection and analysis. SADAR combines data-gathering, in-situ remote sensing, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to generate informative data visualizations. This approach empowers decision-makers to propose, model, and evaluate complex environmental scenarios with high data pedigree and confidence. "Leveraging our unique SADAR Environmental Intelligence platform to develop the Karbon-X Biochar Verification Methodology will provide the much-needed data accuracy and verification from our highest data pedigree standards," said Andrew Gilmour, Co-founder and CEO, Laconic. "The new verification methodology will empower local communities to easily offset their carbon footprint and support conservation projects around the world."

The Biochar Verification Methodology developed through this collaboration will undergo rigorous testing and validation via Biocarbon Registry to meet the highest standards of accuracy and transparency. Once implemented successfully, it will provide valuable insights to improve and optimize carbon offset projects worldwide. Chiquitania Region Reforestation Project

The Chiquitania Region Reforestation Project, co-owned by Silviculture Systems Corp and Karbon-X, aims to plant 5 Million Baru Nut trees native to the region by 2025. These trees not only sequester CO 2 from the atmosphere but also provide a valuable nutrient-rich food source for local ecosystems. By using a sustainable approach to processing the large husks produced by the Baru Nut trees into sustainable charcoal and Biochar, the project maximizes its positive environmental impact. About Laconic

Laconic is the leading global provider of Environmental Intelligence services. We provide governments, financial institutions and corporations with actionable insights that enable critical environmental decisions for sustainable growth. Our SADAR Platform uses state-of-the-art data gathering, in-situ monitoring, sensing and geospatial technology to assess alternative scenarios and make ecologically sound business decisions based on multi-modal analytics. We partner with our clients to develop bespoke solutions that address diverse issues such as regional food security, decarbonization, financial compliance obligations, and habitat preservation. Our solutions respect and preserve the integrity of local social, cultural, and economic norms, while actively promoting sustainable growth. Founded in 2019, the company is a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC) and headquartered in Chicago, with offices in Toronto, San Diego and Bali. For more information, please visit https://laconicglobal.com/ and https://www.natureworks.tv/ Laconic, SADAR, and NatureWorks are trademarks or registered trademarks of Laconic Infrastructure Partners Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. All other names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. About Karbon-X

Karbon-X is a pioneering organization with a mission to empower individuals to drive positive change for the planet. The company's innovative approach to climate action has gained widespread recognition. Karbon-X's mobile app empowers users to offset a portion of their carbon footprint and support scientifically-proven projects with real-world benefits that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Karbon-X is committed to transparency and impactful climate action at the local level. For more information, visit www.karbon-x.com. Karbon-X media contacts:

Marita Dautel

[email protected]

+1 587 222 1583 Laconic media contacts:

Elke Heiss

[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/karbon-x-and-laconic-sign-letter-of-intent-to-develop-innovative-biochar-verification-methodology-301899266.html SOURCE Laconic Infrastructure Partners, Inc.

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[August 14, 2023] Birmingham Selected as Host Site for a 3rd Time for Artificial Intelligence Bootcamp - APPLICATIONS CLOSING SOON! Tweet

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Aug. 14, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Time is running out to apply to participate in the Mark Cuban Foundation Artificial Intelligence (AI) Bootcamp hosted by Protective Life Corporation in Birmingham. Applications for the no-cost bootcamp are closing Sept. 8!

The AI bootcamp is targeted toward underserved high school students (9th-12th grade) and offers participants a chance to learn the fundamentals of AI. Protective has, once again, been selected as one of the 28+ host companies across the U.S. for fall 2023. If accepted, participants will engage in a four-week bootcamp held on consecutive Saturdays from Oct. 14 to Nov. 4. It is imperative that students commit to attending all four sessions, which will take place from 1pm-5pm CT. No prior experience in computer science, programming, or robotics is required. The applications for both students and parents can be submitted through markcubanai.org/protectivepr. During the bootcamp, students will explore the world of artificial intelligence, including ethical implications and real- life applications, such as, TikTok recommendations, smart home assistants, facial recognition, and self-driving cars. Participants will also dicover the features of Large Language Models like ChatGPT, which can answer questions, create original stories, and even generate computer code.



To provide a beneficial learning environment, trained volunteer corporate mentors , who are knowledgeable in AI, machine learning, and data science , will lead the students through the curriculum. Throughout the bootcamp, students will have the opportunity to work with open source tools and develop their own AI applications related to Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, and Generative AI. The Mark Cuban Foundation provides the bootcamps curriculum materials, trains corporate volunteer mentors, and recruits and scores applications for local students selected to attend camp. In addition, the Mark Cuban Foundation and Protective work together to provide food, information on transportation options, and access to laptops for students at no-cost to use during the bootcamp. This bootcamp is facilitated with support from Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamp Program's media partner, Notified, a globally trusted technology partner for investor relations, public relations and marketing professionals.

It was a lot of fun, I learned things I didn't even know were possible with A.I. and their real-world applications showed me just how much it will change our world." - Brandon B., 10th Grade, 2022 AI Bootcamp Participant Founded by Mark Cuban in 2019, the AI bootcamp initiative hosts no-cost AI bootcamps for students across several U.S. cities, including Birmingham, Dallas, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Detroit, and Atlantic City to name a few. The Mark Cuban Foundation has impacted 900+ students to date and has a goal to increase that number year over year. Students interested in applying to the Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamp should do so before Friday, September 8th, 2023 at markcubanai.org/protectivepr. To see our 2023 camp locations and to learn more about the Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamps, please visit markcubanai.org/faq. Contact: Carli Lidiak, Mark Cuban Foundation Phone: 309-840-0348 Email: [email protected]



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[August 14, 2023] Intermap Announces Positive Cash Flow in the First Half and Private Placement Tweet

The Company reports positive cash flow of $80,000 Subscription-based revenue represents 62% of total revenue, grew 50% Funds raised in Private Placement to enable execution of pending awards DENVER, Aug. 14, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Intermap Technologies (TSX: IMP; OTCQB: ITMSF) (Intermap or the Company), a global leader in 3D geospatial products and intelligence solutions, today announced preliminary second quarter results and a private placement offering. Preliminary Second Quarter Results For the period ending June 30, 2023, the Company reported revenue of $1.6 million, compared with $2.0 million for the first quarter of 2023 and $2.4 million for the second quarter of 2022. During the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Company reported positive cash flow from operating activities of $80,000. The Companys second quarter results were affected by delays in government contracts. All of the contracts relate to ongoing work that Intermap is confident will continue in the latter half of this year. Some of these contracts are expected to grow substantially this year. The contract delays were generated by repeat customers on critical, funded domestic and foreign government programs. Intermaps commercial business is continuing to grow with new software and data subscriptions, especially in the European insurance market. The Companys software and solutions revenue increased to $1.1 million compared with $0.8 million for the second quarter of 2022. In the first half of 2023, software and solutions revenue totaled $2.3 million compared with $1.7 million for the same period in 2022. The Companys European revenue increased 75.6% in the second quarter of 2023 compared with the same period in 2022. This increase is driven by the expansion of its European insurance software and solutions through multi-license subscription agreements with countrywide insurance associations. As the Company enters the second half of the year, momentum remains high with a focus on execution of pending government contracts and commercial opportunities. The Companys consolidated financial statements for the quarter ended June 30, 2023, are available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Private Placement Intermap continues to explore strategic ways to expand its shareholder base, allowing for broader investor participation and greater liquidity in the publicly traded stock. On August 10, 2023, Intermap closed the first tranche of an issuer private placement (the Private Placement) of 810,000 units ("Units"). Each Unit consists of one Class A common share of the Company (a Share) and one transferable common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one?additional Share at an exercise price equal to the United States dollar (USD) equivalent of C$0.80 per Share, which is exercisable for two years from the date of issuance. The Units were issued at a price of C$0.55 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of C$445,500. The Company intends to close a second tranche of the Private Placement within the next week on the same terms. Capital raised in the Private Placement strengthens Intermaps balance sheet and enables the Company to pursue strategic contracts, capitalize on new opportunities and expand existing relationships with major clients. The Private Placement included participationfrom longstanding investors and new shareholders.



We appreciate the continued support of our investors, said Patrick A. Blott, Intermap Chairman and CEO. Our commercial business continues its rapid growth with an increasing percentage of recurring revenue. In our government business, programs will continue and grow, and Intermaps participation is expected to increase. Our first half operating performance highlights Intermaps ability to manage operating leverage and maintain cash flow by adjusting variable spending to accommodate unexpected contract volatility. This infusion of capital will help fund future growth and position us to execute on new and exciting opportunities. Under the first tranche of the Private Placement, Intermap also issued 48,600 warrants (Finder Warrants) to certain finders. Each Finder Warrant under the first tranche is exercisable for one Share at an exercise price of $0.48954 per Share, being the USD equivalent of C$0.6575, at any time until August 9, 2025. The exchange rate that is used to calculate the USD equivalent exercise price for each the Warrants and the Finder Warrants is the Bank of Canadas latest published rate for the business day immediately prior to the issuance of same.

All securities issued in connection with the Private Placement are subject to a 4-month hold period, during which time trading in the securities is restricted in accordance with applicable securities laws. The Private Placement and the listing of the Shares issued under the Private Placement and the Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants on the Toronto Stock Exchange (the TSX) are subject to final approval of the TSX upon satisfaction of customary closing conditions. The TSX has conditionally approved the Private Placement and the listing of the Shares issued thereunder and the Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants and the Finder Warrants prior to closing of the first tranche of the Private Placement. Unless otherwise indicated, all dollar or $ references are expressed in USD. To learn more about Intermap, visit intermap.com/investors. Intermap Reader Advisory

Certain information provided in this news release, including reference to revenue growth, growth and continuation of government contracts, pending government contracts and commercial opportunities, and closing of the second tranche of the Private Placement, constitutes forward-looking statements. The words anticipate, "expect", project, estimate, forecast, continue, focus, will, intends and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Although Intermap believes that these statements are based on information and assumptions which are current, reasonable and complete, these statements are necessarily subject to a variety of known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Intermaps forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties pertaining to, among other things, cash available to fund operations, availability of capital, revenue fluctuations, nature of government contracts, economic conditions, loss of key customers, retention and availability of executive talent, competing technologies, common share price volatility, loss of proprietary information, software functionality, internet and system infrastructure functionality, information technology security, breakdown of strategic alliances, and international and political considerations, as well as those risks and uncertainties discussed Intermaps Annual Information Form and other securities filings. While the Company makes these forward-looking statements in good faith, should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary significantly from those expected. 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 so, what benefits that the Company will derive therefrom. All subsequent forward-looking statements, whether written or oral, attributable to Intermap or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as at the date of this news release and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the forward-looking statements made herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities law. About Intermap Technologies

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Intermap (TSX: IMP; OTCQB: ITMSF) is a global leader in geospatial intelligence solutions, focusing on the creation and analysis of 3D terrain data to produce high-resolution thematic models. Through scientific analysis of geospatial information and patented sensors and processing technology, the Company provisions diverse, complementary, multi-source datasets to enable customers to seamlessly integrate geospatial intelligence into their workflows. Intermaps 3D elevation data and software analytic capabilities enable global geospatial analysis through artificial intelligence and machine learning, providing customers with critical information to understand their terrain environment. By leveraging its proprietary archive of the worlds largest collection of multi-sensor global elevation data, the Companys collection and processing capabilities provide multi-source 3D datasets and analytics at mission speed, enabling governments and companies to build and integrate geospatial foundation data with actionable insights. Applications for Intermaps products and solutions include defense, aviation and UAV flight planning, flood and wildfire insurance, disaster mitigation, base mapping, environmental and renewable energy planning, telecommunications, engineering, critical infrastructure monitoring, hydrology, land management, oil and gas and transportation. For more information, please visit www.intermap.com or contact:

Jennifer Bakken

Executive Vice President and CFO

[email protected]

+1 (303) 708-0955



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Hamilton Reserve Bank Prevails Against Fraudulent Websites, Illegal Phishing Activities

Hamilton Reserve Bank, today announced that it has taken immediate legal actions against fraudulent websites impersonating Hamilton Reserve Bank ("Bank")'s authentic website, which is: www.hrbank.com.

The Bank has recently discovered certain spoofing sites and obscure blogs soliciting customer social security numbers, bank account passwords, date of birth, family details, and other private data. The Bank urges customers and counterparties from around the world to remain vigilant about the sources of fake websites and bogus "news stories."

Hamilton Reserve Bank has reported the criminal activities to law enforcement and regulators, taking a firm stand against fake websites and made-up content. For example, bogus websites have misled the public about the Bank's normal business by fabricating sensational stories using PDF-modified, fake government documents.

"We take the reputation of our bank and that of our counterparties very seriously," said the Rt. Hon. Sir Tony Baldry, barrister, and Chairman of Hamilton Reserve Bank. "These fraudulent posts are phishing attempts to harm bank customers. At no time has the Bank's system ntegrity been compromised. The false information originates in Asia and law enforcement is actively tracking them. We will hold these bad actors to account."







The Bank's business around the world, from Puerto Rico to Asia, is growing rapidly with solid customer onboarding and healthy transaction flow. The Bank is in touch with law enforcement to identify and remove online criminal content.

Hamilton Reserve Bank has won many awards, including being named by Temenos, the world's largest core banking software provider as a featured "Success Story."

Hamilton Reserve Bank has a pristine BSA/AML/KYC compliance record, a fortress balance sheet, 24/7 digital banking, and data security assured by biometric verification. Apply for a bank account online.

About Hamilton Reserve Bank

HAMILTON RESERVE BANK (www.hrbank.com; SWIFT: NIBTKNNE) is an award-winning global bank with a deep British heritage as the hometown bank of America's founding father, Alexander Hamilton (born 1755), serving a large and rapidly expanding clientele from 100 countries. Powered by Straight-Through Processing Temenos technology, HRB has achieved fully compliant customer onboarding via biometric verification, real-time transaction monitoring, and 24/7 e-banking. Headquartered on a sprawling bank campus, the Hamilton Reserve Bank Plaza in Nevis, Hamilton Reserve Bank is the largest global bank in the entire region with worldwide client support.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230814640975/en/
[August 14, 2023] Discover Financial Services Names J. Michael Shepherd to Its Board of Directors Tweet

Discover Financial Services (DFS) announced today that J. Michael Shepherd will join the Company's Board of Directors, effective immediately, and will serve on the Board's Risk Oversight Committee. Shepherd brings a unique set of skills developed over his distinguished career in financial services that includes leadership roles in banking, government, and law with deep experience in the areas of compliance, risk management and corporate governance. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230814877900/en/ (Photo: Business Wire) Shepherd is the former Chairman and CEO of BancWest Corporation and its subsidiary, Bank of the West, the U.S. retail arm of BNP Paribas Group. Bank of the West was acquired by BMO in February of 2023. He also served as Chairman and as a Director of BNP Paribas USA, Inc. from July 2016 to February 2023. Shepherd joined Bank of the West in 2004 and held a successon of positions, including General Counsel, Chief Administrative Officer and President. He served as CEO from January 2008 until June 2016, when he assumed the role of Chairman of BNP Paribas USA.



Before joining Bank of the West, Shepherd was General Counsel of The Bank of New York Company, Inc. and of Shawmut National Corporation. He served in government as Senior Deputy Comptroller of the Currency, Associate Counsel to the President of the United States and Deputy Assistant Attorney General. Shepherd is also a director of Pacific Mutual Holding Company and previously was a director of First Hawaiian Inc. and CoreLogic. "We are delighted to welcome Michael to the Discover Board. He is an industry leader bringing significant expertise in financial services, decades of relevant banking industry experience and a valuable background in public affairs and regulatory matters to the bench of talent on our Board," said Tom Maheras, Chair of the Board. "I am confident that we will benefit greatly from Michael's insights and contributions as we continue advancing our ambitious goal of becoming a leading digital consumer bank."

About Discover Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) is a digital banking and payment services company with one of the most recognized brands in U.S. financial services. Since its inception in 1986, the company has become one of the largest card issuers in the United States. The company issues the Discover card, America's cash rewards pioneer, and offers private student loans, personal loans, home loans, checking and savings accounts and certificates of deposit through its banking business. It operates the Discover Global Network comprised of Discover Network, with millions of merchants and cash access locations; PULSE, one of the nation's leading ATM/debit networks; and Diners Club International, a global payments network with acceptance around the world. For more information, visit www.discover.com/company. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230814877900/en/

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[August 14, 2023] Weiss Asset Management Foundation Awards Over $1.25 Million to Support Evidence Action's Safe Water Pilot in India Tweet

Weiss Asset Management Foundation announced today that it has awarded Evidence Action a grant totaling $1.27 million to support its efforts to improve access to safe drinking water for tens of millions of people in India. More than 65% of rural households throughout India currently have tap water connections. However, even with piped water, the significant infrastructural and technological challenge that remains is implementing a means of treatment to ensure that the water is safe to drink. Evidence Action is launching a pilot program in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan, designed to determine the best way to deploy effective chlorination technologies in different water systems. The pilot, supported by Weiss Asset Management Foundation, as well as a $500,000 donation from the Rauch Family Foundation following a recommendation by GiveWell, will assess the efficacy, scalability, and operational feasibility of several water treatment technologies to provide comprehensive recommendations for implementation by state governments. "We are thrilled to launch this ambitious project that has the potential to drastically reduce child mortality in India," said Parth Bahuguna, global director of maternal, neonatal, and child health at Evidence Action. "With strategic government partnership and investments, success of this pilot can open a pathway to scale up to reach tens of millions - or more - people with lifesaving safe water access." "We're excited t support an organization with such an impressive track record of programs and partnerships improving fundamental health outcomes," said Harlan Downs-Tepper, Program Director of Weiss Asset Management Foundation. "This pilot has tremendous potential to equip Indian state governments to implement an effective model for scalable water treatment."



Unsafe water is responsible for more than 1.2 million deaths globally each year and is the most common cause of diarrhea, the world's second-leading cause of childhood mortality. A study conducted by Nobel Laureate Michael Kremer (who is also a member of Weiss Asset Management Foundation's Allocation Committee) and co-authors found that water treatment can reduce all-cause mortality of children under five by approximately 25%. Note: Amrita Ahuja is a co-founder and current board member of Evidence Action and a member of Weiss Asset Management Foundation's Allocation Committee.

About Evidence Action Evidence Action is a global nonprofit reaching millions with health interventions that are backed by strong evidence. Its approach ensures exceptional cost-effectiveness, maximizing the impact of every dollar spent. Evidence Action currently works in nine countries and provides more than 10 million people with access to safe water through chlorination treatment interventions, in partnership with local governments and communities. Learn more: www.evidenceaction.org. About Weiss Asset Management Foundation Weiss Asset Management Foundation seeks to alleviate suffering globally. The Foundation's recent substantial grants include support for groundbreaking research on expanding access to vaccines in rural communities in Africa, oxygen concentrators to rural communities in India, and community health workers in rural Nepal. For more information about Weiss Asset Management Foundation, visit www.wamfoundation.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230814327162/en/

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[August 14, 2023] Funded House to Match Startups with Investors at Balkan Tech Summit and IFA Berlin: First Steps in a Global Initiative to Fund Innovation Tweet

Funded House seeks to radically improve the investor/entrepreneur matching process through data, partners, and technology. Collaborating with IFA Berlin and the Balkan Tech Summit to build an international portfolio of investable innovators. These strategic partnerships will bring funding to European innovators and pave the way for global alliances. Funded House is differentiated by its super-connector co-founders and Growth Viability Assessment, which help startups stand out in a sea of investor-matching platforms. Why IFA Berlin IFA Berlin, renowned as a premier platform for showcasing cutting-edge consumer electronics, has added the IFA Next startup showcase and other innovation-focused programming this year as it gears up for its 100th anniversary in 2024. Funded House will manage the investor lounge, providing investors with a portfolio of participating startups and facilitating introductions throughout the five-day event. With hundreds of startups expected from 35 countries, IFA Next delivers the perfect opportunity for Funded House to jumpstart its global portfolio and create a uniquely valuable experience for investors. "The opportunity to be part of a meaningful innovation initiative inside of a nearly 100 year-old conference is something we couldn't pass up," said Funded House co-founder Elijah May, who will be part of the team on the ground in September. Why the Balkan Tech Summit? Montenegrin startup hub Digital Den and Peter Adams, Managing Partner at Rockies Venture Fund and author of "Venture Capital for Dummies", have come together to launch the Balkan Tech Fund. The Balkan Tech Summit will bring people together from around the world to celebrate the region's first venture fund that is fully private capital funded. The participating Western Balkan Six States - Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia - form the fastest-growing startup ecosystem in Europe. With 17.5 million inhabitants, these nations are projected to host over 900 start-ups by 2026, with that number continuing to grow year-over-year by 10%.



Funded House will both participate in the event and engage U.S. investors interested in the untapped potential that the Balkans bring to the table. "This is an exciting time for Digital Den and its partners," said Adams. "We're confident that this fund will open up new opportunities and bring strategic investors from across the U.S. and into this ecosystem. Growing these Balkan companies and taking them to global markets with multiple soft landing opportunities in U.S. cities is a win for everyone." Prelude to a Global Innovation Funding Initiative

Funded House is building on an official SXSW 2023 collaboration with German.Innovation called Innovation Bridge Europe, which was designed to establish meaningful connections, foster cross-pollination of ideas, and help startups to secure funding faster. As Funded House builds a world-class network of investors, innovators, and growth experts, partnerships like these remain a priority. These collaborations with IFA Berlin and the Balkan Tech Summit mark the beginning of Funded House's broader global innovation funding initiative. About Funded House Launched by T-Squared Agency, The Experience Firm, and MediaTech Ventures, Funded House is a pioneering endeavor that connects startups with interested investors. Through Growth Viability Assessments and curated investor matching, Funded House seeks to redefine the dynamics of startup investment, driving innovation and growth in entrepreneurial ecosystems. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230814166091/en/

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[August 14, 2023]

Whirlpool Corporation Welcomes Rudy Wilson to Board of Directors

BENTON HARBOR, Mich., Aug. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Whirlpool Corporation board of directors has appointed Rudy Wilson, president of global consumer brands at SC Johnson, to the board, effective August 14, 2023. Wilson will serve on the audit committee and the finance committee.

Wilson, 48, was named president of global consumer brands at SC Johnson in 2021, after serving as chief marketing officer for the consumer brands division and as a regional senior vice president. Previously, Wilson held brand, marketing and general management roles at AT&T Corporation and PepsiCo, Inc.

Wilson graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration from Arizona State University and a masters in business administration from the Universit of Michigan.







"Rudy Wilson's experience as a leader in marketing consumer products makes him an excellent addition to our board," said Marc Bitzer, chairman and CEO of Whirlpool Corporation. "We know his experience nurturing successful brands will allow him to bring a valuable perspective to both our board of directors and Whirlpool Corporation."

About Whirlpool Corporation

Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) is committed to being the best global kitchen and laundry company, in constant pursuit of improving life at home. In an increasingly digital world, the company is driving purposeful innovation to meet the evolving needs of consumers through its iconic brand portfolio, including Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, Consul, Brastemp, Amana, Bauknecht, JennAir, Indesit, Yummly and InSinkErator. In 2022, the company reported approximately $20 billion in annual sales, 61,000 employees and 56 manufacturing and technology research centers. Additional information about the company can be found at WhirlpoolCorp.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/whirlpool-corporation-welcomes-rudy-wilson-to-board-of-directors-301900283.html

SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation
[August 14, 2023] Global Quantum Dots Industry Research Report 2023-2034: Graphene and Perovskite QD Properties, Production Methods, Revenues, Competitive Landscape, Producers, Developers Tweet

DUBLIN, Aug. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "The Global Market for Quantum Dots 2024-2034" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The multi-billion dollar quantum dot-enabled TV market will experience further growth this year, with market innovations leading to enhanced products utilizing new configurations in displays, Micro-LEDs, security tagging, medical diagnostics, quantum computing and Agtech. QDs are a proven and scaled technology and relatively low cost for the high-end applications they add value to. Quantum Dots (QDs) are used in a range of optoelectronic devices, including TVs and displays, light-emitting devices (LEDs), solar cells, photodiodes, thermoelectrics, photoconductors and field-effect transistors, while QD solutions have been used in a number of in vivo and in vitro imaging, sensing and labelling techniques. Report contents include: Quantum dot (QD) types, properties and production methods.

Global revenues for quantum dots, historical and market forecast to 2034, by type and market.

Supply chain analysis for quantum dots and narrow band phosphors.

Market drivers and trends.

Challenges, by market.

Analysis of QD market segments and the main players in each segment.

Assessment of quantum dots on glass, quantum dot colour filters (QDCF) for microLEDS and displays, hybrid QD-NBP displays, hybrid QD-OLED displays, perovskite QDs and inkjet printed QDs.

Assessment of graphene quantum dots and perovskite quantum dots market.

Market assessment of quantum dots in TV displays and smartphone displays, VR headsets, solar cells, security tags, security inks, sensors, photodetectors, quantum dot lasers, quantum dot transistors, photonic crystals, bio-imaging, quantum dot solar windows, biomarkers, solid-material-based memory, thermoelectric materials, quantum dot computers, Agtech, artificial photosynthesis and light emitting diodes (LEDs).

107 company profiles of quantum dot producers and product developers. Companies profiled include Applied Quantum Materials Inc

Bio Square , Inc

, Inc Diraq

Dotz Nano

Helio Display Materials

Nanoco Technologies

Nanosys

Nanolumi

QDI Systems

Raysolve Ltd.

Samsung

Taiwan Nanocrystals

UBiQD Key Topics Covered: 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1.1 Growth in high-definition TV demand

1.2 QD advantages

1.2.1 Market growth since 2013

1.3 QD-TVs market

1.4 The Quantum Dot TV market in 2022

1.5 The Quantum Dot TV market in 2023

1.6 Cadmium vs. cadmium free

1..1 Cadmium QDs







1.6.3 European commission ban use of cadmium in TVs and displays

1.6.4 Perovskite quantum dots

1.6.5 Carbon and graphene quantum dots

1.7 Quantum Dot Revenues 2015-2034

1.8 Market drivers and trends for quantum dots

1.9 Market outlook for quantum dots (5-10 years)

1.10 Market challenges for quantum dots 2 RESEARCH SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY

2.1 Report scope

2.2 Market definition

2.3 Research methodology

2.4 Primary research

2.5 Secondary research

3 INTRODUCTION

3.1 Mode of operation

3.2 Properties

3.3 Synthesis

3.4 Types

3.4.1 Cadmium Selenide, Cadmium Sulfide and other materials

3.4.2 Cadmium free quantum dots

3.5 Two-dimensional quantum dots

3.6 Carbon quantum dots (CDs)

3.7 Graphene quantum dots (GQDs)

3.8 Perovskite quantum dots (PQDs)

3.9 Quantum rods

3.10 Narrow band gap phosphors 4 QUANTUM DOTS TECHNOLOGY READINESS (TRL) 5 QUANTUM DOTS INDUSTRY ANALYSIS

5.1 Licensing, collaborations and partnerships

5.2 Supply chain 6 QUANTUM DOTS REGULATIONS 7 THE GLOBAL MARKET FOR QUANTUM DOTS

7.1 Revenues 2018-2034

7.1.1 By end use market

7.1.2 By Region

7.2 Displays

7.3 Photovoltaics

7.4 Lighting

7.5 Biotech And Medicine

7.6 Photodetectors

7.7 Security And Anti-Counterfeiting

7.8 Sensors

7.9 Other Markets

7.9.1 AgTech

7.9.2 Batteries

7.9.3 Thermoelectrics

7.9.4 QD Lasers

7.9.5 Photocatalysts

7.9.6 Sunscreen

7.9.7 Spectrometers

7.9.8 Quantum computing

7.9.9 Hydrogen production

7.9.10 Autonomous vehicles 8 QUANTUM DOT PRODUCER AND PRODUCT DEVELOPER PROFILES (107 company profiles) Acer, Inc.

Applied Quantum Materials, Inc.

Attonuclei

AUO Optronics

Avantama AG

Bio Square , Inc.

, Inc. BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.

BrightComSol

Chang Chun Tuo Cai Technology CoLtd

China Beijing Beida Jubang Science & Technology Co., Ltd.

China Star (CSoT, a subsidiary of TCL)

(CSoT, a subsidiary of TCL) Core Quantum Technologies

Creative Diagnostics

CrystalPlex Corporation

Cytodiagnostics, Inc.

Dai Nippon Toryo Co., Ltd.

Diraq

Dotz Nano Ltd.

Efun Technology Co., Ltd.

EIdu Pont de Nemours and Company (DuPont)

Emfutur Technologies

Equal1 Laboratories

Ergis Group

GE

Graphene Square

Green Science Alliance Co., Ltd.

Hansol Chemical Co., Ltd.

Helio Display Materials

HiSense

HP Inc.

Innolux Corporation

IQDEMY Quantum Technology SA

Kateeva

KRI, Inc.

LG Display Co., Ltd.

LMS Co., Ltd.

Lumileds Holding B.V.

Luminit LLC

Merck KGa

ML System S.A Zaczernie

Najing Technology Co.,Ltd

Nanoco Group Plc

Nano-Lit Technologies

Nanolumi

Nanooptical Materials, Inc.

Nanosquare Co., Ltd

Nanosys, Inc.

Nanoxo

Nexdot SAS

Nippon Chemical Industrial Co., Ltd.

NN-Labs, LLC

NS Materials, Inc.

Ocean Nanotech LLC

Osram Opto Semiconductors

Ossila

Particle Works

PEROLED Korea

PhosphorTech Corporation

Pimax

Pixel Display, Inc.

Plasmachem GmbH

PlayNitride

Plessey Semiconductors

Qblox

QD Laser, Inc.

QD Solar

QDI Systems

QDIR, Inc.

QNA Technology

Quantum Materials Corporation

Quantum Motion

Quantum Science

Quantum Solutions LLC

Qurv Technologies

QustomDot

Ranovus Inc.

Raysolve Ltd.

Raytheon Company

Revolution Lighting Technologies

Samsung

Saphlux Inc.

Shanghai Simbatt Energy Technology Co., Ltd

Shenzhen China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd

Shenzhen Jufei Optoelectronics Co., Ltd.

Shoei Chemical, Inc.

Sigma-Aldrich

Sinon Therapeutics

Solvay SA

Sony

SpectriS-dot BV

StoreDot Ltd.

Suzhou Xingshuo Nanotech Co., Ltd (Mesolight)

SWIR Vision Systems

TCL Corporation

The Coretec Group

Thermo Fisher Scientific

Tianjin Central Electronic Lighting Technology Co., Ltd(Zhonghuan Quantum)

Tianma Microelectronics Co., Ltd.

TPV-Vision

UbiQD, LLC

Unique Materials

VueReal, Inc.

Wah Hong Industrial Corporation

Wuhan Jiayuan Quantum Dots Co., Ltd.

XF Nano Materials Tech Co., Ltd

XTPL

Zhijing Nanotech Co., Ltd. For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/bhebg 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]



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Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-quantum-dots-industry-research-report-2023-2034-graphene-and-perovskite-qd-properties-production-methods-revenues-competitive-landscape-producers-developers-301899744.html SOURCE Research and Markets

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[August 14, 2023] Stop Antisemitism Today: "Work That Matters" Podcast Shines Spotlight on Lesley Israel's Impactful Work with Jewish Causes Worldwide Tweet

"Work That Matters" episode eight delves deep into Lesley Israel's impactful work with Jewish causes worldwide, combatting antisemitism and promoting understanding. EASTON, Md., Aug. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In the latest episode of the acclaimed podcast "Work That Matters," host Lesley Israel opens up about her profound involvement with Jewish communities worldwide. In a candid and heartfelt interview, Lesley shares her experiences, challenges, and triumphs while advocating for Jewish causes and preserving American heritage abroad. As an esteemed political consultant, entrepreneur, and devoted family woman, Lesley's journey has been nothing short of extraordinary, with a track record of contributing to high-profile political campaigns, including multiple US presidential campaigns. Throughout the series, Lesley Israel has reflected on how these experiences shaped her understanding of politics and government, but now she discusses the importance of faith. Her advocacy and activity in promoting Jewish causes are second to none, and even in retirement, Lesley still finds ways to make a difference. "As we continue to move forward in this day and age, it is imperative that we stand united in our efforts to combat antisemitism," explains Lesley Israel. "It's hard to believe antisemitism still exists in 2023, but it does. Hatred and prejudice have no place in our society, and we must work tirelessly to foster understanding and tolerance among all communities." Lesley's impactful work has left an indelible mark on the promotion of democracy and human rights in countries with Jewish communities, as well as safeguarding Jewish heritage sites globally. Her involvement with diverse organizations, such as Bosnian Handicrafts, Inc., Save a Child's Heart, and Talbot Humane, demonstrates her dedication to causes that align with her values and passions. Additionally, her role in the Anti-Defamation League's National Executive Committee highlights her commitment to combating antisemitism and promoting understanding and tolerance. The "Work That Matters" podcast, hosted by Lesley Israel, empowers aspiring individuals, especially young women, to pursue careers in politics or related fields, leaving a lasting impact on their journey.



Lesley Israel adds: "On 'Work That Matters', I typically engage in discussions about politics and government, but this time, I feel compelled to shed light on Jewish advocacy matters. I really hope my words resonate with people, fostering greater understanding and inspiring positive change in our world." Tune into the eighth episode of "Work That Matters", streaming globally right now at www.WorkThatMatters.net. All past episodes are archived there as well.

For more information about Lesley Israel, please visit www.LesleyIsrael.com. This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/stop-antisemitism-today-work-that-matters-podcast-shines-spotlight-on-lesley-israels-impactful-work-with-jewish-causes-worldwide-301900358.html SOURCE Lesley Israel

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[August 14, 2023] Tech Data Expands IT Solutions Offerings with New Allied Telesis Partnership Tweet

HONG KONG, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tech Data Distribution, a leading global distributor and solutions aggregator for IT ecosystems, has entered a strategic distributorship agreement with Allied Telesis, a leading global vendor of IT infrastructure solutions specializing in cloud computing and network security with a wide range of products and services. Using AI-based software to help solve technological problems, Allied Telesis enables Tech Data and other partners to increase their profitability while being supported by a comprehensive, reliable, and secure network. Exert influence in the market Serving as a vital link in the evolving technology ecosystem, Tech Data functions as an essential and core component of digital business transformation for all stakeholders, including wholesalers, resellers, retailers, and end-users. The company leverages its impact in the channel market, facilitating and assisting companies with solutions best suited to maximize business outcomes. Karly Li, Vice President and Country General Manager, Tech Data HK said, "The new partnership with Allied Telesis will bring us extensive customer coverage in Hong Kong. Allied Telesis's transportation, infrastructure, and government solution has been maintaining its leading position in the field. By partnering up with Allied Telesis, Tech Data HK can further intensify its influence in the market, present ourselves to industries/sectors in which we have not been pursued and exploit more opportunities for profitable growth." Forging ahead Allied Telesis' software advancements, which are termed Network AI (AKA Software-Defined Networking SDN), solve problems caused by existing technologies and create more business opportunities. As an example, administrative tasks can be automated using Allied Telesis' Intent-based Networking, which uses both artificial intelligence and machine learning to take care of issues even before they arise. "As we forge ahead in the ever-evolving landscape of technology, our partnership with Tech Data empowers us to build a robust network infrastructure that will lay the foundation for innovation, scalability, and seamless connectvity. Together, we are committed to delivering cutting-edge solutions, unlocking new opportunities, and driving transformative experiences for our valued customers" added Ozawa Tsuyoshi, Senior Vice President of Allied Telesis APAC.



In addition to providing customers with enhanced sales & after-sales support, the new partnership agreement between Tech Data and Allied Telesis offers extended capabilities to provide clients with customized services and total solutions to exceed the needs of customers today and ahead into the future.

About Tech Data HK Tech Data Distribution (Hong Kong) Limited ("Tech Data HK"), a TD SYNNEX (NYSE: SNX) company, is a leading global distributor and solutions aggregator for the IT ecosystem. We're an innovative partner helping more than 150,000 customers in 100+ countries to maximize the value of technology investments, demonstrate business outcomes and unlock growth opportunities. Headquartered in Clearwater, Florida, and Fremont, California, TD SYNNEX's 23,500 co-workers are dedicated to uniting compelling IT products, services and solutions from 1,500+ best-in-class technology vendors. Our edge-to-cloud portfolio is anchored in some of the highest-growth technology segments including cloud, cybersecurity, big data/analytics, IoT, mobility and everything as a service. TD SYNNEX is committed to serving customers and communities, and we believe we can have a positive impact on our people and our planet, intentionally acting as a respected corporate citizen. We aspire to be a diverse and inclusive employer of choice for talent across the IT ecosystem. For more information on Tech Data HK, visit techdata.com/hk or follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn . About Allied Telesis For over 30 years, Allied Telesis has delivered efficient, secure, cost-effective connectivity for enterprise organizations and complex infrastructure projects. Our award-winning technologies keep pace with network evolution, ensuring our customers enjoy efficient services and applications well into the future. Visit us at www.alliedtelesis.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/tech-data-expands-it-solutions-offerings-with-new-allied-telesis-partnership-301900460.html SOURCE Tech Data HK

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[August 15, 2023] bp Leads $12.5 Million Series A Investment In Low-Cost Hydrogen Electrolyzer Innovator, Advanced Ionics Tweet

Advanced Ionics, the developer of a new category of hydrogen electrolyzers useful for expanding green hydrogen production, closed a $12.5 million Series A financing led by bp ventures, with additional investors including Clean Energy Ventures, GVP Climate, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230814889563/en/ The new capital will help catalyze Advanced Ionics' growth and facilitate the initial deployment of its Symbion water vapor electrolyzer technology for heavy industry. Water vapor electrolyzers address two of the biggest obstacles to expanding green hydrogen production: cost and electricity requirements. "bp ventures' investment in Advanced Ionics is a powerful backing of our technology's potential to help accelerate green hydrogen's future and heavy industry's shift towards decarbonization," said Chad Mason, CEO of Advanced Ionics. "The results we've achieved in our testing, along with early customer interest, have indicated that we are an ideal technology provider for industrial customers looking to augment, expand or replace their existing hydrogen production facilities with green hydrogen." The company's water vapor electrolyzer helps reduce the cost and electricity requirements for green hydrogen production by symbiotically integrating with standard industrial processes to harness available heat. The system is made of widely available steels and other simple materials rather than expensive metals or materials common in other electrolyzers. Electricity use accounts for more than 70% of green hydrogen production costs. Advanced Ionics' electrolyzer stack requires less than 35 kWh per kilogram of produced hydrogen compared to more than 50 kWh per kilogram for typical electrolyzers. This lower electricity requirement could make green hydrogen accessible for less than $1 per kilogram at scale. "Advanced Ionics' technology has the potential to drive down cost and disrupt the hydrogen market," said Gareth Burns, vice president of bp ventues. "bp has a global portfolio of hydrogen projects, and as the world transitions to a net zero future, it's important to us to be investing in these technologies and advance the track to deploying green hydrogen. We look forward to working with Advanced Ionics on the next stage of its growth."



Advanced Ionics will use the funds to expand its team and deliver its next-generation electrolyzer systems to early customers. The company is already demonstrating the efficacy of its product through a pilot program with global energy company Repsol Foundation. In addition to bp Ventures' investment, bp will also be exploring pilot opportunities with Advanced Ionics. Other investors in Advanced Ionics include Aster, and angel investor collectives Clean Energy Venture Group and SWAN Impact Network. Hydrogen is one of bp's five transition growth engines, which also include bioenergy, convenience, electric vehicle charging, and renewables & power. bp plans to increase its investments in those businesses through this decade, while at the same time investing in today's energy system, as it delivers its strategy of becoming an integrated energy company.

About Advanced Ionics Advanced Ionics is a technology provider for the production of green hydrogen, committed to accelerating global decarbonization. Through its water vapor electrolyzer technology, the company seeks to enable the large-scale production of green hydrogen for heavy industry at a low-cost. Advanced Ionics has been recognized for its technology as a finalist in Bloomberg NEF Pioneers Awards and TechCrunch Disrupt. For more information, visit https://advanced-ionics.com/. About bp ventures bp ventures was set up more than 10 years ago as bp's corporate venture capital arm. Since then, bp has invested over $1bn in technology companies and is actively managing 40 investments today. bp ventures makes equity investments in private, high growth businesses accelerating innovation across bp's transition growth engines: renewables, EV charging, convenience, bioenergy and hydrogen. For more information, visit bp.com/ventures. Cautionary statement: In order to utilize the 'safe harbor' provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the 'PSLRA'), bp is providing the following cautionary statement. This press release contains certain forward-looking statements - that is, statements related to future, not past events and circumstances - which may relate to one or more of the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of bp and certain of the plans and objectives of bp with respect to these items. These statements are generally, but not always, identified by the use of words such as 'will,' 'expects,' 'is expected to,' 'aims,' 'should,' 'may,' 'objective,' 'is likely to,' 'intends,' 'believes,' 'anticipates,' 'plans,' 'we see' or similar expressions. Actual results may differ from those expressed in such statements, depending on a variety of factors including the risk factors set forth in our most recent Annual Report and Form 20-F under "Risk factors" and in any of our more recent public reports. Our most recent Annual Report and Form 20-F and other period filings are available on our website at www.bp.com, or can be obtained from the SEC by calling 1-800-SEC-0330 or on its website at www.sec.gov. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230814889563/en/

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[August 15, 2023] DigiCert Expands Certificate Lifecycle Management to Multi-CA, Multi-Cloud Environments Tweet

DigiCert Trust Lifecycle Manager enables full certificate lifecycle management of public and private trust for complex IT environments, supporting Microsoft CA and AWS Private CA DigiCert also supports enrollment to a broad range of natively integrated Microsoft and AWS technologies, as well as workflow integration to ServiceNow SINGAPORE, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- DigiCert today announced the expansion of its certificate management platform, DigiCert Trust Lifecycle Manager, to provide full lifecycle support for multiple CAs including Microsoft CA and AWS Private CA, as well as integration with ServiceNow to support existing IT service workflows. Trust Lifecycle Manager additionally supports enrollment to a broad range of Microsoft and AWS technologies, providing organizations a unified approach to managing public and private trust for use cases such as biometric authentication, device authentication, WiFi/VPN provisioning, cloud workloads and infrastructure management. "DigiCert customers place high priority on ensuring continuity of security across diverse IT infrastructure, as data and processes cut across clouds and environments," said DigiCert Chief Product Officer Deepika Chauhan. "Trust Lifecycle Manager provides organizations a centralized way to secure users, servers and devices across all these environments." "As the digital landscape in the Asia Pacific evolves,ensuring security for diverse IT environments is paramount. DigiCert's Trust Lifecycle Manager expansion empowers enterprises in our region to seamlessly manage their public and private trust across complex infrastructures," said Armando Dacal, Group Vice President APJ at DigiCert.



With support for Microsoft CA and AWS Private CA, Trust Lifecycle Manager enables discovery, issuance, automation and revocation, including the ability to tag, filter and apply policy to imported and discovered third-party digital certificates. Certificates can be enrolled to a broad set of technologies through ACME, SCEP, EST and other enrollment methods. DigiCert's native integration reduces the effort and expertise needed to extend the value of internal CAs, with embedded, pre-built capability that accelerates time to value and eliminates human error. Additional Microsoft technologies supported with native integration include:

Active Directory, for autoenrollment of certificates and zero-touch provisioning using DigiCert  Autoenrollment Server

Autoenrollment Server Windows Hello for Business, for support for certificate-mediated biometric authentication

Microsoft Intune, for management of certificates provisioned to end-entity devices

Azure Cloud Services, for deployment of DigiCert ONE solutions on Azure cloud infrastructure Additional AWS technologies supported with native integration include: Amazon Elastic Load Balancer, for governing certificate-mediated authentication to multiple targets

Amazon Cloudfront, for securing CDN-networked domains For more information about implementing a unified approach to digital trust, learn about Trust Lifecycle Manager and the complete DigiCert ONE platform here. About DigiCert, Inc. DigiCert is a leading global provider of digital trust, enabling individuals and businesses to engage online with the confidence that their footprint in the digital world is secure. DigiCert ONE, the platform for digital trust, provides organizations with centralized visibility and control over a broad range of public and private trust needs, securing websites, enterprise access and communication, software, identity, content and devices. DigiCert pairs its award-winning software with its industry leadership in standards, support and operations, and is the digital trust provider of choice for leading companies around the world. For more information, visit www.digicert.com or follow @digicert. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/digicert-expands-certificate-lifecycle-management-to-multi-ca-multi-cloud-environments-301900642.html SOURCE DigiCert

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[August 15, 2023] World 50 Group Announces Dates for 2024 Inclusion & Diversity Impact Awards Tweet

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. 15, 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, functin, 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, functin, 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.



"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 . Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2172096/4220445/World_50_Group_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/world-50-group-announces-dates-for-2024-inclusion--diversity-impact-awards-301900452.html

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[August 15, 2023] GeeTest Wins Multiple Industry Awards Recognizing Corporate and Innovation Achievements Tweet

WUHAN, China, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- GeeTest, the leading bot management vendor and the creator of the Slide-CAPTCHA, proudly announces its success in the bot mitigation and security innovation field, garnering four prestigious awards and honors in recent months. GeeTest is proud to announce the following recognitions: 1. GeeTest Wins Global Business Tech Awards 2023 for "Best Application of Tech - Security" 2. TechTimes Lists GeeTest among the Top 5 Best Bot Mitigation Companies in 2023 3. GeeTest Listed in the 2023 APAC TOP100 Frontrunner by e27 4. GeeTest was Shortlisted for the 2023 SaaS Awards in two essential categories, Best Security Innovation in a SaaS Product (B2B, Enterprise) and Best Security Innovation in a SaaS Product (B2B, Small Business / SMB). In an era of increasing bot threats and evolving challenges, GeeTest has emerged as a trailblazer, consistently delivering cutting-edge solutions to protect businesses and individuals from the ever-growing specter of online fraud. The company's dedication to innovation and its unswerving focus on business security has been recognized through a series of prestigious awards and acknowledgments. WuYuan, CEO of GeeTest, expressed his gratitude for these recognitions: "GeeTest's success can be attributed to its revolutionary products and bot mitigation solutions, which have consistently set new industry standards. These accolades reflect the widespread acknowledgment and trust that GeeTest has earned from customers and industry experts alike." "GeeTest's products have proven to be a reliable and effective solution for us which ensures both ease of use and security in evey step of the online server journey. I appreciate their continuous effort to improve their solutions and have no doubt that they will continue to be at the forefront of the cybersecurity industry in the years to come. Congratulations on your well-deserved recognition." said one of GeeTest's customers.



GeeTest's innovative security technologies are designed to mitigate evolving threats, offering unparalleled protection against bots, automated attacks, and other cyber threats. As cybercriminals become increasingly sophisticated, GeeTest remains steadfast in its pursuit of excellence, ensuring businesses worldwide have the necessary tools to safeguard their digital assets and protect their users. Learn more about GeeTest here to find out how GeeTest secures your business from the perils of cyber threats and ensures smooth and safe user experiences.

Request a GeeTest Demo here. Follow @GeetestOfficial on Twitter. Find out more about GeeTest security strategies in GeeTest resources lab. About GeeTest: GeeTest, a leading provider of cutting-edge bot management solutions founded in 2012, is dedicated to protecting businesses and users from emerging cyber threats and financial losses. GeeTest has occupied the Top1 market share in APAC and services with over 360,000 enterprises worldwide presently including Airbnb, Nike, Imperva, etc. Most notably, GeeTest has achieved absolutely comprehensive coverage in the blockchain industry with over 20% of the Top 50 crypto exchanges that chose GeeTest to fight fraud attacks, including BINANCE, Axie Infinity, Poloniex, crypto.com, etc. In November 2021 GeeTest was recognized as a selected vendor in Forrester's Now Tech: Bot Management, Q4 2021. In July 2023, GeeTest CAPTCHA was recognized as impactful DDoS Protection software for businesses by Capterra. GeeTest protects your business from Account Takeover (ATO) Web Scraping Denial of Inventory Card Testing/attacks Credential Stuffing SMS Pumping Bonus & Gift card abuse Mass Bot Registration View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/geetest-wins-multiple-industry-awards-recognizing-corporate-and-innovation-achievements-301900618.html SOURCE GeeTest

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[August 15, 2023] GeeTest CAPTCHA Awarded 2023 Best Ease of Use and Best Value Badges by Capterra Tweet

WUHAN, China, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- GeeTest, a leading bot detection and mitigation provider, is excited to announce that its flagship product, GeeTest CAPTCHA, has been honored with the 2023 Best Ease of Use and Best Value Badges by Capterra, as recognized through the verified reviewers on the platform. Capterra, renowned for its role in evaluating software products through verified end-user reviews, has highlighted GeeTest CAPTCHA as an impactful DDoS Protection software. This recognition underscores GeeTest's commitment to providing cutting-edge solutions that effectively combat bot attacks and online fraud while ensuring user satisfaction and ease of use. GeeTest CAPTCHA has achieved an impressive overall rating of 4.7 out of 5 on both Capterra and Software Advice. This achievement is a testament to the support and invaluable feedback provided by its users. User testimonials further solidify the value GeeTest CAPTCHA brings to digital businesses across various industries: "This software has really been of help ensuring the safety of data through its undisputed protection against bad bots on websites and APIs." - Stanley W. "I amso happy to have found Bot Detection. It is the best bot detection service I have ever used, and it has been a lifesaver! I was getting so many bots on my website that it was driving away real customers. But now, thanks to Bot Detection, my website is back up and running and I'm getting more traffic than ever before." - Dipak S .

. "GeeTest does a great job at preventing spam and other malware from entering our website. GeeTest is very easy to use and their customer service is amazing." - Larry R .

. We would like to invite you to share your own experience with GeeTest CAPTCHA by leaving a review [here], and as thanks, Capterra will issue a gift card for each valid review.



About GeeTest: GeeTest, a leading provider of cutting-edge bot management solutions founded in 2012, is dedicated to protecting businesses and users from emerging cyber threats and financial losses.

GeeTest has occupied the Top1 market share in APAC and services with over 360,000 enterprises worldwide presently including Airbnb, Nike, Imperva, etc. Most notably, GeeTest has achieved comprehensive coverage in the blockchain industry with over 20% of the Top 50 crypto exchanges that chose GeeTest to fight fraud attacks, including BINANCE, Axie Infinity, Poloniex, crypto.com, etc. In November 2021 GeeTest was recognized as a selected vendor in Forrester's Now Tech: Bot Management, Q4 2021. In July 2023, GeeTest CAPTCHA was recognized as impactful DDoS Protection software for businesses by Capterra. GeeTest protects your business from Account Takeover (ATO) Web Scraping Denial of Inventory Card Testing/attacks Credential Stuffing SMS Pumping Bonus & Gift card abuse Spam Registration View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/geetest-captcha-awarded-2023-best-ease-of-use-and-best-value-badges-by-capterra-301900729.html SOURCE GeeTest

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[August 15, 2023] Blueshift Memory announces Flash Memory Summit Best in Show Award for Cambridge Architecture Tweet

Blueshift Memory, designer of a novel proprietary high-speed memory architecture, has announced that the Cambridge Architecture has been selected to receive the Most Innovative Memory Technology award in the Memory Accelerator Architecture category at last week's Flash Memory Summit Best in Show Awards in Santa Clara - the world's largest computer memory event. "Data transfer between core and memory has become the limiting factor in computational speed. AI and Big Data applications need to deal with large data sets, which only intensifies the need for a next generatio architecture," said Jay Kramer, Chairman of the Awards Program and President of Network Storage Advisors Inc. "We are proud to recognize Blueshift Memory for the innovation of Cambridge Architecture. This technology provides a new level of computational efficiency with zero latency and up to 1000 times faster memory access, while providing up to a 50% reduction in energy consumption by eliminating unnecessary movement of data."



"It is an incredible accolade that the industry experts at the world's largest memory show have selected Blueshift Memory for this award," said Peter Marosan, CTO and founder of Blueshift Memory. "We have worked extremely hard over the past couple of years to prove the concept of our disruptive non-Von Neumann architecture and to develop our self-optimizing memory solution, and it is very rewarding to have our efforts acknowledged by the Flash Memory Summit Awards Program." "Our first Flash Memory Summit has been a huge success for the company," said Helen Duncan, Chief Marketing Officer of Blueshift Memory. "We have made some great connections among the delegates we've met here, and the quality of the technical presentations has been outstanding."

In a presentation at the Summit, Sarmad Adeel of Blueshift Memory described the Innovate UK-funded development of an accelerator chip for computer vision (CV) AI-enhanced image recognition. The paper, entitled 'Novel memory-efficient computer architecture integration in RISC-V with CXL' reported that this demonstration device had achieved an acceleration factor of 16 to 128 times for processing image data, along with ultra-low power consumption. Work is now continuing on realizing the full potential of the architecture in big data applications, and on applying quantum resilient data protection to the chip design. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230814964769/en/

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[August 15, 2023] Wound Healing Technology Company Merakris Adds Two Executives to Leadership Team Tweet

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Merakris Therapeutics has added two new executives to its leadership team as it prepares to expand its product line and increase its investigational new drug programs aimed at treating patients with chronic skin and tissue wounds that fail to heal properly.

The Research Triangle Park-headquartered company is pioneering the development of a first-in-class biological drug product to promote healing of damaged tissue. Roger Ilagan, Ph.D., has joined Merakris as Vice President, Research and Development, and Mark Rogers, MBA has been named Vice President, Quality and Regulatory Affairs. Dr. Ilagan has more than 15 years of experience in the early-stage development of regenerative medicines that include cell and gene therapies, exosome therapies, biomimetics, biological scaffolds and tissue-engineered organs. He has led product development teams from discovery through early phase clinical studies in multiple therapeutic areas. Prior to joining Merakris, Dr. Ilagan was Vice President for Research and Chief Scientist at Pennsylvania-based Tavanta Therapeutics, a clinical stage specialty pharmaceutical company that develops therapies for patients with high unmet needs. He was responsible for directing pharmacology and mechanism of action investigations for novel peptide/small molecule conjugates. Dr. Ilagan also spent nearly 10 years at United Therapeutics in North Carolina, where he directed R&D programs for rare and orphan pulmonary diseases. While at the company, he led a first-in-human clinical trial and he and his team cleared one of the first US Investigational New Drug (IND) applications for an exosome product. Dr. Ilagan earned his Ph.D. in cell biology from Duke University and has an undergraduate degree in biological sciences from the University of Missouri. Rogers, who will lead Merakris IND projects and eventual Biological License Applications (BLAs) for wound healing products, brings more than 30 years of current Good Manufacturing Practice and current Good Tissue Practice (cGMP/cGTP) experience to his new role. He also will provide expert support in quality assurance, quality control and quality engineering. During his career, Rogers has held positions of increasing responsibility at leading global pharmaceutical companies that include Glaxo, Bayer, Wyeth Vaccines, and Eli Lilly. Before joining Merakris, he was Chief Qualty and Regulatory Officer at Arizona-headquartered human cellular and tissue-based products company, Surgenex. He also worked at Georgia-based biomedical company MiMedx for eight years, where he contributed directly to that companys dramatic sales growth.



Rogers holds a chemistry degree from North Carolina State University and an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. We are delighted that Dr. Ilagan and Mark have joined our team at Merakris, said company CEO Chris Broderick. This is a crucial period in our companys growth and development. They add a tremendous level of new product development and regulatory experience that well need to satisfy evolving US Food and Drug Administration regulations around the creation and oversight of regenerative medicines.

As our clinical trial program moves into its later stages, Broderick added, the experience of Dr. Ilagan and Mark will be vital to our goal of becoming a leader in regenerative medicine. About Merakris Therapeutics Merakris, founded in 2016, has as its mission to improve global patient outcomes through regenerative biotechnologies. The company is positioning itself to offer a first-in-class subcutaneous (below the skin) drug for venous leg ulcers and is evaluating other types of chronic wound therapies as well. Its products include: Dermacyte  Amniotic Wound Care Liquid, a cell-free amniotic injection that is being developed under Merakris Investigational New Drug (IND) program for wound healing.





Amniotic Wound Care Liquid, a cell-free amniotic injection that is being developed under Merakris Investigational New Drug (IND) program for wound healing. Dermacyte  Matrix, a human amniotic membrane tissue allograft that provides a protective covering for skin wounds and surgical sites.





Matrix, a human amniotic membrane tissue allograft that provides a protective covering for skin wounds and surgical sites. Opticyte Matrix, which creates an ophthalmic barrier to the corneal surface of the eye and can be used with various ocular procedures.

Merakris also has a growing patent portfolio focused on personalized wound healing and tissue regeneration to address the unique needs of individual patients. In addition, it distributes amniotic tissue-based ophthalmic and wound covering products. The company is conducting a multicenter clinical trial using Dermacyte Liquid to treat non-healing venous stasis ulcers of the lower extremity that havent responded effectively to standard wound care treatments. The product is a cell-free amniotic therapy that works by stimulating skin cell migration and activating gene expression pathways that promote wound healing. Merakris Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. These statements include projections and estimates regarding the marketing and other potential of Merakris products, or regarding potential future revenues from any such product. Forward-looking statements are generally identified by the words "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "plans" and similar expressions. Although Merakris management believes that any forward-looking statements in this press release are reasonable, investors are cautioned that forward-looking information and statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of Merakris, that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the forward-looking information and statements. These risks and uncertainties include among other things, unexpected regulatory actions or delays, or government regulation generally, that could affect the availability or commercial potential of the product, the fact that product may not be commercially successful, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including future clinical data and analysis of existing clinical data relating to the product, including post marketing, unexpected safety, quality or manufacturing issues, competition in general, risks associated with intellectual property and any related future litigation and the ultimate outcome of such litigation, and volatile economic and market conditions may have on us, our customers, suppliers, vendors, and other business partners, and the financial condition of any one of them, as well as on our employees and advisors and on the global economy as a whole.

Bryant Haskins Otter Creek Communications [email protected] (c) 973 590 9537

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[August 15, 2023] AI Chatbots, Frauds and Scams: Buckingham Advisors Provides 5 Tips to Mitigate Risk Tweet

Plus: In addition to working to protect clients, Buckingham Big Hearts gives back to the community DAYTON, Ohio, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Financial services companies and individuals are at risk of losing data with AI chatbots, and becoming victims of frauds and scams including email phishing, counterfeit text messages, and imposter calls. In response to these threats, Buckingham Advisors, an Ohio-based independent financial advisory firm that provides investment management, financial planning, tax, and business services, has identified 5 tips for helping financial services companies protect their data, their firms and their clients from these threats. "Use these tips to protect your firm, data and clients from AI threats, frauds and scams." Tip #1: Be Aware of the Potential for Data Loss with ChatGPT and other AI chatbots When using ChatGPT and other AI chatbots be aware that the information you are entering has the potential for escape and misuse. Protect your data, company and clients by not entering proprietary information into AI chatbots. Corporate users have found risk in secure data escaping and being stored as part of the AI infrastructure. For example, according to Robert Lamos, contributing writer for Dark Reading, an executive cut and pasted the firm's 2023 strategy document into ChatGPT and asked it to create a PowerPoint presentation. In another case, a doctor input his patient's name, and their medical condition and asked ChatGPT to craft a letter to the patient's insurance company. Since the data they entered is stored for learning within ChatGPT, these users risk their data being given to another user based on their query. Karla Grossenbacher, a partner at the law firm Seyfarth Shaw, provides this warning: "Prudent employers will include  in employee confidentiality agreements and policies  prohibitions on employees referring to or entering confidential, proprietary, or trade secret information into AI chatbots or language models, such as ChatGPT. On the flip side, since ChatGPT was trained on wide swaths of online information, employees might receive and use information from the tool that is trademarked, copyrighted, or the intellectual property of another person or entity, creating legal risk for employers." Tip #2: Avoid Being a Victim of Email Phishing To avoid being a victim of email phishing, learn how to identify whether an email is legitimate or not. Follow these steps to identify whether an email is legitimate or not: Look at the sender. If the email doesn't match the name or the company, it is most likely a scam.

Examine the subject line. One example is if the subject line has only a transaction code. That is not common. If you ordered something, it should have the company name within the subject line or an order confirmation. If you did not order anything from a company there is a good chance this is fraud . To verify, you can find the official company website online and contact their customer service.

. To verify, you can find the official company website online and contact their customer service. See who the email is addressed to. If it is addressed to your email handle or to "dear client" it is most likely a scam.

What is highlighted and shown the most? It is very likely a phone number. The scammers want you to call and give them all your information. If you are skeptical and have questions, go to the official company website and call their phone number.

Check the grammar and spelling. Legitimate company emails will have proper grammar and no spelling or spacing errors.

Look at the company loo. Is it the correct logo for the company? Is it blurry? Is it included in the email signature? If not, it is most likely a scam email.



Tip #3: Identify if a Text Message is Counterfeit Know how to determine if a text message is counterfeit to avoid the danger of financial fraud, identify theft, or hacking. While just receiving a spam text is an annoyance, replying or engaging with one in any way can put you in serious danger of financial fraud, identity theft, or hacking. Here are things to look for:

Check the grammar and spacing. As with email, in a text message legitimate companies will use proper grammar and correct spelling. Scammers won't. Look at the sender. If the email doesn't match the name or the company it is most likely a scam.

Does the text message mention a card number? Most financial institutions will not include a card number in the text.

Look at the website: Is it a redirected website? What this means is it has the company/financial institution name in the link but the actual website is somewhere else. Do not click this link. Call the company if you are concerned from their official website.

Does the text use scare tactics? For example "Call NOW." Legitimate financial institutions and companies will not try to panic you about something. This is a way to scare you so you don't see the other signs.

Is there even a company name in the text? If not, assume it is a fraud message.

message. If you do receive a fraud message, copy the message and report it to the Federal Trade Commission fraud number at 7726 (SPAM). This will help your wireless provider spot and block similar messages. Tip #4: Learn How to Recognize Imposter Calls Here are some of the most common imposter calls to watch for: Don't be fooled by calls from the IRS. The IRS will not call you unless you have already been in contact with them regarding an issue that you have discussed with them before.

Watch out for calls claiming that your child or grandchild is in jail, needs money for bond, and asks for a cashier's check to be mailed. These calls typically target elderly parents and grandparents with children and grandchildren out of town.

Look out for calls claiming that you have WON! These calls will tell you that you have won the lottery but need to pay some money in taxes via cashier's check or gift cards to receive your winnings. Tip #5: Watch for Other Forms of Fraud There are many forms of fraud. Here are tips that will help protect you from frauds and scams in general: Register on the national do not call list.

Be cautious of how you answer the phone. If you answer a phone number that you do not recognize, answer as "Hello." If they ask is this "John Doe" DO NOT REPLY YES. Respond with another question. Sometimes they want to get a voice recording of your voice saying yes or no so they can impersonate you to get access to your information.

In general, if you don't recognize the number, don't answer. If it is an important call, the caller will leave a voicemail message.

If you receive a call from a "bank/credit card company" tell the "rep" before you give them any information that you will call the phone number on their website and discuss with the next rep available. If they start to get aggressive, hang up the phone.

In general, don't give out your personal information over the phone unless you know who is on the other line. And do not give out personal information over email or text.

Utilize a credit card for purchases to help prevent debit card scanning. If you use a debit card, use your PIN at checkouts as this is what helps keep your information private.

Monitor your bank accounts weekly.

Change your passwords every six months. BUCKINGHAM ADVISORS  THE COMPANY WITH A HEART In addition to proactively working to protect their clients, Buckingham Advisors has a history of giving back to the Ohio communities they serve through quarterly community service activities. "Buckingham Big Hearts" is the in-house charitable giving committee of Buckingham Advisors, founded by employees to provide group opportunities for philanthropic involvement in the communities they serve. Here are the firm's current and future community service activities for 2023. Current Community Project: Lights of Hope with the American Cancer Society  Cancer Action Network Buckingham Big Hearts is currently supporting the Lights of Hope event for the American Cancer Society - Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) for a second year in a row. With help from volunteers across the country, 55,000 Lights of Hope bags will be dedicated and displayed in honor of those who have been touched by cancer and remembering those lost. Buckingham Advisors' bags will be displayed in Troy, Springfield and Austin Landing in Ohio, and travel to Washington D.C. as part of the National Ceremony. Funds raised through Lights of Hope enables ACS CAN to continue its mission to make fighting cancer a national priority. Upcoming Community Projects in 2023 3rd Quarter Project  Westerville Area Resource Ministry (September): This will be an in-person volunteer event involving members from all four Buckingham office locations. Employees will be traveling to Columbus, Ohio, to help WARM's Share Bac A Pac program where they will sort and pack meals for children and students in need in the Westerville community. WARM's Share Bac A Pac program provides healthy foods and snacks to children who are at risk of hunger on weekends and school breaks when free and reduced meals are not available. 4th Quarter Project  Toys for Tots (November / December): Big Hearts will be collecting new, unwrapped toys for the Toys for Tots Drive. This will run from late October through the first week of December. In addition to donations from employees, the invitation to participate is extended to Buckingham's clients. The company has had wonderful client participation in past years. All donations will be given to less fortunate children in Dayton and Miami Valley communities. ABOUT BUCKINGHAM ADVISORS Ohio-based Buckingham Advisors is a unique team of professionals that work together to create professional and personal financial success for their clients. Buckingham's professionals are fiduciaries, putting their clients' needs ahead of their own. The company's core purpose is to improve the lives of clients by providing clarity, simplicity, and the professional expertise of Buckingham's financial planners, investment professionals, tax strategists and accounting team. Buckingham specializes in aligning the solutions clients need to help them achieve the best possible financial and life outcomes. The firm offers personal and business financial solutions, providing one team for all their clients' financial needs. A complimentary, initial consultation is available for prospective clients (no cost or obligation). For more information visit MyBuckingham.com. CONTACT:

Grace Vogelzang or Corrine Smith

Impact Communications, Inc.

913-649-5009

[email protected]

[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ai-chatbots-frauds-and-scams-buckingham-advisors-provides-5-tips-to-mitigate-risk-301900240.html SOURCE Buckingham Advisors

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The MolinaCares Accord Invests Over $1 Million to Improve Community Health Through Its Vision for Virginia Initiative

The MolinaCares Accord ("MolinaCares"), in collaboration with Molina Healthcare of Virginia ("Molina"), is announcing its Vision for Virginia initiative with an initial investment of over $1 million to improve health outcomes and build stronger communities.

"Every Virginia citizen should have access to the health resources needed to thrive," said Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources John Littel. "I applaud MolinaCares' efforts to expand upon the work of this administration and to provide support to communities in need."

Virginians continue to face significant health care challenges, including high rates of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. Some regions across the state, including southwest Virginia counties and Petersburg, show poor health care outcomes due to lack of access and funding for essential programs.

"Supporting local organizations that directly serve the commonwealth and play an instrumental role in improving the health and well-being of our residents is vital to Molina," said Darrin Johnson, plan president of Molina Healthcare of Virginia. "We are honored to advance the work of our local community partners through this initiative."

The MolinaCares Vision for Virginia supports more than 30 organizations dedicated to improving the health of underserved populations across the commonwealth with a focus on access to care, health-related social needs, behavioral health, food security, as well as maternal and child health.

Organizations and initiatives include:







Molina previously announced its MolinaCares Partnership for Petersburg initiative with an early investment of over $430,000 to improve access to care and community health for the city of Petersburg.

Learn more about the community-based organizations supported by MolinaCares here.

About The MolinaCares Accord:

Established by Molina Healthcare, Inc., The MolinaCares Accord oversees a community investment platform created to improve the health and well-being of disadvantaged populations by funding meaningful, measurable, and innovative programs and solutions that improve health, life, and living in local communities.

About Molina Healthcare of Virginia:

Molina Healthcare of Virginia has been providing government-funded, quality health care since 2017. The Company serves members through Medicare and Health Insurance Marketplace programs throughout Virginia. Molina Healthcare, Inc., a FORTUNE 500 company, provides managed healthcare services under the Medicaid and Medicare programs and through the state insurance marketplaces. Molina Healthcare served approximately 5.2 million members as of June 30, 2023, located across 19 states. For more information about Molina Healthcare, please visit molinahealthcare.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815073052/en/
[August 15, 2023] RTI Awarded $1.25M Defense Research Contract to Develop Data-Centric Threat Detection Capabilities for Real-Time Networks Tweet

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Real-Time Innovations (RTI) , the largest software framework company for autonomous systems, today announced that it has been selected by AFWERX for a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract in the amount of $1.25M focused on enhancing RTI Connext  to address the most pressing challenges in the Department of the Air Force (DAF). RTI will focus on exploring semantic level information, uniquely accessible within the OMG Data Distribution Service (DDS) communications protocol, to construct an accurate understanding of data movement and activities within a running network. This will provide a faster and more accurate threat and anomaly detection capability, enabling more effective and targeted responses to cyber-attacks, equipment failures, and human error. With the ever-increasing cyber threats to defense and industrial networks, RTI believes that this research is vital to leveraging the power of data-centric networking to build more secure systems, said Dr. Paul Pazandak, Director of Research at RTI. This additional funding will allow us to explore advanced concepts in three-dimensional visualization of distributed systems, and semantic level threat analysis and response frameworks. We are building upon our existing research activities in artificial intelligence, machine learning, cyber model-based systems engineering and data-centric security. This work will benefit both commercial and defense market sectors, and we look forward to working with the government on this effort. The Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the SBIR and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) process by accelerating the small business experience through faster proposal to award timelines, changing the pool of potential applicants by expanding opportuniies to small businesses and eliminating bureaucratic overhead by continually implementing process improvement changes in contract execution. The DAF began offering the Open Topic SBIR/STTR program in 2018 which expanded the range of innovations the DAF funded, and from here on out, RTI will start its journey to create and provide innovative capabilities that will strengthen the national defense of the United States of America.



To learn more about RTI's advanced research activities, please visit the RTI website . About RTI

Real-Time Innovations (RTI) is the largest software framework company for autonomous systems. RTI Connext is the worlds leading architecture for developing intelligent distributed systems. Uniquely, Connext shares data directly, connecting AI algorithms to real-time networks of devices to build autonomous systems.

RTI is the best in the world at ensuring our customers success in deploying production systems. With over 2,000 designs, RTI software runs over 250 autonomous vehicle programs, controls the largest power plants in North America, coordinates combat management on U.S. Navy ships, drives a new generation of medical robotics, enables flying cars, and provides 24/7 intelligence for hospital and emergency medicine. RTI runs a smarter world. RTI is the leading vendor of products compliant with the Object Management Group (OMG) Data Distribution Service (DDS) standard. RTI is privately held and headquartered in Sunnyvale, California with regional offices in Colorado, Spain, and Singapore. Download a free 30-day trial of the latest, fully-functional Connext software today: www.rti.com/downloads About Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)

Sole organization leading the planning and execution of U.S. Air Force & U.S. Space Force science & technology programs. Orchestrates a world-wide government, industry & academia coalition in the discovery, development & delivery of a wide range of revolutionary technology. Provides leading-edge warfighting capabilities keeping air, space and cyberspace forces the world's best. Employs 10,800 military, civilian and contractor personnel at 17 research sites executing an annual $4B budget. For more information, visit: www.afresearchlab.com . About AFWERX

The innovation arm of the DAF and a directorate within AFRL. Brings cutting-edge American ingenuity from small businesses and start-ups to address the most pressing challenges of the DAF. Employs approximately 215 military, civilian and contractor personnel at five hubs and sites executing an annual $1.4B budget. Since 2019, has executed 4,671 contracts worth more than $2B to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and drive faster technology transition to operational capability. For more information, visit: www.afwerx.com . The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government. Media Contacts:

Madeline Kalicka

Karbo Communications for RTI

240-427-8961

[email protected] Tiffany Yang

Public Relations, RTI

[email protected]



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[August 15, 2023] QuestionPro Announces New Version of its 360 Development Feedback Platform Tweet

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- QuestionPro , a global leader in online survey and research services has launched a new version of its 360 development platform to help companies more effectively run their 360s and develop their leaders.

Because 360-degree feedback has high visibility inside of the company, particularly with executives and high potentials, QuestionPro made sure that the technology is highly customizable and agile, with upwards of 20 configuration settings on how organizations can set up the process. For example, those participating in the program can log into a proprietary portal where they can nominate their evaluators, complete self-evaluations and provide feedback to others as well. In the same portal, the subjects managers can take actions such as make any adjustments to nominated raters and review reports before their direct reports receive them. Because of the high level of configurability, the new technology can suit the needs of any organization who wants to make 360-degree feedback a part of their leadership development process. This degree of flexibility particularly empowers consultancies to be able to scale and grow their business by leveraging QuestionPro technology to power their proprietary 360 feedback models and be able to effectively personalize it for each of their clients. This agility and high degree of customization makes it easy to transfer over from a previously used technology, and further improve their client experience by increasing the amount of engagement, or the number of people completing the surveys, because they can either take them from the portal or directly from their email, whatever suits them he best. This increased engagement has helped QuestionPros consulting clients both expand inside their current customer base, as well as win new business.



While our 360-degree feedback platform has been helping customers deliver effective leadership evaluations and development programs for nearly a decade now, we saw an opportunity to further leverage technology, AI, as well as a comprehensive set of learnings from experience with thousands of users to create what we believe is the most impactful 360-degree feedback platform on the market today, said Sanja Licina, Ph.D., President of QuestionPro Workforce. The Talent Strategy group has been using QuestionPros 360-degree feedback platform to power their OPTM360 product for the past three years. They specifically have benefitted from Custom 360 subject reports, single sign on for portal access, and multilingual survey and portal capabilities, leading to a significant growth in their business.

We developed the OPTM360 to make behavior change faster, easier and excuse-free, said Marc Effron, President of the Talent Strategy Group. To be able to most effectively deliver on our philosophy, we needed a technology that was reliable and could adapt to our model, and QuestionPro as a partner has delivered in these areas. QuestionPro also goes beyond technology to truly partner with clients to help them implement and run effective 360 development programs inside their organizations and with their clients. Beth Ann Murray, Director of the OPTM360, said, "I can always depend on the support provided by the QuestionPro Team; I feel they are an integral part of my team, caring for my clients as if they were their own. The dedicated customer support is familiar, friendly, and accessible and truly helps me meet the needs of my customers." More information about the new 360-degree feedback platform, as well as how to book a live demo, please visit https://www.questionpro.com/workforce/360-feedback/ . About QuestionPro

Founded in 2006, QuestionPro is a global provider of online survey and research services that help companies make better decisions through data. Our fully integrated online platform includes surveys, research & insights, customer experience (CX) and workforce/employee experience software. We additionally offer polling, journey mapping, employee 360s, and data visualization. Our clientele ranges from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies, who rely on us for insights about customers, employees, and the marketplace. With offices in the US, Mexico, Europe, Canada, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, and India, our customers have 24/7 access to highly trained support specialists and engineers. More information is available at www.questionpro.com . A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c9e075b8-d0c7-415a-8c38-c691c98d131f

Media Contact John Williams, Scoville PR for QuestionPro 206.660.5503, [email protected]

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[August 15, 2023] OX Security Receives Strategic Investment from IBM Ventures to Supercharge Software Supply Chain Security Tweet

TEL AVIV, Israel, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- OX Security , the leading software supply chain security solution and founding member of the Open Software Supply Chain Attack Reference (OSC&R), announced today that it received an investment from IBM, the leading hybrid cloud and AI company and the parent company of Red Hat, the world's leading provider of enterprise open source solutions. The investment represents the companies' intent to collaborate on expanding the frontiers of software supply chain security and create value for developers of cloud-native solutions. OX, an Israeli startup established in 2021, is building the first holistic software supply chain security solution - going beyond the CI/CD or SDLC and providing visibility, automation and risk insights from Code-to-Cloud-to-Code. Through a combination of best practices from risk management and cybersecurity and a fantastic user experience, OX makes software supply chain security processes effortless for security teams to manage and easy for developers to adopt. Standardized to the OSC&R framework, OX also provides the continuity and cohesiveness that many security strategies are often lacking. "This investment from IBM is proof that OX's holistic security solution for today's modern software supply chains is the right solution at the right time," said Neatsun Ziv, Co-founder and CEO of OX Security. "We look forward to working closely with IBM and the team at Red Hat, helping their enterprise customers bake security into product development - ensuring the integrity of every software build, remediating critical risks quickly and releasing secure products with confidence." "IBM has been contributing to open source ecosystems for over 20 years," said Professor Yaron Wolfsthal, Head of IBM's Security Center of Excellence in Israel. "With over 75% of applications consisting of open source code, it is critical that organizations be able to determine the trustworthiness of the dependencies, tools and infrastrucure used in every project. OX's holistic approach and its thought leadership in standardizing software supply chain risks represents our commitment to help organizations improve the security of the open source ecosystem," he continued.



"With IBM's investment in OX, we continue to emphasize the importance of software supply chain security as a key part of cloud-era application development," said Ben Daniels, Partner at IBM Ventures. OX Security demonstrated the company's solution, running as a Red Hat OpenShift operator, this August at Black Hat 2023 in Las Vegas. OX Security and IBM say they will collaborate to help advance the successful adoption of DevSecOps practices. With this investment, IBM joins existing investors who participated in OX Security's $34M seed round announced in September 2022.

ABOUT OX SECURITY At OX, we believe that security should be an integral part of the software development process, not an afterthought. Through a combination of best practices from risk management and cybersecurity and a fantastic user experience, OX makes software supply chain security processes continuous - from design to production - and easy for developers to adopt. Founded by Neatsun Ziv and Lior Arzi, who previously led Check Point's Security Division, OX provides security and engineering teams with the visibility, prioritization and automated remediation they need to bring security and integrity to every step of the software supply chain and release secure products on time. Visit www.ox.security for more information. ABOUT IBM IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. More than 4,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM's hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM's breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM's legendary commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service. Visit www.ibm.com for more information. ABOUT RED HAT Red Hat is the world's leading provider of enterprise open source software solutions, using a community-powered approach to deliver reliable and high-performing Linux, hybrid cloud, container, and Kubernetes technologies. Red Hat helps customers integrate new and existing IT applications, develop cloud-native applications, standardize on our industry-leading operating system, and automate, secure, and manage complex environments. Award-winning support, training, and consulting services make Red Hat a trusted adviser to the Fortune 500. As a strategic partner to cloud providers, system integrators, application vendors, customers, and open source communities, Red Hat can help organizations prepare for the digital future. Visit www.redhat.com for more information. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ox-security-receives-strategic-investment-from-ibm-ventures-to-supercharge-software-supply-chain-security-301900930.html SOURCE Ox Security

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[August 15, 2023] Status Labs recognized as 'Masters of Online Reputation' with prestigious Netty Award Tweet

Status Labs, the premier digital reputation management firm, has been recognized for its outstanding work by the Netty Awards as the winner of the 2023 "Masters of Online Reputation" award. "The Masters of Online Reputation: How Status Labs is Leading the Way in Shaping Digital Success for Brands and Individuals" honors Status Labs' industry-leading strategies for optimizing the online reputations of Fortune 500 companies, multibillion-dollar startups, and high-profile figures worldwide. For over a decade, Status Labs has been a trusted partner of more than 1,300 organizations and individuals in over 40 countries, leveraging a unique blend of innovative tactics and proprietary technology to help clients take control of their digital identities. The Netty Awards celebrate achievements in the digital landscape, honoring top companies and leaders across more than 100 distinct categories. It sets a benchmark for excellence and is a testament to the creativity, innovation, and technical prowess demonstrated by the winners. Netty Awards recipients are selected based on a number of factors including creativity, technical proficiency, innovation and overall excellence in the respective field.



"As early pioneers in the reputation management space, it's an honor to be recognized for our dedication and success developing a unique and cutting-edge model that has served so many companies and people over more than a decade," said Darius Fisher, co-founder and CEO of Status Labs. "As we celebrate this achievement, I want to thank every one of our team members, partners, and clients around the world that have played a critical role in helping us define this category of service. We look forward to continuing to innovate and grow." Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Status Labs continues to expand its global footprint with satellite offices in New York City, Miami, Los Angeles, London, and Hamburg.

Since its launch in 2012, the company has been featured in publications such as the New York Times, New York Post, U.S. News & World Report, The Daily Beast, and more. In 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 Status Labs was among Inc. Magazine's Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in the United States. About Status Labs Status Labs is the industry leader in online reputation management. Founded in 2012, Status Labs helps companies, individuals, and institutions improve their online reputations through expert digital consulting, SEO, media relations strategy, and technology. To learn more about Status Labs, visit https://statuslabs.com/. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815128685/en/

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[August 15, 2023] PATHEOS' "100 MOST HOLY PLACES ON EARTH" RANKING REVEALS TOP 10 MOST SACRED SPACES, WITH TEMPLE MOUNT TAKING NO. 1 SPOT Tweet

Multifaith initiative celebrates sacred sites significant to multiple world religions, culminating in Temple Mount, the Great Mosque of Mecca and Mount Sinai VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Patheos, the leading online platform for exploring and understanding religion and spirituality, today announced the conclusion of its multifaith initiative titled "Sacred Spaces: The 100 Most Holy Places on Earth." Showcasing a curation of locations significant to major religions, including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism, the ranking reveals the top 10 most holy sites on Earth. The list is a comprehensive guide to the world's most sacred sites and a platform where people can learn about many religious faiths and the practices and practitioners that call each site sacred in hopes of a more unified understanding and acceptance of all faiths. "Selecting only 100 of the most holy places on Earth was the most challenging aspect of this initiative because there are so many sacred sites around the world. We could have easily included 500 additional sites filled with meaning," said Travis Henry, senior director of content at Patheos. "There truly are sacred spaces all around us, and it has been remarkable to learn how many of these sites are important to multiple faiths. We hope this ranking can serve as a library of holy sites and introduce these places to people of different faiths, fostering a continual journey to discover the diversity and significance of these locations." Temple Mout (including the Dome of the Rock) takes the No. 1 spot in the Patheos ranking. Located in Jerusalem, the Temple Mount has a rich history that spans multiple faiths. Perhaps no other sacred site in the history of the world has had such important meaning to those of such different traditions, including Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Each year, the Dome of the Rock atop the Temple Mount sees over 5,000,000 visitors who make the pilgrimage to connect with each other and their faith. Joining this sacred space in the ranking are the top 10 sites around the world, all of which are open to some degree to visitors and tell distinct histories from a variety of faith communities:



Great Mosque of Mecca : Located in the city of Mecca in southwest Saudi Arabia , this site is open exclusively to Muslims and sees over 15 million visitors annually.

: Located in the city of in southwest , this site is open exclusively to Muslims and sees over 15 million visitors annually. Mount Sinai : Located on the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt , this location is sacred in different ways to Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

: Located on the Sinai Peninsula in , this location is sacred in different ways to Christianity, Judaism and Islam. River Ganges : Flowing through many cities throughout India and Bangladesh , the river is significant primarily to Hinduism.

: Flowing through many cities throughout and , the river is significant primarily to Hinduism. Sri Harmandir Sahib  The Golden Temple : Located in Amritsar, India , this is the flagship temple of Sikhism.

: Located in Amritsar, , this is the flagship temple of Sikhism. The Mount of Olives : Located in Jerusalem, Israel , this mountain ridge is sacred to Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

: Located in , this mountain ridge is sacred to Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Church of the Holy Sepulchre : Located in Jerusalem, Israel , this church is sacred to denominations of Christianity, including Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic and others.

: Located in , this church is sacred to denominations of Christianity, including Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic and others. Sistine Chapel : Located in Vatican City , Italy , this site is considered holy in Roman Catholicism.

: Located in , , this site is considered holy in Roman Catholicism. Mahabodhi Temple : Located in the Gaya District of India , this temple is mainly significant to the Buddhist faith.

: Located in the Gaya District of , this temple is mainly significant to the Buddhist faith. The Wailing Wall: Located in Jerusalem, Israel , this site is officially an Orthodox Jewish synagogue but has significance in Christianity as well. The full ranking was assembled by combining a unique algorithm analyzing multiple data points such as online searches and real-time foot traffic and insights from religious scholars, leaders and writers from diverse faiths. Patheos worked closely with renowned world religion expert Alonzo L. Gaskill, Ph.D., to ensure an authentic and insightful exploration of each sacred location throughout the ranking. His approach considered multiple factors and parameters, including the number of faiths attributing sacred or holy status to each site. "This collection of sacred spaces represents some of the most significant holy sites throughout religions around the world," said Dr. Gaskill. "Importantly, many of these sites have significance in multiple traditionsparticularly in places like India, where Hindus, Buddhists and Jains often worship at the same sites, or the Holy Land, where Jews, Christians and Muslims each reverence many of the same sacred spaces. This ranking offers something for everyone, from the simply curious to the religiously devout."

ABOUT PATHEOS

Patheos is the premier online destination to engage in meaningful and respectful dialogue about religion and spirituality. As a platform for diverse religious perspectives, Patheos hosts an expansive library of articles, blogs, podcasts, and videos to foster understanding and promote interfaith dialogue. Patheos' mission is to provide a reliable and accessible resource for individuals seeking to explore and deepen their understanding of faith. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/patheos-100-most-holy-places-on-earth-ranking-reveals-top-10-most-sacred-spaces-with-temple-mount-taking-no-1-spot-301900668.html SOURCE Patheos

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[August 15, 2023] New Research by Pusan National University Suggests a Key Role of Ice Age Cycles in Early Human Interbreeding Tweet

BUSAN, South Korea, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In a recent study published in Science on 10 August 2023, researchers from Korea and Italy have used genetic data, supercomputer simulations of past climate, and insights obtained from paleoanthropology to answer this question by identifying habitat overlaps and contact hotspots of these early human species. Dr. Jiaoyang Ruan, Postdoctoral Researcher at IBS Center for Climate Physics (ICCP), South Korea, explains, "Little is known about when, where, and how frequently Neanderthals and Denisovans interbred throughout their shared history. As such, we tried to understand the potential for Neanderthal-Denisovan admixture using species distribution models that bring extensive fossil, archeological, and genetic data together with transient Coupled General Circulation Model simulations of global climate and biome." The researchers found that Neanderthals and Denisovans had different environmental preferences to start with. While Denisovans were much more adapted to colder environments, such as the boreal forests and the tundra region in northeastern Eurasia, their Neanderthal cousins preferred the warmer temperate forests and grasslands in the southwest. However, shifts in the Earth's orbit led to changes in climatic conditions and hence vegetation patterns. This triggered the migration of both these hominin species towards geographically overlapping habitats, thus increasing the chance of their interbreeding. The researchers further used insights gained from their analysis to determine thecontact hotspots between Neanderthals and Denisovans. They identified Central Eurasia, the Caucasus, the Tianshan, and the Changbai mountains as the likely hotspots. Identification of these habitat overlaps also helped the researchers place 'Denny' within the climatic context and even confirmed the other known episodes of genetic interbreeding. The researchers also noted that the Denisovans and Neanderthals would have had a high probability of contact in the Siberian Altai during ~ 340290, ~240190 and ~13080 thousand years ago.



To further elucidate the factors that triggered the 'east-west interbreeding seesaw,' the team examined the change in vegetation patterns over Eurasia over the past 400 thousand years. They observed that elevated atmospheric CO 2 concentrations and mild interglacial conditions caused an eastward expansion of the temperate forest into central Eurasia, and the dispersal of Neanderthals into Denisovan lands. On the contrary, lower CO 2 concentrations and corresponding harsher glacial climate potentially caused a fragmentation of their habitats, leading to lesser interactions and interbreeding events. "Pronounced climate-driven zonal shifts in the main overlap region of Denisovans and Neanderthals in central Eurasia, which can be attributed to the response of climate and vegetation to past variations in atmospheric CO 2 and northern hemisphere ice-sheet volume, influenced the timing and intensity of potential interbreeding events," remarks senior author Axel Timmermann, Director, ICCP and Professor at Pusan National University, South Korea.

In summary, the study shows that climate-mediated events have played a crucial role in facilitating gene flow among early human species and have left lasting impressions on the genomic ancestry of modern-day humans. Reference Title of original paper: Climate shifts orchestrated hominin interbreeding events across Eurasia Journal: Science DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.add4459 Corresponding author email: [email protected]; [email protected] Contact:

Jae-Eun Lee

82 51 510 7928

363758@email4pr.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-research-by-pusan-national-university-suggests-a-key-role-of-ice-age-cycles-in-early-human-interbreeding-301899959.html SOURCE Pusan National University

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[August 15, 2023] The Tokenizer to Publish Five New Asset Tokenization Reports Tweet

High-quality, free-to-download asset tokenization reports on real estate, custody, funds, bonds, and regulation in Asia and Europe are to be published by The Tokenizer in the coming months. COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Tokenizer's experts are more productive than ever in fulfilling their mission of informing a large audience worldwide about the most exciting topics within the security token space. Thus, the many readers of The Tokenizer's reports and analyses can expect publications on five new topics during the remainder of 2023. Before summer, The Tokenizer published two reports that received an overwhelmingly positive reception globally. They are still available for download: The Tokenizer's Who's Who 2023 and The Uncertain Regulatory Status of NFTs . The fiv new reports





In the coming months, The Tokenizer will publish the following five reports: Real Estate: Tokenization of Real Estate in the US

This report explores the concept of tokenization of real estate and the potential legal implications.







tokenization Regulation at a Glance - two reports

These reports deliver an overview of security token regulations across jurisdictions in Europe and Asia .

These reports deliver an overview of security token regulations across jurisdictions in and .

Regulation at a Glance - Europe (covering 26 European countries)

(covering 26 European countries)

Regulation at a Glance - Asia (covering 29 Asian counties)

(covering 29 Asian counties) Tokenization of Funds & Bonds

This report deep dive into the exciting topic of tokenizing funds and bonds, which could impact worldwide.





This report deep dive into the exciting topic of tokenizing funds and bonds, which could impact worldwide. The Security Token Custody Report

This report answers the fundamental questions about custody and the role of custodians in a security token context. It includes a step-by-step guide to how and where to safeguard security tokens and delivers a worldwide overview of custodians specialising in security tokens. Available sponsorships All reports will be financed through sponsorships and free to download for our global audience throughout the security token industry. Professional players interested in sponsorship should contact The Tokenizer for more information. Besides the five reports mentioned above, preparation for the 2024 edition of The Tokenizer's Who's Who starts in Q4. The Tokenizer is already now receiving sponsorship requests for this new edition. The Five Elements of The Tokenizer While publishing expert reports is an essential activity for The Tokenizer, it's by no means the only one. The Tokenizer's services cover five main elements: SaaS Services

Consultancy

Data & Media services

Affiliation

Investor matchmaking For a more complete description, please click here . For more information, please contact:

Tom Penn, Director

The Tokenizer A/S

[email protected]

+44 7828 998713 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-tokenizer-to-publish-five-new-asset-tokenization-reports-301900024.html SOURCE The Tokenizer A/S

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[August 15, 2023] Jobber Awards $150,000 in Grants to 25 Pros Demonstrating Excellence in Home Service Tweet

Third annual Jobber Grants program recognizes and celebrates the accomplishments of home service businesses making a difference in their communities TORONTO, Aug. 15, 2023 /CNW/ - Jobber , the leading provider of operations management software for home service businesses, today announced the 25 recipients of its $150,000 Jobber Grants program. Entrepreneurs were selected from thousands of applications and rewarded with funds ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 USD to help accelerate the growth of their home service businesses and shine a light on their community impact. "Jobber is proud to recognize and support these outstanding entrepreneurs who stand out in their home service industries while making a positive impact on the neighborhoods around them," said Sam Pillar, CEO & co-founder of Jobber. "The dedication, innovation, and hard work that defines the home service community is truly inspiring. We're honored to be a part of the stories of this year's recipients." Each year, individuals across the U.S. and Canada are selected based on tens of thousands of written submissions, followed by interviews with a Jobber judging panel. Recipients were selected from four distinct categories: Home Service Heroes who keep our homes and offices safe and running; Career Builders who help hardworking people build meaningful careers; Smooth Operators who run a smooth business for themselves and their customers; and Community Caretakers who give back to the communities where they live and work. The 2023 top grant of $15,000 was given to Mykaell Bratchett, owner of Messy Lawns, LLC, located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the Smooth Operators category. Through the use of technology and automation, Messy Lawns has decreased the time between initial contact with a homeowner and service by 50%. Bratchett has ambitious plans for continued growthand plans to use the grant to hire, advertise, and expand his shop space, as well as a dream to focus on providing employment opportunities to former convicts to combat recidivism. "I'm excited to be receiving a Jobber Grant that will allow me to fulfill my goals of growing my business and making a greater impact in my community," said Bratchett. "This grant will go a long way in allowing me to invest in upgraded equipment, hire and train more staff to serve our growing customer base, and mentor those who might want to start their own lawn care businesses one day. I'm very grateful for Jobber and the work that they do to support small businesses like Messy Lawns.



Alexia Halliday, founder of Nice & Neat Homes, which provides professional home organization services in Salt Lake City, Utah, received a $10,000 Jobber Grant in the Career Builders category. Halliday has built her team from two to almost 20 in the last three years while creating job opportunities for stay-at-home moms who left careers to raise their families. "The Jobber Grant will help us achieve our goals of transitioning our independent contractors to employees so we can offer them additional benefits, purchasing a larger cargo van, and enabling us to lease a new business space," explained Halliday. "We are passionate about the work we do, customers we serve, and making sure our employees are well taken care of. We're grateful to Jobber for not only making our lives easier with their software but also accelerating our success with this grant."

The 2023 Jobber Grant recipients are: Career Builders: Alexia Halliday , Nice & Neat Homes ( Salt Lake City, Utah )

, Nice & Neat Homes ( ) Raquel Lindsay , Sparkle & Shine Cleaning Services of West MI, LLC ( Grand Rapids, Michigan )

, Sparkle & Shine Cleaning Services of West MI, LLC ( ) Leah Gittings , Leah's Painting Service, LLC ( Perryville, Maryland )

, Leah's Painting Service, LLC ( ) Edson Hilaire , EH Electric and HVAC ( Waltham, Massachusetts )

, EH Electric and HVAC ( ) Patrick Cotroneo , Qualified Cleaning Service of Florida LLC ( Winter Haven, Florida )

, Qualified Cleaning Service of Florida LLC ( ) Jason Savagaeu, Current Electric Systems ( Plymouth, Minnesota )

) Nicky Dunbar , Foster Trees , LLC ( Portland, Oregon ) Community Caretakers: Matt & Madi Mistvotai, The Fresh Force ( St. George, Utah )

) Muriel Olivares & Tiffany Noe, Little River Cooperative ( Miami, Florida )

& Tiffany Noe, Little River Cooperative ( ) Michael Mehta & Alex Mehta , Mehta Brothers Limited ( Ajax, Ontario )

& , Mehta Brothers Limited ( ) Randy Dallaire , DallAire Heating and Cooling ( Davison, Michigan ) Home Service Heroes: Ray Raines , Ray's Luxury Car Care ( Lithonia, Georgia )

, Ray's Luxury Car Care ( ) Crystal Medina , VCM Essentials, LLC ( Eufaula, Alabama )

, VCM Essentials, LLC ( ) Gerard Fournier , For Trees Company Limited ( Didsbury, Alberta )

, For Trees Company Limited ( ) Nathan & Kristy Nelson , Freedom Landscaping and Plowing ( North Pole, Alaska )

, Freedom Landscaping and Plowing ( ) Becky Andrews , Busy B's Landscape Care, LLC ( Mazomanie, Wisconsin )

, Busy B's Landscape Care, LLC ( ) Alex Lopez , A1Repairman, LLC ( Chicago, Illinois ) Smooth Operators: Gabriel & Tifiny Rubalcaba , Phx Solar Gleam N Clean ( Phoenix, Arizona )

, Phx Solar Gleam N Clean ( ) Alex Purdy & Zac Hyman , Carolina Terrain, LLC ( Waxhaw, North Carolina )

& , Carolina Terrain, LLC ( ) Davy Oliverio, Justin Blussick & Sam White , Totally Squared Renovations, LLC ( Washington , Pennsylvania )

& , Totally Squared Renovations, LLC ( , ) Chase & Katy Creason , Chase Plumbing ( Philomath, Oregon )

, Chase Plumbing ( ) Ramiz Charagh, Prime Power Washing ( Burnaby, British Columbia )

) Zachary Tucker , Phillips Pool Service , Inc. ( Tampa, Florida )

, , Inc. ( ) Ben Sharpe , Junk B Gone ( Seattle, Washington )

, Junk B Gone ( ) Mykaell Bratchett, Messy Lawns, LLC ( Milwaukee, Wisconsin ) To date, Jobber has awarded 80 small home service businesses with grants totalling $450K USD. To learn more about this year's Jobber Grants recipients visit: https://jobber.com/grants About Jobber Jobber is an award-winning operations management platform for small home service businesses. Unlike spreadsheets or pen and paper, Jobber keeps track of everything in one place and automates day-to-day operations, so small businesses can run smoothly and provide five-star service at scale. Jobber is used by more than 200,000 home service professionals to serve over 27 million properties in more than 60 countries. The company continually ranks as one of Canada's fastest-growing and most innovative companies by Canadian Business and Macleans, The Globe and Mail, Fast Company, and Deloitte. For more information, visit: https://jobber.com/ . Media contacts Travis Van Horn

PAN Communications for Jobber

[email protected]

+1 202-840-2286 Elana Ziluk

Senior Public Relations Manager, Jobber

[email protected]

+1 416-317-2633 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jobber-awards-150-000-in-grants-to-25-pros-demonstrating-excellence-in-home-service-301898942.html SOURCE Jobber

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[August 15, 2023] GoDaddy Studio Adds AI-Powered Instant Video Capabilities, Helping Entrepreneurs Quickly Create Engaging Videos to Grow their Businesses Tweet

TEMPE, Ariz., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ask any entrepreneur and they will tell you that running a small business is time-consuming, but of all the things owners do, posting to social media and creating content is one of the hardest. That's why GoDaddy (NYSE: GDDY) is introducing Instant Video to help small business owners become confident content creators. Instant Video is a new AI-powered feature within the GoDaddy Studio app that can quickly and easily meet the growing need for video-based digital marketing and social commerce, all at no additional cost. GoDaddy Studio already provides all of the resources entrepreneurs need to create beautifully designed content for websites, social media, marketing and more. With thousands of templates to choose from, small business owners can create branded and professional assets for use across their social platforms, website, and email marketing to drive customer engagement and sales. "Branded video marketing is key to standing out online and GoDaddy Studio's AI-powered Instant Video makes it easy for small business owners to create social media and video content quickly, without the need to be tech-savvy," said Laka Sriram, Vice President of Product Management for GoDaddy. "By using the latest technology, entrepreneurs will now be better equipped to maximize social media platforms' algorithms, which favors videos, and increase engagement to grow their business." With the addition of AI, GoDaddy Studio customers will now be able to choose the most relevant video style and create and post watermark-free, influencer-quality videos, acting as the perfect companion for social media promotion, product demos, tutorial videos, and more. The app also uses AI to auto-generate slogans based on the video clips or images users upload. No pior design experience is required, with tools available for seamless plug-in of both entrepreneur-owned video and photos, along with content available in GoDaddy Studio's built-in library. Exporting the video is simple and can be done directly from the Instant Video editor.



Creators can produce videos that convey their unique brand personality by using royalty-free music through a partnership with Melodie  meaning all music available within GoDaddy Studio is created by small, independent artists and supports musicians around the world. Also new within GoDaddy Studio: Entrepreneurs looking to expand their online presence can now purchase a domain name directly within the app and add a free version of Website Builder, and have the ability to upgrade to a matching email address.

GoDaddy Studio PRO users will have additional access to stock photos and videos within the GoDaddy Studio library. Entrepreneurs are encouraged to experiment with included licensed music and pre-designed transitions, adding brand logos, colors, and fonts alongside millions of available graphics and stickers to heighten social media engagement. GoDaddy Studio's new features are available now exclusively in the GoDaddy Studio app for iOS and Android . To start making your own Instant Videos, download GoDaddy Studio today. You can also learn more here . To see the latest AI innovations from GoDaddy and how AI can help your business, visit www.godaddy.ai . About GoDaddy

GoDaddy helps millions of entrepreneurs globally start, grow, and scale their businesses. People come to GoDaddy to name their idea, build a professional website, attract customers, sell their products and services, and accept payments online and in-person. GoDaddy's easy-to-use tools help microbusiness owners manage everything in one place and its expert guides are available to provide assistance 24/7. To learn more about the company, visit www.GoDaddy.com . Source: GoDaddy Inc. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/godaddy-studio-adds-ai-powered-instant-video-capabilities-helping-entrepreneurs-quickly-create-engaging-videos-to-grow-their-businesses-301900794.html SOURCE GoDaddy Inc.

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[August 15, 2023] Matera Brings AI to Instant Payments, Acquires Brazilian AI Leader Cinnecta Tweet

Matera, maker of world-class instant payments, QR code and digital ledger technology, today announced its strategic acquisition of Cinnecta, a leading-edge AI company renowned for its solutions in customer retention, loyalty and enhancing digital experiences. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815724090/en/ Matera, a leader in instant payments, has acquired Brazilian AI pioneer Cinnecta to enhance customer retention and transaction volumes, paving the way for tailored financial solutions and expanded banking innovation. (Graphic: Business Wire) The acquisition underpins Matera's mission to provide clients with unmatched value, especially in critical domains such as client retention and expanding transaction volumes. By aligning forces, Matera and Cinnecta will enable clients to enhance their sales capabilities by delivering intelligent, actionable insights. With meaningful data, clients can offer their customers a broader range of products and services tailored to their needs, precisely when they need them. Why Cinnecta As AI explodes across industries and product offerings, often without true substantiation, Matera has diligently ensured the authenticity of Cinnecta's AI capabilities. Matera identified Cinnecta as the genuine AI solutin provider that aligns with the company's vision after a meticulous year-long search. With guidance from MIT Ph.D. consultants, Matera is confident that this union is strategic, impactful and devoid of empty promises.



"Matera is at the forefront of fostering the expansion of Pix in Brazil, enhancing the financial ecosystem with innovation and synergy. We are now poised to enable our clients to add significant value to Pix transactions by seamlessly connecting our retail banks, which manage over 60 million accounts, with other clients offering merchant services," said Carlos Netto, Matera's Co-Founder and CEO. "This integration aims to not only increase transaction volumes but also foster client retention and augment their business potential around Pix. With the strategic support of Cinnecta, Matera is fully equipped to implement this visionary approach, elevating our commitment to drive growth and excellence in the financial sector." At the heart of Cinnecta's success is its stellar team, recognized as the "Best Place to Work" in its state and fifth in Brazil. Matera aims to harness this distinction and set new benchmarks in organizational excellence.

Cinnecta is based in Belo Horizonte, often regarded as Brazil's AI Valley. It is the same place where Google anchored its roots in Brazil through an acquisition that led to a pivotal R&D center. Charting the Future of Fintech Innovation Cinnecta will be at the epicenter for AI solutions development, complementing Matera's suite of offerings. The combined company will be able to innovate on a new scale to provide unparalleled client experiences. Its transformative banking solutions can pave the way for an intelligently connected financial future. "We are fully aligned with Matera's vision for payments and banking technology in Brazil and its US expansion," said Cinnecta Co-founder and CEO Eduardo Ferreira. "This is an incredibly exciting time to join the company, with Matera pushing into new territories. This represents an opportunity to apply our technology to transform an industry." Terms of the deal were not disclosed, and existing customer relationships will not change, as they will be served through Matera. With Matera and Cinnecta currently sharing many of the same clients, the companies will ensure a seamless integration. Learn more at www.matera.com. About Matera With over 30 years of experience, Matera has proven technology, deep fintech expertise, is a trusted partner and is known as a pioneer. Matera's Core banking and Pix instant payments solutions are used by 2 out of the top 3 global banks, 3 of the top 10 U.S. banks and 1/3rd of all banks in Brazil. Over 300 million Pix instant payments are processed per month using Matera's solution and 60 million of those are initiated by QR codes. Matera is also known for collaborating to launch innovative fintech applications that generate new revenue streams for their clients. With operations in both Brazil and the U.S., Matera has nearly 1,000 employees worldwide. About Cinnecta Cinnecta is a data intelligence company specialized in understanding customer behavior to identify opportunities to increase LTV (lifetime value). Its platform transforms the way businesses assess customers possibilities to expand profitability and loyalty: campaign recommendations, next best offer (NBO), credit analysis, upsell, cross-sell and churn prediction. The company has been awarded as 5th best company to work for in the national ranking - Great Place to Work for companies with up to 99 employees. It also occupies the 3rd position in a category that recognizes Open Innovation initiatives. Learn more at www.cinnecta.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815724090/en/

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[August 15, 2023] Vector E-Mobility Portfolio Supports NACS in Development and Operation Tweet

NOVI, Mich., Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vector Informatik now offers full functionality according to the North American Charging Standard (NACS) that many vehicle manufacturers will use. Vehicle manufacturers and their suppliers, as well as charging station manufacturers, must take the NACS standard into account from the development and test phase through to production and operation. Vector already offers a wide range of products that are compliant with the NACS standard.

The NACS standard is currently being standardized by SAE in SAE J3400. NACS describes the charging socket, connector and communication protocols. AC and DC charging use the same power and communication pins. Communication for AC charging follows SAE J1772, while DC charging uses the DIN SPEC 70121 communication protocol. Plug and Charge (PnC) according to ISO 15118-2 is also possible. Vector already offers a broad portfolio of charging products complying with global standards according to SAE J1772, SAE J2847/2, ISO 15118-2/-20, IEC 61851, DIN SPEC 70121, CHAdeMO, GB/T 27930. Thus, the following Vector products are immediately NACS compatible without any further updates: the embedded software products MICROSAR.CHARGE and vSECClib, the charge controller family vSECC, as well as the testing tools CANoe.SmartCharging, CANoe Test Package EV, CANoe Test Package EVSE, VH5110A and the VT7870/VT7970/VT7971 modules. For customers using project-specific Vector e-mobility test systems, an adaption of the physical interfaces to the NACS specifications by Vector is necessary. More information at: www.vector.com/eMobility



Click here for image.

Caption: Vector products for development and operation of electric vehicles and charging stations are also compatible with NACS

Image rights: Vector Informatik GmbH

Your local press contact:

Anna Barcelos

Tel. +1 401 398 7185

Fax +1 401 398 7186

E-Mail: [email protected]

Vector North America, Inc.

39500 Orchard Hill Place, Suite 500

Novi, MI 48375

www.vector.com/ You can find this and other press releases on our website at: www.vector.com/pressreleases

Vector press contacts worldwide you will find at: www.vector.com/press Vector is also active in popular social networks: www.vector.com/connect About Vector:

Vector is the leading manufacturer of software tools and embedded components for the development of electronic systems and their networking with many different systems from CAN to Automotive Ethernet. Vector has been a partner of automotive manufacturers and suppliers and related industries since 1988. Vector tools and services provide engineers and software developers with the decisive advantage to make a challenging and highly complex subject area as simple and manageable as possible. Vector employees work on electronic innovations for the automotive industry every day. Worldwide customers in the automotive, commercial vehicles, aerospace, transportation, and control technology industries rely on the solutions and products of the independent Vector Group for the development of technologies for future mobility. Vector worldwide currently employs more than 3,500 people with sales of EUR 1.06 billion in 2022. Vector is headquartered in Germany (Stuttgart) and has subsidiaries in Brazil, China, France, Great Britain, India, Italy, Japan, Austria, Romania, Sweden, South Korea, Spain and the USA.



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[August 15, 2023] Renowned International Restaurant Brand Fogo de Chao to be Acquired by Bain Capital Private Equity from Rhone Capital Tweet

Fogo de Chao ("Fogo"), the internationally renowned restaurant brand from Brazil, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Bain Capital Private Equity ("Bain Capital") to accelerate its growth and expansion. Fogo will continue to operate under its current management team, led by Chief Executive Officer Barry McGowan. Funds affiliated with Rhone Capital (together with certain of their affiliates, "Rhone") have owned Fogo since taking the company private in 2018. Financial terms of the private purchase were not disclosed. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815553060/en/ (Photo: Business Wire) Founded in Southern Brazil in 1979, Fogo elevates the centuries-old cooking technique of churrasco in 76 locations worldwide. Under Rhone's ownership, Fogo experienced rapid growth across markets and is in its third year of 15% annual growth. "Over the past several years, we made significant progress enhancing our unique offering and ability to bring the very best in experiential dining to more guests than ever before. We thank the Rhone team for their partnership during a critical and successful period in our history," said McGowan. "Bain Capital shares our vision, and we are excited to leverage their extensive experience investing in and supporting the global growth of restaurant businesses. We are excited by this next chapter and believe there is tremendous upside in our future as we continue to execute against our growth plans with Bain Capital." "Barry and his team have done an impressive job building on the brand's differentiated concept, strong value proposition, and rich Brazilian heritage. Fogo is the clear market leader, and we believe the business is poised to continue its rapid growth as consumers increasingly seek unique and authentic dining experiences," said Adam Nebesar, a Partner at Bain Capital. "We look forward to partnering with Barry andteam, and supporting them with our experience and resources to help accelerate growth while maintaining Fogo's distinctive authenticity," added Mark Saadine, a Principal at Bain Capital.



"When we took the company private in 2018, we embarked on a new chapter to refine the Fogo concept and experience. Despite the challenges the restaurant industry has faced in the last few years, we collaborated with Fogo's talented leadership team to strengthen an already exceptional business while successfully executing an ambitious expansion plan across the U.S. and internationally," said Lucas Flynn, Managing Director at Rhone. "We thank Barry and the Fogo leadership for their partnership, and we look forward to watching their continued success," added Eytan Tigay, Managing Director at Rhone. The transaction is expected to close in September and is subject to customary closing conditions, including requisite regulatory approvals. Debt financing for the transaction is being led by Deutsche Bank, who is also serving as financial advisor to Bain Capital. PwC is serving as accounting advisor, and Kirkland & Ellis is serving as legal counsel to Bain Capital.

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is serving as the exclusive financial advisor, Deloitte is serving as accounting advisor and Sullivan & Cromwell is serving as legal counsel to Fogo de Chao and Rhone. About Fogo de Chao

Fogo de Chao (fogo-dee-shown) is an internationally renowned restaurant that allows guests to discover what's next at every turn. Founded in Southern Brazil in 1979, Fogo elevates the centuries-old cooking technique of churrasco - the art of roasting high-quality cuts of meat over an open flame - into a cultural dining experience of discovery. In addition to its Market Table and Feijoada Bar - which includes seasonal salads and soup, fresh vegetables, imported charcuterie and more - guests are served simply-seasoned meats that are butchered, fire-roasted and carved tableside by gaucho chefs. Guests can also indulge in dry-aged or premium Wagyu cuts, seafood a la carte, All-Day Happy Hour including signature cocktails, and an award-winning South American wine list, as well as smaller, sharable plates in Bar Fogo. Fogo offers differentiated menus for all dayparts including lunch, dinner, weekend brunch and group dining, plus full-service catering and contactless takeout and delivery options. For locations and more information about Fogo de Chao, visit fogodechao.com. About Bain Capital Private Equity

Bain Capital Private Equity has partnered closely with management teams to provide the strategic resources that build great companies and help them thrive since its founding in 1984. Bain Capital Private Equity's global team of more than 280 investment professionals creates value for its portfolio companies through its global platform and depth of expertise in key vertical industries including healthcare, consumer/retail, financial and business services, industrials, and technology, media and telecommunications. Bain Capital has 23 offices on four continents. Since its inception, the firm has made primary or add-on investments in more than 1,150 companies. In addition to private equity, Bain Capital invests across multiple asset classes, including credit, public equity, venture capital and real estate, managing approximately $175 billion in total assets and leveraging the firm's shared platform to capture opportunities in strategic areas of focus. Bain Capital Private Equity has a long history of partnering with companies to accelerate growth, with strong experience in the consumer, retail, and restaurant industries. The firm's global restaurant and food-related investments have included Bloomin' Brands, Brakes Group Food Distribution, Burger King, Dessert Holdings, Domino's Pizza, Domino's Pizza Japan, Dunkin' Brands Group, Retail Zoo, Skylark Restaurants, and Valeo Foods. The firm has also made investments to support the growth of a number of companies founded in Brazil, some serving the domestic market and others expanding from that country to serve global markets. For more information, please visit: https://www.baincapitalprivateequity.com/. About Rhone

Rhone, established in 1996, is a global private equity firm with a focus on investments in businesses with a transatlantic presence. Rhone's investment philosophy includes the development of strong, strategic partnerships with the companies in which it invests. Rhone has a history of successful corporate carve-out transactions and working with entrepreneur and family-led businesses, and operates across its London, New York, Madrid, and Milan offices. Rhone has invested in a diversified portfolio of companies including investments in the business services, consumer, and industrial sectors. For more information about Rhone, its investment professionals, and its current portfolio, please visit: https://www.rhonegroup.com/. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815553060/en/

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[August 15, 2023] Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP Reminds Investors of Looming Deadline in the Class Action Lawsuit Against Hayward Holdings, Inc. (HAYW) Tweet

Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP ("GPM") reminds investors of the upcoming October 2, 2023 deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in the class action filed on behalf of investors who purchased or otherwise acquired Hayward Holdings, Inc. ("Hayward" or the "Company") (NYSE: HAYW) common stock between March 2, 2022 and July 27, 2022, inclusive (the "Class Period"). If you suffered a loss on your Hayward investments or would like to inquire about potentially pursuing claims to recover your loss under the federal securities laws, you can submit your contact information at www.glancylaw.com/cases/Hayward-Holdings-Inc/. You can also contact Charles H. Linehan, of GPM at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, or via email at [email protected] to learn more about your rights. On July 28, 2022, Hayward disclosed that it was expecting its channel partners to reduce its inventory on hand by approximately 4 to 6 weeks in the second half of 2022. As a result, the Company updated its full year 2022 outlook expecting net sales to decline between 2% and 6% year-over-year, compared to prior guidance expecting net sales growth btween 9% and 12% year-over-year.



On this news, the price of Hayward's stock price fell $2.50, or 17.9%, to close at $11.21 per share on July 28, 2022, thereby injuring investors. The complaint filed in this class action alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Company's business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants failed to disclose to investors: (1) that Hayward and its management had engaged in a channel-stuffing scheme designed to artificially boost Hayward's short-term sales and earnings; (2) that Hayward had flooded its channel partners with inventory that they did not want or need at a level that far outpaced then-existing consumer demand; (3) that Hayward's channel partners were suffering from an inventory glut as a result of the channel-stuffing scheme that would require a massive destocking in the second half of 2022; (4) that Hayward's channel-stuffing scheme had cannibalized future sales, materially impairing the Company's ability to sell to its customers; (5) that the demand for pool equipment had slowed down, which, combined with flooding channel partners with more inventory, led to an inventory glut and the need for these channel partners to reduce inventory levels; and (6) as a result, Defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook. If you purchased or otherwise acquired Hayward common stock during the Class Period, you may move the Court no later than October 2, 2023 to request appointment as lead plaintiff in this putative class action lawsuit. To be a member of the class action you need not take any action at this time; you may retain counsel of your choice or take no action and remain an absent member of the class action. If you wish to learn more about this class action, or if you have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to the pending class action lawsuit, please contact Charles Linehan, Esquire, of GPM, 1925 Century Park East, Suite 2100, Los Angeles, California 90067 at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, by email to [email protected], or visit our website at www.glancylaw.com. If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number and number of shares purchased. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815485606/en/

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Triple-I Joining Aug. 24 LinkedIn Audio Panel on Disaster Preparedness

In the midst of what's expected to be an "above-average" 2023 Atlantic hurricane season, the Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I) is participating in a live LinkedIn Audio event on disaster preparedness on Thursday, Aug. 24, at 11:30 a.m., EDT.

Ahead of the Storm: Disaster Prep and Recovery Chat for Small Businesses will be moderated by Armand Broady, host of the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety's (IBHS) Disaster Discussions podcast. Broady will be joined by three subject matter experts in the fields of building science, disaster preparedness, emergency management, and insurance:

Chuck Miccolis, IBHS, Managing Director, Commercial Lines

Francisco Sanchez Jr., U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) Office of Disaster Recovery & Resilience (ODR&R), Associate Administrator

Loretta Worters, Triple-I, Vice President, Media Relations

The program's focus will be on what small business owners should do to prepare their employees and properties for severe weather, what insurance coverage they ought to have, and what role the federal government can play in building resilience and speeding recovery in the wake of a natural disaster.







Five named storms have already formed in 2023, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Atlantic hurricane season, which began on June 1 and continues through Nov. 30, produced on average 14 named storms, seven hurricanes, and three major hurricanes, which are defined as storms with sustained wind speeds of Category 3 or higher, between 1991 and 2020.

This year has already been an extraordinary one for natural disasters in the U.S. Before this month's deadly wildfires in Hawaii, the continental U.S. experienced a record number of tornadoes through June 30, with several of them causing extensive property damage and fatalities across numerous Midwest and Southern states. According to NOAA, through Aug. 8, there have been 15 U.S. weather/climate disaster events this year with losses exceeding $1 billion each.

The LinkedIn Audio Event will be held only days before the start of National Preparedness Month. It is marked each September by the federal government to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies. The Ready.gov website contains content aimed specifically at preparedness planning for businesses.

RELATED LINKS:

Article: Steps for Developing a Small Business Disaster Recovery Plan

Facts & Statistics: Commercial Insurance Lines

About the Insurance Information Institute

With more than 50 insurance company members - including regional, super-regional, national, and global carriers - the Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I) is the #1 online source for insurance information in the U.S. The organization's website, blog and social media channels offer a wealth of data-driven research studies, white papers, videos, articles, infographics and other resources solely dedicated to explaining insurance and enhancing knowledge.

Unlike other sources, Triple-I's sole focus is creating and disseminating information to empower consumers. It neither lobbies nor sells insurance. Triple-I offers objective, fact-based information about insurance - information that is rooted in economic and actuarial soundness. Triple-I is affiliated with The Institutes Risk and Insurance Knowledge Group.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815872150/en/
[August 15, 2023] CalHFA Helped Create Housing Opportunities for More Than 13,000 Californians Last Fiscal Year Tweet

Using a suite of affordable housing and homeownership programs that address the diverse needs of our state, the California Housing Finance Agency in Fiscal Year 2022-23 helped 13,879 California households take steps toward housing stability and building intergenerational wealth. "Whether it is a family stabilizing their lives by finally getting an apartment with affordable rent, a first-time homebuyer achieving the dream of homeownership or the construction of an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) that adds value to a property while creating a much-needed new housing unit, CalHFA's financing is helping Californians in all walks of life," said CalHFA Executive Director Tiena Johnson Hall. This year, our flagship down payment and closing cost assistance program, MyHome, was supplemented by additional state resources that allowed CalHFA to create specialized programs to help a wider range of homebuyers. CalHFA's various down payment assistance programs helped 7,323 homebuyers access $2.8 billion in first mortgages, including teachers, social workers, nurses and single mothers like Leslie Ann, who was able to purchase a home for her and her children in Oakley, CA. "CalHFA allows so many people that otherwise would not be able to be homeowners, to be homeowners and accomplish their dreams," said Ashley Gurevich, a loan officer who assisted Leslie Ann.



Another specialized program, the Forgivable Equity Builder Loan program, provided down payment assistance of up to 10% of the purchase price to low-income homebuyers, with the assistance to be forgiven after five years. Approximately two-thirds of the 2,000 families benefiting from this program identified as Hispanic/Latino, Black/African American or Asian/Pacific Islander.

In terms of creating or preserving housing units, CalHFA provided grants for 1,902 low- and moderate-income California homeowners looking to construct ADUs, and our Multifamily Division used $1.9 billion in lending and bond issuance to help finance 4,654 units of affordable housing for families, seniors, veterans and people with special needs, including units for those at risk of experiencing homelessness. Additionally, CalHFA celebrated Homeownership Month this past June and waived the fee for more than 1,400 sessions of our homeownership counseling course. These courses are a critical part of CalHFA's proactive efforts to educate homebuyers and increase the likelihood of keeping current on their loans and avoiding defaults or foreclosures. "At CalHFA, we assist Californians across the economic and geographic spectrum," said Johnson Hall. "We look forward to continuing to promote equitable outcomes through our programs and helping thousands of additional families get the assistance they need, to navigate the housing affordability challenges in our state." The California Housing Finance Agency was created in 1975 with the goal of helping more Californians find a place to call home. CalHFA has helped more than 220,000 low- and moderate-income homebuyers with $37.5 billion in first mortgages and used $9.4 billion in financing for the construction and preservation of more than 78,000 affordable rental housing units throughout the state. CalHFA is a self-supported state agency that doesn't rely on taxpayer dollars for its operational costs but is currently administering various state and federal resources on behalf of the state through targeted programs. For more information on CalHFA programs, and how we are investing in diverse California communities, visit www.calhfa.ca.gov or call toll free at 877.9.CalHFA (877.922.5432). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815216299/en/

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[August 15, 2023] Duality Technologies joins the fight against cancer with a new secure data collaboration toolkit enabling analytics and AI on Oncological Real-World Data Tweet

Duality partnered with Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, MIT and additional leading research organizations to analyze Oncological Real-World Data while protecting privacy and confidentiality to enable safer, quicker, and more effective data collaboration in healthcare. HOBOKEN, N.J., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Several of the world's most prestigious medical research organizations have partnered with Duality Technologies , the leader in secure data collaboration for enterprises and government agencies, to deliver a major breakthrough in sharing Real-World patient data securely and efficiently to advance medical research and improve oncological patient outcomes. The ability to reliably, safely, and quickly collaborate on sensitive data enables major medical research breakthroughs. Leading medical and computer science research teams, together with Duality's experts in privacy-enhanced technologies, worked together to achieve this major innovation in the pursuit of better health care, including: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center

University of California, San Diego , CA

, CA Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing, at UC Berkeley

MIT Poor data collaboration slows down progress in oncology research

Real-world data (RWD) is routinely collected from patients and captured in electronic health records, medical claims, disease registries, and more. This data is used to generate Real-World Evidence (RWE), which is essential in the development and success of treatments. To reach sufficiently large cohorts of patients for research, and to enrich the data by linking data sets, medical centers must often collaborate with other organizations. Without guaranteed patient privacy and regulatory compliance, however, stakeholders are often reluctant to do so. This data collaboration challenge hinders progress in medical research, negatively affecting the pace at which new potentially life-saving cancer treatments are introduced to the public. More efficient, privacy-preserving healthcare collaboration is possible

The result of the joint work between Duality and its partners was recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), in a paper titled 'Collaborative Privacy-Preserving Analysis of Oncological Data using Multiparty Homomorphic Encryption'. The paper proves that secure collaboration on Real-World Data in healthcare is now feasible and efficient. By using a combination of Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs), all regulatory, computation accuracy, and performancerequirements were met. This solution developed by Duality satisfies security and privacy compliance by design, making it easier and faster to attain and analyze previously hard-to-access, but necessary, clinical and genomic RWD.



Prof. Alexander Gusev from Dana Farber Cancer Institute, commented, "Cancer research is increasingly driven by large-scale data, but the discoveries are only as good as the data we can actually use. This ability to reliably, safely, and quickly collaborate on sensitive data enables major medical research breakthroughs both for oncology and for data-driven research more broadly." Dr. Ravit Geva, deputy director of the Oncology Division and head of the Clinical Research & Innovation unit of the oncology division at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, said: "There is always a gap between promise and reality with big data. We need to be able to combine data from different centers while protecting the privacy-related interests of individuals whose data we are using and to preserve data ownership as well. Our joint study with Duality aimed and verified the accuracy of statistical oncology endpoints when done through encrypted data. The secure analysis yields accurate results compared with the currently used conventional data management and analysis methods on Collaborative Real-world Oncological analyses without revealing patients' protected health information."

Creating a data privacy platform that fights cancer

PETs are cryptographic and hardware-based tools that address data privacy challenges by enabling the analysis of sensitive data while protecting it by encryption or by hardware during the analysis.

Dr. Yuriy Polyakov, Ph.D., Vice President of Cryptography at Duality, explains, "Our toolset supports survival analyses, logistic regression training, and common descriptive statistics. Using Real-World oncological data sets, we demonstrate that the toolset achieves high accuracy and practical performance, which scales well to larger data sets. The toolset we offer is general-purpose and can be applied to other collaborative medical and healthcare application domains." The approach enables multiple new analyses of clinical and genetic data using both federated and private join modalities of collaboration. This proof marks a significant milestone in healthcare research as previous methods were found to be out of compliance while accurate, or in compliance but without the necessary accuracy for such use cases. Dr. Polyakov continues to say, "Using these advanced technologies on their own is quite complicated as it is. Overcoming technical challenges by combining these technologies will clearly have a deeply meaningful impact on the world, and I'm very proud of our team for what they have accomplished." Read the full PNAS paper here. About Duality Technologies

Duality is the leader in privacy enhanced secure data collaboration, empowering organizations worldwide to maximize the value of their data without compromising on privacy or regulatory compliance. Founded and led by world-renowned cryptographers and data scientists, Duality operationalizes privacy enhancing technologies (PETs) to accelerate data insights by enabling analysis and AI on sensitive data while protecting data privacy, compliance, and protecting valuable IP. A World Economic Forum (WEF) Tech Pioneer and a Gartner Cool Vendor, Duality is recognized by numerous industry awards, including Fast Company 2023 World Changing Ideas award, 2023 CyberTech 100 Most Innovative Companies list, 2022 CB Insights' AI 100, the 2022 RegTech 100 Awards, and the AIFinTech100 2022 Awards. Learn more. About the Partners

Since its founding in 1947, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts has been committed to providing cancer patients with the best treatment available today while developing tomorrow's cures through cutting-edge research. Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (TASMC) is a leading academic medical center in Israel with a long history of innovation in healthcare. The center is home to several world-renowned research programs, including the BRCA1/2 Hereditary Cancer Center and the Center for Personalized Medicine. TASMC is also a major clinical trial site for pharmaceutical companies and other research organizations. Read more about their efforts to accelerate breakthroughs in oncological research. CONTACT: Derek Wood, [email protected], +1 917-310-1175, [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/duality-technologies-joins-the-fight-against-cancer-with-a-new-secure-data-collaboration-toolkit-enabling-analytics-and-ai-on-oncological-real-world-data-301901187.html SOURCE Duality Technologies, Inc.

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By: Mustafa Abdelhaleem,

Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of the Sudan in Baku

The 25th of July 2023 marks the thirty-first anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between the Republic of Sudan and the Republic of Azerbaijan. This day stands every year as a witness to the growing ties between the two friendly countries in many fields, besides the convergence of positions on many regional and international issues of mutual interest.

Undoubtedly, the establishment of our diplomatic relations with Azerbaijan in 1992 established a strong base for a fruitful bilateral dialogue between Khartoum and Baku that contributed to establishing distinguished bilateral relations in both political and diplomatic aspects over the past three decades. Therefore, thanks must be given to everyone who contributed to the growth of these relations between our two countries.

In the same vein, the two successive visits of the Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs to Baku during the first half of this year, leading the Sudanese delegations to the NAM Contact Group Summit Meeting and later the NAM Ministerial Meeting, gave great impetus to the relations between the two countries, as bilateral talks were held on the margins of those events with his Azerbaijani counterpart, H.E. JeyhunBayramov, during which they appreciated the historical cooperation between the two countries as well as discussing the best ways to strengthen it in all areas of cooperation. Both Ministers stressed the importance of continuing the mutual support on international and regional platforms and within the framework of existing bilateral agreements, besides the steady political communication between the political leaderships of the two countries. It is worth mentioning that arrangements are also being made to hold political consultation meetings between the two sides shortly.

The Government of Sudan has always been keen on developing relations with Baku and forming a solid base from which bilateral cooperation in various fields stems by intensifying high-level political contacts to crystallize a mutual vision that enables the exploitation of resources in the two friendly countries to develop cooperation in the areas of trade, investment, transport, and capacity building, as well as launching Development cooperation between regions and benefiting from the rich experiences of both sides.

Finally, I seize this opportunity to reaffirm the Sudanese government's commitment to reinforce the relations between Sudan and Azerbaijan in the coming years in a way that achieves the aspirations of the two countries and enhances the cultural and religious commonalities shared by the two brotherly peoples.

Long live the Sudanese-Azerbaijani friendship!
[August 15, 2023] Tech Visionary Tim Huckaby Joins LuciHub as Chief Technology Officer Tweet

AI-focused tech expert will enhance Lucihub's video production platform and mobile app. LAS VEGAS, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Lucihub, the AI powered video production platform and mobile app, today announced the appointment of Tim Huckaby as its new Chief Technology Officer (CTO), effective immediately. Huckaby will be managing the design and implementation of AI across the Lucihub software platform. Lucihub hires former Microsoft exec as CTO. "We are thrilled to welcome Tim to the Lucihub team as our new CTO," said Amer Tayadon, CEO and founder of Lucihub. "His exceptional knowledge in AI, Computer Vision, and software architecture coupled with his remarkable accomplishments in the industry make him the perfect leader to drive Lucihub's technological advancements." Huckaby boasts an extensive and impressive technology career spanning over 35 years which includes leadership roles on server product and architecture teams at Microsoft. While at Microsoft, Tim contributed to various Microsoft Server proucts gaining valuable experience in scalable enterprise software development. He holds prestigious titles such as Microsoft Global RD and Microsoft AI MVP.



Over the course of his career, Huckaby has shared the stage with notable executives like Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer delivering numerous keynote demos. He has received multiple awards for his exceptional technical and industry presentations at prominent conferences worldwide, including CES, and consistently ranks among the top-rated speakers. Most recently, Huckaby has been speaking on the ethics of AI for various industry conferences. In addition to his speaking career, Mr. Huckaby is an accomplished writer who has authored three books and has been published in numerous magazine articles and internet publications. He collaborates directly with the Technology Press and financial analyst community contributing to technical messaging and industry comprehension.

"I am honored to join Lucihub, a company that is pushing the boundaries of technology to create innovative and user-centric solutions," said Tim Huckaby. "I look forward to collaborating with the talented team at Lucihub and leveraging my experience to drive the use of AI technology." As CTO, Huckaby will play a pivotal role in spearheading the design and integration of AI throughout the Lucihub software platform. ABOUT LUCIHUB Lucihub is an AI-powered video production platform and mobile app. Its service captures user-generated content from multiple collaborators and outputs professionally edited videos in hours not weeks. Lucihub combines technology and creativity to empower content creators to bring professional, timely content to market. Media Contact:

Yanick Dalhouse

[email protected] View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tech-visionary-tim-huckaby-joins-lucihub-as-chief-technology-officer-301901177.html SOURCE Lucihub

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[August 15, 2023] Financial Institutions Partner to Grant Nearly $4.5 Million to Idaho Nonprofits Supporting Affordable Housing, Community Development Tweet

Nearly $4.5 million has been awarded to numerous nonprofit and government agencies across Idaho to support affordable housing and community development needs. Individuals and communities will benefit from these grants via job training, down payment assistance, financial literacy, food banks, youth programs and so much more. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815059379/en/ This state-wide outreach is available through the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines (FHLB Des Moines), who has partnered with 29 member financial institutions. The Member Impact Fund (MIF) is a matching grant program designed to offer financial support for affordable housing and community development initiatives in targeted areas of the FHLB Des Moines district. The fund, which totals $15 million, is a nearly $3-to-$1 match of member donations. The program was available to member financial institutions to support eligible organizations located in Hawaii, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and the U.S. territories of Guam, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. First Interstate Bank received nearly $400,000 from the MIF and contributed more than $130,000 in additional donations to assist 35 nonprofit organizations in Idaho and Wyoming. First Interstate Director of Community Responsibility and Foundation Executive Director Amberly Pahut is thrilled with the positive impact First Interstate Bank was able to make supporting 16 Idaho organizations. "The Member Impact Fund allowed us to amplify First Interstate's efforts through philanthropy. This special program created a larger impact for our partner nonprofits." She continues, "We are committed to financially supporting and reinvesting in the places we call home through community partnerships and philanthropy. We are only as strong as the communities we serve." CDA Backpack Program is one of the organizations to receive a MIF grant through First Interstate Bank. "We are incredibly appreciative of First Interstate Bank and FHLB Des Moines's generosity and support," said Sarah Bradbury, director of CDA Backpack Program. "This donation helps us to further our mission of providing supplemental food for weekends and holiday vacations to students in the Coeur d'Alene school district whose families may be facing financial hardships. We're thankful to have dedicated partners like First Interstateand FHLB Des Moines working with us to support and strengthen our community."



The Greater Idaho Falls Police Foundation also received MIF grants totaling nearly $70,000. Three FHLB Des Moines member financial institutions - DL Evans, Glacier Bank and The Bank of Commerce - selected the Foundation, which provides local law enforcement with an extra measure of support and other resources that better protect the community. The MIF will assist the newly launched pilot program that supports local law enforcement and their families by providing funds to aid in the purchase of a home. Funds are directed to low- and moderate-income households and will be used for homebuyer education. The fund will provide down payment assistance grants in the amount of $6,500 for each qualifying officer. According to Carlin McDaniel, the Foundation's treasurer, "We are so grateful for the generous support of DL Evans, Glacier Bank, The Bank of Commerce and FHLB Des Moines. Your support allowed us to launch the program in July. We hope to continue this program well into the future and garner the support of additional partner banks in the Idaho Falls area."

Overall DL Evans received more than $406,000 from the MIF and contributed more than $174,000 in additional donations to support 12 nonprofit organizations, 10 of which are located in Idaho. DL Evans Chief Financial Officer Curtis Smith says, "The Member Impact Fund was extremely substantial and meaningful. We were able to have a greater impact on the community because of the fund." He continues, "Our relationship with FHLB Des Moines is one of the most important relationships in our entire bank. It is absolutely critical to all stakeholders including clients, communities, families, employees and the broader operation of the economy." The MIF is part of FHLB Des Moines' ongoing mission to offer a variety of funding options through its members to support affordable housing and community development needs. Kris Williams, President and CEO of FHLB Des Moines, shares, "We are thrilled to see grants from our Member Impact Fund having a direct, positive impact on the communities in which our members help advance affordable housing and community development needs in a meaningful way." Learn more about the Member Impact Fund at www.fhlbdm.com/products-services/affordable-housing/member-impact-fund. About FHLB Des Moines The Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines is deeply committed to strengthening communities, serving 13 states and three U.S Pacific territories as a member-owned cooperative. FHLB Des Moines provides funding solutions and liquidity to more than 1,200 financial institutions across its district to support mortgage lending, economic development and affordable housing in the communities served by its member financial institutions. FHLB Des Moines is one of 11 regional Banks that make up the Federal Home Loan Bank System. Members include community and commercial banks, credit unions, insurance companies, thrifts and community development financial institutions. The Des Moines Bank is wholly owned by its members and receives no taxpayer funding. About First Interstate Bank First Interstate is a community bank headquartered in Billings, Montana, delivering best-in-class banking and Wealth Management services through more than 300 offices across Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming. About DL Evans DL Evans Bank is a retail bank headquartered in Burley, Idaho. It operates 38 branches in southern Idaho and northern Utah. About CDA Backpack Country Inc. The Coeur d'Alene backpack program, which was created through Feeding America in 2010, provides weekend and holiday break meals for more than 550 students per week. About Greater Idaho Falls Police Foundation The Greater Idaho Falls Police Foundation helps to fund many programs and initiatives as well as provide training and equipment for community safety and crime prevention efforts in southeast Idaho. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815059379/en/

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[August 15, 2023] Financial Institutions Partner to Grant Nearly $8.4 Million to Utah Nonprofits Supporting Affordable Housing, Community Development Tweet

Nearly $8.4 million has been awarded to numerous nonprofit and government agencies across Utah to support affordable housing and community development needs. Individuals and communities will benefit from these grants via job training, down payment assistance, financial literacy, food banks, youth programs and so much more. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815739876/en/ This state-wide outreach is available through the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines (FHLB Des Moines), who has partnered with 27 member financial institutions. The Member Impact Fund (MIF) is a matching grant program designed to offer financial support for affordable housing and community development initiatives in targeted areas of the FHLB Des Moines district. The fund, which totals $15 million, is a nearly $3-to-$1 match of member donations. The program was available to member financial institutions to support eligible organizations located in Hawaii, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and the U.S. territories of Guam, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Bank of Utah, located in Ogden, received nearly $93,000 from the MIF and contributed more than $30,000 in additional donations to assist 12 Utah nonprofit organizations. Nathan L. DeFries, EVP, chief financial officer, says, "At Bank of Utah, we believe in contributing to the communities in which we serve. The MIF allowed us to increase our giving to benefit organizations across our entire state." He continues, "We are thrilled to be associated with FHLB Des Moines and share their mission of making a positive impact in our communities." One of the organizations to receive a MIF grant through the Bank of Utah is EnableUtah. Because the participating member financial institutions selected the nonprofit organizations to receive the grants, some nonprofits, such as EnableUtah, received grants from multiple FHLB Des Moines members. EnableUtah received grants from two local financial institutions - Bank of Utah and TAB Bank - totaling more than $33,000. EnableUtah, who serves more than 200 individuals each day, provides employment training and opportunities for adults with disabilities. The MIF grants will be used for training scholarships, skills development curriculum, expenses relate to job placement in the community and daily living skills to promote independent living. According to Gavin Hutchinson, EnableUtah president, "We appreciate the funding provided to us, and we can be depended upon to use it wisely for the greater good of those with significant challenges."



Another organization that benefited from collaboration of member financial institutions is YCC Family Crisis Center (YCC). Bank of Utah, Transportation Alliance Bank (TAB Bank) and America First Credit Union joined forces via the MIF to provide over $500,000 to assist YCC in reaching their goal to build the county's only transitional housing facility for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault allowing them to live in a safe and secure home and to help them on their journey to successfully find permanent places to live and become self-sufficient. TAB Bank received more than $120,000 from the MIF, and with their contribution of more than $40,000, were able to have a significant impact on six Utah nonprofit organizations. Compliance/CRA Manager Kenneth King says, "TAB Bank could not have made as substantial an impact without the Member Impact Fund. The surprise and gratitude expressed by each recipient was tremendous - knowing they now will have funds to improve existing facilities and provide meaningful contributions of education, goods, and services to our shared community. Without supplemental funding from the Member Impact Fund, some badly needed services may not have been realized."

The MIF is part of FHLB Des Moines' ongoing mission to offer a variety of funding options through its members to support affordable housing and community development needs. Kris Williams, President and CEO of FHLB Des Moines, shares, "We are thrilled to see grants from our Member Impact Fund having a direct, positive impact on the communities in which our members help advance affordable housing and community development needs in a meaningful way." Learn more about the Member Impact Fund at www.fhlbdm.com/products-services/affordable-housing/member-impact-fund. About FHLB Des Moines The Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines is deeply committed to strengthening communities, serving 13 states and three U.S Pacific territories as a member-owned cooperative. FHLB Des Moines provides funding solutions and liquidity to more than 1,200 financial institutions across its district to support mortgage lending, economic development and affordable housing in the communities served by its member financial institutions. FHLB Des Moines is one of 11 regional Banks that make up the Federal Home Loan Bank System. Members include community and commercial banks, credit unions, insurance companies, thrifts and community development financial institutions. The Des Moines Bank is wholly owned by its members and receives no taxpayer funding. About Bank of Utah For more than 70 years, Bank of Utah has been providing personal and business banking, mortgage and commercial lending, wealth management, and trust and investment services for thousands of customers across Utah and around the globe. Bank of Utah has grown into a financial institution that holds more than $2 billion in assets, has 400+ employees and 18 full-service branches throughout Utah, additional trust offices in Ogden and Salt Lake City, and additional mortgage offices in Logan, Price and St. George. About TAB Bank Since opening its doors in 1998, Transportation Alliance Bank, Inc. dba TAB Bank, has provided financial solutions uniquely designed to serve the needs of the underserved. TAB Bank is a technology-driven, online bank serving small businesses, families, and individuals nationwide. About Enable Utah EnableUtah is a nonprofit organization in Ogden, Utah, that helps people with disabilities and special needs find meaningful community employment since 1968. They believe in making work approachable to everyone regardless of their disability. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815739876/en/

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[August 15, 2023] Great Lakes Solex, PR LLC., a Wholly Minority-Owned Solar Energy Company, Seeks Investment in Puerto Rico as U.S. Department of Energy Announces New Funding Initiative to Bring Solar Panels to Disadvantaged Residents Tweet

CHICAGO, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of the strategy to modernize Puerto Rico's power grid, U.S. Energy Sec. Jennifer Granholm recently announced new funding initiatives aimed at bringing solar panels to disadvantaged residents of Puerto Rico. The announcement came during the Hispanics in Energy Reception in San Juan, Puerto Rico on July 31, which marked a significant step forward in addressing energy disparities and advancing clean energy accessibility for Puerto Rico residents. Executives from Great Lakes Solex PR, LLC., an Illinois, minority-owned, solar energy company were particularly keen on the announcement as the company has made a commitment to providing solar solutions to underserved communities, particularly in Puerto Rico and the U.S. mainland. "We are honored to have been part of the Hispanics in Energy Reception and to witness Secretary Granholm's announcement of new funding initiatives," stated Sam Sanchez, President and Co-Founder of Great Lakes Solex. "Our participation underscores our commitment to driving positive change through sustainable renewable energy solutions. We are excited about the prospect of contributing to Puerto Rico's renewable energy landscape." Great Lakes Solex plans to open a solar panel facility in Aguadilla, PR that will produce 6 Gigawatts of solar panels annually, create more than 800 new jobs, and partner with post-secondary education institutions to create workforce development pipeline training programs. In addition, Great Lakes Solex's leadership met with Mayor Julio Roldan Concepcion of Aguadilla to discuss the establishment of a state-of-the-art solar manufacturing facility in the municipality. The plant will blster local direct and indirect employment opportunities and also contribute significantly to the growth of renewable energy generation in the region.



Joining Great Lakes Solex in Puerto Rico was Jaime di Paulo, President and CEO of the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (IHCC). "The IHCC supports member companies such as Great Lakes that look to expand business growth and development in Puerto Rico," stated di Paulo. "IHCC will actively seek to identify other Illinois-based companies that may be ripe for business opportunities on the island and look forward to hosting Mayor Roldan Concepcion in Chicago in the coming weeks."

Great Lakes Solex has also strategically partnered with Invest Puerto Rico (IPR), the island's business attraction organization. IPR helps companies interested in getting established on the island by assisting them in navigating incentives, connecting them to resources for real estate selection and access to talent, and providing introductions to key stakeholders like sector experts and industry associations. With the support of Hispanics in Energy, the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and Invest Puerto Rico, Great Lakes Solex will continue to innovate and collaborate toward a cleaner and more inclusive energy future. The company remains steadfast in its dedication to creating lasting impacts in communities and driving progress in the realm of solar energy. About Great Lakes Solex PR, LLC. Great Lakes Solex is a leading sustainable energy solutions provider specializing in solar technology and innovation. With a mission to promote accessibility to clean energy and contribute to a more sustainable future, Great Lakes Solex is committed to driving positive change in communities and advancing renewable energy infrastructure. About Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce IHCC's mission is to cultivate knowledge, connections, and collaboration to effect transformational social change and achieve sustainable economic impact through entrepreneurship. IHCC is a community of business owners, entrepreneurs, and professionals with a membership base of over 100,000. We are committed to helping entrepreneurs grow by equipping them with the tools and resources they need to be competitive in today's economy. About Invest Puerto Rico Invest Puerto Rico is the economic development organization created by law with the purpose of promoting Puerto Rico abroad as a competitive jurisdiction for investment, focused on attracting new businesses and capital to foster economic growth on the Island. Our vision is to be an entity focused on results that accelerates Puerto Rico's transformation and generates more and better jobs on the island. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/great-lakes-solex-pr-llc-a-wholly-minority-owned-solar-energy-company-seeks-investment-in-puerto-rico-as-us-department-of-energy-announces-new-funding-initiative-to-bring-solar-panels-to-disadvantaged-residents-301901381.html SOURCE Great Lakes Solex PR, LLC.

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[August 15, 2023] For the 3rd Time, Embark Safety Makes the Inc. 5000 List Tweet

Embark Safety made the list of the fastest-growing privately-held companies in America for the third time with a spot on the 2023 INC5000 List. A leader in the Driver Record Monitoring space, the company achieved a 140% three-year revenue growth to make this year's list. Each year, Inc. Magazine determines America's most successful and rapidly growing organizations to be recognized on the list. Businesses were ranked according to percentage revenue growth between 2019 and 2022. To be eligible, the companies must be privately owned and based in the United States. This year, Embark Safety ranked No. 3,527 on the overall list and No.425 for the fastest growing software companies. Companies such as Facebook, Chobani, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia and other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees. "We are proud to be recognized on the Inc. 5000 list for the third time, an honor that exemplifies our company's continued growth and relevance in the market," said Edwin Sosa, President, and Founder of Embark Safety. "Our team is truly passionate about providing organizations the best technology to keep unfit drivers off the roads." The Inc. 5000 class of 2023 represents companies that have driven rapid revenue growth while navigating inflatioary pressure, the rising costs of capital, and seemingly intractable hiring challenges.



"Running a business has only gotten harder since the end of the pandemic," says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. "To make the Inc. 5000-with the fast growth that requires-is truly an accomplishment." Since its founding in 2010, Embark Safety has seen sustained growth, with headquarters in Orlando, Florida. The Software as a Service (SaaS) company provides valuable risk management services to companies of all sizes and across all industries that have employees who drive as part of their job.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000 can be found at inc.com/inc5000. More About Embark Safety Embark Safety's innovative technology monitors employees' driving records continuously and sends clients near real-time notifications when new changes occur, such as violations, suspensions, and accidents. This service helps companies across all industries to reduce accident risk, avoid litigation, and improve public safety. Headquartered in Orlando, Fl, Embark Safety is a proud SaaS provider to more than 1,000 companies across the country and Canada. For more information about Embark Safety's innovative technology, visit www.embarksafety.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815101461/en/

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Motorola Solutions announced it expanded its Next Generation Core Services (NGCS) portfolio with a new CommandCentral Router, an innovative cloud-based 911 call routing platform.

This move represents one of the industry's earliest forays into cloud-driven emergency call routing. It aligns with the National Emergency Number Association's (NENA) i3 standards and seamlessly integrates with all of Motorola (News - Alert) Solutions' emergency call management offerings.







Perhaps the biggest benefit of the new offering is that it delivers robust and dependable 911 call routing capabilities to public safety answering points (PSAPs) via the cloud.

By aligning with NENA's i3 standards, it ensures compatibility and adherence to established industry benchmarks. Also, its integration with Motorola Solutions' existing emergency call management suite provides a comprehensive ecosystem for effective emergency response coordination and allowing for quicker and more accurate call routing.

Our customers want choice in their 911 call routing to best meet their unique needs, said Dan Twohig, vice president of NGCS at Motorola Solutions. CommandCentral Router offers agencies the benefits of our traditional data center-based call routing solution via a multi-cloud software-as-a-service offering, delivering the scalability and mission-critical performance our customers expect.

Motorola Solutions' advanced 911 call routing solutions serve around 45 million individuals through various North American agencies. Berkeley County, West Virginia, is among the notable early adopters.

At Berkeley County, we pride ourselves on adopting new technology as a means for better serving our community, said Gary A. Wine, Berkeley County Administrator. Our team fields hundreds of emergency and non-emergency calls daily and Motorola Solutions cloud-based CommandCentral Router will give us the confidence that those calls will be routed without disruption or delay.

Edited by Greg Tavarez
Everybody wants a piece of this story from a safe distance.

Sorry . . . But from our vantage . . . This deets of a small town Kansas newspaper raid have already become tiresome until they (likely) confirm that the entire hot mess isn't a fight for the Constitution, free speech and your grandpa's farm but, more likely, just a grudge match over some Karen and her driver's license.

Still . . .This once again reminds us that not everybody in a small town is as nice as we'd like to imagine.

Another brief aside here that's not worth a headline . . .

This story worked out really bad for The Star.

The initial reporting was performed by a non-profit outlet and amid the ruckus it seems like the newspaper is just watching from afar like most of us.

And so we start with a dead-tree breathy statement that kinda seems like a poor facsimile of the initial debate in much the same way that middle-class white ladies are still trying to recapture the magic of Sex & The City now that dating apps & passport bros have helped to level the playing field.

Here's the word . . .



We were shocked with outrage upon hearing the news and set out to criticize the police actions while asking for swift follow-up from the state legislative and judicial levels.



We ended the editorial with a promise: In the meantime, The Wichita Eagle and The Kansas City Star stand ready to assist the Record in any way we can.



A police raid on a newspaper is unusual . . . It calls to question First Amendment rights.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Why The KC Star and Wichita Eagle denounced Kansas newspaper police raid together | Opinion The editorial boards operate independently, but spoke in unison on the importance of the First Amendment and free press in Marion, Kansas.

This federal law protects journalists from raids like the one in Marion, Kansas | Opinion After the Zurcher v. Stanford Daily case, Congress gave journalists a form of privacy protection denied to them by the Supreme Court.

Related reading . . .

Gov. Laura Kelly discusses police raid on Marion County Record, newspaper in central Kansas Gov. Kelly spoke about to KMBC about the matter on Monday.

A newspaper raid in Kansas did not stop the presses, but did start scrutiny of local police As the nation learns more about the raid of the Marion County Record, staffers at the publication keep working while advocates for press freedom offer support and demand answers from the local police.

Surveillance video shows police seizing items from Kansas newspaper office Surveillance video obtained Monday by the KSHB 41 I-Team shows members of the Marion, Kansas, Police Department seizing computer equipment from the offices of the Marion County Record.

Police raided a small-town Kansas newspaper and its publisher's home. Here's what we know Police raided the offices of the Marion County Record and the home of its publisher in an unprecedented and potentially illegal move that is being called a violation of First Amendment rights.

Marion County District Court says warrant affidavit 'just being put into the system'; public access pending As reports circulate involving details of a law enforcement raid on the newsroom of the Marion County Record in south-central Kansas, additional questions have popped up.

First Amendment experts say police raid of Kansas newsroom was likely 'illegal' Law enforcement officers raided the office of the Marion County Record newspaper and a journalist's home. First Amendment experts are calling it a likely violation of federal law, and an "abuse of power."

EXPLAINER: Why is a police raid on a newspaper in central Kansas so unusual? The Marion Police Department took computers and cellphones from the office of the Marion County Record newspaper on Friday.

Journalism organization offers $20,000 to defend Kansas newspaper in wake of police raid, seizures The Society of Professional Journalists offered $20,000 to legal defense of the Marion County Record, which was raided by local law enforcement Friday based on allegations the newspaper engaged in identity theft to secure information about a local merchant's drunken driving conviction. The newspaper says the information was legally obtained and the police search was illegal.

Police raid on Marion County newspaper raises First and Fourth Amendment concerns - The Sentinel Kansas Justice Institute's Sam MacRoberts says the seizure at the Marion Recorder is unjustified based on what he has read so far.

Raided Marion County newspaper claims raid contributed to death of editor and promises lawsuit The raid has made national and international news and has been widely condemned by First Amendment advocates.

'Tactics of a totalitarian regime': Kansas newspaper publisher discusses police raid A raid on a small town newspaper office in central Kansas has generated international attention.

KBI asked to join investigation of allegations against local newspaper The Marion Police Department and the Marion County Attorney have asked that the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) join an investigation into alleged illegal access and dissemination of confidential

Rural Kansas police raid newspaper office amid rampant 'anti-press rhetoric' Several press freedom watchdogs condemned the Marion Police Department's actions as a blatant violation of the U.S. Constitution's protection for a free press.

Developing . . .
For close readers we share a few more news items related to scams, traffic trouble, tragedy and aftermath charges amid ALLEGED misdeeds . . .



Check TKC news gathering . . .

KC man charged in deadly shooting at Office Depot parking lot in Midtown Jackson County prosecutors charge a 38-year-old man in connection to a deadly shooting that took place at the Office Depot parking lot in Midtown.

Evergy alerts customers of scam taking personal, credit card information Evergy is alerting customers of a scam targeting those trying to "establish service or pay their Evergy bill."

Kansas City police looking for help identifying two SUVs in hit-and-run The Kansas City Police Department is searching for the drivers of two SUVs after a hit-and-run on Troost Avenue near 77th Street on Aug. 8.

Kansas Highway Patrol searching for driver in deadly hit-and-run crash The Kansas Highway Patrol is asking for help identifying a driver who struck and killed pedestrian in a hit-and-run crash over the weekend.

7 year-old KCMO boy killed in wrong-way crash on I-70 A 7-year-old Kansas City, Missouri boy was killed in a wrong-way crash on I-70 and a driver has been charged.

Leavenworth chase suspect dies following police shooting in Platte County A suspect critically injured after a Leavenworth police shooting in Platte County last week has died from his injuries.

177th Entrant Officer Class Graduates Before family and friends, the recruits (now officers) culminated their seven months of training. Earlier in the day, the officers received their badges and were sworn in by Chief Stacey Graves.

Developing . ..
Right now international model, author & biz lady Emrata inspires our glimpse at pop culture, community news and top headlines.



Check TKC news gathering . . .

Soggy Summer Aftermath

Kansas City sees record-breaking rainfall on Sunday With 2.91 inches of rain measured Sunday, Kansas City broke the previous daily precipitation record for Aug. 13 set back in 2005.

Today's Blaze

KCFD gets house fire under control in the 4300 block of Paseo Blvd. Crews are currently in salvage and overhaul operations

Cowtown Telework Consequnces

Two WeWork spaces in KC could take a hit from coworking company's 'substantial' business doubts - Kansas City Business Journal WeWork Inc. has two coworking spaces in greater Downtown, totaling 145,000 square feet and representing the company's two current locations in Missouri and Kansas. With WeWork expressing "substantial doubts" about its ability to remain a "going concern," any collapse could affect the area's office market.

Traffic Trouble Tonight

KCK police: 5 injured in crash on 18th Street Expressway between Kansas Avenue, Metropolitan A three-vehicle accident closed a portion of southbound 18th Street Expressway in Kansas City, Kansas.

Local Inferno Testimony

Raymore native among thousands displaced by Maui wildfires Justin and Monica Wilfong and daughter Emma lived about a block from the coast in the town of Lahaina hit hardest by these wildfires.

Merch Sneak Peek . . .

Emily Ratajkowski shows off her curves as she models sexy cream bikini Emily Ratajkowski showed off her stunning bikini body in a new series of Instagram pictures on Monday.

White House Giveaway Winning

Biden's plan to forgive student debt for over 800,000 borrowers upheld by judge The decision marks a win for student loan borrowers and for President Biden.

MAGA INDICTMENT REDUX!!!

Trump, 18 others indicted for trying to overthrow 2020 Georgia election A Fulton County grand jury on Tuesday charged former President Donald Trump and 17 others with racketeering and other charges related to the Republican's attempt to reverse Georgia's 2020 election results.

First Son Accountability?!?

Hunter Biden lawyers demand DOJ honor part of plea deal The plea deal hit a snag during a court hearing last month.

War In Europe Worsens

Ukraine Says It Stopped Air Attacks on Odesa, While British and Dutch Jets Go After Russian Bombers Russia launched three waves of drones and missiles against the southern Ukraine port city of Odesa, officials said Monday, though the Ukrainian air force said it intercepted all the airborne weapons fired during the nighttime attacks.

Far East FAIL Takes Hold

China cuts key rates as industrial output, retail sales growth miss forecasts China's July industrial output and retail sales growth slowed and undershot forecasts, adding to a raft of recent weak data, suggesting policymakers may need to step up support measures to shore up a faltering economy.

Sordid Deets ALMOST Make Nasty Rash Seem Worthwhile

I went to a sex resort. Yes, I'll tell you about it. What happens at sex resorts? Beth Ashley went to Hedonism II in Negril, Jamaica, and shared what happened at the sex retreat.

Home Team Gets Luck. Again.

Royals win wild walkoff against the Mariners, 7-6 This game had everything

Talking Other People's Tragedy Pays Off For These Local Ladies

Let's Go to Court hosts keep their crime podcast unique in a crowded genre Kristin Caruso and Brandi Pond. // Courtesy of Kristin Caruso Picture this: It's 2018 and best friends Kristin Caruso and Brandi Pond have decided to do something productive with their constant research about true crime and court cases. The solution? Start a podcast.

Forecast For Now . . .

Kansas City will be clear and cool through the night Kansas City will be clear and cool through the night

And this is the OPEN THREAD for right now.
An outpouring of public support concluded with burial rights today. Here's one of the most important passages we read and wanted to share . . .



Fairway Chief of Police J.P. Thurlo was among the last to speak at Oswald's funeral service. The police chief fought through tears at times to deliver his remarks.



Thurlo described the incredible bravery and dedication to his duty during the deadly incident that resulted in Oswald's death.



"They went all the way to the door. They knew evil was behind it. Then they did their duty without hesitation to protect the community," Thurlo said of the officers who responded to the police pursuit and shootout at a Mission, Kansas, Quiktrip.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

Funeral held for Fairway Officer Jonah Oswald Fallen Fairway, Kansas Police Officer Jonah Oswald is being remembered at a funeral on Monday. FOX4 is livestreaming the service at 11 am

'Brave, selfless, honorable': Funeral speakers remember Fairway Ofc. Jonah Oswald "We long for life the way it was, but then you realize that this is real - life has changed," said Westside Family Church Pastor Brad Norman, who opened fallen Fairway Ofc. Jonah Oswald's funeral.

'Jonah, you did good': Fairway police chief recalls final moments with fallen officer The police chief was emotional as he fought through tears to deliver remarks at officer Jonah Oswald's funeral Monday

Bagpipers honor slain Fairway Ofc. Jonah Oswald after funeral service Near the end of Monday's funeral for slain Fairway Ofc. Jonah Oswald, the sound of bagpipes filled the air.

WATCH LIVE: Funeral for fallen Fairway police Ofc. Jonah Oswald His funeral has been scheduled for 11 a.m. at the Westside Family Church in Lenexa.

Officer Jonah Oswald's funeral: How you can help The Kansas City community is set to gather Monday in a remembrance of fallen Fairway police officer Jonah Oswald.

Listen: Last radio call sounds for fallen Fairway Officer Jonah Oswald Fallen Fairway Officer Jonah Oswald's funeral was held Monday, and afterward a dispatcher shared his last call, marking his end of watch.

Developing . . .
The UNWTO Agenda for Africa has been adapted. Our vision for African tourism is also one of strong governance, more education and more and better jobs

Tourism leaders from across Africa have met to rethink and realign the sectors role as a driver of development and opportunity across the region.

At the 66th meeting of the UNWTO Regional Commission for Africa, Member States joined representatives from international organizations and the private sector to focus on opportunities around tourism jobs and investments while also recognizing the vital need to address challenges including the climate crisis.

Tourism in Africa: Bouncing Back

According to the latest UNWTO data, tourism across Africa is returning to strength following the unprecedented crisis caused by the pandemic:

International arrivals across Africa were back to 88% of pre-pandemic levels at the end of the first quarter of this year.

At the sub-regional level, North Africa is performing particularly strongly. Here, arrivals were actually 4% higher than the pre-pandemic levels of 2019 in the same period.

Globally international tourism receipts reached USD 1 billion in 2022, a 50% growth in real terms compared to 2021. Among African destinations with available data, Morocco and Mauritius notably exceeded their 2019 tourism receipts in the first quarter of 2023.

Welcoming delegates, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: "The UNWTO Agenda for Africa has been adapted. Our vision for African tourism is also one of strong governance, more education, and more and better jobs. To achieve it, we aim to promote innovation, advocate for Brand Africa, facilitate travel, and unlock growth through investment and public-private partnerships.

Members meet in Mauritius

UNWTO welcomed delegations from 33 countries, including 22 Ministers of Tourism, two Deputy Ministers, and four Ambassadors to the meeting, the most important annual event for the region's Member States.

Reflecting the high level of political support for the event, and for UNWTO's mission to guide tourism development across Africa, the meeting welcomed the attendance of the Prime Minister Republic of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, as well as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Housing and Land Use Planning, Minister of Tourism, Republic of Mauritius, and Vice-Chair of the UNWTO Executive Council Steven Obeegadoo. Also in attendance were the African Union Commissioner for Trade and Development, Albert Muchanga, the Secretary-General of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe, the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Patricia Scotland KC, Special Advisor to the UNWTO Secretary-General Lai Mohammed, UN Resident Coordinator for Mauritius and Seychelles Lisa S. Singh, the Resident Representative of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Amanda Seumaga, and representatives from the African Development Bank, the World Bank, and from IFEMA and the Tui Care Foundation.

Members were provided with an overview of UNWTO's achievements over the past year, with a particular focus on core priorities for tourism in Africa:

Tourism Investments: UNWTO presented a new set of Investment Guidelines for Mauritius, designed to connected investors with tourism projects in the country. The Guidelines follow on from similar publications focused on Tanzania, with editions for Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, and Zambia in development. UNWTO has also held two Tourism Investment Forums in Africa.

Gender Equality and Youth Empowerment: With tourism recognized for its unique ability to drive gender equality and empower African youth, Members were advised on the progress of the UNWTO Women in Tourism Leadership for Africa Committee, and the Organization's focus on education and training. Key achievements include the Travel Hospitality and Tourism Education Summit (Zambia, May 2023) and plans to open an International Academy in Nigeria.

Advocating for 'Brand Africa': Members were provided with an update on UNWTO's work to empower African tourism professionals to take charge of the narrative, including through two editions of the Brand Africa Think Tank Dialogue and plans for a UNWTO Media Training Workshop.

In close collaboration with its Member States from across the region, UNWTO has also updated its Agenda for Africa  Tourism for Inclusive Growth. The revised roadmap reflects the new challenges of post-pandemic tourism and the priorities outlined by Members.

Tourism addresses climate action

UNWTO continues to lead tourism's shift to greater sustainability, recognizing the impact of extreme weather events, including the potential for heat waves to cut off the lifeline the sector offers for destinations worldwide. In Mauritius, Members were given an update on UNWTO's work around sustainability, most notably its leadership of the One Planet Tourism Network and the progress of the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism.

Tourism for rural development

Against the backdrop of the Regional Commission meeting, Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili enjoyed an official visit to Le Morne, recognized by UNWTO as one of its Best Tourism Villages. The Mauritian village of Old Grand Port was also awarded the accolade.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations, Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons License: CC-BY-SA Copyright: NorthTension
Andrew Palamarchuk is a reporter with Metroland Media Toronto and toronto.com. He has been covering the crime beat since 2002 and has a passion for giving a voice to those affected by tragedy and looking at societal issues that may have contributed to it.
Rent prices in North York and Etobicoke as well as Scarborough up year-over-year
Mohamed-Aslim Zafis was stabbed outside the International Muslim Organization mosque in Rexdale on Sept. 12, 2020. - Toronto Police Service photo
Canadian Immigrant magazine has named Sam Primucci, founder and CEO of Pizza Nova, its 2023 Entrepreneur of the Year and one of its 2023 Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award recipients. Pizza Nova is celebrating its 60th year in business in 2023. The family-owned company has more than 150 Pizza Nova stores across southern Ontario. - Montana Steele photo
When the sandwich generation gets squeezed, who knows what theyll do next? A Toronto summer of discontent never looked so funny
Caribbean Airlines has put passengers on notice for disruptions and or delays in their fligh
By Jeff Murphy, August 14, 2023



The Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Higginsville is part of a federal grant-funded project that will involve research documenting the life stories of underrpresented veterans.





WARRENSBURG, MO  Within a half-hour drive of the University of Central Missouri, rows of neatly-placed headstones line the Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Higginsville honoring individuals who served in the United States military. With only small bits of information etched into each of the hundreds of gray granite monuments that dot this vast burial ground, the life stories of many underrepresented World War II veterans mostly remain untold. This will soon change, however, thanks to a $399,000 Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Cemetery Administration (NCA) grant that will also cover project work at Fort Scott National Cemetery in Fort Scott, Kansas.



UCM Professor of History Jon Taylor, Ph.D., is guiding the Veteran Voices of the Heartland pilot project, which begins this month and continues through September 2024 in cooperation with the Midwest Genealogy Center (MGC) at the Mid-Continent Public Library in Independence, Missouri, and the Greater Kansas City Writing Project. UCM History and Instructional Technology graduate students and a number of Missouri and Kansas educators and students in grades seven through 12 also will be involved in various aspects of the project as it moves forward. Lauren Hays, Ph.D., associate professor of instructional technology at UCM, and Katie Kline, director of the Greater Kansas City Writing Project, serve as co-principal investigators on the project. Hays will direct UCM students as they use digital technology to capture images of the cemeteries and headstones in Higginsville. Kline will coordinate a one-day spring professional development seminar for secondary teachers in Fort Scott and a summer institute for secondary teachers.



This is the first time Veterans Legacy Grants Program (VLGP) has awarded funds for such a project at either of these cemeteries, according to the VA. The VLGP is intended to support educational institutions and other eligible entities to conduct cemetery research and produce educational tools for the public to utilize and learn about the histories of veterans interred in VA national cemeteries and VA grant-funded State and Tribal Veterans cemeteries.



Taylor said it is known that African American and Indigenous individuals are interred at Fort Scott where the project focus will be on documenting information about Civil War veterans. The emphasis at the Higginsville location will be on underrepresented veterans who served the United States in World War II.



Primarily in the fall, graduate students will identify specific veterans in cemeteries in Higginsville and Fort Scott and begin to craft biographies about these individuals, Taylor said, adding that these soldiers are yet to be identified.



He noted Fort Scott National Cemetery already has a list of Civil War veterans, including Buffalo Soldiers and indigenous soldiers who served in the Civil War era or on the Great Plains. While the Missouri Veterans Cemetery offers good opportunities to do research on much more recent service members, a lot of work still must be done to cultivate information into biographies for all of the military veterans whose stories will be documented. This will be a very challenging task with a lot of moving parts, Taylor said.



Most people may think this is relatively easy to find out, but its not, he noted in talking about the documentation process. The headstones only give you a certain amount of information. They also (veterans) were not buried in a systematic way.



One of the key elements of this project is to make available to the public digital biographies, which Taylor hopes to eventually share along with information about state cemeteries on the Historic Missouri website, available through a free app.



Once biographies are written, the research that went into producing them will help provide a foundation in which the UCM team will work with the Midwest Genealogy Center to draft a handbook for 7-12 teachers to use in their classrooms. This will serve as a tool to provide information about how to conduct primary and secondary research on veterans and convert it into meaningful biographies, according to the grant proposal.



In spring 2024, UCM will work in partnership with MGC to host a one-day workshop in Fort Scott, where the handbook will be debuted to teachers to learn more about steps for completing veteran biographies.



A summer institute hosted by MGC follows in Independence. This event engages middle and high school teachers in opportunities to gain hands-on experience conducting research about a veteran interred at one of the cemeteries in Fort Scott and Higginsville. Offering a wide range of professional development opportunities for teachers, the Greater Kansas City Writing Project (GKCWP) also will be involved in this effort. Teachers who participate will complete a series of lesson plans related to researching and writing about veterans.



Taylor worked with UCMs Office of Sponsored Programs and Research Integrity to successfully apply for federal funds in support of Veteran Voices of the Heartland. This effort also will include participation from students and faculty members in the universitys Department of Educational Technology and Library Science, and additional support provided by KMOS-TV, the universitys public broadcasting station.



Individuals who want to know more about Veteran Voices of the Heartland are welcome to contact Taylor at jtaylor01@ucmo.edu.
From February 24, 2022 to August 14, 2023, the Armed Forces of Ukraine eliminated about 254,380 Russian military personnel, including 530 soldiers over the past day.

This is stated in the report by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine published on Facebook.

Moreover, the Ukrainian troops destroyed 4,306 (+8 over the past day) enemy tanks, 8,354 (+19) armored combat vehicles, 5,099 (+27) artillery systems, 714 (+1) MLRS, 479 (+2) air defense systems, 315 aircraft, 313 helicopters, 4,213 (+9) operational-tactical UAVs, 1,379 cruise missiles, 18 ships/boats, 7,562 (+19) vehicles and fuel tanks, 766 (+6) special equipment units.

The data are updated.

As reported, around 05:00 on August 14, in Bakhmut direction, an anti-aircraft missile unit of the Air Force destroyed an enemy helicopter (the type is being specified).
In Dnipro, Russian missiles targeted an industrial enterprise, where a fire broke out and a person was injured. Missile hits were also recorded in Dnipro and Lviv regions.

Thats according to Ukrinform.

Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi reports that the invaders targeted the city in the early hours of Tuesday.

"We have hits here in Lviv. Unfortunately, private residences have also been affected. The relevant services are already on their way to the scene," the report says.

The head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration, Maksym Kozytskyi, also reported the strikes in Lviv region, noting that he would later share the details.

Read also: Pentagon reveals details of new military aid package for Ukraine

Meanwhile, in Dnipro, at 4:20, one of the local enterprises was attacked, Serhiy Lysak, the head of the Regional Military Administration, reported this on social media. According to him, a person sustained injuries.

Lutsk Mayor Ihor Polishchuk says t one of the industrial enterprises in the city was hit, adding that casualties were reported.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, an air raid alert went off throughout Ukraine overnight Tuesday after Russia launched cruise missiles from the Caspian Sea region.
The situation of Kerch Strait Bridge currently symbolizes the general state of modern-day Russia.

Thats according to Dmytro Pletenchuk, the spokesman for the Ukrainian Navy, who spoke on the air of the national telethon, answering questions about the current condition of the Kerch Strait Bridge that connects mainland Russia with occupied Crimea, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"The bridge generally symbolizes the state of today's Russia. A solid smoke screen," he said.

According to him, the Russians are now so concerned about the further fate of this illegal extension, trying to preserve their symbol of the Crimea occupation and their geopolitical demands, that they are ready to deploy in the Kerch Strait everything they have.

Read also: Smokescreen visible on Crimean Bridge following explosions

"However, now its motorway part operates in reverse mode due to the damage sustained. The railway part operates on a more or less regular basis as far as we know today. But we cannot say that it works at full capacity," informed Pletenchuk.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky said the bridge illegally erected by Russia across the Kerch Strait should be destroyed, as it is an enemy object built beyond the framework of international law.

On the night of July 17, one of the sections of the Kerch Strait Bridge collapsed following an explosion.

In this regard, the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraines Defense Ministry quoted their director, Kyrylo Budanov, as saying that the Kerch Strait Bridge is an unnecessary structure.
Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale armed invasion of Ukraine, 502 children have been killed and 1,098 injured in the country.

More than 1,600 children in Ukraine have suffered from the full-scale armed aggression of the Russian Federation. As of the morning of August 15, 2023, according to the official information provided by juvenile prosecutors, 502 children were killed and more than 1,098 received injuries of various degrees of severity, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office posted on Telegram.

It is noted that these figures are not final, as work is underway in the areas of active hostilities, in the temporarily occupied and liberated territories.

Most children were affected in Donetsk region - 485, Kharkiv region - 299, Kyiv region - 129, Kherson region - 120, Zaporizhzhia region  99, Mykolaiv region - 97, Dnipropetrovsk region  94, Chernihiv region  71, and Luhansk region  67.

On August 14, a 14-year-old teenager was injured in enemy shelling of the village of Buhaivka, Chuhuiv district, Kharkiv region.

As Ukrinform reported, a local resident and a family with two children were killed in Shyroka Balka by Russian artillery shelling.
Sweden plans a new military support package to Ukraine worth 3.4 billion crowns ($313.5 million), consisting mainly of ammunition and spare parts to previously delivered weapon systems.

This was stated on Tuesday by Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson, Ukrinform reported citing Reuters.

"We have to prepare ourselves for the fact this could be a long-lasting war and we also have a long-term perspective so that we can support those platforms that we are sending to Ukraine in a lasting manner," Jonson told a news conference.

The new military aid package will be Sweden's 13th to Ukraine since the start of the war.

As reported, the Swedish government presented the Strategy for Cooperation in the Field of Reconstruction and Reforms in Ukraine for 2023-2027, which provides for the allocation of SEK 6 billion (EUR 522.6 million) for projects to restore Ukraine.
The White House is optimistic about bipartisan support in Congress for a decision on additional military aid to Ukraine.

Thats according to CNN, Ukrinform reports.

White House spokeswoman Karin Jean-Pierre said the president's administration is grateful for bipartisan support for Ukraine. According to her, President Joe Biden us confident that that support is going to continue as we work together to make sure that the Ukrainian people have everything that they need to continue to fight bravely for their freedom.

In a letter filed with Congress on Thursday, the Biden administration requested more than $24 billion in additional funding, including over $13 billion in military support and $7.3 billion in economic and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

Read also: Pentagon reveals details of new military aid package for Ukraine

Jean-Pierre said Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young and members of the president's legislative affairs "have had numerous, numerous conversations, numerous calls with lawmakers on the ground, with both parties to really explain exactly the need and the highlight for... and highlight the emergency nature of this request."

She said the administration will continue to engage with Congress and that the White House believes "this will continue in a bipartisan way."

As Ukrinform reported, on Monday, August 14, Washington announced a new package of military aid to Kyiv worth $200 million.
The Ambassador of Ukraine to the USA, Oksana Markarova, paid a visit on Monday the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center, U.S. Army Tank Plant in Lima, Ohio, which is part of General Dynamics Land Systems Corporation, located in the state of Ohio.

The diplomat reported on her visit via Facebook, Ukrinform reports.

"Behind the timely arrival of American weapons to Ukraine stand not only political decisions, but also the capabilities of American military-industrial complex and people who work at enterprises manufacturing weapons for Ukraine," the ambassador noted.

According to her, together with Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, who co-chairs the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, the chief of the United Autoworkers regional union, Dave Green, and General Michael Lalor, Commanding General U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command, visited the tank plant, also known as the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center (JSMC), which produces Abrams tanks for Ukraine.

Read also: US officially approves shipment of first batch of Abrams tanks to Ukraine

"Today, just as during World War 2, when Europe was at war with the greatest enemy of the 20th century, and the plant supplied M5 and M26 Pershing tanks to the front, JSMC products play an important role not only in the liberation of Ukraine, but also in the restoration of peace and tranquility in the European continent and across the world," Markarova said.

After a "detailed meeting" with the heads of the enterprise, many useful ideas and plans were conceived, she added, without elaborating.

As reported, a batch of Abrams main battle tanks is expected to arrive in Ukraine as early as September. In August, several Abrams tanks will be shipped to Germany, where they will undergo final modernization before being deployed in Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked North Macedonia for joining the G7 Declaration in support of security guarantees for Ukraine.

I am grateful to North Macedonia for joining the G7 Declaration in support of security guarantees for Ukraine and becoming the 15th country to do so. I appreciate Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevskis personal efforts to strengthen our countries partnership, the President posted on X.

As reported, the NATO summit was held in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11-12.

The leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) countries agreed on the Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius.
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk and Ambassador of Japan to Ukraine Matsuda Kuninori discussed Ukraine's energy security and the consolidation of efforts of the parliaments of the G7 countries to counter Russian aggression.

"Today, during a meeting with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Ukraine Matsuda Kuninori, we discussed the issue of consolidating the efforts of the G7 parliaments, as Japan holds its presidency, to counter the aggression of the Russian Federation. We analyzed the current state of inter-parliamentary cooperation, as well as the issue of Ukraine's energy security ahead of the new heating season," Stefanchuk posted on Facebook.

He also expressed gratitude for Japan's consistent support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Read also: Stefanchuk expects speakers of parliaments of Global South countries to visit Ukraine

In turn, the Embassy of Japan reported that at the meeting "both sides confirmed their readiness to further strengthen friendship and cooperation."

Photo: Ruslan Stefanchuk, Facebook
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Published August 15, 2023

CAPTION: Dr. Michelle McEacharn, ULM Dean of the College of Business and Social Sciences, addresses the crowd at the press conference.

MONROE, LA  The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup, Louisianas premier business plan competition, announced plans to increase prize amounts as well as the creation of the Student Innovation Fund, which will provide up to $200,000 annually to support new businesses grown from the competition. The announcement was made at a press conference on Monday, August 14, 2023, on the campus of the University of Louisiana Monroe, which hosts the annual competition.

"This is really quite a moment, said ULM President Dr. Ron Berry. Its one of those moments in our history thats going to send a strong message to the world that we truly are serious about changing lives on the bayou. Were serious about reaching out and working with partners, bringing people to campus and to Monroe, Louisiana, to make a difference, not only in our students lives but the lives of our faculty and the community at large, he added.

When the Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup enters its third year in 2024, the first-place prize amount will increase to $50,000, up from $25,000, while the second-place prize will increase to $25,000, up from $15,000. The third-place prize will remain at $10,000, with the pitch competition winner receiving $2,000, and the first through third-place faculty advisors receiving $3,000 each. This brings the total amount awarded each year to $96,000.

The newly created Student Innovation Fund offers Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup finalists the opportunity to apply for additional funding if they choose to take the next step and pursue their business. The fund will award a total of $200,000 per year over the next five years. Priority will be given to first through third-place teams, but any finalist team is eligible to apply. The fund will help foster the growth of ideas while providing guidance and resources along the way. The Student Innovation Fund is made possible by anonymous donations.

"With their investment in the Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup and Student Innovation Fund, these donors have provided the opportunity for complete and total trajectory changes in the lives of students, that will benefit and transform our community, the region, the state of Louisiana, and perhaps the world, said Dr. Michelle McEacharn, Dean of the ULM College of Business and Social Sciences.

The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup was founded by distinguished ULM alumnus Dhu Thompson, who is also the premier sponsor of the event. His increase of the prize money puts this competition among the top of its kind in the nation.

Cathi Hemed, Director of External Initiatives at ULM, is the organizer of the competition. With this incredible competition, ULM is leading the way in changing the future for higher education students and making a statement of dedication to Louisiana business development, said Hemed.

About the Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup

Open to all majors with cash prizes totaling $96,000, The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup is the premier business plan competition for Louisiana. It provides an opportunity for students to develop critical thinking, team building, presentation, and other soft skills, which are all important to career growth. The goal is to inspire participants and the community to think entrepreneurially by rewarding creativity, professionalism, and hard work. The 2024 competition will be open to any degree-seeking undergraduate or graduate student throughout the state of Louisiana.

Teams submit written, formal business plans, which are reviewed and scored independently by a panel of twelve volunteer judges made up of business owners and investors. The panel of judges later deliberates in groups to select the six finalist teams.

The six finalist teams conduct in-person oral presentations. Five volunteer judges dedicate their time to listening to each team present their business plan and supporting visuals. The judges then deliberate and select the first, second, and third-place winners. Each finalist team also chooses a representative to participate in a 90-second pitch competition, held live during The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup Awards Luncheon. The winner is chosen by the audience at the luncheon via text message voting.

Dates of 2024 Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup competition:

01/03/2024 - Applications Open

02/25/2024 - Applications Close

03/15/2024 - Announcement of Finalists

03/26/2024 - Oral Finals

04/19/2024 - Awards Luncheon and Live Pitch Competition

Sponsorships to increase the impact of this already extraordinary program are available and allow companies to show their support of Louisiana business development. Anyone seeking sponsorship or information about joining/participating in the Pelican Cup or Student Innovation Fund can reach out to Cathi Hemed, Director of External Initiatives, at hemed@ulm.edu. The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup Competition Guide is available on the website: www.ulm.edu/pelicancup
| By Brittney Brookins

Oral health education is more than just teaching children how to brush their teeth. Its about igniting a passion for lifelong learning, fostering an understanding of the importance of oral health, and inspiring a new generation of dental professionals. At the University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMSOD), the Planet Smilez Discovering Dentistry Camp brings this vision to life.

Planet Smilez, a nonprofit organization committed to promoting oral health education and providing equal opportunities for underserved communities, launched an extraordinary initiative that goes beyond traditional dentistry education. Held annually at UMSOD, the Discovering Dentistry Camp offers a unique and immersive experience for middle and high school students, opening doors to a world of knowledge, hands-on training, and personal growth.

My journey has always been about empowering and educating scholars through my personal dental school experiences, said Kathryn Pawlak, DDS 19, who created Planet Smilez as an undergraduate at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in New York. From my first year in dental school, I knew there was a wealth of experiences to share with the community. By simplifying complex patient cases and curriculum insights, I created a program for young scholars focused on mentorship and exposure to the dental industry.

The weeklong program targets a mix of University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) CURE Scholars and other Baltimore City students exposing them to a world of possibilities within the oral health care industry. The camps mission goes beyond promoting oral health habits; it aims to inspire these young scholars to consider careers in dentistry and related fields.

Now in its seventh year, the Discovering Dentistry Camp offers an immersive educational experience. From July 1st to August 3rd, over 50 Scholars were guided by UMSOD dental and dental hygiene students, camp participants engage in practical exercises designed to emulate real-world dental practices. From suturing to understanding how X-rays work, students gain hands-on experience that brings dental science to life.

One of the unique aspects of the camp is its focus on showcasing the diversity within the dental field. Scholars are exposed to various roles  from dental hygienists and oral surgeons to orthodontists and dental researchers. This exposure broadens their horizons and helps them understand that there are multiple pathways to making a difference in oral health care.

The energy and curiosity from our scholars are nothing short of infectious, said Pawlak. Theyre not just learning dentistry; theyre developing skills that will shape their careers in STEM and medicine. Their intelligence and application of basic sciences in a hands-on way is impressive, redefining the future of oral health.

The camp also fosters a dynamic learning environment conducive to academic growth and personal development. Through interactive learning sessions, team projects, and engaging discussions, students are encouraged to ask questions, share ideas, and think critically. This collaborative atmosphere nurtures their curiosity while building essential communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills.

Its great to see how enthusiastic the scholars are as they work through these activities, said Kelvin Johnson, robotics and entrepreneurship teaching partner for UMB CURE. Its important for the scholars to be exposed to different fields to expand what they believe is possible.

The most significant outcome of the camp is the spark it ignites in these young learners. By exposing them to potential careers in the oral health professions, the Discovering Dentistry Camp opens doors to opportunities they may not have known existed. It allows them to envision a future where they can contribute to improving oral health in their communities and beyond.

Learn more about Planet Smilez Discovering Dentistry Camp at www.planetsmilez.org.

Learn more about the UMB CURE Scholars program at www.umaryland.edu/cure-scholars.
The governor of the U.S. state of Hawaii said many more people could be found dead following wildfires on the island of Maui as the death toll climbs toward 100.

Governor Josh Green told "CBS Mornings" in a recorded interview broadcast Monday, "We are prepared for many tragic stories."

He said search crews are going street by street through the devastated town of Lahaina and said they will likely find 10 to 20 bodies per day. Green said the search will probably take 10 days but said it is "impossible to guess, really."

Green said the number of missing people has dropped from over 2,000 to about 1,300 as cellphone service has gradually been restored, and people have been able to contact their loved ones.

Maui County officials said late Sunday that multiple fire crews are working to address any remaining flare-ups in the fire that began August 8. The fire was estimated to have burned more than 850 hectares.
The U.S. military has confirmed that four Russian military aircraft were tracked operating near the U.S. state of Alaska late Sunday and early Monday.

North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said that it had "detected and tracked" the aircraft operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).

"The Russian aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace. This Russian activity in the Alaska ADIZ occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat," NORAD said in a statement Monday.

The ADIZ is international airspace directly next to sovereign airspace "that requires the ready identification, location and control of all aircraft in the interest of national security," according to NORAD.

"NORAD remains ready to employ a number of response options in defense of North America," the command said.
New Zealand on Monday removed the last of its remaining COVID-19 restrictions, marking the end of a government response to the pandemic that was watched closely around the world.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said the requirement to wear masks in hospitals and other health care facilities would end at midnight, as would a requirement for people who caught the virus to isolate themselves for seven days.

New Zealand was initially praised internationally for eliminating the virus entirely after imposing nationwide lockdowns and strict border controls. But as the pandemic wore on and more infectious variants took hold, the nation's zero-tolerance approach became untenable. It eventually abandoned its elimination strategy.

Reflecting on the government's response to the virus over more than three years, Hipkins said that during the height of the pandemic he had longed for the day he could end all restrictions, but now it felt anticlimactic.
Second Chance: A Journey Through Probation

With more and more countries moving from a punitive criminal justice system towards a reintegrative and restorative model, which focuses on repairing the harm done by crime and ensuring the successful reintegration of offenders, the use of non-custodial measures in pre- and post-sentencing has steadily increased. As such, the role of agencies responsible for monitoring offender compliance during community correction is now more important than ever and governments seek best practices in this field. This was shown by the high interest expressed towards the Side Event on Application of Non-custodial Punishment: Experience of Probation Institutes in Kyrgyzstan and Other Countries, which was conducted in the margins of the 32nd Commission of Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) at UNODC Headquarters in Vienna on 23 May 2023.

The side event was particularly unique as it brought together the experience of probation institutions from the Kyrgyz Republic, which established its Probation Department under the Ministry of Justice in 2019, Kenyas Probation and Aftercare Service (PACS), which commenced in 1946, and the Confederation of European Probation (CEP), whose members have a rich history, in some cases dating back to 1886. The discussion during the side event focused on establishing a contemporary probation service with an appropriate recruitment strategy and training program for probation staff to provide effective reintegration support.

During her opening remarks, Ms. Ashita Mittal, UNODC Regional Representative for Central Asia highlighted the role probation institutions play in promoting a rehabilitative environment in the community. She noted the upcoming UNODC Handbook on Probation, which will provide guidance on the establishment and sound operation of probation services based on successful experiences with individualized, cost-effective, gender-responsive and diversified offender management across the globe.

Gender-responsive approaches in probation were also discussed. Mr. Clement Okech, PACS Deputy, mentioned that while the criminal justice law in Kenya is gender neutral, the probation institution must be aware of issues that women clients face and provide services in line with the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules). Ms. Jana Spero, Secretary General of CEP, echoed this sentiment and highlighted the importance of including this issue in the basic training curriculum for probation staff. She stressed that offender risk and needs assessment tools should include gender-sensitive indicators, based on which probation reports are developed and reintegration activities selected.

The Kyrgyz Republic has successfully reduced its prison population from 18,000 to 7,000 in recent years and thus hosted the side event to share this success story. Since its establishment in 2019, the Probation Department of the Ministry of Justice of the Kyrgyz Republic has served more than 60,000 clients under all types of probation supervision. According to Mr. Almazbek Zarylbek Uulu, Deputy Minister of Justice, As we continue to strive towards improved reintegration, the side event helped us collect additional information on consistent management and delivery of sentence plans, better assessment and management of risk and more balanced caseloads and an improved case allocation process to support this.

The side-event was conducted as part of a knowledge exchange visit to Austria within the framework of the project to Support to Justice Sector Reform in the Kyrgyz Republic: Advancing Probation and Criminal Justice Information Management (JUST4ALL). JUST4ALL is a four-year 8,800,000 Euro project co-funded by the European Union and co-funded and implemented by UNODC in partnership with the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Fundamental and Human Rights. The partnership between the EU, UNODC and the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic under the JUST4ALL framework illustrates the collective commitment to ensure an effective, fair and humane criminal justice system for the entire population by strengthening criminal justice information management and the probation process.

***

For more information, contact Vasilina Brazhko

Communications and PR Specialist at

UNODC Criminal Justice Programme in Central Asia

UNODC PO in the Kyrgyz Republic

+996775987817 WhatsApp

vasilina.brazhko [at] un.org
Atlanta, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Aug, 2023 ) :Prosecutors investigating Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election in the US state of Georgia presented evidence to a grand jury Monday for what could be a sprawling, multi-defendant indictment.

The case would be the fourth brought against the 77-year-old Republican this year and could lead to the first televised trial of a former president -- a watershed moment in US history -- featuring charges typically used to bring down mobsters.

"There will be multiple co-defendants more likely than not, showing a pattern of unlawful conduct to overturn the election in Georgia: hacking, false statements, harassment, etc," Georgia State University political analyst Anthony Kreis said in a social media post.

Judicial analysts expect an indictment by the end of Tuesday, predicting that Atlanta-area prosecutor Fani Willis will wrap the allegations against Trump and multiple co-defendants into one case under Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) law.

The southern state, which President Joe Biden won by fewer than 12,000 votes in 2020, presents perhaps the most serious threat to Trump's liberty as he seeks his party's nomination to bid for reelection in 2024.

Even if he is returned to the Oval Office, he would have none of the powers in Georgia that presidents arguably enjoy in the Federal system to self-pardon or have prosecutors drop cases.

Trump posted a number of messages to his Truth Social platform calling the probe "ridiculous" and urging a state official whom he identified by name and called a "loser" not to testify to the grand jury.

"THOSE WHO RIGGED & STOLE THE ELECTION WERE THE ONES DOING THE TAMPERING, & THEY ARE THE SLIME THAT SHOULD BE PROSECUTED," he said.

RICO statutes are usually used to target organized crime, and anyone who can be connected to a criminal "enterprise" can be convicted if there is a pattern of crime committed through that enterprise.

But the broader Georgia law allows prosecutors to string together charges committed by different defendants without proving the existence of a criminal organization.

One incident highly likely to feature among the charges is a now infamous phone call Trump placed to Georgia officials asking them to "find" exactly the number of votes he would have needed to overturn Biden's victory.

Analysts are also expecting individuals -- possibly including the former president -- to face charges over a scheme to send bogus certification of a supposed Trump victory in Georgia to the US Congress.

And the sweeping case could bring in harassment of two Fulton County poll workers and the accessing of sensitive data from an election office in a rural county south of Atlanta, one day after the 2021 Capitol riot.

A separate "special" grand jury heard from 75 witnesses last year and produced a secret report in February that, according to the foreperson, recommended numerous indictments.

The Georgia case looks on the surface like a narrower version of the Justice Department's election interference case against Trump, which focuses on multiple states -- but it differs in other crucial aspects beyond the RICO element.

The federal case listed six co-conspirators but didn't indict them, sparking speculation that they will likely be dealt with separately, and leaving Trump as the sole defendant.

In Georgia, Willis sent target letters to former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, who pressured local legislators at several committee hearings held after the election, and the 16 bogus electors, half of whom are said to have immunity deals.

CNN reported that Willis is expected to seek charges against more than a dozen people. These could also include former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and other aides who weren't a focus of Trump's federal indictment.

Georgia's courts are also more transparent than the federal system, meaning there is no bar to the case being televised from the first preliminary hearing onwards.

The grand jury in Fulton County meets on Mondays and Tuesdays, and local court-watchers expect Willis to conclude and bring any indictments that the panel approves within two days, her normal timeline for racketeering cases.

Jonathan Turley, a conservative legal scholar, wrote in a column for The Messenger news website that an indictment perceived as "anemic" would fuel "deep political divisions and unrest in the country.""The greatest challenge for Georgia is to offer a discernible limiting principle on when challenges in close elections are permissible and when they are criminal," he said.
Berlin, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Aug, 2023 ) :German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was forced Tuesday to scrap her trip to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji after her plane suffered recurring technical problems, the latest in a series of incidents with the German fleet.

"We tried everything, but unfortunately it's logistically not possible to carry out my Indo-Pacific travel without the defective plane," the minister wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"That is more than annoying," she added.

Baerbock had left on Sunday for the week-long trip but her plane had suffered an outage after refuelling in Abu Dhabi.

The minister was stranded for hours while the technical crew battled to fix a problem with the wing flaps.

Her delegation sought to get underway again overnight to Tuesday but the 23-year-old Airbus A340 plane had to turn back to Abu Dhabi as the defect resurfaced.

"For security reasons, the plane had to return there," wrote the German air force on X.

The mishap revived debate about the German government's ageing planes, with media dubbing the latest incident "embarrassing" and a "fiasco".

The plane "is unable to transport our highest diplomat to international appointments. Counterparts who were waiting for Baerbock are left hanging," the top-selling Bild newspaper wrote.

In a video from inside the plane, shared by Der Spiegel magazine, the pilot is heard announcing the return to Abu Dhabi, adding that "nothing like this has happened" before.

Germany's Luftwaffe air force announced Monday that it had decided to retire the plane early, as well the government's other A340-300.

"We will take the two A340s out of service as soon as possible, i.

e. in the coming weeks ahead of schedule," the Luftwaffe wrote on X.

The government purchased three new A350s for 1.2 billion Euros ($1.3 billion) in 2019 to update the fleet, and had planned to phase out the plane carrying Baerbock by the end of 2024.

"With the A350s, the air force has robust and modern aircraft at its disposal for long-haul operations," the Luftwaffe said.

The Australian foreign ministry expressed regret at the cancelled trip.

"Germany is an important strategic partner and close friend of Australia, and while we share minister Baerbock's disappointment that she will not be able to visit this week, we look forward to welcoming her to Australia in the future," a foreign affairs spokesperson said.

New Zealand's foreign ministry said it hoped "there will be an opportunity for the ministers to catch up in the future".

Baerbock was expected to fly back to Germany on a commercial flight, according to media reports.

German officials have repeatedly seen their flight plans disrupted in recent years because of technical problems.

The same Airbus A340-300 thwarting Baerbock's travel plans also delayed former chancellor Angela Merkel's trip to a G20 summit in 2018, that time due to an electronic fault.

Earlier that year, then-finance minister and current Chancellor Olaf Scholz had to take a commercial flight home from Indonesia after the same plane was grounded because rodents had chewed through some of the plane's cables.

Baerbock herself already suffered a travel setback in May, when she had to extend her visit in Qatar by a day after a different government plane suffered a flat tyre.
Adria, Italy, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Aug, 2023 ) :In the shallow waters of the Scardovari lagoon, fishermen catch clams for Italy's beloved spaghetti alle vongole, alongside mussels and oysters. But an invader risks putting them out of business.

The blue crab, native to the North American Atlantic coast, has been present across the Mediterranean for years but in recent months has become a serious problem on Italy's northeastern coast.

"The blue crabs are eating everything. This stretch of the lagoon is becoming a desert," said Gianluca Travaglia, a 52-year-old farmer of mussels and clams.

He is the third generation of his family to have a boat on the "Sacca degli Scardovari", an economically important part of the delta where the Po River reaches the Adriatic Sea.

"Every day we fish more of them... I don't know what to do," Travaglia told AFP as he guided his motorboat across the water.

His fellow farmers had the same issue, he added.

"They can't even lower their nets anymore because the crabs swim into the nets and break them." Italy's government allocated 2.9 million Euros ($3.2 million) last week to address what Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida called a "critical situation".

The money will provide "economic incentives" for those catching and disposing of the crabs, which he said lack natural predators in Italian waters.

Business lobby Coldiretti has described the phenomenon as a crab "invasion", driven by warming waters and climate change.

Across the Italian seabed, the crabs are "exterminating clams, mussels, eggs, other fish and molluscs, putting at risk the survival of 3,000 businesses in the Po Delta", Coldiretti said.

From their American origins, the "Callinectes sapidus" has spread around the world, likely transported via ballast water from ships.

They have thrived in the Mediterranean Sea, which is warming due to climate change.

For years, fishermen from Albania to France and Spain have grappled with the spread of the blue crab, which is disrupting the natural balance of native populations.

Excellent swimmers and weighing up to one kilogram (2.2 Pounds), they eat almost everything, while their sharp, blue-tinted claws are particularly adept at prying open clam shells.

In Eraclea, outside Venice, restaurateur Luca Faraon is among several cooks seeking to explore how to use this new, tasty resource.

"With the blue crab, you can prepare many foods," said the 58-year-old, as diners tucked into crab spaghetti the chef prepared using garlic, cherry tomatoes and parsley.

"We are still thinking about how to use it as a dessert!" Faraon added.

The crab -- whose Latin name is said to mean "savoury beautiful swimmer" -- is a prized catch in the Chesapeake Bay on the United States East Coast, where it is known as the Maryland blue crab.

After a meeting with the industry last week, Italian minister Lollobrigida said the problem might be an opportunity, citing potential markets in the United States and China.

"Blue crabs are a great resource," he said, emphasising their high levels of vitamin B12.

Yet Emanuele Rossetti, a biologist with the Polesine fishing consortium, one of Europe's largest shellfish farming associations, is pessimistic.

Clams were the core business of members of his group, and the molluscs cannot exist alongside large numbers of blue crabs, he said.

Although the crabs have been in the lagoon for about 15 years, there has been an "exponential" increase in recent months, Rossetti said.

He warned that the rate at which they were feasting on clams posed an immediate threat.

"I am sure that after December the fishermen of our consortium will no longer have any products to sell."
At least 27 people were killed and over 100 injured in an explosion and fire at a petrol station in Russia's Caucasus republic of Dagestan, the emergency situations ministry said Tuesday

Moscow, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Aug, 2023 ):At least 27 people were killed and over 100 injured in an explosion and fire at a petrol station in Russia's Caucasus republic of Dagestan, the emergency situations ministry said Tuesday.

"A total of 102 people were injured as a result of the incident, of whom, unfortunately, 27 died," the ministry said on Telegram.

The explosion in the city of Makhachkala took place at a fuel station after a fire had broken out, the Russian Federation's Investigative Committee for Dagestan said on Telegram.

"A fire occurred during car maintenance work, followed by a bang, as a result of which people were injured and died," the committee said, adding that nearby buildings and cars were damaged.

A criminal case has been opened to establish the circumstances leading up to the fire, it said.

The state-run TASS and Ria Novosti news agencies reported that the fire had been extinguished, citing the ministry.

Makhachkala, a city of over 600,000 residents on the Caspian Sea, is the capital of Dagestan, a Russian republic bordering Chechnya, which shares a border with Georgia and Azerbaijan.
Small-business owners who are either women or veterans will have an opportunity to learn about specific certifications for their particular businesses.

Janean Forsyth and Deb Farris will discuss the subject during a Wyoming APEX Accelerator Lunch and Learn workshop titled Woman-Owned and Veteran-Owned Small Business Certifications Tuesday, Aug. 22, from noon-1 p.m. To register, go here. Registration is free.

Wyoming APEX Accelerator, part of the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network housed at the University of Wyoming, is the states expert in government contracting assistance.

In the latest workshop, attendees will learn about the Woman-Owned Small Business and Economic Disadvantaged Woman-Owned Small Business certifications. While they are two different certifications, most women qualify for both at the same time. Additionally, the workshop will cover the Veteran-Owned Small Business and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business certifications.

Forsyth is the Wyoming APEX Accelerator program manager, and Farris is deputy district director for the Wyoming Small Business Administration (SBA).

For more information, call Maureen Johnson, marketing, communication and database manager for the Wyoming SBDC Network, at (307) 343-0925 or email mjohn125@uwyo.edu.

The Wyoming SBDC Network offers business expertise to help Wyoming residents think about, launch, grow, reinvent or exit their business. The Wyoming SBDC Network is hosted by UW with state funds from the Wyoming Business Council and funded, in part, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. SBA.
Actor Kang Dong-won's new film "Possession" is set for release this month, in time for Chuseok, or Korean Thanksgiving, the country's biggest holiday of the year.

A teaser poster for the mystery thriller was unveiled last week to create buzz ahead of its release.

The film, also starring Esom and Lee Dong-hwi, deals with a story of a fake exorcist who tries to solve the case of a young girl suffering from demonic possession.

It is the directorial debut of Kim Seong-sik, who worked with Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook on their hit films "Parasite" (2019) and "Decision to Leave" (2022), respectively.
Google plans to train 20,000 Nigerian women and youth in digital skills and provide a grant of $1.6 million to help the government create 1 million digital jobs in the country, its Africa executives said on Tuesday.

Nigeria plans to create digital jobs for its teeming youth population, Vice President Kashim Shettima told Google Africa executives during a meeting in Abuja. Shettima did not provide a timeline for creating the jobs.

Google Africa executives said a grant from its philanthropic arm in partnership with Data Science Nigeria and the Creative Industry Initiative for Africa will facilitate the program.
New Zealand on Monday removed the last of its remaining COVID-19 restrictions, marking the end of a government response to the pandemic that was watched closely around the world.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said the requirement to wear masks in hospitals and other health care facilities would end at midnight, as would a requirement for people who caught the virus to isolate themselves for seven days.

New Zealand was initially praised internationally for eliminating the virus entirely after imposing nationwide lockdowns and strict border controls.

But as the pandemic wore on and more infectious variants took hold, the nation's zero-tolerance approach became untenable. It eventually abandoned its elimination strategy.

Reflecting on the government's response to the virus over more than three years, Hipkins said that during the height of the pandemic he had longed for the day he could end all restrictions, but now it felt anticlimactic.

He said about 3,250 New Zealanders from a population of 5 million had died with COVID-19 as a primary or secondary cause  about one-fifth of the mortality rate in the United States.

"While there were no doubt fractures in our collective sense of unity, I believe that New Zealanders can be enormously proud of what we achieved together," Hipkins said. "We stayed home, we made sacrifices, we got vaccinated, and there is absolutely no question, we saved lives."

Health Minister Ayesha Verrall said coronavirus case numbers and hospitalizations were low and had been trending down since June, and the publicly funded health system had faced less disruption from the virus this southern winter.

"We have been able to complete 16,000 more operations than we did last year, and so that is a very good indication our health system is on a much more even keel than it was," she said.

The announcement comes two months before a general election.

David Seymour, the leader of the opposition ACT Party, said the government had been treating people like children for too long.

"They have been happy to impose high costs with little benefit and have taken their sweet time getting around to fixing it," Seymour said in a statement.
The U.S. wildfire in which almost 100 people have died in Hawaii is among the deadliest of the 21st century.

Heres a look at some previous deadly wildfires globally:

Australia in 2009

In "Black Saturday" in Australia's Victoria state, 173 people were killed, in Australia's worst bushfire on February 7, 2009.

Whole towns and more than 2,000 homes were destroyed.

Greece in 2007 and 2018

In Greece's worst-ever fire disaster, 103 people died when wildfires swept through homes and vehicles in the coastal town of Mati near Athens in July 2018, leaving only charred remains.

Most of the victims were trapped by the flames as they sat in traffic jams while trying to flee. Others drowned while trying to escape by sea.

In 2007, a 12-day inferno starting in late August killed at least 67 people and destroyed 800 homes across the southern Peloponnese peninsula.

The flames engulfed most of the region's olive groves. The Aegean island of Evia was also badly affected.

In all 77 people died that summer due to the fires.

Algeria in 2021 and 2022

More than 90 people, including 33 soldiers, were killed in dozens of wildfires in Algeria in August 2021.

The government blamed arsonists and a blistering heatwave for the blazes, but experts also criticized authorities for failing to prepare for the annual wildfire season.

In August 2022, massive blazes killed 37 people over several days in northeastern El Tarf province, near the border with Tunisia.

More than 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) went up in smoke in El Kala National Park, a UNESCO-listed heritage spot famous for its rich marine, dune, lake and forest ecosystems.



U.S. in 2018

On November 8, 2018, at dawn, California's deadliest modern fire broke out in the town of Paradise, some 240 kilometers (149 miles) to the north of San Francisco, killing 85 people over more than two weeks.

Known as the Camp Fire, it burned more than 62,000 hectares (153,000 acres) of land and reduced more than 18,800 buildings to ashes.

An investigation found that high tension electricity wires sparked the fire.

The Camp Fire is likely the deadliest fire in the continental United States for a century; the Cloquet Fire in 1918 in the northern state of Minnesota killed around 1,000 people.

Portugal in 2017

The deadliest wildfires in Portuguese history broke out in the central Leiria region during a heatwave in June 2017 and burned through hills covered with pine and eucalyptus trees for five days.

Many of the 63 people who died became trapped in their cars while trying to escape.

In October, a new series of deadly fires broke out in northern Portugal, killing another 45 people as well as four in neighboring Spain. Those fires were chiefly blamed on arsonists.
Tensions are rising between China and the Philippines in connection with a territorial dispute in the South China Sea. The dispute may create a sense of anxiety in Southeast Asia while pushing the Philippines to increase security cooperation with the United States, analysts say.

What China did was place the Philippines in a position from which it cannot de-escalate without risking international humiliation, so the Philippines is acting right now in ways that are designed to project strength, Justin Baquisal, a Manila-based geopolitical analyst, told VOA in a phone interview.

The latest dispute happened after the Philippine military accused Chinese coast guard ships of interfering with its supply vessels and spraying Philippine ships with water cannon.

Manila characterized the moves as excessive and offensive while Beijing insisted that it had exercised rational restraint.

At the center of the dispute is a World War II-era warship, the Sierra Madre, that the Philippines intentionally grounded at the Second Thomas Shoal as a military outpost to safeguard its territorial claim. The disputed reef is located within the Philippines exclusive economic zone, and Manila regularly rotates troops through the post.

While Beijing has repeatedly urged Manila to withdraw the ship, the Philippines has vowed to resist if China tries to remove the Sierra Madre forcefully.

Experts say China has adopted a strategy of blockade to control the materials that reach the Second Thomas Shoal, which increases the likelihood that China can simply outlast the Philippines in the contest for control over the disputed reef.

The Second Thomas Shoal is sparsely manned, and the platform that the [makeshift military outpost] is built upon is falling apart, Ray Powell, Project Myoushu (South China Sea) lead at Stanford University, told VOA.

With the Sierra Madre in a deteriorated condition, Powell warns that a Chinese takeover of the Second Thomas Shoal will be inevitable unless Manila adopts a different strategy to maintain control over the disputed reef. This ship cant last forever, and the platform on which the outpost is built upon will eventually go away, he said.

On Aug. 11, the Philippine military said it was looking at different options to strengthen its control over the Second Thomas Shoal. "All courses of actions to prolong our stay there are being considered. ... One of them is refurbishment," said Vice Adm. Alberto Carlos, chief of the Philippine Western Command, during a news conference last week.

Carlos added that Manilas current priority is to resume rotation and a resupply mission for troops at the shoal, which may happen over the next two weeks.

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Manila to work with Beijing to reduce tensions in the South China Sea. China has repeatedly expressed its willingness to resolve differences with the Philippines through bilateral dialogues, said Wang in a statement released by Chinas state-run Xinhua news agency.

Unexpected response from the Philippines

To safeguard its maritime interests and push back against Chinas pressure campaign, Manila announced a series of possible countermeasures last week, including holding joint maritime patrols with the United States by the end of 2023 and providing additional fleets of vessels to escort resupply missions.

If the Armed Forces of the Philippines would request the Philippine Coast Guard to provide escort, we will deploy vessels that will support the supply mission, said Jay Tarriela, the Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, during a news conference on Aug. 12.

Analysts said the measures are part of Manilas effort to defend its sovereignty and the responses may have been unexpected by Beijing.

For 20 years, China has been able to change the status quo in the South China Sea in meaningful ways without facing an organized resistance, Blake Herzinger, a research fellow at the United States Studies Center at the University of Sydney, told VOA in a phone interview.

To ensure good order at sea and enforce their sovereignty, Herzinger said, the Philippines needs to show that it is willing to go toe-to-toe with the Chinese coast guard and maritime militia. That will be a place where the Philippines will try to lean on the U.S. alliance for support, he said.

South China Sea claimants closely monitor the development

While the latest territorial dispute is between China and the Philippines, observers say other countries that have made territorial claims in the South China Sea will closely monitor how Beijing handles the tension with Manila.

States like Malaysia and Vietnam also have vessels that need resupply in parts of the South China Sea, so the standoff at Ayungin Shoal creates a precedent for them and fosters insecurity, geopolitical analyst Baquisal told VOA, using another name for the Second Thomas Shoal.

Apart from that, Beijings aggressive behavior in the South China Sea may reduce the chances of ASEAN member states and China reaching a consensus on a long-sought code of conduct for the South China Sea.

The water cannon incident makes the final resolution of the code of conduct even less likely than it was before, said Powell from Stanford University.

Baquisal said Chinas response to future resupply missions by the Philippines may determine how bilateral relations develop. Chinas reaction to the last resupply mission, he said, has weakened its already-low credibility in the Philippines and has even provided impetus in the Philippines justifying the need for U.S. forces in the country."

Despite public support for the U.S., Baquisal noted that the Marcos administration continues to take a calibrated approach toward Beijing as it tries to avoid making military disputes the totality of bilateral relations.
A clinical trial in Australia is developing a treatment for sleep disturbances caused by wildfires. The study, which is supported by Natural Hazards Research Australia, a research organization, and Federation University Australia, is now seeking participants in Australia, the United States and Canada.

The trial is aimed at people who have disturbed sleep, including nightmares, insomnia or symptoms of trauma after surviving a wildfire.

Participants will be asked about their experiences with wildfires and asked to rate the severity of their sleep and trauma symptoms.

Those who take part complete short assessments and provide feedback through online activities. The testing is at home using sleep-specific technology and apps that track sleep.

Clinical psychologist Fadia Isaac is conducting the trial with other researchers at Federation University Australia, with funding from Natural Hazards Research Australia's Postgraduate Research Scholarship program.

She tells VOA that people confronted by trauma experience a so-called "fight or flight" response, when the brain reacts to shock.

If we are not getting sleep because of the fight or flight response then there is no room for these emotions to get processed during that time and therefore the trauma can be ongoing, sleep can also continue to be a problem for those people and unfortunately it becomes a vicious cycle for many people, she said.

This is an international study that is seeking participants in Australia, the United States and Canada.

Their experiences of a wildfire do not need to be recent; the event could be several years or even decades ago.

Isaac says the early signs from the clinical trial are encouraging.

If they are waking up too early or they cannot initiate sleep, or they are having regular nightmares, these modules are dedicated to actually psycho-educate the public about sleep, insomnia, nightmares and trauma symptoms. It is very easy to use and we have had some great feedback from our current participants, she said.

Prolific vegetation growth has led to warnings that Australia could face serious wildfires later this year.

A royal commission inquiry into Australia's Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20  which destroyed vast parts of the country  along with other disasters, said in October 2020 that climate change had exacerbated the extreme conditions which caused the fires.

2023 has already been a savage year for wildfires. The fires in Hawaii are the deadliest in the United States in more than 100-years.

Canadian wildfire officials said earlier this month that the 2023 wildfire season is the worst ever recorded, with millions of hectares of land already scorched.

Fires have also caused widespread devastation in Spain and Portugal.

And recent fires on the Greek island of Rhodes forced the evacuation of thousands of people as the flames reached resorts on the island's south-eastern coast.
Leaders of the United States, Japan and the Republic of Korea are strengthening their alliance through an annual trilateral summit amid growing threats from North Korea and China, according to U.S. officials and analysts.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met virtually Tuesday with the foreign ministers of Japan and South Korea, days before U.S. President Joe Biden is set to host Japanese Pime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeo at Camp David on August 18.

It will be the first time that foreign leaders have visited Camp David in Maryland since 2015, and the first standalone summit between three countries not held on the margins of multilateral meetings.

What you can expect to see coming out of this summit is collaboration on a trilateral basis that is further institutionalized in a variety of ways, to include regular meetings at a variety of levels, senior levels in our governments, Blinken told reporters during a press conference Tuesday.

The top U.S. diplomat added that concrete initiatives can be expected to address regional security such as nuclear provocations, economic security, humanitarian assistance, greater people-to-people exchanges as well as the use of emerging technologies amid geopolitical competition.

The three countries have vowed to share North Korea missile warning data "in real time" to improve each countrys ability to detect and assess the threats posed by incoming missiles.

U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel told media outlets in Tokyo last week that leaders of the three countries are expected to agree on holding annual summits to boost cooperation on regional security, including conducting annual joint exercises.

In July, the U.S. and South Korea kicked off the inaugural meeting of their Nuclear Consultative Group, or NCG. At that time, the U.S. also sent a nuclear-armed submarine on a visit to the South Korean port of Busan as a show of force.

The establishment of the NCG was first announced in April as part of the Washington Declaration, in which the leaders of the two countries laid out plans to strengthen U.S. extended deterrence against North Korea's nuclear threats.

Why now?

The Chinese are not happy with trilateral cooperation on missile defense and on intelligence sharing, said Victor Cha who is senior vice president for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, or CSIS.

He said the consolidation of the alliance among the U.S., Japan, and South Korea is happening now because the external environment is very uncertain and unstable, citing Russias invasion of Ukraine, which prompted countries to prioritize national security over other historical issues.

Cha told reporters on Monday that Chinas assertive behavior in the Taiwan Straits, which includes economic coercion and military escalation, has added to the uncertainty; meanwhile, the U.S. and Japan would need South Koreas ability to deter credibly against North Koreas opportunistic aggression in the event of a Chinese invasion in Taiwan.

The trilateral summit is seen as the latest sign of improving ties between Tokyo and Seoul as the two governments took steps to put aside decades-long tensions over wartime history. Yoon visited Tokyo in March. Kishida reciprocated by visiting Seoul in May.

Yoon was invited to Hiroshima and attended the G-7 summit for the first time. Together, they visited a memorial to Korean victims of the atomic bombing.

The summit also comes as South Korea celebrates its National Liberation Day on August 15, when Korean citizens commemorate its independence from 35 years of Japans colonial rule.

What to expect?

China has slammed the upcoming Camp David summit as an attempt to create a mini-NATO in northeast Asia. North Korea also has accused the U.S. of cooking up the Asian version of NATO by strengthening military cooperation with Japan and South Korea.

But former U.S. officials said an expected trilateral statement among Washington, Tokyo and Seoul is unlikely to include NATO Article Five-type language, such as a threat to one is a threat to all.

Even though it will fall far short of Article Five language, specific new initiatives such as regular trilateral exercises and ballistic missile defense cooperation can be expected, said Christopher Johnstone, a former CIA official who is now a senior adviser at the Washington-based CSIS.

The focus of this meeting is to look for ways to institutionalize the progress and to make it harder for future leaders in any of these three countries to walk away from it, he noted.

State Department Deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said Tuesday there's no reason to view this summit as provocative or any effort to incite tensions.

What this summit is about is getting countries together that share a vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific where people and goods can flow appropriately, where countries are free from coercion, Patel told VOA during a press briefing.
Former President Donald Trumps legal woes keep mounting.

On Monday, prosecutors in the southern U.S. state of Georgia unveiled a new indictment, charging Trump and 18 others in connection with efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden.

This is the fourth indictment against Trump in less than five months  two at the state level and two at the federal level. The former president is now facing 91 criminal charges, ranging from falsifying business records in New York to seeking to subvert the 2020 presidential election.

Many of the charges carry hefty prison sentences of 10 to 20 years if convicted. Trump, who is 77, could spend the rest of his life in prison if found guilty of one or more of the charges and sentenced.

At his age, any conviction of any count could be a terminal sentence, Jonathan Turley, a George Washington University law professor, said in a recent interview with VOA.

But a conviction is not a foregone conclusion. And even if he is, he could receive a presidential pardon or have his sentence commuted to some lesser form of punishment.

He has pleaded not guilty in the three earlier cases in New York, Florida, and Washington, D.C., and has until August 25 to surrender to authorities in Georgia.

Trumps legal troubles have not dented his dominance as the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination. But with at least two criminal trials looming next year, the criminal cases will likely cast a long shadow over the presidential race, as well as the news headlines.

Here is a look at the four indictments against Trump.

Hush money payment

Announced in March, this case made Trump the first and only former American president to be charged with crimes.

On March 30, a Manhattan grand jury indicted him on 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with paying off an adult film star in 2016.

In an unprecedented scene, Trump surrendered to authorities five days later and was arraigned in a Manhattan courthouse.

His lawyers sought to move the case from New York state court to federal court, arguing that his alleged conduct in the case was related to his official duties as president. But in July, a federal judge rejected the argument, setting the stage for a trial in a state court. It is scheduled for March 25, 2024.

Classified documents

Brought by special counsel Jack Smith, this case marked the first federal indictment of an American president, sitting or former.

The case grew out of Smiths monthslong investigation of Trumps handling of government secrets after he left the White House in January 2021.

On June 8, a grand jury in Miami indicted Trump on 37 felony counts, including 31 counts of illegally retaining national defense information, and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice. Trumps valet, Walt Nauta, was also charged. Trump was arraigned on June 13.

In late July, prosecutors unveiled three additional charges and added another co-defendant to the case  Mar-a-Lago maintenance worker Carlos De Oliveira.

Among the new charges, Trump and his two aides are accused of asking another employee to delete security camera footage at the Mar-a-Lago Club to prevent the footage from being provided to a federal grand jury.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to the new charges.

The trial in the case is set to begin May 20, 2024, in Fort Pierce, Florida.

The trial date, set by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, was a compromise between a request by prosecutors to schedule the trial for December and Trumps request to put it off until after the presidential election.

2020 election

In what many see as historically the most significant case against Trump, this federal indictment is focused on the former presidents alleged efforts to subvert the results of the 2020 presidential election.

On August 1, Smith issued a four-count indictment charging Trump with three conspiracy counts and one obstruction count in connection with the scheme.

The indictment stemmed from the Justice Departments massive investigation of the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters.

On August 3, the former president appeared in Washington, D.C., before a federal magistrate judge, who gave prosecutors one week to propose a trial date. In a subsequent filing, prosecutors proposed January 2, 2024, as the start date of Trump's trial.

Last week, the federal judge overseeing the case, Tanya Chutkan, issued a protective order forbidding Trump from publicly discussing "sensitive" materials turned over to the defense. She set a hearing for August 28 to set a trial date.

Trump has complained that he can't get a fair trial in Washington, a Democratic-leaning city.

A judge would have to approve a change of venue request, and it remains unclear if it will be granted.

Georgia election interference

Announced on Monday, the charges in this case grew out of a yearslong investigation by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis into efforts by Trump and his allies to reverse Georgias 2020 election results.

The investigation was triggered by a now-infamous January 2, 2021, phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which Trump asked Raffensperger to help find the votes he needed to win the state.

But the probe expanded as investigations examined alleged efforts by Trump supporters to appoint a slate of fake presidential electors, make baseless claims about election fraud before the Georgia legislature, harass election workers and steal election equipment data.

The 41-count indictment stands out from the other three against Trump, as it names 19 co-defendants, including the former president, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, lawyers Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman, and 30 unindicted co-conspirators.

The 97-page indictment accuses the group of conspiring to participate in a criminal organization to keep Trump in power.

Trump is charged with 13 counts. And while not every defendant faces the same charges, they all stand accused of violating one count of Georgias Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO.

If convicted of the racketeering charge, Trump and his co-defendants could face five to 20 years in prison.

Willis said Monday that she'll seek to try all 19 defendants together.

Implications for presidential bid

Although the outcome of the charges remains uncertain, there is a consensus among legal experts that even if convicted, Trump can still run for president.

The U.S. Constitution sets forth three key requirements for presidential candidates: They must be natural-born American citizens, at least 35 years old and residents of the United States for no less than 14 years. However, the Constitution is silent on the question of criminal records or convictions of candidates.

That means Trump could run for president as a convicted felon or even from behind bars, as Eugene V. Debs, a presidential candidate representing the Socialist Party, did more than a century ago.
The Fulton County Georgia court clerk on Tuesday acknowledged the release on its website of a document about former President Donald Trump being criminally charged, as Reuters reported on Monday after seeing the document on the court's public website.

A statement from the court clerk said the system was being tested before the grand jury voted later in the day on whether to indict Trump on charges of trying to overturn his election defeat.

The court had released a statement on Monday saying a media outlet had obtained a "fictitious" document.

Tuesday's court clerk statement said: "While it may have appeared that something official had occurred because the document bore a case number and filing date, it did not include a signed 'true' or 'no' bill nor an official stamp with Clerk Alexanders name, thereby making the document unofficial and a test sample only."

In its statement, the court said a media outlet utilizing "the Fulton County Press" queue obtained a docket sheet on Monday. The document obtained by Reuters was publicly available on the website the court uses to disseminate public records.

The 13 felony charges that the grand jury brought late on Monday against Trump matched those listed on the document that was posted on the court website earlier in the day and reported by Reuters before it disappeared.

The Georgia grand jury used a law developed to take down organized crime gangs to charge Republican Trump for trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden.

The charges, brought on Monday by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, name Trump, the front-runner in the race for the 2024 Republican nomination, and 18 associates.
A grand jury in the southern U.S. state of Georgia has indicted former President Donald Trump and 18 others in connection with efforts to overturn his narrow 2020 election loss in the pivotal political battleground state.

The 13 charges unsealed against Trump late Monday include racketeering, violating his oath of office, conspiracies to commit forgery and file false documents, and other offenses.

The indictment alleged that Trump and the other defendants refused to accept that Trump had lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis alleged in the indictment that the 19 defendants and 30 unnamed co-conspirators constituted a criminal organization and took 161 overt acts to upend the election result.

Watch related video by Cindy Saine:

Trump is the first U.S. president, in office or after his term ended, ever formally accused of criminal offenses in the countrys 247-year history. But now, even as national polls show him with a commanding lead for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, he has been indicted four times in the last four months and faces several trials in the coming months.

He derided the Georgia indictment, saying Tuesday on his Truth Social account that he would release an irrefutable report next Monday showing that the election outcome in Georgia was rigged against him and claiming that his evidence would lead to complete EXONERATION of himself and his 18 co-defendants.

Judges have dismissed dozens of Trumps election fraud claim lawsuits, including in Georgia.

Georgia governor: 2020 election not stolen

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said on the X social media site, The 2020 election in Georgia was not stolen. For nearly three years now, anyone with evidence of fraud has failed to come forward - under oath - and prove anything in a court of law. Our elections in Georgia are secure, accessible, and fair and will continue to be as long as I am governor.

The racketeering charge in the new indictment means that Georgia prosecutors must prove that the former president broke two or more of the states laws as part of a scheme to overturn the election results.

Among those charged along with Trump were former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows; Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, a former federal prosecutor and New York mayor; and former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, whom Trump considered naming attorney general in the waning days of his administration in early 2021.

Willis told reporters at a news conference late Monday that the defendants were part of a criminal enterprise in Fulton County and elsewhere to accomplish the illegal goal of allowing Donald J. Trump to seize the presidential term of office that began on January 20, 2021.

The indictment details numerous allegations as part of that alleged effort, including making repeated claims of voter fraud to Georgia officials, attempting to persuade Georgia lawmakers to go against election results and appoint a slate of electoral college voters favorable to Trump, and stealing voting data.

All elections in our nation are administered by the states, which are given the responsibility of ensuring a fair process and an accurate counting of the votes, Willis said. The states role in this process is essential to the functioning of our democracy.

U.S. presidents are not chosen by the national popular vote, although Democrat Joe Biden won seven million more votes than Trump in 2020. Rather, the national presidential outcome is decided in 50 state-by-state elections, with the largest states holding the most votes in the Electoral College that determines the presidential winner.

Biden in 2020 was the first Democrat to win in Georgia since 1992. Trump contested the outcome in several states he narrowly lost to Biden, but even if he had flipped the outcome in Georgia, its 16 electoral votes that went to Biden would not have been enough to overturn the national result.

Willis said the timing of the trial in the case is up to the discretion of the assigned judge, but that her office would propose the trial take place in the next six months, a fast timetable that may not be possible with 19 defendants.

She also said that while the grand jury issued arrest warrants for those charged, her office was allowing them to voluntarily surrender themselves by noon on August 25.

The former presidents campaign did not wait for the charges to be unsealed before issuing a statement accusing Willis of being a rabid partisan and timing the investigation of Trumps actions to try and maximally interfere with the 2024 presidential race and damage the dominant Trump campaign.

Willis told reporters her decisions are based on the facts and that the law is completely non-partisan.

We look at the facts, we look at the law, and we bring charges, Willis said.

Trump said on his Truth Social site Monday that he did not tamper with the election, and in a post early Tuesday he called Willis out of control and very corrupt.

Why didnt they Indict 2.5 years ago? Because they wanted to do it right in the middle of my political campaign, Trump said. Witch Hunt!

The indictment follows a 2-year investigation that stemmed broadly from Trumps taped phone call in early 2021 to Georgia election officials soliciting them to find him 11,780 votes, one more than Bidens margin of victory in the pivotal battleground state.

To this day, Trump falsely contends that election irregularities cost him another term in the White House. Trump has also been indicted in two federal cases and one in New York state.

Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith accused Trump in a four-count indictment in Washington of scheming with six unnamed co-conspirators to illegally upend his national reelection loss.

Smith also accused Trump in Florida of illegally hoarding highly classified national security documents as he left the White House in early 2021 and conspiring to keep from turning them over to federal investigators.

A New York state prosecutor indicted Trump on charges of altering business records at his Trump Organization real estate conglomerate to hide a hush money payment to a porn film star ahead of his successful 2016 run for the presidency to keep her from talking about her claim of a one-night tryst with Trump a decade earlier.

Trump has denied wrongdoing in all the cases.
The death toll in Hawaii's wildfires rose to 99 and could double over the next 10 days, the state's governor said Monday, as emergency personnel painstakingly scoured the incinerated landscape for more human remains.

Last week's inferno on the island of Maui is already the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century, with only a quarter of the ruins of the devastated town of Lahaina searched for victims so far.

Gov. Josh Green said more fatalities are certain, as emergency responders with cadaver dogs work their way through hundreds of homes and burned-out vehicles.

"There are 99 fatalities that are confirmed," he told a press conference Monday.

Speaking to CNN earlier, Green warned that "over the course of the next 10 days, this number could double."

The historic coastal town of Lahaina was almost totally destroyed by the fast-moving blaze last week, with survivors saying there had been no warnings.

The intensity of the fire and scale of the destruction have made identification of human remains difficult, with some corpses disintegrating as they are uncovered by searchers.

Only three of the 99 victims recovered so far could be identified by their fingerprints, said Maui Police Chief John Pelletier.

Police are encouraging those with missing relatives to give DNA samples that might speed up the process.

Around 25% of Lahaina had been searched, with that expected to rise to 90% by this weekend, said Pelletier.

Jeremy Greenberg, a Federal Emergency Management Agency director, said search conditions were "extraordinarily difficult to work through."

Officials warned of the dangers of unstable buildings and potential airborne toxic chemicals in the area, and said one arrest for trespassing had been made.

Until last week, the town was a bustling tourist hub, packed with shops and restaurants.

Now, "there's nothing to see except full devastation," said Green, who has visited the smoldering streets of rubble and ash multiple times.

Around 1,300 people remain unaccounted for, although delays restoring cell phone communications have made it difficult for residents who fled to reconnect.

"Our hearts will break beyond repair, perhaps, if that means that many more dead. None of us think that, but we are prepared for many tragic stories," Green told CBS.

'Abysmal'

The wildfire is the deadliest in the United States since 1918, when 453 people died in Minnesota and Wisconsin, according to the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association.

Questions are being asked about authorities' preparedness and response to the catastrophe.

Some fire hydrants ran dry in the early stages of the wildfire.

A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Hawaiian Electric, the state's biggest power firm, claiming the company "inexcusably kept their power lines energized during forecasted high fire danger conditions."

Hawaiian Electric CEO Shelee Kimura said the company does not shut off power during fire conditions  as is sometimes done in California  in part as electricity is needed for water pumps.

Blackouts during storms also cause risks and hardships for vulnerable people including the elderly, she said.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

Whatever sparked the terrifying inferno, a collision of circumstances  including a churning hurricane off the coast  meant that it spread very quickly.

Maui suffered numerous power outages during the crisis, preventing many residents from receiving emergency alerts on their cell phones.

No sirens sounded, and many people in Lahaina learned about the blaze from neighbors running down the street or seeing it for themselves.

Attempts to allow residents back into Lahaina descended into chaos Monday, as a placard system identifying those permitted to travel was suspended after barely an hour.

"The miscommunication is abysmal  people are very angry and frustrated, and this is getting worse," said Stephen Van Bueren, 42, a local church pastor who waited for more than an hour to get a placard, without success.

Rehousing

Maui's fires follow other extreme weather events in North America this summer, with record-breaking wildfires still burning across Canada and a major heat wave baking the U.S. southwest.

Europe and parts of Asia have also endured soaring temperatures, with major fires and floods wreaking havoc.

Scientists say human-caused global warming is exacerbating natural hazards, making them both more likely and more deadly.

In Lahaina, a few thousand buildings were damaged or destroyed as the fire tore through the town, according to official estimates, wreaking more than $5 billion in damage.

Hundreds of hotel rooms are being made available for free to victims, with Airbnb vacation homes being repurposed as longer-term rehousing, available for at least 36 weeks, said Green.

Officials on Monday downplayed fears about more incoming adverse weather.

Tropical Storm Greg is expected to pass a few hundred miles south of Maui later this week.
A grand jury in the U.S. state of Georgia has indicted former President Donald Trump and 18 others in connection with efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss. Hawaii's governor warns many more people could be found dead following ferocious wildfires. Shock and fear in Ukraine's city of Odesa.
Many visitors to museums and art galleries find themselves surprised by the family ties between many of the artists exhibited. During the opening of the retrospective that Madrids Prado Museum has dedicated to Francisco de Herrera el Mozo, curator Benito Navarrete took the opportunity to talk about Herrera el Viejo, a remarkable artist who had a devilish relationship with his son. At the same event, the museums deputy director, Andres Ubeda, tried to memorize the names of the artists with family ties who are represented in the museum. In general, they are fathers and sons or daughters: Lucas Cranach the Elder and Lucas Cranach the Younger; Orazio and Artemisia Gentileschi; Pedro Roldan and his daughter Luisa Ignacia Roldan, La Roldana; Mariano Fortuny Madrazo, son of the painter of the same name and grandson, on his mothers side, of Federico Madrazo, and Joaquin Sorolla and his daughter, the sculptor Helena Sorolla, among many others.

Among art world experts it is considered an indisputable certainty that there is no gene by which artistic talent is inherited. Paloma Alarco, head of the Modern Painting Conservation Department at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid, states categorically that she does not believe in the existence of an artistic gene. The transmission of knowledge that the artist can instill in those around them, whether they are relatives or not, is another matter.

That mastery of which Alarco speaks is present in many other professions linked to culture. For example, actors in the 16th century could only be trained in guilds, which were always monopolized by the families of performers. In theory, access to these schools was free, but in practice the key was provided by the family name. In painting or sculpture, the teaching took place in academies, or the artists themselves shared their knowledge in exchange for work in their workshops. One of the most famous cases is that of Jorge Manuel Theotocopuli, the son of El Greco, who absorbed the essence of the craft by his fathers side in Toledo.

Another traditional case is represented by Pablo Picasso. His father, Jose Ruiz y Blasco, a drawing teacher and painter, poured all his knowledge into his son from a very early age. Picasso always displayed gratitude towards his father, although on one occasion he described him as a painter of dining rooms, due to the ornamental simplicity of his canvases. However, none of Picassos descendants have dedicated themselves to art, with the exception of Paloma Picassos jewelry design.

The Gentileschi

'The Birth of Saint John the Baptist' (1635) by Artemisia Gentileschi. Museo del Prado

But for whatever reason, numerous families have provided the backbone of the history of art. For example, the Gentileschi. Orazio Gentileschi (1563-1639) was the son of a Florentine goldsmith who found success in Rome, where he raised a family that was broken when his wife died. The eldest of his four children was Artemisia, a girl to whom the fate of those times prescribed a convent in which to spend her life. But her fathers understanding character made it possible for Artemisia to work and learn the trade in the paternal workshop, located next to the family home, allowing her to come and go without being seen in a society that did not tolerate women leaving the home. Her selflessness, talent and courage led to her work being applauded, first under the protective signature of her father. Later, patrons commissions required her authorship. Artemisias life story is well known. Although she was traumatized after being raped by one of the apprentices at the workshop marked her, she survived and did not stop until her attacker was brought to justice.

The Roldans

'The Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine' (c. 1692 -1706), by Luisa Roldan. Hispanic Society

Luisa Ignacia Roldan Villavicencio was born in Seville in 1652, daughter of the sculptor Pedro Roldan. Her father, observing the inclination towards sculpture that the girl displayed as a child, taught her to draw and model. Roldans workshop was a real family business. Four of his sons, three sons-in-law and a nephew worked there. Luisa was entrusted with tasks such as gilding the figures, but without waiting for instruction she began to design and sculpt by handling saws, hammers, and pointers. A brilliant student, she soon mastered the techniques of working in wood or stone. As in other cases, what came out of the workshop was considered the work of her father of the family, Pedro Roldan. But as time went by, Luisa Roldan imposed her knowledge and criteria until she became one of the most notable artists of the Spanish Baroque period.

The Sorollas

Helena Sorolla working on her sculpture 'Reclining Female Nude' (c. 1915-1921).

Helena Sorolla was the youngest of Joaquin Sorolla and Clotilde Garcias three children. Born in Valencia in 1895, she was a modern and free-thinking woman, trained in the Institucion Libre de Ensenanza (Free Institution of Education). Her siblings, Maria and Joaquin, dedicated themselves to landscape painting, a difficult genre to live up to given their fathers prolific output. However, Helena chose to concentrate on sculpture, an activity that she combined with her dedication to her family. In 2014, a retrospective of her work was exhibited in Valencia. Critics regretted that she abandoned her vocation too soon to devote herself to the family, although sometimes the weight of a great star, such as Joaquin Sorolla, requires too much space for his own creative impulses.

The Fortunys

'Interior of the Orfei Palace' (1940), a pictorial work by Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo. FMCV - Archivo Museo Fortuny

Mariano Fortuny Madrazo (1871-1949) was the son of the painter of the same name and a grandson, on his mothers side, of Federico Madrazo, painter and a former director of the Prado. With such a glittering family line, Fortuny understood art as a whole, in which all disciplines were equally important. In an anthological exhibition held in his native Granada in 2021, it was recalled that as a designer he had Orson Welles wear his costumes in Othello and Charles Chaplin bought more than 30 dresses from him. Passionate about technology, he invented a system of indirect theatrical lighting that was radically innovative at the time. He also designed a dress, the Delphos, in which Lauren Bacall received her Oscar in 1979. Meanwhile, he also painted constantly. At the age of 18, he settled in Venice and it was there that he achieved worldwide fame, as reflected in the Palazzo Fortuny Museum, one of the most beautiful in the world.

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Niger's military-appointed prime minister made an unannounced visit to neighboring Chad on Tuesday as West African states set talks for mulling possible military intervention to reverse his country's coup and the United States and Russia urged a diplomatic solution.

Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, a civilian appointed by the military rulers who ousted Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26, arrived in Chad for a "working visit," the Chadian government said on Facebook.

In a statement issued after meeting Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, Zeine said he had brought a message of "good neighborliness and good fraternity" from the head of Niger's regime.

"We are in a process of transition. We discussed the ins and outs and reiterated our availability to remain open and talk with all parties, but insist on our country's independence," he said.

Deby, a key player in the unstable Sahel, had flown to the Nigerien capital Niamey four days after the coup.

Photos later showed him pictured next to the detained Bazoum and, separately, with one of the regime's leaders, General Salifou Mody.

Diplomacy call

Zeine's unannounced visit came hours after sources in the region said military chiefs from the regional bloc Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS, would meet in Ghana on Thursday and Friday to discuss possible intervention in Niger.

The meeting  originally scheduled for last Saturday but then postponed  flows from an ECOWAS summit last week that approved deployment of a "standby force to restore constitutional order" in Niger.

Analysts say military intervention would be operationally risky and politically hazardous, given divisions within ECOWAS ranks and fears of worsening the Sahel's chronic instability.

But the option of force also came with the bloc's insistence that it preferred a diplomatic outcome  a scenario that Washington strongly backed on Tuesday.

"I believe that there continues to be space for diplomacy in achieving that result," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters.

"The pressure that's been exerted by many countries including through ECOWAS on the military leaders responsible for disrupting the constitutional order in Niger is mounting.

"I think they have to take that into account, as well as the fact that their actions have isolated them from the region and the world."

Russian President Vladimir Putin called for a "peaceful political and diplomatic" resolution to the crisis in a phone call with Mali's junta leader, Assimi Goita, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

Overthrow shocks many

President Bazoum's election in 2021 was a landmark in Niger's history, ushering in the country's first peaceful transfer of power since independence from France in 1960.

His ousting unleashed a shock wave around West Africa, where Mali and Burkina Faso  likewise battered by a jihadist insurgency  have also suffered military takeovers.

ECOWAS applied a tough roster of trade and financial sanctions, while France, Germany and the United States suspended their aid programs.

The regional bloc gave the new regime a one-week ultimatum on July 30 to restore Bazoum or face the potential use of force, but the deadline expired without action. Regime sends mixed signals

Niger's military regime has sent mixed signals since the crisis erupted.

At the weekend, the coup leaders said they were open to a diplomatic push after their chief, General Abdourahamane Tiani, met with Nigerian religious mediators.

Those talks came after the ECOWAS military meeting in Ghana was postponed for "technical reasons."

But on Sunday night, Niger's rulers declared they had gathered sufficient evidence to prosecute Bazoum for "high treason and undermining internal and external security."

The legal threat was angrily condemned by ECOWAS, which lashed it as a contradiction of the regime's "reported willingness" to explore peaceful means. Washington said it was "incredibly dismayed."

The row overshadowed talks under African Union auspices that began on Monday in Addis Ababa, bringing together representatives from the regime and ECOWAS.

Niger's fifth putsch

A landlocked nation in the heart of the arid Sahel, Niger is one of the world's poorest and most turbulent countries.

Bazoum, 63, survived two attempted coups before being ousted, in the fifth putsch in the country's history.

His ousting deals a huge blow to French and U.S. strategy in the Sahel.

France refocused its anti-jihadist operations on Niger after withdrawing from Mali and Burkina Faso last year following a bust-up with their juntas.
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Lithuania  a NATO member with a population of nearly 3 million  is beefing up its border security because the presence of Wagner Group mercenaries in Belarus has escalated security concerns. VOA Eastern Europe bureau chief Myroslava Gongadze reports from the Lithuania-Belarusian border.
The smoke was starting to blot out the sun. Winds were howling, and heat bore down as flames licked the trees on the horizon. The power had been out all day, so Mike Cicchino thought hed drive to the hardware store for a generator. He turned off his street, and in an instant, his Lahaina neighborhood seemed to spiral into a war zone.

When I turned that corner, I see pandemonium, he said. I see people running and grabbing their babies and screaming and jumping in their cars.

It was around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday when Cicchino and his neighbors began a desperate fight for their lives. They had just moments to make decisions that would determine whether they lived or died in a race against the flames  a harrowing, narrow window of time in one of the most horrifying and lethal natural disasters the country has seen in years.

There were no sirens, no one with bullhorns, no one to tell anyone what to do: They were on their own, with their families and neighbors, to choose whether to stay or to run, and where to run to  through smoke so thick it blinded them, flames closing in from every direction, cars exploding, toppled power lines and uprooted trees, fire whipping through the wind and raining down.

Authorities confirmed that at least 96 people died  already the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than 100 years  and they expect that number to rise.

Just 10 minutes before Cicchino made that turn away from his street, Maui fire officials had issued an ominous warning. The Lahaina brush fire had sparked that morning, but authorities reported it was contained. Now, officials said, erratic wind, challenging terrain and flying embers made it hard to predict the fires path and speed. It could be a mile away, Fire Assistant Chief Jeff Giesea said, but in a minute or two, it can be at your house.

Cicchino did a U-turn, ran into his house and told his wife they needed to leave: We need to go! We need to get out of here now!

They ran to the car with five dogs and called the police, and a dispatcher said to follow the traffic. Access to the main highway  the only road leading in and out of Lahaina  was cut off by barricades set up by authorities. The roadblocks forced Cicchino and the line of cars onto Front Street.

Like tornado after tornado

A few blocks away, Kehau Kaauwai said the wind was so intense it tore the roof from her neighbors home. It felt like tornado after tornado was slicing down her street.

It roared, she said. It sounded like an airplane landing on our street.

Within moments, she said, the smoke that had been blocks away suddenly engulfed them. It darkened from gray to black, day seemed to turn to night.

Kaauwai couldnt even see buildings anymore. Something was exploding; it sounded like fireworks. She ran inside. She couldnt think  she just grabbed her dog and some clothes, never imagining she would not see her house or anything in it ever again.

Around 4 p.m., she got into her car. Traffic crawled, people were dragging uprooted trees out of the road with their bare hands. Debris whipped in the wind and banged on the car. Danger seemed to come from every direction.

Kaauwai would have driven to Front Street, but a stranger walking by told her to go the other way. She wishes now she could thank him, because he might have saved her life.

Panic on Front Street

On gridlocked Front Street, people were panicking, crying, screaming, honking.

Bill Wyland grabbed his computer, passport and Social Security card and stuffed them into a backpack. He got on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle and drove on the sidewalk.

I could feel the heat burning in my back. I could pretty much feel the hair is burning off the back of my neck, said Wyland, who owns an art gallery on Front Street.

At one point, he passed a man on a bicycle madly pedaling for his life. Some were abandoning cars and fleeing on foot. The smoke was so thick, so toxic, some said they vomited.

Its something youd seen in a Twilight Zone horror movie or something, Wyland said.

The street was so jammed, he thinks if hed taken his car instead, he would have died or been forced into the ocean. The people sitting in their cars saw black smoke ahead.

Were all driving into a death trap, Mike Cicchino thought. He told his wife: We need to jump out of this car, abandon the car, and we need to run for our lives.

They got the dogs out. But it was impossible to know which way to run.

Behind us, straight ahead, beside us, everywhere was on fire, Cicchino said. It had been less than 15 minutes since he left his house, and he thought it was the end. He called his mother, his brother and his daughter to tell them he loved them.

The black smoke was so thick they could see only the white dogs, not the three dark ones, and they lost them.

Vehicles exploding on the street

Propane tanks from a catering van exploded.

It was like a war, Cicchino said. Those fleeing could tell how close the fire was getting to them based on how far away the cars sounded when they erupted.

The cars sounded like bombs going off, Donnie Roxx said. It was dark, it was 4 oclock in the afternoon, and it looked like midnight.

A seawall separates the town from the ocean, and Roxx realized he and his neighbors were confronting a horrific decision: stay on burning land or go to the water.

Do you want to get burned or take your chances and drown? he asked himself. He jumped over the wall.

So did dozens of others, including Mike Cicchino and his wife.

Others came to realize they needed to flee  but not because officials told them.

Anne Landon was chatting with others in her senior apartment complex. She said she felt a sudden blast of hot air that must have been more than 100 degrees. She ran to her unit and grabbed her purse and her 15-pound dog, La Vida.

Its time to get out! Lets get out! she shouted to neighbors as she rushed to her car.

Shed already packed a rolling duffel bag in her car, just in case. She didnt know where to go. She stopped and asked an officer, who didnt know what to tell her, except to wish her luck.

Historic wooden buildings in flames

Debris was flying through the air. She ran into people she barely knew but recognized. They told her to come with them to their home. They got stuck in a dead stop in the traffic, so they abandoned the car. She put the dog on top of her rolling suitcase and dragged it down Front Street, to the beach.

Downtowns historic wooden buildings were burning. The splintering lumber broke apart and flew through the wind, still flaming.

The sky was black, and the wind was blowing, and the embers were going over us. We didnt know if wed have to jump in the water, she said. I was terrified, absolutely horrified  so, so scared.

But a path through the smoke cleared for just a moment, and police came shouting for them to go north. They ran.

Many others remained trapped on the beach.

Mike Cicchino and his wife took off their shirts, dunked them in water and tried to cover their faces. Cicchino ran up and down the seawall, shouting his lost dogs names. He saw dead bodies slumped next to the wall. Help me, people screamed. Elderly and disabled people couldnt make it over the wall on their own. Some were badly burned, and Cicchino lifted as many as he could. He ran until he vomited from the smoke, his eyes nearly swollen shut.

For the next five or six hours, they moved back and forth between sea and shore. They crouched behind the wall, trying to get as low as they could. When flames fell from the sky, they dunked themselves into the water. Their surviving dogs fur was singed.

It was so surreal, Cicchino thought he must be dreaming.

My mind kept going back to: This has got to be just a nightmare. This cannot be real. This cannot actually be happening, he said. But then you realize youre burning. Im feeling pain, and I dont feel pain in nightmares.

The U.S. Coast Guards first notification about the fires was when the search and rescue command center in Honolulu received reports of people in the water near Lahaina at 5:45 p.m., said Captain Aja Kirksey, commander of Coast Guard Sector Honolulu.

The boats were hard to see because of the smoke, but Cicchino and others used cellphones to flash lights at the vessels, guiding them in to rescue some, mostly children. Fire trucks eventually came and drove them out, through the flames.

Those who survived are haunted by what they endured.

Cicchino jolts awake at night from dreams of dead people, dead dogs. Two of his dogs remain missing. He agonizes over the decisions he made: Could he have saved more people? Could he have saved the dogs?

Anne Landon was practically catatonic. She imagines her neighbors who didnt make it out and wonders if she might have been able to help them. She was covered in ash but couldnt bring herself to shower.

Her dog wouldnt eat for two days.
A special court dealing with sexual crimes against children has sentenced two men to life in prison for gang raping and murdering two Dalit sisters in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh about a year ago.

The POCSO, Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses court, also sentenced two other men found guilty of destroying evidence of the crime, to six years in prison.

After the bodies of the two siblings, 15 and 17, were found hanging from a tree in the Lakhimpur district of U.P. on September 14, the crimes were widely reported across global media and triggered widespread outrage.

The police swung into action as soon as the bodies were found and arrested six people, including two minor boys. Post-mortem reports confirmed the girls were raped and strangled to death.

Last week the POSCO court convicted two of the four men of abducting, gangraping and murdering the two girls. Two other men, who helped the main accused to hang the bodies of the victims from the tree, were found guilty by the court of causing disappearance of evidence, while the verdict for the two minors  ages 16 and 17 at the time of the crime  are pending in a juvenile court.

On Monday (August 14), Rahul Singh, a judge in the POCSO court, observed that the crime was from the rarest of the rare category and said the life sentences of the two convicts would run until their last breath. The two men, identified by their first names, Junaid and Sunil, have been ordered to pay a fine of $553 each.

After the crime was committed last year, the family of the two sisters alleged that the girls had been abducted from their village hours before they were found murdered.

The police report filed last year, however, said the girls were in a relationship with two of the six charged and they left their village voluntarily with some of the accused on their motorcycles. The girls were then taken to a sugarcane field where they were raped, before being strangled to death.

According to the police, after they were raped, the girls insisted the two men marry them. The men refused and a heated argument ensued, concluding with the sisters being strangled to death. The men hung their bodies from a tree using one of their dupattas [scarves] to make the case look like a joint suicide, the police report added.

The family of the two murdered sisters was given compensation of $30,034 and a house by the U.P. government, which also promised "exemplary punishment for the perpetrators in the case.

When the police began the investigation into the case, the family of the victims said they would not be satisfied unless the culprits were given capital punishment.

They strangled my daughters to death. I want them to be hanged and die by strangling, the father of the two girls said last year.

After Mondays verdict, the father of the two sisters said he was satisfied with the court judgment.

I would have been happier if the court handed out death sentences to all of them, the father said.
At least 26 members of the Nigerian security forces were killed and eight wounded in an ambush by gunmen in central Nigeria late Sunday, two military sources told AFP.

Additionally, an air force spokesman said a helicopter rescuing the wounded crashed on Monday morning in the area, where the army is fighting criminal groups, without specifying whether the crew and passengers had survived.

The two military officers asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak on the incident while military authorities were not available for comment.

"We lost 23 soldiers, including three officers, and three Civilians JTF [vigilantes] in the encounter while eight soldiers were injured," said the first source, following "a serious fight" along the Zungeru-Tegina highway.

A second officer gave the same toll and said the bandits also suffered "heavy casualties". He also said that communication had been lost with an air force helicopter dispatched to evacuate the casualties, with 11 of the dead and seven of the injured aboard.

He said the helicopter was carrying 11 of the dead and seven of the wounded. He added that the aircraft had crashed because of gunfire from "bandits."

A Nigerian air force spokesman confirmed that its Mi-171 helicopter while on a "casualty evacuation mission" crashed on Monday after take-off from Zungeru.

"The aircraft had departed Zungeru Primary School enroute for Kaduna but was later discovered to have crashed near Chukuba Village in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State," spokesman Edward Gabkwet said in a statement.

He said efforts were under way to rescue those aboard and that preliminary investigations had been opened into the cause of the crash.

Barely a week goes by in Africa's most populous nation without attacks or kidnappings by criminals known as "bandits" in the northwest and center of the country.

The gangs, who have been notorious for mass school abductions, maintain camps in a vast forest straddling the states of Niger, Kaduna, Zamfara and Katsina.

Northwest and central Nigeria have for years been terrorized by bandits who raid remote villages where they kill and abduct residents for ransom, as well as burn homes after looting them.

Impunity as well as insufficient security and wider government presence has allowed the violence to fester, experts say.
Authorities say they rushed to arrest a 17-year-old boy, alleging he was preparing to build bombs and select targets after being in touch with an al-Qaida affiliate in Syria.

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner announced the arrest Monday, calling details of the threat deeply disturbing.

An FBI SWAT team was sent to the teenagers home in West Philadelphia Friday morning after investigators found evidence that he had access to firearms and had been purchasing materials, including chemical and wires, commonly used in making improvised explosive devices.

The suspect, who is not being named since he is currently charged as a juvenile, presented a grave danger to everyone  himself, his family, the block where he lived and, frankly, people everywhere in Philadelphia and potentially people around the country, Krasner told reporters in Philadelphia.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire said the suspect first came to the attention of the FBIs Joint Terrorism Task Force as a result of his Instagram social media communications with Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad (KTJ), an al-Qaida affiliate that operates out of parts of Syria.

Some of the messages indicated the suspect was interested in leaving the United States to join the terror group. But officials said other messages include instructions for how to make improvised explosive devices.

Maguire said concern rose quickly after surveillance teams saw the suspect purchase materials to make the bombs last week, including chemicals, wiring and devices that could be used as detonators.

Maguire said agents also found the suspect had access to quite a significant number of firearms.

In addition, work by other U.S. agencies found that there had been at least 14 international shipments of military and tactical gear to the suspects home.

This was now a situation where we believed public safety was at risk, Maguire said. Knowing that he was purchasing these components, these materials, and knowing what he had accumulated  he could build a viable device.

Maguire said it appears the suspect was in the early stages of choosing potential targets, and that some appeared to be outside of the Philadelphia region. But she also said that while the investigation is ongoing there is no longer a threat to the public.

Despite the concern, Maguire said the suspect was cooperative with the SWAT team sent to his residence to make the arrest.

For now, the state of Pennsylvania is charging him on counts related to weapons of mass destruction, criminal conspiracy, arson, causing or risking catastrophe and reckless endangerment, among others.

In addition to the alleged communication with KTJ, FBI agents also found the suspect posted images of a Chechnya-based terror group and the Islamic State terror groups banner on a WhatsApp account.

The District Attorneys office said given the seriousness of the charges, it is seeking to have the suspect tried as an adult.

Officials also said the suspect could face additional charges from the federal government.
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A police raid on a U.S. newsroom has astounded media advocates who question the legality of the action. Jessica Jerreat has the story, narrated by Amy Katz.
The fourth indictment of former U.S. President Donald Trump and 18 other people for alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election drew a swift response across the political spectrum Tuesday. The Georgia grand jury's 41-count indictment was announced late Monday as U.S. lawmakers took an annual month-long summer break.



Democratic leaders described the move as showing that no one is above the law, while prominent Republicans said it was a politically motivated act against a candidate in the 2024 election.



"We ought to allow these cases to go forward without any political or ideological interference," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters Tuesday. "The DA [district attorney] laid out a very, very strong case that Donald Trump violated the law."

Watch related video by Cindy Saine:

Late Monday, Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that President Joe Biden "has weaponized government against his leading political opponent to interfere in the 2024 election" and accused Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis of "attacking President Trump and using it to fundraise her political career."



Democratic Congresswoman Nikema Williams, the chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Georgia and whose district includes part of Fulton County, said that Trump tried to disenfranchise voters in Georgia because he did not like the result of losing a fair election in 2020.



"This is day for our democracy. We should never be in a situation where a former president is criminally charged with an attempt to overturn the election," Williams told reporters Tuesday in a conference call organized by the group Public Citizen. "We showed that in Fulton County, we apply the law equally to everyone, even failed former presidents. We're starting to hold Donald Trump accountable in courts."
Over a million people visit the Iowa State Fair during its annual 11-day run in August.

But this year, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, resident Rick Stewart isnt attending the fair to judge the livestock contests, sample the diverse food offerings  including pork chops on a stick  or lining up to see the life-size cow made entirely of butter.

Hes here to perform a civic duty.

Its a chance to see all the candidates for president, Stewart told VOA. Theyve got a soapbox event. Theyve got a sit-down with [Iowa Governor] Kim Reynolds if they are a Republican. And I feel its a personal obligation as an Iowan to go and do my homework, because the rest of the country is relying on us to caucus intelligently next January, and I take that responsibility very seriously.

Just a few weeks ahead of the first Republican presidential debate, candidates are campaigning at the Iowa State Fair to court voters in the first state to say who they think should represent the Republican Party in the 2024 presidential election. With incumbent President Joe Biden the likely Democratic nominee, the race to challenge him on the Republican side is heating up under Iowas summer sun, although former president Donald Trump is the clear front-runner in most polls.

Ill be honest, Im a Trump supporter. But I want to hear what the other people have to say, said Celia Criswell, who had a choice location in the front row of seats at the Des Moines Register newspapers Political Soapbox stage, which provides an opportunity for candidates such as Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and businessman Perry Johnson  both significantly trailing Trump in polling  to make their campaign pitch directly to voters like Criswell in the hopes that they can change their minds  and their votes.

Im not sure at this point anything is going to shift it, Criswell said. Maybe in 2028 some of these people would be good for the presidency. Maybe theyre good for vice president right now.

Trump has visited Iowa less than others seeking the nomination yet still enjoys support among likely Republican voters.

While most candidates appeared at the Political Soapbox or attended Reynolds Fair-Side Chats, Trump declined those opportunities and instead visited the fair on his own terms, flying in for a few hours on Saturday to walk among cheering crowds.

I want to see him get in there and finish what he started, Robert Hand said to VOA. Hand flew in from New Jersey to take in the political atmosphere the Iowa State Fair offers. He said his support for Trump remained, despite mounting legal issues the former president faces.

But other Republican voters at the fair voiced their concerns.

Trump  I really loved what he did for his four years. But hes getting up there in years, said New Albany, Indiana, voter Terri Rumpf, who traveled to the fair seeking an alternative to the former president.

If we get into the general [election], the comparisons with Biden with age is not a good thing. Plus, hes got baggage. I dont want all the riots in the streets for four more years, she said.

I think that the Republican team is very strong, especially the ones Ive seen so far. Im very impressed, said Rick Stewart, who explained that while he is a supporter of the Libertarian Party, hell likely support a Republican in next years voting.

I dont believe that Trump can beat Biden. I hope that we dont have that election again, he said.

Tim Hagle, a political science professor at the University of Iowa, said Stewarts view reflects those of a number of Republican voters, but not enough at this point to shift the momentum to other candidates.

Hagle said that doing well in the Iowa caucuses is critical for those hoping to overtake Trump for the nomination, like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

DeSantis really has to do well in Iowa, at least a very strong second, for him to have any viability going forward," Hagle said. But for Trump, if he wins, and especially if he wins big in Iowa, probably this time around it would portend that he would get the nomination.

I believe that every Republican candidate Ive seen so far can beat Biden, and that would be good for me, Stewart said. But Im not going to pick a favorite until Ive seen them all.

The Iowa State Fair ends Aug. 20. The first Republican presidential debate is Aug. 23 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Voters cast ballots in the lead-off Iowa caucus on Jan. 15.
Romania aims to double the monthly transit capacity of Ukrainian grain to its flagship Black Sea port of Constanta to 4 million metric tons in the coming months, particularly via the Danube River, Transport Minister Sorin Grindeanu said.

Ukraine is one of the world's top grain exporters and Russia has been attacking its agricultural and port infrastructure after refusing to extend a year-old safe passage grain corridor brokered by the United Nations and Turkey. The attacks included Ukraines inland Danube ports of Reni and Izmail.

Before Russia pulled out of the safe passage corridor, the Danube ports accounted for around a quarter of Ukraine's grain exports. Grain is loaded onto barges at the ports, shipped downriver through territorial waters of European Union and NATO-member Romania, and onwards from Romania's Black Sea port of Constanta.

By hiring more staff to ease the passage of vessels into the Danube's Sulina canal and by finalizing connecting infrastructure projects  many of them EU-funded  Romania could increase the transit capacity, Grindeanu told reporters.

"I have underlined the importance of Romanian rail, road and naval transport routes to maintain a constant flow for Ukrainian exports," Grindeanu said after a meeting with representatives of the EU, the United States, Moldova and Ukraine in the Danube town of Galati.

"It was a good meeting which will lead us through the agreed measures to raise grain transit capacity from over 2 million tons per month at present to almost 4 million tons in the coming months."

Grindeanu said Romania's Danube administration agency will have 60 pilots to take ships in and out of the Sulina canal by the end of August. An EU-funded project to make sailing possible at night on Sulina will likely be completed in October, he said.

"When all these investments are made and the number of pilots increases, Romanian ports of Galati and Braila will automatically be used alongside Reni and Izmail."

Present at the meeting, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said the Danube remained "one of the key and attractive logistics routes for export of Ukrainian agricultural products."

"Ukraine also is interested in the possibility to organize additional places for roadside trans-shipment of vessels in the territorial waters in Romania in particular near the port of Constanta and near Sulina channel," he said.

"We also asked Romanian side to ensure that at least 14 vessels per day to and from Ukrainian ports on the Danube through Sulina channel will be processed."
Turkiye and Pakistan can work together on different missions on the global and regional scales, from security to countering Islamophobia, a Turkish lawmaker said on Monday, Azernews reports, citing Yeni Safak.

Ali Sahin, who heads an inter-parliamentary friendship group between Ankara and Islamabad, wrote a letter marking Pakistan's 76th Independence Day, pointing to the "genetic" nature of the relationship between the two nations.

Noting that Turkiye-Pakistan relations go beyond inter-state ties, Sahin emphasized that the relationship is unique and not common in other parts of the world.

While pointing out that interests are the main foundation for international relations, Sahin this was not the motivation between Pakistan and Turkiye.

Considering the military capacities, the potential to generate security, and other capabilities of Turkiye and Pakistan, the two countries can build a sincere and strong model to ensure security in the region, said Sahin.

He underlined the "common genetic, social and cultural harmony that Turkiye and Pakistan have with the countries of the region, it will be seen that they have the potential to produce a very strong security for the region," said Sahin.

"Actually, the most powerful security is a security that can be achieved through peace. Instead of the artificial security need created by the West through hostility, conflict, and threats for the purpose of exploitation, establishing a regional security model centered around peace will be both more cost-effective and a much more sincere and humane security and stability model" he added.

- Muslim solution mechanisms to Muslim problems

Sahin also emphasized Turkiye and Pakistans potential in terms of producing Muslim solution mechanisms for problems faced by Muslims.

He said another mission that Turkiye and Pakistan would undertake on a global scale would be to present a model to solve the problem of Islamophobia.

Sahin said he had made a proposal to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to open an Asian representative office based in Islamabad to develop and expand historical kinship ties with Muslims in Pakistan and Southeast Asia.
Logos of Swiss banks UBS and Credit Suisse are seen in Zurich, Switzerland, on March 20, 2023.

UBS will pay U.S. authorities $1.44 billion to settle the last lingering legal case over Wall Streets role in the housing bubble of the early 2000s, which ultimately led to the 2008 financial crisis and Great Recession.

The Swiss bank agreed to pay a civil penalty over how it handled the sale of 40 mortgage-backed securities issued in 2006 and 2007. The settlement argues that UBS bankers gave false and misleading statements about the health of the mortgages in those bonds to the buyers in violation of federal securities law.

For example, UBS bankers knew that the underlying mortgages in these bonds were poorly underwritten or violated consumer protection laws. The bonds in question ended up with substantial losses for investors.

With the UBS settlement, the last remaining outstanding legal case from the Great Recession has now come to a close, the Justice Department said. Banks paid collectively more than $36 billion in civil penalties for their conduct related to the mortgage crisis, but that does not include other settlements that banks have made to state and local authorities as well.

The financial crisis and subsequent recession is still being felt today in many parts of the country in depressed housing values. It also was a seismic shift politically, leading to the rise of populist candidates both here in the U.S. and internationally.

UBS said that it already had set aside funds for the settlement, so it will not impact its financial results.

Separately Monday, Swiss media reported that two groups acting on behalf of Credit Suisse shareholders filed suit in Swiss courts to argue that the sale price to UBS  around $3.25 billion  far undervalued the bank, and that UBS was able to unjustly profit from the deal.

The Swiss government hastily arranged the takeover in March of Credit Suisse, which had been facing years of turmoil and an exodus of shareholders, by longtime rival UBS to help avert a global financial crisis.

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Russia and North Korea on Tuesday advocated closer collaboration including in the defense sector, the latest show of deepening ties between the countries at odds with the United States.

Moscow and Pyongyang -- both increasingly isolated from the West and weighted with sanctions -- have drawn closer since the Kremlin deployed troops to Ukraine and commenced large-scale hostilities last year.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "stressed the need to further develop tactical and strategic cooperation and interaction between the two countries in the fields of defense and security," the country's defense minister said in a statement carried by the state-run RIA Novosti agency.

Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier Tuesday called for deeper ties, in a congratulatory message to Kim marking his country's National Liberation Day.

"I am sure that we will continue to build up bilateral cooperation in all areas for the benefit of our peoples, in the interests of strengthening stability and security on the Korean Peninsula and in the Northeast Asian region as a whole," Putin said in a statement distributed by the Kremlin.

Putin said it was during Korea's liberation from Japan and "harsh wartime" that groundwork was laid for close cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.

The leaders' statements came after Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu last month hailed Russia's partnership with North Korea during a meeting with his counterpart Kang Sun Nam in Pyongyang.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken responded to the visit saying the United States believed Shoigu was in North Korea to secure supplies of weapons to aid Russian forces fighting in Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials said Tuesday a Russian air attack on the northwestern city of Lutsk killed at least three people and wounded several others.

Regional governor Yuriy Poguliaiko said the Russian attack hit a business in Lutsk.

Officials also reported widespread damage in the western city of Lviv after Russia targeted the area with missiles Tuesday.

Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said on Telegram there were no casualties, but that the attack damaged more than 100 apartments and destroyed a kindergarten.

Ukraines air force said it downed 16 of 28 missiles Russia launched at the country.

Presidential adviser Mikhail Podolyak said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Russia had used cruise missiles and ballistic missiles to attack residential and industrial buildings in Lutsk, Lviv and Dnipro.

Deliberate large-scale attacks on civilians. Solely for the sake of killing and psychological pressure, Podolyak said.

US aid

The United States announced Monday a new security assistance package valued at $200 million for Ukraine. U.S. officials said its the first installment of a $6.2 billion aid package previously authorized under presidential drawdown authority guaranteeing the speedy delivery of existing Pentagon stockpiles to Ukraine.

The aid includes air defense munitions, artillery rounds, anti-armor capabilities, and additional mine-clearing equipment, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

Two U.S. officials told the Reuters news agency last Monday that the U.S. government would commit the $6.2 billion in funds to Ukraine after discovering a Pentagon accounting error that had overvalued billions of dollars of aid.

In May, the Pentagon said it had mistakenly overvalued U.S. weaponry shipped to Kyiv by inputting replacement value" instead of "depreciated value" to calculate the billions' worth of ammunition, missiles and other equipment it sent to Ukraine. The accounting error works to Kyiv's benefit because more equipment can be sent.

Washington is currently working on a supplemental budget request to continue aid to Kyiv, the U.S. officials said.

Every day, Russia is killing Ukrainian civilians and destroying civil infrastructure, while also weaponizing hunger and contributing to global food insecurity through its destruction of Ukraines civilian ports and grain infrastructure, Blinken said in his statement.

Russia started this war and could end it at any time by withdrawing its forces from Ukraine and stopping its brutal attacks. Until it does, the United States and our allies and partners will stand united with Ukraine, for as long as it takes, he added.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
Internet shutdowns, a TikTok ban and journalist arrests show a downward trend in press freedom in Senegal, a country once hailed as an example of "democratic success."

Press freedom advocates and journalists working in the West African country say the decline comes amid mass protests over the arrest of a key opposition figure and ahead of elections scheduled for early 2024.

"Once a beacon of press freedom, the country's reputation has been tarnished by many factors, the most important of which being the multiplication of threats of physical and verbal violence from political actors," Sadibou Marong, West Africa director of media watchdog Reporters Without Borders told VOA.

Between April 2022 and August 2023 his organization recorded at least 20 violations against journalists "with various level(s) of atrocity, including unlawful arrests, attacks and judicial persecution."

Those incidents, "as well as the suspension of mobile phone internet access and the ban on TikTok, fuel concern about a decline in press freedom in Senegal," the Dakar-based advocate said.

One of the most high-profile cases is that of Pape Ale Niang, an investigative journalist and director of news website Dakar Matin, who has been sent to jail three times in less than a year.

More recently, police in Dakar on Tuesday detained reporter Abdou Khadre Sakho on accusations of false news for coverage of the detained opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, said the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Niangs apparent crime: "instigating an insurrection" after broadcasting a live video about the jailed opposition politician.

When he spoke with VOA via a messaging app, Niang was in a hospital after staging a hunger strike to protest being taken into custody in July.

"For this last arrest, the objective was still to silence me. As soon as I was arrested I started a hunger strike, after seven days I was evacuated to the hospital," he said.

Niang believes the government of President Macky Sall is "drifting towards becoming dictatorial."

A spokesperson for the Interior Ministry referred VOA to the Justice Ministry. As of publication, the ministry had not responded to the request for comment.

Niang is not the only journalist to face legal action.

Two journalists were detained in May. One of those  Maty Sarr Niang  is still in detention, said the Committee to Protect Journalists.

And authorities detained Pape Ndiaye, a reporter for Walf TV, from March until June, over accusations of false news. They also suspended the privately owned broadcaster for a month in June over its coverage of protests.

For other journalists in Senegal, the recent actions have left some feeling cautious.

Mady Camara, a freelancer who writes for the New York Times among other publications, said that while he personally has not faced any issues, "Journalists don't feel free to write about any topic.

"It's a little bit tricky for journalists to work freely without feeling threatened," he said.

Camara said the decline in the media environment had come as a surprise to many, as Sall had been considered an advocate of democracy in the region.

He pointed to the "remarkable" change in Senegal's annual press freedom ranking by Reporters Without Borders. In 2021 the country ranked 49 out of 180 countries where 1 marks the best environment. But in 2023, it had fallen 55 places to 104 on the annual index.

The Media Foundation for West Africa said in an August statement that it was "deeply concerned by these events in Senegal, a country otherwise celebrated as an example of democratic success in Africa."

Borso Tall, who contributes to media including the BBC, said not only can the law be used to punish those who oppose the government, it can also be used to punish anyone who simply reports on its critics.

"Press freedom is always attacked when change is about to happen," she said. But, Tall noted, what's happening right now "is unprecedented, and it goes against everything that we know about Senegal."

Many press organizations and journalists believe the popularity of the opposition party, violent protests, and the media's coverage of both account for the apparent change.

Late last month the government dissolved the PASTEF party led by outspoken Sall critic Sonko, who is facing charges that include plotting an insurrection.

Against that backdrop, access to the internet has been cut and authorities have ordered access to be blocked to some social media platforms.

The global #KeepItOn coalition, which fights internet shutdowns, has called on Senegal's government to end the blackouts.

"Internet shutdowns are never a necessary or proportionate response to public unrest. The government of Senegal must immediately end the ongoing escalation of internet shutdowns and refrain from flipping the kill switch whenever they feel like it," the group said.

Also in August, the government ordered the video-sharing platform TikTok to be blocked, citing "hateful and subversive messages."

Others believe it is because of content focused on the protests.

Even with the block in place, journalist Tall said, young Senegalese find ways to get around it.

"If local people cannot share what's happening, they'll still film it and share it later when they have internet or VPN," she said.

As for Dakar Matin director Niang, speaking from a hospital, he told VOA he is undeterred, saying, "I will continue my work once my health is restored."
Four months into the war in Sudan, humanitarian leaders are highlighting the devastating impact the brutal conflict has had on millions of people whose lives have been destroyed and whose basic human rights have been violated.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the heads of 20 United Nations and international humanitarian organizations called for an immediate cessation of hostilities that have engulfed and terrorized the Sudanese people for months and for the international community to step up today  and act to put Sudan back on track and end the war.

Volker Turk, U.N. high commissioner for human rights, condemned the disastrous, senseless war in Sudan, which he said was borne out of a wanton drive for power and which has resulted in the deaths of thousands, the destruction of homes, schools, hospitals and other essential services.

The U.N. human rights office reports it has reasonable grounds to believe both the Sudan Armed Forces and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have committed serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law during the conflict, including violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.

Turk said the forcible displacement of a massive number of people, as well as acts of sexual violence, may amount to war crimes and that perpetrators of these and other crimes must be held accountable.

He expressed grave concerns that the chaotic situation, mired in impunity, is ripe for exploitation by other opportunistic armed actors and militia groups  and the violence may escalate further as a result.

The human rights chiefs spokeswoman, Elizabeth Throssell, noted the difficulty of getting an exact number of casualties due to the intensity of the fighting and the fact that the remains of many of those killed have not been collected, identified or buried.

Tentative figures, she said indicate that more than 4,000 people have so far been killed, including hundreds of civilians, adding that the actual number of casualties is believed to be much higher.

Since war erupted April 15, the U.N. refugee agency reports more than four million people have been displaced, more than 3.2 million inside Sudan and over 900,000 as refugees and asylum seekers in neighboring countries.

The agency reports displacement sites within Sudan and in neighboring countries were overcrowded and that it was doing whatever it could to provide lifesaving assistance wherever it has access.

In a particularly troubling development, UNHCR spokesman William Spindler said protection and health teams in Chad, Central African Republic, Egypt and South Sudan have been describing horrific ordeals faced by women and girls in Sudan.

Shocking incidents of sexual violence including rape, sexual assault, sexual exploitation, and physical violence have been reported by women and girls who have fled the conflict, he said. These incidents are reportedly perpetrated by fighters, criminals, and smugglers against civilians in Khartoum and other areas as well as those on the move.

In addition to lasting physical, sexual, reproductive and mental health consequences, the UNHCR reports some survivors have arrived in neighboring countries pregnant because of rape.

Laila Baker, regional director for Arab States for the U.N. Population Fund said her agency was very concerned about the status of sexual and reproductive health in Sudan, noting that more than 2.6 million women and girls of reproductive age required humanitarian assistance.

Speaking by video link from Cairo, Baker said some 260,000 women are currently pregnant, and almost 100,000 of those will give birth over the next three months.

Without the critical services including the hospital and safe delivery, their lives and those of their children and the babies that are going to be the future generation are severely at risk, she said.

She added that another area of great concern is the increase in gender-based violence, including sexual violence in conflict.

To be unequivocally clear, sexual violence is a war crime and a crime against humanity, she said, adding that treatment and counseling service providers have reported a 50% increase in gender-based violence since the start of the conflict, and we know that is only the tip of the iceberg.

The U.N. human rights office reports it has received credible reports of 32 incidents of sexual violence, including at least 28 cases of rape. It said men in RSF uniform were connected to at least 19 of these incidents as perpetrators, adding that the actual number of cases is likely to be much higher.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization reports the conflict is having a catastrophic impact on peoples health and well-being. It reports about 67% of hospitals in affected areas are out of service.

Margaret Harris, WHO spokeswoman, said over the past four months, there have been 53 attacks on health care, which killed 11 people and injured 38, adding that this has denied access to care for tens of thousands of people.

Jens Laerke, spokesman for the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said U.N. humanitarian and political staff based in Sudan have been in daily contact with the warring parties from the start of the conflict.

You may also recall that at the beginning when all this erupted, Martin Griffiths, the humanitarian coordinator, went to Sudan, and we got commitments from the parties to the conflict that they would adhere to international humanitarian law, he said. A lot of that does not seem to have happened, unfortunately.
Afghanistan's Taliban have declared August 15 the day of "victory" against the United States and announced a public holiday for Tuesday to mark the second anniversary of their return to power in Kabul.

The then-insurgent Taliban captured the capital on August 15, 2021, after overrunning the rest of the war-torn South Asian nation as the last remaining U.S.-led NATO troops withdrew, ending their two decades of involvement in the Afghan war.

"Tuesday is the victory day of the jihad [holy war] of the people of Afghanistan under the leadership of Islamic Emirate against the United States and its allies," stated an announcement by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs on the eve of the anniversary.

The Taliban government, the Islamic Emirate, relies on its strict interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia, to rule the poverty-stricken South Asian nation.

No foreign country has yet granted legitimacy to the de facto Afghan authorities, citing restrictions on most women's access to work, and a ban on girls' education, and other human rights concerns.

"It is time for the United States and others to formally recognize our government because it is the right of the people of Afghanistan, and withholding it is not a positive step," Zabihullah Mujahid told VOA in an interview ahead of Tuesday's celebrations.

"Women's education and work is not the issue. These are mere excuses," Mujahid asserted, speaking from his office in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar. "Unfortunately, accepting an Islamic government is difficult for the Western world or countries defeated in Afghanistan, so they are not ready to recognize us." SEE ALSO: Taliban Ban Women's Beauty Salons in Afghanistan

The United Nations has indefinitely postponed international recognition of the Taliban government.

Mujahid said their Islamic Emirate had met all the requirements over the past two years to become part of the global community.

He recounted the Taliban had established nationwide peace and security, stabilized the economy, ended illegal opium poppy cultivation as well as its trafficking, ensured women's rights to inheritance, and engaged in commercial activities in line with Sharia.

We maintain formal ties with several countries. Our visits to and cooperation with them through diplomacy are all formal. We have opened Afghan embassies in many countries, and their embassies operate in Kabul. Our official business, trade, and exchange of delegations take place with them, Mujahid said.

"We consider it a formal acceptance of the Islamic Emirate, and we are no longer concerned about this issue." He renewed the demand for Western nations to unfreeze nearly $9 billion in Afghan central bank assets, mostly held in the U.S., and to lift travel restrictions on top Taliban leaders.

Mujahid alleged that American drones still occasionally violate Afghan airspace. He demanded an end to the alleged violations.

Taliban forces have ended terrorism, and they are determined to prevent anyone, including Afghans, from threatening the United States or any other country from Afghanistan, he said.

Those found guilty of indulging in such activities will be brought to justice and punished in line with our legal system."

Mujahid claimed that sustained Taliban counterterrorism operations had almost "decimated Daesh and its bases" in the country. He used the local name for the regional affiliate of the Islamic State terrorist group, known as the Islamic State Khorasan Province.

In a recent round of talks with Taliban representatives, U.S. delegates urged them to reverse policies responsible for the deteriorating Afghan human rights situation, particularly for women and girls. The dialogue occurred in Doha, Qatar, from July 30-31.

"U.S. officials took note of the Taliban's continuing commitment to not allow the territory of Afghanistan to be used by anyone to threaten the United States and its allies, and the two sides discussed Taliban efforts to fulfill security commitments," the State Department said after the meeting.

SEE ALSO: Taliban Ban Women's Beauty Salons in Afghanistan It noted reports indicating that the Taliban's ban on opium poppy cultivation resulted in a significant decrease in cultivation during the most recent growing season.

Taliban have banned girls from attending schools beyond the sixth grade, blocked female students from accessing university classes, and banned Afghan women from working for the U.N. and other aid groups in a country where two-thirds of the population need humanitarian aid.

While the hard-line leaders have touted their gains since reclaiming power two years ago, the United Nations and other global monitors have consistently decried worsening human rights conditions in Afghanistan.

CIVICUS, a South Africa-based global alliance of civil society organizations and activists, in its report on the two-year Taliban rule, criticized them for unleashing a "systematic assault on civic space.

"The Taliban have continued to crackdown on protests over the last year, especially by women's rights activists around their right to education and employment with some arbitrarily arrested and ill-treated," the report said.

"Activists have been arbitrarily arrested and detained for their criticism of the Taliban, the global alliance said. Others have faced harassment, intimidation, and violence, and some have been killed."

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on the Taliban to stop their "relentless campaign of media intimidation" and abide by its promise to protect journalists in the country.

"Two years after the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan's once vibrant free press is a ghost of its former self," Beh Lih Yi, CPJ's Asia program coordinator, said Monday.

"Worsening media repression is isolating Afghanistan from the rest of the world at a time when the country is grappling with one of the world's largest humanitarian emergencies."

She stressed that access to reliable and trustworthy information could help save lives and livelihoods in a crisis, "but the Taliban's escalating crackdown on media is doing the opposite."

Press freedom monitors say about a dozen journalists are imprisoned in Afghanistan for their work. Most were rounded up over the past two weeks, including three Sunday.

The Taliban's spy agency, the General Directorate of Intelligence, is allegedly the driving force behind the crackdown. Government media spokespersons rarely comment on the agencys crackdown.

Despite initially promising to allow press freedom after taking power two years ago, the Taliban have shut down dozens of local media outlets, banned some international broadcasters, and denied visas to foreign correspondents, the CPJ noted in its statement.
Two powerful armed factions battled in Libya's capital on Tuesday in the city's worst violence this year, but the deadly clashes calmed after one side released a commander whose detention had triggered the fighting.

A Tripoli health agency said 27 people were killed and more than 100 injured in the violence, without saying if the figure included both combatants and civilians.

The Special Deterrence Force and the 444 Brigade are two of the strongest military forces in Tripoli, and their fighting from late on Monday rocked districts across the capital.

Dark smoke hung over parts of the city for much of Tuesday, and the sound of heavy weapons rattled through the streets as fighting erupted in different suburbs.

Both factions had backed the interim Government of National Unity during brief battles last year, and their sudden bout of fighting shattered months of relative calm in Tripoli, underscoring the risks in a conflict that remains unresolved.

Libya has had little peace or security since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising, and it split in 2014 between warring eastern and western factions.

An assault by eastern forces on Tripoli, which is in the west, collapsed in 2020 leading to a cease-fire that has halted most major warfare. Turkey, which backed the Tripoli government, maintains a military presence in Libya.

However, there has been little progress toward a lasting political solution to the conflict, and on the ground armed factions that have gained official status and financing continue to wield power.

Last year, factions backing a rival government declared by the eastern-based parliament launched a doomed attempt to oust Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, head of the interim unity government, leading to a day of heavy clashes in Tripoli.

Sporadic fighting has also this year rocked the city of Zawiya, west of the capital.

The clashes began late on Monday after the Special Deterrence Force, which controls Tripoli's main Mitiga airport, detained 444 Brigade commander Mahmoud Hamza as he attempted to travel and continued until Tuesday evening.

The Special Deterrence Force has been one of Tripoli's main armed factions for years, holding Mitiga and the surrounding coastal area, including a stretch of the main road to the east.

The 444 Brigade controls large swaths of the capital and areas south of Tripoli. Hamza, a former officer in the Special Deterrence Force, has previously been a key figure in mediating an end to tension between other armed factions.

Another significant Tripoli armed faction, the Stabilization Support Apparatus, had fighters and vehicles out on the street in areas it controls, but was not involved in the clashes, a Reuters witness said.

The clashes paused after an agreement for the Special Deterrence Force to hand Hamza to the Stabilization Support Apparatus and for fighters to return to their bases, city elders who negotiated the deal announced on television.

Some of the fighting was around Mitiga airport, residents said. Flights were diverted from the airport to Misrata, a city about 180 km (110 miles) east of Tripoli, airlines and airport sources said.
In indicting former President Donald Trump and 18 others for racketeering, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has turned to a favorite legal tool shes employed in high-profile cases: Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, known as RICO.

The 19 defendants face 41 criminal charges in total, ranging from racketeering and making false statements to soliciting a public officer to violate his or her oath. While not every defendant faces the same charge, they all stand accused of violating Georgias RICO Act.

The indictment accuses the defendants of conspiring to participate in a criminal enterprise to keep Trump in power after he lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden. The bulk of the document  71 out of 97 pages  is devoted to one racketeering count.

The Georgia law is modeled after a federal statute by the same name that was enacted in 1970 to combat organized crime.

In the 1980s, former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, then serving as the top federal prosecutor for New York City, used RICO to take down New York Mafia bosses. Hes now a RICO defendant in Georgia.

But in recent decades, RICO statutes, both federal and state, have been applied more broadly to target gangs, corrupt politicians and white-collar criminals.

In 2013, Willis, then a top prosecutor in the Fulton County District Attorneys Office, led a high-profile RICO indictment of dozens of Atlanta teachers and school administrators involved in manipulating student test scores.

Last year, Willis filed a sweeping RICO indictment against prominent Atlanta rapper Young Thug and others allegedly associated with a violent gang. She told the Washington Post that the DAs office under her watch has brought more RICO cases than in the previous ten years.

Georgias RICO statute, enacted in 1980, makes it a crime to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity as part of an enterprise.

An enterprise is not limited to an organization and can extend to individuals participating in criminal schemes.

The pattern of racketeering activity part of the statute is defined as criminal conduct arising from two or more criminal violations. More expansive than the federal RICO, the Georgia statute lists more than 40 crimes that qualify.

In the election interference case, that meant Georgia prosecutors had to allege the former president and his associates broke two or more of Georgias laws as part of the alleged racketeering conspiracy.

The indictment lists nearly 30 acts of racketeering activity, including forgery, false statements and writings, filing false documents and influencing witnesses.

Trump, for example, is accused of false statements and writings for making baseless claims about election fraud during his now-infamous Jan. 2, 2021, call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

Giuliani is also charged with false statements and writings for making similarly groundless claims about the 2020 election to a Georgia Senate panel about a month after the vote.

Speaking before the indictment was unveiled, Morgan Cloud, a law professor at Emory University in Georgia, said that the requirement of showing at least two racketeering acts would be greatly exceeded.

Assuming the prosecutors are going to establish and can prove that these things happened, they satisfy the requirements of the law, but the minimum of two racketeering acts will not be a problem under the statute, Cloud said.

Racketeering charges are unlike ordinary conspiracy charges, which require proof of an explicit agreement among two or more people to commit a crime.

Anthony Michael Kreis, an assistant professor of law at Georgia State University, said that a racketeering charge relies on a broader theory of criminality.

Citing the Georgia test score scandal, he said, There was no agreement amongst all the people who were involved with the cheating scandal that they were trying to do something unlawful, but they were all advancing a broader criminal goal.

Trump and his alleged co-conspirators face a number of other counts. But the stakes are high for the RICO charges, because the offense carries stiff penalties.

A defendant could face five to 20 years in prison if convicted of Georgias racketeering law, compared with five years for making a false statement.

Racketeering cases offer prosecutors a powerful tool. They can use the threat of lengthy prison terms to get lower-ranking members of a conspiracy to cooperate in exchange for lighter sentences.

But racketeering cases are complex and challenging to build and prosecute.

They require proving a complex web of criminal activities that spanned a period of time and had a common purpose, Cloud said.

Some critics have raised questions about the appropriateness of charging Trump and his allies with racketeering, arguing that it was intended to combat the mob, not election interference.

However, Cloud said that a statutes application is not limited to its title.

For example, in the federal statute and in the Georgia Statute, other than the title, there's no reference to racketeers. There's no reference to mobs. There is no reference to gangs, Cloud said. The conduct is criminal if defined in terms that include certain acts like making false statements.
In 2024, former U.S. President Donald Trump could be spending more days in courtrooms instead of flying across the country campaigning for president.

With the fourth criminal indictment in four months filed against him in the southern state of Georgia on Monday, Trump, 77, could be facing weekslong trials in the first half of the year.

He has boasted, perhaps jesting, that with four indictments, he is assured of capturing the White House again. His Republican political support, according to national polling, has held steady. But he has complained bitterly that the charges against him are designed to undermine his campaign.

In all, he is facing 91 charges, all of them felonies, across the four cases.

He would be required to sit through days of testimony accusing him of wrongdoing that could, if he is convicted, imprison him for years. Trump has denied wrongdoing in all the cases.

The first months of 2024 are also the same time frame when Republican voters will be heading to the polls to pick their nominee for the November election, where Trump could again face Democratic President Joe Biden in a rematch of their 2020 contest. National polls of Republican voters show Trump with a commanding lead over an array of other Republican presidential aspirants.

The first Republican political contest, party caucuses in the Midwestern state of Iowa, is set for January 15, with numerous state party primary elections scheduled for late winter and into the spring months.

The party voting culminates with the Republican National Convention in July in the Midwestern city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where the party's presidential nominee will be formally picked.

Two of Trump's trials have already been scheduled for 2024.

In late March, a New York prosecutor is trying Trump on charges that he falsified business records at his Trump Organization real estate conglomerate to hide a $130,000 hush money payment to a porn film star ahead of his successful 2016 presidential campaign to keep her from talking about a one-night tryst she claims to have had with him a decade earlier. Trump has denied the affair occurred.

Watch related video by Cindy Saine:

In late May, Trump is scheduled to stand trial in Florida against a 40-count indictment brought by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith, which accuses Trump of hoarding highly sensitive national security documents at his oceanside Mar-a-Lago estate after he left the White House in January 2021.

Trump is also accused of conspiring with his personal valet and the property manager at Mar-a-Lago to keep from turning over the classified materials to federal investigators.

Smith also accused Trump in Washington in a four-count indictment of illegally trying to overturn his election loss. He has asked for the trial to start Jan. 2, 2024. Government prosecutors say it might take four to six weeks to present their case against the former president.

Trump's lawyers are expected to ask for a trial date well past January, and have until Thursday to specify their desired date.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan said she will set a date for the trial at an August 28 hearing.

Meanwhile in the Georgia case, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said she thinks Trump's trial there ought to start within six months. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee was assigned to oversee the case and will set the trial date.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is calling on the international community to "act now" and deploy a robust non-U.N. armed force to Haiti to support the national police in stopping the gang violence overwhelming the island nation.

"Nothing short of the robust use of force, complemented by a suite of non-kinetic measures, by a capable specialized multinational police force enabled by military assets, coordinated with the national police, would be able to achieve these objectives," Guterres told the 15-nation U.N. Security Council in a report seen by VOA on Tuesday.

In October, Haiti's prime minister asked the Security Council to urgently send an international force, but it has taken months for a handful of countries to step forward to consider sending police.

In his report, the U.N. chief welcomed Kenya's announcement earlier this month that it is considering leading a potential multinational force. He also acknowledged pledges of support from the Bahamas and Jamaica, and announcements made by Antigua and Barbuda to consider contributing to the force.

"I urge additional Member States, particularly from the Americas, to continue to build on this new momentum," Guterres said. Guterres offers two options

The secretary-general said the current situation is not conducive to a U.N. peacekeeping mission, and he offered two options for the United Nations to support a multinational force. The first would provide logistical support for the multinational force and the Haitian national police. The second option is strengthening the U.N. special political mission in Haiti, known by its acronym BINUH, to expand its current support to the Haitian police.

"Given the high need for enhanced security assistance in Haiti, the simultaneous provision of both support options may be required to maximize the impact of the deployment of a non-United Nations multinational force," he said.

Guterres made a brief visit to Haiti in July. His report emphasizes the extreme violence that armed gangs are inflicting on the population.

"Reports include indiscriminate shooting of people in public spaces or in residences, burning people alive in public transportation vehicles, mutilation and execution of people perceived to be opposed to the gangs," he writes. Gangs are also using rape to intimidate, punish and control entire communities.

Haitians face hunger, fear

The U.N. says large-scale gang attacks have displaced almost 130,000 people. Nearly 5 million Haitians are also suffering acute levels of hunger due to the insecurity, as armed criminals block key island roads and access to markets. People are afraid to leave their homes lest they are kidnapped, raped or killed.
The United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education said Tuesday that the International Criminal Court should investigate and pursue charges against the Taliban for their denial of basic rights to Afghan women and girls.

"The legal opinion we have received shows that the denial of education to Afghan girls and employment to Afghan women is gender discrimination, which should count as a crime against humanity, and it should be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court," Special Envoy Gordon Brown told reporters in a video briefing.

Brown, who served as British prime minister from 2007 to 2010, made the announcement on the second anniversary of the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan.

He said he is in contact with the ICC and has sent court officials the legal opinion. He urged The Hague-based court to investigate and prosecute those responsible.

Brown also urged Muslim nations to send a delegation to Kandahar, Afghanistan, to meet with Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and his close associates to urge them to lift the education and work bans, which have no basis in the Quran or Islam. The supreme leader has shown no sign of reversing the edicts.

"The offer should be made that if schools are reopened under terms that allow girls proper rights and dignity, then the education aid that existed for 20 years that has been cut will now be restored," Brown said.

Brown echoed other U.N. officials who have said they believe there is a split in thinking within the Taliban regime on restoring education.

"We believe there are many people within the Afghan Education ministry itself, and of course many teachers, who want to get the girls back to school," he said.

The special envoy offered a five-pronged coordinated approach of applying pressure via the International Criminal Court; sanctioning individuals; sending a Muslim delegation to meet senior leaders; offering education funding; and showing through the continuation of online and underground schools that the regime cannot stop education getting through to its female population.

The Taliban have banned girls from attending schools beyond the sixth grade, blocked female students from accessing university classes, and banned Afghan women from working for the U.N. and other aid groups.

The United Nations has been working to persuade the Taliban to lift many of the 50 edicts, orders and restrictions they have imposed, including the April 5 ban on Afghan women working for the United Nations. About 400 Afghan women work for the organization in the country, and the U.N. has moved them to remote work to try to circumvent the decree.
Martin Lee, right, the founding chairman of the citys Democratic Party, leaves high court after a ruling on a challenge that he and six other activists had filed against their conviction on charges of organizing and taking part in an unauthorized assembly in Hong Kong, Monday, Aug. 14, 2023

Seven of Hong Kongs most prominent pro-democracy advocates had part of their convictions quashed Monday over their roles in one of the biggest pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Jimmy Lai, founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper; Martin Lee, the founding chairman of the citys Democratic Party; and five former pro-democracy lawmakers, including barrister Margaret Ng, had been found guilty of organizing and participating an unauthorized assembly.

Lai, Lee Cheuk-yan, Leung Kwok-hung and Cyd Ho were jailed between eight and 18 months. Martin Lee, an octogenarian nicknamed the citys Father of Democracy, Ng and Albert Ho were given suspended jail sentences.

Their convictions two years ago and their sentences were widely seen as another blow to the citys flagging democracy movement under an unprecedented crackdown by Beijing and Hong Kong authorities.

Judge Andrew Macrae said he and other judges of the Court of Appeal unanimously quashed their convictions over the charge of organizing an unauthorized assembly. But their convictions over taking part in an unauthorized assembly were upheld.

Hence, the four activists who served their jail terms in prison have had part of their sentences in the case quashed, he said.

Macrae and his colleagues said in a written judgment that an organizer must take some responsibility for or do something active to plan and arrange an action.

An inference that because they were at the front of the procession, they must have organized it ... is not a realistic or suitable substitute for evidence that they were involved in its organization, the judgment said.

All appellants have served out their sentences for this case. But Lai, Leung, Ho and Lee Cheuk-yan remained in custody as they were also charged under a national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020 following the massive protests.

Ng, Martin Lee, Lee Cheuk-yan and Ho were in the courtroom to hear the judges decision. Ho and Lee Cheuk-yan appeared tanned and spirited.

After the ruling, Ng told reporters at the entrance of the court building that they would have to study the judgment before making further comments and actions.

The charges involved a rally in August 2019 that drew an estimated 1.7 million people onto Hong Kongs streets to call for greater police accountability and democracy. The march was relatively peaceful, compared to other protests that often morphed into violent clashes between police and protesters that year.

The 2019 movement was the citys most concerted challenge to the Hong Kong government since the former British colony returned to Chinas rule in 1997.

The pro-democracy movement waned with the arrests and exiles of democracy activists, the COVID-19 pandemic and the national security law.

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The U.S. ambassador to Russia on Monday was able to meet with Evan Gershkovich, an American journalist detained in a Moscow jail.

The consular visit by Ambassador Lynne Tracy is only the third such visit granted since the Wall Street Journal reporters arrest in March.

Ambassador Tracy reported that Evan continues to be in good health and remains strong, despite the circumstances, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow said in a statement.

Tracy last met with Gershkovich on July 3.

As of Monday, the 31-year-old reporter has been in Russian custody for nearly 20 weeks. He is being held in Moscows Lefortovo Prison.

Russian authorities detained Gershkovich on espionage charges on March 29, while he was on assignment in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg.

Gershkovich, the Journal and the U.S. government vehemently deny the allegations. The U.S. State Department has classified Gershkovich as wrongfully detained.

Journalists are at high risk of being detained or harassed when reporting from hostile countries, say media analysts.

Currently, two American journalists are held overseas: Gershkovich in Russia and Austin Tice, a freelancer being held in Syria.

Paul Beckett, the Journals Washington bureau chief, told VOA Monday, Theres a much greater realization that this can happen to anybody, and when it does, it needs everybodys support.

This is going to keep happening, and as long as regimes see advantage to them to doing it, they will do it more and more and I think thats what we all have to respond to, Beckett added. Thats why wed like to see the government not just get Evan and Austin back but figure out how to take the incentives out of doing this for the governments that participate in it.

Beckett spoke with VOA at the National Press Club in Washington where he appeared on a panel to draw attention to the cases of Gershkovich and Tice.

The Monday event marked 11 years since Tice was kidnapped at a Syrian checkpoint. He is believed to be held by the Syrian government.

Clayton Weimers, the executive director of the Reporters Without Borders U.S. bureau, told VOA that Tice and Gershkovichs cases show that the U.S. needs a better strategy to respond to the threat of these issues.

The United States and indeed democracies around the world need to find ways to raise the cost of this kind of bad business, Weimers said. How do we impose stiffer penalties to disincentivize hostage-taking in the first place?

In Gershkovichs case, the journalist has had his initial pretrial detention extended until at least August 30.

Last month, Moscow said that Russia was in contact with Washington about a potential prisoner swap.

A State Department spokesperson told VOA via email on Monday that embassy officials will continue to provide all appropriate support to Gershkovich and his family.



We expect Russian authorities to provide continued consular access. Once again, the United States calls on the Russian Federation to immediately release Evan Gershkovich and also to release wrongfully detained U.S. citizen Paul Whelan, the spokesperson said.

Whelan is a former U.S. Marine whom Russia sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage charges that he and the U.S. government deny.

In July, U.S. President Joe Biden said the United States is serious about a prisoner exchange to obtain Gershkovichs freedom, but the White House has also said discussions with the Kremlin on a potential swap have not yet given way to a pathway to a resolution.
The new US-ASEAN Institute for Rising Leaders Fellowship at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington is a people-to-people component of the Biden administrations push to strengthen relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Some 31 mid-career government officials from the 10 ASEAN countries are spending August digging deep into serious academic content and meeting with senior U.S. government officials, World Bank staff and private sector leaders.

"I think what is special about this program is that we have mid-career government officials who are already leaders in their fields," said Joshua White, who heads the institute.

Cambodian Ambassador to the U.S. Keo Chhea encouraged the fellows to learn from the programs thought leaders.

You keep this network. It will work and help your work and it will benefit both sides," he said.

The fellows are already saying that one of the program's biggest benefits so far may be how much they're learning from one another.
The presidents of 13 universities in the United States are elevating free speech on their campuses this academic year, as part of a new nonprofit initiative announced Tuesday to combat what organizers call dire threats to U.S. democracy.

The Campus Call for Free Expression will take different forms on different campuses. The campaign, created by The Institute for Citizens & Scholars with funding from the Knight Foundation, is designed to cultivate the freedom of expression on campuses and help students work together to find solutions to complicated, divisive problems.

"The national context of the deep political polarization, the inability of people to speak across difference in constructive and civil ways, it seems to me that colleges and universities need to be the institutions at the forefront of showing a better way to do that," said Jonathan Alger, president of James Madison University, which is participating in the initiative.

The Institute for Citizens & Scholars first convened a group of college presidents in March 2022 to discuss how to prepare students to actively participate in democracy. Eventually, the presidents and schools committed to five principles of free expression along with new, on-campus programs that each school designed themselves. Those include new training at freshman orientations, faculty seminars and convocation remarks.

While not new, controversies around free speech at universities abound, from students protesting invited speakers to state legislatures targeting faculty tenure. The controversies also reflect an increase in restrictions on freedom of speech more generally.

The participating schools include The University of Notre Dame, a private Catholic research school; Benedict College, a historically Black school in South Carolina; Rollins College, a small liberal arts school in Florida; and Ivy League member Cornell University, which in April announced that freedom of expression would be the theme for its 2023 school year. The other schools are Claremont McKenna College, DePauw University, Duke University, James Madison University, the University of Pittsburgh, The University of Richmond, Rutgers University, Wellesley College, and Wesleyan University.

Jonathan Holloway, president of Rutgers University in New Jersey and a historian of African American history, said he was motivated to join the initiative in part by what he called a growing deep disregard for American institutions.

"If I don't speak up now on what I see that's so concerning, if I don't do this now, then when?" he asked, adding, "When I saw the Confederate battle flag marched through the Capitol Rotunda in January 2021, that's when things shifted for me."

This September, Holloway will lead a freshman course that will examine the meaning of democracy and ask students to help design a program for the university to improve civic education. Students' potential fuels effort

For Rajiv Vinnakota, president of the Institute for Citizens & Scholars, there are two main reasons to focus civic education on college students. For many, their colleges will be the most diverse community that they've ever experienced, and students have the potential to shift social norms as they enter public forums and start to participate in politics. He hopes that the collective commitment of these schools to fostering critical thinking and the exchange of ideas around contentious issues will encourage other institutions to join them.

"Are we able to get above the cacophony of these issues of free expression to be able to get people in general (and) leaders to be able to see that higher ed can and should play a leading and proactive and positive role in civic preparedness?" Vinnakota asked.

The Knight Foundation provided a $250,000 grant to the institute to convene the presidents and eventually other university staff in a series of conversations over a year and a half.

"We believe in the free exchange of ideas. We believe in an informed citizenry so that the people may determine their true interest," said Alberto Ibarguen, president of the foundation. Training aims to open minds

The nonprofit PEN America offers training to colleges and universities around cultivating an exchange of ideas as part of its work advocating for human rights and free speech. In general, Kristen Shahverdian, senior manager of its Free Expression and Education program, said that showing students why protections for free speech matter is an effective way to win over them to hearing about opposing views.
Surrounded by orchard trees and flowers, a newly renovated house in Surkhandarya, Uzbekistan, boasts a large courtyard and barn. Sipping green tea in the sweltering summer heat, a group of local women of different ages and backgrounds tell VOA that life near the Afghan border has never been easy, but they now worry more about their neighbors.

Cross-border traffic has fallen since the Taliban takeover in 2021, but dozens of Afghans still enter Uzbekistan daily, and cargo movement at the border crossing is visibly dynamic.

We see Afghanistan every time we go out. Its right there, says Guljamila Hayitova, 67, pointing to the cotton field that ends at the borderline fence.

Having lived here all my life and still farming in this area, we trust our border forces. We rely on our government, which I know is committed to ensure security. Yet any smoke we see in Hayraton [Afghan border town], any gun shot or blast we hear, does alarm us, she adds.

With around 3 million people, this southern region of Uzbekistan also borders Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Nearly 200,000 of its people reside, work and study in Termez, the city on the Afghan border. The Friendship Bridge over the Amu Darya River connects Termez with Hayraton, the northern town of Afghanistans Balkh province.

Tashkents special representative on Afghanistan, Ismatulla Irgashev, argues that the Taliban, with all their complexities and challenges, are a reality the neighbors and the international community must accept and deal with, based on mutual interests.

In recent regional talks that also included U.S. and European envoys, Irgashev and other Uzbek diplomats stressed the need to provide humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, while also engaging the leadership in Kabul.

Tashkent has been pushing for infrastructure projects through Afghanistan so their double-landlocked republic can finally gain access to seaports in South Asia. While experts in Tashkent and elsewhere, including Washington, debate the feasibility of Uzbekistans strategic goals regarding the Taliban, who Irgashev describes as steadily evolving, people in Termez want more trade and exchange.

Shaman Jumayevs house and farm overlook the Friendship Bridge. The railway into Afghanistan runs by his property where he lives with his joint family.

The Taliban takeover has not and will not change the way we live, Jumayev emphasizes, showing off his teenage grandchildren, who are getting their education in Termez.

I dont separate Afghans. Taliban or not, they are all the same for me. We are all quite used to our neighbor, whose conflicts I have watched from here for the last 45 years.

Jumayev highlights a typical point made by locals in around 70 neighborhoods adjacent to the border: Uzbeks, Afghans and others have lived alongside each other forever, and no politics can ever separate them.

We cant wait to see the trade center the Uzbek government aims to open near the crossing point, said Nasibakhon Abdunazarova, chief of Ayritom, the closest border neighborhood.

We already benefit from the Termez Cargo Center, where dozens of our men work. Our youth need opportunities and are eager to be employed by new businesses that pay better, she said.

But the salary at the Termez Cargo Center is modest, Hayitova points out, discussing the impact of the giant terminal that opened in 2016. But it is still better than having nothing here, which was the situation until recently.

Located near the border, the cargo center has the capacity to serve up to 50 trucks at a time, offering customs clearance, storage of import-export cargo, and transit of rail and auto-delivered products to and from Afghanistan. It also runs the Karvonsaroy hotel complex.

Jumayev and others interviewed by VOA in Surkhandarya worry about the new channel the Taliban is building off the Amu Darya River.

We cannot underestimate the need for water. I dont sense any panic here over this project, but we definitely dont want to suffer from any scarcity because of it, Abdunazarova says.

Jumayev, whose farm relies on the Amu Darya, is happy with how Tashkent is handling the issue.

The Taliban knows our position, because the Uzbek government has laid out our concerns, he says.

Confident about security

For Surkhandarya Governor Ulugbek Qosimov, Trade, education and cultural ties with the Afghan people have continued even during the most unstable times on the other side of the Amu Darya.

Our people are accustomed to stability and peace, despite what happens in Afghanistan. We have not had any crisis in the area since the Taliban took over, he said.

Uzbekistan does not accept refugees from Afghanistan. Officials tell VOA that those who entered before the Taliban came to power have mostly been allowed to stay. Many Afghan traders have been able to extend residential permits, while some have been waiting for a long time.

I feel much safer now with my family here than I did two years ago when the leadership changed in Kabul, says Nadim, an Afghan citizen who faced deportation in 2021 and asked to withhold his last name for safety reasons.

The Afghan consulate in Termez has renewed its office  a Taliban official now represents Kabul. But since his government is not recognized, the old flag still flies outside the compound.

Termez hosts a special school for Afghan citizens, educating 535 so far. More than half have gotten undergraduate degrees.

Six years ago, there were about 40 Afghan businesses in Termez. Now, we have more than 300 engaged in construction, agriculture, services and manufacturing, Qosimov says.

Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev set Afghanistan as a foreign policy priority, focusing on security, development and partnership.

Guided by that strategy, Qosimov says, All we want is prosperity, here and across the border. We have been assisting our neighbors with food, clothing and other critical necessities. We have also been increasing incentives for Afghan entrepreneurs.

C5+1

In a July 27 meeting, under the auspices of the C5+1 regional diplomatic platform, special envoys for Afghanistan from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and the United States emphasized a precondition to the Taliban: An inclusive, united, sovereign, stable, and self-reliant Afghanistan that is free of terrorism, respects the rights of its population, including women and girls, and is at peace with itself and its neighbors.

The group underlined that the Afghan territory should not be used as a base for hosting, financing, or exporting terrorism and violent extremism to other countries, agreeing that countries must strengthen cooperation against trafficking in people, arms and illegal drugs.

A stable and prosperous Afghanistan is only attainable if all Afghans, including women and girls, and persons belonging to ethnic and religious minorities, can fully, equally, and meaningfully participate in  and contribute to  the countrys future, the joint statement said.

Reaffirming the importance of regional connectivity through the construction of energy infrastructure and transportation networks connecting Central Asia to South Asia via Afghanistan, C5+1 is supporting United Nations efforts and presence in Afghanistan, urging for responsible and inclusive governance.
Officials of the West African bloc ECOWAS say they are stupefied by the charge of high treason that Nigers military rulers have leveled against Nigers ousted president, Mohamed Bazoum. If convicted of the charge, Bazoum could face the death penalty.

In a statement Monday, the reginal bloc called the attempt to bring charges of high treason against President Mohammed Bazoum provocative and said it contradicted the coup leaders' recent willingness to pursue a peaceful resolution.

While calling for his immediate release and reinstatement, ECOWAS emphasized that Bazoum remained the country's legitimate leader.

Nigers military junta spokesman Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane announced the charge against Bazoum in a televised address Sunday. Abdramane said Bazoum had undermined Niger's internal and external security, and that he had been communicating with high-ranking regional politicians who are, in Abdramanes words, trying to truncate the peaceful resolution of the crisis in Niger in a bid to support a military invasion.

The plan by coup leaders to try Bazoum for treason came hours after they agreed to hold talks with ECOWAS.

An ECOWAS spokesperson did not respond to calls for comment but political analyst Rotimi Olawale says Niger's junta is using Bazoum to strengthen its hand in negotiations with the regional bloc.

"The military junta is using every tactic in the book to claim legitimacy to power in Niger, but also as bargaining chip in the conversation and discussion with the regional body ECOWAS with the wider international community," said Olawale. "Treason is something you'll see many countries pull off as accusation one way or the other but I'm sure it's part of the negotiation strategy of the military to find a soft landing for themselves "

Soldiers of the presidential guard overthrew Bazoum on July 26 and have since held the president and his family hostage.

If found guilty of high treason, Bazoum could face the death penalty.

On Monday the U.S. State Department criticized the plan to try Bazoum, warning it will worsen tensions in the region.

Chris Kwaja is a senior researcher at the Center for Peace and Security Studies. He says the junta has no legal standing to pull off a trial because the military government is illegitimate.

"For the same government that is a product of unconstitutional means to use the law in prosecuting Bazoum, you cannot give what you don't have," said Kwaja. "What we see the regime doing is an exercise of naked power, it is unconstitutional, they cannot exercise authority when they were not given that authority by the people."

ECOWAS has taken a tough stance on the coup in Niger including border closures and asset freezes in a bid to restore constitutional order.

Olawale says there's a possibility the junta, which has suspended the country's constitution, may retain the function of the judiciary for Bazoum's trial.

"...If they go to court and they prosecute him under treasonable felony, to hold him under the Niger constitution but I don't think it will get to that. I feel that pressure is mounting on the Niger regime, they have not received external support," said Olawale.

Last week ECOWAS authorized activation of a regional standby force to reverse the coup if talks with the military government fail. But experts say the force could take weeks to assemble.
The general public might not know a lot about grand juries, but the closed-door panels figure prominently in the legal aftermath of the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.

A grand jury subpoenaed the National Archives for all materials the agency gave to the House Select Committee looking into the events leading up to January 6. Justice Department prosecutors are working with a grand jury that is reportedly looking into former President Donald Trumps role in efforts to reverse the election outcome. A grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, subpoenaed members of Trumps legal team during its probe into possible illegal interference in Georgias 2020 elections.

Mystery often surrounds grand juries because their work is, by law, conducted in secrecy.

Washington, D.C., has been investigating the individuals who were responsible for the [January 6] break-in, but how much farther that goes and the extent to which they're investigating Donald Trump or Donald Trump's confidants, we only know of that, if at all, because either people told the press or they brought litigation resisting subpoenas, says Bruce Green, a former federal prosecutor who is currently a professor at the Fordham University School of Law. And even then, if one wanted to, you could file the litigation as a John Doe [unnamed person] if you want to preserve confidentiality.

indict a ham sandwich

Grand juries play a central role in the American justice system. They are tasked with listening to evidence presented by prosecutors and witnesses and then deciding, by a secret vote, whether theres enough evidence to charge a person with a felony, which is any criminal offense punishable by at least one year in prison.

Grand juries are required in federal felony prosecutions, and many U.S. states have adopted a similar system. However, in some states, prosecutors can also present their evidence to a judge, who then decides whether someone can be charged with a crime.

Federal grand juries are made up of 16 to 23 members. At least 12 jurors must agree before an indictment  a formal charge  can be brought. Grand jurors are selected from the same pool of ordinary citizens who serve as trial jurors. They are identified from public records such as drivers licenses and voting registries. Grand jurors serve from 18 to 36 months, usually meeting a few times a month, and have the power to question witnesses and issue subpoenas.

The grand jury system is important in terms of deciding who's going to face criminal charges, but it's also important for involving citizens in the criminal justice system, says Peter Joy, a law professor at Washington University in St. Louis. The origins of the grand jury system are based on, in a sense, a certain degree of trying to keep the government honest.

Grand juries were originally conceived as a safeguard against government power, which is why the Founding Fathers wrote them into the U.S. Constitution. But former federal prosecutor Green isnt convinced the so-called peoples panel fulfills that function in a meaningful way.

If the original idea of the Founding Fathers was, as I believe it was, to be a restraint on government power  it's probably not a very effective tool to protect people from prosecution overreaching, Green says. And there's a pretty significant risk that, if the prosecutor gets it in their head that somebody's guilty, they can achieve an indictment whether the person is guilty or not.

Grand juries rarely decline to indict. In 2010, government statistics showed that federal grand juries brought charges more than 99% of the time. In 1985, a New York judge famously said that prosecutors have so much influence over grand juries that they could convince jurors to indict a ham sandwich.

High stakes

While the grand jury might be a rubber stamp in most cases, the panel is more likely to play a more meaningful role in cases that draw widespread public attention, Joy says.

I think its very likely that prosecutors in presenting the evidence to the grand jury most likely tried to present more evidence than they might in a typical type of case and presented in a way that would be balanced, he says.

Some states require prosecutors to show evidence that the accused might be innocent. However, federal prosecutors are not required to do so.

The higher the profile the accused has, the greater the likelihood is that the prosecutor really wants to feel that he or she has a solid case, and they're going to want to test out the evidence in a way that would give them increasing confidence in the case that they have, Joy says.

Because the stakes are high, a smart prosecutor  if there is some contrary evidence that might put into question guilt or innocence  they're likely to use the grand jury as a vetting process for that.

Green expects several grand juries to consider potential charges against people accused of breaking into the Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021. The high volume of cases could be too much for one grand jury to consider. However, that might not hold true in related cases higher up the food chain.

If you're looking at a number of people in the Trump orbit who may have been working together before January 6 to plan the break-in, then all the evidence is going to be related, and they're all going to be in a relationship, and you're going to want to have one grand jury look at everything because you want them to see all the evidence, Green says.
Niger's coup leaders said late Sunday that they are ready to "prosecute" ousted Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum for "high treason" and "undermining the security" of the country.

The United States, United Nations and West African leaders condemned the move, calling it a further sign that the junta is unwilling to seek a peaceful route out of the crisis.

"It's obviously a very worrying declaration," said U.N. spokesperson Stephanie Dujarric. "We remain extremely concerned about the state of being, the health and safety of the president and his family. And again, we call for his immediate and unconditional release, and his reinstatement as head of state, of course," he added.

West Africa's main regional bloc ECOWAS expressed shock Monday to learn about the military junta's plans for the democratically elected Nigerien president.

The move is viewed as a provocation by Niger's coup leaders and contradicts their reported willingness to find a peaceful solution to the current crisis, the bloc said in a statement.

Junta spokesperson Colonel Major Amadou Abdramane, speaking on state television, said the military regime had "gathered the necessary evidence to prosecute before the competent national and international authorities the ousted president and his local and foreign accomplices for high treason and for undermining the internal and external security of Niger."

Hours earlier, Niger's junta leaders said they were open to negotiations to avert conflict with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), according to a group of senior Nigerien Islamic scholars who met with the military insurgents Sunday in Niamey.

ECOWAS is mulling how to restore civilian rule in Niger, and how to reinstate Bazoum, who was ousted in the military takeover last month.

Although ECOWAS has threatened military intervention in Niger, it appears reluctant to deploy troops there, fearing that such a move could plunge Niger into civil war.

Any military intervention by the bloc could further strain regional ties as juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea have expressed support for Niger's military rule.

Pursuing a peaceful resolution, ECOWAS chairman and Nigerian President Bola Tinubu approved the clerical diplomatic mission in Niger.

Ulf Laessing is head of the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, a research group headquartered in Germany. He said Niger's junta seems to be cementing its rule. "It looks as though the putschists have won and will stay," he noted.

Europe and the United States will have little choice but to recognize the junta to continue the security cooperation in the region, Laessing added.

The U.S. and France have more than 2,500 military personnel in the region and, together with other countries, have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in military assistance and training in Niger's forces.

The coup is seen as a blow to many Western nations. Niger is a top uranium producer and, until now, a Western ally in the fight against a growing jihadist insurgency linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group in the sub-Saharan Sahel region.

Boko Haram rebels have intensified their attacks in the area. At least 40,000 people have been killed and 2 million displaced in the 14-year insurgency which has spread to Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

Junta leader General Abdourahamane Tchiani, who named himself head of the transition government, has maintained the junta could be more effective at protecting the nation from jihadi violence.

Nigeriens in the capital, Niamey, said Friday ECOWAS has been out of touch with the political realities in Niger and that it shouldn't interfere.

"It is our business, not theirs. They don't even know the reason why the coup happened in Niger," resident Achirou Harouna Albassi told The Associated Press, adding that Bazoum was not abiding by the will of the people.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington appreciates "the determination of ECOWAS to explore all options for the peaceful resolution of the crisis" and would hold the junta accountable for the safety and security of Bazoum. He did not, however, specify whether the U.S. supported the deployment of ECOWAS troops.

Western powers fear Russian influence increasing if Niger follows neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, both of which expelled troops of former colonial power France after coups in those countries.

Mali has since teamed up with mercenaries from the Russian-led Wagner Group and kicked out a United Nations peacekeeping force there, something security analysts say could lead to further conflict.

Bazoum family detained

Bazoum and his family are being held in the basement of their home. The president said he hasn't had electricity for days and isn't allowed to see family, friends or bring food supplies into the house.

He "had a visit by his doctor today," a member of the physician's team told Agence France-Presse on Saturday, adding the physician had also brought food for Bazoum, his wife, and son.

"He's fine, given the situation," the source added.

Fern Robinson contributed to this report. Some information in this report came from Reuters, The Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa says Zimbabwe will never be ruled by puppets of the West that imposed targeted sanctions on some ruling party officials over alleged election rigging and human rights abuses.

Speaking at a burial ceremony of former Attorney General and Zimbabwes ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Johannes Tomana, and Retired Brigadier General Milton Siziba at the National Heroes Acre on Monday, Mnangagwa said the West is pursuing a regime-change agenda in Zimbabwe.

In an indirect attack on Nelson Chamisa, interim leader of the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), Mnangagwa said the opposition is being used by the West in an attempt to remove Zanu PF from power.

He said, Under our mass revolutionary party, Zanu PF, we remain a government of the people, by the people and for the people. Zimbabwe will never, ever be run by a puppet government of our erstwhile oppressors. Never. This is a position that the national heroes were are interring and heroines we are honoring today played their part and left us a legacy of resilience and unflinching patriotism.

Zimbabwe marked National Heroes Day on Monday with thousands of people attending the burial of Tomana and Siziba at the National Heroes Acre.

In a sharp response to Mnangagwas remarks, Gift Ostallos Siziba, deputy spokesperson of the CCC, said, It is surprising that Zanu PF claims that there are opposition parties which are puppets of the West. Zanu PF has plundered our national resources. Zanu PF big wigs have been caught in a gold scandal and they have covered it up. Zanu PF has invited the Chinese, Russians and others to plunder our resources. They are the ones that are sellouts and a puppet government.

In 2008, Zimbabwes securocrats said they wont allow any person without liberation credentials to lead Zimbabwe. They vowed to stop then opposition Movement for Democratic Change leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, from unseating Robert Mugabe, who was toppled years later in a defacto military coup. The two passed away a few years ago.

Zimbabwe is expected to hold council, parliamentary and presidential elections next week amid political tensions in the southern African nation. Mnangagwa and Chamisa are the two front runners in the presidential race.

Godwin Mangudya and Mlondolozi Ndlovu contributed to this article
(FILE VIDEO) Brett Maas of August Schell Brewery taps a keg made of beer that was aged in a former Carlos Creek Winery Marquette wine barrel. The actual barrel used to age the 2013 Snow Storm Beer was auctioned off.

Carlos Creek Winery is set to break ground on their own brewery called 22 Northmen Brewing Company this September (2018).
Ukrainian soldiers fire a mortar towards Russian positions at the front line, near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Saturday, Aug. 12 2023

Seven people  including a 23-day-old baby girl  were killed in Russian shelling in Ukraines southern Kherson region on Sunday, the countrys Internal Affairs Ministry said.

Artillery shelling in the village of Shiroka Balka, on the banks of the Dnieper River killed a family  a husband, wife, 12-year-old boy and 23-day-old girl  and another resident.

Two men were killed in the neighboring village of Stanislav, where a woman was also wounded.

The attack on Kherson province followed Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliars comments on Saturday attempting to quell rumors that Ukrainian forces had landed on the occupied left (east) bank of the Dnieper in the Kherson region.

Again, the expert hype around the left bank in the Kherson region began. There are no reasons for excitement, she said.

Kherson regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said Sunday that three people had been wounded in Russian attacks on the province on Saturday.

Elsewhere, Ukrainian military officials said Saturday evening that Kyivs forces had made progress in the south, claiming some success near a key village in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and capturing other unspecified territories.

Ukraines General Staff said they had partial success around the tactically important Robotyne area in the Zaporizhzhia region, a key Russian stronghold that Ukraine needs to retake in order to continue pushing south towards Melitopol.

There are liberated territories. The defense forces are working, General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, commander of Ukraines southern forces, said of the southern front.

Battles in recent weeks have taken place on multiple points along the over 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line as Ukraine wages a counteroffensive with Western-supplied weapons and Western-trained troops against Russian forces who invaded nearly 18 months ago.

Ukrainian troops have made only incremental gains since launching a counteroffensive in early June.

Meanwhile, a Russian warship on Sunday fired warning shots at a Palau-flagged cargo ship in the south-western Black Sea, the first time Russia has fired on a merchant ship beyond Ukraine since exiting a landmark UN-brokered grain deal last month.

According to Russias Defense Ministry, the Sukru Okan was heading northwards to the Ukrainian Danube River port of Izmail.

The captain of the dry-cargo ship did not respond to the request to stop for inspection for the carriage of prohibited goods. To force the ship to stop, warning fire was opened from automatic small arms from a Russian warship, Russias Ministry of Defense wrote on Telegram, adding that the ship later stopped and allowed an inspection team to board.

Four weeks ago, Moscow withdrew from a key export agreement that allowed Ukraine to ship millions of tons of grain across the Black Sea for sale on world markets. In the wake of that withdrawal, Russia carried out repeated strikes on Ukrainian ports, including Odesa, and declared wide areas of the Black Sea unsafe for shipping.

In Russia, local officials reported on Sunday that air defense systems shot down three drones over the Belgorod region and one over the neighboring Kursk region, both of which border Ukraine.

Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian border regions are a fairly regular occurrence. Drone attacks deeper inside Russian territory have been on the rise since a drone was destroyed over the Kremlin in early May. In recent weeks, attacks have increased both on Moscow and on Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014  a move that most of the world considered illegal.

Firing drones at Russia, after more than 17 months of war, has little apparent military value for Ukraine but the strategy has served to unsettle Russians and bring home to them the conflicts consequences.

Later Sunday afternoon, local officials in the Belgorod province reported an explosion in an apartment building in the regional capital, also called Belgorod.

Regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said that the facade of the apartment building had been damaged, with windows shattered and air conditioning units broken. Fifteen cars parked nearby also sustained damage, but there were no casualties. Gladkov said that the cause of the explosion was under investigation.

The Wagner mercenary group has played a key role in Russias military campaign, but there is a realistic possibility that the Kremlin is no longer providing funding, according to British defense officials.

In its latest intelligence briefing, the Ministry of Defense said it believed Wagner was likely moving towards a down-sizing and reconfiguration process in order to save money, and that the Kremlin had acted against some other business interests of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. The officials assessed that Belarusian authorities were the second most plausible paymasters.

Thousands of Wagner fighters arrived in Russian-allied Belarus under a deal that ended their armed rebellion in late June and allowed them and Prigozhin to avoid criminal charges.

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Taliban fighters celebrate one year since they seized the Afghan capital, Kabul, in front of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug. 15, 2022

The Taliban have settled in as rulers of Afghanistan, two years after they seized power as U.S. and NATO forces withdrew from the country following two decades of war.

The Taliban face no significant opposition that could topple them. They have avoided internal divisions by falling in line behind their ideologically unbending leader. They have kept a struggling economy afloat, in part by holding investment talks with capital-rich regional countries, even as the international community withholds formal recognition. They have improved domestic security through crackdowns on armed groups such as the Islamic State, and say they are fighting corruption and opium production.

But its their slew of bans on Afghan girls and women that dominated the Talibans second year in charge. They barred them from parks, gyms, universities, and jobs at nongovernmental groups and the United Nations  all in the space of a few months  allegedly because they werent wearing proper hijab  the Islamic head covering  or violated gender segregation rules. These orders followed a previous ban, issued in the first year of Taliban rule, on girls going to school beyond sixth grade.

Here is a closer look at Taliban rule and where they are headed.

Why did they exclude women from higher education, most jobs and public spaces?

The Taliban say they are committed to implementing their interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia, in Afghanistan. This leaves no space for anything they think is foreign or secular, such as women working or studying. Its what drove them in the late 1990s, when they first seized power in Afghanistan, and it propels them now, ever since they took control again on Aug. 15, 2021.

Their supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has praised the changes imposed since the takeover, claiming life improved for Afghan women after foreign troops left and the hijab became mandatory again.

What was the response to these beans?

Foreign governments, rights groups, and global bodies condemned the restrictions. The U.N. said they were a major obstacle to the Taliban gaining international recognition as the legitimate government of Afghanistan. Overseas aid is drying up as major donors stop their funding, pulled in different directions by other crises and worried their money might fall into Taliban hands.

The lack of funds, as well as the exclusion of Afghan women from delivering essential humanitarian services, is hitting the population hard, pushing more people into poverty.

What are living conditions like in Afghanisan?

Nearly 80% of the previous, Western-backed Afghan governments budget came from the international community. That money  now largely cut off  financed hospitals, schools, factories and government ministries. The COVID-19 pandemic, medical shortages, climate change and malnutrition have made life more desperate for Afghans. Aid agencies have stepped into the breach to provide basic services like health care.

Afghanistan is struggling with its third consecutive year of drought-like conditions, the ongoing collapse in families income, and restrictions on international banking. Its also still suffering from decades of war and natural disasters.

How is the economy doing?

The World Bank said last month that the local currency, the afghani, gained value against major currencies. Customers can withdraw more money from individual deposits made before August 2021 and most civil servants are being paid. The World Bank described revenue collection as healthy and said most basic items remained available, although demand is low.

The Taliban have held investment talks with countries in the region, including China and Kazakhstan. They want sanctions removed and billions of dollars in frozen funds to be released, saying these measures will alleviate the suffering of Afghans. But the international community will only take such steps once the Taliban take certain actions, including lifting restrictions on women and girls.

How likely are the Taliban to change direction?

Its largely up to the Taliban leader, Akhundzada. The cleric counts like-minded government ministers and Islamic scholars among his circle. He is behind the decrees on women and girls. His edicts, framed in the language of Islamic law, are absolute. The bans will only be lifted if Akhundzada orders it. Some Taliban figures have spoken out against the way decisions are made, and there has been disagreement about the bans on women and girls. But the Talibans chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid slammed these reports as propaganda.

The secret of their success is that they are united, Abdul Salam Zaeef, who served as the Taliban envoy to Pakistan when they ruled Afghanistan in the 1990s, said. If someone expresses his opinion or his thoughts, it doesnt mean someone is against the leadership or will go to another side, said Zaeef who spent several years at the Guantanamo Bay detention center after the 2001 U.S. invasion. Disagreements are put in front of the emir (Akhundzada) and he decides. They follow his word.

What about international recognition?

Aid officials say the Taliban view recognition as an entitlement, not something to be negotiated. The officials also cite high-level meetings with powerful states like China and Russia as signs that the Taliban are building bilateral relations in their own way. Qatars prime minister met Akhundzada in the southwestern Afghan city of Kandahar in June, the first-such publicly known meeting between the supreme leader and a foreign official.

Even though the Taliban are officially isolated on the global stage, they appear to have enough interactions and engagement for ties with countries to inch toward normalization. Cooperation with the Taliban on narcotics, refugees and counter-terrorism is of interest globally, including to the West. Countries like China, Russia and neighboring Pakistan want an end to sanctions.

The political interactions are such that no country in the region is thinking of bringing Afghanistan under their power or control, said Zaeef. He said the Talibans foreign outreach is hampered by blacklists preventing officials from traveling, and by lacking common ground with the rest of the world.

What opposition is there to the Taliban?

Theres no armed or political opposition with enough domestic or foreign support to topple the Taliban. A fighting force resisting Taliban rule from the Panjshir Valley north of Kabul is being violently purged. Public protests are rare.

The Islamic State has struck high-profile targets in deadly bombings, including two government ministries, but the militants lack fighters, money and other resources to wage a major offensive against the Taliban.

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Dave Limp, the Amazon.com Inc. executive who announced hes leaving the company after almost 14 years, lives and breathes Alexa. He has joked his family are willing guinea pigs for his boldest ideas in the most connected home in America. Get a curated selection of 10 of our best stories in your inbox every weekend. ArrowRight His stepping down signals an unclear path for his beloved voice assistant technology which, eight years after its launch, and backed by immense R&D expense, has yet to cement itself as a must-have for consumers. With the advent of the AI revolution, Amazons priorities are shifting elsewhere.

The last time I met with Limp, in April 2022, we were in the faux-apartment set up within Amazons Seattle headquarters. At our feet was a friendly little robot named Astro. The size of a small dog, though with an extendable periscope neck that reached human eye level, Astro is an Alexa on wheels, able to follow you around, playing music, entertaining the kids, and hosting video calls. When youre out of the house, Astro can patrol like a security guard  streaming what it sees to your mobile device.

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Announced in September 2021, it has yet to go on full sale. At $1,599, its hard to imagine it ever being a common sight in the homes of any meaningful portion of Amazons millions of customers. While a charming demonstration of Limps imagination, Astro was the most obvious expression of the persistent question mark over his leadership and many of the Alexa-powered products he ushered through development: Sure, this is all very clever, but why exactly does anyone need it?

Limp, who said in an email to staff on Monday he will leave within the next few months, departs Amazon without successfully answering that question. Thats not to say Alexa hasnt been groundbreaking. Its voice recognition is industry-leading, capable of handling a wide range of accents and dialects. Its conversational threading, where you can say one thing and then follow up with other queries without needing to repeat the context, is an engineering feat that has received only a fraction of the credit it deserves.

Hardware sales were not an issue, either. Heavily subsidized, particularly on Amazons Prime sales days, products containing Alexa  most prominently the Echo and Show devices  became a comfortable market leader, as it remains today.

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But Limp has been unable to achieve the original vision, as set out by founder and former chief executive officer Jeff Bezos, in which Alexa acted as a voice-controlled portal to everything Amazon had to offer: a companion to organize and enhance your life, and spend money in the Amazon store. (Google and Apple Inc., it should also be noted, didnt make much progress with their voice assistants, either. Microsoft Corp.s CEO Satya Nadella called his companys effort, Cortana, dumb as a rock.)

For most, Alexa became little more than an overly-sophisticated kitchen timer, or a decent-enough smart speaker for those who were not audiophiles. Amazons attempts to remind consumers of different skills Alexa had became intrusive and irritating. Developers, initially intrigued by the possibilities of a voice-first platform, came and went when they realized engagement was low. Ambitions of Alexa within cars made way for the more full-featured offerings from Apples Car Play and Googles Android Auto.

And then ChatGPT arrived. In the space of a few weeks  maybe even days  ChatGPT wowed more consumers with its intelligence than Alexa has managed in its entire lifetime. ChatGPTs intricate answers, built on mountains of data and neural networks, made Alexa seem like an Atari next to a PlayStation 5.

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The questionable level of progress put Limps costly corner of Amazons vast business, an otherwise tight ship, under greater scrutiny  particularly from Andy Jassy, the companys new CEO, whom insiders say has less enthusiasm for Alexa than Bezos. In a note to staff, Jassy said he remained excited and quite optimistic about the work being done within Limps unit, which includes the Kindle e-reader devices and FireTV.

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Times change. During the boom years, when Wall Street most valued growth and vision, Alexas experimental spirit was celebrated, with Limp using an annual event to show he could put Alexa in an comically wide array of use cases: eye glasses, clocks, microwaves.

Today, his experimentation looks unfocused and risky. Poor Astro looks like a practical joke. Losses for Limps Devices and Services unit in the reported region of $5 billion per year proved too much to stomach. The team was hit hard in the companys deep job cuts  and now its leader, one of the most influential voices at the company, is heading out the door.

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More From Bloomberg Opinion:

 AI Shines a Spotlight on Hollywood Hypocrisy: Parmy Olson

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 Worried About Rogue Chatbots? Hire a Hacker: Dave Lee

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Dave Lee is Bloomberg Opinions US technology columnist. Previously, he was a San Francisco-based correspondent at the Financial Times and BBC News.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

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To limit the damage caused by climate change, the world needs to rapidly reduce carbon dioxide emissions everywhere, not just in rich countries. To get there, poor and middle-income places will require trillions of dollars for replacing coal plants with cleaner energy, improving electrical grids and retraining workers, among other measures. Just Energy Transition Partnerships, or JETPs, are among the most high-profile financing mechanisms designed to funnel money from wealthy economies to some of the bigger developing-world emitters for the purpose of weaning off fossil fuels. South Africa signed the first agreement in 2021, and a handful of others are getting off the ground, including in Indonesia. But the process has been slow and politically fraught, raising the question of whether such flagship plans can be inclusive, effective and timely enough to fulfill their promise.

1. What is the big idea?

Cleaning up middle-income economies is crucial for the world to meet its climate targets, and the JETP model sees wealthier nations and private capital as part of the solution. The reasoning goes like this: These countries are balancing energy transition obligations against rising power demand, while also grappling with insufficient infrastructure, less robust government finances and acute coal dependence, along with other domestic priorities. They need financial support and incentives to continue to make decarbonization a priority on par with broader economic development. And they need to do it in a just way  one that accounts for the historic advantages reaped by rich countries unencumbered by environmental considerations. JETPs, which first made headlines at the United Nations-led climate talks in Glasgow in 2021, aim to do all of that.

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2. How much money are we talking about?

The amounts needed are staggering. Investment in clean energy in emerging markets is less than a 10th of whats required to keep the world on course to limit disastrous temperature increases, according to BloombergNEF. It estimates Indonesia alone will need as much as $3.5 trillion under the most dramatic scenario, where its net emissions are cut to zero by 2050. That sum will need to be front-loaded, with more invested in the earlier years. JETP and related initiatives, as they stand, cover at best a small fraction of that, but are designed to be catalysts, crowding in private finance to reach the far larger sums. But investment will have to rise fast. BNEF estimated late last year that over the previous decade, solar and wind investments in Indonesia made up just 0.03% of the $3.2 trillion global total.

3. Why is coal such a focus here?

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Coal generated more than 36% of the worlds electricity in 2022, making it by far the single biggest source, according to Ember, a climate think tank. But while in Europe and the US coal plants are reaching the end of their useful life after decades in service, in Asia the average age is below 15 years. If those plants were allowed to run as long as in the West, they would rapidly exhaust the bulk of the carbon emissions left for the world to emit and still maintain global warming targets established in the Paris Agreement.

4. Hows it going?

Progress on the first JETP, an $8.5 billion package for South Africa, provides a cautionary tale. Its old coal-fired plants still produce almost all of the countrys energy, a dilapidated fleet that contributes to economy-battering blackouts while also helping to make South Africa one of the worlds biggest producers of greenhouse gases. The UK, US, Germany, France and the European Union as a whole committed in 2022 to support the countrys plan, which included closing and re-purposing coal-fired plants owned by Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd., the state power utility, in tandem with developing renewable energy and strengthening power grids to handle the change. The government in Pretoria, already dealing with energy poverty  a lack of affordable, reliable, sustainable supply  and one of the highest unemployment rates in the world, embraced the idea of a just transition. However, political turbulence has hampered the process. Meanwhile, chronic, crippling power cuts have cooled public enthusiasm and driven energy security concerns to the fore.

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5. Where else is this happening?

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Indonesias plan is similar in aim but not identical in structure to South Africas, in that its meant to incorporate large commercial institutions from the start. The $20 billion deal agreed to in 2022 at the Group of 20 leaders meeting in Bali is split equally between public and private finance. An investment plan is due to be complete mid-August, and some officials in Jakarta have already expressed fears that there wont be enough in grants or other cheap funding, so that a substantial clean-up will come with a debt burden the country doesnt wish to take on. Large banks, meanwhile, are grappling with hurdles like clauses that block them from investing in coal. And climate activists are fretting about loopholes that allow, in some cases, for big industrial users to continue to build new coal plants for their own needs. Elsewhere:

 Vietnam agreed to a $15.5 billion package in December 2022 with funders, led by the EU and UK, to help exit coal and become carbon neutral by 2050.

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 Senegal in June became the fourth country to strike a deal, potentially worth $2.7 billion.

 India is also included in discussions on the next wave of JETP deals, but New Delhi has resisted agreements to phase out coal, preferring instead to focus on attracting renewable energy investment.

6. Can private capital really help solve the climate problem?

Meeting the worlds climate investment needs will unquestionably require private capital, but at least two hurdles are standing in the way of initiatives like the JETP attracting vast sums. The first is the underlying risk of investing in emerging markets, which are often less predictable than developed ones, and where transparency can fall short. Even green-minded institutions have fiduciary duties to shareholders that may prevent them from taking on those risks. The second is that many banks and institutions have policies that severely restrict or even prohibit investing in coal, even if the money is to close coal plants down early. The Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero, an umbrella group of banks and asset managers that supports the JETP, launched a public consultation in June to help hammer out new guidelines that would change that. GFANZ is co-chaired by Mark Carney, a former governor of the Bank of England, and Michael Bloomberg, the founder of Bloomberg News parent Bloomberg LP. Both men are also UN special envoys in the field of climate change.

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7. Isnt the Asian Development Bank doing something similar?

Yes. The ADB has worked since 2021 on an Energy Transition Mechanism that also aims to accelerate the retirement of coal-fired plants and the development of renewable energy by blending commercial and concessional finance (below-market rate loans from institutional lenders). It began in Southeast Asia with Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam, and has now extended to Pakistan and Kazakhstan. The plan is smaller-scale than the JETP but can run in tandem with it. In Indonesia, a memorandum of understanding was signed last year to explore the early retirement of a coal-fired power plant in West Java, a proof-of-concept deal expected to usher others. An agreement is expected this year.

--With assistance from Antony Sguazzin.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

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For weeks now, Yanette Bautista has had her bag ready to rush to the Colombian Congress. She is on the phone in case the moment arrives when Colombian legislators finally decide to prioritize the bill that she is spearheading; the proposed legislation has been her whole life: it promotes the rights of women searching for missing persons. But every day, something else comes up; last Wednesday, when it was scheduled to be the first issue discussed, a cab drivers strike in the country got in the way. The bill keeps moving lower down the agenda or debate is postponed, as if forced disappearances did not matter, as if it were a minor issue, even though the most conservative estimates say that 120,000 people have been disappeared in Colombia. The Truth Commission puts the figure at 200,000 victims. We have the record in Latin America, Yanette says emphatically at her foundations headquarters in Bogota.

In 1987, she was an executive secretary at a multinational company, and the fight for human rights was not part of her plans. That changed on August 30 of that year, when members of the army disappeared her sister Nydia Erika on the day of her 12-year-old sons first communion. Nydia was an M19 militant, and armed men from Brigade XX took her to a farm where she was held captive, tortured and sexually assaulted. Her body was found days later on a road near Bogota. She was buried in an unmarked grave, and the family could only be certain of her identity over a decade later. The struggle for justice is still not over; the perpetrators are still at large.

My sisters forced disappearance confronted me with a reality that I never imagined existed It set me on another path, because having known that reality, I could not work as if nothing had happened in this country. I was never the same, says Yanette, now 66 years old, at the headquarters of the Nydia Erika Bautista Foundation. She created the foundation to fight against impunity, and it brings together women seeking justice. One arrives at her office after passing through Revoltosas [Rebellious Women], a clothing and jewelry store where these women make money to survive. It is a bright room where images from over three decades of protests stand out. One woman reminds us that there are more disappeared persons in Colombia than in Chile under Augusto Pinochets dictatorship; she ends with a phrase that challenges Colombian society: But who cares?

Indifference, says Bautista, is the third pillar of impunity in forced disappearances. According to Bautista, the other two pillars are the negligence of the justice system, which has played a role in human rights violations; and neglect on the part of the media, which does not clarify the magnitude of this crime against humanity. Thats why she believes that it is time for Colombia to pass a law that comprehensively protects women who are still searching for their loved ones, so that they are considered the subjects of special constitutional protection and peace builders. She says women specifically because 95% of those searching for the disappeared are mothers, wives, sisters and daughters; the other 5% are fathers.

Yannette Bautista (center) after the bills first debate in congress. Fundacion Nydia Erika Bautista

What is included in the law?

In practice, the bill asks the State to prioritize what happens to women as they search for missing persons. That is not a minor detail. They suffer threats, kidnappings, extortion, reprisals, recruitment of their minor children and sexual violence against girls who are left unprotected while their mothers search for their other children, struggle to recover the bodies, bury them and fight impunity. Yanette herself received death threats and had to go into exile.

Therefore, they want the National Protection Unit to prioritize the threats they receive. Considered peace builders, they also seek a voice in the negotiations that are progressing toward the so-called total peace, the current governments effort to undertake simultaneous negotiations with different armed groups.

The bill, which passed its first congressional debate in May and finally reached the plenary session of the House of Representatives last Tuesday, is the work of eight womens organizations. The proposed legislation is based on reports that they delivered to the Truth Commission  created after the peace agreements between the State and the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)  including one that says that each family has two searchers, totaling some 400,000 people. On average, forced disappearance affects the lives of between five and ten family members per victim If [one] looks at indigenous and Black cosmovision and its concept of extended family, the universe of those affected might be larger and reach 2 million people, says Yanette, as she takes notes to answer each question in detail.

The economic lives of women searching for their disappeared relatives are often rendered invisible. Many lose their jobs for prioritizing the search for their loved ones, abandon their studies, are displaced and live poorly. Bautistas proposed law seeks to improve this situation, and it would not have a fiscal impact on the State, because it already includes these women in existing institutions and public policies. We are not asking that the women searching [for their missing loved ones] be treated better than others, but we are asking for priority treatment [so] that these women can dream of attending college [and of] having decent housing, health care and a pension, she adds. Yanette herself has dedicated her life to that search; although she is recognized around the world as a leader  among other awards, she has won the Shalom Prize of the Catholic University of Eichstatt (Germany) and Amnesty Internationals Human Rights Award  she will not have a pension.

After years of protesting and struggling, the women decided to write down concrete proposals. They received technical advice from the United Nations Office for Human Rights, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Pastoral Social and the Dutch Embassy. One article in the bill states that they should have tuition benefits to access higher education and loans for their families, as well as access to housing projects and specific measures to address the multiple health problems that have been aggravated by the violence they have suffered in their search for justice.

Yanette Bautista at the headquarters of the Nydia Erika Bautista Foundation. CAMILA ACOSTA

Other key parts of the bill include creating a Single Registry of Women Searching for Victims of Forced Disappearance, so that the Unit for Integral Reparation for Victims has accurate information about them; and measures for raising social awareness about forced disappearance. If society reacted to or felt ashamed of this crime and joined our struggle, at least we would not be so alone We have been [isolated] for a long time, Yannette Bautista says. Last Wednesday, she was waiting for her bill  and her lifes project  to become the first one debated in Congress and in the country. But at the last minute, the congress members cancelled the meeting for the bill.

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Miller-Heidke adds: We wouldnt want to create the impression theres a direct link between this [musical] and the Wiggles  something always fascinated us about them, but this is pure fiction. Loading The mischief on stage is informed by the couples touring experiences, including Miller-Heidkes successful career and Nuttalls earlier days playing with his band in dive bars. At the same time, the pair name-check the real, surreal world of childrens music making in Bananaland: Hi-5 is worse than ISIS, grumbles one character. During rehearsals, Nuttall and Miller-Heidke discovered that one of their actors, Joe Kalou, who plays Kitty Litter guitarist Seb Kale, had been a member of Hi-5 in its latter years.

He actually stayed quiet about it, Nuttall says, with a laugh. He never mentioned it, for some reason. The musical involves very physical comedy, and cast members have been adding their own playful choreography. Heading the cast as Ruby is Max McKenna, who played Muriel in the premiere season of P.J. Hogans Muriels Wedding the Musical, for which Miller-Heidke and Nuttall also composed original music. Max McKenna also starred in Muriels Wedding the Musical, for which Nuttall and Miller-Heidke wrote original songs. Credit: Lisa Tomasetti A lot of our writing comes out of a pop-rock tradition, and Max early on in Muriel showed this ability to straddle those two forms, says Nuttall. Miller-Heidke says McKenna, who uses they/them pronouns, has been a bit of a muse since Muriel. I find Maxs voice to have this other-worldly beauty and power and emotion, and also [I admire] their acting chops  particularly for this role [as Ruby] because theres a fair bit of clowning. Max is hilarious.

Simon Phillips, who directed the Muriel musical, also directs Bananaland. I cant imagine this show existing without him, says Nuttall. His belief in it is really the reason that it went ahead. Weve also done two Shakespeare [plays] with him where Kate and I did the music [Twelfth Night and As You Like It], and his instinct for how music works with text is incredible. For someone who doesnt play an instrument or isnt a conductor, he will get quite granular. Nuttall and Miller-Heidke collaborated with Phillips on As You Like It for MTC. (Pictured: Christie Whelan Browne as Rosalind.) Credit: Jeff Busby Yet the pair say the director, who doubled as a dramaturg on Bananaland, was blunt about Nuttalls script during the development. In terms of his storytelling instincts, both of us are still in awe of him, says Miller-Heidke. Hes a ray of sunshine, so charismatic and such a wonderful collaborator. [But] he has been brutal: this is Keirs first script, and he and Simon have had many, many Zoom meetings [over] bottles of red wine, and hes capable of delivering some really brutal truths.

Yeah, in a charming manner, adds Nuttall, who then impersonates Phillips: Well, frankly Keir, I mean I just dont think your craft is good enough. Nuttall and Heidke-Miller dissolve with laughter. The pair prefer to compose separately, and Nuttall mostly wrote his script in cafes. Miller-Heidke says the expansive, colourful and daring music falls into three strands: the bombastic Kitty Litter songs; their inane, catchy songs when they become a kids band; and the various solo, duet and ensemble pieces where characters get to sing from the heart. One song in the latter category is Toby, which Miller-Heidke can be seen singing online in a performance captured at Bananalands official launch in June, possibly inspired by her own experience as a parent. In the musical, the song is sung by Kitty Litter member Karen, desperately missing her five-year-old son while on tour: Toby, now your mammas here / and for you, she would lay down her life. While Bananaland will premiere as part of Brisbane Festival, it is understood the musical will tour in the future to other cities including Sydney and Melbourne, with dates and venues yet to be announced.

Its on the cards, says Nuttall of a tour, but its too early for us to   Miller-Heidke cuts in:  confirm or deny. Loading Given Muriels Wedding the Musical will open in the UK next year, what are the international prospects for Bananaland? Im not sure, says Nuttall, who says their eyes are not on Broadway. Its unashamedly Australian, he says.Everybody speaks in our vernacular, but its no more colloquial than Muriels Wedding, and I think a lot of the barriers to things being international is really just a [matter of] perception  A very specific cultural universe often works to a shows advantage.
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Aiko Neligans New York chapter might never have happened if not for cake.

Desperately waiting for Irish police to send through the documents that would let her finalise her visa application and stay in New York, Neligan had an ingenious idea. She Googled the best cake shop in Dublin, and started sending desserts to the station to sweeten her appeal.

It was the thing that got her dream to live in the city  where she would go on to work as an executive assistant for Wendi Deng, meet Anna Wintour at the Met Gala, and get serious about yoga  over the line.

That was more than five years ago. The Neligan that emerges from her yoga, wellness and fitness studio in New Farm on a warm winters morning is far less concerned with leaving the city she grew up in.

Situated on the corner of Annie and James Street, Assembly by Aiko straddles the suburban end of the road, a few blocks back from the lively concentration of storefronts, restaurants and bars that have transformed this neighbourhood into a drawcard for interstate and international tourists.

I love running a business here. We have established an amazing and supportive community. Credit: Chloe Hill - Toasted Daisy

Classes are held in a bright but modest room, straight off the street. While size has restricted the scale of her business  We only have five people per class  Neligan sees that as a benefit. I think its actually better for the space, she says, pointing to the popularity of her one-on-one sessions.
Police have released photos of a man whose decomposed body was found in his Gold Coast home, with detectives believing it was there more than 12 months.

Gold Coast detectives from the homicide unit were appealing for information about Tomislav Nemes, 69, who was found dead at the Benowa house in April.

Police had been called to conduct a welfare check at the Edinburgh Road property by relatives interstate.
Voters have cut their support for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese after a fierce political dispute over the Indigenous Voice, slashing his net performance rating from 16 to just 2 percentage points over the past month and weakening trust in the governments message.

The powerful shift has narrowed the gap between Labor and the Coalition to only 4 percentage points on the primary vote, down from 9 points last month, at a crucial point in the contest for a Yes or No vote at the referendum likely in October.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton (right) trails Anthony Albanese as preferred prime minister by 25 to 46 per cent, but has gained ground on this measure from the result of 21 to 51 per cent last month. Credit: Fairfax Media

The exclusive findings from the Resolve Political Monitor show that support for the Voice has slipped from 48 to 46 per cent on the Yes or No question that will decide the referendum, continuing a decline from 63 per cent one year ago.

The results indicate the Voice has majority support in Victoria and Tasmania but is opposed in NSW, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia, suggesting it would be defeated at the referendum because it would not gain a national majority as well as approval in a majority of states.
Educational exposure of ideas, assumptions or hypotheses, based on proven facts" (which need not be strictly current affairs) Value in judgments are excluded, and the text comes close to an opinion article, without judging or making forecasts , just formulating hypotheses, giving motivated explanations and bringing together a variety of data

Russian students have a new textbook on the official history of their country, tailor-made to suit Vladimir Putins nationalist policies. Compulsory reading for students in the final year of secondary education, the textbook will come into use in Russian schools starting next September. It will be the only text permitted and rewrites a large part of world history from 1945 to the present day.

Putin, who usually offers his own interpretation of history to justify his policies, had repeatedly expressed his desire to introduce a single history textbook with a single concept and based on the Kremlins official assessment, in order to put an end to diversity. Dispersion leads to negative consequences, to young people not understanding what country they live in and not feeling their connections to the heroes of the past, the Russian president said in 2013.

The textbook is already circulating in its full version on the internet. As the backbone of the entire period, the West appears as a malevolent and envious environment that perpetrated and rejoiced in the misfortunes of the USSR, including the collapse of the Soviet state. Over the Kremlin the state flag of the Soviet Union was lowered. The leading countries of the West reacted with undisguised approval to the self-liquidation of the USSR, notes the account of the final moments of the USSR on December 25, 1991.

This assessment of hostility is repeated even when positive rapprochements between Moscow and the West are acknowledged, such as the detente of the 1970s and the Helsinki Final Act of 1975, which kick-started the process of disarmament and reduction of regional tensions between the U.S. and the USSR of the 1980s. The text, however, states that Western policies would have continued in the same vein during the presidency of Boris Yeltsin in the 1990s and to the present day, in the form of support for separatism and financial investments designed to gain access to Russian technology.

The official authors of the textbook are Vladimir Medinsky  former Minister of Culture and an advisor to Putin, and Anatoly Torkunov  rector of Moscows State Institute of International Relations. Across its 448 pages, the book alternates between pride over events valued as successes (access to nuclear weapons, increase in military power, industrial development) and victimhood over the attitude of the West.

The text includes the ongoing war unleashed by Putin in Ukraine, which is designated by its official description as a Special Military Operation. The most important event in contemporary history is the incorporation, or more accurately, the return, of our historical lands to the Russian Federation, it notes.

In search of arguments to prove that Ukraine is part of Russia, the manual delves into centuries of history and foreign territories. Among its illustrations is an official 2023 map of Russia, which has capriciously extended its borders to all Ukrainian lands annexed since 2014, including those it does not even control on the ground. At the end of the text is a gallery of a dozen heroes decorated during the war, starting with the first Russian soldier to receive a medal (posthumously), and four female participants in the conflict.

Russia is a country of heroes [...] Courage and readiness to give ones life for the motherland were and are inherent throughout the centuries says the text, while also offering topical advice to students. Such unique times do not occur often in history. After the departure of foreign companies there are many open markets before you [...] and fantastic possibilities for a career in business and in start-ups themselves are open. Do not miss this opportunity. Russia today is really the country of opportunities.

The animosity of the books authors toward Mikhail Gorbachev, the final leader of the Soviet Union, is clear from the foreword. The policy of perestroika, begun under the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev (1985-1991) and hasty reforms led to growing chaos in the economy and in the social field and to the destruction of the state, the text states. The architect of perestroika had no clear plan of action, and was misguided in the problems of industry, the army, the military-industrial complex, and had little understanding of foreign policy issues. [Gorbachev] never worked in production, he did not direct a construction site, he was not the director of a large factory, nor did he have the experience of a ministerial job, the text notes. Out of the Cold War only one superpower emerged, the USA. The other, the USSR, was destroyed, it concludes.

Russian citizens mark Stalin's birthday in Red Square on December 21, 2018. KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV (AFP)

Reverence for Stalin

Unlike Gorbachev, the figure of Joseph Stalin is treated with respect. The repression he unleashed is compensated by the greatness of the tasks he undertook in the view of the textbook, which approaches the tragedies that unfolded under his regime with broad strokes. The book does not venture into Stalins concrete relationship with the repression, but considers it important enough to mention that in 1949 his 70th birthday celebrations were attended by many foreign leaders, among them the leader of China, Mao Tse-Tung.

Not included in the book are the suffering of the peoples of the North Caucasus (which are not even mentioned) and of the Crimean Tatars, who during World War II were accused of collaborating with the German occupiers and deported to Central Asia in cattle cars under harsh conditions. Their lives, it is merely noted, were very hard, although the local authorities made every effort to provide them with food and facilitate their daily lives. Among Communisms successes, the manual notes the development of refrigerator production during the 1950s and 1960s.

Historians and intellectuals differ as to the effect this ideologized view of history will have on Russian adults of the future. Some believe they will be victims of the current indoctrination while others suspect that it will be forgotten, as were the ideological teachings of the Soviet school system, where there was also a single history textbook but much more professionalism, according to historian Vladimir Dolin. The works of real historians will reach children and students if they have real teachers. And the fake ones will fill childrens heads with dust and chaff with any textbook, he notes. The misfortune is that this textbook is the only one [that will be used], and this would not be so serious if there was not total control of teachers in todays schools. Reports have been circulating of teachers being forced out of work or expelled for attending pacifist and anti-war demonstrations. Sometimes these teachers are denounced by their own students, or their parents.

Mikhail Gorbachev in 1989. Gianni Giansanti (Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

The greatest geopolitical disaster of the 20th century

In the section dedicated to the disintegration of the USSR, the greatest geopolitical tragedy of the 20th century, there is no mention that the Soviet Constitution gave the federated republics the right to leave the USSR and the meeting of the Slavic leaders who dissolved the Soviet Union in a hunting lodge in Belarus on December 8, 1991, is dispatched with six lines. Neither does it say that the new states formally (and more than once) undertook to recognize the borders in place when they were federated republics within the same country.

The work suffers from the reversal of cause-and-effect relationships. Thus, the deployment of Soviet troops in Afghanistan is justified as a result of the Islamist presence and NATOs interventionist intentions. The Atlantic Alliance had nothing to do with Afghanistan and the alleged reason for the Soviet invasion was to aid local pro-Soviet leaders at loggerheads with each other.

The information transparency promoted by Gorbachev is also considered a failure because, when all the limitations of censorship had been eliminated and the state was practically inhibited from controlling the media, the citizens of the USSR were inundated with destructive and hostile information presented as freedom of expression to a society that relied on the written word.

The departure of Soviet troops from Europe after 1989 is judged as a very thoughtless decision that undermined Soviet influence and fostered the emergence of nationalist and anti-Soviet sentiment. The handbook refers to the so-called velvet revolutions that took place in Eastern Europe between 1989 and 1990 and to the annexation of the German Democratic Republic by the Federal Republic of Germany. The issue of German reunification is dismissed with the phrase the GDR was swallowed up by the FRG and the leaders of the Western countries are accused of not keeping their verbal promises not to expand NATO to the East. None of the objectives laid out under perestroika were fulfilled, except the destruction of the Soviet state, notes the new history textbook.

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Dr Dang Nguyen and her family havent had a mortgage for years.

After living in a caravan for 18 months with her husband and daughter - a fun lifestyle while travelling but too small for permanent living - she designed two tiny house units that are 9.5 metres long.

Dr Dang Nguyen and Peter Wigley in their tiny home. Credit: Danielle Smith

Advocates for tiny homes believe living in intentional tiny home communities with shared facilities could be one part of the solution to the affordable housing crisis. Although no substitute for more suburban infill development or apartment blocks near transport links, it could be a piece of the puzzle for some.

Her family has been living in their tiny house in northern NSW for two and a half years. The two units cost $240,000 to build and the separation was preferred to a tiny house with an upstairs level. The design allows everyone to have their sense of space and a cosy shared living area when they are all together.
The local fisherman then took him to a nearby surf camp in Nias where he sent a text message to his father. Elliot Foote after he was rescued. Credit: Instagram Hey Dad, Elliot here. Im alive. Safe now. Love you. Chat later, the message read. Rescuers have not yet located the third Indonesian crew member, Fifan Satria. There were grave fears for him here on Tuesday night, although local teams continued to hold out hope as they scoured the ocean. The search efforts were assisted by Australian Grant Richardson, who sailed his catamaran, Sea Mi Amore, overnight Monday in a bid to find the missing surfers. He was confident the four were alive and could be found.

In a video message on Tuesday night, Richardson said he was absolutely elated the Australians had been rescued. It was a coordination between all parties involved to be able to bring them back safely but mainly their own mates, he said. Their own mates bonded together ... they coordinated with the Australian government [and] the Indonesian government were also on board. It was just lucky we were there to be able to support these guys. Yustinus Sega, the search and rescue taskforce officer on Banyak Island, said his team found the Australians on their surfboards. A Czech surfing guide who joined the search was also on the rescue boat, as were two of the surfers friends. We went last night from Banyak Island to Pinang Island and this morning started searching then we found them, he said.

The group, which included eight other friends onboard another boat, had set out on Sunday afternoon from Nias, 130 kilometres west of Sumatra, to the small island of Pinang in the Banyaks where they had rented out bungalows to stay for 10 days. When the storm hit, the other boat took shelter before reaching the destination, where they raised the alarm when their friends also did not arrive. The holiday, which had also involved travelling in Sumatra, was to celebrate Footes 30th birthday. Foote who grew up in Sydney and attended Scots College, is a carpenter by trade and currently lives with his partner Weisse, 31, who works at a gardening nursery. They live in Main Arm, northern NSW. Teagle is a landscaper and lives in Sydney. Short, 28, also a carpenter, is from Byron Bay. The moment three Australian surfers and an Indonesian crew member were found after 36 hours missing at sea. Credit: Instagram

Footes father, Peter Foote said the four friends were close and would have been looking out for each other during the nearly two days they were lost at sea. Steph is pretty rattled, its been a long time out there. Theyve been in the water a long time, he told reporters. Theyre all best mates, theyd be hugging each other. Peter Foote said he was not expecting his son to rush home to Australia. Loading No, I want him to finish his holiday, he said. I am sure they are all fine. If the surf is great and the weather has come good and they are having a great time with their best mates, there is no point in him coming home.

They are there for another eight days. Hopefully, they will feed them up and he will be back out there enjoying it. He has a great story to tell. They all do. The search had resumed at first light on Tuesday with a number of private boats skippered by Australians joining the team of local rescuers. The Australian government had chartered a private aircraft to assist in the search and a team of four officials from its embassy, including deputy ambassador Stephen Scott, are on the island of Nias. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he had contacted Indonesian President Joko Widodo to express thanks for the search and rescue efforts. All of us are relieved that the four Australians who were missing in Indonesia have been found, Albanese told reporters. We particularly thank our Indonesian friends, who, once again have come to Australias support in a time of need ... And Ive reached out to Jokowi, our friend, to thank him personally for the effort.
Investigators have concluded that the death of Colombian surgeon Edwin Arrieta was premeditated and that Daniel Sancho stabbed him before dismembering him, the deputy chief of the Thai National Police, Surachate Hakparn, announced Tuesday at a press conference in which some of the evidence gathered and the conclusions of the police operation on the island of Koh Pha-ngan were laid out. The police have ruled out that Arrietas death was accidental, as the Spanish chef had initially claimed, and the involvement of third parties, as no DNA evidence or footage from security cameras has been found to support that hypothesis. We have consulted the prosecutor about some of the evidence and it is consistent enough to charge him with premeditated murder, which carries the death penalty, Hakparn said, as reported by EFE. The case will now be handed to the prosecutor to study and establish the penalty request for Sanchos trial. Sancho, the son of Spanish actor Rodolfo Sancho, has been in pre-trial custody since August 7.

According to the police investigation, the motive for the crime was that Sancho wanted to end their relationship, but Arrieta refused. Daniel has confessed that he killed Edwin because he wanted to break up and Edwin didnt want that, said Hakparn, who is known in Thailand by his nickname of Big Joke. The deputy chief also categorically ruled out the hypothesis of an accident. Investigators are sure that it was not an accident; it was a premeditated murder because he had previously planned to buy material, including a knife. In addition, the victim had stab marks on the right side of the chest. During the press briefing, Hakparn displayed images of Arrietas shirt with cuts the size of a knife blade. Sancho tested negative in toxicology tests for drugs and alcohol.

Image shown by Thai police of Edwin Arrieta's shirt with a cut they attribute to a stab wound.

The police reconstruction of the crime concluded that Sancho stabbed Arrieta in the chest and the latter, upon falling, hit the bathroom sink of the hotel room they shared in Koh Pha-ngan. This, coupled with evidence that Sancho bought knives, gloves, trash bags and cleaning products, led investigators to rule out an accidental death. What investigators have been unable to pinpoint is whether the immediate cause of death was stabbing or the impact of the surgeons head on the sink. According to the police account, Sancho spent around three hours dismembering the corpse and spent another day cleaning the room of evidence. The police also found $9,000 in a safe in Sanchos hotel room. We dont know why he had this money, said Hakparn.

The investigation also ruled out the involvement of another person in the crime. Responding to the question from a reporter, Hakparn said: There cannot have been another person. We have found no recordings on the security cameras and no traces of anyone elses DNA at the crime scenes. The investigators also stated that genetic material recovered from Arrietas shirt indicated that Sancho is the only suspect.

Despite considering the case closed, investigators have acknowledged there are still some loose ends remaining. Hakparn said messages between Sancho and Arrieta are still being examined and the results of the autopsy are still to be released. There are several pieces of evidence that have not yet been found, such as a knife that is considered relevant to the investigation, the victims phone, and some objects belonging to Arrieta that Sancho confessed to having disposed of.

Daniel Sancho (wearing cap) assists Thai police with their investigation on Koh Pha-ngan. DAILYNEWS (via REUTERS)

Police reconstruction

During the press conference, the police reconstruction of the crime was revealed. Among the evidence gathered were stills from security cameras in which a person with similar characteristics to Sancho, and whose face had been covered with a black band, was seen in two supermarkets in the area, as well as photographs of the reconstruction of the events that unfolded in the hotel bathroom, one of which shows Sancho sitting on the floor with his back to the door and a Thai police officer lying on the floor.

Under Thai law, the police normally have a period of 84 days to conclude an investigation, but Sanchos cooperation has accelerated the entire process. The police will now submit their report to the Prosecutors Office to set a trial date. Under Thai law, murder and manslaughter carry three types of sentences, depending precisely on these circumstances. The most severe is the death sentence, although a life sentence or up to 20 years imprisonment are also possible.

According to sources familiar with the countrys judicial system, capital punishment is only applied in cases where the victims are members of the security forces or high-ranking government officials, and there are no known recent instances of a foreign national being executed. It is customary for King Maha Vajiralongkorn to take advantage of special dates, such as his birthday, to apply such pardons, as was the case in 2020 when another Spanish citizen, Artur Segarra, sentenced to death in 2017 for murdering and dismembering businessman David Bernat in Bangkok, had his sentence commuted to life imprisonment.

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Opinion articles written in the style of their author." These texts are to be based on verified facts and must be respectful towards people, even though their actions may be criticized. shall feature, along with the author's name (regardless of their greater or lesser renown), a footer stating their office, academic title, political affiliation (if any) and main occupation, or the occupation related to the topic being assessed

I moved back from Ecuador to Colombia in 2017, after serving as Secretary General of UNASUR (Union of South American Nations). I spent three wonderful years of peace and tranquility in Quito, and during this time I witnessed Ecuadors economic and social growth. When I departed, President Rafael Correa was in the process of leaving the country in an entirely different position to the one he had inherited. I returned to Colombia convinced that under Correas model of democratic socialism in Ecuador, and that of Evo Morales in Bolivia, it was possible to pursue social inclusion without succumbing to economic populism. This could be done through democratic means without sacrificing the role of the State or demonizing the market.

Correas Citizens Revolution was one of enhancing self-esteem as it gave all Ecuadorians a sense of pride in the eyes of the world due to its Millennium schools, refurbished hospitals, highways, airports, aqueducts and universities. Through dollarization (albeit at a cost of monetary sovereignty)  which had been in place since before Correas tenure  and buoyant oil prices that stabilized the economy, resources were obtained and managed to finance an alternative development model and overcome the misleading dilemma of progress and welfare. It has been demonstrated that it is possible to achieve growth and equal distribution at the same time. This is backed up by figures from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL).

So what went wrong? At what point did Ecuador decline into present-day hell? The inadequate governments that came after Correa, coinciding with the internationalization of the Mexican drug cartels that arrived in Colombia, paved the way for the entry of these criminal groups that brought corruption and violence stemming from drug trafficking to our countries. As a result, Ecuador underwent a process of Colombianization owing to the recurrence of the same problems that Colombia experienced in the 1980s, just as Mexico did a few years later.

It would therefore be unfair and rash to accuse former president Correa  who has not been able to return to his country on the Kafkaesque accusation of having psychically influenced his officials  of the turmoil that is unfolding in this neighboring and beloved country. As far as I know, Rafael Correa is a competent and transparent person. He is austere in his personal life and possesses a fiery passion, as is fitting for his countrys geographical wonders, for everything concerning Ecuador. In the current tragic circumstances, it does not help to confuse the trial of accountability for the vicious murder of Fernando Villavicencio  who I knew personally  with the electoral alternatives available to Ecuadorians to decide freely who should govern them in a few days time.

When Luis Carlos Galan was assassinated many years ago in Colombia by criminal forces very much like the ones that took Villavicencios life this week, all the presidential candidates convened at the Palacio de Narino (Colombias presidential residence), summoned by then-president Virgilio Barco. It was agreed that we would pursue our campaigns in homage to Galan and as a resounding response to the challenges posed by the violence of the drug trafficking trade. Since then, the fight against organized crime has become State policy in Colombia and continues to be so today. What Ecuador needs at this moment, as we did in Colombia in the 1990s and Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is currently doing in Mexico, is to unite against the dark forces of organized crime, which have declared war on the rule of law and democratic institutions. This would be a fitting tribute to the fallen leader and an opportunity to retake the road to the future and dignity that began to develop under the Citizens Revolution. Ecuadorians certainly deserve it.

Ernesto Samper Pizano was president of Colombia between 1994 and 1998 and Secretary General of Unasur between 2014 and 2017.

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Enhanced security measures are implemented outside the Fulton County Courthouse ahead of a possible grand jury indictment against former president Donald Trump in Atlanta, Georgia, on Aug. 14 2023.

A list of criminal charges in Georgia against former President Donald Trump briefly appeared Monday on a Fulton County website, but prosecutors said Trump had not been indicted in a long-running investigation of the 2020 presidential election.

A Fulton County grand jury began hearing from witnesses Monday. Shortly after 12 p.m., Reuters reported on a list of several criminal charges to be brought against Trump, including state racketeering counts, conspiracy to commit false statements, and solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer.

Reuters, which later published a copy of the document, said the filing was taken down quickly afterward. A spokesperson for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said the report of charges being filed was inaccurate, but declined to comment further.

Prosecutors were widely expected to present those counts to the grand jury. It was unclear why the charges were detailed in a filing while grand jurors were still hearing from witnesses.

For two and a half years, Willis has been investigating actions taken by Trump and others in their efforts to overturn his narrow loss in Georgia to Democrat Joe Biden. Barriers and street closures around the courthouse in downtown Atlanta, as well as statements made by Willis, had indicated that a presentation to a grand jury was likely to begin this week.

Clark Cunningham, a Georgia State University law professor, said the filing on the courts website was likely a clerical error listing what charges prosecutors are planning to ask the grand jury to vote on. The grand jury doesnt sit around and write indictments, its presented to them, he said. I think this tell us what they are planning to present to the grand jury, and the grand jury could say no, he said.

Trump and his lawyers will likely seize on the erroneous filing to claim the process is rigged, but Cunningham said he doesnt believe it will ultimately impact the case.

Will his lawyers make a lot of noise about it? Yes, they will. Will Mr. Trump make a lot of noise about it? Yes, he will. Im sure there will have to be an explanation for it, Cunningham said.

One person who said hes been called to testify to the grand jury suggested on Monday that the process may be moving quicker than anticipated. George Chidi, an independent journalist, had tweeted previously that he was asked to testify on Tuesday, but later posted he was going to court on Monday, adding: Theyre moving faster than they thought.

Chidi wrote in a story for The Intercept last month that he barged into a semi-clandestine meeting of Republicans pretending to be Georgias official electors in December 2020. He described being thrown out of the room just after entering, told that it was an education meeting.

Former Democratic state Sen. Jen Jordan, who had been subpoenaed to testify before the grand jury, said as she left the Fulton County courthouse late Monday morning that she had been questioned for about 40 minutes. Former Democratic state Rep. Bee Nguyen also confirmed that she testified. News outlets reported that Gabriel Sterling, a top official in the secretary of states office, was seen arriving at the courthouse earlier Monday.

No individual is above the law, and I will continue to fully cooperate with any legal proceedings seeking the truth and protecting our democracy, Nguyen said in a statement.

Nguyen and Jordan both attended legislative hearings in December 2020 during which former New York mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and others made false claims of widespread election fraud in Georgia. Trump lawyer John Eastman also appeared during at least one of those hearings and said the election had not been held in compliance with Georgia law and that lawmakers should appoint a new slate of electors.

Sterling and his boss, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger  both Republicans  forcefully pushed back against allegations of widespread problems with Georgias election.

Trump famously called Raffensperger on Jan. 2, 2021, and suggested the states top elections official could help find the votes Trump needed to beat Biden. It was the release of a recording of that phone call that prompted Willis to open her investigation about a month later.

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JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)  Four Australian tourists and two Indonesians were rescued after being missing for two days in the waters off Indonesia's Aceh province, officials and the father of one of the Australians said Tuesday.

Peter Foote, the father of Elliot Foote, who had traveled to Indonesia to celebrate his 30th birthday with friends, said he received a text message from his son saying he is OK.

It says: Hey Dad, Elliot here. Im alive. Safe now. Love you. Chat later, Peter Foote said at a news conference in Sydney on Tuesday. Its great, its good news. Ill have to talk to him and want to see photos and see what he looks like. Its all good."

A wooden speedboat carrying the four Australians and three Indonesian crew members ran into bad weather on Sunday. The details of how they ended up in the sea remain unclear.

One Indonesian crew member is still missing, according to the head of the local rescue agency.

Peter Foote was told his son had paddled his surfboard to an island to raise the alarm, and that the three other Australians were found clinging to their boards at sea. It is not clear how the two Indonesians survived.

The six who were rescued were taken to Pinang island for medical assistance.

Elliot Foote, his partner Steph Weisse, and friends Will Teagle and Jordan Short, along with the three Indonesians, were in the boat in waters around Sarang Alu and Banyak islands. They were part of a group of 12 Australians and five Indonesians in two boats who were traveling to Pinang Island, a destination known for its pristine beach and good waves for surfing.

The boats left Nias island, which is located around 150 kilometers (93 miles) from Indonesias Sumatra island, on Sunday afternoon and experienced bad weather with very heavy rain during the trip.

Ten of them decided to stay and shelter on Sarang Alu island, while the others continued the trip. The resort on Pinang Island later reported to the agency that the boat with 10 passengers had safely arrived later on Sunday night, but the boat that had left earlier had not been seen.

Peter Foote said he expected his son and friends would continue the final eight days of their surfing vacation.

Indonesia is an archipelago with more than 17,000 islands, and ferries and boats are a common form of transportation. With lax safety standards and problems with overcrowding, accidents occur frequently.

In July, an overloaded passenger boat capsized off Indonesias Sulawesi island, killing 15 people.

In 2018, an overcrowded ferry with about 200 people on board sank in a lake in North Sumatra province, killing 167 people. In one of the countrys worst recorded disasters, an overcrowded passenger ship sank in February 1999 with 332 people aboard. Only 20 people survived.

Associated Press journalist Rod McGuirk wrote from Canberra, Australia.
PENNSYLVANIA - With more people buying electric vehicles, more places to charge them are needed.

The Federal Infrastructure Bill set aside funding to expand the number of charging locations. Pennsylvania is receiving just over 33 million dollars of that funding.

An announcement was made Monday that will cover 54 projects, over 35 counties.

Senator Bob Casey said, "We're going to be able to have the kind of charging stations that will allow us to create the incentives for more people driving electric vehicles all across the Commonweath."

Berks is one of the counties getting a new charging station. It will be located at the Sheetz in Bethel Township off of Interstate 78.

Electrify America won the bid to complete the project. Andrew Dick with the company said, "We had a great site host. Sheetz was excited to put a station there.

Dick said, currently, there are no charging stations like theirs from Allentown to Harrisburg.

The station they're building will be able to charge 6 cars at once, taking on average about 20 minutes to charge.

"We use the built-in non-proprietary charging standards that are compatible with 31 different brands of vehicles and there's also an adapter so it could be used in a Tesla," said Dick.

The charging stations will certainly get plenty of use, as electric vehicles continue to become popular.

Dick said, "Our charging stations today, as opposed to two years ago, we're seeing about 20 times more sessions."
EXETER TWP, Pa.  At Monday nights Exeter Township Board of Supervisors meeting supervisor David Vollmer, Jr. was elected to be the new board chair. He received 3 votes in favor of his election with Vollmer and supervisor David Hughes abstaining.

Former chair George Bell said: I had made an announcement that it would be a good time (to change). Healthy boards rotate leadership and Ive had the privilege of chairing this board for almost two years. It was a situation where Im invested in the community and wish to retain a position on the board, but I think its a good time for us to consider a leadership change.

Bell then nominated Vollmer to be chair and when no other nominations were made the vote was taken and Vollmer assumed the position.

Vollmer established that there was a new sheriff in town when he later emphatically stopped two discussions between supervisor Hughes and vice-chair David Gardella that Vollmer said had become personal attacks. As the new chairman I am not going to make this about Dave Hughes and about Ted Gardella, were going to make this about the people of Exeter.

By Exeter standards, it became a civil meeting after Vollmers admonishment.

Pennsylvania American Water Company Fight

An Exeter resident, Amandas Johnson, addressed the supervisors and asked for their help in fighting Pennsylvania American Water Company. Johnson explained that when PA Act 12 was passed in 2016 it allowed for the sale of municipal water facilities to private corporations in an effort to help failing municipalities.

Unfortunately, when Exeter Township sold their facilities, they were not in what the state considered to be a failing status, Johnson said. The residents have now learned that were are paying for water treatment facilities throughout the state.

Every time Pennsylvania American buys another facility the residents of Exeter township end up paying for it, she said, because the water company petitions the PUC for a rate increase for Exeter to cover the cost of the new acquisition. Exeter currently pays 170% more for water and wastewater than the rest of the state of Pennsylvania, Johnson noted. And were set to have increases for 4 pending sales in the state over the next year.

Johnson asked the supervisors to consider four actions. One, buy the wastewater treatment plant back at a reduced rate. Two, divert wastewater treatment to a neighboring township. Three, file a formal complaint with the PUC on behalf of the township citizens. And four, have the water quality tested to see how it compares to industry standards.

Although the supervisors, led by Michelle Kircher, were inclined to help, supervisor Hughes said he believed there was no way Pennsylvania American Water would sell the wastewater plant back to the township. That ship has sailed, he noted.

Life-saving awards

Sergeant Rocco DiCamillo, on behalf of police chief Matthew Hawley, presented Life Saving Awards to officers Brian Eveland and Christian Butz. According to DiCamillo, on Sunday May 21, they responded to a radio call at the Sunset Family Restaurant for the report of a 70-year-old male who was in respiratory arrest and stopped breathing. The male was choking and turning purple from lack of oxygen, he said.

The officers arrived on scene withing 3 minutes of receiving the radio call and assessed the situation. Patrolmen Butz began chest compressions while Eveland administered rescue breaths until EMS personnel arrived, DiCamillo noted. EMS continued with follow-on care until the patients situation stabilized. The patient was transported to Tower Health Reading where he arrived alive.

Other business

The supervisors approved a resolution for the Joint Comprehensive Plan with Amity and Douglas townships and St. Lawrence borough and accept the resignation of Fred Whitehawk from Auditor position. The supervisors then approved an RFP for Professional Financial and Administrative Auditing Services.

Also, a hearing for intermunicipal liquor license transfer and election for extension of time to render decision under Section 461(b.1)(2)(ii) was approved to be held Tuesday, August 15. In addition, the supervisors authorized replacement of HVAC unit for township office area at a cost of $12,793.00.
Harrisburg, PA  The Pennsylvania Department of Health will offer free potassium iodide, or KI, tablets on Thursday, August 17, to those living or working within 10 miles of Limerick Generating Station in Montgomery County.

State officials hold an annual distribution event every summer in the areas surrounding the state's four active nuclear power plants as part of routine preventive efforts.

Making potassium iodide tablets available for residents is a critical part of emergency preparedness and public health, said Acting Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen. Radiological emergencies are rare, but it is important to have tablets on hand. The tablets should only be taken when instructed and in the event of an emergency, Pennsylvanians should follow local authorities instructions.

KI can add another layer of protection when used as instructed. It helps protect the thyroid gland against harmful radioactive iodine and can be taken by anyone not allergic.

Tablets are available to all Pennsylvanians who live or work within 10 miles of the states four active nuclear power plants by visiting a distribution center, calling the Department of Health at 1-877-PA-HEALTH or visiting a county and municipal health department or state health center.

KI tablets will be distributed at the following locations on August 17. No appointments are necessary.

Keystone Fire Company, 240 N. Walnut St. Boyertown, PA 19512 (2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.)

Kimberton Fire Company Banquet Hall, 2276 Kimberton Rd, Phoenixville, PA 19460 (12:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.)

Limerick Fire Department, 390 W Ridge Pike, Limerick, PA, 19512 (9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.)

Pottstown Health Center, 364 King St. Pottstown, PA 19464 (9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.)
WEST READING, Pa. - Police in West Reading say a pedestrian is in critical condition after being struck by a vehicle early Sunday morning.

It happened in the 400 block of Penn Avenue around 1:45 a.m.

Authorities say the victim was rushed to the hospital and is currently receiving critical medical care.

Their identity, and the circumstances surrounding the accident, have not been released at this time.

Police had the road closed for about three-and-a-half hours to conduct their investigation and reconstruct the scene.
READING, Pa. - A Reading teenager is in custody after police say he shot and killed his father.

It happened around 4 p.m. Monday in the area of Locust and Greenwich Streets.

Police received several calls for a man lying in the street near a motorcycle.

"When officers arrived on scene, they found a male on the ground next to a crashed motorcycle, which was later identified as our victim," said Sgt. Jason Linderman with Reading Police Department.

Officers arriving on scene found Tomas Medina, Sr. with at least one wound to the torso.

According to court documents, 14-year-old Tomas Medina, Jr. called 911 and was transferred to Reading Police dispatch. The teen allegedly told police he took his father's gun and "shot him with it."

Investigators say just prior to the shooting, the boy's father, Tomas Medina, Sr., was sitting on his porch when a family member told him they thought the teen had the man's gun.

Family members, concerned for Medina, Jr., encouraged him to go inside so they could talk. It was at that point police allege the teen pulled out the gun and began firing.

Authorities say family members took cover as Medina, Jr. fled the scene.

Worried for his son, investigators say Medina, Sr. got on his motorcycle to try to locate the boy. As he reached the intersection of Greenwich and Locust Streets, Medina, Jr. appeared and allegedly began firing at his father and continued to shoot after the man fell off the motorcycle and onto the ground.

"When he's laying underneath the motorcycle, Tomas Medina Jr., the 14-year-old, approaches his father and shoots him at least two more times," said Berks County District Attorney John Adams.

"As to the motive or reasoning behind the shooting, it's unclear right now," said Sgt. Linderman.

Tomas Medina, Jr. is charged as an adult with first and third-degree murder, aggravated assault and related offenses. He is not eligible for bail.

"Our investigation is not going to stop here," said DA Adams. "We need to understand what precipitated this behavior."
MUHLENBERG TWP., Pa. - A tractor-trailer rolled over on its side on Route 61 during rush hour on Monday.

It happened in Muhlenberg Township near the exit onto 222 South. Police say they don't believe there were any injuries.

Crews had to close the busy stretch of the road around 5 p.m.

Police say the road was closed for over two hours as they unloaded the truck.
ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Eastern Indian residents of Allentown are celebrating their homeland's freedom.

An Indian flag-raising ceremony was held outside City Hall Tuesday to commemorate the nation's Independence Day.

It's celebrated on Aug. 15 each year.

On this day in 1947, India gained its independence from the United Kingdom.
LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa. - People in our region are trying to do what they can to help the wildfire victims in Maui.

Last week we told you about the Red Cross and Pennsylvania's Task Force One sending members to Hawaii.

Now we have the story of a local Hawaiian musician who has started a GoFundMe to help his friends and family back home.

Musician Johnny Kai Lorance tells us he's been watching the coverage of the fires from here in Pennsylvania.

"I have a lot of friends in Maui. I don't know who's alive, who didn't make it, because it's really hard to contact people. A lot of people, the phones don't work in that area. So, I might have to contact maybe Oahu friends to see who's still alive, because we still don't know," said Kai.

So while Kai waits to make contact with his friends and family back home, he's trying to raise $50,000 that can go toward rebuilding Lahaina and the other damaged parts of Maui. Specifically, he's hoping children's music programs can be rebuilt.

"I'm hoping that I can raise some money to support them. I'm going to ask the mayor if he can donate my monies to children's programs in Lahaina that were burned out you know, because they have to rebuild all of that," said Kai.

Kai is not alone in lending the island support.

Last week, we told you how the local Red Cross and Pennsylvania's Task Force One have sent members to support the island.

Task Force Program Manager Ken Pagurek said the search for victims began Monday, with more than 1,700 destroyed structures to go through.

According to initial estimates from the company Moody's, the island of Maui could be looking at between $3.5 billion and $7 billion dollars in damage. Kai hopes he can at least do his part to begin bringing those numbers down.

"Whatever I can raise, I just feel good about doing something positive for my family and friends back in Hawaii," said Kai.
Fulton County Sheriff's Office deputies block a road as enhanced security measures are implemented outside the Fulton County Courthouse ahead of a possible grand jury indictment against Donald Trump.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis opened her investigation into Donald Trump after the release of a recording of a January 2021 phone call between Trump and Georgias secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger. Trump suggested during the call that Raffensperger, a Republican and the states top elections official, could help find the votes needed to overturn his narrow loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

More than two years later, the indictment that could soon be brought by a grand jury could go far beyond that phone call, alleging a web of crimes committed by Trump and others. Willis is widely expected to use Georgias Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, law to charge Trump and his associates for allegedly participating in a wide-ranging conspiracy to overturn the states 2020 election results.

Heres a look at how the law works:

How would a law used against mobsters apply to Trump and his allies?

The federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act originated in 1970 as a tool to fight organized crime. The law enabled prosecutors to target people in positions of authority within a criminal organization, not just lower-level people doing the dirty work.

But its use was never meant to be limited exclusively to organized crime. The U.S. Supreme Court noted in a 1989 opinion that the law was drafted broadly enough to encompass a wide range of criminal activity, taking many different forms and likely to attract a broad array of perpetrators.

Within a few years of the federal law taking effect, states began passing their own RICO laws. Generally speaking, RICO laws allow prosecutors to charge multiple people who commit separate crimes while working toward a common goal.

What does Georgias RICO law state?

Georgias RICO Act, adopted in 1980, makes it a crime to participate in, acquire or maintain control of an enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity or to conspire to do so. Its important to note that the alleged scheme does not have to have been successful for a RICO charge to stick.

An enterprise can be a single person or a group of associated individuals with a common goal. Racketeering activity means to commit, attempt to commit  or to solicit, coerce or intimidate someone else to commit  one of more than three dozen state crimes listed in the law. At least two such acts are required to meet the standard of a pattern of racketeering activity, meaning prosecutors have to prove that a person has engaged in two or more related criminal acts as part of their participation in an enterprise to be convicted under RICO.

The U.S. Supreme Court has said that federal RICO allegations must show continuity, that is to say a series of related underlying acts over an extended period of time, not just a few weeks or months. But the Georgia Supreme Court has made clear there is no such requirement in the state law.

Why use the RICO statue?

Im a fan of RICO, Willis said during a news conference in August 2022 as she announced a RICO indictment against more than two dozen alleged gang members.

Willis has said jurors want to know all the facts behind an alleged crime and that a RICO indictment enables prosecutors to provide a complete picture of all the alleged illegal activity. A narrative introduction allows prosecutors to tell a story that can include a lot of detailed information that might not relate to specific crimes but is relevant to the broader alleged scheme.

RICO charges also carry a heavy potential sentence that can be added on top of the penalty for the underlying acts.

In Georgia, its a felony conviction that carries a prison term of five to 20 years; a fine of $25,000 or three times the amount of money gained from the criminal activity, whichever is greater; or both a prison sentence and a fine.

What are the challenges in using the RICO statue?

J. Tom Morgan used the Georgia RICO statute to prosecute a corrupt sheriff when he was the district attorney in DeKalb County, which neighbors Fulton County. He said one challenge is explaining to a jury what the RICO law is and how it works.

Everybody knows what a murder case is, what a rape case is, what a theft case is. But RICO is not in the everyday vernacular, he said. You dont see a RICO charge on a television show about crime.

Does Willis have previous experience with RICO cases?

Yes. When she was an assistant district attorney in the Fulton County district attorneys office, Willis was a lead prosecutor in a RICO case against a group of Atlanta public school educators in a cheating scandal. After a monthslong trial, a jury in April 2015 convicted 11 former educators of racketeering for their roles in a scheme to inflate students scores on standardized exams.

Since becoming district attorney in January 2021, she has brought several RICO indictments against alleged gang members, including several high-profile rap artists.

Lawyer John Floyd, a nationally known RICO expert in Atlanta, helped Willis with the school cheating case. Soon after opening the investigation into potential illegal meddling in the 2020 election in Georgia, she engaged him to serve as a special assistant district attorney to help with any racketeering cases her office might pursue.

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BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Bethlehem Police Department is detailing arrests made during Musikfest, saying public drunkenness and disorderly conduct were the two most common offenses charged.

This years festival saw a slight increase in the number of arrests in and around the festival grounds as compared to 2022, with a total of 36 criminal offenses and 29 arrests, according to a news release from city police.

Public drunkenness and disorderly conduct were the two most common offenses charged, at nine arrests each, city police said. There were also three drug-related offenses, three thefts, two DUIs, and two assaults, city police said.

Police say the offenses were all relatively minor infractions.

In addition to criminal offenses, city police assisted Bethlehem EMS on 36 medical incidents, recovered lost property in 20 incidents, and fielded 12 911 misdials and/or hangups, according to the news release.

Police say they handled 132 festival-related incidents, which represented an increase of 43 incidents from 2022.

Each year, Musikfest attracts over one million visitors to the city of Bethlehem over the course of the 11-day festival, police said.
UPPER MILFORD TWP., Pa. - Verizon's proposed cellular tower got the green light from Upper Milford Township's zoning board Monday night. It's both a victory for Verizon and the local fire company, which stands to gain $18,000 per year for lending its backyard for the tower.

The point of Monday night's meeting was to decide whether Verizon would be granted variances to a number of ordinances, to be able to put the tower in. And though it was ultimately granted to the large company, residents who don't want the tower argue that Verizon is a well-off company, and shouldn't be in the position to claim financial hardship and be granted those variances.

Inside Upper Milford Township's packed meeting, some were forced to stand in the back. About half were wearing bright orange T-shirts that said 'Topple the Tower.'

Up for debate was Verizon's plan to put up a 188-foot tower near the Hills of Powder Valley.

Many residents worry it will be an eyesore.

As a former volunteer firefighter of 26 years, Jason Tapler spoke in favor of the tower during the meeting, which lasted more than three hours.

As Tapler was speaking, a resident spoke up from the packed crowd, asking whether Tapler himself would be able to see where the tower would stand from his home, as many residents at odds with the plan will be able to.

It was a rare moment of disruption in a relatively civil meeting, where two sides argued strongly against each other.

Sue Smith says she lives across the street from where the tower would go up.

"It's not us versus you," Smith said to Tapler. But you did mention you don't live within eyesight of this tower. So while I hear your passion, my question was, will you see it from your house?"

Tapler replied, though he wouldn't be able to see that particular tower:

"I can see two towers from my house."

Some residents say once one tower goes up, it 'might beget another tower' and so on.

"We have very nice views, hills, etcetera," resident, Bill Langenberg, said. "We do not live under power lines. We do not live under cell phone towers. So there's a reason that we purchased these properties."

But Verizon is offering the Upper Milford Western District Fire Company $18,000 a year to put it in its backyard.

"With the growing demands, changing times and an overall decrease of volunteers throughout the country, it puts more stress on the volunteers we have," Chief Mike Kline, with the fire company, said.

It would be funds the chief says the fire company so desperately needs to keep the township safe.

"This amount of money a year this tower would bring in," Kline said, "is greater than the amount our total annual fund drive of donations from all residents of the township, as well as six times the amount of money our annual chicken barbecue fundraiser, brings in."

Residents living nearby also cite concerns of possible health problems.

The American Cancer Society's website says while theres no strong evidence that exposure to RF waves from cell phone towers cause noticeable health effects, cell phone towers are still relatively new.

Neighbors also say they're worried the cell tower could cause property values to decrease.

But another former volunteer firefighter, who wished to remain off-camera tells 69 News that the more money the fire company can get on its own, the less money it will need from the township. And that will ultimately save all the residents in taxes in the long run.

"Well, we lost," resident Ty Reed said to 69 News in a text message once the meeting ended well after 10 p.m. "Variances approved."

The township supervisor told 69 News residents could take Verizon to court. At this time, it's not immediately clear whether they will do so.
UPPER MOUNT BETHEL TWP., Pa.  At a contentious hearing Monday evening, the Upper Mount Bethel Township Board of Supervisors voted to delay conditional use for the large commercial development proposed by River Pointe Logistics.

The proposed development calls for a 12-building industrial park to be constructed on nearly 800 acres of land  which partially sits on the eastern edge of Upper Mount Bethel Township, Northampton County. The site is along the Delaware River and near the Portland-Columbia toll bridge, which provides easy access to Interstate 80 across the river in New Jersey.

Mondays 4-hour hearing revolved around River Pointes plan to consolidate three previously proposed buildings on Lots No. 4 and 5 of the site into one massive, 1.5 million square-foot industrial building at 2785 N. Delaware Drive (Route 611).

The developers attorney, Marc Kaplan, repeatedly noted that the proposed consolidation would decrease the overall square footage of buildings in the area from roughly 1.652 million to 1.508 million  a reduction of nearly 150,000 square feet.

Kaplan argued that River Pointe had also committed to reducing the maximum height of proposed building from 100 to 65 feet, increasing its distance from the nearby Community Park by more than 500 feet. Because of these modifications, Upper Mount Bethel Township should grant conditional use to the developer, Kaplan said.

However, some of the townships supervisors  and most residents  were not convinced.

At the beginning of Mondays hearing, Kaplan and supervisor John Bermingham got into several heated exchanges over the threshold for granting legal party status to citizens who wanted to testify against the development, as well as the true subject of River Pointes conditional use application.

Although the legal definition is narrower in the context of a conditional use hearing, Bermingham argued that all Upper Mount Bethel Township residents should be granted party status to formally oppose the proposal. His statements drew raucous applause from the public, but skepticism from chairman Martin Pinter and vice chairman Robert Teel.

All I want is everyone in here to have party status because [the project] is everybodys concern, Bermingham said.

Speaking about a concern is not the same as party status, Kaplan later responded, drawing boos from the public.

Kaplan attempted to present the aforementioned square-footage reduction as the main subject of River Pointes conditional use application. Bermingham and the two residents who were granted party status  Sheryl Mims, of the 1600 block of Potomac Street, and Frances Visicaro, of the 3000 block of North Delaware Drive  said the subject was the 1.5 million square-foot building regardless of any proposed modifications.

This is about conditional use for a 1.5 million square-foot building, Bermingham said.

Kaplan called one witness to testify in favor of the development: Steve Walsh of Dynamic Engineering. Walsh spoke about a recent traffic study conducted for the project, as well as the potential uses of the proposed building.

According to Walsh, the traffic study showed an 8.7% decrease in total vehicle trips from a study conducted earlier in the development process. He also explained the facility could accommodate general-industrial, wholesale business, wholesale produce meat/cold storage or variety of other uses permitted in Upper Mount Bethel Townships I-2 zoning district.

Township residents again disputed the developers assertions, mainly claiming that the consolidation of three buildings into one massive facility with 350 exterior loading docks and 758 car parking spaces was a sign the project would likely become a warehouse. Because of the consolidation, one resident argued, the developer should conduct a new, more accurate traffic study.

Kaplan responded that developers are not legally required to disclose potential tenants until after obtaining a conditional use, prompting more concern from Bermingham, supervisor David Friedman and some residents.

Pinter, Teel, Friedman and secretary David Due voted unanimously to recess around 9 p.m. without making a formal decision on the conditional use application. Bermingham had left the hearing during a recess just before 8 p.m. due to a prior commitment.

The River Pointe conditional use hearing will continue on Monday, Aug. 28, with more testimony from Visicaro as an objecting party. After the hearing concludes that night, the Upper Mount Bethel Township Board of Supervisors will convene for a regular meeting regarding the items originally on the Aug. 14 meeting agenda.
UPPER MILFORD TWP., Pa. - In Upper Milford Township, Lehigh County, Verizon wants to put a new 188-foot cellular tower in the local fire department's back-yard. The volunteer fire company stands to gain $18,000 per year in exchange, according to the last township meeting.

But neighbors are worried and plan to voice that at Monday night's meeting.

They tell 69 News there was only supposed to be one meeting about the cell tower earlier in August, but it got so heated and went so late the meeting will continue Monday night.

Neighbors say Verizon is asking for a variance on six ordinances to be able to put the cell tower up, as neighbors worry about their health and property values on their homes.

Concerned neighbors living in the Hills of Powder Valley in Upper Milford Township say they'll be representing in bright orange t-shirts at Monday night's township meeting, with a united message: "Topple the Tower."

Ty Reed is one of those neighbors.

"We didn't receive a letter, but a handful of the other residents did," Reed said. "And that's how word started to spread."

Reed tells 69 News that last month, he and his neighbors learned Verizon's plans to put in a 183-foot cell tower with a five-foot lightning rod, behind the Upper Milford Township Fire Company building.

"It's a voluntary Fire Company, we're not against them by any means," Reed said. "In fact, you know, we actually cherish what they do."

According to transcripts neighbors sent 69 News from the last meeting, the fire company would receive $18,000 per year for the tower to sit in its backyard.

Meanwhile, neighbors say they worry about losing money on property value because of it.

"From an eyesore standpoint, you know, would you want to buy a piece of property that has a big old tower next to it?" Reed said.

There are also some health concerns among the community.

"The science isn't there yet," Reed said. "We don't know whether or not someone with a pacemaker might be affected, someone with an insulin pump might be affected. That school's still out on that."

69 News reached out to Verizon's lawyers who have not yet responded. Verizon pointed us to a non-profit called Environmental Health Trust which also has not yet responded to requests for comment.

The fire company also declined to comment.

But the American Cancer Society's website says cell phone towers are still relatively new and it goes on to say:

"At this time, theres no strong evidence that exposure to RF waves from cell phone towers causes any noticeable health effects. However, this does not mean that the RF waves from cell phone towers have been proven to be absolutely safe. Most expert organizations agree that more research is needed to help clarify this, especially for any possible long-term effects."

Either way, neighbors like Reed say that spot by the fire company doesn't need a cell tower and there are more wide-open areas that could actually use it.

"There's acreage upon acreage upon acreage of land out here that potentially could house this cell tower," Reed said.
RICHLAND TWP., Pa. - A man learned his sentence Monday after pleading guilty to raping a girl in Richland Township.

Nicholas Hummel, 35, was sentenced to 18 to 40 years in state prison, according to a news release from the Bucks County District Attorney's Office.

The DA's office says Hummel entered an open guilty plea in March to charges of rape of a child and related charges.

In addition to sentencing Hummel to state prison, Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey L. Finley also ordered him to undergo sex offender treatment in prison and have no contact with the victim, or any unsupervised contact with anyone under 18  after being released, the DA's office said.

Hummel was also declared a sexually violent predator by Judge Finley and will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life and participate in lifetime sex offender treatment as a result, according to the DA's office.
PERKASIE, Pa. - Police in Bucks County are asking for help finding a missing person.

The Perkasie Borough Police Department is looking for Ronnie Wilson,64 , of Sellersville.

Police say Wilson was last seen on July 6 when he was taken to a facility in Jamaica, NY from Bethlehem.

Wilson suffers from schizophrenia and may not have his medication with him.

Anyone with information is asked to call 215-257-6876.
PHILLIPSBURG, NJ - A man from Phillipsburg is accused of sexually assaulting a child between 1998 - 1999.

A media release writes that Kenneth Lutz, 52, is accused of sexually assaulting a child while the victim was between the ages of 12 and 13-years-old.

According to the Office of the Prosecutor, the accused was a teacher at the victim's elementary school and a family friend.

Due to the relationship with the family, Lutz was responsible for driving the victim to and from school, the release continues to say.

Lutz is charged with aggravated sexual assault and sexual assault by contact.

The investigation is ongoing.

According to the media release, Lutz was previously employed at the following New Jersey schools: Lopatcong Township Elementary, Merriam Avenue Elementary School, and Beloved Community Charter School.

Anyone with information that can help the investigation is asked to call 908-475-6040 or 908-475-6060.

Lutz is being held at Warren County Jail pending a first appearance.
BERLIN (AP)  Germany's foreign minister has abandoned a trip to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji after a problem with her government plane twice forced it to return to Abu Dhabi, delaying her by more than a day.

Annalena Baerbock set off from Berlin Sunday on what was supposed to be a nearly weeklong trip, and was scheduled to arrive in Canberra on Monday night. But a mechanical problem with her aging German air force Airbus A340's landing flaps meant that it had to turn back to Abu Dhabi after a refueling stop there.

The aircraft took off again for Australia on Monday night after a test flight was conducted without problems. But the technical problem resurfaced shortly after takeoff and the plane had to return to the Emirati capital again.

On Tuesday morning, Baerbock called off the trip.

We tried everything  unfortunately it is not logistically possible to continue my Indo-Pacific trip without the defective plane, the minister wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. This is more than annoying.

We do not just have close friends and partners in the Indo-Pacific, she added. The region will mark the world order of the 21st century decisively.

Baerbock planned to return to Berlin on a commercial flight on Tuesday, German news agency dpa reported. The air force said it planned to move up the planned retirement of the A340 and a sister aircraft.

The fiasco was the latest in a string of embarrassing problems with Germanys government planes that have affected various senior officials, and the second in a few months for Baerbock. In May, she had to extend a trip to the Persian Gulf region by a day because of a damaged tire on an aircraft when she was in Qatar.

The plane Baerbock was using for her flight to Australia  one of two A340s that joined the government fleet in 2011 and was previously used by Lufthansa  was involved in a 2018 incident that resulted in then-Chancellor Angela Merkel making a delayed departure to a Group of 20 summit in Argentina on a commercial flight.

The government has since ordered three new A350 jets, two of which are already in service. The third is still being fitted out and is expected to be ready next year.

The Defense Ministry said on Monday that the two government A340s were due to be taken out of service by the end of next year. But it said the plane had been chosen according to what was available and needed, and defended the record of its fleet.

On Tuesday, the air force said in an emailed statement that we will take both A340s out of service early as quickly as possible, i.e. in the coming weeks. It said the original plan was for the aircraft now in Abu Dhabi to be retired at the end of 2024 and the other plane at the end of next month.

It said that the government fleet has robust and modern aircraft for long-haul flights in the new A350s. The fleet also includes several Airbus A319s and A321s, as well as smaller aircraft.
Washington (AP)  Congressional leaders are pitching a stopgap government funding package to avoid a federal shutdown after next month, acknowledging the House and Senate are nowhere near agreement on spending levels to keep federal operations running.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy raised the idea of a months-long funding package, known as a continuing resolution, to House Republicans on a members-only call Monday evening, according to those familiar with the private session and granted anonymity to discuss it.

On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the two leaders had spoken about such a temporary measure. It would extend federal funding operations into December to allow more time to work on the annual spending bills.

I thought it was a good thing that he recognized that we need a CR, Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters on a call.

"We hope that our House Republicans will realize that any funding resolution has to be bipartisan or they will risk shutting down the government," he said.

A stopgap measure that would keep government offices running past the Sept. 30 end of the fiscal year is a typical strategy while the Republican-held House and Democrat-held Senate try to iron out a long-term budget agreement. The governments new fiscal year begins on Oct. 1, when funding approval is needed to avert closures of federal offices.

But this year, the task may prove more politically difficult. McCarthy will need to win over a large portion of his Republican colleagues to pass the stopgap bill or risk political blowback from staunch conservatives if he leaves them behind and cuts a bipartisan deal with Democrats.

Conservatives, including many from the House Freedom Caucus, are usually loathe to get behind short-term funding measures as they push for steeper spending cuts, using the threat of a shutdown as leverage.

Foretelling the political dynamics ahead, many in Congress are bracing for a shutdown.

Its clear President Biden and Speaker McCarthy want a government shutdown, so thats what Congress will do after we return in September. Everyone should plan accordingly, Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, shortly after the Monday Republican call.

Democrats alongside President Joe Biden don't necessarily want a shutdown, but they would be quick to blame Republicans for instigating it  arguing that Republicans are the ones driving for spending reductions.

All sides had agreed to budget levels during the recent debt ceiling negotiations when Biden and McCarthy struck a deal that established topline spending levels. But McCarthy's GOP majority rejects those amounts.

White House deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton was asked Tuesday on Air Force One if Biden is worried about a government shutdown.

We worked in good faith to negotiate a bipartisan budget agreement a couple of months ago," Dalton said.

Weve upheld our end of the bargain. Theyve upheld theirs, so far. We can expect that to continue.

The White House had no immediate comment on whether Biden would sign a short-term resolution.

We dont believe that theres any reason we should have to have a government shutdown, that congressional Republicans should bring us to that point, Dalton said. We think that we can work together to meet the needs of our country and the urgent needs that weve put forward.

Along with deeper spending reductions, House Freedom Caucus members have also pushed to tie the governments budget to conservative policy priorities on immigration and security at the U.S. border with Mexico, as well as at the Department of Justice.

Some Freedom Caucus members have embraced the idea of a government work stoppage to force lower spending, though many Republicans disagree with that approach.

Republican Rep. David Joyce, who sits on the Appropriations Committee and oversees its subcommittee on Homeland Security, said in a statement, Republicans must come together to advance these bills because we cannot risk a government shutdown. When we shut down our government, we communicate to our adversaries that America is vulnerable and threaten the security of our nation.

Associated Press writer Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.
CAIRO (AP)  Clashes between rival militias in Libyas capital killed at least 27 people and left residents trapped in their homes Tuesday, unable to escape the violence, medical authorities said.

The fighting appears to be the most intense to shake Tripoli this year. In addition to the 27 deaths, over 100 people were injured in the fighting, Libyas Emergency Medicine and Support Center, a medical body that is deployed during humanitarian disasters and wars, said early Wednesday.

The clashes erupted late Monday between militiamen from the 444 brigade and the Special Deterrence Force, according to local media. Tensions flared after Mahmoud Hamza, a senior commander of the 444 brigade, was allegedly detained by the rival group at an airport in Tripoli earlier in the day, the reports said.

It is unclear how many of the dead were militiamen or civilians. The Red Crescent did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Throughout the fighting Tuesday, the Health Ministry urged the warring sides to allow ambulance and emergency teams to enter the affected areas, primarily in the south of the city, and for blood to be sent to nearby hospitals.

OPSGroup, an organization for the aviation industry, said late Monday that a large number of aircraft departed from Tripoli due to the clashes. Inbound flights were being diverted to the nearby city of Misrata, it said.

The escalation follows months of relative peace after nearly a decade of civil war in Libya, where two rival sets of authorities are locked in a political stalemate. Longstanding divisions have sparked several incidents of violence in Tripoli in recent years, although most have been over in a matter of hours.

In a statement Tuesday, the U.N. mission in Libya said it was following with concern the security incidents and developments and called for an immediate end to the ongoing clashes.

Both of Libyas rival administrations also condemned the fighting in separate statements Tuesday. The House of Representatives, which is based in the eastern city of Benghazi, blamed its rival, the Tripoli-based government, for the violence.

The U.S. and British embassies in Libya issued statements expressing concerns over the violence. The United States called for an immediate de-escalation in order to sustain recent Libyan gains toward stability and elections, the American Embassy said.

The oil-rich country has been divided since 2014 between rival administrations in the east and the west, each supported by an array of well-armed militias and different foreign governments. The North African nation has been in a state of upheaval since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising toppled and later killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.
By Azernews

Elnur Enveroglu

Sometimes there are strange moments in politics. For example, one politician dies and another one replaces him with the same prototype.

Every time Konstantin Fyodorovich Zatulin makes a statement to the press with his rhetoric, for some reason he always reminds us of Vladimir Zhirinovsky. It is true that saying a word is as important as real action, but if you don't say it on the spot, the word loses its value.

The last statement of the Russian politician to the local press regarding Garabagh and Azerbaijan-Armenia relations was considered both inappropriate and ridiculous.

Although Zatulin was able to successfully continue the tradition of the "late" Zhirnovsky with his somewhat powerful speech, he could not fully express his thoughts. It seems that Mr. Zatulin, like previous rhetoricians, has learned to speak without thinking about the beginning and the end of his words.

At the beginning of his comment, he criticized the leadership of Armenia, but later he named Turkiye in his comment. The Russian politician tried to threaten Turkiye and meant that Russia is the one and only power in the South Caucasus. However, Zatulin went to the extreme and expressed an unethical attitude towards all three states as well as the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. First of all, Zatulin should clearly understand that Garabagh is the territory of Azerbaijan, and the location of the separatist regime under the temporary control of Russian peacekeeping units, is not Stepanakert, but Khankendi (Xankendi). In addition, Mr. Zatulin should once again note that there is no mention of any capital or so-called state in Azerbaijan's Garabagh.

As a result of his political illiteracy, Zatulin also tried to put his leadership in a bad position in front of the states. Every country knows this. President Vladimir Putin has expressed his opinion on mutual respect for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan in a tripartite meeting with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

In addition, Zatulin once again demonstrated his incompetence in the field of politics by opposing Turkiye, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Russia has signed an agreement on mutual partnership with Azerbaijan, and relations between the two countries have always been at a high level. At the same time, Turkish-Russian relations continued at a high level without any questions or comments. As for Armenia, perhaps instead of criticizing Pashinyan, Zatulin should be thankful to the miserable prime minister due to his country's inability to become independent. Because if there is a country that will only listen to rhetoricians like him, it is Armenia.

As for the Russian politician's opinion on the situation in Garabagh, we offer him to pay a visit to Garabagh. If he wants to get information about real hunger and blockade, he can come directly to Khankendi and witness everything with his own eyes.

In general, from a political point of view, Konstantin Fyodorovich Zatulin tried to worsen the relations of his country with the regional states rather than expressing anything. In any case, the fact that a Duma official indulged in such political illiteracy is a disgrace to the name of the Russian state.
Hunter Biden during an official state dinner at the White House in Washington, on June 22, 2023.

Attorneys for Hunter Biden are pushing to keep part of a plea deal they reached with the prosecutor whose new status as special counsel intensified the tax investigation into the presidents son ahead of the 2024 election. Bidens attorney argued in court documents late Sunday that an agreement sparing him prosecution on a felony gun charge still is in place, even though the plea agreement on misdemeanor tax offenses largely unraveled during a court appearance last month.

His lawyer argues the Justice Department decided to renege on its end of the deal on tax charges. The agreement on the gun charge also contains an immunity clause against federal prosecutions for some other potential crimes.

Biden plans to abide by the terms of that agreement, including not using drugs or alcohol, attorney Christopher Clark said in court filings. He said prosecutors invited them to begin plea negotiations in May, largely dictated the language of the agreement and signed it, so should also be bound by it.

Its unclear whether prosecutors agree that the gun agreement remains valid. U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika ordered them to respond by Tuesday. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

The two-part deal on tax and gun charges was supposed to have largely wrapped up the long-running investigation overseen by Delaware U.S. attorney David Weiss. But the agreement hit the skids after a judge raised questions about its terms, and it appeared to have fallen apart completely when prosecutors said the case was instead headed toward trial in court papers Friday.

Prosecutors revealed the impasse as Attorney General Merrick Garland named Weiss as special counsel, a status that confers broad powers to investigate and report out his findings.

The government said plea negotiations had broken down, filed to dismiss the tax charges against Hunter Biden in Delaware and indicated they could charge him instead in another court, like Washington, D.C., or California.

Hunter Bidens history of drug use and financial dealings have trailed the political career of his father, President Joe Biden.

House Republicans are pursuing their own congressional investigations into nearly every facet of Hunter Bidens business dealings and the Justice Departments handling of the case. On Monday, they released a transcript of an interview with a former FBI agent who worked the case and said he was unable to interview Hunter Biden after FBI officials notified his Secret Service detail ahead of a planned interview in 2020. That underscored similar testimony from IRS agents turned whistleblowers.

House Democrats, though, pointed to several instances where the unnamed former FBI agent testified that he has never known Weiss or any of the assistant U.S. attorneys in Delaware to make decisions based upon political influence  a point that directly undermines Republican claims of political interference in the Hunter Biden case.

Republicans have denounced Hunter Bidens plea agreement as a sweetheart deal. It had called for him to plead guilty to failing to pay taxes on over $1.5 million in income in both 2017 and 2018, and get probation rather than jail on the misdemeanor counts. A separate agreement was to spare him prosecution on the felony crime of being a drug user in possession of a gun in 2018 if he kept out of trouble for two years.

The surprise appointment about Weiss as special counsel raised fresh questions about the case. Garland said Weiss had asked to be named special counsel.

It comes against the backdrop of the Justice Departments unprecedented indictments against former President Donald Trump, who is President Bidens chief rival in next years election.

The cases differ significantly: Trump has been indicted and is awaiting trial in two separate cases brought by special prosecutor Jack Smith. One is over Trumps refusal to turn over classified documents stored at his Mar-a-Lago estate. The other involves charges of fraud and conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

In the case of Hunter Biden, prosecutors have not made any accusations or charges against the president in probing the affairs of his son. House Republicans have been trying to connect Hunter Bidens work to his father, but have not been able to produce evidence to show any wrongdoing.

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LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP)  A mobile morgue unit arrived Tuesday to help Hawaii officials working painstakingly to identify the remains of people killed in wildfires that ravaged Maui, as the death rose above 100 and teams intensified the search for more dead in neighborhoods reduced to ash.

Gov. Josh Green announced the confirmed death toll had risen from 99 to 101 in an afternoon video address, saying, We are heartsick that weve had such loss.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services deployed a team of coroners, pathologists and technicians along with exam tables, X-ray units and other equipment to identify victims and process remains, said Jonathan Greene, the agency's deputy assistant secretary for response.

Its going to be a very, very difficult mission, Greene said. And patience will be incredibly important because of the number of victims.

A week after a blaze tore through historic Lahaina, many survivors started moving into hundreds of hotel rooms set aside for displaced locals, while donations of food, ice, water and other essentials poured in.

Crews using cadaver dogs have scoured about 32% of the area, the County of Maui said in a statement Tuesday. The governor asked for patience as authorities became overwhelmed with requests to visit the burn area.

Just three bodies have been identified, and officials expected to start releasing names Tuesday, according to Maui Police Chief John Pelletier, who renewed an appeal for families with missing relatives to provide DNA samples. So far 41 samples have been submitted, the county statement said, and 13 DNA profiles have been obtained from remains.

The governor warned that scores more bodies could be found. The wildfires, some of which have not yet been fully contained, are already the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century. Their cause was under investigation.

When asked by Hawaii News Now if children are among the missing, Green said Tuesday: Tragically, yes. ... When the bodies are smaller, we know it's a child.

He described some of the sites being searched as too much to share or see from just a human perspective.

Another complicating factor, Green said, is that storms with rain and high winds were forecast for the weekend. Officials are mulling whether to preemptively power down or not for a short period of time, because right now all of the infrastructure is weaker.

A week after the fires started, some residents remained with intermittent power, unreliable cellphone service and uncertainty over where to get assistance. Some people walked periodically to a seawall, where phone connections were strongest, to make calls. Flying low off the coast, a single-prop airplane used a loudspeaker to blare information about where to get water and supplies.

Victoria Martocci, who lost her scuba business and a boat, planned to travel to her storage unit in Kahalui from her Kahana home Wednesday to stash documents and keepsakes given to her by a friend whose house burned. These are things she grabbed, the only things she could grab, and I want to keep them safe for her, Martocci said.

The local power utility has already faced criticism for not shutting off power as strong winds buffeted a parched area under high risk for fire. Its not clear whether the utilitys equipment played any role in igniting the flames.

Hawaiian Electric Co. Inc. President and CEO Shelee Kimura said many factors go into a decision to cut power, including the impact on people who rely on specialized medical equipment and concerns that a shutoff in the fire area would have knocked out water pumps.

Green has said the flames raced as fast as a mile (1.6 kilometers) every minute in one area, fueled by dry grass and propelled by strong winds from a passing hurricane.

The blaze that swept into centuries-old Lahaina last week destroyed nearly every building in the town of 13,000. That fire has been 85% contained, according to the county. Another blaze known as the Upcountry fire was 60% contained.

The Lahaina fire caused about $3.2 billion in insured property losses, according to calculations by Karen Clark & Company, a prominent disaster and risk modeling company. That doesnt count damage to uninsured property. The firm said more than 2,200 buildings were damaged or destroyed by flames, with about 3,000 damaged by fire or smoke or both.

Even where the flames have retreated, authorities have warned that toxic byproducts may remain, including in drinking water, after the flames spewed poisonous fumes. That has left many unable to return home.

The Red Cross said 575 evacuees were spread across five shelters as of Monday. Green said thousands of people will need housing for at least 36 weeks. He said Tuesday that some 450 hotel rooms and 1,000 Airbnb rentals were being made available.

President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he and first lady Jill Biden would visit Hawaii as soon as we can but he doesnt want his presence to interrupt recovery and cleanup efforts. During a stop in Milwaukee to highlight his economic agenda, Biden pledged that every asset they need will be there for them.

More than 3,000 people have registered for federal assistance, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and that number was expected to grow.

FEMA was providing $700 to displaced residents to cover the cost of food, water, first aid and medical supplies, in addition to qualifying coverage for the loss of homes and personal property.

The Biden administration was seeking $12 billion more for the governments disaster relief fund as part of its supplemental funding request to Congress.

Green said leaders all across the board have helped by donating over 1 million pounds (450,000 kilograms) of food as well as ice, water, diapers and baby formula. U.S. Marines, the Hawaii National Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Coast Guard have all joined the aid and recovery efforts.

Lahaina resident Kekoa Lansford helped rescue people as the flames swept through town. Now he is collecting stories from survivors, hoping to create a timeline of what happened. He has 170 emails so far.

The scene was haunting. Horrible, horrible," Lansford said Tuesday. "You ever seen hell in the movies? That is what it looked like. Fire everywhere. Dead people.

Kelleher reported from Honolulu and Weber from Los Angeles. Associated Press journalists Bobby Caina Calvan in Kihei, Hawaii; Haven Daley in Kalapua, Hawaii; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City, Missouri; and Darlene Superville and Seth Borenstein in Washington contributed.

Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about APs climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
ATLANTA (AP)  A Georgia state agency said Tuesday that it will name a special prosecutor to consider whether the state's Republican lieutenant governor should face criminal charges after former president Donald Trump and 18 of his allies were indicted Monday for working to overturn the states 2020 election results.

Lt. Gov. Burt Jones was one of 16 Republican electors who falsely claimed that Trump won Georgia. As a state senator, he also sought a special session of Georgias Legislature aimed at overturning President Joe Bidens narrow win in the state. But Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was barred by a judge from indicting Jones. Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney agreed with Jones that Willis, an elected Democrat, had a conflict of interest because she hosted a fundraiser for the Democrat who lost to Jones in the 2022 election for lieutenant governor.

McBurney said in a hearing that Willis decision to host the fundraiser was a "what are you thinking?" moment.

That leaves the Prosecuting Attorneys Council, a state agency that supports district attorneys, to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate whether Jones' actions were criminal. Pete Skandalakis, the council's executive director, said Tuesday that he will begin looking for an appropriate prosecutor.

Ultimately, the special prosecutor will make the decision about whether or not to file any charges," Skandalakis told The Associated Press in a phone interview.

Jones has previously denied wrongdoing, saying he and other electors acted only to preserve Trump's chances if Trump won a court challenge. Others who used that explanation, including former state Republican Party Chairman David Shafer, were indicted. Tuesday, Jones issued a statement claiming Willis' investigation was a constant media and PR campaign for the sole purpose of furthering her own political career.

Jones suggested Willis was pursuing the political vendettas of the past and should have been going after real criminals.

But Senate Democratic Minority Leader Gloria Butler applauded the move, saying Jones' role should be examined.

He doesnt get a pass simply because the Fulton County DA wasnt permitted to bring charges, Butler said.

Skanadalakis said he would review the indictment, seek a copy of the still-sealed report of the special investigative grand jury that laid the groundwork for Mondays indictments, and consult with Willis on what her investigators may know about Jones. Despite being ordered not to subpoena Jones or his records, Willis was allowed to ask other witnesses about him.

It's not clear how much risk of indictment Jones faces.

Willis only indicted three of the 16 electors who signed certificates falsely asserting Trump won the state and claimed to be the states duly elected and qualified electors. Two of those people  Shafer and then-state party treasurer Shawn Still  helped orchestrate the meeting, the indictment alleges.

The third spurious elector who was indicted, Cathy Latham, is accused of helping others copy software and data from election equipment in south Georgia's Coffee County. The indictment alleges Latham committed a number of election law and computer felonies. Latham is also accused of perjuring herself by lying about her involvement in a federal court deposition in 2022.

However, the indictment lists 30 unindicted coconspirators. Individual 8 is clearly identifiable as Jones, with actions listed including taking part in state Senate committee meetings, receiving emails from other people, issuing a tweet calling on people to pressure state lawmakers to support a special session, and acting as a Trump elector.

The indictment alleges that all 16 Trump electors, including Jones and the other 12 who weren't indicted, committed four felonies  impersonating a public officer, forgery in the first degree, false statements and writings and filing false documents.

At least eight other of the Trump electors signed immunity deals shielding them from criminal prosecution by Willis in exchange for their testimony. And Willis did not bring indictments against other Georgia Republican lawmakers who operated on Trump's behalf following the 2020 election.

But Jones did other things, notably flying to Washington the night before Jan. 6 to meet with Vice President Mike Pence. Jones was carrying a letter from a number of Republican state senators asking Pence to delay counting the electoral votes of Georgia and other states. But Jones has said he never delivered the letter, deciding it would be futile to try to sway Pence.

Trump endorsed Jones in 2022 for lieutenant governor, a position that presides over the Georgia Senate and helps control the flow of legislation. Jones' Democratic opponent for lieutenant governor, Charlie Bailey, frequently attacked Jones for his actions, calling him un-American and unpatriotic in a debate.

Skandalakis declined to weigh whether Jones acts' merit indictment, saying I dont even know whats in the investigation." But the outcome of the investigation could weigh on Jones' political future  he's seen as a likely candidate for governor in 2026. Current Republican Gov. Brian Kemp can't seek reelection because of term limits.

Skandalakis doesn't have to name one of Georgia's 49 other district attorneys to examine Jones. He can choose anyone with prosecutorial experience. But he said that it may be difficult to find a prosecutor willing to take the case. Georgia pays little to a special prosecutor and provides no money at all to hire other staff. That means a district attorney would have to use their existing staff to do the work, and a retired prosecutor wouldn't be able to hire any staff at all.
GENEVA (AP)  Twenty United Nations agencies and other international organizations called Tuesday for peace, access to humanitarian support and respect for human rights in Sudan, where a war that has led to deaths, sexual violence and food shortages reached the four-month mark.

Sudan was plunged into chaos in April when months of simmering tensions between the military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, exploded into open fighting in Khartoum and elsewhere.

Since then, the U.N and rights groups have accused both the military and the RSF of numerous human rights violations. The warring parties have rejected the accusations.

World Health Organization spokesperson Margaret Harris appealed to the global community to do more to ease the suffering of Darfur's people, saying at a U.N. briefing in Geneva: The world is ignoring the dire needs.

In western Sudan's Darfur region, the scene of a genocidal war in the early 2000s, the latest fighting has also morphed into ethnic violence, with the RSF and allied Arab militias targeting African communities, U.N. officials say.

Sudan's capital, Khartoum, has been reduced to an urban battlefield. Across the city, RSF forces have commandeered homes and turned them into operational bases, residents and doctors' groups say. The army, in turn, has struck residential areas from the air and ground with artillery fire.

U.N. agencies specializing in health, migration, refugees, human rights and food were among the organizations highlighting the crisis in Sudan, saying their two appeals for financial support totaling more than $3 billion were less than 27% funded.

The war is estimated to have killed at least 4,000 people, according to Liz Throssell, a spokesperson for the U.N. human rights office. Activists and doctors on the ground say the death toll is likely far higher.

The war has displaced more than 4.3 million people, including some 3.2 million within the country, said William Spindler, a spokesperson for the UNHCR refugee agency.

The U.N. has documented at least 28 incidents of rape, Throssel said, but that is believed to be fewer than the actual number.

Earlier this month, Amnesty International accused both sides of committing extensive war crimes, including deliberate killings of civilians and mass sexual assault. The group said almost all rape cases were blamed on the RSF and its allied Arab militias.

The U.N. humanitarian aid coordinator said its appeal for $2.57 billion for aid into Sudan has received only $651 million, while UNHCR said its appeal for $566 million has brought in just under $175 million.

For four gruesome months, the people of Sudan have been engulfed in a war that is destroying their lives and their homeland and violating their basic human rights, leaders of the organizations said in a joint statement.

People are dying because they cannot access health care services and medicine. And now, because of the war, Sudans children are wasting away for lack of food and nutrition, it said.

A recent uptick in violence in South Darfur state has made aid deliveries to the remote area difficult, said David MacDonald, aid group Care Internationals country director for Sudan.

Dozens were killed in the Kubum area of the state last week during a raid by Arab tribesmen in RSF vehicles, a Sudanese legal group said.

Previous attempts to halt the violence failed. There have been at least nine cease-fire agreements between the warring parties, brokered largely by Washington and Riyadh in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah during May and June, but all foundered.

Jeffery reported from Cairo.
ATLANTA  A list of criminal charges in Georgia against former President Donald Trump briefly appeared Monday on a Fulton County website, but prosecutors said Trump had not been indicted in their long-running investigation of the 2020 presidential election.

A Fulton County grand jury began hearing from more witnesses Monday. Shortly after 12 p.m., Reuters reported on a list of several criminal charges to be brought against Trump, including state racketeering counts, conspiracy to commit false statements and solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer.

Reuters, which later published a copy of the document, said the filing was taken down quickly. A spokesperson for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said the report of charges being filed was "inaccurate," but declined to comment further.

Fulton County courts clerk Che Alexander later released a statement that seemed to only raise more questions, calling the posted document "fictitious," but failing to explain how it got on the court's website. The clerk's office said documents without official case numbers "are not considered official filings and should not be treated as such." But the document that appeared online did have a case number on it.

Trump and and his allies, who have characterized the investigation as politically motivated, immediately seized on the apparent error to claim that the process is rigged. Trump's campaign aimed to fundraise off of it, sending out an email with the since-deleted document embedded.

"The Grand Jury testimony has not even FINISHED  but it's clear the District Attorney has already decided how this case will end," Trump wrote in the email, which included links to give money to his campaign. "They are trying to rob me of my right to due process. This is an absolute DISGRACE."

Taylor Budowich, who leads the former president's supportive super PAC, posted on the platform formerly known as Twitter that the grand jury was "just a formality for these Banana Republic proceedings."

It was unclear why the list was posted while grand jurors were still hearing from witnesses in the sprawling investigation into actions taken by Trump and others in their efforts to overturn his narrow loss in Georgia to Democrat Joe Biden. It was also unclear whether grand jurors were aware on Monday that the filing was posted online. They still would need to vote on charges, so the counts listed in the posting may or may not ultimately be brought against Trump.

Legal experts said it was likely merely a clerical error listing charges prosecutors are planning to ask the grand jury to vote on. Prosecutors draft indictments and present them to the grand jury, which ultimately decides whether to hand charges down.

"I think this tells us what they are planning to present to the grand jury, and the grand jury could say no," said Clark Cunningham, a Georgia State University law professor. Cunningham said while the error will give Trump's legal team fodder to complain, it likely won't ultimately impact the case.

"It will not scuttle the case. Will his lawyers make a lot of noise about it? Yes, they will. Will Mr. Trump make a lot of noise about it? Yes, he will. I'm sure there will have to be an explanation for it," Cunningham said.

One person who said he'd been called to testify to the grand jury suggested on Monday that the process may be moving more quickly than anticipated. George Chidi, an independent journalist, had tweeted previously that he was asked to testify on Tuesday, but later posted he was going to court on Monday, adding: "They're moving faster than they thought."

Chidi wrote in The Intercept last month that he barged "into a semi-clandestine meeting of Republicans pretending to be Georgia's official electors in December 2020." He described being thrown out of the room just after entering, told that it was an "education meeting."

The grand jury filing Monday lists more than a dozen felony counts, including Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO. Willis has long been expected to levy that charge against Trump and his associates, accusing them of participating in a wide-ranging conspiracy to overturn the state's 2020 election results.

Two counts  including solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer  lists the date of offense as Jan. 2, 2021, which was when Trump during a phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said he wanted to "find" enough votes to overturn his loss in the state. Other counts list the date of offense as Sept. 17, 2021, which is the same day Trump sent Raffensperger a message urging him to investigate "large scale voter fraud," decertify the election and "announce the true winner" if the investigation found the fraud.

Former Democratic state Sen. Jen Jordan, who had been subpoenaed to testify before the grand jury, said as she left the Fulton County courthouse late Monday morning that she had been questioned for about 40 minutes. Former Democratic state Rep. Bee Nguyen also confirmed that she testified. News outlets reported that Gabriel Sterling, a top official in the secretary of state's office, was seen arriving at the courthouse earlier Monday.

"No individual is above the law, and I will continue to fully cooperate with any legal proceedings seeking the truth and protecting our democracy," Nguyen said in a statement.

Nguyen and Jordan both attended legislative hearings in December 2020 during which former New York mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and others made false claims of widespread election fraud in Georgia. Trump lawyer John Eastman also appeared during at least one of those hearings and said the election had not been held in compliance with Georgia law and that lawmakers should appoint a new slate of electors.

Sterling and his boss, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger  both Republicans  forcefully pushed back against allegations of widespread problems with Georgia's election.

Trump famously called Raffensperger on Jan. 2, 2021, and suggested the state's top elections official could help "find" the votes Trump needed to beat Biden. It was the release of a recording of that phone call that prompted Willis to open her investigation about a month later.

___

Associated Press reporter Alanna Durkin Richer contributed from Boston.

___
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The United Nations chief urged the international community on Tuesday to deploy a multinational force comprising police special forces and military support units to Haiti to combat gangs with sophisticated weapons and restore security to the impoverished Caribbean nation.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a 12-page letter to the U.N. Security Council obtained by The Associated Press that  Addressing the security situation in Haiti requires a range of coercive law enforcement measures, including active use of force in targeted police operations against heavily armed gangs.

The letter was a response to a Security Council resolution adopted on July 14 asking Guterres to come up with a full range of options within 30 days to help combat Haitis armed gangs including a non-U.N. multinational force.

Guterres welcomed Kenyas offer to lead an international force as well as renewed pledges of support from the Bahamas and Jamaica, and the announcement by Antigua and Barbuda that it is considering contributing to the force. He urged more countries, especially from the Americas, to contribute and build on this new momentum.

Gangs have overpowered Haiti's police, with experts estimating they now control some 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince. There are only about 10,000 police officers for the countrys more than 11 million people, and more than 30 were killed from January to June, according to Human Rights Watch.

Guterres said the gangs have encircled the capital, effectively cutting roads from the north, south and east of the country, and violence is spreading to the Artibonite region in central Haiti and other areas, blocking the delivery of aid and goods.

He cited reports of gangs shooting people in public spaces and their homes, burning people alive in public transportation vehicles, mutilating and executing perceived opponents, recruiting children and using sexual violence and rape against women and girls.

Gangs have become more structured, federated, and autonomous in their efforts to confront state authority, weakening state institutions, and consolidating control over the population, the secretary-general said. They target police stations, courts, prisons, schools, hospitals, and strategic installations such as ports, oil terminals and major roadways.

Haitis Prime Minister Ariel Henry sent an urgent appeal last October for the immediate deployment of a specialized armed force, in sufficient quantity to stop the gangs. However, no country stepped up to lead such a force until Kenyas offer in late July.

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said on Aug. 1 that the United States would introduce a U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing Kenya to lead a multinational police force to fight the gangs and provide 1,000 officers. However, she gave no timetable.

Since its offer, Kenyas police force has come under scrutiny especially by human rights watchdogs, for alleged killings and torture, including gunning down civilians during the countrys COVID-19 curfew.

As the U.S. was considering Kenya to lead the force, it was also openly warning Kenyan police officers against violent abuses.

Guterres said the Haitian National Police most concerningly face persistent reports of gang infiltration.

The force lost 774 officers during the first half of the year  a staggering loss compared to an average attrition of around 400 police per year in the past, he said. And the state of police infrastructure is dire, with around 40 of its 412 premises nationwide unusable due to gang territorial control.

Guterres made clear in the letter that Haitis current context is not conducive to peacekeeping by the United Nations.

He said law and order must be restored and human rights abuses and violence reduced by deterring, neutralizing, and disarming heavily armed gangs capable of mounting robust resistance to anti-gang police operations.

Guterres stressed that securing strategic installations and major roadways to restore freedom of movement and re-establishing the governments presence to restore services requires the robust use of force by a specialized multinational police force.

In parallel to deploying such a force, he said there are two potential options for the U.N.  to provide logistical support to the multinational force and the national police, and to strengthen the U.N. political mission in Haiti to expand its mandate to train and advise the national police and create an enabling environment for long-delayed elections and the restoration of democratic institutions.

Given the dire situation in Haiti and the need for security, Guterres said both options may be required to maximize the impact of a multinational police force.
Former President Donald Trump throws autographed caps to the crowd during the final round of the Bedminster Invitational LIV Golf tournament in Bedminster, N.J., on Aug. 13, 2023.

Donald Trump is assailing the federal judge overseeing the election conspiracy case against him, days after she warned him not to make inflammatory statements about the case. The former president made posts Monday on his social media network calling U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan highly partisan and VERY BIASED & UNFAIR! because of her past comments in a separate case overseeing the sentencing of one of the defendants charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Chutkan in a hearing Friday imposed a protective order in the case limiting what evidence handed over by prosecutors the former president and his legal team can publicly disclose. She warned Trumps lawyers that his defense should be mounted in the courtroom and not on the internet. Trump posted about the case online anyway, firing off about the judge.

A spokesperson for special counsel Jack Smith declined to comment Monday.

Prosecutors sought the protective order after calling attention to another earlier post on Trumps social media platform, in which he said he would be coming after those who go after him. The prosecutors said improper of sharing evidence could have a harmful chilling effect on witnesses.

Chutkan said that if anyone makes inflammatory statements about the case, she would be inclined to move more quickly to trial to prevent any intimidation of witnesses or contamination of the jury pool.

The judge agreed with Trumps defense team on a looser version of a protective order barring the public release only of materials deemed sensitive, like grand jury material. But prosecutors consider most of the evidence in the case to be sensitive, and she largely sided with the government on what will get that label and protections.

Protective orders are standard in criminal cases to protect the disclosure of sensitive information that could impact the trial.

In his social media post Monday, Trump quoted from remarks Chutkan made in a 2022 sentencing hearing for Christine Priola, an Ohio woman who pleaded guilty last year to obstructing Congress certification of Bidens electoral victory - one of the same charges Trump is facing.

The people who mobbed that Capitol were there in fealty, in loyalty, to one man -- not to the Constitution, of which most of the people who come before me seem woefully ignorant; not to the ideals of this country, and not to the principles of democracy, Chutkan said, according to a transcript of the October 2022 hearing. Its a blind loyalty to one person who, by the way, remains free to this day.

Trump has indicated his legal team will ask Chutkan to recuse herself from the case, which judges are supposed to do when their impartiality might reasonably be questioned.

But David Weinstein, a former federal prosecutor, said Chutkans comment wont help Trumps case that he needs a new judge.

I understand why hes trying to twist her words and use them against her, but I dont think it crosses the line, said Weinstein, now a white collar criminal defense attorney.

Weinstein said Trump appears to be trying to egg her on into doing something thats going to give him the grounds to file a motion to recuse. She has to be careful not to take the bait, he said.

Prosecutors with special counsel Smiths team have asked the judge to set a Jan. 2 trial date, which is less than two weeks before Iowas first-in-the-nation caucuses. That prompted other angry posts online from Trump last week.

Trump and his lawyers claimed prosecutors proposed protective order that sought to prevent the public release of all evidence they provide the defense would violate his First Amendment rights of free speech. And the Republican has vowed to keep talking about the case and his other legal challenges as he campaigns again for the White House.

Trump spoke about the case while he was campaigning at the Iowa State Fair over the weekend, declining to tell reporters whether he would comply with the protective order. He said, The whole thing is a fake  it was put out by Biden, because they cant win an election the fair way.

Chutkan, a former assistant public defender who was nominated to the bench by President Barack Obama, was confirmed to the bench with Republican support in a 95-0 vote in the Senate in 2014.

She has been one of the toughest punishers of rioters who stormed the Capitol. Federal judges in Washington have sentenced nearly 600 defendants for their roles in the attack, which was fueled by Trumps baseless claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen by fraud.

The case cited in Trumps post, however, is one where Chutkan actually imposed a sentence that was lighter than prosecutors sought. She sentenced Priola to 15 months in prison. Federal prosecutors had asked for 18 months.

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Two people examine the remains of houses burned by the fire that has destroyed the historic city of Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui.

It is now the deadliest wildfire the United States has seen in more than a century. And all signs indicate that the number of victims will continue to rise. Residents of the Hawaiian island of Maui on Monday were trying to come to terms with the scale of the disaster, which has killed nearly a hundred people, left hundreds missing and thousands more homeless in the city of Lahaina, which was consumed by the fire. The search for bodies has been complicated by the smoldering rubble and the possible toxic particles in the water, air and surfaces. This too has posed a challenge for locals seeking to return to collect the few belongings that may have survived the blaze.

We only have 3% of the search done, and they want to be meticulous and do it right. So right now theyre going street by street and block by block, theyre doing cars, and soon theyll start to enter buildings, Jeff Hickman, a spokesperson for Hawaiis Department of Defense, said on NBCs TODAY on Monday.

In the last hours, new equipment and cadaver dogs have been sent from other parts of the United States. So the efforts are going to start to move a little faster than they have the past couple days, and hopefully, we bring some closure to those on Maui, said Hickman.

The historic center of Lahaina, the former capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom, was razed to rubble after the fire consumed the city of 12,000 (the island of Maui is home to 170,000 residents) in just four hours last Tuesday, devouring wood and melting metal. A week has since passed, but the embers are still burning.

For the first few days, we had done searches of the streets and the cars in the area, but we couldnt enter any structures, Maui Police Chief John Pelletier told NBC. My police officers are trained to go chase bad guys, respond to robberies, take reports. But they are not trained to enter smoldering structures to go look for human remains.

The search teams have been confronted with overwhelming scenes, warned the governor of Hawaii, Josh Green, in a video on his Instagram account. He added that there is hardly anything left of Lahaina, which until last Tuesday was a quaint port with lush greenery and an important center of Hawaiian culture that attracted many tourists.

A resident looks around a charred apartment complex in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii on August 12, 2023. YUKI IWAMURA (AFP)

Green said that the current death toll stands at 99, and warned the number is likely to rise in the coming days.

While the search for bodies continues, Hawaiian authorities and the U.S. federal authorities have begun focusing on the thousands of people left homeless and restoring power and cell phone coverage that were down for days in West Maui, where Lahaina is located.

Although some residents have begun to return to their old neighborhoods to salvage what they can, authorities warned that it is still dangerous to move around the area. The team from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is still assessing possible dangers.

It is not safe. It is a hazardous area and thats why experts are here, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said in a news conference Saturday. Were not doing anybody any favors by letting them back in there quickly, just so they can get sick.

Hawaiis state toxicologist Diana Felton told Hawaii Public Radio that cleaning up the pollutants could take weeks or even months. Over the next 15 days, the most obvious hazards, such as propane tanks, will be removed. But cleaning up the ash and debris will require more time.

These areas should be approached very carefully, very cautiously, Felton said. The old wooden houses that made up most of the old town could contain asbestos or lead paint. Given the island was once home to large pineapple and sugarcane plantations, there may also be arsenic among the remains, as it was used as a herbicide in the 20th century. You dont really want to be exposed to any of this stuff, Felton said.

Experts warn that these toxic substances and others could also be found in drinking water or even in the air, which makes rebuilding the tourism-dependent island more difficult. Maui authorities have advised residents in Lahaina and Kula, another town affected by the fires in the south, not to drink tap or even boiled water. They have also recommended residents only take short showers, at warm temperatures, in well-ventilated areas.

For now, the Hawaiian government is working on housing locals displaced by the fires. Governor Green said that 500 hotel rooms will be made available for residents, and promised that number will rise in the coming days. The more than 15,000 tourists who were on Maui fled the island when the blaze broke out.

Green also announced the launch of an investigation to determine whether there were failures in the initial response to the fires. Residents said that the warning sirens that should have warned of the danger never sounded. While alerts were sent to cell phones and broadcast over radio and TV, by then, many people had lost coverage and power.

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Permianville Royalty Trust (NYSE:PVL  Get Free Report) major shareholder Permianville Holdings Llc sold 13,936 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.97, for a total value of $41,389.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,364,361 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,872,152.17. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Large shareholders that own at least 10% of a companys stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Permianville Holdings Llc also recently made the following trade(s):

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On Thursday, August 10th, Permianville Holdings Llc sold 6,646 shares of Permianville Royalty Trust stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.97, for a total value of $19,738.62.

On Monday, August 7th, Permianville Holdings Llc sold 4,156 shares of Permianville Royalty Trust stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.98, for a total value of $12,384.88.

On Friday, August 4th, Permianville Holdings Llc sold 2,810 shares of Permianville Royalty Trust stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.97, for a total value of $8,345.70.

On Monday, July 31st, Permianville Holdings Llc sold 5,056 shares of Permianville Royalty Trust stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.97, for a total value of $15,016.32.

On Friday, July 28th, Permianville Holdings Llc sold 14,780 shares of Permianville Royalty Trust stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.97, for a total value of $43,896.60.

On Wednesday, July 26th, Permianville Holdings Llc sold 18,103 shares of Permianville Royalty Trust stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.98, for a total value of $53,946.94.

On Monday, July 24th, Permianville Holdings Llc sold 21,600 shares of Permianville Royalty Trust stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.04, for a total value of $65,664.00.

On Friday, July 21st, Permianville Holdings Llc sold 8,232 shares of Permianville Royalty Trust stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.97, for a total value of $24,449.04.

Permianville Royalty Trust Price Performance

Shares of PVL stock remained flat at $3.00 during trading hours on Monday. The companys stock had a trading volume of 85,162 shares, compared to its average volume of 159,973. The companys fifty day moving average is $2.67 and its 200 day moving average is $2.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $99 million, a P/E ratio of 6.60 and a beta of 1.31. Permianville Royalty Trust has a 52-week low of $2.02 and a 52-week high of $4.05.

Permianville Royalty Trust Increases Dividend

Permianville Royalty Trust ( NYSE:PVL Get Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Monday, May 15th. The company reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $14.20 million for the quarter. Permianville Royalty Trust had a return on equity of 24.45% and a net margin of 23.62%.

The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 31st will be issued a $0.0535 dividend. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 21.40%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 28th. This is an increase from Permianville Royalty Trusts previous monthly dividend of $0.01. Permianville Royalty Trusts dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 142.23%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Permianville Royalty Trust

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Northstar Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Permianville Royalty Trust in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in shares of Permianville Royalty Trust by 65.4% in the 3rd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 9,190 shares of the companys stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 3,635 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Permianville Royalty Trust in the 2nd quarter valued at $49,000. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Permianville Royalty Trust in the 1st quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Permianville Royalty Trust in the 2nd quarter valued at $61,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 5.15% of the companys stock.

Permianville Royalty Trust Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Permianville Royalty Trust operates as a statutory trust. It engages in the acquisition and holding of net profits from the sale of oil and natural gas production from certain properties in the states of Texas, Louisiana and New Mexico held by Enduro Resource Partners LLC, for the benefit of the trust unit holders.

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1620 Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Ingersoll Rand Inc. (NYSE:IR  Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 5,942 shares of the industrial products companys stock, valued at approximately $452,000.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Compass Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ingersoll Rand in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Field & Main Bank grew its stake in shares of Ingersoll Rand by 42.3% in the 1st quarter. Field & Main Bank now owns 673 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. CoreCap Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ingersoll Rand in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Belpointe Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Ingersoll Rand during the 4th quarter worth approximately $54,000. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Ingersoll Rand during the 1st quarter worth approximately $58,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.73% of the companys stock.

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Ingersoll Rand Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:IR traded down $0.89 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $67.01. The company had a trading volume of 831,955 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,307,261. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $65.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $59.84. The company has a current ratio of 2.29, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market cap of $27.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.48, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.44. Ingersoll Rand Inc. has a 12 month low of $42.20 and a 12 month high of $68.92.

Ingersoll Rand Dividend Announcement

Ingersoll Rand ( NYSE:IR Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 2nd. The industrial products company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.58 billion. Ingersoll Rand had a return on equity of 11.20% and a net margin of 10.89%. On average, analysts predict that Ingersoll Rand Inc. will post 2.63 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 21st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.02 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 22nd. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.12%. Ingersoll Rands dividend payout ratio is presently 4.65%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

IR has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Ingersoll Rand from $61.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 19th. Evercore ISI upgraded Ingersoll Rand from an in-line rating to an outperform rating and set a $71.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Ingersoll Rand from $65.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Monday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Ingersoll Rand from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, August 4th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Ingersoll Rand from $70.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, August 4th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $69.36.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ingersoll Rand news, insider Vicente Reynal sold 27,169 shares of Ingersoll Rand stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.00, for a total transaction of $1,765,985.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 73,877 shares in the company, valued at $4,802,005. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Kathleen M. Keene sold 4,003 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.50, for a total value of $250,187.50. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,879 shares in the company, valued at $117,437.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Vicente Reynal sold 27,169 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.00, for a total value of $1,765,985.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 73,877 shares in the company, valued at $4,802,005. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 58,659 shares of company stock worth $3,685,458. Corporate insiders own 0.83% of the companys stock.

About Ingersoll Rand

(Free Report)

Ingersoll Rand Inc provides various mission-critical air, fluid, energy, specialty vehicle, and medical technologies in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, India, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It operates through two segments, Industrial Technologies and Services, and Precision and Science Technologies.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Ingersoll Rand Inc. (NYSE:IR  Free Report).

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Alithya Group (TSE:ALYA  Free Report) had its target price reduced by National Bankshares from C$3.25 to C$2.75 in a research report sent to investors on Friday, BayStreet.CA reports.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Cormark boosted their price target on Alithya Group from C$3.85 to C$4.00 in a research report on Friday, June 9th. Acumen Capital boosted their price target on Alithya Group from C$3.50 to C$3.75 in a research report on Friday, June 9th.

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Alithya Group Stock Down 1.4 %

About Alithya Group

ALYA opened at C$2.47 on Friday. Alithya Group has a one year low of C$1.95 and a one year high of C$3.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 77.89, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a current ratio of 1.20. The stocks fifty day moving average is C$2.36 and its 200-day moving average is C$2.48. The company has a market capitalization of C$216.57 million, a PE ratio of -7.95 and a beta of 0.77.

(Get Free Report)

Alithya Group Inc provides strategy and digital technology services in Canada, the United States, and Europe. The company's business strategy services include strategic consulting, digital transformation, organizational performance, and enterprise architecture services. It also provides application services, such as digital applications DevOps, legacy systems modernization, control and software engineering, cloud infrastructure, quality assurance, and automated testing; enterprise solutions comprising enterprise resource planning, corporate performance management, customer relationship management, and human capital management; and data and analytics solutions, including business intelligence, data management, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning, as well as internet of things.

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Shares of Aviva plc (LON:AV  Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of Moderate Buy by the six research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is GBX 533.67 ($6.77).

Several equities research analysts have commented on AV shares. Berenberg Bank dropped their price target on Aviva from GBX 546 ($6.93) to GBX 532 ($6.75) and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 24th. Barclays restated an equal weight rating and set a GBX 545 ($6.91) price target on shares of Aviva in a research note on Wednesday, May 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a buy rating on shares of Aviva in a research note on Thursday, June 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Aviva from GBX 545 ($6.91) to GBX 535 ($6.79) and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 25th.

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Insider Transactions at Aviva

Aviva Stock Performance

In related news, insider Charlotte Jones bought 12,575 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 28th. The stock was bought at an average price of GBX 392 ($4.97) per share, with a total value of 49,294 ($62,532.03). Company insiders own 0.16% of the companys stock.

Aviva stock opened at GBX 383.80 ($4.87) on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of 10.52 billion, a P/E ratio of -1,014.47, a PEG ratio of 8.09 and a beta of 1.02. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of GBX 392.54 and a 200 day moving average price of GBX 413.85. Aviva has a 52 week low of GBX 366.70 ($4.65) and a 52 week high of GBX 473.70 ($6.01). The company has a current ratio of 3.31, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 55.38.

About Aviva

(Get Free Report

Aviva plc provides various insurance, retirement, investment, and savings products in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and internationally. The company offers life insurance, long-term health and accident insurance, savings, pension, and annuity products, as well as pension fund business and lifetime mortgage products.

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Ferrellgas Partners (OTCMKTS:FGPR  Get Free Report) and Ampol (OTCMKTS:CTXAF  Get Free Report) are both energy companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, valuation, earnings, profitability and risk.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

0.0% of Ferrellgas Partners shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 10.2% of Ampol shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.5% of Ferrellgas Partners shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

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Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Ferrellgas Partners and Ampols gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Ferrellgas Partners $1.50 billion 0.48 -$82.50 million ($0.85) -8.76 Ampol N/A N/A N/A $1.84 11.17

Analyst Recommendations

Ampol has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Ferrellgas Partners. Ferrellgas Partners is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Ampol, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Ferrellgas Partners and Ampol, as provided by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Ferrellgas Partners 0 0 0 0 N/A Ampol 0 0 1 0 3.00

Profitability

This table compares Ferrellgas Partners and Ampols net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Ferrellgas Partners -5.53% N/A -2.81% Ampol N/A N/A N/A

Summary

Ampol beats Ferrellgas Partners on 6 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Ferrellgas Partners

(Get Free Report)

Ferrellgas Partners, L.P. distributes and sells propane and related equipment and supplies. The company transports propane to propane distribution locations, tanks on customers' premises, or to portable propane tanks delivered to retailers. It conducts its portable tank exchange operations under the Blue Rhino brand name through a network of independent and partnership-owned distribution outlets. The company's propane is primarily used for space heating, water heating, cooking, outdoor cooking using gas grills, crop drying, irrigation, weed control, and other propane fueled appliances; as an engine fuel for combustion engine vehicles and forklifts; and as a heating or energy source in manufacturing and drying processes. It serves residential, industrial/commercial, portable tank exchange, agricultural, wholesale, and other customers in the United States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. As of July 31, 2022, the company operates through a network of 49 service centers and 795 service units for propane distribution locations. In addition, it is also involved in the sale of refined fuels; provision of common carrier services; and retail sale of propane appliances and related parts and fittings, as well as other retail propane related services and consumer products. Ferrellgas Partners, L.P. was founded in 1939 and is based in Liberty, Missouri.

About Ampol

(Get Free Report)

Ampol Limited purchases, refines, distributes, and markets petroleum products in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United States. The company operates through Convenience Retail, Z Energy, and Fuels and Infrastructure segments. The Convenience Retail segment sells fuels through Ampol's network of stores. The Fuels and Infrastructure segment wholesales fuels and lubricant supplies. The Z Energy segment includes fuel offerings in the New Zealand market. It distributes its products through depots, terminals, pipelines, and service station sites. The company sells fuels to various customers in defence, mining, transport, marine, agriculture, aviation, and other commercial sectors. The company was formerly known as Caltex Australia Limited and changed its name to Ampol Limited in May 2020. Ampol Limited was founded in 1900 and is headquartered in Alexandria, Australia.

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Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR  Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 6,200,000 shares, an increase of 10.5% from the July 15th total of 5,610,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,810,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.4 days. Currently, 1.7% of the companys shares are sold short.

Equity Residential Stock Down 2.4 %

NYSE:EQR traded down $1.59 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $64.83. The stock had a trading volume of 1,429,648 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,989,050. The company has a market capitalization of $24.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 0.83. Equity Residential has a 1-year low of $54.60 and a 1-year high of $80.89. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $66.18 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $63.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.19 and a quick ratio of 0.19.

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Equity Residential Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 14th. Investors of record on Monday, June 26th were paid a $0.6625 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 23rd. This represents a $2.65 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.09%. Equity Residentials dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 119.91%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Truist Financial increased their price target on Equity Residential from $71.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Monday. BMO Capital Markets raised Equity Residential from an underperform rating to a market perform rating and increased their price target for the stock from $60.00 to $64.00 in a research note on Monday, June 5th. Raymond James lowered Equity Residential from a market perform rating to an underperform rating in a research note on Friday, May 26th. Mizuho reduced their price target on Equity Residential from $72.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Friday, May 19th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on Equity Residential in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $69.31.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Equity Residential

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equity Residential

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in Equity Residential by 234.9% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 12,882 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $1,158,000 after acquiring an additional 9,035 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its holdings in Equity Residential by 45.5% in the first quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 4,761 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $428,000 after acquiring an additional 1,489 shares during the last quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Equity Residential by 85.2% in the first quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,356 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $1,021,000 after acquiring an additional 5,224 shares during the last quarter. Prudential PLC bought a new position in Equity Residential in the first quarter worth about $687,000. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Equity Residential by 8.5% in the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 9,295 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $836,000 after acquiring an additional 730 shares during the last quarter. 82.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Equity Residential

(Get Free Report)

Equity Residential is committed to creating communities where people thrive. The Company, a member of the S&P 500, is focused on the acquisition, development and management of residential properties located in and around dynamic cities that attract affluent long-term renters. Equity Residential owns or has investments in 304 properties consisting of 80,212 apartment units, with an established presence in Boston, New York, Washington, DC, Seattle, San Francisco and Southern California, and an expanding presence in Denver, Atlanta, Dallas/Ft.

Further Reading

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GSK plc (LON:GSK  Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of Hold by the eight brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is GBX 1,560 ($19.79).

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on GSK shares. Berenberg Bank reiterated a buy rating and set a GBX 1,730 ($21.95) price target on shares of GSK in a research note on Friday, July 28th. Citigroup reiterated a neutral rating and set a GBX 1,700 ($21.57) target price on shares of GSK in a research report on Monday, June 26th. Barclays reissued an equal weight rating and issued a GBX 1,450 ($18.39) price target on shares of GSK in a research report on Thursday, April 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a buy rating and set a GBX 1,700 ($21.57) price target on shares of GSK in a research note on Thursday, June 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of GSK from GBX 1,400 ($17.76) to GBX 1,300 ($16.49) in a research note on Tuesday, August 1st.

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Insider Activity

GSK Price Performance

In related news, insider Jonathan Symonds purchased 6,000 shares of GSK stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 23rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of GBX 1,440 ($18.27) per share, for a total transaction of 86,400 ($109,602.94). Over the last three months, insiders purchased 6,027 shares of company stock worth $8,676,567. 1.74% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

GSK stock opened at GBX 1,382.80 ($17.54) on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 184.80. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is GBX 1,369.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is GBX 1,417.64. GSK has a 12 month low of GBX 1,280.92 ($16.25) and a 12 month high of GBX 1,609 ($20.41). The company has a market cap of 56.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1,089.29, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.31.

GSK Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 17th will be given a GBX 14 ($0.18) dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 17th. GSKs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4,409.45%.

About GSK

(Get Free Report

GSK plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the research, development and manufacture of vaccines and specialty medicines to prevent and treat disease in the United Kingdom, the United States, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Pharmaceuticals, Pharmaceuticals R&D, Vaccines, and Consumer Healthcare.

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StockNews.com lowered shares of Hudson Pacific Properties (NYSE:HPP  Free Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report report published on Friday morning.

Separately, Piper Sandler cut their price objective on shares of Hudson Pacific Properties from $8.00 to $6.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 31st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hudson Pacific Properties has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $7.94.

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Hudson Pacific Properties Stock Performance

Hudson Pacific Properties Cuts Dividend

HPP stock opened at $6.23 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a current ratio of 1.61. The stock has a market cap of $878.06 million, a P/E ratio of -10.21 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $5.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $6.43. Hudson Pacific Properties has a 52 week low of $4.05 and a 52 week high of $15.45.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 20th were given a $0.125 dividend. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.03%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 16th. Hudson Pacific Propertiess dividend payout ratio is -81.97%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hudson Pacific Properties

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hudson Pacific Properties by 31.3% in the 1st quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC now owns 19,647 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $131,000 after purchasing an additional 4,683 shares in the last quarter. Pitcairn Co. acquired a new position in Hudson Pacific Properties during the 1st quarter worth about $71,000. Amalgamated Bank lifted its position in Hudson Pacific Properties by 16.2% during the 4th quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 78,361 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $762,000 after buying an additional 10,927 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC lifted its position in Hudson Pacific Properties by 19.2% during the 1st quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 24,222 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $161,000 after buying an additional 3,904 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lifted its position in Hudson Pacific Properties by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 513,529 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $4,997,000 after buying an additional 27,357 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.55% of the companys stock.

Hudson Pacific Properties Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Hudson Pacific Properties (NYSE: HPP) is a real estate investment trust serving dynamic tech and media tenants in global epicenters for these synergistic, converging and secular growth industries. Hudson Pacific's unique and high-barrier tech and media focus leverages a full-service, end-to-end value creation platform forged through deep strategic relationships and niche expertise across identifying, acquiring, transforming and developing properties into world-class amenitized, collaborative and sustainable office and studio space.

Further Reading

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Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund acquired a new position in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO  Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 13,955 shares of the medical research companys stock, valued at approximately $8,043,000. Thermo Fisher Scientific accounts for 0.7% of Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Funds holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest holding.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Institute for Wealth Management LLC. raised its holdings in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Institute for Wealth Management LLC. now owns 1,024 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $564,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the period. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 3.0% during the first quarter. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC now owns 614 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $354,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Sage Rhino Capital LLC lifted its position in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Sage Rhino Capital LLC now owns 723 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $417,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC boosted its stake in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 3,627 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $1,997,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Finally, Crumly & Associates Inc. raised its stake in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Crumly & Associates Inc. now owns 1,274 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $734,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. 96.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Thermo Fisher Scientific Stock Performance

Shares of TMO stock traded down $5.42 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $534.92. 469,187 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,506,727. The firms fifty day moving average price is $533.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $546.53. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. has a twelve month low of $475.77 and a twelve month high of $609.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $206.45 billion, a PE ratio of 36.93, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Announces Dividend

Thermo Fisher Scientific ( NYSE:TMO Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 26th. The medical research company reported $5.15 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.43 by ($0.28). Thermo Fisher Scientific had a net margin of 13.14% and a return on equity of 18.59%. The company had revenue of $10.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $5.51 earnings per share. Thermo Fisher Scientifics revenue for the quarter was down 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. will post 22.37 EPS for the current year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 14th. Thermo Fisher Scientifics payout ratio is 9.57%.

Insider Transactions at Thermo Fisher Scientific

In related news, CEO Marc N. Casper sold 1,600 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.60, for a total transaction of $880,960.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 135,330 shares of the companys stock, valued at $74,512,698. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CFO Stephen Williamson sold 14,100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.00, for a total transaction of $7,755,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 27,393 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $15,066,150. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Marc N. Casper sold 1,600 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.60, for a total value of $880,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 135,330 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $74,512,698. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 25,700 shares of company stock valued at $14,125,960. 0.32% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. KeyCorp reduced their price objective on Thermo Fisher Scientific from $710.00 to $640.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 25th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from $662.00 to $698.00 in a report on Thursday, July 27th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from $505.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a report on Friday, July 28th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from $700.00 to $650.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 27th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Thermo Fisher Scientific from $590.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, July 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $633.50.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on TMO

Thermo Fisher Scientific Company Profile

(Free Report)

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc provides life sciences solutions, analytical instruments, specialty diagnostics, and laboratory products and biopharma services in the United States and internationally. The company's Life Sciences Solutions segment offers reagents, instruments, and consumables for biological and medical research, discovery, and production of drugs and vaccines, as well as diagnosis of infections and diseases; and solutions include biosciences, genetic sciences, clinical next-generation sequencing, bio production to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agricultural, clinical, healthcare, academic, and government markets.

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PetroChina Company Limited (OTCMKTS:PCCYF  Get Free Report) saw a large decline in short interest in July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 11,352,900 shares, a decline of 30.6% from the July 15th total of 16,350,900 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 218,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 51.9 days.

PetroChina Stock Performance

Shares of PCCYF traded down $0.03 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $0.72. 198,105 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 264,817. PetroChina has a 52-week low of $0.37 and a 52-week high of $0.77. The companys 50-day simple moving average is $0.71.

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PetroChina Company Profile

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Further Reading

PetroChina Company Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in a range of petroleum related products, services, and activities in Mainland China and internationally. It operates through Oil, Gas and New Energy Resource; Refining, Chemicals and New material; Marketing; and Natural Gas Sales segments.

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Donald Trump, last Saturday. Charlie Neibergall (AP)

Up until four months ago, no former or sitting U.S. president had been indicted in the countrys history. That changed in April, when Donald Trump was indicted in New York for falsifying business records in the Stormy Daniels case. Since then, the former president has been indicted in three more criminal cases, from election subversion to withholding top secret documents. Each case relates to his presidency. In addition to the four indictments, Trump in May was also found liable in a civil case for sexually abusing and defaming advice columnist E. Jean Carroll in 1996.

The four criminal cases are set to go on trial next year, which is likely to impact Trumps presidential campaign, if he secures the Republican Partys nomination. Here is a review of each indictment, in chronological order.

The Stormy Daniels case

Trumps first criminal trial is set to go to court in New York on March 25, 2024. The trial will examine the Stormy Daniels case, which is the oldest of the four. It concerns events that occurred during the 2016 presidential campaign, which against the odds landed him in the White House. During the campaign, Trump ordered his lawyer and right-hand man, Michael Cohen, to pay $130,000 to the porn star Stormy Daniels. The payment was hush money to buy her silence about an alleged extramarital affair. It was, however, officially recorded as legal expenses in Trumps company accounts. The Manhattan District Attorney, the Democrat Alvin Bragg, considers that the concealment of the payment was really an attempt to commit or hide another crime (possible violation of campaign finance laws, among others).

In late March, a grand jury convened by Bragg voted to indict him on 34 counts, and a hearing took place a week later. In the Manhattan courthouses, in the midst of a great media circus, Trump  who is the frontrunner to win the 2024 Republican presidential nomination  pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The Mar-a-Lago papers

The trial for the second criminal case against Trump is scheduled for May 20. Judge Aileen Cannon, appointed by Trump during his tenure, will preside over the criminal proceeding against him in the so-called Mar-a-Lago papers case. The former president was indicted in June for withholding classified documents that he took from the White House in January 2021, when he handed the presidency to Joe Biden. An FBI search in August 2022 found 48 boxes of material, including classified documents. About 30 referred to top-secret contingency plans to attack a foreign country (Iran).

Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is supervising this case and the investigation into election subversion, has charged Trump with 40 counts in the Mar-a-Lago case, including willful retention of classified documents  the indictment showed images of the boxes being stored in a bathroom  and violations of the Espionage Act. The indictment was updated in July, with prosecutors alleging that Trump asked a staffer to delete security camera footage at the Florida estate in order to obstruct the federal investigation.

Attempt to subvert election results

The third indictment is the most serious and is based on the events that transpired in the two months between the November 2020 elections and January 6, 2021, when a mob of Trump supporters violently stormed Congress with the aim of preventing the certification of Joe Bidens election victory. Smith has indicted him on four counts, relating to conspiracy to defraud the United States, efforts to obstruct the vote certification proceedings and conspiracy to violate civil rights. Smith has also accused six unidentified co-conspirators, one of whom is probably Rudolph Giuliani, a lawyer for Trump.

The federal indictment just handed down by special counsel Jack Smith is not only the most important indictment by far of former president Donald Trump. It is perhaps the most important indictment ever handed down to safeguard American democracy and the rule of law in any U.S. court against anyone, Professor Richard Hasen, from the University of California-Los Angeles, wrote in an op-ed in the online magazine Slate.

Prosecutors argue that Trump knew his claims that the election had been stolen were false, but repeated them anyway. The indictment states: These claims were false, and the defendant knew that they were false. But the defendant repeated and widely disseminated them anyway  to make his knowingly false claims appear legitimate, create an intense national atmosphere of mistrust and anger, and erode public faith in the administration of the election.

Trumps appeared in a federal court in Washington to issue a plea of not guilty. A trial date has not yet been set. Smith has proposed a January 2 trial date, but Trumps legal team is in no hurry. The former president is winning over supporters with his claims that he is a victim of a political witch hunt. Theres no need to railroad any defendant in the United States, Trumps attorney John Lauro told NPR. Were hoping the Justice Department will recognize that justice is more important than speed.

Efforts to subvert election results in the state of Georgia

The fourth criminal case is similar to the third, as it also involves Trumps efforts to subvert the results of the 2020 presidential election. But this case is state, not federal, and only concerns what happened in the state of Georgia.

District Attorney Fani Willis, who is in charge of the investigation, could charge about a dozen people along with Trump for pressuring state election officials to change the vote count, which gave Biden a narrow victory of fewer than 12,000 votes. Willis has also examined a breach of election machines in a rural county and a plot to use fake electors in a bid to capture the states electoral votes for Trump rather than Biden.

One of the most damaging pieces of evidence against Trump is a recording, released by The Washington Post. In the audio, Trump is heard pressuring Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find enough votes to secure his win in Georgia. The former president claims he was simply expressing his dismay at the outcome of the election.

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Primo Water (NYSE:PRMW  Free Report) had its target price hoisted by TD Securities from $24.00 to $25.00 in a research report report published on Friday morning, BayStreet.CA reports. They currently have a buy rating on the stock.

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of Primo Water from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Primo Water presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $20.33.

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Primo Water Stock Up 1.6 %

Primo Water stock opened at $15.39 on Friday. Primo Water has a fifty-two week low of $12.27 and a fifty-two week high of $16.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.50 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $13.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $14.04.

Primo Water (NYSE:PRMW  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 10th. The company reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.20 by $0.02. Primo Water had a return on equity of 7.96% and a net margin of 3.81%. The firm had revenue of $593.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $586.22 million. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Primo Water will post 0.74 EPS for the current year.

Primo Water Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 24th will be given a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 23rd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.08%. Primo Waters payout ratio is 59.26%.

Institutional Trading of Primo Water

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. grew its stake in Primo Water by 24.7% during the third quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 11,600,023 shares of the companys stock worth $145,580,000 after buying an additional 2,296,515 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in Primo Water by 9.8% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 11,581,085 shares of the companys stock valued at $165,030,000 after purchasing an additional 1,031,066 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Primo Water by 4.5% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,977,201 shares of the companys stock worth $137,764,000 after purchasing an additional 470,410 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Primo Water by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 8,993,618 shares of the companys stock valued at $139,761,000 after purchasing an additional 369,122 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Primo Water by 7.9% in the 4th quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,697,042 shares of the companys stock valued at $119,612,000 after purchasing an additional 560,914 shares during the last quarter. 82.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Primo Water

(Get 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.

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StockNews.com upgraded shares of Protalix BioTherapeutics (NYSEAMERICAN:PLX  Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Friday morning.

Separately, TheStreet upgraded shares of Protalix BioTherapeutics from a d- rating to a c- rating in a research report on Monday, August 7th.

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Protalix BioTherapeutics Stock Up 3.6 %

Shares of Protalix BioTherapeutics stock opened at $1.99 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $130.19 million, a PE ratio of -6.63 and a beta of 1.35. Protalix BioTherapeutics has a 12-month low of $1.00 and a 12-month high of $3.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 28.04. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $2.07.

Protalix BioTherapeutics (NYSEAMERICAN:PLX  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, August 7th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of ($0.04) by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $35.08 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.22 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.15) EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Protalix BioTherapeutics will post 0.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Protalix BioTherapeutics

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Barclays PLC raised its stake in shares of Protalix BioTherapeutics by 561.5% in the 2nd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 13,230 shares of the companys stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 11,230 shares during the period. Lido Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Protalix BioTherapeutics during the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Protalix BioTherapeutics during the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Two Sigma Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Protalix BioTherapeutics in the first quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, American International Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Protalix BioTherapeutics in the second quarter worth $54,000. 4.48% of the stock is currently 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.

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PT Bank Central Asia Tbk (OTCMKTS:PBCRY  Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest during the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 14,000 shares, a decline of 28.2% from the July 15th total of 19,500 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 27,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.5 days.

PT Bank Central Asia Tbk Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of OTCMKTS PBCRY traded down $0.11 during trading on Monday, reaching $15.30. The company had a trading volume of 42,833 shares, compared to its average volume of 36,768. The companys fifty day moving average price is $15.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $14.84. PT Bank Central Asia Tbk has a 12 month low of $12.84 and a 12 month high of $15.98.

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PT Bank Central Asia Tbk Company Profile

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PT Bank Central Asia Tbk, together with its subsidiaries, provides banking products and services to individual, corporate, and small and medium enterprise customers in Indonesia and internationally. It offers savings accounts; motorcycle financing, as well as car, housing, working capital, and investment loans; mutual funds and bonds; electronic money services; credit cards; business collection services; and home and eBanking, remittance, and customer services.

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Shares of Radian Group Inc. (NYSE:RDN  Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of Hold by the seven ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $25.67.

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on RDN. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered shares of Radian Group from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and set a $27.50 price target for the company. in a research note on Monday, June 12th. Bank of America lowered Radian Group from a buy rating to an underperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 9th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on 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, StockNews.com began coverage on Radian Group in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating on the stock.

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Radian Group Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of Radian Group stock opened at $27.63 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $4.35 billion, a PE ratio of 6.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.09. Radian Group has a 1 year low of $17.83 and a 1 year high of $28.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $26.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $24.10.

Radian Group (NYSE:RDN  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 2nd. The insurance provider reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $278.85 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $289.10 million. Radian Group had a net margin of 54.83% and a return on equity of 17.30%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Radian Group will post 3.47 EPS for the current year.

Radian Group 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 issued a dividend of $0.225 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 18th. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.26%. Radian Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.95%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Eric Ray sold 7,087 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.07, for a total value of $177,671.09. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 53,791 shares in the company, valued at $1,348,540.37. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Eric Ray sold 7,087 shares of Radian Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.07, for a total transaction of $177,671.09. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 53,791 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,348,540.37. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Gregory Serio sold 11,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.72, for a total value of $282,920.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 12,021 shares of the companys stock, valued at $309,180.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 96,417 shares of company stock worth $2,485,328 in the last quarter. 1.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Radian Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Radian Group by 575.2% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,765,182 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $282,110,000 after purchasing an additional 10,874,587 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Radian Group during the 4th quarter valued at $48,013,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 2,204,335 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 2,195,362 shares during the period. Finally, BlackRock Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Radian Group by 12.8% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 15,104,763 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $333,815,000 after buying an additional 1,710,552 shares during the last quarter.

Radian Group Company Profile

(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.

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Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD  Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 4,800,000 shares, a decline of 17.2% from the July 15th total of 5,800,000 shares. Approximately 0.3% of the companys shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 2,480,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.9 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BUD. Sigma Planning Corp lifted its position in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 15.4% during the 1st quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 6,744 shares of the consumer goods makers stock worth $450,000 after acquiring an additional 902 shares during the last quarter. Resources Investment Advisors LLC. acquired a new position in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV during the 4th quarter worth $405,000. Edge Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV during the 4th quarter worth $386,000. Sowell Financial Services LLC lifted its position in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 16,643 shares of the consumer goods makers stock worth $999,000 after acquiring an additional 665 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC acquired a new position in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV during the 1st quarter worth $216,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 5.53% of the companys stock.

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Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV stock traded up $0.06 on Monday, hitting $56.36. 1,340,149 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,124,958. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV has a 12-month low of $44.51 and a 12-month high of $67.09. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $56.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $59.79. The company has a market cap of $97.91 billion, a PE ratio of 18.16, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.25.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV ( NYSE:BUD Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 2nd. The consumer goods maker reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.04. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV had a net margin of 10.59% and a return on equity of 14.69%. The business had revenue of $15.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.33 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.73 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV will post 3.05 earnings per share for the current year.

BUD has been the topic of several research analyst reports. HSBC cut shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 10th. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from $80.00 to $70.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 8th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $64.00 to $68.50 in a research report on Thursday, July 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, June 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, August 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $67.06.

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Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV produces, distributes, markets, and sells beer and beverages. It offers a portfolio of approximately 500 beer brands, which primarily include Budweiser, Corona, and Stella Artois; Beck's, Hoegaarden, Leffe, and Michelob Ultra; and Aguila, Antarctica, Bud Light, Brahma, Cass, Castle, Castle Lite, Cristal, Harbin, Jupiler, Modelo Especial, Quilmes, Victoria, Sedrin, and Skol brands.

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El Puerto de Liverpool, S.A.B. de C.V. (OTCMKTS:ELPQF  Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest during the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 83,600 shares, a decline of 31.5% from the July 15th total of 122,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 836.0 days.

El Puerto de Liverpool Stock Performance

ELPQF stock remained flat at $6.28 during trading on Monday. El Puerto de Liverpool has a 1-year low of $5.90 and a 1-year high of $6.47. The companys fifty day moving average is $6.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $6.15.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Citigroup lowered shares of El Puerto de Liverpool from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, April 17th.

El Puerto de Liverpool Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

El Puerto de Liverpool, S. A. B. de C. V., together with its subsidiaries, operates a chain of department stores in Mexico. The company operates through Liverpool Commercial, Suburbia Commercial, Real Estate, and Credit segments. Its stores offer various products, such as clothes and accessories for men, women, and children; household goods; furniture; cosmetics; and other consumer products.

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Thompson Davis & CO. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO  Free Report) in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm acquired 5,072 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $226,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Altria Group by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,630,570 shares of the companys stock worth $120,243,000 after purchasing an additional 116,654 shares in the last quarter. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Altria Group by 9.9% during the 1st quarter. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC now owns 21,535 shares of the companys stock worth $961,000 after purchasing an additional 1,941 shares in the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Altria Group by 440.5% during the 1st quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,789 shares of the companys stock worth $214,000 after purchasing an additional 3,903 shares in the last quarter. Cascade Investment Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Altria Group in the 4th quarter worth about $1,156,000. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its stake in Altria Group by 28.5% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 127,560 shares of the companys stock worth $5,692,000 after buying an additional 28,273 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.38% of the companys stock.

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Altria Group Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE MO traded down $0.49 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $43.04. The stock had a trading volume of 1,486,505 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,706,098. The company has a market capitalization of $76.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.43, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.59. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $40.35 and a 1-year high of $51.57. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $44.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $45.56.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

Altria Group ( NYSE:MO Get Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 1st. The company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.31. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.43 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 225.61% and a net margin of 27.40%. The companys revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.26 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 4.99 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 15th were issued a dividend of $0.94 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.74%. Altria Groups payout ratio is currently 98.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on MO shares. Citigroup decreased 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 raised Altria Group from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $46.00.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on MO

Altria Group Company Profile

(Free Report)

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company provides cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; cigars and pipe tobacco principally under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco products and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; and on! oral nicotine pouches.

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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).

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Former president Donald Trump was indicted again on Monday, for the fourth time in four months. This time, the indictment was handed up by a grand jury in Georgia, which gave the green light to bring charges against the Republican and 18 members of his staff on a total of 41 counts related to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in that state, which the former president lost by less than 12,000 votes. The current presidential candidate has been charged with thirteen counts, including violating Georgias anti-racketeering law, as well as conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree.

Among those charged in the 98-page indictment alongside Trump are some of his top aides, including his former chief of staff Mark Meadows and his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani. Also included is Jeffrey Clark, a Justice Department official who was involved in attempts to manipulate the voting results. Attorneys John Eastman and Kenneth Chesebro, authors of a scheme to use fake electors to vote for Trump in the state, have also been indicted, as well as his campaign advisor Mike Roman.

All of them are accused, among other things, of racketeering, in violation of Georgias law against organized crime with the illegal goal of allowing Donald Trump to thief the presidential term of office beginning on January 20, 2021, according to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. During a press conference late Monday night, Willis said that her goal is for the trial against the former president to begin within six months. The prosecutor said the defendants have until no later than noon on Friday, Aug. 25 to voluntarily surrender.

Trump and the other defendants charged in this indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump, the indictment document reads. Mondays indictment adds to a long list of charges stemming from three other criminal cases  all of which will play out during his 2024 presidential campaign.

The charges  the most extensive so far among Trumps other pending criminal cases  are the result of an investigation led by Willis, a Democrat, that lasted two and a half years. The prosecutor opened the investigation after a recorded phone call between Trump and Georgias then-Secretary of State of Georgia, Brad Raffensperger, also a Republican, was made public. In the January 2, 2021, call, then-president Trump pressures Raffensperger to find him 11,780 votes, one more than those won by Biden in the state.

Willis investigation also led her to examine illegal access to the computer systems of electronic voting machines in a rural county, and a scheme to use false voters in favor of the Republican candidate.

The former president was quick to react. Shortly after the grand jury delivered its verdict, but before the content of the charges was made public, he posted on his social network, Truth Social, a statement in which he lashed out against Willis, as he has previously done against those who have brought charges against him in other cases. Radical Democrat District Attorney Fani Willis is a rabid partisan who is campaigning and fundraising on a platform of prosecuting President Trump through these bogus indictments, the statement said. Ripping a page from crooked Joe Bidens playbook, Willis has strategically stalled her investigation to try and maximally interfere with the 2024 presidential race, Trump added.

The Georgia indictment follows three others: the first one came in March, when a New York prosecutor accused him of falsifying business records in connection with payments to allegedly buy the silence of porn actress Stormy Daniels over an extramarital affair, which Trump denies. The second came in June, in Miami, where Special Counsel Jack Smith charged him with 37 counts of illegally possessing classified material after leaving the White House. Finally, in August, Smith charged him again, this time in the most serious case of the four: the former presidents alleged efforts to alter the results of the 2020 elections.

Stacks of boxes of classified documents that Trump allegedly stored in a bathroom and shower at Mar-a-Lago after leaving the White House. HANDOUT (AFP)

The Georgia case is linked to special counsel Smiths federal case, but is limited to efforts to reverse the results of the state on election night. Specifically, in Fulton County. There, the electorate voted for then-Democratic candidate Joe Biden  the winner of the election  albeit only by a slim majority of 11,779 votes. In the January 2, 2021, call, Trump is heard saying: I just want to find 11,780 votes.

The data you have is wrong

In the recorded conversation, the then-outgoing president  he had 18 days left in the White House  pleads, praises, insists and warns Raffensperger, always under the assertion he has maintained since his electoral defeat: that he was the real winner, and the official data is the result of a huge hoax. The Georgia official did not agree; he knew that Bidens victory had been legitimate. The data you have is wrong, Raffensperger replied to Trump during the phone call.

The now presidential hopeful maintains that he only made a perfect phone call of protest when he called Raffensperger, as he stated this Monday on Truth Social. Much like he did with his previous three indictments, Trump has once again claimed that he is the victim of a conspiracy against him put together by the Democratic Party and the media to prevent him from returning to the White House, and painted himself as the champion of ordinary Republicans. Why wasnt this fake case brought 2.5 years ago? Election intereference! he added on social media.

In addition to the phone call to Raffensperger, Willis also investigated an early January 2021 voting system breach in Coffee County, Georgia, as well as a plot to use bogus voters in an attempt to capture votes in that swing state, which at the time was shaping up to determine the national outcome of the election as well as key in defeating Biden.

False conspiracies

While at first glance the case appears more limited than, for example, the one led by special counsel Smith into efforts to overturn the 2020 national election, an indictment in Georgia could lead to additional legal complications for the former president. Trump has hinted that, should he become president again, he would acquit himself to put an end to his criminal cases. Or he could appoint a like-minded person to head the Justice Department who would shelve the federal indictments. But since the Georgia indictment is a state case  not a federal one  he could do neither.

Not only would he not be able to pardon himself, but the pardon process in Georgia means Gov. (Brian) Kemp would not be able to pardon him either. Theres a pardon board. So its a more complicated process, former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti told CNN on Saturday. He also would not be able to shut down the investigation in the same way.

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Every second month, during the afternoon of its second Saturday, musician Cheng Yu dresses in traditional Chinese attire and takes a guqin and pipa to a special gathering she started in London 20 years ago.

Cheng is a pipa and guqin virtuoso who trained at Xi'an Conservatory of Music in the 1980s before playing the pipa at the China National Traditional Orchestra. She later studied for her master's and doctoral degrees in ethnomusicology at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, or SOAS, in the 1990s.

She has been active ever since in educating people and performing Chinese music in the United Kingdom.

To Cheng, sharing and promoting Chinese traditional instruments and music to Westerners brings her the utmost joy and fulfillment.

"This is something that I enjoy doing," Cheng said. "It enables them to appreciate a culture that is very unique and different from theirs."

The gathering Cheng initiated, called yaji in Chinese, is a tradition among the Chinese literati that goes back more than 1,000 years, to when ancient scholars and artists first got together to drink tea, write poems, appreciate art, and enjoy music.

The bi-monthly yaji in London is now organized by the London Youlan Qin Society and focuses on traditional Chinese music, with attendees playing various pieces of music on Chinese instruments, including the guqin, pipa, and flute, and with musicians sharing their understanding of the music.

Elegant Gatherings

The guqin, or qin, a seven-stringed Chinese zither, is one of China's oldest instruments, with a history dating back some 3,000 years. In 2003, UNESCO proclaimed China's ancient guqin music a masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity.

Over the years, the yaji gatherings in London have drawn professional musicians, scholars, office workers, and amateur appreciators of Chinese culture, among others, with attendees coming from all over the United Kingdom, and sometimes from other countries in Europe.

"In 2003, I established the London Youlan Qin Society and invited a guqin master, Gong Yi from Shanghai, to teach classes and give concerts in London, and since then, we have been holding yaji on various themes. It is like an informal salon in the West that provides a forum for guqin and Chinese music lovers to perform, and discuss music as well as its associated philosophical and cultural aspects," Cheng said.

In early July, the society marked its 20th anniversary with the 124th yaji gathering in the Djam Lecture Theatre at SOAS.

Charlie Thomas, who traveled from Birmingham to London for the gathering as he had five times before, said: "It's not just Chinese people who come. I met a German lady who also liked guqin and I started talking with her. People here are so welcoming, and they have different backgrounds but share similar interests in guqin."

Thomas has studied guqin with Cheng for about a year.

"Compared with violin, the sound of guqin is very meditative and more calming," he said, adding that playing the guqin helped him calm down and solved a sleeping problem he had.

Guqin, go, calligraphy, and painting were regarded in ancient China as the four arts that a person must study to become a learned scholar, because they cultivate one's mind and disposition in different aspects.

Musical Roots

Born into a musical family in Beijing, Cheng first studied the pipa, the Chinese plucked lute, with her father at age 7, and she then got to study with guqin master Li Xiangting when she was at the Xi'an Conservatory of Music.

"My father is a pipa master, and I still remember receiving the pipa on my 7th birthday as a gift," said Cheng."My grandfather plays guqin, so I was interested in learning both."

In 1987, Cheng graduated with distinction in pipa and guqin performance before playing in the China National Traditional Orchestra in Beijing. She moved to London in 1990 and studied ethnomusicology at SOAS, and later taught both the guqin and pipa at the school.

In the early 2000s, Cheng conducted research to recreate the five-string pipa, which was lost in the 8th century in China, with the current pipa only having four strings. The work won her major awards from Women in Music, the Arts Council of England, and the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

Throughout the years, Cheng has always been active in performing at various concerts and on special occasions and in collaborating with musicians from different genres and countries. She also co-founded UK Chinese Ensemble, which performs throughout the UK and Europe, in occasions such as the Chinese Spring Festival when tens of thousands of people gather at Trafalgar Square to watch the annual grand show.

Blending Genres

Cheng's most recent collaboration was with Manchester's Psappha Ensemble in its 'Composing for 'project early this year, during which six young composers worked with Cheng to create new compositions for the pipa. The six pieces were released on July 28.

"I felt very proud that I was the only woman musician in this year's project, and the pipa is the only non-Western instrument. It's a challenging and exciting experience for me,"Cheng said.

"During workshops, I explained the features of pipa, and showed the composers how it is played, and worked with them to create music that combines elements of contemporary and classical, Chinese and Western."

Currently, Cheng has been busy preparing for the 2023 London International Chinese Music Festival, which is scheduled to take place from Aug 20 to Aug 27 and that will combine a series of concerts, academic exchanges, and a summer school on traditional Chinese musical instruments.

"Three decades flew by since I first came to London, and I have taught hundreds of students  a lot of them were foreigners who show great appreciation toward Chinese civilization," Cheng said.

"I enjoy what I am doing. I simply feel the joy when watching them progress in their skills and understanding of Chinese music."

Pipa and guqin virtuoso Cheng Yu. [China Daily]

Cheng and the Silk Breeze ensemble perform her composition Dream Butterfly on a five-stringed pipa at East London's Rich Mix Theatre in August 2021. [China Daily]

UK Chinese Ensemble members pose in front of London's Tower Bridge after a performance in 2022. [China Daily]

(Source: China Daily)
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. &&
KYODO NEWS - Aug 15, 2023 - 20:36 | All, Japan

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday sent a ritual offering to the Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo, seen by some as a symbol of Japan's past militarism, as the nation marked the 78th anniversary of the end of World War II.

In another development, economic security minister Sanae Takaichi visited the Shinto shrine, marking the fourth consecutive year that a Cabinet member has offered prayers at Yasukuni on the anniversary of Japan's surrender in the war.

Kishida sent the "masakaki" offering to the shrine which has long been a source of diplomatic tension with China and South Korea. The prime minister, who heads a dovish faction within the conservative ruling Liberal Democratic Party, eschewed an in-person visit as he has done previously.

He paid for the offering personally under the title of leader of the LDP, a ruling lawmaker said. Instead of visiting Yasukuni, Kishida laid flowers at the nearby Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery.

The Yasukuni shrine honors the souls of the country's more than 2.4 million war dead, but Japanese wartime leaders convicted as war criminals in a post-World War II international tribunal are also enshrined there.

Among high-ranking politicians, LDP policy chief Koichi Hagiuda paid his respects at Yasukuni, as well as a cross-party group of lawmakers that visit regularly.

Takaichi, known for her hawkish views on security matters, told reporters after visiting the shrine that she offered her condolences to those who lost their lives "for a national policy."

Responding to Kishida's tribute and the visit by other lawmakers to the shrine, the South Korean Foreign Ministry expressed "deep disappointment and regret" as it said in a statement the shrine "glorifies Japan's past wars of aggression and enshrines war criminals."

While bilateral ties have been improving, with Seoul announcing a solution to a long-standing dispute over wartime labor compensation earlier this year, the ministry said it called on "responsible figures in Japan to face history squarely and to demonstrate humble reflection and genuine remorse for the past."

Beijing on Tuesday made a serious representation to Tokyo over the moves by Kishida and Takaichi.

"Japanese politicians' negative performance regarding the shrine once again reflects Japan's wrong attitude toward history," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a press conference.

Wang stressed that facing up to and reflecting on its own history of aggression is a prerequisite for Japan to restore and develop normal relations with its Asian neighbors.

"We urge Japan to draw lessons from the history, stick to the path of peaceful development and take concrete actions to make a clean break with militarism, and avoid further losing the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community," he added.

Past visits to the shrine by prime ministers, such as the assassinated Shinzo Abe, and other lawmakers have drawn sharp criticism from China and South Korea, where memories of Japanese militarism before and during the war run deep.

Japan invaded a vast swath of China before the end of World War II and ruled the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945.

In December 2013, Abe, who was known as a security hawk, paid a visit to the shrine, angering Beijing and Seoul, while the United States, Tokyo's key security ally, said it was "disappointed" by Abe's actions because the move exacerbated "tensions with Japan's neighbors."

With the apparent aim of avoiding confrontation, recent prime ministers have sent offerings to the shrine for its biannual festivals during the spring and fall, as well as for the anniversary of the 1945 end of World War II.

Relations between Tokyo and Beijing have frayed recently, with China strongly opposing Japan's plan to release treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean from the Fukushima nuclear power plant, crippled by a devastating earthquake and ensuing tsunami in 2011.

In 1978, Yasukuni added 14 Class-A war criminals, including wartime Prime Minister Gen. Hideki Tojo, to the enshrined deities, stirring controversy at home and abroad. Tojo was executed by hanging for crimes against peace.
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. &&
KYODO NEWS - Aug 16, 2023 - 04:09 | All, Japan, World

The United States believes a summit to be held this week with Japan and South Korea will mark a "new era" of their trilateral cooperation, with the leaders set to agree on ways to "further institutionalize" the framework seen as vital for peace and stability beyond Asia, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday.

Following an online meeting with Japanese and South Korean foreign ministers to prepare for the summit on Friday, Blinken said at a press conference that the steps will include regularizing various high-level meetings. He called Japan and South Korea "core allies" of the United States, not just in the Indo-Pacific region "but around the world."

He stressed that Biden is hosting a "historic" summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, pointing out it will be the first time since 2015 for foreign leaders to visit the U.S. presidential retreat of Camp David near Washington.

After the summit, the three leaders are scheduled to release a joint statement and a separate document outlining the principles of the trilateral cooperation, according to officials.

During the online meeting, Blinken and his Japanese and South Korean counterparts, Yoshimasa Hayashi and Park Jin, agreed that cooperation among the three countries has become even more important, not just in their response to North Korea but also for the sake of peace and stability in the world and for a free and open Indo-Pacific, according to Japan's Foreign Ministry.

Unlike past meetings of the three countries, the upcoming summit will be a standalone event rather than a meeting organized on the sidelines of an international gathering.

Aiming for a more intimate setting than the White House, Biden has chosen Camp David as its venue and will host foreign leaders at the rustic retreat for the first time since taking office in 2021.

Biden, as well as Blinken, has strongly welcomed the marked improvement in relations between Japan and South Korea after years of bitter disagreements over wartime history.

Biden, Kishida and Yoon are seeking to expand the scope of cooperation beyond the issue of North Korea, which has repeatedly test-fired ballistic missiles in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

According to Blinken, the leaders will discuss other shared priorities such as economic security, emerging technologies, humanitarian assistance and development programs.

It is almost certain they will also discuss the situation surrounding the Taiwan Strait as China has been intensifying its military activities, as well as Russia's war in Ukraine, said the officials, who are involved in preparations for the one-day summit.

But given that South Korea has reservations about openly taking a resolute stance toward China, the officials said, their joint statement may stop short of a direct reference to the world's second-largest economy, which continues to engage in intense geopolitical competition with the United States.
Junior doctors completed the last of four consecutive days of strikes Mondaythe latest in a series of industrial actions ongoing since March. The World Socialist Web Site spoke with doctors on the picket lines in London and Leeds.

Ellie, a junior doctor at Kings College Hospital in London explained, The strike is about pay restoration to stop us losing doctors. Doctors are struggling to pay the bills, to just live. There is a newer generation of doctors with massive student loans to pay off. The cost of living is rising. Weve got lots of fees that are inherent to the profession: indemnity fees, exams every year, GMC [General Medical Council] fees. They amount to upwards of 3,000 a year. I dont think people realise how we are struggling to make ends meet.

Junior doctors on the picket line at King's College Hospital, London, August 14, 2023

This Conservative government advocates for a free-market economy and whats happening at the moment is doctors leaving for where pay is better. Ive lost count of the number of people I went to university with who have gone to Australia and New Zealand and are probably going to stay there. That used to be a thing that you did for a year, and then youd come back. But people are staying, and I dont blame them.

A lot of people are doing two or three doctors jobs. Even the General Medical Council, our regulatory body, have come out and said that they are concerned because the amount of GMC registrations is going down every year. I think it was about 10,000 last year, a huge concern.

You end up having responsibility that is overwhelming. During the pandemic people were putting their lives at risk. In any other industry where you put your life at risk, your familys lives at risk, you get compensation. People have got to the point now where they cant carry on. Some are leaving the profession altogether. A couple of friends of mine have quit to open a cafe. Its such a waste of training.

Speaking about the pandemic, Ellie told our reporters, It was a really hard time. I did put my life at risk, I did repeatedly catch COVID, I did repeatedly get asked to work with sub-standard protective equipment and have a lot of responsibility when Id only just graduated. And we were then rewarded with another pay cut.

Ive had colleagues who have passed away, or been really unwell, and colleagues who are still illhave had to stop working because theyre still unwell from COVID. Either mentally or physically. Its a stark contrast when you know the government were out partying and we were swimming in a sea of COVID signing death certificates. Its baffling that there hasnt been more outrage about that.

Describing the impact on the health system, she said, We know that there were excess deaths in the pandemic, compared to other countries with similar healthcare systems. We know there are excess deaths in the UK now. I think its like a planeload of people every week, 400 odd deaths a week, that could have been prevented but werent due to the strains on the service.

Thats definitely part of why people leave. Its hard to begin every patient interaction with an apology. The abuse of NHS [National Health Service] staff is at an all-time high, both verbal and physical. Patients are frustrated, understandably so. Waiting lists are at an all-time high.

It is a system that has run on good will for so long, from doctors and nurses and cleaners and porters that have stayed that little bit longer once or twice a week. I didnt mind staying an hour late once a week, or whateverand that was part of the job before. But then it gets to a stage where you cant do your job and people wont be okay unless you stay an extra three hours a day every day, because half your colleagues have left.

I think its really quite worrying the amount of work the private sector is taking on. Its not regulated in the same way. I can definitely see a point in the future where the NHS wont be the safe option for people and that really, really worries me.

At Leeds General Infirmary (LGI), the WSWS spoke to Victoria, who is working as a supernumerary on a paediatric ward where I am supervised by registrars and senior house doctors. I am learning to take bloods and write up discharge summaries.

Striking junior doctors at Leeds General Infirmary, August 11, 2023

I feel pessimistic because of the negative reporting in the media. If we dont get a pay increase of more than six percent a lot of doctors will just emigrate. There will be a real problem. I think it will take something like the offer made to Scottish junior doctors to resolve the dispute. Our pay needs to be in line with medical practitioners in other countries.

James explained he had just begun working as a trainee general practitioner (GP) in Leeds. He had previously worked in Liverpool for four years.

He said, We need to keep pushing. The pay issue is obviously part of it. But theres so many things that arent being covered at the moment like retention of staff. Were losing so many peoples jobs. And whilst the pay is getting a lot of publicity, because its an easy thing to highlight, you cant really put a number on how many people were losing.

Ten or 15 years ago we used to be the place that people wanted to come and work in. It feels like things have been made worse in a calculated manner.

I think this dispute represents a very, very wide issue. Its about the state of the NHS. It feels like were at a very big fork in the road, that the path of least resistance would lead to more privatisation. It is a fundamental issue, the possible dismantlement of the NHS. We cant allow that to happen.

Rashida and Emena are both starting their first year of foundation training after graduation from medical school. Rashida is based in St James Hospital in Leeds while Emema is in general surgery at Harrogate Hospital.

Rashida and Emena on the LGI picket line

Rashida said, Its disappointing the government seem unwilling to get around the table and discuss pay and improved pay. I think we have come at it from a very reasonable angle. We are asking for pay restoration for what doctors were paid in 2008 [in real terms].

Were not worth 26 percent less now than we were in 2008. So, I think its disappointing that they seem reluctant to offer more than a 6 percent pay rise. I think were worth more than 14 an hour. Some of the hours Ive had this week, are not worth 14. I would rather have paid not to have worked them rather than be paid 14.

Emena said, I really dont know what would get the government to compromise. I think were doing what we can to keep the biggest leverage of strike action. I think were so united and I don't think its going to stop on our part.
A recent investigative report by the Detroit News has exposed the conditions which existed in Michigan nursing homes in April and May of 2020, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The investigation made use of 1,200 pages of reports detailing 167 complaints related to staffing and COVID-19 from 67 nursing homes.

The complaints, which are not public records, were filed with Michigans Bureau of Community and Health Systems (BCHS), which is part of the states Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). While the Detroit News requested these records in 2020, the state only released them this year, two years and eight months later.

The records expose what healthcare workers, as well as patients and their family members, experienced in nursing homes at the hands of the capitalist profit system.

The elderly residents and patients at these facilities represent one of the most vulnerable sections of society. The state sees them not as people, but as a financial burden which it would be best to reduce. It is vital to keep this fact in sight when contemplating the snapshot of the horrifying and callous conditions revealed in these complaints.

Phyllis Hotchkiss talks to her son, Glen Hotchkiss, at her nursing home in Adrian, Michigan. [AP Photo/Carlos Osorio]

Among the facilities which received the highest number of complaints were the Rivergate complex in Riverview, consisting of Rivergate Terrace and Rivergate Health Care Center, and Villa at Parkridge in Ypsilanti. The two facilities making up the Rivergate complex received 15 complaints, of which state investigators substantiated eight. Villa at Parkridge received the same number of complaints, of which ten were substantiated.

The complaints against Villa at Parkridge show the experiences of patients and their family members. On April 18, 2020, a woman whose mother had been quarantined with a fever in March filed a complaint. The family had heard nothing from March 30 to April 8, when a nurse called to say that her mother had been transferred to a hospital for trouble breathing. At the hospital, she tested positive for COVID-19, and doctors discovered an infected bed sore that had exposed bone.

Two separate complaints from April 24 show that this case of neglect was not an isolated incident. One patient reported that she was not being regularly cleaned, while the wife of another said that her spouse had to wait for more than an hour after requesting help.

State investigators were able to substantiate all these complaints. In May 2020, investigators revealed that Villa at Parkridge had failed to properly clean and disinfect resident rooms, placing all 108 residents and staff at risk for contracting COVID-19.

The complaints also show that the neglect of patients was not caused by the workers at these facilities. Rather, they show the desperate circumstances in which the staff found themselves during the pandemic.

At the Rivergate complex, a March 20, 2020 complaint reported that workers did not have personal protective equipment (PPE), had no designated area to isolate infected patients, and the facility was pressuring workers to sign documents promising not to disclose what was happening. Another complaint from April 9 by a registered nurse alleged that 100 out of 168 patients at Rivergate Terrace had the coronavirus. Seven workers, the nurse continued, had been infected and hospitalized.

I am reporting it because it is shameful and wrong to watch people die because of lack of supplies or proper PPE or greed or proper clean technique [sic] or whatever the hell went wrong and continues to go wrong there, but it needs to end. People are literally dying there every shift.

A separate April 9, 2020 complaint by an employee the Rivergate Health Center reported that seven or eight residents had died from COVID-19 over a four-day period, and that 11 employees had tested positive. The employee stated, The management keeps claiming that we dont have positive cases, but they also havent tested them either.

At a nursing home in Orion Township, Michigan, called Villa at Silverbell Estates, an unidentified employee described the conditions which prevailed there in a complaint filed April 23, 2020. [I]t is a disaster here. Management is not involved and seem clueless as to what they are doing here to prevent the spread of covid-19. We have had many deaths here in a short time.

The employee went on to say that the facility was not properly quarantining patients who had tested positive for COVID-19. We have not been trained on this virus or given any updates. This building is placing our residents and staff at risk. Staff is being placed on all the units and management is attempting to keep the same staff where they have been working.

The complainant concludes by begging the BCHS to intervene. Please can you help. I am so afraid of the risks I take every day I come to work. I thought our facility is to protect us and our residents but they are not.

This cry for help directed at state authorities fell on deaf ears. Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer and her administration left the residents and workers at the mercy of the nursing homes. Her April 15, 2020 executive order left it up to the owners or managers of the facilities to create isolation units and forced them to accept COVID-19 patients released from hospitals.

Later, in May, Whitmer issued another executive order that mandated nursing homes make a reasonable effort to create units to isolate patients with COVID-19. However, the evidence from these complaints makes clear that the Whitmer administration knew by then that placing the onus on nursing homes would be a deadly failure.

The full extent of the damage done by the administrations policy may never be known. However, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services estimates that 5,500 nursing home residents died from the beginning of the pandemic to now.

The nursing homes themselves must not escape blame for their role in these deplorable conditions and deaths. All the nursing homes mentioned are privately owned, for-profit facilities. The two facilities in the Rivergate complex are owned by Life Care Centers of America, a Tennessee-based company with 200 nursing homes in 27 states. According to Forbes, the company had $3 billion in income in 2020, while leaving staff and patients on their own to fight against COVID-19.

Villa at Parkridge, whose financial information is not available, has a reputation for major violations of state regulations. According to inspection reports on Pro Publica, the facility received over $348,000 in fines from July 21, 2020, to February 1, 2022. Medicare.gov does not currently have a rating for the facility due to a history of serious quality issues. Having received 87 complaints resulting in a citation in the last three years, the facility is being inspected more often and may be terminated from Medicare and Medicaid.

As for Villa at Silverbell Estates, its reputation is not much better. Inspection reports from Pro Publica show that inspectors have logged 58 deficiencies at the facility between February 5, 2019, and March 30, 2022. Over the period from August 17, 2020, to March 30, 2022, the facility was fined over $65,000 for violations. Medicare.gov shows a health inspection rating of 2 stars out of 5, with 51 complaints over the last three years resulting in a citation.

The facts show that the Whitmer administration presided over a policy it knew would lead to mass deaths amongst nursing home residents. In comments to the Detroit News after its investigation was published, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel described what happened as tragic and unfortunate. It was in fact an example of the ruling class policy of malign neglect, deliberately leaving nursing home residents and workers to the mercy of the owners in order to protect corporate profit.
The resignation of Amira Mohamed Ali as co-chair of the Left Partys faction in the Bundestag (federal parliament) brings a possible split and the formation of a new party under the leadership of Sahra Wagenknecht much closer. Mohamed Ali is part of the Left Partys leadership, which consists of two party and two parliamentary group leaders.

Amira Mohamed Ali [Photo by Martin Heinlein / Die Linke / CC BY 2.0

At the beginning of last week, Mohamed Ali announced she would not run again in the election of the new parliamentary party co-chairs on September 4. The reason she gave was irreconcilable political differences. It had become impossible for her  to support and represent the line of the party, above all the party leadership, in public. The unanimous call by the party executive on June 10 for Sahra Wagenknecht to resign her parliamentary mandate, saying that she no longer had a future in the Left Party, was the final straw, she said.

The conflict between Wagenknecht and the party leadership has been simmering for a long time. For months, there has been talk of founding a new party. However, Wagenknecht has not yet committed herself. One reason is likely to be that if three or more MPs leave the party, the Left Party faction loses its parliamentary group status, resulting in the loss of large financial contributions and up to 70 staff.

However, Wagenknecht wants to decide by the end of the year at the latest. The new party would then be able to participate in the 2024 European elections and state elections in the eastern German states of Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg, where Wagenknecht has high approval ratings. Mohamed Alis open attack on the party leadership is a signal that a split will soon occur.

Two right wings

The dispute between the party executive and the Wagenknecht camp is a struggle between two wings that are responding to mounting class tensions by rapidly moving to the right.

On the one hand, the party executive is based on politicians who bear government responsibility at state and local levels andlike the Thuringia state Prime Minister Bodo Rameloware no different from corresponding Social Democrat (SPD), Green or Christian Democrat (CDU) politicians. They organise social cuts, beef up the police, deport refugees, support the federal governments pro-war policy and promote arms deliveries to Ukraine.

Another pillar of the party executive are pseudo-left politicians wholike the two party leaders Janine Wissler and Martin Schirdewanfocus on gender and identity politics and court the well-heeled clientele of the Greens. They also support the German governments pro-war course and arms deliveries to Ukraine.

As a result of these right-wing, anti-working class policies, voters and Left Party members are running away in droves. Having received just under 12 percent of the vote in the 2009 Bundestag elections, it failed to clear the 5 percent hurdle in 2021 and only returned to the Bundestag thanks to winning three direct mandates. In the meantime, it has only achieved 4 percent in the polls. In its eastern-German strongholds, where the Left Party was at times the strongest party, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) now occupies the top spot. The Left Party is now only in fourth or fifth place.

Party membership fell from 78,000 to 54,000 between 2009 and 2022, and is now likely to be even lower. According to Andreas Grunwald, a Left Party official in Hamburg, 10,000 members have left since the 2021 Bundestag elections.

The Wagenknecht wing is reacting to this bloodletting by adopting the policies of the AfD more and more openly.

Wagenknecht, who holds a doctorate in economics, was spokesperson for the Stalinist Communist Platform in the Left Partys predecessor, the PDS, in the 1990s. She disposed of the works of Karl Marx two decades ago and replaced them with the writings of the ordoliberal economists of the post-war Adenauer era. The terms socialism and communism no longer appear in their vocabulary.

Wagenknecht infuses her capitalist economic ideology with a large dose of nationalist poison. In 2021, she published The Self-Righteous, a volkisch-nationalist tirade against cosmopolitanism and cultural openness, for protectionism and a strong state. In it, she denounces immigrants and refugees as depressing wages, strike-breakers and elements alien to the culture.

Wagenknecht tries to present herself as the advocate of the little people against the wealthy urban middle classes, against left liberals and lifestyle leftists. In her resignation letter, Mohamed Ali also accuses the party executive of not formulating a fundamental no to the wrong course of the [federal] coalition [government]  which does nothing against child poverty, against wages that are not enough to live on, against poverty pensions. But this is hollow social demagogy.

Wagenknecht and her supporters have always gone along with and supported the anti-working class policies of the Left Party. When Mohamed Ali first took on a public function for the party, it had been involved in state governments for 17 years and pursued a strict austerity course. In Berlin, the SPD-Left Party Senate (state executive) had even left the municipal employers association in order to be able to significantly reduce public sector salaries and lay off tens of thousands.

After her election as parliamentary party leader four years ago, Mohamed Ali herself had declared that she could imagine a coalition with the SPD and the Greens in the federal government. It is about bringing about tangible improvements in the lives of the vast majority of the population. If that is possible with the SPD and the Greens, I am of course in favour, she told the Freie Presse at the time.

Wagenknecht and Mohamed Ali also do not fundamentally reject the massive rearmament of the Bundeswehr (Armed Forces) and NATOs aggressive war course against Russia, another disagreement with the party leadership.

Wagenknechts criticism of the Ukraine war is not directed against German militarism, but against its dependence on the USA. If Germany rearms for its own interests, she is for it.

In his latest book, her mentor and husband Oskar Lafontaine calls for the liberation of Europe from the military tutelage of the USA through an independent European security and defence policy and a joint defence alliance between Germany and France. At the Berlin peace demonstration of February 25, 2023, which Wagenknecht organised together with the feminist Alice Schwarzer, the main speaker was retired Brigadier General Erich Vad, an ardent militarist.

After her resignation, Mohamed Ali justified her rejection of economic sanctions against Russia on Deutschlandfunk radio by saying that they primarily harmed Germany. If it were the case that these energy sanctions had led to Russia having difficulties in continuing this war, I would have a different position there.

The Wagenknecht camp is alarmed that the Left Party is no longer able to buffer the growing social opposition and serve as a fig leaf and lightning rod for the federal and state governments. It is therefore trying to channel the discontent into a dead end with a mixture of social demagogy and reactionary nationalism.

Wagenknecht and AfD

Wagenknechts new party project enjoys great support among the ruling class. She is regularly invited onto the most important talk shows. Her books are hyped as bestsellers, making her one of the best-earning members of the Bundestag; since the Bundestag elections two years ago, she has reported a side income of almost 800,000. Major media outlets such as Der Spiegel and The Pioneer regularly devote extensive cover stories to her.

This propaganda reaches the peak of cynicism when Wagenknechts right-wing project is portrayed as an attempt to pull the rug from under the AfD. In an editorial on August 9, Der Spiegel explicitly called on Wagenknecht to finally found a new party: Do it, Ms Wagenknecht! In justification, it said: For the Left Party, a split under Wagenknechts leadership would be a serious setback. For democracy, it could be good news.

With Wagenknechts new party, a Left Alternative could grow up in the East to collect the disenchanted and disengaged, author Severin Weiland continues. Some who are currently considering voting for the AfD with a guilty conscience would possibly vote with a clear conscience for a left-wing package with partly similar content.  A weakening of the AfD, especially in the East, would be a gain for the democratic stability of the Republic.

The conservative Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung expresses a similar opinion. Under the headline Possible Wagenknecht party: danger also for the AfD, it says: A Wagenknecht party would not only poach [voters] in East German left-wing strongholds, but also from the voter reservoir of the AfD, which is largely right-wing extremist. Programmatically, populist Wagenknecht offers an attractive mix of classic left-wing social policy and a restrictive national course on the immigration and refugee issues for ideologically unaffiliated protest and non-voters.

Mohamed Ali also argues in this direction when she accuses the party leadership of increasingly driving the Left Party into political irrelevance because it fails to reach the people for whom a left-wing party should above all make policy. This included AfD voters who can still be won back.

In reality, a Wagenknecht party that combines right-wing and nationalist positions with social demagogy would strengthen the most reactionary forces. It would even be able to ally itself with the AfD. Syriza, the Greek sister party of the Left Party, has already demonstrated this when, after its election victory eight years ago, it formed a coalition with the far-right Independent Greeks and realised the dictates of the international banks.

This is the reason why many media outlets hail Wagenknechts project. In the face of increasing international class strugglesthe pension protests in France, the strike wave in the USA, the collective bargaining disputes at Deutsche Bahn, etc.the ruling class rely on fascist forces to intimidate and suppress resistance.

That is why they are rolling out the red carpet for the fascist Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Berlin, Brussels and Washington. In Germany, they court AfD representatives and elect them to high parliamentary offices. The only reason the establishment parties (still) shy away from accepting them into government is because they fear a public outcry. The diversions via a Wagenknecht party should remedy this.

There is only one way to fight the AfD and the fascist danger. The building of an international, socialist movement of the working class that combines resistance to social cuts, layoffs and social inequality with the struggle against war, fascism and their cause, capitalism. This is what the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality Party) and the International Committee of the Fourth International stand for.
On Monday, New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced that the government was ending the requirement for people with COVID-19 to isolate at home for seven days, and to wear masks in hospitals and other healthcare settings. Subsidies for COVID-related sick leave have been removed.

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins. [AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File]

These were the last remaining mitigation measures to slow the spread of the potentially deadly and debilitating coronavirus. In late 2021, the Labour Party government ended its zero-COVID policy, which used border quarantine and temporary lockdowns to eliminate the virus from the community.

Schools and businesses were fully reopened and mask and vaccine mandates lifted in 2022, as the government adopted the same homicidal profits-over-lives agenda that has now killed around 25 million people worldwide.

By July 2022 New Zealand was leading the world in per capita weekly COVID-19 infections and deaths. The countrys total COVID-19 death toll surged from about 30 in October 2021among the lowest in the worldto 3,249 according to the Ministry of Healths latest figures.

The real number is probably higher: another 140 deaths are unconfirmed but likely due to COVID. There are 1,385 more people who died within four weeks of testing positive for COVID, but the Ministry asserts that these were not caused by the virus. New Zealands all-cause mortality increased by 10 percent in 2022, with 3,642 more deaths than 2021.

At a press conference, Hipkins and Health Minister Ayesha Verrall did not hide their enthusiasm for ditching all measures to reduce the spread of COVID, with the prime minister saying he had longed for this particular day.

The event was almost like an election rally. With voting scheduled for October 14, Labour is running a right-wing campaign with pledges to boost spending on the military, tougher law-and-order measures, and now the complete evisceration of COVID-19 protections.

Verrall declared: While our case numbers will continue to fluctuate, we have not seen the dramatic peaks that characterised COVID-19 rates last year. This, paired with the populations immunity levels, means Cabinet and I am advised were positioned to safely remove the remaining COVID-19 requirements.

Hipkins and Verrall did not mention the fact that every week dozens of people are dying from COVID-19 and hospitalisations are rising. Another 29 deaths were added last week and 171 people were in hospital with the virus on Sunday nightup from 116 in hospital two weeks earlier.

They remained silent on the current surge in COVID-19 infections and hospital admissions in the US, Britain and across the northern hemisphere, fuelled in part by the new and even more infectious EG.5 or Eris variant. New Zealand will inevitably be hit by a similar surge.

Notwithstanding Verralls statements, immunity from vaccination, while it can decrease the severity of COVID cases, is not enough to stop the spread of the virus. Nor does it prevent Long COVID, which can be potentially debilitating. The risk of developing Long COVID, a condition that affects the brain, heart and lungs, increases with every repeat infection.

The governments pretence of being guided by health advice is farcical.

Microbiologist Dr Siouxsie Wiles, a former advisor to the governments pandemic response, wrote on Twitter: Gutted by todays news that masking in healthcare settings and mandatory isolation are [gone].

Writing in the Post, she pointed out that immuno-compromised people would be at significant risk from the removal of restrictions. Drawing attention to the danger posed by Eris, Wiles noted: In the last month, Ireland has seen a five-fold increase in the number of outbreaks in hospitals and nursing and care homesfrom five to 30and a six-fold increase in the number of people in hospital with Covidfrom 63 to 378.

Epidemiologists Nick Wilson and Michael Bakerboth former government advisorsalso criticised the announcement. Wilson told Stuff: The government is so keen to pretend its all over, despite people dying daily in hospital. Its not trivial.

Baker pointed out to Radio NZ that COVID is still, in New Zealand, amongst the infectious diseases, the leading cause of death and hospitalisation.

Kelvin Ward, the urgent care physician who began a health workers petition in March 2020 calling for a lockdown, wrote on Twitter: I am dumbfounded. How on earth do you expect healthcare workers to continue to want to work in an increasingly stressed healthcare system, when your government makes a conscious choice not to limit transmission of an infection that causes death, morbidity and long term disability which WILL increasingly put more and more stress on the health system.

Ward added: This decision shows disdain for the vulnerable and the marginalised. The death of public health and collective responsibility.

On the other hand, according to Stuff, business groups such as the Canterbury Employers Chamber of Commerce welcomed the end of self-isolation: Chamber boss Leann Watson said the leave requirements had added extra cost to business owners and exacerbated workforce pressures.

As far as the business elite and the government are concerned, people with COVID-19 should be compelled to go to work where they can infect others, otherwise profits will suffer. Last year it was revealed that government officials deliberately sought to reduce COVID testing because positive test results would take people out of the available workforce.

The Labour government has always been guided first and foremost by the needs of big business. The initial lockdown in March-April 2020, which reduced cases to zero, was imposed by then Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern because the government was afraid of mass action by thousands of healthcare workers and others demanding a scientific public health response to protect lives. These demands emerged outside of the unions, which opposed lockdowns.

As soon as it was able to, the government began lifting restrictions and forcing workers back to work and children back to school. This could not have been done without the assistance of the trade unions, which act as a police force for the working class and have not lifted a finger to stop the infection of millions of people by COVID-19.

The working class cannot continue to tolerate endless deaths and severe illnesses from COVID-19. New Zealand and other countries, including China and Australia, proved early in the pandemic that COVID can be eliminated. The fight for elimination today, however, requires the mobilisation of the working class, independent of the pro-capitalist trade unions.

The Socialist Equality Group calls on workers to contact us to discuss how to form rank-and-file safety committees in schools, hospitals and other workplaces to fight to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The funding needed for a comprehensive, scientific public health response must be obtained from the banks and the business elite, which have made enormous profits during the pandemic.
Forty years ago, in the last days of July 1983, Sinhala chauvinist thugs backed by the United National Party (UNP) government and security forces unleashed a pogrom against Tamils in Colombo and other areas of Sri Lanka. It triggered the 26-year communal war by successive governments against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Burned out Tamil businesses in the Pettha area of downtown Colombo, Sri Lanka on Aug. 1, 1983. More than 1,000 businesses and homes of Tamil's were destroyed in the racial riots. [AP Photo/JLR]

The war took hundreds of thousands of livesTamil, Sinhala and Muslimand devastated the living conditions of many more, mainly of the Tamil minority in the north and east of the island. The conflict came to a bloody end in May 2009 with the military crushing of the LTTE and the slaughter of tens of thousands of Tamil civilians.

The protracted civil war contains important strategic lessons for the working class in Sri Lanka and internationally. Though the war ended 14 years ago, the political issues that led to the conflict have not been resolved and continue to fester.

The carnage carried out against Tamils 40 years ago was triggered by the death of 13 Sri Lankan soldiers who were killed by the LTTE in an ambush on July 23, 1983. With the approval of the government, the military brought the bodies to Colombo the same day, furnishing the pretext for the anti-Tamil violence.

Well-organised thugs armed with guns, explosives, axes, knives and sticks, and provided with electoral lists, targeted Tamil homes and businesses. The gangs acted with the full backing of the UNP government of President J.R. Jayawardene. Some ministers were implicated in organising and directing the attacks. The armed forces and police either participated directly in the violence, or turned a blind eye.

Officially, the number killed was 300, but the real figure is at least a thousand. Hundreds of Tamil women were raped. More than 250,000 people were displaced. In Colombos Welikada jail, 52 Tamil prisoners were massacred with the connivance of prison officials. Thousands of homes and shops owned by Tamils were burned and destroyed.

President Jayawardene appeared on national TV on July 28 and justified the communal pogroms. Because of the violence by the terrorists, the Sinhalese people themselves have reacted, Jayawardene stated. He declared that the government had decided to proscribe organisations advocating the division of the country, adding that this is the only way to appease the natural desire and request of the Sinhala people.

On August 4, the government enacted the sixth constitutional amendment banning political parties that did not take an oath of allegiance to the unitary state from entering parliament or local government bodies. Every state employee was ordered to take a similar oath on pain of dismissal.

The North and East were formally declared war zones and strategies for military operations in these provinces were drawn up and initiated by army commander Major General Tissa Weeratunga.

The 1983 anti-Tamil pogrom did not come out of the blue. Confronted with widespread opposition among workers to its open market policies, the Jayawardene government resorted to the reactionary stock-in-trade of the Colombo political establishmentthe whipping up of anti-Tamil chauvinism and violence to divide the working class.

Sri Lanka was one of the first countries in the world to end the policy of national economic regulation and import substitution and adopt a free market program. Amid a deep economic crisis, the Jayawardene government that came to power in 1977 devalued the rupee and began to shut down or privatise state-owned enterprises, slash spending on essential social services and cut back price subsidies on basic food items such as rice and flour.

The consequences for workers and the urban and rural poor were devastating and provoked a growing number of strikes and protests. In July 1980, public sector workers launched a general strike, demanding a 300-rupee wage hike, to which the government responded by sacking 100,000 employees. The strike was ultimately crushed after the main working-class partiesthe Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP), the Stalinist Communist Party (CP) and the centrist Nava Sama Samaja Party (NSSP)refused to wage a political struggle to bring down the UNP government.

To counter the widespread opposition, Jayawardene escalated the anti-Tamil campaign that had already led to violent attacks throughout the island, including on Tamil workers in the plantation districts. More than 100 had been killed and nearly 100,000 had been forced to flee their homes.

In June 1981, thugs mobilised from Colombo, with the support of security forces and the police, went on a rampage in the northern town of Jaffna, setting fire to the Jaffna Public Library, which had stored valuable books, including irreplaceable manuscripts. Then came the July 1983 pogrom and the war.

The Jayawardene governments resort to anti-Tamil chauvinism can be traced to the foundations of the Sri Lankan state, formed after formal independence from British colonial rule in 1948. The ruling class had faced the development of class struggles in the final years of British rule following World War II, particularly by plantation workers, including general strikes in 1946 and 1947.

One of the first actions of the UNP government that took power in 1948 was to abolish the citizenship and voting rights of hundreds of thousands of Tamil workers brought from India as indentured labour to work in the plantations. The aim was to divide the working class on ethnic lines and weaken it.

However, the Trotskyists of the Bolshevik-Leninist Party of India (BLPI), the Ceylonese section of the Fourth International, which had played a leading role in the general strikes, opposed the Citizenship Act and fought tenaciously for the unity of the working class.

Colvin R de Silva [Photo: Wikipedia]

In the parliamentary debate, BLPI leader Colvin R de Silva condemned the dangerous fascistic principle on which the Act was based, namely that the state must be coeval with the nation and the nation with the race. He warned that though the Tamils in the North and East had not been targeted by the Act, it was not only a short but easy step, once the racialist principle was adopted as the basis for the Sri Lankan state.

The warning was rapidly confirmed. In 1953, the UNP government was brought to its knees by a profound economic and political crisis that had provoked a nation-wide hartalstrikes and business closuresthat united working people across communal lines.

The response of the ruling class was to turn to the newly formed Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), which came to power in 1956 on the basis of an openly Sinhala-chauvinist program dressed up with socialistic phrase-mongering. The SLFP-led government implemented its policy of making Sinhala the countrys only official language, severely disadvantaging Tamils, including many public servants who lost their jobs.

The roots of the civil war that erupted in 1983 lie not simply in the anti-Tamil chauvinism in which the Colombo ruling class is mired, but in the liquidation of the BLPI into the centrist LSSP in 1950 and the LSSPs subsequent political backsliding and adaptation to Sinhala populism and the SLFP. In 1964, the LSSP completely abandoned any adherence to socialist internationalism and joined the bourgeois SLFP-led government of Prime Minister Sirima Bandaranaike.

The LSSPs great betrayal was aided and abetted by the revisionist tendency within the Fourth International led by Michel Pablo and Ernest Mandel that rejected the revolutionary role of the working class and sought to subordinate it to the Stalinist bureaucracy in the USSR, social democratic parties and bourgeois nationalist forces like the SLFP in countries such as Sri Lanka. The International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) was formed in 1953 in a break from the Pabloites to defend genuine Trotskyism.

The LSSPs betrayal generated great confusion and disorientation within the working class. It opened the door for various petty-bourgeois radical groups based on communal politics. In the south, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) was formed in 1966 on an eclectic mixture of Maoism, Castroism and Sinhala populism and gained a base among oppressed rural youth.

In 1972, the SLFP-LSSP-CP coalition government brought in a new constitution, drawn up by attorney-general and LSSP leader Colvin R de Silva, that formally enshrined Buddhism as the state religion, along with the Sinhala-only language policy. It also enacted discriminatory measures against Tamils in public sector employment and for university entrance.

Tamil youth in the north deserted the traditional Tamil bourgeois parties in droves and embraced various Tamil groups including the LTTE that advocated the armed struggle for a separate Tamil state.

A group of youth who had opposed the LSSPs betrayal formed the Revolutionary Communist League (RCL), the predecessor of the Socialist Equality Party, in 1968, as the Sri Lankan section of the ICFI.

RCL General Secretary Keerthi Balasuriya addressing an RCL meeting in early 1970. Tragically, Comrade Balasuriya died in 1987 at the age of just 39.

The RCL alone championed the program of socialist internationalism, opposed all forms of communal politics and fought for the unity of the working classSinhala, Tamil and Muslim. When conflict finally erupted in 1983, the RCL was the only party that consistently opposed the war, defended the democratic rights of Tamils and demanded the unconditional withdrawal of the Sri Lankan army from the North and East.

The 26-year war is an indictment against the Sri Lankan ruling class and a confirmation of Leon Trotskys Theory of Permanent Revolution. Trotsky demonstrated that the bourgeoisie in countries of belated capitalist development are organically incapable of meeting the democratic and social aspirations of the masses. That task falls to the working class as part of the struggle for a workers and peasants government to implement socialist politics and the fight for socialism internationally.

The war also graphically exposed the LTTEs separatist policy that sought to carve out a separate state of Eelam in the North and East of the island with the support of India. Despite its various socialistic phrases, the LTTEs call for a separate state represented the interests of the Tamil bourgeoisie that sought an arena to profiteer from the exploitation of Tamil workers.

The LTTEs promotion of illusions in the Indian bourgeoisie was exposed in July 1987 when the Indian government reached an agreementthe Indo-Lanka Accordto bail out the crisis-ridden Jayawardene regime. The LTTE backed the Accord under which India sent peace-keeping troops into northern Sri Lanka to disarm Tamil armed groups on the promise of limited provincial autonomy. The Accord allowed Jayawardene to send his army to crush the rural unrest in the south.

The LTTEs support for the Accord reflected deeper processes internationally that were undermining so-called national liberation movements. The globalisation of production in the 1980s had undermined all programs based on national economic regulation, most clearly revealed in the collapse of the Stalinist regimes in Eastern Europe and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The LTTE increasingly dropped its socialist window dressing and anti-imperialist rhetoric and turned to the major powers to assist in setting up a separate state where foreign capital could exploit cheap Tamil labour.

As part of the broader discussion in the ICFI, the RCL, which had advocated the right of self-determination for the Tamil people, as a means of unifying Tamil and Sinhala workers, concluded that the slogan no longer had any progressive content. While continuing to demand the immediate withdrawal of Sri Lankan armed forces from the North and East, our party advanced the call for a Sri Lanka-Eelam Socialist Republic as part of a Union of Socialist Republics in South Asia and internationally.

While the communal war dragged on until 2009, the LTTEs separatist perspective resulted in its increasing isolation. It blamed the Sinhala masses for the crimes of the Sri Lankan military and attacked innocent Sinhalese people, which only strengthened the hand of the Colombo government. In the North and East, the LTTE increasingly alienated Tamil working people through its oppressive and anti-democratic rule.

The LTTEs defeat was not just a military catastrophe but demonstrated the bankruptcy of its political program. As the Sri Lankan military closed in for the kill, the LTTE was incapable of appealing to the working class in Sri Lanka, let alone India and internationally, for support. Instead, it continued to issue futile appeals to the international communitythat is, to major powers such as the US and India which had been backing Colombos war politically and militarily.

None of the issues of the protracted civil war have been resolved. The Sri Lankan army maintains its heavy-handed occupation of the North and East, the basic democratic rights of Tamils continue to be trampled on, and, amid an unprecedented economic crisis, communal tensions are again being whipped up.

The government of President Ranil Wickremesinghe is implementing harsh austerity measures dictated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It is facing widespread opposition and unrest among workers and the rural massesSinhala and Tamil alike. In a desperate attempt to stabilise his government, Wickremesinghe is seeking the support of bourgeois Tamil parliamentary parties by offering greater power-sharing for provincial councils.

Anti-Tamil communalism has immediately raised its ugly head in Colombo. Sinhala chauvinist groups have already launched a campaign denouncing Wickremesinghe for preparing to divide the country by giving more power to the Tamils.

In early August, the former army chief of staff, Lieutenant General Jagath Dias, addressed a Sinhala chauvinist gathering at a Buddhist centre in Colombo, where he claimed that a plan is underway to help establish Eelam by constitutional means. The Island, which reported the meeting and is notorious for boosting Sinhala chauvinist groups, declared that Dias would spearhead a campaign against greater provincial autonomy.

Another Sinhala extremist group, the National Freedom Front, has accused Wickremesinghe of seeking the Indianisation of the country through its economic agreements with New Delhi. Sagara Kariyawasam, secretary of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), on which Wickremesinghe relies for parliamentary support, has warned the president against prioritising discussions on more powers to provincial councils.

The whole history of Sri Lanka, particularly the brutal civil war that devastated the island, constitutes a sharp warning to the working class that its class interests for decent, well-paid jobs, social services and living conditions cannot be met through divisive communal politics. Instead, what is desperately needed is a unified struggle of workers, mobilising the downtrodden rural toilers, against the capitalist system and all its defenders, including the trade unions.

The Socialist Equality Party calls on workers to form their own democratically elected action committees, independent of all capitalist parties, in every workplace and rural area to fight for their basic democratic and social rights. We are campaigning for a Democratic and Socialist Congress of Workers and Rural Masses based on the representatives of the action committees to take up the fight for a workers and peasants government to abolish all forms of communal discrimination, repressive laws and to implement socialist policies.
In flagrant violation of the press freedom guaranteed by the First Amendment to the US Constitution, the entire five-member Marion, Kansas, police department, assisted by two deputy sheriffs, raided both the office of the local newspaper, the Marion County Record, and the home of its owners on Friday morning, seizing computers, cell phones and other electronics essential to publication.

98-year-old Joan Meyer, whose husband began writing for the paper in 1948, began working for the paper a decade later. Her family purchased the paper 25 years ago to keep ownership local. Meyer told the Wichita Eagle after the police left, These are Hitler tactics, and something has to be done.

Sadly, Joan Meyer suddenly passed away the next afternoon in the home in which she had lived for more than 70 years. That evening, the Marion County Record website reported on the searches and explained that Joan Meyer died because she was stressed beyond her limits and overwhelmed by hours of shock and grief.

A tribute to the late Marion County Record co-owner Joan Meyer sits outside the newspaper's office, Monday, August 14, 2023, in Marion, Kansas. Meyer died Saturday, August 12, a day after local police raided the home she shares with her son Eric Meyer, editor and publisher of the newspaper, and the company's offices. [AP Photo/John Hanna]

In a video published by the Associated Press, Eric Meyer, Joan Meyers son and the papers co-owner, denounced the officers Gestapo tactics from World War II, while pledging to maintain weekly Wednesday publication and to pursue a civil-rights action.

The city of Marion is located in the Great Plains, about 60 miles north of Wichita, with a population less than 2,000. Marion County as a whole has less than 12,000 residents. The Marion County Record has seven employees and a circulation of 4,000. It declares itself to be independent and aggressive in reporting on local issues.

The search was initially linked to a dispute involving a local restaurant owner, Kari Newell, whose liquor license by the City Council was put in jeopardy by a revelation, not reported in the newspaper, that she had been convicted of drunk driving and subsequently failed to have her drivers license restored.

On August 2, Newell asked Police Chief Gideon Cody to remove Eric Meyer and another Marion County Record reporter from an event she was hosting at her restaurant for US Representative Jake LaTurner, a rising Republican right-winger. LaTurner was one of the 139 House members who voted in favor of bogus objections to Biden electors that took place on January 6 and 7, 2021, after the fascists were cleared out of the Capitol, and the Congressional Joint Session reconvened. One week later, LaTurner was among the 197 House members to vote against Trumps impeachment for instigating the January 6 insurrection.

Cody, who personally led the searches, produced a warrant that refers to searching and seizing evidence of alleged identity theft. As of this writing, no affidavit of probable cause setting forth the factual basis for the warrant has been made public. The allegation is believed to be related to the newspapers use of public websites to confirm Newells criminal conviction and failure to reinstate her drivers license, information the paper never published.

The full story has yet to emerge, but Eric Meyer has confirmed that the paper received reports that before he was hired last spring to head the Marion Police Department, Cody had been forced to retire as a captain in Kansas City, Missouri, due to sexual misconduct allegations. Those reports, which the paper had not published, were contained on the computers that were seized.

I may be paranoid that this has anything to do with it, but when people come and seize your computer, you tend to be a little paranoid, Meyer said in an interview with The Handbasket substack.

Regardless of its motive, on its face, the search appears to have violated the Privacy Protection Act of 1980, which was passed into law to overturn the Supreme Court decision in Zurcher v. Stanford Daily that held media outlets equally subject to search warrants. Subject to narrow exceptions, none of which appears to apply here, law enforcement officers must use subpoenas, court orders that list materials be turned over, rather than search warrants.

On Sunday, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press sent Chief Cody a letter denouncing the raid with 36 signatories, including virtually all major US media outlets.

Newsroom searches and seizures are among the most intrusive actions law enforcement can take with respect to the free press, and the most potentially suppressive of free speech by the press and the public, according to the statement.
Kurt Campbell, currently the Indo-Pacific coordinator in US President Joseph Bidens National Security Council, used an interview in the Australian yesterday to declare that the AUKUS military pact between the US, UK and Australian governments elevated Australia to the top of the list of US allies. Australia was now in the most rarefied air of Americas closest partners.

US National Security Council Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell with South Koreas deputy national security director, Kim Tae-hyo in the background, July 18, 2023. [AP Photo/Kim Hong-Ji]

Campbells comments, given to Greg Sheridan, the Murdoch newspapers militarist, pro-US international editor, are a blunt statement of how extensively the Australian political and military elite has tied the countrys population to preparations for a potentially catastrophic US-led war against China. They are also a warning against any deviation from that commitment in the face of rising anti-war sentiment, especially among workers and youth.

There is widespread public outrage over the Albanese Labor governments allocation of up to $368 billion for the purchase or manufacture of nuclear-powered attack submarines designed for use against Chinaand unknown billons more for hypersonic missiles and other weaponry. That has been exacerbated by Labors escalating agreements for the basing of US military forces and stockpiling of long-range missiles, making Australia a crucial platform for an assault on China.

To underscore the significance of Campbells remarks, Sheridan described him as Bidens Asia tsar, having been assistant secretary for East Asia in Barack Obamas first administration. He was also Australias best friend in Washington and effective at the heart of power now for decades.

Campbell declared: AUKUS is a fundamental statement about the future, about confidence to remain strategically aligned and intertwined for decades. He added: Its not an exaggeration to say that AUKUS has fundamentally shifted and accelerated the very course of the US-Australian alliance.

This is another indicator of how far the Labor government, working hand-in-glove with the Biden administration, has intensified the integration of Australias military and, increasingly, its economy, into the war drive against China, as well as against Russia in Ukraine.

Campbell was an architect, along with Hillary Clinton, of the Obama administrations pivot to the Asia-Pacific, to deploy 60 percent of US military forces and refocus Washingtons entire geo-strategic orientation to the region to confront China as the main threat to the global hegemony asserted by the US after World War II. That pivot was formally unveiled by Obama on the floor of the Australian parliament in 2011, courtesy of the Gillard Labor government, which also signed up to the rotational basing of US Marines in the strategic northern city of Darwin.

Since narrowly scraping into office in May 2022, Albaneses government has gone far further, and well beyond what the Liberal-National Coalition government did between 2013 and 2022.

Campbell emphasised the shift being made by the US to prepare for war against China. The US is in the process of a long-term reorientation of its military investments more towards long-range capabilities relevant to the vast Indo-Pacific than capabilities more geared to the military challenges of the Middle East and South Asia. This is a massive endeavour that will place substantial demands on the navy and air power.

Bidens Asia tsar insisted that this realignment required a larger determination by the US and its allies to prevail in the strategic competition across the region. That is in line with the demands coming from Washington for the Labor government to further increase its military spending and undertakings to the US for frontline involvement in a war against China.

Campbell particularly singled out the South Pacific, where the US, in partnership with Australia, New Zealand and other friends, must step up its game. The Albanese government has willingly acted as a regional bully, warning island states such as Solomon Islands against links with China, but more is being demanded by Washington.

Outlining what he regarded as US successes in its anti-China partnerships, Campbell listed AUKUS alongside the Quad alliance with Japan, India and Australia, enhanced defence spending and strike agreements for Tomahawk (missiles) with Japan, enhanced cyber partnerships around the region, renewed security partnerships with the Philippines, strong and unprecedented Indo-Pacific support for Ukraine and, perhaps most importantly, the unambiguous step-up in technology and defence partnership with India.

Clearly, however, AUKUS ranked as the among the most important pacts in this rarefied air of close support for the US.

Reinforcing Campbells message, Sheridan wrote: As with the Second World War, our security rests on US leadership. Both he and Campbell presented AUKUS as an agreement to prevent a war with China by building deterrence. This was AUKUSs single purpose, Sheridan claimed.

That is false. As with all war preparations, for political and ideological purposes they are depicted as defensive. In reality, the US military build-up is part of an aggressive campaign of tightening economic sanctions, diplomatic provocationsespecially over Taiwanmilitary encirclement and ever-larger military exercises to goad the Chinese regime into a disastrous conflict, in a similar fashion to that triggered by the US and NATO against Russia.

Along with Campbell, Sheridan also interviewed another participant in the Australian American Leadership Dialogue (AALD), an annual closed-door event just held in Canberra. Obsequiously, Sheridan hailed Hawaii-based Marine Lieutenant General Stephen Sklenka, the deputy commander of US forces in the Indo-Pacific, as an intellectual and a soldier.

Sklenka made two points. One was that Australian geography was important in World War II and geography doesnt change. In other words, just as Australia became a crucial base for the war against Japan, it had to serve that function again against China.

Sklenkas second missive was: The survival of the force requires the dispersal of the force. That is, the survival of US forces in a war against Chinaalmost certainly fought with nuclear weaponsdepended on Australia.

The general gave some idea of US-Australian military integration already underway. US-Australia military co-operation is always growing, always increasing, he said. The interoperability and collaborative actions of our forces are increasing. On exercises theyre almost extensions of each other.

If these remarks are being made public, no doubt much more was discussed confidentially at the AALD gathering. It brings together Australian and American leaders from government, enterprise, media, education and the community to help review and refine the parameters of the Australian-American bilateral relationship, according to the AALD website.

Another AALD participant, US Republican Mike Gallagher, the chair of a congressional committee on China, last week circulated his AALD dinner speech to the media. In it, he called for a crash program of long-range missile production in Australia and greater investment in Australias logistical infrastructure, pre-positioned fuel and material and enhanced basing.

Kurt Campbells interview yesterday is far from his first such political intervention. In July, he told a public seminar in Washington on the strategic and military implications of AUKUS of his fear that not very many years ago, Australia flirted with a different kind of orientation with China.

Australian Financial Review international editor James Curran commented: Coming from the chief American architect of AUKUS and the author of the Obama-era US pivot to Asia, the comments reveal anxiety among some US officials that such drift might reoccur.

In 2010, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was removed and replaced by Julia Gillard via an inner-Labor Party coup orchestrated by US informants. Rudd, while a loyal supporter of the US alliance, had suggested that the Obama White House should accommodate Chinas rise somewhat to avoid war.

That was totally unacceptable to the Obama administration as it prepared to launch the pivot to Asiaan all-sided confrontation with China. Today, there is absolutely no doubt about the Albanese governments unconditional alignment behind US war planning. But there is fear in ruling circles of the growing anti-war sentiment.

Media polls indicate that hostility to the war plans has strengthened as the Labor government has ramped them up. The latest poll, conducted earlier this year by Essential Research, reported 90 percent support for the proposition that the prime minister must get approval from parliament before making a decision to go to war.

Last week, nevertheless, the Albanese government rejected any suggestion of parliamentary approval, insisting that unfettered war powers must stay in the hands of the prime minister and the cabinets national security committee.

Such media polling is only a distorted expression of the anti-war feeling. As proven by historical experience, the parliamentary establishment will not oppose war. It is part of the capitalist state apparatus, dominated by the parties that defend the profit interests of the Australian ruling class, which depend heavily on US backing.

There is only one way to stop the danger of a third world war and a nuclear cataclysm. That is the development of a unified mass movement of the working class, in Australia, the US, China and internationally, against all the governments involvedincluding those of Biden and Albaneseand the capitalist profit system itself, the source of war.
The World Health Organizations (WHO) weekly update on the global COVID-19 pandemic found that in the last four weeks, there was an 80 percent rise in infections with 1.5 million new COVID-19 cases reported.

Most of these cases come from South Korea, which is an outlier, not so much in the intensity of the pandemic, as in collecting and reporting statistics on it. The WHO cautions, Currently, reported cases do not accurately represent infection rates due to the reduction in testing and reporting globally. During this 28-day period, 44 percent of countries reported at least one case to WHOa proportion that has been declining since mid-2022.

In effect, the WHO is suggesting that the 56 percent of countries not reporting any cases are simply not bothering to count COVID infections, while those reporting small numbers are only going through the motions.

According to the international public health agency, global cumulative cases reported to the WHO are approaching 770 million. COVID deaths are approaching seven million. However, including excess deaths over the number expected based on historical trends, a more accurate figure, particularly for countries with poorly functioning health reporting, the accepted estimate stands at a catastrophic 24.6 million deaths or 3.5 times the official figures.

The disparity may be even greater: when one compares todays figures to those from one year ago, while there have been a little more than half a million COVID deaths officially reported worldwide, there have been 4.2 million excess deaths, or a difference that is more than eight-fold higher.

Since last month, even though reported COVID deaths have fallen as low as seven per day, excess deaths have nearly doubled, with more than 11,400 per day. The ludicrous disparity in these figures only underscores the tremendous efforts made by every government across the globe to hide the damning reality from their populations.

During the August 9 WHO coronavirus press brief, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted that since the agency officially ended the emergency phase of the COVID pandemic, only 25 percent of countries and territories have reported death numbers to the WHO and only 11 percent have reported hospitalization and ICU admission figures, which are currently on the rise as the summer COVID wave is surging throughout the northern hemisphere.

World Health Organization Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (center) declaring the coronavirus pandemic a Public Health emergency of International Concern in March 2020. [Photo: Fabrice Coffrini]

He said, WHO continues to assess the risk of COVID-19 to the global public as high. The virus continues to circulate in all countries, continues to kill and continues to change. On the emergence of the latest variant of interest, EG.5 (accounting for 17 percent of all global cases), and other highly mutated strains, he cautioned, The risk remains of a more dangerous variant emerging that could cause a sudden increase in cases and deaths  Today, on the advice of the [review] committee, I am issuing standing recommendations for countries in seven major areas. These recommendations reinforce the advice that the WHO has provided to countries in its COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan published in May.

These recommendations include tracking and testing for COVID-19 in the population, implementing measures to reduce the risk of transmission, collaborating with national public health agencies to track new strains, reporting on vaccine effectiveness, and conducting critical research in understanding the causes of and treatment for post-viral syndromes. Additionally, the WHO has called for reporting trends in infection rates, severity of disease and deaths. Most importantly, they call for the equitable distribution of vaccines and access to proven treatments in light of the ongoing pandemic though they are careful not to use that term.

Dr. Ghebreyesus added, We recognize that many people in governments think of it as a thing of the past. So, why are these recommendations still important? For those who lost someone they loved, for those who continue to be at risk for severe disease or death, for those who suffer from post-COVID-19 conditions or Long COVID, for those COVID-19 is still a daily threat and a daily trauma.

This is essentially every person on the planet, yet they are being told that COVID has ended, and they should pay no attention to the threat these ominous statistics pose and pay little mind to why they have developed a horrible cold in the summer or suffer the lingering symptoms of severe fatigue and disorientation.

The WHOs present warnings now stand as an indictment of their decision in May to end the public health emergency, knowing this was simply giving the green light every capitalist government needed to end their pretense of protecting their population from the virus.

Estimated infections per day in the United States, from the beginning of the pandemic. [Photo by Biobot Analytics]

In the United States, to ensure people forget about COVID, the Biden administration and Congress have systematically ended all public spending on testing and vaccinations, which means that a person will have to spend $11 on average for each at-home rapid COVID-19 test and fork over $110 to $130 for the latest COVID vaccines when they are barely able to stay afloat economically.

According to wastewater data from Biobot Analytics, which has become the main source for tracking COVID, the surge that began in mid-June has continued nationwide, with a massive rise in new cases that commenced in the latter half of July.

Across the country, wastewater levels of SARS-CoV-2 are up 2.5 times from their June lows. And more recently, hospitalizations and ICU admissions have been climbing, providing confirmation of the data from wastewater levels. Similar findings from Italy and the UK provide further evidence of the dangers of ignoring the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Graph from Biobot shows the wastewater data on COVID infections for the four regions of the United States. [Photo by Biobot Analytics]

Meanwhile, even as some in local governments in the United States and in the corporate press have begun to acknowledge that the summer surge is well underway, they downplay these observations by minimizing the threat these infections pose to the population.

A major danger is that the current wave is intersecting with the return to K-12 schools and universities by tens of millions of children, youth and young adults. A recent report published in Journal of the American Medical Association found that more than 70 percent of household COVID-19 transmissions originated with a child after they attended in-person school.

As the authors noted, Once US schools reopened in fall 2020, children contributed more to inferred within-household transmission when they were in school, and less during summer and winter breaks, a pattern consistent for two consecutive school years. This means that the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is estimated to infect around a half a million new people per day, could very well find human fuel to skyrocket even higher, with the added risk of viral evolution finding newer mechanisms to evade immunity and grow more transmissible.

School officials are seeking to dispel the fully justified fears raised in many communities as school reopening gets underway. Los Angeles Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, for example, has openly urged students to return even if they are sick, claiming their mental health would be better addressed if they attended school, regardless of the threat they posed to other students, teachers and the community as a whole.

Attempting to calm skeptical parents, Carvalho said during a press conference last Friday, I understand the surprise of some parents, but we have always been informed as a school system by the expert voices of medical entities. Times have changed. Conditions have changed and the recommendations of protocols have shifted as well.

A report in Fortune found that across the country student absenteeism has been on the rise at record rates. Many of these students cite illness, economic distress, and a hostile school environment that is a byproduct of school staffing shortages, and a general sense of community anxiety and depression where schools feel like unwelcome places.

On top of the social crisis that has impacted schools through chronic underfunding and low wages for teachers and ancillary staff, the impact of infection and reinfection on the well-being of youth is a major negative. In a Lancet study published in July, the researchers found that cognitive deficits following SARS-CoV-2 infection were detectable almost two years afterwards in a subset of the people they were studying.

Among children and youth with Long COVID, severe sleep disturbances, extreme fatigue from exercise, difficulty remembering things, inability to find the right words or work with math and numbers were common. They also complained of persistent ringing in their ears, absent-mindedness, chest pain and feeling pain in their joints.

A recent population study from Australia in highly vaccinated people found that one in five respondents reported Long COVID symptoms three months after a confirmed Omicron infection. Another study by researchers from the National Institute of Health (NIH) said that POTS [Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome], a condition that leads to rapid heart rate, dizziness, weakness and cognitive impairment when sitting up or standing, can appear six to eight months after a COVID-19 infection.

The ending of the pandemic was motivated by political decisions based solely on the economic interests of the ruling elites. Not only is the COVID pandemic continuing at a dangerous pace, raising the specter of a virus evolving to evade every vaccine and treatment available in the anemic arsenals of the health care system, but it is also spawning a chronic mass disabling event on which the public health agencies and entire political apparatus have turned their backs.
KYODO NEWS - Aug 15, 2023 - 13:03 | World, All, Japan

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday South Korea and Japan are partners who share universal values and have common interests, as he spoke at a ceremony to commemorate the end of Japanese colonial rule 78 years ago.

Yoon also reiterated the importance of trilateral security cooperation with Japan and the United States amid continued nuclear and missile threats from North Korea, in the speech delivered on Liberation Day.

"As partners that cooperate on security and the economy, South Korea and Japan will be able to jointly contribute to peace and prosperity across the globe while collaborating and exchanging in a future-oriented manner," Yoon said at the ceremony in Seoul.

After becoming president in May 2022, Yoon has been taking steps to improve ties with Japan, such as by establishing a government-backed compensation fund for former wartime laborers who had sued Japanese companies, which was announced in early March.

Under the administration of Yoon's predecessor, Moon Jae In, Japan-South Korea relations deteriorated to the lowest point in decades due largely to the dispute over the wartime labor compensation issue.

But Yoon has been working to restore relations with Japan, including by traveling to Tokyo in mid-March for the first South Korean presidential visit to Japan in four years. In May, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida went to Seoul to meet Yoon, as part of the resumed reciprocal leaders' visits.

Yoon said in his speech on Tuesday that a summit with Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden scheduled for later this week at Camp David near Washington "will set a new milestone in trilateral cooperation contributing to peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific region."

While emphasizing the three countries' deterrence capabilities against North Korean provocations, Yoon said his government will also continue to work with the international community to encourage Pyongyang to restart dialogue.
Academics and other public figures in Israel and the United States have signed an open letter that is a devastating indictment of the brutal regime imposed on Palestinians in the Occupied Territories and Israel.

The letter marks a turning point in the ongoing mass protests against the efforts of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus government of ultra-nationalists and religious Zionists to neuter the judiciary and grant itself unfettered powers.

Tens of thousands Israelis protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's judicial overhaul plan outside the parliament in Jerusalem, Monday, March 27, 2023. [AP Photo/AP]

Drafted by Jews for Justice, it calls out the failure of the protest leaders to acknowledge The Elephant in the Room. They insist that There cannot be democracy for Jews in Israel as long as Palestinians live under a regime of apartheid, as Israeli legal experts have described it.

More than 1,500, predominantly Jewish, public intellectuals have signed the letter. It offers a concise but devastating account of the situation in Israel and the tasks posed before any genuine struggle against its fascistic government.

The open letter begins by calling attention to the direct link between Israels recent attack on the judiciary and its illegal occupation of millions of Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Palestinian people lack almost all basic rights, including the right to vote and protest. They face constant violence: this year alone, Israeli forces have killed over 190 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza and demolished over 590 structures. Settler vigilantes burn, loot, and kill with impunity.

It draws the essential conclusion, Without equal rights for all, whether in one state, two states, or in some other political framework, there is always a danger of dictatorship. There cannot be democracy for Jews in Israel as long as Palestinians live under a regime of apartheid, as Israeli legal experts have described it. Indeed, the ultimate purpose of the judicial overhaul is to tighten restrictions on Gaza, deprive Palestinians of equal rights both beyond the Green Line and within it, annex more land, and ethnically cleanse all territories under Israeli rule of their Palestinian population.

The letter then makes clear, The problems did not start with the current radical government: Jewish supremacism has been growing for years and was enshrined in law by the 2018 Nation State Law.

Of great significance, the letter notes a growing political divide among Jews in the United States over Israel, depicted partly in generational terms but also rooted in an opposed class response.

As Israel has grown more right-wing and come under the spell of the current governments messianic, homophobic, and misogynistic agenda, young American Jews have grown more and more alienated from it. Meanwhile, American Jewish billionaire funders help support the Israeli far right.

The letter closes with an appeal to the leaders of North American Jewry to support Israels protest movement yet call on it to embrace equality for Jews and Palestinians alike, support human rights organization that defend Palestinians, overhaul educational norms and curricula for Jewish children and youth and demand US leaders help end the occupation, restrict American military aid from being used in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and end Israeli impunity in the UN and other international organizations.

Israeli security forces take positions during clashes with Palestinians following a demonstration against Israel's annual nationalist march through Jerusalem, near the West Bank city of Ramallah, Sunday, May 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed) [AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed]

The letter was written and organized by Omer Bartov, professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Brown University, and Lior Sternfield, an associate professor of History and Jewish studies at Penn State University.

Bartov has compared the rise to power of extremist members of Netanyahus Cabinet like National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to the emergence of fascism in Germany, when once-fringe political movements managed entry into ruling governments and got their hands on the levers of power, as summarized by the Washington Post. I am a historian of the 20th century and dont make analogies lightly, Bartov said, This is the current moment in Israel. Its terrifying to see it happening.

That the letter has achieved so many signatures in such a short time, among them acclaimed historian Benny Morris, professor emeritus at Ben-Gurion University, Peter Beinart from the City University of New York, Nancy Hollander, the lawyer defending two Guantanamo Bay detainees and Chelsea Manning, and Osvaldo Golijov, the well-known Argentinian-Jewish contemporary composer, indicates that the thinking of a significant layer of public intellectuals has been impacted by the daily violence meted out by Israels security forces against the Palestinians and the escalating protest movement against the Netanyahu government.

The letter is a devastating indictment, not only of Netanyahus government, but of its international backers in Washington, London, Berlin and other capitals who have spent years denouncing criticisms of Israels brutal repression of the Palestinians as a form of left anti-Semitism and mounted witch-hunts such as that in Britains Labour Party against Jeremy Corbyn that led to mass expulsions of his supporters with no resistance offered by their leader.

Just last month, the US House of Representatives passed a resolution reaffirming that Israel is not a racist or apartheid state and condemning such remarks as antisemitism. Last week, Germanys antisemitism Czar, Dr. Felix Klein, speaking in an interview with Die Welt in a response to Middle East scholar, Muriel Assenburgwho said that Israel is prima facie committing the crime of apartheid in the occupied territoriesdeclared that using the apartheid framework to discuss Israels treatment of Palestinians is an antisemitic narrative.

The academics have joined Israels legal advocacy group Yesh Din and human rights organization BTselem, the New York-based Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International in making clear the legitimacy of such comparisons regarding a state founded on religious exclusivity, ethnic cleansing and the ongoing repression of the Palestinians, pursuing an expansionist Greater Israel policy and lurching towards dictatorship.

Last Sunday, retired Israeli Major General Amiram Levi told Kan Radio that the Israel Defense Forces were beginning to be complicit in war crimes, committing actions reminiscent of processes that happened in Nazi Germany Walk around Hebron and you will see streets that Arabs cannot walk there. It is painful and unpleasant but it is the reality.

The political impact of the letter is well understood by the supposedly liberal defenders of Zionism in the worlds media. Neither the New York Times, nor the Guardian, has so much as reported on the letter. Indeed, the Washington Post is the only major US or British publication to do so.

The stand taken by these academics is a major public rebuttal of the protest leaders in Israel. Made up of former ministers, generals and security and intelligence chiefs who are no less committed to the expansion of Israels borders at the expense of the Palestinians than Netanyahu, their fear is that the turn to open dictatorship has aroused mass opposition in Israel and internationally that jeopardises the interests of Israels corporate and financial elite. They have spent the past three months seeking to wall off the protests against Netanyahus judicial coup from any criticism of the Occupation. They have flooded protests with Israeli flags and torn down the few Palestinian flags brought by demonstrators, even as protesters shouted slogans comparing their brutal treatment by riot police to recent pogrom style actions on the West Bank.

The letter blows apart the argument advanced by a host of pseudo-left critics of Israel and Zionism to write off the mass protest movement as an essentially inconsequential faction fight between two wings of the Zionist movement. They have consistently and vehemently argued that Jewish workers can never be won to united struggle with the Palestinians because they are loyal to the settler colonial state, which provides them with a supposedly privileged existence. Obscuring the existence of different and opposing classes in such a state, it is a variant of the argument used by such political forces to dismiss the possibility of winning the working class in the advanced capitalist countries to socialism, above all in the United States, because they too supposedly share in the spoils of imperialist domination.

The World Socialist Web Site has from the start maintained that the mass protests have been animated by a growing concern of workers and professional middle-class layers over the far right and extremist settlers efforts to provoke an all-out war against the Palestinians, amid Netanyahus upping of the covert war against Iran and its allies in Syria and Lebanon. This takes place under conditions where Israel is a social and political powder keg and the entire Middle East has been destabilised by the deepening global economic crisis, the pandemic, climate change and US-led plans to escalate the war against Russia in Ukraine and its regional allies, Iran and Syria, with Tel Aviv as its chief attack dog.

These are fundamentally class issues, rooted in a mounting crisis of world imperialism that is driving the working class internationally into struggle. In the process the central myth of Zionismof national unity with all Jews sharing the same interestsis being torn apart.

As the World Socialist Web Site has explained:

There are complex problems in developing a genuine socialist opposition to Netanyahus fascistic agenda. But the working classIsraeli and Palestinian, Jewish, secular, Muslim and Christianis being objectively driven into struggle against the ruling class and its state apparatus.

The conditions are ripening for a successful struggle to win the entire working class, Jewish and Palestinian, to a unified socialist struggle against their common oppressor.

The escalating class struggle throughout the world must be become a conscious political movement for socialism through the building of independent revolutionary parties, sections of the International Committee of the Fourth International, including an Israeli-Palestinian section, to provide the political leadership to overthrow the Zionist state and the Arab bourgeois regimes and build a United Socialist States of the Middle East.
KYODO NEWS - Aug 15, 2023 - 18:28 | All, Japan

Japan on Tuesday marked the 78th anniversary of its surrender in World War II, three months after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pitched his vision of a "world without nuclear weapons" at the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima.

Kishida stated Japan's opposition to war in his speech at the annual ceremony in Tokyo amid lingering fears that Russia might use nuclear weapons in its war in Ukraine.

"Under the banner of proactive contribution to peace, Japan is determined to join forces with the international community and do its utmost to resolve the various challenges facing the world," he said.

The government-sponsored ceremony was held to mourn about 2.3 million military personnel and 800,000 civilians who perished in the war on the Japanese side. Emperor Naruhito also attended the event.

The ceremony was held on a smaller scale for the fourth consecutive year to prevent coronavirus infections. About 1,900 people attended it at the Nippon Budokan arena, compared with 1,000 last year.

The memorial day coincided with a typhoon hitting western and central Japan, meaning relatives of the war dead in affected areas had to cancel traveling to Tokyo due to public transport disruptions.

In the speech, Kishida did not refer to his vision of a nuclear-weapons-free world that he pitched at the G-7 summit in May. The summit was held in his home constituency of Hiroshima, which was devastated by a U.S. atomic bomb in August 1945.

Kishida, a liberal-leaning member of the conservative Liberal Democratic Party, also made no mention of Japan's wartime aggression in Asia, following the recent precedent set by his two immediate predecessors Yoshihide Suga and Shinzo Abe.

Meanwhile, Emperor Naruhito expressed his "deep remorse," as he has done on occasion since ascending the throne in May 2019.

"Reflecting on our past and bearing in mind the feelings of deep remorse, I earnestly hope that the ravages of war will never again be repeated," the emperor said at the ceremony.

Japanese leaders had mentioned the country's aggression and remorse at the ceremony until Abe, who pledged instead that Japan would contribute to world peace. Suga essentially followed the line of Japan's longest-serving premier.

Abe was prime minister for one year from 2006 and then again from 2012 until 2020. He was assassinated by a lone gunman during an election campaign speech in July 2022 after stepping down as prime minister.

A moment of silence was observed at noon for the war dead, including those killed in the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the other city attacked with a U.S. atomic bomb.

Teruo Yokota, the 83-year-old representative of relatives of the war dead, said in a speech, "Wars continue to ravage the world, claiming many precious lives. Our country's role in achieving peace is not small."

With relatives of the war dead who participate in the annual ceremony aging, the government implemented COVID-19 preventive steps such as maintaining an adequate distance between individuals, the welfare ministry said.

"There were people who fought for their lives. I have a renewed sense of appreciation for peace," said Katsuji Yakushiji, who lost his elder brother in Papua New Guinea during the war.

Yakushiji, 78, was among those who visited Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery in the capital where the remains of around 370,000 unidentified soldiers and citizens are interred.

Junichi Natsume, 72, brought his 11-year-old granddaughter Hinako to the cemetery, and said, "I wanted her to see a place to think about the war."

Hinako noted, "There was nothing good for Japan waging the war. I hope the war between Russia and Ukraine ends soon."

Related coverage:

Japan PM Kishida sends offering to Yasukuni shrine on WWII anniv.
KYODO NEWS - Aug 15, 2023 - 17:19 | Arts, Feature, All

Popular South Korean performer DJ Soda has said she felt "shocked and scared" after she was openly groped by audience members during a music event over the weekend in Japan, adding that she had "never ever experienced anything like this" in a decade of performing.

The renowned DJ and model, who has more than 5 million Instagram followers, took to social media platforms to slam unidentified individuals, including a woman, who she said touched and grabbed her breasts when she descended the stage to interact with fans at a music festival in Sennan, Osaka Prefecture.

"I'm so embarrassed and humiliated that I can't believe this incident has happened," she wrote Monday, adding that it will likely "be hard to get close to the fans from the stage" from now on.

DJ Soda, who typically approaches the audience at the end of her set, said she did her best to finish the crowd interaction at the Music Circus festival for the sake of other fans "who liked me and also cried a lot."

TryHard Japan, the organizer of the event, on Tuesday released a statement on its official Instagram account condemning the "criminal acts," saying it intended to seek damages and file complaints against the individuals involved.

"While providing maximum support to DJ Soda, who was victimized, we intend to identify the individuals responsible for this despicable crime and take legal measures, both civil and criminal," the company wrote.

DJ Soda in her posts included photos of fans reaching across security fencing and appearing to touch her arms and chest. In the commotion, she said, it was a woman who grabbed her breasts harder than any of the other festivalgoers.

In response to some users who blamed her for wearing skimpy clothes, DJ Soda said in a follow-up post that "no matter what clothes I wear, sexual harassment and assault cannot be justified."

"My body is mine, not someone else's. I like to wear revealing clothes and I will continue to wear them," she said.
The total value of exports and re-exports of Dubai Chamber of Commerce member companies increased by 7% during the first half (H1) of 2023 to reach AED137.6 billion ($37.3 billion), up from AED129.4 billion in the same period last year.

Meanwhile, Dubai Chamber of Commerces data indicates that the number of new member companies increased by 43% between January and June this year to reach a total of 30,146, up from 21,098 companies in the first half of 2022. This significant growth underlines Dubais attractiveness among both companies and investors, as well as the emirates growing reputation as a leading global business destination.

In addition, the chamber issued 357,000 certificates of origin during H1 2023.

2,402 ATA Carnets

A total of 2,402 ATA Carnets (Passport for Goods) were issued and received for goods and commodities with a value of AED2.5 billion during the six-month period, compared to 2,326 ATA Carnets with a value of AED1.2 billion during H1 2023. This represents a growth in the value of goods and commodities of more than 108%, while the number of ATA Carnets issued and received increased by 3.3%.

Abdul Aziz Abdulla Al Ghurair, Chairman of Dubai Chambers, said: Our impressive results from the first half of this year confirm the success of our unique business model, which is based on three specialised chambers operating under the umbrella of Dubai Chambers.

As Dubais engine of economic growth, our strategic priorities are aligned with the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda, which seeks to further enhance the emirate's position as a leading global centre for business, trade, and investment.

Attracting investments

He added: The significant increase in our new members reflects the chambers commitment to attracting investments, while the growth in the value of our members exports and re-exports underlines the impact of our support for Dubai-based companies seeking to expand into international markets in line with Dubai's drive to boost the value of non-oil foreign trade to AED2 trillion by 2026. We will continue to focus on building an agile and resilient economy based on diversification and innovation that fulfils the vision of Dubais wise leadership.

Other notable achievements during the first half of 2023 included the launch of the Dubai Centre for Family Businesses under the umbrella of Dubai Chambers, which was inaugurated in May by Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, First Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the UAE. The Centre was established with the goal of ensuring the growth and sustainability of family businesses in Dubai and is tasked with developing this vital sector and enhancing its economic contribution to the emirates dynamic future.

The Dubai Centre for Family Businesses activities commenced with the launch of the Governance Series. The initiative encompasses a series of insightful educational sessions focusing on key issues such as laws affecting family businesses and best practices in governance, which play an important role in succession planning.

Dubai Chamber of Commerce reviewed a total of 54 draft laws in cooperation with Business Groups during the first half of the year as part of its efforts to support the interests of the business community, while the number of mediation cases received reached 75.

New milestone

The chamber reached a new milestone when it succeeded in establishing more than 100 Business Groups representing diverse economic sectors in the emirate, with the goal of enhancing the private sector's role in shaping policies and legislation related to Dubais business environment. These bodies also serve to enhance the competitiveness of the sectors covered, which are now supported by a total of 105 dedicated Business Groups.

The chambers Business Advocacy sector arranged over 160 meetings with representatives from Business Groups and Councils to explore challenges and opportunities in specific sectors. In addition, 24 Annual General Assembly events were organised for Business Groups and Councils.

More than 1,300 businesses in Dubai benefited from 12 workshops and events organised, while a series of eight webinars and online training sessions attracted 520 participants. In addition, 82 meetings were held with key stakeholders and partners including the Dubai Health Authority, the Ministry of Education, RTA, Dubai Police, and the Community Development Authority to explore opportunities to serve the business community.

As part of its efforts to achieve its strategic priority of improving the business environment in the emirate, Dubai Chamber of Commerce also launched the Business Sectors Platform, which offers an innovative package of services designed to empower Business Groups and Business Councils and enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of their activities. The new service logged a total of 78 users during its initial phase of operation.

Sustainability

On the sustainability front, Dubai Chambers co-hosted Road to COP28: Driving Collective Climate Action in the UAE in May, an awareness-raising event targeted towards the private sector that aimed to drive engagement and enable participants to gain a deeper understanding of the COP28 agenda. Organised in cooperation with the UN Climate Change High Level Champions, the highly successful event attracted around 700 attendees.

Dubai Chamber of Commerce's Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) organised three Sustainability Knowledge Series events during the first half of 2023, which attracted 408 participants from 310 companies.

Ten companies were awarded the CSR Label, eight companies received the Advanced CSR Label, and 47 companies were presented with SMART CSR Labels.-- TradeArabia News Service
NEW DELHI, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Two policemen, including a junior-level officer, were killed in a rebel attack in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, police said Tuesday.

The policemen were ambushed late Monday night in Tonto-Chaibasa area of West Singhbhum district, about 157 km south of Ranchi, the capital city of Jharkhand.

"Last night, a police party was returning after conducting a search operation against Naxals (rebels). However, the party was ambushed at Tonto resulting in the killing of a sub-inspector and a constable," a police official said.

Reports said the police party fired in retaliation, however, Naxals managed to escape in the forest area.

Additional reinforcements have been rushed to the area to conduct searches to track down the attackers.

New Delhi has deployed several companies of its paramilitary forces to take on Naxals in their strongholds. 
Barbie just got kicked out of Algeria.

The billion-dollar Greta Gerwig film has been pulled from Algerian cinemas after the governments culture ministry requested all screenings cease due to the films alleged promotion of gay themes.

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An official source told Reuters that the film promotes homosexuality and other Western deviances and does not comply with Algerias religious and cultural beliefs.

Private news site 24H Algerie first reported the ban, citing that the Algerian government told local distributor MD Cine and cinema chains that Barbie was being removed for damaging morals.

Warner Bros. declined to comment.

The film has also been banned in Kuwait due to how it promulgate[s] ideas and beliefs that are alien to Kuwaiti society and public order per the BBC (via Reuters). To note, Kuwait recently barred A24 horror film Talk to Me from release due to non-binary star Zoe Terakes.

Barbie additionally has been targeted by the Lebanese Culture Minister Mohammad Mortada who asked the interior ministry to take all necessary measures to ban it as the film promotes homosexuality and transsexuality [and] supports rejecting a fathers guardianship, undermines and ridicules the role of the mother, and questions the necessity of marriage and having a family. Censors are currently reviewing Barbie in Lebanon and the film is not currently programmed in theaters.

Furthermore, Barbie did not open in Vietnam over the Barbie Land map controversy after the films trailer showed what was perceived to be the nine-dash line indicating Chinas territorial claims over the South China Sea. Vietnam denies Chinese sovereignty over the disputed region.

A spokesperson for Warner Bros. said at the time that the map in Barbie Land is a child-like crayon drawing and is not intended to make any type of statement with political repercussions.

Barbie actress Alexandra Shipp previously told Interview magazine that she was bracing for the backlash to the film over queer themes.

Theres the quintessential traditional Barbie and Ken hetero dynamic, but underneath that are so many bubbling, queer double entendres, Shipp said. Its most certainly for everyone because theres no scene, in my opinion, that would be inappropriate for a child to see.

She added, If you cant say gay, stay the fuck out of the theater. I dont want you coming to my movie. I cant speak for anyone else, but as a queer woman who has queer people in her life that she loves  if Ive had to watch a Prince Charming wake up Sleeping Beauty without consent my entire life, then Im sure you can stand to go see a Barbie movie.

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Streaming platforms have become a key part of many studios' content distribution plans, but not all of them have been quite as successful as Disney+ was out of the gate. With its nearly 100 years worth of popular offerings (which some would argue did damage to brands), combined with a very aggressive price tag, the platform was an immediate hit. However, that incredible subscription cost has been going steadily up over the last three and a half years. And with the news of the most recent Disney+ price increase and more, it looks like some fans have hit their limit, as an unflattering statement is currently trending.

Last week, during Disneys Q3 quarterly earnings call, it was confirmed that the ad-free version of a Disney+ subscription will jump from its current price of $10.99 per month to $13.99 per month starting in October. Alongside that came news that starting next year, the service will begin to crack down on password sharing, though exactly what form that will take is still unclear. While price increases are not uncommon for any streaming platform, there's always the fear that people will cancel memberships if prices get too high. There now seems to be a concerted effort to do that, as "Cancel Disney Plus" is now trending on social media, per NoDeposit.guide. And the phrase has seen a 510% increase since the announcement. A quick search shows many current users are planning to cancel , sharing sentiments like the following:

I hate to say it but I think Im gonna cancel Disney plus, I havent watched anything on it besides nat geo docuseries for the last 3 months

For many, it doesnt seem like it's the price increase alone that's causing people to consider cancelling their memberships, rather, its the price increase combined with the fact that they apparently dont use it much. With all the streaming services that many consumers subscribe to, it's natural that some would be used more often than others. And while you might be willing to pay a certain price to simply have many shows and movies available, there will surely be a limit, as one user stated:

With the #DisneyPlus scheduled increase, I decided to cancel my subscription. I rarely use it anyway, but cannot justify paying any more for something I dont use.

Of course, the House of Mouse is certainly hoping users who take issue with the price being too high, for whatever reason, dont cancel their subscription. The company would prefer they drop down to the much cheaper ad-supported Disney+ tier. That option, which is currently $7.99 per month, is not seeing a price increase, and CEO Bob Iger stated during the earnings call that was very intentional. And in some cases , that decision could almost prove to be effective:

I was already planning to drop to ad-supported when my renewal happens (after the news of that stupid price hike) but honestly? @DisneyPlus is the streamer I like the least because it has the least value to me so I might just cancel altogether

While a price increase certainly means increased revenue for Disney+, if enough people cancel subscriptions, it could mean an overall decline for the service. It'll be interesting to see where the numbers balance out, and we'll likely find out in three months at the next earnings call. In the immediate future though, it's possible that "Cancel Disney Plus" could trend off and on for a while.
The 'BiP' stars had 'a special little moment just for us in the real world' before their wedding

Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic Hannah Godwin and Dylan Barbour attend Variety Power of Young Hollywood event

The second times a charm for Dylan Barbour and Hannah Godwin!

Nearly five years after their Bachelor in Paradise finale in 2019 saw Barbour, 29, take a knee for love, he asked Godwin, 28, to be his bride once again. On Tuesday, the former Alabama pageant queen revealed through Instagram that the sweet surprise took place last week.

Although our first engagement was and still is SO special to us, over the past 4 years weve talked about having a special little moment just for us in the real world, and @dylanbarbour surprised me and made it happen last week, Godwin captioned a post of Barbour popping the question near a beach.

The reality television star then hinted that the couple may be en route to elope. Now off to our wedding location today to tie the knot!!!  Godwin added to her post.

The couple confirmed their plans to marry in August with Godwin's Jan. 30 Instagram post.

Godwin and Barbour also documented their travels on their Instagram Stories, hinting at a destination wedding. Barbour and Godwin both posted photos of him holding their passports and boarding an airplane. Before heading to the airport, the Setty founder also shared behind-the-scenes content of her lover sleeping in bed before their wedding adventures.

Hannah Godwin/Instagram Dylan Barbour

In a cute video of a fast-asleep Barbour, Godwin admitted she woke up with the zoomies because she usually gets anxious before a flight. However, she slept well this time. Godwin also positioned the camera to use her right hand to form a heart shape with her fiances resting body.

Hannah Godwin/Instagram Dylan Barbour and Hannah Godwin

Their first proposal was seen by fans during Bachelor in Paradise season six. Godwin decided between Barbour and contestant Blake Horstmann. In the end, the tech entrepreneur prevailed.

"This is the end of Paradise, but it's just the beginning of our story," Barbour said on the show in 2019. "I didn't come here to spend my summer with you, I came here to spend my life with you. And I'm ready for that life to start now."

After the BIP proposal, the two took a trip to Paris to celebrate. "Jet-lagged breakfast, walks in the rain, din by the eiffel tower, & now watching king kong. my kinda paris sundayyyy," Godwin captioned a cute photo of her and Barbour gazing into each others eyes in front of the iconic landmark in late September 2019. The following month, Godwin told PEOPLE about her wedding plans while attending an event for Avec Les Filles in New York City.

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Steven Simione/Getty Hannah Godwin and Dylan Barbour attend 2023 REVOLVE Festival

"A year ago I was filming [The Bachelor], now I have a fiance and he's the best guy ever. When I was on the show I had no concept of the amount of people that watched and the amount of people that get invested in this," the influencer told PEOPLE. "There's more eyeballs on me, but it's really nice. It is neat to work with these brands who I would never even dream about them knowing who I was a year ago."

Related: 'Bachelor' Alum Hannah Godwin Throws Barbie-Themed Bachelorette Party in Las Vegas: See Photos!

She also noted that after the high-profile proposal, she looked forward to doing something a bit more intimate with the new man in her life down the line.

"We loved sharing our relationship with the world, but I think our favorite moments are just by ourselves and not having to show anybody or prove to anybody who we are or anything. So I think we might just keep it private," Godwin added.



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"It's hard to imagine something greater than being part of both 'Speak Now' eras," King tells PEOPLE

Taylor Swift/ YouTube Joey King and Taylor Swift in 'I Can See You'

At just 24 years old, Joey King is already taking the world by a storm with her Emmy-nominated performances and growing catalogue of film and television roles. But one of the absolute biggest pinch-me moments in her career so far? Starring in not just one, but two of Taylor Swift's music videos.

In a new interview for her partnership with Hill's Pet Nutrition for NBCUniversal Locals Clear the Shelters 2023 campaign, the Kissing Booth star exclusively tells PEOPLE how she was "so honored" when Swift, 33, called her up and asked her if she'd like to be in the "I Can See You" music video.

The track appears on the newly re-recorded version of Speak Now as part of the "from the vault" section. King previously appeared in the 2011 music video for another Speak Now song, "Mean."

"I was so honored that she wanted to have me back for the Speak Now (Taylor's Version) era, because all those years ago, being part of the 'Mean' music video was so special and so formative for me," she tells PEOPLE. "And now, coming back for this, and the video meaning of us breaking the Speak Now Taylor out of the vault, is so special."

"It's hard to imagine something greater than being part of both Speak Now eras," she continues. "It's like a beautiful bookend ... it's hard to dream up a better, more exciting scenario."

Arnold Jerocki/Getty Joey King attends Pomellato High Jewelry Gala Event at Palais De Tokyo on July 03, 2023 in Paris, France

Related: Joey King Compares Joining Taylor Swift Onstage at Her Eras Tour to Taking an 'Ice Bath'

King stars in the new music video alongside her old friend Taylor Lautner, 31, whom she calls "such a sweetie." The duo delighted fans in July when she posted a series of behind-the-scenes photos on Instagram recreating the pictures they took together back when she was "just a little peanut."

"Being able to recreate the photos from when I was 9 years old was hilarious and just such a wild perspective shift," she reflects. "Like, Whoa. Look how much life has changed. It's so crazy."

Taylor Lautner/ Instagram Taylor Lautner and Joey King on the set of the 'I Can See You' music video

Related: Taylor Swift Reunites with Taylor Lautner Onstage  and His Wife Shares Cute Throwback Photo from 2010

In addition to the music video, she and Lautner joined Swift on stage during the Eras Tour stop in Kansas City in July. The Bullet Train star says it was "such a niche" experience sharing the stage with them, describing it as "overwhelming in the best way possible."

"It was so wild, just mind-blowing to be on a stage with that many people looking at you," she shares. "It literally takes your breath away. I walked out, and it just felt like a splash of cold water on the face. It's shocking and it is so exhilarating. All these beautiful people shoving so much amazing energy at you... it was overwhelming in the best way possible. It was an experience of a lifetime."

When asked about Swift herself, King can't say enough about how much she admires her, both as an artist and as a person.

John Shearer/TAS23/Getty Taylor Swift and Joey King on stage at Arrowhead Stadium on July 7, 2023 in Kansas City

Related: Taylor Swift Brings Taylor Lautner and Joey King Onstage After Premiering 'I Can See You' Video at Kansas City Show

"Taylor is such an amazing historic figure at this point in our time," she raves. "We're watching history with how incredible she is and how on top of the world she is and how much she loves her fans. She's just an inspiration to so many people."

The actress adds that there's "so much to admire" about Swift. "The best thing about Taylor is that she really loves it. She loves her fans, she loves performing," she says.

Related: Joey King Says Upcoming Wedding to Steven Piet Will Be a 'Little Non-Traditional (Exclusive)

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"Her love of what she does is the most genuine thing in the world," King continues. "And so all the amazing output that she gives and that she provides for all of us, the Swifties, the fans, everyone, it's because she just loves it so much."



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A New York judge declined to toss out former Fox News executive Laura Luhns lawsuit against the network and its then-parent company over the settlement of her claims that ex-network head Roger Ailes abused her and tried to blackmail her.

Luhn is challenging an agreement she signed with the network, claiming that it was entered into under duress. The agreement was for her then salary of $250,000, to be paid annually until her retirement age, which was 12 years from the time it was signed.

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The judge, Lyle Frank, rejected the companys motion to dismiss. He wrote that the complaint is replete with factual allegations regarding duress and her inability to report the alleged sexual abuse and misconduct while it was occurring. At this stage of the litigation, the duress that is alleged that occurred prior to the negotiation of the agreement between the parties is enough for this case not to be dismissed, when considering the evidence in the light most favorable to Luhn.

The judge added, The complaint alleges that the defendants controlled the plaintiffs life. This, there is at this point, some question as to whether this control led to the plaintiff signing of the subject agreement. Only through discovery can it be shown as to whether the duress that plaintiff suffered through her alleged years of abuse impacted her entering into the subject agreement.

Frank also declined to dismiss Bill Shine, the former co-president of Fox News, from the lawsuit.

In her lawsuit in New York Supreme Court, Luhn claimed that Ailes, who died in 2017, used his position to trap her in a decades-long cycle of sexual abuse.

To ensure her compliance and public silence, Ailes photographed and videotaped Luhn in compromising positionsblackmail material that he explicitly described as his insurance policyand made clear to Luhn that any attempt to speak out or stop the abuse would result in severe personal humiliation and career ruin, the suit claimed. Luhn alleged that Foxs corporate leadership, at the network and parent company, knew of Ailes conduct yet did nothing to stop it.

Luhn filed her lawsuit under the states Adult Survivors Act, signed last year, which gave plaintiffs in sexual abuse cases a one-year window to file new claims regardless of the statute of limitations.

Luhn left Fox News in 2011. She claimed that the years of abuse led her to a mental breakdown and that Shine took it upon himself to control her personal life, manage her medical care, and ensure her public silence about the sexual abuse. That included her signing a release of her claims.

Fox News did not immediately respond to a request for comment. When she filed her lawsuit, Fox News Media said in a statement, This matter was settled years ago, dismissed in subsequent litigation, and is meritless.

Luhn started working at Fox News in 1996 as a guest relations staffer. She rose to director of booking in 2006, and the next year became senior director of corporate and special events.

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Drake's song that sampled Kardashian was released in April

Johnny Nunez/WireImage; Antoine Flament/Getty

Kim Kardashian made a special appearance at Drakes concert on Sunday.

The reality star, 42, was spotted in the crowd at Drizzys show in Inglewood, California. In a viral clip, Kardashian quoted her Keeping Up with the Kardashians soundbite that the rapper sampled in his single Search & Rescue.

"I didn't come this far just to come this far and not be happy, the SKIMS mogul said to Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny, both of whom attended the concert, alongside Tristan Thompson, per TMZ.

Related: Kim Kardashian Sports Racy Leather Outfit in Behind-the-Scenes Photos from Recent Miami Trip

Kardashians soundbite stemmed from a conversation between herself and mom Kris Jenner from a 2021 episode of their E! reality show. During the talk, the Skkn by Kim CEO detailed her decision to divorce Kanye West. The two share four children together: daughters North and Chicago, and sons Saint and Psalm.

In the third season of The Kardashians, Kardashian opened up about some of the trials and tribulations of her marriage. She said Ye, 46, started a rumor that I was hooking up with Drake, that I was having an affair our whole marriage.

She continued: He accused me of that publicly. So, the person that's supposed to protect me the most publicly would accuse me of having an affair throughout our whole marriage.

Kardashians appearance at the concert arrives after Drake, 36, shaded an audience member for wearing Yeezys to his show. My man I like the fitted hat with the blue tee, yeah, I feel you dog, you look good, Drake said, highlighting the fans outfit. Even though you got those Yeezys on, you still look good.

Gotham/GC Images; CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty

Related: Drake Shades Audience Member for Wearing Yeezys During Tour Stop

Drake and West have had a rocky relationship over the years. It started in 2018 when Drakes rival Pusha T claimed that the father of one uses a ghostwriter in a song titled Infrared, which was produced by West.

The following year, Drake said West played a significant role in his drama with Pusha during a lengthy Rap Radar podcast. "That's where all of this stems from," he said.

"It's all rooted in that situation, yes. I think that he definitely recruited a guy with a similar dislike for me no matter what he says in interviews. I know that there's something there that bothers him deeply and yeah, I can't fix it for him. It just is what it is," he continued.

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

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The most recent comments West made about Drake came in the form of praise, saying their feud is over.

"Man, I love Drake," he said during a November 2021 appearance on Drink Champs. "Let's have Drake just have his spot of what he meant in my life, specifically, and what he's meant to rap, you know, over the past decade, specifically. This is a very, I would say the most, if I wasn't me, most of the time, this is a very important artist that actually added something to the algorithm."'

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ABCs The Bachelor franchise is ready to test the theory that it's never too late to find love with its newest reality dating television venture The Golden Bachelor".

The spinoff series follows 71-year-old Gerry Turner as he looks for his perfect match among a group of women both wise and wonderful.

Warner Brothers and ABC, the studio executives behind the project, are betting on viewers' interest to see a new kind of love story develop on their screens come fall.

Heres everything we know about The Golden Bachelor.

What is The Golden Bachelor?

Rather than centering the show around a twentysomethings search for love like the other Bachelor shows, the Golden Bachelor has cast an older gentleman as lead.

A 40 second teaser video posted on the Bachelor Nation YouTube channel introduces a man named Gerry as the first Golden Bachelor.

Viewers will follow an older single man on his search for a partner to spend his sunset years with. The women expected to participate have lived through love, loss and laughter with the hope of igniting a future full of endless possibilities, according to ABC.

If you're interested in being cast on the show, the shows producers are looking for active and outgoing senior citizens looking for a committed relationship. Senior citizens are generally described as anyone who is 65 years or older.

Hudson, Indiana: What's it like where 'The Golden Bachelor' lives?

Who is the Golden Bachelor?

The Golden Bachelors leading man is none other than 71-year-old widower Gerry Turner, ABC announced July 17. He has lived on a lakeside property in Hudson, Indiana for the last six years, but is originally from Iowa.

Turner is a retired restaurateur who married his high school sweetheart Toni in 1974. Toni died suddenly in 2017 after 43 years of marriage. The couple shared two daughters and two granddaughters.

Now, Turner is ready to re-enter the dating scene and "find a love that will stand the test of time in his golden years," according to ABCs announcement.

What is he looking for? We found out more about 'The Golden Bachelor' from Indiana.

When will The Golden Bachelor premiere?

The "Golden Bachelor" will premiere this fall, most likely in late September, with hourlong episodes airing Mondays at 10 p.m. EDT/PDT on ABC following "Dancing with the Stars". Next day streaming will be available on Hulu.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What to know about ABC's 'Golden Bachelor' set to premiere this fall
BEIJING, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Since 2014, China has witnessed rapid development in rural e-commerce, driven by the country's increased support for this sector, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

By the end of last year, China's rural internet users exceeded 300 million, Li Gang, a ministry official, told a press conference on Tuesday.

The country's online retail sales in rural areas surged from 180 billion yuan (about 25.08 billion U.S. dollars) in 2014 to 2.17 trillion yuan in 2022, Li added.

E-commerce has brought farmers closer to the market and promoted entrepreneurship and employment in rural areas.

In 2022, online retail sales of agricultural products in China reached 531.38 billion yuan, up 9.2 percent year on year. By the end of last year, the number of rural online businesses exceeded 17.3 million, Li said.

He added that the ministry will focus on comprehensively promoting rural revitalization, promoting rural e-commerce as an important part of county-level commerce, and advancing the high-quality development of rural e-commerce in the next step.

The Chinese government on Monday released a three-year action plan with the goal of strengthening the nation's county-level commerce system further. The action plan seeks to promote the integrated development of urban and rural areas of China and rejuvenate the rural regions of the country. 
Luke Bryan is playing a balancing game, weighing show cancelations against the strength of his voice as he continues his tour across the country.

The 30-time country chart-topper has canceled or postponed three shows already with the latest Sunday in Brandon, Mississippi.

"I am regretfully going to have to cancel my show there tonight," Bryan posted on Instagram Sunday morning. "Under doctor advisement after taking 6 days off to heal I attempted to sing at both shows Thursday and Saturday and it was a struggle."

The cancelation in Mississippi came after a sold-out show at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville Saturday night.

He's scheduled to perform in Cincinnati, Ohio, at the Riverbend Music Center on Thursday.

Luke Bryan explains illness amid coughing fits

During his Nashville show, Bryan described his illness as nothing more than a "head cold."

Despite several days of rest, Bryan suffered several coughing fits between songs Saturday.

Bryan previously postponed a show in Salt Lake City, Utah and canceled another in Boise, Idaho, before tapping Lainey Wilson to replace him as headliner at the Watershed Festival in George, Washington.

Why did Luke Bryan cancel the Brandon, Mississippi show?

In his Instagram post on Sunday, he said he risks further strain each time he performs.

"Every show I sing I'm setting my voice back," he wrote. "I will continue to do everything I can to get better. Please know how much you mean to me and how heartbreaking this is to do."

Ticketmaster noted the show was canceled, rather than postponed, and refunds would be issued at the point of sale.

Luke Bryan struggled through Nashville concert performance

Bryan persevered through his setlist Saturday but altered it to better suit his condition. He was open and honest with the crowd that he was not at peak performance and several songs would be performed in an acoustic set.

About 30 minutes into the show, he frankly said "I'm dying up here," before continuing on.

The changes threw Bryan off at least once, noting he was in the wrong key for one song.

"My band has no idea what we're doing; they're holding on for dear life," Bryan joked.

Luke Bryan announces 36-city 'Country On' tour with stops in Denver, Nashville, more

What's next for Luke Bryan?

In the middle of his tour, Bryan will stop for a return to Las Vegas.

Bryan will perform 12 nights starting Aug. 30 at Resorts World in an intimate theater where the furthest seat from the stage is only 150 feet away.

"In an incredible modern venue, we're trying to put an iconic, globally-acceptable, stadium-style show with arena rock-style elements and moments where it's just me, stripped down with an acoustic guitar, playing the piano, or telling jokes," Bryan said.

Paramore cancels remaining US tour dates amid Hayley Williams' lung infection

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Luke Bryan's Country On Tour: Singer cancels shows amid vocal strain
TLC has found another perfect match for its fans! Match Me Abroad, the networks newest dating show, features American singles as they travel abroad to work with matchmakers in the hopes of finding love. Season 1, which aired from May to August 2023, quickly became a hit among viewers. It wasnt long before TLC made a decision about Match Me Abroad season 2! Heres what to know about the shows future.

Will There Be a Season 2 of Match Me Abroad?

On August 14, Deadline reported that TLC had officially renewed Match Me Abroad for season 2. Season 1s premiere garnered 16.4 million viewers across TLC, Max, and discovery+, turning Match Me Abroad into TLCs top new show for the year, according to the report.

On Sunday, August 6, TLC was No. 1 in all of television among women 25-54 and women 18-49. Match Me Abroad earned a season high among adults and women 25-54, including a 1.13 L3 rating among women 25-54 and a 0.84 L3 rating among Adults 25-54 for its season finale episode, the report continued.

When Will Match Me Abroad Season 2 Premiere?

TLC has not yet announced a premiere date for Match Me Abroad season 2. Since the season 1 finale just aired in August, it will likely be several months before fans can tune into season 2.

Who Is in the Cast of Match Me Abroad Season 2?

The cast of Match Me Abroad season 2 has not yet been revealed. However, its possible TLC will bring back the first seasons matchmakers, Katarina Memcova, Juan Nino and Nina Kharoufeh. Alternatively, the show could feature matchmakers in different countries and cities, since season 1 only featured Prague, Colombia and Morocco.

Harold and Michaela on 'Match Me Abroad' season 1

What Happened in Match Me Abroad Season 1?

Match Me Abroad season 1 featured seven singles  Harold, Michelle, Susan, Nathaly, Chad, Stanika and Mark. In Prague, Katarina worked with New Mexico native Harold and North Carolina native Michelle. Both singles clicked well with their European matches, Michaela and Pavol, respectively.

Meanwhile, Juan took New York native Susan, California native Nathaly and Tennessee native Chad under his wing in Colombia. After struggling to find a man who fit her wants and needs, Susan fell for Mauricio and went on multiple dates with him. Nathaly loved that her match, Alejandro, was able to be vulnerable, but she was wary when he claimed he could talk to angels. Chad, on the other hand, was completely smitten with his dream girl, Maria, from the start and even asked her to marry him after their second date. Unfortunately, Maria didnt feel the same way.

Over in Morocco, Nina worked with Arizona native Mark and Mississippi native Stanika. While Mark didnt have much luck with his matches, Stanika immediately hit it off with Noureddine, and their relationship moved quickly.

Those who want to check out Match Me Abroad season 1 ahead of the new installment can watch on discovery+ and Max.
"There are risks anytime anyone serves in uniform," said a lieutenant colonel with the Mississippi National Guard

AP Photo/The Hattiesburg American, Matt Bush Camp Shelby

A National Guard soldier died and another was injured in separate incidents at Mississippi's Camp Shelby last week, authorities said.

The soldier who died experienced a medical emergency on Friday following a fitness test that included a two-mile run, the Mississippi National Guard said in a statement, according to CNN.

The 38-year-old, who was a member of the Illinois National Guard, received immediate attention from an on-site medic and ambulatory service assistance, NBC affiliate WLBT-TV reported. He was taken to Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg, where he was pronounced dead.

Although a cause of death is not yet available, a spokesperson said that medics "reported symptoms associated with heat-related injuries" for the soldier, per CNN.

Related: 3 Marines Found Dead Inside Car Parked at North Carolina Gas Station: 'Tragic Loss'

In a separate incident, on Saturday, an 18-year-old member of the Mississippi National Guard experienced symptoms of a heat injury and was taken to Forrest General Hospital, according to ABC affiliate WAPT-TV and CNN.

As of Monday, he was still receiving care at the hospital, per CNN.

A representative for the Mississippi National Guard did not immediately return PEOPLEs request for additional comment.

Related: 57-Year-Old Woman Found Dead After Hiking Grand Canyon in 100-Degree Heat

Both incidents occurred as the area was experiencing record-setting heat. On Friday afternoon and Saturday afternoon, the heat index at Camp Shelby topped 110 degrees, CNN reported.

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"The job that we do is very strenuous. It is very demanding and there are risks anytime anyone serves in uniform," Lt. Col. Deidre Smith, with the Mississippi National Guard, told WAPT-TV. "Unfortunately, we did lose a service member at Camp Shelby. He was training there. He was there for a school."

Related: Record Water Temperatures Are Increasing Chances of Intense Hurricane Season

The National Guard said it will continue to monitor the weather as high temperatures continue to affect the region.

Safety and readiness are paramount for the men and women serving in the MSNG, the Mississippi National Guard said in a statement, per WLBT-TV. Out of an abundance of caution, the MSNG has implemented a Safety Stand Down order to limit outdoor physical fitness training during daylight hours to minimize the exposure to the excessive heat we are experiencing throughout our state."

"Leaders are consistently evaluating weather conditions and performing risk assessments to measure and prevent further heat injuries to safeguard our service members and ensure we are always ready and always there for the Mississippi communities in which we serve," they added.



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On average, between 15 and 20 percent of the projects that previously signed and qualified for a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement would no longer be eligible under the guilds newly modified policy that excludes WGA-covered projects produced in the U.S.

Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRAs national executive director and lead negotiator, shared the general figure as part of a Tuesday press conference clarifying the changes. Since more than 200 movies and shows have signed the interim agreements to-date, that assumes roughly 30-40 of them got in just at the nick of time. They will not have their interim agreements rescinded, but the shakeup will affect pending agreements.

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The change in policy on a go-forward basis was to further align the two guilds as the dual strike wages on. Crabtree-Ireland maintained that his modified interim agreement policy is still viable and effective in SAGs fight against the AMPTP and a win-win for both the actors and writers.

As a very basic explanation, a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement allows for actors to work on a project with a non-AMPTP production company, so long as said production company abides by the the same parameters SAG is seeking with the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers. Such acting gigs would not be considered crossing the picket line.

The updated SAG-AFTRA interim agreement policy still leaves movies that are set to premiere at the fall film festivals (like Venice and Toronto) in limbo, though some  like Luc Bessons DogMan and Michael Manns Ferrari  have already been approved. Those do not need a production interim agreement, but may be seeking a promotional one. As part of the strike, SAG-AFTRA actors are not allowed to promote their projects. Requests for promotional interim agreements are a relatively small batch of applications, Crabtree-Ireland said. SAG-AFTRA is considering interim-agreement requests in the order in which they were received and is not giving priority to timely festival films.

Crabtree-Ireland also set out to suppress fear that streamers would not acquire content that had qualified for an interim agreement. Those that do will have to abide by the policies  including paying residuals and revenue sharing  should they platform the shows and films while the strike is ongoing. Crabtree-Ireland suspected that could help smaller, independent movies get distribution directly into theaters.

SAG-AFTRA has been on strike since July 14; the WGA has been picketing since May 2. The writers guild hasnt handed out any interim agreements. That jives with history, Crabtree-Ireland told IndieWire, and the two guilds are in different positions. SAG, with the much larger membership, has actors currently working under different contracts (in video games, podcasting, or under the Network Code agreement, etc.) and the interim agreements fit with the groups strategic posture.

The updated interim-agreement policy comes as the WGA and AMPTP have returned to the negotiating table, which Crabtree-Ireland said is a sign for cautious optimism that his negotiations with studios can soon resume. But he said that the AMPTP has not made contact with the guild to come back to the table.

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EXCLUSIVE: Former CNN journalist Saima Mohsin has won the right to take the news network to an employment tribunal in the UK with her claim of unfair dismissal and discrimination after she was injured on assignment in Israel.

Judge Klimov ruled in Mohsins favor following a preliminary hearing last month, meaning that her case can proceed to a full tribunal at the London Central Employment Tribunal. A date for the hearing is yet to be determined.

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CNN declined to comment. The Warner Bros. Discovery-owned network disputed Mohsins case on territorial grounds, arguing that her employment contract meant that the UK tribunal did not have jurisdiction over her claims.

Mohsin, who now works on a freelance basis for Sky News, was injured on assignment in Jerusalem for CNN in 2014 when she was covering the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Her cameraman ran over her foot, causing tissue damage and chronic pain, meaning she uses a walking stick and is unable to work full-time. The incident also led to a mental health breakdown and Mohsin suffers from depression. She claims that CNN terminated her contract in 2017 after she requested alternative duties and support during rehab.

Her case can now proceed on the grounds of dismissal, disability discrimination, victimization, failure to make reasonable adjustments, and equal pay in relation to claims after March 1, 2017. A separate claim of racial discrimination falls outside of this period of consideration so will not now move forward.

Deadline understands that Mohsin has repeatedly indicated her willingness to settle outside of legal proceedings, but CNN has so far declined to do so. She said the news network has exacerbated her pain and suffering by continuing with the legal action.

I have constantly offered reinstatement or mediation and negotiations. I didnt ask for this battle while learning to deal with an invisible disability and rebuild my life. But it was important I take a stand, she said in a statement. The British-Pakistani correspondent said her case raises questions about protections for journalists and the treatment of those with a disability.

Mohsin did not have a solicitor but was represented by barristers Paras Gorasia and Jennifer Robinson of Doughty Street Chambers.

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Trump lawyer Alina Habba on Tuesday seemed a bit perturbed that Steve Doocy dared to grill her on how the Georgia indictment represents a perilous threat to her client, snapping at the Fox & Friends host that he used to love former President Donald Trump.

The attempt to set Doocy straight on the ex-presidents favorite morning show comes as the Fox News star has been one of the rare contrarian voices at the conservative cable giant, especially when it comes to the former presidents legal issues or the GOPs probe into the Biden family business dealings.

Habba, who essentially serves as Trumps legal spokesperson, sat down with the Fox & Friends trio on Tuesday morning to slam the 41-count indictment against Trump and 18 other co-conspirators, which includes ex-New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. The state charges revolve around Trumps efforts to overturn Georgias 2020 presidential election results, accusing him of taking part in a complex criminal conspiracy.

Doocy, for his part, noted that hes heard from a lot of legal analysts who believe that the Georgia case is different than Trumps other three criminal indictments, largely because the state has laws specifically tailored to election interference. He added that Fox News contributor Andy McCarthy recently wrote that Georgia district attorney Fani Willis indictment presents the most perilous threat to Trump yet, wondering if Habba agreed with that assessment.

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We do not agree that it is a perilous threat because we actually have inside information, the Trump flack replied, prompting Doocy to ask what inside information she was referring to.

Well, the inside information, Steve, and, you know, you used to love Trump. I got to tell you, Habba groused before insisting that she was not gonna breach her client's confidentiality.

She went on to essentially parrot Trumps claims that he was just following his legal teams advice on disputing the election results, adding that it was the former presidents obligation to look into election issues and the integrity of our election.

Fox & Friends Reduced to Begging Trump to Attend Foxs GOP Debate

On Tuesday morning, Trump took to his social-media site to announce that he would soon deliver a CONCLUSIVE presentation that would prove the vote was rigged and exonerate him in the Georgia election meddling case.

In Trumpian fashion, Habba then complained that Democrats werent being charged for questioning Trumps 2016 election victory.

Letitia James, the Attorney General of New York, stood up on a podium who's suing the Trump Organizationand said President Trump is an illegitimate president, she exclaimed. Now, is she gonna get criminally charged? What about Hillary Clinton?!

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The 17-year-old son of Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani looks poised to step out of the shadow of his famous parents and into a music career of his own.

Kingston Rossdale took the stage at the Ole Red bar and restaurant in Tishomingo, Oklahoma, on Aug. 11 to deliver whats believed to be his first-ever live performance before a public audience.

Footage of the set shows Kingston being introduced to the crowd by his stepfather, country musician Blake Shelton.

Im very excited, and Im actually honored to be the first one to introduce this act to the stage for the very first time ever, said Shelton, who founded Ole Red in 2017. This guys an artist, hes the real deal, and you guys are going to be able to say that you were there at his very first-ever public performance.

Other widely-circulated videos show Kingston  who bears a striking resemblance to his father  demonstrating his musical prowess on a pair of rock-tinged original tracks, accompanied by an acoustic guitar.

Watch a clip of Kingston Rossdales Ole Red performance below.

The Friday night show appeared to be a family affair. Other clips show Stefani performing a rendition of Dont Speak  the smash 1996 single she first recorded with her band, No Doubt  with Shelton, whom she married in 2021.

Rossdale and Stefani divorced in 2016 after about 14 years of marriage. In addition to Kingston, the former couple share sons Zuma, 14, and Apollo, 9.

Watch Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton perform Dont Speak below.

Appearing on the Not So Hollywood podcast last month, Rossdale said he and Stefani had some particularly opposing views, which afforded them some unusual benefits when parenting their sons.

Were really different people, he said. I dont think theres much similarity in the way we bring them up, but I think that gives them an incredible perspective to then choose which pieces of those two lives theyd like to inherit and move on with and which part of themselves come out of the whole process.

He went on to note: We definitely have some particularly opposing views, so I think itd be really helpful for them to make their own minds as individuals.

Interestingly, Kingstons debut comes as his parents are each gearing up for a return to the road.

Later this month, Rossdale will kick off a U.S. tour with his band, Bush, at the Benton Franklin Fair in Pasco, Washington. Stefani has a pair of California concerts lined up in September and November this year.

From Left: Zuma Rossdale, Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton, Apollo Rossdale and Kingston Rossdale in 2023.

From Left: Zuma Rossdale, Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton, Apollo Rossdale and Kingston Rossdale in 2023.

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The idea of a plural family in America still strikes up a heated debate, especially after watching Kody Brown and his four wives, Meri Brown, Janell Brown, Christine Brown, and Robyn Brown on Sister Wives.

Since 2010, the Browns have been trying to show just how lavish a polygamous lifestyle can be while living in the shadows, as it was illegal in Utah. Kody once shared that he had always wanted a large family with multiple wives to spread the love. Sadly, over the years, Kody has really taken a public beating. It also seems he and some of his wives went out of their way to undermine the religious practice.

Polygamy and Government Benefits

For years, the state of Utah only allowed for there to be one legal husband in a relationship. Even though the Browns often stated Kody was spiritually married to the others, they forgot to tell viewers that they also learned how to manipulate the government system.

In deep-rooted sects of the Mormon church like the FLDS, polygamist families are taught that God instituted welfare to assist them. Wives who are not technically married, like Janelle and Christine, file for welfare by stating that their husband has left them.

During a recent season of Sister Wives, the Brown familys financial dysfunction was showcased as they moved from Las Vegas to Flagstaff. Kody and his wives were trying to offload four homes while renting three and supporting 18 children. None of his math made sense to viewers.

During the first season, Christine received government assistance for food, as she was the wife who stayed home to watch the children. Since gaining more fame, Kody has done little to ensure their finances when the show comes to its timely end. This move only adds fuel to the fire for viewers who feel there is no way one man can legally and financially support more than one wife.

Before Robyn joined the Sister Wives family in 2010, all three of Kodys first wives filed for bankruptcy. According to The Hollywood Gossip, Kody and Meri filed in 2005, which freed them from $85,000 of debt. Kodys second wife, Janelle, declared bankruptcy in 1997, with Christine filing in 2012, which led to $25,000 in debt forgiveness.

Christine Left Kody

In November 2021, Christine finally left Kody and moved back to Utah to be closer to her family and friends. All of the Browns were upset, but none worse than Robyn, who called out Christine for giving polygamy a bad name. Sobbin Robyn took issue with Christine leaving Kody and claiming she was no longer married to him. She claimed Christine insulted polygamy and undermined the legitimacy of plural, non-legal marriages done under their churchs authority.

Robyns ramble confused viewers. The mother of five stated that she still feels Christine is her sister wife. She has noted that the only way out was for Christine to have her marriage annulled by a church leader (a church Christine no longer believes in) or to sleep with another man. The rules for leaving the marriage seemed a bit nuts. It once again painted polygamy and the Browns in a bad light.

Kody Contradicted Himself Multiple Times

During the latest Sister Wives tell-all, Kody found himself tripping over his own words as he shared with the entire free world that he married Meri out of obligation to his faith. It turns out Kody had severe cold feet but felt he couldnt be a runaway groom. For years, Kody spouted the motto love should be multiplied not divided, yet he didnt even believe it himself. Kody bashed Meri and called her a tyrant, noting everyone was miserable with her around.

Kody often acknowledged that he wanted power when he decided to marry his third wife, Christine. During the same tell-all, Kody shared that Christine basically asked to be in my family and that he only agreed because of her status in their church, the Apostolic United Brethren (AUB). Kody shared he felt a lot of pressure. Christine was part of; she was basically royalty in our church. Its not fair, but I look back, and it was not fair for me to go, Oh, this will make me look cool in our church.' Kody finally admitted that his ego drove him to make the decision.

TELL US  HOW DO YOU THINK THE BROWNS UNDERMINED POLYGAMY ON SISTER WIVES?

The post All the Ways the Browns Undermined Their Polygamous Dream appeared first on Reality Tea.
Dont be surprised if, someday soon, TikTok isnt there anymore. Governments all over the world have banned or restricted it, and the U.S. government wants to.

Some of this is complicated, but most is about politicians expressing fake grave concern about a supposed threat to the U.S. and its children, and wont someone think of the children?

More from Spin:

TikTok is already banned in other countries, such as India and Pakistan, with heavily religious Pakistan citing immoral/indecent content. The state of Montana has already passed a law to ban it. TikTok critics point to the same problems they point to in other social networks, but the real problem is that ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok, is a Chinese company and the assumption is that TikTok must take orders from, including surrendering data to, the Chinese government.

Hostility to TikTok for this and other reasons is bipartisan and a popular position.

Theres something to it, but not as much as they claim.

But whether its a national security threat or not, is TikTok a threat to you? The worst case for you personally is that the Chinese Communist Party gets private data on you, the same kind that Instagram, Twitter, and other American companies have. If you dont care about that, TikTok is nothing to fear. Maybe you should fear it more than you think; details below.





The case against TikTok



Addison Rae, one of the most-followed users on TikTok, dancing in a video team-up with Hanes. (Screenshot from Addison Raes TikTok)

There are three broad claims that critics of TikTok make. The first, they say, is that TikTok has all manner of problem content on it, and they dont take it down fast enough. The classic recent example is the NyQuil Chicken Challenge.

This is probably as true of other social networks. People have live-streamed murders on Facebook. And suicides. TikTok has as much interest in blocking this content as American companies, but blocking it is harder than you might think.

Second, China, critics say and TikTok denies, can suppress unfavorable information on TikTok and use it to propagandize. Maybe they do this at times, but not always. I had no trouble finding content about Uyghur prison camps or the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre. In fact, they showed up in typeahead, so theyre probably popular.

Why would a tyrannical government allow such searches? They wouldnt, but TikTok is not available in China. ByteDance has a similar Chinese service called Douyin, which operates under Chinese law and does not show these things to users (or so Im told; SPIN did not approve my request for first-class travel to China to test it).

There are many stories of such content being blocked by TikTok, such as this recent one. See here where TikTok apologizes and unbans the account. Once again, this is the way it works with social networks owned by Americans. This has happened many times on Twitter and Facebook, whose blocking policies and procedures are as mysterious as TikToks. And we know that Twitter (at least under the old, pre-Elon Musk regime) blocked content and users for political reasons at the request of the U.S. government.

There have also been several scandals about TikTok itself (see: ByteDance confirmed it used TikTok to monitor journalists physical location, as first reported by Forbes in October, for example). Im still not convinced that theyre worse in this than other networks.

The government-collaboration claims raise the problem of freedom of speech. Theres at least a good argument that banning TikTok would violate the free speech rights of users, and the company itself has free speech rights. The counterargument would be that users wouldnt be silenced for their speech; theyd just have to make that speech somewhere other than TikTok.





Is it really a good idea to ban the whole thing because a few complete idiots cook food in cold medicine? Stupid people gonna stupid. MTVs Jackass didnt need the Internet or the Chinese government to show people how to run into the exhaust of a jet engine or skateboard blindfolded.

Third, and this one is unique to TikTok: Like all the American social networks, TikTok collects a lot of information about you. The difference, as Klon Kitchen, a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, puts it, is that with TikTok your data could be available to a hostile foreign government. Does that matter to you?

Kitchen and many others say that the threat to any one individual may be small, but with data on 150 million TikTok users, plus a lot of data from other sources, the Chinese government leverage will inevitably have compromising information on a lot of Americans.

Lets play this out: Maybe you have a security clearance. Maybe you have access to your employers secrets. Maybe if you dont leak that information to a mysterious stranger, the wrong people could find out some dark secret from your TikTok past. This is how the threat plays out.

I think its actually the best argument for suspicion of TikTok  but Im still unpersuaded.

Its worth pointing out that TikTok vigorously denies all these things, and theres one big reason to believe them, even if you think the worst of the Chinese government. With a successful TikTok, ByteDance and the Chinese government haul in a lot of dollars. If keeping the money spigot open means they have to follow U.S. law, theyd be stupid to risk it.

An app goes home: the Beijing headquarters of digital media company ByteDance, which developed TikTok. (Photo credit: Yan Guolin/VCG via Getty Images)

Mikko Hypponen, a global security expert from Finland, adds a different perspective: More than half of all Internet users come from Asia. Europe is the second-largest area, with around 15 percent of users. Africa and Latin America each account for 10 percent, while only 6 percent of users come from the United States.

Americans like to think of the Internet as being ours, and everyone else as a guest. As a European, Hypponen knows that most technology platforms and applications come from far away, and their authors have little interest in our wishes, culture, or rules.

Hes not naive about the threats described by Kitchen and others, but less concerned. Chinese companies are trying to make money by driving user engagement and by profiling user behavior  much like non-Chinese apps. Sure, Id rather use apps made in a country not run by the Chinese Communist Party if I have a choice. But its not because I believe China would be trying to spy on or brainwash me.

In a hearing in March, the House Energy and Commerce Committee grilled TikTok CEO Shou Chew for hours, rarely letting him answer the questions. No committee member of either party expressed any sympathy for TikTok. If you want to watch the hearing on YouTube, go ahead, but Ill warn you that it was hour after hour of boring demagoguery and cheap shots. You will come out of it dumber than when you started.

Its hard to take the politicians in this hearing seriously, but its hard to take politicians seriously as a general rule.

I contacted several members of Congress through official channels, asking (politely) for comment on this article. But, apparently, the politicians attacking TikTok from the safety of their official parapet are  how do I put this?  full of shit. Because they dont have the courage to step outside of the hermetic environment they control and argue their side with someone who is going to ask them to justify their claims.

SPIN must be more frightening than the Chinese government! Who knew?

Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) introduced the Protecting Kids on Social Media Act, the heart of which requires social media platforms to verify the age of users. It doesnt define how they are to do this, just that they take reasonable steps beyond merely requiring attestation. It also orders the government to create a system for people to do this, but the absence of such a system doesnt eliminate the requirement for age verification. Personally, I dont see how it could be done in a way that anyone would find acceptable. In other words, the bill is a phony that exists only to show how much Schatz cares. But he doesnt, it seems, care enough to discuss this with media that isnt supplicant.

Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) called TikTok a serious threat to our national and personal security and lamented the companys opposition to freedom, human rights, and innovation. She didnt specifically justify that characterization (and wouldnt talk to us).

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew prepares to testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Capitol Hill. (Photo credit: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

In the Shou Chew hearing, Congressman Bill Johnson (R-OH), who headed an IT company and calls himself an IT professional, made a number of technical claims, such as TikToks source code is riddled with backdoors and CCP censorship devices. Ill say it out loud: He made this up. Theres no evidence for it, and nobody else claimed anything like it. And he certainly wasnt interested in being challenged by us on these ridiculous assertions.

Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), my own representative, demonstrates the bipartisan and cross-ideological nature of TikTok scaremongering in Congress by arguing that Chews testimony raise[d] significant questions about the CCPs involvement in manipulating Americans and concluding that the company poses a major threat to our national security. Neither of which shes prepared to debate. She just says those things but cannot, it is clear, back them up.

In the TikTok hearing, Congressman John Sarbanes (D-MD) leaned in on the what about the children? concerns. He acknowledged that these are as much an issue with TikToks American competitors by also blaming Big Tech. In fairness, at least he doesnt make TikTok out to be somehow more of a problem than Meta or Snap.

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) is one of the few members of Congress to publicly oppose efforts to ban TikTok. In an op-ed in USA Today, Paul defended TikTok on free speech grounds and asked, reasonably enough, If youre going to ban TikTok, whats next?

I also called the staff of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. No luck there either.

The way it works is that you call the members office and explain that you are doing a story and what it is on and, if they are interested in talking to you, a scheduler calls back to schedule a call with an appropriate staff member. If youre lucky, you might even get the Senator or Congressman on the phone.

Nobody got back to me. Not even my House representative.

A few members have openly opposed the ban, including Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), who explains here on TikTok itself, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), also on TikTok.

I dont usually take these two seriously either, but here they have a good case. Its also worth pointing out that many candidates, mostly Democrats, have used TikTok in their recent campaigning.





Is privacy a lost cause?



Concerns about data tracking on the web are quite old. They definitely go back over 20 years. Some (like my 20-year-old daughter) say everyone knows that when you use these apps, the companies are going to suck up whatever data about you they can. So fucking what? What are they going to do with details on your TikTok viewing habits?

The answer depends on what data they collect. Mostly they can see where else you go on the Internet, maybe what youve shopped for, which is why you see ads for things you shopped for on one site when youre on another. Some find this creepy, but its why these services are all free.

iPhones and Android phones give you the ability to limit what services an app can access. The most important of these is location services, whether the app can use GPS and other techniques to determine precisely where you are. If you let TikTok collect this information (its not required, and they dont ask for it unless you try to use a feature that needs it, like location-tagging a video), then they and their parent company and their parent companys government will have it.

If youre at all concerned about privacy, do not allow TikTok this access, but note that Apple and Google Maps and Waze only make sense if you give them your location, so almost everyone shares it with someone.

Even without location services, any program can get your very rough location. Using your network address, they can determine the physical location where you connect to your Internet provider. So if youre in New York City, they will get New York as your location. In my suburban New Jersey home, they get the location of another New York suburb about 15 miles away. They may be able to get your country from your SIM card. Its all useless for the actual tracking of individuals.

Khaby Lame achieved TikTok fame with his deadpan life hack videos, becoming the apps most-followed user. (Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)

But the most sophisticated actors may be able to get great location info just because the person they are tracking uses a cell phone. In 2019, The New York Times tracked Donald Trumps precise location for a day by obtaining cell phone location information. They also tracked several junior government officials without naming them.

You cant just buy this information; it came from sources who asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to share it and could face severe penalties for doing so. It could be the NSA, but more likely a mobile provider, which in the US means Verizon, AT&T, or T-Mobile (and I really doubt that Donald Trump is on T-Mobile).

Is data like this beyond the grasp of a sophisticated foreign intelligence agency? Im not sure, but if they could get it, it sure beats all the useless crap they get from your TikTok account.





You vs. the Big Picture



People do risky things every day, like driving on highways and eating deep-fried food. The marginal risk for an individual from TikTok is laughably small in comparison.

I really do think the data privacy toothpaste is out of the tube, and we wont be getting it back in. Nobody really wants the kind of Internet that would result. This means China will be able to get this data whether or not they control TikTok. How much data they can get is open to question, but TikTok itself doesnt make a big difference.

Maybe if you think we should be opposing China wherever possible, stopping the money that ByteDance makes off TikTok is a worthy idea, but its a tiny fraction of US-China trade  $504.6 Billion in 2021. Things would have to get a whole lot worse before we could think of risking that.

Until then, TikTok is way down the list of problems we have with China.

To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.
Two airboats operated by Wild Florida collided on Cypress Lake in Kenansville on Monday

Phelan M. Ebenhack via AP Airboats from Wild Florida Airboats & Gator Park float on Cypress Lake

An airboat collision in central Florida left 13 people hospitalized, Monday.

Ashlee Brahier Sklute, a spokesperson for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, told the Orlando Sentinel that 28 passengers were traveling on two boats when they crashed at the Wild Florida attraction in Osceola County about 50 miles south of Orlando.

She did not reveal the condition of the 13 injured people after they were extracted from Cypress Lake in Kenansville, but FOX 35 Orlando reported two people were rushed to local hospitals via medevac, citing local officials.

The other passengers were taken to nearby hospitals and four of them were treated and released from an Orlando Health facility in good condition, a spokesperson added, reported the outlet.



Related: Hawaii Gov. Josh Green Confirms 99 Dead in Maui Wildfires: 'Tragedy Beyond Tragedy'

#USCG investigators from #PortCanaveral are responding to an incident on Cypress Lake in Kenansville, FL, involving two airboats colliding, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement on Twitter (now known as X).

Approximately 30 people were involved, and 13 injuries were reported. @MyFWC & @OsceolaSheriff were the responding agencies.

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



"It's scary. Very scary," Ericka Worthen, who was with her family at the parks safari area on Tuesday and had previously considered going on the boat tour, told WESH 2.



"My son, he was a little scared, so I was like, maybe next time," she said, adding Its just shocking.

Phelan M. Ebenhack via AP Airboats from Wild Florida Airboats & Gator Park float on Cypress Lake

Related: 'Experienced Pilot' and Passenger Die After Small Plane Clips a Power Line, Crashes into N.C. Lake

"It's just very unfortunate," Wendy Bainbridge told FOX 35 Orlando. "We've been here [many] times before, and the boat rides are great. They do a really great job here, you know, safety. So it just seems like it must have been an unfortunate incident."

All airboat rides are suspended until further notice, according to the outlet.

Wild Florida and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs request for comment.

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Read the original article on People.
A visitor watches copper engraving teapots displayed at an exhibition hall of Huang Junjun's company in Guixi City, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 13, 2023. Copper engraving, or copper carving, a craft of using knives to carve patterns on copper wares, has a history of about 1,000 years. In 2021, Guixi copper engraving was listed as one of the national-level intangible cultural heritages. The craft needs over 150 different kinds of knives and a dozen of carving skills to create a complete artwork, and the copper ware has to go through over 100,000 times of hammering before being turned into an exquisite artwork. Huang Junjun, 55 years old, is a representative inheritor of Guixi copper engraving, who has been taking the work for 36 years. "My grandpa was a copper ware craftsman, for whom I often acted as an assistant during childhood. I was fascinated with the ancient art," said Huang. As from 1989, he travelled all over the country to seek for masters to study the art, and also worked at factories in Shanghai and Nanchang to sharpen his skills. He also integrated copper engraving methods of Japan and South Korea into his own. "I was thinking during work that if the craft can't be applied to industry, people can't see its value, not to say preserve and inherit it," said Huang Junjun. In 2000, he set up a copper artwork studio, receiving orders from all over the country. For his excellent craftsmanship, Huang won fame in the circle and even received orders from Japan and Singapore. In 2012, with the help of local government of Guixi City, which strove to develop itself under the name of "city of copper", Huang founded the Jiangxi Zhongding metal artwork company. In order to improve the work efficiency, he created a production mode which combines the work of machines with that of craftsmen. Nowadays, Huang Junjun has cultivated over 200 professional craftsmen in copper engraving, and has over 30 artworks honored in various national and provincial exhibitions. His copper artworks are sold worldwide. He is confident in the future of his craft, "I hope my artworks not only embody the ancient styles of handmade metal accessories, but also reflect the aesthetic concepts of modern life, so as to let the art into the daily life of our common people." (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

This combo photo taken on Aug. 9, 2023 shows details on Huang Junjun's copper engraving artwork displayed at an exhibition hall of his company in Guixi City, east China's Jiangxi Province. Copper engraving, or copper carving, a craft of using knives to carve patterns on copper wares, has a history of about 1,000 years. In 2021, Guixi copper engraving was listed as one of the national-level intangible cultural heritages. The craft needs over 150 different kinds of knives and a dozen of carving skills to create a complete artwork, and the copper ware has to go through over 100,000 times of hammering before being turned into an exquisite artwork. Huang Junjun, 55 years old, is a representative inheritor of Guixi copper engraving, who has been taking the work for 36 years. "My grandpa was a copper ware craftsman, for whom I often acted as an assistant during childhood. I was fascinated with the ancient art," said Huang. As from 1989, he travelled all over the country to seek for masters to study the art, and also worked at factories in Shanghai and Nanchang to sharpen his skills. He also integrated copper engraving methods of Japan and South Korea into his own. "I was thinking during work that if the craft can't be applied to industry, people can't see its value, not to say preserve and inherit it," said Huang Junjun. In 2000, he set up a copper artwork studio, receiving orders from all over the country. For his excellent craftsmanship, Huang won fame in the circle and even received orders from Japan and Singapore. In 2012, with the help of local government of Guixi City, which strove to develop itself under the name of "city of copper", Huang founded the Jiangxi Zhongding metal artwork company. In order to improve the work efficiency, he created a production mode which combines the work of machines with that of craftsmen. Nowadays, Huang Junjun has cultivated over 200 professional craftsmen in copper engraving, and has over 30 artworks honored in various national and provincial exhibitions. His copper artworks are sold worldwide. He is confident in the future of his craft, "I hope my artworks not only embody the ancient styles of handmade metal accessories, but also reflect the aesthetic concepts of modern life, so as to let the art into the daily life of our common people." (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

This photo taken on Aug. 9, 2023 shows Huang Junjun's copper engraving artwork, inlaid with colorful metals, displayed at an exhibition hall of his company in Guixi City, east China's Jiangxi Province. Copper engraving, or copper carving, a craft of using knives to carve patterns on copper wares, has a history of about 1,000 years. In 2021, Guixi copper engraving was listed as one of the national-level intangible cultural heritages. The craft needs over 150 different kinds of knives and a dozen of carving skills to create a complete artwork, and the copper ware has to go through over 100,000 times of hammering before being turned into an exquisite artwork. Huang Junjun, 55 years old, is a representative inheritor of Guixi copper engraving, who has been taking the work for 36 years. "My grandpa was a copper ware craftsman, for whom I often acted as an assistant during childhood. I was fascinated with the ancient art," said Huang. As from 1989, he travelled all over the country to seek for masters to study the art, and also worked at factories in Shanghai and Nanchang to sharpen his skills. He also integrated copper engraving methods of Japan and South Korea into his own. "I was thinking during work that if the craft can't be applied to industry, people can't see its value, not to say preserve and inherit it," said Huang Junjun. In 2000, he set up a copper artwork studio, receiving orders from all over the country. For his excellent craftsmanship, Huang won fame in the circle and even received orders from Japan and Singapore. In 2012, with the help of local government of Guixi City, which strove to develop itself under the name of "city of copper", Huang founded the Jiangxi Zhongding metal artwork company. In order to improve the work efficiency, he created a production mode which combines the work of machines with that of craftsmen. Nowadays, Huang Junjun has cultivated over 200 professional craftsmen in copper engraving, and has over 30 artworks honored in various national and provincial exhibitions. His copper artworks are sold worldwide. He is confident in the future of his craft, "I hope my artworks not only embody the ancient styles of handmade metal accessories, but also reflect the aesthetic concepts of modern life, so as to let the art into the daily life of our common people." (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

This photo taken on July 13, 2023 shows Huang Junjun's copper engraving artwork displayed at an exhibition hall of his company in Guixi City, east China's Jiangxi Province. Copper engraving, or copper carving, a craft of using knives to carve patterns on copper wares, has a history of about 1,000 years. In 2021, Guixi copper engraving was listed as one of the national-level intangible cultural heritages. The craft needs over 150 different kinds of knives and a dozen of carving skills to create a complete artwork, and the copper ware has to go through over 100,000 times of hammering before being turned into an exquisite artwork. Huang Junjun, 55 years old, is a representative inheritor of Guixi copper engraving, who has been taking the work for 36 years. "My grandpa was a copper ware craftsman, for whom I often acted as an assistant during childhood. I was fascinated with the ancient art," said Huang. As from 1989, he travelled all over the country to seek for masters to study the art, and also worked at factories in Shanghai and Nanchang to sharpen his skills. He also integrated copper engraving methods of Japan and South Korea into his own. "I was thinking during work that if the craft can't be applied to industry, people can't see its value, not to say preserve and inherit it," said Huang Junjun. In 2000, he set up a copper artwork studio, receiving orders from all over the country. For his excellent craftsmanship, Huang won fame in the circle and even received orders from Japan and Singapore. In 2012, with the help of local government of Guixi City, which strove to develop itself under the name of "city of copper", Huang founded the Jiangxi Zhongding metal artwork company. In order to improve the work efficiency, he created a production mode which combines the work of machines with that of craftsmen. Nowadays, Huang Junjun has cultivated over 200 professional craftsmen in copper engraving, and has over 30 artworks honored in various national and provincial exhibitions. His copper artworks are sold worldwide. He is confident in the future of his craft, "I hope my artworks not only embody the ancient styles of handmade metal accessories, but also reflect the aesthetic concepts of modern life, so as to let the art into the daily life of our common people." (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

Huang Junjun draws draft of a copper engraving artwork at his studio in Guixi City, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 13, 2023. Copper engraving, or copper carving, a craft of using knives to carve patterns on copper wares, has a history of about 1,000 years. In 2021, Guixi copper engraving was listed as one of the national-level intangible cultural heritages. The craft needs over 150 different kinds of knives and a dozen of carving skills to create a complete artwork, and the copper ware has to go through over 100,000 times of hammering before being turned into an exquisite artwork. Huang Junjun, 55 years old, is a representative inheritor of Guixi copper engraving, who has been taking the work for 36 years. "My grandpa was a copper ware craftsman, for whom I often acted as an assistant during childhood. I was fascinated with the ancient art," said Huang. As from 1989, he travelled all over the country to seek for masters to study the art, and also worked at factories in Shanghai and Nanchang to sharpen his skills. He also integrated copper engraving methods of Japan and South Korea into his own. "I was thinking during work that if the craft can't be applied to industry, people can't see its value, not to say preserve and inherit it," said Huang Junjun. In 2000, he set up a copper artwork studio, receiving orders from all over the country. For his excellent craftsmanship, Huang won fame in the circle and even received orders from Japan and Singapore. In 2012, with the help of local government of Guixi City, which strove to develop itself under the name of "city of copper", Huang founded the Jiangxi Zhongding metal artwork company. In order to improve the work efficiency, he created a production mode which combines the work of machines with that of craftsmen. Nowadays, Huang Junjun has cultivated over 200 professional craftsmen in copper engraving, and has over 30 artworks honored in various national and provincial exhibitions. His copper artworks are sold worldwide. He is confident in the future of his craft, "I hope my artworks not only embody the ancient styles of handmade metal accessories, but also reflect the aesthetic concepts of modern life, so as to let the art into the daily life of our common people." (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

Huang Junjun makes a copper engraving artwork at a workshop of his company in Guixi City, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 13, 2023. Copper engraving, or copper carving, a craft of using knives to carve patterns on copper wares, has a history of about 1,000 years. In 2021, Guixi copper engraving was listed as one of the national-level intangible cultural heritages. The craft needs over 150 different kinds of knives and a dozen of carving skills to create a complete artwork, and the copper ware has to go through over 100,000 times of hammering before being turned into an exquisite artwork. Huang Junjun, 55 years old, is a representative inheritor of Guixi copper engraving, who has been taking the work for 36 years. "My grandpa was a copper ware craftsman, for whom I often acted as an assistant during childhood. I was fascinated with the ancient art," said Huang. As from 1989, he travelled all over the country to seek for masters to study the art, and also worked at factories in Shanghai and Nanchang to sharpen his skills. He also integrated copper engraving methods of Japan and South Korea into his own. "I was thinking during work that if the craft can't be applied to industry, people can't see its value, not to say preserve and inherit it," said Huang Junjun. In 2000, he set up a copper artwork studio, receiving orders from all over the country. For his excellent craftsmanship, Huang won fame in the circle and even received orders from Japan and Singapore. In 2012, with the help of local government of Guixi City, which strove to develop itself under the name of "city of copper", Huang founded the Jiangxi Zhongding metal artwork company. In order to improve the work efficiency, he created a production mode which combines the work of machines with that of craftsmen. Nowadays, Huang Junjun has cultivated over 200 professional craftsmen in copper engraving, and has over 30 artworks honored in various national and provincial exhibitions. His copper artworks are sold worldwide. He is confident in the future of his craft, "I hope my artworks not only embody the ancient styles of handmade metal accessories, but also reflect the aesthetic concepts of modern life, so as to let the art into the daily life of our common people." (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

This photo taken on Aug. 9, 2023 shows Huang Junjun's copper engraving artwork displayed at an exhibition hall of his company in Guixi City, east China's Jiangxi Province. Copper engraving, or copper carving, a craft of using knives to carve patterns on copper wares, has a history of about 1,000 years. In 2021, Guixi copper engraving was listed as one of the national-level intangible cultural heritages. The craft needs over 150 different kinds of knives and a dozen of carving skills to create a complete artwork, and the copper ware has to go through over 100,000 times of hammering before being turned into an exquisite artwork. Huang Junjun, 55 years old, is a representative inheritor of Guixi copper engraving, who has been taking the work for 36 years. "My grandpa was a copper ware craftsman, for whom I often acted as an assistant during childhood. I was fascinated with the ancient art," said Huang. As from 1989, he travelled all over the country to seek for masters to study the art, and also worked at factories in Shanghai and Nanchang to sharpen his skills. He also integrated copper engraving methods of Japan and South Korea into his own. "I was thinking during work that if the craft can't be applied to industry, people can't see its value, not to say preserve and inherit it," said Huang Junjun. In 2000, he set up a copper artwork studio, receiving orders from all over the country. For his excellent craftsmanship, Huang won fame in the circle and even received orders from Japan and Singapore. In 2012, with the help of local government of Guixi City, which strove to develop itself under the name of "city of copper", Huang founded the Jiangxi Zhongding metal artwork company. In order to improve the work efficiency, he created a production mode which combines the work of machines with that of craftsmen. Nowadays, Huang Junjun has cultivated over 200 professional craftsmen in copper engraving, and has over 30 artworks honored in various national and provincial exhibitions. His copper artworks are sold worldwide. He is confident in the future of his craft, "I hope my artworks not only embody the ancient styles of handmade metal accessories, but also reflect the aesthetic concepts of modern life, so as to let the art into the daily life of our common people." (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

This photo taken on July 13, 2023 shows knives used to make copper engraving artworks at Huang Junjun's company in Guixi City, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 13, 2023. Copper engraving, or copper carving, a craft of using knives to carve patterns on copper wares, has a history of about 1,000 years. In 2021, Guixi copper engraving was listed as one of the national-level intangible cultural heritages. The craft needs over 150 different kinds of knives and a dozen of carving skills to create a complete artwork, and the copper ware has to go through over 100,000 times of hammering before being turned into an exquisite artwork. Huang Junjun, 55 years old, is a representative inheritor of Guixi copper engraving, who has been taking the work for 36 years. "My grandpa was a copper ware craftsman, for whom I often acted as an assistant during childhood. I was fascinated with the ancient art," said Huang. As from 1989, he travelled all over the country to seek for masters to study the art, and also worked at factories in Shanghai and Nanchang to sharpen his skills. He also integrated copper engraving methods of Japan and South Korea into his own. "I was thinking during work that if the craft can't be applied to industry, people can't see its value, not to say preserve and inherit it," said Huang Junjun. In 2000, he set up a copper artwork studio, receiving orders from all over the country. For his excellent craftsmanship, Huang won fame in the circle and even received orders from Japan and Singapore. In 2012, with the help of local government of Guixi City, which strove to develop itself under the name of "city of copper", Huang founded the Jiangxi Zhongding metal artwork company. In order to improve the work efficiency, he created a production mode which combines the work of machines with that of craftsmen. Nowadays, Huang Junjun has cultivated over 200 professional craftsmen in copper engraving, and has over 30 artworks honored in various national and provincial exhibitions. His copper artworks are sold worldwide. He is confident in the future of his craft, "I hope my artworks not only embody the ancient styles of handmade metal accessories, but also reflect the aesthetic concepts of modern life, so as to let the art into the daily life of our common people." (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

This photo taken on Aug. 9, 2023 shows Huang Junjun's copper engraving artwork displayed at an exhibition hall of his company in Guixi City, east China's Jiangxi Province. Copper engraving, or copper carving, a craft of using knives to carve patterns on copper wares, has a history of about 1,000 years. In 2021, Guixi copper engraving was listed as one of the national-level intangible cultural heritages. The craft needs over 150 different kinds of knives and a dozen of carving skills to create a complete artwork, and the copper ware has to go through over 100,000 times of hammering before being turned into an exquisite artwork. Huang Junjun, 55 years old, is a representative inheritor of Guixi copper engraving, who has been taking the work for 36 years. "My grandpa was a copper ware craftsman, for whom I often acted as an assistant during childhood. I was fascinated with the ancient art," said Huang. As from 1989, he travelled all over the country to seek for masters to study the art, and also worked at factories in Shanghai and Nanchang to sharpen his skills. He also integrated copper engraving methods of Japan and South Korea into his own. "I was thinking during work that if the craft can't be applied to industry, people can't see its value, not to say preserve and inherit it," said Huang Junjun. In 2000, he set up a copper artwork studio, receiving orders from all over the country. For his excellent craftsmanship, Huang won fame in the circle and even received orders from Japan and Singapore. In 2012, with the help of local government of Guixi City, which strove to develop itself under the name of "city of copper", Huang founded the Jiangxi Zhongding metal artwork company. In order to improve the work efficiency, he created a production mode which combines the work of machines with that of craftsmen. Nowadays, Huang Junjun has cultivated over 200 professional craftsmen in copper engraving, and has over 30 artworks honored in various national and provincial exhibitions. His copper artworks are sold worldwide. He is confident in the future of his craft, "I hope my artworks not only embody the ancient styles of handmade metal accessories, but also reflect the aesthetic concepts of modern life, so as to let the art into the daily life of our common people." (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

Huang Junjun draws draft of a copper engraving artwork at his studio in Guixi City, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 13, 2023. Copper engraving, or copper carving, a craft of using knives to carve patterns on copper wares, has a history of about 1,000 years. In 2021, Guixi copper engraving was listed as one of the national-level intangible cultural heritages. The craft needs over 150 different kinds of knives and a dozen of carving skills to create a complete artwork, and the copper ware has to go through over 100,000 times of hammering before being turned into an exquisite artwork. Huang Junjun, 55 years old, is a representative inheritor of Guixi copper engraving, who has been taking the work for 36 years. "My grandpa was a copper ware craftsman, for whom I often acted as an assistant during childhood. I was fascinated with the ancient art," said Huang. As from 1989, he travelled all over the country to seek for masters to study the art, and also worked at factories in Shanghai and Nanchang to sharpen his skills. He also integrated copper engraving methods of Japan and South Korea into his own. "I was thinking during work that if the craft can't be applied to industry, people can't see its value, not to say preserve and inherit it," said Huang Junjun. In 2000, he set up a copper artwork studio, receiving orders from all over the country. For his excellent craftsmanship, Huang won fame in the circle and even received orders from Japan and Singapore. In 2012, with the help of local government of Guixi City, which strove to develop itself under the name of "city of copper", Huang founded the Jiangxi Zhongding metal artwork company. In order to improve the work efficiency, he created a production mode which combines the work of machines with that of craftsmen. Nowadays, Huang Junjun has cultivated over 200 professional craftsmen in copper engraving, and has over 30 artworks honored in various national and provincial exhibitions. His copper artworks are sold worldwide. He is confident in the future of his craft, "I hope my artworks not only embody the ancient styles of handmade metal accessories, but also reflect the aesthetic concepts of modern life, so as to let the art into the daily life of our common people." (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

Huang Junjun makes a copper engraving artwork at a workshop of his company in Guixi City, east China's Jiangxi Province, Aug. 9, 2023. Copper engraving, or copper carving, a craft of using knives to carve patterns on copper wares, has a history of about 1,000 years. In 2021, Guixi copper engraving was listed as one of the national-level intangible cultural heritages. The craft needs over 150 different kinds of knives and a dozen of carving skills to create a complete artwork, and the copper ware has to go through over 100,000 times of hammering before being turned into an exquisite artwork. Huang Junjun, 55 years old, is a representative inheritor of Guixi copper engraving, who has been taking the work for 36 years. "My grandpa was a copper ware craftsman, for whom I often acted as an assistant during childhood. I was fascinated with the ancient art," said Huang. As from 1989, he travelled all over the country to seek for masters to study the art, and also worked at factories in Shanghai and Nanchang to sharpen his skills. He also integrated copper engraving methods of Japan and South Korea into his own. "I was thinking during work that if the craft can't be applied to industry, people can't see its value, not to say preserve and inherit it," said Huang Junjun. In 2000, he set up a copper artwork studio, receiving orders from all over the country. For his excellent craftsmanship, Huang won fame in the circle and even received orders from Japan and Singapore. In 2012, with the help of local government of Guixi City, which strove to develop itself under the name of "city of copper", Huang founded the Jiangxi Zhongding metal artwork company. In order to improve the work efficiency, he created a production mode which combines the work of machines with that of craftsmen. Nowadays, Huang Junjun has cultivated over 200 professional craftsmen in copper engraving, and has over 30 artworks honored in various national and provincial exhibitions. His copper artworks are sold worldwide. He is confident in the future of his craft, "I hope my artworks not only embody the ancient styles of handmade metal accessories, but also reflect the aesthetic concepts of modern life, so as to let the art into the daily life of our common people." (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

A craftsman makes a copper engraving artwork at Huang Junjun's company in Guixi City, east China's Jiangxi Province, Aug. 9, 2023. Copper engraving, or copper carving, a craft of using knives to carve patterns on copper wares, has a history of about 1,000 years. In 2021, Guixi copper engraving was listed as one of the national-level intangible cultural heritages. The craft needs over 150 different kinds of knives and a dozen of carving skills to create a complete artwork, and the copper ware has to go through over 100,000 times of hammering before being turned into an exquisite artwork. Huang Junjun, 55 years old, is a representative inheritor of Guixi copper engraving, who has been taking the work for 36 years. "My grandpa was a copper ware craftsman, for whom I often acted as an assistant during childhood. I was fascinated with the ancient art," said Huang. As from 1989, he travelled all over the country to seek for masters to study the art, and also worked at factories in Shanghai and Nanchang to sharpen his skills. He also integrated copper engraving methods of Japan and South Korea into his own. "I was thinking during work that if the craft can't be applied to industry, people can't see its value, not to say preserve and inherit it," said Huang Junjun. In 2000, he set up a copper artwork studio, receiving orders from all over the country. For his excellent craftsmanship, Huang won fame in the circle and even received orders from Japan and Singapore. In 2012, with the help of local government of Guixi City, which strove to develop itself under the name of "city of copper", Huang founded the Jiangxi Zhongding metal artwork company. In order to improve the work efficiency, he created a production mode which combines the work of machines with that of craftsmen. Nowadays, Huang Junjun has cultivated over 200 professional craftsmen in copper engraving, and has over 30 artworks honored in various national and provincial exhibitions. His copper artworks are sold worldwide. He is confident in the future of his craft, "I hope my artworks not only embody the ancient styles of handmade metal accessories, but also reflect the aesthetic concepts of modern life, so as to let the art into the daily life of our common people." (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

A craftsman makes a copper engraving artwork at Huang Junjun's company in Guixi City, east China's Jiangxi Province, Aug. 9, 2023. Copper engraving, or copper carving, a craft of using knives to carve patterns on copper wares, has a history of about 1,000 years. In 2021, Guixi copper engraving was listed as one of the national-level intangible cultural heritages. The craft needs over 150 different kinds of knives and a dozen of carving skills to create a complete artwork, and the copper ware has to go through over 100,000 times of hammering before being turned into an exquisite artwork. Huang Junjun, 55 years old, is a representative inheritor of Guixi copper engraving, who has been taking the work for 36 years. "My grandpa was a copper ware craftsman, for whom I often acted as an assistant during childhood. I was fascinated with the ancient art," said Huang. As from 1989, he travelled all over the country to seek for masters to study the art, and also worked at factories in Shanghai and Nanchang to sharpen his skills. He also integrated copper engraving methods of Japan and South Korea into his own. "I was thinking during work that if the craft can't be applied to industry, people can't see its value, not to say preserve and inherit it," said Huang Junjun. In 2000, he set up a copper artwork studio, receiving orders from all over the country. For his excellent craftsmanship, Huang won fame in the circle and even received orders from Japan and Singapore. In 2012, with the help of local government of Guixi City, which strove to develop itself under the name of "city of copper", Huang founded the Jiangxi Zhongding metal artwork company. In order to improve the work efficiency, he created a production mode which combines the work of machines with that of craftsmen. Nowadays, Huang Junjun has cultivated over 200 professional craftsmen in copper engraving, and has over 30 artworks honored in various national and provincial exhibitions. His copper artworks are sold worldwide. He is confident in the future of his craft, "I hope my artworks not only embody the ancient styles of handmade metal accessories, but also reflect the aesthetic concepts of modern life, so as to let the art into the daily life of our common people." (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

Huang Junjun watches his copper engraving artworks at an exhibition hall of his company in Guixi City, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 13, 2023. Copper engraving, or copper carving, a craft of using knives to carve patterns on copper wares, has a history of about 1,000 years. In 2021, Guixi copper engraving was listed as one of the national-level intangible cultural heritages. The craft needs over 150 different kinds of knives and a dozen of carving skills to create a complete artwork, and the copper ware has to go through over 100,000 times of hammering before being turned into an exquisite artwork. Huang Junjun, 55 years old, is a representative inheritor of Guixi copper engraving, who has been taking the work for 36 years. "My grandpa was a copper ware craftsman, for whom I often acted as an assistant during childhood. I was fascinated with the ancient art," said Huang. As from 1989, he travelled all over the country to seek for masters to study the art, and also worked at factories in Shanghai and Nanchang to sharpen his skills. He also integrated copper engraving methods of Japan and South Korea into his own. "I was thinking during work that if the craft can't be applied to industry, people can't see its value, not to say preserve and inherit it," said Huang Junjun. In 2000, he set up a copper artwork studio, receiving orders from all over the country. For his excellent craftsmanship, Huang won fame in the circle and even received orders from Japan and Singapore. In 2012, with the help of local government of Guixi City, which strove to develop itself under the name of "city of copper", Huang founded the Jiangxi Zhongding metal artwork company. In order to improve the work efficiency, he created a production mode which combines the work of machines with that of craftsmen. Nowadays, Huang Junjun has cultivated over 200 professional craftsmen in copper engraving, and has over 30 artworks honored in various national and provincial exhibitions. His copper artworks are sold worldwide. He is confident in the future of his craft, "I hope my artworks not only embody the ancient styles of handmade metal accessories, but also reflect the aesthetic concepts of modern life, so as to let the art into the daily life of our common people." (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

Craftsmen make copper engraving teapots at Huang Junjun's company in Guixi City, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 13, 2023. Copper engraving, or copper carving, a craft of using knives to carve patterns on copper wares, has a history of about 1,000 years. In 2021, Guixi copper engraving was listed as one of the national-level intangible cultural heritages. The craft needs over 150 different kinds of knives and a dozen of carving skills to create a complete artwork, and the copper ware has to go through over 100,000 times of hammering before being turned into an exquisite artwork. Huang Junjun, 55 years old, is a representative inheritor of Guixi copper engraving, who has been taking the work for 36 years. "My grandpa was a copper ware craftsman, for whom I often acted as an assistant during childhood. I was fascinated with the ancient art," said Huang. As from 1989, he travelled all over the country to seek for masters to study the art, and also worked at factories in Shanghai and Nanchang to sharpen his skills. He also integrated copper engraving methods of Japan and South Korea into his own. "I was thinking during work that if the craft can't be applied to industry, people can't see its value, not to say preserve and inherit it," said Huang Junjun. In 2000, he set up a copper artwork studio, receiving orders from all over the country. For his excellent craftsmanship, Huang won fame in the circle and even received orders from Japan and Singapore. In 2012, with the help of local government of Guixi City, which strove to develop itself under the name of "city of copper", Huang founded the Jiangxi Zhongding metal artwork company. In order to improve the work efficiency, he created a production mode which combines the work of machines with that of craftsmen. Nowadays, Huang Junjun has cultivated over 200 professional craftsmen in copper engraving, and has over 30 artworks honored in various national and provincial exhibitions. His copper artworks are sold worldwide. He is confident in the future of his craft, "I hope my artworks not only embody the ancient styles of handmade metal accessories, but also reflect the aesthetic concepts of modern life, so as to let the art into the daily life of our common people." (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

A craftsman welds a copper engraving artwork at Huang Junjun's company in Guixi City, east China's Jiangxi Province, Aug. 9, 2023. Copper engraving, or copper carving, a craft of using knives to carve patterns on copper wares, has a history of about 1,000 years. In 2021, Guixi copper engraving was listed as one of the national-level intangible cultural heritages. The craft needs over 150 different kinds of knives and a dozen of carving skills to create a complete artwork, and the copper ware has to go through over 100,000 times of hammering before being turned into an exquisite artwork. Huang Junjun, 55 years old, is a representative inheritor of Guixi copper engraving, who has been taking the work for 36 years. "My grandpa was a copper ware craftsman, for whom I often acted as an assistant during childhood. I was fascinated with the ancient art," said Huang. As from 1989, he travelled all over the country to seek for masters to study the art, and also worked at factories in Shanghai and Nanchang to sharpen his skills. He also integrated copper engraving methods of Japan and South Korea into his own. "I was thinking during work that if the craft can't be applied to industry, people can't see its value, not to say preserve and inherit it," said Huang Junjun. In 2000, he set up a copper artwork studio, receiving orders from all over the country. For his excellent craftsmanship, Huang won fame in the circle and even received orders from Japan and Singapore. In 2012, with the help of local government of Guixi City, which strove to develop itself under the name of "city of copper", Huang founded the Jiangxi Zhongding metal artwork company. In order to improve the work efficiency, he created a production mode which combines the work of machines with that of craftsmen. Nowadays, Huang Junjun has cultivated over 200 professional craftsmen in copper engraving, and has over 30 artworks honored in various national and provincial exhibitions. His copper artworks are sold worldwide. He is confident in the future of his craft, "I hope my artworks not only embody the ancient styles of handmade metal accessories, but also reflect the aesthetic concepts of modern life, so as to let the art into the daily life of our common people." (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

This photo taken on Aug. 9, 2023 shows Huang Junjun's copper engraving teapot displayed at an exhibition hall of his company in Guixi City, east China's Jiangxi Province. Copper engraving, or copper carving, a craft of using knives to carve patterns on copper wares, has a history of about 1,000 years. In 2021, Guixi copper engraving was listed as one of the national-level intangible cultural heritages. The craft needs over 150 different kinds of knives and a dozen of carving skills to create a complete artwork, and the copper ware has to go through over 100,000 times of hammering before being turned into an exquisite artwork. Huang Junjun, 55 years old, is a representative inheritor of Guixi copper engraving, who has been taking the work for 36 years. "My grandpa was a copper ware craftsman, for whom I often acted as an assistant during childhood. I was fascinated with the ancient art," said Huang. As from 1989, he travelled all over the country to seek for masters to study the art, and also worked at factories in Shanghai and Nanchang to sharpen his skills. He also integrated copper engraving methods of Japan and South Korea into his own. "I was thinking during work that if the craft can't be applied to industry, people can't see its value, not to say preserve and inherit it," said Huang Junjun. In 2000, he set up a copper artwork studio, receiving orders from all over the country. For his excellent craftsmanship, Huang won fame in the circle and even received orders from Japan and Singapore. In 2012, with the help of local government of Guixi City, which strove to develop itself under the name of "city of copper", Huang founded the Jiangxi Zhongding metal artwork company. In order to improve the work efficiency, he created a production mode which combines the work of machines with that of craftsmen. Nowadays, Huang Junjun has cultivated over 200 professional craftsmen in copper engraving, and has over 30 artworks honored in various national and provincial exhibitions. His copper artworks are sold worldwide. He is confident in the future of his craft, "I hope my artworks not only embody the ancient styles of handmade metal accessories, but also reflect the aesthetic concepts of modern life, so as to let the art into the daily life of our common people." (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

Huang Junjun (R) talks with a visitor at an exhibition hall of copper engraving artworks at his company in Guixi City, east China's Jiangxi Province, Aug. 9, 2023. Copper engraving, or copper carving, a craft of using knives to carve patterns on copper wares, has a history of about 1,000 years. In 2021, Guixi copper engraving was listed as one of the national-level intangible cultural heritages. The craft needs over 150 different kinds of knives and a dozen of carving skills to create a complete artwork, and the copper ware has to go through over 100,000 times of hammering before being turned into an exquisite artwork. Huang Junjun, 55 years old, is a representative inheritor of Guixi copper engraving, who has been taking the work for 36 years. "My grandpa was a copper ware craftsman, for whom I often acted as an assistant during childhood. I was fascinated with the ancient art," said Huang. As from 1989, he travelled all over the country to seek for masters to study the art, and also worked at factories in Shanghai and Nanchang to sharpen his skills. He also integrated copper engraving methods of Japan and South Korea into his own. "I was thinking during work that if the craft can't be applied to industry, people can't see its value, not to say preserve and inherit it," said Huang Junjun. In 2000, he set up a copper artwork studio, receiving orders from all over the country. For his excellent craftsmanship, Huang won fame in the circle and even received orders from Japan and Singapore. In 2012, with the help of local government of Guixi City, which strove to develop itself under the name of "city of copper", Huang founded the Jiangxi Zhongding metal artwork company. In order to improve the work efficiency, he created a production mode which combines the work of machines with that of craftsmen. Nowadays, Huang Junjun has cultivated over 200 professional craftsmen in copper engraving, and has over 30 artworks honored in various national and provincial exhibitions. His copper artworks are sold worldwide. He is confident in the future of his craft, "I hope my artworks not only embody the ancient styles of handmade metal accessories, but also reflect the aesthetic concepts of modern life, so as to let the art into the daily life of our common people." (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

Huang Junjun makes a copper engraving artwork at a workshop of his company in Guixi City, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 13, 2023. Copper engraving, or copper carving, a craft of using knives to carve patterns on copper wares, has a history of about 1,000 years. In 2021, Guixi copper engraving was listed as one of the national-level intangible cultural heritages. The craft needs over 150 different kinds of knives and a dozen of carving skills to create a complete artwork, and the copper ware has to go through over 100,000 times of hammering before being turned into an exquisite artwork. Huang Junjun, 55 years old, is a representative inheritor of Guixi copper engraving, who has been taking the work for 36 years. "My grandpa was a copper ware craftsman, for whom I often acted as an assistant during childhood. I was fascinated with the ancient art," said Huang. As from 1989, he travelled all over the country to seek for masters to study the art, and also worked at factories in Shanghai and Nanchang to sharpen his skills. He also integrated copper engraving methods of Japan and South Korea into his own. "I was thinking during work that if the craft can't be applied to industry, people can't see its value, not to say preserve and inherit it," said Huang Junjun. In 2000, he set up a copper artwork studio, receiving orders from all over the country. For his excellent craftsmanship, Huang won fame in the circle and even received orders from Japan and Singapore. In 2012, with the help of local government of Guixi City, which strove to develop itself under the name of "city of copper", Huang founded the Jiangxi Zhongding metal artwork company. In order to improve the work efficiency, he created a production mode which combines the work of machines with that of craftsmen. Nowadays, Huang Junjun has cultivated over 200 professional craftsmen in copper engraving, and has over 30 artworks honored in various national and provincial exhibitions. His copper artworks are sold worldwide. He is confident in the future of his craft, "I hope my artworks not only embody the ancient styles of handmade metal accessories, but also reflect the aesthetic concepts of modern life, so as to let the art into the daily life of our common people." (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

Huang Junjun shows skills of copper engraving to his apprentices at a workshop of his company in Guixi City, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 13, 2023. Copper engraving, or copper carving, a craft of using knives to carve patterns on copper wares, has a history of about 1,000 years. In 2021, Guixi copper engraving was listed as one of the national-level intangible cultural heritages. The craft needs over 150 different kinds of knives and a dozen of carving skills to create a complete artwork, and the copper ware has to go through over 100,000 times of hammering before being turned into an exquisite artwork. Huang Junjun, 55 years old, is a representative inheritor of Guixi copper engraving, who has been taking the work for 36 years. "My grandpa was a copper ware craftsman, for whom I often acted as an assistant during childhood. I was fascinated with the ancient art," said Huang. As from 1989, he travelled all over the country to seek for masters to study the art, and also worked at factories in Shanghai and Nanchang to sharpen his skills. He also integrated copper engraving methods of Japan and South Korea into his own. "I was thinking during work that if the craft can't be applied to industry, people can't see its value, not to say preserve and inherit it," said Huang Junjun. In 2000, he set up a copper artwork studio, receiving orders from all over the country. For his excellent craftsmanship, Huang won fame in the circle and even received orders from Japan and Singapore. In 2012, with the help of local government of Guixi City, which strove to develop itself under the name of "city of copper", Huang founded the Jiangxi Zhongding metal artwork company. In order to improve the work efficiency, he created a production mode which combines the work of machines with that of craftsmen. Nowadays, Huang Junjun has cultivated over 200 professional craftsmen in copper engraving, and has over 30 artworks honored in various national and provincial exhibitions. His copper artworks are sold worldwide. He is confident in the future of his craft, "I hope my artworks not only embody the ancient styles of handmade metal accessories, but also reflect the aesthetic concepts of modern life, so as to let the art into the daily life of our common people." (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

This photo taken on Aug. 9, 2023 shows various iron racks, which are used to hold copper wares while engraving, displayed at Huang Junjun's company in Guixi City, east China's Jiangxi Province. Copper engraving, or copper carving, a craft of using knives to carve patterns on copper wares, has a history of about 1,000 years. In 2021, Guixi copper engraving was listed as one of the national-level intangible cultural heritages. The craft needs over 150 different kinds of knives and a dozen of carving skills to create a complete artwork, and the copper ware has to go through over 100,000 times of hammering before being turned into an exquisite artwork. Huang Junjun, 55 years old, is a representative inheritor of Guixi copper engraving, who has been taking the work for 36 years. "My grandpa was a copper ware craftsman, for whom I often acted as an assistant during childhood. I was fascinated with the ancient art," said Huang. As from 1989, he travelled all over the country to seek for masters to study the art, and also worked at factories in Shanghai and Nanchang to sharpen his skills. He also integrated copper engraving methods of Japan and South Korea into his own. "I was thinking during work that if the craft can't be applied to industry, people can't see its value, not to say preserve and inherit it," said Huang Junjun. In 2000, he set up a copper artwork studio, receiving orders from all over the country. For his excellent craftsmanship, Huang won fame in the circle and even received orders from Japan and Singapore. In 2012, with the help of local government of Guixi City, which strove to develop itself under the name of "city of copper", Huang founded the Jiangxi Zhongding metal artwork company. In order to improve the work efficiency, he created a production mode which combines the work of machines with that of craftsmen. Nowadays, Huang Junjun has cultivated over 200 professional craftsmen in copper engraving, and has over 30 artworks honored in various national and provincial exhibitions. His copper artworks are sold worldwide. He is confident in the future of his craft, "I hope my artworks not only embody the ancient styles of handmade metal accessories, but also reflect the aesthetic concepts of modern life, so as to let the art into the daily life of our common people." (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

Huang Junjun makes a copper engraving artwork at a workshop of his company in Guixi City, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 13, 2023. Copper engraving, or copper carving, a craft of using knives to carve patterns on copper wares, has a history of about 1,000 years. In 2021, Guixi copper engraving was listed as one of the national-level intangible cultural heritages. The craft needs over 150 different kinds of knives and a dozen of carving skills to create a complete artwork, and the copper ware has to go through over 100,000 times of hammering before being turned into an exquisite artwork. Huang Junjun, 55 years old, is a representative inheritor of Guixi copper engraving, who has been taking the work for 36 years. "My grandpa was a copper ware craftsman, for whom I often acted as an assistant during childhood. I was fascinated with the ancient art," said Huang. As from 1989, he travelled all over the country to seek for masters to study the art, and also worked at factories in Shanghai and Nanchang to sharpen his skills. He also integrated copper engraving methods of Japan and South Korea into his own. "I was thinking during work that if the craft can't be applied to industry, people can't see its value, not to say preserve and inherit it," said Huang Junjun. In 2000, he set up a copper artwork studio, receiving orders from all over the country. For his excellent craftsmanship, Huang won fame in the circle and even received orders from Japan and Singapore. In 2012, with the help of local government of Guixi City, which strove to develop itself under the name of "city of copper", Huang founded the Jiangxi Zhongding metal artwork company. In order to improve the work efficiency, he created a production mode which combines the work of machines with that of craftsmen. Nowadays, Huang Junjun has cultivated over 200 professional craftsmen in copper engraving, and has over 30 artworks honored in various national and provincial exhibitions. His copper artworks are sold worldwide. He is confident in the future of his craft, "I hope my artworks not only embody the ancient styles of handmade metal accessories, but also reflect the aesthetic concepts of modern life, so as to let the art into the daily life of our common people." (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

A craftsman tints a copper engraving artwork at Huang Junjun's company in Guixi City, east China's Jiangxi Province, Aug. 9, 2023. Copper engraving, or copper carving, a craft of using knives to carve patterns on copper wares, has a history of about 1,000 years. In 2021, Guixi copper engraving was listed as one of the national-level intangible cultural heritages. The craft needs over 150 different kinds of knives and a dozen of carving skills to create a complete artwork, and the copper ware has to go through over 100,000 times of hammering before being turned into an exquisite artwork. Huang Junjun, 55 years old, is a representative inheritor of Guixi copper engraving, who has been taking the work for 36 years. "My grandpa was a copper ware craftsman, for whom I often acted as an assistant during childhood. I was fascinated with the ancient art," said Huang. As from 1989, he travelled all over the country to seek for masters to study the art, and also worked at factories in Shanghai and Nanchang to sharpen his skills. He also integrated copper engraving methods of Japan and South Korea into his own. "I was thinking during work that if the craft can't be applied to industry, people can't see its value, not to say preserve and inherit it," said Huang Junjun. In 2000, he set up a copper artwork studio, receiving orders from all over the country. For his excellent craftsmanship, Huang won fame in the circle and even received orders from Japan and Singapore. In 2012, with the help of local government of Guixi City, which strove to develop itself under the name of "city of copper", Huang founded the Jiangxi Zhongding metal artwork company. In order to improve the work efficiency, he created a production mode which combines the work of machines with that of craftsmen. Nowadays, Huang Junjun has cultivated over 200 professional craftsmen in copper engraving, and has over 30 artworks honored in various national and provincial exhibitions. His copper artworks are sold worldwide. He is confident in the future of his craft, "I hope my artworks not only embody the ancient styles of handmade metal accessories, but also reflect the aesthetic concepts of modern life, so as to let the art into the daily life of our common people." (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

Huang Junjun reads books on arts and crafts at his company in Guixi City, east China's Jiangxi Province, Aug. 9, 2023. Copper engraving, or copper carving, a craft of using knives to carve patterns on copper wares, has a history of about 1,000 years. In 2021, Guixi copper engraving was listed as one of the national-level intangible cultural heritages. The craft needs over 150 different kinds of knives and a dozen of carving skills to create a complete artwork, and the copper ware has to go through over 100,000 times of hammering before being turned into an exquisite artwork. Huang Junjun, 55 years old, is a representative inheritor of Guixi copper engraving, who has been taking the work for 36 years. "My grandpa was a copper ware craftsman, for whom I often acted as an assistant during childhood. I was fascinated with the ancient art," said Huang. As from 1989, he travelled all over the country to seek for masters to study the art, and also worked at factories in Shanghai and Nanchang to sharpen his skills. He also integrated copper engraving methods of Japan and South Korea into his own. "I was thinking during work that if the craft can't be applied to industry, people can't see its value, not to say preserve and inherit it," said Huang Junjun. In 2000, he set up a copper artwork studio, receiving orders from all over the country. For his excellent craftsmanship, Huang won fame in the circle and even received orders from Japan and Singapore. In 2012, with the help of local government of Guixi City, which strove to develop itself under the name of "city of copper", Huang founded the Jiangxi Zhongding metal artwork company. In order to improve the work efficiency, he created a production mode which combines the work of machines with that of craftsmen. Nowadays, Huang Junjun has cultivated over 200 professional craftsmen in copper engraving, and has over 30 artworks honored in various national and provincial exhibitions. His copper artworks are sold worldwide. He is confident in the future of his craft, "I hope my artworks not only embody the ancient styles of handmade metal accessories, but also reflect the aesthetic concepts of modern life, so as to let the art into the daily life of our common people." (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

Huang Junjun makes a copper engraving artwork at a workshop of his company in Guixi City, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 13, 2023. Copper engraving, or copper carving, a craft of using knives to carve patterns on copper wares, has a history of about 1,000 years. In 2021, Guixi copper engraving was listed as one of the national-level intangible cultural heritages. The craft needs over 150 different kinds of knives and a dozen of carving skills to create a complete artwork, and the copper ware has to go through over 100,000 times of hammering before being turned into an exquisite artwork. Huang Junjun, 55 years old, is a representative inheritor of Guixi copper engraving, who has been taking the work for 36 years. "My grandpa was a copper ware craftsman, for whom I often acted as an assistant during childhood. I was fascinated with the ancient art," said Huang. As from 1989, he travelled all over the country to seek for masters to study the art, and also worked at factories in Shanghai and Nanchang to sharpen his skills. He also integrated copper engraving methods of Japan and South Korea into his own. "I was thinking during work that if the craft can't be applied to industry, people can't see its value, not to say preserve and inherit it," said Huang Junjun. In 2000, he set up a copper artwork studio, receiving orders from all over the country. For his excellent craftsmanship, Huang won fame in the circle and even received orders from Japan and Singapore. In 2012, with the help of local government of Guixi City, which strove to develop itself under the name of "city of copper", Huang founded the Jiangxi Zhongding metal artwork company. In order to improve the work efficiency, he created a production mode which combines the work of machines with that of craftsmen. Nowadays, Huang Junjun has cultivated over 200 professional craftsmen in copper engraving, and has over 30 artworks honored in various national and provincial exhibitions. His copper artworks are sold worldwide. He is confident in the future of his craft, "I hope my artworks not only embody the ancient styles of handmade metal accessories, but also reflect the aesthetic concepts of modern life, so as to let the art into the daily life of our common people." (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

Huang Junjun draws draft of a copper engraving artwork at his studio in Guixi City, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 13, 2023. Copper engraving, or copper carving, a craft of using knives to carve patterns on copper wares, has a history of about 1,000 years. In 2021, Guixi copper engraving was listed as one of the national-level intangible cultural heritages. The craft needs over 150 different kinds of knives and a dozen of carving skills to create a complete artwork, and the copper ware has to go through over 100,000 times of hammering before being turned into an exquisite artwork. Huang Junjun, 55 years old, is a representative inheritor of Guixi copper engraving, who has been taking the work for 36 years. "My grandpa was a copper ware craftsman, for whom I often acted as an assistant during childhood. I was fascinated with the ancient art," said Huang. As from 1989, he travelled all over the country to seek for masters to study the art, and also worked at factories in Shanghai and Nanchang to sharpen his skills. He also integrated copper engraving methods of Japan and South Korea into his own. "I was thinking during work that if the craft can't be applied to industry, people can't see its value, not to say preserve and inherit it," said Huang Junjun. In 2000, he set up a copper artwork studio, receiving orders from all over the country. For his excellent craftsmanship, Huang won fame in the circle and even received orders from Japan and Singapore. In 2012, with the help of local government of Guixi City, which strove to develop itself under the name of "city of copper", Huang founded the Jiangxi Zhongding metal artwork company. In order to improve the work efficiency, he created a production mode which combines the work of machines with that of craftsmen. Nowadays, Huang Junjun has cultivated over 200 professional craftsmen in copper engraving, and has over 30 artworks honored in various national and provincial exhibitions. His copper artworks are sold worldwide. He is confident in the future of his craft, "I hope my artworks not only embody the ancient styles of handmade metal accessories, but also reflect the aesthetic concepts of modern life, so as to let the art into the daily life of our common people." (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

A craftsman tints a copper engraving artwork at Huang Junjun's company in Guixi City, east China's Jiangxi Province, Aug. 9, 2023. Copper engraving, or copper carving, a craft of using knives to carve patterns on copper wares, has a history of about 1,000 years. In 2021, Guixi copper engraving was listed as one of the national-level intangible cultural heritages. The craft needs over 150 different kinds of knives and a dozen of carving skills to create a complete artwork, and the copper ware has to go through over 100,000 times of hammering before being turned into an exquisite artwork. Huang Junjun, 55 years old, is a representative inheritor of Guixi copper engraving, who has been taking the work for 36 years. "My grandpa was a copper ware craftsman, for whom I often acted as an assistant during childhood. I was fascinated with the ancient art," said Huang. As from 1989, he travelled all over the country to seek for masters to study the art, and also worked at factories in Shanghai and Nanchang to sharpen his skills. He also integrated copper engraving methods of Japan and South Korea into his own. "I was thinking during work that if the craft can't be applied to industry, people can't see its value, not to say preserve and inherit it," said Huang Junjun. In 2000, he set up a copper artwork studio, receiving orders from all over the country. For his excellent craftsmanship, Huang won fame in the circle and even received orders from Japan and Singapore. In 2012, with the help of local government of Guixi City, which strove to develop itself under the name of "city of copper", Huang founded the Jiangxi Zhongding metal artwork company. In order to improve the work efficiency, he created a production mode which combines the work of machines with that of craftsmen. Nowadays, Huang Junjun has cultivated over 200 professional craftsmen in copper engraving, and has over 30 artworks honored in various national and provincial exhibitions. His copper artworks are sold worldwide. He is confident in the future of his craft, "I hope my artworks not only embody the ancient styles of handmade metal accessories, but also reflect the aesthetic concepts of modern life, so as to let the art into the daily life of our common people." (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

Huang Junjun quenches a copper engraving artwork at a workshop of his company in Guixi City, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 13, 2023. Copper engraving, or copper carving, a craft of using knives to carve patterns on copper wares, has a history of about 1,000 years. In 2021, Guixi copper engraving was listed as one of the national-level intangible cultural heritages. The craft needs over 150 different kinds of knives and a dozen of carving skills to create a complete artwork, and the copper ware has to go through over 100,000 times of hammering before being turned into an exquisite artwork. Huang Junjun, 55 years old, is a representative inheritor of Guixi copper engraving, who has been taking the work for 36 years. "My grandpa was a copper ware craftsman, for whom I often acted as an assistant during childhood. I was fascinated with the ancient art," said Huang. As from 1989, he travelled all over the country to seek for masters to study the art, and also worked at factories in Shanghai and Nanchang to sharpen his skills. He also integrated copper engraving methods of Japan and South Korea into his own. "I was thinking during work that if the craft can't be applied to industry, people can't see its value, not to say preserve and inherit it," said Huang Junjun. In 2000, he set up a copper artwork studio, receiving orders from all over the country. For his excellent craftsmanship, Huang won fame in the circle and even received orders from Japan and Singapore. In 2012, with the help of local government of Guixi City, which strove to develop itself under the name of "city of copper", Huang founded the Jiangxi Zhongding metal artwork company. In order to improve the work efficiency, he created a production mode which combines the work of machines with that of craftsmen. Nowadays, Huang Junjun has cultivated over 200 professional craftsmen in copper engraving, and has over 30 artworks honored in various national and provincial exhibitions. His copper artworks are sold worldwide. He is confident in the future of his craft, "I hope my artworks not only embody the ancient styles of handmade metal accessories, but also reflect the aesthetic concepts of modern life, so as to let the art into the daily life of our common people." (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

Huang Junjun quenches a copper engraving artwork at a workshop of his company in Guixi City, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 13, 2023. Copper engraving, or copper carving, a craft of using knives to carve patterns on copper wares, has a history of about 1,000 years. In 2021, Guixi copper engraving was listed as one of the national-level intangible cultural heritages. The craft needs over 150 different kinds of knives and a dozen of carving skills to create a complete artwork, and the copper ware has to go through over 100,000 times of hammering before being turned into an exquisite artwork. Huang Junjun, 55 years old, is a representative inheritor of Guixi copper engraving, who has been taking the work for 36 years. "My grandpa was a copper ware craftsman, for whom I often acted as an assistant during childhood. I was fascinated with the ancient art," said Huang. As from 1989, he travelled all over the country to seek for masters to study the art, and also worked at factories in Shanghai and Nanchang to sharpen his skills. He also integrated copper engraving methods of Japan and South Korea into his own. "I was thinking during work that if the craft can't be applied to industry, people can't see its value, not to say preserve and inherit it," said Huang Junjun. In 2000, he set up a copper artwork studio, receiving orders from all over the country. For his excellent craftsmanship, Huang won fame in the circle and even received orders from Japan and Singapore. In 2012, with the help of local government of Guixi City, which strove to develop itself under the name of "city of copper", Huang founded the Jiangxi Zhongding metal artwork company. In order to improve the work efficiency, he created a production mode which combines the work of machines with that of craftsmen. Nowadays, Huang Junjun has cultivated over 200 professional craftsmen in copper engraving, and has over 30 artworks honored in various national and provincial exhibitions. His copper artworks are sold worldwide. He is confident in the future of his craft, "I hope my artworks not only embody the ancient styles of handmade metal accessories, but also reflect the aesthetic concepts of modern life, so as to let the art into the daily life of our common people." (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

Huang Junjun watches a copper engraving teapot at his company in Guixi City, east China's Jiangxi Province, Aug. 9, 2023. Copper engraving, or copper carving, a craft of using knives to carve patterns on copper wares, has a history of about 1,000 years. In 2021, Guixi copper engraving was listed as one of the national-level intangible cultural heritages. The craft needs over 150 different kinds of knives and a dozen of carving skills to create a complete artwork, and the copper ware has to go through over 100,000 times of hammering before being turned into an exquisite artwork. Huang Junjun, 55 years old, is a representative inheritor of Guixi copper engraving, who has been taking the work for 36 years. "My grandpa was a copper ware craftsman, for whom I often acted as an assistant during childhood. I was fascinated with the ancient art," said Huang. As from 1989, he travelled all over the country to seek for masters to study the art, and also worked at factories in Shanghai and Nanchang to sharpen his skills. He also integrated copper engraving methods of Japan and South Korea into his own. "I was thinking during work that if the craft can't be applied to industry, people can't see its value, not to say preserve and inherit it," said Huang Junjun. In 2000, he set up a copper artwork studio, receiving orders from all over the country. For his excellent craftsmanship, Huang won fame in the circle and even received orders from Japan and Singapore. In 2012, with the help of local government of Guixi City, which strove to develop itself under the name of "city of copper", Huang founded the Jiangxi Zhongding metal artwork company. In order to improve the work efficiency, he created a production mode which combines the work of machines with that of craftsmen. Nowadays, Huang Junjun has cultivated over 200 professional craftsmen in copper engraving, and has over 30 artworks honored in various national and provincial exhibitions. His copper artworks are sold worldwide. He is confident in the future of his craft, "I hope my artworks not only embody the ancient styles of handmade metal accessories, but also reflect the aesthetic concepts of modern life, so as to let the art into the daily life of our common people." (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

This photo taken on Aug. 9, 2023 shows Huang Junjun's copper engraving pen pot displayed at an exhibition hall of his company in Guixi City, east China's Jiangxi Province. Copper engraving, or copper carving, a craft of using knives to carve patterns on copper wares, has a history of about 1,000 years. In 2021, Guixi copper engraving was listed as one of the national-level intangible cultural heritages. The craft needs over 150 different kinds of knives and a dozen of carving skills to create a complete artwork, and the copper ware has to go through over 100,000 times of hammering before being turned into an exquisite artwork. Huang Junjun, 55 years old, is a representative inheritor of Guixi copper engraving, who has been taking the work for 36 years. "My grandpa was a copper ware craftsman, for whom I often acted as an assistant during childhood. I was fascinated with the ancient art," said Huang. As from 1989, he travelled all over the country to seek for masters to study the art, and also worked at factories in Shanghai and Nanchang to sharpen his skills. He also integrated copper engraving methods of Japan and South Korea into his own. "I was thinking during work that if the craft can't be applied to industry, people can't see its value, not to say preserve and inherit it," said Huang Junjun. In 2000, he set up a copper artwork studio, receiving orders from all over the country. For his excellent craftsmanship, Huang won fame in the circle and even received orders from Japan and Singapore. In 2012, with the help of local government of Guixi City, which strove to develop itself under the name of "city of copper", Huang founded the Jiangxi Zhongding metal artwork company. In order to improve the work efficiency, he created a production mode which combines the work of machines with that of craftsmen. Nowadays, Huang Junjun has cultivated over 200 professional craftsmen in copper engraving, and has over 30 artworks honored in various national and provincial exhibitions. His copper artworks are sold worldwide. He is confident in the future of his craft, "I hope my artworks not only embody the ancient styles of handmade metal accessories, but also reflect the aesthetic concepts of modern life, so as to let the art into the daily life of our common people." (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

Huang Junjun makes a copper engraving artwork at a workshop of his company in Guixi City, east China's Jiangxi Province, Aug. 9, 2023. Copper engraving, or copper carving, a craft of using knives to carve patterns on copper wares, has a history of about 1,000 years. In 2021, Guixi copper engraving was listed as one of the national-level intangible cultural heritages. The craft needs over 150 different kinds of knives and a dozen of carving skills to create a complete artwork, and the copper ware has to go through over 100,000 times of hammering before being turned into an exquisite artwork. Huang Junjun, 55 years old, is a representative inheritor of Guixi copper engraving, who has been taking the work for 36 years. "My grandpa was a copper ware craftsman, for whom I often acted as an assistant during childhood. I was fascinated with the ancient art," said Huang. As from 1989, he travelled all over the country to seek for masters to study the art, and also worked at factories in Shanghai and Nanchang to sharpen his skills. He also integrated copper engraving methods of Japan and South Korea into his own. "I was thinking during work that if the craft can't be applied to industry, people can't see its value, not to say preserve and inherit it," said Huang Junjun. In 2000, he set up a copper artwork studio, receiving orders from all over the country. For his excellent craftsmanship, Huang won fame in the circle and even received orders from Japan and Singapore. In 2012, with the help of local government of Guixi City, which strove to develop itself under the name of "city of copper", Huang founded the Jiangxi Zhongding metal artwork company. In order to improve the work efficiency, he created a production mode which combines the work of machines with that of craftsmen. Nowadays, Huang Junjun has cultivated over 200 professional craftsmen in copper engraving, and has over 30 artworks honored in various national and provincial exhibitions. His copper artworks are sold worldwide. He is confident in the future of his craft, "I hope my artworks not only embody the ancient styles of handmade metal accessories, but also reflect the aesthetic concepts of modern life, so as to let the art into the daily life of our common people." (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)
Dozens dead from Maui wildfires: What we know about the victims

Devastating wildfires that erupted on the Hawaiian island of Maui on Aug. 8 have claimed the lives of at least 114 people while many more remain missing, according to authorities.

Officials on Maui have repeatedly warned that the death toll is expected to rise as they work to contain the active blazes and assess the damage.

Maui Strong: Charities to directly support wildfire relief efforts

Here's what we know about some of the victims.

Franklin Trejos, 68

PHOTO: Franklin Trejos is seen here in an undated file photo. (Courtesy Shannon Weber-Bogar)

Franklin Trejos, 68, died in the historic town of Lahaina on Aug. 8, his friend Shannon Weber-Bogar confirmed to ABC News.

Trejos, who was originally from Costa Rica, had been living for several years with Weber-Bogar and her husband, Geoff Bogar, at their home on Maui. When the inferno began in Lahaina, Trejos and Bogar stayed behind to try to save the house and help their neighbors, Weber-Bogar said.

Eventually, Trejos and Bogar tried to escape in separate cars. Bogar's car wouldn't start, so he broke a window to get out and was later rescued by police and taken to a local hospital. The next day, Bogar returned to find Trejos' remains inside another car on top of their beloved dog, a 3-year-old golden retriever named Sam, according to Weber-Bogar.

Trejos' niece Kika Perez Grant told ABC News that her uncle, whom she called "Frankie," was a "huge animal lover" and would always think of others before thinking of himself.

"And so even in his very last moments, he thought to protect," Perez Grant said.

"He was just a loving man. He was a free spirit, he was an adventurer, a nature lover, an animal lover, an artist," she added. "He was just a great person to be around. Energetic, he had so much gusto."

Perez Grant also recalled her uncle's great smile and love for chocolate milk.

"He was such a wonderful human," she said. "The best uncle, brother and friend."

Trejos was very close to his older sister, Perez Grant's mother, who has been living with stage 4 breast cancer. He always worried about her and "checked in on her quite often," according to Perez Grant.

Story continues

"She never imagined losing her brother," Perez Grant said of her mother. "She always thought she would pass first."

Trejos would have turned 69 in September.

"This has been a tragic and heartbreaking loss for our family," Perez Grant told ABC News "To know that he must have been so scared or to imagine him suffering, there are no words."

Carole Hartley, 60

PHOTO: Carole Hartley is seen here in an undated file photo. (Courtesy Hartley Family)

Carole Hartley, 60, died in Lahaina on Aug. 8, her sister Donna Hartley confirmed to ABC News.

Carole's body was found by her longtime partner Charles on their property there. The couple were separated as they tried to flee the flames, Donna said.

Charles told Donna that he and Carole were about to get in their truck when it exploded in front of them. He said he told Carole to "run" and he thought she was in front of him running but he never saw her again, according to Donna.

Charles survived but suffered third-degree burns. He returned to their property on Aug. 12 to find human remains alongside Carole's watch and dental bridge, Donna said.

"It has to be her remains," Donna told ABC News. "Nobody else has been at our house."

Donna, who lives in Alabama, said she has struggled to sleep ever since and has been having nightmares.

"I have dreams my sister is on fire," she added.

Donna described her sister as a "beautiful" person. Carole would have turned 61 later in August.

"She had a heart of gold and she cared about other people more than herself," Donna said. "She was always that way."

Joe Schilling, 67

PHOTO: In an undated photo, Joe Schilling, 67, is seen on a golf course in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Courtesy of Bill Schilling)

Joe Schilling, 67, is believed to have died in Lahaina on Aug. 8, his family and friends confirmed to ABC News.

Schilling hasn't contacted his loved ones since the wildfire broke out in Lahaina that day. His family and friends said they believe he most likely died in the blaze, so they are working with authorities to submit DNA samples.

Based on accounts from those who interacted with Schilling on Aug. 8 as well as text messages he sent to a friend that afternoon, Schilling's loved ones believe he chose to stay behind at his apartment complex, Hale Mahaolu Eono, with several elderly residents who were unable to evacuate due to mobility issues.

In texts to his friend Corie Bluh, reviewed by ABC News, Schilling said there were "multiple houses on fire right across from me" and that he "can't leave can't see."

"We are trapped can't see a thing plus when u try to breath it burns ur lungs," he wrote.

"Breathing through wet towels," he added. "6 of us in one unit."

Schilling also sent photos to Bluh showing a nearby home on fire with thick smoke billowing into the air. In his last text message, Schilling warned: "Cars parked on the road now exploding."

Schilling had lived on Maui for the last 25 years and became known as "Uncle Joe." He met Bluh through her late husband at work years ago. When Bluh's husband, who she said suffered bouts of mental illness, took to to the sidelines of parenting, Schilling stepped in to mentor and help raise their five children.

"We were not the only people that knew him as Uncle Joe," Bluh told ABC News. "His name tag at work was Uncle Joe because he was just that guy that was there for everybody."

Schilling's pronounced role with the Bluh family and the larger community in Maui came as no surprise to his younger brother, Dan Schilling.

"His life, I would describe it with two words: It was selfless and without convention," Dan Schilling told ABC News.

"What Joe did allowed these people not to die alone," he added. "That's the great gesture he did that he sacrificed himself for."

Buddy Jantoc, 79

PHOTO: In an undated photo, Buddy Jantoc, center, is seen with his granddaughter Keshia Alakai and her husband. (Courtesy of The Family of Buddy Jantoc)

Maui County and the Maui Police Department confirmed that 79-year-old Lahaina resident Buddy Jantoc was among those killed in the wildfire.

Jantoc was originally from Honolulu and had lived in Lahaina for 30 years, his granddaughter, Keshia Alakai, told ABC News.

He most recently lived at Hale Mahaolu Eono, a senior housing complex, but was very independent and still able to drive, she said.

To Jantoc, "his family and his music was everything," Alakai said.

Jantoc is survived by two sons as well as many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, according to Alakai.

"We were all close with him, we all had a special bond with him," she said.

"My Papa usually calls me for any little thing, you know? Just if it was raining a lot, or whatever, he would let me know. So not hearing from him for a couple of days, I already knew something was wrong," she said.

"I knew my Papa was older, but for him to be taken from us that way, I think that's what's the hardest to come to terms with," Alakai said.

She said she'll miss "his calls for the silly stuff," like birthday wishes and helping him place orders online.

"Just little simple stuff that we'll never get again."

Robert Dyckman, 74

Maui County and the Maui Police Department confirmed that 74-year-old Lahaina resident Robert Dyckman was among those killed in the wildfire.

Melva Benjamin, 71

The Maui Police Department confirmed that 71-year-old Lahaina resident Melva Benjamin was among those killed in the wildfire.

Benjamin's son-in-law, David Makua, told ABC News, "All I know is just -- I love my mom. Thats all. We're still waiting to hear about other family. So it's -- we're not over yet. We have other people still missing."

Virginia Dofa, 90

The Maui Police Department confirmed that 90-year-old Lahaina resident Virginia Dofa was among those killed in the wildfire.

Alfredo Galinato, 79

PHOTO: Alfredo Galinato, 79, who authorities said yesterday died in the Lahaina wildfire. (Courtesy Joshua Galinato)

The Maui Police Department confirmed that 79-year-old Lahaina resident Alfredo Galinato was among those killed in the wildfire.

Donna Gomes, 71

The Maui Police Department confirmed that 71-year-old Lahaina resident Donna Gomes was among those killed in the wildfire.

Angelita Vasquez,88

The Maui Police Department confirmed that 88-year-old Lahaina resident Angelita Vasquez was among those killed in the wildfire.

Conchita Sagudang , 75

The Maui Police Department confirmed that 75-year-old Lahaina resident Conchita Sagudang was among those killed in the wildfire.

Danilo Sagudang, 55

The Maui Police Department confirmed that 55-year-old Lahaina resident Danilo Sagudang was among those killed in the wildfire.

Rodolfo Rocutan, 76

The Maui Police Department confirmed that 76-year-old Lahaina resident Rodolfo Rocutan was among those killed in the wildfire.

Jonathan Somaoang, 76

The Maui Police Department confirmed that 76-year-old Lahaina resident Jonathan Somaoang was among those killed in the wildfire.

ABC News' Peter Charalambous, Sasha Pezenik, Alyssa Pone, Stephanie Wash, Marilyn Heck and Jennifer Watts contributed to this report.

Dozens dead from Maui wildfires: What we know about the victims originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
The glacier lake outburst that sent an unprecedented amount of water rushing towards Alaska's capital, destroying homes, would not have happened without climate change, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

An outburst flood from a meltwater lake on the Mendenhall Glacier, located about 12 miles north of Juneau, Alaska, sent record amounts of water into Mendenhall Lake and down the Mendenhall River between Aug. 4 and Aug. 6, according to NOAA.

PHOTO: The Mendenhall Glacier, glimpsed from along the West Glacier trail, on June 8, 2023, in Juneau, Alaska. (Becky Bohrer/AP, FILE)

Significant flooding was reported in areas along the river that have not seen flooding from these types of events in the past, the National Weather Service office in Juneau said. Floodwaters swept trees and buildings into the river as significant erosion occurred.

Decades worth of erosion happened in one weekend, Rick Thoman, Alaska Climate Specialist at the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy told Climate.gov.

MORE: Scientists concerned 'rare' glacial flooding event in Alaska could happen again

The Mendenhall Lake crested at 14.97 feet the night of Aug. 5, smashing the previous record of 11.99 feet set in July 2016 and exceeding the initial forecast of 12.3 feet by the Alaska-Pacific River Forecast Center.

At the height of the flooding event, a streamflow of about 25,000 cubic feet per second was recorded, National Weather Service Juneau hydrologist Aaron Jacobs told ABC News earlier this month.

PHOTO: A view of flooding following a glacial dam outburst, in Juneau, Alaska, in this picture released on Aug. 5, 2023. (The National Weather Service Jun via Reuters)

Andrew Park, a Meteorologist at NWS Juneau, described the fast-moving flow to Climate.gov as "historic." The previous maximum streamflow, set in 2015, was 16,300 cubic feet per second, according to USGS records.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency created flood maps for the Mendenhall Glacier, defining a 100-year flooding event as a discharge of 17,000 cubic feet per second, with less than a 1% chance of occurring in any given year, and a 500-year flooding event as a discharge of 26,000 cubic feet per second, or a .2% of occurring in any given year, Jacobs said.

Story continues

"Without climate change, there is no reason to think that this would be happening on the Mendenhall Glacier, then in the lake, and downriver," Thoman said.

MORE: Glacial break causes major flooding in Alaska, officials issue emergency declaration

The flooding occurred after a break from the Mendenhall Glacier's Suicide Basin, which has changed drastically due to thinning, melting and glacial retreat, according to NOAA. Suicide Glacier was once a much larger frozen tributary, which flowed into and merged with the Mendenhall Glacier.

The flooding destroyed several structures along the Mendenhall River, according to the National Weather Service.

PHOTO: A drone view shows a house collapsing into a river due to glacial floods in Juneau, Alaska, Aug. 5, 2023. (twowildhearts/Instagram via Reuters)

The buildings that fell into the river and those that are uninhabitable now were not right next to the river on Friday afternoon before the flooding started, Thoman said.

Mendenhall Valley, where the floodwaters went once the river and lake overflowed, is Juneau's most heavily populated neighborhood, according to the Alaska Coastal Rainforest Center.

MORE: Greenland Ice Sheet melting faster than previously thought, scientists say

Scientists are concerned that a similar event, although considered extremely rare in the past, could happen again.

Alaska has warmed twice as fast as the rest of the United States over the last several decades, according to NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information. Alaska's average annual temperature has risen 3.1 degrees Fahrenheit over the last century, and the overall trend continues to increase.

The retreat, melting and thinning of glaciers over the last century has been attributed by climate scientists to Earth's warming climate. Alaska's glaciers been experiencing a steep decline since the late 1980s, according to the Alaska Department of Geological and Geophysical Surveys

PHOTO: Screen grab of a video showing the collapse of a home into the Mendenhall River in Alaska on Aug. 5, 2023. (Sam Nolan)

Before 2011, when the first lake outburst in the Mendenhall occurred, glacial lake outburst floods were a relatively new phenomenon. Suicide Basin has been releasing glacier lake outburst floods that cause inundation along Mendenhall Lake and Mendenhall River since 2011, according to the National Weather Service.

Those in charge of monitoring the Mendenhall Glacier and the lakes within it can tell when a flooding event is gearing up, Jacobs said.

The National Weather Service in Juneau has a "well-versed" monitoring program, which involves elevation marks on Suicide Basin and a camera pointed in its direction, to see how much the water levels are falling and rising.

Suicide Basin began to refill on Aug. 9 but remains at very low levels, making another lake outburst before the fall season unlikely, according to NOAA.

ABC News' Dan Manzo contributed to this report.

Severe flooding from Alaska glacial break would not have happened without climate change, scientists say originally appeared on abcnews.go.com


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Long a staple in classrooms and hiking trails, the humble backpack is perhaps the most versatile kind of baggage there is. The kid- and outdoor-focused packs are still going strong, but there are also newer options designed with a sense of style  a reflection of the growing acceptance of backpacks in workplaces and on the shoulders of stylish men. Its all fueling a backpack resurgence, with one analysis projecting that the categorys global market size will nearly double between 2022 and 2030.

Today's Top Deals

Its a bit of a chicken and egg situation, but the growing popularity of backpacks and the growing diversity of the backpacks on the market seem to go hand-in-hand. On a busy city street in the morning, its entirely possible to spot a school-bound kid, a bike courier, a tech worker, and a stylish man-about-town all wearing different backpacks that suit their needs. In other words, backpacks are ubiquitous, but that doesnt mean that all of them are great.

The best backpacks accomplish their intended function with aplomb, whether thats protecting a laptop or holding a crumpled camping tent. Beyond that, durability, comfort, and style are the other factors to consider. Price-wise, its possible to spend $50, $500, or more on a quality backpack, so whether one is worth it depends on its materials, construction, features, and warranty  as well as the customers needs.

What the Experts Say

Sources within the backpack industry say that shifting trends in the market mean there are plenty of backpacks worth getting excited about, both in terms of what they do and what they look like. For this story, SPY interviewed Nate Axvig, owner of Colorado-based Scandinavian gear retailer Aktivstyle, certified travel agent Christen Thomas, and others who shared their expertise about specific kinds of backpacks.

The pandemic has accelerated the transition away from the bland briefcases of yesteryear, says Thomas. Corporate folks and road warriors alike are looking more for functionality and backpacks, in general, are becoming the norm.

Thomas, who has backpacked across Europe, adds that its crucial to have a backpack thats versatile and practical without sacrificing style or comfort. Function is most important, in other words, but the modern crop of backpacks means that sacrificing style is not necessary.

Sandqvist Bernt Backpack against white background

BEST OVERALL

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Axvig says he uses his Bernt as both an everyday bike commuter and regular European backpacker. Hes quick to point out the design touches that make it a winner, starting with the zipper compartment on the back where one can safely stash and access a laptop without having to open the whole bag. Opening the whole bag, however, is simple, thanks to the roll-top construction, [which] is both secure and easy to use and the cinching on the sides, which makes it easy to compress an empty pack.

The materials are where this bag really stands out, as well. There are lots of leather bags and lots of Cordura bags, but not many that combine the luxurious natural material and the tough-as-nails synthetic fiber. The end result is a backpack thats rugged and stylish with what Axvig calls a sophistication that is as at home on the trail as it is in a corporate setting.

Manhattan Portgage Empire XXL Backpack against white background

BEST FOR BIKING

Manhattan Portgage Empire XXL

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Price: $339.00

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Made For: Cyclists who need to carry a lot. Veteran NYC bike messenger Kevin Bolger helped design this backpack to hold the increasingly larger loads that bike messengers ferry about town. They didnt have a big enough bag for what was going on currently in the industry, so I helped them design that extra-big bag, he explains. It has a lot of extra straps and stuff like that. Those who dont need that much space can opt for the non-XXL version of this bag.

Hot Take: Splitting a load between two shoulders instead of one makes backpacks better for cyclists than messenger bags  the only downside being that its hard to access cargo without taking it off.

Peak Design Travel Backpack against white background

BEST FOR COMMUTING

Peak Design Travel Backpack

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Made For: Business-minded backpackers. Its smart pocket layout and excellent accessories give it a sleek appearance while still being enormously practical, Thomas says. Theres a layer of ultra-light padded foam around the bag that gives it more structure for a more polished look that also helps protect its contents. Its one reason Thomas says this backpack is a favorite among many of my business-traveler clients.

ROI: Its compatible with an array of Peak Design accessories, including packing cubes, special bags for camera equipment, and a hip belt accessory (so it can easily transition from commuter backpack to travel backpack). Buying this bag means buying into an ecosystem that can make buying additional bags for additional purposes unnecessary.

Osprey Farpoint Travel Pack against white background

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Osprey Farpoint Travelpack

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Why It Stands Out: Its the best of both worlds. Hans Mast of Golden Rule Travel says that its an exceptional choice for European travel due to its versatility, durability, and user-friendly design. Thats a reflection of Ospreys goal with these packs: incorporating serious technical features, like fine torso adjustments and breathable harnesses, into backpacks meant for use by people who wont be relying upon them for long stretches in remote wilderness.

Coolest Feature: The detachable daypack, which makes it easy to explore on those days when backpackers can leave the main bag in the hotel. Mast calls it a game-changer that makes city exploration in particular much easier.

m0851b BP 25 backpack against white background

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m0851b BP 25

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Why It Stands Out: The full-grain leather is great, but its the aniline that makes this bag stand out. Leather tanner and designer Tanner Leatherstein says that anilines are very transparent dyes that accomplish color consistency on the surface but dont cover up imperfections. This allows for an unnaturally colored backpack to nevertheless show off the natural texture of its leather.

ROI: At $745, this bag is an investment, but its undoubtedly cool. And, because its minimally finished, it will develop a patina over years of use.

Pacsafe Venturasafe EXP45 against white background

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Pacsafe Venturasafe EXP45

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Made For: Those who need to keep valuables safe during transit. The Pacsafe Venturasafe has a slew of features meant to thwart pickpockets and identity thieves: self-locking zippers, a layer of steel mesh to prevent slashing, and a security clip that makes it easy to lock the bag to a secure object in, say, a hotel room. While I was exploring the narrow alleys of Barcelona, the peace of mind this backpack provided was invaluable, Thomas says.

Coolest Feature: There is a special pocket that is equipped with RFID-blocking technology, so any passports or credit cards arent at risk of being scanned and repurposed.

Frequently Asked Questions About Backpacks for Men

Should men really carry a backpack to work?

Backpacks and any kind of structured jacket arent a great combination, as the shoulders of the latter likely wont hold up to the weight of the former. Beyond that highly specific situation, its hard to imagine a job that there isnt a backpack well-suited for  and given that the stigma around backpacks in the workplace is rapidly fading, theres even less of a reason not to carry one.

How much should a backpack cost?

The best way to answer this question is to start with materials. Full-grain leather is expensive, so any backpack made with it will and should cost more; cordura or similar synthetic materials, however, are much cheaper. Factors like capacity, features, and warranty can increase the price, but generally a standard backpack that will last for years should cost anywhere from one to a few hundred dollars.

How big should a backpack be?

That depends on its function. A traveling backpacker whos living out of their bag might need 60 liters, while a commuter who only needs enough stuff to get through the work day will certainly be fine with 25 liters or so.

What should I do with my hands now that all my stuff is resting on my shoulders?

Drink a coffee, eat a sandwich, read a book, shoplift a pack of gum just to feel alive  wearing a backpack opens a whole new world of stuff that can be done on the go.

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Click here to read the full article.


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Proving striking looks and great taste run in the family, Gigi and Bella Hadids older sister Alana Hadid made her runway debut at Copenhagen Fashion Week.

After opening the Saks Potts show on Monday, Alana, 38, walked the Munthe show in the capital of Denmark yesterday.

Alana is the daughter of Mohammed Hadid and his ex-wife Mary Butler.

Proving striking looks and great taste run in the family, Gigi and Bella Hadids older sister Alana Hadid made her runway debut at Copenhagen Fashion Week.

After opening the Saks Potts show on Monday, Alana, 38, walked the Munthe show in the capital of Denmark yesterday, looking stunning in two contrasting looks. The first was a transparent mesh dress with a floral embroidery lined with tiny colorful beads. She wore the sleeveless piece over a lingerie set in the same black, beige, and white floral pattern, plus black leather sandals.

Her second runway look was a black leather minidress with little flower-shaped cutouts throughout. Alana wore it with the same black sandals and carried a furry brown, cream, and black bag.

Her makeup look was natural, and she wore her straight hair down.

Matt Jelonek - Getty Images

Matt Jelonek - Getty Images

Alana is the daughter of Mohammed Hadid and his ex-wife Mary Butler. Her siblings include sister Marielle, 42, and half siblings Gigi, 28, Bella, 26, and Anwar Hadid, 24.

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Alana is a fashion designer and co-founder of Los Angeles unisex brand La Detresse. She is also now the fifth model in the family. Gigi and Bella, of course, are fashion royalty, Anwar has done modeling of his own as well, and Yolanda Hadid (mom to Gigi, Bella, and Anwar) was a major model in her youth.

Alanas runway debut comes just as sister Bella is making her comeback. The Kin Euphorics co-founder went on medical leave for about five months to get treated for Lyme disease, and recently shared videos on TikTok of her big return to work.

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Whitewater rafting is one of the most thrilling river water sports, and if you like to plan your entire vacation around opportunities to get out on the rapids, you are certainly not alone. People all over the world are drawn to the excitement of navigating the fast, shallow stretches of water by raft with a group of their friends in tow, and they flock to destinations known for their exciting courses. A number of these must-visit whitewater rafting spots are located right within the United States, in regions along the East Coast, West Coast, and everywhere in between. If you've been considering planning a whitewater rafting trip, you are definitely going to want to visit these locations, break out your paddles, and get in the water.

Arkansas River, Arkansas & Colorado

The Arkansas River runs between Arkansas and Colorado and is one of the country's most sought-after whitewater rafting spots, largely because of the stunning views of the white mountains of Colorado. Guests tend to spend anywhere between a half-day and fifteen days exploring the area and spending time out on the rapids.

Sportstock - Getty Images

Salmon River, Idaho

Known for its thrilling drops that make you feel like you're riding a rollercoaster, the Salmon River in Idaho offers visitors one of the most beautiful whitewater rafting journeys in the country. The area is also home to an abundance of wildlife, grasslands, and canyons, which serve to create truly beautiful scenery and a one-of-a-kinf experience.

Merrill Images - Getty Images

Kennebec River, Maine

Maine's Kennebec River is home to class III and IV rapids, which make for a perfectly thrilling and often challenging rafting journey. The 12-mile long course has a few drops that can be quite startling if you're not ready for them, so beginners might want to sit this one out.

Kyle Sparks - Getty Images

Colorado River, Arizona

The Colorado River flows right through the Grand Canyon, and many argue that it is the number one destination for whitewater rafting in the United States. The waters are typically fairly calm, though once in a while they become more challenging as the result of high waves and water speed.

Patrick J. Endres - Getty Images

Gauley River, West Virginia

Seasoned whitewater rafters flock to West Virigina to traverse the Gauley River, which offers a challenging experience. While beginner rafters might find the class V rapids scary, it's also exhilerating and fun for a thrill-seeker.

mountainberryphoto - Getty Images

Kern River, California

California's Kern River is home to 165 miles of whitewater rafting known for its high elevation and quick flow. While some parts of the river are best suited to intermediate or advanced whitewater rafters, there are plenty of opportunities for beginners to learn the ropes on the Lower Kern River.

Fuse - Getty Images

St. Louis River, Minnesota

The St. Louis River, located in Minnesota, is 192 miles long and is the longest in the country that flows into a lake, which, in this case, is Lake Superior. The class II and III rapids make the St. Louis River an excellent destination for whitewater rafters of all skill levels, and the natural surroundings provide an endlessly gorgeous view.

David Madison - Getty Images

Tuolumne River, California

One of the most challenging whitewater rafting destinations in the United States, the Tuolumne River spans 149 miles of Central California. The river begins in Yosemite National Park, ensuring the views are exciting as the class IV and V rapids are challenging.

tdub303 - Getty Images

Rogue River, Oregon

Oregon's Rogue River is home to class I, II, and III rapids, making it an excellent destination for beginner whitewater rafters without compromising on the gorgeous scenery. Every inch of the course offers glimpses of nature and wildlife that can't be found anywhere else.

Erik Isakson - Getty Images

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An airport lounge might not be the first place you think of when it comes to modern art. Yet, set in Chicago OHare International Airport, the newly unveiled United Club in terminal 1s C concourse, near gate C10 is once again reimagining the way people travel thanks to the airlines ongoing effort to promote local artists from around the world.

This was an awesome project to be involved in for so many reasons, Chicago artist Kate Lewis tells Robb Report. My specialization in college was in Travel and Tourism because I was such a nut for backpacking, so seeing artisans in so many cultures after graduation was what inspired me to want to pursue art for a living.

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Lewis larger-than-life mural called The Impossibility of Being now serves as the backdrop for the sleek new lounge space, and is just one of the many new perks travelers can expect to see on their next visit.

United ClubSM

Traveling remains a huge passion, so any opportunity to get to know a new place, and create art to represent it, is super exciting, Lewis says.

Earlier this year, the United Club reopened and has been completely reimagined to not only elevate, but automate the traveler experience. From the moment you pass through the self-scanning e-gates into the spacious 17,000-square-foot lounge, youll be treated to a completely revamped and light-filled space thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the tarmac.

With seating for around 400 passengers, the club represents a huge upgrade reserved for United Club members, Chase United Club Visa holders, Star Alliance Gold travelers, and international business or first-class passengers traveling on any Star Alliance flight and is just one of many perks United Club Infinite cardholders can expect to receive with their membership.

United ClubSM

As the most valuable credit card when it comes to United Club access, Infinite Card members can also expect to receive a variety of perks ranging from up to 8,000 Premier qualifying point (PQP), up to $100 in Global Entry or TSA Pre Check credit four miles per dollar spent on all United purchases, two free checked bags when you fly, travel and purchase protections, Premier Access travel services, and so much more (terms apply).

With ample opportunity to sit back and relax pre-flight, in addition to Lewis beautiful artwork, the club now boasts luxurious design touches and modern amenities including agent-on-demand kiosks that are always available for travelers looking for extra assistance. With the implementation of several new Agent On Demand kiosks, travelers can communicate with agents instantly and remotely via video or text.

United ClubSM

I like to give people a brief pause to be lost in something, Lewis says. I use familiar shapes as architecture and bend them in impossible ways that couldnt be reconstructed in 3D. Its a brain game of organized chaos and encourages people to look at things from several perspectives that I think people will really enjoy.

To learn more about the United Club Infinite Card and the many perks that come with a United Club membership, you can find more here.

Learn more about the United Club Infinite Card

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This look at Shanty on the Shore is the latest in a series of profiles by the Burlington Free Press on long-standing restaurants in Chittenden County. How do restaurants that date to the 20th century remain relevant, while continuing to do the things that have given them such staying power?

The core of the building dates to 1833 and the restaurant that now occupies the space opened in 1985, but it was only a few years ago, in 2018, that Shanty on the Shore made one of its biggest changes ever.

The seafood joint overlooking Lake Champlain in Burlington added an outdoor deck, doubling its capacity in nice weather to about 170. As the structure evolved, the crowd that had been coming to the Battery Street restaurant for more than three decades evolved as well.

That has really changed the demographic, according to Al Gobeille, who with his wife, Kim Gobeille, oversees Shanty on the Shore and, just up Battery Street, the Burlington Bay Market and Cafe.

A lobster roll, curly fries and an iced tea on the deck of Shanty on the Shore in Burlington on July 26, 2023.

Tony Elmore, supervisor of Gobeille Hospitality, which oversees both restaurants, said the clientele at Shanty on the Shore grew younger and more diverse. The deck had a lot to do with that, as well as the simultaneous addition of a small bar inside. Customers dont necessarily hang out at the bar, according to Gobeille, but just knowing theres a bar there makes Shanty on the Shore a more viable nightlife option for a broader range of people.

Shanty on the Shore made those upgrades while paying attention to whats kept it going for 38 years. Broiled haddock remains where its been on the menu since the late 1980s. Shantys clam strips, whole-belly fried clams, homemade New England clam chowder and key lime pie are also stalwarts that draws regulars as well as newcomers.

We still see a lot of the same people coming in, Elmore said.

Tony Elmore, left, supervisor of Gobeille Hospitality, and Shanty on the Shore co-owner Al Gobeille stand in the dining room of the Burlington restaurant July 26, 2023.

From dry goods to seafood

The website for Shanty on the Shore lays out the long history of the building that sits on land that once belonged to Ira Allen, one of the founders of the republic (and later state) of Vermont.

Isaac Nye built the core of the present-day restaurant in 1833 as a store for selling dry goods and groceries. The structure  the oldest remaining commercial building on the waterfront, according to Gobeille  included a home, storage space and an attached stable.

In 1894, James Wakefield leased the property to manufacture yachts, tents and other items. The pulleys, wood beams and lintels displayed at the Shanty today are from the time Wakefield used the space.

The Champlain Transportation Co. (later the Lake Champlain Transportation Co., known for its ferries across the lake) used the building as its office from 1913 until 1952, after which it became a cold-storage site. The building became the Welcome Inn Restaurant in 1963.

Kim Gobeilles parents, Terry and Sue Spillane, took over the restaurant in December 1985 and rechristened it Shanty on the Shore. Al and Kim Gobeille bought the business in 1996.

Shanty on the Shore sits about 100 feet from Lake Champlain, but at one point the building really was on the shore. Al Gobeille said the lake was filled in several feet to allow for the laying of railroad tracks. Parking spaces and the Burlington Greenway bike path now occupy that ground as well.

Customers dine on the deck July 26, 2023 at Shanty on the Shore in Burlington.

A very educated consumer

The local dining world in 1996 was not nearly as flush with restaurants as today. There was little commerce at Taft Corners in Williston. South Burlingtons restaurant scene was led by the Perry Restaurant Group on Shelburne Road, featuring Perrys Fish House and the Sirloin Saloon. Restaurants in Burlington were centered on or around the Church Street Marketplace, including current eateries Leunigs and Halvorsons Upstreet Cafe and the recently-departed Sweetwaters.

Though off the beaten downtown path, Shanty on the Shore had an advantageous location. The restaurant sat just up the hill from the ferry dock that brought summertime passengers across the lake from Port Kent, New York.

The ferry was incredibly busy back then, according to Gobeille. He said restaurant employees would ring a bell to alert fellow staff members when a ferry was arriving so they could prepare for the next wave of customers.

Gobeille said diners at that time werent so interested in where the ingredients in their dishes came from or whether seafood was fresh or had been frozen.

Theres a very educated consumer now, he said, with patrons growing more curious about the origin of their food in part because of the farm-to-table movement that came to Vermont in the early 2000s. Thats around the time the states beer scene started booming, too; Gobeille said the Shanty on the Shore taps once dominated by Budweiser and Miller are now occupied predominantly by local brews.

Aaron Botti plates a lobster roll July 26, 2023 at Shanty on the Shore in Burlington.

Back then, according to Gobeille, the restaurant carried three types of red wine and three types of white, but the selection has become much more extensive. Now we have to have three different types of rose, he said.

A more-discerning customer is a good thing, according to Gobeille. He said Shanty on the Shore relies on frozen shrimp coming north from the Gulf of Mexico, but otherwise the restaurant in landlocked Vermont sources fresh seafood several times a week from Boston.

In some ways its so welcome, Gobeille said of that increased scrutiny. Its the art that we do. Its nice to have people recognize it.

The menu has evolved with changing tastes. We never would have done fish tacos in 1996, Gobeille said.

Those are super-popular, according to Elmore. Top three, for sure, he said. Its easily our staff favorite  easily.

A poster on the wall July 26, 2023 at Shanty on the Shore evokes the Burlington restaurant's lakeside location.

Weathering the pandemic

Gobeille also oversaw Breakwater Cafe & Grill at the King Street ferry landing before selling the eatery in 2017. The lakefront property reopened as The Spot on the Dock.

I had this crazy state job, Gobeille said in explaining the reason for the sale. (He had just become secretary of the state Agency of Human Services.) Gobeille has also served on the Shelburne Selectboard and as chairman of the Green Mountain Care Board.

Hes not threatened by having The Spot on the Dock, a competing restaurant, so close to Shanty on the Shore. He sees strength in numbers, with the likelihood that customers might come on the same night to one establishment for drinks and another for food.

Busy restaurants make busy restaurants busier, Gobeille said.

Brooke Mossman of Charlotte and Peggy Pearson of Essex sat on the deck Aug. 11 so they could catch up on each others lives. This is our regular spot to meet every couple of months, according to Pearson.

On this Friday evening Pearson ordered haddock, but she has other favorites, too. I absolutely love their clam chowder in a bread bowl, she said. Mossman is a fan of Shantys haddock as well as the shrimp scampi. While she enjoys sitting on the deck in nice weather, she said she and Pearson also like to explore the menu in winter.

The view from the deck at Shanty on the Shore in Burlington on July 26, 2023.

The new deck became especially valuable when the COVID-19 pandemic drove the majority of diners outside in 2020. The pandemic caused the supply chain to become brutal, according to Gobeille, making it hard for Shanty on the Shore to source fresh lobsters, oysters and clams. He said the restaurant took steak off the menu for a couple of years because it became too hard to find quality, reasonably-priced beef.

Everything seemed to change every week, according to Gobeille. But we were OK.

Staffing shortages hit the restaurant, too, as has been the case for restaurants nationwide since the pandemic.

A lot of people were scared to work, Elmore said. The turnover rate was big. Instead of receiving 20 responses to a help-wanted ad, he said, the restaurant would receive four, and would interview every applicant.

Unlike many restaurants during the pandemic, Gobeilles restaurant remained open seven days a week. He said that made Sundays and Mondays when other restaurants were closed even busier at Shanty than on Fridays.

Tony Elmore, supervisor of Gobeille Hospitality, talks about photos on the wall of one of the restaurants he manages, Shanty on the Shore in Burlington, on July 26, 2023.

To lure more workers, Shanty on the Shore, which employs up to 90 full- and part-time employees, had to increase pay without raising menu prices so high it would drive customers away. I think it worked because we had the volume of business, Gobeille said. The restaurant tried to stay ahead of the problem first, according to Gobeille, and worry about profit and loss later.

Its still really, really hard, he said of the restaurants efforts to attract workers.

Its an improvement, Elmore said.

From impossible, according to Gobeille.

The ferry from Port Kent stopped running after the pandemic, but a new marina has brought new clientele to the foot of King Street. If we didnt get the marina we would have felt the ferry leaving, Gobeille said.

Adding the deck has increased tourism even without the ferry being there, according to Elmore.

A buoy light rests atop a lobster trap overlooking the deck at Shanty on the Shore in Burlington on July 26, 2023.

Though Shanty on the Shore has room to expand its deck, Gobeille plans to keep things as they are for now, especially while staffing remains an issue.

Right now were just happy with the way customers have responded, he said.

Shanty on the Shore on Battery Street in Burlington, shown July 26, 2023.

If you go

WHAT: Shanty on the Shore

WHERE: 181 Battery St., Burlington

WHEN: 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m., Sunday-Monday and Wednesday-Thursday; 11:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m., Tuesday; 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Friday-Saturday.

INFORMATION: (802) 864-0238, www.shantyontheshore.com

Contact Brent Hallenbeck at bhallenbeck@freepressmedia.com.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Shanty on the Shore adds deck, reels in new customers in Burlington
ElectraMeccanica, the maker of the tiny three-wheeled Solo electric vehicle, will merge with U.K.-based truck manufacturer Tevva in a bid to grow their combined market share for electric trucks, the companies said Tuesday.

The merger represents a pivot for ElectraMeccanica, which struggled to produce its small electric vehicle profitably. After a recall in February, ElectraMeccanica was forced to discontinue the Solo vehicle. By focusing on medium- and heavy-duty commercial electric trucks, a fast-growing segment in the global EV market, the company will be able to keep some of its operations alive.

For Tevva, the merger is an opportunity to grow in the U.K. and Europe, enter the U.S. market and produce more trucks at ElectraMeccanica's plant in Mesa, Arizona.

The Mesa plant is expected to begin production in 2025 and reach full capacity in 2026. It'll be able to produce 10,000 units of Tevva's 7.5T model electric commercial truck, according to a company spokesperson. Tevva recently began delivering the 7.5T to commercial fleet customers and is currently producing that model in its U.K. factory at a capacity of 3,500 units.

"Our operations complement one another," said ElectraMeccanica's CEO Susan Docherty in a statement. "ElectraMeccanicas U.S. footprint and Tevvas experience in the U.K. and EU; our collective go-to-market and engineering expertise; our respective Mesa, Arizona, and Tilbury, United Kingdom, facilities; and our balance sheet as well as public listing alongside Tevvas commercially ready products and significant customer list."

Docherty also noted that the electric truck market, unlike the electric three-wheeler market, is eligible for U.S. government incentives like the $1 billion set aside for electrifying heavy-duty trucks and an up to $40,000 rebate per medium-duty commercial vehicle.

ElectraMeccanica's stock rose 19% on the news. The company will continue trading publicly as SOLO until the closing of the deal, which is expected to happen in the fourth quarter. If the proposed merger is approved by shareholders, the combined company will begin trading as Tevva, Inc., under the ticker TVVA.

Financials and other details

ElectraMeccanica's Solo EV. Image Credits: ElectraMeccanica

Once the transaction goes through, ElectraMeccanica shareholders will hold 23.5% of the combined company, with Tevva shareholders taking the remaining $76.5%, according to regulatory filings.

ElectraMeccanica and Tevva expect the merger to bring in about $5 million in run-rate annual cost savings by the end of 2024 and a revenue of $1.3 billion to $1.5 billion by 2028.

The combined company will have a cash balance of $70 million to $80 million, with debt of around $26 million. ElectraMeccanica will also provide a $6 million credit facility to Tevva, which can be drawn in whole or in part until the deal is closed, to be used as working capital.

Docherty will become CEO of the combined company. David Roberts, current director of Tevva, will become executive chairman of the new Tevva, Inc.

The combined company will consist of nine directors, four from ElectraMeccanica and five from Tevva.

The struggle of making three-wheeled EVs

Arcimoto's FUV ("Fun Utility Vehicle"), another three-wheeled EV. Image Credit: Arcimoto

In December 2022, Docherty initially flagged that ElectraMeccanica was in trouble. The company commissioned its new manufacturing facility in Mesa in an attempt to onshore and continue selling its three-wheeled Solo EV. The business continued to struggle due to an unsustainable cost structure, an unprofitable contract manufacturing agreement with a Chinese company, and an addressable market that was too expensive to capture.

In February, ElectraMeccanica began a recall of every Solo vehicle sold since 2019 due to a loss of propulsion issue while driving. The company later offered to buy back all vehicles sold at full purchase price and issue refunds to reservation holders as sales of the Solo were discontinued.

Docherty in March wrote in a letter to shareholders of ElectraMeccanica's decision to pivot away from its three-wheeled autocycle. The executive cited challenges in adoption such as the vehicle's exclusion from government rebates, difficulty for customers to insure the vehicles and trouble with servicing.

At the time, Docherty said ElectraMeccanica would begin work on a four-wheeled EV, called Project E4. Someone familiar with the matter told TechCrunch the company is canceling Project E4 in light of its recent announcement and pivot from consumer to commercial.

ElectraMeccanica was one of the only companies actually producing three-wheeled electric vehicles, a form factor that many say has the potential to revolutionize transport. Imagine zipping around an urban environment in the tiny EV, easily finding parking and navigating tight city streets. The Solo also had promise in the delivery sector. ElectraMeccanica piloted its vehicles with Pizza Hut last year, but the partnership didn't extend past the pilot.

Holding down the fort for three-wheeled EVs in the U.S. is Arcimoto, another company that has struggled to stay afloat amid high costs of production and has issued a going concern warning.

Arcimoto dodged bankruptcy in February and brought on its third CEO in April. In May, the company announced its own attempt to branch out beyond consumer-focused three-wheeled EVs: a tiny truck called the MUV ("modular utility vehicle").

In the second quarter of this year, Arcimoto recorded revenue of $1.8 million on a net loss of $13.2 million. The company had $1.3 million in cash and cash equivalents at the end of June.

Arcimoto hasn't shared its vehicle sales numbers this year, but said in a regulatory filing that it is selling vehicles at below cost. In 2022, the company sold a total of 228 units.
Four Aussie surfers were stranded at sea for 36 hours in Indonesia the other day.

But thankfully, they were foundalive. The four surfers  Steph Weisse, Jordan Short, Elliot Foote, and Will Teagle  who were on the trip to celebrate a birthday, ran into trouble when traversing between the remote Indonesian islands of Nias and Pinang.

And now, the family of one of the temporarily missing surfers is speaking out.

Peter Foote, father of Elliot, told The Guardian, it was like a death in the family. It was so stressful. But its all good now. Its just an amazing survival thing. He looks a bit of a mess but hes OK. He just got a few cuts on his side, maybe from the boat.

In a video interview  watch above  Foote continued:

For the last few days, weve been optimistic. I know theyre good water people. The water is nice and calm there. Its nice and warm. I was always optimistic.

Ive spoke to a couple people who live up there and they said it happens all the time. Surf boats break down, and theyre missing for a couple days, then they find them. So, its quite common apparently."

Captioning the video, The Sydney Morning Herald wrote:

After spending 36 hours floating at sea on surfboards off the coast of Indonesias Aceh province, Elliott Foote, his partner Steph Weisse, and their friends Jordan Short and Will Teagle, were found by rescue crews on Tuesday.

The four had been missing since Sunday night when their wooden speedboat struck rough weather en route to the remote Banyak Islands. As the boat sunk the Australians and three Indonesian crew members grabbed what they could to help their survival.

Foote was found hours later by a local fisherman over 20 nautical miles away, having left the group and attempted to paddle to the nearby island of Pulau Palambakbesar on his surfboard to find help.

Rescuers have not yet located the third Indonesian crew member.

And in the midst of filming that interview, coincidentally, Foote received a text directly from his son; it read:

Hey dad, Elliot here. Im alive. Safe now. Love you. Chat later.

***

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Whether you're a professional surfer or just an amateur, we want to see your best footage and help you share it with the world. Submit your video for a chance to be featured on SURFER and our social channels. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch high-quality surf videos.
The presiding judge in a Montana lawsuit, Held v. Montana, that alleges the states continued investment in fossil fuels violates young peoples right to a clean and healthful environment has ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, paving the way for similar litigation across the country in the fight for action on the climate crisis.

At the heart of the case are 16 young people who described how climate change has ravaged their short lives, such as seeing livestock killed by fluctuating weather patterns, and wildfire smoke that strains children with asthma. Montana's state constitution includes an inalienable right to a clean and healthful environment, and its on that basis that the complaint accuses the state of neglecting their constitutional duty to preserve and protect the environment for future generations, wrote Grists Katie Myers.

Earlier this summer, Held v. Montana became the first such case to enter the trial phase, leading to Mondays ruling. Judge Kathy Seeley ruled that by prohibiting government agencies from considering climate impacts when deciding whether or not to permit energy projects, Montana is contributing to the climate crisis and stopping the state from addressing that crisis, reported the Guardians Dharna Noor. This decision is the first nationwide ruling of its kind, which opens more possibilities for the use of litigation to spur government accountability in climate policy.

As fires rage in the West, fueled by fossil fuel pollution, todays ruling in Montana is a game-changer that marks a turning point in this generations efforts to save the planet from the devastating effects of human-caused climate chaos, said Julia Olson, founder of Our Childrens Trust, one of the law firms representing the 16 young Montanans.

The ruling was celebrated as a win by others in the climate movement. Said Sunrise Movements Varshini Prakash in a statement, From the millions of young people who fought against the Willow Project to the 16 brave Montanans who won their case for a clean environment today, we have proven that Gen Z is a powerful force in the fight against the climate crisis, and we wont be stopped. The Willow Project, an oil drilling proposal on Alaskas north shore that incited a mass outcry against it, has become a sticking point for youth voters ahead of a Biden 2024 run, with organizers and activists frustrated by Bidens shift from his campaign promises.

Thank you to these brave young people who today won an enormous victory against climate change in their home state of Montana, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) tweeted after the news broke. It's time for the [federal government] to follow their example and file lawsuits to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for their role in the climate crisis.

This legal strategy is being attempted in other states facing devastation from the climate crisis, including Hawaii, where 14 Hawaiian young people are suing the state and its Department of Transportation, as previously covered by Teen Vogue. Last week, it was reported that the case will go to trial in summer 2024. The youth in the Hawaii and Montana cases are represented by the same nonprofit, Our Childrens Trust, founded to sue on behalf of childrens right to a safe climate, reported Grist.

Climate disaster struck Hawaii last week when destructive wildfires on the island of Maui led to the deaths of, as of this writing, over 96 people, becoming the deadliest wildfire in the United States in more than 100 years. The wildfires also destroyed the historic town of Lahaina, the former seat of the Hawaiian kingdom.

It's notable that the Montana and Hawaii cases represent the complaints of Indigenous youth. In the Hawaii case, most of the plaintiffs are Native Hawaiian. The Maui wildfires are, in the estimations of some wild land fire-science experts, a direct result of US colonialism because, they said, the fire was propelled via non-native grass species that have grown widely on the island.

The most recent International Panel on Climate Change report found that colonialism has exacerbated climate change, per reporting from Mother Jones, with direct correlations between environmental damage and robbing Indigenous communities of their land. The modern impacts of colonialism are also evident in the struggle between Native Hawaiians, who have asked tourists not to come, and those who insist on traveling there, overburdening the limited resources.

Stay up-to-date with the politics team. Sign up for the Teen Vogue Take

Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue

Want more Teen Vogue climate coverage?
Scientists conduct rapid field-testing and sampling of surface water at the headwaters of the Tarim River during the third comprehensive scientific expedition in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on Aug. 2, 2023. (Chinese Academy of Sciences/Handout via Xinhua)

URUMQI, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- In the Tianshan Mountains in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, a team of researchers was giving trees physical examinations. In this process a stream of water was released from the core of a poplar tree, when it was drilled into by the researchers.

"This is a mechanism by which poplars adapt to drought. They absorb a lot of water when it's wet and store it inside their bodies to reuse it in times of extreme drought," explained Jia Xiaoxu, who is a researcher at the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Jia is the leader of a project on land development and eco-environmental effects assessment on the northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains. This project forms part of the third comprehensive scientific expedition in Xinjiang.

Jia led his team in drilling and collecting samples from hundreds of tree cores. By observing the color and smell of the liquid that came out of the cores, they were able to make a preliminary judgment concerning the health of the trees.

The researchers then brought the samples from the sick trees to the lab to do "blood tests" to further analyze what kind of diseases the trees were infected with.

"Our survey has found that the overall condition of Xinjiang's protection forests is relatively good at present, thanks to ecological water replenishment through diffuse or drip irrigation," Jia said.

Like Jia, many scientists are participating in the ongoing comprehensive scientific expedition, which features a variety of projects.

According to the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography of the CAS, the organizer of the expedition, the expedition includes a total of 30 projects involving the Tarim River basin, the Ili River basin, the Ertix River basin, the economic belt along the northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains, and the Turpan-Hami basin, as well as radiating to neighboring countries and regions.

The institute indicated that the scientific expedition, which was launched in 2021 and is expected to last for five years, had already achieved a series of positive results.

"The third comprehensive scientific expedition has discovered some new potential water sources available in Xinjiang, and new species have been found in the biodiversity research," said Zhang Yuanming, director of the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography.

New technological means, such as drones and satellite remote sensing, have been used in the scientific expedition to examine areas for which information was previously lacking, while artificial intelligence, deep learning and other technologies have also been used to analyze data, Zhang said.

The scientific expedition is expected to outline a roadmap for ecological construction and green development in Xinjiang for the next 30 years, Zhang added.

Xu Jiliang, dean of the school of ecology and nature conservation at Beijing Forestry University, is leading a team conducting a survey of biodiversity and biological resources of special resistance in the Turpan-Hami basin.

This survey has constructed a library of ecological restoration species for mines, oil wells and other energy bases, which will help repair degraded ecosystems, improve the regeneration capacity of natural resources, and realize the sustainable improvement and restoration of the ecological environment.

"The scientific research data and experience we have accumulated can be provided for use in similar ecological restoration efforts in countries along the Belt and Road," Xu said.

The third comprehensive scientific expedition not only supports Xinjiang's high-quality development, but also serves Belt and Road construction, Zhang said.

"The ecosystems of Xinjiang are not closed, and they are distributed across national boundaries, so the scientific expedition involves international cooperation," Zhang said. "For example, scientists from China and Tajikistan have jointly conducted a cross-border survey of biodiversity on the Pamir Plateau. We can use this scientific expedition to gain an overall understanding of biodiversity and ecosystems along the Belt and Road."

Zhang said that scientists are also conducting expeditions focused on the local environment and desertification in the Taklamakan Desert.

"Thanks to this expedition and the decades of experience we have accumulated in saline and desertification management, we can promote our solution to Central Asian and African countries to achieve the goal of common ecological and environmental management," he added. 

A scientist drills a tree core to obtain samples during the third comprehensive scientific expedition in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on July 29, 2023. (Chinese Academy of Sciences/Handout via Xinhua)
Hawaii needs help.

The death toll from the catastrophic Maui fires has reached 99and that number is only expected to rise

Hawaii officials are predicting the fires will become the deadliest disaster Hawaii has faced since becoming a state in 1959.

Hawaii needs help.

The death toll from the catastrophic Maui fires has reached 99and that number is only expected to rise. Maui County Police Chief John Pelletier estimates the number of missing people to be around 1,000, though Pelletier cautions that honestly we dont know.

Hawaii officials are predicting the fires will become the deadliest disaster Hawaii has faced since becoming a state in 1959. The exact cause of the blaze is still unknown, but the fires broke out earlier last week and quickly engulfed coastal communities.

The historic town of Lahaina, once the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom, has been completely decimated. Lahainas famous 60-foot banyan tree, originally planted in 1873, appears to be badly charred but still standinga beacon of hope in a bleak time.

Hawaii officials estimate that some 1,700 buildings have been destroyed by the fires and up to 4,000 people have been displaced. Donations, volunteers, and assistance are desperately needed. Here is a list of ways to help the people, animals, and land of Hawaii, below.



Justin Sullivan - Getty Images

Maui Mutual Aid Fund: The Maui Mutual Aid Fund is made up of a group of volunteers who have created a real-time needs list that gets posted to their social media pages.

Maui Strong Fund: This fund, recommended by the local Hawaii government, is currently being used to support communities affected by the wildfires on Maui.

Maui Humane Society: The Maui Humane Society is looking for fosters and donations. They have also created a Maui Fires Pets Help Facebook group to serve as a platform for individuals who are able to help to connect with those in need, without straining the resources at the shelter.

Maui United Way: The organization is looking for donations to provide immediate financial relief via grants to nonprofits on the frontlines.

American Red Cross: The Red Cross is helping evacuees and gathering resources and volunteers from across the U.S. to help.

Maui College: Many students have been directly impacted by the fires. The University of Hawaii Foundation is accepting donations to assist displaced students.

Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement: The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement pledged to match donations, which will not only help them rebuild but also show the strength of our unity and aloha spirit. 100 percent of the proceeds go to Maui organizations to support relief efforts.

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Kevin Ford never missed a day of work at Burger King in 27 years of employment

TikTok users saw a video of the "gifts" he received for his efforts but were underwhelmed

As a result, viewers of the viral video raised more than $400,000 to help Ford retire

When Burger King cashier and cook Kevin Ford started his time at the fast-food joint's McCarran International Airport location in Las Vegas, the Playstation 1 had just hit shelves. Die Hard with a Vengeance was the #1 movie in America. And everybody was learning the Macarena.

Now, 28 years later, not a lot is the same these days, but one thing has remained consistent all this time: Kevin Ford has been working at that Burger King. In fact, Ford hasn't missed a single day of work in all those years of employment.

Last year, a TikTok showed Ford receiving a gift from his workplace to commemorate his more than a quarter century of perfect attendance. The items, which included a bag of candy and a movie ticket, underwhelmed internet viewers, who rallied to raise funds for Ford to be able to retire.

According to Fox Business, the deluge of comments stating that Ford was owed more for his service inspired his daughter Seryna to launch a GoFundMe to garner enough funds to allow her father to finally retire:

"'He originally began working at this job as a single father when he gained custody of me and my older sister 27 years ago,' Seryna wrote on the GoFundMe Page. 'Then as our family grew and he remarried, he continued to work there because of the amazing health insurance that was provided through this employer because it was unionized. This got all four of his daughters through high school and college with full healthcare coverage.'"

She also noted that he continues to work there because "leaving would cost him his retirement" before stressing that "in no way are we asking for money or is he expecting any money, but if anyone feels like blessing him, he would love to visit his grandchildren."

Well, as it turns out, plenty of people did feel like blessing him, as the GoFundMe raised $408,000 for Ford. Seryna even made an update to inform supporters that he was finally able to spend time with his grandkids.

No word, however, on whether he let them split that bag of candy he got.

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Kenyas cotton sector is undergoing a renaissance, according to Cabinet Secretary for Investments, Trade and Industry Moses Kuria.

The parliamentary official on Monday spoke to the Kenyan governments commitment to revitalize the industry through a Cotton Revival and Implementation plan, which he believes will bolster the countrys textile sector.

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Kuria met with industry stakeholders at a conference in Uasin Gishu county, a western province that is home to a large commercial center in the town of Eldoret. The meetings attendees included members of the Kenyan government, including Principal Secretary for Industry Dr. Juma Mukhwana, along with governors from cotton-growing counties, members of the private sector and farmers, who discussed how to spur the growth of a national cotton industry in decline since the 1990s.

Kuria urged attendees to invest in rebuilding the cotton sector, and the textile industry at large, in order to take advantage of quota free, duty free access to the U.S. market through the AGOA treatya privilege that he said Kenya isnt fully exploiting. He wants to see people in Kenya buy more from local businesses, instead of relying on secondhand garments from overseas. Importing clothes should be a luxury, not a necessity, he added. We are dealing with a very serious issue here of fixing a broken system, a broken process and a broken social fabric.

Research from Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA) released last month showed that the secondhand economy is responsible for flooding the country with hundreds of thousands of pounds of footwear and apparel from other markets. This has stunted the growth of local industry, including 170 apparel companies and 74,000 small and micro firms that are fighting to grow domestic business. The lack of demand has led to a dearth of locally grown raw materials. Just 40,000 farming operations remain active since the industrys peak in the mid-1980s, when more than 200,000 mostly small-holder farms operated in Kenya.

Our aim is to ensure that Kenya maximizes on the benefits of the whole value chain, Kuria wrote in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, after Mondays meeting. The sector needs to advance and ensure that the locally manufactured clothes meet both quality and affordability to avoid dependence on imports.

According to Kuria, the Kenyan government is now committed to ensuring that policies are in place to help revive the cotton sector, including implementing levies to encourage residents to support local apparel businesses. Educating farmers on global best practices for cotton seed development, capacity building and cotton aggregation, as well as promoting access to organic cotton and regenerative strains resistant to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), will help revitalize the industry.

Ginning is also a key focus, Kuria wrote. Thus the government is keen on setting up a ginnery for every qualifying county, each of which would process up to 20,000 metric tons of cotton annually. Earlier this year, Principal Secretary Mukhwana announced that the Kenyan government would invest $1.6 million to open new ginneries and relaunch defunct garment factories. The County Aggregation and Industrial Parks (CAIPs) will make the cotton value chain, and the building of industrial capacity, a priority moving forward, Kuria added.

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LatAm Logistic Properties is going public in a deal valuing the developer of Central and South American industrial logistics real estate at $578 million.

In a blank check merger with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Two, the combined company now called Pubco will list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker LLP.

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The merger comes as companies operating in the U.S. and Canada increasingly extend nearshoring investments in Latin American countries to shorten and diversify their supply chain, work around potential global disruptions or move away from countries like China.

They arent just picking one country either. Mexico has usurped China as the top trading partner for the U.S. when looking at exported goods. More than 80 percent of respondents to the USFIAs Fashion Industry Benchmarking Study said they now source from member countries of the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), up from 60 percent in the past few years.

Latin America continues to emerge as an attractive destination for nearshoring due to its close proximity to the U.S., as well as its skilled workforce and cost advantages, Douglas Kent, executive vice president, corporate and strategic alliances at the Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM), told Sourcing Journal. The evidence suggests that nearshoring is actively underway, and Mexico, Costa Rica and Columbia appear to be the largest recipients within the region. The Association for Supply Chain Managements latest supply chain stability index, developed in collaboration with KPMG, indicated a high growth in road volume crossing into the U.S. across the Laredo, Texas, border.

LLPs real estate portfolio includes 28 facilities in Costa Rica, Colombia and Peru spanning roughly 4.8 million square feet of operating gross leasable area (GLA). But its physical footprint has grown at a 30 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) since 2019, when total GLA was about 1.9 million square feet.

The companys real estate is mostly in high-growth consumption centers with high barriers to entry, with Ikea, warehouse club PriceSmart and global logistics companies DHL, Expeditors International and Kuehne+Nagel among those occupying LatAm Logistics facilities.

CEO Esteban Saldarriaga told investors that LLP plans to nearly double its GLA in the next few years through the development of owned and future land. Its also looking to acquire assets in current markets, and expects to occupy as much as 9.1 million square feet of warehouse space.

According to Saldarriaga, LLP expects to expand into markets including Mexico, Ecuador, Chile and the Dominican Republic in the coming years.

We want to follow our tenants into markets where their respective businesses are growing, Saldarriaga said. We want to favor markets with dollar-denominated logistics assets. Lastly, we want to enter markets, where we see a path to achieve a minimum scale of 1 million square feet in about three years after entry.

Going public in the U.S. gives LLP more exposure to the audience that could power its growth. A major selling point is that 78 percent of the companys portfolio is directly exposed to the U.S dollar, minimizing potential foreign currency risks for U.S. clients, Saldarriaga said.

Customers are typically multinational and regional companies dedicated to third-party logistics, business-to-business distribution, retail distribution and e-commerce fulfillment centers.

LLP designs and develops properties to offer customers greater accessibility, security, and better cost efficiencies regardless of where they operate. The companys real estate properties comply with EDGE-certified environmental green building standards. EDGE certification promotes the development of sustainable buildings that conserve at least 20 percent of potable water, electricity consumption and carbon footprint levels compared with conventional facilities.

Latin America has picked up steam among top retail and logistics players looking to expand.

Shein is partnering with 2,000 garment factories in Brazil to localize production in a move that would create 100,000 new jobs over the next three years and amount to a $150 million investment. Reuters reported in May that the ultra-fast-fashion giant is exploring plans to build a factory in Mexico, though Shein neither confirmed nor denied the report.

Target and Columbia Sportswear are among the major U.S. brands that have made substantial commitments to the Latin American supply chain, particularly via sourcing. Target committed to increase its spending by $300 million in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras by the end of 2023, and said it would deepen existing relationships with vendors and aim to expand vendor relationships who have a presence in all three countries. Additionally, Columbia Sportswear has committed to purchase up to $200 million in products from northern Central America.

DHL Supply Chain is investing 500 million euros ($545 million) in Latin America by 2028 to expand its regional fulfillment network, decarbonize transportation and develop greener warehouses. The company currently operates 242 warehouses in Latin America covering 3 million square feet.

Another logistics giant, Maersk, is turning to the major markets of Mexico and Brazil to expand further beyond its ocean freight offerings. In April, the Danish firm opened a new Global Service Centre (GSC) in Mexico City to service the Americas region, as well as a dedicated satellite center in city of Santos in Brazils southeastern region. This comes after Maersk opened its seventh warehouse in South Americas biggest economy last September.

The nearshoring demand is expected to benefit Latin Americas logistics market. The sectors $542.4 billion value in 2019 is projected to reach $784.6 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 6.2 percent from 2020 to 2027, according to Allied Market Research.

Click here to read the full article.
Move over, Jason Aldean. Conservatives and right-wing personalities have chosen their newest country music artist to uplift and amplify. The song "Rich Men North of Richmond" from an unknown Virginia musician, Oliver Anthony, went viral on YouTube after it was first posted last week. Anthony now has 500 thousand followers on Instagram and 300 thousand on Twitter (now known as X) with tens of millions of views on videos posted across all social media accounts.

Three of Anthony's songs, including "Rich Men North of Richmond," currently hold the top three spots on the U.S. iTunes charts, bumping another conservative favorite and rallying cry: Jason Aldean's dog whistle-laden "Try That In A Small Town." The song has garnered more than nine million views in less than a week. The song's lyrics address the difficulties of working-class struggle, taxes, social welfare systems and suicide rates. Anthony sings controversially: "Lord, we got folks in the street, ain't got nothin' to eat / And the obese milkin' welfare." He even alludes to Jeffrey Epstein's child sex trafficking illegalities.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said on Twitter that the song was "the anthem of the forgotten Americans who truly support this nation and unfortunately the world with their hard earned tax dollars and incredibly hard work."

In one of his YouTube videos, Anthony said that his political views are "pretty dead center" and that both sides "serve the same master."
Just weeks after Los Angeles law enforcement broke up a crime ring targeting Nikes East L.A. community store, the same retail location was hit in a brazen new incident.

Video obtained by KTLA shows what appears to be at least two suspects grabbing clothing and shoe boxes and walking out of the Whittier Blvd. store without paying. Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department officials are looking for a male and a female suspect who stole $1,000 worth of goods in an incident theyre labeling a grand theft, a spokesperson confirmed to Sourcing Journal.

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Nike is a popular target for criminals hoping to score high-heat sneakers they can quickly flip for an easy profit on platforms such as eBay and Amazon. After thieves stole $800,000 worth of products from a Nike distribution center in Memphis last year, StockX decided to temporarily stop selling certain footwear styles, including then-unreleased ones, that the online sneaker and streetwear resale platform believed could be related to the Tennessee theft.

Nike sneakers and clothing are a hot commodity virtually everywhere in America, especially in Memphis, though California has seen its fair share of crimes against the Swoosh. The Los Angeles Police Department in June recovered $7 million worth of stolen Nike sneakers stored in a warehouse after detectives were tipped off about cargo containers pilfered from trucks near the Port of Los Angeles.

The Nike theft comes as the greater Los Angeles area is still reeling from Saturdays flash-mob spree that police said robbed Nordstrom of $300,000 after they originally estimated the loss at $60,000-$100,000. At least 30 suspectsincluding one who bear-sprayed a security guardstormed the department store at the Westfield Topanga Shopping Center and stole clothing, designer bags and other easily re-sellable merchandise from first-floor displays near the entrance.

Retail executives havent shied away from talking about shrink, the term that covers losses including theft and shoplifting, during Wall Street earnings calls. Target CEO Brian Cornell described shrink as a $500 million problem this year while leaders at off-price retailer Ross Stores said shrink was a little bit higher in 2022.

Governments, retailers and law enforcement are searching for answers to a problem estimated at $95 billion last year. A California bill that passed the state senate in May acknowledges the increasing violence seen during shoplifting events. New York City officials recently trotted out a new plan they hope will curb store crime while last summer the Washington state attorney general assembled the Organized Retail Crime Theft Task Force to address the rise in gangs targeting retail stores.

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The return rate for Revolve is now 60 percent, chief financial officer Jesse Timmermans told investors in a recent earnings call.

But the e-commerce fashion retailer believes it can tackle the problem and cut fulfillment costs.

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The J.Lo partner is consolidating return shipments coming back from Canada to the U.S. And separately, in the U.K., Revolve recently started holding some product returns for local re-fulfillment without shipping the products all the way back to the U.S., which once was the standard approach. This initiative both reduces shipping costs and provides even faster service for customers in the region, according to Mike Karanikolas, co-founder and co-CEO of Revolve.

Karanikolas said the company is actively evaluating potential tech solutions to improve the return rate.

In the third quarter, we will be experimenting with several new initiatives including a virtual try-on and size comparison feature tool that went live last month and we are testing a wide range of tools and visuals to better communicate product fitsuch as enhanced fit rating, customer reviews, detailed product fit guides and video content within product detail pages, Karanikolas said in the call.

The co-CEO also alluded to a possible returns policy change for a small subset of our customers but didnt give any details.

Whats causing Revolves high returns rate? Karanikolas says the macro-based problem spans categories, order types, and customer profiles.

Whether we look at recent cohorts of merchandise, or say, bestsellers from one or two years ago, were seeing the increase in return rates across the board, Karanikolas said. Its clear theres not some kind of sizing difference or quality difference or something like that going on. Thats very macro-based behavior. Were seeing it in other retailers as well.

Online returns were a $212.9 billion problem for retail in 2022, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF), making up 16.5 percent of total e-commerce sales. But the problem has always been a bigger issue for the size-dependent apparel and footwear categories. Coresight Research estimates average online apparel return rates at 24.4 percent, according to a March study this year.

Along with this returns tsunami, retailers and logistics companies alike are working to cut shipping and fulfillment costs wherever possible. Amazon has seen notable success in regionalizing its fulfillment network, with the growth in units shipped outpacing the increase in shipping costs. FedEx is in the middle of a massive reorganization aimed at cutting $4 billion in costs by 2025.

Revolve is hoping to hit both its fulfillment costs and its selling and distribution costs by reducing return rates. Fulfillment costs were 3.4 percent of net sales in the quarter, slightly higher than the retailers initial guidance, while selling and distribution costs were just under 18.6 percent of net sales.

With the higher-than-expected return rate, Revolve expects fulfillment to represent 3.3 percent of net sales for both the third quarter and the 2023 fiscal year. The company also expects selling and distribution to represent around 18.3 percent of net sales for the quarter and the year. The full-year outlook was increased for both percentages, with fulfillment initially 3.1 percent sales and selling and distribution originally 18 percent of sales.

Timmermans said in the call that the company expects to realize more efficiencies in selling and distribution costs as well, with the goal to get back in the 17s as a percentage of net sales next year.

When it comes to fulfillment, Timmermans said Revolve expects to reduce costs by improving warehouse capacity and utilization. The fashion firm began fulfilling orders from its Pennsylvania fulfillment center in January to help cut East Coast delivery time frames and costs, and has evaluated potential opportunities to launch small regional fulfillment centers in key international regions.

Therell be further efficiencies, especially as we head into next year and optimize the space in our fulfillment network, layering more automation, more processes and efficiencies with scale as we lap this increasing return rate and get back into growth mode, Timmermans said.

In the second quarter, Revolves net sales fell 6 percent to $273.7 million, while net income plummeted 55 percent to $7.3 million.

Net sales in July 2023 decreased by a mid-single digit percentage year-over-year amidst continued soft trends in the U.S., where spending on consumer discretionary products remains relatively suppressed, the company said in its earnings report.

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Salehe Bembury is back with another stellar Crocs Pollex Clog, this time landing in the form of a collaborative "Como" colorway, likely drawing inspiration from the vast natural landscapes of Italy's Lake Como.

Following on from the release of his previous "Niagara" slip-on model, the new iteration boasts a darker-hued approach. Though Italy hasn't been confirmed as the source of inspiration for this silhouette, the clog's aquatic aesthetic leads fans to believe that it had something to do with it.

Featuring the same fingerprint-inspired, concaved uppers, the silhouette boasts sport mode heel straps dyed in a dark, deep blue, complete with a subtle glossy finish, seemingly in a bid to represent the delicate ocean gleam once the sun hits it.

Take an early look at Bembury's Crocs Pollex Clog in "Como" above, slated for release via the designer's Spunge website on August 17, priced at $85 USD.

In other footwear news, Supreme's AF1 in "Baroque Brown" is coming soon.
By now, San Franciscos doom spiral narrative is well known. Nordstrom has left, Westfield has abandoned its downtown mall, and just this week, federal workers were advised to work remotely because of safety concerns.

But not everyone is giving up on the city.

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Were trying to hold it down, said Valerie Santillo, cofounder of the quiet luxury-meets-Bay Area romantic fashion brand Kamperett, which celebrated the opening of its first boutique with a cocktail party last week for local creatives and retailers who are trying to do the same.

Kamperett cofounders Valerie Santillo and Anna Chiu in front of their new San Francisco store.

Santillo and Anna Chiu founded Kamperett in 2015. They have carved out a niche with their dreamy, made-in-California sheer silk organza volume dresses and blouses with considered details, such as qipao-inspired tie closures, architectural sleeves and intricate seams, beloved by style makers in the Bay Area and beyond including Ayesha Curry, Angelina Jolie, Naomi Biden, Ali Wong, Rashida Jones, Clare Vivier, Meena Harris and Sherri McMullen.

Prices range from $350 for a silk slip to $6,800 for a hand-pleated silver, blush and gold silk metal bodice gown with a low back and ribbon straps.

Their latest collection features their first swimwear assortment in six colors, with a one-piece and bandeau style with convertible straps. Japanese cotton voile shirt dresses come in blue awning stripes, or solid white and black with floating panels that can be tied in front, and a chic linen blazer fastens at the side.

Valerie likes waist definition and usually I dont Chiu said, We design together, and somehow

Both of our aesthetics come together, Santillo finished her sentence. Its been eight years and its working.

Kamperett Collection 12

The brand also has a large wedding business.

Sales have been so strong, in fact, that Kamperett outgrew its Mission District atelier, leased a new building down the street, and transformed the original space into a retail store with a selection of vintage clutches and hair combs, as well as romantic silk bow barrettes.

It helps we have customers all over the country and internationally and were not super reliant on the locals, said Chiu, acknowledging the difficult environment was a consideration when opening the store, which is by-appointment-only for now.

Kamperett is not the only one still betting on San Francisco.

Kamperett San Francisco.

People like to hate on the fact that its so expensive here; there is this crap show downtown. But in Hayes Valley, all the stores are full, were busy all the time, said Sheri Evans, who moved her Metier fine jewelry business, which stocks pieces by Harwell Godrey, Dezso and Marla Aaron, among others, into a bigger 900 square-foot retail space during the pandemic.

We just had creatives and product developers in from Target doing a week of research in San Francisco, she said. Despite the doom spiral narrative, They were here to do creative things, they went here and there, and ate that and everybody bought something at the store. Its people coming back to the city and feeling excited again, she said.

Also in Hayes Valley, which is west of San Franciscos Civic Center, circa 1980 specialty retailer Modern Appealing Clothing continues to sell Comme des Garcons, Dries Van Noten and Walter Van Beirendonck to alt-style icons such as David and Amy Sedaris, John Waters and Frances McDormand.

People may not be going downtown but theyre in the neighborhoods because thats where theyre finding whats new, said Ben Ospital, who with his sister Chris Ospital took over the San Francisco fashion institution after their mother, Jeri, died last year, including a second store in Dogpatch.

One of the downsides to e-commerce is its created a same-iness, and when you walk in our doors there is a sense of discovery. Were focusing on new young designers and haberdashery, which is people coming in to be fitted properly, he said.

MAC recently supported a showcase of local designers at the Institute of Contemporary Art in San Francisco, featuring Lemon Twist, Benji Mu and Camelia Skikos.

Lemon Twist weve been buying for 20 years; shes the voice of the young groovy mom in the Mission. Benji Mu has the designer chops of a Calvin Klein. Camelia is from Romania, her clothes are so magical, they are hard to describe, Ospital said. Were putting a lot of focus on local people because you are only as good as the community you support.

In recent years, Clare V, Faherty, Todd Snyder, Cotopaxi and other national brands have also opened in Hayes, where Lisa Buhler will soon open a Lisa Says Gah store.

Kamperett Collection 12

On Friday in tony Inner Sunset near Golden Gate Park, Angela Tafoya, a former editor at Refinery29 and Domino, is opening a curated secondhand kids clothing shop called NooMoon.

Its very colorful, design-driven and experiential. We commissioned oversized pillows from a local artist, and embroidered the size dividersIve been sourcing clothing from people I know, but Im also going to open it up for others to come sell their stuff to foster relationships in my city which San Francisco needs right now with all the closed storefronts, she said, adding that one positive has been more affordable leases. Yeah, its a shop but its also an incubator for community, she said, noting that shell be stocking high and low, including brands Mini Rodini, Bonpoint and Zara.

Inside the NooMoon store.

Theres so much waste in this world, I want to give back in a positive way. My husband grew up in this city, we live in the house that was purchased by his great grandparents in the 1950s, my mother-in-law had a shop down the street in the 1970s selling crystals and crochet in the same neighborhood. Theres family heritage and I want to be a part of the conversation of changing things. Theres power in that. If all you can say is everything is closing, it feels like doomsday, then participate. Find a way to be an active voice.

Freda Salvador, the Bay Area artisan accessories brand that wholesales at Shopbop, Bloomingdales and a number of specialty stores, is re-entering retail, too, with a new boutique opening in September in Filmore. We are super excited about making it a community space and featuring some other female-owned brands, brand president Rachel Wolf said while mingling over cocktails and sweets at the Kamperett party.

The gorgeous Vietnamese thach agar jelly candies and lemongrass cream desserts were prepared by Renee Friedrich, a former retailer who had a store in the very spot where Kamperett now sits.

Thach agar jelly candies handmade by Renee Friedrich.

Covered by the New York Times when it opened in 2015, Anaise stocked Rachel Comey, A Detacher, Carven and other up-and-coming fashion brands, before they opened their own stores.

Friedrich now owns the Helene Agency, which represents 34 non-traditional models in San Francisco, New York and L.A., many of whom are artists or work in creative fields themselves. She photographed Kamperetts latest look book, featuring one of her models.

Fashion retail is tough work anywhere, anytime, Friedrich agreed.

After a decade, COVID[-19] killed it, she said of Anaise, which guests were still gushing about at the party on Wednesday night. I think maybe Im stuck in the 90s, and dont understand the current operations. But it was a good run.

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Barely eight months ago, Tom Ford paid private equity guru Rob Heyvaert an eye-popping $51 million for a sleekly designed contemporary mansion in Palm Beach. But just weeks ago  as part of an off-market deal thats expected to top $100 million, per The Real Deal  the fashion mogul traded that place to Brian Kosoy, CEO of the real estate private equity firm the Sterling Organization, in exchange for his even larger South Florida spread.

Now Ford has turned his attention toward New York, having forked over an equally impressive sum of cash for a historic East Hamptons estate that once served as a summer getaway for Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

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Records show Ford paid media producer David Zander $52 million for the home, which was originally listed for $55 million. The residence was previously owned by fashion designer and retail executive Reed Krakoff and his wife Delphine, who sold it to Zander for $24 million in 2018. And way before that, the property known as Lasataa Native American word meaning Place of Peacewas owned in the 1920s by the former First Ladys paternal grandfather John Vernou Bouvier Jr.

Nestled amid a 7-acre parcel of land, just blocks from the Atlantic Ocean, Fords newly acquired compound was designed by architect Arthur C. Jackson and completed in 1917. Recently restored by its current owner, the multi-building property is highlighted by an eight-bedroom main home sporting 8,500 square feet of Pierre Yovanovich-designed living space boasting tall casement windows and beamed ceilings throughout.

Theres also a two-bedroom guesthouse, caretakers cottage, pool house and three-car garage with a workshop, plus Louis Benech-crafted grounds laced with lush lawns, mature specimen trees and a flower meadow.

Ford, a Texas native who recently sold his eponymous fashion label to Estee Lauder Cos. in a deal valued at around $2.8 billion, also maintains a Holmby Hills estate he paid late socialite Betsy Bloomingdale nearly $40 million for in 2016, as well as homes in New York City, London and Santa Fe.

The Lasata listing was held by Eileen ONeill of Corcoran Group and Ed Petrie of Compass; Frank E. Newbold of Sothebys International Realty repped Ford.

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BEIJING, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- China marks its first National Ecology Day on Tuesday, designated to enhance public awareness and actions to protect the ecological environment, as part of the country's efforts to pursue harmony between humanity and nature.

Under the guidance of President Xi Jinping, China has seen historic changes on ecological conservation, upholding the belief that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, a core concept of Xi's thought on ecological civilization.

Making instructions on National Ecology Day, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, urged the whole of society to vigorously promote and act as role models in practicing it.

BETTER LIVING ENVIRONMENT

Xi proposed the concept on Aug. 15, 2005, when he was visiting Yucun Village in east China's Zhejiang Province, where he praised the villagers' decision to shut down limestone mines and cement factories after the industry caused severe damage to the local environment. Xi was then the Party chief of Zhejiang.

Yucun has now successfully turned to green industries, including ecological tourism, for more sustainable development, providing a fine example of the sweeping environmental changes across the nation.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, China has taken a series of groundbreaking steps on ecological conservation, with unprecedented determination, intensity and effectiveness.

In 2015, a revised environmental protection law came into effect, with the provisions hailed as "the strictest" in history. In 2017, pollution control was identified as one of China's "three tough battles," along with poverty relief and risk control. In 2018, China incorporated ecological civilization into its Constitution for the first time.

Concrete measures have also been taken in the past decade, including the ecological protection "red line," the establishment of a system of river chiefs and lake chiefs, as well as the systemic protection and management of mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes, grass and sand.

Due to tenacious efforts, China's PM2.5 density fell 57 percent from 2013 to 2022, while the annual number of days with serious air pollution dropped sharply by 92 percent.

Planting trees has become a common practice for the Chinese people, and the country has created the world's largest area of planted forests, with its forest coverage rate more than doubling from 12 percent in the early 1980s to over 24 percent last year.

Water quality has also shown remarkable improvement, with 84.9 percent of surface water sections achieving the excellent quality grade, approaching the levels seen in developed countries.

To keep improving the quality of our ecological environment, we should keep doing what we are doing now, and go deep in a bid to keep our skies blue, waters clear and lands pollution-free, Xi said at a national conference on ecological and environmental protection held in July.

MORE ABUNDANT WILD SPECIES

Believing that biodiversity makes Earth full of vigor and vitality and lays the foundation for human survival and development, Xi has led China in achieving steady progress on addressing biodiversity loss.

Starting from 2021, China has imposed a 10-year ban on fishing in the key waters of the Yangtze River basin, with 228,000 fishermen on 110,000 boats relinquishing their nets. Xi said the cost of the policy was not small, "but it is worthwhile to protect the ecology of the whole basin."

The fishing ban has already achieved solid progress on ecological conservation. The Yangtze finless porpoises, an endangered species known as the "giant panda of the water," have been spotted more frequently in Poyang Lake, Dongting Lake and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

In the Jianli section of the Yangtze River, the number of fish roes produced by the four major Chinese carps during the breeding season surged from less than 100 million to 7.87 billion.

Across the country, wildlife on plateaus and mountains, as well as in the rainforests, is also making a comeback amid the country's efforts to build the world's largest national park system.

The first batch of national parks established in 2021, with a protected land area of 230,000 square km, are home to nearly 30 percent of the key terrestrial wildlife species found in the country, while the authenticity and integrity of the ecosystems in these parks are under effective protection.

LOW-CARBON SHIFT

Xi has on many occasions stressed efforts to advance the transition to low-carbon development, as China joins the world to address climate change.

China has pledged to have CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, representing the biggest cut in carbon emission intensity in the shortest period of time that the world has ever seen.

In doing so, China has taken the initiative, instead of doing it passively, Xi once said.

A cleaner energy system is an important part of China's low-carbon endeavors. The country has developed the world's largest clean coal-burning power generation base, built up the world's highest capacity of installed wind and photovoltaic power, and established the world's largest carbon market for greenhouse gas emissions.

China's energy intensity -- the amount of energy consumed per unit of GDP -- decreased 26.4 percent in the past decade, according to the National Development and Reform Commission, adding that the country has exceeded its target for reducing carbon emission intensity pledged to the international community.

As China's green shift gathers pace, Xi has called for concrete and constant efforts across the society to make greater contributions to jointly build a clean and beautiful world.

In September 2021, China announced that it would stop building new coal-fired projects overseas, pledging that it would step up support for other developing countries in developing green and low-carbon energy.

"We only have one Earth. Protecting the ecological environment and pushing sustainable development are our joint obligations," Xi once said. 
Biologist John Burch was tracking a collared female wolf by helicopter in Alaskas Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve on Nov. 5, 2010. Burch had captured her three years prior and designated her Wolf 227. She was once the breeding member of a pack, but her whole family had died; somehow, she had kept her territory. Now six years old, she was running with a young male wolf. Burch, who captured and collared more than 400 wolves during his career, darted her companion. The biologist fitted a GPS collar around the wolfs neck and designated him Wolf 258. The animal was 2.5 years old, weighed 103 pounds, and was in good condition.

Burch had no idea at the time, but Wolf 258 would go on a near-continuous trek that would cover about 3,000 miles in fewer than six months. (For reference, the drive from New York City to Los Angeles is nearly 2,800 miles.) It would also end the wolfs life. Burch was awed by the epic journey, as were other wildlife enthusiasts when the animals story got out. One of those was Tom Walker, a seasoned outdoorsman and wildlife photographer who recently published a book about Wolf 258 titled The Wanderer: An Alaska Wolfs Final Journey.

Biologists began tracking wolves in the Preserve in 1993 and continue to do so today, making this the second-longest wolf study in Alaska and the third longest in the United States. Walker, Burch, other biologists and the superintendent of the Yukon-Charley assisted, and it helped that Walker had hunted, fished, rafted and photographed all over the same country that Wolf 258 was wandering at the time. But it was still a daunting project.

I said Id never write a wolf book because I didnt want to get into all the crap that goes with wolves, says Walker, who saw his first wolf near the Yukon-Charley during a caribou hunt in 1967. Later, he spent years researching, examining GPS points, and digging through weather reports and wildlife data. When it was happening, I talked with Burch and he was blown away by the wolfs movements, [and] hes handled 500 or 600 wolves. I was amazed by the wolfs journey and the final consequences. I knew I had to tell this story if I could.

The Journey of Wolf 258

Wolf 258 had dispersed from the territory he was born into when he linked up with Wolf 227. Dispersing wolves often travel a long way when searching for a mate and territory of their own. Its unknown where Wolf 258 came from, but Burch guessed he was born to the Preserves Seventymile River pack. Seventymile River wolves have a history of growing huge. Alaskas Wolf Man Frank Glaser claimed to have trapped the largest wolf ever documented in Alaska, a 175-pound male with a belly full of meat, from the same drainage in 1939. A biologist captured a 140-pound wolf with an empty stomach there in 1997.

Wolf 227 appeared in excellent health in November 2010, but three months later she was dead. A wolverine had scavenged her carcass, so the cause of death was hard for Burch to decipher. He guessed starvation, a fate that had killed other members of the pack she once ran with. Another biologist figured she was injured by a moose, or that another pack of wolves killed her.

Wolf 258 was likely run out of caribou calving grounds by other wolves.

After Wolf 227 died, GPS data showed that Wolf 258 spent the next three months roaming his companions core territory. Then the wolf turned north on April 30, crossed the ice-choked Yukon River, and kept going. He traveled continuously, covering 25 or more miles each day until he reached the Arctic coastal plain and the Porcupine Caribou Herds Yukon calving grounds on June 11. Wolf 258 was in a good position to feast on newborn calves. But instead of remaining where thousands of cows were congregated and giving birth, Wolf 258 turned east on June 11 and traveled 25 miles west into Alaska, where prey was not as abundant.

Walker believes there was a high likelihood that another wolf pack ran him off. Wolves are fiercely territorial and often kill other wolves that come into their area. Wolf biologist David Mech has stated that wolves usually die one of two waysstarvation or competition with other wolvesand Walker thinks Wolf 258 was taking a serious risk by traveling through multiple territories.

He went through the home range of hundreds of wolves and survived, Walker says. He must have been extremely lucky or extremely stealthy.

Hungry in Alaska

Wolf 258 wandered across the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, including the hotly-contested 1002 area. Based on the data, Burch guessed that the wolf was rarely killing big animals. He was likely living off carrion, birds, and ground squirrels. Wolves can go days, even weeks, without eating.

He traveled hundreds of miles through the eastern Brooks Range until mid-July, when he approached the Sagavanirktok River and the Dalton Highway. He came within 2.5 miles of the road and then retreated to a giant plateau near the Franklin Bluffs. He spent the next 15 days on the plateau, which led Burch and Walker to theorize that he had linked up with another wolf.

On Aug. 4, Wolf 258 left the plateau and traveled 25 miles south, possibly with a new companion in tow. GPS data shows that he was roving ridges, drainages, and valleys in all directions. This area sees a fair number of caribou hunters, so his shortened movements might have resulted from scavenging different kill sites. He hung in the northern Brooks Range through much of September.

For almost two months, the Wanderer had roamed an area of 1,039 square milesa fairly typical territory for a wolf packand other wolves had not displaced him, Walker writes in his book. Biologist John Burch thought the wolfs fidelity to a fixed territory a strong indicator that he partnered up, but he harbored doubts. The wolfs minimal hunting success hinted he was alone.

Read Next: The Truth About Wolf Hunting in North America

On Sept. 24, Wolf 258s movements suddenly changed. He was on the Ivishak River, but by the following morning hed traveled 27 miles south. He maintained the trajectory at a similar pace until he neared the northern bank of the Yukon River around mid-October. Burchs interpretation of Wolf 258s GPS data was that he rarely took down big game; now it appeared the wolf was having an even harder time getting food.

Dead Near the Dalton

A wolf ranges near the Dalton Highway. The carcass of Wolf 258 was found near the Haul Road, albeit in snowy conditions.

On Oct. 18, Burch saw that Wolf 258s collar transmission was in mortality mode, triggered by limited motion. The wolf had died within one mile of the Dalton Highwaythe closest he came to a road during his entire journey. A researcher skied in to recover the body, which weighed just 69 pounds. The only contents of his stomach were tapeworms and brown fluid, and his claws had grown to nearly 2 inches longa sign of malnutrition.

Walker estimates the total distance Wolf 258 traveled since the end of April to be 2,960 miles. He pointed out how vast and wild that country is, and how the wolf had stayed on public land the whole time. But without the help of companions, Wolf 258 was likely hungry for most of the journey.

Its unparalleled wilderness and supports an incredible amount of life. You couldnt make better wolf habitat. Yet, he starved to death, Walker said. The power of the wolf is in the pack. A wolf on its own has a hard time making a living.
Hiltons luxury portfolio is currently constructing the new Waldorf Astoria Guanacaste Hotel in Playa Penca, Costa Rica. The hotel is set to open in 2025. It will feature 190 rooms and 25 residences, alongside offering wellness experiences that connect guests to the local community. Its amenities include a holistic wellness center, a state-of-the-art fitness facility, a movement studio, outdoor yoga spaces, and thermal and training pools.

The Location

The Waldorf Astoria Guanacaste Hotel will sit in one of the worlds rare blue zones. Blue Zones are areas where their inhabitants are renowned for their extended and healthier lives. The project involves collaboration between Revolution, Cacique Investors LLC and Costa Rican developer Garnier & Garnier.

To safeguard local wildlife, the project incorporates wildlife corridors. The hotel will utilize electric cars to minimize its environmental impact. The property places a strong emphasis on sustainable luxury. The property will integrate its architecture harmoniously with the environment, native plants and animals. Guests also will be able to immerse themselves in the natural surroundings.

In an interview with local outlets, Philippe Garnier, President, and CEO of Garnier & Garnier, said that the opening of the Waldorf Astoria Guanacaste Hotel in the region, after years of design and conceptualization, is going to position the country as a premier global tourist destination.

According to Hiltons press release, this hotel signifies an achievement for Hiltons Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts brand. It welcomes an esteemed new location to its portfolio of over 30 exclusive properties worldwide. This addition further strengthens the brands iconic resort presence in the Caribbean and Latin America.

Costa Ricas Vibrant Environment

Situated a mere 25-minute drive from Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport, Waldorf Astoria Guanacaste Hotel provides easy access to two nearby towns in Costa Rica. The property also offers direct entry to Playa Penca. This beach provides an intimate environment perfect for a variety of watersports. Playa Penca also serves as a gateway to the vibrant tropical rainforest surroundings of the region.

Guests can anticipate exceptional culinary experiences, including a signature restaurant and bar, a store and an ice cream parlor. Families with younger members will find a range of activities at the resort, such as a childrens center and a teen club. The luxury establishment provides around 3,000 square meters of space for gatherings and events, encompassing both indoor and outdoor areas, a grassy event space and a ceremonial wedding pavilion.
If you've been in the working world  and especially the corporate world  for any length of time you've surely encountered people who have risen through the ranks despite not seeming all that skilled at... well, anything at all.

It's easy to feel incompetent yourself in these situationsyou work hard and are good at your job, so why aren't you rising through the ranks too?

A TikToker has a simple explanation for all the mediocre leaders 'with no discernible talent' in our offices.

Working with, and especially under, these kinds of people can be a mystifying experience. So much about how to succeed in the working world is so opaque in the first place that watching people who seem sort of... well, downright incompetent succeed can make it all seem even more mysterious.

RELATED: Worker Deletes Thousands Of Files He Created After Finding Out That The Company That Fired Him For Being Incompetent Is Still Using His Work

But TikToker Chelsea Fagan, known as @faganchelsea on the app, says it's really no mystery at all. Like so much else in life, most successful people's achievement comes down to the deck being unfairly stacked in their favor.

Fagan says she never falls into impostor syndrome because she's realized how little business success has to do with actually being good at your job.

The reason we're all working under so many leaders with no discernible talent, as Fagan puts it, is simply down to good old-fashioned privilege. "One thing about me," she said in her video, "is that I never have imposter syndrome."

RELATED: People Who Can Find The 'T' In This Brain Puzzle Test Within 10 Seconds Are Gifted

But it's not because she's particularly skilled or one of those lucky people for whom things come easy. "It's more that I realize that basically every industry is full of idiots," she bluntly put it. "I genuinely think a lot of people... don't realize just how many successful people are like mediocre at best at what they do."

Fagan says this all makes sense when you take into account what it actually takes to "reach a high level" in really any field of work  "things like having connections, having enough generational wealth to be able to go to college and get an advanced degree, nepotism, networking," as well as the "white cis-male privileges that often go into success."

Which is not to say there aren't plenty of incompetent female bosses out there. But if you've been in the working world long enough you've probably noticed the way the balance tilts in a more male direction  and even the experts agree that Fagan is spot-on in her explanation for why.

RELATED: Man Says Bosses Who 'Have To 'Micromanage' Employees Are Incompetent  'It's Not Their Job To Be Authority Figures'

Fagan's take plays into the notion of how men tend to 'fail upward,' and experts say it's because companies focus on all the wrong criteria when hiring leaders.

The concept of men failing upward is nothing new  women have long decried the ways they are penalized for mistakes that tend to become learning opportunities for advancement when committed by men. It's just one of the many ways male privilege manifests in the workplace, and it's so infuriatingly common that it is even said to have inspired infamous grifter Anna Delvey to... well, turn to a life of grifting.

Columbia University business professor Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic literally wrote the book on this phenomenon, titled "Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders?"

RELATED: The Worlds Shortest IQ Test Shows If Youre Smarter Than 80% Of The Population In Just 3 Questions

He chalks it up to one simple thing: an overconfidence that is mistaken for a propensity for good leadership, and which is at odds with the actual reality of these people  they're incompetent but don't realize it, a phenomenon known as the Dunning-Kruger Effect. Or as Fagan puts it in her TikTok, "you're often working with people who can barely put together an email," despite being wildly successful.

So what's the solution? Fagan suggests two things. "A driving force in my life is looking at something and being like 'I could absolutely do better than that' and then I give myself permission to do it," she says. And the other is to not give into the imposter syndrome telling you you're not good enough in the first place.

As she puts it, "just being the kind of person who's conscientious enough about the work you're doing to even consider having imposter syndrome... you're probably already better than most of the people." Amen.

RELATED: There's A 20% Chance Your Boss Is A Legit Psychopath  How To Tell For Sure

John Sundholm is a news and entertainment writer who covers pop culture, social justice and human interest topics.

This article originally appeared on YourTango
Season 9 of "Bachelor in Paradise" is set to premiere this fall on ABC.

The cast hasn't officially been announced, but a contestant from Charity Lawson's season will be appearing on the spinoff.

Here's everything we know about the next season of "Bachelor in Paradise."

With Charity Lawson's season of "The Bachelorette" winding down, it looks like fans of the franchise will have to wait until "Bachelor in Paradise" premieres in the fall to get their fix of roses, dates, and drama.

Details about season 9 of "Paradise" have been largely kept under wraps for now, but here's what viewers can expect from the upcoming season of the spinoff.

Filming will most likely take place in Sayulita, Mexico

As Women's Health reported, past seasons of "Bachelor in Paradise" were filmed at the Playa Escondida resort in the state of Nayarit on Mexico's Pacific coast. Given that the show relies on its beachy background for romantic vibes in every season, it's likely that the ninth season will be filmed in or around the same area of Mexico.

Who's expected to join the cast?

ABC has kept the cast for this season of "Paradise" largely under wraps but on Monday's "Men Tell All" episode of "The Bachelorette," Brayden Bowers, a contestant from Lawson's season, said he'll appear.

Bowers faced backlash from some of the men on his season for consistently monopolizing time with Lawson, criticizing her approach to dating behind her back, and frequently expressing doubt about the "process." He also became notorious for his eccentric fashion sense, wearing multiple different dangly earrings and scarves onscreen.

During the "Men Tell All" episode, host Jesse Palmers shared a clip from the upcoming season of "Paradise" that sees Bowers and Kat Izzo (from Zach Shallcross' season of "The Bachelor") sharing a kiss on the beach.

Other "Paradise" participants will probably include standouts from Lawson's season and Shallcross' season. As Bustle reported earlier this year, several franchise favorites had already spoken about wanting to appear on "Paradise," though again, ABC has yet to announce the official lineup of contestants.

The former "Bachelorette" star Rachel Recchia, for example, said on the "Bachelor Happy Hour" in November that she would join the cast of "Paradise," but only if Michelle Young, also a former Bachelorette, went with her.

And Mercedes Northup, who appeared on Shallcross' season, said on the "Click Bait with Bachelor Nation" podcast that she would "for sure" join "Paradise" if asked.

When will 'Bachelor in Paradise' premiere?

There's still no exact date for the show's first episode, but it will most likely air sometime in the fall.

You can watch a brief teaser from ABC below.

Correction: August 15, 2023  An earlier version of this story misspelled the name of a previous contestant of "The Bachelor." Her name is Mercedes Northup, not Mercedes Northrup.

Read the original article on Insider
Fulton County Clerk Che Alexander put out a statement on Tuesday, admitting that she accidentally posted, then deleted, a document to the courts website on Monday that listed charges for Donald Trump well before a grand jury voted to indict the former president.

On Monday, after the bombshell filing was quickly spotted by Reuters then removed, Alexanders office called it a fictitious document and admonished media outlets for sharing it. But on Tuesday, Alexander clarified that document was actually a trial run for the impending indictment that came several hours later.

In anticipation of issues that arise with entering a potentially large indictment, Alexander used charges that pre-exist in Odyssey [court software] to test the system and conduct a trial run, the release said. Unfortunately, the sample working document led to the docketing of what appeared to be an indictment, but which was, in fact, only a fictitious docket sheet.

Georgia Indictment Throws Everything at Trumpand Some Might Stick

Alexanders office still doubled down on its Monday stance that the charging document was fictitious, even though the eventual indictment contained the same charges.

But Alexander clarified that the document did not include a signed true or no bill nor an official stamp with Clerk Alexanders name, thereby making the document unofficial and a test sample only.

That two-page docket caused quite a stir on Monday when it was posted, then quickly vanished from the Fulton County courts website. Trumps legal team was unsurprisingly quick to deem the apparent hiccup an act of political warfare.

This was not a simple administrative mistake, Trumps lawyers, Drew Findling and Jennifer Little, claimed. A proposed indictment should only be in the hands of the District Attorneys Office, yet somehow made its way to the clerks office and was assigned a case number and a judge before the grand jury even deliberated.

A number of MAGA Republicans in Congress were quick to fall in line, with Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) claiming that the entire system has been weaponized.

A grand jury eventually voted late Monday night to indict Trump and 18 of his allies for their alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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A 61-year-old man stopped at a gas station on his way to work and decided to buy two Iowa lottery tickets.

On his lunch break, James Holston scratched the White Ice game tickets and realized each one was worth a small prize, according to a news release from the Iowa Lottery.

But his winning streak wasnt over yet.

Holston, who works for the University of Dubuques security department, stopped at a Kwik Stop on his way home from work to buy a third $10 White Ice ticket.

And that one was a winner, too.

I thought, Oh, well, its going to be another one of those small winners. We never get any big winners here in Dubuque, he recalled to lottery officials. When I saw it, I thought, Youve got to be kidding me!

He used the Iowa Lottery mobile app to scan his ticket  and it confirmed this was no small prize, according to the release.

Man, to my surprise, that thing said $100,000, Holston said when claiming his prize on Aug. 10. I was like, Oh, my goodness!

He went home to his wife, but he didnt tell her about his big win right away. Instead, he showed her one of his tickets with a smaller prize.

She scanned it and said, Hey! $20! You doubled your money, Holston told lottery officials. I said, I have another one over there. Scan that. She scanned it and when it came up on her phone, her mouth dropped wide open. I thought, Yep! Thats what I thought!

The couple plans to use their winnings on new vinyl siding, a new home air-conditioning system and other home improvements, officials said.

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.

Son helps 78-year-old North Carolina dad confirm big Powerball prize. It was real

Womans lunchtime routine leads to big Maryland lottery win. Didnt know what to do

Husband and wife watched lottery drawing while out for lunch  and started yelling
Another barrage of campaign ads is incoming in the runup to Rhode Island's 1st Congressional District special election.

Donald Carlson, Aaron Regunberg and Sandra Cano are all set to debut a new round of television spots this week, building on the getting-to-know you commercials that have been circulating this summer. And Emily's List is set to provide independent-expenditure air cover for Sabina Matos, according to AdImpact Politics.

If the early ads haven't left much of a mark, expect the messages and visuals to get bolder as primary day nears.

Already, the next round of spots features at least one celebrity  Jane Fonda  and a dramatic narrative about a shooting.

Actress Jane Fonda, seen here on June 28, and her endorsement of Aaron Regunberg have brought political drama to the CD1 special election race.

Early ads focus on 'MAGA Republicans' and life histories

What have the early commercials revealed about this crowded and chaotic campaign?

Mostly how the candidates want to be identified by voters.

None  so far  have gone negative.

And no candidate has taken an unconventional or lighthearted approach, nothing like Allan Fung's entertaining ads from a year ago, including a memorable Twin Oaks set piece.

What we can tell from this summer's commercials to date is that the phrase "MAGA Republicans" must be popping in Democratic focus groups, along with support for gun control and abortion rights.

More: The latest from the 1st Congressional District election: Endorsement from Jane Fonda draws fire

Some of the early ads from top-tier candidates share so many common themes that the names and life histories of those running are the only things that set them apart.

Of six early ads made by or in support of Matos, Carlson, Gabe Amo and Cano, gun violence, reproductive rights and the term "MAGA" are mentioned 12 times.

It takes Amo's "Experience" and Carlson's "Who I Am" ads less than 30 seconds each to mention all three.

The phrase "protecting democracy" also comes up a lot in the early commercials.

Regunberg's ads take on a different look

As in many facets of the campaign, Regunberg, seeking the race's progressive lane, takes a somewhat different approach to ads.

Although there is little practical daylight between Regunberg and his fellow Democrats on gun control, abortion and former President Donald Trump's Make America Great Again movement, his ads focus more on populist economic themes and the battle against corporate power.

Apart from the content, Regunberg's first TV ad is also visually distinctive, with more muted lighting and a more cinema verite look featuring lots of handheld video. The ad even includes a superimposed "play" graphic that gives State House rally footage the 1990s vibe of "The Real World" or "The Blair Witch Project."

The ad was made by The Win Company, the agency used by Sen. John Fetterman's campaign.

What do the campaign professionals think?

To go deeper, Political Scene asked a handful of campaign professionals and analysts not affiliated with one of the candidates for their best "Don Draper" take on the early ads. (Given the large field and small state, the number of local politicos without an affinity for, or a beef with, one of the candidates is somewhat limited.)

Brian Jencunas, a Boston-based political consultant who has worked in Washington and on Buddy Cianci's final mayoral campaign in 2014, was struck by the uniformity of the initial round of ads.

"It's crystal clear what issues are testing the highest when the campaigns poll  abortion access, gun control and protecting entitlement programs," he said. "The ads are even the same format; only the camera angles change. The first half is a biography and the second half lists those three issues."

Two ads have stuck out to him so far: Regunberg's introductory ad, and the new mother-daughter ad Cano released on Friday (and airing starting Monday.)

On Regunberg, he said, "The subtext is clear: Send me to Congress and I'll be the newest member of The Squad."

Jencunas said Cano's new "Dear Ari" ad "uses a beautiful, universal frame  a mothers love for her daughter  to talk about both abortion and the importance of having a female member of Congress. Its a great example of storytelling emphasizing high salience issues.

Charles Hunt is a political science professor at Boise State University in Idaho who grew up in Rhode Island and worked in political communications before heading out West.

Hunt said he sees all the appeals to "MAGA Republicans" in so many of the ads as bids to take advantage of "negative partisanship"  the fear of political opponents winning that often produces stronger emotional responses than affirmative messages.

"In this case, all of these candidate are targeting Democratic primary voters  the most die-hard Democrats in the state," he wrote. "So they don't need to worry about sounding moderate or bipartisan, because progressives are the main folks they're targeting."

In the effort to distinguish themselves from the crowd and boost name recognition, Hunt said candidates  Amo and Carlson in particular  are leaning heavily on resume and born-and-raised hyper-local bona fides, common strategies across the country.

"In this case, these candidates are A): trying to get voters to remember them, and B): offering voters another kind of proof point  that because they, too, are native Rhode Islanders and identify strongly with the area, they'll have voters' best interests at heart when they go to Washington," Hunt wrote. "I think this is particularly important in a state like Rhode Island that's smaller, older, less mobile and more parochial, I think, than many other states."

Former state Democratic Party executive director Cyd McKenna's take on the 1st District messaging was informed by a recent (positive) experience with 2nd District Rep. Seth Magaziner's office getting an emergency replacement passport. "Accessible, accountable and adaptable."

"The ads I watched for CD-1 were lovely, filled with very talented candidates focusing on key Democratic Party platform issues, to the point where if you didnt know them personally, theyre almost indistinguishable," McKenna wrote. "If I were advising a candidate looking to break away from the pack, Id go back to the basics of representation: accessibility, accountability and adaptability. For an ad, Id suggest a personal appeal to the veteran in South Providence, the small business owner in Smithfield, the senior trying to make sense of their benefits in Warren, pledging how said candidate would be an accessible, accountable and adaptable representative for all."

She added: "For many constituents, their representative's work on important party platform issues is a given; how their hyper-local voices and concerns are carried to D.C. is not."

What's next?

In addition to Cano's mother-daughter ad, the Regunberg campaign is launching a series of ads, including spots on housing, health care and the climate change ad featuring Jane Fonda that drew protests from GOP candidate Gerry Leonard. (Who predicted the Vietnam War would be a big issue in this campaign?)

The Regunberg campaign is also set to introduce another traditional broadcast ad and locally targeted cable-digital ads featuring testimonials from Bud Cicilline in Newport, Susan Donovan in Bristol and Reps. Cherie Cruz and Leonela Felix in Pawtucket.

Carlson is debuting a gun-violence ad about a shooting at his daughter's college.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Political analysts break down the RI CD1 special election campaign ads
I am writing to give you the good news that both Juan* and Lucas*, whose cases your team translated, have been granted asylum!

That was the email I opened one late night this past month, informing me that the cases of two of my clients could finally move forward. As a project manager at Respond Crisis Translation, a language justice collective of 2,500 translators and interpreters who mobilize around-the-clock, every month I am on the receiving end of notices of hundreds of emergencies in which language access is crucial to accessing lifesaving services and basic human rights.

Juan and Lucas  pseudonyms to protect the privacy of these clients  speak K'iche, an Indigenous language from Guatemala. They are minors who fled to the United States to seek safety from economic violence and persecution.

They are just two of more than 1 million people seeking asylum in the US who have been denied the basic, fundamental right to quality language translation at the border. For those who speak Indigenous and other marginalized languages, this problem is particularly acute, as immigration and border officials routinely fail to provide trained translators for those languages.

Many of our clients have been forced to languish for months in detention centers without seeing a single person who speaks their language or can help translate their case. The violence of the US asylum system, with its militarized borders and immigration prisons, gets compounded by the cruelty of language deprivation.

Recently, two of our translators led an interpretation session for a woman who attends a monthly meeting for survivors of domestic violence. The woman, thousands of miles from her country of origin, meets for two hours every month to share her experience in her own language and hear the facilitator's advice in her mother tongue.

Before finding our organization, though, the woman said it had been impossible to locate competent Bengali interpreters. Translation agencies were unable to find female translators, much less interpreters who are trauma-informed. When you are the interpreter, you put yourself into the stories you hear; if someone is telling a story of abuse, you have to understand how to create a safe and dignified space for the storyteller.

The same thing happened when I was managing a case for the Afghan languages team. We helped translate a short story for children migrating to the United States. Thanks to our dedicated translators, the children were able to share a story that enabled them to express emotions about their experience during a critical time in the immigration application process.

These are just a few of the hundreds of stories I have witnessed in my two years as a project manager at Respond Crisis Translation, and there are countless other stories that deserve to be heard.

Respond Crisis Translations network offers interpretation in over 166 languages to provide trauma-informed translation and interpreting services for anyone who needs it. We often hear that there is an interpreter/translator shortage at the border. But as a crisis translator and project manager, I see every single day that there is no shortage of talented, multilingual people who have the skills and desire to do this work.

The problem is the lack of funding for these services. The problem is technological solutions, like the CBP One mobile application used by US Customs and Border Protection to help migrants schedule appointments at points of entry. All asylum seekers are now forced to undergo the process through this app, even though the app features only a handful of languages, is poorly translated and inaccessible.

The problem is also a country that devalues translators and language diversity and, as a result, leaves countless migrants without support. Asylum seekers come with a trauma  they would not have left their home countries if that werent the case. But the US government, by keeping them from telling their stories, virtually weaponizes their languages against them.

This is a violation of fundamental rights. Language rights are human rights. Translation and interpretation are essential work. At Respond, we will continue to work tirelessly to advocate for thousands upon thousands of asylum seekers who are up against the daily, systemic violations of legally protected language rights.

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Nearly a week after Maui was ravaged by the deadliest wildfires in more than a century, and as residents continue to wait for word about their missing loved ones, a new set of problems has emerged: looters and speculators trying to cash in on the tragedy.

A local businessman said people desperate for gas and other scarce items are raiding the few businesses still standing in Lahaina, the historic city that was all but destroyed.

Bryan Sizemore, 48, a commercial sport fisherman and mechanical engineer who has lived on Maui for nearly 20 years, said he recently chased off several looters at gunpoint from his business.

My boat exploded as a result of the flames, but my business somehow made it. But theres been looters at my place, people stealing gas," Sizemore said Monday. "Ive been sleeping there in my car... Theyre poking holes into the gas tanks and draining them off."

Follow along for live coverage

The stealing and attempts at land grabbing are indicative of what locals are up against as they work to rebuild their homes and lives after deadly wildfires chewed through entire neighborhoods last week, killing at least 96 people and destroying irreplaceable Hawaiian cultural landmarks.

The fires displaced hundreds of families and became the deadliest in modern U.S. history, surpassing the 2018 Camp Fire in California that killed 85 people, officials said.

Search and Rescue Soldiers and Airmen attached to Hawaii National Guard CERF-P unit assisted Maui County and State officials in the search and recovery efforts of Lahaina, Aug. 10, 2023. (Master Sgt. Andrew Jackson / U.S. National Guard)

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green estimated the fires have caused $6 billion in damage.

Now that the tourists have been evacuated and the search for the missing continues, some residents feel as if they've been left to fend for themselves, they said.

"Do not go to Lahaina thinking that youre gonna get fed when you realize there are no resources," said Cassidy Keilieha, who was at the War Memorial Complex donation center in Wailuku on Saturday. "There are no stores out there for you. Everything is empty. Theres nothing out there.

"A lot of people are angry. A lot of bad things are happening. People are going into survival mode."

In Sizemore's view, the looters are "just random people who are trying to get across the island to where theres more aid.

We went to the Red Cross, but they cant keep up," he said. "They dont even have enough drinking water for everybody. I finally gave up and drove across the island to some friends, where I was able to take a shower.

When asked about reports of looting, Maui County Police Chief John Pelletier said, "the Hawaiian people are the most incredible, kind, loving people on the planet, period."

But Maui fire survivors said they are getting calls from real estate investors seeking to buy up what remains of their island homes and property.

"This is disgusting," Maui resident Tiare Lawrence told MSNBC's Katy Tur on Monday. "Lahaina is not for sale."

Image: A Maui County firefighter uses a hose line to extinguish a fire near homes during the upcountry Maui wildfires in Kula, Hawaii on Aug. 13, 2023. (atrick T. Fallon / AFP - Getty Images)

As the death toll continues to climb, police are searching the smoldering remains of Lahaina with cadaver dogs.

Ive seen dozens of bodies and I think when all this is over, theres going to be a lot more deaths, Sizemore said, adding that he still has not heard from at least a dozen friends.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell declined to speculate on how many bodies search crews might find.

The dogs can only work so long because of how hot the temperatures are, she said Monday in a video teleconference from Hawaii. Theres also hot spots, and so we have fire crews that are helping to cool down the area so the dogs can go in there.

"I hate to give an exact estimate because we want to make sure that we are precise and methodical and respectful as we go through this, Criswell said.

Green said an additional 20 dogs have joined the search.

"I mean its a catastrophic loss, its our largest natural disaster since statehood," Green said on NBC's "Meet the Press NOW." "Its incredible what were seeing, its definitely like a nuclear weapon went off on Lahaina."

FEMA has provided 50,000 meals, 75,000 liters of water, 5,000 cots and 10,000 blankets to Maui County for distribution, officials said, and more than 300 FEMA employees are on the ground assisting with the recovery effort.

The coming days and the weeks, theyre going to be tough, theyre going to be difficult as people process what they have lost and what the road ahead looks like, Criswell said. But we are going to be with the people of Hawaii, as I have committed to the governor, every step of the way.

Image: A forklift loads a pallet of supplies and aid donations flown in from the Hawaiian island of Kauai into a pickup truck at the Kahului airport cargo terminal in the aftermath Maui wildfires in Kahului, Hawaii on Aug. 13, 2023. (Patrick T. Fallon / AFP - Getty Images)

But Sizemore said the aid isn't getting to residents fast enough.

"People think everything is getting taken care of, its not," Sizemore said. "Its a s---show out here.

One potential reason for the residents to feel as if there is a delay in resources headed their way is that the vast majority of good needs to be shipped to the island.

More than 90% of all goods consumed in Hawaii are imported from other states or internationally, according to Suwan Shen, an associate professor of urban planning at the University of Hawaii, who specializes in climate vulnerability and adaptation.

We are in the ocean, said Shen, speaking in general about the state and not specifically about the disaster.

Compared to the mainland states, which can more quickly receive supplies from neighboring states when a disaster hits, including by trucks and other land vehicles, Hawaii may not as rapidly dispatch the resources needed to affected areas.

Shen said it typically takes about a week for Hawaii to receive goods from California by sea. And then it might take another two to three days to transport the supplies from Hawaiis main port in Honolulu to other parts of the island, she said.

Theres a lot of unpacking and repacking in the process, too, Shen said.

On its website, Hawaiis Emergency Management Agency urges residents to prepare for disasters by having 14 days worth of food and water at hand.

Another Maui resident, Barrett Procell, a realtor who has lived on the island for seven years, said he his girlfriend fled their home with just the clothes on their backs.

They spent several nights sleeping in their car before they were able to escape to Oahu, where theyve been staying at a hotel.

Were just grateful to be here," Procell said. "There are so many people who didnt make it out, so many dead bodies still to be found. Theres kids who were at home with their parents after work.

Procell said that although they didn't witness any looting, they saw Maui residents rise to the challenge.

The community of Maui is amazing, he said. Its just wild to see people whose homes burned down a couple days ago, and theyre out handing out water to people or even pulling dead bodies out of the water  its pretty incredible.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
four astronauts dressed in spacex's black-and-white spacesuits pose at the company's california headquarters during a training session

Four astronauts from four different countries will be on board the seventh operational mission by SpaceX for NASA, which is scheduled to launch later this month.

Crew-7 is scheduled to launch toward the International Space Station (ISS) no earlier than Aug. 25 using the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endurance spacecraft, atop a Falcon 9 rocket from the same company.

The international crew includes NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, Andreas Mogensen of the European Space Agency (ESA), Japan's Satoshi Furukawa and Russian cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov.

You can learn more about each of them below.

Related: SpaceX Crew-7 astronaut plans to snap aurora photos on the ISS

Jasmin Moghbeli (NASA)

jasmin moghbeli in a spacesuit looking at camera and smiling

SpaceX Crew-7 commander Jasmin Moghbeli from NASA. (Image credit: SpaceX)

Jasmin Moghbeli, Crew-7 commander, is a 40-year-old lieutenant-colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps who joined NASA as an astronaut candidate in 2017. Moghbeli will be the second Iranian-American in space after Anousheh Ansari, the first female space tourist, who flew to the ISS in 2006. Crew-7, and then ensuring ISS Expedition 70/71, will be Moghbeli's first space mission.

Moghbeli's biography from NASA states that she was born in Bad Nauheim, Germany, but calls Baldwin, New York her hometown. Moghbeli has a bachelor of science degree in aerospace engineering (with information technology) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, along with a master of science in aerospace engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School.

Moghbeli was a Marine Corps test pilot when she joined NASA, with more than 150 combat missions and 2,000 hours of flight time in 25 aircraft types. After finishing basic training at NASA, Moghbeli focused on supporting the Artemis moon program's human landing system development prior to being assigned to Crew-7.

Andreas Mogensen (Denmark)

andreas mogensen in a spacesuit sitting in a spacecraft, looking at camera and smiling. screens are visible to the upper left of image

SpaceX Crew-7 pilot Andreas Mogensen from the European Space Agency. (Image credit: SpaceX)

Andreas Mogensen, Crew-7 pilot, is a 47-year-old ESA astronaut who in 2015 became the first person from Denmark to reach space. Mogensen was previously a research fellow at the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom, studying matters such as spacecraft guidance and lunar mission landings, when he was selected as an astronaut candidate in 2009. Crew-7 and ISS Expedition 70/71 will be his second space mission.

Mogensen was born in Copenhagen, his official biography states. He has a masters degree in aeronautical engineering from Imperial College London and a doctoral degree in aerospace engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. His career has included working as a drilling services engineer in the Republic of Congo and in Angola, designing control systems for wind turbines, and working as an attitude and control systems engineer on ESA's Swarm mission, which studied Earth's magnetic field.

Mogensen's first mission in space was a 10-day excursion in 2015, launching and landing aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. His many ground duties have included engineering for an ESA lunar lander mission and serving as European astronaut liaison officer at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Mogensen also performed underground expedition training for the European CAVES (Cooperative Adventure for Valuing and Exercising) program in 2012 and went underwater during a NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) mission.

Satoshi Furukawa (Japan)

satoshi furukawa lying back in a spacesuit on a spacecraft seat and smiling. a circular window is partially visible at upper right

SpaceX Crew-7 astronaut Satoshi Furukawa from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). (Image credit: SpaceX)

Satoshi Furukawa, Crew-7 mission specialist, is a 59-year-old medical doctor and astronaut with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). He previously flew to the ISS for 165 days in 2011 with Expeditions 28 and 29. Crew-7 and Expedition 70/71 will be his second space mission.

Born in Yokohama, Furukawa received doctor of medicine and doctor of philosophy in medical science degrees from the University of Tokyo. He performed clinical medicine and research into gastrointestinal surgery at the University of Tokyo Hospital and related hospitals before being selected as an astronaut candidate in 1999, according to his official biography.

Furukawa's decades of ground experience include supporting the development of the Japanese Kibo ISS module and leading JAXA's space biomedical research group. He also participated in the NEEMO 13 mission at the underwater Aquarius habitat, in 2007.

Konstantin Borisov (Russia)

konstantin borisov in a spacesuit, crossing his arms in front of an open spacecraft hatch

SpaceX Crew-7 astronaut Konstantin Borisov from Roscosmos. (Image credit: SpaceX)

Konstantin Borisov, Crew-7 mission specialist, worked at Volvo Vostok as an analyst, consultant, project manager and head of department for 13 years before joining Roscosmos as a cosmonaut candidate in 2018. Crew-7 and Expeditions 70/71 is his first spaceflight.

Born in Smolensk, the 39-year-old Borisov holds a bachelor of economics from the Russian Academy of Economics, a masters degree in operations research and systems analysis from the University of Warwick in the U.K., and a master of science from the Moscow Aviation Institute, according to his official Russian-language biography (translated into English by Google).

Borisov was appointed as a full cosmonaut in January 2021. As typical training for a long-duration mission in space takes about two to 2.5 years, about the same length of time since Borisov was qualified as a full cosmonaut, his biography does not state other major ground duties aside from required basic training that all astronauts and cosmonauts undertake upon joining their respective agencies.
For decades, numerous batches of Afghan students traveled to neighboring China for higher education. Most of them come back to their war-torn motherland for nation rebuilding. Check out the story of Khalil Ahmad Hijrat. #GLOBALink

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Side-by-side images shows the skull and a facial reconstruction of the "Connecticut Vampire." Sgt. Robert Trujillo Armed Forces Medical Examiner System; Parabon NanoLabs and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory.

A 19th century skeleton buried in an unusual position was uncovered in Connecticut in 1990.

The skeleton's skull and limbs were arranged on top of its ribs in a skull-and-crossbones motif.

Scientists, who reconstructed the man's face, believe that he was thought to be a vampire, but others aren't so sure.

The story behind a 19th century "vampire" who was found buried in rural Connecticut in 1990 has baffled scientists for decades.

John Barber was about 55 when he was first buried in Griswold, Connecticut in the 1800s. But when his remains were uncovered  more than 150 years later  he had been decapitated, and his skull and thigh bones had been placed across his ribcage.

"It looked like a skull-and-crossbones motif, a Jolly Roger. I'd never seen anything like it," Connecticut state archaeologist, Nick Bellantoni, told the Smithsonian magazine in 2012.

The remains have intrigued researchers ever since. But in recent years, DNA analysis has helped scientists uncover the tale behind the "vampire's" remains.

Scientists, however, still can't agree on why he was placed in such an unusual position.

A skull-and-crossbones motif

When a child first ran home saying he'd seen a skull in a hillside gravel mine in the 1990s, police cordoned off the site.

The area had never been known to be a cemetery, and local law enforcement believed the remains could belong to the victim of local serial killer Michael Ross, the Smithsonian Magazine reported in 2012.

But scientists quickly identified the bones were more than a hundred years old. The site contained 29 burials that were typical of the 1700 and 1800s.

One set of remains, however, stood out. The body's feet, ribcage, and spine were in the right position, but the skull and thigh bones had been removed.

An annotated image shows the placement of the "Connecticut vampire" skull and bones in the grave. Daniels-Higgenbotham, J. et al. 2019, Genes 2019, 10(9), 636; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes10090636; Insider

Because of its unusual position, archaeologists believe the body was thought to have belonged to a vampire.

The position of the skeleton meant "they wouldn't be able to walk around and attack the living," Ellen Greytak, director of bioinformatics at the Parabon NanoLabs that analyzed the remains' DNA, told Live Science in 2022.

The "Connecticut vampire" likely died of tuberculosis

For decades, the "Connecticut vampire" was known only as "JB55," after the initial "JB" that had been carved into the brass tacks used to close the coffin.

But DNA analysis coupled with genealogy research restored the man's name in 2019: John Baker, a 55-year-old man who died in the area in 1826.

Further analysis found Baker died of tuberculosis, then a poorly understood disease known as consumption that ravaged the area.

Baker was likely a fairly modest farmer in life. It's likely that it was only in his death that he would have gained this status as a potential "vampire."

Tuberculosis is accompanied by dramatic weight loss, graying of the skin, and blood being coughed up, which may have frightened those close to him.

DNA analysis, AI, and 3D scanning revealed his face

To put a face to the name, Virginia-based forensic DNA firm Parabon NanoLabs and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory teamed up to analyze DNA extracted from Barber's remains  or what was left of it.

Side by side illustrations show a digital 3D scan of the Connecticut Vampire's skull, next to a digital reconstruction of his face, on which features are gradually added.

A 3D-scan of Barber's skull was combined with DNA analysis to estimate John Barber's features, shown here in an artist's illustration.Parabon NanoLabs, Inc./Insider

Ancient DNA can be very difficult to read, and Barber's was no exception.

So scientists ran an AI model to predict Barber's most likely traits based on what they could read from his DNA and thousands of other similar genomes on record, a technique that has been used for law enforcement casework.

They predicted he would have very fair to fair skin, brown or hazel eyes, brown or black hair, and some freckles.

These characteristics were placed onto a 3D scan of Barber's skull to draw his portrait. The results were presented at a conference in 2022.

New England was swept by a "vampire panic"

When archaeologists talk about "vampires" they don't mean the blood-sucking immortal beings seen in movies and shows like Twilight or True Blood, who roam around in full flesh looking for their next victims.

Findings do suggest, however, that many cultures have shared a belief that the dead could come back to haunt the living.

Remains throughout human history have been buried with stones in their mouths, sickles across their throats, or nailed to the ground.

Individual 49/2012 (30-39 year old female) is shown with a sickle placed across her neck. Any Scott

Archaeologists often assign these unusual burial practices to some sort of "revenant" or "vampire" local lore.

That is probably what happened in New England around the early 1800s when a "vampire panic" seems to have swept the area, 200 years after the Witch Panic, the Smithsonian magazine reported in 2012.

Baker's skeleton isn't the only "vampire" remains found in the area. Archaeologists point to the "Jewett City vampires," a family that had died from tuberculosis that local news outlets at the time reported were exhumed and burned.

Several burials found near Griswold, Connecticut, fit the criteria for a "vampire" burial. Google Maps

This isn't as crazy as it sounds: when diseases or crop failures caused widespread deaths, humans didn't have the scientific knowledge to fully understand what was happening.

Grave diggers burying the dead in busy plots would uncover bodies that they mistakenly thought had signs of life, like movement from bloating, fingernails that appear to have grown, or liquids spewing out of the mouth, Insider previously reported.

So it would not have been a huge cognitive leap to think, wrongly, that the dead were rising from the grave.

Not everybody agrees, however, that this burial site qualifies as a bona fide "vampire" burial site.

Matteo Borrini, a forensic anthropologist at Liverpool John Moores University, told Insider in an email vampire beliefs tend to have peaked between the 14th and 18th centuries, so this would be a very late record of these beliefs.

Moreover, people who fear vampires, he said, would usually only rearrange a body if it were still decomposing. But in this case, the body was likely already skeletonized.

"So it could not be considered a traditional vampire," he said. "I would classify this as a deviant burial driven by superstition and lack of understanding of pathological conditions, rather than belief of vampires."

Read the original article on Business Insider
It didnt take long for the school-focused culture wars to take center stage in Sacramento. On Monday, lawmakers first day back from summer break, the battle lines were clearly drawn in competing political events.

On the Capitol lawn, a coalition of parental rights activists condemned proposed legislation that would make it more difficult for school boards to ban books and increase state oversight to ensure diverse curriculum materials. Other measures would grant transgender students the ability to self-emancipate from unaccepting parents and fine people who disrupt school board meetings.

At an Elk Grove elementary school 30 minutes away, Gov. Gavin Newsom touted plans to increase culturally competent instruction, nutrition initiatives, health care, counseling and before-and after-school programs. Elk Grove Unified School district leaders expressed support for his plans to bolster community engagement while protecting access to books and history lessons.

Gov. Gavin Newsom interacts with transitional kindergarten students at Miwok Village Elementary School in Elk Grove on Monday during an event to highlight the states plans to increase culturally competent instruction, nutrition initiatives, health care, counseling and before-and after-school programs.

The afternoons cross-town debate vividly illustrated the ongoing tensions between Democratic state officials and increasingly vocal local school boards who find themselves on opposite sides in what policies they believe are best for Californias children.

The parental rights groups took issue with bills like AB 5, which would require the Department of Education to develop annual, one-hour trainings for teachers and school employees on how to support LGBT students, and AB 1078, which would make it harder for school boards to ban books in schools and ensure curriculum represents cultural and racial diversity. They also advocated for parental notification policies that compel school employees to inform parents if their child changes their pronouns or name at school.

Parental notification policies are the latest flashpoints of the child-focused culture war. Last month, the state launched a civil rights investigation into Chino Valley Unified School District for its passage of the policy.

Sonja Shaw, president of Chino Valley Unified School District and champion of for parental notification, headlined the rally. Shaw told The Bee that the state subpoenaed her emails and text messages as part of the investigation.

By her side was Assemblyman Bill Essayli, R-Riverside, who introduced a bill earlier this year that would have made the parental notification policy adopted by Chino Valley a statewide mandate. The bill got no airtime in the Legislature, compelling Essayli to work through the local level.

I am taking my bill to every school district up and down this state, he said to the crowd at the Capitol.

A few weeks after Chino Valley passed its policy, Murrieta Valley Unified School District took up the measure.

The state says that the policy endangers transgender youth if they have unsupportive parents. Nearly one in five transgender and nonbinary youth attempted suicide in 2022, according to the Trevor Projects survey of 34,000 LGBT youth. Having a supportive family halved the rate of suicide attempts, as did having an LGBT-affirming school.

But Essayli pointed to the high rates of depression, anxiety and suicide in transgender and nonbinary kids to argue the opposite. Parents should know if their child is transgender or nonbinary, he said, so that they can watch out for their mental health.

Its misleading to make it sound like were going out and were sniffing out oh, this kid might be transgender, lets go tell their parents, he said. Were talking about when the school is formally reassigning the gender of the student in school, they tell their parents.

Shaw said that the policy can expose some of those dangerous environments because teachers are mandatory reporters.

Who is Bonta, Newsom and Thurmond to determine that the parents are dangerous? she said. Theres a process for everything.

The evolution of the anti-vax activist

Many of the parental rights activists that gathered at the Capitol on Monday got their start protesting statewide shutdowns and vaccine and mask mandates during the pandemic.

I didnt have a political background prior to this. I didnt even know what the Republican Party or Democrat was, said Shaw. School shutdowns during the pandemic motivated Shaw, then a personal trainer, photographer and real estate agent, into action.

Eventually, her local Republican party offered us a hand and gave us a voice, she said. She was recruited to the California GOPs Trailblazer program, their candidate training initiative, and was elected to Chino Valleys school board.

The Freedom Angels, also present at the rally, formed in 2019 to protest vaccine mandates for public school students. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the movement took off to protest statewide shutdowns. Now, it is turning its attention to school curriculum and parental rights.

Sonja Shaw, left, president of Chino Valley Unified School District, applauds with Freedom Angels co-founders Denise Aguilar, center, and Tara Thornton after speaking at a news conference at the state Capitol on Monday. The women spoke in opposition to a series of education bills, many supportive of the LGBTQ community, that they say would infringe on parental rights and remove local control in school districts.

The people of every demographic and of every partisan politics and beyond the fake divide are mobilizing locally, said Tara Thornton, a co-founder of Freedom Angels. Were building district to Capitol networks to course-correct California.

Though backed by the Republican party and Republican lawmakers, they insisted their issues transcend partisan politics at the voter level.

I think when you speak to your average Democrat voters, they would not agree with these policy positions at this point, Essayli told The Bee.

Newsoms angle: free speech and inclusivity

In his remarks across town, Newsom promoted his administrations Californias Family Agenda with its plans to increase access to educational resources, such as culturally competent instruction, nutrition efforts, health care, counseling and before- and after-school programs.

But it didnt take long for Newsom to come to the topic on many parents minds: local control.

Though much of his criticism was saved for other states, Newsom also pointed to districts like Temecula Valley Unified, which challenged state-mandated history textbooks over the inclusion of LGBTQ historymakers like former San Francisco Mayor Harvey Milk.

Local control is not willfully breaking the law. Thats not local control. Laws are well established, theyre inclusive, he said.

There are a few people who are trying to deny the rights of other parents and family and children, when it comes to parental choice, he said. Though he didnt take an official position, he said he plans to meet with lawmakers about a bill to potentially address some of the recent school district notification policies.

Speaking about todays demonstration: They came up to oppose parental engagement while were here celebrating it  thats Orwellian doublespeak. he told reporters. Were talking about freedom to speak, freedom to teach, not creating a chilling effect with fear and anxiety.

Whether the parental rights and local control activists can derail the bills they oppose remains to be seen. As of Monday afternoon, the Senate Appropriations Committee placed AB 5, the bill requiring teachers to receive LGBT support training, on the suspense file. This means members will decide to advance the measure or kill it at a hearing before the Sept. 1 deadline for bills to get out of fiscal committees.
A humpback whale mother is back to tending to her 8-month-old calf after she was freed Saturday from an entanglement that put the pair's wellbeing at risk.

Summering in New England waters, the whale known as Pinball and her offspring were spotted by recreational boaters off Cape Ann early Saturday morning. Members of the marine animal entanglement response team at the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown responded after they were alerted via their hotline.

Pinball was struggling with dozens of feet of buoy line from traditional fishing gear through her mouth and showing "clear signs of distress" as she and her calf slowly moved south from where they were first sighted, according to the organization.

Members of the Center for Coastal Studies marine animal entanglement response team cut rope on Saturday from an entangled humpback off Cape Ann. Pictured, left to right are Emily Kelly, Paulette Durazo, and Bob Lynch. The center is based in Provincetown.

Along with the Hurricane II whale watch vessel out of Cape Ann, the U.S. Coast Guard out of Gloucester, and a commercial fishing crew, the mariners kept watch on the whale mother and calf while the rescue team was en route and worked to devise the best approach to helping Pinball.

"She was in a bit of a panic and so she would stop and have some troubles," said Scott Landry, director of the entanglement response program, noting she only traveled a couple of miles from where she was first sighted.

The rescue team spent about five hours on the rescue, using large floats and the drag from their small inflatable boat in an effort to keep Pinball at the surface while they worked.

Since January 2016, there have been an elevated number of humpback whale deaths along the Atlantic coast from Maine through Florida. Some have been attributed to vessel strikes but more research is needed, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Pinball's calf wandered away but returned to nurse

During the rescue, Pinball's calf wandered away several times, but returned to nurse. By a little past noon on Saturday the team successfully removed all of the entangling gear.

"In all we removed 150 feet worth of rope," Landry said.

When they were done, he said, Pinball "was in a very big hurry to get back with her kid." The calf is at an age at which young humpbacks start showing some independence, and so "was off somewhere doing something."

"Once she (Pinball) realized she was free, she made a beeline for her calf," Landry said.

The team remained with Pinball until the two were reunited. Humpback calves remain with their mothers for about a year before they are fully independent, and will often continue nursing for most of that time, though they can eat like the adults starting at about six months of age.

Humpback named Pinball is more than 30 years old, and mother of at least 10

Jooke Robbins, a senior scientist and director of the humpback whale studies program at the Center for Coastal Studies, said Pinball is more than 30 years old and has had at least 10 calves.

The Center for Coastal Studies, she said, was "one of the first to document her as a calf here off Massachusetts and we maintain records of her life history through our Gulf of Maine Humpback Whale Catalog."

"Humpback whales are typically quite faithful to a particular oceanic feeding ground, and that is true in this case. Within the Gulf of Maine, though, she (Pinball) has been seen in many places, but is most regular to northern Stellwagen Bank and Jeffreys Ledge."

Another humpback entanglement story still unfolding: 'We're just going to keep trying and trying and trying.'

While Pinball's rescue ended with success, researchers are worried about another entanglement story unfolding out in the waters north of Cape Cod. A still-nursing humpback calf estimated to be about seven months old has high-tensile, monofilament fishing line wrapped around its left flipper. The young whale, who is believed to be the first offspring of a whale named Lollipop, was first spotted with the entanglement in June.

The fishing line, said Landry, is "cutting into the flipper all the way to the bone."

Without help, the entanglement could result in the flipper being severed or in an infection, which could prove fatal. Humpbacks use their flippers to maneuver while swimming and feeding, and for balance.

There have been around 10 attempts so far to help the as-yet unnamed calf. Landry said the entanglement is a "technically very difficult entanglement to deal with," since the young whale is constantly on the move and the flipper, being under water, is difficult to access. But the rescuers have no plans to give up.

"We're just going to keep trying and trying and trying," he said.

The marine mammal rescue team at the International Fund of Animal Welfare is working with the Provincetown center's team, Landry said, and is going to lead an attempt at sedating the calf so rescuers can get closer to the animal for long enough to remove the line.

The good news is that the calf "is still in pretty good health," at least since it was last sighted as the rescue team was returning from helping Pinball over the weekend, Landry said.

The calf and its mother remain together at the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, which stretches for about 24 miles between Cape Cod and Cape Ann, spanning up to five miles on the northern side and about 14 miles on the southern side, and encompassing 842 square miles.

Report entangled marine animals to Center for Coastal Studies or Coast Guard

The Center for Coastal Studies urges anyone who sees entangled whales, sea turtles or other marine animals to report their sightings at 1-800-900-3622, or the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF 16, and to stand by the animal at a safe distance until trained responders arrive.

All disentanglement efforts are conducted under a federal permit authorized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Heather McCarron writes about climate change, environment, energy, science and the natural world, in addition to news and features in Barnstable and Brewster. Reach her at hmccarron@capecodonline.com, or follow her on Twitter @HMcCarron_CCT

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: Humpback whale mom freed of rope by Provincetown rescuers
Republicans rushed to Donald Trumps defense after he was indicted for a fourth time in as many months, alleging that politics motivated the criminal charges he faces for seeking to undo Georgias 2020 election results.

If Democrats want to get rid of Trump, top GOP lawmakers argued this week, they should focus on defeating him in next years presidential election instead.

This should be decided at the ballot box and not in a bunch of liberal jurisdictions trying to put the man in jail, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a Fox News interview Monday. Theyre weaponizing the law.

If you disagree with Donald Trump, campaign against him. Thats called democracy, added Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in a separate appearance on the cable network. But Democrats dont believe in democracy, because theyre worried voters dont want four more years of the disaster that is Joe Biden.

Democrats did campaign against Trump in the November 2020 presidential election, which Biden won. But Trump refused to concede, even after courts rejected his legal challenges. He then sought to remain in power and block the winner from taking office by falsely claiming fraud. Trumps allies sent fake elector certificates to Congress, and his various efforts culminated in the violent Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Republican senators like Graham and Cruz went along with it. Graham phoned Georgias top election official about supposed voting irregularities. And Cruz led the effort to toss out electoral votes from Arizona and Pennsylvania, which Biden won  a move that would have disenfranchised millions of voters based on bogus claims of fraud.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), one of the House Democrats who in 2021 tried Trumps second impeachment in the U.S. Senate, ridiculed the idea that the justice system should step aside while Trump runs for office.

Wouldnt it be great if you could never prosecute anyone for trying to overthrow an election that they lost because then they can keep trying to overthrow elections, Raskin told HuffPost in an interview Tuesday. Didnt Ted Cruz go to Harvard Law School? Gee, you would have thought he would have had a little more faith in the American justice system than that.

Raskin noted that the 14th Amendment to the Constitution bars from office anyone who has engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the United States. Even some conservative legal scholars have concluded that the language disqualifies Trump from holding office, though their scholarship has obviously had no effect on Trumps 2024 campaign.

For Democrats, the matter of holding Trump and his allies to account isnt simply a way to ensure justice is done. Its also about restoring the publics faith in democracy, which has been tested in recent years like no other time in modern American history.

We fully intend to beat the former president at the ballot box but this is about accountability, giving the people who show up to vote confidence that their will be counted, Rep. Nikema Williams (D-Ga.) said Tuesday on a press call organized by the nonprofit Public Citizen.

This is about giving them the confidence that when they vote, they will be heard, she added.

Trumps Georgia case centers on his unprecedented efforts to overturn an election that he squarely lost. There is little evidence to suggest that Trump would ever accept losing  whether it be a general campaign against Biden in 2024 or even earlier in the race for the GOP presidential nomination, which he is currently leading by a wide margin.

Trump has repeatedly demonstrated that he has one play: baselessly allege fraud. He began laying the groundwork for doing so on the campaign trail months before November 2020. According to the indictment in Georgia, Trump discussed a draft speech that falsely declared victory and falsely claimed voter fraud four days before the actual election.

The latest GOP argument against prosecuting Trump in court is especially head-turning given what some Republicans said after voting not to convict during his second Senate impeachment trial: that holding Trump to account should be a legal matter, and not a political one.

President Trump is still liable for everything he did while he was in office as an ordinary citizen, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said at the time. He didnt get away with anything. Yet.

But now that two grand juries  in Georgia and in Washington, D.C.  have returned indictments against Trump relating to the 2020 presidential election, his Republican allies are grasping for reasons not to prosecute. These include seeking a change of trial venue and even suggesting immunity for former presidents in local jurisdictions.

Are we going to let county prosecutors start prosecuting the  former president of the United States? You open up Pandoras box to the presidency, Graham said on Fox News. This whole exercise of allowing a county prosecutor to go after former president of the United States will do a lot of damage to the presidency itself over time. To my Democratic friends, be careful what you wish for.
The Sioux Falls School District updated the school board on its hiring efforts for the school year Monday night, highlighting increases to teacher diversity along with job opportunities still open for the school year.

Superintendent Jane Stavem said during the meeting she was "pleasantly surprised" to see the district's human resources department fill so many positions while workforce and staffing shortages in education continue to be an issue across the U.S.

"We are in a really good shape, all things considered," Stavem said.

Heres a highlight of how staffing looks across the district ahead of the first day of school later this month.

More: Where are Sioux Falls-area schools set to grow in 2023? Here are the construction projects

New Sioux Falls School District hires help increase teacher diversity

The Sioux Falls School District welcomes 146 new teachers to the classroom this year, 75 of whom are new to the profession and 59 of whom served in other roles in the district last year. Twenty-three of the teachers are also alternatively-certified, which allows teachers with a degree or experience in a certain content area to receive full teacher certification despite not going through an education program.

Of the new hires, 13% are diverse. These new hires raised the districts overall teacher diversity rate to 5.33% from 5.08% last year. This count is taken as part of the districts goal to hire staff that reflect the city's diversity.

Teacher diversity leads to more meaningful teaching and learning for students, and helps students develop empathy, cultural competence, security and belonging, according to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

Of the new teachers hired this year, 26% are also from out-of-state, including 17 from Minnesota, seven from Iowa, five from Colombia, two each from Alaska, Nebraska and Wisconsin, and one each from Arizona, Arkansas, Bosnia, Guatemala, Kentucky, Montana, Nevada, New York, the Philippines, Spain and Texas.

More: As student population grows, Harrisburg opens Freshman Academy and East Middle School

Several teachers, dozens of support staff needed in Sioux Falls

The district is still hiring for two elementary classroom teachers, a middle school recovery teacher, a middle school language arts teacher, three full-time special education teachers and one part-timer, a part-time speech language pathologist and a senior Marine instructor for JROTC. Administrators will continue to interview candidates for these positions until theyre filled, or alternative schedules or staffing arrangements are made, according to a board report.

More than 900 candidates applied for district teaching positions this year, the district reports, with 48% of those applicants coming from South Dakota. Usually, 65-70% of applicants are from South Dakota. Candidates from outside the U.S. accounted for 34% of applicants.

In addition to five teaching jobs, 106 support staff vacancies are listed on the districts website. 150 more substitute teachers also must be hired by mid-October to replenish the substitute staff pool to meet schools needs, the district reports.

One hundred and thirty-one teachers resigned in the 2022-2023 school year, compared to 139 who resigned in the 2021-2022 school year and 87 in the 2020-2021 school year, the district reported.

A quarter of the teachers who left last year went to teach in a nearby school district, and another 8% left to teach out-of-state. About 20% left the teaching profession, 12% moved and 16% resigned to stay home with children or family. Other reasons for resignations included teaching at a distant district in state, teaching at a university, returning to health care, going to graduate school or resigning for a health-related reason.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Sioux Falls School District updates board on hires for 2023-24
Trump indicted for efforts to overturn 2020 presidential election in Georgia. Follow live updates

President Donald Trump has been indicted over his efforts to overturn the results of his 2020 presidential election loss in Georgia
DAMASCUS, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Three pro-government fighters were killed early Tuesday in an attack launched by Islamic State (IS) militants in the desert region of Syria's central province of Homs, a war monitor reported.

The IS militants carried out the attack after midnight on an arms depot near Palmyra in the eastern countryside of Homs, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The UK-based watchdog group said the death toll would likely rise as eight other pro-government fighters were seriously injured.

The latest attack came just days after IS militants ambushed a bus in the desert region of Al-Mayadeen City in Syria's eastern province of Deir al-Zour Friday, killing 35 Syrian soldiers.

The war monitor said on Tuesday that the army has carried out large-scale combing operations in the Syrian desert to search for IS cells.

According to the observatory, the IS operations in the desert this year have claimed the lives of 420 people, including 20 of its own militants, 243 government soldiers, and 157 civilians.

The situation remains tense as the Syrian army intensifies its efforts to counter the persistent threat posed by IS militants in the desert region. The recent escalation serves as a reminder of the ongoing battle against the extremist group, which lost key ground in Syria by the end of 2018 but remained active in the hard-to-control desert region. 
Bellingham gets slight reprieve from WA heat wave, but look where it's hitting triple digits
Sex offender likely to die in WA prison for paying 'desperately poor' boys to be filmed
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GUIYANG, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Ask any Chinese person about Guizhou Province, and they are bound to mention an old saying: "The land is not flat and the people have no silver."



Nestled in the craggy peaks of southwest China, upstream of the Yangtze River, Guizhou is predominantly a mountainous region, once plagued by barren fields and empty stomachs.

Today's Guizhou, however, has become a leader in both environmental protection and economic growth. So, how exactly does green become gold?

In this 27-minute documentary, Xinhua's Miao Xiaojuan and Simon Robinson traveled across the province to the village, town and city level to find out how Guizhou has overcome the odds and achieved real green development.
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- A "mob of criminals" stole up to 300,000 U.S. dollars worth of items from a Los Angeles mall Saturday afternoon, said California police.

More than 30 people entered the Westfield Topanga Shopping Center and grabbed merchandise from displays near the entrance after 4 p.m. (2300 GMT), the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement on social media on Monday.

One person "sprayed bear spray on the face and body of the security guard at the entrance to the store," said the police, adding that the suspects fled with high-end handbags, clothing and other easily re-sellable items.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass condemned the theft. "What happened today at Nordstrom in the Topanga Mall is absolutely unacceptable. Those who committed these acts and acts like it in neighboring areas must be held accountable," Bass said in a statement.

According to CNN, a similar "Flash Rob" style theft occurred on Tuesday in nearby Glendale, where police said thieves stole 300,000 U.S. dollar worth of property in a "bold, flash mob burglary" at an Yves Saint Laurent store. 
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.
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 80%. Winds could occasionally gust over 50 mph.

Tonight

Windy. Cloudy skies will become 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.
Blestemele care i-ar fi adus moartea lui Nicolae Ceausescu

Se spune ca lui Nicolae Ceausescu i s-ar fi tras moartea din cauza unor blesteme, unul dintre ele apartinand familiei Brancoveanu. Fostul presedinte ar fi stiut despre ce este vorba, insa nu a luat in seama aceste vorbe aiurea, cum le spunea el. Unul din blestemele care i-ar fi adus [citeste mai departe]
TALUQAN, Afghanistan, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Two people were wounded as a blast rocked Taluqan city, the provincial capital of north Afghanistan's Takhar province on Tuesday, provincial police spokesman Abdul Mubin Safi said.

"A blast took place in Police District 2 of Taluqan city this afternoon and two people were slightly wounded," Mubin told reporters.

The explosive device was placed in a civilian car, the spokesman said, adding preliminary investigations indicated personal enmity behind the blast.

This is the second blast in Afghanistan over the past two days. Three people were killed and seven others wounded when an explosion hit Khost city, the provincial capital of eastern Khost province, on Monday.

No group or individual has claimed responsibility for both accidents. The blasts took place when the Afghan caretaker government marked the second anniversary of the administration's takeover of the Afghan capital Kabul on Aug. 15. 
Organisers of Budapests Sziget Festival greeted the events 10 millionth visitor on Friday. Veronika Mikes, a 32-year-old Hungarian woman, was given a lifetime pass for the event along with a commemorative flag and T-shirt by organiser Tamas Kadar.

This is only my second time at Sziget. I came to the festival for the first time a few years ago, Mikes, who had bought a day ticket to see Imagine Dragons with her sister, told MTI.



Sziget, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, welcomed its 9 millionth visitor, a Swiss secondary school student, in 2018.



Fridays line-up at the festival featured Imagine Dragons, Easy Life, Carson Coma, and Yungblud, among others.
There is no need to import guest workers to fill jobs in Hungary, opposition Mi Hazank labour spokesman Janos Lantos said in response to recent remarks by Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto.

Szijjarto said that the government supported the import of guest workers in order to protect jobs in Hungary.



Lantos said Mi Hazank rejected the governments economic policy which supported big capital.



The party instead called for Hungarys processing industry and SMEs that raise wages to receive support, he added.



If current trends continue, he said, soon no Hungarians would be getting jobs, he said, adding: What makes a Chinese battery plant a Hungarian workplace if construction is carried out by non-Hungarians?



Lantos said that serving global capitalism was more important to the Hungarian government than protecting Hungarian jobs.



Opposition Jobbik said that the government was planning to import migrant workers from the east whereas Jobbik was calling for western wages and everyone to succeed in their place of birth.



Deputy group leader Koloman Brenner said that the arrival of a large number of people from an alien culture would upset the cultural balance  [and] traditional way of life.



The masses of migrants consisting mostly of men without accompanying females pose a security threat, he added.



They take work away from Hungarians because they accept lower wages which brings down the wages for Hungarian workers, too, he said.
Police have taken a Ukrainian man into custody on suspicion of murdering a 49-year-old man in central Budapest, according to a report on the police.hu website.

The 30-year-old suspect identified by police as Ferenc B has been charged with robbing the victim of petty cash in Klauzal Square, in the 7th district, before beating him to death shortly before 1am on Thursday.



During questioning, police also established that a companion of the Ukrainian suspect had observed his act before drinking wine, bought using the stolen money, with him.



Criminal proceedings have been launched against the 46-year-old man for failing to intervene, the statement said.



MTI Photo of the scene: Zoltan Mihadak
YORK  In accordance with a ruling from the Nebraska Tax Equalization Review Commission (TERC), the York County Commissioners have adjusted/lessened the valuation of a specific housing area in York.

The housing area is that of Yorktowne Estates, explained York County Assessor Kurt Bulgrin.

The TERC ruling required 14 tax roll corrections, which were made official this past week.

Bulgrin said the initial value was set several years ago, before he was the assessor, and the countys valuation was appealed by the owners of the Yorktowne Estates.

If a property owner does not agree with the valuation that has been set for their property, they can protest it with the York County Commissioners sitting as the board of equalization and if they still dont agree with their final ruling, they can appeal the valuation with TERC at the state level.

These new values are the result of an appeal and negotiation, Bulgrin explained to the county board members. This is an order from TERC.

He said it was his understanding that the valuation was to be lowered due to it being a subsidized housing area.

Bulgrin also noted his office would be receiving the countys centrally assessed valuations next week.
YORK  The York County Commissioners, department heads and elected officials spent hours during a budget session this past week, going through each and every fund, and in many cases some specific line items.

It was tedious work  which came after months of formulating a preliminary budget to work from. The budget committee (consisting of Commissioners Randy Obermier and Daniel Grotz, York County Clerk Kelly Turner and York County Treasurer Megan Williams) asked for each department head and elected official to submit their preliminary budgets. The committee then went over everything, asked for cuts when they deemed necessary, the department heads and officials made changes where they could, and the resulting figures were presented during the public session.

This process has been going on for a while now, Obermier said during the budget meeting. After the initial turn-in, it came to the committee and we are seeing issues now because we used $1.25 million from the inheritance fund last year to offset the budget, and now it is time to deal with that. We warned this day would come and now its here.

In other words, the budget was created last year by off-setting rising expenses with the inheritance fund money. That leaves an escalated budget coming into this new fiscal year, one they will have to figure out how to maintain that level of spending or make big cuts to services.

The projections, right at this minute, look like we are in the area of $900,000 over the lid we have, Obermier said, noting they hadnt included any lid exempted expenses in the budget as of yet.

An example of expenditures that are exempted from lid requirements is money spent when interlocal agreements are in place.

The committee asked department heads and elected officials if they left any money on the table (had unspent money in their budgets last year) to keep their expenses the same in this next fiscal year. If they emptied or exceeded their budgets, they were asked to keep expenditures increasing at or below 3%.

Many department heads came close when they turned in their next drafts, but we still have areas to work on yet, Obermier said further. We wont get all the answers today but we will get an idea where we are at.

Obermier said, as an example, if the levy was raised by one cent, based on last years valuations, that would generate approximately $300,000.

But then we have to go to the taxpayers to say why there was an increase, Obermier said.

He noted that most of the increases being proposed were related to personnel costs. He said even a dollar raise for each of the more than 100 employees would equate to several hundred thousand dollars.

We have to decide whats sustainable, Obermier said. I know there are wants but we have to determine what the needs are. One-time purchases, like the motorgrader we bought today, are avenues for using money from the inheritance fund. Right now, the inheritance fund is sitting at about $6 million. Last year we used $1.25 million from that fund to offset expenses and it built back up, but is that sustainable? No. Because the legislature and now the governor are after it (proposing to end it in Nebraska) and it will come to an end someday in the future. For today, we are asking for ideas. We are here to have an open discussion among the board, department heads and officials.

He said the committee had initially included an increase in money to be placed in the reserve fund  jumping it from $500,000 to $750,000, but he was willing to pare that back to $500,000 if the board agreed. He explained how the reserve fund is used to help pay bills, if needed, when the countys cash flow is lower (during certain times of year when tax collections are not taking place).

We need a reserve but we could pare that back as we have been getting by, Obermier said.

I agree, Grotz said. We do want to build that up but I agree with what you said. Last year, we used $1.2 million from inheritance to supplement our revenues  I dont see us doing that again, but we could use a smaller amount to build up the cash reserves.

Do the board members have any questions about the preliminary budget weve given you? Obermier asked.

Philosophically, I do not support using ARPA or inheritance money for funds that are ongoing, such as paying salaries, said Commissioner Woody Ziegler. That would be like me taking my savings to pay regular bills, and then the savings are depleted.

As far as what this board can do is focus on the end numbers when it comes to elected officials budgets, Obermier reminded the commissioners. The only line we have is the bottom line. We have to leave elected officials the money to do their jobs.

I know some departments have asked for additional staff, Grotz said. In our conversations, a pretty good need would have to be justified with what we are facing. If there is a case to be made, we can certainly hear it.

York County Assessor Kurt Bulgrin noted that a great unknown for all the fund budgets is the cost of insurance, as it isnt set until late in the calendar year and kicks in January. The countys fiscal year runs July to July.

When I asked other assessors how they handle insurance, five of the six I talked to said insurance doesnt come out of their budgets but rather the general fund, Bulgrin said. Granted, thats shifting an expense from one fund to another, but if it was formulated that way, big changes wouldnt break individual budgets.

Obermier said the thinking behind how it is done now is based on the fact individual department heads have a better read on their staff members (such as if they are going to take the insurance and what types of insurance they would enroll in, to better gauge the expense).

I understand that, I just thought maybe it could be applied better, Bulgrin said. The rest of my budget is just what it is, to operate.

Have we determined what the ARPA money will be used for? asked County Clerk Kelly Turner.

The ARPA funds are down to $1.8 million, Obermier said, noting some of it was used in the last fiscal year to purchase gravel and some capital projects with the roads department.

I just wondered if that had been determined, Turner said again.

We have not, Grotz responded.

How it will be spent has to be determined by 2024 and we can use the funds for the same scenario, with some capital roads projects, which Harvey (York County Highway Superintendent Keim) has been looking at, Obermier said, noting the projects that are identified will have to be pretty shovel ready in order to make the expenditure deadlines.

Like Woody (Ziegler) said, I think ARPA should be viewed as and used for one-time expenditures, Obermier continued.

But it has to be spent by a certain date, correct, or it has to be returned? asked Turner.

I dont think it will be a huge problem to spend it, Obermier said. But we want to use it for lid purposes, that is kicking the can down the road. It seems like, this year, we have greater needs for computers as an example  maybe some of it could be used for that, to get some relief in departments like data processing.

Obermier and Grotz explained how they asked department heads to lower their line item requests to the actuals from last year, when they could, while they also took into account amounts spent in departments which were understaffed and/or have positions that will be filled.

Considerable time was spent talking about the cost of running the county jail and staffing the law enforcement agency. Obermier noted there was a vacancy in the York County Sheriffs Department again.

You have continued to give raises to stay competitive with other agencies, correct? Grotz asked.

Captain Josh Gillespie said yes, that was the case. There are corrections officers elsewhere who are getting three to four dollars an hour more than here, Gillespie said, just as an example.

They also talked about the need to provide agency-issued cell phones for deputies, rather than asking them to use their own personal phones due to legal reasons.

It was noted that the sheriffs department used all of its budget in the last year and corrections had to be supplemented.

I look to the inheritance fund for some of these things because we have a surplus in there that needs to be used, Obermier said.

Regarding the county attorneys office, CA Gary Olson said, As an elected official, I am very sensitive in how we spend our money and we do what we can to keep the system running with cases, especially when you see its $60 a day to house an inmate. Weve had a run, on significant crimes, and we are very conscientious about the costs.

The elephant in the room is the housing costs for inmates, as we are out of room at the jail, Sheriff Paul Vrbka said. We have shopped around for different agreements to get the best deal, but what we are doing seems to be the best there is.

Olson said they have also been looking into more work release and home arrest options, when possible and feasible.

Gillespie asked if there had ever been any consideration of creating a regional jail with other counties. Its a large number and a new jail is not cheap, but you would also be able to have incoming money when housing inmates from other counties that are full.

Obermier said he also felt a wage study needed to be done, for the whole county, in all departments.

Grotz said he had also heard concerns from staff about increased starting wages that have new employees making the same as seasoned veterans. It is disheartening for an employee to find out a new person makes the same as they do after being here for a long time. We have been hearing about the discrepancies. The jobs are all different but we are part of one family and we understand that.

When we look at the jail budget, oh boy, it is not cheap to arrest them, prosecute them and hold them, Obermier said.

And pay their medical bills, the sheriff added.

When it comes to the jail, you are just banging your head against the wall because we have no choice, Obermier said. I dont want to see budgets go up, but, sometimes there is no choice, as in this particular situation.

Our housing out (in other institutions because of being full) has gone back up, Captain Gillespie said. And when we are talking about violent crimes, there arent a lot of choices. We have no say in their bonds and it is a big problem. We cant predict the future, how many people will be in custody or for how long or if they have medical issues. We held back on a lot of other expenses last year in an effort to just make it financially work, and the jail still came up with a shortfall last year.

It was noted there are positions to fill for corrections and vacancies helped their budget last year, but running an understaffed facility is not healthy either, Gillespie added.

When it came to the roads department, Grotz said wages always jump out at us.

We are looking at continued staffing issues, Obermier noted.

We are short now, Highway Superintendent Keim said.

Its been years since we achieved a full staff, Obermier said. Yet, weve been getting things done. Is the staffing number still a realistic number we are reaching for?

Yes, Keim said. We cant compete with the wages that are out there. If we cant retain our employees, we are behind the eight ball and then who is going to take care of the roads? You have to take care of your employees.

Of course, it was also noted that fuel costs continue to be an issue.

Obermier reminded the board how the City of York earlier asked the county to contribute $150,000 of the countys ARPA funds toward a makerspace area in the basement of the city auditorium. Obermier said the committee kicked out that idea, saying, We wont have a problem getting rid of our ARPA funds ourselves. And the plans for the ARPA funds will be discussed further through this budget process.

The commissioners were scheduled to set deputy official salaries and wages of department heads and employees, but that matter was tabled for two weeks so they can continue to work on budget numbers, as well as to allow time for a number of job evaluations to be performed.

Where are we at, what is the final number with the budget right now? asked Commissioner Ziegler.

Its now $1 million over last years budget, Obermier responded. Lid-wise, because we are held to a 2 % increase, we are $900,000 over where we need to be.

Several weeks ago, a split vote by the county board members turned down an extra 1% in budget authority.

I reached out to the state and learned we could go back and revisit that, if this board wants to entertain that, Obermier said. I want some insight, as I dont want to put it out there if it will be voted down. But thats out there as a piece of that pie.

Grotz did some tabulation of changes/decreases made during the budget meeting, which he said brought the $900,000 figure down to about $453,800.

So we still have a way to go, Obermier said. You guys go through all the numbers and let us know what you think.

The next conversation, including the setting of deputy official salaries and wages, will take place Aug 22.
A delegation from UAE's Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT), led by Omar Al Suwaidi, Undersecretary of MoIAT, visited to Fujairah Free Zone to gain insights into industrial projects.

The delegation also aims to promote the adoption of sustainability practices and advanced technology, and explore ways of enhancing enablers, incentives and investment attractiveness in the business ecosystem.

The visit is in line with the objectives of National Strategy for Industry and Advanced Technology and MoIATs efforts to develop the sector by collaborating with strategic partners.

The delegation was received by Sharief Al Awadhi, Director-General of Fujairah Free Zone Authority (FFZA), alongside several leaders and officials from local and international industrial companies headquartered in the free zone.

Enablers and incentives

During the visit, companies presented their strategies for production quality, efficiency and sustainability. MoIAT provided an overview of the enablers and incentives available for the industrial and advanced technology sectors.

The ministry highlighted opportunities for collaboration with companies looking to participate in the Industrial Technology Transformation Index (ITTI), which supports industrial companies, boosts the national economy, and strengthens the UAE's position as a global industrial hub.

Al Suwaidi stressed that MoIAT continues to implement innovative initiatives that support the performance of the industrial and advanced technology sectors in line with the guidance of the UAEs leadership. He noted that the ministry supports national efforts to create an attractive business environment for investors in the industrial sector, and enhance the growth and competitiveness of local products, particularly in vital and priority sectors.

These efforts align with the objectives of the Make it in the Emirates initiative, which brings together federal and local government entities, as well as the private sector.

Unifying national efforts

He added: The visit aligns with the ministrys policies to unify national efforts and strengthen partnerships to create an attractive investment environment for both local and international investors in the industrial sector. It also supports investment in priority industrial sectors under the Make it in the Emirates initiative and the National In-Country Value (ICV) Programme, one of the Projects of the 50. Last year, companies invested more than AED53 billion ($14.43 billion) through the programme  a 25% increase. This is in addition to the Technology Transformation Programme, which plays a key role in supporting companies growth plans and sustainable production across industries."

Al Suwaidi praised the FFZA for its incentives and investment-friendly infrastructure, which includes an international seaport and airport alongside a world-class road network. He noted that the emirate has strengthened its position as a key national platform for attracting international industrial companies. He added that incentives offered by the free zone to attract investors in manufacturing, assembly, and distribution present a significant opportunity to boost the growth and expansion of industrial companies.

Positive step

Al Awadhi noted that the visit is a positive step towards supporting the UAEs priorities in developing the industrial sector and strengthening the national economy. Al Awadhi stressed the importance of unlocking new channels for communication and cooperation, discussing future trends, identifying key challenges, and exploring opportunities for growth and sustainability in the sector. He also commended MoIATs contributions to the UAEs investment ecosystem.

Al Suwaidi was accompanied by Dr Farah Al Zarooni, Assistant Undersecretary for the Standards and Regulations Sector at MoIAT. Also present were Osama Amir Fadhel, Assistant Undersecretary for the Industrial Accelerators Sector at MoIAT and Abdulla Al Shamsi, Assistant Undersecretary for Industrial Growth at MoIAT.

The officials were briefed on efforts to promote sustainability in the industrial sector as well as enablers and incentives to promote flexibility and competitiveness in the sector.-- TradeArabia News Service
Han See-jun, president of the Independence Hall of Korea, speaks during an interview with Xinhua in Cheonan, South Korea, on June 12, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhou Siyu)

BEIJING/SEOUL, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- On Aug. 15, 1945, a monumental moment unfolded as Japan officially announced its unconditional surrender in World War II. This significant day is commemorated as National Liberation Day in South Korea, signifying the liberation of the Korean Peninsula from decades of oppressive Japanese colonization.

From 1910 to 1945, the Korean Peninsula was under Imperial Japan's colonization. During this period, the peninsula's people endured oppression and suppression, yet also displayed remarkable resilience in their fight against Japanese aggression.

During that time, many independence fighters in the peninsula came to China after losing their country to Japan. They fought alongside the Chinese army against Japanese aggressors until the victory of the anti-fascist war.

The profound friendship between the peoples of China and South Korea, forged during the joint fight, has endured ever since.

Over the years, exchanges and cooperation between the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in Beijing and the Independence Hall of Korea in Cheonan, have been thriving.

JOINT FIGHT

In an exhibition hall at the Independence Hall of Korea, located about 85 km south of the capital Seoul in Cheonan, a photo depicts nearly a hundred officers and soldiers standing in formation, holding a banner that reads "Korean Volunteers Army."

The photo dating back to 1938, when the Korean Volunteers Army was established in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, underscores the historical collaboration between the peoples of China and South Korea, who helped each other in the war of resistance.

Chinese revolutionaries provided significant support to independence fighters, said Han See-jun, president of the Independence Hall of Korea, in an interview with Xinhua. Han recalled that in the year of 1919, the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea was established in Shanghai, China, and that independence fighters in the peninsula and Chinese revolutionaries have since fostered profound ties and friendships.

Among the seven exhibition halls at the Independence Hall of Korea, two showcase the anti-Japanese movement of independence fighters from the peninsula across the Chinese mainland. These halls also feature Chinese figures and organizations that supported and fought alongside the independence fighters

"In the past, South Korea and China suffered tremendous hardships after the Japanese aggression, but people of the two countries rose above the difficulties by joining forces and fighting against Japan," said Han, hailing this shared historical experience of battling Japanese aggression as a significant asset for both countries.

An exhibition at the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression also commemorates the mutual help of the two countries in the joint fight, including pictures of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army, the Korean Volunteers Army, and the Korean Liberation Army.

"The history of fighting side by side against fascism bears witness to the profound friendship between China and South Korea," said Luo Cunkang, curator of the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, expressing the hope of preserving the history in the memory of people of both countries.

CLOSER COOPERATION

Both founded in 1987, these two museums present the anti-Japanese history of their respective countries, in response to Japan's history textbooks in 1982 that distorted its colonial history and whitewashed its aggression.

In 1982, Japan authorized history textbooks that distorted its colonial history and whitewashed its aggression, sparking strong discontent and leading to protest rallies in South Korea.

A consensus about revealing the truth to enhance people's understanding of their history of resistance against Japanese imperialism has been building up in South Korea.

Facing up to and deeply reflecting on history is a fundamental prerequisite for Japan to restore and develop normal relations with its Asian neighbors after World War II. However, the Japanese government has yet to seriously reflect on its war responsibilities, nor has it sincerely apologized for its war crimes.

Han stressed that China, South Korea and other Asian countries, falling victim to Japan's aggression, should be united to study and keep in mind the historical experience of jointly fighting against Japan, and urge Japan to apologize and reflect on its war crimes.

The Independence Hall of Korea has been in close cooperation with many museums in China, including the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in Nanjing and September 18th History Museum in Shenyang, and carried out exchanges with scholars from Nankai University and Fudan University, among others, he added.

"As a dark page in the history of modern civilization, Japan's invasion of Asia cannot be erased," Luo told Xinhua, calling for closer cooperation in peace education between China and South Korea in the new era, and mutual exchange in patriotism education for the youth.

In the future, the museum and the independence hall in South Korea plan to better protect, share, manage and utilize cultural relics, and further excavate, study, inspect and display historical materials and sites, so as to boost exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations and deepen mutual understanding between the two peoples, Luo said. 

This photo taken on June 12, 2023 shows an exterior view of the Independence Hall of Korea based in Cheonan, South Korea. (Xinhua/Zhou Siyu)
New Delhi: Actor Sanjay Dutt recently got injured on the sets of his upcoming film Double ismart in which he will share the screen with Telugu actor Ram Pothineni.

As per media reports, the actor was injured while filming a sword fight scene in Bangkok. Though it was not very serious, the actor ended up receiving stitches on his head.

However, the actor swung back into action in no time and fulfilled his professional commitment as he completed the sequence. As per sources, the accident happened last week.



Double ismart is directed by Puri Jagannadh, whose earlier film Liger starring Vijay Deverakonda and Ananya Panday had tanked at the box-office.

For Sanjay, the film marks his debut in Telugu cinema and follows his Kannada debut with K.G.F.: Chapter 2.

Earlier, Sanjay took to his X, formerly Twitter, to share his first look from Double iSmart.

He wrote, It takes me immense pride to be working with the director of the masses #PuriJagannadh ji and the young energetic Ustaad @ramsayz Glad to be Playing the #BIGBULL in this sci-fi mass entertainer #DoubleISMART Excited to be teaming up with this super-talented team and Looking forward to the film hitting the screens on MARCH 8th, 2024."

The first look poster of his character strongly reminds of his portrayal in films like Musafir and Kaante wherein he sported an ubercool and suave urban look.

In addition, Sanjay is also set to make his foray into Tamil cinema with his upcoming film Leo in which he will share the screen with Tamil superstar Thalapathy Vijay and Trisha. The film is directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj.
San Francisco: As the suspense over Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg's cage fight remains, the Tesla CEO on Tuesday said he planned to show up unannounced at Meta CEO's home to fight.

However, a spokesperson for Zuckerberg at Meta said in a statement that the boss is currently travelling and isn't in Palo Alto, California.

"Also, Zuckerberg takes this sport seriously and isn't going to fight someone who randomly shows up at his house," the spokesperson added.



Musk reacted: "There was some hasty bag packing at the Zuckerberg residence today!"

Despite Musks repeated comments, Zuckerberg has said that he is not serious and "it's time to move on".

"For the Tesla FSD test drive in Palo Alto tonight, I will ask the car to drive to @finkd's house. Will also test the latest X livestream video, so you can monitor our adventure in real-time," Musk posted.

If we get lucky and Zuck actually answers the door, the fight is on, he added.

Both the billionaires earlier traded barbs at each other, with the Tesla CEO challenging Meta Founder to fight in his backyard.

Zuckerberg apparently messaged Musk: "If you still want to do a real MMA fight, then you should train on your own and let me know when you're ready to compete."

"I don't want to keep hyping something that will never happen, so you should either decide you're going to do this and do it soon, or we should move on," Zuckerberg said.

Musk replied: "1 have not been practicing much, apart from a brief bout with Lex Fridman today. While I think it is very unlikely, given our size difference, perhaps you are a modern day Bruce Lee and will somehow win."

Zuckerberg later posted on Threads that he offered a real date but Musk won't confirm a date.
On the occasion of India's 77th Independence Day, a subtle yet profound visual took center stage at Delhi's historic Red Fort. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation with customary fervor, an empty chair stood in stark contrast, echoing a distinct and dissenting voice. This vacant seat, symbolizing the absence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, conveyed a layered narrative that encapsulated differing ideologies and viewpoints amidst the nation's celebratory atmosphere.

Absence Amplified: Kharge's Unconventional Approach

A notable departure from tradition, the absence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge from the Red Fort event marked a deliberate choice to communicate differently. Opting for a recorded video message, Kharge paid homage to freedom fighters and lauded the contributions of past Prime Ministers, particularly emphasizing Jawaharlal Nehru and the legacy of Congress leaders.



The Unspoken Message: An Emblem of Dissent

The empty chair, placed against the backdrop of PM Modi's resounding address, emerged as an eloquent symbol of dissent and an avenue for counter-narrative. By opting out of the physical presence, Kharge's decision underscored his party's distinct stance and served as a potent reminder of the democratic principle that diverse voices play an integral role in shaping the nation's discourse.

Reverberating Echoes of Leadership: Kharge's Reflections

Through his recorded message, Kharge not only invoked the names of stalwart leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel but also highlighted the contributions of Nehru and other Congress Prime Ministers. This departure from the norm signified a paradigm shift, reflecting the party's inclination towards critical analysis and discourse on a day traditionally marked by unity and celebration.

Democratic Concerns Unveiled: Challenges to Autonomy

Kharge's distant address shed light on the apprehensions surrounding democratic institutions and autonomy. He voiced concerns over alleged attempts to stifle opposition voices, citing instances of investigative measures and curtailing parliamentary proceedings. This resonated with a broader discourse on the balance between checks and balances within the democratic framework.

Renaming vs. Continuity: Historical Perspective Revisited

In a critique of the government's renaming endeavors, Kharge argued against the disruption of historical continuity through such measures. Drawing a sharp contrast, he harkened back to the transformative legacies of leaders like Nehru, who nurtured the cultural and literary landscape, and Shastri and Indira Gandhi, who steered India towards self-reliance.

Conclusion: The Empty Chair's Resonance

Amidst the echoes of Prime Minister Modi's address, the empty chair at the Red Fort held a mirror to India's democratic essence. A tableau of divergent narratives, it encapsulated the essence of dialogue and pluralism that are integral to the nation's spirit. This unoccupied seat conveyed a powerful message of the coexistence of varying viewpoints within the tapestry of India's democratic discourse, underscoring the dynamic nature of its progress.
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday slammed Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for skipping the Independence Day function at the Red Fort and said that it shows his party's 'mindset'. On Kharge citing 'paucity of time' and traffic restrictions for not attending the function, the ruling party said the Congress could have 'tweaked' the timing of its programme.

Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday skipped the 77th Independence Day function at the Red Fort in Delhi from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation.

Kharge, who unfurled the national flag at his residence and later at the Congress headquarters, said he could not have reached his party office in time from the Red Fort.



"By calling people of the country 'rakshas' (demon)... the Congress showed how it looks at the people in democracy. Now, when our country's main opposition party leader, who is also the leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha, does not come on the 77th Independence Day, you can imagine what is the mindset of the Congress," Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur told reporters.



"Their thoughts were different when they were in power. Today, when they are sitting in the opposition, they are yearning for power like fish out of water," he said.



Replying to a post on Twitter by Congress leader Pawan Khera in which he defended Kharge, BJP IT Department head Amit Malviya said the timing of party programmes can always be tweaked.



"Thank you for saying what we always knew -- Congress puts party before the Nation. The programme at Red Fort is a collective celebration when the entire nation comes together. Timing of the party program(s) can always be tweaked," Malviya said.



"In any case, you now have at least five more years to learn and improve. Hopefully, Congress thinks beyond party and dynasty in times to come," he added.



In his post, Khera said it is apparent that the BJP is 'upset' that Kharge was not present for Modi's speech at the Red Fort but does the Prime Minister realise that his route arrangements would have made it impossible for the Congress leader to reach the party headquarters in time for the flag hoisting.


New Delhi: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday announced that all the government and private schools in the state will remain closed on Wednesday (August 16).

"All government and private schools in Haryana shall remain closed tomorrow," Khattar said while addressing a gathering at a state-level Independence Day function in Fatehabad.

In his address, Khattar also said that the people of Haryana should forget social, religious and communal differences, and maintain harmony.



Last month, clashes broke out in Haryana's Nuh district after a procession of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) was attacked by mobs, and it spread to adjoining areas, including Gurugram. Six people, including two home guards and a cleric, died in the violence.



Addressing the gathering, the chief minister also expressed confidence that Haryana will surpass all other states in terms of development by 2047, according to a statement.



"We consider the people of the entire state our family. The day we assumed the responsibility of 'Jan Sewa' in the year 2014, our aim became to protect the interests of every Haryanvi," the chief minister said. Equal development of all citizens and areas has been the priority, he said.





 77                



                     



 !#IndependenceDay pic.twitter.com/MKLmezE38W August 15, 2023

Haryana has witnessed harmony, equal development and brotherhood along with significant transformation in people's lives in the last nine years in the spirit of 'Haryana Ek-Haryanvi Ek', the chief minister said. For this, it was necessary to remove hindrances in the path of development, he said.



Khattar also called upon the people of the state to forget all kinds of social, religious and communal differences, and maintain mutual harmony and brotherhood.



On Independence Day, he also remembered those who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of the country.



He said that "even after independence, our soldiers kept showcasing unparalleled examples of bravery during foreign intrusions in 1962, 1965, and 1971 as well during the Kargil War".



Describing Narendra Modi as a prime minister with a 'vision', he said that the prime minister was capable of resolving challenging situations in very less time.



The chief minister said following the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the dream of an united India, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, materialised in the true sense.



By beginning the construction of a grand temple of Lord Ram in Ayodhya, which is on the verge of completion, the prime minister has strengthened the faith of millions of citizens, Khattar said.



He slammed previous governments, saying since independence, these governments kept talking about the welfare of the poor, but gave no benefits.



"According to the philosophy of Antyodaya of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay, we (Haryana) created a unique scheme of 'Parivar Pehchan Patra' (family id) to ensure that benefits of public welfare schemes reach the deprived families," the chief minister said.



The biggest reason for the failure of the earlier system was its lack of transparency, said Khattar, adding that "through more than 100 portals and apps, we have displayed every government initiative and programme to the public".



Khattar said 1.10 lakh youngsters have been given government jobs on the basis of merit.



The Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam has been constituted to protect youngsters from exploitation by contractors in outsourcing services, he said.



"Online passport facility has been started for youths who wish to make their career overseas," the chief minister said.



He said the Metropolitan Development Authority has been constituted for the development of Gurugram, Faridabad, and Panchkula, and this authority will also be formed in Hisar now.

(With agency inputs)
On the auspicious occasion of India's 76th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a significant address that resonated with unity, reverence, and hope. With the ceremonial unfurling of the national flag at the historic Red Fort, the Prime Minister embarked on a discourse that addressed both the recent challenges faced by Manipur, a strife-torn northeastern state, and the enduring spirit of freedom that has shaped the nation.

Solidarity with Manipur

In a notable departure from tradition, Prime Minister Modi's address began by acknowledging the unrest that has plagued Manipur and its impact on the lives of its people. He expressed his condolences for the lives lost during the period of violence, particularly emphasizing the hardships endured by mothers and daughters. However, he also heralded a glimmer of hope, noting that reports of peace have surfaced in recent days. The Prime Minister affirmed the nation's unwavering support for Manipur, emphasizing the collaborative efforts of both the Central government and the state administration to find a lasting resolution to the challenges faced.



A Warm Greeting to the Nation

Prime Minister Modi's address was infused with a sense of inclusivity and camaraderie as he extended heartfelt greetings to India's vast and diverse population. Aptly referring to the 1.4 billion citizens as his "parivarjan" or extended family, he underscored the shared bond that unites the nation. This gesture not only set a tone of unity but also reflected the Prime Minister's commitment to engaging with and addressing the aspirations of every individual within the country.

Honoring the Freedom Struggle

In a reflective segment, Prime Minister Modi paid homage to the luminaries and heroes who paved the way for India's independence. With deep respect, he commemorated the visionary leadership of Mahatma Gandhi and the transformative power of the Satyagrah movement. Additionally, he honored the sacrifices of iconic figures like Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev, whose indomitable spirit and commitment to the cause continue to inspire generations.

A Solemn Tribute to Sacrifice

The Prime Minister's address concluded with a poignant acknowledgment of the countless individuals who contributed to the nation's journey to freedom. He eloquently captured the essence of sacrifice that characterized this struggle, recognizing the enduring legacy that these dedicated souls have bequeathed to the nation.

Conclusion

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day address encapsulated a profound sense of empathy, unity, and remembrance. By addressing the challenges faced by Manipur and expressing unwavering support, he demonstrated his commitment to inclusive governance and conflict resolution. Through his heartfelt greetings to the nation and reverent tribute to the freedom fighters, he artfully interwove the threads of unity and history that bind India together.
New Delhi: Needless to say that this day holds importance like no other. Afterall, our country gained the much-awaited freedom from the colonial rulers. Amid the galore wave of patriotism, bollywood celebrities shared their wishes on Independence Day.

Actor Ajay Devgn, famous for his role as 'Bhagat Singh, shared a calendar quote which read, Azadi Ka Rasta Azad Khyalo Se Banta Hai.





Taking to Instagram, Karan Johar shared the photo of the flag and wrote, Happy Independence Day.

Looking Sharp, Maniesh Paul held the tricolor high in his post on Instagram. He wrote, "Happy Independence Day. HINDUSTAN ZINDABAD. JAI HIND"

TV actress Aishwarya Sakhuja Nag is winning hearts with her insightful video. Taking to Instagram, the actress penned, "In 2023, as we step closer towards the modern era, it is very important that at the same time we stick true to our roots and teach the same to our future generations. It is necessary to make the younger generations understand the significance of the valuable freedom that our ancestors have earned through their tireless struggle against the colonial rule. May we forever hold this precious freedom closer to our hearts.Happy Independence Day."

Kangana Ranaut shared a picture of Subhas Chandra Bose on Instagram Stories and said: "Happy Independence Day."

__ __ ____, __ __ _____, __ __ ____ __ _____, #HarGharTiranga _______ ___ ___ __ _____ ____! On this historic day, let's come together and proudly wave our tricolor __ Upload your selfies with our beloved Tiranga on https://t.co/LskrEGMg3S @AmritMahotsav



Happy Independence_ pic.twitter.com/Wpjt8NS3Vk  Ayushmann Khurrana (@ayushmannk) August 14, 2023

Deepika Padukone changed her Instagram display picture to the Indian flag. Rakul Preet Singh wrote: "Happy Independence Day."

Mahesh Babu said: "Celebrating the spirit of united India, today and every day! Wishing you all a happy #IndependenceDay2023!"

Rajkummar Rao uploaded a photo with the Indian Flag and said: "Happy Independence Day. Bharat Mata ko shat shat Naman #harghartiranga."

Happy Independence Day!
New Delhi: Sara Ali Khan is one of the most talented and talented actors of this generation. After her recent successful film, Zara Hatke Zara Bachke, Sara is all set to set screens on fire with her upcoming film, Ae Watan Mere Watan, where she will be essaying the character of a freedom fighter.

On the occasion of the 77th Independence Day, on being asked about the film and her thoughts on the idea of Independence, Sara says to a leading daily, I just finished shooting for the film. There are so many facets of our Indian history, especially the freedom struggle, which we dont understand. It is not just the freedom fighters we may not know about, it was a generation of sacrifice, bravery and constant endeavour. It is not just one day. I feel 365 days are too less to celebrate and be thankful and grateful for what we have as a country today.

It is definitely an honour to be playing such a character, and nobody better to do it than Sara Ali Khan herself! To see the actress do a role like this, will be nothing less than a treat for the fans.

On the work front, apart from Ae Watan Mere Watan, Sara will be next seen in Murder Mubarak, 'Metro In Dino', amongst other untitled ones.
New Delhi: Haryana YouTuber Elvish Yadav, who lifted the trophy of Salman Khan hosted reality show 'Bigg Boss OTT 2' in a grand finale on Monday night, is celebrating his success with his loved ones. A video of the BB OTT 2 winner has now emerged on social media where the social media influencer is seen inside a hotel room, which is filled with his closed one.

In the short clip, Elvish, who is seen dressed in a black ethnic outfit, can be heard saying that he was told by a Jio Cinema official said he got 28 crore votes in just 15 minutes, when the voting line was reopened by the makers on the finale night. "Saara scene khatam hua, main andar gaya toh jo Jio ke head hain, jiska poora show hai, maalik jo hai, unhone bola, Aapko pata hai 15 minutes main kitne vote aaye aapke liye? Maine poocha kitne, toh unhone kaha '280 million' (After the finale got over, I went inside and the head of Jio, who runs the show, asked me, Do you know how many votes you received in 15 minutes? I asked how many, and was told I got 280 million)."

After the video was shared by BiggBoss_Tak on Twitter, now renamed as X, Elvish's fans filled the comment box with celebratory messages. Some also hailed him for becoming the first wild card contestant to win the show in the history of Bigg Boss. "28 crore is huge," said a fan. One more wrote, "Goosebumps!"



Elvish Yadav reveals that one of JioCinema's heads says him that he received a record-breaking 280 MILLION votes in 15 minutes Live voting ___pic.twitter.com/OY5BwCuNJi  #BiggBoss_Tak_ (@BiggBoss_Tak) August 15, 2023

However, a few users questioned the claim he made in the video and wrote 'if it was true'. A person wrote, "Is that even possible? I think jald bazi mein Elvish ne galat number sun liya (Maybe he heard the wrong numbers)."

Another one said, "Joke of the day!"One more also said, "Arre bhai 7 million watch kar rahe the, 280 million kahan se aaye ga 15 minute mein (If 7 million were watching the show, how did he get 280 million votes in only 15 minutes)... that is a joke..."

The Bigg Boss OTT 2 finale was held on Monday night and Abhishek Malhan stood as the first runner-up. Post the finale, Abhishek was re-admitted in the hospital as he has been keeping unwell for past few days. He even released a video from the hospital where he thanked his fans for voting for him and congratulated Elvish Yadav for the victory.
India's 77th Independence Day: As India celebrates its 77th Independence Day on August 15, let us remember the unwavering devotion and sacrifices of all those brave souls who were willing to go to any length to see our country free. For Indians to continue making the enormous sacrifices required to liberate India from the British, the long and gruelling liberation war required ongoing encouragement.

During those times, slogans brought people together, served as sources of inspiration, and motivated people to fight for their freedom.

Whether it was the young Bhagat Singh urging people to keep fighting by chanting the slogan, "Inquilab Zindabad," or Mahatma Gandhi inspiring everyone to "do or die" till we got freedom, these slogans had a significant effect on people's mentality during the freedom struggle.



Look at the slogans that some great freedom fighters used to inspire the nation's population to strive for the country's independence.

Jai Hind

Originally coined by Zain-ul Abideen Hasan, the phrase "Jai Hind" was later adopted by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. Today, it is a common salutation across all of India. In English, it symbolises "Victory to India".

Vande Mataram

It was a poem that was mentioned in the book Anandmath by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. The novel was written in Bengali and Sanskrit in 1882 by Chattopadhyay, who was also a writer and activist. "Vande Mataram" is Latin for "I honour you, mother."

"Tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhe azaadi doonga"

Subhash Chandra Bose established the Indian National Army, prepared to do whatever it took to ensure the nation's freedom. Creating the slogan "tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhe azaadi doonga," he exhorted young people to be prepared to give their lives in exchange for his assistance in achieving independence.

"Inqilab Zindabad"

The phrase was popularised by the legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh, who devoted his life to his nation at the young age of 23. Maulana Hasrat Mohanib was an Urdu poet and freedom fighter who penned the Arabic phrase "Inqalab Zindabad" which means "long live the revolution."

"Swaraj Mera Janamsiddh adhikar hai, aur main ise lekar rahunga"

This phrase was created by Kaka Baptista and adopted by Bal Gangadhar Tilak during the war for Indian freedom. This phrase inspired love for their country in the hearts of the Indian people and inspired them to fight for their freedom.

"Jai Jawaan, Jai Kisaan"

This motto, coined by Lal Bahadur Shastri, recognises and honours the sacrifices made by our nation's farmers and soldiers.

Satyameva Jayate

The phrase was created by Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya and means "truth alone triumphs."

Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna, Ab hamare dil mein hai

It is a patriotic poem that Ramprasad Bismil first used as a slogan after receiving it from Bismil Azimabadi. It exhorted readers to stand up for what's right.

"Karo ya maro"

This phrase, which may be translated as "Do or Die," was the last call for the British to leave the nation and was delivered by Mahatma Gandhi during a speech in Mumbai in 1942. This was the first step in the Bharat Chhodo Aandolan or "Quit India Movement."

Araam Haraam hai

Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of independent India, coined this phrase. It illustrates how relentless our freedom warriors were in their pursuit of independence.
TOKYO, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- The approval rate for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's cabinet declined for the third straight month to 33 percent, an opinion poll by national broadcaster NHK has shown.

NHK conducted the telephone survey for three days through Sunday with 1,223 respondents.

The approval rate, down five percentage points from July, hit the same low level as seen last November and this January since Kishida took office, according to the survey results published on Monday.

Meanwhile, the disapproval rate for the incumbent cabinet rose four points to 45 percent, with "no expectations for policies", "lack of executive power" and "unreliable personalities" listed among the top reasons for disapproval.

The Japanese government is facing criticism over errors in the My Number ID card system, and the bribery scandal of foreign ministry official Masatoshi Akimoto also weighed on the approval rate, NHK reported.

Earlier this month, a Jiji Press opinion poll showed that the support rate for Kishida's cabinet dived to 26.6 percent in August. It was under the key threshold of 30 percent, which is commonly viewed as a danger zone for the cabinet. 
BPSC 32nd Bihar Judicial Services 2023: The Bihar Public Service Commission, BPSC, has issued the final answer key for the Bihar Public Service Commission's 32nd Bihar Judicial Services Examination 2023. On August 14, the final solution key was made available. Candidates who took the exam can now view and obtain the answer key. Following consideration of the complaints expressed by candidates, the final answer key was generated. The answer key is now available on the official website at bpsc.bih.nic.in and can be downloaded by following the instructions below.

The answer key for the Bihar 32nd Judicial Service (Preliminary) Competitive Examination, which was held on June 4, 2023, has been released. On July 13, the commission issued the tentative answer key for General Studies and Law.

BPSC 32nd Bihar Judicial Services 2023: Steps to download here

1. Visit the official website at bpsc.bih.nic.in

2. On the homepage, click on the link that reads, "Important Notice: 32nd Bihar Judicial Services (Preliminary) Competitive Examination. (Advt. No. 23/2023)"

3. Answer key pdf will open up on the screen

4. Go through the same and download it

5. Take its printout for future reference.

It should be noted that the final result date has not yet been declared. When the result date is announced, this page will be updated. According to prior trends, the results may be published next week. Candidates are urged to keep an eye on the official website to avoid missing out on any updates.
NEET SS 2023: The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences, NBEMS, will close registration for the National Entrance Eligibility Test - Super Speciality, NEET SS, on August 16, 2023. Registration began on July 27 and will conclude tomorrow. Interested applicants who have not applied online must register on the official website - natboard.edu.in. According to the official timeline, applications must be filed by August 16, 2023, at 11:55 p.m. Registration for the September 9 and September 10 exams is still open.

"Pursuant to the approval of the MOHFW, Govt. of India vide its letter dated 24.07.2023 and approval of the National Medical Commission (NMC) vide its letter dated 11.07.2023, the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) shall conduct the NEET-SS 2023 on 9th and 10th September 2023 at various examination centers across the country. The different groups shall be examined 9th and 10th September 2023 as detailed in the Information Bulletin," reads the official notice.

NEET SS 2023: Steps to apply here

1. Aspirants need to visit the NBE official website i.e. nbe.edu.in

2. Then, they need to select the NEET SS 2023 tab

3. After visiting the NEET SS page, aspirants need to click on the link "new registration"

4. Apply online, fill form, upload required documents

5. Pay form and submit the form

6. Take its printout for future reference

The NEET SS Admit Card 2023 will be available on September 4, 2023. According to the NBE Schedule, the NEET SS 2023 Result will be issued on September 30, 2023. To apply online, candidates must have a recognized postgraduate medical degree/provisional pass certificate (MD/MS/DNB) or an equivalent qualification.
New Delhi: Embark on a thrilling cinematic journey this weekend as you dive into a carefully curated selection of action-packed and adventurous films. Prepare to be captivated by the mesmerizing escapades that await you on the screen. These movies transcend the ordinary and catapult you into extraordinary worlds, where the boundaries of reality are pushed to their limits. Brace yourself for heart-pounding sequences that traverse through time, space, and alternate realms, all while witnessing heroes who rise to the occasion, battling formidable foes to ensure the safety of their worlds. Get ready to immerse yourself in a whirlwind of suspense, adrenaline, and awe-inspiring visuals, as these films redefine the very essence of excitement. Your weekend is about to be transformed into an electrifying adventure you won't forget anytime soon.

1. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse [ZEE5]





Miles Morales embarks on a journey across the Multiverse, teaming up with a diverse array of Spider-People. Together, they confront a new and mysterious threat that transcends dimensions, challenging their notions of heroism. This film promises an awe-inspiring visual spectacle that will leave you at the edge of your seat, eager to explore the limitless possibilities of the Spider-Verse. Catch this animated film on ZEE5 now for non-stop action, gravity-defying stunts, and a thrilling narrative that redefines heroism.

2. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 [Disney+ Hotstar]



Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 follows Peter Quill and his band of unconventional space heroes as they unite against the formidable Ronan the Accuser. This cosmic odyssey promises a symphony of laughter, camaraderie, and epic showdowns that will leave you exhilarated. With explosive space combat sequences, dazzling visual effects, intergalactic battles, jaw-dropping escapades and riveting narrative, the film will be a perfect weekend thrill.

3. Avatar: The Way of Water [Disney+ Hotstar]



Immerse yourself in the allure of Pandora with Avatar: The Way of Water. Follow Jake Sully and Neytiri's odyssey as they protect their home from a looming peril. With visuals that stun and a narrative rooted in courage, this film transports you to an extraordinary realm, where battles for survival resonate with the heartbeat of nature.

4. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves [Amazon Prime Video]

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, is the story of a charismatic thief and a diverse group of adventurers who go on a quest to reclaim a lost treasure. As their journey takes an unexpected turn, their charming expedition transforms into a gripping tale of bravery and magic. Prepare for an exhilarating ride as the charismatic thief and their diverse companions navigate treacherous terrains, battle mythical creatures, and unravel ancient riddles. The film's action-packed sequences, from intense sword fights to spellbinding magic clashes, keep you on the edge of your seat throughout their daring quest.

5. Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1 [Theatre]

Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1, follows the journey of Ethan Hunt and his team as they race against time to prevent a catastrophic weapon from wreaking havoc. Charged with high-voltage suspense and daring feats, this film delivers an adrenaline-soaked adventure that will leave you breathless. It propels you into a world of heart-pounding action and relentless adventure. From death-defying stunts atop towering skyscrapers to high-speed chases through intricate cityscapes, the film's jaw-dropping sequences will keep you engaged. As Ethan Hunt navigates a web of intrigue and danger, the film's intricate plot twists and electrifying set pieces ensure an unforgettable movie experience.

Get set for an action-packed weekend with these action-packed films!
New Delhi: Sulabh International founder Bindeshwar Pathak died aged 80 at AIIMS Delhi on Tuesday. According to his close aide, he hoisted the national flag at the Sulabh International headquarters in the morning on the occasion of Independence Day and collapsed soon after. The cause of his death was said to be cardiac arrest.

The activist and social worker is survived by his wife, two daughters, and a son.

A pioneer of public toilets in India, Bindeshwar Pathak came to be known as the 'Toilet Man of India' long before the Swachch Bharat Mission made toilets a part of public discourse. His contribution made a huge difference in the lives of millions of severely disadvantaged poor who couldn't afford toilets.



Bindeshwar Pathak founded Sulabh in 1970

Born in a Brahmin family in Bihar's Vaishali district, Bindeshwar Pathak founded Sulabh in 1970, which became synonymous with public toilets and activism against open defecation in no time.

After College and some odd jobs, he joined the Bhangi-Mukti (scavengers' liberation) cell of the Bihar Gandhi Centenary Celebrations Committee in 1968 and was intimately exposed to the problems of scavengers in India.

He then found his calling when he travelled the country and stayed with manual scavengers as part of his Ph.D. thesis, following which he established the Sulabh International Social Service Organisation in 1970, combining technical innovation with humanitarian principles.

The organisation works to promote human rights, environmental sanitation, non-conventional sources of energy, waste management and social reforms through education.

Bindeshwar Ji, your energy and enthusiasm are exceptional. Your work in furthering toilet coverage and other sanitation related activities is stupendous. Thank you for joining Swachhata Hi Seva Movement. #SHS18 https://t.co/aUBEfselVZ  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 15, 2018

Designs pioneered by Pathak three decades ago of creating biogas by linking Sulabh toilets to fermentation plants, has now become a byword for sanitation in developing countries all over the world.

Bindeshwar Pathak received Padma Bhushan in 1991

In 1991, Bindeshwar Pathak was awarded the Padma Bhushan -- the third-highest civilian award in India -- for his monumental work for liberating and rehabilitating manual scavengers and also for preventing environmental pollution by providing pour-flush toilet technology which served as an alternative to dry latrines.

He was also the recipient of the Energy Globe Award, the Dubai International Award for Best Practices, the Stockholm Water Prize, the Legend of Planet award from the French senate in Paris, among others.

"You are helping the poor," Pope John Paul II lauded Pathak while honouring him with International St. Francis Prize for the Environment in 1992.



On July 12, 2017, Pathak's book 'The Making of a Legend' on the life of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was launched in New Delhi.

The passing away of Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak Ji is a profound loss for our nation. He was a visionary who worked extensively for societal progress and empowering the downtrodden.



Bindeshwar Ji made it his mission to build a cleaner India. He provided monumental support to the pic.twitter.com/z93aqoqXrc  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 15, 2023

Bindeshwar Pathak - The brain behind Sulabh Shauchalaya

Currently, Bindeshwar Pathak's Sulabh is operating and maintaining toilets at railway stations and temple towns across the country. It has more than 9,000 community public complexes in India present in 1,600 towns. These complexes have electricity and a 24-hour water supply.

The complexes have separate enclosures for men and women. The users are charged a nominal sum for using toilets and bath facilities.



Some of the Sulabh complexes are also provided with shower facilities, cloakrooms, telephone, and primary healthcare.

Not just toilets, Sulabh has also set up a number of vocational training institutes, where liberated scavengers, their sons and daughters, and persons from other weaker sections of society are given training in various vocations like computer technology, typing and shorthand, electrical trade, woodcraft, leather craft, diesel and petrol engineering, cutting and tailoring, cane furniture making, masonry work, motor driving.
New Delhi: Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Tuesday hit out at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) IT department head Amit Malviya for claiming that his father Rajesh Pilot dropped bombs as an air force pilot in Mizoram in March 1966, saying the facts and dates are wrong as he was commissioned into the force in October that year.





In a post on X, Malviya had claimed that Rajesh Pilot and Suresh Kalmadi were flying the Indian Air Force planes that bombed Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram, on March 5, 1966."Later both became MPs on Congress tickets and ministers in the government. It is clear that Indira Gandhi gave a place in politics as a reward, gave respect to those who carried out air raids on their own people in the Northeast," Malviya had said in the post in Hindi.Hitting out at the BJP leader, Pilot said, "Amit Malviya - You have the wrong dates, wrong facts Yes, as an Indian Air Force pilot, my late father did drop bombs. But that was on erstwhile East Pakistan during the 1971 Indo-Pak war and not as you claim, on Mizoram on the 5th of March 1966.""He was commissioned into the IAF only on 29th October 1966! (Certificate attached). Jai hind and a happy Independence Day," Pilot said on X and shared the certificate according to which Rajesh Pilot was commissioned in the Indian Air Force on October 29, 1966.The Congress last week hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his criticism of then PM Indira Gandhi's decision to use the Indian Air Force in Mizoram in 1966, saying he "twisted decisions" taken by his predecessors out of their political and historical context to score "petty debating points".Responding to the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha, Modi had referred to incidents such as the use of the Air Force to "attack the people in Mizoram", a radio transmission of the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1962 leaving the people of the northeast to fend for themselves during the Chinese invasion as cases in point of Congress' "neglect" of the region.
Marking India's 77th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address from Delhi's Red Fort held promises, reflections, and a glimpse into the future. The flag unfurled, the Prime Minister navigated through various subjects, conveying concerns, achievements, and a vow for the years to come. Here's an insightful breakdown of the significant points that shaped this poignant speech.

Expressing Solidarity: Restoring Peace in Manipur

Prime Minister Modi's speech commenced with a poignant mention of recent turmoil in Manipur, emphasizing his concerns for the violence and atrocities against women. While mourning the lives lost and the dishonor endured, he reassured the nation that the tide of peace is gradually returning to the region. In this gesture, the Prime Minister exemplified India's collective support for Manipur's recovery.

"Parivarjan": Evolving Bonds Beyond Politics

Breaking away from customary rhetoric, PM Modi employed the term "parivarjan" to address India's 140 crore citizens, forging a familial connection that transcends political boundaries. This subtle shift reflects his administration's commitment to inclusive governance, underlining its resolve to cater to the diverse needs of every citizen.

Empowerment Chronicles: Governing with a Record

The Prime Minister's address resonated with achievements as he recounted the government's track record in empowering citizens and propelling national development. With a resolute tone, he proclaimed that India's resolve translates into action, culminating in his assertion that the country will ascend to the third-largest global economy within half a decade.

Dreams Realized: The "Triveni" of Democracy, Diversity, and Dreams

The intersection of "demography, democracy, and diversity" emerged as a leitmotif in PM Modi's speech, encapsulating the potent ingredients that can materialize India's aspirations. He envisioned this triumvirate as the driving force that could shape a harmonious, dynamic, and progressive India, reflecting a collective dream fulfilled through unity.

Transformation Narrative: From Poverty to Prosperity by 2047

Highlighting the government's efforts in poverty alleviation, the Prime Minister celebrated the significant upliftment of over 13.5 crore people from poverty to the middle class within a span of five years. His vision was painted with conviction as he projected India's metamorphosis into a developed nation by its centenary Independence Day in 2047, marking a testament to the nation's resolute journey.

Innovative Celebrations and Security Vigilance

The Independence Day celebrations featured an innovative blend of traditional fervor and contemporary initiatives, exemplified by the "Har Ghar Tiranga" campaign urging citizens to proudly display the national flag at their homes. Amidst this, stringent security measures were in place, including facial recognition cameras, anti-drone systems, and a substantial police presence to ensure a secure environment.

Conclusion: Navigating Towards Progress

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address was more than a speech; it encapsulated a roadmap marked by promises, accomplishments, and a vision for India's future. Against the backdrop of the historic Red Fort, the Prime Minister's words encapsulated the essence of India's ongoing journey - resilient, progressive, and unwavering in its pursuit of a brighter horizon.
In the midst of a globalized world where connections transcend boundaries, the narrative of love often takes unconventional and remarkable turns. A recent love story that traverses national borders has taken center stage, shedding light on the complexities of relationships and the societal conversations they ignite. Nestled within the Chittorgarh district of Rajasthan, the story of Sachin Meena and Nasirullah has unfolded, sparking discussions that touch upon cultural norms, individual choices, and the broader implications of cross-border unions.

An Extraordinary Journey: Love Knows No Borders

The story commenced with an audacious step - Sachin Meena, an Indian citizen, embarked on an extraordinary journey that spanned geographical borders to unite with his love, Nasirullah, who hails from Pakistan. This cross-border romance, both captivating and unconventional, brought attention to the power of human connection that defies boundaries.



A Tale of Contrasting Commitments

Central to this narrative stands Anju Meena, the wife of Sachin Meena and a mother of two. As Sachin ventured on his journey of love, Anju Meena remained steadfast in India, upholding her familial responsibilities. The stark divergence between Sachin's pursuit of love and Anju's unwavering commitment raises thought-provoking questions about personal choices and the complex interplay of emotions.

Provocations and Community Response

As the details of this cross-border romance emerged, it carried with it the weight of societal perceptions and accusations. The term 'love jihad,' often linked to the alleged conversion through interfaith relationships, reverberated through the community discourse. This terminology ignited conversations about the boundaries of love, cultural nuances, and the impact of individual decisions on a wider canvas. The local community's reaction, marked by concern for Anju Meena's well-being and demands for accountability, further amplifies the societal resonance of this story.

The Unfolding Sequence of Events

As the events continued to unravel, the saga offered a glimpse into a poignant sequence of choices and consequences. Sachin Meena's departure evoked a collective response from the community, rallying around Anju Meena and advocating for her rights and well-being. The voice of the community echoes a larger call for justice and a resolution that ensures her safety and the restoration of her family.

Broader Implications and Conversations

Beyond the personal lives entwined in this love story, it casts a spotlight on wider societal considerations. The narrative delves into the intricate balance between individual autonomy and collective values, prompting introspection about the ethics of interfaith relationships and the significance of respectful dialogue in a diverse world.

In Conclusion: A Love Story's Reverberations

The saga of Sachin Meena, Anju Meena, and Nasirullah serves as a microcosm of the intricate tapestry of human relationships, transcending geographical boundaries and cultural norms. While encapsulating the power of love's pull, it simultaneously unearths multifaceted discussions that reverberate beyond individual lives. In a world marked by connections that cross borders, this love story stands as a testament to the potency of emotions that navigate the complexities of modern-day relationships.
MUMBAI: Actor Rana Daggubati on Tuesday (August 15) issued an apology to Sonam Kapoor for unintentionally making her face a backlash over one of his comments at 'King of Kotha' event.

Daggubati recently attended an event for Dulquer Salmaan's upcoming film 'King of Kotha' in Hyderabad. A video from the event has gone viral where Rana was heard sharing an incident about Dulquer and a leading Bollywood actress.

Rana applauded Dulquer's patience and took a dig at the actress saying she was speaking to her husband over the phone about shopping while making the entire

crew wait.



While the actor didnt mention anyones name, netizens were quick to make their conclusions that Rana was referring to actress Sonam and that the incident was from the shoot of The Zoya Factor.

Quashing all the trolling, Rana today took to Twitter to apologise to both Sonam and Dulquer and issued a clarification about the same.

"I am genuinely troubled by the negativity that has been aimed at Sonam due to my comments, that are totally untrue and were meant entirely in a light-hearted manner. As friends, we often exchange playful banter, and I deeply regret that my words have been misinterpreted.I take this opportunity to express my heartfelt apologies to Sonam and Dulquer, both of whom I hold in great esteem. I hope this clarification puts an end to any speculation and misunderstanding. Thank you for your understanding," he wrote.

'The Zoya Factor' was released in 2019 and it featured Dulquer Salmaan opposite Sonam in the lead role.
UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- The UN's Education Cannot Wait (ECW) fund initiated on Tuesday a campaign to increase awareness about the education rights of Afghan girls.

The campaign was developed in collaboration with ECW Global Champion Somaya Faruqi, former captain of the Afghan Girls' Robotic Team, with compelling artwork by a young Afghan female artist.

"The international community must hear this poignant call from the heart from Afghan girls and young women and mobilize in greater numbers and with renewed strength of purpose to condemn the violation of their rights," said UN Special Envoy for Global Education and Chair of ECW's High-Level Steering Group, Gordon Brown.

Additionally, the campaign's timing will elevate the voices of Afghan girls onto the global stage as world leaders gather at the UN General Assembly in New York for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit on Sept. 18-19.

The Education Cannot Wait (ECW) fund is dedicated to supporting children's education in emergencies and prolonged crises. 
ZHENGZHOU, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Foreign trade of central China's Henan Province reached 440.18 billion yuan (about 61.33 billion U.S. dollars) in the first seven months of 2023, according to the local customs.

Customs authorities in Zhengzhou, the provincial capital, said the province's exports increased to 291.37 billion yuan, up 3.2 percent over the same period last year, while its imports totaled 148.81 billion yuan.

From January to July, the United States, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the European Union, and the Republic of Korea remained Henan's top four trading partners.

During the same period, Henan's trade with the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) member countries amounted to 132.33 billion yuan, an increase of 2.8 percent. The province also saw its foreign trade with countries along the Belt and Road grow 10.8 percent to 133.77 billion yuan. 
TOKYO, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sent a ritual offering to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine on Tuesday, as the country marked the 78th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II.

Kishida sent the "masakaki" offering to the shrine, a symbol of Japan's past brutal militarism, in his capacity as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

While Kishida has not visited the notorious shrine in person, one of his cabinet members, economic security minister Sanae Takaichi paid homage at the shrine.

Koichi Hagiuda, chairperson of the LDP's Policy Research Council, also visited the shrine on Tuesday.

The Yasukuni Shrine, located in central Tokyo, honors 14 convicted Class-A Japanese war criminals from World War II. It has long been a source of diplomatic friction for Japan and its neighbors.

Visits and ritual offerings made by Japanese officials to the controversial shrine have consistently sparked criticism and hurt the feelings of the people of China, South Korea and other countries brutalized by Japan during the war. 
BEIJING, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- An article on Chinese modernization by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, will be published on Wednesday.

The article by Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, will be published in this year's 16th issue of the Qiushi Journal, a flagship magazine of the CPC Central Committee.

Chinese modernization contains elements that are common to the modernization processes of all countries, but it is more characterized by features that are unique to the Chinese context, the article says.

It adds that the 20th CPC National Congress clarified the five unique features of Chinese modernization and its scientific connotation.

The article points out that in order to turn Chinese modernization into successful practices, strenuous efforts are required.

Chinese modernization is the modernization of a huge population, the largest in terms of scale and the most difficult. Population size should be considered first as issues are addressed, decisions made, and actions taken, the article says.

Chinese modernization is the modernization of common prosperity for all, which differs from Western modernization. Efforts should be made to ensure that the achievements of modernization benefit all more fairly and prevent polarization, it adds.

Chinese modernization is the modernization of material and cultural-ethical advancement. Both material abundance and spiritual enrichment are the noble pursuits of Chinese modernization, according to the article.

Chinese modernization is the modernization of harmony between humanity and nature. Promoting harmonious coexistence between humans and nature is a distinctive feature of Chinese modernization, it says.

Chinese modernization is the modernization of peaceful development. China will strive to safeguard world peace and development as it pursues its own development, and will make greater contributions to world peace and development through its own development. This contributes to the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, which is a prominent feature of Chinese modernization, the article says.

The article underscores that practice has proven that Chinese modernization is the only correct path for building a strong China and achieving national rejuvenation. 
HANGZHOU, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- It is midsummer and the picturesque Yucun Village in east China's Zhejiang Province, featuring mountains covered in lush green bamboo, has drawn visitors from various parts of the country.

Booming tourism in the village of Anji County has delivered tangible benefits to the locals. "Last year, we received nearly 50,000 visitors. In the first half of this year, the number of visitors has increased by about 30 percent compared to the same period last year," said Pan Chunlin, a homestay owner.

During an inspection tour to Yucun on August 15, 2005, Xi Jinping, then secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, for the first time put forward the concept of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," which is the pillar of President Xi's thought on ecological civilization.

In June, China's top legislature designated Aug. 15 as National Ecology Day, aiming to enhance public awareness and actions to protect the ecological environment.

Revisiting the small village offered an insight into how the concept came into being and how it has become a guiding principle for China's ecological development.

GROWING PAINS

Summer is a very busy time, with buses transporting visitors to Yucun, located at the foot of a mountain in northern Zhejiang, for sightseeing tours on a daily basis.

These bustling scenes reminded 62-year-old villager Ge Yuande of life decades ago, when the village roads were full of tractors loaded with ores.

During the 1990s, Anji went through a period of breakneck economic development, which was pursued at all costs.

In Yucun village, Anji's largest limestone mining area, villagers enriched themselves by processing limestone into bricks and cement, and the annual income of the village once exceeded 3 million yuan (about 414,400 U.S. dollars).

However, the mining industry took a heavy toll on the environment. The mountains turned bare, the water was polluted, and thousand-year-old ginkgo trees ceased to bear fruit.

"During that time, sewage flowed through the village, which was enveloped in smoke and dust throughout the year," said Ge, who worked as a miner. "Villagers always kept their windows shut and had no place to dry their laundry."

The challenges faced by Yucun also troubled Zhejiang at large. From the late 1970s to the early 2000s, Zhejiang's economy maintained an average annual growth rate of up to 13 percent, but this growth inflicted a heavy cost on the environment. There was a shortage of clean water, soil was severely polluted, and red tides frequently occurred near the coast.

With the painful lessons of environmental disasters in some Western countries in mind, policymakers in Zhejiang began to grapple with the conflict between protecting the ecological environment and accelerating economic growth.

PURSUING GREEN DEVELOPMENT

In June 2003, Zhejiang initiated a province-wide rural green revival program to improve both the eco-environment of villages and rural residents' quality of life.

In a last-ditch attempt to save the deteriorating environment, officials in Yucun shut down the mining industry and cement factories. However, the move prompted an immediate decline in the village economy and locals' incomes.

Tang Zhongxiang, then head of the Anji county government, said the county, at the crossroads of development, was uncertain about its future growth path.

"On one hand, locals did realize that they could no longer sacrifice the environment and their own health in exchange for so-called wealth, but on the other hand, they were skeptical about whether lucid waters and lush mountains could bring them fortune," Tang said.

In August 2005, Xi visited Yucun. "It is a brilliant move for you to shut down the mines," he said during the visit.

"We used to say that we wanted both lucid waters and lush mountains, as well as mountains of gold and silver. In fact, lucid waters and lush mountains are mountains of gold and silver," he added.

After the visit, Xi expounded the concept in a newspaper article. "We need to choose the right direction and create conditions to continuously turn lucid waters and lush mountains into mountains of gold and silver," he wrote.

Qian Kunfang, then Party chief of Anji, said Xi's emphasis on environmental protection had offered great encouragement for local officials to continue to pursue green development.

PUTTING CONCEPT INTO PRACTICE

"When people in Yucun were still nostalgic about its booming mining days and uncertain about its future, Xi's concept served as guidance for the development of the village," said Yu Xiaoping, deputy Party chief of Yucun.

However, it took some villagers in Yucun some time before they fully grasped the essence of Xi's concept of environmental protection.

In 2005, Pan, who used to be a tractor driver in the mining industry, started the homestay business, the first of its kind in Yucun. Meanwhile, some villagers, who doubted that tourism would work, launched small workshops to make bamboo products.

Initially, the bamboo business prospered, with one workshop generating an annual revenue of about 200,000 to 300,000 yuan, while the homestay business was overshadowed.

However, as the local environment improved, visitors began to pour into the picturesque village, helping tourism to soar. "Tourism began to get better in 2006. I made 300,000 yuan that year," said Pan.

Facing crackdowns on pollution and heavy fines for safety incidents, many owners of bamboo workshops found it increasingly hard to continue their business. They began switching to tourism, running homestays and organizing fruit-picking and canoe tours.

"Rome wasn't built in a day, and so it was for Yucun," said Yu, explaining that after villagers saw for themselves the contrast between the two development models, they fully understood Xi's concept and made the right choice.

Today, Yucun has become a popular and well-known scenic spot. The site of the demolished cement factory has been transformed into a plantation and a large piece of land has turned into rapeseed fields and lotus ponds. New forms of business, such as camping bases and cultural and creative industrial parks, have also been introduced into the village.

"In recent years, more and more young people returned to the village to work or start their own businesses. My son returned to the village after graduation and now runs a homestay," Ge said. "The environment here is beautiful and my family is living a happy life. This is the life I want."

In 2021, Yucun was named one of the "Best Tourism Villages" by the United Nations World Tourism Organization. In 2022, the collective income of Yucun reached 13 million yuan. It is expected to reach 15 million yuan this year.

Over the past 18 years, the changes in Yucun have vividly demonstrated the great value of Xi's ecological concept. The idea that originated from this small village has spread across China, and generated a broad and strong international resonance.

The United Nations Environment Programme decided to promote China's philosophy of ecological progress in February 2013 and in 2016 released a report on China's strategies and practices in this field. 
A senior citizen sells handicraft products at Guanyinge teahouse in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Aug. 7, 2023. Guanyinge, located on a riverside at an ancient street in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, is a teahouse with a history of more than one hundred years.

The name of the teahouse, Guanyinge, originates from a folk tale, in which it is said that thanks to the blessing of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Guanyin), the teahouse survived a fire a hundred years ago.

Many local senior citizens enjoy spending their time at Guanyinge teahouse. The old teahouse has been listed on the protection list of historic buildings of Chengdu City. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Senior citizens enjoy their leisure time at Guanyinge teahouse in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Aug. 7, 2023. Guanyinge, located on a riverside at an ancient street in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, is a teahouse with a history of more than one hundred years.

The name of the teahouse, Guanyinge, originates from a folk tale, in which it is said that thanks to the blessing of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Guanyin), the teahouse survived a fire a hundred years ago.

Many local senior citizens enjoy spending their time at Guanyinge teahouse. The old teahouse has been listed on the protection list of historic buildings of Chengdu City. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

A senior citizen sells handicraft products at Guanyinge teahouse in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Aug. 7, 2023. Guanyinge, located on a riverside at an ancient street in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, is a teahouse with a history of more than one hundred years.

The name of the teahouse, Guanyinge, originates from a folk tale, in which it is said that thanks to the blessing of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Guanyin), the teahouse survived a fire a hundred years ago.

Many local senior citizens enjoy spending their time at Guanyinge teahouse. The old teahouse has been listed on the protection list of historic buildings of Chengdu City. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

A senior citizen enjoys his leisure time at Guanyinge teahouse in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Aug. 7, 2023. Guanyinge, located on a riverside at an ancient street in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, is a teahouse with a history of more than one hundred years.

The name of the teahouse, Guanyinge, originates from a folk tale, in which it is said that thanks to the blessing of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Guanyin), the teahouse survived a fire a hundred years ago.

Many local senior citizens enjoy spending their time at Guanyinge teahouse. The old teahouse has been listed on the protection list of historic buildings of Chengdu City. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

A senior citizen enjoys his leisure time at Guanyinge teahouse in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Aug. 7, 2023. Guanyinge, located on a riverside at an ancient street in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, is a teahouse with a history of more than one hundred years.

The name of the teahouse, Guanyinge, originates from a folk tale, in which it is said that thanks to the blessing of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Guanyin), the teahouse survived a fire a hundred years ago.

Many local senior citizens enjoy spending their time at Guanyinge teahouse. The old teahouse has been listed on the protection list of historic buildings of Chengdu City. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

A tourist takes a photo of Li Qiang, the current owner of the teahouse, at Guanyinge teahouse in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Aug. 7, 2023. Guanyinge, located on a riverside at an ancient street in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, is a teahouse with a history of more than one hundred years.

The name of the teahouse, Guanyinge, originates from a folk tale, in which it is said that thanks to the blessing of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Guanyin), the teahouse survived a fire a hundred years ago.

Many local senior citizens enjoy spending their time at Guanyinge teahouse. The old teahouse has been listed on the protection list of historic buildings of Chengdu City. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

A local Chinese folk artist performs at Guanyinge teahouse in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Aug. 7, 2023. Guanyinge, located on a riverside at an ancient street in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, is a teahouse with a history of more than one hundred years.

The name of the teahouse, Guanyinge, originates from a folk tale, in which it is said that thanks to the blessing of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Guanyin), the teahouse survived a fire a hundred years ago.

Many local senior citizens enjoy spending their time at Guanyinge teahouse. The old teahouse has been listed on the protection list of historic buildings of Chengdu City. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Li Qiang, the current owner of the Guanyinge teahouse, pours water into a pot at Guanyinge teahouse in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Aug. 7, 2023. Guanyinge, located on a riverside at an ancient street in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, is a teahouse with a history of more than one hundred years.

The name of the teahouse, Guanyinge, originates from a folk tale, in which it is said that thanks to the blessing of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Guanyin), the teahouse survived a fire a hundred years ago.

Many local senior citizens enjoy spending their time at Guanyinge teahouse. The old teahouse has been listed on the protection list of historic buildings of Chengdu City. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Li Qiang, the current owner of the Guanyinge teahouse, is pictured in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Aug. 7, 2023. Guanyinge, located on a riverside at an ancient street in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, is a teahouse with a history of more than one hundred years.

The name of the teahouse, Guanyinge, originates from a folk tale, in which it is said that thanks to the blessing of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Guanyin), the teahouse survived a fire a hundred years ago.

Many local senior citizens enjoy spending their time at Guanyinge teahouse. The old teahouse has been listed on the protection list of historic buildings of Chengdu City. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

A waiter boils water at Guanyinge teahouse in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Aug. 7, 2023. Guanyinge, located on a riverside at an ancient street in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, is a teahouse with a history of more than one hundred years.

The name of the teahouse, Guanyinge, originates from a folk tale, in which it is said that thanks to the blessing of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Guanyin), the teahouse survived a fire a hundred years ago.

Many local senior citizens enjoy spending their time at Guanyinge teahouse. The old teahouse has been listed on the protection list of historic buildings of Chengdu City. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

A senior citizen enjoys his leisure time at Guanyinge teahouse in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Aug. 7, 2023. Guanyinge, located on a riverside at an ancient street in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, is a teahouse with a history of more than one hundred years.

The name of the teahouse, Guanyinge, originates from a folk tale, in which it is said that thanks to the blessing of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Guanyin), the teahouse survived a fire a hundred years ago.

Many local senior citizens enjoy spending their time at Guanyinge teahouse. The old teahouse has been listed on the protection list of historic buildings of Chengdu City. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

A painter draws a portrait of a senior citizen at Guanyinge teahouse in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Aug. 7, 2023. Guanyinge, located on a riverside at an ancient street in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, is a teahouse with a history of more than one hundred years.

The name of the teahouse, Guanyinge, originates from a folk tale, in which it is said that thanks to the blessing of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Guanyin), the teahouse survived a fire a hundred years ago.

Many local senior citizens enjoy spending their time at Guanyinge teahouse. The old teahouse has been listed on the protection list of historic buildings of Chengdu City. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

A senior citizen enjoys his leisure time at Guanyinge teahouse in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Aug. 7, 2023. Guanyinge, located on a riverside at an ancient street in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, is a teahouse with a history of more than one hundred years.

The name of the teahouse, Guanyinge, originates from a folk tale, in which it is said that thanks to the blessing of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Guanyin), the teahouse survived a fire a hundred years ago.

Many local senior citizens enjoy spending their time at Guanyinge teahouse. The old teahouse has been listed on the protection list of historic buildings of Chengdu City. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

This photo taken on Aug. 7, 2023 shows an exterior view of the Guanyinge teahouse in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province. Guanyinge, located on a riverside at an ancient street in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, is a teahouse with a history of more than one hundred years.

The name of the teahouse, Guanyinge, originates from a folk tale, in which it is said that thanks to the blessing of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Guanyin), the teahouse survived a fire a hundred years ago.

Many local senior citizens enjoy spending their time at Guanyinge teahouse. The old teahouse has been listed on the protection list of historic buildings of Chengdu City. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Li Qiang, the current owner of the Guanyinge teahouse, tosses the water into the air to make a shape at Guanyinge teahouse in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Aug. 7, 2023. Guanyinge, located on a riverside at an ancient street in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, is a teahouse with a history of more than one hundred years.

The name of the teahouse, Guanyinge, originates from a folk tale, in which it is said that thanks to the blessing of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Guanyin), the teahouse survived a fire a hundred years ago.

Many local senior citizens enjoy spending their time at Guanyinge teahouse. The old teahouse has been listed on the protection list of historic buildings of Chengdu City. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

A waiter works at Guanyinge teahouse in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Aug. 7, 2023. Guanyinge, located on a riverside at an ancient street in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, is a teahouse with a history of more than one hundred years.

The name of the teahouse, Guanyinge, originates from a folk tale, in which it is said that thanks to the blessing of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Guanyin), the teahouse survived a fire a hundred years ago.

Many local senior citizens enjoy spending their time at Guanyinge teahouse. The old teahouse has been listed on the protection list of historic buildings of Chengdu City. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Senior citizens enjoy their leisure time at Guanyinge teahouse in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Aug. 7, 2023. Guanyinge, located on a riverside at an ancient street in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, is a teahouse with a history of more than one hundred years.

The name of the teahouse, Guanyinge, originates from a folk tale, in which it is said that thanks to the blessing of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Guanyin), the teahouse survived a fire a hundred years ago.

Many local senior citizens enjoy spending their time at Guanyinge teahouse. The old teahouse has been listed on the protection list of historic buildings of Chengdu City. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

A senior citizen enjoys his leisure time at Guanyinge teahouse in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Aug. 7, 2023. Guanyinge, located on a riverside at an ancient street in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, is a teahouse with a history of more than one hundred years.

The name of the teahouse, Guanyinge, originates from a folk tale, in which it is said that thanks to the blessing of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Guanyin), the teahouse survived a fire a hundred years ago.

Many local senior citizens enjoy spending their time at Guanyinge teahouse. The old teahouse has been listed on the protection list of historic buildings of Chengdu City. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

A senior citizen enjoys his leisure time at Guanyinge teahouse in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Aug. 7, 2023. Guanyinge, located on a riverside at an ancient street in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, is a teahouse with a history of more than one hundred years.

The name of the teahouse, Guanyinge, originates from a folk tale, in which it is said that thanks to the blessing of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Guanyin), the teahouse survived a fire a hundred years ago.

Many local senior citizens enjoy spending their time at Guanyinge teahouse. The old teahouse has been listed on the protection list of historic buildings of Chengdu City. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

A senior citizen enjoys his leisure time at Guanyinge teahouse in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Aug. 7, 2023. Guanyinge, located on a riverside at an ancient street in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, is a teahouse with a history of more than one hundred years.

The name of the teahouse, Guanyinge, originates from a folk tale, in which it is said that thanks to the blessing of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Guanyin), the teahouse survived a fire a hundred years ago.

Many local senior citizens enjoy spending their time at Guanyinge teahouse. The old teahouse has been listed on the protection list of historic buildings of Chengdu City. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Li Qiang (L), the current owner of the Guanyinge teahouse, and a waiter boil water for customers at Guanyinge teahouse in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Aug. 7, 2023. Guanyinge, located on a riverside at an ancient street in Shuangliu District of Chengdu, is a teahouse with a history of more than one hundred years.

The name of the teahouse, Guanyinge, originates from a folk tale, in which it is said that thanks to the blessing of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Guanyin), the teahouse survived a fire a hundred years ago.

Many local senior citizens enjoy spending their time at Guanyinge teahouse. The old teahouse has been listed on the protection list of historic buildings of Chengdu City. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)
by Naim-Ul-Karim, Sun Nan

DHAKA, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- China's successful strives to build ecological civilization in the great nation of over 1 billion people have come as a big boon to global green agenda amid climatic shocks worldwide, a Bangladeshi ecologist said here on Monday.

Noting that China this year designated Aug. 15 as its National Ecology Day, Md Qumruzzaman Chowdhury, professor of the Department of Forestry and Environmental Science in Bangladesh's leading Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, told Xinhua that "In the cascade of global warming, China has made a historic decision and ratifies National Ecology Day to enhance public awareness and actions to protect the ecological environment."

It also highlights the importance of ecological progress in sustaining Chinese development process, he continued, "Ecological conservation and management are no longer only a pressing societal issue, this ratification made it everyone's obligation including the nation."

The professor also hailed the various Chinese initiatives to better protect the health of vital ecosystems like forests, rivers and wetlands in recent years.

"Historically, Chinese development process has integrated economic and social development and eco-environmental conservation and protection. This links up the relationships between development and environmental protection, and between the present and the future."

What is very important in China, he said, is that protection of vital ecosystems has been embedded in the country's development policies and programs.

The ecologist noted that China's experiences of successfully mobilizing industry, civil society and the public to contribute to the conservation of flora and fauna are valuable to other countries like Bangladesh.

He said China has played an important role as a development partner to assist the country where it implemented many mega development projects under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Terming Bangladesh an emerging country in economic and social development, Chowdhury said due to predicted extreme climatic events, the ecosystems of Bangladesh will be more vulnerable. Therefore, integrating ecological systems into development projects is an option for co-benefiting biodiversity, climate change mitigation and society.

Against this backdrop, he said China can share its ecological knowledge for sustainable development of society with Bangladesh.

"Successful implementation of ecological renewal model in China offers now great lessons to the countries and regions striving to restore degraded habitats and strengthen resilience of communities vulnerable to climate-induced calamities," the ecologist said.

According to Chowdhury, Chinese universities and research institutes also placed emphasis on various fields of ecology, which is helping them to have a sound knowledge base for ecological protection in sustainable development.

Moreover, he said Chinese universities and research institutes can extend their expertise for ecological research and education capacity development in Bangladeshi universities and institutes. 
COLOMBO, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Three people were killed and seven others were injured when two vehicles collided in the Mankulam area in northern Sri Lanka on Tuesday, said the police.

The police said a van heading from the capital Colombo to the northern city of Jaffna had collided with a truck parked on the side of the road. According to the police, the injured were rushed to the hospital.

Some 19,740 road crashes were reported in the South Asian country in 2022, killing 2,485 people, according to the police. 
Aspen Technology, a global leader in industrial software, introduced an industry domain training program for companies in asset-intensive industries who are onboarding recently-graduated engineers.

The comprehensive program is designed to enable new process engineers, control engineers, reliability engineers, supply chain planners, cost estimators and others to build industry-specific competencies within each of these roles.

AspenTech created the program specifically to help industrial companies navigate considerable gaps in industry domain knowledge as specialised senior engineers retire and a new generation enters the workforce.

For example, in a recent survey entitled Gaps in the Energy Workforce, conducted by the Center for Energy Workforce Development, there is a considerable increase in younger populations (younger than 32) within the energy workforce, including 43 per cent of technicians and 25 per cent of engineers.

To keep up with a dramatically shifting workforce and the related market demands, it is crucial that companies build and retain organisational competency, said David Reumuth, Senior Director, Customer Support and Training, AspenTech.

Last fall, AspenTech introduced a sustainability-specific training program. This is now complemented with a broader curriculum that prepares new engineers to more quickly develop industry-specific competencies required to succeed in the process industries. This program helps companies achieve operational excellence and positions their new-generation workforce to address their operational business challenges.

The curriculum was designed in partnership with leading domain experts, such as Becht, a 60-year-old engineering services company serving energy, chemicals, power and alternative energy industries, to offer integrated process, refining, and chemicals domain practice for a holistic, real-world learning experience. More than 1000 users from 150+ companies across the globe have already completed the training.

This initial curriculum is available in both virtual and live classroom settings and all courses are led by industry domain experts who have decades of hands-on experience.

Participants gain process-specific knowledge required for their roles and have the opportunity to consult with industry experts about their unique process challenges. When surveyed by AspenTech, 99 per cent of new workforce attendees say this type of training should be required when entering the process industries and 96 per cent say they are better prepared to do their jobs because of the training. -TradeArabia News Service
RAMALLAH, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Two Palestinians, including a teenager, were killed Tuesday during clashes with Israeli soldiers in Aqabat Jabar refugee camp, close to the West Bank city of Jericho.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health said that Qusai Al-Walaji, 16, and Mohammad Najoum, 25, died after Israeli soldiers shot them during clashes in the refugee camp.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said in a statement that two other Palestinians were injured during the clashes and were sent to a local hospital.

Eyewitnesses said Mohammad Abu El-Assal, a Palestinian wanted by Israeli security forces for his involvement in shooting attacks against Israel, was arrested after midnight.

Clashes broke out between dozens of Palestinians and Israeli soldiers, who opened fire to disperse the stone throwers, according to the eyewitnesses.

The Israeli military said in a statement that its forces opened fire in response to a firebomb attack, adding that the Israeli troops entered the area where the clashes took place to apprehend two "wanted suspects."

Israel Radio also reported that two Palestinians were killed when Israeli army forces entered the refugee camp to arrest the wanted Palestinians.

Since January, 27 people, most of them Israelis, have been killed in a series of attacks by Palestinians, and more than 200 Palestinians, including children and women, were killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers, according to official figures. 
COLOMBO, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan Cabinet has approved a proposal to provide solar power to 25,000 low-income households, an official said on Tuesday.

Minister of Urban Development and Housing and Chief Government Whip Prasanna Ranatunga said that the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) has selected 11,000 partially completed houses, among 15 housing projects implemented by the NHDA, to provide free solar power.

It was a joint project of the Urban Development and Housing Ministry and the Power and Energy Ministry, which would select the other 14,000 households later, Ranatunga said.

The minister added that Sri Lanka plans to produce 648 gigawatts of electricity per year through renewable energy sources.

Promoting renewable energy to secure a sustainable energy mix has been declared an important policy goal by the past few governments of the country. 
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Days after the deadliest wildfire in U.S. modern history razed Lahaina, a historic town in Hawaii's Maui Island, more local residents complained about slow progress in the government's relief work.

Cassidy and Alexa Kailieha, residents from another tourist island Oahu, said their family in Lahaina had suffered great losses and lived without food since the wildfires crept on the island earlier this month. They accused government agencies of blocking roads leading to the town, preventing aid and donations from getting to the devastated area.

"They're just standing there blocking the road. They haven't passed out one simple water bottle, a plate of lunch, nothing," Alexa told NBC. "They're just standing there and letting our families starve and not letting us help them."

The Kailiehas said they knew of at least six families whose homes burned down in the horrifying blaze, and those survivors cannot leave there because of a shortage of gasoline. If they leave, the pair went on, they won't be able to go back given the road closures enforced by the government.

Maui residents also disclosed that private volunteers served as far more of a lifeline than federal and local agencies, according to The New York Times.

Hundreds of evacuees from the wildfires "have been searching desperately for gasoline, phone reception and hot food, especially after power outages rendered refrigerators and microwaves useless," the report said. "In many cases, they have leaned on church groups, community organizations and volunteers to track down missing relatives, get rides to shelters or access supplies brought in on private boats and airplanes."

Hawaii Governor Josh Green and Deanne Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, visited the flatted Lahaina on Saturday, vowing to bring in more teams to help with rescue efforts. However, local residents found that the response still failed to meet their overwhelming, urgent needs.

"If something ever happened here, we're 72 hours away from help ever coming," said Chief John Pelletier of the Maui Police Department. "And I think we proved that that's probably pretty accurate."

The police chief said only 3 percent of the area devastated by wildfires has been searched so far, and the death toll could rise into the hundreds as the search continues. 
KABUL, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan caretaker government marked the second anniversary of the administration's takeover of Kabul in Afghanistan on Tuesday.

"On Au. 15, 2021, the Mujahideen (holy warriors) of the Islamic Emirate conquered all provinces, including Kabul, capital of Afghanistan. We would like to congratulate the Mujahid (holy warrior) nation of Afghanistan and ask them to thank Almighty Allah for this great victory," a statement of the administration released here said.

It also noted that the "officials of the Islamic Emirate are committed to serving their people within the framework of Islamic Sharia (Islamic Laws) as long as they are alive and will work for the development and stability of the country."

The administration has earlier announced Aug. 15 as a public holiday in Afghanistan. 
HARBIN/SEOUL, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- At the Harbin Railway Station, a sign reading "Where Ahn Jung-geun shot Hirobumi Ito" draws attention from visitors.

Born in 1879, Ahn is a famous fighter for the independence of the Korean Peninsula, a patriot against Japanese imperialism, and an advocate of peace in East Asia.

He shot dead Hirobumi Ito, the first resident-general of Japan-ruled Korea, also a crime culprit of Japan's aggression on the peninsula, at Harbin Railway Station on Oct. 26, 1909.

The Ahn Jung-geun Memorial Museum in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, consists of exhibition rooms designed to simulate railway platforms. They tell the life story of the hero, who devoted himself to the education of the Korean people and later joined armed resistance against Japan in northeast China and Russia.

The museum opened to the public on Jan. 19, 2014, and offers free admission, attracting some 100,000 visitors every year.

"I've always wanted to come to the Harbin Railway Station and Ahn's memorial museum. Thanks to his great role in the modern history of the Korean Peninsula, South Korea gained independence," Kim Hee-soo, a visitor from South Korea, wrote in the guest book.

Quite a few South Korean visitors expressed their gratitude to China for building such a memorial site, which gives them an insight into the patriot, Li Chunshi, deputy curator of the museum, told Xinhua.

Another memorial museum for Ahn Jung-geun can be found in the South Korean capital Seoul. It opened in 1970 and was renovated in 2010.

South Koreans see him as a leader of their movement against Japanese aggression, so statues and monuments of Ahn are built across the country, Yoo Young-nyol, president of the memorial museum, told Xinhua.

The museum features 12 interconnected glass-wall buildings, symbolizing an alliance established by 12 patriots, including Ahn. In 1909, the 12 of them cut off their left ring fingers and wrote "Korea's Independence" in their own blood, vowing to gain national independence.

"In the fight against Japanese aggression, we have always believed that South Korea and China have formed deep and inseparable ties. Ahn's righteous deeds in Harbin provided an important opportunity for the two countries to unite against Japan, which was of great symbolic significance," Yoo said.

He said South Koreans are grateful for the memorial museum built in China. "We all regard it as a symbol of bilateral friendship."

On the occasion of the 78th anniversary of National Liberation Day of Korea, the memorial museum also held lectures, among other events.

"History should not be forgotten," Yoo said. "We need to know the history and keep it in mind."

"In the long run, South Korea, China, and Japan should join hands for peaceful coexistence and common prosperity of East Asia, which is exactly the long-cherished wish of Ahn," he stressed. 
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech via video at the opening ceremony of the 11th Moscow Conference on International Security in Kubinka, Russia, Aug. 15, 2023. (Xinhua/Cao Yang)

MOSCOW, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- The world is witnessing the steady rise of a new multipolar world order, said Russian President Vladimir Putin Tuesday during the 11th Moscow Conference on International Security.

Discussing the global shift towards multipolarity, Putin said "most countries are ready to assert their sovereignty and defend their national interests, traditions, culture."

The Russian leader pointed out that a multipolar world order will ultimately contribute to "steady and sustainable global development," and help solve pressing social, economic, technological and environmental challenges.

He further noted that those who currently provoke new conflicts around the world and try to escalate existing ones are "seeking to benefit from human tragedy" by dividing nations, enforcing obedience, and exploiting the resources of other states.

"The United States is intent on reformatting the existing system of interstate relations in the Asia-Pacific region as it deems fit," he said, adding that Washington's Indo-Pacific strategies are only aimed at forming U.S.-led military and political associations.

NATO member states are actively building up their offensive potential, and are using military and non-military means to exert pressure on other states, he noted.

By pumping billions of dollars into Ukraine, supplying Kiev with equipment, and providing ongoing military assistance, Western states are further escalating the conflict and drawing other countries into it, he said. 
WASHINGTON, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Former U.S. President Donald Trump was indicted in Georgia on Monday over his alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state, local media reported.

It's the fourth criminal case to be brought against the former president.

Trump and 18 others were criminally charged in the southeastern U.S. state in connection with efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, reported The Washington Post, one of the leading newspapers in the country, citing an indictment made public late Monday night.

Trump was charged with 13 counts, including violating the state's racketeering act, soliciting a public officer to violate their oath, conspiring to impersonate a public officer, conspiring to commit forgery in the first degree, and conspiring to file false documents.

The indictment follows a two-and-a-half-year investigation by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. The probe was launched after audio leaked from a January 2021 phone call during which Trump urged Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to question the validity of thousands of ballots, especially in the heavily Democratic Atlanta area. Trump said he wanted to "find" the votes to erase his 2020 loss in the state, according to the report.

In total, there are 41 charges brought against 19 defendants in the 98-page indictment. Among those charged are Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor who served as Trump's personal attorney after the election, Trump's former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows; and several Trump advisers, including attorneys John Eastman and Kenneth Chesebro, who were architects of a scheme to create slates of alternate Trump electors, said the report. 
COLOMBO, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- The waterholes and ponds in a key wildlife park in Sri Lanka have dried up due to the prevailing dry spell, compelling the authorities to transport water from outside, a wildlife conservator said on Tuesday.

Suranga Senanayake, warden of the Wilpattu National Park, told the media that all the water sources inside the park had dried up. He said steps had been taken to transport water from outside to fill up the waterholes and ponds for wild animals such as elephants, leopards and spotted deer.

"It is a matter of concern," he said.

Spanning around 131,690 hectares across Puttlam and Anuradhapura, the Wilpattu National Park is one of the largest and oldest national parks in the country.

The dry weather has hit Sri Lanka's north-central, northern, eastern and southern provinces, and it is expected to last till the end of September, according to the meteorology department. 
DAR ES SALAAM, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian authorities said late Monday that they intercepted a fuel tanker ferrying 65 Ethiopian illegal immigrants in the southern highlands.

Majid Mwanga, the Mlele district commissioner in the southern highlands region of Katavi, said the empty fuel tanker was intercepted at around 1 p.m. local time by officials from the immigration and the Tanzania Forest Services Agency.

"The officials stopped the fuel tanker after they had noticed that its top covers were open," Mwanga told Xinhua in a telephone interview, adding that after inspecting the tanker they found the 65 illegal immigrants squeezed inside.

Mwanga said the authorities took the illegal immigrants to the hospital for a medical check-up since they traveled in a tanker that might have been contaminated with fuel.

He said after they were found to be in good health, the immigrants were handed over to immigration authorities for legal action, adding that a Tanzanian national who was escorting the immigrants and the driver of the fuel tanker were also detained by police.

Mwanga added the fuel tanker was heading to Zambia from the Mwanza Region. 
BEIRUT, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants on Tuesday condemned a deadly attack on a Shiite shrine in southern Iran that killed two people and injured seven others.

In a statement published on its website, the ministry offered its condolences to the Iranian government and people, especially to the families of the victims, and wished the injured people a speedy recovery.

While denouncing the attack as an act to destabilize Iran, the ministry stressed "the importance and necessity of coordinating regional and international efforts to combat and eliminate terrorism."

On Sunday evening, several staff and worshipers were caught under the gunfire of an armed assailant who attempted to break into the Shah Cheragh shrine in Iran's southern Fars province. 
This photo taken on Aug. 14, 2023 shows the finals of the 2023 National Youth Space Innovation Competition in Wenchang City of south China's Hainan Province. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)

HAIKOU, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- The finals of the 2023 National Youth Space Innovation Competition were launched on Monday in Wenchang City of south China's Hainan Province, providing teenagers with an opportunity to share their wisdom on aerospace innovation.

Speaking at the finals, Fang Xiangming, deputy Party chief of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), said that young people are not only the hope of the country's future, but also an important force to promote innovation.

Fang expressed the hope that the innovative thinking and creative practice of the participating students will bring new ideas, new methods and new technologies to the aerospace industry.

As a city that is striving to build itself into a high-tech innovation highland and an aerospace industry center, Wenchang will use the event as an opportunity to strengthen the selection and training of innovative talents, said Liu Chong, mayor of the city.

Hosted from Aug. 14 to 16, the finals have attracted nearly 3,000 young contestants from across the country. 

Contestants participate in the finals of the 2023 National Youth Space Innovation Competition in Wenchang City of south China's Hainan Province, Aug. 14, 2023. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)
BEIJING, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- The National Development and Reform Commission, the country's economic planner, on Tuesday announced that it has allocated another 500 million yuan (about 69.7 million U.S. dollars) to support the reconstruction of infrastructure and the resumption of basic public services in areas hit hard by floods and other rain-triggered disasters.

The central government funding will be allocated to the Hebei, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Fujian provinces, as well as the Beijing and Chongqing municipalities, according to the NDRC.

Since the flood season this year, continuous heavy rainfall has triggered floods and secondary geological disasters, leading to casualties and property losses in many parts of the country.

The new funding, on top of the 200 million yuan allocated previously, has brought the NDRC's special-purpose funding for emergency reconstruction to a total of 700 million yuan. 
DOHA, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- As more and more American schools attempt to whitewash the history of slavery, the Black community may face further discrimination in the future, said an opinion piece on the Al Jazeera TV website on Sunday.

In the article, Donald Earl Collins, visiting professor of African American history with Loyola University Maryland, highlighted the changes in Florida State Board of Education's guidelines for teaching African American history in public schools, which downplay and whitewash the enslavement of Africans in the Americas.

However, "slavery in the United States was a 246-year-long apocalypse of kidnapping 300,000 African people, transporting them across the Atlantic, beating, torturing and raping them, and working them to their early deaths," said the American historian.

Glossing over the brutal history of U.S. slavery will only exacerbate short-term anti-Black sentiments, he said, adding that this approach may instill enduring internalized racism within African American communities in the long run.

"The racism as exhibited in 'anti-woke' curricula and in book bans in Florida and across the U.S. will reinforce anti-Blackness for yet another generation of children," said the article. 
DAMASCUS, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- An explosion rocked an arms depot in a Syrian military base northeast of the capital Damascus on Tuesday, a war monitor reported.

The explosion took place inside a weapons depot of the Syrian army's 81-Brigade in the town of Al-Ruhaybah right after midnight, sparking a fire that raged for about two hours, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

It said the Israeli intelligence agencies were responsible for the explosion, adding it was carried out from inside the depot.

The explosion followed a similar one early on Sunday, which hit a depot of the Lebanese Hezbollah group in a mountainous area near the Syrian-Lebanese border, about 20 km southwest of Damascus. The observatory said the Sunday explosion was the result of "an Israeli intelligence operation." 
TOKYO, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sent a ritual offering to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine on Tuesday, as the country marked the 78th anniversary of Japan's unconditional surrender in World War II.

Kishida, in his capacity as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), sent donations to the shrine, a symbol of Japan's past brutal militarism. The offering was delivered by an LDP lawmaker on his behalf.

While Kishida did not visit the notorious shrine in person, one of his cabinet members, economic security minister Sanae Takaichi, paid homage to the shrine.

Visits to the shrine were also paid by the chairperson of the LDP's Policy Research Council Koichi Hagiuda, former environment minister Shinjiro Koizumi, and former defense minister Tomomi Inada, as well as a cross-party group of about 70 lawmakers.

The Yasukuni Shrine, located in central Tokyo, honors 14 convicted Class-A Japanese war criminals from WWII. It has long been a source of diplomatic friction for Japan and its neighbors.

Visits and ritual offerings made by Japanese officials to the controversial shrine have consistently sparked criticism both at home and abroad, and hurt the feelings of the people of China, South Korea and other countries brutalized by Japan during the war.

In his speech delivered at Monday's memorial ceremony for Japan's surrender in World War II, Kishida stated Japan's opposition to war without mentioning Japan's wartime aggressions and atrocities.

Meanwhile, Emperor Naruhito at the ceremony expressed his remorse. "Reflecting on our past and bearing in mind the feelings of deep remorse, I earnestly hope that the ravages of war will never again be repeated," the emperor said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a press conference on Tuesday that the Japanese politicians' negative moves once again reflect Japan's wrong attitude toward historical issues, noting the Yasukuni Shrine is a spiritual tool and symbol of the Japanese militarists' war of aggression.

"China has lodged solemn representations with Japan and made clear its solemn position," Wang said.

Facing up to and deeply reflecting on history is an essential prerequisite for Japan to restore and develop normal relations with its Asian neighbors after WWII, said the spokesman.

China urges Japan to draw lessons from history, adhere to the road of peaceful development, and make a clean break with militarism through concrete actions to avoid further losing the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community, he added. 
BEIJING, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- China has made serious representations and made clear its solemn position against Japanese politicians' negative moves related to the Yasukuni Shrine, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a press briefing in response to media reports that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sent a ritual offering to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine on Tuesday, while one of Kishida's cabinet members, economic security minister Sanae Takaichi, paid a visit to the shrine.

Today marks the 78th anniversary of Japan's acceptance of the Potsdam Proclamation and its unconditional surrender, Wang said, pointing out that the Chinese people, together with the people of the world, defeated the Japanese militarist aggressors and fascism.

It was a great victory of justice over evil, of light over darkness, and of progress over reaction, which will forever be enshrined in the history of the Chinese nation and the history of the human pursuit of justice, Wang said.

Noting that the Yasukuni Shrine is a spiritual tool and symbol of the Japanese militarists' war of aggression, and honors Class-A war criminals of World War II, Wang pointed out that the Japanese politicians' negative moves once again reflect Japan's wrong attitude toward historical issues.

"China has lodged solemn representations with Japan and made clear its solemn position," Wang said.

Facing up to and deeply reflecting on history is an essential prerequisite for Japan to restore and develop normal relations with its Asian neighbors after World War II, Wang said, adding that China urges Japan to draw lessons from history, adhere to the road of peaceful development, and make a clean break with militarism through concrete actions to avoid further losing the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community. 
JAKARTA, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- A rescue team has found six out of a total of seven people on a boat that went missing in Indonesia's western coastline on Sunday evening, a local official said on Tuesday.

The boat, which was carrying four Australian tourists and three Indonesian crews, went missing and lost contact on its trip to a resort in the Banyak Islands off Aceh province from the island of Nias in North Sumatra province amid severe weather.

"The six people who have been found are safe," said Octavianto, chief of the search and rescue agency of Nias.

According to Octavianto, they were found near islands in Aceh and have been evacuated to Pinang island for treatment.

The rescue team was still searching for the missing boat crew, he added. 
JERUSALEM, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian militants attempted to fire a rocket towards an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, the latest in a string of failed launch attempts recently, according to Israeli and Palestinian sources.

An Israeli military spokesperson said in a statement that "a failed rocket launch attempt was carried out" in the area of Jenin in the northern West Bank. Soldiers located the improvised rocket and remnants of the launcher.

"Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel are at the scene to examine the presence of explosives," the spokesperson noted, adding that the remnants would be transferred to security forces for further analysis. Israeli troops were also searching for suspects involved in the failed launch attempt, according to the statement.

Al-Ayyash Battalion, a militant group affiliated with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), released a statement claiming that the rocket had targeted the settlement of Shaked to the west of Jenin city.

While Gaza Strip's Hamas rulers and other militant groups in the coastal enclave have launched numerous rocket attacks on Israel, but attempts to launch rockets from the West Bank have been rare up to this point.

Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli troops shot and killed two Palestinians, including a 16-year-old boy, during a raid on the Aqabat Jabar refugee camp in the southern occupied West Bank.

Violence between Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank, a territory captured by Israel during the 1967 Middle East war, has been on the rise in the past 16 months, fueled by frequent deadly Israeli raids. 
ULAN BATOR, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Three suspected cases tested negative for bubonic plague in Mongolia's capital, the country's National Center for Zoonotic Diseases said Tuesday.

The samples were taken from three people who have recently eaten marmot meat in the eastern provinces of Khentii and Sukhbaatar, said the agency.

Although hunting marmots is illegal in Mongolia, many people regard the rodent as a delicacy and ignore the law.

On Aug. 8, one case of bubonic plague was confirmed in Ulan Bator, home to over half of the country's 3.4 million population.

Seventeen out of all the 21 Mongolian provinces are now at risk of the bubonic plague, the agency said, warning the public against eating the meat.

The bubonic plague is a bacterial disease that can be spread by fleas living on wild rodents such as marmots and can kill an adult in less than 24 hours if not treated in time, according to the World Health Organization. 
GENEVA, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- With economic hardships having severely affected living conditions in Afghanistan, continued humanitarian support coupled with investment in long-term solutions are urgently needed for the country, the United Nations (UN) officials and partners said on Tuesday.

In a press release issued on Tuesday, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said that about 28 million Afghans struggle to meet basic needs.

"Economic hardships and continuous shocks have greatly diminished buying power, making many reliant on humanitarian assistance," the press release said.

William Spindler, a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told a press briefing here Tuesday that there were important challenges with aid delivery in Afghanistan.

He said that UN and non-governmental organizations' operations had been affected by restrictions, including bans on female national staff.

He noted that while challenges persisted, UNHCR and its partners remained committed to staying the course in Afghanistan and finding ways to address challenges and continue to serve those in need, especially women and girls.

Margaret Harris, a spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO), told Tuesday's press briefing that WHO was very concerned by the humanitarian health emergency in Afghanistan.

She told reporters that there were 9.5 million people with little or no access to even basic health services, and 20 percent of the country's population were suffering from mental health problems, 4 million from drug addiction and associated disorders, and 875,000 children were suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

Harris said WHO had an extensive presence in Afghanistan and worked closely with the health system in the country. 
MOGADISHU, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) said it has wrapped up a 10-day training of 26 senior commanders from the Somali Police Force (SPF) to enhance their knowledge and skills to tackle crime and help improve the security situation in the country.

The ATMIS said the intensive training on police station management, held in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, focused on theoretical and practical sessions.

ATMIS Deputy Police Commissioner Martin Amoru said in a statement issued in Mogadishu on Monday evening that the police commanders were at the heart of the safety of communities and the ongoing stabilization efforts in Somalia. "The success of an organization, including the police station, depends on its management."

The ATMIS said the officers, among them station commanders and their deputies from various police stations in Mogadishu, were taken through various aspects of policing, including the code of conduct, police accountability and oversight, responsibilities of the officer commanding police station, child protection and effectiveness of community policing in protecting civilians in armed conflict.

It added that the training also covered criminal investigation techniques, arrest, detention, search and seizure, among other key topics.

"I hope you will share the knowledge and skills acquired from this training with other officers in your respective stations in key departments like criminal investigation, station administrators and operations," Somali Deputy Police Commissioner Osman Abdullahi Mohamed told the officers.

Under the ATMIS mandate, the police component is tasked to support the SPF by providing specialized training, advice and mentorship through joint patrols and protection of vital installations in line with the Somalia Transition Plan.

The capacity-building efforts will enable the Somali security forces to take over the full security responsibility of their country when the ATMIS exits Somalia in December 2024. 
LONDON, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- The number of online child grooming crimes recorded by British police hit a record high in 2022, a British children's charity said Tuesday, urging progress on stronger cyber safety laws.

Citing data from all British police forces, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) said that 6,350 offences related to sexual communication with a child were recorded last year, an increase of 82 percent from around five years ago.

The NSPCC said almost 34,000 online grooming crimes against children were recorded by British police since the organization first called for social media regulation in 2017.

The charity urged members of parliament and tech companies to back the Online Safety Bill "following new research on the scale of online grooming."

"The number of offences must serve as a reminder of why the Online Safety Bill is so important and why the ground-breaking protections it will give children are desperately needed," Sir Peter Wanless, chief executive of the NSPCC, said.

The bill aims to protect online users by making social media companies more responsible for content published on their platforms. The bill has faced delays since it started in the House of Commons and is now being considered for the final time in the House of Lords.

The charity also said that figures showed over 5,500 offences were against primary school children and 83 percent of online grooming offences were against girls.

Some 150 apps, games and websites were used to groom children online, with 73 percent of the offences occurring on Snapchat or Meta-owned platforms, according to data gathered by the NSPCC through freedom of information requests.

"It's now up to tech firms, including those highlighted by these stark figures today, to make sure their current sites and future services do not put children at unacceptable risk of abuse," Wanless said.

The NSPCC pointed out that the number of online grooming offences and children affected is likely to be a lot higher than what's currently known to the police. 
WASHINGTON, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Former U.S. President Donald Trump was indicted in Georgia on Monday over his alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state, local media reported.

It's the fourth criminal case to be brought against the former president. Editem
The photo taken with a mobile phone on Aug. 14, 2023 shows a vehicle destroyed in a wildfire in Lahaina town, Maui Island, Hawaii, the United States. The death toll from the Maui wildfires reached 99, authorities said Monday. Lahaina, a historic town on Maui Island, is facing "a dire and immediate housing shortage" and "a serious threat of long-term displacement" following the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century, reported The Washington Post on Monday. (Photo by Yang Pingjun/Xinhua)

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the Maui wildfires in the U.S. state of Hawaii reached 99, authorities said Monday.

Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said at a press conference that "there are 99 so far," and about 25 percent of the affected area has been searched.

"The scale of destruction is incredible," said Hawaii Governor Josh Green.

More than 2,200 structures have been destroyed by the blaze, with roughly 86 percent of them being residential buildings, according to the governor.

In an interview on Monday, the governor warned that 10 to 20 more wildfire victims could be found daily as search crews continued combing through scorched ruins on the Hawaiian island of Maui.

The wildfire is now the deadliest in more than a century in modern U.S. history, surpassing the Camp Fire that erupted on Nov. 8, 2018, in California and killed at least 85 people.

The Lahaina fire, which has burned 2,170 acres (around 8.78 square kilometers), was 85 percent contained as of Monday, Maui County officials said in a Monday update. 

The photo taken with a mobile phone on Aug. 14, 2023 shows a vehicle destroyed in a wildfire in Lahaina town, Maui Island, Hawaii, the United States. The death toll from the Maui wildfires reached 99, authorities said Monday. Lahaina, a historic town on Maui Island, is facing "a dire and immediate housing shortage" and "a serious threat of long-term displacement" following the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century, reported The Washington Post on Monday. (Photo by Yang Pingjun/Xinhua)

The photo taken with a mobile phone on Aug. 14, 2023 shows a vehicle destroyed in a wildfire in Lahaina town, Maui Island, Hawaii, the United States. The death toll from the Maui wildfires reached 99, authorities said Monday. Lahaina, a historic town on Maui Island, is facing "a dire and immediate housing shortage" and "a serious threat of long-term displacement" following the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century, reported The Washington Post on Monday. (Photo by Yang Pingjun/Xinhua)

The photo taken with a mobile phone on Aug. 14, 2023 shows a vehicle destroyed in a wildfire in Lahaina town, Maui Island, Hawaii, the United States. The death toll from the Maui wildfires reached 99, authorities said Monday. Lahaina, a historic town on Maui Island, is facing "a dire and immediate housing shortage" and "a serious threat of long-term displacement" following the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century, reported The Washington Post on Monday. (Photo by Yang Pingjun/Xinhua)

The photo taken with a mobile phone on Aug. 14, 2023 shows the aftermath of wildfires in Lahaina town, Maui Island, Hawaii, the United States. The death toll from the Maui wildfires reached 99, authorities said Monday. Lahaina, a historic town on Maui Island, is facing "a dire and immediate housing shortage" and "a serious threat of long-term displacement" following the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century, reported The Washington Post on Monday. (Photo by Yang Pingjun/Xinhua)

The photo taken with a mobile phone on Aug. 14, 2023 shows a vehicle destroyed in a wildfire in Lahaina town, Maui Island, Hawaii, the United States. The death toll from the Maui wildfires reached 99, authorities said Monday. Lahaina, a historic town on Maui Island, is facing "a dire and immediate housing shortage" and "a serious threat of long-term displacement" following the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century, reported The Washington Post on Monday. (Photo by Yang Pingjun/Xinhua)

The photo taken with a mobile phone on Aug. 14, 2023 shows the aftermath of wildfires in Lahaina town, Maui Island, Hawaii, the United States. The death toll from the Maui wildfires reached 99, authorities said Monday. Lahaina, a historic town on Maui Island, is facing "a dire and immediate housing shortage" and "a serious threat of long-term displacement" following the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century, reported The Washington Post on Monday. (Photo by Yang Pingjun/Xinhua)

The photo taken with a mobile phone on Aug. 14, 2023 shows houses destroyed in a wildfire in Lahaina town, Maui Island, Hawaii, the United States. The death toll from the Maui wildfires reached 99, authorities said Monday. Lahaina, a historic town on Maui Island, is facing "a dire and immediate housing shortage" and "a serious threat of long-term displacement" following the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century, reported The Washington Post on Monday. (Photo by Yang Pingjun/Xinhua)

The photo taken with a mobile phone on Aug. 14, 2023 shows the aftermath of wildfires in Lahaina town, Maui Island, Hawaii, the United States. The death toll from the Maui wildfires reached 99, authorities said Monday. Lahaina, a historic town on Maui Island, is facing "a dire and immediate housing shortage" and "a serious threat of long-term displacement" following the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century, reported The Washington Post on Monday. (Photo by Yang Pingjun/Xinhua)

The photo taken with a mobile phone on Aug. 14, 2023 shows houses destroyed in a wildfire in Lahaina town, Maui Island, Hawaii, the United States. The death toll from the Maui wildfires reached 99, authorities said Monday. Lahaina, a historic town on Maui Island, is facing "a dire and immediate housing shortage" and "a serious threat of long-term displacement" following the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century, reported The Washington Post on Monday. (Photo by Yang Pingjun/Xinhua)
Former Russian official sought asylum in US to avoid military draft  report 15 August, 10:00 PM Denis Sharonov (Photo:sharonov.khp)

Denis Sharonov, the former Agriculture Minister of Russias Komi Republic, has fled Russia after getting a mobilization notice and requested political asylum in the United States, independent Russian media outlet RTVI reported on Aug. 15.

In the interview with RTVI, Sharonov said he now works as a truck driver in the United States.

The journalists contacted him after he posted a video describing his decision to flee Russia. Sharonov was dismissed from his ministerial post in January 2022 and received a mobilization notice in October 2022.

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 Ive been to the United States 28 years ago, as a student; I studied here for a year and realized that locals treat blue-collar workers completely differently here, he explained his willingness to drive trucks for a living after his career in Russia.

Will you support Ukraines free press? Dear reader, as all news organizations, we must balance the pressures of delivering timely, accurate, and relevant stories with requirements to fund our business operations. As a Ukrainian-based media, we also have another responsibility  to amplify Ukraines voice to the world during the crucial moment of its existence as a political nation. Its the support of our readers that lets us continue doing our job. We keep our essential reporting free because we believe in our ultimate purpose: an independent, democratic Ukraine. If youre willing to support Ukraine, consider subscribing to our Patreon starting from 5$ per month. We are immensely grateful.

Please help us continue fighting Russian propaganda. Truth can be hard to tell from fiction these days. Every viewpoint has its audience of backers and supporters, no matter how absurd. If conscious disinformation is reinforced by state propaganda apparatus and budget, its outcomes may become deadly. There is no solution to this, other than independent, honest, and accurate reporting. We remain committed to empowering the Ukrainian voice to push against the muck. If youre willing to stand up for the truth  consider supporting us on Patreon starting from 5$ per month. Thank you very much.

Will you help tell Ukraines story to the world? Twenty years ago, most people hadnt even heard of Ukraine. Today, the country is on everyones lips and everyones headlines. War pushed us on the front page. But there are many other things we do that we are proud of  from music and culture to technology. We need your help to tell the world Ukrainian story of resilience, joy, and survival. If youre willing to back our effort, consider supporting us on Patreon starting from 5$ per month. We are immensely grateful.

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Romania to double Ukrainian grain transit after Russias attacks on grain infrastructure 15 August, 03:20 PM Romanias Transport and Infrastructure Minister, Sorin Grindeanu (Photo:Gabriel Petrescu / Dreamstime)

Romania plans to double its transit capacity for Ukrainian grain, increasing it from two to four million tons per month, Romanias Transport and Infrastructure Minister, Sorin Grindeanu, following talks with delegates from the U.S., E.U., Ukraine, and Moldova on Aug. 11.

We have agreed that the export of Ukrainian grain needs to be expedited in the context of attacks on the Ukrainian ports of Reni and Izmail in recent weeks, Grindeanu said.

We have underscored the indispensable role of Romanian land, rail, and maritime transportation routes in ensuring an uninterrupted flow of exports and imports with Ukraine.

Video of day

Read also: Berdyansk port director who helped steal Ukrainian grain receives prison sentence

The Sulina Channel along the Danube River is seen as the sole viable waterway for facilitating these shipments. Consequently, optimizing its capacity is a paramount consideration, the minister said.

This exceptionally productive meeting paves the way for us to enhance the transit capacity for grain transportation from Ukraine through Romania. Our aim is to achieve a target of nearly four million tons per month, a significant increase from the current two million tons, Grindeanu said.

In an earlier statement, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis voiced his strong objection to Russias attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure along the Danube River, describing Russias actions as absolutely unacceptable.

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
More than 20,000 Arizonans who paid on student loans for years have been eligible for automatic student-loan relief under adjustments, or fixes, announced by the Biden administration. And some borrowers are now seeing benefits from that program.

"People are getting notifications, looking at their balances and seeing that they're gone," said Jennifer Edwards, a certified financial planner and lead mentor at 3rd Decade, a Tucson-based group that provides financial literacy counseling to young adults.

Some past monthly payments that werent previously counted now will qualify for debt forgiveness without further action by borrowers.

The amount of potential relief for the 20,530 eligible Arizona borrowers totals $1.03 billion, or nearly $50,200 per person on average, including interest. Arizona ranks 11th among the states in the number of eligible borrowers and 12th in total estimated debt relief.

Texas leads in both categories at 63,730 borrowers and $3.09 billion in relief, slightly ahead of more populous California as well as Florida, which round out the top three in both categories, according to state-by-state tallies released by the U.S. Department of Education.

The Department of Education announced those and other numbers in July, and a lawsuit dismissed in federal court Monday appears to give the program a green light. The forgiveness program already was well underway.

"This is not a new program of forgiveness," Edwards said. "It's just that the (loan) servicers are catching up on a policy that was enacted in 2022. It's just now coming to fruition."

Correcting reporting errors in Income-Driven Repayment plans

The fixes, or corrections, apply to Income-Driven Repayment plans implemented by the Biden Administration to ensure that all borrowers are credited with an accurate number of monthly payments that qualify toward forgiveness. The department has started to notify the 804,000 total borrowers nationally that their debts will be discharged automatically in coming weeks. The loans total $39 billion.

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Those are among the $116 billion in overall student-loan debts forgiven since Biden took office, helping more than 3.4 million borrowers. The $116 billion includes $45 billion in loan forgiveness for more than 650,000 public servants.

As far as the Income-Driven Repayment program, the department said that past, qualifying payments were not accurately accounted for by the department and third-party loan-servicing companies.

Borrowers are eligible for loan forgiveness if they accumulated either 20 or 25 years of qualifying monthly payments, depending on their loan type and Income-Driven Repayment plan. The administration announced the payment-count adjustment last year.

The recent fixes correct various issues, the department said, such as payments for certain months that werent credited if borrowers were in previously ineligible plans.

In a statement, Biden said the more than 800,000 eligible borrowers had been making payments on their loans for 20 years or more.

Loan discharges now being processed

Those who qualify for forgiveness have received or will receive it without any action on their part.

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, also in a statement, said the department would continue to identify and notify borrowers who reach the applicable forgiveness thresholds of 240 or 300 qualifying monthly payments, depending on the repayment plan and loan type.

Discharges have started or will begin 30 days after department emails are received by borrowers. The first emails were sent in mid-July. No loan payments are due while forgiveness is being processed. Borrowers will be notified when their debts are discharged.

By next year, the department expects to have updated payment counts for all borrowers not yet eligible for forgiveness.

Borrowers with questions about eligibility should start by contacting their loan-servicing company, Edwards said. She also suggested TISLA, the Institute of Student Loan Advisors, as a free source of information.

In general, taxes apply on loan amounts that have been forgiven, but federal taxes on these student loans will be waived through 2025.

On a separate issue, in June, the Supreme Court blocked a proposal to provide one-time student loan relief to about 43 million people, ruling that the White House overstepped its authority to provide the relief.

Reach the reporter at russ.wiles@arizonarepublic.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 20,000 Arizonans eligible for student-debt relief after Biden 'fixes'
In this article, we are going to discuss the 20 countries with the highest rates of alcoholism. You can skip our detailed analysis of the economic cost of alcohol consumption, the effect of taxes on alcohol abuse, various CSR initiatives to promote responsible drinking, and the use of ketamine to treat alcohol use disorder, and go directly to 5 Countries with Highest Rates of Alcoholism.

Alcoholism is the most severe form of alcohol abuse and involves the inability to manage drinking habits. The term alcoholism is actually a mainstream expression used to describe a disease known medically as alcohol use disorder  characterized by the abuse of and dependency on alcohol.

Alcohol use disorder is organized into three categories: mild, moderate, and severe, depending on the number of symptoms expressed by the patient. There are several treatments available for alcoholism, including counseling, medications, and possibly medically assisted detoxification to help the individual safely stop drinking.

Economic Cost of Alcohol Consumption:

A recent worldwide overview showed that the economic costs of harm due to alcohol amounted to $1306 per adult, or 2.6% of the global GDP. About 38.8% of these are incurred as direct costs, while an approximate 61.2% were due to the losses in productivity.

As we stated in our article  30 Drunkest Cities in America in 2023  excessive use of alcohol costs the U.S. economy almost $250 billion per year. The federal government picks up roughly $100 billion of the tab, largely through Medicare and Medicaid payments.

The Effect of Taxes on Alcohol Abuse:

Over the last two decades, a growing number of economists have examined the impact of alcohol beverage taxes and prices on alcohol consumption and heavy drinking. Several of these studies have focused on high-risk populations, such as youth and young adults, including college students.

This research, using a variety of different data and empirical approaches, has generally found that an increase in the prices of alcoholic beverages led to reductions in drinking, heavy drinking, and the consequences of alcohol use and abuse. These findings indicate that a rise in alcoholic-beverage taxes could be a highly effective option for reducing alcohol abuse and its consequences.

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According to a study conducted by the NCD Advisory Councils signature initiative working group, if countries of the WHO European Region were to introduce a minimum level of 15% tax on the retail price per unit of alcohol, regardless of the type of alcoholic beverage, it would save 133,000 lives each year.

Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives:

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) is the Largest Beer Producer in the World and the company launched its Global Smart Drinking Goals initiative in order to make a tangible contribution to the reduction of harmful use of alcohol globally.

As part of the initiative, Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) has committed to investing at least $1 billion across its markets in dedicated social marketing campaigns and programs to influence social norms and individual behaviors to reduce harmful use of alcohol. Another goal is to ensure that low- or no-alcohol beer products make up at least 20% of the global beer volume of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) by 2025.

Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) has also committed to promote positive drinking through its Society 2030: Spirit of Progress Action Plan. The plan aims to leverage Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) marketing and innovation to make moderation the norm and reach 1 billion people with dedicated responsible drinking messaging. DRINKiQ is a dedicated responsible drinking online platform by Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) that provides facts about alcohol, the effects of drinking on the body and the mind, and the impact of harmful drinking on individuals and society.

Ketamine Intervention to Treat Alcohol Use Disorder:

Recent evidence suggests that ketamine may be an effective intervention to treat alcohol use disorder and alcoholic withdrawal. Awakn Life Sciences Corp. (AWKNF) is a UK-based, clinical-stage biotechnology company developing therapeutics to treat addiction, with a near-term focus on alcohol use disorder. Awakn Life Sciences Corp. (AWKNF) expanded its commercial operations into the U.S. last year through its first licensing partnership agreement with Revitalist Lifestyle and Wellness Ltd. (RVLWF).

According to Anthony Tennyson  the CEO of Awakn Life Sciences Corp. (AWKNF)  the company has already signed licensing deals with several third-party clinics in North America and Europe to use the therapy and has established four of its own clinics in the UK and Norway.

With that said, here are the Most Alcoholic Countries in the World.

20 Countries with Highest Rates of Alcoholism

Copyright: antonioguillem / 123RF Stock Photo

Methodology:

The most recent data regarding alcoholism rates in each country has been compiled by the World Health Organization, which recorded the percentage of the population aged 15 years and above with alcohol use disorder. When two countries had the same prevalence of alcohol use disorder, we ranked them by their total annual per capita consumption of pure alcohol.

Following are the Countries with the Highest Rates of Alcoholism in the World:

20. Lebanon

Population with Alcohol Use Disorder: 8.7%

In Lebanon, early initiation of alcohol drinking and the frequent and heavy consumption of alcohol among youth is on the rise, putting them at increased risk of multiple health, economic and social losses, and even mortality. Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) seems to be influenced by several factors among the Lebanese population, including alexithymia, stress, anxiety, and work fatigue.

19. United Kingdom

Population with Alcohol Use Disorder: 8.7%

The economic burden of alcohol in the U.K. is estimated to be between 1.3% and 2.7% of the annual GDP ($27-$60 billion). Local authorities across England will benefit from an extra $534.5 million government funding until 2025 to improve drug and alcohol addiction and recovery.

18. Peru

Population with Alcohol Use Disorder: 8.9%

At least 35.2% of males and 11.6% of females reported drinking at least two to four times a month in Peru. Since alcohol laws in the South American country are very lax despite a legal drinking age, minors also often drink with their parents. Pisco is a favorite drink in the country and is to Peru what tequila is to Mexico.

17. Finland

Population with Alcohol Use Disorder: 9.1%

Alcohol was found to be the biggest cause of preventable deaths in 15 welfare regions across Finland, while suicide was the highest factor in 5 regions and ischemic heart disease in 3. Compared with other countries in the OECD area, Finland has relatively high levels of taxation for all types of alcoholic beverages.

16. Togo

Population with Alcohol Use Disorder: 9.5%

The daily average consumption of alcohol in Togo was 13g of pure alcohol for men and 9g for women. Tchoukoutou is a home-brewed beer that is central to Togolese social life and rituals.

Togo ranks 16th in our list of Countries with High Rates of Alcohol Use Disorder.

15. Switzerland

Population with Alcohol Use Disorder: 9.5%

In Switzerland, women with high education are more likely to be heavy drinkers than less educated ones, while its the opposite for men. According to the Federal Office of Public Health, an estimated 250,000 to 300,000 people in the mountainous European country are dependent on alcohol.

14. Ivory Coast

Population with Alcohol Use Disorder: 10%

Lager is Ivory Coasts number one alcoholic tipple, served ice cold in more or less every hotel, restaurant, maquis, and magasin (convenience store). Cote d'Ivoire is one of the most alcoholic countries in 2023.

13. Sweden

Population with Alcohol Use Disorder: 11%

Produced in Sweden since 1870, Absolut Vodka is one of the Best Selling Vodka Brands in the World. Swedens Vin and Spirit, the parent company of Absolut, was acquired by the French group Pernod Ricard in 2008, in a deal worth around $8.9 billion. The economic cost of alcoholic consumption in Sweden amounts to approximately $10.9 billion a year.

12. Lithuania

Population with Alcohol Use Disorder: 11%

According to the OECD, Lithuanian men consume 21.3 liters of pure alcohol per capita per year while women consume 6.6 liters per year. Alcohol consumption in Lithuania fell by almost 7.5% last year, meaning on average everyone drank almost a liter less alcohol than in 2021.

11. Austria

Population with Alcohol Use Disorder: 12%

Austria is among the top countries in regard to per capita alcohol consumption among the OECD member countries with an estimated 4.9% prevalence of alcohol dependence. Austria is among the countries drinking the most alcohol in 2023.

10. Slovakia

Population with Alcohol Use Disorder: 12.2%

Drinking is very much a part of Slovak culture and some form of alcohol is usually present at any social occasion. The standard shot glass size in the Central European country is 50 ml, while it is usually around 44 ml around the world. Slovakia is among the top 10 countries with highest rates of alcoholism.

9. Estonia

Population with Alcohol Use Disorder: 12.2%

The incomes of the people of Estonia continued to grow in 2022 and so alcohol became more accessible. In addition to a favorable price, alcohol is also physically more easily available in the Baltic country. Nearly 90% of respondents to a survey said that they would reach the nearest point of sale of alcohol in less than 10 minutes. Estonia is among the Top 20 Alcohol Drinking Countries in the World.

8. Poland

Population with Alcohol Use Disorder: 12.8%

It is common for people to drink in groups and many Polish traditions involve alcohol consumption. The Polish Zubrowka vodka is one of the Most Popular Spirits in the World.

It was reported in 2021 that the Maspex Wadowice Group acquired CEDC, a Polish subsidiary of the Russian ROUST group, in a deal worth $980.8 million. CEDC is the leader of the Polish vodka market and boasts a portfolio of leading brands, including Zubrowka and Soplica.

7. South Korea

Population with Alcohol Use Disorder: 13.9%

The South Korean working culture almost encourages drinking. Many companies hold work dinners called hoesik, which means eating and drinking with work colleagues. According to a Euromonitor International report, South Koreans down 13.7 shots of hard liquor every week.

6. United States of America

Population with Alcohol Use Disorder: 13.9%

Alcohol misuse and alcoholism remains the third-leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. These deaths can be attributed to alcohol-related health conditions like liver disease, liver cancer and heart disease, as well as alcohol-related accidents and driving while intoxicated. The U.S ranks 6th among Countries with the Highest Rates of Alcohol Use Disorder in the World.

Click to continue reading and see the 5 Countries with Highest Rates of Alcoholism.

Suggested Articles:

Disclosure: None. 20 Countries with Highest Rates of Alcoholism is originally published on Insider Monkey.
About 79% of UAE travellers are likely to hire a car during their next holiday, says a new new research on car hire travel trends from the GCC region by global flight, car hire and hotel price comparison site, Skyscanner.

The freedom to travel on your own terms, combined with an increasing desire to explore off the beaten path destinations has put road trips firmly back in the spotlight for 2023/2024 travel. About 98% of UAE travellers are open to travelling to alternative or lesser-known destinations, where public transportation might be limited, the report said.

With 84% of road trippers citing sustainability as an important factor when hiring a car, the interest in hybrid and electric cars is high. Almost half (41%) of UAE travellers surveyed have hired an electric or hybrid car during a recent holiday, while another 50% would consider it.

Ayoub El Mamoun, Skyscanner Travel Expert, said: Our latest research shows that despite price being a key consideration for UAE travellers when hiring a car, only a third compare prices from different providers where significant savings can be made. Skyscanner is here to help, searching billions of prices every day from over 1,200 providers in one place so that travellers can easily find and compare the best flight, car hire and hotel options to suit their travel needs and budget.

As well as saving on fuel, choosing an electric vehicle (EV) means youll also be exempt from low-emission zone charges in some cities, and enjoy free parking, provided theyre plugged in to a charging point. So whether youre looking to reduce your traveller footprint or just looking for ways to save on your car hire, its easy to find cheap EV rentals with Skyscanner."

Skyscanners research also revealed the top destinations for road trips with the Middle East (42%), Europe (21%) and Asia (12%) topping the list for preferred road trip holidays amongst UAE travellers. Skyscanner shares three top destinations for road trips:

Historical Jordan

Take a journey through the stunning landscapes of Jordan. Start your road trip in Amman, Jordans capital and discover the ancient citadel, an archaeological site dating back to the Neolithic Age. Explore Ammans historic Roman Theatre and other highlights including Rainbow Street, before leaving the city on the Desert Highway towards Petra. Enjoy time exploring and hiking in Petra before setting off to Wadi Rum for a few days of camping. Next, experience the Dead Seas stunning spa resorts for rest and relaxation before heading back to Amman.

A weeks rental for a hybrid vehicle in Jordan costs from AED919 between September 1 and 8.

La Dolce Vita  the Italian Lakes

Enjoy La Dolce Vita during a week-long road trip to Milan and Lake Como. Although just a short distance from Milan, Lake Como is designed to be explored at leisure with its twisting lakeside lanes and charming towns set against a backdrop of soaring mountains. Depart Milan and go towards Tremezzina, stopping to admire the beautiful architecture and to enjoy an espresso and a sweet snack or two at a pasticceria enroute. Set off towards Varenna or Lenna, home to the beautiful Villa del Balbianello, where scenes from Casino Royale were filmed, before heading towards Comos Bellagio for a few days of indulgence.

A weeks electric car rental from Milan Airport costs from AED574 between September 1 and 8.

Switzerlands lakeside landscapes

Embark on a captivating road trip from Zurich to Lugano, via Lucerne taking in the majestic beauty of Switzerlands sweeping landscapes. Starting in Zurich, the journey takes in serene countryside, rolling hills and pristine lakes enroute to Lucerne, which offers a fairytale-like charm, with the Swiss Alps looming in the distance. Spend the evening in stunning Vitznau and rise early for a gentle hike along the lake, or board the historic Vitznau-Rigi railway, a cogwheel train that offers breathtaking views of the mountains below. Rise recharged, ready for a scenic drive from Lucerne to Lugano which traverses the breathtaking Gotthard Pass, where passengers will be treated to awe-inspiring panoramas. Upon arrival in Lugano, stretch your legs and head to the lake and the surrounding parks to enjoy seasonal concerts and festivals.

A weeks electric vehicle costs from AED1,290 from Zurich Airport from September 1 to 8.

Skyscanners El Mamoun shares more top hacks finding affordable car hire deals:

1. Look at multiple locations to find the most affordable car hire

Most car hire companies have multiple locations in a destination, and prices can vary wildly between them. Youre more likely to find cheap car hire if you use a broader search  for example, if you choose Muscat from the dropdown instead of Muscat International Airport. Picking up your car in the city could work out cheaper as you dont have to worry about airport fees. However, you might find cheaper deals at airports as there are usually more rental companies based there so prices need to be competitive. At the airport, its usually cheaper to choose a car rental company based off-site, with a free shuttle to and from the pick-up/drop-off point. When you search for car hire with Skyscanner, look for the pick-up filter (when available). This is where you can find options like meet and greet or free shuttle. Just bear in mind that some destinations dont have this option.

2. Reserve your car early

Unlike hotels, there are no last-minute deals when it comes to car hire. In fact, waiting until the last minute can often cost more. If you book 24-48 hours before pick-up, it can cost you up to 30% extra.

Waiting also gives you less choice. Youll be stuck with whatever cars theyre left with. So, if all the cheaper cars have already been snapped up, you might have to shell out for an expensive luxury car when all you wanted was a cheap and cheerful three-door Mini. So, for affordable car hire, it pays to book as far in advance as possible to get the best prices and selection.

3. Ask for an upgrade

Ask for an upgrade to a more luxurious vehicle, for no extra cost. A warm smile, friendly demeanour and positive attitude goes a long way to helping secure a higher-grade car.

If youre offered an upgrade for a price, dont be afraid to negotiate. Look into how much the higher graded vehicle would have cost if youd booked it directly before you start to negotiate. That way you know if youre being offered a good deal on car hire, or just being upsold.

Some car hire companies reward regular customers and many global rental companies are part of a loyalty network. Check if your preferred airline or banking or credit card provider offers special rates with car hire companies. - TradeArabia News Service
Honda

Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are a new electric vehicle alternative that are paving the way for more energy-efficient modes of transportation. But what are these cars, exactly?

New Car Market: Ford, Tesla Drop Prices by Up to 20% Thanks to Millions of Unwanted EVs

See: How To Save $200 on Your Grocery Bill Every Month

Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles, sometimes known as FCEVs, use hydrogen to power the vehicle, with hydrogen serving as a gas alternative. Because this type of vehicle is so new, options and charging stations are limited across the nation. As of now, most hydrogen fuel cell stations are found only in California. Though a bit pricier than your average vehicle, if you have the cash, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles provide an interesting alternative to both gas-powered cars and electric vehicles.

Heres a look at three of the most affordable FCEVs available on the market today.

Hyundai Nexo

The Hyundai Nexo starts at around $62,000. It is a family car, a mid-sized SUV with a range of 380 miles of hydrogen power when all three hydrogen tanks are full. Like other hydrogen vehicles, this car is not noted for its performance. As of 2023, FCEVs are clunky and still in the earlier stages of development, so the handling of this car is not as smooth as, say, a gas-powered car.

The Hyundai Nexo is currently only sold in California, and Hyundai offers complimentary hydrogen fuel for the first six years after purchase, or $15,000 worth of fuel, whichever milestone is reached first.

See: 8 Electric Cars You May Regret Buying

Toyota Mirai

Coming in at a base price of approximately $50,600, the Toyota Mirai is perhaps the most popular of the cars on this list, with its primary competitor being the aforementioned Hyundai Nexo. Unlike the Nexo, the Mirai is a four-door sedan praised for its quick handling, spacious cabin and smooth driving capabilities. When completely full, the Mirai has 402 miles in the tank, the best mileage of any vehicle on this list.

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Toyota will cover the initial costs of hydrogen fuel for Mirai purchasers, granting three years of complimentary hydrogen fuel, or, alternatively, $15,000 worth of fuel.

Honda Clarity

The Honda Clarity, starting at around $34,000, is offered as a plug-in hybrid in addition to the hydrogen fuel cell model. The hydrogen fuel cell holds enough to power the car for 360 miles once completely filled. It is a mid-sized family sedan, lauded for its comfortable cabin space and fuel efficiency.

However, Honda halted production of the FCEV model in 2021. Prices will vary, and finding this specific hydrogen fuel cell vehicle may be more of a challenge compared to the other cars on this list due to its limited supply.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 3 EV Alternatives You Should Buy This Year
The state of Washington is the third-cheapest place to live by average cost of living. MarkHatfield/Getty Images

If you're looking to get into real estate, house hacking is a strategy worth considering.

It involves renting out a portion of your home and having rent-paying roommates.

Insider spoke to investors who used house hacking to get their start and build equity quicker.

It's difficult to buy a home in America right now, especially for millennials.

That said, it's not entirely impossible. Insider regularly interviews people who are buying property in today's tricky market.

One strategy that first-time homebuyers looking to break into the market could consider is called "house hacking." It involves renting out a portion of your home and essentially having rent-paying roommates.

It's cost-effective for two main reasons: One, since you're actually living in the property, you may qualify for an FHA loan, which is a government-backed mortgage that gives people the opportunity to buy a home with down payments as low as 3.5%.

Two, the rental income can lower your housing payment  or even completely eliminate it.

Here are five individuals who used house hacking to get their start and build equity quicker while lowering their overall risk.

Seattle-based real estate investor Peter Keane-Rivera. Courtesy of Peter Keane-Rivera

Peter Keane-Rivera lived frugally and found ways to increase his income before he could buy his first property. In late 2017, he had enough saved up to buy a $355,000 three-bed, two-bath house about 20 minutes south of Seattle.

His mortgage payment and other housing expenses came out to about $2,000 a month. To offset that cost, he found two roommates to fill the other rooms.

Keane-Rivera moved into the smallest room in his house and rented out the other two for $725 and $900 a month, he said. That dropped his monthly housing payment to $375.

Part of the reason he invested in this specific house was that it had an unfinished basement, which he figured he could turn into another bedroom and rent out. Rather than setting his sights on a second property, Keane-Rivera focused on working with what he already had. Over the following six months, he funded a $28,000 remodel.

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By the time it was done, he was able to rent out the new room for $1,000, meaning his mortgage was entirely covered by rental income and he was living for free in his own home. Plus, he was profiting a little more than $500 a month.

Self-made millionaire Todd Baldwin bought a 6-bedroom home and rented 4 of the rooms

Seattle-based real estate investor Todd Baldwin. Courtesy of Todd Baldwin

Seattle-based real estate investor Todd Baldwin bought his first property at age 23. It was a $506,000, six-bedroom home that he financed with a 3.5% down payment.

He and his girlfriend at the time (now wife) moved into the master bedroom and rented out the four other rooms, which more than covered his monthly mortgage. It meant finding compatible roommates and having significantly less space, but it allowed him to save more money to put toward a second property.

Since he was living for "free," collecting rental income, and earning a six-figure salary from his day job, he was able to save more money and continue buying rental properties. By age 25, Baldwin's net worth crossed $1 million, mostly thanks to rental income, he said. At 28, he became a multi-millionaire and felt comfortable leaving his 9-to-5 to double down on real estate.

Avery Heilbron says house hacking is 'the most inexpensive way to buy real estate'

Avery Heilbron bought his first property in 2019 in Boston, where he lived at the time. Courtesy of Avery Heilbron

After graduating in May 2018, Heilbron moved into an apartment in Boston with two roommates and paid $1,100 a month.

His goal was to buy a place as soon as possible but he didn't have enough savings to do so immediately. After nearly a year of living frugally and setting aside the majority of his paycheck, he had enough savings for a down payment.

He closed on a $525,000 duplex in March 2019 and financed the property with an FHA loan.

He and his girlfriend moved into the downstairs unit. It was a two-bedroom and they found a roommate for the other room. His girlfriend paid $400 in rent for her half of their room and the roommate paid $800 for his room. Heilbron also rented out the upstairs unit, a four-bedroom, to a family for $2,400.

He was bringing in $3,600 per month in rental income, which more than covered his $3,300 mortgage payment. Heilbron went from spending $1,100 per month in rent to living for free and profiting $300 a month. That $1,400 swing helped him save up for his second property, which he bought less than a year later, in May 2020.

Housing hacking is "the most inexpensive way to buy real estate," he said. He was able to earn cash flow like you can from an investment property without actually buying an investment property, which typically require larger down payments. In an expensive market like Boston, that wouldn't have been possible for him: "The houses in the area were half a million to a million dollars, so a 3.5% down payment was obviously much more attainable, at around 15 to 25 grand, compared to 20% down, which would have been somewhere between $100,000 and $250,000."

Ali and Josh Lupo bought a duplex on social-worker salaries

Ali and Josh Lupo reside in upstate New York. Courtesy of Ali and Josh Lupo

Ali and Josh Lupo managed to buy their first property despite being six-figures in debt and working relatively low-paying jobs.

After reading about house hacking, they ran the numbers and realized that by taking on more debt with the mortgage, they'd actually be able to pay off their other debt faster. At the time, they were paying $1,300 in rent in upstate New York. But the numbers showed that if they bought a duplex in the right price range and rented out half of it, they'd be able to lower their monthly housing payment significantly and free up extra cash to throw at their loans.

That's exactly what they did: They closed on a $155,000 duplex in 2018, moved into the downstairs unit, and rented out the upstairs one for $725, which covered more than half of their monthly mortgage payment and lowered their housing cost to about $660 a month, they said.

A few years later, Ali and Josh added to their real-estate portfolio, bought a second duplex, and started collecting rent from three units. It was enough to cover both mortgages, meaning they not only live for free but also earn a couple hundred dollars in profit each month, they said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
855684128 / iStock.com

If you're on the hunt to find affordable options for your furbabies, Costco could be just the place to shop. The discount warehouse offers a wide variety of quality pet products at often amazing prices.

Good Question: Are These 8 Costco Items With Cult Followings Worth the Hype (and Money)?

Discover: 10 Best Costco Items To Buy for Less Than $10

From puppy pads to pet beds, here are eight pet products that are cheaper at Costco.

Also see 12 Costco insider secrets.

Costco

Kirkland Signature Extra-Large Absorbent Pads

If you have a puppy in training or an older dog who is prone to indoor accidents, Kirkland Signature absorbent pads for pets in an extra-large size of 30 inches by 23 inches are a great deal. The pads come 100 to a pack for $21.99, which comes out to $0.22 each.

Walmart's best-selling extra-large dog pads are a bit larger at 26 X 30 but are much less economical -- $13.78 for 30 or about $0.46 each.

Costco's Best Deals? Employee Reveals 10 Standout Buys for Your Money

Find: 7 Luxury Goods That Are Cheaper at Costco

Costco

Canature NutriBites Freeze Dried Beef Liver Dog and Cat Pet Treats

Canature NutriBites have only one ingredient: fresh beef liver. The treats are freeze-dried before packaging, to lock in the vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, vitamin B, magnesium, iron, selenium and zinc. Costco offers two 17.6-ounce bags of these grain-free pet treats for $29.99. The treats are also offered on Amazon, but you'll pay considerably more to get the two-pack -- exactly $37.90.

Costco

Frontline Plus Flea and Tick Dog Treatment

If your dogs roam outdoors and fleas and ticks are a concern, Costco sells Frontline Plus for 23- to 44-pound canines in a 7+1 dose pack for $79.99 or approximately $10 each. On Chewy, however, an eight-pack is $93.99, which is $11.75 for each treatment.

Costco

Companion Gear XXL Pet Pool Kit

If you want to help your water-loving pet beat the heat, an outdoor pool designed for those with four paws could be worth the purchase -- especially if you pick it up at Costco. You can get the collapsible pool, which is made of super-tough PVC for $39.99. The same pool is $44.99 at Scheel's sporting goods store.

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Costco

Kirkland Signature Dental Chews

If you're a fan of Greenies dental chews for your dogs, you might want to check out Kirkland Signature dental chews. These grain-free and gluten-free dog chews look somewhat similar to Greenies, with the bone shape on one end and a textured shape on the other.

At Walmart, a 12-pack of Greenies in the regular size is $17.98 or about $1.50 per chew. However, Costco sells a 72-count pack for $0.51 each. The Costco version might be a bit smaller than the Greenies Regular Dental Chews, but even so, you'll still get a lot more bang for your buck.

Hidden Gems: Affordable Luxury Goods at Aldi

Costco

Kirkland Signature 8-in-1 Multi-Benefit Soft Chews for Dogs

Support the health of your dog's skin, cognition, urinary tract, hips and joints, heart, liver and immune system with Kirkland Signature 8-in-1 multi-benefit chews. They come in a 250-count bag for $24.99 or just $0.14 each.

You won't find a soft chew that has all eight benefits at Walmart, but it does sell a pack of 60 5-in-1 multi-benefit chews for $17.99, but they're over double the cost at around $0.30 each.

Costco

Catit Flower Fountain & Placemat Kit with 5 Replacement Filters

If your cat is a picky drinker, this flower fountain could solve its issues. The fountain has three water-flow settings and contains a purifying filter -- and five replacement filters -- to remove minerals from tap water that may cause urinary issues in cats. It also has a peanut-shaped silicone placemat to hold the fountain and the included stainless-steel feeding dish in place -- all for $36.99.

On Amazon you can also get the same product, but it's more expensive at $49.99 and it doesn't appear to come with the five replacement water filters.

Costco

Kirkland Signature Rectangular Large Bolster Cuddler Pet Bed

If you want your pet to have a comfy bed with a built-in place to rest its head, the large bolster cuddler pet bed from Costco is perfect. The bed is 32 inches by 42 inches and is priced at $54.99. Additionally, if your pet isn't that big, the bed also comes in smaller sizes.

A pet bed on Amazon that's the same size and similar in style costs $75.99 or around $20 more.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 8 Pet Products That Are Cheaper at Costco
Key Insights

Significantly high institutional ownership implies Civitas Resources' stock price is sensitive to their trading actions

The top 5 shareholders own 50% of the company

Ownership research along with analyst forecasts data help provide a good understanding of opportunities in a stock

Every investor in Civitas Resources, Inc. (NYSE:CIVI) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. And the group that holds the biggest piece of the pie are institutions with 80% ownership. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).

Given the vast amount of money and research capacities at their disposal, institutional ownership tends to carry a lot of weight, especially with individual investors. Hence, having a considerable amount of institutional money invested in a company is often regarded as a desirable trait.

In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Civitas Resources.

See our latest analysis for Civitas Resources

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Civitas Resources?

Institutional investors commonly compare their own returns to the returns of a commonly followed index. So they generally do consider buying larger companies that are included in the relevant benchmark index.

As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Civitas Resources. This implies the analysts working for those institutions have looked at the stock and they like it. But just like anyone else, they could be wrong. When multiple institutions own a stock, there's always a risk that they are in a 'crowded trade'. When such a trade goes wrong, multiple parties may compete to sell stock fast. This risk is higher in a company without a history of growth. You can see Civitas Resources' historic earnings and revenue below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story.

Institutional investors own over 50% of the company, so together than can probably strongly influence board decisions. Civitas Resources is not owned by hedge funds. Looking at our data, we can see that the largest shareholder is Canada Pension Plan Investment Board with 18% of shares outstanding. For context, the second largest shareholder holds about 9.5% of the shares outstanding, followed by an ownership of 9.0% by the third-largest shareholder.

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On looking further, we found that 50% of the shares are owned by the top 5 shareholders. In other words, these shareholders have a meaningful say in the decisions of the company.

While it makes sense to study institutional ownership data for a company, it also makes sense to study analyst sentiments to know which way the wind is blowing. There are a reasonable number of analysts covering the stock, so it might be useful to find out their aggregate view on the future.

Insider Ownership Of Civitas Resources

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.

Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances.

Our data suggests that insiders own under 1% of Civitas Resources, Inc. in their own names. It's a big company, so even a small proportional interest can create alignment between the board and shareholders. In this case insiders own US$28m worth of shares. It is always good to see at least some insider ownership, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public-- including retail investors -- own 11% stake in the company, and hence can't easily be ignored. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Private Equity Ownership

With an ownership of 8.9%, private equity firms are in a position to play a role in shaping corporate strategy with a focus on value creation. Some might like this, because private equity are sometimes activists who hold management accountable. But other times, private equity is selling out, having taking the company public.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Civitas Resources better, we need to consider many other factors. Take risks for example - Civitas Resources has 2 warning signs we think you should be aware of.

If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
ALLENTOWN, Pa., August 15, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Abra Health, a leading provider of dental care services, is thrilled to announce the grand opening of its fifth location under the Smiles 4 Keeps brand in Allentown, Pennsylvania. This new state-of-the-art dental practice is poised to redefine dental care for pediatric patients, orthodontic patients of all ages, and will soon extend its services to adult patients later in the year. The opening of this new location represents another significant step in Abra Health's commitment to delivering exceptional oral healthcare in a comfortable and compassionate environment.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815841943/en/

Smiles 4 Keeps entrance in Allentown, PA (Photo: Business Wire)

Earlier this year, Abra Health marked a pivotal milestone with the strategic acquisition of the Eugene McGuire, DDS office. With this acquisition, the dental office transitions seamlessly to the brand-new Smiles 4 Keeps location, situated at 1814 Tilghman St in Allentown. This move not only strengthens Abra Health's presence in the region but also enables the fusion of legacy expertise with modern facilities.

Dr. Michael Skolnick, Founder and CEO of Abra Health, expressed his enthusiasm for this expansion, stating, "The opening of our fifth Smiles 4 Keeps location in Allentown is a testament to our commitment to providing comprehensive dental care to patients of all ages. Our mission is to create a warm and welcoming environment where families can access top-notch oral healthcare under one roof. We are excited to welcome existing and new patients to experience the exceptional services that will be offered at our newest Smiles 4 Keeps location."

The new Smiles 4 Keeps office boasts a modern and inviting atmosphere designed to alleviate any anxieties associated with dental visits. The facility is equipped with cutting-edge technology to ensure the highest standard of care, enhancing the patient experience across the board. Abra Health takes pride in its team of experienced and compassionate professionals who are dedicated to making every patient's visit a comfortable and positive one.

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The expanded range of services offered at the Allentown Smiles 4 Keeps location, which includes pediatric care, orthodontics, and soon, adult dental services, aligns with Abra Health's commitment to becoming a one-stop destination for all dental needs. Whether it's ensuring a lifetime of healthy smiles for the littlest patients or delivering orthodontic excellence, Abra Health's team is prepared to cater to the diverse needs of the community.

For more information about Abra Health and Smiles 4 Keeps, please visit their respective websites at www.abrahealthgroup.com and www.smiles4keeps.com.

About Abra Health

Founded in 2008 by Doctors Michael and Brooke Skolnick, a husband-and-wife dental team, Abra Health is a rapidly expanding family of health practices. With multiple recent acquisitions and new locations opening regularly, the group includes several pediatric primary care and dental clinics for patients of all ages in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Our singular mission is to provide access to high-quality, affordable care to underserved communities. By firmly placing our patients first, we aim to deliver an exceptional experience as we improve their well-being, from teeth to toes. Our vision is to become a leading provider of integrated medical and dental care to underrepresented communities in the areas that we serve. Our ownership and leadership teams are mostly comprised of dentists. With over 800 employees, our large-footprint practices can accommodate hundreds of patients every day in an inviting, comfortable environment for both patients and staff alike.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815841943/en/

Contacts

Media Contact Information:

Emmy Ansinelli

Abra Health

Email: eansinelli@abrahealth.com

Group website: www.abrahealthgroup.com

Smiles 4 Keeps: www.smiles4keeps.com
Investors are often guided by the idea of discovering 'the next big thing', even if that means buying 'story stocks' without any revenue, let alone profit. But as Peter Lynch said in One Up On Wall Street, 'Long shots almost never pay off.' Loss-making companies are always racing against time to reach financial sustainability, so investors in these companies may be taking on more risk than they should.

So if this idea of high risk and high reward doesn't suit, you might be more interested in profitable, growing companies, like Wegmans Holdings Berhad (KLSE:WEGMANS). While profit isn't the sole metric that should be considered when investing, it's worth recognising businesses that can consistently produce it.

See our latest analysis for Wegmans Holdings Berhad

How Quickly Is Wegmans Holdings Berhad Increasing Earnings Per Share?

Generally, companies experiencing growth in earnings per share (EPS) should see similar trends in share price. That means EPS growth is considered a real positive by most successful long-term investors. It certainly is nice to see that Wegmans Holdings Berhad has managed to grow EPS by 28% per year over three years. As a general rule, we'd say that if a company can keep up that sort of growth, shareholders will be beaming.

Careful consideration of revenue growth and earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) margins can help inform a view on the sustainability of the recent profit growth. On the revenue front, Wegmans Holdings Berhad has done well over the past year, growing revenue by 30% to RM136m but EBIT margin figures were less stellar, seeing a decline over the last 12 months. If EBIT margins are able to stay balanced and this revenue growth continues, then we should see brighter days ahead.

The chart below shows how the company's bottom and top lines have progressed over time. Click on the chart to see the exact numbers.

Since Wegmans Holdings Berhad is no giant, with a market capitalisation of RM110m, you should definitely check its cash and debt before getting too excited about its prospects.

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Are Wegmans Holdings Berhad Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

Theory would suggest that it's an encouraging sign to see high insider ownership of a company, since it ties company performance directly to the financial success of its management. So those who are interested in Wegmans Holdings Berhad will be delighted to know that insiders have shown their belief, holding a large proportion of the company's shares. To be exact, company insiders hold 75% of the company, so their decisions have a significant impact on their investments. This makes it apparent they will be incentivised to plan for the long term - a positive for shareholders with a sit and hold strategy. In terms of absolute value, insiders have RM83m invested in the business, at the current share price. That should be more than enough to keep them focussed on creating shareholder value!

It's good to see that insiders are invested in the company, but are remuneration levels reasonable? Our quick analysis into CEO remuneration would seem to indicate they are. For companies with market capitalisations under RM923m, like Wegmans Holdings Berhad, the median CEO pay is around RM514k.

The Wegmans Holdings Berhad CEO received total compensation of only RM42k in the year to December 2022. This total may indicate that the CEO is sacrificing take home pay for performance-based benefits, ensuring that their motivations are synonymous with strong company results. CEO remuneration levels are not the most important metric for investors, but when the pay is modest, that does support enhanced alignment between the CEO and the ordinary shareholders. It can also be a sign of a culture of integrity, in a broader sense.

Does Wegmans Holdings Berhad Deserve A Spot On Your Watchlist?

If you believe that share price follows earnings per share you should definitely be delving further into Wegmans Holdings Berhad's strong EPS growth. If you still have your doubts, remember too that company insiders have a considerable investment aligning themselves with the shareholders and CEO pay is quite modest compared to similarly sized companiess. The overarching message here is that Wegmans Holdings Berhad has underlying strengths that make it worth a look at. We should say that we've discovered 3 warning signs for Wegmans Holdings Berhad (2 don't sit too well with us!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

There's always the possibility of doing well buying stocks that are not growing earnings and do not have insiders buying shares. But for those who consider these important metrics, we encourage you to check out companies that do have those features. You can access a free list of them here.

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.
SmartAsset: Best Cities for Military Retirees - 2022 Edition

Recent data from the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) shows that there are about 18 million veterans in the U.S., of which about 13 million are over the age of 50. With so many veterans either in retirement or nearing their golden years, SmartAsset looked into the best cities for military retirees to live in.

There are a number of factors that make a city or town a good place for veterans to retire such as military friendliness, access to resources and the local economic environment. In this study, SmartAsset compared 200 of the largest cities in the country across eight metrics spanning those three categories. For more details on how we analyzed the data and compiled the rankings, read the data and methodology section below. (A financial advisor can help you assess what your income needs will be in retirement and create a plan to meet them.)

This is SmartAssets latest study on the best cities for military retirees. Check out the previous version here.

Key Findings

Three Northwest cities rank in the top five for the second year in a row. They include Anchorage, Alaska; Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Vancouver, Washington. All three cities rank particularly well for our military retirement friendliness category with veterans over the age of 65 making up more than 2.5% of each citys total population.

Veterans in top-ranked cities have a poverty rate that is 2.2% lower than the national. On average across the top 10 cities, 5.0% of veterans live below the poverty line. In comparison, nationally, 7.2% of veterans live in poverty.



1. Anchorage, AK

In Anchorage, Alaska, 2.60% of the population is made up of veterans who are 65 and older, which is the 40th-highest percentage for this double-weighted metric. Meanwhile, Anchorage ranks No. 35 for the its low unemployment rate (2.9%) and No. 91 for the percent of veterans living under the poverty line (7.9%). For military retirees who are seniors, the city offers the lowest tax burden (14.78%) across the study.

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2. Roseville, CA

Roseville, California ranks seventh-best for its military retirement friendliness index and eighth-highest for its economic environment ranking. Roughly 3% of the population in Roseville are veterans aged 65 and older (15th-highest) and the area offers the 22nd-highest income for veterans ($61,953).

3. Sioux Falls, SD

Sioux Falls, South Dakota remains No. 3 this year due to its continued strong rankings. Sioux Falls boasts a spot among the top 20 cities for our resources for veterans category. In particular, we estimate that there are about 21 VA health facilities and almost two VA benefits administration offices, both per 100,000 veterans.

4. Lakewood, CO

Colorado ranks sixth-best state for the number of VA benefits administration offices per capita, offering 2.30 offices per 100,000 veterans. The city of Lakewood additionally ranks 18th overall for its strong economic environment, which is made up of these three metrics: median veteran income ($53,957), percentage of veterans living under the poverty line (4.8%) and August 2022 unemployment rate (3.0%).

5. Vancouver, WA

Vancouver, Washington ranks second-best for our military retirement friendliness category. Specifically, Vancouver also has the fourth-highest percentage of veterans ages 65 and older (4.03%) and a low estimated senior tax burden (22.02%).

6. Overland Park, KS

Overland Park, Kansas has the second-best ranking for the economic environment index across all 200 cities in our study. Unemployment is low, with only 2.6% of workers out of work in August 2022 (18th-lowest overall). Additionally, Overland offers the 60th-highest number of retirement communities per capita, at 16.53.

7. Chesapeake, VA

Chesapeake, Virginia showcases a top 20 ranking in two metrics: percentage of the population who are veterans ages 65 and up (3.22%) and median veteran income level ($76,406). Chesapeake seniors are less likely to be living under the poverty line with roughly 5.0% of this demographic in this position currently.

8. Surprise, AZ

Surprise, Arizona held a few surprises for us when stacked against the 200 other cities in our study. For starters, the city ranks in the top 10 for both its military retirement friendliness and economic environment. Additionally, this Phoenix suburb took the number one spot in the ranking for the percentage of the population who are veterans ages 65 and older (4.51%) and has the second-lowest veteran poverty rate (1.4%).

9. Oceanside, CA

Oceanside, California moved up one spot this year in the overall rankings for military retirees. Located between Los Angeles and San Diego, the city of Oceanside ranks well for its relatively low percentage of veterans living under the poverty line (5.0%), which is the 28th-lowest across our study. Veterans in Oceanside also earn roughly $58,369, the 34th-highest median income for veterans across the study.

10. Peoria, AZ

Peoria, Arizona rounds out this year's top 10 rankings for the best places for military retirees. Peoria ranks in the top 20 cities for two metrics: percentage of veterans under the poverty line (3.6%) and percentage of population who retired veterans (3.36%). The median veteran income is $60,739, further demonstrating the areas strong economic environment for veterans.

Data and Methodology

To conduct our study, we compared 200 of the largest cities in the U.S. in eight metrics across three categories:

Military Retirement Friendliness

Percentage of the population who are veterans ages 65 and older. Data comes from the Census Bureaus 2021 1-Year American Community Survey.

Retirement communities per 1,000 residents. Data comes from the Census Bureaus 2020 County Business Patterns.

Estimated senior tax burden. This estimates the income and sales tax burden for seniors. Specifically, we calculated effective income tax rates based on a retiree earning $35,000 annually (from retirement savings, Social Security and part-time employment). We subtracted income taxes paid from gross income to determine disposable income. From there, we factored in sales taxes, assuming disposable income was spent on taxable goods. Data comes from SmartAssets tax calculators and Avalara.com.

Resources for Veterans

VA health facilities per 100,000 veterans. Data come from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Census Bureaus 2021 1-year American Community Survey.

VA benefits administration offices per 100,000 veterans. Data come from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Census Bureaus 2021 1-year American Community Survey. This metric is at the state level.

Economic Environment

Median veteran income. Data comes from the Census Bureaus 2021 1-Year American Community Survey.

Veteran poverty rate. This is the percentage of veterans living under the poverty line. Data comes from the Census Bureaus 2021 1-Year American Community Survey.

August 2022 unemployment rate. Data comes from the 2022 Bureau of Labor Statistics and is at a county level.

First, we ranked each city in each metric, assigning an equal weight to every metric, except for the percentage of the population who are veterans ages 65 and older and veteran poverty rate - both of which are double-weighted.

Then we averaged the rankings across the three categories listed above. For each category, the city with the highest average ranking received a score of 100. The city with the lowest average ranking received a score of 0. We created our final ranking by calculating each citys average score for all three categories.

Retirement Planning Tips

Is your retirement plan on track? SmartAssets free retirement calculator can help you calculate just how much money youll need to save before retiring.

Calculate your Social Security benefits. Social Security plays an important role in the retirement of most Americans. SmartAssets free social security calculator can help you estimate what your benefits will be based on your age and income.

Work with a professional. A financial advisor can help you assess what your income needs will be in retirement and create a plan to meet them. SmartAssets free tool matches you with up to three financial advisors in your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you. If youre ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.

Questions about our study? Contact press@smartasset.com.

Photo credit: iStock/annebaek

The post Best Cities for Military Retirees  2022 Edition appeared first on SmartAsset Blog.
Amprius Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:AMPX) Q2 2023 Earnings Call Transcript August 13, 2023

Operator: Good afternoon, and welcome to Amprius Technologies Second Quarter 2023 Earnings Conference Call. Joining us for todays presentation are the companys CEO, Dr. Kang Sun, and CFO, Sandra Wallach. [Operator Instructions] Please note that this presentation contains forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements regarding future product commercialization, new customer adoption and timing and ability of Amprius to build its large-scale manufacturing facility, expand its manufacturing capacity, scale its business and achieve a sustainable cost structure. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause Amprius results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements.

For a more complete discussion of these risks and uncertainties, please refer to Amprius filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Finally, I would like to remind everyone that this conference call is being webcast and a recording will be made available for replay on the companys Investor Relations website at ir.amprius.com. In addition to the webcast, the company has posted a shareholder letter that accompanies these results, which can also be found on the Investor Relations website. I will now turn the call over to Amprius Technologies CEO, Dr. Kang Sun for his comments. Sir, please proceed.

Kang Sun: Welcome, everyone, and thank you for joining us this afternoon. On todays call, I will report on our process and accomplishments at Amprius in the second quarter. And our CFO, Sandra Wallach, will discuss our financial results for the period. After that, I will share some closing remarks before opening the call for questions. Our second quarter demonstrated our business momentum and the growth potential. Amprius introduced new products and technologies, brought in more customers and delivered increased revenue. Our battery performance continues to command a firm leading position in the industry, highlight the Amprius ability to provide: 450 watt-hour per kilo specific energy density and 1,150 watt-hour per liter volumetric energy density; up to 10C power capability; the extreme fast charger rate of 0% to 80% state of charge in approximately six minutes; a wide operating temperature range of negative 30 degree Celsius up to 55 degree Celsius.

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And safety design features that enable us to pass the United States militarys benchmark and nail penetration test. Amprius has over 80 patents and extensive know-how in silicon anode manufacturing technologies. And its our belief that there are no other commercial battery on the market that can perform at these levels. Amprius has been in commercial battery production since 2018. So company has many years of experience, manufacturing high energy density and high-power density, lithium-ion batteries. Our priority today is to scale our manufacturing capacity to meet the average increase in demand of our solutions with the long-term goal of becoming a mainstream battery solution with applications across all segments of electrical mobility, including aviation and the EV industries.

Building our momentum from last quarter, we are diligently working to execute the strategy we laid out earlier this year. This quarter, we continued to develop a new products, build out our book of customers and the progress on our path to large-scale commercialization. I would now like to note a few highlights in each area. Beginning with our technological development, our second quarter includes a few key examples of our ongoing efforts to push the boundaries of what is possible in the high-performance battery space. First, earlier this month, we announced our newest product, the Amprius high-power high-energy battery cell. This cell displays unprecedent performance in the industry, delivering 400 watt hour per kilo energy density and the maximum power density of 4,400 watts per kilo with impressive continuous charger rate.

Amprius high-power cell technology is critically important to the electrical aviation industry, enabling the capabilities of EV costs and other high-performance electrical vehicles. We believe that we are close to shipping samples to interest partners and that we will be able to commercially ship this product in early 2024. Second, our silicon anode batteries recently powered BAE Systems first successful stratospheric flight. BAE Systems choose Amprius as its partner who is High-Altitude Pseudo Satellite Uncrewed Aerial System demonstrates that we believe its important to use an ultralight battery that also offers the necessary power to fly the aircraft. The HAPS program opens extensive possibility of future communication networks, including 4G and 5G.

Its versatile applications from disaster relief to border protection, present a compelling alternative to conventional airborne and satellite systems, and Amprius excited to play a part in the future. Third, we complete the U.S. Army Safe Cell Development Program, an important technical milestone to our business with the U.S. Army. We successfully delivered our 390 watt-hour per kilo safe cells with a gel polymer electrolyte, passing the rigorous military performance specification nail penetration test. When integrated into a battery pack, this cutting-edge technology more than doubles the energy density of existing solutions, significantly extending mission time. Also the part of the U.S. Army-funded Manufacturing Technology program, we are working closely with one of our partners to deliver conformal wearable batteries to the U.S. Army before the end of the year.

We believe that this is an important stepping stone to further developing our relationship with the U.S. military and specifically giving us entry points to the conformal wearable battery market estimates at $1.25 billion by 2030. Finally, we have a become an integral partner to several teams participating in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in October. For the event, each team designs, develops and pilot a solar-powered vehicle along a 3,000-kilometer continental Australian route. Amprius batteries superior performance attracted significant attention from teams entering the development process, and four teams chose Amprius batteries to power their solar cars. The high energy density and the high-power density capability of our batteries are critical for this application.

These are just a few of the ways Amprius is changing the battery landscape. We are constantly evolving our products to push our industrial boundaries and meet our customer performance goals. Turning to our business development efforts, we continued to see significant demand for our products in the second quarter. We shipped to 27 total customers this quarter, up from 16 in last years second quarter and up from 19 in the first quarter of this year. These customer relationships extend beyond technical engagements and with customers who have a placed product orders with Amprius. This includes repeat the customers like Airbus, AeroVironment and Teledyne FLIR will continue to show their support and demand for Amprius batteries with additional orders and commercial shipments.

We shipped to 10 new customers in the quarter as well, which indicates growing industry recognition and validation of our products. In addition, our pipeline of the potential customers remains strong. Two key ways that we bolster our pipeline are through the strategical technical engagements and prototype shipments. In the second quarter, we not only drove significant progress in our ongoing technical engagements, we also started a new technical engagement with a leading high-performance automotive OEM. This engagement is expected to be part of the joint development contracts we are finalizing with the manufacturer. Once finalized, we believe that this engagement will offer us another encouraging opportunity in the automotive space. As for prototype shipments, this quarter, we made site visits to two battery pack manufacturers to whom we started shipping samples in the fourth quarter of last year.

We believe that these visits serves as meaningful steps toward a significant potential demand from the aviation industry through 2025 and beyond. In addition to driving demand for our batteries, it remains a priority for our business to expand our production capacity to meet this demand. We believe that this is a critical part of our strategy, both in short-term, as we work to expand our Amprius Lab in Fremont, California and over the medium and long-term as we strive to achieve gigawatt scale manufacturing with Amprius Fab in Brighton, Colorado. Amprius Lab will allow us to increase our production capacity to 10x what it is today at year-end, providing enough capacity to both expand commercial shipments within our strategic accounts as well as shipped samples to our pipeline of potential customers.

Our expand Fremont production facility is designed to have a full lithium-ion battery manufacturing capabilities, including both anode and cathode production as well as automated cell assembly enabled us to further develop our capital technology and cell chemistry in-house. In the second quarter, we ordered the necessary equipment to begin executing our Amprius Lab retrofit and expansion, a process that we are on track to complete by the end of the year in hopes of having facility up and running entering 2024. We are also working diligently to meeting our project plan for Amprius Fab, our growth engine, which will allow us to reach high-volume manufacturing capacity. As a reminder, our planned 774,000 square foot large-scale production facility is part of the total site with over 1.3 square feet available for expansion, expected to be the first mass production site for the next-generation battery technology in the United States.

The initial phase of our buildout will provide a potential of up to 5 gigawatt hour with expansion capability for up to a total potential manufacturing capacity of 10 gigawatt hour. The Amprius Fab site is already equipped with electrical power and existing structure layout needed for gigawatt-scale lithium-ion battery factory, which will reduce our buildout costs and the time to market. We are now working through the Our goal is to be operational in 2025. And as of this call, we remain on track to meet this time line. This quarter, our engineering team worked with the central team in Germany to complete necessary silicon anode mass production improvement process testing and optimization efforts. The process once optimized, will be deployed at Amprius Labs manufacturing line and ultimately at Amprius Fab.

Both Amprius Lab and Amprius Fab will have a high-performance Amprius silicon anode battery manufacturing capabilities. I have one final update before I turn the call over to Sandra. We recently appointed Mary Gustanski as an Independent Director to our Board of Directors and our Compensation Committee. Mary is very versed in various challenges and opportunities in our industry and offers a unique and valued perspective to our Board. We are confident that our extensive automotive sector and the technical management experience will help us as we navigate and expand into new markets. With that overview complete, I will now turn the call over to our CFO, Sandra Wallach to review our financial results for the quarter. Sandra?

Lithium, Battery, Electric, Vehicle

Photo by Kumpan Electric on Unsplash

Sandra Wallach: Thank you, Kang. I would now like to spend a few minutes covering some key financial updates. As a reminder, our detailed financials can be found in our shareholder letter. We finished the second quarter with $1.6 million in revenue, a $0.9 million increase compared to $0.7 million in the same quarter last year. There were two main drivers of this increase. First, we drove a $0.6 million increase in product revenue. As Kang mentioned, our product revenue was largely driven by shipments to 27 customers this quarter, a quarterly record for Amprius. Also of these customers, five customers represented greater than 10% of revenue as compared to three such customers last quarter and two such customers in last years Q2.

Even though our product revenue remains largely driven by customer purchase orders that can arise at uneven times throughout the year, we have shown consistent new customer growth and diversification in recent quarters. Second, our Development Services revenue totaled $0.3 million, a reflection of the Army Safe Cell delivery we completed in the quarter. As noted in previous quarters, our development services revenue is intermittent based on revenue recognition timing. And as our capacity expands and more customers transition to commercial orders, we expect this revenue category to continue to decline as a percentage of overall revenue as we begin to process larger orders from a broader customer set and as our product revenue ramps even more.

Our government grant revenue was flat year-over-year for the quarter. Moving to our profitability metrics. Our GAAP gross margin was negative 186% in the second quarter, in line with our Q2 22 gross margin of negative 197% and better than our Q1 23 gross margin of negative 518% which was primarily impacted by nonrecurring start-up charges for our large-scale manufacturing facility. As the build-out continues and construction begins in earnest, we expect the scale-up related charges to increase. Still we are confident that our GAAP gross margin will begin to normalize as we approach our capacity expansion goals in the coming years. Now on to our operating expense management. Our GAAP operating expenses for the second quarter increased to $7.1 million, largely due to increased public company costs and additional targeted investments in R&D staffing.

Our GAAP net loss for the second quarter of 2023 was $9.4 million or a net loss of $0.11 per share. As of June 30, 2023, we had 86 million shares outstanding. Also, as of June 30, 2023, there were 72 full-time employees with those employees primarily based in our Fremont, California location. Our share-based compensation for the quarter was $0.9 million. Now turning to the balance sheet. We exited the second quarter with $65 million in cash, up $0.8 million from the last quarter and no debt. One of the key drivers of our cash activity for the quarter was $5.6 million used in operating activities. As discussed previously, our run rate for cash used in operating activities remains projected to be around $2 million per month, excluding audit and transaction-related expenses.

Other drivers include $1.7 million in build-out related investments and the expansion of our Amprius Lab facility in Fremont and $8.1 million in financing cash inflow from accessing our committed equity facility to fund our capacity expansion and operating cash requirements. Considering our business achievements and ongoing projects, we believe we are efficiently using capital to drive Amprius forward. Before I turn the call back over to Kang, I would like to take a moment to discuss our outlook. As mentioned last quarter, we have several ongoing development services programs with performance obligations that we expect to complete within 2023, which means we should see increased revenue recognition weighted more heavily towards the latter part of the year.

Also, we anticipate that our G&A costs will continue at the higher rate we experienced earlier this year when accounting for additional public company and transaction-related expenses. Also, we continue to expect to be capacity constrained until we exit 2023 when our new 2-megawatt hour capacity is projected to come online. That project, along with our build-out of Amprius Fab in Brighton, Colorado remain our top capital allocation priorities. We believe that we are on track with our prior CapEx projections, which are  that we expect to spend approximately $10 million to $12 million, completing the build-out of the Amprius Lab facility in Fremont by the end of the year, as well as $50 million to $80 million in the second half of this year as we start construction at Amprius Fab and begin to order long lead time equipment.

We expect to confirm the facility design and scale as well as provide a projected budget during the second half of this year. Our spending pattern is dependent upon several factors outside of our control, including the timing of rezoning approval for the Colorado site, so we expect to provide more specific projections as we have additional information to share. Overall, with the strength of our balance sheet and multiple vehicles to generate additional funding through both equity issuances such as warrants and sales under our committed equity facility and non-dilutive sources such as grants, loans and incentives, we believe we will have enough cash to execute on our strategic plan. With that, I will conclude the financial discussion and pass the call back to Kang.

Kang Sun: Thanks. Thank you. Id like to reemphasize a few key points before closing. First, Amprius silicon anode technology continues to demonstrate unmatched performance in the industry. Amprius batteries command a firm lead in 50 energy power charging time, time to performance and are uniquely positioned for the electrical mobility market. Second, Amprius batteries are commercially available today. We have been shipping commercial products since 2018 and our technological advancement continued to bring in significant customer demand. This quarter, we not only delivered repeated customers and expand our technical engagements. We added 10 new customers as well. Our demand pipeline is robust, and we look forward to further building out our customer book in the coming quarters.

Third, we are scanning our manufacturing capacity to serve the significant demand ahead exiting 2023. We will further prove out our largest scale manufacturing process and parameters with our 2-megawatt hour production line at Amprius Lab in Fremont. We also remain on track to build out Amprius Fab, our gigawatt-scale facility in Brighton, Colorado, which we expect to be operational entry in 2025. Finally, we are looking forward to several exciting milestones over the rest of 2023 before end of the year. We expect secured customer commitments to fulfill Amprius Fabs expect production capacity for 2025, deliver 500 watt-hour per kilo battery prototypes to select the customers, complete our megawatt hour scale silicon anode battery manufacturing facility at Amprius Lab and start Amprius Lab construction and complete our product line and facility equipment purchases.

As we look to the rest of the year, our strategy and focus at Amprius remains unchanged. We have a tremendous opportunity ahead with the product portfolio that positions us to both growth in aviation market and extend it to other industries, picking battery with leading performance. Opportunities from the Amprius are enormous, including the $1.25 billion conformal wearable battery market at 2030, the $49 billion aviation market by 2025, and the $67 billion EV battery market by 2025, all of which are Amprius growth path in coming years. 2023 has been a very productive year for company thus far. Our solid performance in this quarter has demonstrated our teams inability to deliver what we have planned and promised. Thank you for your continued support of Amprius Technologies.

With that, I will turn it back to the operator for Q&A.

See also 10 Most Promising Penny Stocks According to Analysts and 14 Hot Penny Stocks On the Move.

To continue reading the Q&A session, please click here.
Shareholders in SAF-Holland SE (ETR:SFQ) may be thrilled to learn that the analysts have just delivered a major upgrade to their near-term forecasts. Consensus estimates suggest investors could expect greatly increased statutory revenues and earnings per share, with the analysts modelling a real improvement in business performance.

After the upgrade, the five analysts covering SAF-Holland are now predicting revenues of 2.0b in 2023. If met, this would reflect a decent 12% improvement in sales compared to the last 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are presumed to grow 15% to 1.70. Previously, the analysts had been modelling revenues of 1.8b and earnings per share (EPS) of 1.47 in 2023. So we can see there's been a pretty clear increase in analyst sentiment in recent times, with both revenues and earnings per share receiving a decent lift in the latest estimates.

View our latest analysis for SAF-Holland

Despite these upgrades, the analysts have not made any major changes to their price target of 17.60, suggesting that the higher estimates are not likely to have a long term impact on what the stock is worth.

Taking a look at the bigger picture now, one of the ways we can understand these forecasts is to see how they compare to both past performance and industry growth estimates. It's clear from the latest estimates that SAF-Holland's rate of growth is expected to accelerate meaningfully, with the forecast 26% annualised revenue growth to the end of 2023 noticeably faster than its historical growth of 5.4% p.a. over the past five years. Compare this with other companies in the same industry, which are forecast to grow their revenue 5.1% annually. Factoring in the forecast acceleration in revenue, it's pretty clear that SAF-Holland is expected to grow much faster than its industry.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing to take away from this upgrade is that analysts upgraded their earnings per share estimates for this year, expecting improving business conditions. Fortunately, analysts also upgraded their revenue estimates, and our data indicates sales are expected to perform better than the wider market. Some investors might be disappointed to see that the price target is unchanged, but we feel that improving fundamentals are usually a positive - assuming these forecasts are met! So SAF-Holland could be a good candidate for more research.

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Using these estimates as a starting point, we've run a discounted cash flow calculation (DCF) on SAF-Holland that suggests the company could be somewhat undervalued. You can learn more about our valuation methodology on our platform here.

We also provide an overview of the SAF-Holland Board and CEO remuneration and length of tenure at the company, and whether insiders have been buying the stock, 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.
(Bloomberg) -- Javier Milei, the outsider who won Argentinas primary election this week, is starting talks with the International Monetary Fund over the countrys $44 billion program, a key piece of policy that will need to be addressed by the next administration.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Milei said his sister and campaign manager Karina received a call from IMF officials to set up a meeting following an upset victory on Aug. 13, without giving details on the still-to-be scheduled encounter.

Read more: Mileis Plan for Argentina: Dollarization, Scrapping Taxes

Were seeing how to approach the meeting, he said Tuesday in an interview with local radio station Radio La Red. We dont have a problem taking on the program with the IMF because we have a hypothesis about the adjustment that is a lot tougher.

Meeting different political leaders is part of the IMFs regular approach for officials working on Argentinas program, the funds largest. Before the primary vote, IMF representatives had already anticipated intensifying talks with opposition members to gauge how theyd want to address the $44 billion program, Bloomberg News reported last month.

An IMF spokesperson said such meetings are common.

In the case of presidential candidates, these engagements also allow staff to better understand key aspects of future potential economic policies, the IMF spokesperson told Bloomberg News.

Milei also said on Tuesday he would approach the programs fiscal targets by slashing public spending from the political sector.

The big difference in the program we are proposing is we are going to go against politics, the places where politicians rob, he added.

Story continues

--With assistance from Eric Martin.

(Updates with IMF comment in the fifth paragraph)

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Despite a daily loss of 2.42%, AvalonBay Communities Inc (NYSE:AVB) has managed to secure a 3-month gain of 2.27%. With an Earnings Per Share (EPS) of 8.89, the question arises: is the stock modestly undervalued? This article aims to provide a detailed valuation analysis of AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) to answer this question. Stay tuned for a comprehensive exploration of the company's financial performance and potential value.

Company Overview

AvalonBay Communities Inc (NYSE:AVB) is a leading real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns a portfolio of 276 apartment communities with over 82,000 units. The company is also developing 18 additional properties with over 5,000 units. AvalonBay Communities focuses on owning large, high-quality properties in major metropolitan areas of New England, New York/New Jersey, Washington D.C., California, and the Pacific Northwest.

With a current share price of $182.74, AvalonBay Communities has a market cap of $26 billion. The company's GF Value, an estimation of fair value, is $213.4. This comparison between the stock price and the GF Value hints at the potential undervaluation of the stock.

Is AvalonBay Communities (AVB) Modestly Undervalued?

Understanding GF Value

The GF Value is a proprietary measure that represents the current intrinsic value of a stock. It is calculated based on historical trading multiples, a GuruFocus adjustment factor based on the company's past performance and growth, and future business performance estimates. The GF Value Line on the summary page provides an overview of the fair value that the stock should ideally be traded at.

The stock of AvalonBay Communities gives every indication of being modestly undervalued, according to the GuruFocus valuation method. If the stock's share price is significantly above the GF Value Line, the stock may be overvalued, indicating poor future returns. Conversely, if the stock's share price is significantly below the GF Value Line, the stock may be undervalued, suggesting high future returns.

Story continues

As AvalonBay Communities appears to be relatively undervalued, the long-term return of its stock is likely to be higher than its business growth.

Is AvalonBay Communities (AVB) Modestly Undervalued?

Link: These companies may deliver higher future returns at reduced risk.

Financial Strength

Companies with poor financial strength pose a high risk of permanent capital loss to investors. To avoid this, it's crucial to review a company's financial strength before deciding to purchase shares. Key indicators of financial strength include the cash-to-debt ratio and interest coverage. AvalonBay Communities has a cash-to-debt ratio of 0.09, which ranks better than 58.64% of companies in the REITs industry. The overall financial strength of AvalonBay Communities is 5 out of 10, indicating fair financial strength.

Is AvalonBay Communities (AVB) Modestly Undervalued?

Profitability and Growth

Investing in profitable companies, especially those with consistent profitability over the long term, is less risky. AvalonBay Communities has been profitable 10 out of the past 10 years. Over the past twelve months, the company had a revenue of $2.70 billion and an Earnings Per Share (EPS) of $8.89. Its operating margin is 30.9%, which ranks worse than 72.55% of companies in the REITs industry. Overall, the profitability of AvalonBay Communities is ranked 8 out of 10, indicating strong profitability.

Growth is a crucial factor in the valuation of a company. The 3-year average annual revenue growth rate of AvalonBay Communities is 3.6%, which ranks better than 63.23% of companies in the REITs industry. The 3-year average EBITDA growth rate is 9.6%, which ranks better than 68.88% of companies in the REITs industry.

ROIC vs WACC Comparison

Comparing a company's return on invested capital (ROIC) to its weighted average cost of capital (WACC) can also evaluate a company's profitability. ROIC measures how well a company generates cash flow relative to the capital it has invested in its business. WACC is the rate that a company is expected to pay on average to all its security holders to finance its assets. If the ROIC exceeds the WACC, the company is likely creating value for its shareholders. In the past 12 months, AvalonBay Communities's ROIC was 4.25 while its WACC came in at 8.15.

Is AvalonBay Communities (AVB) Modestly Undervalued?

Conclusion

In summary, the stock of AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) gives every indication of being modestly undervalued. The company's financial condition is fair, and its profitability is strong. Its growth ranks better than 68.88% of companies in the REITs industry. To learn more about AvalonBay Communities stock, you can 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.


(Bloomberg) -- BlackRock Inc., MSCI Inc. and other firms are bracing for tighter oversight following a congressional probe over investments in Chinese companies deemed to be national security threats and an executive order curtailing specific investments there.

Most Read from Bloomberg

More than 2,000 US mutual and exchange-traded funds  particularly those tracking indexes  have $294 billion invested across Chinese stocks and bonds, according to data compiled by Bloomberg, though not all of that money is invested in companies facing lawmakers scrutiny.

Vanguard Group, BlackRock, Fidelity Investments and DWS Group manage funds with investments in China, some of which are the type that Congress is investigating.

The Biden administration last Wednesday signed an executive order limiting US investments in China in key technology industries. Separately, on July 31, the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party alleged BlackRock funds are investing in Chinese companies acting against US interests, demanding the asset manager hand over documents about the inclusion of Chinese firms in its funds.

The ties between the two countries businesses havent frayed as much as a lot in Washington would like, Martin Chorzempa, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said in a phone interview. Certain lawmakers would like to push for more of a decoupling.

Last weeks order was narrower than expected, frustrating lawmakers who are pressing for tougher curbs on money flowing to Chinese firms. While the order applies mainly to private equity and venture capital firms, Congress may use the mandate as a springboard to grill money managers about investments in China.

Story continues

Read More: Biden Narrows China Investment Order as US Seeks Better Ties

The order is a baseline that will likely be ratcheted up over time, particularly in terms of covered technology sectors, Laura Black, senior counsel at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld law firm, said.

Bigger Problem

The Biden order restricted investments in semiconductor, quantum computing and artificial intelligence firms, and was narrowed during almost two years of deliberations to a more cautious approach. The order, which will likely take effect next year, may end up excluding passive investments as well as those in publicly traded securities, index funds and other assets.

US Representative Mike Gallagher  a Wisconsin Republican and chairman of the House select committee on China  said in an email that he and his colleagues are focusing on publicly listed stocks, bonds and ETFs tied to China.

But the executive order doesnt touch those, Gallagher said. If we want to stop American money funding military contractors and human rights abusers in the PRC [Peoples Republic of China], then Congress needs to step up and wrestle with this much bigger problem.

Gallagher and his committee have homed in on BlackRock, the worlds largest money manager, and MSCI, one of the countrys biggest index providers.

The select committee on China alleges BlackRock has five funds with more than $429 million invested in Chinese companies acting against US interests.

The funds had investments in 20 companies tied to one or more of the governments watch lists, according to the committee.

BlackRock declined to comment, and pointed to an earlier statement that it would respond to the House committee and that it complies with applicable US laws. MSCI said its engaging constructively with the House committee, and that it doesnt manage, recommend or facilitate investments in any country.

As the worlds largest money manager, BlackRock was more likely to get the spotlight at the beginning of this investigation, according to Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at ETF data and analytics company VettaFi.

BlackRock is one of many asset managers that provide exposure to emerging markets and the Chinese market specifically, Rosenbluth said. If this is something for Congress to be concerned about, it is not coming from one index provider and one asset manager  it is a broader industrywide event.

In the past few years, the US government has ramped up oversight of investments in China, spawning a range of government watch lists that asset managers have to navigate.

The Defense Department keeps a list identifying Chinese military companies, while the Department of Homeland Security tracks Chinese companies that use forced labor.

A third list, managed by the US Treasury, restricts the purchase or sale of securities in certain Chinese military-industrial companies while also allowing money managers and US investors to maintain current holdings in those firms. The Treasury Department says the list doesnt apply to all of a companys subsidiaries or related entities.

US mutual funds and ETFs have many holdings in securities related to firms on different US government lists because of the different levels of restriction.

The $73 billion Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF, for example, has almost a third of its assets allocated to China and has shares of CGN Power Co. Ltd. and Inspur Electronic Information Industry Co. Ltd., according to Bloomberg data as of July 31. These two specific entities arent on the Treasury list; China General Nuclear Power Corporation, which Treasury says is known as CGN, and Inspur Group Co. Ltd do appear on the list.

DWS Groups $2.2 billion Xtrackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares ETF has about $8 million in shares of China CSSC Holdings Ltd., according to the Bloomberg data. That entity isnt on Treasurys list, while China State Shipbuilding Corporation, which Treasury says is known as CSSC, is on the list.

It could get even more complicated to invest in China.

US Senators John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, and Bob Casey, a Pennsylvania Democrat, have led the effort to attach a provision to US national defense legislation requiring greater notification about US investments in China. The measure passed the Senate with broad bipartisan support.

Were complying with applicable US regulations and closely watching developments, Kenny Juarez, an Xtrackers spokesperson, said in an email.

Vanguard is in full compliance with the Treasury list, the company said in a statement. Fidelity declined to comment.

--With assistance from David Cohne.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

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SINGAPORE, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Quantum computers have the potential to decrypt sensitive data transmitted across ordinary networks, posing a threat to the security of the digital economy. Industries with sensitive and long-lasting data, such as financial services, are particularly at risk from these attacks.

Achieving a quantum-secured future with Toshiba Quantum Key Distribution technology

Malicious actors have already begun collecting encrypted data, anticipating a future breakthrough in quantum computing that would enable them to decrypt it. These attacks, known as "harvest now, decrypt later," target industries like banks and government departments, taking advantage of the slow aging of important data. To address this, organizations must be proactive and ensure their networks are protected by quantum-safe encryption well in advance.

For the full multimedia release, click here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/9189251-toshiba-quantum-key-distribution-technology/

Quantum secure networks are the only solution to protect data from interception and decryption, even by quantum computers. Adopting these networks aligns with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal of developing reliable, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure.

Toshiba's Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) is an example of a quantum-secure method of data transmission that distributes ultra-secure encryption keys, making networks resilient against quantum threats. Toshiba's QKD technology has been developed over two decades and can be deployed over existing fiber networks, making it a mature and world-leading solution.

Toshiba Quantum Key Distribution technology

In February 2022, JPMorgan Chase, Toshiba, and Ciena collaborated to demonstrate the viability of the first Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) network, ensuring security for mission-critical blockchain applications. In March 2022, Toshiba Group and KT joined forces for Quantum Key Distribution pilot projects in South Korea. In April 2022, EY became the first commercial customer for the Quantum-Secured Metro Network (QSMN), the World's first commercial trial for QKD network built using Toshiba QKD hardware and key management software across BT's fibre network. And recently in July 2023, HSBC became the first bank to join the UK's pioneering commercial quantum secure metro network.

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In Southeast Asia, Toshiba launched a Quantum Networks EXperience Centre (QNEX) located in Singapore and operated by its partner SpeQtral Pte. Ltd. (SpeQtral) to demonstrate quantum key distribution (QKD) technology and its real-world applications in securing critical infrastructure and sensitive data. A joint partnership between SpeQtral and SPTel recently submitted proposal to the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) to build National Quantum-Safe Network Plus (NQSN+) in Singapore.

Toshiba QKD Development Timeline

By adopting quantum-secure methods, financial institutions can protect sensitive data, secure customer trust, and prepare for the quantum era. Toshiba is committed to developing solutions that protect the security of people and organizations from emerging threats.

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Cision

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/building-a-quantum-secure-future-with-toshiba-301898567.html

SOURCE Toshiba Corporation
The new Casey's store in Ankeny is the first to feature an updated logo.

Expansion-minded Casey's General Stores is continuing its acquisitions, announcing Tuesday it plans to purchase of 63 convenience stores in Kentucky and Tennessee.

The current owner of the Mini Mart and Certified Oil stores is EG America, the U.S. division of EG Group, based in the United Kingdom.

The purchase price was not disclosed. Casey's and EG said in a joint news release that the deal is expected to close later this year.

Ankeny-based Casey's, which says it has more than 2,500 locations, is the third-largest U.S. convenience store chain, according to a January ranking by convenience store news website CSP. Westborough, Massachusetts-based EG American is fifth in the ranking, with 1,682 stores.

'Excellent strategic fit' for Casey's, says CEO

A Certified Oil store.

The acquisition will boost Casey's presence in the two states, where it lists a few dozen locations.

"This opportunity is an excellent strategic fit as we look to add locations in Kentucky and Tennessee, which are both within our existing distribution footprint," Casey's CEO and President Darren Rebelez said in the news release. "We look forward to serving more guests in these markets and welcoming the team members from this transaction into the Caseys family.

EG America President Nick Unkovic in the release called Casey's "an excellent operator" and said EG believes "these stores and team members will continue to thrive under their ownership.

The release said Casey's expects to retain the existing employees.

Casey's in June announced it plans to add 350 stores over the next three years, keeping pace with the previous three years. It currently has stores in 16 states, with most of them in Iowa, Illinois and Missouri, where it recently bought 26 Minit Marts in the Kansas City metro.

Rebelez at the time named Tennessee specifically as one of the states where Casey's planned to expand.

Casey's also is rated the fifth-largest U.S. pizza chain. Its stock closed at $248.51 on Tuesday, down 27 cents from Monday's close.

Story continues

Kum & Go sale remains incomplete after almost five months

The Casey's acquisition comes as Iowa's other convenience store chain, Des Moines-based Kum & Go, approaches the fifth month since it announced it would sell its stores to Salt Lake City-based Maverik. So far, there has been no indication of when the deal will close, and Boise, Idaho, business news website BoiseDev reported Aug. 7 that Kum & Go is moving ahead with plans to build stores in the region, where it will compete with existing Maverik locations.

More: Kum & Go launches new app, rewards program in midst of sale to Maverik

Kum & Go has previously declined to comment on the status of the sale.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Casey's buys Kentucky, Tennessee convenience stores from EG America
SANTIAGO, Chile, August 15, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ceibo, a Chilean advanced copper extraction technology company, announced today that BHP Ventures has joined as investor, closing its Series B financing for over USD 30 mn to accelerate its primary and secondary sulfides leaching process.

Ceibo has put together a consortium of world leading financial investors and mining companies, which are collaborating and supporting the commercial role of its low carbon technology. They include Energy Impact Partners, leading the Series B, and a syndicate of mining-focused investors, including CoTec Holding, Audley Capital, Orion Industrial Ventures, Unearth Capital and Opalton (Pincus Green), in addition to the existing investors Khosla Ventures and Aurus Ventures.

The Chilean company is focused on continued onsite testing and engineering during the last quarter of this year. The technology developed by Ceibo targets chalcopyrite and other refractory copper minerals containing 70%+ of known copper reserves.

Ceibo has developed a broader set of clean technologies in recent years that are being operated by Ceibos team in different mining districts, helping to achieve more efficient operations and generating a positive environmental impact.

"This capital increase, together with the strategic support of investors like BHP Ventures, will help us accelerate plans to deploy our technology globally and meet societys needs, " said Cristobal Undurraga, Ceibo CEO and Co-founder.

About Ceibo:

Founded in Chile, the world's largest copper-producing country, Ceibo has assembled a diverse team of 60 seasoned professionals from several relevant industries, that includes scientists, engineers, and mining operators, all committed to creating a more sustainable future for mining and society.

Over the last years it has developed a set of clean technologies that have been successfully scaled-up and are being operated by Ceibos team at some of the largest mines in the world, bringing more efficient operations and a positive environmental impact.

Story continues

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815396943/en/

Contacts

Mauricio Campusano

Cellphone number: +569 9 799 5055

email: mcampusano@vincularlab.com
ORMOND BEACH  An online auction is underway for the vast collection of memorabilia and unusual artifacts from the late Hawaiian Tropic founder Ron Rice's estate.

Some items are available for in-person viewing Mondays and Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the warehouse for Dunn's Attic consignment shop at 136 W. Granada Blvd. in Ormond Beach.

Here are five items that caught our eye:

Ron Rice's lion

This stuffed and mounted lion used to be displayed in the great room at the Ormond Beach mansion of the late Hawaiian Tropic founder Ron Rice. It is seen here in the cafe at Dunn's Attic on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023 among thousands of items from Rice's estate now up for bid in an online auction at dunnsattic.com.

A stuffed real lion that belonged to Rice is now displayed in the cafe at Dunn's Attic. The lion was shot and killed by a friend of Rice's in 1984 after the wild beast went on a murderous rampage in South Africa that claimed 28 lives.

"Anybody that was in Ron Rice's home would remember this lion," said Dunn's Attic owner Wes Dunn. "It was in the middle of the great room on a big marble pedestal."

The big bronze bear

Wes Dunn, owner of Dunn's Attic consignment shop in Ormond Beach, leans against a bronze bear statue on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023 while surrounded by items from the late Hawaiian Tropic founder Ron Rice's vast collection. An online auction of Rice's estate at dunnsattic.com is underway in multiple rounds through November.

Another item up for bid is a life-sized bronze bear statue that also was displayed in the great room at Rice's mansion.

Presidential nesting dolls

Nesting dolls are among the many items from the late Hawaiian Tropic founder Ron Rice's vast collection on display in the warehouse at Dunn's Attic consignment shop in Ormond Beach Monday, Aug. 14, 2023. An online auction of Rice's estate will continue in multiple rounds through November.

Rice's estate included several sets of nesting dolls including two of past U.S. presidents.

"(Rice) entertained a lot of people including politicians," said Dunn. "I was at a party when (former Vice President) Al Gore was there."

Hand-carved live-edge furniture

Wes Dunn, owner of Dunn's Attic consignment shop in Ormond Beach, points at a hand-carved live-edge wooden chair and footstool Monday Aug. 14, 2023. They are among the many items from the late Hawaiian Tropic founder Ron Rice's vast estate up for bid in an online auction at dunnsattic.com through November.

Rice owned several pieces of one-of-a-kind hand-carved "live-edge" wooden furniture (made from natural rough-hewn pieces of wood). "All were carved by a local artist," said Dunn.

Extensive collection of Cuban street art

Cuban street art on the one of the walls at the warehouse for Dunn's Attic consignment shop in Ormond Beach are among the many items from the late Hawaiian Tropic founder Ron Rice's vast collection up for bid Monday, Aug. 14, 2023. The online auction at dunnsattic.com is expected to continue in multiple rounds through November.

Rice's estate included a large collection of Cuban street art that he personally picked out during visits to Cuba.

"What he did, as I understand it, when he was in Cuba, he was walking down the street and all of the street vendors, he would just say, 'I'll buy all of them,'" said Dunn. "From what I understand, if he liked something, one was good, 10 was better."

Who was Ron Rice?

Rice, the founder of Hawaiian Tropic sun tan lotion, died in May 2022 at age 81. He was a local high school chemistry teacher when he concocted his lotion to sell to beachgoers from the back of his pickup in the 1960s.

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His company became an international sensation, thanks in part to the Miss Hawaiian Tropic beauty pageants Rice hosted to promote his products.

Rice sold his company in 2007 to Playtex, which in turn was acquired by Energizer that same year. The Hawaiian Tropic plant on North U.S. Highway 1 in Ormond Beach continues to employ hundreds as part of an Energizer spin-off called Edgewell Personal Care.

Online auction still adding new items daily

Dunn said "hundreds of items are being added daily" to the online auction which is expected to continue through the end of November. For details, visit dunnsattic.com.

RICE'S MANSION: Hawaiian Tropic founder Ron Rice's Ormond home is for sale. Here's a look inside.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Unusual auction items from the late Hawaiian Tropic founder's estate
Museum staff at the Art Institute have ratified their first collective bargaining agreement, a year-and-a-half after they led a then-nascent charge to unionize workers across some of Chicagos major museums.

Staff at the Art Institute were the first at a major Chicago museum to unionize when they voted to do so in January 2022. Union members work in roles spanning the museums operations and include art installers, curators, custodians and retail staff.

Museum staff were joined by employees at the Art Institutes affiliated school, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, to form the Art Institute of Chicago Workers United. The staff voted to join the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, a public service union that also represents staff at museums such as the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Nontenure-track faculty at the Art Institutes school later voted to join the union; they are still in the process of bargaining for their first contract.

More than 500 workers at the museum and school are covered by the new collective bargaining agreement, which AFSCME Council 31 said included scheduled wage increases and three weeks required notice for layoffs. The contract was ratified by a 95% vote in favor of the deal, said Anders Lindall, a union spokesperson.

Museum and school staff will see their wages rise between 12.25% and 16.25% over the course of the four-year contract, with lower-paid members seeing higher increases, the union said. The contract will also raise the wage floor from the citys $15.80 minimum wage to $17 immediately and to $18 in 2025, according to Lindall. Staff will continue to be eligible for merit raises, the union said.

We have a seat at the table, said Myia Brown, assistant director in the schools career services department and a member of the unions bargaining committee. That is like the biggest overarching goal that we had, and we got that.

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The contract requires open positions to be posted internally with qualified in-house candidates guaranteed an interview, the union said. It will also establish a joint labor-management committee that will meet to continue to evaluate the museums pay structure, Brown said.

The Art Institute deeply values its employees and is happy to have reached a contract agreement that meets the needs of our staff and allows us to continue providing a world-class education and cultural experience, said Alexandra Holt, the Art Institutes executive vice president for finance and administration, in a statement. This process has been an important step in building the future of our institution and we are so pleased to all move forward together.

Since the Art Institute staff unionized last year, staff at Chicagos Museum of Science and Industry, the Field Museum, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Lincoln Park and the Newberry Library, a research library on the Near North Side, have all voted to unionize with AFSCME Council 31.

Museum workers across the city have told the Tribune they see joining a union as a way to secure higher pay and less precarious working conditions.

At the Art Institute, the impact of furloughs and layoffs during the pandemic exacerbated existing concerns museum staff had about their working conditions, employees said. The wave of unionizations within museums over the last several years is part of a broader trend of organizing in workplaces where unions have traditionally struggled to take root, such as in the retail and food service industries.

Anna Feuer, acquisitions and collections manager in the Art Institutes library, said a lack of transparency surrounding museumwide decisions that affected staff, such as letting vacant positions go unfilled or cutting paid time off, led in part to workers decision to unionize.

It really was a pastiche of issues that affected not just our day-to-day work life, but the prospect of the Art Institute and the School of the Art Institute as places where you can build your career and make a living, said Feuer, who has worked at the museum for almost nine years.

AICWU has accused museum management of slow-walking contract negotiations, which the museum has denied. Shortly before reaching a tentative agreement with the museum at the end of July, the union began raising money for a strike fund.

They didnt want us to have a union, they didnt want us to have a contract, Feuer said. Every time we did an action, a public action to draw attention to what was happening, they moved. There was progress.

In a statement, the museum said management came to every session prepared and focused on reaching a contract that is both fair to staff and supports the future of the institution.

The Art Institute union also includes more than 600 adjuncts and lecturers at the museums affiliated school, who voted overwhelmingly to join the labor organization last winter. Art Institute faculty have said they were spurred to organize over what they described as low pay and a two-tier system of wages and benefits they say created a permanent underclass of contingent faculty compared with tenured instructors at the school.

The faculty are in the process of bargaining for their first contract with school management, Lindall said.
The News

Chinas National Bureau of Statistics announced that it would stop publishing its monthly youth unemployment rate Tuesday, saying that it needed to conduct in-depth research to improve its methodology. The move comes after China reported several record-high figures for youth unemployment  the latest being 21.3% in June.

Days before, Beijing rolled out a set of 24 new guidelines to bolster foreign investment in a bid to revive its flagging economy.

Weve curated news and analysis on the potential impact of the new economic measures.

Insights
In becoming the owner of three KFC stores, Clinton Lewis achieved a long-held dream.

Origin Story

At the age of 16, Lewis could be seen working at the KFC in Spanish Harlem, NY. His motivation stemmed from his humble beginnings, having been raised by his mother, Shirley Lewis, who had 10 children. His grandfather and grandmother, Norman and Iris Lewis, had worked relentlessly to help the family move from Belize to the United States. By 1989, Lewis family had successful made it.

We came to this country when I was about 10, 11 years old, Lewis told AfroTech in an interview. My grandfather and grandmother worked really hard to bring us over here to this country. We ended up in Harlem, New York. The crime and drugs was very high back then. There were a lot of young kids getting caught up in a lot of mischief, which led to imprisonment or far worse, but the work ethics  which my grandfather instilled in us  kept me on a straight arrow. Also seeing how hard my working mother, as a single mom, took take care of us.

Lewis did not intend on taking for granted the sacrifices of his family. He worked an entry-level position as a cook at the fast-food chain, and within one year, Lewis was promoted to shift manager by Alvin Borrows, a man he will forever hold in high regards.

He took me under his wing and saw my hard work and positive mindset. He took a liking to that, Lewis said.

The Decision To Remain With KFC

You dont always find that your first job will become your second home light years ahead. Yet, this is the case for Lewis, who is 44.

He came to that realization while leading a busy shift, with a few callouts as a junior shift manager. What could have been a chaotic day was instead met with a constant flow of products and satisfied customers.

This didnt escape the attention of KFC Regional Director Scott Waters when he walked into the store that day.

I was able to put some people in place making sure we had product available, work well as a team, and coordinate, and continue to make the line move and customers happy, Lewis explained. Customers didnt notice that we were short-staffed. And who popped in was the regional director at that time, and he was so inspired by the way I handled my shift and how I communicated so well with my team members that he recognized me and said, Clinton, youre doing such a great job. You know what? I would just like to recognize you. And here goes $100 as a token of appreciation, just for all that youre doing. That acknowledgement and kindness really stood out for me, and that made me want to stay with the company. 

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Interest In Becoming A Franchisee

Lewis would scale his involvements in the company just one year later, becoming a general manager with KFC from 1999 to 2003. It was during this time period that he grew his knowledge of the business and learned how to increase company profit. During this season, he felt emboldened to own a KFC franchise in the future.

I started to more understand the business in terms of the sales we generate, the profits and the inner workings of the KFC brand. Then I said to myself, Someday I can see myself owning a few of these and that has always been my goal since then, he expressed.

A Dream Come True

His desire would manifest in 2023. Today, Lewis is a proud owner of three KFC stores in Baltimore, MD.

This follows after serving eight years as an area manager for KFC, where he expanded the operational restaurants across New York from 12 to 20. In 2011 he then became director of operations for KEDIS Enterprises, a multi-brand franchise organization that has maintained an annual revenue of over $50 million.

It means the world to have my dreams and my goals come true, Lewis told AfroTech. To be the first person in my family to have a franchise, to see the hard work of what my grandfather and grandmother struggled for come to fruition. It means the world because I know this is what they wouldve wanted for me.

Reaching the milestone presented its challenges. Yet, when Lewis was looking to put pen to action in 2022, he felt supported by KFC to carry forward.

Of course the challenge was the capital, but all that Ive done within the brand, my network, and my leadership, the brand was able to see my potential and work alongside with me and enable me to get that capital needed to become a franchisee, Lewis expressed.

Looking ahead, Lewis sees great opportunity to reinvest back into the neighboring communities of the storefronts.

Reinvesting in the community is by opening more locations in the Baltimore area, which will of course provide jobs, get people motivated, he detailed. Having our KFC foundation, having team members have access to those educational programs that the KFC Foundation provides, things like that to get them working and working toward their goal.
miakievy / Getty Images

The rapid surge of artificial intelligence is changing the workplace. While much has been said about the technologys potential threats  replacing jobs  another trend is emerging in parallel: companies searching to hire AI-skilled employees and being ready to pay top dollar for them.

See: 7 Ways To Earn Money on Upwork With ChatGPT

Find: 5 Ways To Use AI To Generate Passive Income

The Wall Street Journal reported that companies are competing to lure talent and looking to avoid losing out to rivals, with salaries almost reaching seven figures.

For instance, Netflix has a job posting regarding a product manager position for a machine-learning platform. The position offers a total compensation of up to $900,000 annually, according to the posting.

And The Wall Street Journal reported that online dating platform Hinge is looking for a president of AI  a job that comes with a base salary of $332,000 to $398,000 a year. Meanwhile, a vice president of AI and machine-learning position at Upwork boasts an advertised salary of $260,000 to $437,000 a year, a senior manager of applied science and generative AI at Amazon lists a top salary of $340,300 and Walmart is hiring for a position on its conversational AI team. Walmart is offering a base salary of $168,000 to $252,000 annually.

According to Peter Cohan  associate professor of management practice, Babson College  while fear mongers wail about how many jobs generative AI will destroy, the reality is more complicated.

Cohan said generative AI will create some new jobs, will remove the drudgery from many other jobs and will  as many fear  eliminate jobs.

Yet, he also noted that of the new jobs generative AI will create, only a tiny fraction of workers have the education and experience required to attract offers topping $1 million.

The average worker will not qualify for such jobs and is unlikely to be able to obtain the education and experience needed to qualify before the generative AI boom levels off, said Cohan. My first thought when I read generative AI jobs were going for $900,000 was that those high salaries were typical of an expanding bubble. How long that bubble expands before bursting depends on whether companies can keep investing in high payoff generative AI applications to justify employing such pricey talent. If generative AI does not pay off, those highly paid people could find themselves out of a job.

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Also: 10 Best ChatGPT Prompts To Use for Making Money

As The Wall Street Journal explained, some companies said they would need to train existing employees to take on AI projects because there are too few mid-level or senior employees with the desired skills. Doing so is also expensive.

AI talent is hard to get. Its expensive. And at the same time, it is highly selective, Bill McDermott, ServiceNows CEO and chairman, told The Wall Street Journal. People want to go to places where they not only can prosper financially, but they can work on things that inspire them because they have ultimate choice.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Could High-Paying AI Careers Become a Trend? Inside $250K+ Jobs at Walmart, Amazon and More
Community Preservation Partners (CPP)

PALM SPRINGS, Calif., Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CPP (Community Preservation Partners), a mission-driven affordable housing preservation developer, has announced the acquisition of Sunnyview Villa in Palm Springs, Calif., a community of one- and two-story buildings reserved for residents earning between 30% and 60% AMI. CPPs renovation and investment will renew the propertys affordability status for an additional 55 years.



Located at 2950 N. Indian Canyon Road in North Palm Springs near the historic Racquet Club West neighborhood, the 44 units at Sunnyview Villa will undergo extensive renovations to improve residents quality of life.

Sunnyview Villa was built in 1980 and has experienced deferred maintenance over the years. Improvements to the apartment interiors will include installation of new kitchen cabinets and countertops, low-HOV vinyl flooring, Energy Star appliances and energy efficient lighting. Exterior renovation will include new roofing, energy efficient lighting in common areas and painting of all structures. Additional work will upgrade the ADA path of travel to be compliant.

Technological improvements include the addition of a computer room, security video surveillance, in-unit wireless internet, a social coordinator and transportation options.

CPP is partnering with LifeSTEPS to create a program for residents health and wellness. Services include effective educational and supportive services designed to maximize resident strengths and build resilient communities.

The value that LifeSTEPS brings is a big part of the communitys renovation, said Karen Buckland, Vice President of Development at CPP. We have worked with the organization in the past and they have proven to be integral in setting up an important support system for residents.

CPPs total development investment is expected to be approximately $20.7M, with a purchase price of $11.25M and an expected renovation investment of approximately $89,000 per unit. Renovations are expected to be completed in December 2023.

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Development partners on the project include WNC & Associates, which is providing 4% tax credit equity, bond issuer California Municipal Finance Authority and Red Stone Equity Partners. It is through partnerships like these that CPP is able to provide essential social services to residents, support neighborhood initiatives and transform multi-family affordable housing communities.

About Community Preservation Partners

In 2004, Community Preservation Partners was established by our parent company, WNC & Associates, a national investor in affordable housing and community renewal initiatives. Since then, CPP has successfully acquired, developed, and rehabilitated more than 11,000 affordable multifamily and senior housing units nationwide. From the very beginning, theyve done things differently. As more than a consultant or an investor, CPP is a true partner in every sense. By joining leading nonprofits and strategic partners, they can provide essential social services to residents, support neighborhood initiatives and transform multifamily affordable housing communities. Creativity, Performance, and Purpose are their core values and embody everything they do. Together they define A Different Way to Home for their excellent employees, partners, and communities. Visit https://www.cpp-housing.com/.

CONTACT: MEDIA CONTACT IDEA HALL Rachel Fuller Rachel@ideahall.com




Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP, a prominent investment firm, recently reduced its stake in Playa Hotels & Resorts NV. This article will provide an in-depth analysis of the transaction, the guru's profile, and the traded company's basic information. The data used in this article is accurate as of August 15, 2023.

Profile of Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP

Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP is a renowned investment firm based at 65 East 55th Street, New York. The firm holds 277 stocks in its portfolio, with a total equity of $3.07 billion. Its top holdings include Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META), Playa Hotels & Resorts NV (NASDAQ:PLYA), T-Mobile US Inc (NASDAQ:TMUS), Vistra Corp (NYSE:VST), and ARKO Corp (NASDAQ:ARKO). The firm's top sectors are Consumer Cyclical and Communication Services.

Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP Reduces Stake in Playa Hotels & Resorts NV

Details of the Transaction

On August 10, 2023, Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP reduced its stake in Playa Hotels & Resorts NV by 400,000 shares, a change of -2.64%. The shares were traded at a price of $7.36 each. After the transaction, the firm holds 14,742,519 shares of Playa Hotels & Resorts NV, representing 3.54% of its portfolio and 9.98% of the company's total shares.

Profile of Playa Hotels & Resorts NV

Playa Hotels & Resorts NV is a Netherlands-based company that operates all-inclusive resorts in prime beachfront locations in popular vacation destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean. The company's segments include Yucatan Peninsula, Pacific Coast, Dominican Republic, and Jamaica. The majority of its revenue comes from the Yucatan Peninsula segment. The company's market capitalization is $1.08 billion, and its current stock price is $7.28. The company's PE percentage is 24.27. According to GuruFocus, the company's GF Value is 11.46, indicating a possible value trap.

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Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP Reduces Stake in Playa Hotels & Resorts NV

Stock Performance and Rankings

Since its IPO on November 10, 2015, Playa Hotels & Resorts NV's stock has decreased by 24.56%. However, the stock has gained 18.18% year-to-date. The company's GF Score is 70/100, indicating a potential for average performance. The company's Financial Strength is ranked 4/10, its Profitability Rank is 5/10, its Growth Rank is 2/10, its GF Value Rank is 8/10, and its Momentum Rank is 9/10.

Stock Financials and Industry Position

Playa Hotels & Resorts NV's Piotroski F-Score is 7, indicating a healthy situation. The company's Altman Z score is 1.02, suggesting it is in the distress zone. The company's cash to debt ratio is 0.25, and its interest coverage is 1.55. The company operates in the Travel & Leisure industry.

Stock Growth and Momentum

The company's revenue growth over the past three years is 1.70%, and its EBITDA growth is 6.80%. The company's RSI 5 Day is 25.48, its RSI 9 Day is 27.54, and its RSI 14 Day is 30.10. The company's Momentum Index 6 - 1 Month is 6.98, and its Momentum Index 12 - 1 Month is 12.81.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP's recent reduction in its stake in Playa Hotels & Resorts NV is a significant move. The transaction has reduced the firm's exposure to the Travel & Leisure industry and may impact the performance of its portfolio. However, given the company's GF Score and other financial indicators, the firm's decision may be a strategic move to optimize its portfolio. Investors should monitor the situation closely for any potential implications.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


People pause outside a souvenir shop on Oxford Street

Oxford Streets decline risks becoming the blueprint for Britains high streets if ministers fail to support regeneration efforts, retail chiefs have warned.

A report authored by the Retail Sector Council, whose members include the chief executives of Sainsburys, Boots and Primark, urged ministers to support the industry by reforming competition law and levelling the playing field between online retailers and bricks-and-mortar stores.

Richard Pennycook, the former Co-op chief executive and co-chairman of the council, said more towns and cities were at risk of becoming wastelands because of a lack of incentives for retailers to invest in stores.

It comes amid a mounting row between Marks & Spencer and Michael Gove, the Housing Secretary, over the future of its flagship Oxford Street store.

Mr Gove rejected proposals last month by M&S to bulldoze and rebuild its flagship Marble Arch store to make way for a multi-million pound regeneration of the site.

M&S bosses said the decision to block its Marble Arch refurbishment would have a chilling effect on investment decisions - Hollie Adams/Getty Images

Mr Pennycook, who is also the former chairman of department store Fenwick, said the Government needed to be very mindful of encouraging regeneration on Britains high streets.

He added: If we dont incentivise regeneration, then these places are getting hollowed out. Perhaps a sort of secondary benefit of the current discussion around Oxford Street is that it brings it closer to home.

What are we collectively going to do about that? The last five years in Chester, Northampton, pretty much any large town in the UK, this has been going on.

The Retail Sector Council was set up in 2018 to bring the Government and industry together to address challenges for the sector. It is co-chaired by Kevin Hollinrake MP, the minister for small business.

Its report said the rise of online shopping meant retailers were deciding to close stores, which then meant shopping centres became less attractive places to visit. This in turn encouraged more consumers to go online or to larger shopping centres further afield, it said.

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The report added: This is the vicious spiral faced by many towns and high streets  the more stores that close, the more stores that are likely to close.

The council also urged ministers to step in and help retailers when misplaced competition and other laws prevent the industry from helping itself.

It used the example of the Governments ban on plastic carrier bags, which it said had damaged the environment and cost retailers hundreds of millions of pounds, ultimately leading to higher prices for consumers.

The report added: Competition law prevented the industry from co-operating to reduce usage of plastic carrier bags, so it required uncontroversial Government action to solve the issue. There are other ways the industry can work together with the Government on similar issues.

Michael Gove blocked the redevelopment of Marks & Spencers Oxford St store as it would fail to support the transition to a low carbon future - Yui Mok/PA Wire

Retail chiefs said the demise of high streets would ultimately hit the tax take for the Treasury, as fewer people would be employed, so National Insurance and income tax would both fall.

Dave McCarthy, a retail analyst and senior advisor to HSBC Investment Bank, who also sits on the council, said there needed to be joined up thinking by the government departments to understand the bigger picture.

He said: Without the Government stepping in, then the tax take will fall, employment will fall and society will suffer.

M&S chief executive Stuart Machin has said Mr Goves decision to block its Marble Arch refurbishment would have a chilling effect on investment across the country.

However, Mr Gove blocked the decision on the basis that it would fail to support the transition to a low carbon future, by demolishing the building rather than repurposing it.

M&S has since warned it may have to exit the flagship store, although it could choose to launch a statutory challenge to the decision.

The retailer argued the plans were vital to help revive the shopping area, which has been struggling with higher crime rates, empty sites and a surge in US-style candy stores.

In a letter to the Telegraph last week, Sacha Berendji, operations director at M&S, said an incident on Oxford Street which saw police arrest nine people and issue 34 dispersal orders was another reminder of how bad things are for the future of the district.

The incident is thought to be linked to a social media campaign which called on followers to rob JD Sports and other stores on the street.

Mr Pennycook said planning issues were just one of a number of roadblocks to helping with the regeneration of local areas.

Its also a question of what is the overall structure for investment and of local leadership, and incentivisation of people to regenerate those towns and communities. Because, if those things arent there, then there are big properties which are just left to sit there rotting.

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.
This summer has been one of flash flooding  New England, the southern High Plains, mid-South, Pennsylvania and more areas of the U.S. have seen dangerous flood conditions already this summer.

These heavy rainfall events could increase by 52% in the Northeast by the end of the century because of climate change, researchers previously told USA TODAY.

Looking to stay prepared? The Federal Emergency Management Agency has a public flood insurance policy, the National Flood Insurance Program but there are also many private market options to choose from. Heres some basic information about coverage details.

July 11, 2023 : At least 15 vehicles were submerged in flood waters at a Park & Ride in Richmond, Vt.

What does flood insurance cover?

Flood insurance is separate from homeowners insurance and covers physical damage directly caused by a flood.

Policies and coverage options vary based on the insurance carrier, although there are two different types of coverage available under NFIP  building and contents. Heres what building flood insurance covers, according to NFIP:

Electrical and plumbing systems

Furnaces and water heaters

Refrigerators, cooking stoves, and built-in appliances

Permanently installed carpeting

Permanently installed cabinets, paneling, and bookcases

Window blinds

Foundation walls, anchorage systems and staircases

Detached garages

Fuel tanks, well water tanks and pumps and solar energy equipment

Heres what contents coverage protects:

Personal belongings such as clothing, furniture and electronic equipment

Curtains

Washer and dryer

Portable and window air conditioners

Microwave oven

Carpets not included in building coverage

Valuable items up to $2,500

Damage that isnt the direct result of flooding will not be covered by flood insurance. Here are a few examples of items that arent covered by flood insurance:

Temporary housing and expenses incurred during building repairs

Property outside of the insured building

Financial losses due to business interruption

Cash

Precious metals

Stock certificates and other valuable papers

Cars

Personal property kept in basements

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Flash flood warnings: Here's what to know about this deadly weather hazard

Does flood insurance cover basements?

In the NFIPs eyes, a basement is any area of a building with a floor that is below ground level on all sides. The NFIPs standard policy covers cleanup and basement items that are installed or connected to a power source. This may include central air conditioners, fuel tanks, furnaces, water heaters electrical outlets, elevators, and stairways, among other items. You can view the full list here.

Does flood insurance cover rain damage?

According to FEMA, if river overflow or rain causes flash flooding that enters the home, its likely covered because its known as a direct result of flooding. Flash flooding occurs when heavy rainfall surpasses the grounds ability to absorb it. It can also occur when enough water accumulates for streams to overtop their banks.

If the water comes through a covered structure or a damaged roof, its known as wind-driven rain or water damage as a result of wind damage and is likely not covered by your flood insurance, FEMA says.

Does flood insurance cover storm surge?

Yes  NFIP policies cover damage to your home caused by storm surge. A storm surge is when a massive amount of water builds up and comes ashore during a hurricane.

Does flood insurance cover burst pipes?

Burst pipes are typically covered by homeowners insurance, not flood insurance. Youll want to check with your individual policy, though  FEMA states that NFIP covers plumbing systems. But if they burst of their own accord or without being impacted by rain, they likely wont be covered by flood insurance.

Does flood insurance cover sewer backup?

Sewer backup is covered only if it's a direct result of flooding, NFIP says.

Do I need flood insurance?

Flood insurance is not federally regulated, though many lenders require property owners to buy flood insurance at closing. Homes and businesses with a government-backed mortgage within FEMAs 100-year flood zone are required to have flood insurance.

There are several ways to assess your propertys risk. DJ McClure, vice president of business development at National Flood Experts, recommends looking for your property on the map to understand the proposed flood elevation. You can also do this by looking at Google Earth or by purchasing an elevation certificate, which FEMA says documents your buildings elevation to determine flood risk and insurance cost.

If buying a property, it's good practice to talk to some neighboring properties to understand if any nearby bodies of water or potential flood sources have caused flooding issues in the past, McClure wrote in an email to USA TODAY.

According to McClure, qualified insurance brokers can aid in lowering flood insurance costs  theyll know how to properly evaluate the building and seek out an engineering-based consulting service if needed.

When is hurricane season?: The information you need to stay prepared

Just Curious for more? We've got you covered

USA TODAY is exploring the questions you and others ask every day. From "When is tornado season?" to "Why is yawning contagious?" to "Is Uber safe?", we're striving to find answers to the most common questions you ask every day. Head to our Just Curious section to see what else we can answer for you.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What does flood insurance cover?
Laceys Place, an Illinois-based chain of bars and gambling parlors, alleges in a lawsuit that the village of Dolton and Mayor Tiffany Henyard has not renewed its municipal liquor license for political reasons.

The underlying reason for the Villages refusal to renew Laceys Places liquor license is due to the Mayor of Doltons refusal to renew licenses to establishments who did not support or contribute to her political campaign, attorneys for Laceys state in the lawsuit, filed July 31 in Cook County Circuit Court.

In response, attorneys from the Del Galdo Law Group, representing the village and Henyard, asked that the case be moved to federal court, arguing because Laceys claimed Dolton violated its due process rights under the U.S. Constitution and Illinois Constitution, it is a federal case.

Del Galdo Law Group declined to comment and Laceys attorney did not respond to several requests for comment. Neither Laceys Place, the village or Henyard responded to requests for comment.

The original lawsuit by Laceys claims its liquor license for its Dolton location expired earlier this year through no fault of its own.

Laceys Place was told by Village agents that the Village is refusing to renew all liquor licenses until the Village completes its tax audit, the lawsuit reads. However, the Village stated that they would continue to allow all businesses to operate past the expiration of their local licenses until completion of the audit.

Laceys Place and similar institutions need a municipal liquor license and a state license to sell alcohol. Laceys Place stated its state liquor license expired the day the motion was filed and in order for them to renew the state license, the Dolton location must have an up-to-date municipal liquor license.

However, records indicate the state renewed its liquor license for Laceys Dolton location through the end of July 2024. The Illinois Liquor Control Commission did not immediately respond to a request as to why it renewed Laceys Dolton liquor license despite its municipal liquor license having expired.

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The suit also claims gaming licenses in the state can only be provided to businesses with working liquor licenses, so this Dolton holdup threatens use of its gambling machines.

The suit asks the court to require Dolton to renew Laceys Places municipal liquor license. It also seeks reimbursement of legal fees.

The lawsuit doesnt state specifics on the allegation the liquor license delay is political. It does say the refusal to renew the license was made without any reasonable basis and without an administrative hearing or decision.

Illinois State Board of Election records indicate Laceys Place has not donated to Friends of Tiffany Henyard, the mayors campaign fund.

Records show several other Dolton bars that have state liquor licenses have donated to Henyard although it is not unusual for a candidate to receive donations from local businesses. A law firm called Delgado Law Group with the same address as the law group representing Henyard and the village has donated $14,700 to Friends of Tiffany Henyard.

The Dolton Park District planned to file a lawsuit naming defendants including the village and Henyard, but no information about whether the complaint had been filed was available late Tuesday.

Dolton authorities had erected concrete barriers at a park where the car show was to have been held this past Saturday, according to the Park District.

The car show was being held by Darin Bosley, who had received a permit from the Park District to hold the event.

At the news conference Tuesday Park Board President Cleo Jones declined to detail what allegations the districts lawsuit may make.

He said the villages actions to close the park represented a full takeover of Park District property, which is a separate entity, with its own governing board and tax levy, from the village.

We have to send a strong message to the village of Dolton, Jones said.

Daily Southtown reporter Mike Nolan contributed to this article.
Congratulations, you found an apartment in the highly competitive Knoxville rental market! You're now a renter.

What are your rights?

You are entitled to quiet enjoyment of the property and access to utilities and basic living conditions like water, heat and electricity. How nice.

In return, you are responsible for paying rent on time, keeping the property clean and following the rules outlined in your lease. Breaking the rules could lead to a poor relationship with your landlord, fines or even eviction.

Evictions, of course, are a worst-case scenario. But they can happen.

Attorney Emily Cala of Legal Aid of East Tennessee said the organization works with about 30 eviction cases a week, and it's a time when renters' right come into play.

"The rent prices are so just outrageous that it's getting hard for people who wouldn't normally have a hard time to pay because if something comes up," Cala said. "You lose your job, you get hurt, your car breaks down, and you're paying more than 30% of your income a month for rent."

On the flip side, your landlord could break the terms of the lease, in which case you'll need to know your rights and you may need to take legal action. But how do you know when you need to hire a lawyer? And how can you build your case?

Renters, don't fret. We've got you covered.

Emily Cala is staff attorney at Legal Aid of East Tennessee, an organization that assists renters when they face eviction.

Read your lease

The map to your rights as a tenant is laid out in your lease. Make sure you read that document thoroughly before you sign it.

"There are a lot of things in lease agreements that I think kind of (get) brushed over," Cala said.

Your lease should cover the property's policy on pets, the amount required for a security deposit and what constitutes grounds for eviction.

Jed McKeehan of Knoxville's McKeehan Law Group recommends never replying to a property owner verbally. While verbal agreements are legally binding, it's better to get things in writing in case you end up in court.

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McKeehan also recommends you keep a copy of your lease (either physical or digital) to refer back to in case any issues arise or you need to take legal action.

Pay your rent. No matter what.

The biggest misconception McKeehan said he sees is the idea that a renter doesn't have to pay rent if something isn't fixed.

If something is broken, like the air conditioner or heater, it's on the landlord to get it fixed. However, there's no timeframe they're required to meet. Even if you're not getting all the amenities you paid for, you still need to pay rent.

"Never ever withhold any kind of rent for maintenance issues unless (a) lawyer tells you to," Cala said.

You do have a five-day grace period to pay your rent, which Cala said is important to remember. For example, if you can't pay on the first of the month, you have until the end of the day on the fifth to pay.

How can you get evicted?

You can get evicted for anything if it violates your lease.

Evictions can be triggered, for example, from renters damaging property or having unauthorized overnight guests. But Cala said nonpayment of rent is the most common reason for eviction.

Eviction is a multistep process:

A landlord has to give either a 30- or 14-day notice in writing. However, they have the option to issue a 3-day notice if a renter does something dangerous or threatening.

A landlord then must file a detainer warrant.

You will receive a court date where the judge will decide about the warrant and you can plead your case.

If the judge rules to evict you, you have 10 days to leave the property.

You can't be forced out of your home prematurely or evicted without written notice.

However, if you miss that five-day grace period for payment, a landlord doesn't need to give you a written notice if there is a notice waiver in your lease. If there is one, it should be obvious. Cala said it needs to be in 12-point font and in bold.

The waiver should say that if you don't pay your rent after five days, Cala said, a written notice of eviction can be waived.

Cala recommends always calling a lawyer if you're getting evicted.

How can you get your landlord's attention?

If your landlord is being difficult or not respecting the lease, you can push back instead of resorting to moving.

Of all the complaints he sees, McKeehan says worries about a bothersome landlord are the most common. Mostly this is when a landlord doesn't give you notice before they come onto the property.

Your landlord needs to give you a written or verbal 24-hour notice before they enter the property unless it is an emergency like a flooded basement.

There is a remedy. Cala said renters should write dated letters and follow up with emails to try to get issues resolved. The process creates a paper trail that can be used in court if things escalate to that level.

Just remember to be kind and professional with your writing. No need to let the expletives fly.

"I've seen people really get into it with their landlords over (unresolved complaints) and then they end up getting evicted for it," Cala said. "Always just stay calm and treat it as a business interaction almost."

What can you do if you need help?

If you end up needing legal assistance, the Tennessee Department of Health recommends consulting with a lawyer or, if you qualify based on income level, calling Legal Aid of East Tennessee at 865-637-0484, or visiting laet.org.

If you qualify, Cala said the services are free at Legal Aid of East Tennessee.

There are three situations in which Cala suggests seeking legal help:

If you're getting evicted.

A landlord is not accommodating your needs based on a disability.

If you've given a written notice asking to have utilities fixed, and the landlord hasn't addressed them for 14 days.

If you're in need rental assistance, there are a few organizations that can help:

Call 211 to get connected to resources you need.

Call Family Promise, an organization that help families with housing stability.

Call the Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee, which can help with utilities and those over 60 could get resources from CAC's Office on Aging.

You can also submit a complaint to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, or the Tennessee Human Rights Commission if you feel you are being discriminated against based on disability, race or more.

Regardless if you feel you're being treated unfairly, Cala said you should ask for help. After all, you are paying good money to live there.

"Don't be afraid to stand up for yourself," Cala said. "Always stay polite. And if there's any question they can always call us."

Evictions in Knox County

Eviction filings in Knox County declined from 1,402 in 2021 to 1,361 in 2022, according to data from the Knox Eviction Hub, a joint data set from the city and county.

Filing continued to decline in 2022, getting down to 82 filings in December, but then shot up to 281 in January.

The large amount of evictions are likely attributed to the end of the Knox Housing Assistance program, which gave those affected by COVID-19 up to 18 months of rental assistance.

The program ended Dec. 29, 2022.

Silas Sloan is the growth and development reporter. Email silas.sloan@knoxnews.com. Twitter @silasloan. Instagram @knox.growth.

Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Renters' rights in Tennessee: Evictions, lease rules, landlord notice
Sundry Photography / Getty Images

Thousands of Americans shop at Walmarts across the country. Besides often being the closest store available, Walmart offers good prices on groceries and other items. But you can take the savings even further. Within this article, we will look at 11 ways to save even more money on your next Walmart shopping trip.

Costcos Best Deals? Employee Reveals 10 Standout Buys for Your Money

Find Out: How To Save $200 on Your Grocery Bill Every Month

Do: Buy Walmart Brand Items

Walmarts store brand is called Great Value, and theyre often cheaper than their name-brand equivalents. Sometimes these products are even the same as the name-brand equivalents. Other times, the product may be close enough that it doesnt make a difference but can save you money.

Do: Use the Walmart App

There are a few ways that you can save money with the Walmart app. The app lets you easily search for Rollback items, which are items that have temporarily dropped in price. You can also view other sale items (in addition to Rollback items) in the Savings Spotlight section of the Walmart app.

Do: Use Reward or Cash-Back Apps

Many apps offer rewards and cash back for buying groceries or other items from places like Walmart. Some popular apps include Shopkick, Ibotta and Rakuten. Most of these apps are free and offer cash back when you scan your shopping receipt.

Utilizing shopping rewards apps like Shopkick gives you kicks or rewards, just by walking into stores, scanning products on the shelf and making purchases, said Brad Godwin, senior vice president and head of partnership at Shopkick. Once enough kicks are accumulated, users can receive a free gift card to Walmart delivered digitally to their phones.

Do: Use Cash-Back Browser Extensions or Shopping Portals

If you purchase items from Walmart.com, you can install a browser extension that could save you money. Some popular browser extensions are Rakuten, Honey and Capital One Shopping. These can be downloaded and installed for free on your desktop or laptop computer. After youve installed them, you simply click a button to activate them before making a purchase at Walmart.com. The rest of your shopping experience is the same as it would be without the extension.

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With a browser extension, youll receive cash back on your online purchase. The amount youll earn will depend on the app and how much it pays for Walmart.com purchases. Some browser extensions may even run coupon codes for you at checkout.

Some of these browser extensions, like Rakuten, also function as a cash-back shopping portal. To use them, you have to first go to the shopping portals (Rakuten) website. From there, you will search for Walmart. Youll then head to Walmart.com by clicking through the shopping portal website. When you complete your purchase at Walmart.com, youll receive cash back on your purchase.

Some credit cards also offer shopping portals that can be used with Walmart.com. You can often earn extra credit card points by shopping at Walmart.com through the credit card portal  in addition to the points you would normally get from making purchases with your credit card.

Do: Pay Attention to the Price Tag

Did you know the price tag can actually tell you a lot about the deal youre receiving on a product from Walmart?

The Walmart price tag gives away whether the item you choose can go cheaper, said Jimmie Hamilton, founder and CEO of Hi Home Picks. If the price ends with 7, you are paying the total price for the item. It represents the original price of the product. However, if the price ends with 5 or 0, it is the first markdown. So, it indicates that the item can go cheaper. Finally, the price ending with 1 is the final markdown price. The item will not be available at a lower price.

The next time youre shopping at Walmart or on Walmart.com, pay attention to the price because it will give you an indication of whether an item is going to be marked down even further.

Do: Use Walmarts $4 Prescription Program

Walmart has a $4 prescription program for many generic prescriptions. The program provides many generic drugs at $4 for up to a 30-day supply and $10 or more for 90-day supplies. Higher dosages cost more. Prices will vary by state.

I Flip Thrift Store Finds: Here Are the 14 Things I Always Make a Profit On

Do: Take Advantage of the Price-Match Policy

Walmart will price-match items purchased in a U.S. Walmart store to the price of the identical item advertised on Walmart.com. To take advantage of the price-match policy, you have to let the Walmart associate know of the price at the time of checkout. The identical item must be currently in stock and available to purchase on Walmart.com at the time the price match is requested. Price match is not available in Alaska, Puerto Rico or Hawaii.

Walmart will not match competitors prices, items purchased from Walmart.com that later decrease in price, prices available through Marketplace or offered by third-party sellers, Walmart.com prices that are on special events or bundle offers, instant rebates, mail-in offers, offers that include financing, advertisements that require a purchase to receive a gift card, percentage off or buy-one-get-one free advertisement without a specified price.

Do: Buy Refurbished Electronics

Walmart sells refurbished electronics, like TVs or laptops, which can be significantly cheaper than buying new electronics. Refurbished electronics are sold in the Walmart Restored program. The refurbished electronics are all certified to work and operate like new ones, so you shouldnt have any issues. However, if you do, the refurbished electronics have a 90-day minimum warranty, so you dont have to worry about wasting money if the refurbished electronic item you purchased was faulty.

Do: Check the Clearance Section

It might already be common knowledge that you can save money by buying items from the clearance section, but the clearance sections at Walmart can sometimes be entire aisles.

Not every Walmart store offers such a large clearance section, but it is still worthwhile to check out. Clearance items are marked with bright yellow tags. They also can be found through Walmart.coms clearance category.

Do: Get Free Shipping

Walmart offers free two-day shipping on orders of $35 or more. Some products may even qualify for free same-day shipping.

To save money, avoid placing online orders for less than $35. If your order is less than $35, you can often ship it to a Walmart store for pickup for free (but only on eligible online-only merchandise).

Do: Get Walmart+

Walmart+ may not always save you money, but it could be worth it in certain situations. The Walmart+ program gives you free same-day grocery delivery on orders of $35 and more. Same-day grocery deliveries usually cost you $7.95 per delivery; so, if you order weekly, Walmart+ will save you over $400 per year in fees alone.

Rivaling Amazon Prime, Walmart+ offers free next-day and two-day shipping from Walmart.com without a minimum order amount. Walmart+ also gives you access to Walmart Rewards, Walmarts cash-back rewards program. With Walmart+, youll save 5 cents per gallon on gas at Walmart gas stations, Murphy gas stations and Sams Club fuel centers.

Dont: Ignore Pickup Discounts

Walmart offers a pickup discount that encourages shoppers to pick up their online orders in store rather than having them shipped. The discount can range anywhere from 5% to 15%.

Taking advantage of the pickup discount makes sense when youre purchasing something rather large and the discount is significant, or when your order doesnt qualify for free shipping and youre going to be near the store anyways.

Dont: Buy More Just To Get Free Shipping

Orders of $35 or more qualify for free shipping on Walmart.com. If your purchase doesnt qualify, you need to consider all of your options before adding something else to your shopping cart.

Start by seeing whether the item is available for pickup at a nearby Walmart store. If its not, check other retailers and see whether they carry the item at a similar price. If you find the item and the cost is less than what it would be to purchase from Walmart and pay for shipping, then it would make sense to purchase it from the other retailer.

Dont: Ignore the Holiday Aisles After the Holiday Has Passed

Walmart can be a great place to purchase decorations for most holidays. However, you shouldnt pass by these aisles once the holiday ends. This is when Walmart typically marks items way down, and it can be a great time to pick up things for next year at discounted prices. Discounts are typically 50% off the day after and then up to 90% if the items remain after a few days.

A Walmart+ subscription costs $12.95 per month or $98 per year. Be sure to run the numbers to make sure Walmart+ will save you enough money to cover the cost of the membership.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Dos and Donts of Shopping at Walmart: 14 Money-Saving Tips
Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com has denied speculation that its billionaire founder Richard Liu Qiangdong and his wife Zhang Zetian had emigrated to the US, crushing the latest rumours surrounding the personal life of one of the country's most well-known entrepreneurs.

The Beijing-based firm wrote on its Weibo account on Monday that gossip circulating on social media, alleging that the couple had moved to the US or spent more than US$100 million there to buy luxury homes, were fabricated. It added that the company had reported the case to Chinese police.

In a letter attached to that post, a lawyer at Beijing-based law firm Jincheng Tongda & Neal, which represents the couple, warned that legal actions would be taken against any parties spreading the "false information", which had "seriously damaged the reputation of Liu and Zhang".

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.

The statement comes amid efforts by the Cyberspace Administration of China, the top internet regulator, to quash online misinformation regarding private entrepreneurs and their businesses, in a bid to shore up private-sector confidence.

Richard Liu and wife Zhang Zetian. Photo: YouTube alt=Richard Liu and wife Zhang Zetian. Photo: YouTube>

Any attempt by a Chinese private entrepreneur to transfer assets to the US or apply for residence permits in foreign countries is usually interpreted by Chinese netizens as a sign of disloyalty to the country.

Following media reports last year that Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group Holding, had been living in Tokyo for months, the retired business magnate also officially denied that he had migrated to Japan. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.

There has been no public evidence showing that Liu and Zhang, who was dubbed "Milk Tea Sister" after an image of her holding a cup of bubble tea as a high school student went viral online, had emigrated to the US or purchased property there.

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However, Zhang was said to have bought a four-bedroom, five-bathroom penthouse at Stamford Residences, a luxury apartment building located in the historic Sydney neighbourhood of The Rocks, for US$12 million in 2015, months before her wedding ceremony in Australia. She reportedly sold the flat for US$16 million in 2018.

Liu, who founded JD.com in 1998, grabbed headlines in 2018 after a Chinese student at the University of Minnesota accused him of raping her while he was in Minneapolis for a week-long residency as part of the school's doctor of business administration programme.

Liu was briefly detained by local police and flew back to China hours after his release. Local prosecutors later decided not to prosecute him, citing lack of evidence. The student then filed a civil suit against Liu, which the two parties settled last year.

Liu has since kept a low profile, along with most other Chinese tech moguls.

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.
Embraer S.A. (NYSE:ERJ) Q2 2023 Earnings Call Transcript August 14, 2023

Embraer S.A. beats earnings expectations. Reported EPS is $0.32, expectations were $0.12.

Unidentified Company Representative: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. And welcome to the Audio Conference from Embraer's Financial Results for the Second Quarter of 2023. Thank you for standing by. The numbers of this presentation contain non-GAAP financial information to facilitate investors to reconcile Eve's financial information and GAAP standards to Embraer IFRS. We remind you that EVve results were discussed in Eves teleconference. It's important to mention that all numbers are presented in US dollars as it is our functional currency. At this time, all participants are in listen only mode. Later we will conduct a question-and-answer session and instructions to participate will be given at that time. Should you require assistance during the conference, please use the Q&A button on the platform.

As a reminder, this conference is being recorded and webcasted at ri.embraer.com.br. This conference call includes forward-looking statements or statements about events or circumstances which have not occurred. Embraer has based these forward-looking statements largely on its current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends affecting the business and its future financial performance. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions including, among other things, general economic, political and business conditions in Brazil and in other markets where the company is present. The words believes, may, will, estimates, continues, anticipates, intends, expects and similar words are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

Embraer undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements because of new information, future events or other factors. In light of these risks and uncertainties, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed on this conference call might not occur. The company's actual results could differ substantially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Participants on today's conference calls are Francisco Gomes Neto, President and CEO; Antonio Carlos Garcia, Chief Financial Officer; and Leonardo Shinohara, Director of Investor Relations. I would like now to turn the conference over to Francisco, who will proceed with the first remarks. Please go ahead, Francisco.

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Francisco Gomes Neto: Good morning. And thank you all for joining our second quarter 2023 results call today. Aircraft deliveries reached 47 jets in the quarter, a strong increase of 47% compared to the second quarter last year. Revenue grew significantly, 57% in Commercial and 42% in Executive. Even with the higher deliveries, backlog remains stable at $17.3 billion with strong sales performance in Executive Aviation. We have been able to reduce and extend the duration of our debts. Our operational and financial guidance for the year remain unchanged. On the next slides, highlights of our business units. In Commercial Aviation, we reported a strong revenue growth of 57%, as mentioned before, and an EBIT increase of 70% compared to the same quarter last year.

Adjusted EBIT margin increased from 4.9% to 5.3% on a year-on-year basis. We announced recently new operators in Asia, Scoot from Singapore, SKS from Malaysia and Royal Jordanian in the Middle East. In Europe, the new order from Binter, totaling now 16 E2 jets. In the US market, American Airlines announced a [firm] order of seven new E175-E1 jets. This is an important highlight as it shows that pilot shortage situation is improving in the US, with new orders for E175-E1s an important segment for Embraer. We also have additional firm sales of $700 million from undisclosed customers in the beginning of the third quarter. Executive Aviation continues with a strong book-to-bill of 2:1. Adjusted EBIT margin at 8.8% compared to 9.5% in the same period last year.

We announced this quarter a very relevant deal with NetJets of up to 250 Praetor 500 jet options, along with a comprehensive services and support agreement valued at $5 billion. Our portfolio is very well positioned with a backlog growing quarter-over-quarter with a resilient price discipline. On Defense, the delay of new contracts and revenue recognition are impacting margins. Adjusted EBIT margin dropped from 16.9% to minus 4.1%. We expect it to recover in the coming quarters. We have several sales campaigns gaining momentum and we hope to make announcements in the second half of the year. On Services & Support, our year-to-date revenue has increased by 13% to $666 million. Our EBIT margin increased from 12.5% to 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year.

We signed a letter of agreement with the Chinese Lanzhou Aviation Group for the conversion of 20 jets to freighters. This is an important movement of Embraer returning to the Chinese market. On the next slide, some updates about Eve's numbers and my response. We have announced the first production facility in Taubate and also a joint venture with the Japanese Nidec, world's leading electric motor manufacturer, to develop electric propulsion systems for the aerospace sector. [Its] backlog is now totaling 2,850 letter of intents valued at $8.6 billion, the highest in the industry. The company has 28 eVTOL customers in 14 different countries. Our Vice President of Services & Support, Johann Bordais, was named as the new CEO of Ev eto lead the next phase of the company.

I will now hand it over to Antonio to give further details on the financial results, and we will be back with closing remarks.

Pixabay / Public Domain

Antonio Carlos Garcia: Thank you, Francisco, and good morning, everyone. We had another solid quarter with nearly all metrics moving higher when compared to the first quarter of this year and the second quarter of last year. Slide 8, now on to deliveries. Embraer delivered 47 jets in the second quarter, 17 in Commercial and 30 in Executive. This is up 47% compared to the second quarter of last year and more than 3 times the delivered from the first quarter of this year. Hence, we are very pleased to announce in our Commercial segment deliveries of E2s continue to grow. We had seven E2 deliveries in the quarter, up 40% compared to the first quarter and up more than 100% compared to the second quarter of last year. E2 demand continues to grow worldwide.

Deliveries in Executive continues to increase as well with 30 delivers in Q2. It was the highest second quarter in the last seven years. As a result, we are confirming the delivery outlook in our Commercial and Executive business. Slide 9, our third quarter backlog ended the quarter at $17.3 billion consistent with the last three quarters. In Executive, strong demand continues for Embraer Phenoms and Praetors aircraft as the year-to-date book-to-bill ended the second quarter at 2:1. This stability in our backlog is accretive to the guidance growth and profitability, giving us a steady and reliable stream of cash flow that strengthens our balance sheet. Moving to revenue. We ended the second quarter with approximately $1.3 billion of net revenue, $273 million or 27% above the same period last year.

Year-to-date, revenues are above $1.2 billion with all four business units posting higher first half revenue in 2023 compared to the 2022, with over 60% of the revenue to be realized in the second half of this year as the entire company commits to deliver more aircrafts and services to our customers. Slide 10. Second quarter adjusted EBIT was $100 million and adjusted EBITDA was $149 million, both better than the second quarter of 2022. Adjusted EBIT and EBITDA margins were a few basis points lower than the second quarter of last year due to the nonrecurrence of several onetime benefits we had in early 2022. We are reaffirming our adjusted EBITDA and EBITDA margin guidance for this year. In Slide 11, free cash flow excluding Eve was minus $11 million in the second quarter, basically breakeven.

As a reminder, last year we had a cash inflow from a divestment in Europe, which benefit our free cash flow in the second quarter of 2022. This year, we already forecasted working capital usage to build up inventory needed to meet our production requirements for the remainder of the year. We will recover this outflow in the second half of the year with higher aircraft deliveries. Our outlook remains unchanged with free cash flow at $150 million or better. Moving to investments. We funded $56 million of research and development and invested $25 million in CapEx for an investment total of $80 million in the second quarter, similar to the last quarter. The majority of this went to fund the development of our passenger to freighter conversion initiatives and invest in capacity expansion of our Services & Support business units.

On net results, our adjusted net results were $58 million, $12 million better than the second quarter of last year, $147 million better than the first quarter. It's important to highlight that reported net results were negatively impacted by noncash mark-to-market [difference] in the amount of $53 million. Our adjusted net margin was 4.5% equal to the second quarter of last year. Slide 12. As seen on this slide, I'm happy to share with you the $500 million plus cash tender of our corporate [bonds]. This cash tender was to reprofile our debt, strengthening our balance sheet and reduce our overall liabilities. As previously announced, we recently placed $750 million seven year bonds in July 2023 and used the proceeds to increase our duration from three to five years.

The positive impact on this [liability] management plan can be seen in the chart at the bottom of the slide, our $2.3 billion liquidity position with Eve strengthened by our reprofiled liabilities. And combined with future cash flow, we allowed us to cover our debt maturity obligation well past 2028. Our net debt [excluding] Eve at the end of the second quarter was $1.459 billion, as shown at the top [center] of the slide. This is up slightly from the first quarter due to the increase of working capital previously mentioned. Our leverage ratio showed to the upper right is at 3 times, a decrease from 4.7 times in the same period one year ago. It's important to point out the positive results from our business unit is what allowed us to execute our liability management plan.

Embraer is now very well positioned to move forward in the years ahead. With that, I conclude my presentation and hand it back to Francisco for his final remarks. Thanks for your attention.

Francisco Gomes Neto: Thanks, Antonio. The Q2 results showed [Technical Difficulty] that we are making consistent progress in our journey to improve the financial performance to deliver sustainable growth in the near future. There are several ongoing sales campaigns, especially in Defense and Commercial Aviation, and we are confident to share announcements in the coming quarters, combined with even better results in line with our guidance for the year. On top of that, the aircraft [slots] on the production line for deliveries in 2024 and 2025 are practically filled for Commercial Aviation and Executive Jets, which will result in a sustained increase in our revenue and profitability. Thanks again for your interest and confidence in our company.

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To continue reading the Q&A session, please click here.
By David Carnevali

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Esmark Inc majority owner and chief executive James Bouchard said in an interview on Tuesday that his steelmaker, which does not publicly report its earnings, has cash for its $7.8 billion bid for U.S. Steel Corp sitting in his bank account.

Esmark unveiled its offer on Monday after Cleveland-Cliffs Inc, another steelmaker, said on Sunday it had made a $7.3 billion offer for U.S. Steel, which the latter rejected. Cleveland-Cliffs said it could afford the deal because it would pay for half of it using its own stock as currency and borrow from banks to help pay for the other half.

Bouchard said he had $10 billion available and Esmark itself had no debt. "I got $10 billion in cash in my bank account," Bouchard said. He did not provide more details to verify he has access to the cash.

Bouchard added he was being advised on his offer for U.S. Steel by an "international bank" he declined to name, which was also willing to lend to him.

A spokesperson for U.S. Steel said Esmark could pursue it by participating in a process it announced on Sunday for exploring a potential deal with interested parties.

"This is the first that we have heard from Esmark. We welcome them to join the multiple parties already in our previously announced strategic alternatives process," the U.S. Steel spokesperson said.

Bouchard, a former U.S. Steel executive, said Esmark was "the third largest steelmaker in the country", without elaborating with any figures.

In 2008, he sold another company of his with the same name to Russian steelmaker OAO Severstal for $1.3 billion. He subsequently bought back the Esmark name, trademark and intellectual property to create his latest steelmaker, which he says generates over $500 million in annual revenue.

(Reporting by David Carnevali in New York; Editing by Josie Kao and Jamie Freed)
(Bloomberg) -- A Singapore-based private equity firm started by two former investors from sovereign wealth fund GIC Pte has raised $567 million to spend on deals across Southeast Asia and India.

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The amount generated by Growtheum Capital Partners is one of the largest in the region this year, according to data from Preqin. The firm was founded by managing partner Amit Kunal and partner Choo Koon Po in late 2021.

Growtheums close comes at a challenging time for the private equity industry globally, representing a bet by backers that the region can offer lucrative returns despite slowing growth and shrinking valuations. Fund launches are on course for a steep decline in 2023 compared with last year, according to S&P Global data.

Businesses who desperately need your capital, you may not like. But businesses that are doing very well may not have any need for your capital, Kunal said in an interview, adding that the fund aims to have as many as 12 investments. The differentiating factor is what you can do for the company.

Kunal was formerly GICs managing director of private equity in Southeast Asia, while Choo was a vice president in the same unit. They joined the sovereign wealth fund more than a decade ago, having met earlier when they worked at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

The two came to GIC as the firm was ramping up its private equity investments, making major bets from Philippines snack maker Monde Nissin Corp. to Indonesian e-commerce platform PT Bukalapak.com. Between March 2012 and March 2022, GIC grew its allocation from 11% in private equity and infrastructure to 17% in private equity alone.

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Yet when the two men left to launch Growtheum from a shared office during Covid-19 lockdowns, they were off to a slow start.

At GIC we never raised money and we worked in the direct investments group so we didnt have contact with any of the LPs, Kunal said, referring to limited partners.

After more than a year of effort, today its backers include the Asian Development Bank and the World Banks International Finance Corp. Singapore state-owned investor Temasek Holdings Pte is also an investor, according to people familiar with the fundraising.

Representatives for Growtheum and Temasek declined to comment on the latters participation.

To help win over Asias founders, Kunal says he and his team conduct extensive homework. Hes set a yearly goal of reading 100 annual reports from companies he hasnt invested in, and said he spent almost five years consuming a Vietnamese companys yogurt and dairy products before finally making an investment earlier this year.

The firm aims to invest across a swathe of sectors in Southeast Asia and India. Its looking to do transactions ranging from around $50 million to $300 million, Kunal said. Some of its initial deals involved integrating technology into more traditional sectors while others are pumping capital into the expansion of hospitals.

Despite the bullish talk, the region hasnt been spared from the downturn thats hit private equity since 2021. Both Monde Nissin and Bukalapak were publicly listed, only to see their share prices subsequently drop.

Growtheums fundraise is lower than initially targeted. It comes after Asia-Pacific deal values plummeted 44% in 2022 from a year earlier to $198 billion, according to data from Bain & Co.

Our deals were all done in the last 12 months so we were still very much in the bad times, Kunal said, while adding that opportunities are there.

Family Backing

A hallmark of Growtheums deals so far has been the involvement of several prominent families from across the region, many of whom have either invested in the fund, sit on its panel of advisers or do both, Kunal said. Advisory members wouldnt work on any situations or deals where they or related parties could potentially be involved, he added.

The firm is close to the family behind PT Elang Mahkota Teknologi, better known as Emtek. Another adviser is Indonesian scion Arif P. Rachmat, who met Kunal when GIC was conducting due diligence on his familys company PT Triputra Agro Persada.

While some public servants would have treated Rachmats business as just another transaction, Kunal stayed in touch for over a decade. That helped convince him to invest in Growtheum.

A lot of people would question anyones ability when, having worked at organizations like GIC, they strike out on their own, Rachmat said. His competitive edge is utilizing and optimizing his network to come up with new ideas and new ventures.

Growtheum and its backers say the firms target markets are primed for long-term growth. While neither India nor Southeast Asia have the liquidity or consumption to be an immediate replacement for China, both should theoretically gain as supply chains broaden out and consumers increase their wealth.

Southeast Asia is becoming a very exciting opportunity, Rachmat said. You dont have to travel  all you have to do is stay in Jakarta and Singapore and people come to see you.

--With assistance from Faris Mokhtar and Yoolim Lee.

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2023 Bloomberg L.P.
(Bloomberg) -- Rand traders are starting to look to next years South African election, betting that it will bring with it whispsaws in the currency.

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The rands one-year implied volatility  the options markets estimates of price swings over the life of the contract  has shot up from three-year lows reached last month.

It has risen about 70 basis points to 15.8% since July 13, one of the five highest among emerging markets monitored by Bloomberg  in league with the ruble, lira, and Argentine peso, which are being buffeted by political ructions.

The ruling African National Congress faces its toughest electoral test yet amid tensions over nationwide blackouts, shoddy government services, accusations of rampant corruption and widespread poverty and unemployment.

The market is considering various scenarios for the outcome of next years vote, including the ANC retaining its majority or possibly losing support to just below 50%, Annabel Bishop, chief economist at Investec Bank Ltd., said at a Bloomberg event in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

What we are concerned about, is that we may get coalitions that cant work together that possibly have policies that are too opposing, Bishop said. And of course what we all hope, is that we get a stable government.

While the largest opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, has struggled to capitalize on the discontent, a number of smaller parties have seen an up-tick in support as voters seek an alternative. The ANC has lost majority control over key municipalities including the economic hub of Johannesburg and the capital, Pretoria. But coalitions in local government have been marred with chaos and instability, making it almost impossible to govern efficiently.

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Read more: Chaos, Dysfunction Force South Africa to Lean on Private Sector

South Africa is working on a framework that will outline how coalition governments should be constituted and operate to help stabilize fractious municipalities and ensure national and provincial administrations arent derailed by infighting, should no party win outright control in next years elections.

The politically noisy environment does create some negativity from an investor-sentiment perspective. And of course, that could worsen, Bishop said. So, in the case of a coalition, we would need to see who the ANC goes into it with and hope its seen as supportive of business.

--With assistance from Monique Vanek.

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2023 Bloomberg L.P.
ROCKLAND, Maine, August 15, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GoNetspeed today announced that construction has officially begun to bring 100% fiber internet to more than 3,100 homes and businesses throughout Rockland. Through GoNetspeeds privately funded $2.1 investment in Rockland, residents throughout the area are expected to receive access to service as early as this fall.

Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2023 when Rockland will have the opportunity to tap into GoNetspeeds symmetrical fiber internet speeds, allowing customers to upload just as fast as they download. Residents and businesses interested may visit gonetspeed.com to sign up for priority installation once service is available in their area and to receive updates on construction.

"We are excited to power yet another community with 100% fiber internet. As we begin construction to deliver high-speed internet to Rockland, this marks the beginning of our relationship with Rocklands residents and businesses. Our internet will meet the growing demands of each customers personalized online needs with more bandwidth to support the flourishing community," said Richard Clark, GoNetspeed President and CEO. "We are grateful for the support of the Commission and look forward to seeing the lasting impact of our future-proof infrastructure in Rockland."

GoNetspeed is continuing to ensure that more communities throughout Maine have access to a high-speed 100% fiber internet infrastructure. Currently, Auburn, Bangor, Bath, Biddeford, Brewer, Brunswick, Cape Elizabeth, Cumberland, Falmouth, Gorham, Gray, Kennebunk, Lewiston, New Gloucester, Old Orchard Beach, Old Town, Orono, Saco, Scarborough, Topsham, Waterville, Westbrook, Windham, Winslow, and Yarmouth have access to GoNetspeeds service. Many other communities throughout the state are well on their way to having access to GoNetspeeds fiber internet.

With a legacy of innovation and a commitment to customer service, GoNetspeed is excited to accelerate the expansion of fiber networks throughout nine states, including Maine. GoNetspeed continues to deliver more fiber, more access, more speed, and better reliability to residents and businesses throughout our footprint. With access to 100% fiber internet, customers have access to symmetrical upload and download speeds, ranging from 300 Mbps to 1 Gbps (1,000 Mbps). Learn more about GoNetspeed at gonetspeed.com.

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About GoNetspeed:

GoNetspeed, a high-speed fiber internet provider serving residential and business customers in Maine, Alabama, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and West Virginia, formed a partnership with Oak Hill Capital ("Oak Hill") in January 2021, allowing GoNetspeed to accelerate the expansion of its fiber network throughout the Northeastern U.S. Adding thousands of new service areas every year, GoNetspeed is one of the largest independent internet providers in the east. For more information about GoNetspeed, or to inquire about service in your residence, business or community, visit gonetspeed.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815154229/en/

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Goodness Growth Holdings, Inc. (PNK:GDNSF) Q2 2023 Earnings Call Transcript August 14, 2023

Goodness Growth Holdings, Inc. misses on earnings expectations. Reported EPS is $-0.06 EPS, expectations were $-0.05.

Operator: Good afternoon. My name is Ama, and I'll be your conference operator today. At this time, I would like to welcome everyone to the Goodness Growth Holdings' Second Quarter 2023 Results Call. All lines have been placed on mute to prevent any background noise. After the speakers' remarks, there will be a question-and-answer session [Operator Instructions]. Sam Gibbons, Investor Relations, you may begin your conference.

Sam Gibbons: Thank you, Ama, and thanks to everyone for joining us. With me on today's call are our Interim Chief Executive Officer, Josh Rosen; our Chief Financial Officer, John Heller; and our President, Amber Shimpa. Today's conference call is being webcast live from the Investor Relations section of our Web site. Dial-in and webcast details for the call have also been provided in today's earnings release, which is also available on our Web site. Before we get started, we'd like to remind everyone that today's conference call may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of US and Canadian securities laws. These statements are based on management's current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties that could differ materially from actual events and those described in such forward-looking statements.

For more information on forward-looking statements, please refer to cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements in today's earnings release. Now I'll hand the call over to Josh.

Josh Rosen: All right. Thanks Sam. And thanks everyone for joining us this afternoon. I'll begin today with some discussion of the progress we're making executing our strategy for the year, then Amber will run through some business updates and key performance indicators before we pass the call to John for review of the financials. Please turn to Slide 3 of today's presentation, which is available in the quarterly results and Events and Presentation sections of our investor relations Web site. We first highlighted our CREAM & Fire operating strategy for this year during our year end conference call on March. And with our second quarter results, we felt it would be helpful to provide a mid-year progress report on how the components of this strategy are trending.

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As we've discussed, 2023 is an important year of transformation for the company. We're focused on simplifying our business, improving the efficiency of our operations to drive cash flow and support longer term profit growth and managing our balance sheet to give us additional flexibility as we maneuver through some exceptionally challenging circumstances that were created by Verano's wrongful termination of our arrangement agreement in October of last year. Our CREAM & Fire priorities boil down to; one, making decisions that drive cash flow generation and profit growth with an eye on winning at the local level as our markets get more competitive; and two, growing and selling Fire cannabis products, because we firmly believe that we need to have passion for the quality and value that we're providing customers in order to thrive longer term.

These must become core tenets of our organization in order for us to be successful and we've been pleased with the pace of progress we're making in transforming the company in line with this vision for our future. In the first quarter, we began to restructure the organization by reducing costs and enabling our various state markets to act point independently. This decentralized approach to the leadership of our various state markets with a design to improve the speed and quality of decision making on the ground at our facilities and after two quarters, we can see this is helping us drive stronger operating and financial performance. We've also infused the organization with more passion for producing and selling Fire cannabis products through some collaborations with external third parties who have helped us rightsize our product assortment and pricing, prioritize the efficiency of production and the quality of our manufactured goods and improve the quality of our flower.

Our partnership with Grown Rogue has been especially helpful and Amber will provide some additional discussion of this relationship momentarily. Finally, we have made progress to simplify our business to the divestiture of our New Mexico operations, which we deemed immaterial from a disclosure standpoint but was completed during the second. Additionally, in this afternoon's earnings release, we shared that we are now under an LOI to divested New York business. Last quarter, we disclosed that we'd entered a formalized sale process for New York, which required some accounting adjustments to assets and liabilities, which John will detail in the discussion [again] today. These accounting changes reflect that much of the value assigned to our [New York] business relates to our currently under construction Bluebird facility, which we leased from Innovative Industrial Properties as a result of a sale leaseback transaction.

We're optimistic we'll have definitive documents within the next 30 days at which point we could begin the license transfer application process. It's important to note that Verano's wrongful termination of our merger agreement last October left us in a particularly tough spot in New York, most notably with respect to our large construction project that was to provide indoor flower to the market. This project was midstream at the time. We operated in good faith within the scope of our definitive agreements, which gave Verano consent rights for the significant project and in practical form enabled them to provide meaningful input to adjusting the scope, approach and financing of this project. Upon the wrongful termination, we were left with a more expensive project with additional contractor engagements and ended up being a closed window for incremental financing from our landlord.

When combined with a fairly limited medical market and patient base that burns cash and our inability to fund the anticipated adult use activation fees, divesting New York became our only viable option. Without getting into the specifics, given this transaction is not yet beyond the LOI stage, I do want to provide that we don't expect to receive material proceeds from this transaction with the majority of any proceeds going to our senior secured lender. While this is not a direct boost to our cash position, it's an incredibly important milestone for controlling our own destiny and our march toward producing meaningful cash flow. Im wearing my industry hat, it's also exciting to see a new independent operator as the counterpart is ready to capitalize on the opportunities this industry presents with a strong product led vision and aligned capital.

Should this progress as we hope and we get it across the finish line, which is not a given in the cannabis space, I believe our New York teammates should be in good hands and in many respects, it appears our counterparties timing couldn't be better with the likely activation of the adult use sales later this year. We can't say much else on this for now but we are looking forward to sharing details regarding our future profitability expectations once we are more calibrated to the timing and this process is complete. Collectively, we believe that these updates and information shared on Slides 3 and 4 demonstrate that we are gaining meaningful traction executing our plan for the year, especially given the recent dawn of adult use sales in Maryland on July 1st.

We also have the legalization of cannabis in Minnesota coming with adult use sales expected to commence in the first quarter of 2025 to look forward to. While these positive developments are encouraging signs of progress, we are still working to generate meaningful cash flow and improve our credit profile. There's a growing sense of optimism within our organization supported by the execution on the ground in our Minnesota and Maryland operations, which points to a bright independent future as we work through the final stages of restructuring our business. As we discussed on last quarter's conference call, we gained additional financial flexibility to execute our plan for the year by amending our credit facility and closing on a convertible loan, which provides us with incremental monthly support while we remain in ongoing litigation with Verano.

Make no mistake, though, we were put in extremely compromising position by Verano. Our share prices suffered tremendously and we've been forced to fund our go forward effort as an independent organization with dilutive and expensive capital. We are seeking substantial damages from Verano as a result of their wrongful termination and we're optimistic we will have more to share on this process shortly. As I've stated in the past, I view our claim against Verano as a very important strategic asset and it's one of the reasons I was willing to step into this role. That concludes my prepared remarks, and I'll now pass the call over to Amber, for some additional business updates and review of our second quarter performance indicators.

Amber Shimpa: Thanks, Josh, and thanks everyone for joining us. I'll start on Slide 5 for today's presentation where we provide an update with our Q2 core market key performance indicators. As a reminder, we began tracking these metrics in conjunction with our fourth quarter results call in March and they represent some of the most relevant metrics that are recently formed Weed Hustle Office are using to evaluate our progress as we move forward. As I've referenced previously, our Weed Hustle Office is comprised of internal leaders in our state markets, as well as some additional external support and can collectively be thought of as our version of a COO within our new decentralized structure. We've been very impressed by the response of all our team members as we've been executing the CREAM & Fire strategy so far this year.

I have personally been on the ground visiting our facilities in Maryland and all eight of our Green Goods dispensaries in Minnesota to spend time with our team as we augment and enhance our mindset from a medical and accessibility focus to a more complete product driven and customer centric focus. Based on what we've seen in other markets, the ability to provide products that compete with the quality and pricing of the illicit market helps migrate the industry toward the regulated market. We have made great progress so far this year to improve the productivity of our facilities as well as the quality being produced, which is allowing us to lower prices with higher quality products that our dispensary teammates can then share with the customer and who doesn't like better products at lower prices.

Please note that we did make a change to our methodology for our calculation of total harvested biomass quarter and are now excluding trim byproduct from the calculation and our bucking processes, because we currently have considerable excess trim and oil on hand at Minnesota, New York. With that said, to keep the comparisons consistent, we adjusted the second quarter's data shown on this slide to add back an estimated amount of trim in order to present Q2 results on an apples-to-apple basis. As you can see, the trajectory of total harvest yields and percentage of A Flower over the course of last year remains favorable. Our goal is to drive more sell-through of higher quality products at better value for customers and our results to date on these important operational KPIs serve as strong indicators that we are positioned to have continued success achieving these objectives.

We view this approach as the key to long term success here, balancing efficiency, quality and providing value to delight customers. Our inventory turns on a consolidated reported basis improved sequentially as compared to Q1, largely driven by improved efficiency in New York during the quarter. As we discussed on last quarter's conference call, we anticipated inventory build in Maryland ahead of the adult use launch, which contributed to lower as reported inventory turns in Q2 as compared to the second quarter of last year. I'd also add that the significantly improved productivity in Minnesota resulted in an unfavorable inventory turns comparison in Minnesota given that we continue to selling into Minnesota's limited access medical market. So in other words, there's no immediate sell through for meaningfully more flower production in this vertical market, but we do view our improvements as important indicators of future performance and we are getting better at managing our product allocations.

weed marijuana drug plan treatment

Photo by terre-di-cannabis on Unsplash

Inventory turn data has some natural variability attached to production timing but improving our working capital performance will be a critical component in improved cash flow performance in the future. We do expect to see improvement in this metric over time, especially once adult use sales begin in Minnesota in 2025 and we have a few plans in the works for more immediate improvement. Please turn to Slide 6. During the second quarter, we were pleased to announce our partnership with Grown Rogue International and are glad to provide some information about this relationship with today's presentation. Grown Rogue has established itself as a market leader in flower production in Oregon and Michigan, which are two of the country's most competitive adult-use markets.

We are very excited to bring Grown Rogues expertise in balancing cost efficiency and flower quality to our patients and customers in Minnesota and Maryland. Even more so, as our productivity improves and to sound like a broken record here because it's so important, we're most excited to be bringing higher quality products to customers at price points that are more competitive with the illicit market. We're serious about delighting our patients and customers. Although we formally announced this partnership in May, groundwork on this collaboration had been underway since Q1 and Grown Rogue's teams on the ground at our facilities in Maryland and Minnesota. So far this year and especially in Q2, as noted through the KPI data on the previous slide, their efforts have helped us drive improvements in flower production and percentages of A Flower at our facilities.

It's also important to know that this is structured to be a longer term collaboration. While we're seeing improvements, we also have ongoing challenges and there's a lot of room for continuous improvement through this collaboration. The Grown Rogue team has also been a great addition to our focus on product driven culture and their CEO, Obie Strickler, is part of our Weed Hustle Office. Moving on to some state specific market updates on Slide 7. Our home market of Minnesota remains our most important market and we were proud to celebrate our 8th anniversary of serving patients on July 1. Our sales in Minnesota continued to grow following the commencement of flower and edible sales in 2022. We've also been encouraged by productivity levels in Minnesota during the recent summer months.

Summer is our most challenging season given temperatures and humidity in our greenhouse environment in Minnesota. But so far, we continue to see productivity improvements over this time last year. Cannabis was legalized in Minnesota effective August 1st but adult use sales are not expected to commence until the first quarter of 2025. Adult use regulations will permit us to increase our cultivation capacity and maintain our existing eight Green Goods dispensaries. We're also pleased with recent changes to the state's medical program, which eliminated enrollment costs for medical patients as compared to the $200 in fees that have been in place since the program was implemented. New patients are also now able to conduct their provider consultations virtually rather than in person.

We believe these changes have contributed to increased patient enrollments in Minnesota's medical program, which should help us drive continued growth into adult sales begin in Q1 of '25. In New York, as Josh mentioned, we are now under an LOI to divest our New York business and look forward to providing investor updates of this process when available. We anticipate to balance our need to control cash burn with a need to prepare for adult use implementation. This has been a challenging market considering our liquidity position. In Maryland, we have been pleased with the revenue performance of our two Green Goods dispensaries since the beginning of adult use sales on July 1st. And we are continuing to see solid sales and profitability trends in this market in early August.

Since the beginning of this year, we have made significant improvements in the quality and depth of our product offerings in Maryland and we believe we have a strong opportunity to grow market share with our manufactured products. We were also pleased to recently reach consulting, licensing and wholesale agreements with two additional dispensaries in Maryland. These agreements are intended to enable us to continue growing our wholesale channel and provide opportunities for stronger cash flow generation. Upon regulatory approval, the owner plans to rebrand these stores under the Green Goods name and customers are already able to shop through our Green Goods Web site. Importantly, we also secured an option to acquire these stores when regulations allow.

I'll now hand the call over to John for a more detailed review of the financials.

John Heller: Thank you, Amber, and thanks to everyone for joining us this afternoon. I'll provide a high level summary of key financial metrics from the second quarter and then review our balance sheet and liquidity position in more detail. Please turn to Slide 8. Our second quarter results reflected overall revenue growth in our core markets, both sequentially and as compared to second quarter of last year. Total GAAP revenue of $20.2 million in the second quarter declined approximately 4.2% compared to the second quarter of last year. However, excluding discontinued operations in Arizona and New Mexico, total revenue grew approximately 10.6% year-over-year. Gross margin performance contracted year-over-year from 49.2% of sales in the second quarter of last year to 46.2% of sales.

The variance compared to the prior year reflects some margin compression in each of our markets, partially offset by a higher mix of revenue in Minnesota and the divestiture of our former operations in Arizona, which was completed last year in the second quarter. SG&A expenses as a percent of sales continued improving year-over-year in the second quarter, declining to 39.9% of sales from 40.9% of sales. On a year-to-date basis, the improvement in SG&A has been much more meaningful with an improvement of more than 10 percentage points from 48.7% of sales to 38.7% of sales. We've reduced costs across the business and continued to implement stricter cost controls and believe will show continued progress driving improved SG&A as a percentage of sales in the back half of this year.

Slide 9 contains our usual summary of revenue performance in our core markets. We continue to see overall revenue growth in our core markets on both a sequential and year-over-year basis, and expect these trends to continue following the recent launch of adult use sales in Maryland and the new consulting, licensing and wholesale agreement Amber mentioned with two additional dispensaries in the Maryland market. For a complete review of state-by-state revenue performance, including non-core markets and discontinued operations, please refer to our Form 10-Q, which will be filed with the SEC later today. Slides 10 and 11 provide summaries of our balance sheet and debt outstanding as of June 30th. We ended the quarter with total current assets of $126.4 million, including cash on hand of $11.3 million.

Total current liabilities at the end of the quarter were $157 million, which as a reminder from our conference call last quarter now includes $75 million of lease liabilities held for sale related to our business in New York. As we discussed last quarter, we have the opportunity to extend the maturity date on our credit facility loan to January of 2026 through the achievement of some performance based milestones. These milestones are based on fixed charge ratios so they are effectively tied to our ability to generate profits and cash flow consistent with being a better credit. These milestones are not easy performance hurdles for us to achieve. But we've been encouraged by our recent progress in driving improved operations and financial performance and are pleased with the potential for stronger cash flow generation resulting from positive regulatory developments in Maryland and Minnesota.

On Slide 12, we've provided a summary of our share capitalization as of June 30 adjusted to reflect the required future issuance of warrants related to our agreement with Grown Rogue, which included an exchange of warrants and the subordinate voting shares we have agreed to issue to lenders in connection with the recent amendment to our credit [facility]. The company now has 143,126,330 fully diluted equity shares issued and outstanding on an as-converted treasury method basis and 223,608,947 shares outstanding on an as-converted fully diluted basis. That concludes my prepared remarks. I'll now hand the call back to Josh for any additional or closing comments.

Josh Rosen: Thanks, John. I'm excited as we see our CREAM & Fire initiatives gaining traction, made possible, thanks to the continued hard work and dedication of all of our team members. Our Maryland team in particular has done an excellent job preparing us for the launch of adult use sales. And as we've discussed today, we're very encouraged by the early revenue performance we're seeing in this market. We're optimistic about our position in Maryland, but I know from experience, we need to stay extremely focused with our local teams and market in order to grow market share and be successful longer term. Anecdotally, we've been growing faster than the market appears to be growing out of the gate, but that's no promise of long term success.

We're continuing to focus on executing what's within our control amidst the challenging current landscape. We're pleased with our progress to-date this year in simplifying our portfolio of assets and positioning the business for stronger cash flow generation with our operations in Maryland and Minnesota. We believe that we have an attractive stand-alone platform for growth and the foundation to be a long term winner as our industry emerges. Our current situation still requires us to play defense first, but as we gain momentum, we hope to selectively become more offense oriented, the recent expanded reach with Maryland Retail being a small example. Our litigation with Verano and the divestiture of our New York business remain extremely important events for us and we expect to have additional updates on both processes in the coming months.

We will look forward to providing investors with more visibility into our future profitability and expectations once we have clear visibility on the timing and economic impact of our divestiture in New York in particular. With that, I think we're ready for Q&A.

See also 10 Beaten Down Stocks Billionaires Are Loading Up On and 30 Oldest universities in the World.

To continue reading the Q&A session, please click here.
Manju Malhotra rose through the ranks at the retailer after having joined the business 25 years ago - Geoff Pugh

The chief executive of Harvey Nichols has quit abruptly following a clash with the luxury retailers Chinese owner over her plans for the business.

Manju Malhotra is to step down after just over three years in the role and will be replaced by the son of Sir Dickson Poon, the tycoon who has owned Harvey Nichols since 1991.

Staff at the company were told on Monday that Ms Malhotra will leave at the end of the year, with 29-year-old Pearson Poon, currently an executive director, made vice chairman until permanent replacement is found.

It is understood that Ms Malhotra decided to quit Harvey Nichols after a disagreement with Sir Dickson, who is also chairman, over the retailers strategy.

She is said to have sought significant changes to spur growth at the company which has been loss-making for the past three years.

However, Sir Dickson is understood to have opposed her plan, ultimately viewing it as a successful retailer that was operating well under the current strategy.

Any strategic changes are ultimately decided by Sir Dickson, who owns a controlling stake.

Sir Dickson, who has been described as operating a tight ship, founded his company after opening a watch and jewellery shop in 1980.

He was awarded a knighthood for services to business and to charity in 2015 and has donated tens of millions to British universities.

In 2012 he made a personal donation to Kings College Londons law school, the largest donation from an individual in the colleges history at the time. The school was renamed The Dickson Poon School of Law after the donation.

Sir Dickson said departin boss Manju Malhotra had been instrumental in driving the business through unprecedented times - TED ALJIBE/AFP via Getty Images

The Hong Kong-based tycoon, who was married to the Hollywood actress Michelle Yeoh between 1988 and 1991, grew the business through franchising and licensing deals before listing it on the stock market in 1986.

Sir Dickson also co-founded a film production company which in 1984 signed Ms Yeoh, a former Miss Malaysia, to appear alongside Jackie Chan in a television advert.

Harvey Nichols has been struggling to return to profit since the pandemic hit, with latest available accounts showing its losses totalled 30m in the year to May 2022, compared with 2.7m profit before Covid hit.

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Revenues for the period totalled 192m, compared to 121m the prior year. However, this remained below the 222m posted in the year to March 2020, just before retailers were forced to shut stores in the pandemic.

Sir Dickson was forced to pump tens of millions into the retailer during the pandemic as it struggled under Covid restrictions.

Ms Malhotra became chief executive in January 2020, weeks before the pandemic hit. She had previously acted as co-chief operating officer alongside Daniela Rinaldi.

She said: I have had the most amazing 25 years at Harvey Nichols, starting from a member of the finance team to becoming chief executive.

Sir Dickson said Ms Malhotra had been instrumental in driving the business through unprecedented times and laid out strong foundations which we will continue to build on for the future.

Speaking to the Telegraph less than four weeks ago, Ms Malhotra said Harvey Nichols had not been immune from recent cost of living pressures, with its wealthy shoppers equally sensitive to price rises.

She said this meant it was having to carefully balance how much cost it could pass onto customers.

Ms Malhotra said: Theres a limit to how much people will pay for a glass of champagne.

However, she suggested the company was moving towards profitability, and would consider opening more shops outside the UK.

In addition to its flagship store in Knightsbridge, London, Harvey Nichols also has stores in Riyadh, Dubai, Hong Kong and Kuwait.

She said: There may well be the right opportunity. Looking at international potential is always something thats on our radar.

Ms Malhotra also warned that overseas tourists were getting into the habit of buying designer goods in Paris and Milan instead of London, after the UK stopped offering VAT-free shopping for overseas visitors.

Ms Malhotra said: Tourists are spending less time and less money in the UK. She called for ministers to review the policy before an election, warning the industry risked losing another summer on tourist trade.

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HONG KONG (Reuters) -Law firms in China are scrambling to comply with Beijing's new guidance to tone down the language used to describe China-related business risks in companies' offshore listing documents, five people familiar with the matter said.

The moves come after China's securities regulator last month in a closed-door meeting asked domestic law firms to refrain from including negative descriptions of China's policies or its business and legal environment in the IPO prospectuses.

A failure to do so could mean their listings are not able to get a regulatory nod, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) warned, Reuters had first reported, citing people with knowledge of the matter.

The law firms are now racing to change the wordings in some already submitted listing prospectuses and applications yet to be filed, said the five sources, who declined to be identified due to sensitivity of the matter.

Some potential issuers, which have yet to be given the green light from the CSRC, were earlier this month asked by the regulator to tweak the risk factors in their prospectuses to comply with the new offshore listing rules, said one of the sources.

China's new listing rules, which came into effect in March, stipulate that any "distortion or misinterpretation" on China's laws and policy, business environment, and judiciary was prohibited.

All major markets require listing aspirants to disclose to prospective investors risks related to the companies themselves, their business sectors, and the countries where they are headquartered in their offering prospectuses.

Beijing's demand for companies to tone down China business-related risks comes amid the country's stuttering economy, heightened geopolitical tensions and the government's sharpened focus on national security.

As part of the changes demanded by the regulator, lawyers are replacing descriptions of "COVID lockdown measures" in IPO applications with "the COVID-19 pandemic" to avoid references to harsh and controversial travel and business curbs during the pandemic, said the second source.

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Also, instead of mentioning "foreign exchange control" in some IPO applications, local lawyers in China are proposing to use more neutral phrasing such as "foreign exchange management", the source added.

Prospective Chinese equity issuers in offshore markets, including the United States, are required to file to the CSRC days after they submit listing applications offshore and need China's green light to proceed with their fundraisings.

Some of the offshore IPO prospectuses, in which the changes on China risk disclosures are being made, are yet to be filed with the CSRC, the sources said.

The CSRC did not respond to Reuters' faxed request for comment.

RISK DISCLOSURES

Since the CSRC's meeting with law firms late last month, at least two IPO applications have tweaked the ways they describe how China makes policy changes, said the first source and a third person.

Those documents now say Chinese policies and regulations can be amended or adjusted from time to time, the two sources said, a marked shift in tone from previous wording that said the government and other local authorities can order rule changes randomly or without prior notice.

Other changes include removing a statement that entails the enforcement of arbitral awards in China is difficult, the first source said, adding, lawyers have instead put a description that China's judicial system is different from other jurisdictions.

For one prospective Hong Kong listing, lawyers have removed references to uncertainties around China's regulatory, political and economic environments and foreign exchange control in the prospectus, according to a fourth source.

In revised listing application rules that came into effect on Aug 1, Hong Kong's bourse removed a section on China risks previously required specifically for mainland-incorporated companies, a move it said would align disclosure rules for all IPO-aspirants.

In response to Reuters' request for comment, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange said on Tuesday that all listing applicants from all jurisdictions are required under Hong Kong's listing rules to disclose all material risks, including jurisdictional risks.

"There has been no change to this requirement."

Four of the sources said the toning down on China business-related risks in the domestic companies' offshore listing applications could trigger queries from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which has warned companies of insufficient China-risk disclosures.

"This is the latest evidence that China is manipulating financial information to hide serious risks and to deceive American investors," U.S. Senator Marco Rubio told Reuters in a statement on Tuesday.

"We cannot allow Chinese companies to benefit from our capital markets while ignoring our rules...(SEC) Chairman Gensler needs to take action to protect American retirees and investors from these deceptive Chinese firms," he added.

The SEC did not immediately comment on Rubio's comments.

(Reporting by Selena Li, Julie Zhu, Kane Wu, and Xie Yu in Hong Kong. Additional reporting by Douglas Gillison. Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee and Sam Holmes)
Finding a business that has the potential to grow substantially is not easy, but it is possible if we look at a few key financial metrics. In a perfect world, we'd like to see a company investing more capital into its business and ideally the returns earned from that capital are also increasing. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. In light of that, when we looked at Rio Tinto Group (LON:RIO) and its ROCE trend, we weren't exactly thrilled.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

Just to clarify if you're unsure, ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. The formula for this calculation on Rio Tinto Group is:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT)  (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.16 = US$14b  (US$98b - US$10b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2023).

Therefore, Rio Tinto Group has an ROCE of 16%. On its own, that's a standard return, however it's much better than the 12% generated by the Metals and Mining industry.

Check out our latest analysis for Rio Tinto Group

roce

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Rio Tinto Group compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

So How Is Rio Tinto Group's ROCE Trending?

Things have been pretty stable at Rio Tinto Group, with its capital employed and returns on that capital staying somewhat the same for the last five years. Businesses with these traits tend to be mature and steady operations because they're past the growth phase. So don't be surprised if Rio Tinto Group doesn't end up being a multi-bagger in a few years time. This probably explains why Rio Tinto Group is paying out 56% of its income to shareholders in the form of dividends. Unless businesses have highly compelling growth opportunities, they'll typically return some money to shareholders.

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In Conclusion...

In a nutshell, Rio Tinto Group has been trudging along with the same returns from the same amount of capital over the last five years. Since the stock has gained an impressive 100% over the last five years, investors must think there's better things to come. Ultimately, if the underlying trends persist, we wouldn't hold our breath on it being a multi-bagger going forward.

Rio Tinto Group does have some risks though, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for Rio Tinto Group that you might be interested in.

While Rio Tinto Group isn't earning the highest return, check out this free list of companies that are earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets.

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.
a general view of staff on a NHS hospital ward at Ealing Hospital in London

Households in the South East receive the lowest NHS funding per person of any region in the country, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has said.

The average person living in the Home Counties received 2,087 in National Health Service spending in the year to April, 140 less than average across England.

Meanwhile, Londoners received 312 more than their South East counterparts and the highest per person across England, the think tank said.

Across the country, suburban and rural areas get a particularly low share of public health spending, the IFS said, in addition to lower place-based funding per person.

Place-based funding is government money that spans the NHS, schools, the police, local government and public health.

People in the South East have the highest average weekly earnings outside of London, according to the Office for National Statistics.

However, while the South East receives far less public money than any other region in England, the IFS concluded it still receives 1.8pc more than it should get based on relative spending needs.

The South East received the least total public funding across all sectors of any region in England, at 4,038 per person. This was 6.3pc below the national average of 4,309.

Residents in the South West received the lowest amount of funding for schooling per person, at 811 per year  115 less than the nationwide average.

The IFS highlighted massive variations in funding across local authorities. York receives the lowest total funding per person at 3,640, while Blackpool receives the most at 5,650  a gap of 2,000, or 55pc more.

The IFS said that while the levels of public funding vary across the country, this should take into account the differences in demand for services and in the costs of providing them.

Kate Ogden, an economist at the IFS and an author of the report said: If one of the aims is for people to be able to access consistent public services across the country, then the current systems are not fit for purpose.

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HERZLIYA, Israel and CALGARY, AB, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Innocan Pharma Corporation (CSE: INNO) (FSE: IP4) (OTCQB: INNPF) (the "Company" or "Innocan") a pharmaceutical technology company specializing in innovative wellness products, today unveiled the successful results of a controlled efficacy trial (the "Trial") of their diabetic foot relief cream (the "Product").

Innocan Pharma Logo

The Trial results affirm that Innocan's Product - a proprietary formulation of cannabinoids, vasoconstriction stimulators, and potent moisturizers - is highly effective in alleviating foot dryness and decreasing the risk of skin cracking, a precursor to bruising and subsequent diabetic complications in individuals with diabetes.

The seven-day Trial involved a diverse group of male and female volunteers living with diabetes and suffering from dry skin. The Trial's primary benchmark - a statistically significant reduction in foot dryness - was achieved through enhanced skin hydration and a notable decrease in epidermal water loss, with improvements visible within one hour, and sustained over the entire week-long Trial.

Symptoms Percentage compared to T0 per tested period 1h 4h 7 days Increase in feet hydration (Detection method 1) 54.1 % 55.5 % 58.8 % Increase in feet hydration (Detection method 2) 64.9 % 53.9 % 52.2 % Decrease in feet Trans Epidermal Water Loss (TEWL) 29.1 % 31.9 % 34.3 %

Furthermore, 97% of the Trial volunteers reported an immediate amelioration in foot skin dryness, 97% noted increased foot skin hydration, 90% observed their foot skin to be more elastic, and 97% would recommend the product to peers.

Through the application of cannabinoids and other natural ingredients, Innocan offers a viable, healthy alternative for diabetic patients aiming for immediate protection from skin dryness, crack formation, and the risk of subsequent complications.

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The global diabetic foot ulcer treatment market was valued at USD 8.6 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach approximately USD 14.8 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.22% from 2022 to 2030[1].

"I am delighted with the outcome of this efficacy trial and the positive influence our product had on the participants," stated Iris Bincovich, CEO of Innocan. "Our commitment lies in crafting safe and effective solutions that can significantly enhance the quality of life for those in need, and we take immense pride in achieving such encouraging results with our novel foot relief product."

Innocan also announces that it granted 5,118,576 stock options to officers, directors, employees and consultants to the Company. These options have a strike price of $0.23, with various vesting periods up to 24 months. All options expire on August 11, 2028.

About Innocan

Innocan is a pharmaceutical tech company that operates under two main segments: Pharmaceuticals and Consumer Wellness. In the Pharmaceuticals segment, Innocan focuses on developing innovative drug delivery platform technologies comprises with cannabinoids science, to treat various conditions to improve patients' quality of life. This segment involves two drug delivery technologies: (i) LPT CBD- loaded liposome platform facilitating exact dosing and the prolonged and controlled release of CBD into the blood stream. The LPT delivery platform research is in the preclinical trial phase for two indications: Epilepsy and Pain Management. (ii) CLX CBD-loaded exosomes platform that may hold the potential to provide a highly synergistic effect of regenerating and anti- inflammatory properties targeting the Central Nervous System (CNS). In the Consumer Wellness segment, Innocan develops and markets a wide portfolio of innovative and high-performance self-care products to promote a healthier lifestyle. Under this segment Innocan has established a Joint Venture by the name of BI Sky Global Ltd. that focuses developing on advanced targeted online sales. https://innocanpharma.com.

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

Caution regarding forward-looking information

Certain information set forth in this news release, including, without limitation, information regarding research and development, collaborations, the filing of potential applications with the FDA and other regulatory authorities, the potential achievement of future regulatory milestones, the potential for treatment of conditions and other therapeutic effects resulting from research activities and/or the Company's products, requisite regulatory approvals and the timing for market entry, is forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. By its nature, forward-looking information is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond Innocan's control. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by Innocan, including expectations and assumptions concerning the anticipated benefits of the products, satisfaction of regulatory requirements in various jurisdictions and satisfactory completion of requisite production and distribution arrangements.

Forward-looking information is subject to various risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results and experience to differ materially from the anticipated results or expectations expressed in this news release. The key risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to: general global and local (national) economic, market and business conditions; governmental and regulatory requirements and actions by governmental authorities; and relationships with suppliers, manufacturers, customers, business partners and competitors. There are also risks that are inherent in the nature of product distribution, including import / export matters and the failure to obtain any required regulatory and other approvals (or to do so in a timely manner) and availability in each market of product inputs and finished products. The anticipated timeline for entry to markets may change for a number of reasons, including the inability to secure necessary regulatory requirements, or the need for additional time to conclude and/or satisfy the manufacturing and distribution arrangements. As a result of the foregoing, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking information contained in this news release concerning the timing of launch of product distribution. A comprehensive discussion of other risks that impact Innocan can also be found in Innocan's public reports and filings which are available under Innocan's profile at www.sedar.com.

Readers are cautioned that undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking information as actual results may vary materially from the forward-looking information. Innocan does not undertake to update, correct or revise any forward looking information as a result of any new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable law.

1. https://www.precedenceresearch.com/diabetic-foot-ulcer-treatment-market

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2046271/3968398/Innocan_Pharma_Corporation_Logo.jpg

For further information, please contact:

For Innocan Pharma Corporation:

Iris Bincovich, CEO

+15162104025

+972-54-3012842

+442037699377

info@innocanpharma.com

Dr. Eva Reuter

Investment Relation - Germany

+46-69-1532-5857

e.reuter@dr-reuter.eu

Cision

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/innocan-pharma-announces-promising-successful-results-in-efficacy-trial-of-diabetic-foot-relief-treatment-301901223.html

SOURCE Innocan Pharma Corporation
Cincinnati-based supermarket giant Kroger offers home delivery through its growing in-house service but also via outside delivery vendors, such as Instacart.

Jill McCormick was awaiting her digital Kroger order to her suburban Cincinnati home on Wednesday when she got a startling message: Her bank account had been charged almost $2,800.

She was quickly reassured  the friendly Instacart shopper, assigned to pick up her yogurt, spaghetti sauce and other items, told her it was all a mistake and would be swiftly corrected.

Yeah thats an error. Im getting it fixed, texted her shopper Danielle. She was so hands-on, just a little earlier, she had politely informed McCormick via text the store was out of her favorite flavor of energy drink and asked if she could swap out a different flavor. McCormick authorized a substitution via the text.

They are canceling that error now  Yes everything will be canceled. I think the system went crazy and I had an error, the shopper texted McCormick.

But when the 39-year-old software test engineer and mother asked for an update a little later, there were no more replies.

And then I freaked out, panicked  Im like worried, Oh my gosh, theyre taking money out or somethings happening on my account! McCormick told The Enquirer. The Liberty Township resident reached out to both Kroger and Instacart, eventually reaching both after about an hour on online chats and toll-free hotlines.

But the money was gone from her account. One expert says the incident may be the work of an organized retail theft ring.

A simple web search reveals a similar incident involving a Kroger order using Instacart occurred in suburban Columbus this spring, when a thief claimed to have stolen from "hundreds of victims." There was another incident this spring in Northern Texas.

Also this spring, one former Kroger worker claimed in TikTok posts that her old store was using Instacart shoppers that were a "bunch of scammers."

Kroger: 'We take these incidents seriously'

Neither company has explained how a scammer intercepted a Kroger order that began on Kroger's app. It appears either Kroger or Instacart unwittingly gave the order to a thief or the scammer exploited a security breach.

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An image of texts between an Instacart scam shopper and Kroger customer Jill McCormick who grew alarmed about the notice from her bank about a nearly $2,800 charge.

McCormick's shopper canceled all the items of her original order and drained her bank account to purchase several items that she didn't order and never got:

More than $600 worth of Tide and Gain laundry detergent.

$250 worth of Downy fabric softener.

$175 worth of Dawn dish soap.

$155 worth of Dove beauty products.

$110 worth of Clorox cleaning products.

Nearly $500 in other household cleaning or personal items.

Also almost $100 worth of bacon, $65 worth of produce, more than $50 worth of cookies, $50 worth of waffle mix and pancake syrup, $20 worth of Fritos chips, $10 worth of Pop Tarts, $7 of Kit Kat bars and a $4 toothbrush.

McCormicks family had just returned from vacation out of town after a particularly difficult summer: Her 9-year-old girl with cerebral palsy had an operation in May, followed by weeks of physical therapy. She just wanted to restock her kitchen so she could unpack and her family could rest before her youngster headed back to school.

Liberty Township resident Jill McCormick.

Kroger told The Enquirer it is refunding the money and will also provide a gift card to McCormick for the inconvenience. McCormick said Kroger has told her the money will be restored to her bank account in a matter of days but she hadn't received it as of Monday. On Thursday, McCormick also reported the theft to the Butler County Sheriffs Office.

We acted swiftly once we were notified of the issue to make it right for the customer  we take these incidents seriously, Kroger told The Enquirer in a statement.

Tip: Don't use a debit card

While Kroger provides home deliveries in Cincinnati and other markets around the country using its delivery force sent from warehouses, it also augments services using San Francisco-based delivery service Instacart, which hires outside contractors or gig workers. McCormick said her order began on the Kroger app but was assigned to Instacart.

To shop with Instacart, prospective shoppers must agree to and complete a thorough background check, Instacart told The Enquirer in a statement, adding the company checked driving, criminal and sex offender records before approving someone to be a driver. Further: "(Contracted) shoppers may be deactivated for reasons including fraudulent activity, violating applicable laws, failing to meet acceptable standards of service, or any other misuse of the platform."

So far neither Kroger nor Instacart has addressed how a thief could intercept a customer order and get away with nearly $2,800 of goods.

McCormick realizes she made one careless mistake with her online order: she used her debit card  which experts note offer less legal protection in the event of fraud. She normally uses her credit card, but said she'd grown comfortable using the Kroger app.

Kroger, the Cincinnati-based supermarket giant, said it was cooperating with Butler County law enforcement, but directed additional questions related to the Instacart shopper involved to Instacart.

For its part, Instacart referred questions back to Kroger: If a customer has an issue with an order placed on Kroger.com, Krogers customer service team is available to quickly review the situation and issue appropriate refunds.

Meanwhile, Robert Hanson, head of the Criminal Justice Department and Loss Prevention Coordinator at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Michigan, said it appeared to be the work of an organized retail theft ring. He noted the stolen items: laundry detergent, cleaning and beauty products were popular theft items for such groups to grab then resell. Ultimately, they will likely wind up for sale at flea markets, small independent stores or online.

The popular term is organized retail crime  some of these are very enterprising thieves and will actually take orders from people online, Hanson told The Enquirer. A big retail theft item is Tide detergent  also health and beauty aids, razor blades, anything cosmetics  and baby formula.

For the latest on Kroger, P&G, Fifth Third Bank and Cincinnati business, follow @alexcoolidge on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Instacart scam: Kroger shopper saw bank account drained of $2,800
Key Insights

The projected fair value for Elixirr International is UK10.02 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity

Current share price of UK5.20 suggests Elixirr International is potentially 48% undervalued

Analyst price target for ELIX is UK8.55 which is 15% below our fair value estimate

Today we'll do a simple run through of a valuation method used to estimate the attractiveness of Elixirr International plc (LON:ELIX) as an investment opportunity by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. We will take advantage of the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model for this purpose. Before you think you won't be able to understand it, just read on! It's actually much less complex than you'd imagine.

We 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. If you still have some burning questions about this type of valuation, take a look at the Simply Wall St analysis model.

Check out our latest analysis for Elixirr International

The Model

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. In the first stage we need to estimate the cash flows to the business over the next ten years. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars:

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10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 Levered FCF (, Millions) UK19.8m UK21.6m UK22.9m UK24.0m UK24.8m UK25.6m UK26.2m UK26.8m UK27.3m UK27.8m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x3 Analyst x3 Est @ 6.02% Est @ 4.63% Est @ 3.65% Est @ 2.97% Est @ 2.49% Est @ 2.16% Est @ 1.93% Est @ 1.76% Present Value (, Millions) Discounted @ 6.7% UK18.6 UK19.0 UK18.9 UK18.5 UK18.0 UK17.3 UK16.7 UK16.0 UK15.2 UK14.5

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = UK173m

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 1.4%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 6.7%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2033  (1 + g)  (r  g) = UK28m (1 + 1.4%)  (6.7% 1.4%) = UK531m

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= UK531m ( 1 + 6.7%)10= UK278m

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is UK451m. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of UK5.2, the company appears quite good value at a 48% discount to where the stock price trades currently. 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

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. You don't have to agree with these inputs, I recommend redoing the calculations yourself and playing with them. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Elixirr International 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 6.7%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.897. 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 Elixirr International

Strength

Earnings growth over the past year exceeded the industry.

Currently debt free.

Dividends are covered by earnings and cash flows.

Weakness

Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Professional Services market.

Opportunity

Annual earnings are forecast to grow faster than the British market.

Trading below our estimate of fair value by more than 20%.

Threat

Revenue is forecast to grow slower than 20% per year.

Moving On:

Whilst important, the DCF calculation is only one of many factors that you need to assess for a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Instead the best use for a DCF model is to test certain assumptions and theories to see if they would lead to the company being undervalued or overvalued. If a company grows at a different rate, or if its cost of equity or risk free rate changes sharply, the output can look very different. What is the reason for the share price sitting below the intrinsic value? For Elixirr International, we've compiled three additional factors you should look at:

Financial Health: Does ELIX have a healthy balance sheet? Take a look at our free balance sheet analysis with six simple checks on key factors like leverage and risk. Future Earnings: How does ELIX'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 British 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.
What trends should we look for it we want to identify stocks that can multiply in value over the long term? One common approach is to try and find a company with returns on capital employed (ROCE) that are increasing, in conjunction with a growing amount of capital employed. Put simply, these types of businesses are compounding machines, meaning they are continually reinvesting their earnings at ever-higher rates of return. So on that note, Archer-Daniels-Midland (NYSE:ADM) looks quite promising in regards to its trends of return on capital.

Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What Is It?

Just to clarify if you're unsure, ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Archer-Daniels-Midland:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT)  (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.11 = US$4.1b  (US$55b - US$19b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2023).

So, Archer-Daniels-Midland has an ROCE of 11%. That's a pretty standard return and it's in line with the industry average of 11%.

See our latest analysis for Archer-Daniels-Midland

roce

In the above chart we have measured Archer-Daniels-Midland's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

So How Is Archer-Daniels-Midland's ROCE Trending?

Investors would be pleased with what's happening at Archer-Daniels-Midland. The numbers show that in the last five years, the returns generated on capital employed have grown considerably to 11%. Basically the business is earning more per dollar of capital invested and in addition to that, 36% more capital is being employed now too. So we're very much inspired by what we're seeing at Archer-Daniels-Midland thanks to its ability to profitably reinvest capital.

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The Key Takeaway

A company that is growing its returns on capital and can consistently reinvest in itself is a highly sought after trait, and that's what Archer-Daniels-Midland has. Since the stock has returned a solid 91% to shareholders over the last five years, it's fair to say investors are beginning to recognize these changes. So given the stock has proven it has promising trends, it's worth researching the company further to see if these trends are likely to persist.

On a final note, we've found 1 warning sign for Archer-Daniels-Midland that we think you should be aware of.

While Archer-Daniels-Midland may not currently earn the highest returns, we've compiled a list of companies that currently earn more than 25% return on equity. Check out this free list 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.
A Larimer County work crew conducts chip seal operations on a street in Berthoud, Colo., on June 26, 2023, shortly after the county implemented a hiring freeze. County commissioners lifted the freeze on Aug. 15, 2023.

Larimer County commissioners on Tuesday rescinded a short-lived hiring freeze after an apparent brightening of the county's financial outlook.

The freeze, which gave department heads the flexibility to fill critical vacancies after review, was initially approved June 6. It came amid uncertainty about two potential ballot measures for Colorado's November election that could have given many local governments and taxing districts considerably less money to spend.

The most impactful measure, Initiative 21, was a statewide proposal that would have capped property tax revenue collections at 3%. It was put on hold this year, but supporters are gathering signatures to get it on next year's statewide ballot.

The other, statewide Proposition HH, would reduce the assessed valuation of properties, initially reduce overall property taxes, allow the state to keep more revenue and over time, and likely reduce refunds taxpayers receive under the state's Taxpayers' Bill of Rights (TABOR).

A Colorado Supreme Court judge is still deciding whether the proposition can be on the ballot this November after it was challenged by several counties and conservative nonprofit Advance Colorado.

If HH is on the ballot and passes, the county will see a slight decrease in revenue. If it is not on the ballot or fails, the county will get a windfall from increased property tax revenue from homes that rose in value an average 40% during the latest reassessment. Larimer County commissioners have already vowed to temporarily reduce the mill levy to reduce county revenue, but at a rate that covers their budgetary needs.

"The fiscal outlook for Larimer County no longer requires this review," according to the county resolution passed Tuesday as part of the commissioners' consent agenda. It was not discussed further.

Budget director Josh Fudge said with all the uncertainty around the ballot measures, county departments and offices held off filling positions, and those that were filled were mostly filled using outside revenue. "Our departments knew they needed to show some good judgment, so they didn't ask for things unless they really needed them," Fudge said.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Larimer County lifts hiring freeze amid brighter financial outlook
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signaled Monday that he wants to end his longtime feud with Disney (DIS).

"We've basically moved on. Theyre suing the state of Florida. They're going to lose that lawsuit," DeSantis said in an interview with CNBC.

"So what I would say is, drop the lawsuit," DeSantis added. "Let's move forward. I'm totally fine with that, but I'm not fine with giving extraordinary privileges to one special company at the exclusion of everybody else."

The ongoing political firestorm, which has seen multiple lawsuits and countersuits from both sides, stems from what has largely been seen as a politically targeted response over Disney's reaction to the so-called "Don't Say Gay" law, which forbids instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through third grade.

In 2022, then-Disney CEO Bob Chapek condemned the law at the company's annual shareholder meeting after initially deciding not to speak publicly on the matter.

In response, DeSantis signed a bill into law that allows him to take control of the company's long-standing special tax district, formerly known as Reedy Creek.

Most recently, Florida's attorney general filed a motion to dismiss an April lawsuit from the entertainment giant, arguing immunity for DeSantis.

Disney had alleged in federal court that DeSantis and other officials launched a "targeted campaign of government retaliation" for its stance on the parental rights bill when the state stripped the company of the self-governing power it held for 55 years.

During Monday's interview, DeSantis stressed the benefits of Florida's economy, which remained mostly open throughout the pandemic.

"No one has made Disney more money recently than me because during COVID they were open in Florida," he argued. "[Disney] was locked shut in California, and we said we want you guys to operate because we understand how important it was that their cast members in central Florida had the ability to make ends meet."

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"This is a great place to do business," DeSantis emphasized. "Your competitors all do very well here, Universal, SeaWorld. They have not had the same special privileges as you have. All we want to do is treat everybody the same."

'Softer' attendance at Walt Disney World

Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, pictured here on Monday, July 31, 2023, said he wants to end his longtime feud with Disney. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Last month, Disney CEO Bob Iger said the parks business was booming despite the DeSantis battle.

"We see no sign of [DeSantis impacting attendance] at all," Iger said in a separate interview with CNBC.

Still, the executive did admit during the company's earnings call last week that performance at its flagship Walt Disney World park has been "softer" as the company battles a tourism slowdown in Florida, a strong US dollar, and a decline in post-pandemic pent-up demand.

"We saw softer performance at Walt Disney World from the prior year, coming off our highly successful 50th-anniversary celebration," Iger said. "As post-COVID pent-up demand continues to level off in Florida, local tax data shows evidence of some softening in several major Florida tourism markets."

Still, revenue in Disney's Parks, Experiences, and Products segment surpassed expectations in the most recent quarter, reaching $8.33 billion versus the expected $8.25 billion.

Operating income for the division came in at $2.43 billion, ahead of estimates of $2.39 billion and above the $2.19 billion earned in the same quarter last year.

"Walt Disney World is still performing well above pre-COVID levels, 21% higher in revenue and 29% higher in operating income compared to fiscal 2019, adjusting for Star Cruiser accelerated depreciation," Iger said.

Alexandra Canal is a Senior Reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @allie_canal, LinkedIn, and email her at alexandra.canal@yahoofinance.com.

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Key Insights

Bucher Industries' estimated fair value is CHF459 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity

With CHF367 share price, Bucher Industries appears to be trading close to its estimated fair value

The CHF442 analyst price target for BUCN is 3.7% less than our estimate of fair value

In this article we are going to estimate the intrinsic value of Bucher Industries AG (VTX:BUCN) by projecting its future cash flows and then discounting them to today's value. One way to achieve this is by employing the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Before you think you won't be able to understand it, just read on! It's actually much less complex than you'd imagine.

Companies can be valued in a lot of ways, so we would point out that a DCF is not perfect for every situation. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model.

View our latest analysis for Bucher Industries

Is Bucher Industries Fairly Valued?

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 start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 Levered FCF (CHF, Millions) CHF307.8m CHF268.8m CHF241.5m CHF240.0m CHF239.0m CHF238.4m CHF237.9m CHF237.6m CHF237.4m CHF237.3m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x5 Analyst x5 Analyst x2 Analyst x1 Est @ -0.40% Est @ -0.28% Est @ -0.19% Est @ -0.13% Est @ -0.09% Est @ -0.06% Present Value (CHF, Millions) Discounted @ 5.2% CHF293 CHF243 CHF208 CHF196 CHF186 CHF176 CHF167 CHF159 CHF151 CHF143

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = CHF1.9b

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We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (0.01%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 5.2%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2033  (1 + g)  (r  g) = CHF237m (1 + 0.01%)  (5.2% 0.01%) = CHF4.6b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= CHF4.6b ( 1 + 5.2%)10= CHF2.8b

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is CHF4.7b. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of CHF367, the company appears about fair value at a 20% discount to where the stock price trades currently. 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

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 Bucher Industries as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 5.2%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.033. 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 Bucher Industries

Strength

Earnings growth over the past year exceeded the industry.

Debt is not viewed as a risk.

Dividends are covered by earnings and cash flows.

Weakness

Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Machinery market.

Opportunity

Good value based on P/E ratio and estimated fair value.

Threat

Annual earnings are forecast to decline for the next 3 years.

Moving On:

Whilst important, the DCF calculation shouldn't be the only metric you look at when researching a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. Rather it should be seen as a guide to "what assumptions need to be true for this stock to be under/overvalued?" For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. For Bucher Industries, we've compiled three additional elements you should explore:

Risks: Be aware that Bucher Industries is showing 1 warning sign in our investment analysis , you should know about... Future Earnings: How does BUCN'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 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.
Key Insights

COSCO SHIPPING International (Singapore)'s estimated fair value is S$0.12 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity

Current share price of S$0.14 suggests COSCO SHIPPING International (Singapore) is potentially trading close to its fair value

The average discount for COSCO SHIPPING International (Singapore)'s competitorsis currently 32%

How far off is COSCO SHIPPING International (Singapore) Co., Ltd. (SGX:F83) from its intrinsic value? Using the most recent financial data, we'll take a look at whether the stock is fairly priced by taking the forecast future cash flows of the company and discounting them back to today's value. One way to achieve this is by employing the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. It may sound complicated, but actually it is quite simple!

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. If you want to learn more about discounted cash flow, the rationale behind this calculation can be read in detail in the Simply Wall St analysis model.

Check out our latest analysis for COSCO SHIPPING International (Singapore)

Is COSCO SHIPPING International (Singapore) Fairly Valued?

We use what is known as a 2-stage model, which simply means we have two different periods of growth rates for the company's cash flows. Generally the first stage is higher growth, and the second stage is a lower growth phase. In the first stage we need to estimate the cash flows to the business over the next ten years. Seeing as no analyst estimates of free cash flow are available to us, we have extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the company's last reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

Story continues

Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 Levered FCF (SGD, Millions) S$23.6m S$22.1m S$21.2m S$20.7m S$20.5m S$20.5m S$20.7m S$20.9m S$21.1m S$21.4m Growth Rate Estimate Source Est @ -10.10% Est @ -6.47% Est @ -3.94% Est @ -2.16% Est @ -0.92% Est @ -0.05% Est @ 0.56% Est @ 0.99% Est @ 1.28% Est @ 1.49% Present Value (SGD, Millions) Discounted @ 9.3% S$21.6 S$18.5 S$16.2 S$14.6 S$13.2 S$12.1 S$11.1 S$10.3 S$9.5 S$8.8

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = S$136m

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 2.0%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 9.3%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2033  (1 + g)  (r  g) = S$21m (1 + 2.0%)  (9.3% 2.0%) = S$300m

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= S$300m ( 1 + 9.3%)10= S$124m

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 S$260m. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of S$0.1, 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

The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the cash flows. Part of investing is coming up with your own evaluation of a company's future performance, so try the calculation yourself and check your own assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at COSCO SHIPPING International (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 9.3%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.457. 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 COSCO SHIPPING International (Singapore)

Strength

Debt is well covered by cash flow.

Weakness

Interest payments on debt are not well covered.

Current share price is above our estimate of fair value.

Opportunity

Has sufficient cash runway for more than 3 years based on current free cash flows.

Lack of analyst coverage makes it difficult to determine F83's earnings prospects.

Threat

No apparent threats visible for F83.

Looking Ahead:

Whilst important, the DCF calculation shouldn't be the only metric you look at when researching 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. For example, changes in the company's cost of equity or the risk free rate can significantly impact the valuation. For COSCO SHIPPING International (Singapore), there are three fundamental factors you should look at:

Risks: To that end, you should be aware of the 1 warning sign we've spotted with COSCO SHIPPING International (Singapore) . 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! Other Top Analyst Picks: Interested to see what the analysts are thinking? Take a look at our interactive list of analysts' top stock picks to find out what they feel might have an attractive future outlook!

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.
Im so tired of feeling helpless as a parent': Gen X mom goes viral after explaining why her hardworking kids still can't afford to live, difference between 'struggle and drowning'

Yet another parent has realized that the American dream has slowly turned into the American nightmare.

Jess (@that1crazy72), who goes by Gen X Jess, recently took to TikTok to vent her frustration about financial challenges faced by her son and daughter, who she says arent getting the same opportunities she had.

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Im so tired of feeling helpless as a parent, she laments in the video, which has already garnered over 12.5 million views.

Comments below the video highlight how common this experience is for other Generation X parents as they watch their children cope with the unique struggles they face these days.

The world has changed

Jesss children are grown  28 and 25 years old  but both adults seem to be struggling financially due to todays exorbitant cost of living. She says her monthly mortgage payments are half as much as her daughters, even though both loans are of equal value. Meanwhile, her son has struggled to move out and find his own place some 10 months after starting a full-time job following college graduation.

Both adult kids have also struggled with unexpected costs associated with their home and health insurance, Jess says.

I thought that by teaching them what I learned  that you work hard and get a good job, youll get what you want, she says. Worked for me, why wouldnt it work for them? Well, it doesnt because the world has fing changed.

Read more: Here's how much money the average middle-class American household makes  how do you stack up?

Its not just that its hard

Jess acknowledges that struggling to get ahead is a natural part of life. But she distinguishes between struggling decades ago, when she was young, and struggling today. Jess claims she could afford to live on her own in her 20s despite making less than $10 an hour at the time.

Story continues

We struggled but we knew there was light at the end of the tunnel, she says. Now, you need to be making a six-figure salary to get a decent, tiny place to live.

Jess says she believes younger workers now face unique challenges. Theres a difference between struggling and drowning.  Kids today, no matter how much they struggle, they seem to be sinking further to the point of drowning.

She goes on to suggest that the structure of the economy has made socio-economic classes irrelevant: There used to be a lower, middle and upper class. Now it seems like theres an ultra-wealthy class and everyone else is just poor.

Several commenters seem to agree. We have a 18,16,14 yr old. And Im so scared for them, says TikTok user Zoeys Delights. The only thing I can think of is generational living. Buy land. Tiny homes?

Another commenter, Jamie, says shes worried about her 16-year-old. I moved out and lived on my own as soon as I turned 18. There isnt any way hell be able to.

What can parents do?

Gen X parents face an uphill battle to help their families. Nevertheless, there might be ways to assist adult children with the rising cost of living.

Setting up a house fund for them or investing on behalf of your children early may help them with a down payment when the housing market is ripe for them to take their first step.

You could also consider making space for multigenerational living. Home renovations, adding extra space to your existing property, or converting a garage or laneway into a tiny home could provide an independent unit for adult children.

In a follow-up video, Jess says if shed known this was how things would go, thats what she would have done for her kids too.

Ultimately, she encourages parents to recognize that the world has changed. Its not 1988 anymore, she says. While it might seem like having your kids at home still at 25 feels like theyre failing, Jess emphasizes that its the system thats failing young people these days.

What to read next

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It makes an enormous difference: Warren Buffett says this simple trick is the key to earning a generous retirement nest egg

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
Madison Investments, a 49-year-old Wisconsin-based asset management firm with nearly $23 billion in AUM, is migrating into ETFs as a means of capturing a share of the registered investment advisor space.

The launch today of the Madison Dividend Value ETF (DIVL) kicks off a four-week rollout of four income-focused ETFs, which are similar but not identical to some of the firms separately managed accounts offered through the various brokerage channels.

This is a natural extension of what we do; we want to make sure everyone who wants access to Madison has access, said Patrick Ryan, president of Madison mutual funds and ETFs.

Of Madisons total assets under management, approximately $20 billion is in separate accounts, with the remaining $3 billion spread across a dozen mutual funds and variable insurance trust accounts.

Ryan noted the migration into ETFs is specifically geared toward financial advisors, which are by far the biggest users of ETFs.

ETFs are becoming a bigger piece of the industry, and in terms of relevance, ETFs are something you want to be part of in the future, he explained. One area we need to target better is the RIA space, because we traditionally havent had a big presence there.

Madison Investments Strategies

To manage the relationship with the wirehouse distribution channels while also going after independent advisors with the new ETFs, Ryan said Madison Investments was careful to ensure the investment strategies are distinct from one another. That will likely continue to be the case as the firm moves deeper into the ETF industry.

Our largest distribution partners preferred that these ETFs were a little different from our SMAs, he said, adding that Madison plans to leverage our relationships with the different wirehouses where we have great shelf space.

While technically starting from scratch, Ryan noted the new ETFs are closely aligned with some of the existing SMA strategies: The SMA track records give us something to point to ever if we cant put that out there. I think the assets will come in relatively quickly.

Story continues

The Madison Dividend Value ETF, like the three Madison ETFs coming behind it, is a fully transparent active strategy.

The fund, managed by John Brown and Drew Justman, has an expense ratio of 0.65% and invests in stocks with relative dividend yields that fall within the top 25% of their historic range, with a focus on high quality companies, strong balance sheets and durable competitive advantages.

Over the next three weeks, the asset manager will launch the Madison Covered Call ETF (CVRD), which has an expense ratio of 0.90%; the Madison Aggregate Bond ETF (MAGG); and the Madison Short Term Strategic Income ETF (MSTI), both of which charge 0.40%.

Contact Jeff Benjamin at @jeffrey.benjamin@etf.com





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The Mississippi River is an important shipping route with a storied history. (Photo: iofoto/Shutterstock)

Every week, FreightWaves explores the archives of American Shippers nearly 70-year-old collection of shipping and maritime publications to showcase interesting freight stories of long ago.

This article comes from the June 1976 issue of American Shipper and recounts a massive backlog in the Mississippi River at the time and its aftermath.

Mississippi River gets new attention after 8-day crisis at locks and dam 26

A massive eight-day backup of barge traffic at Locks and Dam 26, during which shipping losses were estimated as high as $500,000 a day, may help to break up the logjam of controversy over the proposed replacement of the 38-year-old facility on the Mississippi River at Alton, 111.

The crisis began March 18, when part of a cell leading to the main 600-ft. lock collapsed, spilling boulders into the channel. Barge traffic was slowed but the Corps of Engineers managed to make temporary repairs using a huge steel plate. Then on April 8, a towboat accidentally hooked the plate, tearing it loose and blocking the channel.

Markets disrupted

By the time repairs were made and the facility reopened eight days later, an estimated 100 towboats and 900 barges jammed the riverbank near Alton. The backup disrupted the grain, chemical, coal, and fertilizer markets.

Had the tie-up at Locks 26 continued, the economic consequences in the grain market alone could have been disastrous. Grain elevators on the upper Illinois River closed during the backup because no empty barges were available, according to Jim Layton of the St. Louis Grain Corporation.

Prices for grain south of Alton and Locks 26 escalated, Layton said, because traders knew it could be shipped without difficulty to New Orleans, the worlds largest grain exporting port.

The Grain Terminal Association in Minneapolis-St. Paul reported a 4-cent-a-bushel drop in corn prices due to the tie-up.

Farmers Union Central Exchange in St. Paul said cooperatives, which handle 50% of the fertilizer sold in the area, ran out of dry nitrogen, which is shipped up from Donaldsonville, La. The Swift Agricultural Company, Meredosia, 111., ran out of ammonia.

Story continues

Sixteen barges carrying lime to Chicago area steel mills were held up. Stockpiles of lime at the Chicago terminals were exhausted, forcing steel companies to truck lime from Detroit.

In St. Louis, a ship repair facility laid off 30 employees, while marine suppliers who sell fuel to the big towboats  which use 8,000 to 10,000 gallons a day each  felt the effects as the boats cut their engines.

Gasoline suppliers in Chicago and other communities in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota found they were cut off from refineries at Wood River and Hartford, 111., below Locks and Dam 26.

The Des Moines Register reported that C-F Industries at Davenport was unable to load 20 barges with a million bushels of grain.

Herbert R. Haar, associate port director, New Orleans, said, If the situation were to have continued at Locks and Dam 26, it would have caused severe problems here, because 60% of what goes through Alton ends up in New Orleans. Two days before Locks and Dam 26 reopened, 14 ships were lying at anchor in New Orleans waiting to load grain, at a total daily cost of $280,000.

In the wake of the crisis Sen. Walter Mondale (D-Minn.) drafted a bill designed to remove the stalemate in the controversy surrounding the replacement of Locks and Dam 26.

The opposition

Environmentalists, allied with the railroads, have so far succeeded in blocking the proposal by the Corps of Engineers to replace the deteriorating facility at Alton with a new dam and two 1,200-ft. locks.

The Alton facility was built in 1938 and is deteriorating. In 1969, plans for a new dam and larger lock, submitted by the Corps of Engineers, were approved by the Secretary of the Army.

Specifications were written and bids were taken, but one day before the bids were to be opened in 1974, a lawsuit was filed against the construction by a coalition of 21 railroads and two environmentalist organizations. As a result, an injunction was issued and the corps has put together a new, seven volume, 22-pound environmental impact statement, but it has yet to be approved by a federal judge.

On February 24, the corps issued a compromise report, calling for a new dam with a single lock, with provision for construction of a second lock if justified by further environmental and economic studies.

Compromise or cop-out?

With tonnage flowing through the Alton facility growing at the rate of 10% a year, and increasing river traffic and congestion upping transit time, water carriers considered the corps alternative solution more of a cop-out than a compromise.

Limiting the transit capacity at one of the busiest intersections of the inland waterways system is like building a single runway to serve Chicagos OHare Airport, said James Randall, co-chairman of the National Committee on Locks and Dam 26. By the time the new dam with its single lock is completed, river traffic would be dangerously close to its 86-million-ton-per-year capacity, Randall said.

The point of view of the water carriers is perhaps best expressed by a recent editorial in the St. Paul Pioneer Press:

Ecological fears

For nearly two years, the Sierra Club, the Izaak Walton League, and other ecology-minded groups have been in bed with the railroads on this issue. The environmentalists claim the Army engineers would open the upper Mississippi to a vastly increased barge traffic, which would do irreparable harm to the riverbanks and to the quality of life in and along the Mississippi.

The railroads, using their longstanding argument that barge lines using federally-improved waterways are unfair competition, claim they have a huge unused freight capacity which can take care of all the Midwests shipping needs, now and in the future.

The Mississippi River became logjammed in March of 1976. (Photo: American Shipper)

Shippers grain chute

The railroads position is contradicted by recent history. Year after year, the railroads come up short of grain shipping capacity at harvest time. Year after year they abandon or petition to abandon more miles of line serving agricultural regions. They willingly give up the short hauls and branch lines to trucks, but cling fiercely to the profitable long hauls while claiming they are being unfairly undercut by barges. They assert they have the capacity to meet shippers needs but consistently fail to prove it.

With the U.S. producing record grain crops  and selling huge proportions of them overseas, expediting shipments to seaports becomes of vital importance. New Orleans is the greatest of these ports and the Mississippi River traffic is literally the grain chute of the nation. If the railroads have fallen short up till now, how can they expect to meet the greater needs of the future?

Mondales bill

A primary concern of environmentalists is that the proposed new locks and dam at Alton is just the forerunner of a project to deepen the upper Mississippi channel. A key element of Mondales bill would withdraw the authority of the Corps of Engineers to study the feasibility of deepening the channel above Alton without specific authorization from Congress.

Mondales bill also includes provision for replacing each acre of wildlife habitat inundated by the construction of the new facility.

Whether or not Mondales efforts will bear fruit remains to be seen. Water carriers remain apprehensive about the bills lack of specific authorization for a second lock at the proposed new facility. But the April crisis at Locks and Dam 26 has served to alert the public that a solution must be found quickly.

The Mississippi cannot be preserved as some kind of wild or virgin river, the editorial in the St. Paul Pioneer Press noted,  it has not been that since the early days of settlement. It would be economically foolish, and ecologically naive, not to permit the river to function at least as effectively as it did a hundred years ago.

FreightWaves Classics articles look at various aspects of the transportation industrys history. Click here to subscribe to our newsletter!

Have a topic you want me to cover? Email me at bjaekel@freightwaves.com or follow me on Twitter.

The post Mississippi River crisis disrupted freight markets in 1976 appeared first on FreightWaves.
Porter Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Clymer had no hesitation during a Tuesday court hearing in saying that, after more than 9 years, the multi-count securities fraud case against Donald M. Johnson had gone on for too long without a resolution.

That weighed in Johnsons favor as Clymer considered the defendants third motion to dismiss the case against him, filed on June 29 and alleging that Johnsons right to a speedy trial has been violated.

Still, Clymer said three other factors  including that the delays in the case were not caused intentionally or in bad faith; Johnson did not ask for a speedy trial; and there was no evidence submitted of prejudice against Johnson by the state  all weighed in the states favor.

Clymer ruled during the hearing, which lasted more than an hour, that Johnsons Nov. 13 trial date stands, with a pretrial hearing scheduled for Oct. 6.

Is there some hard and fast rule that says put up and shut up? he said of the delays during the hearing. When does a case have to go to trial?

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.

An appellate court ruling on Johnsons second motion to dismiss the case dropped two of the counts against him because of the statute of limitations but said the rest of the charges could proceed to trial.

Clymer apologized for his own role in the cases delay, since a mandatory judicial conference in September forced him to push the trial back two months.

Story continues

Defense attorney Julie Treida argued the issue was why the continuations were filed, and noted the state waited almost three years to respond to Johnsons second motion to dismiss the case, filed on July 16, 2018.

Its clear its not who files the continuation but why the continuation was filed, she said, adding a lot of the delays should be charged to the state.

Special Prosecutor David Rooda disagreed. While the defense filed for more than 30 continuances, he said, the state filed for just three. Additionally, Johnson filed two interlocutory appeals to the state appellate court, which paused action on his case here, and filed three motions to dismiss the charges.

There were trips. I believe Ms. Treida needed some time off. There were conflicts by defense counsel. I dont know why all that time should be attributed to the state, Rooda said.

Clymer, who received the case in 2021 and at one point held up a thick blue binder of documents because the case is so old it predates online docketing, went over his own timeline of delays in the case that had nothing to do with the defense or the state.

Since the original charges were first filed on March 14, 2014, the first prosecutor on the case, Brian Gensel, lost a reelection bid and his successor, Gary Germann, had to recuse himself and his office from prosecuting the case because Germann was one of Johnsons first attorneys.

The deputy prosecutor handling the case when it was filed, Michael Drenth, is now a judge. Porter Superior Court Judge Roger Bradford, who initially presided over the case, retired and was replaced by Judge Michael Fish, who recused himself from the matter.

There also was an order by the Indiana Supreme Court to pause court proceedings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are lots of times that are clearly the epitome of neutral (delays in the case) because of where everybody sat in the courtroom, Clymer said.

alavalley@chicagotribune.com
By Gwladys Fouche

OSLO (Reuters) - Norway's $1.4 trillion wealth fund, the world's single largest stock market investor, is urging firms it invests in to engage with artificial intelligence as a way to drive profits, but to do so responsibly, top officials told Reuters.

Fund CEO Nicolai Tangen said it was crucial for all firms in its portfolio to engage with AI, as it is "potentially a massive driver for productivity and efficiency" that is becoming an everyday business tool like power, computers or the internet.

"We of course expect them to use AI for the best possible benefit of the business," Tangen said in an interview. "AI is a huge opportunity for companies and for society, but we need to make sure that it is used in the right way."

Tangen said a company that would not engage with AI "would disqualify themselves as being complete morons".

The fund invests in 9,200 firms worldwide, for which it sets expectations on a range of issues, from children's rights to climate change.

Its latest document, to be published Wednesday, is on consumers' interests, with a heavy focus on AI.

When talking to firms about responsible AI, the fund will concentrate particularly on the healthcare, finance and large tech sectors, because their use of the technology will have an especially strong impact on consumers.

Companies must be able to explain why they are developing particular AI systems and how they have been designed, trained and tested, according to the document. There should also be effective human oversight and control.

That is so "people (who) are affected by the outcomes can actually go back to the company and ask 'how does your algorithm work? Why did I not get the loan?'", said Carine Smith Ihenacho, the fund's chief governance and compliance officer.

Among other expectations set in the document, the fund said companies must be proactive in their management of AI-related risks, and have systems in place if or when things go wrong.

Story continues

Special responsibility lies with the top tech companies that develop AI technology since they are driving the change, said the fund, a top ten investor in Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet and Nvidia.

"They have to take responsibility for their development and use of AI," said Smith Ihenacho, adding the fund had already discussed AI with the large U.S. tech companies in its portfolio.

"We have done it and we will continue to do it," she said.

She welcomed recent self-regulation moves by U.S. tech giants as "a good start", but noted that there were "no proper regulations in place yet" and that more was needed.

In July, U.S. AI companies made voluntary commitments to the White House to implement measures such as watermarking AI-generated content to make the technology safer.

"That is where there is room for investors like us to come in and fill the gap," said Smith Ihenacho.

Tech is the largest sector in the fund's equity investments, representing 11.9% of the its total value at end-2022, its data showed.

Dialogue with companies and voting at annual general meetings is the focus of its environment, social and governance (ESG) approach, but the fund can, and does, divest from companies that do not comply with its requirements. Last year it divested from 74 firms on those grounds.

(Reporting by Gwladys Fouche; Editing by Terje Solsvik and Jan Harvey)
On August 14, 2023, Nucor Corp (NYSE:NUE) recorded a daily gain of 3.31%, contributing to a 3-month gain of 23.98%. The company's Earnings Per Share (EPS) stands at 21.65. However, with a GuruFocus Fair Value (GF Value) of $143.72, is the stock modestly overvalued? This article provides a detailed valuation analysis of Nucor, helping investors make informed decisions. Read on to find out more.

A Brief Overview of Nucor Corp (NYSE:NUE)

Nucor Corp manufactures steel and steel products, with additional operations in producing direct reduced iron for its steel mills. The company's business segments include steel mills, steel products, and raw materials, with the steel mills segment generating maximum revenue. Nucor's current share price is $172.04, indicating a market cap of $42.80 billion, which seems to suggest that the stock may be modestly overvalued.

Is Nucor (NUE) Modestly Overvalued? A Comprehensive Valuation Analysis

Understanding the GF Value of Nucor (NYSE:NUE)

The GF Value is a proprietary measure that represents the current intrinsic value of a stock. It's calculated based on historical multiples, a GuruFocus adjustment factor, and future business performance estimates. If the stock price is significantly above the GF Value Line, it is overvalued and its future return is likely to be poor. Conversely, if it is significantly below the GF Value Line, its future return will likely be higher.

According to GuruFocus' valuation method, Nucor (NYSE:NUE) appears to be modestly overvalued. As a result, the long-term return of its stock is likely to be lower than its business growth.

Is Nucor (NUE) Modestly Overvalued? A Comprehensive Valuation Analysis

Assessing Nucor's Financial Strength

Investing in companies with poor financial strength can lead to a high risk of permanent capital loss. Nucor's cash-to-debt ratio of 0.81 ranks better than 66.61% of companies in the Steel industry, indicating strong financial health.

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Is Nucor (NUE) Modestly Overvalued? A Comprehensive Valuation Analysis

Profitability and Growth of Nucor

Profitable companies, especially those with consistent profitability over the long term, are less risky investments. Nucor's operating margin of 20.52% ranks better than 93.45% of companies in the Steel industry, indicating strong profitability.

Furthermore, the company's growth is commendable. The average annual revenue growth of Nucor is 28.7%, which ranks better than 86.47% of companies in the Steel industry.

ROIC vs WACC: A Measure of Profitability

Comparing a company's return on invested capital (ROIC) and the weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is another way to assess its profitability. For Nucor, the ROIC is 25.1, and the WACC is 13.48, suggesting a healthy profitability level.

Is Nucor (NUE) Modestly Overvalued? A Comprehensive Valuation Analysis

Conclusion

In conclusion, Nucor (NYSE:NUE) appears to be modestly overvalued. The company's financial condition is strong, and its profitability is robust. For more detailed financial information on Nucor, you can check out its 30-Year Financials here.

To discover high-quality companies that may deliver above-average returns, consider exploring the GuruFocus High Quality Low Capex Screener.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


By Lewis Jackson

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Negotiations between Chevron, Woodside Energy Group and Australian unions on Tuesday are unlikely to yield results for days because unions will need to consult members on any decision, according to a source with knowledge of the matter that was not authorised to speak to media.

Chevron and Woodside negotiated with unions on Tuesday to avert potential industrial action over pay and conditions at Australian facilities that supply about 10% of the LNG market.

Chevron said through a spokesperson that bargaining was continuing and "we seek outcomes that are in the interests of both employees and the company.

A Woodside spokesperson told Reuters there were no updates on the negotiations.

Workers at the offshore platforms that supply gas to the Woodside-operated North West Shelf LNG plant have backed industrial action although the unions have not yet called for action there.

Meanwhile, workers at three Chevron facilities, Gorgon, Wheatstone platform and Wheatstone downstream, will vote on potential industrial action after the industrial umpire approved the ballots.

The Offshore Alliance, a coalition of the unions involved, said in a social media post on Tuesday members at the Chevron sites would begin voting "over the next week", meaning potential strike action at those facilities is at least a week away.

Even if members vote for industrial action, the unions will still have discretion over whether to call for any. Possible industrial action could range from 30-minute work stoppages all the way to complete strikes.

Employers must be given seven days' notice before industrial action.

Credit Suisse analyst Saul Kavonic said last week the risk of strikes stopping production across the LNG plants for more than a week was exceptionally low.

"This is all part of union negotiations. While there will be loud rhetoric threatening large production outages as the unions and LNG companies test their positions, it is unlikely global supply will actually be impacted materially," he said.

(Reporting by Lewis Jackson; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
(Bloomberg) -- An adviser to Chinas central bank says the top priority for policymakers needs to be stimulating household consumption, comments that come amid further signs the economic recovery is faltering.

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The most urgent goal now is to stimulate household consumption, and it is necessary to use all reasonable, legally compliant and economic channels to put money in residents pockets, said Cai Fang, a member of the monetary policy committee at the Peoples Bank of China.

Cai added in the article posted late Monday on a social media account of the China Finance 40 Forum, one of the nations top economic think tanks, that continued unemployment in the wake of the pandemic is crimping household spending and that consumer confidence is expected to weaken without new policies.

He is among a group of economists who have called for providing direct stimulus to consumers to boost spending, a path that Beijing has so far been unwilling to follow. Earlier this year, Cai said direct stimulus of 4 trillion yuan ($551 billion) paid directly to Chinese households is an option to spur a recovery in consumer spending that has been slowed by weak wage growth during the pandemic.

Cai, 66, is one of the most well-known economists in China to focus on demography and labor economics. The former vice president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a state think tank, joined the PBOCs policy advisory body in early 2021, and has helped the government map five-year plans for economic and social development. In July, Cai called on officials to reform the household registration system to unleash the consumption potential of the nations large pool of migrant workers.

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See: Chinas Economic Recovery Faces Risks From Property Crisis

Authorities have so far indicated they are not seriously considering handing out cash straight to consumers. Former Premier Li Keqiang said last year that tax and fee cuts for companies were the most direct, fair and efficient way to stimulate the economy, as opposed to consumer vouchers and large-scale investment  underscoring a preference to help employers instead of giving cash directly to individuals.

Senior Communist Party officials also have a history of warning against the trap of welfarism, saying the country aims to encourage people to accumulate wealth through hard work. There are also practical constraints to handouts, including local governments deteriorating finances and ensuring fair distribution.

Chinas economic rebound is facing headwinds from a worsening property slump. Official data released Tuesday showed a faltering recovery, with consumer spending, industrial output and investment sliding across the board and unemployment picking up. The government suspended publishing data on its soaring youth unemployment rate, saying it needed to iron out complexities in the numbers.

The data is putting more pressure on Beijing to add stimulus. Some economists are calling for extra fiscal policy support following the PBOCs surprise rate cut on Tuesday, especially with broad government spending declining in the first half as local governments see income from land sales plunge.

The interest rate cut is probably only part of the policy reaction, said Zhang Zhiwei, chief economist at Pinpoint Asset Management Ltd. More important is what the government will do on the fiscal front. Thats probably the key to resolving the current challenge.

Also late Monday, state television reported that the PBOC plans to boost sales of bond and asset-backed securities by consumer and automobile finance companies. Eight such firms are expected to sell a combined 50 billion yuan of bonds and the securities in the near future, according to the report, which cited an unidentified person close to the central bank.

(Updates with rate cut and economist comment.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

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The Guatemalan-born brand brings its signature bold flavor to the classic dish

DALLAS, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pollo Campero, known for its flavorful chicken meals, has added a bold, creamy new Mac and Cheese to its famous lineup of flavorful sides.

Pollo Campero Launches New Mac and Cheese

Made with four cheeses and a blend of savory seasonings, the new Mac and Cheese is the perfect complement to Pollo Campero's fried and grilled chicken on the bone, its boneless Camperitos and the popular Campero Spicy Chicken Sandwich. The new side is available with individual and family meals or on its own.

"We tested many recipes to be sure that our new Mac and Cheese delivers on the Pollo Campero bold flavor promise," said Pollo Campero Chief Operating Officer & Managing Director Luis Javier Rodas. "Our team expertly crafted a proprietary, made-from-scratch recipe to create a rich, cheesy delight with a blend of savory seasonings."

The new Mac and Cheese is now available at all Pollo Campero locations in the U.S. For complete menu information and locations, visit www.campero.com.

About Pollo Campero

Family founded in Guatemala in 1971, Pollo Campero is a fast-service restaurant specializing in uniquely flavorful chicken and a diverse menu offering individual and family meals made with quality ingredients. Using family recipes passed down from generation to generation, and a fried chicken recipe that is considered a national treasure of Guatemala, Pollo Campero offers tender, juicy, hand-breaded fried chicken and slow-marinated, citrus-infused grilled chicken that is always fresh and prepared daily. Pollo Campero also offers hand-selected, farm-to-restaurant sides inspired by the brand's roots in Latin America. Since its beginnings as a small, family-owned restaurant, Pollo Campero has grown to more than 350 restaurants around the world. To learn more about Pollo Campero, visit us.campero.com and follow the flavor on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Kendra Byrd

Kendra@spmcommunications.com

817-329-3257

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(Bloomberg) -- The largest exchange-traded fund focused on high-flying stocks has been losing its edge.

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The $9 billion iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF (ticker MTUM) is trailing the S&P 500 by the most ever on an annual basis, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The fund, which seeks exposure to shares exhibiting higher-price trends and at its height commanded more than $18 billion in assets, hasnt seen a full week of inflows since January. After a $2.9 billion exodus, its on pace for the worst year of outflows since its 2013 inception.

While MTUM has a sizable portion in tech stocks, it only added Nvidia Corp. in May, data compiled by Bloomberg show. That means the fund has missed out on a lot of the artificial-intelligence rally this year. The ETF is also heavily skewed toward one of 2023s worst-performing sectors: health care. Meantime, its exposure to energy  a sector thats rising again  has been cut to 5% from 25% at the start of the year.

Its the latest case of a capricious stock market delivering a crushing blow to momentum-chasing investors  with ill-timed rebalancing schedules at a time when former losers like megacaps rebound.

This is the tricky portion with factor ETFs  timing when one works and when another falls out of favor is very challenging, said Todd Sohn, ETF strategist at Strategas. With MTUM, their semi-annual balance methodology has missed the bulk of most sector moves, particularly in what feels like an equity market that sees major moves occur within shorter and shorter time frames.

MTUM usually rebalances in May and November. Nvidia is its top holding, followed by companies including Meta Platforms Inc., Microsoft Corp., Eli Lilly & Co. and Exxon Mobil Corp., data compiled by Bloomberg show.

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Tech stocks have ripped higher this year, buoyed partly by optimism over the promises of AI. Nvidia, which has more than tripled in the span, had already clocked a big portion of that gain before being added to MTUM.

Factor investing selects companies not by industry, but by specific traits like how fast their prices are moving. MTUM has lost 0.5% this year, compared with a 16% advance in the S&P 500.

The momentum factor has made little progress over the past year, and certain trends dont bode well for future returns, according to Christopher Cain, quantitative equity strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence.

Cain looked at the Russell 1000. The dispersion of individual stock returns within the index is elevated, and a large range of returns suggest internal market rotation. That could adversely affect momentum strategies because the factor  at its core  relies on the premise that current trends will be extended, Cain noted.

A similar situation happened a few years ago. Stock dispersion was elevated in 2016, and the long/short momentum factor struggled during that stretch, Cain wrote in a note. When it settled down the following year, the momentum factor rose.

Sylvia Jablonski, co-founder and chief investment officer at Defiance ETFs, says that MTUMs semi-annual rebalances worked out great in the years before the pandemic. But post-Covid, more frequent rebalances may have led to better returns given uncertainty of recession and a very reactive market.

The thesis of what goes high will continue to go higher does often work out to some degree  but when you get a pullback, decay tends to be unfavorable for this factor, she said. That being said, if we have a nice stock rally post August into year-end, this ETF just may regather the wind in its sails.

--With assistance from Athanasios Psarofagis.

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FILE PHOTO: The logos of Swiss bank Credit Suisse and UBS are seen in Geneva

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Moscow court has banned UBS and its recently-acquired Swiss rival Credit Suisse from disposing of shares in their Russian subsidiaries, court documents showed, after a request from Zenit Bank which is concerned about losing out if they exit Russia.

Zenit told the court in a statement that it believed the Russian subsidiaries of UBS and Credit Suisse were preparing to terminate their activities in Russia, which would leave it at risk of a loss relating to a loan made in October 2021.

The Russian bank joined an agreement to provide a syndicated loan to Luxembourg-based agricultural firm Intergrain, for which Credit Suisse was the credit agent, the document showed.

In November 2021, Zenit transferred $20 million to Intergrain, but after Western sanctions were imposed on Zenit, Credit Suisse notified the Russian bank that it would not transfer payments to it from Intergrain.

Credit Suisse and UBS, which bought its smaller rival in June, declined to comment.

Laws introduced after Russia despatched troops to Ukraine in February last year have made presidential approval necessary for banks to cut ties with their local business.

The court documents showed that Zenit Bank had filed for interim measures, asking the court to seize funds belonging to UBS and Credit Suisse, and prohibiting the disposal of shares.

Zenit's request to seize funds was not granted and a further court hearing is scheduled to be held on Sept. 14.

A Moscow court last week sequestered Goldman Sachs assets in Russia including its 5% stake in Detsky Mir, Russia's largest toy retailer, at the request of Otkritie Bank, which said the U.S. bank owed it 615 million roubles, court documents showed.

(Reporting by Elena Fabrichnaya; Writing by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Alexander Smith)
A Russian tanker off the coast of Novorossiysk. (Photo: Flickr/Vasilyev Serge)

Mainstream European tanker owners have largely abandoned the Russian trade now that the countrys crude and diesel have breached Western price caps. The so-called shadow fleet  tankers operating outside Western insurance and financial circles  has taken over.

Western sanctions had two goals: First, keep Russian oil flowing, and second, curb oil revenues to Putins military. Goal No. 2 is in major trouble. Russias export revenues are increasing as the price of its crude and products rises and volumes remain strong despite the exit of European tanker owners.

Smashing price cap levels

Russian Urals crude loading in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk was at $73.57 per barrel on Friday, according to data from price-reporting agency Argus. Thats up 49% over the past two months to the highest levels since early November, prior to the EU ban on Russian crude imports. Urals crude has been above the $60-per-barrel price cap since mid-July.

Urals crude was at a discount of just $14.80 per barrel to Brent crude on Friday  the lowest spread since the invasion of Ukraine. The discount was near $40 per barrel at the beginning of this year.

Prices are likewise rising for Russias refined products. Russian diesel loaded in the Black Sea hit $108.98 per barrel on Wednesday and was still above $107 on Friday, up over 50% since early May. Russias Black Sea-origin diesel has been over the $100-per-barrel price cap since July 27, according to data from Argus.

The escalating value of Russias fuel exports is smashing price cap levels, said the International Energy Agency (IEA) on Friday. Russias oil and products export revenues in July were the highest since November, the IEA said.

And Russia looks set to earn even more this month. Reuters reported Tuesday that Russias diesel and gasoil exports rose 7% in the first half of August versus the first half of July.

Effect on non-Russian tanker trades

Mainstream tanker owners are seeing two counterbalancing effects from the price-cap breach.

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On one hand, European tankers exiting the Russian trade are adding to capacity in non-Russian trades, pressuring rates in those markets.

Kevin Mackay, CEO of Teekay Tankers (NYSE: TNK), said during the companys latest quarterly call: We have seen an increase in the tonnage list as the number of players who did participate [in the Russian trade] are now returning to our trade, which is putting some pressure on spot rates.

On the other hand, some buyers who previously purchased Russian exports appear to be shifting back to traditional sources, reportedly due to behind-the-scenes pressure from the U.S. government. According to Reuters, the Biden administration is using soft tactics, reaching out to market participants and urging them to abide by the price cap.

Brian Gallagher, head of investor relations at crude-tanker owner Euronav (NYSE: EURN), said during the companys latest quarterly call: There have been some buyers in the dark trade whove been warned off  so, theyre buying barrels from more conventional sources that are being shipped by commercial players like us.

More freight revenues could flow to Russia

Tankers carrying Russian cargoes earn a significant premium versus vessels carrying non-Russian cargoes on comparable routes.

When Russias crude and products were below the price cap, these excess earnings largely went to European tanker owners, primarily private Greek owners.

Now the excess will overwhelmingly go to shadow tanker owners, including Russia-linked owners, with some of those earnings believed to be funneled back to the Russian government.

This backdoor revenue stream to Russia was in place even before price caps were breached. A Financial Times analysis published Monday estimated that overcharging of freight fees and freight earned by Russian-linked vessels totaled $1.2 billion in April-June in the Baltic Sea-to-India trade.

Premium for Russian cargoes hits record high

Argus tracks the premium for Russian versus non-Russian cargoes. This data shows that the premium has skyrocketed in recent weeks as European tankers switched to non-Russian trades.

According to John Ollett, deputy head of European freight pricing at Argus, The sanctions premium for Russian-origin crude soared  as European and G-7 [Group of Seven nations] tanker owners have largely abandoned the market.

The sanctions premium is now the highest since Argus began assessing the differentials in March.

Argus calculated that a Suezmax tanker carrying 140,000 tons of crude from Novorossiysk to the west coast of India earned 150% more than a comparable tanker on a non-Russian trade during the first two weeks of August.

(Chart: FreightWaves based on data from Argus)

High premiums are also being earned for tankers carrying Russian diesel and other refined products.

According to Argus data, a medium-range product tanker carrying 37,000 tons of Russian refined products from the Baltic Sea to West Africa earned 58% more in freight than a product tanker carrying the same volume from Northwest Europe to West Africa in the week ending Friday. The Russian premium for cargoes to Brazil was 48%.

Tanker safety risks rise

Meanwhile, tanker safety concerns have risen in the Black Sea following the Ukrainian drone attacks on a Russian naval vessel in Novorossiysk on Aug. 4 and a Russian tanker in the Kerch Strait on Aug. 5; the Ukrainian declaration that Russias Black Sea ports, including Novorossiysk, are war risk areas; and an incident Sunday in which the Russian military fired warning shots and boarded a dry bulk vessel bound for Ukraine.

The heightened risk has yet to significantly affect freight rates, but it could in the future.

Following recent drone attacks on Russian vessels, the insurance costs for war risk premiums are likely to rise, said Ollett. With both refined products and crude exceeding the price cap and regional safety risks escalating, mainstream shipowners are increasingly abandoning the market.

Click for more articles by Greg Miller

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The post Sanctions on Russian crude and diesel exports are failing appeared first on FreightWaves.
ReportLinker

The Silk Yarn Market size is estimated at USD 39.40 billion in 2023, and is expected to reach USD 45.70 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 3.01% during the forecast period (2023-2028). Key Highlights.

New York, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Silk Yarn Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2023 - 2028)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484109/?utm_source=GNW

The Silk Yarn Market size is estimated at USD 39.40 billion in 2023, and is expected to reach USD 45.70 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 3.01% during the forecast period (2023-2028).



Key Highlights

The industrialization of the silk industry coupled with various government schemes will boost the production of raw silk in the Asia-pacific region which in turn increase the production of silk yarn making the region to be the largest market during the forecast period.

Caribbean countries such as Cuba and African Countries including Kenya are making an effort to boost their silk yarn production.The Government of Rwanda as well as has begun investing in the development of silk value chains, with the rising demand from Asia, the production of high-quality silk products offers strong export opportunities. To tap into growing global markets, Rwandas National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB) has also partnered with HEWorks, a Korean silk manufacturer.

The sector is a major provider to foreign exchange reserves in nations such as India which is why the government supports with various initiatives to boost the industry. In India, sericulture operations are distributed throughout 52,360 villages. The country uses raw materials to manufacture silk garments, made-ups, textiles, yarns, carpets, shawls, scarves, pillow coverings, and accessories.

Countries such as India, China, the United States of America, Italy, France, Switzerland, Japan, Vietnam, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Korea are some of the major consumers of silk and silk products. The industrialization of the silk industry coupled with various government schemes will boost the production of raw silk in the Asia-pacific region which in turn increases the production of silk yarn, making the region to be the largest market during the forecast period.



Silk Yarn Market Trends



Italy is Emerging as Major Producer of Silk Yarn in Europe



Italy is one of the major producers of silk yarn in the European region, as hundreds of farms have started rearing silkworms in the past few years. Silk production using silk worms grown in Italy has been on the rise in recent years. Comapnies such as ONGETTA SRL is specialized in the silk throwsting and produces GOTS certified organic silk that is branded ONGETTA BIO SILK. It was the first spinning and twisting mill of GOTS certified silk yarns in Europe.



The decrease in exports of silk yarn from China is likely to give more access to the Italian silk yarn producers to the global market. Further, the price of Chinese silk has been climbing, far surpassing the price of silk threads produced in Italy from Italian-grown silkworms. This would further boost domestically produced silk yarn.



However, the production and export of silk yarn from Italy are minuscule when compared to Chinese production and export of silk yarn. In 2021, Italy exported silk yarn which valued at USD 18.21 million worldwide, which have increased by 8% as compared to 2020 and the major destinations were France, Romania, United Kingdom, Austria, and Germany.



Asia Pacific Dominates the Market



China is worlds largest producer and export silk and silk products including silk yarns. However, the rising costs of mulberry cultivation are forcing many farmers to exit sericulture.Silk is mainly produced in the south of the Yangtze River Delta. Renowned silk producing regions are Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Sichuan provinces. Cities such as Suzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, and Shaoxing are well known for their silk industries.



Uzbekistan is another prominent producer of silk. The silk products of the country are highly valued in the global market. In the nation, the organisation "UZBEKIPAKSANOAT"was founded recently. The organisation is working hard to improve silkworm cocoon production, as well as silk fabric processing and manufacturing. Collaboration with local and worldwide manufacturers is underway, and self-employed silk producers are encouraged and supported. After China and India, Uzbekistan is the worlds third largest producer of silk.



India has implemented a scheme called Silk Samagra through its Central Silk Board (CSB) to enhance the quality and productivity of domestic silk to reduce the countrys import of raw silk. In order to promote tussar silk cultivation in Odisha, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) in has recently established the States first silk yarn production centre at Choudwar in the district .The industrialisation of the silk industry coupled with various government schemes will boost the production of raw silk in the Asia-pacific region which in turn increase the production of silk yarn making the region to be the largest market during the forecast period.



Silk Yarn Industry Overview



Additional Benefits:



The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format

3 months of analyst support

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06484109/?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.



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CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




In todays competitive business landscape, it can be difficult for small businesses to differentiate themselves and capture the attention of potential customers. Employing the strategies listed below, smaller ventures can distinguish themselves from the competition and establish a unique and viable place in the market.

Unique value proposition: Clearly define your selling points that distinguish yourselves from the competition. This could be based on a number of things including exceptional customer service, quality service, distinctive product attributes and others. The key is to define your approach and communicate the value proposition to your target market.

Utilize innovative marketing techniques: Develop strategies tailored to your target audience that build brand and organizational awareness. Leverage digital marketing tools like social media, email marketing and search engine optimization to reach potential customers effectively.

Foster strong relationships with your customers: Building lasting relationships is crucial for small businesses. Communicate often and effectively with your customers. Repeat customers are a critical asset to a small business. Work at building loyalty with these customers through effective communication and loyalty programs that reward repeat business.

Stay ahead of the competition: Continuously monitor your industry and market, stay updated on market trends and adapt to a changing marketplace. Build on what works and change what does not. The key is being able to detect changes in the market and adapt your business to meet emerging opportunities. This often is referred to as Pivoting to meet a changing and evolving marketplace.

Emphasize local connections: Small businesses in Northern Michigan are the economic engine of our communities. As a small business owner, seek opportunities to be active supporters of the community. Participate in local events, Business After Hours, expos, volunteer organizations and school events. These will help you and your business be visible in the community and someone folks will want to do business with.

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In a world dominated by large companies it may seem challenging for small businesses to make their mark. By following certain strategies, small business owners can distinguish themselves and carve out a successful space in their markets. Standing out as a small business requires consistency, dedication and a commitment to providing exceptional value to customers. By selecting and emphasizing specific strategies small businesses can succeed in the market and thrive in our community.

At Tip of the Mitt SCORE we want to help you be successful in your small business.

Contact us for free, confidential assistance in your small business journey.

Rex Winter is a retired business executive from the agriculture industry and a volunteer mentor with SCOREs Tip of the Mitt chapter. To request the free, confidential mentoring services which SCORE offers for small businesses, go to score.org or call the Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce at (231) 347-4150.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Distinguishing your small business in the marketplace
(Bloomberg) -- Jinko Solar Co., one of the worlds largest panel producers, fell as much as 12% after outlining plans to raise 9.7 billion yuan ($1.3 billion) for a manufacturing facility, underlining the sectors ongoing need for major investments in new plants.

Most Read from Bloomberg

A proposed share placement by the firms Jiangxi Jinko unit equates to about 8% of the parent companys market capitalization, according to BOCI Research Ltd. analyst Tony Fei. Proceeds will be used on activities including the construction of a facility in Shanxi, Jinko said in a statement.

The plunge in Tuesday trading comes even after Jinko reported first-half profit surged 325% as lower raw materials costs helped the sector to cut prices and spurred demand. Jinkos Shanghai-listed shares traded 12% lower as of 11:20 a.m. local time, the largest intraday decline on record.

Solar manufacturers have seen their value fall in the past 12 months despite booming demand for panels. Investors have raised questions about competition in the industry and over the frequent need to fund plant projects to expand capacity or improve technology.

Jinkos Monday fund-raising announcement followed a separate 10 billion yuan convertible bond issuance completed earlier this year. The total 19.7 billion yuan equity financing plan against a market capitalization of about 110 billion yuan caused investors to push back, said Dennis Ip, an analyst with Daiwa Capital Markets.

Its expected to create huge share dilution for the company going forward, Ip said by email.

The Bloomberg Intelligence Global Solar Theme Peers Index, which includes Jinko and key competitors like Longi Green Energy Technology Co. and Trina Solar Co., has declined 19% this year.

Story continues

Read More: Chinas Solar Sector Is Speeding Past 2022s Record Surge

Jinko is expanding its manufacturing footprint and aims to have more than 12 gigawatts of solar wafer, cell, and module production capacity in Southeast Asia by the end of 2023, the company said Monday in an earnings statement. The firm also plans to build a factory in Florida capable of producing about 1 gigawatt a year of advanced panels.

The strategy is aimed at meeting demand and also designed to navigate trade barriers for Chinas producers, including in the US.

Sales reached 31 gigawatts of solar modules in the first half, with more than 60% sold outside of China. The producer forecasts full-year shipments of as much as 75 gigawatts, and flagged expectations that sales across the industry are likely to rise through the rest of the year.

Major projects were initiated and started construction in China. The low prices of modules also led to a surge in module demand in some overseas markets, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Xiande Li said in a statement.

Net income jumped to 3.84 billion yuan in the six months to June 30 from 905 million yuan in the same period a year earlier.

(Updates from first paragraph with shares declining.)

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(Reuters) -Southwest Airlines Co said on Tuesday it had reached a tentative agreement with the union that represents about 17,120 transport workers who handle ramp, operations, provisioning and cargo.

The workers will now earn $36.72 per hour, higher than the hourly wages at United Airlines Holdings and Delta Air Lines Inc, based on the tentative agreement uploaded on Transport Workers Union Local 555's website.

The contract also meets the union's other demands such as improvement in retirement medical coverage, increasing the company's 401(k) match and additional holidays at premium pay rates.

In the past two years, unions across the aerospace, construction, airline and rail industries have put up fights for higher wages and more benefits in a tight labor market.

Recently, pilots at rival Delta Air Lines and American Airlines also reached new labor agreements with the companies, while Southwest is yet to strike a new deal with its pilots.

In June, Southwest agreed to a tentative agreement with its more than 2,800 mechanics and related employees.

(Reporting by Ananta agarwal; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar and Shinjini Ganguli)
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A lawsuit filed by two conservative groups to block the Biden administrations cancellation of $39 billion of debt for 804,000 student loan borrowers was dismissed by a federal judge on Aug. 14.

See: An Ancient Rule Allows Biden To Forgive Student Loan Debt  No Matter What the Supreme Court Says

Find: All of the States That Will Pay Off Your Student Loans

The lawsuit, filed by The Cato Institute and Mackinac Center for Public Policy on Aug. 4, alleged that the cancellation was unlawful, according to legal documents.

The Court should declare this forbearance-credit scheme unlawful, set it aside, and enjoin any cancellation of student loans based on it, the lawsuit reads.

However, on Aug 14., U.S. District Judge Thomas L. Ludington of the Eastern District of Michigan issued an order dismissing the case, ruling that the defendants lacked standing.

In order to satisfy the first standing requirement, a plaintiff must show that a concrete injury actually exist[s],' according to the order. Although standing can exist even when the alleged injury is difficult to prove or measure, the injury must affect the plaintiff in a personal and individual way.

The lawsuit stemmed from the July 14 Department of Education announcement that it would cancel $39 billion in debt for more than 800,000 borrowers, as GOBankingRates previously reported.

At the time, the Department of Education explained in a statement that the discharges are a result of fixes implemented by the Biden-Harris Administration to ensure all borrowers have an accurate count of the number of monthly payments that qualify toward forgiveness under income-driven repayment (IDR) plans.

Student Loan Forgiveness: 10 Expenses To Cut From Your Budget When Payments Resume

Borrowers may be eligible for forgiveness if they have accumulated the equivalent of either 20 or 25 years of qualifying months, the department added.

For far too long, borrowers fell through the cracks of a broken system that failed to keep accurate track of their progress towards forgiveness, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona declared in the statement. By fixing past administrative failures, we are ensuring everyone gets the forgiveness they deserve, just as we have done for public servants, students who were cheated by their colleges, and borrowers with permanent disabilities, including veterans.

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The Department of Education indicated that eligible borrowers include those with Direct Loans or Federal Family Education Loans held by the Department (including Parent PLUS loans of either type) who have reached the necessary forgiveness threshold as a result of receiving credit toward IDR forgiveness for any of the following periods:

Any month in which a borrower was in a repayment status, regardless of whether payments were partial or late, the type of loan, or the repayment plan.

Any period in which a borrower spent 12 or more consecutive months in forbearance.

Any month in forbearance for borrowers who spent 36 or more cumulative months in forbearance.

Any month spent in deferment (except for in-school deferment) prior to 2013.

Any month spent in economic hardship or military deferments on or after January 1, 2013.

In addition, months described above that occurred prior to a loan consolidation will also be counted toward forgiveness.

The Department added it will also notify borrowers who reach the applicable forgiveness thresholds  240 or 300 qualifying monthly payments, depending on their repayment plan and type of loan  every two months until next year. At that time, all borrowers who are not yet eligible for forgiveness will have their payment counts updated, according to the statement.

Student loan interest will resume on Sept. 1, 2023, and payments  which paused during the pandemic  will be due starting in October.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Student Loans: 800K Borrowers Could See Debts Forgiven After Latest Lawsuit Falls Through  Who Qualifies?
(Bloomberg) -- SVB Financial Group, the bankrupt former parent of Silicon Valley Bank, is losing $9 million a month in interest on deposits that were trapped when federal regulators took over the failed bank, a lawyer said in court Tuesday.

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SVB Financial wants nearly $2 billion in deposits put into a court-controlled account while the holding company fights over the cash with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., according to court papers. The agency hasnt provided a good reason for refusing to make payment on the deposits, SVB argues.

The money is key to repaying bondholders owed billions of dollars by SVB Financial. FDIC lawyers have said in court that the defunct bank holding company must apply for the money like any other depositor.

As an arm of the US government, the FDIC cannot be forced to pay interest on the disputed cash, Ben Finestone, a lawyer for agency, said in bankruptcy court Tuesday.

Read More: Distressed Debt Investors Bet SVB Will Be Like Washington Mutual

US Bankruptcy Judge Martin Glenn will consider putting the money into escrow while the two sides continue their legal battle over the deposits. When Silicon Valley Bank entered FDIC receivership in March, the agency agreed to honor all deposits, even those exceeding the $250,000 limit.

SVB Financial sued the FDIC in bankruptcy court, asking Glenn to order the FDIC to immediately turn over the deposits.

The FDIC has not yet decided whether the cash should be given to SVB Financial, the agency said in court papers filed last week. The agency argued that Glenn does not have the legal authority to order the FDIC to give the money back.

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The bankruptcy case is SVB Financial Group, 23-10367, US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.

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With Swiftly's Alcohol Cashback Program, retailers and alcohol brands can provide a seamless digital solution for consumers on mobile apps, while driving increased revenue and ensuring compliance with state and local regulatory laws

SEATTLE, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Swiftly, a leading retail technology company providing innovative omnichannel solutions for retailers, today announced the launch of its Alcohol Cashback Program. This new solution redefines the traditional rebate process, delivering consumers a streamlined digital experience including the ability to access rebates within hours via PayPal or Venmo. Boasting seamless integration with a retailers existing app or web solutions, Swiftly's Alcohol Cashback Program unlocks new lucrative opportunities for retailers to capture incremental sales and profits while more effectively competing on price.

Swiftly Logo (PRNewsfoto/Swiftly)

With $283 billion in annual sales, the Alcoholic Drinks market is expected to grow 5.6% annually by 2027. This illustrates a massive opportunity for both retailers and alcohol brands, provided they have the tools in place to navigate this highly competitive landscape and ensure compliance with complex regulatory laws. According to a recent study from Swiftly, over 70% of consumers confirmed that they would be more inclined to shop with a retailer, or purchase from a brand that provides alcohol rebates. Additionally, almost half (49%) of those surveyed indicated that simplifying the process would increase rebate use. With a finger on the pulse of cultural spending habits across retail ecosystems, Swiftly's technology has the proven ability to enhance how brands interact with modern customers while meeting their evolving needs.

Today, Swiftly is disrupting the alcohol industry. Historically, alcohol brands have had more challenges marketing in comparison to other consumer packaged goods (CPG) categories. This is due to the fact that brands have generally been limited in their ability to drive awareness around rebates, which has also impacted their ability to drive trials of new products. Swiftly's comprehensive platform, however, unlocks this untapped potential, enabling advertisers to present brand-funded alcohol offers across an expansive and ever-growing network of retailers.

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Through Swiftly's advanced targeting capabilities and robust advertising platform, advertisers can increase visibility, boost redemption rates, and stimulate the trial of new products. Comprehensive measurement and reporting systems equip advertisers with valuable consumer insights, aiding data-driven decision-making and understanding of category share, basket analysis, and buyer behavior.

"In the continually evolving retail technology landscape, Swiftly remains dedicated to delivering a truly integrated omnichannel shopping experience," shared Sean Turner, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Swiftly. "Our Alcohol Cashback Program is transforming how consumers save on alcohol purchases, while equipping our partners to elevate brand awareness, stimulate revenue growth, and assert category dominance."

The Save Mart Companies (TSMC), a California-based grocer that operates approximately 200 stores under the banners of Save Mart, Lucky, and FoodMaxx in California and Western Nevada, is the pilot partner to launch Swiftly's Alcohol Cashback program on their mobile apps. By removing friction and distilling the historically cumbersome and manual rebates process into a few simple clicks, TSMC customers can now effortlessly peruse available rebates, activate them digitally before purchase, and easily provide their loyalty ID at the point of sale. The program further streamlines the shopping experience by allowing customers to cash out their savings in a matter of hours via PayPal or Venmo, instead of waiting weeks for their rebate through the traditional mail-in process.

"Swiftly's Alcohol Cashback Program unlocks a significant opportunity for TSMC shoppers to save even more while enabling our stores and alcohol brand partners to excel and profit within the complex and highly regulated adult beverage industry," said Tamara Pattison, Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer at TSMC. "Swiftly not only provides a comprehensive solution for managing alcohol rebates, but also delivers customers with the seamless experience and accelerated digital payout options they desire, all through the convenience of the same mobile app they use to save in-store with digital coupons, cash back rewards and weekly specials."

Swiftly's Alcohol Cashback Program navigates the legal intricacies surrounding alcohol purchases. As a third-party intermediary, Swiftly allows alcohol brands to collaborate with retailers and tap into retail media networks, circumventing direct transactions and ensuring regulatory compliance.

About Swiftly

Swiftly is a leading provider of technology and retail media solutions for retailers worldwide. Founded in 2018, Swiftly offers innovative solutions that drive retail engagement and enable retailers to own the digital relationship with their customer. Swiftly's Retail Tools, Mobile Platforms, Analytics Tools, and Retail Media Network enables retailers to accelerate sales and build loyalty while enabling brands to reach more shoppers and amplify campaigns using the power of 1st party data. Trusted by hundreds of iconic brands, Swiftly is democratizing retail technology and giving retailers the tools they need to compete in today's crowded marketplace. For more information, please visit www.swiftly.com.

About The Save Mart Companies

The Save Mart Companies, a Kingswood Capital Management, LP portfolio company and a California- based grocer, operates approximately 200 Save Mart, Lucky, and FoodMaxx stores in California and Western Nevada. In addition to its retail operation, the Company also operates SMART Refrigerated Transport and is a partner in Super Store Industries ("SSI"), which owns and operates a distribution center in Lathrop, and the Sunnyside Farms dairy processing plant in Turlock. Proud to be California's largest regional, full-service grocery chain throughout the region, the Company and its 14,000 team members take extra care to help provide customers with the freshest foods for their families at affordable prices. For more information on the company, please visit: www.TheSaveMartCompanies.com.

Contact: swiftly@5wpr.com

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/swiftly-systems-launches-alcohol-cashback-program-as-premier-solution-for-brands-looking-to-maximize-consumer-engagement-and-advertising-opportunity-301900214.html

SOURCE Swiftly
A Tesla sales, repair and maintenance facility is under construction off I-65 and County Line Road on Indianapolis' south side.

Developers filed plans to build the 37,000-square-foot facility with the city in 2021, which included a rezoning of just under five acres within a larger 18-acre plot along I-65 to allow for higher-intensity commercial use.

The plans were approved by the city's Metropolitan Development Commission in February 2022.

Tesla is building a 37,000-square-foot sales, repair and maintenance facility off I-65 South and north of County Line Road in Indianapolis.

Florida-based Dunphy Development, LLC, which originally filed the rezoning request, sold the project to Dallas-based 6S Development in March, a Dunphy representative confirmed in an email to IndyStar.

A 6S developer declined to provide additional information to IndyStar, including the project cost or a construction timeline. Tesla did not respond to IndyStar's request for comment.

Best diner: Iconic restaurant named best diner in Indiana. You can't eat there, though.

Tesla to do repair, maintenance, sales

The facility, which will be located at 5260 Claybrooke Commons Drive, will be visible from the highway as part of a commercial park right that's also home to Kroger and Carmax. The facility, which will focus on repair, maintenance and sales of Tesla vehicles, will be the first of its kind in Central Indiana, zoning lawyer Russell Brown said in a city hearing last year.

The land is located just north of a CarMax facility bordering Indianapolis and Greenwood.

The new facility will not replace the existing Tesla service center in Castleton. In addition to the building, the site will have 292 parking spaces and several Tesla charging stations. The Tesla store will employ 15 people, Brown said in a hearing before the Metropolitan Development Commission's hearing examiner last January.

For subscribers: Here's how Indianapolis landed Taylor Swift second Eras swing in 2024

Tesla vehicles cannot be serviced by non-Tesla certified body or automotive shops, so having an additional service shop in the Central Indiana area will expand options and accessibility for owners seeking service, said Brown.

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Cathy Burton, land use chair for the Franklin Township Civic League, submitted a letter in support of the Tesla project on behalf of the community organization.

"We are VERY excited about having this facility in Franklin Township," Burton wrote in an email to IndyStar. "We have worked very hard to have quality commercial development that is appropriately located in Franklin Township and we believe (Tesla) is win for us and for the whole County."

Contact business reporter Claire Rafford at 317-617-3402 or crafford@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Tesla Indianapolis: Facility under construction on the south side
(Bloomberg) -- Thailands largest natural gas producer is ramping up output to avoid a renewed power crisis.

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State-controlled PTT Exploration & Production Pcl plans to double gas production at Erawan, its biggest field, to 800 million cubic feet a day in early 2024, said Chief Executive Officer Montri Rawanchaikul. Output at Bongkok, its second-largest, will be raised by about 10% next year, he said.

That comes after PTTEP was among companies criticized for last years jump in domestic electricity bills by failing to sufficiently boost domestic gas extraction. Production from Erawan plummeted by 64% in 2022 after the company, the exploration unit of PTT Pcl, took over the field from US energy major Chevron Corp. and power producers were forced to buy more expensive LNG on international markets.

Thailand gets more than 60% of its power from natural gas and has been increasing imports to meet demand. A 40% spike in the European benchmark on Wednesday  the biggest jump since global markets were upended in the wake of Russias invasion of Ukraine  has renewed concern about containing politically sensitive electricity rates.

The recent surge in LNG prices has caused my deepest fear for another repeat of the gas and power crisis, Montri said Thursday in an interview at his office. Our main priority is to expand reserves and production at domestic gas fields to boost the countrys energy security.

Thailands increasing LNG imports

Outgoing Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha spent several billion dollars on subsidies to cap electricity costs ahead of elections in May. Opposition leader Pita Limjaroenrat surprisingly won the most seats in that vote, partly on a platform to cut power bills, although there has been a political stalemate since.

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Imported LNG accounted for about 29% of the gas used in power generation in 2022, more than double the share in 2018, according to data from the Energy Regulatory Commission, the industrys regulator. That has been a huge financial burden, with the state-owned power utility  Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand  racking up about 135 billion baht ($3.8 billion) of debt to help subsidize the imports.

The power price increases have also boosted the nations ambitions to increase renewable generation.

Read More: Energy Crisis Prompts Thailand to Accelerate Shift to Renewables

Meanwhile, PTTEP is focusing on investments in Southeast Asia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Algeria after expansion in regions including Canada and Australia failed, Montri said. The company has built up about $3 billion of cash and other liquid assets but potential targets have demanded much higher prices after oils recent rally, he said.

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When a federal judge revoked bail for FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, the embattled crypto entrepreneur was sent to a crowded Brooklyn administrative prison known for grueling conditions as he awaits trial in October.

"The existence is pretty bleak," Christopher Zoukis, managing director of the Zoukis Consulting Group, told Yahoo Finance of the facility and those like it known as "MDCs," or Metropolitan Detention Centers.

Federal prosecutors had alleged Bankman-Fried, 31, violated his bail agreement by communicating with a New York Times reporter about Caroline Ellison, his former girlfriend who previously served as CEO of Alameda Research, an FTX-affiliated hedge fund that prosecutors claim Bankman-Fried used to misappropriate FTX customer funds.

Ellison has plead guilty to multiple fraud charges and entered a plea deal to testify against Bankman-Fried.

In December, the Department of Justice charged Bankman-Fried with multiple felonies, including wire fraud, securities and commodities fraud, money laundering, and campaign finance violations claiming he illegally used FTX customer and investor funds.

On Monday, prosecutors brought seven new campaign finance charges against Bankman-Fried.

Following his extradition from the Bahamas, SBF was granted bail to remain out of custody on the condition that he reside at his parents Palo Alto, Calif., home, with restricted mobility.

Bankman-Fried had posted a $250 million bond to remain out of custody while he awaited trial; typically, a defendant must pledge assets equal to around 10% of the bond amount.

Zoukis, whose firm specializes in federal prison policy matters, likened MDCs to purgatories for the facilities' role in housing inmates awaiting trial. He said MDCs offer inmates few freedoms, few activities, and minimal time outdoors compared to federal prison.

"It's like a county jail  by far the worst time anyone ever serves," he said of the high-rise, mostly indoor living quarters that aren't designed for long-term stays. "Prison is infinitely better."

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Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried arrives for a bail hearing at Manhattan Federal Court on Aug. 11 in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

'Locked in the bathroom'

During a bond hearing Friday, US District Judge Lewis Kaplan agreed with prosecutors who argued Bankman-Fried tried to influence the testimony of a key government witness  in this case Ellison  and remanded SBF to the custody of US Marshals.

The decision sent Bankman-Fried to await the conclusion of his October-slated trial at New York City's MDC Brooklyn unless he successfully appeals the ruling.

Attorneys for Bankman-Fried filed a notice saying they intended to appeal the decision.

The right to bail is governed by the Constitution's 8th Amendment, which prohibits excessive bail. In setting bail conditions, a judge is tasked with ensuring public safety and that the defendant will show up in court to face charges.

To guard against a defendant's flight risk, a judge can impose financial and other consequences that trigger if a defendant flees prosecution. In Bankman-Fried's case, the judge required that the former billionaire remain on home confinement with limited local travel, wear an ankle monitor, surrender his passport, and refrain from financial transactions exceeding $1,000.

In this sketch, in Federal Court in New York, Friday, Aug. 11, FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, is seated center, while his attorney Marc Cohen, right, addresses Judge Lewis Kaplan. (AP Photo/Elizabeth Williams)

Bankman-Fried will likely have the ability to remain out of his cell approximately three hours a day, make phone calls, and access education. High-profile inmates are often placed on a protective custody floor meant for safety.

In general, Zoukis said, MDC inmates live in a two-person cell with bunk beds, along with a toilet and sink.

"You're pretty much locked in your bathroom," he said. "And things like cockroaches and fruit flies, that's pretty common."

Comforts like extra blankets, additional clothing, and earplugs can be difficult to come by in MDCs, Zoukis added, explaining that the facilities lack the prison clerks who act as staff liaisons in longer-term detention centers.

MDC Brooklyn's inmates have included R. Kelly, Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El-Chapo" Archivaldo Guzman Loera, accused child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, Epstein's fixer Geraldine Maxwell, and Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen.

During the coed facility's most recent third-party review in October, auditors reported 1,718 inmates living in the building originally built for 1,000 inmates and converted to accommodate 1,583.

Alexis Keenan is a legal reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow Alexis on Twitter @alexiskweed.

Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance
(Bloomberg) -- UBS Group AG agreed to pay $1.44 billion to settle a long-running case over US mortgage-backed securities, resolving one of the banks largest outstanding legal issues as it works toward integrating Credit Suisse.

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The settlement had been fully provisioned in prior periods, the Swiss bank said in a statement Monday. The case stems from a lawsuit filed by the US Department of Justice against UBS in relation to legacy residential mortgage-backed securities from 2006 and 2007 and related to the issuance, underwriting and sale of the securities, the bank said.

The agreement closes UBSs biggest US legal headache, though remaining litigation over Libor, swap and stock-lending platforms and Bernard Madoffs fraud could cost about $400 million to settle. The banks existing legal liabilities, which also include a French tax-evasion case, are now joined by lawsuits related to the acquisition of Credit Suisse.

UBS has previously guided that legal liabilities related to Credit Suisse could run to as much as $4 billion over 12 months, and asset mark-downs could come in at some $13 billion. In June, UBS closed the acquisition of its stricken rival which handed the Swiss bank a potential windfall gain in the tens of billions of dollars after the government-brokered rescue.

In 2019, a federal judge in Brooklyn, New York, denied UBSs bid to dismiss the suit, which the DOJ brought in 2018. It accused the bank off selling tens of billions of dollars of residential mortgage-backed securities by knowingly and repeatedly making false and fraudulent statements to investors about the loans backing them.

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What Bloomberg Intelligence Says:

UBS removes a long-time legal overhang with no added expenses as it announces an agreement with the US Department of Justice to resolve issues related to legacy residential mortgage-backed securities from 2006-07. The bank is fully provisioned for the $1.44 billion payment, appearing to be below BIs earlier assessment of $2.6 billion in potential costs but consistent with our April view that a 1Q legal provision hinted at a lower value.

 Alison Williams, BI senior industry analyst

UBS argued the suit should be dismissed because it failed to allege sufficient facts to show motive, opportunity or deliberately illegal behavior. The bank also argued that the US failed to show fraudulent intent of any employees.

But US Judge Margo Brodie in Brooklyn ruled the case should go forward, saying the governments complaint alleges strong circumstantial evidence of conscious misbehavior or recklessness.

The agreement resolves all civil claims by the DOJ linked to the Swiss banks legacy RMBS business in the US, the company said in Mondays statement.

The scope of this settlement should serve as a warning to other financial institutions  both large and small  of the significant penalties that can result when corporations misrepresent vital information to investors and undermine trust in our public markets, Ryan Buchanan, US attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, said in a separate statement Monday.

(Updates with BI in sixth paragraph, further context)

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The University of Tennessee Creamery, a new student-run ice cream shop on campus, is open with five flavors.

The Creamery is a located at 2712 Neyland Drive, across from the Sorority Village at the intersection with Kingston Pike. The shop is open from noon-7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

The creamery's charming flavor offerings are VOLnilla, Torchbearers Chocolate, Smokeys Strawberry Kisses, Mint Champion Chip and Go Big Orange.

Students from the university's Food Science Department make the ice cream and students from the Rocky Top Institute of Retail manage the business. Students from all majors work behind the counter.

The new UT Creamery is open at 2712 Neyland Drive in Knoxville.

The project is the vision of Peg Smith and Sue Conley, two university alumnae and co-founders of Cowgirl Creamery. Their donations helped make the creamery possible, according to the UT news release.

The creamery is a throwback to the UT Creamery that was open from 1915 to 1985, the release said.

Get the scoop at utcreamery.tennessee.edu.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: University of Tennessee Creamery opens in Knoxville
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Aug. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NEAR APAC, the largest global blockchain conference in Vietnam is set to take place on September 9th-10th, 2023, at Thiskyhall Sala Convention Center in Ho Chi Minh City. The event promises to be a global gathering, bringing together leading blockchain experts, developers, students, enterprises, and startups from the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region and beyond.

Themed "Unlimited Future," NEAR APAC will serve as a platform for exploring the latest advancements in blockchain technology and multi-chain decentralized applications within the APAC region. The conference will offer a diverse range of activities designed to engage and inspire participants beyond traditional panel discussions and keynote presentations. Participants can immerse themselves in a virtual reality playground, explore the Web3 Dating zone tailored for startups and venture capitalists, witness cutting-edge technology demonstrations, and partake in thrilling NFT and gaming activities. NEAR APAC aims to provide a dynamic and interactive environment that fosters networking, collaboration, and the exploration of emerging technologies.

With over 8,000 expected attendees, NEAR APAC is set to attract a wide array of participants, including 100+ global blockchain leaders as speakers, 1,000+ developers, students from 10+ universities, 300+ projects and startups, and representatives from 100+ enterprises. Register now at and secure your place at the forefront of the blockchain revolution.



The conference offers unique opportunities for each target audience:



Builders: NEAR APAC will host a Web3 Hackfest, Web3 Code Challenge, and Builder stage with the prize pool $110,000, providing developers with a platform to showcase their skills and engage in collaborative coding sessions. The conference will also feature a dedicated hacking area for participants to further explore their ideas. Learn more at https://web3hackfest.org/.



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VCs and Start-ups: The Greenhouse Program at NEAR APAC brings venture capitalists on board as speakers, partners, and judges for the Hackathon. Start-ups can benefit from the guidance and support of experienced investors. Visit https://nearapac.org/the-greenhouse/ for more information.



Blockchain Community, IT Students, and Start-ups: NEAR APAC hosts the Web2 & Web3 Career Fair in collaboration with TOP CV, Vietnam's largest recruitment platform. This unique opportunity allows start-ups and projects to connect with talented individuals and find suitable candidates for their companies.



NEAR APAC is further elevating the event experience with additional attractions designed to captivate and engage attendees. A Web2 technology show will feature fascinating displays such as robot beer servers, holograms, and flying motorcycles. A travel game with a substantial prize pool will incentivize participants to explore every booth, maximizing the benefits for booth sponsors. By completing tasks and collecting NFTs, participants will have a chance to share in the $15,000 prize pool. These activities aim to drive user engagement and provide booth sponsors with maximum marketing exposure during the event.



Register now and secure your place at the forefront of the blockchain revolution.







About NEAR APAC:

NEAR APAC is Vietnam's largest blockchain/crypto conference entity, focused on showcasing the latest advancements in blockchain technology and multi-chain decentralized applications within the APAC region. With its "Unlimited Future" theme, NEAR APAC aims to foster networking, collaboration, and the exploration of emerging technologies in an interactive environment. For more information, visit https://nearapac.org/.

Conference information

Time: 9:30  17:00 on September 9-10, 2023.

Location: 5th Floor  Thiskyhall Convention  HCMC.

Organizers: Near Foundation, GFI, VBI.

Please follow Near APAC on social media and the Fanpage to stay updated with the latest information!



Oindrila C.

Head of Corporate Communications

Luna PR

E: oindrila@lunapr.io




(Bloomberg) -- US Representative Don Bacon said he is among those whose emails were hacked in an espionage campaign that Microsoft Corp. has attributed to China.

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Bacon, a Republican from Nebraska and a strong advocate for US military support to Taiwan, posted on social media that the FBI had notified him that the Chinese Communist Party hacked into his personal and campaign emails over the course of a month, from May 15 to June 16.

The CCP hackers utilized a vulnerability in the Microsoft software, and this was not due to user error, he wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Bacon, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, received an email from Microsoft indicating he may have been hacked and advising him to change his password on June 16, according to Maggie Sayers, Bacons press secretary.

She said that following subsequent notification from the FBI that he had been hacked, Bacon determined emails relating to political strategy, fundraising and personal banking information may have been breached. As a former US Air Force intelligence officer, he is careful to avoid writing sensitive emails relating to China and Taiwan, she said.

Last month, Microsoft reported that China-based actors gained access to email accounts affecting about 25 organizations including government agencies and consumer accounts of individuals likely associated with these groups for espionage purposes.

US State Department has said it first noticed anomalous activity in June, in the weeks before Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Beijing to meet with top officials, including Chinese President Xi Jinping. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo was among the US officials whose emails were breached. The emails of Nicholas Burns, US ambassador to China, were also breached, according to the Wall Street Journal.

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Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, last month called for the US to investigate Microsofts role in the breach and hold the company responsible for its negligent cybersecurity practices.

Government emails were stolen because Microsoft committed another error, Wyden said in a July 27 letter.

Since then, the Department of Homeland Security announced that a US cybersecurity advisory panel will investigate malicious targeting of cloud computing environments. The panel will also look into Microsofts role in the recent breach.

The review by the Cyber Safety Review Board, which was created by the Biden administration to investigate major cybersecurity events, will focus on approaches cloud service providers, the government and industry should employ to strengthen identity management and authentication in the cloud, according to DHS.

The FBI didnt immediately reply to a request for comment. Chinas Foreign Ministry has described claims about the hacking campaign as false information.

Bacon posted on X that he would work overtime to ensure US weapons sales to Taiwan go ahead. The hack of Bacons emails was previously reported by the Washington Post.

As for why he was hacked, Bacon wrote, I stand against the Uighur genocide and abuses in Tibet and Hong Kong. And, I support an independent Taiwan.

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Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives Don Bacon of Nebraska

By Christopher Bing and Raphael Satter

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Republican U.S. Representative Don Bacon late on Monday said the FBI had warned him that his emails had been hacked by Chinese spies, with both personal and campaign messages compromised.

Bacon was told the Chinese Communist Party had access to his accounts for about a month ending on June 16, he said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

The news was first reported on Monday by the Washington Post.

The hack was the result of a "vulnerability in Microsoft software", Bacon said, an apparent reference to the hacking campaign that Microsoft disclosed last month, which reportedly resulted in the theft of hundreds of thousands of emails from senior U.S. officials, including U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns.

CNN previously reported that email accounts in the U.S. House of Representatives were targeted as part of the same campaign.

"There were other victims in this cyber operation," Bacon said on X. "The Communist government in China are not our friends and are very active in conducting cyber espionage."

A Chinese Embassy spokesperson called the development a "smear" and part of a "groundless narrative," adding that the U.S. government had undercut China's sovereignty with recent arms sales to Taiwan, a self-governed island claimed by China.

The FBI and Microsoft declined to comment.

A spokesperson for Bacon said the FBI had told him that Chinese hackers compromised his email and stole information relating to personal banking, political strategy and campaign fundraising.

Bacon, who was elected to Congress in 2016, is a former Air Force brigadier general who currently serves on the House Armed Services Committee, which helps decide the U.S. military's annual budget and spending plans.

The congressman was likely targeted, according to his spokesperson, because of his public support for Taiwan and critical commentary about China's treatment of the Uyghur community.

(Reporting by Christopher Bing and Raphael Satter; Editing by Devika Syamnath and Jonathan Oatis)
Solution combining first AI-Driven IHC Levey-Jennings software with first quantitative IHC reference materials will enable labs to meet proposed regulatory changes

COPENHAGEN, Denmark & BOSTON, August 15, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Visiopharm and Boston Cell Standards today announced a partnership to develop a joint technology solution that enables labs to meet key provisions of regulatory changes proposed in a groundbreaking editorial recently published in Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815298913/en/

In a July 2023 Archives online editorial, Dr. Barbarajean Magnani and Dr. Clive Taylor proposed that clinical immunohistochemistry (IHC) quality assurance requirements mirror those of all other clinical laboratory assays. If adopted, the proposal would represent a significant shift in the IHC lab regulatory landscape, requiring labs to incorporate rigorous assay control methods and calibration.

Modern clinical laboratory quality assurance protocols include reference standards, assay calibration, quantitative controls, and standardized units of measure. The Magnani-Taylor editorial highlights their absence from IHC and urges their adoption. Without these enabling tools, different IHC labs can  and often do  return different results from the same sample.

"The higher proposed assay requirements will raise the quality of IHC testing to ensure accurate results, which will benefit pathologists, oncologists and, ultimately, patients," said Dr. Steven Bogen, CEO, Boston Cell Standards. "However, aligning IHC laboratory testing globally requires that labs have access to enabling quality assurance tools that, until recently, were not available -- calibration standards and image analysis quantification software to measure the calibrator test results."

In light of these potential regulatory changes, Visiopharm and Boston Cell Standards are partnering to integrate IHC calibration standards with image analysis software for quality assurance. Boston Cell Standards pioneered the industrys first calibration standards. Visiopharm developed Qualitopix, a groundbreaking AI-driven image analysis software for IHC assay control quantification and tracking (Levey-Jennings analysis). Together, they represent the only commercial system capable of meeting the proposed higher assay regulatory requirements.

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"We see an opportunity to integrate our category-defining technologies to drive the higher tier of laboratory performance the proposal seeks," said Dr. Michael Grunkin, CEO, Visiopharm. "The combination of our two companies products represents a traditional instrument analyzer-reagent system. Qualitopix is the instrument and the calibrators/controls are the reagents."

The companies are planning to complete the initial integration and start clinical testing in 2023.

About Visiopharm

Visiopharm is a leading provider of AI-driven precision pathology software for research and diagnostics. In research, it is a technology leader providing tools that help scientists, pathologists, and image analysis experts produce accurate data for all types of tissue-based research. In diagnostics, it is a leader within clinical applications, with no less than eight diagnostic algorithms cleared under IVDR for EU and UK customers. These applications provide diagnostic decision support and can be easily activated and integrated into existing lab workflows. Founded in 2002, Visiopharm is privately owned and operates internationally with over 750 customer accounts in more than 40 countries. The companys headquarters are located in Denmarks Medicon Valley, with offices in Sweden, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States, and local representation in France and China.

About Boston Cell Standards

Boston Cell Standards is the first and only company to develop and manufacture standardized reference materials for the immunohistochemistry industry. Its mission is to improve patient outcomes by ensuring that immunohistochemistry test results are accurate and reproducible regardless of where or when tests are performed. Laboratory reference materials are essential for that purpose. For more information, please visit http://bostoncellstandards.com/.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230815298913/en/

Contacts

Visiopharm:

Johanne Louise Brndgaard

Chief Marketing Officer

+45 30719954

jlb@visiopharm.com

Boston Cell Standards:

Sam Choinski

Pazanga Health Communications

(860) 301-5058

schoinski@pazangahealth.com
(Bloomberg) -- Wheat dropped for a third day to the lowest level since early June as grain exports continued from Russia and Ukraine even as tensions remain in the Black Sea region.

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Benchmark futures in Chicago traded as much as 3.1% lower after sliding 1.9% on Monday. Russia opened fire on a ship over the weekend to force the vessel to stop for checks, a continuation of hostilities in the key trade route after Ukrainian drones attacked Russian vessels earlier this month.

The US Department of Agriculture raised its estimate for shipments from Russia on Friday and lifted its estimate for US wheat stocks at the close of the 2023-24 season by more than analysts had expected on average.

The fact that exports have continued is one of the key reasons for the decline in prices, according to CRM Agricommodities. Focus returned to Fridays Wasde report, which was broadly viewed as somewhat bearish, the consultant said in a a report.

Wheat has about 20% this year due to bumper harvests.

Prices were pressured on Tuesday by good crop conditions in spring wheat, robust harvest pace for US winter wheat and the overseas sentiment, said Jacqueline Holland, an analyst at Farm Futures

Plentiful Russian exports are keeping global buyers well-stocked for the time being, she said.

The USDA raised its estimate for Russian wheat exports to 48 million metric tons for the 2023-24 season. That means almost a quarter of the worlds trade will now come from Russia.

--With assistance from Aine Quinn.

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2023 Bloomberg L.P.
A downed power line in Lahaina on Aug. 14. Credit - David Butow for TIME

In the wake of wildfires that ripped through Maui last week, many are seeking answers about what caused the deadliest wildfire in the U.S. in over a century. That search has put Hawaiian Electric, which serves 95% of the island states 1.4 million residents, in the spotlight. The utility provider is facing a lawsuit over alleged inaction in the face of the destructive Lahaina wildfire that has killed at least 99 people on the island of Maui.

Though an official cause of the wildfire has not been reached, Lahaina residents filed a class action lawsuit against the utility company, alleging that, in the days before the fires broke out, the company chose not to deenergize their power lines during the High Wind Watch and Red Flag Warning conditions for Maui before the Lahaina Fire started. The filing also claims that the company failed to shut off power lines even after the fires began.

Read More: What Remains After the Flames: Scenes From the Ash-Colored Streets of Maui

No shut-off plan

Hawaiian Electric did not deploy a public power shutoff planan aggressive safety strategy used in other states, such as California, Oregon and Nevadato proactively shut down power to communities with high wind conditions and increased risks of fire.

Intense wind gusts knocked down approximately 30 utility poles across the region on August 8, many onto trees and roads, and complicated evacuations, according to Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen, who confirmed that some electrical lines were energized when they hit the ground.

According to the Washington Post, Hawaiian Electric was aware that a power shut-off was an useful strategy, but didnt include the step in it in its fire mitigation plans. Hawaiian Electric spokesman Jim Kelly, told CNN that the utility company does not have a formal shut-off program in place, since the power is needed to provide water for firefighters.

Story continues

Read More: How to Help Those Affected by the Maui Wildfires

Pre-emptive, short-notice power shut-offs have to be coordinated with first-responders and in Lahaina, electricity powers the pumps that provide the water needed for firefighting, Kelly told the New York Times.

Research firm CoreLogic has estimated that the residential property damages stand at $1.3 billion, but Hawaii Gov. Josh Green estimates the losses approach $6 billion. On Friday, Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez announced a comprehensive review of the decisions and policies surrounding the fires, which the states emergency measures were largely unprepared for.

An emergency management plan published by the state of Hawaii in February 2022 rated wildfires as low and medium risk across the board for its effect on people, property, the environment, and emergency management program operations.

Read More: Why the Maui Wildfires Were So Deadly

The states outdoor emergency siren systemwhich it says is the largest in the worldis meant to alert residents to tsunamis and other natural disasters, but it did not activate during the fires.

Scrutiny and lawsuit

Power lines have been responsible for the spread of many destructive wildfires in the U.S. From 1992 to 2020 federal, state and local fire services dealt with 32,652 powerline-ignited wildfires across the country, according to Inside Climate News. In California alone, the electric company PG&E has been blamed for more than 30 wildfires since 2017 that wiped out more than 23,000 homes and businesses and killed more than 100 people. The company recently reached a $150 million settlement for its involvement in the 2020 Zogg fires.

Documents filed in the Hawaiian Electric lawsuit allege that the company had studied wildfire mitigation plans filed by California utility companies, which included a shut-off plan during high wind and so-called red flagwhen warm temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds combine to produce an increased fire riskconditions to prevent wildfires. But the documents allege that Hawaiian Electric never created a plan of its own.

In an emailed statement to TIME, Hawaiian Electric said it does not comment on pending litigation. "Our immediate focus is on supporting emergency response efforts on Maui and restoring power for our customers and communities as quickly as possible," the statement added. "At this early stage, the cause of the fire has not been determined and we will work with the state and county as they conduct their review."

Read more: What to Know About the Government Response to the Maui Wildfires

Amid the scrutiny, Hawaiian Electric has seen its share price tumble, plunging over 40% to a 13-year low, on Monday morning following the lawsuit. The companys shares were down more than 30% on Tuesday.

Government filings show that the company reported its plans to make infrastructure more resilient, including putting lines underground in vulnerable areas, hardening poles and launching a program to remove hazardous trees.

The risk of a utility system causing a wildfire ignition is significant, the company wrote in one filing, noting that a large objective was to minimize the probability of the Companies facilities becoming the origin or contributing source of ignition for a wildfire.

Write to Simmone Shah at simmone.shah@time.com.
Key Insights

The projected fair value for Wincanton is UK4.03 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity

Current share price of UK2.42 suggests Wincanton is potentially 40% undervalued

Analyst price target for WIN is UK3.59 which is 11% below our fair value estimate

Does the August share price for Wincanton plc (LON:WIN) reflect what it's really worth? Today, we will estimate the stock's intrinsic value by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. We will use the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model on this occasion. It may sound complicated, but actually it is quite simple!

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.

See our latest analysis for Wincanton

The Calculation

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 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.

Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 Levered FCF (, Millions) UK50.9m UK35.1m UK54.9m UK48.1m UK44.1m UK41.7m UK40.3m UK39.5m UK39.1m UK39.0m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x1 Analyst x2 Analyst x1 Est @ -12.46% Est @ -8.31% Est @ -5.40% Est @ -3.37% Est @ -1.94% Est @ -0.95% Est @ -0.25% Present Value (, Millions) Discounted @ 9.2% UK46.6 UK29.5 UK42.2 UK33.8 UK28.4 UK24.6 UK21.8 UK19.6 UK17.8 UK16.2

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = UK281m

Story continues

After calculating the present value of future cash flows in the initial 10-year period, we need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all future cash flows beyond the first stage. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (1.4%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 9.2%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2033  (1 + g)  (r  g) = UK39m (1 + 1.4%)  (9.2% 1.4%) = UK508m

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= UK508m ( 1 + 9.2%)10= UK211m

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is UK492m. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of UK2.4, the company appears quite undervalued at a 40% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Remember though, that this is just an approximate valuation, and like any complex formula - garbage in, garbage out.

dcf

The Assumptions

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 Wincanton as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 9.2%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.318. 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 Wincanton

Strength

Currently debt free.

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 Logistics market.

Opportunity

Annual earnings are forecast to grow for the next 3 years.

Trading below our estimate of fair value by more than 20%.

Threat

Annual earnings are forecast to grow slower than the British market.

Looking Ahead:

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. 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. Why is the intrinsic value higher than the current share price? For Wincanton, we've compiled three further elements you should further research:

Risks: For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for Wincanton that you should be aware of. Future Earnings: How does WIN'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 British 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.
(Bloomberg) -- Japans currency dropped toward a level that triggered the first yen-buying intervention since 1998 in September, prompting a top official to voice concern.

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Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said authorities are watching the currencys trends with a high sense of urgency and will take steps if excessive moves are seen. His comments caused the yen to rise a bit, trading at 145.47 per dollar as of 3:01 p.m. in Tokyo.

The Japanese currency earlier fell to a fresh nine-month low of 145.59 as yield differentials widened. On Sept. 22 last year, the Ministry of Finance bought 2.84 trillion ($19.5 billion) worth of yen when it weakened to 145.90.

The currency has depreciated about 3% since the Bank of Japan decided to tolerate higher benchmark bond yields on July 28, with Governor Kazuo Ueda saying that volatility in the foreign-exchange market was a factor for the decision. Yield differentials between Japan and other major economies have widened further since then, putting even more pressure on the yen to weaken despite the BOJs move.

We believe the Ministry of Finance will start pushing back in the 145-148 range, wrote Joey Chew, head of Asia FX research at HSBC Holdings Plc in a note. If it does not, short positions on yen will likely be rebuilt further.

Still, a decline in the yen to previous intervention levels may not immediately trigger action from the government. The Ministry of Finance is in charge of ordering currency-market intervention in Japan, which is then carried out by the BOJ.

Japanese authorities are likely to worry about the speed of change more than the level of the yen when determining whether to intervene, Carol Kong, an economist and currency strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia, wrote in a research note. In our view, direct FX intervention is unlikely at this stage.

Story continues

For now, broad strength in the dollar may keep other major currencies on their back foot, including the yen. US real yields, measured based on inflation-protected 10-year notes, climbed to the highest since 2009 and were about 235 basis points more than their Japanese counterparts.

Its no surprise that market participants see dollar longs as the best choice, Makoto Noji, chief currency and foreign bond strategist at SMBC Nikko Securities Inc., wrote in note. This is because both US stocks and economy remain resilient despite high real yields.

--With assistance from Yumi Teso.

(Adds finance minister comments and updates yen rates.)

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2023 Bloomberg L.P.
The Manhattan skyline is seen during sunset from the Brooklyn borough of New York City, during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)

By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York state on Tuesday fined Avis Budget Group $275,000 for refusing to rent vehicles to customers who did not have credit cards.

Letitia James, the state's attorney general, said the civil fine resolved charges that the operator of Avis Car Rental, Budget Rent a Car and Payless Car Rental violated a state law against requiring credit cards for vehicle rentals.

A probe begun late last year following a customer complaint found that 74 out of 106 Avis and Budget locations across New York insisted on credit cards, while 32 accepted debit cards.

Investigators also called dozens of locations and Avis Budget's national call center, and were told repeatedly that a "major credit card" was required.

"This practice unfairly harms low-income consumers and communities of color who are less likely to own a credit card, and no one should be discriminated against because of their credit or banking status," James said in a statement.

According to an assurance of discontinuance, Avis Budget did not contest the claim it violated state law, and indicated it had been unaware that some locations did not accept debit cards.

The Parsippany, New Jersey-based company also agreed to improve employee training and provide compliance reports.

An outside public relations firm for Avis Budget did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Mark Potter)
I have flashbacks of being assigned a good deal of tedious nonfiction reading back in high school and college. I doubt I retained most of what I read, if I even finished it. And that was back before my smartphone effectively destroyed my attention span. Thankfully, not all nonfiction is the cerebral equivalent of eating dry toast. Narrative nonfiction, for example, reads like a novel, so you get the benefit of learning something new while being entertained. A win-win! Here are some nonfiction picks that will keep you engaged and interested to the end.

Better Living Through Birding: Notes From a Black Man in the Natural World by Christian Cooper. Coopers lifelong love of birds began in his childhood on Long Island and has endured through his college years at Harvard and beyond. Self-described as a Black gay activist birder, Coopers experience with birding at home and abroad provided him with both the sharp observation skills needed to navigate his world as well as life lessons on self-acceptance. While birdwatching in Central Park in 2020, Cooper was falsely accused by a white woman of threatening her, the retelling of which Cooper handles with grace without sugarcoating persistent racism and police brutality. Part memoir, travelog, and guidance on the art of birding, Cooper captivates with his fascinating life and love of the natural world.

Poverty, By America by Matthew Desmond. Pulitzer Prize-winning sociologist Desmond contends that poverty persists in the United States because the rest of us benefit from it. Why is it that one of the richest countries on earth has the most poverty? Desmond shows how wealthy Americans keep poor people poor, both knowingly and unknowingly. Poor consumers are overcharged for financial services and housing, while affluent families enjoy tax breaks, student loans, and other forms of federal aid. Welfare programs are hard to access, and poverty is worsened by residential segregation and the underfunding of education, mass transit, and health care. Desmond calls for wealthier Americans to become poverty abolitionists who will insist on collective bargaining and work together to create new systems that ensure prosperity is shared.

A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klans Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan. In this shocking page-turner, Pulitzer and National Book Award-winning author Egan tells the story of the Ku Klux Klans rise to power in the 1920s, driven by a charismatic charlatan whose power ran unchecked until one woman stopped him in his tracks. Starting with Evansville, Indiana, petty criminal David C. Stephenson became the Klans Grand Dragon of Indiana in 1923. Stephenson essentially took over the state, controlling the governor, the legislature, and a 30,000-man private police force, while expanding the Klans national reach. Despite efforts to stop the Klan, it wasnt until Stephenson kidnapped and raped a Department of Public Instruction employee, Madge Oberholtzer, that his reign came to a halt. After dosing herself with bichloride of mercury during the assault, Oberholtzer died 29 days later, having dictated a full account of Stephensons crimes. Stephenson was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison, and the Klans grip on Midwestern politics was subsequently released.

The Angel Makers: Arsenic, a Midwife, and Modern Historys Most Astonishing Murder Ring by Patti McCracken. Award-winning journalist McCrackens debut examines one of historys largest murder rings in the Hungarian town of Nagyrev in the 1920s. The story opens with a discourse on the difficult job of mothers and midwives. One such midwife, known as Auntie Suzy, used her position and access to arsenic as a means of helping poor, overtaxed women handle abusive husbands and sickly children. Starting out as an occasional death, the women became emboldened over decades, resulting in the murders of over 160 men and boys. A series of anonymous notes sent to the authorities in 1929 led to the trial of 16 women, all of whom were convicted of murder by arsenic poisoning.

The Sullivanians: Sex, Psychotherapy, and the Wild Life of an American Commune by Alexander Stille. In this absorbing account, journalist Stille interviews 60 former members of the Sullivan Institute, a radical polygamous therapy group founded in 1957 by married therapists Saul Newton and Jane Pearce. The institute encouraged commitment-free sexual experimentation, where children were raised communally with loose parental bonding, or they were mistreated at boarding schools. Newton eventually replaced Pearce with a series of polygamist marriages, and became controlling and sexually abusive toward his patients. Somehow, the commune thrived into the 1980s, disbanding in 1991 and leaving an entire generation of commune children to deal with the fallout. Through interviews with ex-members and their children, Stille uncovers how Newton and his wives seduced patients, promoted alcohol abuse and promiscuity, and left many of the children unaware of who their birth parents were.

Anansis Gold: The Man Who Looted the West, Outfoxed Washington, and Swindled the World by Yepoka Yeebo. British Ghanaian journalist Yeebo tells the story of John Ackah Blay-Miezah, a con artist who scammed people worldwide into giving him their money. In the 1970s, President Kwame Nkrumah was ousted by a CIA-funded military junta, which also spread the lie that Nkrumah was hiding the countrys gold overseas. Seeing an opportunity, Blay-Miezah stepped in and convinced Ghanas military ruler, Ignatius Kutu Acheamopong, that Nkrumah had left a secret trust fund to help the Ghanaian people and that he was the one entrusted with disbursing it. Though Blay-Miezah was in prison for fraud, he convinced Acheampong that all he needed was a passport and his freedom. He then convinced investors to help him rescue the supposed trust fund from the United Bank of Switzerland, but the investors had to pay to access the fund. Child-actor-turned-diplomat Shirley Temple, as well as former Nixon attorney general John Mitchell, also figures into the vivid narrative, brought to life by Yeebos meticulous research.

Adult Summer Reading at Central Rappahannock Regional Library is wrapping up. By Aug. 28, log books read between May 15 and Aug. 15 to earn your limited-edition pen. Visit librarypoint.org/summer for details.
At about 3:34 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 10, Fremont Police officers responded to the area of Ninth and Hancock streets in reference to a disturbance involving a weapon.

A press said an investigation was conducted which resulted in the arrest of Antony Frederick, 21, of North Miami, Florida, for terroristic threats and use of a weapon to commit a felony.
Fremont Police officers responded at about 6:48 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11, to the 1700 block of North Bell Street for a disturbance.

An investigation was conducted resulting in the arrest of Donald W. Miles, 41, of Columbia, South Carolina, for possession of a controlled substance and violation of a protection order, a press release said.
Tuesday

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 10 a.m., Chapter 5 Club, 136 N. Main St., Fremont.

Keene Memorial Librarys Storytime, 10-10:30 a.m., Metropolitan Community College, Room 207, 835 N. Broad St., Fremont. Storytime is open to kids of all ages and their caregivers. Stories, songs and crafts are included. This weeks storytime will be star themed.

Letters to the Churches of Revelation, 10 a.m., Lighthouse, 84 W. Sixth St., Fremont.

Supportive Singles, 11:30 a.m., Milady Coffeehouse, 105 E. Sixth St., Fremont. For more information, call 402-660-8474.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, noon, Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Narcotics Anonymous Steps of Freedom meeting, 1 p.m., LifeHouse, 723 N. Broad St., Fremont. The hotline number is 402-459-9511.

Fremont Eagles Club open, 3 p.m. to midnight, 649 N. Main St., Fremont. The club may stay open later or close early depending on business. Pitch will be played at 6:30 p.m.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 5:15 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Mens and Womens Bible Study, 6 p.m., Lighthouse, 84 W. Sixth St., Fremont.

Narcotics Anonymous Freedom Works Group, 7 p.m., Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 1440 E. Military Ave., Fremont.

Wednesday

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, noon, Chapter 5 Club, 136 N. Main St., Fremont.

Mens Bible Study, 1 p.m., Lighthouse, 84 W. Sixth St., Fremont.

Fremont Eagles Club open, 3 p.m. to midnight, 649 N. Main St., Fremont. The club may stay open later or close early depending on business. There will be a VFW meal and meeting at 7 p.m.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 5:15 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Narcotics Anonymous, 7 p.m., Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 1440 E. Military Ave., Fremont. The hotline number is 402-459-9511.

Alcoholics Anonymous, 8 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, 136 N. Main St., Fremont.

Thursday

Mens Bible Study, 8 a.m., Lighthouse, 84 W. Sixth St., Fremont.

Alcoholics Anonymous big book study, 10 a.m., Chapter 5 Club, 136 N. Main St., Fremont.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, noon, Chapter 5 Club, 136 N. Main St., Fremont.

Fremont Kiwanis Club meeting, noon, Midland University Private Dining Rooms, Ninth and Pebble streets, Fremont.

Fremont Eagles Club open, 3 p.m. to midnight, 649 N. Main St., Fremont. The club may stay open later or close early depending on business. The kitchen will be open from 5:30-7 p.m. The menu will include hamburgers and cheeseburgers, tacos and soup. Pitch will be played at 6:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 5:15 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, 136 N. Main St., Fremont.

Fremont Area Car Club Cruise-In, 6-8 p.m., John C. Fremont Park, Eighth and Broad streets, Fremont. Anyone with an antique, classic, muscle car, street rod or hot rod  auto, motorcycle or truck  is welcome. Drivers attending the cruise-in should enter from the north at 10th Street and Park Avenue, and drive between the buildings to the park.

WinItBack Patriots meeting, 6 p.m., Milady Coffeehouse Event Center  East Wing, Sixth Street and Park Avenue, Fremont. Arrive early if you wish to order a sandwich or beverage. Attendees should enter through the south (back) door. Everyone is welcome.

Civil Air Patrol, 7 p.m., 1201 W. 23rd St., in yellow hangar at Fremont Airport.

Narcotics Anonymous Freedom Works Group, 7 p.m., Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 1440 E. Military Ave.

Tally Ho Toastmasters, 7-8 p.m., Midland Universitys Anderson Building, Ninth and Clarkson streets, Fremont. Everyone is welcome to learn skills in communication, self-confidence and leadership. For more information, call 402-936-3479.

Narcotics Anonymous Back to Basics meeting, 7:30 p.m., First Evangelical Lutheran Church, 201 N. Davis St., Oakland.

Alcoholics Anonymous big book study, 8 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, 136 N. Main St., Fremont.

Classics with a Cause featuring Grease, dusk (about 8:20 p.m.), Quasar Drive-In Theater, 13427 N. 300th St., near Valley. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. Free admission is being provided by Kiels Barber Shop. Donations and new school supplies will be collected for local kids in need.
The clerk of the Fulton County, Georgia, court system acknowledged Tuesday accidently releasing what appeared to be a list of criminal charges against Donald Trump before he was indicted, and sought to deflect blame amid mounting criticism from Republicans who seized on the blunder to characterize the case as rigged.

After refusing to explain what happened for more than a day after Reuters posted the document the media outlet said was published on the court's website, clerk Che Alexander's office said she was doing a "trial run" of the court's filing system on Monday "in anticipation of issues that arise with entering a potentially large indictment."

Alexander's office said that led to the docketing of "what appeared to be an indictment, but which was, in fact, only a fictitious docket sheet." Reuters found the docket Monday and reported on it hours before the grand jury returned the indictment charging Trump and 18 allies over efforts to subvert the 2020 election results.

The docket sheet published by Reuters included a list of 13 counts against Trump, including Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, solicitation of violation of oath by public officer and false statements and writings  the exact same counts the former president was charged with in the indictment handed down late Monday, though the case number differed from the one on the actual indictment.

The statement comes on the heels of confusing comments from the clerk and her office that fueled speculation about the document Trump and his allies pounced on to claim that the charges against him were already decided before grand jurors took a vote. It gave Trump and his legal team an opening to try to undermine the credibility of prosecutors and the clerk's office at the outset of the high-stakes case.

The clerk's office said shortly after Reuters posted the document online that the clerk "learned" of what it called a "fictitious document that has been circulated online." When pressed about it later Monday, Alexander said she didn't know "what else to say," adding: "I haven't seen an indictment, right? So I don't have anything." She also didn't publicly rule out that it could have been the result of a hack when asked Monday.

In the latest statement, Alexander's office said the clerk immediately took down the document "upon learning of the mishap."

"The Office understands the confusion that this matter caused and the sensitivity of all court filings," the office said. "We remain committed to operating with an extreme level of efficiency, accuracy and transparency."

The confusion thrust the newly sworn in Fulton County courts clerk into the spotlight as reporters descended onto the Atlanta courthouse to get a glimpse at the witnesses called in to testify before the grand jury hearing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' sprawling case. Hours later, cameras followed as Alexander handed a stack of indictments  which included the 2020 election case  to Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney.

After the document was posted but before the grand jury handed up the indictment, a Willis spokesperson said it wasn't accurate that charges had been filed but declined to comment further.

Willis was asked about the document during a news conference Monday evening. She said she couldn't say anything about the matter but explained that the grand jury met and deliberated and returned the indictment about 8 p.m.

It's the fourth criminal case against the Republican former president, who characterizes all the cases against him as a bid to hurt his 2024 bid to reclaim the White House.

Trump legal team already suggested it would claim prosecutorial misconduct, saying after the document was posted that "this was not a simple administrative mistake" but is "emblematic of the pervasive and glaring constitutional violations which have plagued this case from its very inception."

"The events that have unfolded today have been shocking and absurd, starting with the leak of a presumed and premature indictment before the witnesses had testified or the grand jurors had deliberated and ending with the District Attorney being unable to offer any explanation," lawyers Drew Findling, Jennifer Little and Marissa Goldberg said in a statement after the indictment was released. "In light of this major fumble, the Fulton County District Attorney's Office clearly decided to force through and rush this 98-page indictment."

Trump also seized on the issue to raise money for his 2024 presidential campaign, writing in an email: "The Grand Jury testimony has not even FINISHED  but it's clear the District Attorney has already decided how this case will end."

Legal experts said the filing was likely a list of potential charges prosecutors were presenting to the grand jury ahead of Monday's vote.

Prosecutors draft indictments and present them to the grand jury, which meets in secret and ultimately decides whether to hand down charges. Grand juries  made up of people randomly drawn from the community  are designed to safeguard against politically motivated prosecutions, but they've long been criticized by some as little more than a rubber stamp for prosecutors.

A look at the 19 people charged in the Georgia indictment connected to Trump's election scheme Intro Donald Trump Rudy Giuliani John Eastman Mark Meadows Sidney Powell Jeffrey Clark Jenna Ellis David Shafer Cathy Latham Kenneth Chesebro Prosecutors have said Kenneth Chesebro, an attorney, worked with Georgia Republicans in the weeks after the November 2020 election at the direction of Trump's campaign. Chesebro worked on the coordination and execution of a plan to have 16 Georgia Republicans sign a certificate declaring falsely that Trump won and declaring themselves the state's "duly elected and qualified" electors. Ray Smith A Georgia-based lawyer, Ray Smith was involved in multiple lawsuits challenging the results of the 2020 election in Georgia. He also gathered witnesses to provide testimony before Georgia legislative subcommittee hearings held in December 2020 on alleged issues with the state's election. Robert Cheeley A Georgia lawyer, Robert Cheeley presented video clips to legislators of election workers at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta and alleged the workers were counting votes twice or sometimes three times. He spoke to the lawmakers after Giuliani. Michael Roman A former White House aide who served as the director of Trump's election day operations, Michael Roman was involved in efforts to put forth a set of fake electors after the 2020 election. Shawn Still He was one of 16 Georgia Republicans who signed a certificate falsely stating that Trump had won the state and declaring themselves the state's "duly elected and qualified" electors. Shawn Still was the finance chairman for the state GOP in 2020 and served as a Georgia delegate to the Republican National Convention that year. He was elected to the Georgia state Senate in November 2022 and represents a district in Atlanta's suburbs. Stephen Cliffgard Lee Prosecutors say Stephen Cliffgard Lee, a pastor, worked with others to try to pressure Georgia election worker Ruby Freeman and her mother after Trump and his allies falsely accused them of pulling fraudulent ballots from a suitcase during the vote count. Lee allegedly knocked on Freeman's door, frightening her and causing her to call 911 three times, prosecutors said in a court filing last year. Harrison William Prescott Floyd Also known as Willie Lewis Floyd III, he served as director of Black Voices for Trump, and is accused of recruiting Lee to arrange a meeting with Freeman and Chicago-based publicist Trevian Kutti. Trevian C. Kutti Prosecutors allege publicist Trevian C. Kutti claimed to have high level law enforcement connections. They say Freeman met with Kutti at a police precinct, where she brought Floyd into the conversation on a speakerphone. Prosecutors say Kutti presented herself as someone who could help Freeman but then pressured her to falsely confess to election fraud. Scott Graham Hall An Atlanta-area bail bondsman, Scott Graham Hall was allegedly involved in commandeering voting information that was the property of Dominion Voting Systems from Coffee County, a small south Georgia jurisdiction. Also charged in the scheme were Powell, Latham and former county elections supervisor Misty Hampton. Misty Hampton She was the elections director in Coffee County. Misty Hampton was present in the county elections office on Jan. 7, 2021, when a computer forensics team copied software and data from the county's election equipment. She also allowed two other men who had been active in efforts to question the 2020 election results to access the elections office later that month and to spend hours inside with the equipment. Donald Trump indicted for the 4th time Read the Trump indictment in Georgia Your browser does not support the iframe HTML tag. Try viewing this in a modern browser like Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Internet Explorer 9 or later.
MARION, Kan. (AP)  A small newspaper and a police department in Kansas are at the center of a dispute over freedom of speech as the newspaper struggled Monday to publish its next edition, days after police raided its office and the home of its owner and publisher.

Officials with the Marion Police Department confiscated computers and cellphones from the publisher and staff of the Marion County Record in Friday's raid. On Monday, Kansas state authorities confirmed they are also involved in a criminal probe of the newspaper over allegations that it illegally obtained and used personal information about a local business owner.

Friday's raids have been widely condemned by press freedom watchdogs as a blatant violation of the U.S. Constitutions protection for a free press. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly called the raids concerning. An attorney for the newspaper deemed the searches and seizures illegal and said the police department's action offends the constitutional protections the founding fathers gave the free press. The Society of Professional Journalists pledged $20,000 toward the newspapers legal defense.

But some Marion residents hold a different view, accusing the newspaper of aggressive news coverage that has driven out businesses and painted a negative picture of the town of about 1,900 people.

Newspaper publisher and co-owner Eric Meyer said he believes the newspapers dogged coverage of local politics and Police Chief Gideon Codys record are the main reason for the raids. The Record was in the midst of digging into the newly hired chiefs past as a Kansas City, Missouri, police captain when the raids were carried out, Meyer said, although the newspaper hasnt yet published a story.

The newspapers attorney, Bernie Rhodes of Kansas City, sent a letter to the Cody demanding that police not review any information on the computers or cellphones seized, saying they were taken illegally and contain identities of confidential sources. He also accuses Cody of misinterpreting laws on privacy and wrongly applying them to news reporters.

I can assure you that the Record will take every step to obtain relief for the damages your heavy-handed actions have already caused my client, Rhodes said.

The police searches appear to have been prompted by a complaint from a local restaurant owner, Kari Newell, who accused the newspaper of invading her privacy after it obtained copies of her driving record, including a 2008 drunken driving conviction. Newell says the newspaper targeted her after she ordered Meyer and a reporter out of her restaurant earlier this month during a political event.

Meyer says a source gave the newspaper the information unsolicited and that reporters verified it through public online records. The paper eventually decided not to run a story, but it did report on Newell's complaints about the newspapers investigation at a city council meeting, where she publicly confirmed shed had a DUI conviction and that she drove after her license was suspended.

The search warrant names Newell as a victim and lists the underlying reasons for the searches as suspicion of identity theft and unlawful acts concerning computers.

Both Meyer and Newell have said they have fielded messages  and some threats  from as far away as London in the aftermath of the raids. Meyer worked with his staff Monday to reconstruct stories, ads and other materials for its next edition Wednesday.

Cody defended the raid on the newsroom, saying it was conducted legally, while press freedom and civil rights organizations have said that police overstepped their authority.

Jared Smith, a lifelong Marion resident, said Monday that he supports the police raid. Smith accused the newspaper of ruining his wifes day spa business opened only a year ago by digging into her past and discovering she had appeared nude in a magazine years before. That fact was repeated in the Record more than 20 times over a six-month period, Smith said.

The newspaper is supposed to be something that, yes, reports the news. But its also a community newspaper, he said. Its not, How can I slam this community and drive people away?' 

Authorities appeared unprepared for the public backlash to the raids, as involved agencies either refused to comment Monday or took pains to acknowledge the constitutional right to a free press while defending the ability of police to investigate journalists.

Cody referred questions Monday to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, saying it was leading the investigation. The state agency, in turn, refused to say it had taken over the investigation, referring instead to a statement saying it had joined the investigation and seemed to try to distance itself from the raids.

The state police agency said it had assigned an agent to the case at the request of Cody on Aug. 8  three days ahead of the raids  but did not apply for the search warrants and wasn't there when they were executed. While the agency declared freedom of the press as a vanguard of American democracy, it also appeared to defend the actions of local police, saying: No one is above the law, whether a public official or a representative of the media."

Both Meyer and Newell are contemplating lawsuits  Newell against the newspaper and Meyer against the public officials who carried out the search.

Meyer also blames the raid at his home for stressing his 98-year-old mother enough to cause her death on Saturday. Joan Meyer was the newspapers co-owner.

-

Beck reported from Omaha, Nebraska.

The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about APs democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
While Canadian Keanu Reeves is best-known for his career as an actor thanks to major films like John Wick and The Matrix, he's also has a passion for creating and performing music.

Reeves has long been a member of alternative rock group Dogstar as a bass player and a vocalist, which has made its return after a two-decade hiatus. While the band was started in 1991, they put their music on pause in 2002. It wouldn't be until July of 2022 when they announced "We're Back" on Instagram.

Fun fact about the band  popular rock band Weezer played their first-ever gig on a line-up with Dogstar in 1992.

Dogstar is currently in the middle of a multi-country tour and Coloradans who love rock music or Keanu Reeves are in luck, with Dogstar set to perform three shows in the Centennial State.

The first Colorado Dogstar show takes place on August 17 at Denver's Marquis Theater. This show is followed by a performance at Fox Theatre in Boulder on August 18 and a show at Aspen's popular Belly Up venue on August 19.

Ticket prices vary for each venue and range from $73 to around $500.

Find tickets here and check out Dogstar music on Youtube.
Its a shameful spectacle when publicity-seeking elected officials are so determined to be seen rooting out injustices that they ignore the fact that they are committing one themselves.

In the complex, nuanced case of former McAuliffe International Middle School Principal Kurt Dennis, thats precisely whats happening. Led by Denver Public Schools board Vice President Auontai Anderson and at-large board member Scott Esserman, some other board members and district leadership are engaging in a rush to judgment in what is a nuanced and complex case.

At issue is the use of a de-escalation room inside McAuliffe where staff sent students having extreme, at times violent emotional outbursts. Dennis has acknowledged that students were placed alone inside the room  contrary to district policy  with a staff member watching through a window in the door, until they were calm enough not to pose a danger to themselves or others.

He has also acknowledged placing a lock on the outside of the door for a short period of time because students inside were attempting to yank the door open, risking injury to themselves and to adults on either side of the door. That, too, would be a violation of district policy. But again, investigations are underway.

Repeatedly using deliberately inflammatory language (incarceration room instead of de-escalation room, for example) and premeditated outrage, Anderson, Esserman, and their willing accomplices are destroying a mans reputation long before all the facts are in and any investigation completed. We do not know close to enough yet about what occurred inside the school to reach any conclusions.

Neither Anderson, Esserman, nor any of the other people howling for Dennis blood have bothered to talk to the man since he was fired. And clearly they are unwilling to pass up photo opportunities and let the investigations run their course.

Dennis already seemed to have a strong case that his abrupt firing  completely unrelated to the de-escalation room controversy  violated his whistleblower rights, and his lawyer, David Lane, has said he plans to file a federal lawsuit as soon as the school board accepts Denniss termination later this month. Intemperate statements by Anderson and others could add a couple of zeros to the end of whatever taxpayer-funded judgment Dennis might win.

Thats pure speculation, of course, but theres little doubt Anderson at least is making reckless statements. He went on a national TV morning news program last week and said, among other things, that Dennis could be facing charges of child abuse and kidnapping. The irresponsibility and callousness of that statement before a national audience boggles the mind.

When people get whipped into a frenzy, as is happening here, others tend to get intimidated and hesitate to speak out against outrageous behavior. Where, for example, is leadership of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association, who should be leaping to the defense of an educator suffering through a public pillorying by board members they helped elect?

Thats why I was gratified to see a Facebook post on the topic from a longtime Denver teacher and school leader.

Marnie Moody Cooke served as a teacher and principal in Denver for 20 years. She was principal of Odyssey School of Denver (a K-8 charter school) for five years before leaving education in 2021.

Here is some of what she said in her post (reprinted with her permission). She delivers the truth far more eloquently than I could:

In my 20 years as a DPS teacher and school leader, I can tell you that staff members responding to a dangerous situation are most concerned for the safety of others AND the student, as they attempt to help a student deescalate.

A lot can go wrong during these unsafe moments. Other students and staff can get hurt by hurling objects, direct punches, kicks and scratches, over the extended period of time it takes to help the student regulate. Staff use what they can  building a positive relationship with the student before the event, nonviolent crisis intervention skills, and de-escalation strategies.

Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesnt.

Im struck, but not surprised, by district and board leaderships condemnation of Kurt Dennis and his staff before the district may conduct a comprehensive investigation...Sadly, todays popular culture values absolutist thinking over critical thinking.

District and board leadership are examples of the former: people unwilling to embrace the ambiguity of school violence, who are incapable of leading the district toward real, actionable solutions

I left the profession two years ago, so Im not afraid to share my position as well as the heartbreaking truth that my former DPS colleagues feel rudderless in this districts leadership vacuum

Superintendent Marrero and Auontai Anderson seem comfortable sacrificing 89,000 students academic and social-emotional lives for their political careers. What a shame it is to see this happen.

Thank you, Marnie.

Alan Gottlieb is editor of Denver-based public education watchdog boardhawk.org. Gottlieb covered Denver Public Schools as a newspaper reporter in the mid-1990s, worked as an education program officer for The Piton Foundation and co-founded Education News Colorado and Chalkbeat.
One person died and two people were seriously injured after they fell around the Longs Peak area of Rocky Mountain National Park on Friday and Sunday, a spokesperson said.

Editors note: Tuesday, the Boulder County Coroner identified Jadyn Weiss, 21, of Severance, as the climber who fell to her death Sunday in the Flying Dutchman couloir.

Colorado was identified by the Boulder County Coroner on Tuesday as the female who died after falling approximately 300 feet. The cause and manner of death are pending further investigation, the Boulder County Coroner's office said.

Late afternoon on Friday, a 64-year-old male from College Station, Texas took an approximate 60-foot tumbling fall above the Ledges on the Keyhole Route on Longs Peak. A bystander provided critical care to him until park rangers arrived on scene. Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue team members provided advanced medical care.

Because of the location and severity of the man's injuries, park rangers asked for assistance from a Colorado Air National Guard helicopter from Buckley Air Force Base to extricate him via a hoist operation, using a winch operated cable.

The man was transferred to a Flight for Life air ambulance at Upper Beaver Meadows and flown to Medical Center of the Rockies. RMNP Search and Rescue Team members hiked out and reached the Longs Peak Trailhead at midnight on Friday night.

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On Sunday afternoon, a 21-year-old female from Severance, Colorado died after an approximate 300-foot fall. A 25-year-old male from San Angelo, Texas also fell approximately 300 feet and suffered critical injuries. The two individuals fell while descending in the Flying Dutchman couloir.

This couloir is located inside Rocky Mountain National Park between Longs Peak and Mount Meeker.

Park visitors in the area contacted park rangers via cell phone in addition to activating a personal locator beacon. Bystanders provided initial care to the seriously injured male. Park rangers, a park paramedic and an Estes Park Health paramedic provided advanced medical care on scene.

Because of the severity of the 25-year-old male's injuries, park rangers again asked for assistance from a Colorado Air National Guard helicopter from Buckley Air Force Base. The man was transferred to a Flight for Life air ambulance at Upper Beaver Meadows and flown to Medical Center of the Rockies.

As is standard protocol, the death incident is under investigation, the spokesperson said.

Recovery operations for the deceased female were hampered by weather Sunday. But Monday morning, her body was recovered with help from a Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control helicopter and helitack crew. Her body was flown to Upper Beaver Meadows and then transferred to Boulder County Coroner's Office.

The woman's name will be released after positive identification has been made and next of kin are notified, authorities said.
The Pueblo man accused of causing the death of Fountain police officer Julian Becerra earlier this year made his first court appearance on Monday.

Devon Bobian, 32, has been charged with second-degree murder, vehicular eluding, motor vehicle theft, weapon possession by a previous offender and two counts of aggravated robbery.

According to previous Gazette reporting, Bobian and two others were arrested in February after stealing a car and leading multiple law enforcement agencies on a chase throughout El Paso County. Eventually, the driver, alleged to be Bobian, lost control on a bridge, crashed, and all three of the defendants attempted to flee on foot. The affidavit states that, while attempting to apprehend the trio, Becerra fell off the bridge and fell about 40 feet.

Bobian's arrest affidavit claims that he was the main perpetrator in causing Becerra's death.

Bobian appeared virtually via Webex from the Bent County Correctional Facility for his first appearance in Colorado's 4th Judicial District Court on Monday.

Court records show that, in March, Bobian pleaded guilty to weapon possession by a previous offender in two different criminal cases, each charge landing him 18 months in the Department of Corrections.

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After Bobian's attorney acknowledged the charges against his client, a preliminary hearing date of Nov. 15 was set. Judge Hilary Gurney informed Bobian that he will be required to attend his preliminary hearing in person.

Anthony Vallejos, 33, one of the others arrested for their involvement in the incident, recently pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, a Class-3 felony, and faces up to 32 years in prison.

Vallejos will be given his sentence at his next court appearance on Sept. 27.

Danisha Pacheco, the third person arrested in the incident, is scheduled to go to trial on two counts of aggravated robbery, menacing and a violent crime sentence enhancement on Nov. 13, but her attorney noted that she may also be looking to accept a plea deal prior to going to trial.

In addition to a $2 million bond, Bobian is not scheduled to be released from the Department of Corrections until Aug. 22, 2024, according to prison records.
A group of young people who argued that a provision in the Montana constitution guarantees them a right to a clean and healthful environment on Monday prevailed in a landmark lawsuit against their state.

But some legal experts in Colorado doubt this tactic would work in Colorado.

Environmental attorney Paul Seby said that, unlike Montanas constitution, Colorados constitution explicitly recognizes activities that may be environmentally harmful.

Im not aware of any similar provision in the Colorado constitution, but I do know that there are provisions in the Colorado constitution that authorize mining and the appropriation of water, both of which are activities, which by definition, have impacts on the environment, Seby in an interview with The Denver Gazette.

The Montana ruling is inconsistent with the way in which the Colorado Constitution authorizes activities which impact the natural environment for the beneficial use of the citizens of Colorado, Seby said.

Montana is one of only three states that specifically have the affirmative right to a healthful environment in their constitutions. That legal language was a cornerstone of the Held v. Montana youth case.

In his ruling, district court Judge Kathy Seeley found the policy Montana uses in evaluating requests for fossil fuel permits  which does not allow agencies to evaluate the effects of greenhouse gas emissions  is unconstitutional.

Seeley wrote in the ruling that Montanas emissions and climate change have been proven to be a substantial factor in causing climate impacts to Montanas environment and harm and injury to the youth.

Only nine states have a similar language in their constitutions, according to Robert Natelson, who was a law professor at the University of Montana for 24 years and taught, among other things, constitutional law. He has authored several articles on the Montana constitution.

Montana revised its state constitution in 1972.

In an interview with the Denver Gazette, Natelson, who disagreed with Seeleys ruling, said the history of the states constitutional convention made it clear to him that the language the plaintiffs relied upon as a self-actuating right is simply a directive to the legislature to consider issues, not a power given to the court to tell the legislature what to do.

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The legislature determines the content of the environmental laws, said Natelson. This is different from the concept of rights that we use in the federal bill of rights, but it actually is fairly common in state constitutions for a constitution to simply give a directive to the legislature to consider something.

And thats what the Montana legislature did, he said.

This is something of an arcane matter of constitutional law, but in essence, he said, the plaintiffs never had legal standing to sue. Natelson added the decision itself is symptomatic of a very deep problem with the Montana court system.

I think it very unlikely any other court system in the country would rule this way, he said. For many years, the Montana Court system has been ultra-activist and has acted like an oligarchy, taking away decisions from the democratic branches of government. This is a good example.

Seeley dismissed a number of the plaintiffs requests as exceeding the courts authority under the political question doctrine. These included compelling the state to develop a remedial plan, having the court retain jurisdiction over the matter until the state complied with the plan, and a request that the court appoint a special master to assist the court.

Seeley declared the law that blocked state regulators from considering climate effects outside of the state unconstitutional.

Montanans right to a clean and healthful environment is complemented by an affirmative duty upon their government to take active steps to realize this right, said Seeley.

In a statement, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency District 8 Regional Administrator KC Becker said young people are no longer watching from the sidelines.

No longer are young people demanding action on the climate crisis from the sidelines  they are successfully advocating for it themselves, Becker, a former Colorado Speaker of the House, said. This decision today sets a precedent for intergenerational accountability and environmental justice, ensuring that the decisions made today positively impact the well-being of tomorrows generations.

The Associated Press contributed in this report.
The last inmate to be unaccounted for after an escape from the Bent County jail was found dead in southeast Colorado, according to a Tuesday morning news release from the U.S. Marshals Service.

At 4 p.m. Saturday, officials with the Otero County Sheriffs Office received reports of a body found inside an unoccupied farmhouse near Colorado 17, about five miles south of Rocky Ford.

Officials said a former resident of the property had returned to retrieve personal items at the home and found the body inside.

The El Paso County Sheriffs Office along with a forensic specialist from the Federal Bureau of Investigation confirmed the body to be 46-year-old Mark Fox, the last inmate to be found in the Bent County jail escape.

Due to the state of decomposition, it was not immediately apparent that Fox was the decedent, officials with the U.S. Marshals Service said.

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According to officials, its believed Fox had been dead for two to three weeks, with no apparent signs of foul play. The exact cause of death remains unknown pending toxicology results.

The news of Foxs death comes just a week after federal law enforcement agencies offered a $10,000 reward for information about his whereabouts.

With a criminal history dating back to 1995, Fox was wanted on a variety of charges including escape, obstruction, conspiracy to commit fraud and extortion by use of mail. He carried a history of robbery, theft and assault along with a previous escape from the Denver County jail.

Fox is one of four men who apparently tunneled through drywall late July 23 or early July 24 to escape their cell at the Bent County jail, which is about 125 miles southeast of Colorado Springs.

Two of the escapees were found in a Las Animas motel suffering from drug overdoses. Those men were returned to custody. A third escapee, Benjamin Valdez, was later found dead in Pueblo, also due to a suspected overdose, officials said.
By Alexandra Valencia

QUITO (Reuters) - A local organizer in Ecuador's Esmeraldas province for the political movement founded by ex-President Rafael Correa, was assassinated on Monday, party leaders said, less than a week after a presidential candidate was murdered.

Ecuadoreans go to the polls on Sunday to vote in early presidential elections after out-going President Guillermo Lasso dissolved the legislature in May under a constitutional quirk to avoid impeachment.

However, voting will take place amid high levels of criminality in the South American country, with soaring incidents of violence and murder in cities and in prisons, which Lasso has repeatedly blamed on drug trafficking gangs.

Pedro Briones, a director for Citizen Revolution in the San Mateo parish in Esmeraldas was killed, leaders including Correa and Luisa Gonzalez, the party's presidential candidate, said in messages on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

"Ecuador is living its bloodiest moment. We owe this to the total abandonment of an inept government and a state taken over by mafias," Gonzalez said.

"My hug of solidarity to the family of comrade Pedro Briones, who fell at the hands of violence," she added.

Neither the police nor the interior ministry were able to immediately confirm the killing.

Last week presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was gunned down in Quito after leaving a campaign event.

The murder sent shockwaves throughout Ecuador and has prompted leading candidates to promise tough approaches to crime during their campaigns.

Ecuador's murder rate has soared since the coronavirus pandemic, and the country's prisons are also frequently the scene of deadly riots.

The situation has prompted Lasso to declare a string of states of emergency, with the president also legalizing civilian use of firearms.

Six Colombian nationals have been charged with Villavicencio's murder and remain in custody. One other suspect died after an exchange of gunfire shortly after the murder.

(Reporting by Alexandra Valencia; Writing by Oliver Griffin; Editing by Chris Reese)
Co-defendant Carlos De Oliveira pleaded not guilty Tuesday to all four felonies he faces in the classified documents case involving former President Donald Trump.

De Oliveira, a Mar-a-Lago property manager, appeared at a federal courthouse in Fort Pierce, Florida, for his brief arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Shaniek Maynard and was accompanied by attorney Donald Murrell, according to CBS.

The plea comes after De Oliveira's arraignment was twice postponed because he had been unable to secure local counsel.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

He was released after his first court appearance on $100,000 bond under conditions that he would not leave South Florida and not speak to designated witnesses in the case except through attorneys.

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De Oliveira was indicted in July by special counsel Jack Smith on four felony charges stemming from allegations he conspired to delete surveillance footage at Mar-a-Lago last year to prevent federal investigators from obtaining the footage.

This story is developing.

Original Location: Donald Trump indicted: De Oliveira pleads not guilty to all charges in Mar-a-Lago case

Washington Examiner Videos
Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis said that former President Donald Trump and his alleged co-conspirators attempted to "seize" a presidential term when she was outlining the indictment against the 19 individuals.

Trump was indicted on 13 charges, including racketeering charges related to the 2020 election. The grand jury that indicted Trump and 18 others was convened by Willis in May 2022. Willis spoke at a press conference late Monday night after the indictment was unsealed.

DONALD TRUMP INDICTED: GEORGIA GRAND JURY CHARGES EX-PRESIDENT WITH RICO CHARGES FOR 2020 ELECTION

"Every individual charged in the indictment is charged with one count of violating Georgia's Racketeer, Influenced, and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act through participation in a criminal enterprise in Fulton County, Georgia, and elsewhere, to accomplish the illegal goal of allowing Donald J. Trump to seize the presidential term of office beginning on January 20th, 2021. Specifically, the participant in association took various actions in Georgia and elsewhere, to block the counting of the votes of the presidential electors, who were certified as the winners of Georgia's 2020 general election," Willis said.

Willis also said that defendants charged in the indictment would have until noon local time on Aug. 25 to turn themselves into authorities in Fulton County, Georgia.

"The indictment alleges that rather than abide by Georgia's legal process for election challenges, the defendants engaged in a criminal racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgia's presidential election result. Subsequent to the indictment, as is the normal process in Georgia law, the grand jury issued arrest warrants for those who are charged. I am giving the defendants the opportunity to voluntarily surrender no later than noon on Friday the 25th day of August, 2023," Willis said.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks in the Fulton County Government Center during a news conference, Monday, Aug. 14, 2023, in Atlanta. Donald Trump and several allies have been indicted in Georgia over efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) John Bazemore/AP

Willis also reiterated that defendants are innocent until proven guilty. She said that a proposed scheduling order will be filed to the court and that she is seeking a trial "within the next six months."

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When pressed on the "fictitious document" posted to the clerk's website earlier on Monday, Willis decline to comment or "speculate." The document posted earlier on Monday was very similar to the indictment unsealed late on Monday night.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The former president has been indicted in three other jurisdictions this year. Trump was indicted in Manhattan in March on charges related to alleged falsification of business records, he was federally indicted in Florida for his alleged mishandling of classified documents in June, and he was federally indicted in Washington, D.C., earlier this month for charges related to his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

Trump is the frontrunner in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, leading all other candidates by nearly 40%, per the RealClearPolitics polling average. Winning the GOP nomination would likely lead to a 2020 election rematch against President Joe Biden, who is the frontrunner on the Democratic side.

Original Location: Donald Trump indicted: Fani Willis says Trump and co-conspirators attempted to 'seize' presidential term

Washington Examiner Videos
Vivek Ramaswamy preemptively responded to the latest indictment of former President Donald Trump over his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. He was the only 2024 Republican presidential candidate to do so on Monday night following the indictment, besides Trump himself.

On Monday evening, a Georgia grand jury delivered the indictments.

US OIL AND GAS RIGS DOWN BY 14% FROM LAST YEAR DESPITE HIGH OIL PRICES

Trump was revealed later in the evening to be one of the individuals charged with racketeering.

During a NewsNation town hall that took place directly after the delivery of the indictments by the grand jury, host Leland Vittert prompted Ramaswamy for a response.

"The reality is this  these are politicized persecutions through prosecution," he said. "And I say this as somebody who's running in some polls third, and some polls, like today's, second. It would be a lot easier for me if Donald Trump were not in this primary. But that is not how I want to win this election."

Ramaswamy's campaign also referred the Washington Examiner to an earlier tweet from the candidate following a published document by Reuters that caused people to wonder whether Trump was one of the people being charged.

"It's downright pathetic that Fulton County publicly posted the indictment on its website even before the grand jury had finished convening," he wrote.

Claiming that prosecutors are employing "novel & untested legal theories," Ramaswamy suggested that Trump "immediately file a motion to dismiss for a constitutional due process violation for publicly issuing an indictment before the grand jury had actually signed one."

He even said he would author an amicus brief to the court on behalf of Trump.

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Speculation about the indictment swirled for much of Monday. Reuters reported on a document that showed Trump's name alongside dozens of crimes. According to Reuters, the document was available on the court's website, but it was deleted shortly after publication.

Representatives for Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), former Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley did not provide comment to the Washington Examiner.

Scott may address the development at the Iowa State Fair on Tuesday, where he will participate in a "fair-side chat with Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-IA).

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After Trump's previous indictment earlier this month, Haley notably remarked that she was tired of responding to his legal troubles. "Unlike the other candidates, I didn't rush out with a statement yesterday on Trump's indictment for one simple reason  like most Americans, I'm tired of commenting on every Trump drama," she said on the Good Morning New Hampshire with Jack Heath radio show. "I've lost track of whether this indictment is the third or fourth or the fifth."

Before he was revealed to be named in the indictment, Trump's campaign responded, accusing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis of "election interference" by bringing forth "bogus indictments."

Original Location: Donald Trump indicted: Ramaswamy strikes first among GOP primary foes in responding to Georgia case

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The judge tapped to preside over the racketeering case in Fulton County, Georgia, involving former President Donald Trump and 18 other defendants joined the Superior Court of Fulton County this year.

Judge Scott McAfee's name was included in the 98-page indictment released late Monday night. Trump was indicted on 13 charges, including racketeering, related to the 2020 election.

WHO IS FANI WILLIS, THE GEORGIA PROSECUTOR FACING THE BIGGEST CASE OF HER LIFE

McAfee was appointed to the court by Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) this year after serving as inspector general in the Georgia Office of the State Inspector General, according to the county court's website. He has experience as a prosecutor and in the county where the case resides, having served as an assistant United States attorney for the Northern District of Georgia and senior assistant district attorney in Fulton County in the Atlanta Judicial Circuit.

The Georgia judge will play a prominent role in the racketeering case, notably by picking the date when it will begin. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said in a Monday night press conference she is seeking a trial "within the next six months," but it will ultimately be McAfee's decision. Trump has already slammed a proposal by special counsel Jack Smith in a separate case against him for that trial to begin early next year, stating it would interfere with the 2024 Republican presidential primary.

The Fulton County trial will surely raise McAfee's profile, much as Judge Tanya Chutkan's has been raised after it was announced she would oversee the Jan. 6 federal case into Trump's alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Chutkan has received increased security after Trump called for her to recuse herself and alleged she was biased.

Monday's indictment marks the fifth indictment across four criminal cases this year against the former president and current 2024 GOP front-runner. The 18 others named in the indictment include former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani, and attorney John Eastman.

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Trump, in his first statement after the indictment was unsealed, referred to the case as a "Witch Hunt" and "rigged." His campaign and attorneys expressed similar sentiments on Monday, both before and after the indictment was released.

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The former president has been indicted in three other jurisdictions this year. Trump was indicted in Manhattan in March on charges related to the alleged falsification of business records, he was federally indicted in Florida for his alleged mishandling of classified documents in June, and he was federally indicted in Washington, D.C., earlier this month for charges related to his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

Trump is the front-runner in the 2024 Republican presidential primary by a large margin. Most of his opponents in the Republican presidential primary have not addressed the latest Trump indictment. Winning the GOP nomination would likely lead to a 2020 election rematch against President Joe Biden, the front-runner on the Democratic side.

Original Location: Donald Trump indicted: Who is Scott McAfee, the judge presiding over ex-president's Fulton County case?

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Former state Rep. Christina Bohannan is poised to run for Congress in Iowa's 1st District next year, setting the stage for a high-profile rematch against Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) as Republicans seek to maintain control of the House in 2024.

Bohannan is set to announce her bid at a campaign event on Tuesday night, the Democrat told the Des Moines Register. The Iowan law professor said she decided to run after traveling across the district over the last several months, which made it "clear that we need a change in our representation."

UP FOR DEBATE: TRUMP, DESANTIS, AND 2024 GOP HOPEFULS' STANCES ON EDUCATION

"Whenever I show the contrast between me and Rep. Miller-Meeks, it is very clear," Bohannan said. "I mean, you name it, she has been against just about everything that could help southeast Iowans. So what we need to do is get that message out far and wide and reach people that maybe didn't hear from us last time."

The highly anticipated rematch comes after Miller-Meeks defeated Bohannan by 7 percentage points as Iowa Republicans swept all four House seats in the 2022 midterm elections. However, House Democrats view Miller-Meeks's district as a key pickup opportunity, listing it as one of their top targets in the 2024 cycle.

Bohannan's announcement makes her the latest in a string of Democratic candidates seeking to declare rematches in swing districts narrowly won by Republicans in the midterm election cycle and flip them in their favor.

At least eight other Democratic candidates have announced challenges to Republican incumbents they lost to in 2022, setting the stage for several tight races that could once again determine which party will control the lower chamber. Democrats are especially targeting GOP lawmakers in races that are expected to be competitive in 2024, pointing to the party's better-than-expected performance during the midterm cycle as evidence of upward momentum coming into play next year.

One of the closest House races during the 2022 cycle was in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District, in which Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) narrowly defeated Democratic challenger Adam Frisch, despite leaning heavily Republican. Boebert won by just 546 votes, making it one of the tightest midterm races in the country.

Democrats are eagerly targeting the district again, deeming it one of the party's best opportunities to flip a seat blue in 2024. Frisch announced a challenge to Boebert in February and will likely face the GOP incumbent on the ballot next year.

Rematches are expected in at least two other toss-up districts, including those held by Reps. Marc Molinaro (R-NY) and Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ), who each won their races by less than 2 percentage points last year. Molinaro will face Democratic challenger Josh Riley, while Ciscomani will take on Kirsten Engel.

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Other races include the California seats held by Republican Reps. Ken Calvert and John Duarte, as well as the seats of Reps. Ryan Zinke (R-MT), Monica De La Cruz (R-TX), Don Bacon (R-NE), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA). However, Republicans have expressed confidence in their ability to fend off any rematches and maintain those seats heading into 2024.

Democrats lost 10 seats they previously held during the 2022 midterm cycle, securing a narrow majority for the House GOP. The defeat was not necessarily unexpected because the party of the incumbent president historically loses ground in both chambers of Congress during the midterm elections.

However, Democrats fared far better than initially expected, giving the party hope it can make significant gains next year. Presidential elections also motivate higher turnout than midterm elections, which could benefit Democrats after increased turnout helped boost its strength during the 2020 and 2022 cycles.

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All 435 seats are up for grabs in 2024 as Republicans seek to hold their slim majority in the lower chamber. Of these, 42 are considered competitive, with most of those held by Democrats compared to Republicans, giving the GOP a slight advantage as it prepares for the next election cycle.

However, of the 42 competitive seats, 18 are held by Republicans in districts that voted for President Joe Biden in 2020, compared to just five Democrats who must defend their seats in districts carried by former President Donald Trump. That means there are just enough vulnerable GOP-held seats to keep things competitive heading into the next election cycle.

Original Location: Iowa Democrat wages rematch against Miller-Meeks in competitive House race

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The Nevada Republican Party announced on Monday that the GOP presidential caucuses for the Silver State are scheduled for Feb. 8.

The contest is expected to be the third in the Republican presidential nomination process after the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 15 and the New Hampshire primary, which is expected shortly after Iowa.

UP FOR DEBATE: WHERE TRUMP, DESANTIS, AND REST OF REPUBLICAN 2024 FIELD STAND ON KEY ISSUES

"This event marks a crucial step in shaping the Republican nomination process for President and amplifies Nevada's significance in the national political landscape," the party said in a press release.

"The First in the West Caucus underscores Nevada's prominence as a key player in the Presidential nomination process. The Caucus will provide Nevada voters with the unique opportunity to engage with the candidates, discuss important issues, and voice their opinions on the future direction of the Republican Party," the statement continued.

The caucus will begin at 5 p.m. local time on Feb. 8 and will use paper ballots along with voter ID, unlike the state's sanctioned primaries. The state party says it will use the results of the Feb. 8 caucus, rather than the Feb. 6, 2024, state-sanctioned presidential primary, to allocate delegates for the 2024 nominating process.

Nevada's GOP presidential caucus will be held weeks ahead of South Carolina's primary on Feb. 24, 2024, which will be the first nominating contest in the South.

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The Nevada Republican Party says the filing window for candidates for the caucus will be from Sept. 1 through Oct. 15.

Former President Donald Trump currently leads the Republican field, with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) in second place, per the RealClearPolitics polling average. The first Republican debate is scheduled for Aug. 23, and most major candidates are expected to participate. Trump has not said whether he will participate in the debate.

Original Location: Nevada Republicans announce 2024 state presidential caucus date

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The headline read No silver lining in slavery. Mouth agape I read it again. Could this be a true quote?

As I read the narrative in Politico, it appeared to be true. The story spotlighted Republican Sen. Tim Scott  as the originator of the silver lining quote.

In this story (also published by CNN and NBC) Scott criticized Floridas governor on Black history teaching in Florida. New curriculum standards appear to require students to be instructed in the benefits of slavery.

I get why Gov. Ron DeSantis is on the defensive. Florida has been in the political hot seat for awhile.

Last year, The Individual Freedom Act, also known as the Stop Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (WOKE) Act was passed. This law prohibits teaching that insists that individuals are inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously. The law also disallows work or school settings that declare people are privileged or oppressed based on race, gender or national origin.

In January, Floridas Department of Education rejected a high school AP class covering African American studies. Antagonists said the course indoctrinates students in Marxist ideology.

Florida officials express concerns that the course will teach critical race theory  the law school course. The theory presents a legal framework that argues racism is embedded in legal systems and policies.

Which seems true of Jim Crow type laws in American history.

Finally, this month Floridas Board of Education approved a benchmark clarification that requires instruction for middle school students to examine the various duties and trades performed by slaves. Within this context  on a single line of a 216-page document, teachers are asked to present how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.

This was literally one typed line on one page of the curriculum. Hardly the focal point of the Black history curriculum. I suspect that reporters forgot to tell Scott that part.

U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, also a Republican  called the standards good, robust & accurate. But Donalds also said that the attempt to feature the personal benefits of slavery is wrong & needs to be adjusted.

Sounds like the representative actually read the standards. His answer is typical of critical thinking with liking some points and disliking others.

Critical thinking is far too rarely seen in politics.

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Like many Republicans, I am deeply frustrated with those who misuse critical race theory. It is a masters degree level framework for college law students. The theory examines the history and ramifications of lawmaking as applied to race in American history.

It is developmentally inappropriate in elementary school systems. Especially presented by a teacher who is imparting values through their personal opinion.

Because of this, Floridas lawmaking prohibiting these extremely sophisticated ideas from showing up in classrooms makes sense. Too often, elementary or middle school children take the terms oppressor or oppressed personally.

Adversarial world view is damaging to students. Self-esteem requires a sense of belonging and safety that the labels oppressed, or oppressor cannot provide.

However, the Florida Department of Education rejecting a high school age class being taught feels a little over the top. High school students should explore race and class in history.

Likewise, this controversy about the silver lining of slavery feels over the top, too. The benchmark clarification called for instruction to include how slaves developed trade skills. In a few instances, the developed skills could be used for personal profit.

This is hardly saying that slavery was beneficial for those conscripted into it.

We all are clear that slavery was an evil system. Which is why eventually our nation abolished it.

In fact, the work group responsible for the curriculum standard issued a statement, Any attempt to reduce slaves to just victims of oppression fails to recognize their strength, courage and resiliency during a difficult time in American history.

It might be uncomfortable, but examination of the skills of slaves tries to bring some dignity to the people who endured slavery. The attempt might not succeed, as we dare not downplay the incredibly toxic nature of slavery in a classroom or anywhere else.

This subject has no silver lining.

Rachel Stovall is an event manager, entertainer and community advocate.
Our Legislature fears and loathes the right of Colorado voters to weigh in on policy directly through the ballot box. Lawmakers have done their level best over the years to monkey-wrench that right, seeing it as an intolerable end run on their own power.

Just last week, we applauded a lawsuit by the advocacy group Advance Colorado against one such devious attempt, enacted by the Legislature in 2021. It hobbled voters right to petition tax-cut proposals onto the statewide ballot.

A day after that suit was filed in federal court, a state District Court judge on Wednesday refused to dismiss another lawsuit by Advance Colorado, Americans for Prosperity and others, also defending the right of rank-and-file voters to have a direct say in policymaking.

This time, it involved a massive transportation-funding measure that was passed into law two years ago  but that the plaintiffs say should have gone to voters, first.

The measure, which Gov. Jared Polis signed into law, was a $5.4 billion, 10-year plan to build roads and bridges, create electric vehicle charging stations, boost mass transit and mitigate air pollution. Its funding came primarily from the assessment of an array of complicated and controversial new fees that came across a lot like taxes.

As reported by Colorado Politics, the lawsuit takes issue with the omnibus transportation plan in part because it established four state enterprises and modified a fifth  through which it channels the revenue from the new fees to assorted transportation projects. The plaintiffs say that provision not only violates the state constitutions single-subject requirement but also was an attempt to bypass Proposition 117, a 2020 ballot measure that requires voter approval for any new fees for enterprises that generate more than $100 million in revenue in the first five years.

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By dividing the revenue into multiple pots and calling each a separate government enterprise, the bill effectively sidestepped Prop. 117s requirement for a popular vote. The betting around the Capitol at the time the transportation plan passed was that a popular vote would sink it.

We supported the transportation plan as it made its way through the 2021 legislature, but as we noted then, our support was reluctant in part because of the plans dubious funding mechanism. We concluded that the states backlog of transportation projects was too critical to wait for a better approach, which probably never would come given the legislatures overall political alignment.

Nevertheless, we now also welcome the court challenge to the plan. If nothing else, the courts will clarify the role of the novel policy that was implemented by Prop. 117.

More significantly, the mere fact of the lawsuit  and the courts willingness last week to let it move forward  signals the legislature to stop playing fast and loose with voters right to set policy at the ballot box.

Arguably, from the plaintiffs perspective in this case, lawmakers not only prevented a public vote on the transportation plan, but in so doing, they also defied a policy, Prop. 117, that itself was enacted by voters through the citizens-initiative process.

A finding for the plaintiffs in this case would have significant implications, serving to rein in perennial attempts by the legislature to undermine voters powers at the ballot box. Transportation policy aside, thats worth fighting for.
Nothing says comfort food louder than ooey-gooey mac and cheese. And now there is a new spot in the Springs dedicated to giving you your fill of cheese-y goodness.

Kerry Mand has opened I Heart Mac and Cheese, 12229 Voyager Parkway, Suite 120, a Florida-based chain.

Mand is not new to the fast-food business. Her family owned a Dominos pizza franchise for more than 40 years.

Im excited to be (the) first franchise owner in the Springs for this new concept, she said on the first day I Heart Mac and Cheese opened.

The restaurant is set up with a cafeteria-style food line to build your own mac bowl.

You go down the counter to select a base (pasta, broccoli, cauliflower or quinoa), then a sauce, add a protein, mix in some veggies and select a cheese for the topping. Prices vary depending on the protein choice. You can also build your own grilled cheese sandwich. There are signature bowls and grilled cheese choices if youd rather not dream up your own adventure.

When asked which was a best seller at the eatery, Mand instantly said, The Best of Both Worlds (signature bowl).

For $14.50, this menu choice gets you a thick slice of buttery toasted sourdough bread, topped with mac and cheese, juicy braised short rib, barbecue sauce, white cheddar, aged cheddar and topped with another toasted sourdough bread slice. Tater Tots and tomato soup dipper included.

Hours are 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. Details: 719-358-9054, iheartmacandcheese.com

Bus rally

Head to Bristol Brewing Co., 1604 S. Cascade Ave., for Buses at the Brewery 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Aug. 26 to see a lineup of iconic Volkswagen buses. Keep the German vibe going with the breweries Red Baron Octoberfest brew and a footlong brat special.

There will be cue available from Bristols food truck, Spark Beer+BBQ, too. Festivities include the strong stein competition, a tie-dye station and live music.

You can vote for your favorite bus in the Peoples Choice awards. Have your own classic VW bus to show off? Email [email protected] for entry information.

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Dinner series and sushi bar

Ambli Global Cuisine, 5278 N. Nevada Ave., has announced two new dining options: Silk Road Owners Table Dinners and The Latino Sushi Bar.

Where food & culture meet, and the conversations begin, is the Ambli tagline and co-owners Kelly Morrison and Pariza Mehta, with Ricardo Morffin, executive chef, intend to get those conversations underway with these two new dining experiences.

 Silk Road Owners Table Dinners are at 6:15 p.m. monthly starting Aug. 31.

This is not a traditional tasting table, said Morrison. All 12 guests at the chefs table dine at the same time. Pariza and I will be engaged with the group throughout the dinner.

They will talk about the history of the Silk Road and why they think its apropos for Ambli. The term Silk Road actually represents a network of trade routes across Eurasia. Merchants brought many varying cultures together to exchange goods, ideas and food traditions. The menu at Ambli is already like tasting your way along the Silk Road.

These dinners take a deeper dive into these cultural flavors. Cost is $165 for 10-13 tastings prepared by Morffin. To make reservations email [email protected]

 The Latino Sushi Bar will be a weekly tasting 6-8 p.m. starting Aug. 30 at the restaurants chef table.

There is a large influence of Asian culture in Latin America, primarily Peru and Brazil, said Morrison. We thought it would be fun to incorporate some of the Latin flavors in our sushi tasting menu.

Cost is $120 for 10 tastings. For $50 add a premium sake, tequila or wine pairing. Details: 719-308-5579, amblidenver.com/ambli-colorado-springs

Home, sweet home

Early Connections Learning Centers is bringing back the popular Gingerbread and Jazz Gala 7 p.m. Nov. 11. The festivities will be held at The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St. Cost is $125, which includes sweet and savory bites, complimentary drinks and signature cocktails, live musical performances, dancing and the Gingerbread Masterpiece challenge and showcase.

New this year at the gala is a pre-party VIP Dinner in the Deco Lounge at 5 p.m. For $250 you get a five-course dinner with wine pairings and hear a special musical guest. Limited seating. Tickets at www.earlyconnections.org/gingerbread-jazz/ contact the writer: 636-0271.
A federal judge has dismissed an incarcerated man's lengthy set of assault allegations against state prison officials because he did not properly file three grievances for each incident first.

Under the Prison Litigation Reform Act, people who are incarcerated must "exhaust" their administrative remedies before bringing a civil rights lawsuit. In Colorado's Department of Corrections, detainees need to file a series of escalating grievances  known as step 1, step 2 and step 3.

Terance D. Wilson alleged employees at various facilities subjected him to excessive force, cruel and unusual punishment, retaliation and other constitutional violations by:

 Failing to prevent assaults on Wilson by gang members, which they knew would happen

 Deliberately placing him in the same pod as a man who ultimately "nearly killed" Wilson

 Beating and tasing him

 Placing him in solitary confinement as retaliation for filing grievances

 Sexually assaulting him

Wilson suffered a "years-long campaign of illegal retaliation" and was "singled out for near constant harassment and physical abuse," wrote Wilson's lawyers in 2021, shortly before he fired them.

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Proceeding by himself, Wilson attempted to defend against the government's sole argument: He did not go through all three grievance steps for each alleged incident of violence. The corrections department submitted paperwork showing Wilson did file numerous grievances, but he neglected to include key information or attempted to change the focus, such that a grievance officer rejected the paperwork.

"I could not determine from your Step 3 grievance or any other step, what relief you are asking for," read one denial letter.

In July, U.S. Magistrate Judge N. Reid Neureiter recommended dismissing the entirety of Wilson's claims because he did not comply with the Prison Litigation Reform Act by adequately completing all three grievance steps.

"He cites to grievances he believes have been exhausted, but all were denied on procedural grounds which means, under CDOC regulations, they were not exhausted," Neureiter wrote.

On Aug. 3, U.S. District Court Senior Judge Christine M. Arguello adopted Neureiter's recommendation and dismissed the case.

The nonprofit Prison Policy Initiative has advocated for repealing the Prison Litigation Reform Act, arguing the complicated requirements of the grievance process render many prisoner lawsuits "nonstarters." Lawmakers of both parties originally supported the 1995 legislation to cut down on frivolous litigation, which then-Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole referred to as "fun-and-games."

Colorado's U.S. District Court is about to begin a pilot program at one state prison, Fremont Correctional Facility, intended to make incarcerated plaintiffs more effective at litigating their cases when they lack counsel. The initiative will enable prisoners to receive a 20-minute phone call with volunteer lawyers to discuss their lawsuits once assigned to a judge's docket.

"There are traps for the unaware prisoner," civil rights attorney David Lane said in endorsing the pilot. "Such as, you have to exhaust all administrative remedies before you can file a claim."

The pilot program will begin Sept. 1, and the district court recently closed a monthlong public comment period about the proposal. The court's clerk told Colorado Politics it received no comments.
A former Cripple Creek detective was given a 60-day jail sentence by a Teller County Judge on Monday after pleading guilty to charges stemming from an inappropriate sexual relationship with an alleged victim in a sex trafficking case, and attempting to cover up the relationship after the fact.

In June former Cripple Creek detective Alexander Kenoyer, 36, pleaded guilty to two charges: Attempt to influence a public servant, a class-4 felony, and public indecency, a petty offense.

According to the affidavit for the incident, Kenoyer's relationship with the victim began over text message in 2021 and the two first met to have sex at a local hotel in November of that year.

The affidavit states that sexually explicit text messages between the two were intertwined with the woman occasionally asking about her case and for legal advice. Texts also revealed alleged sexual contact between the two in Kenoyer's office at the Cripple Creek police station and in his police vehicle.

The relationship ended when Kenoyer refused to leave his wife. A short time later, the Police Department and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation launched a probe into his misconduct and Kenoyer asked the victim to lie to law enforcement on his behalf in an attempt to save his job.

The victim appeared at Kenyoer's sentencing hearing on Monday via Webex and asked for Judge Scott Sells to impose the maximum possible sentence allowable under the plea deal.

The victim spoke at length about how Kenoyer took advantage of her when she was in a vulnerable place, noting that her sexual relationship with Kenoyer began less than a week after she filed her police report at the Cripple Creek Police Department.

"He (Kenoyer) saw me as a target, a toy and an easily influenceable member of society he could use," the victim said during her impact statement. "He convinced me that he cared for me."

The victim went on to state that Kenoyer posted sexually explicit images and videos of her on the internet without her consent, and that to this day many of those photos and videos remain on the internet.

Prosecutor Kelson Castain informed the court after the victim's statement that the District Attorney's Office was aware of the presence of the sexually explicit content containing the victim, but that there is currently no evidence Kenoyer was the one who posted the images and videos online, noting it could have been the result of an online hack. However, Castain stated new criminal charges could be filed against Kenoyer if evidence arises that he was the one responsible for posting the images and videos to publicly accessible websites.

During his statement Castain also advocated for Sells to issue the maximum possible sentence to Kenoyer, echoing many of the points made by the victim regarding Kenoyer abusing his power on a vulnerable woman, but also added that this isn't new for Kenoyer.

Castain stated that Kenoyer had used his position as a law enforcement official to have a sex with a woman involved in a traffic incident years prior to the more recent allegations.

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Castain stated that Kenoyer had sexual intercourse with this woman while on duty only hours after the incident, and that he allegedly apologized to his superiors after they were informed of the incident and said: "It's an abuse of the position I hold as an officer."

"The lessons he (Kenoyer) supposedly learned previously have not sunk in yet," Castain said of Kenoyer's previous actions. "I'm asking for a jail sentence. ... (Kenoyer) needs to be held accountable."

In rebuttal, Kenoyer's attorney Patrick Mika didn't deny that Kenoyer's actions deserved consequence, but stated that Kenoyer just made bad decisions "isolated to to those two particular events," and that it shouldn't take away from the good that Kenoyer did as a member of law enforcement.

"We are humans, we make bad decisions," Mika said. "He had a difficult and high pressure job. ... He has performed his job, by most accounts, professionally."

Prior to Judge Sells issuing his sentence, Kenoyer himself apologized to the victim and the community for his actions.

"I want to express how sorry I am for the hurt I caused," Kenoyer said to the court.

While Judge Sells acknowledged that people make mistakes and applauded Kenoyer for completing his court mandated 100 hours of community service, Sells stated that it doesn't make up for his actions.

"You absolutely took advantage of her," Sells said directly to Kenoyer. "You made a concise decision to mislead the chief of police, you made a concise decision to mislead your co-workers."

Sells went on to impose the maximum possible sentence allowable under the plea agreement of 60 days in jail, with credit for two days time served, and two years of supervised probation upon release.

"I'm imposing a jail sentence because your actions absolutely cry out for it," Sells said.

Kenoyer is required to report to the Teller County jail on Thursday to begin his sentence. Sells stated he had no problem with Kenoyer serving his sentence in Park County jail due to concerns over his safety as a former law enforcement official in Teller County.
Independent Records long-playing success story could be coming to an end in Colorado Springs.

The retailer, one of the last locally owned record stores in the Pikes Peak region and whose eclectic mix of music, books, movies, games, gifts, marijuana paraphernalia and other merchandise made it a staple for generations of loyal customers, is poised to close permanently unless a buyer is found to keep the business going.

Independent Records marked its 45th anniversary Sunday.

There would be a hole in our employees' lives for sure, there would be a hole in the community, said store manager and 14-year employee Hollie Sherwood about Independent Records pending closure. Weve had a lot of people crying, just very upset.

Brothers Orville and Lewis Lambert opened Independent Records in 1978 at 3030 E. Platte Ave. in Colorado Springs after moving from California.

Over the decades, Independent Records grew into one of the areas most popular music and record stores and survived and even thrived as larger national record store retailers closed. The Lamberts expanded Independent Records' footprint and as recently as 2015 had seven locations in the Springs and Pueblo.

In recent years, however, Orville Lambert conceded that Independent Records was suffering financially. It shuttered nearly all its locations, though the original flagship store on Platte Avenue remained open.

FUNDRAISING EVENT A concert with local bands that will help raise funds for a possible purchase of Independent Records will take place from 4:30 to 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18, at the store, 195 N. Academy Blvd.

The Lamberts eventually sold the Platte property to a car wash chain in April 2021 for $1.5 million and leased back the site while they looked for a new store location. The main retail building and a next-door annex on the site later were razed and Independent Records moved in December to 195 N. Academy Blvd.

But Orville Lambert fell ill and priorities shifted from the business to his health, Sherwood said. The need for Lamberts retirement became immediate  before a buyer was secured for the business, she said.

The news about the closing came in on July 28, Sherwood said. He had been trying to sell the business for months, but hes been too ill.

Independent Records website says a going-out-of-business sale began July 29.

Were trying to get somebody in here to buy it, to keep it running. We have until Sept. 1  roughly three weeks," Sherwood said of a timeline for the store's pending closure.

Sherwood said shes been particularly hard hit by the possible closure. The opportunity to work at Independent Records came into her life amid a time of transition, Sherwood said, adding she cant imagine the community and her life without it.

Ive never not liked a job I had, but Ive never loved a job like this, she said.

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Something for everyone

Walking into Independent Records in Colorado Springs is like stepping back in time  a scene of organized chaos carrying nostalgic bliss. Cases of vinyl records, CDs and DVDs line the building from wall to wall, featuring artists from across a range of decades.

A longtime favorite for music lovers and vinyl enthusiasts across southern Colorado, the closure of Independent Records no doubt would leave a gaping hole in the vinyl scene in Colorado Springs and the community that surrounds it.

Matt Gehrung, whos headed purchasing for Independent Records for 22 years, has a passion for bringing music to the store to fit everyone's needs and tastes.

What we do is not crucial in a practical sense, but it is crucial to people's souls to have an escape from what life throws at them. What we offer is that escapism, said Gehrung, whos worked for the store for a total of 26 years.

He got his start in the stores warehouse and worked his way up. Gehrung said hes developed a passion for the industry through that time and is proud of the work hes done.

One of the former owners used to say that we are art dealers  we are putting art in the hands of people, and that art can drastically change someone's life for the better, Gehrung said. Were not a charitable organization, but what we do ultimately puts a smile on people's faces.

In pursuit of creating an inclusive environment for all music lovers, Gehrung ensures the store carries something for everyone.

Weve always tried to take the best care of everyone who shops here, he said. Weve always tried to be of the people. We've never been an elitist shop by any means; I'd never judge anyone for their taste in music."

Ive heard from numerous communities throughout The Springs that we provide a safe space, and truly have something for everyone.

Sherwood and Gehrung said the business ran into trouble during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was a familiar tale for business owners of the time. Even before the pandemic, Independent Records closed some of its locations. In all, six of the seven locations closed in the past five years.

At the same time, the move from the original location on Platte Avenue posed problems from which Independent Records hasnt totally recovered, Sherwood said.

After moving to this location, we never were fully able to catch up, she said. We werent able to buy new products for some time, and some people never caught onto the fact that we moved  we couldnt do any advertising.

To save the business, Sherwood has set up a Go Fund Me campaign to raise money to allow her, alongside Gehrung, to co-invest in the company with the help of a buyer; money raised would go toward buying the store or helping a future buyer with the purchase.

With a steep goal of raising $100,000 by the first week of September, their online fundraising effort has collected about $1,500 as of Monday afternoon. Customers also can donate inside the store.

I just cant imagine this place not in my life, and I cant imagine the community without it, Sherwood said with tears in her eyes, We want to save the store in some capacity. It can be done  its so doable. We just dont have much time.

People who dont have other means of expression come here and buy music, surrounded by their people. Our connection with them is super important, Gehrung said, Everyone is represented here. I cant imagine our customers not in our lives every day.
Becky Bolinger grew up loving Colorado, but has spent enough time elsewhere to see the effects of climate change in a variety of environments.

She's been a climatologist with the Colorado Climate Center at Colorado State University for a total of 12 years. She's served for seven as the assistant state climatologist, and spent another five years before that at the center as she worked on her PhD at CSU.

While she's seen how climate impacts the Great Lakes and the southeastern United States, it's Colorado's climate that has fascinated her for years.

Colorado Politics: How did you get interested in being a climatologist? Who influenced you in this area? Who has made the biggest impression on you in your career?

Becky Bolinger: I always had an interest in the weather. But during my meteorology classes at Metro, I realized that while everyone else was obsessed with looking at forecasts, I was more interested in looking at the past data for Denver. That's when I realized my passion for climatology.

I would say that my parents had the biggest influence on my career path. I watched them struggle with money and in jobs they didn't like. That drove me to go to college, so that I could do something I wanted to do.

CP: How does the Climate Center influence state policy on climate?

Bolinger: We don't actively influence decision-making at the state level. It's important for us to simply present the science. Decisions could be made based on the information we provide, but our expertise is not in what the decisions should be.

CP: What do you see as the biggest changes for Colorado's climate since you've been at the Climate Center? What do people not know about climate that they should pay attention to?

Bolinger: Probably the biggest changes I've seen unfolding are in the area of wildfire. During my PhD, we had bad wildfire seasons in 2012 and 2013. But nothing really compared to what we experienced in 2020. Or the Marshall Fire in 2021. I think recent wildfires have been a glimpse into how climate change is evolving and impacting Colorado.

Thankfully, we live in a state where people pay attention. We have media that's very engaged in the topic and frequently reports on it. And people who live here care about what's going on outside their own homes. That awareness is a super important piece of addressing the issues.

CP: Have we gone past the point of no return on climate?

Bolinger: I'm more the optimist type and tend to avoid terms like "tipping point" or "point of no return." Because I think there is always something we can do to make things better.

CP: Where do you see the most hope for addressing climate change?

Bolinger: Addressing climate change happens in two ways: first is mitigation and second is adaptation. I think we're seeing a lot of activity towards mitigation. Many groups (governmental, business, organizations) are looking for opportunities to reduce their carbon footprint. And renewable energy is an exciting emerging field. It's not going to happen overnight. But I think we've already seen some positive outcomes when we actively do things. We're not on that worst case scenario climate change path anymore.

I also see a lot of positive things happening in the area of adaptation. Especially in Colorado. There are many adaptation and planning documents happening in state and local governments to help communities better prepare for the impacts of a changing climate. And the topic of environmental justice is really taking off and hopefully will be a help to underserved communities.

CP: You got your start looking at temperature conditions in the southeastern US, and your master's at Florida State University. What do you like about Colorado? What do you think about the current state of climate in the southeastern US?

Bolinger: The southeast is SO different! Not only is the climate different, but the impacts of climate change are different! My advisor at FSU was what some would call a climate denier. So, I had a lot of exposure to that side of the debate. And at the time, we were observing cooling trends at a lot of locations in the southeast. I also focused a lot on why certain stations would show warming trends. It was an important step for me and helped shape my critical thinking skills.

I don't pay a lot of attention to climate trends in the southeast anymore. But I do know, despite changes in temperature, I think we are seeing an increase in events that become more likely with our changing climate (e.g., sea level rise, tornado seasonality, some aspects of hurricane activity).

I don't want to get too political. But the thing that concerns me the most about climate change in the southeast is the lack of preparedness by governments. Regardless of the type of extreme event, state governments need to be aware of their climate risks and how to prepare for them. Even on the cold side (Texas in February 2021), shows that not preparing can have devastating impacts.

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CP: Advice for Coloradans who aren't yet paying attention to climate change?

Bolinger: Everyone can be impacted by climate change. It's not just polar bears and ice caps. Find out what the risks are where you live. Get involved in your local government to see how they're preparing. Research what you can do to be prepared for your local risks (whether it's wildfire, drought, floods, etc.).

CP: Why did you stay in Colorado after getting your PhD?

Bolinger: I love Colorado. OK, I get tired of winter. But I like being close to mountains, the drier climate, the sunny days. I particularly love the big exciting blizzards and our wild thunderstorm days!

I had to leave for my postdoc and I was not a fan of Michigan's climate! I had my daughter in Michigan. And it only took about a month of that for me to know I wanted to get us back to our families and this beautiful state.

CP: What fascinates you the most about Colorado and its climate?

Bolinger: I'm most fascinated by the rich diversity of the climate within our state. The plains, the Front Range, the high mountain valleys, the Continental Divide, the west slope - all have vastly different climates and I love that. I also particularly love that we are a headwater state - it starts in our state and flows out. Makes things very interesting!

Fast Facts:

Grew up in Aurora, third generation Coloradan. Bachelor's degree in meteorology from Metro State University of Denver. Master's degree in meteorology, Florida State; PhD in atmospheric science, Colorado State. Also did post-doctoral fellowship at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Lives in Loveland with husband, 7-year old daughter and 20-year old stepson, who is attending CSU.

CP: Ever hiked a 14er? which one(s)?

Bolinger: In high school, I tried and failed at both Elbert and La Plata. At tree line, I just couldn't breathe anymore! But I conquered Bierstadt my senior year. Since then, I've done Bierstadt again, and both Greys and Torres.

CP: Favorite way to de-stress?

Bolinger: I do my own nails (manicures). It's such a great thing that I can focus on and not think about anything else! I also love running!

CP: Favorite author/book?

Bolinger: Stephen King is my favorite author. Every year, I make it a habit to read his book, The Running Man. For some reason, that one has always been my favorite.

CP: What was the last book you read for fun? for work?

Bolinger: I used to read for fun all the time, but since having a kid, I've gotten out of the habit. But I think the last ones I did were a reread of the Harry Potter series.

I don't read books for work. More journal articles than anything.

CP: Where do you like to travel?

Bolinger: Vegas is my favorite place! So much so, that we got a condo there. I will probably retire there when I decide I can't take anymore of Colorado winters.

CP: Pets?

Bolinger: I have a 9-year-old cat and a 3-year-old dog. He's a little Yorkie and is about the cutest thing ever!

CP:Favorite place in Colorado?

Bolinger: Buena Vista is special for me. My grandparents used to have a trailer up there and we'd go in the summers. It holds a lot of memories. My recent trips around the state, I've come to love the drive from Fort Collins to Steamboat. The Poudre Canyon and North Park are just absolutely beautiful!
Youve seen a best burger list before in Colorado. Our hope is that you find something new in this one, that you discover an American classic you never knew existed across our cities and mountains.

Thats been our experience as weve traveled around this state, searching high and low for the best of the best.

Weve stopped into iconic mainstays and stumbled upon less-celebrated dives and traditions. Now were picking our favorites:

James Ranch Grill: Cows feed on the grass that grows on the adjacent pastures. The cheese is produced here on the Durango family ranch as well. As are the eggs with golden yolks. As are some of the other burger toppers, the lettuce, pickle, tomato and onion. Youll taste the difference.

Maggies Kitchen: Graffiti coats the walls of this joint in Ouray  messages from countless, grateful eaters over the years who have found a true, hidden gem. They can return and try something new every time; the hand-written burger list on the wall runs on like the river through town. The burgers are piled high like the mountains.

Powerstop: This is a gas station along the road through Gunnison. We know how that might sound. But whatever idea you have of a gas station meal, replace it with locally-sourced beef and freshly-baked buns from a nearby bakery. Skiers and snowboarders en route to Crested Butte delight in a beefy, cheesy dream. Click or tap here for the full Powerstop story.

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Buds Cafe & Bar: Some publications have proclaimed the time-honored Sedalia burger among the best in all of America. The burger is steamed. We were unable to uncover any other secrets upon our visit. We stopped asking, just as one stops asking about fries. No fries, dammit! goes the motto. A bag of Lays goes with your basket  simple as the secret surely is. Click or tap here for the full Bud's story.

My Brothers Bar: Dating to 1873, My Brothers Bar has claim to Denvers oldest bar. Somewhere along the way, a tradition was born: The burgers are wrapped in paper and plopped before you with an accompanying caddy of personal tomatoes, onions and pickles. We love the Johnny Burger, topped with American and Swiss cheeses, a jalapeno cream cheese and grilled onions. Click or tap here for the full My Brother's Bar story.

Lucys Burger Bar: A Minnesota transplant opened this little diner in Denvers Berkeley neighborhood in 2021. It was an instant hit. Welcome to Colorados suddenly undisputed home of the Juicy Lucy. Its said to be made with secrets and blessings from Matts Bar and Grill, the famed home of the original from back in Minnesota. Cheese oozes from the middle of the melty, crispy-edged patty. Click or tap here for the full Lucy's Burger Bar story.

Skirted Heifer: This burger reigns supreme in Colorado Springs. The unusual, irresistible product is in the name, but allow the website to further explain: skirted (SKUR-ted): adj. 1. having an extra layer of melted cheddar cheese resembling a skirt 2. deliciousness. Guy Fieri of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives added a third definition: flavor town. Click or tap here for the full Skirted Heifer story.

The Green Line Grill: Tourists to downtown Colorado Springs flock to Skirted Heifer while locals know of an equally tasty burger hiding down the street. Its a different trick here: onion-fried. Look no further than The Original, in which that El Reno-style of preparing shines with nothing more than pickles and mustard. Bonus points for hand-cut fries, the best weve had in town. Click or tap here for the full Green Line Grill story.

The Owl Cigar Store: Cigars are not sold here along Canon Citys main drag. The family owners just refuse to change the name since burgers started selling here in the 1940s. Also unchanged: the grill and the good, old-fashioned way of burgers. And, it seems, the prices. The double-double was $4.25 at last check. Click or tap here for the full Owl Cigar Store story.
Any column on the topic of homelessness  and, yes, this is one  should start with an acknowledgement of, I dont know. At a minimum, I am not sure.

As complex, multi-faceted problems go, this challenge has proved utterly intractable. It continues to defy the best intentions of smart people of various political leanings.

Then-mayor John Hickenlooper set the mark of eliminating homelessness in Denver within 10 years. He prospered politically, but that pledge did not age well. More recently, former mayor Michael Hancock was less rhetorically lofty in his goals. He left office with the numbers of homeless spiking, notwithstanding endless dollars and countless new initiatives seeking to serve as remedies.

The count of homeless people in Denver, and plenty of other locales near and far, continues to grow.

Though an imperfect methodology, the latest point-in-time survey conducted by the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative showed a major increase in all categories. This included homeless families, as well as individuals in temporary shelter and those who fall under the unsheltered category  homeless people who sleep in public places, such as in streets or parks. People who are homeless for the first time rose by over 50%. The statistics paints anything but a pretty picture.

In Colorado Springs, the numbers offer some hope that the homeless count is declining at the margins, even if a recent drive around many parts of the city bore evidence that there are still way too many individuals living on the streets.

New Denver Mayor Mike Johnston was elected with an aspirational, even visionary, plan not just to combat homelessness, but to end it. Where Hickenlooper had set a 10-year marker, Johnston pledges to eliminate unsheltered homelessness during his initial four-year term.

He and his team have earned the right to put their plan in place. The bar he set may be unattainable even if many Denverites would settle for pronounced improvement.

That said, Johnstons Day One declaration of a state of emergency smacked more of a photo-op than a long-term strategy. Portland has been under emergency orders since 2015, while the situation there has only deteriorated from bad to worse to atrocious.

As the magnitude of homelessness has grown, fatigue has emerged in many public corners. Every homeless person is a story of trauma and overpowering loss.

As the numbers have grown, encampments seem omnipresent, and once marquee parts of cities have become no-go zones, hearts have hardened. Passing by from the comfort of our air-conditioned car, we, too, often see the masses but not the individual faces.

One service provider with deep experience remarked that any solution depends on our willingness to ask hard questions. In that spirit, let me pose five.

Question 1: Is the umbrella term of homelessness even useful? To my thinking, that term really encompasses four distinct subpopulations. Included are those suffering severe economic dislocation; those we long ago called vagrants or hobos making a lifestyle choice to live free from societys norms; those deep into psychosis; and, those with major substance addiction often involving the most harmful opioids.

Clearly, there is huge overlap between those last two sub-groups. For the largest part, they inhabit the most visible, dangerous encampments.

But what do these groups have in common beyond their lack of shelter? For those brought low by economic hardship, the answer lies in a roof, a job and a bit of financial support. Individuals making a lifestyle choice are uninterested in outreached hands or interventions.

Those suffering from crippling mental illness or addiction pose the most difficult challenge and require intensive therapy. A precondition in most cases is some willpower to get well.

Too often, we treat the homeless as a monolithic universe. That one-size-fits-all approach is itself part of the problem.

Question 2: Can the psychotic and addicted be managed and treated without tough interventions? Encampments are full of such suffering people. All too often, they reject housing options even if offered. Knowledgeable service providers attest that beyond just the increased numbers they are seeing, the acuity of these individuals is ramped way up.

The dilemma lies in how to treat these people and give them even a chance of getting back on track without forcing them off the streets in some manner. It is true that sweeping encampments all too often results in a new tent city popping up two blocks away. But leaving encampments alone and accepting them as a semi-permanent part of the landscape is not the answer, either.

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Denvers Johnston used the public health imperative of a rat infestation to shut down his first campsite. But he appears reluctant to use that power broadly. With a different political calculus, Mayor Yemi Mobolade in Colorado Springs faces similar choices.

Color me dubious that meaningful progress will be achieved absent such interventions. Clearing camps might be a necessary precondition to cleansing the deeply troubled inhabitants and giving them any hope for a different life.

Question 3: How do you balance the rights of the homeless with the rights of others? This is perhaps the root of the issue. Our hearts can go out to the homeless and our wallets can open, but that does not put all equities in their corner.

A friend who runs a hair salon tried to open a shop at the corner of 22nd and Champa, a block from the encampment just swept by Johnstons team. There was a proliferation of tents around her business, too, as there are for blocks in all directions. Needless to say, her investment in that location went down the drain. What do we say of her rights and those of similarly-situated small business owners, employees and residents?

Question 4: Is funding the variable that will solve this problem? It is not as if Denver is trying to deal with the homelessness issue on the cheap.

When Hancock moved into the mayors office 12 years ago, the citys budget for homeless programs was a mere $8 million. By 2022, Hancocks last full year in office, that number had exploded to $152 million with $254 million budgeted for the current year. Thats an increase of over 67% from 2022 to 2023.

This years allocation comes to roughly $53,000 per homeless individual.

Across the metro area, spending on services and programs is estimated to reach $660 million this year, a 42% increase over just two years ago.

A reasonable person must ask what we are getting for these rapidly accelerating sums. Someone with more skeptical instincts might inquire whether this largesse is improving the situation and leading to a solution or whether it is compounding the tragedy.

What little I remember from college psychology classes centers on B.F. Skinners lessons on behaviorism. That thesis holds that positive reinforcement leads to more of a given behavior. Could elements of that be applicable here? In our yearning to do the right thing and our unrestrained money, are we perhaps making the problem worse?

It is a fair query. Places such as Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles and others are testimony that vast funding, overlaid with indiscriminate welcoming tolerance, is not a fix but can actually magnify the problem and add to the burden.

Question 5: How is compassion best exercised?

Lets conclude with a few words about a critical trait that virtually all good citizens display in one way or another. That is compassion for the travails and anguish of our fellow man or woman.

We are a compassionate people, even if that quality is sometimes taxed by the magnitude and growth of those needing help. However, there is an active, legitimate debate about what form that compassion takes and how it is most useful.

Some believe the best course is to give that dollar to the panhandler and to support the right of the homeless to live on the streets indefinitely with minimal interference. I might disagree with the judgment of such folks, but I do not doubt their good heart or intent.

Others favor an approach grounded in tougher love and find it completely lacking in compassion to allow suffering people, especially those in the bottomless depths of mental illness and substance abuse, to live their days and nights in encampments absent the basics of human dignity.

The fact that people disagree on the prescription is not a reflection on their goodwill or compassionate heart.

This issue is as vexing as any society currently faces. An extra dose of humility is called for among policymakers and service agencies alike. Commentators, too. Anyone who professes to have a ready-made solution is fooling themselves and you.

Eric Sondermann is a Colorado-based independent political commentator.
New guidance from the Biden administration on Monday urges colleges to use a range of strategies to promote racial diversity on campus after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in admissions.

Colleges can focus their recruiting in high minority areas, for example, and take steps to retain students of color who are already on campus, including by offering affinity clubs geared toward students of a certain race. Colleges can also consider how an applicant's race has shaped personal experience, as detailed in students' application essays or letters of recommendation, according to the new guidance.

It also encourages them to consider ending policies known to stint racial diversity, including preferences for legacy students and the children of donors.

"Ensuring access to higher education for students from different backgrounds is one of the most powerful tools we have to prepare graduates to lead an increasingly diverse nation and make real our country's promise of opportunity for all," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.

The guidance, from the Justice and Education departments, arrives as colleges across the nation attempt to navigate a new era of admissions without the use of affirmative action. Schools are working to promote racial diversity without provoking legal action from affirmative action opponents.

Students for Fair Admission, the group that brought the issue to the Supreme Court through lawsuits against Harvard and the University of North Carolina, sent a letter to 150 universities in July saying they must "take immediate steps to eliminate the use of race as a factor in admissions."

In its guidance, the Biden administration offers a range of policies colleges can use "to achieve a student body that is diverse across a range of factors, including race and ethnicity."

It also offers clarity on how colleges can consider race in the context of an applicant's individual experience. The court's decision bars colleges from considering race as a factor in and of itself, but nothing prohibits colleges from considering "an applicant's discussion of how race affected the applicant's life," the court wrote.

How to approach that line without crossing it has been a challenge for colleges as they rework admissions systems before a new wave of applications begin arriving in the fall.

The guidance offers examples of how colleges can "provide opportunities to assess how applicants' individual backgrounds and attributes  including those related to their race."

"A university could consider an applicant's explanation about what it means to him to be the first Black violinist in his city's youth orchestra or an applicant's account of overcoming prejudice when she transferred to a rural high school where she was the only student of South Asian descent," according to the guidance.

Schools can also consider a letter of recommendation describing how a student "conquered her feelings of isolation as a Latina student at an overwhelmingly white high school to join the debate team," it says.

Students should feel comfortable to share "their whole selves" in the application process, the administration said. Previously, many students had expressed confusion about whether the court's decision blocked them from discussing their race in essays and interviews.

The administration clarified that colleges don't need to ignore race as they choose where to focus their recruiting efforts. The court's decision doesn't forbid schools from targeting recruiting efforts toward schools that predominately serve students of color or low-income students, it says.

Countering a directive from Students for Fair Admissions, the new guidance says colleges can legally collect data about the race of students and applicants, as long as it doesn't influence admissions decisions.

Echoing previous comments from President Joe Biden, the guidance urges colleges to rethink policies that tend to favor white, wealthy applicants. "Nothing in the decision prevents an institution from determining whether preferences for legacy students or children of donors, for example, run counter to efforts to promote equal opportunities for all students," the guidance said.

Education Department opens investigation into Harvard's legacy admissions The U.S. Department of Education has opened an investigation into Harvard Universitys policies on legacy admissions, which give an edge to applicants with family ties to alumni. Top colleges preferential treatment of children of alumni has been facing new scrutiny since the Supreme Court last month struck down the use of affirmative action as a tool to diversify college campuses. The department notified Lawyers for Civil Rights, a nonprofit based in Boston, on Monday that it was investigating the groups claim that the university discriminates on the basis of race by using donor and legacy preferences in its undergraduate admissions process.

At the same time, the Justice and Education departments warned that they're ready to investigate if schools fail to provide equal access to students of all races, adding that the administration "will vigorously enforce civil rights protections."

The guidance arrives as colleges work to avoid the type of diversity decline that has been seen in some states that previously ended affirmative action, including in California and Michigan. Selective colleges in those states saw sharp decreases in minority student enrollment, and some have struggled for decades to recover.

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The Associated Press education team receives support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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History of affirmative action in higher education History of affirmative action in higher education 1946: 85% of Black college students attended poorly funded Black schools 1961: JFK signs an executive using the phrase affirmative action for the first time in its modern context Late 1960s: Civil Rights Movement prompts elite universities to prioritize greater diversity in admissions 1972: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act amended to include educational institutions 1978: Regents of the University of California v. Bakke 1996: California and Texas ban affirmative action in college admissions 2003: Grutter v. Bollinger 2016: Fisher v. University of Texas 2022: Supreme Court hears Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard History of affirmative action in higher education 1946: 85% of Black college students attended poorly funded Black schools 1961: JFK signs an executive using the phrase affirmative action for the first time in its modern context Late 1960s: Civil Rights Movement prompts elite universities to prioritize greater diversity in admissions 1972: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act amended to include educational institutions 1978: Regents of the University of California v. Bakke 1996: California and Texas ban affirmative action in college admissions 2003: Grutter v. Bollinger 2016: Fisher v. University of Texas 2022: Supreme Court hears Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard
Post-pandemic Global Evangelism, 'The Power of One,' A Renewed Focus

Dr. Billy Wilson's Newest Book Explores the Power of One Person to Reach Everyone on Earth with the Gospel



So that every person on earth would have an authentic encounter with Jesus Christ through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit by Pentecost 2033.



NEWS PROVIDED BY

MattiMedia Group

Aug. 15, 2023



TULSA, Okla., Aug. 15, 2023 /Christian Newswire/ -- In his newly released book, The Power of One: Reaching Every Person on Earth, Dr. Billy Wilson, President of Oral Roberts University and Global Chair of Empowered21, provides a clear path forward to a new era of evangelism. In order to fulfill the Great Commission, Dr. Wilson asks:

How can eight billion people have an authentic encounter with Jesus Christ?



How can every person on Earth be reached with the good news of the Gospel?



How can today's church be mobilized for collaborative results and unprecedented achievements?

By re-personalizing the Great Commission and renewing our focus on the potential of everyone, Dr. Wilson answers these questions in a way that can transform the world. In The Power of One, he points to Jesus' ministry as a blueprint for the future of evangelism, highlighting the global impact that can occur with just one person:

In Mark's version of the Great Commission, Jesus says to preach the good news to every single creature, to everyone, every person on Earth. When Jesus gave this command, approximately 300 million people inhabited our planet. Now, the global population is more than eight billion. I was overwhelmed by the magnitude of this task and asked myself and God, "How are we possibly going to reach every person on this planet and help give them a legitimate opportunity to encounter Jesus?" As I asked this question, the Holy Spirit spoke to me clearly. His response was a simple yet profound one. He said this will happen "One person at a time."

When we are the one who has been saved, we are the one appointed to find one more. The Power of One highlights Jesus' method of reaching one person and unlocking their capacity to touch the masses. The most significant days of Great Commission effort in human history are before us, and The Power of One encourages believers and today's church to personalize the Great Commission afresh and refocus on the significance of reaching every individual. With a renewed focus on The Power of One, every generation can realize their individual potential to reach everyone.



One life and one action can set in motion more than we realize. This is the butterfly effect. The Apostle Paul reminded the church in Ephesus that our God "is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us . . . " (Ephesians 3:20). We must never underestimate the latent potential in one person. ... Anyone, anywhere, can now have a platform and reach the world in a split second, as proven by a host of "influencers." This flattened world, in which every person holds the power to reach into any culture and connect with any person, makes fulfilling the Great Commission completely possible, unlike during any other era in history.



The Power of One is launching a movement, inspiring global collaboration, unlocking the kingdom potential within each believer, and transforming the world one person at a time.



For more information on The Power of One, please go to www.drbillywilsonbooks.com.



ABOUT DR. WILLIAM (BILLY) WILSON

Dr. William M. Wilson serves as the fourth president of Oral Roberts University. Since taking office in 2013, Wilson has piloted the largest campus expansion in the University's history. Most recently, President Wilson has led the University to begin "The Whole Leaders for the Whole World" campaign, establishing ORU for future generations.



During Wilson's tenure, ORU's enrollment has grown year over year, growing to over 6,000 students in 2023, and is represented with students from 150 nations, earning the ranking as one of the top 25 most diverse universities in America.



With over four decades of executive leadership experience, Wilson also serves as Global Chair of Empowered21, Chair of the Pentecostal World Fellowship and as an at-large member of the board of the National Association of Evangelicals. He also holds leadership positions with the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, the American Association of Presidents of Independent Colleges and Universities, The Summit League Presidents Council, and the Tulsa Regional Chamber of Commerce.



Wilson has authored several books including his latest work, The Power of One. A sought-after Bible communicator, his weekly television program, "World Impact with Dr. Billy Wilson," can be seen in over 150 nations in multiple languages. Dr. Wilson and his wife Lisa have two children and seven grandchildren.



SOURCE: MattiMedia Group



CONTACT: Matti Stevenson, 719-360-0586, matti@mattimediagroup.com


A Nora Springs man was arrested Saturday after allegedly leading police on a high-speed chase at speeds in excess of 100 mph.

According to court records, Shane Lester McRoberts, 36, is facing up to 14 years in prison after being charged with second-degree criminal mischief, eluding, driving while barred and third-degree theft.

The affidavit states police were contacted around 5:23 p.m. with a report that McRoberts allegedly stole around $200 worth of merchandise from Walmart in Mason City. He fled the store in a 2005 Cadillac STS and refused to stop while two officers were in pursuit.

The chase ended when McRoberts drove off the roadway into a soybean field on the southwest parcel of 240th Street and Nettle Avenue causing approximately $2,500 in damage to the crops.

He is being held on $5,000 bond in the Cerro Gordo County Jail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 23.
Keeping politics local and focused on people was the overarching theme of this year's Iowa Democratic Party Wing Ding on Thursday at the Historic Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake.

Since 2003, the Wing Ding has served as a major fundraising and outreach event for Iowa Democrats, with past speakers including President Joe Biden, former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders.

This year, almost every speaker was either an Iowa elected official or running to become one.

This lack of star power meant presidential politics took a back seat at the event, with much of the speakers' ire being focused toward Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Republicans' delivery of what many Democratic state lawmakers are calling the worst legislative session for Iowans they have ever seen.

"There were a lot of Democrats who didn't vote in 2022, and who are disgusted by what they see happening at the Capitol. They know now that their voices do matter, because when they didn't vote last time ... this is what they got," said Jennifer Konfrst, who represents the 32nd District in the Iowa House of Representatives and also holds the position of House minority leader.

"We know that these Republicans in the Legislature are committed to taking away reproductive freedom, to giving rewards to big corporations, to making sure that everyday Iowans aren't heard and that they only listen to special interests. We know this because we see it every day, and it's simply not Iowa," Konfrst told the crowd.

Touching on how legislating in the minority has led to a lot of "no" votes, Konfrst said it's important Democrats "tell voters what we're for, so we're not just the party of no."

"What voters want is not what Republicans are delivering at the Capitol. That's why we put forth legislation defending reproductive freedom and enshrining [the right] to abortion in Iowa's Constitution; that's why we put forth legislation that defends and strengthens public education, and that's why we put forth legislation that would legalize adult use of recreational marijuana, because people are sick and tired of seeing tax dollars go across the border when we could be funding schools and substance-use disorder (education) here," said Konfrst.

Sharon Steckman, who represents Mason City and the 59th District in the House, said that she doesn't despair and continues the fight: "I refuse to give this seat to anyone who tells me what book I can't read, tells me what I believe or who I can love, or who ignores the needs of Iowans, or who favors gun rights over children's safety."

"Iowans are alarmed at the direction our state is taking," said Steckman. A former educator, she told the Globe Gazette she was most offended by "the attack on public education and on children, SNAP benefits being taken away, letting certain children do dangerous jobs that will certainly cause harm. We should be thinking about keeping them in school instead."

The keynote speaker was Minnesota's Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman, who told the crowd the 2023 legislative session in Minnesota will have an impact for "generations to come" and stands in stark contrast to the work of her neighbors to the south in Iowa.

Minnesota's "trifecta" of Democratic control of both houses of the legislature and governor's mansion showed an alternative to what Iowa Democrats say is "backsliding of Democracy" under Republican control.

"Minnesotans made it clear they wanted us to invest in public education, health care that's more affordable for everyone and an economy that's not stacked against anyone, an economy that works for everyone," Hortman said.

Hortman added, "I know it kind of feels a little grim here in Iowa, but I'm here to tell you that [this] rollercoaster can turn back up again, and it's worth the fight."

The national Democratic Party recently stripped Iowa of its coveted position as the first state on the Democratic presidential selection calendar, and a new state law requiring in-person participation has attempted to hamper Democrats' ability to conduct a mail-in caucus in February.

Despite the threat of DNC sanctions and the potential loss of delegates, the IDP central committee recently approved a plan that would have Iowa Democrats declare their 2024 presidential preference through mail-in presidential preference cards, while scheduling in-person "delegate selection caucuses" the same night as the Republican caucus.

The plan still leaves a timeline up to speculation, with no definitive dates being chosen yet. But Rita Hart, chair of the Iowa Democratic Party, assured Democrats, No matter what, we will continue to do whats best for Iowa, whats best for our party and whats best for democracy.

Close Democratic State Representative Sharon Steckman of Iowa House District 59 speaks at the 2023 Iowa Democratic Party Wing Ding, held August 10 at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake. Iowa State Representative Sami Scheetz of House District 78 (Cedar Rapids) speaks during the Iowa Democratic Party's Wing Ding fundraising event at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake August 10, 2023. Rita Hart, chairperson of the Iowa Democratic Party speaks at the 2023 Iowa Democratic Party's Wing-Ding at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake. Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart speaks at the IDP's 2023 Wing Ding fundraiser at the Surf Ballroom August 10, 2023. Iowa State Representative Jennifer Konfrst of House District 32 (Clive/Windsor Heights) speaks at the 2023 Iowa Democratic Party Wing Ding at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake on August 10, 2023. From left: Iowa state Reps. Mary Madison and Molly Buck, Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and Iowa state Rep. Sharon Steckman pose for a photo after speaking at the 2023 Iowa Democratic Party Wing Ding on Aug. 10. State Representative Sharon Steckman of Iowa's House District 59 speaks at the 2023 Iowa Democratic Party Wing Ding, held August 10 at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake. Urbandale City Councilman Larry McBurney speaks at the 2023 Iowa Democratic Party Wing Ding fundraiser, held at the Surf Ballroom August 10. The Iowa Democratic Party's Wing Ding has since 2003 provided North Iowa Democrats a platform to fundraise and strategize ahead of November's elections. Past speakers have included Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders; but the 2023 edition put much more focus on local and state races. Photos: The 2023 Iowa Democratic Party Wing Ding On August 10, 2023, North Iowa Democrats gathered at the historic Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake for the 20th anniversary of the "Wing Ding" fundraiser. Democratic State Representative Sharon Steckman of Iowa House District 59 speaks at the 2023 Iowa Democratic Party Wing Ding, held August 10 at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake. Iowa State Representative Sami Scheetz of House District 78 (Cedar Rapids) speaks during the Iowa Democratic Party's Wing Ding fundraising event at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake August 10, 2023. Rita Hart, chairperson of the Iowa Democratic Party speaks at the 2023 Iowa Democratic Party's Wing-Ding at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake. Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart speaks at the IDP's 2023 Wing Ding fundraiser at the Surf Ballroom August 10, 2023. Iowa State Representative Jennifer Konfrst of House District 32 (Clive/Windsor Heights) speaks at the 2023 Iowa Democratic Party Wing Ding at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake on August 10, 2023. From left: Iowa state Reps. Mary Madison and Molly Buck, Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and Iowa state Rep. Sharon Steckman pose for a photo after speaking at the 2023 Iowa Democratic Party Wing Ding on Aug. 10. State Representative Sharon Steckman of Iowa's House District 59 speaks at the 2023 Iowa Democratic Party Wing Ding, held August 10 at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake. Urbandale City Councilman Larry McBurney speaks at the 2023 Iowa Democratic Party Wing Ding fundraiser, held at the Surf Ballroom August 10. The Iowa Democratic Party's Wing Ding has since 2003 provided North Iowa Democrats a platform to fundraise and strategize ahead of November's elections. Past speakers have included Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders; but the 2023 edition put much more focus on local and state races.
Johnny Mills started his service with the Danville Life Saving Crew more than 41 years ago as a young volunteer.

Earlier this month he was named the nonprofit rescue organizations chief executive officer, after coming onboard in a full-time capacity in 2017.

Sitting behind his desk Friday at the Danville Area Training Center  the central hub of the life saving crew  he said that while staffing and recruitment will be a major focus, he will never give up on the volunteers, who for decades have been the backbone of the group.

I always want to leave a place for the volunteers, he said. Thats where we came from.

Its also where he came from.

Growing up in Clarksville, Mills started his work in the emergency medical field as a kid in Mecklenburg County.

It was in 1982 that he move to the area to go to Danville Community College and just stayed on.

Thats also when he started his volunteering stint with the crew. At the time, they had a trainee program that was basically a special group for young folks.

I had my natural dad, and I had four or five adopted dads here, he said of the parenting atmosphere of the crew who helped him mature.

In 2017, Chief Robbie Woodall approached Mills about launching a community paramedicine program. It all came about because the life saving crew was seeing the same people calling for help over and over. That in turned bogged down resources.

Most of the time, these werent true medical emergencies.

Mills performed research and visited a paramedicine academy in Pittsburgh. When he got back, he put together a business module and a pilot program started with Mills as the coordinator.

Launching the program

At first, he thought it would be a lot of disease management. He soon learned people simply needed connections to resources.

Danville is very fortunate to have a lot of services, just a lot of people dont know how to get in touch with them, he explained. A lot of those services are there, we are just helping our citizens make those connections.

The purpose of the program is to identify people who may call 911 for routine situations and help them come up with a solution that doesnt tie up emergency resources.

Its not just the life saving crew thats impacted for these types of calls. It adds extra burden to dispatchers and the Danville Fire Department, which doubles as first responders for the city.

If I can keep a truck in service, one of my groups can go out and see four or five patients with the the same amount of money, he explained. It helps the whole community.

There are now four full-time community paramedicine workers, and they are looking to hire a fifth.

Having served in leadership roles in the past, taking on the coordinating duties of the new paramedicine program  and now leading the whole organization  seemed almost second nature.

With the community paramedicine initiative, it started with stats and data.

A lot of that just kind of transferred over to other management areas, Mills explained.

Johnny is a true champion for our organization and will provide a high level of expertise, Woodall said recently when announcing the promotion of Mills to CEO.

When the coronavirus pandemic took hold, Mills then noticed a switch to more disease management.

During the early days, doctor offices werent seeing patients and it was difficult to go to a specialty provider.

Thrust into the world telemedicine, some residents didnt have the means  or knowhow  to navigate the digital doctor visit.

Thats when Mills and his community paramedicine workers stepped in.

He recalled one case when a person who had tested positive for COVID-19 needed to see a pulmonary doctor in Greensboro, North Carolina.

At the time  his family was scared because they had small children and didnt wanna run the risk of exposure, Mills said.

Basically, this patient had no where else to turn.

Mills and his group provided the computer connection and even had the special stethoscopes and tools needed to shuttle data to the pulmonologist.

They also went to pick up medicine for the patient when it was prescribed.

And all of this, is a free service.

The Danville Regional Foundation so far has provided funding for the community paramedic program thatll last through 2025.

Weve gotten really good support from that, so were looking to maintain it and continue it, he said.

When it first started, they identified residents who needed the service based on past calls.

When you see people calling two and three times, some calling 20 times, thats how we first started, he said.

Now they get referrals from police, fire, social services and even the hospital who run across residents who could benefit from the program.

Many of the patients are elderly who are often left with a dwindling circle of people who can help.

In Danville, a lot of our kids, they grow up and they move away, Mill explained. That leaves Mom and Dad alone.

Then when their friends die, the resources become all the more scant.

Thats where we kind of come in  to try to make those connections, he said.

After the pandemic, theyve seen a 30% increase of what Mills calls no transport. That means someone calls 911, but when the crew gets there, they dont want to go to the hospital.

Sometimes the patient just wants to be checked out to be reassured they are OK, he explained. Sometimes they couldnt get into their doctor, for some reason.

In the end, that puts more of a burden on the rescue group and takes a truck out of service.

Dwindling ranks

It also doesnt help that there are fewer volunteers  a problem plaguing the nation  available to run calls.

It used to be they would get about eight or nine calls in a 24-hour shift. Now it can be up to 50 in the same time period.

That required adding full-time staff members who are available to handle it all.

We had to grow into a career situation, Mills said. We still have volunteers and will always have volunteers, but with the sheer volume of calls there was no other solution.

He attributes the growing calls with an aging population, and the overall economy with some people not having insurance.

When it comes to staffing struggles  something exacerbated by the pandemic  theres a wide array of factors.

I think a whole lot of it was EMS, fire and police, all of those areas, can be tough work, he explained. Its rewarding work, but its tough.

When COVID-19 started to swirl, the fears hit the life saving crew pretty hard.

Essentially, volunteers had to decide: keep going or make a hard choice to step away.

Then theres the burn-out factor that comes about with smaller staff levels. For example, its common to have about five people who now do the work of 10.

But hes not giving up, especially when it comes to volunteers.

Its all about promotion, he said. A lot of work that we have to do is to explain what EMS looks like  this is who we are, this is some of our needs.

To help get more people who have little or no experience, they also have something called a recruit academy.

Basically they make a hire and provide all of the training and classes needed for certification.

Thats easy since training is simply another arm of the Danville Life Saving Crew.

More than rescue calls

We have a wonderful training facility here, he said. I want to make sure we have a clear path to continue that training and promote that high-quality training that we have.

In fact, the Danville Fire Department was using the training facility Friday.

For Mills, retention is as equal  if not more  important than recruitment.

Most of the time, a person generally spends about five of six years in an EMS position before they move on  to management, continue a career in the medical field or search for a new start.

Locally, its more like two or three years.

He wants to keep the workers because the experience they have only grows and adds to the organization.

Other parts of the Danville Life Saving Crew are the drones, heavy extrication equipment, dive team and swift-water rescue. All of those members have to be ready to go in a moments notice.

That was the case in October 2018 when Tropical Storm Michael drenched the city with record-breaking rain. It turned Riverside Drive into a raging river.

The life saving crew called everyone to help move stranded motorists off the extremely busy roadway to safer ground.

Thats also the moment that left the most lasting impact on Mills.

It was the teamwork.

Not only within our agency  although we saw a closeness internally  it was with the fire department and the police department, we were in some hairy places doing some tough things, he explained. I think when you turn around and check on your partner, thats words you really cant express.
The Danville Casino brought in about $21.4 million in casino gaming revenue during the month of July, according to figures from the Virginia Lotterys casino gaming activity report posted Tuesday.

That is an increase from nearly $19 million generated in June.

The casino generated nearly $15.9 million in revenues from its 767 slot machines and about $5.5 million from its 25 table games, according to the report.

Julys gaming activity at the Danville Casino resulted in about $3.85 million in gaming-tax revenue, with nearly $1.3 million of that expected to go to the city of Danville, according to the Virginia Lottery.

In addition, the city will receive a $535,210.36 direct payment from Caesars as part of their agreement, for a total of about $1.8 million, said Danville Finance Director Michael Adkins.

Under the agreement between the city and Caesars, Danville gets 2.5% of the first $200 million in total gaming revenue from Caesars. Thats in addition to the gaming-tax revenue that goes to the city.

That percentage will increase once gaming revenues at Danville Casino exceed $200 million.

Before a casino referendum passed among Danville voters in November 2020, the city formed an Investing in Danville Committee to develop strategies for investing gaming-tax revenues from the casino.

The gaming tax revenues purpose was not to support normal city government operations, but to go toward education, economic development, economic opportunity and financial stability.

Caesars Virginias temporary Danville Casino outperformed Hard Rock Bristol casino last month. HR Bristol brought in about $13.5 million in gaming revenue.

Rivers Casino Portsmouth generated about $22.3 million in July.

During July, gaming revenues from Virginia casinos totaled $57.3 million. Virginia law assesses a graduated tax on a casinos AGR, or wagers minus winnings, and $10.3 million in taxes were paid to the Gaming Proceeds Fund, according to the Virginia Lottery.
As work to complete the Mountain Valley Pipeline ramps up this summer, one of the first tasks is to test the integrity of sections of pipe that have been exposed to the elements for years.

With construction slowed by legal battles, many unconnected segments of pipe have sat along the projects right-of-way, where sunlight can break down a coating designed to protect the steel pipe from corrosion once its buried.

If the coating is not properly reapplied, Mountain Valley opponents say, the pipe could fail, releasing high-pressurized natural gas that would spark a calamitous explosion.

MVP is a very high risk pipeline, a group of 26 organizations wrote in a June 22 letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and other agencies overseeing construction of the highly divisive project.

The organizations  which range from environmental heavyweights like the Sierra Club to small community groups  say that running such a massive pipeline across steep mountain slopes raises the risk of landslides that could rupture a weakened pipe.

In a June 29 response letter to FERC, Mountain Valley outlined what it is doing to inspect the pipes, reapply the fusion bonded epoxy coating when needed, and take other steps to guarantee the safety of what it calls a vital infrastructure project.

Project opponents ignore the facts and continue to push this issue to spark fear and further their anti-fossil fuel agendas, Matthew Eggerding, deputy general counsel for Mountain Valley, wrote in the letter.

Construction has been spasmodic since it began in early 2018, as a federal appeals court repeatedly rejected Mountain Valleys government permits after environmental groups filed legal challenges.

Then, in May, Congress passed a law green-lighting the project, which it declared was in the national interest. The U.S. Supreme Court lifted a stay on construction in late July, allowing heavy equipment and about 4,500 workers to return to the mountains of Virginia and West Virginia.

Its been a long and challenging journey for MVP, said Thomas Karam, chairman and CEO of Equitrans Midstream Corp., the lead partner in a venture of five energy companies building the $6.6 billion pipeline.

While we dont expect the opposition to give up, we have the highest degree of confidence that we will complete this project, Karam told financial analysts during an Aug. 2 conference call.

But inspecting and reinforcing the pipe is just one of many jobs that lie ahead for Mountain Valley, which says the project will be done by years end.

About 643 crossings of streams and wetlands  roughly half of them in Southwest Virginia, which the pipeline will bisect on its way from northern West Virginia to an existing pipeline in Pittsylvania County  must be made, either by digging through or burrowing beneath the water bodies.

Construction crews will also bore under Interstate 81 near the Montgomery-Roanoke county line and the Appalachian Trail in the Jefferson National Forest, the later a complicated job expected to take at least 10 weeks.

Its absurd to even assert that, David Sligh said of Mountain Valleys stated goal of finishing work this year. Sligh is conservation director of Wild Virginia, one of the groups fighting the pipeline.

I flat-out dont think its possible, he said.

Inspecting the pipe

Along the pipelines 303-mile route, more than 270 miles of pipe have already been lowered into trenches and covered with dirt, Mountain Valley says.

All of the installed segments have met the companys internal requirements for coating thickness, which are above the manufacturers recommendation, according to the company.

Work is underway to inspect the remaining pipe sections, which have been left in outdoor storage areas or along a 125-foot-wide swath of land cleared for the pipeline, Eggerding wrote in his letter to FERC.

In 2018, when Mountain Valley was using the legal process of eminent domain to take private land needed for the pipeline, it urged a judge to grant it immediate possession so work could begin. A company executive testified that it was important to bury the pipe as soon as possible to protect its coating from the suns harmful UV rays.

The pipes that have remained above the ground since then have been rotated where practicable to limit exposure, although that is not possible for many sections that have already been bent or welded together, Eggerding wrote.

Mountain Valley says it is conducting rigorous inspections to check the 42-inch diameter pipes for any damage and to ensure the coating still meets specifications. When necessary, the pipe is sandblasted or scrubbed before the coating is reapplied.

Asked by The Roanoke Times how many times that has happened, company spokeswoman Natalie Cox did not provide a direct answer in an emailed response.

Safety is our No. 1 priority, she wrote in describing the inspection and repair process in general terms. Her email also did not answer a question about how thick the coating must be to meet company standards, saying only that it was part of a comprehensive integrity program.

Environmental groups say the pipes should be moved to an indoor setting before the coating is reapplied in order to protect nearby streams and wetlands.

MVP defies logic to suggest that airborne particles from sanding pipes white hot, and airborne chemical components of covering, will not impact field, forest and water, Roberta Bondurant wrote on behalf of Preserve Bent Mountain in a letter to FERC.

Mountain Valley considered moving the pipes off-site for treatment, but concluded it was not workable and would involve unnecessary environmental impacts, Eggerding wrote.

The company says it plans to use canopies at work sites, where feasible and appropriate for the conditions, to limit the spread of dust.

Making sure the pipe is adequately coated is just one part of the companys safety plan, Cox said. Other aspects include cathodic protection  which applies a small electric current to the buried pipe to limit corrosion  using pipe that is as thick as a deck of cards to meet federal requirements, and around-the-clock monitoring once natural gas is flowing.

More oversight promised

Coating inspectors hired by Mountain Valley and certified by the National Association of Corrosion Engineers are the first line of defense. Looking over their shoulders will be inspectors from the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

PHMSA is responsible for checking the companys procedures and documentation.

The administrations inspectors have spent 229 days in the field since Mountain Valley construction began, a spokeswoman said, and additional oversight is planned.

Earlier this month, PHMSA announced $64 million in grants to support enhanced pipeline safety operations. Most of the administrations work is contracted out to state agencies. In Virginia, the job falls to the State Corporation Commission.

A team of 11 inspectors is assigned to oversee pipe recoating and other activities at Mountain Valley sites, according to SCC spokesman Andy Farmer.

On Friday, PHMSA issued a proposed safety order that notified Mountain Valley of the need to remediate any coating deficiencies before the pipeline is placed in operation. The order aims to ensure the pipe has effective coating, and that any potential corrosion or land movement-related issues are identified and addressed to protect communities adjacent to MVP, and the environment, a notice on PHMSAs website states.

Pipeline foes say the government is still giving too much deference to a company that has repeatedly run afoul of regulations meant to protect the environment.

Ultimately, that MVP advances itself as The Tester under present circumstances, is unacceptable in a project which has proven so environmentally harmful, economically questionable, and politically and financially driven, Bondurant wrote in her letter to FERC.

State regulators in Virginia and West Virginia have cited the company with nearly 500 violations of regulations meant to control erosion and sedimentation.

Muddy runoff from construction sites has reached nearby streams and wetlands, where opponents say it threatens water quality and the habitats of endangered species.

But since work resumed earlier this summer, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has found no violations, spokeswoman Irina Calos said. Mountain Valley has said earlier that most of the problems happened during the heavy rains of 2018 and 2019.

Meanwhile, construction crews are returning to work sites that have been inactive  except for maintenance to limit erosion  since the fall of 2021.

Mountain Valley has told the U.S. Forest Service that it plans to begin boring under the Appalachian Trail in mid-September. That project entails drilling a tunnel for the pipe about 80 feet below the trail as it traverses the ridgeline of Peters Mountain north of Pearisburg.

The trail will remain open during the estimated 10 weeks it will take for the job, Forest Service spokeswoman Gwen Mason said.

Also this fall, construction crews will begin digging a passage for the pipeline to pass under Interstate 81, just north of the Ironto exit. Work is scheduled to start Aug. 21 and last until Dec. 4. The actual boring will be done over an approximately 35-day period in late October and November, according to Jason Bond, a spokesman for the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Cox declined to give details on either project, writing in her email that there are a number of factors  including weather, crew availability, terrain, etc.  that contribute to making the construction schedule very dynamic.

Were not giving up

As workers wearing hard hats began to show up along the pipelines linear construction zone, they were soon met by protesters waving signs and shouting Stop! You need to stop!

At first, gatherings in Montgomery and Roanoke counties disbanded before police arrived. Then on Friday, two people used so-called sleeping dragons  lock-box devices into which they insert their hands  to chain themselves to excavators atop Poor Mountain.

After an eight-hour removal process, Roanoke County police charged the protesters, one from California and the other from Washington, D.C., with interfering with Mountain Valleys property rights.

In all, more than 50 people have been charged in a variety of protests along the pipelines route through Virginia: sitting in tree stands built to block construction, chaining themselves to bulldozers and walking in large groups onto work sites.

Our leaders have clearly taken a side, so its up to us to stop this thing, one unidentified supporter said in a news release from Appalachians Against Pipelines.

But in reality, the greatest threat to Mountain Valley has been men and women wearing black robes  at least until recently.

A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S Circuit Court of Appeals has struck down permits that were then reissued, struck down again, reissued and challenged by environmental groups yet again.

Some have said the pipeline would be finished today were it not for the Fourth Circuit.

A contrary view might be that the pipeline would be finished today had MVP and Respondents [federal agencies that granted the permits] followed all of the necessary laws and regulations to get it done, one judge of the court wrote in a recent opinion.

Supporters of Mountain Valley, who include U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., turned to Congress for help. In a provision of a law that lifted the debt ceiling to avert a government default, agencies were ordered to issue all remaining permits while the Fourth Circuit was stripped of its jurisdiction to hear any challenges.

On Friday, the court dismissed the remaining cases, ruling that it did not have the authority to consider a larger question of whether Congress violated the separation of powers doctrine by encroaching on the works of the judicial branch.

Evan Zoldan, a professor at the University of Toledos law school and an expert on the separation of powers, has said the case could ultimately be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.

But by the time that happens, it could be too late to stop the pipeline.

Hoping to slow things down again, opponents are poring over a number of options. One would be to ask DEQ  which is believed to not be bound by the federal law  for a stop work order, Sligh of Wild Virginia said. In 2021, a new state law expanded the environmental agencys power to halt construction if there is a showing of substantial harm.

Were not giving up on this, Sligh said of the prospect of stopping Mountain Valley. We think thats a real possibility, and it should happen.
Unsettled Tuesday headed our way.

Forgive David Fain for spending an inordinate amount of time keeping track of the deadliest wildfire in U.S. history.

The fire had killed 99 in Hawaii as of Monday, a number almost certain to go up as search crews sift through the rubble.

More than 3,000 buildings burned to the ground near the historic town of Lahaina, including the house where Fain lived in the mid-80s. 104 Wahikuli Road  it was totally destroyed, he said. Theres nothing left.

Knowing  and caring about  people directly affected by disaster naturally caused anxious phone calls and texts. Hes gotten firsthand accounts because hes kept up with friends who put down roots on Maui.

Carefree and led by the limitless possibilities of youth, Fain and others moved there after college.

He worked his way up from working as a dockhand at a large resort to a position in management. I was getting burned to a crisp out on the water and it didnt take long for me to see they had an assistant managers job open, he said.

Ted (King), an old roommate, lost his business. His shop, trailers, trucks, everything was burned to a crisp, Fain said. His house in Lahaina, too. He has a houseful of refugees at a (second home).

Its unbelievable.

His friends accounted for and the immediate danger from wildfire gone, hes now focusing attention on the big picture about rebuilding.

Maui is home to some of the most expensive real-estate in the country; an existing affordable housing crisis has been made far worse.

Locals who can trace their families back for generations already harbored distrust of wealthy newcomers.

The concern is that it will be rebuilt with huge developments that locals wont be able to afford, Fain said.

Whatever course that follows will take time  and a lot of money. Relief agencies including the Red Cross and Samaritan's Purse are headed to the area.

A planeload of supplies and volunteers from the Boone-based organization flew out of Piedmont Triad International Airport this morning.

That will certainly help with essentials needed for survival. But emotional healing will take longer.

You cant bring back history. You cant rebuild a Banyan tree or the Pioneer Inn (a local landmark), he said.

Earthquakes recorded in Guilford

GREENSBORO  Only those whose sleep can be disturbed by a pea buried under the mattress or men of a certain age prone to bathroom trips felt them, but a pair of earthquakes were reported in Guilford County early this morning.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, an earthquake with a 2.1 magnitude was recorded just after 2 a.m. near Huffine Mill Road and the Urban Loop in northeast Greensboro and a second with a 2.0 magnitude a few minutes later near McLeansville.

Not that most people noticed.

Typically, a quake of 2.0 might be strong enough to be felt by some, but not large enough to cause damage.

Theyre not reported often in North Carolina, but scientists do note several each year. Winston-Salem and Clemmons each recorded two in 2022.

The largest in recent memory happened near Sparta in 2020.

In that instance, an earthquake that registered a 5.1 heavily damaged homes and businesses along a fault line in Alleghany County.

Earthquakes, a tornado warning early this morning in Wilkes County, downed trees in Surry and Watauga, searing heat and unbearable humidity  enough already.

Tough place to start

WINSTON-SALEM  Its highly unlikely that new city manager Patrick Pat Pate will ever say publicly how  or whether  the controversy over his hiring has affected him.

But its fair to wonder if hes rethinking his decision to take the job.

Pate, a white man whos currently the city manager of Manassas, Va., was offered the position earlier this summer after a split vote by City Council.

Three of the councils four Black members wanted to promote assistant manager Patrice Toney while one, Mayor Pro Tem Denise Adams voted for Pate.

Afterward, Toney expressed frustration by suggesting that Black women have to do 10 times more to prove ourselves and show that we are capable of leading, and that the councils decision reflected that they are just not ready for a woman leader. I am qualified, and I have proven myself.

No one could blame her. Itd be difficult for anyone not to speak up.

But the aftermath, including a meeting Monday between Mayor Allen Joines and community groups to soothe feelings bruised by a less-than-transparent hiring process, has raised eyebrows.

Some directed fire at Toney, criticisms that Joines felt compelled to address.

I feel that these attacks are unfair, Joines told a colleague. I understand her frustration (because) where shes at, there is a glass ceiling  for women in general, and particularly for African American women.

Community groups such as the local chapter of the NAACP and the Ministers Conference of Winston-Salem and vicinity have been critical of the hiring process but did not suggest that Toney was bypassed due to gender or race.

Pate, of course, is at the other end of a delicate equation. Hes not scheduled to begin work until autumn, and much attention will be paid as he settles into the corner office.

A split vote and the subsequent criticism  process or not  cannot be comfortable.

Certainly, you always want to have a unanimous selection there, Joines said. I respect my colleagues on the City Council for expressing their concerns on (the manager decision). We had long conversations with Mr. Pate and I think ... there is an openness to working with the city manager. So I think hell prove himself and prove that we made the right decision.
In an article in Sundays Ideas section of the News & Record, Charles Davenport Jr. uses a profile of the person chosen as chair of the Guilford County chapter of the national group Moms for Liberty to ridicule those of us who find its presence in our community alarming (No, Moms for Liberty are not fi re-breathing extremists, Aug. 13).

Davenport portrays the new chair, Maria Adams, as a personable UNCG graduate with two school-aged children. He notes that she owns a successful business, and serves both as a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity and on the state superintendent of public instructions Parent Advisory Commission.

He finds her a pleasant companion whose views on public health and education policies match his own. Whats to worry, right?

As someone born in Goldsboro in 1947, I can attest to the fact that some apparently very nice people fought for very ugly causes.

In Davenports doting on his subject, he ignores the stark reality of the organization she has brought to Greensboro. Moms for Liberty was started in Florida in 2021; like the Guilford chairperson, opposition to COVID-fighting measures in the schools was the initial impetus, but the agenda broadened to trying to restrict students access to books as the public health emergency receded.

According to a New York Times report, as of January of this year it had 250 chapters in 42 states.(A Fast-Growing Network of Conservative Groups is Fueling a Surge in Book Bans, Jan. 10). Local media across the country, as well as professional organizations of school teachers and librarians, have documented scores of its vicious personal attacks on education workers and the parents who stand up for them. For example, in Orange County, Fla., Jen Cousins helped create the Freedom to Read Project to defend school libraries. As a result, members of the local Moms for Liberty chapter led an online harassment campaign against her, publishing pictures of her and her child and calling her a pedophile and a groomer on their Facebook page. They were allied in this attack with the Proud Boys, who stalked her when she spoke at rallies and school board meetings.

It is not just the Proud Boys; Moms For Liberty chapters join in their stormtrooper tactics with a menagerie of seditious right-wing militias, white supremacist and hate groups, including QAnon conspiracists, Christian nationalists and Three PerCenters.

Davenports glowing portrait of the person who would bring this contagion to our community illustrates the Sinclair Lewis warning: When facism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.

Or maybe just in the guise of moms speaking out for kids.
Dess Fest, which bills itself as a "grass-roots music fest," opens this week and brings three days of live music.

The festival's cozy and secluded setting at 6350 Lone Pine Road, 10 miles from town, creates an atmosphere that immerses attendees in music and Montanas culture.

We wanted to encompass the big time country festivals in an intimate setting, said Dess Fest manager Patti Dess.

It features live music, camping and outdoor recreation. Festivities begin Thursday, with gates opening at 3 p.m.

Guests can explore the surrounding property, play cornhole, hang out at the pond, and socialize at T'ings Tavern, which offers a full bar. On-site vendors will provide food and merchandise.

Dess Fest began as a family reunion tradition at Wes and Julie Desss Lone Pine property, where they would gather to camp and make memories around the fire. Over time, it evolved from karaoke fun to discussions of hiring a band.

In 2021, Dess Fest was brought to life with three bands for one fun day. The event expanded to two days the following year, and now, in its third year, it boasts three days with eight bands, most of which are from Helena.

The goal of the festival is not to make a profit from this but to put on one hell of a party, Patti Dess said.

This year Dess Fest is donating a portion of its proceeds to the Court Appointed Special Advocates. CASA provides volunteer advocates to work on behalf of abused and neglected children to promote their best interests in the pursuit of safe, permanent homes.

Tickets are $75 for a three-day entry. Otherwise, tickets are $15 for Thursday, $30 for Friday and $60 for Saturday.

To find out more about Dess Fest, visit their website, https://www.dessfestmt.com.
While a Helena businessman recently said he is gaging community interest in the purchase of a closed hospital building near the citys downtown, a coalition of community nonprofit groups has been discussing the building as well since late last year.

Jeff Buscher, community impact coordinator for the United Way of the Lewis and Clark Area, said several nonprofits have been eyeing the property in a separate effort apart from developer Mark A. Weber and are looking into future uses of the St. Johns building at 25 S. Ewing St.

Buscher said that a handful of nonprofits could very well benefit by obtaining, remodeling and putting this space to good use.

He also said federal funds may be available, but those usually come with caveats.

In a recent email to nonprofits and others involved in discussions, Buscher said news reports and videos do not provide a clear representation of their ongoing process of exploration and information gathering as we consider how the St John's property may be useful to provide services and space to improve the quality of life in Helena.

Buscher said United Way convened a meeting of fellow nonprofits in December when it was learned that the property, once for sale at $3.1 million, had dropped to $1.9 million.

We gathered some people around table and started brainstorming, Buscher said, asking if such a task was do-able.

He said Weber had attended a meeting and said they needed to form a business plan and thought he could get other investors, something the nonprofits had doubts about.

Buscher said the nonprofits are working with their Realtor and have been having conversations with the seller. The 98,902-square-foot four-story building on 2.6 acres at 25 S. Ewing St., which at one time served as a hospital before closing in 1973, does have some tenants and is a mixed-use facility.

He said they have been meeting with city and state officials who have told them to get a preliminary architectural report and what Buscher called some important and unfortunately some time-consuming hoops.

Any buyer would have to do due diligence, Buscher said, adding that if the consortium of nonprofits were to use federal dollars in the purchase, these studies would have to take place.

He said a facility could serve several purposes as there is a large kitchen area. He said the Rocky Mountain Development Council could use the large kitchen for preparing Meals on Wheels. He said Good Samaritan has Our Place and could use it as a warming center and facility that could handle daily groups.

Weber, who said earlier he is monitoring pubic interest in pursuing such a project, said Monday he had no qualms about the group of nonprofits pursuing the building as well.

Going off on their own is just fine, he said. All I was trying to do is to be smart about this and not get in way deeper than anyone wants to give.

Weber said the next newsworthy story about the building will be when someone buys it.

Emily McVey, executive director of United Way of the Lewis and Clark Area, said she was at the meeting a couple weeks back with Weber and Buscher and said the nonprofits were not quite sure where things stood. She said it was important for the momentum to continue.

Lets make sure we are all pushing forward and not lose this opportunity, she said.
The application period for Montana property tax rebates opened Tuesday for eligible homeowners to claim up to $675.

Homeowners have until Oct. 1 to claim a property tax rebate from the Montana Department of Revenue at getmyrebate.mt.gov or through a paper form. Homeowners are eligible if they owned and lived in their home for at least seven months during 2022.

Applicants will need to be prepared with their physical address, property geocode, amount of property taxes paid according to their property tax bill, names and social security numbers of the taxpayer and any spouse or dependents. The revenue department's site, getmyrebate.mt.gov, has tools and a video to help guide taxpayers in gathering the required information.

"Property taxes are too high, which is why we prioritized and secured immediate property tax relief for Montanans this legislative session," Gov. Greg Gianforte said in a press release Monday.

The rebates are part of a two-prong package carved out of the $3 billion state surplus by the Montana Legislature and signed by Gianforte in the 2023 session. Earlier this year, eligible residents received income tax rebates up to $1,250.

A second property tax rebate will be made available to homeowners in 2024 for taxes paid on their primary residence this year.

The $675 rebates come as the state is reeling from the revenue department's home appraisal figures that went out to homeowners earlier this year. The median residential market values jump was 45% statewide, with the highest increase seen in rural Granite County at 67%, a jump of $122,561.

"The fastest way to get your rebate is to apply online," Montana Department of Revenue Director Brendan Beatty said in a press release Monday. "Make sure to apply by the deadline of Oct. 1."
While traveling around our state this summer, everyone is seeing Montana being built: new roads, to broadband, to critical infrastructure that keeps our water safe.

As a state we have an exciting, once-in-a-generation opportunity to set Montanas businesses and Montanas workforce up for a bright future. But in order to ensure the best-possible outcome for local businesses, consumers and workers, we must connect this funding to strong labor standards. Together, we can keep these investments in our communities and build an exciting future for all Montanans.

Investments in Montana through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law include: $3.1 billion for roads, bridges and roadway safety, $628 million to ensure high-speed internet coverage across the state, billions of dollars for water reclamation projects in Indian and rural communities, and $565,000 to remove sources of lead in Montana schools and child care facilities.

Thanks to the advocacy of workers across the state and the work of Montanas senior senator to get this money into Montana, all of these investments will help local businesses grow and provide good paying jobs for the next decade.

Even though this is a monumental opportunity to grow our state, it is critical that we invest these funds wisely, and that means making strong investments in our local workforce and the next generation of Montanans. The good news is that this is a win-win-win for local businesses, taxpayers and working families.

Research in recent years has shown that high labor standards such as prevailing wage laws protect work for in-state contractors and ensure the highest quality of work with fewer cost overruns. Montanas prevailing wage law also creates 1,800 jobs every year and improves the state economy by $248 million.

Productivity per construction worker is 14% to 33% higher in states that have prevailing wage laws, leading to jobs being done quicker and at a higher quality. High labor standards also dont impact bid competition or the cost of construction, they simply ensure that workers are paid fair value and Montanas contractors arent undercut by out-of-state companies, ensuring these investments stay in Montana.

By protecting Montanas labor standards and investing in our workforce, we are encouraging local contractors that invest in our local economies, in apprenticeship programs, and in safety on the job. For example, states with prevailing wage laws increase apprenticeship training by 8% and see reduced injury rates by 13%.

Connecting infrastructure projects to strong labor standards is the most efficient way of spending this money in Montana to maximize the benefits to our local economies and working people across the state.

Because this investment is not just building roads, bridges and broadband access but about building communities and families.
DECATUR  Whether on the stage or behind it, life in the theater offers an attraction many cant avoid.

Its way too much work if it wasnt fun, said Theatre 7 costume designer Dina Fryman, a vital member of the local theater group for more than 40 years.

And the excitement of the theater season is about to begin again. Auditions for "A Christmas Story" are scheduled for September.

Fryman was recently among those honored by the The Community Foundation of Macon County as one of its 2023 Do Something Great award recipients. Jerry Johnson, Decatur Area Arts Council executive director, and Penny Williams of Theatre 7 nominated Fryman for the Outstanding Philanthropic Support of the Arts Award.

She is one of the most committed people to the Theatre 7 organization that I know, Johnson said. She has served on their board as their secretary, president, vice president. Shes filled in just about every role in helping put shows together, short of being on stage.

Frymans first show, Finians Rainbow, was in 1981, while she was in college at Illinois State University. She served as an assistant to costume designer Doris Giles.

Technically, Fryman's major was home economics: But really it was fashion and merchandising and garment construction, she said.

She also lent her talents to the schools theater department. Then you just learn by doing, Fryman said. Its one of those jobs thats not very easily replaced.

Theatre 7s director for Oklahoma asked Fryman to create the shows costumes. From then on, it just kept going and going and going, she said.

Research mixed with artistic creativity has brought Fryman back for nearly every Theatre 7 performance during the past 40 years. She said the period musicals and plays are her favorites. I like to sink my teeth into that, she said. If its something you can just pull out of your closet, I have very little interest in it.

One of the most recent musicals, Something Rotten, was set in the 1600s. So that was fun, with bum rolls and the whole spiel, she said. (A "bum roll," for those not versed in 17th century fashion, is a roll of padding tied around the hips to hold a skirt out from a woman's body.)

Johnson estimated Fryman spent about 50 hours a week for six weeks preparing for Something Rotten.

Thats just an example of how hard she works when she wants to make a show top-notch, he said.

Delia Larkins has worked as a costume mistress with Theatre 7 as well. We always have a lot of fun, she said of Fryman. She has a lot of great ideas and a lot of skills too. Because youve got to make a lot of things almost out of nothing.

The second floor of the Theatre 7 headquarters, the site of a former downtown Decatur department store at 131 N. Water St., is devoted to the costumes. Four sewing machines are flanked by a rack of spools of thread, shelves of trim and fabric and boxes of jewelry and other embellishments.

Whenever Im out and about, I have my mind going, Fryman said about adding more to her arsenal.

#TogetherDecatur Do you know a person or of a story that exemplifies the best of Decatur? Contact Donnette Beckett at (217) 421-6983 or dbeckett@herald-review.com.

Separate closets or rooms are designated for hats, shoes and other accessories. A room is devoted to all of the womens clothing, which is organized by time period. It starts at the beginning of time, Fryman said. First Biblical and works its way through the Middle Ages, Renaissance, then turns a corner to the 1800s.

The skirts are hung by length. Plain dresses that can be adjusted for an individual show are more easily available on a separate rack. We do a lot of that, readapting things into something else, Fryman said.

Fashion is repetitive, according to the costume designer. They just change either how they wear it or what they wear underneath it or where the waistline is, Fryman said.

Hats have their own fashion rules. You can get by with a lot of different hats just by how they wear them, Fryman said. If they wear them straight, if they wear them back, on the side, if you add veil.

And thats just the womens clothing.

Because men's clothing contains fewer variations in style, it takes up just one aisle in the storage area. The only difference is the lapels, Fryman said. And the ties: They got fat, then got skinny, then got fat, then skinny.

Larkin often takes over the so-called "crazy costumes," such as a fried egg outfit. I had more fun with that and so happy they thought of me, she said.

When costume designers create a piece, they make the garment bigger than the person with a large seam allowance. So you can let things in and out, Fryman said. You put things together so theyre easier to take apart.

The costume designers hard work comes during showtime. You kind of have to choreograph it, Fryman said.

The actors often have to change quickly between scenes. Velcro and magnets are utilized for easy changes as well as movability.

Costumes also have to work well with the sets. You have to know the show, Fryman said.

You have to get the right pieces so that everything looks authentic, Larkins said. And trying to do this on a budget, a lot of times were scrounging from this place to that place to get different ideas.

According to the design team, working together as a team creates a successful show.

Youve got to be inventive and take what youve got, Larkins said.

A look back at 'Theatre 7' Mame Mame production The Music Man Harvey Jubilation Social Security Night Watch Bye Bye Birdie My Three Angels Light Up the Sky Oliver production Oliver set production The King and I Bloomer Girl Ten Little Indians Ten Little Indians
DECATUR  A decorated Decatur war veteran accused of violent, bizarre crimes against women was sentenced to 3 years in prison on Monday after violating terms of his probation.

Matthew L. Keith, 39, was first sentenced to 24 months probation in February 2022 after he admitted to a charge of aggravated domestic battery involving strangulation. The plea was part of an agreement that saw two additional domestic battery counts and a charge of unlawful restraint dismissed.

Authorities said he choked a 37-year-old woman unconscious and also kept her prisoner behind what Decatur Police described as a portable wall he had constructed that sealed her inside a bedroom of his home on Whippoorwill Drive.

Further sworn affidavits filed by Decatur Police also said Keith had beaten up a 30-year-old woman who had been staying at his home and sent threatening messages to a 39-year-old woman who had taken out an order of protection against him.

Prosecutors brought him back to Macon County Circuit Court on Monday to be re-sentenced on the domestic battery charge after he failed to comply with probation terms and hadnt even shown up for the first appointment.

Defense attorney Chris Amero pleaded the case that Keith deserved another chance and intensive mental health care, not punishment. He called to the stand the defendants father, Daniel Keith, who described his son as a decorated war veteran who served three tours in Iraq after the 9/11 attacks.

Daniel Keith said his son had been lucky to escape serious injury after being caught in five roadside bomb explosions and shot in the back.

He had also seen seven comrades killed in front of him when their vehicle was hit by a series of explosions. Nobody had been hurt at first, and he said they had all climbed out of the truck, said the father, recalling the incident as his son had told it to him. And then they got blowed up; a second IED had gone off.

Questioned by Amero, the father said his sons mind had cracked under the strain of seeing so much violence before the Army selected him for a new deployment to Afghanistan. He kept saying I cant go back, he said, I cant do it again, added Daniel Keith, fighting back tears.

The father and other defense witnesses said Matthew Keith did well when he took various prescribed medications but ran into trouble and violence when he was off his meds.

Amero said his client, who was only recently found mentally fit to plead guilty to violating his probation, had been the victim of doctors who contradicted each other and kept changing his medications.

The attorney said he did not seek to downplay the seriousness of Keiths offenses, but said his country owed him another shot at making probation work. He said Keith was a man diagnosed with PTSD and left suffering intense nightmares and paranoid delusions after his country sent him off to fight its wars.

And since then we have failed him, we absolutely have, said Amero. He gave up everything for us and now we are just going to toss him out and throw him away  if we just lock him up, we have accomplished nothing. And he is going to be worse off now sitting in prison just paranoid and who knows what is going to happen.

Pronouncing the sentence, Presiding Judge Thomas Griffith said he was well aware of Keiths harrowing life story and knew he had witnessed horrors others could only imagine.

But the judge said the court had already tried probation and it hadnt worked, and trying probation again would deprecate the seriousness of the defendants conduct.

Griffith said that left warehousing Keith in prison, an option he didnt care for but the only one he had left. He also agreed to recommend the defendant receive substance abuse and mental health treatment while incarcerated. His prison sentence must be served at 85%.

2023 mugshots from the Herald & Review Lourash Hirstein Phillip Gehrken Joseph A. Williams Jetrevius O. Jarrett Edwards King-Woods Wilson Derrickson Colby J. Park
PEORIA  A Chillicothe man was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison for arson at the Planned Parenthood Peoria Health Center.

Tyler W. Massengill, 33, pleaded guilty in February to malicious use of fire and an explosive to damage, and attempt to damage, the health center, where he was accused of using an incendiary device to start a fire on Jan. 15.

According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Peoria, Massengill "believed his ex-partner had received an abortion there, and he was angry about it.

"Massengill believed that, if his actions caused a little delay in a person receiving services at the Peoria Health Center, his conduct may have been worth it."

Massengill set fire to the building days after a bill was signed into law in Illinois that bolstered legal protections for abortion procedures and was intended to expand access to reproductive healthcare. The bill was largely in response to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade last June.

In a statement issued Tuesday, Jennifer Welch, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois, said: Today, justice has been served and a powerful message has been sent that acts of violence against Planned Parenthood of Illinois will not be tolerated. When someone attacks one of our health centers they do more than damage a building. They rob the community of essential sexual and reproductive health care like birth control, STI testing and treatment, cancer screenings and gender-affirming care. We stand in solidarity with the community in Peoria that continues to heal from this traumatic event.

Several state and federal agencies contributed to the investigation into Massengill, including the U.S. Marshals, the Peoria Police Department and the FBI.

"Massengills actions represent the very real threat posed by extremists in our communities," said David Nanz, special agent in charge for the Springfield FBI office.

According to the Associated Press, Massengill told the court Tuesday: I feel for the people who have lost their jobs. Im not trying to play like I am victim at this. I was sincerely hurt," apparently a reference to his belief that a former girlfriend had an abortion a few years ago.

U.S. District Judge James Shadid said Massengill's actions forced patients at the clinic to seek help elsewhere.

"And to add to your accomplishments, theres the striking of fear, stress and inconvenience to thousands of patients and employees from the many other Planned Parenthood facilities who wonder if they are next on the list of misguided people like you," he said.

Massengill was sentenced to 10 years in prison to be followed by three years of mandatory supervised release. He was ordered to pay $1.45 million in damages.

The Peoria clinic plans to reopen in early 2024.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photos: Planned Parenthood support Rally 021217-blm-loc-1planned 021217-blm-loc-2planned 021217-blm-loc-3planned 021217-blm-loc-4planned 021217-blm-loc-5planned 021217-blm-loc-6planned 021217-blm-loc-7planned 021217-blm-loc-8planned 021217-blm-loc-9planned 021217-blm-loc-10planned
ABINGDON, Va.  The Washington County Sheriff's Office is searching for a fugitive who eluded them Tuesday morning.

Justin Woodby, age 34 of Bristol, Virginia, is wanted on active warrants out of Washington County, Virginia, and Carter County, Tennessee.

On Tuesday at about 7:40 a.m., the Washington County Virginia Sheriffs Office responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle with two occupants appearing to be asleep on Flame Leaf Drive in Bristol, Virginia. While a deputy made contact with the occupants of the vehicle, the driver fled from the scene. Subsequently, a pursuit was initiated.

After entering the dead-end road of Dennis Drive in Bristol, Virginia, the driver of the vehicle, identified as Woodby exited the vehicle and fled on foot. The female occupant, identified as Charee Shepherd, age 37 of Johnson City, Tennessee, was detained in the car without incident.

Justin Woodby is described as a Caucasian male with blue eyes and brown hair, approximately 6 feet tall and weighing approximately 180 pounds. He was last seen wearing a gray t-shirt and blue shorts.

High Point Elementary School, which was near the pursuit, was temporarily placed on lockdown. Additional Washington County Sheriffs Office personnel and Virginia State Police personnel remained at the school all day.

The sheriffs office encourages for anyone who may see Woodby to call 911 immediately, according to the statement.
Over the summer, workers at Lenoir-Rhyne Universitys Hickory campus completed a number of renovations across campus and in student housing. All that remains on the to-do list are restroom renovations in the P.E. Monroe Auditorium.

Thats important because students return to the Hickory campus on Friday as the fall semester nears.

The smaller tasks that help students transition smoothly are handled by staff members such as Kyle Bivens, who is one of three area coordinators of residence life and student life.

Bivens has a dual role, he said. On the residence life side, it is to ensure move-in goes smoothly and that students are moving into a comfortable space. On the student life side, Bivens said he helps coordinate weekend events and supports other departments to bridge gaps when needed.

Preparing for students to return is a layered process, Bivens said. The residence life department started its between-semester work around July, Bivens said. The department is tasked with assigning rooms to students who will be living on campus, ensuring room keys work, inspecting student living spaces for quality and more. It is also the department that handles issues such as students who need to swap roommates for any reason.

Facilities and custodial staff are essential to the operation, Bivens said, because they do the repair work and cleaning that makes student housing ready for move-in.

Last week, Bivens said the residence life staff was wrapping up its early arrival list. This week, Bivens said they are training resident assistants.

I really want them to be able to be champions for campus in order to help other students succeed and thrive, Bivens said of this years resident assistants.

Official move-in day is on Friday starting at 8 a.m. Over the weekend, the university will hold a series of events welcoming students to campus, said Senior Creative Content Writer Amanda Smith. Smith said the events are designed to help students get familiar with campus and include game nights, informational sessions and a scavenger hunt along the City Walk.
Queen Philippa was the wife of King Edward III, and was born in 1314 in what is now Belgium, in an area once ruled by Moors. Her father was a nobleman and at just 9 years old, she was selected as a wife for the future king of England. The claim of African ancestry is derived from a detailed picture given of her by the bishop Edward's father sent over to meet her. He wrote, "[H]er nostrils are also broad, her mouth fairly wide. Her lips somewhat full and especially the lower lip...all her limbs are well set and unmaimed, and nought is amiss so far as a man may see. Moreover, she is brown of skin all over, and much like her father, and in all things she is pleasant enough, as it seems to us."

At age 15, Philippa married Edward, by all accounts a happy union. One of their children, Edward, was known as "the Black Prince" but no one is sure why; historians think this was because of the color of his armor. Her kindness and compassion won her much respect in Europe and helped her husband maintain his long reign.
MT. PLEASANT  On Saturday, Aug. 19, the Eastern Cabarrus Historical Society will celebrate its 50th anniversary with an ice cream social to which the public is invited.

The party begins at 11 a.m. and wraps up at 2 p.m. Most of the festivities will be held on the campus lawn, and the museum will be open to tour.

The idea for a museum in eastern Cabarrus County began in 1970 when John Coble, principal of Mt. Pleasant High School asked the local postmaster, Gene Hough, if he knew of an old log cabin that could be moved to the school campus for history studies. They searched for a suitable cabin for years before Dr. R. Brown McAllister suggested using the old Mt. Pleasant Collegiate Institute administration building, located between Main and College Streets in Mt. Pleasant.

In April of 1973, the first of a series of meetings for people interested in forming a historical society was held and a month later, the old administration building was purchased for $7,500 and the name Eastern Cabarrus Historical Society was chosen. The first officers of the society were Gene Hough, Hoy Moose, Dr. R. Brown McAllister, Dr. A. L. Barringer, Virginia Smith, and Archie Smith.

The society was incorporated in August of 1973. From the beginning, the society has relied on donations, memberships, grants, and volunteers to fund its work and activities. Back in 1973, our founders not only had the foresight to preserve the campuss historic administration building, but they also filled it with a collection of some of the best local historic artifacts found anywhere in the Carolinas, said ECHS president Nick Luciano.

Besides free ice cream, Saturdays activities will include live music, trivia contests and games for children. For people interested in genealogy, especially those with local roots, help will be available in the ECHS Library.

People with memories of the museum building or the historical society will be encouraged to make an audio recording of those reminiscences with the help of a museum volunteer.

The ECHS Museum, at 1145 N. College St. in Mt. Pleasant, is open to the public every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. In addition, the society hosts special events, programs and forums throughout the year. Admission is free, but donations are always appreciated.
A pro-government Chinese newspaper claims malicious software, that appears to be from US intelligence agencies, has been discovered during a probe into an attack on the Wuhan Earthquake Monitoring Centre which is affiliated to the city's Emergency Management Bureau.

The Global Times said the National Computer Virus Emergency Response Centre and private firm 360 had found the malware.

The initial discovery of the breach was on 26 July, when the Wuhan centre found some collection points for earthquake reporting data had traces of backdoors.

A senior CVERC engineer, Du Zhenhua, told the newspaper the investigators had found highly complex backdoors, "fitting the characteristics of US intelligence agencies, highly concealed, and aiming to steal earthquake monitoring-related data, with a clear military reconnaissance purpose".

He said tampering with the monitoring system could result in it providing inaccurate data.

"Even more dangerous is that if the attackers tamper with the earthquake monitoring data, triggering false alarms, it could lead to social panic and disorder, resulting in casualties among innocent people," Du said.

The report made reference to the NSA's hacking tools which were leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden in 2013, claiming that these exposures showed the US was a real "hacker empire" and "spying empire", which targets "indiscriminately" (including its allies) in its cyber intelligence collection activities.

In March last year, the same newspaper said details of a tool used to control network gear around the world to steal user data had been revealed by the CVERC.

It said the tool, known as NOPEN, could also be used for redirecting network traffic. The centre's technical analysts said NOPEN was a complex tool that could be modified to work on different architectures and operating systems.

The claims came in the wake of a report by Chinese security firm Pangu Labs in February which provided details about NSA malware, known as Bvp47, that had been found in 2013. This was also aimed at Linux.

Unlike the frequent attributions of breaches to Russian, Chinese, North Korean and Iranian attackers by Western security firms and government agencies, Chinese security firms or government authorities rarely disclose details about malware from other countries that are claimed to attack Chinese systems.

Prior to these reports, only twice has a Chinese research team publicly released details about malware emanating from American spy agencies; one instance was when 360 Core Security (Qihoo Security) named former CIA employee Joshua Adam Schulte as being the person who leaked material to WikiLeaks which the latter published under the name Vault 7.

The other time was in September 2019, when researcher Qi An Xin accused the American intelligence agency of breaching aviation industry targets between 2012 and 2017.
COMPANY NEWS: Informatica, an enterprise cloud data management leader, today announced that P&N Group in Australia has engaged Informatica and Snowflake, the data cloud company, for cloud analytics modernisation, encompassing Informaticas Intelligent Data Management Clouds AI-powered cloud-native services including data ingestion and orchestration, data quality and data governance on Snowflake Data Cloud for reporting, analytics and data science.

P&N Group is represented by P&N Bank in Western Australia and BCU Bank in New South Wales and southeast Queensland.

The new technology partnership with Informatica and Snowflake is part of P&N Groups digital transformation strategy that aims to deliver more personalised banking for its customers, while ensuring the protection and integrity of customer data.

The Informatica and Snowflake solution will give P&N Group greater business agility by rapidly scaling high data volumes and removing siloed data across P&N Bank and BCU Bank systems to derive meaningful insights. This will help the banks data science team better support customer satisfaction, retention and the overall customer experience. It will also provide the bank with more robust data management for regulatory reporting purposes.

P&N group general manager data and open banking Chris Malcolm said, As a leading customer-owned banking group in Australia, P&N Groups transformation program involves an investment in strategic platforms that will provide secure data environments, advanced data ingestion and offer advance automated governance tools. Through our digital transformation partnership with Informatica and Snowflake, we are confident it will help us to be placed at the forefront of the next generation of banking.

Informatica group vice president Richard Scott said, This is a partnership that we are truly excited about, especially with P&N Groups plan to adopt our new AI-powered, cloud-native solutions to improve customer experience and regulatory compliance. We are honoured to work alongside a brand that embodies technology transformation, and we look forward to supporting them throughout their data-driven-digitalisation journey to bring their data to life.

Snowflake vice president partners and alliances Ash Willis said, We look forward to partnering with Informatica to support P&N Groups data-led digital transformation that can help drive the evolution of customer engagement in financial services.

About Informatica

Informatica, an enterprise cloud data management leader, brings data to life by empowering businesses to realize the transformative power of their most critical assets. We have created a new category of software, the Informatica Intelligent data management cloud (IDMC). IDMC is an end-to-end data management platform, powered by Claire AI, that connects, manages and unifies data across any multi-cloud or hybrid system, democratising data and enabling enterprises to modernize and advance their business strategies. Customers in more than 100 countries, including 85 of the Fortune 100, rely on Informatica to drive data-led digital transformation. Informatica. Where data comes to life.
Over the nine years from 2014 to 2022, India's production of mobile phones has grown to a cumulative two billion units, the technology analyst firm Counterpoint Research says, adding that this represents a compound annual growth rate of 23%.

In a statement, the firm said the growth had been achieved under initiatives pushed by the current government which has been in power since 2014.

The rate of growth has put India second in the ranks of countries where mobiles are made, the first being China.

The firm's research director Tarun Pathak said: India has come a long way in mobile phone manufacturing. We have seen local manufacturing increase over the years to meet domestic demand.

"In 2022, more than 98% of shipments in the overall Indian market were Made in India, compared to just 19% when the current government took over in 2014.

"We have also seen increasing local value addition and supply chain development in the country. Local value addition in India stands at an average of more than 15%, compared to the low single digits eight years ago.

"Many companies are setting up units in the country for manufacturing mobile phones as well as components, leading to growing investments, increasing jobs and overall ecosystem development.

"The government now intends to capitalise on its various schemes to make India a semiconductor manufacturing and export hub. Going forward, we may see increasing production, especially for smartphones, as India gears to bridge the urban-rural digital divide and also become a mobile phone exporting powerhouse.

However, India recently suffered two blows in its bid to become a force in the semiconductor space. Taiwanese giant Foxconn pulled out of a deal with metals-to-oil conglomerate Vedanta in July, apparently over concerns about incentive approval delays by India's government.

Prior to that, a deal with American tech firm Micron Technology, signed during a high-profile visit to the US by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was revealed as being "only for packaging of the chips, their assembly and testing, a relatively low end of the electronics industry", according to Prabir Purkayastha, editor of a site known as Newsclick.in.

The deal was "only for packaging of the chips, their assembly and testing, a relatively low end of the electronics industry", he wrote.

Counterpoint senior analyst Prachir Singh said of the government initiatives, "The Indian Government has launched and executed many schemes, which have resulted in a big jump in mobile phone manufacturing over the years.

"Under the Make in India initiative, the government introduced the Phased Manufacturing Program and increased import duties on completely built units and some key components over the years to push local manufacturing and value addition.

"Under the Self-Reliant India scheme, the government introduced the Production Linked Incentive scheme for 14 sectors, including mobile phone manufacturing.

"Due to all this, exports from India have increased. Going forward, the government is focused on making India a semiconductor hub. It has proposed a semiconductor PLI scheme and now is focusing more on infrastructure with a proposed investment of US$1.4 trillion (A$2.16 trillion).
CHARLESTON  Police are reportedly searching for the suspect in a shooting late afternoon Tuesday in the Domino's Pizza parking lot, across from Eastern Illinois University's campus, in which a victim was wounded.

The Charleston Police Department reported in a press release that its officers responded at approximately 3 p.m. Tuesday to Dominos, 667 Lincoln Ave., to investigate the report of a male subject that had been shot in the arm.

The investigation has determined this was an isolated incident stemming from an argument between two male acquaintances, the release said.

The police department reported that it is continuing to investigate this incident with the assistance of the Eastern Illinois University Police Department, Coles County Sheriffs Office, and Mattoon Police Department. Anyone with information is encouraged to go to P3tips.com.

Charleston Chief Heath Thornton said at approximately 5 p.m. that the victim was transported from the scene for medical care and that he had not received any updates yet on this man's condition. He said the shooting occurred in Domino's parking lot.

The university said in a media alert at the time that, according to local law enforcement, the suspect is still at large and was last seen heading northbound, away from campus.

"Students, employees and community members are encouraged to use caution when traveling near campus and avoid the area if possible  especially if entering or leaving campus," the university said shortly after the shooting took place.

The shooting occurred across the street to the north from the university's Old Main, where its administrative offices and some classrooms are located. The incident comes as the campus community prepares for classes to start on Monday. Move-in day is set for Thursday.

A person who answered the phone at the Domino's restaurant at 4:30 p.m. said it was closed because of the incident but the staff anticipated being able to reopen by 5:30 p.m. The person declined to comment further.

Cities with the fastest 'time-to-crime' rates for firearms Cities with the fastest 'time-to-crime' rates for firearms #40. New York City #39. Baltimore #38. San Jose, California #37. San Diego #36. Los Angeles #35. San Bernardino, California #34. Jacksonville, Florida #33. Tampa, Florida #32. Chattanooga, Tennessee #31. Wichita, Kansas #30. Tulsa, Oklahoma #29. Winston-Salem, North Carolina #28. New Orleans #27. Orlando, Florida #26. Chicago #25. Dayton, Ohio #24. Cincinnati #23. Miami #22. Indianapolis #21. Charlotte, North Carolina #20. Baton Rouge, Louisiana #19. Louisville, Kentucky #18. Las Vegas #17. Columbus, Ohio #16. Dallas #15. San Antonio #14. Philadelphia #13. Houston #12. Cleveland #11. Huntsville, Alabama #10. Mobile, Alabama #9. Milwaukee #8. Atlanta #7. Shreveport, Louisiana #6. Memphis, Tennessee #5. St. Louis #4. Phoenix #3. Columbia, South Carolina #2. Detroit #1. Richmond, Virginia
OAKLAND  The school district is set to start its 2023-24 academic year on Thursday with a superintendent who is new to Oakland but a familiar face among educators in Coles County.

Nathan Pugh, former principal of Mattoon Middle School, is now serving in the top administrative post for the Oakland school district, which also has welcomed new preschool-12th grade school Principal Kendall Huffman this year.

Pugh, a Mattoon native who served for five years as principal at the middle school there, said he feels that his local ties will help him be able to work with colleagues countywide to make their schools stronger.

"Our personal relationships among the school districts are good," Pugh said, adding that they can turn to each other for advice and support. "We can pick up the phone and call people."

Pugh noted that he and the other two public school superintendents in Coles County, Mattoon's Tim Condron and Charleston's Todd Vilardo, all worked at Mattoon Middle School at various times. Condron served as assistant principal and Vilardo served as principal.

The new superintendent said such ties and Huffman's connections as an educator, having taught 10th grade English for the past 10 years in Arthur, already have helped with Oakland's employee recruiting efforts. The two new administrators started in their posts July 1.

Huffman said Oakland stepped up the marketing on the district's website and reached out to its network of contacts in the area education community.

"That network of people has made it possible for us to be fully staffed," Huffman said, adding that they were able to fill vacant positions for four classroom teachers, an instructional aide, and a school nurse.

The new staff members include industrial arts teacher Jesse Goldsberry, who is working full time after having previously been a substitute teacher. Huffman said the district will now be able to bring back its industrial arts program after a two-year pause.

Pugh said the district is also continuing to pursue other vocational training opportunities for its students.

Oakland has two students enrolled in Eastern Illinois Education for Employment's health occupations class for the new school year and five enrolled in the Mattoon district's LIFT Central Illinois career education facility, which opened in 2022-23.

Pugh said this is part of increased efforts to ensure Oakland students are on a path to succeeding in their future education and career choices after graduating from high school. He said they want to create more opportunities for their students, even though the district is small.

"We might have to get creative, but that is exactly what we are going to do," Pugh said.

Huffman said this goal motivated her to become an administrator. "I want to help students, especially in rural communities, have more opportunities and access to different programs," she said.

Pugh prepared for his new role by meeting early on with outgoing Superintendent Lance Landeck, who is now leading the St. Joseph school district, to prepare for the transition.

Huffman also got an early start getting to know her Oakland colleagues and students, including taking the school's FFA chapter in June to the state FFA convention in Springfield.

"We are just excited to get in here and get the kids going," Pugh said of the new school year.
MATTOON  Motorists are asked to watch out for increased student and school bus traffic as classes resume this week at schools in Coles County.

Classes are scheduled to start on Wednesday, Aug. 16 in the Mattoon school district and on Thursday in the Charleston and Oakland districts for the 2023-24 academic year.

"Please watch out for our kiddos as they head back to school," the Mattoon Police Department posted on its Facebook page. "We will be in school zones enforcing traffic violations."

The Illinois State Police has issued a reminder for motorists to yield to pedestrians at crosswalks and to be mindful of children who might walk through areas with no crosswalks, including from in-between parked vehicles. This advisory applies to bicyclists, too.

In addition, motorists are advised to plan for extra travel time to account for increased traffic and to obey posted speed limits. Posted school zones have a speed limit of 20 miles per hour and are in effect from 7 a.m.-4 p.m. on school days when children are present.

The State Police also reported that motorists in both directions approaching a stopped school bus with lights activated and sign extended must stop their vehicles before reaching the bus. They must remain stopped until these visual signals are disengaged.

A first-time violation for failing to stop for a school bus unloading or loading passengers with its lights activated and stop arm extended can result in a mandatory $300 fine and a three-month suspension of driving privileges.

Photos: 2023 Central Illinois Truck Convoy for Illinois Make-A-Wish Foundation Corridor of trucks Make-A-Wish banner Convoy preparations (copy) Make-A-Wish family (copy) Convoy spectators (copy) On the square Turning a corner Make-A-Wish convoy arrives at Toledo square
ATLANTA  A Georgia grand jury that has been investigating former President Donald Trump over his efforts to undo that state's 2020 election results arrived at a frenzied conclusion late Monday, returning indictments even as prosecutors offered no clarity about who had been charged and for what.

The existence of indictments became apparent around 9 p.m., when the Fulton County judge who for months has been presiding over the grand jury investigation was presented by courthouse officials with a set of papers in a courtroom packed with reporters anticipating news.

But neither the judge nor county officials revealed any details about the documents  though at least some of the indictments appeared to be for cases other than Trump. Even so, all signs pointed toward the grand jury moving toward an indictment in the Trump investigation: The panel worked late, some witnesses scheduled to appear Tuesday testified instead on Monday and the judge who's been handling the matter, Robert McBurney, encouraged reporters to stay late. Adding to the scene were live cameras following county officials inside the courthouse, hoping to glimpse signs of action.

If Trump is indicted in Georgia, it would mark the fourth time this year he's faced criminal charges. He's also been indicted by federal officials for allegedly hoarding classified documents and conspiring to overturn the 2020 election. But the Georgia case is unique for its sprawling nature and the potential that Trump could be charged alongside multiple associates and aides.

The Georgia prosecution is also notable for its chaotic conclusion. Even as prosecutors summoned as witnesses multiple former state officials, including the ex-lieutenant governor, the process hit an unexpected snag in the middle of the day, when Reuters reported on a document listing criminal charges to be brought against Trump. Those included state racketeering counts, conspiracy to commit false statements and solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer.

Reuters, which later published a copy of the document, said the filing was taken down quickly. A spokesperson for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said the report of charges being filed was inaccurate, but declined to comment further on a kerfuffle that the Trump legal team rapidly jumped on to attack the integrity of the investigation.

The office of the courts clerk later released a statement that seemed to only raise more questions, calling the posted document fictitious, but failing to explain how it got on the court's website. The clerk's office said documents without official case numbers are not considered official filings and should not be treated as such. But the document that appeared online did have a case number on it.

Asked about the fictitious" document Monday evening, the courts clerk, Che Alexander, said: I mean, I dont know what else to say, like, grace.  I dont know, I havent seen an indictment, right, so I dont have anything. On the question of whether the website had been hacked, she said, I can't speak to that.

Trump and his allies, who have characterized the investigation as politically motivated, immediately seized on the apparent error to claim the process was rigged. Trumps campaign aimed to fundraise off it, sending out an email with the since-deleted document embedded.

The Grand Jury testimony has not even FINISHED  but its clear the District Attorney has already decided how this case will end, Trump wrote in the email, which included links to give money to his campaign. This is an absolute DISGRACE.

Trumps legal team said it was not a simple administrative mistake." Rather it was emblematic of the pervasive and glaring constitutional violations which have plagued this case from its very inception, the lawyers said.

Legal experts said it was likely a clerical error listing charges prosecutors were planning to ask the grand jury to vote on. Prosecutors draft indictments and present them to the grand jury, which ultimately decides whether to hand charges down.

I think this tells us what they are planning to present to the grand jury, and the grand jury could say no, said Clark Cunningham, a Georgia State University law professor. He said while the error will give Trump's legal team fodder to complain, it will not scuttle the case.

The posting may have prompted prosecutors to move more quickly to reach a conclusion Monday. Former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, who over the weekend said he'd also been asked to testify Tuesday, instead appeared before the grand jury Monday. He told reporters outside the courthouse that the 2020 election had been fair and legal and said now was the opportunity to get the real story out.

The document listing criminal charges filed midday Monday listed more than a dozen felony counts, including Georgias Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO. Willis has long been expected to levy that charge against Trump and his associates, accusing them of participating in a wide-ranging conspiracy to overturn the states 2020 election results.

Two counts  including solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer  listed the date of offense as Jan. 2, 2021, which was when Trump during a phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said he wanted to find enough votes to overturn his loss in the state. Other counts listed the date of offense as Sept. 17, 2021, which is the same day Trump sent Raffensperger a message urging him to investigate large scale voter fraud," decertify the election and announce the true winner if the investigation found the fraud.

Raffensperger and Gabriel Sterling, a fellow Republican who is also a top official in the secretary of state's office, forcefully pushed back against allegations of widespread problems with Georgia's election.

Read the full story:

Scene: Trump in DC for historic 2020 election charges
Two Winston-Salem companies are requesting performance-based incentives for proposed projects that could provide 324 new jobs and $71 million in capital investments.

The councils Finance committee recommended Project Crystal Ball and Project Fiesta to the Winston-Salem City Council at Tuesdays meeting. Council will hold a public hearing for both requests on Sept. 5.

Fiesta is the larger of the two projects, described as a minority-owned food distributor with more than 20 years in business in Winston-Salem. It currently has more than 300 employees.

The company has pledged to create 274 jobs at an average wage of $72,000.

It would spend $50 million on capital investments  $31 million on real property and $19 million on personal business property  over five years. The facility is projected to be operational by end of 2024.

Mayor Allen Joines said the proposed building for Project Fiesta is vacant.

Joines said the company started off fairly small and continues to grow. This is a major step for them, and they will take the building to good use.

In return, it is requesting up to $694,218 in incentives, also over five years. It would be required to operate in the facility for at least 10 years.

According to a city development project analysis form, the company recently completed an expansion of its existing facility and needs to relocate its headquarters and operations to accommodate projected growth.

The company is considering several sites, including other communities in North Carolina and in Georgia.

The form lists Forsyth County and the state as considering incentive packages as well.

Project Crystal Ball

Project Crystal Ball is listed as a biotechnology company based in Winston-Salem.

It is pledging to add 50 jobs and spend $21 million in capital investment, both over five years. Its current workforce is 67.

It would spend $15 million on building improvements and $6 million in personal building property at its current location.

In return, it is requesting $310,141 in incentives.

The company is considering expansion of its current office/laboratory footprint to build capacity in anticipation of its products regulatory approval, according to the development project analysis form.

The project would add approximately 53,000 square feet for current/future staffing and process development labs.

The company is considering other sites in North Carolina for the expansion.

Forsyth commissioners are expected to address a Project Crystal Ball incentive request at its Aug. 31 briefing.

Both companies would be required to post job vacancies related to their sites with the N.C. Employment Security Commission, the Piedmont Triad Regional Council, the county Department of Social Services and the Winston-Salem Urban League until at least Dec. 31, 2024.

Other local incentives

City and county elected officials have approved several incentive packages this year.

On Monday, Deere and Co. confirmed plans to build an electric battery plant and North American headquarters in Kernersville, near its existing plant.

John Deere Electric Powertrain LLC said it would make a $69.6 million capital investment to produce lithium ion battery systems for mostly off-road vehicles used at construction sites and remote agricultural areas.

The site is a vacant 14.31-acre tract at 900 W. Mountain St. adjacent to the manufacturing facility in Kernersville. Deere & Co. paid $1.7 million for the property in June, according to a Register of Deeds filing. The property is zoned commercial.

On Thursday, the Forsyth commissioners approved making the affiliate eligible for up to $1.32 million in performance-based incentives. The company has been made eligible for up to $100,000 in performance-based incentives from the states One North Carolina Fund.

In March, Tex-Tech Industries of Kernersville announced it would build a new manufacturing plant in Winston-Salem, promising to create 59 jobs over five years.

Tex-Tech is a maker of specialty textiles and textile coatings that are used primarily in the aerospace, automotive and medical industries.

The company will be building a 170,000-square-foot plant with an investment of $41.7 million in construction, machinery and equipment. The plant will be built on Old Lexington Road on a 15-acre site just south of the former Western Electric plant, now Salem Business Park.

The city and county together has committed to about $1.1 million in performance-based incentives, while state incentives total $125,000.
A Winston-Salem property that contains a medical office building has been sold for $4.25 million to a Dallas company, according to a Forsyth County Register of Deeds filing Monday.

The 6.1-acre property at 195 Park Plaza Drive contains a 2,865-square-foot building. It has Salem Health Services as the tenant.

The buyer is Mohr County Park LLC. The seller is Crothall Laundry Services Inc.
A male juvenile was shot and killed Saturday in an area near southeastern Lexington, authorities said Tuesday.

Davidson County sheriff's deputies responded at 10:30 p.m. to a reported shooting in the area of East Center Street and Random Drive, the Davidson County Sheriff's Office said.

Deputies found a male juvenile victim who was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the sheriff's office said.

The sheriff's office didn't identify the victim.

The sheriff's office also received a report of another person involved in that incident being treated at a local hospital, the sheriff's office said.

The sheriff's office is investigating the incident.

Anyone with information about this shooting can call the Davidson County Sheriff's Office at 336-242-2105.
Leaders of community groups who expressed frustration with the process that led to a divisive vote on the hiring of a new Winston-Salem city manager said Monday they were satisfied with commitments from Mayor Allen Joines to make such searches more transparent in the future.

Joines also expressed dismay over attacks that have been made publicly against Assistant City Manager Patrice Toney, who offered a withering critique of five city council members in July after they voted to offer the top job to a white man over her, a Black woman.

Three of the councils four Black members supported Toney while one, Mayor Pro Tem Denise Adams, backed Pat Pate, currently the city manager of Manassas, Virginia.

I feel that these attacks are unfair, Joines said Monday, referring to vitriol aimed at Toney since she made her remarks. I understand her frustration (because) where shes at, there is a glass ceiling  for women in general, and particularly for African American women.

That assessment drew nods from several of the two-dozen leaders from the groups gathered around Joines in the spacious sanctuary at Union Baptist Church.

In an interview with the Journal after the divided council voted in July to extend an employment offer to Pate, Toney suggested that Black women have to do 10 times more to prove ourselves and show that we are capable of leading, and that councils decision reflected that they are just not ready for a woman leader. I am qualified, and I have proven myself.

On Monday, after an hour-long closed-door meeting with Joines at Union Baptist Church, leaders from the Ministers Conference of Winston Salem and Vicinity, and the local chapter of the NAACP said they accepted assurances from Joines that future management searches would be conducted differently.

We had a very fruitful meeting, said Keith Vereen, president of the Ministers Conference. All of our concerns were met, and our ultimate goal was to find a common ground where we could continue to work with our city officials (and) our elected officials in moving Winston-Salem forward.

Local NAACP President Al Jabaar echoed Vereens assessment.

We always seek transparency, Jabaar said. We came out with some wins in our meeting.

Both groups had publicly criticized the process that led to Pates hiring, but stopped short of suggesting that Toney was overlooked because of gender or race. However, the NAACP did note that the city has never had a Black or female manager.

For his part, Joines suggested that the city could do more to let the community in on the process when a manager is hired, much like it did when choosing a new Winston-Salem Police Department chief in January. In the lead-up to that decision, the three finalists were introduced to the community in a public meeting.

Then-City Manager Lee Garrity, who retired in June after 17 years in the role, ultimately promoted Assistant Chief William Penn over another assistant chief and a third candidate from Virginia.

Joines pointed out that city managers, unlike police chiefs, are hired and fired by elected leaders, so they may be reluctant to be named publicly in a search until actually offered a position.

But I can see where that is something we could have considered and could potentially look forward to, he added. We can also make sure that the public is better informed about the process of creating the job qualifications. Thats something we take ownership of and doing a better job of communicating in those situations.

When asked if there were concerns about more than one-third of the next managers future bosses on council voting against his hiring, the mayor said hes confident Pate will win them over.

Certainly, you always want to have a unanimous selection there, he noted. I respect my colleagues on the City Council for expressing their concerns on (the manager decision). We had long conversations with Mr. Pate and I think ... there is an openness to working with the city manager. So I think hell prove himself and prove that we made the right decision.

When the Ministers Conference and NAACP originally asked to meet with leaders about the hiring process for manager, City Attorney Angela Carmon advised all city employees and elected officials to decline because of concerns over potentially sharing employment-related information protected by state law.

Joines said Monday that Carmons advice was sound, but that he felt he could address the groups concerns without compromising privacy.

Ill meet with any groups in any place, he insisted.

Outside, meanwhile, Winston-Salem Police Officers moved a handful of protesters  upset that the public wasnt allowed to attend Mondays meeting  from the church parking lot to the sidewalk along North Trade Street.

Pate is expected to begin his new role in November after satisfying a contractual requirement to give 90 days notice before leaving his current job.

PHOTOS: News conference with mayor, Ministers' Conference and NAACP about city manager hiring process
A N.C. House bill that would de-annex three tracts from the Village of Clemmons was placed Monday in a concurrence committee.

It is expected that the committee will remove Clemmons from House Bill 5 since the House rejected by a 102-0 vote on July 14 a fast-track Senate attempt to allow the de-annexation.

The initial version of HB5 filed by Erin Pare, R-Wake, addresses a de-annexation request in Fuquay-Varina.

The House committee conferees are Pare and John Bradford III, R-Mecklenburg. The Senate conferees have not been appointed.

"Rep. Pare expects that the Clemmons language will be removed from the bill," said Sarah Wetherby, a spokeswoman for Pare.

HB5 was changed June 27 by Jarvis to insert language that would serve to de-annex 1520, 1526 and 1532 Lewisville-Clemmons Road. The three properties are owned by Lindsay Vogler Jr. and Robert Vogler.

The 1520 tract of 0.35 acres has Mad Greek Grill as a tenant, while the 1526 tract is 0.97 acres and the 1532 tract is 0.43 acres and contains a 1,508-square-foot residence.

Rep. Jeff Zenger, R-Forsyth, said July 12 the Senate changes should not be accepted for two primary reasons: an out-of-county legislator  Sen. Steve Jarvis, R-Davidson  submitted the amendment to HB5; and protests from the property owners and the eight mayors in Forsyth.

Jarvis has not responded to requests for comment on his involvement with the HB5 amendment.

Zenger told the House that the Clemmons de-annex language was not popular with his constituents. He said he had spoken to all the players involved and expect (the Clemmons de-annex language) to be removed and for Rep. Erin Pares bill to advance.

It is typical for legislators to approve most local bills with little, if any, scrutiny.

The Voglers sent a letter to the Forsyth legislative delegation saying they are 100% opposed to our propertys inclusion in this bill.

We have never requested de-annexation and those who indicate otherwise have no authority to do so, the Voglers wrote.

We view this action as a forceful taking of our property. We do not consent. This action will almost certainly harm our property value.

Whats at stake

The three Clemmons properties also were at the heart of a 2019 de-annex legislation attempt related to a proposed 38-acre mixed-use project by local developer Stan Forester near the intersection of Styers Ferry and Lewisville-Clemmons roads.

The proposed legislation in 2019 was derailed separately in the House and Senate amid a vigorous protest at the legislature by Clemmons village officials.

Forester could not be reached for comment on whether he or Paragon Properties has revived the development plans and are again pursuing the de-annexation approvals.

Once the Clemmons de-annexation language was inserted, HB5 was fast-tracked through the Senate Finance committee on June 27, Senate Rules and Operations committee on June 28 and then cleared the Senate by a 46-0 vote on June 29.

Both Forsyth senators  Republican Joyce Krawiec and Democrat Paul Lowe  voted in favor of the bill.

In the joint letter, the mayors said that we were startled to learn of the late insertion of this provision into an unrelated local bill.

The mayors cited the opposition from the landowners and Village of Clemmons officials, as well as Jarvis involvement that occurred without consulting the Forsyth delegation first.

This process has not met the high standards of the Forsyth County legislative delegation for advance public review of a controversial local action, according to the letter. We urge you to lead the House in rejecting the amended bill.
Bus drivers needed

The school-bus driver shortage is back in the news  again. I have my views on this:

If youre retired and only drive a bus in the morning and afternoon for about three total hours at $15 per hour, thats $45 a day. After taxes, travel to and from the bus twice a day, the take-home pay is probably around $30.

There are about 180 days of school. A years salary, take-home, is around $5,400. Youre paid once a month. In a full month your pay could be as little as $600. Then consider the holidays, teacher workdays and snow days, etc.

The school systems promote bus driving as a good way for retirees and college students to make extra money. I agree. But pay should be raised and paid every two weeks.

If you are a teacher, TA, cafeteria worker or custodian, you are already on the payroll for the whole month and get a check for much more.

I started driving a bus October 1972, in 10th grade at 16 years old and made $2.25 an hour. Im still driving 50-plus years later. Just a few years ago I was making only $10 an hour.

The commercial drivers license testing requirements are overly rigorous. The conditions are not ideal: Forty to 50 screaming kids bouncing around like ping-pong balls. Being strapped into a seat facing forward driving a 16-ton missile while trying to see everything going on behind me in a small mirror.

I dont do it for the money (obviously). I love my bus and my kids and would probably do it for free just to help.

But if the schools want to remedy this problem they need to consider options.

Wendell Burton

Advance

Taxpayers beware

Mud flows downhill, or, in the case of California, rolls from the Left Coast to the East Coast. In one of the most highly taxed states in the nation, Gov. Gavin Newsom has hatched a new income-redistribution tax to be added to utility bills. California, which has a current electric rate of 28.78 cents per kilowatt hour (as compared to 13.22 in North Carolina) has approved a graduated, fixed-income charge to be added to utility bills in 2024 or sooner.This legislation, passed 11 months ago, punishes high-income residents identified by state income tax records in concert with the California Public Utilities Commission and related utility companies to lower prices for lower-income folks. The current California rate is 70% more than the national average, so help would be minimal at best.

What could possibly go wrong with the state tax collection agency sharing information with the Public Service Commission and related utility companies? Do the good people of California truly believe that information can be protected from bad actors?

Lets just call it what it is: a wealth tax that Gov. Newsom will use as a plank for his platform, should Joe Biden choose not to run.

Hil Cassell

Lewisville

Whos a liar?

A recent letter to the editor left me amazed. The author starts the letter by saying how Donald Trump lies. Thats an odd statement from someone who undoubtedly supported a candidate who falsely said that the idea to cancel student loan debt was passed by Congress and that he drove an 18-wheeler. There is not enough space to list all of the lies Joe Biden has told.

Then the author says people who dont agree with him are scared of science. I must admit, he may have a point on this one. If by science he means the idea that the pandemic would spread in gyms, schools, churches and synagogues, but not while people are rioting or destroying a place of business  or the idea that there are more than two genders and that men can get pregnant  then yes, I AM concerned about science.

Then he says we are scared of a beer. Newsflash: No one is scared of a beer. He is repeating a talking point.

I imagine it bothers him that, when businesses like Bud Light and Target have catered to the very leftist fringe, normal people simply stopped patronizing them, costing each company billions of dollars.

When a song and movie were made criticizing crime or child sex trafficking, and the left condemned both the movie and the song, the same normal people made both the song and movie as high as No. 2 and No. 1 on the charts, respectively. Clearly this person has a world view that is not going to change, no matter what is really going on.

Fred Pearlman

Greensboro
A 56-year-old Lincoln man who killed two homeless men in two days last summer  dismembering one of them in a motel room and prompting a weeklong search of the city's landfill  will spend the rest of his life in prison, a judge ruled Tuesday.

At a hearing that lasted less than 10 minutes Tuesday morning, Judge Darla S. Ideus sentenced William T. Wright to two consecutive life terms in prison for the gruesome second-degree murders in August of 61-year-old Ronald George Jr. and 49-year-old Ronnie Patz.

"Mr. Wright, you brutally murdered two innocent people without any provocation," Ideus told the 56-year-old, who sat shackled and mostly stone-faced at the defendant's table in a Lancaster County courtroom Tuesday.

"These two people did nothing but find themselves in your path during that two-to-three-day window," the judge told Wright, who in July pleaded no contest in a deal with prosecutors that saw his charges reduced from first-degree murder to second.

Tuesday's sentencing seemingly brings an end to a bizarre case that started more than a year ago, when police were dispatched to a field near the People's City Mission homeless shelter, where they found George dead with stab wounds to his neck in the early morning hours of Aug. 31.

The discovery of George's body marked only the beginning of Wright's crimes coming to light.

The same interviews that led to Wright's arrest also led police to the Motel 6 near Northwest 12th and West Bond streets, where they found the initially unidentifiable remains of Patz, who, prosecutors later revealed, had been dismembered.

Prosecutors said Wright placed Patz's body parts in separate plastic bags. Motel surveillance video showed the 56-year-old pulling a duffel bag to the dumpster and throwing it in. Police found Patz's torso in the dumpster.

"It defies logic, sometimes, on why some of these things happen," Assistant Police Chief Jason Stille said at a September news conference.

"What kicked off this murder or the series of murders, I don't know," he said then. "But we aim to find that out."

The answers investigators found turned out to be "senseless," Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Greg Ariza said at Tuesday's hearing.

Patz had invited Wright, who was also homeless, to the motel so the two men could get out of the late August heat and the alcohol-free, "barracks-type" conditions at the shelter for a few days, Ariza said.

"So they went and they got some scotch and they got a room at the Motel 6," the prosecutor said.

But soon, Wright later told police in a taped confession, Patz became "annoying."

"And he doesn't really state what words were used that caused this annoyance, other than Ronald Patz wanted to go out and get some more stuff to drink," Ariza said.

Instead, Wright struck Patz on the head with the bottle of the scotch, Ariza said. Fearing the 49-year-old would report the assault to police, Wright then strangled Patz, put his body under the bed and dismembered him the next day, prosecutors said.

The next night, a woman found Wright stumbling near the west end of the Harris Overpass bridge and took him to her transient camp, where George was sleeping on blankets.

She left the camp for a time and returned to find Wright gone and George covered in blood. She found some friends who called 911.

Ariza said Wright told them George had rolled into him, "and he was not going to take that any more," so he stabbed him three times with his knife.

"He couldn't state to police what exactly (George) said that caused this attack," the prosecutor said. "But it was senseless. It was violent."

Ariza asked Ideus to sentence the 56-year-old to consecutive life sentences.

Wright's attorney, Sandy Pollack, noted that Wright, by confessing his crimes to investigators, "assisted the police in solving a murder that they didn't even know had occurred."

Pollack said his client saved the court time, the county money and the families heartache by pleading to avoid a trial, before pointing to 10 years of hardship that proceeded last summer's killing spree.

"He was without a home for over a decade," Pollack said. "The system let all three of these men down. They want work but can't find jobs. They don't want to be on the street, but there's nowhere else to go. The social supports are deficient."

Wright, given a chance to address the court himself Tuesday, passed.

Before sentencing the 56-year-old, Ideus questioned the authenticity of Wright's contrition.

"I read your statement that you feel sorry for what you did and you feel sorry for the families of the victims," the judge said. "Other than that, I saw very little remorse from you, Mr. Wright, and, in fact, you don't really dispute that you would have killed other people if you felt distracted by them as well."

Then, she sent Wright to prison for the rest of his life.

Remembering Lincoln's homicide victims of 2023 1. Julian A. Martinez 2. Rudy Requejo Jr. 3. Ronald Gonzalez Rivas 4. Christopher Karmazin 5. Damien Brave 6. Mark Kruger
Police arrested two men Saturday in connection to the death of a 23-year-old Lincoln man, who was found dead in his west Lincoln home Saturday afternoon in what police suspect was a fentanyl overdose.

Trey Hollamon was found dead at about 12:30 p.m. Saturday in his bedroom near Northwest 48th and West Holdrege streets, Lincoln Police Investigator Jay Denzin said in court filings Monday.

Investigators found a rolled-up $2 bill in Hollamon's bedroom with blue powder residue on it, leading police to believe the 23-year-old died from a fentanyl overdose, Denzin wrote in the court filings.

The investigation into the Hollamon's death quickly led the Lincoln-Lancaster County Narcotics Task Force to a bowling alley near 48th and Holdrege streets  miles away from the overdose victim's house  where officers found two men who allegedly played a role in selling Hollamon the drug thought to have killed him, Denzin wrote.

Investigators arrested 23-year-old Aidan Glenn and 30-year-old Michael Smith after holding the pair at gunpoint in the bowling alley parking lot at around 10:15 p.m. Saturday, Denzin wrote.

Police believe Glenn purchased fentanyl pills from Smith on Friday before reselling a pill to Hollamon, according to the probable cause statement for Smith's arrest.

When investigators apprehended both men Saturday night, they found two fentanyl pills in Glenn's Ford Focus, Denzin wrote in the probable cause statement.

Smith, meanwhile, had another 45 fentanyl pills and a bottle of promethazine syrup in his Kia Optima, Denzin wrote. He also had $3,782 in cash on his person, Denzin wrote.

In an interview with police, Smith denied having any involvement with the drugs.

Police arrested Glenn on suspicion of possession with intent to deliver a hazardous drug. Smith was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to deliver a hazardous drug and possession of money while violating a drug law.

Investigators also arrested a 21-year-old woman who had gone to the bowling alley with Glenn, according to court filings.

She allegedly possessed a piece of foil with a partially burned fentanyl pill inside and a small bag of cocaine, Denzin wrote. The Journal Star generally does not identify defendants accused only of drug possession.

Police took all three to the Lancaster County Jail. Glenn and Smith remained in jail as of Monday morning, according to booking records.

Judge Thomas Zimmerman set Glenn's and Smith's percentage bonds at $500,000 amid their initial court appearances Monday afternoon. Both men must pay $50,000 to be released from jail on bond.

Fentanyl, a powerful opioid thought to be among the leading killers of Americans ages 1-45 in 2021, was tied to at least 19 overdose deaths in Lincoln in 2021, according to city data.

Narcan, a drug that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, can be purchased and deployed by anyone and is available for free at numerous area pharmacies, a list of which is published at stopodne.com.

Most dangerous cities in Nebraska Dangerous Cities in Nebraska 6. South Sioux City 5. Scottsbluff 4. North Platte 3. Lincoln 2. Grand Island 1. Omaha A note about the numbers
A revised proposal for a senior living home near 37th and Calvert streets can move forward despite significant opposition from neighbors who showed up in force to the City Council on Monday to register their concerns.

The council voted 5-2 to approve a second request from Harbor Senior Care, a company based in Omaha and begun by Chris Gille and his sister Katie Hartman, for a special permit to open a senior living house for 12 people with Alzheimers disease or dementia in the home that sits on a more than 1-acre lot.

Neighbors testified  as they have twice before the Planning Commission and once at City Council  about their concerns the assisted living home would exacerbate parking, traffic and stormwater drainage problems by putting a business in their longtime residential neighborhood.

Supporters testified that the small home-like setting for seniors suffering from memory loss was life-changing for them and it would be more like a home than a business.

Council members Tom Duden and Justin Carlson voted against the special permit, saying they couldn't agree to putting a business in a neighborhood.

Duden, who said he grew up in that neighborhood, said hes been disenchanted with this and other collaborative living homes going up in Lincolns neighborhoods.

Unfortunately, if this is the plan of Lincoln well see a lot of people moving out of town, he said. I think youll be driving people out of these neighborhoods.

Carlson said he also considered the "groundswell" of letters and testimony in opposition.

Sandra Washington, Tom Beckius, James Michael Bowers and Bennie Shobe voted to approve it.

Several of them noted that after the council denied a special permit the first time around, Gille and Hartman made significant changes to address neighbors concerns and it wasnt fair to keep changing the goalposts.

Brodey Weber, who was elected in May, said this has been the toughest vote hed had to take so far, but believes the applicants met or exceeded all the requirements and if the council didnt approve a facility in that neighborhood, he questioned where they would approve it.

I really do believe, as one of the caregivers mentioned  this is the future, he said. It serves really a vulnerable population with dignity when they need it the most.

Bowers said the city codes allowing such health care facilities in neighborhoods arent new  it dates back to the 1950s. He voted no the first time even though the application met all the requirements, and now that theyve made significant concessions it wouldnt be fair to deny it.

Having moving goalposts isnt good for our community, he said.

Washington was among several council members who said they would push for the city to conduct a study of stormwater issues in the neighborhood, which neighbors testified about at length  and their concerns that this proposal would worsen the problems.

I dont believe the city as a whole understood the extent of the current stormwater issues in this neighborhood, she said. To hear we have not yet done a water study ... makes me realize how important it is.

Beckius said hes confident the health care facility wont change the look and feel of the neighborhood.

Gille and Hartman applied for a special permit previously, which the Planning Commission approved. The neighbors appealed the decision to the City Council, which voted 5-2 to reverse it.

The council members who voted against it were most concerned about the number of residents that could live there and the fact that a special permit would stay with the home forever.

The revised proposal addressed those concerns, as well as others.

The changes in the revised proposal limit the number of residents at the home to 12 (the original proposal would have allowed for an expansion to house 16); add a detention pool if an engineer determines improvements will cause additional runoff; include additional landscaping as a screen around parking; and restrict the special permit so only assisted living and memory care facilities could be located there if the property is sold.

The revisions mean the existing footprint of the home wouldnt change, but they would add five parking spaces (in addition to two in an attached garage), an exterior walking path and fence, and theyd make the driveway a circle drive.

Beckius said in the seven years hes been on the council and Planning Commission hes never seen an applicant willingly agree to have an engineer conduct a watershed study on their site.

Gille told the council that his sister approached him three years ago about finding a better way to offer care for people with Alzheimers and dementia, to fill a gap between in-home care and institutional settings. They have another home in Lincoln near 84th Street and Pioneers Boulevard for six residents.

Hartman said this is her passion and shes seen lives change.

I know its a business but we see it as a service, allowing people to stay in a home. Allowing elderly people that have a disease that is terminal to remain in the home with other people, living as a family.

Several family members of residents at the Harbor Senior Cares existing facility gave emotional testimony about the care being provided to their loved ones and how it changed their lives for the better.

Larger facilities couldn't provide the same attention and care, and one woman said her mother repeatedly said she felt like she was in jail.

Now, they said, they feel like they're living in a home, where they can do things fill bird feeders, water the flowers and help cook dinner.

I label this as a home, said Kelli Wenzel, whose father-in-law lived in the existing Harbor Senior Care facility. Its filled with people who care. (Residents) cant remember, but theyre still there. I know its a business but its not. It doesnt look like a business from the outside, it doesnt feel like a business when youre inside.

Neighbors reiterated many of their concerns about parking, traffic  in an older neighborhood with no sidewalks and lots of young families, drainage and setting a precedent of putting a business in a residential neighborhood.

Rob Simon, who lives in the neighborhood, said hes concerned locating a healthcare facility in the neighborhood would set a precedent, especially in a neighborhood like theirs where there are many large lots. Unlike group homes and collaborative living or so-called sober living homes, there are no spacing restrictions for locating such businesses in neighborhoods.

He said he used to live in the Near South, where many such group homes are located.

I would hate to see that happen to this neighborhood, he said.

10 potential early signs of dementia 10 potential early signs of dementia Memory loss that disrupts daily life Challenges in planning or solving problems Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work, or at leisure Confusion with time or place Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relations New problems with words in speaking or writing Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps Decreased or poor judgment Withdrawal from work or social activities Changes in mood and personality
LAHAINA, Hawaii  A mobile morgue unit arrived Tuesday to help Hawaii officials working painstakingly to identify the 101 people confirmed killed in wildfires that ravaged Maui, and officials expected to release the first list of names even as teams intensified the search for more dead in neighborhoods reduced to ash.

Gov. Josh Green announced the confirmed death toll had risen from 99 to 101 in an afternoon video address, saying, We are heartsick that weve had such loss.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services deployed a team of coroners, pathologists and technicians along with exam tables, X-ray units and other equipment to identify victims and process remains, said Jonathan Greene, the agency's deputy assistant secretary for response.

Its going to be a very, very difficult mission, Greene said. And patience will be incredibly important because of the number of victims.

A week after a blaze tore through historic Lahaina, many survivors started moving into hundreds of hotel rooms set aside for displaced locals, while donations of food, ice, water and other essentials poured in.

Crews using cadaver dogs have scoured about 32% of the area, the County of Maui said in a statement Tuesday. Gov. Josh Green asked for patience as authorities became overwhelmed with requests to visit the burn area.

For those people who have walked into Lahaina because they really wanted to see, know that theyre very likely walking on iwi, he said Monday, using the Hawaiian word for bones.

Just three bodies have been identified, and officials expected to start releasing names Tuesday, according to Maui Police Chief John Pelletier, who renewed an appeal for families with missing relatives to provide DNA samples. So far 41 samples have been submitted, the county statement said, and 13 DNA profiles have been obtained from remains.

The governor warned that scores more bodies could be found. The wildfires, some of which have not yet been fully contained, are already the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century. Their cause was under investigation.

When asked by Hawaii News Now if children are among the missing, Green said Tuesday: Tragically, yes.  When the bodies are smaller, we know it's a child.

He described some of the sites being searched as too much to share or see from just a human perspective.

Another complicating factor, Green said, is that storms with rain and high winds were forecast for the weekend. Officials are mulling whether to preemptively power down or not for a short period of time, because right now all of the infrastructure is weaker.

The local power utility has already faced criticism for not shutting off power as strong winds buffeted a parched area under high risk for fire. Its not clear whether the utilitys equipment played any role in igniting the flames.

Hawaiian Electric Co. Inc. President and CEO Shelee Kimura said many factors go into a decision to cut power, including the impact on people who rely on specialized medical equipment and concerns that shutting off power in the fire area would have knocked out water pumps.

Green has said the flames raced as fast as a mile every minute in one area, fueled by dry grass and propelled by strong winds from a passing hurricane.

The blaze that swept into centuries-old Lahaina last week destroyed nearly every building in the town of 13,000. That fire has been 85% contained, according to the county. Another blaze known as the Upcountry fire was 60% contained.

The Lahaina fire caused about $3.2 billion in insured property losses, according to calculations by Karen Clark & Co., a prominent disaster and risk modeling company. That doesnt count damage to uninsured property. The firm said more than 2,200 buildings were damaged or destroyed by flames, with about 3,000 damaged by fire or smoke or both.

Even where the flames have retreated, authorities have warned that toxic byproducts may remain, including in drinking water, after the flames spewed poisonous fumes. That has left many unable to return home.

The Red Cross said 575 evacuees were spread across five shelters on Monday. Green said thousands of people will need housing for at least 36 weeks. He said Tuesday that some 450 hotel rooms and 1,000 Airbnb rentals were being made available.

President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he and first lady Jill Biden would visit Hawaii as soon as we can but he doesnt want his presence to interrupt recovery and cleanup efforts. During a stop in Milwaukee to highlight his economic agenda, Biden pledged that every asset they need will be there for them.

More than 3,000 people have registered for federal assistance, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and that number was expected to grow.

FEMA was providing $700 to displaced residents to cover the cost of food, water, first aid and medical supplies, in addition to qualifying coverage for the loss of homes and personal property.

The Biden administration was seeking $12 billion more for the governments disaster relief fund as part of its supplemental funding request to Congress.

Green said leaders all across the board have helped by donating over 1 million pounds of food as well as ice, water, diapers and baby formula. U.S. Marines, the Hawaii National Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Coast Guard have all joined the aid and recovery efforts.

Lahaina resident Kekoa Lansford helped rescue people as the flames swept through town. Now he is collecting stories from survivors, hoping to create a timeline of what happened. He has 170 emails so far.

The scene was haunting. Horrible, horrible, Lansford said Tuesday. You ever seen hell in the movies? That is what it looked like. Fire everywhere. Dead people.

Photos show Lahaina before and after wildfire devastation
Nebraskans love their cranes, especially the red-capped Sandhills kind that make a migration pitstop each year along the Platte River.

But this year two giant cranes, one yellow, one blue, have settled in for a lengthy stay near Omahas riverfront.

The big yellow one is a Liebherr model 630 Hammerhead tower crane.

The smaller blue one is a Comansa 310 luffing tower crane.

The two machines are providing a free daily show for curious office workers, engineering geeks and visitors to the Gene Leahy Mall as the machines do the heavy lifting on the new 677-foot-tall Mutual of Omaha headquarters building.

And theyre just getting started.

In the years ahead, the yellow crane will rise to 780 feet above the ground, making it the tallest crane ever in Omaha, according to Brian Krause, director of construction and development for Lanoha Real Estate Co.

That height is necessary, given what theyre assembling.

When finished in the summer of 2026, the skyscraper will be the citys tallest building.

The $600 million skyscraper will be 43 feet taller than First National Bank Tower, which has been the citys tallest structure for the past two decades.

While the yellow crane will eventually top out taller, the blue one can work in tight spaces because it has the ability to raise and lower the long arm in front called a jib.

Crane operators get a birds-eye view of the city  a job not for the faint of heart.

They couldnt pay me enough to sit in the crane tower, said Dan Sall, eyeballing the big yellow crane from the Farnam Street sidewalk below.

Sall, a former Omahan now living in Indianapolis, was in town to help move a niece into the dorms at Creighton University.

Its great to be back in Omaha again and see all the new developments, he said.

Krause said the crane operators communicate with their co-workers via radio to put loads into the correct place.

The crane operators climb to the cabs early in the morning and stay up all day, Krause said. The cabs are equipped with heat and A/C as well as many safety features to help ensure the work is done safely.

Wind is the biggest challenge they face, he said.

About seven months have passed since city officials celebrated the groundbreaking on the headquarters. Renderings of the building depict a glowing, sky-scraping tower of glass.

The skyscrapers top floor will offer views in all directions from a two-story atrium and hold large conference rooms and other meeting spaces.

The public street-level lobby will feature displays paying homage to the companys history, the services it offers and its impact.

Only recently have the first signs of upward construction become visible at the buildings site, bounded by 14th, 15th, Douglas and Farnam streets.

The groundwork on such a project comes first, securing the base of the cranes and seating the buildings supports in bedrock.

The supports for the future building are steel-cased, drilled shafts seated into bedrock and filled with concrete. The shaft diameters range from 3 feet to 8 feet in diameter depending on the load requirement.

At the Starbucks coffee shop across from the job site, employees felt the rumble of the initial groundwork.

We have felt vibration here when they drill into the ground, said shift supervisor Adriana Huerta. The whole building shakes. Its wild.

The base of each tower crane is a large, cast-in-place concrete structure shaped like a box. It is anchored by several piles drilled deep underground to bedrock.

The first section of the tower is cast into the poured base and given time to cure and gain strength before additional tower sections are secured on top of the base, Krause said.

A third crane was needed to assemble the cranes initially.

As the building grows in height, the cranes will grow in height  they even build themselves. They lift new tower segments and, with the help of a hydraulic jack, add the segments to raise themselves vertically in 20-foot increments.

Both cranes are located just outside the footprint of the building. As the building structure rises, they will be attached for additional stability during construction, Krause said.

The center core portion of the tower is a concrete shear wall structure.

The final pieces of glass will be installed as the crane lowers itself back down to the ground after the building is topped out and mechanical systems are hoisted to the roof.

Omahans should start to see the garage structure taking shape this fall, Krause said. The first 15 floors of the building are a concrete parking garage. The timeline calls for completing the garage structure in summer 2024.

Completion of the tower structure is expected in summer 2025. The garage skin would be completed in winter 2025. Interior finishes would begin in spring 2025, with the tower skin complete in spring 2026.

The project is set for completion in summer 2026.

The general contractor is J.E. Dunn Construction Group.

Top Journal Star photos for August 2023
BURLINGTON  One year after buying the popular Gooseberries grocery store, Berkot's Super Foods might be in danger of losing its liquor license.

Burlington city officials have raised questions about whether Berkot's is making adequate use of the liquor license that it inherited from Gooseberries.

The Burlington City Council is scheduled to discuss the matter Tuesday with Lucas Kotara, owner of the Illinois-based Berkot's chain.

Kotara and other company officials could not be reached for comment.

Council members have been scrutinizing the liquor license since last month when questions arose about renovations underway inside the grocery store and liquor sales taking place there.

The Class B license allows for the sale of beer, wine and liquor, either for carryout or on-site consumption.

At a July 18 council meeting, Alderman Tom Vos said the license was based on a business plan that Gooseberries had in place when the store at 690 W. State St. changed hands last summer.

Referring to Berkot's, Vos said, "If they are not following that exact same business plan, then they shouldn't be allowed to have this particular license."

Burlington has struggled with not having enough Class B liquor licenses available, and has been lobbying state officials to change Wisconsin law to give the city access to more.

Gooseberries Fresh Food Market, which opened in 2006, obtained such a liquor license in 2017 after expanding its fresh food section to include a larger dining room with hot food and alcoholic beverages.

The store owners last year sold the operation to Berkot's, citing changes in the grocery store industry.

Located south of Chicago in Mokena, Illinois, Berkot's operates 17 stores. All are located in Illinois except the Burlington outlet and another in the Kenosha County village of Twin Lakes.

The company announced its acquisition of Gooseberries in May 2022. The real estate sale was valued at $1.8 million, not including the cost of the business itself, which was not disclosed.

Questions about the store's liquor license surfaced during the city's annual process of renewing licenses for taverns, restaurants and other businesses throughout the community.

Kotara submitted a request in May to renew the Berkot's Class B license, effective July 1, at a cost of $500. In his application, the Berkot's owner wrote that alcoholic beverages would be displayed and stored throughout the 35,000-square-foot store.

"Usage will mirror the current use of the premises," he wrote.

The application was dated May 19 and was received in the city clerk's office May 30.

At the July 18 council meeting, City Clerk Diahnn Halbach told aldermen that Berkot's had not submitted an application in time to receive a license renewal effective July 1. The business was issued a provisional license good for up to 60 days.

City records show that Halbach also reported that Berkot's officials told her the store was undergoing renovations and was not selling alcoholic beverages for on-site consumption during the renovation work.

"They don't want to give up the license, because they plan to allow for on-site consumption once the renovations are completed," she said.

Alderman Jon Schultz and Shad Branen both questioned whether the store's Class B liquor license was being utilized as intended.

Records also show aldermen questioned whether Berkot's was performing construction work inside the State Street store without required city building permits.

City Attorney Elaine Ekes told aldermen she had contacted company officials who disagreed that building permits were needed.

Vos told his colleagues Berkot's had "removed everything" that was once part of the Gooseberries store and questioned the new store owner's intentions on liquor sales in relation to the renovations.

"It's one thing to say they intend to do something," he said. "But another to actually do it."

Council members postponed action on the license request July 18 and asked Kotara to appear to answer questions.

Aldermen are scheduled to discuss the issue with the grocery store owner at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday during a meeting of the City Council Committee of the Whole.

These are Trader Joe's customer's favorite items Top overall Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Tortilla Chips, spicy corn chips, swept the competition this year, taking home the top prize. Runners-up included the hash browns, chicken soup dumplings, Everything but the Bagel sesame seasoning blend, and chocolate croissants. The chips also won in the poll's favorite snack category. Customers were also fans of the Organic Elote Corn Chip Dippers, Organic Corn Chip Dippers, World's Puffiest White Cheddar Corn Puffs and Crunchy Curls, which were all among the top vote-getters. Top beverage The Sparkling Honeycrisp Apple Juice was the fans' favorite beverage, though it is seasonal. The canned drink is a simple three-ingredient blend of apple juice, water and bubbles. Following is the Triple Ginger Brew, Sparkling Peach Black Tea with peach juice, Sparkling Cranberry & Ginger Beverage and the Non-Dairy Brown Sugar Oat Creamer. Top cheese Now that Hall of Famer Unexpected Cheddar is no longer an option in the poll, the store's cheddar cheese with caramelized onions took home top accolades. Runners-up included Syrah Soaked Toscano, seasonal Baked Lemon Ricotta, Blueberry & Vanilla Chevre and its various bries. Top entree Replacing the longtime Mandarin Orange Chicken is Trader Joe's Butter Chicken -- spiced chicken in a tomato and cream sauce with basmati rice. Indian is popular with Trader Joe's customers. Second runner-up was Chicken Tikka Masala, followed by Kung Pao Chicken, Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese and BBQ Teriyaki Chicken. Top household item Seasonal candles won out in this category. Its seasonal scents include Peony Blossom, Cedar Balsam, Honeycrisp Apple and Vanilla Pumpkin. Runners-up: Daily Facial Sunscreen, Ultra-Moisturizing Hand Cream, Tea Tree Tingle Shampoo & Conditioner, and Shea Butter & Coconut Oil Hair Mask. Top produce Unsurprisingly, customers voted bananas as their top choice. The chain is known for its 25-cent organic bananas and 19-cent regular bananas. Following choices were Teeny Tiny Avocados, Honeycrisp Apples, Brussels Sprouts and Organic Carrots of Many Colors. Top dessert The tiny and crunchy Hold the Cone! Mini Ice Cream Cones won top dessert, followed by Danish Kringle, Sublime Ice Cream Sandwiches, Chocolate Lava Cakes and Brookie. Top vegan/vegetarian Among its many vegan and vegetarian options, the Vegan Kale, Cashew & Basil Pesto came out on top. Vegetable Fried Rice, Beefless Bulgogi, Palak Paneer, Cauliflower Gnocchi followed.
The citys Public Safety and Welfare Committee tabled a vote on a proposed ordinance regarding an inspections program Monday evening.

The proposal  sponsored by Ald. Jan Michalski and co-sponsors by Alds. Ruth Dyson, Kelly MacKay, Bill Siel, Rollin Pizzala and Brandi Ferree  requires landlords to register each of their rental housing units and provide contact information including a phone number to the city.

The matter was first brought up during the July 11 meeting but committee members at the time voted unanimously to delay action on it until Monday, Aug. 14. On Monday evening, however, commissioners voted to table the matter.

That plan tonight is to table it due to comments from the mayor, the city attorney and inspections. They want to make some more changes on it. So that we have enough time to make these changes we will be coming forward at some point when those changes are made, Michalski said. Tabling does not have a set day or time to bring it forth.

The ordinance, which is modeled on a similar program in place in Eau Claire, has faced heavy criticism from some city landlords and property owners.

If approved owners must submit a one-time registration to the Department of City Inspections with a fee of $10 per property simultaneous to filing the registration.

It also bars retaliation from landlords on tenants who report issues to city departments.

The Common Council finds that a significant percentage of code complaints and violations occur at residential rental dwelling units and that the conditions that exist at these units adversely affect the occupants, as well as the neighbors and neighborhoods in which they are located, the ordinance reads.

This ordinance is enacted to encourage property owners who own and operate residential rental dwelling units to exercise their responsibility to ensure that the city ordinances governing the condition and maintenance of residential rental dwelling units are followed to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public and prevent blighted conditions in city neighborhoods.

50 cities where it's better to buy than to rent 50 cities where it's better to buy than to rent #50. Plainfield, Illinois #49. Vero Beach, Florida #48. Rochester, New York #47. McAllen, Texas #46. Fayetteville, North Carolina #45. Warren, Michigan #44. San Angelo, Texas #43. Trenton, New Jersey #42. Aurora, Illinois #41. Elgin, Illinois #40. Kansas City, Kansas #39. Lansing, Michigan #38. Sunrise, Florida #37. Tuscaloosa, Alabama #36. Augusta, Georgia #35. El Paso, Texas #34. Chicago, Illinois #33. Wichita Falls, Texas #32. High Point, North Carolina #31. Columbus, Georgia #30. Amarillo, Texas #29. New Haven, Connecticut #28. Springfield, Illinois #27. South Bend, Indiana #26. Dearborn, Michigan #25. Lehigh Acres, Florida #24. Saginaw, Michigan #23. Macon, Georgia #22. Saint Louis, Missouri #21. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania #20. Syracuse, New York #19. Delray Beach, Florida #18. Akron, Ohio #17. Brownsville, Texas #16. Lawton, Oklahoma #15. Beaumont, Texas #14. Memphis, Tennessee #13. Montgomery, Alabama #12. Scranton, Pennsylvania #11. Hartford, Connecticut #10. Baltimore, Maryland #9. Shreveport, Louisiana #8. Toledo, Ohio #7. Peoria, Illinois #6. Dayton, Ohio #5. Birmingham, Alabama #4. Cleveland, Ohio #3. Flint, Michigan #2. Jackson, Mississippi #1. Detroit, Michigan
HEBBRONVILLE, Texas  As one of the worst heat waves on record set in across much of the southern United States this summer, authorities and activists in South Texas found themselves embroiled in a mystery in this arid region near the border with Mexico.

Barrels of life-saving water that a human rights group strategically placed for wayward migrants traveling on foot vanished.

Usually, they are hard to miss. Labeled with the word "AGUA" painted in white, capital letters and standing about waist-tall, the 55-gallon blue drums stand out against the scrub and grass, turned from green to a sundried brown.

Summer temperatures can climb to 110 degrees Fahrenheit in Texas' sparsely populated Jim Hogg County, with its vast, inhospitable ranchlands. Migrants  and sometimes human smugglers  take a route through this county to try to circumvent a Border Patrol checkpoint on a busier highway about 30 miles to the east. More than 60 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, it can take several days to walk there for migrants who may have already spent weeks crossing mountains and desert and avoiding cartel violence.

"We don't have the luxury of losing time in what we do," said Ruben Garza, an investigator with the Jim Hogg Sheriff's Office. Tears streamed down his face as he recalled helping locate a missing migrant man who became overheated in the brush, called for help but died just moments after his rescue.

Exact counts of those who die are difficult to determine because deaths often go unreported. The U.N. International Organization for Migration estimates almost 3,000 migrants died crossing from Mexico to the U.S. by drowning in Rio Grande, or because of lack of shelter, food or water.

Humanitarian groups started placing water for migrants in spots on the U.S. side of the border with Mexico in the 1990s after authorities found bodies of those who succumbed to the harsh conditions.

John Meza volunteers with the South Texas Human Rights Center in Jim Hogg County, where the population of about 5,000 people is spread over 1,100 square miles  larger than the state of Rhode Island. He restocks the stations with gallon jugs of water, trims away overgrown grass, and ensures the GPS coordinates are still visible on the underside of the barrel lids.

On one of his rounds in July, Meza said, 12 of the 21 stations he maintains were no longer there.

The Associated Press compared images captured by Google Maps over the last two years and confirmed that some barrels were gone.

Wildfires are common in this part of Texas, where dry grass quickly becomes fuel. Road construction crews frequently push or move aside obstructions for their work.

But as Garza, the sheriff's investigator, walked along a path designated by GPS coordinates for the barrels, there were no signs of melted, blue plastic. Nothing indicated the heavy barrels had been moved. Though volunteers fill them only partway, they can weigh up to about 85 pounds.

The investigator drove up and down the main highway where many of the water stations were installed, making note of the circumstances of each missing barrel.

Empty water bottles sat on the ground near the round impression left behind by the heavy barrel in one site. At another, the grass was trimmed, and fresh earth was laid bare to create buffers against fire.

Garza suspected state road crews moved three barrels that had been along an unpaved road, but the Texas Department of Transportation denied it. The investigator also noted a "tremendous amount" of wildfires could be to blame. He's also speaking with area ranchers in hopes the disappearances may be a simple misunderstanding, not a crime.

Missing water stations in other states have been ascribed to spiteful intentions.

The group No More Deaths in 2018 released video of Border Patrol agents kicking over and pouring water out of gallon jugs left for people in the desert. The group said that from 2012 to 2015, it found more than 3,586 gallon jugs of water destroyed in an 800-square-mile desert area in southern Arizona.

Laura Hunter and her husband, John, started putting out water along popular smuggling routes in Southern California in the 1990s. "Every single year, we have vandalism, of course, you know, people that don't agree with what we do," Laura Hunter said.

The Hunters met with Eddie Canales, executive director of the South Texas Human Rights Center, about 15 years ago and provided the design for the low-cost water stations. In light of the news, they offered some advice.

"I would replace them all with some used barrels, just replace them all," John Hunter said. "And then I would put a couple of cameras on those and get the guy's license plates and his face."

Canales said he plans to work with volunteers to replace the missing stations.

The number of migrants crossing through South Texas and subsequent deaths decreased this year after President Joe Biden's administration instituted new border polices. A medical examiner's office who covers 11 counties, including Jim Hogg, received the bodies of 85 migrants who died this year. It represents less than half the number sent to that office in 2022. Most of the migrants who died this year suffered fatal heat strokes.

Photos: Migrants rush across US border in final hours before pandemic rule expires
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.

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LINCOLN  Theres a push in the Nebraska Legislature to substantially increase Medicaid funding and raise the reimbursement rates, but so far it hasnt succeeded.

Sen. Lynne Walz, Democrat from Fremont, introduced a bill in January that would increase dental services reimbursement under the Medical Assistance Act by 25%. The increase would cost roughly $6 million.

The proposed increase would raise reimbursements on average to match one of the states lowest private insurance plans, Ameritas, said David ODoherty, executive director of the Nebraska Dental Association in an email.

Sophia Pankrats, a dental student at the University of Nebraska Medical Centers College of Dentistry in Lincoln, testified in support of the bill in February. At the hearing, she said she hopes to practice in rural Nebraska, treating underserved children, but she is worried about balancing her student loans and the costs of owning a practice.

Im eager to see patients from my community that have the greatest needs and may not be able to care for themselves, Pankrats testified to the Legislatures Health and Human Services Committee. However, with the current reimbursement  Im concerned I will not be able to include them in my practice.

The committee unanimously voted for LB358, sending it to the full Legislature, but it has not yet been debated on the floor. The bill is on general file and can be brought up for debate during the 2024 session, a representative from Walzs office said.

In the 2023-2025 two-year budget, all Medicaid reimbursement rates were increased by 3% for fiscal 2023-24, but Gov. Jim Pillen used a line item veto to remove a 2% rate increase for the second fiscal year.

With the 3% rate adjustment, Nebraska Medicaid will still reimburse dentists at a rate that is lower on average both in-state private insurance and most neighboring states Medicaid rates.

The request for the (25%) fee increase would still make Medicaid our lowest payer, but at least it would allow us  to see those kids, maybe keep more kids out of the operating room, said Dr. Jessica Meeske, a Hastings pediatric dentist, at the February hearing.
Arline Morris teeth are failing fast. She cant eat much, and struggles daily with constant pain while taking medication that makes her teeth even more fragile.

Shes been offered appointments at Omaha and Lincoln dental clinics that will accept her Medicaid insurance. But Arline lives in Stratton, in southwest Nebraska  more than 200 miles from the nearest dentist who will take her.

Its an eight hour round trip, plus hours of dental work, and thats all but impossible for Arline. A long car ride can leave her suffering in bed for days. Medicaid doesnt cover an overnight stay for traveling patients.

John Morris, Arlines husband and sole caretaker, spends his days calling around for help, working around the spotty cell phone signal at their home. Hes talked to more than 50 dentists offices, with no luck.

Either you hurt with your teeth, or you hurt for several days in your bed and you cant move or eat, John Morris said.

Each year, fewer dentists can afford to treat Nebraskas Medicaid patients. In the past five years, the total number of dental providers reimbursed after treating at least one Medicaid-eligible patient dropped by 37%.

The problem is especially pronounced in western Nebraska. Only two dozen dentists west of Kearney have been paid for treating a Medicaid patient this year.

Forty-three Nebraska counties, many in the states western half, have zero dentists helping low-income Nebraskans like Arline Morris.

John Morris says hes been searching for about a year and a half for a provider who will treat Arline near home.

Within a 90-mile radius of the Morrises, only three dentists offices are listed as accepting new Medicaid patients. One is a pediatric practice. The other two are separate small offices for one dentist.

Arline needs all her teeth extracted and dentures fitted, major work that her last dentist couldnt perform out of her satellite office in Paxton.

That dentist has since stopped taking new Medicaid patients, John Morris said, because the office was overwhelmed with a waitlist stretching past 100 patients.

Then, on Aug. 1, the Paxton office closed, leaving the Medicaid patients of western Nebraska with one fewer option.

It doesnt pay

In 2017, nearly 600 dental providers treated at least one Nebraska Medicaid patient, according to reimbursement records from Nebraskas Department of Health and Human Services.

By 2022, that number had fallen to 378.

Why? Because it doesnt pay.

State government reimbursements for this dental work have fallen far below market levels, said Dr. Jessica Meeske of Hastings. They fail to cover the overhead costs of most procedures, leading to what Meeske calls a crisis level with large numbers of patients unable to get care.

Meeske, a pediatric dentist at Pediatric Dental Specialists of Greater Nebraska, said her clinic turns away 15 families a day because they are overloaded and booked out.

Theres a practice in North Platte, Meeske said, but its also impossible for the pediatric dentists there to meet the communitys needs.

Were hearing multiple reports that patient families from western Nebraska are having to go all the way to Lincoln for dental care, Meeske said.

The urgent calls, five or six per day, come to Kim Danehey-Nibbe at Central Community Colleges dental hygiene program. Medicaid patients are on the line, often in serious pain.

Central Community College is one of only three providers listed as accepting new Medicaid patients in Hastings.

A lot of the comments Ill get is, youre probably the 40th place Ive called, and nobodys taking, said Danehey-Nibbe, the colleges clinic assistant.

States pays just 39%

Nebraskas Medicaid reimbursement fees are far below the rates of private insurance and lower than most surrounding states Medicaid programs.

The states Medicaid program picked up the tab for 39% of the cost of dental procedures on average, according to Nebraska Dental Association estimates from its 2021 survey.

A combination of factors including rising labor and supply costs and an influx of patients due to Medicaid expansion have made it tougher for dentists to manage the financial losses, Meeske said.

Grocery stores dont sell food for 40% of their price to SNAP customers. Why is health care partially financed by the professionals providing the service? said David ODoherty, executive director of the Nebraska Dental Association, in an email.

The relative value of Medicaid services are assessed every year by the federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Then, Nebraskas Medicaid program, run by DHHS, sets its rates to fit the assessment and budget allocated by the Nebraska Legislature.

As a public service, funded by the state, those rates are limited by the appropriation from the Legislature, said Collin Spilinek, a DHHS spokesperson, in a statement. As a result, there is only so much that Medicaid can do to address this concern directly.

The Nebraska Legislature has made some attempts to improve the situation for dentists, and did boost all Medicaid reimbursement rates by 3% this year  though that increase was far below what dentists say they need.

Gov. Jim Pillen issued a line-item veto to the 2023-2025 budget, holding the rates stagnant for 2024.

Meanwhile, John Morris keeps an eye on local Facebook pages for posts about dentists. People are constantly asking if anyone knows of an office accepting new Medicaid patients near North Platte or McCook. There are rarely answers.

People cant stay in business if theyre losing money every time they make a transaction, Morris said.

Every tooth was gone

Alison McAleese-Reents went to sleep on Dec. 23, 2020, with her jaw hurting. By morning, the side of her face had swelled like a balloon.

She went to Hastings Convenient Care first. The nurse sent her straight to the hospital.

My friend sent me in with her phone number pinned to my shirt because I was pretty out of it, McAleese-Reents said. I didnt realize how bad it was.

She was immediately wheeled into emergency surgery at Hastings Mary Lanning hospital. An infection had spread from one bad tooth into her jawbone. Her surgeon decided to remove all 32 teeth.

When she woke up on Christmas Eve, her mouth was empty, and her life permanently changed.

I cant even tell you what that was like to wake up to, McAleese-Reents said. Because youre groggy and I was like, whats going on? And then I start feeling around my mouth like whoa, whoa, whats this about? I thought they got the wrong patient at first.

McAleese-Reents has long lacked adequate dental care, she said, because options for Medicaid patients are limited near Hastings. Before she qualified for Medicaid, McAleese-Reents was self-employed and couldnt afford dental insurance.

You cant afford to go, and then when you qualify for Medicaid, theres nowhere to go, she said.

Patients who cant get regular dental care often rush to emergency rooms when their pain becomes severe. Some 79% of those visits would be more appropriately treated in an outpatient office, said Kelsey Arends, a health care access attorney for Nebraska Appleseed.

Preventive, consistent dental care costs far less than ER treatment, Arends said  making it less burdensome on Medicaid and American taxpayers. In-office care has other benefits, she said. There are fewer invasive oral surgeries. Fewer Nebraskans get prescribed opioids.

Benefits $750 per year

When McAleese-Reents awoke with no teeth on Christmas Eve, she immediately worried about what would come next.

How am I going to pay for dentures? McAleese-Reents said.

Nebraskas Medicaid adult dental benefits are capped at $750 per year. She worried that she wouldnt have anything left for other dental care, including dentures.

McAleese-Reents was lucky, though. Her care team at Mary Lanning Memorial Hospital contacted Smile Dental Group, who donated high-quality dentures and fitting appointments, she said.

The dentures usually for Medicaid are cheaper and theyre very thick, McAleese-Reents said. When I look at mine, Im just blown away.

A choice in November

In January, the annual $750 benefits cap will be removed, alongside other changes to the structure of Medicaids dental coverage.

We feel that this change will allow our members to receive needed care in a timely fashion and will allow appropriate compensation to the dentists with a reduced administrative burden, Spilinek said in an email.

Nebraska Medicaid is also changing reimbursements for dentures and wisdom teeth extraction to pay dentists for each step of treatment. Providers are optimistic that the changes will help more Nebraskans get dental care.

I think it will open up a lot of doors to provide more consistent treatment, Arends said. Then it can get folks into a place where theyre in more maintenance instead of, you know, expensive, initial treatment.

When open enrollment begins in November, patients will have a choice between three managed care organizations, with dental coverage integrated into the new plans.

This may help divert patients from emergency departments to community-based dentists or public health clinics  places more likely to address a dental issues root cause, Meeske said.

Patients want the new setup to make it easier to find dentists accepting new Medicaid patients. They are hoping it cuts down their pointless phone calls.

John Morris has a helpful conversation with a dentists receptionist every so often, and grows hopeful that he will find someone near Stratton to relieve Arlines pain.

But that hope then runs headlong into reality. When he calls back, the person who picks up usually knows nothing about the previous conversation, and cant help.

Starting over with each call is wearing on him, Morris said. Repeatedly asking for help is frustrating and embarrassing.

Recently, Morris called DHHS while sitting with his wife in their home 200 miles from Lincoln. He said the employee who answered repeatedly yawned into the phone.

Everybody wants to feel like theyre the only person that matters when somebodys talking to them, but obviously that just isnt possible, Morris said. Its just hard. You dont know where to turn, its hard to get answers.
For the first time since 2006, there will be a new residence hall at Creighton University in Omaha.

On Friday, 400 freshmen will move into the $37 million Graves Hall, which is named after donors Lee and Judy Graves and located along 23rd Street south of Burt Street.

The five-story hall has four floors dedicated to housing students in two-room suites that accommodate four students. Each suite has a shared bathroom. The halls on each level each feature a kitchenette as well as spaces to socialize.

The first level has space for interfaith programming, wellness, study areas and academic counseling as well as recreational space for activities such as yoga. Creightons blue and white colors adorn the halls walls.

Graves Hall is Creightons first residence hall built exclusively for freshmen since the 1960s. Creightons president, the Rev. Daniel Hendrickson, noted the halls opening comes as Creighton has enrolled more than 1,000 freshmen per year over the past decade. He added that the hall helps the university continue to offer a supportive and comfortable atmosphere to its students.

For this to be a freshman facility, we knew this will cultivate a great sense of community among themselves, Hendrickson said.

Outside, students can socialize and play in the Simpson Courtyard, which is named after donors Kathy and Jim Simpson. Courtyard amenities include artificial turf that can be converted to a volleyball court, two ping pong tables, a bocce ball court, two fire pits, an event stage and seating.

Freshman year is definitely that first time we get to make those connections with students. I think having this courtyard is a great opportunity to have lots of conversations and meet a lot of different people on campus, said Lauren Harris, a Creighton senior majoring in nursing.

Graves Hall will come with some notable infrastructure equipment. Perhaps the most notable are the VirtuHOT solar thermal collectors that heat the residence halls water.

The tube collectors, which have been placed on the halls roof, will generate about 70 kilowatt hours of thermal energy. Hendrickson said the tubes, which are produced by Naked Energy and distributed by ELM Companies, are the first of their kind to be installed on a North American facility.

Our students are really committed to issues of energy conservation and sustainability, Hendrickson said. This is really exciting to be the first institution on the continent to be able to install these.

Solar panels are also present on the hall roofs southern exposure.

Last year, Creighton tore down Gallagher Hall, which was built in 1961 and was one of the universitys oldest residence halls.

Graves Halls opening comes as Creightons profile is expanding.

The university opened a new School of Dentistry building in 2018 and is scheduled to open the $75 million, 130,000-square-foot CL Werner Center for Health Sciences Education next month. That will be followed early next year by the opening of the $17 million Jerome Nadal, S.J., Jesuit Residence.

The opening of Graves Hall is part of the universitys Forward Blue $650 million fundraising campaign. The largest fundraising campaign in the universitys 145-year history, Hendrickson said the campaign has three main components: scholarship support for students with limited financial means, academic programming to support initiatives such as research, and facility construction and improvements.

According to Creightons alumni website, $621 million has been raised so far through Forward Blue.

Close Creighton is set to open Graves Hall soon. The roof has solar panels, seen at the bottom of the photo, and VirtuHOT solar hot water on the roof at the top of the photo. Creighton University President Rev. Daniel Hendrickson talks about the VirtuHOT solar hot water that will be on the roof of the soon to open Graves Hall on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. Creighton University President Rev. Daniel Hendrickson gives a tour of a dorm room at Graves Hall on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. A dorm room at Graves Hall. Creighton University President Creighton Rev. Daniel Hendrickson talks about the VirtuHOT solar hot water that will be on the roof of the soon to open Graves Hall on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. Creighton is set to open Graves Hall soon. The roof has solar panels, seen at the bottom of the photo, and VirtuHOT solar hot water on the roof at the top of the photo. Photos: Creighton opens new freshmen residence hall Creighton is set to open Graves Hall soon. The roof has solar panels, seen at the bottom of the photo, and VirtuHOT solar hot water on the roof at the top of the photo. Creighton University President Rev. Daniel Hendrickson talks about the VirtuHOT solar hot water that will be on the roof of the soon to open Graves Hall on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. Creighton University President Rev. Daniel Hendrickson gives a tour of a dorm room at Graves Hall on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. A dorm room at Graves Hall. Creighton University President Creighton Rev. Daniel Hendrickson talks about the VirtuHOT solar hot water that will be on the roof of the soon to open Graves Hall on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. Creighton is set to open Graves Hall soon. The roof has solar panels, seen at the bottom of the photo, and VirtuHOT solar hot water on the roof at the top of the photo.
Bail is now $250,000 for a 31-year-old La Crosse woman accused in the death of 6-year-old Alexavier Pedrin.

Judge Elliott Levine lowered Josie Dikemans bail from $1 million during a bond hearing Monday in La Crosse County Circuit Court.

Dikeman faces felony charges of first-degree intentional homicide, chronic child neglect resulting in a childs death and repeated physical abuse of a child.

Alexavier was found dead Feb. 11 at Dikemans town of Medary residence. She was arrested May 22 and has been held in the La Crosse County Jail ever since. A pathologist determined that Alexavier died of blunt force trauma, and the criminal complaint says the child had suffered a broken femur three weeks before his death.

Dikemans defense attorney, Chris Zachar, acknowledged roughly a dozen people in the courtroom expressing their support for Alexavier and wearing Justice for Alexavier T-shirts but said Dikeman is still entitled to presumption of innocence.

Im not blind, Zachar said. I see the protestors in this courtroom. I see the signs.

Zachar described the case against Dikeman as circumstantial and raised the possibility that someone else caused Alexaviers death. Zachar said Dikeman isnt a flight risk and that she chose to stay put during the four months between Alexaviers death and her arrest.

Assistant District Attorney Nick Passe argued against lowering bail. He said Dikeman would pose a threat to the remaining children in the household if released.

Passe said circumstances havent changed since the original $1 million bail was imposed.

Levine ordered that Dikeman remain under house arrest with GPS monitoring if bail is posted and she is released.

Dikemans next court appearance is an Oct. 5 status conference.
Three Winona nursing homes received nearly $920,000 in new state funding Aug. 1.

The funds are part of a $173 million bipartisan agreement recently passed by the state legislature.

Lake Winona Manor, Saint Anne Extended Health Care and Sauer Health Care received $333,408, $331,400, and $255,086, respectively.

The nursing homes will receive the same amounts next year.

Linda Atkinson, administrator for senior services at Winona Health, said funding was given to each nursing home based on the number of active beds in the facility.

Lake Winona Manor is a part of the Winona Health organization.

There are restrictions on the use of these funds, and Lake Winona Manor will apply them accordingly, Atkinson said.

Nursing homes have been hit hard these last several years, and there was a great need at the Legislature this year to provide the support residents and workers required, state Rep. Gene Pelowski stated in a press release. I was proud to support this bipartisan agreement that is delivering record funding to Minnesotas nursing homes, including several in Winona.

Its not the only extra funding that local nursing homes are receiving, according to Atkinson.

She said its also an 18-month, temporary increase in the daily rate the state pays for residents who are on Medicaid. The additional amount is $12.35 per day  and there are restrictions on these dollars as well. The state of Minnesota sets the rates for long-term care facilities, and this extra funding cannot impact the calculation of this rate setting process.

Atkinson emphasized all of this funding is only short-term help.

This support is appreciated; however, it is only temporary and does not provide the ongoing support that long-term care facilities need to care for our elders who require around-the-clock skilled services in our communities, she said.

A representative from Sauer Health Care declined to comment for this story. Messages left with Saint Anne Extended Health Care were not returned.
STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL WORKING ON LAHAINA LAND TRANSACTION MORATORIUM

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said Wednesday that he has instructed state Attorney General Anne Lopez to work toward a moratorium on land transactions in the Lahaina area.

Green said he has heard of people he described as not even in real estate reaching out to ask about purchasing land owned by people in the disaster area.

My intention from start to finish is to make sure that no one is victimized from a land grab, he said. People are right now traumatized. Please do not approach them with an offer to buy their land. Do not approach their families saying theyll be much better off if they make a deal. Because were not going to allow it.

He said hed have more details by Friday and added that hed also like to see a long-term moratorium on land bought by people who are not on Maui.

GOVERNOR: DEATH TOLL RISES TO 110

Hawaii's governor on Wednesday added four more people to the list of those killed in a fire that decimated the town of Lahaina on Maui last week. Gov. Josh Green said 110 people are confirmed dead and that 38% of the disaster area has been searched.

It makes us heartbroken, Green said at a news conference.

He also said about 2,000 homes and businesses remained without electricity in the area and that those people would also be eligible for services if they are suffering without power.

WHAT TO KNOW

 What spurred the fires? Right now, its unclear; authorities say the cause is under investigation

 What is the status of the fires? The county says the fire in centuries-old Lahaina has been 85% contained, while another blaze known as the Upcountry fire has been around 60% contained

 How does the loss of life confirmed so far compare with other U.S. fires? For now, it is the countrys deadliest fire in more than 100 years, with officials saying more than 100 people are dead, but the governor says scores of more bodies could be found

 How are search efforts going? The police chief said Monday that crews using cadaver dogs have scoured at least 30% of the search area, with five bodies identified so far

 Why did the fire cause so much destruction so quickly? The governor says the flames on Maui were fueled by dry grass and propelled by strong winds from a passing hurricane, and raced as fast as a mile (1.6 kilometers) every minute in one area

 Did emergency notification services work? Officials failed to activate sirens and instead relied on a series of sometimes confusing social media posts; meanwhile, residents faced power and cellular outages

 An electric utility is facing criticism and a lawsuit for not shutting off the power amid high wind warnings and as dozens of poles began to topple; in what may have been one of multiple ignition sources, a video shows a cable dangling in a charred patch of grass, surrounded by flames

TWO MEXICAN CITIZENS DIED FROM FIRES

The Mexican foreign ministry said it has confirmed that two people of Mexican nationality died as a result of the wildfires.

Personnel from the Mexican Consulate in San Francisco are on Maui and are in contact with the families of the deceased to provide assistance to them, the foreign ministry said in a statement. No details were immediately available, including whether the victims were tourists or among the many foreign workers in Lahaina.

The consulate in San Francisco did not immediately respond to a request for details.

FEMA OPENS FIRST DISASTER RECOVERY CENTER

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has opened its first disaster recovery center on Maui to help victims of the Lahaina wildfires.

The agency is also sending in more dogs to help with search and recovery.

Deanne Criswell, the FEMA administrator, on Wednesday called the centers opening an important first step.

The centers are temporary places where people can get information about assistance from multiple federal agencies, not just FEMA. They also can get their questions answered and get updates on the status of their aid applications.

The number of canine search teams will be increased to more than 40 because of the difficulty of the search and recovery operation. The dogs need to rest frequently because of the terrain and the heat.

Criswell answered questions from reporters at the White House after she briefed President Joe Biden in the Oval Office. Biden spoke by telephone with Gov. Josh Green during their meeting, she said.

Criswell will accompany Biden to Maui on Monday when he travels there to survey the damage. She said Biden will bring hope.

People can apply for assistance by going to disasterassistance.gov or calling 1-800-621-FEMA.

MAUI SCHOOLS BEGIN TO REOPEN

Most public schools on Hawaiis second-largest island have begun to reopen this week, starting with staff reporting for duty, according to the states department of education. But several schools are still being assessed to make sure they are safe for students and teachers, with crews cleaning debris and testing both air and water quality.

Hawaii Department of Education superintendent Keith Hayashi visited three campuses in Lahaina on Monday, which remain closed after sustaining wind damage. Officials will determine reopening dates for those schools once they are confirmed safe.

Theres still a lot of work to do, but overall, the campuses and classrooms are in good condition structurally, which is encouraging, Hayashi said in a video update. We know the recovery effort is still in the early stages, and we continue to grieve the many lives lost.

If they are ready and able, Lahaina students may enroll in nearby schools so they have access to in-person services like meals, socialization and counseling, Hayashi said.

Schools in Central, South and Upcountry Maui and a few off-island schools have already begun enrolling displaced students. The Department says it is also offering both in-person and telehealth counseling for students, family and staff.

BIDENS TO VISIT MAUI NEXT WEEK

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Maui next week in the aftermath of the deadliest wildfires in the U.S. in more than a century, the White House announced Wednesday.

The Bidens will meet Monday with survivors of the fires, as well as first responders and other government officials. They will see firsthand the impacts of the wildfires and the devastating loss of life and land that has occurred on the island, as well as discuss the next steps in the recovery effort, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement Wednesday.

Biden and White House officials have signaled for days that a presidential visit was in the works as long as it would not disrupt search and recovery efforts. Hawaii Gov. Josh Green has informed the White House that Bidens visit early next week should be fine.

GOVERNOR OPENS MAIN ROAD FOR LIMITED HOURS

Gov. Josh Green opened a main road so drivers can travel east to west on Maui during limited hours as of Wednesday.

We will have, of course, our National Guard responsible on the side of the road so that no one goes into the impact zone, where teams are still searching for fatalities following last weeks wildfires, Green said on ABCs Good Morning America.

What I can tell you is people are holding up, he said, adding, Were just grateful for everyones outpouring of support. And though the workload is extraordinary and our hearts are broken, we will get through it. We just are still kind of in the thick of doing recovery.

2 VICTIMS OF LAHAINA WILDFIRE IDENTIFIED AS THE DEATH TOLL RISES TO 106

Maui County released the names of two people killed in the wildfire that all but incinerated the historic town of Lahaina Tuesday evening, as the death toll rose to 106.

A mobile morgue unit arrived Tuesday to help Hawaii officials working painstakingly to identify remains, as teams intensified the search for more dead in neighborhoods reduced to ash.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services deployed a team of coroners, pathologists and technicians along with exam tables, X-ray units and other equipment to identify victims and process remains, said Jonathan Greene, the agencys deputy assistant secretary for response.

Its going to be a very, very difficult mission, Greene said. And patience will be incredibly important because of the number of victims.

The county said in a statement Lahaina residents Robert Dyckman, 74, and Buddy Jantoc, 79 were among the dead, the first people so named. A further three victims have been identified, the county wrote, and their names will be released once the county has identified their next of kin.

GOVERNOR: DEATH TOLL RISES TO AT LEAST 101

The blaze that burned through the town of Lahaina on Maui last week has killed at least 101 people, Hawaiis governor said Tuesday, as recovery efforts continue.

We are heartsick that weve had such loss," Gov. Josh Green said during a news conference Tuesday.

Green had said earlier Tuesday during an appearance on Hawaii News Now that children are among the victims of the fires.

The fire is the deadliest in the U.S. in the past century. It has surpassed the toll of the 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California, which left 85 dead.

A century earlier, the 1918 Cloquet Fire broke out in drought-stricken northern Minnesota and raced through a number of rural communities, killing hundreds and destroying thousands of homes.

LAHAINA FIRE CAUSED ABOUT $3.2 BILLION IN INSURED PROPERTY LOSSES, RISK COMPANY SAYS

The Lahaina fire caused about $3.2 billion in insured property losses, calculated Karen Clark & Company, a prominent disaster and risk modeling company. That doesnt count damage to property not insured.

The risk firm said more than 2,200 buildings were damaged or destroyed by fire with a total of more than 3,000 buildings damaged by fire or smoke or both. Because so many of the buildings were wood frame and older, the damage rates were higher than other fires, the firm said.

HAWAII NATIONAL GUARD ACTIVATES HUNDREDS TO HELP RESPOND TO FIRES

The Hawaii National Guard has activated about 258 Army National Guard and Air National Guard personnel to help respond to the fires.

Guard members will offer support to the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency and local law enforcement agencies and help with command and control efforts, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Tuesday.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is helping with debris removal and temporary power. The Corps has deployed 27 personnel  active duty and civilians  and 41 contractor personnel.

The U.S. Coast Guard has shifted its focus to minimizing maritime environmental impacts but is still ready to help individuals in the water.

Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team Honolulu and the Coast Guard National Strike Force have established a safety zone extending one nautical mile seaward from the shoreline.

The have also deployed pollution response teams and equipment, including a 100-foot boom at the mouth of Blaina Harbor to contain any potentially hazardous contaminants and material. There are about 140 Coast Guard members aiding the response effort.

Singh said she doesnt know how many active-duty troops have responded, but said that active-duty forces will be part of the ongoing effort.
Lighting Up Central Africa by 2030

Aug. 14, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)Africa has some of the lowest rates of electrification in the world. In Niger only 3% of its population has access to electricity; Chad 9%; Liberia 11%; Burkina Faso, 20%; Mauritania 30%; Mali 40%; and most others have between 40 and 60%. Only the population of South Africa has 95% access to electricity. A total of 580 million Africans lack electricity, according to the International Energy Organization. The worst-affected countries are in Central Africa.

A memorandum of understanding was signed at the meeting of the Central Africa Business Forum (CABEF) to make the Central Africa region an energy poverty free zone by 2030. The signers included the African Petroleum Producers Organization (APPO), Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Gabon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo (D.R.C.), the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), and Africas second major oil producer, Angola. Their idea is to create a Central African Pipeline System, which, instead of exporting energy to Europe and the West, where most of the revenues go to pay off foreign debt, would distribute it throughout Central Africa. The project would include the construction of gas-fired power stations, refineries, and gas-liquefaction plants. The energy generation would bring power to homes, businesses, and new industries, including processing resources such as iron ore, bauxite, and copper, which are now exported without any processing. The plan would entail laying 6,500 km of new pipeline, initially, across all central countries.

In Central Africa alone there are reserves of oil estimated at more than 31 billion barrels with five of the ten African oil producers located in the region: Gabon, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Chad, and Angola. There is significant involvement of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) in many of the countries in the region.

Equatorial Guineas Minister of Mines and Hydrocarbons Gabriel Mbaga Obiang Lima laid out a timeline for the project during a meeting organized by the African Energy Chambers at the end of last year. His country and Cameroon are working on the first phase, which will connect through Chad.

The D.R.C. would connect through Angola and Central Africa, as they are already providing products through that direction. Congo-Brazzaville is developing an FPSO [floating production storage and offloading] for liquefied natural gas, which in the future, will need to be connected with a pipeline.

In a clearly related development, Chad passed legislation last March to nationalize the countrys hydro-carbon sector, after ExxonMobil pulled out of the country. While the company had sold its concession to the London-based Sahara Energy for over $400 million, the deal was deemed illegal by the Chad government, which has threatened to expropriate these assets.

The plan is initially concerned with Central Africa, but it will without doubt serve as an example for other hydro-carbon producers, such as Niger, which could join the projects. Another example is Egypt, a significant gas producer, which in 2018 had already implemented a similar policy under which Germanys Siemens had completed the construction of the worlds largest combined-cycle gas-fired power station, generating no less than 14.5 GW. Built in a record 30 months, the plant increased Egypts installed capacity by more than 50%.

The Central African Pipeline threatens to overturn the European Unions policy of so-called energy independence from Russia and their fantasies of turning Africa into a source for its proclaimed green energy at the expense of African industrial development, a key component of the murderous climate-change policy.

Naturally, the environmentalists have attacked the plan, including the South Africa-based Africa Climate Foundation, which in the last year alone has received $6.5 million from the Rockefeller Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR TUESDAY AUGUST 15, 2023

As Institutions Lose Legitimacy, What Will Replace Them?

Aug. 14, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)To what institutions, to what authorities can people of the world turn to seek redress of injustice, to discuss development, to achieve progress?

To the World Bank or International Monetary Fund? Not if you value your sovereignty and dont want to drive up national debt on green energy hoaxes, ill-suited to power a national grid.

To the United States? Not today. The U.S. offers lectures and security entanglements that make nations less secure. Have the efforts to induce Ukraine into NATO served that country well?

To the United Nations? It is the only truly global forum for international discussion, and in that respect plays an important and presently unique role. But did the UN Security Council prevent the United States from its British-induced war in Iraq, which has left hundreds of thousands dead and harmed millions? Did the International Criminal Court take on the liars who created that war, such as Tony Blair and George W. Bush? Can it be taken seriously today when it issues an arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin?

Who will defend the survival of mankind, faced with the entirely unnecessary, insane, but nonetheless looming threat of Anglo-American NATO-led nuclear war on the two fronts of Russia and China?

A mandate exists for new, or revived institutions, capable of addressing the worlds needs and of securing a peace of development, through a new security and development architecture.

In what guise will this new leadership emerge?

The expanding Shanghai Cooperation Organization? The expanding BRICS? The China-assisted diplomacy that led to a renewal of ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran? The shifting political terrain in the Sahel region?

These new foci of discussion and decision-making give ample reason for optimism.

The completion of the Algerian East-West Highway, the commitments made at the Central Africa Business Forum to make Central Africa an energy-poverty-free zone by 2030, the upcoming lunar landings by Russia and Indiathese achievements and intentions represent what should be the weekly lived norm of civilized humanity: growth, development, knowledge, and peace.

But the hard work of changing Anglo-American NATOthrough an international effortcannot be avoided.

Some are so self-blinded that they cannot see the beautiful future that is the true destiny of our beautiful species; their meager sense of self-interest is that of preventing the growth of others, like the Zeus of Aeschylus, or like a playground bully. Hell-bent on destroying Russias sovereignty and Chinas growth, Anglo-American-led NATO sets the world on a hell-bound course of war, economic misery, and ugliness. If this fiercely suicidal intent is not arrested, all that humanity has toiled for, all the beauty we have created, may be lost in the inferno of global nuclear war.

Lyndon LaRouche and the LaRouche movement have been committed for over half a century to achieving the paradigm shift that is now more possible than ever.
The number of people entering the hospital with COVID-19 has increased in the United States since early July. The increase is similar to the past three summers but with far fewer cases than before.

With an updated vaccine still months away, experts worry this summers increase in hospitalizations could become a bigger problem.

How bad is the increase?

For the week ending July 29, COVID-19 hospital admissions were at 9,056. That is an increase of about 12 percent from the week before. But it is a lot less than the former high points. For example, there were 44,000 weekly hospital admissions in early January, nearly 45,000 in late July 2022, and 150,000 when the Omicron subvariant spread in January 2022.

Dr. David Dowdy is an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He said it is increasing a little, but it is not something to be overly concerned about.

It is likely that infections are rising too, but data is lacking. Federal officials ended the public health emergency in May. That means that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and many states no longer follow the number of positive test results.

Since early June, about 500 to 600 people have died each week. The number of deaths appears to be unchanging this summer. But past increases in deaths usually follow behind hospitalizations.

How are we following the virus?

The amount of the COVID-19 virus in wastewater has been rising since late June across the U.S. In the coming weeks, health officials say they will look closely at wastewater levels. People will be returning from summer travel and students will be going back to school then.

Cristin Young is an infectious disease expert at Biobot Analytics. The CDC uses Biobot Analytics to study wastewater. She said researchers are finding higher levels of COVID-19 in wastewater in the Northeast and South.

Its important to remember right now the concentrations are still fairly low, Young said. She noted that it is about 2.5 times lower than last summer.

There is not one kind of variant that appears much more than others. But there is a higher number of cases from one kind of Omicron variant  EG.5. Some are calling this variant eris but scientists are not using that name.

There are a couple that were watching, but were not seeing anything like Delta or Omicron, Young said, talking about former variants that caused high increases in COVID cases. And genetic changes to the virus that happen naturally do not necessarily make it more dangerous.

Just because we have a new subvariant doesnt mean that we are destined to have an increase in bad outcomes, Dowdy said.

When is the new vaccine coming?

This autumn, officials expect to see updated COVID-19 vaccines that contain the Omicron variant XBB.1.5. It is an important change from todays combination shots. They mix the original coronavirus with last years most common Omicron variants.

It is not clear when people can expect what officials hope is a yearly COVID-19 vaccine in autumn. Drug makers Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax are all creating vaccines with the XBB update. But the Food and Drug Administration will have to approve the shots. And the CDC must then issue suggestions on their use.

Dr. Mandy Cohen is the new CDC director. She said she expects people will get their COVID-19 vaccines where they get their vaccines for another infectious disease, the flu. She expects people will get vaccines at places like work or drug stores, rather than places that were set up just for COVID-19 vaccinations. Those places were set up early in the pandemic as part of the emergency measure.

This is going to be our first fall and winter season coming out of the public health emergency, and I think we are all recognizing that we are living with COVID, flu, and RSV, Cohen told The Associated Press last week. Respiratory Syncytial Virus, or RSV, is another infectious disease. But the good news is we have more tools than ever before.

Im Caty Weaver. And Im Gregory Stachel.

Carla K. Johnson reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English.

Quiz - COVID-19 Hospitalizations in the US Are Increasing Again Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

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Words in This Story

update  v. to make (something) more modern

admission  n. the act or process of accepting a patient in a hospital for treatment

positive  adj. showing the presence of a particular germ, condition, or substance

concentration  n. the amount of an ingredient in a mixture

destined  adj. certain to do or to be something

original  adj. happening or existing first or at the beginning

fall  n. autumn

___________________________________________________

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Hawaiis Governor Joshua Green told U.S. broadcaster CBS that the number of dead from wildfires on the island of Maui will continue to grow over the next week.

Green said the search for bodies and survivors will take at least 10 days and it is impossible to guess how many people died. He said he expects crews will find 10 to 20 bodies each day.

We are prepared for many tragic stories, Green said.

At least 96 people died when a fire spread through the town of Lahaina on Maui last Tuesday. Officials said the fires moved nearly two kilometers per minute.

Searching for bodies

It is the deadliest natural disaster in Hawaii since a huge ocean wave killed 61 people in 1960. It will be the costliest disaster since a hurricane in 1992. Green estimated the damage to be $5.6 billion.

The National Fire Protection Association said the fires on Maui caused the most deaths from a wildfire in the U.S. since 1918 when over 450 died in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Firefighters were still trying to contain small fires over the weekend. Dogs trained to look for human remains helped people search the burned Lahaina area. The town was home to about 13,000 people.

Theyre going street by street, block by block, said Jeff Hickman, of the Hawaii Department of Defense.

Officials have said the area might be unsafe for some time. The fire might have released dangerous gases and made water undrinkable. People who cannot return home, or those whose homes have burned, will live in hotels and rental homes.

Searching for a cause

Green said officials are investigating the cause of the fire. They also want to know why safety officials failed to activate some emergency signals.

Green said dry weather and winds from a hurricane caused the fire to move quickly.

Those in the area said they had little warning about the danger. They said the fire surrounded their homes in minutes. Some people jumped into the ocean to escape.

The fire damaged power lines and reduced mobile phone service, so some people did not get messages that the fire was getting close. Warning sirens placed around the island that are supposed to turn on in case of a disaster did not turn on.

Well know soon whether or not they did enough to get those sirens going, Green told the broadcaster MSNBC.



Searching for comfort

Some people went to a Catholic church or attended other religious services over the weekend.

Akanesi Vaa was at a church. She said she and her family left their car and climbed a fence to get to a safe place.

I think a lot of us needed to hear todays message, she said. All these ashes are going to turn into beauty. I know Lahaina will come back ten times stronger.

Scott Landis is a Christian church leader in Makena. He said about 100 people attended his services  twice the usual number.

You could tell people were here, looking for a word of hope, he said. Many, he added, did not know the location of friends and family.

Asking for help

Some people sent messages on social media services such as Instagram asking people to look for relatives.

People are being found alive and severely disoriented due to what they have gone through, wrote Heather Baylosis on Saturday. She was looking for the parents of her partner.

Famous television star Oprah Winfrey lives on Maui part of the year. She brought supplies such as towels, water and personal washing products to those who were staying in a shelter. She warned that, in time, the people documenting the disaster will leave and the story will no longer be in newspapers and on television.

But were all still going to be here trying to figure out what is the best way to rebuild, Winfrey said.

J.P. Mayoga is helping, too. He works as a cook at a large hotel. Now, he is making meals for 200 hotel employees and their family members who have been living there since Tuesday.

He said it is good that the co-workers can be together.

Everybody has their story, and everybody has lost somethingAnd they understand whats going on in each others lives.

Im Dan Friedell.

Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by Reuters and the Associated Press.

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Words in This Story

block n. an area of land in a city that is bordered by streets

rental adj. property, such as a home, that is offered for use for a temporary period for a cost called rent

siren n. a device that makes a very loud noise that is meant to warn people of danger

location n. the place where something is

disoriented adj. to become unable to understand what is happening around you

figure out v. (phrasal) to come to understand or to find something out by thinking

We want to hear from you. How do you feel about the people in Maui now that you know more about what happened last week?
A mountain guide who recently climbed the worlds 14 tallest mountains in record time has set a new goal for himself. Tenjen Sherpa of Nepal says he now wants to become the youngest person to climb all the peaks twice.

Last month, the 35-year-old Tenjen and 37year-old Norwegian Kristin Harila, broke the record for the fastest climb of the mountains. All of the peaks are above 8,000 meters. The two reached the final mountaintop, K2, in 92 days. It was very speedy. The record they broke was set at 189 days.

Now, Tenjen is preparing for his new goal. He said he hopes to start by climbing Mount Shishapangma in China in the next two months. I have already done (it) once and I want to double it, he told the Associated Press.

Only person has climbed all 14 peaks twice. Forty-eight-year-old Sanu Sherpa completed his second climb of the mountains last year.

Tenjen has already climbed seven of the mountains twice. He hopes to climb the remaining seven by next spring.

Tenjen climbed the first of these mountains in 2016, when he reached the top of Mount Dhaulagiri in Nepal. He has since made several similar climbs every year, including four trips to Mount Everest.

He and his three brothers set a record as the most siblings to have climbed Mount Kanchenjunga. Kanchenjunga is the worlds third-tallest mountain, behind Mount Everest and K2.

Tenjen started working as a mountain guide to support his family. However, in April, the Kathmandu company Seven Summits Treks hired Tenjen to join Harilas trip to Mount Shishapangma. Harila and Tenjen then climbed the rest of the mountains together.

It was my good luck and (I) was fortunate to be with her in the team, Tenjen said to the Associated Press.

Tenjen plans to climb Shishapangma for the second time later this fall. He plans on carrying with him pictures of a brother who died. Shishapangma was the only one of the 14 tallest mountains that this brother had not climbed. Tenjen says he will bury the images on the mountaintop.

Tenjen told the AP that Sherpas do not get enough government recognition for their hard work.

It is not possible to just continue climbing mountains as you grow older, so what else is there than to think of migrating abroad, Tenjen pointed out.

Tenjen never attended school growing up. He has difficulty reading and writing. But, living in Kathmandu, Nepals capital, his children are able to get an education. Tenjen thinks, though, that since more children will be growing up in cities in the future, they will not have the skills to become Sherpas.

Im Dominic Varela.

The Associated Press reported this story. Dominic Varela adapted the report for VOA Learning English.

____________________________________________________

Words in This Story

sibling  n. one of two or more individuals having one common parent

fortunate  adj. lucky

abroad  adv. beyond the borders of one's country

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Lancaster County Sheriff's deputies who stopped an Omaha man's car in a random traffic stop Thursday morning found a woman being held against her will in the passenger seat, the sheriff alleged.

A deputy stopped Chavonni Woods' car near Northwest 48th Street and U.S. 34, just north of Lincoln's city limit, at around 10:45 a.m. Thursday after deputies ran Woods' expired plates and found he had a warrant out for his arrest, Sheriff Terry Wagner said.

When deputies approached the car, a woman in the passenger seat handed over an envelope thought to be the vehicle's paperwork  but first scrawled a message to deputies: that she was being held against her will, Wagner said.

Woods, 23, grabbed the woman's phone and broke it after realizing she had relayed the message, Wagner said. Deputies arrested him on suspicion of first-degree false imprisonment, terroristic threats and domestic assault, in addition to the Omaha warrant out for his arrest.

Wagner said Woods had driven the woman, his longtime girlfriend, from Omaha to Council Bluffs that morning at her request, but instead of taking her home afterwards, continued on to Lincoln against her will.

The woman called 911 in Sarpy County, Wagner said, but deputies didn't know that when they stopped Woods' car north of Lincoln.

"She's been trying to break up with him, but he has taken all sorts of steps to prevent that from happening," Wagner said, adding that Woods planned to take the woman to his mother's house in Lincoln.

The woman had marks on her body thought to have been caused by domestic abuse at the hands of Woods, the sheriff alleged. And the 23-year-old had threatened to shoot the woman and himself with a gun he claimed was in the car, Wagner said.

Deputies never found a firearm.

Woods was taken to the Lancaster County jail.

Photos: First day of practice for the 2023 Nebraska volleyball team
Kristen Eichensehr (University of Virginia School of Law) & Oona A. Hathaway (Yale University - Law School) have posted Major Questions about International Agreements (University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Vol. 172, Forthcoming) on SSRN. Here is the abstract:

The Supreme Courts recent expansion of the major questions doctrine has rocked administrative law, throwing into doubt executive agencies statutory authority for numerous regulations. Some justices have suggested that they want to go further and reinvigorate the non-delegation doctrine as a constitutional limit on Congresss authority to delegate power to the executive branch. This Article is the first to consider how these developments might put at risk the United States international commitments.

The Article first identifies the role of congressional delegations to the executive branch with respect to the formation and implementation of ex ante congressional-executive agreements, executive agreements pursuant to treaties, sole executive agreements, and non-binding agreements, and it explains how the Supreme Courts recent decisions might spark challenges to the agreements themselves or to the executives authority to implement them.

Turning from the diagnostic to the prescriptive, the Article takes the Supreme Courts recent cases as a given (problematic though they are) and argues that delegations involving international agreements differ from purely domestically focused delegations in material ways that counsel against applying the major questions doctrine or non-delegation doctrines to them. In particular, the existence of foreign state counterparties with whom the executive must negotiate means that Congress cannot simply direct the executive branch on international agreements with the same specificity that it can in domestically focused legislation. Moreover, declaring an existing international agreement or its implementing legislation invalid based on a domestic statutory interpretation doctrine risks causing the United States to violate international law, as well as suffer harm to its reputation as a reliable agreement partner. Treating international agreement-related delegations identically to domestically focused ones would also run counter to long-standing historical gloss from the Supreme Court itself that treats foreign relations-related issues in exceptional ways.

After arguing against using the major questions and non-delegation doctrines to police delegations related to international agreements, the Article proposes steps that the courts, Congress, and the executive branch can each take to ensure that existing and future international agreements are well-grounded in constitutional and statutory law.

Highly recommended.
Controversial horse rider Harvey Smith has been stripped of his 2,000 winnings and a major show jumping title for allegedly making a rude gesture.

Mr Smith was seen to make a two-fingered V-sign in the direction of the judges after winning the British Show Jumping Derby.

The rider has protested his innocence, claiming the judges mistook his gesture.

It was a straightforward V for victory. Churchill used it throughout the war, Smith said.

Both signs are made using an upwards motion with the first two fingers extended.

However the victory sign is made with the palm outwards and the obscene gesture with palm inwards.

The judges said that HarveySmith was clearly seen to make the latter gesture towards them.

Known as Heathcliff on horseback Harvey Smith is credited with bringing show jumping to a mass audience.

His rebellious attitude has made Smith  the son of a Yorkshire builder  the scourge of the genteel show jumping world but endeared him to the public.

Since taking up the event in the late 1950s he has frequently clashed with the sports administrators and event judges.

Smith is said to have had heated words with one judge, Douglas Bunn, on the morning of the competition at Hickstead in West Sussex in southern England.

He arrived without the winners trophy which he took home after his victory last year.

The rider said he had forgotten it but critics claimed it was because he arrogantly assumed he would be taking it home again.

The trophy arrived from his home in Yorkshire, northern England, just in time for it to be presented to him once more.

Courtesy BBC News

In context

Amid huge publicity and public backing for the rider, Harvey Smiths disqualification was reversed two days later.

However he was later to admit in interviews that he was making an obscene sign at the judges.

The infamous gesture won him an entry in the Chambers dictionary which defined a Harvey Smith as a V-sign with the palm inwards, signifying derision and contempt.

Harvey Smith competed for Britain in three Olympic games but never won a medal.

However, he won the British Jumping Derby a record seven times.

After retiring from show jumping Harvey Smith became a trainer.
Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu is visiting Russia and Belarus in a show of support for those nations which the West has sought to isolate over Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Li departed yesterday on the six-day trip, during which he will deliver an address at the Moscow Conference on International Security and meet with defense leaders from Russia and other nations, the Defense Ministry said on its social media account, citing spokesperson Col. Wu Qian.

Russian Foreign Ministry Sergey Lavrov is due to speak at the conference on the topic of the Majority World countries search for ways to development outside Western mechanisms, including strengthening multilateral associations of a new type, Russias official TASS news agency reported.

It said representatives from about 100 countries and eight international organizations had been invited to attend.

The would discuss various aspects of security in the conditions of the establishment of a multipolar world order, ways to restore constructive international cooperation in the context of aggressive claims by Euro-Atlantic elites for world domination, it said, quoting the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson as saying.

Lis attendance underscores the drive by China and Russia to align their foreign policies in a bid to undermine the Western-led liberal-democratic world order, despite their economic and reputational costs.

That will be followed by a visit to close Russian ally Belarus, whose territory was partly used to stage last years invasion. While there, he will hold meetings and talks with Belarussian state and military leaders and visit military facilities, the ministry said.

China claims to be neutral in the conflict, but has accused the U.S. and its allies of provoking Russia and has maintained robust economic, diplomatic and trade ties with Moscow.

China has reliably backed Russia in opposing U.S. condemnation of the Ukraine invasion in international forums, but says it wont provide arms to either side in the war.

Li, who is barred from visiting the U.S. over arms sales he oversaw with Russia, visited Russia just last month to reaffirm military relations in the first formal military talks between the friendly neighbors since a short-lived mutiny by Russian mercenary group Wagner.

Last month also saw a pair of Russian navy ships visit China and hold a series of joint drills.

In contrast to his close ties with Russia, Li has shunned all contact with his U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin, turning down a meeting with him at a recent forum in Singapore and refusing to take his phone call following the recent shooting down of a suspected Chinese spy balloon that has crossed the continental U.S.

Thats believed to be an outcome of the U.S. sanctions against him, the balloon incident, U.S. support for self-governing Taiwan that China claims as its own territory, disputes over Chinas actions in the South China Sea and an ongoing row over trade and technology. MDT/AP
Threads, the simple, bare-bones text-based social network created by Facebook owner Meta, burst onto the scene during a particularly bad week for the rival then still known as Twitter. It quickly amassed 100 million signups  a huge feat for a newcomer in the space  and was dubbed as a Twitter killer.

By week two, though, signups began to drop off. As of Aug. 7, the number of people who used Threads daily hovered around 10 million on Android phones, down from 49 million when it launched a month earlier, according to research firm SimilarWeb. Is Mark Zuckerbergs latest venture just a flash in the pan? That depends on whether it can hold its own against its biggest rival. And no, thats not X, the former Twitter. Its TikTok. And the odds are not great.

Mark Zuckerberg may have temporarily been distracted in his sparring with Elon Musk, but the real battle for Meta is with TikTok, said Insider Intelligence analyst Jasmine Enberg. And Zuckerberg still really needs to watch his back.

Its true that before TikTok took over the role of digital town square and originator of trends, Enberg noted, the role was held by Twitter. But many of the biggest trends now come from people who came of age in the TikTok era  Gen Z and even younger kids and teens. And just as with stodgy Facebook, Twitter usage is also declining among teens, according to data from the Pew Research Center. As such, text-based social media platform may not be all that appealing to the TikTok generation, where dances, makeup tips, outlandish recipes  not to mention the whole idea of de-influencers  spread via videos rather than the written word.

Regardless of format, though, Threads biggest challenge is being able to find a unique identity outside of being a Twitter alternative and outside of the expansion of Instagram, Enberg said.

For now, its not clear it has one. The app amassed a massive initial user base, including well known celebrities and brands, precisely because it is an expansion of Instagram. To sign up for Threads, you need an Instagram account, and its easy to toggle back and forth between the two. Instagram has well over a billion users (by some estimates closer to 2 billion), and the app has been luring users to Threads with notifications to join their friends there.

The question is, what to do once youre on? So far, Threads user base is similar to that of Instagram, and prominent accounts are predictable  celebrities, politicians, news organizations, influencers and the like. Its harder to find original posts from regular people, unless your the Instagram connections you ported over happen to be a chatty  or thready  bunch. If you sign up without connecting a well-used Instagram account, by creating one just so you can join Threads, the experience can feel impersonal and sterile as the app steers you to follow big, popular accounts that everyone else follows, too.

Zuckerberg, in a recent conference call, said hes optimistic about Threads but acknowledged theres a lot of work to do to make it reach its full potential. MDT/AP
Oxfam will hold a fundraising event at the Macau Tower in late October to raise funds for the victims of the drought in East Africa, who are facing a food crisis. Oxfam expects to raise some MOP600,000 to MOP700,000. In a press conference, it was announced that the participants for the Oxfam TowerRun, which will be held on Oct. 22, will take on the challenge of running up 1,298 steps from the ground floor of the tower to the adventure deck on the 61st floor. There will be participants from Hong Kong and also international runners. In previous years more than 600 people participated, and organizers are expecting a record breaking number of applicants this year.

Related
Ro built its name online by offering discreet help for problems like erectile dysfunction. Now it wants to tackle an issue many people are talking about: obesity.

The care provider formerly known as Roman launched its body program earlier this year. The subscription service aims to guide customers through weight loss with help from doctors, nurses and the latest obesity treatments. Its a popular topic, with Ro competitor Hims & Hers planning a similar program.

Ro also offers subscription services to help people grow longer eyelashes or curb excessive sweating. It also provides skin care, fertility testing and hair-loss treatments, among other services.

Zach Reitano co-founded the privately held company in 2017. The 32-year-old CEO spoke recently with The Associated Press about how his company has since branched out. The conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

 Your body program costs $145 a month after the first month. Why charge monthly fees?

Reitano  The fee is everything that patient needs to receive high-quality obesity care. That is one thing desperately missing from health care  a simple and transparent business model where patients know how much theyre going to pay, when theyre going to be charged and what services theyre going to receive.

 What are the next care areas primed for Ros approach?

Reitano  (Obesity) is upstream of a lot of other underlying chronic diseases. We might start a relationship with a patient where they want to lose weight. But what weve seen is they also care about the overall improvement in their cardio-metabolic health.

 Youre selling treatments for longer eyelashes. How can patients take Ro seriously for medical problems like obesity?

Reitano  We dont judge what is most important to a patient. We simply want to be there when that is their concern that day. The same person who might want longer eyelashes, they might also struggle with weight. Once they see us solve one health care goal for them  that encourages them to start another.

 Telemedicine grew popular in the pandemic. Will the enthusiasm last?

Reitano  I definitely believe so. People should not view telemedicine as a replacement, but rather a complement, to in-person care. It is one tool that can be used to increase access, reduce costs and increase convenience.

 Youre an entrepreneur. Youve sold burritos and parking spaces and started other businesses. What does not work?

Reitano  An endless list of things. It is most important that people want what youre building. Thats why we build a lot of the products and services that might be highly stigmatized and other people might not view as nearly as important. But if youre impacted by one of them, you view it as deeply important. TOM MURPHY, MDT/AP
One camper, from Oakland, California, has a white Jewish mother and a father who is Black and Muslim. Another was adopted in Uganda by a white Jewish woman; they now live in Montana.

Like many of the young people who shared challenges and adventures with them this summer, they grew up often feeling like outliers  and then found a near-magical comfort zone at Camp Bechol Lashon in the rolling hills of Californias Marin County. Its founders say its the only sleepaway summer camp specifically serving Jewish children of color, creating a safe space for candid conversations on race and identity.

Isaac Harrison, the 10-year-old from Oakland, went to a traditional Jewish summer camp last year and said he was bullied by some campers for being Black.

There were no kids of color there, he said, Some kids kept saying that you cant be both Black and Jewish. They said that you cant be two things. They were just being really mean, but here no ones mean like that.

Isaacs mother, Jennifer Harrison, was relieved to find Camp Bechol Lashon.

If camp this summer didnt work out, we were going to be done with Jewish camps, she said. My child was suffering.

Over the past 14 years the camp has offered children like Isaac a haven where they dont have to explain their identity or downplay a part of who they are. It functions as an extended family for campers who are often the only Jewish child of color in their hometown or treated more as a curiosity than a full-fledged member of Jewish or Black communities.

Most Black Americans identify as Christian. Several of the campers recalled uncomfortable encounters with Christians trying to proselytize them.

If its just Black people and you say that youre Jewish, they just dont get it, says Baileigh Davis, 11, of Houston, who is the third generation of Black Jews in her family.

The U.S. Jewish population remains overwhelmingly homogenous in its racial makeup, with 92% of adults identifying as white, according to a 2020 Pew Research Center survey. But there are signs the nations Jews are becoming more diverse, especially among younger generations. Compared to 8% of all Jewish adults, 15% of those ages 18 to 29 identified with a nonwhite category.

At the camp, each morning begins with a lesson on global Jewry. For example, theres Pirate Day, when campers learn about Jews who were expelled to the Caribbean during the Spanish inquisition and found livelihoods as pirates.

Some of the campers have Jamaican heritage, including Josiah Spencer, 15, grandson of the Bechol Lashon organizations founder, Diane Tobin, and son of Sarah Weinberg, the camp director.

Its like a family and having been here makes people more comfortable when theyre not here, said Josiah, who attends a Jewish day school in San Francisco.

When the camp opens, each child gets a booklet called Passport to Peoplehood, with questions about their nationality, ethnicity and favorite foods. Asked if another language besides English is spoken at home, hands shot up  answers included Spanish, Zulu, Swahili and Bulgarian.

Although most campers this summer were from northern California, other home states included Texas, Montana and New Jersey; one came from South Africa.

We were looking for a place where (Isaac) could celebrate both of his identities, said Rashad Harrison, Isaacs father. There are very few African American spaces where Judaism is embraced.

At the end of one busy day, campers gathered in the art room, surrounded by projects like the mezuzahs and menorahs they had made at camp. That nights game was Jewpardy, with questions reflecting the diversity of Jews, including Black Jewish musicians such as Drake.

After evening smores, in the flickering light of a campfire, 8-year-old Abey Levine belted out a rendition of, When I Was Your Man by Bruno Mars. Cheering campers hoisted him atop their shoulders. Abey, short for Abraham, is white and Jewish from New Orleans; he attended camp with his brother Major, 10, who is Black and Jewish.

We searched all over the country for Jewish camps that had diversity, says their mother, Vanessa Levine.

Later that night the group gathered in a circle by the firepit, arms around one another, swaying as their voices rose together in a Hebrew prayer, asking God to watch over them.

On several days, the 60 campers ages 7 to 18 crossed a wooden drawbridge, passed grassy hillsides and reached a lake that many of them leapt into. Some tried to catch fish with homemade poles.

On Saturday mornings, the campers got to sleep in, then wore white outfits to a Shabbat service, where Sarah Weinberg led them through prayers and stressed the importance of taking care of one another.

It feels like we are all together  we are different but the same at the same time, said camper Okech Odola, 13, who lives in New Jersey. Odolas father is Ethiopian, and at camp, a half dozen campers who were adoptees from Ethiopia met for the first time.

Its important to me to stay in contact with my Ethiopian culture, said Ruby Beerman, 14, of Marin County. Its been really good to meet other people that have similar stories.

When I was younger, I felt so alienated and so alone. I get told every day that youre different, you dont belong here, because Im part of so many different minorities, she said. And here is kind of a place where everybody belongs to a lot of those minorities.  Not everybody is the same here, but were all different together.

Satya Sheftel-Gomes, 22, has been coming to the camp since she was 11. Now a counselor, she says the curriculum focuses on Jews of color.

Every day we go across the map and show all the places Jewish people have lived, she said. We dont do that in other Jewish institutions.

My grandmother is well known in the San Francisco Jewish community. My grandfather is Black and so is my dad, Sheftel-Gomes said. Thats part of why camp is so important, to give me the language to identify what I was experiencing without knowing why.

Early on when I had less connections, it really felt like I was one in a million, she added, Now I know thats not the case.

Bechol Lashon, which means in every language in Hebrew, views its mission as honoring the global nature of the Jewish people.

There are Jews in Africa, Jews in Iraq, Jewish people in China and India, said Weinberg. Its only in the U.S., where a majority of Jewish people are of Eastern European descent, that Jewish equaled white.

Apiyo Bocast, an 11-year-old wearing turquoise beads in her hair, was adopted in Uganda and lives with her mother in Bozeman, Montana. She has been exhilarated by camp, including a morning lesson about a community in Uganda which has practiced Judaism for more than 100 years.

It makes me feel more welcome into the world, said Apiyo.

Many of the campers identify as mixed race. Aesa Masliyah, 16, of Oakland, represents multiple heritages; his grandparents were Iraqi, Israeli, Ashkenazi, Jamaican and Dominican.

Theres not one type of Jew, every Jew doesnt look the same, and theres not just one way to practice Judaism, said Jonah Tobin, 25, of San Francisco, counselor and son of founder Diane Tobin. She was inspired to found Bechol Lashon, the organization behind the camp, after adopting Jonah into her family of six.

The camp incorporates aspects of Jewish practice such as lighting candles for Shabbat and Havdalah, the ceremony to close out the Sabbath day. That ceremony also marked the end of the two-week camp session.

Shortly before sunset the group gathered around a pole with words of peace written in multiple languages including Hebrew, English, and Spanish. Campers embraced as the Havdalah candle was lit, hugging their new friends tight. Most planned on returning next summer.

For Isaac Harrison and his family, the camp has offered a new hope for the future.

You send your baby somewhere and hope. And the fact that here there was so much representation, it means everything, said Jennifer Harrison, mother of the child who was once told he couldnt be two things. Now he can go through life knowing how much of his experience, and the way he is, and who he is, is also out there. JACQUELYN MARTIN, PETALUMA (CA), MDT/AP
The Taliban have settled in as rulers of Afghanistan, two years after they seized power as U.S. and NATO forces withdrew from the country following two decades of war.

The Taliban face no significant opposition that could topple them. They have avoided internal divisions by falling in line behind their ideologically unbending leader. They have kept a struggling economy afloat, in part by holding investment talks with capital-rich regional countries, even as the international community withholds formal recognition. They have improved domestic security through crackdowns on armed groups such as the Islamic State, and say they are fighting corruption and opium production.

But its their slew of bans on Afghan girls and women that dominated the Talibans second year in charge. They barred them from parks, gyms, universities, and jobs at nongovernmental groups and the United Nations  all in the space of a few months  allegedly because they werent wearing proper hijab  the Islamic head covering  or violated gender segregation rules. These orders followed a previous ban, issued in the first year of Taliban rule, on girls going to school beyond sixth grade.

Here is a closer look at Taliban rule and where they are headed.

WHY DID THEY EXCLUDE WOMEN?

The Taliban say they are committed to implementing their interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia, in Afghanistan. This leaves no space for anything they think is foreign or secular, such as women working or studying. Its what drove them in the late 1990s, when they first seized power in Afghanistan, and it propels them now, ever since they took control again on Aug. 15, 2021.

Their supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has praised the changes imposed since the takeover, claiming life improved for Afghan women after foreign troops left and the hijab became mandatory again.

WHAT WAS THE RESPONSE TO THESE BANS?

Foreign governments, rights groups, and global bodies condemned the restrictions. The U.N. said they were a major obstacle to the Taliban gaining international recognition as the legitimate government of Afghanistan. Overseas aid is drying up as major donors stop their funding, pulled in different directions by other crises and worried their money might fall into Taliban hands.

The lack of funds, as well as the exclusion of Afghan women from delivering essential humanitarian services, is hitting the population hard, pushing more people into poverty.

WHAT ARE LIVING CONDITIONS LIKE?

Nearly 80% of the previous, Western-backed Afghan governments budget came from the international community. That money  now largely cut off  financed hospitals, schools, factories and government ministries. The COVID-19 pandemic, medical shortages, climate change and malnutrition have made life more desperate for Afghans. Aid agencies have stepped into the breach to provide basic services like health care.

Afghanistan is struggling with its third consecutive year of drought-like conditions, the ongoing collapse in families income, and restrictions on international banking. Its also still suffering from decades of war and natural disasters.

HOW IS THE ECONOMY DOING?

The World Bank said last month that the local currency, the afghani, gained value against major currencies. Customers can withdraw more money from individual deposits made before August 2021 and most civil servants are being paid. The World Bank described revenue collection as healthy and said most basic items remained available, although demand is low.

The Taliban have held investment talks with countries in the region, including China and Kazakhstan. They want sanctions removed and billions of dollars in frozen funds to be released, saying these measures will alleviate the suffering of Afghans. But the international community will only take such steps once the Taliban take certain actions, including lifting restrictions on women and girls.

HOW LIKELY ARE THE TALIBAN TO CHANGE?

Its largely up to the Taliban leader, Akhundzada. The cleric counts like-minded government ministers and Islamic scholars among his circle. He is behind the decrees on women and girls. His edicts, framed in the language of Islamic law, are absolute. The bans will only be lifted if Akhundzada orders it. Some Taliban figures have spoken out against the way decisions are made, and there has been disagreement about the bans on women and girls. But the Talibans chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid slammed these reports as propaganda.

The secret of their success is that they are united, Abdul Salam Zaeef, who served as the Taliban envoy to Pakistan when they ruled Afghanistan in the 1990s, said. If someone expresses his opinion or his thoughts, it doesnt mean someone is against the leadership or will go to another side, said Zaeef who spent several years at the Guantanamo Bay detention center after the 2001 U.S. invasion. Disagreements are put in front of the emir (Akhundzada) and he decides. They follow his word.

WHAT ABOUT INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION?

Aid officials say the Taliban view recognition as an entitlement, not something to be negotiated. The officials also cite high-level meetings with powerful states like China and Russia as signs that the Taliban are building bilateral relations in their own way. Qatars prime minister met Akhundzada in the southwestern Afghan city of Kandahar in June, the first-such publicly known meeting between the supreme leader and a foreign official.

Even though the Taliban are officially isolated on the global stage, they appear to have enough interactions and engagement for ties with countries to inch toward normalization. Cooperation with the Taliban on narcotics, refugees and counter-terrorism is of interest globally, including to the West. Countries like China, Russia and neighboring Pakistan want an end to sanctions.

The political interactions are such that no country in the region is thinking of bringing Afghanistan under their power or control, said Zaeef. He said the Talibans foreign outreach is hampered by blacklists preventing officials from traveling, and by lacking common ground with the rest of the world. RIAZAT BUTT, KABUL, MDT/AP
PRIME | Q&A

When his wife, Anne Maple, was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease, Scott Carpenter soon discovered there were no really effective products to help caregivers monitor the safety of loved ones with dementia.

So he recruited their son, Paul, to make one.

Scott, 64, of St. Paul, Minnesota, a professor of French literature at Carleton College since 1990, also ran a tech company for several years. Paul, who is 33 and lives in New York City, is a software engineer specializing in mobile platforms.

Together, they created BoundaryCare, an app that uses an Apple Watch (and will soon be available for Android) to share information with caregivers on their iPhone or iPad.

Monthly subscriptions start at $24.99 after a free trial.

The father-and-son duo founded BoundaryCare in 2019, began development in 2020, and brought the app to market last year. Sadly, it came too late for Anne, whose disease was too advanced for independent activities by the time the app was available. She died in April of this year.

An estimated 6 million Americans have Alzheimer's or other types of dementia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and that number is projected to double by 2050 unless a treatment is developed.

Meanwhile, nearly 80% of adults 50 and over want to remain in their homes as they age, according to AARP.

BoundaryCare has a number of health and safety features, including alerts to caregivers if their loved one wanders or falls. We asked the Carpenters to tell us more about the app and why it's needed.

What types of products for protecting people with dementia were on the market before BoundaryCare? Why did you find them inadequate?

Paul: Most of the products were single-purpose devices. They might track location but not detect falls, or detect falls without monitoring other health metrics. They were bulky and socially stigmatizing. Our idea was to take a stylish Apple Watch, which has medical-grade sensors, and offer many supports at once.

So how does BoundaryCare help?

Scott: Well, location monitoring is huge, of course, so we alert caregivers if a loved one wanders from a defined safe zone or itinerary. Fall detection is critical, too. And because caregiving often involves several people, we make it easy to share responsibilities within the family, scheduling who receives alerts, depending on the day or time. Then, if you need to check up on your loved one, you can call them on the watch directly.

What other things can BoundaryCare do?

Paul: Thanks to the watch's sensors, we provide alerts for high or low heart rate, low oxygen saturation, and atrial fibrillation. We can track sleep quality and fitness metrics, and even send reminders about meds, hydration or when to feed the cat. Finally, our web portal can be used to reveal trends and correlations, and the data can be exported for sharing with health care professionals.

Can the app be used by people other than those with dementia?

Scott: Definitely. It's a great support for seniors who are simply aging in place. In that case, you turn off whatever features you don't need, like location monitoring. We also have parents using it to monitor autistic children, as well as agencies that support intellectually or developmentally disabled adults.

How do people get the app?

Paul: They download it on their iPhone from the App Store, and they set it up on a paired Apple Watch. As far as cost goes, most long-term care insurance will cover it, and some individuals will be supported through Medicaid.

Employers can even offer BoundaryCare as a support for employees who have caregiving responsibilities. Still, many people pay out of pocket, so we try to keep the cost as low as possible.

How many users have you had?

Paul: We've supported over 1,000 users so far, and more are finding us every day.

What sorts of feedback have you received from users?

Scott: What we hear most often from caregivers is that BoundaryCare provides peace of mind. Also, most report that BoundaryCare will help them keep their loved one at home longer. I have to say, that's the one that gets me the most. Both Paul and I identify strongly with our customers.
There will be more cranberries available for Thanksgiving tables and to export to countries around the world thanks again to Wisconsin growers.

The U.S. Cranberry Marketing Committee said Tuesday that Wisconsins cranberry farmers are expecting to harvest 4.97 million barrels of cranberries this season, a slight increase over the 4.84 million barrels produced in 2022 but far off the record year of 2013, when 6 million barrels of cranberries were harvested.

And if projections hold, Wisconsin will remain the largest cranberry producer in the world by harvesting 60% of the cranberry crop in the United States.

Wisconsin is a global leader in cranberry production, generating $1 billion in state economic impact and providing thousands of local jobs across the Wisconsin, said Tom Lochner, executive director of the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association.

The forecast is based on grower surveys and marks the 29th year that Wisconsin has led the nation in cranberry production.

Wisconsin produces more than twice as much as Massachusetts, which is projected to produce 1.95 million barrels this season. New Jersey, at 561,000 barrels, is projected to rank third, followed by Oregons 520,000 barrels and Washington at 168,000 barrels.

The total U.S. crop is expected to be 8.17 million barrels, an increase from the 7.4 million barrels produced in 2022 but less than the 9 million barrels harvested in 2018, according to the CMC.

Wisconsin cranberries are grown on 21,000 acres across 20 counties in the central and northern regions of the state, but only about 5% of this years crop will be sold as fresh fruit, according to Lochner, whose organization was founded in 1887. The remaining cranberries will be frozen and stored for longer-term sales as frozen berries, dried cranberries, juices, sauces and other products.

From September 2021 to August 2022, the CMC reported that 53% of U.S. cranberry production volume was exported to countries that include Columbia, the United Kingdom, European Union, China, Mexico and South Korea.

Close Visiting South Korean journalists, including Jin-ju Lee, front, guide floating cranberries toward a conveyor during a tour of the growing and harvesting operations of the Cranmoor Cranberry Co. in Nekoosa. South Korean journalist Tae-kyun Park, a writer with one of the country's leading daily newspapers, photographs a dry cranberry bog at the Cranmoor Cranberry Co. in Nekoosa. Park and a number of other South Korean journalists were on hand to learn more about the fruit, which is growing in popularity in their home country. South Korean media colleagues Jin-ju Lee, left, and Jaewon Lim photograph a cranberry bog at the Gottschalk Cranberry Co. in Nekoosa during a tour designed to help the journalists in the country learn more about the fruit. South Korean journalist Tae-kyun Park, left, is guided into a cranberry bog by Ben Rezin, co-owner of the Cranmoor Cranberry Co. in Nekoosa. Wisconsin leads the nation in cranberry production. During a tour for visiting South Korean journalists at the Cranmoor Cranberry Co. in Nekoosa, co-owner Ben Rezin, second from left, explains the operation of a loading conveyor. Among the journalists attending the demonstration are Jin-ju Lee, right, and Yeon-joo Jung, second from right. At left is Scott Soares, executive director of the U.S. Cranberry Marketing Committee, which is based in Massachusetts. Journalists from South Korea and their guides listen to Cranmoor Cranberry Co. co-owner Ben Rezin describe the company's growing and harvesting operations during a visit to the Nekoosa business. South Korean photographer Tae-shin Park descends the steps of a loading conveyor at the Cranmoor Cranberry Co. in Nekoosa. Exports of cranberries to South Korea are on the rise. Photos: South Korean journalists visit cranberry bogs South Korean journalists visiting Wisconsin in 2013 learned about cranberries with a tour in the Nekoosa area. Visiting South Korean journalists, including Jin-ju Lee, front, guide floating cranberries toward a conveyor during a tour of the growing and harvesting operations of the Cranmoor Cranberry Co. in Nekoosa. South Korean journalist Tae-kyun Park, a writer with one of the country's leading daily newspapers, photographs a dry cranberry bog at the Cranmoor Cranberry Co. in Nekoosa. Park and a number of other South Korean journalists were on hand to learn more about the fruit, which is growing in popularity in their home country. South Korean media colleagues Jin-ju Lee, left, and Jaewon Lim photograph a cranberry bog at the Gottschalk Cranberry Co. in Nekoosa during a tour designed to help the journalists in the country learn more about the fruit. South Korean journalist Tae-kyun Park, left, is guided into a cranberry bog by Ben Rezin, co-owner of the Cranmoor Cranberry Co. in Nekoosa. Wisconsin leads the nation in cranberry production. During a tour for visiting South Korean journalists at the Cranmoor Cranberry Co. in Nekoosa, co-owner Ben Rezin, second from left, explains the operation of a loading conveyor. Among the journalists attending the demonstration are Jin-ju Lee, right, and Yeon-joo Jung, second from right. At left is Scott Soares, executive director of the U.S. Cranberry Marketing Committee, which is based in Massachusetts. Journalists from South Korea and their guides listen to Cranmoor Cranberry Co. co-owner Ben Rezin describe the company's growing and harvesting operations during a visit to the Nekoosa business. South Korean photographer Tae-shin Park descends the steps of a loading conveyor at the Cranmoor Cranberry Co. in Nekoosa. Exports of cranberries to South Korea are on the rise.
A body found in an abandoned home outside of Beloit on Sunday is that of a Madison man who disappeared after fleeing the Wisconsin State Patrol last November, Rock County authorities said.

Authorities recovered and identified the body of Christopher Miller at the abandoned house in the town of Turtle, Capt. Mark Thompson said in an email.

Miller was last seen about six miles away running from his vehicle after a high-speed chase with a state trooper who had tried to pull him over for speeding.

In the early hours of Nov. 19, Miller ran into a field off Interstate 90 near Janesville on a night when temperatures dropped to 19 degrees. State Patrol dash camera footage showed Miller wearing only a sweatshirt and jogging pants.

The expanse of rural Rock County between the place where Miller was last seen and the abandoned home runs parallel to I-90. The home  in the 8300 block of South Creek Road  is about a mile and a half from Beloit Memorial Hospital and other businesses. It remains unclear if Miller died at the home the night he disappeared or later.

An anonymous tip led law enforcement to the home, Rock County Commander Aaron Burdick said Monday.

Last November, a multi-agency effort to find Miller that included more than two dozen law enforcement officers, drones, a plane, dogs and utility task vehicles was largely confined well to the north of the abandoned home, closer to where Miller first disappeared.

Miller's fiancee Mallory Duerst said Rock County investigators declined to share more information with his family on Monday.

The Dane County Medical Examiner's Office told Miller's family it had identified Miller, Thompson said. Miller was 27 years old at the time of his disappearance and would have turned 28 in May.

Miller's loved ones have for months complained about the law enforcement response to Miller's disappearance.

In May, the Wisconsin State Journal reported that a coordinated search for Miller did not take place until more than 48 hours after his disappearance on Nov. 19.

In the minutes after Miller fled law enforcement, Rock County sheriff's deputies responding to the scene received confusing information from the State Patrol about which way Miller ran, according to body camera footage obtained by the State Journal through Miller's family.

Miller's family said the lax response by law enforcement was fueled by racial bias. Miller is Black.

About a month after Miller disappeared, texts on the phone of a State Patrol sergeant showed someone disparaging Miller's family.

The texts joked that Miller abandoned his fiancee because she was pregnant and that the family should look for him in "Chiraq," a slang term comparing Chicago to Iraq because of its gun violence.

What happened to Christopher Miller? Family frustrated by police response to disappearance Six months later, a 27-year-old Black man remains missing after running from the Wisconsin State Patrol outside of Janesville.
Opinion: Washington's forcible-feeble "de-risking" delusion

08:17, August 15, 2023 By Ma Qian ( Xinhua

The U.S. Capitol building is seen in Washington, D.C., the United States, Nov. 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

Such a forcible-feeble delusion won't make the United States better equipped to maintain its global technological supremacy, only to pull it further away from the global trading system of its own dynamics.

BEIJING, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- In the wake of disillusionment with their "de-coupling" scheme, Washington's elites have come under a delusion that by building "a small yard, high fence" and "de-risking" relationships with strong competitors, America's supremacy could be guaranteed.

They are actually, if not knowingly, making a mockery of themselves.

Investment curbs, export controls, financial sanctions ... Now China is in the crosshairs of these hackneyed U.S. approaches. Ostensibly punitive, they are indeed cost-ineffective and counterproductive, exposing Washington's forcible-feeble policy-making, which would lead to dampened innovation, rockier trade, and spiraling instability.

The United States is backtracking on free trade by choking U.S. enterprises' freedom of investing, when President Joe Biden signed an executive order last week to block U.S. investments in such advanced technologies in China as semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information technologies, and artificial intelligence (AI).

The new constraints were slapped following three top U.S. officials' Beijing visits, as part of Washington's publicly-voiced efforts to pursue a detente with China, and a repeated claim that it is not severing trade with China.

Little wonder the U.S. flip-flop on China goes in line with the Biden administration's established China containment strategy, which boils down to three words -- invest, align, compete.

However, by blowing hot and cold, Washington only exposed its duplicity and rapacity in international relations, and its policy-setting toward China is shown as fragmented, incoherent and unprincipled.

Washington's decision-makers do not treat the China-U.S. relationship as a whole, but break it into different parts to seek strategic advantages and self-serving interests. Those politicians preferred a more narrow "de-risking" of ties with a "small yard, high fence." It, however, turns out to be exploiting the concept of national security to stymie China's efforts to develop its own microelectronic and supercomputing capabilities.

The U.S. attempts to weaponize its market dominance in the high-tech sector to contain China's technology ambitions, as the Foreign Affairs magazine has pointed out, are an "illusion of controls," and America will not succeed in slowing China's indigenous technology advances.

This aerial photo taken on July 11, 2023 shows new energy vehicles for export at a terminal of Taicang Port, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Photo by Ji Haixin/Xinhua)

For U.S. companies, the new executive order would be costly, since Washington deliberately ignores the ensuing costs they have to incur. For U.S. entrepreneurs, the "small yard, high fence" appear to be highly insecure and even suffocating, as they are forced to shoulder extra political burdens, only to pay for Washington's defective foreign policy and potential electoral gains.

Since making investments requires forward-looking judgments, U.S. investors tend to adapt to the changing cross-border business conditions by being more prudent with investments in the designated "sensitive" sectors in China. That will inevitably put them on the back foot.

As the 2024 presidential election has started to approach, politicians on both sides of the aisle would get tougher on China by exploiting measures to suppress the country to their advantage. In this case, Washington would pass over the aftershock of such measures.

The U.S. business community has pushed back against what it considers to be "the politicization of private markets," Claire Chu, a senior China analyst at Janes, a defense intelligence company, told The New York Times.

During a recent White House meeting, U.S. semiconductor giants weighed in with opposition. The chief executive officers of Intel, Nvidia and Qualcomm criticized Washington's relentless approach, saying the restrictions would surely backfire, stripping them of a big revenue source.

The Semiconductor Industry Association said China is the world's largest single semiconductor market, accounting for 180 billion U.S. dollars in chip purchases last year, or more than a third of the world's total.

A communication chip of China's BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System is on display at the 10th China (Mianyang) Science and Technology City International High-Tech Expo in Mianyang, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Nov. 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Tang Wenhao)

More importantly, such U.S. "national security" restrictions have had little effect on blocking China's technological progress nor boosting their own. From a practical perspective, they are counterproductive.

Despite Washington's attempt to de-risk economic relationship with China, trade links between America and China, instead of being slashed, are enduring -- "just in more tangled forms," The Economist has pointed out.

The problem, the British weekly said, is that trade between U.S. allies and China is rising, "suggesting that they are often acting as packaging hubs for what, in effect, remain Chinese goods."

Apart from posing more harm than good to U.S. enterprises, U.S. "de-risking" moves, in turn, have made China more self-reliant and capable to resist external suppression.

China's breakout success in emerging strategic sectors like 5G and AI, strong high-tech manufacturing, as well as extensive telecom infrastructure and related applications have all made it stand out in the global high-tech arena with sustainable competitive edges.

Washington won't succeed in choking off capital to Chinese high-tech startups, as a more isolated China also may struggle to replicate the sheer size of the U.S. funding ecosystem, the Wall Street Journal said in a recent report.

In this regard, Victor Shih, a political science professor at the University of California San Diego, told Xinhua that the segmentation of the global market will create very capable Chinese chip competitors, since Chinese buyers now have no choice but to buy from domestic chips makers, giving them a large captive market.

Cutting others off won't bolster one's own growth, while healthy competition may well make it. Washington's "de-risking" move, seemingly vigorous, is in effect frail and insipid.

Such a forcible-feeble delusion won't make the United States better equipped to maintain its global technological supremacy, only to pull it further away from the global trading system of its own dynamics.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
A federal grand jury indicted three Dane County residents on gun and drug charges by a federal grand jury, authorities reported.

A 23-year-old Oregon woman and a 26-year-old Sun Prairie man were charged for a straw gun purchase. The woman was charged with three counts of making a false statement during a purchase of a firearm, and the man was charged with three counts of causing the woman to make those false statements, U.S. Attorney Timothy OShea said in a statement.

The indictment alleges that on Nov. 30, Feb. 7 and Feb. 24 while buying a gun from a federally licensed firearms dealer, the woman falsely indicated she was the buyer when she knew she was buying the gun for the man.

In a separate indictment, a Madison man was charged with possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute and with possessing a loaded firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking crime on May 2.
GREEN BAY  A Wisconsin prison is battling an ongoing mice infestation, a prisoner advocacy group said.

Dante Cottingham, interim associate director of Ex-Incarcerated People Organizing, says prisoners at the Green Bay Correctional Institution are placing rolled-up towels between the bottom of their cell doors and the floor to keep mice out of their cells, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Tuesday.

The mice have been a problem for years, Cottingham said. Prisoners families have reached out to the state Department of Corrections for help, he said.

Department spokesperson Kevin Hoffman said the prison has brought in a pest control company and the number of complaints has decreased. The company continues to make regular visits to the facility, he said. He added that prisoners need to stop feeding the mice.

They said theyve taken certain measures, they put out some mouse traps, Cottingham told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Putting up mousetraps is not going to solve this problem at all.

The maximum security prison, located in Allouez, a Green Bay suburb, has been operating since the 1890s. The Journal Sentinel reports that the prison currently holds 199 more prisoners than it is designed to.

The mice infestation came to light after a bipartisan group of lawmakers asked the state government to shut down the outdated facility, but the effort was not supported. The prison was the scene of a homicide last year and assaults on staff have been reported.
Once again, the actions taken by the 10 Wisconsin GOP electors who signed paperwork falsely asserting Trump won the state in late 2020 have been cited in an indictment against former President Donald Trump.

The latest indictment, filed late Monday in Georgia, alleges Trump and 18 allies broke multiple laws including the states unusual anti-racketeering, or RICO, law when they knowingly and willfully joined conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump. Trump has characterized the latest investigation as politically motivated as he seeks to reclaim the White House in the 2024 presidential election.

Georgias indictment is the fourth that the former president is facing.

The federal indictment filed against Trump earlier this month as part of a Justice Department probe into the former presidents actions heavily cites the 10 Republicans who signed paperwork purporting that Trump had won Wisconsin. But mentions of Wisconsin are less frequent in the Georgia indictment.

According to the Georgia court filing, Trump campaign adviser Kenneth Chesebro sent an email on Dec. 10, 2020, to Brian Schimming, who is now chair of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, with proposed language for documents to be signed by Trump electors. Schimming was not elected chair of the state party until late 2022.

Two days later, on Dec. 12, 2020, Chesebro met with Schimming to discuss the plan to sign elector documents. Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani joined the meeting by phone and stated that the media should not be notified of the Dec. 14, 2020, meeting, when the documents were signed, according to the indictment.

These were overt acts in furtherance of the conspiracy, the indictment continues.

In a press call with reporters Tuesday, Schimming did not respond to requests for comment on the latest indictment but said later in a statement the GOP electors met in accordance with state statutory guidelines, on the advice of attorneys, and with precedent, to preserve all legal options still pending before the courts.

Had the courts ruled differently, the alternate electors would have been needed, Schimming continued.

Wisconsin Republicans did not publicly notice the meeting, but then-chair of the Republican Party of Wisconsin Andrew Hitt said in a statement later that day the meeting was held to preserve our role in the electoral process with the final outcome still pending in the courts.

The meeting was held hours after the Trump campaign lost another bid in the state Supreme Court to throw out votes from Milwaukee and Madison.

In addition to the indictments filed by federal prosecutors and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, whose office brought the Georgia case, Michigan last month filed criminal charges against the states fake electors.

No signal

In Wisconsin, Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul has remained tight-lipped on whether charges are forthcoming or whether an investigation exists at all.

That leaves a civil lawsuit filed last year on behalf of a handful of Democrats, including two official presidential electors, against the 10 Republicans, as well as Chesebro and Troupis. Plaintiffs in the case include lawfully elected Wisconsin electors Khary Penebaker and Mary Arnold.

Dane County Circuit Court Judge Frank Remington last week denied the defendants motion to dismiss claims alleging that the 10 Wisconsin Republicans and two attorneys who advised them broke multiple laws, including impersonating a public official, public nuisance and engaging in conspiracy.

Mark Jefferson, executive director of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, said last week hes confident attempts to penalize people who were tricked will fall short.

We were not informed of any use of the alternate electors contrary to preserving the legal strategy and would not have approved any other use, Jefferson said.

Tricked actors

The federal indictment against Trump states that some fraudulent electors, including those in Wisconsin, were tricked into participating based on the understanding that their votes would only be used if Trump succeeded in lawsuits challenging the election outcome.

Federal prosecutors also state that Trump and his co-conspirators ultimately used the certificates of these fraudulent electors to deceitfully target the government function, and did so contrary to how fraudulent electors were told they would be used.

That effort culminated with a plot to pass then-Vice President Mike Pence slates of fake electors as Pence was set to confirm the presidential election results on Jan. 6, 2021.

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnsons chief of staff told Pences aide on Jan. 6, 2021, that the senator needed to pass the vice president documents falsely stating Trump won Wisconsin, text messages released last summer by the House Jan. 6 committee revealed. The texts came as the vice president was set to confirm Biden as the winner of the 2020 election. Pences staff rejected them.

The Dane County case is expected to come to trial in September 2024, weeks before the presidential election.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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.
A lawsuit that would let Wisconsin election officials accept absentee ballots with partial witness addresses as long as the correct addresses are discernable can proceed, a Dane County judge has ruled.

Republican lawmakers had argued the case must be dismissed because the argument raised by the plaintiff, Rise Inc., a liberal group that mobilizes young voters, relies on a legally incorrect construction of Wisconsins absentee-voting laws.

However, Dane County Circuit Court Judge Ryan Nilsestuen ruled Monday that a motion to dismiss was improper and the case can be argued in court.

Rather than arguing that the case is not justiciable, the Intervenor argues the merits of the case, given that its argument rests on whose definition of address of a witness is correct, Nilsestuen wrote in the order. Even if I agreed that the Plaintiffs claims fails on the merits  and I take no position at this stage in the litigation  the proper course of action would not be dismissal.

The lawsuit was filed against the Wisconsin Elections Commission and Madison City Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl last September after a Waukesha County judge ruled that election officials cant fix or fill in missing address information on absentee ballot envelopes.

The Waukesha judge also ordered the state Elections Commission to rescind guidance issued that had allowed clerks to fix errors on witness certificates. Following the ruling, the commission sent notice to election clerks pointing to guidance that an address must include witnesses street name and number, as well as the municipality in which they reside.

But the lawsuit argues that voters shouldnt be disenfranchised because of immaterial errors on ballot envelopes that clerks can no longer fix, such as a forgotten ZIP code on the witness certificate. State law also doesnt specify what constitutes an address.

The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin filed a similar lawsuit last fall, which also focuses on how much of a witness address needs to be present in order for an absentee ballot to count. Nilsestuen is considering a motion to consolidate both cases.

The nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau in 2021 reviewed 14,710 absentee ballot certificates in 29 municipalities and found that 1,022 certificates, or 6.9%, were missing parts of witness addresses; 15, or 0.1%, did not have any witness address at all; eight, or less than 0.1%, did not have a witness signature; and three, or less than 0.1%, did not have a voter signature. Clerks corrected 66, or about 0.4%, of those certificates.

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.
A 61-year-old Coon Valley man wont be able to obtain a hunting or fishing license after shooting a deer out of season in La Crosse County.

Douglas D. Meyers was convicted June 24 under a plea agreement that includes suspension of his hunting and fishing privileges for the next three years, according to a press release from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources submitted Friday.

The charges in La Crosse County Circuit Court included a misdemeanor count of hunting deer during a closed season. Court records show Meyers pleaded guilty to the charge in exchange for entering a diversion agreement.

We appreciate the teamwork from citizens who care about the states resources and want them protected, said Tyler Strelow, DNR lieutenant warden who supervises the wardens in La Crosse and Vernon counties. It is important to take action against individuals who are stealing from those who hunt the Wisconsin way  legally, safely and ethically.

According to the state Department of Natural Resources, conservation wardens received an anonymous tip in November 2021 that someone had illegally shot a buck during archery season. The harvested buck had an estimated green score rack measurement of 218 inches and had been showcased in several local hunting contests.

Conservation wardens contacted Meyers, who initially told the wardens the deer was taken legally with a crossbow during archery season. An investigation determined Meyers shot the deer with a rifle, illegally baited the deer and harvested two other bucks with someone elses license.

In addition to the misdemeanor charge, wardens issued citations for illegal bait, providing false information, possession of an archery season deer killed with a firearm and using another persons license to hunt.

The organizers of local hunting contests were notified Meyers buck had been harvested illegally, and his entry was removed.

Meyers returns to court June 20, 2024, for a hearing on his deferred prosecution.
FLASH FLOOD DOWNTOWN Flash flooding outside Bellissima Hair Design at 57th Street and Seventh Avenue in Downtown Kenosha Monday afternoon, Aug. 14, 2023.

Flash flooding from heavy rains sent water into streets, homes and businesses in Kenosha County, and even led to the Public Safety Building's temporary closure on Monday.

The weather event forced officials to close public access to the city's and county's hub for police and sheriff's department and emergency dispatch services at 1000 55th St. for an hour and 15 minutes, beginning at 4:40 p.m., according to notices posted on the departments' social media.

"You couldn't walk in the (front) door because (water) was all the way up to the doors," said Lt. Chase Forester of the Sheriff's Department. The parking lot in front of the Public Safety Building was also submerged in the sudden deluge, he said. At that point, it was more conducive to kayaks and flotation devices.

"(The public) couldn't even park in the front parking lot there because it was all flooded out," he said. "And then, it all went away."

Public Information Officer Sgt. Colin Coultrip said their basement got "a few inches of water" when water off of 11th Avenue flowed down their parking ramp, but the City Streets Department cleared the drainage blockage.

"The building was closed for approximately one hour due to the moat surrounding our building," Coultrip said. "All offices and equipment remain open and unimpacted by water."

Public Works Director Brian Cater said that the nearly full day of rainfall simply overwhelmed the stormwater system, causing backups. They had had crews out looking into any backed-up areas, but he advised any residents who spotted flooding to contact the Public Works Department in the future.

"We can't be everywhere at once, if there's a concern, don't assume we know," Cater said.

He also reminded residents about the rules surrounding lawn waste, which can cause flooding issues during rain storms.

"A lot of our clogged inlets, it's due to landscaping debris," Cater said. By properly disposing of grass clippings, leaves and more, "it helps keep our facilities clear when you have these kinds of rains."

The National Weather Service in Sullivan, Wis., issued a flash flood warning from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. for Kenosha and Racine counties, along with a marine warning for areas along the waterfront in the respective cities. Flood watches were also issued for Southeast Wisconsin in nearby counties, including Walworth.

FLASH FLOOD DOWNTOWN Flash flooding outside Bellissima Hair Design at 57th Street and Seventh Avenue in Downtown Kenosha Monday afternoon, Aug. 14, 2023.

According to data collected at the Kenosha Regional Airport, where the weather service has monitoring systems, nearly an inch of rain fell between 3 and 4 p.m. Just under 2.5 inches of rain total were recorded in a 24-hour period at the airport monitoring site, with the storm front initially dumping the first round of heavy precipitation before 1 p.m. on Monday. Heavy rain also fell before 9 p.m. Monday night. followed by a steady downpour that produced just under an inch in an hour, according to the data.

A number of intersections were inundated with water in the city of Kenosha. Just outside Bellissima Hair Design at 5700 Seventh Avenue in Downtown, the streets took on water, which could be seen spilling onto the sidewalk in video submitted by hair salon employees to the Kenosha News.

There were also unconfirmed reports of flooded basements in a number of neighborhoods, including some along Sixth Avenue, among others.

Jamie Johnson, owner of The Dry Guys, a local business that handles flood and water damage, said they responded to over a dozen flooding calls before 10 p.m. Monday. primarily on Kenosha's northside. She advised that safety and speed were critical when dealing with flooding. If people had any concerns, they should contact professionals and reach out to their insurance.

"The longer it sits, the harder it is to save," Johnson said.

According to Capt. Matthew Strelow, even the Public Safety Building took on some water, a situation not uncommon when heavy rainstorms occur due to the building's age and location.

"Other than that, I don't really have anything that suggests major problems," he said early Tuesday. "I think there was a couple of cars that stalled out and very large puddles, but nothing that resulted in injury or major incident."

This story continues to develop. Check back later at www.kenoshanews.com

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MARION, Kan.  A small newspaper and a police department in Kansas are at the center of a dispute over freedom of speech that is being watched around the country after police raided the office of the local newspaper and the home of its owner and publisher.

Officials with the Marion Police Department confiscated computers and cellphones in the Friday raid, prompting press freedom watchdogs to condemn the actions of local authorities as a blatant violation of the U.S. Constitution's protection for a free press.

The Marion County Record's editor and publisher, Eric Meyer, worked with his staff Sunday to reconstruct stories, ads and other materials for its next edition Wednesday.

A search warrant tied Friday morning raids, led by Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody, to a dispute between the newspaper and a local restaurant owner, Kari Newell. She accuses the newspaper of invading her privacy and illegally accessing information about her and her driving record.

She suggested the newspaper targeted her after she threw Meyer and a reporter out of her restaurant during a political event.

While Meyer saw Newell's complaints  which he said were untrue  as prompting the raids, he also believes the newspaper's aggressive coverage of local politics and issues played a role. He said the newspaper was examining Cody's past work with the Kansas City, Missouri, police as well.

"This is the type of stuff that, you know, that Vladimir Putin does, that Third World dictators do," Meyer said. "This is Gestapo tactics from World War II."

Cody said Sunday that the raid was legal and tied to an investigation.

The raids occurred in a town of about 1,900 people about 150 miles southwest of Kansas City.

Meyer said that on Friday, one Record reporter suffered an injury to a finger when Cody wrested her cellphone out of her hand, according to the report. The newspaper's surveillance video showed officers reading that reporter her rights while Cody watched, though she wasn't arrested or detained.

Meanwhile, Meyer said, police simultaneously raided his home, seizing computers, his cellphone and the home's internet router.

But as Meyer fielded messages from reporters and editors as far away as London and reviewed footage from the newsroom's surveillance camera, Newell was receiving death threats from as far away, she said.

Newell said she threw Meyer and the Record reporter out of the event for Republican U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner at the request of others who are upset with the "toxic" newspaper.

Newell said she believes the newspaper violated the law to get her personal information as it checked on the status of her driver's license following a 2008 drunken driving conviction and other driving violations.

The newspaper countered that it received that information unsolicited, which it verified through public online records. It eventually decided not to run a story because it wasn't sure the source who supplied it obtained it legally.

But the newspaper did run a story on the city council meeting, in which Newell herself confirmed she had a DUI conviction and that she continued to drive even after her license was suspended.

Search warrant

A two-page search warrant, signed by a local judge, lists Newell as the victim of alleged crimes by the newspaper. When the newspaper asked for a copy of the probable cause affidavit required by law to issue a search warrant, the district court issued a signed statement saying no such affidavit was on file, the Record reported.

Cody, the police chief, indicated that probable cause affidavits were used to get the search warrants. When asked for a copy, Cody replied in an email late Sunday that the affidavits would be available "once charges are filed."

Press freedom and civil rights organizations said that police, the local prosecutor's office and the judge who signed off on the search warrant overstepped their authority.

"It seems like one of the most aggressive police raids of a news organization or entity in quite some time," said Sharon Brett, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, adding that it seemed "quite an alarming abuse of authority."

Seth Stern, director of advocacy for Freedom of the Press Foundation, said in a statement that the raid appeared to have violated federal law, the First Amendment, "and basic human decency."
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 played out under seal for months.

CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS: Donald Trump's valet, Walt Nauta, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to new charges in the case accusing the ex-president of illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. Also on Thursday, property manager Carlos De Oliveira had his arraignment postponed because he does not yet have an attorney.

EXECUTIVE ORDER: President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday to block and regulate high-tech U.S.-based investments toward China  a move the administration said reflects an intensifying competition between the world's two biggest powers.

FBI KILLING: The FBI shot and killed an armed Utah man accused of making threats against President Joe Biden hours before the president was expected to arrive in the state Wednesday, authorities said. Special agents tried to serve a warrant at the home of Craig Deleeuw Robertson in Provo when the shooting happened, the FBI said.

 Associated Press
After being sued Friday afternoon a second time by St. Lukes Health System, anti-government activist Ammon Bundy was arrested that evening on a contempt of court warrant stemming from his first lawsuit from the health system.

Bundy posted bail early Sunday morning and appeared in court in a temporary restraining order hearing on Monday to address the second lawsuit filed by St. Lukes, which alleges Bundy has made fraudulent property transfers to evade collection of $26 million in damages awarded to the hospital system in its initial lawsuit against him, Peoples Rights Network and his campaign for governor.

At the Monday hearing in Gem County, District Judge Brent Whiting ordered Bundy, his wife Lisa Bundy, associated group Peoples Rights Network and Bundys campaign for governor to not transfer any property over the next two weeks and limit their cash expenses to under $5,000.

Whiting has also scheduled a hearing to consider a more lasting preliminary injunction in the new lawsuit later this month.

Mr. Bundy, on behalf of himself and his entities, has made clear hell do whatever it takes, including apparently arming himself at his front door to prevent my clients to collect on their judgements, attorney Bob Faucher, representing St. Lukes and three of its employees harassed by Bundy and his associates, told the judge. My clients and their attorneys will not be intimidated, and so we are going to try to collect on their judgements. And this is the first stage of doing that.

Hearing not yet scheduled for Bundys contempt of court case

Bundy and his former campaign treasurer, who attorneys allege Bundy sold his home to for one-quarter of its $1 million value, showed up in court Monday.

Bundy was released from jail around 1:30 a.m. Sunday on a $10,000 bond, Sgt. White, with the Gem County Sheriffs Office, told the Idaho Capital Sun. White declined to share his first name.

Bundy is due back in Ada County Court on his contempt case for arraignment at 10 a.m. Aug. 29. If he does not show up, he will forfeit his $10,000 bond and a bench warrant will be issued for his arrest, court records show.

Bundys contempt case would be handled by District Judge Nancy Baskin. Baskin presided over the jury trial for the original lawsuit last month. She has not yet issued a judgment confirming the amounts owed, which would allow the hospital systems attorneys to begin to collect the damages awarded.

Bundy, in a tweet Sunday night, said he made it home, and thanked people for their prayers.

I wonder if they will ever leave my family alone? This could happen to you, he said, linking to a video about the case.

At Mondays proceedings, Bundy said he felt attacked.

The largest corporation in Idaho is attacking me because Im exposing them.  I do not see how I could go up against this monster in court, Bundy said.

In a text message to the Idaho Capital Sun, Bundy said St. Lukes leadership is spreading a message.

They are informing all of Idaho that if you speak out against them, they will put you in jail, turn your life upside down, take everything you own and chase your finances for the rest of your life, Bundy wrote. They have the resources to get the law to destroy your life and they want everyone to know it.

Bundy, associate Diego Rodriquez failed to show up to court proceedings for original St. Lukes lawsuit

Bundy and his associate Diego Rodriguez did not attend the two-week long jury trial in Ada County for the first lawsuit, where a jury ordered the two and groups linked to them to pay $52.5 million in damages to St. Lukes Health System and three employees they defamed, or made false, damaging statements about.

The original lawsuit against Bundy, Rodriguez and groups linked to them revolved around their in-person protests and online messages targeting medical professionals and others after the medical professionals brought an infant related to Rodriquez under temporary protective care. Bundy has argued that the baby was healthy, but several doctors testified in court during the lawsuit trial last month that the baby showed signs of being malnourished, the Idaho Capital Sun previously reported.

Bundy and Rodriguez were issued contempt of court arrest warrants before the jury trial for the original lawsuit.

Bundy faces new lawsuit after sham home sale

Attorneys for St. Lukes Health System, in a new, related lawsuit filed on Friday, requested a new jury trial to overturn fraudulent property transactions that Bundy has allegedly made in attempts to hide his financial assets to make it more difficult for the hospital system to collect damages.

The suit is filed in Gem County, where Bundy lives. St. Lukes is suing Bundy, Bundys wife, Bundy for Governor, Peoples Rights Network and an LLC who the Bundys allegedly sold their home to for one-quarter of its market value and then rented it back from them.

The lawsuit alleges the Bundys have transferred all of their assets besides about $50,000 worth after the hospital system sued the first time.

Bundy and his wife sold their 4,760-square-foot home in Emmett to a business owned by a friend in their church, the lawsuit claims.

The Bundys continued to rent the home, the lawsuit alleges, with attorneys calling it a sham transaction. The health systems attorneys argue in the new lawsuit that when Bundy sold his home around late 2022, he entered into a scheme to frustrate the hospitals ability to collect damages.

The Bundys, according to the lawsuit, sold the home and a five-acre parcel of land valued at over $1 million by the Gem County assessor for $250,000 to White Barn, an LLC thats owned in part by Aaron Welling, who served as treasurer for Bundys campaign for governor. Bundy used the sale funds to pay off debt that he owed on the property, the lawsuit alleges.

Bundys wife, Lisa, then signed a five-year lease for the property with a monthly rent of $2,620, the lawsuit says.

The Bundy home was placed under a lien Nov. 10, 2022, after a court ordered more than $5,000 in sanctions against Bundy.

Bundy has transferred and hidden assets or directed others to transfer and hide assets of his campaign for governor and the Peoples Rights Network, including directing money to businesses owned and controlled by Bundy himself and Rodriguez, the lawsuit alleges.

Bundy told the court on Monday that his campaign, Bundy for Governor, was closed last year and that Peoples Rights Network is a network of people, but no one owns it and there is no organization, legal structure there.

The health systems attorneys in the new lawsuit asked the court to void the sale and lease of the Bundy home, and to block the Bundys or other parties being sued from transferring, hiding, or conveying any assets to evade collection of the first lawsuit.

Bundy earns money for himself and the Peoples Rights Network through the business Dono Custos, which he owns or controls, the lawsuit alleges. The lawsuit estimates that if each of the Peoples Rights Networks 60,000 plus followers contribute $50 a year to Dono Custos, Bundy could earn more than $3 million each year. Bundys campaign for governor has also paid a business he owns or controls, named Abish-husbondi, tens of thousands of dollars each year, the lawsuit alleges.

Those companies are not affected by the courts temporary restraining order.
Cassia County Fair & Rodeo organizers say the event is more than a gathering of rides, animals and cotton candy. Its one of the countys most cherished and celebrated events, where new memories are made and old memories are shared.

This years theme is Country Fans & Cattle Brands, and the fair is underway, with one of country musics best-loved artists, Craig Morgan, and locally grown star EllieMae taking the stage Saturday night.

The second night of the adrenaline-packed Motor Rodeo takes place Tuesday, and riders  some on two wheels, others on four  will navigate challenging obstacle courses and perform daring maneuvers.

A parade takes to the streets at 10:30 Wednesday morning, led by grand marshals Dr. Tom and Irene Blayney. Immediately after graduating from Colorado State University in 1964, Tom Blayney began his practice at Burley Veterinary Hospital. Irene worked as a registered nurse for Cassia Regional Medical Center for more than 30 years.

The P.R.C.A Ram Rodeo Series hits the arena at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.

Those attending are encouraged to wear purple Thursday for the Man-Up Crusade Night to create awareness about domestic violence, and wear pink on Tough Enough to Wear Pink Night for breast cancer awareness on Friday.

Buy five or more tickets to the rodeo on Friday to get the family night special and receive a 20% discount.

The Cassia County Rodeo Queen will be crowned Saturday night, when 2023 Queen Bailie Bramwell hands over the reins to Maltas Daisy Smith, Oakleys Tristynn Lloyd or Pauls JaKell Hansen.

For more information, visit cassiacountyfair.com.
NIAMEY, NigerNigers military regime vowed late Sunday to prosecute ousted president Mohamed Bazoum for high treason and slammed West African leaders for imposing sanctions on the country.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) imposed sanctions on Niger in response to the coup and has not ruled out using force against the army officers who toppled the democratically elected Bazoum on July 26.

The West African bloc has approved the deployment of a standby force to restore constitutional order in Niger as soon as possible but remains committed to finding a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

Nigers military leaders said they would prosecute Bazoum for high treason and undermining the internal and external security of Niger, according to a statement read out by Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane on national television.

Bazoum, 63, and his family have been held at the presidents official Niamey residence since the coup, with international concern mounting over his conditions in detention.

A member of his entourage said he saw his doctor on Saturday.

After this visit, the doctor raised no problems regarding the state of health of the deposed president and members of his family, the military said.

They also said sanctions imposed on Niger had made it difficult for people to access medicines, food and electricity, and were illegal, inhumane and humiliating.

The comments came just hours after religious mediators met with coup leader General Abdourahamane Tiani, who indicated his regime was open to a diplomatic breakthrough.

Tiani said their doors were open to explore diplomacy and peace in resolving the matter, said Sheikh Bala Lau, a day after his Nigerian Muslim delegation held talks in the capital Niamey.

Tiani claimed the coup was well intended and that the plotters struck to stave off an imminent threat that would have affected Nigeria as well as Niger, according to Laus statement.

But Tiani said it was painful that ECOWAS had issued an ultimatum to restore Bazoum without hearing their side of the matter, the statement added.

The Muslim leaders visited Niamey with the blessing of Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who is also head of ECOWAS.

Tinubu has adopted a firm stance against the coup, the sixth to hit an ECOWAS member state since 2020.

The bloc has severed financial transactions and electricity supplies and closed borders with landlocked Niger, blocking much-needed imports to one of the worlds poorest countries.

On July 30, it issued a seven-day ultimatum to restore Bazoum or face the potential use of force, but the deadline expired without the new rulers backing down.

The bloc scrapped a Saturday crisis meeting on the coup due to be held in Ghanas capital Accra for technical reasons.

Demonstrations in favour of the new military rulers have become a common sight in Niamey.

Thousands of people attended concerts on Sunday at the Seyni Kountche Stadium in support of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, the generals who have taken power.

The crowd, mainly made up of young people, brandished the flags of Niger as well as those of Burkina Faso, Mali and Russia.

The prospect of a military intervention to reinstate Bazoum has divided ECOWAS members and drawn warnings from foreign powers including Russia and Algeria.

Nigers neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso, also ruled by military governments who seized power in coups, have said an intervention would be tantamount to a declaration of war on them.

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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday called former colonial ruler Japan a partner that shares his countrys values and common interests as he aims to strengthen ties with Tokyo in response to North Koreas growing nuclear threats.

Relations between the North and South are at one of their lowest points in decades, with diplomacy stalled and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un calling for increased weapons development, including tactical nukes.

In response, Yoon has pulled South Korea closer to long-standing ally Washington while seeking to bury the hatchet with former colonial power Japan.

The three are set to hold a trilateral summit in the United States on Friday, during which the leaders are expected to announce plans for expanding military cooperation.

The summit will set a new milestone in trilateral cooperation contributing to peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo Pacific region, Yoon said.

Seoul and Tokyo, key US security allies, have long been at odds over historical issues tied to Japans brutal 1910-1945 occupation of the Korean peninsula, such as sexual slavery and forced labour.

But speaking at an event marking the anniversary of liberation from Japans rule, Yoon said the two are now partners who share universal values and pursue common interests.

He reiterated that Tokyo, Seoul and Washington must share North Koreas nuclear weapons and missiles data in real-time.

The seven rear bases provided to the United Nations Command(UNC) by the government of Japan serve as the greatest deterrent to an invasion by the North, he added.

The three allies said in June that they aimed to launch before the end of 2023 a system allowing the sharing of real-time missile warning data.

Audacious plan

August 15  known in the South as Gwangbokjeol, or Liberation Day  is the only public holiday celebrated in both North and South Korea, according to Seouls National Institute for Unification Education.

On last years anniversary, Yoon offered Pyongyang an audacious aid plan that would include food, energy and infrastructure help in return for the North abandoning its nuclear weapons programme.

Pyongyang has since ridiculed the offer, calling it the height of absurdity and a deal it would never accept, but Yoon on Tuesday said Seoul would steadfastly implement the plan and continue attempting to convince Pyongyang to return to dialogue.

North Koreas leader recently called for stepping up war preparations in an offensive way as well as a drastic boost in missile production.

Kim last month oversaw a dramatic military parade featuring new attack drones and Pyongyangs nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles, flanked by visiting Russian and Chinese officials.

Some experts said the attendance of Moscows defense minister showed Russias readiness to expand military cooperation with Pyongyang.

North Korean state media on Tuesday said Kim had exchanged letters with Russian President Vladimir Putin to mark the August 15 anniversary.

This holiday is a symbol of bravery and heroism of the Red Army soldiers and the Korean patriots who fought together to liberate Korea from Japans colonial rule, Putin told Kim in his letter, according to KCNA, adding: I am sure that we will strengthen the bilateral cooperation in all fields.

Kim wrote to Putin: The two countries will always emerge victorious, strongly supporting and cooperating with each other in the course of achieving their common goal and cause.

Last month, Putin hailed Pyongyangs firm support for special military operations against Ukraine.

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The Marcos administration is eyeing to boost the countrys workforce as the Philippines readies to fully open its economy post-COVID pandemic, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said.

During a public briefing, Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has instructed government agencies to speed up their respective programs during a sectoral meeting in Malacanang.

Laguesma also said the President has ordered government agencies to improve spending on programs that are related to social protection. He said aside from preparing the local workforce for opening the economy, the order also seeks to address the expected influx of foreign investors.

We received an order from the President that we have the funds, especially for social protection programs by the administration, we need to deliver to the intended beneficiaries, Laguesma said, adding that Our catch-up is the collaboration and partnership, not just with the local government units, but also with our legislators and most importantly, with the private sector.

Laguesma said that the DOLE has its catch-up plan in place to efficiently utilize its funds in extending its social protection programs.

Moreover, he clarified that the discussed budget utilization data was during the first quarter of the year, and in the second quarter, the government agencies had shown better results.

This second quarter, we are able to catch up because we were given information on our utilization rate, we were able to talk with our regional directors, the official said.

Laguesma bared that the President emphasized the need to prepare employability of Filipino youth in the future, as the Philippines moves on the pandemic.

The President led the sectoral meeting in Malacanang to address underspending and to determine the steps that will improve agency budget utilization.

Government agencies presented during the meeting their respective catch-up plans to hasten the delivery of social services.

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Iranian security forces have arrested eight foreign suspects after detaining a gunman in the killing of two people at a Shiite Muslim shrine, authorities said on Monday.

The attack on the Shah Cheragh mausoleum in Shiraz, capital of Fars province in Irans south, came less than a year after a mass shooting at the same site later claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.

Iranian state media on Sunday reported that one person was killed and eight others were wounded.

On Monday, official news agency IRNA quoted Fars province chief justice Kazem Mousavi as saying one of the wounded had succumbed to his wounds and died.

Mousavi earlier told the judiciarys Mizan Online news website that eight people suspected of links with the terrorist attack have been arrested.

All the people arrested are foreigners, he said without elaborating.

The main suspect was arrested on Sunday night shortly after the attack, and Mizan identified him as Rahmatollah Nowruzof from Tajikistan.

Windows were left shattered by bullets, and blood stained the ground in a courtyard of the arched and colonnaded complex after the shooting.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Fars provincial governor Mohammad Hadi Imanieh blamed IS extremists.

He told state TV that the assailant sought to take revenge for the execution of two terrorists hanged over last years shooting at the shrine.

On Monday, Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi told state TV during a visit to the site that the terrorist was collaborating with a network operating outside Iran.

The European Union and several countries including Iraq, Russia and France have condemned Sundays shooting and expressed their condolences.

Baghdad rejects terrorism in all its forms and stands with the international community in confronting terrorism, said foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed al-Sahhaf.

On October 26, a mass shooting at the shrine in Shiraz left 13 people dead and 30 wounded. IS later claimed the attack.

Iran hanged two men in public on July 8 over the killings after their conviction for corruption on earth, armed rebellion and acting against national security, Mizan said at the time.

Three other defendants in the case were sentenced to prison for five, 15 and 25 years for being members of IS, according to Moussavi.

In November, Tehran said 26 takfiri terrorists from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan had been arrested in connection with the mass shooting.

In Shiite-dominated Iran, the term takfiri generally refers to jihadists or proponents of radical Sunni Islam.

The Shah Cheragh mausoleum is home to the tomb of Ahmad, brother of Imam Reza  the eighth Shiite imam  and is considered the holiest site in southern Iran.

Last years shooting occurred as nationwide protests gripped Iran following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, 22, arrested for an alleged breach of strict dress rules for women.

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More than a dozen bodies have been found in freezers in a Mexican region wracked by drug cartel-related violence, authorities said Monday.

Six suspects were detained after the grisly discovery in the city of Poza Rica in the eastern state of Veracruz, prosecutor Veronica Hernandez told reporters.

According to initial investigations, unfortunately there could be more than 13 bodies, she said.

The discovery was made on Sunday as police chased a suspect who hid in a building where three kidnap victims were held, officials told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Police then carried out operations in the area and found more remains in other locations, they said.

Veracruz is one of Mexicos most violent regions due to fighting between rival gangs for control of lucrative drug trafficking routes to the United States.

The Latin American nation has recorded more than 400,000 murders since the launch of a controversial military anti-drug offensive in 2006.

It has also registered more than 110,000 disappearances since 1962, most attributed to criminal organizations.

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By Anuj Chopra and Daria Andriievska

Dinosaur-shaped balloons floated over the coffin of an eight-year-old boy in a western Ukrainian village on Monday, as mourners gathered for a final farewell after he was killed in a Russian strike involving hypersonic missiles.

Volodymyr Balabanyk was killed on Friday outside his family home near the town of Kolomyia in the Ivano-Frankivsk region.

The scenic part of southwestern Ukraine has so far been spared the worst of the 17-month war.

Sobbing family members and Kolomyia residents gathered around the coffin, draped in white.

The boys parents placed his portrait at their sons feet. His mother embraced his small head, while his father gently stroked his forehead.

Balloons tethered to bouquets of flowers and a teddy bear apparently belonging to the boy were perched next to the little coffin.

The local cemetery where he was buried had already received several adult victims of the war  mostly military veterans from the region killed in distant battlefields.

The sombre ceremony underscored how the war is taking a heavy toll on children.

What has happened is not just a loss, it is a tragedy, Oksana Shegda, the boys teacher told AFP.

It is not just our tragedy, its for the whole of Ukraine.

His desk will remain empty

Balabanyk was fatally wounded by shrapnel just outside his house after a Russian missile struck close by.

Two of his siblings who remained indoors were spared the effects of the explosion which shook houses and blew out windows in the area, witnesses and neighbours said.

Shegda said his family, who declined to talk to the media, was gripped by sorrow.

It is scary to think that his desk will remain empty, notebooks and textbooks will remain closed, she said.

For our Kolomyia, this was the youngest victim of war, said Svetlana Ivaniuk, a 31-year-old baker whose son was a close friend of Balabanyk.

Her son Oleksandr, who also loves toys like Lego and Hot Wheels like Balabanyk, was in shock.

He told me: is it really him? Maybe you made a mistake,' Ivaniuk said her son told her after Balabanyk was killed.

When the news hit, she said she could not believe the strike hit their corner of western Ukraine:

Here? Can that really be?

Senseless war

The strike shattered the illusion of safety in the relatively quiet region, known for its picturesque cathedrals, that has offered refuge to people fleeing war-ravaged areas in eastern and southern Ukraine.

We are not protected in this country, in this city, Vladyslav Limishko, a taxi service employee in Kolomyia who attended the funeral told AFP.

Nowhere is safe.

Many residents of Kolomyia, a sedate town on the Prut river cut off from conflict-ridden areas, had been inclined to ignore air raid alerts, but have now urged their children to take them more seriously.

Balabanyk was killed after Moscow launched a volley of hypersonic missiles at western Ukraine.

Ukraine said one of the missiles had been intercepted in the Kyiv region while others hit civilian facilities as well as an airfield.

The killing highlighted the suffering of children since Russia mounted its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Time and time again we are seeing childrens lives cut short and families suffering the insurmountable grief of losing a child, all due to this reckless and senseless war, Aaron Greenberg, a UNICEF child protection advisor, told AFP.

An average of three children have been killed or injured every day in Ukraine since the escalation of the war, according to Save the Children.

Innocent children are hurt as attacks on populated areas in Ukraine occur almost daily, and state of constant distress and fear has become the new norm for them, Amjad Yamin, advocacy director for Save the Children in Ukraine, told AFP.

The toll on children and their families continues to show that explosive weapons must not be used around towns and villages.

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The Internet Society, a global, charitable nonprofit that works to keep the Internet open, globally connected and secure, launched the Pulse Internet Resilience Index (IRI), a first-of-its-kind tool that offers insight into the Internet resilience of 170 countries worldwide.

A resilient Internet connection is one that maintains an acceptable level of service in the face of faults and challenges to normal operation and is an increasing focus for policymakers and activists worldwide as Internet infrastructure becomes essential for a nations economy and society.

The IRI, hosted on the Internet Societys Pulse Platform, tracks resilience across key metrics, including infrastructure, performance, security, and market readiness. The IRI will help inform policies and infrastructure development to improve Internet resilience at the local, regional, and global level.

Overall, the Philippines scored 46 percent in the IRI, ranking seventh in South-East Asia, only behind Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia, and just ahead of Myanmar (45%), Cambodia (43%), and Laos PDR (42%). The countrys infrastructure is ranked particularly high, with good, fixed line coverage not often seen in island nations. Further, the security score reveals a high HTTPS adoption, which is above average for the region.

According to the four pillars that make up the IRI, the Philippines scores are as follows:

Infrastructure: 48% The score assesses the existence and availability of physical infrastructure for Internet connectivity in the Philippines. Both mobile and fixed line coverage scored well.

Performance: 48% The score assesses the ability of the Philippines networks to provide end-users with seamless and reliable access to Internet services. Mobile performance (29%) in well below fixed network performance (76%), indicating an opportunity for improvement given the high reliance on mobile.

Security: 54% The score measures the ability of the Philippines networks to resist intentional or unintentional disruptions through the adoption of security technologies and best practices. HTTPS adoption is high, at 82%, as is the countrys MANRS score (80%) indicating an above average commitment to encryption and routing security.

Market Readiness: 35% The score measures the ability of the market in the Philippines to self-regulate and provide affordable prices to end-users by maintaining a diverse and competitive market. According to the IRI, both affordability (64%) and market diversity (42%) are both healthy and indicative of good competition in the country.



Decision-makers in the Philippines can use this snapshot to understand the strength and weaknesses in their Internet ecosystem and make data-driven decisions regarding where to invest and improve the countrys overall resilience.

Reliable Internet connectivity is vital for everyone, but many countries lack a reliable Internet infrastructure to provide such access. Low-income countries often have under-provisioned networks and dont have a robust cable infrastructure and redundant interconnection systems.

Further, in countries or regions where the likelihood of Internet outages is higher, it is unlikely that neighboring countries can provide better interconnection and global providers are less likely to invest to improve existing infrastructure because the connection is unreliable. The cost of Internet access for end users is also higher.

The IRI is part of the Internet Societys Pulse Platform, a global resource that gathers data from trusted sources to help everyone understand the health, availability, and evolution of the Internet.

The IRI is built using best practices according to the EU-JRC and the OECD Handbook on Constructing Composite Indicators, and uses the same methodology as currently existing indices such as the GSMA Mobile Connectivity Index, the Facebook/EIU Inclusive Internet Index and the Web Foundation Web Index. The full overview of the methodology used is available here.

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TODAYS WORD is demur. Example: Despite her initial reluctance, she did not demur when asked to participate in the project.

SATURDAYS WORD was cupidity, meaning eager or excessive desire, especially to possess something; greed. Example: The cupidity for power blinded them to the needs of their constituents.

The Appalachians

Many years ago, a school teacher once described the geography of Martinsville and Henry County as a community nestled at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation calls the foothills the Piedmont, a term that originally referred to the area between the Albs and the Adriatic Sea in North Italy. For us here in Virginia, it is the area between the Coastal Plain and the Mountain region.

The Mountain region is nearest to us at Carroll and Floyd counties, but did you know the mountain ranges, known as the Appalachians, extends into southeastern Canada, is 100 to 300 miles wide, and stretches southwestward through Virginia and all the way to central Alabama?

Its highest elevation is Mount Mitchell in North Carolina at 6,684 feet, which is the highest point in the United States east of the Mississippi River.

Full shelter

The Henry County Animal Shelter says they are beyond full and have zero open dog runs.

They ask that anyone wanting to surrender a pet, hold off until they can make some space, and if your pet is at the shelter, you are urged to come and reclaim your pet if at all possible.

Lastly, anyone who has the room, means and inclination to adopt, now would be a good time.

The shelter is open 12:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Call 276-656-4266 if you have any questions.

Park improvement

The city of Martinsville is inviting all residents to a couple of upcoming meetings to talk about a parks improvement plan that will reflect the desires of the community.

The first meeting will be from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Aug. 24 at the Southside Park picnic shelter, 1224 Ranson Road and the second will be from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Aug. 29 at the Virginia Museum of Natural History, 21 Starling Ave.

The city allocated $550,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act funds and grants including a $10,000 match for park upgrades.

Chuckle

What do you call a seagull that flies over the bay? A bagel.

What do you call a typo on a tombstone? A grave mistake.

Quote of the day

There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning.  Louis LAmour

SATURDAYS TRIVIA ANSWER: The term used for the speed at which a piece of music is played is tempo. A composers most accurate way to indicate the tempo is to give the beats per minute (BPM).

TODAYS TRIVIA QUESTION: During the Kentucky Derby races, what fashion event is known as part southern tradition and part spectacle?
If the upcoming fall semester at McDowell Technical Community College could be summed up in three words, those words would undoubtedly be Learn, Grow, Dream. The college has new programs and opportunities for students looking to learn a new skill, get a promotion and get that dream job.

There are more short-term workforce development classes than ever for students wanting to transition quickly into new and better jobs, and a number of exciting new curriculum programs are beginning to meet state and regional workforce demands. Plans for a new building are underway, renovations will start this fall on the highly anticipated Rocket Building in Old Fort, and the design phase is beginning for a new emergency services driving track. For students and the community, success is just around the corner.

I couldnt be more excited about the future of this college, said Dr. Brian S. Merritt, MTCC president, who will transition to a new position in September at the N.C. Community College System Office in Raleigh as senior vice president and chief academic officer for North Carolinas 58 community colleges. MTCC has been doing great things, and even better things are on the horizon as we build support for student success and work to fulfill the colleges vision and goals.

Numbers speak for themselves

While there are multiple measures of a colleges success, numbers speak for themselves:

The fall semester began on Monday, Aug. 14, with additional 14-week classes beginning on Monday, Aug. 28. Fall 2023 enrollment has already surpassed its highest enrollment in the past decade, exceeding the past two years of record enrollment growth.

The colleges decision two years ago to place greater emphasis on growing our short-term workforce development classes to enable students to quickly train for high-demand jobs with family-sustaining wages is paying off handsomely for the college and its students. This fall, the college has scheduled a record number of these short-term classes, including, but not limited to: (other classes are available at www.mcdowelltechconed.com)

Construction trades academy

Construction trades academy for Spanish speakers

Culinary arts and restaurant training

Graphics academy

Health care billing & coding

Medical office assistant

Photography academy

Plumbing academy

Residential electrical academy

Trail construction academy

Building new pathways to success

Demand is high for the colleges new degree and curriculum programs which begin this fall and one for which the planning process has begun:

Building construction technology

911 operations and communications

Elementary education residency certificate for college graduates interested in becoming elementary school teachers. (Tuition for this program will be free, but is limited to school-sponsored students.)

Human services technology is currently in the planning process.

Free College available for Early Childhood Education students via a partnership with Dogwood Health Trust:

Students enrolling the colleges early childhood program beginning this fall will attend MTCC tuition-free to complete their studies.

The program will also pay for a specific course, EDU 119, that is required to work in childcare centers statewide.

Students with questions about scholarships can call Financial Aid at 828-652-0602.

Constructing new facilities to support success

With the design phase completed, the much-anticipated renovation of the Rocket Building in downtown Old Fort will begin this fall, with construction bids being opened today.

The new facility is expected to open in 2024 and will house a number of workforce development classes, including many of the colleges trail construction classes, which will benefit from the Rocket Buildings close proximity to the Pisgah National Forest. Funding for the project is being supplied by grants from the Golden Leaf Foundation and the United States Department of Commerces Economic Development Administration, with additional matching funds provided by the town of Old Fort.

Thanks to a $1 million appropriation from the N.C. General Assembly and a site supplied by the McDowell County Board of Commissioners, development of a master plan for an emergency services driving track will begin this fall. The college has already contracted with an architectural firm to complete the master plan for these facilities, which will be located across the road from the college on the site of the countys former landfill on N.C. 226 South. When completed, the track will allow the college to do driver training for a variety of emergency service students, including ambulance drivers, law enforcement employees and others.

Plans are developing for a new Health Sciences and Public Safety Center on the colleges main campus, and promises to be the largest building on campus, reflecting the demand and importance of programs which will be housed in the building. The college hopes to double the number of nursing graduates with the increased number of classrooms and clinical facilities in the new building, and the transition to new space for Basic Law Enforcement and Emergency Medical Services classes will undergird support for these high growth, high demand programs. A gymnasium will also be included on one end of the building. Fundraising and grant-writing efforts will continue this fall to raise support for the building. More details are available at invest.mcdowelltech.edu.

Support for the future

Historically, the McDowell Technical Community College Foundation has one of the lowest endowments of any foundation supporting colleges in the N.C. Community College System. Part of the colleges Journey to Success involves growing that endowment. A Day Giving is planned for Wednesday, Nov. 1 to provide support for various programmatic efforts at the college. All funds provided to MTCC from Sunday, Oct. 1 of this year through Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026 will be eligible for a match of up to $224,000 thanks to a Title III Strengthening Institutions Grant from the United States Department of Education.

If the college receives the maximum matching dollars, the endowment will grow to over $1 million. More information is available at www.mcdowelltech.edu/mtcc-foundation/. Questions or donations may be directed to Madalyn Gaito at 828-652-0630 or msgaito41@go.mcdowelltech.edu.

Every day, people in McDowell County and the western N.C. region are making a choice to better themselves and their families by embarking on a personal journey to success and fulfill their dreams, said Merritt. As a college, we are on a similar journey, navigating our own path to growth and success, but our students, our community and our state are the real beneficiaries. This is an ongoing process, and we will continue to Learn, Grow, and Dream. McDowell Tech is synonymous with success, and we look forward to a great year!

To apply to MTCC, visit mcdowelltech.edu/apply-today/. Financial aid is available to qualified students.
Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi on Sunday August 13 called on young people to mobilize socially to preserve the environment, noting that the country is cyclically plagued by the impact of climate change.

Young people, as a guarantor of the continuity of generations, must act in a conscious and organized manner to implement environmentally friendly attitudes in communities, said Nyusi, in a message alluding to International Youth Day, which this year is celebrated under the slogan Green Skills for Youth: Towards a Sustainable World.

The Mozambican Head of State argued that young people, organized in associations, in groups in schools, in neighborhoods or individually, should actively participate in promoting a green society.

In particular, young people should promote the planting of trees, reforestation, the prevention of uncontrolled burning, the cleaning of beaches and avoid pollution of rivers in mining activities, he emphasized.

The Mozambican President noted that the motto chosen this year for International Youth Day is an appeal to all public, private and civil society actors to invest more and more in the technical and behavioral training of young people so that they can position themselves at the forefront of promoting a green world. The current international reality is characterized by environmental degradation and extreme weather events caused by climate change. The transition to green economies and sustainable societies depends to a large extent on the mastery of information and techniques to understand and respond to these phenomena, reads the message.
The head of Angolan diplomacy has started to assume the rotating presidency of the Council of Ministers of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), for 12 months led by the Minister of Regional Integration and Francophonie of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Tete Antonio took office at the meeting preceding the 43rd Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of SADC. This Summit will take place in Luanda on August 17 under the theme: Human and financial capital: The key drivers for sustainable industrialisation of the SADC Region.

Angola assumes the presidency of the regional organization for the third time, after 2002-2003 and 2011-2012.

I am thus pleased to assume the rotating presidency of the SADC Council of Ministers, after it was exercised with pride and dedication by His Excellency Antipas Nyamwisi, Minister of Regional Integration and Francophonie of the Democratic Republic of Congo, said Tete Antonio, quoted in a Foreign Affairs press release.

The Angolan Foreign minister highlighted the leadership of his predecessor who inspired the continuity of the promotion of industrialization and agro-processing of pharmaceutical products, mineral beneficiation and value chains.

The opening session of the SADC Council of Ministers was attended by representatives of the 16 member States of the organization, gathered to review the various documents submitted by senior officials of the Committee of Experts of the regional institution.

The 43rd ordinary summit of the Heads of State and Government of the regional organization is being held under the theme Human and Financial Capital: Key Drivers for Sustainable Industrialization in the SADC Region.

Over the next 12 months, the Angolan presidency will jointly focus on human and financial capital as catalysts for industrialization, the statement said. SADC has as member states Angola, South Africa, Botswana, Comoros, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Former South African President Jacob Zuma, 81, made a brief appearance in prison on Friday before being released immediately as part of sentence remissions announced the same day by the government, the prison administration announced.

A decision has been taken for Mr. Zuma, convicted of contempt in 2021 and who had spent two months behind bars before being released on medical grounds, to go to Estcourt Correctional Centre, in Zulu country (east), said the head of prison services, Makgothi Samuel Thobakgale. He arrived at six oclock this morning and was admitted into the system before being submitted to a remission procedure and released an hour later, he added before the press in Pretoria.

These remissions of sentences for non-violent convicts were approved by President Cyril Ramaphosa because of prison overcrowding in the country, according to a statement from the Ministry of Justice. They should enable the release of more than 9,000 prisoners in the country.

Last month, South Africas highest court reiterated that Mr. Zuma should return to prison to finish serving a 15-month sentence for contempt, rejecting an appeal that he be spared.

Mr. Zuma was sentenced in June 2021 for stubbornly refusing to answer a commission investigating corruption under his presidency (2009-2018). His imprisonment a few days later triggered several days of rioting, leaving over 350 people dead.

Removed from the countrys presidency in 2018 for corruption and still being prosecuted in several cases, Mr. Zuma was once the feared head of intelligence during the ANCs time in exile, whose middle name Gedleyihlekisa means in Zulu he who laughs as he crushes his enemies. He spent ten years in Robben Island penitentiary alongside Nelson Mandela.
Cape Verde and Cote dIvoire have expressed their willingness to strengthen political and diplomatic dialogue and set up a joint partnership Commission in areas such as economy, agriculture and justice.

The wish was expressed by Ivorian Deputy Foreign Minister, Adom Kacou Houadja, and by the Ministers of Communities of Cape Verde, Jorge Santos, and of Justice, Joana Rosa, who were on a four-day official visit to Cote dIvoire.

According to the Government of Cape Verde, the Minister of Communities addressed during the talks public policies for Cape Verdean communities abroad, and presented the program for the free granting of nationality to descendants, the mapping and census of the countrys diaspora, the strengthening human capital, and promotion of diaspora entrepreneurship as priorities for the Government of Cape Verde.

The Minister of Justice stressed the need to conclude an agreement at the judicial level between the two countries, namely in terms of extradition and the various threats such as drug trafficking and money laundering.

All Cape Verdeans have been here for almost a century and the people of Cote dIvoire are coming to know Cape Verde at a difficult time. Now we are here to relaunch our cooperation, talk about the present and project the future in terms of development, said Jorge Santos.

The Ivorian minister said that the two countries had signed a dozen cooperation agreements, but that none was materialized.
Ethiopias human rights watchdog expressed serious concern on Monday August 14 about the fighting in the northern Amhara region, as well as the massive arrests of ethnic Amhara people in the country.

At least 26 people were killed on Sunday August 13 in an airstrike in Finote Selam, in Ethiopias embattled Amhara region, a local hospital official and a resident told media on Monday.

The strike was the deadliest reported since fighting broke out in early July between the federal army and Amhara fighters, including the nationalist Fano militia, in Ethiopias second most populous region. The federal government declared a state of emergency on August 4 in response to this upsurge in armed violence, which threatens to engulf northern Ethiopia just nine months after the end of a devastating conflict in the neighboring Tigray region. The state of emergency was ratified by a vote of parliament on Monday.

Twenty-two bodies were brought to hospital, while four other seriously injured people died shortly after arrival, said the head of the hospital in Finote Selam, a town in the southern Amhara region around 170 kilometers from the regional capital Bahir Dar. Speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, he added that the hospital had also received 55 wounded patients, more than 40 of whom are seriously injured.

A local resident said, also on condition of anonymity, that he had personally helped to bury the bodies of 30 victims () as well as transporting many wounded victims. The strike hit the center of the town on Sunday morning, when it was under the control of the Fano militia. The Ethiopian army entered the town on Monday afternoon, said the local resident.
The non-governmental organization (NGO) WaterAid will invest 2.3 million euros to expand access to drinking water in Mozambique, as part of its strategic plan for the coming years, the British organizations director has announced.

Mozambique is a country facing many water-related diseases, such as cholera, explains WaterAids director in Mozambique Adam Garley.

So, we have more or less three prominent elements in the strategy: supporting projects to deliver water, sanitation and hygiene services, building capacity, and advocacy, explained Adam Garley, on the sidelines of the launch of the NGOs national strategy for 2023-2028 in Maputo.

The main objective of the strategy is to improve the public health and climate resilience of communities by expanding access to water, sanitation and hygiene services, particularly in rural areas, WaterAid noted.

Mozambique ranks 185th out of 191 countries on the 2021 Human Development Index and is the fifth most vulnerable country to the long-term impacts of climate change, according to the NGO.
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Neuroscientists recorded electrical activity from areas of the brain (yellow and red dots) as patients listened to a 3-minute snippet of the Pink Floyd song, Another Brick in the Wall, Part 1. Using artificial intelligence software, they were able to reconstruct the song from the brain recordings. This is the first time a song has been reconstructed from intracranial electroencephalography recordings. Credit: Ludovic Bellier and Robert Knight, UC Berkeley

As the chords of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 1," filled the surgery suite, neuroscientists at Albany Medical Center diligently recorded the activity of electrodes placed on the brains of patients undergoing epilepsy surgery.

The goal? To capture the electrical activity of brain regions tuned to attributes of the musictone, rhythm, harmony and wordsto see if they could reconstruct what the patient was hearing.

More than a decade later, after detailed analysis of data from 29 such patients by neuroscientists at the University of California, Berkeley, the answer is clearly yes.

The phrase "All in all it was just a brick in the wall" comes through recognizably in the reconstructed song, its rhythms intact, and the words muddy, but decipherable. This is the first time researchers have reconstructed a recognizable song from brain recordings.

The reconstruction shows the feasibility of recording and translating brain waves to capture the musical elements of speech, as well as the syllables. In humans, these musical elements, called prosodyrhythm, stress, accent and intonationcarry meaning that the words alone do not convey.

Because these intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG) recordings can be made only from the surface of the brainas close as you can get to the auditory centersno one will be eavesdropping on the songs in your head anytime soon.

But for people who have trouble communicating, whether because of stroke or paralysis, such recordings from electrodes on the brain surface could help reproduce the musicality of speech that's missing from today's robot-like reconstructions. Original song waveform transformed into a magnitude-only auditory spectrogram, then transformed back into a waveform. Credit: Bellier et al., 2023, PLOS Biology, CC-BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Reconstructed song excerpt using non-linear models fed with all 347 significant electrodes from all 29 patients. Credit: Bellier et al., 2023, PLOS Biology, CC-BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Reconstructed song excerpt using non-linear models fed with the 61 significant electrodes from a single patient. Credit: Bellier et al., 2023, PLOS Biology, CC-BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

"It's a wonderful result," said Robert Knight, a neurologist and UC Berkeley professor of psychology in the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute who conducted the study with postdoctoral fellow Ludovic Bellier.

"One of the things for me about music is it has prosody and emotional content. As this whole field of brain machine interfaces progresses, this gives you a way to add musicality to future brain implants for people who need it, someone who's got ALS or some other disabling neurological or developmental disorder compromising speech output. It gives you an ability to decode not only the linguistic content, but some of the prosodic content of speech, some of the affect. I think that's what we've really begun to crack the code on."

As brain recording techniques improve, it may be possible someday to make such recordings without opening the brain, perhaps using sensitive electrodes attached to the scalp. Currently, scalp EEG can measure brain activity to detect an individual letter from a stream of letters, but the approach takes at least 20 seconds to identify a single letter, making communication effortful and difficult, Knight said.

"Noninvasive techniques are just not accurate enough today. Let's hope, for patients, that in the future we could, from just electrodes placed outside on the skull, read activity from deeper regions of the brain with a good signal quality. But we are far from there," Bellier said.

Bellier, Knight and their colleagues reported the results in the journal PLOS Biology.

Reading your mind? Not yet

The brain machine interfaces used today to help people communicate when they're unable to speak can decode words, but the sentences produced have a robotic quality akin to how the late Stephen Hawking sounded when he used a speech-generating device.

"Right now, the technology is more like a keyboard for the mind," Bellier said. "You can't read your thoughts from a keyboard. You need to push the buttons. And it makes kind of a robotic voice; for sure there's less of what I call expressive freedom."

Bellier should know. He has played music since childhooddrums, classical guitar, piano and bass, at one point performing in a heavy metal band. When Knight asked him to work on the musicality of speech, Bellier said, "You bet I was excited when I got the proposal."

In 2012, Knight, postdoctoral fellow Brian Pasley and their colleagues were the first to reconstruct the words a person was hearing from recordings of brain activity alone.

More recently, other researchers have taken Knight's work much further. Eddie Chang, a UC San Francisco neurosurgeon and senior co-author of the 2012 paper, has recorded signals from the motor area of the brain associated with jaw, lip and tongue movements to reconstruct the speech intended by a paralyzed patient, with the words displayed on a computer screen.

That work, reported in 2021, employed artificial intelligence to interpret the brain recordings from a patient trying to vocalize a sentence based on a set of 50 words.

While Chang's technique is proving successful, the new study suggests that recording from the auditory regions of the brain, where all aspects of sound are processed, can capture other aspects of speech that are important in human communication.

"Decoding from the auditory cortices, which are closer to the acoustics of the sounds, as opposed to the motor cortex, which is closer to the movements that are done to generate the acoustics of speech, is super promising," Bellier added. "It will give a little color to what's decoded."

For the new study, Bellier reanalyzed brain recordings obtained in 2012 and 2013 as patients were played an approximately 3-minute segment of the Pink Floyd song, which is from the 1979 album, The Wall. He hoped to go beyond previous studies, which had tested whether decoding models could identify different musical pieces and genres, to actually reconstruct music phrases through regression-based decoding models.

Bellier emphasized that the study, which used artificial intelligence to decode brain activity and then encode a reproduction, did not merely create a black box to synthesize speech. He and his colleagues were also able to pinpoint new areas of the brain involved in detecting rhythm, such as a thrumming guitar, and discovered that some portions of the auditory cortexin the superior temporal gyrus, located just behind and above the earrespond at the onset of a voice or a synthesizer, while other areas respond to sustained vocals.

The researchers also confirmed that the right side of the brain is more attuned to music than the left side.

"Language is more left brain. Music is more distributed, with a bias toward right," Knight said.

"It wasn't clear it would be the same with musical stimuli," Bellier said. "So here we confirm that that's not just a speech-specific thing, but that's it's more fundamental to the auditory system and the way it processes both speech and music."

Knight is embarking on new research to understand the brain circuits that allow some people with aphasia due to stroke or brain damage to communicate by singing when they cannot otherwise find the words to express themselves.

Other co-authors of the paper are Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute postdoctoral fellows Anais Llorens and Deborah Marciano, Aysegul Gunduz of the University of Florida and Gerwin Schalk and Peter Brunner of Albany Medical College in New York and Washington University, who captured the brain recordings.
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The Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) formally recommend mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) and other integrative therapies to manage anxiety and depression symptoms in adults living with cancer. The guideline, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, reviews the effectiveness of integrative therapies such as yoga, relaxation, hypnosis, acupuncture, and music therapy in treating anxiety and depression symptoms during and after cancer treatment.

"Anxiety and depression symptoms have long been associated with lower quality of life in people with cancer," said Heather Greenlee, ND, Ph.D., Co-Chair of the SIO Clinical Practice Guideline Committee. "Treating these symptoms using evidence-based integrative therapies will not only improve a patient's quality of life, but it can help them better manage their care too. Now we know which therapies could have the biggest impact."

The strongest recommendations in the guideline are for the use of mindfulness-based interventions, which include mindfulness-based stress reduction, meditation, and mindful movement. These interventions were recommended across the board to treat both anxiety and depression symptoms in patients in active treatment and those post-treatment due to the strong evidence to show their benefits to patients.

"For many people, cancer is the most difficult and frightening experience they have ever encountered," said Past Chair of the ASCO Evidence-Based Medicine Committee, Scott T. Tagawa, MD, MS, FASCO, FACP. "Mindfulness-based interventions and other mind-body therapies not only provide tools to manage patients' anxiety and depression symptoms, but they can also offer patients a sense of control over their illness, which we know can be helpful for patients who have to navigate a complex treatment journey."

The SIO-ASCO guideline is a companion to the clinically based Management of Anxiety and Depression in Adult Survivors of Cancer: ASCO Guideline Update. It was created by an expert panel of integrative oncology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, surgical oncology, palliative oncology, behavioral medicine, mind-body medicine, nursing, methodology, and patient advocacy representatives. The panel reviewed existing published literature on integrative therapies used to treat anxiety and depression symptoms in cancer patients from randomized controlled trials. Once consensus was reached, recommendations were made based on the strength of the evidence available. The panel was co-chaired by Linda E. Carlson, Ph.D., President of SIO, and Julia Rowland, Ph.D., of Smith Center for Healing and the Arts representing ASCO.

"We have seen a steady increase in interest in these therapies among cancer patients over the years, but certain roadblocks have prevented patients from accessing them," said Julia Rowland, Ph.D., Co-Chair of the SIO-ASCO guideline. "We hope that comprehensive cancer centers and governing administrative bodies consider prioritizing MBIs in patient care."

Integrative oncology is a patient-centered, evidence-informed field of cancer care that utilizes mind and body practices, natural products, and/or lifestyle modifications from different traditions alongside conventional cancer treatments. Integrative oncology aims to optimize health, quality of life, and clinical outcomes across the cancer care continuum and to empower people to prevent cancer and become active participants before, during, and beyond cancer treatment.

"This is the second of a series of evidence-based guidelines addressing integrative therapies in cancer care that SIO and ASCO are developing together," added Linda E. Carlson, Ph.D., President of SIO, Professor of Oncology at the University of Calgary, and Co-Chair of the guideline. "The goal of these guidelines is to inform as many clinicians and people living with cancer as possible about where the evidence lies to support the best clinical outcomes possible for all people with cancer. We believe this latest guideline accomplishes that for those suffering from anxiety and depression symptoms."

Other interventions recommended in the guideline that had a lower level of evidence for their benefits included the use of relaxation, music therapy, and reflexology for treatment of both anxiety and depression symptoms during conventional treatment. Yoga was recommended for patients with breast cancer to treat both anxiety and depression symptoms, although the strength of the evidence was moderate. "We want to clarify that this does not mean yoga can only benefit women with breast cancer," explained Dr. Carlson. "There is research that shows yoga can benefit people with various cancer types and we need to continue building the evidence base."

To ensure people living with cancer can play a role in the treatment decision-making process and to inform their discussions about integrative therapies with their oncologists, ASCO and SIO have posted clinical tools, resources, and patient information related to this guideline on their respective websites.

Because the expert panel was conservative in making their recommendations, the guideline also includes areas identified as potentially relevant to cancer care but needing more research. This distinction is important because the lack of endorsement for a given therapy is not an indication that the therapy is necessarily ineffective or unsafe. "Rather, it indicates that the evidence was insufficient to support its recommendation," said Dr. Rowland. "For instance, more studies are needed to assess the safety and effectiveness of natural health products."

More information: Integrative Oncology Care of Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression in Adults With Cancer: Society for Integrative OncologyASCO Guideline, Journal of Clinical Oncology (2023). DOI: 10.1200/JCO.23.00857 Journal information: Journal of Clinical Oncology

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The fall vaccination season is just around the corner, and officials are set to roll out another updated version of the COVID-19 vaccine, as well as new tools to protect against RSV.

Here's a rundown of the three types of vaccines that will available in the coming months.

A new COVID-19 vaccine could roll out by late September

A fall 2023 version of the COVID vaccine will likely be reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the latter part of September, officials say.

Guidance on who is recommended to get that shot will come around that time.

The newest shot eventually will supersede the 2022 version. Introduced 11 months ago, the booster was designed against the BA.5 and BA.4 sublineages of the omicron variant. It was called a bivalent shot because it was designed to protect against both the latest sublineages as well as the ancestral strain.

The 2023 version of the vaccine also will be designed against the latest dominant omicron subvariant, XBB.1.5. It will be a monovalent vaccine focused only on XBB. Scientists say the 2023 COVID-19 vaccine formula doesn't need to protect against the ancestral strain since the original version of the coronavirus that emerged in late 2019 in Wuhan, China, is essentially extinct.

Being up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations is an important way to protect against the disease, experts say. While most people have been vaccinated in some form, many haven't received the latest version. In California, for instance, 73% of residents have received their primary vaccination, but only 21% are considered up to date on their shots.

In April, federal health officials recommended that seniors 65 and older and immunocompromised people be allowed to get an additional bivalent booster at least four months after their initial updated booster.

If you aren't current on your COVID-19 shots, are immunocompromised or older, UC San Francisco infectious diseases expert Dr. Peter Chin-Hong suggests getting the 2022 version of the shot now, given that COVID-19 levels are rising.

"I'm just worried about them getting very sick," Chin-Hong said.

But for younger people and those who are not immunocompromised, Chin-Hong said it's probably fine to wait for the 2023 version.

People can still talk to their doctors about getting the 2022 version now, though. Chin-Hong said he's heard of a mother who had just given birth and was considering getting a 2022 version of the COVID-19 shot so she could pass on antibodies to the baby since infants cannot be vaccinated until they're at least 6 months old.

Requirements to be vaccinated have eased. Federal officials ended requirements last week that health care workers at facilities receiving Medicare and Medicaid funding be vaccinated against COVID-19. L.A. County also rescinded its COVID vaccination requirement for health care workers.

"However, health care workers are encouraged to be fully up to date on COVID-19 vaccines. When workers in health care settings are up to date on their vaccines, there is both a reduced risk to patients and among health care workers themselves," the L.A. County Department of Public Health said in a statement.

A new RSV drug is coming

Earlier this month the CDC gave the green light to a new immunization to protect against RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, which can cause significant illness and death in young children and older people.

The immunization is called nirsevimab, and has the brand name Beyfortus, and is being distributed by AstraZeneca and Sanofi. It's not technically a vaccine, which boosts immunity for the future; rather, it's a long-acting monoclonal antibody that acts as a preventive drug that provides immediate and short-term protection, according to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Beyfortus has been found to reduce the risk of hospitalizations and health care visits for RSV in infants by 80%, the CDC said. It is likely to become available sometime this fall.

RSV became a household name last fall as the virus stressed children's hospitals in California and across the nation. The virus sickened so many children last year that some hospitals reported running short of pediatric beds.

In a typical year, RSV can lead to 100 to 300 deaths in children younger than 5 and 6,000 to 10,000 deaths among seniors 65 and older. The virus also can cause up to 80,000 hospitalizations a year among children younger than 5 and as many as 160,000 a year in seniors.

The CDC recommended Beyfortus "for all infants younger than 8 months, born duringor enteringtheir first RSV season (typically fall through spring). For a small group of children between the ages of 8 and 19 months who are at increased risk of severe RSV disease, such as children who are severely immunocompromised, a dose is recommended in their second season."

"This new RSV immunization provides parents with a powerful tool to protect their children against the threat of RSV," CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen said in a statement. "RSV is the leading cause of hospitalizations for infants and older babies at higher risk, and today we have taken an important step to make this life-saving product available."

Two vaccines against RSV also were given the green light earlier this summer for older adults. In June, the CDC endorsed an advisory group's recommendation for new RSV vaccines for those 60 and older, a decision the CDC said should be based on a patient's discussion with their health care provider on whether the vaccination is right for them. Those vaccines are being offered by GSK and Pfizer.

Flu shots

The updated flu vaccination formula has been set for this fall. The CDC suggests the best times to get vaccinated against the flu are in September and October.

Getting vaccinated in August is not recommended for most people, the CDC said, unless there is reason to expect the person can't get vaccinated in September or October. There are some exceptions: Pregnant people in their third trimester may want to get a flu vaccine in August to help ensure their newborn babies are protected because they're too young to get a flu shot, the CDC said.

Everyone 6 months and older should get the annual flu shot, the CDC said, a recommendation that has remained consistent since 2010.

2023 Los Angeles Times.

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Credit: Journal of Clinical Investigation (2023). DOI: 10.1172/JCI163402

Influenza infection (flu) is a major cause of death around the world, especially during years of flu pandemics. People who die of the flu often have a secondary lung infection with Staphylococcus aureus (staph) bacteria that starts a few days after flu infection begins. In new research, a team from Mount Sinai studied how the flu paves the way for staph infection in the lungs. Using mouse models, the researchers found that healthy lungs secrete liquid into their air sacs that prevents a staph infection. The flu blocks this liquid secretion by inhibiting a protein called CFTR, making it possible for staph that are inhaled into the air sacs to stick to the air sac walls, initiate infection, and damage the lungs. Treatment with a CFTR-activating drug, such as ivacaftor, restores liquid secretion in air sacs of the flu-infected lungs and restores the air sacs' natural protection against staph infection.

The study is published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

The researchers applied a method to examine live air sacs of intact, perfused mouse lungs. Mice were untreated or intranasally instilled with the flu at 24 hours before lung imaging. The researchers used a pink dye to view air sac walls and a yellow solution to visualize the air sac liquid. In untreated lungs, loss of fluorescence of the yellow solution over time indicated that the solution was diluted by non-fluorescent liquid, which was secreted into the air sacs by cells that line the air sac walls. By contrast, in lungs infected with the flu, the yellow fluorescence was not lost, signaling that air sac walls failed to secrete liquid. Treatment of the air sac walls of flu-infected lungs with the CFTR-activating drug ivacaftor restarted the liquid secretion. Follow-up studies in mice co-infected with flu and staph showed that the loss of liquid secretion caused inhaled staph to stick to air sac walls, leading to staph infection, lung injury, and death.

The research uncovers how lung air sacs normally protect themselves against staph lung infection and reveals how flu disrupts that protection to make it easy for staph to cause secondary lung infection. The study also explores the possibility of giving ivacaftor to people with flu infection to prevent secondary staph infection, a deadly complication of the flu.

Researchers say these findings support a potential pathway for clinical trials that test whether ivacaftor can prevent secondary staph infection in people with the flu, which is highly feasible since the medication is already in clinical use for both children and adults and has a good record of safety and tolerability.

Speaking about the research, Mount Sinai's Jaime Hook, MD said, "The combination of flu and staph infections in the lungs is deadly, particularly in young children and older people. Antibiotics don't always resolve the staph infection because they might be started after the infection is already severe and it's too late to treat it, or because the antibiotics don't work if the bacteria are antibiotic-resistant. Our work shows, for the first time, how drugs that target the lungrather than the bacteriamight treat staph infection in flu-infected lungs. We think that drugs that activate the CFTR protein, like ivacaftor, rescue a critical lung defense mechanism in flu-infected lungs to restore the lung's natural protection against staph infection. In this way, giving CFTR activator drugs to people with the flu who are at risk for a secondary staph infection might prevent staph infection from initiating, thereby preventing death from flu-staph coinfection."

Study authors include Jaime Hook, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine (Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine), and Microbiology, at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Stephanie Tang, Ph.D. Candidate in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Icahn Mount Sinai; and other co-authors. Researchers from Yale University School of Medicine and the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University also contributed to the study.

More information: Stephanie Tang et al, Rescue of alveolar wall liquid secretion blocks fatal lung injury by influenza-staphylococcal coinfection, Journal of Clinical Investigation (2023). DOI: 10.1172/JCI163402 Journal information: Journal of Clinical Investigation
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Extreme heat threatens the health of vulnerable populations such as children, laborers, and the elderly. A Stanford pediatrician, emergency medicine doctor, and professor of Earth system science discuss how we can best adapt and build resilienceparticularly for those populations and communities that are most vulnerable.

This summer of record-breaking heat has made the realities of our warming planet painfully tangible for people across the world.

Extreme heat threatens the physical health of vulnerable populations such as laborers, the elderly, and children, while also impacting mental wellness: it has been associated with higher rates of suicide and violence. It can also spark climate anxiety.

The extended heat waves occurring this summer are particularly concerning, says Matt Strehlow, professor of emergency medicine at Stanford Medicine and a faculty fellow at the Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health (CIGH). He is currently analyzing 1 million pediatric emergency service calls in India to better understand how extreme weather impacts children's health.

"Heat is cumulative, and the duration of heat waves drives a lot of the illness and death that occurs," he said. "The daily temperature often gets the headline, but it is the unrelenting heat, day after day, that puts people at greater risk."

And yet, he adds, the risk is not shared equally across communities, with children, the elderly, and economically disadvantaged and unsheltered individuals all more vulnerable to heat's impacts.

Strehlow and two other planetary health experts, Gabrielle Wong-Parodi and Lisa Patel discussed how communities can best adapt and build resilienceparticularly for those populations that are most vulnerable.

Wong-Parodi is an assistant professor of Earth system science at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, and a center fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment who studies frontline communities impacted "first and worst" by climate change. Patel is a clinical associate professor of pediatrics at Stanford Medicine, a faculty fellow at the CIGH, and lead author of a recent report, "Climate-Resilient California Schools: A Call to Action."

Who is most vulnerable to being affected by extreme heat?

Patel: I worry the most about outdoor workers who have few protections in place in many parts of the world. I worry about infants, especially newborns in the first week of life where evidence suggests a higher risk of mortality if born during a heat wave. I worry about pregnant individuals, who face a higher risk of preterm birth. And I worry for the elderly, who face the highest risk of mortality from heat waves, particularly for these events that are severe and prolonged in many parts of the world.

How can we prepare and support the most vulnerable during heat events?

Strehlow: Individuals and families can avoid prolonged outdoor exposure, dress in light colors, drink more water, monitor that young children are urinating regularly, and use cooling measures such as fans and wet washcloths over skin. Communities can plan to have publicly operated cooling centers where vulnerable people can go or be brought. It is key to educate the community about their location in advance of what we now know will be recurrent severe heat waves.

Hospitals and emergency care systems have providers that are trained to care for people with heat-related illnesses, but responding to a rapid increase in need can be tremendously challenging when resources are already stretched. Health systems can better prepare by setting up an office of emergency management to anticipate and plan for situations where the need for services is expected to outpace the capacity to respond. We have a saying in emergency medicine: "When is an emergency not an emergency? When you are prepared."

Patel: Air conditioning is protective from the worst health harms of heat waves, but providing it to everyone is both an enormous logistical challenge and could drive the burning of more fossil fuels, making heat waves even worse. We need to think about the places where people spend the most time, the populations that will be the most vulnerableand invest our resources there in terms of cooling.

Schools are the place where children spend the second most time after their homes, and children are vulnerable to extreme heat, making this a logical site for intervention. Poorer communities, public housing, homes and housing for the elderly, and areas that have been redlined and tend to be measurably hotter should also be prioritized.

How do experiences of extreme weather impact people's beliefs about climate change and their willingness to act?

Wong-Parodi: Experience with extreme weather can be a signal for some people that climate change is happening, prompting them to be more willing to take mitigation or adaptation action, such as supporting climate policies or developing an emergency plan. Yet people's perceptions of the risk can quickly change as they become accustomed to extremes. That's why it is important to provide information and resources for improving resilience when people are experiencing extremes in weather or soon thereafter.

What changes are you hopeful might come from this summer, when awareness of extreme heat and its health impacts is so high?

Wong-Parodi: I hope that this points more of a focus on the need to adapt to extremes, and to adapt in anticipation of greater extremes than we have experienced before. This could be communities and local municipalities investing in climate resilience hubs where community members can go during extreme events to seek shelter, socialize, work, and recreate. This could also be greater investment in critical infrastructure such as for stormwater, power, and health services that are more robust to the climate extremes that we're expecting to see.

Patel: This may be the coolest summer of our lifetime moving forward if we don't do more to get off fossil fuels. From here, each year stands to break the record of the year before. I think people cannot imagine a world that is so hot we couldn't survive it, but we don't need to imagine itwe are living it. We need to tell our policymakers that enough is enoughno new drilling projects or pipelines for oil, and no backsliding on our commitments to cut our carbon pollution from fossil fuels.
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July 2023 was the hottest month on record, with cities like Phoenix experiencing record-breaking heat waves for weeks on end. A new study finds that ongoing extreme heat can worsen cognitive decline among vulnerable groupsparticularly Black older adults and those living in poor neighborhoods.

"Our research finds that cumulative exposure to extreme heat can undermine cognitive health, but it does so unequally across the population," said Eunyoung Choi, a postdoctoral associate at the NYU School of Global Public Health and the first author of the study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Extreme heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the U.S., claiming more lives each year than hurricanes, tornadoes, and lightning combined. Young children and older adults are particularly vulnerable to heat-related illnesses such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Recent studies suggest that high temperatures may hurt cognitive function, but these studies tend to look at a snapshot of someone's cognition at a single time point following brief exposure to heat. Less is known about the long-term consequences of heat on cognitive health.

"Cognitive decline may not manifest right after a single heat event, but repeated or prolonged exposures to extreme heat may be detrimental," explained Virginia Chang, associate professor of social and behavioral sciences at the NYU School of Global Public Health and the study's senior author. "Cumulative exposure to extreme heat can trigger a cascade of events in the brain, including cellular damage, inflammation, and oxidative stress, all of which can exhaust one's cognitive reserve."

As heat waves have become more frequent and intense due to climate change and urban heat islands, the researchers sought to understand the connection between extreme heat exposure and cognitive decline. They analyzed data from nearly 9,500 U.S. adults ages 52 and older surveyed over a 12-year period (2006-2018) as part of the Health and Retirement Study conducted by the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, which measures participants' cognitive function over time.

The researchers also looked at socioeconomic measures of the neighborhoods where participants lived. In addition, they calculated participants' cumulative exposure to extreme heat (the number of days in which the heat index reached or exceeded a location-specific threshold) during this 12-year period based on historical temperature data from the CDC's National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network.

They found that high exposure to extreme heat was associated with faster cognitive decline among residents of poor neighborhoods, but not for those in wealthier neighborhoods.

"Affluent neighborhoods tend to have resources that can help in a heat wavethings like well-maintained green spaces, air conditioning, and cooling centers. In disadvantaged neighborhoods, these resources may not exist," said Haena Lee, assistant professor of sociology at Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea and the study's co-first author. "Other factors associated with disadvantaged neighborhoodsresidents experiencing chronic stress, greater social isolation, and fewer specialized services for cognitive healthcould also be contributing to this disparity."

Moreover, cumulative exposure to extreme heat was associated with faster cognitive decline among Black older adults, but not white or Hispanic older adults. (The study did not have enough participants of other races and ethnicities to include them in the analysis.)

"One possible explanation for this pattern of findings is that Black older adults may have disproportionately experienced systemic disadvantages throughout their lives due to structural racism, segregation, and other discriminatory policies, all of which may affect cognitive reserve," said Chang.

The researchers urge local governments and health officials to develop policies and tools that identify residents who are susceptible to extreme heat, empower at-risk communities, map their specific needs, and develop targeted support and increased communication with these populations.

"When faced with high temperatures, our study reveals that vulnerable populations are experiencing compounding disadvantages," said Choi. "Extreme heat is a serious public health threat, and in the context of climate change, we need to focus on supporting at-risk groups in order to build resilient communities."

More information: Eun Young Choi et al, Cumulative exposure to extreme heat and trajectories of cognitive decline among older adults in the USA, Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health (2023). DOI: 10.1136/jech-2023-220675 Journal information: Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
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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 AFFFa 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 provenuntil 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 foamhands, 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 decadeslong 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 membersnot just firefightersstationed 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."

More information: Kyle Steenland, Invited Perspective: The Slow Road to Finding Out Whether the "Forever" Chemicals Cause Chronic Disease, Environmental Health Perspectives (2023). DOI: 10.1289/EHP13212 Journal information: Environmental Health Perspectives

2023 Kaiser Health News.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

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A diagnosis of a brain tumor can be frightening. Of the more than 100 types of brain tumors, meningioma and glioblastoma are two of the most common.

Dr. Wendy Sherman, a Mayo Clinic neuro-oncologist, explains the differences in these brain tumors and why research is crucial to help move towards a cure.

Meningioma

"The most common brain tumor is actually what's called a meningioma, which is a tumor that arises not in the brain itself, but it arises from the lining that surrounds the brain, the meninges," says Dr. Sherman.

Meningiomas are slow-growing tumors. Surgery may be suggested based on size and location.

"Most meningiomas are benign, and after surgery, they may never regrow. Or if they do, it may take a very long time," she says.

Glioblastoma

Another type of brain tumor is cancerous and fast-growing.

"Glioblastoma is the most common type of malignant tumor in the brain," says Dr. Sherman.

After diagnosis, treatment usually starts with surgery. "The first step is to remove as much of it as you can," says Dr. Sherman.

Treatments may slow the growth of cancer, but there is no cure for glioblastoma.

"That is the reason why we are so dedicated to our research efforts to find innovative treatments for this and, eventually, a cure so that we can change the landscape," says Dr. Sherman.

Glioblastoma treatment

Dr. Sherman says different forms of therapy are being researched, including immunotherapies, vaccine therapies, targeted therapies and medications.

Surgery is often the first course of treatment. The goal is to remove as much of the brain tumor as possible without damaging surrounding areas of the brain. Radiation therapy, like proton beam therapy or X-ray, usually comes after surgery. The radiation kills any glioma cells that might remain after surgery. Radiation is often combined with chemotherapy.

2023 Mayo Clinic News Network. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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News that four Australians and two Indonesian crew members have been found alive after going missing on Sunday from a boat trip off the coast of Aceh in Indonesia has made headlines around the world.

The group, which was on a surfing trip, was found "bobbing around on their surfboards", according to media reports quoting the father of one of the Australian surfers.

Our research in the Extreme Environments Laboratory at the University of Portsmouth focuses on how humans survive and respond to adverse environments.

So what does it take to survive such grueling conditions?

A hierarchy of survival

There is an established hierarchy of survival.

Without air you only survive for a matter of minutes. Without sufficient warmth you only survive hours. Without sufficient drinking water you can survive up to six or seven days in a maritime environment. Without food you can survive 4060 days.

So, those who survive more than a few hours are almost always in warm air or water.

Because you can eventually cool even in water that is relatively warm, you are better off out of the water than in it. Being on top of a surfboard is a step in the right direction.

Dealing with dehydration

When the water and air are warm, the primary problem is dehydration.

Death due to dehydration occurs when you lose about 1520% of your body weight in fluid.

Even at 5% dehydration you can get headaches, become irritable and feel lightheaded. At 10% you may be dizzy, feel faint, have a rapid pulse and rapid shallow breathing. Thereafter, hallucinations and delirium are common.

To survive longer than six or seven days, when dehydration is your major threat, you must do two important things.

First, try to find fresh water. The absolute minimum you need to find is 110220 milliliters a day, although 400mL per day is safer.

If you were prepared, you may have taken water with you as you embarked on your survival voyage.

If you are lucky, it might rain and you may be able to collect some rainwater in suitable, uncontaminated containers.

Surfers are unlikely to have devices such as a solar still or a reverse osmosis pump available to purify water for safe drinking. But other sources of useful fluids include fish "lymph" squeezed from the flesh of fish. This has about the same salt concentration as human body fluid (0.9%), so is only helpful if you are very dehydrated.

Fish eyes, spinal fluid and turtle blood can also help when desperate.

What you must not do, despite what becomes an overwhelming urge, is drink the seawater that surrounds you.

Seawater has an average salt concentration of 3.5%, so drinking it adds to the salt load of the body.

You should also not drink urine in this situation, because it will also contribute to salt building up in your body.

Conserving fluids

The second important factor is to conserve body fluid.

The body of a 75kg person contains nearly 50 liters of water, and in a survival situation where dehydration is your greatest threat, conserving this water is crucial.

The body helps. With a body fluid loss of 1% of body weight and consequent decrease in blood volume and increase in salt concentration, the body increases the production of the anti-diuretic hormone that lowers urine production by the kidneys.

You can provoke this response by drinking nothing in the first 24 hours of a survival voyage.

At the same time, it is important to do as little as possible. Try to minimize heat production by the body, which will mean less sweating.

So "bobbing around" on a surfboard is better than paddling it and getting hot and sweaty.

Normally, you would seek or make shade on your survival craft and rest during the hottest parts of the day. This is not possible on a surfboard, but periodic wetting from waves may keep you cool and help reduce sunburn (which can impair your ability to control your body temperature) by cooling the skin and covering it periodically.

The longer-term challenge is starvationbut this is a less pressing problem than dehydration.

Staying calm in a crisis

Survival at sea depends on knowing how your body works and what it needs, and then doing the right things.

Experience helps. Being used to the sea means you remain more relaxed in a crisis and are less likely to become seasick (which can accelerate dehydration, impair body temperature regulation and destroy morale).

Being with others helps morale and decision-making. Young and fit people, such as many surfers, are less likely to have other health-related problems that may compromise their survival prospects.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Research led by a team at Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School, Singapore, has found alarmingly active swine flu reservoirs in South East Asia. Their study traced the evolutionary origin of these viruses and identified migration patterns.

In a paper, "The genomic landscape of swine influenza A viruses in Southeast Asia," published in PNAS, the team details the co-circulation of multiple swine influenza lineages in Cambodian pig populations, including diverse reassortant viruses and their genetic origins.

From March 2020 to July 2022, the researchers conducted swine influenza surveillance in 18 pig slaughterhouses in Cambodia. They collected 4,089 nasal swabs from pigs in different districts of four provinces. Among these, 72 pigs (1.8%) tested positive for influenza A virus, with the highest positivity rate (4.5%) found in Kandal province compared to other provinces (ranging from 0.2% to 1.8%).

They analyzed complete or partial swine influenza genomes from 45 nasal swab samples. H1 and H3 HA subtypes and N1 and N2 NA subtypes were identified, with co-infections observed. The predominant subtype was H1N1, present in 82.2% of the sequenced samples.

Phylogenetic analysis revealed diverse lineages of H1 in circulation within Cambodia, with most H1 and N1 sequences being derivatives of the human H1N1/pdm09 lineage. H3 influenza subtypes were found in 22.2% of the samples, often co-infecting with H1N1/pdm09 viruses.

While the current study sampled pigs in Cambodia, the problem has been reported across Southeast Asia and is related to virus reservoirs elsewhere in the world. For example, European avian-like H1N2 was detected. The findings also suggest that a North American swine N2 segment may have been introduced into Asia over 15 years ago.

From an epidemiologist's perspective, this introduction should have been noticed over a decade ago in order to be able to react to an outbreak or jump to humans. This requires systematic surveillance of swine influenza viruses, which is not taking place in Southeast Asia and has limited compliance in many nations.

From a pig farmer's perspective, there can be nothing to indicate a potential problem, nothing wrong with the health of the pigs or outward signs that they are harboring multiple forms of influenza A, and it does not affect pork products or food health.

Monitoring viruses is expensive and requires a different set of skills than available on a typical hog farm. The implications of an unmonitored domestic pig population acting as a reservoir for multiple forms of influenza to cohabitate and potentially recombine into a deadly pandemic could be far more costly.

Before SARS-CoV-2

Before COVID-19 became a household name, the epidemic most on the minds of epidemiologists was the influenza A virus. The influenza A virus is found in some wild animals, and it tends to remain there without affecting large populations until it finds a domestic animal host. From there, the virus comes in closer contact with other animals and people and can begin to adapt to other hosts. A variant of the influenza A virus is also responsible for bird flu.

The 1918 "Spanish flu," which likely jumped hosts on a chicken farm in the United States but was first noticed by soldiers stationed in Spain, was an avian-sourced H1N1 influenza A virus. The outbreak infected ~500 million people globally, or ~33% of the world's population, from 1918 to 1919, resulting in ~50 million deaths.

In 2009, a swine flu (also H1N1) pandemic infected millions of people worldwide, and thanks to the quick work of scientists around the world, people can be protected from H1N1 with an annual flu shot, orange juice and antiviral medications. Even with vaccination efforts, the influenza A virus is estimated to be responsible for ~450,000 deaths worldwide each year.

More information: Michael A. Zeller et al, The genomic landscape of swine influenza A viruses in Southeast Asia, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2023). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2301926120 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

 2023 Science X Network
Interest rates got you down? Let's talk about an interest rate reduction! Contact Jackie Mumm at 406-546-7221 or your Real Estate professional to learn more. Welcome to your dream home on a premium lot overlooking a Les Furber design 18-hole golf course! This remarkable custom-built residence boasts stunning mountain views and offers the perfect blend of luxury and comfort. With 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, this spacious 3,400 square foot abode promises ample room for your family and guests. As you step inside, you'll be captivated by the open concept design, featuring vaulted ceilings that add a touch of elegance to the living spaces. The large kitchen with its grand island and custom shaker style cabinets provide an ideal setting for culinary enthusiasts, while the cozy dining area creates the perfect ambiance for intimate gatherings. The primary bedroom is a true retreat, complete with an ensuite bathroom and walk-in closet. Pamper yourself in the large soaker tub or the walk-in shower, both exuding a spa-like feel. The main level also provides a second spacious bedroom and bathroom. For those who enjoy the outdoors, walk out the sliding glass door which opens out to an expansive deck stretching across the entire back of the home. The views from this deck are nothing short of spectacular, offering a picturesque backdrop for every occasion. In the fully furnished walk-out lower level is a bedroom currently purposed as a fitness room and two additional large bedrooms both with walk-in closets. This lower level also walks out into another comfortable outdoor space inviting you to enjoy hours of entertainment and enjoyment. Whether you chose to watch the golfers tee off from the 9th hole tee boxes, visit with friends and family or soak in your hot tub, youll appreciate the mature landscaping and breath taking views on every side. Upon arriving at this property, you'll immediately notice the spacious three-car garage, providing ample room for your vehicles and much more. The garage doors have been recently upgraded, enhancing the curb appeal and providing enhanced security for your prized possessions. Moreover, you'll find a thoughtful addition in the form of a 240 amp outlet, designed specifically for electric or hybrid vehicles. This forward-thinking feature ensures that you can conveniently charge your eco-friendly car without any hassle. As you take in the view from the front porch youll notice a vast common area presenting even more opportunities for outdoor enjoyment. And for avid golfers, this Champion 4.5-star rated private course, is right at your doorstep. This vibrant community also offers a range of amenities, including a pool, fitness center, and a delightful restaurant to cater to your leisurely desires. When you settle into this zero-entry home, you'll relish in the idyllic lifestyle it presents. Zero-entry offers the ease of accessibility (without any stairs or steps) into the home and between inside and outside spaces for buyers of all ages as well as their guests. With the perfect balance of nature's beauty and modern convenience, this home is more than just a property; it's a haven that embodies the essence of luxurious living. Don't miss this rare opportunity to own a slice of paradise on this beautiful golf course. Are interest rates keeping you from buying your dream home? Let's talk about a seller paid concession! Contact Jackie Mumm at 406-546-7221 or your Real Estate professional to learn more.

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THURSDAY, Aug. 10, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Older adults who use certain heartburn medications for years may have a heightened risk of developing dementia, a new study suggests.

The study, published Aug. 9 in the journal Neurology, is the latest to point to potential hazards from prolonged use of medications called proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs. They include such well-known brands as Nexium, Prevacid and Prilosec, and they rank among the top-selling medications in the United States.

Researchers found that among 5,700 older U.S. adults, those who'd used PPIs for 4.5 years or more had a 33% greater risk of developing dementia than their counterparts who'd never used the drugs.

Experts were quick to stress that the findings do not prove cause-and-effect. And no one is suggesting that people with a PPI prescription should dump their medication.

PPIs have long been prescribed to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), where stomach acids chronically escape into the esophagus, causing regular bouts of heartburn and other symptoms.

But in recent years, studies have linked long-term PPI use to a slew of increased health risks, from heart attack to kidney disease to premature death. In 2016, a highly publicized study suggested that dementia could be added to the list.

The problem is, none of those studies prove that PPIs are to blame. And when it comes to the dementia question, studies since the 2016 report have come to mixed conclusions.

Some have found no association between PPIs and dementia, while some have even linked the medications to a decreased dementia risk, said Dr. Fouad Moawad, a gastroenterologist at Scripps Health in La Jolla, Calif., and a spokesperson for the American Gastroenterological Association.

"This can be confusing for both patients and prescribers," said Moawad, who was not involved in the new study.

He cautioned that the study, like most previous ones, is observational -- that is, it tracked new cases of dementia among study participants and looked for differences according to PPI use. There could be many differences between older people who use PPIs for years and those who do not, and it's hard to account for all of them.

Dr. Kamakshi Lakshminarayan, the senior researcher on the study, had the same general caveat.

"This study is only showing an association, not cause-and-effect," said Lakshminarayan, a vascular neurologist and professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health in Minneapolis.

She also underscored another point: Only cumulative long-term PPI use -- more than 4.4 years -- was associated with an increased dementia risk. That does not include people who are prescribed a PPI to use for a few weeks.

For the study, Lakshminarayan's team used data from a long-running government study that tracked the heart health of thousands of Americans. They focused on 5,712 participants who were dementia-free at their study visits between 2011 and 2013, when they were age 75, on average.

At that point, one-quarter of the group had used PPIs.

Over the next 5.5 years, 585 study participants were newly diagnosed with dementia. The risk was 33% higher among those who'd used a PPI for at least 4.5 years, versus people who'd never used a PPI. That was after the researchers accounted for other factors like age, diabetes and high blood pressure.

To put it in perspective, those PPI users developed dementia at a rate of about 24 cases per 1,000 people per year. That compared with 19 cases per 1,000 among people who'd never used a PPI.

If long-term PPI use does contribute to dementia, it's unclear how. Other researchers have proposed theories: Perhaps the drugs sometimes cause vitamin B12 deficiency, which can cause dementia symptoms. Or maybe, based on mouse research, they increase the buildup of amyloid "plaques" in the brain.

But all of that remains speculative.

Dr. Andrew Chan, a gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, recently published a study that found no association between PPI use and dementia or milder age-related problems with memory and thinking.

That study, reported in Gastroenterology, involved nearly 19,000 older adults followed for up to seven years.

Chan urged caution in interpreting the new findings. He noted that the increased dementia risk was -- in statistical terms -- of "borderline" significance. That suggests the association may be explained by other factors, Chan said.

Dr. Philip Katz, a gastroenterologist at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, pointed to Chan's study.

"To me, that puts this question to bed," said Katz, the lead author on the latest GERD treatment guidelines from the American College of Gastroenterology.

That said, PPIs should only be used for "the right reason," Katz said -- just as with any drug.

"If you can manage a condition without medication, that's ideal," Katz said. But people who truly need a PPI should not stop based on the current findings, he added.

All of the doctors agreed that patients should feel free to bring any questions about their PPI to their doctor. That may include a "reevaluation" of their need to continue taking it, Chan said.

Moawad said he also emphasizes lifestyle changes, such as cutting out "known food triggers," not eating within three hours of going to bed, and weight loss when appropriate. Many patients, he noted, can do well taking a PPI "on demand" only, rather than regularly.

There's also the issue of over-the-counter PPIs, which people may use without ever telling their doctor. Again, the experts encouraged people to talk to their doctor about any persistent symptoms, to get a diagnosis and make sure they use medication appropriately.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases has more on GERD.

SOURCES: Kamakshi Lakshminarayan, MD, MPH, professor, epidemiology and community health, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, and professor, neurology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis; Andrew T. Chan, MD, MPH, chief, clinical and translational epidemiology unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, and professor, medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Philip O. Katz, MD, professor, medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York City; Fouad J. Moawad, MD, medical director, Anderson Medical Pavilion ambulatory surgical center, Scripps Health, La Jolla, Calif.; Neurology, Aug. 9, 2023, online
If youve been trying to become pregnant and youre not having success, you may wonder how to increase your fertility.

Infertility is a very common challenge, affecting 10% to 15% of American couples, according to the Mayo Clinic.

What is infertility? The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) defines it as not getting pregnant after one year of having regular sexual intercourse without using birth control.

Dr. Esther Eisenberg, director of the Reproductive Medicine and Infertility Program at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, weighs in on how to increase fertility naturally, what drugs may help, and how to know when you need extra medical assistance.

How to increase fertility naturally

Infertility can result from problems in a woman, a man or a couple, Eisenberg said in an extensive Q&A with the Office on Women's Health. Males who face infertility likely have sperm cells that function incorrectly. Females living with infertility often struggle with ovulation. However, sometimes medical professionals cant identify the cause. Thats called unexplained infertility.

It helps to know the cause of the infertility to figure out how to treat it. You and your partner may need to talk with a reproductive endocrinologist (a physician who specializes in infertility), Eisenberg recommends. Options that may increase fertility naturally include:

Lifestyle changes

Your lifestyle can affect your fertility, ACOG states. Women, discuss your weight and exercise routine with your doctor. If youre overweight or underweight, or if you exercise too much, that may decrease your chances of getting pregnant. Smoking tobacco may also reduce fertility, so talk to your doctor about a plan to quit. And either avoid or only have a small amount of alcohol. Both women and men should stay away from illegal drugs.

Experts also recommend that men avoid heavy drinking. Smoking tobacco and using marijuana can also decrease the number of sperm and slow their movement.

Treat any health obstacles

The following health challenges can affect female fertility:

Hormone issues

Conditions that involve the thyroid gland

Conditions that involve the pituitary gland

Scarring in the fallopian tubes (from sexually transmitted infections or endometriosis)

Blockages in the fallopian tubes (from sexually transmitted infections or endometriosis)

Any other health challenge that involves the reproductive organs

Men who are infertile often have issues with blockages in the tubes that lead to the testicles.

Surgery

ACOG lists the following surgical procedures as treatment for female infertility:

Surgery on the fallopian tubes to fix anything blocked or damaged (possibly by scarring)

Surgery for endometriosis, where the extra tissue is removed

Surgery on the uterus, to get rid of fibroids and/or polyps

Men may need surgery on the scrotum. Swollen veins may contribute to infertility.

Medications may also help  especially those for women that stimulate the ovaries to release an egg. Talk to your doctor about the following options.

Fertility drugs

Clomiphene citrate (Serophene) and aromatase inhibitors

Two go-to medications for women who need ovulation stimulation are clomiphene citrate and aromatase inhibitors. These drugs increase the likelihood of your ovaries releasing an egg. Youll need consistent monitoring to see if the drugs work. Urine tests and blood tests may be necessary.

Gonadotropins

Like clomiphene citrate and aromatase inhibitors, this type of drug also stimulates ovulation to produce an egg. Youll be monitored with blood tests, but to see the results youll also need ultrasounds.

There are other options you could consider in addition to drugs. Talk to your doctor.

When to see your doctor

Eisenberg recommends that women discuss infertility with a doctor after one year of trying to become pregnant without success or if she has conceived but has had two or more miscarriages. If youre age 35 or older, dont wait that long. Talk to your doctor after six months.

Eisenberg emphasized that infertility is not uncommon. Millions of women face this challenge. Fortunately, there are steps to take that may increase your chances of getting pregnant.
A former Missoula schools gym teacher was convicted of a sexual assault charge on Tuesday, moving forward a case thats been pending in Missoula court for almost two years.

Jordan K. Graves entered an Alford plea to one felony count of sexual assault involving a minor by common scheme. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 17 in front of Missoula County District Judge Jason Marks.

Under an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit guilt but acknowledges prosecutors have enough evidence to gain a conviction.

Charging documents first filed in December 2021 allege a woman came forward and reported Graves assaulted her when he was student-teaching her gym class in 2010. The accuser was 15 years old at the time and was a freshman. Graves was born in 1988 and was either 21 or 22 at the time.

A subsequent affidavit filed in May includes the amended common scheme charge. It details three additional accusers who were students at Sentinel High School while Graves was employed there as a student gym teacher, according to court documents.

Graves, who is not in custody, moved away from Montana in 2012. He was also charged with felony sexual intercourse without consent, but that was dismissed without prejudice, meaning the charge could be brought again, pending sentencing.

The charge is punishable by up to a life term in state prison, though a plea agreement recommends he serve 20 years in Department of Corrections custody, with all of that time suspended, Missoula Deputy County Attorney Mark Handelman said.

The judge will make the final sentencing decision in November.
The Little Engine That Could keeps chugging along the track even though the grade is steep and the rails greased.

Efforts to restore Amtraks North Coast Hiawatha service, which provided passenger rail through southern Montana, have continued ever since the service ended nearly 44 years ago.

Momentum seems to be gaining at least a hint of steam.

On Aug. 9, the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority met at the Hotel Finlen in Butte for the authoritys third annual conference.

Dave Strohmaier, chairman of the rail authority, opened the morning with a pep talk of sorts.

It is time to roll up our sleeves and keep after it, he said.

Amit Bose, administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, appeared virtually. He noted that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021 tasks the Federal Railroad Administration with conducting an Amtrak Daily Long-Distance Service Study to evaluate the restoration of daily intercity passenger rail service and the potential for new routes.

The study must, among other things, evaluate the restoration of any Amtrak long-distance routes that were discontinued.

Bose cautioned that the study will take time and be a rigorous process.

If east-west Amtrak service returns to southern Montana it will likely pass through Helena instead of Butte because the rail line over Homestake Pass has been out of service for decades.

Strohmaier weighed in.

While the current active rail line is through Helena, that doesnt preclude a Butte connection from a couple different standpoints, he said.

First, if Homestake Pass were reactivated and twice daily service was instituted, it is conceivable that one train per day would go through Helena and one through Butte, Strohmaier said. Also, if there were a north-south connection to Salt Lake City - and we are pushing that a segment from Salt Lake City to Butte be included in the study  that would be another possibility for how Butte could see service in the future.

The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority was established in 2020 with the passage of a joint resolution by 12 Montana counties, including Butte-Silver Bow. As of June, the authority had 20 counties and three tribal nations as members.

The authority has said that the North Coast Hiawatha will transform the economy of the Greater Northwest region, revitalizing rural communities and tribal nations, and providing access for underserved citizens to health care, education, other services and civic resources often unreachable in winter when highways become unreliable or hazardous.

Amtrak operates the Empire Builder passenger train that travels through Montanas Hi-Line communities on runs between Chicago and the Pacific Northwest.

The White House praised the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act with a November 2021 fact sheet that included details about potential benefits for passenger rail.

This is the largest investment in passenger rail since Amtraks creation, 50 years ago, and will create safe, efficient and climate-friendly alternatives for moving people and freight, the fact sheet declared.

Pete Buttigieg, U.S. secretary of transportation, has expressed support for expanded passenger rail. As has President Joe Biden, known as Amtrak Joe for his patronage of the passenger rail service.

Amtrak is famous for losing money. It lost more than $1 billion in fiscal 2021, a period when the Covid-19 pandemic gutted ridership. The carrier contends that its rail services boost economic activity and growth and increase tourism in many markets, including Montana.

The Federal Railroad Administration said engagement with varied stakeholders for the Amtrak Daily Long-Distance Service Study began in September 2022 and will continue into a portion of 2024.

The study will identify federal and non-federal funding sources to restore or enhance passenger service. No one has nailed down what it might cost to restore the North Coast Hiawatha or something similar. But millions would be required for upgrading or adding track, for updated signaling, improvements to passenger stations and more.

It is only through regional collaboration and coordination with the host railroads and policymakers that we will achieve our goal of expanding and improving passenger rail service both here in Montana and throughout the region, Strohmaier said.

A spokesperson for U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, provided a statement from the senators office.

As a third generation Montana farmer from a Hi-Line community, Sen. Tester understands just how critical Amtrak is to keeping Montana communities connected, which is why he fought hard to secure funding in his Bipartisan Infrastructure law to assess and improve Amtraks long distance routes, the spokesperson said.

Sen. Tester is looking forward to seeing the Department of Transportations assessment on restoring the North Coast Hiawatha route and looks forward to the day when passenger rail finally returns to southern Montana, he said.

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, shared his thoughts.

In rural states like Montana, affordable, reliable passenger rail service has the potential to make a difference in the lives of folks in every corner of our state," Daines said.

"From adding new jobs to our economy to bolstering tourism to helping improve access to healthcare, an enhanced passenger rail service can bring a lot of valuable, new opportunities to the state," he said. "I am glad to work with groups like the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority toward a more connected future for Montanans.
DEAR READERS: The labor shortage is front of mind for many companies who are struggling to fill open positions. What role can interns play in helping businesses looking for hardworking, qualified employees? And how can people interested in internships find the positions right for them?

Interns are an amazing source for your growing company if you have the time to build a great experience for them and train them, says Kathleen Quinn Votaw, CEO of TalenTrust and author of Dare to Care in the Workplace: A Guide to the New Way We Work. Interns want to learn, grow, be challenged and be put into real business situations. Most successful companies that embrace interns bring them in in classes, and the most hardworking and qualified can stay for years.

One of the key benefits interns bring to any workplace is their outlook on and approach to the job. As Chris Nddie, co-founder and CEO of ClothingRIC, a website that offers discounts from online retailers, says, Interns offer a unique advantage, as they bring fresh perspectives, enthusiasm and a willingness to learn."

Another plus?

Interns can help take the mundane, time-consuming, repetitive tasks over, which frees up your full-time employees for more complicated tasks that interns might not be capable of doing, notes Troy Portillo, director of operations for Studypool, an online learning platform.

And as Simon Brisk, CEO of internet marketing agency Click Intelligence, notes, internships can be a win-win situation for the companies and the interns.

Interns can help businesses cope with labor shortages and, in return, gain invaluable real-world experience, Brisk says.

So, where can someone interested in interning start their search?

There are many resources to find internships, including your alumni office  high school or college. Also, by simply inputting internships into your search engine, youll find a plethora of companies in your area are hiring interns, Votaw says.

Miguel Camperos, vice president of operations for beekeeping-equipment company SunVara, suggests checking websites like LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Indeed and Internmatch, which he says are excellent resources that allow users to filter internship opportunities by industry, location, company size and more.

Using those platforms lets prospective interns browse opportunities and learn more about what each role entails.

These sites also usually provide insights into company culture and reviews from past interns so that new interns can really get a feel for what its like to work for a certain organization, Camperos adds.

And how can a prospective intern stand out from others hoping to land one of the internships they discover?

The best method to stand out from those who apply online is to make a list of the top five or 10 companies you want to intern with, put on your best outfit, print five to 10 resumes and hand deliver your resume to your employers of choice. Stand out from the crowd versus joining the pack, Votaw concludes.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green says he has instructed state Attorney General Anne Lopez to work toward a moratorium on land transactions in the Lahaina area that was devastated by fire last week. Green said he has heard of people asking about purchasing land owned by people in the disaster area and wants to make sure no one loses their land. Green also said Wednesday that 110 people are confirmed dead and that 38% of the disaster area has been searched. Additionally, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has opened its first disaster recovery center on Maui. Most public schools on Hawaiis second-largest island have also begun to reopen.
The Auditor General has uncovered loopholes within the payroll system of the Nairobi County government.

According to the report on the County Governments Executive for the fiscal year 2021/2022, it has been revealed that salaries have been disbursed to employees who are not documented in any official records or payroll.

As per the report, the county officially listed a total of 4,897 employees. However, this number contradicted the entries in the payroll register, which indicated 5,884 employees. This inconsistency resulted in a difference of 987 employees between the two datasets.

Management attributed the disparity to the fact that the figure in their records included county-employed staff, while the extra personnel were employees seconded by the national government.

Nonetheless, the Auditor General pointed out that despite this explanation, the County failed to furnish her office with a roster of the supplementary staff sent to the County by the National Government, as asserted, during the audit.

In the absence of the list of additional staff, it was not possible to confirm that the nine hundred and eighty-seven (987) staff members were part of the approved staff establishment for the County, said the Auditor General.

The Auditor General did not disclose the specific sum of money that the county government has disbursed to ghost employees.

The Auditor Generals report further indicates that the staff roster for June 2022 exposed instances where certain employees were promoted to senior roles within the County. However, their educational or professional qualifications listed in the Human Resource data records did not align with the prerequisites for the corresponding positions.

This may have resulted either from lack of training for the staff members or failure to update their personal files data in the payroll. The Management did not provide evidence to confirm the academic, professional, and experience required for the 2,178.
Kenya and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have entered into a collaborative framework aimed at bolstering the advancement of the countrys Digital Identity infrastructure.

On Monday, the partnership covering resource mobilization, technical guidance, and project oversight was unveiled following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in Nairobi.

Immigration and Citizen Services Principal Secretary Julius Bitok termed the MoU as key to the implementation of a Unique Personal Identifier (UPI) dubbed Maisha Namba upon which the Digital ID will be anchored.

As part of the agreement, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) will extend technical support and collaborate with the government to secure funding and additional resources, facilitating the development and implementation of digital ID.

Together, we shall build on our current registration and identity management practices in a manner that does not re-invent but rather identify and fix gaps in our current systems and leverages on digital solutions, including mobile and web applications to transition to better systems, Bitok said.

The PS mentioned that the program will additionally enable Kenyan citizens to access global online commercial prospects, offering a secure, tamper-proof, and verified digital identity.

The digital identity system will provide Kenyans with a secure and reliable way to verify their identity for a variety of purposes, including accessing govt services, opening bank accounts, and traveling. It will also help to reduce fraud and corruption, and improve efficiency, Bitok explained.

The digital identity programme will also enhance citizens access to their constitutional and human and legal identity rights, the PS added.

During the MoU signing, PS Bitok noted that the government had learned valuable insights from past challenges in similar projects. He unveiled the governments plan to introduce four interconnected products in alignment with the Presidential directive to establish a digital ID system.

These four components include:

i. Maisha Namba: A distinct personal identifier assigned to each individual, serving as a lifelong personal identity number from birth to passing.

ii. Maisha Card (3rd generation ID): This document will carry the Maisha Namba mentioned earlier, superseding the current 2nd generation ID.

iii. Digital ID: A virtual digital identity for registered individuals, enabling online verification (potentially using biometric scanning, among other methods).

iv. National Master Population Register: A comprehensive repository consolidating existing independent databases into a unified integrated record encompassing data on both Kenyan citizens and foreign residents in the country.

The official rollout of both Maisha Namba and the digital ID is scheduled for October 2, 2023.
Pastor Dorcas Rigathi has launched a wellness and rehabilitation camp for young men at the Jamhuri Show Ground in Nairobi County.

This initiative comes after the successful screening of individuals grappling with addiction in different areas of Nairobi, who willingly consented to undergo the rehabilitation process.

Individuals with severe cases of addiction have been taken to a rehabilitation center in Limuru, whereas those with milder cases will camp at the Jamhuri Grounds for a month to undergo treatment.

Speaking during the launch Pastor Dorcas called on the society to embrace the addicts and treat them as part of the society.

The program aligns with her initiative for rehabilitating young men. The initial group of rehabilitated young men, who have been undergoing treatment under her guidance in Timau, Meru County, are poised to complete their program and graduate in a few weeks.

Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga who was also present at the Jamhuri grounds promised to place some of the reformed men in the ongoing affordable housing programme.

In attendance were notable figures including Nairobi Deputy Governor Hon. Njoroge Muchiri, Members of Parliament Hon. Esther Passaris (Nairobi), Hon. Beatrice Elachi (Dagoreti North), Hon. Phelix Odiwour, also known as Jalango (Langata), a representative of MP John Kiarie (Dagoreti South), as well as religious leaders, among others.

Nairobi Deputy Governor Njoroge Muchiri, MPs Esther Passaris, Beatrice Elachi and Langatas Phelix Odiwour alias Jalango pledged to support the programme.
President William Ruto has asked the National Government Administration Officers to take charge of the countrys security.

He said officers abetting crime in their areas of jurisdiction will be held responsible.

The Head of State warned those engaging in corruption and other criminal activities that they risk being prosecuted.

He made the remarks on Monday at the Eldoret State Lodge in Uasin Gishu County during a meeting of Regional Commissioners.

There are people who are allowing criminals to acquire Government documents such as passports and identity cards. Trust you me, they will be arrested and prosecuted.

President Ruto noted that Kenyans want their taxes to be protected and used prudently.

I have made that commitment to them and I will keep that promise, he added.

The President maintained that the Government will not seek external funding to run its programmes.

That is why I will not allow any public money to be stolen or misused.

He said he will not allow National Government Administration Officers to engage in politics but serve all Kenyans equally.

You must serve all Kenyans equally; that service does not include politics, he said.

Present in the meeting were Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki and his Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo.

Mr Gachagua asked the officers to adhere to their professional code of conduct.

We are not going to misuse you for politics, observed the Deputy President.

Besides the countrys security status, the meeting also focussed on education and the fight against drugs and substance abuse.
Senator Catherine Mumma is once again urging the government to incorporate age-appropriate sex education into the curriculum, aiming to empower learners with comprehensive knowledge about sexuality.

In a statement, the nominated Senator proposes the integration of sexuality into the Kenyan education system, alongside the introduction of wellness and health topics.

Mumma says the introduction would be guided by scientific evidence, an understanding of sociocultural dynamics, and alignment with constitutional values, enabling students to attain optimal health, well-being, and dignity.

Integrating age-appropriate sex education and life skills learning into the Kenyan education system, guided by science and the values of our constitution as they informed choices and protect their sexual relationship rights, she said.

The lawmaker is also advocating for adolescents to have free access to healthcare services, encompassing treatments for menstrual-related conditions such as endometriosis, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), severe cramps, heavy periods, abnormal bleeding, as well as medical interventions for concerns stemming from Female Genital Mutilation, including fistula repair and reparative procedures.

We need to review the Universal Health Coverage and National Health Insurance Fund regulations to ensure adolescents access to cost-free healthcare services so that we have more of them receive treatment, Mumma said.

In order to assist girls in navigating adolescence with fewer challenges, the senator emphasized the necessity for specialized training in adolescent medicine within medical educational institutions and healthcare facilities.

This will enable professionals to focus on delivering comprehensive health care tailored specifically to the unique health needs of adolescents, this will definitely improve how they access healthcare since this will be their space, she says.
Reality TV star Vera Sidika has accepted an apology from gossip blogger Edgar Obare following a series of false claims he made regarding her trip to Dubai.

On his Telegram gossip channel, Obare had claimed that Sidikas excursion to Dubai had been financed by a Russian tycoon.

Also Check Out  Back To The Streets? Vera Sidika Unleashes Her Buttocks (PHOTOS)

However, the controversial blogger later withdrew his statement and issued an apology, acknowledging that the socialite had provided evidence proving that she was not bankrolled by the Russian tycoon.

We apologise for the incorrect reporting of retired socialite Vera Sidika Dubai trip being sponsored by a Russian tycoon, she responded and provided us receipts, Obare wrote on his Telegram channel on Sunday, August 13, 2023.

In response to Obares apology, Vera Sidika said she had disregarded the libelous incident. She, however, issued a warning to the blogger, urging him to refrain from making defamatory remarks without substantial evidence.

The former video vixen extended the warning to other bloggers, saying that she would not extend the same leniency in the future if they propagate false accusations that harm her reputation.

From today, any blog that write lies and fabricated stories on me, you better have proof for the claims or we going to court. Thats on period, Vera Sidika wrote on Instastories.

Vera also cautioned gossipers who leak information to bloggers, Whoever takes the chai to the bloggers plus the person that owns the blog will both be in trouble. Write stupid sh*t about me with no evidence. Im going to deal with yall proper. This is no longer the old Vera that was overlooking all the fake stories yall wrote back then. Tread carefully.
The Office of Data Protection has moved to court seeking to stop Worldcoin from further collection of data from Kenyans.

According to the Data Protection Office, the handling of personal data within the Worldcoin project does not conform to the data protection principles outlined in section 25 of the Act.

In a submission in court, Deputy Data Commissioner Oscar Otieno says that after a thorough examination of the Worldcoin projects activities within the country, he is convinced that it is not safe for Kenyan citizens. He further notes that further investigations are still ongoing.

Mr Otieno warns that if no action is taken, the personal data of Kenyans collected during the Worldcoin project will be subject to deletion and/or alteration.

The Applicant is undertaking investigations in relation to Worldcoin operations in Kenya by the Respondents. The Worldcoin project, a matter of great public interest, is described by the Respondent on its website as a project aimed at establishing universal access to the global economy regardless of country or background. It is designed to become the worlds largest human identity and financial network, giving ownership to everyone, reads court papers.

The affidavit adds: The applicant believes that the respondent is likely to tamper with, erase, modify or further process the personal the personal data contrary to the Data Protection Act 2019 thereby frustrating the investigation currently being conducted by the applicant.

The commission is pursuing preservation orders through the court, contending that these orders would aid ongoing investigations and allow for the retention of personal data acquired from Kenyans.

These orders, the commission notes, will streamline the ongoing investigations, aimed at determining whether the processing of personal data deviates from the provisions of the Act.

Despite the suspension and directive to cease processing of personal data, the respondents continued to process the said personal data. It took the public directive by the CS Interior to halt their operations on August 2, says Deputy Data Commissioner Oscar Otieno.
Neurovations, a Napa-based medical research and innovation company, announced that it has collaborated on a groundbreaking study investigating the effects of the monoclonal antibody, donanemab, on patients with the early stages of Alzheimers Disease.

We are thrilled to be part of this vital research. Alzheimers Disease affects nearly 1 million people in my home state of California, said Dr. Grigsby. This is a significant step forward in the fight against Alzheimers, and we are optimistic about the impact this treatment may have on the members of my community with this condition.

Neurovations Research was selected as a study site in 2021 and worked with Eli Lilly to contribute to this research.
Reader, I am not known for my righteous screeds, but I am going to give it a shot.

A new Starbucks location is opening on Jefferson Street, in the former Kentucky Fried Chicken building. This will be Napas 10th Starbucks (Im counting the ones inside of grocery stores and Targets).

Now, Im not a born Starbucks hater. Starbucks has long been friend to the remote worker. Free WiFi, ample seating, caffeine, and of course the Spinach Feta Egg White Wrap. Its got everything that we need, and you can find one in most any city.

But 10? And now?

Napa is in the middle of a veritable coffee boom: Deuces Market, Naysayer, Journey opening in the old Southside Carneros space, Cafe Gira Flohr, Ohms upcoming roastery, the always reliable Ritual, the heroes at Hero Coffee, the Java Hut drive-through on Soscol, Le Paris Cafe, Napa Valley Roasting Companys new location, Barnhouse, the cafe at Napa Valley College, Winstons, Brewed, the cafe in the new Bookmine location; and probably more I am forgetting.

Most of these places have opened since I moved to Napa in 2018, and I couldnt be more proud to live in such a highly-caffeinated locale. Another Starbucks, it seemed to me, would threaten what so many Napa entrepreneurs, baristas and coffee experts have worked so hard to build.

And so as soon as I learned what was happening down there at 3246 Jefferson St., I began polishing my pitchfork and got to work assembling an angry mob.

My recruitment efforts began with Nicole Yonai. As of September 2022, Nicole has been the owner and proprietor of the newly revamped Golden Bagel, which is directly next to the impending Starbucks site. She would be easy to recruit to the cause. Or so I thought.

Nicole offered a perspective I was not anticipating.

I usually get this question from guests who are assuming I think the worst of the situation: Another Green goddess in Napa, let alone as my neighbor. Although I do agree we have our fill of Starbucks throughout the city, I am excited to have a fresh building and vibrant business next door," she said. "I think that this section of Jefferson and the Grapeyard strip have been long overdue for an update. The previous tenant (KFC) had only been operating as a drive through and was not quite the complementary concept that Starbucks will be  yes, complementary.

"We sell coffee, but most closely identify as a cafe, bakery and bagel shop. As an independent business owner, I am excited to capture the attention of people who otherwise would not slow down on our busy street and to welcome guests that have not been in since they were in school. The quality and variety of the Golden Bagel menu is so much more than in previous years. We have a wonderful opportunity to show the community all of our changes.

So perhaps, in fact, Starbucks is not the enemy. Perhaps this new location isnt a threat after all, but more evidence of Napas ever-gathering momentum and forward progress! While she put a real damper on my righteous screed ambitions, I forgive Nicole, and I hope she is right.

All the same, next time Im craving an egg white wrap, I think Ill grab a bagel on the new Golden Bagel patio instead.

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
Growing up in Petaluma, Todd Graff has been surrounded by wine his entire life and was drawn to wine at a young age.

I was quick to enroll in an introductory wine course while attending college, and my passion was solidified," said Graff.

I loved that winemaking would allow me to spend time outdoors in the vineyard and to create something that people could enjoy each and every day.

Graff graduated from UC Davis with a degree in plant science and viticulture in 1984. Following graduation, he spent 20 years working as a winemaker in every corner of the world from the steep slate vineyards at Weingut Klaus Schweicher in Mosel, Germany to the sandy soils of Chateau Yon-Figeac in St.-Emilion, France, as well as the decomposed granite and sandstone loam soils at Arrowfield Estate in Australias Hunter Valley.

In 2003, I landed at Calistogas Frank Family Vineyards and never looked back, he said

He is now the general manager and winemaker for the business.

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.

1. What was your childhood ambition?

As a child, I loved playing and watching sports, and I held a dream of becoming a shortstop for the Giants.

2. What was your first job?

My first paying job was at a gas station car wash in my hometown, Petaluma.

3. Whats the worst job you ever had?

One summer in my teens, I helped build swimming pools in Petaluma. It was a lot of hard work  in very hot weather!

4. What job would you like to try?

Ive always wanted to learn to fly a plane; in another life maybe I would have been a pilot.

5. What is the biggest challenge the wine industry has faced?

In recent years, wildfires have been the biggest threat to the wine industry. The wildfires we have witnessed in the past few years have caused significant economic and emotional losses through direct damage to vineyards and wineries. Every year brings its own set of challenges, from dealing with unpredictable weather patterns to finding ways to protect our harvest. It's a constant battle, but we're always learning and evolving.

As I enter my 21st harvest at Frank Family Vineyards, I continue to be incredibly proud to be making wine in Napa Valley. Napa is filled with a lot of good people trying to make great wine, and that passion is infectious and constantly bringing new talent and new ideas to the valley.

Despite the changes in our environment, I believe in the spirit of Napa Valley and our communitys ability to come up with inventive solutions. The way I see it, Napas potential for 2023 and beyond continues to be limitless.

6. Who do you most admire in the business world?

I have always admired Henry Ford. Not only did he revolutionize the automotive industry, but he also introduced mass production techniques that made cars more affordable and accessible to the masses. His dedication to fair wages and improved working conditions set a new standard in the business world. Given the chance, I would have loved to share a bottle of wine with him.

7. Whats one thing Napa could do to help local business?

Local businesses are some of Napa's most treasured assets, contributing to the charming identity of the community. However, the process of starting a small business in Napa can be challenging due to the significant resources and complex permitting landscape involved. It would be great if we could work towards streamlining the process and making it more user-friendly for the members of our community.

8. If you could change one thing about the wine industry, what would it be?

I think there is a misconception around wine that it is unattainable or that it has to be a special occasion to drink it. We work in the greatest industry in the world, and I feel so lucky to wake up every morning and get to walk the vineyards and work in the cellar. I want people from all walks of life to enjoy the wines we create at Frank Family Vineyards; they are created with joy and made to be enjoyed in the same way.

Thats why our team puts a big emphasis into farming, cellaring and blending, but also prioritizes keeping our entry-level wines at an attainable price point so that you can pick them up for dinner on a Thursday night or order them off a wine list without stress.

9. Whats your favorite charity or nonprofit?

Charitable giving is a core value for Frank Family Vineyards, and each year, Frank Family commits to contributing to the well-being of the Napa-Valley community and beyond through Frank for a Cause. Over the years, the campaign has raised over $100,000 to benefit nonprofit organizations such as the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Feeding America, Arbor Day Foundation and the Humane Society of the United States.

In 2022, Frank Family Vineyards raised $25,000 to support K9s For Warriors mission to help veterans suffering from service-related trauma and give a new leash on life to American heroes and shelter dogs. This year, we are proud to be sponsoring our very own four-legged hero, Frankie, who will eventually be an important element behind a veterans road to recovery.

10. Whats something people might be surprised to know about you?

Given the span of the Frank Family Vineyards portfolio, I think people are often surprised that I came to Frank Family with a background in sparkling. I made sparkling wine for over 20 years with stints at both Schramsberg and Cordoniu (now Artesa) in Napa. I love having that knowledge and have found it to be advantageous when making still wines.

Frank Family Vineyards is located at 1091 Larkmead Lane in Calistoga. Graff can be reached at 707-942-0859 or info@frankfamilyvineyards.com

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
Departing Barcelona and the Catalan wine region was bittersweet. During our time there, our group of 25 experienced the countrys natural beauty, wines, food and cultural discoveries along with the gracious hospitality of our hosts and of course the great adventures we experienced. Porto, Vila Nova de Gaia and the Douro Valley were our next stops with a whole new set of adventures and locals awaiting our arrival.

Since formally joining the EU in 1986, Portugal's wine industry has grown and been upgraded several notches both in the vineyard, with newly adopted farming regimens, and in the winery by the acquisition of modern technology and equipment. Over the last decade or so, the international market has discovered the diversity of its vinous culture realizing Portugal is about more than its iconic fortified Port wines from the Douro.

Portugal, together with Spain, form the Iberian Peninsula and its Colares DOC (Denominacao de Origem Controlada), situated near Lisbon, is the European continents western most growing area. Given the peninsula's relative geographic isolation from Europe, the varieties found in Portugal are unique and descendants of wild grapes that once thrived in the region. They are part of the Vitis Sylvestris family that is considered the ancestor of Vitis Vinifera (Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sangiovese, etc.) found elsewhere in Europe and now adopted internationally.

Portugal is home to diverse vineyard locations and second only to Italy with the number of indigenous varieties grown. The current count of 250 will continue to grow as the field of grape genealogy advances. There are more indigenous grapes per square kilometer in Portugal than any other wine producing country plus an additional 340 international varieties that have found a new home.

Only one-quarter the size of California and 350 miles long, Portugal boasts 1,115 miles of coastline with countless inlets and bays providing an interwoven pattern of distinctive viticultural landscapes, each speaking to their individuality by varying climatic conditions, soil types and varietal composition. And it is said that every square meter of land across the country is part of an officially recognized wine growing area.

Upon arriving in Porto and some freshen-up time at our Hotel Le Monumental, a short walk brought us to FLOW for a modernistic interpretation of Portuguese cuisine on the patio with owner Ricardo Graca Moura and manager Erika Espirito Santo overseeing the evening.

I first met Ricardo on our 2017 visit to Porto before a 7-day cruise on the Douro aboard the AmaVida where we also kicked off the trip with our group of 20 for an opening dinner at FLOW. Both Erika and Ricardo were extremely helpful in planning both the menu and wine choices for the evening. As this was our Porto kick-off dinner, I focused on some unique and seldom seen wines from various growing areas of the country.

We began with a refreshing sparkler and light bites as we settled in for the feast to follow. Our 1st Moment (as each course is referred to in Porto) was gazpacho with sun dried tomato pesto, almonds and stracciatella paired to 2022 Vinho Landcraft Loureiro from Vinho Verde. Loureiro is one of the rarer wines of the Vinho Verde that is dominated by the far more familiar Alvarinho (aka Albarino in the adjacent Rias Baixas region in Galicia, Spain) and worth seeking out.

The 2nd Moment featured Encruzado  another under-the-radar white from the Dao region just south of the Douro  paired to a very traditional Bras of prawns, leek, egg yolk and crispy sweet potato. This was a beautiful dish to both the eye and palate. Some compare Encruzado with Chardonnay, but I find it far more mineral in character with bright acidity that serves as the perfect partner to a very tasty dish.

Our 3rd Moment was an interesting twist on a more traditional beef dish. A perfectly executed Venison Wellington with cherry sour duxelles, Parma ham, accented with a shitake cream and Armagnac sauce. The 2017 Quinta da Ferradosa Douro Red was a perfect foil to the well-crafted blend of flavors and texture of the dish. A simple pumpkin mi-cuit with ricotta mousse and a 2011 Ferreira Vintage Port were the culmination of our welcome to Porto dining experience. All I could say was, Ricardo, you did it again!

Day one began early with a stunning drive through super-steep slate hillsides of the Douro. Our first stop was a visit to Wine & Soul with co-proprietor and winemaker Sandra Tavares da Silva, the Douros first female winemaker who also serves as chief winemaker at her familys Chocapalha Estate to the south in the Lisboa area.

Sandra led us on a comprehensive and educational tour of the Lagar room where grapes for their Port wines are traditionally stomped by foot then fermented before transfer to cask for aging and the adjacent area for dry wine production and barrel aging. Our tour culminated with majestic views of the Douro below and the surrounding terraced mountainside vineyards as far as the eye could see.

We then joined Sandra for an in-depth tasting of eight wines that gave us a broad yet detailed view of her portfolio and culminated with a tasing of the estate olive oil as a delightful surprise. Among the highlights of the tasting were three reds that were foot trodden (as with Port) and aged in neutral French oak.

Pintas Red is a blend of 40 indigenous varieties, Quinta da Manoella is a Vinhas Velhas example of 30 different varieties and Pintas Character Red is the product of 30 varieties and 60- to 70-year-old vines. We also enjoyed two inspiring whites and an outstanding Manoella 10-year Tawny that exhibited more the character and depth of a 20-year example.

We left Wine & Soul for a short but scenic drive to Quinta de la Rosa where we enjoyed a three-course lunch paired to the estates Reserve Red and Reserve White with a Late Bottled Vintage Port for dessert. Lunch was in the barrel cave surrounded by row upon row of traditional Pipes (elongated barrels containing 550L or about 60 cases) of Port resting comfortably as the wines were aging. It has long been an English tradition to purchase a Pipe of Port from a childs birth year to pull from and celebrate the occasion for years to come. Following lunch, we were escorted on a comprehensive tour of the winery where we learned more of its history and the vast range of wines produced.

After returning to Le Monumental, we strolled through the neighborhood to the very traditional Traca for a locally inspired meal. I also met Proprietor Catrina Mendes on our 2017 trip to Porto and a return visit was an automatic choice. I was able to plan our delectable four-course dinner with Catrina and its execution was under the skillful hands of Chef Joelson Borges. We began the meal with creamy ham croquettes, traditional Cecina of beef with tomato and deer carpaccio paired to a 2022 Lobo Vasconcelos from the Alentejo region in the south.

The next dish was roasted, salted cod with baked potato, onion and boiled egg accompanied by a 2021 Vinho Verde  San Joanne Terroir Mineral (Alvarinho). A simple but wonderful dish that spoke of local tastes and traditions. A confit of pork cheeks in a Port wine reduction with mashed cheese then followed along with a 2021 Quinta do Vallado from the Douro. Creamy egg pudding with berry jam paired to a delicious Tawny Reserve was an apt finale to a memorable meal.

Our dinner at Traca concluded our first full day in Porto and the Douro. Stay tuned as there is more to come next week when we travel to Vila Nova de Gaia and back to the Douro for additional accounts on the wines, people, culture and cuisine of this truly unique area. Saude for now!
Amongst the Rutherford vineyards we were invited recently to celebrate the United States debut of Loco Tequila. The name 'loco,' which translates to crazy or misfit, celebrates the pioneers and characters that have broken the mold, Juan Pablo JP Torre-Padilla said.

Founded by JP, his uncle and a couple friends, Loco thrives by producing an unadulterated and pure Tequila that elevates the category.

In order to do so, JP and team enlisted Maestro Tequilero Alberto Navarro whos spent the last decades studying and educating the art of agave distillery and is also the author of "Larousse del Tequila," a highly recommended comprehensive tequila guide.

The evening was composed of a tasting of the lineup, opening remarks by JP, Alberto and Eugenio Jardim who amongst his many wine ventures is an official ambassador of Loco.

The location was ideal, at the Sullivan Rutherford Estate which is dressed with a quaint lake along with striking weeping willows and thoughtful architecture. Worth noting that the Sullivan Estate is now owned and operated by JP and team for a few years now and it serves as an excellent sibling project to Loco Tequila.

The evening progressed under the stars with classical music in the background in the hands of a solo harp player setting the tone for the celebration.

A tasting side by side consisting of some marquee Tete de Cuvee brands in a blind setting which proved to shock all the attendees.

The guests included fellow journalists, food and beverage personalities and educators like Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson and accomplished writer Virginie Boone which made for an enticing and inquisitive conversation with Alberto Navarro and JP.

To further elevate the occasion, JP and team invited local Chef Rogelio Garcia from the newly Michelin Star minted Auro Restaurant at the Four Seasons Napa. Rogelios mastery of the culinary art stems from years of working at some thrilling restaurants like Angele Napa and Spruce in San Francisco.

Rogelio was tasked with pairing the various Loco expressions with a variety of dishes tying in seasonal California and Mexican ingredients.

The menu included Loco Blanco paired with Hawaiian kampachi sashimi with cucumber, jalapeno vinaigrette, peaches and mint that embraced the lively spirit of this tequila.

The next course consisted of a Brentwood yellow corn soup with Maine lobster and wild watercress successfully matched with Loco Puro Corazon, an expression produced only with the initial heart of the distillation embodying purity and elegance which danced with the sweet aspects of the dish.

Loco Ambar was next served along with a masterpiece of Australian Wagyu, Xico Mole and Roasted Jimmy Nardellos. Simply breathtaking and enchanting to match the intensity and complexity of the mole along with the fatty bits of the Wagyu and toasted notes of the tequila.

For dessert a chocolate flan with Rainier cherries and hazelnuts. Which carried along with the creme caramel notes of the Ambar.

The Loco brand is ultimately an ode to old school tequila production, the kind that you feel right about enjoying anytime.

The launch will be strategically focused in the California market and slowly roll to other markets in the United States, thrilled for the opportunity to experience this first hand and in such a memorable evening.
As Hawaiis electric utility faces scrutiny for active power lines that fell in high winds during last weeks catastrophic fires, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. says its again prepared to cut the power as a precaution to prevent wildfires in California this fire season.

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Its customers could see four public safety power shutoffs in the coming months, the utility said, darkening an estimated 320,000 homes and businesses.

The intentional cutoff  while unpopular with residents  is expected to lower the risk posed by power lines by 94% this year, up from 90% last year, PG&E officials said at a recent meeting of the California Public Utility Commission. The forecast is an average, based on computer models, the current grid and a decade-long historical analysis.

Recent improvements in the so-called PSPS strategy will make the outages shorter, smaller and smarter than in previous years, said Dave Canny, senior director of wildfire mitigation at PG&E.

The public safety power shutoffs come with advance warnings during severe fire weather and are different from the many unpredictable and increasing outages that are plaguing thousands of PG&E customers this summer. Those outages, which PG&E calls Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings, are caused when a circuit breaker instantly cuts power after, for example, a tree branch falls on a line.

While no single cause of the devastating Hawaiian fire has been determined, a lawsuit filed on Saturday claimed that Hawaiian Electric, the parent company of the power provider on Maui, kept power lines electrified despite warnings of high winds.

There should have been greater alarms raised for the utility to implement a shutdown program, Jennifer Potter, a former Hawaii Public Utilities Commission member, told the news site Honolulu Civil Beat. We did not follow best practices.

Meanwhile, an Oregon jury recently found utility PacifiCorp liable for causing devastating wildfires across Oregon during Labor Day weekend in 2020. The utility failed to shut off power to its 600,000 customers during a windstorm, despite warnings from then-Gov. Kate Browns chief of staff and top fire officials, plaintiffs alleged.

PG&E also learned the hard way, after the utility was blamed for a series of deadly blazes in Northern California. This is the sixth summer of public safety power shutoffs, part of the companys multibillion-dollar plan to prevent the kind of wildfires that sent it into bankruptcy. PG&E adopted the strategy after fierce winds and a faulty electric transmission line ignited the November 2018 Camp Fire in Butte County, killing 85 people and leveling the town of Paradise.

As another wildfire season looms, California is starting to see an uptick in blazes, Frank Bigelow of Cal Fires Community Wildfire Preparedness & Mitigation unit told the Aug. 3 CPUC meeting. This years season got off to a slow start, due to winter rains, but now the weekly average is climbing, he said.

So far this year, the state has experienced 4,337 wildland fires, below the five-year average of 4,616 fires. The 34.19 inches of rain received last winter are no guarantee that a future fire wont ignite, Bigelow said. Thats only two inches more than the 32.34 inches of rain that fell in the winter of 2016-17, after which the Tubbs Fire and other blazes claimed over 1.5 million acres, destroying nearly 11,000 structures and killing 47 people in Sonoma and Napa counties.

We really benefited the first couple months of the year from all that moisture  but were now experiencing pretty similar conditions to where we were in 2022, said Scott Strenfel, PG&Es senior director of meteorology and fire science. Were now starting to see live fuel moistures dry out.

The number of pre-emptive power shutoffs has declined in recent years due to new technologies and improvements to the electric system infrastructure, according to PG&E. In 2019, when winds gusted up to 102 mph, there were seven PSPS events, affecting 2 million customers in 17 counties with an average outage time of 43 hours. In 2020 there were six PSPSs, affecting 653,000 people. In 2021, there were five PSPSs, affecting 80,400 people.

No pre-emptive power shutoffs were necessary last year, but weather models indicate that several are likely this year.

Compared to previous years, PG&E says it expects that outages will be shorter  and fewer people will be affected, because the restoration maps are updated and digitized so they can be used on mobile devices by field crews, helping speed up the process to bring the power back on, said Canny.

They are smaller through the installation of 1,200 devices that break up the grid into tiny sections, reducing the number of homes on each circuit. That has removed about 26,000 customers from risk of a PSPS.

And they are smarter because of improved computer models, Canny said. Weather forecasts are more granular  focusing on two-square-mile grids  and can peer five days into the future. Every night, this weather data is combined with other data, such as the moisture levels of grasses, and a computer simulation predicts where and when there is a potentially catastrophic risk of ignition.

In addition, the utility said it will underground 350 miles of power lines this year, reducing the need for preventive shutoffs. Among those is a 2022 project in Walnut Creek serving 2,600 customers.

An additional 110 miles of power lines have been made more resilient by erecting stronger poles or covering live wires, said Canny.

PG&E has also created a remote grid program to serve small clusters of isolated homes on the edge of wilderness, so dangerous overhead lines that serve them can be removed, said PG&E spokesperson Paul Doherty.

So far, it has installed four of these independent power systems using solar, batteries, and back-up generators to homes in Tehama and Mariposa counties. By 2026, the company aims to expand the program to more than 30 communities in rural parts of the state.

Despite these efforts, the wildfire risk continues as the climate grows hotter and drier, said Canny.

Even with the improvements weve made, he said, we know our work is never done.

Photos: Wildfires devastate the Hawaiian island of Maui
Budapest, Baku agree on more Azerbaijan natural gas supply to Hungary

Burnt-out shell of old Ferrari racing car sold at auction for $2M

Azerbaijan fires at Armenia positions

Karabakh army: Azerbaijan violated ceasefire at night

Armenians holding protest outside UN headquarters in New York

Armenia official: Our aircraft flies entirely in our territory

Karabakh MoD: Azerbaijan disseminates another disinformation

Provincial governor of Armenias Syunik: Azerbaijanis will provoke but Kapan airport shall operate

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

Azerbaijan MFA makes accusations against Armenia

Azerbaijan holds tour for foreign diplomats to familiarize them with Aghdam road being proposed to Karabakh

Group of Turkey intellectuals appeal to world regarding humanitarian disaster in Karabakh

Azerbaijan soldiers approach Armenian reservist, apprehend him: Armenia MoD releases video footage

France FM expresses concern about Azerbaijan shooting during patrol of EU monitors in Armenia

Concerned citizens staging protest in front of UN office in Armenia

Armenia FM heads for New York

MoD: Theory of Armenia reservist ending up on Azerbaijan side is being investigated

Azerbaijan announces capture of Armenia soldier

Azerbaijan praises advantages of Aghdam road to Nagorno-Karabakh

Azerbaijan MoD tries to misinform foreign embassies military attaches

Armenians prevented Ataturk statue installation in Prague, Turkish ambassador says
Edmon Marukyan, Ambassador-at-Large of Armenia, expects that the UN Security Council will make concrete decisions.

Speaking on the air of the Public TV Company of Armenia Marukyan noted that Armenia does not discuss the matter of alternative roads proposed by Azerbaijan.

"The subject of our discussion is the Lachin corridor," he said.

Marukyan considered the latest flows of disinformation disseminated by Azerbaijan as a basis for carrying out new provocations by Baku.

Also, Marukyan said Azerbaijan's new accusations against Armenia regarding "territorial claims" were groundless.

He emphasized that the Azerbaijani armed forces are located in the sovereign territory of Armenia.

"Azerbaijan is obligated to withdraw its armed forces from the administrative territory of Soviet Armenia, which was recognized as the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia according to the Almaty declaration," he said, stressing that Armenia has not made any territorial claims to Azerbaijan.
The six persons who were in the tragic accident on the Gyumri-Yerevan motorway continue to receive treatment at various medical centers in Armenia, the Ministry of Health informed.

Two are at the intensive care unit of the Gyumri Medical Center. One is in stable and severe condition, and the otherin severe condition.

One of the two injured who are being treated at the Surb Grigor Lusavorich (Saint Gregory the Illuminator) Medical Center in Yerevan was transferred to the ward, whereas the other continues to receive treatment at the intensive care unit. One is in stable, and the other is in severe condition.

The injured being treated at the hospital of Yerevan State Medical University is in stable condition, and this person is at the intensive care unit.

And the injured being treated at Astghik Medical Center in Yerevan is in moderate condition, and is at the intensive care unit.

Earlier we reported that a tragic road accident took place on the Gyumri-Yerevan motorway, near Lanjik village of Armenias Shirak Province, at around 12:27am Monday.

It was found out that a passenger minibus and a truck collided on the aforesaid motorway.

Eleven people were killed as a result.

Six others had sustained injuries and were hospitalized. The truck driver is also among the injured.

The minibus passengers of this tragic accident were returning from a trip to eastern Anatolia.

According to the Investigative Committee of Armenia, the accident took place in the direction of Yerevan of the aforesaid motorway. The minibus was traveling towards Yerevan, whereas the trucktowards Gyumri.

Criminal proceedings have been launched under the Armenian Criminal Code article on violating the requirements aimed at ensuring road traffic safety or the rules ensuring the safety of road traffic or vehicle operation.
The Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) strongly refutes and condemns the fake news spread by the Azerbaijani mass media that the Defense Army of Artsakh is moving and concentrating various military equipment in different directions of the Line of Contact, the ministry noted in a statement.

As we have repeatedly made sure, Azerbaijan is paving the way for further provocations by filling the media field with such fake news.

We draw the attention of international actors, and especially the UN Security Council, to the fact that Azerbaijan is escalating the situation just two days after the request of the Republic of Armenia to convene an emergency session of the UN Security Council related to the deteriorating humanitarian situation caused by the complete blockade imposed on the civilian population of Artsakh by Azerbaijani authorities. It is nothing but an attempt to distract the attention of international structures from the humanitarian disaster provoked in the Republic of Artsakh by Azerbaijan's illegal blocking of the Lachin Corridor.

We reiterate that since December 12, 2022, the Republic of Artsakh has been under total siege, resulted from Azerbaijans illegal actions. Moreover, since June 15, 2023, the people of Artsakh has been deprived of the opportunity to import even the least amount of food products, medicines and all other vital goods through the Lachin Corridor via the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Russian Peacekeeping Contingent.

Thus, due to the lack of efficient steps by the international community, Azerbaijan continues to violate the provisions of the Trilateral Statement of November 9, 2020, universal international legal norms, and specific international legal acts related to the Lachin Corridor, including the legally binding decisions of the International Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights on lifting the blockade of the Lachin Corridor.

We urge all international actors, and in particular, the Russian Peacekeeping Contingent, to immediately take appropriate steps to deter the possible provocative actions of Azerbaijan.

In the current situation, we consider it imperative to convene an emergency session of the UN Security Council as soon as possible for passing a decision on taking the necessary and efficient measures aimed at the complete and unconditional unblocking of the Lachin Corridor, the Artsakh MFA added in its statement.
Ten patients from the Republican Medical Center of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) were transported Tuesday 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 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 seven 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.

A total of 26 children are currently receiving inpatient treatment at Arevik Medical Center in Artsakh, and seven of them are at the neonatal and intensive care unit.

And 76 patients are receiving inpatient treatment at the Republican Medical Center, five of them are at the intensive care unit, and two of these five are in critical condition.
Ameriabank has won in 3 nominations of Global Finance Worlds Best Digital Banks Awards. In particular, the Bank has received awards for the Best Innovation and Transformation in Armenia for 2023, the Best Online Product Offerings in Armenia for 2023, and the Best in Consumer Lending in Armenia for 2023.

Winning banks were selected based on the following criteria: strength of strategy for attracting and servicing digital customers, success in getting clients to use digital offerings, growth of digital customers, breadth of product offerings, evidence of tangible benefits gained from digital initiatives, and web/mobile site design and functionality, as well as relative strength and success of web products and services.

With artificial intelligence and machine learning rapidly advancing, the standards for the best digital offerings are constantly evolving, said Joseph Giarraputo, founder and editorial director of Global Finance. Global Finances Best Digital Bank awards honor those financial institutions blazing the digitalization way.

The ongoing transformation of our business through the most advanced digital technologies is a key strategic priority for us. Having embarked on this journey years ago, we consistently and purposefully work towards developing and improving our ecosystems and digital solutions. These awards are the international recognition of our commitment to delivering the best digital customer experience, said Arman Barseghyan, Retail Banking Director at Ameriabank.

As of H1 2023 Ameriabank reported:

98% branch offloading rate

82% cash offloading rate

73% online banking penetration rate

24% YtD growth of the number of mobile and internet banking users

76% share of online consumer loans in total consumer loans

33% of primary market mortgage loans were issued via digital channels.

70% of loans to small and medium enterprises with annual turnover within 750 million AMD were issued via digital channels.

Currently Ameriabank offers about 45 services online.

Ameriabank is regulated by the Central Bank of RA.
Speaker of the National Assembly (NA), Alen Simonyan, received the newly appointed Iranian ambassador to Armenia, Mehdi Sobhani, congratulated him on assuming this mission, and wished him a fruitful activity, Armenian News-NEWS.am learns from the NA.

Also, Simonyan extended his condolences to the families and friends of the casualties of the recent terrorism in the city of Shiraz, Iran, and to the entire people of Iran, stressing that the joint fight against terrorism should be one of the primary goals.

In response, Sobhani noted that terrorism has no nationality and borders, and the basis of the friendship between Armenia and Iran is also immediate condemnation of terrorist acts. The Iranian diplomat added that has great hope that his mission in friendly Armenia will be crowned with success.

Simonyan, in turn, expressed his belief that the ambassador will invest his efforts in strengthening and deepening bilateral friendly relations between the two countries.

The parties discussed the importance of interparliamentary relations, emphasizing the legislative interaction and the parliamentary possibilities of providing prompt solutions to the arising issues. Armenian-Iranian friendly parliamentary cooperation was particularly highlighted.

The speaker of the NA noted that Iran has been and still remains a special partner for Armenia, as it contributeswith its balanced policyto the establishment of peace and strengthening of stability in the region.

In addition, Alen Simonyan drew the Iranian ambassador's attention to the ongoing blockade of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan and the resultant severe humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, and stressed the need to immediately lift this blockade. He emphasized that the efforts of the Armenian side are aimed at establishing stable peace in the South Caucasus, which will be beneficial for all the peoples of the region.
It is welcome that leading international media continue to actively address the situation in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) as a result of the complete siege by Azerbaijan, Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan noted on Facebook Tuesday. He added as follows:

"The international mass media discuss in their materials both the report and assessments of the first chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo, the discussion of this situation at the UN Security Council tomorrow, as well as present the facts and views given by the Artsakh authorities and the public.

"Today, the prestigious Financial Times newspaper also addressed the problems of the 120,000 population of the besieged Artsakh, as well as the possible developments of the situation.

"The medium quoted a part of my words: the blockade has led to food shortages [in Artsakh], as 90 percent of food was usually imported from Armenia. There is a massive fuel shortage. Health care and other essential services are working with great difficulty. Medicines have run out, putting people's lives at risk.

"Addressing the statements regarding Armenias recognition of Artsakh as a part of Azerbaijan, the article presented my appeal to the RA [(Republic of Armenia)] authorities not to take that step, emphasizing our right to self-determination.

"We, our partners and friends continue the consistent efforts to increase the level of awareness of the international community about the situation and the pressure on Azerbaijan in order to stop the subsequent course of the genocide."
The European Union monitoring mission in Armenia (EUMA) posted conflicting information about the incident that happened in Gegharkunik Province today.

After the Ministry of Defense of Armenia announced that the EU monitors were targeted by the Azerbaijani side at the Verin Shorzha village sector this afternoon, EUMA went on Xformer Twitter, dismissed this information, and assured that none of their monitors were targeted by the Azerbaijani shooting.

Later, however, a video was disseminated on Armenia's pro-government Telegram channels, in which an EU monitorwhose face is coveredsaid they had came under Azerbaijani fire.

Shortly after this video went viral, EUMA deleted their last post from X and made a new one saying that their monitors had witnessed the shooting.

But EUMA made a very vague post, from which it is not clear that the shooter was the Azerbaijani side, and that the EU monitors were the target of the shooting.

"We confirm that EUMA patrol has been present to the shooting incident in our area of responsibility. No EUMA member was harmed," it wrote on X, titling this post "Correcting Statement."
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan, on Tuesday had a telephonic conversation with the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Catherine Colonna, Armenian News-NEWS.am learns from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia.

The Armenian FM presented to his French colleague the details of the worsening humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh due to Azerbaijan's ongoing blockade of the Lachin corridor, and stressed that this crisis could turn into a real humanitarian disaster right before the eyes of the international community.

Also, Mirzoyan reflected on the petition submitted by Armenia in order to convene an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. The FM noted that Azerbaijan does not fulfill the many messages addressed to it by international partners and organizations and, by keeping the Lachin corridor blocked for 8 months now, violates not only the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, but also the International Court of Justice decisions on February 22 and July 6.

Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized that the continued deepening of the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh may put at risk the efforts of Armenia and the international community aimed at establishing stable peace in the region, and stressed the need for effective use of existing mechanisms and for clear steps to end the blockage of the Lachin corridor.
The start of Emorys new academic year is just around the corner, with faculty and staff across campus making final preparations for the arrival of students. Here are 10 things you need to know as the Atlanta and Oxford campuses transition from summer to fall.

1. Many students arrived early for preorientation programs.

First-year students participating in preorientation programs arrived on the Atlanta and Oxford campuses Aug. 14. More than half the incoming class for Emory College and Oxford College registered for preorientation programs that help them connect with others who have similar interests. From outdoor adventures and leadership lessons to community engagement and interfaith experiences, theyll spend several days acclimating to life at Emory before orientation begins Aug. 18 at Oxford and Aug. 19 in Atlanta.

2. Other students will move in this weekend, with classes starting next week.

First-year and transfer students who are not participating in preorientation programs move into Atlanta campus housing Aug. 19, with other undergraduates following on Aug. 20. Oxford College move-in days are Aug. 18 for first-year students and Aug. 21 for second-year students. Learn more about Atlanta campus move-in procedures, orientation activities and Oxford College move-in on the Emory Welcome app. Classes for Emory Law students began Aug. 14; undergraduate and all other graduate classes begin Aug. 23.

Atlanta campus students will celebrate the start of a new semester with First Day Fest on Aug. 23. Featuring food, games, swag and even several rides, the carnival-style event helps students create community and relax after the excitement of move-in and classes beginning. The event takes place on the Quad from 7-10 p.m. and is hosted by the Student Programming Council.

If you are not involved with move-in for students, you may want to avoid driving to campus on those days due to heavier traffic. However, volunteers are still needed during orientation and to help welcome new students and families to Emory. If youre interested, sign up to help.

3. You can welcome the Class of 2027 at the Emory Gate Crossing + Coke Toast.

One longstanding tradition for Emorys first-year students is a Coke Toast on the Quad during orientation. Help welcome the Class of 2027 for Emory College of Arts and Sciences during a special event on Monday, Aug. 21.

Faculty, staff, fellow students and alumni are invited to gather at the Haygood-Hopkins Gate at 11:15 a.m. to cheer on the Class of 2027 as they walk through the gate and proceed to the Quad. Once there, President Gregory L. Fenves will lead a Coke Toast. Find more details here.

4. Two new deans have joined the Emory community.

Emory College of Arts and Sciences and Oxford College both welcome new deans to campus this semester.

Barbara Krauthamer, an award-winning author and historian, joined Emory on July 1 as the next dean of Emory College of Arts and Sciences. Previously, she served as dean of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Krauthamer says her first priority is learning more about Emory as a community and an institution. I want to know more about where Emory has been and where it sees itself going, she says. She also hopes that building relationships with students, faculty and staff will help her understand their experiences and work collaboratively to strengthen both community and operations across the College so that everyone can achieve their full potential at every level.

Badia Ahad, a recognized teacher, innovative scholar and seasoned academic leader, is the new dean of Oxford College. She joined Emory on Aug. 1 after serving as vice provost for faculty affairs and professor of English at Loyola University Chicago.

I think my most important role as dean will be to ensure that students, faculty and staff have the tools and the resources that they need to be and to do their best, Ahad says. I want students at Oxford to have an academic experience that not only cultivates intellectual rigor and curiosity, but also helps them find their own sense of purpose and how that purpose is going to serve others.

5. New gathering spaces will open around campus.

Community is vital to Emory, and new spaces unveiling this fall will serve as gathering spots for conversations, connections and more.

The Emory Interfaith Center offers a new place for worship, prayer, meditation, dialogue and retreat for Emorys diverse religious communities. It is a home away from home for Emory's many spiritual communities, a new center promoting interfaith study and engagement, and a gateway for engaging in service the Atlanta community and beyond.

The center will include spacious and flexible sacred spaces; common spaces and meeting rooms; and offices for many of Emory's multifaith chaplaincy team members. In addition, the grounds will offer areas for contemplation and enjoying natures beauty.

The Interfaith Center is already open but will be officially dedicated in October during Homecoming and Family Weekend festivities.

The Belonging and Community Justice identity spaces will open fall semester on the third floor of Cox Hall. These include the Center for Women, Centro Latinx, Emory Black Student Union (EBSU), Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) Life and the Asian Student Center (ASC).

These new identity spaces provide more room for students to learn about different cultures and a place for students to connect across their identities, expanding their personal understanding of themselves, the world around them and making deep connections to those with shared experiences.

Students will be able to start visiting the spaces after Labor Day with the grand opening taking place during Homecoming and Family Weekend.

Once the Identity Spaces in Cox Hall open, Campus Life will return some of its student-facing services and resources (that were previously displaced or relocated) to the first floor of the AMUC. The goal is to enhance students convenience and access to the resources they use most while creating more reservable collaboration and programming space for students across both the Student Center and the AMUC.

For students on the Clairmont Campus, the cafe located in the Student Activity & Academic Center (SAAC) was fully renovated during the summer. The updated cafe provides an enhanced ordering experience complete with a new takeout window and additional shelving space to provide a wider variety of grab-and-go options. From flatbreads and salads to burgers and sandwiches, the Clairmont Cafe has many made-to-order offerings. All tenders, including meal exchange, Dooley Dollars and Eagle Dollars, are accepted. Clairmont Campus Cafe is open 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday; and 12:30-8 p.m. Saturday.

6. Activities across campus abound.

Whether you enjoy attending concerts, visiting art exhibitions or learning from thought-provoking speakers, fall semester includes events for everyone.

7. Mental well-being resources are available for students, faculty and staff.

Attention to well-being is foundational to students ability to flourish at Emory and beyond. Within the Emory community, students have access to coordinated and comprehensive medical and psychiatric care, counseling, recreation facilities and programs, and health education targeted at building and maintaining overall well-being.

Students can reach out to Emorys Counseling and Psychological Services or Oxford Counseling and Career Services for information about confidential support through in-person and online appointments. TimelyCare telehealth services are also available to all Emory students free of charge. The Office of Respect also offers students on the Atlanta campus confidential, 24/7 support with concerns related to sexual and relationship-based harm. A variety of well-being resources for students can be found at Be Well, Your Way.

University faculty and staff can access a range of emotional support programs including webinars, well-being check-ins, counseling and more through the Faculty Staff Assistance Program (FSAP). Emory Healthcare employees can access services through the MyBHS Portal (user name: EHC).

8. Follow campus safety tips and prepare to stay informed in an emergency.

Returning to campus is a good time to be reminded of safety tips from the Emory Police Department and the Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response (CEPAR).

Download and review the new Emory Safe app, launching Aug. 16 (the existing app, LiveSafe, will sunset by September). Use the app to receive safety alerts, request a virtual police escort to your destination and more.

Save the Emory Police emergency number in your phone: 404-727-6111.

Complete CEPARs preparedness checklist for students or faculty and staff. You should also review CEPARs Just In Time guide, which details how to handle campus emergencies.

9. The Emory Forward website serves as a central repository for COVID-19 information.

As the Emory community begins this fall semester, we want everyone to stay safe and healthy across campus. To be best prepared, visit the Emory Forward website often for the latest information about what to do if you test positive for COVID-19, vaccine guidelines, testing resources, masking, policies and more.

10. Remember your options for getting to  and around  campus.

Emorys Transportation and Parking Services Department has a wealth of information about parking permits, commuter options and getting around campus safely.

Learn more about student parking, university faculty/staff parking and Emory Healthcare staff parking for fall 2023. If you forget your parking permit, the FlashParking app can be used to access your approved parking decks and lots.

Emorys shuttles can be tracked in real time at https://emory.transloc.com/ or by downloading the Transloc Rider app.

Are you on campus late? SafeRide is available 365 days per year to provide safe nighttime transportation on the Clifton campus.

Emorys Smart Commute program offers plenty of perks and rewards for 1,300+ participants who choose biking, walking, carpooling, vanpooling, public transit or Emory shuttles for their commute. Employees can also earn rewards and cash incentives through Georgia Commute Options; graduate and undergraduate students can also earn points to redeem for rewards.
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Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday that his Hindu faith guides him in every aspect of his life and gives him the courage to do the best as the prime minister of Britain.





During a visit to the ongoing 'Ram Katha' being conducted by spiritual leader Morari Bapu at Jesus College, University of Cambridge, Britain's first Indian-origin Prime Minister highlighted the significance of the event coinciding with India's Independence Day.





"Bapu, I am here today not as a prime minister, but as a Hindu, said Sunak, opening his address at the gathering.





"For me, faith is very personal. It guides me in every aspect of my life. Being prime minister is a great honour, but it is not an easy job. There are difficult decisions to make, hard choices to confront and our faith gives me courage, strength, and resilience to do the best that I can for our country," he said.





The 43-year-old leader shared the special moment when he first lit Diwali diyas outside No. 11 Downing Street as the first British Indian Chancellor in 2020.





Pointing to a large golden image of Lord Hanuman as the backdrop to Morari Bapu's Ram Katha, the British prime minister said it reminded him of how a golden Ganesha sits gleefully on my desk at 10 Downing Street.





"It is a constant reminder to me about listening and reflecting on issues before acting," he shared.





Sunak, just back from a family holiday in the US with his wife Akshata Murty and children Krishna and Anoushka, said he was proud to be British and Hindu as he reflected upon his childhood years in Southampton where he often visited his neighbourhood temple with family.





"Growing up, I have very fond memories of attending our local mandir in Southampton. My parents and family would organise havans, pujas, aartis; afterwards, I would help serve lunch and prasad with my brother and sister and cousins," said Sunak.





"Our values and what I see Bapu does each day of his life are the values of selfless service, devotion and keeping faith. But perhaps the greatest value is duty or sewa, as we know it. These Hindu values are very much shared British values," he noted.





Referencing his family's immigrant history, Sunak noted how many among the hundreds gathered at the Katha had parents and grandparents who came to the UK with very little from India and East Africa and worked their way up to give his generation the greatest opportunities ever.





"Today, I want to say thank you to the generation who worked day and night for our education and our today now is the time for our generation to give back," he said.





"I leave here today remembering the Ramayana that Bapu speaks on, but also the Bhagavad Gita' and the Hanuman Chalisa. And for me, Lord Ram will always be an inspirational figure to face life's challenges with courage, to govern with humility and to work selflessly," he added.





He concluded his address with the words Jai Siya Ram' and went on to participate in an aarti on stage, with Morari Bapu invoking the blessings of Lord Hanuman, seeking 'boundless strength' to facilitate his service to the people of Britain. -- PTI


Southern Illinois University Carbondale Chancellor Austin Lane (above) and Heartland Community College President Keith Cornille sign a Saluki Step Ahead agreement on Monday, Aug. 14. (SIU photo by Russell Bailey)

SIU Carbondale inks agreement to improve access for Heartland Community College students

by Pete Rosenbery

CARBONDALE, Ill.  Southern Illinois University Carbondale strengthened its commitment to students in central Illinois on Aug. 14 with an agreement to bring the expertise of a doctoral research university to qualified community college students by providing the option to earn their bachelors degrees remotely and at a lower cost in 12 academic programs.

SIU Chancellor Austin A. Lane and Heartland Community College President Keith Cornille signed an agreement for the Saluki Step Ahead program. Established in 2021, the program enables students who graduate with an associate degree from partnering community colleges to complete their SIU bachelors degrees online in accounting, business administration, criminology and criminal justice, early childhood, elementary education, health care management, history, industrial management and applied engineering, information technology, nursing (RN to BSN), psychology and radiologic sciences.

We are pleased to collaborate with Heartland Community College to provide another option for place-bound students in this region, Lane said. If these students cannot come to Carbondale to complete their education, we will bring the experience and resources of a doctoral research university to them.

Lane added this Saluki Step Ahead agreement fits well with the universitys strategic plan, Imagine 2030, and its pillars of student success and partnerships.

Established in 1990, Heartland Community College serves a district population of more than 230,000 that includes parts of McLean, Livingston, Logan, DeWitt and Tazewell counties  a geographic corridor that extends along Interstate 55, roughly from Pontiac to Lincoln. The colleges main campus is in Normal, with regional centers in Pontiac and Lincoln, and Heartland serves approximately 5,000 credit students annually. Home to the first electric vehicle technology program in Illinois, the college offers 15 degrees and 57 certificate programs.

Strong partnerships are key to the mission of serving our students, and working with SIU, we have expanded the options Heartland students have to pursue their academic goals, Cornille said. This partnership will expand and strengthen our transfer pathways and gives Heartland students another accessible option to earn a bachelors degree in several high-demand programs. With this remote learning option, Heartland transfer students can continue their pursuit of a bachelors degree without having to relocate outside our community.

The Heartland Community College agreement brings SIU Carbondale to more than 40 Saluki Step Ahead pacts that the university has with community college campuses in Illinois, Missouri and Texas so far.

Students in the Saluki Step Ahead program pay the community college rate for their first two years. In the third and fourth years, they receive an annual $4,000 scholarship. For more about Saluki Step Ahead, read the press release announcing the initiative.
Soumya Kanti Ghosh, the Group Chief Economic Advisor at State Bank of India (SBI), on Tuesday reiterated that India is likely to become the third largest economy by 2027. Indian economy is currently ranked fifth and is behind the US, China, Japan, and Germany. In 2014 when Narendra Modi was sworn in as the Prime Minister, India was the 10th largest economy. In 2022, India became the fifth-largest economy overtaking the UK. The Prime Minister's speech today (at the Red Fort) underlines the rapid structural transformation the Indian economy has undergone in the last decade, SBIs Ghosh said as per public broadcaster DD News. And most likely in the next couple of years, by 2027, India will become the third largest economy, just after US and China. And that is going to be a creditable achievement for India by any standards. As the Prime Minister pointed out, the success of India today lies in its 140 crore people who are aspirational, who are forward-looking, and who are continuously reskilling themselves for a better tomorrow, Ghosh said. It is also a fact that woman-led development today is the norm. And as Prime Minister emphasized, you can see women leading in almost all spheres. Wherever you see there is the development and where India is actually moving forward, it's again a creditable achievement on the part of a country. The fact that India is going to become a developed country by 2047, as Prime Minister emphasized, must be an effort of all Indians holding their hands together. And that is actually a true reflection of unity in diversity. And that is possibly the best gift that India could get in its hundred years of independence, he added. PM Modi from the ramparts of the Red Fort last year told countrymen to take a pledge that India must become a developed nation by 2047 when it celebrates its hundred years of Independence. (ANI)
Actor Rana Daggubati on Tuesday issued an apology to Sonam Kapoor for unintentionally making her face a backlash over one of his comments at 'King of Kotha' event. Daggubati recently attended an event for Dulquer Salmaans upcoming film King of Kotha in Hyderabad. A video from the event has gone viral where Rana was heard sharing an incident about Dulquer and a leading Bollywood actress. Rana applauded Dulquer's patience and took a dig at the actress saying she was speaking to her husband over the phone about shopping while making the entire crew wait. While the actor didnt mention anyones name, netizens were quick to make their conclusions that Rana was referring to actress Sonam and that the incident was from the shoot of The Zoya Factor. Quashing all the trolling, Rana today took to Twitter to apologise to both Sonam and Dulquer and issued a clarification about the same. "I am genuinely troubled by the negativity that has been aimed at Sonam due to my comments, that are totally untrue and were meant entirely in a light-hearted manner. As friends, we often exchange playful banter, and I deeply regret that my words have been misinterpreted.I take this opportunity to express my heartfelt apologies to Sonam and Dulquer, both of whom I hold in great esteem. I hope this clarification puts an end to any speculation and misunderstanding. Thank you for your understanding," he wrote. 'The Zoya Factor' was released in 2019 and it featured Dulquer Salmaan opposite Sonam in the lead role. (ANI)
He said India has the potential to achieve all goals.

"Wishing a very Happy Independence Day to every proud Indian. I'm really proud to be a citizen of the youngest nation of the world. Our nation keeps moving forward with the bright young minds acing in every sphere and making the country proud assuring us the future is brighter," Kartik said.

"The young minds of India have big dreams and a knack for hard work to make it come true given the right opportunities and encouragement, we all can literally move mountains and remain unstoppable! We are the best," he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also lauded the contribution of youth during his 10th Independence Day speech.

"Whatever steps we take today will decide India's direction for the next 1000 years; I have full faith in India's youth power; India's small cities can be small in terms of size and population, but no less in terms of potential," PM Modi said.

PM Modi addressed the nation earlier today from the ramparts of the iconic Red Fort. (ANI)
These Gallantry awards include four Kirti Chakra (posthumous), 11 Shaurya Chakras, including five posthumous, two Bar to Sena Medals (Gallantry), 52 Sena Medals (Gallantry), three Nao Sena Medal (Gallantry) and four Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry).

The President has also approved 30 Mention-in-Despatches to the Army, including to Army dog Madhu (Posthumous), and one to Air Force personnel for their significant contributions in different military operations.

The operations include Operation Rakshak, Operation Snow Leopard, Operation Casualty Evacuation, Operation Mount Chomo, Operation Pangsau Pass, Operation Meghdoot, Operation Orchid, Operation Kalisham Valley, Rescue Operation and Operation Evacuation.

The Kirti Chakra awardees who received it posthumously are Dilip Kumar Das, Raj Kumar Yadava, Bablu Rabha and Sambha Roy, all of the Central Reserve Police Force.

The Shaurya Chakra recipients include five personnel named for it posthumously, including Major Vikas Bhambhu and Major Mustafa Bohara of Army Aviation Squadron; Hav Vivek Singh Tomar of the Rajputana Rifles, Rifleman Kulbhushan Manta of the Rashtriya Rifles and Saifullah Qadri, SG constable, Jammu and Kashmir police.

Indian Army Majors Vikas Bhambhu and Mustafa Bohara awarded the Shaurya Chakra posthumously for flying away their crashing ALH Dhruv Rudra helicopter from a built up area and an ammunition point in Arunachal Pradesh in October, 2022 saving many precious lives.

The two pilots lost their lives in the crash despite having liberty to land in open area but this could have caused damage to ammunition point and civilians on ground.

Wing Commander ShreyTomar awarded Vayu Sena Medal Gallantry for safely landing his twin engine fighter aircraft safely on single engine due to fire and preventing both loss of life and property.

Havildar Vivek Singh Tomar awarded the Shaurya Chakra posthumously for saving the lives of fellow soldiers and preventing a major fire incident during deployment at the Siachen Glacier at an altitude of 18,300 feet. He observed a fire inside a snow tent in January this year and entered inside disregarding personal safety to contain the situation but laid down his life in the incident due to injuries. (ANI)
Since India acquired Independence from the Britishers at midnight, students and teachers of Queen Mira International School celebrated Independence Day by hoisting the Indian flag at midnight.

Students were also dressed up as freedom fighters and leaders who fought for India's freedom and acted out history through drama and cultural programs.

Meanwhile, various iconic buildings and monuments in India have been illuminated in the Tricolours lights ahead of Independence Day.

Agartala witnessed laser, sound & light show as the city soaks in Independence Day fervour in Tripura.

Media Tree in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore illuminated in tricolour on the occasion of Independence Day.

Old Delhi Railway Station, New Delhi Railway Station and India Gate were light-up as city soaks in Independence Day fervour.

Tiranga rally was organised by Rajkot Municipal Corporation in Gujarat along with Rajkot police.

PM Modi will lead the nation in celebrating the 77th Independence Day from the iconic Red Fort in the national capital on Tuesday. He will unfurl the National Flag and deliver the customary address to the nation from the ramparts of the historic monument.

This years Independence Day will culminate the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, which were launched by the Prime Minister from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on March 12, 2021, and will, once again, usher the country into Amrit Kaal with renewed vigour to realise PM Modis dream of making India a developed country by 2047.

A number of new initiatives have been taken to celebrate the 77th Independence Day. A large number of guests have been invited as compared to last year. (ANI)
With the launch of Chandrayaan-3, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is embarking to achieve a successful soft landing on the Moon. India aims to become the fourth country in the world to achieve this feat, joining the ranks of theUnited States, Russia, and China. Chandrayaan-3 is India's third lunar mission and second attempt at achieving a soft landing on the Moon's surface. It is a follow-on to the unsuccessful 2019 lunar mission - Chandrayaan-2. It will demonstrate Indias end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface. The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, which was launched on GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle successfully from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradeshs Sriharikota on July 14, is scheduled to land on the surface of the moon on August 23. The spacecraft has recently covered about two-thirds of the distance to the Moon and is currently undergoing a series of orbit manoeuvres. Chandrayaan-3 components include various electronic and mechanical subsystems intended to ensure a safe and soft landing such as navigation sensors, propulsion systems, guidance and control among others. Additionally, there are mechanisms for the release of rover, two-way communication-related antennas and other onboard electronics. The stated objectives of Chandrayaan-3 are safe and soft landing, rover roving on the moon's surface, and in-situ scientific experiments. The approved cost of Chandrayaan-3 is Rs 250 crores (excluding launch vehicle cost). Chandrayaan-3s development phase commenced in January 2020 with the launch planned sometime in 2021. However, the Covid-19 pandemic brought an unforeseen delay to the mission's progress. Chandrayaan-3 is the ISRO's follow-up attempt after the Chandrayaan-2 mission faced challenges during its soft landing on the lunar surface in 2019 and was eventually deemed to have failed its core mission objectives. The key scientific outcomes from Chandrayaan-2 include the first-ever global map for lunar sodium, enhancing knowledge on crater size distribution, unambiguous detection of lunar surface water ice with IIRS instrument and more. The mission has been featured in almost 50 publications. During the Chandrayaan-1 mission, the satellite made more than 3400 orbits around the moon and the mission was concluded when the communication with the spacecraft was lost on August 29, 2009, according to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), S Somanath last week expressed confidence in the progress of the forthcoming lunar mission, Chandrayaan 3, providing reassurance that all systems are operating as planned. Chairman S Somanath stated, "Everything is going fine now. There will be a series of manoeuvres until it lands (on the Moon) on 23rd August. The satellite is healthy." Moon serves as a repository of the Earths past and a successful lunar mission by India will help enhance life on Earth while also enabling it to explore the rest of the solar system and beyond. K Sivan, former director of ISRO, earlier told ANI that the success of mission Chandrayan-3 will give a morale boost to programmes like Gaganyan, India's first manned space mission. Former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan, who has been instrumental in the countrys space sector innovation, had before the lift of the satellite said the Chandrayaan-3 mission is going to be successful and a game-changer event for India. ''Chandrayaan-3 will definitely be a game changer for India and I hope it will be successful. India will become an inspiration to the entire world. Let's wait for the launch and pray for the best," Nambi Narayanan had told ANI. Narayanan is the scientist who led a team to develop the Vikas Engine -- a mainstay of all Indian rockets and help the country enter into the era of PSLV rockets. I'm assuming, and I hope that it will be a successful mission. Because whatever the problem in Chandrayaan-2, actually, we corrected the whole thing. From the failure, we have understood all mistakes (on our part), Narayanan, the recipient of India's third highest civilian honour, Padma Bhushan, told ANI. Historically, spacecraft missions to the Moon have primarily targeted the equatorial region due to its favourable terrain and operating conditions. However, the lunar south pole presents a vastly different and more challenging terrain compared to the equatorial region. Sunlight is scarce in certain polar regions, resulting in perpetually dark areas where temperatures can reach -230 degrees Celsius. This lack of sunlight and extreme cold pose difficulties for instrument operation and sustainability. The lunar south pole offers extreme and contrasting conditions that pose challenges for humans but it makes them potential repositories of valuable information about the early Solar System. It is crucial to explore this region which could impact future deep space exploration. (ANI)
Addressing countrymen from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the 77th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday expressed concern over the heavy rainfall that has wreaked havoc in many states. "...This time, natural calamity has created unimaginable crises in several parts of the country. I express my sympathies to all families who faced this...." PM Modi said. The prime minister assured that both the Centre and the state will help the affected families during times of crisis so they can start their life again. "I assure you about it". Heavy rainfall has battered the states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, which saw deaths and destruction a day earlier. India Meteorological Department has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall in the next 24 hours in several parts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The Met department has raised red alert for both the hilly states which will gradually reduce to orange alert. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday informed that over 50 people have lost their lives within the past 24 hours due to landslides and continuous rainfall in the area. He also expressed concerns that over 20 people are feared to be trapped under debris. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday conducted an aerial survey of flood-affected areas in the state and also reviewed the increasing water level of the Ganga river in Rishikesh district. After the survey, CM Dhami said that several places have been damaged in the last 48 hours due to incessant rains in the state adding that the Kedarnath Yatra has been stopped for the next two days. Uttarakhand's Rishikesh recorded the highest rainfall, across the country, in a span of 24 hours on Monday morning. Heavy rains in the State have triggered landslides and flash floods in several places, officials said. Meanwhile, before addressing the country Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat. This is Prime Minister's 10th consecutive Independence Day speech since assuming office in 2014 and the last one before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Earlier today, PM Modi hoisted the national flag at the Red Fort. He also took to his official handle on 'X', formerly Twitter, to greet countrymen on Independence Day. "Best wishes on Independence Day. We pay homage to our great freedom fighters and reaffirm our commitment to fulfilling their vision. Jai Hind!," the Prime Minister wrote. On his arrival at the Red Fort, PM Modi was received by Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, Raksha Rajya Mantri, Ajay Bhatt, and Defence Secretary, Giridhar Aramane. This years Independence Day will culminate the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, which were launched by Prime Minister Modi from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on March 12, 2021, and will usher the country into Amrit Kaal. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday informed that over 50 people have lost their lives within the past 24 hours due to landslides and continuous rainfall in the area. He also expressed concerns that over 20 people are feared to be trapped under debris. (ANI)